A Pacific manta being photographed by tourists. Photograph: Johnny Friday
The Last Dive tells how a relationship with a giant Pacific manta ray turned a big game fish hunter into a conservationist
Located about 500km off the southern coast of Baja California lies a group of ancient volcanic islands known as the Revillagigedo Archipelago. Home to large pelagic species including whale sharks and scalloped hammerheads, the rugged volcanic peaks were also once the site of an unlikely friendship.
It began in December 1988 when Terry Kennedy, a now 83-year-old American sailor with a storied past, met a six-meter-wide giant Pacific manta ray off San Benedicto island’s rugged shore. He would go on to name him Willy.
The smash-hit movie Jaws was filmed 50 years ago off the coast of New England, on the island of Martha’s Vineyard. It stirred up human fear of sharks, contributing to a popular misconception that sharks were supposedly villains and reckless human-eating monsters.
But of course, that is not true about sharks. In fact, humans are the real threat here. Every single day, we kill an average of 274,000 sharks. That amounts to approximately 100 million sharks each year. Today, many species – like the great white, sand tiger, great hammerhead, and others – are endangered or vulnerable to extinction.
That’s why famed athlete, 55-year-old swimmer Lewis Pugh, just completed a grueling 12-day swim around the island to help raise awareness about the importance of sharks.
Sign the petition to urge the U.S. government to protect sharks by expanding and creating more marine sanctuary areas!
The United Nations named Pugh a “patron of the oceans” due to his use of swimming as a way to raise awareness about marine wildlife and ocean conservation. He’s swum near volcanoes, near glaciers, and alongside polar bears, hippos, and crocodiles. He’s the first person ever recorded to have finished a long-distance swim in each one of the world’s 5 oceans, and to swim across the north pole itself.
And he’s worried about the future of sharks – just like we all should be.
Sharks help maintain a precious balance in marine ecosystems. Without them, the entire natural structure begins to deteriorate. They promote biodiversity and keep other species in check before they spiral out of control, and even keep the oceans healthy by scavenging injured, sick, or dead animals.
But today, humans target them for overfishing. They’re suffering from habitat loss and climate change. And, of course, being maligned by humans has only made their survival more difficult.
We must respect sharks – and we must demand more protections to keep sharks safe, alive, and healthy! One way to do that would be for the U.S. Congress to create and expand more shark sanctuaries. These are special areas or zones that would sharply curtail overfishing and destruction of habitats. Sign the petition to demand the U.S. protect sharks!
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‘A horror movie’: sharks and octopuses among 200 species killed by toxic algae off South Australia
Karenia mikimotoi algae can suffocate fish, cause haemorrhaging and act as a neurotoxin, one expert says
More than 200 marine species, including deepwater sharks, leafy sea dragons and octopuses, have been killed by a toxic algal bloom that has been affecting South Australia’s coastline since March.
Nearly half (47%) of the dead species were ray-finned fish and a quarter (26%) were sharks and rays, according to OzFish analysis of 1,400 citizen scientist reports.
Cephalopods – such as squid, cuttlefish and octopuses – accounted for 7%, while decapods – crabs, lobsters and prawns – made up 6% of species reported dead or washed up on beaches.
EL AARJATE, Morocco (AP) — A mutt with a blue tag clipped to her ear whimpers as she’s lifted from a cage and carried to a surgery table for a spay and a rabies vaccine, two critical steps before she’s released back onto the streets of Morocco’s capital.
The “Beldi,” as Moroccan street dogs are called, is among the hundreds taken from Rabat to a dog pound in a nearby forest. As part of an expanded “Trap, Neuter, Vaccinate and Return” program, dogs like her are examined, treated and ultimately released with tags that make clear they pose no danger.
“We have a problem: That’s stray dogs. So we have to solve it, but in a way that respects animals,” said Mohamed Roudani, the director of the Public Health and Green Spaces Department in Morocco’s Interior Ministry.
Trying to balance safety and animal well-being
Morocco adopted “Trap, Neuter, Vaccinate and Return,” or TVNR, in 2019. One facility has opened in Rabat and more are set to be launched in at least 14 other cities, aligning Morocco with recommendations from the World Organization for Animal Health. The government has spent roughly $23 million over the past five years on animal control centers and programs.
