PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) and fashion retailer Topshop have teamed up to draw attention to the treatment of exotic animals killed for their skins. The high street store has created a display at its flagship Oxford Street store in London.

The display, which can be seen in the shop's main window today until Monday, 18 March, features a wardrobe with exotic animals spilling out and the caption "Keep Wildlife Out of Your Wardrobe". It goes on to urge shoppers to visit PETA UK's website to sign a pledge never to wear exotic skins.

"Topshop knows that the only place for exotic skins is on their original owners", says PETA Senior Programme Manager Yvonne Taylor. "Through the years, Topshop has set the industry standard for promoting animal welfare, and its latest high-profile display at the heart of London's busiest shopping street will help save many snakes, alligators and other animal victims of the fashion industry from an excruciatingly painful death."

As shown in PETA US' exposé of the exotic-skins trade - narrated by acclaimed actor Joaquin Phoenix - snakes, alligators and other exotic animals who are killed for their skins are commonly nailed to trees, bludgeoned with hammers and skinned alive. It often takes hours for the animals to die, usually from shock or dehydration. Nice.

PETA and Topshop have joined forces on several previous occasions to make it clear that they oppose the cruel fur and exotic-skins trades. Topshop was recently presented with a PETA-Approved Vegan Fashion Award in the category of Most Stylish Women's Knitwear for the company's trendy cream-and-lime jumper.

For more information visit PETA.org.uk.

In a post that appeared on Facebook over the weekend, but which now seems to have disappeared, Walkers crisps confirmed they can no longer guarantee ANY of their crisps will be suitable for vegetarians.

At the end of last month they confirmed they were adding real meat to their crisps, including Smoky Bacon and Chicken, prompting a massive backlash among the UK's 3 million Vegetarian and Vegans, as well as religious groups, via social media.

Walkers said that the decision was taken to give the crisps a more 'authentic' flavour and to source meat from local farms. It decided to promote the change in direction in a new advertising campaign entitled 'A Great Taste of Home', featuring Gary Lineker on a tractor (see image on right). From now on, around 0.12% of a bag of smoky bacon will contain pork.

Writing on Walkers' Facebook wall Clive Nicholson said: "You started your massive ad campaign to inform the general public that you are adding dead animal to your products, the day after a report was published that linked the consumption of processed meat products with premature death. I would like to wish you the very best of luck at this years bad timing awards."

Added Laura Robinson: "Walkers, there is nothing exciting about contributing to the misery and slaughter of animals, the alienation of any of your customers who don't eat meat and the CONTAMINATION of your ENTIRE RANGE due to cross-contamination (something you continue to refuse to guarantee against). This is quite possibly the biggest PR DISASTER of a lifetime."

So far Walkers has refused to to rule out the possibility that their other flavoured crisps may be cross contaminated with meat as they use the same barrels to add the flavour to all the crisps. In 2007 Mars was forced to do a U Turn over the use of animal extracts in its Mars and Snickers bars following a backlash from Vegetarians. It remains to be seen whether Walkers will follow suit.

We'd really like to end the week with some more cheerful news, but it would be wrong not to mention this. According to new research, more than 11,000 elephants have been killed by ivory poachers in Gabon since 2004 and campaigners are saying the situation is 'out of control' and if not changed soon the 'future of the elephant in Africa is doomed'.

The African country is home to over half of the continent's forest elephants (recently featured on BBC excellent 'Africa'). These magnificent creatures have excellent quality tusks which sadly makes them prime targets for poachers hoping to get rich on ivory trade.

Since 2004 between 44-77% of the elephants have been killed as demand for jewellery and other ivory in Asia remains high.

Despite efforts by the government, they are failing to monitor the vast area of Minkeve where the elephants live. It is believed that 50 to 100 elephants were being killed every day in the park in 2011.

You can help by signing WWF's petition to remove loopholes that allow ivory trade to continue.

