For many, the day signifies hope – a new season, a fresh start, a promise of a good year. Millions of fans from all over the nation flock to stadiums to cheer on their favorite baseball heroes. Many of these fans are children who look up to the athletes as role models and emulate their behaviors.
Undoubtedly, the Tigers, like so many other animal enthusiasts in the U.S., did not realize that cub photo ops represent the very opposite of “hope”.
Not only do the photos send the wrong message that handling a wild big cat and treating it like a “pet” is an acceptable thing to do, and frighteningly, despite the fact that 17 adults and 5 children in the U.S. have been killed and nearly 300 other people have been injured by captive big cats within recent years, many people added comments to the Facebook posting that express enthusiasm for owning a tiger, but these photo op’s also represent less than a hopeful situation for the poor cub.
After all, he was brought to the ballpark by Dade City‘s Wild Things Zoo, a private zoo that shamefully allows the public to swim, bottle feed and cuddle with tiger cubs and has repeatedly been cited by theUSDA due to poor veterinary care, improper cub handling, and unacceptable fencing, among other disturbing issues.
Dozens of U.S. traveling zoos and roadside exhibitors profit from charging the public a fee to pet and pose with tiger cubs and other large big cats.
People don’t realize when they patronize these facilities that they are contributing to a huge public safety and animal welfare problem that exists in the U.S. today.
After the cubs grow too big and dangerous for handling, all too often they could be kept in someone’s backyard; sent to aroadside zoo; bred incessantly to further fuel the cub handling trade, or could even be killed.
In one notorious incident of severe cruelty, investigators found more than 90 dead tigers, including 58 cubs stuffed into freezers, on the property a self-professed animal “rescuer” who charged admission for people to visit the tigers.
This is why passing theBig CatsandPublic SafetyProtection Act – a nationwide ban on private big cat ownership and breeding that will soon been reintroduced in Congress-is so important.
The Detroit tigers now have a key opportunity to use their national voice to turn this around and pledge that they will, in the future, choose not to pose with tiger cubs because they would never knowingly want to support an industry that thrives off the exploitation of big cats.
This would be a most appropriate way to kick off a season of hope. -TC
“WTF…first it’s lions, now it’s crocodiles…who are the real monsters here? It seems some, REPEAT some, Chinese knob heads are not happy unless they are seeing an animal suffer, or watching a live animal be fed upon by lions kept at such zoos in China. Your seriously telling me that if zoo staff were around, they would stop these stupid MF’s from having their fun…I doubt it. What I do know is that the wrong animals are behind bars…these animals are free; to go kill other animals that don’t satisfy them!!”
“Please note, go to the link at the end to sign petitions to protect wildlife.”
At best, zoos are institutions of conservation and wildlife education. At worst, they’re abusive prisons that exploit wildlife to make money.
But this tale of zoo cruelty out of China is beyond the pale—recently, visitors to a Shenzhen zoo killed nine crocodiles by throwing rocks and garbage into their exhibit.
Who are the real monsters??
The incident apparently stemmed from visitors’ dissatisfaction with the hibernating crocodiles. Trying to get the reptiles to move, guests began yelling and spitting at the animals. This behaviour quickly escalated into more extreme abuse: trash, stones and random objects were thrown at the sleeping crocodiles.
The zoo’s staff maintains that it was unable to stop people from hurling things into the crocodile enclosure. It was only later, when zoo-keepers went to clean the garbage out of the exhibit, that they discovered nine of the 11 crocodiles were dead.
While a violent crowd may seem out of zoo-keepers control, Chinese zoos have faced accusations of negligence before. It seems unlikely that the zoo officials were completely powerless to protect the crocodiles. Even if they were, they could have checked on the animals sooner rather than later—potentially saving some crocodiles from death.
Unfortunately this is not the first time a Chinese zoo has come under fire for careless staff or animal cruelty.
A few days ago visitors to the Hangzhou Zoo threw snowballsat the zoo’s lions; there was no zoo staff present to stop the crowd.
Two years ago the Animals Asia Foundation published a report chronicling the horrible conditions and untrained staff found at many Chinese zoos.
One of the worst offences was forcing zoo animals to perform tricks using whips and metal hooks to direct them. The report says: “The appalling treatment of many animals by performance staff demonstrates a lack of compassion and respect for animals.
Allowing the public to view animals being forced to behave unnaturally, and in many cases being beaten into performing, conveys the message that it is acceptable to dominate and harm animals in the name of entertainment.” Chinese zoos have also been accused of live-feeding, which involves starving predatory animals and having them stalk live prey to entertain visitors.
Take Action:-visit the link below to sign petitions to protect wildlife.
Hundreds of exotic animals at Naples zoo are facing starvation, as keepers declare a state of emergency with food supplies set to run out in 48 hours.
Zoo keepers at the compound in the southern Italian city, said within two days hay, fruit and all other food will be finished, leaving the 300 tigers, giraffes, elephants and other animals, high and dry.
Italy‘s dwindling economy has hit the once-famous zoo hard, leading its managers to declare bankruptcy in 2011.
Emergency administrators stepped in to care for the animals but their tenure is set to end on January 31. Now if funds for more food are not found within 48 hours, the zoo’s prize exhibits including big cats and other rare exotic animals will starve to death, keepers said.
The 70 staff will also be made redundant, if there are no new owners by Wednesday, he said.
Investment company Clear Leisure has made an offer to buy the company but the bankruptcy court have not so far approved the offer. Previous offers have failed to meet the criteria.
A union representative told the Italian news agency ANSA: ‘There are only a few days left for both us and the animals. We would like to know why it has got to this point and mostly, what is going to be done,‘
‘If no solution is found, we are going to be thrown out and the animals will die of hunger’.
Residents of the zoo include leopards, brown bears, elephants, zebras, ostriches, antelopes and tigers, as well as a petting zoo containing farm animals.
Among its scientific achievements are the first birth in captivity of the saltarupeOreotragus oreotragus vulture. It was also the keeper of the first Italian antelope, giraffe, and first black rhinoceros in Europe.
The zoo, which opened in 1949, was run alongside Italy’s oldest theme park, originally created as Naples‘ answer to Disneyland.
In its heyday of the 1970s Edenlandia was considered the best in the country. It also includes a greyhound track and outdoor cinema.
“I have previously posted news on this topic…yet feel it is time again to let everyone know what is happening to these baby elephants, taken from the wild, then beaten until their spirit is broken; to be used in the tourist industry.”
“We need more people to see these atrocities & act on things that can be done to help save the Asian elephant. The world has lost up to 90% of the Asian elephants in the last 100 years! So, unless more is done to protect this species & stop such activities as the illegal trade; we are going to lose the Asian elephant in the world, forever!!.
“Below is a joint post from myself & fellow animal warrior Tony Zadel who has provided a lot information & petitions. We need for people to get involved…PLEASE…watch, read & share the following with all your friends; these elephants need our help, please send letters to the appropriate people below…just do what you can to ensure these beautiful noble, gentle giants are around, for our children’s children!”
“The following Videos are heartbreaking, one can literally see the elephants cry, their screams are not easily forgotten. Their captors do not listen, nor care…which is why we must! Although they are difficult to watch, please try to watch them; for only then will you have any idea of how they suffer & why it is imperative, they receive our help! Then, hopefully you will forward this post on to friends everywhere…show others the atrocities….then unite & help the elephants; in anyway we can.”
“By signing petitions, writing letters to Thailand’s Tourism Authority, etc. we can at least feel we are trying to help! Please do not support any entertainment that involves elephants, especially whilst on vacation in Thailand!! If there are no tourist for business, then they have no need to capture & break these animals in such a brutal manner; they need to remain within their family groups & forge future generations of wild Asian elephants.!
