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Regards Mark
Category: Uncategorized
JULY 23, 2024
I’ve been unsure how animal activists should orient themselves in the coming American presidential election. Obviously, in the United States’ two-party system we should vote for the Democratic nominee. But should we do more than simply cast a ballot for the candidate, whoever that ends up being?
I typically argue we should prioritize nonhuman interests to the greatest extent possible, as there are so few people who do. For me, that means picketing legislators and writing letters to newspapers in the hope of using the political process to accelerate the development of cultivated meat.
But, as the election approaches, I wonder if the threat Donald Trump poses to animals and our movement is so extreme we should pause our usual work and temporarily focus on helping to defeat him. I put this question and others to a group of animal advocates who were kind enough to share their time with me.
Merritt Clifton is editor of the Animals 24-7 website. Previously, he was news editor for Animals’ Agenda magazine, as well as the editor of the Animal People newspaper. When asked what a second Trump presidency might look like, Clifton referred to his coverage of the Republican’s first term.
Continue reading this article – see link at top.
Regards Mark
The incredible ways that animals impact the earth.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/the-incredible-ways-animals-impact-the-earth/ss-AA12GYVb?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=DCTS&cvid=c49340c11a0b49ffa895eea6217c5a39&ei=30#image=9
One comment – well said: Human beings are the worst!!!! These beautiful beings are super intelligent, sentient, friendly and must be respected. You do not “FARM” sentient beings. You farm tomatoes!!!!!!!
18 July 2024
Currently, all octopus products available on the market are wild-caught, as octopuses have never been commercially farmed at scale. This is not due to a lack of trying.
In Europe, particularly in Spain, octopus farming has so far been confined to fattening young wild-caught octopuses in ocean cages, in order for them to reach market weight. These cages were typically anchored to the sea floor, or simply suspended from rafts being used to farm mussels. In an attempt to prevent aggression and cannibalism, ocean cages included individual, compartmentalised octopus shelters made of pvc pipes or other plastic cylinders.
After having some success in the early 2000s, most octopus fattening systems have since shut down due to stricter fisheries regulations, unstable yearly catches, variations in octopus mortality rates, and expensive feed requirements. Raising wild-caught octopuses in on-land aquaculture tanks has also been attempted in Mediterranean countries as well as Australia and Latin America. However, efforts have not progressed past the experimental level as there are limited options for scalability.
Research and investments have more heavily focused on breeding octopuses in captivity. These efforts have been ongoing since the 1970s with major hurdles linked to cannibalism, containment issues, inadequate feed options and low survival rates among pregnant and young octopuses.
A new milestone was reached in 2019 when Spanish multinational seafood company Nueva Pescanova announced that they had successfully closed “the octopus reproduction cycle in aquaculture”, meaning they had bred and raised octopuses through every stage of their life cycle in an artificial environment. The company is now applying for permits to open the world’s first industrial octopus farm, aiming to farm and slaughter one million octopuses annually for introduction to the market by 2027.
Although the first, Spain is not the only country interested in the prospect of this new industry. Similar plans to factory farm octopuses are unfolding across the globe, including in Portugal, Greece, Mexico, Chile, Australia, China and Japan.
Octopuses have a complex life cycle and are particularly ill-suited to farming conditions, making it challenging to raise them in captivity. Here are some significant issues associated with octopus farming:
1. Dietary needs
Octopuses are carnivorous animals and require live food during the early stages of development. Providing a natural diet in a farming environment can be resource-intensive, unsanitary and costly. Feeding octopuses at the industrial scale is also environmentally unsustainable due to its reliance on wild-caught fish ingredients.
2. Solitary nature
Naturally solitary, octopuses may become overly stressed and resort to aggression and cannibalism in crowded farming conditions. Their need for space and isolation makes intensive farming impractical and inhumane.
3. Physical vulnerability
Without an internal or external skeleton, octopuses have fragile skin that can easily be damaged in farm tanks. This issue is exacerbated with their tendency to use jet propulsion to move quickly about their environments.
4. Unsuitable slaughter method
No humane slaughter method exists to kill octopuses for human consumption. Nueva Pescanova’s plans propose using ice slurry, which involves plunging the octopuses into freezing water. This method is known to cause a painful, stressful and slow death.
