Happy World Lion Day!

Hi PetPals!

Today is World Lion Day. It's a day to celebrate and raise awareness of there magnificent animals.

Lions are iconic species and their picture or structure are often found guarding our temples, adorning our flags, decorating our coins and capturing our hearts. On almost every continent, and in thousands of cultures, the lion can be found demonstrating man’s fascination with this magnificent beast.

Despite the lions’ symbolic importance throughout the ages, today they are suffering from a silent extinction across Africa and India.  Knowledge of the King of Beasts’ plight is little known.

The lion population in Africa has been reduced by half since the early 1950s. Today, fewer than 21,000 remain in all of Africa. It's estimated that Lions could be extinct by 2020- that's in just 5 years time! Crazy! The reason for their decline is habitat loss, prey loss and poaching. Poaching and Trophy Hunting of Lions is a huge problem at the moment. Just over 2 weeks ago, the world was shocked by the unlawful hunting of Cecil who was lured away from the safety of his reserve park, shot and left to suffer for 40 hours before having his head cut off. Absolutely disgusting. Sickening. 

That is why it is so important to support World Lion Day. We don't want a repeat of Cecil. 

World Lion Day is the first global campaign to celebrate the importance of the lion worldwide. Since the dawn of man the lion has played an integral role in our lives: symbolically, religiously, culturally, economically and biologically. To lose the lion from our world would be to lose part of our global heritage. 

To support lions and their conservation, share a picture of a lion and let everyone know the struggle they are facing. Donate if you can, any amount can help save their lives. 

Also read this interesting article:

http://www.defenders.org/magazine/fall-2010/can-we-save-lions

Hope

Hi PetPals! 

How cute is this baby Rhino?! 

Not only is he the cutest thing I have ever seen but he's a fighter and a survivor! Unfortunately, his mother was cruelly attacked by poachers whilst she was pregnant with him but thanks to the amazing work of the 'Rhino Angels' (the nickname the rangers are given) they were BOTH saved! 

Even though, she went through a horrific ordeal and lost her horn, it is so heartwarming to see her look after her baby. Just look how happy they both are! 

For me, this baby Rhino represents Hope. Hope that in the future poaching and trophy hunting of these beautiful animals will stop and they will rise into a new world. A world without cruelty to animals. 

The time to act is now. Save these animals so that we can see more cute photos like the ones above. You can help either by donating or just sharing a post to raise awareness of endangered animals. 

What Beauty Brands are not Cruelty Free?

Hi PetPals!

It can be really mind boggling trying to find makeup that is cruelty free and not tested on animals. I often find myself going into stores such as Superdrug and Boots and wandering around trying to find products that are cruelty free by looking for these symbols:

It's quite surprising how many products in stores are not cruelty free. I know for a fact Superdrugs own brand products are cruelty free as they always have the bunny logo on the back. I understand that sometimes cruelty free products are a little more expensive especially if you're on a budget however for me personally, I would much rather pay that little bit extra knowing full well that the product I am using hasn't caused an animal to suffer. I'm sure you would all agree too?

The following brands STILL test on Animals and therefore are NOT cruelty free:

There are a few on that list that I'm surprised at such as Avon and Clinique. Avon is a well known brand that is affordable for everyone which means a lot of people are buying it and almost funding the animal testing. Clinique is supposed to be great at looking after your skin yet I feel it defeats it motive if it's testing these products on animals. 

If like me you're still unsure what brands are cruelty free, PETA have an app called 'Bunny Free' which lets you check. You can download it by going on the PETA website. 

I hope this has helped some of you. I will be doing a post on alternative brands so stay tuned for that! 

Swimming Guineapigs- Cute or Cruel?

Hi PetPals!

Over the weekend, a video of two Guineapigs swimming in a swimming pool went viral over social media.

The video (Click here) shows an owner placing his Guineapigs into a very big and deep swimming pool and letting them swim. Whilst the majority of people who have shared this video think it's ''cute'', in reality and when you think of Animal Welfare, it's not.

Guineapigs are not designed to swim. They are land animals and in the wild would live in groups on grassy plains. They would never choose to go swimming and often avoid rivers and lakes. They are not adapted for the water and nor do they have the strength to swim.

Guineapigs hold most of their weight in the bottom half of their body which means if you place them in water, they will just sink. The only reason they start ''swimming'' is because they have no choice. It's either sink or swim, death or life.

