Dusty i sent a email to Chris told her i was very sorry about her best friend going to the next world.

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HEART OF THE WOLF ORGANIZATION NEWS 11/24/2009

Check out these stories folks. Have a great holiday.
http://www.heartofthewolf.org/HoWWolfNewsUpdate112420098
http://www.heartofthewolf.org/HoWOWolfDogNewsUpdate11242009.html
http://www.heartofthewolf.org/GoWOWolfMediaNewsUpdate11242009.html

Mike Wagner
Founder and Director of Heart of the Wolf Organization
http://www.heartofthewolf.org/StopTheHunt.html

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If you're in the UK and know anyone who can offer homes to any of these poor chickens, please call the mobile number below. This message (below) is from a friend of mine. Please forward even if you may not be able to help. Thank you. C x

yesterday a friend came over and asked if i knew anyone that'd be able to give a home to some hens, there's about 200 that need rescuing very soon or they're going to slaughter. they're on a free range farm in Ditchling west sussex uk and just 18 months old so just passed their productive peak so the farms "re stocking". it's obviously quite desperate now and i've emailed everyone i know and posted on facebook. i wonder if you know anyone that might be able to help, they can contact sue on 0797 420 199. my friend sophie was telling me the rescuers are getting really distraught now.. it's so awful, i wish i could help but i have nothing suitable for housing.

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RIP dear 'Tyke'- please light a candle in memory of him

Please read the very touching appeal below

'PACT' animal sanctuary in Norfolk (UK) can be visited here http://www.pactsanctuary.org/

Email Chris at 'PACT' to please send your comforting messages pactsanctuary@aol.com

Many thanks

SWAP team UK

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Please help us to Keep Cruelty History.

This weekend is the start of the traditional hunting season - a time when hunts could chase foxes, dig them out of holes and then set dogs on them, allowing them to be ripped apart. For ‘fun’.

The Hunting Act made that activity illegal, but it didn’t eradicate it. But nor did the Theft Act eradicate burglary. We knew that there would be a hard core of hunters who’d stick two fingers up to the law and carry on regardless. And sadly, this hard core has high profile political support.

Some politicians want to bring back hunting, and the Conservative leader David Cameron has promised a free vote on the issue if his party wins the next General Election. The Liberal Democrats have said that the issue “isn’t on the agenda” and Labour have pledged to enforce the Hunting Act.

We need you to contact the candidates in your area to find out if they support the Hunting Act, or want to see it repealed.

Opinion polling we published at the beginning of October shows that public support for the Hunting Act is actually increasing. Three quarters of the public support the ban on fox hunting, 84% support the ban on stag hunting, and 85% on hare hunting and hare coursing. Well over 70% of people in rural communities support the ban. And a majority of supporters of all three main political parties support the ban.

But regardless of that evidence, some politicians want to turn the clock back to cruelty. Please help us to Keep Cruelty History by contacting your candidates now. And please tell us about any response you get.

Please visit the Keep Cruelty History website.

Finally, hunting features in this Sunday’s edition of ‘Countryfile’ (BBC1, 7pm), with our chairman being interviewed by John Craven. Do tune in!

Thank you for your support.

Joshua Kaile
Parliamentary & Political Officer

PS  If you would like to donate to our campaigning work, please click here please visit the League Against Cruel Sports website 

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News from 1 World Scotland: It has been revealed that First Minister Alex Salmond recently served up Foie Gras at official Scottish Government engagements at Bute House in Edinburgh. As you'll no doubt know this 'delicacy' is produced by force feeding ducks until their livers are engorged and literally bursting, the method is banned in the UK. Protest emails can be sent to Alex.Salmond.msp@scottish.parliament.uk
<mailto:Alex.Salmond.msp@scottish.parliament.uk>
 Please make sure you provide your postal address including in emails

: http://www.bunnyhuggers.org.uk <http://www.bunnyhuggers.org.uk/>

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Signed all petitions I was able to and sent emails. I noticed on this thread mention of circuses and the conditions animals are forced to live in, so I hope it is ok to post a link here for a petition that's asking for help for the animals of Lujan Zoo: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/Lujan-Zoo-petition

Please forward to your friends as well, as signatures have been slow. Thank you. And thanks to Dusty for all these stories and the links supplied so we're able to respond and do something positivie to help.

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Dear All,

Next week Clover is intending to proceed with the debate (and vote) on her Animals (Regulation of Sale) Bill in the Lower House. This is expected to occur on Thursday 22 October at 4.30 pm.

I am contacting you to see if you can attend this debate to support the bill and the wider campaign to improve animal welfare. There is room for quite a few people so please feel free to attend with supporters.

Your presence in the gallery is not likely to change how MPs will vote but it would give Clover support and send a strong message that people want the current situation to change and will continue to campaign for this issue until there is reform. There are strict rules of conduct in the gallery so you will not be able to contribute to debate and will have to keep very quiet.

If you can come, Parliament House is on Macquarie Street in the city (between the hospital and the library): you need to walk through the gates, up the stairs, through security and then to the front desk and staff there will take you in to the gallery.

Also, if you can do one last thing to get Government support for the bill (and an inquiry into companion animal welfare which I understand the opposition will propose), I encourage you to call the Premier's office early next week (9228 5239) and leave a message for Premier Rees that you would like his party to support the bill. A simple message is all that is needed.

Please call Clover’s office (02) 9360 3053 and leave your name and contact no. if you are able to be there as I have been asked to give approximate numbers of people who will be attending.

Best wishes

Tammie

Tammie Nardone

Research Assistant/ Policy Officer for Clover Moore MP

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Wow Marc.....there are some real assholes out there.  I've received a few email blocks (returned as undeliverable...guess they got flooded or something) but have not received anything like this. Will double check my inbox now though.  I've been so caught up in emailing stuff and making calls for Leigh that I've not had much time to post anything anywhere

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Anybody got e-mail responses? I had several,some declaring they sell also fur-free sporrans and there was also one disgusting response from james@clanpringle.org.uk :

Marc,

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Support the week of action against real-fur sporrans! 28th Sept-4th Oct. Take Action now!

In Scotland one of the most common uses of real fur is the production of sporrans. Recently the EU introduced a ban on trading in seal products but annually 45 million animals, including fox, badger, beaver and rabbit, continue to be brutally killed for their skins.

But fur is not just inhumane, it raises serious environmental concerns. A ranch- raised coat requires 20 times more energy than manufacturing a synthetic one. Fur farms produce massive amounts of animal waste, a major contributor to global warming.

Edinburgh the Fur-Free City has called a Week of Action across Scotland from 28th September - 4th October for everyone to speak out against real-fur sporrans. Communities in different parts of Scotland – including Borders, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Perth, North Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire and West Lothian – are gearing up to participate in the Week of Action, and thousands of people have signed the petition banning the importation of fur into UK markets.

E-action from 28th September!!!

