Posted on September 11, 2016 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
Bear cubs were chained to a brick wall and forced to stand upright, putting them at risk of choking or hanging.
Bears Crying Out for Help
Dear Mr Johnson,
For a bear PETA Asia’s investigator named Doudou, “training” meant being yanked by her neck and forced to walk on parallel bars, sometimes on just her front paws. If she stopped or made even the smallest mistake, she was struck with a stick. When she wasn’t being forced to perform, she could often be found pawing and biting at the bars of the cramped, barren cage she was confined to, crying out desperately for someone – anyone – to stop her abuse.
Her cries – like those of the many bears, tigers, monkeys, and other animals PETA Asia’s eyewitness found in 10 different circuses and animal training facilities across China – were simply ignored by trainers, who saw Doudou and other animals like her as little more than another circus “attraction” to be coerced into performing ridiculous and often painful tricks through fear, intimidation, and violence.
The abuse PETA Asia has exposed at Chinese circus training facilities is heartbreaking. In addition to Doudou, the eyewitness documented that bear cubs were tightly strung up by their necks and forced to stand on their hind legs – sometimes for hours on end – at the risk of choking or hanging themselves. Young lion cubs were found quivering in fear, and tigers were seen being violently whipped and beaten with heavy metal poles to force them to jump through hoops and balance on balls. The eyewitness found terrified monkeys grimacing, struggling against neck chains, defecating in fear, and attempting to escape from their handlers.
In every circus inspected by PETA Asia, animals lacked adequate food, drinking water, housing, and veterinary care.
The abuse documented in this groundbreaking investigation isn’t just the result of notoriously weak Chinese animal-protection laws. In circuses everywhere, animals are routinely kept in chains and confined to cramped cages. The use of fear and punishment to force animals to perform – much like what was discovered in China – is common practice among circuses that exploit animals around the world.
This latest exposé has done more than reveal the heavy chains, frequent beatings, and constant fear of abuse that circuses use to control the animals they hold captive: it’s also inspired tens of thousands of people around the world to pledge never, ever to buy a ticket to any circus that uses animals.
PETA Asia’s circus investigation is even beginning to have an impact in China, where the group has now become the top international charity on Sina Weibo, the biggest social-networking site in that country. Footage from the investigation has been seen by millions, and just last week, the largest English-language newspaper in Eastern China – Shanghai Daily – ran a story on the tremendous social media response to this case.
Across China and around the world, calls to shut down circuses that abuse and exploit animals are growing louder. Governments in France, the UK, and elsewhere are seeing new pressure to follow the lead of Israel, Mexico, the Netherlands, and other countries by banning wild-animal acts, and more and more families are refusing to buy tickets to any circus with animals.
Your generous gift today will immediately strengthen PETA’s vital work for all animals, including those who are being abused for human entertainment right now.
Despite saying that we will publish names and e mails at noon (GMT) today in our earlier post; we have held back on this as things have progressed during the day today.
Slavica has been working hard – and today the main Veterinary Inspector has written back to her and said that immediately after the charge by Slavica, the veterinary inspector will start immediately with controls, which is being treated as an urgent case. Most importantly, he stated that they will send a report of what they have done after the work has been completed.
The Ministry also confirmed that they will send copies of all the documentation that is requested in the formal charge.
Now Slavica / we are allowing 15 days for everything to be sorted and provided to us as per the charge sent. Slavica is in charge of this program, and we are working with her and on her advice. We have not had any response from the EU, but we cannot say for sure that despite not contacting us, they have not acted on our e mail of 7/9 and put extra pressure on the B&H Ministry.
So now we wait to see what happens and if promises are kept. We are ready to act in defence of the dogs at the shelter as we have done; and we will not hesitate to take further action should the Ministry not provide all the data within the time frame; and taken clean ups at the shelter as they have promised.
We will keep you all informed of any future news on this issue.
SAV.
Here is a copy of the letter sent by the Ministry to Slavica:
Poštovani, Ocjenjujući hitnim Vaš zahtjev za poduzimanje mjera iz nadležnosti Inspektorata veterinarske inspekcije, koji je jučer 07.09.2016.godine dostavljen veterinarkoj inspekciji Kantonalne uprave za inspekcijske poslove KS, kantonalni veterinarski inspektori su istog dana izvršili inspekcijski nadzor na oklnosti navedene u dostavljenom zahtjevu. S obzirom da postupak inspekcijskog nadzora u predmetu koji se odnosi na Prihvatilište za napuštene pse Žunovnica u Općini Hadžići još nije okončan, poduzete su i dodatne radnje i aktivnosti koje imaju za cilj pravilno utvrđivanje činjenica,to u ovom momentu ne možemo otkrivati više detalja, posebno iz razloga što je po nalogu Tužilaštva KS u slučaj istovremeno uključen i Odsijek nadležne krim policije. Također, potvrđujemo da smo danas zaprimili i Vaš Zahtjev za informacijama od javnog začaja, te s tim u vezi bićete blagovremeno obaviješteni po okončanju započetog inspekcijskog postupka.
If you wish to send this post link (which includes the video) or a YouTube copy of the video (link above) directly to your national MEP’s, then please use the following link – http://www.europarl.europa.eu/meps/en/map.html
– select ‘your’ country and then click to find out who all the MEP’s are.
Thank god for Brexit – hopefully just the start if this is the ‘caring’ EU that they claim to be !!!!
With caring like this, is it any wonder we gripe at these dead beats ?
Why do we need these in the EU if they are incapable of doing anything ?
Just money for ?? – watching what goes on – we do the same to a degree but we don’t get paid !!
