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I hope you will never be forced to make a horrifying choice: Abandon your pet and find your way to safety, or stay with your pet and remain in a hazardous, and potentially life-threatening, situation. But during Hurricane Katrina, thousands of people were given just that choice.
Today, I urge you to take action to help shape a policy that will save thousands of animals from this tragic fate -- and save pet lovers like you from being forced to confront this awful choice when disaster strikes. By asking your U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators to support the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards (PETS) Act, you can make a difference for people and animals. This legislation requires state and local authorities to take into consideration the needs of individuals with pets and service animals in disaster plans.
Imagine losing your home, your job, your school, your place of worship, and having nothing left but the unconditional love of your pet. We all witnessed the tragedies that occurred when Hurricane Katrina struck -- gut-wrenching images of abandoned animals and desperate people who stayed behind with their pets juxtaposed with heartwarming snapshots of courageous rescues and incredible reunions of people and their pets. These images illustrate the unbreakable bond between humans and their companion animals.
Please help us preserve this bond by contacting your members of Congress and urging them to pass the PETS Act. The U.S. House introduced its bill (H.R. 3858) in the wake of Katrina last fall. The Senate introduced its companion bill (S. 2548) just a few weeks ago, which would further help animals in disasters by authorizing financial support to states to create and operate shelters for people with animals. The Senate bill would also allow the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to provide rescue, care, shelter, and essential needs to people with household pets and service animals, and the animals themselves, after a disaster strikes.
 Take action. Please contact your U.S. Representative and your U.S. Senators today and urge them to support the PETS Act to prevent our treasured pets and service animals from being left behind in the next major disaster. Even if you have previously e-mailed or called Congress about the PETS Act, I urge you to take action again. Click here
to contact Congress now.
 Spread the
word. No one should have to make the choice between their companion or service animals and their own safety. Click here
to tell your friends and family how they can help ensure pets are included in disaster and evacuation plans.
With your help, we can make sure that when the next disaster strikes, no pet will be left behind. Thank you for your action on behalf of
animals.
Sincerely,
Wayne Pacelle
President & CEO
The Humane Society of the United States
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We should not be surprised when God's creatures behave in miraculous ways. After all, their very existence (and ours also) is a miracle.
God's ElephantsWhat a GREAT story!!
No one is insignificant in God's eyes, and His care for sparrows, finches, eagles, and elephants is a constant reminder that He cares for you, and for me. What He makes, He cherishes.
Consider the elephants of the Pavilion Hotel in Phuket, Thailand, where one of the most popular attractions is elephant rides. As many as eight people on one elephant, first into the surrounding forest, then down to the beach, to lunch at a fresh water lagoon, then back to the hotel. "Our nine elephants," writes Pavilion Hotel Group manager Jim France, "are kept chained to in-ground posts, not because they need to be, but because it makes the tourists feel better because their children seem safe from a tromping when they're feeding the beasts."
"About twenty minutes before the first wave of the recent Tsunami hit (12/26/2004), the elephants became extremely agitated and unruly. Four had just returned from a trip and their handler's had not yet chained them. In a desperate panic, the four elephants helped the other five tear free from their chains. They all then climbed a hill and started bellowing. Many people followed them up the hill. Then the waves hit."
"After the waves subsided, the elephants charged down from the hill, and started picking up children with their trunks and running them back up the hill. When all the children were taken care of, they started helping the adults."
"God's elephants" rescued forty-two people that day. Then, they returned to the beach and carried up four dead bodies, including one of a child. Not until the task was done did they allow their handlers to mount them. Then, with handlers atop, they began moving wreckage.
So remember, whatever God makes, He cherishes. Including elephants, sparrows, and you.
Especially you!
God is good!!
God's compassion for his animals is clear in Scripture. For example, one's livestock are to rest on the Sabbath [Exodus 20: 8-11]. And Yeshua taught that it was laudable to rescue an animal that was in danger, even if it meant violating one of the traditional Sabbath laws [Matthew 12:11].
"God created the great sea creatures and every living thing that creeps, so that the water swarmed with all kinds of them, and there was every kind of winged bird; and God saw that it was good." [Genesis 1:21]
"God made each kind of wild beast, each kind of livestock and every kind of animal that crawls along the ground and God saw that it was good." [Genesis 1:25]
"For all forest creatures are mine already, as are the animals on a thousand hills; I know all the birds in the mountains; whatever moves in the fields is mine." [Psalms 50:10-11]
Scripture reminds us of how important the animal world is to the Creator. Look at the variety of animals there are. The degree of creativity that went into their creation is awesome. Consider the way bees, ants, birds, and more complex creatures function within our ecology, our forests, our oceans, our tundra, mountains and air, and marvel at the incredible creations of Our Master Designer.
