General News, Uncategorized

Petitions – and South Korean Dog Meat Actions.

Hi all; here are a few petitions which need your support if possible – Thanks and regards – Mark:

Badly Injured Dog Reportedly Dragged Behind Speeding Car Deserves Justice

Petition Link – Badly Injured Dog Reportedly Dragged Behind Speeding Car Deserves Justice – Animal Petitions

Target: Gizat Nurdauletov, Kazakhstan Prosecutor General

Goal: Give person who reportedly dragged dog behind moving car the toughest sentence punishable by law.

A dog was allegedly tied to the back of a car and forcibly dragged as its driver sped down the road. Kazakhstan police have not named the suspect involved. However, he was detained and is now being questioned by authorities. This person needs to be put behind bars for the maximum amount of time if it is found he committed this unthinkable act of animal cruelty.

Video footage appears to show the dog being dragged behind a moving car with a trail of blood following his injured body. A witness told police that they honked their horn until the driver finally stopped. After the witness asked the motorist why they were mistreating the animal, he allegedly picked up the dog and threw the animal inside his boot before leaving the scene.

The dog was swiftly taken to a veterinary clinic to receive treatment after the suspect was detained. The animal reportedly needs to take pain killers to sustain any quality of life. Sign this petition to demand the person allegedly responsible for this blatant act of animal cruelty be given the longest prison sentence possible.

PETITION LETTER:

Dear Prosecutor General Nurdauletov,

An unnamed suspect was recently detained for tying a dog to the back of his car and then speeding down the road,  dragging the helpless animal behind him. He needs to be given the strictest sentence under the law if it is found he committed this horrific crime.

The alleged incident was captured on dash camera. The driver was allegedly going so fast that it would have been impossible for the animal to run behind the car. Instead, the poor dog was dragged and badly injured. Witnesses described a trail of blood left in his wake.

The dog fortunately lived and was treated for his injuries. However, the wounds were reportedly so bad that the dog will experience prolonged pain and suffering. We therefore demand you suggest the person allegedly responsible receive the most stringent sentence allowed by law if it is found he committed this heartless act of animal abuse.

Sincerely,

[Your Name Here]

SIGN: JUSTICE FOR DOLPHIN BEATEN TO DEATH WITH AXES AND STICKS

Petition link – PETITION: Justice for Dolphin Beaten to Death With Axes and Sticks (ladyfreethinker.org)

SIGN: Justice for Dolphin Beaten to Death With Axes and Sticks

PETITION TARGET: Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar

India’s Ganges River turned red with blood as a group of attackers beat a critically endangered and protected Gangetic dolphin to death with wooden rods and an axe.

Disturbing video footage captured by a witness shows one of the men yelling, “Hit it now, hit it now” and the attackers then holding the dolphin’s head underwater until he drowned. A local official later found the dolphin floating dead, with multiple lacerations and other wounds to its body, The Guardian reported.

The highly threatened Gangetic dolphin population is now an estimated 1,800 or less, and they are moving alarmingly closer to extinction.

Police in Uttar Pradesh arrested three suspects in connection with this horrifying act of cruelty. Several others who may have been involved in the senseless killing are reportedly still free.

Anyone who assisted in bludgeoning and suffocating this defenseless dolphin must answer for their actions.

Sign this petition urging Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar to push authorities to thoroughly investigate this appalling crime, use all available resources to find and charge any yet-unidentified suspects, and prosecute all perpetrators to the fullest extent of the law.

Korean cat and dog meat

Above Photo: Dogs are frozen to death in South Korea’s dog meat farms. Korea Animal Welfare Association(KAWA)..
 

Despite the fact that dog and cat meat consumption is an everyday occurrence and is being carried out all over South Korea, it is NOT LEGAL in that country. Their Government does nothing to stop this illegal practice and they seem happy to ignore it; many Korean citizens are just as apathetic and must also be held accountable.

This is the 21st Century, and it is high time that all South Koreans, leaders and general public alike, stand up and take responsibility to enforce their own country’s laws. South Korea and South Koreans cannot continue to ignore these brutal and unethical trades, so let us campaign to urge each of South Korea’s cities to enforce their laws and to put an immediate end to these illegal dog and cat meat trades. 

