The barbaric cat market exposed by The Mail on Sunday has been shut down by police in China after pressure from thousands of horrified readers.
The report - followed up by newspapers and magazines throughout the world - detailed the appalling conditions the animals are forced to endure before being killed and eaten in restaurants.
Animal welfare organisations said the closure of the Xin Yuan market in the city of Guangzhou, capital of the southern province of Guangdong, represented a 'significant victory' for The Mail on Sunday and its readers because it is not illegal to sell cats for food in China.
The country's embassy in London was flooded with calls and letters - many of them from Chinese people living in Britain --who were shocked by the sickening trade.
Others wrote to the animal welfare organisation, Animals Asia Foundation and, armed with hundreds of readers' letters, it set up a meeting with Chinese government officials. Bowing to the pressure, they ordered police officers to raid the market last week.
The cats, which were squeezed 25 at a time inside cages measuring 2ft by 3ft, have been released and it is understood an assurance has been given that they will not be sold again.
The Mail on Sunday found hundreds of cats on display, all crammed in cages stacked up to 12ft high in some cases. Some of them remain for up to two months inside the cages . . . and many die before reaching their final destination.
One trader, Yanwu Peng, eagerly proferred his business card, which stated: 'Supplier of cats to fine restaurants and hotels'. He told us he didn't understand the concerns about his treatment of the animals. 'I do not think it is wrong to keep them this way,' he explained. 'They will die soon anyway.'
He sells the cats to restaurant owners for about £1 a pound, less if they are bought in bulk. They are fed once a day on a mixture of rice and animal feed.
Jill Robinson, director of Animals Asia Foundation and one of the few Westerners to have visited the market, thanked The Mail on Sunday for highlighting the animals' plight.
She said: 'We've received a phenomenal number of letters, phone calls and e-mails as a result of your story. The article provoked reaction all over the world. It was amazing.'
Ms Robinson took many of the letters with her when she met Chinese officials last week to press for a change in the law.
'I'm surprised but delighted that the authorities have responded so quickly,' she said.
The cats - just like our domestic pets - are reared by villagers who sell them on to the market where they are bought by restaurant owners.
At one restaurant in Guangzhou the animals are put in cages outside and customers are invited to select the one that takes their fancy. The chef then kills the cat of their choice by cutting its throat.
PETA India has been bombarded with complaints from people who were horrified to learn from this news video that a donkey was brutally killed in Churu on August 7, 2011. We have been informed by locals that this cruelty took place on the order of Govind Mhansariya, chair of Nagar Parishad, Churu district.
The video footage shows that the donkey was pushed and pulled to ground before being crushed to death by a bulldozer. The killing reportedly took place because some local residents thought the donkey might have rabies because the donkey had been examining a dead dog—even though this behavior is not a confirmatory symptom of rabies.
Besides being an act of gross cruelty, torturing an animal is an illegal and punishable offense under India's Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960. Further, a procedure for the destruction of ill and suffering animals is set out in the act, and a government veterinarian should have been called to provide a medical opinion on the matter and to euthanize the animal humanely if required.
PETA India has written a letter to Vikas S. Bhale, the district magistrate of Churu, demanding prompt action against the chair of Nagar Parishad. We have also offered to help the government implement a training and awareness program for relevant government officials, including veterinarians in the area, so that animals who are thought to have rabies can be handled humanely in the future.
Please help by adding your voice to the campaign and urging the district magistrate to take action against the accused officer immediately.
This heart-wrenching photo shows how a Navy SEAL’s dog refused to leave his master’s side during an emotional funeral.
Petty Officer Jon Tumilson, 35, killed in the major U.S. helicopter crash in Afghanistan this month, was remembered by around 1,500 mourners.
But it was his Labrador retriever Hawkeye that really captured the public’s emotions in the photo taken by Mr Tumilson’s cousin, Lisa Pembleton.
Scroll down for video
Sadness: Navy SEAL Jon Tumilson's Labrador retriever Hawkeye was loyal to the end, as he refused to leave his master's side during an emotional funeral
Man's best friend: Mr Tumilson's family members followed Hawkeye into the service before he lay down
Mr Tumilson, of San Diego, California, was one of 38 killed on August 6 when a rocket-propelled grenade took out a U.S. Chinook helicopter.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO HAWKEYE?
