Report from Association against animal factories, VGT Austria
Slap in the face – Salzburg Fiakers prevent heat-free!
After our years of campaigns and dozens of actions and a great outcry in the population, the Salzburg municipal council passed a heat-free regulation for Salzburg from 30 degrees from summer 2021 in autumn 2020.
Background:
In December 2020, a heat-free rule from 30 degrees was unanimously passed in the Salzburg municipal council.
The value should be measured directly in the city center. The application was introduced by the Salzburg citizens’ list and will come into force in summer 2021.
😮 Now the decision turns out to be a zero number, the mayor refers to the small print: It was only decided to negotiate an amendment to the contract, “we could not force the horse cabs (“Fiaker”) to do anything” (!!!)
And despite the decision, they continue to extend at a sweaty 30 degrees plus. Anyone who forces his horses to do this pointless activity in such heat cannot claim to like horses.
This Fiaker horse died while driving at the Burgring in downtown Vienna- Image: Marcello Farabegoli
VGT campaigner Georg Prinz said: “It is no longer possible to work with these “fiakers”. We therefore expressly request the city of Salzburg not to extend the contract with the horse cabs from 2023 onwards. “
Next Tuesday, June 22nd, we will again hold a rally in Salzburg from 4:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. directly at the FiakerStand placeResidenzplatz, where signatures will also be collected for a new petition on the Fiaker ban in Salzburg.
✍ http://www.vgt.at/fiaker-salzburg
Please sign the petition and share it to many possible ones
And I mean…These animals are only able to endure the noise and traffic of the city through the use of blinkers and often also ear plugs.
The long standing at the Fiaker meeting places with horses – which are in the natural so constantly in motion – is a great torture for their tendons and joints, let alone pulling the load on asphalt ground.
Many of these workhorses suffer from hoof diseases and joint problems, which will become massive with increasing age.
And even in their free time – if we can still speak of ‘free time’ with carriage horses- the horses usually lead a lonely and completely unsuitable life.
They work 365 days a year, their official working hours in winter are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (at the 6-week Christmas market you can often see them until 8 p.m.), and in summer from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
One thing is for sure: for carriage horses this traditional ‘customs’ means, and not only from the point of view of animal rights activists, a life-long torture!
At ‘Salzburg Info’ we read on the internet: “Today the “fiaker horses” are used exclusively for tourism and fun.”
Instead of fiaker horses it would be more realistic to say “slaves”.
Because only slaves serve.
And that with the “fun”, that’s probably always been the language of the rulers and the slave owners
The Jordanian government has made a groundbreaking decision: The regional authority for development and tourism for the Petra region has decided that 20 environmentally friendly electric vehicles should replace the horse-drawn carriages that previously used to drive tourist groups through the famous rock city.
We at PETA Germany and our international partner organizations welcome this animal-friendly step.
Electric vehicles are to replace tourist horse-drawn carriages
The decision of the Jordanian government is a groundbreaking step, which we hope will only be the first of many: In the future, electric vehicles will replace the tourist horse-drawn carriage rides through the archaeological park of the city of Petra.
In the past, tourists outraged by animal suffering had repeatedly turned to PETA.
Video recordings from PETA Asia show animal suffering and abuse: In addition to horses, donkeys and camels are also forced – often violently – to transport heavy loads and people over stony surfaces and slippery steps.
Due to public pressure, the electric vehicles will at least alleviate the suffering of the horses exploited in Petra.
“In the future, horses will no longer have to suffer from being forced to pull heavy people behind them – the new vehicles will take care of that and we hope that there will be further developments of this kind soon.” (Jason Baker, PETA Asia)
In October 2020, the Egyptian Ministry of Tourismannounced that it would ban tourist camel riding and horse-drawn carriages at the Giza pyramids.
We hope that these important decisions are only the first steps leading to exclusively animal-free transportation.
Donkeys and mules have to transport people up and down hundreds of steps
Musician Annie Ko of LOVE X STEREO worked as a translator for Humane Society International in South Korea.
