Environmental, General News, Uncategorized

Oil tanker capable of carrying 2 million barrels explodes off coast of Nigeria.

Oil tanker capable of carrying 2 million barrels explodes off coast of Nigeria (msn.com)

The Trinity Spirit, an oil production vessel, is able to carry 2 million barrels of oil - Twitter/Screengrab

An oil production ship capable of carrying up to 2 million barrels of oil has exploded off the coast of Nigeria.

According to local reports, the Trinity Spirit exploded on Thursday morning at the Ukpokiti oil field off Nigeria’s coast near the Escravos terminal close to the River Niger delta.

Dramatic video shows the ship on fire with thick black smoke rising into the sky as it appears to be sinking.

The vessel is an FPSO, a floating production storage and offloading unit, which is reportedly owned by Shebah Exploration & Production Company Ltd (SEPCOL).

These types of ships are used by the offshore oil and gas industry for the production and processing and storage of oil and serve a similar function to larger oil rigs.

The ship had ten crew members on board, chief executive Ikemefuna Okafor said on Thursday, according to Reuters.

It is not believed the crew members have yet been accounted for.

Mr Okafor said investigations were underway to establish the cause of the explosion while attempts to contain the situation were being made with help from local communities and Chevron, which has a facility nearby.

“At this time there are no reported fatalities, but we can confirm that there were ten crew men on board the vessel prior to the incident and we are prioritising investigations with respect to their safety and security,” he said.

While it is not yet clear how much oil will be spilled by the Trinity Spirit, commentators have warned Nigeria could be facing its second environmental disaster in three months, after a huge oil spill from a disused, capped well head released 20,000 barrels of oil a day for a month into the waterways of Nembe, in Nigeria’s Bayelsa state.

The impact of that spill was described as being “like Hiroshima”, by the Nigerian government, with the leaking oil causing the death of marine life and damage to mangroves and waterways.

Regards Mark

Farm Animals, General News

USA: An animal rights activist was in court on criminal charges. Why was the case suddenly dismissed?

A man wears blue safety gloves while holding a small pig
Matt Johnson, shown here holding Gilly, was charged with burglary, planting recording devices, and trespassing after conducting an exposé. Photograph: Direct Action Everywhere

From ‘The Guardian’ – London.

An animal rights activist was in court on criminal charges. Why was the case suddenly dismissed?

Matt Johnson conducted an undercover exposé of cruel practices used to mass exterminate pigs at Iowa Select Farms facilities

When animal rights activist Matt Johnson last made national news, he was in disguise. He appeared on Fox Business in December 2020, sporting a buzz cut and button-down (much different from his usual casual attire) and posed as the CEO of Smithfield Foods. The pork giant he claimed to be representing had factory farms that were “petri dishes for new diseases”, he told the news anchor. After the segment went viral online, Fox realized their mistake: “It appears we have been punked,” host Maria Bartiromo announced, apologizing to Smithfield, which called the interview “a complete hoax”.

Johnson’s antics, and his seeming lack of fear of the consequences, have made him a formidable opponent of the meat industry. But while the Fox incident offered a moment of levity, today, Johnson makes the news for something far more serious. He has just been let off for criminal charges that could have sent him to prison for up to eight years. After conducting an undercover exposé of conditions at the pork company Iowa Select Farms in May 2020, his actions put him on the line for burglary and planting recording devices. Another charge, for trespassing at a food operation (an offense created by an Iowa ag-gag law), was added in 2021.

While these specific charges against Johnson can’t be brought again, they may not be his last. His work as an organizer with the animal rights group Direct Action Everywhere (DxE) involves high-profile, high-risk actions like secretly recording factory farms and rescuing animals. Since farm animals are legally property and have no rights and almost no protection from suffering, removing them is usually treated as burglary, no different from stealing jewellery or someone’s wallet. In the last decade, many state “ag-gag” laws have sought to further criminalize such activism.The conditions that brought Johnson, an Iowa native now based in California, to Iowa Select Farms facilities were particularly cruel, according to DxE – and the outrage that followed his exposé suggests the public were similarly alarmed. As Covid was tearing through US slaughterhouses, Johnson had been tipped off by an Iowa Select truck driver about conditions at the company’s facilities.