Please take part in the e-protest and support the local actions taking place across Scotland. List of all shops/manufacturers to be emailed, faxed, phoned etc is here http://www.edinburghfurfreecity.co.uk/shops.php and a block email address is available at the end of this email with a sample letter

More about sporrans here http://www.edinburghfurfreecity.co.uk/sporrans.php

---------------------

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Emails

info@21stcenturykilts.com,ccckiltuk@aol.com,ccckilt@aol.com,Enquiry@Chris-Ross.Com,qualitykilts@yahoo.co.uk,denise@ekilts.com,enquiries@geoffreykilts.co.uk,info@getshirty.com,sales@giftsofscotland.com,sales@hector-russell.com,info@highlanderkilthire.com,james@clanpringle.org.uk,edinburgh@kilthire.com,dundee@kilthire.com,musselburgh@kilthire.com,enquiries@kinlochanderson.com,

onlineshop@kinlochanderson.com,mail@manacraft.co.uk,info@marchbrae.co.uk,info@mccalls.co.uk,info@nicolsonhighlandwear.co.uk,prideofscotland@hotmail.co.uk,todd@macdonaldkiltmakers.co.uk,

info@rendallsofedinburgh.com,customerenquiries@ewm.co.uk,info@scotclans.com,info@scotweb.co.uk,slanjaberdeen@btconnect.com,slanj@btconnect.com,info@stkildaretail.co.uk,customerenquiries@ewm.co.uk

,customerservice@ewm.co.uk,marketing@ewm.co.uk

,recruitment@ewm.co.uk,property@ewm.co.uk,sourcing@ewm.co.uk,enquiries@topkilts.co.uk

,info@rosekilts.com

,info@tynesidetartans.com,scottishsporrans@btconnect.com,sales@morrison-sporrans.co.uk,sales@macdonald-sporrans.com,sales@caledoniancreations.co.uk, info@edinburghfurfreecity.co.uk

Sample letter

I am absolutely appalled to learn that you still sell real-fur sporrans.

More than 50 million animals are killed each year just for their fur - either bred and raised in small barren cages on factory fur farms or caught in the wild by brutal steel-jawed leg-hold traps.

I am asking you to help save dogs, cats, foxes, rabbits, and other fur-bearing animals from unnecessary suffering in the name of "fashion" by choosing not to sell any real-fur sporrans or accessories.

Opinion polls conducted over the last 10 years have consistently shown that more than 70% of people in the UK reject fur and only 4% own anything made from fur.  By adopting a no-fur policy, and making available faux-fur sporrans, your company can be one of the first in Scotland to end this unnecessary and cruel fashion choice and allow consumers to shop with confidence.

Please take an ethical stance and stand against fur fashion - by adpoting faux-fur sporrans. By adopting a no-fur policy, your company can be one of the first in Scotland to end this unnecessary and cruel fashion choice and allow consumers to shop with confidence.

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Despite widespread condemnation of the cruelty behind foie gras, and a ban on its production in the UK, Selfridges continues to sell this so-called delicacy in its London store. To produce foie gras, ducks and geese are painfully force-fed through a long metal pipe until their livers swell up to ten times their normal size. Please politely contact Selfridges and request that it stops selling this cruel product in its London store, as it already has done in its other UK stores.

Write to:
Selfridges London
400 Oxford Street
London W1A 1AB

Telephone: 0800 123 400 / 0800 138 8383

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Tell Tesco to go vegan!

Juliet Gellatley of Viva! met with Tesco this summer to discuss their provision for vegans. Tesco stated that they are interested in trialling new vegan products but expressed concern that people are not asking them for lists of vegan foods or 'demanding' more vegan products. Whether you are vegan or not wouldn't it be wonderful to have major food outlets supplying more delicious vegan foods that help save animals and the planet!

Please write to their Customer Services NOW! They want to hear what you'd like them to stock, and/or what you'd like them to 'veganise'. Or you may want a list of the vegan foods they already stock.

You can contact them at:

Email:customer.service@tesco.co.uk

By phone: 0845 7225533, 8am to 11pm Monday to Friday, 9am to 8pm Saturday and 10am to 6pm Sunday

By Post

Tesco Customer Service

PO Box 73

Baird Avenue

Dryburgh Industrial Estate

Dundee

DD1 9NF

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Call on Subway to end cruel slaughter methods

It has emerged that 78 Subway deli stores across the UK are selling Halal meat from unstunned animals. Please help us persuade them to end this cruel practice, which is illegal apart from for so-called religious slaughter.

Animals killed in this manner have their throats cut whilst fully conscious; bleeding to death in terror and pain. The suffering and welfare implications of it are so extreme that the Government’s own welfare advisory body – the Farm Animal Welfare Council (FAWC) – have now twice asked for it to be banned.

Subway’s current policy also goes against the wishes of most British Muslims, as the majority of Halal meat sold in the UK comes from animals that have been stunned. Viva! is, of course, against the killing of any animal, but, in essence, there is no difference between Halal slaughter with pre-stunning and all other slaughter. There is no reason for Subway to be selling the meat from animals that have suffered so extremely.

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I recently wrote to you about the chilling details of what really goes on in the dark world of vivisection. Following a dogged campaign in which we employed the Freedom of Information Act, Oxford University has released information concerning the cruel treatment that a macaque named Felix endured when vivisectors conducted disabling and invasive experiments on his brain.

This is the first time that a UK laboratory has effectively been forced to reveal secrets of this kind to the public, and it means that we are now able to evaluate the government's decision to grant a license to perform an experiment – and try to hold someone accountable.

We must now build on this historic precedent and use the information gained to help save other animals who are every bit as vulnerable and sentient as Felix was.

We need you to take two vital steps today to help us fight against cruel vivisection:

1) Contact the government minister to demand that European law is changed to reduce animal suffering and to support more accurate non-animal tests.

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Dear Animal Activist,

Letters Needed

Please write a short, courteous email or letter to RSPCA CEO in Canberra Michael Linke asking why they did not prosecute Pace Farms when they were shown the horrific conditions during depopulation last year. Below is an example letter.

E mlinke@rspca-act.org.au W www.rspca-act.org.au
P 02 6287 8102   M 0419 123 234   F 02 6288 3184
PO Box 3082, WESTON ACT 2611 Australia


Dear Mr Linke,

I have just viewed a You Tube video which was taken by a person
working at Pace Farms in August 2008.  I watched the video to the end and
to my horror it said the 'RSPCA did not prosecute Pace due to lack of
evidence'.

It was shocking to view this footage, and even more shocking to know
that not a single, solitary action is being taken against Pace Farms. What
kind of evidence does the RSPCA need if this film was, according to RSPCA,
'insufficient'.

May I ask why you did not prosecute Pace? It was one of the most
horrific films of cruelty I had seen. Pace Farms has been in the media over
many years and yet with this damning film, RSPCA still turned a blind eye.
I would appreciate an explanation as to why you did not prosecute.
Yours sincerely

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WEEK OF ACTION AGAINST GREYHOUND RACING IN IRELAND
August 24th - 30th, 2009

"Kicking off a visual demonstration outside Harold’s cross stadium and working our way with the help
of local activists in Northern Ireland down through Cork city, campaigners and supporters of Animal
Rights Action Network held peaceful protests and tabling events to highlight the cruel greyhound
racing industry in Ireland."

More, plus pictures, at http://www.indymedia.ie/article/94018

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Dear Dusty,

Our bi-monthly update took a bit longer than 2 weeks since the last issue. But that’s because after the fayre (of which we have a fantastic video here http://vimeo.com/6312197) , we’ve been busy with the launch of the week of action against real-fur sporrans – 28th Sep – 4th October. In your diary, please!

Sporrans are made of fur from seals, mink, fox, chinchilla, rabbit, badger, skink, bobcat, beaver, muskrat, and musquash - and killing methods include skinning alive, anal electrocution, genital electrocution, gradual beating, neck breaking and twisting, poisoning, gassing, clubbing, stomping amongst others.

We’ve already contacted all sporran retailers in Edinburgh, and the majority of the sporran makers in Scotland – and have sent them plenty of information on where to get excellent quality fake-fur, and fake-fur sporrans. And we’ve asked them to go fur-free by the end of September.
Which is when the week of action kicks in.

