For a wild octopus yearning to stretch her arms beyond impassable blades of Astroturf and glide off into the depths of the Pacific, any farm is a factory farm. And by positing itself as an octo-friend, a champion of the seas, an environmental savior, Hawaii's octopus farm obscures its role in building this new industrial machine and setting us on an uncharted course we can’t ever come back from.
If you got a COVID vaccine, or any vaccine—or really any medical intervention over the past several decades—you can be sure that the blue blood of 450-million-year-old prehistoric arthropods known as horseshoe crabs was used to keep you safe. But in the U.S., lurking behind this magic potion is a fragile industry stubbornly dependent upon the traumatic bloodletting of a vulnerable species, compounded by a sea of red tape thwarting the widespread adoption of a viable alternative.
She believed that even the smallest among us deserve compassion. And that's how June Bug came into her life one summer.
The world as we know it is crumbling to our feet. We're locked in our homes, we've lost employment, and loved ones are dying. We long for someone to wake us up and tell us that it's all been a cruel joke. While I can't make that happen, I can introduce you to someone who … Continue reading You Need a Smile. This 3-Legged Goat’s Got You.
Saltwater aquariums, though prized for their glorious colors and living reefs, are a massive undertaking. And the havoc the exotic fish trade wreaks on tropical sea life is no secret. But for people who are itching to adorn their homes with vibrant fish, science came up with an easy solution: fluorescent freshwater fish. And the pet industry lapped it up--but at what cost?
Update: As of 5:00 pm on September 19, the numbers have risen to 3.4 million birds and 5,500 pigs killed in Florence's aftermath. And media is now widely reporting on these casualties. Our story remains below as originally printed to provide a tiny glimpse into the lives of the beings behind these staggering figures. Unrelenting … Continue reading The Two Million Victims of Florence We Aren’t Talking About
His name is Scott David. But in 2015, when millions laid eyes on the footage he collected inside Quality Pork Processors (QPP), one of the fastest pig-killing facilities in the country, he was known to the public only as "Jay," an anonymous undercover investigator for Compassion Over Killing (COK)
This article was originally published by One Green Planet. (By Laura Lee Cascada) We all know and love Esther the Wonder Pig, the “micro pig” who fell into the arms of Canadian couple Derek Walter and Steve Jenkins and then kept growing, and growing, and growing. At 650 pounds, today she fills Facebook, Instagram, and … Continue reading One Green Planet: How Esther the Wonder Pig Helped Save the Lives of 10 Pigs from North Carolina
When I met Patchouli at Farm Sanctuary's Watkins Glen, New York shelter, home to over 500 rescued animals, in mid-2014, I was amazed that I managed to capture a photograph of him at all. As the jet-black rooster darted around visitors' feet, our tour guide shared the beginnings of his story. A shipment of chicks … Continue reading Patchouli, Rooster Reject
Her eyes were what drew me in. Between two metal slats, they stared at me. She blinked once. I reached in and stroked her ear. Tears streamed down my face--but this story is hers, not mine.* Her story is short. She was born, surrounded by metal bars and perhaps hundreds of other pigs. She grew up … Continue reading She Had No Name
