Received anonymously by Animal Liberation Press Office:
Animal Liberation Frontunit “Las Zorritas” claims responsibilty for the rescue of a female German Shepherd on 19 January from the yard of the Greenwood pub in Chelmsley Wood, Birmingham, where she was being kept in appalling conditions as a “guard dog”.
Three activists kept watch while a fourth carried out the rescue.
The dog, whom we have now learned was called “Mia”, has been given a health check and spayed by a sympathetic vet, and is safe and happy in a loving home
We keep a constant eye on businesses premises for “guard dogs” kept outside in conditions of cruelty and neglect, and this was just one of several rescues we have carried out in recent months.
We do not normally claim responsibility, so as to avoid putting the rescued dogs at risk, but we feel we have to on this occasion, because well-intentioned animal rights campaigners and “dog lovers” have presumed Mia was stolen by dognappers for nefarious purposes and have posted appeals about her all over social media and on dogs lost websites!!
We would call on those people to please immediately remove all such posts, as they are putting Mia’s safety, and that of her rescuers, at extreme risk.
We have put together a video of Mia’s rescue from pub CCTV footage taken from social media and our own recording of the appalling conditions she was being kept in.
And I mean…Yes! Well done!
This is the only way to be sure that Mia is saved.
If the VET office had been informed, and if the officers had deemed the case important and had come, the usual reaction would be endless discussions and excuses so that the animal abuser would eventually be found NOT guilty:
–– We’ll leave the animal with him because he promised to improve the husbandry
– – He has no criminal record, so only a fine (if at all) comes into question.
– – He was overwhelmed with the farm and its farm animals, he could not properly take care of the dog, but there are no bad intentions
And so on.
We are all familiar with the perpetrator-friendly judiciary.
That is why we are interested in effective justice
Direct action works best.
Many thanks to the activists on behalf of Mia and we wish her a happy new life
On the 9th of February, the Italian Parliament voted to include the protection of animals and the environment in the nation’s constitution.
The Chamber of Deputies approved, by slight a majority of two thirds (468 votes in favour, 1 against and 6 abstaining), the Constitutional Bill. Thanks to this Reform, animals have now been granted full rights by the constitution, joining just four other countries worldwide in doing so.
Prior to the amendment, article nine of the constitution protected the “natural landscape and the historical and artistic heritage of the Nation.” Now, the article includes a mandate to protect the environment, biodiversity, ecosystems, and animals “in the interest of future generations.” Article 41 previously stated that economic enterprise could “not be carried out against the common good or in such a manner that could damage safety, liberty and human dignity” The language now requires that economic activities not “cause damage to health, to the environment.”
The reform represents a milestone and concrete tool towards effective protection of animals at legislative and jurisdictional level.
We certainly would have liked to go further but, given the current unstable political conditions, we think we can consider the result a miracle because the new provisions do not only apply to cats and dogs, as LAV requested, but also to all animals, in full compliance with the anti-speciesist principle that has always driven our commitment. This Reform fills an unacceptable gap in the Italian Constitution. However, it should not be considered as a point of arrival but a jumping-off place, a coming back to a new square one with more fervour and strength. So that animals will more easily obtain protection and respect, in the forthcoming Laws and in future court rulings. Thanks to this Reform, Italian citizens, associations and volunteers, will have more resources and opportunities to promote and protect animal rights.
WAV Comment: Seems as if, certainly here in the UK, more people are now prepared to release information about sportspersons allegedly abusing animals; as the following article comes just days after the Kurt Zouma cat abuse saga. You can read about that here by just scrolling down and finding Kurt Zouma – or go here:
“The company Equiwarehouse said their Mark Todd products would no longer be available as a consequence”.
Just like Zouma losing his Adidas contract. Seems like the message is now becoming a clear one to all; and we dont just mean sportspeople, and that message is: don’t mess with animals, cos if you do and we have the evidence on media, we will spill the beans and possibly bring you down.
Watch out those who consider themselves above all this; the well known and famous – we suggest your every move is probably being watched and also probably filmed. Do the best thing, keep a clean sheet and don’t abuse animals; or ‘karma’ may rear up and get you !
Has the Zouma / Todd incidents within the last week not shown that ?
Sir Mark Todd issues grovelling apology after footage of him whipping horse with branch
Sir Mark Todd has issued a grovelling apology after he hit a horse with a branch ten times.
Footage of the former Olympic champion’s actions was widely shared after it appeared on TikTok.
