University ends cruel use of cats
Following an extensive PETA campaign, Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL) confirmed this morning that it has ended the use of cats in painful and crude intubation training drills and is joining the hundreds of other facilities across the country that teach people to save babies’ lives by exclusively using sophisticated lifelike simulators.
The change in WUSTL’s programme comes just 6 weeks after PETA released undercover video footage of cats having hard tubes forced down their throats in the school’s Paediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) course, offered in conjunction with St. Louis Children’s Hospital. WUSTL was the last facility in the country that PETA knows of that was still using animals for the PALS course.
Following PETA’s recent exposé, TV icon and Missouri native Bob Barker wrote to WUSTL to offer to purchase $75,000 in simulation equipment if the school would end the cruel use of cats. PETA also filed a complaint with the Missouri attorney general alleging that misleading claims that the school made on its website in defence of the course violated consumer-protection laws. PETA’s campaign to urge WUSTL to end its use of cats began in 2008 and has included protests, pleas from medical experts, ad campaigns, and tens of thousands of e-mails and phone calls from PETA supporters.
WUSTL joins Texas Tech University Health Sciences Centre, Naval Medical Centre San Diego, Naval Medical Centre Portsmouth, Primary Children’s Medical Centre, the University of Michigan, Heartland Regional Medical Centre, and many other facilities that PETA has convinced to use modern simulators for intubation training instead of animals.
Perverted UK Prime Minister – Cameron blocked peerage
The Prime Minister shows his real blood lust.
David Cameron blocked a peerage for Ann Widdecombe allegedly because of her opposition to fox hunting, the former Tory MP says. In a new book, serialised in The Mail on Sunday, she says that as a former Minister she ‘had a strong probability’ of joining the House of Lords when she left the Commons in 2010.
The Real Side of Fox Hunting as Supported by the UK Prime Minister Cameron.
Above Photo – M. Johnson (SAV) – associated with East Kent Hunt Sabs (England).
Photo – Daily Mirror
England UK – Badger baiters jailed
3 men from Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside have been jailed after being convicted of badger baiting. Carlisle Magistrates’ Court heard how the three travelled to Cumbria from Merseyside to set a dog in a badger sett near Penrith.
Anthony John Campbell of Hawthorn Ave, Luke Michael Jones, of Heywood Close and Spencer Stubbs, of Larch Ave, had denied the offence but were convicted after trial on May 17. Stubbs was convicted of an additional charge of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal. The court heard how he had failed to take a brown and tan terrier to get medical care despite it having infected eyes.
The 3 were accused of interfering with a badger sett by causing a dog to enter it on or around July 27 last year, at Morton Farm, Calthwaite, Penrith. The court heard that following the incident, a black terrier is in the care of the RSCPA. Spades and a badger tacking device were also seized.
Sentencing, District Judge Gerald Chalk said: “None of you have visited a prison and I have borne that in mind. You have all deliberately travelled to Cumbria to go hunting and placed a dog in a badger sett. “I am sending all 3 of you to prison.” Campbell, Jones and Stubbs were sentenced to 140 days in prison each and Stubbs was also banned from keeping dogs for 5 years. They were also ordered to pay court costs.
UK Badger cull
Somerset badgers will soon find themselves in the sniper’s sights as part of the national cull. Last year a mixture of activism and Middle England’s outrage was enough to see off the proposed cull in Gloucestershire before a single shot was fired. That time the level of public outcry caught the government by surprise but badger activists are predicting a more determined approach from the government this year as despite the flawed science they are determined to push the cull through.
Crucially campaigners were able to de-rail the cull last year before Defra were able to sign up the required 70% acreage in the cull zone. In Somerset though they are already at around 90%, so the moment when activists will have to confront shooters is growing closer.
Theoretically the cull could start as early as June 1st – as that’s when the necessary licenses start. Currently anti-cull activists are predicting that the shooting will start in Somerset in mid-July but warned that “the situation is fluid and unpredictable”. The resources required – policing, trained marksmen etc to cull 70% of the badger population in an area are significant enough to make a simultaneous cull in both zones unlikely but possible.
