WAV Comment – If you are here in England and need a bit of Veggie / Vegan food; then check out this fantastic listing from Happy Cow. In addition, there is also a European lsting with over 58,000 listings – all European nations and a list of places to eat. We reproduce this from the data on the Happy Cow site – Vegan Restaurants in England (happycow.net)
Just for the record, Rochester in Kent is fairly near to me. ‘Food Glorious Food’ Vegan Restaurants in Rochester, England (happycow.net) is the restaurant there. Rochester was home to author Charles Dickens, hence the name; and Rochester is small but is also a city, complete with cathederal. It hasw a strking castle which we have enjoyed visiting many times. I show you a few pictures here.
Rochester has a ‘Dickens Festival’ each year, where folk dress up as Dickensian characters and walk through the high stret of the city – see lots of pictures at:
Musician Annie Ko of LOVE X STEREO worked as a translator for Humane Society International in South Korea.
During that time she discovered horrors of the dog meat industry. On one visit to a dog meat farm, she met and rescued DeeJay and their lives changed forever.
We are working tirelessly to fight the dog meat trade across Asia but change only manifests when it comes from within the hearts and minds of locals like Annie.
The majority of South Koreans are AGAINST the dog meat industry and with their support and activism, the end to this trade is in sight.
Together, we can and are making a difference for animals in Asia!
HSI is working tirelessly to fight the dog meat trade but change only manifests when it comes from within, which Annie exemplifies. Together, we can and are making a difference for animals in Asia and beyond.
Ask China to end dog and cat meat trade horrors including the Yulin festival
Yulin Dog Meat Festival 2021 will take place between 21 – 30 June (06) 2021.
Yulin Dog Meat Festival (or Lychee and Dog Meat Eating Festival) as it is sometimes known, is a controversial festival held in Yulin, Guangxi, China, during the summer solstice – the longest day of the year, in June. Even though the festival started as recently as 2009, eating dog meat is believed to be an ancient Chinese tradition.
Chinese practitioners of folk medicine thought that dog meat is the best solution against the summer heat, although there is no physiological or medical evidence to support it. Some also believe dog meat can ward off diseases and heighten men’s sexual performance.
Cat meat, fresh lychees and liquor are also available at the 10-day event.
During the 10-day festival, dogs and cats are exhibited in metal cages and wooden crate before they are skinned, cooked, and eaten by visitors of the event.
It is a terribly disgusting event as you can see from the photos we are publishing here. As many as 15,000 dogs are tortured, killed and cooked to be sold every year.
On the eve of the festival, many activists are protesting in China or in front of Chinese embassies, while hundreds of volunteers make an effort to stop the trucks transporting the dogs to the festival and rescue the animals.
Activist groups in China can legally intercept dog meat trucks and confiscate dogs if the drivers don’t have the paperwork proving that they own them. The dogs which are found in these trucks often turn out to be stolen pets and are returned to owners, others are made available for adoption in China and other countries.
For example, a shelter from the state of New York took in 200 dogs, a San Diego rescue center took 18 dogs to Southern California, while the center in Massachusetts saved five animals.
Yulin is a major campaign issue across the world with animal rights people. Thanks to international pressure the number of dogs slaughtered during Yulin Dog Meat Festival has dropped considerably, and there is hope the festival will be banned completely.
From ‘Notodogmeat’;
End Yulin 2021 Notodogmeat is Sending Activists to Yulin This Weekend
Yulin Dog Meat ‘ Festival’ is likely to take place next week (21 – 30 June) 2021. Our hearts are broken. We have been campaigning for ten years to end this cruelty and saved hundreds of dogs and cats.
New animal welfare regulations and also concerns about the pandemic gave us hope Yulin City will see sense. People eat dog meat in this south China province all year round, and tourists love to come on Summer Solstice, get drunk and feast on dogs. They don’t care.
As soon as we got word that trucks were on the move, we knew we had to act. Our activists, led by Mr Zhao, who runs our big China shelter, will make the 3000 km trip to the region in the next few days.
They will attend and protest, documenting all health violations and produce a report that the Ministry of Agriculture cannot deny.
We will also rescue whatever pups we can (without paying high prices) and shame traders and revellers.
This action is powerful because our team is made up entirely of Chinese animal lovers and volunteers.
