Jane Halevy, ” International Anti-Fur Coalition” www.antifurcoalition.org

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By Jane Halevy

Please notice that the pictures, here are the pictures reminded in the article, among many others which were planted in our Israeli group.

English version of the editorial on NRG internet news: http://www.nrg.co.il/online/1/ART2/368/692.html?hp=1&cat=459

On May 1st, there was an international cyber protest against Facebook pages and groups that promote fashion fur; as in the groups titled ‘Real women wear fur’, and ‘Fur is own by ugly animals and beautiful people’. Of-course this cannot be true since real women are not ignorant and vulgar, real women have real hearts, filled of real compassion and love for all living sentient beings. This group also claims to love animals, which of course cannot be true (loving animals and wearing an animals’ fur is a pure hypocrisy). If you love animals, you love them only alive! If you love their fur, then you love fur coats/fur trim on you.

We felt that not to do anything would be wrong, and there comes a time when you cannot be silent, since silence is viewed acceptance. How is it possible to sit back and do nothing when you know that every second, an animal is killed for its fur, for vanity and greed? Yes, hundreds of millions of animals are killed each year for their fur, for greed, for nothing.

The pro-fur people response came shortly after the cyber protest. They had planted many vicious, mendacious, rude
and insane, provocative pictures on our Israeli Facebook page “Macteret HaParva” (=Fur Underground), which includes 9,200 Israelis.

Their reaction was so low leveled as in: ‘A woman covered in fur and giving the finger’), that I feel ashamed even to
mention it. Well, offence has always been the best defense, but is that all that they could find to defend themselves? Vulgarity, that’s pretty sad. They did a great job illustrating our famous slogan: “Fur is worn by ugly people and beautiful animals”…

But this is not all they did; they found another way to defend fur and their right to wear it. They made an incomprehensible reach totally off the point by planting an “anti-Jewish” hate poster on the “Machteret HaParva” page:

This poster really offended me; it is an allegory of a pathetic move made by the pro-fur people – stupidity, in its nastiest forms of: anti-Semitism, racism, bigotry, hatred and discrimination. Once again, I feel sorry for them that their anger had brought them to such a low point.
It is well known that the way we treat animals is a good indicator of the compassion we are capable of for the human race; so when one understands that, it’s not such a big surprise to get hate and anti-Semitic posters from them.

As Lamartine said, “you do not have one heart for the animals, and one for the people. You either have a heart and you don’t have a heart”… There is a lot of injustice in this world, but racism and the fur industry can be stopped.

I have sent the images to many Jewish organizations, like ADL-”Anti Defamation League”, reporting this defamation against Judaism. Hence we do not have only the serious task, to defend the rights of the voiceless animals, now we need to defend our rights to be Jewish too? Though this sounds terrible they have made this a fact. Obviously one of the reasons the pro-fur people posted the offensive bigotry might be the precedent anti-fur bill of Mk Ronit Tirosh, at the Knesset, that would ban the importation and sales of real fur. Of-course the furriers are doing everything to stop it. This bill will actually save the lives of millions of animals worldwide. When this bill will be enacted, we will also be in perfect harmony with the purest values of Judaism: The Torah prohibits Jews from causing ‘tsa’ar ba’alei hayim’, ‘any unnecessary pain’, including psychological pain, to living creatures. ” His compassion is over all of His creatures” (Psalm 145:9).”

86% of the Israelis support this bill; now we are asking the Israeli government and its responsible politicians to support the will of their public.

Moreover, not only animal activists but also all other people who care about the earth we are living on, can also easily understand that the only way to save our planet is also by saving its earthlings, and to protect them instead of killing them to turn them into things, into dollar bills .

Mahatma Gandi said “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win”. So in this accurate chronology of success, we got to one stage before the final one – our victory over greed.

Reblogged from Care for Chinese Animals:

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New national CITES enforcement coordinating body shows positive results

Mr John E. Scanlon, CITES Secretary-General, presenting a Certificate ofCmmendation to Ms Yin Hong, Vice Aministrator of State ForestryAdministration

The Secretary-General of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), Mr John E. Scanlon, has today awarded a Certificate of Commendation to the National Inter-Agency CITES Enforcement Collaboration Group (NICECG) of China in recognition of two nationwide wildlife law enforcement operations carried out earlier this year.

