News
The number of news found: 13.
10/29/2010 CANADIAN SEAL HUNTERS FAIL TO WEAKEN EUROPEAN UNION BAN
European Judge Marc Jaeger has refused to suspend a ban on the import of seal products in Europe, a move that will save the lives of hundreds of thousands of harp seals, sparing them from the brutal clubs of Canadian sealers. The European Union's decision to ban such imports prompted Canada to mount an expensive legal challenge using indigenous Inuit groups from Canada and Greenland as their pawns in a move to elicit sympathy for the commercial hunt, which is really a slaughter and has absolutely nothing to do with Inuit traditional hunting. Judge Marc Jaeger rejected the argument made by the Inuits that the embargo on seal products would cause severe financial damage and raise the risk of suicide among youths in their communities. The ban in question took partial effect on August 20, 2010, and included a temporary exemption for Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, a native Canadian group, and 15 other plaintiffs who sought a freeze until Europe's top court makes a final ruling. But Jaeger rejected the request, making it a total ban until the European Court of Justice decides on the legality of the prohibition.
10/25/2010 KILLING OF CALF IS A CRIME OF CRUELTY
Three men unleashed their rage over a football game last season on a 3-day-old calf, an animal that was intended for the loving hands of children at a popular petting zoo but instead died at the hands of drunken brutes. Dwayne J. Jenkins of Mandeville, David J. LeBlanc Jr. of Gibson, La., and Carnie B. Smith of Covington stole the calf from Red Bluff Farm near Folsom the night of the Saints' loss to the Dallas Cowboys. The men dragged the animal to a nearby apartment complex. There Mr. LeBlanc bludgeoned the animal to death with a shovel. A nearby resident reported hearing the loud mooing of the calf's mother, calling futilely for its baby, the morning after the attack. The three men pleaded guilty to theft of livestock and aggravated animal cruelty. State Judge Martin Coady sentenced Mr. Jenkins to two years in prison but suspended the sentence, giving him two years of probation and ordering him to pay restitution for the calf. Mr. Smith was sentenced to two years of probation and ordered to pay restitution. Mr. LeBlanc is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 29, and if he wielded the shovel, Judge Coady should see that he receives a harsher punishment. A fourth man, Christopher Murphy, played a role in disposing of the calf's body. He was sentenced to six months in jail, which Judge Coady suspended in favor of two years of probation.
10/19/2010 FOUR MONTHS PRISON FOR TWO ROMANIAN DRIVERS
The Court of Prato (Italy) recently sentenced two Romanian drivers to four months of imprisonment for animal abuse. They had been transporting 33 horses from Catalonia to the south of Italy (Puglia). The abuse took place in July 2005 and was reported by animal protectors who had seen one of the horses with serious health problems lying in the truck. The transport was then checked by the road police of Montecatini (Tuscany) and the two men were obliged to stop at the nearest parking area so that the animals could be unloaded. However, the drivers ignored the order and continued their route lasting almost one day, with only one stop for watering the horses.
10/18/2010 ESCADA ANNOUNCES TO GO COMPLETELY FUR-FREE
Starting in January 2011 Escada SE completely stops using any real-fur. This announcement was circulating in the industry sector. After beeing asked Frank Elsner, the representive for press and businesscommunication confirmed it to the Escada-Campaign on October 15 with the following words: "Starting with the Spring/Summer 2011 collection, that will be in stores beginning January 2011, ESCADA stops using fur. After already stopping the use of breeded fur or rather luxury fur in the Prefall 2010 colletion, that was already sold from May this year, ESCADA now relinquishs all fur, including rabbit and Karakul. This decision is valid for an unlimited period."
10/16/2010 AUDUBON SCIENTISTS FIND GULF BIRDS AND OIL TO CLOSE FOR COMFORT
Residual oil and chemicals from BP's Deepwater Horizon disaster pose substantial ongoing risks to birds that breed or nest along hard-hit areas of the Louisiana coast, according to new National Audubon Society field surveys. Audubon (BirdLife Partner in the USA) science teams found plentiful birds that appeared both resilient and loyal to their normal habitats as the tragedy's six-month anniversary approached. But Audubon warns that the future of birds and the ecosystems they represent remains uncertain because oil and other threats are still too close for comfort. "People shouldn't be fooled into thinking that the danger to birds and the environment is over just because the oil stopped flowing", said Audubon President & CEO David Yarnold. "It's going to take years of monitoring just to understand and start dealing with the long-term impacts of the oil-and they're just part of a much bigger threat."
