Thursday 26 July 2012

Stop torture of Elephants in Thailand




No place is safe for elephants in Thailand right now, including sanctuaries and rescue centers. 

The trouble started with tourist centers clamoring for more baby elephants because they draw tourists, and tourists spend money. 

Thailand’s government allegedly complied: officials appear to have underwritten the slaughter of adult elephants living in national parks in order to steal their babies. 

Baby elephants stolen for tourism endure unthinkable suffering. “They are immobilized, beaten mercilessly, and gouged with nails for days at a time. These ritualized “training” sessions leave the elephants badly injured, traumatized, or even dead.” 

The leaders of two respected elephant sanctuaries in Thailand, the Elephant Nature Park and the Wildlife Friends of Thailand, spoke out against the government-sponsored massacre, and in what looks like retaliation, the government raided their facilities, confiscated resident elephants, and threatened to confiscate more.
Source: Care2

Help protect the elephants in Thai sanctuaries and the brave people who care for them and speak out on behalf of wild elephants by sending  a message to Tourism Authority of Thailand  that you will not visit Thailand until the government stops raiding elephant sanctuaries, returns confiscated animals and takes effective action to protect wild elephants.
Tourism Authority of Thailand
1600 New Phetburi Road, Makkasan, Rajatevee,
Bangkok 10310, Thailand
Tel +66 2250 5500
,
Please also contact the Royal Thai Embassy in your country

Please sign petitions


Links










Monday 19 March 2012

Spanish Wolves. Please take action




 
Please read this
http://www.wolvesandhumans.org/pdf-documents/Rough%20Guide%20to%20Wolves%20in%20Western%20Europe%20article.pdf

The Senate passed the Iberian wolf hunting in the territory south of the Duero.
This species, as well as emblematic of our fauna, is in danger of extinction, so that their protection should be kept apart from other interests.
The animal, which in Spain was nearly wiped out in the 1970s, became a protected species in the 1980s. But their survival came at a cost: the sheep and cattle that serve as their food. And this fact has breeders up in arms.
There are another 22,000 sheep and cattle spreads in Castilla y León, representing nearly three million head of stock, according to figures provided by the senator for Ávila, Antolín Sanz, who underscores the importance of this sector for the regional economy.

In Spain, statistics relating to the damage caused by wolves are far from reliable and tend to be based on estimates or extrapolations. In 2010, 709 head of cattle died in Castilla y León, according to regional authorities, who estimated the cost at 202,395 euros. For their part, the unions UPA and COAG raise that figure to 500,000 euros and argue that 2,750 animals were killed by wolves. Neither the numbers nor the interests seem to match.

Read more:



Please sign petition:

Name - Emailaddress - Postal code - Country - Date of Birth (optional) - Comments (optional)

http://www.peticiones.es/peticion/recogida-de-firmas-contra-la-matanza-de-lobos-en-castilla-y-leon/184
Name-Surname-Emailadress-C​hoose a password- City/Country-Comments
Name - Surname - Emailaddress - Postal code and then send (Firma la petición)
Thank you


Manunkind forever
waging war.
on anything moving,
soon there will be
no more.
and in his usual
ignorance,
he will wring his hands
at his own recompense.
Karen Lyons Kalmenson
















Friday 16 March 2012

Wild Tigers Could Disappear by 2022. Please take action


The World Wildlife Fund and other experts say only around 3,200 tigers remain in the wild, and there were 100,000 tigers a century ago. According to experts, tigers could disappear by 2022 — the next Chinese calendar year of the tiger — if no action is taken.



As if habitat loss was not enough, tigers and numerous other species of endangered wildlife also have to contend with POACHING. Regardless of the tigers' classification as a "Critically Endangered" species, the demand for its parts has drastically increased at an alarming rate since the end of the 20th Century.

The tiger is primarily killed to supply underground black markets with its organs, pelts and bones. These items are highly regarded in eastern medicine, claiming to posse's capabilities to heal all sorts of human illnesses and dysfunctions. In addition, this regal and magnificent symbol of nature's beauty and power is hunted recreationally for sport/trophies, perceived fear, and just out-rite ignorance! Unfortunately, poaching is not isolated to any one subspecies or population.

All tigers, no matter were they live, seem to be under attack!

http://tigerhomes.org/animal/poaching.cfm

http://​www.dailymail.co.uk/news/​article-1252500/​Exposed-Dark-secret-farm-ti​gers-bodies-plundered-make​-185-wine.html



Thailand's Tiger Temple Sues Conservationists Over Abuse Allegations

One of the world’s largest populations of tigers exists not in the wild in Asia, but in captivity in the United States.

