Month: February 2022

Hunting

South Africa releases endangered animals for shooting – to help the poor

From Magazin “Der Spiegel”: 02/26/2022
The South African government allows hunting of endangered species – including black rhinos, which are classified as critically endangered. The proceeds will go to impoverished villages.

South Africa has cleared a number of endangered species for shooting.
“A total of 10 black rhinos and 150 elephants can be hunted,” said the country’s Ministry of Forests and Environment.
Some leopards will also be shot under certain circumstances.
Proceeds from the sale of hunting licenses go to impoverished rural communities in the hunting areas.

Black rhinos are listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
The number of animals in the wild had recently doubled from an all-time low three decades ago to more than 5,000.
The ministry said the quota allocated was based on population estimates “which are currently trending upwards.”

In 2014-2017, black rhino poaching had increased dramatically.
On average, 1,000 animals per year were illegally killed during this period. However, the problem could be contained.
Last year, 451 black rhinos were illegally killed.

The official hunting quota for elephants has been set in accordance with international laws on trade in endangered species, the ministry said.
The elephant population is growing (!!!) and 150 animals is less than 0.3 percent.

According to the ministry, hunting of leopards is limited to animals over the age of seven (!!!) and only in regions where the populations are “stable or increasing”.

https://www.spiegel.de/panorama/umstrittene-grosswildjagd-suedafrika-gibt-seltene-tiere-zum-abschuss-frei-a-f934924f-4524-4d83-9a3d-498c846bbf23

And I mean…If a hunter buys such a license, can the animal stay alive?
No! because the hunter wants something for his money, namely satisfying the desire to end a life.

This is blood money.
There has never been a worse excuse to legitimize hunting and poaching.
This is an excuse to bring rich big game hunters into the country.
Any Saudi prince or son of American politicians will take great pleasure in pulling the trigger.
Or can the old king of Spain do it again…

What a disgusting perversion…
Nobody has lost anything in the habitats of these animals.
Rhinos defend their calves should someone get too close to their habitat.
Elephants and leopards too, by the way.
Because humans don’t respect their habitats and rob them, the simplest “solution” always comes up: shoot them down.

Shame on South Africa!
The goal must be for Africa to benefit from its biodiversity and intact nature without destroying it.

And quite frankly now: if a country like South Africa isn’t even able to help these impoverished regions without shooting down these endangered animals, then something suspicious is afoot

My best regards to all, Venus

Farm Animals, General News, Stray Animals, Uncategorized

28/2/22 – More Ukraine Links.

Hi all;

We all know the current terrible situation in the Ukraine; and obviously there is concern for animals as well ass humans.

Here is a link to WAN Ukraine which will provide you with names, sites and contact links if you wish to further follow things up yourself:

Results (worldanimal.net)

This post is additional to the Ukrainian info we provided recently at:

How You Can Support Animal Welfare Organisations In Ukraine. – World Animals Voice

Below (at the end) is additional info provided by friend Di;

Please note that it is possible that info is repeated in some cases; but that is not a problem.

The WAN info at Results (worldanimal.net)

Should be up to date and is a good starter.

https://www.surgeactivism.org/articles/ukraine-the-animal-photos-helping-to-tell-the-story-of-an-invasion

Info from Di:

Food will soon run out for stray animals as Russian invades, fear Ukraine’s shelters 

A list of shelters and charities you can support

  • Casa lui Patrocle – the Romanian animal rescue charity, located 25 miles from the Ukrainian border, has pledged to help families fleeing by providing veterinary care to their companion animals.
  • Sirius – the largest shelter for stray animals in Ukraine, established in 2000.
  • Happy Paw – a charity that cares for homeless cats and dogs.
  • UAnimals – works in Ukraine to protect animals from exploitation and abuse.
  • Shelter Ugolyok – recently announced via its Instagram account that it is in need of help, with some animals having been moved to basements.

Regards Mark

Hunting

What is a turtledove worth?

Or to put it the other way around: what kind of punishment is appropriate for someone who kills a turtledove?

