Homeless, this Christmas

You don’t have to be human to experience the effect of the financial crisis. This year, more dogs are being abandoned by owners as the credit crunch bites.

I just caught the itv London local news and they reported on how Battersea Dogs Home is overrun with strays.

According to this London dog shelter, scores of pets (mainly puppies, I think) given as Christmas presents make their way to the shelter because people don’t want them anymore.

These puppies are just  dumped on already choc-a-bloc dog homes or are thrown away like rubbish.

However, in a BBC report, it’s the older dogs who are sent away to shelters, to make way for new puppies during the festive season.

This shows that no animal is safe then.

When will it stop?
It really breaks my heart to think that so many of animals end up homeless and if they are not found a home, then are put down.

In India, this is not just limited to December, but continues throughout the year. So, the situation is ten times worse than here.

Just because animals can’t talk, doesn’t mean they don’t feel.

One time, my grandmother weht on holiday for a month, leaving her dog in the care of her housekeeper.

And believe me when I say, that dog pined for her the entire time she was away. He wouldn’t touch his food and had become skelenton thin.

So yes, I do believe animals have feelings, even though some may strongly disagree.

A pet, in my opinion, is like a child.  You have to take care and protect it, and in turn you are shown unconditional love.

Lay off the cooking sherry, Nigella!

What was British celebrity chef, Nigella Lawson, thinking when she said she would proudly wear fur if she killed it herself?

Nigella Lawson; Source: Wikipedia

In a live interview on BBC’s The One Show, Nigella actually admitted that she would very happily wear bear fur, if she could kill the beast herself.

And not only that, but she would in fact, wear it proudly as a trophy.

It disgusts me to think people in the public-eye can make such callous remarks and not be reprimanded for it.

Undoubtedly, she has received loads of negative media coverage in the past week.

However, the fact of the matter is, it is still media coverage even if it is bad.

Could it have been a publicity stunt? I honestly don’t know.

Fur trade=Inhumane

Some will criticise her, I suppose.

On the other hand though, others may condone her comments and think that atleast she is honest enough to admit how she really feels about wearing fur.

Watching videos on how fur is made is just heart-wrenching.

To see the cruel conditions in which fox’s, bears and other fur-bearing animals are trapped and the way they are treated by fur-farmers is unthinkable.

How people can even consider wearing fur is beyond me. It is not a fashion statement. Heartless and cruel is what it is, not to mention inhumane.

The fur trade needs to end. Using the skin of innocent, defenceless animals is not something to be proud of. People who glorify the use of fur, serioulsy need to get their heads examined.

Animals a stomping, crushing, eating, killing….

Cute, not realy? Cuddly is probably out of the picture too. But don’t rats, snakes and yes, even cockroaches and grubs have the right to be treated fairly? 

Everytime I happen (and this is definitely accidental) to catch I’m a Celebrity….Get me out of here!  all I see are animals being stomped to death or crushed or squashed or eaten.

What I want to know is, how can ITV get away with such shows masquerading as family entertainment?

It really gets under my skin to think shows like this actually appeal to a large percentage of the poupulation.
Maybe it’s not apparent that THIS IS ANIMAL CRUELTY!

How about if an adorable bunny or some other such pet were used in the programme? Wouldn’t the public react differently to that ?

I’m fine with celebrities promoting (feel free to call it whatever you like, I’m being kind!) themselves on television, that’s their choice. But, the innocent animals used in such ‘hits’ don’t have a say, do they?

Cruelty…who cares? 

According to Vegetarians International Voice for Animals (Viva!), ‘evidence from Australian wildlife experts has revealed some species of kangaroo are on the brink of extinction.

This includes a new report from the Australian Society for Kangaroos (Decimation of an Icon), which shows that several species of kangaroo shot in the wild for meat and leather are on the brink of extinction in wide areas of Australia.

More than three million animals are still allowed to be slaughtered every year, despite the worst drought in living memory and the result is a collapse of kangaroo populations.’

And yet, here we have I’m a Celebrity creating tasks that include eating ‘exotic meats’ like crocodile eyes and feet; kangaroo testicles.

The celebs even have containers of snakes, eels, rodents, not to mention, millions of insects tipped onto them. 

