Sunday, February 28, 2010
Boer in Heilongjiang provincie (China) vindt jong zeldzame Syberische tijger onder stapel hout - Slechts ongeveer 10 tijgers in wild in provincie
Siberian tiger found in farmer's woodpile
01-03-2010 Jane Macartney in Beijing, The Times, UK
One of the rarest animals in the world has been found trapped in a farmer’s woodpile in snowbound northeastern China.
The Siberian tiger cub is the first to be seen in its mountainous home in the 60 years since the Communists took power in China and the discovery of evidence that the endangered animal is reproducing in the wild has delighted experts.
Only about 20 Siberian, or Amur, tigers, still roam wild in forests and mountains along the China-Russia border.
A forestry worker got a shock at dawn on February 25 when he heard a series of roars emerging from his woodpile. His three dogs were barking incessantly. He saw a large animal trapped inside. He thought the beast could be a tiger, an animal so rare that he refused to believe his eyes.
He called in the police and four hours later a team of eight men arrived. They realized that the animal had been trapped by a log that had fallen but each time they approached it roared. Police team leader Sun Chengli decided to call in wildlife experts.
It would take them a day to reach the remote farm. Policeman Sun tossed a chicken to the frightened animal, which managed to eat only about half. Then he and his men kept watch all night. He said: “The tiger didn’t sleep and so we never closed our eyes. It was very nervous, any time we approached, it roared.”
The following morning two veterinarians arrived. They assessed the size and age of what the police were now certain was a tiger cub and used a blow pipe to shoot a tranquilliser dart. Eight minutes later the cub was unconscious.
The cub, a female, was given a checkup and was found to have no injuries other than the loss of some fur from one leg. She still had her milk teeth, was estimated to be about eight or nine months old, measured just under one metre and weighed 28.9 kilograms – compared with 40 kilograms for a cub reared in captivity.
Aa local reporter said the buc, monitored by television cameras around the clock, was lying quite still in its cage inside a garage of the police station. It had been given food, but in two days had drunk 300 millilitres of milk and 200 millilitres of water and eaten two eggs.
After being loaded into a cage, the cub was revived. The frightened animal scrabbled at the bars and roared. She was transferred to the local police station, reckoned to be both secure and quiet for the terrified animal.
Experts guessed that she had followed her mother down from the mountains to hunt because prey was probably scarce after more heavy falls of snow after one of the harshest winters in years.
Sun Haiyi, deputy director of the Wildlife Research Institute of Heilongjiang province, said: “There are only 20 wild Siberian tigers living in China in recent years, with 10 to 14 living in Heilongjiang Province and eight to 10 living in Jilin Province. The number is stable without significant changes." Only about 3,200 tigers survive in the wild worldwide.
He said he had long believed the area was a natural breeding ground for Siberian tigers and the discovery of the cub had confirmed his belief. She will be released back into the wild in the area where she was found as soon feasible, officials said.
(Bron: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/)
Iran schenkt twee luipaarden aan Rusland - Dieren worden geplaatst in Sochi National Park - Turkmenistan heeft al twee luipaarden geschonken
Iran agrees to give Russia wild leopards
28-02-2010 Agence France Presse
MOSCOW (AFP) – Iran has promised to donate two wild leopards to Russia, officials said Sunday, bringing closer the aim of settling the rare animals near the 2014 Winter Olympics host city of Sochi.
Persian leopard cubs. Iran has promised to donate two wild leopards to Russia, officials said Sunday, bringing closer the aim of settling the rare animals near the 2014 Winter Olympics host city of Sochi.(AFP/File/Attila Kisbenedek)
The reintroduction of the Persian leopard -- extinct in Russia's Caucasus region since the start of the last century -- is being championed by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin ahead of the games.
"There is an agreement with the government of Iran... Initially two female (leopards) will be given. They will be delivered in the spring," the head of the Sochi National Park, Nikolai Penkovsky, told the Interfax news agency
The inititaive to reintroduce the leopard is part of a drive to promote the mountainous region around Sochi, marking the western edge of the Caucasus mountains, as an area of natural beauty and diversity.
The agreement with Iran follows a visit to Tehran by Russian Natural Resources Minister Yury Trutnev for talks with the head of the Iranian environmental protection agency, Mohammad Javad Mohammadizadeh.
Iran's ISNA news agency also said the meeting had secured a pledge from Iran to give two leopards to Russia.
Turkmenistan has already given Russia two male leopards which are being held in a reserve outside Sochi.
Penkovsky said that for the reintroduction programme to have an effect, three females and three males would be required.
Many environmentalists have bitterly criticised plans for the 2014 Games, for which much infrastructure for the ski events has to be built from scratch.
The Russian branch of WWF this month accused the government of inflicting "huge damage" on the environment and said its future cooperation with the project was now in question.
Iran is one of the last holdouts of the leopards, commonly known as the Persian leopard, although there are smaller populations in Armenia, Georgia and Turkmenistan.
Russia has a severely endangered population of Amur leopards in its Far East region but it is a different sub species to the Persian leopard.
Despite his reputation as a tough-guy policymaker, Putin has been happy to display a soft spot for animals and personally welcomed the two Turkmen leopards in Sochi.
(Bron & foto: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100228/wl_mideast_afp/oly2014rusrussiairanenvironment)
Afghanistan wil herontdekte zeldzame vogel beschermen - Vogel duikt op in afgelegen Pamir Mountains in noordoosten van het land
Afghanistan protects newly rediscovered rare bird
28-02-2010 By KAY JOHNSON (AP), The Associated Press
KABUL — Afghanistan's fledging conservation agency moved Sunday to protect one of the world's rarest birds after the species was rediscovered in the war-ravaged country's northeast.
Mustafa Zahir, director-general Afghanistan's National Environment Protection Agency, shows a photo of a rare bird during a press conference in Kabul, Afghanistan on Sunday, Feb. 28, 2010. Afghanistan's fledging conservation agency moved Sunday to protect one of the world's rarest birds after the species was rediscovered in the war-ravaged country's northeastern mountains. (AP Photo/Ahmad Nazar)
The remote Pamir Mountains are the only known breeding area of the large-billed reed warbler, a species so elusive that it had been documented only twice before in more than a century.
A researcher with the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society stumbled upon the tiny, olive-brown bird during a wildlife survey in 2008 and taped its distinctive song. Later, a research team caught and released 20 of the birds — the largest number ever recorded.
On Sunday, Afghanistan's National Environment Protection Agency added the large-billed reed warbler to its list of protected species, which was established only last year.
Mustafa Zahir, the agency's director-general, acknowledged the difficulties of trying to protect wildlife in a country preoccupied with the Taliban insurgency. On Friday, suicide attackers killed 16 people in Kabul, the capital, and thousands of Afghan and NATO forces are fighting to root out the hard-line Islamists from their southern stronghold.
But Zahir, who is the grandson of Afghanistan's former king, said the discovery of the large-billed reed warbler provided some welcome positive news.
