VFTA Blog

Do You Know The Facts?

CIRCUSES: A CRUEL SPECTACLE THAT TEACHES THE WRONG LESSONS

February 11, 2025

CIRCUSES: A CRUEL SPECTACLE THAT TEACHES THE WRONG LESSONS
By Melya Kaplan

For generations, animal-based circuses have been promoted as wholesome family entertainment. Children marvel at elephants balancing on stools, lions leaping through fiery hoops, and bears riding bicycles. But what are we really teaching them?

Melya Kaplan, founder of Voice For The Animals, has long warned about the hidden cruelty behind the spectacle. Circuses teach children that wild animals—who belong in their natural habitats—can be caged, dominated, and forced to perform tricks solely for human amusement. The unspoken message? That power and control over others are acceptable as long as it’s entertaining.

Few people stop to ask: How do these animals learn to perform? Why does a lion obey a trainer’s commands? The reality is chilling—wild animals do not perform willingly. They are coerced through fear, intimidation, and violence.

(Read More)

The Los Angeles Fires: Displaced Animals and How to Protect Your Pets

February 04, 2025

The recent fires in Los Angeles, particularly in Palisades, have left devastation in their wake. Homes have been lost, families have been displaced, and tragically, many animals have gone missing. At Voice For The Animals (VFTA), we have received an overwhelming number of calls and requests for help in locating lost pets. Our hearts go out to everyone affected, and we are deeply saddened for any animals that remain missing. Voice For The Animals has been working tirelessly to locate missing animals and reunite them with their owners.

Disasters like these serve as a stark reminder of the importance of pet identification and tracking. In emergency situations, having the right tools in place can mean the difference between reuniting with a beloved pet or losing them forever.

(Read More)

Urgent: Help For Pets Affected by the LA Fires

January 20, 2025

To All Our Friends in Los Angeles

If you have been evacuated due to the fires and were not able to take your beloved pet for whatever reason, here is what you can do:

 

If you live in the County or unincorporated areas of Los Angeles, call 562-940-6898. This is County dispatch. They are organized, responsive, and ready to help.

 

If you live in the city of Los Angeles, call 213 870-8155.

If you live in the City and you requested help, but no one has helped you to get into your house and check on your animals, or you know someone who this has happened to, please email me immediately: melya@vftafoundation.org.

(Read More)

We Will Never Give Up Until Billy is FREE

December 19, 2024

WE WILL NEVER GIVE UP UNTIL BILLY IS FREE!!

I have heard people say that this is too hard. It’s taking too long. Yes! This shows us how deep the zoo’s lies have permeated people’s minds.

We are facing an antiquated mindset created by lies. The lie that zoos are good for elephants - even when there is so much evidence to the contrary. The lie that it’s educational for children to see elephants in zoos, even though it’s clearly educational malpractice. It teaches children that we can do what we want to animals, even ones as intelligent as elephants.

These are the lies that killed Gita and Tara, Jewel and Shaunzi, and so many other elephants at the LA Zoo. We cannot let these lies kill Billy and Tina!!!

Everyone else has walked away from Billy – except us. WE WILL NOT GIVE UP UNTIL HE IS FREE! We won’t give up until he is safely in a sanctuary, and we believe you won’t give up either. Your donations are vital to ensure that Billy DOES NOT DIE IN THE LA ZOO. Will you stand with us and fight for Billy?

Please see the video below. Put it on your social media. Send it to your lists. Educate everyone you talk to. Tell them the TRUTH! The LA Zoo kills elephants!!

 

Your donations are vital to ensure that Billy DOES NOT DIE IN THE LA ZOO. Will you stand with us and fight for Billy? Together, we can FREE BILLY!!

(Read More)

Third Report Exposes Urgent Need for Sanctuary Relocation – Part 3/3:  Billy and Remaining LA Zoo Elephants in Danger

November 06, 2024

In the final part of our series on Dr. Ensley’s critical findings, we explore the most recent report, which exposes the dire circumstances facing Billy and Tina, the last remaining elephants at the LA Zoo. Years of poor conditions and mistreatment have led to severe physical and mental suffering, with two elephants passing in the last year alone. Dr. Ensley urges immediate action to relocate Billy and Tina to a sanctuary before it’s too late. Read more to understand why these elephants need our help now.

(Read More)