News
The number of news found: 43.
07/31/2008 PETA ASKS MILITARY TO END TESTING ON ANIMALS
Animal-rights activists want the U.S. to stop using animals as subjects to help train its military, calling the medical and trauma exercises cruel and a disservice to the troops. The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals sent a letter Monday to Defense Secretary Robert Gates asking him to replace the use of animals with non-animal methods such as human simulators. In the letter, PETA said the military inflects gunshot, burn and chemical wounds on monkeys, pigs and goats for training. "This outmoded practice is not only cruel, but is a disservice to the men and women who risk their lives in defense of our country and who deserve the most effective trauma training methods available," wrote Kathy Guillermo, director of the PETA's Laboratory Investigations Department. The Pentagon did not immediately return calls seeking comment.
07/31/2008 ANIMAL SACRIFICES IN INDIA
A Samajwadi Party legislator from Madhya Pradesh, Kishore Samrite, sacrificed two buffaloes and over a 100 goats at a famous Hindu temple on Monday to seek divine blessings for the party leaders who lent support to the United Progressive Alliance (UPA). The legislator performed the rituals at the temple of Mother Goddess Kamakhya amid protests from animal rights groups in the city.
07/30/2008 NEW MP FOR GLASGOW EAST TO PUSH CONSTITUENCY AS A CENTER FOR NON-ANIMAL RESEARCH
The Scottish National Party winner of the Glasgow East by-election, John Mason, has made a commitment to promote his constituency as a centre for non-animal research. He made the pledge in response to a British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection (BUAV) survey sent to all the candidates before the election. Mr Mason was asked if he agreed with statements including; that more should be done to reverse the increasing trend of using animals, that it is not justifiable to cause substantial suffering to any animal in the laboratory, that the Freedom of Information Act should be fully implemented regarding animal testing and that Scotland should lead the way in supporting alternative methods of research. The new MP agreed with all of these statements. In addition, he made three significant commitments. These are to proactively promote Glasgow East as a centre for non-animal research, to make his constituency office cruelty free by insisting on cleaning products that have not been tested on animals, and to sign an Early Day Motion calling on the Government to ban animal experiments for household products.
07/30/2008 MAN PLEADS NOT GUILTY TO INJURING PINE STREET DOG
Shortly before 9 P.M. Thursday the police department received a call that a man was killing a dog at 1083 Pine St., lot number three. At the scene officers spoke with a witness who said that Dwight Thompson, 55, entered his neighbor's yard and struck a dog that was tied up with a baseball bat. Thompson was arrested and charged with killing or injuring an animal, a second-degree misdemeanor, aggravated menacing and aggravated trespassing, both first-degree misdemeanors. He appeared and pleaded not guilty in Zanesville Municipal Court and was ordered to be held in jail on a $1,400 bond until his hearing. The dog, named Harley, a 10-year-old mixed breed, had to be euthanized as a result of the injuries, Baker said. Baker said officers included in the report that Thompson was extremely intoxicated.
07/29/2008 NOBEL PRIZE WINNER TALKS ABOUT MEAT AND GLOBAL WARMING
On Saturday, Aug 30, 19h, Rachendra Pachauri, Nobel peace winner in 2007 and head of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) will talk aboutcthe impact of meat consumption on global warming. Accoring to FAO, thecproduction of meat is responsible for 18% of global greenhouse gasccemissions. Hence, it is high time to put this topic even higher on the agenda. It will be the first time Dr. Pachauri will extensively address this issue. Location: University of Ghent, Blandijnberg 2 (Auditorium D). This lecture is an initiative of EVA (the Flemish vegetarian society), in collaboration with WWF, Greenpeace, and the Univesity of Ghent (Faculty of philosophy and moral sciences).
