It’s also a day to show our appreciation for Mother Nature and all the wildlife she sustains. And, to highlight the vital work being done by climate scientists, activists, non-profits, and even plant-based food producers, to name a few, that takes us closer to restoring the planet. 

Earth Day is a reminder to do better. To learn from our mistakes, to carve out innovative ways forward, and an opportunity to look back on the progress we’ve made. And in that way, it’s also a reminder that together, change is possible. 

A disclaimer

It’s important to note that animals losing their endangered status isn’t always a good thing. Sometimes, the loss of such labels causes species to lose their government-instilled protections, too.

For instance, in 2020, when the gray wolf was no longer considered endangered, the Trump administration removed the species’ federal protections. This kickstarted hunts against the species, despite still having relatively unstable population numbers. (In February of this year, the animals were reintroduced to the Endangered Species Act and consequently regained protections).

The species on the below list are no longer listed as endangered. But, like many others, they still face threats (most of which are human-caused). So whilst we celebrate these wins, we must continue fighting for the survival of all species – in the wild, in labs, in our homes, and on farms.

Species that shook off their endangered status

Giant panda

Last year, Chinese officials announced that the country’s national animal, the giant panda, was no longer endangered. In the late 1970s, there were around 1,000 giant pandas living in the wild. But populations have since blossomed, nearly doubling due to government recovery schemes. 

Fun fact: according to WWF, to obtain estimates about panda population numbers, teams of researchers scale through mountainous forests looking for panda dung and chewed bamboo. The latter is particularly useful, because panda bite marks are all unique, like fingerprints.

Giant pandas still face threats, including poaching and habitat loss relating to farming and tourism.

Want to learn more? Check out Pandas International, a non-profit working to protect the species.

Southern white rhinoceros 

WWF considers the southern white rhino a “major conservation success story.”

The herbivorous subspecies – the second-largest land mammal after the elephant – was once thought to be extinct, chiefly due to hunters targeting them for meat and sport. But in 1895, a group of under 100 southern white rhinos were found in Kwazulu-Natal in South Africa. 

Now, following a century’s worth of conservation efforts, there are more than 20,000 southern white rhinos on Earth. They live predominantly in South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Kenya in protected areas and private game reserves.

They are the only subspecies of rhino that are not endangered. In fact, scientists are hoping that the southern white rhino will play a key role in boosting the population of the critically endangered northern white rhino, of which there are just two remaining (a mother-daughter pair, who live at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya).

Southern white rhinos still need our help. They’re especially at risk of illegal poaching for their horns, particularly in South Africa, to meet demand from Asia (mostly Vietnam and China).

Save the Rhino International is fighting to protect all five rhino subspecies. Learn more here.

Arabian oryx

In the early 1970s, things were looking grim for the Arabian oryx, when hunting had completely wiped out the species in the wild. However, a slew of reintroduction schemes steered population numbers upwards, so that by 2011, the animal became the first to regain vulnerable status after being listed as extinct in the wild. 

Today, there are around 1,200 Arabian oryx living freely in Saudi Arabia, with another up to 7,000 in captivity. 

The unique animals – which can actually smell rain in the distance, and lead their herds towards it for fresh grazing – are still hunted for their meat, horns, and skins.

Fauna & Flora International, thought to be the world’s oldest international conservation organization, had a helping hand in rescuing the species. Learn more about the charity here.

American alligator

Like most examples of animal populations making a comeback, it was a matter of humans undoing the damage we were responsible for in the first place. Still, the fact that American alligators reached the very edge of extinction in the 1950s – after spending 200 millions years on the planet – only to become one of the first endangered species success stories is worth celebrating. 

In 1967, after hunters and poachers drove American alligator numbers down to near-extinct levels, the species was granted federal protections, banning the hunting of the reptiles.

By 1987, they were officially dubbed fully recovered. Now, they’re classified as of least concern (the lowest status there is). There are currently an estimated five million American alligators in the southeastern United States (more than one million of them live in Florida). 

American alligators – which can grow up to 16 feet long – are mainly threatened by habitat loss caused by development. They are also still hunted for their meat and skins, though the trade is now regulated.

