Category: Hunting

Fur and Fur Farming, General News, Hunting, Live Transport

England: It’s 2020, Not 1820, Modern Public Opinion Needs Addressing. Military Bearskins, Live Animal Exports and All That – Time for Change ! – by Mark (WAV).

This is an issue which has been a ‘battleground’ for UK animal campaigners and the official British government Defence Ministry for many years.  As an animal activist; I have been involved with this in the past as I feel the use of bearskin is completely unnecessary now days; and has been for many years.

If London soldiers (and others) have to parade around in furry hats; then let them; fine; I have no objection to that; but all I say is that with the progress in faux fur over the years; there is no need now for real bearskins to be used in a soldiers hat.  The wearing of bearskin caps goes way back to 1815 when the British fought at Waterloo; have we not moved on a bit since then ? – over 200 years later ?

I have argued the case for a ban on real bearskin with my MP in the distant past; and have always had the reply of ‘indigenous peoples need to get the skins’ as (in my opinion) an excuse for the unnecessary killing of bears.  That is what it comes down to – the slaughter of bears to make hats – it is unnecessary in 2020 as there are a lot of options available that do not involve any cruelty.

Fur farming was banned in the UK some 20 years ago; and we as Brits are well proud of that.  Tribute must go to Mark and the team at ‘Respect for Animals’ who undertook a fantastic campaign to achieve this.  His work continues everywhere – find out more at  http://www.respectforanimals.org/

From what we now understand, once the UK has finally left the EU next year (2021) and is not bound by single market (EU) rules; new legislation could be introduced (in the UK) to ban the use of real bearskin in the guards hats.  It may seem a bit confusing – the UK formally left the EU at the start of 2020; but it is now in a ‘transition period’ (during 2020) with the EU where trade deals are going to be negotiated and set.  This is to allow trade between the UK and the EU; so at the moment, despite leaving the EU, the UK cannot really introduce its own legislation; free from the rules of the EU, until new trade negotiations are completed this year (2020).  Issues like animal welfare are included in the negotiations; and with higher, good welfare standards than in some places within the EU; UK activists do not want to see the UK lowering standards to those of some EU nations with issues such as intensive farming and fur.

Very recently; the UK government DEFRA; (Department for Food, the Environment and Regional Affairs) confirmed a sale ban which could raise standards (laws) further with regards fur products by the introduction of new laws; once the UK is completely free in 2021.  The ban could affect both new and vintage coats, and also see shops selling decades old furs from being sold.  Many areas in London are already not selling any fur products; a move which we welcome.

DEFRA said in their statement: “the UK has some of the highest welfare standards in the world and this is both a source of pride and a clear reflection of British attitudes towards animals.  Fur farming has been banned in this country (UK) for nearly 20 years, and at the end of the transition period we will be able to properly consider steps to raise (our) standards even further. This is something that the Government is very keen to do”.

We at WAV would also include here the issue of live animal exports.  Under current EU rules, the UK cannot introduce an individual state ban on live animal export; but this will be possible in 2021; post trade negotiations; when the UK is free from the shackles of the EU and can make its own legislations.  In 2021 we are hoping that with campaign pressure and the vast majority wish of the British people voicing opinion against live export, the UK government will ban the export of live animals to Europe by (primarily) the Dutch and that the UK will formally stop this disgusting trade in sentient beings that we have been directly involved with for decades.

Read more on the Dutch association with UK live animal exports here:

VC 25 3

https://worldanimalsvoice.com/2019/07/17/netherlands-the-convicted-dutch-criminal-who-still-exports-live-sheep-for-eid-why-does-the-eu-not-act/

https://worldanimalsvoice.com/2019/08/08/england-sealed-box-type-animal-trailers-how-the-industry-dodges-identifying-what-they-transport-and-the-eu-oks-it/

Back to bearskin hats for soldiers.  It is thought that the British Army purchases between 50 and 100 skins each year.; at a cost of around £650 per skin.  HIS UK which is being consulted on the issue, stated that there could be ‘pragmatic exemptions’ from outdated fur being worn; such as with hats already in use by the military.  But any ban on fur could apply under normal circumstances to charity shops, vintage fashion shops, anything in fact both on the high street or online which relates to fur.

Plans should take place in 2021 to have consultations on the issue; with an opportunity for both business and the general public to have their say.  Even now, 81 MP’s and over 750,000 Britons support a ban on the sale of fur.  Through effective and educational campaigning; the AR movement and organisations such as ‘Respect for Animals’ have won in the desperate attempt by the fur industry to withdraw itself from the animal suffering and grim truth that we all see regarding fur and fur farming.

