Category: Hunting

Environmental, General News, Hunting

Japan: They Love Killing Whales – Campaigners condemn killing of minke whale trapped in nets in Japan.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/11/campaigners-condemn-killing-of-minke-whale-trapped-in-nets-in-japan

Campaigners condemn killing of minke whale trapped in nets in Japan

Animal killed with what appeared to be exploding harpoon, after one ‘half-hearted’ attempt to free it

Animal welfare campaigners have condemned the killing of a trapped minke whale off the coast of Taiji, a town in Japan best known for its annual dolphin cull.

The young whale, which had been trapped inside nets since 24 December, was killed early on Monday morning before being taken ashore wrapped in blue tarpaulin, according to the Humane Society International (HSI).

Ren Yabuki, an animal rights activist who filmed the whale throughout its 19-day ordeal, said fishermen tied a rope around its tail fin and forced its head beneath the water, where it took around 20 minutes to die.

Death in such situations usually occurs because the whale clamps its blowhole shut and suffocates.

https://08a329b999cc698168698249c8f9dd9c.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-37/html/container.html “Oh, no! The fishermen have killed the minke whale now,” Yabuki can be heard saying as he continued to film. “I’m so sorry … oh, no.”

HSI said it was “devastated” and “horrified” by the whale’s death, days after it and other animal welfare groups had called for its release.

“We feel saddened by this dreadful outcome. It is soul-destroying to think that by merely lifting the net three weeks ago, this poor animal could have been swimming free instead of being trapped in prolonged distress only to be harpooned and butchered for commercial sale in local markets,” HSI’s animal welfare programme manager, Georgie Dolphin, said in a statement.

The local fishing cooperative said last week it would attempt to free the whale, which measured about four or five metres in length, but added that the animal’s size and strong tidal currents could make that impossible.

Yabuki, the director of the Japanese NGO Life Investigation Agency, said he had witnessed fishers make only one half-hearted attempt to free the animal soon after it became trapped.

Japan abandoned its “scientific” whaling programme in the Antarctic after years of international pressure, but resumed commercial whaling in its own waters in July 2019. This year Japanese whalers will be permitted to catch up to 383 large whales, including 171 minkes, HSI said.

“While we mourn the tragic passing of this animal, we know that a similar brutal end comes to many more whales off the coast of Japan every year. They are the silent victims of Japan’s continued commercial whaling” Dolphin said. “What was rare was for it to be witnessed.”

Taiji, located in a remote part of the Pacific coast, attracted global attention after the 2009 release of the award-winning documentary The Cove, which followed fishers as they pursued dolphins in the town’s annual “drive hunts”.

Some of the animals are spared and sold to aquariums and marine parks for huge sums, while others are slaughtered for their meat.

Taiji’s fishers have defended the dolphin cull, telling the Guardian that hunting cetaceans was part of the town’s heritage and a vital source of income for the local economy.

  • This article was updated on 12 January to correct the description of how the whale was killed.

Regards Mark

Great article by The Guardian as always !

Hunting

Six gorilla rangers murdered in Congo’s Virunga national park

Virunga National Park, Africa’s most biodiverse protected area, exists to protect 1/3 of the world’s wild mountain gorillas, over one thousand species of mammal, bird, reptile, and amphibian, and provide a brighter future to more than four million people affected by conflict.

 

It is with immense sadness that Virunga National Park confirms the deaths of 6 Park Rangers in an attack by armed assailants on the morning of Sunday 10th January 2021. 1 other Ranger was seriously wounded in the assault.

The Ranger has been evacuated to a hospital in Goma and his injuries are no longer considered life-threatening.

At approximately 07.30am local time, the Rangers were ambushed while on foot patrol inside the Park. The attack took place near Kabuendo, which is located near the border of the Park, in the Central sector, between Nyamilima and Niamitwitwi.

Virunga Park-Ranger and his friend-gorilla

Preliminary investigations indicate that the Rangers were taken by surprise and had no opportunity to defend themselves and that those responsible for the attack are local Mai-Mai groups.