Read more… 630 more words

She has more than 100 cats in her shelter right now, all of them ex – strays. They are all neutered and spayed, vaccinated and checked by the vet on the regular basis and although some of them are very old or chronically ill it seems that they enjoy their life there.

All of her kitties are doing pretty well now, the sick ones have recovered and they are all enjoying this sunny weather. The spring has finally sprung!

The shelter has been damaged by unusually harsh winter, workers are supposed to start repairing next week (if nothing comes up) and all these repairs will take at least a month.

Laura’s story of Danica’s shelter on ‘care2’:

Sanctuary Offers Sunny Days for Street Cats in Serbia

http://www.care2.com/causes/sanctuary-offers-sunny-days-for-street-cats-in-serbia.html

Repairing the damaged cat shelter

http://www.betterplace.org/en/projects/9425-repairing-the-damaged-cat-shelter

Please put word out to all your contacts – everywhere !
We need to get the money in to help Danica and the cats complete all the work that is needed this summer.

Whatever you can give in the way of a donation, not matter how small or large, please do it.  This is very much appreciated.

PayPal button is on both the webiste and the blog – these include both PayPal and direct bank payment details:

Blog – http://novisadcats.blogspot.com/

Website  -  http://catshelterfelix.com/

SERBIAN ANIMALS VOICE link:

http://serbiananimalsvoice.wordpress.com/2012/05/09/serbia-latest-from-felix-cat-shelter-sanctuary-photos-info-and-appeal-to-help-with-new-building-updates-due-to-terrible-winter-can-you-help-please/

As ever, thank you so much for your support !!

Danica & World Wide – Legal Action for Animal Rights

PAST NEWS:

http://legalaction4animalrights.net/2012/04/11/felix-shelter-serbia-appeal/

http://legalaction4animalrights.net/2012/02/26/felix-kitties-have-got-a-website/

http://legalaction4animalrights.net/2012/02/15/update-felix-shelter-for-cats-in-serbia/

http://legalaction4animalrights.net/2012/02/07/just-a-quick-note-felix-cats/

http://legalaction4animalrights.net/2011/12/16/felix-cats-need-your-help/

http://legalaction4animalrights.net/2011/11/22/update-felix-cats-shelter-in-serbia-needs-your-help/

http://legalaction4animalrights.net/2011/10/17/felix-cats-shelter-serbia/

Reblogged from Care for Chinese Animals:

Good news: suspension of Foie Gras operations in China.

After national and international protests, the Directors of Creek Project Investments have announced a suspension of the development of their intended biggest Foie Gras plant in Mainland China, until the completion of a full review with input from animal welfare and environmental experts to address any issues.

Please see the good news below, and great appreciation for all of your support to stop this cruel Foie Gras business in China!

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Reblogged from Care for Chinese Animals:

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Vets and volunteers around Kunming and with the supports from all over the China, are taking care of the dogs.  Up to date, more than 100 health dogs have been moved into the shelter of Yixin Stray Animal Rescue Group and more than 200 dogs are in the Veterinary College of Kunming under the medical treatment.

Photos: courtesy of 4.20 Kunming Dog Rescue…

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The draft opinion main features include the reduction in time of transport of animals, an overall improvement of the conditions during transport, mandatory trainings for drivers and an increase of the minimum space allowances for pregnant and wounded animals.

PETITION:

Urge the European Commission to suspend the export of animals to Turkey

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/2/Urge-the-European-Commission-to-suspend-the-export-of-animals-to-Turkey/

Related articles

• Written declaration on the establishment of a maximum 8-hour journey limit (legalaction4animalrights.net)

Canadian Sen. Mac Harb has introduced a historic bill to end Canada’s annual commercial slaughter of baby seals.

