Kinship Circle: I Am Alive – Save Me ! – Video of the Work of ‘Kinship Circle’ Rescues.

Watch the Special Video at:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aK8HDL0VAU

Website Link:    http://kinshipcircle.org/

She was found on a bridge over floodwaters, her pelvis dislocated from water-swept debris. She was emaciated, listless, in pain. Mabel is every animal forgotten in disasters – stranded, hurt, starving, scared. Through her eyes, I am reminded why Kinship Circle helps animal disaster victims. Each one is a story filled with intimate detail and great capacity to love…if given the chance to live.

This video takes you to disaster rescues in Thailand Floods, Japan Quake-Tsunami-Radiation, Brazil Floods-Mudslides, Chile Quake-Tsunami… It shares brief notes about skills and training needed to rescue animal survivors. Please watch, share and join Kinship Circle Disaster Animal Response Team in its mission to help animals left behind.

Chad: Over 30 Elephants Massacred As 350 Participants Meet in Switzerland for CITES Standing Committee.

Dozens of elephants massacred in Chad


July 26, 2012

Poachers killed at least 30 elephants in southwestern Chad during the early hours of Tuesday, July 24. During the night, Stephanie Vergniault, president of the organization SOS Elephants, described on her Facebook page how a group of armed horsemen chased a herd of elephants with “war weapons near the SOS Elephants camp in the Chari Baguirmi area. After daybreak, the SOS Elephants team counted 28 carcasses, most with missing tusks. The exact number of carcasses with missing tusks is unclear because the team was afraid to stay and investigate further due to the presence of the poachers hiding on the other side of the Chari River.

The elephant massacre occurred as 350 participants from all over the world attend the 62nd meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Standing Committee in Geneva, Switzerland, where the illegal killing of elephants and ivory smuggling are at the top of the agenda. On Tuesday, the Standing Committee discussed the close correspondence between rising trends in elephant poaching and large-scale ivory seizures and recommendations to improve the situation. It also considered a new report, titled “Decision-Making Mechanisms and Necessary Conditions for a Future Trade in African Elephant Ivory,” that explores the future legalization of international ivory trade and the potential establishment of a Central Ivory Selling Organization (similar to the DeBeers diamond cartel).

Read more: http://news.mongabay.com/2012/0726-elephants-chad-neme.html

Serbia: Stara Planina Update – Construction Applications Submitted AFTER The Work has Been Completed – Do the EU Environment / Enlargement Commissions Care About This Approach By Future Accession States ? – It Would Appear Not.

Serbian and SAV campaigners are now stepping up their campaign for the protection of Stara Planina another ‘notch’ by undertaking the following:

  • On 10/06/12, SAV wrote to EU Commissioners Janez Potocnik and Commissioner Stefan Fule regarding this current situation in Serbia, and providing what we considered was new additional evidence regarding the destruction at the park, with regards approval for construction work only being applied for to the ministry AFTER the construction work had actually taken place.

Please click on the following link for information:

https://serbiananimalsvoice.wordpress.com/2012/06/10/serbia-0612-the-stara-planina-campaign-moves-on-again-with-further-eu-commission-involvement/

To further the campaign with the EU Environment Commission and also the EU Enlargement Commission, Serbian environmental campaigners also wrote (12/06/12) to the EU, as well as to the Ministry of the Environment within Serbia.

EPAR, Prijava sumnje na divlju gradnju na Staroj planini i.

EPAR, Zahtev za info od javnog znacaja, gradj. inspekcija, Stara planina, 27.12.2011.

Zakon o zastiti prirode, izmene i dopune i Uredba iz 2012.

The request to the Serbian Ministry was for access to information which should be provided under public interest, asking the ministry a series of questions about the issue of construction work at Stara Planina.  The Serbian Ministry has  an obligation to respond to the campaigners questions because of the legislation relating to the agreement of public interests law which exists within Serbia.

