Breaking! New Report Reveals 99.9% Of 108,124 People Surveyed In North Carolina Want Federal Protection For Red Wolves – World Animal News

By WAN –
November 1, 2018

Photo from the Center for Biological Diversity
The controversial plan by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to drastically reduce protection for the nation’s only wild population of endangered red wolves, has met nearly unanimous opposition from more than 100,000 members of the public.
Out of 108,124 comments submitted to the Fish and Wildlife Service on the proposal, 99.9% spoke out in favor of the red wolves and their need for strong federal protections.
In June, the service solicited public comments on its management plan for the red wolf, which survives only in Eastern North Carolina with only as few as 30 individuals remaining.
The service suggested reducing the recovery area where the wolves can safely roam by more than 90%. The revised recovery area would only be expected to provide sufficient space for 10-15 red wolves.
The proposal would eliminate protections for any red wolves that wander off Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge and Dare County Bombing Range.
The plan would shockingly allow anyone to kill red wolves on private lands for any reason.
“People overwhelmingly oppose the Trump administration’s dangerous plan to slash the red wolf recovery area,” Perrin de Jong, a Center for Biological Diversity staff attorney based in North Carolina, said in a statement. “This reckless proposal would put these unique animals in immediate jeopardy of being lost from the wild forever. Citizens from the recovery area, across the state, and around the country, clearly want the feds to do more, not less, to protect the world’s most endangered wolf.”
“Every voice raised in support of wildlife can make a difference, and Americans overwhelmingly support the Red Wolf Recovery Program,” said Maggie Howell, executive director of the Wolf Conservation Center. “We’re counting on the service to take notice and follow the best available science to ensure that the world’s most endangered wolves remain a living, breathing part of the landscape in Eastern North Carolina.”
People living in the areas most directly affected by red wolves also expressed strong support for their conservation. Out of 2,923 comments submitted by the people of North Carolina, 2,898 comments, or 99.1%, spoke out in favor of red wolves. From the current five-county recovery area in Eastern North Carolina where the wolves live, 75 out of 95 comments submitted were also pro-wolf.
North Carolina’s governor also spoke out against the service’s proposal and expressed support for red wolf recovery.
“There is a viable path forward for North Carolina’s red wolves living in the wild, and I have directed relevant departments in my administration to work with USFWS to continue the recovery program and build upon its success to date,” Governor Roy Cooper said in a comment submitted to the Service on July 30th.
Only 19 comments specifically supported the agency’s plan to eliminate red wolf protections and shrink the recovery area. Of 30 additional comments opposing red wolf recovery, 13 came from a single real estate developer.
Volunteers from the Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife, Wildlands Network, and the Wolf Conservation Center reviewed each of the thousands of comments submitted to produce this analysis.
In the past, the service released inaccurate tallies of wolf public comments it had received. In 2017, during the initial scoping period for the current plan, the agency reported only 12,000 out of 55,000 red wolf comments, ignoring extensive compilations of comments submitted by conservation organizations.
“Wildlife, including red wolves, are managed by the USFWS in trust for the American people,” noted D.J. Schubert, Wildlife Biologist at the Animal Welfare Institute. “The people have now spoken loud and clear of their support for the protection and recovery of the red wolf in the wild, it is time that the government starts to listen and comply with the public’s clear message. Less than 20 years ago, there were more than 130 red wolves in the wild. These numbers can be achieved again if the USFWS complies with federal law.”

https://worldanimalnews.com/breaking-new-report-reveals-99-9-of-108124-people-surveyed-in-north-carolina-want-federal-protection-for-red-wolves/

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The African Wildlife Foundation To Invest $25 Million In Major Efforts To Counter The Illegal Wildlife Trade In Africa – World Animal News

By WAN –
November 1, 2018

The African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) will invest $25 million over the next four years to support efforts by African governments and local communities to protect wildlife and wild lands on the continent.
Making the pledge last month at the Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT) conference in London, AWF President Kaddu Sebunya said poaching and illegal trade in wildlife products poses an acute threat to Africa’s rich heritage of natural wealth that is critical to the continent’s development prospects.
“We are seeing recovery and stabilization of some critical wildlife populations. We know what is working and it’s time to scale up the investment to combat this serious threat,” said Kaddu in a statement.
Soaring demand for illegal wildlife products is emptying forests and savannahs of key species, undermining efforts to put in place good governance and sustainable development. The London conference is a good starting point for strengthening partnerships across borders to collectively combat the illegal wildlife trade.
The money pledged by AWF will be used to support programs implementing the priorities coming out of the 2018 conference. This includes:

Building African leadership and ownership of the IWT agenda on the continent.
Protecting habitats and key populations of rhinos, elephants, great apes, large carnivores and giraffes.
Enhancing detection of wildlife crimes, and strengthening prosecutorial and judiciary capacity to put perpetrators behind bars where they belong.

