News
The number of news found: 29.
10/31/2004 GOLDFINGER SINGER JOHN FELDMANN PUTS PRINCIPLES OVER PAYCHECK!
Goldfinger frontman and famed producer John Feldmann knows that you can't put a price on the value of compassion. That's why he recently refused a five-figure offer to compose a song for a Procter & Gamble ad rather than selling out the cats and dogs who are suffering and dying in contract labs operated by Iams (which is owned by P&G). Feldmann fired off a letter to Heiko Schmidt, music supervisor for P&G, telling Schmidt that he could not accept money from the corporation in good conscience.
10/29/2004 90 HENS RESCUED FROM ILLEGAL CAGES IN BATTERY UNIT!
On the night to October 23rd, members of the Swedish ALF broke into Fridtuna Agg, a battery farm in Ljungby and liberated 90 hens from a life in living hell.In 1988 the new animal protection law passed in Sweden which said that in a period of 10 years time all cages should be taken away. This did not happen and now 16 years later many hens are still caged in the same system.The raided farm was reported to the police on animal cruelty charges in 2002 by the ministry of agriculture, but was freed in the court.The activists from DBF broke into the battery farm and thousands of hens was in cages. Many of the hens were in bad condition. 90 hens was rescued and hundreds of eggs smashed and slogans sprayed. All the hens has been taken to new homes where they will live a happy life.
10/28/2004 ROMANIAN MAYOR WANTS TO WIPE OUT BEARS FOLLOWING RABIES ATTACK!
BUCHAREST (AFP) - City authorities in Brasov in central Romania called for a campaign to wipe out the bear population in the surrounding mountains after a man was killed by a bear infected with rabies. "There are too many bears causing trouble in this region. To avoid further deadly accidents, we need to take radical steps, including euthanasia," George Scripcaru told AFP. "I will no longer tolerate this months-long cohabitation between bears and residents in suburbs of Brasov, who unknowingly encourage wild animals to come foraging for food in town," he said. The dead man was bitten Saturday by a brown bear searching for food in the Brasov area, the first rabies-related death in the country for 30 years. Seven other people, who were also attacked before the bear was killed were vaccinated on Monday.
10/27/2004 FIRST IRISH 'CJD CASE'!
One variant CJD case has previously been diagnosed in Ireland. A man is being treated in a Dublin hospital with what is believed to be the first case of variant CJD to originate in the Republic of Ireland. He is said to be in a serious condition and further tests are expected to be carried out. The patient is understood to be a man in his early 20s. The hospital confirmed he never received a blood transfusion or made a blood donation. The cause of infection is not linked to an operation, it said.
10/27/2004 FIRST IRISH 'CJD CASE'!
One variant CJD case has previously been diagnosed in Ireland. A man is being treated in a Dublin hospital with what is believed to be the first case of variant CJD to originate in the Republic of Ireland. He is said to be in a serious condition and further tests are expected to be carried out. The patient is understood to be a man in his early 20s. The hospital confirmed he never received a blood transfusion or made a blood donation. The cause of infection is not linked to an operation, it said.
10/26/2004 ANIMAL TREATMENT PRINCIPLES CONFERENCE!
On Friday, October 29, the University of Chicago Law School with support from the McCormick Companions' Fund will host an international conference on animal welfare standards and disclosure guidelines in the food production industry. The conference is part of the Chicago Project on Animal Treatment Principles, in which Law School faculty and students explore best practices and disclosure regimes for the treatment of animals in various industries. As part of the project, Chicago Principles on Animal Treatment Disclosure are being developed and will be discussed at the conference. A small, select group of leaders from academia, industry, non-governmental organizations, and the scientific community will gather to discuss current practices and future directions on such topics as development of best practices in animal husbandry and slaughter; labeling initiatives; and programs for auditing, inspecting and monitoring firms' compliance with existing animal welfare guidelines. Conference participants will include Temple Grandin, Martha Nussbaum, Tom Regan, Peter Singer, and Cass Sunstein.
