Category: General News

Farm Animals, Fur and Fur Farming, General News

Portugal / UK: Luxury Fashion Brand Farfetch Pledges To Stop Selling ‘Barbaric’ Angora Wool.

Luxury Fashion Brand Farfetch Pledges To Stop Selling ‘Barbaric’ Angora Wool
Many rabbits in the Angora industry die prematurely due to stress, PETA says. Credit: Adobe. Do not use without permission.

Luxury Fashion Brand Farfetch Pledges To Stop Selling ‘Barbaric’ Angora Wool

Farfetch joins brands like Gucci and Calvin Klein in ditching the animal product

Luxury fashion retailer Farfetch has confirmed it will stop selling Angora wool from April 2022. Animal rights activists have applauded the move, and urged shoppers to opt for animal-free alternatives instead. 

The ban follows pressure from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), purported to be the largest animal rights organization in the world.

This included disruptions of shareholder meetings and more than 100,000 appeals from supporters. Last year, actor Sadie Frost joined forces with PETA, and called on Farfetch to ban Angora for good.

What is Angora wool?

Angora wool is a fabric made from the soft, thick hair of Angora rabbits. It’s long been considered a luxury fiber, however, Angora wool is increasingly falling out of favor.

PETA says the Angora wool industry is rife with animal cruelty, naming it “barbaric.”

A PETA Asia undercover investigator inspected nearly a dozen rabbit farms in China, which produces 90 percent of the world’s Angora, the charity says. 

There, the investigator found rabbits living in cramped, dirty cages. 

When the animals were sheared or plucked, they were suspended in the air or held across boards with their feet bound. Rabbits were “screaming in pain and terror,” PETA says. 

Animals in the Angora industry are first sheared or plucked at around 8 weeks old. Then, they experience the process every few months. After two to five years, the surviving animals are hung upside down where they get their throats slit, and are sold off for meat, PETA reports. 

However, a farmer told the investigator that most (60 percent) of the rabbits die prematurely, after a year or two. 

Animal-free fashion

PETA Director of Corporate Projects Yvonne Taylor commended Farfetch’s decision. 

“From high end to the high street, today’s retailers embrace fashion that leaves gentle rabbits in peace,” Taylor said in a statement. “PETA is celebrating this progressive decision by Farfetch, which will spare countless animals abuse.”

Farfetch – which has previously banned fur sales – joins an ever-growing list of brands taking a stance against the Angora trade. Gucci, Diane von Furstenberg, Calvin Klein, Roland Mouret, Tommy Hilfiger, and Stella McCartney have all committed to not selling Angora items.

Regards Mark

Farm Animals, General News, Vivisection

England: Musician Will Young Handcuffs Himself to the Gates of a Puppy Breeding Facility in a Protest Against Animal Testing.

Will Young Handcuffs Himself To Puppy Breeding Facility To Protest Animal Testing

The facility breeds around 2,000 beagle puppies a year for animal testing purposes

Yesterday (November 16), musician Will Young handcuffed himself to the gates of a puppy breeding facility in a protest against animal testing.

The British entertainer locked himself to the steel gates of the Marshall Bioresources (MBR) Acres research site in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire. 

There, thousands of beagle puppies are bred for biomedical research. MBR says these experiments help produce “life-saving” treatments for humans. It has been running such operations for more than 80 years. 

Raising awareness

But not everyone agrees that the testing is justified. Campaigners say the puppies, who are sent to animal testing laboratories at around 16 weeks old, suffer tremendously during the experiments. 

Grassroots anti-animal testing campaign Camp Beagle calls the industry “barbaric.” 

“These beagle puppies will be used in the most horrific and unnecessary experiments for toxicology testing, in which tubes will be rammed down their throats and masks forced over their faces to ingest and inhale lethal doses of toxins,” the group writes online.

“They will be given no pain relief, blood will be taken out of their tiny veins every hour, they will vomit, blood, excessively drool, shiver from changes in body temperature, and cower at the back of the cages.”

Many of the puppies are killed at six months old. 