A criminal court in Malta has now answered this question for itself and sentenced a hunter to a fine of 1,000 euros for illegally shooting down a turtle dove.
In addition, the man’s hunting license was confiscated for two years.

Judge dr. Elaine Mercieca saw it as proven that on April 20, 2020, the man had killed a turtle dove near the village of Selmun during the closed season. The main piece of evidence was a video created by the Committee Against Bird Slaughter that shows the shooting down.

The committee welcomes the verdict, even if many feel that the sentence is too low.
The reason is that according to Maltese law it is “only” a closed season offense and not the shooting of a strictly protected species that is protected all year round.

Turtle doves are a huntable species in Malta and may legally be shot in autumn but not in spring when the birds are on their way to their breeding grounds.

https://www.facebook.com/Komitee.CABS/

And I mean…Hunting remains widespread in southern European countries such as Spain, Italy and Malta.
Maltese hunters even start shooting turtledoves in spring

According to estimates by the University of Giessen (Germany) from 2016, millions of turtle doves are shot every year in the Mediterranean alone.
In addition to the official catches or kills for the pastime of the registered hobby hunters, the number of unreported cases is many times higher.
In Italy alone, it must be assumed that 5.6 million birds of various species are illegally killed every year.

The Italian Hunting Federation, a member of FACE, the European hunting federation, has campaigned hard to blast the very last lovebirds out of the sky.

Driven by their murderous hobby, hunters don’t want to give up their beloved prey.

Planck and Einstein thought hunters were psychopaths.
If one reads the daily news how many wild boars with their children or how many foxes are being massacred by hunters and only out of a lust for murder, this opinion is confirmed.

My best regards to all, Venus

Environmental, General News, Hunting, Stray Animals

USA: A Message From Camilla Fox – Project Coyote. Speaking Up For The Underdog.

Dear Mark,

On February 10, wildlife advocates across the U.S. celebrated a federal district court ruling to relist wolves after the Trump administration removed federal protections for wolves in January 2021. The Biden administration failed to reinstate emergency federal protection, thereby opening up expanded slaughter across their range. Last week’s ruling reinstates federal protections for gray wolves under the Endangered Species Act across the lower 48 except for three separate groups of wolves. The first two groups, Mexican gray wolves and red wolves, are already federally protected. Tragically, the third group of wolves in the Northern Rockies states of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, are not included in that ruling and still face intense persecution under state management with new laws allowing liberalized killing through trophy hunting, trapping, snaring, baiting, aerial gunning and night hunting. We’ve been advocating for wolf protections for a long time and now is no time to let up

Project Coyote‘s new billboard campaign in Idaho and Montana challenges this egregious mismanagement, calling for the relisting of wolves in the Northern Rockieswhere populations continue to attract millions of visitors to famed Yellowstone National Park from all over the globe to glimpse a wolf in the wild.

At the base of this mismanagement of wolves and other apex predators is a governance system that is out of sync with current science and public sentiment. Such a broken system is reflected in myriad other states where wildlife commissions continue to allow and even expand the wanton killing of wild carnivores. Some recent examples of where we’ve been countering the actions of commissions that simply shills for a small contingent of hunting and agricultural interests include: expanded opportunities to trophy hunt black bears in California and North Carolina, hound hunting of coyotes in Vermont, wildlife killing contests in Virginia and trophy hunting of wild cats in Colorado. We’re also part of a newly formed coalition called Wildlife For All that aims to reform state and federal wildlife agency governance structures and institutions pushing for change that reflects diverse values for wildlife, more democratic decision-making and recognition of wildlife as a common good to be conserved for the benefit of all. Across all these issues and more, Project Coyote is on the front lines, advocating on behalf of North America‘s wild carnivores who have no voice and are often still seen as vermin needing to be expunged from the landscape. 

On another front, we’re excited to expand our reach into the Midwest through the Big River Connectivity project in collaboration with The Rewilding Institute, the Half-Earth Project and BeWildReWild. Through this partnership we aim to restore at least 9 million acres in the Midwest to create a wilder, more beautiful, more biologically diverse and more enduring Mississippi River watershed. We will do so by shifting the paradigm from traditional agricultural practices to a more holistic, sustainable and humane approach of interacting with land and wildlife. 