 

Reintroduction of Bill to end Commercial Seal Hunt

The end of the commercial sealing industry is now inevitable. It’s time to take the politics out of the debate and simply acknowledge the facts. The Conservative government is ignoring Canadian opposition to the commercial hunt and has turned a deaf ear to the international community and its global boycott of commercial seal hunt products. Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan have joined the European Union, the United States, Mexico and others who have banned trade in seal products. And despite millions in taxpayer dollars spent by the federal government, markets in China have failed to materialize. The global market for these products has been eliminated. There now appears to be unstoppable momentum towards the end of the commercial seal hunts around the world. Canada stands virtually alone in its defense of this industry.

Workers in East Coast rural communities need to hear the truth from the government. They do not need to be patronized with handouts and hollow promises that the industry might come back, some day, maybe… The Conservative government should stop wasting taxpayers’ dollars, tell the sealers the truth that the market is dead, and transition these hard-working Canadians into sustainable economic development programs.

This is why I am re-introducing legislation on May 2, 2012 to end the commercial sealing industry in Canada. Formally acknowledging the end of this industry will send a clear message to Canadians that we are working towards a viable future for the workers of this region and it will end the costly and economically damaging challenges currently before the WTO.

I encourage you to contact members of the Senate of Canada and call on them to support my bill to end the commercial seal hunt in Canada. For the latest updates, please follow me on twitter at: @mharb20. Your efforts are making a difference and I thank you for your encouragement and support.

source: Sen. Mac Harb

Take action now and contact members of the Senate of Canada, asking them to support Senator Harb’s bill to end the commercial seal hunt in Canada.

• Peta Petition
• Ifaw Petition
• Harpseals.org Petition
• HSI Petition

• LETTER WRITING:

1. View this list of Canadian senators and find your representative by searching for your province.
2. Once the results appear, copy the e-mail address of your representative and paste it into a new e-mail message.
3. Use the sample letter below or write your own polite message, and then click send!

Sample Letter to Senators:

Please Support Sen. Harb’s Bill to End the Seal Slaughter

I’m writing to urge you to support Sen. Mac Harb’s bill to end Canada’s commercial seal slaughter and transition Canadians in sealing regions into sustainable economic programs. Now that Russia—which had been importing 95 percent of Canadian seal pelts—has joined the U.S., the European Union, Mexico, and others in banning seal fur, there are no markets. Sen. Harb’s bill benefits all parties: seals, sealers, and Canadian taxpayers, who pay millions to prop up a dead industry when many are struggling just to pay their bills.

 

News to share:

After a photo depicting an illegal dog fight at a Mongolian nightclub populated with Heineken posters went viral, countless people had a lot of negative things to say about the Dutch brewing company.

Heineken has made it very clear that they have no ties to the night club and apologize for the confusion.

We asked Heineken.

Their reply:

Thank you for contacting us on this issue. We are as distressed as you are about the pictures. We have placed the following statement on our website:

Statement:

Images of dog fighting circulating on the internet

Images continue to circulate in social media channels showing a dog fight, with Heineken® banners clearly visible in the background. This is very distressing and totally unacceptable. As a company and a brand owner, we do not and would never knowingly support any event, outlet or individual involved in this type of activity. It is against our company and brand rules and – more important – against our company values.

Since this matter was brought to our attention via Facebook we have conducted an investigation and now know that:

• - The venue is a nightclub in Mongolia
• - The venue hosted a dog fight of which we had no knowledge and were not involved in any way
• - The venue owner has verbally confirmed that Heineken® banners are visible in the pictures because the previous evening the club had been decorated for a promotional event and he had failed to remove the banners once it was over. This event was in no way related to the dog fight

Based on this we have taken the following immediate actions:

• Removed all remaining promotional materials from the venue
• Withdrawn all current product stock from the club
• Ceased our relationship, ensuring our brands will not be available in the club again
• Instructed our distributor to check every location where our brands can be enjoyed to ensure such illegal activities are not taking place. If there is any suggestion that they are, we will take the same action and remove our products
• Continue to ensure our strict advertising and promotion guidelines are enforced both to the letter and the spirit of their intent

We want to thank our consumers on-line for bringing this issue to our attention. We are shocked and disappointed by these images. We fully understand the level of negative feeling amongst consumers based on what they have seen. We appreciate that the vast majority have asked for our point of view before making a judgment. We encourage our consumers to continue to use social media channels to alert us to any situation where they feel our brands are being misrepresented, so that we can take the appropriate actions.

