News
The number of news found: 31.
10/31/2006 ELEPHANTS RECOGNIZE THEMSELVES IN THE MIRROR TOO!
Elephants have joined a small, elite group of species-including humans, great apes and dolphins-that have the ability to recognize themselves in the mirror, according to a new finding by researchers at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) in New York. This newly found presence of mirror self-recognition in elephants, previously predicted due to their well-known social complexity, is thought to relate to empathetic tendencies and the ability to distinguish oneself from others, a characteristic that evolved independently in several branches of animals, including primates such as humans.
10/30/2006 FILM ABOUT THE SLAUGHTER OF SEALS WINS AWARD!
A the HSUS' documentary Bearing Witness: Canada's 2005 Seal Hunt showing the slaughter of seals during the 2005 seal hunt in Canada has won a 'Panda' Award at the Wild Screen Film Festival in the United Kingdom. Staff videographers from The Humane Society of the United States, led by video director Kathy Milani, filmed and edited the video, titled Bearing Witness: Canada's 2005 Seal Hunt. The film won in the campaigns category. The Wild Screen Festival is an international wildlife and environmental film festival and attracts entries from filmmakers worldwide. The festival celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2006.
10/29/2006 GIANT PATCH OF OCEANIC DEBRIS!
Early in 2006, a massive field of oceanic debris 'drifted south into Hawaiian waters, driving loads of derelict fishing gear and plastic trash onto Island beaches,' reports The Honolulu Advertiser. Currents push much of the floating debris in the North Pacific into a quiet part of the ocean, but under certain atmospheric conditions, the debris is swept toward Hawaii. In 2005 'more than 2,000 pieces of debris were found,' as well as more than 100 fishing nets. The garbage is a hazard to marine life. Says Charles Moore, founder of the Algalita Marine Research Foundation: 'There is no such thing as organic fish in the ocean anymore. They're all eating bits of plastic.'
10/28/2006 MORE SHARKS THEN ESTIMATED KILLED FOR FIN SOUP!
Up to four times more sharks than previously thought are being slaughtered to fill the increasing demand for shark fin soup, scientists said on Wednesday. They estimate that each year between 26 million and 73 million sharks, weighing up to 2.29 million tonnes, are killed for their fins which are used in the delicacy that costs $100 a bowl in Chinese restaurants. Figures reported to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation put the number at 0.4 to 0.6 million tonnes a year.
10/27/2006 STUDY: VEGETABLES MAY KEEP BRAINS YOUNG!
New research on vegetables and aging gives mothers another reason to say 'I told you so.' It found that eating vegetables appears to help keep the brain young and may slow the mental decline sometimes associated with growing old. On measures of mental sharpness, older people who ate more than two servings of vegetables daily appeared about five years younger at the end of the six-year study than those who ate few or no vegetables.
10/26/2006 RESEARCHERS ABANDON MONKEY EXPERIMENTS!
A research center has dropped a controversial proposal to conduct medical experiments on up to 100 endangered African monkeys that are natural carriers of a form of the AIDS virus but do not get sick from it. The Yerkes National Primate Research Center sought to use sooty mangabey monkeys in a first-of-its kind agreement that required scientists to help conserve the species in the wild. The decision was celebrated by animal-protection groups that feared the Yerkes proposal might be the first of many applications seeking permission to harm endangered species in exchange for financial contributions to conservation programs.
10/24/2006 DOG SAVES GUARDIAN, DIES IN FIRE AFTER RETURNING FOR CAT!
A dog rescued a handicapped woman from her burning home in the US state of Wisconsin, but its devotion cost it its life when it returned to save the family cat. Jesse, a Labrador retriever and German shepherd mix, dragged its guardian Jamie Hanson, 49, to safety after a fire broke out in her home in the town of Rhine. Before pulling Hanson to safety, Jesse brought her the prosthetic leg and a telephone to call the fire department. When the dog pulled its guaridan to the doorway, Hanson said she heard the cat cry and the dog ran upstairs to get the cat. Hanson had trained Jesse to assist her after she lost her leg in an accident. Both Jesse and the cat it tried to save died in the blaze. 'I never treated her like a dog,' Hanson said. 'She was always like a child to me. She understood every word I ever said to her.' Another cat started the fire when it knocked over a candle, fire authorities said.
