Month: December 2020

Hunting

Germany: 13 Hunting stands eliminated!

ALF Destroys 13 Hunting Stands in Germany
Via local media:

According to local media, four hunting towers were set alight in Gödenstorf (a small community in the district of Harburg) during the evening of the 22nd November, causing total damage of 5000 EUR.

On the 19th, in Viernheim (a middle industrial city north of Mannheim) nine more towers were destroyed, legs sawed off, ladders were broken or overturned.

Some of them had been tagged with ALF.

ALF Destroys 13 Hunting Stands in Germany

And I mean…Eliminating 13 Murder Stands in 4 days … is an above-average achievement.
Animals will no longer be shot from these execution towers, that is safe.

And so we send a big “THANK YOU” to the activists

…and my best regards to all, Venus

Farm Animals, General News, Live Transport

England: Live Animal Transport Consultation – 12/12/20 Progress Report.

Hi all;

Just to let you know that I am doing fine putting together a response to the UK government (Defra) consultation which we hope will see the end of live animal exports.  There is a great deal of contribution to be made, as I personally have over 30 years involvement with live animal transport – it is one of my top hates.  But it is going very well and things are on track for an early finish – maybe by the end of this year.

Check out the issue more at About Us. | Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)

I am still trying to get posts for this site completed also; but at the moment the consultation is the main thing. It is a massive opportunity to make a huge difference and it has to be fully taken.

The consultation is open until the end of January 20121.  I am posting below our links to this, which include a link if you wish to take part.  From what we can find out, the consultation is also open to non UK residents.

Here are the links:

England: UK Consultation To End Live Animals Exports. It Appears to be Open Also For Contributions From OUTSIDE the UK. Read On if you Wish to Take Part. – World Animals Voice

England: Full Info on the UK Ban Live Exports Consultation. Finishes End of Jan 2021. – World Animals Voice

UK: Live Exports (Ban) Consultation. – World Animals Voice

Fingers crossed for a ban during 2021.

Regards Mark

Farm Animals, General News

England: Huge Farm Fire in Sussex: Firefighters do a Brilliant Job – Animals Rescued from Blaze.
Turkeys were among the animals to be saved from a farm fire in Slinfold, West Sussex
Turkeys were among the animals to be saved from a farm fire in Slinfold, West Sussex

WAV Comment – well done and big thanks to all the crews at West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service – they did a brilliant job !

Turkeys were among the animals to be saved from a farm fire in Slinfold, West Sussex
Turkeys were among the animals to be saved from a farm fire in Slinfold, West Sussex
Turkeys were among the animals to be saved from a farm fire in Slinfold, West Sussex

Huge farm fire in Sussex: animals rescued from blaze

Animals have been rescued by firefighters from a blaze at a farm in Sussex.

West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service said they were called at 9.30am last night (December 10) to a farm in Five Oaks Road, Slinfold, near Horsham, West Sussex, to reports of a barn fire.

When crews arrived, the blaze had spread to several buildings, and firefighters spent hours battling the flames.

Six fire engines and two water carriers attended the blaze.

With Christmas around the corner, the animals to be saved reportedly included turkeys, pigs and cows. A fire service spokesman said firefighters rescued livestock and moved them to safety in unaffected buildings.

No people needed to be rescued.

It is currently unknown if any animals perished in the fire.

Police and the ambulance service were on scene as part of the routine response to this size incident.

At around 2am today (December 11) the majority of crews left the scene with one fire engine remaining.

The cause of the fire is still being investigated, the fire service said.

Huge farm fire in Sussex: animals rescued from blaze | Eastbourne Herald

Farm Animals

Germany: dirty blood business with PMSG

In Thuringia, business with the blood of pregnant mares has been kept secret for years. According to MDR research, the responsible ministry had also known about the blood samples for years.
The topic is now a political issue.

So far, blood samples for the production of the hormone PMSG are known mainly from South America. Pregnant mares were repeatedly tortured there in order to be able to produce a drug for factory farming.
In December 2019, the FAKT magazine discovered that blood samples were also taken from horses in Germany.

That happens in Meura in Thuringia.

Anke Sendig runs a stud there. “The blood is taken four times a week, four liters each time,” she explains in December 2019 when the deal was uncovered. “If everything is chic and normal, then 16 liters of whole blood are drawn a week.”

The hormone is then sold and later used in factory farming. This means that sows become pregnant and piglet at the same time. For the horses at the stud in Thuringia, this means that around 100 mares are drawn with large cannulas within 50 days.
The operator claims that it would do this in accordance with the requirements.