They know how hard you have all worked signing petitions and writing letters, and they are ready to make sacrifices in the boiling heat to do their bit.
Like us, they cannot bear the idea of dogs packed in cages, no food, water, or shelter. Blood, urine, faeces everywhere. It is a horror show. Terrified eyes, pleading for their lives.
We need your help to make this happen. As a small charity, we rely on your donations. Please chip in what you can to help pay for the activists trip and cover veterinary and associated expenses so we can save as many lives as we can.
There are some wonderful, brilliant animal activists in China trying to stop this, and we wish them every success with ALL thier work. Here below are some from ‘Notodogmeat’.
We are putting out this info now; and hope to publish more reading / action links later;
Regards Mark
UPDATE 1430GMT
Hi all; I have tracked down the following video clips for you to see if you want. They are disturbing for animal people, any normal person; here they are in case you want to know more – Mark
Dog Is Sheep Is Cow Is Pig Is Boy Is Girl Is Cat – None should be abused for the want of the human tastebud !
Other articles related to Yulin – the first below from the ‘New York Post’ is very interesting – I have reproduced courtesey of the NYP and outlined the main in RED. – Regards Mark
New York Post – New law could end China’s infamous dog meat festival, says advocacy group
Animal activists are celebrating a new law in China that regulates the mass trafficking of feral dogs into Yulin, in the Guangxi region, which has an annual dog meat festival.
Yulin’s agricultural officials confirmed the news on May 1, Jam Press reported. The new law would ensure that animals are raised and quarantined together before being transported and sold for slaughter — a move that will ultimately strengthen public health efforts, and potentially save thousands of dogs.
…. That and the country’s “wet markets” have long been regarded as sources of disease and, indeed, linked to the virus that causes COVID-19.
Last year, China cracked down on the nation’s wildlife trade, including a move to reclassify dogs as “companion animals” instead of their previous “livestock” designation, in response to what was then still an emerging pandemic that many experts believe originated in a Wuhan meat market.
The plan ensured that dogs would no longer be found on the legal meat trade, though the law does little to mitigate the animal black market.
Cruelty-Free and Vegan Cosmetics Certifications & Claims Explained
WAV Comment – we are reproducing the introduction and link to the site in order that you can review and make your own choices. There is a lot of information, complete with logos to watch out for when you purchase or decide not to purchase.
In this post, I’m sharing some of the most common cruelty-free and vegan claims, labels, and logos that we often see on cosmetics and household cleaning products. As well as, providing an overview of which ones are regulated, the organizations issuing these certifications, their requirements, and the cost associated with licensing their logos.
And because no certification or standard is perfect or all-inclusive, I’ll also be sharing some things to look out for. That way, we can set some realistic expectations when we shop for cruelty-free and vegan cosmetics.
By the end of this post, you’ll have a better understanding of what each cruelty-free and vegan claim actually means, and hopefully, it’ll help you make better and informed consumer choices.
Now and again; as with any site relating to just about any issue or subject; you expect, and sometimes get, negative comments, even abuse.
We can handle that no problem; part of running a site we guess; if people have something negative to say, then fine, we review it and if necessary attempt to respond, giving our perspective; our views, justifications etc.
A message ‘greeted us’ this morning; and in unison; we immediately had no argument with deleting the comment; as it was more than pitiful and we do not feel it is even worth showing – why give an asshole publicity we ask ? – but we shall say it was nasty and vindictive towards the death of Regan. From someone in the business we ask ? – and do they want to start an abusive series of ‘ping pong’ between us and them ? – we the answer from us is ‘No’; and for the turd from the gutter that wrote it, there is now only one place to archive it – in the TRASH, as both they and their comment both should be.
So in response to Mr Primary Jerk; from us, and by clicking on the following link, you can gain access to all of our past posts relating to Regan and her work to save animals:
Regan died taking action to help suffering animals, she did not hide in saying what she was involved with – campaigning for and saving lives, and where she came from. Now the world knows her story and her name, unlike the psycho jerk that sent this mail to us and who boasts about killing animals. We suggest firstly, he slithers back down the crack he originated from, secondly, he attempts to get some kind of a life, and thirdly, that taskes up a hobby that does not involve killinganimals, as he proudly boasts he does in his comment. What next – children ?
