LETTERS | Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)

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Ireland / China: Please Take Action NOW To Stop Irish Greyhounds Being Sent To China – International Support Especially Welcome For This Campaign. Full Details Below.

Posted on April 28, 2011 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)

SAV Comment:

We ask ALL our international visitors to send e mails to the TDs listed below. Please use (or simply copy) the bullet points provided as the basis for your mail.

This is a vital campaign which must be stopped.

Please take action without delay – Thank You. – SAV

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PLEASE FORWARD WIDELY TO ALL YOUR GROUPS AND CONTACTS NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL

INCLUDING ALL ANTI-GREYHOUND RACING CAMPAIGNERS WORLDWIDE AND ALL WEBSITES,TWITTER, MYSPACE AND FACEBOOK FOR MAXIMUM PUBLICITY

WORLDWIDE CAMPAIGN AGAINST IRISH GREYHOUNDS GOING TO CHINA GAINS HUGE MOMENTUM-YOU CAN HELP BE A VOICE FOR THE VOICELESS!

URGENT LOBBYING NEEDED IMMEDIATELY FOR ‘CHINA CRISIS’ CAMPAIGN. PLEASE PROTECT OUR GREYHOUNDS. WORLDWIDE LETTERS NEEDED NOW PLEASE!

We are now asking all our national and international supporters to please support the vital appeal below from Greyhound Action Ireland by writing to all the Irish TDs (MPs) to urge them to do everything within their power to stop Irish Greyhounds being exported to China.

Please see the email addresses below.

Greyhound Crusaders/SWAP team UK have already written to all the TDs and some of them have replied already with their own grave concerns. Public pressure from caring people all over the world could help stop this barbaric idea of sending greyhounds to China.

Please do not be put off by how many email addresses there are below. You could compose a letter and then copy and paste it several times and then copy and paste 3 or 4 blocks of email addresses at a time and then send the letter in your Bcc box. We tried to send the whole lot in one go but it wouldn’t send them all so we did it as we have suggested and it worked!

You could try to send them all in one block and see if it works for you?

Please take the time out of your day to do this as it is vital everyone writes. The greyhounds only have your voice, they rely on you to speak for them.

Please remember Mahatma Gandhi’s wise words “The future depends on what we do in the present”.

The greyhounds future relies on what we do today to protect them from the barbaric meat markets in China. After 1 or 2 years we are confident that the Chinese won’t continue to import Irish Greyhounds, they will implement a breeding programme of their own which would not be under the control of the Irish Greyhound Board, therefore the Chinese would be self governing and could do anything they like with the dogs!!

Please tell the TDs there WILL be a national and international boycott of their country if this goes ahead.

We cannot thank everyone enough for all their support with this top priority campaign! Please now see the important appeal below with full details.

Please remember to keep all correspondence polite.

Greyhound Crusaders/SWAP team UK

HELP THEM NOW PLEASE.

WOULD YOU SEND YOUR DOG TO CHINA WITH THE IGB.????

DOING NOTHING…WILL ACHIEVE NOTHING!!!

EMAIL List of Irish TDs email addresses.[cut and paste] You can copy and paste the whole list into the “Blind Back Up” line after you’ve typed out your circular…and send…

also email Annemarie.daly@agriculture.gov.ie PERSON COMPILING INFO ON DOA CAVAN.

URGENT: BULLET POINTERS FOR EMAILS.

I have just been on to the Dept. of Agriculture who will ultimately have the job of deciding on this venture and if it will go ahead.

· No decision is made yet.

· The process is being checked to see if it is viable at the moment.

Cavan office of DOA is dealing with this case.

· Can you ring and stress the cruelty aspect of sending dogs to China.

· If these were Labs or Shitzus’ there would be more outcry.

· Due to the large numbers of dogs that will be killed due to injuries, being slow etc. they will eventually end up as some other business be it fur or meat.

· The IGB will not be burying these dogs when they kill them, that would cost money-meat is the most likely outcome and we all know the tenderising process etc. associated with that. They are tenderised ALIVE before killing. If most likely for meat they will not be killed by injection.

· The IGB sent dogs to Australia in the past and they were dead on arrival.[9dogs]

· It is not a great idea to give sedatives to greys as they already have a slow heartbeat.

· Flight time including check in time and arrival delay china from Dublin is approximately 15 hours. Flight is over 12 hours.[that’s over 15 hours crated ]

· What happens in China cannot be monitored by the DOA.

MOST RELEVANT PEOPL

E:email all TDs is better.

Mr Simon Coveney , Minister for Agriculture, minister@agriculture.gov.ie Agriculture House, Kildare St Dublin 2. Ireland.

Shane McEntee, Minister of State at the Dept of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food shane.mcentee@finegael.ie same postal address Taoiseach Enda Kenny (taoiseach is Irish for Prime Minister) taoiseach@taoiseach.gov.ie Department of the Taoiseach Government Buildings Upper Merrion Street Dublin 2

The Stray Dog Business in Romania – by Codrut Feher, FNPA.

Posted on April 20, 2011 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)

http://chatte-gossips.blogspot.com/2011/04/stray-dog-business-in-romania-by-codrut.html

The stray dog business in Romania – by Codrut Feher, FNPA

Between 2001 and 2011 the Romanian animal control people have killed hundreds of thousands dogs by spending tens of millions of EUROs in public funds, while the number of stray dogs only grew larger.

For example, in Brasov, although there were only 4,000 stray dogs in 2001, the dog catchers managed to “kill” about 20,000 in 8 years. The only noticeable result of the “final solution” was the emergence of a classic mechanism of siphoning off public money, put in place by the local authorities and animal protection services in Bucharest and many other cites and towns (Brasov, Arad, Constanta, Timisoara, Ramnicu Valcea, Braila, etc.), authorities that came to realize that the mere existence of the that strays is a very profitable business for the following reasons:

– Budgets.

Under the pretext of the “stray’s terror” generous budgets were allocated. The Bucharest do catchers spent about 13 million EURO in 7 years. The dog catchers in Brasov spent about 2 million EURO in 8 years. Overall it is estimated that Romania spent between 25 and 40 million EURO on strays from 2001 until 2008.

– The flexibility of the budgets.

Contrary to the popular belief that fuels the anti-stray protests, the money spent on food for the strays was just a infinitesimal part of the budget, as the dog were being fed “subliminal” quantities, to quote the so called specialists from DSVA Brasov. Out of a total budget of 1,500,000 lei for 2008, the dog catchers in Brasov allocated only 5,000 lei for the dog food, less than 3%. Instead enormous gas quotas were approved. In Brasov, 4 rundown old cars with easy to tamper with mileage tracking systems were each allocated about 350-400 l of gas per month, which means each car did about 100 km/day. Land was rented for the municipality shelters, despite that fact that local authorities had land they could build on. In Brasov, the municipality paid in 8 years more than 1,500EURO/month (170,000 EURO in total) to the owners of a former swine farm that was in really bad condition and it also invested in modernizing the farm. All of this while it could have built a brand new shelter with 15,000 EURO on a land it owned.

About 100,000 lei were annually spent on tranquilizers and lethal substances, but nobody ever checked that against the number of dogs reported caught and/or euthanized. These substances were bought illegally (without prescriptions), used illegally (because the dog catchers got lazy and started to catch all dogs with tranquilizers, committing two felonies and one ?) and may have even been used or sold as drugs (Vetased, the most used tranquilizer contains ketamine, which is used as a drug and is legally considered drug since 2010).

