❀ The Good News ❀

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Stop watching the News on T.V. filled with lies, propaganda, and made to make you feel helpless and afraid.

With all the negative news in the world, it's time to give you hope and inspiration. It's time to the weekly Good News! 

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Horses Get Lifesaving Reprieve from Slaughter in the United States

Plans to start slaughtering horses have been put on hold thanks to a federal judge who stopped companies in New Mexico and Iowa from opening up shop this week.

U.S. District Judge Christina Armijo issued a restraining order in a lawsuit brought by several organizations (The Humane Society of the United States, Front Range Equine Rescue, Marin Humane Society, Horses for Life Foundation, Return to Freedom) and five individuals, alleging that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) failed to complete the proper environmental studies before issuing permits that would allow slaughterhouses to operate.

Investigations and proper assessment must still happen before the slaughterhouses can be moved forwards. 

Sign the Petition: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/238/915/876/congress-ban-horse-slaugher-in-the-us-for-good/

(Read more)

Success! Philippine Airlines Stops Trafficking Primates

After a vigorous PETA campaign, the airline has agreed to stop shipping monkeys to laboratories to be tortured in cruel and deadly animal tests.

(Read the full story) 

Victory! Cruel Chicken Factory Farm Scrapped

Thousands of you wrote to Worcestershire Council opposing plans for an intensive broiler chicken farm. Your voices were heard! The application has been withdrawn, saving 80,000 birds from misery.

(Read the full story) 

Chipotle's New Vegan Sofritas Takes Off!

Never underestimate the power of good vegan food. After introducing "Sofritas"--a tofu option braised with chipotle chilies, roasted poblanos, and a blend of aromatic spices--to its menu at just seven northern California locations a few months ago, restaurant chain Chipotle plans to expand it statewide due to its wild popularity. According to Steve Ells, Chipotle's founder and co-CEO, additional markets are also being considered. The chain currently has over 1,400 locations in the United States.

While I don't generally support fast-food in general, any step towards increasing vegan options is a good one! :) 

Thousands of Minks Freed from Idaho Fur Farm

2,400 minks who had spent their lives in dark cages felt grass and went swimming for the first time on July 28th. Then they bounded off into their new lives of freedom, according to the people who broke into the farm and opened their cages.

The animals were breeding stock at an Idaho mink farm, living solely to create more minks who would suffer and die for human vanity. They were released by an anonymous group, according to a communique published by Earth First! Newswire.

(Read more) 

Facebook Helps Domestic Violence Survivors Protect Their Privacy

Sounds like Facebook finally has done something right…

Facebook has teamed up with the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) to help survivors of domestic violence better navigate the social media site’s privacy and safety features. The company has released a guide to these account settings intended to teach Facebook users how to manage their online profiles without encountering someone who has abused them in the past, as well as how to easily report someone who is using the site to threaten or stalk them.

(Read more) 

The End of Environment-Destroying Fertilizers Could Be Near

Research breakthroughs have been pretty great for Mother Earth lately: We’re on the cusp of treating polluted water with little more than apple and tomato peels, and now Professor Edward Cocking from the University of Nottingham has created a new technology which may soon bring the end of environment destroying fertilizers.

The new technology, known as N-Fix, puts nitrogen-fixing bacteria into the cells of plant roots. With this bacteria, plants are then able to fix and hold nitrogen from the atmosphere, rather than just from the soil (where we must use harmful synthetic nitrogen fertilizers).

This method of nitrogen absorption can provide a plant with almost all of its nitrogen requirements, making nitrogen-rich fertilizer redundant. The possible implications for agriculture – and the entire food system – are huge.

(Read more) 

Success! Animal Dissection No Longer Required for Connecticut Students

Dissection in schools (and everywhere else) should have gone the way of the dodo long ago. Yet many pigs, frogs, rabbits, cats and other animals are still sacrificed each year in the name of science at those institutions that hold on to this arcane and inhumane practice, even though advanced modeling techniques are making humane alternatives to dissection easy, cost-effective and highly educational. However, all that is changing in Connecticut, thanks to the successful passage of a law mandating schools to allow students to opt out of dissection and related curricular activities.

