Sunday, October 7, 2012
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Zoe the wild pig rides a taxi to freedom……
When Zoe was just a month old she was found in an underground Bangkok wildlife
market by a Swiss couple who live in Chiang Mai in the north of Thailand.
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| a month after rescue |
Seeing the tiny weak frightened creature stuck in the heat without food, water or
any comfort, they immediately knew they had to help her or she would not survive
for very long. Fearing the worst they immediately purchased her although they
knew it was not legally the ‘right’ thing to do. But they knew if they went to get
the police, the pig would ‘disappear’ from the stall where she was hidden in a box
undercover whilst the trader was looking for likely customers.
As they were booked on a flight returning to Chiang Mai the next day, they decided
to smuggle her into their hotel room for the night to treat her dehydration and get
some soya bean milk into her, then take her on the flight the next day.
Their intention was to report the incident to the police in Chiang Mai and hand her
over to the government forestry department upon return home, wanting her nearby
so they could keep an eye on her progress.
At the airport the next day the pig was refused onboard without a permit from the
forestry dept. and a license of ownership. Since that could take weeks, they decided
to hire a taxi at the airport to drive the pig to Chiang Mai. Wanting to make sure
the pig would get there they gave the driver 1000 baht, enough to cover the petrol
and his meals and told him he would get another 5000 baht when the pig was safely
delivered to their address. The driver took the challenge and even bottle fed the pig
on the way. Eight hours later Zoe arrived at their house looking a lot fatter.
Bless the kind taxi driver for getting her there at all; he could have taken
the money and had roast dinner!
Zoe at home with her rescuer Carlos.
Much to the their surprise the illegal pig was of no interest to either the police or
the forestry department, who declared they had plenty of pigs!
So, they took her home and gave her all the love they had.
Soon Zoe made friends with the family dog.
"Hm…what on Earth have they brought home now?"
She was such a happy, contented, totally house clean little pig, who loved to eat
spaghetti, go for walks on a leash and watch TV!
An endless source of joy!
There was no end to her funny little antics and nose nudges for love.
As she started to grow very fast, Elena & Carlos realized they had to find a new
loving home for her, a wild pig, no matter how tame she is, can’t live in a townhouse
in the city. Although they would have loved to keep her forever, they started to look
for a new suitable forever home for her. Searching the internet, they found;
http://animal-sanctuary.chiangmai-chiangrai.com
an animal sanctuary north of Chiang Mai housing formerly abused farm, domestic wild animals and birds.
This seemed the perfect choice for Zoe since it was obvious she could never survive in the wild.
That would be very scary, besides there’s no watermelon and pasta!
No belly rubs and lullabies…..
No, Elena & Carlos just couldn’t imagine Zoe in the wild…!
She was a 5 star pig, a VIP – a Very Important Pig!
She had to go to a very special place.
So they called the sanctuary and we were delighted to have this delicious pig
join our animal welfare education programs.
At Love Animal Sanctuary Zoe could get an over dose of belly rubs from our visiting Thai students.
And so it turned out to be!
Zoe having the IQ of a five year old child relishes the attention.
Yeah! Belly rubs! Four legs up in the air with snoring effects.
She gives a good lesson in relaxation. That pig is a meditation master!
Zoe only goes wild when she has a bath. She loves it! Then she jumps & screams and
goes bolting around the compound tumbling over the surprised dogs & students.
She makes everyone giggle and laugh.
LOVE OF LIFE IS SUCH GOOD THERAPY FROM A PIG!
Sad to give Zoe up, but happy she will be truly loved & cared for.
This has been Zoe’s house for the last year at Love Animal House.
The first year she slept with the rescued dogs until she started pushing her weight around. Then we built her this house out of an old monkey cage. She has a spacious compound to run in and wallow in the mud.
Unfortunately this rented property floods more & more every year and the
sanctuary is soon forced to move 60 dogs & cats, birds, 5 water buffalo & Zoe.
Constant heavy rains, no doubt due to climate change, is causing a lot of problems
with floods in Thailand now. Thousands of pets had to be rescued from Bangkok
last year and this year is anticipated to be worse.
Love Animal Sanctuary has another location which was donated 10 years ago.
Presently that 3 acre property houses 25 cows & bulls rescued from slaughter by
kind people. They were given to the sanctuary to care for the rest of their lives.
Because Love Animal House is entirely sponsored by private contributions there
were never enough funds left after the food & medical bills were paid to develop
solid structures. The workers are paid with my monthly pension.
