Month: December 2019

Environmental, General News

England: Big Feed Day for the Wild Birds Today (25/12).

England

 

Wishing you all a very happy 25th today.

 

 

Updated 1600hrs GMT.

Have been preparing a super big feast for the wild birds today – they always do well but even more today !

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Fresh bread, crushed biscuits etc

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Sunflower Hearts and crushed nuts

 

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Whole Peanuts for the feeder – never leave whole nuts on the ground – always use feeders

 

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Seed Mix

 

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Fat Balls for the feeders

 

Had about 6 young, wild female pheasants visit recently – they often do;

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… and with dozens of blue tits, great tits and long tailed; with both Green and Spotted woodpeckers in the garden, it is great to see wild LIFE on a day which involves so much recent additional killing.

 

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Above – Blue Tit

 

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Above – Great Tit

 

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Above – Long Tailed Tit

 

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Above – Green Woodpecker

 

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Above – Great Spotted Woodpecker and Great Tit Feed Nuts

 

Just had super Vegan dinner – no death or killing to celebrate in this house.

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Hoping all your dreams for the future become reality.

 

Regards Mark

https://serbiananimalsvoice.com/about-us/

 

General News

Silent black night over the world!

While the fir trees are shining all over the world, the world is on fire.
The earth is burning and that is not an exaggeration. The forests of this earth are burning worldwide.

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Whether in Latin America, Africa, Australia, Asia or in Europe.
In Latin America, 471,000 hectares of forest were burned within five days.
From January to August 2019, a total of 75,336 fires broke out in Brazil.

Indonesien zeigt-wo-die-welt-unbemerkt-brenntIndonesia continues to burn – According to the Indonesian Civil Protection Agency, more than 400,000 hectares were burned this year alone, just to grow more palm oil!

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The forests are also burning in Africa – Uganda loses an average of 100,000 hectares of forest area per year.

Hundreds of thousands of fires were counted in Angola or in the Democratic Republic of the Congo – because palm oil is also cultivated here and raw materials are harvested.

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And in Australia, Sydney disappears in the smoke and thousands of hectares of forest have been destroyed. An end is not visible – because while winter has started here, summer begins in Australia.
With these many global fires, many animals and people lost not only their lives, but also their homes.

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The Christmas tree became a symbol of the burning forest!
A moving art installation in the heart of Sydney supports the victims of bushfires before a very challenging Christmas.

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It was made from materials collected in the fire-destroyed New South Wales.
It consists of tree branches, a burned bike, a destroyed fire alarm and other debris left behind by the fatal fires.
The artist James Dive designed the artwork, which is surrounded by colorful gifts.

Merry Christmas! For whom?

https://netzfrauen.org/

 

And I mean..The earth burns, animals burn and scream and are slaughtered millions of times, but on this holy night we thunder our chorals next to the crib and pray to God for peace and joy, as if we were not the ones responsible for the destruction of the earth and animals.

Oh! you silent, holy night and your hypocritical servants …

Best regards to all, Venus

 

More on Australia:

 

Australian PM Scott Morrison says he will not make “reckless” cuts to the nation’s coal industry, despite criticism of his response to climate change and a deadly bushfire crisis.

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-50888786

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-australia-50885082/australia-fires-the-devastation-is-absolute

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-australia-50904876/koala-drinks-from-water-bottle-amid-bushfires

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-australia-50799037/australia-bushfires-footage-shows-fire-crowning-across-treetops

 

 

Environmental, General News

USA: Polar Bears Should Come Ashore To Give Birth In Deep Snow Drifts, But …..

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Hi Mark,

Winter is when female polar bears come ashore to give birth to cubs in deep snow drifts.

It’s also when oil and gas companies take advantage of frozen tundra to move heavy vehicles and amp up their prospecting for oil.

Thanks to Trump, the fossil fuel industry could now plunder 18 million more acres of Alaska, devastating the habitat of polar bears, brown bears, caribou and millions of migratory birds.

Please make a gift to the Endangered Species Act Protection Fund now. All gifts through Dec. 31 will be matched.

The extinction emergency is here and we’re losing up to 150 species a day.

