Category: Uncategorized

Serbia: Serbia – Brussels Walk To Promote Serbian Stray Animal Abuse.

Hi all;

WALK FOR HAPPY BARK

9/9/21 – today I was contacted by an old Serbian campaigner friend, named Goran.

We have both campaigned in the past for Serbian animals; especially regarding stray dogs and cats.

It was this issue which led me to setting up ‘Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)’ back in 2005.

Link:

Main link – Serbian Animals Voice (SAV) | a voice for the voiceless

About Serbian Animals – legislation etc – About Serbian Animals. | Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)

About Us – About Us. | Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)

We were both campaigner friends of the late Dr Slavica, who campaigned tirelessly for better animal welfare in Serbia.

In memory of Slavica Mazac-Bešlić – World Animals Voice

for Slavica Mazac-Bešlić – World Animals Voice

You can see a lot here about our campaign work:

Dr. Medicine Slavica Mazak Bešlić – A Dear Animal Campaigner Friend Lost Today. – World Animals Voice

We do not have much info at present and have asked Goran for more.  All we know is that it involves a walk for animals from Serbia to Brussels, Belgium, where formal letters of protest, demanding action in Serbia, will be handed in.  This will probably be late in the year – awaiting response for confirmation.

Serbia is not an EU member state yet but is a ‘candidate country’ to join up.

This is all we have at present, but will publish more when we have further info.

The situation for strays has always been bad for in Serbia, and still is; here below is a video made by Goran which shows a Serbian street dog which HAS been sterilised by welfare group Vier Pfoten and has been fitted with a red ear tag to clearly show this.  As the animal cannot reproduce more strays, it should be left alone.  But you can clearly se in the video that the dog has been darted by ‘shinters’ (dogcatchers) who are wearing balaclava masks and are opposite the dog, waiting to collect it and take it away to be killed.  As it is sterilised, and is clearly identified as such with the ear tag the shinters should leave animals such as this alone.  They do not – they kill everything.

We also have a SAV Facebook page with many hundreds of members.  It is a ‘talk shop’ for Serbian activists, as well as showing shelters and animals up for rehoming.

You can visit SAV Facebook at:

(20+) Serbian Animals Voice | Facebook

Learn more about the suffering of Serbian animals by visiting the sites;

Regards Mark

England: 9/9/21 – Geronimo postmortem results negative for TB, say owner’s lawyers.

Photo – Independent

9/9/21

Geronimo postmortem results negative for TB, say owner’s lawyers

Defra denies claim and says culled animal has ‘TB-like lesions’ and awaits further investigations

A fresh row has broken out between the owner of Geronimo the alpaca and the government over the results of an initial postmortem examination of the culled animal.

Lawyers acting for Helen Macdonald have said the preliminary gross postmortem findings, reviewed by veterinary surgeons, are negative for visible lesions typical of bovine tuberculosis (TB).

However, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said a number of TB-like lesions were found in Geronimo and will be further investigated, adding the full postmortem results will not be concluded until the end of the year.

The dispute is the latest in a long line of battles between Macdonald and the government over the fate of Geronimo, who was put down last week.

The eight-year-old animal, who had tested positive twice for bovine TB and whose fate triggered heated debate across the country, was taken from his home at Shepherds Close Farm in south Gloucestershire on 31 August and later put down.

Lawyers acting for Macdonald, a veterinary nurse, said she had received a letter from the government’s legal department containing the preliminary findings of the postmortem. These findings were reviewed by veterinary surgeons.

In a statement, the lawyers said: “As reviewed by Dr Iain McGill and Dr Bob Broadbent, the preliminary gross postmortem findings are negative for visible lesions typical of bovine tuberculosis.

“For clarity there are no white or cream caseous, enlarged abscesses typical for bTB in alpacas whether in the lungs, bronchial, mediastinal or retropharyngeal lymph nodes.”

Macdonald has formally requested the full findings of the postmortem report and the results of further tests on tissue samples, blood, serum or plasma taken from Geronimo, and other additional test results.

Defra appeared to directly contradict the claims. The chief veterinary officer, Dr Christine Middlemiss, said: “We have completed the initial postmortem examination of Geronimo. A number of TB-like lesions were found and in line with standard practice, these are now undergoing further investigation.

“These tests include the developing of bacteriological cultures from tissue samples which usually takes several months – we would expect to complete the full postmortem and culture process by the end of the year.”

