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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.
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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.
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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 USA, Lincoln Plaza, 89 South Street, Suite 201, Boston, MA 02111, 1-800-883-9772
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Update: USMC Disciplines Two Marines in Connection with Animal Cruelty Video
Late last week, the United States Marine Corps announced that it had disciplined two Marines for their participation in the cruel killing of a puppy while stationed in Iraq. Lance Corporal David Motari and Sergeant Crismarvin Banez Encarnacion received Non-Judicial Punishments, the details of which are protected under the Privacy Act. Based in Hawaii with the 1st Battalion, 3d Marine Regiment, Lance Cpl. Motari will be discharged from the Corps for his role in the incident.
These two Marines’ deplorable behavior received widespread attention after a video of their actions appeared on the Internet on March 3. As previously reported in ASPCA News Alert, the clip depicts one of them tossing a helpless pup off a craggy cliff.
The Marine Corps Base Hawaii issued a statement last week denouncing the incident, claiming “the actions seen in the Internet video are contrary to the high standards we expect of every Marine and will not be tolerated.”
The ASPCA distributed a press release on March 7 urging the Marines to release its findings about the episode and encouraging the public to voice its outrage. Thanks to the overwhelming response of citizens and public officials alike, Lance Cpl. Motari and Sgt. Encarnacion’s casual disregard for life did not go unexamined.
“The ASPCA has the highest respect for the brave and difficult task charged to the men and women stationed in Iraq,” says ASPCA President and CEO Ed Sayres. “But as a just and humane country, we must protect the rights of all those who are defenseless, including animals. We appreciate the Marine Corps' thorough investigation of this repugnant act."
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Stop animals from suffering in unnecessary tests
Dear GSPCA,
Did you know that more than 100 million individual animals in North America will be needlessly poisoned, maimed, and killed in laboratories this year? Every day, experimenters subject dogs, cats, monkeys, rabbits, guinea pigs, mice, and other animals to painful chemical, cosmetics, pesticide, psychology, and food-additive tests.
But you can help move companies and even the government away from animal testing with your special gift to PETA. Please donate now.
Meet David Waitzman, an animal experimenter at the University of Connecticut Health Center. Waitzman had a $1.7 million grant from the federal government that funded his cruel research on monkeys. He used the money to drill holes into monkeys' skulls and implant steel coils in their eyeballs over and over again.
Let me share with you a shocking account from an actual cage log of Cornelius, one of the tortured monkeys in Waitzman's experiments. Cornelius suffered from tremors and seizures for more than eight months after Waitzman drilled into his skull, yet Waitzman continued to use Cornelius in experiments in which he was held immobile in a restraint chair and his brain was poked and prodded. On his final day, Cornelius started vomiting and convulsing during an experiment. The convulsions developed into grand mal seizures, and Cornelius died from cardiac arrest.
So many helpless animals like Cornelius—some just babies—are condemned to spend their entire lives in barren metal cages in windowless laboratories. They are force-fed, injected with toxins, and afflicted with painful diseases. Chemicals are sprayed in their eyes and poured down their throats, and electrodes are implanted in their brains. Experimenters cut tissue from animals' bodies without any anesthesia. All the animals are scared, and many die slow, painful deaths, as Cornelius did.
Please help us stop the torture that these animals endure. Make your tax-deductible gift to PETA right now.
Not only are your tax dollars often used to pay for these cruel tests, many of these experiments are crude, pointless, and just plain bad science too. Modern, high-tech research methods—including high-speed computer models, human cell cultures, and epidemiological studies—are humane and more accurate than animal tests are.
PETA is the world's leading advocate for animals suffering in laboratories—a commitment that has been a centerpiece of our work since our very first groundbreaking investigation more than 25 years ago. Our dedication to stopping the suffering of animals trapped in laboratories continues stronger than ever today. The following are just some of the ways we are working to help animals in laboratories:
- PETA undercover investigators are revealing what goes on behind the doors of animal testing facilities and alerting government authorities, shareholders, and consumers to the horrors suffered by animals like Cornelius.
- PETA's dedicated team of scientists is working with governments and corporations to ensure the validation and use of cheaper, more effective non-animal testing methods.
- PETA is working directly with businesses to implement cruelty-free policies and practices. Thanks to our efforts, nearly 800 companies have joined our campaign and given up animal testing forever.
- PETA's whistleblower and caring consumer programs are having a huge impact on animals' lives by enlisting shoppers to refuse to purchase products tested on animals.
Even with as much progress as we have made, too many animals like Cornelius still need to be saved from a life filled with pain, suffering, and cruelty. I urgently need your help today to end the poisoning, maiming, torture, and killing of animals behind locked laboratory doors.
Please make as generous of a gift to PETA as you possibly can right away.
Millions of animals are waiting for you and PETA to come to their rescue.
Very truly yours,
Ingrid Newkirk
Ingrid E. Newkirk
PresidentP.S. No animal should suffer and die as Cornelius did. Animal testing is widespread, cruel, expensive, and useless. But working together, we can end these unnecessary animal tests. Don't wait another minute. Please make a contribution to stop animal testing now.
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Whales Hunted by Iceland for Pointless Meat Export - Help Stop the Slaughter
A few short weeks ago, Iceland announced that it would openly defy an international ban and allow 40 minke whales and an unspecified number of fin whales to be killed this season.
In a time when whales already face threats from global warming, pollution and ship strikes, this brutal practice must be stopped.
Help end this heartless slaughter! Please donate today >>
Recently, Iceland sent 80 tons of fin whale meat to Japan. This meat is from whales caught in 2006. Reportedly, the meat could not sell domestically so it either rotted or sat frozen until a buyer could be found. However, Japan is not even allowing the meat into the country.
With little to no demand for whale meat, why is Iceland resuming the hunt?
Your donation can help HSI protect whales and other animals around the world >>
Thanks to the support of people like you, Humane Society International (HSI) has been working to stop whaling for decades. Their help led to the commercial whaling ban that Iceland is now defying.
But HSI needs your help to continue the fight against countries like Iceland who continue to destroy some of the most majestic creatures on our planet. Click here to get started >>
From Care2
With gratitude,Robyn E.
Care2 and ThePetitionSite Team****************************************************
Please sign this petition and the other petitions listed on the following website.
The terrible death Regina suffered must be punished and we hope and pray that the council of Carcaixent (Valencia) will stand up and do something about it. If they don't then they are as guilty as the b+++++++ who did this crime, so stand up and be counted councellors"Justicia para Regina/ Justice for Regina"
http://www.thepetitionsite.com****************************************************
Caught on Video: Circus Cruelty
Dear GSPCA,
The following are two ways that you can help animals abused in circuses
1) Make as generous a gift as you can to support PETA's vital work to expose?and stop?circus cruelty.
2) Show this shocking video to your friends and family so that they can see firsthand how circuses abuse elephants to make them perform.
PETA's undercover investigators have obtained disturbing video footage of the horrific abuse inflicted on animals in circuses. In the footage, Tim Frisco—an animal care director in the Carson & Barnes Circus—instructs would-be trainers to use steel&-tipped bullhooks to force elephants to perform tricks. Frisco embeds the sharp metal hook into an elephant's sensitive skin, causing her to bellow in pain, as he says, "Sink that hook into 'em. When you hear that screaming, then you know you got their attention!"I know how upset this image of elephant abuse must make you, but we must not look away. The suffering of animals in circuses is covered up and ignored. It is up to PETA and caring people like you to vigilantly confront this abuse—and its perpetrators. I need your help to stop this cruelty and make sure that the perpetrators are punished.
