There are very strong ethical reasons to modersise the global animal welfare policy. ‘Forward For Animals’ is an organisation calling on EU decision makers to do just that.
On thousands of farms right across the EU, animals are constantly suffering in silence from both cruelty and neglect. We have exposed this so many times on WAV; along with the other excellent organisations (in this particular case) within the EU.
Laws that were created to allegedly give these same animals ‘protection’ in some instances are now over 40 years old. They never have given animals ‘protection’ – they are laws which have always been, and continue to be, unfit for purpose. As a result, sentient living animals continue to suffer daily.
Forward For Animals in the latest campaign from the Eurogroup for Animals network. It looks to expose the reality of life for suffering farm animals throughout the EU; to debunk the myths spewed out by the industry; and to provide positive ways forward for all stakeholders.
The European Commission launched a much needed revision for animal welfare some 5 years ago, with the promise of presenting the proposal by 2024. Suprise, suprise, the EU has failed to deliver once again – the promise to review the rules and make them open to the public – a commitment to modernise and change the rules continues to be pushed back and delayed further.
Responding to continued and increased pressure to deliver on the proposals, the Commissioner for Animal Welfare; Oliver Varhelyi, has promised updated updated legislation for animals on EU farms by 2026. This includes the promise to deliver a ban on all cage systems used in farming.
The laws must reflect citizens mandates, evidence from us in welfare, along with the scientific community.
There must be a firm and legal commitment to end animal suffering across farming, transport, trade, science and everything ‘environmental’.
The campaign highlights that dignity, kindness, compassion and safety should be the basic rights for all sentient beings in Europe.
Later in the year, citizens will have the opportunity to participate in, and to give their support for the campaign.
Now, Germany is a Speed Maniacs’ paradise. This is commonly known. All the time terrible accidents happen, caused by people racing their fast cars on motorways without speed limits. Increasingly even in traffic-calmed areas inside cities, with speed limits of 50 km/h. The German automobile industry has no interest in any speed limits ever being established, and due to successful political lobby work things remain as they are. Being a driver myself in this country, I daily encounter reckless drivers, and their often aggressive behaviour.
Sadly a huge number of animals fall victim to their unthinking, uncaring, and often intentional conduct on the roads. And also, sadly, the German “ADAC” (“Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil Club” – General German Automobile Club) advises its numerous members accordingly … against due consideration for the (smallest and) most vulnerable animal road users.
Two recent accidents reported in the news, with drivers trying to avoid hitting a pigeon and a squirrel, were commented accordingly by police/the ADAC.
“… The police point out that, even in road traffic, human life always comes before animal life. Braking for small animals such as rabbits or squirrels should only be performed if it does not endanger vehicle occupants or other road users, the police explain. “
Smaller animals (e.g., pigeons, rabbits, cats): Do not brake or swerve abruptly! The protection of human life takes priority – risky maneuvers can lead to serious accidents
Larger animals (e.g. deer, wild boars, dogs): Controlled braking is permitted and required to avoid a collision as far as possible – provided that other road users are not endangered.
(Source: ADAC)
Now, accidents happen – we are all aware of that. And the least one should do is stop and see if help can be given. Or, should that fail, to remove the body from the road – the decent thing to do – lest it be run over time and again by other drivers (once read an interview with one, German, who enjoyed aiming for the heads of prone animals on the road, alive and dead).
Should I just keep driving or stop? As harsh as it may sound, stopping to check on a hedgehog or squirrel that’s been run over makes little sense. Small wild animals are usually killed instantly after a collision with a car or are so severely injured that they can no longer be helped. These include, for example, foxes, hares, wild rabbits, squirrels, hedgehogs, songbirds, and game birds like pheasants. Well-intentioned rescue operations on the road, especially in poor visibility or darkness, are unlikely to be successful, according to ADAC traffic expert Christoph Hecht.
Well at least they advise, here, to look after a cat or a dog. But small wildlife clearly is screwed …
In the event of an accident involving a dog or cat, you should stop in a safe place, turn on your hazard lights, put on a high-visibility vest, and secure the accident scene with a warning triangle. Then you can go to the injured animal. If the animal is dead, you should pull it off the road. If the injured pet is still alive and injured, it must receive medical attention.
As regrettable as every dead hedgehog is, risky evasive maneuvers endanger people and are disproportionate. Car insurance companies also consider emergency braking that leads to an accident (a rear-end collision) to be disproportionate. This can lead to the loss of benefits.
Hedgehogs that have been hit by a car are usually beyond rescue. Anyone who still wants to try should be especially careful, especially in the dark and in areas with poor visibility, as there is an increased risk of accidents with even more serious consequences.
No one wants an attempt to save an animal life on the road to end in serious harm to other parties, or their property. However, personally, I disagree with most of this. And as regards property – and here the all-important car (to most Germans anyway) – that can never have priority over an irreplaceable life.
In my personal experience not all small animals involved in road accidents are necessarily dead or beyond saving. Sadly the ADAC seems to think that to try is not worth it – so potentially leave them to suffer and die slowly of their injuries.
As concerns wildlife that is listed in the hunting law in Germany, which goes for most species, it is strictly forbidden to remove an injured animal from the site of the accident, even with the intent of having it receive medical attention or for transport to a wildlife station. It is considered poaching, and the rule is to wait for the local hunting tenant to dispatch the animal – even IF it would otherwise have survived. For vets it is illegal to give such an animal medical attention, even to euthanise it!!