Bamboo is usually the order of the day.
We need chain link fencing & concrete buildings for dogs.
Donations are necessary to make this happen.
Your support will never be forgotten.
100 formerly abused or abandoned animals will have a permanent home to live out
their lives in peace.
All Animal Lovers; Be Blessed with Joy!
Thanks for your support!
Marianne Willemse
Love Animal Sanctuary Thailand
http://www.animal-sanctuary.chiangmai-chiangrai.com
http://www.onevoiceforanimals.com
http://www.elephant-book.com
http://www.facebook.com/MarianneWillemse
Monday, March 12, 2012
Are You Happy? Happiness is the only thing that matters in life.
Happiness should be the goal for everything we do.
What purpose is more important than to be happy and share our happiness with others?
Happiness opens the doors for new opportunities & adventures,
to thrill your imagination and lift your life into higher octaves.
Your Life Can Be A Symphony!
Be grateful for what you have,
start Smiling and let your Passion For Life be your fuel.
Get yourself into FAST FORWARD - Smile, BE happy and you can go anywhere you want.
A happy person is always welcome anywhere.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
The Coming Golden Age
This is were Humanity is heading...... a new way of thinking,
whether we like it or not,
the Golden Age is coming..
the Earth has chosen to Ascend.
The consciousness of Earth is raising above the human turmoil of the 3rd realm of existence
(changing her face in the process)
in order to restore vital energies which have been depleted by ignorant inhabitants for the past 3600 years.
Old belief systems have only served to destroy Life on Earth.
Peace starts 'inside the mind'.
Change Your Mind and you can change the world.
Freedom to jump 'out of the box' and into another realm of existence
can only come with an awareness of the Natural Laws of the Universe -
a dimension of thought where all life matters and has a right to exist.
Unity Consciousness is the true law of the universe and the only sustainable system for Planet Earth.
2012 Abundant Life/transform
Friday, July 29, 2011
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Moving Sanctuary- 50 animals need new homes built.
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การเคลื่อนย้ายสถานสงเคราะห์สัตว์ สัตว์กว่า 50 ชีวิตต้องการที่อยู่อาศัยใหม่ ณ ขณะนี้
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| Zoe the wild pig in her new spacious enclosure. โซอี้ เจ้าหมูป่าในพื้นที่ล้อมรั้วที่กว้างใหญ่ |
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| The education center will be moved to 7 rai where we already have buffalo. ศูนย์การศึกษาจะย้ายไปอยู่บนพื้นที่กว่า 7 ไร่ ซึ่งเป็นที่ที่เรามีกระบืออาศัยอยู่ที่นั่นแล้ว |
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| Zoe loves her new space. โซอี้ชอบพื้นที่ใหม่ของหล่อนมาก |
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| Our buffalo are very content. ส่วนกระบือของเราก็มีความพึงพอใจเป็นอย่างมาก |
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| Baby Buff enjoys her life of freedom. ลูกกระบือก็มีความสุขกับอิสรภาพของชีวิต |
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| Our boys whose parents work on the project. เด็กๆ ที่พ่อกับแม่ทำงานที่นี่ |
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| Workers build new cow fences. คนงานกำลังสร้างรั้วใหม่ |
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| Illy & Pae move filing cabinets. อิลลี่และแพรกำลังเคลื่อนย้ายตู้เก็บเอกสาร |
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| Truck gets loaded with gardening stuff. รถกระบะบรรทุกอุปกรณ์ทำสวน |
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| New fences at the cow sanctuary. รั้วใหม่ของคอกวัว |
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| Even special trees get moved. แม้แต่ต้นไม้พิเศษๆ ยังต้องขนย้ายไปด้วย |
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| Payap University engineering students who love animals came for a friendly & helpful visit. นักศึกษาคณะวิศวกรรมศาสตร์ มหาวิทยาลัยพายัพ ผู้ซึ่งรักสัตว์ก็ได้มาเยี่ยมเยียนและให้การช่วยเหลือย่างเป็นกันเอง |
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| Donation of food for the dogs - Noel the retriever loves to receive guests. บริจาคอาหารสุนัขด้วย โนเอล สุนัขพันธุ์รีทรีฟเว่อร์ก็ชอบให้แขกมาเยี่ยม |
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| PETA & Charlie get some special attention. เพต้า และ ชาร์ลี ได้รับความสนอกสนใจเป็นพิเศษ |
