Wildwood joins the fight to save Britain's badgers from the cull

Wildwood Trust is very disappointed that the Government has given a green light to new proposals to allow landowners to shoot badgers.

Wildwood Trust very much recognises Bovine Tuberculosis (bTB) as a significant problem that causes hardship for many in the farming community, but believes that blaming badgers for bTB is just a scapegoat for the industry to avoid their responsibilities and avoid the cost of bTB control, while at the same time collecting huge subsidies from the taxpayer.

Peter Smith, Wildwood Trust’s Chief Executive stated:

“Wildwood Trust is coming to the defence of badgers as they are used as a scapegoat by an industrial farming lobby determined to hide poor farming practices, cruelty, massive taxpayer hand-outs, fraud and illegal practices that could end up in serious consequences for the British public.

The badger debate has been around for a very long time, over 40 years, but behind the simplistic headlines that badger lovers and farmers are at loggerheads is a much more complex and subtle story, a story full of intrigue and vested interests competing for economic advantage.

A whole generation of farmers and ‘country people’ have grown up being told badgers are the main problem, but have forgotten the basic epidemiological science of bovine tuberculosis (bTB). The farming lobby have found it much easier to blame badgers than address the fundamental problems of cattle farming and the poor practices that have led to the epidemic of bTB in the British cattle herd.”

A History of Cattle TB

bTB was a dangerous disease and could infect people, mostly through drinking milk. The introduction of pasteurisation effectively stopped the disease being transferred to humans. Over this time strict controls on cattle movements and herd quarantine ensured a reduction in bTB across the UK . Since the 1970s these restrictions have been relaxed and the bTB has increased due to this lack of controls.

Changes in intensive farming practices have also contributed to the epidemic, as cattle live in larger and more dense groups and spend more time in large sheds and stockades increasing the spread of bTB. The larger groups ensure that bTB that is carried by few animals sub-clinically acting as a reservoir for the bTB going unobserved and be allowed to flare up again. This is the process that the farming lobby are trying to blame badgers, without credible scientific evidence.

Badger, Cattle and bTB

Cattle to badger bTB infection has been well demonstrated, but there is no evidence that can prove badger to cattle transference on the farm and the extent of the problem, except by guesswork or inference.

Peter Smith, Wildwood Trust’s Chief Executive said:

“I myself have a degree in Medical Biochemistry and my knowledge of how TB works leads me to agree with the leading scientists in the UK that have repeatedly stated that a badger cull would not reduce the incidence of bovine TB. This leads me to the conclusion that the farming industry is using Badgers as an emotional tool to wrestle even more taxpayer's money to subsidize intensive agriculture; instead of spending it on protecting our environment.”

I propose a simple 4 point plan to eradicate TB from cows in the UK:

1. Private insurance – reward the good and punish the bad

The present system of subsides rewards poor practice, the solution is to make the farming industry pay for their bad and illegal farming practices. The best way to achieve this is by the withdrawal of all government subsidy and compensation payments. Farmers could then privately insure themselves against the risk of herd breakdown due to TB. This free market solution would reward good farming practices by them having lower premiums. Farms with poor risk would be charged high premiums and those farmers who commit fraud by changing ear tags and other illegal practices would invalidate their insurance.

2. Reintroduction of stricter quarantine regulations on cattle movement

Detailed statistical analysis has shown that it is the movement of cattle from one farm to another that is by far the most important factor in the spread of TB*. The reintroduction of the strict quarantine measure abandoned in our past is key to control of bTB in the UK.

(*M. Gilbert, A. Mitchell, D. Bourn, J. Mawdsley, R. Clifton-Hadley & W. Wint Nature Vol 435|26 May 2005|doi:10.1038/nature0354)

3. Good credible science – put the funds used for badger killing into proper scientific study of disease propagation and vaccines

The current system of spending large amount of taxpayers’ money on trials of shooting and gassing badgers at the expense of proper scientific study should stop. These funds should be redirected into proper microbiological research of the disease and its control by vaccination in cattle and badgers

4. Introduce economic changes to taxation and land tenure to promote less intensive agriculture.

Our present System of taxation vastly favours tax-dodgers, large landowners and investment in huge capital infrastructure.

By removing taxation on all wages and trade, from which we currently derive our income and removing the tax perks of buying large machinery and replacing that government revenue with a rent on the value of all land and a taxation of natural resources such as oil and minerals at source we would create many more rural and farming jobs and reduce intensive inputs of artificial cattle feeds. This rebalancing of our economic climate would allow less intensive farming to compete on fair terms with the modern industrial farming methods and reduce the spread of disease and poor quality animal husbandry.

Key facts of bTB

1. bTB is passed from animal to animal by aerosol in the form of close, mouth to mouth, transmission

2. bTB is a ‘progressive’ disease not a black and white issue – the idea of ‘skin reactors’, the current method of detection is very flawed

3. Cattle infect badgers but probably not the other way round (not one shred of real evidence exists for badger to cattle transmission, only inference conjecture)

4. bTB is dormant for many years (if not decades in some animals) and this is the real ‘reservoir’ of infection –there is no real evidence of wild animal to cattle transmission. The best data available, from the studies done in Belgium, show that wild animal transmission has no statistical influence on the epidemiology

5. The most probable culprit of the rise in bTB is when strict quarantine laws where relaxed 40 years ago, the bTB we see today is just the epidemiological statistical results of that relaxation, magnified by larger herd sizes (increases the chance a ‘dormant carrier’ infecting a herd) and greater densities in cattle sheds.

6. Many cattle diseases, not just bTB, have increased over that time, pointing the finger to industry practices and animal husbandry issues

7. Stress and ‘unnatural’ diet may (and I stress may as no real evidence) play a role in increasing the progression and expression of bTB in cattle

WHAT CAN YOU DO!

If you agree with my view point you can explain, in your own words, why killing badgers is not an acceptable solution to the TB problem. Ask the Government to base its policies solely on cattle controls and credible scientific research.

http://www.writetothem.com/?keyword=MP&creativeid=605235279&gclid=CKbFu-PBoaoCFcRO4QodmXuvVQ

Video - Click here to watch Wildwood Chief Executive, Peter Smith on why a badger cull is not the answer

Peter Smith
Chief Executive
Wildwood Trust

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Alliance for Animals and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals File Complaint Over Crimes Against Animals

AFA and PETA filed a complaint with the Dane County District Attorney’s office on June 9, 2011, documenting over a decade of violations of Wisconsin’s Crimes Against Animals stemming from research involving staged animal fights in the Stephen C. Gammie  and the Catherine A. Marler labs.
The Wisconsin statute is easy to understand:

951.08 Instigating fights between animals.

(1) No person may intentionally instigate, promote, aid or abet as a principal, agent or employee, or participate in the earnings from, or intentionally maintain or allow any place to be used for a cockfight, dog fight, bullfight or other fight between the same or different kinds of animals or between an animal and a person. This section does not prohibit events or exhibitions commonly featured at rodeos or bloodless bullfights.

