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Campaign for the Abolition of Animal Slavery
Anchor:
vegetarian
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Report
animal abuse According
to someone at Animal Concern, if an animal is being abused, phone 999, and the
police have a legal duty to respond, as a criminal offence is being committed.
You can say that someone from Animal Concern informed you that this is a police
matter: a criminal offence is being committed. Ask for an incident number, and
say that you will phone back to check on the progress of the case - makes them
more likely to pursue it then. Also, if the operator is unhelpful or tries to
pass the responsibility to the RSPCA, tell them that it is primarily their
responsibility, as this is their legal duty as a criminal offence is being
committed. Also say that you intend to contact your MP about the police's
dealing with the case, in the hope that this will make them take the case
seriously. I suspect most police don't even know or are trained to know that it
is their responsibility. But it is. The RSPCA do in effect deal with most animal
abuse cases, but the police should be dealing with more. The RSPCA are a
charity, but the police have a legal duty to respond. As a second port of call,
phone Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, and say the same things, and again, ask for
an incident number, and say you will phone back to check on the case. Get
oppressive law repealed The
Conservative/ LibDem coalition Government are currently inviting the public to
submit suggestions for legislation they would like to see repealed. In 2005 the
Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 was introduced by Labour. This Law
was trumpeted by politicians as an attempt to crackdown on crimes such as
gangsterism, racketeering, people trafficking and sexual slavery. What it ended
up as however was a crackdown on our right to organise and protest. It bizarrely
contains a whole section specifically outlawing animal rights campaigning. Sean
Kirtley, an activist from Stop Sequani Labs became the first high profile victim
of this Act receiving 4 ½ years (and a 5 year ASBO on release) for taking part
in what even the police admitted was a peaceful protest against the Lab in 2007.
Last year after serving 16 months the Court of Appeal overturned his conviction.
A precedent was set however and they can legally now come for any of us.
It was reported that the last minute insertion of this specific section
concerning AR campaigns came directly after a private meeting between
representatives of major pharmaceutical firms and the then Prime Minister Tony
Blair and Home Secretary Charles Clarke. It was alleged that these firms
threatened to close their operations in the UK and ship jobs abroad if the Govt.
did not effectively outlaw anti-vivisection campaigning. One section makes
provision for a 5 year sentence for writing letters or emails to firms, staff or
researchers involved in animal experiments. You can read the whole section here:
www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2005/ukpga_20050015_en_14
The right to stand up and act against exploitation and abuse should be
fundamental in any civilised, modern society. Politicians and their friends and
paymasters in the corporations and companies who make billions from torturing
and killing animals are determined to slap us down and keep us quiet.
This will never, never happen. We won't slink away quietly and turn our
heads the other way. Go to http://yourfreedom.hmg.gov.uk/restoring-civil-liberties
and submit your demand that Part 5 "Protection of activities of certain
organisations" of the SOCPA 2005 be repealed. You can also contact Prime
Minister David Cameron: https://email.number10.gov.uk/Contact.aspx
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg: pscorrespondence@cabinet-office.x.gsi.gov.uk
Home Secretary Theresa May: public.enquiries@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk
Don't let them take away your voice, it's all animals have got. Woburn
Safari Park criticised Woburn
has been criticised by government
vets for keeping lions in a "very crowded" overnight pen for 18 hours
a day over the winter. Woburn Safari Park, which is building a new lion house
due to open this summer, was inspected by officials from Defra in January
following complaints. A report says the "inadequate" building was
"structurally unsound" but praises the Bedfordshire park for other
pens. Woburn Safari Park said lions were free to move within 10 linked pens The
inspection was carried out by Defra and officers from Central Bedfordshire
Council, the zoo's licensing authority, following concerns from a former worker.
It was followed up by a second visit in February and a further inspection
earlier this month. Reports on the latest findings, on 10 and 11 June, are yet
to be published. The park was also issued with a prohibition notice by the
council in April to improve fences enclosing bull elephant Raja because of a
"real and present likelihood of escape". The notice was withdrawn the
following day when the council acknowledged its conditions were being met, the
park said. It also said it had removed its sea lions to a facility with sea
water, after an internal report in May last year discovered the chlorinated
water in its own enclosure was causing eye discomfort. The report on lions,
which was compiled in January, said: "There were clear signs of fighting
between the animals; the overnight house was inadequate in space provision and
facilities for the animals, structurally unsound and unsafe to operate." It
found that staff going near the enclosure were armed with a shotgun in case the
building deteriorated and the animals escaped. "The lions were confined in
the winter season for unreasonable lengths of time," it added.
"However, it was clear that the Woburn management were acting to improve
the situation." The report also stated that safari park staff should
acknowledge problems of fighting between the lions and discuss ways to improve
harmony, which may include moving animals or even euthanasia. The inspectors
concluded that the new enclosure did "not come close" to meeting the
standards of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) in terms of
space, but it would give lions access to an outside run. "The inspectors
were greatly impressed by several other new animal houses at Woburn and would
hope that the new lion house will be as successful," the report concluded.
"It is for this reason that we advise the management to accept this report
and review the design and management of the new accommodation accordingly."
A spokesman for Woburn Safari Park said: "The new overnight facility will
be bigger than most zoo facilities for lions and the existing day-time facility
is bigger than most UK zoos in their entirety." He added that Defra
inspectors had "misunderstood" that the 10 pens within the existing
lion house were completely interconnectable, allowing animals to move between
them. "Housing animals in buildings overnight is routine practice in all
zoos for essential management, security and welfare reasons," he said.
Craig Redmond, campaigns director at the Captive Animals' Protection Society
(CAPS) said the evidence it had seen was "the most shocking scenario at a
UK zoo". "We are calling
for the local council, Defra and zoo trade bodies to carry out an urgent enquiry
into how these conditions were allowed to continue for a long period of time,
without action being taken earlier or zoo inspectors made aware." The
council said it was awaiting detailed reports from the vets before licensing
conditions are updated. Residents
have branded a cull of Canada geese “barbaric”
after they were woken
in the early hours by the sound of gunfire in a neighbourhood park. The shooting
at Longton Park lasted for at least 80 minutes. The shots rang out just hours
after TV footage of a gunman running amok in Cumbria! One woman said she saw
ducks and geese trying to flee the park, coming through the hedge and onto the
road, clearly distressed. She said
the geese had been causing no harm. But Rugeley based Wildlife Management
Services, the company contracted to carry out the operation by Stoke-on-Trent
City Council, said the culling was done selectively and affected less than 30%
of the park’s geese. None of those
killed were goslings or parents of young geese. They said the reason for the
cull was personal health, air safety and to protect indigenous species. Canada
geese defecate every 11 minutes so large numbers cause a lot of mess.
A
man who ripped the head off a Canada goose in a 'sadistic and
torturous rampage' has been jailed for 25 weeks. Jobless Barry Sinfield swung
the bird around his head before kicking it repeatedly as it lay on the ground.
He then trapped the bird's neck against the ground with his foot and used both
hands to pull its head off. Terrified passers-by watched in horror as Sinfield
then chased people around the park with the bird's head threatening to smear
them with its blood. Sinfield admitted causing unnecessary suffering to an
animal and was jailed at Coventry Magistrates Court for 25 weeks. Nick Sutton,
prosecuting, said 'The animal was caused despicable suffering from this act. The
death was not instant and could have lasted some time. It was a gratuitous act
of violence on an animal from which the defendant was gaining enjoyment. The
trauma and pain that must have been suffered by the animal and also the effect
on the people using the park make this a very serious incident indeed.' Even
when Sinfield was arrested he showed no remorse and did not take it seriously.
Justice has been done today and he got exactly what he deserved. This sends a
clear message that people cannot do this to animals.' Sinfield, who was
photographed laughing with friends outside court before the hearing, was also
banned from keeping animals for life. Daily Mail 23 June 6
arrests made following bull running torture The
events at the end of a town fair have brought national publicity and
condemnation in Spain. Following the outcry after video evidence of youngsters
taunting and torturing 2 young bulls in the bullring in Alhaurín el Grande at
the end of the town’s feria, the Guardia Civil has used the same video
evidence and carried out 6 arrests and identified some 6 more who took part. The
Defensor del Ciudadano in the Málaga Diputación, Francisco Gutiérrez, has
received hundreds of complaints from the public following the publicity the case
has generated, and even had tourists saying they would not return to Spain
again. The video shows how a group of youngsters, thought to be drunk at the
time, taunt and beat the animal. The Andaluz collective against Animal and
Environmental ill treatment claim the young bull was so injured it had to be
euthanased. All those arrested were taken to the civil guard barracks to be read
their rights and told they were possibly facing animal cruelty charges. All were
released after statements were taken, and now it is up to the Prosecutors’
Office to decide whether to proceed with the case. The Partido Popular Mayor of
Alhaurín el Grande, Juan Martín Serón, said that he would be cancelling the
bullrunning event in future fairs. Gored
and trampled on bull run 2
people were gored during a tense and dangerous second running of the bulls at
Spain's famed San Fermin fiesta. At least 5 other people were hospitalised after
falling or being trampled by the animals. Thousands took part in the dash to
keep ahead of 6 fighting bulls and 6 bell-tinkling steers tasked with keeping
the beasts together along the 930-yard course from a holding pen to the town's
bullring. The run lasted just under 4 minutes and produced panic when some bulls
separated from the pack. One stopped
just before entering the bullring and paced in circles threateningly while
staring at the runners. Television images showed the first runner being gored in
the chest and hurled like a rag doll to the cobblestones of one of the narrow
streets where the bullrun takes place in Pamplona's historical old quarter.
He remained on the ground dazed until he was taken away by rescue
workers. One man sustained serious injuries after being gored in the thorax,
while a second man was gored in the left leg but was in better condition, said a
doctor at Navarra Hospital. 5 more
people were hospitalised in Pamplona for less serious injuries, mostly broken
bones and bruises sustained in falls as they ran, though other people were
trampled. Thursday's gorings were
the first for the series of 8 bull runs held during the 9-day street festival
that also features around-the-clock drinking that attracts tens of thousands of
Spaniards and foreigners. An 18-year-old Australian who sustained 3 fractured
vertebrae in the first race Wednesday remained in hospital on Thursday in a
serious condition. An American was also injured on Wednesday in another event
during the San Fermin party in which calves are released into a bullring to be
taunted by young men. The
unidentified 22-year-old sustained a ripped scrotum from a horn injury.
He received stitches at the bullring from emergency workers and was sent
to hospital. The runs are broadcast live on Spanish television and the bulls
that run each morning are killed in the evening in the bullring, their meat
served up in Pamplona's restaurants. A
bullfighter was arrested and fined, apparently
for breach of contract, after he turned and ran from the ring at the beginning
of a fight. Cristian Hernandez later re-entered the ring but soon left again and
was taken to a police station. Several months ago, another bull had gored
Hernandez in the leg. After his latest ordeal the matador has said he will
retire from bullfighting. Across
Spain, the number of bullfights has dropped from about 1,000 in
2008 to a projected 800 or less this year, as local governments that have always
subsidised small-town bullfights cut budgets because of declining tax revenue.
Bullfights, or corridas in Spanish, have become a luxury when cuts must be made
by town councils to maintain funding for schools, social programmes and road
repairs. Making matters worse for bullfighting aficionados, the vast
north-eastern Catalonia region where more than 10% of Spain's 46m people live
could wind up without bullfights when provincial politicians vote on a proposed
ban later this month. The
motion to outlaw bullfighting in Catalonia "will be debated
and voted" on July 28, the regional parliament said in a statement. The
vote had been planned for mid-July, but the date was pushed back after the
right-wing People's Party requested a public consultation. The Prou (Enough)
anti-bullfighting campaign spearheaded calls for the proposed ban, collecting
180,000 signatures in favour of outlawing the practice in Catalonia. If passed,
the motion would change Catalonia's current animal protection law that forbids
the killing or mistreatment of animals in public, with the exception of bull
runs. It would also make Catalonia, home to Spain's second largest city
Barcelona, the first region other than the Canary Islands to ban the
bullfighting. The motion would not ban other bull spectacles like "correbou,"
where people chase bulls through the streets and "bouembolat," where
bulls are forced to run around with flaming wax balls on their horns. 2
French parliamentarians have presented a bill to ban cock and bullfighting,
which are
widely criticised as barbaric. Lawmaker Muriel Marland-Militello of French
President Nicolas Sarkozy's majority UMP party and Genevieve Gaillard of the
opposition Socialist Party told a news conference that banning bullfighting was
a question of France's honour. "Those who defend bullfighting are terribly
active but also terribly in the minority," said Marland-Militello. About
100 bullfights take place in over 70 cities mainly in southern France every
year, killing around 1,000 bulls - 10 times less than in neighbouring Spain.