Across the meat industry, workers were falling ill, meatpacking capacity was significantly reduced, and farms were overloaded with animals and looking for ways to dispose of them. Johnson was made aware of a practice called “ventilation shutdown”, being used by Iowa Select to mass exterminate pigs: the animals were packed into sealed barns and essentially cooked to death by heaters and steam generators.

A closeup shot of a semi-trailer filled with dead pigs.
Farms were overloaded as Covid was tearing through US slaughterhouses and looking for ways to dispose of animals. Photograph: Direct Action Everywhere

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Environmental

“We can save the Sumatran elephants!”-Petition

Greenpeace.at: The last elephants in Indonesia are threatened with extinction! There are very few Sumatran elephants left in the wild.

Their rainforests are being brutally cleared for palm oil plantations.
But we can help you now!
The EU Commission has presented a law that would ban the trade in goods from rainforest destruction in Europe.
Among them is palm oil, which deprives the Sumatran elephants of their homes.
We must now ensure that the law is as strong as possible and accepted by the EU member states!

Sumatran elephants are the largest inhabitants of Sumatra and are among the smallest elephant species – they are very special. The social animals form protective groups in which they roam the low hills of the Indonesian island. It has been like this for many thousands of years; the peaceful pachyderms do not disturb anyone.

The home of the elephants destroyed

But the Sumatran elephants are being pushed out of their only homeland. Because larger and larger parts of the rainforest are being destroyed for monotonous palm oil monocultures.
Not even protected areas are spared, as a Greenpeace report showed! Where once there was living forest, there are now only plantations for palm oil and paper for miles.

Corporations have broken promises

Corporations like Nestlé, Mondelēz and Unilever have repeatedly promised an end to the destruction of forests for their products.

They claimed to stop using palm oil from rainforest destruction by 2020. But hardly anything has happened.
The Sumatran elephants are now on the brink of extinction. There are very few left in the wild.

But we can help the elephants!

If the corporations don’t act, laws are needed. And an important law is now within reach: A law that could ban the trade in goods from rainforest destruction on the EU market!
This is our chance to protect the habitat of the Sumatran elephants! However, we must now ensure that the law becomes as strong as possible and accepted by EU member states.

Please sign the petition for a strong law banning the trade in goods from rainforest destruction in Europe!

https://wald.greenpeace.at/sumatra-elefanten/

And I mean…The Sumatra Elephant has little time.
According to environmentalists, it could be extinct within three decades if the rapid deforestation in its habitat is not stopped immediately.

It belongs to the growing list of Indonesian species threatened with extinction – such as Sumatran orangutan, Javan and Sumatran rhino and Sumatran tiger.

The Indonesian government urgently needs to design a protection strategy, with new protection regions and corridors between isolated areas.
The Sumatran elephant is legally protected in Indonesia. But 85 percent of the areas in which it still occurs are outside the protection zones, so protection only applies on paper.

The population has declined by 80 percent in 75 years due to poaching, pollution and habitat destruction.

The Sumatran elephant is a subspecies of the Asian elephant, the largest land mammal in Asia. It is the lightest colored variant. Female elephants and their offspring form close-knit family groups of up to ten animals and a matriarch at the head.

If we don’t act now, in 100 years the earth’s lungs will be dead, animals will be extinct and humans will be in grave danger.
We all bear the responsibility that this terrible end does not come

My best regards to all, Venus

General News, Hunting, Stray Animals

USA: New York Feral Pigeons Being Illegally Captured and Sold To Gun Clubs To Be Shot.

