On the 27th of December 2013 the headline in the rabidly pro hunting Telegraph carried an article featuring Sir Barney White Spunner, CEO of the Countryside Alliance, (CA) who criticised the RSPCA yet again, by saying “RSPCA has become sinister and nasty.” These people have obviously never got over the shock of the successful Heythrop prosecution, and the fact that if they are caught with their pants down again, the RSPCA will not hesitate to prosecute under the terms of the hunting Act. It has come as a great shock to some that they are actually not above the law, and there are those good guys at the RSPCA who refuse to turn a blind eye to the eviscerating of wild mammals as a form of entertainment. The vile pastime that is fox hunting IS thankfully against the law, and to any normal person this should be enough to make one stop and think, and perhaps find a less bloodthirsty hobby. Not so the Countryside Alliance, however. It would seem that the hunting fraternity are not going to give up until they have given their best shot at grinding their only viable opposition into the dirt. What they are after is the RSPCA being stripped of its powers to prosecute hunt crime. Sir Barney is urging members of the Countryside Alliance to stop donating to the RSPCA because he says they have become a sinister animal rights group rather than a charity promoting animal welfare. It is all nonsense, of course, and it would be laughable were it not for the fact that these lies and smears are churned out in the national pro hunting press with nauseating regularity. What is concerning is that hunting people are fighting their dirty war for the right to once again be able to legally subject a small mammal to a cruel and agonising death by biting and eventual evisceration. These hunting dinosaurs, who live and work among the rest of us normal people, want to be able to enjoy the spectacle of watching an animal torn apart while they listen to its agonising screams of terror, and in spite of their bloodthirsty predilections, they have the bare faced cheek to call the RSPCA a SINISTER organisation. Talk about the pot calling the kettle. Scary to think they actually believe they are hard done by and they genuinely can’t see what they are doing wrong. The Countryside Alliance is single minded and totally ruthless. Born out of an amalgamation of the British Field Sports Association and two other groups, the Countryside Business Group and the Countryside Movement, it is supposed to be a force for good in the countryside, looking after and lobbying for a better deal for all country dwellers. The reality is far from that, and one could be forgiven for thinking that their leaders are only interested in bringing back fox hunting while the rest of the countryside can go hang. Hundreds of rural shops, pubs and post offices are closing every year. There is a dearth of affordable homes for people in the countryside and many tenant farmers have little provision for retirement including somewhere to live when the big land owners repossess their tied houses. A new report from Ofcom suggests Internet speeds in rural areas will continue to lag far behind those in towns and cities for years to come, and they say it will get worse before it gets better. Mobile phone reception is poor or non-existent, but perhaps the worst neglect of all is the poverty of the rural elderly who are often unable to get out of their homes because of poor transport services and who also suffer deprivation because they are living off the gas grid. Real poverty and real suffering in our countryside, yet when do we ever see the hunters putting any great effort into protecting the vulnerable in rural areas? It would seem that the pro hunt lobby hijack every rural cause and then try to pretend that those protesting a genuine issue want to repeal the hunting Act. They are even at it in Parliament, with pro hunting MPs working behind the scenes to persuade their more empathic colleagues that hunting is necessary and benign. Simon Hart, MP, resigned his post of CEO to the Countryside Alliance with the express purpose of becoming the MP for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire; his prime agenda is to fight for repeal of the Hunting Act. During the run up to the last election we had the scandal of ‘Vote Okay’. Vote OK which was partly set up and run by David Cameron’s father in law, saw 15,000 fox hunters and their supporters, descend on constituencies across the UK delivering Conservative Party leaflets, and even canvassing, in some cases. In return for this help the prospective politicians promised to vote for repeal of the hunting Act when the time was right. They wore Tory Rosettes but they had nothing to identify them as being from Vote OK. And they did not explain or declare their hunting interest or declare who they really were. Misleading the public in this way is wrong, and has no place as a legitimate form of political campaigning. All in all it is a dirty fight on the part of the pros., and 2014 will be a difficult year for UK wildlife. Those of us who care about animals, must stand up and be heard. Please consider joining the RSPCA and the League Against Cruel Sports, and please write to your MP and tell him you won’t vote for a party which promotes hunting or any other form of cruelty to animals. All is not lost if we stay strong however, because a recent Ipsos Mori poll commissioned in 2012 by the League showed that support for the hunting Act had actually increased. 80% of the UK including those in rural areas do not want to see the return of fox hunting.
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Horrendous sustained and viscous treatment of cows at a dairy farm in Wisconsin. The dairy farm, owned by Wiese Brothers, employs workers who can only be described as monsters. Undercover footage shows some of the worse animal abuse imaginable. Psychopathic, un-empathic, compassionless workers were filmed beating, stabbing and violently whipping cows in filthy faeces covered sheds. The poor animals were dragged by chains attached to tractors and hoisted off their feet. Scenes showing cows being dragged, slipping and sliding, trying to gain traction with their hind legs while their front legs are hoisted up off the filthy floor are heart-breaking to watch. The people at this dairy are nothing more than cruel, disgusting excuses for human beings. There is absolutely no reason for these poor creatures to suffer like this. DiGiorno Pizza, owned by Nestle, say they have dropped Wiese Brothers Farm dairy, but this is far from enough. These vile people must be made to pay and pay heavily for their inhumane treatment of defenceless animals. Cows with open wound were denied veterinary treatment, probably because to allow a vet access to the plight of the cows would have blown the whistle on the cruelty. Even the calves were roughly treated. New born animals were dragged away from their mothers and had their tails docked without any form of anaesthesia. The cows were kicked and beaten, often about the face. They were also stabbed in their soft underbellies producing gaping wounds and then just left to suffer. The environment was a stinking pit of fear and faeces and the sadistic individuals who meted out this unholy punishment