Help Australian Sheep

Source.

I am absolutely disgusted to hear of the way millions of sheep in Australia are treated when they are not able to produce enough wool to generate profits for farmers.  PETA reports that the sheep are sold for slaughter and forced to travel for weeks on end to the Middle East and North Africa on hot, multi-tiered ships where they endure weeks of misery.  If they survive the disgusting conditions on board they then face slaughter.

Back in 2005 PETA US and Australian activists released the results of an undercover investigation which exposed shocking cruelty to sheep.  The Australian Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry has insisted that the current regulatory system is working despite the fact that it was animal activists and not government officials that documented the cruelty.

Please sign this petition allowing PETA to continue to expose the horrors of the wool, meat and live export industries and to raise awareness and put pressure on decision makers to make the urgent changes needed to save the lives of animals.

Your signature really will make a difference, PETA and their affiliates have sparked an international outcry and resulted in promises of industry and government reform.  A growing number of retailers are moving away from wool from mulesed lambs or have banned it outright.

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.

End Live Animal Exports from Australia

Source.

The cruelty of Australia's live cattle export trade to Indonesia has recently being exposed leading to a review by RSPCA Australia.  For more information on this please click here.

Australia exports hundreds of thousands of cattle, mostly to Indonesia and roughly 4 million sheep to the Middle East, yearly.

Following pressure from members of the public, the Australian government announced a temporary suspension of all live cattle exports to Indonesia.  However, after just five weeks it was announced that the live trade can resume.  WSPA has said "we need to let the Australian government know that this cruelty is not acceptable and that their actions are being watched internationally."

Please click here to see how you can voice your support along with the thousands of Australians who have already taken action.

 

Fluffy Friday #19

Spring is on it's way readers and Valentine's Day is around the corner so to celebrate have a look at this lovely little fellow and the beautiful flower he's clutching.  This is a Spotted Cuscus who can be found in Australia and New Guinea.  Adorable isn't he?

Do you have a few spare seconds?

 

I've received an alert from the WDCS informing me that in a few weeks the Australian Government will be making a big decision to create the largest network of marine protected areas in the world, this is critical habitat for over 50% of the worlds whales and dolphins.  

Australia has one of the largest marine territories in the world accommodating a large variety of fish, sharks, whales and seals who live in the continent’s submerged mountain ranges, deep sea canyons and reefs. These waters provide refuge for the blue, humpback, and southern right whales, as well as bottlenose, spotted and striped dolphins.  At the moment they are unprotected and the oil and fishing industries are attempting to undermine moves to increase protection.

The Government's decision will set the standard of protection that will then be applied to the rest of Australia’s waters for the next 10 to 20 years.

Australia is asking for International help to ensure the decision goes the right way.  Please take a few seconds to click here and send a readily prepared e-mail to The Hon Tony Burke, MP and Minister for the Environment.

Thank you!

WHALING BAN STAYS!

After two days of talks in Agadir - Moscow, delegates from the IWC were unable to agree on a proposal which would see commercial whaling being legalised. Therefore the ban still stands. However, Japan, Iceland and Norway continue whaling outside the IWC sanctions.

Despite presentations by pro-whaling advocated the majority were not convinced by their arguments that killing whales via commercial whaling was acceptable. It has also been rejected that quotas be given whilst the ban still stands. (Quotas meaning the amount of whales killed)

Australia and the Latin America countries were clear in their opposition and after weeks of uncertainly the EU took a strong position and rejected the proposed deal but is still willing to negotiate. The pro-deal advocates did not push their proposal to a vote so they didn’t risk being publicly rejected.

WDCS anticipated further discussions but calls on the world to realise that the old world view of whaling is over. Nicolas Entrup the spokesperson for WDCS in Agadir says “We now call on governments to work together to ensure the moratorium is implemented fully and effectively ending commercial, and so-called scientific whaling, which have no place in the 21st century. WDCS believes that the IWC has a strong future, but not one that legitimizes this cruel, unmanageable and unnecessary industry.”

The IWC meeting now continues and will now be looking at agenda items including a demand from Denmark that Greenland is allowed to expand it’s hunt to include 10 humpback whales per year.

WDCS Report
IFAW Report