Eleanor Jones 16 January, 2022 20:06 3 – 4 minutes
A 10-year ban has been announced on the donkey skin trade in Tanzania, after fears were raised about the “alarming” decline in the country’s donkey population.
The news has been welcomed as a “strong step in the right direction” by those who have been campaigning against the trade.
H&H has reported on declining donkey populations in a number of countries owing to the demand for eijao, a substance found in the skin that is used in Chinese health and beauty products. Equine charity Brooke is among those calling for a worldwide ban on the trade of donkey skins, and a crackdown on smuggling of the animals across borders.
“This announcement is a fantastic step in the right direction for donkeys and their owners in east Africa,” a Brooke spokesman told H&H.
“We understand that Tanzania has initiated the ban because they are concerned about donkey numbers, which have been rapidly decreasing. Whilst we would like a more permanent ban based on the welfare of donkeys as well as population, we are still very pleased to have this ban in place. We will continue to work with the government to strengthen bans in Tanzania and other countries in Africa.”
There were an estimated 300,000 donkeys in Tanzania, but the number has been dropping rapidly. The country banned donkey slaughter in 2017 but this was overturned in February 2018, allowing slaughterhouses to reopen.
Hundreds of thousands of donkeys are being slaughtered for their skins and exported every year. In many cases, they are stolen from families who depend on them for their livelihood, driven long distances without food or water and killed in “horrific” circumstances.
Dear all, This is regarding Rakesh the elephant who is kept in pathetic conditions in a zoo in Orissa. I was informed that that elephant has been rescued, but that is false. After speaking with Maneka Gandhi, I have come to know that the elephant is kept in a Kraal or trench and can’t even turn. She has managed to get the chains removed and his wounds have healed kind of, but he is still imprisoned and is in a bad state. The animal needs to be rescued and freed. We need minimum 2,000 emails written to the Chief Secretary of Odisha. Please write, ‘Free Rakesh, his shackles have been removed. He is living in a trench and has suffered enough. We need to get him out of there. Once again, the shackles have been removed but his living conditions are pathetic. He needs to be freed.’ I am attaching the email. Please, please write an email asking him to free Rakesh the elephant so he can enjoy the rest of his years. Please, please don’t ignore this message and please share widely. The email id is asittripathy@gmail.com, Csori@ori.nic.in Regards, Cookkie Khanna
Xylitol is a popular artificial sweetener that can be deadly to your dog.
According to the Food and Drug Administration, the accidental consumption of xylitol by a dog can cause a sudden and life-threatening drop in blood sugar, seizures, liver failure and… death
To help warn dog owners, the FDA has created the following video:
What Products Contain Xylitol?
Food products that may contain xylitol include certain brands of peanut butter… which can sometimes be used as a tasty “stuffing” for Kongs® and other chewable dog toys.
Other products that may contain xylitol include:
Chewing gum
Peanut butter
Breath mints
Mouthwash
Candies
Toothpaste
Baked goods
Tooth whiteners
Chewable vitamins
Sugar-free desserts (like “skinny” ice cream)
Brands with a Prior History of Xylitol Content
The following brands have previously been known to contain xylitol. Some of these products may no longer contain the toxic sweetener. So, be sure to check the ingredients of each item listed.
recipient: American Vogue and 26 International Editions
Recently, Elle Magazine decided they wanted to be on the right side of history. The company announced that from here on out, all of their magazines – including 45 global editions — would be “fur free!” Halting the promotion and glamorization of fur is just as critical as stopping murderous fur production itself. This is a crucial step towards increasing awareness of animal welfare issues and rejecting the fur industry’s abusive and horrific practices. But other fashion magazines have been hesitant to take the same stance, leaving fur on their covers, editorials, and advertisements – and blood on their hands.
Sign now to demand that Vogue Magazine stop promoting fur in their magazines!
Animals raised and killed for their skin and fur live torturous lives for “fashion.” Bred and born mainly on fur farms, creatures such as mink, foxes, chinchillas, and many many more species wallow in misery. They are packed into tight, restrictive, filthy cages. They are deprived of proper care and behavioral outlets – so long as their fur remains in good condition, there is no incentive for farmers to keep them healthy and happy when they are just going to be killed anyway. And the ways in which they are killed are horrific – in order to maintain their coats in the process, they are gassed or even electrocuted with implements placed in their mouths or anuses.
Elle’s amazing new animal rights-driven charter eliminated all future content that promotes animal fur — including in print, on its websites, and on social media. This change will reach millions of readers. But Vogue has millions of total web visits, too, along with many print subscribers. So, why won’t the world-renowned fashion magazine stand up for what is right, and what a growing number of young, fashion-interested people want?
There is a strong precedent for Vogue speaking out against injustice and taking a stand to uplift the voices of the marginalized and disenfranchised. Teen Vogue has been a key voice of progessive politics in the past few years, promoting amazing educational content for young people and resisting the unjust politics of Donald Trump’s presidency. Now, Vogue must continue on with the trend — both within their own company and in the industry more broadly — and ban the promotion of fur in all of their magazines.
The future of fashion is fur-free. Sign now to demand that Vogue stand with animals around the world and ban fur from their publications!
This jolly pup has cerebellar hypoplasia – where they lose their coordination and balance.. but can live very long, happy, pain-free lives with this condition.🐾💕❄
‘Puppy farms’ are industrial breeding mills that often see dogs kept in appalling conditions in order to produce as many as possible. Dogs in these mills are kept in confinement for the majority, and sometimes entirety, of their lifespan. They often suffer from untreated health conditions such as infections, tumours, and dysplasia. Dogs that are kept for breeding purposes are repeatedly impregnated until they are no longer useful, and then often are terminated. Too often dogs who are kept on puppy farms end up suffering from psychological damage and need to receive rehabilitation before they are able to be rehomed.
Puppy farming is not entirely unregulated in South Australia, with the state government introducing a Code of Practice in 2017; however, this code allows abusive behaviours such as keeping the dogs confined for 23 hours and 30 minutes a day. Additionally, it allows the farmers to kill the dogs however they wish to (with the exception of drowning) so long as it “causes death or unconsciousness as rapidly as possible”.
