Important Distinctions Between Animal Rights and Animal Welfare

I keep meaning to post this. This wonderful graphic makes important distinctions between the Animal Rights and Animal Welfare movements. Even though there is a fair amount of overlap between the two movements, their ultimate goals are dramatically different. Of course, this blogger falls into the Animal Rights camp. Until we recognize that animals are their own beings, with their own lives, and we have no right to use them for our own ends, there can be no real peace in the world.

People Making a Difference: You Don't Need to Look Too Hard to Find the Saints

Sometimes, I have to look on the bright side. Otherwise, I get too pessimistic.

And there is a bright side. The bright side being the countless decent men and women and even children who fight for the rights and well being of animals.

I'd like to take a moment to single out Yang Xiaoyun, age 60, from Tianjin in northeastern China. This woman is a true heroine who has gone into debt, risked angering family members, and works every day from sunup to sundown.

Why? To take care of countless stray cats and dogs. In fact, her shelter houses some 300 abandoned cats and dogs. Many of them had histories of being abused and mutilated before arriving at her shelter. She calls them "my children."

As Yang pointed out in a recent interview:

None of my friends or family members support my work. I had two properties. One was a wedding gift for my son for when he gets married. I sold his place in 2000. He was very angry at me and ran away from home for three years. He couldn't take it anymore. (Source)

Luckily, Yang's son returned to help her. But she was forced to move numerous times due to complaints from neighbors. Each month, Yang faces $2,000 (US) in monthly expenses. She has managed to get by thanks to the donations of kind people around the world.

Yang has an interesting story: Years ago, after her husband died in the 1990s, she grew despondent. She felt like her life had lost meaning and she was contemplating suicide when she found an abandoned kitten in a ditch. She found something else, too: Her calling.

But it's not easy. It's a thankless job. It takes her nine hours a day to prepare food - which typically consists of cooked leftovers mixed with meat - for all of the animals in her shelter.

Yang has a Blog, but it's in Chinese. Like so many wonderful people taking care of animals, she is looking for donations. More information on donating can be found here.

Yang is the kind of person who helps restore my faith in humanity. She is doing great work. She is making a difference. The animals in her shelter are loved and well cared for, many for the first time in their lives.

Yang's struggle is daunting, yet her compassion is yet another source of inspiration for those of us who refuse to give up the good fight for our animal friends.

I have posted a video on Yang and her shelter below. Have a look if you get a chance.

God bless you, Yang Xiaoyun.

Time for some Pie in the Sky... With Vegan Ice Cream on Top! (Well, maybe not... let's face it... vegan ice cream sucks...)

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is generating a lot of controversy as a result of its decision to make public undercover video footage shot inside of America's two largest egg farms. Apparently, the film shows "workers slamming chickens into metal bins and dead animals littering cages." (Source) The footage was shot secretly inside of facilities belonging to Rose Acre Farms and Rembrandt Enterprises, both located in Iowa.

The video footage has sparked a war of words between HSUS and the food industry. Unfortunately, the debate has nothing to do with the rights of the hens. As HSUS President Wayne Pacelle announced at a news conference in Des Moines yesterday: "We're not asking for an end to the confinements of animals in buildings. We're asking they not be crammed into cages and crates barely larger than their bodies." (Source)

He went on to say: "Those same producers are producing cage-free eggs by the millions to account for the growing demand for these products. We're not talking about a pie-in-the-sky alternative." (Source)

Well, I say: Let's talk about pie-in-the-sky alternatives. These puny animal welfare measures do nothing but provide short-term feel-good solutions to lull food consumers back into a state of denial. How is it going to change the harsh conditions and rampant abuses in these egg-laying facilities to switch from caged hens to cage-free hens? How will that help one iota? Will it stop workers from slamming the chickens? Will it make life better for the chickens? Will they be anything other than slaves, forced to lay eggs for human beings who don't need eggs to survive?

Nobody talks about pie-in-the-sky alternatives anymore. People are too focused on pragmatic solutions. But if nobody aims high, great change will never come. In 1850, abolitionism was about as "pie in the sky" as you can get. The handful of brave men and women who wanted to free African Americans from bondage in the middle of the 19th Century faced persecution, ostracism, even death. And they did NOT have the press or courts or politicians on their side.

But they had something far more powerful going for them: They had right on their side. They had justice on their side. And these are far more than simple abstractions...

