Join the "Thunderclap": Protect Ontario's Pollinators!

As a member of the Ontario Nature Youth Council, I would like to invite those of you who have Facebook, Twitter, and/or Tumblr to join the "Thunderclap" of messages that will be sent to Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne calling for restrictions on the use of neonicotinoids (which are a particularly harmful type of pesticide) in Ontario, Canada. Neonicotinoids cause neurological damage to pollinators, such as bees and butterflies. This is one of the factors contributing to the massive deaths of much of the pollinator populations. To learn more, please go directly to the campaign page on the Thunderclap website: https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/11177-protect-ontario-s-pollinators.
You can visit Ontario Nature's website here: http://www.ontarionature.org/.


Photo Courtesy of http://www.ontarionature.org/protect/campaigns/pollinators.php

Thanks!

Animal Rights Blogs, Action Alerts, Newsletters, and Events to Sign Up For

This week, I'm just going to post a long list of different things to sign up for. These things can effectively help you become a better volunteer/person/activist by engaging you in reading and activity. I think that there isn't a list that gives a list of animal rights blogs, newsletters, and action alerts as comprehensive as this one on the ENTIRE web!

List of Animal Rights Blogs, Organizations, Action Alerts, and Events

Blogs

• My blog, http://www.theanimalrightsactionsite.blogspot.com/ (if you think you will forget to check my blog, sign up for it by e-mail on the right of this page)
• Animal Rights: The Abolishinist Approach, at http://www.abolitionistapproach.com/
• Le Chateau Soleil Vegan Cooking Blog: http://lechateausoleil.blogspot.ca/
• Vegan Marshmallows (this blog is no longer updated, but it still can be used as a resource):  http://veganmarshmallows.blogspot.ca/
• Animal Rights Blog (quick updates about what's happening right now in the animal rights realm), at http://www.animalrightsblog.org/
• Animal Rights News: http://animalrights.newsbeet.com/
• Vegan.com blog: http://vegan.com/blog/
• PETA's blog: http://www.peta.org/b/thepetafiles/default.aspx
• peta2's blog: http://www.blog.peta2.com/
• WSPCA's Animals in Disaster Blog: http://www.animalsindisasters.typepad.com/
• Humane Society International News: http://www.hsi.org/news/
• Sea Shepherd Conservation Society News: http://www.seashepherd.org/news-and-media/sea-shepherd-news.html

E-Newsletters/Action Alerts

• International Fund for Animal Welfare: http://www.ifaw.org/  (enter your e-mail address at the top right-hand corner)
• People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals Action Team: http://www.peta.org/action/action-team/default.aspx
• WSPCA E-Newsletter: http://www.wspa-international.org/ (enter your e-mail address in the left-hand column)
• Humane Society International Action Alerts: http://www.hsi.org/ (enter your name, e-mail address, and country in the right hand column to sign up)
• Vegan Outreach E-Newsletter: http://www.veganoutreach.org/enewsletter/
• Vegan Society E-Newsletter: http://vegansociety.com/default.aspx (enter your e-mail address in the top right-hand corner)
• Vegetarian Society E-Newsletter: http://www.vegsoc.org/page.aspx?pid=912
• Friends of Animals Action Alerts: http://www.friendsofanimals.org/news/action-alert/
• Friends of Animals Magazine (available online): http://www.friendsofanimals.org/actionline/index.html

Events

• Animal Rights 2012 National Conference: In Washington, D.C., from August 2nd to 5th, the conference will be held. All welcome! http://arconference.org/
• For area-specific events in the USA and Britain, please go to http://www.soystache.com/vegetarian-events.htm

Do you have anything to add? Please contact me at rabbit-cat (at) vegemail.com or comment below.
Next week, I'll be talking about the cruelty of circuses. Until next week, then!

Saving Urban Wildlife In Your Own Backyard!

Urban wildlife means animals who live in the city or suburbs. This would include squirrels, birds, chipmunks, rabbits, mice, bats, skunks, raccoons, and even insects! Animals in the city are brave and often tough-- but not necessarily tough enough to survive toxic chemicals, litter, and lack of food. It's hardly fair when we call them "pests"-- who was here first, after all, us or them? I suppose you could even say that us humans are the pests! Either way, we should try to be the least harmful to the native species of our area as possible.

