Category: Headlines

VICTORY – Gajraj the Elephant Rescued After 50 Years in Chains

VICTORY – Gajraj the Elephant Rescued After 50 Years in Chains

Posted by | Jun 20, 2017 |

Gajraj the elephant is finally free. For the past five decades, he had been kept in cruel confinement and severely abused as a “temple elephant” in India. His ivory tusks were sawed off. He was shackled and forced to stand on hard, man-made ground, leading to excruciating foot conditions. He had untreated abscesses and open sores, and has long displayed troubling behaviors related to severe stress. But thankfully, last week, after years of campaigns and calls for justice, Wildlife SOS transported Gajraj to the Elephant Conservation and Care Centre in Mathura, India. PETA India made the travel arrangements, and also funded...

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Interior Secretary Zinke Threatens Safety of Bears Ears National Monument

Interior Secretary Zinke Threatens Safety of Bears Ears National Monument

Posted by | Jun 16, 2017 |

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke is recommending the boundaries of the Bears Ears National Monument in Utah be slashed and redistributed following an unprecedented Executive Order (EO) to review the Antiquities Act. The Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition issued a condemning response: “For us, Bears Ears is a homeland. It always has been and still is. The radical idea of breaking up Bears Ears National Monument is a slap in the face to the members of our Tribes and an affront to Indian people all across the country. Any attempt to eliminate or reduce the boundaries of this Monument would be...

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Amazing Garbage Man Provides Community Library with 25,000 Books Found in Trash

Amazing Garbage Man Provides Community Library with 25,000 Books Found in Trash

Posted by | Jun 16, 2017 |

The adage “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure” has become more than just an old saying for one 55-year-old homemade librarian and trash collector of Bogata, Columbia; it is a reality that has gotten Jose Alberto Gutierrez thousands of novels. His book storage reaches from floor to ceiling in parts of his two-story home, and he has gained nationwide acknowledgment for his commendable service to the community. It will be 17 years this August since Gutierrez spotted a diamond in the rough while doing his normal trash run as a garbage collector. He spotted a book by Leo Tolstoy...

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Groundbreaking Elephant Collar Can Sense when Poachers are Shooting

Groundbreaking Elephant Collar Can Sense when Poachers are Shooting

Posted by | Jun 13, 2017 |

Thanks to a bit of fresh technology, enforcement officials will soon have a powerful new tool in their arsenal to catch poachers. The tool is called WIPER. It consists of a sensor to detect when a weapon is fired using wireless nodes to detect and locate the source of the gunfire. WIPER can detect gunshots even if a silencer is utilized and it is able to detect a shot within 50 meters of a collared animal (so just one collared elephant can help save an entire herd). The technology was developed by Elephant Scientist George Wittemyer from Colorado State...

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Toxic Drugs, Cosmetics and Pesticides Found in Turtles of Great Barrier Reef

Toxic Drugs, Cosmetics and Pesticides Found in Turtles of Great Barrier Reef

Posted by | Jun 9, 2017 |

A three-year study reveals that the blood of the green turtle of the Great Barrier Reef is shockingly contaminated by human pollution. The ‘Rivers to Reef to Turtles’ project detected thousands of different chemicals and metals associated with  industry and agriculture, indicating the influence of human activity on the ecosystem. Upon thorough collection and analyzation of clinical samples including blood, scute (bits of shell), and stomach contents, as well as water, sediment, and seagrass (food for the turtles), a complex list of chemicals was uncovered in the animals’ bloodstream. Among those identified were an alarming list of pharmaceutical drugs, and cosmetic and...

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The Peregrine Falcon is Making a Comeback in Michigan

The Peregrine Falcon is Making a Comeback in Michigan

Posted by | Jun 9, 2017 |

Peregrine falcons are threatened, but one company is doing its best to repopulate this beautiful bird. Consumers Energy, one of Michigan’s largest landowners and a major energy provider, places nesting boxes around many of its properties and works with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to band new chicks each year. Since they began the program two decades ago, they’ve helped hatch at least 80 peregrine falcons. Why the Peregrine Falcon? Consumers Energy is in a unique position to help the peregrine falcon population recover. “We’ve got the habitat and location that is conducive to their nesting and mating,” Senior Public Information Director...

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A Black Woman-Owned Company is Solving Flint’s Water Crisis

A Black Woman-Owned Company is Solving Flint’s Water Crisis

Posted by | Jun 2, 2017 |

Replacing over 18,000 water lines to ensure clean drinking water for Flint’s nearly 100,000 residents is no small task. However, Rhonda Grayer and her company, W.T. Stevens Construction, are taking on the challenge. Grayer inspires women and minorities as she takes on Flint’s 90 million dollar project This project is a big win for Grayer and her company, not just because of the importance and impact of the project, but also because it brings national attention to a family-owned business with a black woman serving as vice president. While women are increasingly becoming business owners – they owned 30 percent of all U.S. businesses in...

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CA Assembly Passes Landmark Bill Banning Sale of Puppy Mill Dogs

CA Assembly Passes Landmark Bill Banning Sale of Puppy Mill Dogs

Posted by | Jun 1, 2017 |

In a victory for the animals of California, the CA Assembly passed AB 485, The Pet Rescue and Adoption Act, on Wednesday by a vote of 55-11. The anti-puppy-mill bill was co-authored by Assemblymembers Patrick O’Donnell and Matt Dababneh, and sponsored by animal activist organization Social Compassion In Legislation (SCIL). “We are elated with the response from the state legislature and their robust support,” said Judie Mancuso, founder and president of SCIL, in an interview with Lady Freethinker. AB 485 requires that pet shops in the state of California obtain dogs, cats and rabbits from shelters and rescues rather than from large...

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