Fluffy Friday #29

The Odd Couple. Part One.

I have been doing a lot of Tweeting lately and have come across an awful lot of interesting campaigns and animal welfare organisations in the process.  Which leads me to this weeks edition of Fluffy Friday, thanks to the inspiration at Rescue Animals let's take a look at some of the most unlikely friendships between species.  WARNING, seriously cute images follow...

The bird is the word, says little monkey.

Elephant is feeling sheepy.

I'd love to know what they were discussing here.

Labrador seems to be mothering Bambi.

Raccoon and Skunk dividing their nuts!

Dog seems confused, this other dog is very small and funny looking...

 

This rabbit makes a might good cushion, now keep still.

 

Don't look now but there is a HUGE tongue in the sky and it's licking me, eeeek!

Source

Please boycott "Zookeeper"

I love films about animals and was looking forward to going to see the upcoming film entitled Zookeeper.  This was until I received a message from PETA informing me that the film features a number of captive wild animals and during the production of the film a giraffe named Tweet unfortunately passed away, please see this article for information.  

Also used in the film was an elephant named Tai, provided by a company called Have Trunk Will Travel (HTWT).  Back in May, Animal Defenders International released undercover footage showing Tai being abused along with other elephants by trainers at HTWT.

PETA says that "sadly, many wild animals used for entertainment suffer greatly at the hands of their trainers.  The animals are deprived of everything that is natural and important to them, such as adequate space, appropriate companionship, and proper exercise."

Please boycott this film, as I am also doing, and share the news with your friends and family asking them to do the same.

Thank you.

Seasonal Pet Advice

At the time of writing this I can hardly describe the weather as summery, (it's pouring with rain) however by the time I set it to post I hope it has brightened up and therefore ensures this is a seasonal post!

The PDSA have created an excellent holiday health guide for pets which you can download here. 

Also, please remember to never leave your dog (or any animal) in the car during this hot weather.  Have a look at this excellent article and find out how you can support Dog's Today's campaign.  Make sure you tell your friends as well, especially if they have cars as there are some stickers you can order which are perfect for reminding other drivers to be careful with leaving their pets in cars.

Fluffy Friday #28

What do you get if you cross a donkey and a zebra?

Nose to Nose.

A donkra!  Now, let me get this right... a donkra is an offspring with a zebra mummy and a donkey daddy but this is also referred to as a zebroid.  When a zebra daddy mates with a mummy donkey it is only known as a zebroid.  This adorable donkra (or zebroid?) was born at a wildlife park in Xiamen, China. 

Donkey on top and Zebra at the bottom!

Awww, cuddles.

Read more in this interesting article.

Good News! YES to CCTV in slaughterhouses.

Source.

Excellent news!  Animal Aid has reported that despite the government being reluctant to encourage slaughterhouses to install CCTV, supermarkets Morrisons, Waitrose, Sainsbury's, the Co-op, Asda, Lidl, Tesco, Iceland, Marks & Spencer and the wholesalers Booker, have all agreed to only deal with slaughterhouses that have independently monitored CCTV cameras installed.

Animal Aid is now working with the supermarket chains to ensure that the footage taken is monitored properly and that any incidents that break the law are dealt with effectively.

Do you remember back in November when we were contacting the supermarkets to ask them to consider this?  Isn't it great to have a success!

Animal Aid reports that one slaughterhouse has actually closed down due to their exposé which also resulted into legal action against nine workers and four slaughterhouse operators.  The case was dropped in September 2010 by Defra but most of the workers will not be allowed to slaughter again.

Another positive development is that the University of Bristol are using the footage obtained in order to train vets and Soil Association inspectors and government agencies and veterinary bodies are discussing how to implement changes to improve animal welfare in slaughterhouses.

This campaign has brought the horror of slaughter to the attention of the public and has also encouraged many people to adopt a meat free diet.

Source.

Breaking News: A Black Day for Badgers

Yesterday it was confirmed by the government that they will be going ahead with a badger cull in England.  This means that at least 70 per cent of the badger population could be killed as part of measures aiming to control bovine TB in cattle.

The RSPCA believes that the government has made the wrong decision and the cull will contribute nothing to the goal of eradicating bovine TB but will wipe out a large number of badgers most of which are completely healthy.

How to Help:

Please join the RSPCA's Facebook Campaign.

The League Against Cruel Sports article on the sad news.

Please sign the League's petition here.

Update: Thursday 21st July

Check out this excellent site from the Badger Protection Leage.  It has numerous ways to help including a petition, so well worth a visit.