to innocent animals revelled in the torture. Doctor Temple Grandin, the world's leading expert in farmed animal welfare, was asked by Mercy for Animals, who produced the expose, to comment on the footage. He said, “Dragging live cows, and completely suspending them with the cow lift is severe animal abuse. The actions of these people went beyond rough handling and escalated to the level of cruelty. Kicking, beating, and hard whipping of downed cows is abusive." The opinions were sought of other experts in animal welfare and in a joint statement, Doctor Bernard Rollin, Doctor Terry Engle and William Wailes of the Animal Sciences Department at Colorado State University concluded that the footage revealed "horrifying and nightmarish abuses of dairy cattle by workers" and that "these uncaring and sadistic individuals should be prosecuted to the fullest extent allowed by the law, and should be barred from ever working with animals again." To keep the cows in lactation, they are repeatedly impregnated. Constantly pregnant, and with the male calves taken from them and slaughtered at birth, these poor defenceless, voiceless creatures are at the mercy of humans who obviously put profit before animal suffering. It is not enough for Wiese Brothers Farm dairy to claim they didn’t know. They should have employed supervisors to oversee every stage of the milk production. Cows should not be treated like milking machines, used and abused until their immune systems are so low they developed mastitis and lameness. Mercy for Animals had this to say, “Cows have a natural lifespan of about 25 years and can produce milk for eight or nine years, but the stress caused by factory farm conditions leads to disease, lameness, and reproductive problems that render cows worthless to the dairy industry by the time they are four or five years old. Some spend their entire lives standing on concrete floors; others are crammed into massive mud lots.” Nestle too, must bear a portion of the shame. All too often large corporations shirk their responsibilities to ensure their suppliers are legitimate and humane producers of animal products. It seems to be a case of out of sight out of mind as long as the money keeps rolling in. We live in a rotten society. Greed and lusting after the power and comforts that money brings are what lead to animal torture and the shedding innocent blood. Powerful companies like Nestle must not be allowed to turn a blind eye while they are turning a profit. Please watch the video. It is harrowing and upsetting but we must not turn away or these poor animals will have no hope in our human world. When you have watched the footage for yourselves, I am sure I won’t need to urge you to write to Wiese Brothers farm and show your outrage. The address is; Wiese Brothers Farm 7043 Bunker Hill Rd Greenleaf, WI 54126 (920) 532-0710 There is also a site online where you can leave feedback and voice your disgust http://www.yellowpages.com/greenleaf-wi/mip/wiese-brothers-farm-22182520 but please be polite. It serves no purpose to threaten or use profanity. There is also a petition to Nestle which can be signed here. (Link below) Thirty eight thousand people have signed already. Let’s really push the boat out and make it a million. https://www.change.org/petitions/tell-digiorno-pizza-to-stop-supporting-horrific-animal-cruelty?utm_source=social_media&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=us Isaac Bashevis Singer, a holocaust survivor, likened the treatment of farmed animals to the Nazi treatment of his fellow countrymen. He started an animal rights movement for the protection of farm animals after word war 2. He was a man apart, a good man who saw the cruelty and wanted to make a difference. He wrote a novel in which the hero witnessed the cruelty inflicted on animals. He wrote, “As often as Herman had witnessed the slaughter of animals and fish, he always had the same thought: in their behaviour towards creatures, all men were Nazis. The smugness with which man could do with other species as he pleased exemplified the most extreme racist theories, the principle that might is right.” Although unimaginable cruelty and violence are standard practice for DiGiorno cheese suppliers, caring consumers can help end the needless suffering of cows, and other farmed animals, by choosing vegan alternatives to milk, cheese and dairy ice cream. Constant misery and deprivation are not worth it for a frozen pizza. http://www.sliceofcruelty.com/ Update: Thursday DiGiorno Dairy Supplier Drops Farm Accused Of Animal Abuse (VIDEO) Mercy For Animals Appeal: There has never been a better time to give. A kindhearted MFA supporter has pledged to match—dollar for dollar--all contributions made between now and December 31 up to a total of $100,000! Please dig deep and consider making a tax-deductible donation today. **Warning Graphic Footage** “WELCOME TO GEORGIA REGENTS UNIVERSITY "We know that selecting the right university to continue your academic career is an important decision. That's why you should look at Georgia Regents University. If you are interested in business, art and humanities, education, or mathematics, GRU has something for you. Or if you are interested in science, medicine, or allied health, GRU also has something for you. We invite you to become more familiar with GRU and check out the wealth of information on our website as you take that next step in your education.” What they don’t tell you about their establishment is the horrendous cruelty to the dogs they use in their vivisection laboratories. A video, narrated by Kim Basinger obtained by the Humane Society of the United States, shows appalling cruelty to dogs and what appear to be serious breaches of animal welfare legislation. The animals suffer unnecessary painful dental extractions and the removal of tissue and bone samples. 65,000 dogs die every year to allow surgical skills and to test the efficacy of the treatments before they are used upon human beings. The video shows quite clearly the terror and the pain of the dogs that are nothing more than living laboratory tools used for practice. This is what Dr. Mark Hamrick, Senior Vice President for Research at Georgia Regents University: had to say,
The dogs are housed in tiny cages, rarely exercised and the vivisectors seem to be immune to the animal suffering.
