News
The number of news found: 20.
11/30/2009 ACTIVISTS TRY MAKING VEGETARIANISM SEXY IN CHINA
Want to be sexy? Don't eat meat - that's the message behind a campaign to promote vegetarianism in China, where meat consumption is booming on the back of rapid economic growth. Animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals unveiled the campaign fronted by sultry Taiwanese actress and singer Barbie Hsu. Hsu, better known in the Chinese-speaking world as "Big S," will appear in adverts in fashion magazines and websites in China, Taiwan and Hong Kong within the next few weeks to promote the benefits of giving up meat. In the China adverts, a smiling Hsu holds a little yellow chick up to her face above the slogan "vegetarians make chicks happy," though the wording in Chinese literally translates as "Love her, love vegetarianism."
11/29/2009 EATING 30 PERCENT LESS MEAT GOOD FOR HEALTH AND PLANET
Cutting meat production and consumption by 30 percent would help to reduce carbon emissions and improve health in the most meat-loving nations, scientists said on Wednesday. Using prediction models, British and Australian researchers found that improving efficiency, increasing carbon capture and reducing fossil fuel dependence in farming would not be enough to meet emissions targets. But combining these steps with a 30 percent reduction in livestock production in major meat-producing nations and a similar cut in meat-eating, would lead to "substantial population health benefits" and cut emissions, they said. The study found that in Britain, a 30 percent lower intake of animal-source saturated fat by adults would reduce the number of premature deaths from heart disease by some 17 percent - equivalent to 18,000 premature deaths averted in one year. In Sao Paulo, Brazil, it could mean as many as 1,000 premature deaths averted in a year, they said.
11/28/2009 SEVERE REACTIONS TO SWINE FLU VACCINE IN CANADA
An unusual number of severe allergic reactions to swine flu vaccinations have been recorded in Canada, where a batch of the vaccine from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has been recalled, the WHO said on Tuesday. GlaxoSmithKline spokeswoman Gwenan White told AFP that the affected doses of its Aprepanrix vaccine had caused reactions to the heart and lungs. Ms. White added that some 172,000 doses are involved, although she declined to reveal how many of those had already been used. GlaxoSmithKline has asked Canadian medical authorities to stop administering vaccines from the affected batch, Ms. White said, adding the company's investigations were ongoing. WHO spokesman Thomas Abraham said that the WHO had not changed its recommendations regarding swine flu vaccines.
11/27/2009 HUNDREDS OF BIRDS SEEM TO MOURN DEATHS OF FELLOW RAVENS
Ravens have feelings, too, at least judging from an eerie scene Tuesday morning on Minnie Street in east Fairbanks. After two ravens roosting on top of a power transformer were electrocuted, hundreds of ravens showed up within a minute or two and started silently circling overhead and perching in nearby trees. Rod Stephens, owner of Rod’s Saw Shop across the street, saw the scene play out before his eyes after a man pulled into the shop and reported seeing sparks flying on top of the transformer. "I walked out there and there were all these birds just circling. There were ravens in all the trees," he said. "It was weird." Stephens estimated the number of ravens at "a couple hundred." One of the electrocuted ravens had fallen to the ground and the other was still caught in the wires and transformer, Stephens said.
11/26/2009 RESEARCHES FIND HUNDREDS OF UNKNOWN MARINE SPECIES
Researchers exploring the deep ocean have discovered hundreds of species unknown to science, including strange worms, crustaceans and other creatures that live beyond the reach of the sun's rays. The scientists used cameras, sonar and other equipment on five missions to study life in progressively deeper realms. The effort to inventory the creatures of abyss was part of the Census of Marine Life, an ambitious 10-year-effort to chart the diversity, range and abundance of life in the oceans. It is an international project, involving 334 scientists from 34 countries, including Canada. The deep sea is the Earth's largest continuous ecosystem and largest habitat for life, says Bob Carney, a professor of oceanography at Louisiana State University.
11/25/2009 NEARLY 100 SLED DOGS RESCUED FROM CERTAIN DEATH
Nearly 100 neglected sled dogs were rescued in a cooperative effort led by the Humane Society International and the SPCA Laurentides-Labelle in Quebec. "As we walked onto the property, my heart broke. The huskies had been chained to plywood structures over barren stretches of frozen mud. Hungry and dehydrated, they were unable to move more than the two-meter radius their chains permitted," said Rebecca Aldworth, Director of the Humane Society International. Some of the dogs were blind and about 30 were reported to be pregnant. The guardian, who wasn't able to afford proper care, handed the dogs over, in exchange for not being criminally charged or fined, despite the level of neglect.
