Royal Couple to Support Animals on Wedding Day

via Care2.com - The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) is one of the charities Prince William and Kate Middleton have chosen to benefit from their royal wedding on April 29. The royal couple asked guests and anyone who might consider giving them a wedding gift to instead make a donation to their gift fund which includes 26 charities they have hand-selected.

ZSL was selected because of their work to save critically endangered black rhinos in Kenya and their efforts in Thailand to help wild elephants whose land is being encroached by humans. With only 3,500 wild elephants left in the country, ZSL works closely with the Elephant Conservation Network to reduce conflicts between villagers and the animals.

Donations from the royal wedding will also benefit the Sumatran tiger, Indian tiger and Amur tiger that are all being driven to extinction.  It is estimated that there are no more than 4,000 tigers living in the wild.  ZSL tries to protect these magnificent animals in their work with the Wildlife Trust of Bangladesh in a joint program called the Sundarbans Tiger Project.  The project watches over the tiger colonies and keeps poachers at bay.

Creative Commons - Ciamabue

Mass Slaughter of 100 Sled Dogs

A dog-sled company in Whistler, BC ordered the killing of 100 dogs in April 2010, when bookings for adventure tourism slumped after the Olympic Games. Vancouver radio station CKNW obtained documents revealing that 100 healthy sled dogs were killed in a mass slaughter at Outdoor Adventures Whistler last April 21 and 23.

Mary Moriarty, head of cruelty investigations at the BC SPCA, says they are launching an investigation. She says there appear to have been breaches of the animal cruelty act in the cull and criminal charges are a possibility.

Please sign this petition asking the BC SPCA to prosecute to the full extent of the law and share the link on your blog, facebook profile and twitter. Let's make sure that such a senseless tragedy never happens again!

Photo by Drew Avery

Bunny World Foundation

Take a walk down Santee Alley in the garment district of downtown Los Angeles, and you will see horrors of the seemingly innocent animal trade. UNWEANED baby bunnies are being sold as pets. These babies are only 10 - 14 days old, and they should stay with their mothers a minimum of 8 weeks! They can only survive on milk; yet they are fed a diet of lettuce and carrots, which gives them diarrhea and causes a slow and painful death.

Since 2008, Bunny World Foundation has been in the trenches fighting against this problem. Not only have they brought the attention of authorities to this illegal and cruel activity, but they also help rescue these bunnies so they are not sent to a certain death through LA Animal Control. Once rescued, BWF de-worms them, de-fleas them, gives them medicine, and weans them for two months until they are strong enough to live on hay, veggies and pellets. Since its inception, BWF has rescued over 1000 baby bunnies and found more than 650 homes.

Bunny World Foundation is a nonprofit 501c3 no-kill animal welfare organization. The mission of BWF is to rescue neglected and abandoned domestic baby rabbits, provide them with medical care, and find permanent homes for them. They also wish to educate the public about proper rabbit care, help reduce rabbit overpopulation and abandonment, and eradicate the illegal sales of underage baby bunnies in Santee Alley and other parts of Los Angeles.

If you live in California, you can help Bunny World Foundation achieve its mission by 1) not buying these animals, 2) writing to your state representative, 3) volunteering at BWF, and 4) adopting a healthy, grown rabbit from them. For information on currently adoptable rabbits, please visit their website or go to Petfinder.com.

Mele Kalikimaka

 

 

I will be gone for a few days to celebrate the holiday - so here's a little something for you to enjoy whether your Christmas is green or white. Mele Kalikimaka to all and to all a good night!