Letter from Annette Crosbie in Edinburgh Evening News
Fri 31 May 2002
In all the newspaper cuttings I have been reading about a new greyhound track, I never thought to see that old chestnut, "greyhounds love to race and it would be sinful to deprive them of it", but that's what Mr Wallace is reported as saying.
This is commonly used justification for the suffering and early deaths of thousands of these gentle animals every year. It's a ridiculous claim.
We can safely state that greyhounds love to run - like most other breeds, especially when they're young.
We can also safely state that most other breeds could be coerced into, chasing a mechanical hare when the trap opens if they were brain-washed into doing this by "trainers" who need no qualifications, are under no supervision and no obligation to account for their "failures" that are dispatched by a vet, or other means.
Those of us who adopt an ex-racer can all vouch for the fact that what you get when it first comes into your home is a traumatised animal that can sometimes take a year to recover its true personality.
I myself doubt if greyhounds "love to race" on a track where the trainer
will be fined if he withdraws his dog. Where the layout is designed to
cause accidents. When an injury usually means a death sentence because the
dog will not be given enough time to recover and its speed will drop. When
its career will, on average, last 18 months. When it can be locked in a
cage at 5.30pm without food or water until the last race at 10.30pm. When
it's in the care of kennel hands who are overworked and underpaid.
Ten thousand dogs are rejected every year, that we know about . Most of them will be killed. This is done in the name of "entertainment" by a gambling industry that makes millions for the promoters and bookmakers.
Annette Crosbie Manor Gardens, Merton Park, London
(02/06/2002) Kakapos Reproducing After Three-Year Hiatus
by Frances Gavin
Female kakapos - members of one of the rarest bird species in the world - recently started laying eggs for the first time in three
years.
There currently are only 62 living kakapos. All of the breeding females are on Whenua Hou, a specially protected island nature reserve located off the coast of New
Zealand.
Conservationists working on the island believe that the eradication of rats, which prey upon kakapos, and providing walnuts and almonds for the birds to eat have enabled them to once again begin
reproducing.
"It's just amazing," said Kakapo Recovery Team Leader Paul Jansen. "We have not had any eggs for three seasons and we have 47 eggs today. We could go as high as 60, which is virtually doubling the population. This is the best kakapo breeding season we are aware of."
In order to ensure the well-being of chicks that hatch, video cameras have been trained on every
nest.
"We expect that at least 50 percent of the eggs will successfully hatch,"
said Jansen. "If this breeding season continues in the way it has started,
in three to five years we will be able to reduce the human intervention
needed to ensure the survival of this species. That is the ultimate aim of
any recovery program."
(03/06/2002) Study Shows Harm to Animals Caused by Fireworks
by Ben Lipson
The Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA) recently released a report indicating
that approximately 10,000 pets and farm animals were injured or killed by fireworks in Scotland last
year.
Fireworks and Animals: A Survey of Scottish Veterinarians in 2001 also indicates that dozens of
animals were deliberately killed with fireworks, and others were victims of accidents that resulted in injuries so severe the animals were
euthanized.
"More than 90 percent of veterinarians in Scotland treated animals for problems related to fireworks from stress and anxiety to deliberate attacks," said SSPCA
spokesperson Doreen Graham. "The problem is growing because fireworks are no longer restricted to Guy
Fawkes Day on November 5th."
More than 8,000 animals were injured or killed by fireworks on or shortly before or after the Day last
year.
The SSPCA has already begun lobbying government officials for stricter control of the use of
fireworks.
"We are not calling for an outright ban on fireworks, but we need tighter
regulation on their sale and use," said Graham.
(04/06/2002) Zambia Trying To Step Into The Ivory Trade
Zambia has historically been one of the strongest opponents of the ivory trade in southern
Africa. In 1992, it publicly burned its entire ivory stockpile -- nine metric tons -- as a gesture of support for the ivory trade ban. This
November, however, in a shocking about-face, Zambia plans to push for a downgrading of protections for Zambian elephants -- all so that it can profit from its
current, 17-metric ton stockpile of confiscated ivory. In order to sell its stockpile of ivory on the international
market, Zambia will ask the Parties at the upcoming Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) to downlist elephants from Appendix I
(the category of species that may not be traded internationally) to Appendix II
(the category of species whose international trade is legal but "regulated"). Such a move would be disastrous for the
elephants; when CITES attempted to control a "legal" ivory trade in the 1980s, the
resultant, massive increase in poaching cut the number of African elephants in the wild from 1.2 million to 600,000. Only after the international ivory trade was banned in 1989 did poaching dramatically
decrease. A subsequent decision by CITES in 1997 to allow Botswana,
Namibia, and Zimbabwe to sell their stockpiled ivory to Japan on a one-time
"experimental basis" precipitated a similar increase in elephant poaching in both Asia and Africa so that
today, it is estimated that only 30,000 wild elephants remain in Asia and about 500,000 remain in
Africa.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
1. Contact the Zambian High Commission or Embassy and ask them to tell
the Zambian government not to submit a proposal to downlist elephants at
the next CITES meeting. Let them know that as a potential tourist, you'd
rather see live elephants in Zambia than ivory necklaces in Tokyo. In the
U.S., write to: The Embassy of the Republic of Zambia 2419 Massachusetts
Ave., NW Washington, DC 20008
2. Send an e-mail to the High Commissioner, Mr. S. K. Mubukwanu (addressed as
"Your Excellency"), by going to the Zambian High Commission-UK's web page
(www.zhcl.org.uk
) and clicking on the guest book.
3. Sign the
petition,
which will be sent to the Zambian President
(05/06/2002) Australian Animal Welfare Law Goes Into Effect
by Ursula Cunningham
A law requiring owners of all "non-human vertebrates" to provide
adequate food, water, shelter and medical treatment for them recently went
into effect in Queensland, Australia.
The Animal Care and Protection Act, which replaces a 77-year-old law, also
requires owners to allow the animals "to behave normally."
"Under the previous act, prosecutors had to prove cruelty to an
animal," said Department of Primary Industries animal welfare manager
Rick Symons. "If it says that you should provide a certain space for
your animals and you don't provide that you are actually breaching your
duty of care, and we don't have to prove the animal suffered."
A new squad of inspectors has been created to ensure compliance.
Individuals convicted of animal cruelty are subject to imprisonment for up
to two years and fines of up to approximately $42,000 under the new law.
Organizations are subject to fines that are five times greater.
(06/06/2002) Birds Found to Use Stars to Navigate
by Carol A. Kennedy
Two Danish researchers recently discovered that birds use star patterns to navigate at night.
Henrik Mouritsen and Ole Naesbye Larsen placed 34 pied flycatchers and 20 blackcaps in a planetarium in Aarhus, Denmark and showed them different views of the night
sky.
The birds, which migrate at night, responded to each new view by changing their positions in such a way that they would have remained on course had they been
migrating.
Young birds were for some time thought to acquire navigation skills by observing their parents.
However, studies revealed that many young birds managed to migrate successfully without the help of their
elders.
A number of recent studies have shown that birds use landmarks as well as
stars - and the sun - to navigate.
