Shoutout for my hero, Mayor Park Wan-soon. He’s a veteran activist for social justice and animal welfare. He’s even been arrested for his activism. Like Nelson Mandela, Park Wan-soon went from a jail cell to the mayors residence.
Shorty after taking office he banned the cruel horse drawn carriage trade. He installed outdoor heating elements for the homeless in Seoul.
This is my kind of guy!
It was the mayors decision to confiscate, rehabilitate and release the illegally captured dolphins back into the wild. In a meeting in his chambers a few years ago, he told me and the attending media that “The Cove” movie greatly influenced his decision to free the dolphins. He even paid for the entire project. What a guy!
Anyhow, here’s the latest good news from our friends in South Korea:
“Two more dolphins going back to the ocean after 20 years at Seoul Grand Park
Once raised at Seoul Grand Park, two Indo-Pacific Bottlenose dolphins will soon return to their motherland; Jeju coastal waters.
After 20 years of living in the aquarium at Seoul Grand Park, the two male Indo-Pacific Bottlenose dolphins “Geumdeung” and “Daepo” will be sent back to Jeju seas around July. The announcement was made Friday by the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, the Seoul Metropolitan Government, and Korea Marine Environment Management Corporation.
The dolphins were captured by a fishery net near Jeju Island in 1997 and 1998, respectively. They were named after the villages (Geumdeung-ri, Daepo-ri) where they were first found. Drifting through various dolphin performance theaters around Jeju Island, they were finally transported to Seoul Grand Park in 1999 and 2002.
The recent decision came as a solution to procreate higher number of their species, which can only be found near the Jeju shores in Korea. At the current time, approximately 100 Indo-Pacific Bottlenose dolphins reside there. Estimated to be aged around 23 to 26 years old, Geumdeung and Daepo are still diagnosed as healthy enough to procreate. An average Indo-Pacific Bottlenose dolphin lives up to 30 to 35 years old.
This is not the first time to return dolphins back to their homes. For the first time in Asia, the dolphin “Jedol” was released in 2013. The ministry plans to carefully carry out training sessions for the two mammals to adapt seamlessly to wildlife, as they were raised for nearly two decades. Once they become used to their local surroundings and catch preys, the two dolphins will be transported back to the southern island in May and return to the ocean around July.”
Posted on April 24, 2017 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
Jill Robinson: to the Moon and Back DVD
Availability: In stock
Only 300 left
£9.99
Quick Overview
Now you can watch the extraordinary story of our founder Jill Robinson who took on the bear bile industry and created massive social and political change in China and Vietnam. ‘Jill Robinson: to the Moon and Back’ is proof that one person can change the world.
Narrated by actor Peter Egan, this is Jill’s journey told from her own perspective. Our thanks to filmmaker Andrew Telling and Orange Planet Pictures for this deeply moving film. 30% of sales go to Animals Asia. Available in English only. Running time: 53 minutes.
A little more about Jill – the girl from England who visited a bile farm; saw the suffering bears, and decided to start doing something about their suffering. Founding Animals Asia – they have now rescued hundreds of animals and are gradually closing the bile farms down.
I had the great pleasure of corresponding with Jill just about a year ago when I asked her if it would be possible to establish an AA facility in Serbia relating to stray dog education and also a direct link with the EU Enlargement Commission. AA also does work in relation to stray dogs as well as bile bears. We threw some ideas around, but unfortunately decided against it, mainly because a lot of the (AA) funding is desperately needed primarily for campaigns in the far East such as stray animal management, running ex bile bear shelters and doing rescue missions. The other overriding fact was that despite our and many other groups attempts over many years, the brain dead Serbian government cannot get a grip on the fact that a national sterilisation programme of strays works for the very good over a period of time; gradually reducing stray animal numbers.
