Author: Cassie Bodin-Duval

Hunts to kill polar bears, giraffes and African elephants promoted by cruel industry despite 89% of the public opposing trophy hunting

Humane Society International / Europe

Wildlife trophies
Ton Koene/Alamy

MADRID—Humane Society International/Europe found that at least 54 outfitters at one of EU’s largest hunting fairs, Cinegética, were selling trophy hunts for internationally protected species.

Trophy hunters and industry gathered at the fair in Madrid to congratulate each other and brag about another year of conquests, including the trophy hunting of threatened and endangered species like addax, rhinoceros and leopards, and to increase sales for the deaths of hundreds of additional animals for entertainment. From March 23 through 26, foreign and domestic outfitters promoted special deals and luxury vacations to kill some of our world’s most important and imperiled wildlife; flouting the global biodiversity crisis to which direct exploitation of organisms, such as poorly managed trophy hunting, is the second largest contributor.

The species whose lives were offered up for sale include polar bears, lions, African elephants and leopards wrapped up in special holiday packages offered at relatively low prices, like 900 euros for a giraffe and 4,500 euros for a hunt to kill a female lion—including international flights and 7-day accommodations. Other emblematic species like elephants or rhinos were assigned heftier price tags given their rarity and high demand—as much as 24,500 euros and 60,000 euros respectively.

Special packs were on offer with additional animals, such as jackals or warthogs, included for free as extra perks or to serve as bait for hunting larger carnivores. Numerous trophies from different species like giraffe, African lion, brown/black bear and also polar bear were on display to drive demand for these rare and iconic species and to celebrate the hunters at the forefront of this destructive industry.

The event also served as the backdrop for the signing of the first transatlantic agreement between Safari Club International and Cinegética to further advance the trophy hunting industry’s objectives. This newly founded “largest alliance to promote hunters’ way of life,” and the claim “first for hunters” shows their intention to remove or block any obstacles to hunting activity, including much needed legal and regulatory protections for threatened and endangered wildlife.

In addition to sales and promotions, the Cinegética also served as an awards show for best foreign hunting trophies. Gold, silver and bronze medals were awarded to hunters for “achievements” in killing animals in Africa, America, Asia and Europe. Victims of the winners included CITES-listed species, like cougar and black bear.

An award was also handed out in a special category for trophies hunted with bow and arrow—a practice that is strongly criticised. Studies show that its use may result in a 50% wounding rate (animals injured, but not killed), suggesting that this method is far from being a clean kill and inflicts tremendous suffering to the target animal1. There was also one special award “Premio Nikon” sponsored and owned by camera and lens manufacturer Nikon, to the overall best trophy, a blue sheep (Pseudois nayaur), of which Spain is the biggest importer in the EU.

Dr. Joanna Swabe, senior director of public affairs for Humane Society International/Europe, said: “It is shocking to see that Cinegética is giving a promotional platform to the trophy hunting industry and dedicating large parts of the fair to the senseless slaughter of endangered wildlife. Immediate action must be taken to halt the promotion of trophy hunting at this fair”.

The vast majority (89%) of Spanish citizens clearly oppose the trophy hunting of internationally protected species. Overall, 84% support legislative change to ban the import of hunting trophies from threatened and endangered species to Spain.

Background:

  • Spain is the second largest importer, after Germany, of hunting trophies from mammal species listed under CITES. Between 2014 and 2020, Spain imported at least 3,208 hunting trophies from 56 different CITES-listed mammal species. The top five imported species were Hartmann’s mountain zebra (267), chacma baboon (256), lion (255), African elephant (220) and Siberian ibex (197). Spain also imported species that are classified as extinct in the wild by the IUCN, like Scimitar oryx and Arabian oryx. Furthermore, eight polar bears, one black rhinoceros, which is classified as Critically Endangered, and one tiger were imported as trophies from hunts. The numbers of imported species to Spain show that there is a steady increase during this time span of more than 50%, from 367 imported trophies in 2014 to 552 in 2020.
  • Other European countries, such as the Netherlands, Belgium, France and the UK, have banned or are in the process of banning the imports of hunting trophies of endangered and threatened species.
  • In Spain, the Parliamentary Association for the Defense of Animal Rights held an event last year for International Wildlife Day where international experts explained the risks and dangers that trophy hunting has for endangered and threatened species. At the event, the Associations’ MP presented a Parliamentary initiative calling for a ban on hunting trophy imports of species listed in Annex A and seven species from Annex B (polar bear, African elephant, African lion, argali, hippopotamus, white rhino and the giraffe) of the EU Wildlife Trade Regulations.

