News
The number of news found: 21.
09/30/2010 DIVERS FREE SOME DOLPHINS AT TAIJI
Divers from the European conservation organisation The Black Fish have on September 28 night cut the nets of six holding pens in Taiji, Japan, that were holding dolphins caught during a dolphin drive hunt a few days earlier. During this hunt a number of dolphins were selected for the international dolphinarium trade and transferred to these holding pens. In rough weather conditions the divers swam out and cut the nets of six of these holding pens, allowing a number of dolphins to swim back out to sea. No arrests were made.
09/29/2010 PAMELA ANDERSON APPEALS TO PUTIN OVER BABY SEALS
Ex-Baywatch star Pamela Anderson has appealed to Russian strongman Vladimir Putin to ban imports of baby seal pelts. The prime minister's apparent "fondness" for animals prompted Anderson's plea, the spokeswoman for animal rights group PETA wrote in a letter cited by the Izvestia daily. While Putin has not yet seen the letter, he is "very sensitive" to this cause, his spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the paper. Russia last year banned the hunting of baby whitecoat seals after Putin condemned the "bloody practice".
09/28/2010 LUSH TO LAUNCH GREYHOUND PROTECTION CAMPAIGN
Lush Cosmetics is launching an in-store campaign "to highlight the cruelty that is going on in greyhound racing". The campaign, which will run in more than 90 Lush stores throughout the UK and Ireland from October 11-17, is aimed at helping Greyhound Action in their mission to educate the public about the problems with betting on greyhound racing and going to the tracks. Lush, which operates a strict policy against animal testing and supports Fair Trade and Community Trade initiatives, has already staged many campaigns in support of animal and environmental protection and human rights issues.
09/27/2010 FBI INVESTIGATED GREENPEACE FOR TERROR LINKS AFTER 9/11
A US Department of Justice review found that FBI agents also put names of some Greenpeace members on terrorist watch lists based on evidence that turned out to be "factually weak". The review concluded that the FBI did not deliberately target the groups, as many civil liberties advocates had charged after anti-Iraq war rallies and other protests during the Bush administration. As well as Greenpeace, groups that were investigated included People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and anti-war groups the Catholic Worker and the Thomas Merton Centre in Pittsburgh.
09/25/2010 EU PARLIAMENT VOTES TO SAVE COUNTLESS ANIMALS IN NEW EU BIOCIDAL PRODUCTS REGULATION
The Members of the European Parliament voted on the first reading of the revision to the biocidal products directive, which when adopted will become a regulation. A number of significant improvements to testing rules involving the use of animals were introduced, while ensuring a high level of protection for human health and the environment is maintained. The proposal for a regulation on biocidal products currently contains one of the longest lists of animal testing requirements seen in any EU legislation, which have to be undertaken before a product can be placed on the market. These are outdated and inconsistent with improvements that are already a fundamental part of other European legislation. Eurogroup for Animals, together with a number of stakeholders, urged Parliamentarians to use their vote to amend the legislative proposal to ensure that outdated animal tests are replaced with state-of-the-art testing strategies that can reduce animal use, if not eliminate it altogether for the assessment of certain types of toxic effects. The adopted text brings testing requirements more in line with the 21st century and reflects the range of replacement, reduction and refinement test methods and testing strategies that are available today.
09/24/2010 ITALIAN SENAT TO STOP ILLEGAL TRAFFIC OF PUPPIES FROM EASTERN EUROPE
The Italian Senate has approved a new Government bill, which ratifies the "European Convention for the protection of pet animals" (Strasbourg, November 13, 1987) and at the same time introduces a new specific law in order to stop the illegal traffic of puppies imported into Italy from Eastern Europe. This law will also increase the penalties for animal cruelty. The Italian Chamber will adapt the law during the next two weeks, just in time to stop the illegal puppy traffic before Christmas.
09/23/2010 TRAINER CHARGED AFTER GREYHOUND DOPED WITH COCAINE
A trainer "attached" to Sheffield's Owlerton Stadium, who regularly races greyhounds there, has been charged with offences by greyhound racing authorities after one of his dogs tested positive for cocaine. Stuart Mason, who trains greyhounds at kennels near Wakefield, faces a Greyhound Board of Great Britain inquiry after it was confirmed that his dog Droopys Arshavin tested positive for cocaine and its metabolite benzoylecgonine following a race at Wimbledon on August 3. Mason raced the dog again at Sheffield a week later. An international greyhound protection group has said it is angry but not surprised after hearing of the allegations against Mr Mason.
