Month: December 2018

Fur and Fur Farming, General News

England: ‘Respect for Animals’ – A Year of Campaigning.

England

Website – http://www.respectforanimals.org/ 

January

  • Our Fur Free Markets scheme is fully up and running, with our online database of every council in the UK going live.

The new three party coalition in Norway agrees to ban fur farming by 2025

 

February

A petition to Parliament calling for fur to be banned, started by two activists and friends of Respect for Animals, begins to near the prized 100,000 signature mark needed to secure a Parliamentary debate

 

March

  • Versace goes fur free, with Donatella Versace declaring: ‘Fur?! I’m OUT of that!’

San Francisco bans the sale of real fur, becoming the largest US city to do so.

 

April

  • The first markets officially join the Fur Free Markets scheme, as LSD Promotions, who run markets across the West Midlands, make their fur free pledge.

 

  • Horrible footage of monster obese foxes kept on Finnish fur farms shocks compassionate people around the world. Respect for Animals supporters contact the Finnish Embassy to call for a fur farming ban in Finland.

 

The top officials representing the fur industry give evidence to the EFRA Select Committee and shock the room by claiming it is ‘natural’ for foxes to be kept in small cages.

 

May

  • Having smashed past 100,000 signatures the petition to Parliament secures a confirmed date for a Westminster debate on the banning of real fur. The lobbying of MPs by constituents and NGOs like Respect for Animals begins.

 

With Burberry appointing a new creative director, Respect for Animals asks supporters to email Burberry customer service and call for the end of the use of real fur.

 

June

  • MPs line up to slam the fur industry at the debate on fur in Westminster Hall.

Respect for Animals Director Mark Glover travels to Belgrade to help save the fur farming ban in Serbia.

 

July

  • The Environment, Food & Rural Affairs Select Committee publishes its report on the fur trade in the UK. The report calls for changes to the law regarding fur labelling and suggests the government ‘consider’ holding a consultation on banning the import of real fur after Brexit.

 

Respect for Animals presents the Fur Free Markets scheme to councillors from around the UK at the annual Local Government Association Conference in Birmingham.

 

August

 

In Ireland, the Solidarity Party announce they will introduce a Bill to ban fur farming in Ireland once the Dail returns.

September

  • Harrowing footage from Lithuania is described by Respect for Animals founder Mark Glover as ‘the worst fur farm footage I have ever seen’.  The cruelty of what we are fighting against is laid bare once again.
  • Respect for Animals is present at Labour Party Conference as years of lobbying pays off when the party officially adopts a policy to phase in a ban on the import of real fur.
  • A few months after our email campaign, Burberry stun the fashion world by announcing they are ditching real fur.
  • Respect for Animals join animal protection organisations around the world in targeting Prada to be the next big name in fashion to stop using real fur.

Los Angeles City Council votes unanimously to ban the sale of real fur.

 

October

  • The Prohibition of Fur Farming In Ireland Bill is presented to the Dail in Dublin, by Solidarity TD Ruth Coppinger TD.

 

  • Acclaimed actor and animal activist Peter Egan backs the Bill to ban fur farming in Ireland: ‘Many of us are shocked to learn that Ireland still has fur farms. I believe the continuance of this cruel industry is a stain on Ireland’s character.’

 

Lincoln Christmas Market – one of the biggest seasonal events in the region- is confirmed as fur free.

 

 

November

  • A poll of public opinion in Ireland, commissioned by Respect for Animals, finds that an impressive 80% of people in Ireland support a ban on fur farming. 
  • Mark Glover co-hosts a major event in Dublin, discussing the urgency of a fur farm ban with TDs and Senators, as well as holding a press conference.

Legendary folk punk/rock band the Levellers say NO to fur, by backing our campaigns for fur free markets and the Ireland fur farming campaign.

 

December

  • Manchester Christmas Market goes fur free after a public outcry.
  • Chanel announce they are moving away from using real fur.
  • Our Fur Free Markets database passes 400,000 hits for the calendar year.

 

Finnland.jPelz Tier übergewichtigpg

General News

USA: Big Win for Animals – The US Farm Bill Has Just Been Signed Into Law.

 

USA

 

A Major Win For the Animals!