Kaddu said that while the international efforts to disrupt markets in illegal wildlife products—such as the Ivory Alliance being launched by the UK Government earlier this month —are critical, the IWT agenda in Africa must be led and owned by Africans.
“The trade routes trace back to decisions made on the ground, and while we are focusing this week on the commodities traded from dead wildlife, our interest is in seeing the living species remain part of modern Africa. We know from our work that leadership at every level—from the families living in wildlife-rich areas, to the heads of state—is an essential ingredient,” Kaddu said.
Since 2014, AWF has invested $13.1 million to counter the illegal wildlife trade in Africa and implemented a further $5.5 million with public-sector partners. The combined $18.6 million has been used to directly support anti-poaching efforts on the ground, strengthen prosecutorial and judiciary processes, place sniffer dogs in critical transit points, and campaign to stop the demand in Asia.
The investment is clearly working. 10 out of the 14 populations of elephants the funding has targeted are stable or increasing. All rhino populations and seven out of nine carnivore populations that AWF supports are stable or increasing. Prosecutors are building stronger cases and judges are delivering stronger sentences for wildlife crimes. The sniffer dogs have registered over 250 finds and counting.
“If we can keep wildlife safe from poachers, make wildlife products difficult to move around, actively involve key local players, and dampen the demand for wildlife products, then Africa’s magnificent animals have a fighting chance,” said Dr. Philip Muruthi, AWF Chief Scientist and VP of Species Protection.

https://worldanimalnews.com/the-african-wildlife-foundation-to-invest-25-million-in-major-efforts-to-counter-the-illegal-wildlife-trade-in-africa/

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Petition: Stop the dolphin slaughter in Norway before it starts! · Change.org

change.org
Stop the dolphin slaughter in Norway before it starts! · Change.org
Ørjan Jacobsen Fjeldstad started this petition to The Norwegian government and 4 others
2 minutes

The elected officials of the indigenous northern Sami people of Norway has voted unanimously yes to introduce dolphin slaughter to the northern beaches of Norway. Similar to The Cove in Taiji Japan, or the Grindadrap in the Faroe Islands. They start working on how to legalize and implement this practice. With the ultimate goal of getting the Norwegian government on board.

Dolphins live in groups, and the catch of some, leads to damage in the social structure. Inflicting trauma and suffering, and limiting the ability to reproduce. Not to mention the brutality and suffering inflicted over the period of time it takes to kill the dolphins with various tools. The Sami claim dolphin hunt is a tradition worthy of reinstating.

If this were to happen, it would be a tremendous setback to animal welfare and conservation in Norway. It would color the beaches red. The dolphin population would not be safe anymore. And Norway would have dealt another smack in the face to international solidarity. I’m referring to the whaling ban Norway refuses to uphold, despite being a member of the IWC, and losing a vote that ended the legitimacy of commercial whaling in 1982.

We call on the Norwegian government, and relevant ministers to ban delfinfangst aka dolphin slaughter, and make it illegal permanently. And to refuse any future requests of allowing such an unnecessary and barbarically outdated practice to resurface from the depths of the past. Where progress in animal welfare, and human ethics in treatment of animals has made its slow march.

https://www.change.org/p/the-norwegian-government-stop-the-dolphin-slaughter-in-norway-before-it-starts

Suffering for the Saints–Blood Festivals in Spain

Armory of the Revolution

“It hurts me to say it but the Spanish are a savage, insensitive and ignorant people.” Miguel Angel Rolland made that stark assessment as he discussed his film, Santa Fiesta, which documents the brutality that is a part of many Spanish celebrations.