A study by the London School of Economics found that octopuses feel pain and pleasure, leading to their recognition as sentient beings in the UK’s Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act 2022. Professor Jonathan Birch and his co-authors argue that high-welfare octopus farming is impossible and that killing via ice slurry “would not be an acceptable method of killing in a lab“. They also recommended the UK government consider a pre-emptive ban on farmed octopus production and imports.
“Large numbers of octopuses should never be kept together in close proximity. Doing this leads to stress, conflict and high mortality. A figure of 10-15% mortality should not be acceptable for any kind of farming.” – Professor Jonathan Birch, London School of Economics.
Globally, there are also mounting concerns around octopus farming. The world’s first legislative ban on octopus farming was signed into law in Washington state in March 2024. Several other US states are introducing similar legislative proposals, with some such as California extending to ban imports of farmed octopus.
While it may be possible to farm octopuses, Eurogroup for Animals remains steadfast in its conviction that octopuses are unsuited to farming conditions and should not be farmed.
Uncovering the horrific reality of octopus farming
Exposing the environmental risks of octopus farming
Regards Mark
15 July 2024
Společnost pro zvířata
Society for Animals, recently co-organised a workshop in the Czech Parliament about the dangers associated with pyrotechnics and fireworks, and the harm they can cause to pets and wild animals. Progress on some national legislative proposals in this area is also due soon, hopefully leading to much stricter regulations on fireworks in the near future.
On March 6 2024, several specialists and Members of the Parliament, including Marek Výborný (the Czech Minister of Agriculture) and Petr Hladík (the Czech Minister of the Environment) discussed the issue of pyrotechnics and their effects on domestic and wild animals at the Czech Parliament.
A representative from Society for Animals, Judit Laura Krásná, gave a presentation on the serious problems fireworks and pyrotechnics can cause, including their negative consequences for people and animals, and their threats to safety.
90% of respondents to a survey commissioned by the Ministry of the Environment agreed fireworks should be better regulated, while several attendees at the workshop, including Society for Animals and air quality experts, agreed they should be banned entirely.
This discussion was complemented by a petition, produced by Society for Animals and handed over to the Czech MPs’ petition committee in April, to stop the sale of fireworks. Present MPs also agreed that pyrotechnics for entertainment should be regulated, and some categories banned.
Legislative proposals to regulate fireworks in the Czech Republic have been submitted
Since last year and in collaboration with lawyers, Society for Animals submitted some legislative proposals regarding the use of fireworks and pyrotechnics in the Czech Republic.
Supporting its goal, the NGO met several times with the Minister of the Environment, as well as relevant parties such as firemen, sanitation stations, and air pollution specialists, showing the broad range of impacts originating from this issue. It also commissioned a professional measurement of noise and vibration during a huge fireworks display during a summer event in Brno. Learn more here.
The legislative proposals include to:
End the sale and use of outdoor fireworks within categories F2 and F3 for the general public (only professionally-qualified people could continue to use them, under specific circumstances);
Significantly restrict the use of fireworks within the specific contexts in which they are still allowed, including by establishing protective distances of 1000-2000 metres and with a ban on using them near watercourses, lakes, dams, ponds, and wetlands.
Over 50 NGOs in the Czech Republic signed Society for Animals’ open letter to the Czech government supporting its legislative proposals – and such changes have been proven possible. In Ireland, for example, category F2 and F3 fireworks are fully forbidden to be used by the public, and those that do can face significant fines, or even be criminally charged.
The proposals are now ready to be negotiated in the Czech Parliament. Watch this space.
Pyrotechnics can cause great distress to animals
The effects of fireworks and pyrotechnics on animals can be severe.
Wild animals generally panic and try to escape the sounds, which often result in injuries or even death, either from exhaustion or from colliding into objects – including moving vehicles.
Due to the high stress levels fireworks can cause, pregnant animals can lose their unborn babies, and domestic animals can run away from their homes. There are even occasions where explosions can hit animals directly, especially birds, bats, and insects.
