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adventure to the
north pole !!!
Dogs and Cats
who need a home
Some of
our
successful
rehoming !!!
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Galway SPCA join ARAN In voicing their sorrow at the passing of Tony Gregory TD who truly was a voice for all the animals he will be sadly missed both the animals and the people who fight daily for the right of all animals.
STATEMENT FROM ARAN ON TONY GREGORY’S DEATH
ARAN is extremely upset by the news of Tony Gregory’s untimely death. He was a great friend to animals and used every opportunity to speak out against senseless cruelty. We always thought Tony was a perfect fit for ARAN because, just like us, he not only hated cruelty to animals and loved animals dearly but also couldn't be ignored, and no matter what people thought of him, they always had an opinion, one way or another. A long-time animal advocate who worked tirelessly to end bloodsports and even introduced a bill in Dail Eireann to ban Harecoursing, his staunch support to see and end to bloodsports in Ireland will be dearly missed and he will be a TD we are going to find hard to replace in Dail Eireann, we’ve lost a devoted voice for animals.
‘It is a tragedy when anyone passes away before their time, but with Tony Gregory, animals have lost a true hero and ARAN has lost a good friend. We will miss him, Said Stephan Wymore, Research Coordinator for ARAN."
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Petition for Irish Marine Conservation Centre
Dear GSPCA Supporter,
Please sign the Petition started on the link below, asking Fingal County Council to build the Marine Conservation centre as they have promised for the past number of years.
http://www.gopetition.com/online/23780.html
thank you for your support.
Pauline Beades
Irish Seal Sanctuary****************************************************
Dear WSPA Supporter
Watch WSPA’s Bear Sanctuary series on Animal Planet
Learn all about our Bear Sanctuary in Romania which is the focus of the up and coming Bear Sanctuary series on Animal Planet. Starting on Thursday 13th November at 9:00 pm, share the joy of the bears as they start their new lives in the sanctuary. Bears like Miro, a lonely, orphaned cub and Benny and Allah who have lived their whole lives in captivity. To celebrate the show Victor Watkins, Senior Wildlife Advisor here at WSPA, has created a blog where you can learn more about the work of the sanctuary, share your views and comment on the show and most importantly meet the stars of the show. Meet the bears >>Catch Bear Sanctuary on Animal Planet (SKY channel 525, Virgin Media channel 215 and Tiscali channel 107).
An historic moment for animals
Every year on Remembrance Sunday and Armistace Day, we remember the thousands of men and women who have given their lives in conflicts all over the world. Actress and WSPA supporter Miranda Richardson chose to remember the animals that have served and died alongside them.
Remembering their sacrifice >>Hurricane damage in Cuba Helping animals in Cuba
Last weekend Paloma left a trail of destruction over Eastern Cuba adding to the widespread devestation caused by hurricanes Fay, Gustav and Ike. Whilst the Cuban Government and aid agencies are battling to help the people of the country WSPA is the only animal welfare organisation – in history – to undertake a large scale operation to help Cuba’s animals.
Helping Cuba’s animals >>
Dominic Brunt at World Animal Week event WSPA supporters and schools raised over £5,500
The wonders of the week included Emmerdale actor Dominic Brunt taking part in our "It’s A Piece Of Cake" event.
Thanks from WSPA >>Read WSPA News now The autumn/winter issue of WSPA News is now available
Read about our successes and the challenges facing us in our vision to create a world where animal welfare matters, and animal cruelty ends.
Read WSPA News and subscribe online now >>****************************************************
A Landmark Day for Animals From Coast to Coast!
Let's keep the train on the tracks!
Peta are pleased as punch to report that—thanks to the hard work of many of you—two important ballot initiatives passed yesterday, making history for animals. California voters approved Proposition 2, which will ban some of the worst cruelty to animals raised for food in that state: keeping egg-laying chickens in battery cages so small that they can't spread their wings, keeping veal calves in crates for their entire miserable short lives, and keeping pregnant pigs in crates so small that they can't take a step forward or backward or turn around. Farmed animals in California will be given these basic necessities by 2015, but we will continue to spread the message that the best thing that people can do to help animals is to stop eating them altogether. Thank you to all the Californians who responded to our phone calls or who got involved after seeing PETA's remarkably lifelike pigs-in-stalls displays outside grocery stores. Millions of chickens, pigs, and cows will be spared horrific suffering, thanks to you.
On the other side of the country, Question 3 passed, which will ban greyhound racing in the state of Massachusetts by 2010. We have long supported the fabulous team of activists there and thank all of you who have worked so tirelessly to see this victory become a reality. Dogs who are used for racing typically spend 20 hours per day confined to cages measuring only 32 in. by 42 in. by 34 in. Many of the dogs can't even stand completely upright. The animals are also highly susceptible to injuries, including fractures, dislocations, lacerations, and amputations. And because injured dogs are no longer of use to the industry, they are often simply killed.
The impact of both these important initiatives is tremendous for the millions of animals whose lives will be affected by them. Our heartfelt thanks go out to each and every one of you who worked toward their passage. While you celebrate these hard-earned victories, please do something extremely important: Remember the words "One can make a difference" and commit to keeping the momentum on the animals' side by redoubling your efforts. Leaflet this weekend at KFC. Talk with more friends about buying cruelty-free products and clothing. Visit our Action Center for dozens of great ideas on how you can take action, and choose some that appeal to you.
Together, we can keep the momentum going!
Sincerely,
Ingrid E. Newkirk
PETA
501 Front St., Norfolk, VA 23510
United States****************************************************
Please support us to help stray dogs in Bulgaria
Dear animal lovers around the world!
We found your email address while researching on Wikipedia, dmoz.org and worldanimalnet.org for websites related to the protection of animals and animal rights. We are a registered German charitable non-profit organization named "Docs 4 Dogs", and we are currently running a campaign for the closure of all animal camps in Bulgaria.
Despite the Bulgarian animal protection act having come into force in January 2008, stray dogs are still being abused, slain and poisoned. The former isolators (death camps) are now called "animal shelters". A report on our website gives you an idea about the appalling situation of those poor animals:
We need your help to urge the politicians who could prevent these cruelties to close down the death camps for stray animals in Bulgaria. Right now we are focusing on the isolator in Plovdiv, Bulgaria's second largest city, where two animal keepers slayed 14 stray dogs with iron bars on February 8, 2008. If you have a website, blog or mailing list, please publish the following link were people can sign our protest against the massacre of stray animals in Bulgaria:
We would like to thank you in advance for your support!
Best regards,
Matthias Hofmann <mshofmann@web.de>
Docs 4 Dogs
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Juicy Couture Adopts Fur-Free Policy!
PETA has had a cooperative relationship with Liz Claiborne Inc. for many years. Through our work together, the company has made—and continues to make—many great strides to reduce the suffering of animals who are used and abused in the clothing industry.
