Faunalytics is a United States-based non-profit organization with a unique mission to empower animal advocates by providing them with access to research, data, and strategies – all at no cost. It also shares data with and gives assistance to vegan business owners to help them succeed. Faunalytics has a small staff, but its output of data has been nothing but extensive! In 2019 alone, Faunalytics’

In our times, Supreme Master Ching Hai came to Earth with the mission to save the planet and all sentient beings. Her boundless love reaches out to beings in all directions offering blessings and enlightenment. Her Love is beyond human comprehension and Her spiritual Radiance expands across universes. Supreme Master Ching Hai’s mission is to save the world and the animals, but also includes saving

Like the accomplished refugees covered in previous parts of our series, Tresor Riziki is also among these outstanding individuals and is regarded as one of the most distinguished pop stars in Africa. Tresor is described as the pioneer of “African Neo-Pop Sounds.” Regarding his music, Tresor says that it is “a fusion of sound from all over the continent” and celebrates Africa and Africans. T

"We have all kinds of different animals here. We have a pig in the stall next to us. We have chickens, cats, just whatever needs help, we want to help. So, this barn is the barn we have for our initial intake, or special needs cases. We have Phoenix here. He has been a special needs case for quite a while. His eye had ruptured, and he was at auction and it was one of the worst eye cases I have see

In Part 1, we learned that the mission of this Tennessee, USA-based organization is to rescue vulnerable horses. Unfortunately, a large percentage of horses auctioned off in the US are exported to Mexico or Canada for slaughter. They are transported abroad because killing horses for human consumption is illegal in America. The charity saves many equines by purchasing them at auctions. "These anima

Today we meet some of the wonderful people at Horse Plus Humane Society, located in the state of Tennessee in the United States. It is the world's largest animal welfare organization for horses, and since 2003 has saved over 6,500 horses from going to slaughter by rescuing and adopting them into lifelong homes. Tawnee Preisner is the vegan founder and president of Horse Plus Humane Society.

Andrew Stephen Grove, also known as Andy Grove, was born to a middle-class Jewish family in Budapest, Hungary, on September 2, 1936. During internal unrest within Hungary in 1956, Andy, then age 20, fled to Austria. In 1957, he arrived in New York City, USA, along with 1,715 Hungarian refugees on a ship. He had next to no money and knew little English. Although without means in the US, Andy did po

Today we present the Empowerment Plan, a non-profit organization based in Detroit, Michigan, United States, which employs unhoused parents to produce sleeping bag coats for the larger community of homeless people. Founded in 2011, this Shining World Compassion Award recipient’s mission is to uplift the unhoused, help them regain confidence and independence, and halt the generational cycle of pover

The sanctuary’s animals certainly have a charisma about them! But what is striking is the power that these magnificent beings have to touch the hearts of the guests! As the vegan co-founders Mick Still and Tracey Keenan share with us, some people are so transformed by the visit, they want to permanently change their relationship with our animal co-inhabitants for the better. "It’s very kind of ove

Today it is our pleasure to share the work of Tracey Keenan and Mick Still, the vegan co-founders of Peanuts Wellbeing Sanctuary, a 40-hectare peaceful space in New South Wales, Australia. At this nurturing and fun-filled haven, established to help end the cycle of child and animal abuse, rescued animals are given a caring forever home. Children from traumatic backgrounds are regularly invited to

Dame Stephanie Shirley was born Vera Buchthal in Dortmund, Germany, in 1933. The turbulent political situation at the time prompted many parents in Central Europe to send their children to safer countries. In July of 1939, Stephanie, aged 5, and her 9-year-old sister Renate, were put on a train headed for England, UK. After a journey of two and a half days, they arrived in Britain as Kindertranspo

Today, we hear Ronen speak about kosher foods as well as cultured meat. Kosher means that the product has been certified to meet Jewish dietary laws. Both animal products and animal-free foods can be kosher. “Unfortunately, kosher doesn't mean that there was no animal cruelty. [It’s] the other way around. All the kosher meat sold in Israel is entangled, is connected to animal cruelty.” “The only kosher from a moral perspective is, of course, plant-based food.” “And when I look at all of this effort, endeavor, to help animals, I see two main aspects. The first one is raising consciousness, which will make people give up some of their comfort in order not to hurt animals. So raising consciousness is very important. The other one is technology. Technology will make it much easier for people not to hurt animals. So you don't have to give up so much or change so much in order for you not to hurt animals. And these two efforts, are coming and helping each other and feeding each other.” “I'm the chairperson of the board at the Modern Agriculture Foundation. It's a nonprofit focused on promoting alternative proteins, which means that we don't do the R&D (research and development), the scientific work ourselves. Our job is to make sure others will do it. So we reach out to scientists, to entrepreneurs, to companies, to big food companies and to investors, everybody in the space that can enlarge the effort to make cell-based meat and make plant-based meats commercially viable and cheap and tasty as fast as possible.” “I have to say that from an ethical standpoint, the best thing is just to eat the plain soy and legumes and cereals. The effort to make the cell-based meats, the mimicking of the animal protein meats consumes more resources from the environment. Nevertheless, they're still very good compared to animal-based products.” “I think all of them are really in a totally different category than meat, of course, because they're more environmentally-friendly, or you can say less contributing to animal genocide, and because they don't hurt animals directly, like factory farming is doing.”