It’s clear that the unregulated use of fireworks and pyrotechnics are not aligned with animal welfare. We applaud the work of our member, Society for Animals, for their work in this area, and hope legislative progress soon follows suit.
Mark
From Diana:
Dying for sport: Abuse claims rock Australian greyhound racing
· 17 July 2024
In 2015 Australia’s multi-billion-dollar greyhound racing industry vowed it would clean up its act.
A damning investigation at the time had exposed the preventable deaths of as many as 17,000 young dogs a year – revelations so shocking the government of the day rushed to implement an ultimately short-lived ban.
Almost a decade later, Greyhound Racing New South Wales (GRNSW) – the epicentre of the sport in the country – is back in the spotlight for alleged abuse, due to the work of one whistleblower.
In an explosive report made public by lawmakers, the organisation’s former chief veterinarian has described the industry as a hotbed of “exploitation and suffering”, claiming that dogs are being raced at “barbaric” rates, euthanised without cause, or left to rot in metal cages when they can no longer compete.
Executive heads are rolling, and an inquiry, which GRNSW says it “welcomes”, has been announced to investigate the accusations, as calls from critics to have greyhound racing outlawed grow louder.
But despite evidence of slipping public support, the state’s premier has said he won’t shut down the sport, prompting a standoff with those calling for that to happen.
“The reality is the greyhound racing industry cannot exist without systemic animal cruelty,” says NSW Animal Justice MP Emma Hurst.
“It will be shut down – it’s just a matter of when.”
Australia has been touted as the world’s largest commercial greyhound racing industry – with roughly 60 tracks in operation. New Zealand, the US, the UK and Ireland are also home to markets, but none operate at the same velocity.
Thanks to online betting, Australia’s industry has seen rising profits in recent years, turning over A$8.3bn ($5.6bn; £4.3bn) in 2023 – with 75% of the money coming from Victoria and New South Wales (NSW), according to the greyhound protection organisation GREY2K.
The spark that ignited the current outcry over the sport’s practices was a “handover” letter, from GRNSW’s Chief Veterinary Officer Alex Brittan to his incoming replacement – his final act in a job that by his own account, had nearly broken him.
The 54-page document contains a litany of accusations – including claims that GRNSW had worked with vets “unaccepting of modern medicine” who were prone to euthanising dogs without cause, and that the company’s leadership was directing staff to treat animal welfare groups “as the enemy”.
Within hours of Mr Brittan’s letter becoming public, the chief of GRNSW Rob Macaulay had resigned and the rest of the company’s board is now fighting for their survival.
NSW’s Gaming and Racing Minister David Harris has announced an inquiry into Mr Brittan’s claims which will be led by the industry’s regulator – something which GRNSW has been quick to embrace.
“We welcome the opportunity for an external examination of our processes and record,” its acting CEO Wayne Billett wrote in a statement. And a spokesperson for GRNSW told the BBC that the organisation takes concerns related to animal welfare “very seriously”.
But Mr Brittan’s account differs.
In his letter he described witnessing “cases of extreme distress” in which competing dogs had “recent pools of blood” around them after ripping off their toenails while “clawing” at their caged doors.
He also called out a flurry of “preventable” on-track deaths, due to greyhounds running into poles with “no padding on them” and questioned the figures GRNSW had put forward concerning how many retired dogs it had found homes for – a practice which gives the sport its social licence to operate.
Mr Brittan says that of the roughly 4,200 dogs entering the industry each year, only 1,600 were making it out and finding owners, with the rest living out their days in “industrial kennels”.
Further – he alleged that a company programme which had been set up to export retired greyhounds to the US, so that they could find homes there, had an alarming lack of oversight.
To prove his point, he told the story of Carey – a dog who died at Sydney airport after confusing its travelling box with a racer’s starter box and running into a fence at full speed when the door opened.
NSW’s premier Chris Minns said he would examine all the allegations put forward by Mr Brittan, but quickly ruled out a blanket ban on greyhound racing in the state.
“We’re not going to shut down the industry, but we do take this report seriously,” he told reporters last week.
And Mr Harris reiterated that the government would make sure the industry was held to “the highest standards of animal welfare and integrity” once the new investigation had concluded.