STOP THE BRUTAL “ILLEGAL” BARBARIC TRADE OF BABY ELEPHANTS SMUGGLING EXPOSED - Viewer Discretion Advised
Published on 18 Jul 2012
Thailand’s tourist industry is driving a brutal trade in baby elephants. Illegal and brutal cross-border trade in endangered wild Asian elephants continues. On the Thai-Myanmar border at least 50-100 calves and young females are removed from their forest homes every year and are traded illegally every year to supply tourist camps. Countless elephants die in the process threatening the remaining populations of this endangered species.
Capturing elephants from the wild for this trade often involves killing of mothers and other protective family members with automatic weapons. Captured calves are subjected to an extremely brutal breaking-in process where they are tied up, confined, starved, beaten and tortured in order to break their spirits. It is estimated that only one in three survive this inhumane “domestication” process. This original investigative report by The Ecologist Film Unit in association with Earth Focus/Link TV and Elephant Family exposes this practice.
Breaking the spirit of the elephant – Viewer Discretion Advised
Published on 8 Mar 2012
Here are the images of the training of wild elephants that are caught for the tourist trade. Please remind yourself and tell others that by visiting elephant camps you are supporting this!
Edwin Wiek of the WFFT and Khun Lek (Sangduan Chailert) of ENP are now targeted by the DNP for speaking up about the illegal wild elephant poaching and trade. This video shows what the DNP doesn’t want you to see or know about!
“I can’t help but cry, when I see these babies tortured, agony sketched over their entire faces, their bodies flinching with every whip, punch or strike, left for days without food or water; from those trying to break their noble spirit! They suffer greatly, untold agony…audible screams ring out through the dank rain forests. Did you know, these beautiful creatures who appear to have thick skin…can tell when a fly lands on them? So imagine their pain, their torture, their lives…encroached, only to be used in the tourist industry; for unsuspecting visitors.”
“Be honest, after watching these videos, could you take an elephant ride whilst on vacation?? knowing the elephant you are riding, was so viciously tortured & his spirit broken as a younger elephant, for your pleasure??
Elephant Training Abuse (AAA Video) In English – Viewer Discretion Advised
Published on 30 Mar 2012
A video that explains the torturous training of elephants for logging and tourism. Video made by the Animal Activist Alliance (AAA Thailand)
Going on an elephant ride is a key part for many on vacation trips to Thailand and elsewhere in South-East Asia. Doubtless few realize the cruel treatment involved in capturing and “training” these intelligent creatures.
Baby elephants stolen for tourism endure unthinkable suffering. “They are immobilized, beaten mercilessly, and gouged with nails for days at a time. these ritualized “training” sessions leave the elephants badly injured, traumatized, or even dead.”
Help protect the elephants in Thai sanctuariesand the brave people who care for them and speak out on behalf of wild elephants, by sending Thailand’s TourismAuthority a message that you will not visit Thailand until the government stops raiding elephant sanctuaries, returns confiscated animals and takes effective action to protect wild elephants.
Elephants are experiencing the most awful abuses in the name of tourism - travellers to Thailand are often totally unaware of the real story. Travel agents worldwide sell Thailand with images of happy tourists riding on elephants with saddles (howdah) and patting young street elephants.
To educate the travelling public we need travel agents to:-
Be aware of the problem
Agree to corporate responsibility in the promotion of humane and ethical travel choices.
Boycott these types of vacations until the Government does something to stop the atrocities
PLEASE CONTACT Thailand’s Tourism Authority by email to share your concern & protest:- Tourism Authority of Thailand 1600 New Phetburi Road, Makkasan, Rajatevee, Bangkok 10310, Thailand Tel +66 2250 5500 Fax +66 2250 5511 Email: center@tat.or.th URL www.tourismthailand.org
PLEASE SIGN & SHARE WIDELY THESE 7 PETITIONS TO HELP STOP THIS CRUELTY
“After watching some of these videos, one must be able to understand, why some of these performing elephants snap & retaliate? As humans, we are the ones that can truly relate to pain & anguish! As humans who try to dominate, we should totally understand, that any human or indeed any species…can only suffer so much abuse; before totally losing their mind, which sadly ends up when that person or species ends up injuring or killing others!”