"It is not true that our country is full of only bad stories," Zahir said. "This bird, after so many years, has been discovered here. Everyone thought it was extinct."
The bird's discovery in Afghanistan kicked off a small flurry in conservation circles.
The large-billed reed warbler was first documented in India in 1867 but wasn't found again until 2006 — with a single bird in Thailand. The Pamir Mountains, in the sparsely populated Badakhshan province near China, is now home to the world's only known large population of the bird.
The Afghan environmental agency also added 14 other species to the protected list on Sunday. It now includes 48 species including the rare snow leopard, the Asiatic cheetah and the markhor, a type of wild goat with large spiral horns.
While conservation efforts are in their infancy in Afghanistan, there have been some recent successes. Authorities in Badakhshan last week seized a snow leopard from villagers who had trapped it and planned to sell it. The snow leopard — one of an estimated 150 left in the wild — will be freed once its injuries from the trap are healed, Zahir said.
(Bron & foto: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jX2YfnI6k7kVgsWt1NsjBzQVtdOwD9E54HJ80)
Neushoorn gedood in Chitwan National Park (Nepal) - Dier door stropers voor zijn huid gedood
Rhino killed
28-02-2010 My Republica, Nepal
CHITWAN, Feb 28: Poachers have killed a female rhino inside the Chitwan National Park. The rhino, aged around 15, was killed by the poachers for its skin.
The park´s patrol team found the dead body of the rhino on Thursday night.
Twenty-four rhinos of the park have been killed by poachers since the last rhino census in 2008.
(Bron: http://www.myrepublica.com/)
(Bron map: http://www.nepalwildlifeguide.com/maps.php)
Goederentrein rijdt bij Guwahati, Assam (India), in op 5 olifanten - Twee olifanten overleven klap niet
Train hits five elephants, two dead
28-02-2010 Press Trust of India, India
Guwahati, Feb 28 (PTI) A goods train knocked down a herd of five elephants crossing the track on the outskirts of the city, killing two of them and injuring three others, including a calf, today.
(Bron: http://www.ptinews.com/)
(Bron foto's: http://www.demotix.com/news/262559/elephant-killed-rail-deepor-beel-wildlife-sanctuary)
Winkelend publiek in Belgische Leuven weer door ADC geinfomeerd over dierproeven in Universiteit Leuven
ADC zal nooit de andere kant opkijken!
28-02-2010 St. Anti Dierproeven Coalitie
Het was een grijze en donkere zaterdag, maar daar storen de vrijwilligers van de Anti Dierproeven Coalitie zich niet aan. Voor de dieren opgesloten in dierproeflaboratoria is elke dag een donkere dag.
Op zaterdag 3 april zullen we daarom een hele dag een wake organiseren (klik hier voor meer info).
Volgende week is het lentenummer van ons ledenblad klaar. Ben je nog geen lid en wens je ons ledenblad te ontvangen, klik dan hier.
(Bron: http://www.stopdierproeven.org/)
(Bron foto's: St. Anti Dierproeven Coalitie)
23 Jaar oude kat in Westerland met windbuks in achterpootje geschoten - Tweede keer dat dier is geraakt door kogel
Schutter gezocht
28-02-2010 RTV Zuiderzee, Hippolytushoef
Op 24 februari kreeg de Dierenbescherming een melding van een aangeschoten poes. Het dier had een kogel 5.5. (vermoedelijk uit een windbuks) in de achterpoot gekregen.
De schietpartij heeft plaats gevonden op de Westerlanderweg in Westerland.
Dit is bekend omdat het dier altijd dezelfde route volgt en deze dus is bekend bij de eigenaar. Inmiddels is zij geopereerd en volgens de dierenarts heeft ze geluk gehad, een paar millimeter er naast en het dier zou slagaderlijk geraakt zijn en zou zijn doodgebloed.
Het was trouwens toch heel precair om haar te opereren, aangezien deze poes 23 jaar is en het nog maar de vraag was of zij de narcose zou overleven. Gelukkig is dit, door grote inspanning, gelukt.
Heel treurig is het om te vermelden dat het voor dit dier de tweede keer is geweest dat de schutter het op haar voorzien had. Eerder is zij in de voorpoot geraakt en wel met hetzelfde kaliber kogel (5.5).
Dierenbescherming vraagt getuigen van deze schietpartijen. Dierenbescherming Wieringen 0227-593426.
(Bron: http://www.rtvzuiderzee.nl/)
SeaWorld Orlando (VS) hardleers: 'shows' met orca's gaan gewoon weer door...- Handjevol PETA-demonstranten bij SeaWorld
SeaWorld trainer tribute: Shamu Believe show
resumes with standing ovation
SeaWorld officials says trainers will not be allowed in the water at the theme parks in Orlando, San Diego and San Antonio while they conduct their review into the death of killer-whale trainer Dawn Brancheau at SeaWorld Orlando.
28-02-2010 By Anika Myers Palm and Eloísa Ruano González, The Orlando Sentinel, USA
On an emotional morning that celebrated the life of Dawn Brancheau, fans of the park's signature show, "Believe," didn't see a trainer emerge from the depths of the enormous pool on the nose of a flying orca, nor were they drenched by the crashing waves off the fins of the 6-ton killer whale Tilikum.
The 11 a.m. show -- which had fans lining up as early as 9 a.m. -- started with a tribute to Brancheau, a veteran orca trainer who drowned Wednesday after Tilikum yanked her by the ponytail and pulled her underwater.
Billy Grady and his family, tourists from Georgia, returned to the park this weekend solely to catch the show after it had been canceled Friday. The father of three said he was moved by the tribute, which included photos of Brancheau hugging and swimming with killer whales.
"It brought tears to my eyes. She died doing what she loved," Grady, 33, said.
Young children in the audience recognized Brancheau in the pictures, while some adults sniffled and fought back tears.
Despite Brancheau's shocking death, Grady said, the show needs to continue to educate people about animal conservation. That's what he thinks Brancheau would want as an animal lover.
"If it stopped, I don't think she'd be happy. She's looking down on us, and she's happy it went on," Grady said. "If she had a second chance and she was still alive, I don't think she would give up."
Yoouhenky Hickman, an Orlando resident who comes to the show regularly, was teary as she exited the stadium. Hickman, who described herself simply as "a big fan" of the killer-whale show, said that watching the animals and trainers interact Saturday reinforced her belief that Brancheau's death was a tragic accident.
"It's amazing all the things these animals do," she said.
Change happens
There was no Tilikum on Saturday morning, so the 6-ton orca didn't provide his crowd-pleasing, clothes-soaking splashes as part of the show. Officials have said that the male killer whale will return, but they are not sure in what capacity.
Trainers also stayed out of the water, feeding the whales with buckets of fish on the ledges of the pool. In what has become a signature for the park, the trainer-orca interaction has provided Shamu fans with incredible images of beautiful lifts out of the middle of the pool, with the trainer emerging from the water standing on the nose of a jumping orca.
