GRAPHIC VIDEOS: ‘Ag gag’ Bill Probably Wins Battle, But Not War

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“Those who secretly film the atrocious acts of violence are not terrorist; they merely want the PUBLIC to know the truth about the lives of the animals you eat & how they are treated. Imagine how it feels for them? animal lovers, having to watch the abuse happening all around them…to enable the public to see the truth. I think they deserve a bloody medal; for keeping their hands off the MF’ing bxxxxxxd’s committing such horrifying acts !!

YOU the meat-eating public, have the right to know the animals you eat have been treated with respect; before going to slaughter!! AG- GAG laws were introduced to protect those allowing the cruelty to continue to their animals, & protect those who commit the crimes; what happened to freedom of speech??? They don’t want you, the paying pubic to know the heinous acts of cruelty that go on behind their closed doors; because they know they are likely to lose business !!.

NO ANIMAL meant for human consumption should be treated worse than shit on shoes; they are sentient beings more than capable of feeling the pain of every blow, kick, punch etc. They give their lives for you…please don’t let them suffer in silence! AG-GAG Laws were introduced to stop the public knowing the truth…the animals have the right to dignity & the public have the right to know how they are being treated! Please, sign the petition at http://www.walmartcruelty.com/ scroll to the bottom half to sign”  

“Watch the videos below. if you can stomach them, is it fair for animals to be treated this way? YOU have the power to help stop this; please use it & stop AG-Gag Laws!!” 

Posted: Sunday, February 23, By Randy Stapilus

Backers of the Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation anti-videoing legislation — “ag-gag” — have already lost the war, even if the legislation passes. Especially if it passes.

Their best hope is to change strategy.

Senate Bill 1337, which has passed the Senate, bars a person who “without the facility owner’s express consent or pursuant to judicial process or statutory authorization, makes audio or video recordings of the conduct of an agricultural production facility’s operations.” More specifically, it’s intended to ban (though various existing laws already theoretically do) the videotaping of what happens to livestock in concentrated animal feeding operations.

This is significant in Idaho, home to some very large CAFO operations in the Magic Valley and southwest. The new bill would punish violators with up to a year in jail or a $5,000 fine; critics note that’s the same as the state penalty for animal abuse.

Similar legislation has been proposed, most often failing to pass, in more than a dozen states; a Utah law is being challenged in the courts.

The Idaho bill was specifically prompted by a video shot in 2012 at Bettencourt Dairy at Hansen, showing workers beating on livestock. Last week another video shot at an Idaho CAFO, which added animal sexual abuse to the mix, was released. Both have had many, many views, and they’ve gone viral on social media.

We can’t know if the videos alone would have generated massive international attention. We do know the videos, combined with legislation to ban shooting more of them, has sent interest in the subject sky high in news reports nationally and overseas.

The story is irresistible: An attempt to keep the lid on what people have already seen. But memories aren’t so easily erased. Nor is the technology, which keeps moving in the direction of disclosure, as privacy advocates regularly remind us.

Among other responses to the bill are petitions — some inside Idaho, some by national animal advocacy groups. Petitions usually do little by themselves, but they can assist organization efforts, and they keep the subject visible.

Not only are smaller and relatively hard-core groups like Mercy for Animals, which released the Bettencourt videos, involved in this, but also larger and better-funded groups like the Humane Society of the United States. The subject of CAFO livestock has gone mainstream.

If you doubt that, watch the latest series offering from Netflix: The satirical but pointed “Farmed and Dangerous.” The initial plot hook involves an exploding cow. Once issues like this get into cultural discussion, national regulation and legislation may, in time, follow. It’s in the spotlight now.

The Magic Valley has benefited recently from arrival of a number of food processors who came there largely because of the easy supply of dairy products. Don’t be surprised if boycotts of some of them start — and lead to business responses. To see this playing out, Google the Wiese Brothers Farms in Wisconsin and read about the videos and other reports that led a frozen pizza company to cut all ties with them.

Nor is that all. If SB 1337 is signed into law (as seems likely), watch for this: An activist who deliberately violates it, shooting more video, intending to get caught, and insisting on a very public trial that could draw more national and international attention, kicking in the cycle all over again.

The problem for livestock operations is not insoluble. The simplest out is to improve and closely monitor operations, then throw open the doors for public viewing.

Some CAFO advocates have argued that much of what has been shown on the videos has been unusual aberrations, that most livestock is treated better before slaughter than the videos suggest. An open-door policy would be the one practical way to prove it.

Some of what inevitably happens in the best of meat processing businesses is of course difficult for many people to stomach, but the operators could fairly argue that if you want your meat at the supermarket, this is how it has to get there. Since most people do want their steaks and burgers, the argument might settle down, on at least higher ground than it occupies now.

Legislation has its uses. But CAFOs here have among other things a public relations problem, and these kinds of laws seldom are much help with that.

Randy Stapilus is a former Idaho newspaper reporter and editor, author of The Idaho Political Field Guide, edits the Idaho Weekly Briefing, and blogs at www.ridenbaugh.com. He can be reached at stapilus@ridenbaugh.com.