More blood is drawn than allowed

Karsten Feige from the Clinic for Horses at the University of Veterinary Medicine in Hanover has worked on the guidelines for taking blood from horses. This sets the guideline for the maximum amount of blood that can be drawn from an animal.

Over 100 liters of blood were drawn from the mares in Meura in seven weeks.

“That clearly does not match the guidelines,” says veterinarian Karsten Feige.
“If we use the guidelines to the maximum, you can lose a maximum of 24 liters from a 500-kilogram horse, but not 112.”

Experts also say that no blood should be drawn from pregnant mares.
The operators of the stud counter that red blood cells are returned to the animals and that the guidelines are only recommendations.

“They are not laws, they are guidelines. But of course, they do imply that you should absolutely adhere to them,” replies Professor Karsten Feige.
If this is not done, there must be a good reason. Otherwise, there could be legal consequences, as court rulings have shown.

Continue reading “Germany: dirty blood business with PMSG” →

General News

Lapland: the Husky Business is about to end

The effects of Corona do not stop at sled dogs

Risk areas, quarantine regulations, closed borders: The Corona crisis hits the tourism industry very hard.
In addition to the obvious fellow sufferers such as restaurants, hotels, or transport companies, there are also some victims (!!!) of the crisis that no one has on their radar.
These include, for example, the providers of sled dog rides in Lapland (!!!)- and their animals. The situation on-site is so bad that some dogs even have to be euthanized or shot – because they can no longer be cared for.

The boom in dog sledding tours through Lapland

The boom in dog sledding has been great in recent years.
You can hardly imagine anything more beautiful: Just escape everyday life around the Christmas holidays and enjoy the snow-covered valleys and forests of Lapland.

And all on a sled, pulled by cute huskies and best of all with Santa Claus as a “musher” – the one who steers the sled.

Not all sled dogs are fine

Because this type of tour is becoming more and more popular, a real industry has sprung up around sledding.
According to “YLE”, the public broadcaster in Finland, around 5,000 to 7,000 dogs are used each season. But according to a report by “CNN”, the boom became a problem even before Corona – not only in Finland but in all of Scandinavia.

The local providers were no longer able to meet the demand – more and more providers, including from abroad, pushed onto the market. And with the price war, the exploitation of animals began more and more. Often flown in from southern Europe, many dogs struggle with health problems and poor holding conditions.

While the local dog farmers would have to adhere to strict requirements and the dogs could lead a good life there, seasonal suppliers could be less monitored by the authorities, according to the report.
“Sometimes the dogs are even put to sleep out of desperation and shot” (!!!)

Due to the corona pandemic, Christmas tourism in Lapland has now collapsed almost completely. But thousands of trained dogs want to be moved – and above all to be fed. Many dog ​​owners are on the verge of desperation.
The situation is so dire that some are not sure whether they can continue to care for their animals.

Hundreds of donations and tons of dog food for sled dogs in Finland

In the meantime, some companies and private individuals have come together to collect donations for the sled dogs.
As reported by the Finnish radio, several tons of dog food have also been donated to Lapland – by some dog food companies.
Dog sled driver Aki Holck does not want to accept donations (!!!)

The man, who has been offering dog sledding tours for 30 years, told YLE that he would like people to buy vouchers for his tours.
“I don’t want to take the dogs out of their familiar environment. These animals have their own territory and need their pack and regular carers,” says Holck. Even if the situation is currently difficult: He does not want to give up and hopes that even more tourists will come to Lapland next winter.

https://www.rtl.de/cms/einige-tiere-mussten-bereits-getoetet-werden-husky-farmen-in-lappland-kaempfen-ums-ueberleben-4664903.html

And I mean...In Finnish Lapland, there are an estimated 65 to 70 dog sledding companies with 5,000 to 7,000 dogs who are mainly used for sled safaris.
The turnover of dog sled companies is around ten million per year.
The dog begins to work around the age of one year and its services often last up to ten years.

For years the husky owners have exploited their animals to entertain “nature lovers” with Santa Claus on husky paws.
Now they moan, the money stays away!
Every small company puts something aside for the bad times.
But in bad times, exploiters have no mercy on their slaves.
Now they are killing their most loyal servants, they were just a means of transport

And the owners play the victims of the Corona, of course!

What an outrageous, exploitative gang are these dog sledding businessmen!
Please clarify all of your friends, acquaintances, relatives about this business.
No tours with huskies, nowhere in the world.