10/15/2010 COMEDY WRITER SUPPORTS NON-ANIMAL SCIENCE
Comedian and author Carol Leifer, who has written for "Seinfeld" and "Saturday Night Live," is starring in a new campaign to promote health charities that don't fund or conduct animal experiments. In the new 30-second radio public service announcement produced by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), Leifer urges potential donors to "Give and Let Live" by supporting compassionate charities that provide vital care to patients and advance research without using animals. The ad introduces The Humane Charity Seal of Approval, a unique certification program that allows potential donors to quickly identify those health charities that match their values and don't fund animal tests. The Humane Charity Seal of Approval offers a rapidly expanding directory of charities that fund only humane, human-based research or patient services.
10/13/2010 TAIJI FISHERMEN SLAUGHTERED THE ENTIRE POD OF DOLPHINS
Taiji fishermen slaughtered the entire pod of an estimated twenty Risso's dolphins sparing the life of one to be sold to the Aquarium industry. Yesterday Sea Shepherd offered to buy the lives of the captive dolphins. The fishermen refused saying that they would not sell the dolphins to be
released. Instead they speared and stabbed the dolphins in the cove until the water ran scarlet with blood. The Sea Shepherd Cove Guardians are on site filming the slaughter, restricted by numerous Japanese Coast Guard and police.
10/12/2010 SCIENTISTS WARN OF LIVESTOCK GREENHOUSE GAS BOOM
Soaring international production of livestock could release enough carbon into the atmosphere by 2050 to single-handedly exceed "safe" levels of climate change, says a study. Scientists combined figures for livestock production in 2000 with Food and Agriculture Organization projections for population growth and meat consumption by 2050. They found that the livestock sector's emissions alone could send temperatures above the 2 degrees Celsius rise commonly said to be the threshold above which climate change could be destabilising.
10/11/2010 NEW SETBACK FOR BULLFIGHTS IN SPAIN
Spain's bullfighting tradition suffered a new setback Wednesday as the senate rejected a proposal to declare bullfights a part of the country's cultural heritage. Senate rejected the proposal presented by the main opposition conservative People's Party (PP) with 129 votes against 117 and one abstention. Catalonia was the first region in mainland Spain to adopt such a measure, which sparked a nationwide debate about the future of bullfighting.
10/07/2010 $5 TRILLION: THE COST EACH YEAR OF VANISHING RAINFOREST
British scientific experts have made a major breakthrough in the fight to save the natural world from destruction, leading to an international effort to safeguard a global system worth at least $5 trillion a year to mankind. Groundbreaking new research by a former banker, Pavan Sukhdev, to place a price tag on the worldwide network of environmental assets has triggered an international race to halt the destruction of rainforests, wetlands and coral reefs. With experts warning that the battle to stem the loss of biodiversity is two decades behind the climate change agenda, the United Nations, the World Bank and ministers from almost every government insist no country can afford to believe it will be unaffected by the alarming rate at which species are disappearing.
10/06/2010 JENS HOLM ELECTED AS A MEMBER OF SWEDISH PARLIAMENT
Jens Holm has been elected Member of the Swedish Parliament. He will especially work with issues dealing with climate change, animal rights and global justice. He feels passionate about working hard for replacing the current neo-liberal government with a red-green.
10/05/2010 ICELAND KILLS OVER 200 WHALES
According to Whale and Dolphin Society sources, both the Icelandic fin whaling season and the minke whaling season closed last week. A total of 208 whales have been killed, two more than last years tally of 206. The 148 fin whales and 60 minke whales killed in 2010 are estimated to generate more than 1900 tonnes of whale products, based on calculations used by the Icelandic government.
Despite the general demise in popularity of whale meat in both Japan and European whaling nations, Iceland’s fin whaling industry has taken its highest catch since 1985, leading to questions as to what is planned for the mountain of whale products that have been produced since last year.
10/04/2010 PEOPLE KILLED AND INJURED AT BULLFIGHT IN COLOMBIA
Three people were killed and more than 30 injured when onlookers stormed a bullfight in Colombia, Sky News reported. The event in the Andean community of Sabanalarga, known as the "corraleja," is known for its party-like atmosphere. However, this year's celebration turned deadly when a number of people decided to jump into the bull ring - only to be severely gored. A 20-year-old man was killed instantly while two other men, both aged in their 40s, died later in a hospital. At least 37 other people were seriously hurt. The town's mayor blamed public drunkenness for the tragedy.
The number of news found: 13.