Young joined Camp Beagle protesters at the MBR facility. He was photographed alongside the protesters with a sign that read: “Cambridgeshire. Famous for beagle torture. Thanks to MBR.”

The 42-year-old posted about the issue online. “I spent today at the gates of MBR Acres in protest of their testing on beagles. I wanted to raise awareness of animal testing and the fact that this is a puppy farm that farms over 2,000 beagle puppies a year to be sent out to their inevitable torture and death,” Young wrote.

“People do not know about it in this country and that is why I’ve handcuffed myself to the gates.”

Protestors at ‘Camp Beagle’

Wil Young

Sending a Message

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-59309603

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Ricky Gervais Calls For Ban On ‘Terrifying’ Animal Testing In The UK

Ricky Gervais Calls For Ban On ‘Terrifying’ Animal Testing In The UK

Ricky Gervais has criticized animal testing on dogs, calling the practice ‘terrifying’

Ricky Gervais is calling on the government to help protect lab animals, especially beagles. The British comedian slammed animal experiments and launched a campaign to ban all animal testing in the UK.

Gervais – who often speaks about various animal rights issues – urged the government to include animals used for testing in the Animal Welfare Act. The Animal Welfare Act outlaws activities that cause ‘unnecessary suffering’ to an animal.

Animal testing on dogs

The campaign aligns with a protest held at Marshall BioResources (MBR) Acres in Cambridgeshire last month. MBR breeds around 2,000 puppies a year. They are sold at 16 weeks old for toxicology tests.

Protestors are demanding that the facility releases the dogs it is holding.

According to The Independent, toxicology testing typically involves force-feeding animals chemicals or making them inhale pesticides. This can occur every day for up to 90 days without pain relief. Eventually, the dogs are killed.

The publication points to data from the government, outlining that dogs were used in 4,340 procedures in the UK last year. A majority (4,270) of tests were on beagles, marking a 5.3 percent increase from the year prior.

Activists have monitored the breeding site for more than a year, claiming to have witnessed ‘harrowing’ scenes. They said they saw workers grabbing dogs by their necks and loading them into crowded trolleys. Dogs cried ‘pitifully’ from crates.

Ricky Gervais speaks out

Gervais commented: “I’m deeply shocked to learn that thousands of beautiful beagles are intensively bred, right here in the peace of the British countryside, for painful and terrifying toxicity experiments that are also now proven to entirely fail the search for human treatments and cures.”

Actor Peter Egan joins Gervais in the campaign. Egan shared a video online about the cause and urged the public to sign a petition. So far the petition has garnered more than 50,000 signatures. The government must respond to a petition that gets 10,00 signatures.

In the video, Gervais said: “A dog, they’re amazing. They’re magical. It’s the closest I get to spirituality, just watching a dog.”

“They’re beautiful, they’ve got soul. They’re amazing, they’re brilliant. I couldn’t invent a better thing. A dog – it’s 15 years of joy. What an amazing companion a dog is.”

Is animal testing effective?

MBR addressed the controversy, claiming that the animals are ‘raised to be healthy, content, and comfortable in a lab environment’. The company added it is ‘proud’ of the work it does.

“We can comment that there is no such thing as an ‘animal experimentation industry’ as such experiments form a small but crucial part of a wide range of applications from ecology work to investigations into human and animal diseases including those that led directly to the vaccines and treatments for COVID-19, cancer drugs, pet medicines and products labelled as safe for pets,” it said.

But research suggests animal testing is not always effective.

In 2006, Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt said: “Currently, nine out of ten experimental drugs fail in clinical studies because we cannot accurately predict how they will behave in people based on laboratory and animal studies.”

Dr Ray Greek is the president of Americans and Europeans for Medical Advancement. Speaking to Gervais, Greek confirmed the statistic. “Yes, that’s exactly right. The drugs that we have that work really, really well today, we got those despite animal testing.”

Gervais responded: “It will be the greatest scientific discovery in the world, that animal testing doesn’t work. Let’s stop it and put all this money into something that works better. This seems to be a no brainer.”

