August | 2015 | Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)

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Denmark / Faroe Islands: Cruise Lines Shun Faroe Islands to Protest Whale Slaughter.

Posted on August 16, 2015 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)

https://www.takepart.com/article/2015/08/10/cruise-ship-companies-protest-faroe-islands-whale-slaughter?cmpid=tpanimals-eml-2015-08-15-whales

Cruise Lines Shun Faroe Islands to Protest Whale Slaughter

Environmentalists applaud German companies’ decision to stop sending tourists to the site of an annual slaughter of pilot whales.

David Kirby has been a professional journalist for 25 years. His third book, Death at Seaworld, was published in 2012.

Meet the whales’ newest protector: the cruise industry.

Executives at two major German cruise lines—Hapag-Lloyd and AIDA—said Monday they would stop sending their tourist-packed ships to the Faroe Islands in protest of the annual slaughter of pilot whales in the remote North Atlantic archipelago known for its stark beauty and bloody traditional hunts. The move is a blow to the islands, which depends on tourism revenue.

“Hapag-Lloyd Cruises is committed to treating flora, fauna, and the marine ecosystem as well as all its creatures with respect,” Karl J. Pojer, the company’s chief executive, said in an email. “We protect what fascinates us—it is therefore high in the interests of the company that whaling on the Faroe Islands is stopped.”

The cruise lines also cited a new Faroe Islands lawrequiring anyone who spots whales to report the animals to local officials as a reason to take the destination off their ships’ itineraries.

Hapag-Lloyd had already reduced the number of ships scheduled to visit the Faroes, Pojer said, with only one cruise slated for next year. The company is trying to find an alternative destination for that trip.

Monika Griefahn, AIDA’s chief sustainability officer, said in an email that her company “expressly dissociates itself from whaling. Species conservation is an integral part of our sustainability strategy. Thus, AIDA Cruises has decided to cease approaching the Faroe Islands until further notice.”

Whale hunts are permitted in 22 Faroese bays, where up to 120 pilot whales can be killed at a time. According to Sea Shepherd, 1,200 pilot whales are killed during the hunt season.

The hunt is also used to draw tourists to the islands, according to the website Visit Faroe Islands.

“The pilot whale hunt in the Faroes is, by its very nature, a dramatic sight,” it states. “Entire schools of whales are killed on the shore and in the shallows of bays with knives which are used to sever the major blood supply to the brain.”

RELATED: The Islands Where Watching Whales Could End Their Lives

“It’s not something we want to hide,” Brynhild Weihe, an office assistant at Visit Faroe Islands said in an email. “Some people express doubts about coming to the Faroe Islands because they don’t know what to think of the whaling that is done here, and so we want to make sure they can read about the main facts. This doesn’t mean we want them to come here for this reason.”

In the past two years, Hapag-Lloyd and AIDA wrote to the Faroese prime minister expressing their concerns about the whale hunt, or grindadráp.

A Hapag-Lloyd official, who asked not to be identified because she was not authorized to speak with the media, said the company never received a response.

The letters prompted Sea Shepherd, the environmental group that has been trying to halt the whale hunt since the early 1980s, to contact the companies, calling on them to suspend cruises to the islands. Sea Shepherd highlighted a recently passed law making it a crime not to report whale sightings to local authorities.

“Authorities are quoted as saying that these reports can be decisive in determining whether or not the spotted whales are subjected to traditional whaling,” said AIDA’s Griefahn.

A court last week convicted five Sea Shepherd volunteers of violating the Faroe Islands law by trying to stop the slaughter of 250 pilot whales on July 23. They face fines or up to two weeks in jail.

“We were very delighted to hear the news,” Rosie Kunneke, land crew leader for Sea Shepherd in the Faroes, said in a telephone interview from the islands. “This puts pressure on the cruise industry, who might want to reconsider what people are doing to the animals here.”

Several other cruise lines still operate in the islands, Kunneke said, including Princess, Royal Caribbean, Crystal, and Holland America.

“We’re hoping that the world gets to know about the hunt and that customers demand that these companies do not come here anymore,” Kunneke said.

Courtney Vail, campaigns and programs manager for Whale and Dolphin Conservation, said that “ethics-based corporate responsibility” is one way to help stop the killing.

The cruise industry has been much criticized by conservationists for polluting the world’s oceans. But recently it has made efforts to appear more attuned to ethical concerns. Carnival, for instance, announced in June that it would launch a cruise line that lets passengers perform community service in the countries they visit.

“We believe in the power of consumer choice to help guide and reform national and global environmental and animal welfare policies,” Vail said in an email. “It is a shame that such a beautiful destination continues to be marred by the shadow of these bloody hunts.”