“It is hard to lose a human life, or any life, but do elephants know or even acknowledge that their rampage’s can kill?? They simply break down & can’t stand any more torture or repetitive labour! They certainly know who inflicted their pain, as that person is surely the one the elephant will target first! But they have also stood & watched other elephants be beaten & broken etc. They simply try to get their own back, on those who have done them wrong; much like any human would do!”.
“The following videos are hard to watch, it’s hard to watch any species be beaten etc. But please try to watch, even if it’s only 1 video; only then, will you see their pain, understand them & want to help protect their species & their babies!”
The brutal capture, torture and subsequent death of a young tusker in a capture operation authorized by the government, prompted Mike Pandey to stop filming his documentary on Elephants in Crisis and turn it into a news feature.
This news feature exposes the cruel and archaic methods of capture being used with no concern for the animal, a protected and endangered species.
The news feature is a protest and demand for immediate cessation of capture of elephants in this brutal way and a call for policy changes if elephants are to be protected.
Within 3 days of the release of this news feature the Government of India suspended all capture of wild elephants. Individuals in charge of the botched capture operation were suspended.
The news created international outrage. International news agencies picked it and activists from all over the world joined in triggering a global signature campaign.
In India changes in policies and rules were made at a national level ensuring that all future captures take place with modern facilities and in the presence of experts to avoid trauma and cruelty after capture. Elephant welfare became top priority.
IFAW undertook a global signature campaign against elephant capture.
Unfortunately in recent months after this news, deaths had been reported. Laws without proper implementation are of no use. Nothing has changed…we need your voice to support
►IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THAILAND’S ELEPHANTS PLEASE VISIT : ►http://www.elemotion.org/
Meghan Mogensen, 27, of Silver Spring, was sentenced to one month in jail and is barred from making decisions about the care oreuthanasia of any animal if she serves as an animal caretaker or manager of a zooor sanctuary. “WTF…she drowned a living creature, this sentence is pathetic, at the very least she should have been banned from being around animals for a minimum of 10 years. I wonder if someone else had done it; would they receive the same sentence?? Don’t forget her daddy owns the park’ perhaps they thought her father shouldn’t have had to deal with the stress of sacking his precious daughter!”
Under the terms of the deal, a second charge for possession of an animal euthanasia drug without a license was dropped. “One month in jail for an animal she killed… I just don’t get all these deals etc. Were talking about animal killers or abusers, some heinous sadistic killers, yet they seem able to get deals, why??? They get more deals on their prison terms & conditions, than decent animal lovers, get on their pet insurance…it’s crazy & a slap in the face at animal advocates!”
Mogensen had already been found guilty a court last year, but she appealed those verdicts. Last Friday she apparently changed her mind and opted to plead guilty. “So she is allowed to swap her mind as & when it suits? Then just decided that, actually she did kill the Koala by drowning it…makes me bloody furious. All this swapping around should be considered into the trial, for wasting’s every ones time & money etc.!!”
Mogensen drowned the wallaby after it had been injured in its cage. While she originally claimed that she had euthanized it by injecting it with drugs, tipsters at the zoo told investigators that they suspected that she had drowned it in a five-gallon bucket instead.
(Apologies this is a late post, problems with alignment of wording at end of document, I do hope you can make out what is said. I have tried everything I know to fix it, don’t know why it’s only that segments….strange gremlins in the works…lol)
This is the place that fuels China‘s appetite for watching wild animals perform.
At the Niao Yu Lin Park in Harbin, capital of the north-eastern Heilongjiang Province, animals are trained in horrific conditions to do tricks ahead of China’s Mid-autumn Festival and National Day.
The park’s ‘entertainment’ programs include bear rope skipping, dogs jumping through hoops, ball walking for lions and bike riding for monkeys.