This is why Trump’s move to expand drilling in Alaska is so repugnant. It could lead to more than a billion tons of carbon dioxide pollution, worsening the climate crisis and driving more species to the brink.

We need to keep oil in the ground — not decimate critical habitat so we can dirty the air and cook the planet with more fossil fuel pollution.

Endangered species are counting on us. But this administration is pushing ahead on plans to drill the vanishing Arctic habitat that is home to species like polar bears and ice seals.

It’s part of the ruthless attack on the wild that we’ve seen from Trump all year long.

He and his minions have already removed protections from gray wolves and gutted the Endangered Species Act. Now they’re gunning for the Arctic.

This is a defining moment in our fight to save life on Earth. We’re in court right now to keep the Endangered Species Act in place as a crucial lifeline for polar bears and all species threatened with extinction. If we’re going to win, we need you with us.

Please double your gift to the Endangered Species Act Protection Fund today.

For the wild,

Kierán Suckling
Executive Director
Center for Biological Diversity

P.S. Monthly supporters who give steady gifts of $10 or $20 power the Center’s swift and continued action to save wildlife. Do your part by starting a monthly donation.

 

 

 

 

 

 
Hunting

Germany: Free fire until there is no wolf left!

Despite EU-wide official protection status, wolves have to fear for their lives in many countries. How could Germany be missing from the list?

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To protect sheep and other farm animals, wolves will be easier to shoot in the future. This is provided for in a grand coalition bill that the federal government passed after a long dispute.

According to the plan by Environment Minister Svenja Schulze, it should also be possible to launch it in the future if it is unclear which wolf attacked a flock of sheep, for example. It should be possible to shoot wolves in the area until there are no more attacks – even if an entire pack is killed. However, the state authorities have to approve each shot individually. In addition, hunters should be regularly involved in advance.

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The wolf enjoys a high level of protection through international and national regulations. The EU’s central nature conservation law is the Fauna-Flora-Habitats Directive, or FFH for short.
The focus is on the species and habitats listed in various appendices.
For the wolf, this means not only a basic prohibition of killing, but also more extensive prohibitions of disruption.

In Germany, the requirements are implemented via the Federal Nature Conservation Act. Wolves are strictly protected throughout Germany. In the event of violations, the public prosecutor’s office takes action. Depending on the offense, fines of up to five years’ imprisonment or high fines are possible – but they are almost never imposed.

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“No understanding of wolf romance”

After the wolf was considered extinct in Germany, it has spread more strongly again in recent years. According to the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation, between 275 and 300 adult animals currently live in Germany. The increased attacks by protected wolves on sheep and other livestock have long caused heated discussions between farmers and conservationists.

639 Wolf attacks, 2067 animals were torn nationwide last year (!!!), said christian democratic union (CDU) MP Hermann Färber. Most of them are sheep or goats.

In total, around 1.6 million sheep are kept in Germany.

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“The protection of the wolf is also important to us. But it must have limits,” said Union faction vice president Gitta Connemann of the news agency dpa.
“In densely populated and economically used areas, conflict-free living with the wolf is not possible. For good reason nobody has understanding for wolf romance there”!

Cracks now threatened livelihoods, shepherds would have to give up (!!!)

https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/woelfe-abschuss-101.html

 

My comment: The problem with German politicians is not only that they are outrageous agricultural lobbies, but that they want to sell us all for stupid.

Speaking of “problem wolf”: So if a wolf eats a certain number of sheep to survive, is it a “problem”?
Then how do we define people who, for sheer pleasure, first torture millions of animals in animal factories to brutally kill and eat them? And as I said, even optional!

Furthermore, the entire discussion is hypocritical and systematically initiated by the hunters. There is a competitive situation for hunters and wolves. Around 1,300 wolves currently live in Germany.
According to the German Hunting Association, 840,000 people have a hunting license. Everyone wants to keep it and enjoy their roast game. Where’s the wolf’s livelihood?

Of course, then he has to fall back on the grazing animals.

Human being, as a rationally reflecting individual can assess the consequences of his actions (killing). The wolf can’t do that. So I don’t know why these animals should be killed because they kill animals.

