Elephants, and "the nasty men taking their tusks!"

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I have so much catching up to do!  I had a big sort out of my inbox and have got a list of campaigns to share with you, it is hard to know where to start.  So, I chose elephants! 

When I was two I watched Dumbo for the first time and it was that (and Bambi) that awakened my animal obsession.  I have always had a soft spot for elephants and one of the first campaigns I ever became involved with (at Primary School if I remember correctly) was against the ivory trade.  I remember writing a poem about "nasty men taking their tusks!".  It is painful to admit that the ivory trade is still booming, despite the partial ban.

The charity Care2 e-mailed me a few days back with some alarming news.  Back in April, 30 elephants were killed in one week in Chad for their ivory tusks, despite the partial ban.  In the last five years, Chad has lost 40% of its elephants and just 2,500 elephants are left in the entire country.  Elephants from all around Africa are at risk because the demand for ivory is outweighing the effort to protect them.  

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITIES) was formed back in the Sixties and is an International agreement between Governments whose aim is to ensure International trade in wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.  CITIES sought to protect elephants, however, restrictions on the ivory trade have been weakened and elephant ivory has been exported to Countries such as Japan and China which reignited the market.

How to help:


Please spare a minute to sign this petition telling our leaders to call for a FULL and PERMANENT ban on the International ivory trade.  Then if you have another minute to spare please share with your friends on Facebook, Twitter or via E-mail.

Thank you.

Fluffy Friday #21 (without the fluff!)

I just had to share this story with you all.  This gorgeous dog has been on my mind all week, I would give anything to be able to adopt him (and I haven't quite given up on the idea).  This little Staffie was found abandoned and thankfully rescued by the RSPCA, he has a severe skin condition that has caused him to lose all his fur.  Read his story here.

Rabbit Factory Farm Planned in Nottinghamshire

Image taken from Pintrest.

Hello again, I am so sorry for my lengthy absence.  Whilst I have been away I have been inundated with Animal News and campaigns and feel awful for not having the time to share any of them with you.  Things are calming down a bit for a short period so I am going to attempt to do some catching up, starting with this unfortunate piece of news that a man named Philip Kerry from a Company called T&S Nurseries has submitted two applications to build rabbit factory farms in Nottinghamshire. (East Bridgford and Granby to be precise).

This is wrong on so many levels.  Peta has described rabbits as being "sensitive, social animals who, in the wild, build intricate burrow systems and have a strict hierarchy. Confining these normally gentle animals to cages denies them everything that is natural and important to them, such as foraging for food, tending to their young and even jumping." Having owned a number of rabbits myself, I know that they are intelligent inquisitive animals who require so much more stimulation than sitting in a hutch on their own, in the dark, all day.

The farms Philip Kerry is planning would house up to 1,100 rabbits kept in wire cages, stacked three high in barns with no windows.  Once the rabbits reached 12 weeks old they would be slaughtered.  Peta has stated "This unnatural environment – which provides no fresh air or sunlight – can cause extremely painful bone disorders and foot inflammations, and the stressed animals often resort to neurotic, self-harming behaviour."

How can you help?

If you follow this link it will take  you to Peta's website enabling you to enter a few details and generate a polite message to Nottinghamshire Council asking them to reject Mr Kerry's applications.  If you can spare some time to tell your friends to do this as well it will really make a difference.

Thank you.

Fluffy Friday #20

 

I hope this weeks Fluffy Friday is worth the wait!  Here is Suki not looking impressed with her new mac.  She allowed me to put it on and lead her out of the front door, she then sat down and refused to be seen in public.  We are now in a bit of a quandry since she hates getting wet in the rain (and it is April so I expect showers at some point) and she hates the only preventative measure I can think of!  Oh well, I think she looks lovely.  :-)

What a glorious day!

It is 20 Degrees here, the sunbathers are out in force, the ice cream van is playing a tune and the daffodils and daisies are littering the lush green grash in the park with buttery yellow and white.  This all means it is Spring!  Suki has been thoroughly enjoying skipping (yes, she does skip) through the long grass and chasing the ice cream van but one thing I always try and remember is to keep her cool.  

I have got so used to being freezing cold and snuggling up with a hot water bottle (and even bought Suki a mac the other week, see Fluffy Friday) it is strange to suddenly be too warm.  The RSPCA have some very good advice about keeping your pooch cool in this glorious weather, which is set to last the weekend and beyond.

Have a lovely weekend all.