Placing your Guineapig in unnatural surroundings such as water will also cause them considerable stress. Their heart and lungs are small and located just under their front legs. Making them swim is putting major pressure on their breathing system.

Another thing that is significantly bad about making your guinea-pigs swim is the temperature of the water. What might feel warm to you will actually be freezing for your Guineapig. Again, it's not good to mess with your Guineapigs temperature as this can cause all kinds of illnesses.

I know a lot of you will be shouting at the screen ''What about baths?''. Well, Guineapigs should only be bathed when necessary AND the water should be very shallow and warm enough for your Guineapig.

The video make look ''cute'' but in actual fact, both Guineapigs are very stressed out. One is circling and the other is desperately looking for a way out but the sides are far too high for him to climb. In short, the water is way too deep, the sides are far too high and the Guineapigs are extremely stressed by it all.

And so is it Cute or Cruel? the verdict is...... Cruel.

Guineapigs are not designed to swim and should never be put in a situation where they are forced to. If you see this video on any social media, please do not share. Instead, share this post. The worst thing about the video going viral is the amount of owners who will try make their Guineapigs swim. Lets try and prevent that.

Updates and Animal Friendly Make-up!

Hi PetPals! 

I thought I would add another feature that includes you, the owner. I wanted to show you Superdrugs very own makeup brand that is animal cruelty free! It's called ' I Love Makeup'. 

They have recently just released all their products and I have to say they are absolutely lush! Their products cover a range of makeup needs including, primer, foundation, concealer, eye liner. You name it they've got it!

The best thing about it is that it's super affordable and high quality. Times are tough and not everyone can afford to go into The Body Shop and purchase their animal cruelty free products, so the fact Superdrug have brought out their own is super exciting! 'I Love Makeup' ranges from £2.99 to £4.99 which is a bargain! 

You can now look beautiful whilst looking after your pets with this incredible new brand and feel reassured that it's cruelty free too.

To check out the brand and purchase a few, go to : http://www.superdrug.com/Make-Up/Face/c/makeup-face?q=%3Aname-asc%3Abrand%3A303&text=&minSel=1.0&maxSel=130.0&minSlider=1.0&maxSlider=130.0&resultsForPage=20&brand303=on#

Rehoming Process

Hi PetPals!

Following on from my first 'Save an Animal Sunday', I thought it would be a great idea to explain how easy rehoming an animal is.

I think a lot of people think the rehoming process is very long and so choose to just buy a pet but this is not the case. The rehoming process is straightforward and easy.

Firstly, most shelters have a website or a Facebook page where they advertise the animals that are up for adoption. It's a good idea to look through the animals and see if their descriptions will suit you. Some smaller shelters don't have access to websites and things so its best to go to them and have a look round and talk to the staff there. 

Once you have seen an animal you think you can give a loving home to, you will have to fill out a application form. The forms are very simple asking for your name, age, lifestyle, pet your interested in and experience with that particular species of animals. You will then have to send this off to the shelter where the staff will look over it. They will then contact you within 2-4 days of recieving the application to invite you in to find out more about you and meet the pet too. If the shelter think you're not suited to the animal you first chose, they will help you find an animal that is.

If you are suited to your pet, a home check will be carried out by staff just to ensure the environment the animal is being brought into is suitable too. You will also have several meeting with your potential new animal just to ensure a bond is built up and the animal feels safe and reassured that it will not be dumped again. 

There is a rehoming fee but this is just to cover any veterinary treatment the animal has had. This money goes back into the shelter to help rescue other animals too. 

Once you have brought your new pet home, the shelter usually does a follow up visit just to ensure both you and your new pet are happy. 

The great thing about rehoming is that you are giving an animal a second chance of life and you will have lifetime support from the shelter. 

So before, you rush out and buy a pet, consider those who are longing for a new home and a second chance in rescue centres. You can find a rescue centre near you by simply typing it in google.

Please check out the following links for more information:

http://www.rspca.org.uk/allaboutanimals/rehoming
http://www.bluecross.org.uk/1710/rehome-a-pet.html
http://www.battersea.org.uk/dogs/rehoming/
http://www.scottishspca.org/rehoming/centres
http://www.woodgreen.org.uk/rehome/dogs