Redwings Horse Sanctuary: State of Emergency Appeal

As a member of Redwings with virtual adopted horses ( See below about Adoptions) from their centre; I received the grim news through the post. I wish I could show you the appalling & very upsetting pictures the state the horse were found in, but I can’t; however I can tell you how some of the rescuers described the scene:- 

“This was the worst cumulative case of horse suffering we had ever witnessed. Seeing the pain & distress of so many horses was worse than you can imagine. This is a tragic & upsetting situation, but we have to share the harsh reality of this crisis. In the hope that we can stop it from happening again…

Scenes from the Somme – stranded in a vast expanse of deep wet mud, surrounded by barbed wire, with no food & no hope the site was reminiscent of a battlefield with all the horrors of war – the horses were utterly desperate.

Death Camp – the Redwings team likened the scenes to a ‘ concentration camp for horses’ with the vulnerable youngsters & their mothers most likely to succumb to starvation & disease.

The Fallen – over 100 horses were so sick, injured & malnourished that they lost their lives.

“Read more from the news below”

Multi-agency operation in South Wales

Redwings Horse Sanctuary, the Vale of Glamorgan Council and the RSPCA have spent over a week working to safeguard the future welfare of more than 400 horses at a location between Bridgend and Llantwit Major in the Vale of Glamorgan.

Following a report to the Vale of Glamorgan Trading Standards team, welfare officers and vets moved quickly to assess the horses and provide treatment for those needing it. Over six days (12-17 November), more than 300 horses were removed from the site to places of safety by the organisations involved, with assistance from South Wales police and Bristol-based charity HorseWorld who provided vital support.

These horses will be cared for and receive further treatment as necessary whilst the investigation continues. Redwings have taken immediate responsibility for 19 horses from the site, including 12 orphaned foals.

Sadly, as the operation on site progressed and more animals were assessed, it became clear that a number of the horses were in such a state of suffering that there was only one option for them. Over 100 of the horses had to be put to sleep on veterinary advice.

Redwings Head of Welfare and senior vet Nic de Brauwere said, “I am incredibly proud of the work my team and staff from the other agencies have carried out over the last week to deal with what was an incredibly severe welfare situation. Our interest at all times was to do the best we could for each horse we found, and tragically for some that meant giving them a peaceful end after all their suffering. This operation has been an astonishing feat considering the small number of people involved and the overwhelming number of demands on our time and resources. Our staff worked tirelessly to meet the needs of the animals on the site despite the incredibly difficult circumstances, and we must give special mention to Vale of Glamorgan Trading Standards team who took quick and decisive action in what was nothing less than a state of emergency for these horses.”

Martin Hubbard from the RSPCA said: “This was a difficult and tragic situation that developed very quickly, leaving many of the horses in a desperate condition. It is thanks to the Vale of Glamorgan local authority and to the fast response and hard work of everyone involved that we managed to attend to the animals and get the majority moved to safety.”

Christina Roberts-Kinsey, Principal Trading Standards Officer for Vale of Glamorgan Council, said, “We take all complaints regarding animal welfare very seriously. After visiting the site and witnessing the appalling conditions it was necessary to take this prompt action to prevent any further suffering to the animals. This action would not have been possible without the help and support of Redwings, the RSPCA and South Wales Police.”

This case is sadly typical of the situation right across the UK, where it is believed up to 7,000 horses and ponies are currently at risk of abandonment or neglect. Welfare charities have produced a report into the current equine welfare crisis, which can be downloaded here http://www.redwings.org.uk/news-updatedhorsecrisis.php.

Since January 1st this year we have taken 219 horses and ponies into our care, and we are currently looking after 1300 rescued residents at our Sanctuary sites across the UK. To donate and help us continue to help horses, please text code RWHS00 followed by the amount you’d like to give (eg RWHS00 £5) to 70070, or follow this link to the donation pages, thanks so much.