Mark at WAV says – you cannot meet the complex behavioural and biological requirements of highly active and highly inquisitive animals such as mink, foxes and raccoon dogs by keeping them in the utmost deplorable conditions which we have all seen and posted about regarding fur farms.  It is a simple fact; no amount of any PR spin by the fur industry and the animal killers will change that.  A fur ban is not simply a fur wearing ban; it is about the saving of  and the sparing of millions of animals the excruciating torment of confined life on a fur farm.  It is time for the UK government to acknowledge the very strong British public opinion that any trade in the fur industry is cruel and unacceptable.  It is time for a complete ban in every way as soon as the chance arises in 2021.

Three Coldstream Guards investigated by police 'over fight with royal footmen' - Tower FM - Playing the Greatest Hits

But until the UK officially leaves the EU on 31st December 2020, it cannot implement a unilateral ben on the fur trade and all its associated products.  We understand that any new / future law would need most importantly to protect animal welfare, and that a draft government Bill / documentation on the fur ban has already been produced by HIS UK with the government.  Meetings to date between parties have been described as ‘productive’.

A spokesperson for the British Fur Trade Association has said that ‘it beggars belief that in the middle of a pandemic and a recession, the government is secretly working on plans to ban the fur in people’s wardrobes.  He went on declaring that fur is a natural and sustainable product that comes from highly regulated (??) and humane (???) sources which have increased sales by over 200% in recent years due to their ‘popularity’.  Also declaring that the government needs to reject the pressure being exerted by ‘animal rights groups’ and instead focus on issues that actually matter to people !

So, no win for either at the moment; although it seems very much like the UK is coming out on the side of fur bearing animals.  We at WAV fully support this approach. and we look forward very much to 2021 for many reasons.  If we get a full fur ban in every way in the UK, and also stop by law the export of live animal exports, then things are moving on positively big time.

The government has a choice; it listens and acts on behalf of the people, or the people throw them out when they have the chance. A simple choice; and we hope they listen to the wishes of the vast majority of the British people.

Fur and live export bans as soon as possible !

Regards Mark (WAV)

Farm Animals, Fur and Fur Farming, General News, Hunting

France: Great News – More than two thirds of French citizens want better animal welfare – But Will the Government Ever Listen to Them ?

WAV Comment:  Congratulations, the citizens of France have had their say – and the voice is clear and effective.  As always, the governments seem to be living in a different world to ‘their’ people.  The option – vote them out at the earliest convenience !

More than two thirds of French citizens want better animal welfare

19 August 2020

An unprecedented survey carried out by Fondation Brigitte Bardot and IFOP in August 2020 reveals that French citizens want better protection for animals.

A few weeks after the launch of a shared initiative referendum (RIP) on animal welfare, the results of the survey carried out by our Member Fondation Brigitte Bardot and IFOP confirm the interest shown by French citizens in topics related to breeding, hunting, animal experimentation, wild animals used in circuses, intensive farming, illegal pet trade and slaughter without stunning.

The survey was carried out between August 5 and 7, 2020 with a sample of 1,009 people representative of the French population. The results of the survey were covered by Le Monde and show a strong support from French citizens to improve laws regulating the welfare of animals in France.2/3 of citizens want to see an improvement in the protection of animals in France, despite the lack of political ambition of the government. 

For Cristophe Marie, spokesperson of Fondation Brigitte Bardot, “These results bear witness of the interest of the French in the animal condition and the need to start a transition towards production methods that are more respectful of animals, but also towards the abolition of the most cruel practices, such as slaughter without stunning or hunting with hounds.” 

The difficulty is that our young president is pursuing an old-fashioned policy, under the influence of hunters and the FNSEA (National Federation of Farmers’ Unions). These lobbies, with their support from high places, thwart any positive development, making France the red lantern of the animal condition in Europe.”

Cristophe Marie, Spokesperson of Fondation Brigitte Bardot

THE SURVEY:

  • 82% of the French are against hunting with hounds;
     
  • 82% in favor of a ban on the use of cages within the next 5 years;
     
  • 91% in favor of making outdoor access compulsory for all farmed animals within the next 10 years;
     
  • 86% in favor of making  the stunning of animals before slaughter compulsory in France (without exception for halal or kosher slaughter);
     
  • 77% in favor of banning the breeding of animals for the sole purpose of marketing their fur;
     
  • 70% in favor of a commitment by the public authorities to finance the development of alternative methods to animal experimentation;
     
  • 73% in favor of banning animal testing within the next 10 years;
     
  • 72% in favor of banning the sale of pets through social networks, online platforms and pet shops;
     
  • 84% in favor of the obligation to sterilize stray cats with financial participation from the municipalities;
     
  • 73% agree that the public authorities should support circuses professionals in the transition towards circuses without wild animals.