Will Young Handcuffs Himself To Puppy Breeding Facility To Protest Animal Testing – Plant Based News

Regards Mark

Environmental, General News

Wild horses – they’re back!

The Przewalski horse population continues to grow. At the end of 2020, 487 animals of the endangered horse breed lived in the Xinjiang region in the far northwest of the People’s Republic of China.

The coat color varies from gray-yellow to red-brown © IMAGO / Xinhua

For a long time the Przewalski horse was considered the only wild horse species that still exists today.
Research has shown, however, that the horses of the Mongolian steppe with the characteristic long mane and flour nose are wild descendants of the first domesticated horses – which of course does not make Przewalski, which is on the Red List of Endangered Species, any less worthy of protection .

The news that the wildlings are increasing in their original homeland is all the more gratifying.

The population of the endangered Przewalski horses is growing again. © Erdenebayer | pixabay.com

Gone and yet back

The last free-living Przewalski horse was sighted in Mongolia in 1969. Since then, the Thakis have been considered extinct in the wild.
They had been hunted to extinction for their fur and meat and lost their habitat to grazing cattle.

The survival of the Przewalski horses is solely thanks to breeding programs in zoos and breeding centers.
The horses have been released back into the wild since the 1990s. In the meantime, several hundred Przewalski horses gallop through the grassy steppes of Mongolian protected areas.

Eel line and standing mane: Przewalski horses © IMAGO / Anka Agency International

In Mongolia, there are more than 500 wild Przewalski’s horses,with an adult population of 178 horses.

Exceptionally few captive Przewalski horses succeeded through the 1950s, and the last sighting of a wild individual occurred in 1969.

The species was listed as extinct from the wild in the 1960s until reintroduction programs began.
The species’ status has improved from extinct in the wild, followed by critically endangered, to a still-precarious endangered.

They are still considered critically endangered.

Like all wild horses, Przewalski’s horses live in small family groups consisting of a stallion, three to five mares and young foals.
Males without their own mares form their own “bachelor” groups. Bachelor horses fight bitterly for the right to mate and have their own group of mares (called harem).
They keep the rest of their herd in sight at all times and communicate through lots of noises, ear twitches and odor markings.

The Przewalski’s horse is a subspecies of Equus ferus and is considered to be the domestic horse’s closest relative.
It is a cousin to zebras and the wild ass, which also falls under the Equidae family.

The split between Przewalski’s horse species and the ancestors of domestic horses happened somewhere between 120,000 and 240,000 years ago.

The beautiful wild horses owe their name – pronounced Pschewalski – to the Russian researcher Nikolai Michailowitsch Przhevalsky.
He discovered the largely unknown horses during his expeditions to Central Asia at the end of the 19th century.
But even then the wild horses had become rare.

Scientists do not quite agree whether the Przewalski horses are actually real wild horses, i.e. were never domesticated.
A genetic study from 2018 suggests that horses in Mongolia may have been domesticated several thousand years ago and only then went wild again.
A later study again supports the hypothesis that they are real wild horses after all.

https://www.treehugger.com/przewalskis-horse-things-you-didnt-know-about-the-last-wild-horses-4863638https://blog.wwf.de/wildpferde-fakten-przewalski-pferd/

And I mean…Horses play an important role in the culture of Mongolia. Przewalski’s horses, in particular, symbolize the national heritage and culture of this country.

Otherwise called the Mongolian wild horse, this mammal is an object of various folk tales. In this country, Przewalski’s horses are considered the riding mounts of the Gods and are hence called “takhi”, literally meaning “spirit” or “holy”.

These animals possess very sharp hooves, which they use in digging the ground, typically in search of a water source in their dry habitat.
There have been found prehistoric, 30,000 years old cave paintings in Spain and France, which feature sturdy ungulates, closely resembling those currently known as Przewalski’s horses.

Community members form very close bonds between each other. They feed together and practice mutual grooming. Communication system of Przewalski’s horses includes neighing calls, which display threat submission or frustration.
Additionally, these neighing calls are used to alert group members of a predator.