Geronimo was brought to England from New Zealand by Macdonald in August 2017 and tested positive for TB in the same month. He had been living in isolation ever since; he could see some of the other 80-odd alpacas on the farm but was separated from them by a fence.

In July 2018, a court order for the animal’s destruction was sought by the government and he was given a stay of execution, to be slaughtered by the end of August that year.

Macdonald mounted a legal challenge, pleading with the UK government to allow Geronimo to be retested.

Regards Mark

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/08/geronimo-the-alpaca-postmortem-results-negative-for-tb-say-owners-lawyers

England: On Day of Defra Demo; Post Mortem Results Show ‘Geronimo’ DID NOT Have Bovine TB.

Breaking 8/9/21

Shit really hits the fan now;

On the day of the Defra demo in support of Geronimo and opposing the badger cull because of bovine TB; we are just hearing that from the post mortem on Geronimo, he DID NOT HAVE bTB.

This throws a total new light on the whole issue now.

More to come later

Regards Mark

https://inews.co.uk/news/geronimo-the-alpaca-bovine-tb-death-post-mortem-1188682

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/geronimo-alpaca-tb-test-death-b1916326.html

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9969559/Geronimo-did-NOT-Bovine-Tuberculosis-claims-owner.html

USA: Horses Reportedly Kept for Illegal Slaughter and Stored With Decomposing Animals Deserve Justice – Petition.

Petition Link:

Horses Reportedly Kept for Illegal Slaughter and Stored With Decomposing Animals Deserve Justice – Animal Petitions

Target: Chandler, Arizona City Prosecutor Elizabeth Herbert

Goal: Ensure man charged with cruelty to horses faces maximum punishment.

Three horses were reportedly neglected and starved until they became so malnourished that they needed immediate medical attention. Police reportedly found the unfortunate animals on a ranch belonging to Taha Hussain, after receiving a tip from a concerned neighbor. Hussain has since been arrested on six total counts of alleged animal cruelty offenses. After obtaining a proper search warrant, the police reportedly went back to seize the horses and examine the rest of the property. During this investigation, they claimed to have additionally found multiple animal remains and tools for slaughtering, leading them to believe that Hussain had been slaughtering animals for profit without a license.

The horses, all aged 17-20, are currently under the care of the Arizona Department of Agriculture, where they are being treated for their injuries and nursed back to health. They were apparently forced to live in dangerous and unsanitary conditions near other animal remains, creating multiple small wounds across their bodies and a breeding ground for possible infection. Hussain was taken by officers to the Maricopa County Jail for alleged animal cruelty crimes and slaughtering without a license.

The animals will be re-homed and allowed to live out the rest of their lives in peace. The same cannot be said for the other animals allegedly slaughtered, who’s improper disposal appears to be nothing short of cruel. Sign the petition below to demand that, if found guilty, Hussain will face the maximum penalty for the animal cruelty charges.

PETITION LETTER:

Dear Prosecutor Herbert,

As prosecuting attorney in Chandler, you are in a unique position to help with an important case. Officers in your district recently arrested Taha Hussain on six counts of alleged animal cruelty, reportedly finding his property covered in animal remains and tools for slaughtering, for which Hussain reportedly does not possess an official license. They also seized three apparently neglected horses, transporting them to an animal hospital for immediate care.

While it is too late for any slaughtered animals to be saved, the three remaining deserve justice for what they apparently went through. They were reportedly found in unsafe conditions, covered in surface injuries, and emaciated from hunger. Please do everything in your power to ensure that Hussain receives the maximum penalty if found guilty and is banned from further animal ownership in the future.

Sincerely,

[Your Name Here]

Photo Credit: Chandler Police Department

Regards Mark

England: (South London) – Motorists Patiently Wait For Ducks To Cross Road At Formal Crossing Point. Cool !

Aisling Roche-Morris, a NHS Senior Clinical Psychologist, filmed the moment while out cycling on the morning of August 28

Pretty cool – when in London, …….

Quack march!

Moment ducks stop the traffic as they waddle across a zebra crossing in single file

I am pleased to say that all the motorists did not seem to have a problem waiting for the ducks to cross – this would not have happened everywhere in the world.

But then, they were using the ‘zebra crossing’; the official crossing point for pedestrians to use when wanting to cross the road.

Seems like they have all got the road sense they need.

