NARN Blog

Egg Industry Faces New Scrutiny After Outbreak
As it reeled from the recall of half a billion eggs for possible salmonella infection, the American egg industry was already battling a movement to outlaw its methods as cruel and unsafe, and adapting to the Obama administration’s drive to bolster health rules and inspections.

As egg producers consolidate, problems of just one company can be far-reaching
The largest egg recall in U.S. history comes at a point of great consolidation in the egg industry, when a shrinking number of companies produce most of the eggs found on grocery shelves and a defect in one operation can jeopardize a significant segment of the marketplace.

Oregon animal-rights protesters acquitted
A judge has acquitted two Oregon animal-rights protesters ordered to stay 50 feet away from the owner of a downtown Portland fur store, despite a police officer’s testimony that they were 4 inches too close.  The Oregonian reported police and prosecutors alleged protesters Justin Kay and Jeffrey Wirth were about 49 feet, 8 inches away from fur merchant Horst Grimm when a restraining order said they must stay at least 50 feet away.

Ahead of circus in Everett, PETA protests at elementary school
The animal-rights group sent a protestor in an elephant costume and two other PETA representatives to stand near Lowell Elementary School. The group was trying to hand out coloring books to students and discuss how they believe circus elephants are beaten and jabbed with spiked bullhooks.
Animal Welfare Activists to Protest Bullfighting in Spain
“We want to benefit from this major success in Catalonia to extend this ban to the rest of the Spanish territory,” said José Ramón Mallén Vargas-Machuca, a coordinator of the Bilbao event and a representative from Fundación Equanimal, an animal welfare association. “But we’re not trying to get into any debate about identity and nationalism and any of the arguments that are now being used by politicians that have nothing to do with animal rights.”

OSHA fines SeaWorld for worker safety issues following orca trainer’s death
According to OSHA, it found three specific violations in SeaWorld’s conduct, most notably one it classified as a “willful” violation for “exposing [SeaWorld] employees to struck-by and drowning hazards when interacting with killer whales. The agency defines a willful violation as one committed with plain indifference to or intentional disregard for employee safety and health.

Animal activists freed from terror charges
A federal judge has thrown out terrorism charges against four animal-rights activists who allegedly threatened researchers at UC Berkeley and UC Santa Cruz, saying prosecutors filed a vague indictment that failed to specify any illegal acts.

Horse deaths have many questioning Stampede Chuckwagon races
A chuckwagon driver fears the demise of his sport in the face of mounting pressure from animal rights groups and urbanites shocked at the deaths of horses at the Calgary Stampede.  Six horses died in the first nine days of the 10-day Stampede and four of them were chuckwagon horses. There were no reports of more deaths at the conclusion of the chuckwagon finals Sunday night.

Animal-rights advocate could resolve contempt case.
An animal-rights activist charged with contempt of court for allegedly refusing to testify about mink releases at Utah farms could be pleading guilty in the case.  The U.S. District Court docket shows a change-of-plea hearing scheduled on July 27 for Jordan Halliday, founder of the Animal Defense League of Salt Lake City. Those hearings generally are set after a defendant has struck a plea bargain with prosecutors.  A government brief alleges that Halliday refused to take an oath at an initial appearance on Feb. 18, 2009, and responded with “no comment” to almost every question

Hauled to court, forced to pay £1,500 and branded a criminal…for drowning a grey squirrel
When a bird lover managed to trap one of the grey squirrels raiding his nut feeders, he decided that drowning would be the most humane way to dispose of it.  However a vet said the process would have taken three minutes, so Mr Elliott was taken to court accused of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal.  The landmark case sets an important precedent for killing grey squirrels, which are classified as a non-native invasive species, and could pave the way for hundreds of other prosecutions across the country.

Scathing report on hunting industry
A damning report by Animal Rights Africa (ARA) criticising hunting in South Africa has labelled the industry “a bloody mess”.  ARA said the report, which was released earlier this month, gave an in-depth look at hunting activities in the country and included a call for an urgent and comprehensive public investigation into the industry.  But the hunting lobby has hit back, saying the report was inaccurate and badly researched.

“Old Spice Man” Goes Vegan
Perhaps impressed by the likes of manly men Mac Danzig, Jake Shields, and Rich Roll, Old Spice Man (aka former Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Isaiah Mustafa) has embarked on a vegan cleanse. It’s a dangerous voyage, fraught with all the perils that come along with really great food that contains no hormones, antibiotics, cholesterol, or arsenic, but we are confident that OSM is not one to back down from a challenge that is, well, not really all that challenging.