Frisco, the man we caught on tape, learned his barbaric training methods from his father, who was himself a former trainer for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Ringling has long been an unrepentant abuser of animals, but the following PETA victories demonstrate the difference that your generous support can make:
* We're driving away Ringling's national sponsors. Grocery chain Harris Teeter has informed us that it will follow other major corporations—including Denny's, MasterCard, Visa, Liz Claiborne, Lukoil, and Sears, Roebuck & Co.—in distancing itself from the trail of dead animals that follows the circus.
* We've uncovered evidence that has prompted the U.S. Department of Agriculture to open six investigations into Ringling's possible violations of the Animal Welfare Act.
* Our constant presence has given several former Ringling employees the courage to come forward and tell the public about the systematic cruelty that they witnessed. This has given the circus another black eye—and it's convincing compassionate families to spend their money elsewhere.For the last two years, PETA's circus monitors tracked the circus at every stop. Day and night, they kept their cameras rolling. It was difficult and sometimes dangerous work. Our staffers were threatened and even attacked by Ringling employees, but we continued our work to protect these exploited animals. And we're showing the video footage shot by our monitors to officials of businesses and major cities like Chicago. We're showing them what Ringling doesn't want ticket buyers, corporate partners, and government authorities to see.
By donating to PETA online today, you can help us keep the pressure on Ringling and all circuses that use animals and make it clear that you will not tolerate the torture and humiliation of these sensitive, beautiful animals for the sake of entertainment.
Thank you for speaking up for these often forgotten victims of the entertainment industry. Your voice and support can provide these animals with hope.
Very truly yours,
Ingrid Newkirk
Ingrid E. Newkirk
PresidentP.S. What makes our video documentation even more disturbing is the knowledge that this is how circuses treat animals every single day. How else could they get them to perform such confusing, painful, and dangerous stunts? It's time to retire these abusive animal acts permanently. Can I count on your help today?
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Help us end bear farming - WSPA USA
"The first thing that struck me as I entered the long, dimly lit room was the smell - an overwhelming mix of filth, feces, and chemicals. Next I saw the rows of small metal cages, each one only about two meters long. Although I had seen pictures of these cruel confinement systems, the reality was even more heartbreaking than I could have imagined.
Inside of each cage was a black bear - not the majestic awe-inspiring animals that we think of when we picture a bear, but pathetic creatures, their fur matted and raw, sitting in their own feces, reduced to little more than machines..." Read more >>
Dear Friend,
The words above are those of Dave Eastham, WSPA's Head of Wildlife who actually visited a bear farm in Asia and saw for! himself the horrors that occur in these cruel places.
What Dave Eastham saw was appalling. What's worse, this depiction is a reality for 12,000 bears suffering on farms in Asia right now.
Keep reading and make your gift to WSPA to help these bears and other animals suffering like them around the world.
Unimaginable, unnecessary cruelty
Bear farming is an inhumane process that has been practiced in Asia since the 1980s. On these farms bears are crammed into small, filthy cages where bile is extracted from their gallbladders for use in Traditional Asian Medicine (TAM).
The cruelty involved is immense and constant. The misery starts with a surgical operation to insert a tube to access the bile in their gallbladder. The pain and distress continues throughout their lives when the bile is extracted up to twice a day. Many bears also suffer from wound infections, tumors, and other agonizing illnesses.
When the bears are no long! er useful they are put aside, where they wait, either until death comes through sickness or starvation, or until they are killed for their paws and gall bladders.
Bear farming must end
WSPA is determined to bring an end to bear farming, but we need your help.
We have already reached an agreement with the government of Vietnam to phase out bear farming in their country and ensure that no new bears are brought onto bear farms. We have also conducted extensive undercover investigations of the illegal sale of bear bile products internationally.
Now, we need you by our side as we work to end bear farming and the illegal international trade in bear parts for good. Find out what we are doing and how you can help >>
Thank you in advance for your support and for your compassion for animals!
Sincerely,
Dena Jones
Program Manager
WSPA USA****************************************************
SEALS DEMO IN BRUSSELS - 1 JULY
On 1st July 2008, a historical mass demonstration to demand a ban on seal products in the European Union will be held in Brussels. The event will be take place in the heart of European institutions in front of the European ommission itself. This event is being jointly organised by Humane Society International, GAIA, Eurogroup for Animals and IFAW. Animal protection organisations and their supporters throughout Europe will unite in a show of strength to convince the Commission to take swift action to ban the products of the cruel commercial seal hunt. Animal protection organisations from all corners of the European Union are being asked to come to Brussels on Tuesday, 1st July to participate in this historic event. It would be fantastic if at least 1000 people from all 27 EU member states could take to the streets of Brussels on 1st July in support of a seal ban. The more people, the better!
If your organisation is interested in attending and organising a bus to take supporters to this event, please contact the local organisers GAIA via info@gaia.be.
The demonstration will start at 2pm.
It will be held at Wetstraat 175-200, between the Justus Lipsius building and the Berlaymont building.
The slogan of the event will be ‘Stop the killing, ban the trade’.****************************************************
WSPA - Take action against the inhumane dog cull in India
The state of Kerala in southern India is a popular tourist destination known for its sandy beaches, tropical lagoons and diverse wildlife. Unfortunately, Kerala is also known for their ongoing dog culls. Evidence from investigations by local animal welfare groups indicate that government authorities in Kerala have been culling stray dogs since 2006 in an effort to stop the spread of rabies. Culling, or reducing population numbers using methods such as poisoning and clubbing, is not only inhumane, but also ineffective at combating rabies and other diseases.
We need your help to send a message to the government of Kerala that culling is unacceptable and must stop.
Read more and take action >>The World Society for the Protection of Animals © Sarah Totton
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ASPCA - Fruit that can harm your pets
Cherries and lemons and apples, oh my! While spring and summer fruits are good for you, certain parts of these seasonal offerings can be potentially irritating—and in some situations, occasionally toxic—to companion animals.
According to our experts at the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (APCC), the peels, fruit and seeds of citrus plants such as lemons, oranges, limes and grapefruits contain varying amounts of citric acid, limonin and volatile oils that can cause gastrointestinal irritation and result in vomiting and diarrhea. As for apples, cherries, peaches and apricots, their stems, leaves and seeds contain cyanogenic glycosides that have the potential to cause vomiting and loss of appetite—and in severe cases, weakness, difficulty breathing, hyperventilation, shock and even death.
“Typically, these severe effects develop from very large ingestions of plant material, more likely to occur with grazing animals such as horses or other livestock,” says the ASPCA’s Dana Farbman, CVT. “The consumption of a few segments of citrus fruit, an apple or two, or a few cherries would usually not be expected to cause serious problems beyond perhaps minor stomach upset. However, it is important for animal owners to be aware of the potential for problems that these fruit trees can produce.”
As a companion animal owner, it’s always a good idea to become familiar with different types of plants in and around the home—and make sure that potentially poisonous species are not accessible to your pets. For lists of both safe and potentially toxic plants, please visit the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center
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Court Date for Circus Animal Abuse
A federal judge has given lawyers for Ringling Bros. And Barnum & Bailey Circus until Friday, June 6, to settle on an October trial start-date, at which time they will defend the circus against allegations that its inhumane treatment of Asian elephants violates the Endangered Species Act. This groundbreaking lawsuit, brought against the circus by an ASPCA-led coalition of animal welfare organizations and a former Ringling Bros. Employee, Tom Rider, is expected to be decided by bench trial (rather than a trial by jury) by no later than November of this year.
For eight years, Ringling’s parent company, Feld Entertainment, has avoided its day in court by filing meritless counter-motions, even going so far as to accuse the ASPCA of bribing Rider in exchange for his testimony. However, after the ASPCA filed a motion that included new evidence on May 21, Judge Emmet Sullivan of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia decided that justice would not be served by further delay.