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SAV recent posts on this issue:

https://serbiananimalsvoice.com/2015/06/27/faroe-islands-petition-result-success-mr-spielberg-and-dreamworks-will-not-now-be-filming-in-the-faroe-islands-due-to-pilot-whale-slaughter-your-petition-has-worked/

https://serbiananimalsvoice.com/2014/06/15/denmark-faroe-islands-sea-shepherd-to-deploy-drones-to-stop-massive-whale-slaughter/

https://serbiananimalsvoice.com/2008/10/13/denmark-disgraces-the-world-with-faroe-islands-whale-slaughter/

https://serbiananimalsvoice.com/2009/01/13/denmark-response-given-to-faroes-pilot-whale-annual-slaughter/

Filed under: CAMPAIGNS - Global Animal Welfare Issues, GENERAL NEWS - International / National / Regional | Leave a comment »

2 Very Important Petitions – Please Sign Soon Thank You.

Posted on August 16, 2015 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)

https://www.change.org/p/ministry-of-agriculture-republic-of-indonesia-suswono-minister-of-agriculture-indonesia-indonesian-government-free-all-animals-from-ragunan-and-surabaya-zoo-into-sanctuaries

Indonesian Government: Free all Animals from Ragunan and Surabaya Zoo into Sanctuaries

Captive elephants in Indonesia’s Surabaya Zoo and Ragunan Zoo are being held in extremely cruel conditions.

“I have never seen … this before,” said a staff member of an animal advocacy organization.

At both zoos, says the staff member, the elephants were restrained in a severe and agonizing manner. The animals are not only chained to the enclosures by their back legs, but their front legs are tied together. “I have visited zoos across the world, many of which unfortunately chain their elephants. But I have never seen elephants with leg ties as well as chains,”said the staffer

With the additional leg ties, the elephants are unable to even move backwards and forwards freely, restricting them to “hobbling” or “hopping.”

The male elephants who were tied in this manner at the Surabaya Zoo were in obvious distress: “He was rocking backwards and forwards for some time in a stereotypical display often seen in captive elephants,” says the staff member.

“The real sad thing for him was when he decided to use the bar as a scratching post, he needed to haul himself and the chains, centimeter by centimeter, into a position where he could rub against the metal bar. This should be something that is freely available to him and not something that he is forced to work for by having to ‘hobble’ within the small areas that his chains allow him within.”

At the Ragunan Zoo, both adults and a very young elephant were seen with their front legs tied together: “The calf was attempting to lie down on a number of occasions, but the leg ties prevented it from doing so. It also had to ‘hop’ with both front legs together every time it wanted to turn around.” (The calf is likely this young male.)

Indonesia has long been criticized for its animal welfare standards, especially the Surabaya Zoo, in East Java, referred to as the “Zoo of Death” for the horrific conditions the animals live in and the nauseating photos that reportedly emerge from it, including a lion found hanging last year in his cell, and an emaciated camel eating in his enclosure.

Femke den Haas is the founder and coordinator for wildlife rescue at the Jakarta Animal Aid Network (JAAN). Den Haas lives in Indonesia and first visited the Ragunan Zoo 20 years ago: “I was so shocked to see the suffering of the animals there that I decided I wanted to return to Indonesia the soonest to help improve animal welfare in the country.”

It was the eyes, she says, of one adult male orangutan that she couldn’t forget: “His name was Johnny. Johnny was an adult orangutan inside a tiny dark cage, not able to climb, not even able to obtain any sunlight.”

Twenty years later, Johnny is still inside the same cage.

Since 2002, 23 orangutans have died inside the Ragunan Zoo, den Haas said. (The Ragunan Zoo is a member of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums.)

Since 2013, JAAN has been denied access to help improve the quality of care for the animals of the zoo, den Haas claims.

Part of the problem, she maintains, is there is no standard of care for animal welfare in zoos in Indonesia. “The Indonesia Zoo and Aquarium Association (IZAA) is a sham. This association is run by the zoo owners who seek profit and little regulations. The conditions of animals throughout Indonesia in zoos are horrific. I just returned from a zoo in Banyuwangi that received animals from Surabaya [Zoo], including orangutans and elephants. The elephants are chained and walked around [by keepers] with the infamous sticks with nails on them to handle the elephants and [use them for] elephant rides.”

Unfortunately, says den Haas, as bad as the Ragunan and Surabaya zoos are, there are some even worse. At these zoos, says den Haas, “animals hardly are seen with even drinking water.”

The staff member of the advocacy group agrees with den Haas’ assessment: “Sadly, animals are kept in even worse conditions in other zoos both within Indonesia and other Asian countries.”

“The sad reality,” the staffer adds, “is that the majority of Asian zoos house as many species and individuals as they possibly can, and the staff have little to no knowledge of how to care for these individuals to meet their complex physical and behavioural needs. Therefore animals languish in squalid concrete cells and the measure of ‘good’ or ‘bad’ is whether they survive or not.”—Source-The Dodo~

Ask the Minister of Agriculture Suswono to shut these places of hell down and transport the animals to sanctuaries !

