Environmental

Gray whale “Wally” swims in Italy

A young gray whale swims off the coast of Italy – the animals actually live in the Pacific. Has global warming opened a way across the Arctic and Atlantic?

A gray whale has been sighted on the coast of Italy and is causing all sorts of speculations about its origin.
Because the giant animals actually live on the other side of the globe on the coasts of the East and West Pacific.
The one-year-old gray whale, christened “Wally” by the Italian press, was sighted in the Gulf of Naples near Sorrento, near the island of Ponza and in front of the US naval base of Gaeta, and was last swimming around near Fiumicino near Rome, like the coast guard reported on Thursday.

Gray whale in the Pacific | The population of gray whales in the Pacific Ocean is around 22,000, far below the previous population of around 96,000.

The appearance of a gray whale in the Mediterranean Sea is extremely rare.
Several experts suspect that the melting of the polar ice caps in the Arctic will open up new routes into the Atlantic for gray whales.
In fact, the marine mammals in this ocean were thought to be extinct.
“Gray whales are coastal whales and sometimes invade large lagoons,” write whale conservationists from the Marevivo organization.
So they could also explore the way to the Mediterranean. The animal is “probably malnourished because our ecosystem does not offer enough resources. But it’s strong enough to look for food. “

The Mexican whale expert Jorge Urban, interviewed by the Italian newspaper »La Repubblica«, speculates that gray whales, arriving in the Atlantic, can enter different waters: »North America, Iceland, Spain and finally the Mediterranean, a great lagoon for them« so Urban.

Gray whales can weigh up to 35 tons. Here is a copy off the coast of Mexico.

Other experts suggested that because of its young age, the animal might even have been born in the Atlantic.

This would raise new research questions on the return of the animals to regions where the species became extinct some time ago.
Because of the climate crisis, gray whale experts are concerned about the way the gray whales live in the Pacific: In the Arctic, the sea ice is dwindling and with it the food supply.
The animals therefore have to swim further and further north in search of food.

https://www.spektrum.de/news/verirrte-tiere-raetsel-um-grauwal-vor-italien/1863577

And I mean…In fact, this marine mammal species has long been extinct in the Atlantic and Mediterranean.
To date, only the East Pacific gray whale populations have recovered. The West Pacific gray whales are more threatened than ever by oil and gas drilling.

There is much speculation as to where “Wally” came from: It is unlikely that the animal swam all the way. That’s what the experts say. The whale is still too young for that.
It is more likely that the young whale was born in the Mediterranean Sea.

That would be a real sensation. Because that would mean that there are even more gray whales in the Mediterranean.

No matter where the guest Wally “comes from, we wish you all the best and a long, carefree life

My best regards to all, Venus

General News, Vegan Recipes

England: 9/7/21 – Vegan Bites.

9 Badass Vegan Broccoli Recipes That Are Super Easy to Make

9 Badass Vegan Broccoli Recipes That Are Super Easy to Make – ChooseVeg

Vegan Beauty Basics (Quick & Easy Guide to Understand What Vegan Beauty Is)

Vegan Beauty Basics – Easy Guide to Understand What Vegan Beauty Is (ethicalelephant.com)

The best vegan-friendly rooftop bars and restaurants in London

The best vegan-friendly rooftop bars and restaurants in London | The Vegan Review

Research Reveals Which US States Have Highest Number of Grocery Stores Catering to Vegans

Research Reveals Which US States Have Highest Number of Grocery Stores Catering to Vegans – vegconomist – the vegan business magazine

ALL THE BEST PLACES TO GET VEGAN ICE CREAM THIS SUMMER

All the Best Places to Get Vegan Ice Cream This Summer | VegNews

NYC IS ONE STEP CLOSER TO GETTING ITS FIRST VEGAN MAYOR

NYC Is One Step Closer to Getting Its First Vegan Mayor | VegNews

25 Amazing Vegan Potato Recipes

25 Amazing Vegan Potato Recipes | EatPlant-Based

An All-Vegan Ethiopian Restaurant Rides Into the Heart of Santa Monica Soon

All-Vegan Ethiopian Restaurant Rides into Heart of Santa Monica Soon – Eater LA

Regards Mark

Environmental, Farm Animals, Fur and Fur Farming, General News

USA: U.S. proposal would ban mink farming to stem COVID-19 mutation.