(Notice) Manifestation internationale pour l'égalité animale
- Appel à la solidarité
http://users.swing.be/9mai98
A Srasbourg et dans les environs, en mai 1998, a eu lieu la première manifestation internationale pour l'égalité animale. Dans le décours de cette manif, un procès s'est ouvert pour la réparation d'un monument en grès, propriété de l'abattoir de Holtzeim. Cette stèle, représentant une tête de vache, avait été abîmée à la peinture rouge. Les trois personnes qui se sont portées garantes de cette manifestation du 9 mai 98 sont aujourd'hui condamnées à payer 5640 Euros. Elles ont besoin de votre aide. Seul un grand mouvement de solidarité permettra de récolter une telle somme.
Sur le site 9 mai 98, vous trouverez un rappel historique des évènements du 9 mai 98, de nombreuses photos de la manif, et les numéros de comptes des personnes qui se chargent de collecter les fonds requis.
Pour en savoir plus.
(Notice) Recueil inédit de recettes de cuisine végétalienne (112 recettes)
Dr. Jacques Diouf
Director-General
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Rome
Subject: Meat Production Creates Misery
Dear Dr. Diouf,
the European Vegetarian Union, the umbrella for 200 European vegetarian organisations and individuals, takes the opportunity of the "World Food Summit: five years later" in Rome to address the problem of famines.
Today, according to the World Food Programme, one out of seven people suffer from hunger, and malnutrition is a significant factor in the deaths of 11,000 children every day, one child every eight seconds. Even though the United Nations Charter mentions food security as a fundamental human right, hundreds of millions of poor people are starving.
In contrast, rich nations invest increasingly and disproportionately in the production of meat from animals whose feed had been imported from developing countries, whose manure had polluted land, groundwater and rivers and whose appetite had brought about destruction and even desertification to huge areas, through overgrazing. Such wasteful procedures do not only put extreme pressure on the environment but lead to a lengthening of the food chain. Through the intermediary of the animal, a majority of precious nutrients from grain and leguminous plants are turned into manure and refuse. However, the growing of high-quality vegetable products for human consumption could yield many times the amount of food, on the same area of land and at much lower cost.
Already the World Food Summit in Rome in 1996 aimed at reducing, by the year 2015, the number of hungry people worldwide to 415 million. However, in your World Food Day Message of October 2001, you had to admit that: ".. sadly, at the dawn of the third millennium, we are still far from ensuring that all people on the planet have enough to eat, when and where they need it."
As a solution for this problem you suggested some months later in Nicosia that European countries should assist by technology transfer, also to be made available to livestock farmers in developing countries.
Dear Dr. Diouf, the latest techniques for livestock factory farming are no safe export items! After all, in the last decade Europeans have experienced several crises of traumatic significance which are by no means over and which have demonstrated very clearly that real food safety stands for less meat production instead of more.
That is why the European Vegetarian Union promotes the vegetarian way: healthy, non-genetically contaminated plant food for people, produced by sustainable agricultural methods, respecting the needs and traditions of the local population, acceptable to followers of all religions and adaptable to specific environmental particularities, prevailing climatic conditions and regional biodiversity.
We call upon you: Please help people helping themselves by growing crops for their own consumption - and not for feeding slaughter animals while their children are starving.
Sincerely,
Dr. Igor Bukovský, President
Herma Caelen, Hon. Secretary General
Dr. Jacques Diouf
Directeur Général
Organisation des Nations Unies pour l'Alimentation et l'Agriculture
Rome
Objet: La production de viande est créatrice de misère
Monsieur le Directeur Général,
L'Union Végétarienne Européenne, qui regroupe 200 organisations végétariennes et nombre de membres indépendants, saisit l'occasion du prochain "Sommet mondial de l'Alimentation: cinq ans après " à Rome pour aborder le problème de la faim dans le monde.
Selon le « World Food Programme », une personne sur sept souffre aujourd'hui de la famine. Un enfant meurt de ce fait toutes les huit secondes, soit 11.000 par jour. Alors que la Charte des Nations Unies mentionne l'accès à la nourriture comme l'un des droits fondamentaux de l'être humain, plusieurs centaines de millions de personnes souffrent chaque jour de la faim.
Par ailleurs, les pays riches investissent de plus en plus et de manière disproportionnée dans la production de viande. Les animaux sont nourris avec des aliments importés des pays en voie de développement, le fumier du bétail pollue les eaux souterraines et des fleuves, et des zones entières sont désertifiées à cause de cette production qui gaspille les ressources naturelles, affecte l'environnement et conduise à rallonger la chaîne alimentaire.
Afin d'obtenir de la viande, un grand nombre de produits végétaux riches en énergie sont transformés en fumier et en déchets, alors que la culture de ces espèces végétales directement affectée à la consommation humaine permettrait d'obtenir des quantités bien supérieures de nourriture sur un même espace et pour un coût nettement inférieur.
L'ambition du Sommet Mondial de l'Alimentation de 1996 visait déjà à réduire de moitié le nombre de personnes souffrant de sous-alimentation dans le monde d'ici à l'année 2015. Vous reconnaissez cependant dans votre message prononcé lors de la Journée mondiale de l'Alimentation en octobre 2001, que "malheureusement, à l'aube du troisième millénaire, nous sommes toujours bien loin d'avoir pu assurer à chaque habitant de cette planète une alimentation suffisante ».
Afin de résoudre ce problème, vous avez suggéré quelques mois plus tard à Nicosie que les pays européens devraient aider les autres en leur transférant leur technologie et en permettant aux éleveurs des pays du tiers monde d'en faire usage.
Nous pensons au contraire, Monsieur le Directeur Général, que les ultimes technologies mises en ouvre dans les usines à bétail de nos pays ne sont pas précisément notre meilleur article pour l'exportation ! Durant ces dernières décennies, l'Europe a traversé plusieurs crises alimentaires majeures et traumatisantes, qui n'ont nullement pris fin de nos jours et qui ont prouvé que la véritable sécurité alimentaire reposait sur une diminution de la production de viande plutôt que sur son accroissement !
C'est pourquoi l'Union Végétarienne Européenne propose à tous
d'adopter le mode de vie végétarien, c'est à dire une alimentation
purement végétale, saine et génétiquement non modifiée, produite par des
méthodes agricoles respectueuses de l'environnement, répondant aux besoins
et aux traditions des populations locales, acceptables pour les adeptes de
toutes les religions et adaptable aux conditions naturelles spécifiques, à
l'environnement climatique et à la biodiversité locale.
Nous vous lançons donc cet appel : aidez les gens à s'aider eux-mêmes en cultivant leurs propres récoltes pour leur propre consommation et non pour celles des animaux de boucherie alors que des enfants ont faim !
Nous vous prions d'agréer, Monsieur le Directeur Général, nos sentiments les meilleurs.
Pour l'UNION VÉGÉTARIENNE EUROPÉENNE
Dr. Igor Bukovský, President
Herma Caelen, Hon. Secrétaire générale
Herrn Dr. Jacques Diouf
Generaldirektor
Nahrungsmittel-und Landwirtschaftorganisation der Vereinten Nationen
Rom
Fleischproduktion zerstört Ressourcen
Sehr geehrter Herr Dr. Diouf,
die Europäische Vegetarier Union, die Dachorganisation für 200 europäische vegetarische Gruppen und Einzelpersonen, nimmt die Gelegenheit des «Weltnahrungsmittelgipfels, fünf Jahre später» in Rom zum Anlass, zu einem der dramatischsten globalen Probleme Stellung zu nehmen.