Locally in South Australia there has been multiple proposals to erect new puppy farms. These industrial grade dog-breeding complexes – if approved – would seek to house hundreds of dogs in less than half as many kennels (one example is in Two Wells If approved, 300 dogs would be housed in 114 kennels). The RSPCA Chief Executive Officer Paul Stevenson spoke about the Two Wells proposition, claiming that the mill would have to operate “seven days a week 24 hours a day” in order to properly care for the animals, and stated that he was “horrified” with the proposal.
Australia has a dog overpopulation problem with tens of thousands of dogs being destroyed every year due to shelter overcrowding. This tragedy can be accredited to the fact that we breed thousands of dogs for profit, despite the ongoing epidemic of dog homelessness. The sinister nature of puppy farms is multi-faceted as not only do they seek to keep dogs in sub-par living conditions in order to exploit them for profit, but these farm’s existence adds to the problem of overcrowding in shelters and the needless execution of innocent and unloved dogs and puppies.
The ‘adopt don’t shop’ initiative has done a brilliant job in promoting the grassroots movement of adopting dogs in need rather than contribute to the dog production industry; however, as a community we must put our foot down when we see exploitation at our doorstep.
The Animal Justice Party SA seeks to ban all puppy farms in South Australia in order to expel the exploitation from our state and reduce the needless death toll.
I support the Animal Justice Party SA in seeking to ban all puppy farms in South Australia in order to expel the exploitation from our state and reduce the needless death toll.
Last spring, just as COVID-19 hit our shores, a White Coat Waste Project investigation revealed that taxpayer funding from the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) was secretively funneled to the notorious Wuhan Institute of Virology for wasteful and dangerous experiments on coronavirus-infected bats and other animals… including experiments that the State Department warned posed a pandemic risk.
Just one week after we released our international exposé, the White House cut funding for these animal experiments at the Wuhan Institute of Virology,
But now, despite being actively investigated for its role in the origins of COVID-19, the NIH says the Wuhan Institute of Virology, and 26 other labs in China, are still eligible to spend U.S. taxpayer money for wasteful, cruel, and hazardous animal experiments until 2024!
We need your help telling the U.S. government to permanently end taxpayer funding for the Wuhan Animal Lab and all other animal testing in China and other foreign countries!Want to know how else your money has been squandered?
Let’s just say the NIH is addicted to spending tens of millions of your tax money at foreign labs where animals are made to get hooked on drugs.
In recent years, Uncle Sam sent $11.6 million of your money to the U.K. to addict “junkie monkeys” to cocaine, morphine, and heroin, over $700,000 to hook zebrafish on nicotine, and $4.9 million to force pregnant mice to consume alcohol to cause birth defects.
It’s time to just say no to this cruel and wasteful spending. Please join me and White Coat Waste Project in urging the U.S. government to cut funding for ALL animal experiments in foreign labs.
The head of an investment firm planning to build a mega slaughterhouse in Wisconsin (worth an estimated 74M) has informed us that they have changed their strategy and are no longer building it, there or anywhere else for that matter. This news comes 15 days after our protest at the home of a key decision maker of the company and 10 days after a productive discussion with the same person.
But our efforts to defeat the mega slaughterhouse have been playing out for over a year and it’s been a roller coaster ride of twists and turns for the many people and groups working on this, including Slaughter Free Milwaukee, Franklin Community Advocates, Slaughter Free Dallas, and Texas Animal Freedom Fighters. We are deeply grateful and inspired for this coordinated effort and all who collaborated with us to play key roles to get where we are today.
Here’s a timeline of major milestones in this campaign:
September 10, 2020: Strauss announces plans to build new mega slaughterhouse in Milwaukee’s Century Center.
October 10, 2020: Milwaukee Common Council votes to suspend vote on Strauss mega slaughterhouse, responding to intense media attention and pressure from community activists.
October 21, 2020: Strauss announces it is no longer pursuing Milwaukee as a location for its new mega slaughterhouse due to pressure from community activists.
December 1, 2020: Franklin Community Advocates (and other plaintiffs) file lawsuit against Strauss and City of Franklin over mega slaughterhouse plans.
February 19, 2020: Strauss announces plans to build an even more expansive mega slaughterhouse in its hometown of Franklin, just outside of Milwaukee.
October 13, 2020 to October 20, 2021: Slaughter Free Cities launches pressure campaigns targeting the investment firm that has become the majority owner of Strauss Brands.
October 17, 2021: Slaughter Free Cities organizes protest at the home of one of the founders of this investment firm.
November 1, 2021: We are informed by the head of the firm that plans have changed and the mega slaughterhouse plans are off the table.
To get involved with Slaughter Free Chicago and stay up to date, please sign up for our mailing list.
Robert Grillo is an activist, author and speaker for all species. He is also the founder and director of Free from Harm, a non profit dedicated to helping end animal exploitation.
As a communications professional for over 20 years, Grillo once worked on large food industry accounts where he acquired a behind-the-scenes perspective on food branding and marketing. His book, Farm to Fable: The Fictions of Our Animal-Consuming Culture explores the powerful narratives driving our culture of mass animal consumption.
A high schooler from Minnesota is on a mission of providing mobility to animals with mobility challenges.
During her free time, Shaine Kilyun is building wheelchairs for animals in need. With no one to teach her, the 16-year-old relies on YouTube tutorials to perfect her technique. Her process and finished products become more refined as she makes more of these devices.
Each wheelchair is customized based on the animals’ specific needs. So far, Shaine has created customized mobility devices for dogs, cats, and, soon, a duck.
As she is self-taught, Shaine works on a trial-and-error basis. She has made wheelchairs for animals of all shapes and sizes—from a tiny Chihuahua to a huge Great Dane. She has also come up with a unique locomotion aid for a hedgehog!
As young as she is, Shaine is already doing fantastic work for these animals. The impact of her mission can’t be underestimated, especially because mobility can save animals from being euthanized. This young woman is literally saving lives, and she’s just getting started.
“I just love animals, and I wanted to make a difference somehow,” she told Fox 9. “I’ve saved a few lives, and I really hope to save more.”
Shaine has also launched Wheelies Dog and Cat Wheelchairs on Instagram to let the public know about her handmade and low-cost wheelchairs. Her main goal is to make these devices accessible, not to make a profit.