951.08 (2) No person may own, possess, keep or train any animal with the intent that the animal be engaged in an exhibition of fighting.

951.08 (3) No person may intentionally be a spectator at a cockfight, dog fight, bullfight or other fight between the same or different kinds of animals or between an animal and a person.

951.18 Penalties.

951.18 (2) Any person who violates s. 951.08 (2m) or (3) is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor. Any person who violates s. 951.08 (1) or (2) is guilty of a Class I felony for the first violation and is guilty of a Class H felony for the 2nd or subsequent violation.

Fights between mice have been instigated at the UW-Madison for over a decade. Mice have been kept for this purpose. Mice have been trained through multiple fights with other mice known to be winners or losers. Researchers have earned money from instigating the fights and have paid others in their labs from those earnings. Other university staff and probably students have been spectators at the fights.

Fights between mice are not genteel affairs. Wounding and even death are common results. A BBC video of a fight between mice is available here.


Coming on the heels of the university’s legal problems surrounding the illegal sheep decompression deaths, this new complaint makes clear that the university has a long history of disdain for or ignorance of Wisconsin State laws against cruelty to animals.

The university has now slipped a measure into the state budget bill by way of the University System Omnibus Motion. Item 27:

Liability Protections for Scientific Researchers: Specify that current law provisions prohibiting crimes against animals would not apply to persons engaged in bona fide scientific research at an educational or research institution or persons who are authorized or otherwise regulated under federal law to utilize animals for these purposes.

In short, the University does not want to follow Wisconsin's Crimes Against Animals laws.

What you can (MUST) do:

Contact your state legislators today. Ask them to request a formal Report on Item 27 of the University System Omnibus Motion passed in the Joint Finance Committee as part of the state budget bill.
Don't know your legislators? Click here. It's easy.

Telll them that the language of item 27 is confusing. Are all persons engaged in research at the university exempt from all the state’s anti-cruelty laws all the time wherever they are? Will the university be able to stage dog fights if item 27 becomes law? Tell them that the state has an obligation to regulate the use of animals and protect them from cruelty, especially at the state university.

You can read the complaint here.

http://www.allanimals.org/fighting_mice.html

Farming minister says badger cull 'may not happen'

Most farmers in the South West believe TB in cattle
is spread by badgers

19 May 2011

A badger cull to prevent the spread of bovine tuberculosis (TB) in cattle may not happen, the farming minister has told the BBC.

Badgers are blamed by many farmers for spreading the disease, resulting in thousands of cows being destroyed.

However, in an interview for the Politics Show South West, minister Jim Paice said there was a "question-mark at this moment" over a cull.

The government confirmed that a decision was still due to be made.

The South West, west of England and Wales are among the areas worst-affected by TB in Britain.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said 6,863 cattle with TB were slaughtered in Devon in 2009, while in Cornwall the figure was 3,545.
'Judicial review'

The government was expected to announce in May whether a cull of badgers would go ahead, but it has been delayed.

Conservative Mr Paice said: "We will be making our announcements about it in the not-too-distant future once we're certain that, if we were to go ahead, we could resist the inevitable judicial review that would come."

When asked if he meant "if" as opposed to "when", Mr Paice replied: "There has to be a question-mark at this moment in time until we make a final decision and an announcement."

The National Farmers' Union approves of a cull, saying it was needed to help farming.

However, animal rights activists have criticised the proposals.

See the full interview with Jim Paice on the Politics Show South West, BBC One South West, Sunday 22 May, 1100 BST.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-13462393
(Submitted by Dawn Holloway)

Badger vaccine pilot planned by National Trust in Devon

20 April 2011
By Richard Black
Environment correspondent, BBC News

The National Trust is to vaccinate badgers against TB this summer in a bid to curb the disease in cattle - the first UK landowner to do so.

The trust hopes its £320,000, four-year project on Devon's Killerton estate will make the case for vaccination as an alternative to culling.

Cattle (or bovine) tuberculosis costs the UK about £100m each year.

The government is set to approve badger culling in England soon, and the Welsh Assembly Government also plans a cull.

Research published last year showed the vaccine lowers infection in badgers.

Some cattle herds contract TB through contact with badgers, which carry the bacterium, although infection from other cattle is more significant.

Badger culling is a controversial option and although the trust is not opposed to it in principle, it is troubled by research showing it could do more harm than good - hence the vaccination scheme.

"This is a pilot project - it's not research, not a trial - we know the vaccine works, and we're going for it," said David Bullock, the trust's head of nature conservation.

"The driver is that we want to reduce the risk of bovine TB breakdowns in cattle herds belonging to our tenant farmers, 18 of whom are involved in this project - and we also want to see that the vaccine is considered nationwide."

Last December, scientists with the government-owned Food and Environment Research Agency (Fera) published the results of a four-year field trial using an injectable TB vaccine.

It showed that vaccination reduced the incidence of TB in badgers by 74%, but did not look for any impact on infection levels in cattle.

The Labour government had planned five subsequent pilot vaccination projects, but the coalition reduced that to one, and Killerton was among the sites axed.

So at a cost of £80,000 per year, the National Trust is picking up the project, making use of the fact that some of the preliminary research (such as mapping out badger setts) has already been done.

Across about 20 sq km (8 sq miles) of the site, badgers will be lured into cages with bait and trapped.

Trained and licensed Fera staff will then deliver a dose of vaccine and release the badger, first marking it so it does not subsequently receive a second shot.

Dozens of setts have been identified, and the trust believes many hundreds of badgers will be vaccinated.

Promises made

The Conservative Party made badger culling a plank of their general election campaign last year.

The National Farmers' Union (NFU) has demanded it for a long time and after the election Agriculture Minister Jim Paice - a farmer himself - announced a public consultation into how it should be implemented in England.

While supporting the trust's decision to carry out the pilot programme, the NFU said vaccines formed part of the long-term solution but did not address the "desperate plight" that many farmers currently found themselves in.

"Current vaccination methods of injecting badgers is costly, and practically challenging with the benefits remaining unclear, and unproven," Melanie Hall, the NFU's regional director for South-West England told BBC News.

"As the vaccine is preventative, [it is] unlikely to impact positively on infected badgers."

Nationwide, nearly 35,000 cattle were slaughtered last year and there is no vaccine yet that can be used in cattle.

The government believes a cull would reduce disease incidence in cattle by 16% over nine years.

A spokesman for the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affair (Defra) welcomed the National Trust's plans to run a vaccine pilot project.

He added: "There's no one solution to tackling TB, and the badger vaccine we developed is one of the tools we have available.

"We will be announcing a comprehensive and balanced TB Eradication Programme for England as soon as possible."

