A 2013 study published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, revealed startling behavior about our marine mammal cousins: bottlenose dolphins recognize signature whistles of other dolphins whom they know, and may even mimic them.

The researchers found that the bottlenose dolphins “extract identity information from signature whistles, even after all voice features have been removed from the signal,” which helps them to form different types of social relationships. When calling other dolphins by their “names,” researchers noted variations, including personal attributes of the dolphin calling out, which could suggest they were sharing additional information. Think of it as if you just locked your keys in the car how you might call out to your spouse, or if a child had wandered off. There’s more information in how you call someone’s name than just the name itself.

While the researchers say there’s more to study, they do believe what they’ve observed is rare in the animal world. The ability for animals to communicate names and information through language is a pretty small circle of species.

And what this indicates, of course, is that there are likely myriad complex animal relationships we may not ever fully comprehend, such as bees‘ “hive mind,” how ants send signals, or why elephants mourn deaths of others for so long. But it does further bring into question human dominion over animals and the justifications for doing so.

As our food systems rely more heavily on animals than ever before in history, it’s worth recognizing the potential for these animals to comprehend and respond to their circumstances. Pigs, for example, are actually more intelligent than the average dog. We don’t need much convincing of a dog’s ability to reason and communicate with us. In fact, for many of us, the conversations are as clear as those with another human.

It’s reasonable too to consider that as our own human intelligence, consciousness, and awareness evolves, so too may our fellow earthlings be adapting and learning at a rapid pace. This TED talk suggests a human kinship with dolphins is more likely than with chimpanzees. And even as countless animal and insect species are becoming extinct around the planet, many more are thriving in this changing world, and wouldn’t it be a lot more fun if they all had names, too?

Find Jill on Twitter and Instagram

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The billion-dollar Bangladeshi leather industry is finally facing the public scrutiny it deserves for unspeakable acts of animal cruelty.

Thanks to singer-songwriter Leona Lewis’ collaboration with PETA, a recent video exposé narrated by the singer has revealed shocking facts about the atrocities that cows and other animals face when they are transported and slaughtered for their hides. This abuse has trickled down into the community; not only does the livestock suffer the consequences of leather farming, but the local environment, workers, and children do, as well.

Take a look at your shoes, handbags, belts, and even wallet. If it says “genuine leather” and you bought it off the rack, then there’s a chance that your purchase contributed to Bangladeshi’s rampant and unregulated animal cruelty resulting from the cow slaughtering and leather tanning industries.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) reported that approximately 2 million cows from India are crudely and abhorrently packed like sardines onto trucks and transported thousands of miles to Bangladesh–because cows can’t be slaughtered in India–without any regard to their welfare in order to bypass Indian slaughter bans. Upon arrival, the animals are so exhausted, malnourished, dehydrated, and emaciated that they can’t even muster the energy to stand up, much less walk, to reach the next destination.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t end there. Innocent cows also suffered from necrotic wounds and broken tails, likely resulting from such hazardous transportation, and, according to sources, the animals did not receive any medical attention.

Once inside the slaughterhouses, the workers bind the legs of the cows and proceed to slit their throats while they are fully conscious. The living animals are subjected to witness the violence and suffering of their fellow species while are likely also anticipating their own imminent deaths. Disturbingly, some cows are actually seen still kicking as they are being – literally – skinned alive. Here is the link to Lewis’ PETA narration and video, but we must warn you that it is extremely graphic.

In addition to the sad existence of the cows sent for slaughter in Bangladesh, workers, and children were seen immersing and exposing themselves to highly toxic chemicals in order to soak and prepare the hides that are then used to make the handbags, shoes, and other leather products. Their jobs are performed without a barrier of protection – no shoes, gloves, or chemical rated clothing – but with a high risk of an early death and cancer.

A whopping 90 percent of the tannery workers probably won’t even live to see the age of 50 due to the deplorable conditions these employees are forced to work under, which is a sad statistic considering that many of these “workers” are actually children. Additionally, a visit to Dhaka, an area that has more than 150 tanneries, did not uncover a single waste facility or sewage plant. Instead, the runoff was simply added to a river, creating a large stream of toxic waste that traveled through the town, killing animals and endangering humans.