The Nature Conservancy restores the wetlands in which alligators reside. You can visit the non-profit’s website here.

Humpback whale

Earlier this year, the majestic humpback whale was removed from Australia’s threatened species list. The whaling industry had pushed numbers down drastically over several decades; at one point, just 1,500 humpbacks were living in Australian waters. Now, an estimated 40,000 individuals reside there, and that figure is still climbing. 

Australia’s ​​Minister for the Environment Sussan Ley assured that despite the listing change, the species will continue to be protected from whaling. Ley named it an example of “what can be achieved through coordinated action.”

“It is a message of hope for the welfare of a number of species,” they said.

Sea Shepherd works tirelessly to protect whales and other marine life in all corners of the world. Learn more about the charity here.

Lake Erie water snake

This water snake only calls one destination home: Lake Erie – which spans 9,910 square miles (25,667 square kilometers). But, in the 1990s, habitat-destroying development and resident-led culls (since locals considered the Lake Erie water snake a pest) saw the species reach the brink of extinction.es is exclusive

In response, the federal government added the water snake to the Endangered Species List in 1999. This made it illegal to kill or injure the snakes, which can live for up to 12 years in the wild. 

In 2011, the Lake Erie water snake population had slithered up to 12,000, and was removed from the list. 

Advocates for Snake Preservation aims to change the way the public view snakes, and promote peaceful coexistence with the animals. You can learn more about the organization on its website.

Bald eagle

The US’ iconic national bird was nearly wiped out after decades of hunting, habitat loss, and the use of DDT, a toxic pesticide that had severely contaminated waterways, then fish, then the animals consuming those fish, including the bald eagle.

By the 1960s, just 487 nesting pairs of bald eagles were alive in the US. The species (which can dive at speeds of 100 miles per hour, or 160 kilometers an hour) was included in the Endangered Species Act in the 1970s, and DDT was banned. 

Populations soared, and bald eagles were federally delisted in 2007. 

“The bald eagle is one of the original species listed under the Federal Endangered Species Act,” conservation biologist Margaret Fowle told myChamplainValley.com. 

“It was kind of a wake up call with this decline that the bald eagles went through for us to realize some of the things we’re doing to the environment and how they affect the wildlife and the ecosystem.”

The American Eagle Foundation is one non-profit working to keep the national treasure flying high. It also livestreams 24-hour “nest cams,” which can be viewed online for free.

Still want ways to help?

There are a wealth of avenues we, as a society, can take to better protect non-human animals. Global bans on poaching, hunting, and trading wildlife, for example, and heightened penalties for those who violate such laws, are integral approaches.

Comprehensive animal protection legislation and policies are also an important part of the equation. But besides signing petitions and (when possible) donating money, individuals carry more power than one might think.

A report published last month found that eating less meat could help reverse the decline of hundreds of plant and animal species. Researchers stated that increasing intake of fruits and vegetables whilst lowering meat intake could bring “significant health and environmental benefits.”

In fact, if the population of the UK ate an additional handful of vegetables a day, an estimated 407 to 536 species could be protected, the report said.

Indeed, a range of environmental studies have linked animal products to significant deforestation, habitat loss, ocean acidification, and pollution. One sizeable meta-analysis on farming’s environmental on the planet uncovered that plant-based eating is one of the most effective ways to help protect the planet.

The post Animal Species That Are No Longer Endangered, And How To Help Them Stay That Way appeared first on Plant Based News.

For example, do they really know and care about us? (AKA, the ones that pet them, feed them, and provide them with love, care, and attention?). If you were to ask a cat-lover, they would likely give you a resounding yes.

And now that sentiment is backed up in science. A new study has found that cats learn and remember the names of their humans.

A new first-of-its-kind study carried out at Kyoto University in Japan assessed a number of cats to figure out whether they know the names of their own family (both furry and human).

First, researchers showed 48 cats (who were either pets or lived in cat cafes) photos of other cats they were familiar with. At the same time as showing the image, they would either say the photographed cat’s real name or a false name. Next, they showed a new group of 26 cats images of the humans they live with.

In both sections of the experiment, the cats indicated that they knew the names of the other cats and the humans. 