Please don't forget to spread the word!

Whaling Round Up

Source.

This year's International Whaling Commission takes place this month and it is an ideal opportunity for our friends at WDCS International, IFAW and HSI to plead with the US government on behalf of the wales.  Representatives from 89 countries (both pro whaling and pro whale protection) gather in Jersey for this meeting.

News from WDCS

WDCS is currently asking for signatures on a petition which urges the US government to impose sanctions on Iceland for its out of control whaling.  So far, 200,000 people have protested leading WDCS to expect an announcement from President Barack Obama's administration at some point soon.

Please add your name to the protest here.

What about the EU?

WDCS is working to ensure that if Iceland joins the EU, it must give up whaling.  The Dutch and German parliaments have already passed resolutions making Icelandic whaling a "zero tolerance" issue. 

News from HSI

At the top of the IWC agenda is whether to create an ocean sanctuary for whales in waters neighbouring the Caribbean.  Unfortunately, four Caribbean island nations continue to vote against protecting whales each year, thus voting against a proposition that would be both a blessing for the whales and their own region.

Please click here and enter a few details to write to these nations asking them to support the South Atlantic Whale Sanctuary.


News from IFAW

IFAW reminds us that Japan, Iceland and Norway continue to kill hundreds of whales.  Japan slaughters three different species of whales under a disguise of "scientific research".  Iceland and Norway are harpooning hundreds of minke whales and defying the global ban on whaling.  These three countries will target over 1,700 whales this season.

IFAW are encouraging government officials to join the global consensus for the conservation of whales.  More pressure is needed though so they are asking us to tell the UK Government to take action in order to end whaling.

Following these links and entering a few details can really make a difference, please remember to spread the word.  Thank you.

Fluffy Friday #27

Smile!

Meet the black Macaque Monkey who has a talent for photography.  The female who lives in a national park in Indonesia helped herself to a camera and took a rather charming self portrait!

Read the fascinating story.

Stop Shark Finning!

Source.

When you picture a shark you may think of the film Jaws, and have an image of a huge, toothy, blood lusting beast.  In actual fact many sharks are now the victims of violence in the form of shark finning.  Shark finning is a nasty practice so if you are likely to be upset by reading my brief description of this please skip the next few lines...  it involves catching sharks and then cutting off their fins and tails before the shark is thrown back into the water, still alive.  There really aren't words to describe how despicible this is.

Due to shark finning and overfishing several shark species are at risk of extinction.

Have a look at this website dedicated to stopping shark finning which will advise you on how to support the cause.  Please be aware that there are some graphic images on the site but if you steer clear of the homepage you won't see any of them.

Also...

Join this Facebook page

Intensive Pig Farm Application Resubmitted

Source. 

A year on from this post about the Midland Pig Producers' (MPP) application to Derbyshire County Council asking for permission to build a prison for up to 25,000 pigs and the subsequent withdrawal, the application has once again been resubmitted. 

Pigs are highly intelligent animals who are more at home foraging in woodlands, so being subjected to life in a factory farm is nothing short of torture.  It is anticipated by MPP that 2,500 breeding sows would be kept in the facility and that 1,000 per week would be transported for slaughter.  This amount of pigs confined together in one location will mean even more disease, infection and injury than alreadys exists within normal factory farms.  This type of intensive farming contributes to the spread of diseases, such as swine flu, to the human population.

Please click on this link and fill in your details in order to ask Derbyshire County Council to reject MPP's proposed pig prison.  If you have time you are able to add your own comments to the ready prepared message, don't forget to tell your friends!

 

Thank you.

Back Off Badgers! - Update

It is expected that soon the government will be making an announcement on whether to cull badgers in England as part of a plan to control Bovine TB in cattle.  The government in Wales have announced that they will be postponing a planned badger cull until after they have reviewed the evidence.  The RSPCA have been led to believe that the English government will NOT be following suit.

A cull could mean the eradication of 70% of the badger population and it could involve farmers and landowners being allowed to fund and carry out the cull themselves using a variety of methods including free shooting.  The RSPCA are just one of the organisations to oppose the cull and have fought against various plans put forward by different governments due to the severe welfare implications.  Licensing farmers and/or landowners to free shoot would be impossible to monitor and be inhumane.

In 2010, the RSPCA's Back Off Badgers campagin provoked an overwhelming response which recorded nearly 40,000 objections to the controversial plans for the badger cull in England.  Unfortunately it seems that the government are not paying attention to the views of the general public which has prompted the RSPCA to ask that we go directly to the top and ask the Prime Minister himself to listen.