07/28/2008 GM STUDIES FUEL RECORD NUMBER OF LAB EXPERIMENTS
Scientists carried out a record number of experiments on animals last year in the UK, with the rise fuelled by genetic modification research. Latest figures show there were 3.2 million "procedures" on lab animals in 2007, a rise of 6 per cent on the previous year and the sixth year in a row that the figure has gone up. More than a third involved genetically modified animals - mostly mice and fish created to mimic human diseases, develop drugs and test chemicals. Around 83 per cent of experiments involved mice, rats and other rodents. Fish were used in 10 per cent of tests and birds in 4 per cent. There were 3,964 experiments on monkeys, a fall of 6 per cent. There were 8,795 experiments involving horses and donkeys and 308 using cats. Genetically-modified animals were involved in 1.2million experiments, 36 per cent of the total. The Dr Hadwen Trust, a non-animal medical research charity, said the number of animals tested had exceeded 3million for the first time in 16 years.
07/26/2008 RABBIT CREDITED WITH SAVING COUPLE FROM FIRE
A rabbit is credited with saving a couple from a fire that swept through their home in the southern city of Melbourne. Metropolitan Fire Brigade commander Mick Swift said the husband returned home from a night shift early Thursday and heard the family pet, named "Rabbit," scratching at the couple's bedroom door half an hour after he had gone to bed. Swift said the husband, whose identity has not been released, discovered a fire in a back room and smoke spreading quickly through the house. He was able to escape the house with his wife unharmed. Swift said the rabbit saved the couple from injury. He said the blaze caused substantial damage to the house before it was extinguished by four crews of firefighters.
07/26/2008 BARACK OBAMA TO ADOPT A DOG
President and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States Wayne Pacelle verified that Barack Obama will adopt a dog. He made the announcement during his dinner speech at the 4th Annual Taking Action for Animals (TAFA) conference. The presidential hopeful announced on-air during a television interview that he promised his daughters he would get them a dog. Since that time animal welfare groups throughout the country have been forwarding petitions requesting that Obama "adopt" a dog for his children.
07/25/2008 GAS CHAMBER EXPLODES WITH 10 DOGS INSIDE
An electrical malfunction in the Iredell County Animal Shelter's euthanasia chamber Tuesday could lead to changes in county's animal control system. Chris Royal, the county's chief animal control officer, said the technician operating the chamber at the time of the mishap, Angela Hartness, described "a kind of explosion" taking place inside the chamber during the euthanasia of 10 dogs about 9:45 A.M. Royal said it was unlikely that any of the dogs were affected by the mishap as it was near the end of the 20-minute cycle in which the animals are in carbon monoxide-filled chamber. "We checked them and there were no marks on any of them," she said.
07/25/2008 COMMISSION PROPOSES TRADE BAN IN PRODUCTS FROM SEALS
The European Commission adopted the day before yesterday a proposal for a regulation banning the trading of seal products within, into, and from the European Union to ensure that products derived from seals killed and skinned in ways that cause pain, distress and suffering are not found on the European market. Trade in seal products would only be allowed where guarantees can be provided that hunting techniques consistent with high animal-welfare standards were used and that the animals did not suffer unnecessarily. Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said: " We propose a ban on the placing on the market and importing into EU, transiting through, and exporting from the European Union on seal products. Seal products coming from countries which practice cruel hunting methods must not be allowed to enter the EU. The EU is committed to upholding high standards of animal welfare."
07/24/2008 ANIMAL RIGHTS GROUP PROTESTS OVER POPE'S FUR
One of Italy's leading animal rights groups said it was launching an internet petition to demand Pope Benedict XVI stop wearing fur during religious ceremonies at the Vatican. Lorenzo Croce, chairman of the Italian Association for the Defence of Animals and the Environment (AIDAA), denied being provocative or wanting to make an anti-religious statement. "We just want to ask him in a message of love and peace to give a strong signal towards the protection of animals and the environment through a small but very significant personal sacrifice," Croce told the Italian news agency ANSA. Since his election Benedict has taken to wearing a number of traditional religious garments, including a small red velvet cape with a white ermine border, which he wears in winter along with a hat the same color. The association has created a website to accept signatures and Croce wants to present the petition to the pope in September.
07/23/2008 BRITAIN'S DOGS OF WAR PARACHUTE FROM 25,000 FT
German Shepherds are being trained to jump from aircraft at 25,000 ft wearing their own oxygen masks and strapped to special forces assault teams. Once down in hostile terrain in Iraq or Afghanistan, the dogs will be sent in first to seek out insurgents' hideouts with tiny cameras fixed to their heads. The cameras will beam live TV pictures back to the troops, warning of ambushes or showing enemy leaders' locations.