How do cats know our names?

When a false name was given, the cats would stare at the image for longer, which researchers say indicates confusion. They did this more for their fellow cats, but they did it enough with the humans to indicate some ability to learn their names, too.

Factors that impacted the cat’s ability to remember human names included things like the length of time they’ve been living with them and the number of people they live with. 

As you would expect, if they’ve been with one family for a long time, they found it easier to remember the names of the humans and cats in that family. But researchers also discovered that the more people in the family, the easier it was for the cats to remember names.

They speculated that this is likely because in large families, they “have more opportunities to hear names being used.”

The study authors also noted that more research was needed to determine why cats learn names. 

Per the Telegraph, they said: “It might be asked what motive cats have for remembering names. One possible explanation has to do with competition.”

“For example, a cat might receive food when the owner calls her name but not when she calls another cat’s name,” they added. “The fact that humans are probably not in competition with cats might explain the weaker association between human names and faces.”

The post Cats Remember Their Human’s Names, Says New Study appeared first on Plant Based News.

Vegan egg sandwiches get political

Eat Just’s sandwiches take aim at specific members of Congress, including Texas Senator Ted Cruz.

The Republican infamously fled his home state for Mexico last year during a storm disaster that left millions without any power or water. Hence why his sandwich was named “Ted Cruz’s Cancun Vacation.” (If you’re wondering what that tastes like, the filling is made up of vegan egg, dairy-free pepper jack cheese, spinach, and chipotle aioli.)

Research suggests that climate breakdown increases the risk of intense and destructive weather events. Last year, the US experienced 20 costly, damaging, and deadly extreme weather events, including Texas’ winter storm, wildfires, drought, floods, and cyclones. Without action, this will get worse. But Congress isn’t moving fast enough, environmentalists argue.

Egging Congress

In an attempt to get the US government to move faster, Eat Just isn’t only selling vegan egg sandwiches and putting up adverts. It’s also calling on people to write to lawmakers via its website and urge those in power in their area to do more to pass climate crisis measures.

One of the brands’ billboards refers to the Build Back Better Act. The bill, which would help to advance climate initiatives and is a key part of President Biden’s climate policy, has not yet made its way through Congress.

Eat Just’s CEO Josh Tetrick told Adweek: “Protecting our planet requires more than just personal choices about the food we eat or the cars we drive—it requires policymakers and citizens to press for fundamental policy changes.”

Find out more about the campaign, called Egging Congress, here.

The post Congress Is Getting Called Out for Climate Inaction (By Vegan Egg Sandwiches) appeared first on Plant Based News.

Vegan strongman Patrik Baboumian is behind the concept of the game, called EARTHRAISER – GAIA’S WISH. It’s based on his 2021 comic book with a similar concept.

Both the comic book and the upcoming action game center on a vegan superhero, named EARTHRAISER, who aims to give a “voice to the voiceless” by defending and liberating animals of all species.

EARTHRAISER plot

The game’s story begins with Gaia, a 12-year-old animal-lover who lives in Berlin and volunteers at a farm sanctuary every day after school. When a fire ravages the farm, leaving many animals dead, the heartbroken Gaia makes a wish upon a falling star. The student asks for a guardian spirit to protect all animals from cruelty, and to punish those who harm them.

Elsewhere in the world, a fallen soldier named Wolf Winter resurrects in a secret military base, where animals are being kept for experiments.

Wolf transforms into a berserker (a fierce warrior often featured in medieval Germanic history), and in a rage, destroys the facility. He later wakes up in a forest – now back in his human form – and learns that the military are hunting him.

Wolf escapes to Berlin, where he meets Gaia and her mother, Minna. He learns that he has gained the ability to experience the pain felt by all life near him, including non-human animals, who he can now communicate with.

Gaia believes Wolf is the guardian she had wished for. But as the story unfolds, she comes to learn that she too, along with her generation as a whole, possesses the power to protect planet Earth and those who inhabit it.

And – spoiler alert – it is ultimately Gaia who saves Wolf from the chief villain, Dr. Z. Geist.