Pictured: a pigeon pirate spotted on January 8 along Broome and Norfolk streets in the Lower East Side, captured in a photo posted to Instagram by food blogger Mike Chau

Pictured: a pigeon pirate spotted on January 8 along Broome and Norfolk streets in the Lower East Side, captured in a photo posted to Instagram by food blogger Mike Chau

The pigeon poachers, one pictured with a net full of pigeons above, are known to sell the birds to hunting and gun clubs for live shoots

The pigeon poachers, one pictured with a net full of pigeons above, are known to sell the birds to hunting and gun clubs for live shoots

Pigeon pirates are spotted illegally catching birds on the streets of Manhattan to sell to gun clubs to be SHOT for sport, animal rights activists claim

  • Pigeon pirates are illegally catching the birds on the streets of Manhattan to sell them out of state gun clubs to be killed for sport, animal rights activists claim 
  • On January 16, Susan Tang and her husband, Nicholas, witnessed two men in a van bearing New York plates as they captured about 50 pigeons in Hell’s Kitchen
  • ‘It was deeply disturbing. I’m a born and raised New Yorker. I love everything about this city. The pigeons are as NYC as you can possibly get’ Tang said 
  • Another pigeon pirate spotted with a net full of pigeons on January 8 along Broome and Norfolk streets in the Lower East Side 
  • Punishment for the crime was not streamlined in NYC until 2019, when a new bill made it a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a $1000 fine 
  • A permit is required in order to trap pigeons citywide 

Pigeon pirates are illegally catching the birds on the streets of Manhattan to sell them out of state gun clubs to be killed for sport, animal rights activists claim after two incidents were reported this month.

On the morning of January 16, Hell’s Kitchen residents Susan Tang and her husband, Nicholas, witnessed two men in a Dodge Caravan bearing New York plates as they tossed seeds along 10th Avenue between 58th and 59th streets, according to the New York Post.

The poachers ended up capturing about 50 pigeons with nets before throwing them into the van and fleeing the scene. 

‘We followed the van as much as we could to try to focus on the license plate, which was obscured by a plastic cover of some sort,’ Susan Tang told the Post.

‘The driver was aware he was being followed and was blowing red lights and almost struck a group of pedestrians.’ 

While it has been illegal to capture and sell pigeons for years in New York City, punishment for the crime was not streamlined until 2019, when a new bill made it a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a $1000 fine.

A permit is required in order to trap pigeons citywide. 

The couple, who took a photo of the van prior to losing sight of it, filed a complaint with both 311 and the state Department of Environmental Conservation, as well as notified the NYPD.  

‘It was over and done with from start to finish in 20 seconds,’ Tang recalled. 

‘It was deeply disturbing. I’m a born and raised New Yorker. I love everything about this city. The pigeons are as New York City as you can possibly get.’

According to Tang, investigators with the Department of Environmental Conservation already ‘know the suspect’s name and address and located the van complete with tons of feathers and pigeon poop inside.’

‘I have told him that my husband and I will testify if the case progresses,’ she added.

Elsewhere in the city, another pigeon pirate was spotted on January 8 along Broome and Norfolk streets in the Lower East Side, and was captured in a photo posted to Instagram by food blogger Mike Chau.

‘New York or Nowhere (yes that’s a whole flock of pigeons caught in a net being stuffed into the trunk of a car),’ Chau captioned the post. 

As in the Hell’s Kitchen incident, the avian poacher made off with the birds without issue. 

The incidents are currently ‘under investigation by the Animal Cruelty Investigation Squad,’ according to an NYPD spokesman. 

Authorities believe they are a part of a group known for selling pigeons to various hunting and gun clubs for live shoots in Pennsylvania.

‘These helpless pigeons are sitting ducks. They are New Yorkers like you and I,’ said animal advocate John DiLeonardo.

The issue of pigeon pirates is hardly a new one in the Big Apple.

