According to local media reports, Father Jordan Neek,living in St. Norbert Abbey, 1016 N Broadway, De Pere, WI 54115, United States, has been repeatedly harassed since starting hunting in the grounds of the Abbey.
The police report of the incident explains that his hunting seat was vandalized, trees were spray-painted, and trail cams stolen in an attempt to dissuade the priest from hunting deer in Abbey’s land.
“It does hurt, I’m not going to lie, every morning I wake up sick to my stomach thinking about the hatred towards me,” says Father Neeck.
And I mean…Hatred makes you sick, Father Neeck?
But shooting makes animals into corpses and that’s worse.
Why do murder innocent animals in the forest?
Have you no respect for the fifth commandment, that says …, “Thou shalt not kill”?
This also applies to non-human animals, Father Neeck!
If you stop killing animals, no one will harass you anymore, and instead of hatred you will reap love
Current petition against bird murder in Cyprus: The government of the EU member state Cyprus has drastically reduced the penalties for illegal bird trapping.
Instead of a maximum of € 2,000, as was previously the case, you now only have to pay € 200 for catching or shooting up to 50 songbirds – that’s just € 4 for a protected bird!
The specialty of the island:“ambelopoulia”
14 species are affected, precisely those that are popular as classic “delicacies”, such as warblers.
A penalty of this amount is little more than a “bird catching fee” and is incompatible with the regulations at the EU level. Our partner BirdLife Cyprusstarted a petition against this scandal today – please join us!
Early the next morning, they return for their grisly harvest, ripping the terrified birds from the fine-mesh ‘mist’ nets or glue-covered branches, often leaving the entangled feet behind, then killing them with a cocktail stick or a penknife to the throat.
Here a Blackcap (warbler) on a lime stick –
Many of the victims will be used in the perverse menü “Ambelopoulia”, in which the boiled or fried birds are eaten whole, save for the beak.
A platter of a dozen birds sells for € 40–80 (the US $ 44–87), and the trade-in songbirds are responsible for an estimated annual market of € 15 million.
The “delicacy” is so prized and lucrative that it is suspected to be linked to organized crime, and those trying to stop it have been subject to intimidation and violence.
“We’ve had people who put bombs in the private cars of game wardens, and cases where the houses of game wardens have been burnt down,” says Panayides,an officer in the police force.
About 30 trappers are believed to dominate the trade.
Mafia figures with links to prostitution, drugs, and gambling are suspected to be among their number.
Stopping that poaching is extremely difficult. The illegal practice in some cases is overtly or very often tacitly supported by people in very high political and administrative positions.
What’re more, officers trying to tackle trapping can find themselves threatened or worse.
In December 2015, Evgenios Hamboullas, Famagusta member of parliament for the incumbent Democratic Rally party, posted a photo of himself on Facebook seated in front of a plate of songbirds with the caption: “Soon in our restaurants! Happy holidays!”
The post received nearly 600 likes in 5 days!
Even if trappers are caught, the mild sentences passed by the courts are not effective deterrents, says Panayides,an officer in the police force. In reality, most poachers get out with a fine of a few hundred euros.
The officer tells of a poacher, who his team has caught and prosecuted eight times in the past ten years. “What else can we do as a department?”
We got it! The island of Aphrodite, where once even gods were guests in antiquity, is now a big poachers center, run by “serious organized criminals”.
We wish the hunters a lot of fun repairing the hacked page.
Especially now in Corona times, you have to employ hunters, otherwise, they will come up with stupid ideas
ALF Destroys 13 Hunting Stands in Germany Via local media:
According to local media, four hunting towers were set alight in Gödenstorf (a small community in the district of Harburg) during the evening of the 22nd November, causing total damage of 5000 EUR.
On the 19th, in Viernheim (a middle industrial city north of Mannheim) nine more towers were destroyed, legs sawed off, ladders were broken or overturned.
And I mean…Eliminating 13 Murder Stands in 4 days … is an above-average achievement.
Animals will no longer be shot from these execution towers, that is safe.
Stand up for Wildlife: Help Save Gray Wolves from Trump’s Reckless Assault
President Trump’s U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) just finalized its Rule to roll back vital Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections for gray wolves in the lower-48 states. Their disastrous plan will reverse years of recovery for this iconic species.