10/23/2006 ANNUAL DOLPHIN SLAUGHTER BEGINS IN JAPAN!
On October 11th, Ito City Fishing Cooperative announced that they will continue their annual 'drive' hunt of dolphins. They join Taiji, and other small villages along the coast of Japan, in a bloodbath that results in the death of over 20,000 dolphins and small whales annually from October through April each year. Sanctioned by the government of Japan, which gives a quota of how many animals can be slaughtered during the hunt, these intelligent mammals are corralled into bays, where most of them suffer a long and painful death by spears, hooks, and drowning. Then, often sold under the guise of whale meat, the highly toxic flesh of these animals is marketed to the Japanese public in stores and restaurants – poisoning their own citizens.
10/22/2006 GERMAN PARLIAMENT BANS SEAL PRODUCT IMPORTS!
Germany's parliament voted unanimously on October 19 on a motion to ban the import of seal products, eliminating the German market from the commercial seal trade, and sending a strong message to the Canadian government that it wants no part of Canada's annual commercial seal hunt. The vote was applauded by IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare ), which has campaigned to achieve a national ban in Germany and continues to campaign throughout the world to protect seals. Over the past five years, more than 1.25 million seals have been hunted in Canada's annual commercial hunt - making it the largest marine mammal hunt in the world.
10/21/2006 ICELAND BEGINS COMMERCIAL WHALING!
Iceland has announced it is to resume commercial hunting of whales. Icelandic ships will take nine fin whales, an endangered species, and 30 minke whales each year. In a statement, the fisheries ministry said the nation was dependent on living marine resources, and would keep catches within sustainable limits. Norway is the only other country to hunt commercially; most are bound by a 20-year moratorium. Currently Iceland hunts minkes for scientific research.
10/20/2006 AR PROTESTERS HAIL BAN ON SALE OF DOG AND CAT FUR!
Animal rights and welfare campaigners welcomed a vote by the European Parliament in favour of an EU-wide ban on the sale of dog and cat fur. MEPs approved the ban as part of the first ever European Community strategic plan on animal protection. Edinburgh West Liberal Democrat MP John Barrett, recently appointed honorary vice-president of the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA), said: 'This is a historic turning point in the fight to ban this inhumane trade. The vote by members of the European Parliament sets in motion an EU-wide commitment to ban the import of dog and cat fur products to the EU.'
10/19/2006 INVESTIGATON REVEALS HORRIFIC CONDITIONS IN AUSTRIA'S PIG FARMS!
A two-month investigation conducted by animal rights activists has exposed horrific and illegal conditions in intensive pig farming businesses throughout Austria and has led to a demand for major reforms. During August and September 2006, activists entered 125 pig factories in different regions of Austria and documented the living conditions and quality of life for 120,675 pigs. This cross-section represents 3.82% of all pigs farmed in all the major farming areas of the country. The investigation revealed that: 85.5% of pigs live on gridded floor, 98.7% of pigs live without straw bedding, 98.1% of breeding sows are put into farrowing crates, 72.1% of breeding sows are permanently in sow stalls, 45.,4% of pigs live with illegally little natural light, o 99.2% of breeding sows live without nesting material, only 0.05% of pigs are free range in Austria.
10/18/2006 DENMARK REPORTS FIRST CASE OF LETHAL SCRAPIE ANIMAL DISEASE!