The identities of the Rangers who lost their lives are:

-BURHANI ABDOU Surumwe, aged 30 years
-KAMATE MUNDUNAENDA Alexis, aged 25 years
-MANENO KATAGHALIRWA Reagan, aged 27 years
-KIBANJA BASHEKERE Eric, aged 28 years
-PALUKU BUDOYI Innocent, aged 28 years
-NZABONIMPA NTAMAKIRIRO Prince, aged 27 years

Virunga National Park deeply regrets the tragic loss of life among its Rangers, who work tirelessly and with the dedication to protect both the Park and the neighboring communities from the tyranny of armed groups.

Their sacrifice will not be forgotten nor be in vain.

The thoughts and prayers of everyone at Virunga National Park are with the families and friends of all the victims, as well as the injured Ranger.

The Rangers of the Congolese Institute for the Conservation of Nature are agents of the Congolese State. They do not have military status and their actions do not fall under the law of conflict. All efforts will be undertaken to bring the perpetrators to justice and sustain the rule of law within the Park.

Virunga National Park remains committed to delivering development initiatives that benefit local people and the wider region, and to working in partnership with local communities to bring peace and prosperity to many millions of people whose lives have for too long been blighted by conflict and the activities of armed groups.

The Virunga National Park (Parc National des Virunga), in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, is 7,800-square-kilometres (3,000 sq mi) stretching from the Virunga Mountains in the South, to the Rwenzori Mountains in the North, bordering Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda and the Rwenzori Mountains National Park and Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda.

The park was established in 1925 as Africa’s first national park and is a UNESCO-designated World Heritage Site since 1979.

In recent years poaching and the Congo Civil War have seriously damaged its wildlife population.

Virunga National Park-Rangers

The park is managed by the Congolese National Park Authorities, the Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN), and its partner the Virunga Foundation.

The Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN) is a Congolese governmental partner tasked with the protection and conservation of the Virunga National Park and Kahuzi-Biega National Park, both UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Members of the ICCN are charged with the overall protection of the parks and the endangered Mountain Gorilla.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-55611203

Sechs Gorilla-Ranger im Hinterhalt im Virunga-Nationalpark getötet – Six gorilla rangers killed in ambush at DR Congo’s Virunga national park

And I mean…“Every day when the patrols set out, we know that they may come under fire. We know we may lose someone or we may be killed ourselves. This is not an easy profession. Losing your friends and colleagues is very painful. But we chose to do this, and we know the risks,” said Innocent Mburanumwe, the deputy director of Virunga national park.

Getting a job as a ranger in the Virunga National Park is not easy.

First are the challenges of brute force: running several miles while carrying a heavy pack, and climbing 14,000-foot mountains in less than a day.
There are tests of survival skills and orienteering through one of the densest forests on the planet.
Then come the more nuanced abilities: marksmanship, spotting small camouflaged objects through binoculars, and an exam to identify and describe various animals and plants.

And finally, there’s the interview, where the selection panel tries to get to the root of the most important question: how much do you really care?

Is this just a job to you, or something more, something for which you’re willing to risk your life?

When spending time with the animals, the battle-tested, elite Virunga rangers soften, smiling reflexively beneath the surgical masks required to minimize the chances of disease transmission.

“These animals are so amazing,” one ranger says. “It was a switch in my mind – after seeing them, I knew I had to do everything possible to protect them.”

Virunga National Park has always been dangerous!
On December 27, 1985, a staff member found Dian Fossey’s half-naked body in her cabin in Virunga National Park.
The murder was never solved.

It is a shame for humanity that armed guards are needed to protect the last specimens of the mountain gorillas.

We mourn the death of the gangers very much. It is a crime of the worst kind that must be punished as severely as possible

My best regards to all, Venus

General News, Hunting

Germany: 8 destroyed high seats and a 75 year old man is the hero

The Kochel police cleared up a series of sawn high seats in the Walchensee area. The perpetrator is a former police officer. The pensioner confesses.

A former police officer has let his hatred of hunters at “Walchensee” (Bavaria) run free
Since 2018 he has been sawing, among other things, several high seats
He was caught red-handed.

Icon image

The cases go back to 2018, the Kochler police chief announced on Wednesday.

A 75-year-old man from the southern district was identified as the perpetrator.

