Animal Cruelty and Animal Crime Weekly Report!

Falls Church, Virginia: 19-Year-Old Arrested After Dog Dies From Being Left Outside in Hot Car, Police Say. Megan Kurtz Campbell was arrested in connection with the death of her 5-year-old Puggle, who died after being locked in a hot car outside of a PetSmart, police said. Click to see the full story!

Fairfax County Police Department / Megan Kurtz Campbell, 19, of Falls Church

STOP KERALA: THIRTEEN ELEPHANTS HAVE DIED DUE TO TORTURE AND NEGLECT AND NINE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN KILLED BY ELEPHANTS IN 2016

Target: dcpta.ker@.nic.in acf.raf-kni.for@kerala.gov.in dfo-kni.for@kerala.gov.in ro-fs-ranni.for@kerala.gov.in acf.sf-pta.for@kerala.gov.in sppta.pol@kerala.gov.in animalwelfareboard@gmail.comigpe-mef@nic.in; marapandian@gmail.com; phedoc@who.int; minister-fores

12,764 of the 13,000 goal

A young elephant by the name of Erumeli Manikandan died in tragic circumstances today.(This is the 5th elephant death in this last 3 months,and all of them early deaths).

He had been severely abused by the folk who rented him from owner, and the owner in-turn deprived the elephant of good veterinary treatment, food and water.

The elephant was ,owned by Muhammed,Thekkumthottam, from Erumeli and the group that rented him were Sabari Group.

Sabari Group severely over-worked the elephant by taking the elephant from festival to festival, without providing adequate rest. As a result the elephant became seriously ill, so Sabari Group returned the elephant to the owner. Yesterday the elephant fell over, could not get up, and died in the early hours of this morning.

5 young elephants in 3 months time! We do not accept this no more! The captivity, the corruption in paperwork, the beatings, Phajaan rituals, the exploitation, the parading, the festivals in which real elephants are being used, the shows, the painting, the tourist rides: all of it: it has to stop! Give these elephants their dignity back, treat them as real Gods and create sanctuaries where they can live without fear and pain! Please sign and let Kerala know, we want immediate action to protect all these captive elephants from further cruelty!

Ask Theresa May to Ban Cruel Wild-Animal Circuses! The new Prime Minister has the chance to bring England and Wales in line with Austria, Mexico, the Netherlands and many other countries that have outlawed animal performances.

Forcing wild animals such as tigers, elephants, zebras and camels to perform absurd tricks is an archaic practice that has no place in modern Britain. Animals used in circuses spend most of their lives being carted from one performance to another in "beast wagons" or barren temporary enclosures and may be beaten or punished as part of circuses' barbaric training methods. The show must not go on!

David Cameron promised to ban wild-animal circuses by January 2015 but failed to bring any legislation to Parliament.

Send a message to Theresa May asking her to do better by banning wild-animal circuses now.

Create a roar that can't be ignored
In Thailand, over 800 tigers spend their lives chained, caged, and treated with cruelty to meet the demands of tourists.

Our new report exposes growing cruelty at the heart of Thailand's tiger tourism industry, revealing that there are now over 200 additional tigers forced to entertain travelers than there were just five years ago - an increase of 33%.

Of the 17 tiger venues we visited, one venue in particular stood out: Sriracha Tiger Zoo in Pattaya. Not only did it have the highest number of captive tigers, but also the poorest conditions.

Did you know that 'the world's largest travel site' TripAdvisor is selling tickets to cruel wildlife attractions like Sriracha Tiger Zoo? They actively promote and profit from some of the cruelest wildlife tourist attractions.

If TripAdvisor were to change, they could be a great force for good in stamping out the type of animal cruelty we've revealed in our tiger report.

Tomorrow is International Tiger Day and we need your help to protect these tigers. Together, we can be louder still, using our voices to make a roar for tigers.

Click here for the full report: "Tiger selfies exposed: a portrait of Thailand's tiger entertainment industry."

STOP BOKNAL, THE SOUTH KOREAN DOG MEAT FESTIVAL

Target: President of South Korea, Park Geun-hye - 150,782 of the 160,000 goal - Click to sign!

In one month, over 1,000,000 cats and dogs will be tortured to death.

The Boknal Festival in Boknal, Korea will be held on 17/7; 27/7; 16/8. Soon, the dog and cat meat markets of South Korea will begin the mass butchering of dogs, and cats. Many who partake in this festival believe pet meat has medicinal powers. Medical evidence does not support their claims. The most popular delicacy of this festival is Peppery Dog Meat Soup.

These heinous acts of torture and killing must stop now and forever! People and all animal lovers around the world will not tolerate this. We take an oath to not buy any products that are made in Korea, and we will boycott the Olympic games in 2018.

Sign this petition to condemn the Boknal Dog Meat Festival!

