Animal Welfare, Animal Cruelty and Animal Crime Weekly Reports!

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Click here to view the report! Mercy for Animals: Animal Rights Group Releases New Undercover Video Targeting Egg Producer. Activists captured video reportedly showing animal cruelty at Briarwood Farms in Washington state. Briarwood Farms supplies eggs to Eggland's Best, the company confirmed to news outlets. 
Jaguar killed at Olympic torch lighting: Brazil botches torch ceremony in Manaus
A jaguar that was forced to be a prop at an Olympic torch-lighting ceremony was shot and killed by a soldier shortly after the event in Manaus as the wild animal escaped from its handlers.

During the event, the female jaguar, named Juma, was held by a chain around her neck only a few yards away from the lighting of the torch.

Juma was being held at the CIGS zoo, which is part of the army’s jungle combat training center. Several of the animals at the zoo have been captured by soldiers on patrol.

According to the Daily Mail, a guest who was at the event said, “The jaguar was in a secluded spot, but everyone took pictures with her.”

When the event was over, Juma’s handler was about to take her back to a cage that was on a truck.

That’s when Juma got loose and tried to escape.

Brazil’s Amazon Military Command said in a statement, “Efforts were made to capture the animal by firing tranquilizers. 
Animal cruelty: sea turtle dragged from water and attacked after being used for photos
A loggerhead sea turtle is the latest animal to be used and abused by careless people trying to take photographs with wild animals.

The pictures were posted on June 15 by rescue group Animals Lebanon. The turtle can be seen getting dragged from Havana Beach just south of Beirut.

The turtle was then subjected to being used as a prop for selfies, with a little child even being placed on top of his shell. Once the people were done with him, one witness told the rescue group people then began beating the turtle with a stick. The head trauma he suffered would support that claim, as veterinarians treating him report a depression in the skull that came from a recent strike. The turtle is said to be recovering at a marine animal facility until he’s clear to return to the ocean.
Vote "NO" to the cruel Sportsmen's Heritage and Recreational Enhancement Act (SHARE Act)!
The Sportsmen's Heritage and Recreational Enhancement Act (SHARE Act) (H.R 2406) is a group of multiple bills that revise existing programs in order to "protect the traditional right of American sportsmen to fish and hunt", "expanding access to, and opportunities for, hunting, fishing, and recreational shooting."

 The SHARE Act would:
Allow the corpses of polar bears that are hunted in Canada to be imported into the U.S as "trophies". Now more than ever, the polar bear population is in grave danger. When the polar bear was being considered as a candidate for protection under the Endangered Species Act, 41 hunters raced to Canada in search of one final trophy, each slaughtering one polar bear. As they were unable to get their import approved before the polar bear was listed on the ESA, they were not allowed to import their trophies into the US. Allowing these "sportsmen" to import their trophy bears would only demonstrate Congress' leniency and lead hunters to believe that they can get away with killing an endangered animal if they just wait long enough. This can also have a huge impact on other species that are candidates for ESA protection, as hunters will want to go after one final trophy, knowing they might just get away with it.

  Allow for the use of lead ammunition, which can cause lead intoxication. Lead primarily affects the developing brain and nervous system. Upon impact, a lead bullet shatters into millions of tiny fragments.This way, lead can be ingested by an animal (ex. the California Condor) or reach water ways (as runoff or seepage) and contaminate water supplies, which can have terrible results. An example of this is the water crisis in Flint, Michigan. People in Flint, Michigan have to use bottled water for everything from cooking to bathing because of the presence of lead in their water.

Prevent the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service from restricting illegal ivory trade. Elephants are facing a crisis thanks to the demand for the ivory tusks. With the SHARE Act, the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service would be blocked from completing their efforts to shut down any loopholes that allows ivory to enter the commercial market, meaning the elephants are in serious trouble.