U.S. proposal would ban mink farming to stem COVID-19 mutation

U.S. proposal would ban mink farming to stem COVID-19 mutation – The Globe and Mail

A bipartisan proposal in the U.S. House would ban the farming of mink fur in the United States in an effort to stem possible mutations of the coronavirus, something researchers have said can be accelerated when the virus spreads among animals.

The bill introduced this week is an effort from Reps. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., and Nancy Mace, R-S.C. It would prohibit the import, export, transport, sale or purchase of mink in the United States.

Researchers have said that spread of COVID-19 among animals could speed up the number of mutations in the virus before it potentially jumps back to people.

Last year, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control issued new guidance to curb the spread of the coronavirus between minks and humans. The agency warned that when COVID-19 starts spreading on a mink farm, the large numbers of animal infections means “the virus can accumulate mutations more quickly in minks and spread back into the human population.”

Denmark reported last year that 12 people had been sickened by a variant of the coronavirus that had distinct genetic changes also seen in mink.

“What we want to do is ban the inhumane practice of farming mink for fur,” Mace said Friday during an interview with The Associated Press. “At the same time, it’s also a public health crisis, so it helps fix both of those situations.”

“Knowing that there are variants, and being someone who cares about the humane treatment of animals, this is sort of a win-win for folks,” she added. “And I believe that you’ll see Republicans and Democrats on both sides of the aisle work on this together.”

According to Fur Commission USA, a non-profit representing U.S. mink farmers, there are approximately 275 mink farms in 23 states across the United States, producing about 3 million pelts per year. That amounts to an annual value of more than $300 million, according to the commission.

There have been several mink-related coronavirus cases in the U.S. In December, a mink caught outside an Oregon farm tested positive for low-levels of the coronavirus. State officials said they believed the animal had escaped from a small farm already under quarantine because of a coronavirus outbreak among mink and humans.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a mink on a Michigan farm “and a small number of people” were infected with a coronavirus “that contained mink-related mutations,” something officials said suggested that mink-to-human spread may have occurred.

While mink-to-human spread is possible, CDC officials said “there is no evidence that mink are playing a significant role in the spread of SARS-CoV-2 to people.”

Our Morning Update and Evening Update newsletters are written by Globe editors, giving you a concise summary of the day’s most important headlines. 

Sign up today.

Regards Mark

Question – what do you call a man that does not listen to others ?

Answer – Mr. Trump.

Related articles:

B.C. mink farm in quarantine after animal tests positive for COVID-19 – The Globe and Mail

One of two quarantined mink farms in B.C. resumes breeding program – The Globe and Mail

B.C. mink farmer euthanizes remaining 1,000 animals on farm after positive COVID-19 tests – The Globe and Mail

Live Transport

Over half a million animals brought to Israel since January

– Report By JERUSALEM POST STAFF JULY 8, 2021 

Reports indicate that the livestock delivered to Israel were living in horrid conditions in the cargo ship, which caused them great suffering.

In 2018 alone, 685,000 animals came to Israel from Australia and Europe. Photo: imago

More than 500,000 calves and lambs passed through Israeli ports in cargo ships during the first half of 2021, according to the Agriculture Ministry, and the Knesset should “act urgently and stop the madness of live shipments,” Animals Now, an Israel-based animal-rights group, said Wednesday in a press release.
Animal shipments to Israel this year have increased 59% compared with 2020, it said. Almost half a million animals were delivered to the country in 2017, it added.
Shipments of animals to Israel come from Australia, Sweden, France and elsewhere.

