Big Cats & Captivity

Hello everyone!

I haven’t written a blog in ages.  Life has been very busy.  Life as a full time wife with a full time job, in addition to a part time job and volunteer work for a nonprofit leaves me little time for writing.  

My newest obsession on Instagram has me thinking a lot, so I thought I had better write a blog to get my thoughts out to the world.  I hope to have some healthy dialog from it also.  

The Instagram account is The Black Jaguar-White Tiger Foundation: http://instagram.com/blackjaguarwhitetiger.  This man is doing a glorious job of rescuing and properly raising big cats.  The dozen or so he has rescued have been from breeders (aka “puppy mills”) and he has rescued a few recently from the circus.  People new to the page have a hard time catching up to all of the action at his sanctuary, as he has over 2,936 posts, each with a bit of information about his philosophies and daily activities with the cats.

A photo of the beautiful "Dharma"
a male African leopard, 11 months
Black Jaguar White Tiger Foundation Facebook Page

Eduardo is truly an inspirational man.  He understands the respect that needs to be given with these wild animals and has a delicate yet dominant way with them.  He is working on expanding his land, building safe habitats for the cats, and is dedicated to helping thousands more that are still in captivity or abusive situations.  

I absolutely love how he writes and educates on each post, promoting #boycottthecircus, #behuman, #savehabitat, etc.  This is what I want to speak about and I hope other will chime into the conversation. 

There are many, many followers of the Instagram account who say "I want one," etc.  I admit, I am a bit envious that Eduardo gets to play with all of these adorable baby wild cats – he has my dream job, and that of many other animal lovers.  What I hope is that people will start to realize that to truly love an animal is to respect the animal, and that is to eradicate the exploitation that comes along with it.  The reason these cats need rescuing is because of the multimillion dollar breeding industry (you can read more about the industry here: http://bigcatrescue.org/breeding-and-selling/).

The “I want one” mentality is what makes people breed, neglect, and use the wild animals to make money off us.  Only once we realize we need to respect them from afar, can we squash that atrocious, abusive industry.

Exploited animals are found in many places: the circus, SeaWorld, swimming with dolphins, Las Vegas entertainment shows, roadside zoos, private homes, and even in shopping malls and gas station parking lots (remember Tony? https://www.facebook.com/FreeTonyTheTiger).  As the Wild Animal Sanctuary (Colorado) page explains, “Like so many other social dilemmas, little was known about this hidden problem until recently when innocent people began to get hurt, and abused animals began to escape or die.”

So what’s the solution?  Yes, sanctuaries are a God-send for these abused animals, but the solution lies in addressing the source of the problem.  Thankfully, laws are starting to take form to help protect big cats and other wild animals.  For example, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a law through last month that prohibits direct contact between members of the public and big cats at traveling animal shows and fairs.  This is a start.

If you really want to show your love for these animals, here you can help:

1.  Changing your mentality about wild animals
• This means: don’t buy tickets to the circus or Sea World, don’t swim with the dolphins on your vacation in Hawaii, etc.  Teach your children this and explain why.  And for goodness sake, please resist the urge  for a “Tiger selfie.”
•  Please top saying “I want one.”  Realize that once these animals are full grown adults, they do not make good “pets.”  The Big Cat Sanctuary in Tampa, FL receives requests all the time asking them to take their “pet” cat, as they explain:
•  These unwitting owners have discovered that all exotic cats, both male and female, neutered or not, spray and bite when they reach sexual maturity.  (They don’t just spray a little either.  We are talking about buckets of the foulest smelling urine, all over your house, your things and you. If you don’t believe me, watch this clip of a neutered lion HERE).  Moving them out to the yard means your neighbors will soon be complaining that your place smells like a zoo.   By the time they find us they have discovered that the zoos do not want their animals, that no one is willing to buy them and that they can’t even give them away.  Refuges are usually full to capacity and cannot take in another hungry mouth to feed.  All too often, these “pets” are turned out to fend for themselves, where they surely die of starvation or are euthanized.
• If we reduce the demand, the breeding and entertainment industry will reduce the supply – simple economics
2. Education
•  Read, research – the internet is full of amazing information
•  Lead by example and be an influence on others
•  Proper Captive Wildlife Management
3. Sign Petitions
•  Such as this one, asking Obama to help keep Tigers out of American backyards: https://support.worldwildlife.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=797

Once again, I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic. And to the BlackJaguarWhiteTiger Foundation - keep up the great work!  Looking forward to following you on your journey and that of each of your special cats.

