EFA: Etsy For Animals Etsy For Animals: April 2011


Etsy for Animals (EFA) aka Artists Helping Animals,

is a team of independent artists, craftspeople,

vintage sellers and craft suppliers on Etsy.com

who are dedicated to providing charitable relief to animals

by donating a portion of the profits from their shops

to an animal charity of their choosing,

and/or to EFA's featured Charity of the Month.

Saturday, April 30, 2011

weekly Animal Petitions Corner

Animal Petitions Corner

by Alicia of WoodsEdge


Get Dog Wars Shut Down!


There’s a new app for Android…it’s called Dog Wars, which allows people care for, train and fight dogs making a delightful little game for those who enjoy one of the lowest forms of sadistic cruelty around. This “game” promotes violence and hurts real pit bulls who are already struggling against stereotypes and breed specific legislation


Tell Android to block this app! There is nothing entertaining about this barbaric bloodsport.


http://www.change.org/petitions/tell-android-to-block-dog-fighting-app



Speak Up For Seals….Again!


By now, you’ve probably signed a zillion petitions and sent letters asking the Canadian government to end their annual seal hunt, which they claim is both necessary and humane. However, new eyewitness reports and footage have been brought back from the Front this year by both the Humane Society International and the International Fund for Animal Welfare that are calling this one of the cruelest slaughters to take place yet with clear, and numerous, violations of the Marine Mammal Act, including killing seals and leaving them just for the fun of it. Hopefully, along with the impact of climate change on seal populations, this will be one of the final nails in the coffin for this already dying industry. Help keep the pressure on!


Please sign IFAW’s petition asking Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper to end this barbaric massacre once and for all.


http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/590/374/008/?z00m=19961584&z00m=19969602



Get Justice for Animals Who Suffered at Angel’s Gate Animal Hospice


When you hear the word hospice, you might think of a place of peace and retirement. Unfortunately for the animals at Angel’s Gate in Delhi, NY, an undercover investigation has discovered anything but that. Abuse and neglect were rampant where animals were found to have been denied the most basic care, only to be left to survive among the bodies of their companions.


Send a letter to the Hon. Richard D. Northrup, Jr., Delaware County District Attorney’s Office, asking him to investigate and prosecute to the fullest extent of the law.


https://secure2.convio.net/ida/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage&page=UserAction&id=1880&autologin=true&JServSessionIdr004=pdg7j4ynj4.app244b



Help the Animals

please make the time

to take 1-2-3 actions

this week !

Friday, April 29, 2011

Legalize it ?


Legalize it ?

Written by Veronica of ScrappyRat




No, I'm not talking about legalizing *that* !


This is about the issue of legalizing the keeping of pet ferrets in the state of California. On one side, there's the California Wildlife and Game Commission, and on the other are thousands of ferret lovers. Both sides have good intentions. California is a state with a lot to lose. It relies upon a thriving agricultural industry and tourism to keep itself fiscally sound. It's a state with mild weather year round and a wide variety of topographies, so it can be surprisingly easy for invasive species to become a problem.


Still... do any of these concerns outweigh the opinions of those who wish to keep ferrets, who argue that ferrets shouldn't even be regulated by the Wildlife and Game Commission since they are a pet species, not wildlife ?


There are several ways the Wildlife Commission determines if a species has the potential to become invasive. For example, all jirds are banned from being kept as pets in the state. A while ago, my husband and I were considering moving to California, but when we learned that several of our pets would be illegal (jirds include gerbils and degus) we scratched the state off of our list of possibilities.





In this case, I agree with the state's choice to ban them. Degus, while adorable, are a blight upon the Chilean vineyards. They eat young grape vines, leaving a path of destruction in their wake. The over abundance of a species' food source is one of the key determining factors in giving them the label of "invasive". Ferrets have a voracious appetite for small animals such as mice, rats, birds, etc. While these animals certainly exist in the state, they aren't any more abundant there than they are in others.


Another factor that creates concern is if a species lacks natural predators. California has a large population of coyotes, bobcats, mountain lions and other carnivores who would happily volunteer for the job, so this is one factor that can be dismissed easily.


The possibility of lost or dumped pets forming feral groups is another concern that has been raised, along with concerns whether they may be able to interbreed with wild species. According to a report by Legalize Ferrets and Dr Geo Graening of California State University Sacramento who has completed the Initial Study to be used for an actual Environmental Impact Report on ferret legalization for California, there have been no reports of feral ferret colonies forming in any states in the U.S., which is a pretty good sign that they won't become feral in California either.





