The Informed Vegan

Your source for animal rights and vegan news.

[theinformedvegan-blog]

Laboratory Dogs Free For First Time.

Forty beagles raised since birth in a pharmaceutical testing laboratory have been released and their first steps out into the real world were caught on tape.

Members of the Beagle Freedom Project brought the pups to LA hoping they would be able to find good homes. When the dogs arrived in the US, they were still in crates. In their whole lives, they were never allowed to experience physical contact with other dogs and had never been outside. They were denied the most basic aspects of life. Their first timid steps were all caught on tape:

This video kills me. To think that thousands, if not millions, of dogs just like these are in drug and cosmetic research labs all over the world. Hopefully this video will show people that it's not just rats and mice in labs, but also the friendly family dog as well.

[theinformedvegan-blog]

Store Sells More Video Games Than Milk.

Popular UK grocery store chain Sainsbury's is reporting that unconventional items like video games, DVDs, and whiskey are selling better than milk.

It used to be that milk was in such high demand that grocery stores would put the milk case at the very back of the store so customers would have to walk through the entire store to get to it. Now, with the introduction of some unconventional items to their inventory, Sainsbury may have to rearrange their shelves. Milk is no longer king of the grocery store.

Sainsbury's is reporting that their top selling item a few weeks ago was the hit video game Call of Duty and the week after the Call of Duty trumped milk, whiskey took the top spot. To add insult to injury, Sainsbury predicts that more people will buy a copy of the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows DVD than will by a carton of milk.

Shoppers buying whiskey, video games, and DVDs over milk? Sounds to me like people have their priorities straight.

[theinformedvegan-blog]

The Cool Kids' Thanksgiving.

[theinformedvegan-blog]

Most Turkey Meat Contains Feces.

Every Thanksgiving, millions of Americans chow down on turkey unaware that the bird on their table is most likely covered in feces.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regularly tests the health of the nation's food supply and this latest survey has detected a significant amount of fecal matter on most of the turkey meat in the country. The CDC estimates that 9 out of 10 turkeys sitting on the dinner table this Thursday will be covered in fecal bacteria. A gross and dangerous prospect. Ingesting fecal matter can contribute to food poisoning and even urinary tract infections.

The CDC is also warning that supermarket turkeys can often contain drug-resistant MRSA, the superbug that has killed more people than AIDS.

Gives new meaning to the term "dark meat."

[theinformedvegan-blog]

Cheese Cut With Real Gold.

Just in time for the holiday season, Clawson Dairy in the UK have realeased a limited edition cheese filled with real gold.

At just over $100 a slice, Clawson churned up gold cheese for their "rich and famous" customers. In case you were wondering if you'd be getting your money's worth, Clawson told the Daily Mail UK "You can see the gold clearly in the slices and we've not been shy with how much gold we've put in the batch."

Sorry folks, even when you add a handful of gold flakes to cheese it still tastes like feet.

[theinformedvegan-blog]

Bestiality Linked to Penile Cancer.

A new study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine shows a possible connection between men who have sex with animals and an increased risk of penile cancer.

Researchers compared hundreds of penile cancer patients with hundreds of healthy men. Of both samples, a whopping 34.8% of the men admitted to having sex with animals but more men from the cancer group admitted to bestiality. From the penile cancer group, 44.9% admitted to bestiality whereas 31% from the healthy group admitted to it.

Researchers can only hypothesize why men who have sex with animals have increased risk of penile cancer. One possibility is that men engaging in bestiality are more likely to be have other types of high-risk/unprotected sex with strangers and/or prostitutes. These high-risk behaviors mean more STDs and therefore more penile trauma and illnesses in their lifetime.

Is anyone else disturbed that 34.8% of the 400 randomly selected research subjects admitted to having sex with animals? It's hard to deny that penile cancer isn't just some wicked karma for these guys.

[theinformedvegan-blog]

Pet Killers Collect Insurance Money.

The Association of British Insurers is raising alarm about a disturbing trend, people killing and injuring family pets to collect insurance money.

Currently, 2.3 million cats and dogs in Britain are covered by insurance plans. If an insured animal gets sick or injured, their insurance company will pay part or all of their vet expenses and if the animal dies an "early death" the policy holder is entitled to a pay out.

