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Category: Hunting
Police consider drones to monitor badger cull protesters
Devon and Cornwall police warn activists as cull zone is massively expanded
Police have warned badger cull protesters that they may use drones to try to keep order in the far south-west of England following heightened tensions between activists and officers.
In an email to protesters seen by the Guardian, a Devon and Cornwall officer said the force would consider using drones “where intelligence dictates”.
The force said it was considering drones because of a spike in crimes in some areas within cull zones but protesters insisted the move would not stop them from trying to prevent badgers being killed.
The cull in England has been hugely expanded into 10 new areas, with up to 42,000 animals now due to be shot in an attempt to curb tuberculosis in cattle, up from 32,500 last year.
The cull zones now cover vast swathes of many counties, including 68% of Devon and 54% of Cornwall.
The increase is adding to pressure on police forces in these areas. In the email to the protester, the officer wrote: “I have been asked to let you know – and that you forward as you believe necessary – that a decision has been made that where intelligence dictates police will consider the deployment of drones.”
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Updated:
Author: Chloe Govindasamy – Public Affairs Intern
A new, independent report revealing that 97 dogs were euthanised following an outbreak of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) at a hunting kennel confirms that hunts are a major biosecurity risk, argues an animal protection charity.
The report, by researchers at the University of Edinburgh, also contains information which suggests both the hunt and Defra kept quiet about key aspects of the outbreak – such as claiming only 25 dogs were affected, rather than the actual total of 97.
Given that disease, not just bTB, is one of the biggest threats to the lives of farm animals and the livelihoods of farmers in the UK, this raises grave concerns about the way biosecurity across the UK is being managed.
Chris Pitt, Deputy Director of Campaigns at the League Against Cruel Sports, said:
“We’ve been saying for a long time that hunting is a major biosecurity threat to our countryside and this report confirms it. The 97 dogs which were destroyed because of bTB are just the tip of a diseased iceberg. This story isn’t about one kennel infected with bTB, it’s about the way hunts routinely avoid even basic biosecurity and animal welfare measures, meaning their poor dogs are often living disease carriers.
“There’s a simple truth here. When livestock dies, potentially of disease, it is given to hunts to feed raw to their hounds. These hounds are often in poor health due to kennelling conditions and lack of care, and pick up the disease. They then spread the disease back into the countryside – and the cycle continues. The government knows this is a huge risk but is either turning a blind eye or not giving people the full picture, both of which are unacceptable.”
Key concerns are:
· The number of dogs put down was 97, not 25, as originally admitted by the hunt, which suggests a deliberate attempt to play down the outbreak. The number of recorded bTB outbreaks in the Kimblewick Hunt’s territory almost doubled to 90 in the four months after the disease was discovered in the kennels.
· Government statements about the outbreak gave the impression that there was no real threat of disease spread by hunting hounds – while at the same time they amended regulations to restrict the feeding of offal to hunting hounds. If there was no threat – why change the regulations?
· The condition of the Kimblewick kennels – a typical hunt – is described as ‘suboptimal’, with dogs being kept in dirty, unhygienic conditions which are a breeding ground for disease.
· Some biosecurity measures were introduced at the kennels once the infection had been confirmed. However this backs up evidence that basic biosecurity measures at hunting kennels are generally low or non-existent.
Chris Pitt added:
“If farmers are concerned about disease on their farms, be it bTB or anything else, then they need to take a close look at any hunts in their area. There is stacks of evidence showing that disease can spread between livestock and hunting hounds, but the government seem intent on playing this down with misleading or disingenuous statements which deflect from the truth.
“They brought in new regulations last year while pretending there was no problem when clearly there was. And those regulations won’t make any significant difference – it’s a clear case of shutting the kennel door after the hounds have bolted.
“If this country wants to take disease control seriously and protect livestock, then proper biosecurity is vital – and that means stopping hunts from galloping all over farm land.”
– Ends –
Notes to Editors
· The Edinburgh report can be found here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/tbed.12969
· For more information about the diseases spread between hunting hounds and livestock, see a summary here or the full study, Hunting with hounds and the spread of disease, by Professor Stephen Harris, BSc PhD DSc and Dr Jo Dorning, BSc PhD.
· For more information or interview requests please contact the League Against Cruel Sports Press Office on 01483 524250 (24hrs) or email pressoffice@league.org.uk
· The League Against Cruel Sports is Britain’s leading charity that works to stop animals being persecuted, abused and killed for sport. The League was instrumental in helping bring about the landmark Hunting Act. We carry out investigations to expose law-breaking and cruelty to animals and campaign for stronger animal protection laws and penalties. We work to change attitudes and behaviour through education and manage sanctuaries to protect wildlife. Find out more about our work at league.org.uk. Registered charity in England and Wales (no.1095234) and Scotland (no.SC045533).