It is very good news to learn that the population of these intelligent and beautiful animals is growing.
In fact, there isn’t a single animal species that shouldn’t grow.
There is only one whose growth threatens all others.

My best regards to all, Venus

Environmental, General News

Scotland: First Minister Says (Proposed) Cambo Oil Field Should Now NOT Be Given the Green Light to Proceed Due To Climate Issues.

In relation to our very recent post regarding (S)hell moving to the UK – see the climate activist video in this:

NL / UK: Shell; Eco Destroyers, Pull the Plug on the NL and Ready Instead for the UK. Watch the Environmentalist Girl Do Her Bit With the CEO On Video – Welcome Mr CEO to the UK ! – World Animals Voice

Nicola Sturgeon, first minister of Scotland has now stated that the proposed oil field in Scottish waters should NOT be given the green light to proceed.

Speaking on Tuesday afternoon the first minister told MSPs that the new field, at Cambo off Shetland, “could not and should not pass any rigorous climate assessment”.

It comes after climate campaigners urged her to get off the fence on the issue. She had previously said the development should be reassessed but stopped short of saying it should be cancelled.

“I don’t think we can go on extracting oil and gas forever, and I don’t think we can continue to give the go ahead to new oil fields.

“I have set out a proposal for a climate assessment and I think the presumption would be that Cambo could not and should not pass any rigorous climate assessment.”

Source:

Cambo: Nicola Sturgeon says new oil field should be blocked on climate grounds (msn.com)

Regards Mark

General News

Puppy factories in Queensland: don’t buy a lie!

Puppy Farms
Companion animals are a big part of Australian culture with around 5 million of the 7.5 million households in Australia being homes to dogs, cats and other animals.

The companion animal industry is big business and estimates suggest it generates a profit of $8 billion annually.

The Issues

1.Puppy Farms

Large-scale factory farming of dogs is happening in every state in Australia.
Dogs are hidden away from the public, in large sheds within stalls or cages, with improper bedding, no veterinary care and are totally deprived of their basic needs.

Dogs on puppy farms suffer psychological torment as they are kept in a continual state of pregnancy, are not socialised or free to exhibit natural behaviours.
They languish in filthy conditions and suffer chronic illnesses due to complete disregard for their wellbeing.

The puppies are shipped to pet stores; or sold online.
The puppies often suffer from health, mental and physical impairments as a result of their breeding.

And thus, the cycle of potential abandonment, overpopulation of shelters and pounds, and ultimate euthanasia of countless animals continues.

Continue reading “Puppy factories in Queensland: don’t buy a lie!” →

Environmental, General News

China Outbreak Fears as 18 ‘High Risk’ Viruses Found In Wet Markets: ‘Pandemic Waiting’.

China outbreak fears as 18 ‘high risk’ viruses found in wet markets: ‘Pandemic waiting’ (msn.com)

China outbreak fears as 18 ‘high risk’ viruses found in wet markets: ‘Pandemic waiting’

The Huanan Seafood Market where traders sold live mammals, reptiles and fish was linked to the initial outbreak of coronavirus in 2019. According to British scientist Dr Eddie Holmes, Chinese experts had highlighted the risk of a virus “spilling over” from animals to humans five years before the start of the pandemic. Now experts have sounded the alarm over history repeating itself.They warn that wildlife species that are traded sold and consumed in China’s wet markets are a “pandemic waiting to happen”.

A new study published on November 12, has identified 71 mammalian viruses, including 18 “high risk” that could be dangerous to humans and other animals.

According to the researchers, the most worrying was the microbes found in civets, a small nocturnal animal.

This species is believed to have carried the SARS coronavirus from bats to humans in China in 2002.

Co-author of the study, Edward Holmes, said: “This study highlights exactly why the wildlife trade and live animal markets are a pandemic accident waiting to happen.

“This paper also shows that humans regularly transmit their viruses to other animals. There’s clearly two-way virus traffic.”

Experts have also identified cross-species transmission of animal viruses with the most worrying being the transmission of a bat coronavirus to a civet.

Professor Holmes added: “A further species jump from civets into humans could easily start a major outbreak.