But the reason is somewhere else: there are countless politicians with a hunting license or they are happy to be invited to hunt. Then it goes without saying that this shameful, underhanded and fundamentally illegal law is approved drawn beforehand.

Hunters and Peasants: Be honest at least once: you take care of your meat and if an animal competitor defends your economic interests, of course it must be eliminated.

And then the life of other creatures just has no value for you. Both that of the sheep and that of the wolf.

lämmer in kontainer_nWhen farmers say: we love our animals…

 

My best regards to all, Venus

Environmental, General News

USA: America’s Largest Vegan Chain Expanding to New York City.

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Known for its mouthwatering plant-based sandwiches, salads, and more,

@VeggieGrill

boasts over 30 locations across the country (USA).

 

 

America’s Largest Vegan Chain Expanding to New York City

 

Veggie Grill—one of the most successful all-vegan fast-food chains—is opening a brand-new restaurant in New York City on Friday, December 13!

Known for its mouthwatering plant-based sandwiches, salads, and more, Veggie Grill boasts over 30 locations across the country, in California, Washington, Oregon, Illinois, and Massachusetts.

The new restaurant will be in New York’s Flatiron District and offer all the delicious options customers have come to love. With yummy favorites like the Buffalo Bomber sandwich, Beyond Burger, and Savory Kale Caesar salad, the menu has something for everyone.

And the chain shows no signs of slowing down. Earlier this year, Veggie Grill opened its first East Coast location in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and partnered with foodservice giant Sodexo to bring its delicious plant-based menu items to select colleges and universities around the United States.

As people become aware of the negative impact factory farming has on animals, the environment, and human health, the demand for plant-based food is growing. Restaurants like Veggie Grill are taking advantage of this changing market by providing delicious vegan options.

Plus, the Big Apple has more vegan restaurants than any other U.S. city—about 600—so Veggie Grill will be in good company.

https://chooseveg.com/blog/americas-largest-vegan-chain-expanding-new-york-city/

 

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Environmental, General News, Stray Animals

Australia: Kind Man Provides Life Saving Water to a Koala.

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This thirsty koala was caught having a drink out of a garden hose in Victoria over the weekend.

Right across the country, native animals are constantly on the search for water, among extreme heat and fires.

Please look out for them and provide life saving water whenever you can, thank you.

 

https://twitter.com/i/status/1209262411271688198

 

Farm Animals, General News, Live Transport

Netherlands: A Christmas Message From Lesley Re Progress In Turkey.

Netherlands

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Lesley is a personal friend and we have worked together on live export issues in the past.

Here is her Christmas message about the great work she has been doing (at Eyes on Animals – Netherlands) for animal welfare in Turkey;

Regards Mark (WAV)

 

 

Dear donors and friends,

I am writing from the airport in Istanbul, about to fly back home. I hope you don’t mind that I will only write in English.

Five years ago we started our project in Turkey to change the way animals were being treated inside slaughterhouses. Since then we have visited many slaughterhouses and witnessed unspeakable horrors. I am often asked how we do this work, facing such animal suffering. The answer is that we care too much to be able to now look away. Focusing on achieving results keeps us driven.

In 2019 we achieved a major breakthrough in Turkey. Who could have thought that two cattle slaughterhouses would now be stunning animals before slaughter? Who could have thought that we could now import captive bolt stunning pistols into Turkey? Putting stunning into practice in Turkey was a major step, and the most challenging one.

It took dozens of meetings with religious authorities, giving numerous talks at Turkish universities and to officials of the Turkish Ministry of Agriculture, editing hours of film material, visiting and inspecting Turkish slaughterhouses and educating their employees as well as organizing conferences for Turkish veterinarians and butchers. Now that the first major step has been taken, we just have to keep the ball rolling. In 2020, this will be one of our top priorities.

 

 

When I think back to the horrors of my first visit of a cattle slaughterhouse in Turkey in 2014, where French cattle were being chained by one leg, hoisted fully off the floor and left hanging like that for up to 2 minutes before having their throats cut open, I am so relieved to now know that change is possible.

