“Bait dogs” are docile victims to some pit bull advocates, “urban legend” to others What is a “bait dog”? First of all, learn to distinguish a bona fide “bait dog” from a “click bait” dog, known to rescue insiders as a “donor bait” dog. Fill in the blanks This is the generic description of a […]
Protester wins damages from Taiji Whale Museum
Court holds exclusion of Australian to be racial discrimination TOKYO, Japan––The Wakayama District Court, of Wakayama Prefecture, Japan, on March 25, 2016 ordered the coastal whaling town of Taiji to pay Australia for Dolphins founder Sarah Lucas 110,000 yen ($907 U.S.) in damages for illegally barring her from the Taiji Whale Museum. While the […]
How to tell a dead baby dolphin from a dead parrot
or 150,000 alleged dead penguins no one has seen BUENOS AIRES, Argentina––Two of the most timeless axioms in journalism and a great opportunity to educate the public about endangered dolphins and global warming were overlooked during the third week of February 2016 amid an international media scrum and a frenzy of activist denunciations of Argentine […]
Leading monkey lab accused of “fatal negligence”
SAEN asks USDA-APHIS to fine Shin Nippon Biomedical Laboratories the max EVERETT, Washington––Accusing the U.S. facilities of the Japanese-owned company Shin Nippon Biomedical Laboratories of “fatal negligence” leading to the deaths of monkeys for at least the fourth time in eight years, Stop Animal Exploitation Now on January 27, 2016 asked the USDA Animal […]
Muzzling dolphin defender Ric O’Barry, Japanese government awakens Anonymous
Amplifies awareness of Taiji dolphin killing TOKYO, Japan––“Be careful what you wish for,” someone might have reminded the government of Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe. Seeking to silence global criticism of dolphin slaughters and captures for exhibition, at the height of the 2015-2016 Taiji dolphin hunting season, the Japanese government has held dolphin defender […]
“I shall return,” Ric O’Barry tells Taiji after torture
New year begins with “Blue Cove Days,” but probably not for long TAIJI, Japan––December 2015 concluded and 2016 began with 10 consecutive “Blue Cove Days,” as Dolphin Project founder Ric O’Barry calls days when no dolphins are killed at the infamous scene near Taiji where the 2009 Academy Award-winning documentary The Cove was covertly filmed. […]
Japanese whalers fined $1 million for contempt of court
Were ordered to stop by Australian court in 2008, & by International Court of Justice in 2014 Sydney, Australia––Sydney Federal Court Justice Margaret Jagot on November 18, 2015 fined the Japanese whaling firm Kyodo Senpaku Kaisha $1 million Australian for killing whales in Australian waters, within the Southern Ocean sanctuary recognized by the International Whaling […]
Harpoon: Into the heart of whaling
by Andrew Darby DaCapo Press (11 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142), 2008. 320 pages, hardcover. $25.00. Reviewed by Merritt Clifton Long covering whaling and whale-related politics for the Melbourne Age and the Sydney Morning Herald, Andrew Darby enjoys a reputation as the best there ever was on the whale beat, at least since Herman Melville […]
Washington voters trounce hook-&-bullet crowd on behalf of endangered species
71% in favor OLYMPIA––Washington state voters on November 3, 2015 overwhelmingly approved Initiative Measure 1401, introducing state-level felony penalties for the purchase, sale, and/or distribution of products made from elephants, rhinos, lions, tigers, leopards, cheetahs, sea turtles, pangolins, sharks and rays. At least 50 individuals have reportedly been apprehended in possession with such contraband […]
Dogfight over HSI/HSUS dog rescues in South Korea
Did the dogs come from dog meat farms or from puppy millers, hoarders, & dogfighters? SEOUL, South Korea––Has Humane Society International thus far in 2015 bought out three South Korean breeders of dogs for meat, or several puppy millers breeding primarily for the pet trade, and/or unwittingly bought a dogfighter’s culls, and/or just bought some […]