07/21/2008 HUSBAND TORTURED AND KILLED DOG
William David Streeter, 29, of Cloyfin Park, Coleraine, was convicted of seven counts of animal cruelty and one of making threats to kill. The judge said it was one of the worst cases he had seen involving animals. Streeter hanged golden retriever Mac by his collar, kicked him with steel toe-capped boots and hit him with a boulder in October 2006. North Antrim Magistrates' Court heard that he threatened to kill his wife two days after the dog's death.
07/20/2008 USA ARMY TO SHOOT LIVE PIGS FOR MEDICAL DRILL
Honolul - The Army says it's critical to saving the lives of wounded soldiers. Animal-rights activists call the training cruel and outdated. Despite opposition by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, the Army is moving forward with its plan to shoot live pigs and treat their gunshot wounds in a medical trauma exercise Friday at Schofield Barracks for soldiers headed to Iraq. Maj. Derrick Cheng, spokesman for the 25th Infantry Division, said the training was conducted as scheduled under a U.S. Department of Agriculture license and the careful supervision of veterinarians and a military Animal Care and Use Committee. The soldiers are learning emergency lifesaving skills needed on the battlefield when there are no medics, doctors or facility nearby, he said. PETA, however, said there are more advanced and humane options available, including high-tech human simulators. In a letter, PETA urged the Army to end all use of animals, "as the overwhelming majority of North American medical schools have already done."
07/19/2008 KIDS SAVE A SOFT BACK TURTLE WHO STRAYED INTO SCHOOL
A soft back turtle who strayed from a creek ended up in the compound of R J High School in Shahad last week. The school children, to protect the creature from falling prey to stray dogs, put it in a water tank. However, the turtle got trapped in the narrow tank. The turtle, roughly a foot in length, was slightly injured when found and was surrounded by stray dogs. On Tuesday night, Bhanage and his assistants drove to the Shahad school, but found it impossible to rescue the turtle. Late that night, after almost two hours, Bhanage managed to rescue the turtle with the net. The turtle has been kept in a pond at the SPCA Hospital. "It will be checked for injuries, before being released at a safe place," said doctors at SPCA.
07/19/2008 MASSACHUSETTS - VOTERS TO DECIDE ON GREYHOUND RACING BAN
The state's highest court has rejected a challenge by dog track guardians who wanted to eliminate a November ballot question in Massachusetts that will ask voters whether to ban dog racing. The track owners argued the proposed ban could not be put to a statewide ballot vote because it is aimed exclusively at the two places where dog racing currently exists: Wonderland Greyhound Park in Revere and the Raynham-Taunton Dog Track in Raynham. But the state Supreme Judicial Court ruled Tuesday that dog racing amounts to a matter of statewide concern, the Boston Herald reported. The court said the Legislature and the people have the power - through the initiative process - to abolish animal racing that involves betting. If voters approve it,the ban on dog racing would go into effect Jan. 1, 2010.
07/18/2008 EUROPEAN COMMISSION VOTE ON PROPOSED SEAL PRODUCTS BAN PUSHED TO NEXT WEEK
A highly anticipated decision from the European Commission on legislation that aims to ban the import of seal products has been postponed until at least next week. Roy Christensen, a spokesman for the Ottawa-based Delegation of the European Commission in Canada, says discussion of the legislation has been delayed until July 23. The proposal to ban seal products has not been made public, but the European Union's environment commissioner has indicated it will focus on prohibiting products from seals that have been killed inhumanely. Any legislation would have to be unanimously approved by the EU's 27 commissioners. It would then go to the European Parliament and the EU presidency, France, to decide how to proceed with the matter.