Nikki Virgilio, a friend of Mr Tumilson (known as J.T.) who was at the funeral, said Hawkeye was a personal pet rather than a military dog.
'I can happily report to you that Hawkeye was willed to one of J.T.'s good friends, the same one that took care of him whenever J.T. was deployed overseas,' she wrote on Facebook.
This close friend was revealed by the Des Moines Register to be Scott Nichols.
His funeral was held on Friday in his hometown of Rockford, Iowa, at the Rudd-Rockford-Marble Rock Community School.
Ms Pembleton said: ‘I felt compelled to take one photo to share with family members that couldn't make it or couldn't see what I could from the aisle.
'To say that he was an amazing man doesn't do him justice. The loss of Jon to his family, military family and friends is immeasurable.'
Hawkeye's new owner was revealed by the Des Moines Register to be Mr Tumilson's close friend Scott Nichols, who said at the funeral that the fallen SEAL was more scared of his parents dying than being killed himself.
Big funeral: Petty Officer Jon Tumilson, 35, killed in the Afghanistan helicopter crash this month, was remembered by around 1,500 mourners
Pride: Mr Tumilson's mother and father were told they helped raise an 'outstanding man - a hero'
Mr Tumilson's friend Nikki Virgilio wrote on Facebook that Hawkeye's new owner had previously taken care of the dog while his owner was delployed abroad.
‘I felt compelled to take one photo to share with family members that couldn't make it or couldn't see what I could from the aisle'
Lisa Pembleton, cousin
During the service, U.S. Navy Lieutenant Robert Bradshaw told Mr Tumilson's parents that they helped raise an ‘outstanding man - a hero’.
Family, friends and servicemen, along with Iowa Governor Terry Branstad and U.S. Senator Charles Grassley, packed the school's gymnasium.
Mr Tumilson, who joined the Navy in 1995, was known to friends as J.T.
‘J.T. was going to be a Navy SEAL come hell or high water,’ friend Scott Nichols said. ‘He wasn't afraid of dying.’
Packed: His funeral was held in his hometown of Rockford, Iowa, at the Rudd-Rockford-Marble Rock Community School
Downed: Mr Tumilson, of San Diego, California, was one of 38 killed on August 6 when a rocket-propelled grenade took out their Chinook helicopter
‘If J.T. had known he was going to be shot down when going to the aid of others, he would have went anyway,’ friend and soldier Boe Nankivel said.
‘If J.T. had known he was going to be shot down when going to the aid of others, he would have went anyway'
Boe Nankivel, friend and fellow soldier
Mr Tumilson's sister, Kristie Pohlman, said he always dreamed of joining the military's elite special forces unit.
‘Your dreams were big and seemed impossible to nearly everyone on the outside,’ she said. ‘I always knew you'd somehow do what you wanted.’
Family members followed Hawkeye into the service. Mr Tumilson is survived by two sisters and his parents, George and Kathleen.
See video here
A fund was set up in the SEAL's honour. Donations can be sent to 'Frogman 238 Memorial Fund' at: First Security Bank and Trust, 201 West Main Ave, Rockford, Iowa, 50468
NIJMEGEN - Mensen die graag vlees eten zijn egoïstischer, minder sociaal en 'hufteriger'. „Vlees eten haalt het slechtste in de mens naar boven.”
Dat concluderen drie hoogleraren uit Tilburg en Nijmegen, die verschillende onderzoeken hebben gedaan naar de psychologische betekenis van vlees en vlees eten. Carnivoren voelen zich superieur aan anderen, zeggen de professoren; zij denken dat vegetariërs en flexitariërs beter in hun vel zitten en minder eenzaam zijn.
De onderzoeken zijn gedaan door economisch psycholoog Marcel Zeelenberg, consumentenwetenschapper Diederik Stapel van de Universiteit van Tilburg en sociaal psycholoog Roos Vonk van de Radboud Universiteit, die overigens tevens lid is van de Partij voor de Dieren en voormalig voorzitter van de actiegroep Wakker Dier.