Roudani said Morocco’s updated approach balanced public safety, health and animal well-being. Local officials, he added, were eager to expand TVNR centers throughout the country.
Though population estimates are challenging, based on samples of marked and tagged stray dogs, Moroccan officials believe they number between 1.2 to 1.5 million. Some neighborhoods welcome and care for them collectively. However, others decry their presence as a scourge and note that more than 100,000 Moroccans have needed rabies vaccinations after attacks.
A draft law is in the works that would require owners to vaccinate pets and impose penalties for animal abuse.
Inside the center
On a visit organized for journalists to a TNVR center in El Aarjate, enclosures for dogs appear spacious and orderly, with clean floors and the scent of disinfectant. Food and water bowls are refreshed regularly by staff who move between spaces, offering gentle words and careful handling. Some staff members say they grow so attached to the dogs that they miss them when they’re released to make space to treat incoming strays.
Veterinarians and doctors working for the Association for the Protection of Animals and Nature care for between 400 and 500 stray dogs from Rabat and surrounding cities. Dogs that veterinarians deem unhealthy or aggressive are euthanized using sodium pentobarbital, while the rest are released, unable to spread disease or reproduce.
Youssef Lhor, a doctor and veterinarian, said that aggressive methods to cull dogs didn’t effectively make communities safer from rabies or aggression. He said it made more sense to to try to have people coexist with dogs safely, noting that more than 200 had been released after treatment from the Rabat-area center.
“Slaughtering dogs leads to nothing. This TNVR strategy is not a miracle solution, but it is an element that will add to everything else we’re doing,” he said, referring to “Treat, Neuter, Vaccinate, Return.”
It’s designed to gradually reduce the stray dog population while minimizing the need for euthanasia.
It’s a program that Morocco is eager to showcase after animal rights groups accused it of ramping up efforts to cull street dogs after being named co-host of the 2030 FIFA World Cup last year.
Animal rights groups protest
Animal rights groups routinely use large sporting events to draw attention to their cause and similarly targeted Russia in the lead-up to the 2018 FIFA World Cup there.
Citing unnamed sources and videos it said were shot in Morocco, the International Animal Welfare and Protection Coalition claimed in January that Morocco was exterminating 3 million dogs, particularly around cities where stadiums are being built. The allegations, reported widely by international media lacking a presence in Morocco, triggered anti-FIFA protests as far away as Ahmedabad, India.
“These dogs are being shot in the street, often in front of children, or dragged away with wire nooses to die slow, agonizing deaths,” Ian Ward, the coalition’s chairman, said in a statement.
Moroccan officials vehemently deny the claims, say they’re implementing the very programs that activists propose, including TNVR. They rebuff the idea that any policy is related to the World Cup. Still, critics see their efforts as publicity stunts and are skeptical such programs are as widespread as officials claim.
Instances of mistreatment and euthanasia by gunshot have been reported in local media but Moroccan officials say, despite international attention, they’re isolated incidents and don’t reflect on-the-ground reality nationwide.
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Morocco’s Successful Stray Dog Program is Saving Lives. Turkey Must Do the Same!
In Morocco, a groundbreaking approach to managing stray dogs has proven successful and humane. The government implemented the “Trap, Neuter, Vaccinate, and Return” (TNVR) program in 2019, investing $23 million in animal control centers and offering a better, more compassionate alternative to culling. Through TNVR, stray dogs are neutered, vaccinated, and returned to their territories, reducing the population while ensuring the health and safety of both the animals and the people in the community.
This news comes at a time when Turkey is still using its brutal approach to managing its stray dog population. The country has legalized the culling of stray dogs, raising serious concerns about animal cruelty. Research shows culling creates more problems and suffering, whereas programs like Morocco’s TNVR provide a safer, more sustainable solution.
Sign the petition to urge Turkey to follow Morocco and implement a TNVR program to solve its stray dog problem!
Morocco’s program has shown amazing results, with the stray dog population decreasing in a way that promotes animal welfare, public safety, and disease control. Now, local dog populations are monitored and kept healthy, without the need for cruel and deadly methods.
The evidence is clear – culling does not solve the problem of stray animals. It only perpetuates suffering and creates new issues, as the void left by killed animals is quickly filled by others.