Ministers were expected to publish their plans to deal with bovine TB in the national herd in February; but amid turmoil over the disposal of nationally-owned forests, the announcement was postponed, and is now expected next month.

Meanwhile, the Welsh Assembly Government has announced new plans for a pilot cull in Pembrokeshire this year, after a legal ruling derailed similar plans last year.

Animal rights campaigners are to challenge the new plans in the courts.

Scientific cloud

Behind the issue lie conflicting interpretations of scientific evidence on the effectiveness of culling.

The Westminster and Cardiff governments and the NFU argue that culling can markedly reduce bovine TB incidence in cattle.

But the major UK investigation, the Randomised Badger Culling Trial (also called the Krebs trial), showed culling only produced a benefit if conducted rigorously and systematically over large areas, ideally with hard boundaries that badgers could not cross.

Otherwise, the social structure of badger groups broke down when some were killed, and the animals ranged further afield - infecting more cattle and leading to increased TB incidence.

"We're not against culling badgers if it's going to be effective in curbing bovine TB, but you can't apply the criteria everywhere that would make it effective," Mr Bullock told BBC News.

"Unless you have boundaries, you may have this effect where badgers move around and spread TB - we know from the science that this does happen."

Scientists who ran the Krebs trial have warned the government that its plan to allow shooting of badgers as they roam was likely to be less effective than the trap-and-shoot method deployed during the trial.

On that basis, they said, culling "risks increasing rather than reducing the incidence of cattle TB".

In the Irish Republic, culling has been practised for many years and does appear to have curbed bovine TB; but scientists involved with that programme say the disease will not be eradicated without vaccination.

The National Trust argues that vaccination could prove to be a more effective option than culling, in conjunction with tightened regulations designed to prevent cattle-to-cattle transmission.

This would also, of course, avoid killing badgers, which are a protected species under UK and EU laws.

Eventually, the aim is to have an oral vaccine that badgers would simply eat, avoiding any need for trapping; but that is thought to be five years away.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-13121520
(Via Dawn Holloway)

Iran: Dog Ownership to Be Outlawed Under Lawmakers' Plan

By AZADEH MOAVENI Azadeh Moaveni – Tue Apr 19, 2:15 pm ET

For much of the past decade, the Iranian government has tolerated what it considers a particularly depraved and un-Islamic vice: the keeping of pet dogs.

During periodic crackdowns, police have confiscated dogs from their owners right off the street; and state media has lectured Iranians on the diseases spread by canines. The cleric Gholamreza Hassani, from the city of Urmia, has been satirized for his sermons railing against "short-legged" and "holdable" dogs. But as with the policing of many other practices (like imbibing alcoholic drinks) that are deemed impure by the mullahs but perfectly fine to many Iranians, the state has eventually relaxed and let dog lovers be.

Those days of tacit acceptance may soon be over, however. Lawmakers in Tehran have recently proposed a bill in parliament that would criminalize dog ownership, formally enshrining its punishment within the country's Islamic penal code. The bill warns that that in addition to posing public health hazards, the popularity of dog ownership "also poses a cultural problem, a blind imitation of the vulgar culture of the West." The proposed legislation for the first time outlines specific punishments for "the walking and keeping" of "impure and dangerous animals," a definition that could feasibly include cats but for the time being seems targeted at dogs. The law would see the offending animal confiscated, the leveling of a $100-to-$500 fine on the owner, but leaves the fate of confiscated dogs uncertain. "Considering the several thousand dogs [that are kept] in Tehran alone, the problem arises as to what is going to happen to these animals," Hooman Malekpour, a veterinarian in Tehran, said to the BBC's Persian service. If passed, the law would ultimately energize police and volunteer militias to enforce the ban systematically.

In past years, animal-rights activists in Iran have persuasively argued that sporadic campaigns against dog ownership are politically motivated and unlawful, since the prohibition surfaces in neither the country's civil laws nor its Islamic criminal codes. But if Iran's laws were silent for decades on the question of dogs, that is because the animals - in the capacity of pet - were as irrelevant to daily life as dinosaurs. Islam, by custom, considers dogs najes, or unclean, and for the past century cultural mores kept dog ownership down to minuscule numbers. In rural areas, dogs have traditionally aided shepherds and farmers, but as Iranians got urbanized in the past century, their dogs did not come along. In cities, aristocrats kept dogs for hunting and French-speaking dowagers kept lap dogs for company, but the vast majority of traditional Iranians, following the advice of the clergy, were leery of dogs and considered them best avoided. (Read "Can Animal Rights Go Too Far?")

That has changed in the past 15 years with the rise of an urban middle class plugged into and eager to mimic Western culture. Satellite television and Western movies opened up a world where happy children frolicked with dogs in parks and affluent families treated them like adorable children. These days, lap dogs rival designer sunglasses as the upper-middle-class Iranian's accessory of choice. "Global norms and values capture the heart of people all around the world, and Iran is no exception," says Omid Memarian, a prominent Iranian journalist specializing in human rights. "This is very frightening for Iranian officials, who find themselves in a cultural war with the West and see what they're offering as an 'Islamic lifestyle' failing measurably."

The widening acceptability of dog ownership, and its popularity among a specific slice of Iran's population - young, urban, educated and frustrated with the Islamic government - partly explains why dogs are now generating more official hostility. In 2007, two years into the tenure of hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, security forces targeted dog owners alongside a crackdown on women's attire and men's "Westernized" hairstyles. In the regime's eyes, owning a dog had become on par with wearing capri pants or sporting a mullet - a rebellious act.

The government's tolerance for this low-level lifestyle dissidence fizzled after Ahmadinejad's contested electoral victory in 2009, which sparked massive demonstrations and the most serious challenge to Islamic rule since the 1979 revolution. In the aftermath of that upheaval, the state has moved to tighten its control over a wide range of Iranians' private activities, from establishing NGOs to accessing the Internet, to individual lifestyle decisions, according to Hadi Ghaemi, the director for the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. "No doubt such attempts are motivated by a desire to squash acts of criticism and protests, even if through symbolic individual decisions that simply don't conform to officially sanctioned lifestyles," Ghaemi says.

The criminalizing of dogs, in this context, helps the government address the legal gray areas concerning lifestyle behavior. When authorities found it difficult to police what it termed Westernized hairstyles worn by young men, it solved the problem last year by releasing a poster of specifically banned styles.

For many young people, these measures are a firm reminder that the government will brook no disobedience, whether it be chanting antigovernment slogans in the streets or sporting excessively long sideburns. Dog owners in Iran, like much of the population, are mostly preoccupied these days with inflation, joblessness and the parlous state of the country's economy. But they will soon need to consider whether keeping their shih tzu or poodle is worth the added worry. Their dogs may face the same fate as the hundreds of street dogs that the government regularly sweeps from the streets of Tehran. "Many in Tehran and other big cities find the killing of street dogs offensive and cruel," says Memarian. "It's like the Iranian people and officials live in two different worlds."