The clip, by horse rider Chloe T, showed Todd, 65, striking the horse during a training session.
The shocking video, understood to be two years old, resurfaced this week and in it the animal is about to cross a water obstacle.
However on the approach it suddenly stops and appears reluctant, as it begins to back away.
Sir Todd, who earlier admitted it is him in the clip, dashes forward with the branch and strikes the horse on its rear.
The decorated equestrian hits the horse ten times before it moves into the shallow water.
As it does so, people can be heard cheering in the video, filmed at an unidentified location.
Sir Todd, a double Olympic gold medallist, issued a statement in response to the “training incident.”
“I wholeheartedly apologise to the horse and all involved for my actions in this video clip,” he said.
“One of the main things I preach is about establishing a mutual respect between horse and rider and that patience and kindness is the best way to get results.
“I believe this is one of the main attributes along with a great empathy with animals that has enabled me to have a long and successful career in eventing.
“I am very disappointed in myself that I did not adhere to that in this case.”
Social media users criticised his actions, while the company Equiwarehouse said their Mark Todd products would no longer be available as a consequence.
Sharing the video to its Facebook page, a spokesperson said: “With no regret at all, we will no longer be selling any Mark Todd clothing, horse wear or feed.
‘Mark Todd Eventing you should be utterly ashamed of yourself, vile ‘professional’ and disgrace of a human.
Others were upset and angry at what they viewed online.
One person said on TikTok: ‘Absolutely heartbreaking to watch, i’m so sorry you both had to go though that.’
Another wrote: ‘That is no way to treat any animal.’
A third social media user commented: ”I literally can’t even watch this. i have to pause it every time.’
The poster of the clip, Chloe T, said she was ‘scared of backlash,’ when questioned about whether she had sent it to the International Federation for Equestrian Sports ((FEI).
Sir Todd, who runs a successful thoroughbred training business, spent 22 years as an eventing and showjumping rider.
He scooped two Olympic gold medals at the Los Angeles and Seoul Games.
His long list of achievements include three bronze medals, plus winning the Badminton Horse Trials four times and Burghley on five occasions.
In 2016, Sir Todd became the first New Zealander to contest seven Olympic Games.
He retired from eventing three years ago and launched Mark Todd Racing in Wiltshire, celebrating his last winner on the Flat 57 days ago.
His 2021 campaign in the sport was his best yet, with 13 winners from 80 runners – and his team earned £121,000 in prize money.
Sir Todd and his wife Carolyn have also had success breeding horses, including multiple champion in South Korea, Tahamkke.
The Mirror also contacted the FEI, British Equestrian and the British Horse Society for comment.
Elon Musk’s neurotechnology company Neuralink has become the subject of a US federal complaint and lawsuit after “invasive and deadly brain experiments” were reportedly carried out on 23 monkeys – leaving 15 of them dead.
The Tesla billionaire’s firm – which aims to help paralysed individuals “by giving them the ability to control computers and mobile devices directly with their brains” – partnered with the University of California, Davis on the research, with $1.4 million allegedly given to the institution in funding.
However, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) claims the university has violated the Animal Welfare Act and has complained to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).
It has also filed a lawsuit ordering the release of videos and photographs of the animals, which the university is refusing to provide because they belong to Neuralink – a private company exempt from the Public Records Act.
Jeremy Beckham, research advocacy coordinator with the committee, said: “UC Davis may have handed over its publicly-funded facilities to a billionaire, but that doesn’t mean it can evade transparency requirements and violate federal animal welfare laws.”
The move comes after the PCRM obtained close to 600 pages of documents about the experiments through an initial lawsuit in 2021.
“The documents reveal that monkeys had their brains mutilated in shoddy experiments and were left to suffer and die,” Mr Beckham added.
According to the PCRM, the macaque monkeys weren’t provided with “adequate veterinary care” when they were dying, suffering infections, “facial trauma”, seizures and “recurring infections” in parts of the brain where the chips were implanted.
Meanwhile Insider, who have viewed the complaint filed with the USDA, describe one instance where a monkey was missing fingers and toes “possibly from self-mutilation or some other unspecified trauma” as part of the research, which is understood to have been carried out from 2017 to 2020.
In a statement to The New York Post, a spokesperson for the University of California, Davis said: “We strive to provide the best possible care to animals in our charge.
WAV Comment – !!! Best possible care ?? – Bullshit.