Fewer than half of US states currently have such legislation, leaving many students without legal protection or recourse if they want to refuse dissection. With biology a required part of the curriculum, such students may be effectively forced to participate in something they find unethical, distasteful and upsetting. Youth in the United States often have limited civil rights in school environments, and this is a powerful example of such limits. No student should be faced with the choice between failing a course and engaging in a morally repugnant lesson plan, yet many students across the country do just that when they take biology courses.

For Connecticut students, this represents a major victory, but it represents more than that for the country at large. As more and more states take on such laws and signal that they want dissection-free options for their students, it puts pressure on those that don’t have such protections to consider adopting them. Animal activists can use such legislation to create models for use in other states and to pressure officials who are resistant to the idea of offering dissection alternatives.

(Read more) 

3 Adorable Animal Rescues Caught on Tape

Click through to check them all and smile :) 

http://www.care2.com/causes/3-adorable-animal-rescues-caught-on-tape.html

. . . . . . . . . .

Thanks for reading this week's "Good News!" Join us every week and feel inspired! 

Be sure to sign up for Care2's newsletter for some real news around the globe, to make a change, and to open up your mind to the Real World!

See that your actions count and get out there and do good! Be the Change! 

If you found this article to be helpful, please consider a small donation or visit the shop. Thank you for your love and support.

❀ The Good News ❀

. . . . . . . . . . 

Stop watching the News on T.V. filled with lies, propaganda, and made to make you feel helpless and afraid.

With all the negative news in the world, it's time to give you hope and inspiration. It's time to the weekly Good News! 

. . . . . . . . . .

Lots of amazing news for animals this week!!

25 Cows Find Happiness at their new Sanctuary Home!

Twenty five cows destined for the slaughter house were freed, after having spent their lives in the dairy industry. The only life they knew was a life in which they could not move and never saw daylight, until they arrived at the shelter. Watch the video and their reaction to their new found freedom. Don't miss the reaction of these animals when they see freedom, thanks to this group of owners who have created another very different kind of luck. The video made me all teary to see how happy these cows are getting to be free and prance and play! 

Baby Chimp Rescued

For a baby chimpanzee in the African rainforest, the world is only as big as a mother’s arms. So when that mother is suddenly taken, there’s a massive rush to fill the void.

The Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature, United Nations Great Apes Survival Partnership and MONUSCO peacekeeping forces all had a hand in one such rescue of a two-year-old female chimpanzee Beni, named after the town in which she had been kept in captivity. It is believed that Beni’s mother was killed by bushmeat hunters and she was being kept illegally as a pet by a local family.

(Read the full story and learn about what it's like for an orphaned chimp) 

Over 200 Animals Rescued From Shocking Conditions In Texas

More than 200 animals were rescued from deplorable conditions in a residence in Texas on July 25. This person was hoarding animals for unknown reasons in filthy conditions. Thankfully, after receiving a complaint of suspected animal cruelty, the SPCA of Texas was able to step in. The SPCA took custody of a total of 221 animals from a property in Kaufman County, near Dallas: 166 rabbits, 36 guinea pigs, 12 goats, five cats, one dog and one bull.

At least in this case, the SPCA has hopefully ensured a happy ending for these animals.

(Read more)

Success! Deadly Dog Camp Raided, Animals Rescued

Last week, Care2 brought you the tragic story of a deadly dog camp in Sky Valley, near Palm Springs, California. The camp had been there for years, with local residents desperately concerned, but unable to get it shut down.

Well, on July 25, four Animal Control trucks, six SUVs and one white van stormed the remote desert property, and rescued the ten Queensland Heeler dogs that they found there. The dogs are now in protective custody in a non-public area at one of the county’s shelters.