In 2008, animal rights activists accused a Brooklyn man of selling pigeons he caught for $5 to $10 to shooting contests out of state.

In 2015, roughly 300 pigeons were netted and captured from Washington Square Park, which were similarly sold to Pennsylvania live shoots.

Pigeon pirates spotted illegally catching birds on the streets of Manhattan to sell to gun clubs | Daily Mail Online

Regards Mark

Farm Animals, General News

Italy: Seems To Have Major Problems When It Comes To Enforcing Protection For Animals.

WAV Comment – Italy seems to have big problems when it comes to enforcing animal welfare !

New investigation documents culling of thousands of chickens due to avian flu

1 February 2022

Essere Animali

A new investigation by Essere Animali documents culling operations on a farm where cases of avian flu were detected. The film shows chickens being collected with the blade of a bulldozer and then herded by the thousands into containers which, once sealed, are filled with gas.

Since October last year, over 300 outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian flu (subtypes H5 and H5N1) have been recorded in domestic poultry, and several other cases have been found among wild animals in Italy. So far it is estimated that the number of animals slaughtered due to avian flu in Italy exceeds 15 million.

Essere Animali conducted an investigation in the most affected region, Veneto, which has the largest number of poultry farms and animals. Using a drone, they were able to capture footage from a farm in the province of Vicenza with a capacity of 300,000 animals where an outbreak of the flu was recorded.

As the video shows, the chickens are unloaded into containers at least two metres high, which are densely packed with animals. Inevitably, the chickens in the bottom layer are crushed by the weight of the chickens above. It takes about 30 minutes for the loading, covering, and gassing to be completed. The death of these animals is surely preceded by long minutes of fear and stress.

During this procedure, some chickens fall from the blade, risking physical injuries following the impact and further prolonging the agony of the animals.

 

AVIAN FLU: 300,000 chickens stacked and killed with gas

We are disseminating these images because we believe it is necessary to reflect on our food system, which is based on excessive consumption and production of meat, made possible only by raising animals intensively. These farms are hotbeds for viruses, and as long as animals are raised by the thousands in confined spaces, avian flu outbreaks will continue to recur regularly with devastating effects. We are ignoring the cruelties inflicted on these animals and underestimating the potential risk to public health. Several experts have talked about the possibility that the virus could mutate and develop the ability to transmit among the human population.

Simone Montuschi, President of Essere Animali

Previous avian flu epidemics that have hit European farms demonstrate that it is not possible to limit an outbreak inside factory farms. It is precisely the conditions in which the animals live that cause viruses to spread rapidly and, if highly lethal like avian, kill most of these animals.

In addition to crowding — the average capacity of an intensive poultry farm in Italy is over 21,000 animals per complex — genetic factors also play a significant role: in farms, animals are selected to grow very quickly and produce enormous muscle mass, which in itself can cause physical problems. Moreover, they usually are genetically very similar to each other, so a virus can act undisturbed without encountering genetic variants that prevent its spread. To prevent epidemics from spreading, we need to review our food system based on the consumption of animal products.

Regards Mark

Environmental, General News

“Basic rights for primates”- Referendum in Switzerland

A very special vote is scheduled for February 13, 2022 in the canton of Basel-Stadt (Switzerland).
The people of Basel will then decide on the “Basic rights for primates” initiative. But what is it actually about? Who is for and who against? You can find out more about this here:

What does the initiative “Basic rights for primates” want?

The cantonal people’s initiative by Sentience Politics demands that over 300 primate species be given a “right to life and to physical and mental integrity”.
These include, for example, gorillas, chimpanzees and orangutans.

Who is for the introduction?

The initiative comes from the association Sentience Politics. He fights for the rights of sentient animals. Living beings that can feel happiness or suffering are meant as sentient.

According to the association’s reasoning, animal protection does not go far enough here. For the supporters of the initiative, the relationship between primates and humans is particularly important: “They are genetically very close to us and, like us, have a highly developed central nervous system.”
Therefore, these animals are particularly worthy of protection.