But because of the continuing investigation into Brancheau's death, fans had to settle for the whales taking direction from above the surface.
Other precautions were obvious, with more staff on hand throughout the stadium and the female trainers tying their hair up in buns. These adjustments will also take effect at the parks in San Diego and San Antonio.
Some things never change
Although trainers, who were greeted with a standing ovation, stood on the sidelines this weekend, Grady said the show wasn't disappointing. Using hand signals, trainers instructed the whales to leap, twirl and wave to the audience, while also providing plenty of big splashes for the audience.
Tilikum has long been known as the whale with the biggest splash, prompting many to buy ponchos outside the stadium so that they could sit in the front row and take all that the orca had to offer. On Saturday, the dreary weather kept many from entering the splash zone, but Tilikum's back-ups still left plenty with wet clothes to air out as visitors walked around the park.
"They still put on a great show. I don't feel let down," Grady said. His family planned to attend a second show Saturday.
They don't 'Believe'
The emotional return of 'Believe' did not change the minds of people who have long thought SeaWorld should not force animals to perform in shows.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals sponsored a protest at the the park, with less than a dozen holding signs at the main gate. PETA has called for SeaWorld to free its captive whales and warned that more human deaths will occur if frustrated, unhappy animals are not let go.
"In the wild, orcas and other dolphin species swim up to 100 miles a day," said Amanda Fortino, a PETA spokeswoman, lamenting that animals at SeaWorld are kept in tanks "that to them are just like the size of a bathtub."
PETA claims that 42 killer whales are held captive in the U.S..
Marine mammal-rights activist Russ Rector said Saturday that killer whales such as Tilikum should not be kept in tanks or put in shows. "Captivity just dements these males, makes them monsters," said Rector, a former dolphin trainer.
"They treat them like props. It's a shame, absolutely a shame."
The main attraction
But it would be a shame if the park lost its marquee performers, said the Christopherson family of Ridgeland, Wis. It was the family's first vacation in Orlando, and even though they planned their trip around the Walt Disney World theme parks, they said the orca show lured them to SeaWorld.
"We were scared the show wasn't going to open," said mother Kelly Christopherson, 38.
They wanted to teach their three daughters, ages 10, 8 and 4, about sea animals, which they don't get a chance to see back home in the Midwest.
"Where else can you see killer whales [close up]?" said father Tim Christopherson, 41.
Although she wants to see trainers and whales back together in the water in future shows, tourist Deborah Osuch said SeaWorld officials are right to take their time in reviewing their procedures, with trainer safety being the most important. "Until the dust settles, they need to do what's right," said Osuch, of Fairhaven, Mass.
Following in Dawn's footsteps
Brancheau, according to her mother, found her love for orcas on a family vacation to SeaWorld when she was about 10 years old. On Saturday morning, a young Kissimmee girl was chosen from the crowd to be the guest trainer, spending about a minute on a plank near the tank. When asked what she wanted to be when she grew up, the dark-haired girl simply replied: "A Shamu trainer."
(Bron: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/)
(Bron foto: Orlando Sentinel)
Zeeleeuw Tasco valt verzorger aan in dierentuin Adelaide (Australië) - Man met bijtwonden in arm en been in ziekenhuis
Sea Lion attacks Adelaide keeper
28-02-2010 Tom Zed From: The Advertiser, Adelaide Now, Australia
A SEA LION has attacked a keeper at Adelaide Zoo as the animals were being put away for the night.
A small number of visitors were watching the sealion enclosure from the boardwalk about 4.40pm, when male sealion Tasco attacked the keeper, aged in his 20s, inflicting bite wounds to his arm and leg.
The keeper was taken to Royal Adelaide Hospital by ambulance.
An Adelaide Zoo spokeswoman said the keeper was experienced and she did not think the zoo had experienced any similar problems with sealions in the past.
(Bron: http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/)
Advocaten golfer Tiger Woods te machtig voor PETA - PETA VS ziet af van reclamecampagne met foto Woods
PETA won't use Woods image after talk with
lawyers
28-02-2010 USA Today, USA
FORT LAUDERDALE (AP) — The animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has nixed a plan to use Tiger Woods' image on a billboard urging people to spay and neuter their pets.
PETA previously announced it would erect a billboard in Windermere — near Woods' home — with his picture and the words: "Too much sex can be a bad thing ... Always spay or neuter!"
The group, which is known for edgy campaigns, says it decided to put the Woods billboard on hold after talking with the golfer's attorneys.
PETA wouldn't say whether Woods' attorneys threatened to sue.
Instead of Woods, the ad will feature South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, whose widely known dalliances have also made frequent headlines
(Bron: http://www.usatoday.com/)
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Britse dierenactivisten protesteren tegen koeien'fabriek' met 8000 koeien en 24-uurs melkproductie in Nocton - Dieren zullen nauwelijks daglicht zien
‘Battery’ dairy of 8,000 cows sparks protests
27-02-2010 Jon Ungoed-Thomas, The Times, UK
A GIANT factory farm for “battery cows” is being planned for the British countryside with an 8,000-strong herd, a 24-hour milking operation and cubicles covered with sand instead of fresh pasture.
The Lincolnshire herd will be the biggest in Britain but rarely see sunshine. It will produce more than 430,000 pints of milk every day. Slurry from the cows will be used to produce power and may be sold to the national grid.
Farmers behind the scheme say the intensive production methods are needed to ensure Britain’s dairy industry remains competitive.
Animal rights supporters, however, will mount strong opposition. “It’s absolutely atrocious,” said Linda Wardle, who walks in the countryside where the dairy will be built. “It’s wrong that so many cattle will be kept inside.”
Justin Kerswell, the campaigns manager for Viva, an animal rights organisation, said: “This is factory farming and blows out of the water the pastoral image the dairy industry likes to portray.”
Robert Howard, an arable farmer in Lincolnshire who is involved in the project, said welfare standards would be among the best in the country. “Campaigners think that cows should be like in the Anchor butter advert with 50-100 cows dancing in a field,” he said. “It is a lovely idea, but it is not the reality.”
The dairy, near Nocton, will have eight hangars for cattle and two round-the-clock milking parlours. Cows will be mostly kept inside, fed with a special diet and milked three times a day. Traditional dairy farms typically milk cows twice a day.
The £40m scheme is four times bigger than any dairy operating in Britain, although similar operations exist in eastern Europe, the Middle East and America.
The dairy will have an anaerobic digester to produce a biogas from the slurry. This will generate enough electricity for the dairy and more than 2,000 homes.
Nocton Dairies said the project will be a flagship for the industry and help it compete against imports. It warned many dairy farmers were quitting the business and the scheme would show “how milk can be produced economically”.
North Keveston council has had dozens of objections on animal welfare grounds but said they were not a valid reason for refusing the application. “There is no need for this mass production and incarceration of these poor animals,” said one of the comments posted last weekend on the planning department’s website.