We would like to share an exciting development that has resulted from our discussions with Liz Claiborne Inc.: Juicy Couture—a high-end clothing company owned by Liz Claiborne Inc.—has now adopted a permanent fur-free policy. While Juicy Couture is still selling some fur items that were stocked before this policy was adopted, it has assured us that no new fur items will be procured and that as soon as the current stock of items has gone, the company will be completely fur-free.
We applaud Liz Claiborne and Juicy Couture for making this move, which will spare animals from suffering all the torment and abuse inherent in fur production.
Unfortunately, some companies continue to sell fur despite the fact that new evidence of horrific cruelty is exposed year after year. PETA Asia-Pacific's recent undercover investigation in the Shandong region of China, for instance, produced video footage of rabbits who kicked and screamed as they were slaughtered. Another investigation into rabbit fur farms in France showed similar cruelty.
We need you to speak out and let the world know that it is never OK for any company to sell fur. Please let your voice be heard by urging these holdouts to go fur-free once and for all!
Armani
After watching PETA's shocking new exposé of the rabbit-fur industry you'll understand how urgent your voice is needed! Please contact Armani immediately and forward the video on to everyone you know!Donna Karan
Donna Karan's top competitors have made fur-free commitments, and it's past time for her to do the same. Please urge Donna Karan to discontinue the sale of all fur items immediately.Zappos.com
Online shoe retailer Zappos.com prides itself on good customer service, but no compassionate shopper wants to buy from a company that promotes the awful cruelty of the fur industry. Please demand that Zappos institutes a permanent fur-free policy today.Canada Goose
Canada Goose, an outerwear retailer, knows about the suffering that goes into every fur-trimmed garment, but the company continues to contribute to it by using fur. Please ask Canada Goose to remove fur from their collections permanently!Please also add PETA's recent exposé of rabbit fur farms to your social networking pages or personal Web site to show friends and family why they should never wear fur.
With constant vigilance and your continued support, we will see a completely fur-free shopping season. Thank you for contacting the companies above and for helping make the world safer for fur-bearing animals.
Sincerely,
Erin Edwards
Activist Liaison
info@peta.org****************************************************
The largest cats in the world are no match for the relentless pursuit of profit. Please act to protect tigers now»
Wealthy businessmen in China are pushing their government to overturn China's 1993 ban on trade in tiger parts. These businessmen run for-profit tiger parks in China, and want to be able to sell tiger body parts from captive tigers.
But with fewer than 4,000 wild tigers in the world, any increase in tiger part trade, even from captive tigers, could spell extinction for these majestic cats.
Urge China to protect wild tigers by maintaining its successful ban on the tiger trade »
Thank you!
Rebecca Young,
Care2 Campaign Team****************************************************
Ask McDonald's to take a stand against cloned animals
Will McDonald’s hamburgers be made from clones?
As part of the company’s recently launched “See What We’re Made Of” campaign, McDonald's is inviting consumers to learn about the ingredients that make up their menu items. However, McDonald’s has no policy on serving milk and meat from cloned animals or their offspring, which means that consumers will have no way of knowing if the McDonald’s BigMac® is laced with the animal cruelty associated with cloning.
Despite years of research, cloning remains an incredibly inefficient technology that results in a significant loss of animal life. From grossly oversized heads, twisted limbs, and bloated fetuses, cloned animals and their surrogate mothers suffer from a variety of severe health problems, abnormalities, and deformities.
Take Action: Ask McDonald's to go clone free
WSPA is supporting a campaign by our member society, the American Anti-Vivisection Society (AAVS), to keep meat and milk products from cloned animals out of the food supply. It would be a major victory for animals if McDonald's, one of the world's most well-known brands, refused to buy meat or dairy products from cloned animals or their offspring. Join us in asking the president of McDonald’s to be a leader in the food industry by making a public pledge that cloned animals and their offspring will never be a part of McDonald’s menu.
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Gillian Anderson Exposes Armani in Shocking Video
Undercover Exposé Shows Rabbits Screaming During Slaughter
Actress Gillian Anderson narrates new undercover footage from rabbit fur farms in China and France—countries designer Giorgio Armani is known to purchase fur from. Watch the investigation footage and write to Armani demanding that he drops fur now!****************************************************
The Irish Council Against Bloodsports Channel
http://www.banbloodsports.com/v-tvicabs1.htm
http://www.banbloodsports.com/videos.htm
Here we expose the barbarity of blood sports in Ireland. Witness for yourself the abusive treatment of foxes, hares and deer in this collection of video footage. Please also have a look at our videos showing the humane alternatives - drag hunting and drag coursing. Other videos deal with the cruelty of badger snaring, illegal animals traps, hunts on public roads and hunts and landowners.
Irish Council Against Blood Sports' Youtube Channel exposing the cruelty of blood sports in Ireland and around the world.
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Watch ARAN's 1 Minute Promotional Rally Video
Re: If there is just one thing you do for animals this year – attend ARAN’s Big Event on October 5th!
Dear ARAN Members and Supporters,
We are hoping that we can count on your attendance at our upcoming peaceful rally in Dublin. Held during World Animal Week, ARAN is using this opportunity to call for tougher animal protection laws in the new animal welfare bill and to raise nationwide awareness of cruelty inflicted upon animals in Ireland. This important rally is sure to create a positive frenzy on the streets of Dublin and with the national media and we hope you will be a part of this exciting experience!
We have been very fortunate to receive countless offers of support from various kind people across the country — thank you to everyone who offered to help; we cannot overly state how much we appreciate your support! There is still people out there whom we need to hear from, is it you? To make this event the biggest and best it can possibly be, we are once again asking for your help. Please promote the event to your family, friends, and co-workers—you would be surprised the amount of people you can reach by simply telling them about the rally!
To help you spread the word more easily, we have produced a snappy 1 minute promotional video of our rally. Please note this video is not gory, but is a perfect tool for encouraging anyone who wants to put an end to cruelty to animals to attend the event. Plus it features exciting footage of ARAN’s previous 2006 rally which was also a tremendous success!!!
Click here to see the short 1 minute video. Once you have finished watching this, please send this video clip to as many people as you can. Post it on your BEBO, My Space and Facebook and anywhere else where you think it will reach people! Please, don’t leave it to someone else, be pro-active, help us spread the word and ensure that this event will be one of the best we have held for animals in 10 years. Without you’re support we cannot make a difference and the animal abusers will go unnoticed and it is they who will have the last laugh!
Thank you from us here at,
ARAN
Animal Rights Action Network
www.ARAN.ie
‘Fighting Animal Abuse Across Ireland’
Ps. We cannot overly emphasize how important your support and attendance will be in the run up and on the day to our rally. Our rally will be staged on October 5th
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Letter from Paul Gogarty TD on hare coursing:
Please contact your local td and voice your disgust
I remember speaking in a debate on hair coursing and blood sports in 2006 in the Dáil. This is an issue I am passionate about. The level of vindictiveness and pettiness from FF and FG TDs was a sight to behold. There are a large number of such individuals in each party, so it is clear that with just six seats, getting a ban on blood sports was never going to happen with either of parties.