A concern that has arisen that is quite specific to ferrets is the worry that some people breed ferrets with wild polecats, raising concerns about the domestic nature of ferrets. However, wild polecats do not exist in wild populations in the U.S. so the issue of interbreeding with ones in the wild isn't a realistic problem. The desire to prevent the keeping of dangerous or wild animals as pets is certainly real, however, and the difficulty comes in identifying polecat hybrids since they can look deceptively like domestic ferret species. In this case, the commission's worry is understandable.


Then there's the issue of whether ferrets pose a significant threat to people. Though they do have a propensity for being nippy (after all, they did earn themselves the moniker "carpet shark"), and they can inflict a nasty bite, the only reports of actual ferret attacks resulting in extreme injury or death have been in cases where the animals were left alone with infants or others who had no way of defending themselves. Otherwise, ferrets tend to be friendly pets, too small to be any real risk.


In my opinion, most of the concerns the commission poses could be addressed by requiring the mandatory spaying and neutering of ferrets brought into the state, rather than banning the species altogether. I volunteer with a rescue group that takes in small animals and exotics, ferrets included, so unfortunately I am very familiar with the reality that wherever any species of pet is sold, people will dump them onto the streets.




Requiring spaying and neutering will at least prevent these abandoned animals from creating even more unwanted pets. It's a shame that there are always so many irresponsible pet keepers willing to allow their pet to starve or be killed by other animals this way, but it's a sadly common problem. Preventing breeding will, at least minimize the impact of this behavior.


Domestic cats are legal in California, a species much more likely to form feral groups. Cats are also domestic carnivores who may bite or scratch, similar to ferrets, and although ferrets are more voracious carnivores, their size limits their danger to humans and other pets.


The legalization of ferret keeping in the state of California is an issue that's been argued for decades. To educate yourself on this issue, and to support whichever side you feel is best, take a look at these informational resources:


http://www.legalizeferrets.org/index.php


http://www.ferretsanon.com/EIR/Final_Report.pdf


http://www.ferretsanonymous.com/


http://www.ferretsanonymous.com/archives/legal/legal_archives.html


http://165.235.95.70/search?q=ferrets&output=xml_no_dtd&site=ca_dfg_fgc&client=ca_dfg_fgc&proxystylesheet=ca_dfg_fgc




Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Honoring our Forests


In acknowledgment of

Year of the Forests & Forest Week


Honoring Our Forests

written by Indie of IndieWolf




"What we are doing to the forests of the world

is but a mirror reflection of what we are doing

to ourselves and to one another."

~ Mahatma Gandhi ~



The United Nations has designated 2011 the “International Year of Forests” to raise global awareness of the issues that threaten our forests’ future, and to increase our collective effort to preserve this most dynamic element of our environment.



Alaskan Bald Eagle

Photo Print by MyPhotoArt



In the United States alone, forests and grasslands cover over 190 million acres, supporting over 5000 animal species and 10,000 types of plants. Unfortunately, our current administration has proposed new laws that could very well endanger these precious animals and plants, whose very survival depends on the existence of the forest and wild land habitats.


*Urge your State representative to fight for the safety and preservation of our forests, by taking action HERE!*





But it’s not just in the U.S. that forests are in danger – as stated in Wikipedia:


“The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that every year 130,000 km² of the world's forests are lost due to deforestation. Conversion to agricultural land, unsustainable harvesting of timber, unsound land management practices, and creation of human settlements are the most common reasons for this loss of forested areas.


According to the World Bank, deforestation accounts for up to 20 percent of the global greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming… The World Bank estimates that forests provide habitats to about two-thirds of all species on earth, and that deforestation of closed tropical rainforests could account for biodiversity loss of as many as 100 species a day.”





This is why it‘s SO crucial to bring attention to forests around the world at this time: more attention = more awareness; more awareness = more support; more support = more conscious and effective action! As we all know it doesn’t always work this way, but if we don’t step up and do what we can to protect our forests now…who will, and when?!


Wherever you are in the world, there are likely a number of activities or events in celebration of International Year of Forests nearby in which you can participate and join in raising awareness – and positive energy – around this vitally important issue. To find out more, please visit the links below for event calendars and more information on how you can help.


http://www.celebrateforests.com/


http://www.un.org/en/events/iyof2011/


http://www.fs.fed.us/news/2011/releases/02/iyof.shtml


http://www.sca.com/en/Press/News-features/Archive/2011/SCA-celebrating-the-International-Year-of-the-Forest-and-the-World-Forest-Day/


http://www.ecosprinter.eu/2005/05/the-forest-week-no-forest-no-future/



If there are no activities scheduled in your area, consider creating a community event inspired by the resources listed below. If nothing else, simply enjoy the experience of planting, watering, or HUGGING a tree… it just may hug you back!




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