Madeline Bennett

Tech journalist, fan of Spurs, sunshine, Game of Thrones and cats. But not necessarily in that order.

[dominic dyer @domdyer70]

Dottie, a bottlenose dolphin who lived 39 years at SeaWorld, died this week without ever feeling the rhythm of the ocean, or the freedom she deserved.

SeaWorld describes Dottie as a devoted mother of four calves, but they separated her from every single one of them. That is not devotion, that is the reality of captivity, where profit determines family bonds.

Dottie was born into concrete tanks and died in them. She never experienced the open sea. She spent her life performing for tourists, not because it was natural or enriching, but because SeaWorld's business model depends on it.

SeaWorld positions itself as an institution rooted in marine science. They know, because the science is unambiguous, that cetaceans are highly intelligent, wide-ranging, socially complex animals. They know that no tank, however large, can meet the physical or psychological needs of a dolphin. And yet they continue their breeding program, ensuring that more animals like Dottie will be born into the same captive cycle, never knowing the life they were meant to live.

Dottie's story should not end with a tribute post. It should end with change.

SeaWorld must end its dolphin breeding program now. No more calves born into captivity. No more mothers separated from their young. No more lives defined by performance and concrete walls.

Dottie deserved better. The dolphins who come after her deserve better.

[Philip Lymbery @philip_ciwf]

The way we treat pigs is a sin
The practice of "crating" is torture, plain and simple. Voters want to end it, but Congress might not let them.
 “In the United States, there are 73 million pigs in “concentrated animal feeding operations”, more commonly known as factory farms”
#factoryfarming shames us all
@ciwfusa
https://t.co/AIKaX0eSlt

[Carl Bovis @CarlBovisNature]

This is what entitlement looks like! 🤬
There are nesting waterbirds on this pond on Hampstead Heath... there are also big 'No Swimming' signs, all being totally ignored! 🤬
Pure selfishness... 😒🤬🤬

(Shared from Instagr*m with permission from 'swansofhampsteadheath')

[Philip Lymbery @philip_ciwf]

It’s set to reach 34C+ across Europe with sweltering temperatures
Record breaking conditions will add stress to animals, plants & insects
Pls spare a thought for our fellow species be they domestic, farmed or wild
Don’t travel with dogs or walk in heat, put out water, top up ponds, put out food, ditch disposable BBQs etc 🙏

[Michael Bailey Photography @jollybeggars]

Hi @NewcastleCC. Kittiwakes are getting stuck in this mesh tower on the Tyne Bridge. Can someone let them out, please?

[Philip Lymbery @philip_ciwf]

ONLY A NUMBER, NEVER A NAME
Consider the existence of factory farmed animals - cruelly caged and confined, hidden in vast sheds out of sight and mind
Chickens with more space in the oven, rabbits that can’t even hop, sows that can’t turn around
The greatest abuse of animals in the world happening on our watch!!
What has happened to our humanity?
#EndTheCageAge
#EndFactoryFarming
@CIWF_Global

[Give A Shit About Nature @giveashitnature]

Here it is, my annual summertime reminder: please don't use fly glue traps. They trap and kill bees, butterflies, song birds, hummingbirds, and bats.

[Animal Adoptions UK 🐕‍🦺🐈🐎❤️ @AdoptionsUk]

Please retweet, whimpering dogs forced into cages on #UK 'factory farm' ahead of lab experiments
Footage shows Beagles being piled onto overcrowded trolleys and whimpering before being force fed chemicals for 90 days in what comedian Ricky Gervais called 'terrible cruelty' 💔💔💔
Details and Video clip, please tag your MP
https://t.co/SAOCOtAZR1
@rickygervais said: “I’m deeply shocked to learn that thousands of beautiful Beagles are intensively bred, right here in the peace of the British countryside, for painful and terrifying toxicity experiments that are also now proven to entirely fail the search for human treatments and cures.”
Beagles are used in animal experimentation due to their placid nature.

