The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s misleadingly named Wildlife Services program kills more than a million wild animals every year, typically at the request of Big Ag. Scattering public lands with cruel traps and indiscriminate poisons, the program targets carnivores like coyotes, bears, beavers, otters and foxes. Even rare species like grizzlies and wolves are caught in the crosshairs.
We’ve been working for years to shine a light on the feds’ wildlife-killing and have succeeded in gaining protections for wildlife in several states.
The presentation will feature our Carnivore Conservation Director Collette Adkins and Andrea Zaccardi, a senior attorney in our Northern Rockies office.
In addition to talking about Wildlife Services, we’ll discuss the latest news on grizzly bears and wolves, including the expected loss of wolf protections nationally and the importance of state-level wolf work if that does occur.
The hour-long webinar starts at 4 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. ET.
Adam Hollingsworth, Chicago’s so-called “Dreadhead Cowboy,” used a 20-year-old horse as a prop while staging a protest on the Dan Ryan Expressway during rush hour. The stunt, which went on for seven miles, left the senior horse so exhausted that she collapsed. Hollingsworth is facing felony animal cruelty charges because his horse, NuNu, was injured badly enough during the incident that it was initially believed that she would have to be euthanized.
This stunt is unacceptable and Hollingsworth needs to pay for the pain and suffering that he inflicted on this horse!
Please sign this petition asking for Adam Hollingsworth to receive the maximum sentence for his felony aggravated animal cruelty charge!
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Adam Hollingsworth chose to ride the 20-year-old horse, without oroper shoes, for seven agonizing miles on the expressway. By the time the publicity stunt was over, NuNu had collapsed on the pavement in utter exhaustion. Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney Kevin Deboni described the horse’s condition in a Fox 32 News piece, stating that she was, “overheated, dehydrated, bleeding from the hooves, and with eyes so dilated they resembled ‘cartoon eyes.'”
Cook County prosecutors equated what Hollingsworth did to NuNu to forcing an 80-year-old woman run a full marathon.
Hollingsworth could have chosen a humane way to protest. He could have walked the Expressway on his own feet, but instead, he put an ill-fitting saddle on an old horse who wasn’t fitted with proper shoes. Witnesses have stated that he whipped NuNu when she was too tired to go on, and he continued riding her until she fell to the ground in utter exhaustion.
Animal Care workers initially believed that the ailing horse would not survive, but she is still alive and has been moved to an Illinois horse farm where she is recovering from the incident. Though she is reported to be out of critical condition, it has been stated that she was injured badly enough that she can never be ridden again.
Hollingsworth’s behaviour is unacceptable. Please sign the petition asking for maximum punishment for the felony aggravated animal cruelty charge, and an order for Hollingsworth to be prohibited from owning horses!
Above – A sickly young woman sits covered up on a balcony; death (a ghostly skeleton clutching a scythe and an hourglass) is standing next to her; representing tuberculosis. Watercolour by R. Cooper, ca. 1912. Credit: Wellcome Collection
As always; the ‘Guardian’ (UK national press) produces some superb articles about animals and environmental issues.
The only way we can really reproduce the article on farm animal pandemics is to provide the link and then to let you click and read for yourself.
suddenly you realize that you are in the middle of an indescribable crime,
and you are horrified that almost everyone around you wants to hold on to their complicity.
Report of the organization against animal transports Animals` Angels
Animals ‘Angels are in Bulgaria at the weekly markets in Haskovo and Raskovski.
In addition to all sorts of things, cattle, horses and donkeys, sheep, goats, rabbits, and poultry are sold here.
Image: Animals`Angels
We have already complained several times to the Bulgarian authorities about the way the animals are treated, housed, and transported here – and about their poor state of health.
The ministry then presented us with a comprehensive plan to improve the situation in the markets. We now want to review the implementation of this plan – and we will be bitterly disappointed. Nothing has improved for the animals.
Once again, the Bulgarian official veterinarians have made empty promises.
Image: Animals`Angels
Calves are sold from the trunk of a car with their legs tied together. Emaciated sheep with respiratory problems are hoisted onto closed delivery vans without lights or ventilation.
Nervous foals are tied to vehicles and dealers beat horses and cattle who do not know how to get on vehicles without ramps.
Image: Animals`Angels
We particularly notice the emaciated mares, Iliana and Rosalia. Iliana is covered with abrasions and old injuries on her swollen legs.
We can clearly see the pain in Rosalia. She doesn’t know how to stand to relieve her pain.
There is an open wound on her left flank.
As expected, we are not welcome in the markets. In both places we are quickly thrown out by the market management, saying that we would bring nothing but trouble.
But we will not be put off and will continue to work for the animals in the markets and propose to the veterinary authorities a joint on-site inspection.
My comment: “…Most of the trade takes place illegally in front of the marketplace, where the animals are traded directly from the cars.The handling of the sheep that are traded directly in front of the market entrance is particularly bad. They are tied by three legs, the fourth is used for pulling and carrying”(Eyes on Animals)
There are still around ten markets in Bulgaria where animals are offered for sale every week.
