HEADS IN THE SAND: What is not being said about the British Columbia ostrich case
HEADS IN THE SAND: What is not being said about the British Columbia ostrich case
Nearly a year ago the Canadian Food Inspection Agency ordered the “destruction” of nearly 400 ostriches at Universal Ostrich Farms in Edgewood, B.C. after being alerted to an avian flu outbreak that had killed dozens of ostriches. On November 6, the ostriches were corralled into a pen after which “professional marksmen” indiscriminately killed the flock over the course of several hours. Shots rang-out while supporters listened on, horrified and traumatized. It’s not surprising that this case has garnered international attention. Most people don’t want to see animals suffer. But most people are also selective in what animals they choose to […]
The Super Predator: How humans became the animal kingdom’s most feared hunters
The Super Predator: How humans became the animal kingdom’s most feared hunters
Human beings have been termed “super predators,” surpassing other famous predators in the number of prey they kill. This has led to animals fearing us. Consistent with humanity’s unique lethality, a growing number of experiments have demonstrated that fear of humans far exceeds that of the non-human apex predator in the system. In Africa, 95 percent of carnivore and ungulate species (e.g., giraffes, leopards, hyenas, zebras, rhinos, and elephants) in the Greater Kruger National Park ran more or faster on hearing humans compared with hearing lions. A primitive fear that afflicts all animals when they see a human. Humans might […]
‘Turn The Volume Up’: What Zohran Mamdani’s victory teaches us about animal liberation
‘Turn The Volume Up’: What Zohran Mamdani’s victory teaches us about animal liberation
We constantly hear that we need to water down the message of veganism to make it more palatable. Zohran Mamdani’s victory underscores one simple truth: people are hungering for radical change. At its core, the animal liberation message — like all liberation messages — has always been and will always be profoundly radical. For people to go vegan, stay vegan, and fight for actual animal liberation, we do not need to tone down our message. We need to turn the volume up. People do not want a new consumer choice, a quirky diet, or a slightly improved cruelty commodity. They […]