During that time she discovered horrors of the dog meat industry. On one visit to a dog meat farm, she met and rescued DeeJay and their lives changed forever.
We are working tirelessly to fight the dog meat trade across Asia but change only manifests when it comes from within the hearts and minds of locals like Annie.
The majority of South Koreans are AGAINST the dog meat industry and with their support and activism, the end to this trade is in sight.
Together, we can and are making a difference for animals in Asia!
HSI is working tirelessly to fight the dog meat trade but change only manifests when it comes from within, which Annie exemplifies. Together, we can and are making a difference for animals in Asia and beyond.
Ask China to end dog and cat meat trade horrors including the Yulin festival
Yulin Dog Meat Festival 2021 will take place between 21 – 30 June (06) 2021.
Yulin Dog Meat Festival (or Lychee and Dog Meat Eating Festival) as it is sometimes known, is a controversial festival held in Yulin, Guangxi, China, during the summer solstice – the longest day of the year, in June. Even though the festival started as recently as 2009, eating dog meat is believed to be an ancient Chinese tradition.
Chinese practitioners of folk medicine thought that dog meat is the best solution against the summer heat, although there is no physiological or medical evidence to support it. Some also believe dog meat can ward off diseases and heighten men’s sexual performance.
Cat meat, fresh lychees and liquor are also available at the 10-day event.
During the 10-day festival, dogs and cats are exhibited in metal cages and wooden crate before they are skinned, cooked, and eaten by visitors of the event.
It is a terribly disgusting event as you can see from the photos we are publishing here. As many as 15,000 dogs are tortured, killed and cooked to be sold every year.
On the eve of the festival, many activists are protesting in China or in front of Chinese embassies, while hundreds of volunteers make an effort to stop the trucks transporting the dogs to the festival and rescue the animals.
Activist groups in China can legally intercept dog meat trucks and confiscate dogs if the drivers don’t have the paperwork proving that they own them. The dogs which are found in these trucks often turn out to be stolen pets and are returned to owners, others are made available for adoption in China and other countries.
For example, a shelter from the state of New York took in 200 dogs, a San Diego rescue center took 18 dogs to Southern California, while the center in Massachusetts saved five animals.
Yulin is a major campaign issue across the world with animal rights people. Thanks to international pressure the number of dogs slaughtered during Yulin Dog Meat Festival has dropped considerably, and there is hope the festival will be banned completely.
From ‘Notodogmeat’;
End Yulin 2021 Notodogmeat is Sending Activists to Yulin This Weekend
Yulin Dog Meat ‘ Festival’ is likely to take place next week (21 – 30 June) 2021. Our hearts are broken. We have been campaigning for ten years to end this cruelty and saved hundreds of dogs and cats.
New animal welfare regulations and also concerns about the pandemic gave us hope Yulin City will see sense. People eat dog meat in this south China province all year round, and tourists love to come on Summer Solstice, get drunk and feast on dogs. They don’t care.
As soon as we got word that trucks were on the move, we knew we had to act. Our activists, led by Mr Zhao, who runs our big China shelter, will make the 3000 km trip to the region in the next few days.
They will attend and protest, documenting all health violations and produce a report that the Ministry of Agriculture cannot deny.
We will also rescue whatever pups we can (without paying high prices) and shame traders and revellers.
This action is powerful because our team is made up entirely of Chinese animal lovers and volunteers.
They know how hard you have all worked signing petitions and writing letters, and they are ready to make sacrifices in the boiling heat to do their bit.
Like us, they cannot bear the idea of dogs packed in cages, no food, water, or shelter. Blood, urine, faeces everywhere. It is a horror show. Terrified eyes, pleading for their lives.
We need your help to make this happen. As a small charity, we rely on your donations. Please chip in what you can to help pay for the activists trip and cover veterinary and associated expenses so we can save as many lives as we can.
