Posted on July 1, 2018 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
It’s time to take a stand against dog fighting
Dog fighting as a ‘sport’ was banned in the UK in 1835, as even then it was considered barbaric.
But this horrific form of dog abuse continues.
Dog fighting remains a significant animal welfare issue in the UK.
It’s one of the most horrific forms of organised animal cruelty, not only for the violence the dogs endure during fights but because of the trauma they suffer throughout their lives. Training methods brutalise and fights inflict untold physical and mental suffering on ‘man’s best friend’.
Do you have information about dog fighting in your area?
We’re looking for information about anyone involved in dogfighting, the locations of dog fights and information about any animal used or stolen for dog fighting. You could be eligible for a reward of up to £1,000.
Report any evidence of dog fighting in your area to our Animal Crimewatch team.
The three levels of dog fighting
Dog fighting operates at three levels, each of which will look different to an onlooker:
Level One – Street Rolls: Dogs are forced into spontaneous fights in urban parks and housing estates without much planning, rules or specific training.
Level Two – Hobbyist: Often these people aspire to be professional dog fighters. Many are affiliations to gangs and have criminal convictions for other offences. These fights involve more ‘rules’ and formalised training regimes.
Level Three – Professional: Professional dog fighters are part of sophisticated dog fighting rings operating in the UK and worldwide with links to other serious crimes. Strict training regimes and rules apply and large sums of cash are wagered on the outcome of fights that last from 30 minutes to 5 hours.
Dogs forced into fighting suffer terrible injuries, both from the fights and at the hands of their vicious ‘owners’. Most will ultimately be killed in the ring or die soon after from their injuries. Those who can no longer fight are often brutally dispatched.
Watch Cupcake’s Story – A Dog Fighting Survivor. A moving but uplifting story of a dog that survived
Scale and prevalence in the UK
Dog fighting operates deep underground. It’s difficult – and often dangerous – to find information about what’s going on and who’s involved. Our investigators work tirelessly to raise awareness and bring these people to justice. Often this means working in difficult and dangerous situations.
There are many indicators that show dog fighting continues to be a significant animal welfare issue in the UK. Figures from the RSPCA show a steady number of calls relating to dog fighting over the last 10 years. Other evidence of dogs being imported for fighting, the clandestine sale of dogs in dark alleys for large sums of money, the seeming need for dogs as protection, and the apparent growth in the number of stolen dogs also indicate it’s on the increase.
In 2015 we ran Project Bloodline, an investigation aimed at exposing the scale of dog fighting in the UK. Basing ourselves in area which we consider ‘average’ in terms of suspected dog fighting activity – urban areas within Bedfordshire – we set about trying to uncovering the truth.
Within just a short space of time we received 40 pieces of intelligence which gave us an insight into the dark world of dog fighting including:
Reports of dogs being trained for fighting by being ‘body slammed’ and ‘head slammed’ against a wall to toughen them up.
The bodies of dead dogs used for fighting dumped near farmland.
Prohibited breeds being bred to supply the dog fighting and status dogs market.
A significant clandestine market in the trade of potential fighting dogs – our investigators were offered puppies for £1,000 each by a masked man during the operation.
We also were introduced to Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Cupcake, who had been used for fighting, her teeth ground down probably by trying to bite through the bars of her cage or chain.
We’ve now widened our investigations to key locations around the UK. We work with the public, rescue centres, veterinarians, community groups, law enforcement and politicians to raise awareness, to help communities tackle it and of course to support the animals that have been rescued from this living hell.
Dog fighting and other serious crime
Horrendous as dog fighting is, it’s not purely a matter of animal welfare.
Evidence from the UK and internationally points to dog fighting being a ‘gateway’ crime to serious and organised offences such as drug dealing and violence. Links between animal abuse and human abuse are also clear.
For this reason, in the United States, dog fighting is recognised by the FBI as a Grade A felony offence and it’s acknowledged as a way of identifying and tackling other criminal activity too.
An action plan for the UK
We’ve set out what needs to be done in our National Dog Fighting Action Plan. The plan comprises many elements based around the three areas of Prevention, Understanding and Prosecution (P.U.P).
Key recommendations include:
The formation of a National Dog Fighting Task Force
Dog fighting to be recorded as a specific offence separate to animal fighting in order to enable the scale of the problem to be more accurately assessed
Increased penalties of up to five years for the worst dog fighting offenders
The Dangerous Dogs Act should be reviewed as a matter of urgency
The implementation of a national register for individuals banned from keeping dogs to prevent those already convicted of animal cruelty from being able to re-offend.
