Ukraine: New Video Footage Provided of the Appalling Conditions for Animals at Kharkov Zoo Park

 

We have been fortunate enough to be provided with some excellent footage of the appalling situation for animals at the Kharkov Zoo park in the Ukraine.

The direct link to this video footage is as follows:

http://www.kharkovguide.net/blog/2010/11/15/kharkov-zoo-park-ukraine/

We would like to thank Dan for initially contacting us and providing the video footage which can be seen via the above. This link provides more written information relating to the situation for the animals in the zoo.

An opportunity is provided at the end of the post at which a comment / reply can be left should you wish to do so.

Further information relating to Kharkov can be found at the following site:

http://www.kharkovguide.net/blog/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ukraine: Please Sign the Petition to Stop (Ukraine) Circus Animal Abuses.

Animals in Ukraine are popular attractions in circuses and mobile zoos. Unfortunately, the living conditions for these animals often include exposure to the elements, dirty cages and abuse.

And there are no laws to protect them.

Tell Ukraine to pass legislation to protect animals.»

The Association of Animal Protection Organizations of Ukraine has started a petition to urge the Ukraine government to protect these animals.

Below is a message from them:


Dear friends,

Please consider signing this petition to say “no” to cruelty. We hope that this petition will bring international attention to this issue in Ukraine, where animals’ rights are violated every day to entertain crowds and make money.

With this petition, we hope to shame the Ukrainian government while educating people of the world and people of Ukraine who may not be aware of this problem and its importance. We can not do this without your help!

Sincerely,
The Association of Animal Protection Societies of Ukraine.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ukraine: Further Article on Mobile Crematoriums to Destroy Homeless Dogs

 

Past SAV Links:

https://serbiananimalsvoice.wordpress.com/2010/11/12/ukraine-updates-corrupt-authorities-pocketing-all-the-cash-at-stray-animals-expense-familiar-to-you-it-is-to-us/

https://serbiananimalsvoice.wordpress.com/2010/10/22/ukraine-mobile-crematorium-used-to-kill-stray-animals-before-eurofoot-2012-sample-letter-and-information/

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http://english.pravda.ru/society/stories/11-11-2010/115737-homeless_dogs-0/

Pravda. 11 November 2010.

Ukraine uses mobile crematoriums to destroy homeless dogs.

In Russia and Ukraine, homeless animals are destroyed with the use of curare-like paralyzing poisons. Ditiline is forbidden in Ukraine, but the drug is widely used anyway. Ukrainian animal rights activists no longer seek understanding and support from the government and say that they are ready to take extreme measures: they threaten to disrupt Euro 2012 football championship in the country.  Russian animal rights activists wage their own war for homeless four-legged creatures. On February 2, 2020, 500 people filed a written protest against the return of useless and barbaric extermination of homeless animals.  Yuri Luzhkov, Moscow’s former mayor, stated in May of 2008 that he was supporting humane policies towards the regulation of the number of homeless animals. However, reality proved that the verbal statement entailed no action: animals would be captured in the streets and sent to unfinished shelters, where they would die because of poor housing conditions.  The same year, Luzhkov’s deputy Pavel Biryukov offered to replace the program of sterilization of homeless animals to their extermination in municipal shelters. The black list included quarantined and sterilized dogs. Animal rights activists said that such a change in the law would only legalize animal slaughter.  In Russia, homeless dogs are also destroyed with curare-like drugs such as ditiline and its derivatives. Curare-like paralyzing poisons are banned in the whole civilized world, and their use is categorized as brutal animal abuse.  Many in Russia believe that a large number of homeless animals is a result of uncontrollable breeding of purebred dogs and cats and the absence of propaganda to sterilize homeless pets.  In addition, taking homeless pets from dog pounds is not considered a traditional practice in Russia.  There is direct connection between the cultural and moral level of the society and the attention that it pays to issues of protection of animals. The culture of eating dog meat has been prospering in Moscow lately. A journalistic investigation conducted by one of Russian TV channels revealed a whole chain of restaurants serving dog meat in the south-west of Moscow. 