Our work is defensive and offensive — working to stop wanton wildlife killing while concurrently seeking to educate, empower and inspire action for wildlife and wildlands. Read more about these efforts below and our expanded team who will help bring these bold goals to fruition.

We could not do this work without you — our supporters and the many foundations who believe in our vision for a wilder world. Thank you for helping foster compassion for the other beings with whom we share this planet.

For the Wild Ones,

Camilla Fox
Founder & Executive Director

https://www.projectcoyote.org/

Regards Mark

Speak up for the underdog !

General News

Ultimatum to Munich’s chief conductor Gergiev: distance himself from Putin – or dismissal

More and more Russian artists are coming under pressure in the West because of the “Russian invasion” of Ukraine.
Munich Mayor Dieter Reiter has asked the chief conductor of the Munich Philharmonic, Valeri Gergiev, to distance himself from “ruler Putin”.
Otherwise he will be fired (!!!)

Valery Gergiev during a performance at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow on May 2, 2021

Munich’s Lord Mayor Dieter Reiter has asked the chief conductor of the Munich Philharmonic, Valeri Gergiev, to distance himself from the so-called Russian invasion of Ukraine.
This is reported by the Bayerischer Rundfunk. Otherwise, the chief conductor is threatened with dismissal, according to the mayor.
Reiter literally:

“I made my position clear to Valery Gergiev and asked him to also clearly and unequivocally distance himself from the brutal war of aggression that Putin is waging against Ukraine and now especially against our twin city of Kiev.”
“If Valery Gergiev has not clearly positioned himself here by Monday, he can no longer remain chief conductor of our Philharmonic.”

In a letter addressed to Gergiev, Reiter was “stunned” by the “barbaric act of the Russian ruler Putin, who is pursuing his nationalist goals with all brutality and without regard to human life” (!!!)
He expects Gergiev to send a clear signal to the city leaders, the public, the musicians of the Munich Philharmonic and their audience by Monday, February 28th.

“Otherwise we will have to end the contractual relationship as chief conductor.”(!!!)

The 68-year-old Gergiev has been chief conductor of the Munich Philharmonic, a city orchestra, since 2015.
The musician from the Caucasus is considered one of the world’s most famous conductors.

In addition to directing the Russian prestigious Mariinsky Theatre, which he has held for decades, he also regularly conducts some of the largest and most well-known orchestras in the world.
Gergiev is under contract in Munich until 2025.
He conducts 30 to 40 concerts a year.

Now the star conductor is again threatened with a work ban in the West. For example, he will not perform as planned with the Vienna Philharmonic in New York’s Carnegie Hall – “due to recent events in the world” (!!!)

In addition, according to media reports, it was said that the Scala Gergiev in Milan also issued a similar ultimatum as Reiter in Munich.

“Bayerischer Rundfunk” points out that in the past Gergiev had tried “to convince the public of his pacifist attitude”.
Shortly before his debut concert in the Bavarian capital in 2015, Gergiev told the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” that he wanted to work to improve German-Russian relations.

Valeri Gergiev

“We must do whatever it takes to avoid another major tragic conflict,” he said at the time.
“Big means: up to a third world war, which I hope will never happen.”

https://de.rt.com/inland/132578-ultimatum-an-chefdirigent-munchner-philharmoniker/

And I mean…First the following remark: This post comes as a declaration of solidarity to a man who works in the theater business, as I have been for 36 years.
But that’s not the only reason.
A legitimate question arises: if attitude control is to be introduced in the West, how will it differ from totalitarian regimes?

Wanting to force people to say something specific so that they can continue to practice their profession is illegal and has only the worst role models in Germany’s history.

Why does Gergiev have to take a stand? Are people now also being thrown out and put under pressure whose political opinions do not conform with those of their employer?
We thought we had a democracy here.
The right to speak, to express one’s opinion, regardless of whether the Lord Mayor likes it or not, is contained in the Basic Law on which Mayor Dieter Reiter swore his oath of office.