There are some wonderful, brilliant animal activists in China trying to stop this, and we wish them every success with ALL thier work. Here below are some from ‘Notodogmeat’.
We are putting out this info now; and hope to publish more reading / action links later;
Regards Mark
UPDATE 1430GMT
Hi all; I have tracked down the following video clips for you to see if you want. They are disturbing for animal people, any normal person; here they are in case you want to know more – Mark
Dog Is Sheep Is Cow Is Pig Is Boy Is Girl Is Cat – None should be abused for the want of the human tastebud !
Other articles related to Yulin – the first below from the ‘New York Post’ is very interesting – I have reproduced courtesey of the NYP and outlined the main in RED. – Regards Mark
New York Post – New law could end China’s infamous dog meat festival, says advocacy group
Animal activists are celebrating a new law in China that regulates the mass trafficking of feral dogs into Yulin, in the Guangxi region, which has an annual dog meat festival.
Yulin’s agricultural officials confirmed the news on May 1, Jam Press reported. The new law would ensure that animals are raised and quarantined together before being transported and sold for slaughter — a move that will ultimately strengthen public health efforts, and potentially save thousands of dogs.
…. That and the country’s “wet markets” have long been regarded as sources of disease and, indeed, linked to the virus that causes COVID-19.
Last year, China cracked down on the nation’s wildlife trade, including a move to reclassify dogs as “companion animals” instead of their previous “livestock” designation, in response to what was then still an emerging pandemic that many experts believe originated in a Wuhan meat market.
The plan ensured that dogs would no longer be found on the legal meat trade, though the law does little to mitigate the animal black market.
Homùn, Yucatàn, (May 20, 2021).- The people of the Maya town of Homún municipality of Yucatàn win another legal battle against the mega pig farm. This May 19, the First Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (SCJN) confirmed the definitive suspension of a pig farm in favor of the children of this community of Yucatán.
According to a statement from “Kanan ts’ono’ot”, representatives of the groups known as “Childhood of Homún and Indignation”, the vote was unanimous, with which the ministers confirmed the definitive suspension of this farm, which must remain closed until the final verdict is issued by the Supreme Court.
The operations of this pork farm have been paralyzed since October 9, 2018, due to the suspension granted by Judge Miriam de Jesús Cámara Patrón from an injunction promoted by six girls and boys from Homún, a Maya town in Yucatán located in the Geohydrological Reserve of the Cenotes.
“The decision of the SCJN once again agrees with the Maya people of Homún, particularly the Maya boys and girls who, through the aforementioned injunction, managed to paralyze the farm of 49 thousand pigs since October 9, 2018, when the suspension was granted ”, indicated the groups.
The decision of the highest court, according to the organizations, allows the protection of the right to health, the environment, and dignified life for the children of the Maya town of Homún. At the same time, it lays the foundations for the final resolution, which is yet to be resolved in the Second District Court of the State of Yucatán.
A new report indicates that poachers may have killed at least 100 more wolves since they lost endangered species protections than previously believed. Alamy Stock Photo
A whopping 2,380 wolf hunting permits—twice as many as are typically issued for hunts in the state—were made available for a quota of 119 wolves in what was supposed to be a week-long season. Less than three days later, more than 200 wolves had been killed, entire wolf families were decimated, and the hunting season had to be shut down early, having gone nearly 100 wolves over the quota.
Each wolf lost in this killing spree had represented hope for wolf conservation in America—and that hope was shattered. Little if any input was sought from Wisconsinites, tribal nations or the scientific community. We led a strong campaign to try to stop the February wolf hunt, sending a letter to the Wisconsin governor, state lawmakers and Department of Natural Resources officials, emphasizing that the hunt would have disastrous consequences for the wolves; unfortunately a court decision forced the hunt to continue. We still believe that the wrongs of this hunt deserve closer inspection, which is why we’ve just published “A call to end wolf trophy hunting in Wisconsin,” in an effort to prevent a repetition of this reckless hunt in November 2021.