“The animals sold as game in live animal markets carry a wide range of viral pathogens.

“The right virus in the right animal at the right time could easily trigger a global pandemic.”

The origin of COVID-19 remains a mystery.

But recent analysis does suggest that closely-related viruses are much more widely distributed than previously believed.

The report, written by Etienne Simon-Loriere of the Pasteur Institute in Paris and Veasna Duong of the Pasteur Institute International Network in Phnom Penh, was based on two samples obtained from horseshoe bats in Cambodia.

Their conclusions suggest similar coronaviruses may be endemic in large areas of south-east Asia.

The report, published by Scientific journal Nature last week, highlights horseshoe bats (genus Rhinolophus) as the “main natural reservoir” of SARS-related coronaviruses, also named Sarbecoviruses2.

It states: “Indeed, a high diversity of coronavirus species have been found in Rhinolophus bats collected in several provinces of China.

“To date, the closest relatives to SARS-CoV-2 were identified from horseshoe bats sampled in the Yunnan province, southern China.”

When will politicians actually take note and vent their anger at China killing so many around the world ?

Regards Mark

Environmental, General News

NL / UK: Shell; Eco Destroyers, Pull the Plug on the NL and Ready Instead for the UK. Watch the Environmentalist Girl Do Her Bit With the CEO On Video – Welcome Mr CEO to the UK !

WAV Comment – Is being in the EU everything ‘they’ wish it to be ?

Maybe others need to do a ‘Brexit’ and take back some of their own national control; and pride !

Once Shell move entirely to the UK, campaigners can really start on them and show what their alleged climate action is all about.

There is an obvious reason for the move, and I would have a slight haphazard guess that it is something to do with money and possibly orders from the Dutch courts.

Who knows the real reasons ? – we never will; but for the future, welcome Shell to the UK; people are ready for you;

Like this for example:

Recent information:

‘Losing Dutch pride because of EU’ Nexit fury as Shell chooses Brexit Britain as new home (msn.com)

Dutch government only has itself to blame for Shell move to UK (msn.com)

Some of our recent posts relating to Shell:

Netherlands: ‘The climate has won today’ – Shell ordered to cut CO2 emissions by 45% in landmark climate case.

The video is worth a watch:

UK; Twas The Night Before COP26 – British Comedian Joe Lycett Holds ‘Shell’ (Oil Giant) To Account For Their Green Sales Techniques. He Literally Talks Shit ! – World Animals Voice

Netherlands: ‘The climate has won today’ – Shell ordered to cut CO2 emissions by 45% in landmark climate case. – World Animals Voice

Regards Mark

General News

Birds of prey and owls on German zoos-a life in clains

Photographs taken between June and October from various German zoos where birds of prey were kept show that the “rulers of the skies” are literally vegetating there.

With the exception of rehabilitation measures in recognized rescue centers, the animals have NOTHING to look for in captivity – they belong in the wild. That is why tethering birds of prey and owls must be prohibited in Germany! ❌

In many zoos and falconries, birds of prey and owls are chained to present them to the public.
In this so-called tethered posture, the wild birds are usually tied to a block of wood with a short leather strap for hours or even days.
The animals are only allowed to move for a short time during air shows or when the falconers “grant them free flight”.

Everything that defines their life in freedom is taken from the animals.
For many of them, this is probably the main form of keeping for months.

A sad life in chains

The animals spend most of their lives on a leash close to the ground.
When the tethered wild birds try to fly, they are torn back by the leather strap on their feet.
A few short hops between the seats are all you can get around most of the time.
Some animals also nibble on their ankle cuffs to free themselves.

According to the current guidelines for keeping birds of prey and owls in Germany, it is even permissible to only let the animals fly briefly every other day in this type of keeping.

According to a study of air shows with birds of prey in Great Britain, the birds were only able to move freely for an average of 11 minutes during the flight demonstrations, so they were tied up for the majority of the day.

Why are birds of prey and owls tied up?

