The Meatrix: parts I, II: Revolting, and II 1/2.
posted by parudox on Apr 28, 2009 - 51 comments

Were black cats ever in danger during Halloween? For the past decade or more, animal shelters have been holding back their black cats at Halloween, for fears of obsessed youths sacrificing them in ritualistic slaughter (or other cruelties, some involving duct tape). Some experts say it's a myth, or an urban legend with no basis in fact. The origins of the idea are often cited as ancient influence.
posted by Brian B. on Oct 19, 2008 - 46 comments

Amish puppy mills, outrage and controversy.
posted by Brian B. on Jul 3, 2008 - 66 comments

A new US Federal law cracks down on animal fighting, bans foreign puppy mill imports, and increases penalties for animal cruelty. The US Senate yesterday followed the lead of the House of Representatives and overrode President Bush’s veto of the Farm Bill. In addition to strengthening animal cruelty laws, the Act adds a provision to federal law to make almost any form of animal fighting a federal felony. The Humane Society of the United States is taking legal action against Amazon.com, as the main distribution hub for animal fighting magazines, paraphernalia, and DVDs. Amazon even has a community for cockfighting. Amazon claim that the legal action contravenes their First Amendment rights and have vowed to continue selling cockfighting materials. You can tell Jeff Bezos what you think of this (via the HSUS website). [more inside]
posted by Susurration on May 23, 2008 - 83 comments

Under the Big Top: Shhhhhh! The Show's about to start*... quick, take your seat, sit down, and don't make a move. It's been going on for centuries, and now--lucky you will be able to be a part of it, if you haven't already as a child (1, 2, 3, 4, 5). Honestly, who hasn't thought of running away from home and joining the Circus (but I'd suggest you wait a couple of years, until you're a little older, and a little wiser, to make these decisions). It is tempting though, when they roll into town with their fancy wagons, and their loud music. Although, the circus may not be as prevalent as it once was, there are new acts being created to entice crowds around the world. [previously]
posted by hadjiboy on Mar 31, 2008 - 14 comments

Undercover video (warning: very graphic) released by the Humane Society reveals abuse of animals on the slaughterhouse floor and other code violations. [more inside]
posted by casarkos on Feb 1, 2008 - 75 comments

When a coyote or fox or pet dog tugs at the device, it unleashes a lethal dose of poison into their mouths, which mixes with saliva to form a gas that causes convulsions, then paralysis, and finally death.....And it's only a matter of time until M-44s claim their first human victim. Dennis Slaugh of Vernal, Utah nearly earned that distinction
posted by james_cpi on Jan 23, 2008 - 37 comments

Before he went to prison for dogfighting, Michael Vick trained his pit bulls at a 4,600-sq-ft house on 15 acres in Surry, Virginia. Earlier this year, local tax rolls valued the property at $747,000, but Vick hurriedly sold the house to real estate developer Ray Todd on the cheap, to aid his mounting financial troubles. Todd had hoped to resell the house for $1M at a December auction, and dozens of rubberneckers toured the property -- to gawk at the syringes left on the ground, the twenty kennels "like prison cells", and the outbuildings where the dogs were fought. Naturally, no one was buying. Still, Todd wants to recoup his investment, so he’s turning to a conventional sale this month… and failing that, is considering building (unbelievably) a bed-and-breakfast where pets are welcome. Enter The Vick House project: a Dallas charity called Jalie’s Butterflies is hoping to raise enough money online to buy the house and convert it to a non-profit animal shelter, under guidance of the SPCA. [more inside]
posted by pineapple on Jan 20, 2008 - 27 comments

NFL Superstar implicated in dog fighting ring, has sponsorship suspended. Meet NFL quarterback, Michael Vick. Virginia Tech Alum, Heisman Trophy candidate, Vick has been indicted for taking part in a dog fighting ring. In defense of public relations (if not his employee), here is what his boss had to say on the matter at hand.

