Farm Animals, Fur and Fur Farming, General News

China: Skinned Alive In Public ! – FUR – Fashion Week New York.

Diana has been working on this:

Investigation: Horrific Cruelty on Chinese Fur Farms on Vimeo

Animals Stacked in Cages on Truck (Lady Freethinker Investigation)

(Lady Freethinker Investigation)

Lady Freethinker Undercover Investigation Exposes Shocking Violence on Fur Farms

As fashion week descends on New York, a new investigation from Lady Freethinker and Paws of China reveals the hidden, horrific realities of fur. Foxes cowered in fear in filthy, wire cages where they waited to be skinned alive on Chinese fur farms so their fur coats could be used in luxury fashion.

Thousands of young foxes were seen suffering in horrific conditions before being pulled out of cages with iron tongs or metal poles and violently killed.

Fox Pulled From Cage By Tail (Lady Freethinker Investigation)

The undercover investigator documented:

A skinned fox who was documented blinking and moving his or her jaw for five minutes.

A fox who lashed around while being skinned alive by a worker.

Animals pulled from tiny cages with iron tongs or yanked by their tails.

These young animals – mostly juveniles under a year old – suffer terror and painful deaths because there is still a significant demand for their fur in fashion – including from the United States.

Animal Skins (Lady Freethinker Investigation)

We are demanding that retailers and designers stop funding this gruesome industry.

You can help by spreading the message that fur is cruel, by vowing to never purchase fur products, and by signing the petition to stop the sale of fur in the United States.Animal Skins (Lady Freethinker Investigation)

We are demanding that retailers and designers stop funding this gruesome industry.

You can help by spreading the message that fur is cruel, by vowing to never purchase fur products, and by signing the petition to stop the sale of fur in the United States.

Action – Please sign the petition here:

SIGN: Justice for Animals Crammed into Filthy Cages & Skinned Alive on Chinese Fur Farms (ladyfreethinker.org)

PETITION TARGET: Retailers that sell fur

Thousands of terrified foxes and raccoon dogs were crammed in row after row of tiny, barren, wire cages. Some cowered in fear in the backs of enclosures; others paced back and forth or swayed.

That’s what an investigation into fur farms in Hebei and Jilin, China – conducted by Lady Freethinker and local Chinese organization Paws of China – revealed.

Animals were pulled out of enclosures using iron tongs or a metal pole. Others were yanked by their sensitive tails.

Then, the cages of petrified animals were carted to a different location on site to be killed. Others were thrown onto a truck and taken to an outdoor fur market where they would be skinned in public view, according to investigators.

Investigators documented one fox being skinned by a worker. The animal lashed around as the skin was pulled from his or her body. 

Another fox who had been skinned was documented blinking and moving his or her jaw, meaning the animal had been skinned while still alive and conscious.

The fox continued to struggle and show movement for 5-long-minutes before succumbing to an agonizing death.

The animals’ bloody carcasses are then sold for human consumption, according to investigators, while their fur is sold to the fashion industry.

With so many fashionable, durable, and warm alternatives to animal fur, there is absolutely no justification for torturing and killing animals for fashion.

Sign this petition urging retailers to stop selling fur immediately and remember to always leave animal fur and skins out of your wardrobe.

Investigation: Horrific Cruelty on Chinese Fur Farms on Vimeo

Regards Diana and Mark

Additional Link – Respect for Animals

HOME

China: ‘Crush’ Information. – World Animals Voice

China: Did You Hear the One About the Sick Pervert of a Doctor Who Lures Teenage Girls Into Pornography and Then Uses Them In An Animal ‘Crush’ Video Website ? – World Animals Voice

China: INVESTIGATION: Inside the sadistic world of the gruesome cat torture craze, campaigners call on Chinese authorities to act NOW. – World Animals Voice

EXPOSING AND COMBATING CAT TORTURE NETWORKS. 6/1/24. – World Animals Voice

China: Cat Torture Actions Follow Up – No. 1 – World Animals Voice

China – Cat Torture – Major Information and Actions – Follow Up No. 2 – World Animals Voice

New – A new Chinese cat torturer is identified and exposed:

General News

USA: Animal groups claim officials could’ve stopped suspected cockfighting derby.

ADAIR COUNTY, Okla. — When law enforcement receives a tip that potentially dozens of people were going to be under one roof committing felonies and days notice.

One would expect they would investigate.

But animal rights activists said that’s not what happened in Adair County on Feb. 3, when they allegedly received word of a cockfighting derby taking place.

