There will be a Blessing and Thanksgiving Service for Animals to celebrate the feastday of St. Francis of Assisi at:

St. Andrew’s Anglican Church,

Voznesensky per. 8

MOSCOW

on Sunday, October 3rd. 2010 during the 11 am. Eucharist.

Service led by The Revd. Canon Simon Stephens OBE

Not to hurt our humble brethren is our first duty to them, but to stop there is not enough. We have a higher mission – to be of service to them wherever they require it.

St. Francis of Assisi 1181- 1226

For more details, please contact James Hogan of the Mayhew Animal Home on:

james@mayhewanimalhome.org

www.mayhewanimalhome.org

On September 12^th., PACMA, with AnimaNaturalis and other animal rights groups, are organising, for the sixth year, a protest against the torture and killing of the Toro de la Vega in Tordesillas, and for the second year, in Valladolid, main administrative town of Castilla y León, which licenses this cruelty.

They always name the bull – this year, he is Platanito - to add insult to injury, this was the name of a famous bullfighter.

The groups say that this year, more than ever, the point has to be made that this savagery is not representative of Spain.

www.animanaturalis.org

AnimaNaturalis, Equanimal and the Dutch anti-bullfight organisation CAS Internacional, with more than 200 animal activists, gathered on August 21 in front of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, in protest against the bullfights organised for the celebratory Basque week in the capital of the Vizcaya region.

The activists formed the shape of a dead bull, after his suffering and agony in the ring.

Aïda Gascón, spokeswoman for AnimaNaturalis, stated: “society is ever more aware that to torture animals for entertainment is not ethical.”

“The struggle for the abolition of bullfighting is only one part of our work for animal rights. All animals wish to live and not be exploited, whether in the bullring, in circuses, zoos, laboratories or farms and slaughterhouses.”

“Thanks to everyone who participated and who help us day after day.”

The protest received press coverage all over Spain and overseas. Reports appeared in eight Spanish papers and also in Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela.

www.animanaturalis.org

Sponsored by the World Congress of Faiths, Quaker Concern for Animals and the Unitarian Faith & Public Issues Commission.

On Sunday, September 5^th. 2010 at 3 pm

 Golders Green Unitarians.

Hoop Lane, Golders Green. (nearest tube Golders Green)

Our respect and love for our fellow beings will be celebrated by representatives of nine faith traditions.

All Things are Connected – address given by Marian Hussenbux. 

Followed by vegan refreshments.

All very welcome. Please contact us or the minister the Revd. Feargus O’Connor on ggunirev@aol.com or 020 7837 4472

Photo: by kind permission of Chris Gale. 

In August, Vasanthi Kumar of STRAW conducted a further humane education programme at Chinmaya Vidyalaya School in New Delhi.

Vasanthi and organisers in class

 She writes:

 “For the first time, we introduced puppies into classes and it was such a great hit. It had a major impact on the kids and I guess we may be able to find these puppies a home too. The school authorities liked it too and have asked us to conduct these programs for other classes also for the next three months.”

Vasanthi in green, organisers and participating pups

This is the contribution for Quaker Concern for Animals, written by our committee member, Ann Johnson.  
 
Yearly Meeting Gathering 2011

The suffering of non-human animals, on a  national and international scale, touches the lives of us all and the theme of  Sustainability at YMG 2011 provides us with the opportunity to place the  growing exploitation of animals on our agenda. We are dependent on animals in so many ways – for companionship, food, clothes, our spiritual nourishment and sense of humanity. We know that animals are not simply ‘living creatures’ but  ‘creatures with lives’ who are exploited, over-bred, over ‘consumed’ and  traded unfairly in:
 
Food and farming:
Factory farming –  the cattle rearing industry is a major contributory factor to global warming.
Fishing and the growth of the farmed fish industry.
The fashion for consumption of ‘exotic’ meats such as crocodile, ostrich, kangaroo.  
British slaughter houses where there is documented evidence of lack of supervision and brutality.
 
