Category: Birds

Birds, Farm Animals, Fur and Fur Farming, General News, Hunting, Live Transport, pets, Stray Animals, Uncategorized, Vivisection, Wildlife

(IT) Historic Win for Animals …

The Italian Senate has officially passed Bill AS 1308, a significant legislative advancement aimed at reinforcing animal protection across the country. The bill, previously approved by the Chamber under the name AC 30, introduces comprehensive amendments to the criminal code, criminal procedure code, and related provisions to address and deter crimes against animals, including the brutal practice of dogfighting.

One of the key aspects of the new law is the redefinition of the criminal code’s Title IX bis, replacing the outdated concept of “Crimes against the human sentiment toward animals” with the clearer and more progressive “Crimes against animals.” This change reinforces the idea that animals are deserving of legal protection in their own right, as sentient beings, not merely as subjects whose suffering might offend human sensitivity.

The bill also significantly increases penalties for acts of cruelty, including the killing of animals without necessity, mistreatment, and violations of the ban on unauthorized animal fighting or competitions. In particular, sentences for organizing or participating in animal fights have been increased, aiming to better deter those involved in these violent and illegal activities.

Additionally, the law introduces harsher penalties for crimes committed in aggravating circumstances, such as in the presence of minors or against multiple animals, as well as for the dissemination of videos or images of such acts via digital platforms. This is a critical step in tackling the spread of animal cruelty content online.

“The final approval of AS 1308 represents another important step in the protection of animals in Italy. We’ve made further progress towards the full recognition of non-human animals as sentient beings and victims of crimes, finally overcoming the outdated concept of exclusively protecting the ‘human sentiment’ towards them. We are pleased with the increase in penalties for dogfighting, a criminal activity that we have been combating for years through the ‘Io non combatto project,’ and the expansion of penalties to anyone participating in dogfighting in any capacity,” said Alessandro Fazzi, institutional relations consultant for Humane World for Animals Italy.

“We hope that it will soon be possible to intervene to offer even greater protection for minors, and also to introduce specific social rehabilitation programs for all those who commit crimes against animals, starting with those who participate in dog fights,” continued Fazzi. “By combining these requests with what has been approved today, our country will be able to take truly significant steps toward a more advanced legal civilization.”

A notable provision also addresses the management and recovery of animals seized in criminal proceedings. Under the new legislation, these animals can now be permanently assigned to certified organizations that can provide care and rehabilitation, helping to ensure they are not left in limbo during often-lengthy legal processes. The bill further includes a nationwide ban on keeping dogs chained, a practice often linked to dogfighting, except in strictly defined health or safety circumstances.

“The recently approved bill marks a significant step forward for all those who dedicate themselves every day to the protection of animals. It is a strong signal that strengthens the recognition of animals as sentient beings, deserving of direct protection. It also represents a concrete evolution on an operational level, particularly for the management of animals who are victims of crimes, taken from criminal circuits, and placed under judicial seizure,” said Federica Faiella, president of Fondazione Cave Canem, “I’m especially thinking of the dogs involved in fighting: this law finally recognizes their right to be immediately placed on a path of psychological and physical recovery and, where possible, welcomed into a family setting. This avoids the paradox of animals saved from abuse who remain trapped in the judicial system for years, confined to detention facilities.”

Although some proposed amendments, such as dedicated funding for law enforcement training or the ban on the import and export of hunting trophies from endangered species, were not included in the final version, the bill nonetheless marks a decisive move forward. It modernizes Italy’s approach to animal welfare by aligning legal language and enforcement practices with contemporary views on animal rights and ethical treatment.

By recognizing animals as victims of crime and ensuring stronger legal and institutional tools to protect them, this bill lays the groundwork for more robust animal welfare policies in the future. It sends a clear message that cruelty against animals will be met with serious consequences and that animal protection is a core part of a civilized, humane society.