The e-People petition is the South Korean government’s official petition site and your petition will receive a response from the Korean government. Anyone from all countries can file a petition using the e-People petition.  It’s quite simple to file e-People petitions, but you can find help on (1) how to file e-People petition and (2) how to check the status of your e-People petitions on our website.

Read the full newsletter with plenty of actions at:

https://r.newsletter.koreandogs.org/aiok4kodtht7e.html?utm_source=sendinblue&utm_campaign=_We_have_the_power_to_stop_their_suffering_with_our_voice!_&utm_medium=email

Further Action

Please click on the following link to see loads of other petitions which you can support; go to:

https://animalpetitions.org/

Farm Animals, General News

India: More Greats From ‘Animal Aid Unlimited’. January 2021.

We are in regular contact with Erika at AAU; and are always amazed at the work that is done by the AAU crew to help suffering animals. Here are a few of the latest videos that have been sent to us. We wish them growing success, and may all their fantastic work continue – one day soon it will be across ALL India !

Regards Mark

You’ve probably heard the song that goes, “What the world, needs now, is love sweet love”? It was written in the 1960s but it’s certainly still true. While the world battles the pandemic and plenty of political chaos, the animals here have, every moment, reminded us that the most enduring, stabilizing and beautiful fact is that love works. It supports, soothes, heals and energizes all of us.

No surprise that chickens, too, thrive with love, when it is expressed as a safe place, plentiful food, fresh air, and friends. Happy New Year from our rescued rooster Rockstar, who joins us all in thanking you for your love, sweet love, which the world needs now, and which you give us every day.

Butterfly’s eyes seem to speak as her healing begins.

Someone noticed a donkey in a field whosebone was exposed from a devastating friction wound, made worse by maggots. Our rescuers found that she flinched when approached, telling us that she didn’t trust people.During her first treatment, she lay perfectly still, her expression fearful and defeated.

Her eyes conveyed so much, it is hard to summarize in just a word. They held anguish, resignation, fatigue. But they also radiated kindness, announcing her profound sweetness. As soon as we eased her pain with medicine, stabilizing bandages and a splint, her glow of life brightened–you could just see it. Watch this girl, so inward and dejected at the start, unfurl her beautiful wings and beam with life as she heals.

We call her Butterfly. You’ll see why. Please donate

2020 was also a beautiful year!

Watch this short video about the GOOD you helped achieve

(16) Watch | Facebook

Every loving moment we shared with animals in 2020 refreshed our hearts and gave us so much strength. The animals awakened our humor, and filled us with energy to do our best each day. Even though the pandemic made it a difficult year, the animals and your extraordinary help through thick and thin, kept us going strong.

We’ll keep it going in 2021 with your help. Make a donation today!

A paralysed dog growled and barked, but patience brought the sweetest reward.

We don’t know what caused this sweetheart’s injury.His spine was hurt and he could not stand. His legs were limp, and someone had loosely tied them together; we don’t know why. It seemed he had a story to tell. At first, rigid with pain, he merely endured his initial assessment, but ate with so much relaxed enthusiasm that we named him Comfy.

Some time later, though, feeling a bit better, he let us know that perhaps we had named him “Comfy” too soon. He told us we were not welcome to touch him. He growled. He barked. And he kept it up for a while. We knew that without physiotherapy he might never walk again, but how could we manage it if he wouldn’t let us touch him?

Watch Comfy’s transition from paralysed and frustrated to becoming fully mobile, happy and finally…a comfy bundle of love. 

Kindness changes outcomes.

Please donate

Spotlight on the team   One of the gems in our midst is Deepak Nath.

He joined the team as a care-giver a year ago and doesn’t pass by an animal without giving a cuddle.   You know someone is incredibly special when on their days off from work they bring injured animals they’ve found to Animal Aid for treatment.








One of the gems in our midst is Deepak Nath. He joined the team as a care-giver a year ago and doesn’t pass by an animal without giving a cuddle.
 
You know someone is incredibly special when on their days off from work they bring injured animals they’ve found to Animal Aid for treatment

Most of the people we hire for the role of care-giver have never before worked with animals.