Cattle, sheep, goats, Equidae, rabbits, and birds are sold here.
Young pigs and piglets are also offered in illegal markets.
The conditions in the animal markets in Bulgaria do not in the least correspond to the requirements of the EU (No. 1/2005) and are reminiscent of relics of the past century. Animal welfare does not play a role here.
When we first read about the Carcase Management System(CMS) website back in February after a leak from the NFU, we knew the secrets it held would be priceless to the anti-cull movement.
All of the cage trappers, free shooters, and assorted badger cull helpers all log, all of their badger killing information onto a single website.
Locations searched for badger setts are logged, like kill, who did the killing, what time… etc, etc.
Since that discovery back in February we have been gaining regular access to the site, pushing deeper and further into huge piles of data including crime reports, shooters identities, locations of kills, and email addresses of those involved.
On Tuesday, the NFU IT people finally spotted us and have since made some minor adjustments to try and protect the site.
But unfortunately for them, it is too little, too late, we are in the system and will continue to edit and scrape data, we were also changing records (including crime reports) as they come in.
This year’s data on kills sent to Natural England will be based on our false reports, making the continuation of the cull completely pointless.
And I mean...Good to know who our neighbor is.
What does he do when he’s not in church or caring for his children in the playground.
And good to know that killing defenseless animals alone is not enough to satisfy one’s cravings for violence and death.
He wants to make it known, he is reward-controlled, the accomplices should know how many corpses he can deliver per day. A pastime for psychopaths.
These people are among us.
They are military officials, veterinarians, gynecologists, dentists, or lead scout groups. A number of factors such as genes, family relationships, upbringing, intelligence, and opportunities shape these psychopaths.
Malta. The “Committee Against Bird Slaughter” (CABS) has released further video evidence of the indiscriminate killing of protected migratory birds in Has-Saptan valley (Birzebbugia).
The footage published on YouTube shows a European Honey Buzzard and a Blue Roller being shot down in the area on Wednesday and Thursday.
Blue Rollers are a type of international nature conservation problem that is experiencing rapid population decline in large parts of its European range and is extremely endangered.
Blue Roller
“Our teams deployed in the Birzebbugia area observe and report severe wildlife crimes on a daily basis yet the police needed more than an hour to arrive after our team reported the Roller being killed yesterday”, CABS spokesperson Karl Heinz Kreutzer said adding that this delay gives plenty of ample time for the poachers to hide their illegal prey and escape with impunity.
Apart from these two recent incidents, CABS teams have observed more than a dozen other protected birds being shot down in Has Saptan valley since last Sunday (20 Sept).
“As our eyes and video cameras can only monitor a very small part of this valley, we assume that hundreds more protected birds have been shot there in the last week alone”, CABS spokesperson Karl-Heinz Kreutzer said.
CABS which has labeled the valley as “the worst killing fields for birds of prey in Europe” urges the government to take immediate action by suspending the hunting season in this part of the island and establishing a permanent police presence to monitor the ban.
The NGO said that the primary motivation behind the shooting of protected birds is private collections and illegal taxidermy.
Honey Buzzard
“There is a huge black market for stuffed birds with some collectors paying thousands of Euros for rare specimens such as Blue Rollers, Storks or Flamingos. Since examinations and tagging of private trophy collections have dwindled during the past five years, poachers find it easier to shoot and launder illegally acquired specimens”, CABS Wildlife Crime Officer Fiona Burrows said.
She also stated that since responsibility for the administration of wild birds’ regulations was handed over to the Wild Birds Regulation Unit(WBRU) controls and tagging of private collections were stopped.
“The history of the WBRU is a history of massive failures and biased decisions which only serve the interests of the poachers at the cost the lives of thousands of rare protected birds. It is high time that the government hands over the responsibility for the protection of wild birds to a technically competent regulatory institution”, Burrows concluded.
Komitee gegen den Vogelmord e.V.
And I mean…At least 50 internationally protected birds died from hunting in Malta in 2019.
In Malta, people shoot pretty much anything that moves in the sky.
Hunting in Malta is pure bird hunting and a popular sport. Allowed in 34 species but exercised on an extremely larger list of birds.
In the case of Malta, the problem is exacerbated because the island is at the heart of the central European migration route. Millions of birds have to go over there – and their killers lurk.
With gigantic trapping facilities of over 5,000 square meters, birds are caught in many places on the island. Gigantic facilities, some of which are several hectares in size, can be found directly on coastal cliffs or on hills in the interior of the island.
An incident reported by “Birdlife” activist Geoffrey Saliba shows how natural hunting is in Malta: “A hunter shot down a marsh harrier – over a schoolyard. Nobody took much notice of it”, he says.
The hunters rarely shoot the birds for pots and pans, but mostly out of pure lust for murder – or to stuff them.
Even legally murdered birds like song thrushes are mostly left to die in the field.
The fact that bird hunting remains possible and legal in the middle of Europe is the surrender of civil society to a criminal elite.
WAV Comment – Perverted or what ? – not only do they kill thousands of birds each year on migratory routes; they also have such warped minds that they want to have sex with animals ! – we have to get tis stopped – please pass on to all your contacts and bombard with support; thank you.