References & Additional Reading

Big Cat Rescue Corp. (2012). Breeding and Selling. Retrieved from http://bigcatrescue.org/breeding-and-selling/

Klepper, D. (2014, Aug 12). NY law protects big cats, bans 'tiger selfies'. Retrieved from

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/ny-law-protects-big-cats-bans-tiger-selfies

The Wildcat Sanctuary. (2011). Captive Wildlife Laws. Retrieved from

 http://www.wildcatsanctuary.org/education/captive-wildlife-laws/

Wild Animal Sanctuary.org. (2014). Captive Wildlife Crisis. Retrieved from  http://www.wildanimalsanctuary.org/sanctuary/captivewildlifecrisis.html

World Wildlife Foundation. (2014). More Tigers in American Backyards than in the Wild. Retrieved from

http://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/more-tigers-in-american-backyards-than-in-the-wild

Be the Change Eco-Challenge WINNER!

Once again, a huge thank you to all who participated in the challenge, who supported Kelsey & I through the challenge, and who have been reading our daily blogs.   We sincerely hope you all have enjoyed the journey as much as we have.  And if we have left you with any one message, we hope it is the one below:

http://pinterest.com/pin/402157441696029423/

And now to announce the winner... <drum roll please>

Cherri Littleton Megasko

Cherri will be mailed a Conscious Box for earning the most points throughout the monthly challenge.  Congratulations Cherri!!!  You ARE the change and you ARE making a difference towards a better world for all those today and for future generations to come.

Until next time,
~Kristin & Kelsey 

Last Days of the Challenge!

Can you believe it's already the last weekend of the challenge?!  We finish up the last two days with 3Rs Saturday &  Community & Small Business Sunday

Also, a huge shout to Kelsey on her birthday Saturday 6/29!!
 

For the last days of the challenge I want to make sure you know to tap into the RMOG Pinterest board, here http://pinterest.com/rmogreen/boards/.  Here you can find a ton of information, from food sustainability, renewable energies, green products, heath and personal care, household tips & DIY,  green books & movies, sustainable achievements, news and information on climate change and the ecosystem, and more!

The Friends of RMOG board offers links and resources to other organizations.  Here is where you might look to find out where to locate a local CSA, or find information of sustainability schools, etc.

The Take Action board is a community board where all followers have the opportunity to pin information on what is important to them.  I post links and information to sign petitions and advice on what to do to really take action and make a difference.  Be the change!

Lastly, Kelsey and I would love to hear you thought on the challenge.  And suggestions for changes if we run the challenge, or something similar again. And most importantly:

• Did you feel like you've made a difference?
• Did you learn something new? 
• Tell us what we can do different next time? 
• Did you have fun? 
• Are you the change? 

 

We believe you are. We believe every little bit helps. We, not just Kristin and I, but sustainability advocates all over the world feel that every effort, small and large make a difference.

Thank you so much for joining us on our journey, we hope to do this again in the future. 

Kelsey and I will announce the winner next week. 

Have a great rest of your weekend!  Take care of each other!

Namaste,

~Kristin & Kelsey

TGIF! Eat Earth Friendly

Thank goodness it's Friday! 

It is the last Earth Friendly Foods Friday of the Be the Change Eco-Challenge.  I wanted to thank everyone who read last week's EFFF blog on Palm Oil.  This is a serious issue that not many are aware of and that needs our action NOW.  If we linger and wait to change what we purchase and eat, these producers will continue on their path of destruction, affecting the rainforest, the inhabitants, and the ecosystem.

You may have even seen the Huffington Post article that came out late last Friday on the pollution that was reaching Singapore from the burning of rainforests in Indonesia to make way for palm plantations.  The fires last week were set illegally by eight companies and caused the worst smog in Singapore's history, reaching a high of 401 on the Pollutant's Standard Index.  Laurel Sutherlin of the Rainforest Action Network stated, "The recent smog is just the most visible part of the serious deforestation and human rights crisis sweeping Indonesia."

Palm oil is now the largest traded vegetable oil commodity in the world and the demand continues to rise, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.  

