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ALF animal liberation raid in BC
Message Board > Controversy and Quarantine > ALF animal liberation raid in BC
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NOISE NOT BOMBS
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For Immediate Release
August 28, 2008


4000 More Captive Mink Released
Animal Liberationists Raid Canadian Fur Farm for Second Time


British Columbia, Canada- According to a communique received by the North American Animal Liberation Press Office this week, 4000 captive mink were released from a British Columbia, Canada Mink Farm last Saturday. The communique includes a list of the addresses of six captive mink farms in the same area. 5000 mink were released in November 1995 from the Rippin Fur Farm, which may be the same facility targeted this week; both are located in Aldergrove, BC.


The communique reads in part:
On Saturday Aug 23, activists entered a mink farm in Aldergrove BC CANADA and released approx 4000 mink. The farm is next to Aldergrove Lake Park which provides over 200 acres of water habitat for them to survive. Operation Biteback is in full force, let these arrows be our tears.......


Imprisoned in cages for life, fur-bearing animals are forced to endure intensive confinement compared to the miles of territory these animals would enjoy in the wild - their natural state. The natural instincts of these captive animals are completely frustrated; self-mutilation, sickness, infection, poor sanitation and the sheer stress of confinement leads animals to premature death. When they survive, animals of sufficient size are killed by anal electrocution or gassing. Whereas reports from the fur industry have surfaced that liberations were harmful to the animals, the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) and other organizations have a long history of successfully releasing animals into the wild from fur farms. In addition to liberating the wild animals destined for a certain, painful and agonizing death, another goal of liberationists is to cause economic damage to fur farms; dozens of fur farming operations have seen economic ruin since "Operation Bite Back" began by the ALF in the 1990s.


“The fur industry wants the public to believe that most of the mink liberated are recaptured or killed after being freed, but this is not the case; and I would argue that even if some are recaptured, at least they have been given a chance at what everyone deserves, a chance to live free” stated Camille Hankins, a Press Officer with the Animal Liberation Press Office. "Contrary to the rhetoric of those who profit from the imprisonment and killing of these beautiful, wild creatures, scientific studies have proven captive mink have the innate ability to survive in the wild, do not decimate other animal populations or the environment, and do not carry away small children or pets.
"


For more information and to read the entire communique, visit, http://www. animalliberationpressoffice. org


Camille Hankins, Jerry Vlasak
Press Officers
North American Animal Liberation Press Office
(818) 227-5022
[email protected] http://www. animalliberationpressoffice. org.


"When a person places the proper value on freedom, there is nothing under the sun that she will not do to acquire that freedom. Whenever you hear a person saying he wants freedom, but in the next breath she is going to tell you what she won't do to get it, or what he doesn't believe in doing in order to get it, he doesn't believe in freedom. A person who believes in freedom will do anything under the sun to acquire...or preserve his freedom.
"-- Malcolm X - Wed, 27 Aug 2008 6:44pm
Endeløs
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Deodorants — classified and regulated as over-the-counter (OTC) cosmetics by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)[citation needed] — work to inhibit the growth of bacteria which cause odors. The first commercial deodorant, Mum, was introduced in the late nineteenth century. Deodorants are usually alcohol-based, which kills bacteria effectively.[1] Deodorants can be formulated with other, more persistent antimicrobials such as triclosan, or with metal chelant compounds that slow bacterial growth. Deodorants also often contain perfume fragrances intended to mask the odor of perspiration.

Deodorants may be combined with antiperspirants — classified as drugs by the FDA — which attempt to stop or significantly reduce perspiration and thus reduce the moist climate in which bacteria thrive. Aluminium chloride, aluminium chlorohydrate, and aluminium-zirconium compounds, most notably Aluminium zirconium tetrachlorohydrex gly and Aluminium zirconium trichlorohydrex gly, are the most widely used antiperspirants. Aluminium-based complexes react with the electrolytes in the sweat to form a gel plug in the duct of the sweat gland. The plugs prevent the gland from excreting liquid and are removed over time by the natural sloughing of the skin. The blockage of a large number of sweat glands reduces the amount of sweat produced in the underarms, though this may vary from person to person.