Cockfighting is more common in the north of France. Regular demonstrations and
debates take place in France over bullfighting. Last June, naked protestors
covered in fake blood held a protest at the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Around half
of the participants surveyed by Ifop in France in 2007 supported a ban on
bullfighting in the country. Defenders of the practice argue that it is a
tradition and brings economic benefits. "We cannot invoke beauty in order
to permit barbarity," said Marland-Militello, adding that bullfighting was
the only exception to laws against animal cruelty in France.
A spokeswoman for the bullring in Arles, a major venue for bullfighting
in southern France, declined to comment, and a spokesman for the Nimes bullring
was not immediately available. Marland-Militello
had proposed a bill in 2004 to ban bullfighting, which did not get anywhere. The
current bill has received support from deputies across the board, including
Jean-Marc Roubaud, a UMP representative for the Gard region, where bullfighting
has a long tradition. "Bullfighting is an incongruity of our times,"
the bill reads. "In an already extremely violent world, adding violence to
violence is disgraceful." Beach
festival donkey ban The
Sidmouth-based Donkey Sanctuary’s Spanish counterpart have successfully banned
donkeys being used at an annual beach festival in Sanlúcar de Barrameda in
southern Spain, in which they were being abused by drunken revellers. El Refugio
del Burrito and 3 other Spanish animal welfare associations united in a moral
battle to stop donkeys being used during the Feria de la Manzanilla festival,
where party goers were renting the animals illegally from unscrupulous owners,
and then riding the donkeys and subjecting them to cruelty and torment
throughout the night. Evidence in the form of photographs and films were
presented in April to a council representative for local festivals in Sanlúcar
de Barrameda and El Refugio del Burrito was there to highlight the plight of the
donkeys and ask for a ban to be introduced. The meeting resulted in
the ban of donkeys on the beach and, this year the festival went ahead without
the donkeys. Iván Salvía, El Refugio del Burrito’s general manager who
played a key role in this campaign says: “We are so pleased we have been
successful in stopping what was a horrific ordeal for the 30 or so donkeys
involved in this festival, and that it was made possible by a united
collaboration with other animal welfare associations. Now we can try and
stop similar cases in Spain, helping to protect many more donkeys in the
future." El Refugio del Burrito is based in Fuente de Piedra and has
provided a Sanctuary for life to more than 200 donkeys in Spain. It is
part of The Donkey Sanctuary which aims to protect donkeys and mules and promote
their welfare needs worldwide. Stop
the use of Karakul lamb Foetus fur in fashion The
Designers and fashion houses call this fur "astrakhan" this season,
but in reality it is the fur of premature foetal Persian or karakul lambs about
2 weeks before birth. It is usually black, shiny, and so tightly curled that it
forms smooth ridges. The fur noticeably loses lustre over the next 10 days, and
uncurls and lightens in colour rapidly within the first 2 or 3 days after birth.
The younger the lamb or foetus, the more valuable the pelt. . And many
unsuspecting buyers are purchasing these items unaware as the fur more closely
resembles watered silk or crushed velvet. It looks man made. More
worryingly, a reporter with the Daily Mail recently talked to a fur dealer
in Frankfurt who said that he sells karakul coats under the
"Kara-Cool" label, which, according to the journalist, "appeals
to the younger shoppers." The new processing techniques and the new colours
mean we are appealing to a younger customer," another fur dealer told the
Daily Mail. "We used to say that all you could make out of karakul
was a black coat fit for a funeral, but not anymore."
Kara-Cool, astrakhan, broadtail, and Persian lamb are just a few of the
labels under which the fur of newborn or foetal lambs could be sold; others
include swakara or krimmer. It would seem clear that designers and retailers
will continually find a way to repackage and remarket karakul and broadtail fur
to an unsuspecting public - a public that has no idea how ugly the slaughter of
lambs (and their mothers) can be. The fur can turn up in coats, skirts, vests,
linings, accessories, and trim. Designers who use this fur include Gucci, Ralph
Lauren, Karl Lagerfeld, Dolce & Gabbana, Miuccia Prada, Christian Dior,
Valentino, Carolina Herrera, Givenchy, and Claudio Merazzi. One way to stop the
killing is to stop buying the products. Read labels closely and look for words
such as Kara-Cool, astrakhan, broadtail, Persian lamb, swakara and krimmer. And
tell your friends to do the same. And lobby these designers. Anti-fur
documentary 'Skin Trade' debuts "Skin
Trade," a new independent documentary lambasting the fur industry and those
who condone its practices, has had its LA premiere The film, directed by Shannon
Keith, an animal rights attorney and founder of the nonprofit organization
Animal Rescue, Media & Education (ARME), strives to answer the question of
why fur is still a part of modern fashion despite the well documented cruelties
of fur farming. "I just could not believe that people were still wearing
fur," Keith said before the screening. "I knew it was high time to
make this film because these animals are being tortured alive; it's not a pretty
thing." And neither is the documentary, which shows graphic, disturbing
footage of animals being tortured (in traps, by electrocution and even via fatal
beatings) between interviews with a number of notable anti fur activists,
including Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich (D-Ohio), environmental attorney Jan
Schlichtmann, designer Todd Oldham, PETA President Ingrid Newkirk, Overstock.com
chief executive Patrick Byrne (who chooses not to sell fur on his website) and
actor activists including Alexandra Paul, James Cromwell and Jorja Fox. What
makes "Skin Trade" a little different is its willingness to call out
the fur industry's cagey public relations tactics. For example, in recent years
the industry has been referring to itself as "green," because skins
and pelts are technically biodegradable. But in reality, making fur requires an
enormous amount of toxic chemicals. The film also takes on the idea of fur as a
status symbol. "These hip-hop stars, they're not enamored with fur,"
said anti fur activist and former NBA player John Salley. "They're
literally putting on an image, and the image is 'I've made it.'" Cromwell,
who starred in "Babe," one of the most famous animal movies of all
time, boils the future of fur down to a simple equation. "We have a
choice," he said. "The question is, 'Will human beings make the
choice?' Just choose. Choose, and it ends." LA Times 11 June Label
fur garments EDM 175 Respect
for Animals is urging the new Govt to introduce a labelling order for all
garments made from real fur or containing fur trim, regardless of cost of the
item or the species of the animal involved. This will protect those
customers who have a moral objection to buying fur but also those who may be
allergic to real fur.
Currently, it's down to the consumer to decide whether or not a potential
purchase is made from real fur or not with the scant (or no) information
available to them.
To succeed we need your help. Would you please write to your MP asking
him or her to sign EDM 175 Labelling of products made from animal fur, which
calls upon the government to introduce fur labelling as soon as possible.
You can write to your MP at The House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA or use http://www.writetothem.com/ where
you can also find the name of your MP if you do not know it. First, you
can check here to see if your MP has already signed: http://tinyurl.com/2bwwn9n
If your MP has already signed, please write to Edward Davey MP, the Minister
responsible for the introduction of a fur labelling order, asking him to act as
soon a possible. You can contact Edward Davey MP, Minister for Employment
Relations, Consumer and Postal Affairs by email at mpst.davey@bis.gsi.gov.uk
or at Dept for Business, Innovation & Skills,1 Victoria St, London SW1H 0ET.
The previous Minister (Kevin Brennan MP) claimed that fur labelling is covered
under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 which
requires traders not to 'omit or hide material information that the average
consumer needs to make an informed choice'. However, if consumers are
unaware that they may be buying real fur, they are unlikely to complain that
they have mistakenly done so. The consumer needs the protection of knowing
they are not buying real fur. The USA has had a 'Fur Products Labelling' act
since 1952 and there is no reason why the UK should not introduce one as well.
Please do forward any reply you receive from Minister Davey to Respect for
Animals Vegan streaker jailed for
freeing mink An
animal rights activist known as the vegan streaker has been jailed for 265 days
(180 suspended) and given 240 hours of community service for releasing 2,500
mink from a fur farm in Zeeland in 2009. Peter Janssen admitted releasing the
animals. Most were caught soon afterwards but 50 died and around 100 were never
caught. A woman was found not guilty of the same charges. The fur farm owner has
submitted a damages claim against Jansen for lost income because of stress
caused to the animals and the damage to their pelts while they were free.
Janssen got his nickname after streaking through a television show where a Paul
de Leeuw programme was being recorded. DutchNews.nl Dutch
Animal Party's advert biggest in the world The
Dutch Animal Rights Party (PvdD) looks likely to make the Guinness Book of
Records for the world's biggest advertisement. In early April the party sowed
the seeds of a huge message in a field near Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport. The
text "Vote for the Animal Rights Party now" under a drawing of a cow's
head is now clearly visible. The party has registered the 35,000 square metre
advertisement with Guinness. A party spokesperson says, as far as they know, the
record currently stands at 20,000 square metres and is held by a commercial
advert near airports in London and Dubai. The party emphasizes that their advert
is 100% biodegradable. PvdD leader Marianne Thieme adds: "The field also
symbolises the fact that our party has a tendency to shoot up in the polls
during the last weeks before the election." Requiem
for a Bat Programmes
like Man vs. Wild on the Discovery Channel, in which Bear Grylls set fire to a
cave filled with bats to smoke them out and then gleefully beat them to the
earth with a club before stomping them to death, must be brought to an end. They
can only perpetuate the unwelcome idea that any non human creature is some
foreign object to be treated in any way people wish, no matter how cruelly.
Grylls’ actions differ little from some of his Mediaeval counterparts who for
entertainment used to tie cats to their heads and run full speed against a
concrete wall smashing the cats to death. BP was burning sea
turtles
Endangered
sea turtles and other marine creatures were being corralled into 500 sq mile
"burn fields" and burnt alive
In operations intended to contain oil from BP's
ruptured well in the Gulf of Mexico. Environmental organisations demanded that
the oil company stop blocking
rescue of the turtles, and pressed the US administration to halt the
burning and look at prosecuting BP and its
contractors for killing endangered species during the cleanup
operation. Harming or killing a sea turtle carries fines of up to $50,000 (£33,000).
The Obama administration, confirming the kills, said BP was under orders to
avoid the turtles. More than 425 turtles are known to have died in the spill
zone since April. Conservationists say the losses could imperil the long term
survival of the creatures. All 5 species of turtles found in the Gulf are
endangered or threatened, the Kemp's Ridley most of all. But in a video posted
on YouTube, Mike Ellis, a skipper from Louisiana, accuses BP of chasing away a
boat of conservationists trying to rescue turtles caught in the oil and weed a
few miles away from the leak. "They ran us out of there and then they shut
us down," said Ellis. On days when the weather is fine and there is
relatively no wind, BP conducts up to a dozen "controlled burns",
torching vast expanses of the ocean surface within a corral of fireproof booms.
Biologists say such burns are deadly for young turtles because oil and sargassum,
the seaweed mats that provide nutrients to jellyfish and a range of other
creatures, congregate in the same locations. The sargassum is also a perfect
hunting ground for young sea turtles, who are not developed enough to dive to
the ocean floor to forage for food. Once BP moves in, the turtles are doomed.
The oil spill is turning vast expanses of the Gulf into a dead zone, killing off
the jellyfish, crabs and conches that are the staples of an adult diet.
Conservationists are also worried about the survival of the next generation of
loggerhead turtles, which are about to
climb up on to badly oiled shorelines to begin
their nesting season. Conservationists plan to dig up about 1,000 nests, or
100,000 eggs, from nesting grounds in the Florida Panhandle and transfer them to
hatcheries for safekeeping, in a last gasp measure to save 100,000 young sea
turtles.
The
Guardian 25 June Latest
update: Sea
turtles saved due to a lawsuit filed by the Centre for Biological Diversity and
after they delivered tens of thousands of petitions, signed by supporters, to
BP. Just hours before the start of an emergency court hearing, BP and the U.S.
