


This is a cow called Fiete. He was rescued from slaughter and lives on a sanctuary in Germany. Hearing him, I am ashamed because he says better in 30 seconds what I have been trying to say for over a decade as a vegan activist. How beautifully and how irrefutably he answers the question: “Why vegan?” But I have another question once you have listened to Fiete. … READ ON
Soy has long been recognized as a nutrient-dense food and as an excellent source of protein by respected dietitians and clinical nutritionists. The soybean contains all of the essential amino acids, as well as an impressive list of vitamins and minerals. Yet despite the powerful health benefits of whole soy foods, myths and misinformation regarding the ‘dangers’ of soy consumption are being widely circulated and presented as fact. I will address a few of these myths by taking a closer look at some of the sources of confusion and controversy. … READ ON
Ezra is a strikingly handsome black rooster who was found in a cemetery by police after an eyewitness discovered him half-buried in the snow in front of a headstone. His legs were tightly bound with rope, to which had also been tied a small doll, ribbons, and a piece of fatty, raw meat. Ezra was likely the victim of a ritual sacrifice. … READ ON
Mourning is a way of making connections, of establishing kinship, and of recognizing the vulnerability and finitude of the other. The protocols that refuse to recognize our mourning refuse all sorts of tangible, social intelligibility. Mourning is stitched to questions of what and who gets to count… … READ ON
This 2-minute video features our latest rescue, Esperanza. Esperanza is a Cornish Rock hen raised for her flesh. We believe she escaped or fell of a transport truck on her way to the slaughterhouse and found herself stranded in a forest preserve where she was discovered, being chased and tormented by a cat on a cold winter day. Since we later learned that she could barely walk, it’s all the more amazing that she survived all of this. … READ ON
At the heart of our friendship was empathy. Empathy is what allows us to cross boundaries, whether between “self’ and “other” or “us” and “them.” Empathy is about understanding how the world looks from another living being’s point of view, imagining how another is feeling, and wanting to alleviate another’s distress or share in his or her joy. Empathy is our greatest resource and the more we can promote a person’s empathy, the more the world will be a compassionate, peaceful and just place. … READ ON
Farm animals were my friends. I shared secrets with them, told playful stories and felt a special bond with them. When I heard phrases like ‘spent hen’ it meant their reproductive systems could no longer be exploited for eggs. They were worthless. Off with their heads. When cows were unable to have calves they became hamburger. They had been ‘milked for all they were worth.’ These statements usually come with a chuckle, but they are powerful influences. I see now that my unconscious decision not to have children was an attempt to prove I was worth something. On my own. I desperately wanted to beat the system of being valued for what I could produce. … READ ON
Many people have by now seen the horrifying footage from Tyson Pork that Mercy for Animals released earlier this year. And while it’s certainly the case that farms exist where pigs are not maliciously beaten, body-slammed, and burned, the truth is that virtually all pigs raised for meat are subjected to excruciating mutilations without anesthesia or pain relief. These torturous procedures are all legal and routine. … READ ON
During the holiday gift-giving season, a popular choice for gift-donations are programs that send live farm animals as “gifts” to help alleviate hunger and poverty in low-income countries. A Well Fed World examine the flaws in concept and practice with animal-gifting groups in general, and with Heifer International in particular (since they are the largest and most well-known).In short, we explain why animal gifting doesn’t necessarily help, and sometimes harms, the recipients, and how these programs may be misleading to donors. … READ ON
We’d like to take a moment to zero in on the most powerful way you can help us grow in 2014: help us hire Ashley Capps as our full-time writer, researcher, editor and social media coordinator. Ashley’s recent work for Free from Harm has brought a record volume of traffic to our website, resulting in more than one million additional visitors in the last six months alone. By bringing her on full-time we can attract millions more to our educational website, as well as reach millions on Facebook! … READ ON
The aquaculture industry is like a whale on steroids, growing faster than any other animal agriculture segment and now accounting for half the fish eaten in the U.S. As commercial fishing operations continue to strip the world’s oceans of life, with one-third of fishing stocks collapsed and the rest headed there by mid-century, fish farming is increasingly seen as a way to meet the world’s growing demand. … READ ON
November 17th in Prague, an effigy of a burning pig was paraded down the street to protest a pig factory farm in Lety on the site of a former Nazi concentration camp. The occasion was the Czech state holiday called the Slave of Race (Otrokem Rasy). The spectacle suggests that the pigs are viewed — not as innocent victims of another atrocity — but, callously, as a nuisance and an insult to the dignity of a past human atrocity … READ ON
This short video piece featuring Carol Adams, author of The Sexual Politics of Meat, provides a very powerful snapshot of how chickens and turkeys are sexualized by popular culture, linking the oppression of women and animals, and exposing the cultural myth that animals want to be consumed in the same manner that women want to be exploited and used as sex objects. … READ ON
Using animals in advertising today is still pervasive. The more outrageous, the better the ratings. Animals are typically humiliated, denigrated and made a laughing stock. This one from Andes Wines, uses a female hen who magically lays bottles of beer much to everyone’s surprise. … READ ON
4 Time NBA Champion John Salley originally went vegetarian for health reasons. Now a committed vegan and animal rights activist, here he dishes on vegan Thanksgiving, why eating animals “isn’t sexy,” and why he thinks everyone should be vegan. … READ ON