The response from the Serbian Ministry is shown below and has not been edited at all – the green text is a translation into English by Serbian campaigners:

——– Original Message ——–

Subject: Odgovor na zahtev za dostavljanje informacija od javnog znacaja
Date: Tue, 10 Apr 2012 09:03:49 +0000
From: Radmila Padezanin <Radmila.Padezanin@ekoplan.gov.rs>
To: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
CC: Jelena Milosavljevic <Jelena.Milosavljevic@ekoplan.gov.rs>

Поштовани,

Respectful

У вези вашег захтева за достављање информација од јавног значаја, упућеног електронски 27.02.2012. године, поводом ваше пријаве од 22.11.2011. и допуне пријаве од 30.01.2012. године, везано за грађевинске радове у Парку природе „Стара планина“, на подручју Споменика природе „Бабин зуб“ и „Јабучко равниште“ и друго из захтева, обавештавамо вас следеће:

У поступку вршења инспекцијског надзора на предметној локацији, републичка грађевинска инспекција, између осталог, донела је и:

Concerning your request for sending information of public importance, forwarded by electronic mail, 27.02.2012, related to your application from 22.11.2011 and amendments to the applications from 30.01.2012, concerning construction works in the Nature Park “Stara Planina”, in the area of Natural Monument “Babin Zub” and “Jabucko Ravniste”, and other items from the request, we inform You on the following:

During the procedure of inspection survey on the specified location, the Republican construction inspection among others, brought the following:

·         Решење Бр.920-352-354-173/2011-13 од 22.03.2012. године, којим се инвеститору наређује уклањање објекта жичаре који представља фиксни четворосед;

Issue No. 920-352-354-173/2011-13 of 22.03.2012 by which the investor is ordered to remove the ski lift objects composed of the fixed four-seated lift;

IE – DO THE CONSTRUCTION WORK AND CAUSE ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE – THEN AFTER THIS YOU WILL HAVE TO REMOVE IT !

·         Решење Бр.920-352-354-172/2011-13 од 22.03.2012. године, којим се инвеститору наређује уклањање линијског инфраструктурног објекта – гондоле;

Issue No. 920-352-354-172/2011-13 of 22.03.2012 by which the investor is ordered to remove the linear infrastructure object-gondolas;

IE – AGAIN, DO THE CONSTRUCTION WORK AND CAUSE ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE – THEN AFTER THIS YOU WILL HAVE TO REMOVE IT !

·         Решење, Закључак о дозволи извршења и Закључак о обустави поступка Бр. 920-353-354-204/2010-13 од 21.07.2011- године.

Issue, conclusion of permission of execution and conclusion of termination of procedure No. 920-353-354-204/2010-13 of 21.07.2011- године.

Изградња објекта ретардационе преграде са вишенаменском акумулацијом на Дебештинској реци, на Старој планини, се врши сходно налогу из решења Министарства пољопривреде и шумарства и водопривреде број 271-325-15/2011-03 од 01.03.2011. године, којим се ЈВП ”Србијаводе”, налаже предузимање мера на спречавању започетих ерозивних процеса изазваних јаким бујичним кишама насталим услед тољења снега. Инвеститор је приступио изградњи на основу члана 143. став 1. Закона о планирању и изградњи (“Службени гласник РС”, број 72/09, 81/09 и 24/11) – без претходно прибављЍ

?не грађевинске дозволе. Инвеститор има поступити у складу са чланом 143. став 3. Закона о планирању и изградњи (“Службени гласник РС”, број 72/09, 81/09 и 24/11) и прибавити грађевинску дозволу, односно решење из члана 145. овог закона, у року од једне године од дана престанка опасности које су проузроковале његово грађење, односно извођење радова

Construction of barrier with multipurpose accumulation on the Debestin River, on Stara Planina, is executed comitent to the order of the Ministry for Agriculture, Forestry and Waters, No. 271-325-15/2011-03 from 01.03.2011, by which the Public Company “Serbiavode” is bound to undertake measures to prevent the beginning of erosion processes initiated by strong torrents resulting from the melting of snow. The investor approached the construction on the basis of article 143. statement 1. Law on Planning and Construction (Official Gazette, Rep. Serbia  No 72/09, 81/09, and 24/11), without obtaining beforehand the construction permissions.