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| Off to the new sanctuary. ออกเดินทางไปยังสถานสงเคราะห์สัตว์แห่งใหม่ |
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| Lots to talk about and observe. มีหลายเรื่องที่จะต้องคุยและสังเกต |
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| The pig is very interesting. เจ้าหมูตัวนี้น่าสนใจมาก |
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| Dog houses will be built in this space. คอกสุนัขจะถูกสร้างขึ้นในพื้นที่ตรงนี้ |
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| Cows crowd to meet visitors. วัวกำลังเบียดเสียดกันเพื่อมาพบปะกับผู้มาเยือน |
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Hey, plakard khao is not too bad... เฮ้ ผักกาดขาวนี่ก็ไม่เลวนะ |
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| 25 cows & bulls have been saved from slaughter by kind people. They now live their life in peace at Love Animal House. วัวและวัวกระทิงกว่า 25 ตัวถูกไถ่ออกมาจากโรงฆ่าสัตว์โดยผู้คนใจบุญ ขณะนี้วัวเหล่านี้ก็มีชีวิตอยู่อย่างสงบ ณ บ้านรักสัตว์ |
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| This old girl needs special attention. วัวแก่ก็ต้องการความเอาใจเป็นพิเศษ |
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| Never too busy to stop for a child's birthday party. Jatar has been on the project since he was only 4. Here we celebrate his 9th birthday. ฉันไม่เคยที่จะยุ่งจนเกินไปที่จะหยุดฉลองปาร์ตี้วันเกิด น้องจาต้าร์เข้าร่วมกับโครงการของเราตั้งแต่อายุได้เพียง 4 ขวบและที่นี่เราก็กำลังเฉลิมฉลองงานวันเกิดครบรอบ 9 ขวบของน้องจาร์ต้า |
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| Goose, duck & chicken house under construction. คอกห่าน ไก่ เป็ด กำลังอยู่ภายใต้การก่อสร้าง |
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| New sanctuary - construction in the process. สถานสงเคราะห์สัตว์แห่งใหม่กำลังอยู่ในขั้นตอนของการก่อสร้าง |
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| Watch for more photos, COMING SOON! รับชมรูปอื่นๆอีกมากมายได้เร็วๆนี้ |
I'm still waiting to see my new house. Wonder what it will be like?
ฉันกำลังรอคอยที่จะเห็นบ้านใหม่ สงสัยจังเลยว่ามันจะออกมาเป็นแบบไหนน้อ
I heard we can make all the noise we want and run for miles.
ฉันได้ยินมาว่าเราสามารถทำเสียงทุกเสียงออกมาตามที่เราต้องการและก็สามารถวิ่งไปได้หลายๆไมล์ได้ด้วยล่ะ
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| Poor Jacques.... he doesn't know where he is going YET! แจ็คผู้น่าสงสาร เขาไม่รู้เลยว่าเขากำลังจะไปไหน STAY TUNED FOR UPDATES. ติดตามชมข่าวสารได้ใหม่นะคะ |
Thursday, July 7, 2011
YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT....!
What’s (in) Your Beef?
by Angel F.
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In an article entitled: Safety of Beef Processing Method Is Questioned, the New York Times Online closed off 2009 with a stunning exposé of a particularly disgusting and deadly ingredient in the American food supply.
Before I go any further, I want to make it clear that, as far as I’m concerned, there is not a single part of an animal’s body, or a product that comes from an animal’s body, that is appropriate for human consumption, whether or not the body parts in question are contaminated with pathogens. Using animals for our pleasure is wrong, and that remains true whether or not it is also physically harmful to us.
Having said that, I believe this story shines a light on some little-known facts about the products of animal slavery that many people, sadly, still consider ‘food’. Unfortunately, the deceptively mild headline in The Times could almost be ignored by many as yet another report on yet another way that eating meat can kill you. Behind it, however, lies information that every person should know.
The ingredient in question is ammoniated beef trimmings (or ‘pink slime’, as described by one USDA official). Ammoniated beef trimmings are a slaughterhouse product made from trimmings that were previously considered waste (or should I say, only considered suitable for ‘pet food’). These trimmings “typically include most of the material from the outer surfaces of the carcass” which contains “larger microbiological populations”.
As stated in The Times, eight years ago, a company called Beef Products Inc. (BPI) came up with a way to turn the trimmings into money (to the tune of around $440 million a year), by turning them into “a mashlike substance frozen into blocks or chips”, that can be added to regular ground beef. The school lunch program, for instance, uses the processed beef because it saves them about $1 million a year.