“Animal research is strictly regulated, and UC Davis follows all applicable laws and regulations including those of the US Department of Agriculture.”
They also told the outlet that they finished working with Neuralink in 2020.
It isn’t the only instance of monkeys being implanted with the company’s chip, as the organisation shared a video of a macaque named Pager playing a game of MindPong with the technology in April last year.
In December, Musk tweeted that “progress will accelerate” with Neuralink “when we have devices in humans … next year”.
Indy100 has approached Neuralink and Elon Musk for comment.
Hobby hunters in southern France are distraught.
Within a short period of time, their animal cruelty facilities were repeatedly destroyed because of a technique they practiced in Provence for trapping blackbirds and thrushes, which is very controversial.
“That’s a real command,”Eric Camoin rants. “There are several who came here to reconnoiter and then destroy everything – on a full moon night!”
A fortnight earlier similar destruction had been recorded in the departments of Vaucluse and Var.
Near the destroyed posts were found signs calling hunters murderers or animal rights activists.
The chairman of the national association for the defense of the traditional thrush hunt, who invited the local press to express his “weariness”, said: “This is the tenth time this has happened.”
He said: “Whether one likes these practices or not, that’s another debate. I’m not asking you to love the hunt. Everyone is free in their opinion. But at a certain point you can’t take it all and just destroy it.”
A hunt that sparks debate
“Hunting with glue is part of our heritage,” says Gérard Guidice, President of the Marignane Hunting Society. “Here we are in Provence. If you attack this kind of hunting, you attack our culture!”
In fact, glue hunting, practiced mainly in Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, is regularly denounced by environmentalists and animal rights activists.
At the end of August, Emmanuel Macron decided to suspend the hunt with glue for this season, denounced by environmentalists and bird conservationists.
The gesture was also in response to orders from the European Commission that gave France three months in early July to phase out this illegal hunting method, which a 2009 directive bans barring an exemption.
“There are clubs that stir up hatred against this practice and groups behind it do the dirty work,” according to Eric Camoin.
“We’ve filed complaints,” says Eric Camoin. “However, the gendarmes and police officers don’t even come by. They don’t care. They receive the complaints and file them. We can’t go on like this.”
“One day we will attack the perpetrators,” says a hunter from Marseille, who prefers to remain anonymous. We’ll get her. We manage to hunt every kind of animal, so we’ll get them! This is not a death threat, but a warning…”. (!!!)
Eric Camoin is concerned: “There will be drama. There will be a catastrophe because sooner or later we will find it. We won’t give up and we’ll manage to find out who it is. If a hunter comes across a guy destroying a post, I don’t know how the guy will react!”
France remains the only EU country that still allows glue hunting. The hunters are demanding urgent intervention from the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, at the risk of the amateur hunters becoming the police themselves.
The activists anonymously left the following “message”:
English : Action Stop Hunting Animals in France “The murderers and animal killers are still cracking down, which is why the members of ALF came back to destroy 21 hunting houses. Real structures in nature with concrete roof steel beams … empty cartridges left to pollute the community.
Armed psycopathes who cut open and put perches to kill all kinds of animals such as thrushes and blackbirds! You degenerates, have you not seen that there are almost more birds …
For the birds, mumps and other animals you raise, feed and hunt, ALF will always be there. Also learn to count band of “shit hunters”, not 18 but 21 more cisterns”
And I mean…Hunting birds with so-called limesticks fundamentally violates EU law.
Limestick hunting was once used throughout France to capture and eat songbirds.
Hence the trick with the sticky mass.
This is how you can catch birds without hurting their bodies.
Today, however, the hunt has become more of a competition of murders, where it is all about who catches the most blackbirds or other thrushes.
We’ve been protesting the brutal and illegal method of killing birds with limesticks for decades.
Even the EU Commission warned France’s hunters in July 2020 to end this “illegal form of hunting”.
Apparently, however, the hunters of France do not want to civilize and they still practice their murderous and illegal hunting techniques in the 21st century, in the heart of Europe, in the name of tradition and heritage..
If the hunters from Provence want to take revenge, then they still have to practice a bit.
We show solidarity with the courageous activists.
We say “Thank you”!
It is a common misconception that pain, such as choking, can force dogs into obedience.
Stress, insecurity, lack of alternatives, aggressive behavior and fear are causes of leash pulling.
Thus, a dog with a choke collar is punished again for the already unpleasant situation.