Coast Guard agreed to take steps to rescue sea turtles before they're burned
alive. The oil giant and Coast Guard will develop protocols to protect the
turtles, including allowing independent observers to inspect the area before the
corralled oil slicks are set aflame and pluck out those in harm's way. Dog
racing funding falls According
to the latest issue of the Greyhound Star, funding from bookmakers to the dog
racing industry is likely to fall drastically again next year. The monthly
pro-racing newspaper reports: "The talk in some influential circles is that
the £9.5m could go as low as £7m, given falling BAGS revenues and the big
bookmakers switching their internet betting abroad thus avoiding paying into the
Fund." The Fund is the British Greyhound Racing Fund (BGRF), which collects
a percentage of money bet with bookmakers on dog racing, and BAGS stands for
Bookmakers Afternoon Greyhound Service, which is responsible for afternoon race
meetings, staged specifically for betting shops. The BGRF, whose money is
primarily used to finance and promote the greyhound racing industry, actually
fell to £8.5m this year, compared to £10m last year and £12m in 2008, due to
the recession and because the public is becoming increasingly aware of the
suffering and slaughter of dogs caused by commercial greyhound racing. We
sincerely hope this estimated further cut in funding for 2011 will come about
and that more tracks will be forced towards closure as a result. www.greyhoundaction.org.uk Online
comment from dog owner:
I was at the
track (Belle Vue) tonight and watched in horror as the walkers didn’t have a
clue how to control the dogs not even let them stop for emptying. Then it got 10
times worse. I was standing talking to trainers by the traps and watched as a
young lad picked the dogs up one by one completely off the ground and threw the
dogs in the traps. He did it with every dog. At one stage I heard an owner
shouting at the lad, not happy, which he completely blanked. I believe that BV
should provide walkers and trap lads with enough training that they are not
putting out dogs at risk. I commented to a trainer about this and they said oh
he’s a trainers son and is known for being rough .Surely he should know
better. Contact Belle Vue Stadium on this
matter. General Manager Mick Hardy Tel: 0870 840 7509 Email: mickhardy@gralimited.co.uk
Racing Manager Bob Rowe Tel: 0870 840 7503 Email: bobrowe@gralimited.co.uk Stop
Australian dog track The
Albert & Logan News recently reported that a $25m greyhound racing track is
all but approved to be constructed in Logan City Council. Greyhound racing is a
dreadfully callous industry, with little regard for the animals involved. Every
year, thousands of pups are bred in the hope that they will be the next big
winner. The vast majority of these puppies are ultimately 'put down' because
they are not fast enough. The Australian greyhound racing industry and other
callous individuals are also supplying an enormous number of ex racing
greyhounds to universities, veterinary schools and vivisection laboratories for
the purpose of experimentation and dissection. These helpless and frightened
dogs are being repaid for their years of loyalty by being tortured through
unnecessary and painful experiments and finally killed and dissected. Those that
do survive are generally penned up in kennels or tiny yards (as small as 3sqm)
for most of their racing lives - and can be exercised for as little as 20mins a
day. Greyhound Crusaders/SWAP team UK are
now in touch with campaigners in Australia and we are requesting that further
protests about the proposed new Greyhound track in 'Logan' are now sent to
another Government contact we have been given -The
email address for the Premier is thepremier@premiers.qld.gov.au
and postal address
is- PO Box 15185, City East, Queensland
4002.
Here are some contacts of others in the Queensland Government cabinet: treasurer@ministerial.qld.gov.au
infrastructure@ministerial.qld.gov.au
tourism@ministerial.qld.gov.au dpi@ministerial.qld.gov.au Join
greyhound forum A
number of recent articles in both the national and local media exposing
the cruel aspects of greyhound racing has fuelled heated online debates
with owners and trainers attempting to protect the image of their
‘sport’. Unable to disprove the overwhelming evidence of the inherent
cruelty and to divert attention away from the real issues of welfare, many
supporters of greyhound racing have knowingly made false claims and
shamefully lied, endeavouring to discredit greyhound protection groups.
Greyhoundscene - a pro racing forum - administrated by Dave Smith tops the
charts for silencing the ‘greyhounds voice’ by ridiculing those who
show concern for the greyhound's welfare and banning forum members for
daring to question his integrity. At every opportunity Mr Smith will publicly
claim greyhound protection groups are nothing more than a scam – using the
plight of the greyhounds to emotionally blackmail the public into parting
with their money. How bizarre then that Mr Smith in 1997 made the front
page of the Sun for conning - amongst many others - Cambridge United football
team. He was in a position to takeover the club - using his 12 year old son as
an accomplice. To this day Mr Smith, or Mr Scamalot as the Sun nicknamed him,
frequently places himself in a position of authority, qualifying himself to
speak on behalf of thousands of owners and trainers, by publicly claiming “I
am the admin of the world’s largest greyhound forum (7000 members)” and
invites readers to “take a look at how caring our members are”. Mr
Smith fails to mention the forum is run in association with his highly
commercial business of buying and selling racing greyhounds and arranging
cheap and 'cost effective' syndicates. To read the Independent article and view
the video of Mr Smith gleefully boasting of his scams, please accept this
invitation to join ‘Our Forum’, where once registered and authorised you
will have access to the lounge area called the ‘Greyhound Grapevine’ and all
the latest news as it happens. The forum hopes to encourage lovers of greyhounds
to exchange knowledge, cultural beliefs and opinions in a friendly and
informal environment. To register go to: http://greytexploitations.com/forum/index.php Help
trace dogs Greyt
Exploitations has been engaged, together with an animal protection group, in a
long and very stressful investigation, which has also involved an urgent rescue
situation. A kennel hand employed by Eve Blanchard – the same trainer who was
exposed in January this year – has broken his silence and issued a very frank
and full statement, shaming not only the trainer but also racing industry
officials. Coupled with photographs and videos, the evidence proves the
industry’s refusal – not failure – but refusal to implement the Rules of
Racing and as a consequence greyhounds have needlessly suffered. The rescue
aspect has, to date, been unsuccessful. Having been made aware of an arrangement
by Mrs Blanchard, to have 14 greyhounds killed, we worked tirelessly to try and
save these dogs. We secured rescue places for them and pressure was placed on
the industry, making it abundantly clear if any vet killed these greyhounds,
they would be aiding and abetting breaches of Rule 18.We have since received
conflicting information as to the whereabouts of the greyhounds that were due to
be killed. If you think you have any of Mrs Blanchard’s greyhounds, please
contact either Greyt Exploitations or Neil and Sue Haine - with their earmarks -
so they can be checked off the list and we can personally rest easier knowing
these dogs survived. There
is now a NEW GA group "Dorset
Greyhound Action" who have launched a campaign to close down the Poole
track. After
receiving a tip off from local residents about bad
conditions at ZigZag Kennels at Dunholme, Lincs, Greyhound Action sent an
investigator to look into the situation. ZigZag is owned by Charles Pickering,
who breeds greyhounds for the dog racing industry. Pickering was exposed in the
Sunday Times for supplying young greyhounds, which had turned out to be
unsuitable for racing, to Liverpool University, for use in dissection. The
investigator has made several recent visits to the kennels, where Pickering
keeps about 70 adult greyhounds and pups. Here is his disturbing report:- The
dogs in the paddocks are fed on left over pasta and rice. Pickering picks this
up from a local restaurant. They are also given roughly chopped or minced bones.
The food just is slung over the fence and forms a pile on the ground, which
encourages rats and mice. The ‘fresh’ pasta is just dumped on the old pasta
and, if not eaten, the pasta goes mouldy and the bones go rancid. Pickering had
a problem earlier this year with rats and arranged for some men to come in with
terriers to kill them. There is no means of water supply to the paddocks and the
water in the troughs is rain water. In the brood pens there are only buckets of
water, which frequently get tipped over, leaving the dogs with no access to
fresh water. One pen stank of urine and was heavily soiled with diarrhoea. On
one of my visits to the kennels, it had been snowing lightly since
before daybreak and when I got there at about 2pm there were no footprints or
tyre marks in the snow. I left after dusk and no one had been in the paddocks to
feed the dogs. The Sunday before there were no signs of fresh food, only manky
old bones and it was the same the next Sunday. Because the pens can’t be
easily accessed and the dogs are fed from outside of the pens, they get little
or no human contact. On Feb 28th, the puppies that were roaming free
on the 14th & 21st were penned up with a black male
who had a nasty open wound on his thigh. On the 21st I saw a white
and black puppy get caught through the fence and attacked by the older
greyhounds. I was told by a local resident that this sort of thing was happening
on a regular basis. One of the adult dogs, a big white and blue male, called
Larkhill River, had a very bad cough, which could be kennel cough or due to a
heart condition. The first time I visited ZigZag, in one of the kennels in the
barn there was a very badly scarred dog, who was so frightened that I couldn’t
get him to come to front of the kennel. On Feb 28th the same kennel
contained a different dog and had blood splattered on the wall. According to the
council planning department, Pickering hasn’t had planning permission to breed
since July 2007, but he somehow still manages to be licensed by the council to
operate as a breeder. A condition of his previous planning permission was that
he could not keep dogs over the age of 8 months out in the paddocks, which he is
clearly doing. According to the Greyhound Stud Book, litter entries received for
Charles Pickering from June 2005 – May 2006 total 39 and out of 198 pups born,
just 90 reached the naming stage and only 46 (23%) are recorded racing. Where
are the other dogs? Greyhound
Racing Ends In New Hampshire The
Great British Circus at Dial Post The
Zimbabwean government has cancelled its plans
to
send a shipment of wild animals to N. Korea, amid intense international
condemnation of the deal.
The plan, handed down by Robert Mugabe in a reported Presidential Decree
last month, was to send a number of different species of animal found in the
Hwange National Park, to N. Korea. This included 2 young elephants, giraffe,
jackal, zebra, catfish, civet, blue monkey and spotted hyena. Wildlife
authorities originally denied that any such deal had taken place, despite
numerous animals being captured and placed in quarantine ahead of the scheduled
journey. Authorities eventually confirmed that the plan was a trade deal with
the N. Koreans, worth an estimated US$23 000. Conservationists and international
pressure groups reacted with outrage and anger, with no guarantees being made by
Zimbabwean authorities about the welfare of the animals. Animal welfare groups
decried conditions in N. Korea as ‘uninhabitable’ for African mammals, and
for weeks the government faced pressure to call off the deal.
50 organisations, including wildlife welfare organisation Born Free,
eventually joined together to protest the plan of what was dubbed the ‘ark of
death’. The group said they were fearful that the capture, transport and
incarceration of these wild animals in N. Korea “will lead, for many of the
animals, to an untimely and entirely unnecessary death.” A letter, endorsed by
the 50 groups, was also sent to Zimbabwean authorities, calling for, in
particular, the practice of elephant capture to be abolished. The deal has now
been called off after scientists reportedly concluded that the animals bound for
N. Korea would not adjust to conditions there. Johnny Rodrigues from the
Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force, which has led calls for the sale of
Zimbabwe’s wildlife to be stopped completely, told SW Radio Africa that this
is only a small victory. “We still have at least 5 other countries who have
put in their orders for wildlife, and many animals from the N. Korean shipment
are still being sold,” Rodrigues explained. He added: “These animals are
Zimbabwe’s. They are our heritage and we should be united in protecting them
from these kinds of sales.” Bionic
feet for amputee cat A
cat that had its back feet severed by a combine harvester has been given 2
prosthetic limbs in a pioneering operation by a UK vet. News article and amazing video
to watch at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/science_and_environment/10404251.stm Stop
cruel rodeos EDM 252 Have
you heard about the cruelty involved in the Calgary Stampede rodeo? The League
Against Cruel Sports has started a campaign against the incredible brutality in
events such as Calf Roping, in which a calf’s legs are roped together before
it is flung up in the air and thrown back to the ground. Rodeos have been banned
in Britain since 1934 and it’s high time other countries followed suit.
Contact your MP and asked him/her to sign Early Day Motion 252. You can also do
this at this link: www.league.org.uk/rodeo Nike
to drop kangaroo leather football boots 2
leading animal campaigning groups – Viva! (Vegetarians International Voice for
Animals) and AWPC (Australian Wildlife Protection Council) – are contacting
the sports retail giant Nike to congratulate them on taking an ethical decision
that could save the lives of thousands of kangaroos. A Nike spokesman confirmed
that they would stop using the skins of kangaroos in their football boots. The
move by Nike came after the campaigning groups’ exposé showing that
internationally renowned players at the World Cup were playing in boots made
from kangaroo skins or using their names to promote them. These include Wayne
Rooney, Frank Lampard, John
Terry, Joe Cole and Michael Carrick. Millions of adult kangaroos are shot in the Outback
in Australia each year for their meat and skin. Also it is estimated that
as many as 440,000 orphaned baby kangaroos (joeys) are decapitated or beaten to
death every year, then discarded as ‘waste’.