The attitude of the Russian Orthodox Church to four-legged creatures is terrible too. On October 27, 2007, a priest of Russia’s iconic Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius ordered to pack over 30 cats in sacks and take them to a landfill where they were bulldozed.  During the festival of balloons held in Moscow’s Tushino in 2008, several lambs were publicly slaughtered for meat. The festival was conducted with the blessing of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. In 2007, a priest of the Temple of St. Matrona in Moscow’s center ordered a security guard to beat a puppy who ran onto the territory of the church.

The guard broke the puppy’s spine.

Atrocious attitude to animals prospers in Ukraine too. Ukrainian animal rights activists won the support of UEFA after their numerous attempts to reach the national authorities had been left without attention. In Ukraine, homeless animals are destroyed barbarically. Dog catchers use special syringe guns to kill homeless pets. The poison that they used is called ditiline – a drug that paralyzes respiratory muscles.
“Animals stay conscience during the process. Ditiline literally breaks their lungs into pieces during several hours, and dogs die in unimaginable pains. Animals are being destroyed in public while other people including children are watching,” an activist said. “It is possible to solve the problem with homeless animals, but it will take time. Destroying animals is not a way out, because other homeless dogs and cats breed very fast. To reduce their growing number, one should eliminate their sources of food – garbage containers in the streets that do not get emptied as often as they should. If animals have no food sources, their number will be cut considerably in a natural way.

In Ukraine’s Lisichansk, local authorities purchased a mobile crematorium for 198,000 hryvnas. It looks like a field kitchen with a chimney. The crematorium is operated by a driver, an operator and a catcher “armed” with a syringe gun. They paralyze animals and throw them into the container. As soon as they collect 40 kilos, they burn the paralyzed dogs and catswhile they are still alive. 

Last year, the Ukrainian president, the prime minister and the opposition leader received dozens of letters from foreign animal rights activities, who urged them to immediately stop the uncontrollable and brutal extermination of homeless animals. Activists from other countries sent many similar messages to UEFA headquarters because Ukraine is hosting Euro 2012 football championship.  Europe is ready to boycott Euro 2012 in Ukraine. Activists, with famous people among them, are ready to organize meetings of protest near Ukrainian embassies in EU countries if nothing changes for the better.  Director of Euro 2012, Martin Cullen, told Ukrainian officials that he condemned barbaric methods of solving the problem with homeless pets. The official stated that the government of Ukraine should take the problem under control because the brutal methods used against the animals contradict to European norms.

Anna Orlova

Ukraine: Updates – Corrupt Authorities Pocketing All the Cash At Stray Animals Expense – Familiar To You ? ! ? – It Is To Us.

Corrupt authorities, animals killed ‘humanely’, officials pocketing vast sums of money as a result – where have we seen and heard all of this before ? – Clue: It is not the Ukraine but another part of Europe;

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European animal welfare advocates planning to seek closure of Kyiv Zoo

11:45

Kyiv, November 12 (Interfax-Ukraine) – European animal welfare advocates are planning soon to ask the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) to push for the closure of Kyiv Zoo.

“I will propose that the EAZA leadership call for the closure of Kyiv Zoo… We [the European animal welfare advocates] consider this zoo as a prison for innocent animals, and we believe that it is better to close it. Such conditions do not meet European standards,” President of the Naturewatch Foundation John Ruane said at a press conference at Interfax-Ukraine on Thursday.

He drew attention to the fact that the authorities of the Ukrainian capital had not given practical consideration to the issues of keeping zoo animals and that they were not planning to resolve the problem of stray animals in a humane manner.

“Yesterday [on November 10] we met with Mr. Holubchenko [Deputy Head of Kyiv City State Administration Anatoliy Holubchenko] and management representatives dealing with the issues of stray animals. We drew attention to the fact that the authorities either did not understand anything about or did not want to resolve the problem,” Ruane said.

He also said that late on November 10 he had received videotapes from various regions in Ukraine, mainly from the east, documenting cases of the poisoning of stray animals and pets.

“Upon returning to England, we will create a Web site that will show this awful video,” Ruane said.

He also noted that cases in the country linked to the illegal killing of animals, in particular, through poisoning with an unidentified poison, should be considered “at the highest level.”

