Posted on September 3, 2016 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
Kent dealers and vet jailed over sick horse fraud
Photo – BBC.
Having been involved with live animal export investigations for some 25+ years, we are very familiar with Vet David Smith; as he was one of the principal vets involved with the live animal export trade out of Kent Channel ports going back into the 1990’s. We demonstrated outside of his clinic for many years in the past.
His actions then involving the very quick checks on animals going for export were questioned by some of us; but at the time our evidence and complaints were not listened to. He was a ‘vet’ and we were not; so he was better than us, such was the opinion of Defra (then MAFF).
Well after all these years we have been proven right. Such a shame that Smith was regarded by Defra as some kind of ‘supervet’ for years and years; approving live animal exports at almost every shipment.
Well now we have seen the real side of Smith – but the question is, for how long, and involving what other animals in the past have his actions covered up dirty dealings ?
You could say that finally, justice has been done ! – SAV.
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Posted on September 3, 2016 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
Dear Mark,
Thanks to you and other generous wildlife lovers, we reached our match target of $175,000!
I am grateful beyond words.
Please be assured your generous donations, along with the match funds, are hard at work in the courts, in the field and here in Washington, D.C., ensuring that we leave future generations a world filled with wildlife.
The threats are great. The stakes are high. We can never ever give up.
But with friends like you, I am confident that we can save the imperiled animals we all love.
With deepest appreciation,
Jamie Rappaport Clark
President, Defenders of Wildlife
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Posted on September 3, 2016 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
Somerset & Glos badger culls are unlicenced & illegal.
Information on the seven new areas and authorisation letters for all ten areas can be found on this link.
Whilst you will find the licences for the seven new areas on that gov website link, what you won’t see is the licences for W.Gloucestershire or W.Somerset, both were granted in 2012 Gloucestershires was granted on 17th September 2012 and was valid until 30th November 2015:
W.Somerset licence was issued the following month on 4th October 2012 with the same end date of 30th November 2015
Of course Natural England can extend the licence for an extra period of time to cover this year, but they have issued no such extension.
We must assume until Natural England issue an extension or a new licence that all culling is unlawful, if you find a cage set to trap anywhere in the county of Gloucestershire or Somerset you must assume it is set to illegally trap badgers.
Consider taking it into the police station and reporting the land owner. Better still, just trash it. The same goes for shooters, consider locking any gates with a shooter in the field and reporting immediately to the police.
Unlawful badger culling is a serious criminal offence.
Brian May’s Save Me Trust to Challenge Lawfulness of Badger Cull Licences
“Lawyers instructed by the Save Me Trust have today written to the Chief Executive and the Chief Legal Advisor of Natural England warning them that if any licences to cull badgers are either activated in Gloucestershire and Somerset or any new licences granted for this purpose anywhere, then the lawfulness of the decisions to do so will be challenged by a Judicial Review in the High Court.
BADGERS SET TO BE CRUCIFIED AS NATURAL ENGLAND WASH THEIR HANDS
Natural England have confirmed that they will not consider any new scientific evidence before rubber-stamping new authorizations to cull badgers.
In response to a detailed 12-point scientific challenge from 27 veterinary professionals, which had urged Natural England to examine the science, ethics and probity of badger culling before making the decision to roll out more culls, the acting Chief Executive of Natural England, Guy Thompson, replied:
“We would like to take this opportunity to underline Natural England’s role in the Government’s bTB eradication strategy, which is to support it through the issuing and administering of licences to cull and vaccinate badgers. In carrying out this licensing work we have regard to guidance from Government, which is derived from its bTB and badger control policy and supplementary evidence-based advice from Defra’s Chief Veterinary Officer and Chief Scientific Adviser.”
He added: “Enquiries relating to the Government’s policy, the efficacy of the cull and future roll- out should be directed to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.”
The first author of the letter from veterinary professionals, Dr Iain McGill, said: “Natural England are behaving like Pontius Pilate – washing their hands of their responsibilities whilst badgers are set to be crucified. NE have directed us towards Defra and the Chief Veterinary Officer for discussion of ‘evidence-based’ material, but we have repeatedly challenged the Chief Veterinary Officer and those vets within the profession who support badger culling, to a public debate. This offer still stands, but we quite understand the reluctance of opponents to debate with us in public, given the amount of scientific evidence now accumulating in our favour.”
“I am disappointed that Natural England have not answered any of our 12 concerns, and I have replied to Guy Thompson at Natural England in respect of one of my most serious concerns, requesting sight of the Disease Risk Analysis for the pilot badger culls, which should have been completed before the project commenced, as per recommendations by the OIE (World Organisation for Animal Health) and IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature). Our group will also contact Defra in order to further discuss our evidence-based concerns as he suggests.”