We have been protesting, leafleting holding all sorts of events for 2 years to raise awareness of this issue and now when we really need your help and support! Well, we need a couple of hours of your time on one of the days within the week really, to speak up for the animals. Not a lot, is it? We’d send you the leaflets and materials, all you need to do is distribute them and raise awareness in your local area near a sporran shop. See what towns have signed up already and if there is not one in your area, organize one! www.edinburghfurfreecity.co.uk/woasp.php and email us at info@edinburghfurfreecity.co.uk
-------------------------

28th Sep-4th Oct: Week of action against real fur sporrans
Various actions, get in touch at info@edinburghfurfreecity.co.uk
2nd-Oct-4th Oct: Protest (camp) at sporran maker - location TBC nearer the date. Email info@edinburghfurfreecity.co.uk for details
Other dates and towns participating available here www.edinburghfurfreecity.co.uk/woasp.php
Real-fur sporrans have been largely ignored and a few hours of your time would help. We cant emphasise enough how important it is to take a united form of action now and speak up against sporrans - leafletting in a small town on your own might not seem like much, but it makes a huge difference when put together with everyone's actions!

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While it is widely known that China and Korea are bastions of animal cruelty, the situation though not as publicized is parallel in Vietnam. Dog and cat meat is consumed and bile is extracted from moon bears in each of these countries. The following is a description of bile extraction in Vietnam:  "The bear lies helpless on the ground. For the fourth time this month, she’s been drugged with ketamine – an illegal substance in Vietnam used by the farmers to render the bears unconscious and take their bile. Her eyes blink and her paws move as the operator jabs a four-inch needle into her abdomen time and time again, trying to locate her gall bladder. Once located, the mechanical pump is turned on and her bile runs into a jar while a crowd of Korean tourists look on smiling and hand over their money to buy a hangover cure." Animals Asia
This cruelty persists despite legislation which bans it in Vietnam, as this practice is endorsed by the general population. To voice your protest send a letter to help@moonbears.co.uk
-------------------------

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Up to date on everything. Thanks

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 [ accepted]

General anti-fur actions around May 2nd

The fashion chain Cruise today gave a statement saying that they will no longer sell any fur in any of their stores, whether it is their own products or other brands which they stock.

See below the statement which Cruise is sending out to those who wrote in following the CAFT email alert and website item. It appears that they are gradually going through all the people who have written to them and replying with this statement, so it may take some time before they get round to everyone.

Whilst we would like people to write to Cruise to congratulate them on their compassionate decision, see below for the contact details, we urge you also to be vigilant and to keep checking Cruise stores to ensure this policy is upheld in all their branches, in particular in Autumn and Winter.

Thanks and well done to all those who contacted Cruise, it shows how working together we can make a difference.

The statement comes just ahead of a day of action which had been planned for next week, so assuming all Cruise stores are now fur free, the day of action on Saturday 2 May will not now take place. Protests were due to take place in at least 10 towns and cities across the UK and others were being planned, so well done to those activists who took the time to plan a demo.

There is no other national fashion chain we are aware of that still sells fur, so instead we urge all anti fur campaigners to turn it into a general anti-fur day/weekend of action and hold protests at shops selling fur on or near to Saturday 2 May. If possible let us know in advance and we will help publicise the demos, and send us reports and photos afterwards. If you need leafets/posters etc, let us know and we can send you some.

thanks from CAFT

Dear

The Board of Directors’ at Cruise some time ago took the decision to no longer use
fur in own bought products.

Having reviewed our policy further, the Board has taken the decision that from today
Cruise no longer wishes to stock fur products form its branded suppliers.

Our current spring / summer range contains NO fur products.

We have no fur or fur products in our A/W 2009 range.

cruise | head office I 180 ingram st glasgow g1 1dn
E: press@cruiseclothing.co.uk
www.cruiseclothing.co.uk

You can write to Cruise at the above email address to congratulate them on their compassionate decision, but as we said please do check your local Cruise store to ensure that all their branches adhere to their fur-free policy.

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Millions of chickens are facing being squashed together in smaller spaces if new EU law is taken up by the UK government. Chickens need space to walk, flap their wings, perch and peck – with insufficient room to move they develop skin and leg problems too.

Shoppers, farmers and retailers are calling for better welfare for chickens bred for meat, yet the UK government is considering adopting a new EU legal minimum that will see each chicken have the equivalent of less than one sheet of A4 paper.

WSPA is backing the RSPCA's Quash the Squash campaign, asking people to sign an e-petition to demand the UK government improve chicken welfare not worsen it. By taking this action, you will be sent to a RSPCA form which will allow you to sign the Quash The Squash e-petition.

" conversion="true">Please support this campaign now >>

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Dear Supporter

When Alma the golden eagle chick was fitted with a satellite tag it allowed hundreds of people to follow her movements as she left the nest, spread her huge wings and took to the skies above Scotland.

When those movements came to a sudden halt in July, everyone feared the worst. Soon after, Alma was found dead. She had been poisoned; the second golden eagle to be illegally killed in Scotland this year.

It was a cruel end to the research work of eagle expert Roy Dennis, who said: “Alma lived for just two years and we had been looking forward to her becoming an adult and choosing a mate and a nest. She was helping us learn so much about the cultural behaviour of eagles. Her dreadful loss saddens us, robs us of an important scientific project and robs her of her life.”

The killing of golden eagles is limiting their numbers in Scotland and preventing their spread into England. Many of us are denied the sight of them as they soar and glide on great, fingered wings.

Nor is it just golden eagles that suffer. Across the UK, birds of prey are the victims of shooting, trapping and poisoning at the hands of a selfish minority. Last year, the victims included a white-tailed eagle, five peregrines, 15 red kites and no fewer than 38 buzzards.

This is why we have been running a campaign calling for an end to the illegal killing of birds of prey. These crimes are cruel and needless. We need your support to show that the vast majority of people want them to be a thing of the past.

Sign a pledge now to save our birds of prey.

To learn more about Alma, visit Roy Dennis's website.

Thank you so much.

Bob Elliot
Head of Investigations, RSPB Scotland

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Will do. Thanks

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 [ accepted]

Dear Animal Activist,

WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT!
 
The ACT Government will debate in the next couple of weeks whether or not to implement the Greens' Bill to ban battery cages in the ACT. If the bill is implemented the ACT will be the first state in Australia to ban battery cages. However we need your help to influence the politicians who will be voting yes or no. Please view the following footage and leave a comment:
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrmLF87Ytdk
 
This link contains footage from last year's depopulation* at Pace Egg Farm in Parkwood, Canberra. If the Bill is passed then this place will be shut down.
 
The more people who see this the more we may influence the powers-at-be to vote for this historic ban. Please send this link to as many people as you can. We will be sending the link to the MLAs before the Bill is debated in parliament.
 
Thank you,
Animal Liberation ACT

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All done & up to date. Thanks Everyone.

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 [ accepted]

All actions taken xx

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 [ accepted]

As it enters its fourth week, the Chicken Out! 39 Days campaign is really gaining momentum. We’ve had over 2500 new people sign up, received coverage in local and national media and our chicken blog is sparking some lively debate.

A landmark government decision on chicken welfare is imminent. We urgently need your help to stop millions of chickens enduring even worse conditions than they currently are.

You may remember that a few months back, Defra announced plans to review the law on stocking densities for meat chickens to bring them in line with new EU standards- allowing even more birds to be crammed into an already unacceptably small area.

