Perhaps the largest marine disaster to happen in decades, and now considered the largest oil spill in the history of the United States, the explosion at the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig on April 20, 2010 has led to an environmental catastrophe that continues without abatement and whose oily clutches extend from slicks on the ocean’s surface to deep swells near the ocean’s floor. Armed with mops and rags, seeming trifles compared to the magnitude of the oil’s reach, the human response to the disaster has been one of caution and vigilance. With no real solution in sight, coastal inhabitants, volunteers, even the government, can only try to redirect the slicks away from fragile coastal regions or don the tools of the domestic and use brooms and rubber gloves in an attempt to clean house. That, and wait.

While it goes without saying that the oil spill has led many consumers and legislators to question and call attention to our dependence on oil, the spill has also demonstrated to what extent our world is an ecological network, where the health and survival of one species depends on that of another; where the destruction of an environment may affect ecosystems across the planet. Carl Safina, president of the Blue Ocean Institute, has illustrated the importance of the Gulf Coast as an aviary highway and stopover for many migratory birds who depend on the food sources and breeding grounds found there. But with the toxic oil and dispersant residues permeating not only the shoreline and nesting habitats, but also killing and contaminating fish populations, the survival of bird species from as far north as the Canadian Arctic and as far south as the southern tip of South America is put in jeopardy.

We at Deep Roots Animal Sanctuary grieve for the lives, both human and non-human, lost to this terrible tragedy. While we mourn the ecological consequences of this catastrophic event and support efforts to clean-up and change energy consumption in the United States, we also recognize that habitat destruction and species endangerment is a chronic issue. That is why we at Deep Roots are dedicated to providing refuge and rehabilitation to wild birds and waterfowl. Now, more than ever, we need your help–bird species around the world need your help–to protect their livelihoods and preserve their futures.

If you would like to be a part of our efforts to rescue and protect birds and waterfowl, please visit us at deeprootssanctuary.org or contribute to our kickstarter campaign where we are raising money to build a bird rehab center.

I decided not to break the posts into categories this edition because there were a lot of posts that didn’t easily fit into a box. I guess that’s a downside to seeing the interconnectedness of everything:)

Animal Rights 101 [An Animal-Friendly Life]
Eric Prescott has started a series of posts to introduce people to the fundamentals of the abolitionist approach to animal rights. The series now consists of three parts. Part One: The Need talks about why we need to clearly define animal rights. The second part, Rights, breaks down the differences and connections between legal and moral rights. And part three, Animal Rights, delves into the notion of sentience and the basis of equal consideration.

With greater clarity, precision, and stronger claims-making, our movement will be more coherent as it strikes at the roots of animal exploitation, rather than spending vast resources on efforts for nonhuman beings that on the surface seem good, but which ultimately do very little for them individually and may well further entrench their status as property for humans to use for the foreseeable future.

Veganism, Privilege and Liberation [The Vegan Ideal]
Dani, at The Vegan Ideal, writes about veganism as an ideology of liberation that renounces human privilege.

Theory and practice are one; you can’t “renounce absolutely … the right to use” without, at the same time, renouncing the actual use and the benefits of that use.

Full Frontal Factory Farming [Elaine Vigneault]
Many of us radicals and progressives have challenged PETA’s use of women in their campaigns. This is an excellent post from Elaine that challenges us to take a closer look at what is going on with these demonstrations and to open our minds to the idea that perhaps PETA may have a feminist perspective after all.

Speciesism: It’s Only Human [The Vegan Ideal]
The thing I like most about this post is that you could easily substitute some words and be talking about ableism, classism, racism, sexism, sizism or any other systematic oppression. Dani wrote a good follow-up, too, called Challenging the Structure of Nonhuman Oppression.

PPS Calls for Change in Direction of Vegan Advocacy [Animal Person]
Mary Martin, of Animal Person, toots the horn of the Peaceful Prairie Sanctuary and breaks down why the change in vegan advocacy is essential. Be sure to check out the original article from PPS, too.

if you believe there’s no such thing as humane farming, you do your own message a disservice by using “factory farming” as your descriptor because that creates an opening for the acceptance of an alternative.

On Speciesism, the ALF and the Media [Animal Person]
Mary sets a great example with this post. She opens her mind to the possibility of expanding definitions and encouraging new tactics in the name of strengthening strategies for an end goal: animal liberation. She also does a great job at address the concern of “negative media image” of ALF actions hurting the animal rights cause. And if that post wasn’t enough, she has a great follow-up responding to the backlash.

When one claims to be against speciesism, but would use certain tactics in the service of humans but not nonhumans, I have no choice but to say that’s a profound contradiction (a.k.a., hypocrisy).

Robot Monkeys [The PETA Files]
Grace gives us a perfect example of unnecessary animal testing. While the implications of a prosthetic limb can prove to be helpful to amputees, the argument for using monkeys in the experiment becomes morally bankrupt when it is leaked that the study has already been conducted… with humans.

The electrodes in the monkeys’ brains were attached to a computer, and the computer was attached to a robotic arm. The vivisectors restrained the monkeys’ arms and had the animals use their thoughts to move the robotic arm to their mouths so that they could get the food.

Earth Balance, palm oil, rainforests and RAN [Invisible Voices]
Deb over at Invisible Voices openly shares her struggle with coming to terms about the fact that the beloved vegan butter, Earth Balance, kills animals by destroying habitat, not to mention displacing communities, exploiting workers, and killing other species. Not that palm oil is particularly insidious (as Deb admits in the comments), environmental destruction is a part of industrial farming, but there is an active campaign to stop the deforestation caused by palm oil.

