Animals and Pets For Good
From WikiForGood
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Saving Species
SavingSpecies.org is a collective of senior conservation professionals committed to preventing species extinctions. They provide a ratings service of projects that seek to do this and connect individual donors to NGOs directly. The projects we evaluate protect existing habitats or restore degraded ones. SavingSpecies is an all-volunteer organization. They do not do the protection or collect money. They do not occupy office space, have staff, or charge overhead or other expenses.
Animal Rights
Humane Society of the United States
Endangered Farm Animals
Modern commercial farming practices have led most farmers to raise the same breeds of animals such as turkeys and laying hens. This has resulted in plummeting populations of heritage breeds and leaves the farming system vulnerable to diseases such as bird flu. Some farmers are taking action to preserve genetic diversity and threatened breeds. Here is an article about one such farm (Berlin Farm), near Boston, that welcomes the public. Living on Earth did an excellent radio segment featuring Berlin Farm's programs to save endangered laying hens, turkeys and more.
Cows
See video of downer cows being abused at a slaughter house. Warning this video is graphic and deeply disturbing. Some of this meat goes to school programs. This footage led to the largest recall of beef in US history. The real solution? Become a vegetarian!!! And here is a NY Times article about the techniques used by the Humane Society to capture the footage (March 12, 2008). Hopefully the success of this video will lead to additional similar videos and greater public awareness about what goes on in slaughter houses.
Fish
Aquacalypse Now (September 28, 2009) "Our oceans have been the victims of a giant Ponzi scheme, waged with Bernie Madoff–like callousness by the world’s fisheries. Beginning in the 1950s, as their operations became increasingly industrialized....they first depleted stocks of cod, hake, flounder, sole, and halibut in the Northern Hemisphere. As those stocks disappeared, the fleets moved southward, to the coasts of developing nations and, ultimately, all the way to the shores of Antarctica, searching for icefishes and rockcods, and, more recently, for small, shrimplike krill. As the bounty of coastal waters dropped, fisheries moved further offshore, to deeper waters. And, finally, as the larger fish began to disappear, boats began to catch fish that were smaller and uglier--fish never before considered fit for human consumption. Many were renamed so that they could be marketed: The suspicious slimehead became the delicious orange roughy, while the worrisome Patagonian toothfish became the wholesome Chilean seabass. Others, like the homely hoki, were cut up so they could be sold sight-unseen as fish sticks and filets in fast-food restaurants and the frozen-food aisle." Via The New Republic
Community Supported Fisheries (JUNE 17, 2009) Taking Stock in Fish: Taking a cue from Community Supported Agriculture programs, fishing groups in the Northeast are letting consumers buy shares in exchange for weekly allotments of local, fresh catch. Members of the Cape Ann CSF can expect a variety of groundfish in their weekly shares, including cod, haddock, flounder, hake, dabs, pollack, redfish and grey sole. Niaz Dorry, spokeswoman for the CSF, says the model ensures participating fishermen get a consistently higher price for their entire catch than they might get wholesale. That, in turn, will help deter wasteful dumping of less valuable species, she says. "The advantage of a CSF is it evens the playing field for fish. All the fish [in the catch] are of equal value," Ms. Dorry says.
FishWatch can help you make informed decisions about the seafood you eat by providing the most accurate and up-to-date information on seafood available in the U.S. FishWatch is brought to you by NOAA Fisheries Service, the U.S. authority on marine fisheries science, conservation, and management.
NYC eatery grants freedom to 140 year old lobster 140-year-old lobster once destined for a dinner plate received the gift of life Friday from a Park Avenue seafood restaurant.
Fishphone: To find out about your seafood choice, text 30644 with the message FISH and the name of the fish in question. We’ll text you back with our assessment and better alternatives to fish with significant environmental concerns. Very cool!
The Pocket Seafood Selector helps you purchase sustainably harvested fish by listing recommendations in a format you can print out and carry with you to the grocery store and restaurants.
