Animal Welfare: What's Happening

Hello! It has been a long time, I have been away and had lots going on with Christmas coming up, however I have still gathered lots of research with regards to animal welfare and have being signing lots and lots of petitions with some fantastic outcomes to them too! Also some eye opening statistics within this update that may make you think about possible changes you could make to better animals and the world we live in. Every little helps and as always with knowledge comes positive change.

Firstly some shocking numbers with regards to fishing, more than 85% of the worlds fisheries have been pushed to or beyond their biological limits and are in need of strict management (World Wildlife). It is sad enough that animals are farmed for our consumption, and unfortunately the life in the sea is not able to restore itself naturally and with our ever growing population eating fish is just not sustainable. I also read in an article somewhere that scientists have being studying Salmon in fishing farms and have found that many of the fish are showing high levels of stress and are becoming depressed, their actions showing they are giving up on life. This is just so so extremely sad, we can not do this to these poor animals any longer - if it is not a life you would wish for yourself then it is not a life you should inflict on others, animal or human. If you can do anything, it is to cut down on your fish intake and research other high protein sources. My favourite I have find is cannellini beans - seriously delicious!

IFAW created an awareness campaign for the Northern dogs in the UK this winter. I do my best to help charities who take in strays and need to help them to survive the freezing cold winters in other countries yet did not realise this was an issue so close to home. If you can donate any amount IFAW are collecting funds in able to provide dog houses for them and prevent a terrible death this winter. With us dramatically speeding up global warming which is then causing these more drastic winters I feel it is our responsibility to help those animals that do not have warm homes and give them the chance at life which they deserve.

A great statistic from Marc Bekoff - 'a reduction of meat consumption by only 10% would result in about 12m more tons of grain for human consumption. This additional grain could feed all of the humans across the world who starve to death each year - about 60m people'. Absolutely shocking both on the part for humans and animals. I have known this for a while however I do not believe most people are aware of just how much grain is used to feed the animals we eat, they eat a lot more than us. It does not make any logical sense to grow food to then feed animals to then kill them for food yet in the end there is much less food and people are starving. The consequences of eating meat spread far and wide and it is not necessary for every meal to contain meat - personally seeing meat wasted on plates is a huge upset for me, selfish if you must ask. Cutting down on meat consumption will help people, animals and the Earth itself and is easier than you think. Vegetables are delicious! Meat is not necessary. Try and see how you get on, follow great blogs and social media pages for support and ideas too!

Unfortunately many companies, farms and even schools are outed each month for the cruelty which is going on behind closed doors, kept away from the public who is made to believe what is happening is 'humane' do to a label on the packaging. Last month saw New York Times release an undercover video shot by Direct Action Everywhere regarding cage free hens - and it was not good, not good at all. I have chosen not to watch the video myself and as I am living a vegan lifestyle I know this harm is not being conducted for my benefit however anyone who still consumes egg or egg products it would be advisable to take a look. When I was a vegetarian I was disgusted by eggs which were not cage free and refused to have them in my household yet this video showed that cage free is not always what it seems. The description of the video stated that to be seen was dead chickens rotting on the floor, injured hens being pecked by other chickens with one bird having a piece of flesh hanging from it's beak. These are not violent animals but stressed, bored and intelligent animals who are driven to such behaviour due to their poor surroundings. If you wish to eat eggs with limited suffering the best way forward would be to first;y consume less eggs, and any eggs you do consume to be sought from farms where you can visit and see the animals or by individuals who keep a couple of hens and may give away or sell a few eggs.

For anyone from the US reading or whom may visit the USA this recent AAA report may come as a shock to you. There More than 1.5m collisions between vehicles and deer each year in the US. The worst thing which could be seen from this is that there are too many deer and the population is out of control. This is absolutely NOT the way to look at this! Unfortunately this seems to be the ideology taken in the US. Us as humans are becoming hugely overpopulated, we are building more houses, roads and destroying more forests than ever in order to cope with our own population issue. We must live with the animals of the world, not against them. I urge those taking to the roads in the US to watch out for wildlife on the roads as you would a lost child, take care and stay aware of your surroundings, being cautious on roads built through wooded areas. The deer you may hit, albeit an accident, is another deer's mother or child whom they need to survive. We must respect the wildlife around us and if a deer is ever sadly hit by a vehicle, the best done to save their life - like you would if a human was run over. We are not above all. 

It is a dark day for the wildlife of the US and the figures of culling come to light this year. The US department of Agriculture Wildlife Services kills approx 4,000 wild animals per day which is done at the taxpayers expense of around $250,000 per day. Requests mainly come from farmers and ranchers. If it is not hard hitting enough the number of innocent lives being lost because a minority see them as a nuisance, it really must be a kick in the teeth to know you are paying for it, an utter disgrace. Clearly the head of this department is not the correct appointee and the department needs a complete change in policy. Culling is not humane and should not be an option what so ever, nevermind the top option. Instead I call for the money to be used for neuter campaigns, suitable relocations, and a big NO to murder! There are so many petitions you can sign to support the end of culling, please do this when possible.