The modern formulation of the antiperspirant was patented by Jules Montenier on January 28, 1941. [2] This patent solved the problem of the excessive acidity of aluminium chloride and its excessive irritation of the skin, by combining it with a soluble nitrile or a similar compound. [3] This formulation was first found in "Stopette" deodorant spray, which Time Magazine called "the best-selling deodorant of the early 1950s". [4]. "Stopette" gained its prominence as the first and long-time sponsor of the game show What's My Line?, and was later eclipsed by many other brands as the 1941 patent expired.

A popular alternative to modern commercial deodorants is ammonium alum, which is a common type of alum sold in crystal form. It has been used as a deodorant throughout history in Thailand, the Far East, Mexico and other countries. Deodorants and antiperspirants come in many forms. What is commonly used varies in different countries. In Europe, aerosol sprays are popular, as are cream and roll-on forms. In the United States, solid or gel forms are dominant. - Wed, 27 Aug 2008 8:02pm
Nicholas Antoni Marek Gibas
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I am 100% behind ALF. Good for them. - Wed, 27 Aug 2008 9:50pm
trevor corey
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Endeløs is like Cagney AAAAAND Lacey. - Thu, 28 Aug 2008 1:19am
Zedius
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Ha ha ha "communique".

I'd like to know more about this farm (all I really know is it's called the "Rippin fur farm"- Rippin is the family's last name)

I found this on the ALF site which claims the method of killing:

" The largest amount of mink to be rescued in Canada took place Nov. 13, 1998 near Aldergrove, British Columbia. 6,000 mink were freed from the Rippin Fur Farm. In the early morning hours shortly after security guards had made their regular rounds, volunteers used bolt cutters to cut through fences, and opened every single cage. Additionally, 70 years of breeding information was destroyed. The timing of this life-saving action was crucial, since the mink were due to be killed in just a few weeks by carbon monoxide gassing."

Isn't that at least a million steps up from grabbing it by the hind legs and smashing it against the ground while it's alive, before skinning it and throwing it living onto a pile of other live, skinned animals?

If there's a fur industry in Canada that competes with that sort of shit in a more ethical way, I sure as fuck don't want ALF to fuck with it. I can't say that's what's happening here, but I wouldn't be surprised.

Edit: Also, most news reports I've read claimed that only about 500 minks actually got out of the front gate of the farm and some of them got hit by cars, while others will probably run around terrified and die because they were born in captivity. It could be exaggeration on both ends. - Thu, 28 Aug 2008 8:42am Edited: Thu, 28 Aug 2008 8:45am
J. Peatman
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I doubt 4000 minks who are bred to live in captivity can rely on their natural instincts once they're freed by a bunch of righteous idiots who are convinced it's the best thing for them.

Even if they somehow revive those instincts, I doubt very much that releasing 4000 of them will be beneficial to the local ecology at all.

Besides that, the ALF are ugly and they smell. - Thu, 28 Aug 2008 9:24am Edited: Thu, 28 Aug 2008 9:25am
stew
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Better than (though not much) being locked up and skinned for their fur. - Thu, 28 Aug 2008 2:58pm
Jl
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I whole heartly agree with Peatman... releasing however many 500 or 4000; cant be good on the immediate ecosystem. Look at how rabbits over-run Uvic; or how about stray cats and dogs in other major cities?
Im not saying that its ok to skin and sell mink fur; but releasing hundreds upon thousands of minks is like opening up a jail and telling the inmates "YOUR FREE!!".
Great work by.... ALF? wasn't that a tv show in the late 80's? - Thu, 28 Aug 2008 4:38pm
Chopper
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Farmed mink won't even survive in the wild. Yepp, ALF did the mink a major justice on this one... - Fri, 29 Aug 2008 9:31pm
Jl
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I can just see the next headline

