Posted on February 18, 2020 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
Sir Ranulph Fiennes labels trophy hunters ‘bullying bastards’ and calls for UK import ban
Explorer says halting imports would recognise the devastating impact of colonialism on wildlife
Banning the import and export of big game hunting trophies would recognise the destructive impact European powers have had on wildlife in former African and Asian colonies, Sir Ranulph Fiennes has said.
Speaking to the Guardian, the veteran British explorer said hunting endangered species such as rhinos, elephants and lions to keep their body parts as trophies should be viewed with the same scepticism as Chinese traditional medicine in terms of the damage it does to biodiversity.
The 75-year-old explorer, who spent a large part of his childhood in South Africa, has called for trophy hunting to be “stopped country by country” and said efforts to halt the extinction of wildlife around the world were hypocritical while big game hunting was still allowed.
Reflecting on his early years in Cape Town and the influence of the British empire on trophy hunting, Fiennes said: “Just as much as the Belgians in the Congo and the French elsewhere, they unleashed the plague of persecuting animals – not like the locals did to eat, but purely for the pleasure of killing. That started the devastating damage to many, many wonderful species.”
Comparing trophy hunting with the demand for ingredients such as powdered rhino horn in traditional medicine in Asia, he added: “It’s not medically proven in any way. And yes, it goes on. China is particularly guilty, as are South Korea and many other countries in that area.
“You’ve got the empire lot and the weird medical quack lot both going on to this current day and it’s got to be stopped country by country. We can stop it in the UK at least and thereby feel slightly less guilty because of our ancestors.”
Fiennes’s comments come during a consultation by the British government on applying controls to trophy hunting, including a proposal to ban imports, that was laid out in the Queen’s speech. In the wake of the death of Cecil the lion in 2015, France, Netherlands and Australia introduced bans on the import of lion trophies.
Last year, the Guardian revealed lion bones, leopard skulls and an ottoman chair’s elephant leather were among the 74 rare animal body parts legally brought into the UK in 2018.
Under international rules overseen by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), trophies can be moved around the world if they do not affect the survival of a species.
Fiennes said: “Bearing in mind that climate change is helping to remove animals and in 50 years time probably humans as well, now is the time for us to get into a position without being hypocritical.
“We are all hoping that Boris will see that cruelty is what we’re talking about – bullying bastards are involved and people who are vain sticking lovely dead animals on their walls.”
In America, Donald Trump has previously spoken out against big-game trophy hunting despite Donald Trump Jr being a keen hunter. A week-long “dream hunt” with the US president’s son was auctioned off earlier this month at an annual trophy hunting convention organised by Safari Club International (SCI), where it went for $150,000. Another lot offered the chance to shoot an elephant on a 14-day trip to Namibia.
Supporters of trophy hunting such as SCI argue that the practise supports conservation efforts for endangered wildlife. The organisation said it had written to the governments of Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe in relation to the proposed trophy hunting import ban in the UK.
When contacted by the Guardian about the trophy hunting consultation that ends on 25 February, a Defra spokesperson said: “Following the pre-election and Christmas periods, we are extending the trophy hunting consultation by one month to ensure all interested parties are able to have their say.”
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Sir Ranulph Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes, 3rd Baronet, OBE (born 7 March 1944), commonly known as Ranulph Fiennes (/ˈrænʌlf ˈfaɪnz/), and sometimes as Ran Fiennes, is a British explorer and holder of several endurance records. He is also a writer, poet and co-creator of Sir Ranulph Fiennes’ Great British Rum.
Fiennes served in the British Army for eight years, including a period on counter-insurgency service while attached to the Army of the Sultanate of Oman. He later undertook numerous expeditions and was the first person to visit both the North and South Poles by surface means and the first to completely cross Antarctica on foot. In May 2009, at the age of 65, he climbed to the summit of Mount Everest.
According to the Guinness Book of World Records in 1984, he was the world’s greatest living explorer. Fiennes has written numerous books about his army service and his expeditions as well as a book defending Robert Falcon Scott from modern revisionists.
