Organized by United Poultry Concerns projects manager Hope Bohanec, UPC hosted its 6th Annual Conscious Eating Conference at the David Brower Center in Berkeley, California on Saturday, March 11, 2017. The speakers were phenomenal and engaging, the food was delicious, and the energy was positive and inspired! We had lots of new people this year, as well as folks telling us that past Conscious Eating Conferences were their inspiration for going vegan.

UPC team at the Conscious Eating Conference (Photo UPC)

The morning session featured Lisa Kemmerer, philosopher-activist professor at Montana State University and the author of nine books. Sandra Higgins came all the way from Ireland to talk about her two passions, Eden Farmed Animal Sanctuary, which she founded as the first vegan sanctuary in Ireland, and her powerful Go Vegan World campaign featuring billboard advertising with poignant images of farmed animals and Go Vegan messages. The morning concluded with UPC president Karen Davis’s exhortations about the power of language and the daily challenges animal rights advocates face “in the real world.”

After a raved-over lunch of polenta & Italian herb tomato sauce, garlic bread and homemade cake, the afternoon session – featuring five riveting speakers – focused on how the dominant religions of the world, as well as atheism, foster or frustrate our relationship with animals and nature and the advancement of ethical veganism.

Ready to watch! All Conference presentations can be viewed on video here: www.upc-online.org/forums/2017/videos.html

A Smithfield man pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday to killing a bald eagle, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Allen Thacker, 62, is accused of first firing a warning shot, then shooting the bald eagle because it was taking fish from his pond, a news release said. He then shot the bird using a Remington .22 caliber rifle and ran the bird over with his all-terrain vehicle, the release said.

According to the statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, Allen H. Thacker shot the eagle “because he was upset it had been hunting and taking fish from a pond located on his property,” a Department of Justice news release stated.

“Thacker also expressed his feelings that too much emphasis is placed on bald eagle protection because the birds are a menace and further stated that people with whom he associates feel the same way,” court documents state.

According to the statement of facts filed in court, a witness driving near Mill Swamp Road saw a man run over the bird March 13. The bird was large and had a white head and tail, court documents show. She saw the man drive the ATV in a circle and run the eagle over three or four times, and then saw the man drag the eagle from the field and into the woods, court documents show.

In his guilty plea Tuesday, Thacker admitted to shooting the bird and running it over. The specific charge is unlawful taking of a bald eagle, the release stated.

Thacker faces a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a $100,000 fine when sentenced on October 23.

This year’s Virginia General Assembly passed HB2381, which attempts to provide a better definition of what constitutes a ‘dangerous dog’. The City of Virginia Beach is the first locality to adopt language from HB2381. The language was adopted this Tuesday at the city council meeting.

Below is a basic summary of HB2381:

Dangerous dogs. Removes the requirement that a law-enforcement officer or animal control officer apply for a summons requiring a dog owner to appear before a general district court when the officer has reason to believe that the dog is dangerous. In the case of a dog that has bitten a cat or dog, the bill requires investigation by an officer for certain exemptions from the definition of “dangerous dog” to apply and removes an exemption for good cause as determined by a court. In the case of a dog that has bitten a person, the bill creates an exemption when an investigating officer finds that the injury is minor. The bill allows a court to use good cause as a reason to determine that a dog is not dangerous. The bill also reduces from 45 days to 30 days the period within which (i) an owner of a dog found to be dangerous is required to obtain a dangerous dog registration certificate and (ii) a convicted owner of a dangerous dog is required to comply with certain provisions.

Read the Full Language Here

The Alliance to End Chickens as Kaporos is a project of Machipongo based United Poultry Concerns

NEW YORK, June 8, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ – On June 6, 2017, the New York State Appellate Division, First Department, rendered a decision with respect to the appeal regarding Alliance to End Chickens as Kaporos v. New York City Police Department, et al, a lawsuit seeking a writ of mandamus to compel the NYPD and other city agencies to enforce the fifteen laws that are violated by the Jewish ritual known as Kaporos. Kaporos involves the slaughtering of 60,000 chickens on public streets. The lower court dismissed the action, and the Appellate Division affirmed the lower courtt’s decision. The appeal was filed by Alliance attorney Nora Constance Marino in June of 2016.
The central issue of the lawsuit hinges on whether or not the city agencies have “discretion” to enforce the laws they choose. Plaintiffs claimed that the health codes and animal cruelty statutes are mandatory, meaning there is no discretion, and enforcement is mandatory. Defendants claimed they do in fact have discretion, and enforcement is not mandatory. Three of the five appellate justices on the panel agreed with defendants, and due to the majority, the lower court decision was affirmed. Two of the justices, however, dissented, and filed a separate opinion. In the dissenting opinion, it was noted that the “plaintiffs have a right to the relief they seek.”
[Read more…]

A number of United States jurisdictions have enacted an animal offenders registry that will publically reveal the names of known animal abusers in a particular area, similar to how sex offenders are registered. While the Virginia State Police maintain a sex offenders list, is it time for the state to create an animal offenders list?