We asked your help then to send a message to the animal welfare minister before the consultation period came to an end - then Hugh presented a giant petition postcard to the Ministry on behalf of our campaign.

The government have now indicated that a decision could be made as soon as this month - so we need to show the government just how strongly the British people feel about chicken welfare.

Please take a couple of minutes to send an urgent email to the new Defra minister, Jim Fitzpatrick, asking him not to compromise the welfare of millions of British chickens.

And encourage your friends, family and colleagues to join the campaign at this critical time by forwarding this email on. Together, we are making our voices heard, and legislators, retailers and producers are beginning to listen. But every person who joins us makes our campaign stronger and brings a free-range future one step closer.

It’s day 23 in the broiler shed and the cramped, dirty conditions are taking their toll on our intensively-reared chick. What’s more, he’s now grown so quickly that his legs are struggling to hold the weight of his heavy body. Read what a typical factory-farmed chicken goes through in the 39 Day blog.

Conditions are very different for free-range birds, whose growth rate is more natural and who have access to the outdoors. We believe that all chickens deserve a free-range life.

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correspondence concerning animal welfare
issues associated with commercial kangaroo harvesting.  I have been
requested to reply to you on the Premier's behalf.

The kangaroo is an iconic Australian animal.  It is also the foundation
of an important commercial industry that supports regional communities
across Australia.  The Kangaroo Industry Association of Australia
reports that the commercial kangaroo industry provides over 4000 jobs
and contributes approximately $270 million annually to regional
economies.

Kangaroo numbers in Australia have increased substantially since
European settlement due to the development of the pastoral industry
resulting in increased availability of food and watering points.  Based
on scientific advice commercial harvesting of the dominant kangaroo
species has been determined to be an ecological sustainable means of
managing Australia's kangaroo population.

Three macropod species are commercially harvested in Queensland for
sustainable management and conservation purposes.  These are the eastern
grey kangaroo, the red kangaroo and the wallaroo.

The commercial harvesting of kangaroos in Queensland is strictly
monitored and controlled by the Department of Environment and Resource
Management (DERM) under the Nature Conservation (Macropod) Conservation
Plan 2005.

The Wildlife Trade Management Plan for Export - Commercially Harvested
Macropods (2008-2012) is administered under the Nature Conservation Act
1992.  This legislation prescribes how the commercial harvesting of
kangaroos will be achieved in a sustainable and conservative manner.

The industry operates under an annual quota system limiting the number
of animals that can be sustainably harvested.  Aerial surveys are
conducted annually to determine the kangaroo population with the harvest
quota typically being set at between 10 to 20 percent of the population
depending on the population density.  A harvest period is issued by DERM
and outlines the start and finish date of a harvest season.  This period
is continuously monitored and reviewed and can be adjusted to
accommodate varying factors such as drought.

In Queensland a licence or permit is required for the commercial
harvesting of kangaroos.  To obtain a licence the applicant is required
to complete a TAFE training course and firearms competency training.
Harvesting can only take place on properties where prior approval has
been obtained and the information is recorded on the licence.

Additionally, the National Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of
Kangaroos and Wallabies for Commercial Purposes 2008 has been produced
to ensure that all harvesting of kangaroos is undertaken in a way that
minimises pain and suffering.  The Code also provides for the humane
euthanising of pouch young and young at foot.  The working group that
produced the Code included representatives from Commonwealth, State and
Territory Government authorities responsible for kangaroo management and
welfare, the kangaroo industry, the Royal Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) and Animals Australia.  The working group
also sought public comment on the revision of the Code.

The commercial kangaroo industry operates under a national code of
practice for the humane shooting of kangaroos and wallabies.  This code
outlines the minimal standards of humane conduct that is mandatory under
the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Act 1999.  The
code is reviewed every 5 years and was reviewed and endorsed by the
Natural Resource Management Ministerial Council on 7 November 2008.

It is also a requirement under the Animal Care and Protection Act 2001
(ACPA) that commercial harvesting be conducted in a humane manner
without cruelty.

The Kangaroo Industry Development Committee brings together industry
representatives, researchers, government, educators and regulatory
bodies to support the industry adapt to changed circumstances following
the suspension of access to the Russian market from 1 August 2009.

The Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation, in
conjunction with other agencies, is coordinating a response to ensure
the impact of these changes to industry and regional communities is
minimised.  The committee will investigate whole of industry issues and
strive to find long-term sustainable solutions.

The overriding issue for the Queensland Government is the conservation
of the three commercially harvested species of kangaroo in healthy
populations.

Again, thank you for bringing your views to the Premier's attention.

Yours sincerely     


Nick Williams
Senior Policy Advisor 

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I just heard over the wire that Sandbag is coming home TOMORROW......has anyone in the UK got an update on this?????

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P&G HIT BY GLOBAL PROTESTS OVER TORTUROUS TESTING

Dear Dusty

This year’s 13th Global Boycott Procter & Gamble Day, spearheaded by Uncaged, was certainly unlucky for the animal testing corporation, but offered new hope for the innocent animals who continue to suffer at the hands of P&G.

Once again on the 3rd Saturday of May, thousands of campaigners from all four corners of the planet united to call for an end to P&G’s cruel and gratuitous animal testing. This year’s protest was given added momentum by the focus on the notorious ‘Herbal Essences’, now dubbed ‘Hurtful Essences’ by animal advocates. Simplifying the message to just one well-known brand has both sharpened the impact of the campaign as well as providing a gateway for many more people join the fight against animal testing by P&G and other violent companies and institutions.

We pay tribute to all our friends across the world who joined in, including in the UK: Preston, Liverpool, Plymouth, Winchester, Brighton, Exeter, Cambridge, Canterbury, London, Manchester, Chester, Southend, Glasgow, Bridgend, Swindon, Melton Mowbray, Sheffield and Orpington. More protests took place across the world, including: Russia, USA, Mexico, Canada, chile, Croatia, Belgium, Spain and Ireland.

A summary of the day's events can be found on our website, while a comprehensive range of photos and reports can be seen here. We've also got some inspiring text reports on our Hurtful Essences facebook page. They show how the campaign always receives an overwhelmingly positive response from the public, and so is one of the most effective projects for animal advocates to participate in.

The thousands of animals suffering at P&G’s hands desperately need you to stand up for them. Please click here to find out how you can get involved and for a preview of next year’s day of action, which we’ve brought forward a week to Saturday 8th May 2010 to avoid clashing with Veggie Pride.
 

With best wishes

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Dear WSPA Supporter

Millions of chickens are facing being squashed together in smaller spaces if new EU law is taken up by the UK government.

Chickens need space to walk, flap their wings, perch and peck – with insufficient room to move they develop skin and leg problems too.

Shoppers, farmers and retailers are calling for better welfare for chickens bred for meat, yet the UK government is considering adopting a new EU ‘legal minimum that will see each chicken have the equivalent of LESS THAN ONE SHEET OF A4 PAPER.

The RSPCA Quash the Squash campaign is asking people to sign an e-petition to demand the UK government to IMPROVE chicken welfare not WORSEN it.

WSPA is calling on you to back this call to give chickens more space now. Take action now >>

By taking this action, you will be sent to a RSPCA form which will allow you to sign the 'Quash The Squash 'e-petition. 

Gitte Buchhave

Regional Director

WSPA UK

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Video shows Brit nellie cruelty

The Sun - UK, 19 August 2009

Secret video released today showed an elephant from a popular UK touring circus being hit and jabbed around the head with hooks and a pitchfork.

