Dark and Light VIII

Two animal cruelty related blips in a row-busy week for the heroes who speak for those who can't speak for themselves.

Bad Horrible news: Kiev, Ukraine-Ukrainian authorities are planning to catch and slaughter hundreds of thousands of stray animals in preparation for the Euro 2012 European soccer championship.

Tamara Tarnavska, a former journalist and animal rights activist runs one of Kiev's only animal shelters that give refuge to hundreds of homeless dogs and cats that would otherwise be exterminated by city authorities.

She also runs the SOS animals society of Kiev, that will be leading the campaign to inspire a boycott by soccer fans of the European soccer championship. Signed on to be the faces of the campaign are George Clooney, Brigit Bardot and Ukrainian world heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko.

According to her, hundreds of thousands of animals will be killed across Ukraine in the run-up to the tournament. The Ukrainian authorities haven't done anything to take care of the stray animals-not providing shelters or organizing neutering campaigns. Just catch and kill. The organization PETA has also called for a boycott of the event, stating that the authorities' methods to reduce the animal population are anything but humane.

At the risk of saying some really bad things about the Ukrainian authorities, I better just zip it.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Good Fantastic news: A Raleigh , North Carolina research lab has stopped its heinous experiments and surrendered its animals by order of federal regulators after PETA released an undercover video showing the animals being treated violently.

More than 200 animals that were at Professional Laboratory and Research Services Inc. have been rescued and are being placed in shelters and homes. Kathy Guillermo, vice president of laboratory investigations at PETA says that for many, this is a chance for them to know joy and peace, so extra care will be taken to place them in loving homes.

Some people find the methods used by PETA for gathering incriminating evidence questionable. To that, all I have to say that if 200 animals can be saved from cruelty and pain, I really don't give a rat's ass how that is accomplished.