"released mink become menace, silent cull needed to curb the influx"

its a real great thing that ALF released all those mink... - Sat, 30 Aug 2008 11:15am
trevor corey
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Their hearts were in the right place.
I'm surprised there is even a market for mink fur. - Sat, 30 Aug 2008 1:02pm
Chopper
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If their hearts were truly in the right place they wouldn't have let them out to starve to death or become easy prey for other animals. I don't agree with animals being farmed for just their skins, but I also don't agree with idiots like this thinking they're actually doing anything morally correct. - Sat, 30 Aug 2008 2:02pm
stew
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I wouldn't worry about it, most of these minks will be rounded up and end up right back at the farm as your next fur hat. - Sat, 30 Aug 2008 3:32pm Edited: Sat, 30 Aug 2008 3:34pm
NOISE NOT BOMBS
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perhaps you should do research on the subject before spewing misinformation. Mink have over a 90% reintegration chance and never truly get domesticated even if raised in captivity.

As well mink were natural to the area, and in the past where mink were released and re-integrated into wildlife populations, there has been no noticeable difference to the ecosystems after the releases. There is a long history of this type of actions in the usa and canada.

Operation Bite back almost succeeded in shutting down the mink industry back in the 90's. The FBI has tried hard to stop operation bite back, with what they called operation backfire, giving sentences up to 20 yrs to people for burning down a fur farm, and threatening a possible 120 yrs plus life in some cases to defendants if they did not cooperate with the FBI investigations. Even if you do not agree with the ALF it should piss you off when a rapist gets 7-10 yrs, a pedophile 10 yrs, ect, and a ALF activist gets 20 yrs for arson. If you burn down a building to collect insurance (fraud and arson) the sentence is 3 yrs, yet if it is a fur farm the sentence is often 20...
The lightest sentence for the ALF prisoners captured in operation backfire was about 8 yrs with cooperation. As well they all pretty much had TE's (terrorist enhancements) added to their files, thus meaning they can never work with money, children, cross a border, take a airplane, ect once they are released. This is essentially comparing these activists legally to groups like alquada, or hamas, and even though the ALF has never killed any one. - Sat, 30 Aug 2008 4:32pm
Chopper
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Boo fucking hoo. Do the crime, pay the consequences. I feel so sorry for Eco Terrorists.

'Mink have over a 90% reintegration chance and never truly get domesticated even if raised in captivity.'

And whose stats are those? The same idiots who let them loose? I'm sure these wonderful folks are tagging each and every one when they're trying as fast as possible to just let the animals loose. You fail at basic logic... - Sat, 30 Aug 2008 6:54pm
J. Peatman
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"there has been no noticeable difference to the ecosystems after the releases."

Most likely because the majority of the minks were already dead.

The only way ALF is going to do test and fur animals a favor is by either adopting them personally or finding them a good home. But yeah, try doing that with 4000 mink. Without attracting attention.

And like Chopper said; don't want to go to jail, stay out of shit. And though I doubt eco terrorists really spend more time behind bars, they also won't get a dry broomstick up the ass as much as a child molester. - Sun, 31 Aug 2008 1:40am
Tyler
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Your own statement of "farmed mink won't even survive in the wild" didn't have any source cited either, Chopper. The same goes for pretty much every opinion offered in this thread. Jl, how do you know that a boost in the mink population will be bad for the ecosystem? You can predict what could happen with unresearched statistics, but have you actually been following scientific journals charting the long-term effects of reintegrating minks into the wild?

These threads are always so sad because it's a bunch of people who are convinced they're right without having anything to back their opinions. - Sun, 31 Aug 2008 3:06pm
ROSS B AY
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internet. - Sun, 31 Aug 2008 3:47pm
devin
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hahaha
oh wow - Sun, 31 Aug 2008 8:38pm
Chopper
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'Jl, how do you know that a boost in the mink population will be bad for the ecosystem?'

