“The current assault against wolves in the wild, through hunting, trapping, poisoning dens, etc. is unnecessary and an indictment on the American People if we continue to look the other way. We must put an end to this unprovoked and inhumane slaughter. Please help by signing as many petitions as you can”
Louise du Toit – Ode to the Wolves – Wolf Paintings by Vincent A Kennard
“Ode to the Wolves” is an artistic tribute to all wolves, written to raise awareness about the endless atrocities they endure from humans all over the world, with a positive message to support the plight of the wolves and to end their suffering.
The music and lyrics of “Ode to the Wolves” were written by Louise du Toit and the paintings in the video were done by fierce wolf protector, author and artist, Vincent Arthur Kennard, with the purpose of accompanying the song.
Bringing Wolves Back! 43 Petitions. Please TAKE ACTION!
Wolf Caught In Leg Hold Trap
My apologies if any have ended before I get this posted!
“What the hell gives humans the right to treat animals, in such an appalling & brutal manner; just for the sake of entertainment?? And why the hell is China allowed to get away with virtually no animal welfare rules; when the rest of the world has to comply?? The people in the video actually think this is fun! This is no where close to fun, it’s just down right animal abuse, for the sake of entertainment. The world is losing tigers at an alarming rate, yet in China it appears anything goes!! It’s well overdue that they should have similar laws to other Countries in place, to protect animals; yet China seem oblivious & turn a blind eye to such rules. I thought this kind of thing was supposed to have stopped, how stupid am I for even thinking such a thing!! Please note, I do not intend this to offend any Chinese individuals; apart from the ones in the video…and those who make the laws that govern your Country!”
“In January last year, the Chinese government banned zoos from putting on cruel animal performances after increased pressure from outraged animal rights groups. A study by Animals Asia in 2010 found bears were often whipped and beaten with sticks, elephants were prodded with metal hooks, while tigers and lions were made to endure chronic pain by being de-fanged and de-clawed But sure enough, only a few months after the ban came into force, some zoos were found to still be flouting the law…where is the law…why are they still allowed to beat an animal for entertainment? What about health & safety rules for the public? But if they are stupid enough to stand so close to a tiger, who could easily rip an arm off a child with one swipe; I have no sympathy!”
” I sent the video to a couple of welfare groups but have yet to receive any reply, so watch this space! Please also sign the petitions at the bottom of this page, thanks!”
Shocking video emerged today showing a dazed and confused tiger being smacked in the head with sticks while being forced to pose for photographs with tourists
Cruel: A docile tiger is smacked around the head as tourists, one of them nonchalantly smoking a cigarette, pose for pictures with the animal Bashed: The tiger, which appears to have been drugged, is seen slumped on a table as excited parents and children queue up to sit next to the endangered animal
The tiger, which appears to have been drugged, is seen slumped on a table as excited parents and children queue up to sit next to the endangered animal.
To ensure it keeps facing the camera, two men armed with white sticks bash it in the face and neck.
It is not clear where or when the video was taken or who is organising the photographs, which are very likely to have been laid on for financial gain.
But in a posting on liveleak.com, where the footage was uploaded, it claims to have taken place in the popular beach resort of Beidaihe in the Chinese city of Qinhuangdao, possibly at a zoo.
One commenter said: ‘I was seriously hoping this video would end with one of those two guys mauled.’
Parents and two young children sit next to the tiger for their picture in front of a wildlife background Kept in line: It is not clear where or when the footage was taken, but left below the video posted on line suggest it may have been at a zoo in the popular beach resort of Beidaihe in the Chinese city of Qinhuangdao
Emergence of the video comes just days after terrified lions were pelted with snowballs by by laughing visitors, including children, at Hangzhou Zoo in Zhejiang Province, eastern China.
In January last year, the Chinese government banned zoos from putting on cruel animal performances after increased pressure from outraged animal rights groups.
A study by Animals Asia in 2010 found bears were often whipped and beaten with sticks, elephants were prodded with metal hooks, while tigers and lions were made to endure chronic pain by being defanged and declawed.
But months after the ban came into force, some zoos were found to still be flouting the law.