News Link:http://www.idahopress.com/members/ag-gag-bill-probably-wins-battle-but-not-war/article_4488bde2-9b58-11e3-a2a3-001a4bcf887a.html

Viewer Discretion Advised -WATCH: Walmart Pork Supplier Caught Abusing Mother Pigs and Piglets

Published on 29 Oct 2013

A new Mercy For Animals undercover investigation reveals shocking cruelty to animals at Walmart pork suppliers. Workers hit, throw, and drop mother pigs and their baby piglets. Learn more and take action at http://www.WalmartCruelty.com

The video below is just a reminder of how animals are treated, without undercover investigations the public wouldn’t have a clue about the atrocities that happened at this farm!

Viewer Discretion Advised -OHIO Dairy Farm Brutality


Hidden camera video secretly shot by an investigator with Mercy For Animals at an Ohio dairy farm reveals shocking, malicious cruelty to calves and cows. The video, recorded between April and May, 2010, shows dairy farm workers beating cows in the face with crowbars, stabbing them with pitchforks, breaking their tails, and punching, throwing, and kicking calves.

Find out what you can do to help at:
http://mercyforanimals.org/ohdairy/

Abandoned Thoroughbred, Defense Team, rescued by South Florida SPCA

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“I would be first in line to pick up this stunning mare, how anyone could just abandon her is beyond my comprehension; there is no & never will be, a good enough excuse for this cruel crime, whilst animal organisation exist to help!. But a former race horse that costs thousands, then doesn’t race well, is more than often sent to slaughter or abandoned! I hope they find whomever she belonged to; then proceed with criminal charges! Then I hope Defense Team gets a forever home & is loved for the rest of her life!!!”

MIAMI, FL (February 17, 2014)

 Defense Team, a Thoroughbred gelding, was rescued today by South Florida SPCA. Laurie Waggoner, SFSPCA director of ranch operations, received  a mid-morning call from a Hialeah farmer who reported the former racehorse wandering along a road near one of his pastures, and that he looked “really bad…really skinny.” Waggoner and members of the Hialeah police department found the horse ambling roadside, eating grass.

If you’d like to donate toward the care of Defense Team, please visit http://www.spca-sofla.org/donate/donate-now and indicate that it is for Defense Team at checkout.

“His body condition score is a 1,” said Waggoner, referring to the lowest score on the Henneke System of Body Condition Scoring (view chart.) Fortunately, Defense Team does not appear to be lame or have any other major issues or injuries. He will receive routine vaccinations and a Coggins test, along with farrier attention to his hooves which appear to have been neglected for some time.

The horse’s tattoo number matched that of Defense Team, and SFSPCA learned he was foaled in Florida on April 6, 1999. He was purchased in Ocala, FL for $6,000, and raced only once at Calder on December 28, 2001 where he finished 11 out of a field of 12. (View pedigree.)

I will never comprehend why humans can throw animals out like trash; or just abandon them….heartbreaking!!!

Waggoner noted Defense Team seemed very happy to be found, loaded easily on her trailer and was welcomed to the SFSPCA ranch in Homestead with a nice, safe stall and a tasty flake of hay.

If you’d like to donate toward the care of Defense Team, please visit www.spca-sofla.org/donate/donate-now and indicate that it is for Defense Team at checkout.

Report horses or other large livestock animals that appear to be abandoned, abused or neglectedCall 911 for emergencies, or 305-4-POLICE (Miami-Dade, FL) for non-emergencies.

News Link:http://www.spca-sofla.org/abandoned-thoroughbred-defense-team-rescued-by-south-florida-spca/

Dog With Gang Tattoo Rescued In Los Angeles

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“WTF…I’m stuck for words; how could anyone torture a young pup by tattooing him? I suppose these gangs are used to violence & murder etc. was the dog destined to be used as another tool of aggression? It obviously wasn’t vicious enough for their gang; bloody knob heads! Thank God he was thrown out like trash, tied to a tree & rescued; he could so easily have been killed & buried. Perhaps one of the gang actually had a heart & couldn’t kill Petey, whatever it was; I’m so pleased he was rescued”!

Petey is a pit bull that has undergone trauma that no puppy should have to endure. Found abandoned and tied to a pole a woman came to his rescue and brought him to ROMP Rescue where they discovered that Petey’s underside was covered with a gang tattoo.

Petey was found about a month ago tied to a pole outside a doughnut shop in Lomita, California. The woman who found him called police for help, but help never came.

So she provided the dog with food and water. When at the end of the day no one had come to help she took him and home and to a veterinarian to be checked out.

“He was crying,” said Randy with ROMP Rescue. “She saw him and she called the police and they said they would call animal control. Neither one ever showed up.”

The woman was unable to keep Petey permanently so she reached out to ROMP Rescue and Randy came to take Petey.

Once back at ROMP he noticed markings on Petey’s belly and thought he might have ringworm. When he shaved Petey’s belly he was shocked by what he found.

A tattoo that lists the name of a “set” of a Los Angeles-area gang covers most of Petey’s underside.