The ASPCA recently has come into possession of documents revealing that Ringling Bros. Keeps elephants virtually immobilized for the majority of their lives. The circus moves across the country by train, and the company’s own records show that elephants are chained in boxcars for an average of more than 26 hours at a time—and sometimes for as long as 60 to 100 hours straight.
“The evidence against Ringling Bros. Is simply shocking,” says Lisa Weisberg, ASPCA Senior Vice President, Government Affairs and Public Policy. “The public should be outraged at the amount of time these animals are shackled and confined, and Ringling Bros. Should be ashamed at hiding this cruelty from the public eye.”
For more information on the confinement of Ringling’s elephants and the ASPCA’s pending lawsuit, please read our May 21 press release. To learn more about circus cruelty, please visit ASPCA.org/circus.
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Cat puts Japan rail firm on track
Millie, our roving cat reporter saw this story while researching and wanted to share it with you!
Purr-fect station master puts loss-making Japanese railway company back on track.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/2/hi/asia-pacific/7421259.stm****************************************************
Animal Health & Welfare Bill 2008 - Have Your Say
The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries & Food is inviting all those interested to submit their thoughts, ideas and hopes in relation to the proposed Animal Health & Welfare Bill 2008. This will hopefully give everyone an opportunity to have a say in how animals are currently treated in this country, e.g. 16,000 unwanted dogs destroyed each year, and become involved in making legislation that will protect animals in a way we can all be proud of. The Department is anxious that as many different points of view be submitted so that the resulting legislation is effective at dealing with current issues and creative enough to solve future issues. Deadline for submissions is Friday 11th July 2008.
Department of Agriculture website
Mr Peter Fallon
Animal Health & Welfare Bill Section
4th Floor
Agriculture House
Kildare Street
Dublin 2Telephone 01 607 2000 Ext 3123
AHWBill@agriculture.gov.ie
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WSPA is first to provide relief in Myanmar
Urgent: Help the animal victims of Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar!
In a few days WSPA's disaster relief team will travel to Myanmar to bring critically needed aid to animal victims of Cyclone Nargis. The team, consisting of five expert livestock veterinarians led by Dr. Ian Dacre, Disaster Management Director, WSPA Asia, will head to Myanmar early next week to begin delivering food, water, and medical care to thousands of affected animals.
WSPA is the first animal welfare organization that will enter Myanmar, and the only animal welfare group invited by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to help animals in this disaster. An estimated 48 million animals have already died in Myanmar as a result of the devastation and destruction caused by the cyclone, and millions more are at risk. We need your support now to ensure that this tragedy does not go any further.
Since the cyclone struck two and a half weeks ago, floodwaters have contaminated what little food is available for animals, and as a result millions of cows, pigs, chickens and other animals have been left to starve or are eating food polluted with parasites and harmful bacteria. If these animals do not get aid right away, many will die slow and painful deaths. They also pose a great risk for people living alongside of them in already unsanitary and disease prone conditions.
The FAO has requested WSPA's assistance with delivering relief and assessing the impact of this disaster. Thanks to our supporters, WSPA is already planning to send in 31 tons of emergency animal feed, and when our team arrives they will work with the FAO and humanitarian organizations to respond to this crisis on the ground and plan for long-term recovery efforts.
The loss of and injury to animals has also had a catastrophic effect on the population of Myanmar, as the regions hit by the cyclone are made up of impoverished farmers who depend on their animals for their food and livelihoods. Estimates indicate that disaster has killed one in five draft animals needed to plough rice fields for the upcoming year, the long-term impact of which could leave millions of people at risk of ruin and starvation.
Our teams are committed to delivering immediate and long-term relief to these animals and the people who depend on them, but we need your help now:
* $25 could buy feed for one milking buffalo or cow for one week.
* $50 ensures all the animals of one family are fed for one week.
* $100 could pay for anti-parasite medicines to treat 200 animals.
* $250 could buy feed for 50 goats for one week.
* $500 could cover the cost of veterinary supplies and medical care for 250 animals.
* $1,000 could treat and protect 5,000 animals from parasites.We don't have time to wait. Make your gift now to support WSPA's disaster relief work for these animals and other animal victims of disaster around the world.
Thank you for all you can do and for taking action quickly to help animals!
WSPA USA, Lincoln Plaza, 89 South Street, Suite 201, Boston, MA 02111, 1-800-883-9772
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Quite a week for animals, thanks to you
May 23, 2008
Dear GSPCA,
This week, The Humane Society of the United States, as a result of our recent undercover investigations, helped achieve a major victory for farm animals when the USDA announced it will ban all downed cows from the food supply. Although more needs to be done to protect these animals, the ban will spare many of these sick and crippled cows from further mishandling and misery in the slaughterhouse. Today, I want to give you our take on three more recent victories for animals:
New Law Cracks Down on Animal Fighting and Puppy Mills
The U.S. Senate yesterday followed the lead of the House of Representatives and overrode President Bush’s veto of the Farm Bill, ushering in key new protections for animals. The final bill -- which is now considered law, except for one section excluded due to a technical glitch -- bans the import of puppies from foreign puppy mills for commercial sale in the U.S. The law spares young, unweaned, and unvaccinated pups from harsh, long-distance transport -- during which they are exposed to extreme temperatures and often die in cargo holds -- and will keep foreign breeders from adding to the tragic overpopulation of pets in this country.
The Farm bill also adds a provision to federal law to make almost any form of animal fighting a federal felony. It’s also now a federal crime to knowingly possess or train animals for fighting, and the maximum prison time for a single violation of any section of the law goes from three years to five years. It is hard to overstate what a blow this is to dogfighters and cockfighters, and it brings us one step closer to eradicating these criminal industries.
The law also authorizes an increase in potential fines -- quadrupled from $2,500 to $10,000 -- for violations of the Animal Welfare Act, fines that haven’t been upgraded in more than 20 years. Such penalties will more effectively deter abuses at puppy mills, laboratories, circuses, and other facilities that use animals.
Animal Fighting Magazine to be Pulled from Amazon.com
On Tuesday, in another blow to animal fighters, we reached a settlement with one of the defendants in our federal lawsuit challenging the sale of two criminal animal fighting magazines on Amazon.com in violation of the federal Animal Welfare Act. The publishers of “The Gamecock” magazine agreed to permanently change the magazine’s format to exclude all ads for fighting animals, knives, and other illegal paraphernalia, and to stop selling the magazine on Amazon.com until it has demonstrated full compliance with federal law for one year.
Sadly, Amazon.com has vowed to fight on in the case, arguing that the First Amendment gives it the right to sell illegal animal fighting contraband. It wants to remain the only online retailer selling “The Feathered Warrior,” soon to be the sole remaining cockfighting trade publication sold on Amazon.com in violation of federal law. Tell Amazon.com what you think of its decision to continue profiting from illegal animal fighting.
Polar Bears Get Protection from Trophy Hunters
Finally, you probably heard last week’s announcement by the Interior Department that polar bears will be listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. What you may not have heard is that the decision will save these majestic creatures from the bullets of American trophy hunters. The listing closes an unacceptable loophole in the Marine Mammal Protection Act, a loophole exploited by wealthy sport hunters who killed and then imported more than 900 polar bears from Canada as trophies over the past decade. The long-term prospects for polar bears remain uncertain because of global warming, but thanks to this decision, these animals will face one less threat to their survival.
All these victories were made possible by your emails, phone calls, letters, and donations. Thank you for standing with us, and for all you do for animals.