A pre election manifesto outlines your party's position in terms of what it wants to achieve in Government. The proportion of what you get to implement depends on the number of seats. So if you have a majority, I.e. 84 seats then you can do pretty much what you like within the confines of the Constitution.
We got six. And Fianna Fáil, with 78 seats were not budging on the hare coursing issue.
So the only way our Minister can do something is to find that issue illegal. He tried it with the Stag hunt, got it delayed, but ultimately lost in the courts. My guess would be that a ban on individual hare coursing events would be subject to similar legal challenge unless it was to be banned outright. With 2 out of 15 cabinet Ministers, including an FF Minister for 'Sport', this is not going to happen.
The choice when entering Government as a small party is to either try and achieve something positive over your term of office, while not getting a lot of what you want. The alternative is not to go into Government at all, which is very tempting, as you retain your moral 'purity', but sit watching even worse policy decisions being made.
I and others will continue to fight against hare coursing and other cruel sports. But a critical mass of people power is needed to help us in this fight, because unless the FF and FG TDs in rural constituencies feel their seats are under threat on this issue, they will never relent from their cosy cultural barbarity.
Yours sincerely,
Paul Gogarty TD
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Time is running out to make the case against horse cruelty
Dear Supporter,
Every year, thousands of horses and other animals suffer illness, injury, exhaustion and stress as they are transported across Europe for slaughter. The World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) is part of the Handle with Care coalition of animal welfare organisations that are determined to end this cruel and unnecessary trade.
As well as being horrifically cruel and illegal - horses travel from Spain to Italy for up to 36 hours in extremely hot, dirty, cramped conditions - these journeys have long been rendered unnecessary by the chilled and frozen food trade.
Help us stop this unnecessary suffering.
Currently, EU laws protecting animals from the worst abuses during transport are not strongly enforced, allowing this cruelty to continue. But this October offers a chance for change.That's why WSPA needs you to act now.
Next month, the long distance transport of horses and other animals will be debated by those with the power not only to enforce and improve welfare regulations in Europe, but to put an end to long journeys for live animals.
Before decisions are made in October that will affect thousands of animals annually, the Handle with Care Coalition will present signatures to the EU Commissioner to demonstrate the strength of public opinion.
With your backing, we will ask them to spare thousands of horses, sheep, cattle and pigs from pain and distress.
There is strength in numbers. Help us make the strongest possible call for better animal welfare in the EU next month by signing a letter to the Commissioner.
Thank you.
Paul Ranger
WSPA Head of Farm Animals Programme****************************************************
Japan Stop Killing Dolphins, Join Our Phone Blockade this Wednesday!
Re: Please Call the Japanese Embassy on Wednesday to Protest Them Killing Dolphins
Dear ARAN Members,
In Japan, fishers round up and slaughter approximately 23,000 dolphins and small whales each year. In the small fishing village of Taiji, entire schools of dolphins are driven into a hidden cove after a prolonged chase. Once trapped inside the cove, the fishers kill the dolphins by cutting their throats with knives or stabbing them with spears. The water turns red with the dolphins' blood, and the air is filled with their screams. This horrific massacre goes on for six months every year. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhJcyK6Y-J4>
It is commonly assumed that Japanese fishers hunt dolphins to supply a small minority of Japanese people with dolphin meat. But the real reason the Japanese government issues permits to kill dolphins has nothing to do with
food culture. As shocking as it sounds, dolphins are viewed as "pests" who need to be eradicated in huge numbers
<http://getactive.peta.org/ct/lpAtRXS1UY6L/> in order to preserve the ocean's fish for humans. What's even more scandalous is that members of the international dolphin-display industry take advantage of the dolphin slaughter to obtain animals for use in captive-dolphin shows and swim-with-dolphins programs.
On 3rd September, concerned citizens are asked to call the Japanese embassy in Dublin to politely register their protest over the phone. Please call their main switchboard to raise your voice for the dolphins.Call 01-202-8300
Thank you for taking action for animals.
Sincerely,
Stephan Wymore
Research Coordinator
Animal Rights Action Network <http://www.aran.ie>
www.bebo.com/StephanW73****************************************************
11th Hour Plea to Minister Gormley - PLEASE HELP
The Irish Council Against Blood Sports has made an 11th hour appeal to Minister John Gormley not to grant licences to coursers to snatch up to 7,000 hares from the wild for use as live lures before greyhounds at enclosed coursing events, where hares are made to run in terror for their lives before greyhounds.
We have appealed to him on both prevention of cruelty and on conservation grounds, and we pointed out to him that now more than ever, there are compelling and urgent reasons to stop the hare netting. We sent the Minister what can only be described as a catalogue of cruelty in which is outlined hare hits/maulings, injuries and deaths, which
occurred at over 30 meetings last year, and documented by National Parks Conservation Rangers who monitored the events (see below).
Only last May, the Minister himself issued a report on the Status of EU Protected Habitats and Species in Ireland, which signalled grave cause for concern about some of our native species, including the Irish hare, whose overall conservation status was rated 'POOR', with reasons given as loss of habitat, increased urbanisation and hunting. We warned the Minister that Ireland may now be in breach of Article 14.1 of the EU Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and Wild Fauna by permitting the exploitation of the Irish hare whose conservation status is now listed as 'POOR'. Meanwhile, in Northern Ireland, all hare hunting as been suspended since 2004, because of conservation concerns, and ironically, the two remaining hare coursing clubs there are now the guests of coursing clubs in the Republic.
* Please scroll down for urgent action alert and for more details on animal cruelty from the last coursing season *
Aideen Yourell
Spokesperson
Irish Council Against Blood Sports
Irish Council Against Blood Sports
PO Box 88, Mullingar, Co Westmeath, Ireland
Email: info@banbloodsports.com
Website: www.banbloodsports.com
ICABS on YouTube: www.youtube.com/icabs
ICABS on Bebo: www.bebo.com/banbloodsports
ICABS on MySpace: www.myspace.com/banbloodsports
Mobile WAPsite: www.banbloodsports.com/wap
ICABS RSS Feed: http://blog.myspace.com/blog/rss.cfm?friendID=201867779
________________________________________________
VERY URGENT ACTION ALERT
________________________________________________
Please urgently contact Environment Minister, John Gormley, and demand that he prohibits all forms of hare persecution, including hare hunting and hare coursing.
SAMPLE LETTER
(If you have time, please compose your own personal letter. Otherwise,
send the short sample letter below. Be assertive, but polite, in all
correspondence. Thank you.)
Minister John Gormley
Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government
Custom House, Dublin 1.
Email: minister@environ.ie
Tel: 01 888 2403. Fax: 01 878 8640.
Dear Minister Gormley,
I am writing to implore you to refuse a licence to the Irish Coursing Club for any further hare coursing activities.
