My Time At Farm Sanctuary’s Animal Acres

October 30th, 2012



There were tearful goodbyes on October 3 as I left Farm Sanctuary’s Animal Acres in Acton, California, after spending the past two months calling it home. As sad as it was to say goodbye, it never really hit me until I was on the airplane back home to a life that I once saw as normal and routine.

My life was pretty close to perfect. Great friends. Amazing family. Comfy job. On July 31 I left it all behind.

From Los Angeles, I made a two hour commute on public transit to arrive at Farm Sanctuary’s Animal Acres.

As I stepped foot on the sanctuary, I was filled with a mess of different emotions. A lot of; I am actually here! … I am away from home for two months … What did I do? … This is too long! and I am so excited!

I knew that taking on this experience was going to be a challenge both physically and mentally. Physically because of the work and the heat and mentally because I am away from all of the comforts of my life. However, I was restless and stuck in a routine back home and wanted to take a step outside of that.

For this reason, this was not only a sanctuary to the animals who would have otherwise ended up exploited and slaughtered, but it also became one for me. Now, the inevitable fate of these animals in the industry is one that I am not faced with. In my twenty-three years, I have not faced anything that is close to comparable, but I was looking for an escape and I found it here.

Since 2008 I have been vegan, but have never interacted with a farm animal. Everyday I choose to live my life void of any product or by-product that originates from these beings, but I had no personal connection to a turkey, cow or pig and I hit a point where I needed that.

In Acton, I was able to befriend both human and non-human animals. I learned a lot about taking care of the animals, their behaviour and a lot about myself. I wish to share with you, all that I am able to translate into words.

I began my internship with Tanya who had arrived the same day I did. We had joined an intern who had been there for most of the summer and was leaving in just over a weeks time.

Our first day of work began on August 1. Tanya and I were briefly trained on our work, met the majority of the employees and began to meet the animals.

For most of August we were the only interns. The workload was heavy, but incredibly fulfilling. I never knew I would fall in love with the cleaning work as much as I did. Since we were the only interns, for the month of August, we strictly worked cleaning shifts from eight in the morning to five in the evening.

We had a binder that specified the daily jobs that needed to be done. Basically, it would specify whether a barn was to be picked or totalled and also any other jobs that needed to get done, like scrubbing the pig food troughs, clearing out the cow’s food troughs, collecting eggs in the courtyard and shredding hay.

Barns were either picked or totalled. Basically we raked garbage bins full of soiled straw or poo, lugged the full bins to the tractor and dumped them into the back of the tractor. And repeated this until the barn was clean or completely emptied. Then we refilled it with new straw!

At first, it was exhausting. I’d say the first two weeks were the roughest. My body was not used to this type of work. I found myself exhausted daily and it was not long until my body became a host to many bruises and cuts – this remained consistent throughout the internship.

Once the two weeks passed – and they flew by – the work became as close to effortless as physical labour can be. I began to grasp the expectations and in no time had the daily jobs memorised.

It became even easier when we were joined by two more shelter interns for the month of September. With more interns we were also able to work different shifts. We got the opportunity to shadow the caregivers during their AM and PM shifts and also shadow the health checks that took place once a week.

The entire internship was an incredible experience. I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to intern there. I met amazing people and animals alike. I wish so badly that the people in my life were able to take my place to experience what I was able to. I question if such an experience would change anyone’s perspectives.

This shelter is the home of many rescued farm animals who otherwise would be a victim to a lifestyle, that sadly I once supported and many around me still do. This experience opened my mind further than I ever thought possible about being vegan and about these animals.

I spent as much time as possible with the animals, either staying after my shift or hanging out on the farm on my days off. I knew that the end of my internship would approach fast and I wanted to take it in as much as possible. I loved to sit and observe them.

When the cattle would sit in their pasture, it was easy to take a seat beside them, and study them. They are very calm. I’d often just sit and look into their eyes, speak to them and groom them. What was the most incredible was to see how big they could grow. Since many cattle are slaughtered at young ages, they die before fully growing, some of the cattle here had to have been over 2,000 pounds.