Nach Information des «World Food Programme» leidet heute einer von sieben Menschen an Hunger. Unterernährung ist ein bedeutender Grund dafür, dass 11.000 Kinder jeden Tag sterben müssen, alle acht Sekunden eins. Obwohl die Charter der Vereinten Nationen den Anspruch auf Nahrung als ein fundamentales Menschenrecht nennt, hungern Hunderte von Millionen armer Menschen.
Reiche Nationen dagegen investieren zunehmend und in nicht vertretbarem Ausmass in die Produktion von Fleisch, das von Tieren stammt, deren Futter aus Entwicklungsländern importiert wurde, deren Gülle Land, Grundwasser und Flüsse verunreinigt und deren Appetit zu Zerstörung und sogar Versteppung grosser Landstriche führt. Diese verschwenderischen Verfahren üben nicht nur extremen Druck auf die Umwelt und klimatische Bedingungen aus, sondern führen auch zu einer Verlängerung der Nahrungskette. Dabei wird auch nicht bedacht, dass über den Umweg des Tieres ein Grossteil der kostbaren Nährstoffe aus Getreide und Hülsenfrüchten über die Gülle, Mist und den unverzehrbaren Anteil des Tieres verloren geht. Durch den direkten Konsum von hochwertiger pflanzlicher Nahrung würde man hingegen ein Mehrfaches an Nahrung auf demselben Land mit geringeren Kosten erzeugen können.
Bereits 1996 wurde auf dem Weltnahrungsmittelgipfel in Rom angestrebt, bis zum Jahr 2015 die Zahl der Hungernden auf 415 Million weltweit zu verringern. Jedoch mussten Sie in Ihrer Ansprache beim «World Food Day» im Oktober 2001 zugeben, dass wir «am Beginn des dritten Jahrtausends immer noch weit davon entfernt sind, allen Menschen ausreichend Nahrung zu bieten, wann und wo sie diese benötigen.»
In Nicosia schlugen Sie ein paar Monate später die Unterstützung europäischer Länder in Form eines Technologietransfers vor, der in den Entwicklungsländern auch für die Viehzucht eingesetzt werden soll.
Sehr geehrter Herr Dr. Diouf, die neuesten Techniken der Viehzucht sind alles andere als ein sicherer Exportartikel! Gerade in den letzten Jahren mussten Europäer ernste Krisen durchleben, die auch jetzt keinesfalls behoben sind und die klar demonstrieren, dass wirkliche
Nahrungsmittelsicherheit in reduzierter statt in vermehrter Fleischproduktion besteht.
Aus diesem Grund wirbt die Europäische Vegetarier Union für eine vegetarische Alternative: gesunde, nicht durch Gentechnik belastetet pflanzliche Nahrung, produziert durch nachhaltigen Anbau, die Gegebenheiten und Traditionen der lokalen Bevölkerung respektierend, akzeptabel für Anhänger aller Religionen und angepasst an klimatische Besonderheiten und vorherrschende Artenvielfalt.
Wir bitten Sie, zur Selbsthilfe in Krisengebieten beizutragen dadurch, dass Sie nicht zu intensiverer Viehzucht, sondern zum verstärkten Anbau von Nahrung für den direkten menschlichen Verzehr aufrufen.
Mit freundlichem Gruss
Dr. Igor Bukovský, President
Herma Caelen, Generalsekretärin
In Spanish film director Pedro Almodovar's new film, Hable con Ella
(Talk to Her), at least Six bulls were tortured and killed for a
bullfighting scene, making it a real-life snuff film
www.peta.org/feat/bullmovie/stand.jpg
In July 2001, when a Madrid animal protection group, Animal Amnesty,
learned of the Torment that these animals endured for Almodovar's movie,
they launched a letter-writing Campaign and filed a complaint with the
Ministry of Education, Culture, and Sports and the Academy of Motion
Picture Arts and Sciences that the gruesome scenes violated an article in
Madrid's Domestic Animal Protection Law, which states that "the filming
for film or Television of scenes that involve cruelty, mistreatment, or
suffering requires previous authorization from the relevant authorities...
and that any injuries to the animal must be simulated."
www.peta.org/feat/bullmovie/stab2.jpg
Almodovar's production company claimed that it was simply filming a
bullfighting training session. However, photos were taken of Almodovar
directing the matador during the filming. The production company also
dismissed the animal protection law as only applying to "pets."
According to the Associated Press, a study found that 20 percent of
bulls are drugged before they step into the ring. Of 200 bulls, "1 in 5
had been given anti-inflammatory drugs, which mask injuries that could sap
the animal's strength." Former bullfighters have confessed that bulls are
fed laxatives to debilitate them days before the fight, have the muscles
cut in their necks to prevent them from lifting their heads up all the
way, and usually have petroleum jelly smeared in their eyes to affect
their vision.
www.peta.org/feat/bullmovie/stab.jpg
There is no harm in discussing the violent bloody "sport" of bullfighting, just as there is no harm in talking about forest
fires, but if you pay someone to make such things happen, as happened in the filming of the
movie, that's ethically indefensible. More than 40,000 bulls are barbarically slaughtered in rings in Spain each
year. Now, the blood is on Almodovar's hands for promoting bullfights.
Truly progressive directors in Hollywood, from Wolfgang Petersen to
Robert Redford to Terry Zwigoff, now use blue screen, animatronics,
robotics, natural footage, costumes-you name it. Almodovar's lack of
innovation makes him about as modern as the Roman Coliseum.
- Please boycott Almodovar's Hable Con Ella when it runs in U.S.
theaters, and encourage friends and family to do so as well.
- Write to Almodovar and ask that he speak out against bullfighting
and refuse to use animals in his films in the future.
- Order some of PETA's " Stay Away From Bullfights leaflets
mailto: info@peta.org. Subject = Bullfight and distribute them at the opening of the Almodovar film in your area and during its entire
run.
- Send letters of protest to the following people:
Academy of Arts and Science Films of Spain
E-Mail: acacine@render.es
(08/06/2002) Urgent MEP action needed
The second MEP reading of the 7th amendment to the Cosmetics Directive
is due to take place on June 12th.
MEPs will vote on proposals either
to introduce a combined EU wide test ban and an EU ban on the sale of
cosmetics tested on animals, or only to ban cosmetics tested on animals
when OECD-accepted alternative tests are in place. The latter proposal
comes from the Council of Ministers and would result in very little change
for laboratory animals.
As before, we need your help to ensure that MEPs understand the strength of public opinion on this issue and vote for the combined test and sale ban.
Please write an email to urge MEPs to support once again a fixed deadline of five years (as they did in their first reading vote) for the introduction of a ban on the sale of cosmetics tested on animals. (Due to procedural rules, MEPs cannot vote for a shorter time-scale than in their
original first reading vote).
Please keep your emails brief and polite. The first two bullet points are the most important to include, but you can choose other points to make if you
wish:
- Tell them to support a fixed deadline of five years (reflecting the first reading position) for the introduction of a ban on the sale of cosmetics tested on animals. Please say that you do not believe industry should be given more time to develop alternative tests, as past experience
shows that unless the tightest deadlines are set, there will be insufficient action.
- EU citizens
have repeatedly called for an end to animal testing of cosmetics,
because they believe it is unacceptable for animals to suffer in order
to bring more beauty products on to the market.