Use that damning video footage for something far more meaningful than a debate over caged versus cage-free eggs. Use it to show the beauty of birds that bond with their parents and offspring, understand mathematics, enjoy a day out in the sun as much of the rest of us, and have a right to live full and peaceful lives.

Pie in the sky? Sure. Right and just? Yes.

More Victims of the Immoral Factory Farm System

Days ago, there was a horrible fire at the Ohio Fresh Eggs company near Marseilles, Ohio, that resulted in the deaths of 250,000 chickens. (Source) That's pretty staggering when you think about it - a quarter of million. It is difficult for me to wrap my head around those numbers.

Many of the chickens died in the blaze, although a substantial number were also euthanized after the fire to put them out of their misery.

250,000

What is even more troubling is that mass animal deaths as a result of farm fires is a fairly regular occurrence. Here in Canada, pigs are often the victims of blazes.

It was almost precisely two years ago that 7,000 pigs perished in a fire in a barn at a Manitoba Hutterite community. (Source)

In January 2009, a barn fire near Hadashville, Manitoba, killed 900 hogs. (Source) Later that month, in east-central Saskatchewan, a blaze that swept through four large hog barns killed all of the animals inside. (Source) In December 2009, 1200 pigs died in a barn fire near St. Catharines, Ontario. Around the same time, 800 pigs perished in flames at a farm outside of Stratford, Ontario. (Source)

And at Wingham, Ontario, earlier this month, 5,000 pigs died in a raging inferno. (Source)

All of these tragedies had something in common: They were avoidable.

In addition to being scenes of horrific slaughter, factory farms are also tinderboxes full of flammable materials. And the animals inside of their walls have no rights. They're regarded as property. When they burn to death, their only obituary is typically a short article buried inside of a newspaper.

250,000... 900... 7,000... 1200... 5,000... 800...

It's all miles to the moon. And the victims of these fires are mere commodities in the eyes of most people.... Nothing more than numbers for the insurance company.

Imagine the final moment for those quarter of a million hens or those 7,000 pigs. All they knew was the ghastly terror of fire closing in on them, burning them to death - one of the most excruciatingly awful ways to die.

How many more reasons do we need to abolish the factory farm system? And how much longer do we have to wait until this system of mass, assembly line murder is finally done away with?

Animal Odds & Ends

There is a great interview with actress, comedienne and animal lover Betty White on USA Today's website. Have a look if you get a chance. Betty is saint-like when it comes to her love of animals and she has been an advocate on their behalf for decades. She has been receiving a lot of accolades lately, including a Screen Actors Guild (SAG) award earlier this year, presented to her by pal and costar Sandra Bullock. Whenever Betty is recognized for her achievements, she always makes sure to give a plug for the animals that she loves so much. It is so great to see such a kind-hearted soul being honored - not just for her distinguished career in film and television, but for her tireless work on behalf of animals.

Figure skater Johnny Weir says he is spooked by threats from animal rights activists over his love of fur. Anti-fur activists have been bombarding him with all kinds of hate mail and complaints because he wore white fox fur on his outfit at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships. (Source) "'Crazy Fur People' Force Weir's Hand," said a Reuters headline. A frustrated Weir told The Advocate magazine: "It's a dirty business, but it's a business; someone has to do it ... I appreciate a beautiful fur coat, I appreciate products made out of animals. I eat steak, I wear ice skates made out of leather. I have Ugg boots, so I guess I'm wearing sheep. I just don't like how animal groups go crazy about a fox or a beaver but say nothing about cows dying for shoes. They always seem to pick the cutest animals." (Source) Threatening Weir is an awful move and the animal rights movement would be wise to stay away from such counterproductive tactics. At the same time, Weir did recently announce that "faux fur" because he doesn't want the issue to undermine his chances of winning a medal. So the heavy-handed pressure tactics, while highly problematic in so many ways, did have the desired effect. Proving once again that militancy has its drawbacks and strengths.

Speaking of violence and the animal rights movement, my hero Gary Francione has a column on the website Opposing Views that is well worth your time to read. If you get a chance, please have a look at it. Like everything else Francione writes, this piece is thoughtful, brilliantly argued, and raises a number of crucial points. No wonder so many people consider Francione the greatest spokesperson for the cause of animal rights and animal liberation today. His no-nonsense wisdom is refreshing and always to the point. The movement is lucky to have such a figure at its helm.