Sincerely,
Wayne Pacelle
President & CEO
The Humane Society of the United Stateshttps://community.hsus.org/humane/notice-description.tcl?newsletter_id=24198357
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UPDATE ON GUILLERMO VARGAS - STARVING DOG AS 'ART'
http://www.oipa.org/animalabuse/news/gallery.html
"On 21st April 2008 we have learned from HSUS web site that:
The Honduran NGO that we have been working with has confirmed that the Biennial organizers of the Honduran gallery have agreed to ban this "artist" from the gallery. The organizers have stated that they will also include new competition rules that prohibit the abuse of animals. We are keeping close watch on the case."
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Greyhound breeder offers slow dogs to be killed for research
From The Sunday Times
May 11, 2008
Daniel Foggo
The largest breeder of greyhounds in Britain is offering to sell healthy young dogs to be killed and dissected for research, an investigation has found.
Charles Pickering told an undercover reporter that his breeding programme continually throws up dozens of “fit and healthy” dogs that are “just a bit too slow for the tracks” and therefore a financial burden to him.
Pickering, who offered to sell them for £30 each, said he was helping to supply dogs to the animal teaching hospital at Liverpool University.
He provides yearling greyhounds to Richard Fielding, a greyhound trainer, who gives his older dogs for free to university veterinary staff, who put them to sleep and remove organs for teaching and research.
Pickering said he wanted to keep his dealings “nice and confidential” because it was “extremely sensitive”. The disclosure throws fresh light on the way in which the greyhound racing industry treats both retired dogs and those that fail to make the grade.
The Sunday Times disclosed in March that the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) was buying canine body parts from John O’Connor, a vet whose clinic was willing to euthanase healthy greyhounds, no questions asked.
An undercover reporter approached Pickering after hearing he was quietly sending young dogs to be put down at Liverpool University.
Pickering, a former pig farmer, breeds about 200 racing dogs a year at his Zigzag Kennels. Its website says: “We make the welfare of all our stock our highest priority.”
The reporter told Pickering that he was from another university and was interested in procuring surplus dogs for research. Pickering, 56, who is based at Dunholme in Lincolnshire, said: “We look to sell them [for racing] for a minimum of £200-£300 at 12 weeks [old].
“When they get to a year old we are hoping that we can get between £800 and £20,000 for the very fastest. But, of course, along the way we get some that aren’t quite suitable. If it’s in the interest of someone for scientific purposes or study purposes, well that’s a good thing. It’s better than just being put down and disappearing.”
Asked which of his dogs were not “suitable” for racing, he said: “We’ve got ones that simply won’t chase, they are absolutely healthy, fit as you could want, but just choose not to chase the artificial hare or are just a little bit too slow for the tracks. Or the ones that turn and fight.”
Pickering said he had been supplying up to 30 dogs a year to Liverpool University but “we could do more if required”. He later said that the dogs sent to Liverpool had either “finished racing or they are the ones that don’t make the grade” and were taken there by Fielding, who is accredited by the National Greyhound Racing Club, the sport’s governing body.
Pickering said that he could supply as many dogs as required at £30 each and could even breed them specifically to be killed. “When we are breeding, the ones that only reach the minimum standard for what we want, if we get too many of those it becomes a complication because we have to look for pet homes and all that sort of thing,” he said.
“I do give as many away for pets as we can, but these young ones, they are not used to the house environment. If they can have a use and help someone somewhere, and it gets me a tiny bit of money back, that’s all the better for me.”
Fielding, who is based in Lancashire told the reporter he had four “very healthy” dogs which he was happy to have taken away and killed immediately.
“I got shot of 10 old ones last year. Liverpool is a godsend in that respect because they are used for a good purpose.” He did not charge the university for them.
When contacted by the Sunday Times he denied taking any of Pickering’s dogs to the university and insisted the only greyhounds he took there were old and not rehomeable.
Pickering later denied ever having sent dogs for research.
Dr Eithne Comerford, who works at the university’s hospital and had arranged to take greyhounds from Fielding, told the undercover reporter that it was “not something we’re particularly mad about . . . we’re all vets”. She stressed that the dogs were “euthanased properly” and used for “multiple projects”. She said they were not paid for and the RVC scandal had caused “huge havoc”.
A spokeswoman for Liverpool University defended its activities. “Our approach to veterinary research is of the highest ethical standard. We only carry out research on tissues of dogs and cats that have died or been euthanased and with the full consent of the animal’s owner.”
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National Spay week May 25th - 31st, 2008
This year we celebrate National Spay week from May 25th to the 31st. It is vital in Gal way and in Ireland that spaying your pet becomes the normal for every pet owner.
In Ireland every year thousands of animals lose their life's their only crime is being born. The exact number of pups and kittens that lose their life's due to their mothers not being neutered we will never know but it must run into the hundreds of thousands. What we do know is the in the year of 2006 14,598 dogs were put down in the pounds nationwide , that is roughly 40 dogs a day that in plain English is a national disgrace. These figures are way higher that in England or Scotland.
The mind set of the Irish has to change when it comes to neutering and the excuses have to stop. If you go on holidays you save , if you go on a shopping spree you save , so also should it be with neutering when you get the pup or kitten you save and neuter and be a responsible owner.?
By neutering your pet you cut out the risk of for example in a male dog testicular neoplasia which is now the second most common tumour in dogs. You also cut out prostatic disease,prostatic abscess to name a few, In the female dog you cut out the risk of mammary cancer which is the most common tumour in female dogs. You also cut out the risk of pyometra which is fatal if not caught in time.
In cats by neutering your 'tom' it stops fighting, stops bite abscesses,and reduces the risk of FIV, it also reduces the urine marking of an uncut 'tom'. In female cats it cuts out mammary cancer as well. Mammary cancer in female cats is 80% malignant while in the female dog it is 50%..
The latest research now says it is ok to neuter your kitten at 4 to 5 months and you pup at 5 to 6 months. If everyone neutered their pets it would have the immediate effect of reducing the amount of animals destroyed every year. So come on and let us all show the world that in Galway ,and in Ireland we are responsible , caring and educated pet owners.
Both Dogs Trust and the Irish Blue Cross offer neutering of dogs and cats , but this is means tested if you contact them they will let you know if you are eligible and where the nearest vet is that is running the scheme. To contact Dogs Trust ring 1890 946 336 and the Irish Blue Cross Tel: 01 416 3030 for more information.****************************************************
Say no to the horror of live animal export
In February, WSPA and the Handle with Care coalition launched a global campaign to end the long distance transport of animals to slaughter. A landmark victory is now at hand that would shut down one of the world’s worst transport routes - the shipment of live cattle from Brazil to the Middle East.
Please support the Public Prosecutor of Pará State in his fight to ban live animal exports from one of Brazil’s busiest ports.
Live exports are currently suspended, and this alone is groundbreaking. It is the first time ever that animal welfare has been a factor when halting live exports from a port. The Public Prosecutor, Benedito Wilson Sá, also argued live exports damage the environment, discourage tourism and are ruining the state’s slaughterhouse industry.
If the suspension becomes a permanent ban, over 100,000 cattle a year will be saved from an horrific three-week land and sea journey to Lebanon, during which many animals die. But the suspension faces legal challenges by the export industry, forcing the Public Prosecutor to defend his case.
Please send Benedito Wilson Sá an email of support. Let him know that the world is watching Brazil’s reaction to the suspension and is backing a permanent ban on the cruel and unnecessary long distance transport of animals for slaughter.
http://capwiz.com/wspausa/issues/alert/?alertid=11374931
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A story featured on the BBC NEWS CHANNEL> A Golden Retriever in Cheshire has 'fostered' six stray kittens after recently giving birth to the same number of puppies.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7397247.stm
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Mark Your Diaries for ARAN's Most Important Event Ever!
