Rats have it rough in our legal system. A judge in Utah recently dismissed cruelty charges against a man who videotaped himself eating a live baby rat and whose court papers argued that rats “should have no legal protections” because “for centuries [they] have been a scourge to humanity.” Most anti-cruelty laws exempt “pest control,” so even unnecessarily painful methods of exterminating rats are typically legal. And the federal Animal Welfare Act, which sets minimal standards for the treatment of animals used in research, exempts rats from its protections.
Yet despite the seeming inability of some judges, lawmakers, regulators, and researchers to find empathy for rats, a new study confirms that rats themselves empathize with each other and will forego personal rewards to liberate their suffering friends. Continue reading…
Welcome to the January issue of the National Link Coalition’s LINK-Letter. Each month we keep you up-to-date on public policy, programs and research at the intersections of animal abuse, child maltreatment, domestic violence and elder abuse.
In the attached PDF you can read about:
By clicking on the hyperlinks in the PDF, you’ll be connected immediately to individuals and organizations who are making a difference in the lives of abused people and animals. Enjoy the issue, share it with your colleagues, and please send me your comments, news, and names of any associates who would also like to receive the LINK-Letter.
Happy new year to you and all the members of your family,
Phil Arkow
Coordinator, National Link Coalition
Welcome to the December issue of the National Link Coalition’s LINK-Letter. Each month we keep you up-to-date on public policy, programs and research at the intersections of animal abuse, child maltreatment, domestic violence and elder abuse.
In the attached PDF you can read about:
By clicking on the hyperlinks in the PDF, you’ll be connected immediately to individuals and organizations who are making a difference in the lives of abused people and animals. Enjoy the issue, share it with your colleagues, and please send me your comments, news, and names of any associates who would also like to receive the LINK-Letter.
Happy holidays to you and all your family members,
Phil Arkow
Coordinator, National Link Coalition
Welcome to the November issue of the National Link Coalition’s LINK-Letter. Each month we try to keep you up-to-date on public policy, programs and research at the intersections of animal abuse, child maltreatment, domestic violence and elder abuse.
In the attached PDF you can read about:
By clicking on the hyperlinks in the PDF, you’ll be connected immediately to individuals and organizations who are making a difference in the lives of abused people and animals. Enjoy the issue, share it with your colleagues, and please send me your comments, news, and names of any associates who would also like to receive the LINK-Letter.
Phil Arkow
Coordinator, National Link Coalition
For decades, many South Africans fought, suffered and even died for their right to be respected and treated as equal citizens. Their efforts paid off, but even though South Africa is regarded as a country with the most liberal human rights legislation in the world, the struggle for respect of the individual, of animals and of our environment continues to this day. While our new laws and rights apply to all levels of society, the effects of years of conflict are still tangible and present and, where there is conflict, the vulnerable suffer. Women and children in our country are disrespected and abused, so too are animals and the environment, thus defying the very essence of the hardships endured to establish a culture of equality, freedom and respect in South Africa.
The problem with abuse is that it sets in motion a vicious cycle of moral destruction that will traumatise and impact future generations in ways we can hardly imagine. Continue reading…