In een studie werd een groep proefpersonen onzeker gemaakt. Daarna moesten zij kiezen of ze een biefstuk, een omelet of vis wilden eten. In de onzekere groep koos 60 procent voor de biefstuk, terwijl in een controlegroep maar 20 procent het vlees prefereerde. Bij een ander onderzoek kregen sommige mensen een plaatje van een biefstuk te zien en anderen een afbeelding van een koe of een boom. Degenen die de biefstuk hadden gezien, reageerden daarna bij meerkeuzevragen egoïstischer, aldus de hoogleraren.
„Vleeseters denken meer in termen van dominantie en de baas zijn. Vlees eten is een manier om je te verheffen boven anderen”, zo stelt Vonk.
Dat een vegetarisch dieet alleen maar voordelen voor de gezondheid heeft - op voorwaarde dat het evenwichtig is samengesteld - wordt door tal van studies bevestigd. Een nieuwe Amerikaanse studie van de University of Minnesota komt nu met een bijkomend argument pro vegetarische voeding: jongeren die vegetarisch eten, consumeren veel minder fast food en eten uiteindelijk minder vet en krijgen meer vitaminen en mineralen dan hun niet-vegetarische leeftijdsgenoten. De studie analyseerde de eetgewoonten van meer dan 4500 tieners met een gemiddelde leeftijd van 15 jaar. 262 of 6% zegde vegetariër te zijn. De vegetariërs bleken veel dichter aan te sluiten bij wat als een gezond en evenwichtig dieet wordt beschouwd. Zo was de kans veel groter dat minder dan 30% van hun totale energieopname afkomstig was van vet en minder dan 10% van verzadigd vet; hun fruit- en groenten consumptie lag veel hoger; net als de niet-vegetariërs namen ze te weinig calcium op, maar hun opname van foliumzuur lag dan weer hoger; alsook de consumptie van vitamine A, ijzer en voedingsvezels. Ze gebruikten ook minder suikerhoudende frisdranken dan hun vleesetende leeftijdsgenoten, maar wel meer dieetcola's en cafeïne houdende drankjes. Ook de semi-vegetariërs (die geen rood vlees eten, maar wel kip en vis) scoorden veel beter dan hun vleesetende leeftijdsgenoten. Bron: Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, mei 2002, p. 431-437.
ANIMALSAVIORS.ORG STOP THE SKINNING OF LIVE ANIMALS!
Al de gruwelijke foto's van levend gevilde dieren in China, ik heb ze hier vaak geplaatst nu zijn we bezig om via de ambasades aandacht hier voor te vragen, we willen dit STOPPEN ! Geef je ook je support ?!
CHINESE EMBASSIES ALL OVER THE WORLD - PLEASE CLICK ON ATTEND ON THIS PAGE AND THEN FIND THE LINK TO YOUR COUNTRY AND CLICK ON ATTEND THERE TOO.
CHINESE EMBASSIES ALL OVER THE WORLD - PLEASE CLICK ON ATTEND ON THE MAIN PAGE AND THEN FIND THE LINK TO YOUR COUNTRY AND CLICK ON ATTEND THERE TOO. This is a global event - for every country - It is a physical, offline event, NOT ONLINE - it is to take place at Chinese embassies in ALL COUNTRIES!! This event has been organised in association with animalsaviors.org - an Australian charity working to end all cruelty to animals in China. This charity has already sent over a million petitions to the Chinese government, signed by members of every country in the world. Currently they have another 261,896 and when this reaches 300,000 Peter (who runs it) will be personally delivering them to the Chinese government. Peter is working together with Professor Chin Jiwan of Beijing has succeeded in getting the Chinese government to accept draft legislation to introduce animal welfare legislation into China. It is currently going through the "priority assessment stage" When passed, it will have the effect of stopping all live skinning of animals in China.The draft legislation also proposes to abolish the eating of cats and dogs in China together with severe penalties to enforce the law, It is this area of the legislation which has encountered opposition in China. the purpose of this event is to continue the awareness campaign to reduce demand on all fur products from China. For Peter, the priority is getting started on the first shelter in China. In order to this, he needs to raise funds. The first target is $Australian 100,000 - this translates to approximately ₤ English 64,000 on today's conversion rate. That amount should be sufficient to secure land in the provinces in China and to get started on construction of the facilities needed. He is about to start a fund raising campaign in Australia to raise the money for the same purpose through events animalsaviors.org will be holding there. The total funds needed to set up the first shelter with all facilities will be in the vicinity of $250,000 or approximately ₤160,000. If you are unable to attend this event but would like to help, please visit http://animalsaviors.org/index.html. You can join as a member of give a donation. You can also email the Chinese embassy in your country and ask everyone you know to do so as well. If we all do a little we can achieve a lot together, and hopefully end this cruelty in China altogether. Please note that there a number of 'similar' events taking place on the same day. These have nothing to do with this event or with animalsaviors.org and I am not affiliated with them in any way. You can recognise all the pages in this event by the grey cat logo and at the top it will always say 'Animalsaviors.org'
With only twenty minutes to spare before euthanasia, four dedicated PNP pilots teamed together to give Angel the wings that flew her to safety.