Continue at Animal groups claim officials could’ve stopped suspected cockfighting derby (kjrh.com)

Regards Mark

General News

England: Trio banned from keeping horses after neglect. Link and Photos Via RSPCA.

WAV Comment – A shame on a nation that prides itself for animal welfare !

Above – Despite putting on weight in RSPCA care, Autumn had to be put to sleep due to health issues

Trio banned from keeping horses for neglect at Herefordshire stables – BBC News

Three people have been banned from keeping horses for seven years after admitting neglect.

Kerry Ruth Pugh, 43, and Jessica Paige Pugh, 21, each pleaded guilty to an animal welfare offence relating to a horse called Autumn, which a vet described as the thinnest he had ever seen.

Despite putting on weight after being taken into RSPCA care from the stables at Wellington Heath near Ledbury, Herefordshire, Autumn had to be put down.

Oliver Daelan Fairy, 21, pleaded guilty to an offence relating to another horse, Totti.

Hereford magistrates’ court heard the two horses were found to be emaciated, which was likely to be due to high worm burdens and lack of a suitable diet.

Continue reading each horses story, complete with photos at 

Trio banned from keeping horses for neglect at Herefordshire stables – BBC News

Regards Mark

General News, Stray Animals

Indonesia: Cat lover campaigns for animal rights in Indonesia elections.

Cat lover campaigns for animal rights in Indonesia elections

Francine Widjojo, 44, a parliamentary candidate from Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI), reacts during a group photo in Jakarta, Indonesia, January 28, 2024. REUTERS/Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana Ulfiana© Thomson Reuters

See many photographs at https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/cat-lover-campaigns-for-animal-rights-in-indonesia-elections/ar-BB1i0TYB

JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesian Francine Widjojo is hitting the campaign trail with cats and treats in hand to run as a Jakarta legislative candidate and raise awareness of animal cruelty along the way.

Indonesia, the world’s third-largest democracy, will hold presidential and legislative elections on Feb. 14 and campaigns are now in full swing.

On posters scattered across the Indonesian capital, Francine can be seen holding Yakult, a white cat she rescued as a kitten and one of 27 that live in her home.

The 44-year-old walks around town holding a bottle of cat treats with a Yakult sticker, urging people to join her to feed strays in the city.

“One of the issues that I will be fighting for is for Jakarta to be a pet-friendly city,” she told Reuters last month while attending a vaccination event for Yakult, adding that if elected as a Jakarta lawmaker, she wants to increase sterilisation and vaccination for pets in the city.

People in some parts of the Southeast Asian nation are known to consume cat and dog meat and the government has faced pressure from animal rights groups to end it.

The agricultural ministry classified dog meat as not for human consumption in 2018, but that has had little impact on the trade as there weren’t fines that could be enforced on those who sold such meats, activists said.

The government of the Central Java province said it intercepted over 200 dogs that were transported there for consumption last month.

Activists rallied in Jakarta this month to call for a national ban on dog and cat meat trades, according to the animal welfare group The Humane Society International.

Francine, who is running for office with the Indonesian Solidarity Party that is headed by President Joko Widodo’s youngest son, plans to fight against corruption and racial and religious intolerance.

But she said animal cruelty is not commonly addressed in Indonesia, and vows to “fight this together”.

(Reporting by Yuddy Cahya Budiman; Additional reporting by Zahra Matarani; Writing by Stanley Widianto; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)

Regards Mark

Farm Animals, General News

USA: Cage Free – If California Can Do It Now, Then Why Not The Monolithic EU ?

A ban on cages that applies to imports? California makes it a reality

8 February 2024

As of January 2024, California is now cage-free. This rule applies to all products, including imports, a precedent that should pave the way for the EU.

The ban on cages, known as Proposition 12, was put to a vote and approved by more than 62% of voters in 2018. The legislation bans extreme confinement of laying hens and calves raised for veal from 2022, but pig producers (the biggest sector impacted by the legislation) were given a transition period until the end of December 2023.  As of January 2024, the legislation applies to all sectors.

This is one of the most progressive pieces of animal welfare legislation in the world. It will significantly reduce suffering for animals as it sets specific minimum space requirements for animals raised for food, effectively banning cages for laying hens, sows, and calves. The legislation has the potential to improve the lives of millions of animals in California, but also around the world as it bans sales of imported products derived from animals raised in these conditions.

