Message from PETA

Caged and frozen with fear, raccoon dogs watch helplessly as fur farmers make their way down the long rows, yanking animals out of the cages, slamming them to the ground, and kicking and beating them on the head with metal pipes, over and over again. The beaten animal twitch their legs as they anticipate the next painful blow. Even before some of the animals have stopped struggling, the workers grab them and hang them by their tails or legs, cut them with knives, and rip the skin off their bodies in one huge piece.

This is what PETA Asia’s undercover investigators witnessed—and recorded on video—in their most recent visit to a Chinese fur farm. Millions of animals endure this misery every year in China so that their fur can be made into coats, trim, or trinkets. It’s impossible to know where a fur item originated, so anyone who wears any fur shares the blame for the horrific conditions on Chinese fur farms.

The suffering of animals who are killed for their fur is heartbreaking, but just being sad doesn’t help them—they need us to take action. Please help us call attention to the horrors endured by animals who are killed for their skins by forwarding this information to your friends and family members and telling everyone you know about the cruelty of the fur industry.

Together, we can help the foxes, dogs, rabbits, and countless other individual animals who are suffering on fur farms in China and around the world.

Sincerely,

The PETA Asia Team

Click here for more information.

Back! And what’s next…

Due to personal reasons, I have had to take time off from fighting this cause and unfortunately have not been able to campaign on this matter as vigorously as I have hoped. But there is not one day that goes by when I do not think about what is happening and the urgency of the matter.

I am very thankful to all those who have replied, who have written in to request for the reports, and who have sent in your petitions. For those who have emailed me for the reports, I will reply very soon. Please check your SPAM folder as some email providers may treat it as spam.

We are still collecting petitions on the website. It is ongoing. The fight continues!

Announcement #1

Have you signed this petition yet?

KIM BASINGER TO TOP DESIGNER WILLIAM TANG: CRUEL FUR IS OUT OF STYLE

“Actor Kim Basinger has sent a letter on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) Asia to leading Hong Kong designerWilliam Tang urging him to pledge not to use fur — including fur trim — in his collections. Basinger’s letter is accompanied by a PETA DVD that documents the widespread misery suffered by animals used in the fur industry…” Read more.

Announcement #2

Please continue to support Animal Saviors. I have recently been in touch with Peter Steele who is currently busy working on a new website for Animal Saviors, in preparation for the Animal  Saviors Unite Campaign. Here is a brief write-up from him with future plans:

“Whilst the awareness we have created in our first 18 months has exceeded all expectation, the horrific live skinning continues, so as part of the Animal Saviors Unite Campaign” we are going into China.  Our rationale for doing so and how we’ll be addressing the issues in China will be contained on the new Website.

Essentially, there are 4 areas in which we will be seeking help:
1.            Awareness.
2.            Investigation.
3.            Financial.
4.            Sending some email letters (pro forma letters supplied) the Campaign…”

We hope to hear more from him very soon!

Announcement #3

What is next? The next two months will be completely dedicated to sorting out the petitions we have received so far and to continue to write letters/raise awareness. We will continue to keep everyone updated with ongoing campaigns by like-minded organisations and post information on petitions related to the anti-fur campaign. In addition, we will also work toward developing a systematic and sustainable plan for next year’s campaign. Let’s make 2010 a fur-free year!

Cold hands, Warm hearts

Announcement #1

ONCE AGAIN – A big thank you to everyone who has supported us by chipping in however you can. So far, we have received quite a handful of signed petitions sent to us via post which is absolutely fantastic. One anonymous individual has even photocopied the flyer and collected signatures on our behalf. Thank you very much! A total of 2000 leaflets have been distributed in various parts of Brisbane so far and about 800 leaflets distributed in Sydney last week. We will continue to distribute the flyers till the end of the month in parts of Brisbane and Gold Coast. Please continue to support us by sending this link to all your friends and family.

A personal note

I have just returned from a 5-day trip to Sydney. It’s, as predicted, much colder than Brisbane. There were many fur hoodies on sale and many consumers buying them. The sight of so many consumers (still in the dark) wearing fur-trimmed hoodies had really motivated me to step up and do more.

Big thank you to Rhiannon and Sarena for posting the link on their facebook accounts and for telling friends and family about this. In particular, I am extremely grateful to Rhiannon, Jun, Justina and Andrew for helping me pass on the leaflets. Thanks guys!

Announcement #2

Grants & Prizes –

The Voiceless Grants Program offers financial support to non-profit organisations, councils and universities for the design and implementation of projects which improve the lives of animals in Australia. The 2009 Grants Program will run from 1st – 31st July during which time an online application form will be available for submission.  This year, grants will be awarded in varying amounts of up to $15,000 per project. To find out more, click here.