Denmark reported its first case of scrapie, a lethal disease affecting sheep and goats which is related to mad cow disease. A crippled animal in Kjellerup in Viborg County was confirmed to have died of an atypical form of scrapie last month, Preben Willeberg, Denmark's chief veterinary officer, said in a report to the World Organization for Animal Health. The report didn't say whether a sheep or goat was infected. The animal was more than 10 years old and the source of its infection is unknown, according to the report, which was received by the Paris-based organization last week. Another 17 animals were susceptible to infection and the affected property has been quarantined, it said. Scrapie is a degenerative disease that affects the central nervous system. The disease, also known as mad cow disease, has been linked with the fatal brain-wasting disease, variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob, in humans.
10/17/2006 OLDEST KNOWN CHIMPANZEE IN U.S. LAB TO RETIRE AFTER HALF CENTURY!
Gwen, a 54-year-old chimpanzee, who has lived in a laboratory over a half century and believed to be the oldest chimpanzee held for research in the U.S., is to be released into sanctuary this month. She is scheduled to leave New Iberia Research Center (NIRC) and be released to Chimp Haven, a partially federally funded sanctuary in Louisiana. News of her expected release came following an inquiry and appeal from Project R&R: Release and Restitution for Chimpanzees in U.S. Laboratories, which fostered inquiries from U.S. Senate offices to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). It was also revealed that three other elder chimpanzees have recently died, and that several are now considered 'too frail' to withstand transfer. The CHIMP Act, signed into law in 2000, provides chimpanzees no longer needed for research with retirement rather than allowing euthanasia. Laboratories decide who is eligible for retirement. However, the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) can recall 'retired' chimpanzees for research if certain criteria are met.
10/17/2006 PETA PRESIDENT ARRESTED FOR PARIS BREAK IN!
PETA president, Ingrid Newkirk, and vice president, Dan Mathews, along with a group of their fellow protesters, have spent a night in a Paris jail after last week breaking into a designer clothing boutique. According to the Australian Wool and Sheep Industry taskforce, the New York Post has reported the group was arrested after busting into the Jean Paul Gaultier flagship boutique and dousing the designer's street-level windows with red paint. The group was reportedly wearing bloodied donated furs and shouting, 'Gaultier! Killer!' for more than an hour.
10/16/2006 ANIMAL RIGHTS CONFERENCE IN VIENNA!
Animal Friends Croatia took part at the animal rights conference in Vienna which lasted for two days and on which representatives of organisations from the South-East European region participated. The first day, Saturday, October 14, consisted of representing the animal rights and protection organizations' activities and exchanging their experiences, whilst the second day, Sunday, October 15, had sessions and workshops in parallel about fur, hunting, animal issues in schools, intensive farming, animal traditions, animal experiments, and vegetarianism and veganism.
10/14/2006 STATES MUST HELP SAVE PETS!
Washington - States will be required to help evacuate pets during a natural disaster such as a hurricane or earthquake or risk losing federal money under a bill signed Friday by President Bush. The bill was prompted by reports that as many as 50,000 pets were stranded during Hurricane Katrina. Rescue agencies have been criticized for the 'no pets' policy that required pet owners to abandon their animals or defy evacuation orders and stay in the disaster area. Nearly half of those who refused to evacuate said they didn't want to leave their pets behind, according to an April poll by the Fritz Institute, a nonprofit agency involved with providing humanitarian relief work.
10/13/2006 MILLIONS OF ANIMALS TO DIE IN NEW EU CHEMICAL TESTS!
Tens of millions of rabbits, mice and guinea pigs are facing a painful death in laboratory experiments to be imposed next April because of new European Union rules on chemical testing. The new laws will set compulsory tests for about 30,000 chemicals that have been on the market since before 1981, when there were no stringent health and safety requirements. Many of the chemicals are used in household items, from shampoo to children's toys, and EU policymakers have pushed for the new standards, arguing that too little is known about the dangers for human health and the environment. Current estimates of the number of animals to be affected range from the 16m predicted by the chemicals industry to 45m over 15 years calculated by Germany's Federal Institute for Risk Assessment.
10/12/2006 SUPREME COURT IN INDIA BANS BREEDING ANIMALS IN ZOOS!