Birds, Environmental, General News, Hunting, Wildlife

Press release: European Commission gives green light to reopen hunting season for Turtle‑dove

https://www.birdlife.org/news/2025/04/01/press-release-european-commission-gives-green-light-to-reopen-hunting-season-for-turtle-dove/

1 April 2025

European Turtle-dove by: Tony Brindley/Shutterstock

The European Commission has announced EU countries may re-open the hunting season for the European Turtle-dove (Streptopelia turtur) in parts of Western Europe if they choose to do so. The reopening follows a three-year hunting pause despite the species’ ongoing decline and weak enforcement of hunting laws.

Hunting of iconic species paused since autumn 2021 will continue pushing species to brink.

European Turtle-dove (Streptopelia turtur) in parts of Western Europe if they choose to do so [1]. The reopening follows a three-year hunting pausedespite the species’ ongoing decline and weak enforcement of hunting laws. The moratorium, introduced in 2021, had halted hunting in Spain, France, Portugal, and northwest Italy (Western Flyway) and in 2022 for Austria, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Malta, Romania, and Cyprus (Central-Eastern Flyway). Hunting is a major driver of the species’ decline, yet instead of strengthening protections, the Commission is opening the door to more killing.

The hunting pause worked. Data shows that after years of decline, the Turtle-dove population in the Western Flyway has started to recover [2]. But in the Central-Eastern Flyway, where hunting bans have not been properly enforced, no recovery has been observed. The species continues to be classed as ‘Vulnerable’ on the IUCN Red List due to habitat loss and food shortages from intensive farming and pesticide use, and unsustainable hunting.

Despite these fragile gains, the European Commission has recommended resuming hunting in the Western Flyway for the 2025/2026 season, allowing hunters to kill up to 1.5% of the population. The Commission’s recommendation to end the moratorium was based on three conditions:

  1. A population increase for at least two consecutive years
  2. A rise in survival rates
  3. Effective monitoring, control, and enforcement systems

But one of these conditions has still not been met. While population numbers have improved, the enforcement systems remain weak and unreliable [3]. The Commission is relying on a 1.5% hunting quota, assuming it will be sustainable, but there is no way to ensure that hunters will stick to this limit. The risk is clear. Without proper controls, overhunting will resume, and the species will start declining again.

Barbara Herrero, Senior Nature Conservation Policy Officer at BirdLife Europe, said:
“The Turtle-dove did its part. Left alone, it started to recover. But governments failed to uphold their end of the deal. Instead of fixing weak enforcement and protecting habitats, they’re rushing to lift the ban. This is reckless and shortsighted. We know where this path leads – straight back to the brink. The European Commission should have stood firm and kept the moratorium.”

Meanwhile, in the Central-Eastern Flyway, illegal and unsustainable hunting continues unchecked. The Ionian Islands in Greece remain a hotspot for illegal killing during migration. Malta also continues its unlawful spring hunting of Turtle Doves. BirdLife Europe urges these countries to enforce the hunting ban before it’s too late.

The Turtle-dove is not safe. Without strong protections, we risk another devastating population crash. The European Commission must act responsibly and put nature before politics.

Birds, Farm Animals, Fish, Fur and Fur Farming, General News, Hunting, Insects, pets, Stray Animals, Vivisection, Wildlife

We’re close to translating animal languages – what happens then?

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jun/01/were-close-to-translating-animal-languages-what-happens-then

AI may soon be able to decode whalespeak, among other forms of communication – but what nature has to say may not be a surprise

harles Darwin suggested that humans learned to speak by mimicking birdsong: our ancestors’ first words may have been a kind of interspecies exchange. Perhaps it won’t be long before we join the conversation once again.

The race to translate what animals are saying is heating up, with riches as well as a place in history at stake. The Jeremy Coller Foundation has promised $10m to whichever researchers can crack the code. This is a race fuelled by generative AI; large language models can sort through millions of recorded animal vocalisations to find their hidden grammars. Most projects focus on cetaceans because, like us, they learn through vocal imitation and, also like us, they communicate via complex arrangements of sound that appear to have structure and hierarchy.

…

Birds, Farm Animals, Fish, Fur and Fur Farming, General News, Hunting, Live Transport, pets, Religion/Philosophy, Stray Animals, Uncategorized, Vivisection, Wildlife

(CH) SENTIENCE – Politics For Animals / Campaign “Invisible Animals”

https://sentience.ch/en/

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Campaign, “Invisible Animals”

https://sentience.ch/en/invisible-animals/

Invisible Animals

In Switzerland, animal welfare issues are mainly discussed with regard to wildlife, companion animals and so-called “farmed animals”. In doing so, we forget about the individual whose interests we neglect the most and who are hardly – if at all – protected by the law. We are talking about the “invisible” animals – pigeons, rats, bees and fish.