What is dog fighting? Why is it bad? Here is an FAQ on What dog fighting from the Humane Society of the US. Also, here's if you need to be further dissuaded, here is an ugly page on the blood sport, with some gruesome pics.
posted by psmealey on Jul 19, 2007 - 123 comments

Gang rape. Animal cruelty. Exploitation. Cannibalism. Put these elements together and you have Cannibal Holocaust, arguably one of the most well known exploitation films ever made. [Some of the following links are arguably NSFW]. Released in 1980, Cannibal Holocaust was a film so shockingly violent that it saw director Ruggero Deodato arrested by Italian authorities on the mistaken belief that he had made a snuff film and saw it being banned in almost every western country in the world for the actual deaths of several animals in the film. Although Deodato now regrets the introduction of the animals and although this ban has now been lifted in many of the countries that originally censored it, the horror of this landmark film is still as powerful as it ever was, a point evidenced by the often visceral reviews the film has garnered in its time. Whilst an official sequel has never been made (there have been at least two unofficial sequels), following his cameo appearance in Grindhouse movie Hostel II, Deodato has said an official sequel is in the works with an expected release date of 2009.
posted by Effigy2000 on Feb 18, 2007 - 59 comments

Nian Nian You Yu ("nyen nyen yo yew") - translates to "Have abundance every year" or phonetically as "Year Year Got Fish." Tomorrow evening, over a billion people will be celebrating Lunar New Year's Eve with a Reunion Dinner. This involves family members coming together and for many, the ideal menu includes eating braised shark's fin soup. This is a perfect time to regale your friends and family with shark factoids and horror stories. True you mother won't appreciate when you point out to Auntie Mei how how around 100 million sharks are caught worldwide every year, mostly just for their fins, or that actually the dish is tasteless and people are just ordering it to show off their wealth. But surely it's better than one day having to say "Year Year Got No Fish."
posted by missbossy on Feb 7, 2005 - 14 comments

Greece gets ready for the return of the Olympics by ridding the streets of its stray dogs. don't watch this if you're an animal lover. Or better yet, DO if you can handle it, because it's one of the saddest things i've seen in a long time. Though the government of Athens is denying it is responsible for this, someone is poisoning the city's thousands of stray dogs by putting it in food (naturally, a stray, hungry dog will eat it). The ensuing death does not come quickly. I've always wanted to visit Greece, especially being from a Mediterranean family (experience the roots, and all that) but suffice it to say it's moved to the bottom of the list of places to visit at this point. I've seen better treatment of animals in countries far less developed than Greece.
posted by cadence on Aug 2, 2004 - 57 comments

I hate PETA, but they may have a point on this one. Workers at a Pilgrim's Pride slaughterhouse have been filmed demonstrating their criminal lack of respect for living things by torturing living chickens. via Salon
posted by dr_emory on Jul 21, 2004 - 125 comments

"Use of wood chippers has not been endorsed by the AVMA as an acceptable means of euthanasia for poultry." This story is old (June 2003), but it sure did catch my eye. There but for the grace of Fargo...go the chickens. Broccoli, anyone?
posted by NedKoppel on Feb 21, 2004 - 3 comments

"If I get a chance, I'll do it again. I think a bear would make a good pet." In a story that shocked Ottawa, an apparently clueless Quebec woodsman kidnaps a black bear cub, dunking it under water and dragging it by its hind leg. Police and wildlife officers force him to surrender the bear, which is released 60 km from its mother. Charges are pending -- definitely for possessing illegal wildlife, definitely, possibly for animal cruelty.
posted by mcwetboy on Sep 14, 2003 - 21 comments

When Animal Rescuers Attack? "I wish I could get inside his head," Tippi Hedren said. "In my wildest imagination I cannot understand how anyone could do this." There are other people out there helping tigers, lots of them, even places where you can protect endangered tigers while having a relaxing vacation.
There's other tiger news today:
Two steps forward and one back at the Indianapolis Zoo and proof that you don't need to be in a jungle to get in trouble with a tiger.
But what is it about tigers? "These days the tiger’s huge popularity as a poster boy for endangered species stands in sharp contrast to its grim image in earlier times as the incarnation of evil." Why do we love these animals so much we try to save the life of one that has killed a human? Of course there are other forms of tiger abuse...
posted by wendell on Apr 24, 2003 - 7 comments

This is one the sickest , saddiest stories I've ever read on the net. Can anything be done to stop it, or is it wishful thinking?
posted by Macboy on Dec 23, 2002 - 99 comments

First challenge of Maryland law making animal cruelty a felony results in acquittal. Charges were dismissed against a landlord who forcibly removed two of his tenant's three cats and dispatched them with a 12-gauge shotgun. Judge said law's language fails to clearly define "cruel killing". Also on AP.
posted by LinusMines on Aug 22, 2002 - 16 comments

"In a park in Bali, they found a monkey, a pig-tailed macaque, kept in a cage so small it could not lie down properly, and with one leg chained to the bars.
posted by leafy on Mar 26, 2002 - 6 comments

School Principal Fired for Burning Hamster

blink. blink.
posted by o2b on May 16, 2001 - 31 comments