Every time I turn around, I’m reminded about how intertwined these issues are. Social justice, environmental protection, animal rights. Palm oil is a hat trick of issues, and it is something we all need to pay attention to.

Join folks from around Indiana for a weekend of socializing, sharing skills, discussion, and music! It is a critical time for opposition to Interstate 69, so let’s get together, meet one another, and learn skills and information to help us stop this road. As a culmination of the efforts and energies of hundreds of people who have over the past year signed pledges to resist construction of the road, this camp is sure to be an exciting and empowering space. The Pledge Camp and the I-69 Music Festival have teamed up for a wonderful weekend of education and fun!

Initial List of Workshops:

• Overview of Interstate 69
• Non-Violent Civil Disobedience Training
• Tree Climbing
• How Interstate 69 Affects Us
• Blockades and Technical Climbing
• Women’s and Trans Caucus
• How Roads Have Been Stopped Elsewhere

Food and camping areas will be provided. Directions and carpool info are listed below.

If you have any questions or can offer resources please write to: i69listeningproject@yahoo.com

One city’s fight over biomed plans [Christian Science Monitor]
When Covance, a multinational drug-testing company, elected to build a $44 million laboratory here – where it will test chemical and medical compounds on animals – residents, as well as national and international animal rights groups, mounted a vigorous campaign to block it.
To learn more about Covance, go to http://www.protectchandler.org/

Vick Loses Another Sponsor _ Rawlings [ABC News]
Michael Vick lost another sponsor Rawlings. The sports goods company said Tuesday it was ending its relationship with the Atlanta Flacons quarterback because of dogfighting conspiracy charges.

Nike suspends Vick’s endorsement deal [The Oregonian]
A week after seemingly standing by accused dogfighter Michael Vick, Nike said Friday it is suspending without pay its multimillion-dollar endorsement contract with the embattled NFL quarterback.

Is a Vegetarian Diet Healthier? [MSN]
Evidence has been building for two decades that people who eat a mostly vegetarian diet have the upper hand. But even scientific studies may not be enough to convince meat eaters to give up their lust for flesh in exchange for a longer, more disease-free life.

Your Veggie Burger Deconstructed [MSN]
We explain the purpose of some mysterious ingredients commonly spotted on the labels of meat-free burgers.

Poaching, Encroachment Threaten India’s Leopards [ENN]
India’s leopards are under threat, with increasing numbers of the wild cats being poached for their body parts and villagers killing them for straying into human settlements, experts said.

Canada Fights Belgian Ban on Seal Trade at WTO [ENN]
Canada will request consultations at the World Trade Organization to challenge Belgium’s ban of Canadian seal products.

Paul Sentenced to 4 Years… and a Book Report [Green Is The New Red.com]
A federal judge sentenced Jonathan Paul to four years and three months in prison for his role in a 1997 fire that destroyed the Cavel West horsemeat packing plant in Redmond, Ore.

‘Vegansexuals’ Do It With Each Other [ABC]
A recent study conducted in New Zealand found that vegans — notoriously finicky eaters who don’t eat meat or animal byproducts, like eggs and dairy — don’t like the idea of swapping spit (or anything else) with those who have been dining on flesh.

I-Team Report: Poultry Farm Abuse [Fox 8 News, Cleveland]
The Fox 8 News I-Team has obtained hidden camera video shot inside one of the nation’s largest poultry slaughterhouses. (link contains graphic video footage)

Dumping pets a burden on national forests [The Huntsville Item]
Each year, unwanted cats and dogs dumped on national forest lands kill and harass native birds, small mammals, amphibians and reptiles.

Activists ask feds to confiscate Maggie [KTUU]
In a letter sent to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, In Defense of Animals claims the Alaska Zoo is in violation of the Animal Welfare Act.

Costa Rica monkeys lose ground to developers [MSN]
Costa Rica has lost up to half of its monkeys over the last 12 years as developers expanding into their jungle habitat isolate them in small communities, according to local scientists.

Victory for animal rights group against testing [The Independent]
An anti-vivisection campaign group won a partial victory yesterday in its High Court claim that the Government was failing in its legal duty to ensure animal suffering was kept to a minimum in UK laboratories.

Federal Agency Agrees to Issue New Rules Protecting Whales from Fishing Gear Entanglement [ENN]
New rules to protect endangered whales from fatal fishing-gear entanglements will be in place this fall after environmentalists sued to end the delay.

Battle rages over bill to require pet fixes [DailyBreeze.com]
“There were 2,800 bills introduced in the Legislature this year,” said state Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, “and if you were to ask me which one I’ve received the most reaction to, this is at the top of the list.”

Quebec Foie Gras Investigation [Global Action Network]
Several months ago, Global Action Network, in collaboration with Farm Sanctuary, embarked on an extensive undercover investigation of Canada’s largest foie gras farm – Elevages Perigord.

Animal Rights’ Group Applauds Bans On Declawing of Cats [Loyal Subscriber]
West Hollywood’s groundbreaking ban on declawing cats, which was just upheld by a state appeals court, is the first such ban in the U.S., although 21 other countries have already banned this painful and “unnecessary mutilation,” as the British Veterinary Association calls it.

The NRDC and BioGems Defenders are now embarking on a campaign to protect the endangered Grizzly Bear. Grizzly habitat in the lower 48 states is being targeted for oil and gas drilling. In combination with the Bush administration’s proposal to remove the Grizzly from the endangered species list, this could mean the end of the Grizzly Bear. The irony is that the administration is likely removing the Grizzly from the list so that corporate interests can exploit the Grizzly habitat for profit (at the expense of the Grizzly population).

It is important that animal rights activists get involved in environmentalist organizing efforts and extend our compassion beyond domesticated animals.