The rules at GRU quite clearly state, and in capital letters, that ‘INHUMANE TREATMENT OR ABUSE OF ANY ANIMAL WILL NOT BE TOLERATED’. Yet although GFU seems to be prima facie on the side of animal ethics, the videos of their vivisection practices make their commitment to animal welfare suspect in the first instance. The dogs used at the University are said, in some cases, to be acquired from highly questionable sources, ‘DEALERS’, who are said to be quite happy to take missing pets or in fact anything dog like they can get their hands on which can make them some money. The demand for animals in laboratories is high, and the inference is that those who practice vivisection are not too fussy about searching for the right papers when there is a supply of cheap animal parts on offer. GRU is known to source its animals from what is termed class B dealers, the people who collect animals from adverts such as ‘puppies, free to good homes’, flea markets and even animal shelters. The reality is that even if the papers are correct and the dogs are bought from ‘reputable’ breeders, they are still dogs. That qualifies them as being alive, as being able to experience great pain and suffering. These intelligent, domesticated, living beings should not be used as laboratory tools. There are rules, even in the US, (which is not known for its kindness to animals) that basic standards are supposed to be met for laboratory animals. It is an indictment on America that this cruelty goes on with different rules in different states, and that a leading American University is the subject of an expose which highlights the cruelty of the animals used in its laboratories. GRU has a Burke and Hare feel to its animal dealings. It would seem they are only interested in a convey belt system of supply. Some who are concerned for these animals have suggested it is akin to the ivory poaching trade in Africa. Huge money making opportunities for some, plenty of living research tissue for others, and an unending conveyor belt of misery and suffering for the animals themselves. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhYt2oNtrtk&feature=youtu.be It was in the news last week that an American woman escaped prosecution for killing hares by fleeing the country. ‘Libby Gilbert ex-Master and huntsman of the Royal Agricultural College Beagles, has evaded a Hunting Act charge by fleeing to America. Charges against the 21 year old were dropped following her second failure to attend Swindon Magistrates Court on 12th November.’ - Real Countryside Alliance So the coward has scarpered off home rather than face the music in the UK, and the charges have been dropped. Let’s take a look at the unsavoury practice of beagling. Beagling involves hunting brown hares with a pack of beagle dogs which are followed on foot by a pack of bloodthirsty humans. Hares are gentle creatures, they weigh about three to four kilos and they have very long black-tipped ears and large long, powerful hind legs. They are much bigger than rabbits and they can run up to speeds of 30 to 40 miles per hour. Unfortunately, they have fallen foul of farmers because they like to eat cereal crops and tender young shoots. A beagle pack consists of around 20-40 dogs. Beagling is often enjoyed by geriatric fox hunters who, although too old to ride horses in pursuit of foxes, still wish to keep their hand in at the killing fields. It can also be a kind of practice training ground for younger people who want to learn how to train dogs on a smaller scale before moving on to fox hunting. Of course no animal slaughter would be deemed proper without the usual fancy get up, and these brave souls are no exception. The traditional beagling outfit is usually a green coat and stockings, white breeches and a cap. The different packs may have different coloured collars to distinguish each from the other. There are two parts to a hare hunt. Part one is concerned with finding the quarry and part two is chasing and killing the quarry. Once a hare is scented the chase is on. The dogs are bred for stamina and although the hare is faster it can be chased to exhaustion in a hunt which can last several hours and cover many miles. Hares don’t go to ground like rabbits or foxes. They may try to hide in tree roots and ditches. Often the animals outrun the humans and the hare is killed some distance away and out of sight. By the time the hunters reach the scene, there will be nothing left of the unfortunate animal which will have been torn to shreds. I will never understand why some people feel this is entertaining. Since the Hunting Act became the law, beagle packs are supposed to follow false trails as in fox hunting. They usually meet several times a week and they don’t advertise their activities. The Hunt Saboteurs Association believes that the secretive nature of these meets indicates that illegal beagling is widespread across the country. In Scotland hares have almost become extinct in certain parts of the country but that still doesn’t seem to have any effect on the mind-set of those who follow this disgusting sport. The results of an opinion poll published in December 2010 showed that of the three blood sports hare hunting was the one people hated the most. Even in rural communities, seven in ten people (71%) want to see fox hunting remain illegal, whilst 81% think deer hunting should continue to be banned, and 84% support the ban on hare hunting and coursing. Despite a ban and public opinion against them the beaglers carry on regardless, and when they are caught the courts often fail to punish those responsible. HSA Press Officer Lee Moon explained, "While the courts fail our wildlife, hunt saboteurs on the ground have had a great start to this season's campaign against hare hunting. Already we have caused the cancellation of Eton College's hunters training day, monitored the Alston Hare Hunting Week and disrupted meets of the Palmer Marlborough, Old Berkeley, North Warwickshire Beagles and the Four Shires Bassets." Thank goodness for the Hunt Saboteurs. Where would our defenceless wildlife be without them. http://www.nwhsa.org.uk/hare_hunting.htm http://www.rau.ac.uk/student-life/leisure/beagles http://www.ipsos-mori.com/researchpublications/researcharchive/2714/Public-Opinion-on-Hunting.aspx Opinion: The Daily Telegraph, that well known pro hunt, pro badger-killing Tory rag, sported this headline on 9th November 2013. ‘Chris ‘Packham rapped by BBC for 'intemperate' Twitter remarks about badger cull.’ You could almost hear the pros salivating as the article continued, ‘A prominent television presenter has been censured by the BBC for branding those carrying out the badger cull “as brutalist, thugs, liars and frauds” on Twitter, the social media website.’ Christopher Hope, Senior Political Correspondent for the Telegraph said that Chris Packham had, by tweeting his views on the eve of the badger cull, breached BBC guidelines. According to the Telegraph, this is what Chris said, “Tonight could be the darkest for British wildlife that we have witnessed in our lives. That in spite of science and public will, the wrath of ignorance will further bloody and bleed our countryside of its riches of life.” Now who could argue with that? No one, it would seem, other than Simon Hart MP for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire, who as well as being Ex CEO of the Countryside Alliance, is an avid blood sports fanatic and fan of fox hunting. He went into politics in 2010 in order to fight for repeal of the hunting Act and support the National Farmers Union of England and Wales. Mr Hart complained that Chris Packham’s comments on Twitter were political, and they breached the BBCs code of impartiality. It would appear that Simon Hart is obsessed, and has appointed himself as guardian of opinion, and he is eternally on the lookout for someone famous who is against killing animals. He then attempts to spin their comments into something sinister in order to persuade others that the commentator is acting not out of his compassion for innocent animals, but that the remarks are somehow intended to undermine the British Prime Minister. Interestingly, Simon Hart didn’t dispute the truth of Mr Packham’s comments.