Comparable to a dog, you can go up to a sleeping pig and rub their bellies. They turn further on to their back to expose their stomachs more – just so you can get the entire area. They were so calm while they slept, you could nap with them. It was an amazing feeling to rest my head on their body while they slept, while focusing on their breathing and mine.

It’s not likely to sit in the courtyard or the barns of the chickens and be ignored. They are so curious. Some will crawl into your lap, others will give you curious pecks. They are incredibly social too and always communicating to you or to one another.

I would often sit on top of the bales of straw that were placed near the goat and sheep barn and watch whoever was around.

The goats liked to be on the hill by their barn. They would either be sitting together or foraging for leaves on the plants. Some were more social than others, but I had the opportunity to be approached by almost all of them while spending a large amount of my time sitting patiently observing their actions.

The sheep stay in the barn most of the time. They lay down, rest and stay together. Some are more social than others and the ones who are social, will approach you willingly, most likely expecting you to pet or scratch them, and you obviously would give them some love – who wouldn’t?

My experience quickly turned into much more than taking a break from a routine. I made many friends, shared experiences and was influenced by the people and animals I met. My life, perspective and future plans have changed completely due to this experience.

Since going vegan, I have always looked at these animals as no different than a dog or cat. Being here has further rooted how I feel. Their physical appearance is different, their nutritional requirements and day to day needs may be different. However, dogs do not look like cats, require the same nourishment or the daily needs of a cat, but we put them in the same category. These animals equally want to receive love and they have love to give. They are aware of you as much as you are aware of them and they develop attachments,habits and routine just like any of us.

I gained a lot of insight that influenced and solidified my lifestyle and belief system regarding veganism. Whether you have been vegan for many years, are still new to it or teetering on the edge, I urge you to visit a farm animal sanctuary. I’ve learned it to be necessary.

If you live close to Farm Sanctuary’s Animal’s Acres visit them on a tour day or take part in the monthly Volunteer Work Parties. Also, visit the other farm animal sanctuaries in your area. If you call southern Ontario home reach out to Snooter’s Farm Animal Sanctuary, Wishing Well Sanctuary and Cedar Row Farm Sanctuary.

Check local farm animal sanctuaries’ websites for where they need the most help or contact them and ask. Some may need financial donations or maybe blankets, towels and other accessories. Where possible, reach out and volunteer your labour! These places will need the support and it is easy to get caught up with life, but there is no better place to get inspiration for your lifestyle and activism then the root of it all – from the animals.

Being back at home has created many opposing emotions. It is amazing to see familiar faces – and sadly to say make some money. Most importantly, it is great to share my experiences. I miss everyone so much and aim to visit again in the near future!

What I thought would be a good experience, that I’d be ready to leave after two months, turned into an amazing experience, that was over too soon. I know I will treasure it for the rest of my life. I found a passion within myself and have seen, felt and been apart of some of the most beautiful moments of my life.

I did not anticipate any of it, but I am thankful for all of it and cannot express what a positive change it has created.

Click here to meet some of the animals I became friends with during my time at Farm Sanctuary’s Animal Acres


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An Open Letter to the Animal Rights Community – Jonathan Grindell

May 12th, 2012

We’ve followed this story from the beginning so it was important for us to post John’s open letter. This is a good reminder that the justice system is stacked against those who push against the status quo. Jonathon handled this situation extremely well and it’s imperative that others learn from this case and also find creative ways to keep the pressure on scumbags like Levi Cole, Camas Davis and the rest of the Portland Meat Collective – ’til the end.

Greetings animal liberation comrades,

I have been doing animal rights activism for the past decade. I moved from Long Island, New York to Portland, Oregon on May Day 2011. As some of y’all might be aware, courtesy of The Vegan Police, I have been found responsible in civil court of stalking Leviticus Christian Cole. “Levi” is a member of the Portland Meat Collective, which butchers animals throughout Oregon. I have a permanent restraining order against me and was forced to pay $9,500 to Levi’s attorney in legal fees, despite an appeal that Levi’s attorney spent most of his billed time stalking my Facebook wall and searching my lack of criminal history. The day after the ruling, Levi tried to friend me on Facebook. This was an entrapment that could have landed me in jail, ala Rod Coronado accepting Mike Roselle’s friend request! This has been a very traumatic experience for me, something I want to make sure no one in our movement ever experiences again.