In Brasov, the chief dog-catcher even got to buy his own jeep, a Mitubischi L200, for about 30,000 EURO, under the pretext of helping large animals, such as cows, pigs. Bears, rhinoceros or giraffes that might have wondered into the public roundabouts build by mayor Scripcaru. Rumor has it that the jeep is used in certain weekends by two local authorities in their hunting trips.

– The business of gathering dogs.

Several mayors with business “abilities” transformed the local animal control departments into businesses that made money by catching and killing dogs from small towns that didn’t have their own shelters or by catching the dogs in a town without shelter and “hosting” the dogs in a different city, tens of km away. The corrupt mayors became so addicted to these profits that they imposed quotas on their dog catchers: the Brasov dog catchers hunted in 4-5 counties, bringing over 120,000 lei to Brasov’s budget. Most of the dogs were exterminated in the Stupini shelter and a small number were handed over to other cities that had shelters.

The whole operation was made profitable at the price of torturing the animals and breaking the Romanian animal protection laws. After loading up the dogs and before heading for Brasov, the Brasov dog catchers would be paid per number of dogs for capture, transportation, sheltering and euthanasia.

Since they were already paid and everyone saw them leaving with the dogs, nothing (certainly not their conscience) stopped the dog catchers from releasing most of the dogs on their way back to Brasov, to make sure that the problem continues and they are called back to “help”. Any animal lover would be happy to hear that, if they didn’t know that the dogs would be caught again and again, sometimes injured in the process, and would most likely continue to multiply.

– The counting of the dogs.

The audit of the activity of the do catchers was a chimera. Nobody was really counting the dogs. Nobody knew how many dogs actually went through their hands, from capturing through incineration, especially since the documents for Protan (the incineration company) were filled out by the dog catchers themselves who approximated the weight of the bodies, filling in numbers with a lot of digits and even decimal points, and tried to make it match the number of dogs they claimed to have caught. It was very easy for them to claim for example they caught 5,000 dogs while in reality they caught half of that number. The dogs that (fictionally) entered the center were also supposed to (fictionally) leave the shelter. On June 25, 2009, according to the official documents, between 131 and 54 dogs were killed in Brasov. A witness and several documents point to the fact that only 90 animals were killed and that those dogs were from Victoria, Fagaras and a few other towns. In November 4, 2009, the Brasov dog catchers captured 46 dogs in Covasna. People from Covasna were told that the dogs were in the Brasov shelter and people from Brasov were told they were in the Covasna shelter, but the dogs were not found in either shelter. On June 1st 2010 the Brasov dog catchers caught 48 dogs in Sangeorgiu de Mures and transported them to the Reghin shelter. The Reghin shelter received and registered only 25 dogs.

Another way to make money was to manipulate the adoption numbers, especially the adoptions towards private shelters: adopted dogs were also counted as euthanatized. In 2008 at least 400 dogs were adopted from the Brasov dog catchers by the “Millions of friends” rescue association. In the official documents that number is 0!

Finally, another way was to modify the number of deceased dogs, by recording a smaller number than the real one and accordingly increase the number of euthanized dogs. For 2008, the shelter mortality as it resulted from official records was of 79 dogs, meaning a dog died every 4 days. In the first months of 2009, the mortality was of only 23 dogs, meaning a dog did every 8 days. In reality, the number of dogs that died in the shelter is much higher: at least 300-400 in 2008 and at least 150 in 2009. And there were also the dead dogs that were found in the city and which had to be, of course, euthanized.

Through all of these manipulations the animal control folks were gaining about 25-30 lei per dog, by either selling the substances for euthanasia or by writing fictional invoices, in complicity with folks from the veterinary supply deposits.

– PROTAN and how to incinerate public money.

The incineration of a 20 kg dog costs 10 EURO (0.5 EURO/kg). Since most shelters don’t have weight scales and Protan reception documents specify that the quantity column should be filled out by the customer, the weight was eyeballed by the animal control folks. If you fictionally kill between 40 and 60 animals, you also need to approximate their weight and fictionally incinerate about 1,000kg, which brings Protan about $500 EURO.

If you extrapolate this schema to a whole year between 10,000 and 15,000 EURO were embezzled in Brasov only.

It was obvious that this whole embezzlement mechanism was accompanied by a long term strategy to keep the animals on the streets. When they were out hunting in other cities the dog catchers were catching everything they could get their hands on, especially dogs with owners or protectors and dogs that were sterilized and returned to their territory according to HG 955/2004. There were cases where dogs were taken while walking next to their owners or where the dog catchers went into people’s yards and took their dogs. A lot of the owners tried to negotiate a return fee smaller than the official one and eventually, especially in Bucharest, a “protection fee” paid to the dog catchers became the norm.

Although the problem of the aggressive dogs was supposedly the number one priority, the animal control folks rarely caught aggressive dogs. Instead they almost always took puppies and little, friendly dogs that were easy and safe to catch. This approach had the double benefit of keeping the dangerous dogs on the streets in order to perpetuate the “terror of the strays” while making the dog catchers appear as heroes and saviors in the eyes of the people.

Quarrels… in the “dogcatchers ‘ paradise

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At the end of December 2007 the Deputies Chamber voted a modification of the Animal Protection Law(205/2004) also known as “Marinescu’s Law”.Among other things, this law classifies animal cruelty as a crime punishable by law and prohibits the euthanasia of healthy cats or dogs.It seemed as if common sense and logic had won over the hundreds of mayors and dogcatchers (who during 8 years managed to “bury” aprox. 35 million euros in a mountain of stray corps).Also, during the same time, in December 2007, the Senate modified the law concerning the strays and replaced euthanasia with spay/neuter and returning to territory, according to the WHO’s guidelines. AND NOW COMES THE “PROBLEM”….These two new legislative measures would have solved the strays problem, leaving all of those who made big money from the “stray business” without their huge profits!!!

The conspiracy
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All the dogcatchers and their “official sponsors” quickly realized that if the new legislative proposals (PL912) will be presented to the ADP in spring 2008, the new law will become definitive, as approved by the Senate.Their only chance was to postpone and prolong this indefinitely. This would have given the dogcatchers plenty of time to still operate as before , the solution wouldn’t have been applied and it would present later on as the perfect excuse to suggest euthanasia of all strays as the number of strays would have grown even more.Their evil plan worked, as the new legislative proposal (PL912) still has yet to be presented to ADP since 2008!

ANSVA , DSVSA and other public institutions
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Although euthanasia had been abolished, majority of public administrations across country continued the mass killing of strays , using the most absurd justifications: suddenly, all strays became terminally ill (backed up by false documents produced by corrupt state employees)or using “personal interpretation ” of the law. All this was going on with the silent approval of the official services for animal protection, just as corrupt as the public administrations: ANSVSA and DSVSA.

Thousands of strays were captured, the “lucky”ones being detained sometimes for a couple of weeks before their death in the official “shelters”: filthy ,cold , very small cages, lying in their own feces, deprived of food and water, beaten and abused daily and then finally killed by untrained or uneducated dogcatchers, in the most cruel ways possible, suffering the most unimaginable pain till the last breath…

Anybody that get the chance to see some of their official evidence of these atrocities would be appalled by the gruesome mistakes used to justify what they did .

As many of these dogcatchers are paid by the local authorities , their only “enemy” are the NGO’s. Therefore, they are doing their best to keep the NGO’s as far away as possible, refusing any collaboration or cooperation with them.

The Almighty dogcatcher and his dark amendments....
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About a year later, once a few people started complaining about their dirty business, the almighty dogcatchers across the country started to be concerned and thus considered it’s the perfect time to start changing the law according to their interest.

