Quaker Concern For Animals

ENDANGERED SPECIES DAY USA

MH — Sat, 18 May 2013 06:11:07 +0000

American Bald Eagle

Black Footed Ferret

Sea Otters

Leatherback Turtle

Lots more information at:

www.BiologicalDiversity.org

A HAMSTER WHEEL IS NOT ENOUGH

MH — Sat, 18 May 2013 05:57:54 +0000

Our member and painter Ann Johnson reports:

I’ve recently embarked on a long-term project to draw and paint the rescue parrots who live permanently at the Raystede Centre for Animal Welfare, near Lewes, East Sussex.

Mouse enjoying stay at Raystede

The Centre boasts modern facilities for all kinds of rescue animals and these temporary homes for small mammals who will be re-homed, are particularly imaginative, ensuring their stay is as enjoyable as possible. So many small creatures are kept in tiny cages, largely bereft of objects with which the animals can engage. But here, as you can see, the staff have used great creativity in using recycled objects to create comfort and interest and encourage activity for rats, hamsters, mice and gerbils, helping keep them busy and happy.

Hamster home

These photographs demonstrate the staff’s imaginative use of everyday objects. All manner of household bits and pieces, including egg and sweets boxes, shredded newspaper and components of non-dangerous domestic appliances objects etc… are made into hammocks, platforms, tubes to run along, ladders, and materials with which to shred and build.

Multi-storey house for rat

Small mammal home

Raystede offers a whole range of activities for adults and children, as well, including educational events on animal care for local schools.

Ann will continue to report on her time at Raystede over the coming months.

http://www.raystede.org/

See Ann’s work here on our site and on her own web site at: www.annjohnsonpaintings.net

BADGERS – REPORTS & BADGERGATE

MH — Sun, 12 May 2013 16:12:08 +0000

Visit the new group Badgergate at:

http://www.badgergate.org/

Network for Animals writes:

“Following the success of their vaccination project last year, we have given a further £5,000 to Somerset Badger Group to continue their efforts to vaccinate badgers – an initiative which will allow farmers to remove their land from the cull area and promote a humane alternative.

Network for Animals will continue to lobby politicians in both the British and European Parliament for sustainable alternatives in addition to working with our friends in Team Badger to raise awareness and campaign for an end to this madness…”

Please visit:

www.networkforanimals.org

And: www.badgertrust.org.uk

Somerset Badger Group have produced a flyer, part of which is reproduced here:

Did you know?

That shooting badgers, at night in West Somerset and Gloucestershire is due to start any time after the 1st of June 2013?

This is the Tourist Season for people caravanning, camping and enjoying other outdoor activities.

Did you know?

That between 4937 and 5094 badgers will be shot in a six week period this summer.

These are the target figures for the cull: in Somerset 2081 minimum – maximum 2162 animals and Gloucestershire 2856 minimum – maximum 2932 animals.

Do you realise that this could mean a nightly average of 121 badgers shot each night ?

Number 10 Petition: there are now over 214,000 signatories:

If you believe in protecting Badgers you can help by signing just once here:

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/38257

and, Animal Aid:

For latest actions to take, please visit:

http://www.animalaid.org.uk/h/n/NEWS/news_wildlife/ALL/2858//

VIVA! asks:

Have you ordered your badger materials yet for our Day of Action on Saturday, May 18? They are flying out the door, but the more people that take part the more effective we can be together as a voice for badgers – and other animals affected by the dairy industry.

Did you know that these trials are simply to see how cost-effective it is to shoot badgers and to measure how much badgers will suffer? They won’t even be tested for TB. And that is because over 80 per cent of them will be free of the disease.

Did you also know that these trials are only the tip of the iceberg, and this mass extermination of wildlife could be rolled out across England in the coming years?

Please visit:

www.viva.org.uk/badgers

Badger Trust

The new campaign leaflet is now available and you can view it here. To order, please e-mail staff@badgertrust.org.uk, stating quantity required and name and address for delivery. It is important to have these distributed as widely as possible so we look forward to receiving your orders in the near future and these will be processed as promptly as possible. If you require them for a particular date, please say so.