Nike own British sports company Umbro – which also uses kangaroo
leather – and they will also be encouraged to extend the policy to them. The
AWPC and Viva! will also contact Adidas and Puma, both of which widely use
kangaroo leather.
The news from Nike has boosted the campaign to ban
the sale of kangaroo parts across the EU, which was already making headway. Last
week both Philip Woolley, EU Campaign Director for the Australian Wildlife
Protection Council and Justin
Kerswell, Campaigns Manager for Viva! were invited to go to the European
Parliament in Brussels to discuss their concerns. In fact, 62% of support for a
ban is coming from within the EU. Woolley said: “Nike’s ethical decision is to be
welcomed. It is heartening that ahead of a possible EU ban on all kangaroo
products, sports manufacturers are waking up to the cruelty behind this horrific
industry and are unilaterally distancing themselves from it. We know that once
people hear about the bloodshed and misery behind the trade in kangaroo skins
they want no part of it, and we predict that the sales of football boots made
from it will soon plummet.”
Kerswell said: “It is fantastic news that Nike are planning to kick
cruelty out of football – and not a moment too soon. The use of kangaroo skin
for football boots is a scandal that has gone on too long. It also leaves no
excuse for other companies to continue participating in the largest massacre of
wild land animals on the planet today. Many people don’t even know they are
buying boots made from kangaroo skin, as it is often hidden under pseudonyms
such as k-leather. Most would be horrified that their World Cup and League hopes
and dreams – not to mention even their 5 aside kickabouts – are being
propelled by this slaughter. We are delighted that Nike is getting out now
before an EU ban, as it perhaps shows they know they cannot defend the
indefensible: the killing of baby animals for a sports boot.” Australians
to cull 2,000 kangaroos Marksmen
are to shoot 2,000 kangaroos living in parks and nature reserves of Australia's
national capital, Canberra, after the animals started causing havoc on the roads
and even jumping through windows into people's homes. The government claims that
large numbers of the marsupials are destroying native grasslands and threatening
endangered species, but animal rights groups have cried foul, calling on the
government to stop the slaughter. The Australian Society for Kangaroos claims
that the government has deliberately kept the time and date of the culls a
secret, so that they can't stage protests. In 2008, when 600 kangaroos were
killed on defence force land close to the city, large numbers of protesters
staged demonstrations against the cull, generating headlines around the world.
But this time the government has been accused of culling "by
stealth". Over the next 6 weeks teams of sharp shooters will fan out across
8 parks and reserves at night, picking off eastern gray kangaroos that live in
the grasslands. Nikki Sutterby,
spokesman for the Australian Society of Kangaroos, said that kangaroos had a
right to live in the city and had been there long before human habitation.
"Kangaroos are our dominant native herbivores and there is meant to
be a lot of them but human beings are really uncomfortable with that," she
said. Canberra, which was built in
the middle of rolling hills populated by large numbers of kangaroos, has been
struggling to cope with the native marsupials. In recent years the animals have
moved closer to the city, seeking water during the years of drought. As well as
causing havoc on the roads at twilight, when they are prone to hopping in front
of cars, they have also been entering homes.
Daily Telegraph 22
June
Cornish
grey squirrel cull Animal
activists are boycotting Duchy Originals in protest at the Prince of Wales's
calls to kill grey squirrels. The
Prince is supporting a plan to reintroduce red squirrels to Cornwall in a
controversial project that will mean thousands of grey squirrels have to be
culled in the area. Viva! and Animal Aid, 2 radical animal rights groups, said
his "arrogant meddling with nature" was a "shocking waste of
conservation money" that will harm both red and grey squirrels. They are
calling on animal lovers to boycott the popular organic biscuits and other foods
available from the "nature friendly" Duchy Original line. Kate Fowler,
Head of Campaigns at Animal Aid, said: "To mass kill a healthy species and
then reintroduce one that may struggle to survive in that area, is utterly
absurd and a shocking waste of valuable conservation money. The suffering that
this cull will cause to both reds and greys is without justification, and is
driven by the Prince’s whimsical preference for red squirrels. We must speak
out against such arrogant meddling with nature. Prince Charles may be King
someday, but he is not God," she said.
Sir Ferrers Vyvyan, who owns about 400 acres around the Helford estuary
on the Lizard said there was a "huge desire" to try to bring back the
red squirrel to the area. However, he admitted a cull would be a "huge
challenge". "I'm not sure if we can succeed," he said. "It
only takes a few grey squirrels to get back in to put the project in
jeopardy." The culling would be paid for by landowners in the area. The
Prince of Wales launched a reintroduction project for specially selected parts
of the county at the Royal Cornwall Show. It
is legal to cull grey squirrels as long as the method used is approved by the
Defra. Small traps called hoppers containing poisoned maize have to be approved
with a spring-loaded flap so that only the grey squirrels are caught and other
animals like dormice are not captured. Any poisoning has to be carried out by a
trained person and culling is only allowed from March to August to protect
non-target species looking for food. The culling process could take a total of 2
years. Sir Ferrers added: "It's a great opportunity. "The Lizard is
surrounded by the sea and we can create a buffer zone along a narrow gap from
Helford to Looe Bar to stop greys from coming into the peninsula. Grey squirrels
were first introduced to the UK from N. America in the late-19th
Century. A
16-year-old boy who cooked his brother's hamster in a microwave
has
been sentenced to 4 months in a youth detention unit. He had previously admitted
causing unnecessary suffering to an animal. Magistrates at Kettering Youth Court
also banned him from keeping all animals for 4 years. The RSPCA said the golden
hamster was put to sleep by a vet after suffering severe injuries. Its right leg
had been burned to the bone. The vet concluded that the hamster had been caused
a great deal of pain and would have suffered unnecessarily and for an extended
period of time. The boy had threatened to cook the hamster on previous
occasions. RSPCA inspector Clint Davies, who investigated the incident, said:
"This is an extremely shocking case. "I don't think we can have any
idea how much pain an animal goes through when it's put in a microwave and
cooked alive. "The hamster's leg was burned to a crisp and as microwaves
cook from the inside, the organ damage to this tiny animal must have been
horrific." 'Worst
ever' animal cruelty case Thugs
cooked a cat in a microwave, stuck it in a tumble drier, put it in a freezer and
then tried to drown it in a bowl of dishwater, and it survived. Police described
the attack as the worst case of animal cruelty they had ever seen. A man was
arrested and the cat was being cared for by the RSPCA. The 1 yr old cat's owner,
a boy of 4, was heartbroken by the cruelty inflicted on his pet. It's believed
the man arrested was his uncle. Police were also quizzing two 16 yr old boys.
Officers in Teignmouth, Devon, were alerted when mobile phone video footage of
the sickening episode was handed to police. PC Phil Colley said the cat was
smoking after being put in the microwave for 10 seconds. The cat has suffered a
terrible ordeal and it is not certain it will recover." RSPCA inspector Jim
Farr said: "Of all the appalling things I have seen, this is at the top of
the list." Daily
Record 19 June A
70-year-old man from East Sussex has been cautioned after
police investigated a number of reports of injuries to seagulls. Residents in
the Eastbourne area had reported the deaths of baby gulls after their nests were
destroyed. The man, from Polegate, was arrested and cautioned after he admitted
destroying and disposing of a gull's nest in Kinfauns Ave, Eastbourne. Pc Louis
Thompson said seagulls were protected birds. Landmark
vote to ban bullfighting It’s
an ill wind…..
Spain’s
worst economic downturn in decades has, at least, proved good news for one
long-suffering symbol of the country - the bulls that normally face matadors in
the ring. As Spain’s unemployment rate nears 18% and consumer spending dives,
many are forsaking an afternoon at los torros. With crowds staying away,
the number of bullfights fell to 1,443 in 2009, from 1,877 the year before - a
drop of 23%. According to figures from the Union of Fighting Bull Breeders, more
than 4,000 bulls have been spared a cruel demise. Instead of being dispatched
with the estocada (death blow) by the man dressed in the golden traje
de luces (suit of lights), these animals are being kept on farms around
Spain and will probably be slaughtered for food later. No
real reprieve then!
The
industry generates €2.5 billion a year for Spain’s economy. It receives
subsidies from the Spanish government and the EU estimated at €600m and
represents about 1.5% of GDP. However, bull-breeding industry sources say that
there has been a downturn not only in the number of bullfights but also in
street festivals, in which bulls are customarily tormented by crowds before
being killed. Man
Gored To Death During Bull Fight Festival Parakeets
to be legally shot Olympics
row over horse 'cruelty' YouTube footage of controversial dressage technique provoked a storm of protest and threats to boycott the 2012 event in London. An international row over allegedly "cruel" training methods is threatening to engulf the elite world of top class equestrian sport ahead of the 2012 Olympics. The controversy over what is being called "the blue tongue scandal" has led the British Horse Society to demand an urgent inquiry into the practices being used on some of the world's most expensive competition horses. Tens of thousands of people have signed online petitions or sent letters of protest to the sport's governing body, The Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI), based in Switzerland. There is also talk on social networking websites of a boycott of the 2012 Olympic equestrian event in S. London, at which some 23,000 spectators are expected. Full article on: www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/jan/03/olympics-row-over-horse-cruelty The Observer 3 Dec British
Dog breeders to be registered National
Trust Admit Deer cull has failed African
pygmy hedgehogs become latest handbag accessory These tiny creatures are said to be stealing the hearts of rich women, including footballers' wives and girlfriends, ousting designer dogs like Chihuahuas from their handbags. At 5 inches long, owners have told breeders they prefer the hedgehogs to take in their bags because they are easier to maintain than dogs. Their popularity has been cemented by the variety of colours buyers can choose between from albino to apricot and chocolate to salt and pepper. Animal welfare experts are outraged that the hedgehogs, selling for around £250, are being marketed as fashion accessories. Pygmy hedgehogs are undoubtedly very cute but animals aren't accessories and promoting them as such is irresponsible. They are exotic animals whose needs cannot be met in a household situation. These are disgusting deplorable people who swap and change their pets like their outfits. Cheshire Waterlife wildlife centre, which stocks the hedgehogs, witnessed a sharp increase in demand for the animals as pets in the run up to Christmas, saying customers had travelled hundreds of miles in search of the creatures. Steve Birchell, owner of the centre, said: "Our business is based on respect for animals and we ensure that anybody who buys a pet from us knows and understands the importance of proper care for their pet. We've been astounded at the popularity of these cute little creatures. “ Telegraph 11 Dec Animal
Rights Action Network
staged
our 3rd rally in Dublin on Dec 6th despite the torrential
rain that poured heavily across the country, deterring many hundreds of
supporters who’d planned to come along. In Dublin, however, the weather could
not have being better, like a summer’s day – the only city in Ireland to
have good weather this weekend! People gathered at the Garden of Remembrance -
at one stage it seemed that there was no more than 100 attending. But as we made
our way onto O’Connell St, the rally line started filling out and thickening.
