Category: General News
Fur news from Mark at ‘Respect for Animals’.
BANS, NEAR-BANS AND CLOSURES…
but tens of millions of animals are still dying
Dear Friend and Supporters,
Our campaign against the cruel fur trade is advancing. Many parts of the fur industry are in serious trouble and even retreat, as a result, far fewer animals are likely to suffer next year.
But we must not be fooled into thinking these tragic events herald permanent change. In fact, the long term for animals could be even worse – unless we act forcefully right now.
Whilst mink farmers and the auction house have been devastated in Denmark as a result of the COVID virus, the fur trade is already lobbying very hard to secure a revival of the industry and, ominously, Chinese fur breeders and dealers are planning to fill the void created by the European declines.
2020 has been an extraordinary and tragic year. It did, however, mark both the 20th anniversary of the UK ban on fur farming and the 10th anniversary of the EU ban on the import of commercial seal products, the latter saving the lives of some 2 million baby seals whilst the UK ban set the precedent for fur farming bans all over Europe. Incredible reminders of what can be achieved by us working together.
With so much news to take in and digest we at Respect for Animals are working flat out, despite the current crisis, to end this cruel and abysmal industry and to adapt our campaigns to the changing circumstances.
BUT WE NEED YOUR HELP – URGENTLY.
Please can you help out by making a donation to our Special Christmas Appeal to help us make 2021 a special year for the anti-fur campaign and, therefore, for the animals that are depending on us.
https://respectforanimals.enthuse.com/Donate#!/
or
With very best wishes,
MARK GLOVER
Thank you to all of you in the UK who have contacted your Member of Parliament urging support for Early Day Motion 267 for our Fur Free UK campaign. The Motion now has the second highest number of signatures for this session of Parliament and it would be great to see it at Number 1! If you have not already contacted your MP, please do so as soon as possible, asking her or him to sign.
(UK residents only)
Who should actually still trust human love when intelligent and pain-sensitive living beings are tortured, killed, and even eaten in the name of this love?
What else I wanted to say before Christmas…
Please leave the turkeys alone.
And the geese, chickens, ducks.
And the pigs.
And the cattle, calves, oxen. Merci. ❤️
Best regards, Venus
The sad life of the last wild-caught dolphin in Duisburg Zoo, Germany has come to an end after 45 years of imprisonment: Dolphin “Orinoko”, who was mainly called “Baby”, is dead.
For a handful of fish, dolphins are forced to entertain the paying audience.
“Baby” was the last captive river dolphin outside of South America. His death marks the end of an era full of suffering and loneliness.
A look at “babies” tragic life proves: Dolphins do not belong in zoos and dolphinariums!
River dolphin “Baby”: Torn from nature and put to sleep after almost 46 years in captivity
“Baby” was originally born in freedom: He comes from the South American Amazon region.
In 1975 he and other conspecifics were torn from their natural environment as wild-caught and brought to Germany.
That was 45 years and nine months ago – that is how long “Baby” has lived in Duisburg.
He has also been all alone for 14 years: as the last of his kind in the local dolphinarium, he ekes out a lonely and monotonous existence in a small pool.
Now the Duisburg Zoo announced that “Baby” had to be put down after an illness.
He no longer wanted to eat and reacted increasingly cautious.
In addition, wound infection was diagnosed. As his condition worsened, “Baby” was put to sleep.
At the time of his death, he was the longest river dolphin in captivity in the world – a sad record that was accompanied by much agony and privation for the animal.
Dolphins suffer massively in captivity
It doesn’t matter how big and modern the tanks are – for dolphins captivity always means animal suffering. In captivity, marine animals have little opportunity to express their natural behavior – but this is often used as an argument in favor of keeping dolphins, orcas, etc. in zoos.
However, no general knowledge can be derived from animals in captivity. In addition, zoos do not make any contribution to species protection: not a single dolphin living in Duisburg Zoo has ever been returned to nature.
“The captivity of dolphins always means animal suffering, no matter how large and modern the tanks may be. With robot dolphins, on the other hand, things are different. In July, PETA asked the zoo to transfer the bottlenose dolphins to managed marine reserves and invest in a ‘Robotic Dolphin’. “
(Marine biologist Dr. Tanja Breining, specialist librarian for fish and marine animals at PETA Germany).
Nach 45 Jahren eingesperrt im Zoo Duisburg: Flussdelfin „Baby“ ist tot
And I mean… To make one thing clear: the reality of the life of the dolphins who are always “smiling” (because that is their natural mouth shape and not because they are in such a good mood) and squeaking (because that is their language and not an expression of their mood) is different than in ” Flipper “was shown, it is a tragic one which is used to amuse and entertain stupid visitors.