My best regards to all, Venus

General News

To Animal Rights Day: your freedom is our fight

Today, December 10th is International Animal Rights Day.

In 1998, animal rights group Uncaged launched International Animal Rights Day to call for the recognition of a Universal Declaration of Animal Rights, specifically choosing December 10th to coincide with Human Rights Day and draw attention to speciesism.

Giving the basic respect due to all sentient beings takes nothing away from the struggle for human rights.

Everyone, human and non-human alike, deserves fundamental rights to life, freedom, and bodily integrity.

Oppression of animals is no more justifiable than the oppression of humans, and the ‘humans first’ ideology is human supremacism.
Humans are responsible for needlessly enslaving, torturing, and murdering these non-human animals by the trillion every year in the meat, dairy, and egg industries.

The United Nations claims to lead global efforts to achieve peace, dignity, and equality, yet they ignore these industries.
Seventy-two years after the United Nations ratified the Declaration of Human Rights, it’s long overdue that non-human animals get the least they deserve.

End human supremacism.
Non-human animals will have their own day.

Anonymous for the Voiceless

And my Comment: Every year over 60 billion animals are killed for human consumption – without counting fish – mostly after a horrific life and mostly in a cruel way!
Anyone who has a glimmer of compassion must feel sick to see what is happening every second.

Even today, 22 years after the introduction of Animal Rights Day, catastrophic conditions in animal holdings, slaughterhouses, animal transports, and much more are documented and revealed again and again.

Even if small successes can be celebrated, there are always setbacks and the daily confrontation with the bitter fact that animals are nowhere in the world considered living beings.

But like humans, animals have rights that cannot be put into perspective or negotiated!


Why should one be allowed to torture someone because they belong to a different species?
The same pain is equally bad, regardless of whether it is experienced by whites, blacks, men, women, children, the disabled, or animals. Species exploitation and discrimination are just as wrong as racism and sexism.

Remembrance days such as Animal Rights Day on December 10th remind us that work and struggle are more necessary and important today than ever.

Animals cannot go to court themselves and stand up for their rights, so they need us.

We will not betray them and will continue to fight for the abolition of their slavery

My best regards to all, Venus

Farm Animals, General News

BREAKING 10/12/20: RESTAURANT BRANDS INTERNATIONAL ANNOUNCES GLOBAL CAGE-FREE COMMITMENT.

WAV Comment – Going cage free is a progress; so worthy of reporting.

BREAKING: RESTAURANT BRANDS INTERNATIONAL ANNOUNCES GLOBAL CAGE-FREE COMMITMENT

RBI just became the first major restaurant group to commit to a truly global cage-free policy. Millions of chickens at 25,000 restaurants will be spared the horrors of battery cages.

In a historic win for animals, Restaurant Brands International (RBI)—a fast-food conglomerate that includes Burger King, Popeyes, and Tim Hortons—has announced that all of its worldwide locations will stop sourcing eggs and egg products from caged chickens by 2025 in 92 percent of their markets and by 2030 for the remaining 8 percent. RBI’s pledge comes after activists waged a relentless six-week campaign spearheaded by the Open Wing Alliance (OWA), a global coalition of 75 chicken welfare organizations, of which The Humane League (THL) is a founding member.

You, our incredible supporters, were too loud and tireless to ignore.

Activists in Russia, Taiwan, Denmark, Turkey, Sweden, Finland, and Indonesia led socially-distanced protests outside Burger King restaurants. Tens of thousands of customers bombarded RBI restaurants with phone calls and flooded their social media pages demanding that they ditch the battery cages in their supply chain. And over 270,000 activists signed a petition calling for RBI to commit to higher welfare standards for chickens raised for all of its locations and all of its egg products—no exceptions.

Thanks to you, within a few years, a hen laying eggs for Burger King will be able to spread her wings without hitting the side of a cage. Her feet won’t get caught in the wire mesh floor, leading to mangled or broken limbs. She’ll have more than a sheet of paper’s worth of area in which to move around, allowing her to engage in natural behaviors like perching, roosting, foraging, and exploring. Her feathers won’t fall off from the constant friction of rubbing against a wire prison.

To ensure these changes are implemented by the deadline, RBI has promised to provide annual progress reports. We will be working with RBI to translate the commitment across several languages. As always, it’s up to us to hold this company to its word.