09/20/2010 BILL CLINTON CONFIRMS HE IS "EXPERIMENTING" WITH VEGAN DIET
President Bill Clinton recently confirmed in an interview with journalist Willow Bay that he is indeed eating a mainly vegan diet. In the interview, the former president explains the reason behind his decision to go vegan. "I'm trying to be one of those experimenters," said Clinton. "Since 1986, several hundred people who have tried essentially a plant-based diet, not ingesting any cholesterol from any source, has seen their bodies start to heal themselves - break up the arterial blockage, break up the calcium deposits around the heart. 82 percent of the people who have done this have had this result, so I want to see if I can be one of them." Clinton decided to adopt the diet in the early part of May. While he does occasionally eat fish, the former president otherwise follows a strict vegan diet.
09/18/2010 SONG "WHY MUST WE EAT THE ANIMALS?"
OhWhyOhWhy.org is founded as a means to promote vegetarianism through methods which touch people at their core - the songs, videos, and essays on the site all share the same mission of questioning our current eating patterns in order to help propel a shift of our collective consciousness towards peaceful alternatives. Their initial song "Why Must We Eat The Animals?" starring Los Angeles music artists Greg Cipes and Jah Sun hopes to have an impact as consumers make their choices in supermarkets, restaurants, and in their kitchens.
09/16/2010 ITALIAN CRUELTY FREE RADIO
In July 2010 a new radio station was launched in Italy: the Cruelty Free Web Radio (CFWR). Its very first live report was broadcast on July 16 from La Spezia (a small city about 200 km from Milan with one of the most important harbours in Italy) when the famous Sea Shepherd's ship "Steve Irwin" arrived for a brief visit. CFWR was created with the aim of promoting events and collecting information about veganism, animal rights and the environment. It uses every medium available on the Internet: Video- and audio-streaming, articles, newsletters, and social networks like Facebook and Twitter. Of course, the main asset of this ambitious project is the spirit and passion of its volunteers. The slogan states: "we only wanna do our share to make the world better."
09/15/2010 ELDERLY WOMAN DIDN'T SAVE RIVER-THROW PUPPIES
The Bosnian puppy-thrower is being protected by an elderly woman who claims she saved the dogs from being swept to their death, villagers say. Ruza Pavlovic, who lives in the village of Curcic Lug near the town of Bugojno, told the Jutarnji List newspaper she found the puppies two weeks ago and put them in her garage. The puppies are apparently the same ones that appeared in a sickening 47-second video posted online, showing a hooded teenage girl throwing them into a river. Photographs published on Monday show Pavlovic holding a litter of puppies in her arms - but the animals are brown and black while the ones in the video are black and white.
09/14/2010 JOIN THE 2010 BOSTON WALK FOR FARM ANIMALS!
On September 25, compassionate people will gather for the Walk for Farm Animals in Boston to raise awareness about the plight of farm animals and vital funds for Farm Sanctuary's lifesaving rescue, education and advocacy work. By participating in the 2010 Boston Walk, you will be joining Farm Sanctuary, celebrity trainer Bob Harper, and thousands of people throughout North America in the movement for change and making a big difference in the lives of suffering cows, pigs, chickens, and other farm animals. The Walk will begin at 2 P.M. at the Brewer's Fountain in the Boston Common. Your $15 registration fee entitles you to our limited edition 2010 Walk t-shirt, designed by vegan fashion house Vaute Couture. To reserve your shirt, please make sure to register by September 4.
09/13/2010 PILOT WHALES BRUTALLY SLAUGHTERED IN THE FAROE ISLANDS
Two activists undercover in the Faroe Islands have discovered horrendous, illegal, and surreptitious whaling practices happening there. The activists disguised themselves as fishermen and in addition to doing research, they observed at least one hunt of pilot whales on the island of Sandoy. The hunt the activists witnessed was horrifying to imagine. Firstly, the pod of pilot whales that was driven to the town of Husavik was much too large to be killed in one session by the town's population, which has a large percentage of elderly citizens. As a result, the whales were killed over the course of two days.
09/11/2010 WOMAN DIES AFTER BEING STRUCK IN THE HEAD AT THE BULL RUNNING FESTIVAL IN CENTRAL SPAIN
Officials say a 48-year-old woman has died at a running-of-the-bulls event in central Spain. A statement issued by local authorities in the town of Arganda del Rey says Maria del Carmen Lopez del Burgo died after she was struck in the head by a passing bull on Thursday at an annual bull running festival. This was the fifth fatality during traditional bull-related celebrations in Spain this year.
