Thank you to everyone who has contacted Discover about Diners Club's involvement in cruel bullfights!  You have been heard by Discover and they have started sending out a condescending, four paragraph letter in which they attempt to distance themselves from Diners Club Ecuador, the company that is sponsoring bullfights. Read letter here.  See SHARK's video here:

Discover / Diners Club Sponsor Bullfighting (Graphic)

Discover is claiming it has no ownership in Diners Club Ecuador, and insinuates that it has no control over Diners Club Ecuador's sponsorship decisions.  This is a lot of corporate bull****.

 
Diners Club Ecuador's very name demonstrates a link to Diners Club, which is owned by Discover.

Discover is trying to use what we have long called the "Coke defense."  Over a decade ago, we caught Coca-Cola violating its own policy of supposedly not sponsoring any activity wherein an animal might suffer physical harm.  Coke's first attempt to cover-up its cruelty was to blame it on its "independent bottlers."

This is nothing more than a cop-out, since Coke is the company that calls the shots with bottlers, not the other way around.  Any bottler conducting itself in a way Coke finds unacceptable can be canned, leaving the bottler with nothing to bottle.  The company rules, as is the case with any franchise.

In the case of Coke, the company simply abandoned its humane considerations, which is why SHARK strongly encourages anyone claiming to care about animals to reject any Coke products.

The same thing applies in the case of Discover Card Services.  We believe the mere threat of cutting off Diners Club Ecuador would be more than sufficient to bring DCE into line, but Discover simply refuses to do so.  I therefore have chosen to cut off Discover and Diners Club, and I hope you will do the same.  The company either directly or indirectly is supporting some of the worst animal abuse on the planet.

Let me go a step farther.  Discover is just the latest in a very long line of companies who find it acceptable to lie and/or otherwise mislead its customers.  Coca-Cola is another significant entity involved in animal abuse.

These companies behave this way because they believe that you do not have the will to ignore their products and services.  In the case of Coca-Cola, I have seen evidence that this is true with my own eyes for years as supposed activists consume Coke's various poisons.  They apparently believe that a mere dollar given or take here and there can't possibly have an effect.

Nothing could be further from the truth.  Coke makes its billions from people buying a can or bottle here and there.  If you spend your money with Coke or through Discover, make no mistake - you are supporting animal abuse, torture and death. 

 

What You Can Do:

 

Please continue to contact Discover Financial Services' Chief Executive Officer David W. Nelms and politely let him know what you think about their response and what you think of Diners Club continuing to sponsor deadly bullfights:    

 

Phone:  224-405-0900

email: executiveoffices@discoverfinancial.com

 

Chinese Rodeo? 

An animal group in Asia named, Animals Asia is trying to stop the rodeo industry from expanding into China.  Like SHARK, Animals Asia believes rodeos are a cruel form of entertainment and do not wish to see them being promoted within China.

Animals Asia states:

A rodeo stadium was built in the Daxing District of Beijing in 2004 but, due to complaints from several congress representatives and many animal lovers, Daxing governors stopped the rodeo.

However, after seven years, the rodeo is planning to be there in October 2011.

What You Can Do:

Animals Asia is requesting that polite letters be written to
Mr. Zhang Yesui, the Chinese Ambassador in our country asking him to ban rodeo cruelty in China.

Chris Kuch of the National Council of SPCA (www.nspca.co.za) in South Africa, notified SHARK of an undercover operation by Senior Inspectors of the NSPCA's Farm Animal Unit that enabled them to intervene at a rodeo after a horse "in the ring" had broken a leg. Organizers failed to put the animal out of its misery but led it away with its bone protruding.

The incident occurred at the Geyerspan rodeo event in Lichtenberg in the North West Province on Saturday, May 28, 2011. The rodeo rider had been thrown off the horse which had a bucking strap attached to it.  The strap did not release after the rider's fall, the horse fell as it bucked around the ring in distress, then fell and broke its leg. Senior Inspector Peter Lombard intervened and humanely destroyed the horse.

Horse with horrific leg break obtained during bucking event

Criminal charges in violation of the Animals Protection Act are being filed.

Photo courtesy of nspca.co.za.

Yesterday was the second day of trial in the case of cruelty charges brought by Pennsylvania Humane Police Officer Johnna Seeton against the Erdman Sportsmans Association and various individuals associated with the Erdman pigeon shoot.  The first day of trial occurred back on March 7, but went longer than the entire day that was allotted.

Today will be the trial in Warminster regarding the gun-pulling incident which followed a protest outside Carlton Pools.  You may remember that Carlton Pools Operations Manager Robert Olsen assaulted Janet Enoch and pulled a gun on me.  Interestingly, the Warminster Police and corrupt Bucks County District Attorney David Heckler saw fit to bring only two minor charges against Olsen (neither of which dealt with pulling a gun), and brought six charges against Janet and me.

We'll bring you the results of each trial over the next couple days.