Feature Archives

Rainbow Grocery Cooperative has been hailed by animal activists for the decision to become the first San Francisco-based retailer to announce an exclusive cage-free egg policy. The celebrated grocery store joins a growing national network of cities, educational institutions, farmers, and retailers that oppose the intensive confinement of laying hens — a common egg industry practice.

Parrots known to have lived in San Francisco since the early 1970s has survived the loss of some tree habitat, cold snaps, and various other threats over the years. A popular film and book both called "The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill" brought the birds to national attention in 2004 and 2005. Legislative efforts have been made to help protect the flock, the first of which protected some of the birds' long-time tree habitat. Now, activists say the health, welfare and safety of the beloved wild parrots has been threatened by a large group of bird lovers who have taken to feeding the parrots daily, and on May 22nd and again on June 5th, the SF Board of Supervisors voted to ban human feeding of the flock.

Every year, over 800,000 pets end up in shelters in California. Taxpayers spend $250 million to house these abandoned cats and dogs and then euthanize the majority of them. Proponents of the Healthy Pets Act, a mandatory spay/neuter law, point to the wide availability of free and low-cost spay/neuter services and say it is a common sense solution to the problem of pet overpopulation. Advocates of the bill massed in Sacramento in support of the proposed law.

Animal rights and welfare groups have joined Stockton residents in opposing the development of a massive egg factory farm. "The last thing that the Stockton area needs is another factory farm poisoning our community, polluting our environment and abusing animals," stated resident Karen Courtemanche. Despite numerous past complaints against Olivera, the San Joaquin County Planning Department is planning to grant the approval for the farm without an Environmental Impact Report.

Esbenshade Farms, one of the nation's top egg producers, was prosecuted on charges of animal cruelty. Stemming from an undercover investigation by a worker affiliated with Compassion Over Killing, the manager and owner of Esbenshade Farms in Pennsylvania were charged with 35 counts of animal cruelty. For each count, the two men faced up to 90 days in jail, but on June 1, 2007, a Lancaster County judge acquitted a Pennsylvania egg factory farm owner and manager of animal cruelty charges.

The Sea Shepherd ship, Robert Hunter, has been holed in its starboard bow, and its port stern section above the waterline, during a collision with the whale spotter ship Kaiko Maru , according to Sea Shepherd's president Paul Watson. No injuries have been incurred by crew on both ships, and neither ship is in danger of sinking.

On Thursday, February 1st, Peter Young walked through the doors of the Victorville FCI II facility and into the free world. He was greeted by a small crowd and immediately taken to a celebration dinner in Los Angeles. To quote Peter’s toast (of coffee) that afternoon: “Here’s to being liberated”. Federal officials had accused him of freeing some 8,000 mink from fur farms in Wisconsin, South Dakota and Iowa.