Best wishes, Pat Hayden, Vice Chairman.

www.badgertrust.org.uk

Badger Night Walkers will be supporting a national Badger Trust event at Secret World Wildlife Rescue on Sunday 19th May, starting at 10.00am. We need a large number of people for this to be a success so please bring as many of your family, friends, neighbours etc. as possible for a no admission fun day. Free face painting for children and badgers, foxes and many other animals to see. Bring a picnic or catering van will be on site. Lovely gardens or walk in the fields. Filming will be taking place only by permission. Rehearsal at 10.30 a.m. if you wish to take part. Final take at 3 p.m.

MAJOR ANTI-BULLFIGHT RALLY IN SOUTH WEST FRANCE – report awaited

MH — Fri, 10 May 2013 06:41:40 +0000

QCA note: whilst we gathered for our AGM at Friends’ House in London on Saturday, May 11, we held in the Light the French anti-bullfight campaigners, who were holding a major two day rally in the corrida town of Alès.

“CRAC Europe, the oldest association in the struggle for abolition of the bullfight – created in 1991 by Jacques Dary et Aimé Tardieu – is organising a historic weekend on May 11-12 2013, in the Gard, Languedoc-Roussillon, the very heart of bullfighting in France.

For the first time, all associations will join up to create an unprecedented abolitionist surge. The aim is to put an end to corridas in Alès.

Why Alès ? It’s vulnerable. The mayor, Max Roustan, maintains he is not an aficionado, but allows bullfighting to take place. Under pressure from CRAC in 2009, he removed free entry for children. In January 2013, at an extraordinary council meeting, he announced the end of municipal subsidies for the three bullfighting spectacles in Alès, which CRAC had been requesting for 10 years.

Without subsidies, in France as in Spain, the bullfight can’t survive.

At the request of the association Cheval (Horse), he’s also doing away with mounted bullfights, in which horses are unprotected.

We hope to be 5000 strong in Alès on May 11, for a festive march through the town.

This will be the coup de grâce for the corrida in Alès.”

www.ales2013.com

As a run up to this major demonstration, in March and April, CRAC and its eight sponsors set up 20 4 by 3 metre billboards. The message was threefold :

To show the reality of the bullfight : a bull, covered with blood, tortured to death for the unhealthy pleasure of sadists;
To announce the demonstration of 11- 12 May in Alès. In future, it will no longer be possible to calmly practise torture in the capital of the Cévennes.
To ask the mayor of Alès to respect the wishes of the 55% of residents in our town who declare themselves ready, in the event of a referendum, to vote for abolition of the bullfight (poll carried out by Institut CSA for CRAC Europe July 2012).

Latest: CRAC expects at least 4000 demonstrators at this great rally, coming from 33 cities. There will in effect be 3 demonstrations and 2 interviews with the deputy prefect of Alès. The rally will begin by the town hall.

Here are two posters promoting the event, produced by the group Respectons – let us show respect:

Message on the left hand poster: Alès, you have grown up – your suits of light are too small. (these are the outfits worn by bullfighters)

On the right: Alès, wake up, the Middle Ages are long gone!

SONORA STATE IN MEXICO BANS THE BULLFIGHT

MH — Mon, 06 May 2013 05:32:25 +0000

The state of Sonora, in the west of Mexico, with 3 million inhabitants, has just banned the bullfight within the jurisdiction, the first Mexican state to do so. Sonora is one of the biggest states and one of the most densely populated.

The local Congress voted unanimously for a new animal protection law – sponsored by the Partido Verde Ecologista de México (PVEM) – Green Ecology Party of Mexico – banning the bullfight in all its forms.

The law also obliges communities to provide free sterilisation for companion animals.

Fines of up to 400 days of salary may be imposed and prison of up to four years in cases of non-compliance.

The new law will be enforced in the state of Sonora three days after its publication in the Official Gazette.

We shall write to thank the congressman, pointing out, however, the need to extend judicial protection to all animals; cockfighting, horse shows and circuses with animals are unfortunately not affected by this legislation.

