Animal rights activists demand British coffee chain withdraw advertising campaign Animal rights activists have demanded that the largest coffee chain in the United Kingdom pull a new advertising campaign because they fear that it will encourage viewers to buy monkeys as pets. The demands are likely to irritate Costa Coffee, who are determined to turn over a larger profit that their arch-rival, Starbucks. Five animal welfare groups have demanded that the advert, which features a futuristic room full of monkeys attempting to use coffee machines, be withdrawn. In a letter to the Rainforest Alliance, the charities say that “the use of wild animals in this way is contrary to your stance on conservation and, in particular, on rainforest species”. They urged the Alliance to revoke their endorsement of Costa products unless the adverts were withdrawn. The groups also wrote to the coffee chain, saying that they hoped that Costa—which has over 1,000 outlets in the UK—would “think it appropriate to cease using primates in future productions, and make the decision to withdraw the current advert”. California: Accused possum hacker draws ire of animal rights advocates Protestors crowded into a Nevada County courtroom Thursday to see a 19-year-old man who has been accused of hacking a possum to death and posting the incident online. Carter Livingston faces felony animal cruelty charges after someone who recognized him contacted authorities. The video allegedly showed Livingston hitting the possum with a meat cleaver 44 times. Protestors carried signs calling the suspect a psycho and a torturer. They wondered why the person or persons who videotaped the incident weren't charged. They also said they want Livingston to be convicted to a maximum of three years in prison. UK: Secret abattoir video shows ‘sickening' abuse of animals The government is calling on nearly 370 slaughterhouses in Britain to install surveillance cameras to help enforce legislation against cruelty to animals, following a controversial campaign run by animal rights activists. The Food Standards Agency plans to override objections in the meat industry to the move by saying breaches of the law are “unacceptable” and enlisting the support of consumers and supermarkets for the campaign. The move, to be discussed by the agency's board on Tuesday, represents a victory for the animal rights charity Animal Aid, which installed secret cameras in seven abattoirs across England. The charity said it had footage of pigs being kicked, stamped on and inappropriately stunned. Sainsbury's said it had suspended its contract with an abattoir in June as soon as allegations were made. El Paso: Cat Sales Restricted The El Paso City Council passed an ordinance on Tuesday of last week that will place certain restrictions on the sale of dogs and cats in El Paso, Texas. The ordinance, introduced in July, originally sought to prohibit the sale of all cats and dogs in an effort to reduce the number of animals euthanized in shelters. The amended version comes after the original El Paso ordinance was tabled in early August when the council was met with opposition from several breeders and rescue groups at a public hearing. The delay was to allow for further discussion on the topic, according to the council. Philadelphia: Students ask for cage-free eggs An image of pink chickens crowded together in a rickety cage appears on the homepage of cagefreemaryland.com under a heading that reads: “University of Maryland's Eggs: Cruel Enough to Make you Sick.” The website – which is sponsored by The Humane League, a Philadelphia-based nonprofit animal-rights organization – features one of several petitions circulating the university community asking that Dining Services purchase only eggs harvested from cage-free chickens. This petition follows the recent national panic over salmonella-contaminated eggs, declaring that chickens confined to the cramped cages typical of traditional poultry farms are more likely to produce infected eggs because of the unsanitary conditions. Arizona: No-kill shelter steps in to save dogs headed for death Many Valley residents have been to the county's animal shelter and seen those precious faces staring back. Right now there are thousands of Valley dogs that need to be adopted, but some will never get that chance because they will be euthanized before that one family can make it there. “If we can't take them, this dog will die at 5 o'clock tomorrow morning,” said Shelby Erdman, an animal behavior counselor for the Arizona Animal Welfare League (AAWL). Erdman and her co-worker Erin Quigley are what some might call “dog saviors”. Their job is to go into various county shelters and save animals as they can before they are put down the next day. BM