- A sale ban will
not prevent innovation because over 8,000 cosmetic ingredients that have
already been fully tested are currently in use, and other safe substances
(such as natural ingredients of the kind used by Body Shop) are available
for use by the cosmetics industry.
- An EU wide test ban without a sale
ban will simply export the problem of animal testing, and will not affect
the number of animals used worldwide to test cosmetics.
- Ending the testing of cosmetics and cosmetic ingredients would not compromise the safety of the public because under the Cosmetics Directive, companies have an absolute obligation to ensure the safety of their
products. This would not change if animal testing were banned. Under no circumstances would companies be permitted to sell unsafe
products.
- The proposed sale ban would give industry the much needed incentive to develop alternative test methods as soon as possible. Basing legislative action on the availability of alternative tests is absolutely unacceptable because this is what has led us to the current situation - a ban that has already been continuously delayed due to industry inaction.
- A ban on the sale of cosmetics tested on animals was first adopted by Parliament and the Council in 1993, for implementation in 1998. The ban has been delayed twice since
then, and further delay is unacceptable.
- Medicinal products would be unaffected by an end to animal tests for
cosmetics. If a product has a medicinal purpose, it will be marketed and tested as
such. It is inaccurate to claim that an end to animal testing for cosmetics would limit the availability of medical
products.
- The Commission's claim that a sale ban would contravene WTO rules is refuted in the legal Opinion by international trade expert Philippe
Sands, obtained by the BUAV (copies available on request).
- Using OECD acceptance of alternative tests (as suggested in the common position) is unacceptable because the OECD process is slow and single countries can block the progress of new tests. OECD acceptance is inappropriate for
EU legislation.
- Ask your MEP
to let you know how they voted after June 12th.
British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection www.buav.org
(09/06/2002) Pig Assembly Banned
by Sherry Morse
Indian magistrate Anurag Rastogi recently banned groups of four or more pigs from meeting in public in a town near Delhi.
Rastogi enacted the ban, which was based on section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code rather than animal-related
regulations, in response to accusations made against approximately 8,000 pigs which allegedly ran in an uncontrolled manner through the Gurgaon district.
Under the order, pig owners are required to keep their animals confined at all times. In addition, if pigs are apprehended in groups of four or more, they must be
"disposed of in such a manner that they do not manage to return."
"I could have taken action under the municipal act which allows seizure of the stray
animals, but I thought I would give their owners a chance to take care of their
animals," said Rastogi.
Section 144 was introduced by the British early in the 20th Century to
curb anti-British demonstrations.
Hamid Karzai, head of the interim government of Afghanistan, is being
criticized by animal advocates for wearing karakul hats, which are made
with the downy fur of aborted lamb fetuses.
Since each fetus is so small, an entire pelt is needed to produce one hat.
Karzai, who says he wears the hats because they are "very, very
Afghan" and look good, has been responsible for a resurgence in their
popularity in Afghanistan.
"Since the change in government, many people are coming and buying
karakul hats," said Aji Ali Mohammed, the owner of a karakul clothing
shop in Kabul. "Business is getting better every day."
Afghan Culture and Information Minister Abdurahim Mokhdoom acknowledged
that the process of obtaining the fur is a cruel one as the mother is
beaten in order to cause her to abort. However, he defended the practice
by saying that karakul hats are part of Afghanistan's cultural heritage.
"As far back as you look, Afghans have been wearing them," said
Makhdoom.
Dugongs, the large marine mammals believed to have inspired sailors' tales of
mermaids, are in danger of extinction, according to a report recently issued by the United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP).
The report points out that dugongs have all but disappeared from the coasts of
Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, the Comoros Islands, the Seychelles, Madagascar and
Mauritius, all of which once hosted herds numbering in the hundreds.
"The dugong is an indicator for the health of the environment," said Klaus
Toepfer, Executive Director of the UNEP. "It is a clear signal that the living conditions are changing and that other products of the sea are
decreasing."
Dugongs are hunted for food, and their tusks are used to make pipes, amulets and
aphrodisiacs. Other threats to the slow-moving animals' survival include boat
propellers, pollution, coastal development, fishing nets and trophy hunters.
The UNEP report indicates that there are only between 1,000 and 2,000 dugongs remaining in the world.
A dugong population only grows at a rate of approximately five percent per year even under the best of
circumstances.
Conservationists are calling for the creation of dugong sanctuaries and a
reduction in the amount of pollutants that destroy the sea grass the
animals eat.
(12/06/2002) MEPs vote out cosmetics animal testing again and prepare for clash with the european commission
Today MEPs once again defied the EU Commission and the Council of Ministers
by voted to support a ban both animal testing for cosmetics in Europe plus an EU-wide
ban on the sale of new animal tested cosmetics by a two-tier deadline. The British Union for
the Abolition of Vivisection (BUAV) which has been leading the campaign to end
cosmetics animal testing, welcomed the resolve of MEPs to listen to the will of
European citizens, but warned that there is likely to be a battle ahead between the Parliament and the Commission.
For the second time, MEPs have listened to the will of the European public and demonstrated their opposition to animal testing for cosmetics and defied the European Commission and the Council of Ministers. They voted for:
1. an EU ban on animal testing for cosmetics by 31 December 2004
2. an immediate ban on the sale of new animal tested cosmetics where non-animal alternative tests exist
3. a ban on the sale of new animal tested cosmetics within 5 years for all others with a 10 year ban deadline for 3 test areas (reproductive
toxicity, toxicokinetics and repeat dose toxicity)
4. positive labelling for new cosmetics that have been tested on animals
5. fair labelling for cruelty-free cosmetics
The proposal for a complete sales ban within 5 years fell by only 24
votes in Parliament, demonstrating just how strongly MEPs support an end
to animal tested cosmetics. However, in a speech today Enterprise
Commissioner Erkki Liikanen remarkably indicated that the Commission would
not accept the Parliament's position, and the two institutions look set to
clash over the issue.
Very shortly the Council of Ministers will meet again to discuss the
Parliament's position. At the last Ministers meeting in November 2001, the
UK government (represented by the DTI) betrayed lab animals and the UK
public by voting for much weaker proposals. If the Council and the
Parliament cannot agree, it will go to conciliation.
Wendy Higgins, BUAV Campaigns Director said: "We have to congratulate MEPs for standing up to relentless pressure to back down from the industry, the Council of Ministers and the Commission. Very soon, the Council of Ministers will meet to debate the Parliament's
position, and we call on the UK government not to betray lab animals a second time at these talks. The UK must take the lead and support this vote or industry will win the day over animal protection and the concerns of millions of EU citizens. If the Commission and the Council do refuse to listen to the will of Parliament, the BUAV will be calling on MEPs to reject the Commission's proposals altogether."
1 In April 2001 MEPs voted overwhelmingly for a combined EU animal testing and sale ban for animal tested cosmetics.
For details contact:
Wendy Higgins, BUAV on 00 434 20 7700 4888
DEMONSTRATION on SATURDAY 15th June at PADS Kennels,Fortevoit, 1pm. moving to Perth City Centre at 1.45 pm for further
demonstration.