Find Criminals Who Stuck Puppies to Ground With Hot Tar

Target: Bogdan Despescu,

General Inspector of the Romanian National Police

Goal: Find and severely punish whoever is responsible for covering dogs in hot tar - Click to Sign

Four puppies were found covered in hot tar. The dogs were said to be in critical condition and were taken to a veterinarian for treatment. Images, released through the media, show the poor dogs lying helplessly on the ground as the hot sun beats down on them.

Animal activists believe this is a case of sick animal torture because it is the second time puppies have been found covered in tar. In the first case, the veterinarian said that one of the puppies had tar inside of his nose, mouth, and eyes.

Please add your signature to this petition demanding that the authorities use all resources necessary to find the monster, or monsters, responsible for torturing these puppy dogs and bring them to justice.

Sad Image Shows How Circus Animals Are Really Trained to Perform ‘Incredible’ Tricks.

It would be really difficult to find someone who didn’t grow up thinking the circus was the most exciting and magical show on Earth. Really, you mix bright lights, magic tricks, and animals and it’s a recipe for every little kid’s dreams. But sadly, while these events look entertaining from the outside, there is an enormous amount of cruelty that goes into making all those “unbelievable” tricks reality. Simply put, life in the circus is no life at all for animals.

Many animals who find themselves performing in the circus were captured from the wild as infants and then forced to endure brutal training that involves physical abuse and starvation. An investigation into Ringling Brother’s circus revealed that baby elephants were removed from their mothers at 18-22 months and anchored to one another by ropes that are fastened around their necks, forced to stand still for 23 hours a day. This process can last for up to six months and is designed to “break” the animals so they lose their desire to fight back against captors. Ringling has decided to retire their elephants from performances, but they are hardly the only circus that employs such methods.

The only way to guarantee that a wild animal, who – despite what few may believe – was not born to perform tricks like standing on their heads or balancing on balls, is to condition them to associate a misstep with fear. We recently saw the horrific way one tiger was trained to perform via whipping, and a new investigation from PETA shows the true extent of the cruelty that goes into training wild animals to perform.

This photo shows a monkey who was chained to a wall by his neck in order to build his length strength so he would walk upright. The “magic” behind this trick is hardly amazing at all.

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This image was taken in a Suzhou, China, but this sort of animal abuse can be just as readily found right here in the U.S. and it is all done for the pure sake of our “entertainment.” Seeing what really happens behind the scenes and knowing that animals have to endure a whole lifetime of this treatment all so we can get one or two hours of entertainment is absolutely absurd. This cruelty persists because this hard truth is never revealed to the public, but if we all take action and refuse to attend the circus, this horrific display can come to an end.

There are many, many other ways to enjoy animals that do not involve this suffering. Share this article and encourage others to learn why the circus is anything but fun for animals, and check out these resources for better alternatives to cruel animal entertainment:

Posing With Big Cats is Cruel, Not Cool. Demand Action From Law Firm That Used White Tiger for Ads.

Every day my inbox contains email queries from people who love big cats and have witnessed or heard about big cats and/or cubs being exploited, neglected or abused. They plead for me to help the cats.

Earlier this month I was contacted by a Big Cat Rescue supporter informing me of a law firm based in Orlando, Florida using a white tiger in their marketing materials. She was very upset that the law firm was running a television commercial showing one of their lawyers sitting in a room near a full-grown white tiger on a couch! I researched the law firm online and quickly found that the firm’s website and Facebook page also contained images of a white tiger on a couch next to a lawyer.

Raising Awareness for Hidden Animal Abuse
While you may think a lawyer sitting next to a huge tiger is surprising (not to mention dangerous), I see crazy stuff like this involving big cats every day. What DID surprise me was that the law firm is only about an hour from Big Cat Rescue and, even though it appeared the firm has been using the white tiger images since 2013, this was the first I had heard of it.

In contrast, as soon as Justin Bieber or a Kardashian poses with a big cat or cub, my inbox is flooded with concerned emails. How did a law firm in my neck of the woods get away with exploiting a white tiger for PR shock value for three years before I got wind of it? Guess I’ll never know.

As Director of Public Relations at Big Cat Rescue in Tampa, my primary job (although every staff member at the sanctuary wears numerous hats) is educating businesses, fairs, shopping malls, restaurants, other venues and the general public about the issues facing captive big cats and cubs in this country and beyond.

Have you visited a roadside zoo and can’t get the image of a tiger pacing in a tiny cage with no water bowl in 100-degree weather out of your head? Contact me and I’ll walk you through how to file a complaint with U.S. Department of Agriculture. Saw a friend’s Facebook post showing her holding a tiger cub? Contact me and I’ll send you links to share with your friend that explain why cub petting schemes are cruel. Attended your state fair and saw an exhibit charging visitors $20 to hold a baby tiger? Contact me and I’ll call the fair’s General Manager and may ask our Big Cat Rescue’s supporters (2.2 million Facebook fans alone) to take action. Heard that a circus with a tiger act is heading to your hometown and want to know how to stop it? Contact me and I’ll give you pointers on how to contact the venue hosting the circus and how to organize a peaceful protest when the circus arrives. You get the picture of what my days are like.