A bill proposed by Likud MK Miki Zohar would end this practice within three years.
However, in November 2018, the legislative process to pass it was halted due to early elections. Since then, multiple bills have been submitted to stop live animal shipments.
A few bills have been submitted to the current Knesset, spearheaded by Zohar and MKs Sharren Haskel (New Hope), Ibtisam Mara’ana-Menuhin (Labor) and Mossi Raz (Meretz).

30.10.2020 | Trotz Verbot: Internationale Tiertransporte nach Zentralasien gehen weiter | SWR Recherche-Unit | REPORT MAINZ | SWR.de

The Agriculture Ministry has not imposed sanctions on importers or ship owners who have not complied with the ministry’s guidelines, “Animals Now” said.
Reports indicate that animals that were delivered to Israel were living in horrid conditions while in the cargo ship, which caused them great suffering, it said.

“They do not care about animals,” Animals Now said. “They are only interested in the money they [make] from cramming animals into crowded and polluted ships. We call on MKs and the government to act urgently and stop the madness of live shipments.”

https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/over-half-a-million-animals-brought-to-israel-since-jan-2021-report-673192

And I mean…In 2019, the bloated carcass of a calf washed up on Zuk Beach in northern Tel Aviv.

A few days later the gruesome incident was repeated.
“Where do the dead animals come from?” Asked the bathers angrily. The answer came on the evening news: from the animal transports that regularly ship hundreds of thousands of cows and sheep to Israel.
Died and thrown overboard.

Workers were filmed torturing calves and lambs with electric shocks while they were being unloaded from the ship’s belly. The 20,000 young animals were transported from Australia to the port of Eilat in a week-long journey.

Workers were filmed torturing calves and lambs with electric shocks while they were being unloaded from the ship’s belly. The 20,000 young animals were transported from Australia to the port of Eilat in a week-long journey.

Unloading alone took five long days.
These are images that shock and shake even the toughest.
Sheep, cows, calves and lambs, crammed together in the overheated storage rooms of ships, pounding in front of them and then mistreated.
In between sick and dead animals, smeared with excrement and blood.
Many suffer injuries and broken bones from the rough seas.

Israeli animal welfare organizations reported those responsible for cruelty to animals according to the pictures published by TV channel 13.
The spokesman for “Israel Against Live Shipments” said that in the 15 years the group has been active, he has never seen such cruelty to animals.
And yet it is not an isolated case, but a daily reality when transporting live animals.

According to the animal welfare organization, it is common practice to simply throw sick or dead animals overboard.
“Many even alive.”

In July 2018, a draft to end live transports was accepted by the Legislative Committee in a preliminary reading.
The proposal aims to reduce the shipping of live animals – hundreds of thousands annually – within the next three years and then ban them completely.

Only meat (chilled or frozen) should then be allowed to be transported to Israel.
Sixty rabbis also wrote a public letter in which they made it clear: “This is neither the Torah nor human morality to allow such cruelty to animals.”
Nothing has happened since then.

https://www.juedische-allgemeine.de/israel/transporte-des-horrors/

“They do not care about animals” says Animals Now.

Neither do our corrupt politicians. And not in the whole world.
They control and organize the animal transports according to their economic profit.
No other exploiter is politically and economically more powerful than the meat mafia.
The meat industry makes most of its profits from the suffering and exploitation of animals.

On the other hand, animal exploitation would be unthinkable without the support of a society that still consumes meat in perverse numbers.
We fight against the meat mafia and against this inveterate, meat-oriented ideology of today’s society.
We have had some small successes, but there is still a long way to go.
And we’ll go it.

Because the animals only have us.

My best regards to all, Venus

General News, Hunting

USA: Montana and Idaho (Republican-controlled states – what else ?) Have Legalized Killing Wolves on a Massive Scale.

‘Motivated by livestock and big game hunting interests, Idaho and Montana recently enacted a series of new laws that allow for the aggressive hunting of wolves’.  Wow – big men in camo trousers !

 

Montana and Idaho Have Legalized Killing Wolves on a Massive Scale

The two Republican-controlled states have passed laws that could decimate the wolf population and endanger a major conservation success story.