The president of the Tierhilfwerk animal protection association, Christian Janatsch, in turn, expressed regret that there had been few achievements over the 14 years of their work in the fight for animal rights in Ukraine.

“We only ensured the closure of a knackery in Pyrohove (Kyiv region) and the appearance there of a shelter for homeless animals under [former Kyiv] Mayor Oleksandr Omelchenko,” he said, adding that the Kyiv authorities then only “made promises, but the result is zero.”

President of the Kyiv Society for the Protection of Animals “SOS” Tamara Tarnawska predicted that the situation with the ruthless destruction of stray animals would only worsen ahead of the Euro 2012 European Football Championship.

During the press conference, journalists were shown a several scenes from the video showing dogs killed by an unidentified poison.

http://www.naturewatch.org/Foundation/Ukraine/News/2009/2009Nov-UEFAeuro2012Championships.asp

Ukraine

November 2009 – Corrupt council bosses in Lugansk are using the forthcoming UEFA Euro 2012 Championships to kill stray animals.

Corrupt council bosses in Lugansk are using the forthcoming 14th European Football Championship (UEFA Euro 2012) to kill stray animals.     Here’s how it works:

Lugansk has an airport where football fans from Europe will arrive. The fans will then be transported by bus to Donetsk stadium where the matches will be played.

Corrupt municipality bosses are using this event, and the expected high number of visitors, to suggest that all stray animals must be killed for safety purposes.  They believe this will also enhance the image of the city making it nice and clean and safe.

But to do this they need an allocation of money from the city. The corrupt officials then state a hugely inflated figure of strays and say they need 100h (approx 10 Euro’s) to kill each dog. Of course they say that this will be done humanely.

Then having received all the money from the city budget, they get together unemployed workers and send them out to kill strays by poison – maybe the cost is a few Euro cents per dog (after all how much does it cost to get some cheap poison and dig a hole to bury the animals – when the hole is full they just dig another one).

For every dog they kill they say they have killed ten or twenty or more. For every 100,000 Euro of budget, it is estimated that perhaps 1000 euros are spent and that leaves 99,000 Euros which is stolen and shared amongst the officials.

This kind of scam is operated in many regions of Ukraine with KYIV CITY MUNICIPALITY being the most corrupt.  This has gone on for years and IS A BIG MONEY MAKER FOR MUNICIPALITY OFFICIALS. The corruption is AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL.

Naturewatch urges all football fans and all teams in Europe to write to the UEFA President urging that he takes action to stop this barbaric cruelty in Lugansk.

Write to:

Michel Platini
President
The Union of European Football Associations
Chemin de la route-46
CH-1260 Nyon
Switzerland

June 2010 – Euro 2012 director calling on Ukraine’s leadership to find humane solution to stray animals problem. More… (external link to Kyiv Post)

http://www.kyivpost.com/news/nation/detail/69129/

UEFA Director for Euro 2012 Martin Kallen has asked Ukraine’s Vice Prime Minister Borys Kolesnikov to settle the situation with stray animals in the country.

Euro 2012 director calling on Ukraine’s leadership to find humane solution to stray animals problem

Jun 9 at 17:58 | Interfax-Ukraine

UEFA Director for Euro 2012 Martin Kallen has asked Ukraine’s Vice Prime Minister Borys Kolesnikov to settle the situation with stray animals in the country without resorting to killing them, president of the “SOS” International Society for the Protection of Animals Tamara Tarnawska said at a press conference in Interfax-Ukraine on Wednesday, June 9.

“On June 1, I met with Mr. Kallen at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon (Switzerland). In response to my letter dated June 1, he on the same day wrote a letter to [Ukraine’s] Deputy Prime Minister Borys Kolesnikov. We talked about the problem of cruel, barbaric and medieval killing of stray animals in Ukraine, and the use of mobile crematoria in Lysychansk, Mariupol and other cities. We paid a lot of attention to the situation with Kyiv Zoo.”

In his appeal to the vice prime minister, Kallen noted that UEFA does not support cruel methods of killing stray animals and has never encouraged the Ukrainian authorities to use such methods.

