Cruelty Tipster Program In T.O. Canada

Organization grows to the big smoke. Winnipeg‘s Paw Tipsters has gone national.

The non-profit organization, which started in July 2012 to combat animal abuse in partnership with Winnipeg Crime Stoppers, announced today its expansion to Toronto.

Paw Tipsters operates with the same anonymity as Crime Stoppers, where people call the hotline to report information of animal abuse. Tips are investigated and if evidence of abuse is uncovered, there is a cash reward.

“Since we started it, I always thought it would be something that would be good to have right across Canada because animal cruelty doesn’t just take place here,” said Winnipeg Paw Tipsters president Yvonne Russell. “I thought Toronto would be a great starting point and we already have a working relationship here with Crime Stoppers so it was easy for Toronto Crime Stoppers to jump on board.”

Russell is in Toronto today for the official announcement.

“I’m excited to see us grown in this way, Toronto is a huge city. I’m just really proud of what Paw Tipsters is doing

Paw Tipsters’ Yvonne Russell at home with her pooches Mike (left) and Garry.

and what we are becoming. Hopefully it’s going to spread like wildfire out there and people are going to be phoning in animal-cruelty tips in Toronto as well.”

She said further expansion is planned as Paw Tipsters prepares to approach another large city.

To report incidents of animal cruelty, people are asked to call the Crime Stoppers line at 204-786-TIPS (8477) or toll-free at 1-800-222-8477.

Paw Tipsters also forwards any information it receives directly to Crime Stoppers, which links with local law enforcement organizations to handle the investigation and, if necessary, the Winnipeg Humane Society or provincial veterinarian office. It will work the same way in Toronto.

Russell said each tip is investigated and serious tips can pay $2,000 to the tipster.

“We will pay more for the larger-scale tips,” she said. “We would like to get to the bottom of puppy mills and dog-fighting so tips like that would pay in the neighborhood of $2,000.”

“We’re starting to make a bigger difference, the more people know about us,” Russell said. “I always thought that if we saved even one animal, it was worth it to me. The big thing is just saving them from the situation that they are in. Calls come in all the time and several animals have been removed from very bad situations due to the tips through Paw Tipsters so to me, it’s already so worthwhile.”

Paw Tipsters is a registered charity that relies on donations to pay for tips so anyone wanting to help is asked to email pawtipsters@hotmail.ca.

Call Winnipeg Crime Stoppers at 786-TIPS (8477) or toll-free at 1-800-222-8477. You can also submit a tip online at www.winnipegcrimestoppers.org. Callers never have to reveal their identity. If your tip is helpful, you could receive up to $2,000.

News Link:-http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/cruelty-tipster-program-in-to-211782491.html

Milton Couple Faces Bestiality, Drug Charges

“WTF…this couple has kids, what the hell they doing growing illegal drugs & raping dogs?? However, don’t expect a prison sentence, as they have not stolen anything!”

TORONTO – A couple from rural Nassagaweya Twp. face bestiality charges after being busted for allegedly growing pot in a dog kennel, Halton Regional Police said Friday.

Officers executed a search warrant Thursday at the farmhouse on 20th Sdrd., about 70 km west of Toronto, and located a ”sophisticated” indoor marijuana grow-op, police said.

But pot was not all they allegedly found.

“While searching the residence, (officers) seized evidence related to bestiality involving a dog,” police said.

Investigators did not elaborate on what that “evidence” included.

But they claim about $9,500 in harvested marijuana, an undisclosed amount of anabolic steroids and a 12-gauge shotgun were also found in the house.

Two young kids were living at the residence with the accused couple, police said.

The grow-op was allegedly found in a separate building next to the house, both of which are tucked about 500 metres back from the road on the sprawling snow-covered property 20 km northwest of Milton.

Police allege more than 1,600 plants worth about $210,000 were seized from the building, which they claim also housed a dog kennel.

Residents of the area near Mohawk Racetrack, many of whom are horse owners, were shocked to learn of the pot operation in their sleepy community.

And they were even more disturbed by the bestiality accusations.

One neighbour said an “extremely private” older couple, possibly in their 60s, own the home.

