Orangutan Mother Tortured By Villagers For Trying To Feed Baby. One soulful picture captures the painful torture that farming can inflict on orangutans.

Back in 2010, a mother orangutan ventured near a village in Borneo after a landslide, her little baby still clinging to her. The surrounding area had been stripped to create palm oil plantations — her home forest was gone and the deforestation had caused landslides like the one she had been caught in.

She was weak, starving and likely injured, and only traveled this close to humans because she was desperate to find food and shelter for her little daughter.

Unfortunately, the welcome she received wasn't a kind one. A group of villagers spotted the mother and began to throw rocks at her and hit her with sticks, even though she was helpless, according to International Animal Rescue (IAR), which had a staffer stationed nearby. When a male orangutan who was also traveling with her tried to defend her and her baby, the villagers chased him away.

They continued to beat the mother until she collapsed. They then tied her up with ropes and pulled her little daughter off her. When the dying mother mustered the strength to fight for her baby, IAR wrote, the villagers dragged her over to a pool of water and held her underwater until she passed out from the near-drowning. Then they threw her into a cage.

"She was still alive but could barely sit up," IAR said. "As she no longer posed any threat to the villagers they dragged the infant by the rope attached to her foot and tossed her into the cage with her dying mother. A large crowd of people gathered around the cage and took amusement in their suffering. The mother used what strength she had left to wrap her arms around her terrified baby while her infant desperately tried to chew through the ropes still tied to her mother's arms and legs."

Fortunately, an IAR veterinarian stumbled onto the scene. She managed to rescue the pair from the crowd, but despite medical attention the mother died, unable to recover from her previous injuries and the water in her lungs.

While the cruelty in this case might be extreme, death isn't an unusual fate for orangutans affected by palm oil production. Orangutans have lost 80 percent of their habitat due to human activities like deforestation — in the past decade alone they've lost around 50 percent of their population.

Their forest homes are being leveled to make way for plantations and the orangutans are often shot on sight. If not, they often die in the wildfires that deforestation can cause. Mothers are also killed so their babies can be sold into the exotic pet trade — which could have happened to this little one if IAR hadn't been on site to stop it.

Instead, the little orangutan whose mother fought so valiantly to protect her moved to IAR's rescue center, where she was named Peni and spent four years learning how to be a grown-up orangutan. And last fall, she was released into the forest to hopefully live the life her mother never got to live.

INTERNATIONAL ANIMAL RESCUE
Since her release, she's reunited with two former friends from IAR's orphanage and appears to be doing well, the rescue group reported. Her former caretakers monitor her daily.

"After such a tragic start to her life, everyone involved in Peni's rescue, rehabilitation and release is hopeful that she has a long and happy life ahead of her," the organization wrote at the time of Peni's release.

To help rescue orangutans like Peni, you can make a donation through IAR's website.

Totti the police K9 died in a hot car; her handler should be fired!

Target: Pennsylvania Department of Corrections - 75,687 SUPPORTERS of the 80,000 GOAL

Totti was a friendly 2-year-old yellow lab. She was also a police dog trained to sniff out drugs. Now she is dead because her handler left her in a hot car for over two and a half hours. This handler should lose his job now.

Totti was training to sniff out drugs for the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections on the morning of July 7th. It was 86 degrees Fahrenheit that day and Totti’s handler somehow “accidentally” left her in the car from about noon to 3 PM. This person’s whole job is taking care of this dog and he failed miserably. Totti was taken to emergency care around 3 PM and died at 7 PM.

The Department of Corrections says they are investigating what went wrong, but they have not released the name of the handler or promised to hold him accountable. Anyone who loves their dog would never leave it in a hot car for that long. Anyone who respects a dog would not leave it in a hot car that long. This was a heinous murder of a promising career police dog.

In addition to their investigation into how this could have even happened: we demand that the Department of Corrections fire this handler immediately. It is obvious that he cannot be trusted to care for a living animal. Click to help!

Ban Use of Wild Animals in Circuses Nationwide
Target: U. S. Congress - 46,373 SUPPORTERS of the 50,000 GOAL

Despite all talks and continued efforts to stop the use of animals in circuses and other entertainment venues, the issue continues throughout the United States and Worldwide. Some areas of the country are doing their part in banning animals for these purposes but we want to see this achieved on a national level. You can read more on the compelling and inhumane effects on circus animals at http://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/photo-exposes-what-training-animals-for-the-circus-looks-like/

Animals, wild and tame are not born and bred to be part of the entertainment field and those that are engaged for these purposes are most frequently trained in an abusive manner. People are easily entertained when witnessing the amazing things a cute and mysterious animal can do without realizing what many of those animals endure when being trained for their enjoyment. The reality is that the main goal for any entertainment venue is how much money rolls in rather than considering the health and well-being of these animals.

Our goal and effort in this petition is to urge the government to implement a nationwide ban on the use of animals in circuses and any other entertainment fields. We need to be a voice for all animals used for human enjoyment and ensure that such practices are banned. Treat animals humanely and as they are meant to be. You can help us in our goals by signing and sharing this petition.

Read petition letter ▾
U. S. Congress – Several areas of our country has placed bans on using animals for any entertainment purposes but our efforts and goals are to urge such a ban on a national level. Please implement laws and regulations that place a nationwide ban throughout all of the United States against using animals in circuses and any other entertainment venue for the purpose of human enjoyment. This is not natural for any of these animals and most people are unaware of the abuse and cruelty an animal has to endure just to be trained tricks that do not come natural to them. Keep all animals out of circuses or any other field of entertainment; place a national ban that is fully enforced!!