Fish Wallet Card: You're in a restaurant and you're going to order fish. You've heard horror stories about Chilean Sea Bass being over fished. But what about the other choices? Put your worries to rest by using a fish wallet card offered by the scientists at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. The "Best Choices" listed on the card are abundant, well managed and fished or farmed in environmentally friendly ways. Seafood to "Avoid" are over fished and/or fished or farmed in ways that harm other marine life or the environment. You can view the guides online or download a pocket-size version. It's a great conversation piece too! You could even give the cards as gifts, and they're FREE! While you're at it, why not give one to your waiter and ask them to pass it along to the restaurant owner?
Holy Mackerel and Other Guilt-Free Fish: (May 31, 2006) This article in the New York Times offers guidance on purchasing fish that are good for your health and are sustainably fished.
Primates
WildlifeDirect supports conservation workers in hazardous and remote locations. It has established a series of online blogs, written by conservationists, rangers, and bush veterinarians in Africa, detailing their daily struggle to safeguard endangered animals, such as Silverback Gorrilas in Congo. Web-surfing animal-lovers who read the postings can click a "donate now" link and see a list of options -- a day's patrol rations for five rangers costs $15. A pair of boots is $35; a full uniform, $45; a dome tent, $60. These items are delivered within a few days. The results have been spectacular.
Gorillas.org -- winner of the BBC International Award for Outstanding work in conservation of a species.
Helping Hands, Monkey Helpers for the Disabled is a not-for-profit that trains monkeys for placement with disabled people. They also run education programs to help prevent spinal cord injuries. David Sedaris helps to raise money for them.
Unilever Makes Sustainable Palm Oil Pledge to buy 100% sustainable palm oil by 2105 (01 May 2008). "Greenpeace welcomed Unilever's call for a halt to rainforest destruction in Indonesia which it said was wiping out orang-utans and devastating the climate. The destruction of Indonesia's peatland rainforests contributes about four per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions."
People Helping Dogs
Dealing Dogs (A documentary film.) "Each year, 42,000 dogs are sold to veterinary schools and research labs by Class B dealers, who are required by federal law to buy the animals from pounds, shelters and small breeders and to treat them humanely. However, many Class B dealers violate the law. DEALING DOGS exposes the abuses that took place at one of America's most notorious Class B dealers - Martin Creek Kennel in Arkansas. Premieres on HBO, Tuesday, February 21 at 10pm (ET/PT). The film is based on 15 years of investigative work by Last Chance For Animals.
banpuppymills.com -- Help stop puppy abuse
Dogs Helping People
Dogs can help children learn to read through a program called READ that uses Reading Education Assistance Dogs. The dogs help the kids relax and enjoy reading rather than feeling judged.
Butterflies
NABA Butterfly Counts The North American Butterlfy Association Butterfly Counts is an ongoing program of NABA to census the butterflies of North America (United States, Canada and partially Mexico) and to publish the results. Volunteer participants select a count area with a 15-mile diameter and conduct a one-day census of all butterflies sighted within that circle. Google Maps give the location and compiler information for the individual counts.
Worms
How to make a worm bin An easy alternative to outdoor composting for those who live in apartment complexes or similar.
Hookworms can prevent asthma 29. September 2009 01:14 A study conducted in Vietnam has added further weight to the view that parasitic gut worms, such as hookworm, could help in the prevention and treatment of asthma and other allergies. Led by Dr Carsten Flohr, a Clinical Scientist from The University of Nottingham, and Dr Luc Nguyen Tuyen from the Khanh Hoa Provincial Health Service in central Vietnam, the study is the largest double-blind placebo controlled clinical trial to date looking at the potential links between hookworm and other gut worm infections and allergic conditions such as asthma and eczema.
Whales
The Whaling Debate via Wikipedia. This debate should be over, and the current debate raises interesting points about the ethical treatment of animals other than whales.
