Shark dies in Kmart commercial shoot in Van Nuys backyard pool. “‘Sharks are sensitive animals who, in captivity, require a highly specialized and controlled environment,” Julia Gallucci, an animal behavior specialist for PETA, wrote in a Tuesday letter to an association official. “Given the delicate nature of this species, why would the AHA (American Humane Association) approve the transport and use of the animal?'”

China’s Dead-Hog scandal is gross- but so are the hog feces in US waterways. “And it’s not just hogs that are crammed into the state’s factory farms. According to FWW (Food & Water Watch), Iowa’s vast confinement facilities also house 1.2 million beef cattle, 52.4 million egg-laying hens, 1 million broiler chickens, and 64,500 dairy cows. Altogether, this teeming horde annually churns out ‘as much untreated manure as the sewage from 471 million people—more than the entire US population.'”

Monarch butterfly population falls to record low, Mexican scientists say. “Omar Vidal (World Wildlife Fund, Mexico) points north, to the monarchs’ summer home in the U.S. Midwest. The farmland there once provided plenty of milkweed sprouting between rows of corn and soybean. But the heavy use of genetically modified, herbicide-tolerant crops has allowed farmers to wipe out milkweed and eliminate the monarchs’ main food source.”

‘Gang of Eight’ on ivory probation. “The ‘gang of eight’ countries include the supply states, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, plus the consumer states of China and Thailand. The group also includes three countries – Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines – which are important in the transit of ivory. A group of 10 conservation and welfare organisations issued a statement saying they were outraged by what they term as ‘the failure of Cites to stop the poaching’. They want a much tougher approach taken, especially with respect to China. ‘China could end the killing by immediately closing its domestic ivory markets and severely punishing citizens engaged in illegal ivory trade,’ said Steve Itela, director of Youth for Conservation. But it chooses ivory trinkets for a luxury market over live elephants,’ he added.”

Photo credit: Vurnman via Flickr