Who is flouting the ban on illegal Battery Cages?

Source: CIWF

Further to my post about Happy Hens on 7th January, Compassion in World Farming have reported that despite the EU ban on barren battery hen cages taking effect at the beginning of 2012, industry estimates show that due to the non-compliance in a number of nations there are at least 50 million European hens still being illegally kept in barren battery cages.

CIWF reports that there are 14 EU nations that are not complying with the ban on battery cages and the worst culprit is Italy, where industry estimates show that the non-compliance is at least 41% - nearly 20 million hens.

The Italian Health Minister, Renato Balduzzi oversees farm animal welfare.  Sig. Balduzzi took office in November 2011 so will not have experienced the full force of CIWF's Big Move campaign yet.  Please click here to enter a few details and automatically contact Sig. Balduzzi asking him to set out Italy's plans for full compliance to the ban on battery cages, to provide accurate figures to the Commission of the Italian egg industry's level of compliance and confirm what action the Government is taking against producers who break the law.

Please remember to share this with your friends so we can increase the pressure on Italy to adhere to this much welcomed ban on battery cages and improve the lives of nearly 20 million hens.

Thank you!


Update
A day after writing this post I noticed this article informing us that it isn't just Italy that are flouting the ban on battery cages.  Sadly, up to 500,000 hens are still being kept in battery cages in the UK despite the ban.  The ban on battery cages was announced by the EU over ten years ago, in 2009 so British egg producers have had ample time to phase battery cages out.  The Government is confident that the new rules will be fully enforced by the beginning of next month...  Watch this space.

Oscar's Law

Oscar, image from Oscar's Law.

I love Twitter.  It is such a wealth of information, it was through a contact on Twitter that I found out about Oscar's Law.

Oscar's Law is a campaign in glorious Australia, looking to change the way that animals are kept, bred and sold.  Oscar's Law is clearly telling the Australian Government "we do not want companion animals factory farmed anymore" and "we no longer want the pet industry to mislead us about what is acceptable for our animals."

Oscar is one of the dogs rescued from a puppy factory in Central Victoria, the puppies were severely neglected and required urgent veterinary care.  They were treated for severe matting, ear infections, gum disease, rotten teeth, abscesses and malnourishment.  Sadly, after recovering from surgery Oscar was returned to the puppy farm and the farm was never charged with cruelty despite neglecting all their dogs.  

Thankfully, thanks to 18 months of tireless work by dedicated people Oscar was liberated and is now receiving the love and care he previously lacked and is learning to live a full life as a dog, not a machine.

This campaign is in memory of all the "Oscars" hidden away on puppy farms and treated as machines to supply the pet industry.

Please sign the petition, and tell the Australian Government that factory farming of companion animals will not be tolerated and that we no longer want the pet industry to mislead us about what is acceptable for our pets.

Check out the website and see what else you can do to help the cause, if you are an Australian resident you will also be able to contact Government representatives in your local area.

Don't forget to tell your friends about Oscar's Law on Facebook and Twitter!

Thank you from all the Oscar's out there.

Protection for Wild Animals in Travelling Circuses, in the US

{Source}

Calling all U.S readers!

Exotic animals forced to perform in travelling circuses are separated from their families, trained in a brutal fashion to perform unnatural tricks, chained and confined to small pens and cages and shipped around the country in trains or trucks for months on end.  It is impossible for circuses to meet the complex needs of animals causing high levels of stress.

This issue has been under discussion in the UK and I am pleased that there is now a growing movement in the U.S towards the protection of wild animals in circuses.  Countries such as Austria, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Denmark, Peru, Singapore and Sweden have all banned wild animals from travelling circuses. 

If you are a resident of the U.S you can help by sending a message to your Congressperson, urging them to support this vitally important bill.  Click on this link for further information and simply enter a few details to send the readily prepared message to your Congressperson. 

Please don't forget to tell your friends by sharing this action on Facebook and/or Twitter.

Thank you.

Fluffy Friday #42

I am fitting an awful lot of fluff into this post!  

Back in November, a female Polar Bear named Ilka in the Scandinavian Wildlife Park of Djursland (Denmark) gave birth to a male cub named Siku.  Enjoy...

Welcome to the world!

Being this cute is exhausting.

So much fluffiness!

Happy Friday y'all!

Source: Zooborns

End Live Animal Exports

{Source: CIWF}

Compassion in World Farming have announced disturbing new figures showing that over 60,000 sheep, pigs and calves have been exported live through Ramsgate port in a 7 month period, this is despite the strong opposition from local residents.

Compassion has been supporting a locally run campaign seeking to end this cruel trade, Thanet District Council controls trade through the Port of Ramsgate and it is on this council to which we need to apply more pressure.  Thanet District Council charges live animal exporters only £750 per sailing for the use of their port, even though the actual cost to the port per sailing is likely to run into thousands.  The difference in cost is being funded by the tax payer.