These animals are subjected to immense daily suffering. Pesticides strip bees of their navigational abilities; rats face an agonising death from rodenticides; sick pigeons lie lifeless on the streets of our cities; and fish are confined in aquaculture basins under conditions that would be deemed unacceptable even in factory farming.

Considering the capacity for suffering as a crucial moral criterion is the core concern of Sentience. Therefore, we believe that all these animals deserve more attention, consideration, and protection. To eradicate today’s injustices, we must, together with you, sharpen public awareness and advocate for animals’ interests in politics.

Even small changes – such as banning certain rodenticides or pesticides, maintaining pigeon lofts, and improving water quality in aquaculture – can improve the well-being of billions of animals. By signing our petitions today, you help bring political attention to the “invisible” animals.

Birds, Environmental, Farm Animals, Fish, Fur and Fur Farming, General News, Hunting, Live Transport, pets, Religion/Philosophy, Stray Animals, Uncategorized, Vivisection, Wildlife

Against human exceptionalism

https://aeon.co/essays/human-exceptionalism-is-a-danger-to-all-human-and-nonhuman

This January, a 57-year-old man in Baltimore received a heart transplant from a pig. Xenotransplantation involves using nonhuman animals as sources of organs for humans. While the idea of using nonhuman animals for this purpose might seem troubling, many humans think that the sacrifice is worth it, provided that we can improve the technology (the man died two months later). As the bioethicists Arthur Caplan and Brendan Parent put it last year: ‘Animal welfare certainly counts, but human lives carry more ethical weight.’

Of course, xenotransplantation is not the only practice through which humans impose burdens on other animals to derive benefits for ourselves. We kill more than 100 billion captive animals per year for food, clothing, research and other purposes, and we likely kill more than 1 trillion wild animals per year for similar purposes. We might not bother to defend these practices frequently. But when we do, we offer the same defence: Human lives carry more ethical weight.

But is this true?

Most humans take this idea of human exceptionalism for granted. …..

Birds, Environmental, Farm Animals, Fish, Fur and Fur Farming, General News, Live Transport, Stray Animals

EU’s Long Term Budget Must Support Farmers In The Transition Towards Better Animal Welfare.

I sadly accept that there will always be some folk who enjoy eating dead animals as part of their diet. Saying that, a reduction in meat consumption and the associated reduction in animal murders (slaughter houses) can only be seen as a positive from my corner.

But I am a realist also, accepting that everyone on the planet will never move to plant based. Thus as welfare campaigners, we have a responsibility to ensure that we get the best for animals that we can. The global tide is rather rapidly moving towards plant based diets – and that can only be positive; very positive. In other ways, a negative global tide is surrounding us in the form of global warming and the ‘master human’ who knows best – no, ask the whales !

The more posts I can write about on this site re the ‘killing factories’ (they are SLAUGHTER HOUSES, not abattoirs – a place where animals are killed for their meat) BEING CLOSED DOWN; then the better.

We all saw that the recent closure of Arley ritual slaughterhouse; a closure really attributed to their own non conformances with national UK laws which are supposed to give animals the maximum protection ?? at the times of their deaths. Does frightening the shit out of a sheep about to be slaughtered by playing a recording of a howling Wolf in the background constitute UK laws regarding slaughter legislation? – no, they do it for kicks which really shows the types they are.

They failed in many areas, they were closed down – end of. WONDERFUL.

England – Arley Slaughterhouse License Revoked After Formal Investigation – Excellent !

So, as the EU Parliament now commences votes on its priorities for the next long term EU budget, all of us in the welfare camp are calling for higher funding in the transition to better animal welfare practices in accordance with the vast majority of EU citizens demands.

The ‘Multiannual Financial Framework’; or MFF, is a seven year framework regulating the EU’s annual budget. The current long term budget runs until the end of 2027; so now we have to start work !