Amazonian dolphins have been kept in aquariums since 1975 – outside of Venezuela – only in Duisburg Zoo.
Under “kept” is to be understood completely unnatural conditions where they have to wait. This can go as far as the suicide of the animals due to depression – because no dolphin willingly jumps through rings and live happily in a “bathtub”!
Buying and trading with the dolphins drive a completely different, extremely dirty business, as we have already reported: the dolphin massacre in Taiji.
In a Japanese coastal town, whole schools of dolphins are regularly driven into a bay by fishermen.
In front of the dolphin family members, some animals are stabbed alive and cut up. The bay turns red with the blood of agony.
In between, young, small dolphins swim, chosen by the men and later sold to dolphinariums.
Completely traumatized, these animals end up in shows and are supposed to entertain children – what a morbid act!
Now the Duisburg Zoo is moaning in the media and is playing a comedy of emotions that only idiots or the unsuspecting can convince.
“Baby” was a character animal in our zoo.
The loss affects employees and visitors alike and makes us very sad.
With “Baby” we have lost a symbolic animal that represented its endangered conspecifics in South America and the shrinking of the tropical rainforest.”
That is why the rainforest and its rare animals will disappear! because of such predators, animal abusers, unscrupulous criminals who see both animals and nature as only means to their economic ends.
My best regards to all, Venus
UK Live Animal Exports News. 23/12/20
Well, I am making really positive progress with our contribution to the UK government to try and get live animal exports stopped from the UK in 2021. With 30 years experience on the issue there is a lot to detail about non compliances with (EU) regulation 1/2005 on which UK law is also based
Check it out yourself – pick your language and format links here:
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2005/1/oj
Note for English, select ‘EN’.
So much has been written for submission; that today I have passed a copy of the current draft to a great campaigner friend for extra safekeeping, just if the situation ever arose where a recovery copy needed to be retrieved. Hopefully it will never be needed, but always better to be safe !
Also, I had contact today from Lesley who runs ‘Eyes on Animals’ in the Netherlands. https://www.eyesonanimals.com/ – they specialise in undercover work involving live animal transports specially; I gave Les some info, and she has promised to give a contribution to the UK government consultation be the new year, which is great news.
Between us, we are really concentrating on the importance of access to animals throughout their journey time on the road; and also the use of sealed box trailers which are just no good at all for livestock transporting; but which are used in the EU and by Dutch livestock hauliers coming to the UK to buy up British animals for slaughter within the EU.
We are covering all issues in the consultation, but are especially concentrating on driver access, or lack of, to sick and injured animals, and also the use sealed box trailers. Below is a photo by friend Val Cameron of one of these Dutch box trailers arriving at an English port. Would you believe that this is full of live sheep ? !!
Many would consider it a refrigerated trailer as usual; but it is not; it IS full of live sheep going for export to Europe !
Another photo we took managed to get a very rare glimpse in through the rear of one of these trailers, showing all the sheep inside (as viewed from the rear). We are not currently publishing this.
These sealed box trailers are used quite a lot here in England by the Dutch – so we consider that these trailers are very bad for animal access and ventilation; plus they have no signage to say they are carrying live animals – which is illegal and against the EU regulation ! – and so hopefully we may get their usage stopped. Time will tell us in 2021.
Regards Mark
Lesley has produced the following reports on these issues in the past – check them out.
The importance of access during transport:
Heat stress during transport:
https://www.eyesonanimals.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/20190325-Notitie-hittestress-def.pdf
WAV Comment – Excellent news – foxes, deer, hare etc; all free from being hunted down illegally on Boxing Day (26/12). This is the one day in the UK when all hunts ‘parade themselves’ through their local areas; and it is always a big event as many ‘antis’ (those who hate hunting) go out to match up against the hunts as they ride through local towns and villages. The result – normally a bit of fist to cuff (fighting). All the sabs and antis can have a safe day at home this year, as British wildlife will not be hunted down and illegally killed by the other side for blood lust pleasure.
We agree with the London Economic – finally, some good news !
Finally some good news? Covid-19 claims another victim as Boxing Day hunts cancelled
It is the first time that hunting has been suspended en masse since February 2001 – during the foot-and-mouth outbreak.
The Boxing Day hunt – one of the most controversial traditions in the country – has been cancelled.
An estimated 250,000 people tend to gather on Boxing Day to watch their local pack of hounds meet on village greens, at pubs and in town centres across the UK – making it the biggest event in the hunting calendar.
Earlier this year, the executive body for trail-hunting – The Hunting Office – sent a bulletin to roughly 250 packs across England and Wales telling them to cancel. “The hunting community needs to take the lead during these extraordinary times and act respectfully and responsibly to help the fight against coronavirus … and to ensure the wellbeing of the local community who are so supportive each and every year,” a statement said.