The US Farm Bill has just been signed into law, bringing some HUGE victories for the animals!

This is thanks to the hard work of activists and organizations across the US who took a stand against animal cruelty. And YOU were a part of that voice, as hundreds of thousands of you signed LFT petitions to enact these groundbreaking amendments:

  • Dog and cat meat are finally BANNED. It is now illegal across the nation to kill dogs or cats for human consumption, whereas before, an astonishing 44 states had no law protecting companion animals from slaughter.

 

  • Dogfighting and cockfighting are now illegal in all US territories. While these barbaric bloodsports were already banned in the 50 states, they were still fully legal in territories like Puerto Rico — where cockfighting was an appallingly massive industry raking in $18 million per year.

 

  • Animals have new protections against domestic violence. It is now a federal offense to cross state lines to harm a domestic partner’s pet, and vet bills can now be added to restitution. Federal funding will also help ensure victims’ companion animals have housing in emergency shelter situations.

 

Also important is what was rejected from the farm bill: the vile King Amendment, which would have stripped states’ rights to enforce their own laws against animal cruelty.

Thank you to all who spoke out and helped achieve these victories for the animals!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Environmental, General News, Hunting

UK: A Christmas Gift From the UK To The Elephants of the World – Dealing In Ivory Is Now A Criminal Offence !

 

UNKG0001

 

UK ivory ban becoming law is the best Christmas gift for the world’s threatened elephants!

20th December, 2018

Malawi elephant

 

Today, we and our nine campaign partnersPDF are delighted to see the UK Government’s Ivory Bill receive Royal Assent to become law.

In future, most ivory sales in, to and from the UK will be treated as criminal offences.

Mary Rice, our Executive Director, said: “Following on the heels of China’s closure of its own domestic ivory market at the start of the year, this is the best Christmas present the UK could have given the world’s threatened elephant populations in Africa and Asia.

“The Ivory Bill becoming law is an important move which recognises the need to take firm action to protect elephant populations from poaching and ivory trafficking.

After years of sustained campaigning, we welcome the news and hope that countries which still have legal domestic ivory markets will see this as the standard to aspire to.”

Source – Environmental Investigation Agency (London) – https://eia-international.org/uk-ivory-ban-becoming-law-best-christmas-gift-worlds-threatened-elephants/

 

WAV Comment –  ‘Yes’ – Job Done !!!

General News

Christmas and gifts

 

Milka Kuh Parallelen_n

Right now, in Christmas many gifts are exchanged. The advertisement works on high tours, chocolates, biscuits, pies of any kind are for sale.
Gifts are beautiful, signs of friendship and appreciation. Do not change your principles just because the others make a slaughter party out of Christmas, or because they wish for Christmas an exclusive “Milka Cow” praline collection.
Give vegan gifts.
Only these are signs of love and friendship for those you never want to reveal, the animals.

My best regards, Venus

Environmental, General News, Hunting

USA (Arizona): Board of Supervisors (AZ) Passes Proclamation Condemning Wildlife Killing Contests.

USA-Flagge

Project Coyote

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – December 20, 2018

Yavapai County Board of Supervisors (AZ) Passes Proclamation Condemning Wildlife Killing Contests

Unanimous vote follows Dewey-Humboldt Town Council resolution

YAVAPAI COUNTY, Ariz. — The Yavapai County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously yesterday in favor of a proclamation that opposes wildlife killing contests. Arizona citizens belonging to a coalition known as I AM WOLF NATION in partnership with Project Coyote and other wildlife and animal protection organizations have been working to end wildlife killing contests in Yavapai County and other Arizona localities. Yavapai County’s proclamation follows on the heels of a similar Dewey-Humboldt Town Council resolution that passed in November.

Wildlife killing contests are cruel events in which participants compete for fun and prizes by killing the greatest number or the heaviest of the target species. Last week, dozens of coyotes were slaughtered in the Santa Slay Coyote Tournament in Yavapai County and on public lands throughout Arizona. Manufacturers and sellers of firearms, predator-calling devices, and hunting gear were among its sponsors. Though the public at large remains largely unaware of these contests, killing contest social media posts often show photos of participants piling up and posing with the corpses of wildlife they have killed.