Ahead of the proposals in the next long term budget; expected in July; the Budget Committee of the European Parliament; has set out its priorities in an own-initiative report. It emphasises the need to meet more ambition to meet citizens expectations in the context of the US retreating from its global role; Russia’s war on the Ukraine; economic and social challenges, EU competitiveness and the worsening climate and biodiversity crisis.

The report implies that the budget should finance public goods, support the resilience and competitiveness of EU small scale farms and better help protect the environment. It highlights that the ‘Common Agriculture Policy’, or CAP, is crucial for food security, and that spending must persue EU objectives.

The Eurogroup for Animals call for the long term spending on the CAP to consider the expectations that EU citizens have on improved animal welfare. These expectations are not yet fully met, and the importance of animal welfare as a public good has been repeatedly demonstrated by the European Citizens’ Initiative ‘End The Cage Age, as well as the latest barometer on animal welfare. More than 9 out of 10 Europeans state that it is important to protect the welfare of farmed animals; with an absolute majority deem it as very important. More than 8 out of 10 believe that farmed animals in their countries should be given more protection than they are at present.

There is a crucial need for adequate funding from the long term budget for the transition to new animal welfare rules and regulations. The proposal for a review of the EU farm animal directive is envisaged in 2026.reduce production costs;

Financing better animal welfare in the EU is not just an ethical priority, it is a financial security for the EU’s future. Improved animal welfare can and would reduce production costs, enhance the product quality, drive innovation and strengthen the EU’s global market postioning.

Adequate funding from the MFF for the CAP is crucial to support farmers in transitioning to the new animal welfare rules. There needs to be higher funding for farmers to transition to higher animal welfare standards; and the need to support early transitioners is a vital element.

As someone with a special interest in campaigning for, and stopping long distance live animal transports; enough evidence has been supplied over decades by investigators to show the abuses with the ‘EU system’.

It is now time for them to step up to the plate; ACCEPT THE MASSIVE ABUSES UNCOVERED, and DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT !!

Birds, General News, Hunting, Uncategorized, Wildlife

(UK) Royal Artillery Hunt: We just want police to protect us like everyone else

Hunt master claims authorities failing to act despite increase in attacks by masked saboteurs

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/05/17/royal-artillery-hunt-want-police-protect-us-everyone-else/

17 May 2025 3:00pm BST

The Royal Artillery Hunt said it had been the victim of more than 200 incidents since fox hunting was banned in 2004 Credit: John Eccles

The demands of the Royal Artillery Hunt seem simple – they just want law enforcement to treat them like everyone else.

But after years of attacks by masked saboteurs – and an alleged lack of action from authorities despite dozens of police reports detailing harassment, abuse and physical assault – they are beginning to lose hope.

“If what happened to the trail hunting community happened in other walks of life, then people would almost immediately be arrested, but it doesn’t happen with the sabs,” James Harris, a hunt master, told The Telegraph.

For the first time, the hunt has released its record of attacks by saboteurs. It shows that while there have been more than 200 incidents since fox hunting was banned in 2004, the number of cases has increased dramatically in recent years.

Over the course of the two seasons from 2022, a period covering 14 months, there were 103 incidents recorded and 67 police reports. But there was not a single prosecution.

Perhaps it is no coincidence that the start of the spike was the year that Jim McMahon, Labour’s then shadow environment secretary, vowed to ban trail hunting.

Have the political attacks emboldened the activists? “They have upped the ante,” Mr Harris said. “They smell blood.”

He described his hunt as a “prime target”. As a military pack, they hunt a trail on Ministry of Defence (MoD) land, so following them and making complaints to the landowner allows the activists to put pressure on the Government.

“The hunt saboteurs claim to be monitoring trail hunts but that is a misnomer – the clue is in their title,” Mr Harris said. “Their remit is to incite and upset and disrupt our activities.”

He added: “They are continually masked and they claim to the public that that is for their own protection but that is an out-and-out lie.

“We know their names, we know exactly who they are, they are masked because they are constantly breaking the law and with intent to do so. Hiding their identities means that they cannot be prosecuted, that is the true reason why they are masked.”

….