As you are aware, the conservation status of the Irish Hare has been described as "poor" in the recently published "Report on Status of Habitats and Species in Ireland". Furthermore, the NPWS has confirmed that hare "numbers have decreased in recent years". This is cause for enormous concern to myself and the majority of Irish people who value the hare as an important part of our precious heritage and who want the species protected from the appalling cruelty of coursing and hare hunting.
Minister, the alarm bells are ringing for the hare species. Please listen to them and firmly refuse a licence to the Irish Coursing Club.
Thank you. I eagerly await your positive response.
Yours sincerely,
[Name/Location]
________________________________________________
*** HARE COURSING CRUELTY (2007/08 SEASON) ***
Source: National Parks & Wildlife Service (Freedom of Information)
________________________________________________
Dundalk & Dowdallshill, December 26/27, 2007
According to ranger reports, a total of 7 hares died as a result of being hit by muzzled dogs.
Gorey, Co. Wexford, 21/22 October, 2007
13 hares hit by dogs over 2 days of coursing, with five dying as a result of their injuries.
Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford, Nov 24/25, 07
9 hares hit by dogs over 2 days, with 5 dying of injuries, according to NPWS report, and 1 hare 'escaping' from paddock. Meanwhile, the ICC control steward in his report claimed that 5 hares died of 'natural causes' and 1 'escaped' from paddock.
Tradaree, January 12/13, 2008
8 hares hit over 2 days, with 3 dying from their injuries. Meanwhile, ICC control steward states these 3 died from 'natural causes'.
Tubbercurry, January 11/12/13, 2008
26 hares hit by dogs over the 3 days of coursing, with 14 described as being mauled. 1 hare was found dead.
North Kilkenny, Dec 22& 23, 2007
4 hares hit on Day 2, with 4 injured and 4 dying of injuries, according to ranger, while ICC Control Steward reported 5 hares hit and 4 dying of 'natural causes' ??
Ballyheigue, Co. Kerry, October 13 & 14, 2007
12 hares hit , 3 killed, 1 injured, 1 put down, 1 died of 'natural causes'. 10 hares were deemed unfit for coursing by vet, T. McCarthy
Kilflynn, Co. Kerry, December 1st/2nd, 2007
6 hares hit by greyhounds over two days, with one killed and two dying of 'natural causes'. It was noted on the accompanying vet's report that 3 hares were 'sick or otherwise unfit after coursing event' on Day 1, and 10 on day 2. This corresponds with the ranger's report, which states that 3 hares were released on Day 1, and 10 on Day 2. ???
Castleisland, Co. Kerry, October 28 & 29, 2007
7 hares hit over 2 days of coursing, with I hare killed and 2 died of 'natural causes', while veterinary report states that 7 hares were unfit for coursing on day 1 and 2 'escapes/deaths' on morning of 30th.
Abbeydorney, Co. Kerry, October 20 & 21, 2007
6 hares hit by greyhounds, 2 injured and 2 put down, with 1 killed.
Ballyduff, Co. Kerry, November 16/17/18
4 hares hit over 2 days, according to ranger. 1killed 1 injured and 1 put down because of injuries, and 2 died of 'natural causes'.
Rathcormac, Co. Cork, Nov 24 & 25, 2007
10 hares hit, with 2 injured and "planned to be put down, but not done in my presence," according to Ranger, and 1 'dying late in the evening of the 24th'. The ranger stated that "during one of the courses, a hare ran to the side of the coursing park, followed by the 2 muzzled greyhounds. The hare got through the fencing out into the general field
and the two dogs jumped the fencing. One dog dislodged the muzzle and caught the hare. The hare was not killed but was badly injured and was left in a box with another injured hare. They were both too injured to be released and were to be put down but this was not done in my presence." Ranger could not state if hares were re-coursed. 3 hares were unaccounted for at the end of the event. Meanwhile, the ICC Control Steward claims that 72 hares were released - conflicting with ranger's release no.
Wexford & District, Dec 12 & 13
16 hares hit. According to veterinary return, 8 hares were injured, but there is no mention of how these hares were treated, with all 73 hares, which were present at start of meeting, reported by CR to have been returned to wild. This raises concerns about releasing injured hares back into the wild. In addition, veterinary return cited 6 hares unfit
for coursing on Day 1 and 12 hares unfit on Day 2. Were these hares coursed?
Balbriggan, Co. Dublin, 24/25 November, 2007
Two rangers attended this event. One of the rangers noted that one of the hares was bleeding from its hind leg, as hares were being boxed on Day 1. He noted one hare hit, which was seen by a vet. Another ranger reported that the dogs pinned the hare. One of the dog's muzzles seemed to loosen, according to the ranger, and the dog held the hare in the air. On Day 2, Ranger was shown two dead hares, including the hare that was seen by the vet on the previous day. A ranger who attended Trim and Balbriggan made the following observations: "At both meetings the odd
hare will cry out while being handled when the ear tag is being identified, causing more stress to the animal...as I mentioned before, micro chipping is far more humane...And will not come off, tearing the ear, leaving it open to infection. "I have also noticed at several meetings down through the years that if the dogs hit and pin the hare, the guy on the horse always gets in front of the Ranger to prevent us from seeing what is happening."
Castletown-Geoghegan, Westmeath, 15/16 December, 2007
11 hares were hit by dogs over 2 days. It was stated that 3 were caught and treated by a vet. 4 uncoursed hares died. A vet concluded that their body condition was poor. Meanwhile, the ICC control steward claims in his report that only 2 hares were hit.
Cavan & District, November 16/17/18
5 hares hit according to coursers, 3 of which were 'released' and one 'escapee' (according to coursing club). Coursers also told ranger that a further five animals had "either escaped or disappeared during the holding period following capture". A leveret was born in captivity, indicating that a pregnant hare had been captured, which is a breach of
licence conditions.
Freshford, Co. Kilkenny, November 3 & 4, 2007
3 hares hit, with 2 dying from their injuries, according to ranger's report. Meanwhile, ICC control steward states that no hares were hit, and 2 died of 'natural causes'.
Listowel, Co. Kerry, November 9/10, 2007
8 hares hit, and 2 put down because of injuries, with one hare dying of 'natural causes' according to ranger. The vet deemed 23 hares in total (13 on day 1, and 10 on day 2) as 'sick or otherwise unfit after coursing event' ???
Glin, Co. Limerick, Oct 6
8 hares died before coursing meeting. Post mortems revealed enteritis (haemorrhagic).
Templetouhy, Jan 5 & 6 2008
5 hares were found dead in the paddock prior to the coursing event. The findings of a post-mortem were consistent with coccidiosis, a condition which is exacerbated by the stress of being taken from the wild, i.e. netting, handling, transport, etc. There were 4 hares hit by greyhounds over the 2 days. 1 injured hare was brought to a vet and declared fit to be released, but 'showed limited mobility' when released. It was stated that 'two hares were pinned on
day one of the coursing meeting. These animals were boxed and kept separate from the main bunch of hares till inspected by attending vet. Both hares were considered unharmed and were returned to the main paddock. There was a query re hares being brought down from the paddock to be boxed again, and whether these hares were separated from coursed hares.
