“Finally some good news, received via email, not over yet; but proves petitions do work!!!”
Dear Jules
We have good news to share with you.
The World Society for the Protection of Animals’ (WSPA) petition calling on the Welsh Government to stop factory dairy farms in Waleshas successfully passed its Petition Committee hearing.
You might remember that we wrote to you back in December, following news that Welsh Planning Minister Carl Sargeant had approved plans to build a 1000-cow intensive dairy farm, asking you to join us in urging the Welsh Assembly to update relevant planning documents to better support decision-makers faced with factory dairy applications.
The petition received 9246 signatories, including Welsh actor Gareth David-Lloyd, who came with WSPA campaigners to hand it in to the Welsh politicians.
The concerns laid out in the petition were heard by the Committee on 18 February, who have decided to take the issue further.
Thank you for helping make this one of the most-signed petitions to the Welsh Government.
The fight to stop factory dairy farms in the UK is far from over, but we wanted to celebrate this positive decision with you.
The next steps will see the Committee write to both Carl Sargeant, Minister for Housing and Regeneration, and Alun Davies, Minister for Natural Resources and Food, for more information.
We’ll be sure to keep you updated on progress, and you can read more about this on our website.
The brutal but lucrative contests are organised by powerful local landlords. They own and train the dogs, which are also victims of this ‘sport’, encouraging ferocity in attack situations.
The bears are owned by Kalanders – traditional bear owners –who are paid by the landlords to bring the bears to fight.
Bear baiting is banned by the Pakistan Wildlife Act and contravenes Islamic teachings, which forbid the baiting of animals.
Taking action
WSPA and member society the Pakistan Biodiversity Research Centre (PBRC) have helped to dramatically reduce the number of bear baiting events in recent years, by:
Campaigning to bring awareness of international opposition to the ‘sport’ to the Pakistani authorities.
Working with the Pakistani government and wildlife officials to halt the fights and look at alternative livelihoods for bear owners.
Monitoring the numbers of captive bears and pushing for prosecution.
Building the Kund Park sanctuary, providing a home for confiscated bears.
Educating potential spectators through a mobile phone awareness unit and religious teachings. Our anti-bear baiting message has been delivered in over 9,000 mosques to a potential audience of over 1 million people.
Calling for greater action to prevent illegal bear cub poaching. A Pakistan-wide educational programme has raised awareness of the issue.
Support our work
Thanks to your help, WSPA has tracked down and stopped many bear baiting events. We’re getting closer to ending this brutal blood sport altogether.
But there is still much more work to be done.
WSPA needs to gain political support for our call to make bear ownership illegal. Please support us so more wild bears can be made safe to enjoy a life free from fear and injury.
Imagine a bear, tethered to a post, set upon by up to four trained fighting dogs. Hundreds of people are watching.
A dog’s mouth is bloodied from bear baiting
The dogs, which are also at risk of injury, are groomed to be extremely aggressive. Their ferocity is a matter of pride for the owner, who reaps the financial rewards of the baiting, which is illegal in Pakistan.
The crowd knows that the tethered bear is suffering a further handicap. Its claws and teeth will have been removed – an agonising mutilation for which anaesthetic is rarely used.
The ‘contest’ lasts for three rounds. As the dogs are encouraged to attack, the bear will tire and weaken, until it is unable to remain upright.
This is when the bear’s face and neck become vulnerable to the dogs’ teeth.They hang from the bear’s mouth and lips as they try to drag it to the floor. If they succeed, the dogs ‘win’ the round; if the bear stays on its feet, it has ‘won’.
Bears sustain more injuries than dogs in these savage stand-offs, suffering ripped noses and mouths. The dogs’ jaws, clamped around the bear’s nose, are prized apart using sticks.
Most bears are permanently scarred, but the killing of either animal is avoided – they are too valuable. The bears live on to suffer further at the hands of their owners.
Help WSPA end bear baiting
Working with the Pakistani authorities and the Pakistan Biodiversity Research Centre (PBRC), WSPA is halting an increasing number of bear baiting events.
Bear Baiting is a cruel bloodsport in which pairs of dogs are set upon a tethered bear. Although it has been declared illegal in Pakistan for quite some time now, it continues unpunished to this day. For more information on bear baiting, visit WSPA’s website http://www.wspa.org.uk
I have some wonderful news to share with you – Sammy – the bear featured in a recent WSPA appeal – has now been rescued from the cruel blood sport of bear baiting.
Sammy (pictured before her rescue) is now safe from harm and recovering in the WSPA-funded sanctuary in Pakistan. Her life of fear and violence is over and a new life of peace, safety and wide open spaces is just beginning.
To mark this new beginning, Sammy has been given a beautiful new name: Yarrow, which means healing.
Because of WSPA supporters like you, she will have a safe and peaceful life in the sanctuary. Thank you
Victor Watkins.
2 more bears rescued from a life of bear baiting in Pakistan :- WSPA’s partner group BRC have rescued two more bears from the bear baiting industry and brought them to Balkasar to start a new life. The bears are now in quarantine and will be released into a large enclosure when their injuries have healed.