Environmental, General News, Hunting

USA: NRDC; Fighting Hard Against Trump for the People, the Environment and Animal Welfare.

Dear Mark,

A few weeks back, we promised we’d file suit to stop the Trump administration’s new policy that guts the landmark National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Well, we’ve done it.

Last week, a coalition of environmental justice and environmental groups — represented by NRDC attorneys and joined by other civil rights and environmental organizations — sued the Trump administration over its attempt to roll back NEPA.

NEPA is a critical part of our democracy that requires thorough environmental reviews and public input before major federal projects — including dangerous fossil fuel infrastructure — can be approved. It protects the people’s right to speak out against the destructive influence of polluters and hazardous projects that poison communities today and lock us into the climate crisis for decades to come.

The Trump administration’s rollback would eliminate environmental reviews for too many projects, erode government transparency, and thwart public participation.

The courts are our best bet at stopping the Trump administration from gutting this landmark environmental protection. So NRDC rushed to court to defend NEPA alongside environmental justice organizations from around the country, including:

Our litigation partners also include Sierra Club, National Audubon Society, and the New York Civil Liberties Union.

Be sure to visit the websites of our partners to find out more about their critical work.

Dear Mark,

A few weeks back, we promised we’d file suit to stop the Trump administration’s new policy that guts the landmark National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Well, we’ve done it.

Last week, a coalition of environmental justice and environmental groups — represented by NRDC attorneys and joined by other civil rights and environmental organizations — sued the Trump administration over its attempt to roll back NEPA.

NEPA is a critical part of our democracy that requires thorough environmental reviews and public input before major federal projects — including dangerous fossil fuel infrastructure — can be approved. It protects the people’s right to speak out against the destructive influence of polluters and hazardous projects that poison communities today and lock us into the climate crisis for decades to come.

The Trump administration’s rollback would eliminate environmental reviews for too many projects, erode government transparency, and thwart public participation.

The courts are our best bet at stopping the Trump administration from gutting this landmark environmental protection. So NRDC rushed to court to defend NEPA alongside environmental justice organizations from around the country, including:

Our litigation partners also include Sierra Club, National Audubon Society, and the New York Civil Liberties Union.

Be sure to visit the websites of our partners to find out more about their critical work.

And read all about the Trump administration’s disastrous NEPA rollback and what NRDC and our allies are doing to stop it at NRDC.org.

Trump’s rollback is a clear example of environmental racism.

Weakening of NEPA will most directly impact low-income communities and BIPOC communities, who have long faced disproportionate levels of pollution due to industrial facilities placed in or near their neighborhoods.

These are the same communities who have been hit the hardest by the COVID-19 crisis, which is especially critical as preliminary research shows that long-term exposure to air pollution is associated with higher death rates from the coronavirus.

Predictably, Trump has decided to double-down on exposing them to dangerous pollution and continued health risks. NRDC, our partners in the lawsuit, and our allies across the movement, will do everything in our power to stop attacks on NEPA.

Find out more about Trump’s disastrous attack on NEPA at NRDC.org and from the original email we sent you below.

Earlier this year, NRDC and our sister organization, the NRDC Action Fund, submitted over 100,000 public comments — alongside nearly half a million more from green and environmental justice groups — opposing Trump’s NEPA rollback.

Now, we’ll continue the fight to save NEPA in the courts, alongside our important litigation partners from across the country.

This is NRDC’s 121st lawsuit against the Trump administration — and we’ve won nearly 90% of the cases that have been resolved — an astounding record of success fighting back against illegal actions by this president that harm our environment and public health. And we’re confident that with this lawsuit, we will prevail again.

While America faces the crises of the COVID-19 pandemic and its history of racism and inequity, President Trump is pushing ahead with an anti-environmental assault that would exacerbate both challenges in one fell-swoop.

The Trump administration just finalized its disastrous rollback of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) — a landmark law that empowers people to make their voices heard about hazardous projects in their communities and stop pollution in their own backyards.

This attack on NEPA is an attack on democracy, our environment, our climate, and YOUR voice, Mark.

And NRDC will respond immediately, taking the Trump administration to court if that’s what it takes to stop this reckless assault on one of the pillars of environmental law. And we couldn’t respond so effectively without the support of NRDC supporters like you — thank you.

Get all the facts about Trump’s harmful attacks on NEPA, and how NRDC and our allies and partners are fighting back, and more at NRDC.org.

If Trump’s NEPA rollback is allowed to stand, disastrous polluting projects — like coal mines, highways, incinerators, oil and gas drilling operations, and pipelines — could be expedited with little-to-no environmental review, public input, or analysis of long-term impacts on the environment, our climate, or the people who live near these projects.