Killing and injuring family pets to collect insurance money is not a new scheme but it is on the rise. Between the period of 2008 and 2010, pet insurance fraud skyrocketed 440 percent.

The Association of British Insurers is currently working on plans for a nationwide database of animal vet records which they hope will reduce the amount of fraud. They hope that keeping better records will help catch people who are deliberately injuring animals for cash before they escalate to murder.

[theinformedvegan-blog]

Like a Lamb.

[theinformedvegan-blog]

Happy Follow Friday!

Check us out on Twitter.

[theinformedvegan-blog]

Stop The NYPD From Abusing Horses.

Occupy Wall Street activists clash with police every week; many are injured and media attention to the cause grows but what seems to have been forgotten is the trauma that the incidents cause police horses.

The NYPD are riding horses into stressful and chaotic situations. Thousands of screaming activists waving signs and banners clash with armored police with pepper spray and bull horns and police horses are caught in the middle. This is not an environment that horses should be forced into on a daily basis.

Horses in these situations become extremely agitated and all the stress and excitement can lead to serious injuries. In 2010, the NYPD euthanized two horses for abscessed and swollen leg injuries which made it nearly impossible for them to travel. 

The stress on these horses is not only physical but mental. There are numerous cases around the world of police horses becoming so overwhelmed during mass protests that they become uncontrollable, trampling and biting police and protesters. The only solution is to ask police to end the use of police horses.

Help convince the NYPD to not use police horses when confronting crowds at Occupy Wall Street demonstrations by signing this petition today.

[theinformedvegan-blog]

‘Like’ The Informed Vegan on Facebook. 

Comment on stories, share articles with your friends, and get entered into cool contests.

[theinformedvegan-blog]

Army Making Caffeinated Beef Jerky.

An Army lab outside of Boston, Mass. Is experimenting with infusing caffeine in beef jerky to help give soldiers an energy boost on the battlefield.

Among other "improvements" to military cuisine, the Massachusetts Army lab is working to create a beef jerky stick with as much caffeine as a strong cup of coffee. They hope the stick will be able to give energy to even the sleepiest soldier.

It's not just dehydrated meat that is getting a boost; the Army is also trying to make super-applesauce. By adding omega-3s and extra antioxidants to pureed apples, the Army has created a tasty treat they call "Zapplesauce." As opposed to the quick boost of energy from caffeinated beef, Zapplesauce will give soldiers sustained energy in the field.

If the Army wants their soldiers to have more energy and stay healthier than they should only feed them plant-based foods. Eating jerky will only fill soldier's arteries with fat and cause their hearts to work harder. Soldiers already take enough risk on the battlefield; munching on caffeinated or even decaffeinated fatty meat isn't going to help.

[theinformedvegan-blog]

Mostly Food: Official McRib Ingredient List.

The McRib seems to the be the McDonalds menu item that everyone loves to hate and not without good reason. Not only is this nasty sammie made for the most unwanted bits of abused pigs, it's filled with stuff that shouldn't even be called food. Seriously, this thing contains azodicarbonamide which is used to bleach foam rubber gym mats.

Check out this offical list of McRib ingredients at your own risk:

McRib Pork Patty: Pork, water, salt, dextrose, BHA and BHT and propyl gallate and citric acid (preservatives).

McRib Bun: Enriched flour (bleached wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), water, yeast, high fructose corn syrup, contains 2% or less of the following: yellow corn meal, salt, partially hydrogenated soybean and cottonseed oils, canola oil, soybean oil, dextrose, sugar, calcium sulfate, cultured wheat flour, wheat gluten, ammonium sulfate, monocalcium phosphate, ammonium chloride, cellulose gum, diastatic malt, calcium carbonate, soy flour, deactivated dry yeast, dough conditioners (may contain one or more of the following: ascorbic acid, enzymes, sodium stearoyl lactylate, azodicarbonamide, calcium peroxide, guar gum, distilled monoglycerides, DATEM, mono- and diglycerides, ethoxylated mono- and diglycerides, calcium stearoyl lactylate), calcium propionate and sodium propionate (preservatives), soy lecithin. CONTAINS: WHEAT AND SOY.

