On Loving Animals...

The arrogance of SeaWorld...Their stock price has fallen . Eight of the ten scheduled artists  to perform for them in 2014 have canceled. Attendance tanked  for 2013. The Chairman of their very own Board of Directors, David D'Allesandro,   sold S1.3 millions of his SeaWorld shares last November. That's 26,000 shares on November 1 and then another 17,000 shares on November 4. Yes, that's like the Captain securing a lifeboat for himself while the band was still playing at the ballroom. And Seaworld still refuses to capitulate or make any concessions. They ignore the writing on the wall, clinging to those Orcas like the the thief who stole the silver candelabra from the church altar. At the present time, SeaWorld controls twenty-two Orcas at its three parks---ten in San Diego, seven in Orlando, five in San Antonio. Freedom for ALL the marine animals at SeaWorld, not just the Orcas. Every animal at SeaWorld is a captive.  Everyone should see  Blackfish.

Pretty good answer to a very common question. Somehow, our self-proclaimed dominion over animals, the we'll-decide-what-happens-to-you, also translates to a my-good-before-the-animals' mentality. We know that one of the fallacies out there is that human concerns preempt animal concerns. How is one's suffering more important than another? We're all sentient beings. We object to all forms of animal cruelty no matter what exists on the human side of the equation. Animal welfare is our infinite passion and there is no substitution or subrogation to others.

The battle rages on over Mali , the lone elephant at the Manila Zoo. In 1977, she was taken there as a a goodwill gift from Sri Lanka to Imelda Marcos. She was still a child back then. Yes, I refer to animals like they were humans. It is never "it," but always a he or she. Surely, a mind-shift whose time has come. When we relegate animals to a form of "it," we open the door to all sorts of abuse and liberties upon them. "It" makes them subhuman. What an incredible thought---something lower than a human. Below is my response to an editorial  that appeared in a local newspaper in Manila. The writer, obviously, supports the Stay Mali movement as opposed to the Free Mali movement. The former favors extending captivity while the latter favors freedom. We want Mali transferred to a sanctuary in Thailand where she can socialize with other elephants and live in an environment that may not be perfect but closer to reality. She has not been with another elephant...

This is a typical article  on vegetarianism written by a nutritionist. A writer who is an animal rights advocate and a vegetarian will put a different spin on eating a well-balanced diet. This writer assumed that many people who turn vegetar ian don't really know what they are doing, and there are probably some who don't.  But all vegetarians and vegans I know have done their research well and they have turned vegetarians not because they want to be trendy but because they want to be healthier and ethical in their choices. It's not fashion that drives most people to become vegetarians, but a personal philosophy and a real commitment against animal cruelty. At least, this is true among my group. This writer saw it as a matter of nutrition; animal rights advocates will see it as a matter of decency.  The point that I agree with is that meat is not the only source of protein in this world. Whenever you meet someone who says that he needs his meat for protein then that'...

I am trying to save the life of a pit bull named, Amber. She is being held, at the time of this writing, at the North Jersey Community Animal Shelter  (NJCAS) in Bloomingdale, NJ . It serves as an adoption center as well as animal control for several towns in Passaic  County. I am presently a volunteer at NJCAS, coming in on Sundays, and whenever I have free time. I love all animals, and I love all the  dogs I have met at the shelter. But, Amber's case is outstanding, and I'd like the world to know her story.  Amber entered the shelter around June, 2012, ten months ago. And during that time, she has never bitten anyone---shelter staff or a  prospective adopter. However, in an adoption event several weeks ago, she was reported to have lunged at a stranger and would have  bitten that stranger if not held back. The Animal Control Officers (ACO) at NJCAS do not deny that Amber has no aggression towards the  shelter staff at all, even with an ev...