Undercover filming shows one of three elephants at the Great British Circus being struck in the face with a metal hook, a broom and a pitchfork.

Yesterday The Great British Circus confirmed that a keeper had been sacked after reporting of the cruelty allegations.

They said his actions were "completely wrong."

The film was secretly taken by animal rights group Animal Defenders International and is likely to raise concerns once again about the use of animals in touring circuses.

A long metal elephant hook is used to hit an elephant across the face during training and a smaller one which, concealed in the palm of the hand, is used in the ring. A worker is also seen twisting an elephant's tail.


The animal rights group claim the footage shows why wild circus animals should be banned in the UK.

The group claimed the video shows how the circus elephants were confined for long periods of the day in a small tent and chained tightly every night for up to eleven hours.

During one move from Watford to Bushey in Hertforshire on 19 July, the elephants were kept inside the transporters for seven and a half hours - though the distance travelled was just five and a half miles.

Chief executive of the ADI animal rights group Jan Creamer said: "This is not about one bad apple. This is about a culture of violence and confinement.

"In the name of entertainment these elephants are beaten, jabbed with hooks, chained up for hours every day, and pushed into a metal box each week, where they remain for hours on end whilst the circus moves to another site."

"The circus themselves have admitted that they use 'negative reinforcement' which shows that violence towards animals is a part of the life of a circus.

"This is simply unacceptable. It is the fault of the Government who have failed to fulfil their commitment to ban the use of wild animals in travelling circuses, ignoring the evidence and the recommendations of all major animal welfare groups.

"It is time for the Government to act decisively and end this suffering once and for all."

The Great British Circus has been touring the UK since February this year and features two Asian and one African elephant Sonja, Vana Mana and Delhi.

Mr Chris Barltrop, a spokesman for the circus, said the former employee's behaviour had been "insupportable and completely wrong" and the circus had taken immediate action against him.

The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs allowed the elephants to be brought into the country by the Great British Circus to tour this year.

Circus director Martin Lacey admitted on his blog that "unacceptable behaviour" had led to the sacking.

"The Great British Circus does not condone any mistreatment of animals and as soon as unacceptable behaviour of one of the elephant grooms was discovered he was dismissed," he wrote.

However he said the circus took veterinary advice from "world experts" and "it was perfectly acceptable for elephants to wait in their travel accommodation, with food and water."

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/2596354/Video-shows-Brit-nellie-cruelty.html

www.ad-international.org

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Circus elephants filmed being hit and chained up

Daily Telegraph online - UK,

Campaigners have released footage which they claim shows captive elephants suffering at the hands of their keepers.

Animal Defenders International (ADI) said elephants in the Great British Circus were hit in the face, kept chained and confined to their transport vehicle for up to 11 hours a day and showed disturbed behaviour.

They called for a ban on the use of wild animals in British circuses.

But the circus, which features the two Asian and one African elephants, said a keeper who had been found to be hitting the animals was "instantly sacked".

Chris Barltrop, spokesman for the circus, said the former employee's behaviour had been "insupportable and completely wrong" and the circus had taken immediate action against him.

Jan Creamer, chief executive of ADI, said the undercover footage was an "indictment" of the industry and showed how elephants suffered in travelling circuses.

"In the name of entertainment these elephants are beaten, jabbed with hooks, chained up for hours every day, and pushed into a metal box each week where they remain for hours on end whilst the circus moves to another site.

"Given the circumstances of constant travel, temporary accommodation and small spaces, the use of these animals in circuses cannot be justified.

"The public wants to see a ban, Parliament wants a ban, animal protection groups want a ban. Surely it is time for the Government to take action to stop this suffering right now."

But the Great British Circus said that, apart from the "short time" the animals spent in their transporters - which they said averaged around three hours a fortnight - the elephants had "roomy accommodation" including a stables tent and paddock.

Conditions were frequently inspected by officials and no-one hit the animals, the circus said.

Mr Barltrop said: "The circus is valuable culturally, and people derive benefit and pleasure from seeing animals working with people in harmony. If an individual behaves inappropriately to an animal in any context, a pet owner, farmer or in a circus, action should be taken against that individual."

A spokesman for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, said: "Anyone who is aware or has evidence of a specific animal welfare problem should report it to the relevant authorities immediately so that action can be taken under the Animal Welfare Act, which protects all animals from cruelty.

"Work is currently under way on whether the Government should regulate the use of wild animals in circuses, and is due to be completed later this year - but this does not stop anyone who is aware of a problem from reporting it to the authorities now."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/6054740/Circus-elephants-filmed-being-hit-and-chained-up.html

www.ad-international.org

----
ADI PR Desk
Animal Defenders International
Millbank Tower
Millbank
LONDON, SW1P 4QP, UK
tel.  +44 (0)20 7630 3340
fax.  +44 (0)20 7828 2179
www.ad-international.org

Please sign our petition to replace animal testing in Europe
http://www.ad-international.org/petitions/
www.ad-international.org

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August 19, 2009

Shocking new footage from behind the scenes at the Great British Circus, showing violence and confinement of circus elephants.

Watch the video here

The results of an undercover investigation by Animal Defenders International (ADI) shows the animals being hit in the face, being kept chained and barely able to move for up to 11 hours a day, and displaying disturbed, abnormal behaviour.

The circus, which has been touring the UK since February 2009, features two Asian (Delhi and Wanna Manna) and one African elephant Sonja. Despite the Government’s 2006 promise to ban “certain non-domesticated animals” from travelling circuses.

ADI secured footage from a camera concealed inside the elephant tent of the Great British Circus, which shows a staggeringly high level of casual violence in just a few days of observations. Incidences include elephants being hit in the face with a metal elephant hook, a broom and a pitchfork, a worker cruelly twisting an elephant’s tail, and the frightened animals retreating and crying out when struck or hooked.

They also filmed two elephant hooks being brutally used, a long metal hook was used to hit an elephant across the face during training and a smaller one which was concealed in the palm of the hand and used in the ring, unseen by the unsuspecting audience. ADI footage in slow motion shows how the hook was used on the elephants as they performed and other film shows the elephants reacting and sometimes crying out when the hook is used.

In addition to the casual violence, the elephants were also limited for long periods of the day in a small tent and chained tightly every night for up to eleven hours with only enough room to take one step forward or backwards.

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WHAT YOU CAN DO

Please contact your MP and ask them to sign the following Early Day Motions:

• EDM 976 - Animal Welfare in Circuses (No. 2). Tabled by Mark Pritchard
• EDM 948 - Animal Welfare in Circuses. Tabled by John Austin

Also ask your MP to write to Jim Fitzpatrick MP, Minister of State (Minister for Food, Farming and Environment), urging him to bring in a ban.

If you do not know who your MP is, click here (you can also send an e-mail direct to your MP from this website).

You can also write to Jim Fitzpatrick yourself. We know that many of you contacted his predecessor last year, and thank you for doing so; however, the use of three more elephants means that now is the time for the government to recognise the high level of concern.

Write to DEFRA Minister Jim Fitzpatrick, asking him to implement a ban:

Jim Fitzpatrick MP
Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
Nobel House, 17 Smith Square, London, SW1P 3JR

Jim Fitzpatrick - fitzpatrickj@parliament.uk

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Thanks for sharing all the latest news. Email letters are on the way.

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Help persuade Selfridges to go foie-gras free

Despite stopping selling foie-gras at all its other UK stores, Selfridges persists in selling this ‘torture in a tin’ in its flagship London branch. Viva! have long been campaigning for a change, to follow other large retailers such as House of Fraser and Harvey Nichols who have taken the ethical decision to drop it. We are joining other animal groups in renewing the call for them to drop this pâté made by horrific force feeding of ducks and geese in France. Click here to contact them and add your voice. Find out more about you can get involved in Viva!’s campaign for a foie-gras free Britain here.