It’s unclear how the home-owners are connected to the accused couple, both 34, and the children.

Neighbours said the older man breeds salukis, which are similar to greyhounds, and they suspect that is why there is a kennel on the property.

The home-owners’ donkey is also often seen wandering around the grounds.

Ryan Brett and Donna Fleury were arrested and charged with bestiality and firearms-related offences.

Brett also faces drug possession, production and trafficking charges.

Fleury has since been released on a promise to appear in court at a later date.

Brett appeared briefly in a Milton courtroom Friday and was remanded into custody, so he’ll spend at least the weekend behind bars.

News Link:-http://www.torontosun.com/2013/01/18/milton-couple-faces-bestiality-drug-charges

B.C. Public Warned Of Release Of Animal Killer – Video Tells Reason Why!

WTF…suspended sentence?? people like this don’t just suddenly stop fantasising about killing animals & humans.  Are the police going to be watching her every move? How can someone like this be released from jail, yet come with so many warnings to the public etc. I suggest you watch the video below, get to know a little more about this psychopath;you know it’s serious when even her own mother won’t have her living with her!!”

Police in British Columbia have issued a warning to the public about a woman convicted of killing animals but one former Toronto officer says the case reminds him of another disturbing criminal case.

Kayla Bourque is shown in a handout photo. (The Canadian Press/HO)

Former Toronto police investigator Ross McLean told CP24 Tuesday that there are similarities between the cases of 23-year-old Kayla Bourque and murder suspect Luka Rocco Magnotta.

Bourque pleaded guilty in 2012 to wilfully killing animals, causing unnecessary pain and suffering to animals and possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose.

The charges stem from the deaths of her family’s cat and dog.

Her recent release prompted a warning to the public issued by B.C. Corrections on Monday.

“You’re seeing similarities here between [Magnotta’s and Bourque’s] family background – it being broken, escalation to torturing and hurting animals and then the stated intent and the fantasizing about doing it to humans,” McLean told CP24 on Tuesday.

Magnotta, 30, is accused of first-degree murder in connection with the killing and dismemberment of Montreal university student Jun Lin, who police believe was killed on either May 24 or 25, 2012.

The 33-year-old’s torso was later found in a suitcase outside Magnotta’s apartment building, while his hands and feet were mailed to political offices and schools in Ottawa and B.C. His head was located in a Montreal park.

Magnotta was arrested in Berlin in July following an international manhunt.

Police believe that a video posted on-line shows the dismemberment of Lin.

On-line videos allegedly showing the torture of animals have also been linked to Magnotta.

No charges against Magnotta have been proven in a court of law. He is currently in police custody awaiting trial. “I can’t fxxxxxg believe this, there were videos of him on YouTube killing animals…yet no charges??…they going to let him out too??”

Bourque, a former student at Simon Fraser University, was sentenced to eight months in jail. Police say she will now be living in the Metro Vancouver area, but did not elaborate with specifics.

She will be subject to more than 40 court-ordered restrictions, including bans on using social networking sites, owning weapons, associating with anyone under the age of 18 and a lifetime ban on owning animals.

She will also only be allowed to leave the house between the hours of 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Bourque is also barred from having intimate relationships without advising the other person of her criminal past and must take part in counselling sessions and psychiatric assessments. “Yea right, so she’s supposed to say “Before I invite you in for a coffee, I have to tell you that I fantasize about killing people”…WTF, how utterly insane, she should be locked up for good!”

“It appears from the orders that the police are really working to see that [Bourque] goes in and gets the counselling she requires,” McLean said. “Now whether she wants to take it, or it works, is another story.”

Following a tip from a concerned friend last year, police conducted a search of Bourque’s residence room, where investigators seized a laptop, storage devices and a binder containing information on serial killers, as well as depictions of sexual homicide and animal torture.

Member of the public are being asked to contact police immediately if they see Bourque violating any of the conditions of her release. “I guess that means they won’t be watching her 24/7 then…un-fxxxxxg-believable!!” 

She is described as five-foot-four, 130 pounds with a slender build, brown eyes and black hair.

McLean says he believes cases like Bourque’s will be more and more common.