View this article on Time.com

http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20110419/wl_time/08599206587300

Bill mandates 'fixing' of cats, dogs before sale

By Rob Shikina

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Apr 17, 2011

State lawmakers are looking at a bill that would require pet retailers in Hawaii to sterilize all cats and dogs before selling them.

Passing such a law would lessen the suffering of feral cats because of overpopulation and reduce the number of animals euthanized in shelters, said Inga Gibson, state director of the Humane Society of the United States. Many feral cats are the offspring of abandoned house cats that haven't been sterilized, she added.

House Bill 243 notes that an unsterilized female cat can give birth to two litters a year, which, extrapolated over seven years, could lead to 400,000 cats.

Feral cat colonies continue to grow despite various efforts to control the cat population, and the pressures of overpopulation lead to starvation of the weakest and the spread of disease and mange, a form of animal cruelty when uncontrolled, the bill says.

"It's a tremendous issue," Gibson said. "We have a large feral cat issue throughout the state. One of the contributing factors is the sale of unsterilized cats."

Feral cats are also a threat to Hawaii's endangered birds, according to the state Division of Forestry and Wildlife.

The bill is just one version of animal cruelty legislation that is heading to a conference committee to work out differences between House and Senate versions.

State laws mandating the spaying or neutering of dogs or cats appear to be rare. At least one state, Rhode Island, mandates it if the animals are released from a shelter. Some counties on the mainland, however, completely ban the sale of cats or dogs, while a Los Angeles ordinance from 2008 requires pet owners to sterilize their dogs or cats by the age of 4 months.

Despite the large feral cat population, the Humane Society opposes euthanasia and supports managed cat colonies for unsocialized cats, where a caretaker will get the animals sterilized, microchipped, vaccinated, fed and looked after.

"It's not an easy life for a cat that's not part of a managed colony," Gibson said.

Theresa Donnelly, who breeds boxers and is secretary of the Boxer Club of Hawaii, said the bill wouldn't affect purebred dogs because hobby breeders usually sell person to person, which is not regulated by the bill.

"Any reputable breeder would never sell to a pet store anyway," she said. Hobby breeders want to meet potential owners to make sure their dogs will have a safe home and possibly establish a relationship with the new owners to promote ethical breeding, she said. "People who want to breed animals should be mentored."

Tish Rothwell, owner of the Pet Depot in Ewa Beach, said her business has been fixing cats before adopting them out ever since hundreds of animals were rescued from a Waianae no-kill shelter when the owner died in July 2009.

After the rescue, shelters were full and couldn't take animals from people who were trying to give up their pets. Rather than see cats euthanized in shelters, Rothwell's store took the animals and sterilized them before adopting them out for a fee that covered medical costs.

"We want to be responsible and keep that out-of-control cat population down," Rothwell said.

However, she has concerns about mandating the fixing of dogs. They recover slower than cats after being spayed or neutered and require more care, raising the cost of the animals.

Brent Chung, manager of Kalihi Pet Center, said some customers may not mind if the bill becomes law, but pet stores may require breeders to have dogs fixed before selling them to the retailer, reducing the supply of dogs in stores. He said some veterinarians are backlogged and the dogs may be months old by the time an animal can be sterilized, frustrating customers that want dogs as young as 6 weeks old that are easier to train. He suspected the bill could also boost sales of unsterilized dogs outside of stores. "They'll beat the system, no matter what," he said.

The bill has an effective date of January.

Honolulu Star Advertiser: http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/20110417__Bill_mandates_fixing_of_cats_dogs_before_sale.html

Mo. lawmakers overhaul law aimed at puppy mills

Thursday, Apr. 14, 2011

By CHRIS BLANK - Associated Press

Missouri voters thought they scored a big win against some of the nation's most notorious puppy mills when they approved strict new dog breeding regulations last year. Now state lawmakers are changing the rules.

A state law aimed at cracking down on disreputable breeders and improving animal care has been overhauled by lawmakers who say the voter-approved version is too costly, and punished legitimate dog-breeders who generate an estimated $1 billion annually in the state. Animal advocates complain elected officials are overruling the will of the people and some are prepared to put the issue on the ballot again next year.

Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society of the United States, said public confidence is undercut when about 100 lawmakers change a law backed by about 1 million voters.

"The effort in Jefferson City is a piece-by-piece dismantling of every core provision," Pacelle said. "It suggests to me that this is an industry that wants deregulation. They want to do things that they want and to heck with the people who care about dogs or consumers as long as there are enough dogs purchased."

Missouri Rep. Jerry Nolte, who represents part of a county that passed the ballot measure, said he voted for the bill because it will help protect dogs by increasing funding for enforcement.

"What I was trying to do was interpret what the voter intent was, and what they wanted to do was to lessen the suffering of these animals," said Nolte, a Republican. "And I believe that this, on balance, will reduce the suffering of these animals."

A spokesman for Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon said Thursday the bill would get a careful review and declined comment on whether he planned to sign it.

Missouri's law passed last November on the strength of residents from heavily populated Kansas City and St. Louis but failed in rural areas where many dog breeders operate. But swayed by breeders who argued the law would close them down and concerned about possible future regulation for other agricultural industries, a bipartisan group of mostly rural lawmakers voted to change most of the law's provisions. For example, a 50-dog cap is scrapped but breeders would pay more to boost state oversight of the industry.

The Humane Society of Missouri and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals were among the animal advocates who pushed for ballot measure, pointing to emaciated and flea-infested dogs that lived in filthy conditions. Even breeders who followed the rules, proponents said, have been allowed to keep dogs in wire cages not much larger than their bodies and exposed to excess heat and cold.

Advocates say more than a dozen states have approved stiffer dog-breeding laws in recent years, and like Missouri, Oklahoma lawmakers are considering changes to that new law.

Many of Missouri's roughly 1,300 licensed breeders pushed back, warning lawmakers the voter-approved law could shutter the industry by limiting the number of the breeding dogs they can own and forcing costly housing upgrades. They said some requirements also could worsen care, including mandating solid floors in indoor enclosures that could slow the draining of fluids and lead to cold and sick dogs.

Critics of the law contend the industry's worst has tainted public perception and blame many problems on unlicensed breeders.

The voter-approved measure "is just going to put the law-abiding, licensed, legitimate, conscientious, caring breeders out of business, and the only ones remaining will be the illegal people already flying under the radar," said Mindy Patterson with the Missouri Federation of Animal Owners.

Over the past decade, several state audits have criticized Missouri's dog regulation efforts. But the state is working to do better, now employing 12 inspectors, who each on average cover a region with 225 licensees. The governor also has proposed adding $1.1 million to the budget to hire more personnel.