BACKGROUND: Dog Rescue Ireland sent five rescued dogs to PADS (25th March 2002), 3 Greyhounds and 2
Lurchers, at the invitation of the group Chairman, Grahame Watson. This was for
re-homing due to the critical situation in Ireland for Greyhounds mainly due to over-breeding by Greyhound
Industry. This type of dog is not considered to be a good companion animal in Ireland which results in thousands of discarded racers being killed or
abandoned.
DRI felt these dogs stood every chance of finding a home in Scotland,
having already re-homed hundreds in the USA and England in the past and
accepted PADS offer of help. The PADS kennel Manageress, Anne Stewart
however killed four of the five healthy young Greyhounds within three
weeks of their arrival, with no acceptable explanation or apology to DRI
since. An outcry has erupted from animal rights and rescue groups
worldwide, especially from those who who work with abandoned Greyhounds.
Exposure via the internet and media sources have resulted in hundreds of
letters and phone calls of complaint being made to PADS staff since the
killings.
DRI has already called for the Kennel Manageress's dismissal.The following facts were also presented to the Charity Commission
Investigator.
UPDATE : New evidence pertaining to the treatment of Greyhounds at PADS has emerged over the last few
weeks. This is in the form of a signed statement from from a person who has spent some years volunteering at
PADS. This information has been given to us and our Legal advisors to use in an effort to prevent any more Greyhound and Lurcher
deaths, and to expose the insensitive and callous nature of apparently common PADS practices. On seeing our sad story in the Perthshire
Advertiser, the writer felt it would be wrong to remain silent knowing what had been witnessed during the time they worked voluntarily at
PADS, hence we were contacted for a meeting. The following are excerpts from the signed
statement: Period in Question June 1997-September 1999.
- 'the current claims of a 'no destruction
policy' unless dogs were proved vicious (or beyond veterinary help) is in the writers opinion an
untruth'.
- other ex racers from Ireland also lurchers were put to sleep for no apparent
reason.
- The kennel code for dogs that have been euthanised is 'ABERDEEN' or simply 'GONE TO ABERDEEN'. This would signify the dogs had been put down (in the records).
- A litter of 12 Lurcher pups was reduced to four when Anne Steward decided to kill eight as they were deemed
'unhomable'.
- 'despite some dogs having a history of biting children this did not prevent them from being
re-homed. None of these were Greyhounds or Lurchers.'
- Other cases of Grey and Lurcher types being PTS for no apparent reason are recalled.
A full investigation should be carried out. No more dogs should die simply because they are
Greyhounds.
(14/06/2002) Our Oceans are at Risk
I'm writing with great news! On June 4, we delivered over 60,000 petitions to the U.S. government in a giant fishing net to the U.S. Commerce
Department, which regulates fishing in the United States. With the help of Oceana WaveMakers like
you, we submitted the largest number of comments ever on federal ocean
policy.
Yet, our oceans are still at risk and there's an easy way you can help
them. But I need your help now, before it's too late - the deadline for public comments is June 16! Please take 30 seconds and join this massive wave to help ocean
wildlife.
Fishing nets strangle, drown, and crush tens of thousands of sea
turtles, birds, whales, sharks, fish, dolphins and other endangered marine
life. Heavy nets drag across the ocean bottom for fish, bulldozing
virtually everything in their path. Much of this dead and dying ocean life
is simply thrown overboard.
Please help me stop this senseless destruction. Join me and thousands of other people -- send a FREE message to President Bush
at:
www.OceansAtRisk.com.
There are actually laws on the books to prevent this senseless
destruction, but the U.S. government isn't enforcing them. That's why
Oceana has filed a formal petition to make the government stop the waste
and mismanagement of our oceans. The U.S. government is accepting public
comments on this destruction of ocean life right now, but only until June
16!
Join over 60,000 people and send your letter now at
www.OceansAtRisk.com . Please tell your
friends, family and coworkers about our campaign to protect ocean life. PLEASE forward this message to everyone you know whocares about the future of our
oceans. And ask them to send their letter before June 16.
Thank you for your help.
For the Oceans, Phil Kline, Fisheries Policy Specialist, Oceana
(15/06/2002) Farm Animals Recognized as Sentient Beings
by Sherry Morse
Morristown, NJ recently became the first municipality in the United States to adopt a proclamation declaring that farm animals are sentient beings deserving of compassionate
treatment.
"Whereas, animals raised on farms are sentient beings and are capable
of feeling and suffering; and whereas, human beings have an ethical
responsibility to refrain from causing unnecessary pain and suffering to
other sentient beings; and whereas animals kept on modern farms may be
subjected to conditions which jeopardize their welfare; now therefore, I,
John J. Delaney, Jr., Mayor of the Town of Morristown, do hereby proclaim
that the Town of Morristown recognizes that farm animals are sentient
beings who deserve to be treated with respect and protected from inhumane
treatment," the proclamation states.
In January 1996, the New Jersey legislature charged the state
Department of Agriculture with developing "standards for the humane
raising, keeping, care and treatment, marketing and sale of domestic
livestock" within six months.
Since the standards still have not been drafted, state anti-cruelty laws relating to farm animals remain vague and thus sometimes difficult to
enforce.
Compassion in World Farming (CIWF), the leading international farm animal welfare
NGO, has today called on the World Food Summit to address the real global threat posed by the rapid increase of intensive farming
systems in developing countries.
CIWF, which has been invited to attend the official summit, is using
the occasion to distribute information about the massive detrimental
impacts of industrial agriculture. These impacts include the threat to the
livelihoods of subsistence farmers, pollution of the environment from
large scale animal units, the misuse of the earth's grains and legumes by
feeding them to animals instead of people, the impact on water supplies
and, of course, the detrimental impact on the welfare of the farmed
animals themselves.
According to the International Food Policy Research Institute, cutting
per capita meat consumption by half in developed countries would result in
the number of malnourished children in developing countries declining by
3.6 million by 2020, and by 1.2 million in Sub Saharan Africa.
Leah Garcés, who is representing CIWF at the World Food Summit, says:
"Factory farming of animals is simply not the way forward for the world in
general. Already such systems are being phased out in the European Union.
Developing countries are being tempted to go down the route which Europe
is rapidly abandoning. Large scale meat production cannot ever feed the
world and if it goes ahead unchallenged will have massive repercussions
for countries that instead need to be developing sustainable and humane
agricultural systems."
- ENDS -
For further information, Leah Garcés can be contacted on T: +44 (0) 7881 658 733. Copies of CIWF's report
'The Detrimental Impacts of Industrial Animal Agriculture' are available from
CIWF, T: +44 (0)1730 233904.
(17/06/2002) Orphaned orca loves people
Tuesday, June 11, 2002, Carla Wilson,
Times Colonist (Victoria)
Luna the killer whale is as playful and interested in people as a puppy. That is what is worrying those who visit him on Vancouver Island's west
coast.
They fear that the friendly whale is so used to cosying up to boats that he may tip over a kayak or that a frightened boater will gun his engine and injure Luna with the
propeller.
www.canada.com/victoria/story
(18/06/2002) Mobile phones 'fuel gorillas' plight'
Tuesday, 11 June, 2002
By Alex Kirby , BBC News Online environment correspondent
A UK television film says users of mobile telephones and other
electronic goods are endangering some African ape populations. The
appliances use the mineral coltan, obtained mainly from the Democratic
Republic of Congo (DRC).