"Every day in the savannas and forests of Africa, elephants are being gunned down for their ivory tusks. Across the continent, tens of thousands of these majestic animals are being slaughtered each year. In many places the species has already been poached to extinction. If we don't act now there may be no wild elephants left.

Elephant poaching is being driven by demand for ivory carvings and trinkets in Asia where many consumers think "elephant teeth" simply fall out and re-grow without hurting the animal. The truth is that ivory comes from dead elephants."

The new research has been carried out by the Gabonese national parks agency (ANPN) alongside WWF and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).

Image via WWF

Consumers are becoming more aware and concerned about the origins of the products in their wardrobe, and fake fur, cruelty-free fabrics and pleather are fast becoming the go-to materials for those wanting to enjoy the latest fashion with a clean conscience. And everyone from high-street retailers such as Topshop and French Connection to high end designers like Vivienne Westwood and Stella McCartney are meeting consumer demand for animal-free fashion.

Animal welfare organisation PETA is recognising the best cruelty-free contributions to the fashion world with a new awards - the first ever PETA-approved Vegan Fashion Awards.

The awards mark the launch of PETA's new logo, which designers and retailers can use to identify vegan clothes and accessories that they sell online or in stores.

Check out the 2013 winners below - more information can be found here.

What great news to take with us into the weekend. From 11 March all sales of cosmetics that have been tested on animals will be banned in the European Union.

This means that anyone who wants to sell cosmetics - from high-end designer make-up to own brand toothpaste - will have to ensure that none of the ingredients have been tested on animals.

What a great victory for animals and those who have fought for them, such as Cruelty Free International and the Body Shop.

Let's all jump for joy like this sheep!

Today sees the launch of the first mobile network that also helps with conservation, WWF Wildlife Mobile.

The new mobile network will enable people in the UK with a passion for the environment and wildlife to generate funds for conservation projects every time they use their mobile phone - and it won't cost them a penny extra to do so!

The service, in partnership with operator Digital Spring Mobile and Vodafone UK, works on a SIM-only, with cheaper standard Pay As You Go rates than any other major networks and a range of competitive bundles of calls, texts and data. This certainly gives another meaning when talking about 'calls for conservation'.

How does it work?

Rates are highly competitive; Pay As You Go rates start from 5p minute and customers get double call credit every time they top up. WF Wildlife Mobile also offers great value bundles - Penguin, Aardvark, Hippo or Rhino - giving hundreds of calls and texts and large data allowances starting at just £9.50 per month.

How much will be donated?

Wildlife Mobile will give 10% of the net call revenues for conservation and is open to anyone who has an interest in or a concern for the environment and wants to help. In other words, you don't have to be a WWF member to join the new network and help safeguard the natural world.

How will my calls help with WWF conservation projects?

The hope is that through tapping into something people do every day millions of pounds will be raised for conservation by simply talking to each other. The target is to reach 2 million minutes of call by the end of 2013, all which could make a tangible difference to wildlife:

- A 10 minute call on WWF Wildlife Mobile could pay for six tree seedlings to help restore critical areas of Tiger habitat.

- Just two weeks of regular usage on WWF Wildlife Mobile could cover the costs of a three-person community based anti-poaching patrol in the field for one day, protecting Tigers and Rhinos in Nepal.

WWF's Communications and Fundraising Director, Tobin Aldrich said: "Most people use a mobile phone, so this is an innovative and easy way for people to do their bit for conservation. If you're passionate about the environment and wildlife, it won't cost you anything, to raise vital funds for WWF whilst you use your phone."

To sign up to the new SIM only WWF Wildlife Mobile visit www.wildlifemobile.co.uk.

This photo of a terrified little monkey has been doing the rounds on Twitter and the web since it was first broadcasted on Iran's Press TV yesterday.

It shows a poor little monkey all buckled up, his head restrained in a small block by Iranian scientists, on his way to meet his doom: a one-way ticket to space. Iranian Government officials have confirmed this was done to check that if they one day manage to get a manned flight up into space, all would be ok.

If there is anything that will make our hearts ache and eyes water up it's photos of suffering animals.