The council said that any objections on animal welfare grounds could not be considered as valid reasons for refusing the application. Residents have also raised concerns about extra traffic and the impact on the local environment.
Peter Willes, one of the two dairy farmers behind the project, said the cows would have access to some pasture when not producing milk and the sheds would have open sides.
“The theory that cows should be out all the time is a myth,” he said. “We will have a visitor centre to show the public around. We are aiming to have exceptional standards.”
(Bron: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/)
In proefdierlaboratorium Universiteit Utah (VS) worden meeste proefdieren (honden en katten) gedood....- Dieren gekocht van dierenasiels....
U. of Utah biomed labs put down most of its
research animals
27-02-2010 By Stephanie Dearing, The Digital Journal, USA
Uncovered by PETA, two University of Utah biomedical laboratories use dogs and cats for its research, obtaining the animals from shelters. PETA has accused the University of cruelty.
Salt Lake City, Utah - Investigative journalism by the Salt Lake Tribune, following-up on allegations levelled by PETA against the University of Utah's Comparative Medicine Center and the Cardiovascular Research & Training Institute laboratories revealed the two laboratories had used 190 dogs and cats in 2009, all obtained from shelters.
Researchers told the Tribune that the testing gave the shelter animals "a second chance at life," while records obtained by the Tribune revealed that the labs had killed 116 of the 190 strays last year. Only 74 animals survived the research process to be adopted out as pets.
Shelter officials claimed the dogs and cats were going to be euthanized before the University picked them up for testing. The news has generated a limited debate in Utah over the use of animals for research purposes. The issue is not new for the state, which might account for the media silence in Utah. The Tribune interviewed the Director of one shelter that has provided dogs and cats to the university. Tug Getting, who is with the North Utah Animal Shelter defended the university saying
"... I'm probably more of an advocate for what they do up there now than I was before. [Animals] have a zero percent chance of survival at my facility, so if they have a 1 percent chance of being adopted out there, that's 1 percent better than we have here."
PETA's operative worked undercover inside the University labs for 8 months, leading to the claims that the research inflicted the animals with invasive and painful procedures. The PETA operative also allegedly documented instances of animal cruelty and neglect in the laboratory.
The story came to light after PETA filed two federal complaints against the University of Utah in November 2009. Findings on the federal investigation are expected later this spring.
The laboratories obtained the animals legally, exposing what PETA called a "gateway to hell" for shelter animals. Major Utah shelters refuse to provide animals to the laboratory, and the State of Utah has revised a 29 year old law that mandated shelters to provide unwanted pets to the university for laboratory research. Under the revisions, should they be passed, shelters will have the option of providing animals to the University for research.
The North Utah Valley Animal Shelter, does not have a policy posted as to how long it will keep animals in an attempt to find homes before disposing of the animals. State law requires shelters to hold impounded animals with licence tags for three to five days, after which the shelter is free to dispose of the animal however it wants -- through returning to an owner, adoption or euthanasia. An animal surrendered by an owner may be put down immediately.
According to the Salt Lake Tribune, which broke the story, the other shelter that provided unwanted cats and dogs to the University last year was the Davis County Government Animal Shelter.
The University of Utah states
"Research at the University of Utah that utilizes animal models is conducted with the utmost care and concern about the research subjects. The university is in total compliance with all state and federal regulations that govern the use of animals in research. Additionally, the institution is accredited as an exemplary program by an outside and independent organization (Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International)."
A University of Utah researcher was targeted in 2007 by animal activists over his research using primates.
It is not known how many animals the University laboratories currently hold in their facilities, nor is it known what species they are using for testing. However, a 2008 research document from the University mentions testing on primates.
Animals have been used for testing of products as well as research, both medical and other, for a very long time, something organizations like the Humane Society of the United States, as well as more radical groups like PETA and the Animal Liberation Front, are still attempting to change.
(Bron: http://www.digitaljournal.com/)
Steeds meer Japanners nemen hond of kat als huisdier - 12.3 miljoen honden en 10 miljoen katten in 2009 - Niet meer dan 2 huisdieren per huishouden
Japan's love affair with dogs and cats
27-02-2010 By ERIKO ARITA Staff writer, The Japan Times, Japan
Takako Toda welcomed her lively, 7-year-old English pointer into her home in the city of Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, when the puppy she named Woowo was just a month old.
Puppy love: Mikimasa Maeki (right) and his wife, Takako, fuss over their 4-month-old chihuahua named Momotaro at a class for puppies and their owners held at dog-friendly cafe Plus Wan! in Tokyo's Itabashi Ward on Jan. 30. YOSHIAKI MIURA PHOTO
"It was our dream to have a big dog," said Toda, 60, explaining that her husband, Yasuo, who is a university professor, looked for the dog on the Internet and bought him for ¥100,000 from a breeder in Gunma Prefecture.
"Since then, Woowo has become the center of my life," said Toda, a housewife whose only child has grown up. "Now Woowo weighs 32 kg, so he is like an elementary school kid."
Toda feeds Woowo allergy-free dog food as well as pork and vegetables that she cooks. And although she kept her previous dog in a kennel in the garden, Woowo lives indoors with all the comforts of home.
"Times have changed," Toda observed. "Because many people began to keep their dogs in their homes around seven years ago, I thought it would be better to live with Woowo in my house. He sleeps in his own bed in my room and whenever he feels cold and growls, I put a blanket on him."
Nowadays, the lifestyle enjoyed by Toda and her beloved pooch is shared by 18.3 percent of households in Japan, according to data supplied by the Japan Pet Food Association (JPFA). Also, while the average age of Japan's population has long been steadily climbing, so too has the number of domestic dogs and cats as pets have come to play a bigger role in many people's lives, and a more animal-friendly environment has developed nationwide.
In 1994, according to the JPFA, there were 9.1 million dogs and 6.2 million cats in the country. However, by 2009, those numbers had shot up to 12.3 million dogs and 10 million cats.
Tellingly, too, in a nation having kittens over its falling birthrate, there have now been more pets than children here since 2003. In that fiscal year, for the first time, according to JPFA data, the nation's 19.2 million population of cats and dogs exceeded the population of 17.9 million children aged under 16. By 2009, that gulf had become even wider as the total of 23.2 million cats and dogs came to outnumber children by 6 million.
Although cats and dogs have lived with people in Japan since ancient times, most dogs nowadays aren't kept for hunting or as guards and sentinels, any more than cats are kept as mousers. Instead, rather than being regarded as human helpers, most people now look upon their pet animals as members of their families whom it's their pleasure to care for.
"Many people love pets in place of children," said JPFA Secretary General Kimitoshi Yasuda, adding that, in 2009, 21.8 percent of the households of people aged 50 to 69 included pet dogs — the leading dog-owning age groups. That same age group also led the number of cat-keeping households, at around 13.7 percent of the total.
Meanwhile, increasingly close relations between people and their pets in Japan can also be seen in the changing residential conditions of condominiums.