With an estimated 5,000 tigers,  the U.S. captive tiger population is on par with the captive tiger population of China (estimated to be over 5,000) and far exceeds the approximately 3,200 individuals believed to exist in the wild today. Tigers are being poached in the wild for their bones, skins, and other body parts to feed an escalating demand in Asia, which uses them for fashionable tonics, traditional medicine, meat and ornamental purposes.
Around 95 percent of the U.S. captive tiger population is in private hands,  some regulated by the U.S.  Department of Agriculture (USDA) and others under state regulation but the majority is under virtually no regulation at all. A small number are found in zoos and other facilities accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).






fearless tigris:
 tiger,
 denizen of jungles, deep
 if your species dies,
 the earth shall weep
i am a tiger
 on my land you encroached
 i was born to live in freedom
 not be by man, poached
Painting and poem by Karen Lyons Kalmenson


Tuesday 13 March 2012

The killing of animals is not entertainment. Please send pre-written letter and sign petitions


Danish TV has been broadcasting entertainment programmes in which amateurs shoot animals for fun and then eat them.

In one programme, we follow a Danish female TV host who is the hunter and a Danish actor who is a cook. The programme is called "The wildest meal." The program takes place in Africa.

Among other things, we see her shoot a zebra and then the cook prepares a meal from it.
There are three species of zebras. One of them is critical endangered. As a non-expert, she has no prerequisites for knowing if she has in fact shot an endangered species.
She is a passionate hunter and is explicitly jubilant when she has shot an animal. Please watch the video here. It is in Danish but the pictures speak for themselves.


She claims that she only shoots the animals that she eats. Did she eat an elephant?
She has an elephant's head displayed as a trophy on her wall.
In the living room hangs a giant elephant’s head with its trunk raised on the wall along with trophies of large antelopes, and the coffee table is equipped with real giraffe legs.


In another programme, we follow two complete amateurs, showing a total lack of respect for animals. Once again, one of these shoots an animal while the other prepares a meal out of the animal. The programme is called "Kill and Eat"

Both amateuars seem to be a little drunk and several of the animals have only been wounded as opposed to shot.
At the start of the programme, they select an animal that is to be shot and if they do not manage to hit it, they instead shoot an animal pertaining to a category of animals that they refer to as  "loser" animals. For this purpose, a fox and a marten have suffered – both of which were subsequently eaten

.

 


See more pictures here


In Denmark, there are few predators left and they should not be eradicated in order to please a few Danes.

It is deeply unethical to portray the killing of wildlife “for fun” as entertainment.
If you, like I, think that it is reprehensible to broadcast such programmes, please sign petitions and send Danish letter.

Thank you very much.

Petitions:
Please send Danish letter to

Til rette vedkommende.
Med dette brev håber jeg på at kunne ændre Deres holdning til valg af underholdningsprogrammer.
I to nyere programmer er tilsigtet drab på dyr blevet skildret som underholdning. Det er dybt kritisabelt, at TV gør det acceptabelt at gå rundt og skyde dyr for sjov.
I et program med den forfærdelige og barbariske titel ”Nak og Æd” ser man to amatører udøve deres totale mangel på respekt for vilde dyr. Flere dyr er blevet skamskudt. To rovdyr, en ræv og en mår er blevet skudt og flået for åben skærm, hvorefter kokken har lavet et måltid ud af dem.
Det er dybt forkasteligt og uetisk, at disse amatører kan få lov til at skyde to af Danmarks få rovdyr, og at TV ukritisk – nærmest som en glorificering - skildrer det som underholdning.
I det andet program med titlen ”Det vildeste måltid” ser vi igen to amatører som henholdsvis jæger og kok. Denne gang går det ud over Afrikas dyreliv. Man ser blandt andet en zebra blive skudt og spist.
Jeg vil gøre opmærksom på, at der findes tre arter zebraer, hvoraf den ene er totalt fredet. De ligner hinanden meget, og kun professionelle kan se forskel på disse zebraer.
Da jægeren er amatør, har hun derfor ingen forudsætninger for at vide, om hun rent faktisk har skudt en truet dyreart.
Derudover sætter jeg også spørgsmålstegn ved hendes jagthandlinger. I hendes hjem hænger et elefanthoved som trofæ. Har hun selv skudt denne elefant, er det en kriminel handling, da elefanten er netop en truet dyreart.  
Hvis De gerne vil sende underholdningsudsendelser om dyr og jagt, beder jeg Dem sende nogle naturudsendelser lavet af professionelle. BBC har nogle gode og lærerige programmer, hvor der vises respekt for dyrene, og hvor jagt foregår inden for naturens egne love.
I håb om forståelse og respekt for dyrene takker jeg Dem for, at De ville bruge tid på dette brev.
Med venlig hilsen
Name, Country
****

There once was a world that killed animals for sport
the people gathered around and in great glee did
so badly comport
then one by one all species became endangered and
disappeared
as manunkind decimated each other, soon noone was near:(
~Karen Lyons Kalmenson

**********
 
Reply from DR (Danish TV) regarding their killing-animals-for-fun program "Kill and Eat":
"Thank you for your inquiry.
"Kill & Eat" is a public service television program that fits the reality which hunters and primitive people deals with daily. That there would be a hunting program solely created for entertainment or for fun is in no ways the case.
The two participants in the "Kill & Eat" are experts in their field. One is long-standing hunter with a valid hunting license and possess all the necessary permits. The other is highly trained chef, also with many years experience. That there would be amateurs are therefore also not the case.
We can also assure you that all laws, rules and ethical guidelines are respected to the letter in the programs. We could never dream of using animals in the programs, which in some ways is protected or endangered in the Danish countryside. The two predators you mention, the fox and marten, are allowed to be hunted in Denmark during the period 1 September - 31 January.
 We cannot comment on the considerations behind the program "The Wildest Meal" because this is produced by another company."
**********