As described in Grist.org,
“Evidently, scraps of cow flesh, swept up from slaughterhouse floors and pulverized into a kind of paste, are moving through the tubes… [and are] subjected to lashings of ammonium hydroxide to kill bacteria… The scene ends with heavily protected workers carefully packing uniform flesh-colored blocks into boxes.”
That’s right – scraps of cow flesh swept up from slaughterhouse floors, pulverized and treated with ammonia are being sold as a food ingredient.
The fact that ammonia is generally considered a poison didn’t seem to bother the USDA, which not only approved the process, but also agreed to the company’s request that the ammonia be classified as a “processing agent” and not an ingredient that would have to be listed on labels.
“Officials at the USDA endorsed the company’s ammonia treatment, and have said it destroys E. coli ‘to an undetectable level.’ They decided it was so effective that in 2007, when the department began routine testing of meat used in hamburger sold to the general public, they exempted Beef Products.”
When the department began routine testing… they exempted BPI. And since the processed beef was believed to be pathogen-free, it was also excluded from recalls, even when it was an ingredient in hamburgers found to be contaminated.
But tests done by the school lunch program have found both E. coli and salmonella in the ammoniated beef dozens of times. This could be due to the fact that, when treated with sufficient ammonia to kill the pathogens, the product was inedible, since it stunk of ammonia. The company’s response? They lessened the amount of ammonia used in the treatment, allowing the pathogens to survive, and potentially make their way into the digestive tracts of children and adults all over the US.
“Since 2005, E. coli has been found 3 times and salmonella 48 times, including back-to-back incidents in August in which two 27,000-pound batches were found to be contaminated. The meat was caught before reaching lunch-room trays.”
According to The Times, the majority of hamburger now sold in the U.S. contains fatty slaughterhouse trimmings which “the industry once relegated to pet food and cooking oil”.
“With the U.S.D.A.’s stamp of approval, the company’s processed beef has become a mainstay in America’s hamburgers. McDonald’s, Burger King and other fast-food giants use it as a component in ground beef, as do grocery chains. The federal school lunch program used an estimated 5.5 million pounds of the processed beef last year alone.”
Despite (or perhaps because of) the increased frequency of E. coli outbreaks in recent years, we seem to have all but forgotten what the name itself actually means, equating the name “E. coli” with simply, “food poisoning”. But we should never forget what E. coli actually is, since its origin serves to remind us of something very important about our food, namely, that what we call ‘meat’ is actually the flesh of an animal who has been killed, an animal with organs and bodily functions, similar to our own.
E. coli (or Escherichia coli) is a bacteria that lives in the bowels of animals that humans eat, and although most people don’t usually think about it (or perhaps even know about it), there’s a disturbing reason that it shows up in the food supply so frequently.
During slaughterhouse ‘processing’, it’s fairly common that an animal’s bowels are ruptured, and when that happens, the contents spill out onto the flesh that will eventually end up on someone’s plate. The massive consumer demand for animal flesh results in US slaughterhouses killing and dismembering animals at a rate of over 300 per second. Considering those numbers, it’s almost impossible to avoid these kinds of incidents.
I know it’s graphic and disturbing, but to me, the fact that most people don’t even think about it is even more disturbing. Everybody should know the truth about what or whom they eat, about the products they generate demand for, and about the ethical practices of the companies they support with their purchases.
We shouldn’t fool ourselves into imagining that the meat industry cares about our safety, or the safety of our children. It would be foolish to expect them to act in an ethically sound manner, since they exist only to make a profit, and the product they provide is ethically deplorable from the outset.
They are making money by taking others’ lives… Don’t expect them to be concerned about yours.
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by Angel F.
In an article entitled: Safety of Beef Processing Method Is Questioned, the New York Times Online closed off 2009 with a stunning exposé of a particularly disgusting and deadly ingredient in the American food supply.
Before I go any further, I want to make it clear that, as far as I’m concerned, there is not a single part of an animal’s body, or a product that comes from an animal’s body, that is appropriate for human consumption, whether or not the body parts in question are contaminated with pathogens. Using animals for our pleasure is wrong, and that remains true whether or not it is also physically harmful to us.
Having said that, I believe this story shines a light on some little-known facts about the products of animal slavery that many people, sadly, still consider ‘food’. Unfortunately, the deceptively mild headline in The Times could almost be ignored by many as yet another report on yet another way that eating meat can kill you. Behind it, however, lies information that every person should know.