In this form of keeping, falconers have easier “access” to the tied animals, as the birds do not have to be taken out of the aviaries.
Birds such as hawks, eagles and eagle owls are used in the zoos on sightseeing flights and thus abused for entertainment purposes.

Sometimes the animals also have to serve as an attraction in order to be held or even petted by visitors for selfies.
For the stress-sensitive wild birds, this forced contact with humans is associated with enormous stress.
The research recordings also show that owls, which are mostly active at night or at dusk, are often used for demonstrations during the day, contrary to their natural rhythm of activity.

In Austria, the permanent tethering of birds of prey for air shows is already prohibited, as this represents a massive restriction for the animals.
In addition, birds of prey and owls are abused by falconers to hunt other animals – such as rabbits or pigeons – and thus degraded to living weapons.

Tethering birds of prey and owls must be prohibited

Currently (as of November 2021) a revision of the outdated guidelines for keeping birds of prey and owls is planned (“Minimum requirements for keeping birds of prey and owls” from 1995).
However, tethering, which is cruel to animals, is likely to remain allowed under pressure from the falconry and zoo associations.

In November 2021, we at PETA Germany reported those responsible for eight German zoos with raptors for alleged violations of the Animal Welfare Act.
According to Section 2 No. 1 of the Animal Welfare Act, an animal must be nourished, cared for and housed appropriately according to its type and needs.
In the “falconry” tethered system, birds of prey and owls are considerably restricted in their natural flight behavior.

These zoos with tethering were displayed by us:

Kurpfalz-Park Wachenheim (Rhineland-Palatinate)
Sababurg Zoo (Hesse)
Wildlife and Leisure Park Willingen (Hesse)
Edersee Wildlife Park (Hesse)
Wildparadies Tripsdrill (Baden-Wuerttemberg)
Tambach Castle Wildlife Park (Bavaria)
Wisentgehege Springe (Lower Saxony)
Gangelt Wildlife Park (North Rhine-Westphalia)

We are committed to ensuring that tethering of birds of prey and owls is prohibited in Germany.

With the exception of rehabilitation measures in recognized rescue centers, birds of prey and owls have no business in captivity.
They belong in freedom.

https://www.peta.de/neuigkeiten/anbindehaltung-greifvoegel/

And I mean…Many ignorant, uninformed parents fall victim to the dirty advertising that these companies are selling on the Internet and rush to the “open air” prisons with their children because they see them as part of their entertainment and want to take selfies with the wild objects so that they have the wild objects in the family album
Like many millions of other animals, these wild birds are deprived of their freedom to entertain stupid zoo and park visitors for a lifetime.

Rights and dignity are tacitly reserved exclusively for humans and are seldom granted or even completely denied to non-human animals.

My best regards to all, Venus

Environmental, General News, Vegan Recipes

UK (Scotland): How the ‘Eat Local’ Food Myth Led to COP26’s Menu Failure.

WAV Comment:   Thanks as always to Stacey at Our Compass for sending us the article.

https://our-compass.org/author/ourcompasses/

This is of special interest as I (Mark) have been dealing with the issue of plant based foods (or not) on the menu at COP26.  See the link here:

October 8th;

England: Vegan Food At COP26. Why None ? – WAV Now Write To MP and Ask Him To Contact Mr Sharma For Responses. Keep Ramping It Up Sort Of Thing ! – World Animals Voice

Today (15/11) I have still had nothing back from anyone associated with my request to my MP / Alok Sharma.

UK: Ever Visited Your GP With A Cough And Then Been Prescribed 20 Cigarettes A Day ? – World Animals Voice

UK: UN COP26 Climate Summit – vegan eating can reduce food-related carbon emissions by 73%. Eating meat and dairy is part of what got us into this mess. So Why No Vegan Food At the Summit ???? – Take Action Below. – World Animals Voice

UK: COP26 – ‘You Can’t Be A Meat-Eating Environmentalist’ Declares New (Bus) Campaign (In Glasgow) Aimed At COP26. Go Vegan !! – Also, Don’t Have Blood On Your Hands ! – World Animals Voice

The article below shines a lot more light on the food / menu served at COP26 – I think you will find it interesting; info which goes above and beyond the fancy spin put out at the conference to make us normal people think that they, the conference goers are all so plant based environmentalists.