“I’m speechless,” said Randy. “I can’t understand why they would do that. The pain involved is obviously more than any puppy should have to endure.”

ROMP Rescue fears the tattoo isn’t the only pain Petey has endured. Although he is great around people he gets angry and nervous around other dogs. They hope to find him a home in the future, but for now he’s not ready for one.

“His legs just shake,” said Randy. “He’s afraid of the world.”

A fund has been set up for Petey’s training and care. Donations can be made here.

Video & News Link:http://www.lifewithdogs.tv/2013/07/dog-with-gang-tattoo-rescued-in-los-angeles/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+LifeWithDogs+%28Life+With+Dogs%29

Graphic Video Inc. Circus Was About Exploitation and Cruelty

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“Please note I added the videos as extras, which I have used before; but they are not connected or related to the news link. Please sign petitions regarding circuses (which are included on the homepage) New Petitions Constantly Being Added etc. You will find petitions of all kinds regarding animal abuse. So please consider signing a few others whilst you’re there; every signature helps fight against animal abuse! Thanks”

The Carson & Barnes Circus has come and gone, and if caring area residents knew more about the cruel treatment of animals used by the circus, they’ll think twice before welcoming it back.

A Video I Found Of the Elephants Uploaded April 2013

These elephants are forced to perform, beaten into submission, their bodies posed in unnatural positions; that puts great strain & pain on their joints. See the man walking round with the bullhook in his hands; a tool greatly feared by the elephants & for good reason!! This is not entertainment, this is elephants being abused, degraded & forced to perform through fear & violence…just for your entertainment. Please look past the glamour & sparkle; have you ever seen an elephant perform like this in the wild?? NO never…I rest my case!!! 

Carson & Barnes recently paid to settle 10 alleged violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act, including failure to maintain control of an elephant who sustained injuries after running down a steep slope and falling, inadequate shelter and fencing for elephants, transporting elephants in an unsafe manner, and for leaving elephants unattended during rides.

Watch How Elephants Are Trained…Hear Them Scream In Pain…Still Think It’s Ok To Go To The Circus???? Well It’s Hell On Earth For Animals

” Disgusting Animal Abuse & disgusting language from a disgusting piece of Sxxt in the guise of an elephant trainer. He is not an animal trainer, he is a bully, a thug, who enjoys inflicting pain on anything he considers beneath him…would you let him train your dog?? No, then please think on, whenever you see an animal performing stupid tricks for human entertainment….it’s not because it enjoys doing it; it’s through sheer fear, beatings, pain, denial of food & water etc. & that animals knows what will happen… if it doesn’t perform for his master!!”

Viewer Discretion Advised – Undercover footage from Carson & Barnes Circus

Uploaded on 18 Jan 2012

Undercover footage from Carson & Barnes Circus – elephant training Support 

A U.S. Department of Agriculture inspector saw a handler with no elephant experience repeatedly use “excessive force while tugging at” the elephant with a bullhook—a rod with a sharp steel hook on one end. Another trainer was caught on video viciously attacking terrified elephants with bullhooks and electric prods and instructing other trainers to hurt the elephants until they scream, to sink a bullhook into their flesh and twist it, and to conceal the beatings from the public.

The circus has repeatedly been cited for failure to provide animals with veterinary care, minimum space, shelter from the elements, adequate ventilation, and clean water.

The time is long overdue to stop pretending that animal acts are anything other than cruel exploitation.

News Link:-http://trib.com/opinion/letters/circus-was-about-exploitation-and-cruelty/article_0e0471b8-fe29-5599-a042-888f85fde804.html

Emily Deschanel’s PETA Ad Targets Troubling Dairy Farm Practices (Video)

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Bones’ star Emily Deschanel has joined with PETA to highlight controversial practices within the U.S. dairy industry.

Emily Deschanel Reveals Shocking Dairy Farm Cruelty (Some Distressing Scenes)

Published on 6 May 2013

Emily Deschanel has the joy of raising her son every day, but mother cows on dairy farms have their calves torn away from them just hours after they’re born. Removing dairy products from your diet helps cows and keeps you and your family healthier. Find out how to cut dairy products out of your diet:https://secure.peta.org/site/Advocacy…

The ad was released in advance of Mother’s Day and criticizes the separation of dairy cows from their young, tail docking and other controversial practices faced by themore than 9 million dairy cows in the U.S.

Large-scale factory farms are facing scrutiny as reports of animal cruelty have emerged over the past few years. Some dairy farms are particularly problematic due to the forced production of milk and unsanitary living conditions, often inside feed lots without grass, the Humane Society reported in 2008.

Animal rights organizations have received some star-studded endorsements recently,including those from Ke$ha and Ryan Gosling.

News Link:-http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/12/emily-deschanel-peta-ad_n_3240370.html?utm_hp_ref=green

Rodeo…What Does It Teach Young People?

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“Another video just in, which I just had to share with you, for obvious reasons. This kid didn’t have the guts to speak to Steve Hindi (President of SHARK) directly, so he leaves a message! Watch the video & listen to him…how old do you reckon this kid is? I would have to say between 8-11 years old; judging by his voice! As a parent, I would be embarrassed if I  had a child of that age using such vulgar language!  Whatever happened to parental skills??”