“The production of leather hurts animals, workers, and the environment. Please consider the impact that your purchases have, and only buy cruelty-free synthetic, natural fiber, and other vegan clothing” said Lewis. Every little change, no matter how insignificant, incites growth and broadens our views. And from those small modifications, we can only hope that a conscious attitude towards living a cruelty-free life will flourish in the wake of so much death and destruction.

Now that you’ve read the news on the latest animal cruelty scandal, we want to hear from you. What’s your take on the atrocities uncovered by PETA? Do you believe more celebrities should use their influence to spread awareness about difficult animal and human rights issues like these? What do you think it would take to have leather completely eliminate from store shelves? Let us know your thoughts on the EcoSalon Facebook page.

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Seriously…No Kidding: New Leather Shoe Line from So-Called Vegan Ellen Degeneres

Image of Cow on Truck from Shutterstock

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The new leather shoe line from Ellen Degeneres isn’t garnering this comedian and talk show host any laughs from vegan fans. With the introduction of animal products to her clothing line, ED, the former animal rights supporter, has seemingly committed the ultimate act of betrayal and is now facing serious scrutiny from fans and the media.

To some, this situation may seem like no big deal. In fact, many consumers may be looking forward to seeing the new leather shoe line from Ellen Degeneres without understanding the impact of her decision. For those of you who already have a grasp on the devastating effects of buying leather in any manner, we feel this is the perfect opportunity to inform those who do not.

According to One Green Planet, “the global leather industry slaughters over one billion animals every year,” and cows are not the only victims on the roster. Pigs, goats, sheep, exotic animals, and even cats and dogs, who are used for their skin and fur in China, are unjustly slaughtered and used for their coats. And because leather sources are not labeled, it would be nearly impossible to know if your shoes are made from sheepskin or dog skin.

Also alarming is the unnecessary cruelty that these animals have to endure in order to become the products we purchase. PETA claims that most leather comes from developing countries where animal welfare laws are not upheld or do not exist.

“In the U.S., many of the millions of cows and other animals who are killed for their skin endure the horrors of factory farming – extreme crowding and deprivation, as well as castration, branding, tail-docking, and dehorning – all without painkillers,” says PETA. Additionally, many animals regularly have their throats cut and are even dismembered while still conscious.

If these sorts of atrocities happen in American factory farms, imagine the laws, or lack-there-of, in Brazil, where some of Ellen Degeneres’ leather shoes are made, according to the Bergdorf Goodman retail site. With a little digging, it’s evident that more than just animals are being harmed in the process of harvesting leather.

The human welfare of the factory farm and leather tanning employees in the United States, as well as underdeveloped countries, like the modern day slaves in places like Brazil, falls to the wayside and is oftentimes intentionally disregarded in the name of profit.

Not only are factory farm and tanning workers subject to a high rate of injury and illness, but the people living nearby, as well as the surrounding environment, are subject to extreme toxicity and pollution, too. Cancer is prevalent among workers and neighboring townspeople, and the devastating pollution from the waste run-off from factory farms and the chemical VOCs from the leather tanning process are enough to ultimately destroy adjacent land and life.

When someone like Ellen Degeneres has made the commitment to being an outspoken vegan, it’s usually something that is not taken lightly – especially considering the initial dedication and planning involved in such a life improving transition – which is why it comes as such a shock to fans how easy it is for Ellen to forget her personal standards and ethics in the name of profit, much like the factory farming and leather tanning industries.

Although it’s difficult to predict the future success of Ellen Degeneres’ apparel, shoe, and home goods line, ED, we hope that this incident, like so many other celebrity snafus, doesn’t simply get swept under the rug.

Accountability is difficult to come by these days, especially in Hollywood, so in an attempt to right her wrongs and hopefully halt the damage that’s being done by the new addition to her brand, we urge you, Ellen Degeneres, to put a stop to your leather shoe line and attempt to provide restitution for the damage done, or, at the very least, stop lying to the public by claiming to live a vegan lifestyle – it’s an injustice to people and animals everywhere.

Now that you’ve gotten the scoop on the scandal, we want to hear from you. What’s your take on the new leather shoe line from Ellen Degeneres? Do you believe she’s betraying fans and doing a disservice to the vegan lifestyle? What would you like to see Ellen do in order to rectify the situation? Let us know your thoughts on the EcoSalon Facebook page.