Ask David Cameron to stop ignoring science and public opinion and Back Off Badgers! 


Click the link, enter a few details and you will be directed to a readily prepared e-mail to David Cameron.  I have changed the subject line and re-worded the e-mail as this way it is more likely that the reader will not just skip through.

Also:


The Humane Society are also asking supporters to contact the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Caroline Spelman.  Click here to do the same as above, enter a few details and hit submit  I have already written to Caroline Spelman and received a response but a reminder won't hurt!


Remember to share on Facebook and Twitter!  Thank you.

Source.

Dolphins don't belong in captivity

Source.

As I am sure you already know, wild dolphins are extremely intelligent as well as being incredibly playful, social and caring.  They belong in the vast oceans where they can live and play freely.  Sadly, there are 25 wild dolphins facing a life of captivity due to Resorts World Sentosa's new attraction.  

At the moment the dolphins are locked in tiny pens and captivity is utter torture for them as their unique sonar bounces off the walls right back at them, it is like being trapped in an endless house of mirrors.  Most dolphins die at a young age from illness induced by stress, some dolphins actually commit suicide.  

Avaaz says that half the dolphins will die in the first 2 years if Resorts World Sentosa suceeds in keeping them captive.  As well as this, it will legitimise the widely banned practice of capturing wild dolphins. 

The cruel wild dolphin industry has been banned from the UK to Costa Rica, so we cannot allow Resorts World to get away with this.  Two years ago the same organisation had to abandon their plans for a whale shark exhibit due to a huge outcry threatening their reputation - we need to do this again in order to set the dolphins free. 

Resorts World claim that their “interactive spa program” using the dolphins will be able to help heal sick and disabled children, there is no scientific evidence to support this technique.  They also claim their programs aid conservation, even though by capturing the dolphins in the first place they were actually hunting as they only keep the “display-worthy” dolphins and the dolphins left are unfortunately killed. 

Click here to sign the petition from Avaaz, once 750,000 signatures have been raised they will forward this to Resorts World and the media. 

Please forward this action to as many friends as possible, share on Facebook and Twitter too!

Thank you.

Fluffy Friday #26

Thank goodness it's Friday!

I have a bit of a cat special for you this week.

Moody Moggy.

 Mermaid Moggy.

In the name of research

Source

 

We seem to have a bit of an American theme going on this week, it wasn't planned but seems fitting since we've just had American Independence Day.

I was really disturbed to hear from PETA last week that The University of Wisconsin-Madison have signed into law, a provision that exempts animal experimenters in the state of Wisonsin from all anti-cruelty laws.  It is now impossible for a person to be prosecuted for cruelty to animals, as long as their cruelty is carried out in a laboratory in the name of research.  They are still exempt even if they violate the federal animal welfare laws.

An example of this is the University's staged animal fights which were illegal in labs before the new law was passed.  The good news is that the new exemption doesn't ignore past violations of anti-cruelty laws so PETA and the Alliance for Animals are urging the distric attorney to prosecute all experimenters responsible for staging fights between mice.

How to Help:

Click here and fill in a few details in order to ask the federal government to stop financing animal fights with tax and to revoke money already spent on this.

Remember to tell your friends!

Thank you.



I Love Rats

Beatrix Potter's The Tale of Samuel Whiskers

Source.

Something very sad happened last week.  My other half came across a wild rat in the house next door, he was asked by a scared lady if he could remove it and noticed that the rat was acting a bit strange (not moving much and squeaking). He rang the RSPCA for advice and was told to leave the rat outside in a box and monitor him for half an hour before taking him to the vets.  R decided to head straight to the vets because the rat was clearly not happy, the vets advised him that they would take a look at the rat and let it him free if all was well.  

Around 45 minutes later R telephone the vet to see what the outcome was and a cheerful receptionist told him that due to the law the rat was considered vermin so immediately euthanised.  Both R and I are really disappointed and upset about this as if R had been informed of this in the first place, he would have let the rat free in our local park and let him take his chances in the wild.

Considered "vermin" or not, this rat was not hurting anyone and really didn't deserve to be immediately put to sleep.  Upon telling several people about what happened I was met with responses like "ewwww, a rat!" and "they are full of diseases!" and although I accept rats aren't the most popular animals and are responsible for the spread of certain diseases, I honestly don't think such a negative response is called for.

I have found an interesting link about wild rats that is well worth reading if you get the time.

UPDATE on "What's wrong with rodeos?"

Source.