By adopting Morocco’s model, Turkey can provide a humane solution for stray animals while improving the safety and health of its citizens. Let’s urge the Turkish government to follow Morocco’s lead and implement a comprehensive program that prioritizes the well-being of both people and animals.
Sign the petition to demand Turkey end the culling of stray dogs and adopt a humane solution for animal control!
Published on 09/03/2025 – 10:04 GMT+1•Updated 10/03/2025 – 10:08 GMT+1
A Dutch charity faces huge challenges in the occupied territories, as it fundraises to care for dogs, cats and donkeys.
The first emergency clinic for injured animals is due to open in the Palestinian city of Jenin later this month.
Israeli attacks on the occupied West Bank city have left hundreds of homes destroyed, leaving countless animals without food, shelter or medical care.
Netherlands-based charity Animal Heroes is facing many literal roadblocks and obstructions to launching a clinic in the conflict zone. But since 7 October 2023, the small team has proven its determination to alleviate animal suffering in Gaza and the West Bank, and support local people looking after animals.
These ‘heroes’ include 36-year-old Maryam Hassan Barq, nicknamed “the cat lady of Gaza” for her steadfast support of 65 cats. And 25-year-old A’aed Mahmoud Abu Nejem, a veterinary doctor running the charity’s pop-up clinic in Gaza, who was injured in an airstrike hours before the ceasefire took effect 19 January. Despite his injuries, he resumed his work last week.
We spoke to Animal Heroes founder Esther Kef, who returned from a visit to the West Bank in February, to hear about the challenges of providing animal aid in the Palestinian territories.
Violence against animals is increasing in the West Bank
The fate of people and animals in the West Bank is inextricably linked.
“The situation for animals is horrible because since 7 October, many people are without jobs because they live off tourism and construction,” explains Kef.
Financial desperation is stoking tension in communities, she says, which triggers increased violence against animals. “What we’re seeing is like 10, 20 animals being completely kicked into pieces by people just for no reason, just to express violence,” she says.
Animal Heroes supports Bethlehem Shelter, the only registered animal charity in the West Bank, founded by another passionate animal lover, Diana Babish. But over the course of three visits since November 2023, Kef has seen conditions deteriorate.
Esther Kef, founder of Animal Heroes, says thousands of animals are in a dire situation in the West Bank. Animal Heroes
Designed for 100 animals, the basic shelter is now holding around 200 dogs. Outdoor fences had to be shut after Babish realised that people were coming at night to hurt and poison them.
“People have seen a lot of violence,” Kef speculates. “And when the tension increases, if violence is all you know, it’s not too hard to think that then also the violence increases.”
The number of animals being hit on roads has also tripled, according to vets funded by Animal Heroes.
“On a positive note, [the vet] says that for the first time […] younger people now are starting to bring in the animals left on the street that have been hit,” Kef says.
Her charity has also partnered with Bethlehem University and the Ministry of Education to start an awareness programme for children to teach them about animal welfare. They spoke at two schools during their recent visit, working up from the importance of bees to the mistreatment of dogs.
How will the emergency clinic in Jenin help animals?
There are an estimated 2,000 stray dogs in Jenin, but no single organisation dedicated to their care.
A revered animal protector in the community, Babish gets calls every day from people in Jenin saying they have found an injured cat or dog. She tends to send a taxi to take the animal to a facility in Nablus, typically an hour’s drive away.
But with increased roadblocks in the West Bank due to Israel’s so-called military expansion, the journey can now take half a day.
To save more lives where they are being jeopardised, the animal protectors have acquired – for free – space in an old house four kilometres from the centre of Jenin. Two young vets have volunteered to run the clinic, under the supervision of acclaimed British vet Jenny McKay.
It cost €5,000 for the equipment to set up the practice. With their ambitions to treat around 150 animals a month from across the West Bank, medical care is expected to add €3,500 a month to the charity’s bills.
Animal Heroes is appealing for donations to help cover the supply of antibiotics and other first aid, and secure more advanced equipment including an X-ray machine.
What happens once the animals have been treated? It’s a troubling question in a conflict zone.
Previously, Babish was skilled at sending her dogs across the world, says Kef. “Diana is the type of person you don’t say no to.” But with fewer and costlier flights from Tel Aviv, and no flight volunteers to accompany the animals out, adoptions ground to a halt.
