word of the week: cruel

cru·el

<a onmousedown=”spk(this,{lk:’nx1fkx’,en:’wotdau’,io:’0′,b:’wotd’,tp:’lrl’,m:’wotdau’})” href=”#”></a><a target=”_blank” href=”http://dictionary.reference.com/audio.html/lunaWAV/C10/C1010200″><img border=”0″ src=”http://sp.dictionary.com/dictstatic/g/d/speaker.gif”></a> /ˈkruəl/ Show Spelled[kroo-uhl] Show IPA

adjective, -er, -est.

1.

willfully or knowingly causing pain or distress to others.

2.

enjoying the pain or distress of others: the cruel spectators of the gladiatorial contests.

3.

causing or marked by great pain or distress: a cruel remark; a cruel affliction.

4.

rigid; stern; strict; unrelentingly severe.

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Origin: 1175–1225; Middle English < Anglo-French, Old French < Latin crūdēlis, equivalent to crūd ( us ) ( see crude) + -ēlis adj. suffix

Related forms

cru·el·ly, adverb

cru·el·ness, noun

un·cru·el, adjective

un·cru·el·ly, adverb

un·cru·el·ness, noun

Synonyms 1. bloodthirsty, ferocious, merciless, relentless. Cruel, pitiless, ruthless, brutal, savage imply readiness to cause pain to others. Cruel implies willingness to cause pain, and indifference to suffering: a cruel stepfather. Pitiless adds the idea of refusal to show compassion: pitiless to captives. Ruthless implies cruelty and unscrupulousness, letting nothing stand in one’s way: ruthless greed. Brutal implies cruelty that takes the form of physical violence: a brutal master. Savage suggests fierceness and brutality: savage battles.

Antonyms 1. kind. 2. sympathetic, compassionate.

poll answer

The answer to my poll is 3.8 million stray dogs.

The Right Zoo

Sometimes, when you go to a zoo you might see lots of bad things. There could be problems with just about anything, food, health, treatment. So when you go to a zoo here are some things you should look for:

1. What are the habitats like. This could be something really obvious, like animals living in a tiny cage (bad) or it could be trickier. Maybe it looks like they have a nice, grassy habitat, but they only get to go there a bit a day.
2. What are their policies on animal treatment. At the Phuket Zoo, you could sit with tigers and orangutans. That definitely means something isn’t right. Make sure that the animals are being treated like animals, and not like entertainment.
3. What goes on in the background.  Do they have healthy food, and enough of it? Good healthcare? Go online and research, or just ask.

If we try not to go to bad zoos, we might get them to treat their animals better.

Word of the week: NEGLECT

NEGLECT is a very common form of animal cruelty. An owner NEGLECTS their pet(s) for various reasons. Usually it is because the owner can not afford it. In a case such as animal hoarding, most often the pets are NEGLECTED because the owner gets overwhelmed with the situation.

DEFINITION OF NEGLECT:

ne·glect

/nɪˈglɛkt/ Show Spelled[ni-glekt] Show IPA

verb (used with object)

1.

to pay no attention or too little attention to; disregard or slight: The public neglected his genius for many years.

2.

to be remiss in the care or treatment of: to neglect one’s family; to neglect one’s appearance.

3.

to omit, through indifference or carelessness: to neglect to reply to an invitation.

4.

to fail to carry out or perform (orders, duties, etc.): to neglect the household chores.

5.

to fail to take or use: to neglect no precaution.

noun

6.

an act or instance of neglecting; disregard; negligence: The neglect of the property was shameful.

7.

the fact or state of being neglected: a beauty marred by neglect.

Animal cops

If you want to learn more about animal cruelty, you can watch Animal Cops on Animal Planet. Be careful, sometimes it can get pretty grafic .

How many stray dogs are there in the U.S.?

The answer will be posted on 1/25.

Donations

For non-profit organizations such as the ASPCA, donations mean everything to them when it comes to saving animals. Usualy when an animal comes out of a cruel situation, it’s pretty beat up. The ASPCA absolutely needs the right tools to fix ’em up. Well, sometimes the right tools can be expensive. donations are super important.

If you’re having trouble finding good organizations to donate to, I’ve created some links that might help you out. Find them under donation links.

Help The Humane Society of the United States confront animal cruelty now!

The Humane Society of the United States is the nation’s largest and most effective animal protection organization. Since 1954, The HSUS has been America’s mainstream force against animal cruelty, exploitation and neglect.In the past year, we’ve provided hands-on care to more than 3,500 animals rescued from cruelty and neglect, and given veterinary care to more than 30,000 animals in need — that’s more than any other animal protection organization in the country! We’ve also campaigned for critical reforms in industries that mistreat animals — taking on the sealers who slaughter baby seals for their fur, the factory farms that cram egg-laying hens into tiny battery cages, and the puppy millers who treat dogs as little more than a cash crop. We need your help to continue the fight against animal cruelty, exploitation and neglect — and to rescue animals from disaster and man-made cruelty situations whenever and wherever they’re in need. Please make a tax-deductible donation to The Humane Society of the United States today. Generous donors like you helped us to save and care for tens of thousands of animals in need, as well as continue our important campaigns for animals, such as working with policy-makers and the public to end the cruel puppy mill industry, breaking up multiple dogfighting operations across the country, stopping the worst forms of wildlife abuse, and campaigning to make humane farming practices the norm. We have made great strides on all of these fronts — but it’s only with your continued support that we will be able to persevere in our mission to make our world a more humane place for animals and people alike. Join the millions of Americans who have supported us in the fight to give animals a better future. Please make a tax-deductible donation today, or you can become a Humane Hero by making a monthly gift to help support our work for animals all year-round.

The Phuket Zoo

I recently went on vacation to Phuket, Thailand with my family. We heard about a zoo where there were animal shows and huts were you could take pictures with and feed animals. Upon arrival, it became apparent that the animals weren’t being treated well. The elephants were attached by short chains to the concrete floors. They were tossing their heads back and forth, which I have read is a sign of captivated elephants approaching insanity. They also had painful-looking gashes across their legs.

 The animals you could take pictures with were clearly drugged. Their was an orangatan who you could pose to do whatever you wanted it to with you. When it ceased to cooperate, the hut owner jammed it in the face with his forearm.

With Thailand having nothing  like the ASPCA, I worry much about the many animal, captivated or stray’s welfare. If there is anything at all anyone can do to help – PLEASE DO!

welcome to my blog!

I created this blog to get the word around about animal cruelty. Feel free to add helpful comments about anything you’d like people to know about this topic. Thanks!