Halal Slaughter Causing a Furor In Quebec

Quebec is not known for its animal welfare concerns or laws. I think the issue stems from this being an Islamic practice and the fear of contaminated meat, not concern for the animals.

From JTA, the Global News Service of the Jewish People....

Two political parties in Quebec are speaking out about the ritual slaughter of animals, but a Jewish advocacy group is confident that kashrut is not being targeted.

The opposition Parti Québécois and the Coalition For Quebec's Future declared their concerns about halal meat, which comes from animals that are slaughtered according to Islamic law.

A Parti Québécois legislator said Wednesday that slaughter for halal meat is an affront to animal rights and runs counter to the values cherished by Quebecers. The pro-independence party said it was worried that mainstream companies are selling halal meat without labeling to unsuspecting consumers. It wants to know how many companies are involved in producing halal meat and the number of animals are being slaughtered annually under Islamic ritual.

"This type of slaughter slams directly against Québécois values," the Parti Québécois said in a statement.

Undercover Video Sparks Calls for Canadian Ban on Horse Meat

Excerpted from CTV.CA....

Animal rights groups are calling for a ban on the sale of horse meat after disturbing video at a slaughterhouse in west Quebec was sent to the Canadian Horse Defence Coalition.

The footage was shot with a hidden camera inside Les Viandes de la Petite Nation near Montebello. It shows a parade of horses being stunned with what's called a captive bolt pistol.

At one point, a worker can be seen stunning a horse and waving goodbye. Under Canadian laws, one shot is supposed to render the horse unconscious but it often doesn't happen. Captured on video, is one horse being stunned 11 times.

"What we do here is legal and supervised by the Canadian government," said the company's general manager.

The video was sent by a source inside the slaughterhouse. For the coalition, it was added evidence there needs to be a ban on horse meat for more than just health reasons. They call the process unethical.

Quebec to Review Puppy Mill Laws

The fallout from the huge puppy mill seizure is fueling calls for a review of Quebec's animal rights laws, which are abysmal even for Canada. It's unbelievable that the maximum penalty would be $1,200 if convicted.

Exerpted from CTV News...

Animal welfare workers are calling for stricter laws on breeding facilities after more than 500 allegedly malnourished dogs were seized from a Quebec puppy farm last week.

The dogs were confiscated from Paws "R" Us Kennel in Clarendon Township, about 90 minutes northwest of Ottawa. The raid might represent the largest puppy seizure in Canada.

Under Quebec law, the kennel owners could face a maximum penalty of only $1,200 if convicted of animal cruelty — a penalty that some animal rights advocates say is too lenient.

"You need to reopen the law to change the fines," said a representative from an animal welfare group.

Huge Dog Seizure at Quebec Kennel

This is huge.

Excerpt from the Vancouver Sun....

One of the largest animal rescue operations in Canadian history just got a lot bigger: about 90 puppies have been born since hundreds of dogs were seized northwest of Ottawa.

"We have a lot of puppies here and a lot more puppies coming," said Rebecca Aldworth, the executive director of Humane Society International Canada.

More than 500 dogs were removed from the Paws 'R' Us kennel in Clarendon Township, Que., about 90 kilometres northwest of Ottawa, during the weekend seizure, which was carried out by Humane Society International Canada, Quebec's agriculture and fisheries ministry and area police. The dogs were taken to an emergency shelter in Lachute, about 115 kilometres east of Ottawa.

The dogs will remain there until a custody hearing determines whether they will be returned to the owner of the kennel or placed under the care of the province.

If custody goes to the province, Aldworth said, the humane society will put the dogs up for adoption, regardless of whether the owner is charged or not.

The owner of the kennel has maintained she was targeted by animal rights activists and that inspectors found only trivial violations.

Aldworth said about 100 dogs received critical veterinary care, but could not say how many were expected to survive or suffer long-term health problems. She said the humane society has already received calls from people wanting to adopt from all over Canada.

Seal Industry Tries to Capitalize on Medical Researchers Conjectures

While I'm not a fan of using animal hearts for transplants, I'm far more sympathetic to that than to simply using their parts for human vanity consumption. But the seal industry doesn't care. They'll exploit anything to try to save their barbaric trade and, if they can use guilt, even better.

Excerpted from the Chronicle-Herald...

Dr. Philippe Pibarot has been studying seal heart valves to see if they might be a better transplant option for humans than those from cows or pigs, believing they may be more durable than the other animal tissue.

The research at Laval University is still in the earliest stages. Pibarot has yet to begin collecting data through testing rodents and he says that a clinical trial in humans is hypothetical at this point - at least a decade of positive results and funding would have to be established first.

Despite that, a Quebec-based seal fur company has begun championing Pibarot's hypothesis, seeing the research as a buoy for Canada's beleaguered seal harvest.

Quebec is the Best Province to be an Animal Abuser

Wow. That sucks. From the Montreal Gazette...

An animal rights group based in the United States has ranked Quebec “the best province to be an animal abuser” in a report on Canada’s animal welfare record.

The Animal Legal Defence Fund says in its fourth annual report ranking Canada’s 13 provinces and territories on their animal protection laws that only Nunavut ranks worse than Quebec.

Puppy Mills Still Flourish in Quebec

Here's a Montreal Gazette article on the vile proliferation of puppy mills in Quebec.

Wildlife Federation President Resigns Over Poaching

This is pretty funny.

The president of the Quebec Wildlife Federation, an organization that encourages outdoorsmen to be RESPONSIBLE, resigned yesterday after he was charged with POACHING.

Alain Gagnon is to appear in court in Roberval today {January 24} to face a charge of exceeding the limit on speckled trout when fishing with relatives north of Lac St. Jean, northwest of Quebec City, last July....

The 53-year old angler is also accused of interfering with the work of a wildlife enforcement officer by releasing the catch back into the water...

Gagnon was re-elected president of the Quebec Wildlife Federation in April 2007. The organization states on its website that one of its priorities is "TO PROMOTE AND ENCOURAGE FISHERMEN TO ACT RESPONSIBLY."

DOH!

Photo by jpear34.

Dog Thefts a Concern in Quebec

Valuable dog breeds in Quebec are being stolen, possibly by unscrupulous dog breeders.

A police spokesman said there is no indication the dog thefts are occurring more frequently than usual, but Jennifer Montague, with the Western Quebec SPCA, disagrees.

"Dogs are stolen all the time. Unspayed females and unneutered males, they're a prime target if they're a purebred dog."

...The trend is largely fuelled by the unscrupulous segment of Quebec's dog breeding industry, which generates $600 million a year in the province, Ms. Montague said. "There's huge money, especially in the province of Quebec where we have absolutely no laws protecting (animals)."

..Dog breeders do not even need a licence to operate in Quebec, which has become a haven for so-called puppy mills, say critics of the province's lax animal welfare laws.

Photo by minna883.