“I apologise for the distressing picture, it’s both horrific & heartbreaking to see such a magnificent beast slaughtered like this! Humans can be so malevolent, this life taken, all for a little trinket of ivory, it makes me so bloody mad. Seeing it only fuels my anger & makes me want to help as much as I can…hopefully you will feel the same! Elephants are protected, so it’s about bloody time they were…we must make more of an effort to make our voices be heard…so please sign the petition below, it is one of many but the best in terms of helping to stop these atrocities!”
A 40 year old male elephant believed to be the oldest and most peaceful in Semliki wildlife reserve in western Uganda has been killed by suspected poachers.
Park authorities said the elephant was named Baraka, a Swahili word meaning peace, because it was approachable.
They said most of the visitors to Semliki would almost be sure of an encounter with Baraka. The age of an elephant varies from one area to another. In East Africa, the oldest are normally about 70-75 years, while in South Africa they reach between 60 and 65 years. The world’s known oldest elephant died at 86.
The headless carcass of the peaceful elephant was discovered within Semliki near Kitika in Ntoroko recently. “We heard gunshots one afternoon in the park and we suspected it was eitherUganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) officials chasing after poachers or poachers taking down a kill,” said Peter Mwanja, a manager at Wild Places. “After failing to get help from UWA, we called the UPDF in the reserve and during the search we came across this elephant’s carcass,” he added.
It is believed Baraka was killed for his huge tusks by poachers. “This was a cruel death. It seems they sliced off the head using a chain saw,” lamented one conservationist. In a separate incident, Mwanja said about a week ago, while on routine patrol, they found another carcass of young elephant, still with no tusks. “It is very rare to find a young one moving on its own. This is very suspicious. We need more surveillance and investigations,” he said. Semliki has lost seven elephants since January, according to Charles Tumwesigye, the conservation director at the UWA. The last census in the reserve put the population of elephants at only 40.
Tumwesigye said elephant poaching has been increasing over the last two years, pointing out that the rampant killing of elephants is raging in Kenya, Tanzania and Congo. Apart from elephants, Mwanja said other animals such as Uganda Kob were being poached and loaded in small cars like goats. “They even sell the meat on goat stalls,” said, Mwanja adding that poaching was common in Kitika and near the sand river in the Semliki game reserve.
Elephants are protected according to national arid international laws. The Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of wild flora and fauna has for the last two decades listed African elephants in the region as endangered species. But poachers kill elephants for ivory, which is highly sought after in Asian countries such as China for making ornaments.
www.elephanttrust.org
The Amboseli Trust for Elephants aims to ensure the long-term conservation and welfare of Africa’s elephants in the context of human needs and pressures through scientific research, training, community outreach, public awareness and advocacy.
www.bornfree.org.uk
The Born Free Foundation is an international wildlife charity working to stop individual wild animal suffering and protect threatened species in the wild.
The smuggling ring is believed to killed over 40 bears for their parts with an estimated total value of $3.2 million.
POACHED: The carcass of a Malayan pangolin was included in the animal trafficking bust in China
Police in the Guangxi region busted the criminal gang earlier this month and seized “hundreds” of bear paws, bear meat and carcasses of other animals including pangolins and tortoises, it said.
The trafficking ring is believed to have slaughtered 43 bears for their parts, estimated to have a value of 20 million yuan ($3.2 million), Xinhua said.
In China, bear gall bladders are used in traditional medicine while bear paws are an expensive delicacy.
Xinhua said the seized animals were sourced in Guangxi’s Dongxing city on the border with Vietnam and sold across southern China.
Chinese authorities have previously seized snakes and turtles smuggled from Vietnam, it said.
Police in Nanning city, where the men were arrested, declined to comment on June 26.
BEIJING: Chinese policehave busted a criminal gang involved in illegal trade ofendangered animals, seizing hundreds of bear paws, bear meat and animal carcasses from their possession, local officials said.
Three men, all natives of the region, were arrested in a rented residence in the regional capital of Nanning this month after a three-month investigation, according to Nanning city police.
Authorities believe at least 43 black bears were slaughtered for the bear paws. The animals and their body parts are believed to be worth 20 million yuan ($3.15 million), Xinhua news agency reported.
Some of the carcasses, including those of pangolins and tortoises, were sealed in a refrigerator and disguised as tea, police said.