Passing traffic, tourist busses and onlookers cheered, beeped horns and waved in
support - whilst a chant ‘There’s No Excuse for Animal Abuse, Animals
Have Rights’ kept the march going. There were children of a few months of
age up to supporters in their 70’s – it was a huge spectacle of old and
young coming together as one voice to call for the war on animals to end and to
establish rights for them. ARAN would like to say thank you to many of
Ireland’s other animal protection groups and their supporters for their
attendance and vital support. As the rally proceeded through O’Connell St, it
started building up in numbers as we made our way onto Dame St and up George’s
St where we went onto the Camden Court hotel to hear speeches from the Vegetarian
Society of Ireland, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, Animal Consultants and
Animals Count. Other speeches
were also given by CIWF, ICABS and
Trish Forde Brennan from the
Limerick Greens who brought us up to date with the animal welfare bill plus many
more. Recording the event were a camera crew from Supreme
Master Television International, a group that focus much of their work on
promoting vegetarian, veganism and climate change - this international
television station has interviewed most of the world’s top animal protection
groups and campaigners, so ARAN was grateful for them choosing to support our
work too. The hotel room where speeches took place was filled out for the most
part. Press coverage for the event was also positive. Great coverage in the Irish
Independent, Irish Times, Irish Daily Mirror, Irish Sun, Irish Examiner,
Eircom.net, Breakingnews.ie and various online sites, plus radio stations
doing interviews the following day for an update on the march and animal welfare
bill. Letters of support also came in from groups such as the BUAV,
PETA, Animal Defenders International, National Anti-vivisection Society,
Advocates for Animals, Animal Aid, Viva and of course Uncaged
who organise International Day for Animal Rights which ARAN’s rally was also
supporting. We would also like to
give a huge thanks to cruelty free company LUSH
for their unwavering support of ARAN and to all their staff and shops in Ireland
supporting our work. Coventry
greyhound track closed Following the Boxing Day meeting at the Brandon-based track, stipendiary steward Irene Haselwood acquired all identity books for greyhound racing to be held there. Rumours that the track was in trouble have been circling for several weeks. In April 2004 the stadium welcomed a return of greyhound racing following a lapse of many years with owner Avtar Sandhu and Malcolm Francis at the helm but the latter then assumed sole control before ill-health forced him to retire in 2007. Local businessman and greyhound owner John Flounders then leased the business although speculation suggests Sandhu remained a key figure. Greyhound racing has toiled to secure off-track confidence with numerous problems making it unlikely to be considered for crucial contract for racing in betting shops. Coventry Telegraph Dec 29th Irish greyhound racing received a jolt when it was announced that Paddy Power Bookmakers have terminated their association with the Irish Derby at Shelbourne Park. Proposed Welfare Regulations
– Unenforceable and Worthless! Despite
an overwhelming response from the public to the recent Greyhound Welfare
Consultation, calling for a ban on betting or at the very least statutory
regulation, Defra are proposing the government afford the racing industry
– who do not enforce the Animal Welfare Act - the continued freedom to self
regulate GBGB tracks and the Local Authorities to license independent tracks.
However, according to LACORS - the government body that coordinates Local
Authorities in England - the proposed regulations do not contain
any offence, inviting track owners to break the law and leaving councils with no
powers to prosecute them. As a consequence racing greyhounds will
continue to receive NO protection under the Animal Welfare Act – on or off the
tracks. These proposed regulations will ensure the protection of one thing only
– the millions of pounds profits amassed by the gambling industry and the
revenue generated for the government through the betting on greyhounds. Let
the government know your strength of feeling on greyhound racing by signing
the petition: http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/Dogracingbetban/?showall=1
Also
contact your MP. Request these
worthless and fundamentally flawed regulations - which will only serve to
protect the gambling industry’s profits and assist them to propagate a ‘well
regulated industry with high standards of welfare’ - are withdrawn
immediately. Racing greyhounds will continue to receive NO protection under the
Animal Welfare Act. It
is reported 10 serious injuries are
sustained by greyhounds per week running on the Scottish flapping (unregistered)
tracks and dogs no longer wanted are taken out to woods and shot or abandoned.
Watch the video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4f7Rm25-1o Further to last month’s report on horse racing and Animal Aid’s excellent website listing horse deaths, it should be noted that it only records on track deaths - not any in training or those that ‘disappear’ either before or after racing. So this increases the number of deaths directly responsible to horse racing 8 tigers and a lioness belonging to a Russian travelling circus died during a 20-hour truck journey across Siberia. The animals were dead when they arrived in the city of Yakutsk. No cause has been determined, but among the possibilities under investigation are poisoning from exhaust fumes or food poisoning. Overheating was a third possible cause, said Yevgeny Yudashkin, an administrator of the private Mechta circus based in Krasnodar. Another circus employee, who was not authorised to speak to the media and spoke on condition of anonymity, said although the truck was supposed to be opened every 2 hours for ventilation, this was not done. A Doberman dog travelling in the same truck as the Indian tigers and the lioness survived, Yudashkin said. Dogs and a bear travelling in a second truck arrived healthy, he said. The news portal Kursor.ru showed photographs of the dead tigers, one piled on top of another in a cage. Some had their abdomens cut open, which the site said was done for toxicology tests. The animals had performed in Khabarovsk in Russia's Far East and were travelling to Yakutsk, a journey of about 1,400 miles, to perform in holiday shows. They were last seen alive in the city of Neryungri, 510 miles from Yakutsk, a 20-hour drive. The temperature in the region was -33o F and the animals were in an enclosed, heated truck. While most big top attractions have already moved away from featuring animals in their acts, 4 circus troupes still use them. A total of 38 beasts, including camels, tigers, snakes, lions, zebras, elephants and even crocodiles, are thought to be in use. Now ministers have launched a consultation scheme to consider the introduction of tighter rules, self-regulation or banning wild animals from entertainment venues. Nationally, it has been claimed a majority of the British public supported a ban on the use of animals in circuses. Jan Creamer, chief executive of welfare and conservation organisation Animal Defenders International, said two-thirds of the public were in favour of ending the use of animals in circuses. “It’s a disgrace that in 21st century Britain, animals are still being beaten up and chained up in the name of so-called entertainment,” she said. A spokesman for Defra said: “We care about animals and aim to ensure that all kept animals are treated in an appropriate and humane way.” A
German animal trainer is in a critical condition
after he was pounced on and mauled by 3 Bengal tigers at a celebrity circus
event. Tiger trainer Christian Walliser was attacked after he stumbled during
the show in Middle-east
circus We woke up Christmas morning with an email alerting us to a shipment of 6 lions and 3 tigers that was on the Egyptian/Jordanian border and it was headed to Lebanon. This is part of a circus that was coming here to perform for 6 months, and advertisements were put up throughout Beirut. The circus was supposed to start on 23 Dec, but it had been delayed repeatedly. The Princess Alia Foundation went to the Aqaba border crossing with the Greater Amman Municipality on 25 Dec after being notified that the animals had been stuck on the border for days. According to the report from the Princess Alia Foundation the shipment left its point of origin in Egypt on 21 Dec, and the Egyptian crew accompanying the shipment said the animals had been put in the crates approximately 10 days before. The shipment was delayed for 2 days on the border as the Egyptian crew did not have the proper paperwork to show they could continue the journey to Syria. The crew admitted that they had not provided food or water since they left their point of origin in Egypt as the owner of the animals did not provide them with money to purchase it. Food and water were purchased by the Princess Alia Foundation and officials from the Greater Amman Municipality after it became clear that the animals had not been fed or watered for at least 2 days. They then escorted the shipment to the Syria border, and the animals finally left Jordan and headed into Syria. We raced to the circus grounds to document the animals as quickly as possible and check on their health. We finally saw the truck pull up at 19:45 on 27 Dec, 6 full days after the animals left their point of origin in Egypt. The first performance was at 18:00 on 28 Dec, less than 24 hours after the end of this week long trip. We sat through 90 mins of circus performance, clowns, jugglers, acts with dogs and even audience participation with 2 large snakes. The last act was Mohamed Helou, the ‘lion tamer’ and person listed as the exporter from Egypt on the permits, as he forced the lions and tigers to perform. 20 minutes of lions and tigers jumping around, Helou screaming for them to act, as he waved to the crowd while sitting on one of the lions. While at the performance we received a call from the minister asking us to come to his office the next morning. A report was prepared with information gathered that day, and the Minister was very receptive. We were able to show that regulations were not followed in Lebanon and most probably not in Egypt either. The way the animals were transported does not meet even the most basic standards of guidelines for animal welfare. Most documents seemed incorrect or totally missing – CITES permits, health certificates, microchip details, veterinary booklets. Lebanon is severely lacking in animal welfare legislation which makes it important to show the failures in the paperwork if we are to be able to save these animals. The conditions for the animals were just as poor. The information about the transport was bad enough, but we had also been informed by the Princess Alia Foundation that one of the lions, a female cub, had recently had her claws removed and she had not healed from this cruel surgery. Based on this information, the Minister sent us with Ministry vets to check on the animals. TV crews and newspaper reporters were on hand as we entered the circus, and the situation quickly became tense and aggressive. We were stopped by Mohammed Helou and Hussein Akef – another organiser of the circus, as well as the local Lebanese organiser. There were arguments about cameras and filming, about whose authority we were there on, and who they would let into the circus grounds. With the Ministry vets standing nearby, we asked to see the veterinary booklets and microchip documents for each animal. These could not be produced. They refused to allow anyone from the media to see the animals, and insisted we didn’t film or photograph. 8 adult animals were viewed for only a couple minutes - there was no fresh bedding on site and no free access to water for any of the animals. They were still in the same small cages they had been in for over a week. The lion cub was in a small metal cage covered by a plastic tarp. We were all surprised to see the assistant trainer come out with the cub in front of us and all the media. Helou and Akef stated that this was to prove they have nothing to hide and their animals are healthy. What they didn’t realise if that pictures show Helou pushing on the back paws to show the claws were still there, while Akef twisted the front paws around and covered them from view. The first pictures show the paws clearly bloody and raw, and following pictures show Akef realising this and covering them up. These same people have been investigated repeatedly, and had all animals confiscated in early 2007 in Mozambique. More meetings have been held with the Minister and we urge him to take action against the organisers and confiscate the animals. This shipment could have been stopped long before ever entering Lebanon, but now is the opportunity for the Ministry to make a strong statement that Lebanon will no longer be used as a hub for smuggled animals. Despite being forbidden to film, footage can be viewed at www.animalslebanon.org Judge
clears Ringling Bros Circus A US federal judge has rejected animal rights groups' claims that Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus mishandles endangered Asian elephants. US District Judge Emmet Sullivan signed the Dec 30 ruling in favour of Ringling's owner, Virginia-based Feld Entertainment Inc. (FEI) at the outset of a 9-year-old suit brought by the ASPCA that culminated in a 6-week trial in March. The ASPCA, Born Free USA (Animal Protection Institute), Animal Welfare Institute, Fund for Animals along with former Ringling animal trainer Tom Rider had accused the circus of shackling, confining and striking elephants with bullhooks, which have a sharp steel hook at one end. Sullivan dismissed the star witness's testimony, saying Rider lied about receiving payments from animal activists and about his personal attachment to the giant animals. "The court finds that Mr Rider is essentially a paid plaintiff and fact witness who is not credible, and therefore affords no weight to his testimony," Sullivan wrote in his ruling. "Mr Rider's self-serving testimony at trial about his personal and emotional attachment to these elephants also is not credible because he did not begin to make complaints about how FEI treated its elephants until after he began accepting money from animal activists." Feld's attorney for the case, Michelle Pardo of Fulbright & Jaworski LLP, greeted the ruling as "a victory for the elephants and a win for the US Constitution because it reinforces that the federal court is no place to entertain a philosophical debate about whether elephants should be in the circus." But the Animal Welfare Institute vowed to continue its nearly decade-long fight to protect the elephants from abuse, blasting the judge for not acknowledging "an overwhelming amount of evidence presented at trial." "While we are disappointed that the judge did not address the merits of this case, the public now knows that Ringling Bros.' Asian elephants are systematically abused on a daily basis," said Animal Welfare Institute general counsel Tracy Silverman. "We will continue to work through other channels in our efforts to ensure that these endangered animals are protected." Founded by 7 brothers in 1871, Ringling Bros. has built much of its success on its trained elephants. In 1995, it established the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Centre for Elephant Conservation in central Florida, which the circus calls "the largest Asian elephant population in the Western Hemisphere." India
ends dancing bears Proposed
slaughter of cows in World Cup stadiums Fur Farm Intelligence Unit In
what may be an emerging trend, anonymous activists have made public even more
sensitive fur industry info. Just after The Blueprint was released, an anonymous
communication surfaced on the internet from “The Fur Farm Intelligence
Unit”, publicising the address of “Cascade Farms“, a previously unknown
Oregon mink farm. This information did not turn up in the 5-month Fur Farm
Intelligence Project, and is a crucial addition to the fur farm address
database. This is the second communiqué from the Fur Farm Intelligence Unit,
and may signal the birth of a new angle for clandestine animal liberation
activity: leaking or otherwise exposing damaging intelligence on animal abuse
