A video produced and circulated by Animal Recovery Mission (ARM) and a recent settlement from Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) with Feld Entertainment have put into question the integrity of some animal rights organizations.
ARM targeted Fair Oaks Farms with a video that showed mistreatment of calves in Fair Oaks’ dairy operations. But since that video went viral, new allegations have surfaced that put the video’s content in question. Prosecutor Jeff Drinski said one witness to the alleged animal abuse told him the ARM employee who filmed the footage encouraged or pressured workers to mistreat the cattle.
HSUS, which had a long legal battle with Feld Entertainment, parent company of the now defunct Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, reached a settlement with Feld Entertainment, which alleged HSUS paid a witness, who is a former Feld Entertainment employee, to provide testimony against the circus.
These news events have been covered by bloggers for WATTAgNet and have generated a lot of interest from readers.
See these three blog posts related to the recent activities the two animal rights organizations:
1. Fair Oaks Farms under attack; who’s next?
Deven King: I’ve seen a lot of arguments circulating on social media concerning the videos released of FairOaks Farms. I want to say the way the animals in the video were being physically handled was undeniably revolting.
2. ARM employee allegedly encouraged abuse at Fair Oaks
Deven King: Newton County, Indiana, prosecutor Jeff Drinski said on June 18 that a witness to the alleged abuse of dairy cattle at Fair Oaks Farms has come forward, claiming that an Animal Recovery Mission (ARM) employee who made the undercover videos of abuse -- which went viral -- at the farm's dairy operations encouraged or pressured workers to do what they did.
3. Why didn’t HSUS get the same bad press circus did?
Roy Graber: Throughout the entire period when animal rights group Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and other like-minded organizations fought Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus over alleged mistreatment of elephants, plenty of bad press was given to the circus.