I for one have a serious hatred for littering. There is just no need. I remember one time been on holiday and a young man placed a can of pop next to the bin instead of in it, it was not overflowing. I could not believe my eyes and personally made the guy go back and pick it up and put it in the bin! Recently a picture of a polar bear with a tin can stuck on it's mouth has caught the attention of many news outlets that feel it poses a severe litter warning. Rubbish should not be ploughed into the seas where wildlife live, we would not leave it in our home so how dare we put it in someone elses. Please continue to dispose of rubbish properly, recycling when possible.

Good News!!

A wonderful victory for rats! I have recently gained much more knowledge on rats as to what they do for the Earth and their reason for being here. Rats in nature are here to clean up dirty areas, so where you find dirt - you find rats. They are not disgusting creatures, they are here to clean up after us and it seems it is us who are the disgusting animals who have washed this Earth of trash, giving the rats an enormous job to do! Because we do not clean up after ourselves accurately diseases are created, and sadly it is the rats trying to clean up after us which carry such diseases and pass them on. They are highly intelligent animals and have a better sense of smell than even dogs! Giant rats are now being trained to sniff out wildlife traffickers, particularly for the illegal importations on pangolins. A great day in the office for rats! A job they can finally be grateful for.

Another HURRAY for our wildlife! The UK government has committed an additional 13m to tackle illegal wildlife trade, doubling its current investment. This is brilliant news and I feel more people are aware of how big an issue poaching currently is, I myself have only recently discovered the astonishing figures, showing that poaching is very much out of control and more needs to be done.

Another right turn for the UK wildlife! It has been agreed that the current foxhunting legislation in Scotland is unduly complicated and makes it difficult for people to be prosecuted when partaking in illegal hunts. The legislation is been looked into in order for it to be strengthened, hopefully this is done as a positive to the wildlife and quickly to avoid more terrible deaths for innocent foxes. With the new year days hunt coming up soon it is vital to support those who will be out keeping an eye on each hunt, possibly saving lives.

Some good news for those poor animals breed into the fur industry! Fur farming has come to an end in Japan, YES! The last remaining fur farm in the country was shut down in response to legal troubles related to the treatment of the animals and decreasing demand for fur clothing. In Japan the popularity for fur clothing has significantly decreased in recent years due to increased ethical concerns. Since peaking in 2006 fur imports have decreased by 80%. This is a huge victory for wildlife and brings an end to a terrible industry in Japan, wonderful!

Lots of great victories coming upto the holidays, I recently signed a petition to help free Maya the dancing bear who was being kept for entertainment and has lived a life of misery. It must not have been even 1 month later when the good news came that Maya had been rescued and is now living life in a wonderful sanctuary. It is great things like this which come from signing those petitions you see online, the ever growing support and concern from the poeple shown for these animals helps put the pressure or and really make a difference. World Animal Protection is also dedicated to helping those people who rely on animals for income to find other ways to make money in which an animal does not have to suffer, the work they did to rescue Maya was incredible, a great charity to follow and support.

Breaking news this week has seen the great news that the slaughter and butcher of dogs at Korea's largest meat market has been banned. Dog meat can still be sold here however the display of live animals is no longer allowed as well as the butchering of live animals on site. Although this is not the ban of the sales of dog meat altogether it is a great step towards this goal and will limit the amount of dog meat on sale here as some sellers may not have other places to do this elsewhere. The dog meat industry is always in the eye of the public as it is well known that many of the animals are tortured and some even stolen pets. The fight continues...

India has stepped up this month also with the Central Zoo Authority prohibiting the use of wild animals in circuses. This is beyond amazing news and the decision was taken after the authority simply saw photos of the animals in the circus and deemed it unnatural. The authority has also directed the Chief Wildlife Wardens of each state to rehabilitate the animals who will no longer be performing, a happy life for them from now on indeed,

Following this there is more good news for Elephants in Botswana as they have just banned elephant riding! Many tourists were riding elephants because they love them, however recent campaigns have shown that this is absolutely not the case and the correct step has been taken to end this cruelty. Lovely news!

Lastly some great news from Spain, after many many years of fighting against bull fighting, with a resistance from the old members who deem it culture, a great step has been taken to protect the bulls used for this horrid sport. The Constitutional Court confirms a ban of public killings of 'El Toro de la Vega', this involved the chasing and stabbing to death of the bull. HSI reiterated that fiestas involving cruelty needs to be relegated to history.

QUOTES:

'Could you look an animal in thew eye and say, 'My appetite is more important than your suffering?'' - Moby

'All children should be taken by their schools to visit a factory pig or chicken farm, and to an abattoir, where they should be able to witness every stage of slaughter and butchery. Does this suggestion outrage you? If so, ask yourself what you are objecting to: informed choice or what it reveleas? If we cannot bear to see what we eat. it is not the seeing that's wrong - it's the eating.' George Monbiot

' When there are too many human beings in a given area, we make way for them. When there are too many wild - or stray - animals, we kill them.' - Diane Adams

Fact of the day - '92% of all drugs shown to be safe and effective in animal tests fail in human trials because the drugs don't work or are dangerous' - United States Food and Drug Administration. Keep supporting non animals testing and putting pressure on the companies who still partake in this. Again, if we would not want it done to ourselves, we have no right to do it to another. 

Thank you for reading and helping! Have a lovely Christmas, Jess xx