For more information please contact john.g.clarke@heineken.com

Click here to see letter from venue owner confirming HEINEKEN had no involvement in the dog fighting activity.

Humane Society International, Defenders of Wildlife, and Teyeliz, A.C. commended Costa Rica for taking the lead in the international protection of oceanic wildlife by listing the Sphyrna lewini species of hammerhead sharks within the Appendix III of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.

The high commercial value of the shark’s fins combined with the low value of hammerhead shark meat has led to widespread finning of the species, a wasteful and often illegal practice in which the fins are severed only to have the shark thrown back into the ocean to die a slow, painful death. Shark fins are used to make shark fin soup, a dish that is popular in many Asian countries and communities.

“A CITES Appendix III listing is an invaluable tool in the continued fight to preserve hammerhead shark populations,” stated Cynthia Dent, regional director of Humane Society International-Latin America. “Humane Society International wishes to congratulate Costa Rica for being the first country to take this necessary step, showing leadership on shark
conservation and monitoring efforts in the face of the increased threats to this and other species of sharks.”

“Costa Rica’s efforts to protect hammerheads reflect the growing worldwide awareness that countries and governments cannot stand by as shark populations continue to be decimated at such alarming rates,” says Alejandra Goyenechea, international counsel with Defenders of Wildlife. “Putting international protections in place is an important first step to ensuring the hammerhead shark’s survival and we commend Costa Rica for their efforts and recognizing that extinction is forever.”

“Costa Rica is once again leading the way in the conservation of endangered species,” said Maria Elena Sánchez, president of Teyeliz, A.C. “We hope that many other countries follow suit so that the international trade of hammerhead shark products is regulated worldwide.

This is a first step but it is a landmark step that will prove that international regulation of the trade can be achieved for the conservation of this shark species.”

A previous proposal to include hammerhead sharks into Appendix II during the 2010 meeting of the Conference of the Parties in Doha, Qatar failed to obtain the necessary votes to approve the listing, leaving the S. lewini, S. mokarran and S. zygaena species of hammerhead sharks unprotected from international trade. An Appendix II listing requires the support of at least two-thirds of CITES member countries to be present and voting, and entails stricter regulations to the international trade of wildlife species to ensure its sustainability. An Appendix III listing can be done unilaterally by any CITES member country.

Facts:

• Ever since entering into force, CITES has been the only international agreement that regulates international trade in wild species. The CITES treaty has been signed and ratified by 175 nations (Parties). Costa Rica has been a Party to CITES since the treaty’s inception in 1975.
• CITES Appendix III listings are done at the request of a Party that regulates trade in a determined species and requires the cooperation of other countries to prevent unsustainable or illegal exploitation of said species. The international trade in specimens of Appendix III species is allowed with the appropriate permits or certificates.
• The implementation of CITES control measures for the regulation and monitoring of international trade is consistent with the FAO International Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks.
• The scalloped hammerhead (Sphyrna lewini) is a coastal and semioceanic shark found in warm temperate and tropical seas. S. lewini is a wide-ranging species, found in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. The species is categorized as Endangered in the IUCN Red List (2009).
• Individuals of S. lewini tend to aggregate, and aggregations are targeted by fisheries, making the species highly vulnerable to over-fishing. Catches are often unreported, particularly when only the fins are taken and the rest of the shark is discarded at sea. When reported, catches of S. lewini are often grouped with other hammerhead sharks as “Sphyrna spp.”
• Hammerhead shark fins are among the most valuable fins in Asian markets. Hammerheads also suffer from high mortality rates when caught unintentionally by vessels targeting other species of fish such as tuna and swordfish.

Animal Defenders International (ADI) applauds James Henwood, President of the Los Angeles County Fair Association (LACFA) and their Board for their decision to end the elephant rides at the Los Angeles County Fair. ADI congratulates the LACFA for their leadership in showing compassion for animals and concern for public safety.

The board was sent evidence of brutal training including the use of electric prods and bullhooks—a heavy bar with a sharpened point and hook—that trainers use to hit, ‘hook’ and jab elephants in order to dominate and control them. Public safety can never be assured when wild animals are used for entertainment, such as for elephant rides and in circuses, and members of the public, including children, have been killed and maimed.