There ARE palm oil companies that are producing sustainably, so I want to make sure you all are aware that there are additional choices.  One of my readers last week had questions about red palm oil that was produced in Ecuador.  After almost returning the product to the store after reading last week's post, I reassured her that the Ecuadorian palm oil is not harming the ecosystem like the palm oil produced in Indonesia and Malaysia.  It is important to note that Ecuador, RIGHT NOW, is not causing harm to the ecosystem.  This is not to assume that greed will take hold and that they won't begin to have unsustainable practices like the companies in Indonesia.

One of the best resources I have found this far is Green Palm, endorsed by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO).  Their website has a lot of great resources for finding companies that are producing palm oil sustainably.

What must a palm oil company do to be called sustainable?  "Certified sustainable palm oil (CSPO) and palm kernel oil (CSPKO) is produced by palm oil plantations which have been independently audited and found to comply with the globally agreed environmental standards devised by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). These stringent sustainability criteria relate to social, environmental and economic good practice" (GreenPalm.org)

Here is a great infographic from Green Palm, showing where palm oil is produced, where it is consumed, percentage of sustainable production, etc.

 

http://pinterest.com/pin/402157441695976810/

Purchasing sustainable palm oil is one option, but the best course of action is to avoid palm oil all-together.  Gemma Tillack of the Rainforest Action Network has some strong thoughts on boycotting all palm oil and compelling claims against the RSPO (read at her article here).

Make sure you take everything you read with a grain-of-salt.  Read all sides of the story and make your own conclusions.  

I say this because many environmental organizations are known for only seeing one side of the story and can cause social damage from their conservation efforts, especially on indigenous peoples.  BINGOs is what indigenous leaders call the "big international nongovernmental conservation organizations."  Read more about this here.

For the last Earth Friendly Foods Friday I want to reiterate (and slightly restate) my important message from last week.

No one is perfect.  Don't be hard one people who are trying to be conscious about their dietary choices.  

I see so many posts on Facebook with people scolding others on for their choices.  For example, a post by Food Inc. yesterday on grassfed milk.  Rather than saluting this company and the consumers that are spending the extra $1-2 dollars on this milk versus conventional, people are scolding people for drinking milk at all.  These strong words of hate and nonacceptance aren't going to change the milk-drinkers into vegans.  These harsh words just push people away and make them question why they try to change their food habits in the first place.

What we need is gentle persuasion and education.  Reward and commend people for making a step in the right direction, no matter how small it might be.  

Encourage.  Don't discourage.

We can't expect everyone to become a vegan, or expect you to never consume one single product that it is harmful to the environment or harmful socially.  It is nearly impossible (in this day in age & in America) to avoid GMOs 100%, to not slip and consume meat that was raised UN-sustainably, to not consume some chemicals in the food we choose, etc.  

Most us have full time jobs and busy lives, so we can't stay at home and cook everything from scratch so we know exactly what is going into our food.  And we all can't afford to shop at Whole Foods every week to buy the most sustainable products 100% of the time (me included).  

Tell yourself that "this is okay, I will do the best I can with the resources I have."  

But never forget: educating yourself is the best resource you have.  After that, start with small steps in changing your food choices and focus on one or two goals per week (don't try and change too many things at once).  

Also, as general rules of thumb for sustainable eating: try to cook as many meals yourself as possible and avoid processed foods.

Test It Out Thursday

Happy Thursday everyone!  For the last Test it Out Thursday of the challenge I wanted to share with you some resources on where you can find GREEN products and services to look for and try out. 

Organic Consumers Union - Directory of Green and Organic Business

food, health, home, body care, pets, farm & garden, clothing, travel, etc.

Green Seal Certified Products 

household, construction, paper, cleaning, food packaging, etc.

Good Guide

personal care, food, household, babies & kids, pet food, apparel, electronics, applicances, etc.

shows rating of products on scale of 1-10 (10being GREENest)

also has a mobile app

U.S. General Services Administration (GSA)

energy efficient products, recycled products, water-efficient products, biobased products, environmentally preferred products, non-ozone depleting products, etc.

GSA Advantage®

Eco Seek

appliances, food & drink, clothing, decor, office supplies, personal care, etc 

Buy Green.com

office, home, building materials, etc.

Plus, make sure you avoid Greenwashing!  A lot of people call themselves "GREEN" in today's marketplace because they know consumer demands are changing, but make sure to always question and read labels.  Here are some more tips on how to avoid Greenwashing