Iain McGill added: “In the absence of either a formal Disease Risk Analysis or an environmental impact assessment, it is hard to see how Natural England can legally issue badger cull licences at the current time. There are so many questions hanging over this policy, not only from our veterinary group, but also from the threat of legal action by Save Me, that the Government really would be better off cutting their losses and implementing alternatives. We stand ready to assist Government or other interested parties in formulating ethical, evidence-based and efficacious dairy policy, which would protect industry, cattle, wildlife and consumers.”
Caroline Lucas MP said: “It’s time for the Government to end the cruel, inhumane and wasteful badger cull. There needs to be investment in evidence-based strategies to tackle bovine TB – including vaccination and improved biosecurity. But instead of exploring these alternatives, and finding humane and effective solutions, millions of pounds have been wasted and we are no further forward in helping farmers. I hope this legal challenge brings an end to the cull and marks the start of serious exploration of better alternatives. ”
Comment:
If a government has interest to keep the farmer Mafia satisfied, then every government turns into animal killers. Because the farmer in England mean that the badgers are to blame for bovine tuberculosis, the government arranges a mass murder. The fact that the disease comes from the mass held cows and not from badgers, is not important for the farmer. He looks for years to the badger as the scapegoat. The government as well.
They have killed badgers for many years now, but the disease is rampant even further.
Actually badgers are among the most popular wild animals in the UK. Most Britons have a heart for badgers from an early age. But just at the farmers out in the country he was never really popular.
As the “sonny boy” David Cameron with the Conservatives came to power in March 2010, he allowed the farmers direct shooting of badgers. Cameron was by tradition on the side of the farmers. The farmers have the costs, the government has taken command of the mass murder. For everyone involved, it was the cheapest way of killing.
Other EU countries such as Germany have defeated the bovine tuberculosis decades ago, without playing the executioner of suspected carriers. Instead, they made regular skin tests and consistent emergency slaughter. The hypocritical method to kill badgers, ostensibly to protect cattle from the pathogen is not new in England. Another new feature is the moral thinking in the UK population. New and strong. The authority has not expected that.
This time everything looks a bit different. New government, many protests, strong support from the wildlife scene.
We hold our breath and the hand of the British activists.
Venus
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Posted on September 3, 2016 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
Indonesian military personnel spray water on a burned forest area at Rimbo Panjang Village, Kampar, Riau, Indonesia on Aug. 6. 2015.
SAV Comment – the greed of man for that thing called ‘money’ is once again destroying this planet. We care that the animals are being killed – consumed by the fires started illegally. Indonesia is now paying the price big time for its lack of controls of the trade and allowing this to happen for illegal Palm Oil production when it should have instead been encouraging tourism to its country for people to see and photograph beautiful animals; many of which are now dead due to Indonesian mans greed. We shed no tears for them – one could argue that they are now getting what they deserve. The animals – they do NOT deserve this. Around for millions of years; destroyed and killed in months because of greed.
Mark,
As we speak, Indonesia is burning out of control. Just two days ago, the country declared an emergency, as hundreds of forest fires swept across the land.
These fires are being illegally lit to make way for palm oil and other plantations, clearing out swathes of forest and carbon-rich peatlands. And with that, critically endangered orangutans, elephants, and tigers are swallowed up.
This palm oil ends up on our supermarket shelves and is in almost everything we consume.
It doesn’t have to be this way. We’ve already made serious inroads: big brands like Starbucks, McDonald’s, Kellogg’s, and a dozen of others have adopted responsible palm oil policies after campaigning by the SumOfUs community and our partners.
But there’s so much more work to do. If we’re going to help stop Indonesia burning, we need to force PepsiCo, Tyson Foods (maker of Sara Lee desserts), and other companies to clean up their palm oil supply chains now. And we can only do this with a commitment from you.
The fires in Indonesia are so bad that the government has ordered schools be shut. Pollution levels are hazardous. Indonesia, as well as its neighbours, Singapore and Malaysia, are now being blanketed in a toxic, thick smog.
Firefighters are working around the clock, and even the military has been brought in to put out the fires.
These fires are not new: they happened last year, and they were the worst on record. Thousands of people and countless animals died; cities across South East Asia were covered in smog for weeks; half a million people were hospitalised; and 1.7 billion tonnes of carbon — equivalent to what Brazil produces in a year — was released into the atmosphere.
We have the power to decide whether history will repeat itself year after year, or whether we put a stop to it now — if you can chip in now!
If you make a donation today, we can instantly ramp up the pressure on companies like PepsiCo and Tyson Foods, using strategic tactics like brand-jamming on social media, on-the-ground organising, and ad buys.