He confesses and it is a retired police officer

The man was caught red-handed in the forest by one of the victims in August 2020.
The investigation has been ongoing since then.
The officials in Kochel also examined cases from previous years. Until 2018, property damage in the Walchensee area of ​​the perpetrator could be proven, according to the Kochler police chief.

Specifically, there are eight cases with sometimes massive damage to so-called hunting facilities such as high seats and salt licks.

“In some cases, high seats had been completely cut, sometimes only the ladders were sawed,” reports police chief. The property damage is “in the very high four-digit range” (!!!)
The local Hunting Entitled (!!!) and the Bavarian State Forests are affected. Fortunately, no one was harmed in the acts.
It is possible that some high seats were even “climbed in ignorance of the danger”.

The perpetrator confessed to the damage to property.
“As a motive, he named personal problems with hunting wild animals.”

The 75-year-old confessed to some of the cases, while others could be detected by wildlife cameras or the location of the tracks.

“For example, we found traces of paint rubbed off on saws on the suspect.”
The Kochel police have worked through all the cases from previous years in this matter.
The perpetrator has so far not appeared as a criminal offense.

All reports will now be sent to the public prosecutor.

The perpetrator must expect a fine or even a low-threshold prison sentence.

https://www.merkur.de/lokales/bad-toelz/kochel-am-see-ort28931/pensionierter-polizist-75-saegt-hochsitze-um-90155675.html#idAnchComments

And I mean…First of all, respect and solidarity belong to the man.
In addition, for one more reason: despite his old age, he continued to try to eliminate the execution places in the forest.

Some things should be clarified here about the status of these murder seats.
Not all are legal, but who dares to ask?
And each scrap of them costs a maximum of 200 euros, most of which are built by the hunter himself.

These “salt licks” are nothing more than bait that the hunters put in front of the high seats so that the future victims get used to them and visit the site regularly.
This is the only way the hunter can create a safe execution site for the future.

Of course, the hunters claim that by fattening them up, they help the weaker ones to survive the hard winter in the forest.
But if the winters are as mild as it was in 2020, it should go without saying that no hunter feeds.
But they do it anyway.

By Ohikulkija – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=30977723

So.. why are hunters so strongly against a possible feeding ban?
It is clear !! Because by regularly feeding the animals, any city hunter can play the nature boy in the fields and hallways and shoot a deer quickly and not sit and wait long in the high seat.

It is creepy when suddenly there is a bang in a high seat in the forest and animals that have been shot (but not dead) fight for their lives.

For someone who has experienced that, it is unforgettable

Therefore we are happy when these execution places are sawed down.
It is not forbidden.

My best regards to all, Venus

General News, Hunting

Sweden: Mass Seal Hunting – Sweden Attempting to Overturn EU Ban – Trophy Hunters ? – Please Read On….

 

2/1/21

Hans has been in contact with us direct from Sweden.

There is a situation now where seals (3 species) can be shot and killed – and this ‘service’ is being snapped up by organisations who are trying to get trophy hunters to pay and kill.

We are repeating the info from Hans below; complete with the links which have some graphic photos on them.  Note there is also a petition site link if you want to sign against this.

Thanks go to Hans for drawing this issue to our attention, which we are putting out for the world to know about.


Un edited info from Hans:



Here in Sweden, they are now letting people shoot and kill thousands of seals of 3 different species, information here:

 


https://www.thepetitionsite.com/sv/253/746/017/stoppa-s%C3%A4ljakten-nu-demand-and-end-to-the-seal-hunt-now/

Precisely, the killing quota is 3300, and they are also inviting trophy hunters, Swedes as well as foreigners, to pay for hunts. Here is an example of seal trophy hunting in Sweden for sale, containing many grisly images of satisfied customers:


https://www.sealhunt.se/viner/

The price is, 5500 Swedish kroner for a hunt without training, and 3500 Swedish kroner for a hunt with training, it can be done from rocks, islands and even boats. The images contains both male and female customers who paid to shoot these seals in Sweden in 2020. Its everything from baby seals to fully grown adult seals. This is perfectly legal in Sweden and the EU because the products are not commercially sold. Its legal to kill, but not to sell the byproducts of the kill. However on this website you can pay 500 Swedish kroner for someone to preserve the skin so you can bring it home as a trophy.