Today is International Animal Rights Day, an event annually observed worldwide on December 10 to bring awareness that animals are sentient beings like us and deserve freedom, justice, and respect. Ronen’s worldwide investigations have revealed the truth of the animals’ extreme anguish in slaughterhouses and elsewhere to the public. His work has led to “wide-scale public debates, class action laws

In 1998, the UK animal rights organization Uncaged, now known as the Centre for Animals and Social Justice, a Shining World Compassion Award laureate, designated December 10 as International Animal Rights Day. This date corresponds with the annual celebration of Human Rights Day, thus reminding society that animals also deserve freedom, justice, and respect just like humans. In honor of this impor

Today, we introduce Luol Deng, who was a 2-time National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star and respected player. Compassionate in nature, he is also a philanthropist and humanitarian. Luol was born in what is now South Sudan on April 16, 1985. In 1993, the Deng family moved to the UK after the British government granted Luol’s father political asylum. At 14 years-old, Luol moved to the US and

"Leo Tolstoy said, 'When we wish to harm others, we really do evil to ourselves.' And I think, the way we have harmed animals, it’s now clear that that is going to lead to the destruction of the planet through climate chaos." The Amazon rainforest, considered the "lungs of the Earth," is being razed at a frighteningly rapid pace for animal livestock raising. "We have to end animal agriculture, and then we have to reforest the Earth and tackle the idea of private property and selfishness and say, 'The forests are something that are for the survival of the whole planet.'" The animal livestock industry needs to end as soon as possible. Dr. Krajnc sees the immediate need for initiatives to help industry farmers adopt vegetable farming or enter other professions that are beneficial to our planet’s environment. "I think it’s important for governments to promote a just transition in our society so that we can close down animal agriculture facilities and create plant-based ones. The most powerful actor in our current world, in human affairs, is our governments at this point. And I think they have a responsibility to end animal agriculture subsidies and to put money towards a just transition. One way to get there is for grassroots groups to start showing examples of that, to give them something to look at." Anita also has a very clear idea of how to help people embrace veganism. "I think the most powerful way to switch to a vegan diet is to help people become activists. Once your friends and family become activists, they will then promote others to become vegan and activists. So I think we have to follow in the footsteps of (Mahatma) Gandhi and Martin Luther King. What they did in their struggles for equality was they built a mass-based grassroots movement. It’s no different for animal rights." Our appreciation goes to Dr. Anita Krajnc and the vigil teams across the globe for raising the public’s awareness of the tremendous suffering of animals raised for food and that the cruelty-free lifestyle is humanity’s future. May your loving and compassionate actions quickly change people’s hearts and further speed us toward a peaceful vegan world.

"When you use a love-based, non-judgemental approach, I think it’s easier to persuade the public to join us and to transform the industry from one that is producing animal products to one that is fully plant-based and vegan and ethical as well. I was charged for giving water to thirsty pigs in 2015, and I was acquitted for that. The judge agreed that compassion is not a crime. The Pig Trial was really important for the development of our movement. I had two vegan lawyers that were representing me, Gary Grill and James Silver. What they did with this case was they turned it around and put animal agriculture on trial. What we were fighting for was not only that compassion is not a crime and that it is a duty to give water to thirsty animals, we were also fighting for the principle that pigs are not property. They’re persons. We failed on that second goal. The judge did not recognize that, so that fight continues because it’s absolutely fundamental to recognize animals as persons. The Pig Trial brought a lot of attention to the Animal Save Movement, so it inspired more groups to form. I think artists are very important in social change. In our struggle, we have to use both reason and feelings and it’s art that really helps us with the latter. Joaquin Phoenix is someone who’s been to dozens of vigils in LA. Joaquin's speech at the Oscars was like a speech written from God, I thought. He was like the voice of God or angels." "I think we’ve become very disconnected from the natural world. And many of us, what we’re guilty of is an egocentric worldview, the belief that we’re the center of the universe. We go into the natural world and we plunder it for its resources. We feel entitled to artificially inseminate a cow and when she gives birth, we steal her baby, even though her cries of anguish are unmistakable. And then we take her milk that’s intended for her calf and we put it in our coffee and our cereal. When he was 17, my brother wrote this lyric, he said, 'Run to the rescue with love and peace will follow.' Thank you."