On stage: A lion being trained in a cage at the Niao Yu Lin Park in Harbin, capital of northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province
Zoos and circuses that features stunts involving animals are widely popular across China.
But campaigners have warned thousands of animals are routinely beaten and abused to make shows happen.
The park’s ‘entertainment’ programs include bear rope skipping, dogs jumping through hoops, ball walking for lions and bike riding for monkeys
Charity workers claim bears are whipped and beaten with sticks, elephants are prodded with metal hooks, while tigers and lions are made to endure chronic pain by being defanged and declawed.
The Animal Asia Foundation said: ‘The combined aspects of performances, abusive training methods and inadequate housing conditions are causing severe animal suffering for many thousands of performing animals across China.’
A report by Animal Asia Foundation said: ‘The combined aspects of performances, abusive training methods and inadequate housing conditions are causing severe animal suffering for many thousands of performing animals across China.’
A report by the Animal Asia Foundation said thousands of animals are made to perform in Chinese zoos
China bans animal shows at zoos. The new act also forbids cooking animal meat in animal zoos.
Call for law to protect animal welfare From animal Asia website.
28 October 2010: Animals Asia congratulates the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development for issuing a directive (26 October 2010) on the management of zoos in China. This directive calls for zoos to:
end the use of animals in abusive performances
forbid the sale of endangered species products
end the sale of wildlife meat at zoo restaurants.
provide good quality, sufficient and suitable food to all animals
improve housing conditions to create safe housing which provides for the animals’ behavioural needs
construct veterinary hospitals and adopt necessary disease prevention and treatment measures
This directive follows a statement released by the State Forestry Administration on 30 July calling for wild animal facilities to inspect and rectify actions which are causing animal suffering and to improve the management of captive animal facilities for the benefit of animal welfare. For more details of this statement please click here:
“We are now at 2012…what happened, how much more time do they need? It is clear, that animals are still being forced to perform degrading acts that are detrimental to their health! We know that animals suffer, yet zoo owners clearly have a market that makes money out of using animals & they aren’t going to stop, until they are forced to! Those at the park, in the video, think it would be wrong to stop the animals performing, they want their children to see animals performing , its their culture, tradition etc”.
“But what they don’t see is the physical & mental abuse that those animals have to go through, to perform those acts! China & Hong Kong are at the forefront of modern day technology etc. So why are they so behind on animal law…do animals really mean so little?”
“I know of no other animal parks, where the public can pay to see an animal ripped apart & eaten live, than in China. Yet it’s like a normal family day out…go to a wildlife park, pay to board a bus, then be driven amongst a bunch of hungry lions & watch. A little dumper truck comes along & tips out a live calf; for the lions to feed on! Come on, how morbid is that? Yet it’s done, the whole family watch’s, including small children, who are lifted our of their seats to see… as can be seen on You Tube videos”.
“If you are an animal lover, it’s upsetting to see any animal fight for their life, like on (National Geographic Wild)…but that is nature, in the wild, it’s eat or be eaten! To purposefully pay to see an innocent animal ripped apart & eaten, with no chance of getting away..is not what I would call a family day out…like the following:-
(Apologies about the sentences below missing off a last letter etc. Tried all sorts but can’t get it right)
BEIJING - Activists are seeking the prompt introduction of legislation to protect animals in a bid to stamp out increasing abuse, such as the slaughter of strays and live shows at zoos.
The first comprehensive law to address animal welfare was expected to be submitted to the country’s legislature in 2009, but ”there is still no clear timetable for legislation“, Chang Jiwen, alaw professor at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, who led the drafting team, told China Daily.
The Law on Protection of Wild Animals is the only existing animal law in the country which prohibits trafficking and abuse. It, however, fails to protect animals already in captivity.
Meanwhile, a growing number of cases of animal abuse are being reported.
A group of Web users, who formed a chat group ”cat tortures”, constantly posted on-line pictures of cats being killed or suffering cruelty.
The group allegedly threatened to kill more than 1,000 cats on Christmas Eve across the country in what they described as an act paying tribute to the group’s founder.