While this can pose a challenge for us it also gives us hope when we see how people from all different backgrounds can take on animal protection as a way of life.   Click here for latest positions from Emergency Call Attendant to Veterinary Doctor for residents of India.

Farm Animals, General News, Live Transport

England: Major Job Now Completed !

18/1/21

Update – UL Live Export Consultation.

Last night, 17/1, I completed and submitted to the UK government our responses regarding the proposed ban on live animal exports from the UK.  Almost immediately I was informed that our submission had been accepted by the Ministry and would join others for the final review.

References:

England: Full Info on the UK Ban Live Exports Consultation. Finishes End of Jan 2021. – World Animals Voice

UK: Live Exports (Ban) Consultation. – World Animals Voice

Our response, once completed, comprised of 41 written pages of written text; without any photos but with video footage and also links to past media coverage on specific issues.

I am not going to show our responses here on this site; as some of the data relates to specific investigative operations undertaken in the past, which we do not want to make them public.  In the information provided to the government we have requested that our information be kept private and confidential; only to be reviewed by the government; and not openly presented to wider audiences as it could have been.  Again, we have had confirmation of this request.

As you probably know by now; live animal transport is my major ‘hate’ in this animal abuse world.  It has taken me personally 32 years of activism to get to the situation we are now at – and with stories from 32 years stored away (in my still functioning head I think ?) there is a lot of info to look back at and select as important.  Saying that, the aim of the response to the government is to get a ban on live animal transport this year; and I feel confident / hopeful that in the end we will succeed.  I know that several other personal contacts in the ‘animal rights world’ are also making submissions at this time; so hopefully we can look for change in the near future.

As a member state of the EU; and despite the vast majority wishes of most UK citizens for a ban to be introduced for many years; the British government was banned (by the EU) from introducing a ban on live animal exports.  As the UK broke away from the EU completely at the end of last year (2020); it can now take back its own control and have its own laws on issues – and the potential ban on live transport is one of them.

This does not mean that we now forget the tens of thousands of animals in transport across the EU; and the fact that many of them are evading EU regulations to end up being ritually slaughtered (against EU legislation) in places such as Lebanon and Libya.  We will continue to work as always with our EU friends to ensure that combined, we get the very best we can for the animals.

Review some of our past posts on the subject here – Search Results for “live animal transport” – World Animals Voice

I am now glad that task is completed and I can get onto to other things.

Regards Mark

Here are just a small selection of photos I have taken on this disgusting business over the years:

Below – exposing French calves being imported into the UK (a scam) to obtain compensation payouts by the UK government which should have only been made to British industry only ! – things turned real nasty after I took this photo; we caught them and they did not take kindly – but then few things in life are ever perfect !

Above – British calves being exported by the Dutch to the ‘crate’ systems.

Below – Mrs ‘Plod’ makes sure I behave !

Above – Protesting against the calf trade with Ellie and Liza

Above – and below – Crated calves in the EU

‘Eyes on Animals’ – NL.

Above – A transporter driver sends us his best regards !

England: Another Terrible Loss – John Callaghan. – World Animals Voice

Below – great export mate ‘Mike’; now passed.

Above – You bet they are worth fighting for !

Fight for the better ways !

Regards Mark

General News, Uncategorized

SeaWorld must empty its tanks!

It’s the reminder no one needed: SeaWorld is beyond out of touch. The abusement park company took to social media on January 11 to flex its speciesist muscles, posting a sonogram depicting the unborn baby of Luna, a beluga whale who has been confined at SeaWorld San Antonio for more than two decades.

The publicity stunt is seemingly a vain attempt to attract new visitors to its park in Texas (where Luna resides in a cramped tank), making it clear that SeaWorld has forgotten (or perhaps just doesn’t care) that no one wants to buy tickets to a place that dooms newborns to a lifetime of exploitation.

Such cringe-worthy abuse is not new to Luna. In order for her to conceive her first calf, workers sexually abused her by forcibly impregnating her with the sperm of Nanuq.