We will not even publish his reply, because, like him, IT IS UTTER PREMIUM SHIT.
We, like all fellow activists out there, continue with our respect to Regan again for paying the ultimate in her actions to be a voice for suffering animals. Her name will never be forgotten.
Above – Erika and Jim are the 2 people on the right of the picture.
WAV Comment – you all know we communicate with Erika at AAU (India) on a weekly basis.
Well here are a few more rescue stories which we have been sent; showing the good side of wonderful human beings.
You can also adopt and buy from the shop by clicking on the links given below. Also, try to donate if you can – all this amazing work by great people is only undertaken with great donations from supporters.
Regards Mark
The blind animals at Animal Aid are unique in their incredible capacity to adapt.One perfect example is ourshelter dog Rimjim, who walks confidently through groups of cows and donkeys, commanding respect through occasional woofs but mostly proclaiming his space with his sheer charisma.
Animal Aid is the permanent sanctuary to more than 15 blind animals: a donkey, a water buffalo, and many dogs, who have the freedom they need to exercise the whole of themselveswithout any unnecessary constraint, with flexibility and incredible cheerfulness.
Alfie’s astounding recovery will stretch your grasp of the possible
This desperate boy looked impossible to save. Maggots had burrowed into the top of his head: when maggots proliferate like this, they can do enormous damage within just hours. We were worried he wouldn’t survive as he seemed to be using his utmost energy just to stand.
But something gave usa glimmer of hope. We learned that Alfie was one of the souls on earth with an enormous capacity to give and receive love. Without this unique gift, even with vigilant medical treatment, he might not have survived.
We found Tigger lying consumed in pain, curled up, and hardly able to open his eyes because of the severe mange afflicting his entire body.
We treated him with an anti-parasite injection, medicated baths, antibiotics, pain-killers, good food and comfort. And when his mange was gone, his suffering was replaced with nonstop joy.
In 2013 we received a distressed call on our helpline from a foreign traveler who found an emaciated young dog collapsed on the side of the road. The dog’s location was far outside our service area, so the traveler wonderfully offered to bring the little dog, who couldn’t stand or walk, with her by bus back to Udaipur. She had suffered a spine injury and her hind legs were paralysed. But with rest, food, play and love, the little dog put on weight, developed wonderful upper body strength, moved around with easeand delighted everyone who has met her.
And for the years that have followed,
Princess Leoni has shown us every hour of every day that love is unlimited. Leoni IS love.
WAV Comment – What with proposed action on the banning of intensive cage systems; maybe the EU is beginning to listen to the wants of its citizens – most who have demands and positive aspirations regarding positives in animal welfare; but who also need authorities to listen and act ! – Maybe now they start to act after so many years of ignoring the cries; human and animal.
BUT, we still need much better legislation and enforcement of regulations regarding the transportation of live, sentient beings. Here the EU always has failed big time.
Positive Progress for animals! The European Parliament adopted ambitious Report on the EU Biodiversity Strategy
9 June 2021
Press Release
The European Parliament’s report on the EU Biodiversity Strategy, adopted 8/6/21, demonstrates the clear commitment of the Parliament to ensure the effective implementation of the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2030 by securing adequate financial resources, binding objectives and adopting new legislation. The Parliament is urging European Commission and Member States to turn the present crisis into an opportunity and move away from “economic growth at any cost”, ensuring a real green recovery.
Thanks also to our Stop Pandemics? Start here campaign, the joined efforts of our members, and the support of many MEPs, most of our recommendations to block amendments on the ENVI report were taken into account, and yesterday the vote in Plenary clearly demonstrated the European Parliament’s support to ensure the effective implementation of the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2030.
The strategy has the potential to bring the necessary change to protect our planet’s biodiversity, ecosystems and environment, and to prevent future pandemics and spread of zoonotic diseases, ensuring that the tools and resources are made available to make that ambition a reality, with important effects on animal protection:
Acknowledging that both the illegal and legal trade in, and use of, wildlife significantly contribute to biodiversity decline, calling on the European Commission (EC) to jointly address legal and illegal trade in the review of the EU Wildlife Action Plan against Wildlife Trafficking.
Highlighting that the EU Action Plan against Wildlife Trafficking should receive adequate funding, including assistance to wildlife rescue centres and sanctuaries.