Who is against fundamental rights for primates?

The initiative met with a lot of rejection, especially in politics. The government council even had it declared invalid in 2018.
The case ended up in the federal court, which admitted the submission. Parliament and government of Basel-Stadt are of the opinion that the rights of primates are already adequately regulated in the Animal Welfare Ordinance.

The Association of Swiss Zoos also rejects the initiative on the grounds that animals need protection and not human rights.
If the initiative were implemented, comprehensive protection of particularly endangered monkey species would no longer be possible (!!!)

On the national level, on February 13, Switzerland will also vote on the ban on animal testing, among other three issues.
This initiative wants all animal experiments to be stopped in Switzerland.
In addition, according to the initiative text, products that have been tested on animals should no longer be imported.

https://www.watson.ch/schweiz/abstimmungen%202022/636617548-alles-zur-initiative-grundrechte-fuer-primaten-in-basel-stadt

And I mean…Over three hundred other primate species are our close relatives – the so-called “non-human” primates.

Despite the large overlaps that we have with them, such as maintaining family life, cultural rules, social rituals, friendships, strong communicative understanding, complex learning processes, empathy and feelings, non-human primates have no self-determination for us humans.
Because the Animal Welfare Act always subjects the treatment of animals to a weighing of interests.

People have rights, animals are property.
They are used for entertainment and research, and cannot defend themselves against exploitation and excessive interference in their lives.

The worldwide extinction of species and the loss of biodiversity also show that in order to adequately protect animals and nature, we need to rethink and treat them differently than we have done up to now.
The initiative therefore calls for restricted rights for all non-human primates in the canton of Basel-Stadt: the right to life and the right to physical and mental integrity – no more, no less.

The animal protection legislation – but not only in Switzerland – is completely inadequate and is hardly implemented.

Primates have no autonomy and are abused for human purposes, yet politicians want to claim that” primate rights are already sufficiently covered by the Animal Welfare Ordinance”.
They would have to explain that to us again.

Should species affiliation determine how one is treated, or level of sentience?
The latter is the rational answer.
Because if a living being can feel pain and suffer, there is no reason that could justify this suffering that we humans inflict on animals in animal experiments or in industrial livestock farming.

The initiative wants to tackle and minimize as much as possible this grievance that exists
We are already looking forward to the voting campaign in Basel!

My best regards to all, Venus

Environmental

Hawaii becomes first US state to ban fishing for shark 💖🦈

Fishing for sharks is a major problem worldwide.

Around 100 million of these wonderful animals are cruelly captured and killed every year.
The stocks hardly have time to recover, since sharks only become sexually mature at 20 to 30 years of age.
A collapse is therefore inevitable if something does not suddenly change worldwide.

The US state of Hawaii is now setting a good example and has banned the fishing of sharks in its territorial waters since January 1, 2022.
Both fishing and angling are prohibited.
This means that no removal of any kind from the regional stocks may take place, nor any capture with the purpose of locking up the shark in any facilities and displaying it, and the deliberate killing of a shark has been considered a criminal offense since then.

After the ban on swimming with dolphins, Hawaii is thus taking on a pioneering role among the coastal states of the USA with regard to the protection of marine animals.

As early as 2010, Hawaii banned the killing of sharks for the purpose of obtaining their dorsal fin, i.e. “shark finning”.
Quoting Brian Neilson from the Hawaiian authorities:
“We are aware of how important sharks are for a healthy ecosystem in the oceans.”.

He also stressed that the ban underscores the importance of sharks to Hawaiians and their culture.
The first violator of the ban will be fined $500, the second $2,000, and the third $10,000.

In addition, an administrative fee of $10,000 is due from the very first violation.
The authority is also entitled to confiscate the fishing or fishing license and to confiscate the boat and equipment.