According to Yumiko Nemoto, salesperson with Mitsubishi Real Estate Service Co., before 2000 the company excluded pet owners from almost all of its condominium sales. But then, as more and more people have begun to own pets over the last decade, the company has gradually increased the number of condos available for pet owners to buy, Nemoto said.
Indeed, her company has now become so pet-owner-friendly that Nemoto said all the condominiums it sells nowadays are available to pet owners as long as they stick to certain rules. Under those rules, a pet should stand no more than 70 cm high and weigh no more than 10 kg. And residents are allowed to keep two pets.
"Additionally, in the shared spaces for residents, such as entrances or elevators, pet owners must hold their pets or put them in cages," Nemoto said, explaining the rule was so other residents wouldn't feel threatened by the animals.
At present, however, the rental-housing sector in Japan is not as pet-friendly as that catering to owner-occupiers, and most rented-property landlords still bar tenants who own animals. There are a growing number of exceptions, though — among them Jecto, a real-estate company in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, that is building an apartment block especially for pet owners in the city's Nakahara Ward.
Tetsu Togano, the company's real estate section chief, said that the five-story building will have a 100-sq.-meter dog run in its courtyard and space to wash dogs after they've been taken for a walk. The building would also feature a first-floor trimming room where cats and dogs can have their claws cut and their ears cleaned.
"I believe the demand for rental apartments for pet owners is growing, though the supply is too small at present," Togano said. "Owners of apartment buildings tend not to like pet owners because they think the animals damage the building. But if the building is equipped with facilities for taking good care of pets, the damage need only be minimal."
While apartments like Jecto's in Kawasaki are attracting attention, Shigeki Mori, a Tokyo-based pet- businesses counselor, said it is more important for society to increase its understanding of how to coexist with pets, — owners and those who don't own animals — than it is simply to construct facilities for animals.
"If pet owners keep their pets well mannered, and people who don't have pets are also considerate of the happiness of neighbor animals, they can all create a healthy community together," said Mori, president of Alp Co., which has provided counseling on pets and pet-related problems and businesses since 2001.
"The pet boom has continued in Japan for more than 10 years now, and such terms as 'companion animal' have become common in the media," Mori noted. "But people still don't have enough knowledge of how to keep pets healthy and happy, and we find many social problems related to pets."
Mori said he often hears complaints about barking dogs from those who don't own the animals. "Often in such cases it's not the dogs but their keepers that have problems. Because they started to keep their dogs without learning about the personality and physical characteristics of dogs, they don't know how to communicate with them," Mori explained, citing such factors as reasons why dogs may be stressed out and bark.
Turning to another cause of problematic behavior in dogs, Mori also pointed out that many puppies were separated from their mothers and siblings when they were very very young.
"Japanese people love puppies and buy them when they are very small. But they should be socialized by spending more time with their mothers and siblings," Mori said.
To let dogs learn how to communicate with people and other dogs, Alp Co. is organizing classes for puppies and their keepers.
"We want to secure the quality of pets' lives through offering various services," Mori said. "I believe that this will also enhance the quality of people's lives."
Clearly, Japan has become a pet superpower. But it still has a long way to go in changing its environment and thinking before it becomes a heavenly state for cats, dogs and humans to live in happily together.
(Bron: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/)
(Bron foto: Japan Times)
Komen de beer, wolf, eland en lynx weer terug in het Britse landschap??
Bears, lynx, wolves and elk considered for
reintroduction into British countryside
Lynx, brown bears, wolves and elk are among a range of animals being considered for reintroduction to the countryside centuries after they died out in Britain.
27-02-2010 By Richard Gray, Science Correspondent, The Daily Telegraph, UK
A report compiled for Britain's largest national park has identified 23 species of mammals, birds, amphibians and fish that once thrived in Britain and have the potential to live here again.
Ecologists claim that large carnivores such as wolves, brown bears and the Eurasian lynx can all have beneficial impacts on the environment Photo: AFP/GETTY
Ecologists who wrote the report, which is still in draft form, claim that large carnivores such as wolves, brown bears and the Eurasian lynx can all have beneficial impacts on the environment and act as a huge draw for tourism.
Campaigners have been pushing for lynx and wolves to be reintroduced in Britain as they could help control deer numbers and so protect woodland areas, which can be devastated by large herds.
Researchers claim it would require at least 250 brown bears and a similar number of wolves to maintain viable populations of the animals.
But the report warns that as a result such large species would be difficult to sustain in relatively small areas of land and can pose a threat to livestock unless carefully managed.
Proposals to reintroduce large carnivores into the wild have met with opposition from landowners and farmers while they have also sparked fears that the predators could pose a threat to humans.
The Cairngorms National Park report is due to be presented to the park's board later this year and will be used to help decide which species the park authorities will attempt to reintroduce into the Highlands.
Among the other species put forward as possible candidates in the report are large herbivores such as elk, typically found in Scandinavia, reindeer and the Eurasian beaver.
Dr David Hetherington, an ecologist with Cairngorms National Park Authority and an expert on species reintroduction, insisted that some of the species such as common cranes, lynx and beavers were stronger candidates than others.
He said: "We were trying to identify those animals we know or strongly suspect existed here in the past, which human activity had a major factor in their decline or eventual extinction in this country.
"One animal that could be considered in the relative short term for reintroduction to this part of Scotland, however, would be the common crane as it would have very little impact in terms of needing to be managed.
"Wolves are certainly viable but their introduction could create quite a few problems in the countryside. Out of all of the large carnivores we looked at, the Eurasian lynx is the best candidate and would have the best ecological impact.
"These are theoretical candidates for reintroduction, but the brown bear is not a species likely to be a realistic candidate for further consideration."
European brown bears currently survive in parts of Eastern Europe, such as the Romanian forests, Russia and in parts of Scandinavia. Small populations also exist in the French Pyrenees, Italian Alps and in the Austrian Alps after reintroduction projects in the 1990s.
They are thought to have died out in Britain shortly before the medieval period due to heavy deforestation and hunting by humans.
Bones and skulls have been found scattered in many parts of the Scottish Highlands while bears are often depicted on Pictish stones.
The omnivores typically dwell in forests, feeding on berries, grasses, honey, insects, fish, carrion and small mammals.
While its American cousin is known to kill an average of two people every year, there have only been three fatalities due to brown bears in Scandinavia in the past century.
The report states that while brown bears would be a very significant wildlife tourism attraction and icon, the Highlands would struggle to support enough bears to produce a viable population.
Wolves are also known to have been present in Britain at least until the early 18th century when they were eventually killed off by persecution by landowners and hunters.
The report claims that wolves, which are currently found in the US, Eastern Europe and parts of Scandinavia, could help to reduce grazing pressure on forestry by controlling deer numbers while also providing a significant tourism attraction.
The report also proposes introducing Western polecats, which were driven out of Britain by the late 19th century, and wild boar, which have been extinct in the UK for at least 300 years.
But it concludes that the Eurasian lynx, beaver and common crane are the most likely candidates for reintroduction due to successes elsewhere in Europe.