The “chosen” one to formulate the new proposal of law was no other than Barbulescu Flavius ( famous for killing 30000 dogs in 8 years and having at least 6 legal complaints against him) , supported by Simona Panaitescu. Both of then had the “blessing” of Brasov’s mayer, George Cripcaru, also known as “Dracula of dogs”,prominent member of PDL (Democratic-Liberal Party) and a man used to manipulate the laws according to his best interests.

Barbulescu’s new law proposal included mass euthanasia of strays , banning the NGO’s any involvement in the dogcatchers or municipal shelters activity, obstructing adoptions by implementing severe fines for people feeding or taking care of strays on the streets

The evil plan
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Once Barbulescu’s “masterpiece” was finished, they needed someone to make it public. And who better than Bucharest’s prefect , Mihai Atanasoaiei , well known for his embarrassing public speeches and appearances. After that, the game moved on to Elena Udrea and Sulfina Barbu.

Zanfir Iorgus (PDL) :”The best solution is spay/neuter…or Euthanasia…or better yet let the mayors decide!”

Sulfina Barbu:” I suggest that it should be mandatory by law that local administrations and NGO’S became partners..” …..that was all she had to say after all NGO’s representatives explained and documented 453,17 arguments against the reintroduction of mass euthanasia of strays. They have showed her in ever way possible why mass killing of dogs is inefficient,inhumane, absurd, very expensive and not cost-effective compared to the alternative,against WHO’s guidelines: They also showed her how during the last 7 years the officials did nothing to solve this problem the right way, how they delayed everything , didn’t pass the law , abused the power they had, continued the killings and misused the taxpayers money…..

Manipulation
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Their biggest weapon is the manipulation of the population through mass-media. Their “servant” PRO TV always “deliver” twisting the facts and lying out in the open without remorse, just as long as they can blame something on the strays (e.g. The case of a woman attacked by dogs in a private yard, because she entered the premises at night, without any authorization, presented to the public as a woman killed by strays. The same type of story happened again, a drunk woman was attacked by dogs who had owners, and they also blamed the strays for her death. Even after the official reports from the investigations were released, PRO TV never rectified their stories , apologized, on the contrary, everyday they try to find more things that they can blame the strays for…

And PRO TV is not the only one. There are other tv stations and newspapers in the same boat.

Elena Udrea
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She is one of the biggest supporters of euthanasia of all strays, as a future candidate for the Mayor of Bucharest. She encourages the passing of the anti-strays law, claiming that this is the “American” model, but failing to realize the HUGE differences between the two countries when it comes to animal welfare.

SUMMARY/RECAP
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2007: The Senate votes PL 912/2007 that replaces the mass killing of strays with spay/neuter/release

2008: Animal Protection Law prohibits mass euthanasia.

ADP from Deputies Chamber blocks the discussion of this law for 3 YEARS!!!

Meanwhile, local authorities continue the killing and totally ignore the solution:spay/neuter/release.They are officially breaking the law and try to cover for all who do that also.

In Brasov, a German organization offered to spa/ neuter all the city’s strays but were completely ignored by local authorities.

The only town were the mayor actually used spay/ neuter/release programs was Oradea, and the results are showing: in 6 years the population of strays decreased 8 times.

So after 3 long years of blocking PL912 from being approved, the politicians want now to “solve” the stray problem by mass killing!!!

Knowing very well that euthanasia is not a solution, they all want that as it is a guarantee for more dirty money to be made in the future from “the stray business”. Spay/neuter/ return programs would only jeopardize their source of dirty profits!

On the 1st of March 2011, Sulfina Barbu sneaked in Atanasoaiei’s new proposals of law(modifying PL912) which granted the mayors the liberty to decide on euthanasia or not. Animal lovers were protesting outside the Parliament’s Building unnoticed…

On the 7th of March 2011 , when ADP tried to vote the “new and improved “PL912 with Atanasoaiei’s proposals, a miracle happened:the deputies decided to return the law to the Commission to allow the NGO’ s and Animal Welfare groups to be consultants and the law to be re-discussed after 3 weeks.

This delay “caught by surprised” a lot of mayors too, who already counted on the mass euthanasia to be approved and were “ready” to take action, having everything ready do to “the job”. And strangely enough , during these 3 weeks more and more cases of strays shot , poisoned, beaten to death, burned , abused and tortured appear every day , all over the country.

Filed under: CAMPAIGNS - Global Animal Welfare Issues, GENERAL NEWS - International / National / Regional, LETTERS | Leave a comment »

Germany: ‘Knut’ the Young Polar Bear Dies at the Weeknd – A Life of Misery at Berlin Zoo. RIP Knut; Now Reunited With Thomas.

Posted on March 24, 2011 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)

Knut as a youngster with his beloved keeper Thomas

Last weekend saw the early death of Knut – the little Polar bear who lived at Berlin Zoo.

The following post outlines much of Knuts troubled life; a life of making money for a zoo and a director still in charge who has allegedly killed animals using his own bare hands – see further on.

Knut probably lost all love of life after the untimely death of his keeper Thomas, who in the end was not even allowed to go near Knut. This situation obviously took its toll on both of them in such a huge way. Thomas and Knut are together again somewhere now – which is without doubt the best thing.

As for the zoo and its animal killing director; he continues to try and make money from Knut by having him skinned and stuffed.

If you wish to leave a message of condolence for Knut (and Thomas) afeter reding the articles below, then please do so. The link is as follows.

But please note that the zoo appears to be monitoring and censoring all bad comments on its site. Maybe the zoo director does not like hearing the truth and what so many people have to say about himm. We say that it is time for him to go – to take a walk of shame. He is no good and is directly responsible for the death of Knut.

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The link to the online page for condolences:

http://www.zoo-berlin.de/zoo/service/service/knut.html

One message left from yesterday:

Andrew Watts

My Dear KnutiAndrew & Rebecca
London
xxxx

This is the 3rd time we have signed this book. We miss you so much, but we know you are in a happier place now with Thomas and my own dear father who passed away 4 years ago. The sun is shining very brightly in London today – the reason? You have graced Heaven with your presence!

We will love and remember you always.

Latest news is that his body has already been skinned – the skin meant for stuffing – and the rest has been disposed of in the direction of an animal body rendering plant.

With this, the Zoo goes against the wishes of all who cared about Knut, who has suffered enough by the incompetent treatment and keeping at Berlin Zoo.

Responsibles at the zoo see no fault of their own in Knut’s death, although expert opinions clearly say otherwise, and have done so for over a year.

Comments left on the condolence page of the Berlin Zoo are now heavily censored, as more and more people come forward and critisise the Zoo for its conduct.

Knut’s close relationship with Humans, the loss of his foster father 2008, then that of his girlfriend Gianna (after 10 months) 2010, the constant bullying that he could not escape by 3 much older female bears all contributed to his early death.

The brain condition that killed him may well have been the result of near constant stress.

It was all about the money in Berlin, and Knut was abused all his life, neglected after Doerflein’s death, and now will end catching dust in a museum, where people will continue to gloat at him for ever.

Zoo director Blaszkiewitz has been in the news for years with recurring accusations (by PETA) of flogging Zoo animals off cheaply to traders, butchers and labs.

He is also known to have killed surplus cubs of a rare cat species with his bare hands once.

He is not someone who can be trusted around animals, and he keeps repeating his opinion these days that as a “scientist” he needed to view events such as this dispassionately. An animal was an animal, not a Human.

Knut, for him, was a means to an end (money), and he was dispensable the moment he stopped earning them millions.

Farewell, Knut and Thomas – together again.