Let us take a moment to remember the Heythrop prosecution and the attempt by Simon Hart to grind the RSPCA into oblivion by accusing them of a political motive in prosecuting the Prime Minister’s favourite hunt. The fact that the Heythrop actually broke the law, and were not concerned at all about the reputation of David Cameron, and carried on hunting regardless of the ban, seems to be of little matter to Mr Hart. (A mere technicality, that Heythrop hunters broke the hunting Act by chasing and dismembering a fox.) He went after the RSPCA with all guns blazing in a thinly veiled attempt to have the Government remove the RSPCAs powers of prosecution. He failed miserably I’m glad to say, as the support for our RSPCA among MPs was overwhelming. Paul Flynn summed it up in two words; he called the pro hunting clique, ‘apostles of cruelty’, and that was the end of that, at least for the time being. To get back to Chris Packham’s run in with Simon Hart, it must be made clear that Chris has not mentioned the badger cull even once on his TV programmes. His comments on Twitter reflect his own personal thoughts and feelings, and as we live in a free society he has every right to say how he feels about Owen Paterson’s cull and the slaughter of Britain’s innocent wildlife. Simon Hart’s interference is nothing more than another blatant attempt to silence those of us who expose the vile badger cull for the senseless and cruel travesty it is. Lord Hall for the BBC had this to say to Mr Hart, “impartiality in our reporting and programming is, of course, one of our core values.” He referred Hart’s complaint to Tim Scoones, one of the producers of the BBC’s Natural History team. Mr Scoones felt that Chris Packham’s tweets were intemperate in the language he used, and he said he has spoken to Chris about it. So Chris has been told off by the Beeb because a pro hunting, pro cull supporter who happens to be in Parliament doesn’t like his stance against the badger cull. It is interesting to note that other pro hunting celebrities who have contracts with the BBC are able to do and say pretty much what the like without fear of a rebuke from Auntie. Clarissa Dickson Wright is allowed to show her personal disdain for the hunting Act, and she even encourages people to boycott the RSPCA and asks them to stop their charity donations. The charity has “lost its way” and now “leaves a bitter taste in the mouth” as it pursues prosecutions against people they suspect of animal cruelty, said the remaining fat lady. (er, Is that not what the RSPCA is supposed to be doing, Clarissa?) “People should stop donating until the charity returns to helping domestic animals”, she said, adding, “They have got plenty of money”. She made it made perfectly clear in her rant about the RSPCA that she intended to destroy the organisation when she said, “I think that it would do them no harm if people stopped donating and told them why they had stopped to see if they changed their threatening policies.” (The only threats, Clarissa, are from your side of the fence). No one at the BBC has taken Clarissa to task for those scurrilous remarks, which, although they were not made on her cookery show, surely fall into the same category as Chris Packham’s remarks when it was suggested he had breached the voluntary code and had possibly tarred the BBC by association. The RSPCA does amazing work for animals and without the generous support of the public many innocent lives would be lost and many more would suffer at the hands of unfeeling, uncaring people. The RSPCA has four main roles for its wildlife division, To build the RSPCA’s knowledge about wildlife welfare issues, including the health, management and trade of wildlife. We also look at the main issues affecting wildlife in captivity, from those kept as pets to circus animals. To advise the rest of the RSPCA, the public, non-governmental groups and the government. To lobby decision-makers, including governments, for the protection of wildlife. To support our four wildlife centres and ensure animals receive the very best care possible. This all takes much money, and if Ms Dickson-Wright and others had their way, these valuable donations would dry up, leaving the RSPCA unable to function in its role of protecting not only wild life, but all animals, including dogs and cats and farm animals. These selfish people would see all those efforts flounder just as long as the RSPCA was not in a position to prosecute those blood junkies who kill for pleasure. Ms Dickson-Wright was prosecuted in a private prosecution in 2007 for hare coursing. She was given an absolute discharge, which means she was found guilty, but no further action was to be taken unless she does it again. (It might be worth noting that the CPS refused to take the case, and it was left to the IFAW to take this vile woman to court). Her defence was she thought it was okay because the dogs were muzzled. Don’t make us laugh, Clarissa, you trained as a barrister, yet you weren’t aware of the law? Whatever, the BBC seems quite happy to keep shtum about a convicted hare courser, yet its bosses criticise Chris Packham for his humanity. Seems a tad hypocritical to me. Clarissa is not the only BBC celebrity to potentially bring the Beeb into disrepute. Jeremy Clarkson, who is a member of the Chipping Norton set, and an enthusiastic supporter of fox hunting, has also been involved in dirty dealings, this time involving the League Against Cruel Sports. In 2005, the League Against Cruel Sports had a freepost promotion as a fund raising initiative. In December of that year the League reported that they had been the victim of a postal scam orchestrated by the pro hunting fraternity. Taking advantage of the free postage, which was to be paid by the League, the pros, egged on by Clarkson in his newspaper column, sent heavy articles and even excrement through the post. In a statement on their website the League said, ‘Hunt supporters have sent a variety of items including bricks, excrement, heavy books and abusive letters – one involving bestiality – to the League after an email, citing the support of the Countryside Alliance (CA), was circulated urging them to do so using the League’s Freepost address. The address was published in the Evening Standard’s ‘Londoner’s Diary’ and Jeremy Clarkson’s column in the Sun on Saturday 17th December. Clarkson suggested that he was going to send a paving stone or a horse. The CA has since made an effort to distance itself from the scam. Investigations by the League revealed potential evidence of named individuals’ involvement in the circulation of the email, including major figures in the Countryside Alliance, the Masters of Fox Hounds Association, hunts and the wider pro-hunting movement. There are indications that the email has also been forwarded by the wife of an employee of the Royal Household at Buckingham Palace. Several City law firms are also implicated, along with estate agencies, chartered surveyors and senior staff in a variety of companies.’ Mike Hobday, Head of Public Affairs at the League Against Cruel Sports, said, “Not content with abusing our wildlife for their own entertainment, they are now trying to deprive us of funds donated by people who want us to protect that same wildlife. Many of our supporters are pensioners, who use the Freepost system to send us donations.” As far as I’m aware, Jeremy Clarkson has never been reprimanded by the BBC regarding his part in the postal scam. He remains one of the top earners in that company. In 2012 Top Gear netted him £14 million. This enormous salary came from the licence fees paid to the BBC. I for one want don’t want to see this culture of double standards at the BBC. If Chris Packham is reprimanded by the BBC for expressing his disgust at the wanton slaughter of badgers, then others, who are far more deserving of censure for their support of hunting activities which are not only cruel, but happen to be against the law, must be similarly warned that speaking or acting out of turn will not be tolerated. The BBC are clear that they must remain impartial and present a balanced view. This is understandable but it must be across the board. One rule for all. http://www.league.org.uk/news/373/Freepost-Mail-Scam http://www.rspca.org.uk/sciencegroup/wildlife/whatwedo http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1210476/Fat-Lady-chef-Clarissa-Dickson-Wright-admits-attending-hare-coursing-event-private-prosecution.html http://www.bbc.co.uk/democracylive/house-of-commons-21230353 Walmart likes to brag about its low prices, but the true