If either of the cull zones pull out due to farmers withdrawing their consent for shooting on their land Defra have organised a back up cull zone in Dorset. There are many groups opposing the cull, but the ones gearing themselves up for direct action are Stop the Cull and the Hunt Saboteurs Association. The best way to get into the cull zone and be effective is to hook up with your local sab group.
Once in the zones, suggested activities include: Sett surveying – a knowledge of exactly where the badgers are will be vital to disrupting the cull. This is one where you’ll need to hook up with an expert first, but once you know the signs are obvious. Stop the Cull will be maintaining a database of all the setts. Ribbons – Just letting farmers know that pro-badger types have been out and about on their land is useful – it’s been suggested that activists leave black and white ribbons or paper around the place.
Watching for signs of pre-baiting. – In order to get a clear shot at the badgers the gun teams are likely to start pre-baiting areas around the setts with peanuts up to 3 weeks before shooting starts. Peanuts are typically buried near sett entrances initially before being spread further afield in order to get the badgers habituated to foraging in certain areas making them an easier target. This will probably be the clearest sign of where shooters are intending to operate.
The Somerset cull zone particularly is dominated by the pheasant shooting industry. One huge estate in the cull zone Chargot , a vital participant in the cull, boasts its own helicopter pad for the wealthier brand of bloodsports enthusiast. In order to make sure that there are enough birds to be gunned down on any given day the pheasants are kept in pens near the ranges.
It’s these pens that Stop the Cull are asking activists to monitor. They want photographs and locations of the pens – they also need people to leave luggage tags with their web address on the pens www.stopthecull.net/pheasant SchNEWS
UK – Prosecute badger killers says Prof Linzey
Above: The Brilliant Animal Advocate – Professor Andrew Linzey, Theologian at Oxford University
Below – just 2 of his many books on AR
The RSPCA should prosecute those involved in the mass killing of badgers says leading animal ethicist, Professor Andrew Linzey a theologian at Oxford University.
“The planned killings — erroneously called “culls” — which are planned to take place on 1 June are utterly bereft of scientific or ethical justification”, says Prof Linzey. “In the history of animal protection, we have witnessed many attempts to fool the public but none more concerted or ridiculous than the proposed killing of thousands upon thousands of badgers. In less than a week’s time government paid guns (David Cameron et all) will shoot free running badgers which will undoubtedly cause suffering.
The RSPCA and other animal welfare organisations should bring test cases to demonstrate the cruelty involved and the perfidity of the government’s justifications.”
“The Animal Killing Secretary of State for the Environment, Owen Paterson, has shown himself incapable of reflecting either the views of the Commons (which has voted overwhelming against the “cull”) or the majority of public opinion.
He should resign to make way for someone who understands the nation’s concern for the proper treatment of animals. “The only solution to bovine TB is the vaccination of cows and/or badgers. Everything else is dross and detail.”
Animal Killing Mates Through and Through – Owen Patterson and David Cameron
Dover, Kent, England – Live Exports
The RSPCA is seeking permission for its inspectors to be allowed into Dover port to monitor live exports. Live exports resumed from the Port of Dover in Kent in May, after previously sailing from Ramsgate for over a year, but RSPCA inspectors have not been granted permission to enter the port. The RSPCA said it had received no response from the Dover Harbour Board to its request for permission to “safeguard the welfare of the animals”.
2 sailings, 2 lorries.
Yes, one lorry per sailing. First shipment comprised of sheep and the 2nd of calves. Don’t think any of us need an economics degree to work out how that could be economical – unless something else is going on of course.
