Mali has been held in a barren pen at the Manila Zoo for 40 years. Decades spent pacing back and forth on a concrete floor have left her with potentially fatal foot problems. Boon Lott’s Elephant Sanctuary in Thailand has offered Mali a place where she can roam freely, receive the medical care she needs, and interact with other elephants. But the Manila Zoo has refused to let her go.
Elephants in the wild spend up to 18 hours a day walking on grass, soil, dirt, and mud. There is no way that elephants living in places like the Manila Zoo are able to get enough exercise to prevent cracked nails, overgrown cuticles, cracked pads, and arthritis.
When captive elephants develop foot and joint problems, it is imperative that they get care immediately before their wounds become infected. Mali has not received the appropriate foot care in the entire time that she has been held at the Manila Zoo. Elephant experts who have observed her recently now fear for her life.
Mali has spent 40 years alone and in pain at a facility that has done nothing to help her. Together we must speak out to make sure she spends her last years in a place that will nurture her back to health, provide her with a natural habitat, and expose her to the company of other elephants.
Posted on April 6, 2017 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
Dear Mark
I recently sent you an urgent appeal on behalf of Amy the orangutan. We found her chained by the neck, all alone in a small wooden crate with nothing but an old rag for comfort.
Our medical team were deeply concerned when they first saw poor Amy. She seemed to have completely given up on life.
Her legs were so bent that when our rescue team led her away from her wooden prison she struggled to walk with them.
Amy has undergone a second health check at our Orangutan Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre in Borneo, where the vets took x-rays of her legs to try to establish why they are so bent. The results showed that the bone is healthy and there are no fractures or bullets lodged in them. So the problem must have been caused by the long years in captivity which have affected the growth of her bones and her muscle development.
Only time will tell whether the damage can ever be repaired.
Thankfully, the vets’ latest report shows that Amy is making progress. She is taking an interest in her surroundings and playing with the leafy branches she is given as enrichment. And she no longer seems so sad and depressed which is encouraging news. But she still has a long way to go on her road to recovery. If you would like to make a gift today towards Amy’s treatment and rehabilitation, your donation will be gratefully received and put to immediate good use by the team of vets and keepers who are caring for her.
Thank you in advance for whatever you can give.
Yours sincerely
Alan Knight OBE Chief Executive of International Animal Rescue
Posted on March 28, 2017 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
Well here we are in the week when (on Wed 29/3) the UK Prime Minister Mrs. May goes to Brussels and formally presents the EU with Article 50 – the formal declaration that the UK is going to leave the EU.Many of us are very happy about this – the UK will get its independence back from the shackles of ‘do nothing’ Brussels, and all our laws will be changed and re vamped into better UK laws by British MPs in the UK House of Commons – not by un-elected self important; the ‘do nothings’ at the EU in Brussels.
On the animal welfare front already there are many national groups within the UK who are pushing the UK government hard for updated and better legislation when we formally quit the EU.Something we have said all along – when we go it alone; animal legislation will get better than the false promises made under useless legislation in Brussels.Article 50 presentation then gives the EU and the UK TWO YEARS to hold very important talks and to establish the future trade agreements etc which we hope will benefit both the EU and the UK.But the main thing is that we get our own legislation back in the hands of the UK – not with jobsworths in Brussels who always say they can do nothing even when it goes directly against the legislation of EU law.
On the issue of live animal transport which we do know a little about, having been involved for around 30 years; work is already under way to get a complete ban on the export of live animals from the UK.At the moment, hands have been / are being tied by the ‘we cannot do anything’ bunch at Brussels, despite them being presented with overwhelming evidence that the implementation of EU Regulation 1/2005 on the so called ‘protection’ of live animals in transport simply does not work and is not being enforced.This is supposedly the main EU Regulation to ‘protect’ animals on the road.The reality is, it is joke legislation – never enforced and not wanted to be by the Brussels leaders.
Ok, so the situation is if the sand headers at Brussels will not do anything to help animal welfare, then the nation of the UK will.Hence just one of many reasons why we are getting out of the EU, taking back our own control and fighting hard now for a live animal export ban.We hope that by early fighting, new legislation for a complete ban willbe in force under new UK law on the day (in 2 years time) when we formally leave the EU behind and make and enforce our own laws once again.
Here is a link to a report from the very respected Christa Blanke – the Founder of ‘Animals Angels’ – an organisation which specialises in exposing the cruelty of long distance animal transport across the EU and beyond.
Entitled – The Myth of Enforcement of Regulation (EC) No 1/2005 on the protection of animals during transport – the report gives a superb insight into exactly why the EU legislation is simply not even worth the paper that it is written on – and boy have we also not said enough about this over the years?All the welfare froups and their investigators have shown it time and time again – and still the EU refuses to act on the pile of evidence presented to them.