10/25/2004 INDONESIAN MUSLIMS ATTACK PIG FARMS!
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) -- Muslims armed with machetes attacked several pig farms in Indonesia, slaughtering around 20 swine they claimed were giving of ``offensive" odors, The Jakarta Post reported Thursday.Police did nothing to stop the attack Wednesday in South Tatura, central Sulawesi province, the paper reported. The farms belonged to local Christians.``The farms give out a bad odor and this is offensive, especially during Ramadan," said local Muslim leader Abdul Haris, referring to the Islamic fasting month where religious feelings often run high. He said the farms were also polluting a local river, presumably with dung from the animals.Muslims are forbidden to eat pork, which is considered unclean.Police were not immediately available for comment.
10/23/2004 U.S. TO POISON PRAIRIE DOGS IN SOUTH DAKOTA!
DENVER (Reuters) - Wildlife workers have begun a program to poison thousands of prairie dogs in the grasslands of South Dakota to stop them from moving onto private ranch land parched by drought, a federal official said. But in an agreement to settle a lawsuit filed by eight conservation organizations last month, the U.S. Forest Service will spread poison on fewer acres than originally planned and conduct an environmental study to figure out a long-term solution, according to Don Bright, forest supervisor for the Buffalo Gap National Grassland in southwestern South Dakota. "We need to be good neighbors and we do not want a landowner to go out of business," Bright said, referring to ranchers who said prairie dogs were eating the little grass left in the fifth year of drought.Parts of the area have been hard hit by drought and had less than two inches (5 cm) of rain in the past 15 months.The groups had sued in federal court in Denver, saying the prairie dogs should not be shot on federal land especially because their habitat is home to the endangered black-footed ferret whose diet consists mainly of prairie dogs.
10/22/2004 ITALIAN TOWN'S FOUL BIRDS IN FIRING LINE!
Bevagna, an Italian town, near to where St Francis is said to have preached to the birds, has outraged animal lovers by allowing residents to patrol, shooting pigeons that befoul the centre. Enrico Bastioli, the mayor of Bevagna, said he hoped to spare its architectural treasures from droppings as its new role as a tourism centre begins to boom. But animal rights campaigners in Umbria, a region they say has Italy's highest percentage of hunters, are furious. Franco Parlavecchio, the regional head of the Green party, said: "Residents with a gun licence can now go on the prowl in municipal territory with a rifle or shotgun on their shoulder, to help safeguard the town's splendid monuments by killing as many of the birds as they can." Mr Bastioli responded: "We are completely inundated with pigeons and guano." Alfiero Pepponi, the president of the Italian League for the Protection of Birds, said: "St Francis must surely be turning in his grave. In Bevagna, until recently, postcards were sold featuring scenes with pigeons in them."
10/21/2004 PERU SCHOOL RAISES GUINEA PIGS FOR EATING!
Lima, Peru - After 34 years of patient tinkering, researchers at Peru's most prestigious agrarian university have bred a new culinary export they hope will scamper onto dinner plates throughout America and the world: the super guinea pig. The animal is a cuddly companion for millions of children in the United States. But in Peru, the rodent's birthplace, it remains a vital source of protein in rural communities, a mainstay of Andean folk medicine and a common religious sacrifice to the gods. "It is well known that Peruvians eat guinea pig. Foreigners are more reluctant to eat it as they see the animal as a pet," said Gloria Palacios, director of La Molina National University's project to promote guinea pig exports. "I think if they become familiar with the cuisine, maybe suddenly they'll give in and be tempted to try it," she said. "It is really delicious."
10/20/2004 PETA's "CUT CLASS, NOT FROGS" CAMPAIGN!
PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) has launched for the 3rd year their "October is National "Cut Out Dissection" Month" campaign, asking concerned students to raise awareness about conscientious objection, refuse to dissect, try to get a school policy implemented, get their schoolmates to sign a petition (http://www.peta2.com/tc/P2dissection300.pdf), etc.
10/17/2004 BAN ON 'CRUEL' AUSTRALIAN WOOL!
A leading American fashion retailer has banned the use of Australian merino wool in its products after pressure from the world's largest animal rights group. Abercrombie & Fitch, with 749 stores and $US1.2 billion ($1.66 billion) in annual revenue, introduced the boycott this week after the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) threatened to conduct a campaign against the retailer. PETA was just weeks away from launching a controversial newspaper and website campaign against Abercrombie & Fitch because of its use of Australian wool. The animal rights group alleges Australia's wool and sheep industry uses cruel techniques, including mulesing.PETA is also targeting more than 20 other high-profile US retailers and hopes Abercrombie's decision will force these companies to also introduce boycotts of Australian wool.
10/16/2004 IRISH EGG RULES AD CAMPAIGN!
An advertising campaign has been launched to inform consumers in the Republic of Ireland about the marking of eggs. Rules introduced in 2004 make it easier for consumers to identify the country where the egg was produced and the production methods (organic, free range, barn and cage) and also ensure that each egg is fully traceable back to the individual flock.The Irish Egg Association, the European Commission and the Department of Agriculture and Food are jointly sponsoring the campaign.
10/15/2004 FEDERAL EXPRESS SHIPS ANIMALS TO THEIR DEATHS IN LABORATORIES!
According to a complainant who contacted PETA, Federal Express (FedEx) recently shipped 32 cats from New York City to Tokyo, Japan, for use in experimentation. The cats (from Liberty Research in Waverly, New York) were reportedly stuffed into 18 crates each measuring 26 inches by 14 inches by 12 inches. In addition, the cats did not appear to have any food or water to sustain them for their long, arduous, and frightening journey to Japan.The cats were first trucked from JFK Airport in New York to Newark Airport in New Jersey. Next, they were flown to Anchorage, Alaska, for a final flight to Japan. What happened or will happen to the cats in the laboratory in Japan no one knows.
10/14/2004 KEYSTONE CONTINUES CHIMPANZEE EXPLOITATION IN NEW FILM!
Following up on its previous chimpanzee flicks, MVP (Most Valuable Primate), MVP II, and MXP (Most Extreme Primate), Keystone Entertainment is set to release another film starring a chimpanzee child actor. According to the Spymate website, "Minkey, the kung-fu fighting, trapeze flying, mountain climbing chimpanzee and his [human] partner Mike go on a whirlwind adventure guaranteed to make you hoot!" In the movie, some of Minkey's stunts are performed by a digital double of the chimpanzee through the use of CGI (computer generated imagery). Unfortunately, Keystone still prefers to also use a real young chimpanzee in its films despite the obvious ready availability of a digital alternative.
10/13/2004 SPEARED 500 TIMES FOR FUN AT FIESTA!
A speared bull calf is chained up and carted off on a lorry, its corpse a twisted mess after being stabbed with 500 lances. Minutes earlier the majestic beast - out of its mind on drugs - had been cornered and castrated by bloodthirsty horsemen before being brutally speared to death. Its testicles were mounted on a spear and paraded around by cheering crowds.The shocking images were captured by animal rights protesters in Tordesillas, Spain. They watched in horror as 40,000 people hunted the bull through streets and across fields in a centuries-old ritual known as the Fiesta Toro de la Vega (Festival of the Bulls).
10/11/2004 STARS OFFER REWARD FOR DOG-DROWNING ARREST!
Boston - Comedian Richard Pryor and former "Friends" star Matthew Perry are adding to the reward for information leading to the arrest of the person who drowned a golden retriever in the surf on the Massachusetts coast. The dog, which police said had been tied up, muzzled and stuffed inside a burlap bag, was found on Sept. 21 by a person walking on the beach in Nahant, Mass. Pryor heard about the incident through a network of fellow animal lovers, said Linda Horsley, a pet sitter from Nahant, who is helping to organize the reward efforts with the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. "The thinking is just so sick," Horsley said. "It's important to raise the awareness that cruelty to animals is just not tolerable."
10/09/2004 FUR FLIES AS MAYOR WON'T WEAR ROBES!