cost of its cheap pork is blatant, ongoing animal abuse. A Mercy For Animals investigator at a Walmart pork supplier has recorded the most disturbing and upsetting footage of animal abuse on a factory farm supplying Walmart with cheap pork products. Graphic footage shows systematic torture of sows and their piglets. These animals have no lives from cradle to the grave. They are bred in tiny cramped cages and spend their entire short lives in a living hell. MFA’s hidden-camera video exposed the following horrific abuses: Thousands of sows confined to filthy, metal gestation crates so small they are unable to even turn around or lie down comfortably for their entire lives. Cruel moronic workers on the farm were filmed beating, throwing, slapping, hitting and screaming obscenities at the pigs. It has also been alleged that sows were force fed diarrhoea and dead piglets. Disgusting, sub-human, pieces of filth one couldn’t describe as human beings however one stretched the meaning of the word, were filmed slamming sick piglets into the ground and leaving them to suffer and slowly die. Tiny living animals thrown around and left to die like so much trash. Workers were recorded ripping off the piglets testicles and slicing the tails off fully conscious animals without the use of any painkilling drugs or local anaesthesia. The footage shows piglets suffering from unattended, open bleeding wounds, and one section shows a sow inflamed and bleeding from constant birthing. Pregnant sows gave birth in gestation crates so small that the poor animals could not even turn over. The pigs suffered from open wounds and pressure sores from touching the cage bars and lying on the concrete floor. The video shows sows with large sores, one is banging her head against a crate, and another incessantly biting at the bars. The use of gestation crates is nothing short of disgusting abuse of animals farmed for food. It is quite possibly the worst practice ever in animal husbandry and it is past time the sentient civilised world spoke up about such cruelty. Based on evidence gathered by MFA, local law enforcement has raided the factory farm and launched a criminal investigation into animal cruelty. The case is on-going. A world-renowned animal welfare expert Dr. Bernard Rollin had this to say after he’d seen the footage, “The suffering experienced by the animals is gratuitous, unnecessary, abusive, and counterproductive.” Gestation crates are indeed considered so cruel they have been banned in nine U.S. states, as well as in the entire European Union. In the last year, Costco, Kmart, Safeway, McDonald’s, Burger King and virtually all other grocers and fast-food chains have committed to phasing out gestation crates from their pork supply chains. Even Walmart in Canada has required its suppliers to phase out these inherently cruel cages. It is disgusting that these firms are making money from suffering. There should be no phasing out period, these crates should be banned now, not at some nebulous time in the future. What type of company has no safeguards in place to prevent psychopathic workers from abusing the animals they are supposed to care for? It would appear there is no one in overall control who has an ounce of empathy or compassion. Walmart in the United States has done nothing to help these poor animals. Perhaps it is time to boycott this vile firm. Please spend a few moments in signing the petition below. If you are on Twitter, please tell Walmart what you think of their diabolical and cruel methods of turning a profit. Tweet them here @Walmart In fact please consider giving up pork from your diet. Show mercy for those poor pigs whose lives are blighted by unimaginable suffering from the moment they are born. http://www.mercyforanimals.org/walmartcrueltypetition.php This screaming headline was emblazoned across the top on the FRONT PAGE of the pro hunting Daily Telegraph on Monday October 14. You could almost hear the redcoats salivating as the article begins: ‘A pack of hounds will be free to help kill foxes in England and Wales under a relaxation of the Hunting Act being considered by Ministers.’ Predictably this was followed by the usual vilification of foxes, but this time with a slightly different twist. Instead of a fox ate my husband while he was watching TV story, it came as a brazen attempt to appeal to the anthropomorphic side of the general public, and we were treated to this, ‘Farmers say attacks on lambs have been on the increase, signalling that limited pest control measures allowed under the Act are not working. Hill farmers, who suffered devastating losses last spring as a result of the late snow, say a change in the law is desperately needed to fend off a growing threat to their livelihood. In addition to the thousands of new-born lambs which became stranded and froze to death amid the late snow, some farmers lost up to 50 to foxes, which were themselves short of food because of the deep drifts.’ Quite unashamedly, and with absolutely no evidence whatsoever, the Telegraph asserts that attacks on lambs have increased because foxes are starving. This is total propaganda from a group of dinosaurs who will use any dirty trick they can think up to be able to hunt foxes without fear of prosecution. Fox experts will tell us that most lamb deaths are due to poor husbandry rather than foxes. Less than 5% of lamb deaths are attributable to foxes, which leaves 95% of the blame at the farmer’s door. It is arguable that lambs eaten by foxes may have been already dead rather than killed. Foxes are great scavengers and they are also great diggers. It would be very easy for a fox to dig a dead lamb out of a snow drift. They catch mice, and other prey like this in winter time, with no problems. Foxes, both rural and urban don’t starve and they are not to blame for farmers losing lambs in any significant numbers. (Perhaps in view of the bad forecast last winter, farmers could have made better provision to move their pregnant sheep to safer areas before lambing began.) Having milked the starving foxes and slaughtered lambs angle as much as possible, the Telegraph moves on to the ‘humanness argument’. Hunters have decided snaring foxes and shooting them is now inhumane. It doesn’t seem to matter that they have been using this method of killing innocent animals since long before the hunting Bill became an Act. Apparently, today the only ethical and kind thing would be to hunt them down with a pack of hounds, dig them out and shoot them. If no one is looking then I suppose a few could be dug out and thrown to the dogs too. Kate Hoey, the black sheep of the Labour Party had this to say, “Unless you are someone who does not believe that a fox should ever be killed I cannot understand why in terms of welfare this is not something that could be supported by a broad range of opinion.” That is a totally meaningless and banal comment. Welfare in its vaguest terms can never be about tearing an animal apart for sport, but Ms Hoey doesn’t seem to have quite grasped that concept yet. Ms Hoey is also of the opinion that there is cross party support for a repeal of the ban, but Shadow Environment Secretary Maria Eagle said "Tory Ministers are kidding themselves if they think there is a cross-party consensus on hunting. If the Tories insist on trying to change the law, they will find that they simply don't have the votes in Parliament." Derek Morgan, chairman of the Farmers’ Union of Welsh hill farmers, had his oar in too, “The hunting ban was aimed at what Labour saw as posh people on horses, but the people who have suffered most are working class hill farmers whose incomes are already well below the UK average. “ This is one of the more stupid arguments against repealing the Act. Two independent scientific polls carried out on behalf of the League Against Cruel Sports showed that three quarters of the population of the UK are against the cruelty that is fox hunting. This number rose significantly against hare and stag hunting with dogs. When are these people going to stop trying to make it into some kind of class war? Are they seriously accusing the forty odd million of us against their vile sport of protesting because we hate Toffs? Another equally stupid comment from Mr Morgan was, “If Government increased the number of hounds we are allowed to use it would significantly reduce the number of lambs we lose.” Again given that most lamb deaths are down to farmers, and foxes eat mainly rabbits, mice, carrion insects and fruit, and hunters with full packs of dogs are responsible for catching and killing only 6% of