News
The number of news found: 25.
11/30/2005 ROMANIA SACKS CHIEF VETS AFTER BIRDS BURNED ALIVE!
Bucharest - Romania, according to this story, sacked two of its chief veterinarians on Monday after a television station showed junior vets throwing live birds into an open fire during a culling campaign to halt the spread of bird flu. The story explains that private television station Antena 3 broadcast pictures of a man wringing the neck of a goose before throwing the bird into a fire. It then showed the distressed bird bursting into flames.Agriculture Minister Gheorghe Flutur was quoted as saying, "I ordered the immediate sacking of the chief vet from the Braila county and of his deputy because they mishandled the operation. We all saw the television images."Romania culled up to 17,000 birds on Sunday, quarantining a remote village to prevent bird flu from spreading westward towards more populated areas after avian flu was detected outside the Danube delta for the first time. (Reuters)
11/29/2005 PAUL MCCARTNEY HAS ANGRILY DENOUNCED CHINA!
Paul McCartney has angrily denounced China and vowed never to perform there after seeing 'horrific' undercover film of dogs and cats being brutalized and then killed for their fur. The former Beatle condemned images of the animals being killed in a fur market in the Guangzhou region of southern China, adding that he intends to stay away from the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He and his wife, Heather, a committed animals right supporter, also urged people to boycott Chinese goods, which drew a sharp response from the Chinese embassy in London. In the film, shot for PETA, dogs and cats are pictured being thrown from the top deck of a converted bus on to concrete pavements. The screaming animals, many with their paws now smashed from the fall, are then lifted up with long metal tongs and thrown over a 7ft fence. Some are beaten by laughing workers. All are then killed and skinned for their fur. Many are believed still to be alive as their skins are peeled away.
11/27/2005 ZOO PULLS EXOTIC MEATS OFF MENU AFTER UPROAR!
Bangkok - Visitors to a night safari in northern Thailand will not get to taste exotic animal meats as previously planned because the dishes sparked a storm of criticism and have been taken off the zoo menu, the project's director said. The Chiang Mai Night Safari Zoo announced last week an exotic buffet for VIP guests at its grand opening next year, which includes tiger, lion, elephant and giraffe. But now, only farm-raised alligator and ostrich will be served, project director Plodprasop Suraswadi said in a statement.
11/26/2005 HUMANE SOCIETY SUES OVER POULTRY SLAUGHTER!
Chickens and turkeys should be covered by the same law as cows, pigs and other animals when they are slaughtered, the Humane Society of the United States said in a lawsuit filed Monday against the Agriculture Department. Before becoming T-bone steak or pork ribs, livestock must be stunned or otherwise unable to feel pain, according to the federal Humane Methods of Slaughter Act. However, the Agriculture Department maintains that the 47-year-old law does not apply to poultry. The Humane Society argues that common methods of slaughtering poultry are not only cruel; they increase the risk of contamination that leads to food poisoning. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in San Francisco.
11/24/2005 REGULATIONS TO REDUCE THE SUFFERING OF VEAL CALVES IN ISRAEL!
On Tuesday, November 11 2005 the Israeli parliament's education committee approved regulations prohibiting some of the serious abuses of veal calves. The new regulations make keeping calves in solitary confinement and the denial of drinking water illegal. In addition, the regulations specify a minimal level of hemoglobin in the blood and a minimal intake of fiber in the calves' nutrition. They also include requirement with regard to ventilation and footing material. The new regulations are similar to the EU directive laying down the minimum standards for the protection of calves, and in several respects (such as minimal cell dimensions) they are even superior to it.
11/22/2005 MADONNA: NO MORE SHOOTING FOR ME!
The Queen of Pop has revealed that she has given up game bird shooting after witnessing the dying moments of a bird she blasted out of the sky on her Wiltshire estate. The announcement, made in an interview in next month's Tatler magazine, ends months of speculation over whether Madonna had stopped joining her film director husband Guy Ritchie and his celebrity pals on shoots.Madonna said: "I was mad for shooting a couple of years ago. I used to go for lessons at the West London Shooting School, and I loved my bespoke outfits and everything. That all changed when a bird dropped in front of me that I'd shot. It wasn't dead. It got up and it was really suffering. Blood was gushing out of its mouth and it was struggling up this hill, and I thought 'Oh God, I did that'. I caused the suffering of this creature. I am not a vegetarian and I understand that animals die for my meals. I respect that. But I just couldn't do it anymore. I haven't shot since."
11/21/2005 FEDS KILLED FOUR FARSON WOLVES!
Farson - Federal wildlife control specialists killed four wolves near the Prospect Mountains northeast of here Wednesday afternoon, according to Mike Jimenez of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.Last week federal wildlife control specialists confirmed that four domestic sheep had been killed by wolves in the same area where wolves were confirmed to have killed at least a dozen ewes and lambs in June. In response to the spring depredations on the domestic sheep lambing ground, the female wolf and her pups were killed, halting depredations for a few months.