It all started with being alerted that a rabbit butchering class was being scheduled. I was informed of this by a long-time animal rights activist, past snitch jacket and current informant from Portland who is serving a 1-year sentence in an Arkansas prison. The Portland Meat Collective was selling spots in their class for $100 to learn how to slaughter a rabbit. Upon hearing the news of the butchering class, I decided to engage in some impromptu street theater where the class was when, unbeknownst to me, I was informed of the liberation of 23 rabbits from the tenant of one of Levi’s properties. Levi and his goons tracked me down with the help of local police to consider me their top suspect, although they didn’t have sufficient evidence to charge me criminally. I take solace in knowing that the individual(s) who had amazing compassion in their hearts went unidentified! However, civil suits do not need to be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. They merely need a preponderance of evidence. Levi and his lawyer, Matthew C. Ellis from Kell, Alterman, & Runstein L.L.P., completely made up an encounter I had in front of his other house. They were straight up calling me the ALF and linked me to actions I had no involvement in nor evidence of, all because I reposted articles from Bite Back with my personal opinion in the status update bar. Judge Richard “Dick” Baldwin who is running for Supreme Court, was completely swayed by this charade. Even though the civil trial was not about this, he said he believed that I freed the rabbits and confronted Levi in front of his house later on. It didn’t help that my intended lawyer was unreachable and I was forced to defend myself.

I am not seeking funds from anyone because I have the funds and know y’all need every penny to wage this fight for animal liberation, but know of 9,500 better places for dollars to go than to Levi and his law firm! My advice to animal rights activists is to make sure to always have a witness and/or video evidence with you at all times. Be extremely careful of what you post on Facebook! The judge used my political beliefs and ideology against me. Free speech doesn’t exist. Remember the SHAC 7 trial? Folks in states where there is abundant sunshine need pay particular interest to this. Y’all are working on outstanding campaigns, but it won’t help if you get sued or imprisoned simply because of unnecessary rhetoric posted on the Internet.

I intend on attending law school this Fall. The legal system is extremely backwards. Many survivors of sexual assault have found it impossible to get a restraining order, as they are often forced to suffer a horrible fate when the system judges them for surviving this traumatic experience. Privileged white male Levi Cole has never been challenged in his whole life and reacted with extreme gusto to get a permanent restraining order against me! I have previously been spared from suffering serious criminal complications thanks to the help of pro-bono radical attorneys and am now looking to return the favor.

Without the love and support from folks in our community, I would never have been able to stay sane throughout this ordeal. Those that supported me by attending my court dates, acting as a bodyguard when I had to deliver a large sum of cash to Levi’s attorney, and checking in with me regularly provided vital mutual aid. I send you my sincerest gratitude from the bottom of my heart. They can have my money, but they’ll never take my heart. Stay strong, y’all!

Love & Liberation,

Jonathan Grindell

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In Response to the Steve Best’s Stockholm Syndrome Watch – “Sakar the Faker”

January 21st, 2012

I read Steve Best’s post last night and struggled over the last twenty four hours about what the post means and what responsibility I have, if any, to respond. What is written below is crafted in a way that I hope moves dialogue forward, asks important questions, upholds accountability, provides context and also negates the seemingly on going internet battles that mar the animal liberation movement.