One of the deadliest hunts in local memory
We now know that Wisconsin’s February hunt was the second deadliest wolf hunt in Wisconsin’s recorded history, with 218 wolves recorded dead. The best available science indicates that poachers may have killed at least an additional 100 more since wolves were delisted. We also know that nearly half the wolves killed were females. Because it was breeding season, many of them may have been pregnant. More than 85% of the wolves killed were hunted down by packs of dogs—an extremely cruel practice that no other Midwestern state allows for wolf hunting. Hunt participants also used unfair killing equipment such as night vision devices, snowmobiles, traps and snares.
Our report emphasizes that even more wolves died than the state calculated—largely because it failed to account for the tremendous numbers likely killed by poachers. Because of time constraints, hunters could self-report, or report to a local game warden (and not a biologist), the wolves they killed. The state did not require hunters to turn in the dead wolves for analysis, which would have allowed the state to verify the age of the wolf and whether a female was pregnant at the time of her death, among other information. Only 22 of the 218 were voluntarily turned in, and only because the tribal nations had requested to conduct their own research. As a result, the state failed to account for what was likely a substantial loss to the breeding population and for the for the offspring of pregnant wolves who were killed.
We believe that Wisconsin has lost about one-third of its wolf population since they were delisted from federal Endangered Species Act protections in November 2020. These wolves are largely counted using their tracks in snow, which will make it impossible to count the wolf population before the next proposed wolf trophy hunt in November. If that hunt occurs, the future survival of this population of wolves will be in jeopardy.
We conducted a poll of Wisconsin residents, cutting across demographics and including farmers, hunters, all party affiliations, genders and jurisdictions, and found that 68% of respondents think that the November wolf hunt is a bad idea. Some 62% opposed the trophy hunting and trapping of wolves. The majority of respondents believed the February 2021 hunt was “mismanaged” and “reckless” and that the methods to hunt wolves in Wisconsin are cruel and unfair, and 68% stated they are convinced that wolves are sentient, evolved, familial beings who drive ecological processes while keeping their prey herds healthier. And most respondents—even most Wisconsin farmers—did not feel that wolves pose a serious threat to livestock.
This is why we are calling upon Wisconsin officials to stop the proposed November wolf hunt and adopt a hunting quota of zero wolves. And we’re urging the federal government to relist Wisconsin’s wolves under the federal Endangered Species Act.
The fight to reinstate wolf protections
The struggle to save gray wolves spans decades. Nearly eradicated from their native U.S. habitats at the beginning of the 20th century, gray wolves are still absent from about 70% of currently suitable habitat in the lower 48 states. Yet in recent years legislators and wildlife agencies have systematically continued to roll back wolf protections. The carnage of the Wisconsin hunt showed what can happen when wolves are stripped of those protections.
But there are stories that bring hope to the fight for wolves. For the first time in 80 years, wolf pups were born in Colorado. The pups’ parents had immigrated into Colorado themselves, and unlike other immigrants before them, were not shot or poisoned before having the opportunity to breed. In 2020, Colorado residents showed support for wolves in their state by passing a ballot measure mandating the restoration of wolves on public lands in the western region of the state by 2023. The best way to protect the future of this wolf family would be to relist gray wolves under the Endangered Species Act.
In the third debate, the departmental authorities approve a bill that PROHIBITS animal-drawn vehicles throughout the whole national territory!
According to this bill, the district, municipal and departmental authorities in whose territories animal-drawn vehicles circulate “will initiate substitution programs. Once the substitution of animal-drawn vehicles has been carried out, the transit of animal-drawn vehicles will be prohibited. competent authorities will proceed to their withdrawal, immobilization and seizure “.
This project is of total relevance to the country, for years citizens have witnessed the unfortunate conditions to which thousands of horses are subjected, strenuous work days, inadequate nutrition, physical abuse, the permanent risk of being run over by vehicles, and inadequate veterinary care.
Cases of physical mistreatment of equines are becoming more and more frequent, from the Colombian Platform for Animalswe have been making quite a few complaints over the years.