~ Animanaturalis Mexico : http://www.animanaturalis.org/home/mx

Our friend Ara Ferris, Mexican ambassador for World Animal Day, describes this as a great step forward and also reports that four towns in the state of Veracruz are already anti-corrida: Teocelo, Fortín de las Flores, Xalapa and Boca del Río.

www.worldanimalday.org.uk

No more of this in Sonora…

SUSPENSION OF EXPORTS OF CATTLE FROM AUSTRALIA TO EGYPT

MH — Sun, 05 May 2013 14:48:44 +0000

Yet another instance of cruelty inflicted on animals exported to Egypt:

From North Queensland Register on 03 May, 2013:
Live export industry members are moving to address a fresh crisis today (Friday), amid reports of an alleged complaint of animal cruelty towards Australian cattle in Egypt.
Industry sources are saying exports have been voluntarily suspended to the facilities in question, effectively suspending all cattle exports to Egypt.

It’s understood the complaint is based on vision from Animals Australia which could also appear in television media at a later date, as per previous allegations.

A statement posted on the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) website today has confirmed a complaint has been received about alleged animal welfare concerns in Egyptian abattoirs and is being investigated…

UN-COOPED: DECONSTRUCTING THE DOMESTICATED CHICKEN

MH — Sat, 04 May 2013 13:32:05 +0000

Un-cooped: Deconstructing the Domesticated Chicken

Our member in the Republic of Ireland, Sandra Higgins, Director of Eden Farm Animal Sanctuary tells us that three of their residents will feature in the forthcoming online portrait exhibition at the National Museum of Animals & Society, entitled Un-cooped: Deconstructing the Domesticated Chicken.

Here are – on the left, Matilda, and on the right, Joy, soon after rescue:

The exhibition will also feature a synopsis of Enriched Cages and Embodied Prisons (in press), a report produced by Matilda’s Promise Animal Rights & Vegan Education Centre on the exploitation of egg laying hens by the humans who consume their eggs, detailing how the 2012 EU Ban on Battery Cages has resulted in an increase in the exploitation and rights violations of hens, which is characteristic of a welfare approach to non-human exploitation in non-vegan society.

The exhibition can be viewed online at http://www.museumofanimals.org/#/upcoming-exhibits/4158003 from 11th. May to coincide with International Respect for Chickens month.

This is a wonderful exhibition featuring a wide variety of chicken beings and the humans who represent them and advocate for their rights.

The exhibition features several of Eden’s residents: look out for Simon, Mike, Breffni, Joy and our beloved Matilda.

There are also very interesting contributions from Karen Davis of United Poultry Concerns, Robert Grillo, Jonathan Balcombe, Sue Coe, Carol Adams and many others.

It can be viewed online here http://www.uncooped.org/

From the catalogue notes: Homo sapiens and Gallus gallus domesticus share a long and complex history, from the jungles of Southeast Asia to the cockfighting pits of ancient Rome, from the Victorian show ring to the modern day factory farm. Human attitudes toward chickens are likewise vast, ranging from creation myths that revere chickens and the egg in the formulation of the world, to dismissals of chickens as dull and foolish.

Enriched Cages & Embodied Prisons

‘Enriched Cages & Embodied Prisons’ examines the effect of the ban on barren battery cages on the hens who are exploited by the egg industry, exploring the similarity between barren cages and the new ‘enriched’ or ‘furnished’ battery cage system of confinement. It explores how the ban has coincided with an increase in the consumption of eggs which is highly likely to be due to appeasement of what used to be the leading cause of public awareness of animal rights violations, a fact that will not have been lost on the animal agricultural industry that supported the ‘ban’…

Download the complete report here:

http://www.edenfarmanimalsanctuary.com/2013/05/14/enriched-cages-embodied-prisons/

VEG*ANISM IN ISLAM

MH — Thu, 02 May 2013 09:27:55 +0000

QCA is grateful to our contact in Canada, Anila Muhammad, who wrote an article for The Huffington Post, of which this is an extract:

Is Being a Vegan or Vegetarian at Odds with Being Muslim?

Interestingly enough, the idea of Muslims being vegetarian or vegans has prompted some debate. Islamic scholars such as the late Egyptian scholar Gamal al-Banna agree that Muslims who choose vegetarianism/veganism can do so for a number of reasons including a personal expression of faith or spirituality.