all foxes killed in the UK, how is bringing back hunting by this sly backdoor method going to make the slightest bit of difference to the number of lambs that die in a year? These people are truly something else. The ban has been in place now for eight years and they still haven’t managed to quite grasp that they will just have to find a new less bloodthirsty hobby. A spokesperson for the League Against Cruel Sports summed it up quite accurately when she sad, “The Hunting Act is a successful piece of legislation and it works – ultimately we do not want to see it weakened.” Another nail in the coffin of the hunting set may be this piece of evidence unearthed by VIVA, who suggest that hunting may actually spread bTB to cattle and other wildlife. Perhaps it’s time for a cull Resources: http://www.viva.org.uk/what-we-do/badgers/cattle-tb-%E2%80%93-hunting-reason http://www.ipsos-mori.com/researchpublications/researcharchive/poll.aspx?oItemId=2479 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yUwM5mHBD8 http://www.league.org.uk/news/1135/Guilty--Four-hunt-staff-admit-illegal-hunting-after-trapped-fox-flushed-to-waiting-hounds (or how to become the UKs most unpopular Government minister) What have we learned since the English badger cull started approximately six weeks ago? Well, most importantly, what we’ve learned is that DEFRA et al seem to be incapable of telling the truth about anything. We were told initially that this cull was a pilot, the purpose of which was to test the method of slaughter for humaneness. Then we discovered that there were not enough monitors to oversee much of the proceedings. We were told the dead badgers were not being tested for bTB, which seems insane if the Government are really interested in evidence gathering about the disease, and why have a large target kill of 5,000 animals just to test for humanness? Surely a few hundred would have given the information required. Guy Robinson, Special Advisor to Owen Paterson, has said repeatedly that the lack of bTB testing on the dead badgers was because the pilot culls are to test the humaneness of free shooting. When DEFRA was asked this question, “Why kill 5,000 to test humanness?”, they passed the buck to Natural England saying they had licensed the culls to bring down high levels of infection in Somerset and Gloucestershire. So which is it? Was DEFRA really interested in humaneness, in which case a few hundred badgers would have died, or was that a smoke screen in an attempt to get the rest of us onside by making us believe they actually give a damn about the suffering they have caused? It would appear they have now abandoned the line that the cull was ever to solely assess humaneness. Perhaps we can be forgiven for thinking that the real reason the badgers weren’t tested for TB was because DEFRA feared that such testing would show minimal infection, perhaps even less than the 16% discovered in the RBCT. –( See more at: http://mikerigby.org/2013/09/27/badger-cull-2-update/#sthash.b6DhnnYG.dpuf) Next we were informed that those killing badgers would be highly trained marksmen, but it soon became apparent that those ‘marksmen’ were made up of disgruntled farmers, lampers and hunters, the latter, it would seem, who never miss chance to get in on any bloodthirsty action. The highly skilled part was apparently half a day’s training in shooting moving targets. Again I would mention that the monitors were only two to a region so that the shooters could employ their skills, or lack of them, without fear of much in the way of observation. The badger corpses were all taken for burning, and at no time has DEFRA released any statement about the condition of the bodies or how the animals died. We have also seen a significant number of shot badgers dumped on the roadside and elsewhere, clearly not in approved kill areas. This would suggest that either badgers are running off to die proving that free shooting is not humane, or there is a sub cull of illegal killing going on under the official radar. See more at: http://mikerigby.org/2013/09/27/badger-cull-2-update/#sthash.b6DhnnYG.dpuf An independent badger patrol managed to get one of the badger bodies, which was spirited away for independent autopsy. The initial report was that the badger had been mortally wounded, not killed outright, as we were assured on many occasions was always the case, and she had died a lingering death from blood loss. Although the badger was found shot in the cull zone, a spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: “We are confident that the badger Secret World claims to have is not connected to the culls.” Now how they can claim that just beggars belief, but claim it they do, and they even go further in their attempts to assure us that every single badger killed died instantly. Well, er okay if you say so DEFRA, no independent expert can argue with that as the evidence has all gone up in smoke. Now we hear that the cull has failed miserably to kill the target number, (although Owen Paterson hails the exercise as a great success) and it is to be extended until November the 1st. Only 850 badgers have been killed, against an initial target of nearly 2,000 animals. He puts the small number of animals killed down to the badgers themselves, saying they, not he, moved the goal posts. He digs himself in deeper because he then admits he hugely over-estimated the badger population at the start of the killing. The number of badgers killed in Somerset represents 60 per cent of the local population. This falls short of the estimated 70% needing to be killed as stated at the start of the slaughter. In short the Government don’t seem to know what is going on, and if we continue with the killing some commentators feel they may wipe out the entire badger population in Somerset altogether. Undeterred, the killers have asked for an extension even though the experts have warned that to extend the killing beyond six weeks may in fact make bTB worse in the area and spread the disease to neighbouring fringe areas which up to now have been bTB free. In a sinister turn of events, Sky News uncovered a group of 14 farms where badgers have been illegally gassed. In an interview, a farmer, who wasn’t identified for security reasons, admitted that he knew of at least fourteen farms where whole badger families had been gassed by pumping carbon dioxide into their setts. This is not only illegal, it is also cruel and many badgers may not die quickly. It has been suggested that gassing is widespread practice and it may account for the much lower numbers of badgers than was originally estimated. The NFU denies that gassing is widespread, but instead of condemning it out of hand, their spokesman said if it had been done it was born out of frustration because of the low numbers shot and the aggravated trespass from anti cull. The NFU attempted to sanitise the barbaric gassing of innocent animals by referring to it politely as ‘in-sett culling’. Where will it all end? If the Government get their way gassing with CO2 gas will become a legal method of killing these poor animals. Whole badger families will be wiped out up and down the country if the cull is rolled out next year. Badger haters have used the cull as a green light to kill outside of the legal zones and wildlife charities are predicting an upsurge in badger baiting and digging out of setts. Meanwhile the dedicated people who have come from all walks of life keep up their patrols and their vigils. They fight on to save one of Britain’s most iconic species. They do it because they are good people, compassionate people who cannot bear to see a cruel injustice without standing up and trying to put things right. Hats off and huge respect to our badger army. They suffer threats and arrests and even GBH in their struggle to save the badger. If you cannot be an advocate for the badgers on the front line, please help by writing to anyone and everyone you know who may be able to put pressure on the Tory government to stop this insane and cruel slaughter.
Perhaps the most worrying report of all came from observers near the village of Carhampton who reported seeing a fleeing badger after hearing shots. The high velocity bullets must go somewhere, and the backstop in that particular line of fire is houses and recreational facilities. It would appear that the shooters are in such a race with each other - they can only shoot 140 odd badgers in this extension - that they are placing sett sitters and the general public in extreme danger from bullets fired negligently. It certainly seems like Chaos out there.