The Bethlehem Shelter is prioritising puppies and vulnerable dogs that need to recover after treatments. Babish continues to use her network to get animals fostered in Israel, via Israeli animal aid organisations.
“The problem is,” Kef adds, “what happens if the IDF turns Jenin into a second Gaza, where no one goes in and nobody gets to go out? If that’s the case, then obviously the roads are completely blocked, and the animals will need to be just left freely back on the street again.”
Animal Heroes is looking into renting a shelter, in preparation for this worst case scenario.
Animal heroes in Gaza continue life-saving work
A’aed, Animal Heroes’ lead vet in Gaza, was hit by an airstrike in a crowded marketplace hours before the ceasefire, suffering injuries to both legs, his eye and his hand. Animal Heroes
When we speak on 28 February, Kef is eagerly anticipating the arrival of a truckload of aid into Gaza, as part of the Animals in Gaza Alliance with the UK’s Safe Haven for Donkeys and Finland’s Animal Aid without Borders.
But on 2 March, Israel again blocked the entry of all humanitarian aid into the heavily-bombed territory, meaning that trucks containing medicine and food are still stuck at the Egyptian border.
“The impact is profound, because there is hardly any medicine in Gaza for animals, and yet so many animals are in desperate need of them,” Kef writes. “Every day this shipment is delayed, the suffering of donkeys and horses is prolonged.”
As well as operating a pop-up clinic, Animal Heroes funds people taking care of animals. Among the most remarkable of these is Maryam Hassan Barq, who refused to abandon 65 rescue cats when the IDF order came to evacuate her home in northern Gaza.
“I consider them like my children,” Maryam said during an interview with Animal Heroes in November, at a time when she was suffering from starvation and dehydration. “I am fully aware that I might die at any moment for staying in the north, but from the beginning of the war, I took the decision that we either live together or we die together.”
“There is no other place for them and I cannot transfer them anywhere else in these dangerous conditions due to their number, and there’s no safe place to go to anyway,” she explained. “Our life feels like a nightmare, to say the least, but we live on. I know it sounds crazy.”
A dozen cats died before the ceasefire emerged in January. Afterwards, Maryam was able to buy vegetables for herself for the first time in months, and chicken for the cats – which need protein. With the crossing closed again, she is again concerned for their lives.
How can you support Animal Heroes?
“People like Diana, like Maryam, they’re very humble people,” says Kef. “They just care about helping animals and they even risk their own lives to do so. So that’s what inspires me to do this every day.”
Esther was inspired to found Animal Heroes in 2023 after meeting similarly dedicated people in need of animal aid assistance in Ukraine. The lean organisation has since grown from three to 25 volunteers.
Animal Heroes is fundraising to support its medical response team in Gaza here. Its new fundraiser, to help injured animals in the West Bank – including through the new emergency clinic – has recently launched here.
Collection of seven shorts due out in 2025 tells story of conflict from perspective of animals
The occupying Russian soldiers paid little attention to the elderly woman shuffling through the farmland surrounding the villages outside Kyiv, taking her goat to pasture. But she was focused closely on them. After locating their positions, she headed back home with the goat, and later called her grandson, a soldier in the Ukrainian army, to give the coordinates.
The story is one of seven episodes, based on real events from the first year of Russia’s full-scale invasion but lightly fictionalised, that make up a feature film about the war in Ukraine, due out later this year. All seven of the shorts have one thing in common: they tell the story of the conflict from the perspective of animals.
Continue reading …..
Producer Oleh Kokhan during filming. Photograph: Sota
The opposition stems from serious welfare and environmental concerns: the extreme cruelty of confining intelligent, solitary animals like octopuses in farming conditions, the lack of humane slaughter methods, and the damaging impact such farms would have on fragile marine ecosystems.
The Spanish association of law professionals, INTERCIDS, has presented a legislative proposal to national politicians that aims to establish a proactive ban on octopus farming across the country. The proposal responds to the growing chorus of scientists, animal and environmental protection organisations, and citizens who have spoken out against octopus farming.
Although no industrial octopus farms currently exist in Spain or elsewhere, seafood multinational Nueva Pescanova announced plans to establish the world’s first industrial-scale octopus farming in the Canary Islands.