Reflection #1

Mom’s here to visit and has been roped in to help out with flyer distribution. She is currently spending the week in Melbourne but will return to Brisbane shortly. So far, family has been extremely supportive and patient; I am very thankful and blessed and will channel all this positive energy to furthering this cause so that one day, we can eventually live in a fur-free society. Although Mom’s been supportive, she had found it very difficult to comprehend that the fluffy furry trims lining the edge of hooded jackets could actually belong to a pooch. We have examined the jackets (and it’s not hard because they are everywhere!) and it is without a doubt that most of the trims are too real to be ‘fake’. In fact, as we were peering into the cages inside a pet shop a week ago, we couldn’t help but notice that the soft brown and white fur ball (some Maltese Cross Poodle of some sort) looked SO familiar – we’ve seen them on the jackets. There is no doubt at all. I say, that’s evidence right there.

Rain or Shine

Action #1

The leaflets I ordered have arrived! All 10,000 of them. It was freezing on Thursday at UQ. Possibly one of the coldest days in Brisbane ever. I was trembling and my fingers were completely numbed; yet I felt really fired up when I saw everyone reading the leaflet I was giving out. Not a single person I gave to threw the leaflet away (a good friend warned me that it might happen and I shouldn’t feel too upset if it did). I saw people wearing fur hoodies everywhere and it has really created this sense of urgency for me to really try to get the message across. Every one person I talk to will be one less person buying fur products – I tell myself.

– Thursday – UQ St Lucia Campus: 250 flyers
– Saturday – Indooroopilly and Milton residential (mail box distribution): 800 flyers
–  Monday – City: 500 flyers

Big thank you to the following people for helping me pass some on to friends, colleagues and schools: Jill, Russell, May, Robyn, Sarah, Julie, you guys are gems!

Please email stopliveskinning@gmail.com if you wish to help.

Action #2

Peter Steele’s Asian Campaign. Peter (Animal Saviors) will be backbacking (with anyone who wants to accompany him for the whole or any part of the campaign) through India, Nepal, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and through the centre of China ending at Tienanmen Square in Beijing to raise awareness, enlist support from politicians and religious leaders and to present the petitions to the Chinese Minister of Commerce. Peter, a retired lawyer from the Gold Coast, has spent not just time, effort and money to try his best to save the animals, he has shown passion and conviction with his actions. I was very honoured to be able to meet up with him two weeks ago. In the upcoming weeks, we will have more information on this campaign, so stay tune.

Announcement #3

Our online petition has a total of 551 signatures – thank you for making a stand everyone! Please continue to spread the news to your friends and family. More people needs to know the real cost behind the fur jacket (fake or otherwise) that they are buying. Due to unpredictable weather conditions, our Brisbane campaign – collection of signatures around Brisbane – will now be collected from (1) the petition site, and from (2) leaflets. A total of 10,000 leaflets will be distributed between now and mid-July in Brisbane, parts of Gold Coast and Sydney (city). Readers have the option of sending in the signed leaflet to PO Box 895, Indooroopilly QLD 4068. Signature collections will continue after August but only via Internet. The next phase of the campaign involves writing letters of appeal to Chinese authorities and embassies (in both English and Chinese) to ban the skinning of cats and dogs on grounds of inhumanity.

Announcement #4

Good news. I’ve compiled a pdf report, Global Alert, documenting reports, evidence and campaign on this issue. There is irrefutable evidence that cats and dogs are skinned in inhumane ways for their fur because of the fur and fur-trim industries. The chapters covered are listed below:

Chapter 1: Fur Industry – From Real (then) to ‘Fake’ (now)
1.1 Exposing Real fur
1.2 Exposing ‘Fake’ fur
Chapter 2: The truth about cats and dogs
2.1 Cat and dog fur IS faux fur
2.2 Legislation to protect domestic cats and dogs
Chapter 3: The farming/skinning process (if you don’t already know)
3.1 It is cruel, inhumane and unnecessary
Chapter 4: The value of fur – WHO decides?
4.1 Market-driven industry
Chapter 5: Solutions, an assessment of what has been done and what more can be done
5.1 Campaigns and successes

If you would like a copy of the pdf report (free), please email stopliveskinning@gmail.com. If you only have enough time to read one article, then read this: Dying for fur, A report on the fur industry in China, update 25 Jan 2007 , Copyright East International/Swiss Animal Protection SAP

A United Cause

 It has been two weeks since we’ve started our online petition and Brisbane-streets campaign and results have been very uplifting. We have been getting people from all over the world coming to our site and signing it. The objective of this petition drive is to generate greater awareness on this matter (many many people still do not know that cats and dogs are being farmed for fur and meat!) and also to gather as much support (as many voices – so every signature counts!) as possible with the objective of getting Chinese authorities to ban this trade on grounds of inhumanity. 