Make no mistake: this rollback is a clear attempt to silence people and make it easier for industry to pollute our communities.

And it will further marginalize low-income communities, Black communities, Indigenous communities, and communities of color who already suffer disproportionately from the adverse health impacts of industrial pollution — and who have been hit the hardest by the COVID-19 crisis. This is especially critical as preliminary health studies suggest that long-term exposure to air pollution is associated with higher death rates from the coronavirus.

NEPA gives people the right to weigh in before a highway project tears up their neighborhood or a pipeline goes through their backyard. Steamrolling their concerns will mean more polluted air, more contaminated water, more health threats, and more environmental destruction — and it will encourage the government to ignore how massive polluting projects contribute to climate change.

We must — and will — do everything in our power to stop the Trump administration’s rollback and save NEPA, including fighting back in federal court if necessary.

This dangerous new rollback comes weeks after another sweeping executive order that prods administration officials to ram through polluting projects without public notice, let alone adequate environmental reviews.

And it comes amid an onslaught of other Trump administration rollbacks over the past few months — including a move that could allow industrial polluters to evade penalties if they unlawfully fail to monitor and report on their pollution during the coronavirus crisis.

NRDC is fighting many of these rollbacks in court — just as we’ll fight to save NEPA as well, if that’s what it takes. NRDC has filed 118 lawsuits against the Trump administration. With the law on our side, we’ve won nearly 90 percent of the cases resolved so far.

Thank you for standing with us at this critical moment.

Sincerely,

Sharon Buccino
Senior Director, Land Division, NRDC

https://www.nrdc.org/

General News, Hunting

Italy: New Investigation Revealing Horrific Swordfish Harpoon Fishing Practices.

New investigation revealing horrific harpoon fishing practices

6 August 2020

Essere Animali

Every summer in the Strait of Messina, the feluccas (typical swordfish fishing boats) set sail to catch the fish whose meat is sold to fishmongers and restaurants. Although it is considered a more sustainable method than industrial fishing, as there is no unwanted bycatch of other species, harpoon fishing causes serious suffering. This year Essere Animali was on board documenting the horrific practices.

After being pierced with the harpoon, swordfish struggle in vain to free themselves. Once hoisted onto the boat, their flesh is cut in several places with a knife while they are still alive to facilitate the extraction of the spearhead. This procedure causes extreme and prolonged pain to the swordfish.  

After being caught, the swordfish are frequently doused with water. The purpose of this procedure is to keep them alive as long as possible to ensure the freshness of their meat; it does not bring any relief to the animals.

Death comes as a result of asphyxiation after several long minutes of agony, during which the fish remains conscious and gasps for breath, its body riddled with wounds.  

The post ‘New investigation revealing horrific harpoon fishing practices’ is modified from an article published by Essere Animali in their original language.

Environmental, General News, Hunting

England: Running for Their Lives – Hare Hunting Exposed – League Against Cruel Sports (London).

Produced with massive help from the ‘League Against Cruel Sports’ (LACS) – London.

https://www.league.org.uk/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIsKblx5mV6wIVA-ztCh0UTAoMEAAYASAAEgJm_PD_BwE

Much of the information is reproduced from their site at  https://www.league.org.uk/hunting-act

The Hunting Act 2004 is the law which bans chasing wild mammals with dogs in England and Wales – this basically means that fox hunting, deer hunting, hare hunting, hare coursing and mink hunting are all illegal, as they all are cruel sports based on dogs chasing wild mammals.

The introduction of the Hunting Act followed an extensive and often exhausting campaign spanning 80 years, with the League Against Cruel Sports and its supporters (including us) at the forefront since 1924. In Scotland, hunting with dogs was banned earlier by a different law, the Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act 2002.

Securing the Hunting Act was a key moment in the history of animal protection legislation in the UK and public polling consistently shows it is a popular law. Yet, since its introduction, the Hunting Act has been the target of considerable attack from the pro-hunt lobby which has waged an on-going campaign to try and undermine the Act with the aim of getting it scrapped or weakened, and defied the Act by developing and promoting methods to circumvent it in the form of false alibies or illicit exploitations of its exemptions.

This sabotage of the law continues today, despite the legislation of 2004.

Prosecutions and Exemptions

Official figures demonstrate that the Hunting Act has protected animals, with people being convicted for crimes covered by the law. However, far too many allegations of illegal hunting have not been properly investigated and far too many illegal hunters have got away with it unpunished, which means that the Act has a serious enforcement problem. Because of the weak enforcement by the authorities the successful prosecution of registered hunts was spearheaded by the League when we took private prosecutions against illegal hunters.

