Day: April 6, 2022

General News

Ukraine: Ukraine zoo boss says ALL their animals will be put down after Russian shelling.
Mass killer – of both Humans and animals.

A Ukrainian zoo which has almost been completely destroyed by Russian shelling is to put all the animals to sleep.

The founder of the wildlife eco-park in Kharkiv revealed there is no way of rescuing the large animals at the attraction, which is believed to be the oldest zoo in Ukraine.

The website for the animal centre claims it keeps more than 6,000 animals. However, the Ukrainian MP, Oleksandr Feldman, who founded the zoo says Russian shelling has left them with no option but to put the animals to sleep because there is no possibility to evacuate or transport them.

Feldman posted a video on social media addressing the future of the animals and the zoo as he broke the devastating news about the centre and the grim reality about the future of the wildlife, according to Mirror Online.

© Getty Images/iStockphoto The zoo animals are facing a death sentence because of the Russian shelling

He said “There is no more Ecopark. After yesterday’s shelling, I can say that the park has been almost completely destroyed.

“Animal cages have been destroyed, all the infrastructure has been destroyed, but tigers and lions have miraculously survived. Their cages have been badly damaged, and they can go outside at any moment.”

He said the enclosure where the bears are based is in a dreadful condition and they would be forced to “kill them, put them to sleep or move them.”

“The building where the bears live is in terrible condition. Today we will have to make a decision. We have until the evening to decide either to kill each one, put them to sleep, or to move them,” he said.

The zoo boss said there was nowhere where they could take the creatures and hoped to save some of them, with younger big cats possible.

But he added that all adult animals “are likely to be put down” as they could not be rescued or re-homed.

The attraction’s website says Kharkviv Zoo is the oldest in Ukraine.

It was opened in 1895 for visitors in 1903 and is based in the heart of the city next to the Park Shevchenko.

The Zoo which covers 22 hectares and is home to 6810 animals

It considers 103 species to be rare and are under protection and led to new animals being bred at attraction.

© Getty Images/iStockphoto Some of the big cats may be saved but Russian shelling means animals are likely to be put to sleep

In a video by news channel Nexta on Twitter, the Ukrainian MP said: “ #Russian troops have almost completely destroyed the ecopark in #Kharkiv

“Today by the end of the day a decision will be made to put the tigers and lions down, because their enclosures have been destroyed.”

Regards Mark

Ukraine zoo boss says ALL their animals will be put down after Russian shelling (msn.com)

Environmental, Farm Animals, Fur and Fur Farming, General News

Ireland: Excellent News – Ireland to BAN Fur Farming – Official.

5 April 2022

RFA

On 29 March, a bill to ban fur farming successfully reached the final stages of the parliamentary process in the Republic of Ireland.

The Animal Health and Welfare and Forestry (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2021 passed its final stage in the Seanad, despite some objections from a minority of senators about compensation for fur farm workers. It received support from across the political spectrum in both houses of the Oireachtas.

The legislation will now go to the President, who will sign it into law.

There are currently 3 operational fur farms in the country, which are expected to be closed during the course of 2022 after the success of the bill.

Respect for Animals conducted a poll regarding public opinions of fur farming amongst people of Ireland in 2018. 80% of respondents agreed that the farming and killing of animals for their fur should be banned.

In 2021, several other European countries took steps to implement national bans on fur farming, including Italy, Estonia and France. 

Ireland finally takes a historical step and joins the increasing number of European countries that say no to fur farming, a practice that has no place in a society that genuinely cares for animal welfare.

Bethania Malmberg – Programme Officer Fur Animals, Eurogroup for Animals

This is a historic day for animal welfare in the Republic of Ireland and another nail in the coffin of the cruel and callous global fur industry. A critical report by Veterinary Ireland considered, in depth, the scientific evidence regarding mink farming and concluded that, on animal welfare grounds ‘there should be an immediate ban on the farming of mink, and similar wild animals, for the production of fur’. It is essential that legislators around the world – including at EU-level – take urgent action to end the cruelty of fur factory farming once and for all.