LETTER TO

Ministry of Agriculture Republic of Indonesia Suswono, MMA

Executive Director – WAZA Gerald Dick, PhD, MAS

Indonesian Government: Free all Animals from Ragunan and Surabaya Zoo into Sanctuaries

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/740/490/385/illinois-man-lights-firework-in-dogs-mouth-while-laughing-about-it/

Illinois man lights firework in dog’s mouth while laughing about it!

target: Will County State’s Attorney James Glascow

Update #1 3 days ago ▾

Press Release
July 31, 2015

Statement regarding investigation/charge in Joliet Pit Bull Case

The Will County State’s Attorney’s Office has filed the strongest felony charge possible under Illinois law based upon the evidence that has been obtained by police and prosecutors up to this point.

Upon conviction, the felony charge in this case carries a potential penalty of up to six years in prison and a fine of up to $25,000.

The investigation into this case is ongoing.

About This Petition

A man from Joliet tricked a pit bull dog into taking a firework in his mouth moments before he had lit it. The dog did not survive the incident.

The incident happened on July 7 when Nicholas Garcia, 24, and his friend were lighting some fireworks in an alley when a dog suddenly appeared; the two decided to have some fun with the animal and intentionally tossed a firework in its direction; the dog chased it and picked it up immediately, moments before it went off its mouth.

The dog’s owner, who had finally caught up with his dog during their usual stroll, witnessed the entire incident. The distraught owner claims that Garcia was amused by the situation, before taking off moments after.

Police have filed charges of ‘destruction of property’ against Garcia, who has turned himself in.

We, the undersigned, strongly feel that the Illinois judicial system should file for much tougher charges, because ‘destruction of property’ does not apply in this case. Dogs are family, sentient beings, but judging by these charges it would seem they are just some objects that got destroyed. This is hardly the case. Garcia needs to spend time behind bars after taking the life of an innocent animal that is only guilty of curiosity.

News Link: http://bit.ly/1IqfwOJ

Filed under: GENERAL NEWS - International / National / Regional, GLOBAL PETITIONS - Anything Animal, Anywhere ! | Leave a comment »

Serbia / Italy: The Links Between Hunting Endangered (EU Red List) Birds.

Posted on August 13, 2015 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)

Here following is lots of info from Vesna regarding the hunting of Turtle Doves and Quail. Lots of it is taken by Italian hunters who go into Serbia and then sell the hunted product back to Italian restaurants. There is little action by the Serbian authorities to prevent it, despite EU restrictions; EU Red Lists on hunted species and huge financial support for Serbia from the EU.

We were asked to do an English version of this data from Vesna but we feel that very little needs to be changed – and also there is a lot to review and amend. So we are publishing the full data from Vesna.

Extra info on same subject – Link this in to our recent post on the same subject which can be viewed at https://serbiananimalsvoice.com/2015/08/03/eu-serbia-mass-animal-and-bird-killings-exports-to-the-eu-despite-eu-bans-yet-the-eu-enlargement-commission-does-very-little-despite-the-1-5-billion-euros-given-to-serbia-pre-eu-accession/

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Dear all,

The situation in the whole of Serbia the same, no difference from north to south.

Money that Serbia received from the EU through the IPA funds, EUR 203 million, alone in 2013. is not known where was spent because the situation in Serbia has not changed much since 2013. And still the executive power does not respect and does not apply the applicable law and not EU legislation in the field of nature, although the domestic Law on Nature Protection registered Article, to EU legislation has applied in domestic legislation. But this does not apply.

The latest debacle shows that the executive and legislative power have the greatest impact profiteers and tycoons, is passing amendments to the Regulations on closed hunting season.

In this case, it is for one month, from 28 June 2015 to 29 July 2015 changed 3 times. To the end it turned out that despite the ban handed down turtle dove hunting, can be hunted, and this year, which is a kind of degraded Regulations, turtle dove Streptopelia turtur, which is located on the European Red list of endangered species will be killed this year in Serbia. This was done for the profiteers in the field of hunting, which have ravaged the fauna of Serbia.

In addition, the EU has long been banned all exports of meat of game from Serbia to the EU. (Council Regulalation No. 338/97 of 9.December 1996 on the protection of species of wild fauna and flora by regulating trade therein) .

In the hunt for turtle doves and quail comes a lot of Italians who will defiance smuggle the corpses of birds in Italy. One killed the turtle dove here costs 2.5 Euros, and the moment arrive in Italy, Minimum cost is 25 Euros, the resale for restaurants, the price reaches over 50 Euros per bird. The same applies to quail, which the European Red List has the status of sparse species.