We live in an outrage society.
People who disagree will be defamed.
People who criticize the corona measures are Nazis, people who understand the need to respect Russian security interests are anti-democrats, etc.
The main thing is that we are the morally superior, the good guys.

Dieter Reiter emulates the Lord Mayor of Munich during the Nazi era, who freed the city’s orchestras from Jews.
Russian-free anyway.

So… That’s it for freedom of expression…
The racist little minds have taken over Germany again.

Venus

Environmental

Sustainable fishing – a contradiction

A comment from Sea Shepherd CEO Captain Alex Cornelissen

For the past five years, Sea Shepherd has focused on illegal, undocumented and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
Our campaigns, mainly in West Africa, have provided us with a wealth of information about the impact of both IUU fishing and large-scale industrial fishing on the ocean.
It is evident that humans are wiping out all life in the ocean and this goes largely unnoticed.

The creatures in the ocean continue to be objectified:
– Fish species are referred to as “stock”.
– The removal of living beings is referred to as “catching”.
– Quantities are measured in weight rather than in individual animals.
– All species are simply referred to as “seafood”.
– And most important: the myth that fish do not feel pain.

Of course, these are carefully chosen terms so potential consumers don’t question the way we collect fish and other creatures from our ocean.
But our crews at sea see the destruction every day when dealing with trawlers.

We see the amount of bycatch of species not suitable for trade. They are killed and simply thrown back into the ocean.

We see sharks being killed by the thousands by tuna boats that are supposedly “dolphin friendly”.

We see dolphins being killed by many fishermen as they consider them pests that “eat our fish”.

We see seals suffering the same fate as dolphins because they are a competitor to our fisheries.

The way we look at and understand nature is fundamentally wrong, including that we have disconnected ourselves from the ecosystem of which we are actually a part.
This is especially true when it comes to how we deal with the ocean.

We dump our garbage at sea because we think the ocean is big enough and no one will notice.
We take what we want because we think the ocean is an infinite source of protein.
Our desire and demand for fish is now so great that we stop at nothing to get the “goods”.
The destruction of habitats and the extinction of species are accepted.

And then, of course, there’s the persistent claim that eating fish is a healthy choice for human consumption.
We have polluted the world’s oceans so badly that the entire food chain is affected, with pollutants concentrating the higher up the chain you go.
For years, pregnant women have been warned against eating tuna or swordfish because of their high levels of mercury.
This situation will only get worse the more we pollute our nature.

We are at a point in history where we must make a decision:

Do we stop supporting the destructive and unsustainable industry that is destroying our ocean, or do we continue on our current path with the result that our ocean will be empty in our lifetime?

Both decisions lead to the same result: we will stop eating fish either now or in 30 years.
Only the longer we wait, the more irrevocable the situation will become.
Our “infinite” source of protein has reached its limit, so it’s time we make the necessary decisions to restore balance to our ocean.

We see the success of our campaigns in the fight against IUU fishing in West Africa: the fish populations and ecosystems recover after just a few years.
But these areas are not large enough to revitalize entire regions.
Enforcing regulations and expanding protected areas against IUU fishing and large-scale industrial fishing are the basis of Sea Shepherd’s current campaigns.

Together with our government partners, we shut down dozens of illegal operators every year, saving millions of lives in the process.

It’s a matter of survival to stop the war on the seas.
We must not lose this fight.
A battle that will intensify in the coming years as fish populations continue to decline.
But also a fight that we – with your support – absolutely want to win.

https://sea-shepherd.de/news/nachhaltige-fischerei-ein-widerspruch/

And I mean…“When consumers order fish on the menu or buy it from the market they are supporting the destruction worldwide of marine eco-systems” said Captain Paul Watson on an excellent comment.

Over 2 trillion fish are taken from the sea every year, and that figure does not include the 120 billion killed on fish farms.
This kill is far larger than the estimated 65 billion animals slaughtered each year for meat and fur.

Traditional artisanal fishing communities in the Southwest coastal province of Kerala in India have long suffered from the mechanized vessels funded by Norway.

