WE INVITE ALL ACTIVISTS TO SUBMIT BLOGS ON THEIR CHOSEN CAUSE.
THIS BLOG PAGE IS NOT ONLY ABOUT CETACEAN RIGHTS.
IT IS ABOUT THE RIGHTS OF ANIMALS EVERYWHERE.
THIS BLOG PAGE IS NOT ONLY ABOUT CETACEAN RIGHTS.
IT IS ABOUT THE RIGHTS OF ANIMALS EVERYWHERE.
 As we look back in time to our childhoods, I think a lot of people feel guilty, guilty because we once bought a ticket for a dolphin show. I guess we weren’t smart in those days, because so did I. But I made a pledge to myself: never, never again will I buy a ticket to see captive animals in zoos or aquariums.
The awareness of animal abuse brought about by the internet changed a lot. But was it in a positive way for captive animals? I’m not so sure, because, as long as there are hungry money grabbers in organizations and greedy politicians, the victories are likely to be very small. Everything in life can be bought when you have lots of money, can’t it? But my question to these people is: how can you sleep at night? How many men and women who don’t have children have left legacies to the so-called charities, only for that money to vanish into the pockets of CEOs? Don’t these greedy people have any decency? They betray and deceive not only their own souls, but also gullible people and the innocent animals who are depending on us. As for Taiji, I have great respect for the volunteers over there. They endure the bloody senseless murder of dolphins for 6 months a year. And yes, they don’t get paid, not a damn cent. The cost of travel and food is down to the volunteer himself. It’s the TOP of the organizations where things come unstuck. There you find the selfishness and the greed. Instead of working together and having a bigger chance of success, the big egos destroy everything that good people might achieve. And again, that leads us back to the ones who are depending on us - our beloved animals; killed, enslaved and mistreated for the entertainment of humankind. It's a pity there aren’t more whistle-blowers like David Capello, Rick Trout and a few others. People have the right to know what’s going on behind the scenes. One can become a trainer in a dolphinarium, where dolphins and orcas do tricks for food, used as entertainment for the crowd. All ex-trainer whistle-blowers are paying a debt to their beloved animals, because it is the trainers who have witnessed what the money grabbers are doing with innocent smart animals – the same money grabbers who treat animals like garbage. If the upkeep of the animals is more than the money rolling in: “Ah, we have to dump them!” But killing animals secretly and throwing them into the ocean, in my opinion, is nothing short of horrific. As far as David Capello is concerned, this is a man with a big heart for animals. His dream became a nightmare. He became a trainer because his heart was filled with love for animals. He didn’t have a clue when he started his new job how animal welfare can be corrupted by greed. How must these beautiful intelligent dolphins - who are in many ways closest to humans - feel when someone is sitting on their back? Not convinced? Imagine your roles were reversed and think again please. I hope that more whistle-blowers will stand up and be counted. Only by working together can we successfully achieve improved welfare and survival rates for animals. @GirlPower_2
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 Animal activism is my life and always will be. I'm 62 now, but ever since I was a small child the admiration, love and respect for all beings has been in my heart and soul.
My mother was a gentle soul who showed me how to tend to their needs, while my father was the local Butcher! I didn't realise where meat came from until I was about 11, so as soon as I twigged it started me on my cruelty-free lifestyle. In 1975 when I was a teenager, I started my journey to help animals. One of my campaigns was SAY NO TO ANIMALS IN PET SHOPS. I started it up about 18 years ago here in Australia and it received much media coverage, including radio, newspaper and magazine etc. I was also asked to go on a top-rated morning TV show to talk about it. The campaign was all about saying no to pet shop animals, breeders and puppy farms. I spent a lot of money on the campaign (and received donations) but it was absolutely worth it because it was really the start of education here as to the cruelty of buying animals as opposed to adopting from pounds, shelters and rescue groups. I've spent the last few decades attending protests outside of circuses and rodeos etc and I managed to raise $40,000.00 for Animal Liberation NSW (I was a member for decades since their early years) for a court case to help Arna, the lonely elephant, out of her cruel circus captivity. It worked! Arna was moved to a beautiful sanctuary with other elephants. I also still run a campaign on Facebook called SEAWORLD SHUT DOWN and on Twitter @seaworldisevil I also managed to attract the top-selling newspaper in Australia to print a 6-page story on my SeaWorld campaign! There are over 16,000 followers and we're all dedicated to opening the hearts and minds of the public, who probably think it's natural and fine to keep cetaceans in tanks for the pleasure of humans. The tide is turning thanks to dedicated animal activists and social media. When I started out it was all word of mouth and it was hard going. We'd just photocopy leaflets and hand them out, but now one tweet for instance can reach millions of people - and the media love to hear from activists when they have a story. I have three grandchildren and they are mini activists. I never hide my light under a bushel; I speak up and educate wherever I can. People need to be enlightened and animals need our voices. All groups experience problems with those who are also working towards the same cause, which is still so strange to me. I know that in the decades that I've been speaking up for animals, various people and even whole groups have conspired against me. It's naturally caused me great pain, but I finally learned to distance myself from their criticisms, which are mainly borne out of envy that I have the know-how to garner media attention, as I've worked in advertising and publicity. Each campaign I've started has been quite successful, but other groups have spoken out against me. At first it shocked me to the core, but after hearing of other activists’ similar experiences, I know I'm not alone. The thing is to just keep going and learn what you can from them, and vow not to do the same thing to others who are trying to help our furred, feathered and finned friends. Still to this day, my name is mud in many animal welfare circles. I've been snubbed by so many people that I'm now immune. I just get better and wiser. I'm lucky in that my husband and I always worked together. He broke into a pig farm a few years ago and the sickening footage he took was splashed all over Australian TV. Every little bit counts and matters. So, whatever you do to be a voice for animals is appreciated. Never give up and never let anybody get you down. The animals need us. June Bird - Sydney, Australia |
David c holroyd & tracy j holroyd
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