The player of the game controls Wolf as both a human and a berserker; each form comes with its own abilities and complications. EARTHRAISER – GAIA’S WISH also includes 20 animal and human rights activists as Non-Player Characters (NPCs) in the game. This, the gamemakers stress, is an effort to pay tribute to the “important work these unsung heroes do to help the most vulnerable in our world.”

An action game centered on empathy

Baboumian – a vegan of more than 10 years and one of the strongest people in the world – believes the game can open minds and hearts about animal suffering.

“The EARTHRAISER story should inspire us all to protect animals and nature, and increase our levels of empathy for other animals, both human and non-human,” he said in a statement sent to Plant Based News.

“I sincerely believe that this video game can change millions of minds and hearts, and benefit those who can not speak for themselves. Of course, we want to create entertainment and immersion through this game, but we also want to inspire millions of people and help them see the world from a very different perspective, thus creating positive change within their own lives.”

“Ultimately, we can all be EARTHRAISER! It is up to our generation to work together and generate the change we need to protect animals, nature and the planet we live on.”

Kickstarter campaign

To help get the concept off the ground and onto screens sooner, Baboumian assembled a mission-driven team and launched a crowdfunding campaign.

The campaign, which is shooting for an initial goal of €250,000, would help fund a 30-minute playable demo. This would ultimately grow into a feature-length video game for PC and later, XBOX and PlayStation.

“Your actions define the future of all life on Earth,” the teaser trailer for the game states. “You are the EARTHRAISER … sent to protect all life on Earth.”

Those interested can view the EARTHRAISER – GAIA’S WISH Kickstarter campaign here.

The post Animal Rights Video Game Featuring Vegan Superhero Launches Kickstarter Campaign appeared first on Plant Based News.

The Glad Cafe – also an award-winning music and arts venue – will remove all meat, dairy, and eggs from its menu from tomorrow (Wednesday, April 6). 

Taking to Instagram last week, the cafe wrote: “From next week The Glad Cafe will be 100 percent vegan.

“Keep your eyes on our feed and stories this week for new menu updates. We’ll also be running down some stock through the week in preparation for a few switches, starting with Staropramen – £4 a pint from tomorrow; also £10 pizza and drink deal every night!”

The eatery is renowned for its pizza, which it serves every evening from Wednesday through to Sunday. While the menu did previously offer three vegan options, toppings like mozzarella and fennel sausage were also available.

The venue assured a customer on Instagram that the pizzas will be sticking around, but that they will all be plant-based from now on.

Glasgow has long been known for its good range of meat-free restaurants, and the Scottish city was recently ranked seventh on Happy Cow’s list of the most vegan-friendly cities in the UK.

The Glad Cafe hasn’t yet announced details of its new vegan menu, but it is expected to be unveiled soon. Plant Based News has reached out for comment.

Businesses going vegan

The Glad Cafe isn’t alone in its efforts. Earlier this year, a country pub in Wales removed animal products from its menu and went vegan. The Cwmbran pub made the decision after a wildly successful trial, which saw the business experiencing its “busiest month ever,” plating up nearly 1,500 plant-based meals.

A similar story unfolded when a cafe in north London, called The Fields Beneath, updated its menu to be fully plant-based. “[The gamble] paid off, with sales up and a much improved menu,” owner Gavin Fernback said at the time.

Across the pond, in Idaho in the US, a cafe owner turned her eatery vegan after watching Dominion, a documentary that pulls back the curtain on the meat industry.

“I do promise to still serve excellent food that everyone can enjoy. If it works out, great, if it doesn’t and costs me my livelihood, then so be it. I can no longer go forward knowing that I have supported great suffering and inexcusable practices by the meat/egg/dairy industry,” the general manager commented.

“I’m terrified, but I know I’m doing the right thing.”

The post Scottish Cafe Ditches Meat, Dairy And Eggs To Turn Menu Completely Vegan appeared first on Plant Based News.

The story appears to reveal the meat industry’s latest ‘meat fraud’, in a new scandal set to rock the food industry.

Then we remembered the date.

Did you get caught out today? THIS one really did the trick.

Watch the findings below:

The post Best April Fools Joke of 2022 Goes To Vegan Meat Company, THIS appeared first on Plant Based News.

