A recent undercover investigation at a livestock auction in California has revealed a system of unchecked cruelty, extreme violence, and severe neglect. The footage, obtained by a Mercy For Animals (MFA) undercover investigator at Ontario Livestock Sales outside of Los Angeles, shows baby goats being picked up by their necks and heads, dragged by their legs, and thrown ruthlessly about. Sheep and pigs are kicked, prodded, dragged, and stomped on by workers to force them to move. Live birds can be seen being stuffed into plastic bags, left to suffocate. Animals are overcrowded into narrow pathways and small spaces to the point where they’re forced to trample on top of each other one another. 

Teams of Compassion Over Killing staff and volunteers spent the past two weekends participating in Pride celebrations in Los Angeles, Washington, DC, and Baltimore—and handing out over 15,000 pieces of pro-veg literature and sharing more than 7,000 vegan food samples!

You’re Invited!

The weather is warming and that can only mean one thing—summer is almost here! Along with the change in season, we’ll be celebrating our second annual Summer Soiree fundraiser, benefiting Compassion Over Killing’s groundbreaking corporate campaigns and other life-saving work.

A few months ago, Jennifer Mennuti, the VP of Operations for a landscape architectural design firm, was tabling in her hometown of Ft. Lauderdale, FL, sharing free information on vegetarian eating. While handing out leaflets to hundreds of passersby, she offered one to COK’s Executive Director, Erica Meier, sparking a conversation about volunteer opportunities at COK!

Meeting Jen was great for us and even better for animals — in just a matter of months, she helped us add the state of Florida to the US VegWeek map by hosting FIVE events in one week, including two packed screenings of Vegucated and a vegan bake sale that raised over $750!

Today is the first Friday of June, which means it’s National Donut Day! Americans have been celebrating this food-related holiday since 1938, and donut shops around the country, including several Dunkin’ Donuts locations, are giving away
free donuts to customers today.

Unfortunately, all of the donuts served
at Dunkin’ Donuts are made with eggs and dairy products from animals
forced to endure miserable conditions on factory
farms. Watch COK’s undercover video inside one of Dunkin’ Donuts egg suppliers to learn more.

It’s always rewarding to reach out to animal lovers, helping them make the connection that birds, pigs, and cows are every bit as smart and social as the cats and dogs with whom many of us share our homes. That’s why we were excited to spend last weekend at the Strut Your Mutt Parade and Festival in the nation’s capital!

Despite the heat, thousands of people and hundreds of furry, four-legged friends headed to this fun, annual event, where they were happy to be met with a smiling face from a COK volunteer dishing out free vegan cupcakes and Tofurky sandwiches.