Alerts

Two rough articles need our attention today. There is an op-ed in the Los Angeles Times calling for hunters to kill more bears, and a New York Times front page story about a cow rescue gone wrong, with the worst of human nature on display on every front. At least during the week the New York Times printed, on Wednesday, the gorgeous op-ed I shared last Sunday, on the pleasures of cuddling with cows, giving you another chance to respond – maybe in light of today’s sorrowful front-page story. And at least before we get to any of that, I get to thank all of you who wrote to the Los Angeles Times in response to the editorial calling for...

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Californians: The state’s capital paper, the Sacramento Bee, today has run an op-ed by PETA’s Rebecca Libauskas , on page 18, titled, “Reef rescue: Reasons to go vegan for ocean.” It could definitely use some appreciative responses, especially from all in Sacramento,  but from others in the state too. The op-ed is available via MSN, and, interestingly, whereas when I read it in the Sacramento Bee I noted it could use letters that discuss what animals go through, the version on MSN includes the following paragraph, which the Sacramento Bee and some other papers have omitted, near the end just before the paragraph on vegan fish products: “Fish experience pain, form friendships and enjoy playing games. Some fish even have...

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Today’s New York Times brings us three important articles, the best of which, in praise of cow cuddles, is as yet only online but is well worth sharing. A Los Angeles Times editorial (the paper’s opinion) shows care and sensitivity to wildlife, and a Miami Herald story details how bad conditions were at the Miami Seaquarium when Lolita/Tokitae died. Before I cover those, let me thank all Canadians who responded to an alert sent out last week about a nauseating op-ed in the Calgary Herald praising the animal welfare improvements at the Calgary Stampede. All who wrote helped Jo-Anne McArthur’s wonderful letter get published yesterday under the heading “Speaking for the Stampede Animals.” Given that paper tells us that three animals...

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Angelenos: Today’s Los Angeles Times has a particularly animal friendly article , page B1, by Sandra McDonald, titled, ” Paving the way for wildlife?” The subheading is, “A female bear’s wanderlust could help researchers determine where future animal crossings should be situated in the Southland.” It follows the travels of a bear known as Yellow 2291. The final quote from Beth Pratt of the National Wildlife Foundation indicates the welcome tone: “For Yellow 2291, crossing the 5 Freeway to summer in Malibu might be a conscious choice. ‘Animals are individuals,’ Pratt said, ‘And, indeed, if she’s picked this as her home — which, rightly so, I mean, bears were on the landscape before we were — it’s not that she...

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Canadians: This revolting Calgary Herald op-ed is also in today’s Edmonton Journal, page 6, tiled, “Animal welfare a priority for all at the Stampede.” I urge you to respond to whichever is closer to you, with a letter suggesting, in your own words, that it is time we stop harming animals for our entertainment. From the papers re Letters to the Editor: •           Letters should be under 200 words and the shorter they are, the better the chance of publication. •           Letters may be edited for length and clarity. •           Please include a phone number and address to help verify identity. These will not be published, only the name of your community. •           To avoid confusion with those having similar names, please provide your...

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With the July 4th holiday last Thursday, fireworks have been in the news, with a stunning New York Times column from Margaret Renkl on the harm they do pets and wildlife, and with a lead Los Angeles Times article today pointing to the air pollution they cause. And as the United States presidential election approaches, it was good to see the Biden administration’s record on animals confronted in a Wall Street Journal op-ed. I discussed both of those issues on the Mark Thompson show last week, focusing on the Biden administration’s backing of the pork industry’s attempt to overturn California’s ban on pork from crated pigs. I hope you will check it out. Margaret Renkl’s beautiful column, headlined “Enough With...

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Between the New York Times Science section focus on pets today, a UK Telegraph article condemning pug promotion, and the extraordinary Time Magazine article, “The Case Against Pets,” DawnWatch is focusing on pets more than usual today. Plus, we have a Scientific American article on natural human diets, a review of “Meet the Neighbors,” a widely distributed piece on the wonder of bees, and another Los-Angeles Times front-page story on the spread of bird flu. Before I explore those, let me thank all of you who wrote to the New York Daily News about candidate’s differing stances on rat extermination. The paper published two letters on the issue, first Julia Serrago’s 2-liner (I always advise that the shorter your letter,...

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