While many people have been convicted under the Hunting Act, most of these are in fact poachers rather than hunters. Unfortunately we believe that illegal hunting with dogs by organised hunts is very common across the country, while there are very few prosecutions. The problem is that considering the defiance of the hunting fraternity and how they have created sophisticated alibies and illicitly exploited the exemptions of the Act, it is often hard to catch hunts in the act of chasing and killing a fox, and even if they are caught, it is hard to prove in court.

The Act contains ‘exemptions’ built into its Schedule, which were designed to prevent the ban affecting activities which Parliament did not intend to prohibit. Unfortunately, hunts often use these exemptions as an excuse if they are caught hunting. For example, staghunts use the ‘Research and Observation’ exemption that was designed for researchers and not hunters, and some fox hunts carry birds of prey in order to claim that they use the ‘falconry’ exemption, which was designed for falconers.

However, the most common way illegal fox hunters use to avoid prosecution is with ‘trail hunting’. Most registered fox and hare hunts now claim to be trail hunting – an activity that was not in existence or envisaged when the Hunting Act was drafted, and which should not be confused with ‘drag’ hunting.

Trail hunting is an entirely new invention which purports to mimic traditional hunting by following a scent trail (using fox urine, according to the hunters) which has been laid in areas where foxes are likely to be. Those laying the trail are not meant to tell those controlling the hounds where the scent has been laid, so if the hounds end up following a live animal scent the hunt can claim that they did not know.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is lacs-hare-2.jpg

Having looked over 4,000 hunt monitoring reports of over 30 hunt monitors from different organisations covering the majority of hunts in England and Wales (157), since the Hunting Act 2004 was enacted these hunt monitors have reported witnessing someone laying a possible trail only in an average of around 3% of the occasions they monitored hunts, but they believed that only an average of around 0.04% of the occasions they may have witnessed a genuine trail hunting event, rather than a fake one.

Trail hunting is not the same as drag hunting, a legitimate sport created in the 1800s which is not intended to mimic animal hunting, but instead is a sport using hounds to search for a non-animal scent without the pursuit or killing of wild animals.

In drag hunting, or in bloodhounds hunting (or hunting the ‘clean boot’ as it is also known) where the scent of a human runner is followed instead of a drag, the trail never contains animal scent, is never laid in areas likely to have foxes, and those controlling the hounds always know where the trail was laid.

This is why in drag hunting, ‘accidents’ when live animals are chased are very rare, while in trail hunting they are very common.

The League believes there is no such a thing as the ‘sport of trail hunting’ and it is simply a temporary, false alibi to cover for illegal hunting while the hunting fraternity hopes for the hunting ban to be repealed or weakened.

For more information visit our trail hunting page and read or download our detailed report on trail hunting, drag hunting and the ‘clean boot’.

Hare hunting and hare coursing

Hare hunting is the lesser known cousin of fox hunting and deer hunting, but in the days before hunting was banned in England and Wales, one in three hunts were actually hare hunts. Despite the ban, when hunting with dogs was made illegal, most of these hunts still exist, and are chasing and killing hares in the name of ‘sport’.

Hare coursing is a different ‘sport’, involving two fast dogs being set loose to chase a hare. Traditionally, this could take place on a small scale but also as a large-scale, organised event, such as the famous Waterloo Cup event which attracted thousands of spectators who came to watch and place bets. Hare coursing was banned, along with hare hunting, by the Hunting Act 2004, and is illegal, but coursing still takes place

According to the Hare Preservation Trust, the number of brown hares in the UK has declined by 80% since the late 1880s – that’s a devastating drop. While modern farming practices are thought to be the main cause of this decline, hare hunting and hare coursing also had an impact. A return to these cruel sports could see brown hares wiped out in many parts of Britain. The brown hare is listed as a conservation priority in the UK’s Biodiversity Action Plan, meaning we should be doing all we can to protect this vulnerable species.

There is nothing ‘natural’ about a hare being chased with a pack of dogs. Hares have evolved to sprint at high speeds for short periods to escape predators. They cannot match the stamina of hunting hounds who will continue the chase until the hare is exhausted and can run no more. When talking about hares and hunting with dogs, the Government’s Burns Report published in 2000 concluded that ‘this experience seriously compromises the welfare of the hare.’

Ref – https://www.league.org.uk/hare-hunting-and-hare-coursing

Watch the reality of the Hare hunt:  https://youtu.be/Xrhkt0EOGx4

Regards Mark

In many ways it is still a bloodbath !

Environmental, General News, Hunting

Australia: Italian Fashion Giant Prada Bans the Use of Kangaroo Skin. But States of Victoria and New South Wales Still Allow Kangaroo Killing. Take Action Here. Has Australia Not Killed Enough Wildlife Rcentl;y ?
Image shows a dead kangaroo

Great news,

Italian fashion giant Prada has banned kangaroo skin.

