"A Fall From Freedom"

If you haven't seen the movie, "A Fall From Freedom", it is another MUST see. This movie is about the captive dolphin and whale industry- and is available free for you to view simply by clicking on the link below. "A Fall From Freedom" is produced by EarthView Productions, and you can also view, buy and learn more about the movie at http://afallfromfreedom.org/.

Make sure to share this link, and get the word out about this video. So vital for us to see- explains so much. If you are interested in the actual process of how dolphins and whales are captured, WHO is behind the captures, what captivity does to animals and more... it's imperative that you watch this film.


Until next time.....

Teaching about Captivity at 12 Months... Doesn't Your Baby Want an Aquarium?!

A while back, I was shopping at a toy store when I came across a captive dolphin play-set by the company Playmobil (please see my blog dated Sept. 16^th). This weekend, I was doing some shopping for a friend’s baby shower, and what I came across was even more disturbing. I came across yet another toy that encouraged children to learn about captivity from a VERY early age.... 12 MONTHS.

I believe I was even more disturbed this time, because I was in a BABY store, and this toy was in a bin of other toys called, “My First….” For example, “My First Doctor Kit” Or, “My First Purse”. I was looking through the bin thinking to myself, “hmmm, some of these are kind of clever”. Then, I found it. “MY FIRST AQUARIUM". I kid you not. There it was, for ages 12-18 months, by the company called, “Aurora Baby”. The Aquarium was a part of the company’s “Baby Talk” collection, and contained 4 animals tucked- wait, cramped inside this aquarium which looked like a circus tent with a see-through window. There was an orca, a dolphin, a seahorse, and a clown fish. I was SHOCKED. I knew this was something I had to get home and research about, get out to my fellow activists and most of all- contact this company about my concern about the selling of this toy right away.

 Here's the "My Aquaruium" set, after I took out all the animals that were crammed inside.

 The 4 animals that come with the set- an Orca, a Dolphin, a Clown Fish and a Sea Horse.

 An up-close shot of the Aquarium. Nice, eh?

 Front of the tag.

Inside of the tag.

According to an article on the company’s website from 2009, http://www.auroragift.com/xe/ “The company sells its products via a wide variety of retailers including major zoos (a fast growing market), department stores such as Mervyns and Neiman Marcus, high-end toy stores such as Learning Express, top gift chains such as Hallmark, Claire’s and Cracker Barrel, as well as hospital gift shops, fine florists, candy stores and gift/stationery stores worldwide”. You can find the entire article here.

What set off 2 red alarms for me is this: 1) It seems these toys are spreading like wildfire in zoos, and I am going to assume some Aquariums (although I know places like SeaWorld, it’s hard to find a product without the SeaWorld logo branded all over it). 2) I will be contacting the head of the chain store I was shopping at, where I saw the toy- to tell them my concerns that I saw the toy being sold there. However, these toys could be being sold all over. I would encourage anyone to not only contact the company- but also, anytime they see the product (the “My First Aquarium” toy), to also contact the stores as well. It doesn’t hurt to let the stores know about our concern about a product. That doesn’t mean that I am going to boycott said store- but letting them know of my concern about the toy may help if the store where it is being sold puts some pressure on the company about complaints they are receiving about the toy.

Please, I encourage you to contact this company and ask them to please stop the production of this toy. I see that they are selling other stuffed sea animals- such as dolphins, whales, sea turtles and many others. Why not let children play with these stuffed toys- and possiblilly even attaching educational facts about the animal on the tag that is attached (which contains the UPC code and whatnot). This way, our smallest minds can let their imaginations run wild with adventures of their new found friends- playing in a natural environment. Their toy is not in a cage, which holds their animals, which honestly is a perfect example of an Aquarium.

Yes. The company could lose profit from pulling that one toy from the shelves. But, think about the money that could be gained by adding more educational value to the toys they are already selling. Parents, educational institutions and caregivers would appreciate that it is more than just a toy- it’s also a tool that teaches.

Here is the contact information for Aurora World Inc.

The toy I am referring to through this blog is #20433, and called “My Aquarium”. It is a part of the “Baby Talk” Collection.

Aurora World Inc.

8820 Mercury Lane

Pico Rivera, CA 90660 US

Ph: 562-205-1222

Fax: 562-948-5567

Here are a listed of there other locations to contact, in other countires: click here! (Some countries include: Korea, UK, Hong Kong and China).

Also, if you go to their website, you can fill out a “product-related question” sheet here, and submit it right away. If you prefer to do that, please click HERE.

Here is the link to the toy directly on their site. You will notice under the toy, you can share your thoughts via Facebook, Twitter, Email, and other platforms. You can find that link HERE.. You can also find the company on Facebook under “Aurora World, Inc.”

I’m working hard on my next blog, should be a good one. Look for it soon- until then……….



What's a Blogger Without a Computer?

What's a blogger without her... computer?

Uh? Still very passionate about her cause... working on causes, but frustrated about not being able to update her blog. That's me.

Little story. My computer, it blew up. Literally. There was a beep. What appeared to be some smoke? And, yes, that oh so pleasant electrical burning smell. Yup. Fried.

Took the thing in, and.... toast. At least, the hard drive was saved, meaning all my pictures and documents that I had not yet put on external storage. Lesson learned? Back everything up immediately.

One of my new projects to add to the list? Saving for a new computer. : / It's amazing how much we rely on our computers for finding out about news when we are so passionate about a cause such as this. News articles, journals, other blogs, social networking, emailing, chatting... it's amazing what you take for granted when your computer is always at your fingertips... .and then it's g.....o.....n......e.

I now rely on my phone for most of my work, and get to a computer when I can. It hasn't stopped me from my work, researching daily to find out how our whales and dolphins are, especially those in Taiji, getting involved in various projects, and even coming up with an idea that will hopefully turn out to be really awesome... if I can get it to work out. ;) (details on that in the near future... when I have more of it hammered out!)

The trial starts back up next week, OSHA vs. SeaWorld- starting on November 15th. I will make it a point to update my blog along the way, as this trial is something I have followed from the very start. I hope a decision will come soon, and things swing in favor for poor Tilly, the whale who is still stuck in this whole mess.

I want to leave you with this. A woman who has become one of my best friends, is an amazing photographer. She lights up my life, because every once and a while, she will send me a text or an email saying, "I'm going out to look for whales/dolphins for you today!" Well, it's whale migrating season where she lives (California), and she went out looking this past weekend. No whales to be found, but she sent me 2 pics of dolphins. Makes me smile every single time- because that's one awesome friend. And, I have to mention, that I have never seen a dolphin or whale in the wild... which is why her pictures mean so much. So, if your out there reading this, LDF- you seriously rock. Oh, and your next letter is going to be a real riot. ;)
It's friends like Lindsey... that keep a blogger without her computer smilin'.... because I gets awesome pics like these. Dolphins in their natural home.... simple, pure, and amazing.

 Dolphins in Santa Cruz, California. Picture Copyright of Lindsey D. Fisher.

Dolphin spotted in Monterey Bay, California. Picture Copyright of Lindsey D. Fisher.

Until next time...............