@DailyMirror @PeterEgan6 @AmbassadorBetsy @peta @PETAUK @DogsTrust
@BBCNews @itvnews @SkyNews @GBNEWS @PatrickChristys @BetsyAmbassador @RoyalFamily
@liamgallagher @rickygervais @JaneFallon
@ParisHilton @thismorning @EamonnHolmes @DefraGovUK @ConservativeAWF @LabourAnimalRG @AnimalAid @Independent @TheSun @GMB
@Keir_Starmer @domdyer70 @PeterEgan6
@LeeAndersonMP_ @DavidDavisMP @NickDixonITV @BBCPanorama
@AlistairCarns @RobbieRinder @clarebalding
@BritishVets @ChiefVetUK @DrBrianMay

Below, Beagles at MBR Acres #Cambridgeshire #UK credit to @DailyMirror

[Philip Lymbery @philip_ciwf]

Devastating news is reaching us of yet another live export tragedy

Around 4,000 sheep and goats die after ship sinks near Oman
@theanimalreader
“Reports say the ship quickly filled with fire and smoke before capsizing and sinking. The sheep and goats were reportedly trapped below deck with no way to escape”
An unimaginable horror for over 4,000 sentient creatures
#BanLiveExports
@CIWF_Global

[Rosie P 🦇 🦎 🕷️ 🦭 🐌 🍃🌳🚲💧 @RosieP4]

Watch as @nationalgriduk chomps through a hedge. In nesting season. Despite its DCO stating “”In accordance with good practice measure B02, vegetation with the potential to support breeding birds will be programmed to be removed outside of breeding bird season (March to August inclusive) where practicable”. So why was it not practicable not to do it in this instance?The ecologist found nothing (what a surprise) but there is no way a hedge like this does not have nesting birds.
(This is Bramford to Twinstead, not Norwich to Tilbury)

@PylonsEAnglia

[diginomica @diginomica]

What I’d say to me back then: Clari + Salesloft’s Laurie Ehrbar sat down with @MadBennett to reflect on life lessons and what she thinks is key to getting more women in tech: https://t.co/9yrNzsE9WX #WomenInTech

[Humane World Action Fund @humaneactfund]

Once triggered, the M-44 cyanide bomb shoots a pellet of sodium cyanide into an animal’s mouth—causing terror, pain, distress, suffering, injury and death.

Although its primary targets are coyotes and foxes, the M-44 also kills animals it is not intended to harm including people’s pets and endangered wildlife species. Even worse, the M-44 is a clear and present danger to people, too, given its indiscriminate nature.

The M-44 is a weapon of terror and extreme violence, and in the world we envision—the world we’re trying to create—there can be no place for it.

https://t.co/b2Cgq9Yg1S

[Christina Hespe @HespeChris34466]

Just as I expected, Sheffield City Council @SheffCouncil are back to cut the verges. In the middle of May. Caught in the act of vandalising nature this time. Which part of biodiversity crisis are they not understanding? 😢 @GeoffreyLean @alextomo @PeterGilbertUK

[Give A Shit About Nature @giveashitnature]

Spraying one dandelion with Roundup can kill over 100 bees.

The flower doesn't die instantly. Bees will keep visiting it for days, taking the poison back to their nests and hives.

Never spray dandelions in spring and summer.

They're one of the first major food sources for emerging pollinators.

Let them bloom or remove them by hand.

[Philip Lymbery @philip_ciwf]

Carbon dioxide shortages mask a major animal cruelty scandal – the use of CO2 as a slaughter method

Pigs are lowered into gas chambers, gasp for breath, hyperventilate & burn from the inside out
It is NOT humane
@ciwf

https://t.co/Bxsc9sZtL2

[Ethical Farming Ireland @ethicalfarmIE]

Here is a reminder of what it is like for calves inside the trucks 🚚 This footage was taken at Rosslare Port, before the long ferry journey. They will have already been in the truck for several hours. Journeys can take 50 hours or more in total. No headroom, barely space to lie down, and of course no food. They can barely access the water systems @BrittanyFerries @jmrouebferries @kristofbf

[Madeline Bennett @MadBennett]

Sign the petition: Help End Mandatory Meat and Dairy in School Meals https://t.co/gZ6AbiKEwX

[Frank Bruno MBE 🇬🇧 @frankbrunoboxer]

Evening sorry if this image upsets you. Last week we celebrated the amazing animals that David Attenborough has shown us through TV for many years. I am sure you will agree with me Trophy hunting must be banned. I have today written to Keir Starmer asking for the trophy hunting ban he promised in 2024 to be implemented without further delay. To join me in this request
Please sign & share the petition at https://t.co/tSIjwT94p0 to show your support.
Thank you
#BanTrophyHunting

[Compassion in World Farming International @CIWF_Global]

Brittany Ferries: it’s time to #BanLiveExports.

They’re exporting vulnerable, unweaned calves - just weeks old - forcing them to endure 18-hour sea journeys without food.

We won’t stop campaigning until this cruelty ends.

Take action: https://t.co/mLuZZeqyIt