Many people think of the small Southeast Asian country of Laos as paradise on Earth, but for many of our four-legged friends it is truly nothing but hell.
In a recent report Laos was singled out as one of the worst countries participating in the wildlife farming industry. Where small ramshackle cages filled with tigers and other endangered animals await their fate. Usually that means they will end up on a tourist plate.
You’ll be shocked and appalled to learn about secret monkey shipments on Air France passenger flights that we’ve discovered.
The monkeys were flown 5,979 miles from Mauritius to Paris, where they were held for a further nine hours, before being flown 4,138 miles to Chicago. Their ordeal lasted over 37 hours.
Tragically, the monkeys were destined for Charles River Laboratories, a company that profits from carrying out cruel poisoning tests on animals.
While holidaymakers were enjoying their flight in comfort, they would’ve been totally unaware of the suffering just below their feet. 120 monkeys, torn from their families and imprisoned in small wooden crates, were suffering in the dark and noisy cargo hold.
Air France are the only European passenger airline still transporting monkeys for research. This must stop!
Foie Gras is not allowed to be produced in the UK on animal cruelty grounds, but is imported as a so called ‘delicacy’ by selected stores. The aim of this petition is to demand that the UK bans the importation of all Foie Gras.
Foie gras is a ‘delicacy’ made from the diseased liver of ducks or geese who have been repeatedly force-fed. Animal Equality investigations in France and Spain have revealed the extreme suffering that millions of ducks and geese endure on foie gras farms
Please sign the petition demanding a UK import ban on foie gras.
· Oppose “climate mitigation” projects in the Gulf of Mexico that could keep mother sea turtles from nesting beaches, such as the nightmarish Ike Dike, a massive sea wall along our coast that would impact critical Kemp’s ridley turtle habitat.
· Spearhead efforts to re-establish a nesting colony for Hawaiian green sea turtles, creating a second beachhead to guard against sea level rise at their primary nesting site.
· Mobilize thousands of activists to defend national laws that reduce carbon emissions and fight against oil and gas drilling projects in our oceans.
Together over the past 25 years, we’ve stared right into the eyes of some formidable opponents to protect the sea turtles – international trade organizations, powerful governments, and vested fishing interests. And we’ve won real change.
There is a great deal of rumour and counter rumour as to what exactly the real truth is regarding the Yulin festival this year.
As you will see from the many links we have provided in the above (link), much of the press and AW organisations are under the impression that the Yulin festival will be much tighter controlled this year.
But we have been informed by Animals Asia who are based in the region that things may not be as good as publicised. Please read the following statement from them. We are desperately attempting to getmore info, but it is difficult regarding the location and authorities involved. We do place a lot of belief in what AA are saying, although we desperately hope that this is incorrect
If we do get any further updates then we will be publishing on this site – SAV.
From Animals Asia –
Rumours that dog meat sales would be banned in the run up to this year’s Yulin dog meat festival have been denied by the city authorities.
Last month, rumours began circulating that this year’s Yulin dog meat festival would not be allowed to take place due to a government ban on the sale of dog meat in the week leading up to the summer solstice.
However, on the day the ban was rumoured to begin, the Beijing News reported that the Yulin city authorities had denied the existence of any dog meat ban.
Speaking to the paper, staff from the Yulin Publicity Department of the Municipal Committee claimed the event is not authorised by the government and therefore they have no right to call it off.
They also confirmed that the city authorities did not publish any policy on a dog meat ban and did not know where the rumours had originated.
The people of Yulin eat lychees and dog meat to celebrate the summer solstice. The celebration was briefly formalised by the authorities as the Yulin Lychee and Dog Meat Festival in order to boost the local economy, but due to both internal and international condemnation, the government distanced themselves from the event in 2014.
Since losing official backing, the event has continued as an informal activity.
This year, rumours claimed the ban would begin on 15 June and continue until either 21 or 22 of the same month. In 2017, the summer solstice falls on 21 June.