After reading Steve’s post, and thinking about this post, I had to think back to when I first met John Sakars. I think our first meeting was in December 2008 at a potluck event. Not long after John played a fundraiser event for me that raised funds for the AETA 4 (John has always supported direct action and has supported numerous Animal Liberation Prisoners). From the beginning it was clear that John loved attention and that “John the Performer” and “John the Activist” were two wildly different people. “John the Activist” was a shy, soft spoken person who was originally known in the community as someone who was always around to lend a hand and do thankless tasks. He would be the first to set up events and always one of the last to leave. He was open minded, challenged himself and grew as an activist in a growing community. Throughout this process John began to use social media sites, mostly facebook, to develop a network of people to market his book, his writings, his art, his music and eventually his videos. Although there were people in the community who distanced themselves from John back in 2009, most people were okay with the fact that John wrote, performed and acted in ways that weren’t always productive as they could chart the positives of his character as well. Over time and largely up to Dec 2010 there were numerous times when community members attempted to hold John accountable for his behavior in his videos and performances. These ranged from overt misogyny and racism (blackface) in videos as well as queer phobic videos that celebrated male to male rape as “funny.” As these processes failed, John’s internet persona gained followers and over time John completely replaced the community he was once active with relationships he made over social media. As an organizer, I look back on that process not just as a failure on John’s part but also as a personal failure and a community wide failure. In creating a supportive community things were over looked and not confronted earlier when they should have been. After repeated attempts, by different people with different tactics, no one was able to provide a space that transformative and accountable for John. This is an issue that comes up a lot in community building and organizing – but not something that gets talked about a lot publicly.

Since removing himself from the animal liberation community in Niagara John has traveled extensively. Although I know John has said negative things about the community he left behind, and people in it such as myself, I have largely kept silent when asked by others what my feelings are about John or where he is. I hoped then, as I do still now, that John can find a space that is transformative and I don’t want his past to make that process impossible. John is well aware of his attention seeking behavior and through extensive conversations he knows how to trace that urge within his personal history. I think most people who are aware of John’s videos and his behavior know that there are issues that need to be resolved – the divide seems to be over what the best course of action is to encourage that space. Personally, I don’t think publicly shaming people will get us there.

As for Steve’s post, Steve and I do not agree on a host of issues. I actually still have an email from Steve were he threatened, “Would love to meet you in person to express my sentiments to you through some direct action.” That said, I have at least four of Steve’s books in my bookshelf and I am grateful for his contributions to animal liberation theory. As a academic I was most surprised that Steve would address someone the likes of John Sakars. John is a fourty year old person with very few well known contacts in the animal liberation movement, no post secondary education, and little to no resources to respond. Steve co-edited a great anthology under the title of “Academic Repression.” I am saddened that someone who could so easily see the power structures that exist within academic structures would not also be reflexive enough to understand the position of power and privilege that they hold as an academic. I hope that if Steve continues on with his series “The Stockholm Syndrome Watch” that he does so with such knowledge and, ideally, confronts others with a capacity to respond. There is a disgusting element in the animal liberation movement where careerism and networking allows academics great space in our movement with very little accountability. A book chapter, a positive review, a book on a course list, a conference space, all create a vertical structure wherein tenured professors are able to silence and manipulate others within that system. The overall weight of career writing also creates a space without accountability as junior academics are supposed to read the entirety of a senior academics work before challenging a position. I don’t work in this structure, refuse it, and simply do not care if my writing closes doors. If we are actually going to go to the length to use the internet as a resource to “expose” others then I call on people to expose this issue and hold people accountable (this is in no way limited to Steve.)

As a whole this issue highlights many things that have stalled our movement. Are we critical of power structures that develop in our movement? How do we hold people accountable while still creating communities that are supportive and transformative? How do we perceive individuals in our movement? How do we understand opportunistic, egotistical, attention-seeking behavior in our movement? There are no easy answers to those questions, but I find those questions much more important than creating caricatures of others in our movement to serve ideological ends.

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Vegan In Lebanon: Part 8

January 12th, 2012

Visitors to this site should remember the great series that Rasha Taha wrote about here “Vegan in: Lebanon.” Although that series touched on many issues of animal use in Lebanon, the focus was mainly food. Rasha is back with a new story to tell about Lebanon and it focuses on the specifics of animal use as well as the efforts to combat it. We are happy to have Rasha write for us again and to be able to share important stories like this.

Right off the bat, I would like to say that during a 12-day vacation, I have gathered enough information to write a book, but I must be brief and straight to the point. I have no time for anecdotal stories of feeding stray cats or being slobbered on by horses. Every sentence needs to deliver a message about animal cruelty and abuse in Lebanon.

