Photos – WAV Archives
Botswana has threatened to send 20,000 elephants to Germany, escalating an ongoing row over the import of hunting trophies.
The dispute began earlier this year when Germany’s environment ministry, citing concerns about poaching, suggested imposing stricter limits on the import of hunting trophies. Germany is the EU’s chief importer of African elephant trophies, according to a 2021 report by the Humane Society International.
On Tuesday, Botswana’s president Mokgweetsi Masisi told Bild that further restrictions on hunting would impoverish the African nation due to an explosion in the number of elephants.
Germans should “live together with the animals, in the way you are trying to tell us to”, he told the German daily.
“This is not a joke,” Mr Masisi added.
Conservation has led to a boom in Botswana’s elephant population but also increased man-animal conflict.
The landlocked nation is home to 130,000 elephants, accounting for a third of the world’s tuskers. In recent years, the president said elephant herds have been trampling people and destroying homes and crops.
Facing pressure from local communities to tackle the problem, Mr Masisi’s government in 2019 lifted the prohibition on trophy hunting imposed five years earlier.
Botswana had previously offered to send 8,000 elephants to Angola and 500 to Mozambique to deal with the “overpopulation”.
Mr Masisi said he would “like to offer such a gift to Germany” and “not take no for an answer”.
He criticised the German government and particularly the environment ministry for seeking to ban the import of trophies. “It is very easy to sit in Berlin and have an opinion about our affairs in Botswana. We are paying the price for preserving these animals for the world,” he said.
“We want our elephants to roam freely. The German weather is bad enough for them,” he added. “If you like them so much, then please accept this gift from us.”
The German environment ministry said Botswana had “not yet contacted them on this matter”, Politico reported. However, environment minister Steffi Lemke “signalled that she will accept Botswana’s invitation if an opportunity arises” to inspect wildlife protection.
In March, Botswana had threatened to send 10,000 elephants to Hyde Park in London in protest against a potential UK ban on safari hunters importing trophies.
Lots of threats !
Regards Mark
Elephants in Germany and space! Alternative destinations for Botswana’s unwanted mammals – POLITICO
Gang convicted of training and fighting dogs across Europe (msn.com)
Gang convicted of training and fighting dogs across Europe
Story by Stephanie Wareham
Aman who had a “goldmine” of evidence on his phone of his involvement in a brutal dog fighting ring was one of four people convicted for training and fighting dogs across Europe.
Phillip Harris Ali, 67, who was known as “Dr Death” in the dog fighting world, came to the attention of the RSPCA after concerns were raised about the welfare of a dog at his home in Chigwell, Essex, in August 2021 – and investigators soon uncovered evidence that he was involved in organising fights.
Officers saw four dogs at the property – a pet inside the house and three dogs being kept in kennels in the garden, one of which had scars and scratches on her face – and found a portable kennel and two dog running machines.
It prompted an investigation by the RSPCA’s Special Operations Unit, a taskforce which investigates serious and organised animal crime.
When Ali’s home was raided on March 14, 2022, two dogs were seized by the Metropolitan Police and placed into RSPCA care, while dog-fighting paraphernalia, including a slat mill, two treadmills, four break sticks and two flirt poles, were recovered.
A DIY vet kit containing items such as skin staplers, an IV kit, bandages, needles, steroids, antibiotics and painkillers were also found, while a seized mobile phone showed Ali had recorded hours of WhatsApp voice notes describing planning for fights.
Deleted videos on the phone showed graphic dog fights and injuries, while the phone also revealed match reports following organised fights, information relating to travel plans for fights, as well as messages planning fights, talking about training regimes, and discussing injuries dogs had suffered.
The investigation led to warrants being executed at other addresses, including that of Billy and Amy Leadley, aged 38 and 39, in Bambers Green, Takeley, Essex, and Stephen Brown, 56, of Burrow Road, Chigwell, and at a third address in Merseyside.
Sixteen dogs were seized from the Leadleys’ address, including bull breeds thought to have been used for fighting, many being kept in poor conditions in a garage, plus two smaller breeds who were removed on welfare grounds from the house.
One dog was seized from the property in Merseyside.
A slat mill, vet kit and books about dog fighting were all recovered from Brown’s address, while a flirt pole, two slat mills, weighted collars and other weight training equipment, plus four break sticks, were seized from the Leadleys’ property, which also had a dog fighting pit.
The three men and one woman were all convicted by a jury on Wednesday of a string of offences following a four-week trial at Chelmsford Crown Court, which started on March 4.
Ali, of Manford Way in Chigwell, was found guilty of 10 offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, including four of keeping and/or training a dog for use in a fight, and two of causing a fight.
Billy Leadley, who was also known as GSK or Green Street Kennels, entered a guilty plea part-way through the trial to one offence of causing unnecessary suffering to a dog by failing to provide veterinary treatment for an injury.