Animals Asia has spoken to sources in Yulin who have reported that dog meat traders in the city’s Dongkou market were publicly selling dog meat on 15 June, as they do every day.
Animals Asia’s Cat and Dog Welfare Director Irene Feng said:
“It seems likely there will not be an overt ban on dog meat sales in the city of Yulin during this year’s summer solstice. However, we do believe that the government has had enough and wants to end the global association of Yulin city with the minority practice of eating dog meat.
“The will may be there – but as long as dog meat eating is legal in China it is difficult for any one locality to issue its own ban.
“It’s possible that this year the Yulin government did indeed try to implement a soft ban and issued it verbally, but due to the leak their intentions to be discrete were made more difficult.
“In any event, what the situation crystalises is that the international attention given to Yulin for one week of the year is becoming a distraction from the much larger issue of the dog meat trade’s activities every single day of the year across the country. That is the real issue and it requires a consistent and holistic approach – it can’t be solved in a week.”
Reports of the number of dogs slaughtered during the summer solstice in Yulin vary wildly and should be treated with caution but most observers put the number between 1,000 and 10,000.
In contrast, the dog meat trade is estimated to be responsible for the deaths of 10 million canines a year across the entire country.
A long-term Animals Asia investigation into the dog and cat meat trade in China found widespread illegality and public health concerns. The investigation, released in 2015, found no evidence of any large-scale farms, fuelling long-standing accusations that most meat dogs are stolen pets and strays.
Many of these animals are poisoned during capture or have no proof of origin and vaccination histories as required by law – raising serious health concerns.
With so many pets being stolen and inadequate police action taken, vigilante violence has become common with both dog thieves and owners being killed in brutal confrontations across the country.
Animals Asia, via Ya Dong – a consultancy wholly owned and advised by the Hong Kong-based NGO – deploys a holistic approach to ending the cat and dog meat trade which runs year-round.
Posted on June 16, 2017 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
Hi all;
Despite being an Englishman in the UK, I have a massive love and devotion towards the protection of wildlife within the USA.
I have over the years had many great times in the United States; and am especially fond of the South West – Arizona, California, New Mexico, Colorado; Nevada and Utah to name some of my favorite states; much of it still wild and natural as it should be.
I love anything Wolf, Coyote, Dog, and avidly follow the wonderful works of all the leading US campaign organisations who devote their time and efforts into protecting the wildlife of the United States.
So, despite this site being primarily aimed at helping animals in the European Balkans, I do try and give a little time to the odd post regarding US animal projects which especially aim to protect the wonderful wildlife that you have; very much should always keep for the future and without doubt, should give full respect to- were they not there first ? !
I have just signed up as a pack member of ‘Project Coyote’ which is based in California. As their logo says, an organisation fostering Co Existence – Project Coyote works to change negative attitudes toward coyotes, wolves and other native carnivores by replacing ignorance and fear with understanding, respect and appreciation. All of our work — through education, science, and advocacy — strives to create fundamental and systemic changes in the ways wild carnivores are viewed and treated in North America.
Please visit their site – many links given below to learn so much more about this wonderful animal – still wrongly persecuted so much. You can learn so much more; donate to help campaigning for this much understood animals, and sign up to take part in actions and campaigns organised by the project.
Please do and give what you can to help this organisation. Only today on the BBC I see that we are now down to the last five (5) white rhinos in the world – they having been persecuted and killed for decades by poachers and hunters out for something to disgustingly hang on the wall, or to make some pathetic ivory carving from the horn. These creatures will be extinct within a few years – this must not happen to the wildlife of the United States.
Please view the following links and give your utter support to Project Coyote.
‘Springwatch’ has been on UK television every night for the last few weeks. It is broadcast live and is intended to get viewers to get closer to British wildlife. The presenters are very good and very knowledgeable about all wildlife subjects.
There are several live cams – access to live cameras installed adjacent to bird nests etc. We are giving the links here and hope that non UK visitors can access them ok. There is some great wildlife footage – so click and enjoy.