In a few weeks, we’ll be paying a visit to Pepsi’s headquarters in New York, representing the voices of hundreds of thousands of SumOfUs members like you. And if we can raise enough money, we’ll run radio ads in the area so it definitely can’t escape our demands.
When we stand together, we are powerful enough to take on the biggest, baddest corporations in the world. But all of this starts with members like you, making a small donation of whatever you can afford to make protecting Indonesia’s rainforests possible.
Thanks for all that you do,
Paul and the team at SumOfUs
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Posted on September 3, 2016 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
2 important petitions – please sign and pass on to all your contacts. Thanks – SAV.
The owner of a sweet cat named Pippa viciously attacked her and bit her head so severely, poor Pippa had to be euthanized. Video footage shows the insane level of violence this poor cat endured.
In a small town in Spain, baby bulls are thrown into the arena to fight off grown men with swords. These babies do not even have fully grown horns to defend themselves.
Filed under: GENERAL NEWS - International / National / Regional, GLOBAL PETITIONS - Anything Animal, Anywhere ! | Leave a comment »
Posted on September 1, 2016 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
Posted on September 1, 2016 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, September 1, 2016
CONTACTS:
Camilla Fox, Executive Director, Project Coyote – 415.690.0338; cfox@projectcoyote.org
Adrian Treves, Science Advisor, Project Coyote 608.890.1450;
treves@wisc.edu
Research Review Finds that Weak Science has Bolstered the U.S. Government’s Predator-Control Practices
Peer Reviewed Journal Article Vindicates Wildlife Advocates’ Claims against Lethal Predator Management
MILL VALLEY, Calif. Sept. 1, 2016 – From their review of the prevailing research into lethal and non-lethal predator control practices in North America and Europe, an international trio of environmental scientists has determined that the science behind the reviewed research is not very scientific. In fact, the authors of the review- titled “Predator Control Should Not be a Shot in the Dark”- call for a moratorium on lethal predator control policies until researchers adopt higher testing standards. The new findings are being hailed by wildlife conservation groups like Project Coyote, which have questioned traditional predator management policies and practices as carried out by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services program.
The authors of the peer-reviewed article, which appears in today’s edition of Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, a journal published by the Ecological Society of America, are Dr. Adrian Treves, a Harvard-trained associate professor at the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin, Madison; Dr. Miha Krofel, a assistant professor & wildlife researcher in the Department of Forestry at the University of Ljubljana in Ljubljana, Slovenia; and Jeannine McManus, a graduate student at the School of Animal Plants and Sciences at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa.
With little rigorous, scientific testing available, farmers and ranchers have historically relied upon taxpayer subsidized lethal predator control programs to protect their livestock. The authors’ research findings show that scientific studies that have proliferated since the 1970s have disproportionately supported lethal methods of predator management. In an effort to systematically evaluate the totality of the scientific research on lethal versus non-lethal predator management, the reviewers screened all of the relevant research – 500 discrete projects in all. Of those, only two experiments met the gold standard for reliability, as defined by the authors of the review. For their assessment, the reviewers adopted the gold standard currently in force for biomedical research, which requires random assignment to treatment and to control groups. This provides a guarantee against bias and increases the opportunity for strong inference – an essential component of good science.
“We expect backlash from those agencies and individuals who benefit from the status quo,” said Adrian Treves, Project Coyote Science Advisory Board Member and lead co-author of the paper. “Independent scientists serve the broad public interest when they scrutinize the science used to promote government policies.”
The authors point out that it is the research they rejected for non-random assignment, poor methods and other design flaws that has been used by government agencies to make lethal management policy. In 2014, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services (USDA WS) program exterminated 796 bobcats, 322 wolves, 580 black bears, 305 cougars, 1,186 red foxes, and 61,702 coyotes. Wildlife Services reports that across the United States, it spent about $127 million in fiscal year 2014 to kill 2.7 million animals, including 322 wolves. For decades, wildlife conservationists and scientists have condemned the indiscriminate and lethal approach to predator management as carried out by state wildlife agencies and the USDA WS. However, the agencies have justified their actions by claiming that science supports the killing of hundreds of thousands of predators each year, largely at the behest of ranchers and agribusiness.
“This review shows that state and federal agencies are relying on bad science and bad research to justify their use of lethal predator control programs,” said Camilla Fox, Founder and Executive Director of Project Coyote, a national non-profit organization that aims to reform predator management and promote coexistence between people and native carnivores. “We have just received another piece of evidence that killing predators is unjustified ethically, economically and certainly ecologically.”
Read the journal article here.
Watch a video about the article findings here.
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