Hey Iran, if you want to get in on the space programs, be real men and send people into space!

[via Buzzfeed]

Many meat eaters will tell you that they could never give up meat, not even for a day, not even for the animals that are treated horribly in order to end up on a plate near you and me. But vegetarianism, though a big part of it is, is not all about being kind to animals. It is also about choosing a more sustainable future and potentially improving your health in the process.

A 2006 report found that the livestock industry was responsible for more harmful gases than the transport industry. So it goes without saying that consuming meat in the quantities we do is not sustainable in the long run. Adopting a different attitude towards diets and health, educating people about the fact that we don't need 'meat and two veg' every single day in order to survive is crucial for a better and brighter future.

One small, yet effective, way of doing this is to stop eating meat on Mondays. Luckily, as it is becoming less 'alternative' to be meat free, people are ncreasingly changing their habits - even the meat eaters.

One of the biggest campaigners behind the Meat Free Mondays movement is Sir Paul McCartney - he started the campaign together with his late wife Linda in 2009 and she went on to create a vegetarian food company - who has spoken out numerous times about the importance of eating less meat.

Speaking to The Huffington Post, McCartney said: ""It's becoming more and more clear that one of the most effective things any individual can do to help the environment is to eat less meat."

The ex-Beatle continued: "I've been a vegetarian for a long time now and over the years I've seen how the attitudes have changed around the world, so I'm not surprised when I see new research that shows more and more people are increasingly adopting 'meat free eating'. It's great to see more and more choice with some brilliant creative dishes in restaurants, cafés and supermarkets. There is definitely now an overall greater acceptance of being vegetarian."

But even though we now know more about the benefits of a less meat heavy diet, it is good with a reminder once in a while. And don't you worry; this is exactly what McCartney has in mind. In a new ad, an animation, Linda can be seen surrounded by quirky animal personas and her family as Elvis Costello reminds us all of the values and ethos of Linda McCartney.

Check it out here:

The Born Free Foundation, a global leader in animal welfare and wildlife conservation, has today taken a new stand against the crimes against elephants and is revealing the shocking truth behind the illegal ivory trade.

Through www.bloodyivory.org the organisation hopes to expose the challenges facing elephants throughout their natural range and the depth of the ongoing crisis. Recently, news out of Kenya reported that an insidious criminal cartel had wiped out an entire family of 12 elephants for their ivory in the worst single incident of its kind in the country.

Moreover, on 5 January Hong Kong's customs seized 779 ivory tusks weighing more than a thousand kilos and valued at more than £900,000.

Will Travers OBE, the charity's Chief Executive Officer, acknowledged: "The ivory trade is a brutal business, devastating entire elephant families, causing massive suffering to individuals - and now severely impacting populations in all four regions of Africa. This is putting some of these most vulnerable populations at risk of extinction. Bloodyivory.org shows the world what is really happening to elephants and encourages all compassionate people and 'Elefriends' everywhere to lend their voices to the chorus declaring: NO MORE IVORY TRADE."

The new site includes a petition which calls on the CITES Parties (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora) to reject any future proposals for trade in ivory and to support improved protection for elephants. They are meeting in Bangkok this March and elephant ivory trade will be high on the agenda.

Image copyright George Logan / via Born Free Foundation

My oh my hasn't Coca-Cola been busy... Perhaps it has looked closely at the witch hunt of tax dodging global corporations such as Starbucks and Amazon, and figured they needed to up their corporate social responsibility (CSR) activity?

The soft drinks giant has partnered with environmental charity WWF for a pan-European 'Arctic Home' scheme to invest in Arctic conversation projects and raise awareness of the plight of polar bears, an animal which has appeared in the brand's ads for almost a century.

The scheme will see Coca-Cola donate £3 million each year to help protect the polar bear population and support WWF's lobbying of international governments.