Dora, meaning ‘gift’, is pictured before the handover.She was used in bear baiting for about 5 years. Partner group BRC took her in September 2012 after her owner gave her up as part of the alternative livelihood programme. Dora has severe facial injuries, including a pierced tongue, that BRC are treating in quarantine.
Shaad is a six year old female used in the bear baiting industry. She was rescued by partner group BRC in September 2012 after her owner gave her up as part of the alternative livelihood programme. Shaad meaning ‘happy’ is pictured before the handover. Her facial wounds were treated on arrival at the Balkasar sanctuary
Shaad arrives at Balkasar sanctuary, run by partner group BRC.Her nose ring and ropes are cut away by a member of staff which is one of the most important moments of her new life.
The following is posted for & on behalf of fellow animal advocate Tony Zadel
BEAR BAITING A SHAME ON HUMANITY !
Also known as “bear baying” by some, is a very cruel & barbaric show for sick sadistic pervert persons..an event where participants release their pit bull dogs to attack a tethered, captive bear, who has had his claws and some of his teeth cut off, leaving him totally defenceless .The poor bear is so terrified, that he pee’s in fear when he hears the dogs barking and rushing at him…you can imagine why, because he can’t defend himself as usually with no teeth and no claw’s and beside that he is chained and can only move around 5″ ft!
PLEASE SIGN & SHARE WIDELY THOSE ►►10 PETITIONS !! IN SOUTH CAROLINA (USA),IT IS STILL LEGAL!
Bear baiting is a terribly cruel and inhumane blood sport that for the most part still persists in the Punjab and Sindh regions of northern Pakistan. Even though it has been illegal in Pakistan since 1890 — through the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act — routine bear baiting events are still being held in the name of public entertainment. It is especially prevalent in the rural tribal regions.
At a typical bear baiting event, a bear is tethered to a post in the middle of a stadium. The rope or chain is between 2-5 meters long. The bear’s claws have been blunted, his/her canine teeth removed and a nose ring inserted. At least two dogs are then let loose to attack the tethered bear.The dogs are removed when the bear submits; this is seen when the bear rolls on the ground to avoid further attack by the dogs. The bear is forced to do this up to as much as ten times per day.
The average life expectancy of a wild bear is 20 years. Bears used for bear baiting have significantly shortened lives to 5-7 years at best.
BEAR BAITING:-
Of all the ways in which bears are mistreated around the world, the medieval sport of bear baiting must be the most barbaric and obscene.
The setting of pit bull terriers against bears inflicts appalling suffering on both animals. This activity, which was once widespread in Europe, is now only found is rural parts of Pakistan. Thankfully, after five years of campaigning, there are signs that bear baiting will be banished from this last strong hold.
Bear baiting has been illegal in Pakistan for more than 100 years, but WSPA’s first investigation, undertaken in 1993, found evidence of 80 different contests involving 300 bears.
Pakistan wildlife expert Inayat Chaudry, who undertook the survey, uncovered for the first time a network of hunters, wildlife dealers, gypsy bear owners and land owners which enabled bear baiting to thrive. And he revealed how the bears, whose teeth and claws were removed, were virtually defenceless against an onslaught from as many as eight dogs in one day.
Blood Sport:-
Historically, bear baiting was popular in England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, who was so fond of the sport she overruled Parliament when they attempted to ban bear baiting on Sundays. The practice was introduced to south Asian cultures by British colonizers in the mid-nineteenth century.
While the sport is illegal in Pakistan, it persists to this day. Land owners, called landlords in Pakistan, arrange bear baiting at village fairs.
Bear cubs are taken from the wild and held in captivity in small cages. Without adequate care and sustenance, the bears live lives of misery. Of course, the fight is manipulated in favour of the dogs because the bears are tied to a post and have their sharpest (canine) teeth removed and claws filed down to prevent the bear from adequately defending him/her self against the dogs.
“The physical and mental trauma these bears have endured means they will never be able to experience life in the wild.We need to provide them with the space, care, treatment and nourishment that they will need for the rest of their lives,” said Jan Schmidt-Burbach, WSPA’s Wildlife Veterinary Programmes Manager.
Posted for & on behalf of fellow animal advocate Tony Zadel
Commenting, the RSPCA’s Chief Executive Gavin Grant said “The question which needs to be asked is: does the government intend to stay true to its word? We have been studying the details of the plans and find them vague and littered with contradictions. Nothing short of a proper ban will safeguard the welfare of these majestic animals. Everyone who cares about these animals agrees. So let’s get on with it.”
At the time of the original announcement, DEFRA also announced the introduction of a licensing scheme to ensure that wild animals in circuses are kept to certain welfare standards until such time as a full ban can be brought into force.
Details of a consultation period to allow the general public to offer their input on the licensing scheme may be found here, and the consultation period will close on April 25th 2012.