The Prada Group – which includes Prada, Miu Miu, Church’s, and Car Shoe – has confirmed that it will no longer purchase any new kangaroo leather. The decision will spare these remarkable Australian animals immense suffering.

Prada joins the likes of Versace, Victoria Beckham, Chanel, and Paul Smith in banning leather made from kangaroos.

Some 2.3 million kangaroos are reportedly killed every year for their skin. To produce leather, the animals are first shot. Then, the injured kangaroos – as well as orphaned joeys – are decapitated or hit sharply on the head to “destroy the brain” before their skin is torn off so it can be exported and made into accessories often labelled as “k-leather”.

As you read this, state governments are approving permits to hunt kangaroos.

Please join our campaign urging the New South Wales and Victorian governments to stop issuing permits for the mass slaughter of kangaroos

While wildlife carers are still working day and night rehabilitating burned, otherwise injured, and starving animals, the Victoria and New South Wales governments are allowing permits to be issued for the mass slaughter of kangaroos – often simply because they compete for food with introduced farmed animals raised for meat, leather, and wool.

It’s outrageously easy to get a permit to kill kangaroos in these states – in fact, in New South Wales, it’s called a “Licence to Harm” and applicants can even renew over the phone. 

Meanwhile, Queensland’s commercial slaughter has been halted and the South Australian government has stopped plans to slaughter wallabies on Kangaroo Island after one-third of the island caught fire. 

More than 1 billion animals perished in Australia’s recent fires. The death toll is high enough. 
Join us in urging the New South Wales and Victoria governments to stop issuing permits to kill wildlife.

Take Action Here:

https://secure.peta.org.au/page/56507/action/1?utm_source=PETA%20AU::E-Mail&utm_medium=Alert&utm_campaign=0820::skn::PETA%20AU::E-Mail::Prada::::aa%20em&ea.url.id=4858960&forwarded=true

Regards Mark.

Hunting

Germany: Rollator for assholes!

One of the most popular and most common execution places in the German hunt is the “high seats”.
And that means that a murderer will climb that tower and shoot anything that moves.

Jäger im Hochsitz

Through the feeding that they regularly put in front of this murder seat, they want to get their future victims used to always coming to the same place so that they can be shot more easily.
They create, so to speak, the future place of execution.

fütterung PG
Because hunters are not only professional killers but also professional liars, they claim that they use this method to help weak wild animals not to starve over the winter.
In fact, they just want to shoot a deer quickly and not sit in the high seat for hours and wait for one to run past.
The winter of that year was very mild. So if the winter is so mild, it should go without saying that no hunter feeds. But they do it anyway.

I once asked a hunter in my area why his high seat is so close to the feeding place.
He said…
“Well, I’m a little visually impaired. The maximum distance to meet a deer is about 10 meters. Once I wanted to shoot a fox from 15 meters when I accidentally shot my hunting dog. It was a great tragedy. That should never happen again”.

Everywhere we are still literally surrounded by high seats and feeding places, at least on the high Black Forest, where I live.

With around 388,000 hunters in Germany (2019) and taking into account the fact that a hunting license can be obtained within 6 days, it very often happens that when hunting, many animals are only shot and die in agony.
In addition, not all animals that are hunted end up on the plate. Foxes shot dogs, cats, or badgers are not eaten and go into the garbage can.

To support them in their grueling actions, there are always new products on the market, and one of them is this high seat rollator that I found on a trip today.

Hochsitz_Rollator_20200809Rollator for assholes

My best regards to all, Venus

Hunting

Austria: the marmot hunt has started

from the blog of Martin Balluch*

flagge-von-österreich-jpg

Back from a week in the forest, I realize that the hunt for marmots has started. At least with us in Styria, (Austria). In Tyrol and elsewhere it lasts until mid-August, but there are still 2 months left for this cheap hunt.

The shot costs only € 500, with a € 100 discount if you don’t hit. It is 4 times as expensive to shoot a chamois.

balluch murmeltierjagd

The picture above shows an encounter with a marmot on the Wetterinalm. “Beautiful” meadows road, isn’t it? You can tell right away that there is nature here.

The marmot lives carefree there, doesn’t care about hikers or my dog ​​friend who was there.

alpen_und_murmeltier_

He is totally peaceful with all animals anyway.

Last autumn I and my family were in an alpine pasture in the Hohe Tauern for a few days after the cows were brought down. We made friends there with a family of marmots.

And then a hunter came up from the valley with his 14-year-old son and a 17-year-old hunting guide. The 14-year-old wanted to shoot a groundhog for his birthday. Nothing easier than shooting at these almost tame marmots that had played with us.