“ We’ve raised people in a time today where – between the Internet, on-line pornography, the ability to learn about gruesome items – the environment is there right for those people to come out,” he said

News Link:–http://www.cp24.com/b-c-public-warned-of-release-of-animal-killer-1.1106068

The reason why she is a danger:–

• While living in residence last March, she told another student she had disembowelled and dismembered cats in the Prince George area and that she fantasized about getting a gun and shooting a homeless person.
  

• She also said she wanted to kill someone in residence and was taking forensic classes because she wanted to “get away” with something in the future.

• Police also found video clips depicting her killing and hanging the family dog.”She narrated part of the video as she eviscerated the dog,” MacLean said.

•  Another video depicted Bourque torturing the family’s cat. “It is clear the animals would have suffered significantly prior to their deaths.”
• On Wednesday afternoon, Bourque sat quietly beside her lawyer as others discussed the stringent requirements needed to keep her from re-offending during a three-year probation period.
• MacLean said Bourque’s mother does not want her daughter living in the family home. Once released from jail, a Vancouver police high risk offender team will escort her to her new residence

Petition link:-http://www.causes.com/causes/644857-let-s-turn-facebook-orange-for-animal-cruelty-awareness/actions/1710547?reposter=804693

Animal Killer Released On Probation

Published on 8 Jan 2013

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Animal killer released in Vancouver. Despite having a high risk to reoffend, Kayla Bourque was released to live in Vancouver. Torture/murder of family pets-lunatic that wanted to kill people.

Related Magnotta killer:-

• https://preciousjules1985.wordpress.com/2012/05/31/alleged-cat-killer-turns-alleged-murderer-in-canada/
  
• https://preciousjules1985.wordpress.com/2012/06/25/police-on-luka-magnottas-trail-for-animal-abuse-before-slaying-landlord/

13,000 horses face slaughter if Ontario racing industry collapses

“If this is the case then they should put a ban on all race horse breeding NOW or else many more will be slaughtered because of pure greed…everybody wants that one special colt that will grow into a real money maker! They breed & breed looking for this special one, the ones that don’t make the grade like  Stardust Dancer (in picture) will simply go to slaughter…they won’t spend money on a horse, even if it’s just for food…if it’s not going to bring that money back! They don’t talk about these horses as sentient beings, they talk about them as if their inanimate objects! “

Toronto – The horseracing industry in Ontario, Canada is struggling and some believe it will face a complete shut down next year. If that happens, a government panel believes as many as 13,000 horses would be killed.

Oroville, California – Stardust Dancer pictured here, was owned by Gary Barber, CEO of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer before being sent to slaughter auction at the age three for failing to win enough races.

The Toronto Star reports that it’s expected that at least two-thirds of the racing tracks are going to face a shut down and for those that remain open, they will have fewer race days and smaller purses. That all adds up to owners and breeders trying to justify maintaining expensive animalswith little chance of getting back their investment.

Thoroughbred owner Ian Howard says, “The question is, if (a horse’s) value is zero, how do you justify feeding them when you have no way to make a living anymore because the tracks you need to be in existence are gone?”“That’s when it gets ugly.”

Things got bad for the industry in the spring when the provincial government decided to cancel the agreement it had, to share money from the slots program with racetracks and the money ($345 million in 2011-2012) would be used for provincial health care and education instead.

Then The Star says a Horse Racing Industry Transitional Panel report last month estimated that about half the horses now racing, between 7500 and 13,000 animals, would be euthanized as a result, and there was little help offered in terms of moral or financial support. A finance report last week suggested that Ontario’s 17 racetracks will need to be consolidated to just 7 or 8 tracks for the industry to remain viable.

Glenn Sikura, president of the Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society’s Ontario division says, “It’s a sad reality.” “We’ve been so cautious not to talk about (mass euthanasia) in the industry because first of all, we’re all animal lovers and god forbid anything like that would happen.” The report estimates that between 20,000-30,000 people working full-time in the industry would also lose their jobs.

All eyes will be on the annual thoroughbred yearling auction at Toronto’s Woodbine Racetrack this week. How many horses sell and for what prices will signal how much confidence is left in the shaky.