Despite rejecting her calf, Alta (who was one of the first belugas conceived through artificial insemination), Luna gave birth to two more babies—and now she’s been impregnated again, possibly by forced insemination.

Torn away from his family and Canadian home waters when he was just 6 years old, Nanuq was held captive and then made to participate in an intensive, experimental artificial insemination program at SeaWorld: He was shipped around Canada and the U.S. repeatedly and removed from the water roughly 42 times so that workers could collect his sperm.

He fathered 13 babies (including one with Luna), but six died at birth or shortly thereafter. Nanuq died in 2015 while being treated by SeaWorld staff for an infection from a jaw injury that he had sustained while interacting with another animal.

SeaWorld continues to masturbate male dolphins forcibly and rape female dolphins by tearing them out of the water and sometimes drugging them so they can’t fight back while staff shove tubes filled with semen into their uteruses.

Some animals endure this process repeatedly, only for their babies to die or be shipped off to other SeaWorld parks.

SeaWorld Needs to Empty Its Tanks

When not ripped from their natural habitats or born into captivity at places like SeaWorld, beluga whales enjoy exploring thousands of miles of ocean every year.

They are social animals who communicate with each other using a language of clicks, whistles, and clangs. SeaWorld robs victims like Luna and Nanuq of the opportunity to do any of this, and now Luna’s baby, not even born yet, is doomed, too—unless SeaWorld acts, now and fast.

We and countless others have been urging it to empty its tanks for years.

Most recently, after the company ended its wretched orca-breeding program and its demeaning “dolphin surfing” shows (only after succumbing to successful PETA campaigns), we’ve increased our calls for the company to stop breeding other dolphins and whales.
SeaWorld failed Nanuq and so many others, but we hope it will now do the right thing and transfer Luna and her baby to a seaside sanctuary to live as close to a normal life as they can.

SeaWorld should take a page from SEA LIFE Trust and Whale and Dolphin Conservation’s book—in August, the pair proved to the world that seaside sanctuaries are a sure thing when Little Grey and Little White (two female beluga whales) were moved from a marine park in China and released into a seaside sanctuary in Klettsvik Bay in Iceland.

Now it’s time for SeaWorld to end its use of animals, stop breeding all dolphins and whales, and relocate them to seaside sanctuaries, where they could live in large areas of the ocean while still benefiting from human care for as long as they might need.

Please urge SeaWorld to establish a firm and rapid plan to end its use of animals, stop breeding all dolphins and whales, and relocate them to seaside sanctuaries.

Petition: https://support.peta.org/page/1943/action/1

 

And I mean…At least 166 orcas have been taken into captivity from the wild since 1961 (including Pascuala and Morgan).

– 129 of these orcas are now dead.

-At least 166 orcas have died in captivity, not including 30 miscarried or still-born calves.

-SeaWorld holds 20 orcas in its three parks in the United States.
At least forty-nine orcas have died at SeaWorld.

A growing catalogue of ‘accidents’, illnesses, failed pregnancies and premature deaths has helped to show up this industry for the cruel circus that it really is.

Orcas can live anywhere between 50 to 80 years, but in captivity, they are lucky if they can make it to twenty-five.

They are incredible fast swimmers, and get up to 48 km/h in the ocean, and will eat about five-hundred pounds of food a day. Females don’t start breeding until they are close to fifteen years old, and once they start breeding they might produce a new calf every 3 to 10 years, and gestation last 17 months.

Nature has intended them to live free, exempt from domination, but the human species, with its self-proclaimed fascist right to exploit other animals, has predetermined a pathetic fate for many of these animals.

The right to life, freedom, integrity and protection must be given to all species.

Only then is it a right and not a privilege of the ruler.

My best regards to all, Venus

Hunting

“White Bear Hunting”

This tragic photo was taken by Lennart Nilsson * in the 1940s in Spitzbergen / Norway.
Even then, it showed the brutality and horror of trophy hunting and the capture of wild animals.

The little bear’s mother was killed.
The baby bear stayed in this position all day and all night, crying sadly for his mommy.
He didn’t want to eat or drink anything.
With this sad photo, which unfortunately mercilessly and honestly reflected reality, Nilsson wanted to show us in an uncompromising way that it is not the bear that is the beast, but the trophy hunter who killed it.

