Bad judgement by King of Spain

 

Source.

You don't need me to remind you that elephants are not only amazing and beautiful creatures, they are also endangered.  Despite this fact, the King of Spain participated in an elephant hunt back in April of this year.  Although it was some time ago, Don Juan Carlos needs to be reminded that he is sending the wrong kind of message to his country.

Don Juan apologised for taking part in an African elephant hunt during a period in which Spanish unemployment rose to 23 percent, he did not mention that killing threatened or endangered animals is wrong and needs to do so.  Elephants are disappearing at an alarming rate, no thanks to hunting and the trade in illegal ivory still thriving.

Please click here and tell the King of Spain to deliver the right message.

Fluffy Friday #62

Whilst going through some of my Facebook photos of late I have come across lots of images which stirred many happy memories of some of the lovely animals I have met over the years.  I just have to share them with you... Have a wonderful weekend.

Feeding a handsome giraffe at Dudley Zoo.

Feeding frenzy at Dudley Zoo.

Meeting a very sweet Tapier face to face at Dudley Zoo.

These colourful birds are as common in Australia as Pigeons are in the UK!

Hello Mr. Penguin, at Paradise Park in St. Ives

At a rest stop in Southern Spain I met this lovely fellow and wanted to take him home!

Young pony munching a carrot during a bike ride in Birmingham.

Cuddling a Guinea Pig at Edinburgh Zoo.

Project Pig - Pressure on Poland

Refresh your memory on CIWF's Project Pig by checking out this post.  

To recap, CIWF has launched a campaign entitled Project Pig to ensure that the scheduled ban on sow stalls comes into force in January 2013, as promised.  The sow stall ban will be a huge step forward for pigs with millions of pregnant sows spending their lives together in groups instead of being confined in small metal crates, alone.

The ban was agreed to over 10 years ago in 2001 but only around half of EU Member States believe that their pig farmers will comply with the ban on time.  One of the worst offenders is Poland where the Government have estimated that over 2,000 farms will be in breach of the ban.

CIWF supporters have already sent thousands of urgent messages to the Polish Agriculture Minister calling for action, however, there is more to be done.  Please click here and add your name and e-mail address to the readily prepared letter to the main farming organisations in Poland encouraging them to comply.

Get Well Soon Suki

I'm just stopping by to apologise for the lack of blog posts of late, just over a week ago Suki was hit by a car.  She is still with us and we are very lucky indeed.  She was bruised and battered with a very damaged front arm and paw which is undergoing treatment.  The accident happened on a sunny Sunday afternoon but we were able to locate a nearby vet who happened to be available therefore Suki was able to receive almost immediate attention.

  

This past week we have been taking time off work and spending a lot of time with our girl and visiting the vet regularly to monitor the progress of her damaged front arm.  She has healed very well so far but this morning the vet discovered that the more serious wound has started to become infected which has meant leaving it open and to stop eager Suki from licking it too much she is having to wear a plastic cone which, as you can imagine, she is not too thrilled about.

Thank you to all of those who have kept Suki in your thoughts and sent her your best wishes, I will keep you posted and normal service will hopefully resume soon.

Public consultation over the Dangerous Dogs Act

Source.

After years of campaigning by organisations such as Dogs Trust, the Government has launched a consultation over it's intended plans to tackle irresponsible dog ownership seeking our views on the issue.

The Government are proposing the following:

• To extend section 3 of the Dangerous Dogs Act to allow owners to be prosecuted for allowing their dogs to be dangerously out of control in any place, including private property.
• Allow dogs mentioned in section 1(deemed to be of a banned breed) to be granted "bail" meaning that following seizure by the police, if the dog was not deemed to be a threat to public safety and the owner was deemed responsible, the dog could be returned to the owner rather than going into police kennelling prior to any court date.
• To increase the fee for a section 1 dog to be placed on the Index of Exempted Dogs.
• To consult on plans to make micro-chipping compulsory for puppies.

 - Source, Dogs Trust.  If you want to read the full consultation documents you can do so here.

 

You have until the consultation closes on 15th June to give your views and you can do so by  quickly filling in this survey or by e-mailing Defra directly at: 

animalwelfare.consultations@defra.gsi.gov.uk

To help you fill in the survey have a look at the answers given by Dogs Trust which reflect that they don't think the Governments proposals go far enough.  Use this as a guide but remember to try and put it as much in your own words as possible.

Fluffy Friday #61

There is only one potential topic for this weeks Fluffy Friday - SUNSHINE!  Here in the UK we have been blessed with a heatwave after a very rainy few months.  Here are some photos I have taken showing some fluffy friends enjoying the sunshine.