Montana and Idaho Legalized Killing Wolves on a Massive Scale (gizmodo.com)

Gray wolves (Canis lupus) have been persecuted in the U.S. since the arrival of Europeans. By the 20th century, they had been driven to near-extinction. Narrowly pulled back from the brink by endangered species protections and reintroductions in Yellowstone National Park and central Idaho in the 1990s, they are one of North America’s greatest conservation success stories.

Wolf recovery has had huge cultural resonance. Most Americans love wolves. Gas station t-shirts and tchotchkes featuring the species have become a fixture of kitsch Americana—a testament to our collective love for these charismatic canids.

Still, antipathy has persisted in some quarters. Now, state legislation threatens the Northern Rockies population, concentrated in Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming with smaller numbers dispersed across California, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, and Utah.

Motivated by livestock and big game hunting interests, Idaho and Montana recently enacted a series of new laws that allow for the aggressive hunting of wolves. Supporters erroneously claim that the predators threaten the livelihood of ranchers and wreak havoc on elk herds.

“[People] don’t understand the truth of what wolves do. It’s not their fault. The universities and media have brainwashed them at so many levels,” insists Steve Alder, executive director of Idaho for Wildlife, a controversial hunting advocacy organization.

Conservationists counter that this sort of antagonism is rooted in a superstitious, ideological dislike for wolves that doesn’t square with the reality of their impact. Data strongly indicates that the complaints by hunting and agricultural interest groups are exaggerated.

Predation on livestock by wolves is relatively low and elk populations are stable. In Idaho, between July 2019 and July 2020, there were only 102 confirmed livestock kills, with 28 more considered probable. Montana saw 238 confirmed kills in 2020. Both states host millions of cattle, sheep, and other ruminants, and compensate ranchers for each confirmed loss. Elk herds are thriving, with around 136,000 animals in Montana and 120,000 in Idaho. Most hunting districts meet or exceed their population goals.

“There are no data that would suggest that conflicts exist at such a level that a massive massacre of gray wolves is indicated,” said ecologist Mike Phillips, who headed the early efforts to reintroduce wolves to Yellowstone National Park and later served as a Democratic senator for Montana. “They’re ecologically illiterate.”

“Wolves have self-regulated their populations for millennia based on prey availability, habitat, and competitors,” added Michelle Lute, a conservation manager with Project Coyote, an organization that works to promote coexistence between humans and wildlife. “We just don’t need to manage them.”

Continued on next page.

Pages: 1 2 3
Environmental, General News, Uncategorized

England: 13 Elephants To Be Flown To Africa (From England) and Re Homed by the Aspinall Foundation.

WAV Comment:  The Aspinall Foundation is based in our (England) home county of Kent.  There are 2 facilities; which are not ‘zoos’ in the typical sense.  Instead, they are breeding facilities with the intention of returning endangered species back to their ‘homelands’; with the hope they will establish new breeding colonies.

This programme to home 13 elephants back to Africa from the UK will be a world first.  We watched Damian on the BBC this morning; and the aim is to fly all 13 animals to Africa in one consignment.  They have each had a special crate for their journey made, and they have been getting used to entering those over the last few weeks.  When loaded; all the crates contain the elephants will be taken to the airport where they will all be loaded onto one single cargo aircraft.  Then they will be flown to Africa and the whole process repeated to get them to their new home.

It is a massive logistical task; but we have every confidence that it will go ok.

What a shame that African elephants have to be bred in the UK and then flown to Africa.  What a shame that some hunter dickheads pay big bucks to kill the beautiful animals that are already there.  But this breeding and rehoming project just shows that there are people and organisations that are better than the hunters.  We have supported the Foundation monthly for over 20 years, and when you see this, it shows your monthly donation is being put to good use.

Below I have included a link so that you can see the conservation work the foundation is doing.