Dear Friends of Animal Rights Action Network;
We write to inform you that this year we are holding our biggest event for the animals in our ten year history and we want you to be there. World Animal Week is celebrated during October 1st to the 7th and during this important week here in Ireland Animal Rights Action Network is coordinating our largest peaceful rally ever and we’re expecting hundreds of people and many respected groups to turn out in force for the animals and be a united voice, so please mark your diaries for our most important event of the year, wherever you live in Ireland north or south we’ll need you with us on October 5th in Dublin for the animals
This year’s theme for our rally is going to be ‘Cruelty to Animals Must Stop. FULL STOP’. Mark your diaries, details of the event are as follows:-
Date: Sunday October 5th, 2008
Time: 2pm Sharp
Place: Garden of Remembrance, Top of O’Connell Street, Dublin (We’ll meet here before setting off on our scheduled route that has been approved by the Gardai who have been fantastic with their help)
In the run up to our event this year, ARAN will also be inviting many of Ireland’s animal rescue groups and SPCAs who work day and night helping to save animals' lives. We are also inviting and will have the support of other respected groups here in Ireland along with several speakers from many groups working to save animals' lives as well as from Animal Rights Action Network. Our rally aims to bring people and groups that help animals closer in a united movement against cruelty to animals, and to form a united movement here in Ireland of people and groups working to help animals. As with all of ARAN’s events, it will be once again peaceful, welcoming and touching!
In the run up to our event, we need you, wherever it is you live, to come out and support this event, be there on October 5th with other caring people and add your voice to our call to end cruelty to animals. Over the coming weeks we’ll be mailing you details of what you can do in order to make sure our event is hugely successful, please do it for the animals that need each and every one of us right now. Please bring placards, banners, your family, friends, co workers and most of all your companion animals! Please RSVP so that we know approximately how many people to expect. We look forward to meeting you on the day!
Thank you for supporting Animal Rights Action Network and helping animals in desperate need,
Animal Rights Action Network
‘Fighting Animal Abuse Across Ireland’
Ps, For those of you who missed our 2006 event in which 300 supporters rallied for the animals, please take a look here and here. Our event this October 5th promises to be even bigger, better, more colorful, with more speakers. Please, mark your diaries and be there in Dublin with us on the day!
PPS, in the meantime please visit the award winning film narrated by Hollywood actor Joaquin Phoenix on cruelty to animals, if anything will stire you up between now and our event it will be this awe inspiring video that is a MUST see. Our April 2008 e-news is also now online in the ‘newsletter’ section of our website www.ARAN.ie – be sure to check out the THANK YOU section also.
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ARAN Uncovers Deadly Irish Animal Experiments In New Scientific Critique
Dear ARAN Members & Supporters;
If you thought animal suffering did not exist in Irish laboratories and university hospitals think again!
Bringing to light the increasing abuse of animals in Irish laboratories, Animal Rights Action Network (ARAN)-Ireland's national organization dedicated to furthering the rights of animals-has compiled a list of the five worst offenders. Experiments were chosen based on the extent of pain and suffering experienced by animals and the irrelevance of the experiments to human health.
* Experimenters at Queens University in Belfast deliberately blinded newborn kittens by placing the animals in a chamber containing three times more oxygen than normal air. After 32 days, the kittens were killed and damage to the animals' eyes was observed. Expert critics point out that due to significant differences in the anatomic and functional organization of the visual system of cats and humans, these experiments have no relevance to
people.
* Researchers at University College Dublin caused deliberate brain damage in rats by cutting open the animals' skulls and delivering a blow to the exposed brain. The purpose of this invasive and deadly experiment? To see how brain trauma affects the intestine.
* Using 18-month-old Labrador dogs, experimenters at Cork University Hospital and University College Cork injected a toxic chemical into the animals, in order to cause deliberate kidney failure. The dogs were killed at the end of the experiment.
* Researchers at University College Cork cut long incisions into the abdomens of pigs and tied several exposed arteries. After using a shunt to connect an artery and a vein, the experimenters measured the impact of their
manipulations on blood flow.
* Experimenters at Beaumont Hospital in Dublin tied heavy rubber bands to the hind legs of rats to obstruct the flow of blood. Some rats had been given the chemical glutamine prior to the procedure but all of the rats were killed at the end of the experiment and their organs were examined. The experimenters concluded that glutamine has protective properties, but this "result" had already been determined in humans.
The experiments identified in ARAN's list underscore the fact that laws governing animal experimentation fail to provide meaningful protection for animals - nothing is prohibited no matter how pointless, redundant or cruel.
"Animal experimentation is a losing proposition for animals, for taxpayers, and for human health," says veterinary surgeon consultant for ARAN Andre Menache, "We're calling on Irish vivisectors to put away their scalpels,
their restraint chairs, and their guillotines and embrace modern, non-animal technologies to advance real medical research."
Animal Rights Action Network would like to thank Veterinary Surgeon Consultant for ARAN Andre Menache MRCVS, John J Pippin of Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) <http://www.pcrm.org> and Stephen
R. Kaufman, M.D Medical Research Modernization Committee co-chair.
Thank You,
Animal Rights Action Network <http://www.aran.ie>
'Fighting Animal Abuse Across Ireland'***************************************************
As I am sure you have heard, after crossing the finish line in last Saturday's Kentucky Derby, a young filly named Eight Belles collapsed when both her front ankles snapped. She was euthanized in the dirt where she lay, the latest victim of the dirty business of thoroughbred racing.
Help PETA prevent further suffering in the racing industry by taking action today.
Eight Belles' death is yet another reminder that horses are raced when they are so young that their bones have not properly formed, and they are often raced on surfaces that are too hard for their bones—like the hard track at Churchill Downs. Eight Belles' jockey whipped her mercilessly as she came down the final stretch. Trainers, owners, and jockeys are driven by the desire to make money, and the horses suffer terribly for it.
PETA is calling on the racing industry to suspend the jockey and trainer; bar the owner from racing at the track; stop racing horses on hard tracks and switch to softer, synthetic surfaces to spare horses' bones and joints; permanently ban the use of whips; and, at the very least, stop using young horses who are so susceptible to these types of horrific injuries. Help PETA call for an end to cruelty that masquerades as sport.
Although Eight Belles' death—like Barbaro's death before hers—made headlines, countless lesser-known horses suffer similar fates away from the public eye. These horses' broken legs and battered bodies are hidden from public view. Most racehorses end up broken down or cast off or are sent to Europe for slaughter.
Please take action today to help prevent cruelty in the racing industry by asking the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority to institute sweeping reforms that would stop needless, preventable suffering.
http://getactive.peta.org/campaign/eight_belles
Thank you for your action and compassion for animals.
Kind regards,
Ingrid E. Newkirk
President***************************************************
The dog abuse story that bites
Hello,
As a first year Graphic Design student in Athlone Institute of Technology and a volunteer Web Administrator for Galway SPCA, I was horrified and sickened to hear of an artist using a live stray dog as part of an art exhibition last year in Nicaragua. I found the images of the emaciated and diseased dog tied in the corner of a room so disturbing, that I have been hugely upset since receiving them.
The impression given by the artist and the gallery, was that the dog starved to death, but this is apparently meant to be a sick hoax. Whatever the truth, I have felt a sense of hopelessness this past week at the notion that anyone could add to the suffering of an animal as a means of artistic expression, regardless of the outcome.
Many are of the opinion that if the dog didn't die, that it's okay to trap, and tie it up in a gallery for a few hours each day for the sake of art, and then release it back into the 'wild', as long as it was well looked after. Could it be a cultural difference that I feel so appalled at something that has been applauded in another part of the world, or am I being too soft? Whatever the answer, I really hope the media decides to research the story and put the matter to rest for once and for all.