“So far, the group has not posted new photos of killing cats on line, but animal lovers are trying every means to find the cat abusers to stop them,” an animal activist in Beijing, who identified herself as Xiaomiao, told China Daily.
Animal rights groups said that the rising number of abuses stemmed from public indifference.
The lack of public awareness is part of the reason why a comprehensive animal protection law has not been enacted, said Cai Chunhong, a Beijing lawyer.
“Without strong public endorsement the legislature will not put legislation on the table,“ she said.
“Although awareness of animal welfare is rising thanks to growing pet ownership in recent years, animal lovers are still a minority,“ she said.
If a comprehensive law takes time to be drafted, introduced and passed, then specific laws or regulations to punish animal abuse should fill the vacuum, Cai said.
These laws could help regulate zoos, where abuse is common.
Live animal performances often involve acts of cruelty at zoos and wildlife parks, despite a government ban, Mang Ping, a professor at the Central Institute of Socialism, said.
Mang, an animal rights activist, based her conclusion on a study of animal welfare in zoos over the past 15 years.
The survey, China Zoo Watch, covered 21 zoos and wildlife parks in cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou and Shenzhen.
“More than 95 percent of wildlife parks and 50 percent of zoos surveyed are making profits by increasing animal performances and those animals are treated poorly,” she said.
A ban on animal shows issued by central authorities came shortly after 11 Siberian tigers at a north east wildlife zoo in Shenyang, capital of Liaoning province, were starved to death in 2010. A panda was also killed in 2010 by poisonous gas being used to disinfect a nearby air raid shelter in a zoo in Jinan, East China’s Shandong province.
“Obviously the ban is poorly implemented due to the lack of harsh punishment,” Mang said.
In Beijing, animal performances, such as jumping through fiery hoops, were a growing feature in some zoos, according to Guo Geng, vice-director of Beijing Elk Ecology Research Center and a local political adviser.
“In order to maximize profit most performance programs involve cruelty,“ said Guo, who filed a proposal to ban animal performances in Beijing zoos in December.
Guo called for the Beijing government to step up efforts to ensure animal welfare by holding zoo owners accountable.
Authorities encouraged zoos to make money to be financially self sufficient. That prompted many zoos to promote animal performances.
Statistics from the Chinese Association of Zoological Gardens showed that the country now has more than 200 zoos.
More than 30 of the zoos are designated wildlife parks, three times the number in the United States and five times that of Japan, according to Mang’s survey.
“Entertainment and profit are always priorities for zoo owners. But when animal trainers torture animals in front of audiences the zoo can never full fill its role to educate people to protect animals,“ she said.
China should learn from other countries, she said.
For instance, Toronto council voted in October to move three African elephants in the zoo to California where the climate would be better for them.
HR 4122 would avert unnecessary human suffering from deaths and injuries from these inherently dangerous animals, stop the illegal trade in captive animal parts that encourages poaching of the wild population, and end the widespread misery these majestic animals endure in private hands when exploited for exhibition or inappropriately kept as pets. This bill is supported by Animal Welfare Institute (AWI), Big Cat Rescue, Born Free USA, Humane Society of the United States (HSUS, Ian Somerhalder Foundation (ISF), International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), ROAR Foundation and World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
The cute tiger cubs you see at fairs, malls and parking lots will spend their entire lives in tiny cages or will be killed for their body parts to use in traditional asian medicine. It is estimated that there are 10,000 to 20,000 big cats currently held in private ownership in the U.S., although the exact number remains a mystery…
Since 1990, U.S. incidents involving captive big cats—including tigers, lions, cougars, leopards, jaguars, cheetahs and lion/tiger hybrids—have resulted in the deaths of 21 humans, 247 maulings, 259 escapes, 143 big cats deaths and 132 confiscations.