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Posted on February 18, 2020 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
After more than 150 years we have free wolves in the Federal Republic again! The wolf, which was exterminated in Germany and persecuted for centuries, was allowed to return.
If we leave the animals in peace, they will stay with us and will be of great benefit to us.
However, the hunters have a huge lobby, are represented in large numbers in the German Parliament and are best fraternized with the agricultural lobby. Both hunters and animal farm keepers demand that the wolf be shot.
And they did it! Farmers and hunters were able to prevail again.
Last week, the Federal Council approved the law, with passed by the german parliament in December 2019 from the Environment Minister Svenja Schulze (SPD, Social Democratic Party).
According to this law, wolves can be shot in the future if “serious damage” has been caused to livestock farmers, and even if it is not found lets which wolf attacked or killed the “farm animal”.
The wolf should be included in hunting law.
Even in the future, it will be permitted to shoot wolves in the affected area until attacks on herds or individual animals stop – even if an entire rudder thus eliminated.
Image: Brandenburg, Germany
“There is finally legal certainty for hunters who shoot a wolf from a problematic pack”, Dammann said.
However, he demands that the hunters remain anonymous (!!!) This is the only way to protect them from attacks by radical animal rights activists.
If a hunter killed a wolf, “then he will pack that wolf in a vehicle and place it on the verge of a busy road, where the wolf will be found relatively quickly.”
My comment: Shoot? I call it murder.
That would be a license for every hunter to shoot wolves.
That is the aim of the hunters, to shoot the wolves free … nothing else.
They are really criminal, insane killers.
In 2018, 2,067 “livestock” animals were torn from wolves.
1,656 sheep fell victim to the wolves due to poor pasture security.
In 2018, 771 million farm animals died in our slaughterhouses.
23,257 living beings were sheep and lambs.
“The greatest danger to lambs is not the wolf, but Easter”
Since sighting the first wolves in Germany, 1.1 million euros have been compensated for them.
In 2016 there was 682 million compensation for traffic accidents with game.
Is it still safe for us in our forests?
Approximately 40 deaths from hunting weapons in Germany each year.
The number of deads people by wolves in Germany is zero, since they returned in our forests.
There are no problem wolves, there are only problem people. Due to the massive increase in population expansion, the wolf’s natural habitat is being taken away.
(The “favorable state of conservation of the wolf” has not yet been reached – “EU Commissioner Vella”).
And now the killers are demanding anonymity when they kill animals!
Hunters first shout that the wolf needs to be hunted, and now they’re too cowardly to show they shot the wolf?
Then they can’t even boast if they shot a wolf and hang their heads on the wall as a trophy !!
Then why do they want to shoot wolves at all ?!
It’s not just murder, it’s a cowardly murder!
Dear politicians, legislators and other responsible parties! You have be send to your home, to mama or collect stamps, you are not good for more!
What disgrace is it for a nation and its inhabitans that allows the cruel picture of wolves, who are lying dead all around the street?
Poor wolfs: it’s an injustice that you don’t get the right to hunt hunters or similar people.
My best regards to all, Venus
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Posted on February 17, 2020 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
WAV recent posts relating to this issue:
https://worldanimalsvoice.com/2020/02/17/viet-nam-the-recipe-for-coronavirus-mk-2-does-anyone-ever-listen-watch-and-learn-in-asia-it-appears-not/
https://worldanimalsvoice.com/2020/02/09/china-more-chinese-push-to-end-wildlife-markets-as-who-declares-coronavirus-emergency/
https://worldanimalsvoice.com/2020/02/05/italy-oipa-article-the-coronavirus-outbreak-and-animal-welfare-in-china/
https://worldanimalsvoice.com/2020/01/28/chinas-coronavirus-outbreak-will-the-chinese-government-learn-anything-about-introducing-animal-welfare-regulations-from-it/
https://worldanimalsvoice.com/2020/01/26/china-horrifying-images-inside-live-animal-market-feared-ground-zero-for-coronavirus-the-real-question-is-will-they-learn-anything-from-it/
Animal trade in spotlight as China seeks source of coronavirus
Authorities believe new strain of coronavirus came from a market in Wuhan where wildlife was sold illegally
Officials in China are searching to uncover the origin of the coronavirus outbreak, amid heightened scrutiny of the country’s poorly regulated animal trade.