Police said the suspects ordered the endangered animals from the city ofDongxing, which borders Vietnam’s city of Mong Caito the south, and sold them insouthern Chinese cities, including Nanning, Guangzhou and Kunming.
It is not known whether the animals were smuggled across the border.
Officials have dealt with multiple animal smuggling cases on the China-Vietnam border over the last few years, seizing snakes, cobras and turtles.
Indonesia – The International Rhino Foundation (IRF)is pleased to announce the birth of a bouncing baby malerhino born to Ratu, a twelve-year-old Sumatran rhino living at the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary in Indonesia’sWay Kambas National Park.
The birth helps ensure the future of one of the world’s most endangered species. There are fewerthan 200 Sumatran rhinos living in Indonesia and Malaysia. This is the first birth of a Sumatran rhino in an Indonesian facility and the first birth in an Asian facility in 124 years.
At 12:40 am on Saturday, June 23rd, Ratu, one of the three adult female rhinos at Indonesia’s Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary, gave birth to a 60-lb male calf. Not only was this Ratu’s first baby, but it was the first Sumatran rhino ever born in captivity in Indonesia and only the fifth ever born in captivity worldwide.
The baby was born after a 16-month gestation period, which is about average for African and Asian rhino species. Indonesian veterinarian, Dr. Dedi Candra, managed Ratu’s pregnancy on a daily basis, with help from Dr. Terri Roth of the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, which has bred more Sumatran rhinos in captivity than any other institution.
This was the third pregnancy for Ratu, who miscarried her first two calves.
Dr. Dedi Candra, head veterinarian and animal collections manager at the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary has been monitoring Ratu’s pregnancy by weighing her weekly and conducting regular ultrasound exams, using methods developed by the Cincinnati Zoo, where the father, Andalas, was born in 2001.
To assist her in having a successful pregnancy, Ratu was prescribed a hormone supplement that was given orally every day. It was gradually withdrawn as the expected delivery date neared. Dr. Terri Roth, director of Cincinnati Zoo’s Center for Conservation and Research of Endangered Wildlife and the vice president for IRF’s Asia programs, provided the protocol and dosage. Andalas’s mother, who also experienced pregnancy complications prior to his birth in the Cincinnati Zoo, was given the same hormone.
The Sumatran rhino is seriously threatened by the continuing loss of its tropical forest habitat and hunting pressure from poachers, who kill rhinos for their valuable horns. The IRF operates Rhino Protection Units in two of the three remaining habitats to ensure that the wild population and its habitat are protected. Every successful birth is critical for the survival of the species, which runs the risk of extinction by the end of this century
The baby’s father, Andalas, in fact, was born there in 2001. After spending several years at the Los Angeles Zoo, Andalas was sent to Indonesia with hopes that he would breed Ratu and the other female rhinos in residence.
The new baby was born in an enclosure (boma) constructed especially for this event, but he and his mother have access to a small forest garden as well. Both remain under 24-hour video surveillance for health and safety reasons, and also have the benefit of visiting rhino specialists from Australia and the United States, who will remain at the sanctuary for the next few weeks.
Ratu has handled the long pregnancy extremely well and is now proving to be an attentive, even-tempered mother. Her keepers and veterinarians will keep a close eye on mother and baby in the months ahead, gathering critical information about maternal care and infant development, which is very sparse for this critically endangered species.
MIRPUR (AJK): A scared cat climbs up a tree, is spotted by an innocent child and consequently rescued by local heroes – an anecdote of human compassion often narrated in children’s books.
Locals acted on ‘self-help basis’ amid wildlife apathy.
Kashmir is home to two of the world’s big cats, the common leopard (Panthera pardus) and the snow leopard (Uncia uncia), a cat so secretive few have been privileged enough to get a glimpse of it in the wild.
A businessman of the area, Waseem Khursheed, is a witness to the killing. “A snow leopard climbed up a tree and remained there for eight hours in the town of Banjosa, some 18 kilometres from Rawalkot.”
Locals informed Deputy Commissioner Sohail Azam about the animal which had left its habitat and ventured near the settled areas. The deputy commissioner asked the villagers to scare the leopard through firecrackers, but finding the steps inadequate, they decided to kill it instead.