“This kid is having a bit of a tiff about a horse in one of SHARKS video collections on Rodeo. He wants to make out that it’s the horses fault for bucking too much, hence the broken leg!

Excuse me, but if I were putting a bucking strap on my horse, knowing he is going to hate it & buck…any injuries that occur: I would have to say are my fault, not the horses. I put the strap on, knowing it would agitate him, which made him buck. It is the humans fault in cases like this; where animals suffer broken bones etc.

He is obviously from a rodeo family, so the question really is, what does rodeo teach young people? Well I can tell you what it doesn’t them; compassion, kindness, respect etc. etc. Watch, listen & make your own mind up!”

“Related: I’ve only added one link, as I’ve written too many posts to list here, so if you wish to read others, just do a search on the right of the page; type in rodeo!”

What Does Rodeo Teach Young People?

Published on 6 Apr 2013 – http://www.sharkonline.org/

A boy from Canada shows how he has learned “rodeo family values.”

Rodeos are promoted as rough-and-tough exercises of human skill and courage in conquering the fierce, untamed beasts of the Wild West. In reality, rodeos are nothing more than manipulative displays of human domination over animals, thinly disguised as entertainment.

What began in the 1800s as a skill contest among cowboys has become a show motivated by greed and big profits.(1)

The Stunts
Standard rodeo events include calf roping, steer wrestling, bareback horse and bull riding, saddle bronc riding, steer wrestling, steer roping, and barrel racing.(2) The animals used in rodeos are captive performers. Most are relatively tame but understandably distrustful of humans because of the harsh treatment that they have received. Many of these animals are not aggressive by nature; they are physically provoked into displaying “wild” behavior in order to make the cowboys look brave.

Tools of Torment
Electric prods, spurs, and bucking straps are used to irritate and enrage animals used in rodeos. The flank, or “bucking,” strap or rope—which is used to make horses and bulls buck—is tightly cinched around their abdomens, which causes the animals to “buck vigorously to try to rid themselves of the torment.”(3) The irritation causes the animals to buck violently, which is what the rodeo promoters want them to do in order to put on a good show for the crowds. The flank strap, when paired with spurring, causes the animals to buck even more violently, often resulting in serious injuries.(4) Former animal control officers have found burrs and other irritants placed under the flank strap.(5) In addition, the flank strap can cause open wounds and burns when the hair is rubbed off and the skin is chafed raw.(6)

Cows and horses are often prodded with an electrical “hotshot” while in the chute to rile them, causing intense pain to the animals. Peggy Larson, D.V.M.—a veterinarian who in her youth was a bareback bronc rider—said, “Bovines are more susceptible to electrical current than other animals. Perhaps because they have a huge ‘electrolyte’ vat, the rumen [one of their stomachs].”(7)

The End of the Trail
The late Dr. C.G. Haber, a veterinarian who spent 30 years as a federal meat inspector, worked in slaughterhouses and saw many animals discarded from rodeos and sold for slaughter. He described the animals as being so extensively bruised that the only areas in which their skin was attached to their flesh were the head, neck, legs, and belly. He described seeing animals “with 6-8 ribs broken from the spine, and at times puncturing the lungs.” Haber saw animals with “as much as 2-3 gallons of free blood accumulated under the detached skin.”(8) These injuries are a result of animals’ being thrown in calf-roping events or being jumped on by people from the backs of horses during steer wrestling.

Injuries and Deaths
Although rodeo cowboys voluntarily risk injury by participating in events, the animals they use have no such choice. Because speed is a factor in many rodeo events, the risk of accidents is high.

A terrified, screaming young horse burst from the chutes at the Can-Am Rodeo and, within five seconds, slammed into a fence and broke her neck. Bystanders knew that she was dead when they heard her neck crack, yet the announcer told the crowd that everything would “be all right” because a vet would see her.(9)

Incidents such as this are not uncommon at rodeos. By the end of one of the annual, nine-day Calgary Stampedes in Alberta, Canada, six animals were dead, including a horse who died of an aneurism and another who suffered a broken leg and had to be euthanized.(10) The following year, at the same event, six more animals died: five horses in the chuckwagon competition and a calf in the roping event.(11) In 2005, fear caused a stampede as horses destined for the Stampede were being herded across a bridge; some jumped and others were pushed into the river. Nine horses died.(12)

Rodeo ban

The Omak Stampede is an annual event in Washington that features the Wild Horse Race, in which tethered wild horses are released into the arena while cowboys try to mount and ride them (one horse died in 2005). The event culminates with the Suicide Race, in which horses are ridden at furious speeds down a steep hill and into the grandstand. That event killed three horses in 2004; 19 horses have lost their lives to the race in the past 20 years.(13)

During the National Western Stock Show, a horse crashed into a wall and broke his neck, and another horse broke his back after being forced to buck.(14) Dr. Cordell Leif told the Denver Post, “Bucking horses often develop back problems from the repeated poundings they take from the cowboys. There’s also a real leg injury where a tendon breaks down. Horses don’t normally jump up and down.”(15)