 Open protected lands to hunters, with no restriction on how animals can be captured. The SHARE Act would allow hunters to trap animals in land that is "open unless closed" without taking into consideration the people who go to these public lands to enjoy, rather than kill, the wildlife. It does not restrict the methods of trapping that hunters can use, which means that cruel traps such as wire snares and leg holds, that are highly non-selective (meaning they do not target a specific animal, allowing unintended creatures to fall victims to the traps) can be used.

 Leave other animals vulnerable and unprotected. Elephants are not the only ones who could be in trouble if the SHARE Act is passed. The SHARE Act would strip gray wolves in the Great Lakes and Wyoming Region from their protection under the Endangered Species Act, leaving them available to hunters to trapping and killing.

 The SHARE Act is a cruel accommodation for a small amount of people at the expense of wildlife, the environment, and the rest of the people who want to enjoy the great outdoors. It represents significant regression from the efforts already made to protect nature and its wildlife, such as elephants and wolves.

 The SHARE Act was passed in the House on February 26th, 2016 and is currently awaiting floor consideration in the Senate. https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/2406

 PLEASE DO NOT ALLOW SUCH A CRUEL AND ENVIRONMENTALLY DEGRADING ACT TO BE PASSED!

 ALTHOUGH THIS PETITION IS SPECIFICALLY DIRECTED TO ILLINOIS SENATORS DICK DURBIN AND MARK KIRK, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO SIGN THIS PETITION ANYWAYS, EVERY SIGNATURE COUNTS!

 Also, please contact your senators in your state and ask them to OPPOSE the SHARE Act and any of its companion bills! State senators and contact info can be found at http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm?State=IL
Just 4 of the beautiful dogs we saved from slaughter, hard to imagine they would all have been dead by now.
Heartbreaking Images Show What Life is Like for Dogs in the Yulin Meat Festival. In most of the world, dogs are one of the most beloved animals. They are our hiking companions, our cuddle buddies, and our furry therapists after a long day. Since they are so close to our hearts, we feel bad whenever dogs are harmed. Whether it’s cringing at a scene in a movie where a dog is mistreated or even accidentally stepping on their tail, we can’t stand the idea of ever harming our four-legged friends. Considering our deep love for dogs, it’s no surprise that the international community has been up in arms over the Yulin Meat Festival, an event that marks the summer solstice by eating dog meat and lychees.

 The long-held tradition in China sees the slaughter of up to 10,000 dogs each year, with about 300 of them slaughtered each day leading up to the festival on June 21. As of yet, the consumption of dog and cat meat in China is perfectly legal.

 The dogs are piled on top of each other in rusty wire cages, and many of them suffer horrendous injuries and die in transport due to the filthy conditions they are subjected to.
Yulin 1
As if the festival and consumption of dog and cat meat wasn’t horrific enough, the majority of the animals  appear to be stolen pets with collars still on, completely unaware they are about to be slaughtered.
Yulin 2
Once the festival kicks off, the dogs are clubbed over the head or have their throats slit, and then are thrown into boiling water. A brutal scene that all of the other dogs must watch. 
Yulin 6
Animals Asia Cat and Dog Welfare Director Irene Feng said in a statement that beyond the cruelty there is an added danger of poisoning for those who consume the dogs.
Yulin 4
Unfortunately, according to reports from last year, it seems that this brutal trade and practice is an all-year occurrence in Yulin with 10 million dogs consumed each year. 
Yulin 5
The international community is not taking this news lying down, though. Many organizations like Animals Asia and Humane Society International are going above and beyond to save as many dogs and cats as possible. If you’d like to help propel the movement and help end the Yulin Meat Festival once and for all, click here to sign Animals Asia’s letter to dog meat traders urging them to end this horrific practice. All Images Source: Daily Mail UK
Don't let China host the 2019 World Dog Show unless it stops Yulin's dog-meat festivals!
Don't let China host the 2019 World Dog Show unless it stops Yulin's dog-meat festivals!