As you can see in the videos below, they also specialise in putting Gorillas back into the wild from the facility at Howletts, Kent, England

Regards Mark

Link – https://www.aspinallfoundation.org/

 

Herd of 13 elephants to be flown from the UK to Africa in groundbreaking rewilding project (inews.co.uk)

Herd of 13 elephants to be flown from the UK to Africa in ground breaking rewilding project

The ambitious project is the first of its kind in the world

An animal conservation charity is to rewild 13 elephants from the UK to Africa in what will be a world first.

The Aspinall Foundation’s project – the largest it has ever undertaken – will fly the elephants, weighing 25 tonnes, more than 7,000 km (4,350 miles) to their ancestral homelands. 

This is the first time that a herd of elephants has ever been rewilded anywhere in the world and no elephant rewilding project of this scale has ever been attempted before. 

The logistics of the operation have been described as “huge”. 

All of the elephants will be transported on one 777 plane accompanied by a team and vets. 

Prior to the journey – which is set to take place next year – the animals will be acclimatised to smaller spaces. 

Once the elephants are in Africa, the charity will work with The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust and the Kenya Wildlife Service, to rewild the entire breeding herd of 13 African elephants, including three calves.

At present, the elephants  – one of the most successful breeding herds in Europe – are located in an eight-acre enclosure at Howletts Wild Animal Park in Kent. 

They comprise two interrelated families but the intention is to rewild them as one larger herd. 

Two different sites, both in the south of Kenya, are currently under consideration for the elephants.

The elephants will face new risks not encountered in captivity, such as new diseases and different food, but The Aspinall Foundation says its experience of rewilding projects will help guide the animals’ transition.

As will The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, which has been at the forefront of African elephant conservation for more than four decades and provided a “wild future” to more than 260 rescued orphans and operated projects to ensure they and their families are protected throughout their lives. 

The Aspinall Foundation hopes the project will have a positive effect in the zoo industry by discouraging the trade in elephants and bolster commitment to returning animals to the wild, where possible.

It also hopes to prove that proving such a project can be done will encourage zoos to do the same.

The public can support the project by donating through its JustGiving page. 

Damian Aspinall, Chairman of The Aspinall Foundation, said: “This is an incredibly exciting project and a genuine world-first. 

“As with any conservation project of this magnitude, there are obviously big risks, but we consider them well worth it to get these magnificent elephants back into the wild where they belong.

“By supporting the project, members of the public will be part of conservation history, helping to restore an iconic species to its ancestral homeland.

“If this is successful, I would love to see elephants held in captivity all over the world be rewilded too.”

For more information, or to donate to the project, visit justgiving.com/campaign/backtothewild

 

Regards Mark

Hunting

France: Psychopaths on the construction hunt

A dangerous investigation, undercover in a hunting crew underground-Report of the French organization “One Voice”

We managed to infiltrate the very closed environment of underground hunting in the spring of 2019.

As part of a Hauts de France crew, our investigators witnessed several massacres: that of badgers and fox cubs.
They attended the search for foxes in this basement of Hauts-de France for hours.


Accepted by the huntsmen, they filmed the abominable spectacle that unfolded before their eyes, so that the unvarnished reality bursts into the faces of those who allow this cruel hunt.
For everyone, too, kept in the impossibility of imagining what is hidden in the woods of France by simple ignorance!

When the French learn that underground hunting is allowed, they want to ban it. Now they know as precisely as possible what this means for the animals concerned.

Unearthing, an unbearable horror

Continue reading “France: Psychopaths on the construction hunt” →

General News

Spain, Pamplona: the “Fiesta” is over for this year!

We have very good news:  ​​According to the regional government of Navarra, the bull run in Pamplona has to be canceled this year due to the corona pandemic.
We have already reported about it: https://worldanimalsvoice.com/2019/07/08/pamplona-the-blood-runs-along/

Photo courtesy of CNN

The Spanish newspaper “El Pais” announced the city’s decision as follows: “Sadness and silence in a new July 7 without closure of San Fermín. In 2022 the centenary of the bullring is commemorated and the mayor advocates celebrating “something special”.

