LAIKA Magazine

06/05/2022

Support for the anti-fur movement is skyrocketing, bolstered by fashion bans and new legislation being passed. The fur industry is now worth half of what it was just six years ago. And while there is heightened awareness about the atrocities in the fur trade, less is known about the animals themselves — in particular, about the survivors.

Two years ago, Nicole Navarro founded with the goal of providing permanent sanctuary to foxes rescued from fur farms in the Midwest. Although foxes are the second most farmed animal for their fur after mink, there is a misconception that fox farming doesn’t exist in the U.S.

At the link in our bio, we reflect on the progress of the anti-fur movement, and get to know the six foxes at Pawsitive Beginnings: Penny, Jasper, Louie, Libby, Coral and Reef. “Not one of them is like the other, they [each] have their
own individual tonalities,” says Navarro.

06/05/2022

Support for the anti-fur movement is skyrocketing, with fashion labels going fur-free and new legislation being passed. The fur industry is now worth half of what it was just six years ago. And while there is heightened awareness about the atrocities of the fur trade, less is known about the animals themselves — in particular, about the survivors. “Not one of them is like the other, they [each] have their own individual tonalities,” says rescuer Nicole Navarro of Pawsitive Beginnings Inc.

Unfavorable public opinion and global bans are leading to fur industry's demise. Once “pelts,” the foxes at Pawsitive Beginnings get a new chance at life.

18/02/2022

The struggle is real for the fur industry these days, according to the fur industry itself.
(Source: fur trapping site, November 2021)

25/11/2021

Turkeys are absolutely fascinating. Did you know that turkeys, along with chickens, are considered the ‘closest to dinosaur ancestors’ in the animal kingdom? "Birds are living dinosaurs, just as we are mammals," said Julia Clarke, a paleontologist with the Department of Geological Sciences at the University of Texas at Austin.

What is referred to as a ‘wishbone’ is actually called the furcula. It’s formed by the fusion of two collarbones at the sternum. The furcula is an important part of a bird's flight mechanics. Scientists once thought the furcula was unique to birds. Paleontologists now tell us that the bone dates back more than 150 million years to two-legged dinosaurs including the Tyrannosaurus. That is how far turkeys’ lineage stretches.

Just like us humans, turkeys talk to communicate. Their vocabulary consists of 28 distinct calls. Each sound has a general meaning and can be used for different situations. One of the sounds is purring. That is how turkeys communicate their contentment.

Wild turkeys roost on trees, preen and sand bathe. They can walk up to two miles a day in a flock. All flocks have a social structure (for example, female turkeys that have been unable to hatch a chick, will form a flock - not unlike human camaraderie).

Despite human interference and manipulation, today’s domesticated turkeys have retained many of these qualities. They still actively communicate, purr, preen, they form bonds, they are incredibly curious. They have a will to live. And anyone who has spent time with a rescued turkey will tell you how gentle and loving they are. They long to be themselves, to inhabit their true nature. Aren’t we all?

The more I learn about these remarkable beings, the more grateful I am to share this planet with them. It gets overwhelming thinking about how every year in the US, 250 million turkeys are bred (artificially, by humans) for consumption. When will it end? It has to. Hopefully for some people, it ends today.

Marlene, pictured here, was rescued from a live kill market in LA the day before Thanksgiving in 2017 by . Photographed by .

04/11/2021

64 years ago, a stray dog named Laika — after whom our magazine is named — became the first living being to orbit the earth in a one-way mission. “I asked her to forgive us and I even cried as I stroked her for the last time,” said one of the scientists responsible for her demise. Laika's story is not unlike the stories of billions of animals.

Laika was the first living being sent into orbit on a one-way journey. Her plight sparked international outcry, and her story is like that of many animals.

31/10/2021

Scary stuff 😱☠️

21/10/2021

The implications of this decision could be huge. In granting this application, the district court recognized animals as legal persons for the first time in U.S. history.

The drug kingpin's hippos have run wild in Colombia. A new court ruling could help pave the way for a humane way to deal with the world's most invasive species.

20/10/2021

"Like many other hazardous low-wage industries in the United States, this work depends on the labor of America’s most marginalized communities. They labor in environments full of life-threatening dangers. Moving machine parts can cause traumatic injuries by crushing, amputating, burning, and slicing. Data shows that a worker loses a limb or is sent to the hospital about every other day. The cumulative trauma of repeating the same, forceful motions, tens of thousands of times each day causes severe and disabling injuries."

Summary We’ve already gone from the line of exhaustion to the line of pain.… When we’re dead and buried, our bones will keep hurting. —Ignacio Davalos, worker at a Smithfield-owned hog plant, Crete, Nebraska, March 2019 If you buy beef, pork, or chicken anywhere in the United States—whethe...

26/07/2021

Want to know where New York's best vegan dishes are? We've got your covered.

Dining out expert Crystal Pang, aka , curates a definitive list of her hometown’s can’t-miss vegan dishes

21/05/2021

“I’ve never allowed my veganism to take anything away from my views on social justice. They need to be aligned. They need to work together. They need to form a whole.”

The outspoken TikTok sensation is passionate about sharing delicious vegan food and advocating for justice

04/04/2021

Did you know that a “binky” is a term for the expression of pure delight when a rabbit does a little leap in the air? These intelligent, vibrant beings are not toys, gimmicks or commodities.⁣
⁣
Seen here, from our Issue 7 story “Somebunny to Love” about rescued rabbits are Lena, Leela and Mordecai. Kendall Bryant () shared the distinct personalities of her three companions: “Mordecai is very smart and active, and he’s always looking for something new to occupy his mind. Leela loves to lie on the softest spot she can find. Lena has several forts in her room, and I love that she has the autonomy to go from fort to fort as she chooses.” Illustration by .⁣
⁣

08/03/2021

Happy International Women's Day! Today we revisit an illuminating conversation with four grassroots vegan activists who are fighting interwoven forms of oppression.

How four DC-area activists are making veganism accessible to "every single person who needs it."