* Lennart Nilsson (1922 – 2017), photographer and science filmmaker, born in Sweden, is known for his pioneering work in the imaging of embryos and microscopic images of human body tissue, bacteria and viruses.

In 1947, this photo was one of its first published and was used to illustrate an article called “White Bear Hunting”.
Nilsson commented on the content of this article at the time with the words:
“Man is the cruelest predator on the planet …”!

https://www.facebook.com/marschfuerdietiere/

And I mean..Trophy hunting, like any other type of hunting, is an unethical and terrible result of the sadistic abyss of human actions and a product of today’s affluent society.

It is cowardly animal murder of living, loving, pain-sensitive beings. Many animals are threatened with extinction.

Nevertheless, they are killed out of sheer lust for murder.

A few affluent hunters obviously have a lot of fun doing harm to other living beings and disturbing the natural balance.
This hunt is all about the trophies as bed rugs or wall decorations over the fireplace of a hunting room.

The United Nations assumes that a high percentage of all animal species that are extinct are caused by the help of pathological hunters. It has been proven that hunters reduce biodiversity.

Grizzly bear killed by trophy hunters.

Germany also still allows the import of hunting trophies and not only that! the government also supports it with development aid.
This type of hunt, which is extremely ill in character, must be stopped globally.

My best regards to all, Venus

General News

Philip Wollen: “Animals should be off the Menu”

It was a slaughterhouse visit on behalf of a customer that radically changed his life.
Top banker Philip Wollen (68) later describes this visit as the “most shocking experience of his life”.

That was almost 30 years ago – the Australian is now vegan and one of the most important animals and human rights activists.
That is why, on his 40th birthday, he decided to use all of his fortunes to make his contribution as an animal rights activist and philanthropist against crimes against animals, people, and the environment.


Together with his wife Trix, he founded the “Winsome Constance Kindness Trust”, which supports projects in five categories worldwide: children, animals, the environment, the terminally ill, and aspiring young people.

Among other things, the foundation supports schools, orphanages, clinics, nature reserves, castration programs for street animals, vegan mobile restaurants, and much more – meanwhile more than 500 projects in 40 countries.
Wollen is also known as a supporter of the international marine protection organization “Sea Shepard”.


For his work against animal suffering, he received the Peter Singer Prize last year.

Philip Wollen describes the commitment to animal rights as the most important task in creating social justice since the abolition of slavery.
His engagement became known with the speech “Animals should be off the menu”, which he gave in 2012.

Here is his full speech in English with German subtitles:

 

In it, he addresses the effects of meat consumption:

“When I travel around the world, I see poor countries sell their grain to the West while their own children starve in their arms. And the West feeds this grain to its livestock. Just so we can have a steak?
Am I the only one who can see that this is a crime? Believe me, every piece of meat we eat is a slap in the tearful face of a hungry child.
When I took this child in the eye, how can I be silent?

The earth can produce enough food to satisfy the needs of all people, but not the greed of all people. “

He wants to be a role model and encourage other people to work as activists towards a societal renunciation of meat and to stand up for a compassionate world in which all living beings are treated and protected with respect and courageously.

Regards and good night, Venus

General News

Austria: an illegal puppy trade was discovered

Incredible: An illegal puppy trade was discovered – and that in the middle of the Graz settlement area, in Austria.

Nine puppies, some of whom were sick and who had probably been injected with sedatives, were carted from Serbia to Styria, Austria.
Shameful: People even came from other federal states to buy them.

The poor puppies are nursed up in the Noah’s Ark animal shelter in Graz (Photo: Christian Jauschowetz)

The fact that the illegal puppy trade on the street was exposed at all is thanks to an attentive passer-by, who started the rescue chain for the poor puppies with his report to the active animal welfare organization.

Charly Forstner von der Grazer Arche Noah (Bild: Christian Jauschowetz)

Chef Charly Forstner is horrified: “The puppies were hypothermic and completely apathetic, later you found injections and sedatives in the car from Serbia. It turned out that they got away from their mother much too young, some had fevers, worms, skin diseases, undesirable developments due to insufficient supply. Even pneumonia. “

Almost unbelievable: People even came from other federal states to buy the cheap puppies in Graz!