Fishermen are encouraged to steer clear of shark territory and use barbless circle hooks to release mistakenly caught sharks quickly and without serious injury.

We very much welcome this step by Hawaii and hope that many other states will follow suit.

The shark is a fascinating creature and by no means the beast it is often portrayed as.
If we don’t invade its habitat and don’t disturb it, then it doesn’t pose any danger to humans.

Today the last chance is to do something against the ethical crime of “shark finning” in the EU.

Please take a few minutes and sign the important citizens’ initiative “STOP FINNING – STOP THE TRADE” if you haven’t already, tomorrow will be too late:
https://eci.ec.europa.eu/012/public/#/screen/home

https://www.thepetitionsite.com/de/642/510/595/were-killing-off-sharks.-without-them-the-oceans-may-not-survive./

Text: Together for the animals

AndI mean…Sharks are disappearing at an alarming rate, largely due to shark fishing and being victims of bycatch. Humans need sharks, but there are few laws that protect them.
But now, Hawaii is paving the way for change.

Despite the new law, there are exceptions that allow a lot of wiggle room for offenders to get away. For example, sharks caught as bycatch will not be counted as a violation. Special permits may also be granted to fish sharks by DLNR.

Hopefully, other states will also follow Hawaii’s lead on banning shark fishing and help better protect our oceans, because we, human animals are most certainly willing to hunt a species to extinction..

But we can all do something to help save sharks, and not just these animals.
When we stop eating fish, meat and all the products of animals

My best regards to all, Venus

Farm Animals, General News, Live Transport

England: Remembering Jill and The Tragic Event of 1/2/95.

You can read lots here about Jill and her death at Coventry airport whilst trying to stop the export of live calves.  Visit the links at:

Search Results for “jill phipps” – World Animals Voice

Jill was killed on 1/2/1995.  The link given above will provide a lot of different information on her life, her death trying to protect animals; and the people involved in it; including (her death), Christopher Barrett-Jolley, was a known gun runner who had flown arms to vulnerable developing countries including South Yemen and Sierra Leone.  He was behind the calf shipments from Coventry, and was later jailed for 20 years for attempting to smuggle 270 kg of cocaine into Southend airport, Essex, England.

England: There Is More To The Jill Story When You Have the Facts. – World Animals Voice

We will never forget the actions of Jill; and this is a simple tribute to an animal advocate who was murdered, literally, by a system that at the time viewed animal rights activists as the ‘bad’ ones; rather than looking more into the actions of the ‘other side’ who were involved in the abuses.

Thank you Jill for your actions – you will never be forgotten.

Regards Mark

Veal EU 2
Farm Animals, General News

Denmark: Good News – Danish Retail Chain Commits To Huge Boost In Animal Welfare.

31 January 2022

Dyrenes Beskyttelse

The Danish retail chain REMA 1000 will significantly increase sales of pork and poultry raised at the highest level of animal welfare. This is happening through a new partnership with Animal Protection Denmark, in which REMA 1000 is the first retail chain in Denmark to enter a total phasing out of fast-growing poultry.

REMA 1000 customers will soon be able to buy significantly more food products from animals that have lived out in the open and with more space. Animal Protection Denmark and REMA 1000, a leading discount chain in Denmark, have recently signed an agreement to raise animal welfare to the highest level for far more products produced from pigs, chickens, and cows.

Among other things, the agreement means that, within the next two to three years, 25 percent of the sale of all fresh pork and poultry must come from free range productions.

At the same time, the sale of the fast-growing chicken breed Ross 308 is being phased out completely.

This is very good news for all of the many farmed animals for whom the agreement will mean a life with access to the outdoors, more space, and the opportunity to live out their natural behaviours. The agreement with REMA 1000 is the result of a long and thorough dialogue, in which ambitious goals have been set for both the short and long term. These are goals that will very quickly impact our range of products as well as the marketing of goods with high animal welfare so that the Danish consumer can easily choose good animal welfare when making their daily purchases. This is an agreement that in many ways shows the path forward in the Danish retail market.