Posted on July 1, 2018 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
In a move that could further imperil Africa’s already endangered elephants; the Trump administration will now ALLOW the import of elephant hunting trophies to resume.
The move comes as the administration establishes a taxpayer funded advisory council, stacked with die-hard trophy hunters, that will advise on how to promote the killing of more imperiled species; such as elephants and lions; for alleged ‘sport’.
In November 2017, the Interior Department announced plans to reverse the Obama-era ban on elephant trophy imports from Zimbabwe. Originally, Trump tweeted (as always !) and called elephant hunting a ‘horror show’. It appeared that he was going to keep the ban in place. But by March this year, the administration had reversed course again, quietly deciding to consider permits for trophy imports on a case by case basis.
Not only did the administration slip its reversal announcement under the radar, but its new process for approving trophy hunting is entirely shielded from public view. With such a cosy relationship between the administration and the trophy hunting groups (like Safari Club International) and the NRA; it can be assured that the ‘case by case’ decisions are going to come down in favour of the hunters all the time. As Trumps sons Donald Jnr and Eric are so into sports hunting, the administrations oddly named ‘International Wildlife Conservation Council (IWCC) is packed with trophy hunting advocates.
Appointed members include the NRA’s director of hunting policy, a ‘celebrity hunter’ who co produced the reality tv show “Extreme Huntress’ and the co owner, with Trumps sons; of a hunting preserve in upstate New York.
In the meantime, the administration rejected scores of qualified candidates from the conservation community, including the NRDC Senior Attorney Andrew Wetzler; who is an expert in endangered species law; and a person who was backed by six other prominent conservation and animal welfare organisations.
So, letting a select committee comprised of trophy hunting interests decide the fate of elephants and other endangered species is a recipe for disaster.
As for Trump and ‘making America great again’; we at SAV doubt that the environmental organisations of the world will see this as anything but ‘great’; quite the opposite. Once again; the Trumps making sure that they personally do best from new policy, and stuff everyone else.
For Nature’s Voice – Defending the wild against the abusers; go to:
The National Park Service (“NPS”) instituted regulatory provisions in 2015 to ban certain extreme hunting practices in the State of Alaska, recognizing that Alaska “has allowed an increasing number of liberalized methods of hunting and trapping wildlife … [that] are not consistent with the NPS’s implementation of [the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act’s] authorization of sport hunting and trapping in national preserves.” These banned practices include killing wolf and coyote pups and mothers in their dens, shooting caribou from boats or from shore, using dogs and bait to hunt and kill bears, and using artificial lights to kill mother black bears and their cubs as they hibernate.
Now Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and the NPS are proposing to adopt a rule (RIN 1024-AE38) that rolls back the 2015 regulatory provisions, and would again allow egregious and scientifically unsound methods of hunting native predators in Alaska’s National Preserves.
RIN 1024-AE38 is in direct conflict with the NPS’s congressional mandate to conserve wildlife to preserve biological diversity, and to ensure that generations of Americans to come may experience the full beauty of Alaska.
WE NEED YOUR HELP NOW to ensure that these critical protections for Alaska’s wildlife aren’t eliminated!
Please let the NPS know you oppose RIN 1024-AE38 by submitting your comments to the proposed rule here before the July 23 deadline.
Suggested talking points (and please personalize your comments):
·I’m opposed to the National Park Service’s proposed rule to repeal the 2015 regulatory provisions that prohibit killing black bears and their cubs with artificial light at den sites, using bait to attract brown bears for an easy shot, killing wolf and coyote mothers and pups in their dens, using dogs to hunt black bears, and killing defenseless swimming caribou.
·The National Park Service should not reverse its original rule, which was carefully deliberated, based on the best available science, and subject to extensive public input.
·As an American, I appreciate our native carnivores and believe that they should be treated humanely and with an appreciation for the critical role they play in maintaining a healthy ecosystem.
·The National Park Service is directly contravening its own findings that the described methods of hunting and trapping frequently allowed by the Alaska Board of Game to increase opportunities to harvest predators are not consistent with the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act.
·The 2015 protections currently in place only restrict sport hunting in national preserves, which constitute less than six percent of the area in Alaska open to hunting. These limitations are sufficient and reasonable.
·The Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act and other federal laws mandate that the National Park Service preserve national lands, including national preserves, for the benefit of present and future generations.
·The proposed rule will increase public safety concerns resulting from baiting of bears. This practice was originally prohibited by the NPS to help protect the public from food-conditioned bears, which are more likely to cause human injury.
Please share this Action Alert — and thank you for helping protect Alaska’s wildlife!