In 99% of the cases, this does not lead to the desired result but only to negatively reinforced exceptional situations and insecurity of the animals.
The use of these cruel tapes also often leads to injuries to the cervical spine, trachea and esophagus, larynx, connective tissue, facial muscles and eyes due to the increased eye pressure.
In Austria and Germany, only train collars that enable a train stop are permitted by law.
This must be adjusted in such a way that the collar can never be tighter than the dog’s neck circumference and it does not slip.
According to §5 of the Austrian Animal Welfare Act, choke, spike, coral and electric collars are not permitted.
Despite the ban on these instruments of torture, Amazon still offers them for sale in Austria and Germany.
There they are often sold under the guise of “training collars”.
Likewise, electric dog collars and spiked collars must be firmly rejected and their sale prohibited. These are also distributed by various providers in German-speaking countries.
Such legally prohibited dog collars deliver a remote-controlled electric shock to the dog at the push of a button.
If vibrations are caused by barking, this is automatically triggered.
This means pain, stress and often burns on the neck for the animals.
Help us to take action against this animal cruelty of dogs.
Training dogs in accordance with animal welfare can only be achieved through positive motivation, but never through reinforcing negative impressions.
And it’s a shame for companies like Amazon to support animal cruelty by distributing these barbaric collars.
One is also guilty of distributing prohibited goods.
Let’s put pressure on this company so that it finally takes the torture tapes out of the range and only offers animal welfare-compliant ones.
And I mean..There are many idiots in every society who, for them, having a dog means making an obedient servant or a docile slave out of him
For this they use every means, and they are even proud of it when the dog sits on command, follows on command, pees on command.
Some Mr. Miller and Mrs. Brown dream of finding someone they can train through brutal training or choke collars to become a servant with no voice, no rights, no freedom, no desires, and most importantly, no will to resist.
Most of the time it’s people who don’t have recognition or acceptance in their work environment, or simply frustrated husbands and wives who let their frustration on defenseless and weak creatures.
A dog is a friend and not a subordinate.
Anyone who sees their dog as a living being with desires, autonomy, free will will find no joy and certainly no logical reason to have him as a subject on their side
I have read this book a couple of times and despite being very harrowing in its content, exploring man’s history of animal abuse from early times; I would give it my total backing as a ‘must read’ for anyone who considers they are animal activists and animal defenders.
Many animals that are confined to labs and factory farms; they do not ‘live’; they simply exist until humankind says it is time for them to be terminated, for the reasons he decides.
For them, existence until their death is an Eternal Treblinka.
This book explores the similar attitudes and methods behind modern society’s treatment of animals and the way humans have often treated each other, most notably during the Holocaust.
The book’s epigraph and title are from The Letter Writer, a story by the Yiddish writer and Nobel Laureate Isaac Bashevis Singer: In relation to them, all people are Nazis; for the animals it is an eternal Treblinka.
The first part of the book (Chapter 1-2) describes the emergence of human beings as the master species and their domination over the rest of the inhabitants of the earth.
The second part (Chapters 3-5) examines the industrialization of slaughter (of both animals and humans) that took place in modern times.
The last part of the book (Chapters 6-8) profiles Jewish and German animal advocates on both sides of the Holocaust, including Isaac Bashevis Singer himself.
A must; get yourself a copy and keep fighting for the voiceless.
This is what it’s like to be a mini bull at the sanctuary.
Short legs, big belly: the little bull Napoleon has a genetic defect. Now he has landed on a sanctuary.
Napoleon is just 80 centimeters high – and he won’t get much taller.
The approximately eight-month-old bull suffers from a genetic defect and is therefore no longer growing.
Now the young bull, a Dexter cow, has found shelter at a sanctuary in Upper Bavaria – where he found his equal: two small cattle already live there.
“But he made friends with the biggest cow named Laura, of all people“, says the owner of the farm, Lukas Becker. Laura, saved from the butcher last year, “adopted” him.
Napoleon and Laura – Not centered
“Outwardly, he’s in top shape and pumperlgsund,”, says Becker about Napoleon. In small animals, however, it occasionally happens that the organs do not work properly.
In normal male animals, the shoulder height is about 112 centimeters on average. Since the animals are not as heavy as other cattle, they cause less damage when walked on and are well suited for nature conservation areas.
A malformation called chondrodysplasia occurs in some Dexter cattle.
A genetic defect causes the length growth of the bones to end prematurely because the cartilage ossifies early.
