Monika Merkes PhD Ⓥ

Compassion in World Farming launches global Keep Them Wild pledge to stop octopus farming On World Octopus Day, Compassion in World Farming (CIWF) launched the ‘Keep Them Wild’ global pledge - a call on policymakers to support a ban on octopus farming and halt the expansion of carnivorous…

🐙 Octopus farming would be a disaster - not only for the animals, but also marine life and food security.

On #WorldOctopusDay, we stand with @CIWF_Global and over 120 NGOs calling to #KeepThemWild.

Help us to #StopOctopusFarming - ask your representatives to sign the pledge! 👇

bit.ly/3KDxtjW

"… in a washing cycle, you release about 920,000 micro and nanoparticles, and about 33 million particles per year."

Infused with a dash of climate change and animal cruelty. #DairyIsScary
Hey Guardian, what about your climate pledge?

Guardian Essential poll: Australians back emissions target while One Nation support doubles Poll finds One Nation’s primary vote has doubled to 13% since the May federal election

This is a worry though: "The latest Guardian Essential poll also found One Nation’s primary vote has doubled to 13% since the May federal election, putting support for the hard-right party above the Greens." www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

SIX MINUTES FROM DEATH

There is no safe way to leave your dog in your car.

Even a vehicle parked in the shade or with a window lowered can quickly turn into an oven.

On a 23-degree Celsius day, the temperature inside a car can reach over 40 degrees Celsius.

#AusPol #Dogs #DogsofBsky

1/5

Cow Meat Trade Group Knew Climate Impact but Sought to Obscure It Two recent academic papers have uncovered that the US cow meat industry, through the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), knew about the significant climate harms of cow meat production as…

Research shows the US cow meat industry knew about cow meat’s climate damage since 1989 but kept it quiet. 🐄🤫

#meat #cows #farming #climatechange #environment 

Deloitte to pay money back to Albanese government after using AI in $440,000 report Partial refund to be issued after several errors were found in a report into a department’s compliance framework

"Perhaps instead of a big consulting firm, procurers would be better off signing up for a ChatGPT subscription.” #auspol
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

Happy B and V Day ! For me, it was a process, so I can't point to a particular day. 14 years vegan, 42 years vegetarian 🫜.

A recipe for avoiding 15 million deaths a year and climate disaster is fixing food, scientists say Scientists are presenting new evidence that the worst effects of climate change can’t be avoided without a major transformation of food systems.

A recipe for avoiding 15 million deaths a year and climate disaster is fixing food, scientists say | AP News
https://apnews.com/article/plant-based-diet-climate-04e3edb6b2de628e6238c70ca9f075e9

Dr. Jane Goodall filmed an interview with Netflix in March 2025 that she understood would only be released after her death.

I don't drink coffee (don't like the taste). After an energising morning walk, I drink a pot of Rooibos tea with a slice of fresh ginger. #PlantBased

Trauma in a puppy's first six months linked to adult aggression, says new study As many dog owners can attest, their four-legged companions are delightful and loving. But for others, their animals have an aggressive side, such as biting and attacking strangers, which may ultimate...

2025. Trauma in a puppy's first six months linked to adult aggression phys.org/news/2025-10...

Greyhound Racing NSW doesn't like people watching greyhound races The body in charge of greyhound racing in NSW is threatening legal action against a writer who posts footage showing just how dangerous the industry can be.

GREYHOUND RACING NSW THREATENS RESEARCHER

"GRNSW’s legal counsel Frank Krstic emailed Metcalfe to demand that she immediately take down all GRNSW footage, confirm she’d done it to GRNSW within one week, and never post its footage ever again."

www.crikey.com.au/2025/10/06/g...
#AusPol #DogsofBsky

Birds all over the world use the same sound to warn of threats The findings of a new study about communication between birds also offer key insights into the origins of language.

Animals are amazing, and there is still so much we don't know about them. #birds
theconversation.com/birds-all-ov...

Israel accused of detaining Greta Thunberg in infested cell and making her hold flags Activist tells Swedish officials she has been subjected to harsh treatment, including insufficient food and water

“They dragged little Greta [Thunberg] by her hair before our eyes, beat her, and forced her to kiss the Israeli flag. They did everything imaginable to her, as a warning to others.”
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o...

Doctors and Scientists Against Wood Smoke Pollution Wood burning is a major source of harmful air pollution in many communities, yet there is a lack of awareness about this public health and environmental issue.

