Victhor The Viking

All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others.  So if we eat them they are more important than if we don’t so we better protect our cows so we can slaughter them later.

In an effort to reduce the badger population “as far as we can,” the animals will be trapped and shot to death in a “bovine TB endemic area” where 42 percent of cattle owners in the area had at least one case of TB in their herd since 2003. According to reports, Affairs Minister Elin Jones said that bovine TB is “out of control” and compensating farmers costs the taxpayers.

via Controversial Badger Cull to Combat TB in Cattle : EcoWorldly.

Not only is factory farming and the slaughter of animals inhuman to animals it is also inhuman to humans.  I really have not sympathy for the workers.  They choose to work there.

Besides experiencing psychological distress, slaughterhouse workers are subjected to various physical and biological hazards. An industry article published this week on meatingplace.com illustrates one such scenario: “The mysterious illnesses in Minnesota and Indiana pork plant workers from November 2006 to May 2008 were caused by an autoimmune response to a mist of pig brain tissue.” It goes on to explain that workers, especially those stationed closest to what they call the “head table,” experienced neurological ailments as a result of being exposed to the “tissue mist” when “compressed air was used to extract pig brains.” Still, according to the article, scientists looking into this situation say that the exact biological mechanism of the disease might never be known.

via Mysterious Diseases – Gene Baur’s Bloggings.

This makes me sad.  Such a beautiful animal being hunted into extinction.  Fuck Idaho Fish and Game.  May you all die a horrible death.

So far, hunters have reached half of the total 220-wolf limit set by Fish and Game earlier this year. Hunting could still close before the March 31 deadline if hunters reach quotas set for each zone.

Montana closed its wolf hunting season Monday after nearing its quota of 76 wolves, or about 15 percent of Montana's total wolf population. Idaho officials estimate the state's population between 800 and 900 wolves.

Environmentalist criticized the decision, saying it has much deeper implications for the health of the region's wolf population. They said the season is now extended into breeding and denning season, when wolves are at their den sites and therefore particularly vulnerable.

via Idaho extends wolf hunting season, environmentalists say it’s a bad move | KLEW CBS 3 – News, Weather and Sports – Lewiston, ID – Lewiston, Idaho | Local & Regional.

Great Interview with Jonathan Safran Foer, author of Eating Animals.  Great Book.

Alright Austin Folks.  Show some love….

When little Marie was rescued from Town Lake Animal Shelter she was deathly ill with an upper respiratory infection. She wasn’t eating and had reached a “dangerously low weight”, according to APA’s vet techs. Her foster parent started nebulizing her once per day for 20 minutes and saw significant improvement. Soon she was recovered and eating on her own. Marie was adopted last week — a happy, healthy cat that could have easily died if not for nebulizing.

What is a nebulizer and why do so many rescued cats need them?

While at Town Lake Animal Center many cats and kittens develop upper respiratory infections (URIs), aka, kitty colds. At the shelter the cats stay in small spaces in close proximity to other cats and are highly stressed, making it easy for a kitty to catch a cold.

Usually once we place these cats in foster homes they recover quickly but some take longer than others. Our cats need to be healthy in order to go to adoption events and find their forever homes. If a kitten is sitting at home sick he cannot be adopted. The longer he stays in foster care the fewer cats we can pull from the euthanasia list to take his spot.

Nebulizers help a great deal when it comes to getting over a URI. They are used to help cats and kittens breathe better when they are all stuffed up. If a cat can’t breath, he stops eating because he will only eat what he can smell. And not eating certainly doesn’t help a sick kitty.

via Austin Pets Alive! » Blog Archive » We need nebulizers to save more cats.

Probably one of the only important news items Fox News has ever put out.

CHICAGO — A disturbing video released exclusively to Fox News by the animal rights group Mercy for Animals (MFA) shows a string of alleged abuses at one of the nation's largest pig farms, including footage of employees picking up baby pigs and tossing them like footballs.

Additional scenes from the video show injured pigs going uncared for, pregnant hogs being kept in very small pens, with several portions of the video so disturbing that Fox News will not show.

MFA is now taking on America’s farming industry, hoping its latest undercover investigation will help create new federal and state laws to ensure better treatment for farm.

via Undercover Video Shows Pig Farm Employees Allegedly Abusing Pigs – Local News | News Articles | National News | US News – FOXNews.com.

Well Issue 2 in Ohio passed-  of course.  Well proponents of Issue 2 made it sound like it was a beneficial to the animals.  But actually what it does is allow the factory farmers police themselves.  Yeah, right.  Like that is going to happen.

Read Greg Baur’s [President and Co-founder of Farm Sanctuary] blog on the issue.

Ironically, the intention of Issue 2 is to prevent meaningful reform by allowing industry officials to define what is “humane.” Agribusiness brought Issue 2 to the ballot in the hopes of heading off legislation proposed by humane advocates to ban some of the cruelest forms of factory farming confinement: veal crates, gestation crates and battery cages. Despite the industry’s effort, change is coming. It has been said that the only constant is change, and this applies in Ohio just as it applies everywhere else.

The Takers are taking yet again.  Someone’s pockets are getting lined on this one.  Humans are disgusting creators.

The new section will be opened as an exclusive private nature reserve where hunters would target animals like elephant and buffalo for contracted killing. “This cannot be disguised as anything but a green light for hunting in Kruger National Park, which makes no ecological, biological, ethical or economic sense,” said Jason Bell-Leask of the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

via Kruger National Park’s Border To Be Moved So Hunters Can Kill : EcoWorldly.