Al-Banna has stated “When someone becomes vegetarian they do so for a number of reasons: compassion, environment and health reasons. As a Muslim, I believe that the Prophet (Muhammad) would want followers to be healthy, compassionate and not destroy our environment. If someone believes not eating meat is that way, it is not like they are going to go to hell for it. It may be the right thing to do.”

Hamza Yusuf Hason, a popular American Muslim scholar has been warning against the ethical and environmental dangers of the factory farming industry and the health related issues of over consumption of meat (at 35 min mark).

Yusuf believes the fallout of industrialized meat production — the abuse of animals, the detrimental impact to the environment and human health, the link of such a system to the exasperation of global hunger — is at odds with his understanding of Islamic ethics. In his view animal rights and protection of the environment are not foreign concepts to Islam but a divine mandate. And his research indicates that the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad, and most early Muslims were semi-vegetarians, consuming meat on occasion.

Vegetarianism is not a new concept for some adherents of Sufism. Such as Chishti Inayat Khan, who introduced Sufi principals to the west. The late Sufi Shaykh Bawa Muhaiyaddeen, who did not permit any animal products at his fellowship. Rabia of Basra, one of the most revered female Sufi saints…

Read the whole article at:

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/anila-muhammad/vegetarian-msulim_b_3124110.html#slide=more286628

The following slideshow, made by Anila, features Muslims who are vegetarians and vegans:

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/anila-muhammad/vegetarian-muslim_b_3205096.html

INTERNATIONAL ANIMAL RESCUE – ORANGUTANS

MH — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 07:29:01 +0000

The aim of International Animal Rescue is to come to the aid of suffering animals around the world. Wherever possible we return rescued animals to their natural environment, but we also provide permanent sanctuary for animals that can no longer survive in the wild.

International Animal Rescue also specialises in comprehensive sterilisation and vaccination programmes for stray dogs and cats to control populations and prevent the spread of disease. We work with other like-minded organisations and government departments to develop sound legislation to protect animals from cruelty and neglect.

International Animal Rescue strives to educate the public in the compassionate and humane treatment of all animals. We use sound scientific evidence to inform our decisions and determine the course of our rescue operations. In all that we do we seek to find practical solutions that benefit both animals and people.

We have offices in the UK, India, US, the Netherlands, Indonesia and Malta.

Our scope is limited only by our resources, If we cannot assist a suffering animal ourselves, we are often able to redirect a call for help to those who can. We maintain contact with a network of groups and individuals around the globe who are as committed as we are to helping animals in distress.

Indonesia

Widespread destruction of the rainforest and the illegal trade in primates in Indonesia inflicts terrible suffering on animals that are caught from the wild to be killed for bushmeat or sold as pets. It also poses the threat of extinction to some endangered species. International Animal Rescue runs a rehabilitation centre for orangutans in West Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo, and a centre for macaques and slow lorises in Java where these primates are prepared for release back into protected areas in the wild.

This is Karmila:

For much more information on this vital work, please see:

http://www.internationalanimalrescue.org/projects/22/Orangutan+emergency+centre.html

http://www.internationalanimalrescue.org/news/2013/520/International+Animal+Rescue+releases+dramatic+footage+showing+rescue+of+starving+orangutans.html

QCA note: This footage, showing the rescue of four orangutans in March, graphically reveals the terrible destruction of the forest, cleared to grow palm oil.

Can we try to avoid this product?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_BV7lKV0wM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6a8sl0DybU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nu9wBZhBMtQ

www.internationalanimalrescue.org

ART EXHIBITION IN LEWES IN JUNE

MH — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 06:12:22 +0000

Along the Way – (c) Ann Johnson

Edgelands

New paintings and drawings by

QCA committee member Ann Johnson

Saturday 8 to Thursday 20 June 2013

Tues – Sat: 10.30am – 5pm Sunday: 12noon – 5pm (Closed Monday)

Exhibition ‘Walk & Talk’ with Ann: Sunday 16 June, 2.30pm

Hop Gallery

Star Brewery Castle Ditch Lane

(off Fisher Street) Lewes BN7 1YJ

T 01273 487744 M 07740 424949 www.hopgallery.com

‘Gathering’ study (c) Ann Johnson