Please read and absorb.

Here is a link to actions undertaken by Viva! (England) which also relate to COP26 activism:

Viva! Campaigns Newsletter (mailchi.mp)

More reading:

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/cop26-food-menu-criticised-mostly-25372431

Regards Mark

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Stopping animal exploitation does not require any human benefit, people don’t need profit to be opposed to human exploitation, the same is true for animals. However, given that nonvegans live on a planet hurtling towards destruction and potential extinction, you would hope people would at least embrace a plant-based diet, if not for them, then for their children.

Using plastic straws and reducing animal consumption is the same as doing nothing. it’s meaningless “baby steps” that will result in the same planetary destruction: don’t pretend to support the disingenuous nonsense that consuming animals is “environmentally friendly”, the scientific data has proven time and again that consuming NO animals is ideal for the environment despite the cherry-picking animal farmers/consumers/execs desperately manipulate to satisfy their greedy agendas: as I have asked previously, if you’re vegan, where will you get the decomposing flesh, rotten blood, bacteria, parasites, disease, necrotic organs, feces, gore, and pus to maintain an environmentally stable position? See? Ludicrous.

I’m not asking anyone to do more than I do, but even if you don’t care about justice or decency for animals – for whom veganism is a moral imperative versus a plant-based diet – at least care about the human ones. SL

Source Sentient Media

By Caroline Christen

he 2021 United Nations Climate Conference (COP26) hosted by the UK in Glasgow is drawing to a close. As the conference unfolded, environmental advocates criticized COP26 for serving animal products instead of a more climate-friendly, plant-based menu.

While the COP26 menu includes vegan haggis, mushroom risotto, and lasagna topped with plant-based cheddar, it also offers beef burgers and haggis made from sheep offal. More than half of the menu’s items contain meat, dairy, fish, and eggs, according to Levy, the company in charge of catering at COP26.

Despite the accelerating climate crisis, yet another COP conference chose to serve attendees some of the world’s most climate-damaging foods. A closer look reveals that livestock producers were selected as suppliers for a simple reason: being based within 100 miles of Glasgow. The COP26 menu failure is a direct result of the “Eat Local” myth, the misguided belief that locally sourced foods are ecologically superior to imported foods regardless of their other qualities.

Continue on next page.

Pages: 1 2 3
Environmental, General News, Uncategorized

England: The Fight To Get Better For Feral Pigeons. By Mark (WAV).

The press took up the issue and covered it well. I spoke in defence of the birds as always !

Personal experience has shown me that, although many ‘officials’; the top people who work in regional authorities, regardless of their position and title; do not really have much a clue when it comes to pigeon management in their area.  This includes reproduction, feeding and general issues which affect them and the birds welfare.

Venus travels several miles each day to her local town to give feed to pigeons in need.  With so many clampdowns at the moment; her actions are literally a matter of life or death to many of these birds.

Some people call them ‘vermin’ or ‘flying rats’; but at the end of the day, they have a reason to exist as part of ‘the system’; are sentient creatures, and thus should be treated as such.

Feral pigeons are like stray dogs and cats; people in authority often (very wrongly) have the mindset, and undertake the principle that, if you kill of all (or as many as possible) of the birds in ‘your’ town or region, then they have largely resolved your pigeon ‘problem’ and will become a bird free town or region.

WRONG – just like the issue of stray dogs, culling pigeons often only largely eradicates the older and generally sicker, non breeding birds.  But, by undertaking a cull, it lets the younger, healthier, and very reproductive birds remain in the area, or move into the area which will be new to them; in their search for more / better food; thus; just like killing stray dogs and cats, the ‘problem’ of bird numbers actually increases populations in an area rather than decreasing it.

I am not a pigeon specialist, but I have worked with, and know a man that is.  His name is Guy and he is the founder of PICAS, set up in here in Southern England many years ago.  I learned a lot about pigeon management from Guy.