11/20/2005 GRIZZLIES NEAR YELLOWSTONE MAY LOSE STATUS!
Washington - Hunters eventually could be allowed to kill grizzly bears in three states if the government is successful in removing federal protections. Grizzly bears in and around Yellowstone National Park had dwindled to 220 to 320 animals in 1975, when they were listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. In the past 30 years, the Interior Department says, the number of bears in that region has grown at a rate of 4 percent to 7 percent a year, and they now number about 600.
11/19/2005 THREE NEW TOWNS TO BAN CIRCUSES WITH ANIMAL ACTS IN CROATIA!
Three Croatian towns Kraljevica, Prelog, and Ploce this month also banned circuses with animal acts and thus joined Mursko Sredisce, Varazdin, Donji Miholjac, Velika Gorica, Rovinj, Split, Delnice, Gospic, Cakovec and Ozalj which already banned circuses with animal acts!
11/17/2005 MENDES REGRETS WEARING FUR!
Actress EVA MENDES has vowed never to wear fur again and blames her ignorance for previous animal skin purchases. The HITCH star was horrified when she learned of the cruelty animals suffer at the hands of unethical furriers and insists she will never sport another animal pelt. And Mendes urges celebrities to consider their role model status when they make fashion choices. She says, "I've worn it in the past, but I didn't even think about the message I was sending out, as I didn't understand I was a role model. It's crazy when you see people in long fur coats."
11/16/2005 ESKIMOS TRY NEW EXPLOSIVE IN WHALE KILL!
Anchorage, Alaska - Eskimo whale hunters are switching from 19th-century black powder to an explosive considered more humane. During a traditional bowhead whale hunt, a hunter in a wooden-ribbed boat hurls a harpoon with a black-powder grenade attached to it. The grenade penetrates near the whale's blow hole and explodes, killing the animal.The Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission began researching new weaponry after an international whaling agency two decades ago ordered that more humane methods be developed for killing bowheads.
11/15/2005 JAPAN'S WHALING FLEET SETS SAIL!
Japan's whaling fleet has set sail for Antarctic waters where it will make its biggest catch in 20 years. The boats will aim to catch nearly 1,000 whales over the coming months.A global moratorium on commercial whaling has been in place since the 1980s, but Japan describes its programme as "scientific."The hunting is condemned by most conservation groups on the grounds that it is inhumane, unnecessary and may harm fragile wildlife populations.The fleet sailed on Tuesday from Shimonoseki port for the first year of a "research" programme called JARPA-2.
11/14/2005 JAMIE OLIVER: THE SILENCER OF THE LAMB!
Jamie Oliver was slammed by animal welfare campaigners for killing a lamb on his TV show. Millions of viewers saw the chef cut the animal's throat in Jamie's Great Escape on Wednesday. The lamb had its legs tied - but it was not stunned first. Advocates for Animals said Jamie should be "thoroughly ashamed".
11/13/2005 CHINA CLOSES ALL BEIJING POULTRY MARKETS!
Beijing - Authorities ordered all live poultry markets in China's capital to close immediately and went door-to-door seizing chickens and ducks from private homes, as the government dramatically beefed up its fight against bird flu on Monday. Beijing also announced that 6 million birds had been slaughtered around the site of China's most recent bird flu outbreak, and the World Health Organization said it had been asked to help in the reopened investigation of the country's possible first human cases of the virus.
11/12/2005 TEN CROATIAN TOWNS BANNED CIRCUSES WITH ANIMAL ACTS!
Cakovec and Ozalj joined Mursko Sredisce, Varazdin, Donji Miholjac, Velika Gorica, Rovinj, Split, Delnice, and Gospic and thus became the towns number nine and ten which banned circuses with animal acts!
11/11/2005 BECKHAM IN FURRY MISUNDERSTANDING!
Victoria Beckham almost became a target for the People For The Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) after they mistook her false fur gillet for a real animal pelt. The former Spice Girl had a number of faux fur outfits recreated from designs she had seen at a Roberto Cavalli fashion show earlier this year (05), and after realising their mistake, PETA are now praising the singer for her leading example.Yvonne Taylor from PETA says, "On fur farms, animals are electrocuted or have their necks snapped for their pelts. Victoria is proof that you can get this season's killer looks without having to kill animals. Victoria has let PETA know that not only is she supportive of its high-profile anti-fur campaigns, she has pledged never to work with fur in any of her own fashion collections."
11/10/2005 GOSPIC - THE EIGHTH CROATIAN TOWN TO BAN CIRCUSES WITH ANIMAL ACTS!
On 2 November, Gospic joined Mursko Sredisce, Varazdin, Donji Miholjac, Velika Gorica, Rovinj, Split, and Delnice and thus became the eighth Croatian town which banned circuses with animal acts!
11/08/2005 DELNICE - THE SEVENTH CROATIAN TOWN TO BAN CIRCUSES WITH ANIMAL ACTS!