Mark Glover – Director, Respect for Animals

VICTORY: Republic of Ireland passes law to ban fur farming | Respect for Animals

Regards Mark

Environmental, Farm Animals, General News

European Parliament calls for animal welfare to be included in the scope of extra-financial reporting.

4 April 2022

On 15 March, the European Parliament adopted its position on the revision of the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). The report, led by MEP Pascal Durand, calls for animal welfare to be included in the scope of the revised legislation. Eurogroup for Animals welcomes this move and calls on Member States to accept this in the coming trilogue.

The EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), initially adopted in 2014, defines how companies should report on all extra-financial activities, including on the impact their business has on sustainability. In April 2021, the European Commission put forward a proposal to review this text, notably to extend the scope to all large companies and introduce more detailed and EU-wide reporting requirements, but the proposal missed out on animal welfare.  

Photo – Mark (WAV)

The position adopted by the European Parliament’s Legal Affairs (JURI) committee suggests adding animal welfare to the scope of the required reporting. According to the text, businesses would thus need to report on how their activities impact the welfare of animals, both in terms of “living and transport conditions”. The report also proposes enhanced reporting for companies operating in high-risk sectors for sustainability, such as “animal production and seafood industry”.

After the EU Code of Conduct on responsible business and marketing practices, which successfully incorporated animal welfare concerns, this report represents another milestone for animal welfare in the context of the debates on corporate sustainable governance. Indeed, the report recognises that animal welfare is linked to sustainability and should be taken into account by companies when establishing and reporting about their impacts on sustainability. 

All eyes are now on the Council as “trilogue” negotiations with the European Parliament have already started. In this context, Eurogroup for Animals calls on the Council to uphold the objectives of the Green Deal and the Farm to Fork strategy and thus agree with the European Parliament on a text encompassing and recognising the inherent links between animal welfare and sustainability. 

Regards Mark

Environmental, Farm Animals, General News, Vegan Recipes

New IPCC report: dietary shift and meat alternatives are needed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

6 April 2022

The third report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), launched on 4 April, covers the mitigation pathways that can reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It follows upon the previous report launched earlier this year that detailed the catastrophic consequences of climate change and concluded that the brief window to secure a liveable future is rapidly closing.

António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, warned during the press conference that the world is on a fast track to climate disaster. He called for rapid progress to shift to renewable energy, end the funding of coal, protect forests and ecosystems and reduce methane emissions.

The report warns that methane emissions continue to increase, the main source being enteric fermentation from ruminant animals. In addition to its contribution to global warming, diets heavy in animal protein also contribute to land being used inefficiently. Arable land is used to grow crops for animal feed, with negative impacts on ecosystems and biodiversity.

Conversely, a shift to plant-based diets has significant mitigation (action of reducing seriousness – WAV) potential according to the IPCC. More plant-based diets, with only a moderate intake of animal-source food, can lead to substantial decreases in greenhouse gas emissions.

IPCC notes that a dietary shift comes with co-benefits for animal welfare but also reduced land use for feed production, less nutrient run-off as well as health benefits, reduced mortality from diet-related diseases and lowered risk of zoonotic disease and antibiotic use.

The IPCC recognises that cellular agriculture, such as cellular fermentation and cultivated meat, can bring “substantial reduction in direct GHG emissions from food production”. The report notes that these food technologies use less land and water, have a lower nutrient footprint as well as address concerns over animal welfare.

On alternative proteins, the report indicates that insects could be a mitigation opportunity. However, insects are reared industrially to feed intensively farmed animals, thereby propping up animal production and they are often fed on crops that could be consumed directly by animals or people, which accentuates an inefficient way of producing food.

While lifestyle changes can accelerate climate change mitigation, these changes require systemic changes across all of society including on land use, the report states. When governments meet in Egypt this November at COP27 they will discuss the targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions in line with the Paris Agreement to limit global warming to 1.5°C. 

The report is a strong call on governments to take forceful actions to speed up the shift to more plant-based production and consumption and to reduce the number of animals raised for food production.

Regards Mark