A member of the Royal Artillery Hunt is confronted by an activist

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Please also visit ..
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/hunting/

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/02/22/hunting-ban-came-in-20-years-ago-our-culture-poorer-for-it/

20 years on the Hunting Act remains an attack on the rural working class

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https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/03/27/downton-abbey-peter-egan-bully-league-against-cruel-sports/

Downton Abbey actor accused of bullying boss of anti-hunting charity

Peter Egan, who played ‘Shrimpie’ in the hit TV series, denies claims by former head of League Against Cruel Sports

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https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/02/14/trail-hunting-ban-labour-government/

The Government’s latest attack on the countryside proves Labour hates our way of life

The party’s plan to ban trail hunting is class war pure and simple

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https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/12/10/cyber-security-expert-hacked-huntsmen-abi-waddell-uk/

Cyber security expert used award-winning IT skills to hack huntsmen

The confidential details of thousands of hunt workers were hacked

Birds, Environmental, Farm Animals, General News, Hunting, Live Transport, pets, Stray Animals, Uncategorized, Wildlife

(UK) Chris Packham is no saint. He’s an environmental extremist to us country folk

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/05/16/chris-packham-is-an-environmental-extremist/

(It was only a matter of time when the backlash would come …)

The Springwatch host saw no issue being likened to St Francis of Assisi, making his holier-than-thou attitude worse than ever this week

Vanity is a bewitching drug for some of the BBC’s biggest stars. Jostling for most luminous position in the media firmament this week, next to Gary Lineker (who completely by mistake, and in the knowledge that the media watches his every social media move, managed to post to Instagram the suggestion that Jews were rats) was Chris Packham. …..

Please ref. to previous post:

(UK) Chris Packham poses as St Francis of Assisi in new portrait

Asia, Birds, Environmental, Farm Animals, Fish, Fur and Fur Farming, General News, Hunting, Live Transport, pets, Stray Animals, Uncategorized, Vivisection, Wildlife

(UK) Chris Packham poses as St Francis of Assisi in new portrait

Well, novel certainly … not sure we may hope for Chris, CBE, being sainted by the Vatican any time soon … even with the link to S. Francis.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/05/14/chris-packham-poses-saint-francis-of-assisi-new-portrait/

14 May 2025 7:39pm BST

Chris Packham with his portrait, which it is said depicts him as “a living saint”, in the Fitzrovia Chapel Credit: Richard Ansett/Radio Times

Chris Packham has posed as St Francis of Assisi in a portrait celebrating him as a “living saint”.

The portrait of the presenter and environmental campaigner is now on show on the altar of the Fitzrovia Chapel, central London.

Originally commissioned by Radio Times magazine to mark Earth Day, it is the work of photographic artist Richard Ansett.

Packham is surrounded by images of some of the UK’s most endangered species. Mr Ansett said it also made reference to Packham’s neurodiversity – the presenter was diagnosed with autism in his 40s.

“I hope that every pixel of this portrait offers a safe space for anyone challenged by neurodiversity. Packham’s remarkable connection to the natural world drives him relentlessly to save us from ourselves,” Mr Ansett said.

The portrait of Packham is available to view until May 21 at the former chapel, where it is described as a work “elevating him to the status of living saint”.

Chris Packham is surrounded by some of the UK’s most endangered species in the artwork Credit: Richard Ansett/Radio Times

Packham said: “This photo is about a fundamental level of engagement, an engagement of equals. It conveys the importance of nature to heal us, provide us with a sanctuary in times of terrible trouble.

“But the species featured are also rare or declining so it serves to remind us that our one and only home, our Earth, is on a brink too many are refusing to see and act to protect and repair.

“This is a photograph about love, a love of life, all life.”

The featured species include the red squirrel, the house martin, the woodcock and the hedgehog.

Mr Ansett, an award-winning photographer whose previous works include Sir Grayson Perry in the style of the Madonna and Child, added that the Packham portrait “recognises the difficulties that he has prevailed over to become a success in his career and a positive light for so many people”.

It is “a personal tribute to Packham’s humanity in challenging the worst parts of ours, in our ambivalence to the destruction created in the wake of our own needs”, the photographer said.