Britta Riis, CEO of Animal Protection Denmark

We’re finding that more and more customers want to buy products with high animal welfare, which are approved by Animal Protection Denmark, because there is enormous trust in their brand. Trust that we share, and we want to give the customers the opportunity to make even broader choices.

Anders René Jensen, Purchasing and Marketing director at REMA 1000

The ‘Approved by Animal Protection Denmark’ label is a registered guarantee and certification label, which may only be used on products where the production has been approved by Animal Protection Denmark in accordance with established requirements. The label has existed for 30 years on the Danish market and has only one level of animal welfare, meaning, among other things, that it is only given to agricultural operations where the animals have access to the outdoors.

Regards Mark

General News

Sam Rowley’s mice: “Behavior of mice determined by our everyday life”

Passers-by in London’s underground stations give Sam Rowley a strange look as he lies on the platform with his camera at the ready.
But it’s worth the effort: his photo of two mice fighting over breadcrumbs just won the Wildlife Photographer of the Year audience award.

The two brawlers in action were also a very special moment for experienced mouse photographers like Sam Rowley. Their fight for breadcrumbs that passers-by had carelessly dropped lasted for fractions of a second before the victorious mouse scuttled away triumphantly.
“I hope the photo shows people the untold drama that can be found in the most ordinary cityscape,” says Rowley.

Sam Rowley shows mice mid-battle inside a London Underground station
© Sam Rowley/Wildlife Photographer of the Year

 

His photo was shortlisted for the Lumix People Choice Award 2019, chosen by the Natural History Museum London from over 48,000 images from around the world.

Internet users could vote for their favorite picture with a click of the mouse. Rowley prevailed against meaningful pictures: portraits of an orangutan being forced to box fights against other members of the same species; white reindeer that almost disappear in the white of the arctic; or intimate moments between a baby rhino and his human surrogate mother.
“Behavior of mice determined by our everyday life”

And museum director Michael Dixon also fully agrees with the choice on the Internet: “The picture provides a fascinating insight into how the animal world functions in an environment dominated by humans. The behavior of the mice is determined by our everyday life, by how we move around what food we throw away.”

The winning image serves as a reminder of how deeply connected humans are to the natural world on their doorstep and could help make that relationship more appreciated, Dixon said.

Rowey’s mice are on display at the London Museum in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition until May 31.

https://www.geo.de/natur/tierwelt/22600-rtkl-preisgekroentes-bild-maeuse-im-kruemel-kampf-ein-foto-ueber-das-ungeahnte

Sam Rowley shares how he got into this project of photographing mice:
“Obviously every Londoner knows about mice in the underground but I did a bit of research and found that nobody had actually photographed them. It felt like a story that needed to be told.”

Sam’s winning shot beat entries from all over the world, with images taken in Lebanon, Canada, the UK and Spain all picking up the ‘highly commended’ accolade.

Capturing the mice mid-fight was no mean feat, with Sam having to wait patiently for one week for the split-second of action.

He said: “It involved me lying on my stomach for five hours a night for a week to get the perspective nobody else sees.

“The main challenge wasn’t the mice but actually having to dodge people and trying to shut down conversations with them.

“It was really nice that people took an interest in what I was doing but every time someone spoke to me it scared the mice away.
“As it was late at night and approaching Christmas lots of these people were hammered too, so it really was quite tough.”

Sam did not want to reveal which station he took the photo at but said it was in central London.

He said this week’s sudden media frenzy, which has seen him interviewed by a wide range of media including Sky, ITV and BBC, has been ‘crazy but good fun’.

Great job Sam! we think it’s great that this, your photo, was awarded the prize.
Mainly because these animals are treated like dirt by most.
When their fate is shown at the London Museum, maybe things will change.

My best regards to all, Venus