Angel’s trek from North Carolina to her new home in Colorado began when pilot Keith Decker flew her to Knoxville, Tennessee where pilot Jim Carney was waiting to complete the second leg of the flight to Kennett, Missouri. From there, Angel flew with pilot Jim Bordoni to Kansas City, Kansas. Finally, pilot Mitchell completed the last leg of Angel’s journey and brought her to her new family in Fort Collins, Colorado.
After glancing at a picture of Angel peering out from the window of his plane, pilot Jim Bordoni said, “I absolutely love this picture and get a warm fuzzy feeling every time I look at it. It makes all of the flying and work worthwhile.”
Angel on the first leg of her flight from North Carolina to Colorado
1 Man ,1 Plane , 1000 Animals saved! We love you Scott!
25. Aug, 2011
Today is a very special day. Pilot Scott Messinger transported his 1000th, yes, you read that correctly, one thousand animals!
Scott and his helper!
Some people have a calling, not just a mission, and Scott’s calling is to help animals in need whenever possible. He has flown to every state in the north, northeast, midwest, south, east, southeast and even as far as Texas. When you live in Pennyslvania that’s a lot of air miles!
Up you go!
Because of him, 1000 animals were given the opportunity to find loving homes. Doggie kisses are worth millions and Scott has a fortune banked in puppy kisses alone src="http://pilotsnpaws.org/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif">
Dobie pup gave lots of kisses!
He is very modest and will be the first to tell you it is the rescue volunteers who do the hard work, he just flies the animals. But we all know that if not for Scott, and pilots like him, the number of animals rescues could take in would certainly diminish.
Always a smile !
We love you Scott ! Thank you for your endless passion, your sense of humor, your dedication, and for making so many flights that have now saved 1000 lives.
The plane says it all src="http://pilotsnpaws.org/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif">
Here are some “Scottisms”
Big dogs deserve to live too!
Keep finding us dogs (any size) and we’ll keep on truckin’
I’m in !
I hate an empty plane, it’s such a waste of life !
Works for me !
Its a heartwarming (and unfortunately sometimes heartbreaking) experience flying these dogs to safety.
Very very cool!
I’m absolutely LOVING the response we are getting when we pull into an airport
Sometimes we all forget to give thanks for all our blessings…until we meet those who truly sacrifice…
Every now and then a certain rescue stays with you…This is the one for me. Forever….
(special thanks to co-pilot Jeff, amazing coordinator Terrie, Scott’s amazing family and the many rescues and shelters who work together to save lives….)
Oppose the construction of Europe's biggest vivarium in Azambuja, Portugal
The Centre for Neuroscience, from Champalimaud Foundation, is building a Vivarium (Bioterio), in Azambuja, where animal testing will be practiced, with all the cruelty embedded in it to breed animals for research purposes.
A vivarium is a place where animals are bred and kept (including rats, dogs and rabbits and other animals) with the purpose of being used as guinea pigs in animal testing. It will have between 20.000 to 25.000 cages of which animals will be raised and sold to universities, investigation institutes and pharmaceutical companies. It will cost 36 million euros, where 27 millions euros are coming from the taxpayers.
This money should not be invested to delay the progress of science but should instead be invested in investigation and implementation of alternative methods, that are more accurate, inexpensive, ethically and compassionately practiced through another forms of research that will not bring extreme cruelty suffering and pain to helpless and weak animals.
The competencies of a vivarium includes the following: Ensuring the supply of equipment and facilities necessary for its operations on laboratory animals; Ensure compliance with the law in force in the creation and maintenance of laboratory animals as well as the standards of the national authority in animal houses; Keep record of entry and exit of all animals.