The ingredient in question is ammoniated beef trimmings (or ‘pink slime’, as described by one USDA official). Ammoniated beef trimmings are a slaughterhouse product made from trimmings that were previously considered waste (or should I say, only considered suitable for ‘pet food’). These trimmings “typically include most of the material from the outer surfaces of the carcass” which contains “larger microbiological populations”.
As stated in The Times, eight years ago, a company called Beef Products Inc. (BPI) came up with a way to turn the trimmings into money (to the tune of around $440 million a year), by turning them into “a mashlike substance frozen into blocks or chips”, that can be added to regular ground beef. The school lunch program, for instance, uses the processed beef because it saves them about $1 million a year.
As described in Grist.org,
“Evidently, scraps of cow flesh, swept up from slaughterhouse floors and pulverized into a kind of paste, are moving through the tubes… [and are] subjected to lashings of ammonium hydroxide to kill bacteria… The scene ends with heavily protected workers carefully packing uniform flesh-colored blocks into boxes.”
That’s right – scraps of cow flesh swept up from slaughterhouse floors, pulverized and treated with ammonia are being sold as a food ingredient.
The fact that ammonia is generally considered a poison didn’t seem to bother the USDA, which not only approved the process, but also agreed to the company’s request that the ammonia be classified as a “processing agent” and not an ingredient that would have to be listed on labels.
“Officials at the USDA endorsed the company’s ammonia treatment, and have said it destroys E. coli ‘to an undetectable level.’ They decided it was so effective that in 2007, when the department began routine testing of meat used in hamburger sold to the general public, they exempted Beef Products.”
When the department began routine testing… they exempted BPI. And since the processed beef was believed to be pathogen-free, it was also excluded from recalls, even when it was an ingredient in hamburgers found to be contaminated.
But tests done by the school lunch program have found both E. coli and salmonella in the ammoniated beef dozens of times. This could be due to the fact that, when treated with sufficient ammonia to kill the pathogens, the product was inedible, since it stunk of ammonia. The company’s response? They lessened the amount of ammonia used in the treatment, allowing the pathogens to survive, and potentially make their way into the digestive tracts of children and adults all over the US.
“Since 2005, E. coli has been found 3 times and salmonella 48 times, including back-to-back incidents in August in which two 27,000-pound batches were found to be contaminated. The meat was caught before reaching lunch-room trays.”
According to The Times, the majority of hamburger now sold in the U.S. contains fatty slaughterhouse trimmings which “the industry once relegated to pet food and cooking oil”.
“With the U.S.D.A.’s stamp of approval, the company’s processed beef has become a mainstay in America’s hamburgers. McDonald’s, Burger King and other fast-food giants use it as a component in ground beef, as do grocery chains. The federal school lunch program used an estimated 5.5 million pounds of the processed beef last year alone.”
Despite (or perhaps because of) the increased frequency of E. coli outbreaks in recent years, we seem to have all but forgotten what the name itself actually means, equating the name “E. coli” with simply, “food poisoning”. But we should never forget what E. coli actually is, since its origin serves to remind us of something very important about our food, namely, that what we call ‘meat’ is actually the flesh of an animal who has been killed, an animal with organs and bodily functions, similar to our own.
E. coli (or Escherichia coli) is a bacteria that lives in the bowels of animals that humans eat, and although most people don’t usually think about it (or perhaps even know about it), there’s a disturbing reason that it shows up in the food supply so frequently.
During slaughterhouse ‘processing’, it’s fairly common that an animal’s bowels are ruptured, and when that happens, the contents spill out onto the flesh that will eventually end up on someone’s plate. The massive consumer demand for animal flesh results in US slaughterhouses killing and dismembering animals at a rate of over 300 per second. Considering those numbers, it’s almost impossible to avoid these kinds of incidents.
I know it’s graphic and disturbing, but to me, the fact that most people don’t even think about it is even more disturbing. Everybody should know the truth about what or whom they eat, about the products they generate demand for, and about the ethical practices of the companies they support with their purchases.
We shouldn’t fool ourselves into imagining that the meat industry cares about our safety, or the safety of our children. It would be foolish to expect them to act in an ethically sound manner, since they exist only to make a profit, and the product they provide is ethically deplorable from the outset.
They are making money by taking others’ lives… Don’t expect them to be concerned about yours.
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