All aboard the murder boat

The ethics behind the consumption of meat are on a different level in Lebanon. When we, in North America, exclaim that people are not aware of where their meat is coming from, we are discussing being oblivious to factory farm horrors, slaughterhouse nightmares, and all the unnecessary cruelty in between. However, cattle here have an extra ordeal to endure: transportation by sea. Because space and resources are limited compared to the demand for beef, cows cannot be raised in Lebanon to supply the population. The few 10,000 cows raised in Lebanon are for small-scale butchers to sell in neighborhoods, as well as for supermarkets to sell labeled under local meat. Because of this dilemma, cows are transported from countries such as Brazil and Argentina by ships; their journey takes approximately 40 days. Regulations on these ships are less than stringent: there are stories of dead and sick cows being thrown off board, dead and living cattle washing up on shore, or ships having to dock elsewhere along the journey and prolonging the cows’ suffering. Once they arrive to the shoreline, they are sent to the slaughterhouses. The word used to explain to me the state of the slaughterhouses is ‘a joke’. By that, I can assume that there are absolutely no regulations being followed, and by the time a cow reaches the slaughterhouse, it might as well be wishing it was still on board the ship.

With chickens, the scenario is reversed to that of cattle: very few are imported, whereas the majority of chickens are raised and slaughtered in the country. As expected, they are kept in dismal conditions where their numbers are unmonitored and their needs are ignored. Battery cages are common and difficult to regulate the size of due to the lack of information on an ‘ideal’ size. Following the phasing out of battery cages in Europe, Lebanon can hopefully jump on the bandwagon in the future and improve the state its chickens are kept in. The only issue that is tolerable is that farms are usually within close proximity to slaughterhouses, so the chickens don’t have to travel for long distances. Their destination, however, makes up for it.

Daddy, I want a monkey

This is, by far, the most shocking piece of information I have obtained about animals in Lebanon so far; I doubt anything can steal that title from it. The smuggling of exotic species is a common practice, and it doesn’t look like it is quieting down anytime soon. Money can get you anything: lions, tigers, cheetahs, hyenas, apes, bears, and several others are illegally smuggled from Africa as babies. These animals are bought by the wealthy and are treated as their property. They are often on the residence of the rich, displayed in cages for their guests to be impressed by. The owners can claim they have a private zoo and all is settled since there are no regulations for zoos in Lebanon. There is currently a young man of a prestigious family running around with a teenage lion in downtown Beirut; he walks him on a chain in one hand and his dog in the other. The man is clearly oblivious of the consequences of owning a wild animal, let alone a growing one who needs the savannas to roam and hunt in. But everything has a price in Lebanon, and the price of a lion cub is a humble 10,000 American dollars. I am sure everyone in Lebanon is dying to win the lotto to buy their little one a mini version of Africa.

I know I said I wouldn’t include any personal stories, but this one is a must. I had the honor of holding hands with a gentle-eyed creature: the vervet monkey. Sitting in a cage smaller than his head to tail length, this monkey literally reached out to me, knocked my glasses off, then held my hand tightly. I cannot begin to describe to you how much his touch, grip, and fingers resembled those of my newborn nephew. He and a younger monkey are being sold for $450 and $500, respectively. The pet store employee claimed they are brought in from Sri Lanka and India, but trusted resources are very doubtful of that due to the hardships one has to go through in order to obtain monkeys from those countries. I learned that the monkeys were brought in from Africa. The pet store I went to is one of many that sell monkeys, and they make a large profit out of it too. The way the story goes is as following: people buy a monkey for a decent price, take him home and then realize he is not what they expected; a few weeks later, they return him but for a lesser price, thus enabling the pet store to make money off of him over and over again.

An unbroken cycle

It is a rare coincidence for a day to pass by without seeing a stray animal attempting to forage in the garbage bins on the side of the road. Within the capital, the feline population is undoubtedly on par with that of humans’. I have seen –and weaned- several kittens stranded in dumpsters, plant pots, and hidden atop car tires. The reason this problem is so rampant is because people often refuse to spay or neuter their cats due to lack of knowledge, pride, or financial issues. Because of these factors, cats continue breeding and spreading throughout cities. It is heartbreaking seeing mangy-looking, limb-missing cats who deserve loving homes as much as the next ‘purebred’ cat people shell out money for.