Supporters of the voter-approved law said insufficient regulations remained a problem. Last year, the Better Business Bureau in Missouri reported receiving 352 complaints and reports against dog breeders and sellers over three years - including many about ill dogs.

"It is interesting to hear some of the statements that are made now that somehow this industry has been wronged," said Barbara Schmitz, campaign manager for the measure. "This industry has had a very long time to voluntarily correct the problems that exist. They have not done so. Lawmakers have failed to act, and the voters stepped in."

Numerous Missouri breeders raise dogs on their farms, selling puppies through Internet ads and word-of-mouth, while others sell to pet stores and to brokers that buy dogs nationwide.

One of those breeders, Hubert Lavy, said people who wrote the law don't fully understand the business and shouldn't develop rules to regulate it. Lavy, 68, whose family raises Labrador retrievers, Maltese, Yorkshire terriers and French bulldogs, said dogs - like employees - are most productive when treated well.

Outdoor pens are cleaned daily and connected to a building with heaters at Lavy's Tenderheart Kennels in Silex about 70 miles northwest of St. Louis. Indoor cages connect through a doggy door to an elevated outdoor cage and have a coated mesh pattern that allows waste to drain.

The kennel donates some dogs and sells roughly 200 puppies per year to earn about $20,000, Lavy said. He estimates it would cost $50,000 to comply with the voter-approved law, which would include expanding indoor space and building solid floors. However, he said he's more likely to just go out of business if the voter-backed law stands.

"There is a place for what I do. There (are) people who want what I do, and I just don't think they should be able to take it away," Lavy said.

http://www.bradenton.com/2011/04/14/3115459_p2/mo-lawmakers-overhaul-law-aimed.html

Man stomped on sandwich-stalking ibis

March 17, 2011 12:00AM

A STUDENT who was being stalked for his sandwich wrestled an ibis to the ground and stomped on it until the bird was so badly injured it had to be put down, a court has been told.

Andrew Quay Wee Meng, 25, pleaded guilty in the Brisbane Magistrates Court yesterday to one count of animal cruelty on March 1.

The court was told Quay Wee Meng had been eating a sandwich in Brisbane's South Bank Parklands when the bird "snuck up from behind" and jumped onto his table.

Quay Wee Meng threw his food down, wrestled the bird to the ground and stomped on it five times.

The court was told the bird's wing was shattered and a blow to its neck caused it such difficulty in breathing that it had to be put down.

Quay Wee Meng's lawyer, Sue Ganasan, told the court the Singapore-born law student lashed out at the ibis because he was once attacked by a large crow and had been frightened of Australian birds ever since.

However, she said, he accepted his response was excessive and he was remorseful.

Magistrate John Costello said onlookers would have been "appalled" by the attack, but said Quay Wee Meng's youth, guilty plea and lack of criminal history meant he would not receive a jail sentence.

He also agreed not to record a conviction after being told it would adversely affect Quay Wee Meng's chances of employment.

Mr Costello ordered Quay Wee Meng to perform of 120 hours community service, and that he do so with the RSPCA wherever possible.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/national/man-stomped-on-sandwich-stalking-ibis/story-e6frf7l6-1226022782536

Vermont Mulls Animal Hoarding Bill

Posted: March 10, 2011, 7:25 p.m., EDT

Vermont has introduced a bill that seeks to impose criminal penalties for animal hoarding.

As written, House Bill 371 defines an “animal hoarder” as any person who:

• Possesses five or more animals;
• Fails to provide adequate food, water, shelter, rest, sanitation, or necessary medical attention or transports an animal in overcrowded vehicles;
• Keeps the animals in a severely overcrowded environment; and
• Displays an inability to recognize or understand the nature of or has a reckless disregard for the conditions under which the animals are living and the deleterious impact they have on the animals’ health and well-being.

The state’s animal cruelty laws define animals as “all living sentient creatures, not human beings.” This could mean a wide array of animals, including cats, dogs, small animals, birds and reptiles.

Violators would be guilty of animal cruelty and could face up to one year’s jail time, a fine of up to $2,000 or both. Second and subsequent violators could face up to two years in jail, a fine of up to $5,000 or both.

Under state law, a “humane officer” may seize an animal without a search warrant if he or she witnesses a situation in which the animal’s life is in jeopardy and immediate action is required to protect its health or safety. A “humane officer” includes law enforcement officers, auxiliary state police officers, deputy game wardens, humane society officers, employees or agents; animal control officers; or any officer authorized to serve criminal process.

In an industry alert released today, the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (PIJAC) cautioned against warrantless searches, claiming such searches invite potential for harassment and abuse of police power.

H 371 has been assigned to the House Committee on Agriculture where it awaits action.

To view H 371 in its entirety, click here.

http://www.veterinarypracticenews.com/vet-breaking-news/2011/03/10/vermont-mulls-animal-hoarding-bill.aspx

The Theft of British Woodland

Press Release

The theft of British Woodland... Campaign to prevent the sale of the nation’s woodland through tax reform

A thousand year-old crime is being repeated today... and Sir Winston Churchill had the solution.

Today – Wednesday 2nd February, the British parliament will vote to perpetrate a crime against the nation that has been happening for a thousand years.

Wildwood Trust is joining the hundreds of thousands of people calling for the Coalition government not to sell our nation’s woodland.

Since our Norman Conquerors first landed on the Kent coast, the people of Britain have seen their land stolen from them. First the Barons, then the landed gentry stole the birth right of every Englishman, Scot and Welshman. British taxpayers have been paying for this land grab every year since.

The Coalition Government is continuing this crime, a crime we are committing against our children, stealing their birthright to enjoy the British countryside and its wildlife.

The sale of British woodlands sees public assets ‘privatised’, then rented back to us at huge rents.

We are condemning future generation to pay a rent for accessing the few remaining bits of woodland and be taxed more heavily to protect its wildlife.

Private ‘investors’ can buy the land, and then claim huge tax breaks, Government grants and assistance at the expense of taxpayers.

Already the taxpayer is forced to pay a hundreds of millions of pounds every year subsidy to the wealthiest landowners in the country and this scheme will further entrench the grip of private landowners on the nation’s assets.

The State should have no authority to sell land that citizens then have to effectively rent back. We have seen this happen to 100’s billions of pounds worth of public assets over the last 30 years.

Britain has seen its wild woodland’s systematically devastated, with over 50% of our ancient woodlands lost since the Second World War. The UK is one of Europe’s most poorly wooded counties, with only 15% of our land enjoying tree cover against a European average of over 40%.

Wildwood Trust’s Chief Executive has been working with leading economist, Fred Harrison, to come up with an economic plan that will not only restore wild woodlands but help revitalize the Britain’s economy. The coming months will see Mr Harrison publish a book out of the collaboration and a ground breaking documentary.

Wildwood Trust’s Chief Executive Peter Smith said:

“Land is the most crucial element to the protection of wildlife in this country. And it is the policy of Wildwood Trust to reverse the sale of the public’s land into private hands.