Part of the country is the last stronghold of the eastern lowland
gorilla, which the film says is in drastic decline.
It says a United Nations initiative to save the apes could prove a
vital factor.
The film, No Hiding Place - Part Two, made by Television Trust for the Environment
(TVE), is shown on BBC World in its Earth Report series.
http://news.bbc.co.uk
(19/06/2002) Police hunt chimp over mobile theft
by Patrick McGowan
To have two burglaries reported in under an hour in a single street in
Hackney is pretty unremarkable.
But one of the victims saw the suspect and the description he gave
police was nothing if not distinctive.
The long, hairy arm Mustapha Riat saw disappearing with his mobile
phone belonged to a chimpanzee.
"I saw this hairy black chimpanzee coming through the window," said
the 43-yearold teacher. "I couldn't believe it.
"I was frightened of being bitten. I had a lamp and a clock on the
table but it only wanted the phone. It must have been trained to go for
it.
"I asked people if they had seen a chimp who burgled me and obviously
they were pretty staggered." Police are taking the burglary seriously and
are linking it with a second crime 20 doors away at a flat belonging to
Gina Davidson, 23, although nobody saw the monkey.
She said: "The DVD player was moved and a watch was missing.
"Police dusted my flat for fingerprints but how will that help catch a
chimp?"
A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "We have no reason to disbelieve the
victim who reported the monkey.
"We are keeping an open mind."
It is not clear what species of primate was seen leaving the house but
police believe the animal was a chimpanzee, said the spokesman.
A traditional steam fair was being held at the weekend at nearby
Victoria Park.
But a police spokesman said: "We have checked with the fair and they
haven't got any monkeys."
Another police source said: "It does appear that only small items were
stolen, such as a mobile phone, things that a monkey could easily carry.
We have no reason to disbelieve what we have been told, though only one
person in the two households said they saw a monkey."
Parts of a stereo system were also taken from one house.
Police said they had no evidence that this was a new tactic being
employed by thieves.
The Yard said a senior detective was being brought in to oversee the
inquiry.
The Scotland Yard spokesman added: "We have our greatest minds on this
one." www.thisislondon.co.uk
(20/06/2002) 50,000 mongooses killed to make brushes
Express News Service
New Delhi, June 10: DELHI was at the core of nationwide raids carried out by different state forest departments and police to recover large caches of hair extracted by slaughtering at least 50,000
mongooses. The hair was used to make brushes.
[Link]
(21/06/2002) Boycott Adidas - Saturday, 31 august 2002
I’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who has supported Viva!’s campaign to end the brutal massacre of kangaroos for their meat and skin. International pressure is taking its toll on the kangaroo industry and they are desperately trying to find new markets for their products as more and more companies refuse to stock them. Sales of kangaroo meat have been virtually wiped out in Britain and we are now tackling the much more lucrative kangaroo skin trade. It is this industry, which supplies leather for football boots, handbags and baseball mitts, which is fuelling the slaughter of millions of kangaroos and their babies every
year.
We are targeting companies using kangaroo skin one at a time, just as we did with supermarkets stocking kangaroo meat, until we have wiped out this sickening trade. Our first target is Adidas and their ‘Predator’ boot, worn and promoted by England’s team captain David Beckham. Adidas is far and away the leader in ‘premier football boots’, with 70 per cent of the market
worldwide.
We wrote to Adidas outlining our concerns about their use of kangaroo skin and received a nauseating standard letter claiming to care about ‘humane harvesting’ and regurgitating the Kangaroo Industry Association’s propaganda about population control. We have written back to Adidas addressing the points made in their letter and requested a meeting with them, but so far they have not replied. It’s time for us to step up the campaign and make them take notice!
We’re going to take the campaign to the high street and urge shoppers not to buy Adidas products until they cease their part in the largest wildlife massacre in the world. We’ll be producing leaflets, posters, petitions and stickers all exposing Adidas as a driving force behind an industry which bludgeons millions of young joeys to death every
year.
Day of Action
In the UK and USA, we will be holding an Adidas Day of Action on Saturday, 31st
August. Activists will hold protests outside high street shops which stock Adidas football boots and urge shoppers to boycott all Adidas products as long as they use kangaroo skin. We would love to make this an international day of action as Adidas are a global company and kangaroo skin boots are sold around the world. If your organisation can not commit to taking part in this day of action, please still take this campaign on and help put international pressure on Adidas.
It is vital to the survival of the kangaroo that we stop the trade in
their skins, but especially for the manufacture of football boots.
According to Australia’s leading tanners of kangaroo leather, Parker
Tanning, manufacturers prefer to use the largest skins to make athletic
footwear. These skins come from the big red males who take 10 years to
reach alpha status and are being continually massacred so few survive to
pass on their superior genes to the next generation. This means that
smaller, weaker and younger males are left to breed with the females,
producing offspring who are less likely to survive a major drought or
other natural disasters. We must reverse this trend before a major
disaster strikes and Australia’s kangaroos are wiped out! It is
frightening that leather suppliers are complaining that there are few
large red males left in Australia. Skins are getting smaller and smaller
as they now shoot juveniles.
Please join the fight to save these magnificent animals. We can supply you with sample materials for you to translate, videos, photos and our scientific report on the killing of kangaroos for meat and skin. All of these materials can also be downloaded from our website:
www.savethekangaroo.com. We would also be happy to provide ideas and guidance for.
Thanks for your continued help and support.
Yours for the animals
Juliet Gellatley, Director, Viva! info@viva.org.uk
(22/06/2002) Ugandan President Proposes Wildlife Export Ban
by David Milner
Yoweri Museveni, the president of Uganda, recently called for an immediate ban on all wild animal exports from the country.
Such exports were banned in the past, but permitted to resume two years
ago.
"President Museveni's decision to step forward and reaffirm his country's commitment to a pro-conservation,
anti-trade wildlife management policy comes at a crucial time when more than 150 nations are preparing for the November Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) meeting, where the issue of trade in African
wildlife, such as elephants, is expected to be the focus of much heated
debate," said International Fund for Animal Welfare President Fred O'Regan.
Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia and Botswana last week announced a
proposal to resume the ivory trade, despite objections from animal welfare
advocates who fear that a resumption of the trade, which would have to be
approved at a CITES meeting, could lead to increased poaching of both
African and Asian elephants.
(23/06/2002) The dolphins of La Paz need your help or they will remain prisoners for life inside the sea-pen at FINS, the Dolphin Learning
Center
Yolanda Alaniz's Alert
As you know, eight dolphins were captured in Magdalena Bay and
brutally transported to the dolphinarium in La Paz, Baja California Sur,
Mexico. One of them died 40 days after capture. The necropsy report showed
that this death was from the stress of being captured and bad care.
Despite the efforts of the "Conservación de Mamíferos Marinos de
México" (COMARINO - Conservation of Marine Mammals of Mexico), the Group
of 100, and other national and international NGOs, and after lodging two
complaints where COMARINO reported all the violations of Mexico's
environmental laws, 18 months were allowed to pass before government
environment officials (Procuraduría Federal of the Medium Environment
PROFEPA) declared null and void the four proceedings opened against the
business. The dolphins were returned to the owners on May 7th, a day after
the PROFEPA official who had decreed the final closure of the dolphinarium
was fired.