Khursheed said the villagers acted upon a “self-help basis” to avert any threat to human life. After the DC was informed of the leopard’s presence, a few police constables visited the site, but left shortly without taking any initiative. “Sensing the snow leopard’s hunger, the scared villagers shot down the animal with a 7mm rifle.”
Khursheed added that the villagers skinned the animal and distributed its meat among the locals as it is considered to be very useful for patients of orthopedic diseases. He added that a snow leopard was also killed last year in the same area, and though the police arrested the accused, he was later released on bail.
According to the AJK Wildlife Act, the killing of a snow leopard can result in imprisonment of up to 6 months and/or fine. However, no charges are a framed if the animal is killed in self-defence.
Narrating his version, DC Sohail Azam said that on being informed of the animal’s presence, he immediately contacted AJK Wildlife Department’s Director General Javed Ayub to dispatch a team to capture the animal without injury.
“The Wildlife Department’s DG was attending a function when he received my call. He suggested the use of firecrackers to scare the leopard away.” Azam added that he dispatched some policemen with the directives to adopt the same preventive measures.
Azam strongly advocates the need for a district-level office of the Wildlife Department to ensure the safety and protection of endangered animals in the populous hills and forests around Rawalkot.
He confirmed the death of another leopard last February, who was also shot dead by locals.
Newly-inducted Wildlife Department DG Chaudhry Muhammad Razaq, who has recently replaced Javed Ayub, blames lack of manpower and proper equipment for the inefficacy. “My predecessor’s advice of using firecrackers to scare the animal away was the right solution.”
Encounters between humans and the big cats are becoming increasingly frequent. The animals wander off in search of food and venture towards the settled areas where they are killed by the locals out of fear and lack of awareness.
“Animal smuggling has grown to a £6 billion a year criminal industry, and is exceeded only by the drugs and arms trades. Its illicit profits are a major source of funding for terrorist and militia groups, including al Qaeda, and the snaring and slaughtering of animals is driving dozens of speciesto the brink of extinction.” The Independent.
By Kotie Geldenhuys
With all the attention being on rhino poaching these days, poachers who focus on the illegal smuggling of birds, reptiles, spiders, cycads and many other species, are smiling all the way to the bank. We all agree that our rhino are facing extinction if the poaching continues and that this must stop, but our attempts to save the rhino must not be at the cost of other species.
The Independent stated in March 2011 that, apart from the fact that the number of rhino poached in South Africa doubled in 2010, the world’s tiger population has plummeted from 100 000 at the start of the 20th century to less than 4000; 20 000 elephants are killed each year for their ivory; sea turtles are being harvested at an astonishing rate for their shells to be turned into jewellery; and over the past 40 years, 12 species of large animal have vanished completely in Vietnam.
The trade takes its toll in human lives, too. Each year, according to the International Fund for Animal Welfare, many African rangers are killed because they are unequipped to cope with armed poachers.
South African species at risk
Many South African birds are caught and placed in crates, ready to be shipped to foreign countries via our Ports of Entry/Exit (POEs). It is therefore of utmost importance that officials working at these ports can identify species and have knowledge of the relevant permits (CITES/ import/export) needed, and request to see them.
The Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) presents a Wildlife Trade Law Compliance and Enforcement Training Programme to provide relevant training in this regard (see article in SERVAMUS: May 2012).
A CITES permit is required when an animal or a plant listed on any of the three CITES appendices is imported/exported across international borders.
The Depart‑ment of Environmental Affairs (DEA) is the CITES authority for South Africa, but CITES permits are issued at provincial level by the provincial conservation authority.
Lolita is a solitary orca who has been confined to a tiny concrete tank at the Miami Seaquarium for more than 40 years. The Endangered Species Act (ESA) provides members of the wild Southern Resident orca population and other endangered animals with a host of protections, including protection against being harmed or harassed. Yet, despite being a member of the Southern Residents, Lolita has been denied all of these protections without any explanation by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS).
The government’s failure to provide Lolita with the protections enjoyed by the wild members of her pod has enabled the Miami Seaquarium to keep her in conditions that violate the Endangered Species Act. Lolita must be granted the protections under federal law which she is rightfully due and which best ensure her survival and well-being, which—depending on her condition—could include transferring her to a sea pen in her home waters and releasing her back to her family pod.