Regards,
from Reggie the Terrier
Here are some useful links to sources regarding this story.
http://www.ea6gk.org/
http://reiskeks-natividad.blogspot.com/2007/11/report-case-vargas-taking-action-better.html
http%3A%2F%2Felperritovive.blogspot.com%2F&langpair=es%7Cen&hl=en&ie=UTF-8
http://www.marcaacme.com/blogs/analog/index.php/2007/08/22/5_piezas_de_habacuc
http://www.laprensa.com.ni/archivo/2007/octubre/05/noticias/revista/219438.shtml
http://www.nacion.com/ln_ee/2007/septiembre/14/aldea1239344.html
http://salonkritik.net/06-07/2007/10/aclaracion_tema_hababuc_rodolf.php
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/text/article.html
http://www.euroweeklynews.com/news/6831.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/1903589/Nicaraguan-artist-in-%27canine-death%27-row.html
http://www.nonstarvingartists.com/Members/zaphmann/zaph-mann/archive/2008/03/06/death-for-no-reason
http://arts.guardian.co.uk/art/news/story/0,,2269320,00.html#article_continue
http://arthistory.about.com/b/2008/04/20/the-starving-dog-exhibition-controversy.htm
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/belisa-vranich/the-starving-dog-artist-a_b_97512.html
http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=press_042408
http://www.wspa-usa.org/pages/2341_no_excuses_for_cruelty.cfm
http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/vargas.asp
http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/v/vargas.htm
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The Galway SPCA are urging all people around the world to sign this petition.
This is not ART it is CRUELTY at its worst.
We can do nothing for this little dog other than to make sure that his death was not in vain and that this atrocity will not be allowed to happen again. Please sign the petition and forward it as widely as you can. For my friends who speak Spanish, please write your note in Spanish. Thank you. TheoIn 2007, the 'artist' Guillermo Vargas Habacuc, took a dog from the street, tied him to a rope in an art gallery, and allowed him to starve to death.
For several days, the 'artist' and the visitors of the exhibition watched the dog's agony, until eventually he died.Does this look like art to you?
But this is not all... the prestigious Visual Arts Biennial of the Central American decided that the 'installation' was actually art, so that Guillermo Vargas Habacuc has been invited to repeat his cruel action for the biennial of 2008.
PLEASE HELP STOP HIM.
http://www.petitiononline.com/ea6gk/petition.htmlIt will only take 1 minute.
Theodora Capaldo, Ed.D.
President
New England Anti-Vivisection Society
Project R&R: Release and Restitution for Chimpanzees in US Laboratories333 Washington Street, Suite 850
Boston, MA 02108
617 523 6020
www.neavs.org
www.releasechimps.org***************************************************
Help ARAN & IAVS To Mark World Laboratory Animal Week!
Dear ARAN Members & Supporters,
We are joining forces with our colleagues at Irish Anti Vivisection Society (IAVS) to mark 'World Laboratory Animal Week' in which exciting events will take place across the world to highlight cruelty to animals in cruel, useless and unscientific experiments. Did you know that here in Ireland animal experiments do actually take place and that dogs and cats are also being used? Did you know that primate experiments and product testing could set up in Ireland at anytime with no current law to stop them?
In Ireland ARAN & IAVS who team up on a yearly basis to mark this important day will hold a lively peaceful event to raise awareness of dogs and other animals suffering in Irish laboratories? Consider the facts, the latest figures released by the Department of Health show the total number of animals used in Irish laboratories in 2006 was 73,794 - almost double the number used in 2005. The number of dogs subjected to a miserable, short life in barren laboratory conditions had been dropping since 2002. It is therefore grave news that the total number of dogs used in experiments in Irish laboratories increased by a staggering 78% in 2006 to 297 dogs. Please do take time out to attend our important event. Our main aim is to highlight the use of animals in Irish laboratories and to call for an end to the use of animals in laboratories as it's proven that animal experiments are unscientific, un reliable and unethical, for more information on animal experiments please visit www.stopanimalstests.com.
MARK YOUR DIARIES, TAKE ACTION:-
Date: Saturday April 26, 2008
Time: 2pm Sharp - 4pm
Place: Central Bank, Dame Street, Dublin
Please do consider attending our important event. On the day we will need you to hold posters and banners or help distribute educational leaflets to passers-by. At our peaceful event, we'll have two huge professional banners
reading 'Animals Are Not Ours To Experiment On' and 'Ban Primate Experiments in Ireland' we will also have placards featuring a picture of a monkey being cruelly abused in an experiment with the tagline reading 'This Is Animal Experimentation, Don't Let Anyone Tell You Different' and much more.
Once again, thank you for all your ongoing support and more so for everything you are doing to help stop cruelty to animals, I look forward to seeing you in Dublin on April 26th!
Thank You,
Iratxe Burgos Sanchez
Animal Rights Action Network <http://www.aran.ie>
Ps, please continue to visit our website www.ARAN.ie to keep up to date with our work across Ireland and be sure to forward this email far and wide to other people who may be interested in helping our work. Have you seeing the
award winning documentary film Earthlings narrated by Hollywood actor Joaquin Phoenix? If not please click here <http://veg-tv.info/Earthlings> to see it, it's a documentary that certainly will expose cruelty to animals
and help reverse the cruel cycle.***************************************************
ICABS responds to Galway student's hunting claims
Dear ICABS Supporter (Galway),
Please see below for our response to a recent pro-hunt letter in the Galway Independent. Our statement was published today on the Galway Independent website.
Thank you for your continued support.
With best wishes.
Yours sincerely,
Philip Kiernan
Irish Council Against Blood Sports
PO Box 88, Mullingar, Co Westmeath, Ireland
Email: info@banbloodsports.com
Website: www.banbloodsports.com
WAPsite: www.banbloodsports.com/wap
ICABS TV: www.youtube.com/icabs
ICABS on Bebo: www.bebo.com/banbloodsports
ICABS on MySpace: www.myspace.com/banbloodsports
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ICABS responds to Galway student's hunting claims 9 April 2008
In a statement published on the Galway Independent website today, the Irish Council Against Blood Sports has addressed claims by a Galway student that foxhunting is "humane" and that foxes need to be controlled. We have clarified that fox hunting is cruel from beginning to end and that foxes biologically control their own numbers. The full
text appears below.
ICABS statement on Galway Independent website
Dear Editor,
In his letter of 26 March, student David Scallan presents foxhunting as "the most natural and humane method of controlling a fox population".
This absurd and baseless claim is wholly unconvincing. Firstly, there is absolutely nothing natural about a pack of hounds chasing a fox for anything up to three hours or more. The chase and the kill are orchestrated by hunters who begin the process by introducing hounds to the taste of fox blood. The horrific ritual, euphemistically termed Autumn hunting by participants, sees coverts surrounded and hounds-in-training goaded into attacking young foxes.
Foxhunting could never in any way be described as "humane". It is unadulterated cruelty from the moment a fox is disturbed from its habitat and forced to run for dear life. Scientific research carried out by the United States Department of Agriculture leaves no doubt about the suffering endured. Autopsies performed on foxes pursued for just five minutes and then killed revealed haemorrhage of the heart and lungs and congestion of adrenal glands and kidneys. Blood analysis showed high levels of enzymes that reflect tissue damage caused by the exertion of
the chase. Regardless of whether caught or not, the unfortunate fox will often subsequently suffer brain damage and paralysis.
Of course, the chase is only one part of foxhunting's litany of animal abuse. If the desperate fox manages to find temporary refuge down a hole in the ground, the hunt's terriermen are summoned to evict the animal. With their vicious terriers, these cold-hearted thugs delight in hearing the squeals of an underground attack and seeing terrified foxes being tugged back out into the open.