Calves roped while running routinely have their necks snapped back by the lasso, often resulting in neck injuries.(16) Even Bud Kerby, owner and operator of Bar T Rodeos Inc., agrees that calf roping is inhumane. He told the St. George Spectrum that he “ wouldn’t mind seeing calf roping phased out.”(17) During Rodeo Houston, a bull suffered from a broken neck for a full 15 minutes before he was euthanized following a steer-wrestling competition, which was described by a local newspaper as an event in which “cowboys violently twist the heads of steers weighing about 500 pounds to bring them to the ground.”(18)

Rodeo association rules are not effective in preventing injuries and are not strictly enforced, and penalties are not severe enough to deter abusive treatment. For example, one rule states that “if a member abuses an animal by any unnecessary, non-competitive or competitive action, he may be disqualified for the remainder of the rodeo and fined $250 for the first offense, with that fine progressively doubling with each offense thereafter.” These are small fines in comparison to the large purses that are at stake. Rules allow the animals to be confined or transported in vehicles for up to 24 hours without being properly fed, watered, or unloaded.(19)

rodeo bull

Spurn the Spurs
If a rodeo comes to your town, protest to local authorities, write letters to sponsors, leaflet at the gate, or hold a demonstration. Contact PETA for posters and fliers.

Check state and local laws to find out what types of activities involving animals are and are not legal in your area. For example, after a spectator videotaped a bull breaking his leg during a rodeo event, a Pittsburgh law prohibiting bucking straps, electric prods, and sharpened or fixed spurs in effect banned rodeos altogether, since most rodeos currently touring the country use the flank straps that are prohibited by the law.(20)

Another successful means of banning rodeos is to institute a state or local ban on calf roping, the event in which cruelty is most easily documented. Since many rodeo circuits require calf roping, eliminating it can result in the overall elimination of rodeo shows.

Peta site & References:-http://www.peta2.com/issue/rodeo-cruelty-for-a-buck/

http://www.peta2.com/issue/rodeo-cruelty-for-a-buck/#ixzz2RRBvPXga

Just a few of the many petitions to ban rodeo:

Ask Airlines to Stop Shipping Monkeys to Be Tortured :Please Sign Petition

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Air Cruelty: Inside the Labs of Two of the Largest U.S. Primate Importers

Published on 27 Sep 2012

Shocking undercover and whistleblower footage from inside the laboratories of Covance and Shin Nippon Biomedical Laboratories (SNBL), two of the largest importers of primates into the United States for use in cruel experiments.

Every year, tens of thousands of nonhuman primates are transported from countries such as China, Mauritius, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Indonesia to the U.S. to be imprisoned in laboratories and tormented in experiments. Some are bred in captivity on cramped, squalid monkey factory farms, while others are stolen from their families in the wild.

The traumatized monkeys are crammed into small wooden crates and transported in the backs of trucks and the dark and terrifying cargo holds of planes, often on passenger flights just below unsuspecting customers. 

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, nearly 23,000 nonhuman primates were brought into the U.S. in 2010—nearly all of them destined for laboratories. Nearly 3,000 monkeys were imported by animal testing conglomerate Shin Nippon Biomedical Laboratories (SNBL), where recent photos and video footage leaked by a whistleblower show sick, distraught monkeys suffering horribly from tests in which they were injected with experimental chemicals.

Almost every major airline in the world—including Delta Air LinesAmerican AirlinesUnited Airlines, US Airways, Air ChinaChina Southern Airlines,China Eastern AirlinesTAM AirlinesEl Al Airlines, and dozens of others—refuses to take any part in this violent industry and prohibits the transportation of primates to laboratories.

However, an increasingly small group of airlines—including Air France, Philippine Airlines, and Vietnam Airlines—continues to profit from animals’ misery by transporting monkeys destined for U.S. laboratories.

Please be a voice for the monkeys who are suffering in the primate trade. Take a minute of your time now to urge airlines that still transport monkeys to U.S. laboratories to join their peers and adopt a formal policy against the transportation of nonhuman primates for use in experiments.

Petition Link:https://secure.peta.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=3888

Horse Recorded As Slaughtered Is Found Wandering The Streets: 11 Months After Supposedly Slaughtered: Q&A How Does The Horse Meat Scandal Effect You?

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“I was so happy for this horse, I actually cried when I read his story! But I couldn’t help but feel, so much heartache for the poor horse that took its place; in this heinous, despicable & totally unnecessary bloody business! We kill millions of animals daily around the world, to supply the demand for meat for human consumption; SO WE DO NOT NEED TO BE KILLING EQUINES FOR BURGERS, SAUSAGES OR STEAKS! I hope this makes a lot of people think about what they eat; knowing what drugs my horses have had, I would be worried about my health too. This would definitely stop me eating meat; if not already virtually vegan!! 

A horse recorded as being slaughtered by an Irish abattoir in March 2012 was found wandering the roads of Longford last Sunday in the latest alarming twist in the horsemeat scandal.