Also, as we have presented so many times in our posts, the EU is, for example, doing absolutely nothing regarding the situation for live animals being exported from the EU to Turkey.Have a look at these videos which show the actual real situation obtained by actual, real investigators; not ivory tower jobsworths sitting behind desks in Brussels:
So; things like the above report go to Brussels; and endless video evidence like that shown above also goes too Brussels; and then what do we get back from Brussels ? – word from Mr Van Goethem and the rest of the dire team that ‘there is nothing they can do’ – they hold their hands up and take no action to enforce the rules, THEIR EU RULES; whilst every day, live animals continue to suffer. On the endless trips of cruelty and despairAnother joke is that Mr Van Goethem claims to be a veterinary – yes, a vet ! – are not these people supposed to look after the welfare of animals rather than dismiss the cruelty that is presented to them ?
The UK getting out of the EU is not going to change everything; but it will show the EU the strength of feeling over issues that they simply dismiss whilst shouting that they can do nothing.If the UK can get out of Europe, take back its own laws and stop the export of live animals; then so can other EU member states.But do they have the guts to do it or will they just keep on obtaining information and being continually met with the ‘we can do nothing’ shouts from the Brussels brigade over the next five, ten years or more ?.
For Brits, this is not good enough – the EU has failed the citizens of the UK when they have presented endless info and petitions etc about the horrors of live animal exports.The EU has ignored the facts.Ok, so now we ignore the EU and we go it alone, making new laws just within the UK and enforcing them.Maybe the EU will learn from this, or will ivory tower EU continue to have its head in the sand as usual, ignoring the evidence and the campaigns for enforcement of ‘EU’ legislation within Europe !
Here is a new link, one of many, that calls to get the UK government to ensure live exports are banned when we formally leave the EU.Please sign and pass on – already we have over 29,500 sigs from UK citizens.Note that this can only be signed by UK citizens, as we hope the issue will be discussed in a UK parliament which represents the UK people.
Posted on March 23, 2017 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
You know who doesn’t wear seal fur? Just about everyone.
No caring person wants Canada’s commercial seal slaughter to continue—which is why 35 countries around the world have already banned imports of seal-derived products and Canadian citizens continue to speak out against the barbaric practice of shooting and clubbing tens of thousands of baby seals to death every year.
Canada is about to turn 150 years old, and to celebrate, we’re calling on its prime minister, Justin Trudeau, to stop using Canadian tax dollars to support the mass murder of baby seals.
Target: David Leyton, Prosecuting Attorney for Genesee County, Michigan
Goal: Seek maximum penalties for those allegedly responsible for binding a dog with tape and beating the poor animal to death.
The remains of a Shih Tzu mixed-breed dog were found days after the animal had been tortured, stomped to death, and left by the roadside. Photos of this shocking discovery appeared on social media after local Sheriff Robert Pickell urged residents to speak up, and called for tougher penalties for animal abusers. Within days, a tip was received, which led to the arrests of a couple living near where the dog had been found. The tip had come from the mother of one of the alleged abusers, who was concerned for the well-being of her grandchildren after learning what had happened to the 7-year-old dog.
Allegedly, one of the abusers, Nathan McCue, had gotten enraged after the dog, Dakota, had urinated on his clothes. What happened next is unthinkable. According to police, it is suspected that both McCue and his girlfriend Jessica Brown proceeded to bind the dog’s feet and face with electrical tape and tied him to a tree. They then reportedly stomped on the dog’s neck and back until he died.
This couple has allegedly committed a disgusting crime against this innocent animal and must be punished, if found guilty. The fact that they had small children in the home is troubling, considering the fact that if a dog’s misbehavior could prompt such malice, one wonders what could have happened to a child who had done similarly. McCue has a prior history of violence, which means he should be considered particularly dangerous if found guilty of this crime.
Too many dogs have suffered in Michigan with too little done in response. Just earlier this month in the same county, a man received a paltry $375 fine after he plead no contest to charges that he had beat and starved his three dogs. This level of leniency is inexcusable, and should not be applied to this case or any other cases of abuse going forward. Please sign this petition to demand that this case be taken seriously and that these alleged abusers get served the maximum penalties, should they be found guilty.
Shocking photos of a dog lying dead and bound with electrical tape that were posted by a Genesee County Sheriff are heartbreaking and difficult to view. The dog in the photos, a 7-year-old Shih Tzu mix named Dakota, had his feet and head bound before he was stomped to death. The reason for this shocking act of cruelty? The dog had apparently urinated on his owner’s clothing.
This inexcusable behavior cannot be tolerated. If the two suspects are found guilty, they must not be allowed to remain free and able to cause more harm to other animals or to their children. If such malicice could be carried out against a helpless animal, one wonders what they are capable for doing to another human being, particularly one reliant on their care.
More must be done to prosecute and punish those who abuse animals in Genesee County. Earlier this month, a man named Lavelle Gulette pleaded no contest to charges he had beaten his dogs and starved them, and was given only a $375 fee.
We cannot allow these two alleged criminals to get off so easily should they be found guilty. I urge you to do all you can to seek justice for this dog so that his death will not be in vain.
Your efforts and actions have hopefully now made a difference:
Animal protection laws promised after Indonesian bear footage goes viral
21 February 2017
Animal lovers are celebrating as Indonesia’s government finally acknowledged zoos need standardised laws on animal care to avoid cruelty.