More images from the same website where the hunts are sold:

https://www.sealhunt.se/var-berattelse/

Thanks for highlighting it!

The ban is on seal products, what many don’t know is that there is not a ban on killing seals as such, for any reason including sport! The authorities justify it with the exact same argument as Canada and Namibia, that the seals eat the fish. 

Out of the 3300 quota, there is a quota of 2000 grey seals, and here you can follow the hunt updates live by the Swedih EPA (Environmental “Protection” Agency)

https://www.naturvardsverket.se/Stod-i-miljoarbetet/Rattsinformation/Beslut/Beslut-om-jakt-och-vilt/beslut-sal/Sal/

So far for the 2020/21 season, the quota has been half filled. The regions reporting most kills are Gävleborg (154), Kalmar (141), and Stockholm, yes, Stockholm the Swedish capital (104).

Furthermore, Sweden is trying to repeal the EU seal products ban, possibly to remove it entirely, or to at least have an opt-out from it. Here you can see an official document from Swedish authorities to the EU. They claim that seal hunt is a long lasting Swedish tradition since well, the last ice age. This is NOT something Sweden proudly boast about very often in international relations. Without the UK being in the EU, it could be considerably easier to repeal the EU seal products ban now. 

https://ec.europa.eu/environment/biodiversity/animal_welfare/seals/pdf/factsheet/Annex%20to%20Sweden%20report%20-%20Comments_from_Sweden_on_the_EU_seal_regime.pdf

 

 

Quote from first part of the document, you can follow the link and read the rest:

“Seal hunt has been a part of Swedish culture and history since the repopulation of the region after the latest ice age. Hunting for seal was a way of getting meat, skin and bones for tools, jewelry and weapons. For the more modern day small scale coastal fisheries the seal has been an important source of meat and skin and a way to get an extra income. The ban on trading with seal products implies large problems for the coastal fishery in Sweden. With the ban fewer people hunt for seal while an increasing population has caused fishstocks with parasites, competition for the fish and the destruction of fishing gear. Aspects raised by national agencies

A key concern highlighted by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency is the effect of the current seal regime through its trade ban which prevents the use of the seal as a resource. The Agency moreover stresses that seal hunting is an integrated part of the Swedish game management and that the way the EU Seal regime works could prevent the effective management of the game population with decreased interest in seal hunting as a result. In particular, this could have a damaging effect on small-scale coastal fishing which depends on hunting and where a proper manegement of the population is key in order to prevent serious damages to catch and equipment.

The Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management welcomes a revision of the ban on trade with seal products as this could help to

A short comment on the subject from me even though the good article by Mark said it all.

We are very happy when we receive reports of crime or abuse against animals from our readers.
We inform ourselves daily, but help is always welcome.
Today comes a message from “civilized” Sweden, which proves that when it comes to money, status, and above all corruption in governments, then the old saying from the good Karl Marx applies (analogously), “Animal exploiters of all countries, unite”!

It is hard to believe that a country like Sweden, without economic or social hardship, adopts methods with seal trophies as countries in Africa do with game hunting for trophies, but often out of necessity.

It is also shameful that the Swedish Government and the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency have dragged the entire nation into the mud because of some greedy fishermen and their lobbyists in the government and want to obtain a license to execute 2,000 seals.

The government should know (and if not inform itself) that the ridiculous excuse for the dangers in the fishery is not from the hunter seals, but from the criminal industrial fisheries and the climatic damage, it causes.
We have always considered Sweden very civilized when it comes to animal welfare.

In this case, Sweden has to prove that.
Because a trophy ban is a MUST for civilized countries.
We support the enlightened animal rights activists in Sweden and think the petition is great!

Please sign. ALL!

My best regards to all, Venus

 

Hunting

The administrators of the animal population

An Elyria man unintentionally shot and killed his 28-year-old son while deer hunting in Delaware County last week.

Bradley Smith, 63, apparently mistook his son, Andrew Smith of Columbus, for a deer while hunting at dusk, said Tracy Whited, spokeswoman for the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office.