The ‘pet’ trade:
Commercial  over breeding of traditional domestic animals continues despite animal  shelters now filled to saturation. The Cats Protection charity looks after up to 7,000 unwanted cats at any one time. In 2009, Battersea Dogs’ Home put down 2,815 dogs of which 1,931 were healthy. Growth of the ‘exotic’ pet trade: Many animals, birds and reptiles are wild-caught from countries outside the UK and die during transportation.
 
Animal testing:
Despite the  development of alternatives, the pharmaceutical industry is still largely  dependent on the animal model for testing drugs and many of our everyday  household products are tested on animals.
 
Tourism and ‘entertainment’ industry:
Circuses: At time of writing, wild animal acts are still legal in the UK.
Aquaria abroad: Mammals such as dolphins and orcas are captured from the wild to live for years in tiny tanks, forced to ‘perform’ for tourists.
 
The weapons manufacturing industry:
New weapons are routinely tested on animals in the  UK.
 
Mindful of our testimonies to simplicity, truth, equality  and peace, as well as sustainability, we would urge the organisers of YMG 2011  to challenge the concept of ‘ the hierarchy of the species’ and include animals on the agenda. Here are some suggested ways:
 
* An all-vegetarian menu with a vegan and carnivore option.
 
* A shift from an overtly ‘people-centred’ event and for the word ‘animal’ to be  routinely included where appropriate, alongside references to ‘humans’ and  ‘people’.
 
* Consideration of the inclusion of a workshop to explore our close dependency on and relationships with our fellow species in a  sustainability context, identifying ways to live our lives more fairly  alongside non-human animals.
 

Ann  Johnson
Committee Quaker Concern for Animals
QCA  Area representative (Sussex East)  http://www.quaker-animals.org.uk

ENOUGH OF SADISM DISGUISED AS TRADITION!

Another spectacular anti-bullfight billboard, measuring 13 X 8 metros, was placed over the junction of Avenida Universidad with Miguel Laurent in Mexico City on August 13 . It is well sited near two shopping centres and cinemas, with much passing vehicle traffic.

Bullfighting is not a tradition for the majority of Mexicans – on the contrary, it symbolises violence and social backwardness.

“Por un mundo libre de crueldad”  – for a cruelty-free world

~ Ara Ferris.

www.amedea.org.mx     www.MexicoAntitaurino.org

These pictures are of the Vets’ Care Organisation team from the University of Lahore Veterinary Sciences faculty, in Mianwali district, working in Esa Khail, Kamar Mashani, Kala Bagh and Daaod Khail areas around the Indus river. Though the river water is receding, it has left severe impacts behind, which can be seen in the form of damaged crops and destroyed houses.

buffalo waiting to be fed

treatment for a wounded horse

animals being evacuated to safety

fields under water - damaged crops

deworming a calf in the rain

reaching stranded animals by boat...

... and on foot

 ~ Kindly pray for our people and animals.

Please visit Vets’ Care Organisation’s newly refurbished and informative web site at:

www.vetscare.org

March for Farmed Animals in London in October.

For more details go to:

www.farmedanimals.org.uk    

Enric Urruitia, a documentary director from Barcelona, is making a documentary about meat-eating. It is called “The Barbecue” – a mix of fiction and interviews with people from either side of the ‘vegetarian’ debate. It is intended to show, quite graphically, the gruesome and grotesque reality of meat-eating and how it has become a part of our culture – in this case, Spanish culture. The intention of the director is to raise awareness of the issue, with the hope of promoting vegetarianism.

 http://www.4barresaudiovisuals.com/

The documentary is in Spanish, with English subtitles -  and here is the trailer:

 http://www.4barresaudiovisuals.com/web/page/barbecue1?lang=en

This news provided by Jordi Casamitjana, Director, Animal Protection Consultancy.

 www.animal-protection-consult.com