In Memoriam: Lolita Has Passed

Her miserable existence at the Miami Seaquarium—for interminable days, years, and decades—is finally over. Earlier this year, during a news conference held in Miami on March 30, the Miami Seaquarium announced plans to release the long-suffering Lolita (aka “Tokitae,” “Toki,” and “Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut”) to a seaside sanctuary in Washington state. This announcement followed a massive campaign by PETA—which pursued several lawsuits on her behalf—and local residents and celebrities who raised awareness of her plight through dozens of protests as well as The Dolphin Company’s partnership with Friends of Toki. This plan, though it never came to fruition, had been made possible through the generosity of philanthropist Jim Irsay, owner and CEO of the Indianapolis Colts.

Lolita’s Suffering Is Over | PETA

Elaine will include a Memoriam of her story in our next Compassion Consortium Newsletter. Suzanne McCallister and Anne Piotrowski from the Post-Animal-Use World (www.pauwproject.com) have worked with years together with Friends of Toki to save her life.

In hoping to include more positive information regarding animals who have had more positive outcomes and inspiring efforts to save them, please read this article:

“5 Times Animals Escaped Slaughter, and How to Support Those Who Saved Them: Very Few Animals Make It Out of the Food System Alive: We Take a Moment to Celebrate Some of those Who Have”

5 Times Animals Escaped Slaughter, And How to Support Those Who Saved Them (plantbasednews.org)

Rev. William

Update re: Compassion Consortium Events and Activities

· Rev. Sarah Bowen is delivering a paper at the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics Summer School this week in England. The Centre is the world's first academy dedicated to the ethical enhancement of the status of animals, formed by Andrew Linzey (Christian animal rights champion and author of Animal Theology and other books) and Clair Linzey (deputy director of the Centre). Each year, the Centre brings together scholars and policy influencers from around the world to facilitate collaborative research on a specific topic. This year's focus is the impact of media on animals. The title of Rev. Sarah's presentation is "Animal Consent and Dissent in Response to Being Imaged: A Framework for Interspecies Photography." Within her paper, she considers human obligations to other animals in the process and distribution of photography, critiquing what she calls "photographic dominion" in the ways the humans with cameras inherently exert power over other animals in ways that can be beneficial and harmful. If you'd like to know more about the Centre, please see www.oxfordanimalethics.com. Also note, Rev. Sarah will share highlights of her paper later this year with the Consortium after the publication cycle is complete. And exciting news: Clair Linzey will join us for our December Sunday Service to share more about the important work this think tank is doing, influencing thinking and policy in relation to our animal neighbors and exploited animals around the world.

· The Compassion Consortium is very proud to announce that the CC Cofounders have been selected to present at the Parliament of the World’s Religions, August 14-18, 2023, in Chicago. The Parliament of the World’s Religions was created to cultivate harmony among the world’s religious and spiritual communities and foster their engagement with the world and its guiding institutions in order to achieve a just, peaceful and sustainable world. ​Its origins are rooted in the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, where the historic first convening of the World Parliament of Religions created a global platform for engagement of religions of the east and west. For more information about this event, its programs and registration details, see Parliament of the World's Religions.

· Compassion Consortium Cofounder Victoria Moran's Main Street Vegan Academy. A lot of the work we do to create a more compassionate world starts with faith. It was like that back in 2011 when Compassion Consortium cofounder Victoria Moran came up with the idea for Main Street Vegan Academy, to train and certify vegan lifestyle coaches and educators. She didn't know if the world was ready, but faith said go ahead and MSVA now has some 650 graduates on six continents— coaching, counseling, and running Vegan businesses. The course starting in September—seven full weekend days via Zoom—kicks off the Academy's 12th year. In numerology, the number 12 is about discovery, self-expression, and collaboration. MSVA celebrates all these. To mark this anniversary, Victoria is offering Compassion Consortium members and friends a 15% discount on tuition for those using the code Kindness15. For more information or to register, go to www.mainstreetvegan.com. If you have questions, sign up on the site for an exploratory call, or be in touch with Victoria directly, victoria@mainstreetvegan.com.

"Peace Begins with Me” presented by Rev. Carol Saunders. The third annual Whole Planet Spirituality Forum & Retreat will take place October 19 through October 22 against the beautiful and spiritual backdrop of Unity Village, Missouri, near Kansas City. You can also attend virtually. Renee King Sonnen of Rowdy Girl Sanctuary is the featured speaker, and our own Victoria Moran and Rev. Sarah Bowen are presenting. Learn more at www.compassionconsortium.org/events and register at www.thespiritualforum.org/retreat.

· Animal Chaplaincy Training Program: Animal chaplains provide support for both animals and humans by using ritual, ceremony, and the tools of spiritual companionship. Our training program helps you fulfill your heart’s call to honor and celebrate the lives of all species, including how to companion them through joys and challenges. Our program is non-denominational and does not require students to have a specific religious or spiritual outlook. It will, though, prepare you to work with a diverse set of belief systems, so that you can support. It will, though, prepare you to work with a diverse set of belief systems, so that you can support people regardless of their own outlook. Program is offered annually. Contact us with any questions or schedule a consult with our program director by clicking below. www.compassionconsortium.org/training. Program is offered annually. Contact us with any questions or schedule a consult with our program director by clicking www.compassionconsortium.org/training.

WHAT THE EATS ACT IS, AND WHY IT MATTERS FOR ANIMALS

Less than six weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld California’s landmark animal welfare law, Proposition 12, lawmakers from major farming states have banded together in an attempt to effectively gut this critical decision. On June 15, Senator Roger Marshall (R-Kansas) reintroduced the Ending Agriculture Trade Suppression Act, or EATS Act, into Congress. The EATS Act is a controversial piece of legislation designed to prevent states and local jurisdictions from regulating the production and distribution of agricultural products within their borders that are subject to interstate commerce.

If passed, the EATS Act could jeopardize Proposition 12 and hundreds of other state and local laws that regulate animal welfare, food safety and public health. Though the EATS Act has failed in the past, the backlash to Prop 12 could build momentum towards its passage. Here’s what you need to know about the EATS Act, and what it could mean for the future of animal welfare.

What the EATS Act Is, and Why It Matters for Animals (sentientmedia.org)

The EATS Act Explained: The Newest Threat to Farmed Animals (animalequality.org)

Oppose: The EATS Act Would Undermine State Farmed Animal Protection Laws - Animal Legal Defense Fund (aldf.org)

Please read this. It is important for what we stand for.

Rev. William