Authorities believe the new strain of coronavirus came from a seafood market in Wuhan where wildlife was sold illegally. The World Health Organization has stated that an animal appears most likely to be the primary source, with experts suggesting it may have been carried by bats, badgers, rats or snakes.
The virus is from the same family of viruses as Sars, which was passed to humans from bats by the masked pam civets, and Mers, which was carried from bats to humans by camels.
Ian Jones, professor of virology at Reading University, said it was likely that the Wuhan virus had also been transmitted in the same way – passed from bats to humans through an intermediate host. “Something in the local area will have picked up this virus and it’s this something that would have been on sale in the wet market,” said Jones.
Though the 2002-03 Sars outbreak, which killed nearly 800 people, prompted efforts to regulate the wildlife trade in China, the tradition of eating endangered wild animals, or using wildlife to produce medicines, remains popular. Conservationists and health experts warn that such animals are being sold in unhygienic and cramped markets, allowing viruses to thrive.
Media reports suggest that about 50 wild animals, including endangered pangolins, were on sale at the market in Wuhan before it was closed at the end of last year. Photographs taken before its closure show snakes, porcupines and foxes crammed into cages. The sister of a vendor infected by the virus told China Business Journal, a state-owned paper, that snakes, ducks and wild rabbits were common at the market.
“The animal welfare part of this is obvious, but much more hidden is this stashing and mixing of all these species together in a very small area, with secretions and urine mixed up together,” Christian Walzer, executive director of the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society, told Reuters.
The environment creates a perfect system to spread viruses, he said: “You couldn’t do it any better if you tried.”
Research published on Wednesday in the Journal of Medical Virology, which used analysis of the protein codes favoured by the new coronavirus, suggested it may have been snakes at the market that passed the virus to humans.
Some argue that the virus is more likely to have been passed on by a mammal. “In my view it’s very unlikely to be a snake because the jump from a reptile to a person is evolutionarily quite a long way,” said Jones, who added that while snake handling is common in the region, he is not aware of any individuals contracting this kind of virus after direct handling of snakes.
Badgers and rats were both cited as possible sources by Chinese government medical adviser Zhong Nanshan. The sale of live poultry has been banned in Wuhan, where all outbound public transport has also been suspended.
Identifying the origin of the virus would not only enable officials to prevent its circulation, but could also allow scientists to understand if the virus has further evolved after infecting people.
On Wednesday, China’s national health commission vice-minister Li Bin told reporters there was evidence of respiratory transmission of the virus from patient to patient. Among those infected are 15 medical staff.
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Posted on February 17, 2020 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
Posted on February 17, 2020 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
Not only is vegan chocolate easy to find, the best brands offer truly exceptional quality. If you’re new to eating vegan foods, vegan chocolate won’t disappoint you.
The first thing you need to know about chocolate is that most of the good stuff is vegan. In fact, most chocolate connoisseurs consider milk chocolate to be an abomination. Dark chocolate is the real stuff.
That raises the question: is dark chocolate vegan? Most of the time it is. Unfortunately, several brands of dark chocolate, including Hershey and Ghirardelli, contain whey or other milk products. So always check the ingredients.
Vegan Chocolate Varieties
When it comes to chocolate, the spectrum of quality is as wide as that of wine. Every brand of dark chocolate that aspires to being taken seriously will list its percentage of cocoa mass on the package. The higher the percentage, the stronger the chocolate flavor, but this also bring more bitterness. Once you reach 80 percent you’re heading into the territory favored by chocolate connoisseurs. Lindt and some other brands even have 90% offerings, which is only for the seriously committed, and akin to drinking Wild Turkey 101 neat.
