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Articles in: Animal Rights

Victims of crisis: Spain’s horses

victims-of-crisis-spains-horses

Back in 2010 I posted about how bad economic times in Ireland were resulting in a large amount of neglected and abandoned horses in the country. Now Spain, in the throws of economic crisis, is experiencing a similar problem. In Spain, as in Ireland, when cash was plentiful many horse-mad citizens splashed out on having their very own equine companion (or trophy as the case may be). But now that times are tough it’s old Sugar Foot who gets the boot. Curiously, sometimes it’s not old mares that are being, quite literally, put out to pasture, but expensive pure-red Andalucians….

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Shell experimenting with dogs to detect Arctic oil

shell-experimenting-with-dogs-to-detect-arctic-oil

In preparation for the eventuality of oil spills resulting from drilling in the icy Arctic region, Shell Oil might be enlisting the help of sniffer dogs as an inexpensive contingency plan. Shell plans to start drilling off the northwest coast of Alaska as early as June. Since there are as of yet no methods for detecting oil spills that are covered by ice and snow, the use of dachshunds and border collies could be the best the minds of Shell and other companies have been able to come up with. Personally, I have no idea if this is an effective…

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Shark fin soup is bad for the environment and your brain

shark-fin-soup-is-bad-for-the-environment-and-your-brain

Consuming shark fin soup is a bad idea, not only because of the decreasing number of sharks, but it can also lead to a brain damage. “A new study has found high concentrations of BMAA in shark fins — a neurotoxin linked to neurodegenerative diseases in humans including Alzheimer’s and Lou Gehrig disease (ALS)”, informs sunnewsnetwork.ca. Patients with these diseases, tested before they died, had very high levels of BMAA – up to 256 nanograms per milligram – in their brains. Shark fins contain between 144 and 1836 ng/mg of this neurotoxin. The threat comes, not only from eating the…

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Should whales and dolphins be given ‘human’ rights?

should-whales-and-dolphins-be-given-human-rights

At a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Vancouver, Canada, scientists and philosophers have argued for affording whales and dolphins the same ethical considerations as humans. Now, you may ask, how good are human rights anyway? Not that great in many places of the world. But, never mind that right now, this is a question of ideology, to be enshrined in law. We’ll worry about who actually follows that law later.   The idea is that, under domestic and international law, the Declaration of Rights for Cetaceans would guarantee rights for dolphins and whales…

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Brainless chicken farms: fantasy or the future?

brainless-chicken-farms-fantasy-or-the-future

Student of architecture, Andre Ford, has proposed a new system of mass chicken production, in which, according to wired.co.uk, the birds will no longer have the main core of their brains. This means they won’t be able to suffer the atrocity of being packed in vertical yokes in which they are to grow to eventually end up on our plates. The project, named The Centre for Unconscious Farming, is a response to the increase in chicken meat consumption and the cruelty associated with it that is so prevalent on factory farms. Unconscious birds, in a manner resembling growing plants, will be connected…

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Animal sex abuse is on the rise in Germany

animal-sex-abuse-is-on-the-rise-in-germany

The practice of having sex with animals is becoming an epidemic in Germany. “There are even animal brothels. The abuse seems to be increasing rapidly and the internet offers an additional distribution platform”, said Madeleine Martin, the animal protection official for Hessian state government. The law needs to be changed to make it possible to prosecute and punish these animal abusers. “It is punishable to distribute animal pornography, but the act itself is not”, Madeleine Martin told the ‘Frankfurter Rundschau’. Sex with animals was illegal until 1969 and according to animal rights activists, this kind of animal abuse is no…

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Spaniards drive their horses through the fire to get them “cleansed and protected”

spaniards-drive-their-horses-through-the-fire-to-get-them-cleansed-and-protected

On the Eve of St. Antonio’s Day (16th January), dozens of riders jump on their horses and ride them over burning stakes, which are set alight on the streets of San Bartolomé de Pinares in the Spanish province of Ávila. This unusual festival, known as “Luminarias,” has been organized for over 500 years. Jumping through the fire is accompanied by the sound of bagpipes playing. The people of San Bartolomé de Pinares believe that the horses don’t feel any pain while they are galloping like this through the flames. Nevertheless, this annual festival meets with criticism from animal rights activists,…

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