The investor is to comply according to article 143. statement 3,  Law on Planning and Construction Official Gazette, Rep. Serbia  No 72/09, 81/09, and 24/11 and obtain construction permission according to article 145 of this Law, within one year AFTER THE END of danger CAUSED BY THE CONSTRUCTION ie. execution of the works.   

IE – APPLICATION FOR THE CONSTRUCTION WORK TO BE UNDERTAKEN WITHIN ONE YEAR OF IT BEING FULLY COMPLETED !!!

Напомињемо да, сагласно одредбама чл. 24. ст. 3. Закона о слободном приступу информацијама од јавног значаја („Сл. гласник РС“, бр.120/04, 54/07, 104/09 и 36/10), а имајући у виду одредбе чл. 9. истог Закона, овај орган неће доказивати да је поступао, обзиром да је у току поступак вршења инспекцијског надзора, односно, поступак издавања грађевинских дозвола за планиране објекте на предметној локацији.

We note that in agreement with article 24, statement 3, Law of Free Approach to Information of Public Interest, (Official Gazette, Rep. Serbia No. 120/04, 54/07, 104/09 and 36/10) and having in mind the article 9 of the same Law, this organisation will not prove that it acted, since the procedure of inspection survey is on, ie. the procedure of issuing the construction permission for the planned objects is underway for the specified location.

***********************************************************

Radmila Padežanin

Ministry for Environmental Protection, Mining and Spatial Planning

Ministarstvo životne sredine, rudarstva i prostornog planiranja

Nemanjina 11

11 000 Beograd

Tel: 011/36-17-717

Faks: 011/36-17-722

http://www.ekoplan.gov.rs<http://www.ekoplan.gov.rs/>

PS Personal comment

*** This is a typical example of how something in Nature is destroyed and the permission is obtained afterwards to cover actually illegal activities. ***

Ovo je tipican nacin da se u prirodi nesto upropasti i naknadno donose dozvole da bi se pokrile ustvari nelegalne aktivnosti.

——————————————–

As a result of further evidence being provided to EU Commissions by both SAV and Serbian environmental campaigners, we were very disappointed with the EU to have the following letter sent to us:

Reply to EPAR OIPA Serbia

We are rather amazed that the EU Commissions do not consider that we have provided them with ‘any new substantial information’ and that they could effectively not be bothered to further  investigate our information and concerns.

We think that this is primarily because Serbia is currently not an EU member state, despite the fact that it will probably become a member within the next 5 years.  In our  view, both the EU Environment and Enlargement Commissions are ignoring the evidence presented to them; declaring that they are not going to act with regard a future  EU member state; and thus basically ignoring our information and further evidence.

Despite being very disappointed by the dismissive attitude of the EU Commissions; who should be investigating both environmental issues and also future (new) member state activities before they become EU members, we will continue to obtain evidence and approach the EU with regard illegal construction work which is only applied for to the Serbian authorities once the construction work has already been completed.

We are aware of this fact and have it in writing (see green text above) from the Serbian authorities.

It appears that the EU Commission does not really care about the situation of further environmental destruction within Serbia, simply referring us back to past correspondence between the EU and Serbian authorities, in which the Serbian authorities claim that they really care about the environment; when in reality, it would seem ok to apply for approval to the Ministry undertake constructions in protected areas only once all the construction work has actually been done !!

We see this as a major failure of the system – but it would appear that the EU Commissions see this policy of the Serbian government in another way !

USA: Organ Chips – The Future For Raplacing Animal Experiments In Labs ?