The League Against Cruel Sports have claimed that e-mails to Clarence House are now being blocked.  Supporters have sent around seven thousand e-mails (well done us!) to William and Kate's representatives asking them to boycott the Calgary Stampede but e-mails started bouncing back on Thursday, unfortunately.

Steve Taylor, head of campaigns at the League has quite rightly said "Burying their head in the sand won't make this issue go away. British people don't want their representatives going to see cruel rodeo events any more than they want them going to a dog fight in Afghanistan, a cock fight in the Philippines, or a public beheading in Saudi Arabia. The cruelty has become the elephant in the room and it's rather rude to block communications rather than respond to the issue."

The League are now considering how to work around this, another option is encouraging supporters to telephone Clarence House expressing their revulsion.  The League have been working closely with the Vancouver Humane Society to highlight this issue.

Alternative?

The Humane Society in Vancouver's are asking their supporters to make a comment on the Clarence House website by clicking here which is a good idea, if you do make a comment please keep it polite and remember to tell your friends!  Thank you.

Read the full article from the League here.

Read the League’s Open Letter to William and Kate here.

Say NO to Nestle

Source.

I LOVE tea, with a passion whether it be hot, cold or iced; therefore I was saddened and disappointed to hear that Nestea (made by Nestle) is actually tested on animals, namely mice  and rats.  Nestea are conducting the tests to investigate the possible health benefits linked to tea despite none of the experiments being legally required for beverage manufacturers and regulators saying that animal tests are not sufficient to prove a health claim about the product.

For further detail of the tests performed on the animals please have a look here, but please be warned it does not make for pleasant reading and I have been unable to read it all myself.

I have sent the following polite message to Nestea to ask them to stop needlessly testing on animals, please feel free to copy and paste this message into a new e-mail and send it to the addresses below:

Dear Paul Bulcke and Brad Alford, 

Re: Nestea 

I am saddened and disappointed to hear that you have decided to conduct needless tests on mice and rats in order to research the possible benefits of tea, despite the experiments being completely unnecessary and not legally required for beverage manufacturers.  Regulators have stated that animal tests are not sufficient to prove any health claim you make on your product which also adds to the utter pointlessness of your experiments. 

I will no longer buy or consume any Nestle product until you have assured me that you will cease these cruel and unnecessary experiments and I will be asking my friends, their friends and my family to do the same.

Yours sincerely,

Contact

Paul Bulcke
CEO
Nestlé S.A.
Paul.Bulcke(at)nestle(dot)com

Brad Alford

CEO
Nestlé USA
Brad.Alford(at)us(dot)nestle(dot)com

Please let your friends know about this campaign and ask them to forward the message also.

What's wrong with Rodeos?

Image provided by Emily Collins, taken at a rodeo in Texas, USA.

Image provided by Emily Collins, taken at a rodeo in Texas, USA.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge hare currently visiting North America and Canada.  During their visit to Canada they will be visiting the worlds largest rodeo, Calgary Stampede.  Within the rodeo, Kate and William are likely to view the controversial but popular sport called 'chuckwagon racing' which can result in the death of both horses and their riders.  In the 2009 Calgary Stampede three horses died, also in 2007 three horses were killed during the event in 2007.

What else is wrong with rodeos?

Events such as calf roping, steer wrestling, bareback horse and bull riding, saddle bronc riding, steer wrestling, steer roping and barrel racing means that animals which are normally docile are physically provoked into behaving "wildly" to make the cowboys look brave.

The provocation usually comes in the form of electric prods, spurs and bucking straps.  Before they enter the ring, cows and horses are often prodded with an electrical "hotshot" so that the pain will rile them.

Animals used in rodeos have suffered broken ribs, backs and legs; punctured lungs, internal organ bruising and many more things that I prefer not to print.

Unfortunately, some animals from the rodeo are sold to slaughterhouses and used for meat.

Source (WARNING: Graphic descriptions of animal cruelty)

How to help

Please join me in contacting Clarence House as soon as possible and asking Kate and William to change their planned visit to the Calgary Stampede and boycott rodeos.  Click here to be taken to the League Against Cruel Sports readily prepared message which you can edit before sending.  Just take a few minutes to enter your details.  The message will be sent to Kate and William's Personal Private Secretary and also their Official Spokesman.

If you can post this blog post and/or the League's message at the aforementioned link on Facebook and/or Twitter it would be great, thank you.

P.S. ~ Happy US Independence Day!

 

Fluffy Friday #25

Happy July!

This is the NAUGHTY edition of Fluffy Friday.  Dusty the cat has been a very naughty boy.

See why...