Seal Cull: News Roundup

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I'm sorry I've not been around at such a crucial time, the Canadian Seal Cull is one of the issues closest to my heart so I am disappointed not to have been bombarding you with information and ways to help.

Here is a short summary of what has been happening in Canada so far.

Update from Humane Society International

Despite the bad weather forecast the seal cull went ahead but there is some light at the end of the tunnel, Rebecca Aldworth from HSI states that "In 2008, sealers killed more than 1,000 pups on Hay Island. Two years ago, 200. Today, half of that. Our campaign is working. Markets for seal products are closing around the world, and the prices for seal products remain very low."  She goes on to say how the ProtectSeals boycott of Canadian seafood is hitting fishermen hard and making them reconsider their support of sealing. 

IFAW have a very useful site full of information, take a look here.

How to Help

Sign the pledge to boycott Canadian seafood (Don't forget to share on Facebook and/or Twitter)

Have a look at Harpseals.org website which is full of ways to help.

Sad news

I am sorry for the lack of posts on The Animal News lately, unfortunately a much loved family member sadly passed away unexpectedly and I have been travelling back and forth visiting relatives etc.  

Since my co-worker left last month, work has been really busy and therefore I have not been able to spend as much time as I would have liked on here.  Even so, there is plenty going on in the animal world and I have been inundated with e-mails about the Canadian Seal Cull which is unfortunately going ahead "business as usual" so I will share the news with you as soon as I am able.

Good News about Whaling in the Antarctic

 

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It's a pleasure to share the following great news with you!

Japan has called its Antarctic whaling fleet home which means there will be no more whaling there this year!  Last season 507 whales were killed and in comparison 172 whales have been killed this year.  It would be ideal if no whales were killed but at least this is progress as this could have huge impact on the future of Antarctic whaling.  For WDCS's complete article have a look here.

Whales in the North are still a target for whaling fleets belonging to Japan, Norway and Iceland so we do need to keep the pressure up.  If you can spare some time to visit the WDCS site, they have prepared an e-mail for you already which you can send to the US government asking them to take action.  Click here to send. 

Remember to tell your friends...

Use of Chimpanzees in Commercials

Me giving a lovely Chimpanzee a drink of water at Dudley Zoo.

I had a disturbing e-mail from Peta regarding the use of chimpanzees in a commercial for a company called CareerBuilder (The chimpanzees were dressed as office workers).  As you know, chimpanzees are highly intelligent and sensitive animals and the use of them in such commercials is extremely unnecessary and cruel.

Myself and my boyfriend had the pleasure of coming face to face with a lovely group of chimpanzees last year at Dudley Zoo and we were struck by the amount of intelligence in their eyes.  (Our encounters as Keepers for a Day at Dudley Zoo is another story which I promise to share another day)

To read the entire article that was sent to me from Peta and to find out how you can help please click here.  If you are especially sensitive (like me) you may find it difficult reading so you can skip the article and go straight to filling in a few details so that Peta can forward a message to CareerBuilder on your behalf asking them to end their advertising campaign.

Remember those small but helpful things you can also do that don't take long but can make a difference such as sharing this information with your friends on Facebook and Twitter.

Ask Harrods' New Owners to make it FUR FREE

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Did you know that Harrods is the only department store in the UK that still sells real fur items?  Harrods has recently been sold to a new company (Qatar Holding) which provides an ideal opportunity for us to contact the new owners and ask them to adopt a fur free policy.

Animal Aid have asked that we write polite, informative letters and/or e-mails to the Embassy of Qatar in London and to Quatar Holding, informing them of your opposition to Harrods' involvement in the fur trade. 

Things to emphasise:

1. The majority of people in the UK are opposed to the use of animals for their fur 

2.  Fur farming was outlawed in Britain in 2001. 

3.  A fur-free policy at Harrods would prove extremely popular amongst the store's customers.

Addresses:

Qatar Embassy in London
FAO: His Excellency Sheikh. Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jabr Al-Thani Prime Minister of Qatar.
1 South Audley Street, London W1K 1NB.

Email it@qatarembassy.info, london@mofa.gov.qa

Qatar Holding
FAO His Excellency Abdullah Bin Hamad Al-Attiyah
Chairman
Qatar Intermediate Industries Holding Company Limited
P.O. Box 28882 Doha, Qatar

Email info@qh.com.qa, qh@qh.com.qa

PS ~ When I have written my e-mail I will post it here as a template or you can just copy and paste it to save time if you prefer.