Sikura says the sale makes up about three-quarters of the annual income for breeders and if prices fall below the $25,000 average from last year’s sale, it will spell disaster for some owners and put them out of business immediately. He adds, “If a $20,000 horse becomes a $10,000 horse, then the horse that used to bring $10,000 is now a giveaway,” estimating it costs about $30,000 a year to care for a horsethat races regularly.

Some are now rallying to try to win public support to keep the industry alive, with an online petition hoping to collect 50,000 signatures. But since it started in February less than 10,000 names have been added. There’s also a website and a Facebook page that has collected fewer than 500 members.

News Link:-http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/331983

“Take a look at the following video, this was obviously before the government decided to stop money from the slots program! It’s all gone tits up now, & the horses will pay with their lives”

Value of the Ontario Horse Racing Industry

Published on 3 May 2012 by value4moneyca

The Ontario Horse Racing Industry is part of a highly competitive global market. The industry contributes 60,000 jobs, $1.1 billion to the provincial government and $2 billion in recurring expenditures – all of which would be lost if the Slots at Racetracks Programs is cancelled in Ontario.

Police on Luka Magnotta’s Trail For Animal Abuse – Before slaying: landlord

“Perhaps if the police had taken note of the thousands of calls, the many emails (including mine), informing them of his sick behaviour with animals…the human tragedy could have been averted.”

MONTREAL – Police were hot on Luka Rocco Magnotta’s trail just weeks before he allegedly killed and dismembered university student Jun Lin, according to a former landlord.

In this photo provided by Montreal Police, Luka Rocco Magnotta is taken by police from a Canadian military plane to a waiting van on Monday, June 18, 2012, in Mirabel, Que.

Canadian law enforcement had tracked the 29-year-old porn actor and stripper to a Montreal apartment building as recently as March, says Magnotta’s former landlord.

He said a police detective phoned asking about Magnotta. But the query came too late — Magnotta had moved out about two weeks earlier.

While they never explained why they were calling, Toronto police have stated that they had already been investigating Magnotta on allegations of animal cruelty for more than a year.

According to the landlord, they nearly found him.

“I think they were on to this guy,” said the superintendent, as he stood in front of the apartment building in the city’s blue-collar Point St. Charles district. He spoke on condition of anonymity.

“To myself, I said, ‘I’m glad he’s out because the cops are looking for him now.’ “

The police phone call came roughly two months before Lin’s death in late May. Magnotta has been charged with first-degree murder in the grisly crime, which has shocked people around the world, and to which he has pleaded not guilty.

His former landlord said he gave up his furnished, second-floor bachelor apartment at the end of February, about two months after moving in. It was an abrupt departure — he only advised the superintendent about a week before he packed up.

Magnotta indicated that he was moving back to Toronto. In fact his next known address, the alleged scene of the killing, was only a few kilometres away in west-end Montreal.

“The police called and I told them he left for Toronto,” said the landlord, who added that the call came from an Ontario police force — he just couldn’t recall which one.

Read the rest of this post:-http://metronews.ca/news/canada/275081/police-on-magnottas-trail-before-slaying-landlord/

Arrests made in dog death

“Stupid & ignorant, I hope they get charged, make an example of them & warn others about the dangers of leaving dogs in hot cars!!”

Charges were pending Sunday after a brown Labrador was found dead in a car parked at the Vaughan Mills Shopping Centre in Vaughan.

York Regional Police arrested a man and woman from Northern Ontario after the discovery around 2 p.m. The couple were returning from Woofstock — a dog oriented event — in Toronto.

A shopper noticed the dog in the car and informed mall security, who in turn dialled 9-1-1. The dog was in distress as the window was barely open a crack, Insp. Shelley Rogers said.

“My truck thermometer was registering 34C,” she said. “And that’s in a cooled down truck.”

The car was parked in an area with no shade. Police believe the dog was in the car for at least two hours before a passerby noticed.

The dog was alive and fading quickly when security was called. It was still alive as firefighters tried to give it water through the window crack and used their tools to open the window further. The dog went unconscious in the car as efforts were still underway to get it out.

The dog’s owners came out to the car and were taken into custody.

Even 10 minutes is too long to leave a dog in the car on a hot day, she said, adding that the largest penalty a judge could issue for cruelty to animals is $2,000 and/or six months in jail.