07/18/2008 TB THROWS U.K. CALF INDUSTRY INTO TURMOIL
The calf export industry has been thrown into turmoil after British calves infected with bovine TB were exported to Holland. Dutch farmers are boycotting cattle from the UK after 27 farms in Holland were placed under TB restrictions and 12 cattle tested positive for the disease. The calves were traced after reactors were found on a British farm which exported the animals in May. Kim Haywood, National Beef Association chief executive, said the situation was a "catastrophe" for the calf export industry. "Export agents have had enough, they have lost millions of pounds already," she said "If this builds momentum in Europe the consequences could be dire. It would be the end of the trade. "The government's inability to deal with the disease has resulted in potential export bans similar to BSE which we spent years trying to resolve."
07/17/2008 MAN TORN APART BY ZOO BEARS
Three bears at a Ukrainian zoo tore a man "limb from limb" after he fell into their enclosure, local media reports. The 22-year-old man was drunk and trying to take close-up shots of the Siberian Brown bears at Mykolaev city zoo when he lost his footing, witnesses said, acording to Channel 5 television. The three bears charged the man immediately, tearing him "limb from limb" as he tried to escape, according to the station, quoted by the Deutsche Presse-Agentur news agency. The man was dead before keepers could separate the animals from their victim. The brown bear is highly territorial and among the world's largest land carnivores.
07/17/2008 CELL PHONES ENDANGERING GREAT APES
A second television documentary - this one British - has also exposed how the precious mineral Coltan, essential to mobile phone technology, is driving Africa's great apes to the brink of extinction. "No Hiding Place - Part Two" of the BBC's "Earth Report" series shows how coltan raped from the Earth in huge strip mines by exploited manual labor is being used to make the pinhead capacitors that regulate voltage and store energy in mobile phones, the Environment News Service reports. According to ENS, "The mineral, which is the linchpin of multi-billion dollar corporate cell phone profits, is obtained almost exclusively from the Democratic Republic of Congo, where this eastern lowland gorilla is completely dependent on intact forests."
07/16/2008 CRUELTY TO ANIMALS RILES JEWISH LEADERS
A campaign to reduce cruelty toward animals, run by the Humane Society of the United States and the Jewish Vegetarians of North America (JVNA), has received the backing of Jewish leaders. On the basis of tza'ar ba'alei hayim - the Halacha that forbids causing any living creature to suffer - prominent religious figures including Haifa Chief Rabbi She'ar Yashuv Cohen have endorsed the campaign, which is called All Creatures Great and Small. It seeks to get all religious communities involved in reducing the mistreatment of animals, especially on factory farms. "Jews have a choice, and it should be made on treating animals with compassion," said Richard Schwartz, president of JVNA. Although human beings are considered superior to animals in Judaism, people can only kill animals for authorized purposes and with minimal suffering.
07/14/2008 GANGS USE VIOLANCE TO STEAL ANIMALS
An animal charity says criminal gangs are becoming increasingly prepared to use violence to steal companion animals. Dog Lost says there are cases of gangs threatening guardians with knives and even guns to steal rare or expensive dogs. Spokeswoman Jane Hayes said it took over 100 calls a week from guardians that believe their dogs have been stolen.
07/14/2008 BEIJING TAKES DOG OFF THE MENUS FOR OLYPMICS
Beijing has asked hotels and restaurants in the city to take dog meat off the menu for the duration of next month's Olympics and September's Paralympics. Dog is eaten not only by the large Korean community in China's capital but is also popular in Yunnan and Guizhou restaurants. A directive from the Beijing Food Safety Office issued last month ordered Olympic contractor hotels not to provide any dishes made with dog meat and said any canine material used in traditional medicated diets must be clearly labeled. Concerned that canine dishes might offend animal rights groups and Western visitors, Beijing said restaurants expected to be popular among foreign visitors must stop serving dog meat "to respect the dining customs of different countries." The directive "advocated" that all restaurants serving dog suspend it during the Olympics but made no mention of the many popular establishments with donkey on the menu. Criticism from Westerners caused the dog meat-loving South Koreans to ban canine dishes for a period of time during the 1988 Seoul Olympics.