Tarnawska also said that the UEFA Director for Euro 2012 is receiving letters daily from around the world about the treatment of stray animals in Ukraine. This jeopardizes the reputation of UEFA, and harms confidence in the organization, she said.

The president of the SOS society stressed that in his letter, Kallen had asked Kolesnikov to meet with Tarnawska to work out a position concerning the further action. “A week has passed, but I haven’t yet received an invitation from the deputy prime minister,” she said.

In addition, according to Tarnawska, there is a threat that foreign fans might boycott Euro 2012 in Ukraine: “We have opened three Web sites – two in France and one in Switzerland, which have started calling for a boycott the Euro 2012 in Ukraine. The sites are planning to post the appeals to travel agencies, football players, officials, politicians and, certainly, UEFA to boycott the event in Ukraine.”

“These Web sites will do their negative work, I am sure,” the animal rights activist said.

Read more: http://www.kyivpost.com/news/nation/detail/69129/#ixzz15599IdqA

Serbia: Campaigners Request for Proof Relating to Unlawful Acts of Animal Killing by the Republic Veterinary Inspection.

Below you will see Serbian campaigners request for proof relating to unlawful acts by the Republic veterinary inspection. This is because they never demanded an anti-rabies vaccination programme for wild animals. Instead they appear to have supported and tolerated the mass unlawful killing of dogs and cats; in addition, using money from city budgets, the Republic veterinary inspection undertook the implementation of animal killings, of mass animal killings, by undertaking practices which are not compliant with the Serbian veterinarian law relating to animal welfare.

Campaigners want to show that the public attorney of Zajecar has ignored the evidence presented by the campaigners and has made no effort to collect any other proof associated with this. By using the law relating to the freedom of public information, campaigners are now collecting proof of the unlawful acts of the public attorney.

The following information / documentation is in Serbian, but it is hoped that by publishing this, the information and the requests will be made public for the citizens of Serbia to read and further, to understand the illegal acts which are going on.

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Osnovno javno tuzilastvo ,Zajecar

MUP RS -molimo prosledite kao forward  OJT Zajecar, na sluzbenu e-mail adresu

7.11.2010.

Predmet : Zahtev

ovlascenom licu  u skladu sa Zakonom o slobodnom pristupu informacijama od javnog znacaja, da u zakonskom roku, na adresu u potpisu, dostavi traziocima  kopiju kompletne dokumentacije koja se nalazi u predmetu  formiranom po nasoj prijavi i dopuni prijave – videti dole .

Hvala

S postovanjem

Prijatelj-EPAR/OIPA Srbija/Alijansa za zastitu prirode,prava zivotinja i prava ljudi

24000 Subotica, Matka Vukovica,9

**—– Original Message —–**

From: EPAR

To: opstinskoutu123@nadlanu.com ; muprs@mup.gov.rs ; Regionalna kancelarija ; Min.polj. Kabinet ministra ; Uprava za veterinu ; Opstina Zajecar

Sent: Monday, November 01, 2010 12:53 AM

Subject: Urgencija 31.10.2010. na Dopuna 25.3.2010. /Urgencija na : Prijavu17.3.2010. , Zajecar

MUP RS – molimo vas  da prosledite

PU Zajecar i Osnovnom javnom tuzilastvu Zajecar  , kako bi isti postupali  po zakonima i prestali krsiti ljudska prava  svojim  nepostupanjem po zakonima Srbije

Rep veterinarska inspekcija,Zajecar

Gradska uprava, Zajecar

Urgencija  31.10. 2010.  – 

Postovani

sa zaljenjem  moramo reci da vi  niste postupili po prijavi  od 17.3.2010.  , i u kosuljici predmeta kod OJT Zajecar   sumnjamo da imate   dokaze osim onih koje smo mi dostavili  – a ni po njima niste postupali , jer da jeste , ne bi se desavala  ponovo ista kriminalna dela  koja smo prijavili  17.3.2010.  ,ponovo  30.10.2010.  na  isti   brutalan nacin , isti pocionioci  ,   i  ova ponavljanja  krivicnog dela  su posledica nepostupanja   Osnovnog  javnog tuzilastva  u Zajecaru , policije PU Zajecar  i inspekcijskih sluzbi  imaju za posledicu   krsenja ljudskih prava  tim nepostupanjem  po sluzbenim duznostima i po zakonima Rep Srbije.