The League Against Cruel Sports has reacted to the announcement by West Mercia Police that five people are to be charged with animal cruelty offences after footage appeared to show live fox cubs being taken into a kennel of hunting hounds in Herefordshire.
It follows the animal welfare charity releasing footage in June 2016 of two fox cubs being taken into the kennels separately before two dead bodies are then filmed being dumped into a wheelie bin.
The scenes were filmed by the Hunt Investigation Team, supported by the League Against Cruel Sports, which is campaigning to strengthen the Hunting Act.
Martin Sims, Director of Investigations at the League Against Cruel Sports, said:
“We welcome the announcement by police that five people will face multiple charges of animal cruelty.
“It’s taken two years to get to this point but we hope justice will now be done – in a modern compassionate society, animals should be protected from cruelty and suffering.
“The fear is that if the charges are proven, it provides evidence of fox hunts training hounds to kill and that fox hunting is still widespread across the British countryside.
“The most recent polling indicates that 85 per cent of the British public oppose fox hunting so I hope they back our calls to strengthen the Hunting Act.”
Petition
The League is encouraging members of the public to sign their petition titled ‘stop the killing of animals by hunts in the UK’. Full details can be found here.
·For more information or interview requests please contact the League Against Cruel Sports Press Office on 01483 524250 (24hrs) or email pressoffice@league.org.uk
·The League Against Cruel Sports is Britain’s leading charity that works to stop animals being persecuted, abused and killed for sport. The League was instrumental in helping bring about the landmark Hunting Act. We carry out investigations to expose law-breaking and cruelty to animals and campaign for stronger animal protection laws and penalties. We work to change attitudes and behaviour through education and manage sanctuaries to protect wildlife. Find out more about our work at www.league.org.uk. Registered charity in England and Wales (no.1095234) and Scotland (no.SC045533).
Posted on April 10, 2018 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
Poland was the hunt country number one for hobby hunters from German-speaking countries, especially in western Poland. Now completely different rules of the game apply, which come into effect from the 1st of April. From now on, all social hunts must be reported in advance to the authorities. Hunting opponents will be able to adjust to it in the future. The intentional obstruction of the hunt is no longer punishable.
In the revolutionary Polish hunting reform (IG Wild at Wild informed), foreign hunters like Hubertus-Hunting will probably not enjoy much either. The animal rights activists prefer that the hobby killers will be able to avoid their country in the future.
The new regulations will also improve the supervision of the Minister of the Environment through the Polish Hunting Association. For too long the criminal bustle was watched. The public opinion to hobby hunters opposite is completely tilted. The same can be said in Czechoslovakia and so on. The stupid and hypocritical talk of shooters and benefactors, lawyers of the animals, etc. the hobby hunters just is not right.
Whoever kills senselessly does not protect, and it does not benefit civilized society.
Above all, the new hunting law will strengthen the rights of property owners. They will now be able to pacify their land from hobby hunter gangs without giving any reason.
In addition, the new regulations increase the distance to residential buildings, near which hobby hunters can hunt from 100 to 150 meters. The hunt may only be carried out at a distance of at least 500 meters from public meetings.
Minors have been banned from active and passive hunting. So, no more children are allowed to drive for hunts from the surrounding villages. The new law is intended to guarantee a harmonious development for children and adolescents.
According to the new law, the hobby hunters have to undergo every 5 years medical and psychological character test!
You cannot shoot in national parks or nature reserves without permission, etc.
Under the new law, it will now be impossible to use live animals in the training of hunting birds and hunting dogs.
For example, the fox caught in the wild has been kept on a leash so that he
cannot escape. For this purpose, he has tied his muzzle with tape, so he cannot defend himself. (Unfortunately, the video where the fox is shown as a training victim is no longer available).
The sadism to which the average hobby-hunter feels attracted when dealing with wild animals, there are no limits, there would not be common sense, which intervenes against the hobby hunters.
This can be observed in all countries with a hobby-hunter culture.
The hunting of wolves in Poland has been banned since 1998. Depending on the source, an inventory of around 1,500-2,500 animals is estimated.
Thus, Poland has made a quantum leap in animal welfare in hunts. Wild Wild IG congratulates all the revolutionary forces that have made this possible.
Translation: Venus
My comment :The new regulations in Poland prove, that violence against animals can be abolished from above, because the system has the power to do so.
Whether the neighboring country, Germany, will take over something from the new exemplary regulation of Poland … What do you think?
I can only say, that the hunting law in Germany, in spite of stupid “renewals”, is the hunting law in the sense of the “Reichsjagdgesetz” of 3 July 1934.
That means, we still have a fascist hunting law.