A Black Country mayor has kicked her official robes into touch because they had animal fur collars. Councillor Linda Turton, a strict vegetarian, told Sandwell Council staff that she could not wear the robes - normally worn when the new mayor is sworn into office. Instead, for the official ceremony in June Councillor Turton wore a "borrowed" robe that had a black material collar instead of the traditional fur collar.
10/08/2004 FISH CAN LEARN QUICKER THAN DOGS!
Fish are much brainier than previously thought - and can learn quicker than dogs. Oxford scientists have dubbed them "very capable" after building an aquatic obstacle course. The blind Mexican cave fish tested memorised the challenged in just a few hours reports The Sun. They spotted changes when the university researchers tried to fool them. And the fish still remembered what they had learned several months later. Scientists also revealed their subjects completed complex mental tasks which would baffle pets like hamsters and dogs. Dr Theresa Burt de Perera said: "The public perception of fish is that they are pea-brained numbskulls who can't remember things for more than a few seconds. We're now finding that they are very capable of learning and remembering, and possess a range of mental skills that would surprise many people. We know that fish can recognise their owners - some will even go into a sulk if somebody else tries to feed them."
10/07/2004 SWATCH ENDS RDS HUNT CHASE SPONSORSHIP!
The Irish Council Against Blood Sports has congratulated the Swatch Watch company and its Irish representatives after they confirmed that they will not sponsor any further Hunt Chase events. During the 2004 Dublin Horse Show at the RDS, Swatch Watch was the sponsor of the hunt chase show jumping competition which featured 16 hunts.
10/06/2004 GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER SIGNS SB 1520 INTO LAW!
In one of the greatest victories for farm animals to date, Governor Schwarzenegger signed SB 1520. This bill not only outlaws the cruel force feeding of ducks and geese to produce foie gras, but also prohibits the sale of this "delicacy" in the state of California. This legislation - the first ever in the U.S. to ban foie gras - sets a nationwide precedent for the humane treatment of farm animals and paves the way for future advocacy efforts.Once the law is implemented, ducks and geese will no longer endure the horror of force feeding at the hands of a foie gras farmer - their pain will finally end.
10/05/2004 MEXICANS SEEK CATS TO FIGHT RATS!
Health officials in the Mexican state of Chihuahua are recruiting hundreds of cats to fight a rat plague in a remote mountain area, the AP news agency says.Chihuahua state officials said they hoped to collect as many as 700 felines and send them to Atascaderos, an isolated farm village in the rugged Tarahumara mountains, a region where officials estimate there are about a half million rats.The cats are being collected in Chihuahua city, the state capital, where they will be vaccinated and checked for rabies and then shipped by truck to Atascaderos, about 470 km to the south, said Roberto Gallegos, a health official who is overseeing the recruitment of the cats."So far we don't have any cats, but an animal control agency already promised to donate 50," Gallegos said. Our goal is to stop the rats from reproducing and that's how we hope the cats can help."
10/04/2004 EUROPEAN UNION TO REQUIRE PET PASSPORTS!
BRUSSELS, Belgium - Residents of the European Union who want to take their cat, dog or ferret to another EU nation will need special pet passports.The wallet-sized passports will verify that the pet has been vaccinated against rabies. It may also contain an animal's medical history or photo, though that is not mandatory.The passports will be printed in English and one other EU language. Veterinarians will issue the documents, which will be valid in every EU country except Ireland, Malta, Sweden and the United Kingdom, which require additional rabies testing.
10/04/2004 FERRYWAYS HALTS LIVE EXPORTS!
Animal welfare group Compassion in World Farming is claiming its latest scalp in its campaign to bring an end to live animal exports. On Thursday (Sept 24) Ferryways, the Ipswich-based ferry company, refused to carry a consignment of 500 animals. CIWF claims the company has suspended the trade, but a Ferryways spokesman denied their claim, refusing to issue a comment on the subject. Last year the port of Berwick upon Tweed severed its connection with the trade and in Feb this year Kent-based ferry group Dartline announced a similar decision."This is a despicable trade which must be brought to an end now," claimed Marie-Claire Davies, coordinator of the CIWF campaign to end live animal exports. "We are delighted that Ferryways has recognised this and taken a stand against animal suffering. We will continue campaigning and protesting against those involved in the trade until it is stamped out completely," she said.