I had the pleasure of getting to know (and respect) Guy when we worked together to fight for the pigeons in my (then) local town.  His advice and expertise on the subject has always remained with me; just like the pigeon numbers that have remained or increased in the town as the local authority did not take his / our advice on pigeon management and control techniques; which I outline below.

PICAS stands for the Pigeon Control and Advisory Service, and their web site can be found at:

PiCAS Humane Non Lethal Methods of Bird Pest Control (picasuk.com)

Why lethal control fails:

PiCAS Humane Non Lethal Methods of Bird Pest Control Why Lethal Bird Control Fails (picasuk.com)

“Pigeons control their own numbers very effectively according to the volume of food available to them. An adult pair of pigeons will usually breed 4-6 times a year but can breed more frequently in optimum conditions, producing 2 young each time. If, however, the food supply reduces and there is only sufficient food available to support the existing flock, adult birds may only breed once or twice a year or possibly not at all. Pigeons will not breed if there is insufficient food to service the needs of their young.

If the food supply increases for any reason (following a cull for example), pigeons will breed continuously until the flock reaches the point where it is fully exploiting the food available to it. In other words, there is a minor population explosion each time a cull takes place.

The end result is an estimated 15% -30% increment in flock size over and above the pre-cull figure.

Commercial values have now overtaken good working practice in the pest control sector with pest control contractors recommending culling at every opportunity; as a direct result of this stance pigeon numbers throughout the UK continue to rise year on year. This is clearly not in the interest of those experiencing problems with pigeons (and other species of wild bird) and it is yet another example of the pest control industry putting profit before client’s needs”.

After a full visit and review of the local town site, Guy, with my own support, decided to present a non lethal approach to controlling and reducing pigeon numbers in the town.

A simple cote (with pigeon) used for population control.

A series of dovecotes (easily constructed – we supplied lists of materials and construction info) and feeding areas (located directly below them) were suggested as a primary means of control.  This feeding area would allow people to continue feeding the birds if they wished, (as many do), but by having the cotes; a facility will be provided which will not only provide pigeons with a daytime perch, but also with an overnight roosting and breeding facility where flock size can be controlled by birth control (important). This is achieved by removing eggs say once every day or other day, as laid, from the dovecote and replacing them with dummy eggs. This simple but very effective method of numbers control will dramatically reduce pigeon flock size and is very cheap and simple to maintain. Although the infrastructure required to implement this type of system is straightforward, the overall programme is complex and should not be considered unless it is being provided in conjunction with advice from PiCAS.

PiCAS Humane Non Lethal Methods of Bird Pest Control Artificial Breeding Facilities (picasuk.com)

Part of our dovecote presentation – Materials and construction method.

To cut to the chase; in the end, after a detailed presentation to the local council to outline our proposal; which included suggested sites around the town; construction materials lists; and cote construction sizes); allegedly due costs, council officials decided to ignore the control advice given and go instead with simply putting up a few ‘warning’ signs around the town asking people not to feed the birds. 

This method of sticking up a few signs around the town is about as useful as a chocolate fireman !

Lots of people love to feed (and watch) birds.  A few signs mean nothing.  People will always feed regardless of signage.

Nothing in the way of costing for the signage and ‘alternatives’ were given as a comparison against our proposal.

The council letter to myself outlining reasons for not taking up our suggestions.

Also, in their letter to myself (see above), the council suggested that they had been in touch with other councils and had no proof that the system proposed actually worked.  As part of our presentation; we did supply information on several councils that had adopted the PIUCAS method of bird numbers management.  The PICAS site now reflects some more recent issues:

PiCAS Humane Non Lethal Methods of Bird Pest Control Further Reading (picasuk.com)

Hey ho; some you win, some you lose.

As said, I learned a lot knowing Guy and the relationship with PICAS.  This was quite a while ago and I have not returned for years now to see the current situation re bird control in the town.

We tried, we failed; but in the end you have to ask yourself who has been the real loser in this issue.  I was glad to be part of it regardless; PICAS continues and the council ?; do they all live in a pigeon free zone now, one has to ask ? – I very much doubt.

Regards Mark