“ADI applauds The Los Angeles County Fair Board for ending the elephant rides and joining the worldwide trend of progressive fairs, cities and nations which have decided to shun entertainment that involves animal cruelty,” said Jan Creamer, ADI’s president. “Trainers use brutal methods, bullhooks and electric shocking devices, to control these elephants for rides, and as the largest county fair in the nation this decision will go far to set a positive example to other fairs across the country which we hope will soon follow their lead. ADI will be seeking assurances that this will be a permanent policy and we will never see elephants at the fair again.”

The elephants were being provided by Have Trunk Will Travel, a Perris, California company which was exposed in a video released by ADI showing trainers and owners shocking their elephants with handheld electric prods and violently hitting and ‘hooking’ them with bullhooks. Within the past year, other SoCal municipalities and venues have severed ties with Have Trunk Will Travel amid protests and public outcry, including the Orange County Fair and the Santa Ana Zoo both ending a twenty-five year run of elephant rides and last summer’s cancellation of an elephant in the Fourth of July Parade in the city of Sierra Madre.

Since the release of the video last May, a coalition of groups including Animal Defenders International (ADI), Animal Protection and Rescue League (APRL), In Defense of Animals (IDA), Last Chance for Animals (LCA), and PETA have worked to end elephant rides at the LA County Fair.

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More info:

Water for Elephants was released in 2011. 

Female Asian elephant Tai (45 years) starred as abused elephant ‘Rosie’ in the romance, set in the 1920s. For the release, the studio, stars, owners Have Trunk Will Travel and American Humane all insisted that Tai had been trained with kindness (see below).

Animal Defenders International (ADI) therefore released footage of the elephants at Have Trunk Will Travel being beaten with bullhooks and shocked with stun guns to make them perform the tricks seen on the movie. The footage, amounting to nearly 10 hours, had been recorded over a period of about 8 weeks during an undercover investigation during August and September 2005. It had not been released previously as it was part of a wider investigation. Due to the fraudulent claims being made that no harm had come to Tai, ADI decided that thefootage must be released:

Claims made about the protection of animals during the making of ‘Water for Elephants’:

Have Trunk Will Travel has never issued a written endorsement, nor does it condone using electrical devices to discipline and control elephants except in situations where elephant or human safety is at risk.” 
Kari Johnson, Have Trunk Will Travel

“Tai was never hit in any way at all,” 
Gary Johnson, Have Trunk Will Travel

Have Trunk Will Travel is owned by Gary and Kari Johnson and is based in Perris, California, USA. Their group of performing Asian elephants (with approximate ages) includes: Tai (45), Rosie (30), Dixie (46), Kitty (45), Becky (26), Tess (30, and her baby, seen at the time of the investigation, is Tucker; now on loan to Houston Zoo).

As the leader of the Break the Chain campaign, ADI works with animal rights and welfare organizations across the U.S. , and is currently working to gain grassroots support for the Traveling Exotic Animal Protection Act (H.R. 3359), which currently has 18 co-sponsors and is awaiting a hearing in the House Committee on Agriculture subcommittee of Livestock, Dairy and Poultry. ADI has conducted investigations of circuses all over the world and has produced comprehensive reports, including one in the U.S. called Science on Suffering which details and provides evidence of the inherent suffering of animals forced to travel and perform.

To find out more information on ADI’s Break the Chain campaign, visithttp://www.breakthechainus.org

For more information about the Traveling Exotic Animal Protection Act (H.R. 3359) visit http://www.federalcircusbill.org

Animal Defenders International
With offices in Los Angeles, London and Bogota, ADI campaigns across the globe on animals in entertainment, providing technical advice to governments, securing progressive animal protection legislation, drafting regulations and rescuing animals in distress. ADI has a worldwide reputation for providing video and photographic evidence exposing the behind-the-scenes suffering in industry and supporting this evidence with scientific research on captive wildlife and transport. ADI rescues animals all over the world, educates the public on animals and environmental issues.
http://www.ad-international.org

More information is available on ADI’s U.S. website: http://adiusa.org