10/03/2004 BIRD FLU DEATHS IN THAILAND RAISE NEW FEARS!
Bangkok, A 26-year-old woman who cradled her dying daughter in her arms for 10 hours at a hospital in northwestern Thailand, and later fell sick and died herself, has become the subject of a hurried medical investigation across several continents.Thai health officials confirmed Tuesday that the mother had died of A(H5N1) avian influenza, and said she had probably contracted the disease from her 11-year-old daughter while caring for her. They called her the country's first probable case of human-to-human transmission as a lethal influenza strain has swept East Asia, killing millions of birds and 29 people, 28 of whom are believed to have contracted the disease directly from fowl.Public health experts said the most important question now facing flu researchers in Asia, Europe and North America is whether the mother was killed by a strain of the virus that had evolved a greater capacity for transmission among people.
10/03/2004 WILD-CAUGHT COD SUFFER IN CAPTIVITY!
Norwegian fishermen catch wild cod alive and keep the fish in floating cages for several weeks before they are slaughtered and sold. The reason for this practice is that the fishermen can get a better price for fresher fish. Now the Norwegian Food Safety Authority (responsible for animal welfare) has criticized the practice and calls for regulations.On inspection of the floating cages the Norwegian Food Safety Authoritydiscovered that: fish were pumped through undersized pipes, so that they got injured; the injured fish were then stored alive for weeks; the floating cages were full of dead and dying fish, which were not removed; the fish got little or no food; there was too little space and too little oxygen in the floating cages.One inspector reports that on one inspection, 40% of the fish were found dead.
10/02/2004 GREYHOUND PLANET AT BRANDON!
Over 40 Greyhound Action supporters, many accompanied by rescued greyhounds, held a two-hour demonstration outside Coventry Stadium on Sunday, September 19th, while a dog race meeting was going on inside.The demonstration formed part of Greyhound Planet, a day chosen each year to honour greyhounds and their relatives (galgos, lurchers etc.) throughout the world and to educate the public about the status of these dogs. (More info at http://www.ameurogreyhoundalliance.org/ghplanet.htm )Greyhound Planet events took place in many American states, as well as in Canada, Australia and various European countries, and there were several other events in the UK.
10/02/2004 USA: MEAT RECALL!
In light of America's latest meat recall, which involved 497,000 pounds of beef feared contaminated with E. coli bacteria and distributed to Sam's Club stores in 10 states, PETA is reminding consumers of the substantial health risks associated with eating animal flesh with a billboard that reads, "Eat Meat and Die m- Go Vegetarian." In 2003, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued 21 recalls for ground beef alone. This latest recall of ground beef is the fourth contaminated meat recall in 2004. But these recent recalls aren't the only times that Americans have been exposed to deadly bacteria; in fact, some 55.3 million pounds of contaminated animal flesh were recalled in 2002, including 27.4 million pounds of processed poultry from a Pilgrim's Pride plant inFranconia, Pa. That's enough bad meat to make a fecal sandwich for every single American!
10/01/2004 PAMELA ANDERSON STARS IN VEGAN AD CAMPAIGN FOR FILIPINOS!
"Maganda ang hinaharap basta (The future is bright if you're) vegetarian." In a time and place where "hinaharap" also means what lies ahead or what's up front, American actress Pamela Anderson - she of the prodigiously ample breasts, by any measure -- renders the message twice as potent.he 37-year-old temptress, former star of the US television series "Baywatch," is the latest crusader for the Virginia-based People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), which claims to be the largest animal rights organization in the world."Go vegetarian," says the PETA advertisement specially made for Filipino audiences and showing a naked Anderson, her privates covered only by three patches of cloth designed like lettuce leaves.
The number of news found: 29.