The privatisation of land over the last 1000 years has been a disaster for British wildlife. Further privatisations will continue this appalling history of loss. This country needs to create a network of commonly owned land that can remain wild.”

“Wildwood’s vison for the creation of national woodlands is inspired by the work pioneered by the country’s greatest statesmen, namely David Lloyd George and Sir Winston Churchill. This can be achieved at no cost to the taxpayer by a small change to our taxation system.”

This tax reform was championed by the world’s greatest economists such as Adam Smith, David Ricardo, Henry George and Milton Freedman. A solution that is supported by Business Secretary Vince Cable, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and members of all political persuasions, both right and left, who understand the role of land values in our economic system.

That solution could abolish income tax and VAT and help the UK revitalise its economy. The solution would be to levy a tax equal to the rental value of all land. In essence all landowners would have to pay an annual rent to the Government for the exclusive possession of that land.

This would be a replacement for other taxes, so that 95% of the British public would be much better off, freeing up the talented and hardworking people to keep more from their efforts. It would create jobs for the unemployed and put an end to property speculators and house price boom and busts.

Tax dodgers and large landowners would be very much worse off and many would be forced to sell their land to others who could make better use of it. Wildlife would recover, and landowners who put their land into a charitable trust with the objective of sustaining its wildlife would be exempt from the land value tax.

Wildwood Trust is calling on the Government to protect wildlife and stop the sale of one of the nation’s greatest assets.

******* End *********
For more information conact:
Peter Smith, Chief Executive of Wildwood Trust
Fred Harrison, Research Director of the Land Research Trust. Fred can be contacted through Wildwood Trust.

Tel: 01227 712111
Mobile: 07986 828229

‘Big cat killed in gruesome manner’

Forest officials carry the body of
a leopard for postmortem in
Bhubaneswar. (PTI)

SANDIP BAL

Bhubaneswar; Jan. 14: The preliminary inquiry report of city divisional forest officer (DFO), Jayant Das, was submitted to the principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife), P.N.Padhi today who had ordered an inquiry of the incident.

The report claimed that the leopard killed at Gandarpur on the outskirts of the city on Thursday was done in the most gruesome manner with the villagers blocking all his escape routes.

Sources said that the report described in detail how the beast was surrounded by lathis and iron rod-wielding villagers who attacked him from all sides.

Two persons had also been injured after being attacked by the leopard.

The injured had been admitted to the Capital Hospital. The condition of the victims is said to be improving.

Das said that the forest ranger of the area had registered an ‘undetected’ case in connection with the incident.

“If we come across definite proof about the involvement of individuals we would take action against them,” the DFO added.

The official who assured that he would try to conclude his inquiry as soon as possible so that guilty could be punished, said that the ‘undetected’ case was filed since it was not clear as to who had killed the animal.

“After recording the statements of the locals and observing the video clippings, we will try to fix the guilt,” he added.The forest department officials today scoured the Khairapada area near the Gandarpur village following strong rumours that another leopard had been spotted by the people there.

“But neither our officials nor the policemen accompanying them could locate any leopard,” he said. Forest officials had conducted a similar search in and around the Nuapatna village but failed to find even the pugmarks of any leopard.

Officials said since leopard was Schedule I animal those responsible for its inhuman killing would be punished under section 51 of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972.

While section 9 of the Act describes killing or hunting a protected animal as a punishable crime, section 51 of the law says that the guilty could draw jail term up to a maximum of seven years and a fine of Rs 25,000. Efforts are also being made to ascertain as to where do the animal come.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1110115/jsp/orissa/story_13443034.jsp

New Tool To Monitor Trade In Endangered Species

Thursday, 26 August 2010, 6:15 pm
Press Release: United Nations

UN-Backed Pact Launches New Tool To Monitor Trade In Endangered Species

New York, Aug 25 2010 12:10PM

The secretariat of a United Nations-backed conservation convention today announced the launch of a new web-based interactive tool that enables users to view trade data about wildlife and plants that was submitted by the 175 State parties to the international agreement.

The Trade Data Dashboards of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora ("http://www.cites.org/"CITES), which is administered by the UN Environment Programme ("http://www.unep.org/"UNEP), is designed to monitor the worldwide trade in wild fauna and flora as more terrestrial and aquatic species are used, and sometimes over-used, as part of human activities.

The tool was launched to mark the 35th anniversary of CITES, which was designed to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.

Users accessing the dashboards can, for example, learn with a few key strokes that reptile skins, specifically crocodile skins, are legally traded at a high volume, and that Colombia is one of the major exporters of spectacled caiman, the reptile most frequently traded for its skin.

The dashboard displays data on internationally-regulated species that are legally traded under CITES for purposes such as food, personal care, housing, clothing and scientific and medical research.

The global dashboard displays global trade trends, while the national dashboard shows information by country. Users can consult the dashboards on the CITES website to determine which species are traded, and in what volumes, both globally and by particular countries.

The trade data dashboards were developed by the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre ("http://www.unep-wcmc.org/"UNEP-WCMC) under a contract with the CITES secretariat. They provide decision-makers access to important trade information to help them make the best decisions to ensure the conservation and sustainable use of species whose trade is regulated by CITES.

“The CITES trade dashboards make the trade datasets easier to use and accessible by a wider audience. They offer policymakers an additional tool for identifying patterns of trade in listed species and related issues that may require special attention,” said John Scanlon, the Secretary-General of CITES.

Jon Hutton, Director of UNEP-WCMC, said the tool “complements others such as the recently launched Integrated Biodiversity Assessment Tool ("https://www.ibatforbusiness.org/" IBAT), which provides general information on biodiversity and natural habitats worldwide.”

More than 10 million trade transactions in animal and plant species have been reported to CITES since the Convention was established.

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO1008/S00430/new-tool-to-monitor-trade-in-endangered-species.htm

Teashop owner attacks 'spying' dog wardens

A teashop owner has hit out at dog wardens who "spied" on her for half an hour before fining her £50 for failing to keep her two Jack Russell terriers on leads.

Published: 7:30AM BST 24 Aug 2010

Juliet Howard-Allen says she was upset and embarassed when the wardens walked into her Harlequin Tea Room in Cheltenham, Glos, and issued the fine notice in front of customers.

Miss Howard-Allen disputes that her dogs Fifi and Missi were in the High Street without leads but says she will pay the fixed penalty to avoid more fuss and distress.

But she has complained to Cheltenham Borough Council that the wardens "lurked" in the street for half an hour watching her in her teashop before finally approaching her.

She is calling on the council to issue the wardens with cameras so they can photograph alleged offences and prove their allegations.

"When they finally did speak to me they told me they had no proof of their case," she said.

"The thought that they kept on watching me for half an hour after the alleged offence is spooky. They're dog wardens, not international spies.