Interestingly, whether the new versions catch on is influenced by the density of the local community.

Dr Adriano Lameira, author of the research from the department of psychology at the University of Warwick says:

“The way I see it is that low densities [of] orangutans have a slang repertoire that they constantly revisit and use. They are ‘conservative’, but once a new call variant is used, everyone hears it and the variant is quickly incorporated, enriching the slang,”

“In high density [communities of orangutans], communication is more like a cacophony. It seems ‘novelty’ is at a premium, much like in songbirds, and that individuals want to show off their coolness and how [much of a] rebel they are,” he said.

Origins of human language

Social influences have been found in songbirds and marmosets, but it had been unclear whether the same was true for non-human apes, until now.

Lameira added that there is growing evidence that great ape repertoires are composed of consonant- and vowel-like calls that can be controlled and combined to make syllable-like combinations, similar to human languages.

These sounds can even be used to communicate about past events.

“This new evidence cements a new view that great apes are highly desirable and unique model species to improve our [understanding] of language origin and language,” said Lameria.

The new findings support the theory that human language evolved gradually, with communication among our ape-like ancestors also heavily influenced by social factors.

Palm oil

Lameira added the new study also highlighted the importance of conservation.

“Great apes and their habitat must be preserved if we are to hold any chances of unveiling further pieces of the puzzle of language evolution,” he said.

Palm oil is the leading cause of extinction for the critically endangered species. More than 6,000 of the great apes die each year.

According to The Orangutan Project, nearly 80 percent of orangutan habitat has disappeared in the last two decades.

And now, more than 50 percent of orangutans live in unprotected forests that are managed by palm oil, timber, and mining companies.

The post Orangutans ‘Show Off Their Coolness’, Using Slang, Study Finds appeared first on Plant Based News.

The decision was made following a public consultation and “detailed assessment” by the Threatened Species Scientific Committee, an independent committee of scientists appointed by the Minister for the Environment.

“This is not about removing safeguards for humpbacks, which are still a protected migratory species, but it is a recognition of the success of the outstanding conservation efforts that are in place,” Minister for the Environment Sussan Ley said in a statement.

She continued: “At the height of the global whaling industry there were as few as 1,500 humpback whales in Australian waters, today that population is believed to be as many as 40,000 individuals and growing.”

Humpback whales generally live for around 50 years in the wild, growing up to 18 meters in length. In Australia, the animals migrate along the east and west coasts every year, typically from May to November, journeying for up to 10,000 kilometers.

Whaling in Australia

The country’s humpback whale population has been hit hardest by the whaling industry (although the accelerating climate crisis is also expected to take its toll on the species in the coming years).

According to Australia’s Department of Agriculture, Water, and the Environment, whaling and the export of whale products was the country’s first primary industry following European colonization.

By 1963, when the International Whaling Commission banned humpback whaling in the Southern Hemisphere, the humpback population was estimated to sit at just 3.5-5 percent of pre-whaling numbers.

Speaking on the species’ newly updated status, minister Ley stresses that this is evidence of “what can be achieved through coordinated action.”

“It is a message of hope for the welfare of a number of species,” she stated.

Ley notes that the government is exploring a long-term monitoring program for humpback whales to see that their population numbers remain stable.

The post ‘Message Of Hope’ As Humpback Whales Shake Off Endangered Status In Australia appeared first on Plant Based News.

ProVeg International, which describes itself as a food awareness organization, compiled the report. It’s based on data from a Europe-wide sales analysis, as well as a European consumer survey which included 7,690 respondents, 757 of whom live in Germany.

The research revealed that one in ten German consumers do not eat meat at all, instead adhering to either vegetarian or completely plant-based diets. Another 30 percent of identify as flexitarian.

And it’s not just animal meat that is falling out of favor; around a third (32 percent) of Germans intend on consuming fewer dairy products in the next six months, ProVeg found. This is part of the reason that the country’s plant-based dairy sector is considered one of the largest and fastest-growing markets in Europe.

“This market report highlights the growing desire among the German population to diversify their diet away from meat and dairy products and to try out alternative options,” Matthias Rohra, Executive Director Germany at ProVeg International, said. 