McRib Sauce: Water, high fructose corn syrup, tomato paste, distilled vinegar, molasses, natural smoke flavor (plant source), food starch-modified, salt, spices, sugar, soybean oil, xanthan gum, onion and garlic powder, sodium benzoate (preservative), caramel color, beet powder, corn oil.

Pickle Slices: Cucumbers, water, distilled vinegar, salt, calcium chloride, alum, potassium sorbate (preservative), natural flavors (plant source), polysorbate 80, extractives of turmeric (color).

Slivered Onions.

[theinformedvegan-blog]

Going To Italy...

Hey everyone!

I'm taking off for Italy for about a week so things might slow down a little around here but I'll continue to post when I can.

I'm looking forward to sampling all the soy gelato and stuffing my face with real Italian pizza!

Ciao.

[theinformedvegan-blog]

Alabama's Raw Meat Vending Machine.

Everyone's used to the tiny bags of chips, old candy, and soda found in the common vending machine, but two Alabama businessmen have cooked up an idea for one that sells raw meat.

The Smart Butcher allows you to use cash or debit cards to purchase small packages of raw meat. The meat vending machine carries everything from steak to sirloin tips to sausages all for under $6. The first model has been set up in a convenience store and although the store touts the Smart Butcher's popularity, many are concerned about bigger issues, like food poisoning. 

Adriana over at The Stir weighs in about the likelihood of the SmartButcher being a giant bacteria dispenser:

"So here's how I see this going down. Smart Butcher people tell convenience store owners what temperature to keep the vending machines, but the message doesn't get to all the clerks because half of them are goofy high-school students or underpaid, disgruntled adults. Or, the machine's refrigeration starts to slip ever so slightly and no one notices because checking it isn't part of the routine. Or, the convenience store gets some contaminated meat but figuring out where it came from after people get sick becomes impossible."

I have to agree here. Whether you eat meat or not, getting some out of a vending machine at a gas station does seem a bit risky but it is also not really a new concept. They have meat vending machines in Spain and Asia already and even the U.S. Senate has one that sells hotdogs.

[theinformedvegan-blog]

Dog Held For Ransom Found Dead.

Jagger in happier times.

Two men are facing extortion charges after stealing an English bulldog and holding him for ransom before eventually killing him.

Jesse James Clark and Johnny Lee Norton stole Jagger from the home where he lived with a partially paralyzed woman in a wheelchair. The two attempted to extort a ransom of $1,000 and some pain pills from Jagger's owner through text messages and threatening calls. Luckily for police, the two criminals were also idiots and used their own personal cell phone to send incriminating texts such as, "If you don't do exactly as you’re told the next few messages will be of your friend slowly getting tortured to death." Unfortunately for Jagger, his owner was too scared to go to the police so no one stepped in until it was too late.

Twenty days after Jagger was dognapped, a passerby reported seeing Jagger's lifeless body near the town train tracks. After news of case was published, a witness came forward to turn in the truly evil pair.

Both the suspects are being held on possession of stolen property and extortion. The police have assured an upset community that, pending a full investigation into Jagger's cause of death, more serious charges of animal cruelty may be handed down as well.

[theinformedvegan-blog]

Naked Woman Kills Horse, Climbs Inside.

A truly disturbed couple from Portland, Oregon, is under investigation after they killed a horse, skinned the body, and climbed inside...naked. 

Twenty-one year old aspiring model, Jasha Lottin, and her male companion have posted pictures of themselves online, covered in blood and posing provocatively with a dead horse. The two bought a horse in Washington State, shot him in the head with a .300 Magnum, and skinned the body.  Lottin then got naked and posed for photos munching on organs and even climbing entirely inside the corpse and peeking out. The reasoning behind this insanity...Star Wars.

After posting the pictures of their exploits online, the couple were reported to the police who investigated and recorded this in their report:

"Lottin said in the movie Star Wars the character Han Solo cut open an animal with his light saber and placed Luke Skywalker inside the animal. This was due to Luke freezing to death in cold weather. Lottin said there was nothing religious about what she did and didn't intend to offend anyone."

As of now, it doesn't appear that police can take serious action against the couple because shooting a horse in the head and desecrating the corpse is not illegal so long the horse is eaten afterwards.

This is some serious serial killer stuff here. Check out the rest of the couple's photo shoot here if you dare [NSFW].