Increasing public outrage has led to several national newspapers editorializing against wildlife killing contests. Last week, on December 14, Pulitzer Prize-nominated columnist Linda Valdez wrote in The Arizona Republic: “The wildlife in Arizona belongs to all the people of Arizona. Did anyone ask you how you feel about contests [that] put a dollar value on killing as many wild animals as possible? Is that how you want your wildlife treated?”

Yavapai County’s proclamation recognizes that coyotes and other native carnivores play a key role in maintaining healthy ecosystems—which includes controlling rabbit and rodent populations. Just as importantly, the County proclaims that wildlife killing contests serve no genuine ecological or wildlife management purpose. The County proclamation further acknowledges that wildlife killing contests threaten the safety and well-being of hikers, dog walkers, bird watchers, hunters, horseback riders, and other outdoor enthusiasts who use public lands where killing contests take place.

“We applaud the Yavapai County Board of Supervisors for taking a strong stance against wildlife killing contests in Arizona,” said Matt Francis, Prescott, Arizona resident and a Project Coyote Program Associate. “The Arizona State Legislature should recognize that Arizona citizens will no longer tolerate these barbaric contests and should ban wildlife killing contests statewide.”

“Our team recognizes and appreciates Yavapai County making a statement against killing contests, which are blood sports and should never be compared to hunting as contest proponents try to do,” said Betsy Klein, Sedona, Arizona, resident and co-founder of I AM WOLF NATION™. “As an organization, we recognize the long-standing tradition of hunters and hunting in Arizona. In fact, hunters who practice fair chase principles have called these contests ‘inhumane’ and have openly opposed them, knowing there is a distinct difference between hunting and senseless slaughter.”

Currently, there is a contest slated to take place in Flagstaff in March of 2019 that will target bobcats, coyotes, and foxes.

Coyote killing contest organizers often justify the slaughter by claiming that by reducing the coyote population they are helping to reduce conflicts with coyotes. “There is no documented scientific evidence that coyote killing contests permanently reduce coyote abundance, increase populations of deer or other game species, or prevent conflicts between predators, humans and livestock,” said Dave Parsons, MS, retired career wildlife biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, former hunter, and Project Coyote Science Advisory Board Member. “Wildlife killing contests are symptomatic of a broader problem of misguided wildlife governance by state wildlife agencies that fail to recognize and value the crucial ecological roles of native predators.”

The Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) itself recognizes that killing coyotes doesn’t reduce their numbers, stating on their website: “Removing coyotes from one area generally results in other coyotes moving in from surrounding areas and breeding faster.” There is no way to know the effect that wildlife killing contests have on coyote populations in Arizona because AZGFD does not monitor the contests or track the number of coyotes killed in these events.

U.S. Congressman Raúl Grijalva of the 3rd Congressional District of Arizona, who serves on the House Committee on Natural Resources, recently weighed in on the issue: “Do you want a coyote-killing contest on your public lands this Saturday? Neither do we. Neither do Arizona locals in the threatened area. Let people know this is happening.”

Earlier this year, the city council of Albuquerque, New Mexico, unanimously passed a resolution calling for a state legislative ban on killing contests. Tucson and Pima County have passed similar resolutions in recent years. Vermont and California outlawed killing contests in 2018 and 2014, respectively. The National Coalition to End Wildlife Killing Contests, a growing alliance of more than 30 state and national wildlife and animal protection groups, along with local citizens, will pursue similar policy changes at the state and local levels across the nation in 2019.

* * * * *

I AM WOLF NATION — The power of the collective, working to protect the wolf and other persecuted wildlife in Arizona. For more information about joining the local effort to end wildlife killing contests, please visit our website.

Project Coyote, a national non-profit organization, is a North American coalition of scientists, educators, ranchers, and citizen leaders promoting compassionate conservation and coexistence between people and wildlife through education, science and advocacy. Visit ProjectCoyote.org for more information.

To learn more about wildlife killing contests, visit the National Coalition to End Wildlife Killing Contests’ website here.

Environmental, Farm Animals, General News

England: Scientists accuse officials of cherry-picking data to defend Badger Cull.

