Surprise: Elephants Are Really Intelligent (Really!)
Why are we humans always surprised to learn that other animals (aka “animals”) are “also” intelligent? Perhaps it’s because we’re not so bright ourselves when it…
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Introducing the Whale Sanctuary Project
This blog is taking a break for the next few months so that I can devote my energies to the Whale Sanctuary Project. Here's why.
Is the Stock Market a Global Ponzi Scheme?
Sacred Activism in the Service of Animals
Of Humans and Persons
Are You an Extremist?
The nation’s largest coalition of vivisectionists has a new publication advising people who experiment on animals how best to combat the people it calls “animal rights…
"The Evidence Is Overwhelming"
Scientists tend to err on the side of being ultra-conservative. It’s built into the system. Their work is always being reviewed and picked apart by other…
Elephant Destroys House, Rescues Baby
On Monday night in India, an angry elephant walked into the village of Olgara from the forest and smashed a house to pieces. This kind of…
In Carriage Horse Fight, Who’s Most Contemptible?
When actor Liam Neeson goes on The Tonight Show to promote the carriage horse industry (along with his latest dumb movie) … … and Jimmy Fallon…
A Teenager’s Question about Mass Extinction
At the end of her talk at the Seattle Town Hall about her book The Sixth Extinction, Elizabeth Kolbert takes questions from the audience. The final…
Updates on Legal Rights for Nonhuman Animals
Since the Nonhuman Rights Project filed its first series of lawsuits in December, there have been several other initiatives to secure legal rights for nonhuman animals.…
Climate Change for Dummies
I’ve read enough to know that much of the damage climate change will do is now irreversible, and that we’ve already gone over several tipping points.…
. . . Speaking of Photobombs
After posting about the lion who photobombed a visitor to Lion Park, I was reminded of a few other famous photobombs: The ray who bombed a…
Lion Photobombs Park Visitor
Lina Jek simply wanted her husband, Chris, to take a photo of her with the African savannah in the background. But Chris, a wildlife photographer, got…
Of Chickens, Gays and the Arizona Legislature
We were a motley crew, to say the least. And we were laughed right out of the Arizona State Legislature. It was 1978, and we weren’t…
Does Religion Trump Animal Protection?
Denmark has been much in the news over the killing of Marius the giraffe in a Danish zoo. But not much has been said about the…
Latest Royal Hunting Stats
Prince Harry in 2004 in South America with the water buffalo he’d just shot How many animals does the British Royal Family kill every year? The revelation…
The Swan and the Grail
In one of the legends of King Arthur and the Holy Grail, an orphan teenage boy, Percival, stumbles into the woods surrounding the castle at Camelot, sees a swan flying over the trees, and shoots her down with his bow and arrow.
Brought before the outraged knights, Percival is told that in this forest all life is sacred. Mortified, he breaks his bow, throws it away, and sets out on his famous quest for the Holy Grail, a mythic cup or stone that will bring renewal and hope to the dying king of Camelot, to a land that’s become ravaged by famine, and to a people who have lost their way.
What shall we say of the decision by New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation, which is planning to license the killing, by shooting, gassing and beheading, of the state’s entire population of 2,200 mute swans?
Meet the (Brain-Dead) Press
Various blogs, including this one, have noted that the Sunday morning network news shows have been devoting no more than a few minutes each year to…
How to Have a Humorous Discussion about Mass Extinction
How do you talk about the end of the world on a comedy show? That was the challenge for Jon Stewart when he invited Elizabeth Kolbert…
Of Marius, Zoos and Prince William
Bengt Holst is bewildered. He can’t figure out why everyone is so upset about his zoo knocking off Marius the giraffe. Holst is the science director…
Beyond the Tipping Point
In a recent post, I talked with climate scientist Guy McPherson about Near-Term Extinction. He explained how, thanks to the ways we’re affecting the climate, we’re…
The Dogs of Sochi
At least if you’re a human visiting the Sochi Olympics (and despite what we’ve heard about toothpaste bombs, toxic yellow water, and homophobia), you’ll probably make…