News Link:-http://www.lfpress.com/news/canada/2012/06/10/19860931.html

Cavalia’s horses take the spotlight in new show Odysseo

Quebec theatre producer Normand Latourelle is back with Odysseo, the newest production of his equestrian and performing arts troupe Cavalia.

The latest large-scale circus extravaganza from the Cirque du Soleil veteran features 60 horses and 20 acrobats performing together under the largest touring tent in the world. It opens in Toronto on Tuesday after a successful run in Miami.

An Odysseo actor appears on horseback. ‘We take the time to train the horse,’ says Cavalia artistic director Normand Latourelle. ‘This is the most beautiful animal on earth.’ (Canadian Press)

Latourelle formed his company after leaving Cirque about a decade ago. “I was very attracted by the aesthetic of the horse,” he told CBC News.

“This is the most beautiful animal on earth.”

While many of today’s circus troupes have stopped incorporating animals — in part due to concerns over how they are treated — Latourelle is proud of his company’s work with its equine stars.

“We take the time to train the horse,” he said. “We don’t hit the horse with the whips. We do use some sticks to give commands for the horse to understand — go backward, go [forward] — but we don’t use spurs… The bits we have are soft bits.”

Cavalia’s care for its horses is noteworthy, as other entertainment productions have drawn criticism for its treatment of animals. A recent, prominent example is the high-profile HBO racetrack drama Luck, which was cancelled early in its run following the deaths of three horses featured on the show.

The dazzling spectacle of Odysseo is thanks to the sheer size of the 27,000 square foot stage, which gives the horses enough space to run, and not because the animals are forced to perform dangerous stunts, Latourelle says. “I said if ever we have to abuse the animal to do a show, I will stop.”

Equestrian journalists who have visited the show seemed impressed by the treatment of the horses. Still, the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) will send an officer to the show to ensure the horses are receiving the proper care.

News Link:-http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/story/2012/05/15/odysseo-cavalia-horse-circus.html

Toronto Zoo Elephants Need Your Help!

The elephants at the Toronto Zoo – Iringa, Toka and Thika – need your help again. The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) revoked the zoo’s accreditation last week because of a plan to send the elephants to a sanctuary. Now, some City of Toronto Councillors are wondering if they made the right decision when they voted to send the elephants to the PAWS Sanctuary in California.

Don’t let the AZA get away with these bully tactics meant to stop the transfer of the Toronto Zoo elephants to a large, natural-habitat sanctuary, and to intimidate other zoos that may want to do the same for their elephants.

Tell the City of Toronto Councillors that the world is watching!

Send a message to the City of Toronto Councillors, urging them to stay the course and send Iringa, Toka and Thika to the PAWS Sanctuary.

Personalize and submit the form below to send your comments to:

https://secure2.convio.net/ida/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage&page=UserAction&id=2155

Related articles

• Correcting Misinformation About PAWS (preciousjules1985.wordpress.com)

Other Stories in the news regards the above:- 

Zoo chief says plan to move elephants at ‘an impasse’

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/toronto/zoo-chief-says-plan-to-move-elephants-at-an-impasse/article2418503/

Toronto Zoo loses accreditation over elephant move

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/toronto/toronto-zoo-loses-accreditation-over-elephant-move/article2406394/

Toronto Zoo Loses International Accreditation

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/04/18/toronto-zoo-loses-accreditation_n_1434740.html

Correcting Misinformation About PAWS

PAWS is not a zoo, we are a Sanctuary; we provide a dignified peaceful refuge to injured, abused, unwanted and retired animals. Zoos, on the other hand, seek to form collections of healthy, virile specimens to exhibit and breed in displays that are often inadequate. Fortunately, some zoos are changing their ways.

When it comes to our elephants, our medical issues arrive with the elephant. The same cannot be said for many zoos and circuses which often create foot problems, arthritis and skin diseases in elephants due to lack of space, poor facilities and unnatural substrates. PAWS inherits all of those problems when those animals are retired to PAWS.

Virtually every elephant that comes to PAWS has a history of physical and/or psychological illness, often untreatable.We are the last alternative to the painful and lonely death of an animal who may have suffered most of its life.