In cities and villages across Lebanon, stray dogs are found in abundance. They are often former pets who got lost or were abandoned by their owners. According to the Lebanese police, the appropriate way to take care of the stray dog population is to shoot them; the latest shooting happened late 2011. Unfortunately, stories of dogs being shot are common. Just last month, a pack of dogs was shot in public –including their owner- over a personal dispute. These scenarios show how there is a lack of respect for both animal and human life within these cities.

Swimming in blood

Waste treatment is a neglected issue in Lebanon. The Mediterranean Sea is considered a favourite dump site, withholding a large chunk of the country’s waste. When not occupying the sea, garbage is being dumped into uncontrolled landfills. The disaster at hand here is the waste of slaughterhouses: their idea of disposing blood and liquid waste is pouring it down the public sewer system, which leads to the sea; solid waste is sent –untreated- to open dumps. So the cycle is as follows: cows are slaughtered, their blood pollutes the sea, marine life is poisoned and destroyed, people consume the fish and the cattle, and so it continues. To further complicate the problem, it is estimated that in order to build a modern waste treatment facility, the cost for one slaughterhouse would be nearly 7 million dollars. Even for the brightest optimist, the future is looking bleak for the Lebanese marine ecosystems.

A voice for the voiceless

Roughly 90% of the information I have presented has been provided to me by a dedicated group called Animals Lebanon. Founded in 2008, they are an established and well-respected organization in the Middle East. Through campaigning against animal abuse, raising awareness, and taking issues to parliament, Animals Lebanon has been effective in delivering its message about animal welfare. In November 2011, they presented their draft legislation to parliament lobbying against animal abuse, targeting issues such as zoos, circuses, the pet trade, and others. So far, they have been able to successfully shut down 3 zoos and are constantly working towards abolishing private zoos in Lebanon. They also run an adoption centre for homeless pets out of their head office as well as in foster homes; I had the privilege of meeting with over 40 happy, healthy cats waiting for loving homes. For a measly $40 adoption fee for all of their vaccinated, fixed animals, one wonders why on earth anyone would ever pay money for a companion animal! It was an honor meeting with and talking to compassionate, head-strong individuals who are at the forefront of changing how animals are viewed and treated in Lebanon. For more information about Animals Lebanon, visit www.animalslebanon.org

I am not proud of how Lebanon treats its animals. I am not proud of how it treats its people either. With hard work, fair play, and being mindful of respect at all times, the country can improve its living conditions for all of its inhabitants.

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Seal Hunt Update: China – “Unsealing the Deal”

December 18th, 2011

I’ve written extensively about the EU Seal Hunt Ban on this site and also covered moves by the Canadian Government to shore up this industry outside of the EU. Almost a year ago I wrote some commentary on the supposed development of Chinese markets for Canadian Seal Products. At the time of that announcement, the Canadian Government and the Seal Industry wrote of the new partnership as an industry savior. In line with Government/Industry press constructions that we have already covered – this has largely turned out to be bogus. As we mentioned in the post at the start of this year, activists on the ground in China had already mobilized in resistance against this “dump” of seal products. However, the story “Unsealing the Deal” that broke in China Daily on December 6th, 2011 paints a fuller picture. Resistance and outrage has been widespread – but so much more than previously thought. I would encourage people to read the whole story, but important points are highlighted below. Most importantly, Chinese people know that they will most likely decide the fate of the industry.

“It’s a trend that industries involved in animal cruelty look toward China’s massive market potential as their sales slump elsewhere,” Zhang says.

The Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail quotes seal-oil supplement manufacturer DPA Industries’ chairman Wayne MacKinnon as saying, “The Chinese eat anything. And they simply don’t understand why you would put one animal above another.”

Other foreign reports say the Chinese have no regard for animal welfare and no relevant legislation.

“Because of prejudice, they believe most Chinese don’t care about animals and eat anything,” Zhang says.

“But they’re perfectly wrong.”

…

“Now, you have the opportunity to terminate the massacre of seal pups in Canada. You are at a crossroads to open to the dying cruel industry, or stand with other countries to ban the seal products.”

…


HIS’ China policy consultant Li Jianqiang said the Canadian government had “rushed” to release the “good news” about the trade deal with China to enable politicians to win votes.

