Chris's Sharebook 

An estimated 32,000 baby cows have been stranded aboard ships for six weeks at an Egyptian port after arriving from Australia. The Ministry of Agriculture is keeping them quarantined after fears that they were given cancerous treatments before boarding a vessel from Australia to Egypt, where they are planned to be slaughtered.

The cows remain on board their vessels in horrible conditions, waiting for the ministry to decide their fate. According to an al-Shorouk news report, they will likely remain on these ships for weeks as further tests take place.

This is not the first time when cows suffered on ships destined for Egypt. Earlier this year, 3,000 cows died on a ship after the Egyptian government refused to let them dock.

Thousands of animals are suffering and have died because of poor live export practices and lack of communication. Please urge the Ministry of Agricuture to offload the 32,000 stranded cows and take action to prevent similar situations from happening in the future!

SIGN PETITION

Starting in July each year, Namibian license holders start slaughtering Cape Fur seals and don't stop until they reach their quota of 85,000 baby seal pups and 6,000 bulls. This is the largest slaughter of marine life on the planet, surpassing even the Canadian seal hunt.

The cull is driven by one fur trader, Hatem Yavuz, who buys all the pelts and processes them for fashion. Only 107,910 Cape Fur seal pups were born in 2006. Despite this, 85,000 terrified pups are separated from their mothers every year and clubbed to death with clubs that have nails in them. 

Slaughtering seals for fur coats and other fashions is needless and cruel. The Namibian Government could make more of a profit, increase tourism and create more jobs from live seals. Please sign the petition to urge officials to end this annual slaughter.

Chinese scientists are conducting experiments to create genetically modified (GM) cattle designed to produce tastier beef. They have given extra genes to two calf clones in hopes that the genes will increase muscle fat and improve meat flavor. After the calves reach maturity, they will be slaughtered to test the quality of their meat.

Though beef is not a necessary part of the human diet, the best tasting and healthiest beef is traditionally produced by treating cattle well, allowing them to graze and roam free, and feeding them a natural diet. Producing GM cattle might improve beef flavor for less money, but animals must suffer greatly in these experiments. Like all GM foods, GM beef would have unpredictable effects on the health of humans who consume it.

If successful, GM beef will likely end up in European and American markets. Please sign the petition to put a stop to GM cattle!

A kitten was recently found half-buried alive in front of the home of a former Latter Day Saints (LD Church member in Colorado City, Arizona. Andrew Chatwin, another former LDS member, found and rescued the kitten, but the animal died a few days later at an animal sanctuary.

Chatwin claims that animal killings and threats have been going on for years as a way to intimidate former LDS members who have spoken against the Church. He also claims that city sheriffs scoffed at him when he reported the animal abuse and did not take the act seriously. He hints that non LDS members are denied protection from the police.

The case of the live kitten buried in concrete must be taken seriously. The cruel act was frightening and disturbing to the community and caused great pain and suffering to the abused kitten. Please sign the petition to urge Colorado City sheriffs to thoroughly and seriously investigate the case.

Superstitious medical traditions in China advocate the use of bear bile to treat ailments such as fevers and bad vision. The bears used in the treatment are kept in battery cages while bile is painfully extracted from their livers on a continuing basis.

The tortured bears moan and bang their heads against their cages as a result of the physical pain and frustration they must endure. One report, recounted in a National Geographic interview, describes a bile farmed mother bear escaping, killing her cub and then running into a wall to commit suicide.

Up to 10,000 bears per year are killed for their bile in China. Bear bile is not proven to be effective for any of the ailments it is used for, and there is absolutely no reason for this slow, painful form of animal torture to continue. Please sign the petition to convince Hu Jintao to create legislation to end this horrible practice.