Thanks to you, the authorities have admitted receiving more than 6,500
national and international complaints and they feel under great pressure.
However, the governor of Baja California Sur is responsible for
obstructing the correct application of the law and for stopping the
federal government from carrying out the final confiscation of the
dolphins. Federal authorities yielded under pressure from the governor,
his family and dolphin trainer Javier Aedo, and found legal traps to stall
the process of enforcing the law, finally voiding the confiscation of the
dolphins which had been carried out last March.
COMARINO then inquired as to the causes that provoked such decisions. The authorities refused to give us any information citing that our laws permit the right to secrecy when a case is still being handled and has not been closed. However, the judge that granted protection to the business, had ordered the proceedings re-started, so they were obligated to declare them
void and start again.
Because of this situation, our group, the Green Party, the Group of
the 100, and other Mexican NGOs organized a demonstration in front of the
offices of the ministry of the environment (Secretaría del Medio Ambiente
- SEMARNAT) on Wednesday, June 12, during which we did a symbolic closure
of the offices due to their inefficiency in applying the law, and we
demanded to be heard by the authorities.
Finally, five top officials of SEMARNAT and PROFEPA spoke to us and
promised to set up a meeting with us to try to find a solution. This
meeting will take place on Monday, June 24 at SEMARNAT's head offices.
It's very important that they see we have support from abroad, since
government officials only listen when under pressure, as with the
governor. We believe it is time to try it all.
We will be initiating new legal actions against Fins: Dolphin Learning
Center, and also against government officials who turn out to be
responsible for the so-called "vices of procedure", which after a year and
a half is making us start all over again. We continue to offer our help to
rehabilitate and release the dolphins. We know that government officials
will try to erode our efforts to make these dolphins candidates for
release and will then transfer the animals to other dolphinariums in
Mexico.
The issue of the La Paz dolphins has become very controversial in
Mexico and because of this plus the report on Mexican dolphinariums, new
legislation for the protection of cetaceans has been enacted: Since
January, our laws prohibit the capture of marine mammals for commercial
purposes. Since April, dolphinariums must adhere to regulations that are
difficult to comply with. Because of all this, we believe that these
dolphins have become something very valuable for the industry. We know
that CONVIMAR offered to take them.
Please write to President Vicente Fox Quesada, asking him that environmental laws be enforced. Respectfully ask that he permit environmental laws to be applied in Mexico. (Tell him) that the world is paying attention to this issue and that, after so many violations of the law have occurred, including the issuing of a capture permit, it would be fatal if the dolphins were permitted to remain in the hands of such incapable people, as has already been demonstrated (Remind him) that Mexico has distinguished itself by the protection afforded to large cetaceans (Mexico just declared their ENTIRE economic zone a sanctuary from haling).
(Say) that it is time to also effectively protect dolphins, which have been ignored by our laws. (Request) that he order the enforcement of the law and the rehabilitation and liberation of the seven dolphins. There is still time. Tell him that a Mexican organization "Conservation of Mamíferos
Marine of Mexico" (COMARINO) has always offered aid to the federal
government to achieve this, with support of international NGOs and advice
of expert scientists. Explain to him how it would be best for Mexico to
put an end to so much cruelty that comes from the treatment of dolphins in
captivity.
Write to President Fox, but with a copy to all the following people:
The oldest captive penguin in the world died recently in Japan at the age of 41.
The male king penguin, called Ginkichi, was captured along with five other penguins near the South Pole in 1962 when he was two years
old. He was delivered to the Nagasaki Penguin Aquarium shortly afterward.
Ginkichi was almost completely blind during the last year of his life because he had
cataracts.
Efforts were made to prolong the bird's life - he, for example, was given vitamin supplements - but his health did not
improve.
The Aquarium, which held a memorial service and presented an exhibit
of photographs of Ginkichi, has stuffed him and placed him on display.
The previous age record for a captive penguin was set by a bird in the
Edinburgh Zoo in Scotland that lived for 28 years.
(25/06/2002) S. African Animal Welfare Organizations
Furious Over "Canned Hunt" Document
JOHANNESBURG - South African animal welfare activists are furious over potential legislation which could allow trophy hunters to shoot lions by any means, opening the way for "canned hunts" in which the beasts are like sitting ducks.
Animal rights activists said Saturday they were gearing up to fight a 50-page document in court, Johannesburg-based *** Saturday Star *** reported.
The document, leaked to the media, was drawn up as a basis for potential provincial legislation by officials of the northern Limpopo Province, captive lion breeders and hunters, and declares that "trophy hunters should be free to do whatever they want with a target lion".
Canned hunting is a practice where unsuspecting tame animals, usually reared by human hand, are lured with food in an enclosed space, offering a trophy hunter an easy
kill. www.tehrantimes.com/
(26/06/2002) Animal Rights Conference Coming Up
by Ben Lipson and David Milner
Animal Rights 2002, a conference devoted to promoting the welfare of
all types of animals, will be held in Washington, DC from June 28th to
July 3rd.
The conference, a "forum for sharing motivation, knowledge and
contacts," will feature five plenary sessions, 100 workshops, 50 campaign
reports, 16 round table discussions and an awards banquet.
Among the 120 individuals conducting the events will be:
- Elliot Katz, DVM, president and founder of In Defense of Animals
- Wayne Pacelle, Senior Vice President of The Humane Society of the United States
- Ingrid Newkirk, president and co-founder of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
- Peter Singer, author of Animal Liberation
- Neal Barnard, MD, founder of Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
Also at the conference will be an "employment clearinghouse" and more than
80 exhibits of animal-related merchandise, display materials and
literature.
(27/06/2002) Ric O’Barry commenting on the Protection of Sea Mammals in USA:
The National Marines Fisheries Service (NMFS), in the past, has issued permits to the billion-dollar tuna industry to kill six to eight million dolphins in order to facilitate this profitable industry. The record will show that NMFS has approved 99.4 % of all permit requests to capture, display and export dolphins. In addition, NMFS has given the US navy the permit to practically do whatever they want with our oceans' marine life.
As far as the navy's marine mammal program is concerned, the US navy
can use their marine mammals however they please, and no one will ever
know what horrors they endure. The only evidence we have is the Marine
Mammal Inventory Report. Here, some of the causes of death are listed as
"drowning," “jaw fracture," "capture shock," and "dead during testing."
What does NMFS do with this information? Nothing. In fact, according
to the Orlando Sentinel, the data compiled in the MMIR has never been
analyzed by NMFS. They simply don't care.
But just try to get this agency to issue a permit to release captive
dolphins back into the wild, and all of a sudden they are greatly
concerned about these few animals. They are not concerned about the
millions that they have issued permits to kill, capture, export and
exploit. Fact is, NMFS is a regulatory agency, not a protection agency.
One could say that NMFS is the errand boy for these giant corporations.
Their job is not about animal protection at all. It never has been.
NMFS is a branch of the US Department of Commerce, and their real job is to facilitate commerce and the corporations. This is obviously an inherent conflict of interest. And this is exactly why we are loosing the war.
Ric O'Barry
(28/06/2002) China's growing band of veggies
By Duncan Hewitt
BBC Shanghai correspondent
China has become the world's biggest producer of meat over the last decade.