We see that every animal is Good and belongs to God: We must ask ourselves who or what we are protecting when we try to justify the murder and torture of God's Creatures. Who or what are we serving when we harvest the skin and bones of innocent creatures for aesthetic appeal? Who or what are we serving when we kill animal parents, so we can steal their children? Who or what are we serving when we pollute, despoil, and destroy their environment while justifying our actions as "progress?" Who or what are we protecting when we do animal testing on small, helpless creatures? There is NO humanity in any kind of torture, so we are certainly NOT protecting human kind. We are definitely not protecting the animals. There is NO animal testing that has ever produced a superior product - PERIOD - EVER. Animal testing is simply a cheap, easy, economically feasible way developed by corporate America to do their clinical trials of whatever chemical they need to test while their carcasses are easily disposed of such as rendering into pet food.
Click here for companies manufacturing products that ARE tested on animals. Listed in parentheses are either examples of products manufactured by that company or, if applicable, its parent company.
Companies on this list may manufacture individual lines of products without animal testing (e.g., Del Laboratories claims its Naturistics and Natural Glow lines are not animal tested). They have not, however, eliminated animal testing on their entire line of cosmetics and household products.
Similarly, companies on this list may make some products, such as pharmaceuticals, that are required by law to be tested on animals (law developed by life-negative people - Not God's Law). However, the reason for these companies' inclusion is not the required animal testing that they conduct, but rather the animal testing of personal care and household products that is NOT required by law. Many of the companies have their internet address and/or email address listed in addition to an 800 number.
You're encouraged to write or call these companies and POLITELY tell them that you will not purchase their products as long as they continue testing on animals.
You are right in assuming that these are manufacturers for most of the products found in major grocery, department, and retail chain stores. Fortunately, there are alternatives to most of these products. Please look them up under companies that do NO animal testing by clicking here. (You can also shop at Vitamin Shopper for cruelty free, personal hygiene sundries with no animal by-products at up to 75% off retail prices while supporting this site at Spirit World.) My personal favorites for hygiene are Nature's Gate out of Chatsworth, California and Giovanni out of Beverly Hills, California; their products are completely cruelty free and superior in every way in contrast to the common commercial fare at your local grocery chain "super" marts. (Buy cruelty-free products at wholesale prices through VitaCost - run by medical doctors who REALLY CARE.)
There are two reasons that you are still here reading this: - You work for a company that does animal testing or,
- You are a consumer who is ready, willing, and able to help stop animal testing through your own efforts.
If you are here for reason number two, then please: - Print the Blacklist Companies.
- Check every chemical product in your house against this list.
- Pile every product that matches this manufacturer's list in a box.
- Label the box as "Animal Tested Products" all over the box in big red letters
From here, your boycott can branch in many directions:- If some of these products belong to family members/room mates and they come to you looking for them, then direct them to the box with the big red letters all over it. (Don't even bother preaching to them. Make them sweat by looking them straight in the eye and give them straight answers. But if you want to maintain a friendly atmosphere, I recommend you buy them a cruelty free replacement product first, then you can provide them a choice.)
- Every day (or whenever you need to blow off some steam) pull one item from the box, call the 800 number of the manufacturer, and ask for customer service. Tell them about your complete dissatisfaction with their animal tested product because you sincerely want to stop the torture of living creatures. Then ask them what is the best way to return their product for a full refund. In general, they will not lie about their animal testing, but some customer service reps will dance around the truth by saying that their company does do animal testing; this usually means that they outsource or commission a third party to do it.
{If you have other products from the same manufacturer, then save each one for another day - then return all of them to the manufacturer at the same time. It's not harrassment; you're biding your time.} If they claim they no longer do animal testing nor do they commission it, then please ask for proof and send it to of this site, so I can do the necessary corrections, if any. - Another option is to simply give your animal tested products to homeless people or anyone else who is needy.
- A fun option you might like best is to take one or more of your animal tested products then contact the manufacturers who do NO animal testing (NOR do they commission animal testing) who have the equivalent humane products. {Let's call them "Humane" Companies. Example: Giovanni in Beverly Hills, California} Tell them that you want to get away from animal tested products because you are interested in buying humane products such as theirs. Tell them that you have the animal tested product of a competitor of which you are thoroughly ashamed. Ask their advice on what to do with this animal tested product that will help their Humane Company. Then ask if they give free samples or coupons for their humane products. You will get a fun variety of responses.
Let me explain the idea of "commissioning" animal testing. For those of you who take your loving pet to a vet on a regular basis, you are probably not going to like this: There are Biotechnology Research and Development companies that are commissioned on a regular basis to do clinical studies by manufacturers. Most of these R&D companies do animal testing for the aforementioned reasons of ease and economic simplicity. A great deal of these R&D companies are in the pharmaceutical industry because prescription drugs is where the really big money is (mainly the U.S.).