While these hunters were happy, I felt like a traitor. How can you be nice to animals when others take advantage of this approach to kill? I have reported about this incident: https://martinballuch.com/eine-ganz-normale-murmeltierjagd/

murmeltier Balluch

Why do people want to shoot marmots? This question is wrong. They just enjoy it, otherwise, they wouldn’t pay for it. But how is that justified?

Surprisingly, with the protection of the cows on the alpine pasture, and because the alpine meadows would be less easy to mow if marmots were built there. This was confirmed to me as an argument from many sides, but can also be found here in this article of the German “Tagesspiegel” * : 

” The fact that the marmots are hunted is because they get in the way of the alpine farmers with their zeal. The animals dig tunnels with a length of ten to 70 meters, in which they disappear if there is danger, the record for a marble tunnel is 113 meters long. “The animals undermine the alpine pastures and thus endanger the cows,” says hunter Kühl. “If they step into the holes dug by the marmots, they can be seriously injured. The marble not only causes problems for the cows, but also for humans. Because of the holes, the farmers have problems mowing the alpine meadow”.

The marmot in this country was already exterminated by the hunters.  Do we ever learn? Can we eventually overcome this strange desire to kill?

Will we eventually reduce the total use of nature, enable a wilderness, and then leave it to the wild animals?

Murmeltier

* Dr. Martin Balluch: Martin Balluch studied mathematics, physics, and astronomy at the University of Vienna. He then did his doctorate in physics at the Ruprecht-Karls University in Heidelberg in 1989. From 1990 to 1997 he worked as a university assistant alongside Stephen Hawking in the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics (DAMTP) at Cambridge University.
He is the chairman of the “Verein gegen Tierfabriken” (association against animal factories) which has had many successes against gate hunting in Austria.
https://martinballuch.com/die-murmeltierjagd-hat-begonnen/

 

Some interesting facts about marmots: The small rodents can’t stand the heat. They feel 20 degrees Celsius like we humans 36 degrees in the blazing sun.

Marmots hibernate. At -20 degrees Celsius, the ground squirrels like to crawl in their burrow, where it is pleasantly warm. They cuddle up to each other and lower their body temperature to 6 degrees so that they burn little energy. The smallest come in the middle because it is warmest there. In this way, up to 20 marmots form a huge ball of fur under the ground. They create complex tunnels in which many human animals would get lost.

And I mean…The only ones allowed to kill with impunity are the hunters.

Hunters and farmers produce many excuses to justify their murders of defenseless animals. The first do it out of a hobby and perverse sadism, but they always keep silent the joy, the experience of killing.
The second one is used to torturing animals anyway and cruelly slaughtered for profit.

In today’s society, the following applies: Whoever feels nothing when killing is a psychopath and severely disturbed.
In my view, these people are ruthless assholes, who can continue to kill animals in the forest and everywhere because they are protected by authorities, judges, and politicians who are also hunters themselves.

In Germany, the hunters are a miserable minority of 45% of the population, who nevertheless have the right to terrorize citizens and animals in the forest, to “accidentally” kill pets, to destroy the soil, and to cause enormous pollution.

But the average German thinks it’s none of his business what happens in the forest until he finds his cat or dog shot somewhere, by a hunter.
And he must be happy if a hunter does not mistake him with a wild boar when he takes when he goes for a walk in the forest!!

And so we are back to a known fact: as long as society is manipulated by media propaganda and false information and acts cowardly, nothing will change about the hunt.

It is these who have the power to abolish hunting that must be put under pressure.
From all of us.
We have many resources for this today, we just have to bring courage.

We owe it to the animals.

My best regards to all, Venus

Environmental, General News, Hunting

USA: Californian ‘He Man Trouphy Hunter’ (we call him a TOSSER) Shoots Elephant In the Head Many Times. Petition to UPS.

WAV Comment – A ‘big man tosser’ of a US trophy hunter shoots an elephant in the head many times.  Watch the video to see what a complete and utter wanker this bloke is – just like ALL hunters.  So this is your way of ‘protecting’ wild animals is it ? – asshole !

A curious young elephant approaches an American trophy hunter—only to be shot in the head repeatedly and allowed to endure a prolonged, painful death.

As part of a breaking investigation, PETA has obtained footage of a Californian trophy hunter named Aaron Raby shooting an elephant in the head over and over again. The elephant falls to his knees and suffers in agony as Raby shoots him at least four more times over the next two minutes. How many shots were taken after the video stopped and how long the elephant suffered before finally dying is unknown.

American trophy hunter Aaron Raby (center) poses with the elephant he killed outside Kruger National Park.