It's called genetics. Farmed mink have weaker genetic code than their natural brethren. These mink mate with the non farmed and weaken the genetics which causes more disease and other issues. There are quite a few papers on this subject, mostly European.

http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/mksg/eco/2006/00000029/00000004/art00001;jsessionid=3583b14k82sto.alice?format=print

Minks are also solitary animals, the only time they get together is for mating. Dump a few thousand farmed mink into an area that's can't support that large of an influx and you don't have to be a genius to see what effect it will have on the entire ecosystem the natural mink already inhabit. - Sun, 31 Aug 2008 9:07pm Edited: Sun, 31 Aug 2008 9:13pm
devin
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Counter-terrorists win! - Sun, 31 Aug 2008 9:51pm
trevor corey
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Damn.
Tyler is like Thelma AAAAAND Loise! - Mon, 1 Sep 2008 5:13am
Jl
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"You can predict what could happen with unresearched statistics, but have you actually been following scientific journals charting the long-term effects of reintegrating minks into the wild?"

No, because its pretty fucking simple you idiot. It's based on MY OPINION.
You tell me; through common sense, that releasing 500-4000(possibly) caged animals is good for any environment? Please justify the release of hundreds, upon possibly thousands, of these mink; without any rehabilitation to the wild. - Mon, 1 Sep 2008 9:45am
Chopper
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'Damn.
Tyler is like Thelma AAAAAND Loise!'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tp7yFgcmGA - Mon, 1 Sep 2008 10:46am
Mike
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releasing these animals into the wild is a moronic tactic done by over zealous activists who's ultimate goal are shocking news headlines.

shutting down the industry is a good idea in my opinion, but this is not the way to do it. - Mon, 1 Sep 2008 11:00am
ROSS B AY
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Could nae have said it better..... - Mon, 1 Sep 2008 12:02pm
DOOMHAMMER
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Wikipedia:

"There is debate about the subject of fur farming. Many people argue that fur farming is cruel and should be eliminated completely. Others argue that fur farming is a necessary evil, because it allegedly protects wild fur bearers from over harvest. Before fur farming was developed many animals, like the sea mink, were driven to extinction due to over harvesting them for their fur. Many other animals like the fur seal, sea otter, river otter, and beaver had their populations drastically reduced from over harvesting. If fur farming were eliminated, the price of fur might increase. Wild fur bearing animals might again be in danger of over harvest.

A 2006 study in Denmark concluded that, due to frequent escapes from existing mink farms, “Closing mink farms may result in a crash of the free-ranging population, or alternatively it may result in the establishment of a better-adapted, truly feral population that may ultimately outnumber the population that was present before farm closures.” The study reported that more information would be necessary to determine the outcome.[3] Another Danish study reported that a significant majority of the “wild” mink were mink which had escaped from fur farms. 47% had escaped within two months, 31% had escaped prior to 2 months, and 21% “may or may not have been born in nature.”[4]

In recent years, animal rights activists have also released several thousand domestic mink causing negative environmental consequences. Domestic mink, which are bred in fur farms, are different from wild mink. Domestic mink are found to have 19.6% smaller brains, 8.1% smaller hearts, and 28.2% smaller spleens than wild mink do.[5][6] Because of these physical differences, domestic mink may not be suited for life in the wild. A University of Copenhagen study found that most domestic mink that escape from fur farms die in less than two months.[7]

This data is contested by M. Hammershøj and M.C. Forchhammer, who studied the survival rate of escaped mink in Denmark, then compared that data to similar studies in the US and Sweden. The authors concluded that the survival rate for recently released mink is lower than for wild mink, but if mink survive at least two months, their survival rate is the same as for wild mink. The authors suggest that this is due to the rapid behavioural adaptation of the animals.[8] A biologist with the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife commenting on a mink farm release concurs, stating that "These things will survive and reproduce as long as they have something to survive on."[9]
Mink that escaped from a fur farm in Cox’s Cove, Newfoundland, Canada
Mink that escaped from a fur farm in Cox’s Cove, Newfoundland, Canada