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H&M has been on a bit of a conscious company terror over the past few months. Just recently, the fashion retailer committed to helping animals and reducing waste. I know. We couldn’t believe it either.

Let’s talk about H&M’s animal welfare pledge first. According to Humane Society International, H&M and the Humane Society are working together to protect animals from suffering for human fashion whims. The joint venture is part of H&M’s sustainability commitments.

While H&M has previously supported animal welfare (its H&M-brand cosmetic products and its ingredients aren’t tested on animals), the company has now pledged to support the Humane Society International’s #BeCrueltyFree campaign.

The “#BeCrueltyFree USA campaign is leading efforts to achieve a nationwide ban on cosmetics cruelty,” the Humane Society reports. This past June, the organization began working with legislators to launch the Humane Cosmetics Act in Congress.

“Passage of the HCA would bring the US in line with more than 30 other countries that have already implemented similar bans on cosmetics animal testing and the sale of animal tested cosmetics,” says the organization.

The H&M collaboration also includes the “commitment to pursue policy change in countries around the world, such as national legislative bans on animal testing of cosmetics, as well as the cruel practices within wool and down production.” That’s a pretty big commitment. If this collaboration is successful, a lot of animals will be helped.

H&M plans to promote the campaign by communicating with key stakeholders on the issue, conducting consumer advocacy, and by supporting training and education programs.

And earlier this summer, H&M announced the launch of its “H&M $1 million closed loop challenge.” The challenge was created to “engage innovators, technologists, scientists and entrepreneurs to find a solution to a growing problem in the clothing industry: waste and pollution,” The Guardian reports.

This challenge is pretty cool, but like The Guardian states, some people are wondering if this “challenge” is really a “side step,” considering the company has yet to address “overproduction and worker rights by emphasizing materials innovation and technology – especially when recycling the mixed fibers so common in fast fashion is proving tricky.”

Fast fashion will most likely prove difficult for the brand to conquer, considering that’s kind of what it’s known for. But still, we’ve got to commend the brand for having a pretty great summer. Let’s hope it does even more this fall.

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After a century at the circus, elephants will no longer be part of Ringling Brothers traveling show. 

“The Greatest Show on Earth” says it will eliminate its iconic elephants from the circus show by 2018. Executives from Ringling Brothers parent company, Feld Entertainment, said that after a century of showcasing the animals, the decision was a difficult one.

“It’s pretty remarkable, since they’ve been fighting this fight for so long, and for over a century the icon of the American circus was the elephant,” said Matthew Wittmann, a historian and author of “Circus and the City: New York, 1793-2010,” who has advocated ending the use of elephants, reported The New York Times. “The view Ringling always propagated was that you can’t have the circus without the elephants, but the global success of Cirque du Soleil shows that you don’t need to have animals of any kind to have a circus.”

Certain cities have passed anti-circus or anti-elephant ordinances making it difficult to fight the legislation and plan tours around the laws. While the circus will still feature some animals, it will also supplement the show with motor sports, dare devils, and human shows.

“There’s been somewhat of a mood shift among our consumers,” Alana Feld, the company’s executive vice president told the AP. “A lot of people aren’t comfortable with us touring with our elephants.”

Feld Entertainment has the largest herd of Asian elephants in North America and maintenance of the animals is costly. The company says it costs $65,000 per year to house them. As the elephants age, Feld will have to build new facilities for the animals.

“All of the resources used to fight these things can be put towards the elephants,” Feld said during an interview at the Center for Elephant Conservation. “We’re not reacting to our critics; we’re creating the greatest resource for the preservation of the Asian elephant.”

The company has also been the subject of a number of lawsuits from animal right organizations. They recently won a $25.2 million settlement in a 14-year lawsuit after it was uncovered that a former circus employee was paid off by animal rights organizations to make claims against the circus.

Ringling Brothers has 43 elephants in all, ranging in age from 2 to 69 years old. While it hasn’t acquired any new elephants in decades from other sources, Ringling has its own breeding program at its elephant conservation center in Florida. The circus’ main competition, Cirque du Soleil, is an entirely human act and doesn’t show any wild animal acts at all.

“This is a tremendous victory for the elephants … as well as for everyone who fought for this change,” ASPCA President and CEO Matt Bershadker said in a statement, reported on The Huffington Post. “We continue to oppose using elephants or any wild or exotic animals in circuses, carnivals and other traveling animal shows.”

