Posted on April 9, 2021 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
Animal Equality has filed a complaint with the European Commission against Spain, pointing out the incorrect procedures and omissions made by the authorities of the ports of Tarragona and Cartagena, which should have controlled the respect of the minimum standards for the protection of animals on board of the ships Elbeik and Karim Allah.
The ship “Karim Allah” with around a thousand cattle on board docks in the port of Escombreras in Cartagena, Spain, at the end of February.
Animal Equality together with ENPA(Ente Nazionale Protezione Animali) demands that the European Commission verify the correct application of the Regulation on the Protection of Animal Welfare during Transport by the Spanish authorities and, where appropriate, open an infringement procedure if it is found that European legislation has been breached.
At the same time as the complaint, a petition has also been submitted to the European Parliament, in which MEPs are asked to take the measures they deem appropriate to ensure compliance with European legislation on the protection of animals during transport, with special reference to its export by sea from Spain.
If the petition is considered admissible by the corresponding Commission, any European citizen may support it through the online petitions portal of the European Parliament. The odyssey of the ships in the Mediterranean that could be avoided
Cattle on the ship “Karim Allah”, taken on February 24th.
Hundreds of thousands of animals were forced to board these boats, specifically 895 calves on the Karim Allah and 1789 on the Elbeik. The animals were to be sold in Tripoli, but once they were denied landing due to an alleged disease in the animals, the ships were left adrift and thus remained for more than 2 and 3 months.
In both cases, all the surviving animals were slaughtered, while several hundred, both on the Karim Allah and the Elbeik,died on board, being butchered and thrown into the sea.
And I mean...Animal Equality has received these pictures of a dead lamb that has just washed up on Trocadero Beach in Marbella.
It was probably thrown into the sea from an animal export ship.
Despite the ban, the corpses of animals that die on these voyages because they are unable to cope with the cruel conditions on board are repeatedly thrown into the sea.
“These images of dead animals that appear on the shores of our beaches reflect the cruelty of exporting animals. Animals that die in these infernal voyages because they cannot bear the conditions and are thrown overboard, despite being prohibited.
According to EU law, such animal transports are actually not allowed to exist”
(Silvia Barquero, director of Animal Equality).
The mere practice of throwing dead animals overboard in the Mediterranean is a violation of the Convention for the Protection of the Seas from Pollution of Ships (Marpol).
The export of live animals is an important economic pillar in Cartagena.
In the past ten years, a total of two million animals have been transported on 800 ships. Most of them go to Lebanon, Algeria, Jordan, or Saudi Arabia.
Last year alone, 776,000 animals were shipped, a record.
Cattle breeders, transporters, and politicians from Murcia do not want to let their good business be spoiled.
Since February 23, when the Ministry of Agriculture imposed the export ban, over 20,000 animals from Murcia and neighboring regions have not been able to be exported from Cartagena. The ranchers had to move to other ports, such as Tarragona in Catalonia.
That means additional costs of five to six euros per animal, as farmers’ associations from Murcia calculated. Overall, they put the loss at half a million euros. On March 5, the ministry lifted the export ban.
But the port authorities and agriculture continue to rely on the export of live animals, which is a very lucrative business.
In Cartagena, three freighters, “Bruna”,“Nabolsi” and “Omega Star”, are currently being loaded with sheep that are to be shipped to the Middle East.
Spain systematically ignores animal welfare recommendations, but the EU Commission, the well-known agricultural lobby, will most likely not initiate infringement proceedings against Spain.
As soon as this crime is forgotten, the cooperation with their business partners continues.
Ice surrounding Antarctica could be at risk of collapsing if global temperatures increase by 4C, experts warn.
Research from the University of Reading found that more than a third of the Antarctic ice shelf area could collapse and release “unimaginable amounts” of water into the sea.
The scientists said that limiting the temperature rise to 2C could potentially halve the area at risk and avoid a drastic rise in sea level.
The findings suggest that 4C warming could leave 34% of the area of all Antarctic ice shelves – around half a million square kilometres – at risk of collapse.