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Interview with Professor John Sorenson (About Canada: Animal Rights)

October 15th, 2010

The influence that Prof Sorsenson has had on the burgeoning animal rights community in Niagara has been something special to chart. The growth of the Critical Animal Studies Department at Brock University has injected the community with a wealth of young, dedicated and critically thinking activists and also provided a campus with a slowly awakening consciousness towards animal exploitation. John would be much more humble in describing the change, but that is part of the reason for the success. John has written extensively on issues of human and non human animal oppression and frequently writes great commentary for the Mark News, which I recommend, but this interview centered specifically his latest book “About Canada: Animal Rights.” A review of this book is coming, but it is safe for me to tell you that it is the most comprehensive and up to date study of animal exploitation and oppression in Canada. If you are an activist in Canada, get a copy of the book and keep it in your back pocket at all times! Also, to prospective students who want to study these issues in University, come to Brock University in St. Catharines, minor in Critical Animal Studies and hang out with me!

This current book was released through Fernwood Publishing in their “About Canada” series. Did they approach you about the book or was this something you pitched to them? How important was it for you to work with a publisher like Fernwood?

I had met both of the publishers Errol Sharpe and Wayne Anthony when they were visiting Brock and I enjoyed chatting with them both. Errol originally raised the idea of an animal rights book. I was really excited about the possibility of working with a progressive publisher like Fernwood. They have a terrific list of titles themselves and distribute for other presses that do good books like Pluto, Monthly Review and Zed. And working with Candida Hadley as an editor was great, she was very encouraging and had many good ideas. Unlike some other presses that are only interested in apolitical animal studies, there was never any pressure to tone down the “radical” (or, we might just say, sensible and compassionate) animal rights message. Fernwood really “got” the idea that animal rights is a progressive social movement linked to other forms of human emancipation and in fact they encouraged me to stress that aspect, which I was completely happy to do. Unfortunately, many individuals and organizations who may have advanced ideas about human problems are completely blind to the significance of animal rights so it was really encouraging to get this support from Fernwood. It was great working with them.

As an activist in Canada I have always struggled to find information specific to Canada. So much of the statistics and analysis either comes from the United Kingdom or the United States. What were some of the texts and sources that you relied on heavily for Canadian based analysis? What advice to have for those looking for information specific to where they are? (Keep Reading)

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Happy Rolph’s: “The News That Doesn’t Fit”

June 17th, 2010

Since the last update on the Happy Rolph’s cruelty case much has changed.

First, The City of St. Catharines, most notably Mayor McMullan and Councillor Peter Secord have both responded to letters urging for the City to move towards Sanctuary status and the City of St. Catharines, led by councillor Peter Secord, have initiated a staff report on Happy Rolph’s, which will include “information regarding accreditation.”

Second, a news story last week broke information that the City of St. Catharines has sat on money left in a will for the “care and maintenance” for the animals at Happy Rolph’s. Resident Barbara Hallet, had left $225,000 to the petting zoo in 2005 and it has since been collecting interest. The enormous gift not only suggest the economic viability of the moving the petting zoo towards Sanctuary status, but it begs the question why the move was not made sooner?

Lastly, the region’s largest newspaper, the St. Catharines Standard, has taken the disheartening stance of deriding the animal rights community in Niagara instead of supporting an initiative to move the petting zoo towards Sanctuary status. Reporter Peter Downs, who has covered the story for the paper, has talked to at least two members of the local animal rights community (myself included), but has still refused to offer these views in any of his coverage of the case. Being ignored by the local media is nothing new, however, Downs recent article which takes a shot at the animal rights community, without printing our voice at all, is particularly troublesome.

In the article Downs gives voice to the Smithville farm who “leases” the animals at the petting zoo to the City each season. Without any mention of the Sanctuary initiative, which IS the response of the animal rights community in Niagara, Downs presents a story of a victimized farmer up against opportunistic animal rights activists.

Keying on the issue of whether the animals met slaughter, which is ONE of the many reasons why animal rights activists are calling for Sanctuary status, Downs printed contradictions that astounded me so much I had to read them numerous times.