New Delhi (Reuters) - The Supreme Court on Monday banned the country's 250 zoos from breeding animals following allegations from animal rights activists that indiscriminate breeding was leaving them overcrowded and poorly cared for. The order from India's top court came in response to a petition filed by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) which accused zoos of carrying out unsystematic breeding, endangering the animals.
10/12/2006 PRIMATE FARMS FOR LAB DEMANDS!
New Bodyshop Foundation funded undercover investigation on Nafovanny farm in Vietnam shows on video footage grim reality of global lab primate trade! Primate are being factory-farmed on an industrial scale without minimum international guidelines it is required to meet to feed the demand for live experiment fodder in Europe and the US, a 12 month undercover British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection (BUAV) investigation reveals. According to official figures, over 3,115 primate were used in the UK in 2005, in over 4,652 experiments. About 10,000 are used each year across the European Union.
10/11/2006 1000 PARTICIPANTS IN THE BIGGEST EVER SPANISH DEMO!
Over 1000 activists and enlightened citizens participated in what is being hailed as the biggest animal rights demonstration in Spain Monday, 9th October to protest the cruel tradition of bullfighting. This year marks the sixth such demonstration in Zaragoza, capital of the autonomous region of Aragon. The demo is always scheduled to coincide with the Fiestas del Pilar, which are days of celebrations in honour of the patron saint of the region, Virgen del Pilar, and take place during the second week of October. Typically, the festivities include such entertainment as dancing, music, Spanish theatre, and, unfortunately, bullfights. Every year, however, 'participation in the demonstrations grows and the people who join are more diverse,' stated Alberto Plaza, spokesperson for Amnistía Animal (Animal Amnesty).
10/10/2006 SCIENTIST WARNS OF SPECIES' EXTINCTION!
BOZEMAN, Mont. - As many as half the world's species may face extinction by 2100 because of pollution, climate change, human population growth and other influences, a renowned scientist dubbed 'the father of biodiversity' told Edward O. Wilson who spoke Wednesday to a Montana State University crowd estimated at more than 2,000, after he came to Bozeman to accept the George R. Stibitz Computer and Communications Pioneer Award. The award by the American Computer Museum of Bozeman and MSU's computer science department was in recognition of Wilson's promotion of an electronic 'Encyclopedia of Life' to store information about every species on Earth. Wilson, a Harvard University professor and Pulitzer Prize-winning author, has done pioneering research in biology and developed a field known as sociobiology, which seeks to link behavior in humans and animals to their evolutionary heritage. (AP)
10/09/2006 SENATE PASSES ANIMAL ENTERPRISE TERRORISM BILL!
On September 30th, the U.S. Senate passed the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act, S. 3880, which attempts to link animal advocacy with 'terrorism.' Under the terms of this bill, it would be a felony to sabotage a laboratory facility, destroy documents, threaten researchers, or harm their families. This bill singles out facilities that use animals in their business, as a commercial enterprise, including laboratories, farming operations, academic institutions, pet stores, breeders, circuses, rodeos, etc. The bill has been sent to the U.S. House of Representatives for their approval. The House version of the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act (H.R. 4239) introduced last year also includes language that would infringe on advocates' First Amendment right to free speech.
10/08/2006 NEW JERSEY IS GETTING SET TO HOLD ANOTHER CRUEL HUNT!
New Jersey is getting set to hold another cruel hunt in which hundreds of bears will be unnecessarily killed in the name of protecting the populace. Urge Governor Corzine to cancel the bear hunt and ensure public safety by starting a campaign to clean up business waste and residential garbage, the main reasons that bears venture into areas where people live.
10/07/2006 CATTLE EXPORTS TO EGYPT SET TO RESUME!