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Ban the shooting of seals by fish farmers!

As many as 5,000 seals are shot in Scotland every year. The reason? Because of consumer’s desire for cheap fish. Around 1 million meals containing salmon are eaten in Britain each year, and it is this artificial trade in intensively farmed fish which is driving the bloodshed, as farmers kill seals that catch fish. Yet another example of wild animals suffering because of the greed of the livestock industry.

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Secret video exposes UK circus elephant suffering

August 19, 2009

Shocking new footage from behind the scenes at the Great British Circus, showing violence and confinement of circus elephants.

Watch the video here

The results of an undercover investigation by Animal Defenders International (ADI) shows the animals being hit in the face, being kept chained and barely able to move for up to 11 hours a day, and displaying disturbed, abnormal behaviour.

The circus, which has been touring the UK since February 2009, features two Asian (Delhi and Wanna Manna) and one African elephant Sonja. Despite the Government’s 2006 promise to ban “certain non-domesticated animals” from travelling circuses.

ADI secured footage from a camera concealed inside the elephant tent of the Great British Circus, which shows a staggeringly high level of casual violence in just a few days of observations. Incidences include elephants being hit in the face with a metal elephant hook, a broom and a pitchfork, a worker cruelly twisting an elephant’s tail, and the frightened animals retreating and crying out when struck or hooked.

They also filmed two elephant hooks being brutally used, a long metal hook was used to hit an elephant across the face during training and a smaller one which was concealed in the palm of the hand and used in the ring, unseen by the unsuspecting audience. ADI footage in slow motion shows how the hook was used on the elephants as they performed and other film shows the elephants reacting and sometimes crying out when the hook is used.

In addition to the casual violence, the elephants were also limited for long periods of the day in a small tent and chained tightly every night for up to eleven hours with only enough room to take one step forward or backwards.

When the circus moved to a new location, the elephants were confined to their cramped wagon and forced to wait until their tent was erected, resulting in many hours being shut away. During the move from Watford to Bushey on 19 July, the elephants were kept inside the wagons for seven and a half hours – though the distance travelled was just five and a half miles.

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Stereotypic behaviour was also exhibited by the elephants such as rocking, swaying and head bobbing. Sonja, a wild-caught African elephant, was observed for 11 hours and spent nearly 40% of this time displaying stereotypic behaviour, and the two Asian elephants also showed similar movements. Animal behaviourists believe that this shows that the animal is suffering and is not able to cope with its situation.

CAPS reported that Sonja, now in her 30s was orphaned during a ‘cull’ in the mid-1970s and sold to a circus. Previous evidence obtained by CAPS also reveals that Delhi has previously had problems with her legs, collapsing in Germany in 2008 and 2006. On both occasions it required firefighters with a crane to rescue her. She and her other companion Wanna Manna were sold to circuses by Burmese logging camps.

This is the first time in over a decade in which elephants have been imported for use in a UK circus. Since 2002 only one elephant has been used here - the solitary and arthritic Anne.

Media coverage of the elephants’ arrival has resulted in a backlash from the public, with many people phoning into radio shows or commenting on newspaper websites, expressing their disgust that animals are still used in circuses.

CAPS will ensure that these three elephants keep the debate about animal circuses clearly in the public light. Protests are organised at this and other animal circuses, please contact CAPS to get involved.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Please contact your MP and ask them to sign the following Early Day Motions:

• EDM 976 - Animal Welfare in Circuses (No. 2). Tabled by Mark Pritchard
• EDM 948 - Animal Welfare in Circuses. Tabled by John Austin

Also ask your MP to write to Jim Fitzpatrick MP, Minister of State (Minister for Food, Farming and Environment), urging him to bring in a ban.

If you do not know who your MP is, click here (you can also send an e-mail direct to your MP from this website).

You can also write to Jim Fitzpatrick yourself. We know that many of you contacted his predecessor last year, and thank you for doing so; however, the use of three more elephants means that now is the time for the government to recognise the high level of concern.

Write to DEFRA Minister Jim Fitzpatrick, asking him to implement a ban:

Jim Fitzpatrick MP
Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
Nobel House, 17 Smith Square, London, SW1P 3JR

You can also contact Jim Fitzpatrick direct via his e-mail address - jim.fitzpatrick@dft.gsi.gov.uk

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~ NEWS ~

Greyhound/lurcher left to starve to death in Scotland

13.08.09

The Scottish SPCA is hunting the callous person who left a starving dog to die, tied up inside a plastic bin bag at a roundabout in Dumfries.

Scotland’s animal welfare charity has urged anyone with information to come forward after the dog was discovered by council workers at Garroch Loaning roundabout near Garroch business park, Dumfries, on Tuesday morning at around 11am (11 August).

Please click here to read the full story and why the Scottish SPCA have legal powers, unlike their English counterparts, the RSPCA.

http://greytexploitations.com/latest-news

Many thanks, as always, for your continued support and caring for the greyhounds.

www.greytexploitations.com

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No Place Like Home - New film exposes reality of zoo life

No Place Like Home is the new film from CAPS exposing conditions in UK zoos and explaining why they should be phased out.

Watch a five minute clip click here or buy the full film here on DVD.

Zoos in this country are often seen as amongst the ‘best’ in the world but as our exposé reveals, animals are still lingering in miserable conditions, all so people can enjoy a day out.

Filmed over the past two years in zoos across the UK, including safari parks and aquaria, No Place Like Home looks at issues of conservation and education and reveals shocking conditions in zoos, including:

• A gorilla repeatedly regurgitating food and eating it
• Numerous cases of stereotypic behaviours such as big cats pacing, elephants weaving and reptiles pushing against glass
• Small enclosures restricting movement and offering no stimulation

In several zoos animals continue to be used as circus performers – sealions balancing balls, elephants and parrots performing tricks.

For more information check out our website

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Protest against The O2 Arena's Use of Animals

The O2 Arena in London is hosting a production of Ben Hur from the 17th - 20th September 2009, using 100 animals including horses, camels, donkeys, chickens, falcons and eagles.

Inevitably this will involve distress to the animals, through training and temporary housing at an arena not designed for animals. In addition they will be exposed to the noise and lights of the production itself.

The show will also be touring across Europe and performing for 1-3 nights at different venues, requiring the animals to be transported for long periods.

Over the last few months CAPS has attempted to discuss the issue with The 02 but it has been unable to answer simple questions about animal welfare.

Please contact The 02, asking them not to allow any other animal performances to take place in the future:

Customer Services and Public Enquiries
The O2
Peninsula Square, London, SE10 0DX
Email: customerservices@theo2.co.uk
Telephone: 020 8463 2000

Also contact AEG, owners of The 02:

Mr Paul Samuels, Executive Director
AEG Europe, The Studio, The O2, London, SE10 0DX

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Urge Haringey Council to keep circus ban

London’s Haringey Council has voted to overturn a long-standing ban on animal circuses and is to allow domestic animal acts for a trial period of one year.

Please urge this Labour-controlled council to revert to its full ban, introduced in 1983.

The policy change was adopted at a recent Cabinet meeting, apparently after one animal circus approached the council. Yet it seems that the council did not consult any animal protection organisation to seek comments.