We are facing a biodiversity crisis of global proportions. The fate of humanity is intertwined with the fate of species and healthy ecosystems. Now is the time to restore species to the landscape — not dial back efforts for an iconic animal that was once nearly exterminated in the U.S.
Furthermore, the Fish and Wildlife Service must develop a national wolf management plan — a plan that incorporates Indigenous knowledge and perspective. The gray wolf holds immense cultural significance for Indigenous groups around the country and is considered sacred by some.
NRDC is doing everything in our power to stop Trump’s latest assault on wildlife — and we’ll take the fight to court if that’s what it takes to stop it — but in the meantime, we need NRDC activists to help create a massive public outcry by submitting letters of protest to Trump’s Fish and Wildlife Service.
Sign the petition protesting Trump’s misguided attack on wildlife, our ecosystems, and our planet — and help save gray wolves!
Stand up for Wildlife: Help Save Gray Wolves from Trump’s Reckless Assault
The police in Cyprusput one of the most notorious poaching gangs on the island to a halt in November.
Equipped with house search warrants, they found three people with a total of five nets and 366 dead protected songbirds – mostly warblers.
The total fine for the criminal bird catcher known for many years is € 11,660.
It was the biggest blow to organized poaching in Cyprus in years. The police action was preceded by months of research by the Committee against Bird Murder and its partner BirdLife Cyprus, which led to the submission of numerous pieces of evidence.
We are very happy about this successful action against a gang that up to now seemed “untouchable” and despite numerous previous reports, was always able to avoid punishment.
Trophy hunting is a particularly gruesome pastime that countless living beings pay with their death. In search of a special thrill, hobby hunters travel to distant lands to kill exotic and rare animals.
Apparently, it is not enough for German hunters to kill millions of native wild animals every year. Thousands of Germans travel abroad every year to hunt big game.
The providers of hunting trips leave nothing to be desired because even shooting permits for endangered species such as elephants, rhinos, lions, or polar bears can be purchased for a lot of money. And species native to Europe such as brown bears, wolves, and lynxes are also on the trophy collectors’ hit lists.
Hunted, killed, and mutilated
As a result of frequently missed shots and cruel hunting practices, many of the animals do not die immediately, but rather slowly and painfully.
The animals are often shot and flee with bloody wounds. As they run for their lives in fear of death, the animals continue to be shot at by the hunters and chased through the wilderness – lead bullets or steel arrows pierce their bodies until they collapse, exhausted.
Hunting with a bow and arrow or a crossbow is prohibited in Germany for reasons of animal welfare, but it is a common hunting practice in many countries for trophy hunting.
The suffering of lions for the hunt in South Africa
In South Africa, thousands of lions are bred on so-called canned hunting farms so that they are later not naturally afraid of humans and thus of the hobby hunter. On many farms, the animals are even lured with bait or medicated to make the hunt a success even for inexperienced shooters.
Hagebau withdraws from reptile sales after talks with PETA Germany
In 2015 and 2016, we at PETA Germany published extensive research into the sale of small animals and reptiles, which revealed serious deficiencies and terrible animal cruelty in numerous pet shops and their suppliers.
Since it was published, we have been in dialogue with a number of pet shops and hardware stores in order to promote the withdrawal from animal sales. Based on the talks, the company Hagebau announced in November 2020 that it would end the sale of reptiles from 2021.
A large number of animals do not survive the transport.
With our publications about the suffering of animals for the reptile trade, we were able to persuade the hardware store chain Hagebau to stop selling reptiles. In the past, we have pointed out several times that this is associated with immense animal suffering. The public criticism had already led to the fact that the majority of the Hagebau stores stopped selling reptiles in recent years.
In 2021, the last sales point for reptiles from Hagebau is to be closed.
We thank you for this animal-friendly decision and expressly welcome the trend-setting step taken by the Hagebau company for more animal welfare. “Snakes, turtles, and exotic lizards can never be kept in a species-appropriate manner in living rooms. Hagebau has recognized this and is taking an important step in the direction of animal welfare by withdrawing from reptile scales,” said Jana Hoger, PETA Germany
The Borneo earless monitor lizard is traded for 8,000 euros per pair. Olexandr Topchylo / wikimedia.org
With the sales stop from 2021, Hagebau is taking responsibility and making an important contribution to ensuring that no more reptiles are sold in Germany in the future.