Fighting the Good Fight: MP Mark Holland and Bill C229

In this Blog, I like to emphasize the wonderful people from all walks of life and every corner of the world who are fighting the good fight to help animals. There are a lot of them. Member of Parliament Mark Holland (right, with a constituent), a Liberal who represents Pickering and Ajax in the Canadian Parliament, is one such person. He has been fighting a long time for the passage of Bill C-229, which would toughen Canada's animal anti-cruelty laws.

They need toughening, too. In Calgary alone in recent days, there have been three court cases of men savagely treating dogs, including one who clubbed a dog repeatedly with a flashlight and another who beat a four-month-old puppy to death. Outside of the Calgary courtroom, members of Daisy Foundation - a group dedicated to fighting for tougher penalties against animal abusers - were making their presence known with demonstrations against animal cruelty.

Daisy Foundation is a terrific organization named after Daisy Duke, a dog who was tortured when two thugs put a bag over her head and beat her with a shovel. Then they dragged her behind a truck. She was so badly damaged by this incident that she had to be euthanized. The main perpetrator, Daniel Haskett, received 30 days in jail, which he was able to serve on the weekends. He was also slapped with a year's probation. Oh yeah, and he's not prohibited from being around animals. Real tough punishment for a sadist who loves inflicting cruelty on a defenseless creature. Sadly, I'm sure we haven't seen the last of him.

This is one of the reasons why what Mark Holland is doing in Parliament is so important. He is pushing through a bill so that the Daniel Hasketts of the world won't get off so easily. Mark is fighting a noble battle in Parliament and he can use all the support he can get. I'm going to do my part by writing letters to key members of parliament to show my support for Mark (the addresses of the members can be found on his Website). Check out his Website (http://markholland.ca/issues/animals.htm) to see what you can do to help. Harsh punishments against those who abuse and murder animals is long overdue. Mark is just one of many brave folks around the world fighting for stiffer penalties against animal abusers.

A Big Thumbs Up to New Zealand's Prime Minister...

Thumbs up to New Zealand's Prime Minister John Key for fast-tracking a new bill through the government to get tough on animal abuse. Key has a lot of support for the bill, both within his own party (the National Party) and from the opposition. The public pressure to pass the bill intensified after a man in Wellsford recently shot and killed 33 dogs in a local dispute. The head of the Labour Party opposition, Phil Goff, spoke for a lot of New Zealanders when he said:

I'm the owner of two dogs and have had pets all my life. There is a human obligation to treat animals humanely and we need to do everything we can to stop these appalling acts. We know that there is a link, that people who are capable of committing acts of cruelty against animals [are also capable of behaving] in a similar manner against human beings.

Hopefully the passage of tougher laws in New Zealand (it's looking like this bill is a sure thing) will inspire other countries around the world to toughen their animal cruelty laws. It is time to start punishing those who abuse, harm and - in some cases - kill innocent animals. This law is a very encouraging sign.

PM Key, you get a big thumbs up!

Fighting the Good Fight in Singapore

It is encouraging to see people finally addressing the treatment of animals in Asia. There was a huge meeting this weekend in Singapore to address this very issue. And while the participants did not necessarily focus on animal liberation, this was at least an attempt to address issue of animal welfare and abuse in Asian nations, and hopefully raise a little awareness. The following news item comes from the Malaysian National News Agency Bernama:

SINGAPORE, Jan 16 (Bernama) -- Nearly 400 international animal protection activists gathered here today to discuss concrete long-term solutions for ongoing animal protection and cruelty problems in the Asia region.

The activists representing over 200 organisations from 26 countries, including Malaysia, are participating in the five-day Asia for Animals Conference (AFA) hosted by Singapore's Acres (Animal Concerns Research and Education Society.

The conference will cover a wide range of issues including running effective education outreach programmes, improving the welfare of animals in captivity, providing optimal veterinary care, effective stray animals management, wiping out the wildlife trade, running a sustainable rescue centre and campaigning for change.

Singapore Member of Parliament Seah Kian Peng who in his opening address, said the world was now beginning to realise the need to preserve and take care of animals and the importance of their survival to mankind.

He said the European Union had recognised that animals were sentient beings and had started to include animal welfare in its Free Trade Agreement.

The World Organisation for Animal Health recently integrated animal welfare into its strategic priorities and the Doha WTO Agreement on Trade also placed animal welfare firmly on the agenda for future agricultural negotiations, Seah said.