Today, January 4, 119 years ago, a female, wild-caught Asian elephant called Topsy is killed in front of 1,000 plus people at Lunar Park, one of America’s first amusement parks,… Read More
Insectageddon On the Brink II from Writers Rebel Hosted by novelist Laline Paull Join me speaking at Insectageddon with Terry Tempest Williams Isabella Rossellini Professor Dave Goulson Rebel Jay Griffiths… Read More
Topsy was in her late twenties when she was murdered at Luna Park on Coney Island in New York on January 4, 1903. The murder scene is one of America’s first theme parks at a time when the United States emerges as an industrial world leader. My use of the word “murder” rather than “killed” is deliberate. Her life and death represent the fate of many animals—not just elephants and not just in the entertainment industry. Even though some thought her guilty, I felt she was innocent.… Read More
My colleague, Philip Wilson, very kindly donates to my animal rights archive a copy of William Swainson’s On the Habits and Instincts of Animals published in London in 1840.… Read More
A video of my presentation, Topsy, An Elephant We Must Never Forget, will be shown at the conference organised by the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.… Read More
Generally elephants fascinate me but one particular elephant has a special place in my heart. She is Topsy who was an Asian elephant killed by electrocution at New York’s Coney Island in 1903.… Read More
Mark Hawthorne wrote Bleating Hearts because he wanted to ‘examine animal exploitation that does not get enough (or any) attention.’ (4) As you might expect, this is a book that… Read More
Tomorrow’s (March 13, 2014) Backbench Business Committee debate in the House of Commons in support of a motion relating to the badger cull states that this: House believes that the… Read More
My MP is Amber Rudd, Conservative, who represents Hastings and Rye. The following is an email I sent today to Ms Rudd asking her to vote in favour of a… Read More
What do these three things have in common? They all relate to new projects I’m currently working on and want to bring you up to date with. First, my colleague… Read More
The Conservative MP for Hastings and Rye, Amber Rudd, who is my Parliamentary representative, writes to me in support of the government’s badger cull. In response to a telephone call… Read More
Caroline Spelman, the UK coalition government’s Environment Minister, announced yesterday in the House of Commons that there will be two six week trials next year, in different parts of England.… Read More
Sadly, I am unable to attend but I urge those who can to attend the Association of Lawyers for Animal Welfare seminar, ‘Zoo licensing – is the regulatory regime working?,’ on Wednesday,… Read More
Bee Friedlander, my colleague at the Animals and Society Institute, chronicles the growing awareness of animal welfare at her local zoo in Detroit. She writes, Today the Detroit Zoo has… Read More
I admit to not always joining every Cause on Facebook I get invited to if for no other reason than I’m overwhelmed with email, tweets, etc. and it’s one way… Read More
Truly amazing photographs from Oscar Ciutat. See also comment from Andrew Sullivan.… Read More
Remember in April I commented on press reports that the Conservative-led coalition government was set to ban wild animals from performing in circuses? I expressed reservation that this, indeed, would… Read More
Two Green MEPs, Jean Lambert and Keith Taylor, jointly publish an excellent leaflet on animal welfare and the actions they’ve taken on them. All MPs and MEPs should be following this example… Read More
Animal activists across the world via the Web are rushing to report the UK government will ban animals in circuses following on from a report in the Daily Express, which… Read More
This photo, which I originally published here, is challenged. It’s not a fake, exactly; the image is real, but it’s five years old, and was taken at a panda research… Read More