The teen charges only for the total cost of her materials, so her products are way more affordable than any of the mainstream wheelchairs you’d find on the market. On average, her wheelchairs cost only $300, while bigger companies offer similar devices for as high as $1,000.
Shaine hopes that the affordability of her creations will help pet owners provide their animals with a better quality of life. The teen has also been reaching out to shelters to see how she can help the animals there.
Before starting the build, Shaine needs to understand what the animal needs. Depending on their requirements, she provides front-support, full-support, and back-support models.
One of the recent recipients of Shaine’s custom wheelchairs was Scooter, a paraplegic dog who came here from Saudi Arabia via the Home For Life Sanctuary. The pup can’t use his legs, so he just drags his body forward, causing him to develop sores and lesions where his legs scrape the ground. This also puts him at risk of infection. Luckily, Shaine made him a special wheelchair.
Shaine shared photos of Scooter using his customized wheelchair on Instagram, and the pup was clearly loving it!
“This is absolutely INCREDIBLE!! I gave Scooter, who arrived from Saudi Arabia a special custom Wheelies wheelchair! It means the world to me,” she wrote.
Many people who have heard about Shaine’s mission for the animals are pitching in and helping raise funds for the teen so that she can continue her good work.
Lisa LaVerdiere, the founder and director of operations for Home for Life Sanctuary, said that the financial hardships caused by the pandemic have made it more difficult to raise money.
“It’s very hard to raise money in these times. So for her to make not one cart but two carts for us probably saved us close to $1,000,” LaVerdiere said.
She’s grateful to Shaine for the time and effort she has devoted into making these animals’ lives easier.
“A lot of people have reached out and donated, which is just incredible,” Shaine said.
If you want to help animals with special needs gain mobility, you can donate via Zelle to Wheeliesdogwheelchairs@gmail.com. Visit the Instagram page.
Thank you, Shaine, for this wonderful initiative! You can learn more about her project in the video below.
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Last year, DxE activists gave the world’s largest pig killing company a taste of its own medicine. They went to the home of then Smithfield CEO Ken Sullivan and sprayed pig feces collected from a manure lagoon at a Smithfield factory farm. They drew attention to the company’s cruel confinement of pigs and the disturbing practice of spraying out farm waste onto neighboring communities. Apparently, Smithfield didn’t like it when it was done back to them and they had one activist, Raven Deerbrook, criminally charged.
But recently, Raven’s lawyer decided to subpoena former CEO Sullivan to make him take the stand in court. Soon after, the prosecution backed off. Once again, an animal abusing company has refused to defend its actions in court when DxE activists call on them to testify.
Yesterday, Raven’s charges were dropped and we’re celebrating this small victory in the long fight to revolutionize our legal and legislative systems for animals.
With your support, we will continue to confront the world’s worst animal abusers with the power of nonviolent direct action, seeking to bring them to the side of justice.
Cassie Direct Action Everywhere PO Box 4782, Berkeley, CA 94704
American Military dogs left behind in Kabul(Photo courtesy: @Gcracker3321) Photograph:( Twitter ) Aug 31, 2021, 02.19 PM (IST)
The United States Department of Defense has refuted accusations that the American military abandoned dozens of military service dogs in Kabul prior to the last pullout from Afghanistan.
Pentagon press secretary John Kirby tweeted that “to correct erroneous reports, the US military did not leave any dogs in cages at Hamid Karzai International Airport, including the reported military working dogs. The photos circulating online were of animals under the care of the Kabul Small Animal Rescue, not dogs under our care,”. https://d-20680018101234407777.ampproject.net/2108192119000/frame.html
According to a spokesperson for the Defense Department, despite a continued difficult and dangerous retrograde mission, US personnel went to tremendous measures to help the Kabul Small Animal Rescue as much as they could.
Since 2020, Kabul Small Animal Rescue has been affiliated with the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals as a “veterinary clinic and non-profit organisation that has been aiding animals in Afghanistan.”
The organisation “is dedicated to providing secure, healthy boarding options for their rescue partners, who support worldwide adoptions of Afghan cats and dogs,” according to its website.
They provide high-quality medical care to owned dogs as well as veterinary care, boarding, and adoption choices for injured or orphaned street animals through their veterinary clinic.
The photos of the imprisoned dogs had already sparked outrage on social media. The US government has been chastised by animal rights group “American Humane” for abandoning military contract working dogs in Kabul. The US decision was heavily panned on social media since the K-9 soldiers were left behind.
YOSEMITE, Calif. – A Yosemite National Park ranger has shared a heartfelt, heartbreaking story about a young bear that was struck and killed by a vehicle and her grieving mother that spent hours by her side hoping to wake her up.
“From behind me there’s a deep toned but soft sounding grunt. I immediately know what it is. It’s a vocalization, the kind sows (female bears) make to call to their cubs,” the ranger shared in a Facebook post on Friday, along with a powerfully moving photo of the bear standing over her cub, which the ranger estimated was just months old.
“This bear is the mom, and she never left her cub,” the ranger continued.
In a Facebook post on July 16, 2021, a Yosemite park ranger shared a moving account of responding to a dead bear cub and learning it was hit by a vehicle. The ranger said that the mother had been by its side for hours trying to wake her cub. (Yosemite National Park)
The post began with the ranger acknowledging how common bear killings were and how hardened rangers’ hearts have become to these calls, due to the frequency of these events. Vehicle-bear collisions have been identified as one of the leading causes of death for black bears in Yosemite.
“‘Bear hit by vehicle, dead on the side of the road.’ Sadly, it’s become routine,” the ranger wrote.
The post went on to explain the process of going into the “routine” of responding to the call, which had come in some five hours earlier.
Once on scene, the ranger went through the steps of taking care of what was expected to be the latest in a string of similar cases.
“My job here is easy, really: find the bear, move its body far away from the road to prevent any other animals from getting hit while scavenging on it, fill out a report, and collect samples and measurements for research,” the post said. “Then I’m off on my way again with another number to add to the total of bears hit by vehicles this year—data we hope will help prevent future collisions. Pretty callous,” the ranger wrote, adding, “However, the reality behind each of these numbers is not.”
To the ranger, this case would prove to be a painful reminder that each killed bear logged into the system was more than just a number, more than just data as part of a report.