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Could the safari zoo format be the zoo style of the future?

For animal lovers, zoos present obstacles. Zoos introduce the public to animals that they may likely never see, and as a result, not be as concerned about protecting along with their habitats. And zookeepers are among the most educated and concerned about the animals they care for. At the same time, no animal should be caged just for the amusement of the public. But what if the zoos of the future were cage-free like a safari zoo?

The Danish architectural firm Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) is working on a safari zoo in Denmark called Zootopia that it hopes will be the zoo of the future. It’s all about the successful cohabitation of humans and different species of animals. Though it’s still in the concept phase, it will be made up of entire habitats of animals that like to be together in larger groups.

“Which means you won’t have a lonely tiger walking around inside a cage,” Bjarke Ingels says on NPR. “You’ll have … all kinds of animals that like to be together in larger groups, so that we can actually create entire habitats.”

Zootopia will resemble a giant crater where humans can look over the edge and have incredible views of the animals in their habitats. It will be divided into three sections: Africa, America, and Asia. Visitors will move through the park in all kinds of ways like cable cars, bikes, boats, and cars.

“The idea is interfacing with animals in completely new ways,” Ingels says on NPR. “What we’ve tried to do is eliminate all traces of human architecture.”

It makes me think of Jurassic Park minus the dinosaurs and the innate danger.

“The main contribution of Zootopia to the animal welfare is that because they are all social animals, they live really live with much more space than in a typical zoo,” he says. “Both the human experience and the animal experience is going to be much more exciting.”

It’s a thrilling idea and I can’t wait to pay this park a visit. Although we’re still five years away from its opening.

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Musicians and celebrities: They love their furry friends just like us! All joking aside, though, it’s swell to discover that your favorite artist supports animal rescues and rights, and abhors animal cruelty, isn’t it?

1. Billy Corgan

Recently, I spied Billy Corgan, the frontman of The Smashing Pumpkins, on the cover of a Chicago pet shelter’s magazine and that got me thinking – what other musicians support animal rescues and animal rights? Well, I’ve done a bit of research, and found a handful of other stellar artists who love and support animals, too.

First, though, a bit more about Billy Corgan’s love for pets and animal rescues:

Corgan, along with Sammi and Mr. Thom, Corgan’s two rescued kittens, made the cover of PAWS Chicago magazine, a publication for the no-kill animal shelter, PAWS Chicago. The rescue runs a spay and neuter clinic, and adopts out pets. Corgan also has helped the organization by donating prizes to the shelter’s auctions and speaking on the awesomeness of pet adoptions.

Now, onto the other artists.

2. Kesha

This singsong pop artist uses her pedestal to raise awareness for all our furry friends. She speaks out on a variety of animal cruelty issues, which includes how poorly some wild animals are treated. The singer also supports cruelty-free makeup brands. Also: In 2013, she was awarded the Wyler Award from The Humane Society of the United States. Way to go, Kesha!

3. Moby

Moby jumped aboard the vegan train when he was 21 and he’s also an animal rights activist. Moby also has co-edited a book about factory farms called, “Gristle: From Factory Farms to Food Safety (Thinking Twice About the Meat We Eat),” and created an animal rights t-shirt design for PETA. Read all about why Moby decided to become vegan (hint: he loves animals) by reading the March 2014 essay he wrote for Rolling Stone.

4. Pink

Pink is incredibly vocal about animal rights. She is an avid supporter of rescue shelters and encourages people to volunteer at the ASPCA. She’s known for telling friends to adopt rather than buy from puppy mills, which often leave puppies sick and malnourished.

5. Fiona Apple

Fiona Apple loved her dying pup so much so that she canceled a recent tour to stay by the side of her dog. She wrote a heartfelt explanation to fans that shows just how much pet lovers adore their furry buddies.

6. Paul McCartney

Sir Paul has worked with PETA for more than 20 years! McCartney is an advocate for vegetarianism and has always spoken out about how animal cruelty is wrong. The Beatles and Wings founder also wrote a letter asking former KFC CEO David Novak to implement PETA’s eight-point plan to stop the worst abuses to chickens, and narrated the heartbreaking animal rights documentary, “Glass Walls.” (Note: This video includes some very hard to watch material. Consider before pressing play.)