I have personally witnessed such an incident a few years ago, with a young wild boar, having fled a drive hunt in November, and running across a busy road in its panic, being hit by a car. The poor animal lay in the middle of the road, trying to rise and could not, while the accident driver looked on. I pulled the creature from the road onto the verge. Police arrived, and it was decided to summon the local hunter to deal with it. What followed was the longest half hour of my life. Being left alone with the animal, I tried to stand it up on its legs, so it could flee. I knew what was to come. However, the back injury was too severe, and I’ll never forget the panicked gasping, the rolling eyes seeking a way out …
The hunter arrived.
He shook everyone’s hand, pulled a pistol from his jacket, aimed and shot. Once, twice – in the chest. The poor animal screamed in agony, and with two bullets in its chest, was yet alive. Shamed with his inability to do the job right, the hunter grabbed the hind legs of the boar and pulled it out of sight, in the dark, to the verge of the field. No doubt, there, out came the knife …
We all stood there, no one reacted. The two police officers should have put a stop to this, but did not. After this, I swore to myself: never again will I watch such an “execution”. I’ll do whatever needs doing, fuck the law.
On many other occassions I also came upon animals injured on the road, or dead. Only yesterday, within a hundred yards of each other … a cat, and what, presumably, was a deer, judging by the amount of blood. The latter already removed by the hunting tenant. The cat, laid at the roadside by a lady who got out of her car in front of me. The accident driver had clearly kept going …
On another occasion, in the August of 2021, I travelled through a local village, and came past a hit squirrel in the middle of the road (speed limit!), with cars passing, but no one stopping. I parked, got out, and found the little guy still alive, twitching, with eyes open, and still having the hazelnuts it had carried in its bloody mouth. I took it and carried it to my car, with many passing in theirs, gloating ..
The local vet I saw could only euthanise it, so severe were the head injuries.
It’s a brutal world out there – and getting worse every day. The statement, “human life always comes before animal life.” and all that results of it, is, I think, THE main cause of most of what we see here on WAV being done to fellow animals.
Green, OH – On April 11, a 57-year-old Ohio man mutilated three newborn kittens: cutting off their tails and using the dismembered body parts to torment a woman he was in a dispute with. According to the Summit County Sheriff’s Office, Bret Stalnaker got in a verbal altercation with the woman earlier in the day.
The woman was able to retreat into a detached garage and Stalnaker began sending her threatening text messages about harming nine-day-old kittens. The deranged man continued sending texts, describing how he intended to cut off the tails of the kittens and their mother.
Stalnaker did more than threaten – he carried out his cruel deed, chopping off the tails of three tiny kittens, putting them into a container and then throwing the container at the woman he had been fighting with.
Sheriff’s deputies arrived at a residence on East Turkeyfoot Lake Road where they found Stalnaker in a van, which he lived in. Stalnaker was ordered out of the van and threw an object, which was later identified as a loaded .45 caliber pistol.
Stalnaker was arrested on multiple charges, including resisting arrest, animal cruelty, obstructing official business, and assault; he was booked into the Summit County Jail.
What this man did is unconscionable and he absolutely MUST be held accountable. Imagine the pain and suffering he inflicted on these innocent, young kittens. Consider their terror and confusion as this man lopped off part of their body! If he can do this to helpless animals, he is absolutely capable of inflicting pain and suffering on other living beings. Please add your name to the petition to help Animal Victory fight for justice!
Target:
WHY THIS PETITION MATTERS:
We, the undersigned, demand Bret Stalnaker be held accountable for his appalling behavior. We collectively insist that Stalnaker NOT receive a plea deal – he must be prosecuted for each and every law he violated! Research has consistently shown a strong link between animal cruelty and human violence. Individuals who commit such heinous acts against animals often pose a threat to society as a whole, as animal abuse is frequently a precursor to other violent crimes. Failing to hold this man accountable not only denies justice for the innocent kittens he tortured and maimed but also endangers the community at large. It is imperative that we send a clear message that such cruelty will not be tolerated.
Individuals are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law. Animal Victory relies upon the authorities and the court system to determine guilt or innocence.
Note: The kittens survived the torture and are being treated by a veterinarian.
As many of you know of course, today was the day where the world said farewell to Pope Francis, of Rome. Francis, unlike so many before him, took this name upon ascension, in reference to the Patron Saint of Animals, St. Francis of Assisi.
St. Francis of Assisi, born Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone around 1181 or 1182 in Assisi, Italy, is a prominent figure among Catholics. He was a renowned Italian mystic and poet who renounced his wealth to embrace radical poverty. Francis of Assisi founded the Franciscan Order, .. “He was particularly concerned for God’s creation and for the poor and outcast. He loved, and was deeply loved for his joy, his generous self-giving, his openheartedness. He was a mystic and a pilgrim who lived in simplicity and in wonderful harmony with God, with others, with nature and with himself. He shows us just how inseparable the bond is between concern for nature, justice for the poor, commitment to society, and interior peace,” the former Catholic Church leader added.
While of course, as all men (and women naturally) are, by our very nature, fallible creatures – Pope Francis was not perfect in his pursuit of the high moral example set by the Saint St. Francis in the important – for us, area of ecology and animal welfare – he was nevertheless a man who followed his path with honesty, humility, and great dedication.
The full encyclical is available here. It’s less than 200 short pages, written in a simple, everyday style, and is the work of a thoughtful and caring person.
Francis’s encyclical, Laudato Si, is much more than a commentary on climate change; it’s a sweeping indictment of the entire global capitalist system that’s wrecking the planet.
Those who say that the Pope shouldn’t get involved in the issue of what’s happening to Planet Earth and all its inhabitants are either very stupid or very afraid. Or, in the case of the political establishment, both. ……………..
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Even PETA sees fit to make a Pope the Person of the Year, 2015 …
These are two articles referring to incidents filmed at a UK government-approved Lab in 2014 by an Undercover Investigator working for BUAV (British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection).
World Animals Voice 