Poland: Polish Military Rejects Animal Use.

Posted on December 18, 2013 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)

Poland

Polish military rejects animal use

The armed forces of Poland have fully replaced their cruel use of animals in military medical training exercises with modern, humanlike medical simulators.In correspondence with PETA, Polish military officials cited information that they provided on the benefits of simulation technology as well as protest letters from international supporters as the motivation behind this shift. 

PETA first learned that the Polish military was using animals for medical training drills in early 2011, and subsequently contacted officials with detailed information on the effectiveness of human-patient simulators. PETA’s international affiliates also posted online action alerts, which resulted in nearly 30,000 supporters around the world contacting Polish military officials to urge them to switch to modern, humane training methods. And after PETA published a study that found that nearly 80% of NATO nations do not use any animals for military medical training, we filed a complaint with the European Commission alleging that Poland and other nations were violating a EU law that requires the use of training methods “not entailing the use of live animals” whenever possible.

Poland’s compassionate decision makes it the 23rd out of 28 NATO nations to confirm that they do not use any animals for military medical training.

The U.S., Canada, the U.K., Denmark, and Norway are now the only NATO countries that still shoot, cut apart, and otherwise torment animals in military training.  Big shame on them !

 

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Sea Shepherd Ready to Sail.

Posted on December 18, 2013 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)

sea shepherd 1

Sea Shepherd ready to sail

More violent clashes between Sea Shepherd and Japanese whalers are possible in the Southern Ocean this summer (winter for us!), the militant conservation group is warning. The 2 groups were involved in dangerous collisions during the past whaling season, each blaming the other for ramming. One serious incident was caught on video, with both sides releasing footage of a collision.

Japan’s fleet is about to depart for the annual hunt, which it says is legal under a scientific provision of the international whaling convention. Sea Shepherd is readying for its 10th Antarctic campaign, with the ship Bob Barker due at its final port of Hobart. Skipper Peter Hammarstedt says the vessel was rammed several times by the 8000-tonne factory ship Nisshin Maru. “We’re facing a very desperate adversary in the Japanese whale poachers,” he told reporters in Hobart,” Mr Hammarstedt said. “The reason for that is it’s a dying industry that we’ve already bankrupted 3 years in a row. “Last year was the most aggressive that the Japanese whale poachers have ever been towards us. “My feeling is that these poachers are criminals and we expect that we will treat them like the criminals that they are.” 

Sea Shepherd lost its vessel Ady Gil after a collision in 2010.  Last summer’s incidents were reported to the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, the green group says.  It says the government should stick by an election commitment and send an Australian Customs vessel to enforce a 2008 Federal Court ruling that whaling in Australian waters is illegal.  “Last year we saw a whale harpooned 60 nautical miles off the Australian Antarctic coastline.  “That’s firmly within Australia’s sovereign waters.”  Sea Shepherd claims to have saved 932 whales and restricted Japan to 9% of its target catch in the past season. 

An International Court of Justice decision on Australia’s case against Japanese whaling is expected soon.

SS  web link:  http://www.seashepherd.org/ 

2 Japanese whaling ships and a surveillance vessel have left for the annual hunt in the Antarctic Sea, Kyodo News says.  The 3 ships departed from the western port of Shimonoseki to join other ships to hunt up to 935 Antarctic minke whales and up to 50 fin whales up until March, the news agency said.

 

 

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