7. Emmylou Harris

This country superstar is a big fan of PETA’s spay and neuter campaigns. Harris also is the founder of Bonaparte’s Retreat, a dog rescue that opened its doors in 2004. And bonus: The talented artist also is a vegetarian.

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Resources

“Billy Corgan Looks Smashing On Pet Shelter Magazine Cover,” EcoRazzi

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Modern Farmer recently profiled Andy Feehan and Wim Delvoye, two artists best known as the guys who tattoo pigs. Living, breathing, oinking pigs. But it’s not animal cruelty. It’s art!

Feehan, who started tattooing pigs back in the 1970s, explained that his original intention was to bring awareness to the plight of pigs in captivity.

There are currently more than 65 million pigs on factory farms in the U.S. They are intelligent creatures; as intelligent as dogs if not more so. And gestation crates that confine pregnant sows are some of the cruelest measures used in captivity.

“I wanted to extract them permanently from the pig factory,” Feehan said in Artlies magazine in 2000.

Delvoye started tattooing pigs in the 1990s, inspired by Feehan. “He decorated swine with everything from images of daggers to Disney princesses, and has showed live tattooed pigs at exhibitions,” explained Modern Farmer. “Eventually he took the experiment a step further, establishing an ‘art farm’ in Beijing, where pigs were raised exclusively to be tattooed with his artwork. The pigs were killed and their flattened skins sold to customers who display them as works of art. The industrialization of his work became a commentary on art-industry demand.”

I love pigs so much that I haven’t (knowingly) eaten any part of one since I was a teenager. It seems to be the best way to show my love. You know, by not forcing them to suffer before I gnaw on their cooked flesh. I love tattoos, too. My right arm is covered in them. But here’s where Feehan and Delvoye get the combination so terribly, terribly wrong.

“I believe the manner in which I had the pig tattooed was as humane and painless as possible . . . My intention was, in addition to making them art, was to save their lives,” Feehan wrote in an email to Modern Farmer.

But that’s kind of like putting a pig in a cage on Main Street to bring attention to the animal’s suffering; it doesn’t free the pig, it just turns her into a spectacle. And when we sensationalize animals (or humans), we stop relating to them. “It probably just reinforces the prejudice that animals exist for us to use — if not for meat, then for art,” author and animal rights activist Peter Singer explained to Modern Farmer. “It may be better for the pigs he tattoos than the fate that would otherwise have awaited them. Taking these pigs out of meat production will just mean that other pigs are bred to suffer. ‘Art’ is no excuse for failing to show respect and concern for animals.”

We don’t need tattooed pigs to explain their plight or show the similarities between pigs and humans (there are many!). What we could use, however, are more people with tattoos of pigs on their bodies, so that we can always be reminded that we are who we eat—suffering, humiliation and all.

Find Jill on Twitter @jillettinger

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After a multimillion-euro (dollar) makeover, the Zoological Park of Paris, also known as the  Zoo de Vincennes, is re-opening its gates to the public. The park aims to be a twenty-first century zoo, whose priorities are animal well-being and conservation. Visitors will be able to observe animals in environments designed to be as close to their natural habitat as possible.

The Zoological Park first opened its gates in 1934, with concrete landscaping, and traditional cages to house the animals. The zoo temporarily closed in 2008, because its crumbling displays that had not been renovated since the parks premiere opening had become a safety hazard. The zoo said that after a makeover at the cost of 170 million euros ($234 million), it will be able to house the animals in conditions that are as natural and stress-free as possible.

Instead of re-building the park in its original form, the zoo decided to take a modern approach by preserving the animals’ habitat, while at the same time giving a unique visitor experience. Zoo Director Sophie Ferreira Le Morvan, said that “Now visitors are being invited to the land of animals to immerse themselves in their natural environment. So the whole work was to rebuild, to recreate the natural environment of the animals.”

The displays consist of winding pathways, lush vegetation, and rock barriers, rather than cages, to separate the wildlife from its viewers. The cathedral-like greenhouse as long as a football field is filled with tropical birds, such as grey-winged trumpeters, and West Indian manatee.