"It was very embarassing when they came into the tea shop. I had three customers there. After the alleged offence they had at least a minute to make themselves known to me before I went into my shop but they did not.

"When you commit a parking offence the wardens take photographic evidence. Why can't they do the same with dogs. Fifi and Missi are as good as gold - they have never done anything wrong."

Denise Powell, Cheltenham Borough Council's environmental protection manager, said one of the wardens witnessed Miss Howard-Allen walking her dogs without leads in the High Street on Aug 16.

"As she then went into a cafe the officers decided to wait for her to leave, rather than confronting her in the shop and causing embarassment," she said.

"After half an hour she had stil not left the premises so one of the officers went in, advised her of the offence, and issued the fixed penalty notice."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/7959933/Teashop-owner-attacks-spying-dog-wardens.html

Pensioner allowed to walk owls after public outcry

The decision to ban a pensioner from taking his pet owls for a walk on a city street has been reprieved after fierce public outcry.

Published: 7:30AM BST 17 Aug 2010

Russell Burt, aged 74, was banned from taking his owls outside after his local council in Plymouth told him the daily walks were a safety risk.

But growing support for Mr Burt and his pet birds from around the world has forced Plymouth City Council to back track re-think the move.

Mr Burt said he was over-the-moon told be told there was no ban on Monday and promptly took his pet owls out in public again.

Mr Burt has walked his birds around his home town for nearly 10 years - without incident.

But officials said he could no longer take the owls out on the grounds that they could be ''spooked'' by traffic and ''run amok'' and attack someone.

Mr Burt's plight even reached the Conservative Party's head office.

On his blog on the party's website, Councillor Harry Phibbs has asked 'Why is Plymouth Council persecuting the Owl Man?'

A spokesperson for Plymouth City Council said Mr Burt was free to walk his owls in public.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/7948890/Pensioner-allowed-to-walk-owls-after-public-outcry.html

Beef from offspring of clone eaten

3 August 2010 08:45pm

Meat from the offspring of a cloned cow entered the food chain last year and was eaten, the Food Standards Agency has revealed.

And experts have admitted they do not know how many embryos from cloned animals have been imported into Britain.

FSA chief executive Tim Smith stressed that there were no health risks associated with eating meat or drinking milk from the descendants of cloned cows.

Two bulls born in the UK from embryos harvested from a cloned cow have been slaughtered, one of which "will have been eaten" while the other was stopped from entering the food chain.

The revelation came amid an FSA probe into whether any matter from cows born of a clone have been used in food production.

Under European law, foodstuffs, including milk, produced from cloned animals must pass a safety evaluation and gain authorisation before they are marketed. But the FSA said it had neither made any authorisations nor been asked to do so.

An investigation was launched in the wake of claims that a British farmer had admitted using milk in his daily production without labelling it as from the offspring of a cloned cow.The FSA said on Tuesday that it had traced a single animal, Dundee Paradise, believed to be part of a dairy herd, but could not confirm that its milk had entered the food chain.

Mr Smith told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: "There's a live investigation going on at the moment and, whilst we have got a first-class cattle tracing scheme, what we don't know is precisely how many embryos have been imported into the country."

He said such a situation was "inevitable", adding: "It's a bit like the police being there and us expecting no crime. However good the system is, it relies on the honesty of those people participating.

"It's impossible for us to stand by each animal and watch it through each phase of its life cycle."

http://latestnews.virginmedia.com/news/uk/2010/08/03/cloned_cow_offspring_in_food_chain

Badger cull in Wales quashed in the Court of Appeal

14.07.10

The badger cull in Wales which was given the go ahead in January by the Welsh Assembly Government has been quashed in the Court of Appeal.

Following the success of the appeal we have issued this statement:

We are delighted to hear that the Badger Trust's appeal has been allowed.

The RSPCA has always been firmly opposed to the proposed cull in Wales as we do not believe that the science justifies it. We believe that vaccination, increased levels of testing, improved biosecurity and stricter controls on the movement of cattle are more sustainable and effective ways of reducing the incidence of bovine tuberculosis (TB) in cattle.

We are, however, pleased with the concessions which were made. As we said in our response to the Welsh Assembly Government's original consultation (on Tuberculosis Eradication Order 2009), we always had concerns that the proposed legislation applied to the whole of Wales and should have been more specific.

This is a timely reminder about the importance of meticulous attention to detail before any culling regime is considered.

We realise that bovine TB is a serious issue but don't believe that a cull of badgers is an appropriate, practical or ethical solution. Many of the badgers culled would be likely to be disease-free.

Vaccination project

Last month we reported on our dismay at the coalition government cuts to a project to vaccinate badgers against bovine TB due to take place this summer.

The project regarding the use of an injectable badger tuberculosis vaccine was initially announced on Thursday, 19 March by the then Environment Secretary, Hilary Benn. He said that the first vaccine against bovine TB in badgers would be used in the field in England, in Staffordshire, Herefordshire/Worcestershire and Devon.

Find out more about the proposed cuts to the project in our previous news story: Dismay at cuts to badger vaccination policy.

Back off badgers!

Show your support against the possible badger cull in England.

Give Animals A Voice

http://www.rspca.org.uk/media/news/story/-/article/EM_Badger_Trust

Bangkok to fine people for elephant feeding

Thailand has cracked down on the problem of unauthorised elephant feeding - anyone caught feeding elephants in Bangkok now faces a £210 fine.

Tourists had typically paid handlers about 50p to hand a bunch of fruit to the elephant, a sight more common since the decline in industries, such as logging, in which the beasts were put to work.

But city authorities say the practice is dangerous, citing cases of elephants hurting people or falling into drains.

‘This is to prevent untidiness and danger toward properties and the lives of Bangkok residents,’ said one official.

http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/835064-bangkok-to-fine-people-for-elephant-feeding

UN animal conference tackles Mideast animal trade

By ZEINA KARAM, Associated Press Writer Zeina Karam, Associated Press Writer – Wed Mar 17, 4:55 am ET

BEIRUT – A 2-year-old lion, emaciated and barely breathing, is found in a tiny cage off a Beirut highway. Monkeys are hauled through the dark tunnels of Gaza, bound for private zoos. Rare prize falcons are kept in desert encampments by wealthy Arab sheiks.

The trade in endangered animals is flourishing in the Middle East, fueled by corruption, ineffective legislation and lax law enforcement.

"It's a problem in the Arab world that we can no longer ignore," said Marguerite Shaarawi, co-founder of the animal rights group Animals Lebanon.

The group is pushing for Lebanon to join the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, whose signatories are meeting this month in Qatar. It is the first time the 175-nation convention is meeting in an Arab country.

Lebanon and Bahrain are the only Arab countries yet to sign the convention.

Delegates at the U.N. conference are considering nearly four dozen proposals on a range of endangered species from rhinos to polar bears.

