More Animal Cruelty from China

Everyone ready for those Beijing Olympics? They're to show what a great new modern country they've become! While visiting Beautiful Beijing, you can take a detour to the Badaling Safari Park. Here you will be able to buy live goats that you can throw into the lion pit and watch them tear the goat apart alive. Or you can dangle live chickens over the side and tease them until they grab them and kill them. Family fun!

You can read more about it here in the Daily Mail, complete with pictures.

Animal cruelty happens in all countries. But this kind of sadistic, barbaric and vulgar behavior seems to be more common in China. So common in fact that there seems to be no social cost whatsoever to it. It's right there in the open for all to see.

Disgraceful.

Nuremberg Zoo to Let Polar Bear Cubs Starve to Death

What the hell is up with that? The mother, living in her unnatural environment, is neglecting the cubs, so they decide to get all Darwinian.

Three tiny polar bear cubs are being allowed to starve to death after a zoo took the controversial decision not to rear them by hand if their mother continued to neglect them.

Mother bears Vera and Wilma gave birth three weeks and five weeks ago at Nuremberg Zoo in southern Germany. It is thought they have six cubs between them. Wilma is displaying the signs of being a good mother, but Vera shows no interest in her young.

She frequently strolls out of her cave, where the hungry cries of her babies can be heard from within, and she lazes for hours outside her lair.

So instead of stepping in and hand feeding them, they're going to let them starve. Deputy zoo director won't intervene because it will allegedly intervene with Vera's parenting practice. Starve those baby bears! That will teach her! More likely, she just won't care. So the bear cubs die a gruesome suffering death for no reason.

Photo by Cappellmeister

Australia Delays Whaling Surveillance

So what's up with this new "get tough" anti-whaling policy for Australia?

In December, the Federal Government announced that an Australian Antarctic Division plane would operate surveillance flights over the fleet in the Southern Ocean.

The Civil Aviation Safety Authority says it only received an application to approve the surveillance flights on Friday so it will not begin assessing the proposal until tomorrow.

Doesn't sound like it's much of a priority now for the new government.

Greenpeace Rebuttal of Tim Flannery's Support of Whaling

Australian environmentalist Tim Flannery recently came out in favor of Japanese harvesting of Minke whales, declaring it "sustainable". For those outside Australia, you can read about it here. This has, predictably, caused a huge uproar in anti-whaling circles in Australia and beyond.

Clive aboard the Greenpeace Esperanza has a good rebuttal here noting:

Esteemed Australian environmentalist and author, Dr. Flannery recently said that it is reasonable to hunt Minke Whales sustainably on the premise that these animals are closer in intelligence to that of sheep. However he expresses a preference that the killing could be done more humanely.

Not having a Ph.D. in Comparative Animal Neurobiology, I cannot engage Dr. Flannery effectively on this topic. It does seem to me like comparing apples and oranges, on the one side the sheep is a domesticated farm animal, while the Minke whale is a migratory species living in the wild and fending for itself.

Any sheep farmer understands the concept of sustainability. It is very important to know exactly how many sheep you have before sending them to market. It is also not a good idea to slaughter your pregnant ewes. This is basic animal husbandry. In addition there is legislation that ensures the slaugher process is nearly instantaneous.

He says, more, and it's worth a read. I would add that the fact that something is "sustainable" shouldn't automatically mean it's OK to do it.

Here's more on Tim Flannery.

Photo courtesy of Greenpeace.

Muscovites Cleaning out Rats From Pet Shops

It's Varmint Friday everyone! This story claims that residents of Moscow are cleaning out pet shops of rats in honor of the coming Chinese Year of the Rat.

Many Russians are fascinated by the astrological beliefs of neighbouring China.

Newspapers have been filled for days with articles on Chinese astrology, tips for taking care of rats and interviews with experts on the intelligence and loyalty of the rat.

I .... don't even know what to say here....

West Belfast Residents Fear Giant Rats

Some are supposedly as big as cats!

