Fluffy Friday #58

Imagine finding this little cutie snuggled up in your bed!  This small, unhealthy looking young vixen sneaked into the house and up into the bedroom after the back door was left open, I can't say I blame her!

It makes me think about what might happen to this sweetie when she grows up, I hope she is not a victim of fox hunting.

Read the full article here and check out League Against Cruel Sports campaign against cruelty. 

Happy Friday!

Keep Cruelty History

Source: League Against Cruel Sports

Eight years ago hunting wild animals with dogs for sport was banned.  The process to make it legal again has begun with MP's being asked to vote and pro hunting groups doing everything in their power to bring back this blood sport.  Hence, we need to do EVERYTHING in OUR power to keep the ban.

If you are in the UK please click here, enter your postcode and be taken to a webpage showing your MP and how he or she intends to vote.  Unfortunately my MP wants to repeal the ban which means he wants bloodsports to become legal again.  I have also checked my parents' MP's views and she too wants to repeal the ban.

If your MP also plans on voting to repeal the ban and you wish to contact them to ask that they reconsider their vote, or to applaud them for voting to keep cruelty history, simply enter your name, address and e-mail in the readily prepared form and this will automatically bring up a message for you to quickly send to your MP.  I strongly advise that you personalise the message as much as possible to encourage them to read it, please be polite yet persuasive!  

Please let me know how your MP is planning on voting and please encourage everyone you know to contact their MP and express their views, as well as sharing this on Facebook and Twitter please talk to people in the older generation who may not necessarily use social networking applications.



Thank you.




UPDATE:


A while after typing this post I received a response from my MP stating the following "I am not sure where you have obtained information that a vote or debate is imminent. I have seen press reports but as yet I am not aware of any proposals to bring the issue back before the Commons."  


I forwarded the response to James Dixon at the League (JamesDixon@league.org.uk) who advised me to inform my MP that; 


"The urgency for this campaign is prompted by the Prime Minister’s comments on Countryfile on January 15^th this year in which he said, “I always thought the hunting ban was a pretty bizarre piece of legislation, I think there should be a free vote in the House of Commons.”


I responded to my MP telling him this and also explaining why I think he should decide to keep cruelty history when a vote is inevitably called.

Lush Anti Fox Hunting Adverts Banned.

Have you ever heard of Lush? If you haven't spotted one of their stores then I bet you will have wondered "What is that delicious smell?" as you inhale some of the delicious scents wafting out of their store in which unique fresh organic handmade cosmetics that are not tested on animals are sold. I will tell you more about the glorious Lush another time but I have been shocked to read that Lush's recent anti hunting campaign adverts have been banned by the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) due to a grand total of 129 complaints.

A leaflet by the Hunt Saboteurs Association (HSA) was distributed in Lush stores alongside a postcard by Lush inviting people to forward the postcard to their local police chiefs informing them that despite the hunting ban, people are still hunting.

Lush also held a sales promotion on their website for a Mrs Fox Bubble Bar in which 100% of the proceeds were given to the HSA. (Wow, why didn't I know about this?)

The ASA commented that the complainants raised a range of issued within the campaign including that it unfairly defamed hunts and hunters as well as implying that hunts were intentionally and regularly breaking the law. Also it was argued that the campaign inferred the Hunting Act was not properly enforced and people took particular offence to a claim that "hunting hounds usually lead short lives and are often killed and fed back to the pack" as allegedly this could not be substantiated. Three specific complaints were upheld by the ASA who said there was not enough robust evidence to support the claims that hunts were intentionally and frequently breaking the law, the Hunting Act was not being properly enforced and that hunting hounds were fed back to the pack.

(Fox hunting with dogs is banned so surely if you continue to hunt you are intentionally breaking the law?)

Lush said it regularly undertook animal welfare campaigns and aimed to raise awareness of the 2004 Hunting Act and highlight alleged breaches of the act and its perceived limitations. Also the campaign did not use any graphic or shocking images, bad language or demeaning or abusive names, and believed that customers were unlikely to find the advertising offensive. For Lush's full response to the ASA please take a look here.