TAKE ACTION NOW! Help put an end to the abuse of big cats and help ensure the safety of the public …. This is the most important bill to ever be introduced to protect big cats. Please click the link and contact your state representatives letting them know that you support H.R.4122 -http://bigcatrescue.org/2012/big-cats-and-public-safety-protection-hr-4122
On February 29, 2012, Rep. Buck McKeon (R-CA) and Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-CA) introduced H.R. 4122, to prohibit the private possession and breeding of big cats. The bill will insure that lions, tigers and other dangerous big cats — which are kept as pets and exploited in roadside zoos and traveling exhibits — do not threaten public safety, diminish the global big cat conservation efforts, or end up living in deplorable conditions where they can be subject to mistreatment and cruelty. Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) announced on the same day plans to introduce a companion bill in the Senate within the next few weeks.
The debate over private ownership of big cats garnered national attention last October when the owner of a backyard menagerie in Zanesville, Ohio, opened the cages of his tigers, leopards, lions, wolves, bears and monkeys before committing suicide. Local police, who were neither trained nor properly equipped to deal with a situation of that magnitude, were forced to shoot and kill nearly 50 animals—38 of them big cats—before they could enter populated areas.
The bill would make it illegal to possess any big cat except at accredited zoos and wildlife sanctuaries where they can be properly cared for and sheltered, and would only allow breeding at accredited zoos, along with some research or educational institutions. Current owners would be allowed to keep the cats they currently have provided they register their cats with USDA to keep them from being slaughtered to sell their parts (see below), but they would not be allowed to acquire or breed more. Violators of the law could have their animals confiscated along with any vehicles or equipment used to aid in their activity, and could face stiff penalties including fines up to $20,000 and up to five years in jail.
That’s the border limbo 16 tigers and lions have faced in Paraguay because Argentine officials refuse to approve their paperwork for re-entry.
A tiger sits in a cage in Puerto Falcon, Paraguay, on the border with Argentina, Friday, Aug. 24, 2012. Nine Bengal tigers and seven African lions from an Argentine circus have been stuck at the border in Paraguay for two months, because Argentine officials refuse to approve their paperwork for re-entry. Paraguay’s Wildlife Ministry announced Friday they will move the animals two by two to the Asuncion zoo, “so that they can live in some comfort and not in a strange area.”
The nine Bengal tigers and seven African lions belong to an Argentine circus that performs in the Paraguayan capital each August. Their owner, Oswal Wasconi, brought them back for this year’s circus only to learn that a new law in Paraguay bans live animal acts at circuses.
With no chance of performing, Wasconi tried to ship his big cats back to Argentina. But then they got stuck at the border.
Estela Gomez, director of Paraguay’s wildlife agency, said the animals all have good-health certificates, but their entry to Argentina was blocked by officials demanding more information about the protected species.
Aides to Argentina’s quarantine office director, Raul Castelli, said he was in a meeting and could not explain the holdup.
After inquiries from The Associated Press on Friday about the cats’ plight, Gomez said her ministry decided to move the big cats two by two to the Asuncion zoo, “so that they can live in some comfort and not in a strange area.”
Furthermore, she said that “Wasconi has promised to provide them with food and liquid because these animals are physically quite large.”
“In the next few days we will continue investigating the true reasons why the Argentine authorities aren’t authorizing their return,” she said. “I can’t anticipate whether these beasts will remain forever in Paraguay or eventually go to Argentina.”
“I’ve Just seen this video of Ben the bear & cried for him, happy tears of course; so thought I would share it with you! Ben was bear kept at Jambbas Ranch Tours, & had been confined for years to a tiny cell made of concrete and chain link, until people spoke up about his neglect. Now at the PAWS sanctuary, Ben can live as he should…just being a bear!”
“When you see an animal that’s been rescued, looking so happy, probably for the first time in their lives, it makes all the petition signing, letter writing & donating, so worth while. don’t you think? So the next time you think ‘oh can’t be bothered to sign that petition’ just think of Ben & his happy little face…I’m sure it will give you the motivation you need!!”