Photo Credits – http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,752247,00.html

Obituary

Farewell Knut, Thanks for the Memories

By David Crossland

Gallery: http://www.spiegel.de/fotostrecke/fotostrecke-65970.html

REUTERS

Knut, Berlin’s world-famous polar bear who died on Saturday, was a product of the age of celebrity. But it wasn’t just his stranger-than-fiction story that made him unique — this bear had charisma, and will be very sorely missed. Berlin has lost an icon, and should erect a monument in his memory.

Fairytales aren’t meant to end like this. Knut, the polar bear who gave so many people so much joy, deserved a happy-ever-after. He has been deprived of it, and millions of people around the world are feeling the loss after his untimely death on Saturday, at just four years and three months.

On Sunday, hundreds of people gathered at Berlin Zoo to lay down flowers and leave messages. “Thanks for all the happy memories,” “Bye Knut,” “We loved you so much.” Many were in tears. “He was like our child. We watched him grow up,” said one elderly lady, with tears running down her face.

People spent a long time gazing at his empty enclosure. The sunshine brought no comfort.

The scene was all the more poignant because it was almost exactly four years ago, on March 23, 2007, a similarly sunny spring day, that Knut toddled happily onto the world stage and into people’s hearts when he made his first public appearance at Berlin Zoo. It was a global news event. International broadcasters provided live coverage, satellite trucks were parked in front of a startled rhinoceros and hundreds of photographers and journalists jostled to catch a glimpse of him.

A Global Fan Club

There he was, flanked by the German environment minister at the time, Sigmar Gabriel, and Thomas Dörflein, his devoted keeper. Within seconds, the snow-white ball of fur with black button eyes, playful and mischievous, had gained a fan club that stretched from Berlin to Sydney.

What was all the fuss about? Knut may have been the first polar bear born in Berlin Zoo for over three decades, but new births of the species in captivity weren’t uncommon around the world.

There can be no denying that the media turned him into a star. He was a product of the cult of celebrity, and he sold newspapers. SPIEGEL ONLINE was among the news sites that gave him blanket coverage, because so many people would read the stories. The Berlin Zoo, initially reluctantly, went along with the hype in order to make money, but also because it had little choice.

That, however, is only part of the story. Knut was a special bear because he had real character. That spring and summer of 2007, he entertained as many as 15,000 visitors a day by biting Dörflein’s backside, hiding under a green blanket and chasing after a ball.

Too Friendly for a Killer

Later on, as he grew, he would stand on his hind legs with his front paws up, seemingly waving to visitors. He would even play with them, grabbing his ball with his snout and tossing it over the moat for them to throw back. He would lay on a veritable Knut Show. It may seem banal, but he had a very friendly face, far too friendly for the lethal predator he was supposed to be. That was the essence of his charm.

Had he been put out into the wild, one could imagine him spending his time sitting on an ice floe, waving at the seals and waiting for a trawler to come by to throw him some croissants — his favourite food — and a football.

Animal rights campaigners claim that his almost-human behaviour was part of a disorder caused by hand-rearing, and by his strange life in the public eye, facing flashguns and constant shouts of “Knuuuut” from adoring fans.

That may be so. But life tells strange stories, and Knut’s had a tragic inevitability. Had the Berlin Zoo not raised him in an incubator and hand-reared him after his mother Tosca rejected him, he would have died. And, let’s face it, he was unfeasibly cute even by polar bear cub standards. If he hadn’t been, Berlin tabloids wouldn’t have got the celebrity circus going by publishing photos of him.

The pictures showing him chewing on a toilet brush, sleeping in his box with his cuddly toys, lying on his back with his paws in the air or standing up with his little tongue hanging out and holding onto the hands of Dörflein, his devoted surrogate parent and friend, were irresistible.

Kill Cute Knut?

When a wildlife expert demanded he be put down to spare him the behavioural problems he would suffer from hand-rearing, the public uproar was predictable, and the bear came a decisive step closer to superstardom. Kill cute Knut? Murder this furry little ball of fun? Are you nuts? Although the call had never been taken seriously, the stories got international attention.

By the time Knut was presented to the public, his celebrity was already feeding on itself, and a roller-coaster life of glamour and fame beckoned for the unsuspecting cub.

He soon featured on the cover of Vanity Fair magazine with Leonardo di Caprio, and spawned a range of merchandise ranging from cuddly toys to marshmallows and expensive porcelain figurines. Berlin Zoo even had to hire security guards to help organize the crowds.

Knut’s relationship with Dörflein, his bearded, bear-like keeper, who slept on a mattress next to his charge, bottle-fed him a special porridge, burped him, rubbed baby oil into his fur and patiently played with him, was highly entertaining and delighted the crowds.

All that summer, Knut made people forget their troubles. This was a sunny fairy tale. The spectacle of man and beast interacting so happily satisfied people’s desire for harmony. Maybe it was an illusion, but it looked real enough. He became an icon of the city. Seeing Knut became part of every tourist’s itinerary, up there with visiting the Brandenburg Gate. Millions came to visit him.

But fate started to catch up with him. His cuteness wore off as he mutated into a chubby bruiser. Dörflein got strict instructions from the zoo management not to go near him any more. Visitor numbers dwindled. Knut started to look lonely in his enclosure. But his diehard fans, many of them middle-aged women who visited him almost daily, remained loyal. And the zoo continued to give him birthday cakes — fish and vegetables frozen in ice — every December 5.

The Death of Dörflein

In September 2008, when Dörflein died suddenly of a heart attack, the story of Knut took its first tragic turn. Would he cope with the loss of his friend? Was Knut’s life blighted? Would he come to a sticky end himself, like so many child stars who can’t cope with their fame in later life?

Attempts to get him to make friends with a female polar bear, Gianna, who joined him in his enclosure for a few months, met with mixed success. She would swipe his snout and steal his food, but they seemed to get on all right by the time she returned to her zoo in Munich.

In 2009, Knut fans in Berlin mounted a successful campaign to force the zoo to abandon a plan to move Knut to another zoo.

Then in 2010, he was moved to a bigger enclosure with three older female polar bears, including his mother Tosca. Knut’s fans said he couldn’t cope with the bullying that ensued. The cause of his death has not been established yet, but animal experts and fans say it could have been an epileptic fit brought on by stress.

“He wasn’t happy here. They kept snarling at him and pushing him into the water,” Annemarie Bürger, a pensioner who came to see Knut every week, told SPIEGEL ONLINE at Berlin Zoo on Sunday, in between sobs. “He died much too soon.”

Another mourner, Roswitha Klekotta-Last, said: “He’ll be reunited with Dörflein up there now. That’s a bit of comfort.”

In Memory of a Bittersweet Tale

Berlin Zoo, understandably, had tried in recent years to treat Knut like any other polar bear. But the strange circumstances of his life had made him unique. That contradiction may have — inevitably — contributed to his early death.

What remains? Berlin Zoo has said it may have Knut stuffed, but his supporters find that idea unbearable.

There has never been an animal burial at Berlin Zoo, and simply incinerating him like any other animal would seem deeply inappropriate given what Knut has done for the zoo, for Berlin and for raising the awareness of the plight of polar bears in the face of global warning.

Whatever happens to Knut’s remains, the city should put up a monument in his honour, large and prominent, to remind visitors for decades to come of the bittersweet tale of an innocent bear who enchanted millions.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,752537,00.html

Preliminary Autopsy Results

Knut May Have Died of Brain Disease

AFP

The tragic death of Knut, the world-famous polar bear, may have been caused by brain problems, the Berlin Zoo said on Tuesday following the release of preliminary findings of his autopsy. The zoo plans to erect a memorial in his honor.

