This Cause is So Important. Please Educate Yourselves on This!

How Can These People Sleep At Night?
I had a great recipe to post today (don’t worry, I’ll post it soon enough), but when I got to work this morning, I had an email that just broke my heart, and I think people need to be aware of what is going on, more than people need another recipe. I occasionally get email updates on things from PETA. Although I don’t always agree completely with their practices and such, I do think that they do incredible things for the animals and for the environment, so I support them when I can. This morning, I received an email with the subject line reading “Ringling beats baby elephants!”
Funny how they don't show you this part when you do to the circus...
Would you do this to your baby?

Now, this is not something that I was unaware of. I was very aware of this fact, and have spoken out about it before in other forums. However, as I read the article and looked at the horrifying photos of these innocent animals being shocked, prodded, tied down and beaten, I started crying. It astonishes me that we call these animals the “beasts”. Even carnivorous animals do not torture their prey. Most can kill their prey in a matter of seconds, because they know exactly where to strike. They kill to survive. They don’t torture or disgrace their prey. They don’t torture other animals for entertainment or for sick pleasure. WE do. We are the only animals on the planet that do such terrible things. It’s US who are the real beasts, the monsters. Reading this email and looking at the images that I cannot very easily erase from my memory reminded me of the day I fell in love with these beautiful, majestic creatures, and even somewhat started me on my vegetarian (now vegan) journey.
How can people feel NOTHING for these animals?


A few years ago, I was sitting at home, bored, with nothing to do. I was flipping through the channels, and saw that a special was coming up on 60 Minutes about an Elephant Orphanage. I thought it sounded kind of interesting, especially since they used the term orphanage and not “shelter” or something. Curiosity got the better of me, and I swear to you, that episode changed my life. I never understood how complex and beautiful these creatures were! Did you know that just like humans, elephants can become clinically depressed…even suicidal…after seeing a traumatic event (such as their mother being killed by poachers), and actually have a harder time coming out of it than we do? Or that, just like humans, a baby cannot survive without the companionship of a family? And when they say that an elephant never forgets that it’s true? No wonder it’s so hard for them to come out of a traumatic situation…it’s burned in their memories deeper than in our own. These animals are smart, they love, and all they want is love in return. I sat on the couch, and bawled my eyes out watching these incredible people devoting their lives to saving these orphaned babies, and not only gained an entirely new perspective on animals, but on the compassion that some humans have as well. (Please click here for a link to the article version of this episode to learn all about this incredible place). http://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/ is where you can go to donate to this amazing organization.
This is exactly how people should be treating these animals, with love and respect.

Then I see things like circus animals and their keepers, and it sickens me. While someone in one part of the world is trying so hard to do everything they can to save these creatures, there are others who treat them like robots, toys even. It disgusts me.


I’m sorry that this post isn’t very uplifting, but I am trying to help this cause in any way possible. I want everyone to pass this information on, even just to one person. The more this information is known and talked about, the more aware we can be of what is really happening to these beautiful beings. Please share this information, donate if you can. And think twice before taking your children to see a circus.
We all know how incredible being free and loved feels...shouldn't they?