Quail and turtle doves are species of international importance and in the majority of European countries hunting both species is prohibited.

In Serbia hunt both species begins 01.08. and lasts until 30.09. and that the playing time, ie. raising cubs in August, and September is the time of peak migration of birds from northern Europe, where they are fully protected from hunting. For Serbia fields falling exhausted from a grueling migration, to rest, feed and water, and then in moments of greatest exhaustion flocks, gathering hunters and kills everybody. None flock that was discovered by hunters, occurred on the territory of Serbia, no longer flew.

So protection pursued by the Northern European countries and the money spent in conservation, here, on the territory of Serbia, everything is cancelled, the mass killing of birds in migration.
I forgot to mention that over Serbia, from north to south migratory corridor for Africa, and for birds migrating in Central Asia.

In short, Serbia does not respect and do not apply the EU Directive on the conservation of wild birds in 2009 (Directive 2009/147 / EC, 30th November 2009). As Bern and the Bonn Convention on the conservation of wild fauna and its habitats.

Ministry of Agriculture and Environment of quail would not even discuss a turtle dove protect it for 1 month during the closed season or during the hunt is this decision reversed and allow hunting.

Today, 01.08. he began to hunt for turtle doves and quails, with a strong zeal of hunters, they are angry and want to kill as height can, I have no doubt that will happen. This is due to what was first hunting was banned, which led them to anger, and then a few days before the start of hunting, hunting is allowed, and now they will carry out revenge against the poor birds.

In short, the authorities in Serbia wants money from the EU but will not respect its own laws and even less EU legislation. Stakeholders and profiteers continue to tailor policies and legislation in Serbia and it is not, the debacle of turtle doves clearly visible for us.

Authorities in Serbia know that exports of meat of wild animals is prohibited in the EU and know that they will be smuggling corpses of birds in the EU, but do nothing to prevent it, but to make all help to carry out smuggling.

In short, we in Serbia, we can to deal with everything, what is written and Slavica, we need the help of the EU, which is funded and supported by our government.

If, and this can help to improve the text, asylums and abandoned animals is not the only problem, no local government does not apply the Law on Veterinary and Animal Welfare Act.

I apologize for the bad English, with the help of Google translator and dictionary. I hope you’ll understand.

P.S. Oral vaccination of wild animals is carried out, provided the information and photographs from some areas in Serbia, where people find a vaccine and photographed, the last thing I received photos of the vaccine in reserve Great Bustards/ North Serbia.

There is no longer a local declaration of rabies as earlier worked to hunters killing cats and dogs in the streets or at the periphery of the village. As well as the massacres of foxes in nature, which they consider to vermin. We still have no evidence that vaccination conducted regularly throughout the territory of Serbia.

Kind Regards – Vesna

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I’m glad you understand this.

This shame of our Ministry and Government who could not protect the turtle dove, to even a month after that, made a different decision and allow hunting on them, and knowing that he is on the Red List, and that is a migratory species, speaks of undue influence on executive power . The Minister can not change policies or laws passed by the Assembly of Serbia.

Especially considering that the hunting lobby has too much influence on executive power, and according to their needs, quail was not even a topic, nor the disaster that befell the whole of Serbia, the Law on wildlife and hunting, is explicitly prohibited hunting. Hunting is started from 01.08. as if nothing is happening.

It all speaks to us about the abuse of power, laziness competent state authorities, who do not do anything, and delay as much as possible, that the hunt is over.

From 01.09. begins hunting of waterfowl which are also very vulnerable due to the disappearance of water mirrors and lack of food, even if daytime temperatures fall, no rain and will need a lot of rain to recover nature and it is the habitat of wild species.

Because of this, our government must make yourself and respect our laws and international treaties, directives on the protection of wild fauna.

About all this, we have to write to the European Commission, the department for the protection of nature and biodiversity, and for that we need excellent English translation.

Mark is our long-time friend, he understands everything we write and understand fully the situation in Serbia.

Also, aid from Germany would be excellent, our government reps in Germany has good friends and the politicians who support them, they should warn them that this is what they are doing is not acceptable to the EU community.

Also, aid from Germany would be excellent, our government in Germany has good friends and the politicians who support them, they should warn them that this is what they are doing is not acceptable to the EU community.

This embarrassment about 3 amending the Regulations on closed hunting season, for the purposes of hunting organizations and lobbyists, must be heard and must be known. This is not and can not be done.

Regards.
Vesna

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In Italy, the hunt begins the last week of September, and by then most of the birds went to migrate. Now, no hunting in Italy.

In Serbia, the benefits of Italian hunters have hunting agency and hunting associations and lobbyists, nobody else.

In Italy, the hunting is strictly controlled and very expensive, rigorous penalties, and most parts of Italy is prohibited for hunting.