With the City of Toronto‘s decision to donate the Toronto Zoo elephants to PAWS, the question of TB at PAWS has become the focus of certain zoo personnel and other misguided individuals who are opposed to sending the Toronto Zoo elephants to PAWS in the uninformed belief that their presence at PAWS endangers their welfare.

Read more. . .

Pat Derby addresses the issue of tuberculosis at PAWS in her latest blog. To read . . . click here.

“Some great footage of the ele’s in the rain, I think PAWS  is a fantastic place for elephants, just a shame more zoo’s don’t send their ele’s their, no zoo can afford such space & amenities like PAW does. Surely they deserve to spend their older years in paradise after giving everything to entertain the public?”

AFRICAN ELEPHANTS: RAINY DAY ON THE MOUNTAIN

Published on 18 Apr 2012 by PAWSWEB

April 11, 2012 — PAWS’ ARK 2000 Wildlife Sanctuary, San Andreas, CA. African elephants Maggie, Lulu and Mara.

Related articles

• Bob Barker Pays $880,000 for Private Elephant Flight (preciousjules1985.wordpress.com)
• Help Elephants (IDA) – Top Ten Worst Zoos for Elephants – 2011 (preciousjules1985.wordpress.com)

African Elephants: Iringa’s Custom-Made Transport Crate – YouTube

Tuesday afternoon, February 21, 2012, the first transport crate for moving the Toronto Zoo’s three elephants, Iringa, Toka and Thika, to the Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) sanctuary in San Andreas, CA, was loaded onto a truck for its journey to Toronto, Canada.

The crate has been custom made to accommodate Iringa, with additional height to allow her to comfortably stand inside. The crate will be utilized by the zoo to begin the process of training the elephants for their journey, by truck, to ARK 2000. All training by the zoo is done with food rewards and zoo staff has already begun preliminary training.

As we often say once the process begins, “We’re on elephant time now.”

The target date for the trip is the end of April, but the elephants will ultimately determine when they are ready to move. When we moved Maggie from Alaska, we were amazed at her quick response to treats and training.

Wanda and Winky, two Asian elephants, were moved by truck, from Detroit Zoo, almost seven years ago. Detroit keepers and veterinarians joined our staff in the move which was quite successful despite some medical issues for Wanda.

Maggie’s and Wanda’s keepers, docents, zoo administrators and a myriad of fans continue to visit their elephants each year. We look forward to welcoming the Toronto Zoo elephants’ friends and fans to ARK 2000.

via African Elephants: Iringa’s Custom-Made Transport Crate – YouTube.

PAWS History
The Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) captive wildlife sanctuaries are places where abandoned, abused, or retired performing animals and victims of the exotic animal trade can live in peace and dignity. For more than 25 years PAWS has been at the forefront of efforts to rescue and provide appropriate, humane sanctuary for animals who have been the victims of the exotic and performing animal trades.

PAWS investigates reports of abused performing and exotic animals, documents cruelty and assists in investigations and prosecutions by regulatory agencies to alleviate the suffering of captive wildlife.

Founded in 1984, by former Hollywood animal trainer and author, Pat Derby, and her partner, Ed Stewart, PAWS maintains three sanctuariesfor captive wildlife in Northern California.

Not a new story but worth watching again and again! So amazingly touching – the story of Shirley and Jenny, two crippled elephants reunited at The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee after a 22-year separation. The bonding was immediate, intense and unforgettable between the two former circus elephants. But long after the cameras were turned off, the wondrous moments would continue..

“I have watched most of the PAWS elephant videos but the one above still makes me fill up; how wonderful it is that 2 elephants snatched away from their homes, then forced to perform stupid tricks in the circus…finally found peace together at long last.”  It would be a dream come true if all circus animals could end up at this facility; freedom, love & contentment…Perfect!

Mission Statement

PAWS is dedicated to the protection of performing animals, to providing sanctuary to abused, abandoned and retired captive wildlife, to enforcing the best standards of care for all captive wildlife, to the preservation of wild species and their habitat and to promoting public education about captive wildlife issues.

http://www.pawsweb.org/index.html