Watch the video at:

Regards Mark

A jogger seems unfazed as he runs past the flock of ducks on Blackheath in south east London

England: 8/9/21 – Badger Cull and ‘Geronimo’ Justice Demo at Defra HQ, London. Lets Get The Cull Stopped.

Following on from the latest article on UK badger culling by Venus –

Hunt Sabotage: “it’s a class war”! – World Animals Voice

Here is more news of a demo organised in London on 8/9/21 regarding the badger cull and in memory of Geronimo.  Get the re and support if you can !

JUSTICE FOR GERONIMO & STOP THE BADGER CULL DEMO

1pm, Weds 8th September outside Defra HQ, 17 Smith Square, SWIP3JR.

Helen Macdonald, Dom Dyer + special guests speaking. Let’s make this huge & let Defra know the strength of global feeling & disgust at the execution of Geronimo

WAV articles associated with this issue:

England: Geronimo, Serbian Strays and Badgers. All Policy Victims Of Governments That Will Not Accept The Evidence. – World Animals Voice

England: Bovine TB Up By 130% – Higher Than When Badger Culls Began. Badgers Being Killed To Pacify Farmers; While They Take No Responsibility for Biosecurity. – World Animals Voice

England: What Good People Do For Wildlife – New Artificial Badger Sett Made For Schoolchildren; So They Can Learn About Badgers. – World Animals Voice

England: “Killing Geronimo is a PR Disaster for Defra” – Article By National Newspaper ‘The Independent’; London. – World Animals Voice

England: ‘Geronimo’ Has Been Murdered By The British Government and Sucked Up To By Ministry Vets. A VERY Big Mistake For The Future, And Government Hopes Of Re Election. George Eustace and Vet Middlemiss Need Their Butts Kicked Hard – And They Will Get It. – World Animals Voice

England: The Badger. – World Animals Voice

England: The Link Between Serbian Strays and UK Badger Culling – Killing Does Not Work, Despite What Governments Say. – World Animals Voice

Regards Mark

Bulgaria: Have you met CAAI ?

Have you met CAAI? | Eurogroup for Animals

Have you met CAAI?

2 September 2021

CAAI

Interview

The “Have you met” is a monthly interview to raise awareness for our Member Organisations, their work, main battles and achievements for animals.

This month we had the pleasure to interview Stefan Dimitrov, animal welfare advocate and activist for Campaigns and Activism for Animals in the Industry (CAAI).

Tell us a bit about Campaigns and Activism for Animals in the Industry (CAAI) and its main battles.

CAAI is a Bulgarian non-profit organisation founded in 2017. Our mission is to end as much of the suffering of as many animals as possible in all fields of human activities with the limited resources at our disposal. Our group is roughly 30 activists on Slack, five of which are employed part- or full-time through grant projects.

We started our work four years ago with the launch of our fur campaign, including the first ever national investigation in a factory farm, and a National Citizens’ Initiative that got 35 thousand people to sign for a ban on fur farms. These signatures were gathered by 200 volunteers all around the country. This was the second-largest petition of its kind here.

Since then we’ve been working with politicians, the media, scientists and experts, celebrities, local environmental NGOs, and organising demonstrations to get the ban into national legislation, and to keep the topic of fur farming in the public air. A group of MEPs tabled the bill in late 2019, and, after parliamentary elections, now again in early 2021.

In the meantime we became members of the Open Wing Alliance in early 2020 and have been working on corporate cage-free campaigns since then. Our group began working on cages before that as well, during 2019 as part of the End The Cage Age ECI. We’ve also been active members of the Fur Free Alliance, and joined Eurogroup for Animals in early 2021.

In which countries is CAAI present?

In Bulgaria only.

What about you? Tell us a bit more about your role within CAAI and why you joined.

I’m currently in charge of communications on our cage-free campaign. More generally, I take care of IT and social media. I’ve also done volunteer recruitment and coordination, and work on developing our culture, values, and work practices.

I’ve been working as a volunteer since January 2018 and have been employed part-time since March 2020. I joined a couple of years after becoming vegan and realising that I needed to join a group and get organised with other people if I really wanted to impact the fate of animals in farms. I was in my first year in university back then, so I had time to spare and enthusiasm to use.

When did CAAI join Eurogroup for Animals and why?

CAAI joined Eurogroup for Animals in March 2021. Our partnership with Eurogroup for Animals was something we had been looking for since mid-2020. We believe it’s highly important both in terms of spreading vital knowledge, resources, and experience, as well as for synchronizing our efforts and increasing the effectiveness of collective actions.