Ice shelves are permanent floating sheets of ice that connect to a landmass and most ice shelves surround the coast of Antarctica.
Dr Ella Gilbert from the University of Reading said: “Ice shelves are important buffers, preventing glaciers on land from flowing freely into the ocean and contributing to sea-level rise.
“When they collapse, it’s like a giant cork being removed from a bottle, allowing unimaginable amounts of water from glaciers to pour into the sea.
“We know that, when melted ice accumulates on the surface of ice shelves, it can make them fracture and collapse spectacularly.
“Previous research has given us the bigger picture in terms of predicting Antarctic ice shelf decline, but our new study uses the latest modelling techniques to fill in the finer detail and provide more precise projections.”
Dr Gilbert added the research highlights the importance of limiting the global temperature increases as set out in the Paris Agreement, by limiting global warming to below 2C above pre-industrial levels.
As part of their modelling study, the researchers also identified that Larsen C – the largest remaining ice shelf on the peninsula – would be particularly at risk in a warmer climate.
They said other ice shelves facing this threat include Shackleton, Pine Island and Wilkins.
Dr Gilbert added: “If temperatures continue to rise at current rates, we may lose more Antarctic ice shelves in the coming decades.
“Limiting warming will not just be good for Antarctica – preserving ice shelves means less global sea-level rise, and that’s good for us all.”
Posted on April 9, 2021 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
WAV Comment: This is a difficult one to crack. 30 years ago Joanne, myself and Trev took to the streets to get supermarkets in England to stop buying fish from the Faroes because of this slaughter. Shoppers were made aware of the slaughter, but Denmark / Faroes refused t move on the subject. So here we are all these years later and the killing still goes on. The mass mink murderers are also getting satisfaction out of whale slaughter. So much for the EU being animal welfare supportive ! – allowing a member state to continue this.
You can see a picture above of our action on the streets, plus many pictures of the whale murders by visiting About Us. | Serbian Animals Voice (SAV) – scroll down until you come to the bloody photos.
I don’t know what else to say about this really, the petition wording explains more. All we can do is keep putting on the pressure and this action is yet another way of doing it.
Every few months, entire pods of Pilot Whales are brutally and senselessly slaughtered in the Faroe Islands. As many as 1,000 long‐finned pilot whales are brutally killed in the Faroe Islands each year.
The slaughter occurs mainly during the summer months in so‐called “traditional” communal drive hunts that locals refer to as “grindadráp” or simply, “the grind”. More accurately this practice should be called what it truly is ‐ mass slaughter. Like the infamous drive hunts in Taiji, Japan, “the grind” is a blood‐red stain on these otherwise pristine waters.
The purpose of this petition is to call on the Danish Ambassador to South Africa, Trine Rask Thygesen, as well as the South African Ambassador to Denmark, Zindzi Mandela‐Hlongwane, to place pressure on the government of Denmark to stop “the grind”.
The Faroe Islands, although declared an autonomous region, still forms a part of the Kingdom of Denmark. The Faroe Islands may be self‐governing, but they essentially constitute a country within the Kingdom of Denmark. Although the Nordic country does not openly support commercial whaling, same which is banned by the European Commission, it supports the right of indigenous communities in the Faroe Islands and Greenland – which, while part of the Danish Kingdom are not part of the European Union – to maintain what they call their traditional whale hunts. Denmark does this by relying on “Declaration 25”. The declaration refers to member states who have territories outside the EU – as is the case with the Faroe Islands and Greenland – and will allow Denmark not to be bound by the common position of the EU.
It should also be noted that Denmark’s justification which previously exempted it from having to comply with the EU Common Position (see Annex II of Common Position), is no longer valid, as this exemption was based on Declaration no. 25 annexed to the Final Act of the Maastricht Treaty. However, Declaration 25 is not annexed to the Lisbon Treaty, and therefore is no longer valid.