Foxes caught while on their last legs are not put out of their misery by a quick nip to the back of the neck as hunters claim. Their end is a despicable, bloody death with hounds pushing them over and biting their internal organs out of their bellies.
The claim that foxhunting keeps fox numbers down has long been dispelled. Back in 2002, a UK Mammal Society study confirmed that foxhunters actually play no role in fox control. "This is the first scientific study into the impact of hunting on fox numbers and it shows quite clearly that hunting plays no role in regulating numbers," concluded society chairman, Professor Stephen Harris.
Suggestions that fox control is a necessary evil in the countryside are highly questionable. Mammalogists believe that, based on the territory size and available food supply, a biological mechanism within the vixen determines how many cubs she will produce. This would suggest that by killing foxes in a particular territory, hunts are ensuring more food for the remaining foxes and promoting larger litter sizes.
Mr Scallan's outrageous portrayal of foxes as "significant predators of livestock" is as outdated as it is inaccurate. This old wives' tale has been superseded by research findings which confirm that foxes are not actually a threat to agriculture.
"A great deal many allegations of lamb killing are based on insufficient or even non-existent evidence," former UCG zoology lecturer, Professor James Fairley stresses in his An Irish Beast Book. "When interviewing farmers, I found that in some cases, a dead, unwounded animal or the mere disappearance of a lamb were attributed to the work of the fox."
According to the Irish Department of Agriculture, predation on livestock is negligible and it is relevant to point out that foxes are not evenmentioned in their statistics. The message coming from the Department appears to be that it's actually foxhunters that are the real problem and that farmers "should not allow foxhunts to traverse fields with
livestock."
Mr Scallan may have been in the majority at the NUIG hunting debate but in the words of Galway Councillor, Niall Ó Brolcháin, the only thing proven by the hunters on the night was that "they can fill a room"! The fact remains that two thirds of the Irish population abhor foxhunting and want the government to ban this callous assault on our wildlife
heritage.
Philip Kiernan
Irish Council Against Blood Sports
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"Galway wants blood sports banned" - Please display our new banner
Dear Supporter,
Please help spread the word about the campaign against blood sports in Ireland by displaying an ICABS banner on your website or profile page.
Our latest banners include "Galway wants blood sports banned". Please click on Latest News at www.banbloodsports.com and choose "Please
display an ICABS campaign banner" (4 April 2008) to copy the relevant display codes.ps we also have a new "Help Irish Foxes" graphic. If you would like to display this on your website or profile page, please use the following
code:<a href = "http://www.banbloodsports.com" target = "_blank"><img src =
"http://www.banbloodsports.com/images/ln-0804b2.jpg" border = "0"></a>Thanks very much for your continued support.
With best wishes.
Yours sincerely,
Philip Kiernan
Irish Council Against Blood Sports
PO Box 88, Mullingar, Co Westmeath, IrelandEmail: info@banbloodsports.com
Website: www.banbloodsports.com
WAPsite: www.banbloodsports.com/wap
ICABS TV: www.youtube.com/icabs
ICABS on Bebo: www.bebo.com/banbloodsports
ICABS on MySpace: www.myspace.com/banbloodsports-----------------------------------------------------------
- Join our mailing list -
Keep up to date with our campaigns and action alerts. Send an email to info@banbloodsports.com with "Subscribe" in the subject line.
(Please include your name and location).- Sign our online petition -
Sign our "Ban Blood Sports in Ireland" petition at: www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/784506550***************************************************
ARAN Praises Cork City Councilors For Passing A Motion To Ban Animal Act Circuses On Council Land
For Immediate Release:
April 1, 2008Contact:
John Carmody 087-6275579 arancampaigns@eircom.netVICTORY! ARAN PRAISES CORK CITY COUNCILORS FOR PASSING A MOTION TO BAN ANIMAL ACT CIRCUSES ON COUNCIL LAND
Cork City to Join Fingal Council in Banning Animal Act Circuses on Council LandCork - Animal Rights Action Network <http://www.aran.ie/> , Ireland's national animal rights group are today praising members of Cork city council for voting on a resolution introduced by socialist party councilor Mick Barry that will ban animal act circuses using Cork city public property. This motion, which was passed on Monday night will be effective in ensuring only circuses that do not use animals will be permitted on Cork city land.
What is the problem with using animals in circuses? During an undercover investigation conducted by Animal Rights Action Network and Animal Defenders International which uncovered suffering of animals inside several Irish circuses, the findings were disturbing, including but not limited to:-
* a camel slapped in the face and then hit in the face with a broom and finally jabbed with a broom handle
* an elephant kicked in the leg and then punched in the face
* a hippo whipped to make him walk faster
* a keeper whipping an elephant in order to get her to move
* a baby camel being roughly handled to force him to move
* a pregnant camel performing just days before giving birthIn order to force wild animals to perform stressful and often painful acts, trainers use metal bullhooks, whips, muzzles and electric prods. These
horribly cruel training methods are often used in Irish circuses all over the country. Most elephants in circuses have been taken from the wild as
babies for a lifetime of boredom, misery, cheap tricks and cruelty. Animals in circuses are not volunteers, they are slaves, confined to their 'beast' wagons for some 23 hours a day with no room to exercise compared to that of their homes in the wild. Whether captive-born or wild-caught, wild animals have a physical and psychological need to roam for miles, forage for food and vegetation, and raise their young. Due to constant travel, animal-based circuses cannot provide for animals in their care."Animals in circuses are not volunteers, they have been deprived of their precious freedom for a life time of cheap tricks," said John Carmody
Campaigns Coordinator for ARAN. "Cork city council made the right decision and it's a decision that most kind, compassionate people would support. It's time to support circuses that do not use animals," said Carmody.Animal Rights Action Network has plans on introducing similar measures in Clare and Limerick next.
ENDS***************************************************
Victory, Cork City Council Passes Motion to Ban Animal Act Circuses Using Their Land!
Galway SPCA now urge Galway city and county to follow the example set by Cork
Dear ARAN Members, Supporters & Volunteers;
Just recently we contacted you requesting your help in urging Cork city councilors to support a motion that would ban animal act circuses using Cork city land. Tonight, Monday March 31st, the councilors went to vote and the good news is that the motion has being passed! This now means that the motion has been supported and that it will go through various stages of legal communication and drafting in order to make it law, Animal Rights Action Network will keep you fully posted on this. ARAN will now be in contact with all Cork city councilors who supported the motion to ensure this resolution is made law and we will also be contacting the councilors that voted against the motion in order to educate them about suffering of animals inside Irish circuses, our aim? To educate them so that they may have a change of heart in the future! Animal Rights Action Network would like to thank Cork councilor Mick Barry for putting forward this motion, Mick also viewed footage of the ADI/ARAN investigation into Irish circuses just recently.
Your emails and phone calls have made a huge difference! We have been in contact with the councilors who voted for this motion and they explain to us that they have been receiving particularly emails from all over Ireland, the UK, across Europe and some other countries around the world. They were actually most interested to see emails coming from outside of Ireland - your participation and contact to the councilors has made a huge difference and please take a moment to share in this important achievement.
Animal Rights Action Network currently runs a nationwide campaign here in Ireland called 'Stop Circus Suffering in Ireland' with our campaign partners at Animal Defenders International <http://www.ad-international.org> which we kicked off in 2005 with a giant mobile billboard exposing the cruelty that visited north and south a first for Ireland. Please click here
<http://www.ad-international.org/admin/downloads/irelandcircusbriefing.pdf>
to see our report documenting animal suffering inside Irish circuses. Animal Rights Action Network's campaign here in Ireland consists of national grassroots activism, circus protests, street awareness, political lobbying and much more. We are also preparing a submission in which we are presenting to the Irish government that we hope will be included in the new upcoming animal welfare bill which we hope will ban animal act circuses in Ireland outright!Again, we THANK YOU very much for writing emails and making phone calls and more so for responding to our calls for help, it goes to show we can and we will make a huge difference and hopefully one day cruelty to animals will be a thing of the past!