The Smiths were hunting with a group of friends in a heavily wooded area in the 2000 block of Pollock Road, just outside the city of Delaware. The group, who were experienced hunters, had met there for more than 20 years to hunt white-tailed deer during the state’s annual deer gun-hunting week, which ended Sunday.

Whited said Andrew Smith was not wearing any orange hunting clothing when the shooting occurred at about 5:45 p.m. on Dec. 2.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The elder Smith is not facing any charges (!!!), she said.

In Ohio, hunters are legally required to wear orange during the deer-gun season while hunting from 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife’s hunting and trapping regulations guide. This requirement applies statewide on both public and private land.
That day, the sunset just after 5 p.m.

“It’s just the worst kind of tragedy,” Whited said. “He thought he was shooting at a deer. It was his son.”

The Delaware County Sheriff’s office, ODNR’s Division of Wildlife, Delaware police, and city fire medics responded to the scene.
A spokeswoman for ODNR’s Division of Wildlife declined to comment, referring The Dispatch to the sheriff’s office…

An estimated 310,000 hunters in Ohio participated in the gun-hunting week from Nov. 30-Dec. 6, according to a news release from the division.

In total, they harvested 71,650 white-tailed deer.

Man fatally shoots son while deer hunting in Delaware County

More: Hunters preparing for deer gun season in Ohio

And I say…Hunters have always claimed they care for the natural population.
Now they have convinced us of it.
The ratio of 1 dead human animal to 71,000 murdered deers is unsatisfactory, of course.
But they are always working to improve the relationship.

As soon as they have reached the mark 1 to 1, the hunting license is worth it

My best regards to all, Venus

General News, Hunting

Portugal Outrage After Spanish Hunters Massacre 500 Wild Animals.

Portugal outrage after Spanish hunters massacre 500 wild animals

Portugal outrage after Spanish hunters massacre 500 wild animals – BBC News

Portuguese officials have expressed outrage at the massacre of more than 500 deer and wild boar in a hunting zone in the centre of the country.

Environment Minister João Fernandes said the killing by 16 Spanish hunters was “vile” and an “environmental crime” that should be prosecuted.

Pictures of the slaughter were shared on social media.

Hunting individual animals is allowed but in this incident most of the zone’s deer population are said to have died.

The killing is thought to have taken place on a farm in the Torrebela tourist hunting zone, near Azambuja, about 40km (24 miles) from the Portuguese capital Lisbon on 17 and 18 December.

The 1,100ha (2,700-acre) farm is described as being walled in, meaning that the 540 animals had no means of escape from their killers.

The Environment Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday that “the reports and news about the indiscriminate slaughter of animals… have nothing to do with hunting, understood as a practice that can contribute to the maintenance of biodiversity and ecosystems”.

(5) Alberto Mancebo on Twitter: “👮🏻‍♂️Portugal investigará a morte de 540 veados e xabarís 🦌🐗 a mans de 16 cazadores españois en Azambuja, Lisboa. Segundo as primeiras investigacións os animais foron acurralados nunha finca e masacrados. Logo, pendurárono todo nas redes sociais para indignación dos portugueses https://t.co/RfRY6oj2jN” / Twitter

General News, Hunting

England: Finally some good news? Covid-19 claims another victim as Boxing Day hunts cancelled.

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.

Finally some good news? Covid-19 claims another victim as Boxing Day hunts cancelled

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 ???

Hunting

Taiji: 85 Dolphins are hunted in this bay for our zoos.

Disturbing footage from Japan: fishermen crowd dolphins into a bay, corner them and capture dozens of animals. At least 85 dolphins were caught
It’s a kind of casting, a terrible selection – according to the Life Investigation Agency (LIA), the whole thing happens to select dolphins for animal parks and aquariums.

At least 85 animals have been torn from their conspecifics in the past few days, reports the “”ladbible” portal.

In Taiji / Japan a dolphin is demarcated. This animal is not slaughtered but sold (Photo: Zhukovandr / Stock.Adobe.com).

According to observers, numerous young animals have also been separated from their mothers.
At least one dolphin was killed.

LIA director Ren Yabuki told Australian broadcaster 9news that many of the animals were desperately trying to fight back.