Commercial Norwegian fishing off India forced hundreds of thousands of Indians into poverty with the result that today Norway, the second-largest exporter of fish in the world (and the world’s No.1 killer of whales), is a major exporter of fish to India.

By destroying artisanal fishing, Norway reduced competition in India and increased their export sales to India.
Norway is also the world’s largest producer of farm-raised salmon.

In recent years, the use of the words “sustainable” or “sustainability” has increased as species and eco-systems are depleted.
It is the green-washing or blue-washing term of choice by the commercial fishing industry.

This life support system is maintained by a crew of living beings and we, the human passengers feasting merrily and ignorantly oblivious at the table, are murdering and consuming the crew that sustains this life support system.

My best regards to all, Venus

Farm Animals, General News, Stray Animals, Uncategorized

How You Can Support Animal Welfare Organisations In Ukraine.

25 February 2022

With tensions involving Ukraine having descended into war, we find ourselves in deeply troubling times and stand in solidarity with everyone affected.

Donation

If you would like to support those protecting the animals caught up in this conflict, here are organisations working in Ukraine: 

Deutscher Tierschutzbund – Shelter Tierschutzzentrum Odessa 

Donation page

Vier Pfoten – Bear Sanctuary Domazhyr

Donation page

Help from Romania

The Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries has shared a list of Romanian Animal Shelters who are accepting refugee animals from Ukraine (some offer shelter for any species, including farm animals): 

The National Veterinary Health and Food Safety Authority (ANSVSA) also informs about the temporary abolition of compliance with certain conditions for the entry of pets from Ukraine to Romania.

Due to the exceptional conditions generated by the situation in Ukraine and in order to avoid possible difficulties with refugees coming from this country with pets, in accordance with Article 32 of Regulation (EU) 576/201 3 on the repeal of the conditions for non-commercial animal movement as a company, Romania authorizes non-commercial traffic on their  territory as follows:

Animals that meet the conditions for entry into the EU (identified, vaccinated, with/or without the title of antibodies) will be allowed to enter.

For animals that :

  • are not correctly identified by microchip/tattoo,
  • are not vaccinated against rabies or whose vaccination is no longer valid,

the responsible person will fill in the animal tracking form, which can be downloaded from the ANSVSA website.

The owner of the animal will be able to carry out all formalities and procedures after his entry into Romania.

To facilitate the access of refugees from Ukraine with animals, ANSVSA has sent instructions on the territory and at the border crossing points.

Regards Mark

Farm Animals

Stacy escapes on the way to the slaughterhouse – and finds a new home!

New York (USA) – It was a last-minute rescue when this little calf suddenly decided to flee during transport in New York.
The Hereford cow, which was only nine months old, was actually supposed to be taken to a slaughterhouse.
But as if it had suspected something, the animal escaped and ran straight into Flushing Meadows Park in the New York borough of Queens.

Park rangers who spotted the free-roaming cow in the park in the middle of the city called the police.
This was later announced by a special unit of the New York Police Department (NYPD) on Twitter.

Stacy

The rangers quickly caught the calf and, together with the police officers, took care of finding a new home for the young animal.
They christened the cow Stacy and contacted Wantage, New Jersey Animal Rescue.
She immediately made her way to New York to pick up the foundling.

In their Twitter post, NYPD police officers spoke of a “sentimental mood” among the rangers.
And Mike Stura, the founder of the animal rescue that Stacy eventually took on, described the rescue to World Animal News (WAN) magazine as particularly heartwarming.
It was very emotional to see how happy the rangers and police officers were and how they smiled when the calf was safe.

And Stacy?
After her fateful escape from the slaughterhouse, she found a new, loving home.
“The little one is safe with us. Today is a very good day,” the animal rescue team posted on Facebook shortly afterwards.
Right from the start, rescuers found Stacy to be an exceptionally calm and lovable calf.Stacy

After about ten days of quarantine, during which Stacy was examined and cared for, she was finally allowed to join the other cows on the farm – and immediately made new friends.
The calf is perfectly healthy and can now enjoy life to the fullest

Around 450 animals live at the animal rescue.
They have all been rescued by animal rights activists from slaughterhouses, from cattle markets or farms, from extreme neglect and abuse, from religious ceremonies or from the streets, as the organization describes on its website.

