The Feds’ War on the Animal Rights Movement [counterpunch]
The imprisonment of the group, known as SHAC 7, is nothing more than history repeating itself. Those who first called for an end to slavery were imprisoned. Those who believed women should vote went to jail. Civil rights activists, supporters of gay and lesbian rights, and now animal rights activists have all been jailed. The only thing sadder than the imprisonment of animal rights activists is that they are fighting for a losing cause; for we now live in a society that slaps the wrist of a person who harms the neighbor’s dog yet subsidizes the systematic annual killing of billions of other animals for food, clothing, research and sport.

Urgent Action Needed for Kangaroos in California [Animal Protection Institute]
SB 880, a bill that would allow the sale of kangaroo skins and body parts in the state of California, is sailing through the legislative process. Sadly, it has now passed the Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee and moves to the Assembly for a floor vote.

Beyond Vick: Animal Cruelty for Sport [NPR]
And Vick’s infamy has at least put the spotlight on the loathsome business of dog-fighting. Who knew that the Humane Society estimates that there are as many as 40,000 Americans who fight dogs? And there are, too, other animal torture amusements in this country that, lacking a celebrity to spotlight them, actually remain legal in many states.(audio)

Cities Across North America Walk to Save Farm Animals [PR Newswire]
Throughout September and October, compassionate citizens join Farm Sanctuary, the nation’s leading farm animal protection organization, in the annual Walk for Farm Animals.

Tiger, Tiger: Why it’s time to reconsider the whole notion of putting wild animals in zoos [Newsweek]
The tigers I saw spent all day pacing in their cages, and it was clear that they were not happy cats. The attack on Jeff Tierney ought to remind us that these are wild animals that we foolishly expect to behave like house pets so that we can ogle them.

Lawmaker-Veterinarian Wants Pets Protected [WLWT-NBC]
A veterinarian who also serves as a legislator is pushing for changes in the state’s animal protection laws to keep pets out of the hands of neglectful owners.

Decision on managing the bear population due[NorthJersey.com]
After Wednesday’s deadline for comment, state Environmental Commissioner Lisa P. Jackson will then have to a render a decision on the best way deal with the state’s estimated 3,000 bears.

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.

Will Potter Posts Updated Analysis of Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act [GreenIsTheNewRed.com]
I finally got around to posting my updated analysis of the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act and posted a new pdf file that you can download as well.

UCSF Primate Research Is Target Of Watchdog Group [KTVU]
Ohio-based Stop Animal Exploitation Now (SAEN) has filed an official complaint with the USDA about UCSF and its research practices on primates, the group announced today.

Vineyard shark tournament met with opposition [WPRI]
Groups like the Humane Society of the United States say shark fishing techniques are barbaric and tournaments harm dwindling populations of thresher, blue and mako sharks.

SLC law limits picketing, but legal challenges sure to come [Salt Lake Tribune]
After abbreviated debate, the council voted 5-2 to make it illegal to demonstrate within 100 feet of private residences in Utah’s capital.

Animal group backs ACT’s proposed caged egg ban [ABC Rural]
Animal Liberation hopes a Bill to ban battery egg production in the ACT will set a precedent for other states.

Livestock contractor for rodeo sued [The State Journal-Register]
Saying that bulls were jabbed and electrically shocked at last summer’s rodeo, Steve Hindi, president of Geneva-based Showing Animals Respect and Kindness, on Friday sued Johnson & Jordan Rodeos LLC, which provided animals for the 2006 event. Johnson & Jordan is scheduled to do the same for this year’s weeklong rodeo, which begins Sunday at the Illinois State Fairgrounds.

Red panda escapes from Zoo exhibit again [Yahoo! News]
Virginia Zoo officials on Monday began trimming the landscaping around a new red panda exhibit after the animal escaped for the second time in less than a month.

In Speech, Sen. Byrd Denounces Enthusiasts of Dogfighting [Washington Post]
“I am confident that the hottest places in hell are reserved for the souls of sick and brutal people who hold God’s creatures in such brutal and cruel contempt,” he said.

NOTE: I have purposefully left out any news coverage of the Michael Vick indictment. The reason is because I am working on a separate post for that issue… and its not exactly hard to find coverage of it.

Indiana Shelter Euthanizing Animals Inhumanely, Ex-Workers Say [Channel 6 News]
“They get all doped up, and they … run into the walls and everything,” Frye said. “It’s horrible to watch. It’s horrible to even have to be a part of it.”
Frye said it took some animals an hour to die.

Judge allows last US horse slaughterhouse to stay open a few more days [International Herald Tribune]
A judge has extended an order allowing the United States’ last operating horse slaughterhouse to remain in business while it challenges a state law that would force it to close.

Knesset outlaws animal testing for cosmetic products [The Jerusalem Post]
Animal shelters across Israel prepared to take in new tenants Monday, after the Knesset passed a law outlawing all animal testing for cosmetic and cleaning products.

Other big aquariums face risks of cutting-edge captivity [Atlanta Journal-Constitution]
Some of the nation’s major aquariums experienced a bit of déjà vu this week when the second whale shark in six months died at the Georgia Aquarium, unleashing a wave of negative publicity and stinging criticism.

The sick hipness of dog fighting [Chicago Sun-Times]
Embraced by street gangs starting in the late 1980s, who were drawn to it for their own sport then discovered it could be a profitable enterprise, the new world of dog fighting ranges from highly organized, well-attended matches featuring tens of thousands of dollars in betting pools and prize money to impromptu bouts on street corners and in playgrounds.

Animal hoarding becoming ‘epidemic’ [The Citizens Voice]
There are an estimated 3,000 cases of animal hoarding each year, involving nearly a quarter of a million animals, said Gary Patronek, a veterinarian and epidemiologist with the Animal Rescue League of Boston.

Animal rights activists free Bulgaria’s last 3 dancing bears, ending practice [Canada.com]
After a lifetime of brutal treatment, including walking on burning embers, Bulgaria’s last three dancing bears will get to rest their paws at a mountain sanctuary, in an apparent end to the centuries-old performance tradition in the Balkans.

Wildlife trade talks end with surprises [MSNBC]
Elephants emerged safer and tigers won a vote of support, but sharks and corals failed to win protection at a two-week wildlife trade conference that ended Friday.