“They were very stressed and many of them hit the surface of the water with their tail fins.”

They also communicated with each other with clicks and whistles. “It was very sad to hear them screaming together,”  Yakubi said, according to the report.
He has years of experience with dolphins, “but I’ve never heard them scream like that.”

The incidents took place in the infamous bay of Taiji, a small coastal town in Wakayama Prefecture.
It achieved notoriety through the Oscar-winning documentary “The Bay”.

There are regular massacres of dolphins there.

https://www.rtl.de/cms/grausame-bilder-aus-japan-hier-werden-baby-delfine-fuer-unsere-tierparks-gejagt-4672947.html

And I mean...Capturing or killing a single dolphin can have catastrophic effects on the entire population.
Dolphins are very social animals.

They have a culture and pass on knowledge within the group. The removal of a single animal can be a heavy blow for smaller herds.

But the big money comes from the dolphins caught alive.
The most beautiful and, from a trainer’s point of view, the most “promising” specimens are then given the dubious honor of spending a life in captivity at unit prices of up to the US $ 200,000 after they have been sold to dolphinariums around the world.

Almost all the dolphins found in dolphinariums or therapy centers come from Taiji.

Japan leads the world with 50 dolphinariums.
But Turkey, Egypt, Dubai, Tunisia, Russia, North and South America, Spain, and of course Germany is also involved in the cruel business.
The demand from tourists, including Germans, fuels greed for money.

The stress that animals are under in aquariums is enormous.
Triggered primarily by noise. Dolphins and orcas can perceive sounds from 150 to 200,000 vibrations.
In humans, this hearing range is between 20 and 20,000 vibrations.

In addition to the noise emissions of a dolphinarium such as applause, cheers, and loudspeaker announcements, the animals are also exposed to the noise of the constantly running water pump.
This noise stresses the animals to the limit.
Therefore, the fish that are fed to them are filled with sedatives.

Animal rights activists and researchers demand personal rights for dolphins and orcas – they should, like us humans, have a fundamental right to undisturbed freedom.

Unfortunately, we are still a long way from that.
Tourism is booming and dolphinariums are billions of dollars.

Canada set a good example just a few weeks ago: captivity and breeding of whales and dolphins is now prohibited by law there.

Hopefully, other countries will follow suit.

My best regards to all, Venus

Environmental, General News, Hunting, Uncategorized

USA: President Elect Biden Selects Super Environmental Team For the Future.

WAV Comment:  Big Wow ! – congratulations to President elect Joe Biden, Deb Haarland, and Michael Regan on the award of their new positions which will overturn all the environmental destruction caused by loser Trump over recent years.  It is especially wonderful to see Deb Haarland; a Native American, to serve with such an important position in the cabinet; with her department’s jurisdiction covering tribal lands and vast tracts of protected American wilderness, including jewels such as Yellowstone and Yosemite national parks.

Mr. Regan will be a leading member of the new, expanded Biden team focusing on reversing Trump’s environmental rollbacks and address the climate crisis with a plan for bringing the US economy to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Super choices for an America and its wildlife that very much needs protection from the bad muppets that we have seen from Trump and ‘his mates’ over the past years.

We at WAV very much welcome these appointments; as do the vast eco warrior tribes of the world.  Haarland, a lady who originated from peoples who loved and protected the environment.  We hope she will right all the Trump wrongs in the coming years.

Superb news !

 ———————————

Deb Haaland would be the first Native American cabinet secretary.

Biden picks Deb Haaland as first Native American interior secretary | Biden administration | The Guardian Deb Haaland would be the first Native American cabinet secretary. Photograph: Juan Labreche/AP

Biden picks Deb Haaland as first Native American interior secretary

President-elect will also nominate regulator Michael Regan to head Environmental Protection Agency

Joe Biden has chosen the US lawmaker Deb Haaland as interior secretary and will nominate the North Carolina official Michael Regan to head the Environmental Protection Agency, in two diverse and influential picks to handle crucial issues such as public lands, pollution and the climate crisis.