Above: A Calf carrying Transporter Boards the ‘Joline’
Below: Anti Export Protestors Voice Their Disgust at the Trade
Australian live exports trade is facing further scrutiny
The Australian live exports trade is facing further scrutiny with fresh allegations of cruelty, this time concerning Australian goats and cattle in Malaysia. Already reeling from footage of Australian cattle being brutally slaughtered in Egypt, footage has emerged of goats being stuffed into sacks and put in the boot of a sedan in Malaysia. Animals Australia has again embarrassed the Federal Government by releasing shocking footage of cruelty against cattle exported live from Australia. How many reports of terrible cruelty meted out to defenceless creatures does the government need to see before this disgusting practice of shipping live animals is totally banned?
Australian vets sent by the Government to inspect the abattoirs in Egypt have found one of them was below international animal welfare standards. The vets have been working with Egyptian counterparts to inspect the Ismaila and Ain Sokhna abattoir facilities since May 15, after footage of cattle being stabbed at and mistreated was leaked to the ABC.
Illegal camel transports
The Haryana government has directed all the district magistrates and superintendents of police in the state to check the illegal transportation of animals and ensure the strict implementation of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960. A spokesman for the Home Department said it had been noted that a large number of camels were being transported from Rajasthan to Uttar Pradesh and other states via Haryana for illegal slaughter. The inhumane manner in which these animals are transported clearly violates the provisions of the Act and such a practice should be stopped with a firm hand while following the provisions of the law, he added. He said the police and the district administration, along with other agencies involved in protecting animals’ rights, had been asked to take all necessary actions to prevent this. The district heads of police would also send periodic reports regarding the action taken with regard to animals being transported in a manner violating the law.
Dutch Meat Wholesaler Sells Horsemeat As ‘Beef’
A Dutch meat wholesaler, Willy Selten, has been arrested for allegedly selling 300 tonnes of horsemeat as beef, officials say. Mr Selten, who owns meat wholesaler Willy Selten BV, was arrested with the company’s interim director. The public prosecutor said they were suspected of false accounting and fraud. BBC News. 23 May
A horsemeat company regularly mixed horse in with beef, say Polish workers. “Everything passed through my hands: beef, horse, old meat that stank, sometimes even ‘fresh’ meat but it wasn’t exactly fresh … Yes, I cut horse. I suspected there was something wrong but I just did what I was told to do,” Jan Kowalski said.
Horse Testing
The Food Standards Agency (UK) explored the idea of testing all horses slaughtered in the UK months before the horsemeat food crisis began in January. But the agency was concerned that the costs of extra testing would cause every horse abattoir to close down. Without the tests, it is likely that meat tainted with phenylbutazone continued to enter the food chain.
Live Poultry Markets
On May 15th I stumbled upon a live poultry market in Chicago while on a bike ride. And I decided to have a look. I posed as someone interested in having a business like theirs and asked if I could take some photos. They agreed. I then just let the video roll. What I found was even worse than I would have imagined.
Chickens have evolved from their tropical forest home to a human-fabricated hell on earth. Here are some of my key findings: Chickens crowded into filthy, faeces-caked cages on top of each other. Those on the bottom were sickly and immobile. Other chickens visibly terrified, depressed, sick and suffering, as well as vocalising in distress Birds jammed through kill cones who had their necks cut and were being bled, some still thrashing and screaming when I arrived blood, faeces and feathers splattered all over the walls and floors.
One infant chicken drinking the dirty water off the kill floor. “Frankenbirds” (the same you see in factory farms) – just weeks old, still chirping, yet fattened up into adult bodies, awaiting slaughter Live poultry markets like this are in US backyards and neighbourhoods. They are marketed as the “buy local, sustainable, free range, pasture-raised and organic” alternatives to factory farming. And they all subject the birds to the same miserable existence and violent death. Robert Grillo Free from Harm http://freefromharm.org
Burning monk protests cattle slaughter
A Buddhist monk has suffered serious injuries after setting himself on fire to protest against the slaughter of cattle for meat. Sri Lankan police said the monk set himself on fire near the famed Temple of Buddha’s Tooth Relic in the central town of Kandy. The monk was brought to Colombo National Hospital in the capital with serious injuries. Buddhism, Sri Lanka’s state religion, opposes the killing of any life. Nearly 75% of Sri Lankans are Buddhists. Many Buddhists in Sri Lanka eat meat, but most avoid beef because they consider cows sacred
Whales to be slaughtered for dog food
Fin whales are giants of the sea. But soon, over 180 of this endangered species are set to be slaughtered by a tycoon and his buddies whose summer hobby is to harpoon them, chop them up and ship their meat through the Netherlands to Japan for dog food! There is one way to stop the hunt before it starts — you can’t dock a boat full of illegal whale carcasses just anywhere. German and Finnish authorities have shunned the shameful trade. Now, the Dutch are the linchpin.