For Napoleon, the move to the sanctuary came about by accident, as reported by the Munich Animal Welfare Association.
One of the animal welfare inspectors knew the farmer where Napoleon was standing.
The club bought him. After a stopover he ended up in the sanctuary!
The sanctuary owner and his wife look after around a hundred animals. “I do it because I like animals,” says Becker.
He took over the farm from his grandfather; seven years ago the couple turned it into a sanctuary – as a hobby.
In the rest of life he is teacher.
And I mean…It could have ended tragically for the little man.
Because Napoleon could not be used for farming.
So…where to go with the mini bull?
But now Napoleon no longer needs to be afraid that he will end up in the slaughterhouse as an unwanted product of the meat industry.
Now he has friends, grass, freedom; now he is experiencing the sunny side of his fate and is happily secure for the rest of his life.
We need more news like this.
WAV Comment: It was probably around 30 years ago that Joanne, Trev and I (see photo below) took to the streets (and Faroe fish buyer supermarkets) about this very issue, see all our past links here:
I am British (English), and am personally disgusted, or more than disgusted by the actions of my own government; which obviously puts money ahead of the slaughter of whales and other marine life. Victoria Prentis is just like all other Conservatives – that is bloody useless; and we have witnessed it with Covid No. 10 ‘piss up’ parties; one rule for everybody else, from them, and a completely different rule for them.
And now the Faroe fishing supportive murderers of the British Conservative government inform us “The UK is strongly opposed to the hunting of any cetaceans and continues to call on all whaling nations, including the Faroe Islands, at every relevant opportunity to cease their whaling activities in favour of well-managed, responsible tourism, such as whale-watching.”
What complete and utter crap – trade deal talks (a trade deal should never have even happened) was the ideal opportunity for the UK government to really come out and inform the Faroese in no uncertain terms that Britain is a nation of people that are opposed to whale slaughter; and as such; we do not ‘do trade’ with whale murderers. But the British government sees money as the prime issue, as do all Conservatives; Prentis (the fisheries minister of the UK) needs to take a long walk off a very short plank, and I personally ask her what my 30 years plus as a campaigner against the slaughter and attempting to stop the massacre has achieved when she proudly boasts that she has done a trade deal with a nation that murders whales !.
I can tell her, simple, cards on the table; it has shown that my own Conservative, Boris Johnson government, and his supposed animal campaigner wife Carrie; have no backbone; they are utterly spineless.
Dom Dyer, Wildlife-protection lobbyist and very respected animal rights campaigner, who launched the petition on the government website calling for a suspension of trade, said he was very angry about the agreement, which showed how “out of touch” ministers were with public views in the UK and Europe.. We could not agree more with what you say Dom; MP’s are always bullshitting that they ‘represent the people’; well in this case ‘representing the people’ is the last thing in your heads – if you did represent us then you would have told the Faroese what they can do with their whale killing rather than bending over backwards to please them.
The fight goes on as it has for a long time with me and others. Victoria Prentis will be forgotten about very soon and put in the history books as one of the Conservatives who supported whale killing for financial reasons rather than respect for sentient creatures who are slaughtered by the Faroese in an utterly barbaric way. All the more reason never to vote again – all Conservatives say one thing, whilst actually doing the complete opposite; as I say we have seen with No. 10 ‘piss up parties’ during Covid lockdowns.
Mark
———————————————————–
Or you may get a UK trade deal ! – No, you get that regardless !!
Fury as UK ministers sign new Faroes deal after record dolphin slaughter
Conservationists are up in arms over a UK government decision to sign a new deal with the Faroe Islands following a record mass dolphin slaughter.
Ministers have been accused of being “an absolute disgrace” and of “flying in the face of public opinion” after announcing the £5.5m agreement allowing UK and Faroe vessels to fish areas of each other’s waters.
There was worldwide uproar in September when Faroese hunters caused a bloodbath with the killing of 1,428 dolphins in one go, and dozens of pilot whales just days later.
Since then, calls for the government to suspend its 2019 trade agreement with the islands until whale and dolphin hunts end have gathered pace, with 73,000 people signing a petition, and supermarkets being urged to stop selling seafood from the Faroes.
UK animal welfare minister Zac Goldsmith wrote to the Faroese and Danish governments condemning the massacre.
But fisheries minister Victoria Prentis said on Tuesday she was “pleased to announce” the deal that allows the UK to fish 1,000 tonnes of cod and haddock, worth £2.2m, as well as other species.