 BY: Poul Freudenthal, Kim Vigsø Nielsen, Birthe Fensten Madsen, Karen Jondahl

 TARGET: FCI (Fédération Cynologique Internationale) - 516,936 of the 520,000

 Overview petition
The Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI), the major federation of kennel clubs, hosts the World Dog Show every year. 10,000 dogs enter the competition, which has been called the "world's most important dog show."

 10,000 is also the number of dogs eaten each year at the Yulin dog-meat eating festival in China - where FCI is planning to host the 2019 World Dog Show.

 As long as the government of China has not stopped the horrific Yulin Dog Meat Eating Festival, it is not acceptable that the largest worldwide dog organization will support and arrange its biggest annual dog competition in such a country.

 Other petition targets are the Chinese authorities. With this petition, we want to send your opinion to the government and the dog organization FCI. We will not support and participate in the WDS2019 as long as China accepts the Yulin Dog Meat Eating Festival, and therefore we ask FCI to move the WDS2019 to another country with a more humane view on animal welfare until China stop this horrible tradition. Please sign today!
Chinese dog meat: dogs and cats rescued from being killed, eaten before Yulin festival
Humane Society International has reported it was able to rescue 34 dogs and cats a week prior to this year’s annual Yulin dog and cat meat festival in China.

Every year at the Yulin dog and cat meat festival, 10,000 to 15,000 dogs and cats are caged, beaten, hanged, stabbed, skinned, and burned alive. Many are tortured before death under the belief that fear and abuse makes the meat tastier.

Twenty-nine dogs and five cats were rescued from a slaughterhouse in Yulin the week before the festival, which goes on for ten days. Another 20 dogs were rescued from a slaughterhouse on the outskirts of Yulin on June 20, the day before the festival began.

Several Asian countries have consumed dog meat for centuries. Some Chinese cultures are believed to have adopted the practice some 400 years ago, convinced that dog meat would help ward off heat through the hot summer months. 

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Help end the dog meat trade.  
Right now, thousands of dogs and cats in China need our help. Over the past few days these poor animals—many of them stolen pets—have been crammed onto trucks in wire cages without food or water, and driven for hours under miserable conditions. Their appalling fate? To be cruelly beaten, then slaughtered and eaten as part of an annual 'festival' held in Yulin.

 It's so brutal, it makes me sick thinking about it. The cruelty, pain and terror these animals experience is disgusting and there are no words to describe how upset this makes me feel.

 But we are the only hope for these poor animals. Together we must stand strong with the millions of people across China who, just like us, love animals and passionately oppose this cruelty.

 Please join my friends at Humane Society International and their wonderful Chinese partner groups in the fight against this cruelty with an urgent donation today » They can't do it without our support. 

 As I write to you, HSI operatives are on the ground in Yulin and they have already rescued 54 dogs and cats from certain death at slaughterhouses, in addition to the hundreds of dogs they've helped rescue from slaughter trucks prior to the festival. These lucky animals are being given emergency veterinary care and driven to safety, but many more need our help.

 The images and footage of the gruesome reality for these helpless animals—many of them still wearing their pet collars—are outrageous and inexcusable. We have to do something. Please donate to help HSI fight the dog meat trade and care for these rescued animals »

 $35 - pays for food and bedding for rescued dogs and cats

$50 - buys crates and fuel to get animals out of Yulin and on the road to a safe sanctuary

$100 - covers life-saving veterinary treatment for sick and injured animals

 You may have read recent news reports of Yulin dog meat traders trying to claim that business is still good—but HSI’s Peter Li is on the ground there now reporting that a number of the dog slaughterhouses are closed, and that live animal markets and dog meat restaurants are much reduced compared to last year. This is encouraging news.
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Achieving lasting change takes time, but I am hopeful that together we can see an end to this horrific trade. And I am heartened by a Chinese opinion poll just released that shows the majority of Chinese people want the Yulin festival shut down, and in fact most people in China have never eaten dog in their lives.