But given GRNSW has weathered multiple crises – including a government-backed inquiry in 2016 which delivered findings of “systemic animal cruelty” and mass killings – advocates are sceptical another inquiry will yield results.
“The greyhound racing industry was already given a chance to clean up its act eight years ago, and it’s monumentally failed,” Ms Hurst told the BBC.Mr Brittan has also challenged the impartiality of the current investigation – saying it should be done by an external source, rather than the industry’s own regulator.
And he questioned why an all-out ban had been taken off the table already.
“It could be perceived as concerning that the premier and gaming minister have stated that the outcome of the inquiry is a foregone conclusion and that, irrespective of any findings, all bets are on, and the gambling will continue,” he said, according to the Guardian.
Around the world, the prominence and popularity of dog-racing for sport has been in decline.
In the US for example – which used to be one of the sport’s largest industries – betting on greyhounds has been outlawed in all but a handful of states, and only two active tracks remain, both in West Virginia.
Advocates like Ms Hurst argue that the practice endures in Australia not because of community fanfare, but gambling profits.
The last time the industry was in the spotlight in 2016, over 80% of people polled by the country’s national broadcaster said they wanted to see it shut down.
And in recent years, it has been outlawed in the Australian Capital Territory, while petitions calling for other jurisdictions to follow suit have made their way to several state parliaments.
GRNSW says it has no plans to go anywhere – and that racing, which first came to the nation’s shores in the late 1800s, can be done “sustainably”.
But Ms Hurst, and others calling for an end to the sport, say that the latest spate of allegations present a unique “opportunity” to “listen to the community and ban this cruel industry”.
Source BBC Australian greyhound racing rocked by fresh abuse claims – BBC News
Regards Mark
SIGN: URGE ARIZONA COUNTY TO HELP ABANDONED, STARVING DOGS INSTEAD OF SHOOTING THEM DEAD
PETITION TARGET: Apache County Board of Supervisors
Seven helpless dogs were shot to death by a deputy in Arizona when they had no where else to go, according to Fox 10.
Neighbors requested welfare checks from the Apache County Sheriff’s Office because the dogs appeared to have been abandoned on a vacated property and looked emaciated and dehydrated. The dogs had reportedly resorted to hunting nearby livestock for food. They needed help.
Body cam footage shows a deputy on the premise opening a full bag of dog food and pouring it into a large container on the ground; the dogs leap over one another to begin devouring it. He then fills a dry, dirty bowl with water — which turns muddy in the dirt-crusted bowl.
But after he walks outside of the fenced-in area containing the dogs, he aims a handgun through the chainlink fence. A few of the dogs stand up at the fence, tails wagging and appearing hopeful, before he points the gun at them. The deputy then shoots every dog and puppy he sees until they are dead.
Some of the dogs were shot more than once, and could be heard crying out in agony as they slowly died, according to Mountain Daily Star. The bodies of the dogs were then dumped on the highway according to the police report, Mountain Daily Star reported.
Shockingly, this cruel act did not violate county policies, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Apache County has no animal services department — it is up to the Sheriff’s Office to provide humane aid to animals in need.
“The Deputy involved acted in a professional and most humane manner given the circumstances,” said a spokesperson for the Apache County Sheriff’s Office in a statement given to 12News. “He exhausted all other alternatives available to him at the time and acted under the approval of his immediate supervisor.”
These dogs needed help. They needed safe refuge, food, water, and medical care. Instead, they were brutally shot to death.
Sign our petition urging the Apache County Board of Supervisors to establish an animal services department and humanely address the problem of animal abandonment within their county. Policy change must be enacted so no more helpless, abandoned animals have to die.
2 MEN CHARGED FOR CONSPIRACY TO SEXUALLY ABUSE MONKEYS ON CAMERA
Two men face federal charges for their alleged roles in spreading monkey torture videos online: Nicholas T. Dryden (Ohio) and Giancarlo Morelli (New Jersey) were both charged with conspiracy related to the creation and manufacturing of violent “animal crush” videos involving baby, teenage, and adult monkeys, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Dryden and Morelli were allegedly part of an online group that discussed their twisted and depraved ideas for monkey torture. The U.S. Department of Justice alleges Dryden used funds collected from the online group to instruct and pay a child in Indonesia to create the vile videos.