“Anyone who buys or sells in this way is liable to prosecution,” says Alexandra Gruber, head of the Graz Veterinary Office, who courageously intervened.

And the expert clears up myths: “A cheap puppy can become expensive due to diseases and veterinary costs. In addition, it is irresponsible to buy an animal out of the trunk – please check beforehand where an animal comes from! “
Whoever acts like this supports suffering: “Animal factories in which boy for a boy are “produced” are shameful. Buyers support that. “

https://www.krone.at/2316626

And I mean…Such abnormalities exist as long as there are no stricter controls and no high fines for traders who should go up to 30,000 euros.
Why wasn’t the seller stopped at the border?
Because our good-for-nothing leaders in high politics have no plan for anything and are not even able to get illegal trade with animals under control.


And last but not least: because there are mindless buyers who support this business with pride and ignorance!

My best regards to all, Venus

Environmental, General News, Uncategorized

England: Mount Everest; The Sacred Mountain Of Dreams and Mystery; Now A Dumping Ground of Excrement, Plastic and Garbage, Made By; Guess; Mankind !

By Mark – When I was a young lad (16 /17’ ish), I was ‘into’ mountaineering in a big way.  Then, I can remember reading and enjoying ‘Everest the Hard Way’ by British mountaineer Sir Chris Bonington  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1975_British_Mount_Everest_Southwest_Face_expedition

– a beautiful book detailing the 1975 British Mount Everest Southwest Face expedition, which  was the first to successfully climb Mount Everest by ascending the South West face.  For me, being young and influential I guess you could say; this was a trip into the unknown – the High Himalaya; mystery, danger, Rhododendron forests; the big unknown – all the things that gripped me and let my imagination do overtime.

If you ever get the chance, then read it – superb !

Decades later it was still ‘a thing’ with me; and finally, I made it to the big walls of El Cap and Half Dome in the incredible ‘Yosemite Valley’ in California.

Below – El Cap

and Half Dome

This morning (16/1/21) on the BBC; I watched a news story about how Everest was being turned into the highest rubbish tip on the planet.  My dreams of the magic of the few reaching the summit of the worlds highest mountain was well and truly shattered in learning that each year nowdays, around 900 – 1,000 people make it to the summit during the March – May period when they are only allowed to climb because of weather extremes at other times.

But even worse than ‘making the summit’ just being another ‘bragging’ item to be boasted about at the local; or at least I now view it in the modern non magical days, it was most sad for me to see that microplastics and human waste (literally), in the form of both rubbish, plastic bottles and shit; were now contaminating an enchanted, most sacred place that should still be the place of dreams for the very few that it was in the past.

Again, as always in my opinion, the wrecker called ‘man’ has managed to destroy the natural and majestic beauty of the Himalaya by leaving his personal calling card in a place that should be left in isolation, as what it was to me as a lad; that place of desolation and wonder; (then) untouched by the human being (fortunately) and a place of superfluous natural wonder and amazement.

So today, 16/1/21, I decided to look into the destruction a little more; and here below is what I found.  You can check it out a lot more if you want to.  Summary – Destruction by mankind as always with everything; it now seems that Everest is not the ‘Hard Way’ that it was in the 70’s; but yet another dumping ground made by the ‘many hundreds’.  Take a look;

Regards Mark

Below – bags and bags of human excrement (literally) on the mountain.

———————————————————————————

It’s being described as the ‘world’s highest rubbish dump’. That’s because Mount Everest, the tallest mountain in the world, has a problem with climbers leaving their waste on the slopes – both rubbish and poo. The mountain is home to three tonnes of climbers’ rubbish, left by adventurers visiting the mountain.

The mountain is home to three tonnes of climbers’ rubbish, left by adventurers visiting the mountain. The waste includes tents and equipment left behind, as well as human waste from mountaineers who need to go to the loo while they’re up there.

As the climbing season comes to a close for another year, Nepal Army helicopters are being used to lift some of the waste off the mountain.