Tralee, Co.Kerry, December 26 & 27, 2007
2 hares hit, 1 killed, 1 injured and put down, with 1 dying of 'natural causes), according to ranger, while ICC Control Steward's report states that 2 hares were hit, 1 hare killed, and 1 put down, with no hare dying of natural causes??
Killimer/Kilrush, Nov 24 & 25
9 hares hit , with 1 injured and 1 put down because of injuries, according to CR report.
Glanworth, Dec 4/5/6
5 hares hit over 2 days, with no injuries or kills cited by CR, while 69 hares released, leaving 7 hares accounted for, given that there were 75 hares on Day 1. No explanation is given for this. Meanwhile, Control Steward for ICC states that 5 hares were hit over the three days, with 1 hare being killed and 1 injured, 1 put down because of injuries and 1
dying of 'natural causes' and 1 'escaped from paddock', a total of 5 hares, still leaving 2 unaccounted for.
Ballinagar, Co. Offaly, Oct 27 & 28, 2007
5 hares hit on Day 1, 2 injured and 2 died from injuries, while on Day 2 1 hare was hit and 1 died from injuries. Meanwhile, ICC control steward cites only 3 hares hit on Day 1, with 2 dying of 'natural causes' on Day 1, while 2 hit on Day 2 and again 2 dying of 'natural causes', which conflicts with NPWS ranger report. Ranger observes in his report that "62 hares were used for coursing and I noticed this year that the number and the quality of hares appeared to be poor, compared to previous years..I also noticed that the number of coursing events had to be cut because there was an insufficient number of hares." In addition he stated that a club official pointed out to him that they found "this particular year the most difficult ever to find and capture wild hares. He said more man-hours were spent this year looking for hares and yet the number caught was low. He said that the hares are just not out on the land anymore. He also told me that his club might have to amalgamate with Edenderry as the Ballinagar club is
struggling to find hares any more."
Mallow, Co. Cork, Nov 11/12, 2008-06-02
There were 72 hares boxed at the start of the meeting, with no ear-tags, but green dye, while 4 hares had "twine tied in their ears", according to CR. 7 hares were hit (according to ICC Control Steward). 69 hares were released, according to CR, leaving 3 hares unaccounted for.
East Donegal, Dec 29/30
Ranger attended on Day 2 only and cited 1 hare hit by muzzled dogs. 65 hares were released, leaving 2 hares unaccounted for.
Blarney (Macroom Coursing Club) Jan 16/17 08
5 hares hit by dogs over 2 days, with 1 killed and 1 injured (broken femur) which had to be put down. At the release there were 4 hares missing, which the club claim had escaped.
Loughrea, Co. Galway, 19, 20 & 21 October, 2007
There were 76 hares at the start of the meeting. 4 hares were hit over the 3 days, according to ranger. 1 hare was found dead in paddock on day after meeting, and 2 died while being put in boxes for release, which post-mortems were not carried out on. Rangers supervised the release of 69 hares, which leaves 4 hares unaccounted for. Meanwhile, the control steward for the ICC in his 'report' stated that no hares died at the meeting in contrast to the ranger's report above. He claimed, however, that 3 hares 'escaped from paddock' and 1 hare was 'unaccounted for'.
Milltown Malbay, October 27 & 28, 2007
6 hares were hit over 2 days. 1 hare 'escaped' according to ICC control steward's report.
Galway & Oranmore, Nov 17/18, 07
Ranger stated that there were 55 hares in captivity before the meeting. He was contacted on Nov 11 by the coursing club and told that 6 hares had 'escaped', leaving 49 hares. 4 hares hit over 2 days. 1 hare died during release, which was sent for post-mortem, results of which are unknown.
Clonakilty, Co. Cork, January 112/13, 2008
4 hares hit, 4 injured and 1 died of injury with 2 'found dead'.
Trim, Co. Meath, 3 & 4 November, 2007
5 hares hit.
Lixnaw, Co. Kerry, 2/3/4 November, 2007
4 hares hit, 1 killed and 1 died of 'natural causes'.
Abbeyfeale, Co. Kerry, December 29/30
2 hares hit by dogs.
Roseberry Open, December 26, 2007
This was a non-muzzled event. Two hares caught, and one killed
PAGE INDEX****************************************************
Have Your Group Represented at Animal Welfare Rally
As you will know, the Irish government is currently drafting new legislation for the upcoming Irish animal welfare bill and this is going to be a very critical and crucial time for animals in need in Ireland. We have the opportunity to stop many heartbreaking acts of cruelty to animals, from homeless abandoned and abused dogs and cats seeking shelter on the cold wet streets to animals that are chained and confined in the circus, to greyhounds suffering in the Irish racing industry, tortures bloodsports, cruel fur farming, painful and unscientific animal experiments and much more, the list is endless and much goes unnoticed, but we must not allow this to happen.
Never before have we issued such an important call for your support. Right now our volunteers are busy working day and night trying to coordinate a huge peaceful rally that we are organizing during World Animal Week to generate much needed support for the new animal welfare bill. We need your group and volunteers to join us on the day and help hold signs and placards and show you care about animals.
Please join us.
When: Sunday, October 5th 2008, 1:30 p.m.
Where: Garden of Remembrance (Please meet outside here)
Contact: John Carmody, Christina Lynch, Mary Cashin, Stephan Wymore or Shane Kiely 0876275579
Our peaceful and important rally will aim to do the following:
1. Raise awareness in the media and to the public about cruelty to animals
2. Call for stronger laws to protect animals
3. Bring people and groups who work with animals together
Year round Animal Rights Action Network supporters and volunteers are busy helping animals. Many often work up to 11/12 hours a day trying desperately to raise awareness of cruelty to animals and bring attention to the animals' plight. We are also busy educating people and helping to stop animal abuse directly.
Please consider coming along to support our important rally. Wherever it is you live in Ireland, we simply ask that you please mark your diaries and set aside just one day to be in Dublin and take part in our peaceful rally, as we will not be organizing an event of this size for many more years. Please take this unique opportunity to meet other kind, caring and compassionate people, show you care about animals and raise your voice against cruelty to animals. You don't want to miss this opportunity.
Please log onto our website at www.ARAN.ie to learn more.
We really do hope that we can count on you to be there with us for this important event. It simply won't be the same without your support and attendance. Thank you for everything that you do to help those with no voice,
Best Wishes,
Stephan Wymore :-)
Rally Coordinator Volunteer
Animal Rights Action Network
www.ARAN.ie
Ps, please remember we are asking for you to be with us on October 5th for a couple of hours, we won't be organizing an event like this for many more years to come.****************************************************
Irish Times Exposes Irish Animal Abuse
Bodies of mutilated dogs found in river
PADDY CLANCY
ANIMAL WELFARE workers were stunned by the extent of cruelty behind the deaths of two unwanted greyhounds. The badly mutilated bodies were recovered this week from a tributary of the river Foyle near St Johnston, Co Donegal.