Helpless monkeys were allegedly abused on camera “having their genitals burned, having their genitals cut with scissors, being sodomized with a wooden skewer and being sodomized with a spoon,” according to a disturbing summary by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Both men have been charged with conspiracy to create and distribute sadistic videos in March and April 2023, while Dryden has an extra charge of producing child sexual abuse material as he allegedly exploited a minor by paying the child to sexually abuse the monkeys on camera. Both men face could face up to 5 years in prison for the conspiracy charges and seven years in prison for the animal crush creation and distribution charges; Dryden could face an additional 20 years in prison for each charge related to the sexual abuse of children.
Monkeys are intelligent and playful animals that do not deserve to be mutilated or killed — for any reason.
Lady Freethinker and Action for Primates first exposed the underground world of monkey torture groups in 2021 — and helped bring international attention to the cruelty by providing intelligence and information to the BBC documentary “The Monkey Haters.” Since then, our work has helped law enforcement prosecute those responsible. These charges are the latest in a string of recent arrests and convictions of people involved in abusing monkeys online.
Lady Freethinker applauds the work of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and FBI in investigating the case and pursuing justice for all the monkeys who have been tortured and killed. We will continue to work to uncover, track, and end monkey torture groups for good.
7-WEEK-OLD KITTEN RESCUED FROM DRAIN PIPE AFTER FIRE DEPARTMENT HEARS TINY CRIES FOR HELP
Courtesy of Havelock Animal Control
A stray kitten was rescued in Havelock, North Carolina after the city’s fire department and animal control teamed up to free him from a drain.
The tiny 7-week-old somehow found himself lodged in a pipe — with only his furry white and orange-striped head and big blue eyes peering out. When the fire department discovered him in need of help, they contacted Havelock Animal Control to join in the rescue effort, according to local news.
“The fire department heard him crying!” Lead Animal Control Officer Cheyenne Koons commented on the Friends of Havelock Animal Control Facebook page — in response to those wondering how they knew he was in there.
To free the little kitten, the fire department sliced off a chunk of the pipe and pulled him out. He was extremely wet and dirty when they pulled him free. He looked somewhat shaken up by the whole ordeal, but luckily, he was not hurt.
Photos of the rescue show the kitten swaddled up in a soft, warm blanket with wet food. He was then taken to Havelock Animal Control, where he is being cared for while he waits for a forever family.
“He is doing well,” Koons wrote in an email to Lady Freethinker. “He has not been adopted yet and is still available at our facility!”
Cute !!
Regards Mark
Hi folks; sorry but there has been a total shutdown of everything for a few days. An attack by Chinese cat abusers was one consideration; maybe they finally got us type thing ! – but today after playing around with things last night, all appears well again this morning. If things go down again soon then you know that at least we are having big problems. Regards Mark
Animal Rebellion: Hundreds of animal rights protesters linked to Extinction Rebellion stop traffic in London
Animal Rebellion has held a march for animal rights which began at Smithfield Market and made its way to the offices of Unilever, Cargill and the Marine Stewardship Council.
Read the full story here: Animal Rebellion: Hundreds of animal rights protesters linked to Extinction Rebellion stop traffic in London | UK News | Sky News
Regards Mark
Adam Britton is due to be sentenced in Australia (Image: supplied)
A British crocodile expert who raped, tortured and killed dogs cried in court today as he faces life in prison.
Adam Britton admitted 60 charges which included animal abuse and bestialities which were carried out on the inside a shipping container last year. Sick footage which he had taken himself showed him raping, torturing and killing dogs. He now faces a life sentence of up to 249 years in Australia, as court proceedings were adjourned again today to the fury of animal rights activists.
The 53-year-old was born in West Yorkshire and has a zoology degree from the University of Leeds and a PhD from the University of Bristol. He pleaded guilty to more than 60 charges relating to animal abuse, which he had managed to keep hidden until police received a tip-off about his disgusting activities.
Adam Britton’s dogs Ursa and Bolt, whom he abused
Regards Mark
World Animals Voice 