Estimates are that approximately 60,000 animals are killed during festivals held in honor of the Virgin Mary or local saints, particularly in the smaller towns throughout Spain. Much of Spanish identity is at the local level, rather than the national level, and people are “fiercely loyal” to their own communities and the customs that evolve there.

Because of that fierce loyalty, Rolland had to film the documentary in secret. When he was discovered, he said he was “run out of town”: “Everyone goes, they take their children. These cruel events have the church’s blessing. . . .” Rolland maintains he has always wanted to make his film to…

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Petition: Demand China Reinstate the Ban on Rhino Horn and Tiger Bone!

thepetitionsite.com
Demand China Reinstate the Ban on Rhino Horn and Tiger Bone!
5-7 minutes

We are petitioning CHINA to reinstate their ban on RHINO HORN and TIGER BONE as their recent reversal will have devastating effects on vulnerable rhino and tiger populations and will set conservation efforts back by decades. There is no scientific backing that rhino horns and tiger bones have any medicinal uses and in any case, it’s morally wrong to senselessly kill animals for our selfish benefit. Their lives are their own and their lives have value independent of their usefulness to others.

As reported by National Geographic on October 29th 2018:

China legalizes rhino horn and tiger bone for medical purposes. The materials have no proven medicinal value in humans, and conservationists call the move a major setback for wild populations.

In China, rhino horn and tiger bone may now be legally used in medical research or traditional medicine following a controversial announcement by the government this morning. The animal specimens may be obtained only from farms, according to the announcement, but conservationists say this surprising move may open the floodgates for a surge in illegal activity and threaten vulnerable animal populations.

The move is “very concerning,” says Leigh Henry, director of wildlife policy at the World Wildlife Fund. Discerning what animals were obtained legally from farms rather than illegally from the wild would be incredibly difficult, so this decision would give cover to traffickers, she says. Rhinos and tigers are both endangered in the wild, and their trade is prohibited. “WWF urgently calls on China to maintain the ban on tiger bone and rhino horn trade which has been so critical in conserving these iconic species. This should be expanded to cover trade in all tiger parts and products,” she says.

China’s action stands in sharp contrast to the country’s moves to combat poaching in recent years. The country has had a 25-year-old ban in place preventing the import or export of these products. And the World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies—the official group that dictates what can be used in traditional medicine—also removed rhino horn and tiger bone from its list of products approved for use on patients (though the market still existed for them).

Two years ago, China also announced that it would close its domestic ivory market by the end of 2017, earning widespread praise. Conservation groups championed the move as a necessary step to help reduce ivory demand and stamp down poaching of African elephants.

Debbie Banks, Tiger Campaign Leader at the Environmental Investigation Agency, a nonprofit with offices in London and Washington, D.C., says that today’s announcement undermines China’s stance on wildlife protection. “China’s reputation as a leader in conservation following their domestic ban on the sale of ivory now lies in tatters,” she said in an email. “The news today,” she says, “seriously jeopardizes the future survival of wild tigers by stimulating demand for their body parts instead of eradicating demand,” adding that it also puts rhinos at risk in their African and Asian range countries. “The news today is a staggering display of brazen disregard for global opinion.”

The reason China took this step remains unclear. Chinese officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment. But the growing number of tiger farms in China and efforts to farm rhinos there may be a key driver, environmental groups say. “We’ve been concerned for a long time about the tiger farms in China and the increasing numbers of farms there,” Henry says. “Captive tigers are incredibly expensive to feed and care for, so as these numbers grew, so did pressure on the Chinese government to allow a regulated trade in tiger products. China’s decision is what many of us have feared for over a decade.” The Environmental Investigation Agency had reported in 2013 that at least several thousand tigers were being kept at hundreds of farms across the country. Moreover, China also has reportedly started importing rhinos for potential farming.

Susan Lieberman, vice president for international policy at the Wildlife Conservation Society, a New York-based nonprofit working on global conservation, also believes that the growing number of farmed tigers may be a major factor behind China’s decision. The new legality of tiger bone and rhino horn use, she says, will be a major win for traffickers. “You would want there to be a legal market to hide behind,” she says. Without DNA tests of these products, there’s no way to know if their source is a farm or the wild.

