Circuses = Abuse of Animals.
Think Positive......
Bears, elephants, tigers, and other animals do not voluntarily ride bicycles, stand on their heads, balance on balls, or jump through rings of fire. They don't perform these and other difficult tricks because they want to; they perform them because they're afraid of what will happen if they don't.
For animals in circuses, there is no such thing as "positive reinforcement"—only varying degrees of punishment and deprivation. To force them to perform these meaningless and physically uncomfortable tricks, trainers use whips, tight collars, muzzles, electric prods, bullhooks, and other painful tools of the trade.
In the Ringling Bros. circus, elephants are beaten, hit, poked, prodded, and jabbed with sharp hooks, sometimes until bloody. Ringling breaks the spirit of elephants when they're vulnerable babies who should still be with their mothers. Unsuspecting parents planning a family trip to the circus don't know about the violent training sessions with ropes, bullhooks, and electric shock prods that elephants endure. Heartbreaking photos reveal how Ringling Bros. circus trainers cruelly force baby elephants to learn tricks, and it's not through a reward system, as they claim.
Cruel Training
Circuses easily get away with routine abuse because no government agency monitors training sessions. Undercover video footage of animal training sessions has shown that elephants are beaten with bullhooks and shocked with electric prods, big cats are dragged by heavy chains around their necks and hit with sticks, bears are whacked and prodded with long poles, and chimpanzees are kicked and hit with riding crops. Carson & Barnes trainers have even been documented using blowtorches on elephants.
Constant Confinement
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus boasts that its three units travel more than 25,000 miles as the circus tours the country for 11 months each year. Ringling's own documents reveal that on average, elephants are chained for more than 26 hours straight and are sometimes continually chained for as many as 60 to 100 hours. Tigers and lions usually live and travel in cages that provide barely enough room for the animals to turn around, often with two big cats crammed into a single cage. In July 2004, Clyde, a young lion traveling with Ringling, died in a poorly ventilated boxcar while the circus was crossing the Mojave Desert, where temperatures reached at least 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Clyde likely died a miserable death from heatstroke and dehydration. Previously, two tigers with Ringling injured themselves while attempting to escape from their cages in an overheated boxcar.
Public Danger
Frustrated by years of beatings, bullhooks, and shackles, some elephants snap. And when an elephant rebels against a trainer's physical dominance, trainers cannot protect themselves—let alone the public.
In 1994, an elephant named Tyke killed her trainer and injured 12 spectators before being gunned down while running terrified through downtown Honolulu (she was shot almost 100 times). In 1992, Officer Blayne Doyle was forced to shoot and kill Janet, an elephant who charged out of the Great American Circus arena with five children on her back.
In more than 35 dangerous incidents since 2000, elephants have bolted from circuses, run amok through streets, crashed into buildings, attacked members of the public, and killed and injured handlers.
In speaking before members of Congress about the dangers of elephant rampages, Doyle lamented, "I have discovered, much to my alarm, that once an elephant goes out of control, nothing can be done. It is not a predictable or preventable accident. The only thing that can be done—and even this is a danger to the public—is to get a battery of police officers in with heavy weapons and gun the elephant down."
Circus Bans.
Because of concerns about animal mistreatment and public safety, a
growing number of communities are banning or restricting the use of
animals in circuses.
Animal-Free Circuses
We applaud trapeze artists, jugglers, clowns, tightrope walkers, and acrobats, but let's leave animals in peace. The Latest
Shows on Earth—Cirque du Soleil, the New Pickle Family Circus, Cirque
Éloize, and others—are exciting and innovative circuses that dazzle
audiences without animal acts.
Click here
for a list of animal-free circuses.
INFO BY: http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-in-entertainment/circuses.aspx
Taking Care in Rainy Seasons.
Heavy Rain and Wind Storm Pet Care Advice
When it comes to severe weather, it seems some animals have good instincts, however, companion pets such as cats, dogs and rabbits etc., due to being domesticated, may have lost a lot of their instinctual urges and need our protection. This also includes farm animals.
Below are some of our top tips:
* Make sure your pets are micro chipped. In the event of a storm/flash flood, pets can panic and may run away, become disoriented and get lost. A micro chipped pet has the best possible chance of being returned to its owner.
* Make sure all your pets’ vaccinations are up to date.
* Make sure your animal has plenty of shelter. Ideally, all animals should be kept indoors during severe weather conditions, especially during heavy rain/flooding.
* If you are allowing your pet outside to pee or poo, put them on a lead and walk out with them. Only allow them limited access to relieve themselves and take them back into the house as soon as possible.
* If you have pets living in your back garden, e.g. rabbits, please make sure their hutches are brought indoors or are placed safely into a sturdy garden shed/garage. Do not leave rabbit hutches around or near a fence/tree that may collapse onto it during a high wind.
* If your home is located in a flood area, make sure that, in the event you are required to evacuate, all pet carriers are kept by the door in preparation for such an emergency and you have stocked up on plenty of sustenance for your animals; including bedding. Hotels, guest houses or shelters will not always provide food and water for your animals.