industries. While the Animal Liberation Front focuses on liberating animals from
imprisonment, The Fur Farm Intelligence Unit appears to focus on the
dissemination of sensitive data which will have an indirect, but ultimately no
less powerful impact on animal exploitation industries. Will
Israel Ban Fur Imports? James
Gray, Amersham horse cruelty appeal
has started at Bicester Magistrates Court, Oxfordshire
and it will take place every day for 10 weeks (starts at 10 am). Bicester Magistrates Court, Waverley House, Queens Avenue, Bicester
Oxfordshire OX26 2NZ Balkan
animal suffering – new website 1st Jan sees the introduction of our new sister site which has been in the planning for a while now. Largely aimed at being an information and photographic site, with links to all past SAV issues and campaigns, you will find many new photographs held on SAV archives but which are previously unpublished. We have even more still in our database; possibly these will be added at a later date. This is simply the start of the new site which is called ‘Balkans Animal Suffering’ (BAS). We start with Serbia, but over the coming months will be producing other categories along the same lines which cover other Balkans states such as Macedonia. The aim is for the 2 sites, SAV and BAS to be used in conjunction with each other – SAV will continue to publish global animal welfare issues in addition to those in the Balkans, whilst BAS will solely be an archive and direct link source to campaigns and data originally detailed on SAV. As declared, there will be a selection of new previously unpublished photographs in some of the posts. Please give us time to get all this up and running correctly; there is a lot of work for a very small team and so things will gradually appear over the months rather than all being published on the first day. SAV will continue to be updated also whenever time and manpower allows. Enjoy finding your way around the ‘Balkans Animal Suffering’ site; if it was a perfect world full of people who respect and care for animals then there would be no need for ANY of this to be done; but a perfect world it is not and animal suffering happens everywhere. The aim of BAS is to show the situation in the Balkans with the hope that Balkans governments will change their attitude to animal suffering and adopt better welfare policies and legislation, especially for the reduction of stray and roaming animals. Regards SAV. Visit BAS by clicking on: http://balkansanimalsuffering.wordpress.com/2009/12/ The second newsletter of Animal Rights Prisoner Support is already in the net. There are lots of letters from the prisoners telling us how they feel and how they are. www.londonanimalrights.org.uk/FINAL%20ARPS%20newsletter%20no%2002 Hamster
in microwave A teenager who cooked his little brother's pet hamster in a microwave was told he faces a custodial sentence. The 16-year-old who left the animal with terrible internal injuries and a seriously burnt hind leg. The crime only came to light when his mother's friend took the animal to a vet the next day. The shocked vet took the decision the put the hamster down and called the RSPCA. Kettering Magistrates' Court heard the youth initially blamed his other brother. But in court he pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering under Section 4 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006. Kevin McCole, prosecuting on behalf of the RSPCA, said the teenager had threatened to microwave the hamster on 3 previous occasions. He told the court: 'On March 23 the mother was sitting at home in Corby, Northamptonshire, with her husband when she heard a commotion in the living room. ‘2 of her 3 sons came running in shouting the eldest had put the hamster in the microwave and cooked it. 'They put the hamster back in the cage but her son was laughing and not at all sorry.' The 1-year-old white Russian hamster was still able to move by the time it got to the vet but its condition was rapidly deteriorating. Mr McCole added: 'The right hind leg had been completely burnt away leaving just the skeleton and the charred remains of flesh. 'The vet concluded the hamster had been caused a great deal of pain and would have been made to suffer unnecessarily for an extended period of time.' In mitigation, John Whiston, said his client had admitted responsibility for the offence and was still awaiting the results of a psychiatric report. He added: 'He cannot explain to me or you why he did it. A further psychiatric report is required.' Chair of the bench, Melvin Garner, adjourned the case until Feb 5. He said: 'We consider the offence to be so serious a custodial sentence is appropriate. 'But we realise if the psychiatric report recommends hospital treatment that will take priority.' The youth was released on unconditional bail. Speaking outside court, RSPCA Inspector Clint Davies said he was pleased magistrates were taking the offence seriously. Bronx
teenager roasted cat in oven RIP Ray Jessop, of Hull, has died. Affectionately described as "the oldest hippie in town" by fellow activists, he was a fervent animal welfare campaigner. A close friend and fellow campaigner commented "He was absolutely one in a million. Kind, gentle, honest and genuine, compassionate and respectful, I don't know anybody else like him, he was so unique." Sticky
trap alert -
Birmingham City Council plan to use sticky traps to deal with a mouse problem in
their offices. They have apparently dismissed humane alternatives. This is due
to take place in a few weeks time on a weekend so that the employees don't see
the mice desperately trying to free themselves from the traps. These extremely
cruel devices have been internationally condemned as one of the worst rodent
traps ever devised. Using a base board covered in the stickiest of glue, they
cause the victims to die slow, horrific deaths. Pointing out that mice and rats
are capable of experiencing the same type of pain as other mammals, veterinary
surgeons confirm that "there is much suffering by the entrapped animals –
it is not a sudden or merciful death" Please urgently e mail Birmingham
city council and ask them to call off this totally unnecessary
cruelty. contact@birmingham.gov.uk Tel:
0121 303 1111 And
they call it justice Jávea's
bous al mar fiestas got
off to a controversial start on when the first 'sacrifice of the day' drowned in
the harbour. Organisers say that the bull 'became agitated after its horns were
set on fire' and it dived into the sea. It tried to raise its head out of the
water but was unable to do so and drowned very quickly. Onlookers say it was
clear the bull had no strength and was unable to swim. They added that a boat
used to guide the bulls back to shore after they enter the water was unable to
save it. The crew of the boat grabbed the animal's horns and held its head above
water but by that time it was beyond help. Jávea councillor Pepa Chorro, who
was responsible for setting the bulls horns on fire, said 'it seemed very
nervous' but she put this down to it being the first time it had participated in
the fiestas. She added that after its horns were alight it took no more than 5
minutes for the animal to dive into the sea, but due to its very tired state it
was unable to stay afloat and all efforts to revive it were in vain. Organisers
say the bous al mar fiestas now included the bous embolats (attaching fire to
horns) tradition, something that is not normally part of the Jávea fiestas. Plans
to ban circuses with animals from performing in Tendring have been put on hold.
Animal rights campaigner and Tendring councillor Lawrie Payne put forward a
motion calling on the district council to do what it could to ban circuses with
animals from performing in the district. About 30 animal rights
campaigners in the public gallery booed and stamped their feet when council
chairman Nick Turner refused to allow the motion to be heard. Council leader
Neil Stock said he feared such a move could leave the authority open to a
“possible risk of unforeseen legal consequences”. The motion will now
go to the council’s cabinet for a recommendation before being presented to
councillors at the next full council meeting in October. Mr Payne, (Lab, Harwich
E.) said: “I’m disgusted and outraged the chairman did not allow democracy
to take place on an issue which is of a moral nature, not a political nature.
Neither democracy nor animal welfare has been seen to be done at the meeting.
It may be that the Conservatives did not want to be seen not to support my
motion in public. If that is the case, it is a shame on them.” The motion
follows the abuse of a circus elephant by a groom – who was subsequently
sacked – at the Great British Circus, which visited Clacton earlier this year.
Chris Barltrop, spokesman for the Great British Circus, said circuses with
animals are legal, so the council would not have powers to refuse them a licence
simply because they used them. He said the council does not own the land it uses
– Clacton Airfield – and the authority’s only jurisdiction in terms of
licensing was about health and safety. Russian
animal rights - 8
animal rights protesters posed in T-shirts printed with fake blood, several
hiding their faces in surgical masks, outside the trial of a man accused of
shooting pet dogs. The trial could result in one of the country’s first
serious convictions for animal cruelty. It also provides a showcase for a new,
more radical animal activism that is gaining popularity in Russia. The
protesters represent a secretive grass-roots organisation called Alliance for
Animal Rights. A nebulous organisation, it has no formal registration, and it is
unclear who is in charge. Its spokesman, Semyon Simonov, answered e-mails from
Sochi. He said the group has 500 members and was set up 5 years ago, initially
as a purely Internet-based project, but had been holding rallies since 2005. He
said the protests usually attract 50 people, but sometimes all 500 members show
up for popular issues such as homeless animals. Among the causes that the group
backs is Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty. “We call for everyone who takes part
not to break the law,” Simonov said. “For us it’s important because our
society could react badly to illegal actions.” Nevertheless, he warned, “In
Russia there are people who have been disappointed by legal methods, and they
could ignore laws that allow the killing of animals.” Activists said they knew
of the jail terms for the British activists and were sympathetic. “We hope to
achieve success with peaceful methods, but we support these people all the
same.” “We think this is bad,” Makhmutov said of the jailings. “We feel
that any defence of animals isn’t a crime.” Last month, the activists
picketed pharmaceutical giant Bristol Myers-Squibb in Moscow. They have also
picketed AstraZeneca and Novartis. “In Russia there are supporters of the
Animal Liberation Front and their numbers are growing, since there is more
deprivation of animal rights in our country than in many others,” Simonov
said. He listed the lack of a law on animal rights and public monitoring of
laboratories, farms and slaughterhouses. “It’s obvious that if the situation
doesn’t change, many people will turn to direct action,” Simonov said. Last
year, American activist Steve Best visited Russia and talked to students in
Moscow and St. Petersburg. Best, who teaches philosophy at the University of
Texas at El Paso, is a controversial figure. He co-founded a media information
centre for the Animal Liberation Front in the US. He was banned from visiting
Britain in 2005 under anti-terrorist legislation after telling a conference,
“We will break the law and destroy property until we win.” “The Moscow
animal rights community is one of the most
active and dedicated I know,” Best said in an e-mail. He described it as
comprising “both a highly visible legal and above ground presence” and also
“underground activities of the Animal Liberation Front.” “Activists tend
to be young students and workers,” he said. “Many activists are anarchists
and anti-fascist and understand the connections between animal liberation and
human liberation.” Animal rights protesters aren’t yet seen as a threat by
the authorities, Best said. He was “able to speak freely” in Russia, he
said, although he was told that plainclothes police officers attended some of
his talks. Although Best initially was little-known in Russia, “people found
out about him and he became a favourite with many animal rights activists
because his ideas reflect their views,” Simonov said. Morocco’s
street animals Macedonia
Exposed Last
month I wrote about Wurzel, a
dog who was murdered by a neighbour, Neville Hill.
He avoided conviction because the dog had been rendered brain dead
immediately and not suffered from the blow to the head. I have received a letter
from her carer, Trisha Wales. In it
she says that she feels that Wurzel has received justice in as much as Hill was
exposed in so many national papers, on TV and radio. The case was found ‘not
proven’ leaving a question mark hanging over it. Hill was cross examined for
80 minutes. The magistrate said that
Trisha’s application for costs would be looked upon favourably by the court.
Wurzel’s story is known by millions.
Hill moved from his house next to Trisha and now lives at Nuthurst, Copse
Lane, Walberton, W. Sx, where no doubt all the neighbours are aware of what he
did. As Trisha said, Wurzel had a
wonderful, well-loved and happy life and knew nothing about her end.
Neville Hill still has to live with the consequences. What
is it that has caused the mysterious deaths of honey bees
all
over the world in the last 5 years? A new film may have the answer. Vanishing of
the Bees, which will be released in Britain soon, claims the cause is the use of
a new generation of pesticides that weakens the bees and makes them more
susceptible to other diseases. Narrated by the British actress Emilia Fox, the
90-minute film tells the story of what has become known as colony collapse
disorder. The problem first appeared in America in the winter of 2004, when many
beekeepers across the country found that their bees had suddenly vanished,
leaving behind empty hives. Since then scientists have failed to find a single
cause for it. The film goes on to suggest that neonicotinoid pesticides,
some of them made by Bayer, one of the world's biggest chemical companies, may
be behind the disappearances. Koalas
are dying of stress because
their habitats are being destroyed, research has found. The majority of koalas
live on a stretch of eastern coastline in the states of Queensland and New South
Wales. Koalas live in the rolling hills and flat plains where eucalyptus trees
grow, because they need the leaves for both food and water. But as people move
in, koalas are finding themselves with fewer trees, researchers have said. The
stress is bringing out a latent disease that infects 50 to 90% of them. Numbers
show that even in their stronghold, koala numbers are declining alarmingly. The
problem came to national attention in August, when the well-known Sam the Koala
died during surgery to treat the disease, called chlamydia. Sam captured the
world's attention during major wildfires in February, when she was photographed
drinking from the water bottle of a firefighter in a smouldering forest. Sam was
in such obvious pain from chlamydia a vet decided to operate. But her organs
were too scarred to complete the surgery, and Sam was euthanised. Chlamydiosis
is a virus that breaks out in koalas in times of stress like cold sores in
humans and leads to infections in the eyes and urinary, reproductive and
respiratory tracts. It can cause blindness, infertility and death. Deborah
Tabart, chief executive of the Australian Koala Foundation, urged the government
to follow up on Sam's case by classifying koalas as a threatened species and
implementing policies to preserve their habitat. The USA already considers the
koala a threatened species. And the Australian Koala Foundation estimates
there are fewer than 100,000 koalas left in Australia, down from the millions at
the time European settlement started in the late 1700s. A 2008 survey of the
Koala Coast by the Queensland government shows the population dropped 64%, from
more than 6,200 in 1999 to about 2,800. While car accidents and dog attacks
killed many koalas, the report blamed about 60% of the deaths on disease. Join
global letter-writing campaign to save more bears An
American woman has been mauled to death by
her 160kg pet black bear as she cleaned its cage.