It is the first time that hunting has been suspended en masse since February 2001 – during the foot-and-mouth outbreak. Some hunts – including one in Kent – had hoped to proceed this year, but were forced to scrap plans in the wake of increased, tier 4 coronavirus restrictions.
A spokesman for the East Kent hunt said they had “no choice” but cancel, adding it was “disappointing for all our supporters but inevitable”.
“The masters could obviously not allow an event which encourages large gatherings of people and would clearly be irresponsible,” he said. “In fact, the decision was taken a few weeks ago because even in Tier 3, we were limited to six people. But the hounds are still being taken out for regular exercise.”
A past victim murdered by Kent hunts – Photo Mark (WAV). Why ???
And we say...Whoever takes this fascist right to decide about the life and rights of other species is a pathetic monster and has in no way earned anything like his own human rights.
Regards and good night, Venus
“The pig must be freed and the abuser sent immediately to a closed facility, where ideally he should be kept in such a metal frame to encourage compassion for his victims.
With good behavior, i.e. without annoying whining and complaining, he can return to his home stable after 6 months and continue to amortize the mother sow’s frame with his forced lying in it.
After a further 6 months, he can be released back into the wild with lifelong animal husbandry and hunting ban”.
Text by Hanspeter Niederer
We agree!
This is the only way to free psychopaths, animal abusers, and animal exploiters from their perverse inclinations
Regards and good night, Venus
Photographers Capture Powerfully Moving Images of Animal Exploitation Around the World
Thanks to Stacey at ‘Our Compass’ for supplying this info.
There are lots of terrible photos on this link; so it is best you are directed there rather than we download all the photos and text.
Regards Mark
Please remember that all animals exploited for human use suffer, no matter the country; animal suffering is not limited to certain locations or areas, an animal whose body is used, manipulated, taken from, and violently killed, is an animal who is abused, no matter the conditions endured prior to vicious, terrifying slaughter, but that 99% of all animals in the United States, and >90% globally, are “produced” in extremely confined, CAFO/Factory Farm conditions. The ONLY humane is vegan. SL
WAV Comment: We have covered this news recently; but here is the official from the BBC network.
EU Court backs ban on animal slaughter without stunning
A Belgian ban on kosher and halal slaughter of animals without being stunned has been backed by the European Court of Justice, which rejected objections by religious groups.
The EU’s highest court backed a Flemish decision to require the use of stunning for livestock on animal rights grounds.
The animal is not killed in the stunning process.
The head of the conference of European rabbis said the ruling would be felt by Jewish communities across Europe.
“This decision goes even further than expected and flies in the face of recent statements from the European institutions that Jewish life is to be treasured and respected,” said Chief Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt.
But the Flanders government in northern Belgium hailed Thursday’s decision, with nationalist animal welfare minister Ben Weyts saying “we’re today writing history”. Animal rights group Gaia said it was a great day and the culmination of a 25-year struggle.
The ruling came as a surprise as it went contrary to a recommendation in September to quash the Flemish law by the Court’s Advocate General, who said stricter animal welfare rules were allowed if the “core” religious practice was not encroached upon.Under the requirements of Muslim halal slaughter or Jewish shechita, an animal’s throat is slit quickly with a surgically sharp knife while it is still conscious.
EU law, along with UK law, already requires animals to be stunned before being killed, unless the meat is intended for Muslims or Jews, and then only in approved abbatoirs.
What did the Court rule?
The European Court said all member states had to reconcile both animal welfare and freedom of religion and EU law did not prevent countries from requiring the stunning of animals as long as they respected fundamental rights.
While the Court accepted that imposing such a requirement limited the rights of Muslims and Jews, it did not ban ritual slaughter and the Belgian law’s “interference with the freedom to manifest religion” met an “objective of general interest recognised by the European Union, namely the promotion of animal welfare”.
It also said the Flemish parliament had relied on scientific evidence indicating that prior stunning was the best way of reducing an animal’s suffering and that the law allowed “a fair balance to be struck” between animal welfare and freedom of religion.
https://emp.bbc.co.uk/emp/SMPj/2.36.7/iframe.html media captionButcher Mohammed Adnan explains the difference between halal and non-halal meat
Muslim groups repeatedly challenged the Flemish legislation before it was passed and came into force in January 2019. The French-speaking Wallonia area of southern Belgium adopted the law months later.
When the Belgian laws came in, Muslim and Jewish groups feared they were being used by nationalists to whip up anti-immigrant sentiment.
The head of the European Jewish Association, Rabbi Menachem Margolin, said Friday was a “sad day for European Jewry” and Belgium’s Jewish umbrella group, CCOJB, said it would take its legal fight to the European Court of Human Rights.
EU Court backs ban on animal slaughter without stunning – BBC News
