Vegan News 5.10.13

Why the Ethanol Boom Means More E. Coli Burgers. “Back in 2007, amid a boom in US corn-based ethanol, researchers at Kansas State University released a sobering study involving distillers grains—the mash that’s left over after corn has been fermented and distilled into ethanol. As various government programs ramped up ethanol production—and with it the price of corn—the livestock industry was increasingly turning to distillers grains as a cheap corn substitute. But the Kansas researchers found that the stuff seemed to cause a spike in a particularly dangerous-to-humans form of E. coli in the cows’ guts. ‘Distiller’s grain is a good animal feed,’ the study’s lead researcher said in a press release. But its tendency to boost the potentially deadly E. coli 0157 strain ‘is likely to have profound implications in food safety.'”

Fears of forest elephant slaughter in Central Africa. “WWF says that ivory poachers were seen using a scientist’s observation platform to shoot the animals, which gather there in large numbers. The campaigners say they are extremely worried about the elephants in Dzanga-Ndoki national park. The head of Cites has also expressed grave concern about the animals’ fate. Our belief is that elephants have been killed but we don’t yet know the scale. The Dzanga-Ndoki park is located in the south-western corner of the Central African Republic (CAR), where it borders Cameroon and the Republic of Congo. It is described as a unique habitat for forest elephants in particular. On Monday, WWF issued a warning that a group of 17 individuals, some armed with heavy-calibre rifles, had entered the park and was heading for the Dzanga-bai, an area known locally as the ‘village of elephants’. Up to 200 elephants are said to gather here daily to drink mineral salts present in the sands.”

Western Black Rhino Officially Extinct. “Africa’s western black rhino is now officially extinct according the latest review of animals and plants by the world’s largest conservation network. The subspecies of the black rhino — which is classified as ‘critically endangered’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species – was last seen in western Africa in 2006. The IUCN warns that other rhinos could follow saying Africa’s northern white rhino is ‘teetering on the brink of extinction’ while Asia’s Javan rhino is ‘making its last stand’ due to continued poaching and lack of conservation.”

Fearing cruelty, environment ministry says no to dolphin parks. “A dolphin kiss or their playful nature in man-made water holes would remain elusive for the Indian audience. The environment ministry rejected the plan to develop dolphinariums in different locations in India, including Delhi’s neighbourhood of Noida, Kochi in Kerala and Mumbai. Dolphinarium is an artificial, commercial facility where the aquatic animals are kept in captivity and displayed for amusement of audience at a high price by taking away their right to live in their natural habitat. India’s only brush with dolphinarium was in 1990s with a park in Chennai, which closed soon after the death of all captive mammals. ”

Whole Foods mixes up chicken, vegan salads at some Northeastern stores. “Whole Foods Market Inc. said Thursday that labels on a chicken salad and those on a vegan version of the salad were reversed at some of its cold food bars in the Northeast. The mislabeled salads — a curried chicken salad and a vegan curried ‘chick’n’ salad — were sold in 15 stores in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York, Whole Foods said. They were sold on Tuesday and Wednesday.”

Photo credit: Mr.Fink’s Finest Photos via Flickr