Day: February 3, 2024

Farm Animals, General News, Uncategorized

Italy: Animal Rights Activists Interrupt Papal Service In Rome.

ROME (Reuters) – Two women from an animal rights group interrupted a vespers service presided over by Pope Francis at a Rome basilica on Thursday, shouting and holding up banners against bullfighting before being taken away by guards.

An activist from the animal rights group PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) protests against bullfighting, as Pope Francis attends the Vespers prayer service to celebrate the conversion of Saint Paul, at St Paul’s Basilica in Rome, Italy, January 25, 2024. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane© Thomson Reuters

Photos below – WAV Archives.

Video and pictures showed the two women at the back of the centre aisle of the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, where the pope and other Christian leaders were taking part in a traditional annual service for Christian unity.

One of the women held up a banner reading “Stop Blessing Corridas” and wore a T-shirt with the same slogan in Italian. Corrida is the Spanish word for a bullfight.

It was not clear if the pope heard the women, who were at the back of the church, which is in Rome’s outskirts.

The ceremony, which was attended by Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, spiritual leader of the world’s Anglicans, went ahead without interruption before about 1,500 people. Both the pope and Welby went on to deliver their homilies.

The women were from the Italian branch of the organisation People for the Ethical Treatment (PETA), witnesses said.

Members of the same group gathered near the Vatican last July in red capes and fake horns to urge the pope to denounce what they see as the barbaric practice of bullfighting. The practice does not exist in Italy.

Animal rights activists interrupt papal service in Rome (msn.com)

Justin Welby usually has such a lot to say – but remains quiet on this issue !

Regards Mark

Environmental, General News, Uncategorized

USA: Animal rights protestors rally outside of LA Zoo to call for elephant’s release to sanctuary.

Asian elephant Billy at the Los Angeles Zoo. Getty Images© Provided by CBS Los Angeles

Animal rights activists gathered outside of the Los Angeles Zoo on Sunday, calling for the release of an elephant who has spent more than three decades in the facility’s care. 

The groups, made up of members from Guardians of Los Angeles and Los Angeles for Animals, calling for Billy, an Asian elephant who has been at the zoo for about 34 years, to be released to an animal sanctuary and that he should be freed from what they called “incarceration.”

“The few elephants that have been removed from this kind of situation and placed into a sanctuary often will recover mentally and physically,” said LA City Councilman Paul Koretz, who joined protestors on Sunday. “After all the years he’s spent at the LA Zoo, he deserves to be an elephant near the end of his life.”

They say that deaths of two elephants at the zoo over the last year, including 53-year-old Asian elephant Shaunzi, are due to the “unnatural and neglectful conditions and confinement for male elephants” that are part of the reason that the zoo has earned a spot on the Defense of Animals’ 10 Worst Zoos for Elephants list.

A Los Angeles city committee voted to send Billy to a sanctuary, but the resolution has not yet been approved by the LA City Council. 

The zoo responded to Sunday’s protest with a statement that read:

“The health and wellbeing of all animals in our care continues to be our top priority, and our expert animal and veterinary teams provide the highest standard of care. The small number of activists campaigning to move Billy to another animal holding facility are basing their message on misinformation, untruths, and intentional mischaracterization of the L.A. Zoo elephant care program, and the Los Angeles Zoo categorically disagrees with their characterization of the care and welfare of Billy and Tina.”

Animal rights protestors rally outside of LA Zoo to call for elephant’s release to sanctuary (msn.com)

Regards Mark

General News

South Korea: KARA Director Jeon Jin-kyung Advocates for a Paradigm Shift in Animal Rights and Welfare.

SEOUL, Feb. 3 (Korea Bizwire) –

In a recent interview with Yonhap News, Jeon Jin-kyung, the director of Korea Animal Rights Advocates (KARA), shed light on the complex emotional world of animals, emphasizing their ability to experience a wide range of feelings such as frustration, fear, pride, and shyness, much like humans.

She criticized the cruel treatment animals often endure in the food industry, where they are disassembled on conveyor belts while conscious and sometimes buried alive to prevent disease outbreaks. The desperate attempts of mother pigs to escape pits and the bewildered looks of piglets highlight the brutality of these practices.

Jeon argued that if animal slaughter and culling are deemed necessary, they should be conducted with minimal suffering and in a humane manner. She pointed out that animals endure significant pain not only during slaughter but throughout the farming process, suggesting that reducing meat consumption is a fundamental solution to this problem.

Born in Seoul in 1964 and a graduate of Ewha Womans University’s College of Pharmacy, Jeon transitioned from a corporate career to running a pharmacy in Seoul.

Her involvement in animal protection began with caring for stray cats and later pursuing a graduate degree in Animal Behavior Ecology at Ewha. She was a founding member of KARA’s predecessor in 2002 and began her full-time commitment to the organization in 2014, becoming its director in 2021.

In the interview, Jeon addressed the skepticism some people have about prioritizing animal welfare when human welfare itself is a challenge, stating that protecting animals creates a society where humans are also protected.

Jeon Jin-kyung, the director of Korea Animal Rights Advocates (KARA)

She emphasized her personal commitment to animal welfare due to the lack of attention it receives compared to human-centric causes.

Reflecting on her experiences in animal welfare activism, Jeon shared how working with animals has enriched her life, providing mental strength and resilience.

She has become more detached from human affairs and less easily shaken by ordinary challenges, attributing this change to her involvement in animal rescue and advocacy.

Jeon discussed the depth of emotions that animals exhibit, citing examples of dogs showing pride after being groomed and displaying guilt after unintentionally hurting a child.

She also touched on the intelligence of animals, mentioning experiments with chickens that demonstrate their ability to make decisions based on delayed gratification.

Addressing the intelligence quotient (IQ) of animals, Jeon noted that certain breeds of dogs and dolphins have IQs comparable to humans, challenging the notion that humans are inherently superior.

She criticized derogatory expressions that compare people unfavorably to animals, suggesting that in some cases, animals demonstrate more ethical behavior than humans.

Jeon also questioned the anthropocentric view that humans are the “crown of creation,” arguing that animals possess abilities in which they surpass humans, such as in hearing, vision, and intuition.


Continue reading at  KARA Director Jeon Jin-kyung Advocates for a Paradigm Shift in Animal Rights and Welfare | Be Korea-savvy (koreabizwire.com)

Regards Mark

Check out all our South Korean posts at:

https://worldanimalsvoice.com/?s=south+korea