Lawyers and White Tigers
So back to the law firm in Orlando. The firm is called Trial Professionals and it turns out they have many offices throughout Florida. I called their Orlando office and asked who the lawyer was in the photos with the white tiger cub; I was informed his name is Piercy Stakelum. I asked to speak with Mr. Stakelum but he was unavailable. I then asked for his email.

I sent Mr. Stakelum a polite email explaining my concerns about the law firm’s use of a white tiger in their television commercial and online marketing. I initially gave him the benefit of the doubt, assuming he actually cared about animals but hadn’t been educated to understand that posing with a big cat is cruel and sends the wrong message that his business thinks it’s okay to use and exploit big cats for the PR shock value. I suggested that using a real tiger was hurting rather than helping the firm’s marketing efforts. Lastly, I clearly stated the action I wanted him to take: please stop airing the television commercial and remove all photos of the tiger from the firm’s social media sites and marketing materials.

I received no response from anyone at Trial Professionals.

So about a week later, I sent a follow-up email to Mr. Stakelum reiterating my request to stop the commercial and remove the tiger images from their marketing materials. This time, I explained that a large part of Big Cat Rescue’s mission is to end the abuse and exploitation of captive big cats. And that our millions of social media followers rely on us to inform them when we learn about abuse and exploitation of big cats. I explained we would need to let our supporters know that Trial Professionals is exploiting a white tiger and that he was likely to hear from some of them. Our amazing supporters are passionate about the humane treatment of big cats and understand that posing with wild animals is cruel, not cool!

Again, no response from the lawyer or the firm.

So I took the final step. I created an Action Alert and asked Big Cat Rescue’s Facebook supporters to take action by signing our online petition, which would trigger an email to be sent to each lawyer in the firm. We believe it is important for businesses and venues to understand that it’s not just Big Cat Rescue’s opinion that exploiting tigers is cruel; our many supporters who love big cats agree and are willing to speak out for this tiger, who has no voice of his own. You can take action too! Click here to demand action from Trial Professionals.

It’s been a few days since we issued our Action Alert. Still no response from the law firm but we are still hopeful that the firm will do the right thing and not exploit any wild animals in the future.

Tips for taking action and speaking up when YOU see wild cats or other animal being exploited for profit or entertainment:

Find out when and where the abuse is happening

Politely reach out to the person, business or venue via phone or email
Explain that you believe what is happening to the wild animal is abusive or exploitative
Clearly ask for the action you want to see (event be cancelled, group not allowed to return again, etc.)
If the situation is happening in your hometown, always state that you are a local citizen (i.e. I live here and won’t be attending our state fair this year if you will be hosting a circus with tigers)
If you receive no response or the person/venue refuses doesn’t agree to comply with your request, take action. Post about it on your social media pages, call your local media, write a letter to the editor of your newspaper, blog about it, contact USDA and the Fish & Wildlife Service in your state, inform Big Cat Rescue and other animal advocacy groups, organize a protest, etc.
Learn more about cub petting here.
Ask your Senators and House Representative to support the Big Cat Public Safety Act currently pending in Congress. Once this crucial bill for big cats becomes law, it will phase out the private ownership of big cats and ban the public from having contact with cubs. Learn more and take action here.

Help shut down Grandview Aquarium in a mall in Guangzhou, China!

Target: Guangzhou Ocean and Fishery Bureau - 204,060 of the 210,000 have signed

These animals have not only been taken out of their natural habitat, but they are forced to live in prison-like conditions in a gigantic shopping mall. The cages are small, without any natural features, including sunlight!

These poor animals like Pizza the polar bear will never see the light of day, never breathe fresh air, never be able to interact according to their nature, and are trapped with no stimuli whatsoever.

Many of them die in these horrific conditions, and those that don't are subjected to a life of extreme misery, and all for the sake of profit and entertainment.

Animals Asia have been trying to shut down this zoo, but they need our help. Please sign the petition to save Pizza the polar bear and all the other animals.

You can read more about their plight here.

Puppies burned alive: video of Indian teens roasting dogs on bonfire sparks outage

Video footage has begun circulating of three two-month-old puppies, carried by their hind legs out to a graveyard and set on fire. Eight teenagers were involved in the cruel incident.

In the footage recovered from a fish stall owner in Musheerabad, eight teenagers can be seen fanning the flames of the pit, unaffected by the squeals of the innocent puppies. During several points in the video, the puppies can be seen trying desperately to escape the fire pit, their bodies roasting alive. But the teens show no mercy, using a stick to push the poor dogs back toward their fiery deaths, even laughing about it.

The gruesome video, reported to police on July 20, has since been shared all over the world. As a result, the eight boys, all under 18, have been arrested for this heinous act of cruelty against the puppies, believed to be only two months old at the time of their deaths.