Note to editor:

[1] Ditchkoff, S., Welch, E., Lochmiller, R. L., Masters, R. E., Starry, W. R., Dinkines, & Lincoln, R. (1998). Wounding Rates of White-tailed Deer with Traditional Archery Equipment. Proceedings of the Annual Conference of the Southeast Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies 52, 244–248.

ENDS

Media contact: Adeline Fischer, senior communications manager for HSI/Europe: afischer@hsi.org; +49 17631063219

One year on from a unanimous parliamentary resolution, what is next for Belgium?

Humane Society International / Europe

Lion rug
coldsnowstorm/istock

BRUSSELS—One year ago to the day, the Belgian Federal Parliament unanimously passed a resolution demanding that the government immediately halt the authorisation of hunting trophy import permits for certain threatened and endangered species. The vote was the culmination of an extensive process of debate over a full legislative bill that included readings, a hearing with experts, and lengthy discussions among MPs in Parliament.

The resounding political support for the resolution was welcomed by conservationists and animal protection NGOs and is also supported by wider public opinion in Belgium. According to the results of a survey by Ipsos, commissioned by Humane Society International/Europe, 91% of Belgians oppose trophy hunting and 88% support a prohibition on importing any kind of hunting trophy at all. Shortly before the vote last year, Animal Rights Belgium delivered a petition with 37,000 signatures supporting the ban to the Federal Environment Minister, Zakia Khattabi.

The resolution specifically calls for trophy import prohibitions for species listed in Annex A of the EU’s regulation on trade in plants and animals, including rhinoceros, African elephant, lion, polar bear and argali sheep, as well as certain animal species listed in Annex B of the same regulation. This resolution follows the example of the Netherlands, which banned the import of trophies of over 200 species in 2016, and France, which instituted a Ministerial decree to halt authorising trophy import permits for lions in 2015.

Reacting to the one-year anniversary, , co-author of the legislative report and sponsor of the resolution, Kris Verduyckt (Vooruit, Flemish Socialists) said: “Our country is a real hub when it comes to imports of hunting trophies of endangered species. That is why the Parliament unanimously voted in favour of a ban, back in March 2022. Now, the ball is in Minister Khattabi’s court. She promised to work towards this ban, and last week, she reiterated that commitment. The draft bill is ready to be discussed in the Federal Council of Ministers.”

Ruud Tombrock, executive director of HSI/Europe, adds: “Trophy hunting is a known factor in driving species to extinction. Trophy hunters prefer to kill the largest, strongest animals, whose loss contributes to social disruption and declines in animal populations. The Belgian resolution is a clear statement that killing cannot be conservation. We call on the Minister to implement the resolution now.”

It is unclear whether the ministry, against the stated will of the Parliament, has continued to approve permits for the import of hunting trophies from imperilled species since March 2022. Joffrey Legon, ‘Ban hunting’ campaign coordinator at Animal Rights Belgium, says: “We hope this is not the case, as having prohibited the import of these hunting trophies would have saved countless lives. We NGOs are asking the ministry (for an appointment) to clarify future plans on the subject and (to) offer our assistance if needed.”

Belgium is the 13th largest hunting trophy importer of internationally protected species Europewide, ranking immediately after Italy. Other European countries are in the process of instituting bans—Finland has already passed a similar law that will come into force this summer and last week the UK’s House of Commons approved a Bill to ban hunting trophy imports.

Further delay in implementing the Belgian resolution will set back the fight to protect our world’s most imperilled species from this wholly avoidable form of direct exploitation.

Media contacts

Captive-bred lion hunts for sale against convention rules; potential violations of state law; hundreds of hunts targeting rhinos, leopards, elephants; practices that violate hunting ethics; custom products made from skin and claws

Humane Society International / Europe

HSUS

BRUSSELS—A shocking undercover investigation released by the Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society International exposed the hypocrisy that the trophy hunting industry uses to promote the killing of imperiled species. The Safari Club International convention in Nashville, Tennessee Feb. 22 through 25, hosted over 850 exhibitors from more than 140 countries peddling trophy hunts and products made from animal skins and claws. The event brought in about $6 million in revenue for SCI to further its lobbying efforts to roll back laws and regulations that protect vulnerable species from trophy hunting, including the US Endangered Species Act protections.

Trophy hunts were offered in at least 65 countries with the majority in South Africa, Canada, Namibia, Zimbabwe and New Zealand. Almost 100 outfitters offered elephant hunts, at least 115 offered leopard hunts, 98 offered lion and giraffe hunts, 89 offered hippo hunts, and 39 offered rhino hunts. On exhibitors’ websites, critically endangered animals, like the forest elephant and the black rhino, were also available to hunt, as well as captive animals such as scimitar oryx, a species classified as extinct in the wild and bred almost exclusively for trophy hunting.