Undercover Investigation Reveals Dogs Killed in Horrific ‘Death Pits’ to Fuel India’s Illegal Meat Trade. The reality of the illegal dog meat trade is something that most dog-lovers find very difficult to stomach. We see our dogs as beloved and trusted companions and the idea that any person could bring themselves to torture or kill a pup is absolutely abhorrent. In the wake of the Yulin Dog Meat Festival in China and the beginning of Bok-Nal in South Korea, many organizations and individuals have stepped up to raise awareness for the practice of dog meat eating and help to either make it illegal or hinder the trade as much as possible.

Unfortunately, as a recent undercover investigation from Humane Society International (HSI) shows, just because dog meat is banned in certain places doesn’t always mean that the trade no longer exists.

Nagaland, India is located in the north-eastern region of the country and shares a border with Myanmar. Although the dog meat trade is illegal in India, HSI discovered that there is a thriving illicit trade in this area. Investigators witnessed horrific images of dogs packed into sacks, sitting blatantly in defiance of the law at local markets in Kohima and Dimapur. Many of the dogs either had their mouths stitched closed or were muzzled with tight ropes. To make matters even more heartbreaking, HSI explains, “During transport and display in the markets, they are denied movement, food or water, before finally being clubbed to death.”

Undercover Investigation in India Discovers are Dogs Being Illegally Killed in 'Death Pits' for Meat

These dogs end their short and terrifying lives in “death pits” where they are beaten to death in front of other dogs. According to investigators, most dogs were beaten several times before dying.

HSI/India’s managing director, N. G Jayasimha, who witnessed the killing, said in a press release, “ I see animal suffering every day as part of my job at Humane Society International/India, but the brutal dog trade of Nagaland is some of the worst inhumanity to animals I have ever witnessed, and it still haunts me. The underground pit in Kohima where we filmed was like a nightmare … It was clear to me that many of the dogs were stolen pets still wearing their collars, but whether street or pet dogs, none of these animals should ever have to endure such cruelty.”

An estimated 30,000 dogs, a combination of stray and pets, will be subjected to this horrible experience a year. While this is devastating to learn, there is something we can all do. HSI has launched a campaign to get India’s government and the Chief Minister of Nagaland to crack down on this illegal trade. They have also put out an online petition calling the government to act swiftly.

With our collective efforts to raise awareness and put pressure on the Nagaland government, we can help see justice for all of the dogs who have already lost their lives, and hopefully ensure that no more are subjected to such horrific abuse. All image source: Alokparna Sengupta/Humane Society International

Don’t Kill Bull’s Mother For Archaic Bullfighting Tradition -

Bullfighter killed: Mother of bull destined to die per tradition, animal lovers outraged

Animal lovers are outraged following the announcement that the mother of a bull, who recently killed a matador, would be put to death — per tradition.

On July 9, professional bullfighter Victor Barrio, 29, was killed when a bull’s horn pierced his chest in front of spectators during a competition in Teruel, Spain.

The incident was broadcast live on television and the video has since gone viral on YouTube. Barrio’s death was confirmed on the website of Madrid’s Las Ventas bullring, where Barrio began as an apprentice bullfighter in 2010. He is the first Spanish bullfighter to die in a ring since the turn of the century.

Per tradition, whenever a matador is killed during a fight, the bull’s mother is to be killed to end the blood line. But that notion didn’t really sit well with animal lovers, who took to social media to start a campaign: #SalvemosALorenza (Save Lorenza).

As of Tuesday, the hashtag was trending in Spain.

The campaign to end dog fighting in the UK is going from strength to strength and with your support today we can go one step further. We need you to contact your MP.

In early 2016, the League Against Cruel Sports began ‘Project Bloodline’, a six month investigation into the murky world of dog fighting in the United Kingdom. Following publication of our report on ‘Project Bloodline’, Luton MP Kelvin Hopkins tabled Early Day Motion 64 on Organised Dog Fighting.

In line with the League’s recommendations, this motion calls for tougher sentences and a register of animal abusers in order to stamp out the horrendous practice of dog fighting once and for all.

This is a huge opportunity to show the level of support for tackling dog fighting and it is very important for your MP to sign the motion. Don't forget that earlier this month a Parliamentary debate called by Lisa Cameron MP resulted in cross-party MPs calling for a national taskforce to tackle ‘repugnant’ dog fighting.

We need to solidify this support by getting large numbers of cross-party MPs to sign the motion. Please email your MP asking them to sign EDM 64. Click here to contact your MP.

Carson & Barnes Circus: Cruelty Under the Big Top

This video shows behind-the-scenes elephant training, bears pacing and bouncing abnormally in cages, and tigers inside cramped, barren prisons in Carson & Barnes Circus.

Life of a Sheep

Can you live a day in the life of a sheep used for wool? Go behind the scenes of the wool industry and find out what really went into that wool hat, scarf, or sweater:

South African Model Narrates Video of Ostrich Slaughterhouses

South African model David Miller shows what ostriches endure before their skins hit the runway

Baby Chicks Ground Up Alive at Sanderson Farms Hatchery

At a massive hatchery operated by Sanderson Farms, which supplies chicken meat to Walmart, Sysco, Arby's, and other companies, a PETA eyewitness documented newborn chicks left to languish in barren plastic crates, sometimes near the bodies of birds who had already died.

"Late hatchers"—chicks who didn't hatch at the same time as the other birds—are ground up alive. Every year, the egg and poultry industries kill millions of baby birds.

Please, don't be a part of this cruelty. The next time you're at the grocery store, choose vegan. Because if you don't help stop this, who will?