Businesses and producers exporting to California, the biggest economy in the US  valued at around $3.8 trillion in 2023, will have to comply with the ban. Producers such as the Canadian pig company DuBreton announced it was Prop 12-certified in November 2023. In the UK, the Red Tractor Certification scheme, which already assesses farms to ensure they meet certain animal welfare requirements, will also give farmers the option for Prop 12 checks.

The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) had challenged the cage-free rules considering they breached the Commerce Clause of the US Constitution. However, the Supreme Court upheld the right of California to set its own animal welfare standards for all products, regardless of their origin.  

Now, the legislation is  having a spillover effect across the country. The wheels are turning in Massachusetts, which will impose housing requirements for animals. Michigan also passed a bill which mandates cage-free conditions for laying hens and prohibits the sale of caged eggs by December 2024. At least 15 other US States have already banned sow stalls, battery cages for hens, crates for calves raised for veal, and other practices that negatively impact animal welfare. 

Proposition 12 paves the way to include imported products in the much awaited revision of the EU’s animal welfare legislation. At the moment, most of the EU’s animal welfare standards do not apply to imports, thereby making low welfare products from abroad cheaper to import, which fuels cruel animal production in third countries. 

As shown in the latest special Eurobarometer on animal welfare, 84% of Europeans believe that something has to be done to change the way we import animal products, either by imposing import requirements or a very strict labelling system. 

The European Commission must take the opportunity to listen to EU citizens and adopt more import requirements related to animal welfare.

Regards Mark

So, …. EU

https://wordpress.com/post/worldanimalsvoice.com/67444

General News, Vivisection

EU: Limited progress: revision of Annexes III and IV of Directive 2010/63/EU restricted to a few species.

Limited progress: revision of Annexes III and IV of Directive 2010/63/EU restricted to a few species

7 February 2024

On 4 January 2024, the European Commission launched a public consultation to update Annexes III and IV of Directive 2010/63/EU on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes. Eurogroup for Animals welcomes the efforts to include standards for the care and accommodation of animals and acceptable methods of killing for species previously overlooked. However, we regret that the revision missed the opportunity to update existing provisions for other species.

In October 2023, the Scientific Committee on Health, Environmental and Emerging Risks (SCHEER) issued an opinion in support of a revision of Annexes III and IV of Directive 2010/63/EU, with Eurogroup for Animals contributing input in response to a call for information. Considering this opinion, the Commission launched a public consultation to revise Annexes I and III to VIII to ensure that they reflect the state of technical and scientific progress. 

We particularly welcome the newly introduced provisions addressing appropriate housing and care standards for cephalopods, zebrafish and passerine birds, as well as appropriate methods of killing cephalopods. We also applaud the prohibition of using inert gases for killing rodents, a position that we have been advocating for several years. However, the revision failed to seize the opportunity to amend the provisions in these two annexes for other species, despite our repeated calls for an update in the light of recent technical and scientific advances. 

In our response, we commented on the newly introduced provisions, while also emphasising the need to update other aspects of Annexes III and IV. In brief, we recommended the following:

For the revision of Annex III of Directive 2010/63/EU on the care and accommodation of animals used for scientific purposes:

Water quality parameters specific to each stage of development for commonly used fish species (other than zebrafish) should be included.

The minimum cage height for rats should be increased to 30 cm.

Nursing rabbits should have a nesting box with an entrance that they can close to isolate themselves from their young in order to minimise stress and aggressive behaviour. 

Dogs should always be provided with access to an outdoor run, unless there is a scientific or veterinary justification for not doing so.

The minimum time after birth that macaques are allowed to be separated from their mothers should be revised, to not less than 10-14 months.

For the revision of Annex IV of Directive 2010/63/EU on the killing methods of animals used for scientific purposes:

Confirmation of death by rigor mortis is not appropriate and should be removed. 

Methods of killing zebrafish at stages <16 days post-fertilisation should be addressed. Based on the literature, we recommend that the use of a mixture of lidocaine hydrochloride, sodium bicarbonate and ethanol be included as a suitable method of killing.

Birds can experience severe distress and suffering when killed by CO2 and decapitation. These methods should therefore be deleted.

The use of a percussive blow to the head to stun fish can cause unnecessary suffering. Consequently, this method should be deleted.

Rodents killed by decapitation may experience conscious pain before the onset of insensibility. As a result, this method should be deleted.

Read our full recommendations here.