Wood smoke is pollution
Wood burning is a major source of harmful air pollution in many communities, yet there is a critical lack of awareness about this serious public health and environmental issue. www.dsawsp.org

Greyhound Racing in NSW - our right to see and share the truth Greyhound racing is a cruel form of gambling and over many months I have been posting the often shocking facts and excerpts from footage on my X (twitter) account @susanamet. I have regularly sent lin...

I need help to fight for my rights, for all our rights, & most of all for the greyhounds. I have just launched a crowdfunding page to raise money for my legal fees. This is the link if you are able help:
chuffed.org/project/1525...
#bangreyhoundracing

Link is such a handsome boy! 🐾

'This is not balance, unless we accept a world where truth is balanced by lies.' #auspol

The US arms Israel, protects Israel at the UN, pressures allies to support Israel, produces jokey AI videos, then wants credit for a peace plan?

Gaza is destroyed, tens of thousands are dead, many of them children, all with US blessing.

The US is a partner in this genocide, not a peacemaker.

‘Planetary health diet’ could save 40,000 deaths a day, landmark report finds Diet allows modest meat consumption and would also slash food-related climate emissions by half, says report by 70 leading experts from 35 countries

Can't say it often enough:'taming the climate crisis is impossible without changing how the world eats... Food production is also the biggest cause of the destruction of wildlife and forests and the pollution of water.'
www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Israel accused of detaining Greta Thunberg in infested cell and making her hold flags Activist tells Swedish officials she has been subjected to harsh treatment, including insufficient food and water

Greta Thunberg verbally and physically abused in Israeli prison.
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o...

‘Stranded’ aged care or disability patients occupy up to one in 10 hospital beds in Australia, report finds State and territory treasurers who commissioned the report say it shows need for federal government to pay bigger share of public hospital funding * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Up to one in 10 public hospital beds are taken by “stranded” patients awaiting alternative accommodation in aged care and supported disability accommodation, a new report shows – bolstering calls for more federal health funding. The report on the drivers of public hospital costs was commissioned by state and territory treasurers to inform negotiations on the next national health reform agreement (NHRA) with the commonwealth government. Continue reading...

‘Stranded’ aged care or disability patients occupy up to one in 10 hospital beds in Australia, report finds

Israeli Official: Palestinians Who Don’t Evacuate Gaza City Deemed “Terrorists” About 500,000 remain, cut off from any provisions coming from the south, including food, water, fuel, and medicine.

The Israeli army just announced that it won’t allow Palestinians in central and southern Gaza to travel north to Gaza City, saying that anyone who remains will be considered “terrorists.” An estimated 500,000 Palestinians remain in Gaza City, who are now officially cut off from any provisions.

Jane Goodall, the gentle disrupter whose research on chimpanzees redefined what it meant to be human Without formal scientific training, Goodall upended the study of animal behavior. She also inspired countless people to protect nature.

"Goodall noted that the most successful chimp leaders were gentle, caring and familial. Males that tried to rule by asserting their dominance through violence, tyranny and threat did not last." An extraordinary scientist and human.
RIP Jane Goodall
theconversation.com/jane-goodall...

Guardian Essential poll: Australians back emissions target while One Nation support doubles Poll finds One Nation’s primary vote has doubled to 13% since the May federal election

Guardian poll finds primary vote for One Nation is now higher than that for the Greens. Let that sink in. #auspol
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

Government is planning hardship for older Australians living at home Aged care has again been in the media for all the wrong reasons. Two failures are attracting particular attention.

Excellent article by Kathy Eagar noting the benefits of the Commonwealth Home Support program over the transactional Support at Home packages now being prioritised.
johnmenadue.com/post/2025/09...

Billy Idol - We Didn't Start the Fire (1989). Imagine - John Lennon (1971). So many other examples. The reason for people's shock today isn't that the world has changed. It's that they thought the horrors they are now seeing only happened in the past, or in other countries, to other people.

The $151 million luxury industry working on outdated regulations Thrust back into the international spotlight by the recent trial of Outback Wrangler star Matt Wright, questions are being raised about the Top End's lucrative crocodile industry and its outdated code...

END CROC FARMING 🐊

"The federal government's code of practice for the crocodile farming and management industry has not been updated in 16 years.

A 2024 consultation report found multiple inconsistencies between the code and industry standards."

#AusPol #Wildlife
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09...