In Serbia, all the cons. Voracious Italians coming to Serbia and kill all of them. Like most other birds, larks and pipits, which are prohibited for hunting, but who cares?

2012 we had an charge for two Italians who have made a massacre Pipit, sparrows and other small songbirds, for a couple of hours of the morning hunting, they killed 89 birds.

We have somewhere these pictures.

Regards, Vesna

Filed under: CAMPAIGNS - Global Animal Welfare Issues, GENERAL NEWS - International / National / Regional, HUNTING - Primarily UK and Germany, PHOTOGRAPHS - **WARNING** (Animal Suffering), SERBIA (Central Serbia: Capital - Belgrade) and (Serbia, The "Serbian Animals Voice (SAV) ALLIANCE | Leave a comment »

Wednesday 12/8/15 Is ‘World Elephant Day’ – What You Can Do.

Posted on August 11, 2015 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)

http://www.care2.com/causes/7-easy-ways-to-help-this-world-elephant-day.html

7 Easy Ways to Help This World Elephant Day

by Alicia Graef – August 10, 2015

On Wednesday, August 12, animal lovers around the world will be coming together to celebrate elephants and support a future where they’re respected and protected for the fourth annual World Elephant Day.

World Elephant day was launched in 2012 by Canadian documentary filmmaker Patricia Sims and the Elephant Reintroduction Foundation of Thailand. On the same day, Sims’ film Return to the Forest premiered, which explores the journey and beautiful transformation that takes place when captive elephants are returned from a life with us to their home in the forest and how vital their presence there is.

Despite being a charismatic species loved by people of all ages, elephants in both Africa and Thailand are in serious trouble. Since the first World Elephant Day, individuals, celebrities and dozens of organizations that are working on solutions that will ensure their future survival around the world, have joined in support because the threat of losing them forever is becoming a very real possibility.

Poaching in Africa has reached unprecedented levels, which some believe could wipe elephants out entirely within the next 10 years if it continues at its current rate, and there are now estimated to be less than 40,000 Asian elephants left in existence, who continue to face the threat of poaching, habitat loss and being taken for the tourism industry.

“So many people around the world love elephants but aren’t aware that elephants are in crisis. World Elephant Day helps increase security for elephants and expand habitat because it creates an opportunity to raise a rallying cry. We have to turn up the volume about the elephant crisis in order to put more pressure on leaders to take meaningful action, attract desperately needed resources, and to convince people to not buy ivory,” Misty Herrin, #SaveElephants campaign director for The Nature Conservancy, said in a statement.

Unfortunately, wild elephants aren’t the only ones in trouble. Animal advocates have also been working to end their exploitation in captivity and entertainment and raise awareness about why elephants belong in the wild, not circuses, zoos or tourist attractions.

How to Help

This year elephant advocates will again be stepping up to raise awareness about the plight of captive and wild elephants by hosting and attending events, urging officials to take action to protect elephants and using social media to gain support and there are a lot of easy ways to help.

Support Increasing Protection Under the Endangered Species Act

In June, the Center for Biological Diversity filed a petition to have African elephants declared as two separate species – forest elephants and savannah elephants – and upgraded from threatened to endangered under the Endangered Species Act, which would add even more strength to laws intended to protect them.

Please sign and share the petition urging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to reclassify elephants and upgrade their status to endangered.

Tell the U.S. to Crack Down on the Ivory Trade

As the second largest market for ivory behind China, the U.S. has been called on by wildlife advocates to step up its efforts to tackle wildlife trafficking with meaningful action. Now it’s hoped a proposed rule which was formally announced by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) in July will virtually wipe out the market in the states by applying more restrictions to imports and exports and banning the sale of ivory across state lines.

Please sign and share the petition urging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to support a ban on ivory.

You can also make a public comment in support of tougher regulations for the ivory trade directly at the Federal Register until September 28.

Don’t Buy Ivory

That should go without saying, but even legal ivory and antique items help keep the market going and help provide a cover for the illegal trade of ivory from recently killed elephants.

Support Elephant Sanctuaries

Learn about and support organizations working to give captive elephants a better life by returning them to natural environments where they can live freely like the Elephant Reintroduction Foundation and Elephant Nature Park in Thailand and the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Africa. In the U.S. check out the Elephant Sanctuary and the Performing Animal Welfare Society.

Be a Voice for Captive Elephants

While more and more areas are banning the use of wild animals in circuses and Ringling Bros. recently took a big step by announcing it would retire its elephant performers, there are still other traveling shows around the world that continue to use elephants. We can send a strong message that it’s time to stop by avoiding companies and venues that continue to use them by speaking out for elephants like Nosey, who desperately needs to be retired, and by signing the petition asking Congress to pass the Traveling Exotic Animal Protection Act, which would ban the use of wild animals in circuses for good.