07/13/2008 OVER 100 ANIMALS KILLED BY CHILDREN
Four children aged 12 and 13 years old have been quizzed by police after the sickening slaughter of more than 100 animals on a Teesside allotment. Officers were called to Springfield allotments in Rectory Lane, Guisborough, where they were met by the carnage of butchered geese, ducks, chickens, ferrets and goats. It is believed the animals - including some rare breeds - were bludgeoned with blunt instruments.
07/13/2008 OVERSTOCK.COM GOES FUR-FREE ON ITS ONLINE SITE
Overstock.com Inc, which sells excess inventory of clothing, accessories and furniture, will no longer sell fur on its website, the online retailer said on Thursday. The decision to go fur-free came after being contacted by the Humane Society of the United States, which now counts some 100 retailers and designers who have pledged to shun the fur of animals in their goods, including well-known names like Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger and BCBG.
07/12/2008 AMAZING RESCUE BY A MOTHER DUCK WHO WENT THE EXTRA MILE
Trapped in a dark sewer, the six little mallard ducklings found themselves cut off and facing an uncertain future. Their only hope of seeing daylight again lay with their mother - who they had last seen more than a mile away as they were sucked into a drain. Rescue seemed impossible. Yet somehow the mother duck had managed to follow her offspring for more than a mile, apparently listening to their cheeps of distress at manhole covers as they were swept along below ground. Her incredible journey took her across a busy roundabout, countless roads, a metro rail line, a housing estate, two school playing fields and hospital grounds. The trail finally ended when she waddled on to Barrasford Close in Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne, where her chicks suddenly stopped. And it was there, standing over another man-hole cover, that the mother remained for the next four hours until local residents heard chirping coming from down below. They in turn launched a rescue operation, removing the manhole cover and using a child's fishing net to scoop all six from the sewer one by one and reuniting them with their mother in a paddling pool.
07/12/2008 JORJA FOX TO REVEAL SHOCKING ABUSE OF TEXAS CIRCUS ELEPHANTS
Actress Jorja Fox was speaking at a press conference in Austin to announce a new campaign to end the use of animals in circuses. Animal Defenders International (ADI) screened a shocking new DVD featuring animal suffering in U.S. circuses. Some of the most savage violence exposed in the new DVD was inflicted on two elephants with Bailey Brothers Circus touring Texas - the elephants had been supplied to the circus by a facility in Cut and Shoot, Texas just three hours from the state capital. ADI say that horrific abuse of animals can be taking place right on people's doorsteps without them realising. Jorja Fox also handed over the reports and footage to city officials with a letter from ADI requesting a move for a city-wide ban on animal circuses, which will be followed by a drive for state wide action. The campaign has also already gained other high profile supporters including Alicia Silverstone, Kristy McNichol, Anna Maria Horsford and Dan Piraro.
07/11/2008 DRUG TRIAL HALTED OVER MAN'S DEATH
A drug trial at an Edinburgh clinic has been suspended after a man taking part reportedly died of a heart attack. Participant Peter Munro was taken to hospital a week ago after he arrived at the Charles River clinic for a repeat dose of the drug he was testing. During a health check, the 48-year-old former security guard was found to have a heart abnormality. Mr Munro's family said he died on Saturday, five days after returning to his home in the city. US-based firm Charles River said the study had since been suspended. Charles River Clinical Services conducts medical research on behalf of pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies and runs a 62-bed clinic in Edinburgh. Recent studies have included trials of drugs to treat asthma, arthritis and diabetes.
07/10/2008 RODEOS BANNED FROM AUCKLAND
The Auckland City Council has banned rodeos from council-owned land within the city, and the move has been applauded by animal welfare activists SAFE. The Auckland City Council made the decision last week, citing animal welfare concerns. The ban is a first for New Zealand.
07/09/2008 13 ARE INJURED IN PAMPLONA'S RUNNING OF THE BULLS
Daredevils kicked off the running of the bulls Monday with a long, messy and particularly dangerous dash through the streets of Pamplona, with 13 people injured but none gored, officials said. The half-mile sprint through cobblestone streets turned chaotic because the pack of six half-ton animals became separated early in the route after plowing into a crowd of people, some of them spectators. Some of the bulls fell and two ended up running on their own. One of those became disoriented, trying several times to turn around and go back toward the starting point.