Horses remain exposed to high levels of pollution, compete on the roads with automobiles and in the event of an accident they always have the upper hand; It is constantly observed that horses suffer wounds and lacerations that are not treated in time, fractures, vertebral problems, and the inadequate maintenance of their hooves are daily bread, in addition to the cruel abuse, such as the whip, to which many are subjected.
If this project is approved, the district and municipal mayors will have six (6) months from the entry into force of this Law, to carry out a census with 100% of the data of animal traction vehicles and their owners, which it must be sent to the Ministry of Transportation and the National Road Safety Agency, forming a registry of beneficiaries of the substitution programs.
The article also mentions that “owners of these vehicles may avail themselves of the substitution contemplated in this law on a voluntary basis and the municipal and district mayors will be in charge of the identification using technological tools.”
It should be remembered that in Colombia, successful substitution processes for animal traction vehicles have already been carried out, by virtue of Decree 178 OF 2012 of the Presidency of the Republic.
The examples of Bogotá and Medellín attest to this.
However, this decree prohibits the urban transit of animal traction vehicles only in municipalities of the special category and in first-category municipalities in the country, therefore in many municipalities this tragedy still continues.
From the Colombian Platform for AnimalsALTO, we will continue to support this project, we applaud the decision of the Senate committee, and we urge the Senate plenary to approve this important project in its last debate.
The big problem in this country, as in many other countries, is that laws are drafted that unfortunately nobody obeys, because nobody checks whether they are being followed.
We’re moving on, we’re making progress on animal legislation 🐾
They are small steps, but often small steps have a big impact.
Recently, Representatives Alcee Hastings (D-FL) and Vern Buchanan (R- FL), following efforts by Citizens for Alternatives to Animal Research & Experimentation (CAARE), introduced a bill that would provide a needed boost to medical research.
If passed, the Humane Research and Testing Act of 2021 (H.R. 1744) will establish the National Center for Alternatives to Animals in Research (Center) under the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The bill follows nearly 30 years after Congress passed the NIH Revitalization Act to modernize many of the outdated policies and regulations carried out under the world’s largest biomedical institution. The 1993 law included a substantial section [Section 205] to address the growing need and opportunities to replace animals in research. In robust language, the Act called upon NIH “to conduct or support research into methods of biomedical research and experimentation that do not require the use of animals.” It also included language “for training scientists in the use of such [non-animal] methods that have been found to be valid and reliable,” as well as “encouraging the acceptance by the scientific community of such methods that have been found to be valid and reliable.”
Unfortunately, even though this legislation passed nearly 30 years ago, NIH has made little effort in replacing animal testing, even with a revolution that has unfolded in biotechnology allowing for superior human-specific research without animals. According to a 2012 National Research Council report, almost half of NIH’s funding is for testing that involves animal use, and this amount has remained stable over the years.
The Humane Research and Testing Act will mandate that NIH follow the law. Fundamental to reducing animal experimentation is the ability to track the number of animals used, yet precise numbers of animals used in U.S. research are unknown. This lack of transparency in what animals are used, how many are used, and how they are used makes it impossible for the public to know whether NIH is making any true effort in replacing animal tests. That is why, in addition to the creation of the Center, the Humane Research and Testing Act (HRTA) will require NIH to track and disclose the numbers of all animals used and document its progress at reducing them through mandatory bi-annual reports.
Importantly, the establishment of a Center will be an important step in ensuring scientific progress for human health. It is becoming increasingly recognized by scientific bodies that there is an urgent need for a sea change away from animal testing. Whatever role animals may have played in medical research in the past, today’s research deals with the subtle nuances of molecular biology and genetics. Interspecies differences in physiology, pharmacokinetics, and genetics significantly limit the reliability of animal testing.