Domestic mink are larger than wild mink which may cause problems with the ecosystem when they escape. Mink are solitary, territorial animals and are intolerant of other mink. In times of overpopulation, mink control their own numbers by either killing each other through direct conflict or by causing weaker mink to be driven from territory until starvation sets in.[10] When hundreds or thousands of released domestic mink flood an ecosystem, it causes a great disturbance for the wild mink. This disturbance causes the deaths of the majority of the released mink and many of the wild mink. Most of the released and wild mink in the area die slow deaths, due to starvation, or from injuries from the unnaturally high number of mink fighting for a territory.[11] When a domestic mink survives long enough to reproduce, it may cause problems for the wild mink populations.[12] The adding of weaker domestic mink genes into wild mink populations, is believed by some, to have contributed to the decline of mink populations in Canada.[13]"

Regardless, most of them will die but they will atleast get a chance.

Im a vegan, pro animal and while I agree with a lot of the ALF, I also think most of the people are stupid as fuck and make me angry/want to punch in faces, but atleast they are doing more than eating a couple big macs a day working for the gap.

In the end, most animals control their own populations or predators control it for them. I could give a fuck if an owl eats a mink.

Argue all you want, but the end result is most of the minks will die, and the fur farm will either get insurance (im assuming after the first time they should have got it) and the only difference is more animals ate minks than people wore their fur, or the fur farm was stupid as fuck and lost s shitload of money and less minks will die because of it until they catch back up to their previous mink slaughter quotas. - Mon, 1 Sep 2008 3:06pm
Jl
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"Domestic mink are larger than wild mink which may cause problems with the ecosystem when they escape."

these minks that were "freed"; were they born in the wild or were they caged and hand fed by humans(as best as they could be fed given the circumstances)?

"When a domestic mink survives long enough to reproduce, it may cause problems for the wild mink populations.[12] The adding of weaker domestic mink genes into wild mink populations, is believed by some, to have contributed to the decline of mink populations in Canada.[13]""

So following the previous statment(not the on above); and given these "mink" in question are/could be considered domestic... doesn't that present a certain "danger", as it was stated above, if even SOME of them live through all the shit they've been through? - Mon, 1 Sep 2008 8:34pm
Chopper
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Farmed mink are not captured from the wild and probably haven't been for decades. They breed them to get the next seasons 'crop'. They're not hand fed until they're weened and by that point they're already caged, alone.

That's one of the reasons I said they won't survive. Actually I should've said they won't survive long. Not getting their regular feed, that's more than likely filled with all sorts of wonderful drugs, hormones and anti-biotics, they'd die a lot faster once that enhanced feed is gone. They don't have as strong immune system, because they don't need one in their environment. In the wild however it's a different story. And with their weaker genetic code as well as the issues that crop up when they're not being given their regular feed/shots etc, they do nothing but pass that on if they're lucky enough to mate. - Mon, 1 Sep 2008 10:27pm
JDL
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meh, animal activists going headstrong into a situation that clearly did not help any one or being. - Tue, 2 Sep 2008 10:25am
Nicholas Antoni Marek Gibas
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Their hearts were in the right place. They just failed to hit the correct "bottleneck". - Tue, 2 Sep 2008 11:59pm
Mr. Hell
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If you're gonna slaughter a bunch of minks for their hide, at least eat them too. - Wed, 3 Sep 2008 4:25pm
Chopper
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Mustelents aren't something you'd want to eat, unless you know how to clean then right. Nick a scent gland and any meat the oil from it touches is wasted. - Wed, 3 Sep 2008 5:19pm
1986
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"having your heart in the right place" isn't a good enough excuse to do anything...you got to be WISE.