The jury also found him guilty of a further nine offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, including keeping a premises for use in fighting, taking part in a fight by refereeing, and keeping and/or training a dog for use in a fight.
His wife Amy Leadley was found guilty of three offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, including keeping a premises for use in fighting.
Brown was found guilty of five offences, including three of keeping and/or training a dog for use in an fight.
At the end of the trial, Amy Leadley entered a guilty plea to one offence of failing to meet the needs of seven dogs in their house, while Billy Leadley entered guilty pleas to two additional charges, one of failing to meet the needs of nine dogs being kept outside, and owning a prohibited type of dog.
Speaking outside court following the verdicts, RSPCA Special Operations Unit investigator chief inspector Ian Muttitt, who gave evidence during the trial, said: “The mobile phone was a goldmine of information and evidence.
“It contained graphic videos and images of brutal dog fights, match reports following organised fights, information relating to some of the men’s travel plans and accommodation for specific fights, as well as messages between a number of the defendants planning fights, talking about training regimes, and discussing the injuries dogs had suffered.
“The information on the phone linked most of the defendants together and we could see that they’d been involved in at least four dog fights; one held in Essex, at the Leadleys’; one in Ireland; and one in France, for which they flew into Bordeaux. The other fight was held at an unknown location in England.”
Mr Muttitt said one of the gruesome match reports showed a dog named Bonnie, who was never located, lost a fight within 25 minutes and suffered two possible broken legs in the brawl.
Another fight, which took place between February 25 and 27, 2022 in Ireland, resulted in the death of a dog named Olivia from her injuries.
Mr Muttitt added that another fight involving two dogs named Dotti and Oscar was planned for the weekend of March 25 and 26, 2022, but it did not go ahead as the dogs were seized by police beforehand.
In a voice message sent by Ali and recovered from a phone, he said he intended to reschedule the fights if he got the dogs back from the RSPCA.
Another voice note, sent by Ali to Brown, said both Oscar and Dotti had been matched for fights later in the year, with prize pots of £3,000 and £5,000 respectively.
Amy and Billy Leadley, Ali and Brown will face Chelmsford Crown Court on June 3 for sentencing.
Regards Mark
Above – Oyster Catcher
Below – Great Tit
Below – Robin
Above – Mute Swan
Below – Grey Heron, and also babies growing fast !
Below – Egret with horse friend
I left it too long to publish the last set, so here are the latest with you within 24 hours.
Think Robin and the beautiful Swan are my favorites.
Regards Pauline and Mark
See all Pauline’s other photos at https://worldanimalsvoice.com/?s=pauline
….. how about now and not in another 10 years ?
Scotland proposes UK’s first ban on caging laying hens – BBC News
From the BBC
Scotland proposes UK’s first ban on caging laying hens
Scotland could become the first part of the UK to ban egg companies from keeping chickens in cages.
The Scottish government has announced a new consultation on outlawing the use of cages to house hens involved in egg production.
Consultation on laying hens – gov.scot (www.gov.scot)
Agriculture minister Jim Fairlie said if it was implemented Scotland would be “leading the way in improving the welfare of animals”.
The use of battery cages for birds was banned in the UK in 2012.
But there are still more than 1.1m chickens in Scotland kept in “enriched cages”, which provide birds with more room to nest, roost and scratch than the smaller battery cages.
Caged animal farming: EU aims to end practice by 2027
A survey in 2020 found that almost nine out of 10 people (88%) in the UK believed that using cages in farming was cruel.
And more than three quarters (77%) supported a complete ban on their use.
The Scottish government’s preference is for a ban on the installation of new cages from 2033, followed by a complete ban on keeping birds in enriched cages from 2034.
Ministers believe this option “most effectively balances improvements in bird welfare and ensures sustainability for the laying hen sector”.
But the consultation also seeks views on banning the use of enriched cages from 2030.
And it proposes a non-regulatory option, which would see shops and caterers commit to stop selling and using eggs from birds kept in enriched cages by 2034.
‘Significant progress’
Mr Fairlie said the Scottish government’s most recent programme for government had included commitments “to improve the welfare of laying hens to ensure their confinement does not negatively impact their normal behaviours”.
He added: “Significant progress has already been made in recognising the importance of animal welfare – both in government policies and the demand from the public in the choice they make when shopping.
“If implemented, the ban would be another example of Scotland leading the way in improving the welfare of animals by being the first UK nation to ban the practice.”
The minister said the European Union had put forward legislation to prohibit using cages for all farmed livestock, with Luxembourg and Austria already banning them and others phasing them out.
And he said the Scottish government would also call for evidence, in due course, on the use of cages in the gamebird, quail egg and meat sectors.
Mark Borthwick, World Animal Protection policy manager, welcomed the news and said: “We’re pleased to see Scotland leading the way in consulting on the ban of cages for laying hens which are still in use in the UK.
“Enriched cages for laying hens will be banned in other countries including in Germany in 2025, in Czechia by 2027 and in Slovakia by 2030.