They cannot (or most probably do not want to) grasp this approach; thinking instead that continual round up and continual killing of strays is the only answer to what they call ‘a problem’. We call it ‘corruption’ as it is a continual way of making money from the government (aka the EU) by continually allowing in sterilised strays to breed; then rounding them up as problem strays and finally killing them, whilst at the same time declaring to the public that they are providing a ‘service’ to them by keeping down stray numbers. Sterilisation is the only real way to reduce numbers !
If the money (in some cases 500 Euros per dog caught and killed – when the average monthly wage for a person is 300 Euros) was put into a national stray sterilisation plan; then stray numbers would automatically decrease over time, thus eliminating the need for shinters and money being paid out for each round up and killing. But to some in certain areas of Serbian government and regional authority, the current process is a continual way of making a fast buck (as we give figure for above) and possibly pocketing some of the big money paid out for every stray dog caught and killed. A Non sterilisation attitude such as theirs is a guaranteed way of ensuring that you always have a supply of dogs to capture and kill – and getting money from organisations such as the EU for doing it. We have given our information so many times to the EU Enlargement Commission over the years; but they are not really interested in the evidence, just the same as they are not interested in real evidence for real abuses in the live animal transport scheme for example.
So we don’t win, the animals certainly don’t win, but the authorities and people in government, sure they win with the ‘official payments made for stray animal control’.
If they read this and say we are overstepping the plate, then let them come forward and threaten to take us to court if they think we are telling untruths. We have THE EVIDENCE; know the shelter formats (ask those campaigning for the Pozega dogs) AND HAVE THE SPECIALISTS WHO WILL TESTIFY THAT THE STERILISATION OF STRAYS IS THE ONLY WAY TO REDUCE NUMBERS OVER A GIVEN TIME PERIOD. At the same time we can also inform that we and others have been ignored by the EU when it comes to a strategy for stray animal management.
We have said a lot about this and gained a lot of evidence over the last 11+ years. Never have we so far even been threatened with court action – we wonder why ? – could it be that we are correct and the government attitude to long term stray management and associated finances is wrong ?
So the situation is that Serbia does not sterilise stray animals as it prefers a money making ‘kill’ policy. Sterilisation would reduce stray numbers = less animals to catch and kill = less money into pockets for some. But also a win – win situation for stray number reduction.
Like live export evidence presented to them, the EU does not really care; it just chugs on at a pathetic rate ignoring any non compliance evidences with its own-created Regulations such as 1/2005; whist at the same time preaching to all other member states that the UK was so wrong to vote to leave the EU. I am a ‘European’ from the UK; and thus would accept to be IN the EU, but only if the EU actually enforces its own rules, which it does not. The UK will not put up with the EU shambles; so we voted to get out. Does the Le Pen situation in France on 23/4 not tell them (EU) that most people in Europe; the normal citizens; are fed up with deaf ear ‘EU jobsworths’ who really do nothing but type out Europa websites and non-enforceable EU regulations each and every day ?
We shall see, and we carry on regardless;
Regardless, I have massive respect and love for Jill Robinson and the work she has undertaken at Animals Asia – it is now a world wide organisation which is slowly but surely killing off the bear bile trade and opening the cage doors to a life of freedom and love and care for all the bears they rescue. Soon there will be no more bile farms – Jill will have succeeded in bringing her dream into the real world; and for that she deserves all of our respect and admiration. She is one very special lady.
It is because of such very special people like her, that SAV will always promote and support the work of this excellent organisation – Animals Asia and their founder, Jill.
Every year on this day I remember the liberation of the macaque baby “Britches” from the University Laboratory of California (ULC). The ALF has made this exemption. Britches, a five-week-old monkey baby, was separated from his mother shortly after his birth. The aim of the experiment was to test the effect of a device on the blind so that blind people are guided by warning signals. For this reason the eyelids of Britches had been sewn and a sonar device attached to him.
On April 20, 1985, some courageous ALF activists deactivated the alarm system of ULC, entered the lab, and freed Britches, along with other 460 laboratory animals.
The story of “Britches” is perhaps known, but less well-known is that due to this action, these cruel trials in UCR were no longer pursued. The eyes of the monkeys were also no more sewn. And ALF has written with this liberation a history in the fight against animal experiments.