-alex - Wed, 3 Sep 2008 5:49pm
Chopper
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Anyone that seriously thinks their hearts were in the right place have a complete lack of common sense. Not like that's shocking. Common sense is a rare thing these days... - Wed, 3 Sep 2008 8:52pm
Comrade BLack
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-from Infoshop news
After recent attacks against vivisectors who abuse, torture and kill animals inside laboratories in Santa Cruz, California, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) offered $2500 of donor’s money to add to the reward offered for the arrest of those liberationists who participated in the actions. Only last year People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) was discovered regularly killing healthy, homeless dogs and cats and tossing their bodies in trash dumpsters. Yet millions of people who purport to care about animals send these two organizations tens of millions of dollars every year. Tens of millions of dollars wasted on expensive office buildings, six-figure salaries, millions of trinkets mailed with fundraising letters and ridiculous lettuce costumes; tens of millions of dollars that could be funding a serious struggle for animal liberation.

Alternatively, despite its persistent and growing success, the North American Animal Liberation Press Office operates on a few thousand dollars a year, donated by individuals who know every dime of their donation is used by unpaid volunteers to spread the message that animal liberation is an attainable goal, but a goal that requires the complete commitment of increasing numbers of animal liberationists. A vitally important message of the Press Office, that is now being heard by millions, is that animal liberationists have noble goals and a long history of fighting for animal liberation. Furthermore, these animal liberationists use the very same tactics that have been successfully used in all the important liberation struggles throughout history.

More and more animal liberationists are stepping forward to directly save the lives of animals by removing them from conditions of immense suffering and pain. They’re also making it increasingly difficult for humans to exploit, torture, and murder innocent animals and continue doing business as usual. POM Wonderful Juice company no longer cuts the penile arteries of rabbits and force feeds them their juice, 30 fewer non-human primates are being tortured and then experiencing miserable deaths at the hands of UCLA vivisector Dario Ringach, who quit animal experimentation after his colleagues were attacked by liberationists; and hundreds of suppliers and customers have stopped funding Huntingdon Life Sciences as a direct result of liberationists’ actions. Tell the animals still imprisoned and being brutalized that another hundred years of polite protests and letter writing campaigns might one day alleviate their suffering. Or, as liberationists have said, get busy out there and make a real difference for the animals.

And go ahead, send that $20 every month to PETA so their mortgage payment gets made on time, or that $40 to HSUS so Wayne Pacelle can cash his six-figure paycheck. Or find a way to really help the animals languishing in laboratory cages, waiting for a human to grab them, strap them into a metal device, insert electrodes into their brain or poison them with nicotine or methamphetamines. Help that chained dog get a new lease on life with someone who has the compassion to really care for her. Cut the fences that condemn millions of mink and foxes to anal electrocution and skinning so some rich white woman can make her sadistic fashion statement.

If you truly cannot do what needs to be done, then consider supporting the Press Office and other serious, liberation organizations. To find out how you can donate once or monthly, drop as an email or give us a call.

For the animals:
The Press Office

“Only force can help where force prevails”- Bertolt Brecht

Animal Liberation Press Office
http://animalliberationpressoffice.org/Newsletter

Filed under: activism, animal rights, international
« Vancouver Olympic Clock Defaced for Sixth Time Help 6 Nations - OPP attacks, arrests, ransacks, beats, closes roads » - Sat, 6 Sep 2008 1:31am
trevor corey
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I've had a few "pops" tonight, so I'm not quite grasping. What did PETA do?
It's so awful to think of all the suffering. I wish it would stop. I make choices in life, but who would think POM does such things? I don't buy it because it comes in a plastic bottle, but how would I know about their connection to vivisection?
This whole topic just breaks my heart. - Sat, 6 Sep 2008 2:57am
Andrew
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what a bunch of rednecks - Sat, 6 Sep 2008 10:01am Edited: Sat, 6 Sep 2008 10:02am
grimlord
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what a bunch of rednecks




Mullit staitment - Thu, 11 Sep 2008 1:38pm
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