Every social movement has a museum dedicated, or partially dedicated to its cause, such as civil rights and labor. One of today’s great humanitarian movements is animal protection and the museum supporting this cause is The National Museum of Animals & Society. This museum first opened its doors in a small gallery space on Melrose in East Los Angeles. Now it is planning to relocate to a much larger space on Museum Row in Miracle Mile to join this cultural destination with institutions that educate, inspire, and enlighten.

The goal of the museum is to continue presenting animal protection issues and exploring our relationship with animals by presenting eye-opening information through world-class, curated exhibits that are friendly to a wide audience.

Some facts and figures related to key exhibits include:

Animals in Entertainment

Elephants are widely regarded to be the third most intelligent mammal. They roam up to 30 miles a day in the wild, foraging in large familial groups. In contrast, in zoos and circuses they are forced to live in solitary or small groups with little activity or emotional stimulation, causing great physical and emotional suffering.

Pet Overpopulation and Puppy Mills

According to the Humane Society, 99% of the dogs sold in pet stores or online come from inhumane and overcrowded breeding facilities commonly called puppy mills. This is appalling, especially considering the high euthanization rates in shelters, where at least 25% of the dogs are purebred. While Los Angeles kill rates have been dropping due to concerted efforts in the animal rescue community, 12,680 dogs and cats were euthanized by Los Angeles Animal Services in the fiscal year ending June 2014. Adopt, don’t shop!

Cosmetic Testing

Choose cruelty-free cosmetics not tested on animals so you are not supporting the use of 67,000 dogs in painful and unnecessary experiments (80-90% of these tests are for household products and cosmetics).

 Animals in Fashion

Pelts from up to 100 animals are used to manufacture a full-length fur coat. With all the fabulous faux alternatives available today, there is no reason to contribute to the needless suffering of fur-bearing animals for fashion and vanity.

These are only a few of the issues addressed through education and exhibits at the museum. Animal Place founder and executive director Kim Sturla says, “It is the first museum of its kind; promoting an ethic of compassion, while exploring the interconnectedness of animals and people.”

Support the museum’s efforts by attending the star-studded Museum Gala, Saturday, June 6 at 6:30pm at the Olympic Collection in West Los Angeles. Enjoy cocktails followed by a gourmet vegan dinner, live and silent auction, entertainment and more. Outspoken vegan and animal rights activist Moby is the evening’s special honoree. For tickets or to learn more, visit: museumofanimals.org.

Ellen Lavinthal is the Co-Chairperson of The National Museum of Animals & Society. An animal advocate for more than 25 years, she is the founder of Animal Alliance, a Los Angeles-based animal rescue and advocacy organization; co-organizer of Fur Free WEHO which brought about the recent ban on the sale of fur in West Hollywood; and the recipient of Worldfest 2012 “Activist of the Year” award: animalalliance.org.

Ellen Lavinthal

The post Compassion in LA: Animals and Society appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

More than five hundred conscious citizens demonstrated their commitment to animal rights and their belief in living by the yamas and niyamas in their support of a Fur-Free West Hollywood in a series of rallies in 2011. Ahimsa is the practice of nonviolence toward yourself and other living beings in your actions, thoughts, and speech. As yogis, we strive to neither cause harm nor to accept or allow actions that cause harm.

Wearing fur is harmful to both animals as well as a person’s spiritual path because it is a practice that does not embrace ahimsa. The cruelty in the modern-day fur industry runs rampant as fifty million animals are cruelly trapped or brutally slaughtered each year to supply consumers with luxury items such as fur coats and trim.

If, as Gandhi preached, the measure of a society is how it treats its animals, then we are in trouble. When it comes to fur, it is not just an issue of how inhumanely these animals are killed; it is how they suffer right up until their death. Undercover footage taken in fur farms has revealed deplorable conditions: Raccoon, fox, mink, rabbit, and chinchilla were filmed living in disgustingly filthy and cramped cages with water bowls that remained empty for days.

Also captured on film were animals with medical conditions left untreated, including oozing eyes and ears or dangling limbs—conditions considered to be of no relevance as long as the animals are sporting a beautiful coat.

This situation is parallel to the now largely-unpopular “puppy mills” where as long as the breeding momma’s ovaries are intact, the dog is left to suffer minor and major health ailments.

Niyamas and Yamas are ethical codes of conduct outlined in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali; they are guidelines for leading a happy, healthy life.

Niyamas:

Saucha – Purity
Santosha – Contentment
Tapas – Discipline
Svadhyaya – Self-study
Ishvarapranidhana – Devotion
(to a higher power)

Yamas:

Ahimsa – Non-harming
(non-violence or compassion)
Satya – Truthfulness
Asteya – Nonstealing
Brahmacharya – Self-control
Aparigraha – Nonpossessiveness

If we are truly practicing Yoga, we must not place vanity above compassion for all living, sentient beings.

West Hollywood is poised to be the first city in the nation to ban the retail sale of fur. It’s already a city with a stellar track record when it comes to animal welfare issues: In 1989, a resolution was passed declaring the city a cruelty-free zone relating to cosmetic testing on animals. In 2003, the city prohibited the declawing of cats in the city’s veterinarian clinics. 2010 ushered in a ban on the sale of dogs and cats within the city limits. The West Hollywood Yoga community is now praising newly-elected City Council member John D’Amico, who had the courage to campaign on a fur-free platform.

The yama asteya encourages taking only what belongs to you. Fur belongs to the animals who are wearing it, not to the people who rob it from them for the sake of luxury items. As Animal Alliance representative Ed Buck shared, “It’s a shame designers can’t be more creative than attempting to revive an outdated concept and selling people on the idea that it’s fashionable to revel in their bad taste. I don’t understand why anyone, especially celebrities, flaunt fur.”

The yama aparigraha encourages us to let go of reliance on the attachment of possessions for peace and happiness.

Beth Shaw, HSUS National Council Member and founder of YogaFit, attended the rallies and said “It’s what we choose to honor that defines who we are; letting go is not always comfortable but it is invigorating.“ She continues, “Our Yoga practice should teach us compassion, love, acceptance, and a desire to honor all living creatures.”

As Immanuel Kant says, “You can judge the heart of a person by their treatment of animals.”

Please allow your Yoga practice to keep this in your heart and share this message with your friends, students, teachers, and anyone who will listen.

In a related development, influential Yoga instructor B.K.S. Iyengar recently contacted fashion designer Donna Karan, asking her to stop using “furs which are violently removed from the living animals, so that those animals which have the right to live, live in peace.” He has urged her to follow the lead of other designers including Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Stella McCartney, and Tommy Hilfiger who do not use fur. At the time of press, Ms. Karan has not yet responded.

Ellen Lavinthal

The post Seva In Action: Yogis For A Fur-Free Hollywood appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

“West Hollywood has the opportunity to once again be a leader for animal welfare by becoming the first fur-free city in the nation,” said D’Amico. “We have pledged to be a place that is free of cruelty to animals and we can no longer support the barbaric fur trade by selling the products of that cruelty in our city.” In 1989, West Hollywood passed Resolution Number 558 proclaiming the city a “Cruelty Free Zone for Animals.” The city has already passed a historic ban on declawing cats, and banned the sale of dogs and cats within city limits.

“Sometimes we have to get into the political arena to make change,” said Ed Buck, a WeHo resident and one of the Fur Free West Hollywood campaign organizers. “If you want humane laws, you have to elect humane lawmakers.” Citywide elections will be held March 8. furfreeweho.com

Ellen Lavinthal

The post West Hollywood Considers Fur Ban appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.