Hong Kong Poultry Slaughtered Due to Bird Flu

Health officials ordered the slaughter of all live poultry in Hong Kong's street markets on Wednesday after detecting one of the largest outbreaks of the bird flu virus in years.

The action comes after tests showed four markets had poultry infected with the H5N1 virus. It was unclear how many birds would be killed or how many were infected, but around 3,500 chickens were for sale by nearly 470 retail vendors citywide as of Tuesday night.

I understand why they are doing it and, really, the chickens were on their way to a dinner plate anyway.

But still...poor chickens.

Chimp Sanctuary to Open in Cle Elum WA

A new sanctuary for chimpanzees will be opening soon in Cle Elum WA. The first 7 new residents are set to arrive in a few days.

Seven chimpanzees from a medical laboratory in Pennsylvania are making a cross-country trip by truck to their new home at the nonprofit Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest, an 18,000-cubic-foot facility on 26 acres near Cle Elum, about 70 miles southeast of Seattle.

The six females and one lucky male - Annie, Foxy, Jamie, Jody, Missy, Negra and Burreto - range in age from 24-34. In captivity, chimpanzees can live into their 60s, but generally their life span is 35-50 years old.

Here is a link to their web site.

Aussie Wool Producers Fight Back Against Anti-Mulesing Campaign

PETA has been waging a campaign against mulesing by Australian Wool producers. Mulesing, according to Wikipedia is this:

Mulesing is the surgical removal of strips of wool-bearing wrinkle skin from around the breech of a sheep.[1] [2] Mulesing is common practice in Australia as a way to reduce the incidence of flystrike on Merino sheep in regions where flystrike is common.

Now, Australian wool producers agree that there should be alternatives, and have agreed to phase it out. PETA, however, has continuued its boycott campaign. Australian wool producers are pushing back.

Mr Perry, along with rugby league star Nathan Hindmarsh, Myer, country music singers Gina Jeffreys, Shannon Noll and John Williamson want PETA to stop attacking wool farmers.

Mr Perry, the judge of Australia's Next Top Model, said executives sitting in offices overseas like New York should not be making a decision to boycott goods without all the facts.

He used Australian wool in his recent winter collection and vowed to continue to use it in the future.

"Wool is a huge export and the rest of the world gets our best, but PETA goes to the extreme and it doesn't understand how it impacts on our industry," he said.

Looks like PETA just convinced Adidas to join the boycott.

China Continues to Defy International Law on Selling Tiger Parts

The Chinese authorities have continued to ignore the UN Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) by selling ground up tiger bone in an alcoholic "tonic". Maybe they can come out with a commemorative Olympic bottle.

Staff at two "safari parks" a few hours from the capital Beijing offered to sell undercover investigators wine made from the crushed bones of tigers that died in captivity at the sanctuaries.

The wine, which it is claimed, helps to cure conditions including arthritis and rheumatism, is advertised openly and sold at the parks.

The revelations that the parks are breaking the law are embarrassing for the Chinese government which is trying to promote a positive image of the country in the run-up to the Beijing Olympics in August.

Yes, I'm sure they are very embarrassed. Just like they're "embarrassed" about all those restaurants that serve dog meat that will probably re-open right after the Olympics.

The Chinese government has been pushing for years to get the trade lifted on tiger and endangered animal parts. This is what they want. Why would they be ashamed of this?

PETA Supporters to Send Clumps of Hair to Olsen Twins

In their campaign against the Olsen Twins use of fur in their fashion line, PETA supporters are going to send them clumps of their own hair. From the press release:

As the Olsen twins prepare to celebrate their 22nd birthday this Friday, they'll be getting some unusual "gifts" in the mail—locks of hair from countless young people who object to cruelty to animals. The hairy birthday greetings are being sent at the request of peta2--the world's largest youth animal rights organization--which posted a "mission" on its highly trafficked Web site, peta2.com, urging young people to send the fur-wearing twins snippets of their own hair along with a note that reads, "Please, use my hair instead of the animals'. Happy Birthday."

Oookay...

Police in Iceland Kill Polar Bear

The bear swims all the way from Greenland, and gets shot and killed for it. Bastards. The video is pretty graphic.

Egyptian Zoo Workers Killing Animals to Supplement Income

This is fairly disturbing.

In most zoos, employees feed and care for the animals. At Egypt's Giza Zoo, police say, workers have been turning them into dinner or selling them as pets.

When two Moroccan camels were butchered in August, the perpetrators left behind only the hide and hooves. A police investigation found that a zookeeper had slaughtered the animals and sold the meat to supplement his monthly wage.


More than 400 animals, including foxes, zebras, a black panther and a giraffe, have vanished from the government-run menagerie in the last three years, according to police documents. Zoo conditions have grabbed headlines in a country where people criticize President Hosni Mubarak for everything from crumbling schools and hospitals to the low wages and rising food prices that have sparked violent protests.

Stuff like this can make it hard to write an animal blog every day. Especially when I'm on vacation.

Still Light Blogging

We are still in the San Juans. We saw a couple deer. I've seen a couple bald eagles too. That's about the only critter news I have. Weather stinks though. 50 degrees and raining and it's June. Oh well, it's still nice to look out over the water here.

Happy Friday!