Dark chocolate might initially seem unpleasantly bitter. If you grew up devouring Hershey Kisses and Nestle Crunch Bars, it may take you some time to acquire a taste for 80+ percent chocolate. Perhaps the best way forward is to start with vegan chocolate in the 70 percent range, and then gradually work your way up to higher percentages.
But if what you’re really craving—chocolate snobs be damned—is the mild flavor of milk chocolate, fear not; three all-vegan companies offer what you’re seeking:
Fair-Trade Dark Chocolate
Much of the world’s chocolate—even expensive gourmet vegan dark chocolate—is produced by exploited or enslaved workers. Fortunately, many vegan chocolate brands carry a fair-trade label. The best resource to learn more about fair-trade chocolate is through this regularly-updated list published by the Food Empowerment Project.
Although Amazon.com has great prices on most products, they fall short when it comes to chocolate. Many of the vegan chocolates they carry are quite overpriced. But they do have a few good deals. Here are the vegan fair-trade chocolates Amazon generally keeps in stock:
Vegan Chocolate Companies
There are plenty of companies that make both vegan chocolate and non-vegan varieties. But more than a dozen companies churn out only vegan products, and pretty much all of these companies are fair-trade as well. Here’s our list.
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Posted on February 17, 2020 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
USA –
Sanctuary Sues Wisconsin City to End Cruel “Pioneer Day Chicken Toss”
Farm Bird Sanctuary is asking the town of Ridgeland to enforce existing animal cruelty laws to prevent Pioneer Day events that see hundreds of pigs and chickens abused for entertainment each year.
Wisconsin-based Farm Bird Sanctuary is moving forward with legal action to end the cruel “Chicken Toss and Greased Pig Wrestling events at the annual Ridgeland Pioneer Day in Ridgeland, WI.
Farm Bird Sanctuary founder Quincy Markowitz filed for an emergency injunction earlier this month in an effort to prevent this year’s events on February 15, asking the town of Ridgeland to enforce the law that states animal cruelty is a criminal offense.
Currently, multiple Wisconsin statutes refer to the handling and care of animals, with violations involving fines or imprisonment. The events, which have been happening in the town of 300 for nearly 40 years, involve a greased pig chase where frightened pigs are tackled by young children, and a “chicken toss” where as many as 200 terrified chickens are thrown into the frigid winter air, one or two at a time, from a rooftop into a crowd of people below.
“No one owes us their body, or their suffering, for human entertainment,” Markowitz told VegNews. “The chickens that live with us bear the emotional and physical scars from being thrown off of a roof in below-freezing temperatures.
We owe it not only to our chickens but to as many as possible to fight injustices against them as best as we are able.” The judge declined to apply the emergency injunction because of the short timeframe, however, Markowitz has been asked to refile the complaint within 30 days to continue the lawsuit.
Additionally, activists and animal rescuers will continue to protest, and nearly 150,000 people have also signed a petition to end the cruel events.
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Posted on February 17, 2020 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
WAV Comment
Some of our recent posts associated with Coronavirus:
They just don’t seem to get the message do they ?
Now we move to Vietnam; animal welfare aside for a second, just look at the state of the container in which the live frogs are being kept; shit black dirt all up the sides; workers taking not one glimmer of any hygiene controls – clothing; gloves, anything. It all looks like a super recipe for Coronavirus Mk2 from where we stand – see the images from the Chinese markets in our links above – notice the commonality ?. Are the Asians attempting to kill off the entire planet or what ? – no; only killing off innocent animals which are being abused for their selfish food fetish needs.
“We also saw the mangled bodies of dead or dying frogs scattered across the market floor – frogs who managed to jump out of these tubs while being sorted ended up squashed under the feet of passers-by or under the wheels of motorbikes speeding down the hectic market corridors. It was shocking.”
‘France is the biggest consumer, eating 4,000 tons a year, but America has been catching up, and they are also popular in Asian cuisine’.