The owner of this camp, Mary Bernadette Schwenn, was arrested at the Indio branch of the Riverside County Law Library last week and charged with 10 counts of felony animal cruelty and 20 other misdemeanor charges relating to the improper care of animals. She was taken to the Larson Justice Center jail in Indio, CA, and her bail was set at $50,000. She could face a sentence ranging from probation to nine years in custody if convicted.

This is thanks to the almost 40,000 Care2 members who signed the petition asking Riverside County Supervisor John J. Benoit to close the deadly dog camp. Your actions, along with pressure from many local residents, finally persuaded Benoit that he needed to take action.

Since Schwenn has not plead guilty, the fight isn't quite over, so please sign the petition asking that Schwenn never be allowed near animals again, and that the animals that were saved are treated humanely. http://www.thepetitionsite.com/967/344/241/help-stop-desert-dog-death-camp/

(Read more) 

Animal Place Rescues 3,000 Hens from Egg Farm

On July 29th and 30th, Animal Place rescued 3,000 hens from a caged "egg-laying" hen farm. 2,000 hens went to our Grass Valley sanctuary and 1,000 to our Vacaville adoption center.

They need volunteers and donations to help care for the rescued hens though, so please if you can help, please do. Visit their website to see how: http://animalplace.org/helping-hens-rescue

And if you cannot donate or volunteer, you can do something else - go egg-free, go vegan. :)

Victory! Etsy Bans Endangered Animal Products

Etsy, the popular online marketplace for handmade and vintage goods, has updated its policies to crack down on sales of items made from endangered animals.

Earlier this spring, the Snow Leopard Trust raised concerns about illegal listings for products made with endangered animal parts, which were spurred by an item that was listed as “genuine real snow leopard fur.” After attempting to have their concerns heard by Etsy, they created a Care2 petition that has since gathered more than 33,000 signatures.

It appears to have gotten the company’s attention. According to the Snow Leopard Trust, following the petition’s creation Etsy’s CEO Chad Dickerson reached out to the organization to let them know they were working on the issue. Last week the company announced a formal policy change banning the sale of items made from endangered species which will apply to sellers around the globe, with the exception of Native Alaskans.

(Read more) 

Victory – North Carolina Ag Gag Bill Fails this Session! 

IDA teamed up with animal advocates like you and other animal protection organizations to convince North Carolina’s legislature to oppose Senate Bill 648, the state’s proposed “ag gag” bill. Ag gag bills seek to criminalize individuals who document animal abuse in slaughterhouses and on factory farms. Without the evidence that undercover video provides, the worst abuses committed by the factory farming industry would go unseen and unpunished.

Thanks to you the North Carolina legislature ended this session without passing its version of the ag gag bill.

Organizations Worldwide Join Empty the Tanks Protests

On Saturday In Defense of Animals (IDA), Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, Save Japan Dolphins, Direct Action Everywhere, and many other animal protection organizations came together for worldwide simultaneous protests as part of the Empty the Tanks Day of Action (to protest marine animals in captivity). There were a total of twenty-four events in twelve countries. 

These events coincided with the U.S. opening of the new documentary film, Blackfish, which focuses on the 2010 death of SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau who was killed by an orca imprisoned at SeaWorld in Orlando.

14-Year-Old Girl Defends Women’s Rights

The Texas legislature waged a new front in the war on women the past couple of months by introducing an extreme anti-abortion bill under the pretenses of protecting women’s health. Of course, it does the exact opposite, but it didn’t stop them from passing it into law earlier this month.

There was tremendous opposition, so much that the first attempt to pass it was shut down by an amazing display of democracy in action, which included filibusters by a senator and citizens.

Billy Joe Cain and his wife showed up to protest this latest assault on women’s reproductive health. They also brought their 14-year-old daughter, Tuesday, seeing it as part of their parental duty to continually educate her on how the world works. The Cain family joined more than 10,000 people in Austin for several days to express their outrage. Tuesday decided to make a sign to add her voice to all the others.

As a result of the sign Tuesday made she and her family were met by the rudest and most shameful backlash, with adults screaming and calling the 14-year-old a whore. As a response to all the negativity, Tuesday's father was right there defending her and Tuesday, as well, wrote a well worded response. 