 

Announcement #1

We saw a sudden increase in the number of supporters from France. Thank you very much for translating our petition and for telling your community about this matter. We’ve also had many people blogging and posting this link in their facebook profile. Here is an estimate of the number of signatures we’ve been getting:

Australia – 28; Austria – 5; Albama – 1; Argentina – 1 ; Belgium – 15; Brazil – 1; Canada – 18; Cyprus – 1; Denmark – 1; Falkland islands – 1; France – 54; Finland – 1; Germany – 32; Greece – 5; Italy – 6; Ireland – 1; Japan – 1; Malta – 1; Morocco – 2; Mexico – 2; Netherlands – 5; New Caledonia – 1; Norway – 1; Peru – 1; Portugal – 1; Switzerland – 1; South Africa – 4; Singapore – 8; Sweden – 2; Serbia – 2; Spain – 3; Trinidad – 1; USA – 79; UK –  19; Venezuela – 1 

Although this is still a far cry from our goal of 1000 signatures per country, I think it is very encouraging that we are reaching people from all around the world. People with internet access, after learning about this, can then spread the news to their local community. If you would like to help us collect signatures at your local community – please send your signatures to PO Box 895, Indooroopilly QLD 4068. You can obtain a copy of our petition from here. To reach out to non-English speaking countries, please help to translate our petition and send us the link to your site.I’ve included a Chinese version of our petition. 

Announcement #2

On writing effective letters
1) Writing letters to local authorities and embassies in your country
You can customise the letter such that it addresses your country’s problems, listing all the reasons why you feel that as a citizen of your country, you are against this practice. A good example can be obtained here. Again, if you need help translating your letter to Chinese, please email stopliveskinning@gmail.com. 
2) Writing letters to targetted embassies (e.g. all Chinese embassies) in selected countries, including your own
To maximise the effectiveness of this letter, petition signatures can be very useful. You will be writing on behalf of all the people who signed the petition and this makes it much harder for the authorities to ignore the letter. The letter should reflect accurately the petition objectives. For example: In this case, we want the Chinese authorities to acknowledge that live skinning is inhumane and on such grounds, the skinning of cats and dogs for fur has to be banned.

Job Wanted: Fur Testers

I met some wonderful people last weekend. Alongside TWS, the Sea Shepherds – they call themselves – stood proudly next to their  booth. Saving the marine creatures – big and small – was the lifelong mission of John* who gave me a bear hug as we bade farewell. I believe our paths will cross again. We all heard about the seal slaughter up in Canada and how for years, activists – from Canada and elsewhere – had come together to end the seal trade; finally, we see results! The UN voted by a very large margin to ban all seal products – this literally translates to lesser seals killed. 

Because it is easier to identify and locate seal products, the banning of this trade can be very effective to curb the supply. I am very appreciative of Marinka who had provided important information on fur trading and news on current fur regulation in her country (click here, select ‘English’). I’ve also been recently made aware that several countries are not ignorant of the fact that cats and dogs are indeed farmed for their fur and have passed the bill that all cat/dog fur is banned in the country (they include New Zealand, parts of Europe, Hong Kong, Australia and others). However, there is currently no proper infrastrature regulating the testing of the products – cat and dog fur IS mixed into so many of our daily products! See here for detailed reports. I urge the countries who have stood by their decision to ban cat/dog fur to do more. I urge all the science and maths geniuses out there – please invent a device that can enable us to test the fur cheaply.  I would not be able to forgive myself if the stuff toy I’ve hugged for the past few years was indeed made from cat/dog fur. (I’ve learned about this fact that cats/dogs are farmed for fur only in January 2009). Believe it or not – farming cats and dogs for their fur is CHEAPER than making faux fur (read this report now). All of us are entitled to know if we have blood on our hands.

Big Thank You

Announcement #1

Our online petition is up and so far we have 50 over signatures in just over two days. That is fantastic. We’ve got people from all over the world coming to our site and writing in to give their support. For those who have yet to sign it – please take a minute to do so. We need as many voices as possible. Our objective for the online petition is to get at least 1000 signatures from each country so please forward the link to all your friends and family.

Announcement #2

Thank you Simone for posting our website link on your page and for urging fellow members to sign the petition. Care2.com, like gopetition.com, is an extremely useful platform for passionate individuals to come together. To help spread greater awareness on our campaign, please feel free to add our e-flyer on your personal website or email us (stopliveskinning@gmail.com) for a pdf flyer that you could distribute in your neighbourhood.

Announcement #3

Brisbane says ‘No’ to Live Skinning Campaign – We are in the midst of setting up a PO BOX address. Once that is up, you can now have the option of mailing us the signatures you’ve collected in your area. We also need as many volunteers as possible who could spare an hour or so a week distributing door-to-door petitions. These petitions can also be mailed to our PO BOX address. To help, please email stopliveskinning@gmail.com.