Residents living between Belfast and Lisburn are being warned about an invasion of rats as big as cats.

Householders of a Co Antrim village say they have been invaded by giant rodents from the Mullaghglass dump, which is situated at Castlerobin on the outskirts of west Belfast.

The dump has provoked controversy since it opened in 2006, with residents complaining of infestations of flies and bad smells from the site.

Yikes. Sounds like they need someone to get over there with their popcorn popper.

Iowa Republicans Pick the Squirrel Eater

Congratulations Mike Huckabee! The man from Arkansas who used to cook squirrels in a popcorn popper. Maybe you can have David Brooks and Bob Novak over for dinner.

Huckabee revels in the class war. He’s Two-Buck Huck, and darn proud of it. He likes nothing better than playing the Hick from Hope. He and his wife lived in a trailer for a while, he points out. His son killed a dog one summer, a mangy dog at that, as Huckabee explained to the befuddled national press corps. He said he used to eat squirrels, cooking them up in his popcorn popper. Ewwwwhhh!

Oh, and his son killed a dog? He's admitted that? He seems to deny it according to this Fox News article.

In 1998, David Huckabee was among two boys fired from a Boy Scout camp after a stray dog was killed after wandering onto camp property. David Huckabee, 17 at the time, said the dog appeared ill; no charges were filed. The elder Huckabee said then that politics was behind the dog-killing accusation.

Here is a recent New York Times Article quoting Newsweek where Huckabee admits the deed.

So first he says that "politics were behind the accusation" back in 1988. Then when called on to explain it when running for President, he changes course and admits that his son was involved. Doesn't quite sound like the paragon of moral virtue now does he?

Photo by BinaryApe

Animal and Politics Blog

I saw this on the Florida Animal Law blog.

The Humane Society Legislative Fund has a blog called Animals and Politics. It has lots of good information on where the current crop of goofballs running for office stand on animal issues. Here, for instance is Rudy Giuliani's:

"Animals play 9/11 an important part in 9/11 the lives of many 9/11 Americans. We should all 9/11 work to reduce animal 9/11 suffering by advocating for 9/11 sensible public policies 9/11, investigating animal 9/11 cruelty and strongly 9/11 enforcing the laws 9/11 that 9/11 are already on the books. I will 9/11 continue to support 9/11 efforts to educate the 9/11 public about animal issues, and 9/11 work with corporations 9/11 to develop animal-friendly 9/11 policies."

Really, you should check it out. I plan on going there a lot being the political junkie that I am..

23 Cows and One Llama Shot Dead in Oklahoma

Someone is killing cows in Oklahoma.

“As far as we know at least 23 head of cattle and one llama have been shot in recent weeks,” Nowata County Game Ranger Jeff Brown, said. “We don’t know how many may actually (have) been killed because there isn’t any blood or holes when you walk up and look at them. We also think there are probably a lot more that haven’t been reported.”

John Cummins, special ranger for the Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association’s District 4, which includes most of eastern Oklahoma, agreed.

“If you have a dead cow, especially a mature animal, call us,” Cummins said. “You don’t have to be a member of the TSWCR for us to respond. We’d like for you to join, we operate on association money only, but we’ll respond. I know a lot of people see a dead cow and just say to themselves, ‘well I had a cow die’ but we need to be aware of all of these and have someone examine them.”

That's a tough crime to solve, but hopefully someone will get a license number or see something.

Here is the contact info:

Anyone wishing to give information anonymously may call the TSWCRA hot line at 1-888-830-2333. If anyone has information they would like to share or is looking at the act being committed may call the sheriff’s office; Nowata County, 918-273-2446; Rogers County, 918-341-3535; Game Rangers Jeff Brown at 918-331-5078; Jim Gillman, 918-440-0029; Brek Henry, 918-857-8536; or John Cummins at 918-342-0888. Any of these may be reached by calling the nearest sheriff’s office and asking them to pass on your message. You also may call Kevin Martin, investigator for the Department of Agriculture at 918-465-6401.