The problem is that the rubbish is not only bad for the environment, but it could also spread disease for other climbers on the mountain.

People living at Base Camp use melted snow for drinking water, which could be contaminated with germs if other climbers aren’t getting rid of their waste properly.

Some climbers carry disposable travel toilet bags to use in the higher camps, while at Base Camp, there are toilet tents which have special drums where human waste goes. These can be taken away from the mountain and emptied safely.

But the camps further up, between the base and the top of the mountain, don’t have loos, which is why waste is often left behind.

Climbers can only go up Mount Everest during a specific period of the year, which begins in March and ends in May. Throughout the rest of the year, the weather is too bad.

This means that it is more difficult to clear away any rubbish left on the mountain at the end of the climbing period.

It is impossible to know exactly how much litter is spread across Everest because it only becomes visible when the snow melts.

Speaking in the Himalayan Times, Dandu Raj Ghimire – director general for the Nepal Department of Tourism – said: “The clean-up campaign will be continued in the coming seasons to make the world’s tallest mountain clean. It is our responsibility to keep our mountains clean.”

What are the rules about rubbish on Everest?

Nepal’s government hasn’t made rules about dealing with poo up the mountain yet. However, it is trying to stop the amount of rubbish that is left on the slopes.

The government is working on a plan to scan and tag climbers’ equipment and gear.

All climbers would have to pay a deposit of $4,000 (£3,100) before they go up the mountain and might not get their money back if they return without their items.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/31711591

Microplastic pollution found near summit of Mount Everest

This article is more than 1 month old

Humans now known to have polluted Earth from deepest ocean to highest peak

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/nov/20/microplastic-pollution-found-near-summit-of-mount-everest

Microplastic pollution has been discovered in snow close to the peak of Mount Everest, the world’s highest mountain. With plastic debris revealed in 2018 at the deepest point on Earth, the Mariana Trench, it is now clear that humanity’s litter has polluted the entire planet.

The tiny plastic fibres were found within a few hundred metres of the top of the 8,850-metre mountain, at a spot known as the balcony. Microplastics were found in all the snow samples collected from 11 locations on Everest, ranging from 5,300 metres to 8,440 metres high.

The highest concentrations of microplastics were found around Base Camp, where climbers and trekkers spend the most time. The fibres were most likely to have come from the clothing, tents and ropes used by mountaineers, the scientists said. Other recent discoveries of microplastic pollution in remote parts of the Swiss Alps and French Pyrenees indicate the particles can also be carried by the wind from further afield.

“It really surprised me to find microplastics in every single snow sample I analysed,” said Imogen Napper, at the University of Plymouth, who led the new research. “Mount Everest is somewhere I have always considered remote and pristine. To know we are polluting near the top of the tallest mountain is a real eye-opener.”

Below – Majestic Everest

“With microplastics so ubiquitous in our environment, it’s time to focus on appropriate environmental solutions,” she said. “We need to protect and care for our planet.”

Reducing, reusing and recycling larger items of plastic waste is important, Napper said, as they can be broken down into microplastics when discarded into the environment. But many microplastics are shed from clothing made from synthetic fabrics, and she said a focus on better fabrics was needed, as well as using natural fibres such as cotton when possible.

Millions of tonnes of plastic are lost into the environment every year. It can contain toxic additives and carry harmful microbes and is known to injure wildlife that mistake it for food.

People also consume microplastics via food and water, and breathe them in, although the health impact is not yet known.

There have been longstanding concerns about litter on Everest, which was climbed by at least 880 people in 2019. But the new study is the first to assess microplastic pollution, which is less than 5mm in size and therefore too small to be picked up.

The study, published in the journal One Earth, analysed samples collected by a National Geographic expedition in 2019. The scientists found an average of 30 microplastic particles per litre of water in the snow samples and 119 particles per litre in the most contaminated sample. They also assessed stream water samples from eight locations, but only three had microplastics, perhaps as the streams were able to wash away contamination.

In her previous work, Napper has found that each cycle of a washing machine can release 700,000 microscopic plastic fibres, and that plastic bags that claim to be biodegradable were still intact after three years in the natural environment.