CAPS is also concerned that the policy change may have been done in part for financial reasons, with the council’s report stating that allowing some animal acts “would support delivery of income generation from events use of our parks sites, and thus contribute to our revenue strategy”.

Please contact Haringey Council today, urging them to revert to their full ban as the only way to ensure the protection of animals.

What You Can Do:

Send an e-mail to the following councillors:

gina.adamou@haringey.gov.uk, Charles.adje@haringey.gov.uk, ron.aitken@haringey.gov.uk, karen.alexander2@haringey.gov.uk, rachel.allison@haringey.gov.uk, kaushika.amin@haringey.gov.uk, carolyn.baker@haringey.gov.uk, claire.kober@haringey.gov.uk, kaushika.amin@haringey.gov.uk, nilgun.canver@haringey.gov.uk, lorna.reith@haringey.gov.uk, brian.haley@haringey.gov.uk, bob.harris@haringey.gov.uk, john.bevan@haringey.gov.uk, dhiren.basu@haringey.gov.uk, dilek.dogus@haringey.gov.uk, gideon.bull@haringey.gov.uk, alan.dobbie@haringey.gov.uk, toni.mallett@haringey.gov.uk, richard.wilson@haringey.gov.uk, dhiren.basu@haringey.gov.uk, david.beacham@haringey.gov.uk, john.bevan@haringey.gov.uk, sara.beynon@haringey.gov.uk, jonathan.bloch@haringey.gov.uk, ed.butcher@haringey.gov.uk, matt.cooke@haringey.gov.uk, matt.davies@haringey.gov.uk, ali.demirci@haringey.gov.uk, isidoros.diakides@haringey.gov.uk, ray.dodds@haringey.gov.uk, dilek.dogus@haringey.gov.uk, laura.edge@haringey.gov.uk, pat.egan@haringey.gov.uk, gail.engert@haringey.gov.uk, joe.goldberg@haringey.gov.uk, robert.gorrie@haringey.gov.uk, eddie.griffith@haringey.gov.uk, bob.hare@haringey.gov.uk, catherine.harris2@haringey.gov.uk, emma.jones@haringey.gov.uk, rahman.khan@haringey.gov.uk, harry.lister@haringey.gov.uk, george.meehan@haringey.gov.uk, fiyaz.mughal@haringey.gov.uk, martin.newton@haringey.gov.uk, john.oakes@haringey.gov.uk, susan.oatway@haringey.gov.uk, jayanti.patel@haringey.gov.uk, sheila.peacock@haringey.gov.uk, sheila.rainger@haringey.gov.uk, 

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Monkey chained for European Commission anti-smoking ad

CAPS have spoken out against a commercial for the European Commission’s new anti-smoking campaign, HELP - for a life without tobacco, which features a chained monkey.

The macaque is seen chained around the neck and sitting on a woman’s shoulder, screwing up a cigarette packet as he tries to smoke.

Following complaints from CAPS and the Ape Alliance, the commercial was pulled from the English and Irish language websites of the HELP campaign, but remains on the sites for other Member States.

Spanish MEP Raül Romeva has tabled Written Questions to the European Parliament, raising concerns about the use of a monkey and asking whether the Commission would sign an international pledge not to use wild animals in its materials in the future.

What you can do

Write to the advertising agency Ligaris, asking them not to use wild animals in future advertising work:

Emile Clemens
Ligaris
41, Rue Grenata
F – 75002
Paris
E-mail: e.clemens@ligaris.eu

Write to your MEPs, asking them to support Raül Romeva’s initiatives to encourage the European Commission to sign an international pledge not to use wild animals in its materials in the future.

For details of who your MEPs are and how to contact them click here.

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Signed. Thanks xposed Too.

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Petition signed. Thanks

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Thanks for sharing the 2 post. Lovely video.

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Action taken. Thanks

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 Save Queensland's Kangaroos!

Take Action | Spread the Word | Support the Campaign   Every night in the outback thousands of kangaroos graze peacefully, stand up upon hearing an approaching vehicle, stare into a blinding spotlight, and are shot for their meat and skins. Our Aussie icon is now also under threat from a Queensland Government plan to encourage Queenslanders to eat kangaroos. Please help us urge Premier Bligh to put roo protection — not roo meat — on the table.

Dear Leigh,

You may have heard the recent good news that Russia has imposed a ban on the import of kangaroo meat, expressing a number of concerns including: ongoing meat contamination, animal cruelty, and the unsustainability of the industry.

Russia's decision comes as a welcome relief to threatened kangaroo populations. Government data shows that Australia-wide kangaroo numbers are down 75% since 2003, with populations well below the accepted 'sustainable ' level in most of the NSW, QLD, and SA commercial kangaroo shooting zones.

Unfortunately this good news from Russia may soon be counteracted by a Queensland Government plan to encourage more Australians to eat our national icon.

Australia holds the disgraceful record of having the largest commercial wildlife slaughter in the world, with around 4 million kangaroos killed each year. Orphaned joeys are amongst those who suffer most. Their fate is to be killed by decapitation or having their heads smashed against a hard object, such as a tow bar.

Please help us urge Premier Anna Bligh to protect roos instead of encouraging Australians to eat them.

Your Help Is Needed Today: Take Action

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All actions taken xx

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Petition signed.

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Dear Leigh,

A recent PETA US investigation has once again shown that Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus workers beat the animals they force to perform for unsuspecting audiences, just moments before the animals are ordered to go on stage.

The new investigation video shows workers, hidden from public view backstage, as they strike elephants on the head, face, ears, trunk and legs with a bullhook – a heavy, hard object resembling a fireplace poker with a sharp, steel hook on one end – and other abusive training tools. The investigator also documented dozens of occasions on which elephants and tigers were beaten and whipped on sensitive parts of their bodies, and sometimes on the face.

During the investigation, an elephant named Tonka, who has been with Ringling for 20 years, was repeatedly captured on video engaging in "stereotypic" behaviors indicative of severe psychological distress: swaying back and forth, bobbing her head and kicking one of her forelimbs up. Despite her condition, she was forced to perform for crowds night after night.

Ringling is now setting up European tour dates in Italy and Spain. We need you to take action now to help these elephants. Every minute that passes might mean another beating for Tonka and her companions. Please write to the venues at which Ringling is scheduled to perform and ask them to stop this circus cruelty from coming to town.

Sincerely,

PETA Europe

If you received this message from a friend, you can sign up for PETA UK.

This message was sent to lbonaire9@bellsouth.net.
To stop receiving email from PETA UK, click to remove yourself from our lists (or reply via email with remove in the subject line).
This e-mail was sent by: PETA PO Box 36668 London SE1 1WA

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Help save the badgers by sending an email to bovinetb@wales.gsi.gov.uk to voice your opinion.

Tomorrow is the last day - otherwise it will be too late. Now is the time to make a difference.

Leave the Welsh Assembly in no doubt that we are against the culling of badgers.

Thank you
The Black and White Campaign

Please find below suggested text to copy and paste into your e-mail, but please feel free to add a personal comment.

"We are totally against the culling of badgers in the Welsh Assembly Pilot Scheme. It is a travesty that you are acting against peer reviewed science that concluded that 'badger culling cannot meaningfully contribute to the future control of cattle TB in Britain'. Your Intensive Action Pilot Area which includes killing badgers, a badger vaccination and stringent cattle control measures all together will bring no information that can be deployed in a future policy for the control of Bovine Tb in cattle. Badgers will yet again be the scapegoat for a cattle disease. Their blood on your hands."

To see the consultation documents in full, click here.