Fish consumption has risen in the UK as people have stopped eating meat in recent months and years.
Responses from the public on social media overwhelmingly condemned the deal when Ms Prentis announced it, some asking whether it was a joke, and others accusing the government of turning a blind eye to mass torture for money.
Wildlife-protection lobbyist Dominic Dyer, who launched the petition on the government website calling for a suspension of trade, said he was very angry about the agreement, which showed how “out of touch” ministers were with public views in the UK and Europe.
“It’s really badly timed. They’re giving the islanders more access to enriching the economy at a time when international opinion is definitely turning against these horrible hunts,” he told The Independent.
“We need to restrict tourism to the islands and trade – we need to hurt them in their pockets and make Denmark feel the pinch so that if they lose more trade, the Danes have to pick up the bill.”
The Sea Shepherd and Born Free conservation organisations are carrying out polling in Germany Denmark and Britain on the hunts – called “the grind”, which Mr Dyer was confident would show widespread opposition.
The campaigners are aiming to take a delegation of leaders, politicians, naturalists and broadcasters to the islands in the spring to draw the attention of the Faroese government and Danish governments to the “cruelty that has no justification”.
Mr Dyer, who said the government argued this deal was a separate strand from other post-Brexit trade, said pressure must also be put on retailers over where they source fish. If the petition reaches 100,000 names, it will be considered for debate by MPs.
One commenter tweeted to Ms Prentis: “The UK had an opportunity to state its opposition to the mass #slaughter of #whales and #dolphins. This is nothing to be proud of.”
Another said: “Did you by any chance bring up the subject of how they hack dolphins and whales to death in front of their terrified and struggling families? Thought not. Not one moral fibre between the lot of you!”
A third told her: “Worldwide condemnation yet you choose to reward them. Shameful.”
The government says the Faroe Islands are in no doubt as to the UK position on cetacean hunts, which it raises “at every relevant opportunity”.
Immediately after September’s bloodbath, Sea Shepherd said it believed the slaughter had been the largest single hunt in Faroese history, and was possibly the largest single hunt of cetaceans ever recorded worldwide. It said footage showed dolphins suffered prolonged suffering before being killed.
The Blue Planet Society said the EU Commission could not “sit back and let the Faroe Islands devastate Europe’s protected dolphin and small whale populations”.
A government spokesperson said: “The UK is strongly opposed to the hunting of any cetaceans and continues to call on all whaling nations, including the Faroe Islands, at every relevant opportunity to cease their whaling activities in favour of well-managed, responsible tourism, such as whale-watching.”
Kurt Zouma has been fined £250,000 by West Ham and his cats have been taken into care by the RSPCA in the furious backlash over his barbaric treatment of a household pet.
As one of West Ham’s key sponsors reviewed their deal with the club, more than 160,000 people signed a petition calling for the Hammers defender to be prosecuted for kicking and slapping his cat.
Essex Police and the RSPCA have joined forces to launch “urgent enquiries” into the shocking video footage of Zouma’s barbaric cruelty, which leaked into the public domain on Tuesday.
Animal rights groups in France, where maltreatment of pets carries a maximum penalty of four years in prison, have demanded Zouma’s immediate removal from the World Cup holders’ squad.
While the RSPCA confirmed that the cats were now in its care, the Hammers have announced 27-year-old France international Zouma – who has apologised – had been fined two weeks’ wages, which will be donated to animal welfare charities.
A club statement read: ” West Ham United can confirm that the club is supporting an RSPCA investigation into the actions of Kurt Zouma in the video circulated online this week.
“Kurt and the club are co-operating fully with the investigation and the player has willingly complied with the steps taken in the initial stage of the process, including delivering his family’s two cats to the RSPCA for assessment.
“Kurt is extremely remorseful and, like everyone at the club, fully understands the depth of feeling surrounding the incident and the need for action to be taken.
“Separate to the RSPCA’s investigation and pending further sanction once the outcome of that process is determined, West Ham United can confirm that Kurt Zouma has been fined the maximum amount possible following his actions in the video that circulated.
“The player has immediately accepted the fine, which will be donated to animal welfare charities.
“West Ham United would like to reiterate our condemnation of Kurt’s actions and make it clear that the matter continues to be handled with the utmost seriousness.
“However, we believe it is now important to allow the RSPCA to conduct their investigation in a fair and thorough manner, and will be making no further comment at this stage.”