Sunday update: Farmer fined for filling badger sett with slurry PHOTO: Submitted by Pauline Kidner http://www.somersetcountygazette.co.uk/news/10685970.Shot_badger_found_in_West_Somerset_cull_zone/ Sources and Resources: http://www.careforthewild.com/press/latest-news/ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybLC9qRzZf0&feature=youtu.be&ac http://www.channel4.com/news/accusations-and-bullets-fly-as-badger-cull-divides-britain http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/sep/16/badger-cull-shot-animal-picture The public need to know about the cruelty of snaring animals, and we need to lobby our MPs to get these vile animal traps outlawed across the UK. What exactly are snares? Snares are wire nooses used to trap animals. There are two types in use in the UK. 1. Self-locking snares 2. Free running snares The former are illegal, but they are still often used to trap what gamekeepers and farmers regard as trash animals. Free running snares are legal in this country, but they can become self-locking if they are not set up correctly. There is also a ‘dual’ snare, used to catch foxes. It is made by AB Country Products. Their original design was self-locking, but it has been modified to comply with UK Wildlife and Countryside Act . However, as with other types of animal cruelty, many people disregard the law and thousands of the old style snares are still in use. Take a look at the Antisnaring.org website to get some idea of the types of snares and what type of animals they are designed to catch. You will be horrified and appalled at the suffering and the callous indifference of those who set up snares to catch innocent animals. The website advises to take pictures of any snares you may come across and to immediately inform the RSPCA. It is worrying that their advice is NOT to contact the police in the first instance, because many wildlife crime officers and others in the police are heavily into blood sports themselves. In 2005 DEFRA commissioned a report into the injuries and the suffering caused to animals caught in snares. Apart from the obvious stress of being held captive, and the accompanying fear of the trap, animals sustained deep soft tissue injury which caused prolonged suffering and death. Sometimes the animals were almost cut in half, others were strangled or they starved to death or were predated. Some animals chewed through limbs to escape only to bleed to death once they were free. See more at: http://www.antisnaring.org.uk/snares/horror-of-snares#sthash.Nrc2LFrh.dpuf Snare Laws in England and Wales ‘The use of snares in Britain is regulated under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Under the Act it is an offence for a person: to set a self-locking snare in such a way as to be calculated to cause bodily injury to any wild animal. (Section 11(1)(a).) to kill or take any wild animal using a self-locking snare. (Section 11(1)(b).) to set a snare (or other article) in such a way as to be calculated to cause bodily injury to any animal listed in Schedule 6 of the Act (e.g., a badger). (Section 11(2)(a).) to kill or take any animal listed in Schedule 6 of the Act (e.g., a badger) using a snare. (Section 11(2)(b).) who sets a snare to fail to inspect that snare (or have someone else inspect it) at least once every day. (Section 11(3)(b).) to set any type of snare unless they are an 'authorised person' under the Act (that is, the owner or occupier of the land on which the snare is set, any person authorised by the owner or occupier of the land, or a person authorised in writing by the Local Authority for the area. (Section 27(1).) to possess a snare for the purpose of committing any of the above offences. (Section 18(2).) Under the Deer Act 1991 it is an offence to use snares to kill or take deer. To sum up, the use of self-locking snares, the setting of any type of snare in places where they are likely to catch badgers, failure to inspect snares on a daily basis, and setting snares on land without permission, are all offences under the Wildlife and Countryside Act. In addition there is a DEFRA Code of Practice on the use of snares in fox and rabbit control. However this is not a statutory code and as such serves no useful purpose. ‘ DEFRAs Code of Practice ‘Legal obligations for snare users in England and Wales Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 it is an offence to set in position any trap or snare calculated (intended) to cause bodily injury to any wild animal included in Schedule 6 of that Act which comes into contact with it, or to use a trap or snare for the purpose of killing such a wild animal; relevant species listed in Schedule 6 include badger, polecat, otter, red squirrel, hedgehog and pine marten. Snaring of protected species is not permitted unless the person has been authorised by a specific licence under section 16 of the Act. The Deer Act 1991 makes it an offence to set in position any trap or snare calculated to cause bodily injury to any deer coming in contact with it, or to use any trap or snare for the purpose of killing or taking any deer. Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 the use of a ‘self-locking’ snare is unlawful; only free-running snares can lawfully be set. The term self-locking is not defined in the Act and there has been no successful prosecution within a court high enough to clarify the law by legal precedent. A free-running snare is a wire loop that relaxes when the animal stops pulling, whilst a self-locking snare is a wire loop that continues to tighten by a ratchet action as the animal struggles. However, as there is no clear legal definition of either term, whether a snare is self-locking essentially becomes a question of fact. There are snares that could act as either free-running or self-locking depending upon how they are set and a free-running snare may in practice act as a self-locking snare if, for example, it becomes rusty or is twisted and kinked by the movements of the trapped animal.’ All very well and good, but let us not forget there are some callous and cruel people in the UK. There are many who don’t follow the rules because they hate the wild animals with whom they have to share the countryside. The testimony to this can be found in the many vile FaceBook pages which glorify the killing of rabbits, foxes and badgers etc. These people actually brag about the pain and suffering they cause and the actually post pictures of the mutilated animals they have killed. Animal ‘welfare’ is not high on their agenda and it is unlikely that they have even heard of DEFRAs rules never mind trying to follow them. The League Against Cruel Sports has just had a Snare awareness month. They have published a Snaring Manifesto. The document, which is the result of years of painstaking research, shows that the voluntary codes of practice are simply not enough to ensure that animal suffering in snares is kept to a minimum. Take a look at the Leagues report, but be aware there are some upsetting images and descriptions included in the document. ** Warning** It is not just wild animals that are tortured in snares. Cats and dogs are also victim. They often lose limbs and often die terrified and alone while their frantic owners put up lost posters and search in vain for a beloved pet. In reality, it doesn’t matter whether the animal is domesticated or wild, they all suffer in snares. We are supposed to be a nation who loves our animals. It’s time we lived up to this view. Please write to your MP and tell him/her in no uncertain terms that animal lives matter and ALL snares must be outlawed as soon as maybe. Related reading: Snaring manifesto Let us unite to Save the Harlan beagles On a cloudy day in Cambridge on the 21st September 2013 a determined band of anti-vivisectionists gathered at Parkers Piece to show the people of the town the horrors of breeding beagles for research, and to ask the public to lobby their MPs to sign EDM 263, which is an early day motion asking the Government to discuss the scientific approach to using animals in experiments and for testing chemicals. Modern science is evolving, and modern scientists are enlightened and against the use of animals as experimental tools, but it would seem that the dinosaurs of the science world at Harlan laboratories are reluctant to give up a way of life which is lucrative and pays their mortgages. After all it’s traditional to experiment on animals and of course it’s essential isn’t it? The short answer is no, it most definitely is not. The long answer can be