John Sellar, chief enforcement officer for CITES, said it is difficult to estimate the extent of the illegal trade in the Arab world, but Animals Lebanon estimates that it is the third largest illegal trade in the region, after weapons and drugs.

"Much of the illegal trade that takes place here is of a specialized nature," Sellar said, citing the example of prize falcons, kept by many Arab sheiks in desert encampments, particularly in the United Arab Emirates.

"We've also seen some smuggling of very exotic species ... like very rare parrots, young chimpanzees, gorillas and leopards that seem to be for the private collections of some of the rich individuals in the Gulf area," he said.

Several recent incidents have underscored the plight of animals in Lebanon — a country where the only law that refers to animal rights stipulates that anyone who purposely harms an animal has to pay a fine of up to $15.

Willem Wijnstekers, the secretary-general of CITES, said countries must have strong laws in place to discourage animal smuggling. Otherwise, he said, smugglers will simply see the penalties as part of the cost of doing business, and not a deterrent.

In December 2009, Animals Lebanon began a campaign against Egypt's Monte Carlo Circus after it received a tip that the circus animals — six lions and three tigers — did not have proper certificates and had not received water or food during the six-day trip from Egypt to Lebanon.

The group sent several activists and a veterinarian to the circus grounds to investigate, and they reported the animals were malnourished and that one cub had been de-clawed.

The circus was declared illegal in January after Agriculture Minister Hussein Hajj Hassan sent the ministry's own experts to investigate, but the circus has appealed. While the case continues, the circus is still giving daily performances attended by small crowds.

"The case of the circus, and the trade of the lions and tigers, highlighted the urgent need to have Lebanon join CITES and protect these endangered species," Hajj Hassan said.

A circus employee at a recent performance denied the animals were treated badly.

"They say we are not feeding them. Look at them, do they look hungry to you?" the employee asked the audience as lions and tigers dutifully performed acrobatics around a caged tent near a highway just north of Beirut.

There was no official comment from the circus.

The animals looked healthy at the performance, weeks after the allegations were made.

In February 2009, Animals Lebanon managed to close down a zoo and rescue its 42 neglected and dying animals that had become a health hazard to its neighbors.

The starving animals languishing in dirty, rusty cages included bears, jackals, a chimpanzee, monkeys and a vulture that had apparently spent years tied by a chain that prevented it from flying or moving out of its cage, which measured just 20 square feet (2 square meters).

"The lion and chimpanzee died, but we flew the monkeys to a sanctuary in Wales and two bears to a sanctuary in Turkey," Shaarawi said. "I cannot describe the happiness I feel when we are able to rescue abused animals and find new homes for them."

In September, a 2-year-old lion cub was rescued by members of another local animal welfare organization after he was apparently abandoned off the main road in Beirut by the owner of the pet shop that imported him.

The severely dehydrated "King of the Jungle" was emaciated and malnourished with open sores on his body, according to Beta, the organization that rescued him. Beta tried to save the animal — which the group named Adam — but it died shortly after it was found.

There are similar problems across the region.

In Egypt, a gateway from Africa to the Middle East, there is a flourishing chimpanzee trade and exotic animals are frequently smuggled in and out. The owners are believed to bribe airport officials to look away.

Last year, panic broke out on a flight from the United Arab Emirates to Egypt when a foot-long baby crocodile wriggled out of a passenger's hand luggage.

In blockaded Gaza, residents smuggle animals through tunnels that link the territory to Egypt to supply their private zoos. Smugglers proudly speak of hauling lions, monkeys and exotic birds through the underground passageways, making deals with animal smugglers in Egypt.

Most animals are drugged first, but in a particularly cruel practice, zoo owners usually rip out the teeth of lions to ensure they don't bite visitors.

Activists say many of the pet shops in Lebanon are unlicensed and keep the animals in appalling conditions without proper health care.

One pet shop owner who identified himself only by his first name, Elie, to avoid "trouble" from activists, scoffed at the allegations.

"Everything in here is legal," he says of the dogs, cats, parrots and rabbits he sells. Asked whether it was fair to keep a puppy locked up in a cage the size of a bird cage, he shrugged: "They are fine. It is only until I sell them."

___

Associated Press writers Diaa Hadid in Gaza and Sarah El Deeb in Cairo contributed to this report.

___

On the Net:

http://www.animalslebanon.org/
http://betalebanon.org/
http://www.cites.org/

___

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100317/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_un_smuggling_animals

Labour U-turn on dog laws

17 March 2010

Ministers were accused of making a major U-turn yesterday after backtracking over plans to make dog owner-insurance compulsory. Environment secretary Hilary Benn said he did not want to penalise responsible owners. Instead only dogs causing trouble could be targeted with an insurance requirement as part of a control order or 'Dogbo'.

But the Conservatives accused ministers of making a 'political dog's dinner' of law proposals.

'A dog tax on more than 5 million owners was proposed last week and is now ruled out by Hilary Benn in a humiliating U-turn, proving how tired and incompetent this government has become,' said shadow environment secretary Nick Herbert.

http://e-edition.metro.co.uk/2010/03/17/ - p5.

Switzerland to vote on appointing lawyers for abused pets

Switzerland, where flushing goldfish down the toilet is illegal, is preparing to vote on whether abused animals deserve lawyers.

Published: 7:00AM GMT 05 Mar 2010

Legal representation in cases involving mistreated animals has been compulsory since 1992 in the Zurich canton. But pet politics could be taken to a new level if voters extend the right to the other 25 mini-states.

"It is not about Paris Hilton's dog now needing a lawyer to represent its interests," said Antoine Goetschel, Switzerland's only lawyer mandated by his canton in Zurich to handle animal welfare cases.

It is about protecting animals who are harmed by the very people who are meant to take care of them, said Mr Goetschel who is "very happy" about the referendum debate.

The quirky lawyers-for-animals poll is a new example of Switzerland's "direct democracy" in which any citizen who collects 100,000 signatures from eligible voters can force a nationwide referendum on their chosen cause.

Among the 50 cases Mr Goetschel is dealing with at the moment is one of a horse that was stabbed 30 times before it died.

Past cases of zoophilia include a person who kept 150 cats but could not take care of them.

"The animal welfare attorney is such a visionary and wise instrument because the animal has a voice in criminal procedures against the person who usually has the responsibility for it," he noted.

The problem is that the animal has "no rights", unlike humans who can prosecute the person who has caused harm, said Mr Goetschel.

Environment groups, the Green and Socialist parties are supporting the initiative. But the government, parliament and the country's biggest party, the far-right Swiss People's Party, are against.

The strongest opposition is in the countryside. "It will generate too much bureaucracy," complained Urs Schneider, spokesman for the Swiss Farmers' Union. "Switzerland already has existing laws to protect animals," he said.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/7373154/Switzerland-to-vote-on-appointing-lawyers-for-abused-pets.html