Reptile sales: animal suffering supported by hardware stores and pet shops
Our publication in August 2016 provided insights into the unscrupulous trade in reptiles for the German pet marketfor the first time. Image material documented masses of the dead, injured, or for years locked up in plastic boxes animals at German wholesalers and their international suppliers.
At this reptile dealer, snakes are sometimes kept in small plastic boxes for over 10 years.
A study presented by the Federal Environment Ministry in March 2020 also confirms that the trade-in of exotic wild animals is contributing to the global extinction of species.
For reasons of species and nature conservation, action must be taken accordingly. When reptiles are caught and transported alone, up to 70 percent of the animals die from stress, insufficient supplies, or injuries caused by transport.
Many of the exotic animals sold in Germany also come from Asia, Africa, and South America as so-called wild-caught animals – they were previously wrested from their natural habitat.
Due to the unknown origin of the animals, it cannot be said in such cases whether or which deadly viruses and bacteria the reptiles carry.
The majority of all zoonoses, 72 percent, can be traced back to contact with wild animals.
England: National Trust pause trail hunting on its land following webinar police probe
The National Trust have said it will pause trail hunting on its land and will not be granting new licences this season.
The news follows a ITV News report that revealed webinars hosted by The Hunting Office, the sport’s governing body, are being examined by police officers in conjunction with the Crown Prosecution Service to see if any criminal offences have taken place.
In a statement shared by ITV News Wales & West of England Correspondent Rupert Evelyn, the National Trust said: “We have taken the decision to pause trail hunting on National Trust land and will not be granting any new licences for the remainder of the season.”
In a follow up tweet, the charity said: “We do not currently have a date when this decision will be reviewed.”
Forestry England has also moved to suspend trail hunting on its land.
Crown Estates also issued a statement advising it was “aware of the current investigation” and adding: “We do not condone any form of hunting outside of UK law and we are therefore looking into this matter.
“The majority of our rural portfolio is comprised of tenanted, working farmland. While any decision to allow hunting rests with the tenant, it must always take place in full compliance with UK law.
United Utilities is also suspending trail hunting on its land until the investigation is complete, in a statement the company added: “At that point, we will consider what action we should take.”
While Natural Resources Wales also confirmed it was “looking into [the investigation] to see what action, if any, we need to take.”
A police investigation was launched after allegations were made to numerous forces about the contents of online meetings the hunting body held.
The Hunting Office say the seminars “clearly dealt with the operation and promotion of legal trail hunting and managing animal rights activism” but activists argue the seminars, organised to discuss trail hunting, raise questions about the motives of some in the sport.
Trail hunting involves laying a scent similar to that of a fox for hounds to follow.
Hunting groups maintain they follow the letter of the law but, they say, accidents happen.
When dogs follow a fake trail, it frequently leads them to a real fox instead. That is not illegal.
Animal rights activists have a long-held belief that legal exemptions like trail laying offer little protection to foxes and make illegal activities difficult to prove.
What is trail hunting and is it legal?
The police and the Crown Prosecution Service are investigating online seminars hosted by hunting’s governing body, The Hunting Office, ITV News has learned.
A number of alternative versions of hunting have continued in the wake of the ban, however, and are now the subject of controversy and fierce debate.
So what is the legal situation on the different forms of hunting and who’s who in one of the country’s most fiercely debated issues?
The variations on fox hunting
Following the ban on the chasing and killing of animals, different variations sprung up to allow the activity to still take place in modified, legal forms.
Drag hunting – a sport that existed before the ban – uses foxhounds to search for a scent laid by a drag pulled on a string.
The activity doesn’t involve an animal scent and doesn’t involve the pursuit or killing of wild animals.
Trail hunting uses an animal-based scent for the hunt to follow and is the form many hunts have switched to following the 2005 ban.
Groups on each side of the debate differ as to whether the scent is laid using a material laced with something like urine or whether body parts or carcasses are used.
Following the Hunting Act 2004, banning traditional hunts, the practice of trail hunting has been widely adopted.
The specialty of the island:“ambelopoulia”
The Borneo earless monitor lizard is traded for 8,000 euros per pair. Olexandr Topchylo / wikimedia.org
World Animals Voice 