 The HSI team and their brave Chinese partners are making real progress—but they can't continue to fight without your help. Please help stop this cruelty with an urgent gift »

 These animals can't help themselves—it's up to us to do something, now.

 Sincerely,

Simon Cowell
Friend of Humane Society International


The Onion Takes on Tyson - Candice Bergen and Mercy For Animals. The nation’s top media outlets, including USA Today, Bloomberg, and The Huffington Post, covered our fourth undercover investigation of Tyson Foods (http://TysonTorturesAnimals.com). But one of our favorite stories appeared on satirical site The Onion. 

 The headline “Tyson Foods Executives Assure Critics Their Chickens Physically Incapable Of Walking Even If They Had Room” is more fact than fiction. Read and share the article now: http://bit.ly/TheOnionTakesOnTyson.

 In other news, Tyson appointed a new president a week ago. Let’s give Tom Hayes a warm welcome by emailing him at tom.hayes@tyson.com and letting him know exactly how we feel about Tyson’s treatment—or mistreatment—of chickens. Copy and paste the message below or write one of your own:

 Dear Mr. Hayes, I am disappointed that even after multiple investigations have revealed sickening animal cruelty at Tyson facilities, the company stubbornly refuses to implement any significant standards to reduce the suffering of chickens. Please implement a meaningful animal welfare policy now!
Tyson Foods Executives Assure Critics Their Chickens Physically Incapable Of Walking Even If They Had Room
Tyson Foods Executives Assure Critics Their Chickens Physically Incapable Of Walking Even If They Had Room
SPRINGDALE, AR-Responding to activists' demands that they discontinue the use of cramped pens and give their poultry space to...
http://www.theonion.com







Thanks to everyone who shared our most recent undercover investigation, our videos were viewed over 50,000 times! Because of our investigation, Hormel Foods announced that it would suspend the supplier and launch its own investigation. We are cautiously optimistic given the response but are continuing to explore all legal options. Our undercover investigations will continue to expose the daily abuses on factory farms in ways that government and industry so often collude to keep behind closed doors -- and we will continue to fight for legal protections for animals in agricultural settings. Read my most recent blog for more details on this investigation.
June is proving to be a dangerous month for dogs. We’ve seen reports of dogs being left in cars pouring in, many of them with fatal outcomes. We’re continuing to advocate for stronger laws to protect dogs (and all animals) from being left in hot cars, but you can take action right now by purchasing one of our sunshades or window clings. Both products send a clear message, reminding people passing by that parked cars aren’t safe for living beings. For more ways that you can take action on this important issue, visit aldf.org/hotcars.
Save the date! On November 5, 2016, The Animal Legal Defense Fund is headed out to sea for the animals. We will embark from Marina del Rey in Los Angeles on a luxury yacht with myself and founder Joyce Tischler, and other staff members aboard. Guests will enjoy live music, auction items, plant-based delicacies, a hosted bar, and much more. I’m excited to meet many of our supporters and talk about groundbreaking accomplishments we are planning for animals in the future. Please visit our website to sign up for updates!
You have no doubt heard the terrible news about Harambe, a gorilla who was shot by zookeepers after a boy fell into his enclosure. Carney Anne Nasser, Animal Legal Defense Fund senior counsel for wildlife and regulatory affairs helps to make sense of the tragic incident in her most recent blog. While over 180,000 people signed a petition seeking prosecution of the child’s parents, we know that responsibility for these tragic incidents lies with businesses that profit from warehousing animals for public entertainment. Read more from Carney Anne on our website.

 I have to show you this photo. Warning: You're not going to like it.
Yes, those are real tiger skin wallets that were recently confiscated from a trader in Indonesia!

 Just think: She used to be a majestic tiger, queen of the jungle. Killed to become a fashion accessory.

 The killing will continue until the chances of getting caught outweigh the money traffickers can make off of dead animals. If we want to save tigers from poachers, we must crack down on global trade in wildlife parts. 