Experts reckoned they were about three years old when dumped with weights in the water. They had probably ended their racing lives either through injury or for some other reason and their owner was no longer prepared to give them
a home. The ears, where racing greyhounds carry identification marks, were cut off one of the dogs, a male.
There was part of a rope around the neck of the other, a female, indicating a weight had been attached before she was dropped in the river, probably from a bridge over the Suille river near the Northern Ireland Border. The
female's head had been almost entirely eaten by rats.
The bodies were spotted floating on Wednesday morning by a local farmer near St Johnston.
ISPCA inspector Kevin McGinley removed the carcases from the river. He was still shocked when he spoke yesterday about the discovery. "It is mind-blowing that such wanton cruelty exists. It just reminds us of the need
for people to have a change of attitude towards animal welfare."
Mr McGinley said it was not possible to say if the dogs were dead or alive when dumped, because of the decomposition.
"This is as bad as it gets. People who are capable of doing something like this to animals could be just as capable of human abuse and that worries me."
(c) 2008 The Irish Times****************************************************
PETITION TO BAN THE EXPORT OF GREYHOUNDS TO ASIA
PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION TO BAN THE EXPORT OF GREYHOUNDS TO ASIA.
WE NEED MANY MORE SIGNATURES
http://www.PetitionOnline.com/GAIBEGA/petition.html
Please visit www.greyhoundaction.org.uk to help greyhounds worldwide. Every protest letter counts and will save a greyhounds life so please get active
Many thanks
Greyhound Action International
greyhoundactioninternational@hotmail.com
Website: www.greyhoundaction.org.uk
MySpace: www.myspace.com/greyhoundaction
Donations: www.greyhoundaction.org.uk/donations.html****************************************************
In the past month, over four hundred penguins have washed up on the beaches of Rio de Janeiro, lost on the way to their annual migration site of the Argentine Patagonia. Although penguins get lost every year in Brazil, there have been an astounding number this year.
It's currently a mystery why there are so many penguins washing up on Brazil's shores this year, but scientists have posed several environmental theories, such as overfishing, pollution and global warming.
Fortunately, concerned citizens have stepped up and taken action. Niterói Zoo, the largest in the state of Rio de Janeiro, has taken in many of the surviving penguins.
Soon, the Oceanographic Museum in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul will be taking in the survivors to rehabilitate them and prepare them to go back to the wild.
Please join us in sending thanks to the Niterói Zoo, president Giselda Candiotto of the Zoonit Foundation, the zoo's rescue relief foundation, and all of the staff and volunteers. May our feathered friends waddle back into the wild soon!
Thanks for taking action!Natasha
Care2 Campaign Team****************************************************
What summer Olympic coverage won't show you
Dear Friend,
There's a lot to celebrate about the Summer Olympics in China: The many nations of the world put politics aside and come together in peace so that the greatest human athletes on Earth can compete.
But there's an ugly side for animals living in the Olympic host country, a side that you won't see in this week's nonstop coverage: the Chinese fur industry's horrific abuse of animals.
By making an urgent donation today to support our work, you can help us draw the world's attention to the cruelty of the Chinese fur industry and keep people from unwittingly supporting it.
An estimated 2 million cats and hundreds of thousands of dogs are tortured and slaughtered for their fur in China every year. PETA's undercover video footage shows terrified animals crouched in tiny cages that are crammed so full of animals—both dead and alive—that the animals are unable to move. Some of the dogs and cats shown in the footage were still wearing the collars that their former families put on them. Animals are often hung upside-down by their legs or tails, and their skin is ripped off their bodies as they writhe and struggle.
China's fur industry unrepentantly continues to torture and kill animals for their skins.
China is one of the world's largest suppliers of animal fur. More than 95 percent of China's finished fur garments are exported for sale overseas, and many of them go to North America. Dog and cat fur is often intentionally mislabeled as "Asian jackal" or "rabbit" fur.
With so much attention focused on China right now, this is the time to demand an end to the Chinese fur industry's terrible torture of animals. Please help us stand in the way of the fur industry by taking the following two simple steps:
* Sign our pledge to go fur-free. Thousands of people—including gold-medal-winning Olympic swimmer Amanda Beard—have already pledged never to buy or wear fur. Please also forward this pledge to all your friends, colleagues, and family members. This simple act is one of PETA's most successful weapons in the fight against fur because it gets new people to take the pledge and think about the cruelty that goes into making fur garments.
* Make a generous donation online to support PETA's worldwide anti-fur campaign. Your gift will allow us to keep working hard to end the horrors of the fur industry in China and around the world. Please help us stop the slaughter of animals for fashion!We know that the fight against the fur trade is one that we can win for animals if we push hard enough, long enough, and vigorously enough. PETA's efforts to expose the true cost of every piece of fur has already helped convince some of the world's leading designers and retailers—including Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, Polo Ralph Lauren, and Ann Taylor—to adopt permanent fur-free policies. With your help, we can work to ensure that animals, including dogs and cats who are treated like trash by the Chinese fur industry, don't suffer for their fur.
Don't let this important moment pass without doing all that you can to help cats and dogs and other tortured animals in China. Sign the petition, and make your gift now.
Thank you for supporting our work to end senseless cruelty.
Kind regards,
Ingrid E. Newkirk
President****************************************************
Daring confiscation of two bear cubs in Pakistan a success
Member society's dedication saves cubs from bear baiting
Surprise raids, roadblocks, even being taken hostage and tortured - these are just a few of the difficulties and dangers faced by wildlife officials and staff from WSPA member society Bioresource Research Center (BRC) in Pakistan each time they attempt to rescue a captive bear. Yet these brave workers continue to confiscate and save bears who are being held for use in cruel bear baiting events. Just recently BRC and wildlife officials rescued two bears who had been taken captive by poachers who killed their mother. While the bears are now resting safely as the WSPA-funded Kund Park Sanctuary, their journey there was anything but easy.
****************************************************
Rejected red panda adopted by cat
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - A newborn red panda rejected by its mother in Amsterdam's Artis zoo has been adopted by a domestic cat, the zoo said on Friday.
The cat is nursing the red panda, currently about the size of a kitten, along with her own four kittens, the zoo said.
The red panda was born on June 30 and rejected by its mother soon afterwards.
Red pandas look like raccoons and when fully grown are slightly larger than a domestic cat -- substantially smaller than the black and white giant panda.
"They are skilful climbers that, when not foraging on the ground, spend most of their time in the trees curled up with their long, bushy tails wrapped around their heads," the World Wildlife Fund conservation charity said on its website.