It is argued that “the grind” is done to procure food for the islanders, and forms a part of their “culture and tradition”. This seems to be inline with the Aboriginal Subsistence Whaling (ASW) are contained in paragraph 13 of the Schedule to the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling(ICRW) and allow for “aborigines,” whose cultural and nutritional need for whales and whaling. HOWEVER ‐ evidence has clearly shown that the islanders do in fact, sell the whale meat for commercial purposes. Also, many of the whales are hunted and their carcasses are left to rot in the sea, untouched by the islanders. Inference can then be drawn to support the idea that “the grind” does not fall under Aboriginal Subsistence Whaling and must be opposed by the Kingdom of Denmark, the EU and the IWC.
Lastly, culture and tradition should not promote or condone cruelty. It is the 21st Century, we are aware of the biological workings of all animals. Whales and Dolphins have an increased amount of spindle cells, more so than humans do. Spindle cells, named after their long, spindle‐shaped bodies, are the cells that are credited with allowing us to feel love and to suffer emotionally.
Lori Marino in Whales and Dolphin: cognition, culture, conservation and human perceptions states:
‘Cetaceans and humans, therefore, are a striking example of evolutionary convergence in psychology among mammals. These similarities, importantly, mean that cetaceans, as humans, are vulnerable to emotional and social stresses that can lead to considerable harm. This important point is critical to guiding the ethics of how we interact with and treat cetaceans.’
We, as South Africans, are generally kind, compassionate people who do not support any form of animal abuse. Our coast lines boast the best Whale and Dolphin watching worldwide. Cape Town is an international Hot Spot for viewing of the Great White Shark. We fight the brutal poaching of our rhinos and elephants, boasting the largest game park, the Kruger National Park, in the world. We take our conservation very seriously.
It is important that ambassadors to, and of, our country show this stance and should protest against any such animal abuse, including this barbaric hunt of the Pilot Whales.
Posted on April 8, 2021 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
The government of Isabel Díaz Ayuso wants to reactivate the celebration of bullfighting celebrations within the community, subsidizing with around one million euros for the Toro de Lidia foundation, which will organize a ‘tour’ of nine bullfights and nine novilladas (bullfights with young bulls)
The president of the Community of Madrid and PP candidate for re-election, Isabel Díaz Ayuso
The president of the Community of Madrid and PP candidate for re-election, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, announced this Thursday that she has given a “green light” to the signing of a collaboration agreement, with the Fundación del Toro de Lidia, to put into march the bullfighting 2021-2022 and celebrate 18 bullfighting festivals in municipalities with less than 8,000 inhabitants. In addition, Ayuso has announced another endowment of 3 million euros for the fighting bull herds of the community.
Despite the fact that the Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas does not currently provide any type of shows with bulls, at the Vistalegre Palace in Madrid it does seem that bullfights may be held, from May 13 to 23, predictably with a capacity reduced to 50%, although it continues to await official confirmation from the Community of Madrid. This permit will arrive after the regional elections on May 4.
In addition, the increase in the price of tickets and season tickets is infuriating for fans: The cheapest season ticket is € 370, which is a minimum price of € 30 per celebration. From there, quotas close to € 1,300 are reached.
The Ayuso government heads the ranking of the communities that are giving the most money to the bullfighting sector, with up to 4.6 million euros in 2020 for bull herds, and now this million euros for 2021-2022 for the celebration of bullfighting festivities with death.
No to aid to bullfighting!
Autonomous governments and provincial councils are allocating extraordinary items for the rescue of bullfighting due to the effects of the coronavirus, which would already touch 7.7 million euros.
We, AnimaNaturalis we have been investigating these aids since the beginning of the pandemic, regularly updating this information.
In this article, we break down the different aids that the bullfighting sector is receiving.
More than 183,000 people have already asked the Minister of Culture not to allocate aid for the rescue of the bullfighting sector.
Faced with the COVID19 crisis, we have a unique opportunity to leave behind the privileges of the past, to build a world without bullfighting.
Without the millionaire budget items that the bullfighting sector receives, cruel animal shows will disappear.