Dog tethered in Exmore (photo by Jason Ochsner)

Tennessee is the only state to have an animal offenders registry. The Tennessee Registry is monitored by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations and can be accessed at the TBI or any other local country office.

Each animal abuser will have their name, date of birth, offense, conviction date, and expiration date listed. First-time animal abusers will be registered for two years. An additional five years will be added for every subsequent offense after the two years.

Studies have found that animal abuse occurred in 88 percent of homes where child abuse had been discovered. Another study found that up to 83 percent of women entering domestic violence shelters report that their abusers also abuse the family pet. In fact, animal abusers are five times more likely to abuse people.

LOS ANGELES — A recent court victory by an Orthodox synagogue in Irvine in a case brought by United Poultry Concerns, a Virginia-based animal rights group, is not the end, according to the group’s founder.

United Poultry Concerns sued Chabad of Irvine last year for the slaughter of chickens in the Jewish religious ritual of Kapparot. The case was dismissed on May 12, but Karen Davis, founder and president of United Poultry Concerns, is steadfastly determined to keep pushing for an end to what she feels is the inhumane killing of chickens. Davis said her group will appeal the ruling.

“The court found that accepting money for killing and discarding chickens is not a ‘business practice,’ which is the only way we can challenge this as a private citizen,” Bryan Pease, a San Diego-based attorney who represented United Poultry Concerns, told the Northern California Record. “Now it’s more important than ever to get the local authorities to step up and enforce the anti-cruelty laws. In the meantime, we are appealing this ruling to the Ninth Circuit.”

[Read more…]

A conversation with Robin Von Hollen of Dogs Deserve Better Eastern Shore

Riding down the road on the Eastern Shore is depressing, dogs that are lacking the proper care can be seen almost everywhere. I can’t imagine how these dogs feel. Why were they being left outside in various weather elements? With no shelter, on a chain? They don’t know when they are going to get food or water. Wondering why their humans won’t spend time with them. And a toy-what is that? These dogs often spend their life on a chain or in a little pen, with little to no vet care, lack of food, water, shelter and human companionship. These poor souls experience such a sad existence and they are left feeling hopeless wondering when someone will care. A living breathing soul is considered property as if it were a pair of shoes. It is time for a change!

Through the years, I have seen dogs that were in desperate need but my voice and many others’ fell on deaf ears. Over the past few years, with the help and support of others, I have been doing outreach to dogs in need. During this time, I developed a relationship with Dogs Deserve Better, located in Smithfield,Va. As my relationship progressed, I was asked if I would like to be a volunteer representative for the Eastern Shore branch. I was honored to accept the role and was hopeful to be able to have a greater impact on our dogs, right here on the Eastern Shore. We depend solely off the generous donations we receive from our community and with that, we are able to give back to the dogs that really need it right here on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. 100% of all donations made to our branch Dogs Deserve Better Eastern Shore VA., stay here on the shore to benefit our dogs here. When our funds allow we will place a doghouse, straw, food, bowls, collars and other needs that might be necessary to help the quality of life for the dog. [Read more…]

United Poultry Concerns’ 6th Annual Conscious Eating Conference brought expert speakers to Berkeley, California to share their ideas about the best food choices we can make for the planet, ourselves, and other animals. Panelists explored the ethics of eating and the effect of agriculture on animals and the planet, and why it matters.

This year, a section of the conference was dedicated to the question, How Does Religion Help or Hinder Animal Liberation? According to Pew research, 84% of the world population, and 78% of the U.S. population, consider themselves religious or have a religious identity. Many animal activists believe that spiritual communities are a “low-hanging fruit” for vegan advocacy, but are they? What do various religions say about our relationship to animals and the natural world? Should we work within these communities or leave religion behind? UPC explored these questions through speakers representing Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Atheism.

UPC has compiled and edited the videos and released them so those who were unable to attend can experience the conference and all the important information that was covered.

The videos can be accessed here.

United Poultry Concerns was Founded in 1990 by Karen Davis, and with headquarters and a sanctuary in Machipongo, Virginia on the Eastern Shore.