As you can imagine these drug research companies doing animal testing require the necessary "expertise" to study the effects of drugs and other chemical substances, therefore, they must commission veterinarians to do pathologies.
Recently, I received a job offer for the position of Veterinary Pathologist:
Veterinary Pathologist
Job Description:
-Aid in the design and interpretation of preclinical efficacy
and safety studies to include collaboration with key academic
and private opinion leaders
-Study pathologist performing gross and microscopic analysis in
compliance with all applicable regulations (GLP, AWA, USDA,
etc)
-Write and review accurate, complete, concise reports of
assigned preclinical studies.
-interpret postmortem summaries based on both gross and
microscopic examination of study tissues
-contributing to the direction and growth of the department
through SOP development, budget awareness and time line
efficiency.
Requirements
-DVM and/or PhD and ACVP board certification or eligibility from
an accredited U.S. Vet School
-0-3 years industry and/or academic experience in similar or
related position
-Able to work overtime and weekends
-Ability to multitask and work in a highly motivated, team
oriented environment
-Experience with high level client communication and contact
-Excellent written and oral communication skills
-Proficient in MS applications
-Seeking individuals who are leadership-oriented, extroverted,
mentors-oriented, and have strong work ethics
-Extensive experience with Good Laboratory 'Practice Guidelines
a plus
-Subspecialty expertise with cardiovascular and general organ
pathology influenced by medical devices is desired
Job Title: Veterinary Pathologist
Primary Skills: see job description
Job Industry: Biotech/Pharmaceutical
Vacancies: 1
Job City: Mountain View
Job Metro Area: Mountain View
Job State: CA
Job Country: US
Salary: DOE
Hours per Week: 40
Start Date: 08/07/2004
Job Duration: 9 - 12 months
Degree Type: Ph.D.
Degree Area: Veterinary
Experience Minimum: 3 Years
Certificates/Licenses:
There are four biotech companies in Mountain View, CA, but my bets are on Alza Corp. since they are the biggest and most prolific.
What I find particularly disturbing is that the applicant need not
be a career pathologist. I have to assume that any Vet interested in this job could only be interested in going where the money is and NOT to protect the health and welfare of little animals.
By the same token, these drug companies that do animal testing must also be offering internships and scholarships to veterinary students who, in turn, may be supporting the use of that biotech company's drugs when they establish their own practice.
What stops that vet from becoming a cold, cruel, life-negative, person during all those months or years of animal test pathologies for some cold, hard cash?
The proof is already in the pudding because most vets recommend yearly vaccinations - NOT because of actual clinical studies or proven science, but because of their own vet economics and fiscal solvency. Health problems for pets have been on the rise because of their over-vaccination policy. These vets defend their actions until empirical data from actual clinical studies (of which they DO have complete knowledge) is presented to their faces. (Is Your Pet being Over-Vaccinated due to Vet Economics?)
These vets who are guided by their greed depend on the servile ignorance of the average person to 'expert' authority. Greed is the number one sin in corporate America, therefore, the veterinary industry is given to sin. The "scientific" opinion of any vet who enjoyed their prolific internship with a biotech company or has any kind of support from any drug company can only be guided by greed. Look what the drug companies have wrought on human kind: Drugs and their Dangerous Effects.
If this is what medical "experts" are willing do to other people, imagine what our veterinary "experts" are willing to do to our pets?
The morals of every veterinary practice should be brought into question. Please ask your vet if he/she has ever done an internship with an animal testing facility. Please also ask if he/she is pushing any kind of products from a manufacturer that does animal testing. Your actions per your vet's response are up to you.
I have a special comment for the police who have been shooting innocent animals - mostly big cats; this activity has been happening especially around the peninsula of California because of human activities pushing wild cats out of their natural habitats.
The police are like anyone in any profession: They feel that they have been trained to do exactly what is necessary - especially when their superiors justify their actions. "Humans Come First..." is their big response.
Here's my response: What kind of human condones murder of innocent creatures? What kind of human believes that the best answer is to kill an animal that can just as easily be tranquilized and subdued because "Humans Come First...?" What kind of human disregards all other options that lead to life while choosing one option that leads to death? If "Humans Come First...," then shouldn't these officers of "the law" protect our humanity as well - which is to be Humane to other living creatures? If they truly work for God's Country, then shouldn't they be protecting God's Creatures? If these "officers of "the law" worship God at all and stand for protecting the innocent, doesn't that include innocent wildlife? (Remember: And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out? 12. How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore, it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days. [Matthew 12:11-12] If the interpretation was for simply the treatment of livestock, then would not the directive simply be to slaughter the sheep? "God made each kind of wild beast, each kind of livestock and every kind of animal that crawls along the ground and God saw that it was good." [Genesis 1:25] What kind of people try to justify killing that which God sees as Good?) One must ask what police training these days is REALLY about since they believe that death is the best answer where they "feel" they have no control. Indeed, we must ask what kind of people are being inducted into the police force.