Calling on the EC to propose EU-wide wide positive lists of species permitted for import, keeping, breeding and trade as pets as soon as possible, also to prevent the introduction of new invasive alien species.
Calling on the EC and the Member States (MS) to lead efforts to end the commercial trade in endangered speciesand their parts.
Recognising ecocide as an international crime.
Highlighting that EU agriculture should be transformed to make it sustainable and ensure high animal welfare standards, setting the benchmark in terms of standards for sustainable food systems.
Acknowledging that fur production can significantly compromise animal welfare and increases their susceptibility to infectious diseases including zoonoses, as has occurred with COVID-19 in mink.
Calling on the EC and the MS to take adequate measures to facilitate the coexistence with large predators, such as preventive and compensation measures, ensuring their protection.
Recognising the importance of cetacean protection, and the need for the EU to take action with regard to whaling.
Recognising that catching fish to feed carnivorous farmed fish is a driver of marine biodiversity loss.
“We applaud the Parliament for their commitment to animals which comes after a year-long campaign to prevent future pandemics and improve animal protection at the same time. We trust the Commission will listen to the Parliament’s calls and use the Biodiversity Strategy to introduce EU wide Positive Lists for exotic pets which would be a total gamechanger for the animals but also for human health”.
Purely coincidental that we had news through, today, on ‘Ban Live Exports Day’ – where global awareness and demonstrations are focussed towards ending this abhorrent trade in the transportation of live, sentient beings.
We welcome the great campaigner, speaker, writer and all round activist for so many causes, especially animal rights – Mr Philip Wollen, as our first WAV Patron.
Philip kindly responded to our request to be our Patron within a matter of hours, after
Like many of you, our friends and supporters; we have respected and admired so much about Philip over the years; the Ex Vice president of Citibank, who decided to get out of the race and put his money, knowledge and efforts into supporting good causes around the world.
We are delighted to have ‘Phil’ on board with us and welcome him into the World Animals Voice team. We know this friendship will be effective and long lasting; especially as we as anti export campaigners and animal rights activists; like Phil; still have a lot to say and do with efforts to end this trade and so many other global animal abuses.
So, Philip; Mark warmly welcome you into our WAV fold, and us being welcomed into yours.
Here is a link directly into the site run by Philip and his wife Trix, Winsome Constance Kindness :
You can read more about the work of the organisation by clicking on the above link; but here below is a summary of Philip Wollen as written for an introduction transcript for an MC (Master of Ceremonies) at a recent charity event:
Introducing Philip Wollen –
Philip Wollen, at 34 was Vice-President of Citibank. The Financial Press named him in the “Top 40 Brightest and Best” executives in Australia.
During his travels, by age 40 he’d witnessed cruelty so egregious he decided to do all he could to alleviate suffering, and give away everything he owned, with warm hands, and die broke. He jokes “So far, we are right on budget!”
Today, he is a “Venture Capitalist for Good Causes”, supporting some 500 mission-critical projects for children, animals and the environment in 40+ countries. Promoting “Ahimsa” (non -violence) and Veganism is his main interest.
He provides money for Children, Animals, & the Environment with schools, orphanages, animal protection, shelters, clinics, medicines, biogas plants, ambulances, bore-wells and films; sponsored a married couple (cancer survivors) to run one marathon a day for 366 consecutive days around Australia’s coast, funded marine vessels, whale & seal rescue centres, primate sanctuaries, food, disaster relief, homeless people, victims of domestic violence, scholarships, the arts, health, forests and oceans, undercover anti-poaching operations through his operational “silos”, Kindness Farms, Kindness House, Kindness Oceans, Kindness Kids, Kindness Streets, & Kindness Mobile Restaurants for the Homeless.
Philip awards the annual Kindness Gold Medal & $20,000 Cash Prize to people who have devoted their lives in the service of others. Past recipients include Sir David Attenborough (UK), Dr Professor T. Colin Campbell (USA), Dr Ian Gawler OAM (Australia), Dr Jane Goodall DBE, Smt Maneka Gandhi MP (India), Captain Paul Watson (Canada), Dr Jill Robinson MBE (China), Dr Christine Townend (Australia), Captain Peter Hammarstedt (Sweden), Mr Christopher DeRose (USA), Rev. Dr Andrew Linzey (Oxford), Mr Damien Mander (Zimbabwe), Sri Pradeep Kumar Nath (India), Dr Chinny Krishna (India).