 There's a bill before Congress right now that would do just that. Will you help it become law? Write your Senators right now telling them to pass the END Wildlife Trafficking Act.

 Poaching is the #1 threat to tigers. Often they're killed for their skins which are either made into wallets and other accessories like these, or stuffed and displayed as a symbol of status (a sad trend in Indonesia). In China, some parts of the tiger are rumored to have medicinal properties, so they're bought and sold on the black market.

 Meanwhile, tigers are disappearing before our very eyes. Fewer than 3,200 wild tigers are left on this earth!

 But there is good news: Right now, the Senate is making progress on the END Wildlife Trafficking Act, which would provide more resources to protect tigers and other wildlife around the world from poachers. It will also bolster efforts to crack down on the traffickers and criminal networks that profit from the illegal buying and selling of tigers and other endangered species.

 The next step is for the Senate to pass the bill, but they're not acting fast enough. They need to hear from you.

 Write your Senator today and become one of 25,000 people acting on behalf of tigers.

 Thank you for speaking up for one of the most iconic species this world knows.
Animal cruelty: blue shark dies after being pulled from water in Punta Cana for photos


Pledge to to Be Fur-Free

Posted By: PETA: People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (campaign leader)
Pain. Confinement. Fear. Death. That's the true cost behind the skin of a dead fox draped over a socialite's shoulders ... the handbag made of the skin ripped from a young ostrich ... the gloves made, perhaps, from slaughtered dogs. 
PETA is determined to expose and stop the tremendous animal suffering that goes into every fur-trimmed jacket, leather belt, and wool sweater. Your support for this work is so critical that we launched our very first $250,000 "Save Our Skins" Matching-Gift Challenge to give you the chance to double your impact for animals. 
One hundred percent of your contribution before our June 30 deadline will power PETA's groundbreaking work to end the misery of rabbits, foxes, sheep, and other animals abused for their fur, wool, skin, or feathers. 
Right now, millions of sensitive animals face pain and a gruesome death in the name of fashion. PETA recently documented the cruel mass gassing of foxes and minks at a Wisconsin fur farm. We've exposed a horrific slaughterhouse in China where dogs are clubbed and skinned for leather that may be used to make gloves and leather trim sold in the U.S. 
And we recently shook the fashion world with our exposé of the largest ostrich-slaughter companies in the world, where workers are forcing terrified ostriches into stun boxes before cutting their throats—right in front of their flockmates. 
Every day, there are new signs that our work to end this cruelty is gaining traction as major clothing companies and designers pledge to stop abusing animals for the clothing that they sell. Your gift to the "Save Our Skins" Matching-Gift Challenge means that you can do even more to help stop the abuse of animals. 
Every penny that you donate before June 30 will be used to support PETA's work to prevent animals from being bludgeoned, plucked, or skinned alive to become coats, collars, or fashion items of any kind. Please make your generous gift right now. 
The only skin anyone should wear is their own. I hope you'll seize this opportunity to do twice as much for animals by supporting this important campaign today. 
Very truly yours,

Express journalist awarded top RSPCA prize 4 valuable animal cruelty campaign
Please take action to stop the suffering of animals exported live from the EU ✏
How Piglets Are Killed On Farms
PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals)
Many farmers simply kill sick animals instead of giving them medicine or veterinary care in order to save money. Unwanted “runts” are killed, by “thumping,” or slamming their heads against the floor.
Dairy's Dark Secret
PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals)
Nearly all cows used for milk are born with tissue that will develop into horns. That’s because most farmers remove the sensitive horn tissue or the horns themselves from the cows’ skulls using searing-hot irons, caustic chemicals, blades, or hand saws.
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5 Reasons We Can't Afford to Ignore the Issue of Animal Rights Any Longer
Imprisoned Monkey Reaching Out to Young Girl Shows That Animals Don’t Belong in Zoos. In the latest tragedy involving a zoo animal, Harambe the gorilla was shot dead after a four-year old boy fell into his enclosure at the Cincinnati zoo. While the child sustained no injuries, the 17-year old endangered animal lost his life, despite displaying behavior which has led experts to believe that Harambe was merely trying to protect the child. A mere week prior, two healthy lions were also shot dead when a visitor willingly entered their enclosure and reportedly tried to taunt them into attacking him in a zoo in Chile.