“Something special” is the spectacle of San Fermin!
Because to inspire and enjoy in the 21st century how innocent and completely defenseless animals suffer and are tortured to death is a sign that humanity has barely developed, and that invalidates our humorous manifesto that we are “the coronation of creation”.

The second consecutive cancellation is seen as a major blow to Navarre’s economy, which is heavily reliant on hospitality and cheap tourism.
Hotel and restaurant operators are angry and sad because they are still struggling with the consequences of several corona lockdowns.

But we are very happy, although we know exactly that next year the “something special” will come again, and this massacre will mean blood and life for the animals again.
PETA has therefore organized a petition calling for the eternal abolition of this medieval spectacle in Spain.

San Fermín. Feste in Pamplona | spain.info auf deutsch

It says: “No More Deaths: Call For a Permanent End to Bullfights and Bull Runs”
We sign and share

https://secure.peta.org.uk/page/61097/petition/1

My best regards to all, Venus

Uncategorized

Canada: Poisons for wolves, bears and coyotes!

Every year, with the permission of the Government of Canada, thousands of wildlife die a painful, slow, and excruciating death from poisoning.

The Canadian government allows the deadly poisons strychnine, sodium cyanide, and sodium fluoracetate to be used to kill wolves, bears, and coyotes in the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan.

But every year the widespread and poorly regulated use of these poisons leads to the agonizing and painful death of not only these species, but also other animals including dogs.

No question: an unnecessarily long and painful death from poison is inhuman. There are far better ways of dealing with conflicts between animals and humans. If the killing of a wild animal is indeed inevitable, there would also be more humane solutions.

These poisons have no place in modern wildlife policy.

Killing wolves, coyotes and bears is not a sustainable solution to recurring conflicts between humans and these animals. And there is enough scientific evidence to end the ineffective, unnecessary, and cruel use of the above poisons.

Please help us and send an email on your behalf to the Canadian government (Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Minister for Environment and Climate Change Jonathan Wilkinson, Health Minister Patty Hajdu and Ambassador Stéphane Dion) using the prepared form.
The email can be found further down:

“I am writing to express my concern about the current policy allowing the use of using poison to kill wolves, bears and coyotes in Canada. There is sufficient scientific evidence indicating that the use of strychnine, Compound 1080 and sodium cyanide to kill large vertebrate predators is inhumane, and I would like to see an immediate end to the use of these poisons to kill wolves, bears and coyotes in Alberta and Canada.

The use of strychnine, currently approved for use in the province of Alberta, is in contravention of the guidelines of the Canadian Council on Animal Care, the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association, the American Veterinary Medical Association and the American Society of Mammalogists. The use of cyanide and compound 1080 have also been denounced by many of these bodies.

Strychnine, sodium cyanide and compound 1080 are inhumane and indiscriminate poisons, causing unnecessary pain and suffering and killing far more animals than those for which they are intended. These poisons have no place in modern wildlife conservation practices.

Wolves, grizzly bears and coyotes are apex predators that play a valuable ecosystem role. There is no scientific evidence to suggest that killing predators will assist in the recovery of prey populations, such as caribou, or to reduce human-wildlife conflicts. I urge your governments to invest in humane, non-lethal methods to manage conflicts between humans and wildlife”.

Text: ifaw

Petition: https://action.ifaw.org/page/83576/action/1

And I mean…There are some people, who really think that human civilisation is a blessing even for animals, not the least for wild animals, and that wilderness is the epitome of cruelty and violence.

When did one “violent” wild animal poison another?

Canada is a huge country and the wolves live mostly in very sparsely populated regions.
There are around 60,000 wolves in Canada, they are found all over the country and generally avoid the densely populated south.
Encounters between wolves and farm animals are correspondingly rare.

Nevertheless! The criminal deals of Canada with its wildlife has long been known: in British Columbia, in the far west of Canada, over 460 wolves were shot in the winter of 2019.