“We’ve invented a new zoo, whose concept is different from 20th century ones, where animals were exhibited like in some amusement park,” said Thomas Grenon, head of the National Museum of Natural History, which manages the Zoological Park. “This is a 21st-century zoo, which will show biodiversity and talk about it, and where the animals will live together as they do in their natural environment.”

The zoo is also aiming to create a more natural series of “biozones,” with replica habitats for tropics, forests and grasslands in South America, Africa and Europe where the animals will be housed. Instead of by type, the animals have been grouped by five regions of origin —  Madagascar, Patagonia, Guyana, Europe and Sahel-Sudan, the largest single area in the zoo and home to African savannah roamers. Rolling terrain and artificial rocks point to the effort to re-create the natural ecosystems, as best possible. Giraffes and ostriches co-habit one display area, zebras and rhinos another. A male lion, somewhat understandably, has his own pen until three lionesses arrive. “It’s like a journey around the planet,” said Le Morvan.

Geographer Jean Estebanez, a specialist in “humanimal” relationships, said that “the zoo reflects a push towards animals to be seen not as a resource but as fellow species. The tendency in modern zoos is not to show animals hauled out of a different environment but to place us in the different environment itself.”

The zoo’s curators have also taken animal welfare into account in their selection of species. Due to space constraints, there are no longer any elephants, or bears featured at the zoo. The modern outlook takes the animals needs into consideration, therefore, including such range-loving animals in the confines of a city zoo would be deemed as cruelty.

The zoo has some one hundred and eighty species — including seventy-four birds and forty-two mammal species — totaling over one thousand animals – aside from the insects. The zoo said that it will also carry out scientific research to help protect threatened and endangered species. “We hope that visiting this zoo can raise awareness of the protection of nature,” says Eric Joly, director of the zoo’s botanical gardens told Le Figaro.

Although, the Zoological Park of Paris re-created the park to ‘appear’ like the animals’ natural landscape (and it certainly sounds like a step up from most zoos), the fact is the animals are still living in a human-made environment, and therefore, they are not ‘free’ to live their lives as nature intended. Animal advocacy groups are already not buying into to the zoo’s new approach, and their reasons to hold animals in captivity. “Pretending that zoos have a direct role in the preservation of nature is a sham,” said Jean-Claude Nouëts, president of advocacy group La Fondation Droit Animal, Ethique et Sciences. – Joan Reddy

This post originally appeared on Ecorazzi

Ecorazzi covers news and gossip on celebrities and notables in support of the environment and humanitarian causes. You can follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

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As Mayor Bill de Blasio works to ban Central Park’s horse drawn carriages, activists have unveiled a model of a vintage antique styled electric car to replace it. It’s called the Horseless ECarriage and it was commissioned by the animal rights group NY Class.

The cars were designed to present the “old world” character of horse drawn carriages sans animal cruelty. The mayor says that the horses are being treated inhumanely. According to NY Class, these 220 horses routinely work 9 hour days on hard pavement, pulling a vehicle that weighs hundreds of pounds. At the end of the day, the horses return to tiny stalls where they’re never afforded any pasture time. In the past two years, 18 accidents have involved horse drawn carriages.

Mayor De Blasio says that if the ban goes into effect, the horses will retire to sanctuaries. Currently, according to NY Class, upon retirement, the horses are transported to Pennsylvania where they are often sold for meat and then slaughtered in Mexico and Canada.

The new horseless carriage will mean that the industry stays afloat, just in a more modernized and less cruel manner. NY Class says that it has partnered with The Creative Workshop in Dania Beach, Florida to design and create fully electric cars that serve as ideal rides for tourists. The cars seat eight passengers and provide “stadium” 360 degree viewing of the city. The cars will travel 5 mph in the park but will be able to keep up to cars in the streets. They’re also all-weather vehicles that tourists will love just the same.

The horse drawn carriage ban has become a heated battle in the city. Actor Liam Neeson put a pro-carriage op-ed in The New York Times. He said, “an entire way of life and a historic industry are under threat. We should ask whether this is the New York we want to live in: a sanitized metropolis, where local color and grit are thrown out in favor of sleek futuristic buildings and careening self-driving cars?” After his op-ed, animal rights activists picketed in front of his New York City apartment. These new vintage electric cars may be just what’s needed to please both parties and say goodbye to horse drawn carriage cruelty.

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