Source: LACS – https://www.league.org.uk/news/death-of-100-dogs-exposes-the-secret-threat-of-disease
Top Man Brian !
Save Me –
http://www.save-me.org.uk/dr-brian-may-biography
http://www.save-me.org.uk/
Victory! Japan’s Proposal to Bring Back Commercial Whaling REJECTED
Posted by Carly Day | September 16, 2018
The International Whaling Commission (IWC) has rejected a proposal from several countries — led by Japan — calling for the ban on commercial whale hunting to be lifted.
The pro-whaling nations argue that the ban — which has been in place since 1986 — doesn’t take into consideration the species of whales that have healthy populations and complain that the IWC is too focused on conservation. Their proposal, entitled “The Way Forward,” suggested creating a “sustainable whaling” program.
Fortunately, the motion was denied by a vote of 41 to 27. Iceland and Norway were two of the countries who voted in favor — not surprisingly, as they are the only countries that continue to hunt whales commercially in objection to the moratorium — but the vote was also supported by Cambodia, Kenya, Cambodia, Morocco, and several other nations.
“This decision sends a clear message to governments around the world that the exploitation of animals will no longer be tolerated, and animals must be protected at the highest level,” said Kate Nustedt, global director of wildlife at World Animal Protection. “All eyes are now on Japan to respect this decision. Neither commercial nor scientific whaling have any place in the 21st century, and we urge all governments to increase pressure on Japan to end its whaling once and for all.”
Japan’s proposal to the IWC included a request for permission to hunt minke whales — one of the few species of whales not currently in danger of extinction. The nation claims that minke whaling is part of their economy and history. Although Japan technically — and reluctantly — adheres to the moratorium on commercial whaling of minke, they do still catch and kill hundreds of these whales every year, claiming that the whales are killed for research purposes. Japan’s quota of minke is 333 per year, while Iceland and Norway are estimated to slaughter around 600 each year.
However, the IWC has now agreed to stop supporting Japan’s excuse of hunting whales for “scientific research,” putting the pro-whaling nation further at odds with the commission.
Following the rejection of the proposal, Japan has hinted that it may withdraw from the IWC.
“If scientific evidence and diversity is not respected, if commercial whaling is completely denied … Japan will be pressed to undertake a fundamental reassessment of its position as a member of the IWC,” said Japan’s vice-minister for fisheries, Masaaki Taniai.
But for now, animal activists are breathing sighs of relief after the IWC decision to maintain the whaling ban.
“Japan’s proposal to resume commercial whaling would be like jumping from a plane without a parachute,” said Claire Bass, director of Humane Society International. “Whales face so many threats in our increasingly degraded oceans; it’s critical that the IWC focuses its time and resources on tackling the many problems that we create for whales, such as entanglements in fishing gear and pollution.”
The bodies of nearly 90 elephants have been discovered close to Botswana based wildlife sanctuary, Okavango Delta wildlife sanctuary.
Many of the 87 elephants found were slaughtered for their tusks mere weeks ago, with the scale of poaching deaths now reported to be the highest recorded in Africa.
The spike among elephants poached within Botswana’s borders has reportedly coincided with the disarmament of Botswana’s anti-poaching unit, suggesting this could well be a cause.
Fearing the Botswana government is ignoring the scale of the problem in a bid to protect the country’s reputation, conservationists are now urging new president Mokgweetsi Masisi to take action to protect Botswana’s elephants.
Dr Mike Chase, from Elephants Without Borders, told the BBC:
“I’m shocked, I’m completely astounded. The scale of elephant poaching is by far the largest I’ve seen or read about anywhere in Africa to date”.
Continue reading “The poachers are now turning their guns to Botswana!”
August 30, 2018
Dear Mark,
The sealers of the Magdalen Islands of Quebec are pressuring the government of Quebec to allow them to kill grey seals who live on and around the nature reserve, Brion Island.
The government of Quebec is considering this proposal. The Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment and the Fight Against Climate Change, Isabelle Melançon, has said that consultations on the matter will begin in September.
The sealers, in typical fashion, are blaming seals for fish population declines at the same time that they pillage the oceans. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans of Canada (DFO), which calls the Atlantic cod “endangered,” still allows thousands of tons of the fish to be killed by fishermen. In 2017, the DFO allowed fishermen to kill 13,000 metric tons of this endangered fish.
At the same time, the DFO allows over-fishing of capelin, thus depleting stocks of one of the main prey of cod.
Until the DFO and fishermen recognize that the marine ecosystem is a complex web and that human interference in the web is extremely destructive to this ecosystem, we will continue to see scapegoating of seals along with ever more population collapses, both of fish and marine mammals. The DFO and the fishing industry must change the way they operate, ending industrial-scale fishing and the use of destructive fishing methods like long lines, purse seines and bottom trawlers, and maintaining control of fishing gear so that unintended targets do not become victims of entanglement in their plastic pollution.