It’s a trend that has been noted in other research too. For instance, according to Germany’s Federal Centre for Agriculture (BZL), meat intake per capita was lower in 2020 than at any other point since consumption first began being calculated in 1989.

Meat consumption in Europe

Rohra continued: “It also shows there is tremendous potential for plant-based foods in Germany and across Europe and we hope companies will be encouraged to develop more and better products.”

Indeed, the findings are not exclusive to Germany; various other European countries are seeing similar departures from the meat sector.

Last month, ProVeg reported that one in five Dutch people support a ban on slaughterhouses, while 60 percent want to see intensive livestock farming banned. Moreover, 72 percent believe people should eat fewer animals.

Additionally, 28 percent of Dutch respondents said they hope that animals will not be used for food at all in the future.

In Belgium, overall meat consumption dropped by 8.9 percent between 2010 and 2019, according to Statbel data. Beef intake, in particular, fell by 19.5 percent.

Meanwhile, in the UK, rates of meat-eating fell by 17 percent during a similar timeframe, The Conversation discovered last year.

Looking at Europe as a whole, just shy of half (46 percent) of all European consumers say they eat less animal meat now than they did a year ago, ProVeg found.

Health concerns, animal welfare considerations, and a desire to eat sustainably are some of the factors influencing the change, the report says.

The post 51% Of German Consumers Reduced Their Meat Intake In The Last Year, Data Shows appeared first on Plant Based News.

A family of Bengal tigers called Messi, Sandro, Mafalda, and Gustavo lived in a metal train carriage for more than 15 years before they were rescued. 

A traveling circus abandoned a now 18-year-old male and 15-year-old female tiger in San Luis, Argentina, in 2007. A local farmer agreed to look after the pair for a temporary period, but the circus never returned.

The tigers eventually had two cubs, and the family of four lived in captivity for years.

Now, the animals reside at LIONSROCK Big Cat Sanctuary in Bethlehem, South Africa. The facility, home to more than 100 big cats, is a project of FOUR PAWS, a global animal protection organization.

“The train carriage was filthy with excrements and leftover meat and bones for a long time but fortunately this is not the case anymore,” said FOUR PAWS veterinarian Dr Amir Khalil, who led the rescue mission.

“Tigers need to move, run, play, and bathe. Being locked in a 75m² train carriage and only pacing back and forth for 15 years is not a tiger-worthy life. All those years in such a small space have affected their mental and physical wellbeing for sure.”

There are just 3,900 tigers left in the wild today, FOUR PAWS says on its website. “Live tigers are shipped across the world to be kept as pets and abused for human entertainment in circuses, zoos or for paid interactions.”

“Tigers and other big cat species are killed for their skin, fur, bones, and teeth,” the organization said.

FOUR PAWS CEO Josef Pfabigan added: “By rescuing these four tigers in Argentina, we provide a better life for them individually and create awareness for all animals globally to be treated with respect, empathy and understanding.”

Lions freed from French circus

Last month, a similar rescue operation took place in France. The Born Free Foundation, an international wildlife charity, orchestrated the rescue of four lions who had been forced to perform in a traveling circus.

A circus owner surrendered the animals – Angela, Bellone, Louga, and Saïda – in 2018. Now, after years of pandemic-related delays, the cats have completed the 9,000-mile journey to their new home. 

Growing up in captivity has rendered the animals unfit for being released into the wild, Born Free says. And so, Shamwari Reserve, located in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, took the big cats in.

It’s “the next best thing to the wild,” Born Free maintains.

“Born into captivity, they were each sold as cubs from one French circus to another, and for years they were constantly on the move, forced to perform unnatural tricks in front of noisy crowds – music blaring, lights flashing, the organization explains. “Their only home was a rusty trailer, with barely room to turn around.”

According to Born Free, it was a “miserable, deprived existence.”

Catherine Gillson, Born Free Manager at the Shamwari Reserve, said in a statement: “We have a large natural bush enclosure with space the size of possibly two rugby fields for them, space that they have never experienced in their life, with natural vegetation, with the sights and sounds and smells of Africa.”

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