(Reporting by Niclas Mika; editing by Philippa Fletcher)
© Thomson Reuters 2008 All rights reserved.
****************************************************
Seminar for circusses, furriers, foie gras restaurants
Please refer to ARAN for details of this news item.
****************************************************
New Critique of Fur Farming in Ireland Challenges Government's Lame Excuses
Fur Farming in Ireland is not a Legitimate Activity, Says Group Ireland - ARAN is today sponsoring a new critique of fur farming in Ireland that finally exposes the Government's arguments, refuting all claims of legitimacy. Today's Irish fur farms breed more than 170,000 mink and hundreds of fox in small barren cages. The animals do not leave these cages until they are gassed or electrocuted. The Irish Government claims that fur farming is "a legitimate activity," voting down a ban introduced by the main opposition parties in 2005. Following close examination of the Government's arguments, disturbing facts emerge:
* Irish Statutory law requires that animals be allowed to exhibit normal behavior, based on scientific knowledge. The European Scientific Committee produced a welfare report detailing the problems of mink and fox, with recommendations on how to increase welfare. The problems and recommendations were dismissed by current-Minister Brendan Smith. He argued that the welfare report's conclusions were dependent on future research - a
deliberately false claim to stonewall the opposition.
* Licenses for mink farming are discretionary, based on a 1965 amendment that removed all restrictions on Ministerial power. The Minister also requires that mink be kept in cages, directly contravening statutory
welfare law going back to 2000.* Fur farming will not be legal until mink and fox are provided with zoo conditions, which will of course destroy profit margins. Since the industry refuses to acknowledge behavioral needs and consequently refuses to implement zoo conditions, fur farming as an institution is legally unacceptable in Ireland.
* The industry argues that farmed mink are domesticated. A close examination shows all arguments to be false and unscientific. Animals, like humans, cannot adapt to small barren cages, and all wild mink in Ireland originally escaped from fur factories.
* Both the industry and the Government claim that fur is like meat. Their claim is only correct on economic grounds. Meat and fur are commodities, not creatures. These comparisons have nothing to say about how we treat animals.
"The Government has taken a back seat, allowing the fur industry to ignore welfare legislation. Irish people do not want animals to suffer, but nothing will happen until the Government is publicly challenged. The solution is
quite simple: join the UK and Austria, and ban fur farming in Ireland."
(Alan Donohoe, spokesperson for ARAN).
What's wrong with fur farming? Animals are bred and slaughtered specifically for their skins at a time when cruelty free alternatives exist. Currently there are five fur farms in Ireland which cage up to 170,000 mink, arctic and silver fox. These animals are intensively reared in small cages before being killed at about six months old for their fur, by painful methods which include gassing and anal electrocution. A scientific report by the European Commission's Scientific Committee on Animal Health and Animal Welfare (published in 2001) concluded that typical farm conditions do not provide for the important needs of mink and foxes. Mink are semi aquatic but on fur farms they have no water for swimming, and foxes like to dig but cannot do so in their cages. Stereotypical behavior, where the animals carry out
repeated meaningless actions is commonly seen on fur farms, is a recognized sign of stress. Animals on fur farms may chew at their own fur through stress and boredom.
Copies of the critique are available immediately upon request: arancampaigns@eircom.net****************************************************
Dear Supporter,
We need your help with two of our latest Action Alerts (please scroll down for full details).
One relates to a bullfighting scene in Vodafone Ireland's current television advert while the other is a renewed call on Paddy Power to scrap its bullring bets. For your convenience, we have prepared sample letters which can be quickly copied and pasted into your messages.
May we also take this opportunity to remind you that a week from today (July 11th) is the deadline for receipt of submissions to the new draft Animal Health & Welfare Bill. Individuals and groups are being encouraged to make submissions.
Thank you very much for your continued support of our campaign.
With best wishes.
Yours sincerely,
Philip Kiernan
Irish Council Against Blood Sports
PO Box 88, Mullingar, Co Westmeath, Ireland
Website: www.banbloodsports.com
ICABS on YouTube: www.youtube.com/icabs
ICABS on Bebo: www.bebo.com/banbloodsports
ICABS on MySpace: www.myspace.com/banbloodsports
Mobile WAPsite: www.banbloodsports.com/wap
ICABS RSS Feed: http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.ListAll&friendID=201867779
_______________________________________
ICABS calls on Vodafone to drop bullfighting from ad
_______________________________________
The Irish Council Against Blood Sports is calling on Vodafone Ireland to drop a bullfighting segment from its current "Roaming" television advert. The offensive scene shows a Vodafone character waving his hands in the air as a matador taunts a bull.
In a letter to the company's CEO, Charles Butterworth, ICABS appealed for the advert to be modified to exclude the bullring scene.
"Matadors, like the one in the Vodafone ad, are responsible for the slow torture to death of thousands of bulls every year," we told Mr Butterworth. "Each bullfight event sees the merciless killing of six or more bulls. Horseback riders firstly weaken the bull by stabbing its body with sharp lances. To force it to drop its head, spears are then driven into its neck muscles. The cruelty culminates with a stabbing through the heart with a sword."
Incredibly, despite being told of the barbarity of bullfighting and the extreme suffering endured by the bulls, Vodafone responded by defending the inclusion of bullfighting in the advert. Although stressing that the company does not "endorse or support the practice of blood sports", a Vodafone spokesperson went on to claim that bullfighting "is seen as an important part of Spain's tradition and culture".
ICABS has told Vodafone that we strongly disagree with this statement, pointing out that over 70 per cent of Spaniards do not support bullfighting. "In modern Spain, bullfighting is widely considered an embarrassment to the country's international image, an anachronism whose demise is not being resisted." we commented. "The idea of bullfighting as a cultural identifier is offensive to most Spaniards."
ICABS is disappointed that Vodafone Ireland is defending the bullfighting scene and very surprised that the company is content to allow its reputable image to come anywhere near what is the most appalling animal cruelty - an activity that, we are sure, the majority of Vodafone customers would find abhorrent and unacceptable.
Please respond to our urgent action alert now.
ACTION ALERT 1
Please write to Vodafone Ireland and ask for the bullfighting scene to be immediately dropped from the advert.
Ruth Brady
Consumer Marcomms Manager
Vodafone Ireland
Email: ruth.brady@vodafone.com
Tel: 00 353 (0)42 938 5504 OR 00 353 (0)42 933 1999
Charles Butterworth
CEO, Vodafone Ireland Ltd.
Mountain View
Leopardstown
Dublin
Vittorio Colao
CEO, Vodafone Group Plc
Vodafone House
The Connection
Newbury, Berkshire
RG14 2FN
England
Sample Letter
(Please compose your own personal letter if possible. If you do not have time to do this, please send the short sample letter below. Be assertive, but polite, in all correspondence. Thank you.)
* Note: If you are a Vodafone customer, please mention this in your letter. *
Dear Vodafone Ireland,
I wish to add my voice to the calls on your company to drop a bullring scene from your "Roaming" television advertisement.