We can also help give a voice to elephants in zoos who need help like Asha, Lucky and Lucy by signing petitions on their behalf and asking countries like Zimbabwe to stop taking calves from the wild for captivity.

Make an “Elegram”

The Nature Conservancy, which is an official sponsor of World Elephant Day this year, is asking supporters to get a little crafty and make 20,000 handmade images for its #Elegram Project, which will be matched with $150,000 by generous donors for elephant conservation work in Africa. Just paint, draw, sketch or sculpt an image of an elephant, take a photo of it and upload it to their gallery.

Spread the Word

If you’re spreading the word about efforts to help elephants on social media sites, check out World Elephant day for badges and banners to share and add the hashtags #WorldElephantDay #GoGrey #BeHerd #Elegram #SaveElephants #JoinTheSTAMPede #96Elephants and #SayNoToIvory.

For more info on ways to help elephants and support organizations working to resolve conflicts and stop poaching, visit World Elephant Day.

China: Petition – Whale Shark Butchered Alive by Chinese Poachers Deserves Justice.

Posted on August 11, 2015 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)

China – what a surprise I don’t think !!!

Petition Link:

http://forcechange.com/145985/justice-for-whale-shark-butchered-alive/?utm_source=ForceChange+Newsletter&utm_campaign=ced6e73f77-552FC8_10_2015&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_600a6911b9-ced6e73f77-278817597

Whale Shark Butchered Alive by Chinese Poachers Deserves Justice

Target: Chen Jining, Minister of Environmental Protection, People’s Republic of China

Goal: Prosecute those involved in the torturous live butchering of a whale shark.

A shocking video has surfaced depicting the live butchering of a whale shark. The video shows two men sawing the animal apart from the tail upward, opting to torture it alive rather than severing its spinal cord and killing it first. The animal is seen struggling to breathe as it slowly bleeds to death, opening and closing its mouth as if to scream.

The whale shark, the largest known species of fish, is classified as vulnerable and is protected by several treaties, including the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species and the Convention for Migratory Species. This makes it illegal to capture, kill, or sell a whale shark or its body parts. Those who breach the law can face criminal charges, jail time, and extensive fines.

Unfortunately, due to China’s lax enforcement of animal protection laws and its burgeoning black markets full of endangered and nearly extinct animals, this type of situation is not unusual. According to a study conducted by non-governmental organization WildLifeRisk, Chinese fishermen illegally slaughter 600 whale sharks each year, selling them for about $30,000 each.

Perhaps more disturbing than the cruel butchering of a live animal is the fact that those responsible felt secure enough in China’s lack of animal protection enforcement to do it in a public fish market. Not only must the perpetrators of this torturous and illegal slaughter be prosecuted, but China must put forth a true effort to stop the unsustainable slaughter of whale sharks. Sign the petition below to demand that China find and punish those involved in order to deter similar atrocities in the future.

PETITION LETTER:

Dear Minister Chen Jining,

A video of two men butchering a live whale shark at a Chinese fish market has outraged the international community. The video shows the men using a large saw to cut the animal into slices from the tail upward, all while the shark is gasping for breath and bleeding out.

Though wale sharks are a protected species, these situations are not uncommon. Chinese fishermen kill an average of 600 whale sharks per year, most of them facing no legal action. It is imperative that China steps up to stop letting animal abuse and the illegal slaughter of animals go unpunished. We, the undersigned, demand that those responsible for this brutal butchering are found and punished to the full extent of the law.

Sincerely,

[Your Name Here]

Petition Link:

http://forcechange.com/145985/justice-for-whale-shark-butchered-alive/?utm_source=ForceChange+Newsletter&utm_campaign=ced6e73f77-552FC8_10_2015&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_600a6911b9-ced6e73f77-278817597

Filed under: GENERAL NEWS - International / National / Regional, GLOBAL PETITIONS - Anything Animal, Anywhere ! | Leave a comment »

Serbia: Critical Situation – Lina’s Animal Rescue – 23 Dogs In Need Of Help.

Posted on August 11, 2015 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)

Donation Link – http://www.youcaring.com/lina-s-animal-rescue-food-for-42-dog-404172

PLEASE SHARE, HELP… VERY URGENT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Last month, we had no food nor in two weeks … now we have no food, dogs are hungry , and that is why we have a big problem…

Lina’s Animal Rescue is a small shelter bursting with 23 dog now saved from the streets and public shelter in Coka, Serbia.

Some of them are ill and require urgent veterinary care. Some are seniors and cannot survive on their own. There are also puppies and disabled dog. Also , we have dogs who eat special food because they are ill. There is also 19 dogs in boarding kennel.

Please help us to buy medicine and food for them. Each month is a struggle. Please share our story and give what you can, no gift is too small.