PLEASE TAKE ACTION TODAY and send an automated email to the Quebec government. If you are a resident of Quebec, please also participate formally in the public consultations on Brion Island seals. Note: the National Assembly of Quebec was recently dissolved, so if you are a voting citizen in Quebec, please keep this issue in mind in the coming elections.
Other Actions You Can Take for Seals
- Hand out our leaflets. Email us with your mailing address and the number of leaflets you would like us to send.
- Donate to our seal campaigns.
- Be a walking billboard for seals by purchasing a Harpseals.org t-shirt from our e-store or our Variety Store, and help us raise funds by purchasing gifts from our stores.
- Spread the word about the plight of the seals on Facebook and Twitter.
- Volunteer in bigger ways: join Harpseals.org as a volunteer officer or outreach activist.
Thank you for caring and taking action.
For the seals,
Diana Marmorstein, Ph.D.
CEO
Harpseals.org
Visit our sister site, Furseals.org
Join us on Facebook.
Follow us on Twitter
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In the canton of Zurich, a vote will be taken on 23.9.2018 on the initiative “Gamekeeper instead of hunters”!
Because killing should not be a hobby!
The initiative briefly explained:
“Today’s hunting is counterproductive!
Due to the intensive hunting of the wild animals their fertility increases, as the animals become sexually mature due to the hunting pressure. This leads to an inventory increase. Hunters cite this artificially generated increase in wildlife populations as a justification for killing wildlife.
Experience and studies have shown that wildlife is largely self-regulated even without hunting (Wild Sanctuary City of Zurich, Canton of Geneva, Luxembourg with ban on fox hunting). In the canton of Geneva, the hunt was replaced in 1974 by a plebiscite in a referendum that proved its worth. This model is to be introduced by the initiative in the canton of Zurich.
| Dear Mark,
Suppose you’re a senior member of the Trump administration responsible for wildlife conservation. Tell me, what on Earth would possess you to open National Park lands to brutal and vicious killing of wolves, bears and other predators? That’s exactly what’s being considered. And Mark, that’s just the beginning of the death and destruction this administration is unleashing. But please hurry, the match offer ends Friday, August 31st. This heinous proposal would open National Park Service lands in Alaska to a brutal array of killing efforts. In the crosshairs are bears, wolves and other predators. The proposal would allow for new, cruel hunting practices on national preserves, like baiting bears with doughnuts or bacon or shooting mother wolves and their pups in their dens to artificially boost moose and other game animal numbers. I wish I could say that was the only appalling proposal we’re facing right now, but sadly it’s the tip of the iceberg. Just consider: Red wolves. Recent U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) proposals would confine these wolves to a tiny patch of habitat and permit landowners to shoot any wolf that happens to wander onto their property. Mexican gray wolves. This smaller cousin of the gray wolf continues to hang by a thread, and FWS seems uninterested in mounting a serious recovery effort. A so-called ‘recovery plan’ submitted in 2017 is basically a recipe for extinction. It disregards the best available science, limits the species’ population, and cuts off access to vital recovery habitat. Polar bears. Global warming’s effect on the Arctic is especially dramatic. With sea ice melting, polar bears in the U.S. are increasingly dependent on the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. But instead of protecting this critical habitat, the administration is opening the region to oil exploration. That’s really bad news if you happen to be a polar bear. The list goes on and on. When you combine all of these cruel proposals, you can appreciate the scope of danger facing our precious wildlife. When you support Defenders, you’re a part of our community of wildlife activists. You’re supporting wildlife lawyers who, right this minute, are in court fighting for the wildlife you love. You’re supporting organizers to engage every voice in America to protect wildlife. And you’re supporting a team of advocates who work every day in Washington, D.C. and in statehouses across the country to save wildlife from destructive policy proposals. Mark, I continue to have hope because most Americans favor strong wildlife protections and because people like you refuse to give up the fight. From the bottom of my heart, my deepest thanks for your commitment, compassion and generosity. Sincerely,
P.S. These attacks are stretching our resources to the limit. Your gift, along with the matching dollars, will help keep us in the fight!
ADDITIONAL PETITION TO SUPPORT – NOT ASSOCIATED WITH THIS.
Save the Animals from Sacrifice in Religious RitualsPetition created on Jun 22, 2016 Petition link – https://www.sosvox.org/en/petition/save-the-animals-from-sacrifice-in-religious-rituals.html?utm_source=highlight&utm_medium=title&utm_campaign=campaign-p230818&uid=fd376f375efd72ffbb9b53f8573be892Animals are creatures of God and have the right to live. We cannot allow any kind of animals used for religious rituals of any religion.
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World Animals Voice 