“France has banned the installation of any new cages. The UK is behind, and the other nations are slipping behind even further.
“It is time to end the use of cages which restrict animals’ natural behaviours and cause great suffering.”
‘Leading the way’ ? – 10 YEARS TOO LATE ! – Regards Mark
Hi all;
Am just sending out news links about this today as there is a lot going on – basically, activists got into slaughterhouse re pig killing; and dead baby piglets are left outside a town hall as a result – with the words ‘Pignorant on crime’ sprayed onto the pavement. All to highlight the cruel and suffering endured by pigs.
Regards Mark
Protesters arrested at Cranswick Country Foods in Norfolk – BBC News
Seven held by police following animal rights protest at abattoir (msn.com)
Further update:
The courts and prison system are in chaos here – with everything taking far too long to send REAL criminals through the system – but if you do animal rights, you get charged within hours and it all moves on quickly – how strange !
Six charged after animal rights protest at Cranswick pig abattoir in Watton | ITV News Anglia
We say:
Another Al Mawashi ‘death ship’ expected to ship live animals from East London to Middle East© Provided by Cape Times
Africa –
Info – The Port of East London is located at the mouth of the Buffalo River in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. It serves as the only remaining river port in the country. The port has excellent rail and road connections to regions such as the Free State, Gauteng, and KwaZulu-Natal. Additionally, it acts as a vital gateway connecting Africa to the global market
Animal rights groups will greet the Al Mawashi vessel when it docks at East London harbour today and document “animal exploitation”.
In East London, Ban Animal Trading South Africa will document the export and in Cape Town the Coalition to Stop Live Animal Export South Africa will protest at 123 Hertzog Boulevard on the Foreshore.
The Kuwaiti importer of livestock is expected to load live animals and transport the cargo to the Middle East.
Labelled as the “death ship”, the 44-year- old vessel is expected to be anchored at the harbour at about 8am, according to a ship tracking website.
National Council of SPCA (NSPCA) executive director Marcelle Meredith said their inspector and veterinarian travelled to the feedlot in the Eastern Cape, owned by a farming company, in preparation for the arrival of the vessel.
About 60 000 sheep, 1500 cattle and 200 goats will be loaded onto the vessel and taken to Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
“They inspected the animals at the feedlot and again serious welfare concerns were identified.
On March 18 a warning was issued for shade and water to be provided for the animals and for injured animals to receive appropriate treatment. Since March 26 seven NSPCA inspectors, the veterinarian and two inspectors from King William’s Town SPCA have been at the feedlot to inspect the animals being held in preparation for loading,” said Meredith.
According to the NSPCA, their understanding was the owner of the farming company was managing the shipment for Al Mawashi to whom he rented the feedlot for the export.
Meredith said on Wednesday the inspectors encountered escalating hostility during a lawful inspection, conducted with a warrant as the company owner allegedly displayed aggressive, discourteous behaviour and demanded the inspectors leave the premises.
“The NSPCA had to request assistance from police. The NSPCA has five prosecution cases against Al Mawashi and (the owner of the farming company). The NSPCA has encountered ongoing animal abuse at this feed lot. During the June 2023 shipment, inspectors thwarted attempts to load sick, pregnant, lame, heavily horned and unshorn sheep. Inspectors further intervened when rams had their horns severed using an angle grinder causing a bloodbath and resulting in 131 rams being confiscated and the arrest of the then feedlot manager.
As a result, the NSPCA met the Eastern Cape Department of Rural Development and Agrarian Reform. The department agreed guidelines for the export of animals by sea would be stringently followed for future shipments,” said Meredith.
Al Mawashi declined to comment.
Cape Times
Regards Mark
An animal abusing rust bucket that should have gone to the sea bed decades ago !
Animal rights activists in Nepal staged a protest in front of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) office here on Tuesday to express their concern over the recent death of three tigers kept in a cage at the Parsa National Park.
The protesters led by activist Sneha Shrestha carried placards and banners with messages such as ‘Stop all forms of animal cruelty’ and ‘Tigers belong to the wild; not to captivity, Why triple tiger population, just to cage them?’ at the WWF office in Baluwatar.
Two male tigers and one female tiger were rescued from Chitwan National Park and Thori of Parsa succumbed to ill health within a few weeks of being placed inside a narrow cage at the Parsa National Park.
The tigers in captivity were meant for display to visitors at Parsa National Park without proper ventilation and enough space.
The national park officials said the tigers might have died due to illness as they were kept in a single cage that could barely accommodate two tigers.
“Today’s protest drew over 100 concerned individuals, united in their call for accountability and the cessation of practices that threaten the welfare of captive animals,” remarked animal rights activist Sneha Shrestha.
Nepal is home to 355 Royal Bengal tigers as the Himalayan nation succeeded in more than doubling the tiger population within 12 years.
Regards Mark
World Animals Voice 