* If you own exotic pets, make sure you have extension leads so that you can plug in heat lamps and if you have an aquarium, invest in a back up air filter.
* For farm animals it’s advisable to fence off a pasture area on high ground. Cows and horses are examples of farm animals that can be caught off guard during flooding and will require a safe pasture before water rises in order to secure their best chances of survival.
For more weather information, log onto www.met.ie
For general flooding advice read more on http://flooding.ie/en/
Where our leather bags come from...?
Please don't use leather accessories.
We have no right to kill animals to make fashion statement!!!!
Remember - Killing will stop only when demand declines!!!
Please send this to as many people as you know.
They are crying for help....Lets help them survive!!!
14 Amazing Facts About Crocodiles
Even so, a crocodile egg is no larger than that of a goose!
The smallest crocodile is the dwarf crocodile (Osteolaemus tetraspis) from central Africa, which has a maximum length of 1.9 m (6.5 ft). It is more terrestrial than other crocodiles.
2. To "cry crocodile tears" is a common expression which is used for depicting fake sadness. It has its origins in the myth according to which reptiles weep while eating humans. But, believe it or not, crocodiles really do wipe while feasting, but rather due to physiological reasons than remorse. Their eyes can froth and bubble during the feeding. Air pushed through the sinuses could mix with tears in the animal's lacrimal (tear) glands and the whole content could be emptied into the eye; resulting the "fake" remorse.
3. Crocodile skin is considered one of the finest and best, being soft and durable. In many tribal societies, skin crocodile is used as a symbol of high status. But only the skin on the belly has these qualities; the back skin is covered in bones (called osteoderms) that reflects arrows, spears and even bullets!
A crocodile skin purse can cost $ 15,000.
The value of the crocodile skin has been fueling an intense poaching and today many of the
23 species of crocodiles and relatives are threatened, many populations
being wiped out. The salvation of the crocodiles could come from the
crocodile farms. Brazilian poachers capture caymans during the night, by thrusting spears between their eyes (which can be easily spotted night, due to the shiny tapetum layer). The animals are brought into the boats and skinned alive.
4. Some populations venerated the crocodiles (like the ancient Egyptians). From some tribes in New Guinea, the crocodile is a totem god and those people make themselves crocodile-like body scarring, which is an extremely painful procedure.
In the case of Australian Aborigines, some tribes were expert in crocodile hunt, while for others the crocodile hunt was taboo.
5. Crocodiles display increased aggressiveness during the mating season (linked to the monsoon).
6. Each crocodile jaw carries 24 sharp teeth meant to grasp and crush, not to chew. That's why they swallow stones that grind the food inside their stomachs (the stomach stones also serve as ballast). The teeth are continuously replaced along the crocodile's life. Crocodiles can exert enormous pressure when closing their jaws, but the force for opening them is so weak, that an adhesive band is enough to keep a large crocodiles' jaw shut up. The powerful jaws can be extremely delicate, working like pencils, when removing offspring from the nest. Still, beware at the tail: it inflicts powerful blows.
7. Many times crocodiles stay on the river banks mouth wide open. That is not an aggressive posture, but a way to cool off: they sweat through the mouth!
8. The crocodiles have a four-chambered heart like in birds (their closest relatives) and mammals, for an active life. Still, when diving, the heart behaves like a three-chambered reptilian heart, enabling them to stay more underwater.
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9. How can you make the difference between
a crocodile and an alligator? If you are not accustomed to their shape,
look at the mouth: crocodiles have a clearly visible the fourth tooth
on the lower jaw even when the mouth is closed (alligators and caymans
have a groove where that tooth fits). Because crocodiles have salt
glands inside their mouths they can stand sea water, while alligators
cannot. That's why many crocodiles species abound in mangroves and
estuaries. Behaviorally, crocodiles are more active and more aggressive
than alligators, and also less resistant to cold (alligators are found
in subtropical areas, crocodiles not). 10. If you turn on a lantern at night in waters populated by crocodiles, you will see pairs of shiny red dots. These are the crocodiles' eyes which have a layer called tapetum behind their retina, containing crystals that reflect light and make possible the night vision.
11. 99% of the crocodile offspring are eaten in the fist year of life by large fish, monitor lizards, herons and ... adult crocodiles. During the first weeks of life, the crocodile offspring eats the food reserves from its viteline sack. The crocodile eggs are appreciated by monitor lizards, hyenas, large storks and even... humans. A female lays 20-80 eggs which are incubated in a nest built from plant materials and defended by her for three months.
A farmed crocodile reaches 1.5 m (5 ft) in length in just one year. In the wild, without such a constant food supply, it requires 3 years to reach the same length.
12. Crocodiles can swim just with the help of their powerful tail with 40 km (25 mi) per hour, and can stand underwater 2-3 hours. On land they can burst on short rapid races, but they get tired very quickly. They can also execute jumps out of the water, a several meters long.
13. The first crocodiles appeared 240 million years ago, at the same time with the dinosaurs (to which they are related), had less than 1 m (3 ft) in length and ran on two feet! That's why even today, crocodiles have longer hind limbs than fore limbs.
14. Crocodiles can live up to 80 years!
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