He has delivered speeches in the Parliament in The Hague, the Knesset Parliament in Israel, the European Parliament, the Parliament of World Religions, Universities, & international congresses and has discussed ethics with Presidents, Prime Ministers, Members of Parliament, Nobel Laureates & religious leaders from all the major faiths.
He is the Patron and Ambassador for many international groups; he has written Forewords for books by eminent authors on animal rights, health and ethics. His words have been read by millions around the world and his speeches have gone viral on the internet with over 60 million viewers and independently translated into over 20 languages.
Philip likes to be invisible.
The National Australia Day Council wrote: “Essentially a private man, Philip seeks no personal publicity. But he is not afraid to step into the limelight for a just cause”.
Rupert Murdoch’s newspapers accurately described him as “Reclusive”.
He has received the following awards:
The Order of Australia Medal in The Queen’s Birthday Honours.
Australian of the Year (Victoria).
Honorary Fellow of the Oxford Centre of Animal Ethics, UK.
Distinguished Alumni Award from The University of Adelaide.
Australian Humanitarian Award, Australia
Supreme Master Shining World Hero Award, Asia
Cottonian of Eminence Award, India
Humanitarian Award McKee Project, Costa Rica
Sea Shepherd Volunteer of the Decade, Australia
The Albert Schweitzer Award, USA
The Peter Singer Prize and Medal, Berlin, Germany
So here we are; ladies and gentlemen; Mr Philip Wollen – Patron of ‘World Animals Voice’. We look forward very much to working with you in the future to end animal suffering.
Together, we defeated Australia’s biggest climate polluter in the courts!
I’ve just stepped out of the Federal Court in Sydney where the Honourable Justice Burley has handed down his landmark ruling on the AGL v Greenpeace legal battle – in our favour! Sitting there in the court listening to the Judge clearly lay out why our campaign materials targeting AGL were fair and legal, I felt overwhelmingly proud and optimistic about the impact we can have together when we take on big challenges.
And there is no bigger challenge than taking on a $5.1 billion climate-polluting giant. Today is an incredible and important outcome. We’ll double down on the main game again tomorrow – forcing AGL to ditch their filthy coal-burning power stations for renewables.
But for now, take a moment to soak in the win and share the good news – because this moment is for you.
This judgement is a victory for free speech, for people power, and for people like us who want to stand up to big polluting corporations to keep them accountable. It sets a powerful precedent about how the fair dealing exception in the copyright act is applied. The court found that “copyright protects the owner’s interest in the artistic work, it does not provide a mechanism for protecting a copyright owner’s reputation…it is not the use of the AGL logo in the campaign that causes damage, but rather the…message” – that AGL is Australia’s biggest climate polluter. It sets a powerful precedent that will help protect charities, advocacy organisations, comedians and the general public from expensive and crippling litigation from big polluting corporations. We just couldn’t have done this without you. And I know that together, we can win this bigger fight for action on climate change. Together, we can force AGL to become the genuine renewable energy leader they spruik themselves to be.
Even if we lostour court battle today, we would have won.
AGL’s decision to flex its legal might has had one major consequence. Across the world, over 900 news stories have been published about the case. And almost every one of them includes some variation of the phrase “AGL, Australia’s biggest climate polluter.” For a company so desperate to hide behind its false green credentials, it’s hard to see this as anything other than an enormous own goal.
Right now, our campaign is in an incredible place. The momentum is all ours. Meanwhile, AGL is in turmoil. AGL’s CEO abruptly resigned just weeks ago. Thanks to the flood of cheap renewable energy, power prices have plummeted, sending the share price and value of the big coal players like AGL through the floor. Major and respected international bodies like the United Nations and the International Energy Agency are calling for AGL’s coal-burning power stations to be shut down by 2030.
And now they’ve just lost a major court battle, drawing even more attention to their terrible climate record in the process. Something has to give.
The conditions are ripe for positive change. I know that together, we can do this. Let’s make the most of this amazing court win and turn it into a major victory for the climate and future generations.
Thank you! Glenn, on behalf of the team at Greenpeace Australia Pacific
World Animals Voice 