This is one of my favourite ways of helping animals because you can see the effects of your actions right away-- cleaner neighbourhood, less chance of animals being injured or killed. Without further ado, I shall rattle off some of my (and other people's) ideas for saving wildlife in your neighbourhood!

1. Put window stickers or dangling ornaments on/around your windows to avoid bird collisions. Even a few stickers can do-- it will warn the birds that the impossibly clean window is, indeed, a hard surface. You can purchase some eco-friendly, fair-trade ornaments at https://therainforestsite.greatergood.com/store/trs/category/337/home-d%C3%83%C2%A9cor?1. Browse around! You might find something interesting. Of course, you can make your own, too-- old Christmas cards, current to-do lists... It's up to you, just do something!
2. Pick up any garbage you see on the ground. You can either organize a litter clean-up or just grab an elastic or two on your way. Once I saw a chipmunk attempting to stow away some plastic garbage in my backyard. I quickly scared her away and picked up the plastic. She could have suffocated on that bag, or been sickened with toxins, if I hadn't picked it up. My point: every little piece of garbage can make a difference! Tip: You're likely to find a lot of elastic bands around post boxes, since the letters are carried in packs with elastics around them. For some reason, the post people will often just throw them on the ground! So that would be a good place to check, if you're looking for ideas.
3. Be careful not to spill chemicals (like anti-freeze) on the ground (or down the storm drain!). Since anti-freeze tastes sweet, animals will enjoy lapping it up-- only to suffer fatal consequences later.
4. Especially during harsh winter months, leave out birdseed and vegetable scraps for the birds, squirrels, and rabbits. It's only fair to share-- and if they don't eat it, it will still be used as fertiliser for your lawn!
5. Don't try to get rid of the so-called "pest" animals, unless they are literally tearing your house apart or giving you diseases. See my earlier post, "Give Pests a Rest!" for more details.

Living with wildlife can be very interesting, and even amusing at times. You can watch the birds at the birdfeeder and the rabbits in the yard. It's also crucial to remember that reducing your environmental footprint may be the key factor in saving wildlife everywhere. You can see my environment blog, Hug a Tree Today, Seriously, at http://www.hugatreetodayseriously.blogspot.com/ , to learn more.
Have a good week!

Animal Rights-- a Traditional Value

Huh? Just wait a minute. You're probably wondering how on EARTH animal rights is an age-old European tradition, right? It seems like a totally new, radical idea that has just recently appeared in our culture, doesn't it?
Well, there was a time-- during the medieval period and American colonization-- when the idea of animals not having rights was even more absurd, according to Jeffrey St.Clair in the introduction of Fear of the Animal Planet, a book by Jason Hribal. Animals were frequently given trials for breaking the law, yet if anyone violated that animal's rights, they would also end up in court. Convicted animals would end up executed in the exact same way humans were-- and often buried beside human criminals.
For example, in 1575, the weevils who lived in Savoy, France were sent to court (represented by a lawyer) for destroying a famous vineyard. Their lawyer, Pierre Rembaud, cited the Christian Bible to defend the weevils. He said that God had promised the all animals any plants that they needed to eat, so it was the weevils' preordained right to eat the grape leaves. He even swayed the local citizens to set up a weevil reserve!
In another case, a donkey had been attacked by a farmer in 1750. The court needed to decide whether the donkey had provoked the attack or was innocent. So, some top citizens wrote to the court. An abbot described the donkey as "in word and deed and in all her habits of life a most honorable creature." In the end, the donkey was declared innocent and was allowed to go back to her field.
Notice how the abbot describes the young donkey in the same way one might speak of a human being, and using the term "her habits", instead of "its habits". The donkey is considered capable of rational judgement, morality, and the freedom of choice. Compare that to nowadays, and how a donkey is often described as a commodity without innate value.
What happened?
How did animals become seen as human goods, then?
Well, according to the book that I cited earlier, around 1600, the view began to change. If an animal was inconvenient, "it" would have to go, and there were no more trials that gave animals rights. Take Rene Descartes, for example, who was a scientist, philosopher, and vivisector. He was known to nail dogs to a board to cut open-- while alive-- on the basis that animals were simply atomatons, and that their screams were comparable to the "noise of breaking machinery". Other celebrities of the time were starting to view animals in this way, too. Those who still lived close-up-and-personal to animals challenged this "modern" way of thinking, but gradually it spread like the plague through nearly every city, town, and village in the modern world.
Although this is a truly sad tale, there are still ways that we can reverse this dangerously cruel direction that we have been heading. Luckily, some of the work is already cut out for us, as environmentalists, animal rescuers, and animal rights activists are starting to work towards a compassionate world. But they can't do it unless we all pitch in. Here are some things to do to help:

1. Don't buy any product that has come from the animal industry. This includes food, clothing, souvenirs, and cleaning solutions that are made out of an animal product, among other things. Although some products are considered "humane", remember that humane in the 21st century is a great deal different than truly humane.
2. Remember to treat animals as individuals, not just cute things. They're different from us in many ways, but not as many as you might think. Follow the Golden Rule: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."
3. Speak of animals in the same way. Although it won't directly affect your neighbour's cat if you describe him as "cute and pathetic" while talking to your friends, it will create a worse case of human superiority-complex in society. So be careful!
4. Educate others on how the current typical view of animals is not natural nor compassionate. If you don't want to take the time to explain, send them to my blog, okay?
5. Don't support the cruel practices of the pet trade, animal performances, and rides on either wagons drawn by animals or on their backs.

By always being mindful of animal rights, we can really make a difference in the world.

Give Pests a Rest!

I'll start off this post with a quiz. Answer honestly!

1) How often do you kill an insect who is in your house?
a. Whenever I see one
b. Only if the weather is too cold to let them outside
c. Never; I either leave them be or take them outside

2) If your house had rats in the walls, what would you do?
a. Call an exterminator immediately
b. Find a no-kill company to release them into the wild
c. Lure them into no-kill traps and release them into the wild

3) How do you deal with the humongous anthill in your backyard?
a. Poison it with toxins or something else that will kill the ants
b. Shovel it up and dump the ants in the park
c. Leave it alone

So how did you do?
If you answered mostly a's, you haven't given much thought to the feelings of animals. You may feel like you don't have the time to deal with them, or you just don't care. Try harder.
If you answered mostly b's, you do try to show compassion towards "pests", and you think about their point-of-view. But you could try harder. You may not be educated on proper pest control, and you draw the line where anything disconveniences you too much.
If you answered mostly c's, then you really hold the animals' interests in high esteem. Well done!

The "Answers" to the above questions:

1. Leave the insects alone, especially if they aren't overtaking your house. If you see insects who will starve if you let them stay indoors, let them outside, but only if the weather is good.
Flies should be regarded not as pests, but as guests-- read J. Allen Boone's opinion in his true story Kinship with All Life, on his new friend "Freddie the Fly":

• "Curious to what his reactions might be, I abruptly tossed the little fellow into the air. It did not disturb him in the least; in fact he seemed to like it. He cruised slowly just above my head, but when I pointed my finger up in his direction, down he came, landing on the fingertip as though he and I had been doing such things for a long time. I did this again and again, but every time he was tossed off he would always return...."

Animals are much smarter than we give them credit for. Don't end their lives just because of convenience.

2. Although you may not see a difference between b and c for this one, there is indeed a big difference. Catch-and-release exterminators are not always what they are publicized as. "Humane" companies may end up killing the animals anyway. If you do hire a company, do plenty of research, get some references, and make sure it is okay for you to go with them to release the animals. Make sure that the animals ARE released.

3. Always leave anthills alone. They will disappear come winter anyway. While shovelling them away may seem humane, you are dislocating them, subjecting them to confusion and possible death. Always try to co-exist with wildlife in your area.

In conclusion, give pests a rest, treat them like guests, and don't kill their nests! Not the best poem, but a good message!