Announcement #4

Animal Saviors is organising a few events aimed to raise awareness on this issue.To sign their petition, click here. In the upcoming months, I hope to follow their developments as it is taking place. There are many ways to show support toward a campaign and blogging is an effective way. By setting up a Cause Blog, you are committed to your cause and you are empowering yourself in the process.

Brisbane says ‘No!’

Announcement #1

I am organising a state-wide campaign to petition against the live skinning of cats and dogs for fur trading and meat consumption on the grounds of inhumanity. The objective of the campaign is to approach as many people as possible at selected suburbs and to collect at least 100 signatures from each suburb for the upcoming three months, beginning 1 May 2009. All signatures collected will be filed, documented and forwarded on to all Chinese Embassies in Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom as a means to have the Chinese authorities take this matter seriously and formally acknowledge it as an inhumane practice, and on such grounds, be banned in China. To find out how you can help, see Current Campaigns. To sign our online petition now, click here.

Announcement #2

Thank you TampinesZone.Com for adding our e-flyer to your front page. If you would like to help as well and would like a customised e-flyer to add to your website, please email stopliveskinning@gmail.com.

Announcement #3

A group of Brisbane lawyers who called themselves “BLEATS (Brisbane Lawyers Educating and Advocating for Tougher Sentences)”  have formed an organisation to campaign for animal justice. Their major aim is to focus attention on the apparent unwillingness or seeming inability of Magistrates to wield their powers under the Animal Care and Protection Act 2001. Sign the petition to Support Tougher Sentences for Animal Cruelty today.

Dog eating – A generation GAP

How far would you go to save Man’s best friend? Dog eating (and cat eating) is increasingly being viewed as a cultural affair to some Koreans and Chinese. I have intentionally avoided entering a moralistic debate on what should or should not be eaten. However, I condemn all who resort to unnecessary cruelty for personal gain and consumption. Similarly, any one who is aware of the cruel acts inflicted to living things and still turn a blind eye to it, is equally guilty.

I have recently received an email from a friend, forwarded on in a chain-mail, titled very simply: “Pls stop this by forwarding to everyone”. In disbelief, I saw pictures of dogs cramped into dirty cages, some reared since young in them, awaiting for their execution and sold in markets as food. The execution manner was obscenely cruel and I felt sick in my stomach immediately. You can view the images here (viewer discretion advised).

This is not a new topic to animal activists and very often, innocent people from the cultures perpetrating such cruel acts are implicated in the process. It is very easy to ‘hate’. How many times have we heard this remark – Why are Japanese so cruel? I hate Japanese. Chinese are such cruel people! I hate Chinese. Very often the speaker expresses his/her anger in this manner as a means to cope with the overwhelming pain; cats and dogs to some are like their children. There are Chinese and Korean residents campaigning against such acts as well. 

 source

Animals Asia Foundation has also reported changing attitudes in China. I believe that the culture of dog eating (and whale eating for that matter) will eventually stop along with education and increased awareness. With advancement of technology, more and more people are becoming aware that they are being cruel just by being consumers. Please do not scorn the effectiveness of public education on this matter and spread the news to all your friends and family. Our young generation – and I mean the Koreans and the Chinese – can and will end such acts of cruelty because they have been made aware of it. 

Here are more articles and information (and pictures):

• International aid for Korean Animals
• Animals Asia Foundation
• Wok the Dog by William Saleton
• Comments on “stop the dog-meat trade in Korea”
• Cats on the menu
• Outrageous cruelty to dogs and cats

I have created a new page, Writing Letters, and it is a work-in-progress. I will be adding addresses of embassies as well as sample letters to the page.

“Meat’s Not Green” Week – Join Me

The week of Earth Day – April 20-26 – is possibly the best time to take the Go Veg pledge! It would be hard – especially if you’ve been conditioned since young to love your meat – but it’s also definitely worth the effort; think about all the animals you are saving and could be saving, and imagine staying healthier and fitter at the same time. During my many campaigns to save Australia’s forests, I have met many people who are passionate about the environment and concerned enough to pledge time and money to do their part to save Mother Earth; here’s a shout-out to you all then – going Veg is also a very good way to do our part to battle climate change so…take up the PETA Challenge today! 

Quick re-cap:

• raising animals for food contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions
• farming of animals produces 13 billion metric tons of excrement annually (which in turn contributes to water pollution/land contamination)
• meat processing and distribution accounts for high fuel usage

Need I remind all the benefits of going vegan (or vegetarian for those just starting out)?

• lower incidences of obesity
• lower rates of chronic diseases (which include some cancers)
• good karma! (you are saving up to 100 animals a year from the cruel meat-generating industry)

I’ve planned out this week’s “Green Menu” for my housemates and myself and it looks absolutely delicious; we are going to have “Thai Rice with Mushroom” on Monday and “Spinach with Rice and Herbs” on Thursday. I got the recipes off this site. Let’s spread the Green vibes this week!