Worrying: This horse was found wandering the streets of Ireland 11 months after official records state he was slaughtered, raising fears over the state of the country’s traceability system

The discovery of the small, black and white cob known as ‘Charlie’ – 11 months after official records state he was slaughteredoffers concrete proof of the chaos that the State’s traceability system for horses is in.

Experts last night suggested that Charlie’s horse passportwhich would have confirmed that he was safe to enter the food chaincould have been transferred to another, larger horse that would have been banned from doing so.

The latest scandal comes after a week of shocking revelations as the horsemeat scandal that began in Ireland spread right across Europe. 

Frozen food company Findus last night confirmed that it may take legal action against its suppliers after its beef lasagne was found to contain up to 100 per cent horsemeat. The UK Food Standards Authority has said it will carry out tests on beef served in hospitals and schools – although the authorities here said they have no such plans.

The French ministry of agriculture has also begun a criminal investigation into the origin of the lasagne horsemeat, which it believes came from Romania.

Last month, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland discovered forged documents had been used in processing some horses at a reputable abattoir in Limerick. While the documentation initially appeared genuine, the veterinary stamp had in fact been forged. The meat was intended for export to Italy.

The discovery of Charlie came as Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney told TDs that he had tightened up the passport system for tracking horses

In safe hands:Care: Animal charity worker Andrea Kelly with the scanner that identified Charlie

Under the system each horse is issued with its own passport as well as being implanted with a microchip that gives it a unique ID number. ‘A horse is not allowed into the human food chain unless it has a passport and it is microchipped and identified,’ he told the Agriculture Committee.

It must be identified within six months of birth, or within the year of birth. We are enforcing those rules now. I am not saying everything was perfect in the past.’ Mr Coveney added that he would act if he was told that the passport system was in disarray – but only if he was given clear evidence.

‘If anyone has evidence to suggest that something continues to be seriously wrong with regard to the slaughtering of horses, I need to hear about it and see it. I cannot act on hearsay.’

However, when the Mail on Sunday put the case of Charlie to the Department of Agriculture, it declined to comment. A spokesman would only repeat yesterday: ‘As stated earlier in the week, the Department doesn’t comment on individual cases.’

The Ulster Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has repeatedly alleged that passports are switched in order to allow undocumented horses to enter the food chain. Passing horsemeat off as beef offers unscrupulous traders a potential windfall. Horsemeat sells on average for €900 per tonne, while beef costs €3,500.

When the MoS told USPCA chief executive Stephen Philpott yesterday about Charlie, he said: ‘That doesn’t surprise me. The Irish passport system is corrupt. I tried talking to the Irish ministry but no-one would listen. Now they are listening, I had three meetings with Mr Coveney’s staff this week.’

Mr Philpott said passports are regularly moved around. ‘The root of the problem is they recycle the passports like washers.’ He added: ‘Charlie could have been part of a consignment of live horses being illegally shipped through the North for slaughter in England. Maybe he was too small or the horse was sold as a pet for a bit of opportune money-making by the driver.’

Charlie was rescued in a starved state by Hilary Robinson, co-founder of the animal charity Hungry Horse Outside, following an alert by gardaí in Longford town. Two of the horses are female and pregnant but have not been microchipped so cannot be identified. The other horse, a stallion we now know to be named ‘Charlie’, did have a microchip.

To Ms Robinson’s shock when she contacted the department’s registry, an official told her that number belongs to a horse slaughtered in March 2012. The official added the horse was registered to Horse Sport Ireland, the largest passport-issuing body in the State.

Ms Robinson told the MoS: ‘There is no traceability here; this is the third horse we have found like this in the last year. And I would say 60 since 2007 when we started rescuing horses.’

When the MoS contacted Horse Sport Ireland, Norah Byrne in registration confirmed Horse No 372-1414-0493-4674 was slaughtered on March 24 in an abattoir licensed to kill horses for human consumption. This newspaper contacted the slaughterhouse’s directors but they declined to comment.

The current head of clinical pathology at the Irish Equine Centre, Desmond Leadon, said the case of Charlie supports what he found while researching a report on ‘Unwanted Horses in Ireland.’ He said: ‘Something has gone seriously wrong and someone may have manipulated the situation. What you’re saying is consistent with things that are being rumoured.’

When the registered owner of the horse, Bernadette Walsh, was contacted, she was shocked to hear of the pitiful state Charlie had been found in. But she was also very angry at the lack of regulation which allows her name to be on his records when she passed the horse on more than three years ago.

Mrs Walsh, an animal rights activist in Sligo, speculated that because Charlie is smaller than a coloured cob would usually be, his passport could have been sold on illegally. ‘If you have a book for a small horse, you can pass on that book at the marts. I would like to know whether another cob was passed off as Charlie and was slaughtered,’ she said.

While refusing to comment on the issue of Charlie, a Department spokesman said it was working on improving the passport system.

And adding to the concerns of animal welfare groups is the slow progress of introducing the Animal Health and Welfare Bill. It is hoped this will update the existing Protection of Animals Act 1911.

Q&A: HOW THE HORSEMEAT SCANDAL AFFECTS YOU

Where has horsemeat been found in products on sale?