Economic reforms and growing affluence have given more people the chance to eat once-scarce foods like beef and chicken, and Western fast food chains have helped to spread the fashion. But with the country also experiencing a sharp rise in health problems common in developed countries - from heart disease to obesity - some people are now calling for a change.
[Link]
(29/06/2002) Rapper Fined for Slapping Pet Ape
by Sherry Morse
French rap star Joey Starr recently was fined approximately $9,100 for repeatedly slapping his pet Barbary ape during a television show broadcast from the artist's home in March.
The incident sparked complaints from viewers as well as French actress Brigitte Bardot and other animal welfare
activists.
Starr, who was found guilty in a French court of animal cruelty and illegally possessing a member of an endangered
species, could have been fined as much as $37,616.
He had previously been convicted of assault and other violent crimes.
Barbary apes, which are monkeys similar to macaques rather than apes, inhabit the Atlas Mountains of Algeria and Morocco as well as the Rock of Gibraltar. They are the only primates native to Europe.
(Notice) International Campaign : DAY OF THE CAPTIVE DOLPHIN
Already for more than one century, sea mammals are captured and imprisoned
for entertainment, research or, more recently, for "therapeutic" contacts.
All this is done in spite of the well-known scientific fact that it is absolutely impossible to accommodate the psychic, physical and social needs
of these marine mammals in delphinariums, or any other form of containment.
Captured dolphins suffer from all kinds of physiological and mental problems, they develop abnormal behaviours and an increased aggressiveness.
Their normally long life expectancy is cut short and reproductions are problematic, if not failures altogether.
In light of these grim facts, a great number of international associations
have taken up the challenge to end to this cruel practice. The natural habitat of orcas, dolphins, belugas and other sea mammals is the freedom of
the open seas where they can plunge at record-depths and swim at high speed
over long distances. They are of great beauty and intelligence and live with
members of their families and friends in highly structured social groups. These animals have deserved better than to perish in concrete cells!
The fourth of July is celebrated as Independence Day in the United States,
where delphinariums have been invented. That is why that particular occasion
was chosen to commemorate all the many cetacean victims everywhere in the world, those already dead and those passing away slowly, by exploitation.
This "DAY OF THE CAPTIVE DOLPHIN" invites people not to be fooled by the "dolphin's smile" but to look deeper: behind the scenes of the cruel
dolphin-industry.
Everyone is asked to participate in this campaign by speaking out against capturing and confining sea mammals. Please inform all your contacts,
protest in your own country, distribute flyers, send contributions to your
media and, most importantly, request your local authorities to close such installations as soon as possible.
Voilà plus d'un siècle déjà que des cétacés sont capturés en mer et
maintenus en captivité aux seuls fins d'amuser le grand public, de faire l'objet de recherches ou, plus récemment, en vue de contacts
"thérapeutiques" rapprochés avec des êtres humains.
Depuis quelques années, pourtant, des études scientifiques sérieuses et
menées sur le long terme ont largement confirmé qu'il était matériellement
impossible de concilier les besoins psychiques, physiques et sociaux de ces
mammifères marins avec les conditions d'accueil offertes en delphinarium ou
par toute autre forme de confinement.
Les cétacés captifs souffrent en effet de toutes sortes de pathologies physiologiques et mentales, ils développent des comportements anormaux et
une agressivité accrue, leur espérance de vie normalement importante se réduit à quelques années et leur reproduction en bassin pose de graves
problèmes et constitue globalement un échec.
Conscients de ces faits, un grand nombre d'associations internationales luttent depuis des années pour mettre fin à cette pratique absurde et
inutile qui n'apporte rien au niveau pédagogique ou scientifique.Les orques,
dauphins, bélougas et autres cétacés sont des mammifères marins d'une beauté
et d'une intelligence exceptionnelle, morphologiquement conçus pour plonger
très profond, nager très rapidement sur de très longues distances et vivre
libres en pleine mer au sein de leurs familles et de leurs structures sociales, et non pas pour croupir dans des bassins de béton, où les
recherches que l'on mènent sur eux n'ont plus aucune valeur. Le jour du 4
juillet - fête nationale des Etats-Unis qui ont inventé les delphinariums -
a été choisi par elles pour commémorer l'ensemble des cétacés morts en
bassin ou en train d'y mourir et pour sensibiliser l'opinion mondiale aux drames qui se jouent dans les coulisses des parcs
marins...
Les amis des cétacés sont donc vivement invités à participer en nombre à
cette grande "Journée du Dauphin Captif" et à dénoncer haut et fort l'existence des delphinariums établis dans leur propre pays, soit par des
actions de protestation directe menées dans la rue, soit en expédiant des
dossiers d'information à la presse locale, soit enfin en demandant aux autorités compétentes de faire fermer au plus vite ce genre de structures.
Internationale Kampagne: TAG DER GEFANGENEN DELFINE
Nun schon seit hundert Jahren werden Meeressäuger für Unterhaltungszwecke,
Forschung und, seit kurzem, für "therapeutische" Kontakte gefangen und eingesperrt. All das geschieht trotz der
wohlbekannten wissenschaftlichen Tatsache, daß es absolut unmöglich ist, die psychischen, physischen und
sozialen Bedürfnisse dieser Tiere in Delfinarien oder irgendeiner anderen
Form von Gefangenhaltung zu befriedigen.
Eingesperrte Delfine leiden unter den verschiedensten Gesundheits- und Verhaltensproblemen und entwickeln häufig ein anormales Verhalten mit
erhöhter Aggressivität. Ihre normalerweise lange Lebenserwartung wird verkürzt und die Vermehrung problematisch, wenn nicht sogar völlig
unmöglich.
Unter Berücksichtigung dieser grausamen Fakten haben viele internationale
Organisationen die Herausforderung angenommen, diese Quälereien zu beenden.
Schwertwale, Delfine, Belugas und andere Seesäugetiere leben in der Freiheit der weiten Meere, tauchen in Rekordtiefen und schwimmen in großer
Geschwindigkeit über lange Entfernungen. Die sozialen Strukturen dieser
schönen und intelligenten Tiere sind hoch entwickelt, und sie haben es nicht
verdient, in Zellen aus Beton durch Ausbeutung langsam umzukommen.
Der vierte Juli ist der Unabhängigkeitstag in Amerika, wo die Delfinarien
erfunden wurden. Aus diesem Grund wurde dieser Tag gewählt zum Gedenken all
der vielen Delfin-Opfer, und zwar gilt das Mitleid nicht nur jenen, die schon gestorben sind, sondern auch allen anderen, die langsam in der
Unterhaltungsindustrie dahinsiechen.
Ganz besonders an diesem "DAY OF THE CAPTIVE DOLPIN" sollte man sich nicht
von den lächelnden Gesichtern der Delfine täuschen lassen, sondern hinter
die Kulissen der Delfin-Industrie blicken. Alle Tierfreunde sind aufgefordert, an dieser Kampagne in ihren eigenen Ländern teilzunehmen:
durch die Weitergabe von Informationen, durch Proteste gegen Delfinarien, durch das Verteilen von Broschüren, durch Kontakte mit den Medien und, ganz
wichtig, durch Anträge bei den verantwortlichen lokalen Behörden, vorhandene
Einrichtungen schnellstens zu schliessen.
Danke!
Yvon Godefroid
Site Dauphins Libres et Dauphins Captifs (auch deutsche Texte) www.dauphinlibre.be/
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