07/09/2008 AFRICAN MONKEYS TAKEN TO IRAN
Hundreds of endangered monkeys are being taken from the African bush and sent to a "secretive" laboratory in Iran for scientific experiments. An undercover inquiry by The Sunday Times has revealed that wild monkeys, which are banned from experiments in Britain, are being freely supplied in large numbers to laboratories in other parts of the world. All will undergo invasive and maybe painful experiments leading ultimately to their death.
07/08/2008 ORANGUTAN POPULATIONS DECLINING SHARPLY
Thailand - Orangutan numbers have declined sharply on the only two islands where they still live in the wild and they could become the first great ape species to go extinct if urgent action isn't taken, a new study says. In May, the Center for Orangutan Protection said just 20,000 of the endangered primates remain in the tropical jungle of Central Kalimantan on Borneo island, down from 31,300 in 2004. Based on that estimate, it concluded orangutans there could be extinct by 2011.
07/08/2008 UK NAVY TO END GOAT EXPERIMENTS
The UK Ministry of Defence says it will abandon deep-diving experiments which involve inducing decompression sickness in live goats. The animals were used to see what the likely risk of "the bends" would be following escape from a submarine at varying depths under water. The information would help crews judge whether it would be safer to abandon a stricken vessel or wait to be rescued. Animal rights campaigners say the move will "end decades of animal suffering." More than 400 such experiments have taken place since 2000.
07/07/2008 HOMELESS PEOPLE DIE AFTER BIRD FLU VACCINE TRIAL IN POLAND
The medical staff, from the northern town of Grudziadz, are being investigated over medical trials on as many as 350 homeless and poor people last year, which prosecutors say involved an untried vaccine to the highly-contagious virus. Authorities claim that the alleged victims received £1-2 to be tested with what they thought was a conventional flu vaccine but, according to investigators, was actually an anti bird-flu drug.
07/07/2008 EU ORDERS SEAL FUR BAN
Clothing made from seal fur is to be banned throughout the European Union. Although white pelts from baby seals were banned in 1986, fashion houses still use skins from older animals to make boots, coats, gloves and accessories. Stavros Dimas, the EU's environment commissioner, told national ministers in France that an import embargo will be drawn up within weeks.
07/06/2008 CHINESE MAN GETS AWARD FOR CARING FOR QUAKE PIG
A Chinese man who bought an emaciated pig who survived for 36 days under rubble after May's massive Sichuan earthquake and promised to care for him for life has been given an award by an animal rights group. The pig, pinned in his sty after the 7.9 magnitude quake, was bought by local businessman Fan Jianchuan who was moved by his ordeal and named him "Zhu Jianqiang", or "Strong Pig", according to state media. He survived by eating charcoal and drinking rainwater. "Thanks to Fan Jianchuan, Zhu Jianqiang's miraculous struggle to live was not in vain," People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals Director Jason Baker said in a statement. "Zhu Jianqiang has shown beyond a doubt that pigs, including the billions who are killed for food, have the same overwhelming will to survive that humans and all other animals do," he added. "I hope that people who hear this story will do something for pigs, too, by not eating them." The group has given Fan a framed certificate.
07/06/2008 30,000 PIGEONS GASSED TO DEATH
Waterloo, Ont. - It's estimated breeders have killed 30,000 pigeons following the collapse of a controversial pigeon-meat venture. Darren Grandel, an investigator with the Ontario SPCA, said the pigeons were gassed last weekend near Teviotdale, in Waterloo Region. Gassing is considered a humane way of killing the birds. Grandel said he has identified 13 holding barns in Ontario where pigeons were breeding as part of the failed Pigeon King venture. He contacted breeders and estimated that pigeons in 11 of the barns were still being fed, while upset guardians considered their next steps. Breeders have been told they must care for their birds until a market is found or the pigeons are killed by a humane technique.