found in the suffering in the animal rooms at Harlan laboratories. Theresa May MP (Home Secretary) has shown quite clearly that she is one of the dinosaurs. She has made it plain that even if a million people camped outside Westminster, she will not close down Harlan. She shares the blinkered view of some that animals used for vivisection are furthering advances in medical research. She has completely ignored the fact that after countless years of suffering, and millions upon millions of £s spent on cancer research, the results have only ever shown us how to cure cancer in mice. She has yet to be convinced of the simple truth that animal biology and animals reactions to drugs are not the same as ours. For example, penicillin is lethal to guinea pigs yet life-saving for us. Quinine used for the treatment of malaria, sends dogs blind, and paracetamol causes kidney failure in dogs and cats. Conversely drugs which have been found to be safe when tested on animals have proven to be harmful to humans causing birth defects and sometimes death. Proof of this can be found in birth deformities caused by giving the anti-nausea pill Thalidomide to pregnant women. Thalidomide was extensively tested on rats before being released onto an unsuspecting public. Putting aside for a moment that medicines tested on animals are still not safe for us humans, we must also consider the ethical and moral arguments against torturing animals for the advancement of our own species. In the case of vivisection the end really does not justify the means. Animal testing is not necessary and it is not safe. The Harlan Beagle campaigners are simply asking that Mrs May, and the Government, get together with the more enlightened researchers and discuss the bad science behind the traditional research on animals. There is plenty of evidence now, plenty of people in the scientific community who will come forward to show Theresa May that animals as research tools in experiments just does not compute. Harlan has four centres in the UK, two of which breed beagles for medical research and the testing of chemical products. The establishment at Loughborough breeds beagles for blood-letting. Puppies as young as four months old are confined to a life in cages. Their tiny legs are kept permanently shaved so that they can have blood taken to supply other laboratories. It is difficult to find the veins sometimes because the puppies are so small. They are not given any kind of local anaesthesia before having needles pushed through the skin many times in a week. Other puppies are force fed poisons to test household cleaning products, shampoos, garden chemicals etc. The second beagle breeding site, known as Harlan Interfauna is situated at Wyton in Cambridgeshire. Interfauna breeds beagles for sale to vivisection laboratories and universities across the world. There can be only one thing worse for a Harlan animal than dying in a laboratory and that is living in one. Harlan’s website describes their living products as ‘research models’ and their function as ‘services production’. Nebulous terms that in lay language could be translated into ‘Beagle breeding mills that churn out unfortunate animals for the cruel business of vivisection’. Harlan is a huge money making concern with its labs all over the world. Harlan head-quarters in Boxmeer in Holland. Harlan describes itself on its website as: ‘Harlan, helping you do research better’ Their mission statement goes on to say, “Harlan is a leading provider of essential, pre-clinical and non-clinical contract research, research models, lab animal diets, and services. Our focus is on providing customers with products and services to optimize the discovery and safety of new medicines and compounds.” ‘Providing our customers with PRODUCTS’ Those ‘products’ being living dogs and other animals. Adults and puppies born to suffer then die in vivisection labs across the globe. Harlan presents an impressive portfolio to the world, showcasing their array of animals that are bred specifically for vivisection. From nude mice with no immunity, pathetic little creatures born purely as research tools to be used and abused in the hands of unfeeling explorers, to the beautiful doe-eyed beagle dogs, bred for their gentleness and their strong hearts. The Harlan webpage wording is not only impressive, it sounds important and is designed to give the impression that medical research on animals is essential for the betterment and safety of mankind. We can just imagine the kind-hearted scientists in modern high tech surroundings, working their socks off to provide a utopia for all of us. The reality is somewhat different; in fact nothing could be further from the truth. Life inside Harlan, according to an ex-employee, Russell Trigg, who did an expose for the Sunday Times in 2011, showed it to be a living hell. He described cramped cages with sometimes nine dogs in a cage. The stench and the noise he said, was overpowering with traumatised and frightened animals fighting for space. They were exercised for 20 minutes once a week and that was in the laboratory corridor. Cleaning the filthy concrete pens is infrequent, and the dogs lie in their own dirt with no toys or stimulus of any kind. Mr Trigg told the Times that often bitches gave birth in this filth, and it was not uncommon to find dead dogs in the cages on the following shift. Animals that are injured or become too old to be of any use are killed by lethal injection. They are taken together to a room where they are killed in front of other dogs waiting to die. Their bodies are thrown into plastic bags for disposal. Dogs were grabbed by their scuff and hauled from their pens by unfeeling handlers. Hard-faced people devoid of empathy who had become immune to the suffering around them. “One of the trainers went into a pen and held down a dog with his knee. He was kicking the dog while he held it down to try to subdue it. Then he started punching it and then he held it up by the throat and said to it: ‘So are you going to stop?’” Former Harlan employee Russell Trigg Russell Trigg described a different incident when an employee shaved obscenities into the beagles’ fur and wrote in felt pen on their faces whilst others stood around laughing. Trigg reported what he had seen only to be branded a trouble-maker. He then telephoned a helpline in the USA, specifically set up so that staff could report cruelty. Nothing happened, nobody was even reprimanded. Harlan beagle puppies are sold for thousands of pounds to vivisectors. They are simply born to make money, and then die, either during painful drug and chemical product testing or as an essential part of an experiment. Enough is more than enough. We MUST put an end to this torture of man’s best friend. Some of the protesters had brought their dogs along to march with us. Beautiful, gentle and full of fun, the beagles walked with their human friends at the head of the parade. We walked slowly, carrying our banners and posters, accompanied by the soulful beat of a drum. Every once in a while we stopped and information was relayed over loud speakers. Some of us were handing out leaflets and while most people were happy to learn about the cruelty of Harlan, others looked stony faced refusing to acknowledge the presence of someone handing them information. A few were openly hostile; one man commenting that one of the protesters was wearing leather shoes and asking if we were vegetarian. I am constantly amazed at my own species. Some of us are capable of huge acts of kindness empathy and compassion, yet others would see caring for animals as a weakness or even a threat to themselves. But, whatever the prejudice we must never give up. The first step is to get our MPs on-board; even if they disagree they must be made to see that it is vital that they table a debate. EDM 263 is the first step in saving the Harlan beagles, and indeed all the other animals that suffer in British laboratories. Has your MP signed yet? Follow save the Harlan Beagles on Twitter @CloseDownHarlan And on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/savetheharlanbeagles/ Sign the petition http://www.change.org/petitions/save-the-harlan-beagles Lobby your MP to sign Early day motion (EDM) 263 to make sure the use of laboratory animals is fully debated. http://www.forlifeonearth.org/edm-for-public-scientific-debates/ http://www.forlifeonearth.org/ Enlightened science http://www.forlifeonearth.org/edm-for-public-scientific-debates/ |
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