PETITION TARGET: Maltese Ambassador to the United States Keith Azzopardi
Animals in Malta are at an increased risk of sexual assault from humans, as the island nation does not have an explicit ban on bestiality.
As one of only a few remaining countries to legally allow sex with animals, Malta could become a perverse tourist destination for people who seek to engage in bestiality, Etienne Savona, Ph.D., a lawyer who wrote a proposal to ban the sickening practice, told Lovin Malta. Dogs, horses, cats are reportedly the species most at risk.
Recently, a Maltese sheep farmer caught a man having sexual relations with his flock after they “showed signs of being terrified,” according to TVM. The man was charged with gaining illegal entry into private property, but his horrifying act of cruelty toward the sheep is completely legal.
In addition to the gross abuse toward animals, bestiality carries the risk of spreading zoonotic diseases.
Malta must update its outdated laws and criminalize sexual activities with animals.
Sign this petition urging Maltese Ambassador to the United States Keith Azzopardi to push for his country to ban bestiality, protecting helpless animals from suffering and abuse.
Symposium and Workshop: Replacing Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS) in Research & Testing
21 September 2020
Fetal bovine serum (FBS) is used as an additive for cell and tissue culture media in biomedical research and testing to enhance cell growth.
However, there is massive underlying animal suffering in FBS production: To obtain the serum blood of unborn calves is collected by syringe from the beating heart of fetal calves without anaesthesia, even though there are clear indications that calf fetuses are already capable of suffering. In addition to the ethical dilemma, scientific reasons speak against the use of FBS as well: The exact composition of the serum is unknown and there is the risk of contaminations from pathogens potentially present in animal sera. This can compromise cell cultures performance and subsequent experiments.
Thus, switching to FBS-free medium is both an ethical and a scientific necessity. Alternatives to FBS exist and are already used in many cell cultures. Our symposium at the TranslaTUM in Munich aims to draw the attention on this topic and to increase the acceptance of alternative media already existing. Our subsequent satellite workshop at the Academy for Animal Welfare in Neubiberg will present techniques how cells can be easily switched to FBS-free media.
Symposium on November 3rd, 2020:
International experts from universities, industry, regulatory authorities and animal welfare will discuss the current status on the use of fetal bovine serum (FBS) and present ethical and scientific advantages of FBS-free alternatives. Lectures and discussions will be held in English. The one-day symposium takes place in the large auditorium at the TranslaTUM in Munich. Due to social distancing regulations to restrain the COVID-19 pandemic, participation is currently limited to 50 – 100 participants. Target Group Symposium: Undergraduate, graduate and PhD students in the fields of biology, medicine, veterinary medicine and related fields of study, post-docs, working group leaders.
Speakers Symposium:
Dr. Jan van der Valk (3Rs-Centre Utrecht Life Sciences)
Dr. Karen Bieback (Heidelberg University; German Red Cross Blood Service BadenWürttemberg – Hessen gGmbH)
Dr. Aline Chary (Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology)
Dr. Sandra Coecke (Joint Research Centre of the European Commission)
Dr. Joachim Wiest (cellasys GmbH) · Tilo Weber (Animal Welfare Academy; Office for Alternatives to the Use of Animals in Research, Testing and Education)
Location Symposium: TranslaTUM Großes Auditorium Einsteinstr. 25 81675 Munich, Germany Date: November 3rd, 2020 from 8:30 a.m. (registration from 8:00 a.m.) to approx. 5:00 p.m.
Workshop on November 4th, 2020:
In the practical section of the satellite workshop, the suitability of serum-free medium for cell cultures will be demonstrated by Dr. Joachim Wiest (cellasys GmbH). Participants will be trained how to perform a switch of cells from serum-containing to serum-free medium using the cellasys #8 protocol. The suitability and the possible effects on the cells will be assessed based on the results of the demonstration.
The theoretical section of the workshop consists of lectures on the scientific risks of FBS and the availability of alternative media (Dr. Jan van der Valk, 3Rs-Center Utrecht Life Sciences) and information on further laboratory reagents of animal origin, such as polyclonal antibodies, gelatine, collagen, trypsin, Matrigel etc. (Tilo Weber, Academy for Animal Welfare). Lectures and demonstrations will be held in English.
The one-day satellite workshop will take place at the cell culture lab of the Academy for Animal Welfare (Akademie für Tierschutz) in Neubiberg. The workshop is limited to 10 participants. Meals are included. For workshop participants that are not resident in Munich or the vicinity, accommodation is included as well. Participation at the Symposium is required. Target Group Workshop: MTA, BTA, PhD students, post-docs.
Location Workshop: Akademie für Tierschutz (Academy for Animal Welfare) Cell Culture Lab Spechtstr. 1 85579 Neubiberg, Germany Date: November 4 th, 2020 from 9:00 a.m. to approx. 5:00 p.m.
Image: Animals`Angels
Image: Animals`Angels
Image: Animals`Angels
Blue Roller
Honey Buzzard 
World Animals Voice 