The victim had been keeping the animal inside a 15ft by 15ft steel cage
near her house. Ms Walz had thrown some dog food to one side of the enclosure to
distract the bear while she cleaned the other side, officials said. But, at some
point, it turned and attacked her. The bear was shot and killed by a neighbour.
Tim Conway, of the Pennsylvania Game Commission, told the local newspaper:
"These animals, even though they may be very docile one day, you never
know. "They are wild animals and they're very powerful and they could
easily destroy your day." He said Ms Walz also owned a Bengal tiger and an
African lion, and had licences to keep them. "I don't know what makes an
individual want to have a pet or animal like this in captivity. I just
don't," Mr Conway said. An investigation into the bear attack is
continuing, police said. The
poor bear. But at least s/he got a
final revenge for such a lifetime of confinement. Frank
Evans’ bullfighting book has
been self-funded; he's sunk a small fortune into it and had been relying on book
signings to make sales and recoup costs. He's now loudly complaining to anyone
who'll listen that due to "those sodding protesters" causing so many
cancellations he's made very minimal sales, and is unlikely to make much of his
money back. Oh dear! Protesters
gathered outside Nantwich Bookshop to
voice their opposition to Britain’s only matador, who was signing copies of
his new autobiography. Up to 20 members of Merseyside Animal Rights held
placards and shouted slogans against Frank Evans, known as El Ingles. Steve
Lawson, owner of the High Street store, decided to go ahead with the signing of
The Last British Bullfighter despite angry calls to cancel it. Waterstone’s
book chain had already shelved the 67-year-old’s scheduled appearances at
their Manchester and Liverpool stores after receiving letters which said the
events would glamorise the ‘cruel, violent spectacle’ of bullfighting. This year, over 180,000
Catalonian citizens
have
united behind the Prou (‘enough’) campaign, demanding an end to the bloody
cruelty of bullfighting in their region. The Prou
campaign calls for a modification to Catalonian animal protection law, which
currently safeguards all animals except
the bulls and horses used in bullfights.
Overwhelming public support has forced the Catalonian Parliament to
schedule a vote on removing the exemption; it will take place later this year. A
‘yes’ vote for animal welfare in this key region would be a groundbreaking
step towards making bullfighting history across Spain. Campaign
for fur-free sporrans Sarah
Coggles is a shop in York that sells fur, and
it is also available to buy on their website. Customers with a Nectar loyalty
card can get points when they buy products (including fur products) from the
Coggles website. As part of the campaign against Sarah Coggles, we are asking
Nectar to stop supporting the fur trade by offering loyalty reward points
on the Coggles website. The Nectar shoppers loyalty card scheme involves big and
respectable groups such as Sainsburys and Orange, and so surely Nectar would not
want to lose public image by being associated with the fur trade. Please can you
politely contact Nectar via their website www.nectar.com
and ask that they remove their loyalty points from the Sarah Coggles website
immediately. Following
a short demo outside a stylish 'retro' shop in Brighton selling
fur, Santa Carla soon saw the error of their ways and decided to remove the fur
they had on display, as well as promising to give a 'fur free pledge' to CAFT.
This success follows a recent campaign against 'Native American' shop; Two
Feathers, who were selling Beaver and Rabbit pelts, as well as tat decorated
with Coyote and wolf. It took slightly more protests (about 3) before they
capitulated. First
policies for animals in China & Nepal Grizzly
Bears dying out The
Great British circus is
being criticised again – this time for flyposting all over Colchester. 2
months ago the Circus was at the centre of a storm of criticism after hidden
camera footage showed a performing elephant being hit by a groom. Now it’s in
trouble for plastering posters on phone boxes, telegraph poles and road signs
all over Colchester. A councillor said the posters break the planning rules on
advertising. Planning law allows
circuses and travelling shows to put up posters, but they are supposed to work
with the council and only use agreed sites. Cleaning teams are having to go
around and take them down. Circus
spokesman Chris Barltrop said the circus would remove any offending posters
which are brought to its attention. There will be a demo on Sun 18th
Oct at 2pm (show starts 3pm) against The Great British Circus at Orsett
Showground, Nr. Grays, Essex RM16 3JU (situated just off the A13 - 5 miles east
of the M25 Junction 30) Greyhound
Board of Great Britain in Crisis Oxford
greyhound stadium - We
are trying to get together a group of supporters to hold demos and distribute
leaflets on a regular basis outside Oxford Greyhound Stadium, with the aim of
eventually forcing the track to close, by persuading people not to attend races
there. As many as 15,000 greyhounds are put to death every year because of the
existence of the British dog racing industry, so as one of Britain's 27 major
greyhound tracks, Oxford is responsible for the deaths of about 500 greyhounds
annually. In addition, thousands of injuries are caused to dogs running on the
tracks, many of them serious. Just the Saturday before last, a 2 year old
greyhound, Rookies Fantasy, was "put down" following a serious leg
injury at the Oxford track. The greyhound racing industry relies on 60% of
people attending races for the first time going back again at some time in the
future, so educating punters about the plight of the dogs is vitally important.
At other tracks where frequent leafleting/demos have taken place, there has been
a significant reduction in attendances and some have closed, including nearby
Reading, which ended dog racing last year. Like many other tracks, Oxford was
forced to put a stop to its Tues night meetings earlier this year, owing to poor
attendances, and no longer gets additional revenue from speedway racing, which
ended there in 2007. So now is the time to increase the pressure for its
closure. If you live in or near the Oxford area and would like take part in the
campaign, please contact us as soon as possible at info@greyhoundaction.org.uk
or on 01562 700 043. We are not asking you to commit to leafleting/demos there
every week. The idea is to set up a reasonably sized group, so that this can be
done on a rota system. Yet
another American dog track announced that it is closing! Phoenix Greyhound Park (PGP) in Arizona will run its last race on Dec 19th.
This follows last week’s news that Valley Park in Texas has also suspended its
schedule through 2010. Cats/dogs
on Rhodes - The
Daily Mail published (21st Sept) a very distressing article about the
cats & dogs of Rhodes who are poisoned en masse at the end of October when
the last plane has left. The Greek Macho image does not allow the neutering
of pet animals & the tourists feed the cats so they develop no skill at
catching their own prey. According to one local, whose own dog was
poisoned, it is the fault of the tourists who feed the cute little strays
so they never learn to catch mice, rats, lizards & snakes.
Nothing will change unless the tourist trade is affected. They
even print a calendar - Kitties of Rhodes - so it is up to us to make our
absence felt & why. When Greece joined the EU their slaughtering
practises were unacceptable to Europe & had to change. For those of you
who have influence, please convince the Greeks their behaviour towards cats
& dogs is equally so. Otherwise those who venture to visit out of
season might see unwanted dogs hanging from a tree or cats expiring in
agony from weed killer laced food. It is down to us. If we don't
come & the Greeks know why, it will change. If you must go, don't feed
the strays unless you are prepared to bring them home with you. School condemned for reptile
market - Shenfield
High School has been publicly condemned for its part in facilitating an
underground reptile market that took place on Sun 27 Sept, at which illegal
trading of wild animals took place. The Animal Protection Agency (APA), with
support from International Animal Rescue, is now calling for an
inquiry, and will be carrying out their own investigation, into the school’s
role in keeping the event hidden from the authorities. The school originally
announced that it had disallowed the event. A hunt then began for the new
venue after organisers had threatened that their event would go underground.
Public appeals for information were made and the police, as well as officers of
several councils across Essex, spent considerable time searching through
their contacts to track down the event. Some councils even made
out-of-hours provisions in case the event turned up in their areas. Early on Fri
afternoon, the Animal Protection Agency received a tip-off from a reptile keeper
that the event would be taking place at the original venue, Shenfield High
School. The school, however, refused to confirm or deny that the event was
taking place there and advised that an announcement would be made after 6pm (ie.
after council hours). On Fri
afternoon, Brentwood Borough Council were not aware that the event would be
taking place at the school but did warn that the school could face prosecution
if illegal trading took place. Elaine Toland of APA said: “The school was made
fully aware of the legal situation regarding reptile markets and also the health
risks involved in staging such an event. Our team of investigators attended the
market where countless criminal transactions were observed and recorded. The
school, which is complicit in those crimes, may now be subject to prosecution.
It’s a scandal that time and public resources were wasted in tracking down
this event when Shenfield High School could have provided
information to the authorities that would have been helpful. If the school was
confident that this was a legitimate event, then why all the secrecy?”
Conditions at this event were typical of all reptile markets and would have
caused tremendous stress to the animals traded. Under current legislation,
animals are protected from this type of mistreatment and numerous organisations
are working hard to ensure that this form of abuse is stamped out. Experts in
public health warn that venues at which reptile markets have taken place may be
contaminated for up to 3 months afterwards. The APA is focused on ceasing the
trade in wild animals as pets. They work closely with International Animal
Rescue which is dedicated to the rescue and rehabilitation of suffering
animals all over the world. A South Tyneside teenager who
stole a cat and forced it to inhale cannabis
by
trapping it in a bag has been given a suspended sentence. Mark
Kane, 19, was filmed on a mobile phone carrying out the "sadistic
attack" on the tabby cat in January. Kane, of St Aidan's Rd, S. Shields,
had earlier admitted causing unnecessary suffering. He was given a 3 month
sentence, suspended for 2 years, and banned from keeping animals for 10 years.
He was also ordered to pay £100 in costs. Magistrates on S. Tyneside were told
Kane had stolen the cat from a friend of his girlfriend. The court was shown a
video in which Kane was seen putting a cat in a bag, inhaling some cannabis and
then blowing that cannabis into a bag, sealing the bag and then swinging the bag
round his head like a lasso. The cat survived the attack but ran off and has not
been found, the court heard. Clive McKeag, prosecutor in the case brought by the
RSPCA, described the attack as "sadistic and wicked". Passing
sentence, Ken Buck, chairman of the bench, said: "We do think the charges
of animal cruelty are appalling in nature and caused real stress and unnecessary
suffering to a domestic pet which was in your care." Outside court, RSPCA
inspector Claire Hunt said: "He had a complete disregard for this animal's
welfare. "He thought it was a funny thing to do to a defenceless
animal." She said she was pleased with the sentence, and added: "It
deters people from doing the same thing." The
max 6 months inside may be a better deterrent. He’d have got more if he’d
stolen the cat for its own safety
A
woman pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to
85 St Bernard dogs and failing to meet the welfare needs of another 14 St
Bernards. Mary Ellen Collis,
formerly of Wardana Kennels, Brigstock, and now of Denby Lane, Wakefield,
appeared at Corby Magistrates’ Court to answer charges relating to the 99 dogs
in a case brought by the RSPCA. Collis
is due to be sentenced at 2.15pm on Fri 23 Oct at Wellingborough Magistrates
Court. The
cost of flying a hawk to scare pigeons away
from Trafalgar Square has soared to almost £60,000 a year. The bird of prey is
flown daily for up to 4 hours as part of efforts introduced by former mayor Ken
Livingstone to disperse birds he dubbed "flying rats". Since the
scheme started in July 2003, a total of £354,829 has been spent on hawks and
130 pigeons have been killed. This equates to £2,729 spent per bird. Figures
show that in the last financial year the scheme cost £59,020. Mike Tuffrey,
leader of the Lib Dem London Assembly Group, said: "A hawk that costs the
taxpayer more than £50,000 a year is a staggering amount. Alternative ways must
be found, such as nesting prevention and chemical contraception in feed. Most
Londoners will certainly welcome the reduced nuisance in Trafalgar Sq, but the
Mayor must find a far more cost-effective way to tackle the problem." Feral
pigeon numbers have dropped from about 4,000 to the present 120 to 140.