We are in constant need of funds to maintain these animals.

Thank You – Please try to help the animals. Every little bit helps.

Donation Link – http://www.youcaring.com/lina-s-animal-rescue-food-for-42-dog-404172

Filed under: Animals Requiring Adoption or Homes - Worldwide, CAMPAIGNS - Global Animal Welfare Issues, GENERAL NEWS - International / National / Regional, SERBIA (Central Serbia: Capital - Belgrade) and (Serbia, SHELTER - Information, The "Serbian Animals Voice (SAV) ALLIANCE | Leave a comment »

Netherlands: Eyes on Animals.

Posted on August 10, 2015 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)

We had a nice surprise today – a message sent from our good friend Lesley – Founder of ‘Eyes on Animals’ which is based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands; and someone who we have worked with re animal transport investigations in the past.

EoA Website link – http://www.eyesonanimals.com/about-eyes-on-animals/inspectors/

Lesley informs that she and some of the team have been checking livestock transporters heading from the EU into Turkey (for slaughter). This has included trailing some.

Please support the excellent work of Lesley, Margreet and the crew at EoA if you can – check out all the links at http://www.eyesonanimals.com/contact/

Donations can be made by clicking on the following link – http://www.eyesonanimals.com/help-us/donate/

Thank You.

Filed under: CAMPAIGNS - Global Animal Welfare Issues, GENERAL NEWS - International / National / Regional, PHOTOGRAPHS - **WARNING** (Animal Suffering), The "Serbian Animals Voice (SAV) ALLIANCE | Leave a comment »

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Cruise Lines Shun Faroe Islands to Protest Whale Slaughter

Environmentalists applaud German companies’ decision to stop sending tourists to the site of an annual slaughter of pilot whales.

David Kirby has been a professional journalist for 25 years. His third book, Death at Seaworld, was published in 2012.

Meet the whales’ newest protector: the cruise industry.

The cruise lines also cited a new Faroe Islands lawrequiring anyone who spots whales to report the animals to local officials as a reason to take the destination off their ships’ itineraries.

Hapag-Lloyd had already reduced the number of ships scheduled to visit the Faroes, Pojer said, with only one cruise slated for next year. The company is trying to find an alternative destination for that trip.

Whale hunts are permitted in 22 Faroese bays, where up to 120 pilot whales can be killed at a time. According to Sea Shepherd, 1,200 pilot whales are killed during the hunt season.

The hunt is also used to draw tourists to the islands, according to the website Visit Faroe Islands.

“The pilot whale hunt in the Faroes is, by its very nature, a dramatic sight,” it states. “Entire schools of whales are killed on the shore and in the shallows of bays with knives which are used to sever the major blood supply to the brain.”

RELATED: The Islands Where Watching Whales Could End Their Lives

In the past two years, Hapag-Lloyd and AIDA wrote to the Faroese prime minister expressing their concerns about the whale hunt, or grindadráp.

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A Hapag-Lloyd official, who asked not to be identified because she was not authorized to speak with the media, said the company never received a response.

“Authorities are quoted as saying that these reports can be decisive in determining whether or not the spotted whales are subjected to traditional whaling,” said AIDA’s Griefahn.

A court last week convicted five Sea Shepherd volunteers of violating the Faroe Islands law by trying to stop the slaughter of 250 pilot whales on July 23. They face fines or up to two weeks in jail.

“We were very delighted to hear the news,” Rosie Kunneke, land crew leader for Sea Shepherd in the Faroes, said in a telephone interview from the islands. “This puts pressure on the cruise industry, who might want to reconsider what people are doing to the animals here.”

Several other cruise lines still operate in the islands, Kunneke said, including Princess, Royal Caribbean, Crystal, and Holland America.

“We’re hoping that the world gets to know about the hunt and that customers demand that these companies do not come here anymore,” Kunneke said.

Courtney Vail, campaigns and programs manager for Whale and Dolphin Conservation, said that “ethics-based corporate responsibility” is one way to help stop the killing.

“We believe in the power of consumer choice to help guide and reform national and global environmental and animal welfare policies,” Vail said in an email. “It is a shame that such a beautiful destination continues to be marred by the shadow of these bloody hunts.”

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SAV recent posts on this issue:

Indonesian Government: Free all Animals from Ragunan and Surabaya Zoo into Sanctuaries

Captive elephants in Indonesia’s Surabaya Zoo and Ragunan Zoo are being held in extremely cruel conditions.

“I have never seen … this before,” said a staff member of an animal advocacy organization.

With the additional leg ties, the elephants are unable to even move backwards and forwards freely, restricting them to “hobbling” or “hopping.”

The male elephants who were tied in this manner at the Surabaya Zoo were in obvious distress: “He was rocking backwards and forwards for some time in a stereotypical display often seen in captive elephants,” says the staff member.