Natalie Portman Comes out With Animal Friendly Shoe Line

Vegan actress Natalie Portman has come out with her own shoe line.

Look for the line to hit stores in February but pre-orders are available on te casan’s site starting January 15. Five percent of the profits will go to charity!

Portman has been a vegetarian since childhood and is an advocate for animal rights. She does not eat animal products or wear fur, feathers or leather.

"All of my shoes are from Target and Stella McCartney," she says.

Baghdad Vet

No, not that kind. This is a good story about Nameer Abdul Fatah, a veterinarian who risks his life in Baghdad helping animals.

Treating all creatures great and small, from pure-bred poodles to fierce guard-dogs, parrots and even tigers, Fatah has been on duty in Baghdad for 26 years.

Since the US-led invasion and the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime in 2003, he has continued to tend to needy animals in the violent and chaotic times that have engulfed the city.

"People in Baghdad still want to look after animals despite everything," he told AFP during a short break in his daily round of house calls.

Photo by JamesDale10

Greenpeace Esperanza Begins Search for Whalers, Refuses to Cooperate with Sea Shepherd

The Esperanza has arrived in Antarctic waters and has begun looking for the Japanese whalers. The Sea Shepherd vessel Steve Irwin is expected to arrive in a couple days. They had been delayed in Australia due to engine problems.

I was hoping that the two groups would cooperate, but it looks like that is not to be. From the article:

Greenpeace has come under fire from Sea Shepherd captain Paul Watson, who said he was disappointed the two groups were not able to work together in the search for the whalers.

"If we find the whalers first, we will inform Greenpeace of the coordinates. If they find them first, we will have to keep looking on our own because Greenpeace has made it perfectly clear to us that they will accept our help, but will not help us in return."

Greenpeace has refused to work with the Sea Shepherds, saying it does not agree with the group's readiness to use violence.

If true, I think Greenpeace is being pretty lame. I understand there is some serious bad blood between the two groups, but I think information sharing is the least they could do. Whales shouldn't die because these groups can't get along.

Photo by EuroMagic

Mammals Trust UK Warns of Decline in Some Animal Species

Mammals Trust UK just issued a report stating that some animals, such as the hedgehog are facing serious problems due to a variety of factors.

An indication of the stress on British mammal populations came earlier this year when nine new species were added to Britain's wildlife conservation blueprint, the UK Biodiversity Action Plan. The hedgehog, the mountain hare, the pine marten, the polecat, the Scottish wildcat, the harvest mouse, the noctule and brown long-eared bats, and the harbour seal (formerly the common seal), were added to the list of British mammals already requiring conservation action, such as the red squirrel and the water vole.

The lengthening list of environmental problems is increasingly hitting mammals, say the report's authors, David Macdonald and Dawn Burnham from the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit at the University of Oxford. "The roll call of environmental topicality seems more strident in 2007 than ever before, and wild mammals are touched by every topic on the list," they say.

Here is a link to Mammals Trust UK. You can supposedly view the report online, but when I clicked on the link to the pdf file, it said it wasn't there.

Photo by Yoppy

British Columbia Government Reviewing Laws on Exotic Pets

After several incidents, including a tiger mauling death in Kamloops BC, the provincial government is reviewing the Wildlife Act to see if any changes need to be made.

People frequently don't know what they're getting into when they take exotic and dangerous animals as pets, say animal rights activists. Now, the B.C. government is reviewing the law that governs the status of non-domesticated animals in the province -- something the B.C. SPCA says is long overdue.

"People don't often realize the inherent dangers and responsibilities of owning an exotic animal until it's too late, and the animal is either abandoned or it hurts someone," said Sara Dubois, B.C. SPCA manager of wildlife services. Thanks to a grant from the non-profit Vancouver Foundation, the B.C. SPCA will contribute its recommendations to this year's provincial government review of the Wildlife Act, announced back in April.

Happy New Year!

Drawing by Rieh