The alarm over the sale of horsemeat first began when a Tesco frozen ‘Value’ beefburger was found to contain 29% horsemeat.

This was discovered during routine testing by the authorities, with the findings made public on January 15. Frozen burgers on sale at Aldi and Lidl were also affected.

Other burgers at Iceland were found to contain traces of horsemeat DNA, but there is no suspicion that the beef was substituted by horsemeat in those instances. This discovery of this low-level contamination – below 1% – was because of the sensitivity of the tests.

There was further alarm on Thursday when Findus announced it had found 60% to 100% levels of horsemeat in its 320g, 350g and 500g packs of frozen beef lasagne. Tesco removed all of these products from its shelves.

And on Friday, Aldi said 30% to 100% horsemeat had been found in its own-brand frozen beef lasagne and spaghetti bolognese. These have also been removed.

What other meat products could contain horsemeat instead of beef?

The products that are considered most at risk of horsemeat contamination are those made from a form of pulverised minced meat. This is known in the food industry as comminuted meat. So tests are under way on frozen and fresh burgers, meatballs, sausages, pies and ready meals such as lasagne, spaghetti bolognese, cottage pie and moussaka.

What should you do if you have a product containing horsemeat in your freezer?

You should return it to the store where you bought it. Supermarkets have agreed to accept returns with no questions asked and to refund customers.

How can you best avoid  buying a contaminated product?

The best advice is to buy fresh raw meat at the supermarket or from a trusted butcher.

What about beef served in places such as hospitals, pubs, restaurants and cafés?

If you are in any doubt, ask at the outlet if they can guarantee their beef supplies.

THE FOUR WAYS TO TRACE A HORSE

There are four main ways to tell one horse from another. These are microchips, passports, the markings on a horse’s coat and its whorls, or the pattern its hair grows in.
Microchips with a barcode are implanted into the horse. Since 2009 all horses (and donkeys and ponies) should have a chip which has been put in by a vet.

This chip carries a unique number and is recorded by the Department of Agriculture as well as the relevant issuing body.
There are now seven issuing agencies in Ireland – one was closed by the Department of Agriculture for irregularities in October of last year.

Since 2004 horse owners should have a passport for each animal they own. Depending on the agency, these can be green, blue or plain white.
Green ones are issued to horses where the breeding of both father and mother can be traced. The passport states the breed of the horse as well as name and address of the owner, and carries the barcode to match the microchip in most cases.

The passport also contains a crucial section known as the Marking Chart. Vets must draw in distinctive markings and whorls on a chart – markings could be a different coloured shape on the horse’s back or white ‘socks’ on the lower legs.

Whorls in horses are as unique as fingerprints in humans – they happen when the hair in a small spot grows in a swirling shape and stands out from the rest of the horse’s coat.

News Link:-: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2276287/Horse-abandoned-Ireland-week-ecords-SLAUGHTERED-March.html#ixzz2KhjKn3Lt Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

Mother Of Two Spared Jail After Letting Dog Die Slow And Painful Death; Six Weeks Locked In Bathroom

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“WTF…if an alcoholic mother of 2 , literally locked a dog in a toilet then walked away; leaving the dog unattended to die of starvation amongst other things…One has to ask…are those children safe? She knew it was wrong, the dog died an unimaginably slow death…so why no prison sentence? We are talking about a life, irrelevant whether a dog or not! A shop lifter would have been sentenced to more! This alcoholic piece of shit has got off so lightly, she isn’t fit to look after pets period, never mind children!! Judging by how much these court proceedings costs, the RSPCA…needn’t have bloody bothered!!”

  • Laura Shaw, 23, abandoned pet Lulu when the animal fell ill
  • Dog was found dead and covered in flies with ‘overpowering foul stench’
  • Unemployed alcoholic fined and banned from keeping animals

Heartless: Laura Shaw has been convicted of animal cruelty after leaving her pet dog to die

Please note: Graphic Images Below!!

An unemployed alcoholic mother who locked her dog in a toilet and left it to die has walked free from court. “To literally lock that dog in the bathroom then walk away, show’s she was of sound mind!” 

Laura Shaw, 23, abandoned her pet Lulu for six weeks, and has now been banned from keeping animals for the next 10 years.How long before she will do something similar to another living being??? I have a feeling we are going to encounter this name again;because her sentence won’t have done diddley squat to deter her from committing such an evil act again!!

Horrific images shown in court revealed how the animal was found covered in swarms of flies, surrounded by the empty food bowls it tried to eat. 

The mother of two was prosecuted by the RSPCA, but escaped jail after a hearing at Grimsby Magistrates’ Court.

The court heard how the dog was found dead last August in a downstairs toilet at Shaw’s former home in Grimsby, surrounded by faeces and urine.

Prosecutor Nigel Burn said there was an ‘overpowering foul stench‘ and the house was swarming with large flies.

Empty plates and a bowl were found and it looked as though they had been bitten by the black cross-bred dog in a desperate attempt to satisfy its hunger. “I find this sentence strange, as below, SHAW reckon’s the dog would not eat or drink anything…if it tried to eat the bowls, obviously it wanted & needed to eat anything going!”