A minority of 0.45% in the German population thinks they can do in the woods what they want.
And anyone who disagrees will be intimidated by force of arms.
And with the new government, everything what has to do with hunting, looks much worse than before.
Posted on March 16, 2018 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
Serbian campaigners are currently fighting to protect the Great Bustard in Serbia.
In Serbia, the Great Bustard lives in only one area – a reserve known as the ‘pastures of the great bustard’. In the recent past there were hundreds of birds. Now there are only 10 – Why ?
Because they have been hunted almost to extinction by a hunter organisation named ‘Perjanica’ .
Now it appears the Serbian hunters wish to buy a large cage and import Bustards from Hungary; where the birds will be bred within the cage. The birds will not be wild birds to breed and produce on the pastures – instead they will have to breed in the cage erected by the hunters – those same people responsible for their decline in the first place.
And to make things a lot worse, our shameful friends (?) at the EU have given the hunters around 300,000 Euros for the setting up of this breeding cage.
The cage is a great offence to this beautiful bird which used to breed in numbers on the pastures. Hunting has destroyed the birds in the wild and now the same killers; the hunters; are being reward3ed financially by the EU for setting up a breeding colony which is set in a cage !
Serbian campaigners have written to the Bern Convention to lodge a formal complaint about this. You can see the complaints registered under ‘162’ in the following:
Another case of hunters destroying the ecosystem and then being rewarded; this time by the EU; for the destruction they have caused.
As Serbia IS NOT an EU member state; why is the EU giving hundreds of thousands of Euros to Serbian hunters ? – is it so that they can now breed birds to then release and shoot at will ? – we suspect – they are hunters after all; they think of only one thing – Killing !
ACTION
Here is the direct link to Hungarian MEP’s if you want to write to them and ask why the EU is giving money to hunters who have killed all the birds in the first place !
Posted on March 10, 2018 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
Mass grave found with galgos in Spain.
25.02.2018
A horrible sight came last Saturday to the discoverers of 30 hunting dog carcasses – partially preserved, decayed or skeletonized – who were
in a hidden ditch in Taracón (Cuenca). The dogs are all hunting dogs, mostly galgos. The Seprona has confirmed after initial investigations that due to the state of decay, some of the carcasses have been in this mass grave for a long time, others only recently. Furthermore, the officials assume that some of the animals were certainly thrown alive into the pit, so that they suffer a slow and agonizing death, from the ditch there is no escape!
Many of the Galgos are chipped, they are confident that they can detect the animal tormentors.
The Civil Guard is looking for those responsible for this mass grave with 30 corpses of dogs.
Carolina Rey, the councilor and spokeswoman for the IU (Izqerda Unidad= left United), denounced the facts: “Some of the dogs were thrown alive to the pit, which is in an almost inaccessible place from which you cannot get out, so we think they were thrown out and have died of hunger and thirst. “
The identification of the owners of the animals will be easy since the dogs had a chip.
In addition, Carolina Rey has been able to recognize some animals as their owners went to the protector to deliver the dogs since they could not take charge, although it refused its reception due to lack of space.
The animals are mostly greyhounds, which suggests that their owners could have got rid of them because they were not good at hunting.
“It is a cruelty to throw an animal in this way when we have been served for years,” complains Carolina Rey. Yesterday we returned to the mass grave in Tarancón to take out the bodies of the galgos that, during years, have been thrown there, and to try to find evidence to persecute the perpetrators of this crime (Video).
The place, known as The Cut, has been used for more than 20 years to dump galgos no longer wanted by their owners. The volunteers recovered 25 bodies, but for safety reasons it was impossible to reach the deeper layers of the pit, where dozens of galgos were piled up.
At least two dogs that I photographed last time I was there, have disappeared. A clear indication that their owners, frightened by the repercussion of the news, have returned to remove the corpses of their dogs. This is interesting because the hunting society always claims that abandoned or killed dogs, are dogs that have been stolen, “as no galguero would treat their dog like that”.
But no thief would return for the bodies of the dead dogs, that makes no sense. All points to the galgueros.
How little is worth the life of hunting dogs in the Autonomous Region of Castilla-La Mancha, the news published on 13 February proves that the Government of Autonomy excludes hunting dogs from the Animal Welfare Act.
Every Spanish autonomy has its own animal welfare laws. Other regions might also come up with the idea of excluding hounds from animal welfare, just as bullfighting as a tradition of animal welfare is also excluded at EU level. 40 percent of dogs that are abused, abandoned or stolen in Spain are hunting dogs.
Hunting is a dirty business that, with European help, is moving millions of euros every year.
Serbian Animals Voice (SAV) 