It was the eyes, she says, of one adult male orangutan that she couldn’t forget: “His name was Johnny. Johnny was an adult orangutan inside a tiny dark cage, not able to climb, not even able to obtain any sunlight.”

Twenty years later, Johnny is still inside the same cage.

Since 2002, 23 orangutans have died inside the Ragunan Zoo, den Haas said. (The Ragunan Zoo is a member of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums.)

Since 2013, JAAN has been denied access to help improve the quality of care for the animals of the zoo, den Haas claims.

Unfortunately, says den Haas, as bad as the Ragunan and Surabaya zoos are, there are some even worse. At these zoos, says den Haas, “animals hardly are seen with even drinking water.”

The staff member of the advocacy group agrees with den Haas’ assessment: “Sadly, animals are kept in even worse conditions in other zoos both within Indonesia and other Asian countries.”

Ask the Minister of Agriculture Suswono to shut these places of hell down and transport the animals to sanctuaries !

LETTER TO

Ministry of Agriculture Republic of Indonesia Suswono, MMA

Executive Director – WAZA Gerald Dick, PhD, MAS

Indonesian Government: Free all Animals from Ragunan and Surabaya Zoo into Sanctuaries

Illinois man lights firework in dog’s mouth while laughing about it!

target: Will County State’s Attorney James Glascow

Update #1 3 days ago ▾

Press Release July 31, 2015

Statement regarding investigation/charge in Joliet Pit Bull Case The Will County State’s Attorney’s Office has filed the strongest felony charge possible under Illinois law based upon the evidence that has been obtained by police and prosecutors up to this point.

Upon conviction, the felony charge in this case carries a potential penalty of up to six years in prison and a fine of up to $25,000.

The investigation into this case is ongoing.

About This Petition

We were asked to do an English version of this data from Vesna but we feel that very little needs to be changed – and also there is a lot to review and amend. So we are publishing the full data from Vesna.

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Dear all,

The situation in the whole of Serbia the same, no difference from north to south.

In addition, the EU has long been banned all exports of meat of game from Serbia to the EU. (Council Regulalation No. 338/97 of 9.December 1996 on the protection of species of wild fauna and flora by regulating trade therein) .

P.S. Oral vaccination of wild animals is carried out, provided the information and photographs from some areas in Serbia, where people find a vaccine and photographed, the last thing I received photos of the vaccine in reserve Great Bustards/ North Serbia.

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I’m glad you understand this.

It all speaks to us about the abuse of power, laziness competent state authorities, who do not do anything, and delay as much as possible, that the hunt is over.

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In Italy, the hunt begins the last week of September, and by then most of the birds went to migrate. Now, no hunting in Italy.

7 Easy Ways to Help This World Elephant Day

On Wednesday, August 12, animal lovers around the world will be coming together to celebrate elephants and support a future where they’re respected and protected for the fourth annual World Elephant Day.

Unfortunately, wild elephants aren’t the only ones in trouble. Animal advocates have also been working to end their exploitation in captivity and entertainment and raise awareness about why elephants belong in the wild, not circuses, zoos or tourist attractions.

How to Help

This year elephant advocates will again be stepping up to raise awareness about the plight of captive and wild elephants by hosting and attending events, urging officials to take action to protect elephants and using social media to gain support and there are a lot of easy ways to help.

Support Increasing Protection Under the Endangered Species Act

Please sign and share the petition urging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to reclassify elephants and upgrade their status to endangered.

Tell the U.S. to Crack Down on the Ivory Trade

Please sign and share the petition urging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to support a ban on ivory.

You can also make a public comment in support of tougher regulations for the ivory trade directly at the Federal Register until September 28.

Don’t Buy Ivory

That should go without saying, but even legal ivory and antique items help keep the market going and help provide a cover for the illegal trade of ivory from recently killed elephants.

Support Elephant Sanctuaries

Be a Voice for Captive Elephants

We can also help give a voice to elephants in zoos who need help like Asha, Lucky and Lucy by signing petitions on their behalf and asking countries like Zimbabwe to stop taking calves from the wild for captivity.

Make an “Elegram”

Spread the Word

If you’re spreading the word about efforts to help elephants on social media sites, check out World Elephant day for badges and banners to share and add the hashtags #WorldElephantDay #GoGrey #BeHerd #Elegram #SaveElephants #JoinTheSTAMPede #96Elephants and #SayNoToIvory.

For more info on ways to help elephants and support organizations working to resolve conflicts and stop poaching, visit World Elephant Day.

Press Release
July 31, 2015

Statement regarding investigation/charge in Joliet Pit Bull Case

The Will County State’s Attorney’s Office has filed the strongest felony charge possible under Illinois law based upon the evidence that has been obtained by police and prosecutors up to this point.