What are CAAI‘s main achievements this year?

A couple of months ago we organized a key demo in front of the building of the Council of Ministers, while the new government was being sworn in. Numerous politicians and MEPs from 6 different parties joined us and we managed to secure widespread media coverage as well as personal meetings during the protest with the two new ministers of agriculture and health. These led to advances against the fur industry here in Bulgaria with the exposure of numerous scandals and corruption schemes surrounding the largest fur farm in the country, and allowed us to secure commitments from parties and MEPs in support of the ban.

We secured tens of cage-free commitments from local businesses, as well as translations and publications of global and regional commitments locally, in addition to running a large-scale online and offline ad campaign around Easter that garnered significant attention and thousands of signatures on our petition.

How can the public act for CAAI?

We all started as volunteers at CAAI and so volunteering is the lifeblood of the organisation. We recruit volunteers for multiple roles, especially skilled volunteers, with whom the organisation can grow. 

We also accept donations and sell merchandise

The most widespread support we receive from the public directly is signing petitions, attending protests, taking part in our online actions, and spreading the word to raise awareness.

Word to live by / Inspiring quote you like

Here is a rule to remember in future, when anything tempts you to feel bitter: not This is misfortune, but To bear this worthily is good fortune.” – by Marcus Aurelius

Regards Mark

Back To Normal A Bit ?

Hi all;

Hope you are all ok.  Well it has been a bit mixed up this week – the issue of ‘Geronimo’ here in England ended up with us getting more involved than we first thought – see:

England: “Killing Geronimo is a PR Disaster for Defra” – Article By National Newspaper ‘The Independent’; London. – World Animals Voice and

England: Geronimo, Serbian Strays and Badgers. All Policy Victims Of Governments That Will Not Accept The Evidence. – World Animals Voice

Have all taken up a bit more time for us, at the expense of other things.  But we don’t have a problem with this as he was used as a scapegoat by Defra.

Now we are trying to catch up with some posts and hope to get them out this weekend.

There are a few new posts for you to see, and all being well we will be back and running ok next week.

Regards Mark (and Venus)

Check this out for some amazing photos;

Funny Finalist Photos from the 2021 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards (mymodernmet.com)

https://mymodernmet.com/category/photography/

India: Videos of July 21 Rescues By ‘Animal Aid Unlimited’. Please donate Or Buy From the Shop If You Can – Thanks !

WAV Comment – we communicate all the time with Erika, a founder of AAU. Hopefully, we think she knows we respect and admire all the work and rescues which are undertaken by the AAU crew.

So here are a few videos of some latest rescues, as well as one where you can join the street treatment team as they go about their fantastic work. Love and respect to all at AAU.

Regards Mark

 

Dear Mark,

Earlier this month India celebrated Rakhi, honoring the bond between brothers and sisters, whether blood family, or chosen family.

Nanhi, featured in the little video here, has a “chosen family” too. Her neighbor feeds her, loves her, and makes sure if she is ill, she will get the help she needs. Because Nanhi gets plenty of petting, she was relaxed during the treatments she needed in Animal Aid after a painful ear wound. When animals are calm and secure, they also heal much faster.

For all for loving care you have made possible to those far from you in Animal Aid, thank you.

At first, Micky was afraid to be touched. Then everything changed!

Little Micky’s wound on his backside was large and extremely painful. Still energetic and optimistic, this precious boy seemed to have no idea that he was in grave danger and would have died without urgent rescue. His mother’s love would be a vital comfort to him, so of course we rescued them together, and his Mom’s face, within moments, seemed to express relief that they were now in safe, healing hands.

Watch now, as Micky’s fear turned into love.

Helping someone who is hurting feels so good. Please donate.

Join our Street Treatment team for the day!

Join us on the road as our Street Treatment medical team makes their daily rounds in the neighborhoods of Udaipur, Rajasthan, India!

You’ll see how much good medical care can be administered while sparing an animal the stress of entering the hospital, avoiding contact with infectious diseases and staying close to their friends and families. This video might also be especially interesting for those who don’t live in Udaipur to get a glimpse of the neighborhoods we work in.So hop on in and join us for a fascinating few minutes of loving care.

Support life-saving treatment today. Make a donation.