Although the law requires that there is an ethics committee to monitor the proper functioning of laboratory practices, internal auditing in practice this is reduced or absent in almost all domestic animal breeding.
More than 95 percent of U.S. and Canadian facilities offering ATLS courses now use only non-animal education methods such as human-modeled simulators. This shift has been facilitated by innovations in medical simulation technology, increased availability of alternatives, a rising awareness of ethical concerns, and a growing acknowledgment that medical training must be human focused.
Help prevent the construction of this Bioterio, and to stop the animal experiments that have been practices at the Champalimaud Foundation for years.
Champalimaud Foundation's partner in this outrageous enterprise is the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. As a result of such an enterprise, they intend to make millions of euros in financial profits by means of intense animal cruelty and murder, absolutely NON-necessary for research and learning purposes.
Respectable Medical Research References: Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine in the United States: http://www.pcrm.org/about/index.html
Please add your signature to the petition by clicking here
To whom this may concern To the Champalimaud Foundation To Gulbenkian Foundation To Lisbon University To the Portuguese Government authorities
I was informed about Portugal's intention to build a large vivarium for vivissection in Azambuja, Portugal. To my knowledge, the Centre for Neuroscience, from Champalimaud Foundation, is building a Vivarium (Bioterio), in Azambuja, where animal testing will be practiced, with all the cruelty embedded in it to breed animals for research purposes.
They intend to make millions of euros in financial profits by means of intense animal cruelty and murder, absolutely NON-necessary for research and learning purposes.
As you certainly are aware of, a vivarium is a place where animals are bred and kept (including rats, dogs and rabbits and other animals) with the purpose of being used as guinea pigs in animal testing. As I heard, your vivbarium will have between 20.000 to 25.000 cages of which animals will be raised and sold to universities, investigation institutes and pharmaceutical companies.
It will cost 36 million euros, where 27 millions euros are coming from the taxpayers. Is is my point of view __ scientifically embased, by the way __that this money should not be invested to delay the progress of science but should instead be invested in investigation and implementation of alternative methods, which are more accurate, inexpensive, ethically and compassionately practiced through another forms of research that will not bring extreme cruelty suffering and pain to helpless and weak animals.
Although the law requires that there is an ethics committee to monitor the proper functioning of laboratory practices, internal auditing in practice this is reduced or absent in almost all domestic animal breeding.
More than 95 percent of U.S. and Canadian facilities offering ATLS courses now use only non-animal education methods such as human-modeled simulators. This shift has been facilitated by innovations in medical simulation technology, increased availability of alternatives, a rising awareness of ethical concerns, and a growing acknowledgment that medical training must be human focused.
We expect you to prevent the construction of this Bioterio, and to stop the animal experiments that have been practices at the Champalimaud Foundation for years.
Champalimaud Foundation's partner in this outrageous enterprise is the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. As a result of such an enterprise, you must understand that you will be agreeing and planning to make millions of euros in financial profits by means of intense animal cruelty and murder, absolutely NON-necessary for research and learning purposes.
This is perfectly CLEAR to us all.
We, citizens of the world, simply do NOT agree to that. This is simply NOT the way should be investing taxpayers' money. Portugal is giving a worldwide demonstration of underdevelopment and bad scientific pratices, a testimony to the world of GREED and of its delay in joining you fellow european countries standards.
We are in touch with many fellow portuguese citizens who simply do NOT want this to go on. Be sure we will answer to you by means of tourism boycott and a large international campaign against Portugal worldwide, by every means at our disposal.
Your are know a shame to the vast majority of your citizens, as you seem to understand you can use the public money to subside such unnecessary cruelty, as you have already been doing in relation to bullfights. You CANNOT.
Now you have stepped a little too far, by internationally declaring you bad criteria for scientific research, based ONLY of the financial purposes of a few. Is it very awkward for Lisbon University to support this greedy business, and this will only contribute to the downlevelling of that institution to third world standards.
Consequences will follow if you insist on your choice. Mostly to your deputies, who will find the proper reaction on next elections' results. Your citizens have joined the international community and are awaking and having information about what are your true interests on these practices.