Vi : Osnovno javno tuzilastvo, Zajecar  , PU Zajecar  , i inspekcijske sluzbe – kako rep veterinarska, tako lokalna komunalna :   krsite ljudska prava  u Srbiji  svojim nepostupanjem i ignorisanjem krivicnih dela prema zivotinjama  i  tolerisanjem zloupotrebe  novca poreskih obveznika kojim  se ta  kriminalna dela  finansiraju.

Molimo vas da prestanete krsiti  nasa ljudska prava ignorisanjem zakona  i Ustava Republike Srbije i da pocnete postupati u skladu s vazecim zakonima i Ustavom Republike Srbije.

Ukoliko  to ne ucinite , mi cemo  biti primorani  da  se obratimo  Odeljenju za ljudska prava  Ujedinjenih Nacija .

S postovanjem

Prijatelj-EPAR/OIPA Srbija/Alijansa za zastitu prirode, prava zivotinja i prava ljudi

24000 Subotica,Matka Vukovica 9

**—– Original Message —–**

From: EPAR

To: muprs@mup.gov.rs ; opstinskoutu123@nadlanu.com

Cc: JKPO@Kraljevica ; kabinet@mfin.gov.rs ; mpue3@nadlanu.com ; office@minpolj.gov.rs

Sent: Thursday, March 18, 2010 2:15 PM

Subject: Urgencija na : Prijava17.3.2010. , Zajecar

Urgencija i Dopuna  

Takodje  u interesu svih gradjana Srbije ,molimo da  zatrazite  dokument kojim je besnilo  u Zaječaru prijavljeno OIE , bez obzira čija je nadležnost  da  to učini , jer je prijavljivanje zaraznih bolesti životinja  OIE obavezno .

Takodje je  u interesu svih gradjana Srbije , značajno da zatražite dokumentaciju o sprovedenoj  medicinskoj proceduri prema onim licima  koja su  našli lisicu  i bili u kontaktu za  besnilom zaraženom lisicom i mestom na kojem su  našli rezervoar virusa rabiesa.

Takodje  naglašavamo da je  počinjeno nedozvoljeno ubistvo 127 pasa  po ceni od 132.450 dinara ,mada  su  od 5.3.2010. bili  posmatrani , pred očima  tih istih veterinara , bez  simptoma  besnila – jer  njihovi leševi  ,ni jedan, nisu  nakon ubijanja podvrgnuti  laboratorijskoj analizi na  prisustvo virusa rabiesa, što bi bilo  neophodno i obavezno učiniti , ako je rabies razlog njihovog lišavanja života.Umesto toga  svi leševi su zakopani na  gradskoj deponiji ,koja nije legalno mesto za zakopavanje leševa ubijenih zbog sumnje na rabies , niti ikakvih leševa životinja , jer za to mora postojati legalno mesto-stočno groblje, kako bi leševi bili  neškodljivo uklonjeni.Na ovaj način leševi su dostupni drugim životinjama da ih iskopavaju i razvlače , te šire rabies zbog kojeg su ovi psi poubijani navodno, što ustvari poništava  postojanje indikacije za lišavanje života i  dokazuje da su počinitelji ubistava imali saznanje o njenom nepostojanju , jer u slučaju   osnovane sumnje na kontakt s  rezervoarom rabiesa  ovakav način odlaganja leševa predstavlja opasnost od širenja rabiesa i opasan je  kako za životinje tako i za ljude.

Prijatelj-EPAR/OIPA Srbija/Alijansa za prava životinja

24000 Subotica, Matka Vukovića,9

**—– Original Message —–**

From: EPAR

To: opstinskoutu123@nadlanu.com ; muprs@mup.gov.rs

Cc: mpue3@nadlanu.com ; kabinet@mfin.gov.rs ; JKPO@Kraljevica

Sent: Wednesday, March 17, 2010 1:23 AM

Subject: Prijava17.3.2010. , Zajecar

Osnovno javno tužilaštvo, Zaječar

MUP RS- molimo prosledite PU Zaječar na postupanje, kao i Osnovnom javnom tužilaštvu u Zaječaru ( u slučaju da je adresa koju smo dobili od rep.javnog tužilaštva promenjena )

17.3.2010.

