4 Abusive Industries That Harm Horses

The way in which animals are exploited and used in today’s world is undeniably cruel.  Examples of ongoing abuse and neglect can be found in all forms – from the orcas held in captivity at SeaWorld to the countless creatures locked up in zoos to the thousands of farm animals suffering daily in factory farms.  Although there is a greater awareness among society, many of these cruel industries are still in full operation with no signs of ever ceasing.

When we view animals as money-making objects, we tend to ignore the fact that they are not exempt from suffering.  Horses are one of the most over-exploited animals on the planet. Here are five industries that are still harming horses.



1. The Racing Industry

Horses bred into the world of racing are forced to endure unthinkable cruelties, all in the name of profit.They are considered to be mere commodities in a greed-driven industry.Training begins at a very young age, despite the fact that the animals is still growing.   It is not uncommon for horses to be drugged in order to enhance performance as well as mask pain from injuries.  They are prevented from exhibiting natural behaviors including socializing with other horses.

2. Carriage Horses

Go to any major city and you are likely to come across a horse-drawn carriage.
From the outside, it looks like a romantic way to explore the city.The horses are decorated with bows and ribbons, pulling a beautiful carriage behind them.It has grown over the years to a wide-spread industry, thriving on unassuming tourists. The reality is it is far from romantic for the horses involved.They suffer greatly every day.

3. Live Export of Horses

Another thriving industry that few are likely to be aware of is the live export of horses to Japan for meat.Horses either bred for this purpose or purchased by kill buyers at local auctions are confined to wooden crates with many other frightened horses.In the dead of night, they are placed in cargo holds of airlines departing from Calgary International Airport in Canada.

4. Horse Slaughter

Nearly 80,000 horses are inhumanely killed every year.The slaughter industry is a massive one with roots all over the world.Again, the purpose is to produce horse meat – considered to be a delicacy by many.

Sea Turtles Threatened By Plastic Pollution

Scientists have long understood the devastating affects that plastic bags, bottles and other byproducts have on marine ecosystems. Now it appears that plastic pollution has had significant impacts on populations of all seven sea turtle species, a new study reveals.

"I was shocked at how little is known about the impacts of plastic on marine turtles," Sarah Nelms, one of the study's lead authors from the Centre for Ecology and Conservation at the University of Exeter, said in a news release. "We know that discarded plastic poses a serious threat to wildlife, but this study shows that more research is urgently needed if we are to understand the scale of the problem."

Annual global plastic production has grown from 1.5 million tons to 299 million tons in the last 65 years, according to the release. This only increases the amount of plastic pollution that ends up on both land and at sea. While previous studies have identified the threat of plastic pollution on seabird populations, for the recent study researchers specifically examined how sea turtles ingest or become entangled in discarded plastic debris.

When plastic materials are discarded at sea, turtles and other marine animals risk becoming entangled in the debris. This could lead to lacerations, increased drag when swimming, and ultimately death from drowning or starvation. Beach-bound hatchlings face equal threat, and if newborn sea turtles are threatened, populations may not be able to rebound.


The study, recently published in the ICES Journal of Marine Science, highlights mitigation policies conservationists can use to better protect sea turtle populations.

What Animals Think and Feel

Do animals experience joy, grief, jealousy, anger, love? Or are those purely human emotions that we have super-imposed on animal behaviour? Well, in his controversial new book, Beyond Words, noted American biologist and science writer Carl Safina says it's obvious that wolves, elephants, whales and apes do share those emotions with us. And it's time to re-evaluate our relationship with the animal world, and look at the similarities between our sense of consciousness and self-awareness - and theirs.



Water, water, everywhere - but maybe not for long. A new Canadian study says that the Athabasca River in Alberta. which supplies much of the water for the province's oilsands development, is susceptible to drought, and the industry use of the river may not be sustainable.

And - good news and bad news about climate change. Good news is that some creatures might actually benefit from global warming, Bad news? It's the dreaded mosquito. And that's really bad news for Arctic Caribou, whose young can actually die from a mosquito swarm.

Which Animals Have the Longest Claws?

We really dug our claws into this Saturday’s Weird Animal Question of the Week, asked by Judy Eastwood: "What animal has the longest and shortest toenails?”

There isn’t much data on the subject, especially for shorter toenails, but we took a closer look at a few long-clawed animals that would not get a good night’s sleep in a waterbed.

That means their claws are about 22 percent of their body length—probably the longest claw to body ratio of any living animal, Mariella Superina, chair of the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Anteater, Sloth, and Armadillo Specialist Group, says via email. (See "Diggers in the Dark: Discovering Giant Armadillos in Brazil’s Pantanal.")

Native to South America, giant armadillos use their huge claws to dig up prey. They're “definitely not aggressive," but if threatened, they “could probably try to defend themselves with their foreclaws,” Superina says.

Digging It



Armadillos, like anteaters and sloths, belong to the superorder Xenarthra, which includes insect-eating, big-clawed animals from the American tropics, says Don Moore, associate director of Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, D.C.

America's Got Talons 



When it comes to birds, the American harpy eagle, which ranges from Central to South America, is a major contender for longest talons—it has four-inch (ten-centimeter) long talons, says Bryan Bedrosian of the Teton Raptor Center.

Winnipeg Pet Rescue Shelter Director is named Manitoba hero

Every dog has his day — or so says Carla Martinelli-Irvine, Director and Founder of Winnipeg Pet Rescue Shelter and one of this year’s Manitoba Heroes.



Martinelli-Irvine manages the St. James-based shelter, which is the first and oldest no-kill pet shelter in the city. It takes in up to 1,000 animals a year.

Formerly a correctional officer at the Remand Centre, Martinelli-Irvine would come home and feel at peace when she was with her pets. This led her to leave behind law enforcement in favour of a job at the Winnipeg Humane Society, but the animal advocate never agreed with euthanization as a means of population control.

How do they find room for all the animals?



Some animals that come to the shelter are young and require bottle-feeding; others are in recovery from surgery or abuse. The majority of the animals that end up at the shelter are unwanted, or the owners are unable to care for them anymore.

Since they’ve opened, the shelter has seen a huge number of animals come and go. Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for Martinelli-Irvine and her staff to come to work and see that animals have been left by the door or behind the building.

This Orphaned Baby Sloth Has To Have His Teddy Bear

This little guy, named after Edward Scissorhands, was born at the London Zoo only seven weeks ago.

Sadly, his mother stopped producing milk and couldn’t take care of him anymore.
But zookeepers were able to start bottle-feeding him many times a day!



He gets “goat’s milk, topped up with some vitamins,” said zookeeper Kelly-Anne Kelleher.

He’s still learning how to grow into a big and strong sloth, so he gets to “train” on this sloth-like teddy bear.

This is to “help build up the muscles that Edward would normally use holding on to mum.”



With some regular exercise…

All that hard work can be pretty tiring for a baby sloth.


Just keep hanging in there, Edward!