The ranger surveyed the scene, inspecting the surroundings, looking for the usual signs and scanning the road for blood that might reveal where the animal’s body was.
“I try to remember how many times I’ve done this now and, truthfully, I don’t know,” the writer pondered, while going through the motions, and noted, “This is not what any of us signs up for, but it’s a part of the job nonetheless.”
And then a clue caught the ranger’s eyes: a vehicle part, presumably something that was once a section of an undercarriage. The training and vast experience prompted the ranger to the next move, to search the immediate area for a bear’s still body.
Two San Francisco brothers claim highline record at Yosemite
Two brothers from San Francisco say they have set a record for the longest highline ever walked in both Yosemite National Park and California. Earlier this month, they and a group of friends spent nearly a week stringing a single, 2,800-foot-long line from Taft Point west across a series of gulleys that plunge 1,600 feet. Highlining is high-altitude slacklining, in which a narrow strip of strong, nylon webbing — usually an inch wide and a few millimeters thick — is strung between two anchor points and serves as a kind of balance beam.
“I turn my gaze from the car part down the embankment on the side of the road and there it is,” the post explained.
What the ranger found next, prompted a pause as the animal was much smaller than expected. “A cub,” the ranger shared, describing the discovery. “Its tiny light brown body laying just feet from me and the road, nearly invisible to every passerby. It’s a new cub—couldn’t be much more than six months old, now balled up and lifeless under a small pine tree.”
This call may have hit the ranger a little harder than the others, as the lifeless body was so small. “For a moment I lose track of time as I stand there staring at its tiny body,” the writer explained, noting it didn’t take long to snap out of it and remember what needed to be done next. “…the sound of more cars whizzing by reminds me of my place and my role. I let out a deep sigh and continue on with my task.”
But first, the ranger explained of being compelled to place the small cub in a different location before getting to the “task” of the job.
“I pick up the cub—it couldn’t be much more than 25 pounds—and begin carrying it off into the woods. I have no certain destination; I’m just walking until I can no longer hear the hiss of the road behind me,” the writer recounted. “The least I can do is find it a nice place to be laid. I lay it down in the grass protected by one of the nearby logs and sit back on the log opposite of it, slightly relieved that it looks far more in place now than when I found it earlier.”
As the ranger started getting to work, there in the quiet of the woods came a sudden and startling sound of a snapping stick. The ranger looked up to find a dark figure, its dark eyes staring back.
“It’s another bear. Surprised, I stand up quickly and the bear runs off into the brush,” the ranger wrote, noting that the animal took a moment to look back once more before leaving completely.
The bear did eventually get out of sight, prompting the ranger to chalk it up to being just a coincidence and speculate that the bear might have been looking for food or perhaps the area was a common crossing for others of its kind.
But within minutes, the ranger would know that it was not just a coincidence, that the bear had intentionally and with purpose found her way there, seeking and hoping for only one thing. And the animal would return as part of that pursuit. The scene that unfolded was a powerful reminder of the important work Yosemite rangers and other conservationists do to try and protect the iconic park and its inhabitants.
When the bear returned, the ranger would be notified of her presence by the sad, heart-wrenching sound that she made as she called for her cub.
“I turn and look in its direction and there she is, the same bear from before intently staring back at me. It’s no coincidence. I can feel the callousness drain from my body,” the writer recalled. “My heart sinks. It’s been nearly six hours and she still hasn’t given up on her cub. I can just imagine how many times she darted back and forth on that road in attempts to wake it.”
The ranger detailed the emotional scene, explaining how the mother’s calls to her cub continue, “sounding more pained each time.” The ranger watched on saying it was impossible not to hope that in some miraculous event, the cub would wake up and respond back to her mama. “…but of course, nothing,” the writer shared. “Now here I am, standing between a grieving mother and her child. I feel like a monster.”
And the ranger decided it was time to leave. “I get up, quickly pack my bag, and get out of there… even though my task is not done.”
But before leaving the mother bear and her dead cub, the park worker took out a camera to document the grim scene, with hopes of turning this moment into one that would educate visitors to the park and teach them that this moment could have been prevented.
“Every year we report the number of bears that get hit by vehicles, but numbers don’t always paint a picture,” the writer shared. “I want people to see what I saw: the sad reality behind each of these numbers.”
And the ranger made an urgent call to those who came to the park to take in the majestic world it had to offer.
(Ellen Ellery)
“So please, remember this,” the ranger pleaded, “we are all just visitors in the home of countless animals and it is up to us to follow the rules that protect them. Go the speed limit, drive alertly, and look out for wildlife. Protecting Yosemite’s black bears is something we can all do.”
File of bear crossing the road.
Visitors to Yosemite National Park can learn more about how to prevent vehicle-bear collisions by clicking here.
Target: Vanessa Kauffman, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Specialist for National Wildlife Refuge System, Migratory Birds, Endangered Species Act, Public Lands, and Wolves
Goal: Investigate cause of unknown affliction sickening and killing songbirds.
The bird world is dealing with its own deadly outbreak. The U.S. Geological Survey has warned of an alarming rise of wild bird deaths attributed to a mystery illness. Afflicted birds exhibit symptoms such as swollen, crusty eyes, disorientation, an inability to fly, and eventual death. Presently, scientists can only try to mitigate the disease’s spread. In a nod to social distancing, they are encouraging people in mid-Atlantic states (where the clusters of deaths are centered) to take down bird feeders, bird baths, or any other devices that attract large groups of birds.
Several potential causes have been suggested, including infectious disease, pesticide poisoning, the lingering effects of an avian salmonella outbreak, and even the emergence of cicadas that may carry a dangerous fungus. No definitive answers have been discovered, however. In the meantime, blue jays, European starlings, and other wild songbirds continue to fall victim across Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and possibly more states.
Various state wildlife services have begun investigations. Sign the petition below to urge the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to launch a similar comprehensive initiative that seeks a cause and, more importantly, a solution to this ongoing threat.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Ms. Kauffman,
The avian population recently dealt with a serious salmonella outbreak, and this dangerous illness eventually killed seven humans as well. This incident, as well as the public health turmoil currently engulfing the globe, demonstrates in full that we cannot ignore grave threats to the living beings with whom we share this planet. We are all interconnected.