Rusty giving in and letting it all hang out.

And   s  t  r  e  t  c  h !

A friend we made whilst holidaying in Switzerland a few years back.

A Rusty shaped silhouette.

Although not sun-worshipping Suki had just returned from a walk earlier this week and was very hot and bothered.  She has asked me to remind you to ensure your pets keep cool and safe in this lovely weather.

Let's hope the sun stays with us for the weekend!

Feeling hot, hot, hot?

Are you enjoying the weather?  How about your animals?  

Suki loves running about in the sunshine and rolling in the freshly cut grass but when we go for a walk she has to stop and have a rest and also likes to stop for a drink.  When we got home she has another long drink and a lie down, she even finds it too hot to cuddle preferring instead to lie on the cold floor.

I asked some fellow pet owners on Twitter how they keep their pets cool in the heat and a particularly good suggestion has been to soak a towel in cold water before laying it in the shade, your dog should automatically lay on the towel which will keep him/her nice and cool.  I am going to try that with Suki as think she would very much appreciate a nice cool towel to lie on, I might even try it myself!

Other tips include:

- Never EVER leave your pet in a hot car (Obviously!)

- Make sure your pet has plenty of water and access to a cool area 

- Avoid walking your dog during the hottest part of the day (Between 12 and 3pm)

- Always take water for your dog to drink whilst out walking

- Ensure animals that are kept outside are in a shady area

Please check out Don't Cook Your Dog website for advice about heatstroke and help them raise awareness to encourage other pet owners not to leave animals in hot cars.

Also read this excellent advice from Dogs Trust which contains some information you might not have thought of.

Harvard's animal cruelty must stop

When I think of Harvard I immediately think of a prestigious University, I remember Gilmore Girls and Legally Blonde with a smile.  I definitely don't think of animals being harmed in laboratories but it has emerged that Harvard Medical School has a history of neglecting, causing pain and even killing animals in its laboratories.

In October 2011, a marmoset escaped from his cage, he was subsequently captured and died during a traumatic imaging procedure at Harvard's New England Primate Research Center (NEPRC) where it is suspected the marmoset was so panicked that he suffered lethal injury during this course of events.  

Marmosets are being used to study the human ageing process which is something that is already being ethically investigated in humans very effectively.

Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) have uncovered new details about what happened and are asking for our help to convince NEPRC interim director Mark Barnes, J.D., LL.M., to immediately end the cruel and completely unnecessary experiment that killed the marmoset.  Federal authorities have been asked by PCRM to investigate the experiment but the marmosets are still at risk despite the protocol being suspended.


 


Please click here and fill in your details in order to ask NEPRC to end this cruel and unnecessary experiment immediately.

The end may be in sight for Harp Seals

A glimmer of hope shines for Canadian Harp Seals as it seems the end of the commercial seal slaughter in Canada is in sight.  

Due to the public outcry and years of campaigning, global demand for seal products has dramatically reduced and become almost obsolete.  This means that around 300,000 baby Harp Seals were saved this year and in the past four years over one million have been spared. (Figures taken from HSUS)

Even more good news is that Canadian Senator Mac Harb, last month, introduced legislation in the Canadian Senate to end the commercial slaughter and the bill was unanimously approved to pass for second reading.

Before we get too comfortable we must remember that Harp Seals are still being slaughtered, this year the Canadian government authorised sealers to club and shoot 400,000 seals.  

Mac Harb's critical legislation is still up for debate so we need to convince the Canadian Senate to support this lifesaving bill and end the horrendously cruel seal slaughter for good.  Please spare a moment to click here and show your support.

Fluffy Friday #60

Are you a cat or a dog person?  

I can never answer this question myself as I am truly both.  I love Rusty and Suki dearly and find cats and dogs extremely interesting in different ways.  I've noticed that I talk a lot about Suki, and dogs in general on here so think it is time to made way for some felines, starting with this weeks Fluffy Friday.  There are a lot of dog related campaigns running at the moment which I will still be blogging about, however, I promise to try and placate you many cat lovers out there with some kitty love!

All of these photos were taken by me a few years ago on holiday in Greece, where the streets are littered with stray cats.  There is a fantastic animal rescue working hard to help the stray populations of cats and dogs, please check out their webpage here.  I would certainly have loved to take all of these beautiful cats home with me.

If you like these pictures and want to take a look at some of my other work please check out my new blog Captured Moments, you may catch a glimpse of Suki and Rusty.

Happy Friday!