The RSPCA said Zouma’s cats had been taken for a check-up at a vets and would remain in their care while the investigation into his X-rated video continues.
Hammers manager David Moyes, who insists he is an “animal-lover,” could offer only lame justification for picking Zouma – against overwhelming public opinion – in Tuesday night’s laboured 1-0 win against Watford.
“Shocked and appalled” BBC Match of the Day host Gary Lineker slammed West Ham’s “tone deaf” decision to play Zouma, who was subjected to boos and merciless catcalls throughout the match.
And Cats Protection’s Director of Veterinary Services, Maggie Roberts, said: “We’re saddened the club did not take the opportunity to send a clear message that cruelty to animals will not be tolerated.
“The decision by Kurt Zouma’s club to continue as though nothing has happened sends an appalling message to fans and the wider public. It seems that on this occasion, a decision has been taken to put football before the wellbeing of a sentient being.
“Footballers are in the privileged position of being role models to a huge number of people across the world. This makes the behaviour in the video – and the subsequent decision by the club – all the more distressing.
“This is not a minor offence. Cruelty to animals is a serious criminal offence because it is no longer considered acceptable in today’s society. There is also research which shows people who practice cruelty towards animals are more likely to progress to becoming more aggressive towards humans.
“Anyone who loves and supports football – whether its fans or sponsors – will expect the very highest standards of players and management. It is for sponsors to decide if they can tolerate the actions seen on the video and the decision taken by the club last night.”
If Moyes’ decision was based purely on the pursuit of three points, the Hammers may be about to discover the cost of standing by £29.8 million French international Zouma is more far-reaching.
Experience Kissimmee, West Ham’s official destination partner, say they “will be evaluating our relationship and sponsorship with the club” after Zouma’s controversial selection.
A post on the Experience Kissimmee Twitter account read: “It was disheartening to learn that the player Kurt Zouma was part of the starting line in West Ham United’s game. As we wait for further information from WHU, we will be evaluating our relationship and sponsorship with the club.”
Although West Ham said they “unreservedly condemn” Zouma, who will be disciplined by the club, the player’s apology has not been enough to stem the tide of wholesale revulsion at the video and its appalling soundtrack of laughter.
A petition on Change.org, started by Anti Animal Abuse, reads: “In the UK we have laws against the abuse of animals, laws which should be applicable to everyone rich or poor, famous or not!
“We ask that the Metropolitan Police and RSPCA carry out an urgent investigation and prosecute the perpetrators of this heinous act. Further we ask that the RSPCA remove all animals from Zouma’s ‘care’ immediately!
“Failure to take action in this case will send the message that animal abuse for entertainment is justified, that for the rich and famous breaking the law is no problem! Neither are acceptable!”
Zouma played well against Watford, despite the barracking – predominantly from away supporters – and Moyes said: “The club have taken all the action they can do at the moment behind the scenes. My job is to pick the best team and Kurt was part of that.”
But London Mayor Sadiq Khan was not impressed, telling Sky News: “It’s despicable. I think a number of things need to happen urgently. I think the RSPCA and the police need to work together to prosecute this player.
“I’m disappointed in David Moyes and West Ham. I know how important three points are, but I think they should have shown leadership and dropped him last night.”
Conservationist Chris Packham has branded Moyes’ decision to select Zouma as an “absolute disgrace.”
Packham told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I think it was a disgraceful decision. I think if the footballer had released on social media a film of him taking drugs or beating his wife or his girlfriend or his children, there was no way he would have been on the pitch.
“And this is not just about football. These footballers now are role models to millions of people, so in a way they set public standards, and what David Moyes showed last night is that he had no regard for people’s opinion of public standards when it came to animal welfare.
“Let’s be very clear, this is a crime that has been committed and it will be investigated. So to put him on the pitch last night did sport no favours, it did football no favours, and it did us as a nation of animal lovers no favours. It was an absolute disgrace.”
The RSPCA condemned the “very upsetting” video after it surfaced online and will be leading the investigation and co-operating with Essex Police.
The chairman of the national association for the defense of the traditional thrush hunt, who invited the local press to express his “weariness”, said: “This is the tenth time this has happened.”
In Austria and Germany, only train collars that enable a train stop are permitted by law.
A dog is a friend and not a subordinate.
A malformation called chondrodysplasia occurs in some Dexter cattle.
The sanctuary owner and his wife look after around a hundred animals. “I do it because I like animals,” says Becker.
World Animals Voice 