Lynx, which disappeared from the UK around 1,000 years ago, could be reintroduced using animals captured in continental Europe where there are now populations living in Germany, Switzerland, Poland, Slovakia and France following reintroductions.
The common, or Eurasian crane, is a large wetland bird thought to have become extinct in the 17th century.
There are already attempts to reintroduce the Eurasian beaver into the UK with a pilot scheme currently under way on the west coast of Scotland and there are plans to reintroduce the species in Wales.
Natural England conducted a feasibility study on the reintroduction of the beaver across the UK, finding that the animals could help to boost wildlife populations by creating new habitats and prevent flooding by slowing the flow of water with the dams they build around their burrows.
Areas that have been suggested as potential sites for beaver reintroduction include the Weald of Kent, the New Forest, Bodmin Moor and the Lake District. Landowners, however, claim beavers could destroy crops and damage woodland.
Species reintroduction has been a controversial subject in recent years and Natural England has faced intense criticism over proposals to reintroduce the white tailed sea eagle.
Ross Montague, director of the Scottish Countryside Alliance, a body who represent supporters of the countryside, said: "Conservation efforts, in the Cairngorms and throughout Scotland, should be focused on maintaining and enhancing the native species already present – not introducing alien species which may or may not have been present in the dim and distant past.
"We are especially concerned with proposals to introduce species which could have unknown impacts on our fragile biodiversity and already endangered species such as the Scottish wildcat."
(Bron: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/)
(Bron foto: Daily Telegraph)
Video Before Killer Whale Attack at SeaWorld Orlando (USA)
Trainer Dawn Brancheau was taped moments before her death in a video taken by a SeaWorld visitor. SeaWorld will allow the whale who killed her to perform in shows. Mark Strassmann reports.
Komt er een 'Hollywood'-film over primatoloog Marc van Roosmalen?
Hollywood heeft Tilburger Van Roosmalen in vizier
27-02-2010 Omroep Brabant
TILBURG - Er komt mogelijk een Hollywood-film over Amazone-onderzoeker Marc van Roosmalen uit Tilburg.
Van Roosmalen heeft veel aanzien en kreeg al diverse internationale prijzen voor zijn baanbrekende onderzoekswerk. Diep in de Zuid-Amerikaanse jungle ontdekte hij sinds de jaren zeventig, nieuwe zoogdieren en boomsoorten. Maar hij kwam ook in botsing met machtige houthandelaren en sojaboeren die de jungle zien als landbouwgebied.
Daarom kreeg Van Roosmalen een aanklacht wegens 'biopiraterij' aan zijn broek en hij belandde in een Braziliaanse cel. Hij kon ontkomen, heeft geen paspoort meer en is statenloos burger.
Zaterdag was Van Roosmalen weer even in Tilburg, waar hij vertelde over de mogelijke film.
(Bron: http://www.omroepbrabant.nl/)
Primatoloog Marc van Roosmalen met ADC in Tilburg om aandacht te vragen voor verborgen dierenleed bij apenhandelaar Hartelust
Marc van Roosmalen voert actie op de Heuvel
27-02-2010 Brabants Dagblad
TILBURG - Tussen de stands van de politieke partijen staat zaterdagmiddag ook een stand van primatoloog en amazonedeskundige Marc van Roosmalen op de Heuvel in Tilburg.
Marc van Roosmalen vraagt aandacht voor dierenleed op de Heuvel.
Foto Jan van Eijndhoven/pve
Hij is weer even terug in zijn geboortestad om te protesteren tegen het verborgen dierenleed in de gemeente. Hij wil vooral aandacht vragen voor de wreedheden die plaats vinden in Tilburg Noord waar honderden aapjes gevangen worden gehouden in een loods van apenhandelaar Hartelust. De dieren worden verhandeld aan dierproeflaboratoria.
Vrijdagmiddag heeft Van Roosmalen zijn Nederlandse verblijfsvergunning mogen ontvangen.
De werkgroep Tilburg van de Partij voor de Dieren startte eind 2009 een petitie om ervoor te zorgen dat de bioloog zijn Nederlandse staatsburgerschap terugkrijgt. Van Roosmalen is in de problemen geraakt nadat hij in Brazilië veroordeeld is voor 'biopiraterij'. Hij heeft een Braziliaans paspoort, maar dreigt in dat land opnieuw in de gevangenis te belanden.
(Bron: http://www.brabantsdagblad.nl/)
(Bron foto: Brabants Dagblad)
Friday, February 26, 2010
Oud circus-chimpansee in dierentuin Rostov (Rusland) naar afkickcentrum - Aap begint na zijn circusleven zwaar te roken en drinken
Primate rehab for Rostov chimp
27-02-2010 Kyrgyzstan News.Net, Kyrgyzstan
In further signs that primates are our evolutionary cousins, a chimpanzee in Russia has been sent to rehab by his zookeepers due to his excessive smoking and abuse of alcohol.
Zhora, who used to be a successful circus performer, has struggled to cope with life out of the limelight and began to drink and smoke heavily after he was transferred to a zoo in the southern Russian city of Rostov.
It was here that he became popular with the ladies, fathering several baby chimps. He also learnt to draw with markers, as well as how to smoke and drink from the bottle.
“The beer and cigarettes were ruining him. He would pester passers-by for booze,” reported the Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper.
It is unknown how long Zhora will be in rehab in the city of Kazan, about 800km east of Moscow.
(Bron: http://www.kyrgyzstannews.net/)
Note Kraaijer:
The Russian chimp is not the first chimpanzee in captivity who smokes:
Jamaicaan wint sledehondenwedstrijd in Ontario (Canada)....
Jamaican Dog Sledder Wins in Canada
26-02-2010 TORONTO (JIS), Jamaice Information Service, Jamaica
On the same weekend the world witnessed the prowess of Jamaican skier Errol Kerr at the Vancouver Winter Olympics in Canada, another Jamaican who was also competing in a winter sport on the other side of Canada.
Jamaican musher, Damion Robb, who recently competed in Dog Sled competition in Ontario, Canada, with one of his dogs.
Twenty-three-year-old Damion Robb was showing Canadians that, although Jamaica does not have snow, he can race dogs in the snow and win.
Damion was competing in the 6th Annual Cannington Dog Sled Races and Winter Festival, February 20-21, at MacLeod Park in Cannington, Ontario, Canada. It was his third straight weekend competing in dog sled races across Ontario.
Speaking to JIS News, Damion gave an update on how he had placed in the first two competitions.
"My first weekend, I was in Kearney and I finished third in the six-dog class. My second weekend was in Haliburton and I finished second in the four-dog class and third in the six-dog class," he explained.
After two days of racing at the Cannington Races, he eventually placed first in the four-dog race and second in the three-dog race.
This Jamaican musher no longer considers himself a novice at mushing, because he has been doing this for the past three years.
Jamaican musher, Damion Robb, racing at the Cannington Dog Sled races in Ontario, Canada.