 

 

 

Looking back at 2019

This year was a busy and intense year. Aside from Turkey, we were active in many other places to improve animal welfare and decrease suffering.

In Ghana, together with WACPAW, we improved conditions inside 5 slaughterhouses by teaching the butchers how to use a captive bolt pistol and giving them one. In Poland we trained over 80 Official Road Inspectors and stopped and fined dozens of animals trucks together.

In the Netherlands several major pig slaughterhouses invested in new equipment (industrial fans and roofed parking areas with shade) to help tackle heat stress in the summer. Two major egg companies in The Netherlands have fully abandoned the brutal commercial way of catching “spent” laying hens and switched over to the EonA upright method and now a UK company is also interested in it (we will be meeting with them in January).

Together with the French organization L214 we exposed the horrible cruelty in the trade of unweaned calves from Ireland via French control posts to veal farms in the Netherlands. One of the employees in France was prosecuted and the story got in major international press. Our inspections were reported in Le Monde, Le Parisien, Het Parool, de Volkskrant, BBC World, The Guardian, the Irish Times, NPO Radio 1 and more.

 

 

 

THANK YOU!

Dear donor, your generous support have made the improvements for all these animals possible. Thank you for believing in our efforts and for being patient with us. Your support gives me and my team the opportunity to spend our time and energy into what we all hold as being so important – to make this world a gentler place for animals.

We still do hope for a day when society peacefully switches over to an agricultural system not dependent on killing animals, but as long as there are animals inside barren barns, overcrowded trucks or frightening slaughterhouses, we will do our very best to make sure animal-suffering is noticed and decreased.

On behalf of everyone at Eyes on Animals, I wish you a joyous and peaceful winter holiday season.

On behalf of myself, I wish all of the hard-working volunteers and freelancers of Eyes on Animals a time to rest and look back on the achievements.

With warm wishes from us all at the Eyes on Animals office in Amsterdam,

 

 

Thank you for your support!

EoA Xmas
Lesley Moffat
director of Eyes on Animals

Farm Animals, Fur and Fur Farming, General News

England: One Will Not Wear Fur – Her Majesty The Queen of England Goes Fur Free In Future Clothing Lines.

England

 

Well better late than never – the UK Royal Family are watched and followed across the world; especially in the USA; so any progress to stop the wearing of fur is good news as far as we are concerned.  Hopefully will influence many others around the globe that Fur Is Out !

 

For all the great news from Respect for Animals, please visit their web site by clicking on:

http://www.respectforanimals.org/category/news/

One will not wear fur

The Queen of England Goes Fur Free In Future Clothing Lines.

One will not wear fur

–Queen’s new outfits will now be fur free Respect for Animals has welcomed the news that the Queen will no longer be wearing fur in her new outfits. Her personal adviser and senior dresser Angela Kelly wrote in her new memoir that Her Majesty will only wear fur-free new items for engagements due to changing attitudes in the country. Any outfits designed for the Queen now will use fake fur

 

–Queen’s new outfits will now be fur free

Respect for Animals has welcomed the news that the Queen will no longer be wearing fur in her new outfits.

Her personal adviser and senior dresser Angela Kelly wrote in her new memoir that Her Majesty will only wear fur-free new items for engagements due to changing attitudes in the country.

Any outfits designed for the Queen now will use fake fur instead.

In her book, titled The Other Side Of The Coin: The Queen, The Dresser And The Wardrobe, Ms Kelly says a coat worn by the Queen in Slovakia in 2008 has since been altered.

The coat’s trim, which originally used mink fur, has been replaced with fake fur.

However, this is likely to be an exception, as reports now suggest that fur on current clothing will not be replaced, and the Queen will continue to re-wear existing outfits in her wardrobe.

LISTEN: Respect for Animals Campaigns Director, Mark Glover, discusses the Queen’s shift away from real fur on Talk Radio’s Breakfast Show with Julia Hartley-Brewer: https://talkradio.co.uk/radio/listen-again/1573021800# (from around 20:00 in the 09:30-10:00

 

 

For all the great news from Respect for Animals, please visit their web site by clicking on:

http://www.respectforanimals.org/category/news/