Therefore, the even more alarming epidemic taking place within mid-Atlantic songbirds should be of urgent concern not just to conservation groups in the affected states but to the country as a whole. Scientists studying the often-fatal condition that renders birds immobile and potentially blind are at a loss. They could use the expertise and abundant resources of this federal agency in solving a perplexing mystery. The stakes are high for these birds and potentially far beyond.
Please focus the agency’s efforts on this developing crisis as soon as possible.
Wildlife experts in Washington, D.C., and nearby states say they have not identified the cause of recent deaths of many birds in the region, but they are encouraging the public to temporarily cease feeding birds to avoid the potential spread of disease at feeders.
In late May, wildlife managers and rehabbers in Washington D.C., Virginia, Maryland, and West Virginia began receiving reports of sick and dying birds with eye swelling and crusty discharge, as well as neurological signs.
The District of Columbia Department of Energy and Environment, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, and National Park Service are continuing to work with diagnostic laboratories to investigate the cause of mortality. Those laboratories include the USGS National Wildlife Health Center, the University of Georgia Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, and the University of Pennsylvania Wildlife Futures Program.
A report on the National Wildlife Health Center’s WHISPers site, which summarizes incidents of wildlife illnesses and mortality nationwide, shows 37 dead or sick birds — Common Grackles, Blue Jays, American Robins, and European Starlings — from several counties in Virginia on May 20.
Birds congregating at feeders and baths can transmit disease to one another. Therefore, the state and district agencies recommend that the public in the outbreak area:Advertisement
Cease feeding birds until this wildlife mortality event has concluded;
Clean feeders and bird baths with a 10% bleach solution;
Avoid handling birds, but wear disposable gloves if handling is necessary; and
Keep pets away from sick or dead birds as a standard precaution.
If you encounter sick or dead birds, please contact your state or district wildlife conservation agency. If you must remove dead birds, place them in a sealable plastic bag to dispose with household trash. Additional information will be shared as diagnostic results are received.
Thanks to the U.S. Geological Survey for providing this news.
We're all still waiting for more info and answers regarding the sudden deaths of many birds in the DC area.
Make sure to keep your feeders down until more is known to help reduce the risk of disease spread. Keeping pets safely contained is key too.https://t.co/LOGuhPkBI5
— American Bird Conservancy (@ABCbirds) June 27, 2021
Carmita Paredes started this petition to Counties and States Congresmen
Every day around the country many dogs are killed in shelters, just because they need space. In fact approximately 3 million dogs and cats die each year. Precious dogs that can still have many years to live and have a lot of love to offer. Euthanasia should be reserved only for animals who are suffering or are too aggressive to safely reside in our communities. But animals that die are so loving, and their trusting faces are just asking for love and companionship. This is barbaric. Let’s do something about this cruel practice. Let’s put a stop to this unnecessary murdering. We can educate the public about spaying and neutering, about adopting instead of buying, about population control. People need to be aware of how many loving dogs are killed in USA, just because the shelters lack space and funding. But stopping the shelters from euthanizing animals is not enough to save them. Others will find a way to get rid of what they perceive to be an unwanted pet. And unscrupulous breeders are off the hook. We must do more…
We need more shelters, so there would be enough spaces for every dog, and we need NO KILL SHELTERS. Shelters should be a temporary transition place for animals. The term shelter means to protect, not to kill. and the animals should be taken care of until they are adopted. This can be achievable. We can help getting the communities involved too, to donate and help, to serve as volunteers, to “sponsor a pet” in the shelter. Even if you can’t adopt a pet, we might be able to help there, we can advocate to get him/her adopted, we can volunteer at the shelter, we can provide funding. The shelters can be encouraged to provide a once a month “sale” to the dogs that have being there longer, for people to get them cheaper or free. We can help with better advertising of animals put up for adoption. Sometimes people don’t have the money to adopt in a particular moment, but they can still offer a loving home to a dog. Instead of killing them, give them for free to someone suitable that will love them and offer a home. The rescue groups do the impossible to bring back to life animals they find abused, neglected, and to the brink of dying, many times thanks to private funding to help with vet expenses. They also advertise and advocate daily for pets in shelters that are at risk of getting euthanized. But in the end many don’t get to go to loving homes. In those high killing shelters, if someone doesn’t rush in a short period of time to adopt these poor dogs or cats that have suffered so much, that have overcome so much, at the end, after all that effort, they will get killed. They are the unwanted, the forgotten, yet beautiful pets that all they need is more time to find a loving home. This is senseless, unfair, and tragic. There is no excuse that they are murdering healthy, previously owned, neglected, abused dogs and cats or highly adoptable. While we are disgusted by events like the Yulin festival in China, we let millions of our own animals die every day, every year. Let’s do something. Let’s be better. Let’s save them.
Let us advocate for only NO KILL SHELTERS unless the animal is suffering or violent. And more importantly, let’s treat the root of the problem: lobby for laws that are effective in reducing unplanned births and shelter intakes by developing low-cost or free sterilization programs for dogs and cats, laws that limit the number of animals bred for profit, laws that promote responsible pet ownership like contracts, laws for pet stores to carry only shelter pets and providing better education for pet owners. And finally, please get out there and help out. Together we can make a change. Their lives matter. Every animal deserves a chance to get their forever home. Some may take longer than others, but there should not be a time limit on life.
You may have heard about the recent issue and concern around birds all of a sudden dying in the DC area. Current recommendations include removing bird feeders in the area to help reduce the risk of disease spread. Keeping pets safely contained is key too.https://t.co/LOGuhPCczD
— American Bird Conservancy (@ABCbirds) June 14, 2021
Abusive barbaric CAMEL weight lifting competitions are being held in Pakistan on an annual basis. Camels are forced to lift tons and tons of heavy bricks and sacks so that their owners can win monetary cash prizes at the end of these atrocious so called competitions!
PETA director Elisa Allen said: ‘If anyone wishes to enter a weight-lifting contest, they should train and have to go at it, but leave the animals out of it.
‘Camels are intelligent, sensitive individuals, and treating them as living cranes for human amusement adds to the many types of abuse, including their eventual slaughter.