His boss, Danny Melville, Chairman of Chukka Caribbean Adventures, Ocho Rios, Jamaica, where Damion works all year round except for the few weeks he is in Canada mushing, rates him as a "professional musher."
"People laugh when you say Robb is a professional dog musher and they say, what do you mean? Well, he is a professional, because Robb is a tour guide of dog sled tours in Jamaica, just like if you went to Haliburton and you take a dog sled tour. You can come to Chukka Cove and you can take a dog sled tour and Robb will be your guide," said Mr. Melville.
"Everyone is accepting now and loving it. It's not so much of a shocker this time around," he explained how North Americans have reacted to the Jamaica Dog Sled Team.
Some of the spectators at the Cannington Dog Sled Race expressed their love for the Jamaican, and say they have been following the activities of the Jamaican Dog Sled Team.
Andrew Graydon, who is originally from Ireland, said he had been a supporter from the beginning.
"I have to admit that my initial reaction was probably the same as everyone else's. I had seen the movie about the bobsled team. I'm Irish, and we have our own Winter Olympic team, which is interesting because we don't have any snow either. So when Danny first told me, it wasn't a case of skepticism it was more a case of, 'oh my God that's a brilliant idea'," he said.
Jamaican musher, Damion Robb, who recently competed in Dog Sled competition in Ontario, Canada, with one of his dogs.
Wilhelm Perre said it has been a lot of fun for him watching the Team.
"Everyday has been spectacular; the outing has been full of camaraderie and it seems the Jamaican team attracts a lot more attention than any other team. We watch the people flock over, because when they see the word Jamaica the last thing they think is dog sledding. The crowd really seems to love them," he said.
Damion said he likes the idea that he is representing his country and highlighting positive things about Jamaica. Mr. Melville agrees and says every aspect of the Jamaica Dog Sled Team has been good.
"It's good for Jamaica, as a promotional tool. It's good for young Jamaicans like Robb, who get an opportunity to travel and see the world. It's good for the fact that we take dogs off the street in Jamaica and support the JSPCA. We perpetrate kindness to animals and love of animals, especially dogs," he stated
Jamaican musher, Damion Robb, now returns to warm Jamaica with some cold hard cash in his pockets.
(Bron: http://www.jis.gov.jm/)
(Bron foto's: Jamaican Information Service)
Dierenbescherming Texas (VS) vindt 50 dode longhorns op ranch in Van Zandt County - 40 Ondervoede dieren in beslag genomen
50 Longhorns Found Dead at Van Zandt Ranch
26-02-2010 By FRANK HEINZ, NBC Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, USA
The SPCA of Texas seized about 40 head of Longhorn cattle Friday from a ranch in rural Van Zandt County. About 50 dead longhorns were also found at the site.
"The cattle, which all appear to be lethargic and dangerously underweight, do not have access to food and only have access to a water source that is contaminated by the dead cattle," the SPCA said in a news release Friday.
A seizure warrant was issued, allowing the animals to be transported to Perry Animal Care Center in McKinney where they will be examined by medical staff and cared for until the custody hearing.
The seizure was conducted under the authority of the Van Zandt County Sheriff's Department.
If the SPCA of Texas is awarded custody of the animals, they would be individually evaluated for potential adoption or placement on a case by case basis, the SPCA said.
(Bron: http://www.nbcdfw.com/)
(Bron foto: NBC)
Dierenbescherming Tilburg ontvangt ruim 20.000 euro van gemeente voor aanpak probleem verwilderde katten
Tilburg pakt verwilderde katten aan
26-02-2010 Omroep Brabant
TILBURG - De gemeente Tilburg geeft ruim 20.000 euro extra subsidie aan de Dierenbescherming Tilburg om het probleem van verwilderde katten op te lossen.
Volgens de gemeente zorgen de katten voor veel overlast en kunnen ze virussen, bacteriën en parasieten overbrengen. Veel mensen in diverse wijken klagen over krijsende, vechtende en sproeiende katten. Ook geven ze 'nachtconcerten' en plunderen ze afvalcontainers.
De klachten verergeren door overpopulatie. De katten zullen worden gevangen en door een dierenarts gesteriliseerd of gecastreerd worden.
(Bron: http://www.omroepbrabant.nl/)
Het is WEER raak: schuurbrand!!! - Duizenden kippen in Ede gedood bij brand in schuur - Slechts handjevol kippen overleeft vuurzee
Duizenden kippen gedood bij grote brand in Ede
26-02-2010 Scherpenzeelse Krant
EDE - Een uitslaande brand heeft vrijdag een schuur aan de Hoge Valksedijk tussen Ede en Wekerom verwoest. In de schuur zaten duizenden legbatterijkippen. Op een paar na zijn die allemaal omgekomen.
De melding kwam tegen half twaalf binnen bij de meldkamer. Een medewerker had het vuur ontdekt. Toen de brandweer ter plekke kwamen, sloegen de vlammen al uit het pand. Daarop werd direct opgeschaald naar grote brand, waarbij ook de brandweer van De Valk assistentie verleende.
Er werden drie blusvoertuigen ingezet en een hoogwerker. Binnen een half uur kon het sein brand meester worden gegeven en begon het nablussen, dat een paar uur in beslag nam.
De getroffen schuur stond tussen andere schuren. De brandweer kon voorkomen dat het vuur oversloeg. Er wordt nog asbestonderzoek gedaan. Mogelijk dat de golfplaten van het dak asbest bevatten. Daarom is de omgeving van de schuur afgezet.
Er is volgens een brandweerwoordvoerder weinig kans op gevaar voor de gezondheid, omdat de asbest niet is verpulverd. Het is nog niet duidelijk wat de oorzaak is.
(Bron: http://www.scherpenzeelsekrant.nl/)
Regering Sri Lanka bezorgd over zeeschildpadden aan zuidkust
Sri Lanka pledges to protect sea turtles
26-02-2010 By Charles Haviland, BBC News, Colombo, UK
The Sri Lankan government says that it is concerned about the welfare of sea turtles which live and breed on the island's southern coastline. The authorities say turtle hatcheries are operating there which contravene conservation laws and that they will prosecute those people involved.
Watching adult and newly-hatched turtles is also popular with tourists.
That seems to be contributing to the problems faced by these endearing reptiles.
The Sri Lankan Daily Mirror Online website says in a new report that hatcheries which use them for commercial or leisure purposes are harming the species.
Dead hatchling
Environment Minister Champika Ranawaka says that wildlife officers have informed all hatcheries that selling the turtles or using them as meat or for any other commercial purpose is illegal.
"They can only be used for educational purposes," he said. "We've investigated the illegal places and given them warnings not to do that."
Senior wildlife official Sarath Dissanayake told the BBC that turtle hatchlings should have the freedom to walk over the beach to the sea, but hatcheries were illegally putting walls and barriers in their way.
A tourist said he had recently been at a facility where guests were encouraged to pick up baby turtles and "set them free" into the ocean.