England

 

Record 32,000 badgers shot in annual cull

 A badger

Source – https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/dec/18/record-32000-badgers-shot-in-annual-cull

Scientists accuse officials of cherry-picking data to defend disease-control scheme

More than 32,000 badgers were killed in England this autumn during the annual cull, which is intended to reduce tuberculosis in cattle.

Government officials claimed the culls were effective and starting to reduce prevalence of the disease in cows. But independent scientists said the officials were cherry-picking data and making up targets as they went along.

TB in cattle costs taxpayers £100m in compensation each year, with 33,000 infected animals slaughtered in 2017. The environment secretary, Michael Gove, approved a huge expansion of badger culling in September. This resulted in the largest number of animals killed to date.

An independent review of TB control, commissioned by Gove and published in November, concluded that frequent trading of cattle and poor biosecurity on farms was “severely hampering” control efforts. It was wrong to blame badgers as the main cause of the outbreaks, the scientists said, although Gove had told them not to assess whether the current badger culls were working.

Data published on Tuesday shows that in the 30 culls taking place across England, 32,601 badgers were shot this autumn, the highest number on record.

An earlier 10-year trial of badger culling showed it was vital to kill at least 70% of badgers in an area to reduce TB in cattle, but as a protected species badgers must not be wiped out either. Therefore, minimum and maximum cull targets are set.

In all but one case, the initial targets were reviewed “as operations progressed”. Almost half the culls failed to meet their initial targets, with one in Devon killing three times more than the initial minimum.

“The ways that these targets were altered varied between sites in a completely non-standard way,” said Prof Rosie Woodroffe, of the Institute of Zoology, who was part of the 10-year trial. “The scientific term for this methodology is ‘making it up as you go along’.” She said the government appeared to have no idea of actual badger populations.

Natural England, the government’s nature agency, licences the badger culls. Its chief scientist, Tim Hill, said: “Industry-led badger control continues to deliver the level of effectiveness required by the policy to be confident of achieving disease control benefits.”

However, Woodroffe said the reduction in badger numbers was impossible to estimate from the information gathered and so there was no basis for such confidence. “We are all used to politicians making optimistic statements based on unreliable data. For a scientist to do so is deeply worrying,” she said.

The government’s chief vet, Christine Middlemiss, said the first cull areas, in Gloucestershire and Somerset, were starting to see drops in TB in cattle, and a full analysis of the data was under way.

General News, Stray Animals

Harmony Fund – December News. Please Donate If You Can.

We are more than pleased to have a monthly standing order with Harmony; so that so many strays in need the world over can be cared for a little more.

Please join up or give them a donation if you can – thanks – WAV.

 

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Harmony Fund Website – https://harmonyfund.org/

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/HarmonyFundAnimalRescue/

Twitter – https://twitter.com/harmonyfund?lang=en

Har 1

With their knees pressed against the snowy ground, our rescue volunteers are pouring bag after bag of kibble and coaxing hundreds of frightened dogs and cats to have something to eat as they begin another winter day.

The animals we feed congregate in landfills, cemeteries, factory complexes, empty fields and at the forests’ edge. Our street feeding programs are not the most heralded part of our work, but they are absolutely critical in supporting the comfort and survival of animals awaiting rescue.

There is always a steady flow of animals welcomed into the rescue program, but we can only take more of them in when others are adopted out.

During the “waiting period” we give homeless animals the simplest form of human kindness. We bring them food to make sure they are not searching for their next meal, which often results in days with nothing palatable to eat. When we offer them meals, the animals have far less exposure to the wind and snow. They can eat and then hunker down in their hiding places. It truly makes a huge difference. And in the near future, we hope to expand community spay/neuter operations to sterilize higher numbers of homeless animals.

Your ongoing donations are the only reason we will be able to buy more food at the end of the month to begin this mission all over again in January. We are more thankful than words could ever say.

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Har 2

Bosnian native Naida Kaltak is a 365-day-a-year hero who leaves very early each morning, often before the sun is up, so that she can bring meals to animals before she goes to work.