News Link:-http://www.redwings.org.uk/news-glamorgan13.php

Please do whatever you can to help – and do it today.

Click here to donate now… or text code HORS30 followed by the amount you’d like to give (eg HORS30 £5) to 70070. Thank you.

There are other ways to help too – you can write to your MP, recycle your mobile phone, or send us your unwanted Christmas presents and old horse tack. It all helps!

Thank you.

News Link:–http://www.redwings.org.uk/news-stateofemergency.php

Equine crisis – urgent update

We are in the middle of an equine crisis situation in the UK. Redwings has just helped rescue 300 horses from a site in South Wales, a few weeks ago we helped move 46 seemingly abandoned horses from a site in Hampshire, and we are already operating at capacity, with over 200 horses having coming into our care this year already.

Fly grazing and abandonment are two of the major issues contributing to this crisis. We have been delighted to see the fast tracking of new legislation from the Welsh Government to tackle the fly grazing of horses and ponies in Wales and are urgently asking the UK Government to follow suit in England to help stem the tide of unwanted horses across the country.

The new Control of Horses (Wales) Bill was passed in the National Assembly on December 10th and just needs to receive Royal Assent to become law. It grants more powers to local authorities to take action to help fly grazing and abandoned horses. However, the UK government has no such plans in England at a time when thousands of horses are at risk of suffering and death and landowners and local authorities struggle to cope with the problem.

On Tuesday 26th November 2013, MPs held a debate in Westminster Hall and we would like to thank everyone who asked their MP to go along. there was a really good turnout and a fascinating discussion which we hope will have helped pushed this issue up the political agenda. You can watch the full debate here: http://www.parliamentlive.tv/Main/Player.aspx?meetingId=14264

As 6,500 horses remain at risk of needing rescue in England and Wales, Redwings, the RSPCA, World Horse Welfare, The British Horse Society, Blue Cross and HorseWorld have released a series of devastating case studies to illustrate how current laws permit horses to suffer needlessly including two recent cases rescued by Redwings; Stephen the foal who was left to drown in a river in Essex and Lottie the pony who was found wandering the streets of Diss.

Stephen was found abandoned at just one day old in a stretch of the River Lea in Essex

You can download a copy of our updated report on the equine crisis below:

http://www.redwings.org.uk/documents/SecondhorsecrisisreportFINALsmaller.pdf

Rescue update of Alton Horses

At the end of September, welfare charities joined forces to remove 46 very hungry and many thin and sickly horses from a bare field in Alton. Eight of the most poorly horses came into the care of Redwings, while the rest found homes at private yards, where the RSPCA is providing for their care.

We very tragically lost Georgiana, only two weeks after her rescue. Georgiana was suffering with salmonella – a disease which several of these horses have – and also had an horrendous small redworm burden. Thousands of small redworms can hide inside the walls of the digestive system undetected, and can suddenly erupt out all at once, causing terrible diarrhoea and internal damage.

News Link:-http://www.redwings.org.uk/news-altonupdate.php

Details of how you can get involved, including a quick and easy way to write to your local MP can be found here: http://bit.ly/Um6rKc

News Link:-http://www.redwings.org.uk/news-updatedhorsecrisis.php

Redwings Adoption Club

The Redwings Adoption Club is the fun way to support our charity and make a new friend in the process! A year’s adoption of a Redwings horse, pony, donkey or mule costs just £12.50, which goes directly towards the daily care of your chosen equine and their friends.

Web link:–http://www.redwings.org.uk/adopting/

Useful Links:–http://www.redwings.org.uk/about-us/useful-links/

Faith’s Rescue & Recovery

Published on 27 Nov 2013

The moving story of Faith, who was rescued from Essex after she had collapsed and could not get up by herself – she was taken to Redwings Horse Sanctuary and against all the odds, she survived – watch her story here and read more about her at www.redwings.org.uk. Text £5 to RWHS00 to 70070 to donate to Redwings.