PredmetPrijava

Prijavljujemo  da  šinterska služba ( ovaj termin koristi područno- nadležna rep.veter.inspekcija )  Javnog komunalnog preduzeća “Kraljevica”, Zaječar , radeći  “na crno” , ilegalno ,  po ništavnom ugovoru  izmedju JKP”Kraljevica ” i Opštinske uprave, Zaječar  , ilegalno obavlja poslove koje nije dobila putem javnog tendera ,  i za koje ima zabranu rada Rešenjem republičke veterinarske inspekcije , nego ilegalnim načinom , kršenjem Zakona o javnim nabavkama, Zakona o lokalnoj samoupravi ,Zakona  o komunalnim delatnostima – nedozvoljenom opštinskom odlukom- videti Odluku Ustavnog suda  objavljenu u  Sl.gl.RS br.9/2010 o zakonitom načinu –  ,radi sticanja materijalne dobiti ( videti  bankovni listing o transferu novca s žiro računa opštine na žiro račun  jkp”Kraljevica”  u poslednjih 5 godina za  poslove hvatanja i uništavanja pasa i mačaka lutalica ) , pored privrednog prestupa , čini krivično delo  zlostavljanja  i ubijanja velikog broja životinja ,koje  drži u nezakonitim  uslovima  i bez mogućnosti zadovoljenja elementarnih fizioloških potreba  ovih životinja, uz kršenje Zakona o veterinarstvu i Zakona o dobrobiti životinja.

Takodje  prijavljujemo da područno nadležna republička veterinarska inspekcija nije –  a bila je dužna to činiti-  vršila nadzor postupanja  lovačkog udruženja gradjana , koje je pak  bilo dužno postupati , u skladu s članom 55. Zakona o veterinarstvu  , a koje nije tako postupalo, što je  područno nadležna rep veterinarska inspekcija nedozvoljeno  tolerisala , izlažući gradjane Zaječara , cele Srbije i šire , opasnosti od rabiesa .

Zahtevamo pokretanje istražnog postupka  zbog :

1.  dugogodišnjeg krivičnog dela zlostavljanja i ubijanja  velikog broja  životinja ( pasa , mačaka, lisica ) do kojeg je dovelo nepostupanje rep.veterinarske inspekcije , koje je upravo u toku .

Nepostupanje područno-nadležne republičke veterinarske inspekcije dovodi do pojave rabiesa  u  područjima nepostupanja te inspekcije.

2.  dugogodišnjeg privrednog prestupa  usled  nezakonitog trošenja novca iz opštinskog budžeta   finansiranjem  poslova po osnovi ništavih ugovora , sklapanih  bez javnog tendera- koje je upravo u toku  i ubijanjem  zivotinja koje je u Srbiji zabranjeno , nesprovodjenjem nihovog zbrinjavanja  niti kontrole i kaznjavanja neodgovornih vlasnika –  nepostupanjem komunalne inspekcije ,usled cega i dalje postoje   napusteni psi koji predstavljaju  namerno odrzavanu tezgu  za  nekontrolisanu zaradu .

S poštovanjem

Društvo prijatelja životinja “Prijatelj”-  EPAR/OIPA Srbija/Alijansa za prava životinja

24000 Subotica, Matka Vukovića,9

epar@yunord.net

 

 

Japan: Latest Dolphin News From Ric O’Barry

Dear Mark,

Our Save Japan Dolphins team and I raced back to Japan this past week when it was announced that the Mayor of Taiji was finally willing to engage in a productive dialogue with us about dolphin killing.

We hoped it represented a new beginning, but the Mayor and the radical nationalist group organizing the meeting had other plans.

They only let in media sympathetic to town officials and banned major news outlets like the AP, Fuji TV and Tokyo TV.  Reporters had to submit questions ahead of time and we were not allowed to videotape the proceedings. Questions were censored.

After all our hard work of the past years to get the truth out, I just couldn’t allow this to stand. 