Australia is set to resume live cattle exports to Egypt after a seven-month ban prompted by claims of animal cruelty. The federal government suspended exports in February and began investigating allegations Australian cattle were being mistreated at an Egyptian abattoir. A TV current affairs program showed footage of cattle at Cairo's Bassatin abattoir being stabbed in the eye before having the tendons in their back legs cut so they could not escape. It also showed a steel restraint box, provided to the Egyptians by Australia to improve their handling of cattle for slaughter, which appeared to have never been used. Agriculture Minister Peter McGauran said an investigation found the cattle shown in the footage were not from Australia.
10/06/2006 TIGERS IN CHINA FED LIVE FARM ANIMALS!
Animal rights activists in Britain say they are outraged over reports a zoo in China is feeding tigers live goats and calves while visitors watch. Officials at Changchun Wildlife Park say the move is designed to hone the big cats' hunting skills but opponents disagree, the Daily Mail reports. 'Throwing live animals to caged tigers doesn't recreate anything that happens in the wild, if that's their aim,' a spokesman for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals told the Daily Mail. Criticized in the past for its record, China has been urged to improve protection for animals, the newspaper said.
10/05/2006 HOW DOG AND CAT SKINS ARE USED...
A German company dealing in cat fur and skins openly uses cat skin products as rheumatism aids. They make bandages, pulse warmers, and a variety of so-called 'medicinal' products. Dog skins are also sold in Germany as orthopedic products. Elsewhere, dog and cat skins are not quite so visible. Just as labeling is a problem with fur - especially fur trim, knowing what kind of leather is being used in a product can be difficult or impossible.
10/04/2006 WOMAN ARRESTED FOR HAMSTER NEGLECT!
Janesville, Wis. – Police arrested a woman for neglecting hamsters at her home after her roommate called authorities, police said Sunday. Sgt. Rick Larson said police arrested the 23-year-old on 39 counts each of two charges: failing to provide food and drink and failing to provide proper shelter to animals. The Rock County Humane Society removed 33 live and six dead hamsters.
10/03/2006 PETA SAYS BARNYARD BROTHELS ARE 'REVOLTING'!
Animal bordellos in Denmark, where customers pay for sex with animals, are 'revolting,' according to a spokesman for the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. 'It takes what's good and decent and is mutilating it,' said Martin Mersereau. Denmark's animal bordellos have been advertising on the 'Net and reportedly draw customers from as far away as Norway, Germany, Holland and Sweden who want to pay for sex with horses and other beasts. Denmark says it isn't illegal there and it won't prosecute as long as no one ' including the animals' is hurt.
10/02/2006 KANGAROOS FORCED TO BOX HUMANS IN CHINA!
An Australian kangaroo receives a fierce blow to the head by a man dressed in a clown suit in a shameful contest that will further fuel fears over China's barbaric attitude to animals. The bizarre marsupial-versus-human bout happened during the so-called Animal Olympics in Shanghai. In the fight, the Australian kangaroo appears to reel backwards after receiving a right hook from its garishly attired opponent. But the 'roo, which was wearing boxing gloves on its front paws, fought back, grappling with the clown who was forced back towards the ropes by its onslaught. The kangaroo is just one of 300 'athletes' taking part in the annual event, now in its fourth year, at the Shanghai Wild Animal Park.
10/01/2006 CALIFORNIA GOVERNER SIGNS ANTI-CHAINING BILL!
Sacramento - The California Animal Association (CAA) and Senator Alan Lowenthal (D-Long Beach) praised Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger for signing SB 1578, an historic animal protection measure that bans the long-term chaining of dogs in the state. SB 1578, the Anti-Chaining Bill, was authored by Senator Alan Lowenthal (D-Long Beach) and sponsored by CAA, a coalition of 15 national, state and local animal protection groups. With the enactment of SB 1578, California becomes the second state to address dog chaining at the state level. Connecticut passed a law in 2003 which banned dog chaining for an 'unreasonable period' of time. SB 1578 limits dog chaining in California to three hours. The bill permits dog guardians to use a pulley or trolley system, and to tether dogs at parks and recreation areas, during activities licensed by the state that involve the use of a dog, and during agricultural operations for safety reasons.
The number of news found: 31.