Shaw, now of no fixed address, admitted two offences of causing unnecessary suffering to a dog by failing to provide veterinary care and leaving it unattended without adequate food and water. “Strikes me, booze would have been more important to buy, than food for the poor dog!”

She claimed that she was scared to seek help after the dog became ill, but when she was asked about the animal’s death she admitted: ‘It must have been traumatic and it must have been lonely and scared.’ “WTF…why was she scared?? I can think of only one reason you would be SCARED to take a dog to a vet…that would be if a previous animal had been abused & taken to a vet; who asked too many questions!! I wonder, did that dog ever visit a vet??

Lauren Fisher, mitigating, said the dog stopped eating and drinking and that she tried giving it milk and different dog food brands, without success. “A dog may be picky with food, but will eat if hungry… but to not drink either, sounds very suspicious. I would like to know if a necropsy was done & what it said! If one wasn’t done, why?? Alarm bells should be ringing in a case like this; with a necropsy being the first thing done! “

Things spiralled out of control,’ she said. ‘She did not get the help that was necessary for the dog and neglected her duty as an owner to take the dog to the vet’s.’

Tragic: The dog was apparently abandoned after she fell ill and started refusing the food she was given

Ms Fisher added that Shaw’s former home had been burgled after her windows were smashed and that a large amount of her property had been stolen, causing her ‘extreme unhappiness’. “OH fxxxxxg boo hoo!! Not as unhappy as the bloody dog; I bet!”

She left the house ‘feeling scared and unable to cope’ and abandoned the dog, who was aged about 18 months to two years. “Yea, I bet the poor bloody dog felt scared because it was abandoned…probably thought it better to buy booze than vet bills & food…sick bitch!”

The court heard that the defendant also had more than £10,000 of debts.

Judge Sam Goozee told Shaw: ‘You have committed a cruel and despicable offence. The pictures I have seen show the horror and pain that Lulu must have gone through in what was a very slow death.

‘The conditions in which she was found are disgusting and she clearly had been dead for a while.

Squalid: The house in Grimsby was filled with an overwhelming stink when the dog was found last year

Probation officer Graham Marshall said Shaw had been a mental health support worker but lost her job and later ‘drank to oblivion every day whenever she could’. 

‘Looking after an animal brings responsibility and you simply ignored those responsibilities.

‘Can you imagine what it would be like if a child went through what Lulu did? As an adult, you would never place a child in that position and you should not place an animal in that position.’ “A life is a life, that dog suffered the same as a child would, except it wouldn’t have got that far with a child because friends, neighbours, social workers etc. would have said something…but it was only a dog…that doesn’t make it any less of a heinous cruel & cold hearted thing to do!”

Shaw was handed 200 hours of unpaid work, banned from keeping animals for ten years and ordered to pay £150 costs. “Well they might as well not bothered… what’s the point in a fine when she is already in debt? This sentence is weak & pathetic & stinks!!

Speaking after the verdict, an RSPCA spokesman said: ‘This was a shocking incident. The poor animal would have suffered terribly, and it is terrible to leave a living creature to die like this.

‘We hope this sends a clear to message to people that neglect or abuse of animals is not acceptable.’ “No it’s not, & THIS DOESN’T SEND A CLEAR MESSAGE TO SAY ANIMAL ABUSE IS UNACCEPTABLE…WTF…what was her penance? Banned from owning animals for 10 years, 200 unpaid hours & £150 costs??? WTF…WTF does that say to other animals abusers? NOT ENOUGH TO STOP THEM…THAT’S WHAT…WHEN WILL THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM START GROWING SOME BALLS & MAKING PEOPLE PAY BY GIVING PRISON SENTENCES

News Link:-http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2270186/Mother-spared-jail-letting-dog-die-slow-painful-death-weeks-leaving-locked-toilet.html#ixzz2JlFqrq93
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Lulu’s story on causes.com:-http://www.causes.com/actions/1728724-lulus-story?recruiter_id=186595784&utm_campaign=invite&utm_medium=wall&utm_source=fb

Human Branding To Protest Animal Cruelty

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ANIMAL rights activists in Britain plan to brand themselves in a painful public protest against the dairy industry.

Volunteers will line up to be scarred for life by a searing hot iron in a symbolic act against cruelty which they claim plagues the global dairy sector.

“If one person goes away and researches a vegan lifestyle because of this it will have been worth it,” demonstration organiser Becky Folkard, 34, told Britain’s Daily Mirror newspaper.

“We’re taking a huge risk because so many people will see what we’re doing as extreme but in the past you had suffragettes, which was hugely controversial.”

Ms Folkard, who will not be branded herself, said two women and a man had so far volunteered to be branded, to object to the dairy industry which she described as an “animal holocaust”.

 On March 21 in London the trio will be permanently marked with the number 269, which represents the ear tag sequence on calves featured in a pro-animal film documentary.

A similar protest has already been staged in Israel, the Mirror reported.

News Link:-http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/breaking-news/human-branding-to-protest-animal-cruelty/story-e6freoo6-1226558573507

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