Whichever reason, it is good news that investment is being made to put a spotlight on the challenges that are facing the white kings of the north, which are facing extinction if the polar ice continues to melt. The funding will be spent on researching polar bear numbers, helping local communities to live harmoniously with the animals and encourage governments to do something.

Polar bear conservation - coming to a coke can near you!

[via Marketing Magazine]

We've been following the developments of the killer whales stuck in the Hudson Bay ice closely, hoping that the story would end happily rather than with over dozen dead animals.

And it did! No thanks to humans mind - though the poor orcas did get a lot of support on Twitter #SaveQuebecWhales and elsewhere online.

After they'd been discovered trapped under a huge stretch of ice near a remote fishing village, news broke that icebreakers were needed urgently in order to get them to safety.

With only a small hole in the ice to breathe through, the authorities said they'd be sending a team to "evaluate the situation", hesitating to act decisively and help the beautiful animals before it was too late.

A spokeswoman for Fisheries and Oceans Canada told the CBC that icebreaker ships were "really busy with the ice conditions that we have in other regions of our country" and that three commercial ships had become stuck in the ice in the area.

Really busy?! Well we're sure that the people aboard the ships would have been perfectly fine if they had to wait a bit longer to get broken free. It's not like they were scrambling in a tiny hole to get air in order to survive.

As luck would have it, the killer whales appear to have escaped the ice and certain death, as the ice shifted when winds changed course overnight. Hurrah!

Photo: AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Marina Lacasse

If you're stuck for ideas of what to get your nearest and dearest who have everything, here's a present idea with a 100% feel-good factor: Adopt a wild animal.

Many species such as tigers, pandas and turtles are facing extinction due to human exploitation of their natural habitat or illegal hunting. By donating a small (or large depending on how much you can spare) you'll be helping giving these animals a chance to survive for future generations to appreciate. There are many organisations that offering various adoption and donation programmes, but here are some of our favourite ones.

WWF

Now there is a lot more to the WWF than just animal adoption - read more about it here - but if you'd like to gift someone special a panda, a tiger, a snow leopard or a bottlenose dolphin among others, this is the place to go. For a monthly sum of your choice, you can help make a difference!

Born Free

In addition to its existing adoption scheme, this year Born Free has teamed up with Tiger Nation to launch a Tiger Tracker, which lets you follow the lives of individual wild tigers in India through the power of social media.

For only £20 a year you can access regular updates on tigers like Vijaya and her cubs and help protect them. Get involved here.

International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW)

Founded in 1969, the International Fund for Animal Welfare saves individual animals, animal populations and habitats all over the world. It currently has projects in more than 40 countries and provides hands-on assistance to animals in needs, whether it's dogs and cats, wildlife and livestock, or rescuing animals in the wake of disasters. While you can't adopt a single animal, you can help by donating to the organisation.

The Wildlife Aid Foundation

Their animal adoption scheme enables you to help towards the costs of looking after sick, injured or orphaned animals that are brought to the Wildlife Aid Foundation hospital. Your donation will contribute towards the costs of the specialist care, food and medicines that the patients need to help them return to the wild as soon as possible. Find out more here.

OK you might think we're insane to even mention swimwear as the autumn chill is swooping across the British Isles, but with many jetting off to warmer climes or taking advantage of the great exercise that swimming provides we just couldn't help ourselves. But the main reason for shouting about this new swimwear label is the fact that it is dedicated to wildlife conservation.

Love Brand & Co. is the brainchild of young London designer Oliver Tomalin and has launched its first collection of ethical swimwear: Trunks for Trunks. Inspired by the plight of the iconic Asian elephant, 5% of each sale will go towards helping endangered elephants survive in the wild through charity Elephant Family.

The current collection is uses state-of-the-art, soft and fast drying fabric, particularly notable are the silver tusks on the end of the drawstrings. The design is of a classic European cut, loosely tailored for a comfortable fit.

The collection is available in 8 block colours, two stripes and 5 limited edition prints and comes in sizes XXS - XXL. Prices range from £118 - £128 for men's swimming trunks, £68 to £78 for boys'.