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Protest plans for a new zoo in Scotland

The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland and Glasgow and South Lanarkshire local authorities are reconsidering plans for a £35 million 'animal-based visitor attraction' on the banks of the River Clyde in Glasgow, which will include giant pandas, manatees, jaguars and primates. There is a huge amount of evidence showing that captive life has a severely detrimental effect on the welfare of wild animals, causing them both physical and psychological suffering.

Please contact Glasgow City Council and South Lanarkshire Council to put forward your objections. The plans were dropped once before due to opposition so we need to show the authorities that people haven't changed their minds!

Write to them at:
South Lanarkshire Council
Almada Street
Hamilton
ML3 0AA

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You can make a difference

There are several things you can take individually or as a group to help end the long distance transport of animals.

• Please urge the New Zealand Government to reject any requests for live export of animals for slaughter to any country by writing to Prime Minister John Key
• Take action now by signing the 8 hours petition
  
• Sign up to support the Handle with Care campaign
• Compassion in World Farming supports the work of World Horse Welfare to end the long distance transportation of horses to slaughter in Europe; you can help by downloading their petition here ( 1007.42K or by signing it online at www.makeanoise.co.uk

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SICKENING RISE IN CRUEL ANIMAL EXPERIMENTATION IN THE UK

Dear Dusty

On Tuesday 21st July, the British Government revealed a sickening increase in the number of cruel animal experiments. The 454,000 rise in the number of painful experiments in 2008 to 3.7 million is the biggest in modern times. 

These records for dying animals in British labs – exposed by Uncaged - reveal the suffering lurking behind these figures:

• "Uncoordinated limb spasms” and “stroke”
  
• “in a collapsed state” and “found dead”
  
• “Gastro-intestinal toxicity, resulting in severe diarrhoea”
  
• “very distressed”
  
• “body and limb tremors”
  
• “grinding teeth, eyes rolling…”

Earlier in July 2009, Uncaged submitted the biggest animal welfare petition in British history with 1.5 million signatures to 10 Downing Street, calling on the UK Government to develop an explicit ‘road map’ for the end of animal experimentation.  But the latest statistics reveal the Government’s deep contempt for the British public’s concern for animals.

Official talk of a commitment to ‘the 3Rs’ – the reduction, refinement and replacement of animal experiments  - by Government and animal experimentation industry is just a smokescreen to hide the industrialised sacrifice of innocent animals.

Cruelty to any innocent animal – human or nonhuman - is a fundamental moral evil, and animal experiments have repeatedly been shown to be a grossly unreliable guide to human disease.  Animal testers and their friends in Government are in a state of denial that is having catastrophic consequences. This intensification of the systematic slaughter in British labs is a wake-up call for every one with a conscience to say – ‘enough is enough!

With the UK Government currently negotiating with other EU Governments over a new Europe-wide law on animal expeirments, there's never been a more urgent time to contact your MP to urge them to support the principle of targets to reduce and eliminate animal experiments. See the Take Action box on the right.

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Russia has banned all kangaroo meat imports from the beginning of August after food safety concerns. This is a major development, as Russia was the world's biggest importer of kangaroo meat – which is great news for Australia's iconic animal! Viva! has called on the Food Standards Agency to follow their lead and urgently end the sale of kangaroo meat in the UK. Read more here.

Also, if you haven’t done so already, sign the petition to ban the sale of kangaroo meat and leather across the EU here. Find out more about our kangaroo campaign here.

Save the Loch Lomond wallabies!

Viva! has joined the fight to save 60 wallabies on a Scottish island that face ‘culling’. Despite being introduced 70 years ago, they are only now facing the blame for damaging local fauna. We are calling for non-lethal ways of dealing with the situation, by relocating them to sanctuaries and looking to sterilise those that remain. Viva! patron, Jenny Seagrove, added her voice to the campaign to save the wallabies in last week’s Sunday Times.

Add your support for the wallabies by emailing Loch Lomond and the Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park Authority.

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Stop plans for badger 'cull' in Northern Ireland!

If there was one place where you would think that badgers would be safe it would be Northern Ireland. The incidence of bovine TB (bT is lower there than anywhere in the UK, and lower than in the Republic of Ireland. All without killing wildlife. However, unbelievably, there are plans for a limited ‘cull’ of badgers somewhere in Co Down.

Wherever you live, please help us stop this before more wild animals die on the altar of agricultural folly. Click here to speak up and use our pre-prepared email, and find other ways you can help end the persecution of the badger.

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Will your city be next? In May, Ghent City Council in Belgium attracted worldwide media and public attention when it announced that it would promote one meat-free day a week to encourage the city's inhabitants to reduce their contribution to climate change and, simultaneously, boost their health. Animal Aid is encouraging UK city councils to follow Ghent's example and declare a weekly meat-free day. To support this initiative we have produced the following resources, which you can use to influence your city councillors.

• Template letter to send to your city councillors
• Supporting Meat-Free document for councillors
• Template letter to newspaper editor

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ACTION TAKEN

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Dear Dusty ,

I wrote to you recently about the cruelty behind merino wool. The facts often surprise people – helpless lambs are held upside down whilst the skin and flesh is hacked from their backsides with tools resembling gardening shears – usually with no pain relief whatsoever!

Wool industry propaganda would have you believe that sheep are lovingly shorn of their "excess" fleece, but the wool industry is an ugly business. No amount of fluff can hide the fact that buying wool supports a cruel business in which lambs and sheep suffer through their lives and often die a terrifying death. Please support PETA today to help save sheep and other animals from such terrible abuse.

PETA's affiliates' investigations of farms in Australia – the world's top wool producer – have helped to expose this industry's horrendous hidden cruelty to animals.

The cruel practice of mutilating lambs by slicing away the flesh from their hind quarters is called "mulesing". You may wonder why farmers do this to defenceless young lambs. It's a crude attempt to prevent flies from laying eggs in the sheep's wrinkled skin – a condition known as "flystrike" – but it leaves the animals with open, bloody wounds that often become infested with maggots anyway.

I recently learned about a particularly disturbing case that occurred on a farm in Smeaton, Victoria. The bodies of dead and dying sheep littered the farm's fields. Photographs and video footage showed animals in agony – some being eaten alive by maggots – and a rotting corpse left to contaminate one of the only water sources available for the surviving sheep.

One ram was found sitting alone, away from the flock, in an apparent state of shock. He was trembling and too weak to move, and his heart was racing. Like many neglected sheep, this ram's eyes were so covered with wool that he was almost blind, and his hooves were curled from neglect. Despite having been mulesed, he was covered in maggots who were eating away his flesh and muscle as flies buzzed around his rotting flesh. Within hours, this poor soul was dead, having suffered terribly for much of his life.

You can help stop the horrors that take place on Australian sheep farms by taking two vital actions today:

1) Send a message to the Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, and urge him to outlaw the vile practice of mulesing once and for all.

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Dear Dusty

Dolphin shows and attractions entertain crowds of tourists across Europe. But can they see the intense mental and physical suffering that their holiday money supports?

These intelligent mammals have complex needs. They are fundamentally unsuited to captivity. A captive dolphin’s ’smile’ hides the stress, aggression, reduced life expectancy and breeding problems that result from life in a concrete pool.

Dolphins are evolved for a deep-diving ocean life. Chemically treated water and the UV exposure caused by shallow tanks cause painful skin disorders and lesions.

The European public can help end the suffering. Join us in calling on the European Union to ban both the trade in dolphins and the building of any new dolphinaria.

You could make a difference in just a few minutes.

 Gitte Buchhave

Regional Director

WSPA UK

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