Wednesday 29 February 2012

Salborün Festival Kyrgyztan - Captured Wolf vs Trained Hunting Eagle. Please send pre-written letter


This 2 day festival on the northern shore of Lake Issyk Kul in the town of Cholpon-Ata draws the region’s best hunting dogs, eagle hunters, and falcon handlers in all of Kyrgyzstan. Such festivities reflect the Kyrgyz people’s nomadic past.

The final event of the festival is only opened to the most respected Berktuchi and Taigen who must hunt a live wolf. This fierce and sometimes gory battle frequently results in mortal wounds. For the sake of sportsmanship, festival officials attempted to place a bit in the wolf’s mouth to no avail, settling for a heavy chain tethering her to a lead weight.


Within rural communities, Kyrgyz have long raised Taigen and trained Eagles to protect both the lives of their livestock and family. This captured wolf was responsible for killing 68 sheep, 20 cows, and 17 horses. Such an unfathomable number of lost cattle and sheep is enough to impoverish any community.

Chained wolf and golden eagle fight to the death at hunting festival.

Links:
http://theanimal-zone.blogspot.com/2011/05/one-sided-battle-of-bird-and-beast.html

http://scienceblogs.com/tetrapodzoology/2010/12/using_eagles_to_kill_wolves.php?utm_source=combinedfeed&utm_medium=rss







Please find Kyrgyztan's Embassy in your country:


Please send this pre-written letter:
To whom it may concern.
Dear Sir/Madame,
I would like to refer you to the article I read about the 2-day festival in February on the northern shore of Lake Issyk Kul in the town of Cholpon-Ata, which draws the region’s best hunting dogs, eagle hunters, and falcon handlers in all of Kyrgyzstan.
The final event of the festival is only open to the most respected Berktuchi and Taigen who must hunt a live and tethered wolf that is therefore unable to escape or fully defend itself. This fierce and often gory battle frequently results in mortal wounds.
For the sake of ‘sportsmanship’, festival officials attempted to place a bit in the wolf’s mouth to no avail, settling for a heavy chain tethering her to a lead weight.

I know that within rural communities, Kyrgyz have long raised Taigen and trained Eagles to protect both the lives of their livestock and family.
I fully agree that their sheep, cows and horses need protection, but there are other and more humane ways of doing this.
In fact, this cruel and slow killing of a wolf has nothing to do with protection. Rather, it is a long standing tradition within the Kyrgyz culture and reflects their nomadic past.
For them the hunting is a sport. But this is not an excuse to conduct animal abuse.

And not only the lives of the wolves are at stake, but also that of the dogs, the hawks and eagles.
These animals are abused in a most horrific way to glorify the Kyrgyz and for so-called human entertainment.

Such barbaric traditions cannot be tolerated.

Animals are inherently sentient and possess the capacity for thought and emotion, including contentment, loneliness, fear, stress, and agony. All animals, human and non-human,
experience the desire to live free from exploitation and suffering and fear the manifestation of death. Humans have adopted dangerous constructs of speciesism, the prejudicial regard of non-human species, to try to ‘validate’ the brutality inflicted upon them by humans. Using this human-centred and fabricated status of superiority, humans have sanctioned the use of animals as commodities, regarding them only as products to benefit our goals and needs – including that of entertainment.

We embrace inequity to justify our treatment of animals, yet euphemistic descriptions meant to facilitate morality cannot disguise the fundamentally unethical parameters with which we surround ourselves to distinguish our dominance.
As dangerous as racism and sexism, speciesism further divides the chasm between species, which desensitizes us to cruelty and inevitably leads to human inequality and injustice.

Furthermore, it is also important to recognize the potential environmental ramifications of such a species decline; the ecology is a delicate entity whereby all elements work with and amongst each other in symbiotic manners; any one imbalance will cause negative influence throughout all species, plant and animal. It is therefore ecologically necessary that you acknowledge your contribution to this damage and adopt immediate measures discontinuing such. Although you may not consider the wolves as having essential worth, they value their own lives, and your blatant disregard not only has broad consequences outside your borders, it also has potentially criminal repercussions based on established EU protocols; you should be aware that in surrounding areas wolves are protected species.

The hunting and killing of this vulnerable group of beings is unacceptable, and the celebratory nature with which the slaughtered animals are displayed is indicative of only self-serving indulgence.

This reversion to an archaic and cruel tradition is a disgrace for Kyrgyztan.
These noble animals deserve respect and protection of their population!
Please act in a compassionate and empathetic manner and ensure that barbarities like this will end

Thank you for your time and attention.

Yours sincerely,

Your name and Country

Please sign petition:

http://www.change.org/petitions/please-take-action-against-this-horrible-festival-in-kyrgyztan