Submitted to the Parliamentary Association for the Defence of Animal Rights (APDDA), the proposal seeks to amend Spain’s national Law 23/1984 on marine farming/aquaculture in order to prohibit the farming of octopuses for food and any other productive purpose. It would also ban the commercialisation of octopus products derived from such activities.
Octopuses consumed as food are currently caught in the wild, primarily by small-scale fisheries. There are no existing legal frameworks regulating octopus aquaculture in Spain. Therefore, INTERCIDS’ proposal aims to close that gap preemptively by enshrining a ban into law that addresses the grave risks associated with the farming of captive octopuses.
The next steps for the proposal will depend on national politicians, who must decide whether they will move forward with submitting it as a formal legislative proposal to be approved by the Parliament in the coming months.
Born on the street, abandoned, thrown out and forgotten, in recent years dogs, apart from state shelters, find refuge in private shelters, which are established by associations for the care and assistance of animals.
“We have a registered shelter, but our animals are mostly with volunteers who take care of them.”
“We believe that it is too demanding, but also dysfunctional, that few people take care of a large number of dogs,” explains Marija Cvijetićanin, founder of the Ventura Association for Help and Care of Animals, for the BBC in Serbian.
There are currently 126 registered dog shelters in Serbia, while the exact number of illegal ones is unknown.
Control of space, equipment, record keeping and preservation of animal welfare in a registered shelter is controlled by a veterinary inspector, according to the written response of the Ministry of Agriculture, Veterinary and Water Management to the BBC in Serbian.
According to the letter of the law, local self-government is obliged to build shelters for dogs, but individuals can also open shelters independently, Marijana Vučinić from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Belgrade told the BBC in Serbian.
But even that does not solve society’s negligence towards animals, she warns.
“Supposedly, there are a large number of societies that love dogs, as well as people who want to help animals, but this creates a new problem, because it seems that now anyone can have a shelter without meeting the basic requirements,” says Vučinić.
Several dozen dogs died recently in Veliki Gradište, near Požarevac, in one of the private shelters.
Criminal proceedings were initiated against the owner, while one of the workers was arrested.
How easy is it to open a dog shelter?
Shelters should be used only for the physical removal of dogs from the streets that sometimes attack people and other animals, injure them, but also obstruct traffic, explains Vučinić.
“Some dogs are better off going to shelters because they have a better chance of being adopted,” she says.
This, however, will not reduce the reproduction of dogs, nor solve the problem of irresponsible ownership, he warns.
A shelter can be established by a natural or legal person, and the shelter will be entered in the Register of the Veterinary Administration if it meets the required conditions for the protection of animal welfare, according to the written response of the competent ministry.
The space must be functional, the entrance under constant surveillance, and the shelter separated and surrounded by a fence, are just some of the prescribed conditions.
This process is too simple, believes Vanja Bajović, professor of criminal law at the Faculty of Law in Belgrade.
“Submitting a request to the Veterinary Administration and paying a fee of 1,840 dinars is often enough to start a dog shelter.
“Entry in the register is often done without prior control of the veterinary inspection – before making a decision, the veterinary inspector does not even check whether the facility meets the requirements for a shelter, so anyone can register it very easily, cheaply and quickly,” warns Bajović.
Reuters
Illegal shelters ‘dented on the map’
Violation of legal provisions is “an offense for which physical persons can be fined from five to 50 thousand dinars, and legal ones from 100,000 to one million dinars”, says Vanja Bajović.
And the work of unregistered shelters is sanctioned by a fine and a decision to ban work.
“Determining the cause of the animal’s death determines the further action of the veterinary organization and the veterinary inspection and determines the procedure of the prosecution and other state authorities,” the Veterinary Administration says.
The Veterinary Inspection controls registered shelters, both on the basis of application and random inspection, explains Bajović.
“However, they are illegal ‘under the radar.’
“No one checks whether the shelter meets the prescribed conditions, so it is not surprising that a total of 126 state and private shelters are officially registered in Serbia, while in fact there are many more,” she warns.
The conditions regulation is “rather paradoxical” and “does not contain any punitive provisions at all.”
“This means that just running an unregistered shelter is not punishable and no one actually controls them, bearing in mind that they are mostly located on private properties,” Bajović points out.