I announced that I would not participate in this sham and invited media to join me on the beach of the Cove to have a free dialogue open to all questions and all press.  Chaos ensued and outraged officials began screaming at us.  But more than half of the media in attendance came with me.  It was almost a media riot as reporters followed me out to the Cove.

Once there I was able to:unroll the banner representing signatures of 2 million people around the world who oppose the killing and capture of dolphins.point out that Japan’s own government institute reports that the mortality rate for Taiji and nearby Koazagawa, where dolphin meat is also consumed, is over 50% higher than the rate for similarly-sized villages throughout Japan; and outline why the largest killing of dolphins in the world, and the sale of live dolphins to theme parks must come to an end.

Angry that their sham news conference had been exposed, the conference “organizer” actually followed me in a nationalist truck blaring death threats over his megaphone.

It was a hectic and dangerous day, but it was crucial that we were there to stand up for dolphins.

 We had to have a police escort to the train station for our trip to Tokyo.  Yet I continue to believe there is a bright future for Taiji without the killing of dolphins, and that the people of Japan must be made aware of the truth..

Thank you for standing by the dolphins and us.

Please donate HERE to help support our work for dolphin protection »

Best,

Ric O’Barry

PS for more info on the campaign and to sign up for our blog click HERE.

Germany: Government Attempt Action Against Protestors Regarding Nuclear Waste Carrying – the Castor Transport.

Dear all,

after “Stuttgart21” and the violence levelled against protesters by German police the sad saga continues with the current protests against the German government’s lobby-friendly nuclear policy (against public opinion and express rejection of this policy by the vast majority of German citizens). The current main target of the protests is the movement of the Castor transporter through the country carrying nuclear waste to the Gorleben interim storage facility.

The citizens of Gorleben and vicinity have protested for many years against the stowing away of this highly dangerous waste in the local salt mine, to no avail. The German government has only recently struck a deal with the nuclear lobby behind closed doors that allows them extended running times for the reactors of up to 15 years. The previous government had before decided to shut down all reactors by 2012.

I live close to the Neckarwestheim Nuclear plant (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neckarwestheim_Nuclear_Power_Plant) with two reactors. I live in the so-called “red zone”.

If that thing blows I’ll be among the first to know it. A recent study of its safety features has found that the shut-down procedure is so complex that should the reactors overheat and need flooding with river water there is not nearly enough time to prevent a meltdown.

Not that Berlin and chancellor Merkel would care. Nor do they care about the people of Gorleben, or the wishes of the population in general. Berlin ignores – and endangers – all of us in a manner that can only be called brazen.
The serve the interests of the industries these days, and protests are struck down with a brutality that echo a regime in this country that we thought we’d seen the last of 70 years ago.

Increasingly the government percieves the citizen as a threat/a criminal/a terrorist (as Mrs. Merkel called the Castor protesters last night, “criminal offenders” who would “be dealt with accordingly”)  , a hindrance to its interests and goals, someone who can be beaten up and cowed at will.

Some images of today’s protests here:

http://www.stern.de/politik/deutschland/castor-liveticker-zug-auf-der-zielgeraden-1621441-photoshow-80f8c6fcb5e70f92.html

http://www.n-tv.de/img/18/1877346/O_1000_680_680_2ub03408.jpg7668463691528848482.jpg

http://www.n-tv.de/mediathek/bilderserien/politik/Brutale-Krawalle-bei-Castor-Transport-article1877721.html

VIDEO (please watch and forward)

http://www.n-tv.de/mediathek/videos/politik/Castor-wird-immer-wieder-blockiert-article1877331.html

Police, once again, act as henchmen to ensure the governments’ policies are seen through – increasingly against the interest of the populace.

Berlin wants, if at all, peaceful protests: people standing quietly by the roadside holding placards; people naively signing petitions; people sitting on their settees at home foulmouthing the TV set.

Yes, I bet they do. They feel threatened by a German citizen actually standing up and confronting them.

D.

See our recent link about the ‘Stuttgart 21’ environmental protests by clicking on:

https://serbiananimalsvoice.wordpress.com/2010/10/01/germany-huge-demonstrations-as-stuttgart-21-tree-felling-begins-trees-of-over-300-years-destroyed-for-new-station-plans/