Like thousands across the peninsula, Vanderzanden was sickened by a vicious attack by intruders at the popular St. Catharines park recently that left four of the animals dead and several others injured.

As the community raged about the case of animal cruelty, Vanderzanden kept quiet, declining interview requests from the media.

But when animal rights activists began using the attacks as a springboard to support their case against livestock farming, Vander zanden decided he finally had to speak up to defend the care his animals receive.

“It’s just too bad they’ve used this to climb up on their soap box and say, ‘Well, they’re all going to die anyways.’ In this case, they’re wrong,” he said Wednesday, as an assortment of animals ambled through a nearby field on his family farm.

The article goes on to concede, that Vanderzanden is a turkey farmer and,

Vanderzanden acknowledged that he trades and sells some of the animals with other hobby farmers and that some of them do eventually wind up being sold for food.

Disregard for presenting the response from the animal rights community? Check. Refusal to inject an opinion from someone within the animal rights community? Check. Completely contradictory claims that animal rights activists are “wrong” about animals going to slaughter, with the concession that animals in fact go to slaughter? Check. Journalistic standards? Not so much.

Relegated to the Letter to the Editor section, animal rights activists in this area have, and will continue, to push this City to recognize the inherent worth of all animal species, including those animals left at Happy Rolph’s, upon whose lives we can have a massive difference. The insinuation of animal rights activists as “opportunists” is absurd considering the tireless work we have done, and will continue to do, before and after this event (free of economic gain!). That such a slant could even be sniffed at when local “entrepreneurs” come out of the woodwork and get front page treatment, or when local animal exploiters scramble to put their best foot forward in response to this case, is quite frankly sickening. One also has to wonder what kind of “opportunism” is involved when a local media outlet who refuses to cover animal rights demonstrations, petitions, events, etc. suddenly tries to soak all that they can out of an animal cruelty case.

The reporting points to the Catch 22 that the animal rights community now finds itself in the Niagara Region. The response and coverage to this cruelty case all point to the absolutely dire need of an educational outlet in this community wherein the community can engage with animals in an environment that not only provides the human gratification of “petting” an animal, but which also respects the lives and worth of those animals. However, the serious deficiency in our attitudes towards animals are proving to be a massive stumbling block.

I, for one, will only use this coverage and the response of those who have been critical of moving towards Sanctuary status, as a motivator to fight that much harder for the animals left at Happy Rolph’s and for the billions of animals who are still blindly and needlessly exploited. The “opportunists” will come and go, but the animal rights community is in this for the long haul.

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Interview with Dan and Annie Shannon (Meet the Shannons)

June 7th, 2010

When I heard about the Meet the Shannons, I immediately thought it was a great idea. What could be more of a noble task than veganizing the insanely popular, Betty Crocker Cookbook? Aside from admiring the blog, and the couples activism, nothing prepared me for how spot on and hilarious some of the answers are in this interview. The way Dan Shannon explains our Tofu vs. Tempeh vs. Seitan challenge is so good I don’t think it can ever be topped. Read the interview, check out the blog, then go fire up your oven! This one’s so good it’s like getting a lightning bolt!

Can you tell us how The Betty Crocker Project started? Did something good actually come out of that Julie & Julia movie?

Annie: It was a movie about a woman who wears vintage clothes and is cooking her way through a cookbook. I had prepared myself for the usual amateur gourmet nonsense. That food channel chatter about how a meal isn’t a meal unless it has meat, or worse, a meat that was produced in some particularly cruel way – like a force feeding geese or baby cows locked away in intense confinement. The Lobster Killer scene was particularly disturbing for me. She was conflicted about boiling them alive. She knew it was wrong, but she did it anyways, and in the end we are suppose be really proud of her for finishing something.

The truth is that you don’t need to hurt anyone to make good food and boiling anyone alive is not OK. With today’s technology – anything can be vegan and I want to prove it.

Betty Crocker has a well-deserved reputation for teaching cooks how to make almost anything and how to get products to reach their full potential. I just want to do that with vegan products, and if we happened to debunk any prejudices people may have towards vegan foods… well that would kinda be the best thing ever. (Keep Reading)

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