I think it's great that parents are teaching their child about women's right and that she has been brave enough and strong enough to be a positive wonderful force. Let's hear it for more women (and people in general) speaking up and being smart. 

(Read the full story here; see Tuesday's sign, and read their responses) 

Lawmakers Propose Bill To Prevent Rapists From Claiming Child Custody

(I can't believe this isn't already law!)

On Thursday, a bipartisan group of lawmakers led by Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) held a press conference to explain their recently-introduced legislation designed to help rape survivors maintain full custody rights over their children. The lawmakers were joined by Shauna Prewitt, a rape survivor and victims’ rights advocate who was forced to endure the type of custody battle with her rapist that the bill seeks to prevent.

The Rape Survivor Child Custody Act would provide funding incentives to states that have laws allowing mothers of children conceived through rape to “seek court-ordered termination of the parental rights of her rapist.” These states would receive federal grant funding for programs authorized under the federal Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).

(Read the full story) 

. . . . . . . . . .

Thanks for reading this week's "Good News!" Join us every week and feel inspired! 

Be sure to sign up for Care2's newsletter for some real news around the globe, to make a change, and to open up your mind to the Real World!

See that your actions count and get out there and do good! Be the Change!  

If you found this article to be helpful, please consider a small donation or visit the shop. Thank you for your love and support.

❀ The Good News ❀

. . . . . . . . . . 

Stop watching the News on T.V. filled with lies, propaganda, and made to make you feel helpless and afraid.

With all the negative news in the world, it's time to give you hope and inspiration. It's time to the weekly Good News! 

. . . . . . . . . .

Lots of amazing news for animals this week!!

Victory! Belgium Bans Wild Animals in Circuses

This week Belgium passed a bill introduced by the Minister for Animal Welfare that will ban the use of wild animals in circuses.

Last year, Belgium adopted laws that would require circuses to adhere to the same standards as zoos, but according to the Belgian animal advocacy organization Global Action in the Interest of Animals (GAIA), those standards wouldn’t, or couldn’t, be met, reports FarmingUK. While many cities in the country had banned circuses with wild animals, the organization and animal advocates continued to fight for a full ban.

A full ban was the only logical step since they were unable to meet the standards of the previous laws. Belgium now joins other progressive countries that have taken steps to stop cruelty by enacting bans on animals in circuses including Cyprus, Greece, Croatia, Columbia and Austria, which will be joined by the UK in 2015.

(Read more) 

Two Indus River Dolphin Calves Rescued

The Indus River dolphin is one of the world’s rarest mammals and most endangered cetaceans; a 2011 survey estimated the population to be only 1,297 individuals. Most dolphins are confined to a 750-mile stretch of the river, divided into isolated populations by six dams. So when two stray Indus River dolphin calves were found trapped in an irrigation canal in eastern Pakistan, rescuers leapt into action.

Indus River dolphins frequently travel into irrigation canals when canal gates are open. But when the canals close, water levels drop and the dolphins become trapped in small pools with depleting fish supply. The stranding of Indus River dolphins—along with intensive fishing in canals that increases the risk of dolphins becoming entangled in nets—threatens the existing population.

In response, WWF and the Sindh Wildlife Department regularly perform such rescue operations. Since January 2013, rescuers saved five dolphins in four rescue operations.

(Full Story) 

Equal Marriage in the UK! 

The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act has completed its passage through the Houses of Parliament and received Royal Assent on Wednesday 17 July!

Public Stands Against Bobcat Trapping Near Joshua Tree

Last winter the discovery that bobcats were being targeted by trappers around Joshua Tree National Park ignited a call to ban the practice in the state. Residents who live next to the park are banning together and pushing to protect these cats from the fur trade.

Unfortunately, trapping bobcats in California is perfectly legal from November through January, and while the bobcat population isn’t in danger (yet), the disappearances of some of them from the landscape have saddened and angered those living in the area. However, they have also brought them together in a fight for the passage of a bill that would protect bobcats from trappers.