09/10/2010 PETA CONDEMNS LADY GAGA'S "MEAT" COVER
Lady Gaga struck a nerve among animal rights group for posing for the cover of Vogue Hommes Japan wearing only strategically-placed raw meat. Gaga appears on the cover of the Men's Vogue with chunks of meat barely covering her body in a bikini-like fashion. People for Ethical Treatment of Animals issued a statement condemning Lady Gaga's choice to pose with "flesh from tortured animals." Here's what Ingrid Newkirk, president of the animal rights campaign group, has to say about the photograph: "Lady Gaga's job is to do outlandish things, and this certainly qualifies as outlandish because meat is something you want to avoid putting on or in your body... No matter how beautifully it is presented, flesh from a tortured animal is flesh from a tortured animal. Meat represents bloody violence and suffering, so if that's the look they were going for-they achieved it."
09/09/2010 KILLER WHALE DIES AT SEAWORLD SAN DIEGO
The SeaWorld theme-park empire took another major hit Tuesday when one its famed killer whales died at its San Diego facility. Sumar, a 12-year-old orca, did not have a history of health problems and his death was a shock to SeaWorld employees, many of whom feel the iconic creatures are like family members. Sumar's passage leaves the San Diego facility with six killer whales and brings the company's national total to 18, some of which are in San Antonio and Orlando. The whale's death follows the August announcement of a $75,000 fine by the U.S. Department of Labor over allegations that the company neglected safety measures before the death of an orca trainer in February. SeaWorld said it would fight the charges.
09/08/2010 TOKYO TWO COURT VERDICT IS OUT
On September 6 two Greenpeace anti-whaling activists stood in court as heroes, having successfully put whaling on trial, both in court, and in Japan's national media. Junichi Sato and Toru Suzuki, known as the Tokyo Two, exposed widespread corruption in Japan's whaling program and in return, they have been handed a 12 month jail sentence, suspended for three years. Greenpeace is appealing this totally unjust, politically motivated sentence.
09/07/2010 PRINCE HARRY ACCUSED OF ANIMAL CRUELTY
Animal welfare groups are accusing Britain's Prince Harry of animal cruelty after he continued to play in a polo game after his horse was allegedly wounded by spikes on the royal's riding spurs. Photos from a July polo match in England show the 25-year-old prince atop a horse bleeding on its side. The game's rules state that any player who uses his spurs excessively can face penalties that range from a warning to a more than $75,000 fine. Competitors are also supposed to take themselves out of the game immediately if they notice that their horse is injured.
09/06/2010 SPANISH PARLIAMENT APPROVES "HUMAN RIGHTS" FOR APES
Great apes should have the right to life and freedom, according to a resolution passed in the Spanish parliament, in what could become landmark legislation to enshrine human rights for chimpanzees, gorillas, orang-utans and bonobos. The environmental committee in the Spanish parliament has approved resolutions urging the country to comply with the Great Apes Project, founded in 1993, which argues that "non-human hominids" should enjoy the right to life, freedom and not to be tortured. The project was started by the philosophers Peter Singer and Paola Cavalieri, who argued that the ape is the closest genetic relative to humans - that it displays emotions such as love, fear, anxiety and jealousy - and should be protected by similar laws. The resolutions have cross-party support and it is thought they will become law, meaning that potential experiments on apes in Spain will be banned within a year, according to a Reuters report.
09/01/2010 WEB HUNT FOR THE GIRL WHO THREW PUPPIES INTO A RIVER
A disturbing video has appeared online which appears to show a young woman throwing live puppies into a river. In the clip, which has sparked outrage on video sharing and social networking websites, the woman picks up what appear to be wriggling puppies from a bucket before hurling them into the fast-flowing water. The woman, who wears a red hoodie in the video, has since become the target of an online campaign by animal lovers who want to unmask her. Luka Oman, president of Animal Friends Croatia says that in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina torturing of animals is punishable by law. "Fines can range up to 15,000 kuna, but, moreover, an abuser can also get six monts imprisonment."
09/01/2010 FUR FARMS RAIDED, 50,000 MINKS SET LOOSE
A statement from local police says the break-ins occurred Friday and Saturday near the city of Kastoria, which is the center of Greece's fur industry. Regional TV channels showed farm employees chasing the animals with fishing nets on Monday. The National Fur Breeders' Association says most of the released animals are likely to die in the late-August heat. It says the cost to the farm owners could pass euro1 million ($1.27 million).
The number of news found: 21.