Hope you will take a little time to consider these words,
by clicking on this picture and then on your country, you'll get a list with names and email addresses of your MEPs at the European Parliament where you can voice your opinion!
Mijn eerste bezoek aan Griekenland is enige jaren geleden. Ik was erg onder de indruk van de schoonheid van Griekenland, de zee, de dorpjes enz. Wat dit overschaduwde was het grote dierenleed dat ik tegenkwam, werkelijk overal, op elke hoek, in elke straat, op het strand; broodmagere honden aan de ketting, of zwervend over straat, bedelend om eten en drinken en om aandacht.
En katten…onvoorstelbaar grote aantallen katten en kittens, velen doodziek, wanhopig op zoek naar eten en beschutting. Katten met nestjes, en alweer zwanger van de volgende worp. Overleden dieren. Enz enz.
Er zaten tijdens mijn eerste verblijf op Samos, vier kleine kittens bij ons appartement, een moeder hadden ze niet meer. Eén met een grote wond bovenop het kopje. In het begin erg bang en schuw, maar heel langzaamaan kregen zij meer vertrouwen. Eén kroop de laatste dag zelfs op schoot. Het einde van de reis kwam in zicht, we wisten ons geen raad wat te doen, want van het bestaan van een dierenorganisatie op het eiland wisten we nog niet. Ik zal nooit vergeten hoe we deze kittentjes alleen moesten achterlaten, wetende dat ze het niet zouden redden. Ze liepen ons de hele weg nog na. Er volgden nog velen, al deze dieren zal ik niet vergeten. Voor hen en al hun Griekse soortgenootjes, heb ik deze Stichting opgericht: zij hebben onze hulp nodig!
Alle schepselen op aarde voelen als wij, Alle schepselen streven naar geluk als wij. Alle schepselen op aarde hebben lief, lijden en sterven als wij, en zo zijn zij aan ons gelijk gestelde werken van de Almachtige Schepper, onze broeders. Franciscus van Assisi (1182–1226)
This… is Tihomir. He was dumped at the railway crossing a few kilometers from our shelter. Nadia and Svetlio found him when they went to grab a bite at the nearest village.
Tihimir is probably a Bulgarian shepherd dog and he is surely not a dog that has lived on the street. He was tied somewhere to rot, there was even a rope hanging from his weak neck.
He got the name Tihomir (peace and quiet), because he is so amazingly quiet and calm.
Tihomir loooks frightening, but his condition is not one to die from if roperly treated. He has demodecosis and has beens starved.
Tiho will receive all necessary medications and help in the Bogrov clinic. To help him and the many other dogs at the clinic – DONATE for them.
DIERENVRIENDEN, Voor de dieren in de opvang doen we alles, energie, tijd, liefde en geld is voor hun...echter met dit laatste redden we het niet en hebben we dringend hulp nodig! Wilt U ons hier in steunen, het kleinste bedrag is WELKOM !
Indien u een bedrag aan onze stichting wil schenken mag u dat doen op volgend rekeningnummer. Het geld wordt integraal besteed aan de dieren en hun verzorging, onderkomen en voeding.
Stichting/VZW The Animal Orphanage
Registratienummer Kamer van Koophandel: 41068459
Nederland :
ING 5270919 IBAN NL53INGB0005270919 BIC INGBNL2A
t.n.v. A.M.M. Booms
Someren, Nederland.
voor een Minibetaling (€ 1,30) kan je onderstaande link klikken. Help ons HELPEN !!!
Ik ben Leny, en gebruik soms ook wel de schuilnaam De Bosheks.
Ik ben een vrouw en woon in Planeet Aarde (Heelal) en mijn beroep is Medisch Entomoloog.
Ik ben geboren op 22/05/0000 en ben nu dus 2013 jaar jong.
Mijn hobby's zijn: Flora en Fauna, Muziek,Kunst,Humor,Boeken,PC,Paarden/Mensport,Films,enz..
Op deze planeet zijn we allemaal gemaakt uit hetzelfde genetische materiaal,dwz.dat alles wat leeft,eigenlijk onze broeders en zusters zijn!Zoals St.Franciscus ook de dieren aansprak met broeder wolf,zuster vogel en zuster bloem.HOU VAN ALLES WAT LEEFT!!!