Sheezada ( camel) lifted 1.7tons to win the contest, the equivalent of a small car
we request Imran Khan and Government of Pakistan to ban such competitions and strictly enforce the law so that such merciless brutal events are not arranged illegally
How many millions of innocent dairy cows and calves must be beaten, dragged, punched, and exploited before Big Dairy changes its cruel practices?
All animals should be free from hunger and thirst; discomfort; pain, injury and disease; fear and distress; and free to express normal behavior. Cows and calves at industrialized dairy farms have none of these freedoms.
JOIN US: Sign our new grassroots petition to demand an end to the extreme cruelty toward animals at Fair Oaks Farms and promoted by Big Dairy.
Together, we can bring about change and justice for the Big Dairy victims tortured and abused every day.
Sign this critical petition, and we will send your name along with thousands of others to Fair Oaks Farm and National Dairy Council so that we can make a more significant impact on your behalf.
Dogs could be heard barking from the rows of cages that lines the farm. On the other side of the yard, more exotic animals like civets, racoon dogs and minks were also locked up in tiny containers.
Men used a broom-shaped tool with two probes at the front to electrocute a dog with white fur, immediately sending it falling paralysed to the ground. It struggled to get up and its body twitched. The procedure was repeated several times to more of the dogs, pushing them against the cage before stunning them.
As the animals lay unconscious, they were placed on a stone platform, an apparent signal they were ready to be butchered. In other photos, dead animals were piled up on the ground, with their furs peeled from their bodies.
The bloodied remains of these animals were left on the ground. It is not clear how much protection the men who killed these animals were wearing, but it is clear from the images that there were no attempts to cover up the bloodied remains with anything. It is likely that they may just be left on the ground while more animals would be killed.
These are details from a fur farm investigation in China conducted by the Humane Society International (HSI), which is calling on the British government to ban import of furs following the publication of a World Health Organisation (WHO) report, suggesting wildlife farming could be a potential breeding ground for Covid-19.
It is hard to estimate the actual number of animals at the fur farm visited by HSI, but there appeared to be dozens if not hundreds kept at the site. According to HSI’s estimation, China is home to the largest fur producing industry worldwide, rearing 14 million foxes, 13.5 million raccoon dogs and 11.6 million mink in 2019.
Conservationists have been calling for a more complete ban on wildlife farming around the world, including China. “The WHO’s investigation of the origin of the Covid-19 pandemic was a hugely important step to zero in on the likely sources of the pandemic and the source of future zoonotic spillovers,” said Peter Li, China policy specialist at Humane Society International and associate professor of East Asian politics at the University of Houston-Downtown.
Stop The Illegal Wildlife Trade
We are working with conservation charities Space for Giants and Freeland to protect wildlife at risk from poachers due to the conservation funding crisis caused by Covid-19. Help is desperately needed to support wildlife rangers, local communities and law enforcement personnel to prevent wildlife crime. Donate to help Stop the Illegal Wildlife Trade HERE
Experts from WHO found in their report wildlife farming played a crucial role in introducing the coronavirus to humans. While Chinese experts claimed that the report’s findings vindicate Beijing’s decision to ban trade of wild animals for human consumption, the WHO report found wildlife farms are still allowed to legally operate for the purpose of fulfilling demands from traditional Chinese medicine and fur trade.
“China’s wildlife operation has four other components that are still operating: farming for fur, for traditional Chinese medicine, for display and pets, and for laboratory use,” Prof Li told the Independent. “These four remaining operations are gigantic in scale, holding tens of millions of animals in crowded and intensive farms. This is a mode of production that is an ideal breeding ground for animal epidemics and potentially for zoonotic spillovers.”
Another loophole that Prof Li points out is the inclusion of 12 wild animals in China’s latest National Catalogue of Livestock and Poultry Genetic Resources, which allows these animals to be farmed and processed for food.
“[While] the Chinese government took one of the boldest steps by shutting down the wildlife breeding for the exotic food market, it can do more to shut down all remaining commercial wildlife operations,” he said.
In the report, WHO experts suggest further checks into farms as a possible source of the virus. They named minks and rabbits as animals that are at risk of becoming infected with Covid.
“The increasing number of animals shown to be susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 includes animals that are farmed in sufficient densities to allow potential for enzootic circulation,” the report said.
“High-density farming is common in many places across the world and includes many livestock species as well as farmed wildlife. There was a large network of domesticated wild animal farms, supplying farmed wildlife,” the report added.
The Independent’s Stop the Illegal Wildlife Trade campaign, which was launched last year, seeks an international effort to clamp down on poaching and the illegal trade of wild animals, which remains one of the greatest threats to biodiversity in the future.
The Independent is working with conservation charities including Space for Giants and Freeland to protect wildlife at risk due to the conservation funding crisis caused by Covid-19. As China began some efforts to curb wildlife consumption in the country following the coronavirus outbreak, the Independent works with its partners to gain more insights about the impact of Beijing’s efforts.
(The Independent )
For Pei Su, the founder of ACTAsia, a nonprofit organisation that works to bring about sustainable social change in China, as some of the wild animals have been re-categorised as “livestock” in China, wildlife trade continues across the country, with many of these trading activities being conducted across different provinces in China.
“It doesn’t matter where the wildlife markets are or where the virus comes from, because the more pressing thing is that China still allows wildlife trade even though the coronavirus pandemic is still happening,” Ms Su told the Independent. “I think that’s where the next zoonotic disease spillover could happen.”
Prof Li pointed out that while there is growing willingness among some lawmakers in China to further restrict the remaining wildlife farming operations, there is still strong resistance from the wildlife business in China.
“The country’s national wildlife management agency is not motivated to shut down the operation, while China’s wildlife protection law, which has long been criticised as ‘a law for the management of wildlife resources’ is yet to be revised,” he said. “The law in its current shape supports wildlife farming. If this is not changed, the Chinese government is unlikely to impose more restrictions on wildlife farming.”
To both Prof Li and Ms Su, the international community should realise that wildlife farming isn’t just a problem in China, but a problem that has been recurring around the world. “Wildlife farming is an unsustainable practice but the whole world still thinks wildlife trade is acceptable,” Ms Su added.