Matadors like the one depicted in this ad are responsible for the cruel killing of thousands of bulls every year. The animals suffer slow and agonising deaths in what is considered one of the world's worst examples of animal cruelty.
I hope that as a modern and compassionate company, Vodafone will act urgently to drop the bullring scene from the advert and disassociate your brand from this horrendous activity.
Thank you. I look forward to your positive response.
Yours faithfully,
[Name/Location]
_______________________________________
Urgent: Demand stop to bullring bets in Burgos
_______________________________________
From 5.30pm today, Friday 4th July, six bulls will be slowly tortured to death in the Spanish bullfighting city of Burgos. To Ireland's great shame, Dublin-based company Paddy Power is accepting bets based on the number of ears sliced off the heads of the blood-soaked bulls at this venue today.
After the bleeding and severely injured animals collapse to the ground, a bullfighter will approach with a dagger and carve off one or both of their ears (as a grisly trophy for the matador). Each bull will have endured around 20 minutes of unimaginable suffering during the bullfight and will suffer even more if they are still conscious when the ears are
removed.
The Spanish section of the Paddy Power website invites punters to either guess the total number of ears cut off or predict whether the number will be even or odd.
We need your help to convince Paddy Power to put compassion before cash and end its bullring bets. Please respond to our action alerts below, forward this email to your friends and post our video on your website.
ACTION ALERT 1
Please urgently contact the CEO of Paddy Power and demand an end to its bullfighting bets. Ask as many of your friends as possible to respond to this action alert and post it on your website and social networking pages.
Patrick Kennedy
Chief Executive
Paddy Power Plc
Airton House
Airton Road
Tallaght
Dublin 24
Email: ppower@paddypower.com; info@paddypowerplc.com
Tel: 00353 (0)1 404 5900
Tel: 1800 238 888 (Freefone from Ireland)
Fax: 00353 (0)1 404 5901
Sample Letter
(Please compose your own personal letter if possible. If you do not have time to do this, please send the short sample letter below. Be assertive, but polite, in all correspondence. Thank you.)
Dear Mr Kennedy,
I am writing to express my absolute disgust that Paddy Power is accepting bets on the number of ears carved off the heads of bulls at Spanish bullfighting events.
Removed after the tortured bulls collapse in agony, the ears are kept by the matadors as grisly trophies. Sometimes the animals are still alive when the ears are hacked off and this can be seen in video footage at www.youtube.com/icabs
As bets are being placed on the Paddy Power website, bulls are stumbling around bullrings with blood spurting from their backs and spraying from their noses and mouths. How can your company justify making money from this disgusting animal abuse?
Paddy Power - Stop the bloody bullring bets NOW!
Yours sincerely,
Name/Location
ACTION ALERT 2
Please help highlight the shocking cruelty upon which Paddy Power's bets are based. Display our campaign video on your webpage
ICABS video in English:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5toij_paddy-power-stop-the-bullring-bets_animals
ICABS video in Spanish:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5vafi_paddy-power-acaben-con-las-apuestas_animals
To display the English language version of the video, please copy the following code into your page.
<object width="420" height="365"><param name="movie"
value="http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/x5toij&related=1"></param><param
name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param
name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed
src="http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/x5toij&related=1"
type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="420" height="365"
allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always"></embed></object>
To display the Spanish language version of the video, please copy the following code into your page.
<object width="420" height="365"><param name="movie"
value="http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/x5vafi&related=1"></param><param
name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param
name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed
src="http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/x5vafi&related=1"
type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="420" height="365"
allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always"></embed></object>
ACTION ALERT 3
Please show your opposition to Paddy Power's appalling Spanish bullring bets by downloading a copy our new Protest Page. Simply print, sign and present to the manager of your local Paddy Power betting shop.
Alternatively, place in an envelope and post to the manager.
http://banbloodsports.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/protest_page_paddypower.pdf
Download Now (pdf, 190 Kb)
ACTION ALERT 4
Please register your disgust at Paddy Power's barbaric bets. Order some "Stop Barbaric Bets" campaign postcards for yourself and your friends to send in to Paddy Power's head office in Dublin. If you run an animal welfare group, please distribute postcards to your supporters and ask them to urgently send them.
To order cards, please email your name and address to info@banbloodsports.com or write to ICABS, PO Box 88, Mullingar, Co Westmeath.
ACTION ALERT 5
According to a 2006 Gallup poll, a mere 7 per cent of Spaniards are "very keen" on bullfighting. Urgently contact the Spanish Prime Minister and tell him that bullfighting is a blemish on Spain's reputation and must be brought to an end. If the continuation of bullfighting makes you choose a different holiday destination, please point this out in your
correspondence.
Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero
Presidente del Gobierno
Complejo de La Moncloa
28071 Madrid
Spain.
Email: jlrzapatero@presidencia.gob.es
_______________________________________
Submissions invited for new Animal Welfare Bill
_______________________________________
A new animal-related bill is currently being drafted in the Department of Agriculture and submissions are being invited from interested individuals and groups. Please take this opportunity to highlight all of your animal welfare concerns. In your submission, stress the need for ALL Irish animals to be afforded protection from cruelty and a major increase in penalties for those involved in animal cruelty.
The submission guidelines can be downloaded from:
http://www.agriculture.gov.ie/animal_health/AHWBill_PublicConsultationPaper280508.doc
Written submissions should be made no later than Friday 11th July 2008 and should be emailed to AHWBill@agriculture.gov.ie and/or posted to:
Mr Peter Fallon
Animal Health & Welfare Bill Section
4th Floor, Agriculture House
Kildare Street, Dublin 2
Telephone 01 607 2000 Ext 3123
****************************************************
Stop the cruelty of Australia's live export trade
This week, people from around the world are joining together to tell the Australian Government that the live export trade is cruel and should no longer be tolerated.
Australia is the largest exporter of animals for slaughter in the world, and each year millions of Australian sheep are loaded onto ships and transported long distances to ports in the Middle East, simply to be slaughtered at the journey's end.
These terrified sheep spend up to three weeks on crowded ships, where they have little room to move and are given unfamiliar and low quality food. During the journey they will suffer from heat exhaustion, stress, and disease, and many will die on board. In 2007 alone over 35,000 Australian sheep died during sea voyages to the Middle East.
For sheep that survive the journey, a much more cruel fate awaits them in the hands of countries that have no animal welfare laws. Despite Australian industry claims that it is helping to improve welfare standards in the Middle East, it is common for sheep to be horrendously handled and slaughtered in ways that would not be legal nor tolerated in many countries.
Australia already has a growing trade in chilled meat from animals that have been humanely transported and slaughtered in Australia - this makes the transport of the live animals unnecessary and all the more cruel.
Write to the Australian Embassy in the United States and let Australia know that its cruel live export industry must end.
WSPA