Watch the video about the abandoned dogs of Kragujevac:
“Who looks after the abandoned dogs of Kragujevac”
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What should dog shelters look like?
Marija Cvijetićanin from Ventura also thinks that it is not enough to have good will and love for animals.
“Boxes of a certain size are needed in which the dogs can move normally, but also be arranged so that they do not disturb each other.
“There should also be a veterinary clinic in the area of the shelter so that the animal can be helped more easily if it gets sick or injured,” he believes.
She warns that “it is not enough to bring dogs from the street into one room without a clear structure to work on”.
“They often spread infectious diseases, because there is no separate contaminated and clean space”.
Animals should be separated according to age, sex, temperature and species, as well as health, according to the work of the group of veterinarians who care for dogs in shelters in America, Standards in shelters for abandoned animals, published in 2010.
“The point is to give the adopters the certainty that the animal they are adopting is healthy, vaccinated and free of parasites, and therefore ready for a normal life in the family,” concludes Cvijetićanin.
Palić Zoo: A place where confiscated and injured wild animals find a new home
How do shelters affect dogs?
According to professor Vučinić, life in a shelter for dogs that used to roam freely until then can be a challenge.
“They come to a completely new space and there they are in contact with other dogs and people, and because of the change in environment, their immune status further declines,” she says.
TOMS KALNINS/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock
Dogs from shelters and shelters often come to Zoran Lončar’s veterinary clinic infected with infectious diseases.
“They are generally not vaccinated, and as they often all stay together, diseases spread easily and are difficult to control,” Lončar explains to the BBC in Serbian.
Because of life on the street and the traffic accidents they experienced, they often have back, head or limb injuries.
“There are also old fractures, so bone modeling operations are performed.”
“However, as these types of interventions are quite expensive, and shelters and shelters operate with limited funds, many animals are not helped,” he says.
Shelters make sense “only if it is a short-term stay” because “a dog is a social animal and should live with people”, Vučinić believes.
“If you stay in shelters all your life, they become like prisons.”
“This is how their role is rendered meaningless and they quickly grow into centers where dogs accumulate, live in packs and their basic needs, such as having enough food and water, cease to be recognized,” warns Vučinić.
28 environmental charities have served a spoof planning notice to MPs, warning that the Planning & Infrastructure Bill is an application to demolish wildlife
The coalition is calling on Government to urgently fix the Bill with amendments to uphold wildlife protections and help nature recover at the same time as supporting sustainable development—to make the planning system ‘Wilder By Design’.
Writing to charities a year ago, the Deputy Prime Minister said the Government “will not legislate” to amend key nature laws if it would weaken them. In the opinion of the Government’s own nature watchdog, the current bill breaks that promise.
Nature loss in the constituencies of Ministers proposing the reforms is also highlighted today.
MPs have today been served spoof planning notices warning that the Government’s proposed Planning and Infrastructure Bill will ‘bulldoze environmental protections and demolish nature and local greenspaces’ unless crucial changes are made. Conservationists are also highlighting examples of nature loss in the constituencies of key ministers, drawing attention to the wildlife losses that could be worsened by the Bill.
Charities met the Secretary of State, Steve Reed, last week (Thurs 15 May) where they warned that the Bill as it stands would break Government nature commitments. Following this, 28 charities, including the RSPB, the National Trust, The Wildlife Trusts, the Mammal Society, People’s Trust for Endangered Species, and Wildlife and Countryside Link have mailed the spoof notices to all English MPs and Ministers, including the Prime Minister and Secretaries of State, Steve Reed, and Angela Rayner. Environmentalists are calling for MPs to support amendments that will deliver a planning system which works for nature, communities and sustainable development for generations to come.
In July 2024, the Deputy Prime Minister wrote to nature charities to say that the Government would not legislate to amend nature protections in a way that would weaken environmental law. According to the Office for Environmental Protection, environmental lawyers, and nature experts, the Government is now breaking that promise with the current version of the Bill and it must be amended.
England is currently facing a nature crisis, with 1 in 6 British species at risk of extinction, a 32% decrease in wildlife populations since 1970 and the UK among the worst 10% globally for nature loss, alongside 40% less greenspace in new developments compared to older housing. That crisis is being played out across the country. From Steve Reed’s Streatham and Croydon constituency seeing notable losses of butterflies and common birds like the blue tit, to Angela Rayner’s constituency in Greater Manchester seeing a 90% decline in recorded insect species, charities warn that the Bill risks speeding up the loss of nature and disappearance of community greenspaces.
In Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ Leeds West and Pudsey constituency just 1 out of 7 SSSIs in the area is in favourable condition. 1 in 5 species across Yorkshire have declined by more than 25% in the last 30 years: including swifts declining by 50% and red squirrels by 69%.
In Secretary of State Steve Reed’s constituency of Streatham and Croydon North, has seen records of Small Tortoiseshell Butterflies (Aglais urticae) drop to just 10 a year, compared to over 200 a year during the 1990s, and common bird species like Blue Tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) are down more than 10% in the last 20 years. Water voles have largely disappeared from this area and other London constituencies, with just a handful of river sites where they can be found.
In the Ashton-under-Lyne constituency of Angela Rayner, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government: records of Great Spotted Woodpeckers (Dendrocopos major) have decreased by 68% since 2007 and Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos) by 68% since 2008. The last inspection of the Hollinwood Branch Canal SSSI protected nature sites found they were in a declining condition. The Huddersfield Narrow Canal SSSI was also found to be in an unfavourable condition.
Richard Benwell, CEO of Wildlife & Countryside Link, said: “As it stands, the Planning Bill is set to demolish legal protection for nature and pave the way for destruction of wildlife. So far, the proposals are a mile away from the Government’s aim for a win-win for nature and development. Even the Government’s nature watchdog agrees that it would damage environmental protection.
“It’s disappointing that Government rejected constructive amendments that could put the Bill back on firm foundations for nature protection and greener development. But we heard Ministers acknowledge the case for change and now we urge them to follow up with quick and decisive fixes for the Bill’s serious flaws. Without major improvements, Parliament should reject these damaging proposals.”
Beccy Speight, RSPB chief executive, said: “This should have been a once in a generation opportunity to create a planning system that helps restore nature at scale while delivering for communities and the economy. Instead, promises from the UK Government have been kicked into the long grass and we’ve been left with a Bill that as currently drafted risks species extinction, irreversible habitat loss and threatens legally binding Environment Act targets. Handing developers a license to destroy precious habitats and species for a fee is not what was promised, and certainly not what our natural world and the people of this country need and deserve. If the UK Government is to maintain a shred of credibility on the environment we must see substantial amends to part three of this Bill without delay.”
Hilary McGrady, Director-General of the National Trust, said: “With the right planning laws in place, we can restore our dwindling wildlife, increase the green spaces near where people live and build much-needed new homes surrounded by great nature. But as it currently stands, the Bill risks doing the very reverse, as the Government’s own nature watchdog has pointed out.
“The question for the Chancellor and the Prime Minister is do they want to be remembered as the Government that brought nature back into millions of people’s lives? Or do they want to further deprive current and future generations of this essential, universal need?”
James Cooper, Head of External Affairs at Woodland Trust, said: “The Government’s Planning and Infrastructure Bill risks taking an axe to our natural environment. In its current form, it could fatally undermine decades-old protections, including those of ancient trees and woods, which are already in need of better protection.
“Public outrage over the felling of treasured trees like the Sycamore Gap and Whitewebbs Oak shows just how important green spaces are to people. Nature is a necessity – not a blocker to be dealt with. The Government urgently needs to rethink its bill and put woods, trees and wildlife at the heart of its reforms, delivering the win-win it promised. This means embedding nature in planning so that everyone can benefit from it – regardless of where they live.”
Craig Macadam, Buglife Director of Conservation, said, “The current Planning Bill could be disastrous for invertebrates and accelerate their already precipitous decline. For years we have seen important invertebrate sites lost to ill-thought-out developments and these proposals would only exacerbate the situation. It is more important than ever that we take crucial steps to help nature recover and deliver our existing commitments to protect and restore vital habitats. A Bill that sacrifices hard fought for environmental protections simply won’t deliver for wildlife or people.”
The warning comes as the Planning Bill moves to Report Stage, a final opportunity for MPs to amend the bill before it progresses to the House of Lords. The coalition fears that the Bill in its current form would severely weaken existing environmental protections and lead to the decline or destruction of UK wildlife, wild places and green spaces in communities, with no guarantee of local environmental improvements in return for new development.