 Harambe’s death has spurred a media uproar and led many to question the moral implications of keeping wild animals captive. Scientists, wildlife experts and members of the general public are increasingly aware that breeding and holding wild animals in captivity is not only extremely cruel, it is also very dangerous, both for the animals themselves and the humans who interact with them. Additionally, zoos are not only harmful to their animal residents, they also play a huge role in our global commodification of sentient creatures, by trapping, confining and displaying them as though they were mere objects.

 In these places, children (and adults) are fed the false belief that humans have the right to entrap other creatures for their entertainment. Instead, children’s innate interest and fondness for animals should be fostered in more humane ways. This would not only benefit the animals but the kids themselves, who would learn to respect the planet and its creatures. Moreover, it would lessen the number of fatal or distressing interactions between wild animals and impressionable children, such as the four-year-old who had to watch a giant ape be shot and killed right in front of him.

 Some interactions between children and zoo animals are less mediatized but no less tragic. This photograph of a capuchin monkey reaching out to a small child through the wires of his cage is subtly heartbreaking.

 The child reaches back, potentially confused as to why this intelligent and inquisitive animal has been condemned to a life behind bars.
Mohsin Kazmi Monkey:Child
Zoos are no place for wild animals. As the director of the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) Azzedine Downes writes, most zoos merely exist as “live storage facilities” and are “a discouraging acquiescence to a world without animals roaming in the wild.”

 Zoos and other facilities that keep animals in captivity often purport to have conservational and educational purposes, when in fact they merely exist as profit-making attractions. Indeed, Lori Marino, executive director at the Kimmela Center for Animal Advocacy (KCAA) has said that “there is no current evidence, from well-controlled studies in the peer-reviewed literature, supporting the argument that captive animal displays are educational or promote conservation in any meaningful sense.”

 The majority of species displayed in captive exhibits are not endangered and therefore do not need “conserving” and zoos rarely if ever release animals back into the wild — instead, most reintroduction programs are carried out by government agencies and non-profits. Instead, animals meant to live in the wild suffer in barren enclosures, developing severe issues and zoochosis, a term characterizing unnatural, compulsive, and repetitive behaviors brought on by the boredom and extreme stress of confinement.

 As for educational purposes, it appears that this is an equally empty claim. A study found that 86 percent of visitors go to the zoo for “social or recreational purposes,” while only six percent visit to learn more about animals. Liz Tyson, director of the Captive Animals’ Protection Society (CAPS) states that “Zoos present an entirely false view of both the animals themselves, and of the real and very urgent issues facing many species in their natural homes. This new research appears to confirm what we have said for many years. Zoos do not educate nor do they empower or inspire children to become conservationists.”

 Instead of educating children (and adults) about animals, zoos spread harmful messages about our relationship with other creatures.

 Better Ways to Teach Kids About Animals
Rather than supporting cruel captive animal facilities and showing children frustrated and depressed animals in concrete enclosures, potential zoo visitors would be better off teaching children to respect animals by engaging in more humane and far more educational alternatives. Inspiring children to care about animals and their conservation is crucial to ensuring that the next generation acts and speaks out for creatures in need.

 Inspiring children to stand up for animals and providing entertaining and educational experiences is easily done, with the following tips:
Remember that the best way to protect wildlife is to never visit or support facilities that hold them captive such as zoos, circuses, marine parks, and to encourage others to do the same! Image source: Mohsin Kazmi/Instagram