Haaland, a progressive Democratic congresswoman from New Mexico since 2019, would be the first Native American cabinet secretary and one of the first Native Americans ever to serve in a US cabinet. The department’s jurisdiction covers tribal lands and vast tracts of protected American wilderness, including jewels such as Yellowstone and Yosemite national parks.

In a tweet on Thursday evening, Haaland said she was “honored and ready to serve” as interior secretary.

“A voice like mine has never been a cabinet secretary or at the head of the Department of Interior,” she added.

Haaland is a member of Pueblo of Laguna and would become the first descendant of the original people to populate North America to run the interior department, which has often had a difficult relationship with the 574 federally recognized tribes in the US, the Washington Post reported.

And she has told the Reuters news agency she would seek to usher in an expansion of renewable energy production on federal land to contribute to the fight against climate change, and undo Donald Trump’s regressive focus on bolstering fossil fuels output.

Progressives hailed the selection of Haaland as “perfect choice” and a “fierce ally” of the environmental movement.

“Rep Deb Haaland’s appointment as secretary of the interior is a historic moment for every Native American and the Green New Deal movement,” said Varshini Prakash, the executive director of the youth-led Sunrise Movement.

She added: “With a progressive leader at the helm, we can make real progress on stopping climate change and ensure sovereignty and dignity for all Native people and justice for all.”

Climate activists, joined by progressive members of Congress, tribal leaders and Hollywood celebrities, had mounted a public campaign in support of Haaland. The interior secretary will be critical to enacting Biden’s ambitious climate plan as well as playing an important role leading discussions between the federal government and tribal nations.

The House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, had issued a statement on Wednesday saying: “Congresswoman Haaland knows the territory, and if she is the president-elect’s choice for interior secretary, then he will have made an excellent choice.”

The retiring New Mexico senator Tom Udall, a Democrat who was also reportedly under consideration for the role, was among the first politicians to congratulate Haaland, calling her appointment a “watershed moment for Native communities, and for our nation”.

In a statement, Udall praised her as someone who would use the position to “undo the damage of the Trump administration, restore the department’s workforce and expertise, uphold our obligations to Native communities, and take the bold action needed to tackle the accelerating climate and nature crises.”

“I am confident that she will be both a historic interior secretary and an excellent one,” he added.

Theresa Pierno, the president and CEO for the National Parks Conservation Association, said Haaland would be ready for the job “on day one” and was a congressional “champion” who had helped hold the line on conservation.

“Amid a global pandemic and climate crisis, we need a department of interior secretary who is ready to address 21st-century challenges with bold solutions … to protect our national parks and public lands for the benefit of all Americans,” she said.

Meanwhile, Biden plans to nominate Regan, North Carolina’s top environmental regulator, to head the EPA, according to Reuters.

If confirmed by the US Senate, Regan would become the second Black person to run the EPA, after Lisa Jackson, who served during Barack Obama’s presidency. He would be a leading member of the new, expanded Biden team focusing on reversing Trump’s environmental rollbacks and address the climate crisis with a plan for bringing the US economy to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Regan brings years of experience dealing with fossil fuel industries in his home state, including overseeing a roughly $9bn settlement agreement with utility Duke Energy for the nation’s largest clean-up of coal ash. Regan has also previously worked at the EPA and worked on climate change and pollution initiatives for the Environmental Defense Fund, a green advocacy group.

“Regan understands that tough environmental goals tempered with economic and technological reality produce the best approach on everything from climate change to more local problems,” said Scott Segal, an attorney for the law firm Bracewell, which has petroleum companies as clients.

Jim Marston, the former head of the Environmental Defense Fund state initiatives program, said: “He could talk with, work with industry. And his own personal history allows him to really relate … to working-class folks who are the workers in plants that need to be regulated,” Marston said.

Democrats have a very narrow majority in the House, so losing Haaland to the cabinet is a risk, making three Democratic members of the House that will be leaving the chamber to join the new administration.

Marcia Fudgewill be nominated to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and Cedric Richmondwill serve as the director of the White House Office of Public Engagement.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/dec/17/deb-haaland-joe-biden-interior-secretary

Keep the Environment tops in the USA – a few pictures I took on one of my trips in the USA many moons ago.

Once it has gone, you can never bring it back – so dont let it go in the first place ! – Mark