The sudden death of Knut, the celebrity polar bear, may have been caused by a brain disease, the Berlin Zoo said on Tuesday following an autopsy.

“The first results of the examination found significant changes to the brain, which could be regarded as the reason for the sudden death of the polar bear,” the zoo said in a statement. “The pathologists didn’t find any changes in other organs.”

Berlin’s Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research will take several more days to complete bacteriological and organ tissue tests, the zoo said. No further details were immediaterly available. Knut had collapsed on Saturday afternoon after suffering what eyewitnesses said appeared to be an epileptic fit.

He fell off a rock into the moat surrounding his enclosure and drowned before zookeepers could reach him. Hundreds of visitors witnessed the tragic spectacle.

The polar bear was hand-reared at the Berlin Zoo after his mother rejected him shortly after his birth on Dec. 5, 2006. Fans around the world are mourning his death.

Zoo director Bernhard Blaszkiewitz has denied accusations by animal welfare organizations that Knut died of stress caused by being forced to share his enclosure with three other polar bears. Knut fans say he was often bullied by the older females, including his mother Tosca.

Monument to Knut

The president of the German Animal Welfare Federation, Wolfgang Apel, said the zoo had been too eager to get Knut to mate with the females. Having to share enclosures was “pure stress” for polar bears, which are accustomed to living alone in the wild.

Berlin Zoo will erect a monument in Knut’s honor, said Thomas Ziolko, the chairman of the Friends of the Berlin Zoo. “Knut will live on in the hearts of many visitors, but it’s important to create a memorial for coming generations to preserve the memory of this unique animal personality,” he said.

The sculpture will be financed through donations. Blaszkiewitz said on Tuesday that the sculpture might depict Knut in his heyday — as the polar bear cub who enchanted so many people. Knut may also be stuffed and put on display in a Berlin museum.

Video of his last sad moments: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_XNSobxPzs

Filed under: GENERAL NEWS - International / National / Regional, LETTERS, PHOTOGRAPHS - **WARNING** (Animal Suffering), ZOO(S) | Leave a comment »

Serbia: URGENCIJA na Prijavu 13.2.2011. ; Dopuna ktr 92/2010 od 17.2.2010.

Posted on March 5, 2011 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)

URGENCIJA

4.3.2011.

EPAR-OIPA SRBIJA/Alijansa za zastitu prirode,prava zivotinja i prava ljudi
24000 Subotica,Matka Vukovica,9

—– Forwarded Message —-
From: epar <epar@yunord.net>
To: vetinsp@eunet.rs; PU Subotica <pusubotica@open.telekom.rs>; ojtsubotica@open.telekom.rs
Sent: Sun, February 13, 2011 10:13:39 PM
Subject: Prijava 13.2.2011. ; Dopuna ktr 92/2010 od 17.2.2010.

Osnovno javno tuzilastvo, Subotica

PU Subotica

Rep.veterinarska inspekcija,Subotica

13.2.2011.

Prijava:

zlostavljanja velikog broja zivotinja u prihvatilistu u Subotici , Titogradska ,53 , u prihvatilistu Segedinski Put 88, Subotica i prihvatilistu za privremeni smestaj pasa i macaka Ganjo sor 134, Subotica i ubijanja velikog broja napustenih pasa i macaka u prihvatilistu za privremeni smestaj: Ganjo sor 134 u suprotnosti s zakonom, kao i manipulacije s dresurom pasa .

Prijava je u atachmentu .

Osnovno javno tuzilastvo, Subotica

PU Subotica

Rep.veterinarska inspekcija,Subotica

13.2.2011.

Prijava:

zlostavljanja velikog broja zivotiunja :

– u prihvatilistu u Subotici , Titogradska ,53 ,

– u prihvatilistu Segedinski Put 88, Subotica i

– u prihvatilistu za privremeni smestaj pasa i macaka Ganjo sor 134, Subotica i

ubijanja velikog broja napustenih pasa i macaka u prihvatilistu za privremeni smestaj: Ganjo sor 134 u suprotnosti s zakonom

zbog

neispunjavanja zakonskih obaveza gradske uprave- odgovorna lica: g.Matilda Seker I g. Suzana Dulic i JKP `Cistoca i zelenilo`, Subotica- odgovorno lice g. Vlado Dragin , koji su po Zakonu o veterinatsrstvu i Zakonu o dobrobiti zivotinja : duzni omoguciti zbrinjavanje u prihvatilista : svih napustenih pasa na svojoj teritoriji – bez ubijanja.

Cinjenica da je gradska uprava Drustvu Subotica – predsednik g. Nebojsa Mihajlovic I Drustvu Prijatelj- predsednik g. Branka Bojanin , odlucila davati : 10 000 dinara mesecno, besplatan transport hrane za zivotinje iz Topika, Backa Topola, besplatno odnosenje tecnog i cvrstog smeca iz azila , nije sve sto obuhvata zakonito zbrinjavanje I potrebe napustenih pasa nepoznatih vlasnika suboticana , cije zbrinjavanje je zakonska obaveza jedinice lokalne samouprave i firme koja je tim poslovima od strane gradske uprave zaduzena i placena ( cak i u periodu od 2.9.2004. do 3.5.2006. kada ta firma nije obavljala ove poslove, bila je za njih uredno placena , mesecno po 450 000 dinara ) .

Zbog nepostupanja g. Matilde Seker , g.Suzane Dulic – odgovornih lica iz Gradske uprave Subotice ,i g.Vlade Dragina- direktora JKP~Cistoca i zelenilo`, Subotica , po vazecim zakonima preko 700 pasa koji zive u prihvatilistu za zbrinjavanje napustenih pasa u Subotici, Titogradska,53, oko 100 pasa koji zive u prihvatilistu Subotica, Segedinski Put 88 , izlozeni su zlostavljanju od strane organizacija kojima je obecana `gradska pomoc` , a nije im data u odgovarajucoj formi .

Ovde se ne radi o gradskoj pomoci organizacijama nego o ispunjavanju zakonske obaveze grada prema napustenim psima i mackama : zbrinjavanje napustenih pasa nepoznatih vlasnika ,koju Grad Subotica , nezakonitim postupnjima godinama izbegava ,pristupa nezakonitom ubijanju uz pomoc veterinarske sluzbe g. Grge Tikvickog , mada Grad Subotica izdvaja milione dinara koji su namenjeni zbrinjavanju napustenih pasa i macaka u Subotici .Grad je do 18.juna 2010. postupao po nezakonitim Opstinskim odlukama ( Odluka Ustavnog suda Sl.gl.RS 9/2010 u vezi :Sl list Subotice br 63/2003 i 33/2008. ) a i najnovija Opstinska odluka Subotice Sl list Subotice 6/2010, po kojoj se vrse ubijanja- koja su nazvana komunalnom delatnoscu , najmanje jedanput mesecno – nije saglasna Zakonu o veterinarstvu ni Zakonu o dobrobiti zivotinja )

Istovremeno Grad finansira masovno ubijanje pasa i macaka u prihvatilistu za privremeni smestaj napustenih pasa i macaka u Ganjo sor 134, mada je ovo ubijanje zabranjeno ( Zakon o veterinarstvu, cl 46., Zakon o dobrobiti zivotinjas cl.7, tacka 3 , i lisavanje kucnih ljubimaca zivota je dozvoljeno samo pod uslovima definisanim clanom 15. tacka 1, 2, 5, i 9 Zakona o dobrobiti zivotinja, a ne i tackom 6 ovog clana koja se odnosi na divlje zivotinje u zarobljenistvu, jer kucni ljubimci se ne pustaju `na slobodu` , njih je clanom 7. tacka 2 Zakona o dobrobiti : zabranjeno napustati ,izbacivati na javne povrsine ) .