After a long and hard-fought battle, Ben the bear has been rescued and will now live out the rest of his life at a beautiful accredited wildlife sanctuary in northern California. http://bit.ly/benrescue
A tiger has been shot dead after killing a female zookeeper in Germany.
A female zookeeper has been killed in Germany after a tiger escaped from its enclosure and attacked her.
The 43-year-old woman was cornered by the animal after it found its way through a gate that had not been properly shut and wandered into a nearby storage building, police said.
The woman, who has not yet been named, was mauled and bitten and died of her wounds at Cologne Zoo.
A police SWAT team was called, but before it arrived Theo Pagel, the zoo’s director, shot the tiger dead with a rifle that he aimed from a safe vantage point through the storage building’s skylight. It was feared that the tiger had been about to make its way into visitor areas, said police spokesman Stefan Kirchner.
Police briefly cleared the area as a precautionary measure, though officials said the public was never in any danger.
Mr Kirchner said it was unlikely that members of the public had witnessed the incident, which occurred around noon (1000 GMT) on Saturday.
According to the Cologne newspaper Express, the tiger was a male called “Altai.”
Mr Pagel said: “This is the darkest day of my life. I shot and killed the animal so that we could enter … and take a look. But the employee was already dead.“
The zoo later re-opened, but a planned late-night opening was canceled.
Altai, a four-year-old , was moved to Cologne Zoo in April last year and was paired with a female from France. He can be seen in YouTube footage posted to the website in 2011.
According to a statement from the zoo, the keeper had been experienced in working with tigers.
Cologne Zoo in western Germany, founded in 1860, is one of the oldest and best-known in the country and is home to some 10,000 animals from 700 species.
DUE TO THE NATURE OF THIS BLOG - SOME PICTURES & VIDEOS CAN & WILL BE VERY GRAPHIC - SO PLEASE, VIEW THIS BLOG AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION.
You can find out more about me & this blog by reading "ABOUT THIS BLOG" on the menu.
PLEASE NOTE.....
Not all of my posts will be current news, or even about animal abuse! I do like to share other animal news, uplifting stories or videos; some that are funny or just touch the heart!
If I have anything to say on any post, you will see it in bold blue writing. I try to remain a lady, but it's hard to contain my anger & emotions at the some of the stories I post; I don’t have a heart of stone, tears stain many articles I write!
Lastly, my apologies for any errors; I am learning whilst posting, so if you find anything that doesn't work or a broken link, sorry, I'm only human!!!!
PLEASE REPORT THESE MF’s If you know who they are!
Face Book – Please Take Notice
For anyone wishing to connect to me via my Facebook page...PLEASE NOTE, ONLY PEOPLE I ADD AS ANIMAL ADVOCATES CAN SEE MY WHOLE PAGE...I do this out of respect for those friends I have who do not wish to see graphic images, videos or links of animal abuse!
As 99% of my page is animal related; anyone not in the above group of friends; will only see a limited amount of posts!!
DUE TO ANIMAL HATERS...I WILL ONLY ADD PEOPLE WHO CAN PROVE WHO THEY ARE via Face Bool, Word press, Twitter etc. & WHO HAVE A GENUINE INTEREST IN ANIMAL WELFARE... i.e. if your Face book page has absolutely nothing to do with animals, I see no point in joining my page. My Face book is solely for animal welfare, I am not interested in playing games etc. I don't mean to sound rude but I am not interested in the amount of friends I have, its the quality of those friends that count...PLEASE DO NOT SEND REQUESTS FOR YOUR FRIENDS TO JOIN. I do not want anyone to be upset by graphic images etc.
My aim is to educate & raise awareness to the horrors animals face, at the hands of humans, every day, around the world!!
We can not hope to achieve better laws, to protect animals, unless we unite as one, to speak up for those who are voiceless!!
.
DUE TO THE NATURE OF THIS BLOG - SOME PICTURES & VIDEOS CAN & WILL BE VERY GRAPHIC - SO PLEASE, VIEW THIS BLOG AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION.