If the news is true, which we believe IS TRUE judging all the current press, then this will stop the slaughter of thousands of dogs and cats at the festival which is due to commence on 21/6/17.
We are so pleased that at long last, China now seems to be really getting it together for the better welfare of animals. Is this action going to lead the way for a more major ban of the dog meat trade ? – what next – we desperately hope that bear bile farming is next in line for the ban. China – moving forward with animals – President Trump’s actions for animals ? – we say no more !
SAV.
We are getting early reports in that the consumption of dog and cat meat at this years Yulin festival, which takes place around June 21st on, has been BANNED
At this moment, information is still mixed, but there is a lot of positive media and publicity which says that a ban could be in place.
What we are told – The ban has been initiated by Mr. Mo Gong Ming, Yulin’s new Party Secretary, and will come into effect on June 15, one week prior to the festival that begins on June 21.
Several animal rights activist groups are saying that vendors and restaurants have been told no dog meat will be allowed to be sold during this year’s festival nor in the days running up to it.
California-based campaign group DuoDuo said they had heard this from “several reliable sources in Yulin”, calling it “a crucial domino on the road to topple the dog meat industry”.
The Humane Society International said that “if this news is true as we hope, it is a really big nail in the coffin for a gruesome event that has come to symbolise China’s crime-fuelled dog meat trade”.
And read a lot more from international press about the issue – there appears to be a lot of press and media now announcing that a ban is to be imposed at the festival.
Posted on June 12, 2017 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
This is typical of the problems so many animal welfare organisations in Serbia have with authorities. They try to do everything correctly and every time the authorities and government just want to threaten them and take further actions, with the constant threat of closing them down and turning animals back onto the streets; or simply taking them and killing them all.
We are being informed of ongoing updates to this situation. At present we are not becoming directly involved as many supporting groups from Austria, Germany, France, Slovenia and Switzerland are already involved. We will add out voice if necessary.
I am writing you in the hope that you can help us to realize our rights and protect the rights of those who cannot do it for themselves. We have, since 2013, been running a ”Lassie dog shelter” project, designed as a temporary shelter for the most vulnerable dogs without a home, with no intention at all to work in the field of veterinary and utility services of zoo hygiene or anything similar to that, providing emergency accommodation for dogs instead. In addition to that, we have worked on educating the population and spayed/neutered a large number of privately-owned dogs and cats.
During these four years we have been trying to resolve the administrative part of the whole story, we have finally reached the end, the most disputable moment was that of legalization of facilities, we have submitted complete documentation, paid due fees per square meter of facilities, etc. … In any case, the local government REFUSES to issue us a decision on legalization. As to his political opponent, the president of the municipality has, in public, before witnesses, told me that as long as he was in office, I would not get that decision. It is, directly, an obstruction for me in the process of registering the dog shelter with the Ministry of Agriculture, and he knows it.
On the other hand, he keeps sending a municipal inspector who sends us to a magistrate and that goes on in circles. In this way, the local government hinders us from registering the dog shelter although it meets all the legal requirements and we have paid all the fees.
I am sending you this link so that you know what it is that we do.
Austria, Germany, France, Slovenia and Switzerland have participated in this project, we are the only ones in the Balkans who do this.
The Croats and the Macedonians have similar projects, working with cats, and we are the only ones who work with dogs.
Of course, as it often goes in the province, all the local self-government does about the problem of abandoned animals is either done the way it used to be done back in 1946, or contrary to the Constitution, the law and common sense.
The local government has an unlawful contract with “Avenija MB“, a firm from Vrnjacka Banja which is 700 km away from Bač, to provide veterinary and utility services of zoo hygiene. A large number of animals and a lot of money dissapear. My concern is that I would like our project to succeed, so that three or four years of joint efforts of a number of dog protection associations from several European countries do not, just like that, remain burried under a bunch of bureaucratic negligence and forgotten.
Thank you in advance for any advice or contact details of institutions or persons that could help us. Thank you for your time.
Serbian Animals Voice (SAV) 