And the proof is in the pudding. More than 90 percent of drugs and vaccines fail during human clinical trials, after passing animal tests. People enrolled in clinical trials put their lives at risk based on misleading safety tests on animals. Equally troubling is the very likely fact that many drugs that were abandoned based on animal tests may have worked wonderfully in humans. Most diseases have little or no treatment available. But how many missed opportunities were there because of the unreliability of animal testing?
New testing methods offer a way out of the quagmire that animal testing has caused. Human organs grown in the lab, human chip models, cognitive computing technologies, 3D printing of human living tissues, and the Human Toxome Project offer great promise in helping scientists understand the diseases that afflict us and find treatments. Much of their promise lies in the fact that these testing methods are based on human biology.
But more change is needed and needed faster. As long as NIH prioritizes funding of animal research, the development of innovative testing methods will be impeded. The Center will be tasked with developing, funding, and incentivizing innovative, human-based methods. The Center will also educate and train scientists to utilize these methods.
The HRTA was introduced one month before Congressman Hastings died from pancreatic cancer. His words drove home his strong belief that the HRTA will be transformative: “This legislation will not just reduce animal testing and research,” said Hastings, “but will ultimately improve medical treatments for humans as they are developed from beginning to end primarily with test subjects that replicate human biology and physiology.”
Will Congress honor Hastings’s legacy? Lives remain in the balance as long as the biomedical system is based on ineffective animal testing. A new center within NIH will help ensure that our tax dollars are used to fund the best and kindest medical science possible and pave the way for innovation.
Aysha Akhtar, M.D., M.P.H., is a double-board certified neurologist and preventive medicine/public health specialist. She is the CEO of the Center for Contemporary Sciences, pioneering the transition to replace the use of animals in experimentation with effective human-based technologies. Dr. Akhtar is the author of the recent book, Our Symphony With Animals. On Health, Empathy and Our Shared Destinies.
Cruelty-Free and Vegan Cosmetics Certifications & Claims Explained
WAV Comment – we are reproducing the introduction and link to the site in order that you can review and make your own choices. There is a lot of information, complete with logos to watch out for when you purchase or decide not to purchase.
In this post, I’m sharing some of the most common cruelty-free and vegan claims, labels, and logos that we often see on cosmetics and household cleaning products. As well as, providing an overview of which ones are regulated, the organizations issuing these certifications, their requirements, and the cost associated with licensing their logos.
And because no certification or standard is perfect or all-inclusive, I’ll also be sharing some things to look out for. That way, we can set some realistic expectations when we shop for cruelty-free and vegan cosmetics.
By the end of this post, you’ll have a better understanding of what each cruelty-free and vegan claim actually means, and hopefully, it’ll help you make better and informed consumer choices.
“The bulls in the sea” suspended for one more year in DÉNIA, Spain.
Every year, in this Alicante town, this horrible and cruel tradition takes place, which consists of deceiving and harassing the bulls until they jump or fall into the sea.
Once in the water, people, in boats or swimming, harass, mistreat, cheer and humiliate the animals. They catch them and thwart their attempts to get back to land. The images are of a creepy anguish.
Many of these animals end up drowning.
(Click on the picture)
This year, like last, this horror will not take place due to the health crisis.
From PACMA,Animal Welfare Party of Spain (Partido Animalista) we continue working so that cruelties like this are never celebrated again.
For this reason, on September 18we need you in Madrid to demand the end of bullfighting. You cannot be absent!
And I mean…Bullfighting and bull festivals violate all ethics of modern civilized countries and societies.
Unfortunately for this “tradition” the primitives are wasted Millions that are urgently needed for the school or health system.
It is finally time to abolish these “traditions”, which were invented from the darkest time on earth – namely during the time of the Inquisition, and to stop proudly cherishing a culture of prehistoric men.
We support PACMA activists and all anti-corrida organizations in their fight, we will never be tired of fighting on their side against this torture.
This Fiaker horse died while driving at the Burgring in downtown Vienna- Image: Marcello Farabegoli
Donkeys and mules have to transport people up and down hundreds of steps
World Animals Voice 