They care deeply about their reputation as environmental leaders, and are hoping this bloody trade won’t get any global attention. But if we expose it now and demand the Dutch authorities refuse the transfer of whale meat in their port, we can stop the whale massacre! We have to act fast — the whaling ships are due to start the hunt in days. Sign now and tell everyone to join — let’s build a 1m strong campaign to Prime Minister Mark Rutte warning him that we will create a media storm unless he stops the transfer in Dutch docks: www.avaaz.org/en/days_to_stop_the_whale_slaughter_global/?bZHVcab&v=25263
Pig farming in Italy
A recent investigation by Compassion in World Farming into intensive pig farming in Italy has uncovered shocking animal cruelty.
Following our previous investigation into Spanish pig farms, CIWF visited 11 farms in Italy.
On every single one we found the EU Pigs Directive, designed to protect the welfare of pigs, being blatantly flouted. We believe these farms to be representative of the massive Italian pig industry – which means up to 13m Italian pigs could be enduring these terrible conditions every year.
Our investigation exposed: Pigs living in completely barren environments, housed on bare concrete with nothing to satisfy their inquisitive minds; Pigs with tails routinely docked – a painful mutilation used to prevent tail-biting, which can occur when pigs are forced to live in barren conditions. Pigs left sick or injured. On one farm a pig was so severely wounded from fighting that it had died.
Please go to the CIWF website and sign the petition calling on all EU Agriculture Ministers to ensure that the EU Pigs Directive is fully enforced.
Chinese circus cruelty
The shocking extent of animal rights abuses in China’s zoos is laid bare in a series of pictures that have emerged from the country, taken by a British tourist. They show bears, monkeys, lions and tigers all being forced to perform circus acts for the watching crowds.
A panda and an ape are also shown lying motionless in their small cages at the animal park in Shijiazhuang, a city to the south east of capital Beijing.
The man who took the pictures, Nick Hopkins from Swansea, said: “I can only describe the way the animals were treated as horrific. “There were monkeys made to walk on stilts and riding bikes. Bears were dragged to the ring via a chain through their nose and also rode bikes. “There were tigers and lions forcefully made to perform tricks, with one poor tiger forced to walk on a large ball. “They were even poked in the eye with a large stick until they performed the desired trick. “And one lion had to lean on the side of another to support its head.”
A spokesman for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said: “These photos show the grim reality of everyday life for animals who are beaten and forced to perform. “In the 21st century, it is unacceptable for wild animals to be denied everything that is natural and important to them, confined to cages or boxcars and dragged around the country and forced to perform demeaning and painful tricks for human amusement. “It’s time for animal abusers to pack their bags and say goodbye to wild-animal circuses. “For the sake of the animals, the show must not go on.”
The zoo is also ignoring the advice of the animal Asia foundation, who reported on it in 2010 recommending an “immediate end to the use of animals in animal performances and suitable homes found for performing animals”. Nobody from the Shijiazhuang Zoo was available for comment. Nick Hopkins donated his fee for this story to PETA.
2 brown bears released into a special sanctuary
2 brown bears have been released into a special sanctuary near Kosovo’s capital, Pristina, after being rescued from a 20sq m cage where they had been held almost all their lives to amuse visitors at a restaurant. Ari and Arina, both 10 years old, were taken to their new home by the international animal charity group Four Paws, which helped sedate and transport them.
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Serbian Animals Voice (SAV) 