Sammy needed urgent help for his eye, and Animal Aid needed Sammy!

Few injuries are more horrible to imagine than a ruptured eye. The injury was likely caused by a passing vehicle hitting his head from behind. Exhausted from the pain, he put up no resistance to being rescued.

His eye could not be saved and needed to be surgically removed. Sammy woke from the procedure seeming to be immediately relieved, but only then did we realize, Sammy was blind in the other eye.

We’ve welcomed him to live for the rest of his life in the happy sanctuary of Animal Aid. What a snugglebug he has become, and we hope you’ll join us in falling in love with Sammy.

Love can lift someone out of suffering. Make a donation today

Going out?

Lookin’ good is fun again!

Your purchase helps save the lives of ill and injured street animals.

Shop NowAnimal Aid Unlimited Shop

England: “Killing Geronimo is a PR Disaster for Defra” – Article By National Newspaper ‘The Independent’; London.

The alpaca has been on a 'death sentence' for months after the High Court ruled it must be destroyed for testing positive twice for bovine tuberculosis

Killing Geronimo is a PR disaster for Defra | The Independent

Killing Geronimo is a PR disaster for Defra and makes a mockery of the UK’s priorities

Geronimo’s sorry tale goes deeper than the killing of just one animal. It both goes to the heart of Defra’s policy on TB control, casting doubt over its cattle-testing regime

When we look back on the history of the countryside, we will remember how for a while in 2021, Geronimo was the UK’s – and possibly the world’s – most famous animal.

The black alpaca, blissfully ignorant that his life was hanging in the balance while grazing in his Gloucestershire field, captured the hearts of a nation. To animal lovers around the globe, his killing seemed senseless, as they got behind the campaign to prove he did not have tuberculosis. After all, creatures infected with the disease surely do not live for four years without showing symptoms.

What were Defra chiefs thinking? Some might say that coming so soon after the government relented to allow Nowzad to airlift its 68 staff and 178 animals from Afghanistan, ministers did not want to be seen too much to be “giving in” to public opinion (although what do we elect them for if not to democratically carry out our wishes?).

But no – it’s clear that Geronimo’s death was planned from the moment the judge handed down her verdict refusing owner Helen Macdonald’s final legal battle. From that moment, all testimony that the TB tests used on the animal were flawed fell on stony deaf ears.

Geronimo was twice in quick succession “primed” – or micro-vaccinated – before his tests, which, according to campaigners, caused the false positive results. And the strength of his reaction diminished between the first and second tests. Even the test manufacturer told the court Geronimo’s result could not be trusted. Ms Macdonald said he had never had a positive reaction to a valid test.

Lobbying rules 'could be strengthened' after Greensill scandal

Above – Pathetic – George Eustace MP (Defra Minister)

Given, then, that a host of evidence cast doubt over the test results, Defra would have been far wiser to have had an open mind and at least agreed to a third test – a perfectly reasonable request. But in refusing, the department has set itself up for a predictable – and predicted – public relations disaster. It will face an almighty backlash if post-mortem results show the alpaca did not have TB – that is, if and when the results see the light of day.

I asked Defra why it refused Ms Macdonald’s other simple request – a meeting with environment secretary George Eustice. It stuck to its line that “The secretary of state has looked at this case several times over the last three years and has considered all of the evidence with the chief vet and APHA expert vets and scientists. Geronimo has tested positive twice and we must follow the evidence.”

But Geronimo’s sorry tale goes deeper than the killing of just one animal where much of the evidence points to its innocence. It both goes to the heart of Defra’s policy on TB control, casting doubt over its cattle-testing regime in pursuit of eradicating TB, and it also raises questions over the stubbornness of some in government.

Both David Cameron and Boris Johnson have been mocked for performing U-turns, but in the end don’t we all have more respect for a leader who is prepared to admit they got it wrong and to change course when presented with new evidence, rather than desperately clinging to a position, possibly to save face?

After Nowzad’s escape from Afghanistan – funded privately and organised in addition to the official Ministry of Defence airlifts – there were a lot of sanctimonious and misleading comments about “putting people before pets”, conveniently ignoring that the operation was not carried out at public expense, nor did putting rescue animals in an aircraft hold take up one iota of space that could have been occupied by people.

Similarly, some have claimed, driven not by ignorance but by swallowing government spin, that Geronimo was “TB-riddled” when there is no reliable evidence of his having been infected.

Regards Mark

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