Hopping mad...another 'unwilling participant'; Source: Wikipedia

In the Telegraph, the RSPCA voiced its concerns, saying it feared that the  show’s ‘Bushtucker challenges’, were desensitising people’s attitudes towards animal cruelty.

“The use of animals in this way is completely unacceptable and could easily cause great distress to the animals involved,” said a spokesman.

“There is no excuse for using animals in stunts that carry a high risk of them being harmed and we believe the series gives out a very irresponsible message to viewers about how to treat animals.”

However,  an ITV spokesman defended the use of animals on the show and said: “At each of the bushtucker trials, which feature animals or insects, we have qualified and experienced animal and insect wranglers on site and every trial has been carefully tested and developed.”

I’m not convinced. And don’t forget the mental torture these animals have to endure? Can you imagine what rats trapped in a tub of snakes slithering at the bottom have to go through?

Animals are not just being harmed, but are being caused fear and distress, and they are dying. Animal welfare, unfortunately,  has gone out the window.

Fur: the brutal reality (Background to Worldwide participation in Fur-Free Friday 2008)

Animals, indispensable for the survival of the fur trade are not just captured, but hunted to death for their ‘biggest asset’.

Is fur so irresistible, that innocent animals are not just killed, but have to endure terrible suffering? And for what – our satisfaction and pleasure?

 

Those captured in sharp steel traps, suffer the most excrutiating pain. The sharp steel digs into their bodies, legs or paws.

On the other hand, hunted animals are shot and killed instantly or bleed to death.

At other times however, the animal suffers in a trap for hours or even days, before the hunters snap their necks in half or even tear up their chests. 

In both the above cases, these same traps may cripple and kill thousands of dogs, cats or any other unsuspecting animal that happens to cross its path.

In an effort to free themselves, they often bite off their own paw to escape.

 
Fur farms

According to Peta, animals that have been bred on fur farms spend their entire lives in small, dirty cages.

They suffer physical and psychological before they are killed.

To avoid the fur being damaged, some farmers kill bigger animals (like foxes) with an electric shock. 

This means they electrocute them through their mouth, anus or vagina, burning their inner organs.

Animals killed by electricity feel the intensive pain of a heart attack while they are fully conscience.

Another method of killing includes poisoning with gas which leads to  suffocation.

In some cases, nearly 20 little animals have been pressed into a box through which poisonous gasses are released.

Other methods include killing animals in a decompression chamber, where compressed air bursts their inner organs.

 

Fur facts

Did you know that to make just one fur coat, you need to kill:

·         12 – 15 Lynx

·         10 – 15 Wolves or Coyotes

·         10 – 24 Foxes

·         16 -20 Beavers

·         27 -30 Racoons

·         60 – 80 Minks

·         60 – 100 Squirrels

·         130 – 200 Chinchilla

Making a difference….

In the past decade or so, the fashion industry has seen several leading names, turn to fur alternatives in their designs.

Such progressive designers include, Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, Stella McCartney, Calvin Klein and Vivienne Westwood are several amongst many.

Hollywood starlets like Alicia Silverstone, Kim Bassinger, Charlize Theron and Pamela Anderson are involved in a number of animal rights campaigns, protesting against the cruelty, fur-bearing animals must endure.

Tyra Banks and other internationally renowned super-models have also turned their backs on fur, raising awareness on the fur industry.  

In the UK itself, various High Street stores have adopted a fur free policy. Boots, H&M, Marks and Spencer’s, Dorothy Perkins, Selfridges, John Lewis and House of Fraser are all on the list.

Saying ‘no’ to fur has even reached as high up as the Monarchy.

The Royal Guardsmen’s iconic hats (made from the fur of Canadian black bears) came under scrutiny, and are to be replaced with more eco-friendly alternatives.

What alternative?

Furriers claim that the manufacture of polyester and nylon copies of the “real thing” involves chemicals that pollute the environment.

Also, there is a great deal of risk to the health of the factory workers who have to handle the fake fur.

The American Fur Commission has claimed that it takes one gallon of oil to make three just fake fur jackets.

Real fur, on the other hand, is natural and biodegradable, and therefore more ethical than artificial fibres, goes the argument.

Click here to view article on the group blog – Minerva