This is still an ongoing fight but it is wonderful to see a community of people coming together to protect their four-legged neighbours. 

Please sign the petition and help their fight! 

(Read more) 

Challenging Utah’s Ag Gag Law

PETA, the Animal Legal Defense Fund, investigative journalists, a political journalist, a university history professor and animal rights advocate Amy Meyer, who was recently arrested for filming a downed cow at a Utah slaughterhouse—have filed a groundbreaking lawsuit challenging that state's "ag-gag" law, which prohibits documenting animal abuse at agricultural operations. The plaintiffs contend that this agri-business law amounts to an unconstitutional attack on investigators' First Amendment rights.

The U.S. Constitution guarantees every citizen the right to speak out against abuse, even when committed by those in positions of power and privilege—and animals need us to exercise that right. Please, when animals are in danger, never be silent! http://features.peta.org/never-be-silent/

Dog Finds A Tiny Kitten, Risks Everything To Save Her

This is just too sweet! 

Animal control officers in Anderson, South Carolina, thought that a barking Shih-Tzu was stuck in a ravine. Turns out, she was there nursing and protecting a tiny abandoned kitten she had found. The dog and kitten were taken to the Anderson County P.A.W.S. shelter, where they remained inseparable and the dog continued to care for the kitten as one of her own. Eventually, the pair were taken to a foster home – together, of course.

(Full Story + photos)

. . . . . . . . . .

Thanks for reading this week's "Good News!" Join us every week and feel inspired! 

Be sure to sign up for Care2's newsletter for some real news around the globe, to make a change, and to open up your mind to the Real World!

See that your actions count and get out there and do good! Be the Change! 

If you found this article to be helpful, please consider a small donation or visit the shop. Thank you for your love and support.

❀ The Good News ❀

. . . . . . . . . . 

Stop watching the News on T.V. filled with lies, propaganda, and made to make you feel helpless and afraid.

With all the negative news in the world, it's time to give you hope and inspiration. It's time to the weekly Good News! 

. . . . . . . . . .

Lots of amazing news for animals this week!!

Success! EU Closes Shark Finning Ban Loopholes

In a big win for sharks, the European Union finally adopted a strict ban on shark finning. Officially shark finning, a process whereby fins are harvested from living sharks, has been illegal in the EU since 2003. However, loopholes and exemptions in the law allowed the process to continue. Now, at long last, the process has been outlawed once and for all.

With the new regulation in place, conservationists finally have a law that can make a difference for these vital members of the marine ecosystem.

This win is thanks to millions of concerned citizens around the world, and thousands of Care2 members that signed petitions, asking the EU to reevaluate its stance on shark finning, and outlaw the practice permanently. Thanks to dedicated community members like you, the sharks will now have a fighting chance in European waters. 

(Read more) http://www.care2.com/causes/success-eu-closes-shark-finning-ban-loopholes.html#ixzz2YwcL8ZI1

Pennsylvania Law Makes Animal Abusers Pay

Agencies charged with caring for abused animals often struggle to care for them. Whether they’re flailing for shelter after a big bust or trying to cover the medical expenses of a seriously injured animal, law enforcement and animal welfare groups do their best for abused animals, but it can get expensive. That’s why numerous states require accused animal abusers to pay for the daily upkeep of seized animals.

Pennsylvania just joined that group when Governor Tom Corbett decisively signed H.B. 82 into law. This law requires defendants to pay up to $15 a day for upkeep, including shelter, food and other basic needs. If animals require extraordinary care, the accused may be required to pay more in order to support treatment. Veterinarians can evaluate individual cases to determine what kind of treatment is needed and how much it may add to overall costs.

(Read more) http://www.care2.com/causes/pennsylvania-law-makes-animal-abusers-pay-literally.html#ixzz2Ywe60SlD

Victory! The Sale of Dogs, Cats, and Rabbits Banned in San Diego!

