where science and ethics intersect with politics
Despite the effort to combat exhibitionist violence, for more than twenty years now, the U.S.’s carnist political parties have carried on an annual celebration of the suffering and death of millions of innocent birds, known as the Presidential “turkey pardoning.”
The world’s slave population now exceeds its free population among mammals and birds, according to a new report published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
As a human people we were once a community. Life was difficult, with few resources. So, people banded together for the common good—for themselves and for those in their immediate vicinity. After World War II, intentional communities were created as one answer to the dis-connection, or de-evolution of our human society. But do they take the intention far enough?
The National Aquarium in Baltimore, Maryland is undertaking groundbreaking changes in the way they care for the dolphin colony raised in captivity at the facility. With a mission to “advance understanding and protection of cetaceans by offering a natural environment in which the colony of dolphins in (their) care will thrive,” the aquarium is establishing the first dolphin sanctuary in North America. The colony of 8 dolphins will be moved by the year 2020 from the 35-year old Inner Harbor attraction at the Marine Mammal Pavilion.
A personal story.
What started off as any other morning, was about to prove the opposite. I was awake, had my morning coffee, and was navigating through my morning routine. I couldn’t tell you the exact day of the week it was, though I know it was two weeks ago on an overcast day in September.
The Joan Jett Station was playing on Pandora, when a friend of mine appeared quickly before me and seemingly frazzled. He told me that it was screaming and that he didn’t know what to do.
Mountain lions (Puma concolor) are remarkably reclusive apex predators adept at avoiding humans. When hemmed in by paved roads and high fences, however, mountain lions are often forced to interact with us—along with our vehicles, poisons, bullets, and centuries old misunderstandings about their true nature—and such encounters seldom end well for the cats. The good news is that the public is becoming increasingly aware of the impacts we are having on our fellow travelers, and efforts are being made to reduce puma mortality in certain locales. Recent events involving the life and times of a puma living in the Santa Monica Mountain National Recreation Area above Malibu, California, serve as a good example.
Empathy rests on the assumption that we are more likely to feel empathic with those with whom we share similarities. What about the empathy of difference? Not everyone is going to look into the eyes of a rattlesnake and be able to see from the eyes of the rattlesnake. Assuming sentience and therefore, being empathic, underlies the Humane Party’s “ecosystem-neutral” philosophical approach to the environment.
The Canadian seal slaughter began off the coast of Newfoundland this year on March 28th. This is two weeks earlier than usually allowed, as climate change is affecting the seal population. With disappearing ice, Canadian seal hunters are worried that there will be fewer seal pups to hunt, so the Canadian government has allowed the killing of pups as young as 4 weeks this year instead of the usual 6.
The federal Wildlife Services program killed 2.7 million animals in 2016. In its annual “kill report,” the agency data shows that 1.6 million of the 2.7 million deaths were of native wildlife species. Wildlife Services maintains that it “manages the damages” caused by so-called invasive species, yet less than half of the animals in the report are actually considered invasive. The Center for Biological Diversity asserts that of the almost 3 million animals killed yearly, many are unintentional kills that include household pets.
The green iguana, found in South Florida, where I live, is considered to be an invasive species. Despite the rather benign behavior of these docile creatures, local citizens view them as pests. Iguana hunting, especially in South Florida, is legal. Homeowners possess the right to “kill-on-sight” if they believe that an iguana is becoming a nuisance.
The North Pacific Gyre is an area twice the size of the state of Texas where marine debris—human-generated litter and garbage—stretches from the West Coast of North America to Japan. Plastic debris causes the deaths of more than a million seabirds every year, as well as more than 100,000 marine mammals.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) new website hides animal welfare data, “based on our commitment to being transparent, remaining responsive to our stakeholders’ informational needs, and maintaining the privacy rights of individuals.”
Here the USDA uses language to proclaim the exact opposite of its action.
The Northern Jaguar has become virtually extinct over the past several years and their survival is threatened by the construction of a wall with Mexico.
To animal activists throughout the country, Saturday’s announcement that the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus would hold its last performance in May was cause for celebration.
To all the animals still held captive by the company that runs the circus, however, serious questions remain regarding their future well-being.
Elephants hunted for their tusks could receive some much-needed relief in 2017 following China’s recent announcement to ban the buying and selling of ivory throughout the nation by the end of the year.
A white-tailed buck temporarily took up residence in Harlem in mid-December, to the delight of his human neighbors. The buck ultimately died in custody, reportedly due to stress.
The Humane Herald 