Each flavor shines a light on an animal issue. The Peanut Butter Pit Bull, crispy peanut butter and luscious 64% dark chocolate, highlights Pit Bulls, who can be great family companions. The rich 66% dark chocolate bar, The Fix, encourages spay and neuter. And Wild at Heart, dark chocolate hearts filled with zingy raspberry, raises awareness of the cruelties inflicted upon animals in circuses, zoos, and laboratories. Other flavors include Bow Wow Bon Bons, Pick Me! Pepper, and Foster-iffic Peppermint.

Based in Brooklyn, New York, Rescue Chocolate is made with the finest ingredients and no artificial preservatives. Visit www.rescuechocolate.com anytime in the month of September to support the work of IDA. And visit www.idausa.org for information about In Defense of Animals.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Weil Public Relations, 818-341-3646, rachel@weilpr.com

Duluth, Ga. (August 25, 2010) – Georgia members of the international animal protection organization In Defense of Animals (IDA) have organized a 5K Run/Walk to benefit IDA’s worldwide campaigns for animals. The event will take place Saturday, August 28, at 7:30 a.m.at the St. Marlo Country Club, 7765 St. Marlo Country Club Parkway, Duluth, Georgia. Participants are asked to arrive by 7 a.m.

Those who have not already pre-registered online should bring $20 (cash or check). Participants will receive a free t-shirt and refreshments. There will also be music and giveaways from the sponsors, which include SunTrust Bank, Big Peach Running Co., GTS America, Strategic Staffing Solutions, and Whole Foods Market.

The run/walk will begin at The Cabana and traverse a scenic route – mostly flat and easy to walk. The special guest will be Shirley Lasseter, Commissioner of Gwinnett County.

Participants must be at least 18 years old to enter. Children younger than 18 years may run/walk with their parents or guardians. Two IDA golf carts marked with IDA banners and balloons will accompany the route with first aid and water, and will be available to transport anyone in need of assistance back to their car.

Well-socialized dogs may join their guardians, free of charge. These companions must be on a leash and have a collar and tag with proper identification. Water and treats will be available for our four-legged friends. If you are bringing a dog, please be responsible – check the weather report and make sure your dog will be able to complete the 5K safely given the day’s expected weather conditions. Make sure your dog is under your control at all times.

For more information about this event, contact Sarita Raturi, 678-469-2406, IDASARITA@ymail.com.

For information about In Defense of Animals, or to make a donation, visit www.indefenseofanimals.org.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Sarita Raturi, 678-469-2406, IDASARITA@ymail.com

San Rafael, Calif. (July 28, 2010) – The July 7th attack by a young African elephant on his keeper at the Toledo Zoo has reignited controversy over the use of circus-style training and the abusive device known as a bullhook. In Defense of Animals (IDA) today sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, requesting issuance of a policy statement that would designate such inhumane and dangerous practices a violation of the Animal Welfare Act.

“The tragic attack at the Toledo Zoo must be a wake-up call,” said Catherine Doyle, IDA elephant campaign director. “The government can’t wait until yet another person is injured or killed before it takes action. Now is the time to declare that circus-style training with archaic bullhooks is abusive to elephants, dangerous for humans, and a violation of federal animal welfare law.”

Circus-style training, also known as “free contact,” relies on painful punishment to train and control elephants. Handlers use the steel-pointed bullhook, a device similar to a fireplace poker, to prod, hook and strike elephants and force compliance with commands. The bullhook is a reminder of the physical punishment that can be delivered at any time.

In the free contact system, the keeper must dominate the elephant at all times. This likely explains why keeper Don RedFox returned to elephant Louie’s stall a second time, after the elephant had already aggressively chased him out. RedFox returned with a bullhook, appearing intent on regaining control of the elephant. The video released by the zoo shows that in the presence of the bullhook Louie is at first extremely submissive and likely anticipates punishment. After RedFox hooks Louie, the elephant attacks.

About half of zoos use “protected contact” management, which relies on positive-reinforcement training without bullhooks. A protective barrier separates keepers and elephants, removing the risk of bodily harm while still allowing for necessary care and veterinary treatment. IDA is calling for all zoos to immediately adopt this more humane and safer alternative for all captive elephants.

In the last 10 years, there have been at least 31 known dangerous incidents involving captive-held elephants in the U.S., including 4 human deaths, 17 injuries (handlers and the public) and 13 escapes. Every incident involved the use of free contact management. This year alone, there have been three incidents, including Toledo. One involved an elephant escape from a circus and the other the death of a circus trainer.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Catherine Doyle, 323-301-5730, zoos@idausa.org

San Rafael, Calif. – Northwest Atlantic harp seals are returning to their birthing and mating grounds in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Newfoundland and Labrador coasts. This year, global climate change has significantly decreased the formation of stable ice platforms necessary for courtship and for females to give birth and nurse their young.  Stable ice formations are lower in eastern Canada than they have been in decades, with barely any ice reported.

In Defense of Animals (IDA) is coordinating demonstrations today, including the Canadian Embassy in Washington D.C. and the Canadian Consulates in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Philadelphia and Seattle to protest the impending slaughter of those few seal pups fortunate enough to survive the unusual shortage of ice platforms, and to call for a permanent end to the hunt.

Veterinary reports conclude the seal hunt is inherently inhumane. Seals are beaten on their muzzles, face, eyes, head, neck and then hooked in the face and dragged to boats, often alive and conscious.  Seals are impaled alive on boat hooks or cut open while clearly responding to pain. Seals are routinely left to suffer while others are pursued. “It is truly time to stop the hideous and horrific killing of baby seals in Canada,” said Dr. Elliot Katz, DVM, President of IDA. “The survival of seal pups is already in danger due to global climate issues, and the prospect of a hunt for the survivors is a sad commentary on a supposed civilized country like Canada.”

Canadian Senator Mac Harb has reintroduced legislation (known as “The Harb Bill”) that would end the seal hunt permanently. IDA is intensifying letter-writing campaigns to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, the Canadian Parliament and Canadian Ambassadors and calling for a cancellation of this year’s hunt and passage of the Harb bill.

In 2009, the European Parliament of the European Union (EU) approved a ban on seal-based products by a vote of 550-49. IDA urges Canada to recognize that the world is rejecting this inhumanely-produced product.

For more information, visit www.idausa.org.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

March 15, 2010

Contact: Melissa Gonzalez, Melissa@idausa.org, 707-981-7701

Lynn Pauly: Good time to try a vegan lifestyle

Free vegan lunch in Pioneer Square today

World Go Vegan Week Means Wine, Too

Vegan week salutes animal-free diet

Meatless Mouthful: Woody Harrelson “World Go Vegan Week”

And blogs:

Kickoff World Go Vegan Week at Blue Nile Cafe with Animal Advocates of Arizona!

Happy World Go Vegan Week!

Another current trend in the efforts to counter industrial agriculture is grass fed beef and cage free poultry. That may result in healthier and tastier animals, but Hope Bohanec is not persuaded that it’s a practical response to the need to feed the planet.

Listen to IDA’s Hope Bohanec’s interview on KCRB.

“In the United States most news stories about animal rescue, refer to cats and dogs. But if you travel to other parts of the world, the animals in need of rescue tend to be more exotic beings. This is the case in Cameroon, Africa where young, defenseless chimpanzees like Kenza are often orphaned and left to fend for themselves.”

Read the entire article here.