Link: 

http://www.care2.com/causes/organ-chips-could-replace-animal-experiments.html

‘Organ Chips’ Could Replace Animal Experiments

Imagining a world where thousands upon thousands of animals no longer suffer in biomedical research and drugs actually help the people they’re meant to save may not be as far off a dream as it seems with the development of ‘organ chips.’

A $70 million research project that will develop transparent silicon microchips with hollow channels that contain actual living human tissue and pumps to replicate organ function is underway and is predicted to provide faster, cost-effective and more accurate results for testing diseases, toxins and pharmaceuticals – all on something about the size of a flash drive.

The ‘Tissue Chip for Drug Testing’ program is being funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

“More than 30 percent of promising medications have failed in human clinical trials because they are determined to be toxic despite promising pre-clinical studies in animal models. Tissue chips, which are a newer human cell-based approach, may enable scientists to predict more accurately how effective a therapeutic candidate would be in clinical studies,” according to the NIH.

While chips are already being used in some areas, this project intends improve upon existing test measures – cell cultures, human and animal testing – and overcome the limits of individual chips by creating and combining multiple chips to emulate the entire human body, in addition to designing software that can control and analyze different functions.

The Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University has entered into an agreement with DARPA to develop an automated instrument that integrates 10 human organs-on-chips and link them together to create a human-on-a-chip. They’ve already got gut-on-a-chip, which mimics digestive functions, and are working on the heart, bone marrow and kidneys.

Researchers at Vanderbilt University will be working on a ‘microbrain reactor,’ which is intended to provide new insights into how the brain receives, alters and is affected by drugs. Researchers there plan on studying the biology of stroke and what role the brain plays in obesity by using tissue samples from affected patients.

“The ability to apply these precious samples entrusted to us by patients to a platform where we can literally measure hundreds of parameters is a dream come true,” said team member BethAnn McLaughlin, assistant professor of neurology and member of the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, who adds that there is not a single drug that has gotten FDA approval to protect the human brain from a stroke.

“Given the differences in cellular biology in the brains of rodents and humans, development of a brain model that contains neurons and all three barriers between blood, brain and cerebral spinal fluid, using entirely human cells, will represent a fundamental advance in and of itself,” said John Wikswo, the Gordon A. Cain University Professor and director of the Vanderbilt Institute for Integrative Biosystems Research and Education (VIIBRE), who is orchestrating the multidisciplinary effort.

Cornell University, Johns Hopkins University and the University of California-Berkeley will also be participating.

The project isn’t just exciting for the scientific community and patients who are waiting for that medical breakthrough they desperately need to live either, but is also a welcome advance from those who want to see the end of the suffering of animals used in biomedical research.

“This is an exciting example of how modern-day innovation can produce a humane and more reliable approach to understanding the inner workings of human disease without the need for animal suffering. The USA appears to be leading the way in funding alternatives, it is now time for the UK to catch up,” said Dr. Katy Taylor, scientific adviser for the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection.
Read more: http://www.care2.com/causes/organ-chips-could-replace-animal-experiments.html#ixzz220nwbZmJ

UK: Animal Advocate People Power Wins ! – BUAV Delighted as (UK) Government Concedes TOTAL BAN on the use of Stray Cats and Dogs in Experiments

Link to BUAV: http://www.buav.org/article/1072/buav-delighted-as-government-concedes-total-ban-on-the-use-of-stray-cats-and-dogs-in-experiments

BUAV delighted as government concedes total ban on the use of stray cats and dogs in experiments

27/07/2012

The BUAV, the leading organisation campaigning to end animal experiments, has today welcomed the decision by the UK Government to introduce a legislative ban on the use of stray animals, such as cats and dogs, in experiments. The news comes as draft regulations were published today by the Home Office, to transfer EU regulations into UK law.

After a public consultation last year, it appeared that a current policy ban on using stray animals would be withdrawn. The BUAV launched a vigorous campaign to maintain the ban which was widely supported by the public and MPs. The draft regulations now state that project licences must include “a condition to the effect that a stray animal of a domestic species must not be subjected to a regulated procedure as part of the specified programme of work”.

