Animal Testing

Thousands of years ago, Pythagorus bluntly stated,

"For as long as men massacre animals, they will kill each other. Indeed, he who sows the seed of murder and pain cannot reap joy and love."

Today, our society is much more complicated than the one in which Pythagorus lived, and we often might perpetuate and support cruel and destructive businesses without even knowing it.

 

Weeding through misleading information or hidden corporate connections can be exceptionally difficult! P.E.T.A.'s lists of companies that test on animals, as well as those companies with more enlightened policies, who do NOT test on animals is updated frequently and is available online. By printing out and taking these lists with you when you shop, you'll find that the dollars you "speak with" are really adding up. And your heart seems to grow larger with each compassionate shopping decision you make. One person Does make a difference!

Does the manufacturer of my shampoo force feed their products to dogs and cats until it kills them to determine "toxicity?" (If you're using something by Proctor and Gamble or Schick the answer is Yes!)

Does my razor blade/body care company burn the eyes and skin of rabbits repeatedly with lethal concentrations of its products? If your product is manufactured by Clarol, Coty, or Gillette....the answer is Yes!)

Does my tax dollar support a huge vivisection industry, which needlessly tortures dogs, cats, rabbits, and primates by the hundreds of thousands? (If you live in the United States, the answer is Yes!)

So many "testing labs" workers have been caught on tape sadistically torturing terrified animals that increasingly these "labs" are fined and the "technicians" are prosecuted by courts of law.

Nothing is more powerful than an individual acting out of her (or his) own conscience, thus helping to bring the collective conscience to life. --Norman Cousins

We must do our best to withhold every penny we can from their funding. Sadists belong in jail, not handling helpless beings.

"If other species had a religion, humans would be their devil."

Citizens, Consumers and Stockholders are not powerless, and our choices do effect the way business is conducted. All that is needed is information, and to expose the corporate and government secrets to the light of day. In this information age, there are some very good online resources:
PETA.
The Animal Rights Resource Site.

Search Charities -find out in seconds which still support vivisection and which are more progressive

The Link Between Violence against Animals and Violence Against People

Habitat and Resources

We are one among many species. We are unusually successful, and currently have managed to populate the earth and use the resources to such an extent that it is taking vital habitat away from our other family members. Conscience may be dulled by repeating religious blarmy ("be fruitful and multiply" "animals were created by a God just for the use of humans") arrogence, or sheer ignorance. But the fact remains that at the time of this writing, 6 species of animal, plant, or insect is being lost every hour. Extinct may not be forever, but it is truly a long time.

Here in the states we have exterminated "nuisance" animals (ie ones that threaten profits by beef and dairy interests), and all over the world we have polluted the homes of all of our relations. We have dammed and fenced and poisened and tested and hunted, and some of us are finally taking steps to restore that which our species has despoiled.

I was visiting some friends who live in a newly developed rural area. The land had once been forested, and teeming with wildlife, but was developing rapidly into a fenced and paved suburb. What was wildland was now being heavily logged.

One of them mentioned that she couldn't understand why some of the neighbors fed the deer who wandered into their newly built neighborhood looking for what used to be their feeding grounds. Saying that they'd "gotten along fine" before the humans arrival missed the point:

When the habitat disappears, either the animals must learn to coexist with humans, or die.

In this case, there simply isn't enough open grazing land left to support the dwindling wildlife population in that area. The kindness of humans who have built their towns in the animals natural habitat may be their only hope.

Of course, it would have been nice to leave some land for the other species, but the towns are built and the people are there. At least the animals have a chance to form a relationship with compassionate humans.

This isn't always the case: when logging or over-development totally trash the habitat, the species that can't adapt must move on or die.

You can help!!! There are some wonderful groups that are buying land to preserve it from development, logging and industry. These groups purchase land all over the world, preserving habitat for endangered species. Several of them have websites where you can generate donations from sponsers by simply clicking a mouse, below: