Blogging on the Earth

Blogging about Nature:  Introducing Garry Rogers on the League of Bloggers for a Better World

GarryRogers

Garry Rogers

My blog posts are about nature, about wildlife and its habitat (posts). They are expressions of my concerns for natural conditions and events.

During the past year, 2015, lethal heat waves and storms, decline of the great iconic species of elephants, lions, and rhinos, . . . read more.

Leave Animal Testing in the Dust!

Our Compass



Olympian Nick Symmonds is super-fast. He’s so fast that he’s a world-champion runner—and he’s a champion for animals, too. Nick and his rabbit companion, Mortimer, are urging everyone to leave animal testing in the dust by never buying products that are tested on animals.

Every year, hundreds of animals—including rabbits, mice, guinea pigs, and rats—are injected with chemicals, poisoned, and killed in product tests. All for no good reason! The truth is, there are plenty of animal-friendly testing methods for companies to use.

Curious about your favorite products? Have no fear! peta2 has the best searchable database ever, allowing you to find out if a company tests on animals just by typing in its name! It’s crazy-simple. Check it out!




Take PETA’s Cruelty-Free Shopping Guide along with you next time you head to the store! The handy guide will help you find humane products at a glance. Order a FREE copyHERE

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Put Away That Mouse Trap! Natural Mouse Repellants

Illuminate

 

As my readers know, I love animals, even the ones many people don’t. Mice, for instance, can be a real nuisance, but they are so cute! So the idea of using a mouse trap or poison to get rid of them breaks my heart! Lucky enough, I recently stumbled upon a blog post on SeventhGeneration.com detailing natural remedies for the mouse-in-your-house problem. I’ve listed some here.

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Ice Cream Alternatives for Vegans

Rice Dream

Dairy alternative frozen dessert

I thought I couldn’t be a vegan because ice cream was my favorite food.

After watching vegan Gary Yourofsky explain the alternatives to diary in his video below, which are also listed on his website – I finally felt I could give veganism a try.

Yourofsky explains that there is soy milk, almond milk, rice milk, coconut milk, flaxseed milk, oat milk, hazelnut milk, and hemp milk. All are used to make ice cream alternatives that provide equal flavor and joy of old fashioned ice cream (although the texture is usually different); but knowing that no animal was harmed in the making of the goodie is worth it.

Yourofsky’s site explains that many companies make these products, such as Taste the Dream, So Delicious, Luna & Larry’s Coconut Bliss, Tofutti, and Living Harvest.

If you are interested in learning more about animal rights or veganism, a good place to start is the video below by Gary yourofsky, where he was invited as a guest speaker to a college and does a great one hour and ten minute presentation. Prior to watching his video I thought cows didn’t have it bad on the farm. However, he explains that

  • Cows are kept pregnant all the time.
  • When cows give birth, their baby calves are taken away from the mom
  • Feedlot cows (factory farmed) live in crowded conditions
  • Feedlot cows, dairy cows and grass fed cows are not free but incarcerated
  • With incarceration there tends to be abuse

I have personally seen and smelled the horrendous conditions that California cows live in while driving interstate 5. The photo below is from a blog post on Silvia’s Kingdom where she describes how she was harassed when she drove by the Harris Ranch feedlot to take a couple photos. The workers know the conditions are unacceptable and it would be bad press if the photos reach the public at large.

Harris Feedlot Interstate 5 Colinga

Harris Feedlot Interstate 5 Colinga

Silvia includes a video clip from the movie Food Inc that explains the conditions that the cows live in, and she references four other blogs that write about the same California Harris Ranch feedlot. Here’s a quote from one of the blogs, Democratic Underground:

It was 100+ degrees outside and the vast majority of the cows had ZERO sun coverage. The lucky ones under the narrow shade screens were packed so tightly together that many were laying on other cows. Most were left standing or laying in their own shit out in the direct sun. The overwhelming smell of shit — even up driving on the freeway — was revolting.

Due to that smell, food writer Michael Pollan was inspired to conduct his research on factory farming that led to his book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma.

Ban Fur Trapping & Vicious Bloodsports in the US

Our Compass







Please click HERE to ban vicious blood sports in the US

Please click HERE to ban fur trapping on public lands in the US

Background | Source: Anti-Fur Society

Fur bearing animals are victims NOT only of the fur trade. The cruel attacks go from live skinning by the fur trade to being torn to pieces in bloodsports. The “buffets” of horrors are fair game for anyone who wishes to indulge in it.

There are virtually NO laws to protect fur bearing animals in fur farms or in the wild. Living in the compassionate AR community, we are constantly shocked by the violent acts of abhorrent cruelty inflicted on animals outside our cocoon. But we must face the reality in the rest of the world, and not only speak up but take actions for those who so suffer. The Anti-Fur Society has produced a series of action links to help…

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US Friends, Please Tell Your Senator to Oppose The Sportsmen’s Act 2013 (S. 1335)

Our Compass

Please click HERE to sign and send message

The formula to protect wild animals from cruelty is simple: anything that the Safari Club International (SCI) supports MUST be opposed.

The SCI, an atrocious trophy hunter organization,  is currently lobbying heavily for S 1335, sponsored by Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK). If passed, the Act would make hunting and trapping a priority to be considered on federal lands-public lands that are owned and funded by us, the Public.

The bill would allow hunting and trapping in designated wilderness areas, allow “volunteers” to help in the killing of so-called “excess” animals on Federal land, including National Parks, increase the share of federal lands turned into shooting ranges, and legalize the transporting of bows through national parks and the importation of “trophies” from polar bears kills in Canada.

Please us the form HERE to contact your Senator immediately and tell her/him to vote “NO”…

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Stop Koalas From Becoming Timber Industry Casualties (petition)

a-koala-bear-hugs-a-tree-national-geographic

Photo courtesy of fineartamerica.com

As human civilizations expand exponentially, the habitat of the koala shrinks to almost nothing.

This is the scene in Victoria and South Australia. The Blue Gum plantations have become a make-shift home of sorts for koalas that have lost their natural homes to deforestation.  But their new home is dangerous- timber companies are cutting down trees on the plantations, too, and koalas are being injured and killed in the process.

Our-Compass says:

Volunteer wildlife carers are struggling to keep up with the number of casualties — koalas suffering from broken limbs and backs, severed arms and impact wounds. Many more don’t even survive the fall. Witnesses have even described injured koalas still on the felled trees as they are pulled through the shredders.

Stronger protection for wildlife is needed. At a minimum, the detection, capture and relocation of koalas (and other at risk wildlife) needs to occur under government supervision before forest areas are logged.”

The petition: Please call on the Ministers responsible in Victoria and South Australia to stop the tragic killing of koalas and introduce stronger protection for wildlife.