I know whose side I'm on. Have a look at some of Lush's gorgeous products which, I repeat, are NOT tested on animals.

Original Article.

Related Article.

Can you sign this petition please?

Do you have a minute to sign this petition against the Conservatives repealing the Fox Hunting Ban? It is important that we show the Prime Minister just how many of us are against this cruel sport. If you do sign, please then click the button underneath to share the petition with your friends on Facebook and/or Twitter.

Talking of foxes, do any of you in the UK watch Springwatch on BBC 2? If you watched it last night you would have seen the images and videos of the rare black fox. It was fascinating. Springwatch are asking people to keep a look out for any black foxes they happen to see and try to take a picture or video and send it to them here.

Update on the repeal

Most of the action alerts appearing in my inbox over the past few weeks have been about the possible repeal of the hunting ban. It really does seem like the new Government is prioritising repealing the ban. Rumor has it that the Prime Minister has appointed Jim Paice as Minister for Agriculture and Food and made him responsible for hunting and shooting. This is a new addition to the role as none of Labour’s last Defra team was responsible for either of these things.

I had an e-mail from IFAW today asking me to contact my MP and urge to protect the Hunting Act but unfortunately my MP, Caroline Spelman has already decided that the Ban should be repealed. Maybe your MP feels differently?

More ways to help.

Pledge to Support The Ban!

Image from Google.

(I'm sorry to jump on the bandwagon and talk politics, after reading some comments made by the Countryside Alliance last night I just couldn't resist)

I felt a growing sense of unease last night as I watched Gordon Brown leave Downing Street and David Cameron enter. I went straight online to see what this might mean for the Fox Hunting Ban. It seems that the Countryside Alliance are prematurely declaring victory. The Government are focusing on pressing issues like reducing the deficit but soon enough attention will turn to the Fox Hunting Ban.

I have signed up to The League Against Cruel Sports and Animal Aid's Campaign for Decency and depending on developments I am considering becoming a member of The League and definitely will be joining protests.

[More info to follow as and when]

Will you please join me in pledging to support the ban?

The League Against Cruel Sports

Campaign for Decency

What will a Hung Parliament mean for the Hunting Ban?

...I honestly don't know and I don't think anyone does just yet. I used my vote for the foxes yesterday. I voted Labour in the General Election. As I stood in line to vote I thought about the three baby foxes that once sunbathed on the roof of our garden shed without a care in the world and wonder if they grew up and found themselves being chased and savaged all in the name of sport. I started to panic when the exit poll showed a hung parliament outcome and it has now been confirmed that this is in fact the case, the Conservatives have the most seats, followed by Labour and the Liberal Democrats. According to Support the Hunting Act (Ban) UK, the Hunting Ban situation will come down to who forms the Government but unfortunately some animal welfare MPs lost their seats last night which is a great blow.

If the worst case scenario does happen and the Ban is repealed I am going to contact the League Against Cruel Sports to see if there is any possibility of joining them in any action they may be taking in retaliation.

Do you know who you're voting for?

It seems impossible not to think or talk about the upcoming General Election, I listen to Radio 4 at work every day and as I type this I am listening to Gordon Brown answering questions from the general pubic on subjects like fuel prices, public services, tax etc. I haven't decided who to vote for yet but I just can't bring myself to vote for a party that will lift the current ban on hunting.

I regularly write to my very nice MP (who happens to be Conservative) about animal related issues and wrote to her recently about the Hunting Act. As I expected she echoed the Conservative policy that if they were to win the General Election they want to lift the current ban despite 75% of the public disagreeing with this and wanting the Hunting Act in force. I do agree that the ban is very difficult and sometimes impossible to enforce, however, this doesn't mean that a ban won't work and organisations such as The League Against Cruel Sports work tirelessly gathering evidence on those who flout the ban to ensure this is upheld.

Before you decide who to vote for this May please take into account your candidates policies and find out what their views on hunting and animal welfare are as well as how they will make things better for you. Find your candidate here.

Information from League Against Cruel Sports

Please have a look at the RSPCA's website which outlines animal welfare issues they hope to see the next parliament work on.