11/24/2009 BARDOT APPEAL OVER ANMIAL SLAUGHTER AT NEPAL FESTIVAL
Former film star Brigitte Bardot has urged Nepal's president to stop a ritual slaughter of animals in an upcoming religious festival. The two-day Gadhimai festival next week will result in the killing of up to half a million animals. Ms. Bardot, who is also an animal rights activist, wrote to President Ram Baran Yadav, saying that the practice was "violent, cruel and inhumane." Nepalese authorities say the mass sacrifice is an religious tradition. "I personally find it hard to imagine that your heart can withstand such cruelty, knowing that you, being the head of the country, are ultimately responsible," said Ms. Bardot, 75, in her letter to Mr. Yadav. "I have dedicated my life to protect animals and the best gift I could receive for this life-long struggle would be the announcement of the stopping of ritual sacrifice of animals." The government has not yet reacted to Ms. Bardot's letter.
11/23/2009 ELEPHANTS RESCUE ANTELOPES
The matriarch of a herd of elephants in South Africa opened a gate with her trunk to free antelopes being held at a camp in the east of the country. Lawrence Anthony told the SAPA news agency that a private game capture company had rounded up the antelopes at their camp near Empangeni to relocate them for a breeding program. The team were settling in for the night when the herd of 11 elephants approached, he said. "The herd circled the enclosure while the capture team watched warily, thinking the herd were after lucerne (alfalfa) being used to feed the antelope," he said. The herd's matriarch, named Nana, approached the enclosure gates and began tampering with the metal latches holding the gates closed. She carefully undid all the latches with her trunk, swung the gate open and stood back with her herd. The herd watched the antelope leave the camp before they walked off into the night.
11/20/2009 NASA WILL IRRADIATE MONKEYS FOR MARS MISSIONS
NASA says it would take almost a year using conventional rockets to get to Mars. By that time a human body would likely turn to jello due to exposure to space radiation. But the space agency has come up with a solution - in fact two of them. First they want to build the nuclear rocket (Project Prometheus) which NASA says would cut in half the amount of time it would take to get to the red planet. The other solution to the space radiation problem seems to rely on testing monkeys by exposing them to doses of radiation so NASA can further study the effects on the human body. The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) says that the "cruel experiments" may involve "restraint and other cruel procedures". In a statement, they say: "Monkeys, like other primates, are highly intelligent, have strong family bonds, demonstrate empathy, and, most importantly, suffer."
11/19/2009 BRAZIL TAKES A STEP CLOSER TO A FULL BAN ON ANIMALS IN CIRCUSES
Progress towards a Brazilian ban on animals in travelling circuses took another step forward on November 18 as Bill No. 7291 was passed in the Commission for Constitution, Justice and Citizenship of the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies. Deputy Ricardo Tripoli, who championed the law, defended its conformity with the Brazilian Constitution. He argued that circuses are cruel to animals and that, in fact, the use of animals is even contrary to the Constitution. The bill proposes a ban on the use of both wild and domestic animals in circus shows, and has now gone through all the relevant commissions in the Chamber of Deputies. It can now progress to the Plenary vote, before returning to the Senate.
11/17/2009 FISHING BODY AGREES TO CUT IN ATLANTIC TUNA QUOTA
Fishing nations agreed on Sunday to cut by about a third the quota for Atlantic bluefin tuna, a giant fish prized by sushi lovers, numbers of which have been decimated by commercial catches. The move was denounced as inadequate by environmental groups who had called on the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) to agree to a zero quota and list the fish as an endangered species. ICCAT, an intergovernmental body of 48 nations that environmentalists say has consistently failed to protect bluefin, said the annual quota for bluefin next year would be 13,500 tonnes, down from 19,950 tonnes. Environmental groups said a quota of 8,000 tonnes was needed to give a 50 percent chance of a revival in stocks.
11/16/2009 INDIA TO MOVE ALL ZOO ELEPHANTS TO WILDLIFE PARKS
All elephants living in Indian zoos and circuses will be moved to wildlife parks and game sanctuaries where the animals can graze more freely. The decision affects around 140 elephants in 26 zoos and 16 circuses in the country, said B.K. Gupta, an officer at India's Central Zoo Authority.