Polar bears are critically endangered around the world. There are only about 25,000 left! Main threats: climate change and commercial hunting!
The living space melts away from the animals’ paws, they fight for survival.
Yet hundreds of polar bears are shot down in Canada every year – quite legally!

=> Canada sells hunting licenses to international hunting tour operators, who in turn directly to trophy hunters – officially!

=> Canada is the only country in the world that allows trophy hunting for polar bears and makes money from it!
Trophy hunters from all over the world come to Canada every year and pay up to 40,000 dollars to shoot a polar bear!

=> In Canada up to 700 polar bears are shot by hunters every year, who then enjoy their “trophy”!

When will this government finally cease to be the unconditional servant of the hunters and farmers?

My best regards to all, Venus

General News, Uncategorized, Vegan Recipes

UK: Boiling Lobsters Alive to be Banned Under New Government legislation – Also Includes Crabs, Octopuses, Squid and other invertebrates recognised as Sentient Beings Capable of Feeling Pain.

Boiling lobsters alive to be banned under new Government legislation

Cooking lobsters by boiling them alive could be banned under animal welfare plans being drawn up by Government ministers.

The Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill, currently making its way through the House of Lords, only covers animals with a backbone.

But the House is making amendments to the legislation which would mean crabs, lobsters, octopuses, squid and other invertebrates are recognised as sentient beings capable of feeling pain.

It would give them legal protections and stop fishmongers and chefs boiling crustaceans alive. Instead they would have be stunned or chilled before boiling which is believed to be a more humane way of cooking.

Shrink-wrapping live shellfish or posting them is also likely to be banned under the amendment, put forward by Baroness Hayman of Ullock.

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/boiling-lobsters-alive-ban-new-government-legislation-b944489.html

Lobsters’ feelings loom large as British Parliament debates animal welfare bill

By

William Booth

July 4, 2021 at 9:28 p.m. UTC

LONDON — How does a lobster feel when it’s dropped into the boiling pot? The British Parliament wants to know.

Is an octopus sad, sometimes? Does the squid learn its lessons? The bee feel joy? The earthworm anxiety? The peers in the House of Lords are currently debating the matter.

These questions arise because Prime Minister Boris Johnson is trying to make good on his electoral pledge to enshrine into law the idea that animals are “sentient beings,” meaning the government would be obligated to not only safeguard creatures’ physical well-being but also take into account their feelings — of pleasure, pain and more.

The Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill is a potentially sweeping piece of legislation that could require all arms of government — not just the agriculture ministry — to consider animal sentience when forming policy and writing regulations. The implications could be moral and profound, supporters hope — or cumbersome and bureaucratic, critics say, with some seeing a power play by vegan activists and animal rights radicals.

The bill does appear to go further than European Union protections, once seen as the most comprehensive on Earth, and far beyond the relatively lax laws in the United States.

What is sentience? As Charles Darwin suggested 150 years ago, it may be the ability to feel “pleasure and pain, happiness and misery.”

In the House of Lords, the peers wondered aloud whether they were not touching on questions of the soul.

“The big picture has changed,” said Donald Broom, a Cambridge University authority on animal welfare.

“I think of the new idea as ‘one biology.’ That human animals and other animals are extraordinarily similar,” he said, “and that sentient animals are individuals who feel pain and suffering and all sorts of other things, and that should be taken into account.”

Broom said he was “not against eating or exploiting animals, but we should think about them as individuals.”

He said the scientific study of animal cognition, consciousness and sentience has galloped forward in recent years and that abilities once thought unique to humans have also been discovered in nonhuman animals, including tool use, language, sense of time and the future, deception, empathy and altruism.

The bill now being debated is unprecedented in scope because it seeks to protect wildlife as well as domesticated and companion animals such as cows and chickens, dogs and cats.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/animal-welfare-sentient-uk-parliament/2021/07/04/44593460-d8df-11eb-8c87-ad6f27918c78_story.html

Positive News about time;

Regards Mark

Enjoy ‘Grumpy old Rick’