“The weather is terrible with temperatures below freezing,” said volunteer Nancy Wilkinson who helps us translate conversations with Naida. “Thankfully the kennels are insulated, but it is the poor strays we worry so much about. The strays especially need food these days to help keep warm and to make sure that, if nothing else, they have full tummies. Naida has to travel on foot to many locations, and even for her at home, the water is frozen. Life is not easy at the best of times, but in these conditions…”

“There are two mums and seven pups that are at the garbage dump,” Nancy explained. “Naida has been feeding them but she knows the pups, at least, will not survive the winter. She can’t possibly take them all in unless she has funds to cover their costs.”

“Naida is drowning in debt and now there are injured puppies,” Nancy continued. “She doesn’t take every dog she sees but some just can’t be left. The first dog has two broken legs after being hit by a car and couldn’t move. The second boy was also hit by a car and if she hadn’t taken him, his injuries would have become infected and he surely would have lost his life after suffering a great deal. The third tiny boy was hiding by the rubbish bins in the middle of Sarajevo and sadly many people saw him and just walked by. He has a broken scapula. The fourth is a little girl, again no one stepped up, she has a broken femur.”

We would like to send Naida a donation next week to get more dogs to safety, to cover some of the big veterinary expenses for the animals struck by cars and to help her continue her daily rounds at the edge of the forest where many homeless dogs are living.
Click Here to Donate to Naida’s Rescues

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Har 3

It has been a very good year for the dogs at Sasha’s free-running dog sanctuary in Serbia. As winter begins to dust the ground with snow, the dogs are in their best possible condition as nourishing food is flowing. But even more exciting is the news that adoptions are picking up and we hope to find homes for 150 dogs over the next twelve months.

“For the first time, five shelter dogs went to Sweden,” Sasha said earlier this week. “Starting in January, our rescue partner there has agreed to adopt 10 of our dogs each month. And in December alone, 19 dogs were adopted to homes in Belgium. I am so happy that a large number of dogs will find their warm homes now and in 2019.”

“Every year, the number of dogs has increased, since the situation around the adoptions was far worse than it is now,” Sasha continues. “But our teammates at the Dog Happiness organization in Belgium promote new adoptions and collect resources for additional feeding, hay, wood, equipment for workers, parasite tablets, ampoules against fleas, new dog houses and so forth. Without that help I do not want to imagine what the overall situation would be. They sacrifice their annual vacations and all their free time to help dogs, they give me great support, strength and will to solve all problems related to shelter. And the main pillar that keeps entire shelter up is, of course, the Harmony Fund. You have unconditionally helped the last 5 years and I am very happy to work together with you to create the best possible conditions for the dogs. I am convinced that life does not happen randomly. We were brought together for a purpose.”

As the year draws to a close, we want to offer all of you our very deepest thanks. Together we have made a difference of hundreds of Serbian dogs and will continue to do so for many years to come. Your donations are helping us to be sure the dogs have ample food, shelter, veterinary care and protection-from-cruelty. They play with balls, they explore the grounds and they even enjoy some home cooked meals. All of this is made possible through your kindness.

 

 

 

 

 

Farm Animals

Four sets for 196 burned animals!

 

österreichische Flagge

 

Fire in stable near Villach, Austria. 196 goats dead.

VILLACH. In a Kärntner Milchziegenbetrieb 196 goats were killed in a fire on Monday night.

As the police reported, the fire had broken out in the factory in Fürnitz (market town Finkenstein, Bez Villach) around 21 clock. Five horses could be saved in time. In use were numerous fire departments of the district Villach with a total of 196 men.

Zieglein

https://www.nachrichten.at/nachrichten/chronik/Brand-in-Stall-bei-Villach-196-Ziegen-tot;art58,3084827?fbclid

My comment: That’s all! And only from this newspaper!

So much value sets the press on a mass, agonizing death of 196 living beings. No questions, no criticisms, no accusation, how could something like that happen in the 21st century, in a “modern” stable with 196 inmates, who, until their cruel death, brought good money to their slave-keeper!
And if it were humans? Perhaps the Minister of the Interior of Austria would have announced his resignation, because if 196 people burn is a national tragedy.

The real tragedy that we experience every day is the Fascist morality of the people, based on the principle: “they are only animals, people are worth more”!

My best regards, Venus