Footage showing sun bears in poor conditions at Bandung Zoo set the internet alight last month with people around the world voicing anger and sorrow that any animal could be kept in such appalling conditions.
With those conditions not confined to just one zoo, Animals Asia called for legislative change to improve the welfare of all animals at all facilities.
Following months of criticism the Indonesian government appears to have heeded the calls and has promised to standardise captive animal care through national regulation.
It’s a move that could not only safeguard the future of these bears but also improve the lives of thousands of captive animals across the country.
The nation’s Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar told media such legal protection was necessary to avoid future problems and specifically referred to Bandung Zoo where the sun bears are kept.
Animals Asia’s Animal Welfare Director Dave Neale responded:
“This announcement is very promising and exactly what we have been calling for. It clearly shows the government taking the concern of domestic and global citizens seriously and responding to criticism. However, we need to wait for the government to release the regulation before we can comment on the potential effectiveness.”
The world was alerted to the dire conditions of sun bears at Bandung Zoo by local NGO Scorpion Foundation. The charity is partly funded by Animals Asia to expose animal welfare abuses such as this.
Animals Asia Founder and CEO, Jill Robinson MBE said:
“This is very much a step in the right direction for Indonesia and has the potential to change the lives of thousands of animals. We thank the government for listening to criticism and the willingness they have shown to respond and look for solutions. We look forward to seeing the draft regulation and advising where necessary.”
We currently have only a few basic facts relating to this.They include:
It is in a region called ‘Mosorin’ which is to the North of Belgrade and to the East of the city of Novi Sad.
The location is on a meadow type land; and in the video you can see a 3 metre deep hole / pit down which villagers and farmers are supposed to put (dump) the bodies of dead animals.Despite this so called ‘disposal facility’; villagers leave dead animals on the surface ground of the meadow area – as you can clearly see.Dead cattle carcasses are strewn over the whole area. We are talking mainland Europe here, not a desert region in Africa !!
You can also see in the video campaigners from ‘Animal Rescue Serbia’ going down into the disposal pit area to rescue many dogs which have become trapped there.We cannot confirm but we have a very strong suspicion that these dogs are strays which have been enticed into the area by the easily available ‘food’’ source which they can get from the dead cattle.This is an issue which we have been exposing for many years – see a lot more (and almost identical pictures) athttps://serbiananimalsvoice.com/about-serbian-animals/
We cannot confirm, but looking at the footage, rather than the use of the disposal hole / pit for the dumping of animal bodies; everything else (including cardboard, cans litter) seems to be thrown down there !It appears that no cover for the hole / pit exists which could cause very serious injury to both humans and animals especially wandering at night.Is this how the dogs became initially trapped in the hole / pit we ask ? – did they fall during darkness ?
Live sheep are wandering round the meadow area in this video and can be clearly seen.We ask if they are not also vulnerable to also falling into the hole at night, just like the dogs which are now being rescued.Looking at the square access to the ‘hole’ into this pit, there is a lot of dirt on the immediate surface and no visible signs of any cover (in the video) or securing facilities for a cover.Thus we believe that this pit is open at all times.
We think that the stray dogs which fell into the hole may have survived down there by eating the one dead animal in the hole, which can be seen in the video. There is no water access. How did this farm animal get there ? – disposed of as dead or simply fallen whilst alive ?
We understand that the Republic Veterinary Inspection has associated with events here and that they are supposed to be producing a report on this; but we do not hold our breath.We also question if this facility is formally acceptable; as decomposing animal carcasses in the hole (maybe including dead dogs as well as cattle) would break down / decompose and make their way into the water table which could be used for drinking water by humans in the area.
We question also the fact that Serbia is a ‘Candidate Country’ for membership of the European Union (EU).Does the EU find facilities such as this acceptable we would ask ? – hence the urgent need for the official report from the Republic Veterinary Inspection to be produced – which we can then forward on to departments at the EU – making them fully aware as necessary.
We hope to be able to provide further updates to this, but we are unsure at present if the Serbian Ministry will actually take it any further or if this will be yet another situation deemed ‘ok’ and which will be swept under the carpet.
SAV – with full help and information from Slavica.
Comment from Venus:
I don`t know if I would see the same pictures in a desert region in Africa as those from the European region of Mosorin in Serbia.
I have never been to Africa. I know, however, that such pictures were given in Europe 500 years ago. When the people themselves lived in pits. But this is not the issue now. I know with certainty that I would not care if a man falls into the pit. The pit has been made by human hand against animal life. Therefore, I would not care whether a one falls, or the criminals of the village drink contaminated water. First of all, I would be interested in the life and safety of animals living in the area.
I would close immediately this hole dangerous for animals. And I would make a video of it. Because I take over the work of the city, the authority, and that must be documented. I would send the video to the responsible ministry with the reference, I also sent it to Jean Claude Juncker, the President of the European Commission. Not because I expected something from the last. But when the Ministry learns this, hope does not put the matter under the carpet. Why the hole is open is secondary.
The main thing is to close it. For the safety of the animals.
There is a nice Japanese saying: ” Fix the problem, not the blame”.
Serbian Animals Voice (SAV) 