If and when we do, RBI’s commitment will impact millions of chickens at more than 25,000 locations. This real, tangible progress is a testament to your persistence, your scrappiness, your unwillingness to quit or settle for half-measures. Between RBI going cage-free and Aldi pledging to end live-shackle slaughter in its largest market, our movement has built up a ton of momentum to carry us into next year and beyond. If this is what you all can accomplish in a year as challenging as 2020, we can only imagine what you’re capable of in 2021.

RBI is now the first major restaurant group to commit to a truly global cage-free policy. It won’t be the last.

Farm Animals, Fur and Fur Farming, General News

Action – Urge Italy to Ban Fur Farms – Do It Here !

Animals in Italy need our help. The country has suspended fur farming amid COVID-19 outbreaks on mink farms. This is a great step forward, but we must urge the prime minister to shut down the industry permanently:

Fur farms have been hotspots for COVID-19 outbreaks in Italy, Canada, Denmark, France, Greece, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, and the US.

When stressed animals are confined next to each other in filthy, unsanitary conditions, it’s no surprise that diseases spread easily. As minks are particularly susceptible to respiratory illnesses, mink farms around the world are dangerous breeding grounds for diseases including COVID-19. Indeed, a mutated version of the coronavirus originating in minks is posing a risk to the effectiveness of future vaccines.

For the sake of the animals who are suffering terribly and the humans whose lives are being put at risk by these festering cesspools, PETA is appealing to Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte to close the country’s remaining mink farms permanently. Will you send him a message, too?

Urge Italy to Ban Fur Farms

Around 200,000 minks a year are still imprisoned on Italy’s 13 remaining fur farms. It’s time to shut these facilities down.

Investigations into Italian mink farms have found that animals spend their short, miserable lives in wire cages, with no access to grass or water to swim in. Many were severely injured, and some were driven to self-mutilation or cannibalisation of their cagemates by the stress of captivity.

The minks are killed when they’re only about 6 months old – crammed by the dozens into a box and gassed to death.

These fur farms are putting public health at risk, too. When it comes to the risk of disease, they’re no different to the live-animal market in which the novel coronavirus is believed to have originated. It’s very easy for infectious diseases to spread on fur farms through the exchange of urine, excrement, pus, and blood. Minks with infections, sores, and festering, open wounds caused by the wire flooring they stand on are a common sight. Fur farmers and handlers are among those who most commonly suffer from the zoonotic bacterial disease tularaemia.

Following reports that minks tested positive for COVID-19 on fur farms in the Netherlands and workers are believed to have contracted the virus from the animals, the Dutch parliament voted by an overwhelming majority to bring forward the implementation of a fur-farming ban in the country. Such bans are already in place in Austria, the Czech Republic, Israel, the UK, and several other countries.

Italians know that fur belongs in the history books, not in our wardrobes. Over 90% of the country’s population is against fur farming; iconic Italian designer brands such as Armani, Gucci, Elisabetta Franchi, Prada, and Versace are all fur-free; and in the past 30 years, the number of fur farms in Italy decreased from 125 to 13.

Take Action:

Urge Italy to Ban Fur Farms | People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (peta.org.uk)

Regards Mark

Environmental, General News

Amazon Frontlines – A Pathway to Protect the Amazon.

Amazon Frontlines

A pathway to protect the Amazon;

Read about it here – click on the link:

A pathway forward to protect the Amazon (mailchi.mp)

Also:

Just yesterday, I was awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize for my people’s struggle to keep our lands free of oil drilling, for lifting up Indigenous peoples’ rights to say “No” to the powerful interests that seek to take from our lands, and for inspiring millions around the world in the fight to protect the Amazon and save our climate.

As a Waorani woman, a mother, and a leader, I know that this award is not mine alone. It is for my ancestors, my elders, and Indigenous peoples across the world risking their lives to protect Mother Earth. And it is for you, too! We are all in this together. And the stakes have never been higher.  

I’m honored and thrilled to announce today that I will be donating every penny of the $200,000 Goldman Prize money to further our peoples’ efforts to protect a rainforest that the entire world depends on. Actions speak louder than words, and I’d like for you to join me!  

I recently learned that only 2% of all global philanthropy worldwide goes to protect Mother Earth. And of that, only a tiny fraction makes it to community-led frontline efforts to protect our lands and rivers. We must change this! Indigenous peoples are up against some of the mightiest interests in the world, and if we are to confront them we need urgent resources on the frontlines. We need you to have our backs so we can continue protecting the air, the water, and the climate that we all depend on.  

Nemonte Nenquimo
Waorani leader, TIME100 Honoree and Goldman Prize Winner

See more:

In honor of mother earth 🌿 (mailchi.mp)