I am not as concerned about the cost as much as I concerned about the needless suffering endured by thousands of animals, however, if the Council were to increase the fee it would make the exports too expensive to continue.

Please click on this link and fill in a few details in order to contact Thanet District Council asking them to take a stand against live exports by raising the fees to stop this cruel trade.

Can you share this action with your friends as well please?

Thank you!

Lunch Time Links #6

Being back at work isn't so bad, is it?  January is a difficult month (in my opinion) but we're half way through the week already and ready for the weekend!  Here is your first Lunch Time Link for 2012 and to ease you in gently there is just one action for you this afternoon:

Ask bebe to ditch fur (Caution: some graphic content)

Thank you!

Born to Suffer

Source: RSPCA

RSPCA have announced a new campaign entitled Born to Suffer which is aiming to put an end to the breeding of dogs, based on how they look.  The RSPCA tells us that "it isn't just show dogs that may be suffering.  Many pedigree dogs never appear in shows, but many are bred by breeders who want to produce show-winning animals, and who sell their surplus dogs as pets."

Science shows that some of the most popular dog breeds have been bred to such extremes that they suffer difficulty breathing and walking.  Sadly, some dogs have a difficult time doing normal dog-like things such as playing and going for a walk.  The RSPCA says that a recent study has shown that the 50 most popular breeds have some aspect of their body which can cause suffering.

You can help by joining RSPCA's campaign and signing this petition calling for breed standards to be changed so that health, welfare and temperament of a dog is prioritised rather than how it looks.  Please ask your friends to sign too and don't forget to share this on Facebook and Twitter.  Once you have signed the petition you have the option of adding a "Twibbon" to your Twitter account, this is an icon showing your support of, and raising awareness for the campaign.

If you or anybody you know is thinking of buying or adopting a pedigree dog check out the health and welfare issues here first.

Thank you!

Puppy Farming Petition: Deadline 10th January (Tomorrow!)

{Source: Dog's Trust}

A Twitter friend posted a link to this petition asking Camarthenshire County Council to reject planning permission for a puppy farm in Wales.  The deadline for the petition to have over 1,000 signatures in tomorrow 10th January.  Please sign the petition and ask your friends to do the same.

Puppy farming is a serious issue that needs to be addressed.  

In puppy farms dogs are often kept in cramped, disgusting conditions without adequate exercise or social stimulation (this means no cuddles or even a friendly pat on the head) they are forced to repeatedly become pregnant and give birth which causes numerous physical problems as well as mental anguish.  The physical problems and mental anguish are often ignored as the sole focus for the owner is more puppies = more profit.

The breeding bitches lack adequate veterinary care due to the cost and most puppy farm owners feel they have the knowledge to recognise and subsequently deal with problems, even though this is not the case. 

Puppy farm puppies in most cases develop physical problems due to the conditions they are kept in as well as behavioural problems due to them being removed from their mother too early.  Research shows that puppies develop better if they remain with their mother until at least 8 weeks of age.  The puppies often end up in a pet shop or are offered for sale at around 6 weeks of age, this ultimately results in them developing behavioural problems due to poor socialisation such as lack of social skills with humans and other animals and fear aggression.  Many are eventually euthanised as a result of these problems.

We have enough unwanted dogs in the UK desperately needing homes, without selfish, money grabbing individuals using and abusing dogs and subjecting them to a life time of misery, for the sole purpose of making money.

Fantastic post by Marc Abraham on puppy farms and other dog matters.

Also check out my blog post back in November about the puppy trade in Ireland.

Please sign the petition and do tell your friends on Facebook and Twitter.

Thank you.

A Happy New Year, for Hens!

{Source}

It's a very happy new year for battery hens, on the 1st of January 2012 the EU ban on the barren batter cage came into force.  Compassion in World Farming reports that hundreds of millions of animals will benefit from this remarkable piece of animal welfare legislation, and more than 130 million European hens are spending their lives free of the cruel battery farming system.

CIWF declares this a victory for not only battery hens but for each person who buys free range, organic or barn eggs and the major food companies that have made a stand and declared themselves "cage free".

Unfortunately, the barren battery cage is still in use, illegally in many countries throughout Europe.  Therefore, CIWF's campaign will not be ending here.  The goal is to continue to add pressure on all non-compliant countries and producers until the whole of Europe is cage free.  For more about the campaign, please click here.


Check out the RSPCA website for more news and how to ensure you only buy products from cage free hens.

Thank you.

Fluffy Friday #41

Happy New Year everyone!

I hope you all had a lovely festive season and wish you warm wishes for a happy, healthy and prosperous 2012. To celebrate the first Fluffy Friday of the new year, I want to share with you a few of my animal moments this Christmas.

Happy Friday!