He said the place was like a zoo and that at least one hatchling appeared to be dead.
But one hatchery owner told the Daily Mirror Online he is protecting the animals, not profiting from them.
"They have asked us to hatch them on the beaches," he said, "but we can't do that.
"If we wanted to do that, we'd need at least 20,000 soldiers guarding these turtles, because people are hungry for them, most use them as meat."
But the authorities are not convinced. They are preparing new guidelines on how turtle hatcheries should be maintained and say that those who violate them will be prosecuted.
(Bron: http://news.bbc.co.uk/)
(Bron foto: BBC News)
Zeehondenjagers Cape Breton, Nova Scotia (Canada), gaan waarschijnlijk dit jaar geen zeehonden doodknuppelen bij Hay Islan
HSI Celebrates Hope on Hay Island: Thousands
of Baby Grey Seals Likely Spared from Annual
Massacre in Nova Scotia
Sealers Stay Home as Deal for Seal Fur Buyer Falls Through
26-02-2010 Human Society International, Canada
SYDNEY, Nova Scotia (Feb. 26, 2010) -- Sealers in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, have confirmed to Canadian media that a grey seal hunt on Hay Island is highly unlikely to occur in 2010. The slaughter officially opened on Feb. 8, but complications in selling the seal products have resulted in the hunt likely being cancelled. While details are unclear, the Nova Scotia government has confirmed it was working with sealers to develop markets for seal products, and it appears the government may have been prepared to provide some financing for the deal.
Hay Island is a provincial nature reserve located off Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. With abundant wildlife including seabirds and grey seals, it is one of the most beautiful ecotourism destinations in the world. Yet the Nova Scotia government has actively worked to encourage commercial sealing on the tiny island, amending the Nova Scotia Wilderness Areas Protection Act last year to allow the slaughter, and working to find buyers for the seal products. In doing so, they have put Cape Breton’s tourism industry (which is heavily based on ecotourism including whale and seal watching) at risk, and tarnished the international image of Nova Scotia.
Global markets for seal products are closing, with the European Union last year joining the United States, Mexico and Croatia in banning trade in seal products. A boycott of Canadian seafood launched in opposition to the commercial seal hunt now has the support of more than 5,500 establishments and 650,000 people – with every day the commercial seal hunt continues, the boycott continues to expand.
Facts:
· There are three separate populations of grey seals in the world. Canada holds most of the Western Atlantic population, which is distributed along the shores of eastern Canada.
· Grey seals have a maximum life expectancy of more than 40 years. They are social animals and gather together for breeding, moulting and hauling out.
· Grey seals breed on sea ice or, if no ice is available, beaches of small islands. In recent years, decreasing ice cover in the northwest Atlantic has forced more grey seals to give birth on land.
· Grey seal pups nurse for the first two weeks of their lives, during which time they are covered with white fur. They begin to shed their white coats at two to three weeks of age.
· Once the pups are weaned, mother grey seals leave the pups to fend for themselves. The pups live off fat reserves for several weeks after weaning, and eventually go out to sea to begin feeding. They are known to wander widely, with distances of over 1,000 km not uncommon.
· Commercial hunting is one of the greatest threats to grey seals. By 1949, the grey seal was considered extirpated off Canada’s east coast as a direct result of commercial hunting.
· In recent years, the grey seal population has slowly recovered. According to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Canada’s grey seal population measured about 250,000 animals in 2004.
· Today, commercial fishermen hunt grey seal pups for their fur, which is sold in foreign fashion markets.
· The 2010 quota for grey seals is 50,000, including 2,220 for eastern Nova Scotia (which includes the Hay Island nature reserve), and 39,803 on Sable Island (a federal nature reserve). While the federal government has not yet approved a slaughter on Sable Island, they are accepting proposals from sealers now.
(Bron: http://www.humanesociety.org/)
(Bron Google Earth: archief Kraaijer)
Kleine terrier overleeft crash noodlanding sportvliegtuigje bij Polk County, Florida (VS) - Baasje overleeft noodlanding niet
Dog Survives Small Florida Plane Crash That
Kills Owner
26-02-2010 Fox News, USA
A stricken plane was unable to make a safe landing on a Polk County, Fla., highway Thursday morning, MyFoxTampaBay.com reported. One person died in the crash and another was badly injured.
Zulu the dog survived a Florida plane crash.
According to investigators, the single-engine Beechcraft Sundowner was headed west after taking off from Winter Haven's Gilbert Airport when it apparently lost power. The pilot apparently tried to land on the road but hit a tree and wound up in a ditch near the intersection of U.S. 92 and Pickney Drive.
"The wings were actually teeter-tottering back and forth. And he was flying so low. There's no airspace over here, so I knew he was in trouble," witness Juan Jackson recalled. "Once he tried to get it back up and in control, he wound up hitting the trees."
The crash threw the pilot — later identified as James Trefz of Brooksville — from the plane. The first deputies on the scene performed CPR, but they were unable to revive him.
"He was in rough shape. He wasn't responding to any commands. We couldn't get a pulse on him," Deputy Stephen Tidwell offered.
Passenger George Azize survived the crash, but was taken to Lakeland Regional Medical Center in critical condition.
Another survivor of the crash was Trefz's dog, a white mixed terrier breed named Zulu. He was found wandering near the wreckage and authorities expected a family friend to return him to the family.
(Bron: http://www.foxnews.com/)
(Bron foto: Fox News)
Haai uit The Florida Aquarium, Tampa (VS), onder het mes om onbekend voorwerp uit keel te verwijderen - Haai kan al 3 maanden niet goed eten
Shark to undergo surgery to remove object
from throat
26-02-2010 TBO.com, Tampa Bay Online, USA
TAMPA - Something is stuck in the throat of White Tip Number 3's throat and the shark can't swallow a good healthy meal. It hasn't had a good fish dinner in about three months.
During that time, veterinarians working with The Florida Aquarium have fed the shark through a tube.
The foreign object that prevented the normal diet of fish and, well, whatever else a shark eats, which is just about everything, was found about three weeks ago when an MRI was done on the beast.
Veterinarians Genny Dumonceaux and Helga Bleyaert of Florida Veterinary Specialists and aquarium veterinary technician Susan Coy will perform the surgery this morning at the aquarium to remove the pesky object.
Since December, the shark has undergone various procedures to try to figure out why it stopped eating and how to treat the problem. The shark displayed an inflamed area in its throat.
Veterinarians then conducted the MRI – the first one ever done on a live shark, aquarium officials say – which showed the mysterious object.
"Without our help," said Allan Marshall, vice president of biological operations and shark expert at the aquarium, "it was going to die."
Veterinarians plan to sedate the shark before surgery and keep it under close observation afterwards for several days to make sure the recovery is smooth, officials said.
Small, soft foods will comprise the menu for the shark for a few days after its throat has healed until it can again eat on its own, officials said.
(Bron: http://www2.tbo.com/)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)