“PLEASE USE THE LINK ABOVE OR below TO SPEAK UP! DEFRA want people’s thoughts & opinions on the licensing scheme…PLEASE…Use your voice via the link to tell DEFRA WE WANT A COMPLETE BAN, NOTHING ELSE…You only have until APRIL25th TO SPEAK UP…HAVING DONE THE QUESTIONNAIRE, IF YOU CAN’T THINK OF AN ANSWER…Just write this in every box…BAN WILD ANIMALS IN CIRCUSES…That’s what the British public have always wanted!!
ADI has decided that Defra’s so-called public consultation on regulations on animals in circuses is manipulative in the extreme and designed to give the Government the answer they want, with no choice of options. Defra did not like the answer they got on their genuine consultation (finalised in 2010) where nearly 95% of the public voted for a ban on the use of wild animals in circuses. They have now put together a set of questions that ensures they get the answer they want, which is to regulate rather than end the suffering of these animals.
The animal circus business has been shown, repeatedly, to tolerate violence towards animals and the conditions that the animals are forced to endure would not be tolerated in the worst zoo. We cannot endorse measures which we do not believe will protect animals. It is a national disgrace, when other countries are taking decisive action on this issue. We urge our supporters to boycott this farce of a consultation.
Jan Creamer: “We were promised a ban in 2006. This was followed by consultations, expert examinations, working parties, impact assessments and feasibility studies. The last public consultation gave an overwhelming 95% of public in favour of a ban. Yet Defra wants another consultation. Are they going to keep going until they get the answer they want?”
Before the last election there was a Government commitment for a ban, which evaporated after the General Election. Today, the Coalition Government claimed there would be legislation tabled by 2015, by which time there will either be a new Government or we will be in the throws of the election. And this Government will be directly responsible for all of the animal suffering that they have chosen not to end.
“Below are just a few of the replies, I received after writing many to varying Government bodies, my MP etc, regards animals abuse & a ban on wild animals in circuses. I received the same red herring that many have spoken about!”
“Below is the link to the petition I started on Care2, to get Anne the elephant moved from her abusive home at Bobby RobertsCircus; many were involved but collectively, we succeeded. Anne now lives a happier more contented life, she will never have to perform again!.”
“I wanted to show the link to prove a point, which is, when enough people rise up together & use the voices God gave us…we can shout loud enough & be heard. We can help end the suffering of many animals around the world. YOU just have to decide if your going to let your voice be part of the choir, or not!”
Last summer, WSPA and its supporters asked the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to designate all of King’s Bay (Citrus County, Florida) as a year-round, permanent refuge to safeguard manatees. Thanks in part to the more than 25,000 concerned individuals who signed our petition, FWS announced a proposed rule on Mar. 16 to establish the King’s Bay Manatee Refuge.
The refuge will greatly increase manatee protection. For example:
To prevent injuries and deaths caused by watercraft collisions, speeds will be regulated throughout the refuge and the seven existing sanctuary areas will be maintained
High-speed watercraft operation will be reduced from 123 to 76 days per year and confined to daylight hours, three months per year
Because manatees are attracted to anchored boats, anchoring in the high-speed area will be prohibited to help keep them out of harm’s way
To reduce harassment and injuries associated with human interactions and manatee viewing, no-entry areas will be established and 12 prohibitions have been identified
Some high-speed watercraft activity will still be allowed in the refuge, as is the use of mooring and floatlines that can entangle manatees. While we are concerned that these activities could have detrimental effects on manatees in King’s Bay, WSPA is extremely pleased with the improved protection measures outlined in the final rule. FWS has taken steps in the right direction to safeguard the hundreds of “endangered” and “depleted” manatees actively using the waters of King’s Bay.
Sincerely,
Karen Vale
Campaign Coordinator, WSPA USA
P.S. Please help us to continue our advocacy efforts on behalf of animals everywhere.
“How can anyone think this type of entertainment is ok? Is it just me that finds this upsetting, knowing how the bears have been beaten, to perform such degrading tricks…brings me to tears!
“Please, don’t’ contribute to their pain by going to this type of circus. Report this kind of abuse!”
Like all species of bears, sloth bears are inquisitive, flexible and opportunistic, adept at exploiting their mountain forest habitat. Sloth bears are under threat, due to loss of habitat and because they suffer terrible exploitation at human hands. Sloth bears are caught from the wild and trained on hot plates to ‘dance’ to entertain audiences.Born Free is taking action to stop this exploitation and help care for rescued ex-dancing bears.
“This is just beyond stupid…WTF..do people realise the abuse these poor bears have endured, just to entertain us?? I think it is appalling that people on holiday accept this as fun…it’s not fxxxxxg fun for the bears who are beaten repeatedly until they know each & every move they have to make. And at the end of the degrading show, these poor souls are shut back into their dilapidated cages; ready for another performance….tomorrow!”
A comment by someone on Youtube
“I’m sorry but this is disgusting. I’ve worked with bears, and grew up around wild bears. These bears that are ‘trained’ for our amusement are almost always in very abusive situations using painful stimulus to get them to ‘perform’. They are housed in horrible conditions and usually die young, unless they are picked up by a rescue organization. Check out WSPA for more information. Bears deserve better than this. All animals deserve better.”
Please if you see any animal made to perform; contact Born Free, WSPA or any animal charity!
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.
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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