In their notice, the coalition reiterated their warning that the Government’s proposals would leave essential protection for wildlife and local neighbourhoods without the scientific safeguards, the delivery guarantees, or the positive plans for nature recovery that could justify such serious risks. Essential safeguards like the Habitats Regulations could be critically weakened. The Government’s own advisors, the Office for Environmental Protection recently concluded that the Bill constitutes regression on environmental legal protections.
In April, the coalition wrote to Secretary of State Steve Reed and Minister Mathew Pennycook warning of the urgent changes needed to the Government’s Planning and Infrastructure Bill to avoid complete extinction of species and destruction of the natural spaces that millions of people depend on for their health and wellbeing.
The organisations want to see the government commit to supporting amendments which will ensure that the Bill does not leave nature. This includes a commitment to:
Guarantee results: The current law demands a high level of legal and scientific certainty for environmental outcomes. However the Bill only requires outcomes to be “likely”. Government must ensure benefits are delivered and clearly outweigh harm.
Avoid harm: Existing rules require developers to avoid damage to protected wildlife. The Bill drops this in favour of a “pay to pollute” model. Future planning rules must ensure that harm must be avoided wherever possible.
Follow the science: Environmental Delivery Plans should only apply to new protected features where there’s solid scientific evidence they work.
Make planning Wilder By Design: We need a legal duty for Councils to help meet climate and nature targets, strong national and marine plans, and low-cost, nature-friendly design like bee and bird bricks in new developments.
With ever more natural disasters occurring thought ought to be given to other Animals, and how to protect and rescue them – when often, sadly, only Human lives seem to matter. This is, in our view, an impossible situation, and all of us are tasked to change it, with our own behaviour, going forward towards a world where equal consideration is given to all.
When disasters strike, people are not the only victims. Hurricane Katrina raised public attention about how disasters affect dogs, cats, and other animals considered members of the human family. In this short but powerful book, now available in paperback, noted sociologist Leslie Irvine goes beyond Katrina to examine how oil spills, fires, and other calamities affect various animal populations―on factory farms, in research facilities, and in the wild.
In a new preface, Irvine surveys the state of animal welfare in disasters since the first edition. Filling the Ark argues that humans cause most of the risks faced by animals and urges for better decisions about the treatment of animals in disasters. Furthermore, it makes a broad appeal for the ethical necessity of better planning to keep animals out of jeopardy. Irvine not only offers policy recommendations and practical advice for evacuating animals, she also makes a strong case for rethinking our use of animals, suggesting ways to create more secure conditions.
The event is a staple in the island’s tourism calendar
A Sark resident has described calls to end the island’s annual sheep races as “urban wokery gone mad”.
In a letter to the Sark Carnival Committee, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals group (Peta) wrote “using animals as exhibits has no place in modern entertainment”.
Former owner of Stocks Hotel Paul Armogie argued the Sark Sheep Racing Festival, which has taken place for 30 years, was “part of rural heritage” and said it would be a “tragedy” if it ended.
The festival committee said it had not yet received a letter from Peta, but was seeking advice and would respond “in due course”.
Money raised at the event goes to a local charity subsidising prescriptions
Jennifer White, associate director of media and communications at Peta UK, said the sheep racing was “archaic, outdated and cruel to sheep”.
She said: “Just because something is called a ‘tradition’ certainly does not make it right.”
“We know that sheep are incredibly sensitive, often timid animals and being forced to race in front of noisy crowds would likely be very stressful for them,” she added.
Ms White said: “It’s 2025, we do not need to be treating animals like wind-up toys.
“The best things is for the event to be cancelled, for the sheep to be taken out and for it to be replaced with willing human participants instead.”
Mr Armorgie responded: “If there was any whisper the sheep were being harmed or in any distress then it would not happen.”
He added that as an animal lover, if he thought there was risk, he would be the “first to shout about it”.
The race takes place annually in July and sees sheep race with teddy jockeys tied to their backs.
It often sees almost 2,000 people travel to the island to spectate.
All proceeds from the event go to the Professor Charles Saint Sark Medical Trust, which helped subsidise medical care in the island.
World Animals Voice 