11/14/2009 NEIC: "STOP EU SUBSIDIES TO LIVESTOCK INDUSTRY"
On November 3, 2009, the director of NEIC (Nutrition Ecology International Center), Dr. Massimo Tettamanti, together with the center's spokeswoman Dr. Marina Berati, put the petition asking for the abolition of European Union funding for the livestock and fishing industries into the hands of the Petitions Committee of the European Parliament. With 23,000 signatures, the petition had been signed by people from all the EU member states. Available in 5 languages and distributed throughout Europe, the text of the petition highlights the fact that the tax money from European citizens subsidizes ill-considered production choices, with great direct and indirect negative impact on human health, the environment and world economy. The European citizens who have signed the petition therefore "ask for an end to CAP funding for the livestock and fishing industries, in order to avoid the problems mentioned above and to promote instead the consumption of healthy plant-based foods with far less environmental impact, thus leading to a diminished fiscal drag at European level."
11/13/2009 END OF JAPANESE WHALING MAY BE IN SIGHT
A major review of Japanese government spending could spell the end to whaling in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. Commissioned to cut wasteful programs by Japan's new government, a review committee has proposed massive cuts in subsidies to a body which funds the so-called whaling research program. Without government subsidies, the whaling program would be doomed.
11/12/2009 FRANCE BACKS LEGAL ACTION WHALERS
France says taking legal action against whaling is a "good idea" - although Australia seems lukewarm. Labor went to the last election promising to take Japan to the International Court of Justice to stop whaling. Two years on and no action has been taken. The French Government's environment ambassador, Laurent Stefanini, said France and Australia were working closely on whaling. He supported taking steps towards legal action, possibly by a group of countries acting together. "It takes time... but it's a good idea," Mr Stefanini told AAP in Paris. France has not made a final decision about whether to pursue the case through the courts. One issue was whether countries respected the international conventions they had signed.
11/07/2009 EU MILK MISERY
Farmers across Europe have been unhappy for years at the low prices for dairy products paid in the EU. Protests have been rampant in France, Germany and elsewhere. Here, Hungarian dairy farmers display severed heads of cows and banners as they stage a protest near the Agriculture Ministry in Budapest on Thursday.
11/04/2009 TO PROTECT PENGUINS, PROTECT KRILL
To protect penguins on the rapidly warming Antarctic peninsula, regulators need to ensure the survival of shrimp-like krill, the base of the food chain at the bottom of the world, marine experts said. Whales and seals also depend on krill for food, the experts said in a telephone news briefing. The numbers of Chinstrap and Adelie penguins are declining steeply along the Antarctic peninsula, the part of the southern continent that stretches northward toward South America. This is the most dramatically warming place on the planet and a location where huge miles-wide (kilometres-wide) swarms of krill historically congregated, according to Wayne Trivelpiece, a penguin expert at the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
11/04/2009 ITALY CONDEMNED BY THE COURT OF JUSTICE FOR ILLEGAL USE OF "PELAGIC DRIFTNET!
On October 29, 2009 Italy was condamned by the European Court of Justice for the use of pelagic driftnet, banned since January 1, 2002. This sentence makes it clear finally that Italy is responsible for allowing the use of illegal drifnets that capture over 80% of incidental species and cause the deaths of thousands of cetaceans and turtles every year.
11/03/2009 "FREEZER PLAN" BID TO SAVE CORAL
The prospects of saving the world's coral reefs now appear so bleak that plans are being made to freeze samples to preserve them for the future. A meeting in Denmark took evidence from researchers that most coral reefs will not survive even if tough regulations on greenhouse gases are put in place. Scientists proposed storing samples of coral species in liquid nitrogen. That will allow them to be reintroduced to the seas in the future if global temperatures can be stabilized. Legislators from 16 major economies have been meeting in the Danish capital, Copenhagen, to try to agree the way forward on climate change. The meeting has been organized by the Global Legislators Organisation for a Balanced Environment (Globe).
11/02/2009 65,000 CYBER-MARCHERS REACH EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
65,000 cyber-marchers reach European Parliament as animal experiments directive is debated. Cross-party MEPs from the European Parliament's Intergroup on the Welfare and Conservation of Animals were presented last week with pledges from more than 65,000 people from our Make
Animal Testing History virtual march, calling for the replacement of animal research to be accelerated through the revision of EU Directive 86/609 on animal experiments. Representatives from the Dr Hadwen Trust, Four Paws and the Humane Society International travelled to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, where Intergroup MEPs, as well as those working most closely on negotiations with the European Commission and Council, met to discuss the Directive.
The number of news found: 20.