Rhino horn is made from keratin—a protein found in fingernails and hair—and the product is falsely said to help treat everything from cancer to gout when consumed in its powder form. There are no proven medicinal benefits in humans from either product. The most sparing evidence has been brought to bear claiming that rhino horn may somehow help lower fever, at least in rodents. Certainly, cheaper, more readily available medicines such as acetaminophen or aspirin are far more effective, Lieberman says. Tiger bone crushed and made into a paste has been said to be usable to treat a variety of ailments, including rheumatism and back pain. But Lieberman says, “I know of no evidence for that.”

https://www.thepetitionsite.com/958/270/005/demand-china-reinstate-the-ban-on-rhino-horn-and-tiger-bone/?TAP=1724

Steamed Apple Pudding

Bad Vegan

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. I do love a steamed vegan pudding.

I’m such a fan I don’t like having to wait for nearly two hours for my puds to steam. So I cheat; I use the microwave to speed up the cooking time to only 4 mins, or so.

I replaced the egg with a chickpea batter made with water and gram flour. Added in some chopped apple, and apple puree. And replaced the milk with non-dairy milk.

So here it is:

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Did you make this recipe?

Please let me know how it turned out for you!
Leave a comment below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #MagickKitchen.

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Vegan pumpkin coffee cake with pecan crumb

Tuesday's Horse

Okay. I missed my regular Thursday post (sorry!) but here I am still in time for the weekend. You haven’t done your food shopping yet have you?

You have been writing me saying “more pumpkin recipes please”. I’m on it!

Vegan Richa’s Pumpkin Coffee Cake with Pecan Crumb. Yummmm! Click image for all 25 Vegan Pumpkin Recipes to Make this Fall.

If you are in a hurry, go here now for 25 Vegan Pumpkin Recipes and check out all the yummies there »

I made this coffee cake Wednesday morning cause I had a bag of pecans I was munching on (I got them to bake with but . . . ) and then I saw this recipe. Oh my. Ohhhhhhhhh my!

Here’s Ms Hingle’s description:

Easy 1 Bowl Pumpkin Cake, topped with Chai Spice Pecan Streusel. Just 15 mins prep. Soft, Spiced, Delicious. Makes 1 9 x 9 or 8…

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The Best Homemade Almond Butter

Feed Your Beauty

This week marked a first for me in kitchen experiments. I baked my very first loaf of homemade bread, from scratch (i.e. no bread maker!). There was a lot of kneading (making bread is a full body workout, ya’ll), a lot of waiting, some serious through-the-oven-door watching, and then a whole bunch more impatient waiting. When it was finally done, cooled, sliced, (slathered with today’s almond butter) and eaten, I felt some serious satisfaction. I made bread. Breeeeaaaaaadddd! Breeeaaaaadddd!! With my own two hands.

Making your own almond butter can bring you that very same deep sense of accomplishment and satisfaction, but without the upper body workout, blood, sweat, and tears that making bread from scratch entails. In fact, your kitchen gadgets do all work for you. Hmm… maybe that’s why people buy breadmakers.

In addition to outlining the steps to making the very best, most deliciously silky and smooth…

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Happy World Vegan Day! The Vegan Society Launches New App Designed To Help People Go Vegan In 30 Days – World Animal News

Today is World Vegan Day and the beginning of World Vegan Month a time to recognize how far the vegan movement has come, to highlight how accessible and beneficial a plant-based lifestyle can be, and encourage people to adopt veganism by sharing advice, recipes and ideas.

To commemorate the occasion and its 74th anniversary The Vegan Society has launched a unprecedented app to help the vegan-curious adopt a plant-based lifestyle in 30 days.

“Today we are delighted to announce the launch of VeGuide- the app that makes it easier than ever to go vegan.”

Continue reading here…

https://worldanimalnews.com/happy-world-vegan-day-the-vegan-society-launches-new-app-designed-to-help-people-go-vegan-in-30-days/

10 Vegan Soups To Keep You Warm During Winter – Best Vegan Soup Recipes – Delish.com

Veggie- based soups have a rep for being more of a side dish than a meal, but these vegan soups recipes are here to change your mind. There are feeling cozy, and best of all, so easy to make. Cook a batch for a crown or have leftovers all week long. Check out our easy vegan recipes and vegan dinners.

https://www.delish.com/cooking/g24448567/vegan-soup-recipes/?source=nl&utm_source=nl_del&utm_medium=email&date=103118&slide=2