Hundreds of monkeys being bred for laboratories in Europe are killed for growing too large, claims animal rights group

• WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES
• The disturbing images show discarded dead monkeys stacked in piles on the floor or dumped in rubbish bins
• Mutilated bodies can also be seen in a skip awaiting incineration, according to the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection

Animal rights activists have published shocking pictures and video of hundreds of monkeys they claim were killed because they were too big for testing in British laboratories.

The disturbing images show discarded dead monkeys stacked in piles on the floor or dumped in rubbish bins. 

Mutilated bodies can also be seen in a skip awaiting incineration, according to the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection.

The group claims the unwanted healthy primates were given lethal injections in the heart and then burned on a monkey-breeding farm on the holiday island of Mauritius.

British firms are said to pay £260 a time for the animals – but overseas labs are said to only be interested in those weighing less than 3.5kg.

BUAV claims pregnant monkeys and babies are also being slaughtered at the Noveprim breeding farm, a major exporter of as many as 10,000 moneys a year to the UK, Spain and the USA.

BUAV Director Sarah Kite last night called on the British government to order an immediate ban on the import of monkeys from the Indian Ocean island.

‘This is a cruel and senseless slaughter,’ she said. ‘It is unacceptable that monkeys who have been exploited for years are now simply discarded because they are of no further use to this company.

‘These monkeys should be released into the wild so that they can live out the rest of their lives freely. By importing monkeys from this company, the UK is perpetuating this appalling cruelty,’ she added.

Shocking: Animal rights activists have published pictures of hundreds of monkeys they claim were killed because they were too big for testing in British laboratories

Mauritius is the world’s second-largest exporter of long-tailed macaques for research.

Three-quarters of the monkeys are used for toxicology tests on new drugs. The others are tested in studies for conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s and Aids.

In 2011, 518 monkeys were exported to the UK from Mauritius. The previous year, the number was even higher at 1,059. Only America bought more.

BUAV said it believes the killings started at the beginning of October and will continue until the end of next month.

A Noveprim spokesman wasn’t available for comment last night.

News Link:-: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2225035/Hundreds-monkeys-bred-laboratories-Europe-killed-growing-large-claims-animal-rights-group.html#ixzz2An5E1ypo
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Review Needed for Livestock Transport

UK – Agriculture Minister Jim Paice has called on the European Commission to look at the rules surrounding transport of livestock, especially journey times, and to ensure existing rules are in line with the available scientific evidence.

The UK government would like to see livestock slaughtered as close as possible to where they are farmed, but if animals are to be transported, the rules surrounding transportation must be based on existing and emerging scientific evidence so as to reduce the stress that long journeys may cause animals.

At the Agriculture and Fisheries Council in Luxembourg Jim Paice said: “The UK agrees with the EU Commission that the number one priority is better enforcement of the existing legislation on welfare during transport, across the EU. However, in addition, it would like to see a review of long journey rules to take account of existing and emerging scientific evidence, including that highlighted by the recent EFSA report, particularly in relation to revising the journey time down to a maximum of 12 hours for horses going to slaughter.

“We also wish to see discussion on greater protection for infant livestock, particularly calves, taking into account the Commission’s own written guidance on the treatment of unweaned calves on long journeys and considering the very long distances some unweaned calves have to travel, which can involve multiple cycles of 19 hour journeys.

“We believe it is important that the rules should be updated where there is sufficient evidence to support such change. We note that the recent EFSA report does not include any recommendation suggesting that all major species of livestock going to slaughter should face the same maximum journey length in all cases.”

The statement came after the agreement of a set of EU Council conclusions on the new EU animal welfare strategy and the EU Commission’s report on its review of welfare during transport rules, which while positive, fell short of suggesting that in the immediate future the Commission should review the existing rules on long journeys. The Government thinks the rules should be looked at in the light of the scientific evidence since the legislation was introduced in 2007, and which has been reviewed by the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) (click here).

via Review Needed for Livestock Transport.