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‘Research shows that the mass movement of frogs for human consumption – often unregulated or mislabelled – also plays a role in ecosystem collapse and spreading disease’.
Watch the disgusting video by clicking on either of the following:
Live frogs are being crammed together in tubs and sold in food markets in east Asia, destined for painful deaths, an investigation has found.
Thousands of the amphibians were filmed being poured into large buckets at street markets in Vietnam, where workers frantically rifle through them, then stuff them into bags for sale.
Animal-welfare experts say the trade is not just “agonising” but also increases the risk of the extinction of the species, as creatures are taken from the wild.
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Studies show the practice also damages natural food chains. And scientists say piling up live frogs in such conditions risks spreading disease among the amphibians.
In a joint investigation by the Moving Animals group and The Independent, bins full of living frogs were found in the seafood section of Binh Dien market.
“They are taken from stacked delivery crates and poured into buckets, where workers frantically grab them by hand to sort them,” said one investigator. “The sorted frogs are then stuffed into a bag, ready for sale – all while still alive.
“We also saw the mangled bodies of dead or dying frogs scattered across the market floor – frogs who managed to jump out of these tubs while being sorted ended up squashed under the feet of passers-by or under the wheels of motorbikes speeding down the hectic market corridors. It was shocking.”
It is estimated more than three billion frogs are eaten worldwide each year, which are mostly caught from in the wild in Indonesia, but they are also farmed. France is the biggest consumer, eating 4,000 tons a year, but America has been catching up, and they are also popular in Asian cuisine.
Fears of falling populations have long been raised, leading France to ban farming and capturing frogs in the country in 1979.
However, the EU still imports the legs of tens of thousands of the amphibians from Asia each year, to the dismay of conservationists.
Activists claim frogs are often “forgotten” in welfare laws. They are “often skinned, and have their snouts and rear legs cut off with scissors or a blade while still alive. Their torsos are then tossed aside in a pile of other bleeding frogs and they endure a slow, agonising death,” according to the Washington-based Animal Welfare Institute.
A 2011 report, Canapés to Extinction, by international animal groups, said scientists had found frogs’ pain perception was similar to mammals’ and when their legs were cut off they struggled “until they reach complete exhaustion”.
Other witnesses have reported that in many cases only the hind legs are used for food, with the body thrown away.
Worldwide, amphibians are already suffering “catastrophic population declines” from interacting pathogens, scientists say. Fungal disease chytridiomycosis is thought to have caused the extinction of 90 species and marked declines of at least 491 others. Globalisation and the wildlife trade have been given most of the blame for the pandemic.
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Research shows that the mass movement of frogs for human consumption – often unregulated or mislabelled – also plays a role in ecosystem collapse and spreading disease.
Wiping out frogs leaves snakes starving and allows disease-carrying mosquitoes to multiply, new research has found.
Until 1987, India was the world’s primary exporter of wild-caught frogs, leaving populations heavily depleted and farmers dependent on large quantities of pesticides to control pests and mosquitoes. Ecologists fear that Indonesia, now the source of more than two-thirds of frogs’ legs in supermarkets worldwide, is heading the same way.
And keeping frogs in such cramped conditions, without water, allows them to succumb to viruses.
Jonathan Ball, professor of molecular virology at Nottingham University, said although the risk to humans was probably very small, there was certainly the risk of spreading disease among frogs.
The 2011 report said: “Due to the mounting evidence that the chytrid fungus and ranaviruses are distributed through frogs traded live, in 2009 the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), specified conditions for handling processed and live frogs (eg health certificates and risk mitigation measures) in its Aquatic Animal Health Code.”
A spokeswoman for Peta Asia said: “Not only is this cruelty and suffering abhorrent, but eating animals – whether it’s frogs or chickens – fuels the demand for live animal markets. The typically filthy conditions of these markets are hotbeds for deadly viruses to multiply and spread. For the good of all living, feeling beings – including humans – they must all be shut down immediately.”
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