Eat meat? Ask first!

The recent recall of tainted beef (143 million pounds), the largest in U. S. history, raises numerous serious questions. These intelligent and sentient beings are tortured not only in the slaughterhouse where they are severely mistreated, but also on the way to their reprehensible death, in this case, caught on videotape. "Downers," (around 200,000 cows a year and one million pigs) who can't walk, are beaten, shocked, fork-lifted into trucks, or left for dead before they even get to the death chamber. One slaughterhouse worker said of food animals, "They die piece by piece."

Around the world people want to know what they can do to make the world a better place for humans and other animals. One easy thing to do is to stop eating meat, or at least ask where the meat came from and to make the most humane choice. And schools can also do much to increase our "compassion footprint" by refusing to buy meat from slaughterhouses who persecute animals and to teach students to do the same - to ask where the meat came from when they go shopping or when they dine out. This is an easy thing to do and will go a long way toward making the world a more compassionate place for all life.

So, when someone is overwhelmed and can't figure out what to do to add compassion to the world, tell them to "ask first." It's such an easy thing to do.

Seal Clubbing in Namibia update

Clubbing of 80 000 nursing baby, suckling on mothers milk (non-fishing eating) seal pups started on Sunday, July 1, and will continue for the next 139 days. This will apply for a 3yr rolling quota. Namibia plans a total extinction of the Cape fur seals in Namibia, clearly pointing out over and over again, that seals consume 900 000 tonnes of fish and the fishing industry only lands between 500 000 and 600 000 tonnes. Whilst the seals do not cause Namibia's fisheries to collapse, clearly Namibia now believes for fisheries to get back to harvesting. Even stranger, the quota is 90% pup based who as nursing pups still suckling on mothers milk, pose no threat to fish consumption, whilst all other age groups of fish-eating seals are exempt, including all breeding females. Namibia and its sealers will continue to allow breeding cows to mate, raise their baby for 7-months, whilst consuming fish to then harvest them, to protect fish stocks. So when will Namibia stop. Never, because with this banana republic logic, seals will go the same way as Namibia's fisheries - down, down, down.
For the Seals Francois Hugo Seal Alert-SA
http://www.sealalertsa.net/index1.htm

Seal Killing in Namibia

Today signalled the beginning of my activism towards helping the beautiful creatures on our planet! I went to my first protest today! I am passionate about animals and have always been sensitive to the plight of creatures in distress, but I had never acted upon it. So when I was sent an email about the clubbing to death of pup seals in Namibia, my heart lurched and my soul cried out in anguish for these beautiful creatures. Hosted by Anastaysa from the wonderful vegan restaurant, Earth2 in Emmarentia, the protest was organised outside the Namibian embassy in Pretoria today, in the hope of putting an end to this senseless murder. The killing of innocent, baby seals will start on July 1st. This is the 2nd largest Seal Slaughter in the world, the commercial Seal Hunt in Canada, being the 1st. Baby seals and their nursing cows are rounded up on the beaches of Namibia and senselessly clubbed and stabbed to death. Namibian's pup quota is 85 000 seals for 165 days. The seals are rounded up and killed in the early hours of their nursing morning, afterwhich the sealers cover up the bloody evidence for the sweep of tourists visiting the beaches every day.
The protest was creatively inspired by a funeral procession. Various placards and fake seal pup coffins were distributed to the 30 protestors while a melancholic drumbeat accompanied the march around the Namibian Embassy. The commissioner fled as soon as he discovered the reason for the gathering. A couple of reporters took photographs and the scene was one of sombre compassion. It was a protest of calm, austere sincerity and I was honoured to be among people with such passion and care for our creatures. Well done Anastasya! I was so happy to be a part of this event and I will surely be doing more in the near future. Please see the link for more information on this desperate situation. http://www.animalrightsafrica.org/NEWS_Jun07_SealsNamibia.php