Thank you once again,
Animal Rights Action Network
'Ireland's National Animal Rights Group'
www.ARAN.ie***************************************************
Help Us Save the Seals..Latest from Humane Society
Sign up for Seal Watch:
http://www.hsus.org/marine_mammals/protect_seals/seals_action/seal_watch_sign_up.htmlUrge Canada's Minister of International Trade to Stop the Seal Hunt:
https://community.hsus.org/campaign/trademinister_protectseals08***************************************************
Canadians head to Europe to lobby for seal hunt
Please read below a news story that has just landed on our inbox. The Canadian seals need our movement to do something now more than ever before, please be there for the seals at ARAN's protest on Wednesday April 2nd in Dublin.
Animal Rights Action Network 'Fighting Animal Abuse Across Ireland'
Canadians head to Europe to lobby for seal hunt Marianne White, Canwest News Service Published: Wednesday, March 26, 2008 More On This Story
* EU studying 'inhumane killings of seals'
<http://www.nationalpost.com/nationalpost/story.html?id=401433>
* More humane seal hunt takes to ice
<http://www.nationalpost.com/nationalpost/story.html?id=364221>
Paul Darrow/ReutersTwo sealers drag their recently killed harp seals towards their boats in the Gulf of St. Lawrence in 2005. QUEBEC -- As the annual seal hunt gets underway Friday, a delegation of Canadian officials and hunters will be heading to Europe to make a plea for the industry, which has been criticized as cruel and could soon face sanctions from the 27-nation bloc. The European Union is weighing a ban on the import of all seal products from Canada to protest against the annual harvest. A spokeswoman for EU environment chief Stavros Dimas told reporters in Brussels Wednesday Mr. Dimas is "looking into the nature of the inhumane killing of seals," and is drafting a text to be presented before June. Mr. Dimas could then recommend that the EU follow the lead of Belgium and the Netherlands, who have already banned the import of seal products. The Canadian government is waging an aggressive diplomatic battle against the possible ban and wants to make sure EU decision-makers get fully briefed on the seal hunt before they are asked to vote. Canada's ambassador for fisheries conservation Loyola Sullivan -- who heads the delegation -- acknowledged that it won't be an easy task to overcome the anti-sealing movement that has taken hold in Europe. "When you put propaganda out in the public for years and years, spending millions of dollars earned on false advertising by using images that no longer exist in over 20 years, it's difficult to change people's minds when they have formulated an opinion," Mr. Sullivan said in an interview. "But we are not going to be bullied by a bunch of people spreading misinformation about Canadians honestly earning a livelihood. We have to stand on the principle," he added. A Europe-wide ban could be catastrophic for the $33-million industry that is a mainstay of East Coast communities. It would also mean Canada could no longer ship seal pelts through European ports to major markets in China and Russia. Mr. Sullivan's delegation -- which is going to Europe for the second year in a row -- kicks off a 10-day visit to London, Brussels, Paris, Berlin and Vienna on Saturday. He is taking along a number of Canadian officials including the premier of Nunavut, Newfoundland's natural resources minister, as well as seal hunters from Quebec's Magdalen Islands and Newfoundland. Mr. Sullivan lamented the fact that animal rights groups often try to sway opinion by showing images of cute and cuddly seal pups, and of dead and bloodied seals on ice flows. Since 1987, it is illegal to hunt whitecoat
pups and hooded seal pups, who are newborn seals. "We have to put our side of the issue on the table to make sure people don't legislate based on emotion," he stressed. The Humane Society of the United States, a leading opponent of the seal hunt, dismissed the delegation as nothing more than a "SWAT team of lobbyists" and reiterated its intention to oppose the annual hunt that will start Friday in the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence, weather permitting. "The seal hunt is the largest slaughter of mammals on earth and it's happening in Canada. Moreover, the government is actively promoting it and defending," said Rebecca Aldworth, director of Canadian wildlife issues for the organization. For this year's culling, the government set a quota of 275,000 seal harps out of a population of nearly six million. Canadian officials have long maintained the hunt is well-monitored and sustainable and Ottawa announced earlier this year that hunters will now have to take extra steps to ensure the seals die humanely.
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Don't let an animal suffer for a pair of shoes
You can help animals around the world who are cruelly mistreated by the leather industry by making a special gift to PETA. [http://getactive.peta.org/ct/edB96bs1VSsl/]
We have video footage documenting horrible conditions for cows, pigs, goats, and sheep-and even dogs and cats-in the leather industry. Animals are condemned to deplorable living conditions, deprived of food and water, transported in small cages, and crammed onto trucks. At slaughterhouses, they watch as other animals are skinned-often while still alive-and await the same gruesome fate.
Most leather is produced in developing countries where there are no effective animal protection laws whatsoever. Six years after a PETA investigation into the Indian leather industry prompted the Indian government to promise to improve conditions for animals killed for their skin, we have influenced many major retailers to turn away from Indian leather-yet so very much suffering still occurs. Animals are still grotesquely abused in
ways that violate Indian law and all standards of dignity and humanity. We cannot let this continue.PETA's investigators have seen cows have their throats cut with blunt instruments and be painfully castrated, dehorned, and branded-all without painkillers of any kind. At the end of their miserable lives, these gentle animals are hung upside-down, bled to death, skinned, and dismembered-for example, their hooves are cut off-often while they are still conscious.
But you can take important steps today to reduce this suffering. To start with, please pledge never to buy or wear any more leather products. Believe me, there are great alternatives available. And if you're as serious as I am about stopping the abuses inflicted by the leather industry, please make an online donation to PETA, [http://getactive.peta.org/ct/edB96bs1VSsl/] the one animal rights organization whose influence extends across borders.
PETA is now leading a worldwide campaign to stop animal abuse in the leather industry. But we need your help. We're taking on industry leaders in the United States and overseas, serving as the only advocate for these abused animals. If we are to win significant relief for animals-and we've won countless battles against the factory-farming and fur industries already-we need you by our side.
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Urgent: Canada's Killing Date is 28th of March
Dear ARAN Members & Supporters;
It's the news we did not want to bring you, but Canada's seal slaughter is due to take place on March 28th. It remains the most vicious and shameful
slaughter of baby harp seals, the world's largest massacre of marine mammals. Right now our friends at Respect for Animals http://www.respectforanimals.org.uk> a UK based anti-fur campaign organization are in Canada along with Humane Society of the United States
http://www.hsus.org/> to document this years slaughter and show the world what Canada is desperate to hide. With the campaigners are teams of reporters from top media outlets including ITN and Sky News and UK celebrity Alison Stedman who will also be on BBC on March 28th to talk about her part on this campaign, their coverage will help expose the cruelty and shameful, needless killing for what it really is. Today Sky News is highlighting the killing and the campaign with an interesting feature on TV along with coverage on their internet website.
Please click here <http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30200-1310427,00.html> to view Sky
News report of Canada's seal hunt and their interesting video of the campaign too.
If you'd like to let the Canadian Embassy based in Ireland know how you feel about Canada's heartbreaking slaughter please contact us right away.
If you've written before, please do so again.please email them here dubln@international.gc.ca and if possible can you please call their switchboard to register a complaint with the Ambassador's secretary? Number Is 01-2344000Thank you for everything you are doing to help animals and Canada's seals,
Animal Rights Action Network <http://www.aran.ie/>
Ps, please continue to log onto our website www.ARAN.ie to learn more about our work to save Canada's seals.***************************************************
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