Michigan May Allow Hunting of Albino Deer

Because, you know, it's hard enough when it's just you, your high powered rifle, and that damned brown deer. What's up with that? It's like they blend in with everything.

Michigan wildlife officials may drop a rule that forbids killing albino deer, partly because of a legal squabble with a Michigan man who shot a mostly white deer four years ago.

Reversing the moratorium on taking albinos is among several changes in hunting regulations the state Natural Resources Commission is scheduled to consider during a meeting Thursday in Lansing.

A law protecting all-white deer was enacted during the 1980s at the request of an Upper Peninsula legislator and later became part of the state's wildlife conservation code.

Light Blogging Ahead

We'll be going to the San Juan Islands here in WA State, so blogging will be a little sketchy. We'll try to post as much as we can.

Brigitte Bardot Fined for "Inciting" Racial Hatred

I'm sorry but I have a hard time with this.

The French screen icon was convicted by a Paris jury this morning of provoking discrimination and racial hatred over a letter she published claiming that Muslims were destroying France, her fifth race-related conviction in the past 11 years.

Bardot was also fined $23,345 for the letter, which she wrote to then Interior Minister, now President Nicolas Sarkozy, in which she stated, "I've had enough of being led by the nose by this population that is destroying us, destroying our country by imposing its acts."

Last time I checked, Islam was not a race. She was speaking about this in the context of the way Muslims slaughter sheep, not about a particular racial or ethnic group. Does this mean she can only criticize Christian religious practices because it's mainly white people? I understand the push against stupid xenophobic tendencies towards immigrants etc. But this is about a animal welfare issues involving a religious practice, not racism.

Is the RSPCA Weak on People Skills?

According to this article in the Times, they're not very good at dealing with potential animal adopters.

The lady looked up at me sourly. “You're ten minutes too late”. They said it would be OK, I pleaded; ten past three - I did ring to check. You see, it's quite hard to find the time and I don't know when...

“3pm”, she said sharply. “There's no one available to speak to you now.”

I looked at the bevy of staff loitering around behind the desk, doing nothing much. One woman caught my eye sympathetically. “You can have a quick look round”, Ms Timetable said. “Then come back another time.”

And then what? “Then you fill in a form.” Could I do that now?

“No, because there's no one available to interview you.”

Yikes.

Austrian Animal Activist on Hunger Strike

Dr Martin Balluch, the President of the Austrian Association Against Animal Factories, has been on hunger strike after being arrested by Austrian authorities.

Ten Austrian animal rights campaigners have been held for two weeks without charge after draconian raids on the 21st May. One has been on hunger strike since then and is becoming very weak. We urgently need international support to exert pressure on the Austrian authorities and media, who are painting the prisoners as terrorists without having produced any evidence.

Twenty-four homes and offices were raided by the elite WEGA police force, guns were held to suspects' heads. Lawyers for the ten detained activists have not been given full access to the prosecution papers and no clear charge has yet been pressed. Other human rights violations have included forcibly taking DNA samples and restriction of visiting hours.

Here is part of Dr. Balluch's statement.

I have been in prison for 7 days. No charges have been made against me.

As a result of this human rights violation, I have embarked on a hunger strike while being on remand. I have not eaten since Tuesday May 20th, 2008. My condition is deteriorating.

On May 21st, 2008, a group of men in black masks demolished the door of my house early in the morning and stormed into my bedroom. They held a gun against my head while I was still in bed and forced me to get up naked. My brother, who was sleeping next door, was ordered to raise his arms. A gun was pressed against the back of his head. For the next six hours, the men raided my house. They confiscated computers, books and writings. I have been on remand ever since.

I am on a hunger strike because nobody has informed me why I have been arrested and held in custody. After many days without food I feel very weak and dizzy. But, I still have confidence in the rule of law in this country; that we here in Austria cannot be treated in this way without good reason. And that’s why I will continue on hunger strike until I am either given a reason or released.

Chinese Olympic Animal Cruelty Trinkets

Chinese vendors are selling live goldfish in little plastic key rings. The goldfish don't last very long before they suffocate. Disgusting.

In the last miserable hours of its life it has just about enough room to turn around.

Its flimsy plastic home offers the goldfish no protection as it is carried through bustling streets, and can easily be pierced.

The keyrings – aimed predominantly at children – are already selling fast in markets in Qingdao, the city that will host the sailing events for this summer’s Games.

The figure on the front is of the five Olympics mascots.

I will not watch the games. Not one minute. Nobody in China will care, but then again, I have no interest in their spectacle. Animal cruelty happens in all countries. I understand that. But China has no laws against it, and in fact uses the power of the government to perpetuate the misery of so many animals.

KFC Canada to Work More on Animal Welfare

KFC Canada has come to an agreement with PETA with will end the group's "Kentucky Fried Cruelty".

The Canadian Press has learned that People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has agreed to call off its Canadian "Kentucky Fried Cruelty" campaign, which featured high-profile actress Pamela Anderson among others, following a signed agreement with the company.

Among other things, the deal obliges KFC Canada to begin buying from suppliers who use gas to kill their chickens painlessly, considered to be the least cruel method of slaughter.

The company is also promising to insist on other "animal-welfare friendly" measures relating to how the birds are kept, including a maximum on crowding and phasing out non-essential growth-hormones and other drugs.