Prof Li believes that while the whole world is asking China to close its massive wildlife animal farming and trade, they need to acknowledge and proactively address the same intensive animal farming of other species around the world. “The international community should encourage China to phase out all the remaining commercial wildlife farming operations,” he said.
“The way to do it’s not to vilify or demonise China, or place unfounded charges at its doorstep. It is time that the international community and all governments recognise the fact that the modern mode of animal exploitation is an ideal environment for the spread, cross infection and mutation of viruses.”
Prof Li says it’s important for the international community to stop politicizing a public health crisis and let scientists reduce zoonotic spillover in the future. “Let’s put short-term political gains of partisan politics behind, and let scientists remove future zoonotic spillovers,” he added.
Apparently, the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) under Joe Biden agrees with my conclusion that oil company activities in Alaska pose minimal risk to polar bears (Crockford 2019, 2020, 2021). Although this ruling is not yet final, they have proposed that oil exploration and extraction activities on the North Slope of Alaska can proceed over the next five years.
After noting that no major offshore oil spills have ever taken place in the Alaskan portion of the Beaufort Sea (see map below) and that all spills to date have been on land with no impact on polar bears, the proposed rule in the 200+ page assessment states:
Help Mexican gray wolves by showing your support for translocating the Negrito Mexican gray wolf family to Ladder Ranch, where they can be safe and free! The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USWFS) plans to move the bonded wolf family (M1693, F1728, and their young pups) onto the excellent habitat – away livestock grazing – that Ladder Ranch offers.
Currently, Mexican gray wolves within the wild population are as related to one another as full siblings. The captive population, however, is more genetically diverse. So, to address the genetic bottleneck facing the wild wolf population, the Mexican wolf Recovery Team selects captive wolves for release to capitalize on the remaining genetic potential available in that population.
Since 2016, USFWS excessively reliant on just a single strategy to release captive wolves to the wild – their cross-foster initiative. Cross-fostering is a coordinated event where captive-born pups are introduced into a similar-aged wild litter to be raised by surrogate parents. But cross-fostered pups can only eventually spread their genes to the greater population if they survive to adulthood and have wild pups of their own.
With the translocation of the Negrito pack, USFWS is allowing this family to establish a territory where there will be fewer threats presented by livestock grazing. They are also giving Mexican gray wolf M1693, a cross-foster wolf himself (from 2018) who has unique genetics, a chance to fulfill his potential in aiding in the genetic rescue of endangered subspecies!
Please join us in thanking the USFWS for doing the right thing for this wolf family and ensuring they have a chance to raise their pups in the wild where they belong!
Anyone can submit a comment to USFWS Mexican Wolf Recovery Coordinator Brady McGee, regardless of geographic location! The deadline for public comments is May 24, 2021.
Talking points:
Tell USFWS you support the Ladder Ranch Reserve 2021 Wolf Translocation Plan for the Negrito Pack (M1693, F1728, and their young pups)
Thank them for helping this wolf family return to the wild where they belong! Tell them you support the release of bonded family groups to aid in the genetic rescue of endangered Mexican gray wolves.
Tell them this wolf pack will make a positive genetic contribution to the wild population.
Tell them the Ladder Ranch offers excellent habitat for wolves and will ensure that this young wolf family can thrive in the wild away from human activities and livestock grazing.
Please personalize your message. Nothing is as effective as speaking from the heart!
Message
Support for the Ladder Ranch Translocation Proposal
Dear [Decision Maker], As a lifelong supporter of Endangered Species Act (ESA) and someone who cares deeply for our nation’s wolves, including endangered Mexican gray wolves, I am writing to express my support for the Ladder Ranch Reserve 2021 Wolf Translocation Plan for the Negrito wolf family (M1693, F1728, and their young pups). * Personalize your message
I applaud USFWS for taking these steps, and look forward to cheering USFWS on as you proceed with your full authority to translocate this wolf family onto the excellent habitat – away from livestock grazing – that Ladder Ranch offers.
SAFE says since January, nine dogs have been killed and 395 dogs have been injured, including 54 with broken bones.
“Even one death is one too many. Between the deaths, injuries, and the recent doping scandal involving methamphetamine, we’re seriously concerned about the welfare of dogs in the racing industry,” Appelbe said.
“Grant Robertson needs to act now. Suspend racing and protect these dogs until the review is complete.”
In a statement, CEO of Greyhound Racing New Zealand Glenda Hughes says Sunday’s race “appears to be an outlier”.
“We continue to work on all aspects of our racing to ensure the safety of our dogs. We will be assessing all angles of the race day at Manukau to ascertain if there is any identifiable cause for Sunday as this appears to be an outlier.
“Over the last 4 months, we have had two euthanisations (one of which was Paris End in the Sunday Race) due to race day injuries in over 14873 starts. This is the equivalent of 10 starts per dog.”
Enforcement and funding will be crucial charity warns
The RSPCA has welcomed the Government’s Action Plan for Animal Welfare and urged them to ‘have courage’ in delivering it.
An unprecedented coalition of 50 animal welfare charities called for the UK Government to take a ‘once-in-a-generation opportunity’ to redefine our relationship with animals through a new animal health and welfare strategy and released a green paper – “Act Now For Animals” – setting out the sector’s priorities.
Animal loving personalities including wildlife presenter Chris Packham, DJ Sara Cox, TV personality Angela Rippon, choreographer and TV presenter Arlene Phillips, actress and wildlife campaigner Virginia McKenna and actress Carol Royle added their support in a video:
Chris Sherwood, Chief Executive of the RSPCA today applauded the Government’s plans to take action on more than a dozen animal issues which the public care passionately about, including pet issues: tackling puppy smuggling through changes to import rules, introducing compulsory microchipping for cats, cracking down on pet theft through a new government taskforce and banning remote controlled training e-collars.
Sam Gaines, head of the companion animals department at the RSPCA, said: “The past year has highlighted just how important pets are for so many people and so we are thrilled that the Government plans to take action on issues which offer our pets greater protections.
“We are delighted that the sale and use of equipment designed to cause pain and fear will be banned and puppy and kitten imports will be tackled. Throughout the pandemic we have seen many pet owners understandably concerned about pet theft and so we’re pleased to see a new taskforce being introduced to crackdown on pet thefts.