Zahtevamo da organi kojima ovu Prijavu dostavljamo postupe u skladu sa vazecim zakonima Rep Srbije i omoguce sankcionisanje pocinitelja zlostavljanja i ubijanja velikog broja zivotinja.

EPAR-OIPA SRBIJA/Alijansa za zastitu prirode,prava zivotinja i prava ljudi
24000 Subotica,Matka Vukovica,9

Zastupnik: Prim.mr.sci.dr.med.Slavica Mazak Beslic

Filed under: GENERAL NEWS - International / National / Regional, LETTERS, SERBIA (Central Serbia: Capital - Belgrade) and (Serbia | Leave a comment »

India: A GLOBAL Appeal To Support the Establishment of a ‘Dream’ Animal Welfare / Veterinary Facility in India. Advice, Equipment and Veterinary Supplies; Anything At All To Help Suffering Animals Greatly Required. Please Contact Your Local and Regional Veterinary Contacts to Ask if They Can Help or Donate Supplies and Equipment to the Ranjit Dream Facility.

Posted on March 4, 2011 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)

Below is a direct copy of an appeal sent to SAV from Ranjit who lives in India.

The bold, underline and Wikipedia data have been added by SAV and were not on the original.

Ranjit has a dream, and we would love to help him work towards that.

This appeal on behalf of Ranjit is especially targeted at EU nations and North American animal advocates.

We ask that all our visitors to this site please contact their local, regional and national animal welfare / veterinary products manufacturers to ask if they have any unwanted equipment or veterinary supplies which they would be willing to donate to this fledgling facility which Ranjit wishes to establish.

Ranjits full contact details are provided at the end of this post. The address which is provided is the address which can be used for the forwarding of any equipment, veterinary supplies or financial donations to help the dream become a reality.

If there are any veterimnary specialists or simply anyone who can provide Ranjit with free help and advice; maybe even their time in India, to help get this establishment up and running, then it would be very much appreciated.

This is a tall order, but Ranjit has a dream to help animals in need.

We must try to support and help him with support and equipment if at all possible.

Please do what you can to rally some support from suppliers and specialists in your area or country.

Please contact Ranjit directly (not SAV) on the address and phone number given below; alternatively please e mail him at:

ranjit.banerjee@gmail.com

Below is a direct copy of the message sent to SAV by Ranjit:

Thank you – SAV.

—————————————

Dear Mark,

Hi. I’m writing to you out of sheer desperation. I live in a small town called Allahabad in India. We, as a family have been avid animal lovers and have always had dogs at home and who are treated as family. there’s no difference in treatment between them and people in our house.

In my country, unfortunately, poverty makes people do things they wouldn’t otherwise. add illiteracy and ignorance to it.. just multiplies the effect. and the fact that there is complete lack of facilities in this city. we can do so much and no more. and I want to change this here.

I have lost dogs due to this very reason – lack of proper diagnosis and treatment thereof. And the death of an old female donkey (which came knocking on our door from some place i have no idea about) due to severe internal complications, has made my resolve of opening a state of the art facility for these poor animals even stronger. I have a decent size family business which gives us more than enough to live life comfortably. And I have no intentions whatsoever to profit from treating animals and being able to save their lives.

I have no idea how to go about it, the cost, who to get in touch with (obviously not the govt. as theres only interference). I have to start with scratch. right from the donations to the land to the facilities.. i know its a mammoth task, but i will do it. im done seeing these creatures without a voice suffer for no fault of theirs.

I’d be grateful if you can help me in making my dream come true. In whatever way possible. Contacts in the US and UK, doctors, machines needed etc.. because theres nothing here.. nothing.. And those who actually care, end up frustrated due to limitations.

I see how beautifully these animals are taken care of in europe and america. the facilities you have.. we humans dont have them in India. At times i feel being born as an animal in this country is the biggest curse.

Sorry for taking so much of your time. I look forward to getting a positive reply from your end. i will do whatever you want me to as long as it helps the animals. Excellent care and treatment for them is all we want. it would bring the greatest joy to see them not die prematurely. to see them alive and well till their last days.

My company doesn’t have a web site, but you can get to know a little about it from the link given: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_H_Wheeler_%26_Co

Link info as follows:

AH Wheeler & Co (P) Ltd, is the largest bookstore chain in India. The chain was founded by Emile Moreau, a French author, and TK Bannerjee, an Indian businessman in Allahabad. AH Wheeler borrowed its name from the then-successful London bookstore, Arthur Henry Wheeler’s. AH Wheeler opened its first outlet at Allahabad Railway Station in 1877. It later spread to have its book stalls in many small and big railway stations in India, especially in the north. AH Wheeler was the one that published Rudyard Kipling in 1888. In 1950, Bannerjee took over the company/ and since then he, along with his grandson Amit Bannerjee have been running the company. After 125 years of its completion, AH Wheeler had a chain of 378 bookstalls at 258 railway stations in the country.

Thanks and Kind Regards,

Ranjit Banerjee

Executive Vice President,

A.H. Wheeler and Co. (P) Ltd.

23, Lal Bahadur Shastri Marg,

Civil Lines, Allahabad – 211 001

U.P.

India

Mobile: +91-9838500243

——————————————————–

E-mail : ranjit.banerjee@gmail.com

Comment:
Dear Mark,
I Cannot thank you enough for putting up my appeal on your website. It’s because of people like you that makes me work harder to ensure my dream comes true.

The over whelming response that I have been getting from people over the last few days has been most gratifying.

For all those reading the post/ appeal put up by Mark, help me help them. they need it more than we do.
Thank You once again,
Warm Regards,
Ranjit Banerjee

Ranjit; it is a pleasure.

I really hope that people everywhere will work to try and ensure you live the dream !

best wishes,

Mark (SAV).

Filed under: CAMPAIGNS - Global Animal Welfare Issues, GENERAL NEWS - International / National / Regional, GLOBAL PETITIONS - Anything Animal, Anywhere !, LETTERS, SHELTER - Information | Leave a comment »

Australia: 20/02/11 – Please Take Further Action on Behalf of the Starving Fraser Island Dingoes by Now Sending an Open Letter (See Below) to the Minister.

Posted on February 20, 2011 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)

*** Feel free to crosspost to the Moon ! *** – Strength in Numbers.

We ask all visitors to our site to please help support the excellent work of the ‘SAVE FRASER ISLAND DINGOES INC. (SFID)’ by sending the Open Letter (copy below) to the Hon Kate Jones MP.

As this is an open letter, and as we have additioally worded below, you simply need to say at the beginning (of the letter) that you fully support and endorse the letter as produced by SFID. Nothing more is required to be done. We suggest to show global support on this campaign, you provide your name and nationality as indicated. This is optional, not essential; but highly suggested.

The letter, containg your name and nationality, should be e mailed to:

sustainability@ministerial.qld.gov.au

Please copy and send the letter as shown below:

———————————————————————————————————-

Dear Ms. Jones;

I fully support and endorse the open letter as produced by ‘SFID’, a copy of which is provided below:

Yours;

Name:

Nationality:

OPEN LETTER

To: The Hon. Kate Jones, MP Minister for Climate Change and Sustainability.

The Fraser Island dingo deserves to be protected, especially in a World Heritage National Park, but it is apparent that the governments focus is the tourist dollar and not the preservation of the flora and fauna of theIsland.

Dingo packs cannot sustain current management practices indefinitely. The demise of the dingo is

inevitable if the Qld. Government continues to ignore the concerns of residents, scientists and researchers.