After a lot of actions, demos, signatures we have made against animal experiments, I ask myself today what we have achieved against this criminal idiocy (animal experiments). Unfortunately not much.
After 40 years of fighting animal experiments, the EU has forbidden animal experiments on cosmetics by law on 11 March 2013. This was really a great success! But this is obligatory only for the EU. In China, for example, animal testing for cosmetics is mandatory. The requirements in China mean that companies who want to sell their products there, must have them tested on animals. This means that if a cosmetic company from Germany wants to have new customers in China, it has to participate the animal experiments. Although this company is animal-free in Germany.
Nevertheless, a boycott of animal experiments is possible only in the cosmetics sector.
In the drug area, on the other hand, a boycott is almost impossible. All medications, treatment methods, surgical techniques … etc. have been tested in animal experiments, and are still being tested. In most cases with no clinical benefit. Because what works with the animal, does not necessarily work for human beings. The reason is that the animal experimentation system, as known, is based on an incorrect methodological approach, that is: the diseases of humans are reduced to symptoms in experimental animals. The so-called “animal models” are produced in Labor animals. Cancer is produced in mice by injection of cancer cells or gene manipulation. These “animal models”, however, have nothing in common with human disease, and are therefore not suitable for curing human beings.
Cancer is a typical example of the chronic unsuccessfulness of animal experimentation medicine. I quote the opinion of researcher Dr. Richard Klausner, director of the American National Cancer Institute, 1998 “The history of cancer research is the history of how to cure cancer in mice. For decades, we have been curing cancer in mice, but in humans it just does not work “.
I still want to end my contribution to the day of the experimental animals with a positive message, which has sent me a friend recently.
“Maybe we need to stop thinking of animals as these little furry test tubes that can be or even should be controlled,” Joseph Garner, a behavioral scientist at the Stanford University Medical Center, and lead author of the study, told NPR.
“And maybe instead we should think of them as patients.”
Mice not ‘furry little people’: Researchers rethink animal testing as human trials fail
Mark (SAV Founder), has suffered from Multiple Sclerosis (MS) for over 17 years now. Animals do NOT suffer from MS; only humans. So, I ask, why then are we doing animal testing to find a cure for MS ? – Is this not like putting a car tyre onto a Boeing 747 and finding out if it can stand so many landings ? – it makes no sense; you test aircraft tyres on aircraft, so why try and find results for human illness by testing on animals ?
An animal trapped for fur will often chew its own leg off to escape the trap and death. Would a human chew off his own leg and survive ?
A woman who has a hysterectomy is advised not to raise her arms above her head for several weeks. When my dog was sterilised, we were out in the park playing ball within 2 days !
Animals and humans are not the same – they are very different; their body types are specific to their species. You cannot find cures to human illness by testing it (or falsely creating it as with MS) on an animal – they react differently and are certainly not duplicate models for the human species. Anyone who thinks they are is living in the past.
And yes, animals are still being used to find a cure for MS. Why does someone not investigate why the human species gets MS and animals don’t. Is it genetic ? – are there other reasons ? – that would be useful research instead of artificially creating something in an animal that the animal species does not even naturally suffer from in order to find cures for a human only disease.
And yes you have guessed it; we still MS test for MS using animals; and still we have no cure for MS in humans. I would say that all the time we test on animals we will never find a cure. Lets go outside the envelope and undertake some proper research which does not involve animal testing but which will be beneficial to human diseases.
I have an illness and want a cure – but the cure does not exist in animals which do not suffer from it in the first place !
As an MS sufferer and someone who wants a cure, I will always speak out AGAINST animal testing for human diseases. It makes no sense.
Posted on April 21, 2017 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
Mark,
I love working at SumOfUs. And it’s all because of YOU.
Thanks to you, we’ve been able to stand up to agri-giants like Bayer and Monsanto and give them a run for their money. We’re also closer than ever before to a global ban on deadly neonic pesticides.