The San Diego City Council passed an ordinance to ban the sale of dogs, cats, and rabbits in city “pet” stores. Last September, the San Diego Animal Defense Team (ADT) gave the city council a petition with forty pages of signatures requesting this ordinance. ADT joined with In Defense of Animals, San Diego Humane Society, Animal Protection and Rescue League, and other organizations to garner attention and support for the ordinance. More than 75 animal-related businesses and animal advocacy groups signed on to support the ban.

Pet stores get animals from commercial breeding facilities, including puppy mills, where animals are imprisoned for life in cramped, filthy conditions and used as breeding machines until they can no longer reproduce. Three to four million animals are killed in American shelters every year because of the difficulty of securing enough good homes for them. Please adopt rather than buy animal companions to break this cycle of suffering, misery, and death.

Victory! Bear Pit Closed

Eleven bears had been imprisoned in concrete pits at Chief Saunooke Bear Park in Cherokee, North Carolina, which PETA has been working to shut down for years. Following a PETA investigation, the roadside zoo paid a fine and surrendered its exhibitor's license to settle more than a dozen charges for violations of the Animal Welfare Act.

The bears now reside at the International Exotic Animal Sanctuary (IEAS) in Dallas, after a private benefactor generously offered to purchase the bears from the zoo's owner. 

(Read more) http://www.peta.org/b/thepetafiles/archive/2013/07/09/victory-bear-pit-closed-animals-get-real-retirement.aspx

Woman Helps Little Gopher in Trouble: Stunning “Thank You”

This story from Care2 is totally heart-warming, so happy to share it. The story is of a mother who has an instinct and knack for helping animals in need--placing their needs ahead of her own and going out of her way to help the poor critters. This story is about a gopher who's leg is caught in a leg-hold trap; the woman comes to free him, carries him home (despite him biting her arm the walk back), and feeds and cares for him (respectfully giving him space). 

"The day came when we felt he was well enough to be set free. I took his cage out to an open field across the road. I opened the door and he bounded out and started to run away.  But, then he stopped and turned around towards me.  He then ran back and stopped right in front of me, sat up on his haunches, paused and gazed at me for a moment – as if to say ‘Thank you.”  Then he scurried off never to be seen again. I will never forget that thank you."

(Read the whole heart-warming story here) http://www.care2.com/causes/woman-helps-little-gopher-in-trouble-stunning-thank-you.html#ixzz2ZK0VVwln

Two Former Circus Elephants Spared Euthanasia in France

Two elephants, Baby and Nepal — two former circus elephants that a French zoo was planning to euthanize after they tested positive for tuberculosis — will instead be spending the rest of their days on an estate on the Cote d’Azur owned by the royal family of Monaco. The fear was that the disease could spread so were therefor called to be euthanized. 

A campaign, led by French actress Brigitte Bardot, was created to save the two elephants. About 200 people formed a human chain around the elephants’ enclosure “to save Baby and Nepal” and Monaco’s Princess Stephanie condemned the decision to kill them as “radical and irreversible.”

In February, France’s Supreme Administrative Court put a stop to the euthanasia of the elephants, on the grounds that there was “substantial doubt” about the legality of doing so, says German newspaper Der Spiegel.

Princess Stephanie then offered to take in Baby and Nepal where they now live on the Roc Agel ranch, an estate owned by the Monaco royal family in southeastern France. The elephants’ new home is a nearly one-acre enclosure with a pool and wooden shed. A veterinarian who accompanied them on their journey said that, upon arrival, they showed signs of “well-being,” showering themselves with dust and humming softly.

(Read more) http://www.care2.com/causes/two-former-circus-elephants-spared-euthanasia-in-france.html#ixzz2ZK2oxChI

. . . . . . . . . .

Thanks for reading this week's "Good News!" Join us every week and feel inspired! 

Be sure to sign up for Care2's newsletter for some real news around the globe, to make a change, and to open up your mind to the Real World!

See that your actions count and get out there and do good! Be the Change!  

If you found this article to be helpful, please consider a small donation or visit the shop. Thank you for your love and support.