In the wild, orcas live in tight family units with bonds that may last a lifetime. At Seaquarium, Lolita swims endless circles in a small, barren tank that does not comply with USDA regulations. This highly intelligent and social animal has been without an orca companion since 1980.
Sign ALDF’s petition to the National Marine Fisheries Service, urging them to include captive members of Lolita’s Southern Resident pod in ESA protections.
Posted by Carter Dillard, ALDF’s Director of Litigation on March 21st, 2012
For Seaquarium Owners, Exploiting an Endangered Whale Is Just Business as Usual
Most people don’t make their living by exploiting endangered species – but for Arthur and Andrew Hertz, it’s been a profitable arrangement. This father-son duo owns and operates the Miami Seaquarium, an aquatic theme park in Florida that features Lolita, an endangered orca who has been forced to live and perform there for the past forty years. Lolita was captured near Puget Sound when she was about four years old – and is estimated to have brought the Seaquarium tens of millions of dollars since then.
The day of Lolita’s capture from Puget Sound
The Seaquarium operates below federal animal welfare guidelines, including a tank that is smaller than mandated by the USDA; another orca housed with Lolita died several years ago after slamming his head into a concrete structure in the middle of the tank.
Her welfare aside, a federal court in Washington State must now decide whether Lolita’s being a member of an endangered species might actually change the rest of her life. The Animal Legal Defense Fund, PETA, and a number of individual plaintiffs have sued the federal government to ensure that Lolita is protected under the Endangered Species Act (ESA)—when her pod was listed as endangered, captive members of the pod, like Lolita, were excluded from ESA protections with no explanation given by the National Marine Fisheries Services. Federal law prohibits the “take” or harming and harassing of endangered species—which likely includes what Seaquarium and its trainers do to Lolita in order to make her perform, as well as her current living conditions, which fall below federal regulations for housing orcas. Needless to say, Arthur and Andrew Hertz are concerned that the suit might cost them their star performer, and Seaquarium has intervened in the case in an attempt to have it thrown out of court.
If you’d like to urge the National Marine Fisheries Service to include captive members of Lolita’s Southern Resident pod in Endangered Species Act protections, please sign ALDF’s petition here.
Since 2009, Colin Riddell and Bob Irwin of “Save Australian Dugongs and Turtles” have been at the forefront trying to save Australia‘s fast disappearing turtles and dugongs. What they have uncovered with the help of former Sea Shepherd volunteer Rupert Imhoff, is compelling evidence of the cruel butchery and illegal trade of endangered dugongs and turtles in Queensland.
They have obtained shocking footage of the live slaughter of vulnerable dugongs and endangered green sea turtles, with some animals taking days to die. Endangered green sea turtles are being tied up, flipped onto their backs and left to suffer a painful death. Some are even being hacked at while still alive, with some taking over 7 minutes to die. The full expose can be seen here with a warning; this story contains distressing footage.
Community leaders admit that the primarily indigenous trade of dugong and sea turtle meat and products uses native title rights as its cover. The trade in endangered green turtles and dugongs has now become a black market industry.
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 (when i finish it) lol
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!!!!
ABOUT THESE POSTS
I would just like to make readers aware, that I search for stories on the internet; regards animal abuse etc. I copy stories etc. from the internet; assuming these stories are correct at time of publishing. Having said that, sometimes the press get it wrong! So I just want to add that at the time of me posting a news story, I presume all the facts seem present & correct.
Please note....all people mentioned in this blog, are presumed innocent, until proven otherwise, in a court of law.
Error: Please make sure the Twitter account is public.
Flag Counter Added May 2012
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 Facebook, Wordpress, Twitter etc. & WHO HAVE A GENUINE INTEREST IN ANIMAL WELFARE... i.e. if your Facebook page has absolutely nothing to do with animals, I see no point in joining my page. My Facebook 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!!
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DUE TO THE NATURE OF THIS BLOG - SOME PICTURES & VIDEOS CAN & WILL BE VERY GRAPHIC - SO PLEASE, VIEW THIS BLOG AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION.
STOP ANIMAL ABUSE 
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