It’s been a busy month on both sides of the Atlantic! I have two exciting updates to share with you:
We’ve made big strides to ban neonics in Canada A few weeks ago, we took your voices straight to the Canadian capital of Ottawa, where the government health agency is close to banning one of the deadliest bee-killing pesticides, imidacloprid.
Together with our friends at the David Suzuki Foundation, Équiterre and Avaaz, we let decision-makers know more than 5 million people all around the world want Canada to ban imidacloprid as soon as possible.
We also met with a representative from the Prime Minister’s Office to share our message.
Next up, we’ll be running a full-page ad in the Ottawa Hill Times — the paper that politicians read — to make sure they know why banning imidacloprid is so essential.
Stopping the merger from hell At the very same time, we took your message — that a Bayer-Monsanto merger would be a marriage from hell — right to the front door of the European Commission in Brussels.With farmers, beekeepers and environmental organisations, we delivered a letter signed by more than 200 organisations from all over Europe — calling on the Commissioner to stop this disastrous merger.
Our allies at Friends of the Earth pulled off this photo stunt and the pictures were picked up by news agencies all over the world. Now everyone knows what this marriage would look like:
On the same day, SumOfUs members from all over Europe emailed and tweeted their opposition against the merger at Margrethe Vestager, the European Commissioner for Competition. She could be our most important ally in stopping Bayer and Monsanto.
And because so many of you took action, we got Vestager’s attention:
As always, thanks for all that you do,
Anne, Liz and the team at SumOfUs
PS: All this is only possible thanks to your support! But we need to ramp up our campaign to protect the bees and stop Bayer from merging with Monsanto. If you can, please consider becoming a SumOfUs core member so we can keep up this fight together. Thank you!
Monday 24th April is the World Day For Laboratory Animals.
Check out a lot more on this and other lab animal campaigns at London based ‘Cruelty Free International’ (CFI) – formally known as the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection (BUAV) which was founded as long ago as 1898.
Read more about the fantastic work of, and many campaigns from the BUAV and its change recently to CFI at the following –
Posted on April 21, 2017 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (UNFAO): The dog meat trade in Asia is an unregulated industry imposing dangerous health risks.
We are urging the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization(UNFAO) to join us in the fight to end the dog meat trade in Asia. The ugly truth is that dog tonics and soup are harvested and created in an unregulated industry in the most disgusting and unsanitary conditions. From start to finish the treatment of the dogs is incredibly cruel and inhumane.
We are reaching out to the UNFAO to help us bring an end to the dog meat trade in South Korea.
How does Dog Meat Cruelty fit into “Eco-Paradise”?
Hwacheon County in Gangwon Province seeks to achieve the status of “Eco-Paradise”, the reason why they pursued Sister City agreements with two American Indian Nation tribes in 2005. They sought to learn from them, how to live in harmony with the natural environment. But where does dog meat farming fit into “Eco-Paradise”?
Let’s tell the Korean cities that they can no longer hide their shameful practices. It’s time to wake up and join the modern world.
Take action today to urge Hwacheon’s Sister Cities to help in the fight to end the cruelty toward our best friends.
CARE is building a safe ‘Healing Shelter’ for over 300 dogs in their Organization.
Sharing for CARE:
Coexistence of Animal Rights on Earth (CARE), is currently protecting over 300 dogs at their no-kill shelters. Yet, the shelters are built in a temporary residence and the time that they need to move out has come. They need their land to permanently stay and to safely protect their rescued dogs from the harsh environment. Their ‘Healing Shelter Program’ is looking forward to solving this problem.
Clock is Ticking! This may be the once in a lifetime opportunity for the Korean dogs.
Some opportunities only comes once in a life time. PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic in South Korea might be one of those opportunities. What would you do to save your best friends from horrific cruelty and unimaginable suffering? Probably a lot. But we only ask a few minutes of your time (more if you can) to help speak out for these animals who have no voice. Feeling sorry for them would not change anything. Only action can. Thank you for caring!!