The new regulations, which will update the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, have been published in draft prior to limited Parliamentary scrutiny in the autumn. While the prohibition on the use of strays and Great Apes is to be welcomed, many important issues have been omitted from the draft regulations. For example:

Despite the Directive opening the possibility for a less strict inspecting regime than the UK currently has, the Government has pledged to maintain a ‘strong and properly resourced inspectorate’. It is difficult to see how this can be achieved, however, when the number of inspectors continues to fall.

There is no sign of progress on the issue of transparency, despite the public consultation resulting in overwhelming support for reform of Section 24 of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. The Government has already admitted that Section 24 is incompatible with the new Directive, but has continued to stall by announcing a further consultation on the subject. This further delay means that animals will continue to endure suffering while the public continues to be kept in the dark about what goes on in laboratories.

The Government has also failed to rule out some of the most severe experiments permitted by the Directive, opening the way for inescapable electric shock to be used to induce learned helplessness; animals bred deliberately with genetic disorders which will result in persistent suffering; dogs and non-human primates left in total isolation for long periods of time.

There will be no opportunity for the majority of MPs to debate the new rules, after it was decided that they will instead be examined by a committee, before going to the House of Lords, when Parliament resumes in the autumn. The European Commission requires that they come into force by January 1 next year.

The BUAV Chief Executive Michelle Thew said,We welcome the Government’s decision to introduce a legislative ban on the use of stray animals in experiments. This was an issue raised by the BUAV and one which received strong public and political concern. Elsewhere in the regulations, although pleased that the Government has maintained stricter UK standards in some areas, we are disappointed these regulations come only a week after figures showed the number of animals being used in experiments reaching an all-time high since the 1986 Act was introduced. These are issues which the public care deeply about, and all MPs should have the chance to give their views in a debate in the House of Commons.”

And other news…………..

Stop kitten experiments at Cardiff University

UK citizens disgusted by the animal abuses at Cardiff University.

PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION – Link Given Below.

Ricky Gervais joins the BUAV in speaking out against controversial kitten experiments

Links:  http://www.buav.org/

http://www.buav.org/article/1069/sign-buav-petition-to-stop-kitten-experiments-at-cardiff-university

http://www.buav.org/article/1067/ricky-gervais-supports-buav-opposition-to-controversial-kitten-experiments-carried-out-at-cardiff-university

Actor and comedian Ricky Gervaishas joined the BUAV in calling for an end to kitten experiments at Cardiff University. The controversial experiments, uncovered by the BUAV’s research team, have hit the headlines in the UK this week. Thanks to our efforts, millions of people across the country are now aware of these cruel experiments that were publicly funded through the Medical Research Council.

In the experiment, litters of new-born kittens were raised in total darkness for 12 weeks, whilst others were deprived of sight in one eye by having their eyelids sewn shut. Under anaesthesia, artificially ventilated and injected with a drug to paralyse eye movements, the kittens were subjected to highly invasive head surgery and the brain was exposed for recordings. Following the tests the animals were killed and their brains dissected.

This week, the BUAV has received widespread coverage for our message – that these experiments on defenceless kittens are not only ethically unacceptable, but there are alternative ways of studying vision and the neurological processes underlying it in human beings that do not involve animal suffering.

The BUAV has taken part in TV and radio interviews including BBC Breakfast, and has featured in numerous newspapers, including the Daily Mail, Daily Mirror, Daily Express, Daily Telegraph and Wales on Sunday.

Ricky told the BUAV:

I am appalled that kittens are being deprived of sight in one eye by having their eyelids sewn shut. I thought sickening experiments like these were a thing of the past. I support the BUAV in calling for this research to be stopped.”