December 27th, 2009

Landmark Investigation Announced: “The Blueprint”
After five months of research and investigation, I am announcing the release of a landmark document: The Blueprint - the largest update of fur farm addresses in nearly 15 years.

Foie gras given away
“French producers have given away 14 tonnes of foie gras to charity after hugely overestimating the demand for the delicacy this Christmas.  After a decade of growth, sales of foie gras stagnated last year but production levels rose, leading to a surplus, according to Les Marches, a French food trade magazine.

Animal welfare victories force farmers to use PR
The suffering cow covertly taped by the Humane Society of the U.S. prompted the biggest beef recall in U.S. history and contributed to sweeping legislation over the past 13 months designed to improve the lives of farm animals. But more important for farmers, it awakened the masses to the stark reality for many animals raised for food.

Bow hunters shoot elk in Wash. pasture
The herd would run from one end of the pasture to the other, led by the ranking elk cow. A few of the animals had arrows embedded in their hides and were bleeding but were still upright and running…The state wildlife agency declared an elk hunting season in an area roughly bounded by Highways 9 and 20, east to the intersection of 20 and Cape Horn Road.

Controversial roundup of wild horses underway
Mustangs are herded into corrals as Bureau of Land Management begins a two-month operation to capture 2,500 of Nevada’s wild horses. Equine activists say the action is unnecessary.  A controversial roundup of 2,500 wild horses from public and private lands in Nevada began on Monday amid protests from activists who call it needless and inhumane.

Racehorse’s plight shines light on illegal slaughter farms
Freedom’s Flight’s racing career ended before it had even started…That “worst” farm in America turned out to be an illegal slaughter farm in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Couto, working for the South Florida Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, participated in a raid on the farm and rescued Freedom’s Flight.

“Isn’t man an amazing animal? He kills wildlife by the millions in order to protect his domestic animals and their feed. Then he kills domestic animals by the billions and eats them. This in turn kills man by the million, because eating all those animals leads to degenerative - and fatal - health conditions like heart disease, kidney disease, and cancer. So then man tortures and kills millions more animals to look for cures for these diseases. Elsewhere, millions of other human beings are being killed by hunger and malnutrition because food they could eat is being used to fatten domestic animals. Meanwhile, some people are dying of sad laughter at the absurdity of man, who kills so easily and so violently, and once a year sends out a card praying for ‘Peace on Earth.’” - C. David Coats

Standing in front of the Canadian Consulate in downtown Seattle, we brought public attention to the brutality organized to begin in a few weeks. More than 200,000 baby seals are slaughtered every year during the Canadian seal massacre. With the Vancouver Olympics fast approaching, Canada has a chance to better its image by ending this slaughter.

We stood in the snowy wind outside the rodeo in Everett, silently holding our signs urging people, “Don’t Support Animal Cruelty,” “Real Men Are Kind To Animals” and “Heroes Protect The Innocent.” We couldn’t honestly say that it was the most attractive side of Northwest society that bunched slowly forward for tickets while looking at us contemptuously, mocking us as hippies and vegetarians, or just proclaiming, “I’m kind to animals—-I eat each and every one I can! I hunt deer. And cougars!”

Perhaps our peaceful presence was so threatening, and their sense of pride so fragile, that they felt compelled to defend themselves against our silent compassion. However, we remained steadfast while joking with each other, talking about the upcoming Vegan Prom, and generally trying not to freeze our little fingers off in the freezing cold.

Rodeos exploit and abuse animals for profit under the guise of “entertainment.” Take a look: rodeocruelty.com

The first of NARN’s monthly fundraiser cook-offs was delicious, with creative entries of all kinds: elaborately decorated brownies, hot & spicy brownies, raw brownies, and minty brownies. Bethany won first prize: a gift certificate to Wayward Cafe, where the bake-off was held. All fundraiser proceeds benefit NARN’s campaigns to protect animals in the Pacific Northwest.

Next cook-off: Outdoor Vegan Chili Bake-Off!

The Auction was a blast. People put up for bid a skill, activity, date or vegan dessert to help animals. All proceeds funds raised help Northwest Animal Rights Network continue our work to end animal cruelty.

NARN and AFA invited all vegans and animal rights activists out for a night of food, frivolity and an assortment of refreshing beverages.

Despite the incredible amount of snow coming down that night, lots of people made it out. It was a cool place, with endless dark rooms to explore in the basement. A couple folks went sledding on some folding chairs. Others were hilarious as usual. There was a cool sound system playing kickin’ jams, with various stage lights around the ex-dance studio.

All the food, music, laughter and vegan cupcakes made it worth the trip back home through the snowdrifts.