Regards Mark

Environmental, Farm Animals, General News

EU: 2040 climate target – EU Commission half-heartedly recognises the role of shifting diets. So, What’s New With EU ?

2040 climate target – EU Commission half-heartedly recognises the role of shifting diets

6 February 2024

Press Release

Today, the European Commission published its communication starting the process for establishing a 2040 intermediary climate target on the EU’s road towards climate neutrality by 2050, yet it fails to recognise the full potential of shifting diets to fully achieve these goals.

The final text no longer includes a reference to a 30% cut in non-CO2 emissions from agriculture, such as CH4 emissions from livestock and N2O emissions from soils. Similarly, parts of the communication recognising the role of lifestyle changes, including dietary shifts, in bringing greenhouse gas emissions down have also been dropped. On a more positive note, the communication stresses the role of the food industry in contributing to food environments making healthy diets an easy and affordable choice for consumers.

The last-minute watering down follows the farmers’ protests which have unfolded across Europe. Policymakers are responding to farmers’ discontent by settling on short-sighted compromises and rolling back climate policies, rather than adopting necessary long-term measures. Yet, the agriculture and food sectors have great potential to enable dietary shifts, reduce climate-harming emissions and improve human and animal health.

The link between dietary patterns and greenhouse gas emissions is now beyond question. It is beyond understanding that the Commission has deliberately ignored it. If we want to be serious on the climate crises, EU policymakers must regulate food environments, and make our food choices healthy and sustainable by default. They must use the One Health approach – in all policies – as a reflex, not a slogan.

Dr. Milka Sokolovic, Director General, European Public Health Alliance (EPHA)

Today the Commission failed to recognise the need for shifting to healthy, plant-rich diets and raising fewer animals under much higher conditions to achieve the EU’s climate objectives. Without such a transition the EU falls short on  its ambitions on animal welfare whilst jeopardising its climate, environmental and health objectives.

Reineke Hameleers, CEO, Eurogroup for Animals

However hard the Commission tries to handle farmers with kid gloves, facts are stubborn things: our food and agriculture systems contribute a big chunk of the EU’s climate impact. Consumers are willing to change the way they eat and play their part in the fight against climate change, provided sustainable, healthy food becomes more available and affordable. Now the ball is in the court of the next European Commission, who will have to urgently dust off the overdue Sustainable Food Systems law and put it on the table. Such law must incentivise industry and retailers to better support consumers in the transition.

Monique Goyens, Director General, European Consumer Organisation (BEUC)

This short briefing outlines why shifting diets has a positive impact on health and climate. 

Put Change on the Menu is a collaborative project between BEUC, Eurogroup for Animals, and the European Public Health Alliance.

Regards Mark

About Us, General News, Uncategorized

England: For Katie and Friends – All ‘Voices For Animals’ !

I had a really nice e mail this morning from Michelle; who told me about her daughter Katie who is working throughout the month of February with her friends to achieve their ‘Voices for Animals’ badge.

Michelle says – This is a senior badge that explores the connection between humans and animals so they can make informed choices and help others make them too. The badge requires the girls to investigate animals used for science, take a look at animals used for sports and entertainment and dive deeper into animal rights issues.

“Your web page had all of the information we were looking for, so Katie requested I reach out and let you know how much you’ve helped us!”

Well we try to help; and it sounds like some of our posts have helped with your research – great !

Something lighter:

London: If You Are Feeling Down, For God’s Sake Come Along Here On A Saturday Morning. – World Animals Voice

Katie has found a great vegan clothing site which we are giving the link to here – A Guide To Vegan and Cruelty Free Clothes & Fashion – Lulus.com Fashion Blog  – also a really great site which covers, apart from some great clothing; many aspects of veganism and why people follow it.

Katie has also asked that we include the old WAV link relating to beauty shopping – so here it is –  From George – A Guide Link To Cruelty Free Beauty Shopping. – World Animals Voice

Katie’s troop meet on Fridays after school; so in accordance with the request, I am putting this out days in advance.

Well done everyone in the troop for speaking up for the animals – they cannot speak to defend themselves, and so we have to be a voice for them all.  I am sure you will all get your badge and pass with flying colours !

Regards Mark – Founder WAV.

PS – in the past we did a lot of work regarding Serbian stray dogs and cats.  Here is the main link:  Serbian Animals Voice (SAV) | a voice for the voiceless

One section of the site was dedicated to providing links to many animal welfare organisations – Katie, this is old now but may still be of some help.

Animal Org’s | Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)

About Us. | Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)