The practice of ear-tagging puppies under 12 months of age has been determined by “best science” to be detrimental to the pack and to the survival of the animal.[1] If ,as you claim, animals of this age group are the main cause of “incidents” then this only proves that the social structure of the family group has broken down leading to undisciplined behaviour by these juveniles, and also suggests that you are currently culling puppies. These tags cause infections and deformed ears and are totally inappropriate as a form of Identification.[1] Is a tourist actually expected to remember the colour code and correctly recognise an animal?

Research has determined that lethal control (culling ) causes pack disintegration which can lead

to aggressive and dangerous behaviour,[2] but you continue to employ your strategy of seek and destroy after every incident involving a tourist, regardless of the circumstances. Scientific studies consider culling as neither acceptable or desirable for the long time survival of the species.[2]

Research has also proven that hazing causes animals to become more aggressive towards humans – hazing and aversive conditioning can essentially lower the animals tolerance of humans within their territory, especially in a contained habitat like Fraser Island where human contact is inevitable, but this cruel and inhumane practice continues.[3]

Electric collars are another issue of great concern, apart from the acute pain and fear the animal

experiences, it can have a negative affect on the their health, well-being and overall survival and cause abnormal behaviour, such as aggression towards humans,and what happens when a collar becomes defective? The result can be severe burns causing serious physical injury, is this acceptable?[4]

These strategies are seemingly at odds with the governments principle of regarding dingoes as wild native animals and interfering with them as little as possible. The fact is too much emphasis is being placed on dingo control and management and not enough on tourism control and management.

DERM continue to employ these archaic and ineffective practices and by not considering the social stability of this keystone species they are jeopardizing the long term conservation of the Fraser Island dingo. DERM’s constant “interfering” has changed the nature of these once shy and timid animals and it is time your government took responsibility and stop blaming the public, visitors and residents for problems your policies have caused.

We call upon you to immediately conduct a review of the current Fraser Island Dingo Management Strategy and that this review be conducted by independent scientists, researchers and stakeholders.

The latest scientific research in Australia is available to you as demonstrated in the 75 submissions submitted to your department, but you have failed to utilise this information.

You continue to destroy the Butchulla peoples totem and ignore their heritage and knowledge and in so doing will ultimately cause the extinction of the last pure strain of dingo in Australia.

We call upon you to reply to this letter within fourteen days, failing which we shall proceed further with all and any remedies available at law to preserve the future of the Fraser Island dingo.

SAVE FRASER ISLAND DINGOES INC. (SFID)

Ph: (07) 4124 1979

Email: mkrail@bigpond.net.au

REFERENCES:

[1] Dr Ian M Gunn, BVSc., FACVSc. President of the National Dingo Preservation and Recovery Program (NDPRP) Honorary Associate -Dept of Physiology..Monash Uni.. Immunology and Stem Cell Labs, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences.

Dr. John Kingston. B.V.Sc. B.Pharm. Dip. Envir St. Dip. Ag.Econ. Dip.Reg.Econ.Dev.

Dr. Ernest Healy. Senior Research Fellow @ Monash Uni.. PhD in the Department of Anthropology and Sociology .Dip Art and Design 1976; Dip Ed, 1978; BA 1986; BEd 1987 (La Trobe); BA Hons 1989. President.. Dingo Care Network.

http://archive.ilmb.gov.bc.ca/risc/pubs/tebiodiv/live-animal/captml11-02.htm

PDF File:RES004 Marking of Pest Animals used in Research. Date of Issue: 21/02/2007 NSW Dept. Of Primary Industries

[2] Wallach AD, Ritchie EG, Read J, O’Neill AJ, 2009 More than Mere Numbers: The Impact of Lethal Control on the Social Stability of a Top-Order Predator. PLoS ONE 4(9): e6861. Doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0006861

[3]Journal of Wildlife Management 74(1):48–54; 2010; DOI: 10.2193/2008-16.

[4] Training dogs with help of the shock collar: Short and long term behavioural effects. Matthijs B.H. Schilder a,b,∗, Joanne A.M. Van der Borg AA Department of Clinical Sciences of Companion Animals, University of Utrecht, Utrecht, The NetherlandsB Department of Ethology and Socio-Ecology, University of Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands. 23 October 2003.

Assessment of Shock Collars as Non-lethal Management for Wolves in Wisconsin Jason E. Hawley, Thomas M. Gehring, Ronald N. Schultz, Shawn T. Rossler and Adrian P. Wydeven Journal of Wildlife Management May 2009 : Vol. 73, Issue 4, pg(s) 518-525 doi: 10.2193/2007-066

——————————————————————————————————————–

Just in case you have problems with copying the above version of the open letter, a pdf copy can also be found at the following:

Open letter to the Minister.

SFID Montage and web link:

www.fraserislandfootprints.com

FACEBOOK: “SAVE FRASER ISLAND DINGOES”

Filed under: CAMPAIGNS - Global Animal Welfare Issues, GENERAL NEWS - International / National / Regional, LETTERS, The "Serbian Animals Voice (SAV) ALLIANCE | Leave a comment »

Germany: ‘Fox Week’ Letters To Mail To Ministers Asking For A Closed Season On Hunting – Full Details Enclosed – PLEASE ACT NOW !

Posted on February 18, 2011 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)

Innocent Victims of ‘Fox Week’ – and of German Hunters

UPDATE – 18/02/11 – 2230hrs GMT.

‘Fox Week’ Slide Show now released on Youtube.]

To View – please click on:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ar7LUnII54w

As regular visitors to this site are aware, SAV have been working with German anti-hunt colleagues for months to format a campaign requesting a closed season in Germany during which animals such as foxes will not be allowed to be hunted and killed. Ideally, we are asking for a closed season between January and September every year.

Below you will see campaign sample letters written in both English and German.

Can we please ask that you send both letters, but independently of each other, to the German ministers involved.

It is important that both the federal and regional county ministers are made aware that this issue of German hunting is being monitored by animal people around the world. To this end, the beginning of the letter requires that you provide details of your nationality. This is outlined in red; please update to reflect your own personal, national situation.

A listing of the Federal Ministry and the County ministers to which the letter(s) – English and German) should be sent to is provided in the following:

Block List (to which the sample letter(s) should be sent:

poststelle@bmelv.bund.de, poststelle@mlr.bwl.de, Poststelle@mufv.rlp.de, poststelle@stk.hessen.de, poststelle@stmelf.bayern.de, poststelle@tmlfun.thueringen.de, internetredaktion@mlur.landsh.de, info@smul.sachsen.de, poststelle@mu.niedersachsen.de, poststelle@lu.mv-regierung.de, info@bsu.hamburg.de, joachim.bleckwehl@umwelt.bremen.de, Pressestelle@MUGV.Brandenburg.de, PR@mlu.sachsen-anhalt.de, poststelle@mlu.sachsen-anhalt.de

This list is subdivided into individual German regional County contacts should you wish to address each of them independently.

Federal Berlin Ministry: poststelle@bmelv.bund.de

German Counties:

Baden-Wuerttemberg: poststelle@mlr.bwl.de

Rheinland-Pfalz: Poststelle@mufv.rlp.de

Hessen: poststelle@stk.hessen.de

Bayern (Bavaria): poststelle@stmelf.bayern.de

Thueringen (Thuringia): poststelle@tmlfun.thueringen.de

Schleswig-Holstein: internetredaktion@mlur.landsh.de

Sachsen-Anhalt: PR@mlu.sachsen-anhalt.de, poststelle@mlu.sachsen-anhalt.de

Sachsen (Saxony): info@smul.sachsen.de

Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony): poststelle@mu.niedersachsen.de

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern: poststelle@lu.mv-regierung.de

Hamburg: info@bsu.hamburg.de

Bremen: joachim.bleckwehl@umwelt.bremen.de

Brandenburg: Pressestelle@MUGV.Brandenburg.de

————————————————————————

Below is a letter to all German County Ministers of Agriculture and to the German Federal Minister of Agriculture; but excluding Nordrhein-Westfalen, Saarland and Berlin, where developments are underway / closed seasons are already established:

Important Note – some visitors may find it easier to copy the sample letters from the following pdf file, rather than copying directly from the text below.