Afterward, Raby mutilates the elephant’s corpse, cutting off his tail. He later pays tens of thousands of dollars to have the elephant’s body parts preserved for shipment to the U.S.

Aaron Raby paid $30,000 to kill this elephant, after which he cut off his tail. Raby later paid another $20,000 to have the elephant’s body parts preserved for shipment to the United States.



Every year, thousands of wild animals like this magnificent elephant are slaughtered by trophy hunters for the perverse pleasure they get out of it and so that those who make a living selling hunting trips and accessories can profit from the trade in body parts. These animals need your help now.

UPS continues to allow this cruel industry to exist by shipping trophy hunters’ gruesome souvenirs. Please watch the video and then urge UPS to stop shipping hunting trophies immediately!

TAKE ACTION

https://support.peta.org/page/2208/action/1?utm_source=PETA::E-Mail&utm_medium=Alert&utm_campaign=0820::wld::PETA::E-Mail::81109%20Elephant%20Shot%20Repeatedly%20in%20Head%20Agonizing%20Death%20Trophy::::aa%20em&ea.url.id=549101&forwarded=true

Environmental, General News, Hunting

French government risks paying huge fines if it bows to pressure from hunting lobby.

WAV Comment – In the distant past (centuries ago) in London; the baiting of bears and bulls was commonplace. We grew up and disposed of it because of the cruelty involved; we did not call it ‘tradition’ or any other crap like you get from these hunters or the Spanish bullfighters. It is now 2020 and people wont accept the cruelty – so move; preferably to another planet.

French government risks paying huge fines if it bows to pressure from hunting lobby

Source:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jul/30/european-commission-orders-france-to-outlaw-barbaric-glue-traps-for-birds#img-1

‘Hunting with glue-sticks is an abomination’: A dead robin, stuck to a branch by its legs and wings.

 ‘Hunting with glue-sticks is an abomination’: A dead robin, stuck to a branch by its legs and wings. Photograph: Courtesy LPO

France is to outlaw trapping birds using sticks covered in glue after the European commission threatened legal action and fines.

The move was welcomed by campaigners who have described the practice as “barbaric” and who urged the French government not to bow to pressure from the powerful hunting lobby.

Hunters argue the method of trapping the birds, known as chasse à la glu, is a centuries-old rural tradition and say they are being persecuted.

Using glue sticks to catch birds has been outlawed in Europe since the 1979 Bird Directive, except in specific circumstances where the practice is “controlled, selective and in limited quantities”. Since 1989, France has invoked these circumstances to permit glue-trapping in five south-east departments on the grounds that it is “traditional”.

The French Bird Protection League (LPO) produced evidence from hidden cameras to prove that the practice is not selective and poses a threat to endangered species, which persuaded the European commission to act.

France, one of the last European countries to authorise hunting birds with glue, has been given until October to definitively outlaw the practice.

At a meeting with hunters last week Barbara Pompili, the newly appointed minister for ecological transition, told them the chasse à la glu must end by October.

“This is a final warning from the European commission. France cannot be the last country that allows the trapping and barbaric torture of birds. This hunting is non selective and cruel,” said Yves Verilhac, the director of the LPO.

“The hunting lobby is blaming the new minister because she’s a woman and an ecologist, but all she is doing is not signing any opt-outs to the directive this year under threat from the European commission.”

The LPO estimates 40,000 birds are caught using glue sticks by 5,000 hunters every year. The hunters are allowed to catch four types of thrush and one of blackbird, but secretly filmed video shown to the Guardian last year showed robins, blue tits, warblers and finches struggling and dying on glue-sticks or being pulled off and discarded like litter. Last year, LPO activists found a dead kestrel, its wings gummed with glue.

Willy Schraen, the president of the Hunting Federation, said he was in “complete disagreement” with the government’s decision to follow the directive and warned hunters would take legal action.

“I hope the minister will not listen to the sirens in Brussels and will remain true to what France, with its traditions and strong values, represents. This is a very ancient way of capturing birds,” Schraen told FranceInfo.

He added: “I don’t think it’s barbaric. I don’t think those who practise this chasse à la glu are thugs. They are people with strong values who are happy to catch a few birds. Why is this a problem? The real question is … why is the head of environment in Europe wasting time persecuting a few Gaulois?”

“We will legally defend glue-trapping because it is a symbol [of our culture].”

Verilhac has urged the government not to give in. “If they do, the French people will find themselves paying millions in fines for the sake of 5,000 hunters,” he said.

“The hunters paint this idyllic picture of country folk living off the land with their traditions, but these hunters aren’t rural people. Most of them turn up in expensive 4×4 vehicles from the city.”

Verilhac added: “Besides, not all traditions should be defended. Hunting with glue sticks is an abomination.”