On 2 November, Delnice became the seventh Croatian town which banned circuses with animal acts. Thus Delnice joined Mursko Sredisce, Varazdin, Donji Miholjac, Velika Gorica, Rovinj, and Split who banned circuses with animal acts past month.
11/07/2005 PETA PRESIDENT AUCTIONS HERSELF ON EBAY!
Norfolk, Va. - PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk, founder of the world's largest animal rights organization and author of several books on how to be kind to animals, is giving lab chiefs and steakhouse owners a chance to get back at her. Because PETA's Campaigns Department is experiencing unprecedented growth, Newkirk has put her services up for bid on eBay to fund her campaigners' travel to protest sites around the globe.Newkirk will accompany a hunter into the field, check trap lines, help a cowboy get decked out for the rodeo, clean cages in an animal experimentation laboratory, or even attend a cockfight (but only in New Mexico or Louisiana, where the activity is legal). One of Newkirk's hundreds of thousands of supporters, however, might outbid the competition and hire her to escort them on a cruelty-free holiday shopping spree, help them veganize their kitchen, or give them a personalized lecture on how to understand what would make dogs and cats happier in their home.
11/06/2005 EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT VOTES AGAINST SUBSIDIES TO BULL BREEDERS!
On 27 October the European parliament voted the end of subsidies to bull breeders for the 2006 budget. The decision is now in the hands of the Council of Ministers of the 25 member states. The decision was approved with 277 in favour, 266 against. This proposal was presented by the Green Party in the European Parliament.
11/05/2005 DONJI MIHOLJAC ALSO BANNED CIRCUSES WITH ANIMAL ACTS!
On 26 October, Donji Miholjac also banned circuses with animal acts and thus joined Croatian towns Mursko Sredisce, Varazdin, Velika Gorica, Rovinj, and Split who banned circuses with animal acts within less than three weeks! The Animal Friends Croatia's campaign against circuses with animal acts continues, so more towns are expected to follow these examples.
11/04/2005 TX-VEGETARIAN FIRE STATION!
Austin, Texas - No more Firehouse chili for the guys at Austin's Fire Station No. 2, unless it's vegetarian chili. Instead of big, fat, juicy steaks, giant cheese burgers and thick pizza, these Texas firefighters are going veggie only. It started two years ago when J.R. Rae found out he was a heart-attack-waiting-to-happen with a 300-plus cholesterol reading. So, Rae and the other firefighters on his shift decided to give up their fatty food. The veggie fighters take some ribbing from their colleagues. But the new diet seems to be working. Rae says his cholesterol has dropped a 100 points since they kicked the meat habit.
11/03/2005 BRAZIL: HISTORIC DECISION RECOGNIZES CHIMPANZEE AS LEGAL SUBJECT!
Suíca, the chimpanzee, who died on September 27, 2005 at the Salvador zoo, just became part of Brazilian legal history: She is the first animal to be recognized as a "legal subject" in a legal action. The judge, Edmundo Lúcio da Cruz, who analyzed the petition for habeas corpus submitted to the "9th Criminal Court" by petitioner/lawyers Heron José de Santana and Luciano Rocha Santana, ruled in favor of the chimpanzee. The decision was made on September 28 and published in the "Official Diary" on October 4th, World Animal Day, the same date that honors Saint Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals.
11/02/2005 ROME BANS GOLDFISH BOWLS SEEN AS CRUEL!
The city of Rome has, according to this story, banned goldfish bowls, which animal rights activists say are cruel, and has made regular dog-walks mandatory in the Italian capital.The classic spherical fish bowls are banned under a new by-law which also stops fish or other animals being given away as fairground prizes. It comes after a national law was passed to allow jail sentences for people who abandon cats or dogs.Monica Cirinna, the councillor behind the by-law, was quoted as saying, "It's good to do whatever we can for our animals who in exchange for a little love fill our existence with their attention. The civilisation of a city can also be measured by this."The Rome daily Il Messaggero was cited as reporting that round bowls caused fish to go blind. No one at Rome council was available to confirm this was why they were banned. Many fish experts say round bowls provide insufficient oxygen for fish.
11/01/2005 BRAZIL RODEOS BANNED ON FOOT-AND-MOUTH FEARS!
Sao Paulo, Brazil (Reuters) - Raucous bullriding rodeos were banned on Wednesday in Brazil's most populous state on fears they could further spread foot-and-mouth disease in the world's biggest cattle-raising country. Sao Paulo's agriculture secretariat said it indefinitely halted rodeo competitions that use bulls, along with cattle shows. Some 43 countries have restricted Brazilian beef imports since October 10, when an outbreak of the disease was confirmed in Mato Grosso do Sul state. Suspected cases also have been found in neighboring Parana state and Sao Paulo fears its borders with the two states could make its cattle vulnerable to the disease.
The number of news found: 25.