** Here is the link to the pdf version: **

German Minister letter

Sample Letter – ENGLISH.

Dear Minister,

I am a citizen of *** (include your own nationality here *** .

Animal welfare organisations in my country have alerted me to the fact that foxes and other so-called ‘predators’ within Germany are being intensively hunted by all available means; including traps, den hunts, drive hunts, etc.

This hunting is largely without any annual closed season, meaning that they take place continually for all 12 months of every year. These predator animals are regarded and treated simply as vermin; which they are most definitely not. Often, when they have been slaughtered by hunters, their carcasses are simply dumped into municipal animal disposal units like everyday household rubbish.

One argument used by authorities and hunting associations alike is that hunting foxes, badgers, raccoon dogs etc. serves the control and preservation of small game stocks in addition to preventing the spread of rabies. These misguided claims have long been refuted by substantiated scientific findings.

Current scientific literature proves that predators such as the fox instead actually act as a “health police” and in doing this, they fulfil a vitally important ecological function. Foxes feed predominantly (approx. 90% of their consumption) on mice and other rodents. Predators keep natural habitats free of carrion and, by selecting only weak and ill animals, ensure the survival of only the most healthy, fittest and fast-reacting small game population. A sustained reduction of predator populations through continual hunting is simply not possible. Predators naturally regulate their own population numbers on the basis of an ecologically sound level; if left to their own devices without interference by the human species.

Within hunt-free areas across Europe – and in parts of Germany as well – we are fully aware that the local biodiversity has improved considerably in comparison to areas which still retain hunts. I trust that you agree this is a favourable development which should be both encouraged and fully supported.

Therefore, I ask for your support in the form of a closed hunting season between (at least the period) January to September each year, which will provide a certain degree of protection to predator species.

Important information concerning this issue can be found here: www.schonzeit-fuer-fuechse.de.

Thank you for your attention on this very important issue.

Yours faithfully,

Name:
————————————————

Sample Letter – GERMAN

Sehr geehrte(r) Herr/Frau Minister(in),

ich bin Buerger von (bitte Land angeben / *** (include your own nationality here *** .)

Ueber Tierschutzorganisationen in meinem Land habe ich erfahren, dass Fuechse und viele andere Beutegreifer in Deutschland mit allen verfuegbaren Mitteln (Fallenjagd, Baujagd, Treibjagd) intensiv bejagt werden – und das weitgehend ohne jegliche Schonzeit. Diese Tiere werden wie Schaedlinge bekaempft – das sind sie sicher nicht – und haeufig in lokalen Tierkoerperbeseitungsanlagen wie Abfall entsorgt.

Als Argument wird von Ihren Behoerden oder den deutschen Jagdverbaenden u.a. angefuehrt, dass die Jagd auf Fuchs, Dachs, Marderhund und Co der Bestandskontrolle und dem Erhalt von Niederwild diene und eine Verbreitung der Tollwut verhindere. Diese Argumente waren schon vor 40 Jahren falsch und sind seit langem auch wissenschaftlich fundiert widerlegt.

Die aktuelle wissenschaftlich Literatur belegt, dass Beutegreifer als Gesundheitspolizei wichtige oekologische Funktionen wahrnehmen: Fuechse ernaehren sich zu 90 % von Maeusen und anderen Nagern, Beutegreifer halten die Natur von Aas frei und sorgen durch die Selektion von kranken und schwachen Tieren dafuer, dass ein gesunder, fitter und reaktionsschneller Niederwildbestand ueberlebt. Eine nachhaltige Bestandsreduktion von Beutegreifern ist durch die Jagd nicht moeglich. Beutegreifer regulieren ihre Bestaende auf einem naturvertraeglichen Niveau selbst, ohne dass ein menschliches Eingreifen noetig waere.

Aus jagdfreien Gebieten in Europa, auch in Deutschland, wissen wir, dass dort die Biodiversitaet im Vergleich zu bejagten Gebieten immer zugenommen hat. Ich fordere Sie deshalb auf, sich in Deutschland wenigstens fuer einen Mindestschutz im Form einer Schonzeit fuer Beutegreifer von Januar bis September eines Jahres einzusetzen. Wichtige Informationen zu diesem Thema finden Sie u.a. auf www.schonzeit-fuer-fuechse.de.

Mit freundlichen Gruessen,

Add Your Name Here

—————————————————————————

A listing of the German ‘Fox week’ articles covered by SAV and including many graphic photos of what the hunters do to wild animals, can be viewed at the following:

https://serbiananimalsvoice.wordpress.com/2011/01/28/germany-280111-german-fox-week-latest-pics-links-and-even-a-message-from-jesus/

https://serbiananimalsvoice.wordpress.com/2011/01/25/very-important-please-read-hunting-and-timber-lobbyists-in-germany-may-influence-eu-wide-wildlife-protection-in-the-future-we-must-not-let-this-happen/

https://serbiananimalsvoice.wordpress.com/2011/01/23/germany-update-230111-eu-hunting-court-rulings-the-german-fox-week-and-more/

https://serbiananimalsvoice.wordpress.com/2011/01/20/germany-mass-slaughter-of-fox-week-to-start-by-february-international-appeal-for-aw-groups-to-join-the-german-protest-and-say-no-details-below/

https://serbiananimalsvoice.wordpress.com/2011/01/04/germany-international-animal-welfare-organisations-only-please-support-the-call-for-a-closed-season-on-fox-murder-currently-foxes-can-be-killed-all-year/

https://serbiananimalsvoice.wordpress.com/2011/02/13/germany-fox-week-killings-are-now-under-way-we-have-the-data-for-around-the-last-20-years-please-read-on/

This is a very important campaign to try and provide legislation and new protection for wild animals in Germany.

PLEASE DO ALL YOU CAN TO SUPPORT IT BY SENDING OUT the English and German Sample Letters (as above) to the federal and Regional County Minister (Block) contact listing provided above.

If you dont like images such as these below, then please take action and send out your mails very soon – together we can press for changes to German hunting legislation.

Photos: Typical ‘Fox Week’ Scenes:

Foxes killed by hunters – their bodies are then simply dumped in communal waste collection sites like household rubbish.

Please take action for them – Thank You – SAV.

*** Please feel free to crosspost all the above to your

worldwide groups and campaigners. ***

Filed under: CAMPAIGNS - Global Animal Welfare Issues, GENERAL NEWS - International / National / Regional, LETTERS, PHOTOGRAPHS - **WARNING** (Animal Suffering) | 1 Comment »

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Ireland / China: Please Take Action NOW To Stop Irish Greyhounds Being Sent To China – International Support Especially Welcome For This Campaign. Full Details Below.

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Australia: 20/02/11 – Please Take Further Action on Behalf of the Starving Fraser Island Dingoes by Now Sending an Open Letter (See Below) to the Minister.

Germany: ‘Fox Week’ Letters To Mail To Ministers Asking For A Closed Season On Hunting – Full Details Enclosed – PLEASE ACT NOW !

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