And I mean…Many people in Spain have to beg for food, the country has more than 2.8 million deaths due to Corona.
The Taurinos are now holding out their hands and begging like a toddler from corrupt politicians so that their “culture of the Jitanos” can continue to exist.
As the Pisa study shows, when it comes to education, Spain is at the very bottom in Europe, which is also noticeable in the fact that traditions from the Middle Ages are perceived with enthusiasm, which only scares off and disgusts any other educated person.
Do the Spaniards really believe that in the current economic and health situation, there are no more important things to do with this money and want to spend the millions in such barbarism?
It’s not about being for or against bullfighting! it’s about that if you look at the Spaniards you can see that they lack a lot of money to eat or to pay for their electricity or gas!
And no, we won’t look the other way because this is a lucrative business for a bunch of idiots.
We will continue to fight to put an end to this barbarism, and we know it, the time is ticking for animals.
Posted on April 8, 2021 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
The “Association against animal factories”reveals: terrible conditions in Lower Austria pig breeding
Injured piglets, rotting children next to their mothers, cramped crates for lifelong pigs, fully slatted floors, and painful castration – criminal charges filed!
Image: VgT
The “Association Against Animal Factories”(VGT)- Austria), has now uncovered a particularly cruel case of animal cruelty in Lower Austria: terrible conditions prevail on a pig fattening operation in St. Pölten.
Between 150 and 200 mother sows are kept here for life in crates and on fully slatted floors.
The agony of the pigs and piglets is unbelievable.
Dead piglets lie next to their mothers for days
Image: VgT
The little piglets show bleeding scratches and bite wounds all over their bodies. The reason for this is easy to explain: in performance breeding, pig mothers give birth to far too many piglets at once and the fight for the lower number of teats is inevitable.
Image: VgT
In the so-called “farrowing pens”, where the mothers are housed, there is no going back and forth for the pigs.
They have to come to terms with the fact that their already decaying, dead children are lying next to them, who are only collected in a bucket days later.
Conditions that, according to the law, shouldn’t be:
According to the Austrian Animal Welfare Act, female sows may spend a maximum of 10 days for fertilization and only “the critical days” in the farrowing pen in the body-sized cages, the so-called crate stalls.
This law was apparently ignored in the St. Pölten company. Cobwebs show that no pig has moved freely here for a long time.
Eggs and tails off!
Image: VgT
The male piglets are also castrated here without anesthesia. This bestial procedure is still allowed in Austria, but pain relievers must be administered.
On the video of the VGT, you can see that the piglets are being given an injection, but they don’t even think to wait until the effect occurs. They have to be given about 30 minutes before treatment to be effective.
Snap snap!
And as if that wasn’t enough? Contrary to EU law,the tails of all pigs were also cut off in order to ensure that the desperate animals do not bite each other off when the conditions are poor.
Fully slatted floors
Image: VgT
The annoying issue of fully slatted floors is of course “well implemented” here.
You won’t find straw or any other litter here. The consequences are the usual suffering of the animals on fully slatted floors: sore joints and injured claws.
Even a boar has to live on a fully slatted floor without bedding on this farm – but keeping boars like this is prohibited by law.
David Richter, the VGTpig expert, said: “Stables like these show, on the one hand, the legally permitted brutality against individuals capable of suffering, and on the other hand, it was possible to demonstrate how the already weak animal protection regulations in Austria are shamelessly ignored. We demand effective measures to alleviate the unbearable suffering of the animals concerned. “
And I mean… It is time for Agriculture Minister Elisabeth Köstinger, who is responsible for the criminal abuses in the animal industry, to step down.
The best thing would be for the entire People’s Party to resign, a party of liars that has long tolerated and supported this illegal situation in animal farms.
The ship “Karim Allah” with around a thousand cattle on board docks in the port of Escombreras in Cartagena, Spain, at the end of February.
Cattle on the ship “Karim Allah”, taken on February 24th.
Serbian Animals Voice (SAV) 