Posted on September 5, 2016 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
Dear industry stakeholders involved in the trade of live animals from Europe to Turkey,
For the past six years,
Animal Welfare Foundation, Eyes on Animals, Tierschutzbund Zürich, Compassion in World Farming and Animals´Angels
have been complaining to the EU Commission and the Member State officials about continuous breaches of Regulation (EC) 1/2005 during transports from the EU to Turkey committed by industry stakeholders.
Our experience has sadly shown that too many officials are incompetent- either by ignorance or naivity or lack of motivation. They are approving live-animal export consignments to Turkey whereby the animals are overcrowded, some of the animals are unfit (too pregnant, too weak…) and the journey log is completely bogus (no reserved booking at a control post to guarantee offloading, unrealistic journey times, accepting false control post names such as Kapikule or Svilengrad, claiming temperatures within the max EU range…).
This poses really bad competition for those of you trying to abide by the law and show more respect to the animals, and sets a very bad example to the cheating players in the industry (that they can get away and even profit from their bad attitude and actions).
A few transport companies cleaned up their act by getting rid of some inexperienced or lazy drivers and giving additional training and payment to the ones driving on this complicated route. Some transport companies and organizations agreed to stop sending animals in July and August when the temperatures are known to be too high, but a couple have now taken back their word saying they need to stay in the competition because animal-exporters will just use other companies.
A few livestock-truck manufacturing companies have altered the designs to their water systems and partitions and access doors, to solve some of the problems we were seeing. But sadly we have heard very little from exporters, many of whom continue to send animals on this route, and pressure transporters to load high densities and even highly pregnant cows that end up giving birth on the trucks. And we hear very little back from transport companies that continuously create problems. Even despite us offering their drivers a training course.
But the point is that although we appreciate those of you that at least took some steps, not enough has been done. Not being able to rely very much on authorities, we can only hope that you industry players will finally take the necessary action to put an end to all the horrible and unnecessary suffering and clean up your acts as much as possible.
Become aware of the problems, do not let cheating colleagues get away with it (open your mouths and police yourselves a bit better ). As long as this trade is so ridden with so much suffering , cheating and incompetent people, we will continue to expose it to the media and call for a full suspension.
In late June 2016 our teams were again at the border, for one week and it was the worst we have documented to date. Many dead animals and pregnant heifers giving birth. On top of the usual suffering from heat stress and lack of sufficient water.
Posted on September 5, 2016 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
SAV comment – this situation shows yet again that the Serbian government and municipalities are not living up to what is required of them under Serbian law. Thus they are not enforcing the ‘rule of law’ and so they are not suitable to be accepted into the EU, for which to become a member state, you have to show you are applying your own national legislations.
Will the EU consider this ? – who knows; does the EU care about animals in Serbia ? – certainly not if what we have seen for the last 11 years is anything to go by. Will the EU continue to give money to Serbia for nothing in return ?? – probably.
Are EU citizens opinions and arguments listened to by the EU ? – certainly not; only Commissioners who do not represent the people are listened to.
The UK made the decision in June to leave the EU. That is a certainty now which has been made clear in the last few days by the British government. At the end of Article 50 taking place, the UK will not be ruled by the un-elected masters of the EU. Britain will go it alone. Already there are many signs that the UK is doing better post Brexit than it was when it was fully in the EU.
Other EU nations ? – well who knows. Will they stay in the un-elected club or will their citizens have the guts to say ‘no’ and to get out ?
In the meantime, please help the cats at Shelter Felix with a donation if you can – thank you – SAV.
It’s not only that we are seriously failing at raising the funds to cover the inevitable costs of the basic necessities of the large number of shelter cats, like we’ve been doing over and over again every month for ages, but it’s also turned out we have to fix (strengthen and renovate) the outdoor enclosure as soon as possible!
The links of our chain link fence are way too wide to prevent kittens and tiny adult cats from escaping through the wire and the six bottle babies are exactly proving our point, now that they are big enough to be released into the yard. Over the last few days that they have been out of the house, they’ve already squeezed through the wire mesh a zillion times and instead of having fun in the yard, they spend their time walking on the top wire mesh and screaming as loud as they can. Fortunately, they don’t dare to come down, at least for now (good for them) but their new pastime is not perfect either. Needless to say how worried we are about their safety, but it’s senseless to keep them locked inside the house for another couple of years.
Please donate as much as you possibly can!
For reasons unknown, the following link has not been working. We have now replaced it and hope all is ok. This is the same link as at the end – please use this one (at the end) if you still get problems – SAV.
Without your support we won’t be able to carry on for much longer and the shelter will sadly have to be shut down.
After all of these years of hard work, rescuing and caring, after all the tears and joy, failures and victories, the shelter cats will end up on the street again and will never get another chance.
We’re heading towards disaster although we’re fighting to save them with all our might, but we can’t do much on our own and we’re begging all of you to help us.
Posted on September 3, 2016 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
Kent dealers and vet jailed over sick horse fraud
Photo – BBC.
Having been involved with live animal export investigations for some 25+ years, we are very familiar with Vet David Smith; as he was one of the principal vets involved with the live animal export trade out of Kent Channel ports going back into the 1990’s. We demonstrated outside of his clinic for many years in the past.
His actions then involving the very quick checks on animals going for export were questioned by some of us; but at the time our evidence and complaints were not listened to. He was a ‘vet’ and we were not; so he was better than us, such was the opinion of Defra (then MAFF).
Well after all these years we have been proven right. Such a shame that Smith was regarded by Defra as some kind of ‘supervet’ for years and years; approving live animal exports at almost every shipment.
Well now we have seen the real side of Smith – but the question is, for how long, and involving what other animals in the past have his actions covered up dirty dealings ?
Serbian Animals Voice (SAV) 