Julia Fletcher, of the Pigeon Action Group, which campaigns for the
birds' welfare, said: "What it's doing with taxpayers' money is actually
performing blood sports in Trafalgar Sq. "It's totally unnecessary, not
only because of the costs to the taxpayer, but because it's not going to drive
the pigeons away." Numbers had fallen, she argued, because they had been
"starved out of existence" after feeding them in the square was
banned. A hawk does not prevent the pigeons returning, she said, because the
birds are creatures of habit and always return home. The GLA pays for 75% of the
cost and Westminster city council meets the rest. A GLA spokesman said increased
spending reflected "the provision necessary to reduce the population".
Cutting pigeon numbers had "improved the décor, safeguarded priceless
cultural icons and created a cleaner and healthier environment". For this
financial year, more than £25,000 has been spent up to the end of last month,
suggesting the total could top last year's figure. The highest cost so far was
£78,241 for 2003/04, but the GLA said that was because it was the first full
year of the control programme. The spending covers the contractor's costs for
transport to the square and the hawk's handler. Usually 2 Harris hawks are
delivered each day, although only one is flown at a time. Wardens also patrol
the square to stop people feeding the pigeons. 90
Australian Super Circus Sydney advertising billboards were destroyed in Dublin, 24
as the circus was performing there. This circus, formerly part of Circus Vegas,
is notorious for attacking protestors and for releasing animals on to major
roads as advertising stunts. Give up the animals Circus Sydney. Till all are
free. ALF
Ireland Animals
bolt from circus - Dublin's traffic is often snarled, but
this could be the first time llamas are to blame. 5 of the S. American animals
along with 2 goats ran rampant on the capital's major ring road, the M50,
causing 8 km traffic jams. Police eventually corralled the animals safely into a
trailer. Circus owner Alexander Scholl said his animals bolted when fuel
delivery men left a gate open. He rejected rival circus owners' claims that he
deliberately let the llamas go to gain attention for his Circus Sydney, which
previously has lost elephants and a wallaby. Can
you picture 7,000 young buffaloes being rounded up and killed by
a thousand drunk men carrying large knives? A festival where 200,000 animals are
killed to please a goddess? This is exactly what -if nothing is done- will
happen in Nov in Nepal. The Gadimai Festival in Bariyarpur, Bara District,
is held every 5 years. The mass sacrifice turns the entire area into a marshy
land of blood. Animal Welfare Network Nepal wants to end this bloody, cruel
practice. Go to www.gopetition.com/petitions/stop-gadimai.html to sign a petition addressed to the Ministers of
Tourism, Agriculture, Peace and Law and Justice. Dog
microchip plans - Under
plans to be put forward by both Labour and the Conservatives at the next
election, all dogs will have to be fitted with a microchip with their owner’s
name, address and phone number. In addition, a national database will hold
details of all dogs in the country, including their breed, age and health.
Owners who fail to insert a microchip will face a fine and possibly the right to
keep their dog. Both Labour and the Tories believe the policy will curb the
number of stray dogs and will deter owners from buying dogs they do not look
after properly. Andrew Rosindell MP, the Conservative animal welfare spokesman,
said he thought microchipping would stop Britain’s pounds overflowing with
strays and help identify irresponsible owners. The Conservative council in
Wandsworth, S. London, has already made it compulsory for council tenants with
dogs to microchip their animals and log details on a database. Rosindell, MP for
Romford, Essex, said microchips also helped to cut crime. “If a dog that has
been involved in fighting or bad behaviour has been microchipped, it will help
the police find who the owner is,” he said. Ian Cawsey MP, a vice-chairman of
the Labour party who has been asked by Gordon Brown to draw up animal welfare
policies, also said microchipping was vital. The policy will be at the heart of
Labour’s animal welfare proposals to be unveiled at its conference this week.
They include a ban on shock collars for badly behaved dogs. The collars, which
have been condemned by animal welfare organisations as cruel, emit an electric
shock to stop the dog misbehaving. The proposals also include plans to ban wild
animals from circuses and to outlaw the sale of reptiles that have not been bred
in the UK. The
European Circus Association (ECA)
announced the filing of legal actions against Austria and the City of Luxembourg
to challenge their bans on animals in the circus. ECA President Urs Pilz made
the announcement at the European Parliament where the ECA and its partners
delivered a report to MEP Doris Pack, Chairwoman of the Committee on Culture
& Education, on next steps for the Parliament's 2005 circus resolution which
noted the desirability of further recognition of the classical circus, including
the presentation of animals, as part of European culture. "We have waited
nearly 5 years for the EC to take up its responsibilities and challenge the
Austrian ban," Mr. Pilz said. "The right to present well-cared for
animals under good welfare conditions in the classical circus in Europe must be
established once and for all. Equal treatment for the circus community and
enforcement of law also means that bans established by local authorities such as
the City of Luxembourg must be invalidated."
Austria instituted a ban on non-domesticated animals in the circus in
January 2005. The EC determined that the Austrian ban violated Article 49 of the
European Treaty and opened legal proceedings against Austria. However, the
Commission dropped the case under pressure from animal rights activists. In June
2009, the European Ombudsman concluded his investigation, finding that the
Commission had "abdicated its role as Guardian of the Treaty." He
recommended that the Commission reinstate the action or provide a legally valid
reason for not doing so. Mr. Pilz emphasised the ongoing popularity of
performing circus animals across Europe. Data from the Irish Arts Council shows
that more Irish visited circuses in 2006 than opera, contemporary dance, and
ballet combined. Independent market research determined that 6.4m Germans
visited a circus in either 2006 or 2007. A random sampling of the German public
in 2008 found that 86% of the persons surveyed believe that animals are an
essential part of the circus. The ECA reaffirmed its strong commitment to animal
welfare. It also announced a new Pledge programme under which ECA members would
report on their achievements to the public and its intention to identify one
European circus each year for excellence and innovation in animal care. People
used to love bear baiting and the stocks – mind you, I could think of a few
I’d like to see in the stocks! 4 people have been jailed for
their part in one of Europe's largest dog-fighting syndicates. Claire Parker, a mother of 3 from Kexby, Lincolnshire, who held dog
fights at her home, was sentenced to 18 weeks in prison. 3 co-defendants were
jailed for between 23 and the max 26 weeks for animal cruelty offences. Lincoln
Magistrates' Court heard the ring was smashed after a BBC Panorama
investigation. Sentencing had been delayed after one of the defendants was
attacked in court. Kenneth King, of Main St, Ragnall, Newark, Notts, was struck
around the head several times and left bleeding from his ear. Another person
involved in the scuffle was shot with a Taser by police. District judge Richard
Blake said: "There's widespread public objection at these sorts of
offences; of the sadistic abuse of animals for entertainment. "The dogs in
this case are not in any way pets - they are animals used for sadistic
entertainment and perverted pleasure." Parker was banned from keeping
animals for 10 years. The court found the syndicate had links to a gang in N.
Ireland, with paramilitary connections, who supplied illegal American pit bull
dogs. Members of the ring attended fights as far away as Finland. Parker was
found guilty of holding a fight in the garage at her home, which she shared with
her husband, John Parker. He has since died in prison. She was found guilty of
being present at a dog-fight, keeping premises for dog-fighting and possessing 3
pit bull dogs. She had denied all the charges. Gary Adamson, of Ramsey Cres,
Yarm, N. Yorks, who pleaded guilty to 6 charges in connection with illegal
dog-fighting, was given 23 weeks in prison. Mohammed Farooq, of Daniels Rd,
Bordesley Green, Birmingham, who was found guilty on 2 counts of causing
unnecessary suffering to an animal and possessing training equipment for
dog-fighting, was sentenced to the maximum penalty of 26 weeks. Owen Batey, of
Cannock Rd, Middlesbrough, was given 23 weeks in jail, having admitted setting 2
pit bulls on each other, being present at a dog-fight and owning a pit bull.
Christopher Burgess, of Longstone Way, Ladybrook, Mansfield, Notts, who pleaded
guilty to one charge of keeping a banned dog, received 160 hours' community
service. Both Adamson and Batey were banned from keeping animals for life.
A
surge in dog fighting,
often in public parks, has left unprecedented numbers of the animals with
serious injuries, the RSPCA has warned. The charity said a new wave of
what is known as chain fighting, or rolling, has seen increasing numbers of
badly-injured dogs needing treatment. The practice sees young men gather in
"ad hoc" places like parks where they hold 2 animals on chains and egg
them on to fight. Rottweilers or Staffordshire bull terriers are often used. It
is thought the rise in chain fights has resulted from police action against
organised dog fighting rings. Italy's
entry for the Best Foreign Film prize at
the 2010 Oscars is at the centre of a new animal cruelty controversy. Officials
at the country's National Association for Animal Protection (ENPA) are calling
for censors to pull Giuseppe Tornatore's film Baaria from cinemas over a
gruesome bull slaughter scene. ENPA leader Carla Rocchi has filed a complaint
calling the scene, in which a bull has its throat slit while still alive,
"senseless cruelty." The animal rights group officials also suggest
the filmmaker should be prosecuted. At the recent Venice Film Festival, where
the movie premiered, Cinema Paradiso director Tornatore revealed the bull scene
was shot in a slaughterhouse in Tunisia with a real animal. There is a new UK based AR prisoners supporters group who have just published their first newsletter. See www.arprisoners.org Slum
dogs of India – book
of beautiful photos by Eloise Leyden and published by Merrell. It only costs £6.47
and the publisher gives 25p for each book sold to help the dogs in India at the
TOLFA shelter. The book is available
on Amazon. Lovely Christmas present. The
police got in a flap recently in
Dover when a woman was pulled over for driving with a giant parrot on her
shoulder. After they discovered she was banned from driving she was arrested,
and a junior policeman was given the job of driving her van to the depot with
the 3ft long blue and gold macaw for company. However
this particular copper found out just how low on the pecking order he was on the
force, having been given a big bird to babysit. Clearly pissed off that his
keeper (and favourite shoulder) had been nicked, the macaw - who the police now
know to be called Chip – spent the journey violently attacking him and sitting
on the steering wheel biting chips out of his fingers. As it turns out, once
Chip was back at the station, the police discovered they were brushing with
stardom, 'cos he'd starred alongside Johnny Depp in the 2003 film Pirates Of The
Caribbean (Chips agent probably gets him a lot of pirate work). Chief
Superintendent Steve Masters of Kent police said 'It was a bit of surprise I
must admit to end up with a celebrity on our hands.' Schnews Netcu WatchThe
website dedicated to keeping an eye on the New Labour built National Extremism
Tactical Coordination Unit was extensively updated on 7th Nov. In
this update NW reports on the widening scope of NETCU which is now going well
beyond just harassing peaceful animal rights campaigners and moving into the
realms of harassing those that are solely dedicated to saving us all from
extinction. Also re-prints of many recent mainstream media articles which have
documented the massive attack on our civil liberties by psychotic madman Blair
and his new Labour party as well as the usual NW reports of severe abuse of
police power when dealing with dissent in the UK and much more. Be sure to
bookmark or link to http://www.vivisection.info/netcu_watch 'Music United For Animals'
'Music
United For Animals' is a CD of animal welfare/animal rights songs.
The track list includes 'Your meat is our Murder' a
song to expose the misery of the factory farming trade. Here is the
song link - http://www.maria-daines.com/music-32.html
Other songs on the album
highlight the issue of stray dogs in Romania, vivisection, fur trade, bear bile
farming, the use of animals in the circus, puppy mill breeding factories, horse
slaughter and the annual killing of seal pups. All songs and info can be found
here - http://www.maria-daines.com/bio.html
The journey to make a collection
of songs as a voice for animals in distress has been emotional,
exciting, hard work, rewarding, and a real eye-opener. We are available to
promote this album in the coming weeks, please contact us if you would like a
copy of the cd or an interview. All proceeds of the album will benefit
grass roots rescue organisations and animal shelters. Thank you, best wishes,
from Maria Daines & Paul Killington. Our
website - http://www.maria-daines.com
http://www.myspace.com/musicunitedforanimals
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The Shoreham Protester, 7 Stoneham Road, Hove, BN3 5HJ, United Kingdom. Tel: +44 (0)1273 885750. Email: shoreham.protester@ntlworld.com Last Updated 13 December 2008 |