“We’re also pleased to see the Government introducing compulsory microchipping for cats – should a cat be lost, or become injured, they can easily be reunited with their owner.”
Chris Sherwood, Chief Executive of the RSPCA, said: “These announcements could make a real and lasting difference to animals’ welfare, so we’re pleased the Government is committed to improving animals’ lives in the UK and abroad.
“We can no longer ignore the inextricable link that exists between the way we treat animals, our own health and that of the planet – but to really achieve a step change, it will take courage from right across Government.
“We urge the Prime Minister to put animal welfare at the heart of policy making and make these announcements just the beginning of an evolving, holistic animal health and welfare strategy.”
Chris added that as well as needing courage, the Government needs to create an Animal Sentience Committee with real teeth to ensure animals are considered in relevant policy making.
He added: “An Animal Sentience Committee is crucial to the success of future legislation; it must be independent, made up of leading animal welfare experts and be able to meaningfully hold ministers to account. It must not be a token gesture.
“We are pleased the Government will be taking action on many of the top welfare issues that we know the public care passionately about and look forward to working with them to identify further opportunities to improve animal welfare.”
The badger cull policy has cost the lives of more than 140,000 badgers since 2013, in the largest destruction of a protected species in living memory. Badgers have been shot across a geographical area stretching from Cornwall to Cumbria at an estimated public cost of over £70m, when the costs of policing, training, monitoring, equipment, and legal defence are taken into account.
Despite the huge cruelty and cost of the badger cull policy, the government has provided no reliable scientific evidence to prove that badger culling is making any significant contribution to lowering bovine tuberculosis (TB) in cattle, in or around the cull zones. The government could kill every badger in England, but bovine TB will remain in cattle herds, since it’s primarily spread from cow to cow.
There are over 9.6m cattle in Britain and we move more cattle in this nation than anywhere else in Europe. The movement of cattle is a key driver for the spread of bovine TB in both cattle and badgers.
For too long, the government and the farming industry have wrongly blamed the badger for the spread of bovine TB in cattle, which has become a dangerous distraction from tackling the root cause of disease in the cattle industry.
However, could growing public recognition over infectious disease control issues, resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic, help to bring respite to the badgers?
Over the past 12 months, all of us have gained an insight into the danger of pandemics and the actions we need to take to stop the spread of Covid-19. R-numbers, testing efficiency, track and trace, biosecurity controls, vaccines, antibodies and herd immunity have all become subjects of discussion in households across the nation.
For those of us who have long opposed the cruel, expensive and ineffective badger cull policy, these discussions resonate for disease control in animals as well as humans.
Like the spread of Covid-19 in the human population, the spread of bovine TB in cattle is largely down to cows being kept inside buildings for extended periods or moved in large numbers across the country.
The Randomised Badger Culling Trial (RBCT), undertaken between 1998 to 2005, cost over £49m and resulted in the death of more than 11,000 badgers in the largest and most complex field research programme ever undertaken on the issue of badgers and the spread of bovine TB to cattle.
The Independent Scientific Group, which reviewed the results of the RBCT, found that the culling of badgers could make no meaningful contribution to lowering bovine TB in cattle, and that like Covid-19 in humans, bovine TB in cattle is most effectively controlled by cattle-focussed measures, including improved testing, track and trace systems, movement and biosecurity controls and vaccination against the disease.
One of the most outspoken critics of the government’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic is the former chief scientist Sir David King. Through his Independent Sage Committee, he has heavily criticised key aspects of the Covid-19 control strategy, from the timing of lockdowns and the failures in testing and track and trace systems, to movement and border controls.
To a large degree, Sir David has received strong public support for many of the concerns he has raised on the Covid-19 pandemic, but in my opinion there remains a huge inconsistency in his position on the control of disease in humans compared to animals.
As the government chief scientist under Prime Minister Tony Blair, Sir David King challenged the key findings of the Independent Scientific Group which oversaw the Randomised Badger Culling Trial. This helped pave the way for the incoming coalition government in 2010 to plan and implement a badger cull policy which remains in place to this day. I believe he was wrong to do so.
Like Covid-19, bovine TB is a disease spread primarily by aerosol droplet infection when cattle are held indoors for extended periods of time, without any prospect of “social distancing’’.
The most effective way to stop the spread of the disease is to put in place effective testing and track and trace systems for cattle. Biosecurity measures are crucial in stopping the spread of disease on farms, at cattle markets and when cattle are moved. A widespread cattle vaccination programme is the most effective way of building up herd immunity to stop the spread of the disease.
Badgers have been unfairly blamed for spreading bovine TB in cattle, and demonised and destroyed as a result. The government has laid out an exit strategy from badger culling, but tens of thousands of badgers remain under the threat of being shot before this is finally implemented.
The Covid-19 pandemic has caused great human suffering, but it could lead to significant scientific improvements in disease control for both humans and animals. It is now time that the government uses the lessons learned from the pandemic to bring the killing of badgers to an immediate and permanent end.
Let us hope by the time Covid-19 ends, it will also bring a close to the badger cull, one of the darkest chapters in the history of farming and wildlife conservation in Britain.
Dominic Dyer is policy advisor for the Born Free Foundation. His book, Badgered to Death: The People and Politics of the Badger Cull, is available now
Following in the spirit of Britain's Queen Boudica, Queen of the Iceni. A boudica.us site. I am an opinionator, do your own research, verification. Reposts, reblogs do not neccessarily reflect our views.
“He that takes truth for his guide, and duty for his end, may safely trust to God’s providence to lead him aright.” - Blaise Pascal. "There is but one straight course, and that is to seek truth and pursue it steadily" – George Washington letter to Edmund Randolph — 1795. We live in a “post-truth” world. According to the dictionary, “post-truth” means, “relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.” Simply put, we now live in a culture that seems to value experience and emotion more than truth. Truth will never go away no matter how hard one might wish. Going beyond the MSM idealogical opinion/bias and their low information tabloid reality show news with a distractional superficial focus on entertainment, sensationalism, emotionalism and activist reporting – this blogs goal is to, in some small way, put a plug in the broken dam of truth and save as many as possible from the consequences—temporal and eternal. "The further a society drifts from truth, the more it will hate those who speak it." – George Orwell “There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.” ― Soren Kierkegaard
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