By the same token, we must ask ourselves what kind of decadent, degenerate creatures are we who will not give another living creature a chance to live - CERTAINLY NOT HUMAN. If we truly love and respect God, then we must certainly love and respect His Creation. Who are you who pretends to protect the innocent with gun, baton, medieval posturing and acts of violence against the innocent? I DON'T RECOGIZE YOU. I DO NOT KNOW YOU.
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In Britain, plans have been drawn up for a crackdown on animal rights campaigners who use terror tactics against scientists. Protesting outside someone's house in an intimidating manner will be made a specific criminal offence, while harassment laws will also be tightened. Home Office minister Caroline Flint said in a statement, "We will be strengthening the powers of the police to tackle protests outside family homes because it's not just about the impact on the person targeted but the whole family. What we are talking about here is an extremist campaign attacking people for doing activities which are guided by the law. Some research staff have faced hate mail, threats and terrifying 'home visits' from protesters. Under the strategy, it will become an arrestable offence to protest outside someone's home in an intimidating manner and those guilty of doing so will be banned from the vicinity of that home for a three-month period. Andrew Butler from the animal rights group, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), said the government was "demonizing" animal rights activists by treating them with a very "broad brush". The new laws simply "singled out animal rights activists" and would prevent them from "uncovering" what was going on in laboratories, he added. Heather James, a member of the anti-vivisection pressure group Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC) said the new measures would not stop people breaking the law. "People who break the law know the risks they are taking. Changing the law is not going to make any difference.
BBC News
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The Standing Committee for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) has decided to disallow three southern African countries from selling their stockpiles of 60 tons of ivory, as had been agreed in November 2002. "CITIES has discussed the issues (and) the agreement is that there is still a lot of work to do before South Africa, Namibia and Botswana would be allowed to sell the 60 tons of stockpiled ivory," said a press release from the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) obtained in Nairobi. In November 2002, CITES had given permission to the three southern African states to sell their stockpiles, but not before May 2004. These countries were required to meet certain conditions, including the incorporation of a system to monitor illegal killing of elephants. The Standing Committee decision comes on the heels of strong opposition by seven African range states to allow any trade in ivory, out of fear that this could lead to increased poaching.
Angola Press
A report issued by researchers at the University of Kent shows countries with high levels of corruption tend to have poor environmental conservation records. The study, entitled Governance and the Loss of Biodiversity, compares country scores from the "corruption perception index" published by Transparency International with the rate of change in forest cover and, for African countries, in its elephant and rhino populations. South Africa and Botswana are examples of countries with relatively
little corruption and healthier wildlife populations, with Sudan and Ethiopia coming in at the other end of the spectrum. The report urges groups funding and carrying out conservation projects to factor the connection into their planning. Robert Smith, one of the report's authors warned, "If the money isn't
getting through, sending more money isn't going to help."
John Whitfield, Nature
All political statements aside I believe the social studies of the "Hows" and "Whys" of corruption are very important, if we as a people are to look forward to any kind of spiritual advancement. What is more important is that we contemplate and dwell upon only good things - which is why I have not been updating the animal love section of this site: Most of it is just negative press. This section has received no support so far since its inception. I can only believe this is because I am simply relaying the same negative press about the same anti-environmental groups.
We can waste our time and energy hoping that something outside of ourselves is going to save us from the chronic ailments of life-negative greed such as when we argue amongst ourselves about protecting wildlife and the environment. There should be no doubt in anyone's mind that the priorities of humanity should be life positive, yet we constantly argue among ourselves - with greed being at the crux. By the same token we can also be the eternal skeptic and waste our time and energy by constantly criticizing things that which may or may not improve our lives. We are playing the devil's advocate either way because they are both meant to waste our precious time and energy.
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Let's talk about a REAL hero:
ENVIRONMENTAL HERO: He quits Forest Service in act of conscience
 Jim Furnish is a life-long Republican who voted for President Bush. But he resigned after 30 years with the Forest Service to protest the agency's opening of our national forests to unsustainable logging and other quick-cash exploitation at the expense of endangered wildlife. Furnish, who was the agency's deputy chief, said he was powerless to stop the Bush administration's anti-environmental assault. "It was like I was the manager of a professional baseball team," he said. "When the team took the field, the owner made me stay in the clubhouse. In fact, I couldn't even see the game." Furnish has been speaking out against the Bush administration's proposal to gut the National Forest Management Act to allow more logging of our national forests.
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