Please join Ricky Gervais in supporting our campaign to end these shocking experiments with these four easy actions:

1. Sign our petition

2. Support our important work by making a donation

3. Write polite letters/emails to the Vice-Chancellor and the Chair of the Council of Cardiff University calling for these sickening experiments to be stopped:

Governance and Compliance Division,
4th Floor
McKenzie House
30-36 Newport Road
Cardiff
CF24 0DE

vco@cardiff.ac.uk

Committees@cardiff.ac.uk

Write polite letters/emails to the Medical Research Council calling on it to stop funding the kitten experiments:

Medical Research Council
14th Floor
One Kemble Street
London
WC2B 4AN

corporate@headoffice.mrc.ac.uk

4. Share with your family and friends:

South Korea: If you lost your dog in Jeju, know this vehicle or the whereabouts of these dogs, please contact us with information.

Visit the following site for all the photographs:   http://koreandogs.org/?p=1887

S. Koreans: Do you know anyone of these dogs? Dog truck transported on a cruise ship from Jeju to Mokpo

[Urgent] S. Koreans: Do you know anyone of these dogs?

Given the circumstances, looks like a truck smuggling stolen pets out of Jeju Island but without a victim, investigation is unlikely.

This is a cruise ship traveling from Jeju Island to Mokpo last Saturday evening. A vacationer coming back from vacation in Jeju Island took these photos and provided to KARA. This is a horrific situation but please take a look and if you know someone who lost their pet dogs recently, please contact us immediately.

The fact that a cruise ship loaded a dog truck without any sanction can not be overlooked. But the urgent matter is to find an owner.

If you find your dog or if you know these dogs, please contact KARA Office at 02.3482.0999 or info@ekara.org

St.Bernard, Labrador Retriever, Golden Retriever, Jindo dog, Great Pyrenees, Husky and even the Yorkshire Terrier is seen.

The witness asked the driver if these dogs were stolen and the driver refused to talk. The witness obtained the vehicle license number and the driver s photo.
Please don t look away.

If you lost your dog in Jeju, know this vehicle or the whereabouts of these dogs, please contact us with information.


We want to save even one dog.

Call KARA office with information at 02.3482.0999.

Source: http://ekara.org/board/bbs/board.php?bo_table=community01&wr_id=384

Serbia: Petition For Proper Prosthesis For ‘Mila’ – Please Sign and Crosspost.

It is essential that as many signatures as possible are achieved for Mila – please do it and crosspost to all of your contacts – Thanks SAV.

Petition Link:

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/882/068/594/we-want-proper-prosthesis-for-mila/

Petition Wording:

Two and a half years ago a dog in Serbia got all four legs chopped off and was sent to a veterinary clinic called “Veterina Beograd” where they took care of her and named her Mila. After spending a year there Mila was ready for adoption,but they refused to send her to another country where she could have had good prosthesis and insted they made her some inadequate prosthesis and gave her to a family in Serbia. Since the legs that were made for her were very uncomfortable, her new family took them off and now they expect the poor dog to walk on her bones. A prosthesis maker from Canada spoke with Mila’s guardian and offered to make 4 very nice prosthesis for her, but her guardian declined the offer claiming the dog will get use to walking on her bones. So now poor Mila spends her days laying down on the floor without even a proper bed. This is why we are asking veterina Beograd to make sure she gets the prosthesis she so desperately needs and deserves and we also want to let them know THE WORLD IS STILL WATCHING- P.S. your comments are welcome, but make sure they are polite and not insulting to anyone  

Past SAV posts associated with Mila:

https://serbiananimalsvoice.wordpress.com/2010/07/06/serbia-060710-update-mila-the-dog-who-was-attacked-and-had-all-her-legs-cut-off-belgrade/

https://serbiananimalsvoice.wordpress.com/2010/04/23/serbia-president-tadic-to-adopt-mila-but-where-is-implementation-of-the-real-serbian-animal-welfare-legislation-from-04112005-mr-president/

https://serbiananimalsvoice.wordpress.com/2010/04/23/serbia-after-mima-in-bulgaria-now-we-have-mila-another-dog-which-has-had-all-its-legs-chopped-off/