Today, we have the honor of meeting Dr. Krajnc, the Canadian co-founder of Toronto Pig Save and the worldwide Animal Save Movement. Anita is a former political science professor at Queen’s University in the province of Ontario, Canada, who has studied how social movements move forward through public education. She is also a vegan. “Toronto Pig Save started doing 3 vigils a week in July 2011, and what we did was we would bear witness to the pigs on a traffic island when the trucks would stop. It’s such a powerful thing to meet the animals before they go to the slaughterhouse and to see their faces and look into their eyes. We called it bearing witness.” One of the devoted volunteers at Toronto Pig Save was the late Regan Russell. A former model, she had been advocating for animal rights since 1977. In late 2019, a bill was introduced in Ontario’s legislature making it illegal to interact with animals while they are being transported and expose the violence against animals in slaughterhouses and farms. Anita, Regan, and many other animal rights activists vehemently opposed the bill. It was passed into law on June 17, 2020. Two days later, it was a very hot day, and Regan and the other activists were giving water to the pigs on the trucks. Regan stood for several minutes in the road in front of the slaughterhouse to stop a truck so that the pigs could get water. The truck accelerated unexpectedly. Regan was killed. Vigils were held all over the world for Regan Russell. This beautiful soul’s compassion and her belief in justice and peace for all animals will always be remembered. We thank Dr. Anita Krajnc and her fellow animal advocates for their courage, and hope we can all work together to make the Earth a kinder and more beautiful place. Supreme Master Ching Hai: “Gratefully present Dr. Anita Krajnc with the Shining World Compassion Award, with a humble, loving gift of US$15,000 towards your noble organizations, Toronto Pig Save and the Animal Save Movement. Lots of love, praises and prayers for your safety and success, in God’s mercy.”

Gloria Estefan, known as the "Queen of Latin Pop," was born in Havana, Cuba, in 1957. Still a toddler, she and her family fled to Miami, Florida, USA, in 1959. In 1975, the then 18-year-old Gloria Fajardo / García met Emilio Estefan, who led a band called the Miami Latin Boys. The band released its second English-language album, Primitive Love, in 1985. The album contained three top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. First, “Conga” peaked at #10 and became Ms. Estefan’s signature song a few years later. Unfortunately, in 1990, tragedy struck and Gloria was seriously injured in a severe bus crash. However, thanks to her intense determination and perseverance, Gloria made a miraculous comeback. Ms. Estefan, the most successful crossover performer in Latin music, has received multiple Grammy and Latin Grammy Awards. In 2015, Gloria Estefan and her husband Emilio each received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from then-US President, His Excellency Barack Obama. It is the highest civilian honor in the US. The reasons cited for the selection were for their role in popularizing Latin music globally and opening doors for other Latin artists through their success. In 1997, she founded the Gloria Estefan Foundation, which supports various charities. The foundation monetarily supports no-kill shelters and helped fund the creation of the Vero Beach Dog Park. Over the years, Ms. Estefan has received numerous awards for her humanitarian efforts. In May 1993, Gloria made her first visit to New York’s Ellis Island, a previous port of entry for the US that welcomed 12 million immigrants when it was operational. Her selection shows Ms. Estefan’s role as a wonderful ambassador for her culture who proudly represents Hispanic people who have immigrated to the USA.

In a joyful celebration held on October 25, 1993, in Hawaii, USA, the then-mayor of the city and county of Honolulu, the Honorable Frank F. Fasi, proclaimed October 25th as “Supreme Master Ching Hai Day” and presented Master with the International Peace Commendation Award, Honorary Citizenship, Certificate of Merit, and a bronze bust of Her likeness that is permanently displayed in a Honolulu public park. He noted Her enormous contributions to philanthropic and humanitarian causes around our world and referred to Her as “an angel of mercy for humanity.” Throughout the years, Supreme Master Ching Hai has generously provided financial assistance across the globe. Master said that each time She makes a contribution, She wishes that She could give more. She always humbly attributes all Her charitable deeds to God. Master mostly performs charitable acts anonymously, while providing assistance to the most neglected and vulnerable. Master’s selfless care, unconditional sacrifice, and steadfast nobility are true examples of the all-encompassing love of God. Her constant connection with the Higher Realms is also apparent in Her abundant creative talents and deep appreciation of artists. Master has often emphasized the important role that artists play, by declaring the International Artist Day, in order to honor the inspired beings who bring so much beauty and love to our world. To benefit more sentient beings, Supreme Master Ching Hai created Supreme Master Television, in order to broadcast constructive programming, and inspire the world to embrace Her Vision of a peaceful planet. As many viewers have expressed, Supreme Master Television is a gift from God, bringing about wondrous and miraculous changes to the world. The ever-compassionate and merciful Supreme Master Ching Hai cares and protects all beings with Her indiscriminate and selfless love. It is Her longtime wish and sincere hope that the whole world will soon embrace veganism and obtain peace. Supreme Master Ching Hai’s deep, unconditional love is felt by all sentient beings. It is Her unconditional love that made Her descend to Earth in order to help this world; it is Her unconditional love that causes Her to return life after life, in order to liberate countless souls. In the benevolent spirit of Supreme Master Ching Hai Day, let us return to our original compassionate nature and live in harmony with all beings, humans and non-human alike, just as God intended. Most Beloved Master, we send to You our eternal gratitude for all Your all-embracing love and sacrifice. May You continue to shine in Your ever-youthful beauty with safety, good health, and contentment, as together we usher in a brilliant vegan era on Earth. Happy Supreme Master Ching Hai Day!