Nice that the clever calf from New York has found a new home here. (iwe)

https://www.hna.de/welt/rettung-zuhause-kuh-kalb-hereford-entwischt-weg-schlachthaus-schlachter-tod-polizei-new-york-usa-nypd-zr-91367036.html

There is still… the good news!
All the best in your new home Stacy, we wish you a long life

regards, Venus

Fur and Fur Farming

The end of the cruel fur industry is near! ??

Success for the Latvian animal welfare movement!
After years of illegally polluting the sewage,the second largest fur farm in Latvia is empty and at a standstill.

This company dumped manure into Latvian waters for 8 years and avoided liability. Animal Freedom has repeatedly urged the country to end it.

Latvia-2021

In March they documented the pollution around the farm and again brought this to the attention of the control authorities. Well, the fur farm is finally closed.

As on every fur farm, the conditions for the mink were catastrophic, as research from 2018 shows!
In addition, the Latvian parliament is discussing a complete ban on all fur farms that still exist.

Text: VgT (Association against animal factories ) Austria

For info: Fur farming is prohibited by law in Austria, Great Britain, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Macedonia.

The Swiss Animal Welfare Act stipulates that wild animals such as mink and foxes must be kept under zoo standards. These requirements are so high that there are no more fur farms in Switzerland.

A ban on fur farming came into force in the Czech Republic in 2019
In the Netherlands, the second largest mink producer in Europe, keeping chinchillas and foxes is already banned. The last mink farms should close in 2024, because of the corona virus the farms are already closing this year.

Fur farming in Belgium will end in 2023.
Farming of fur animals has been banned in Luxembourg since 2018.

Slovakia passed a law in 2019 banning fur farming from 2025.
Norway passed a law in 2018 banning fur farming from 2025.

In Germany, in March 2019, no more animals were kept on the last German fur farm in Rahden (NRW). Due to the high legal requirements that will apply from 2022, no more new animals will be used. The penultimate farm in Döhlen (Saxony) was closed in 2018.

In the EU, import and trade in seal skins, as well as dog and cat fur have been banned since 2019.
According to the European fur association Fur Europe, there were 4,350 fur farms in Europe in 2018, with a production of almost 38 million furs.

At the end of October 2021, the Irish government confirmed it again – the three remaining mink farms are to close by the end of the year, and the construction of new fur farms will also be prohibited.
This makes Latvia the 18th country in Europe where all fur farms will be closed.

The next step must therefore be that all countries in the European Union ban the keeping and killing of animals for the purpose of fur production, then the way is clear for an EU-wide ban on the trade and production of fur.

Nobody needs fur, only the animals who dress it.

My best regards to all, Venus

Environmental, General News, Hunting

UK: Petition – Make the use of free-running snares illegal for trapping wildlife. Please add your signature now !

Here is the petition link for you to add your signature – so please get on and do it.

Make the use of free-running snares illegal for trapping wildlife – Petitions (parliament.uk)

Petition

Make the use of free-running snares illegal for trapping wildlife

The Government should prohibit the sale, use and manufacture of free-running snares under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, putting them in the same category as self-locking snares, which are already illegal.

We believe that people setting free-running snares cannot ensure animal welfare as required under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, that such snares cause unnecessary suffering to mammals, are indiscriminate and should be banned.

Currently 74,144 signatures

So lets get it past 100.000 for a debate in Parliament.

Government responded

This response was given on 13 January 2022

The Government recognises that some people consider snares to be an inhumane and unnecessary means of trapping wild animals and will launch a call for evidence on the use of snares.

At 100,000 signatures, this petition will be considered for debate in Parliament

Get signing folks !

INFORMATION:

Click to access snares_report_2013___league_against_cruel_sports.pdf

Come on you Heroes, sign !!

Regards Mark