07/05/2008 MAN SAVES BLACK BEAR FROM DROWNING
A Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) biologist pulled off a daring rescue off the Panhandle - that of a bear. Officials say a 375-pound male black bear was seen roaming a residential neighborhood, evidently in search of food, near Alligator Point, some 40 miles south of Tallahassee. The bear was hit with a tranquilizer dart, but he managed to bolt into the Gulf of Mexico before the drugs took effect. At that point, FWC biologist Adam Warwick jumped in to keep the bear, who was some 25 yards offshore, from drowning. He managed to get the bear to shore, and then a backhoe operator helped load the animal onto a truck. The bear was relocated to Osceola National Forest near Lake City, Fla.
07/05/2008 60,000 DAMAGED BY ONE DRUG
Almost 60,000 people have registered a claim against US drugmaker Merck & Co over its painkiller Vioxx. Administrators say they have enough records to review about 9,100 cases from people who claim the once-popular painkiller was the cause of their stroke or heart attack. Orran Brown of BrownGreer, the law firm administering the claims, has told a US district judge that claims in the £2.46 billion settlement against Merck are still being received in the lead-up to the two deadlines early next week. Andy Birchfield, a plaintiffs' attorney, said: "We're working toward making initial payments in August, and we're on track for that."
07/04/2008 PAUL McCARTNEY SUPPORTED DEMONSTRATORS IN CALL FOR BAN ON TRADE IN SEAL PRODUCTS
Rock legend Paul McCartney joined concerned citizens from all over Europe in their call for a strong EU ban on the trade in seal products as they demonstrated outside the offices of the European Commission in Brussels. The Commission is expected to publish a proposal on a possible ban soon. The date of the demonstration was selected to coincide with the start of the French presidency and the start of the Namibian seal hunt, which is the second largest one in the world. Paul McCartney paid tribute to the demonstrators in a surprise video message shown on a screen. The dedicated animal welfare supporter said: "Stopping the import of seal fur into the European Union could really put an end to this brutality once and for all – please ask the EU to ban this terrible trade today."
07/04/2008 VETS' CLAIMS OF LAW BREACH MAY HALT ROO CULL
Two senior veterinarians have described the conduct of a mass cull of kangaroos, wallabies and pademelons on Tasmania's Maria Island as "totally unacceptable" and a breach of animal welfare laws. Maria Island, off the state's east coast, will be closed until July 11 while rangers shoot 400 animals to reduce overgrazing and avert over-population. Tasmania's Parks and Wildlife Service insist a 2006 cull on Maria, a popular tourist destination featuring an award-winning eco-tourism operation, was conducted humanely by trained staff. However, The Australian has obtained letters of complaint from a wildlife pathologist and a wildlife epidemiologist who examined animals after the 2006 cull. Both are scathing of the practices involved, describing animals left to long painful deaths because of poor shooting, as well as joeys being left to die of cold in their dead mothers' pouches. The evidence of both scientists may be used by animal welfare advocates to obtain a court injunction to halt this year's cull.
07/03/2008 1,500 PROTESTERS ON A DEMO IN BRUSSELS
Almost 1,500 people from all over Europe gathered on July 1 on the largest protest for the seals this year in Brussels. Protest for the ban on seal trade products in the EU was organized by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), Humane Society International (HSI), GAIA, and Eurogroup for Animals. Protest attracted people from 16 countries and numerous media. Croatian delegation came from 12 Croatian towns: Bilje, Borovo, Mala Subotica, Pozega, Privlaka, Rijeka, Sesvete, Slavonski Brod, Varazdin, Vukovar, Zabok, and Zagreb. Celebrities and MEPs also supported this protest.
07/03/2008 DENVER ZOO TO BUILD $50 MILLION EXHIBIT FOR ELEPHANTS
The Denver Zoo will start building a $50 million exhibit for its elephants next year at a time when five major U.S. zoos are closing their pachyderm houses. Since 2004, zoos in Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia, New York and San Francisco have decided to eliminate their elephant exhibits, mainly out of concern for the animals' well being, but also for financial reasons. Animal-rights activists and others say keeping elephants in captivity is barbaric. "Zoos just can't meet the needs of these animals," said Marc Bekoff, author, researcher and former University of Colorado biology professor. "Their social relationships are enduring, and they're complex," Bekoff said.
The number of news found: 43.