The investigation revealed hunting trips sold from $2,500 to $143,000 with menus so hunters could “add-on” animals in addition to their primary targets. Most African carnivore hunts were advertised to include baiting—a practice that uses carcasses of other animals, like impala and zebras, or other items to lure the target species, which violates fair chase ethics and causes conservation issues by drawing out animals from protected areas into hunting zones.

Among the most revealing investigation findings is a recorded conversation with an exhibitor who encouraged the investigator to schedule a white rhino hunt before it is too late as the species is on the brink of extinction. They stated: “The one that’s gonna be closed down the soonest to import to the United States because of the numbers going down is the rhino… and if you want something Africa[n], you have to get the rhino as soon as possible.”

Outfitters were also vocal about “bending the rules” and broke policies to make a sale. One vendor violated the convention’s own policy against promoting captive lion hunts—a cruel, senseless practice condemned by the South African and U.S. governments and many others. He told the investigator, “You can hunt…captive bred lions in South Africa, cause this way you’re not impacting the wild lions…but they…catch their own animals; they’re as wild as can be.” Another told the HSUS/HSI investigator, “…we’ve got hunters that really can’t walk at all…we do bend our own rules a little and we shoot them from the truck…we don’t have a problem with it.” Hunting from a vehicle is illegal in many places because it violates fair chase ethics and invites numerous safety hazards.

Kitty Block, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, said: “Despite the public’s growing disdain for trophy hunting, Safari Club International’s convention celebrates the senseless killing of animals, putting their deaths up for sale around the world, all to be turned into nothing more than trinkets and stuffed trophies. Make no mistake: This is an industry that threatens our most imperiled and ecologically important wildlife. As one of the world’s largest consumers of hunting trophies of imperiled species, the United States government has the responsibility to end hunting trophy imports.”

Dr Joanna Swabe, senior director of public affairs for Humane Society International/Europe, said: “What our colleagues saw and heard at the US convention are not isolated incidents—similar things have also been reported to happen at European hunting fairs. Regrettably, the EU is the second largest importer of trophies from internationally protected species. The European Commission needs to take immediate action to ban hunting trophy imports in line with a precautionary approach to species’ protection. Recent public opinion polls and our various submissions to Commission stakeholder consultations highlight not only the urgent welfare, conservation and biological need for action on hunting trophy imports, but also the general public’s desire to see an end to this egotistical exploitation of endangered and threatened wild animals.”

Jeff Flocken, president of Humane Society International, said: “Iconic species like elephants, rhinos and leopards play critical roles in their respective ecosystems, with many other species dependent on the delicate balance they provide. Sadly, these same animals are also highly coveted by trophy hunters. And as they often target the largest individuals of a species, they weaken the gene pool and can even cause collapses of small populations. In the midst of this biodiversity crisis in which over one million species face extinction, the global community must strive to protect wild animals by eschewing cruel practices like trophy hunting.”

Podcast interview with the undercover investigator

Photos/video for download

Investigation report

Blog 

Additional information:

  • The EU is the second-largest importer of animal trophies in the world, according to HSI/Europe’s report Trophy Hunting by the Numbers. Between 2016 and 2018, the EU was the largest importer of lion trophies globally. Trophies from at least 15,000 internationally protected mammals from 73 CITES-listed species were legally imported to the EU between 2014 and 2018, with a nearly 40% increase in trophy imports to the EU during this period.
  • As outlined in a recent report calling for a revision of the trophy hunting regime in the European Union, there is a long history of a lack of proper regulation and oversight when it comes to trade in hunting trophies. Even where trophy hunting is legal and follows management guidelines, there is evidence of population declines, indirect negative effects on populations, biologically unsustainable quotas, offtake of restricted individuals like breeding females and cubs, poor population estimates and monitoring, quotas assigned at the incorrect spatial scale, significant animal welfare concerns and a lack of transparency in data and policy and management decisions. A comprehensive ban on the import of hunting trophies of regulated species is a necessary precautionary approach to protect imperiled species.

ENDS

Media contact: Adeline Fischer, senior communications manager for HSI/Europe: afischer@hsi.org; +49 17631063219

The award invites individuals above the age of 18 who promote a plant-based lifestyle in their individual capacity.

Humane Society International / India

HSI

India—Humane Society International/India, a leading animal protection organization, has launched and now invites nominations for the Swarnali Roy Award for Vegan Advocacy to acknowledge the valuable work of vegan advocates in the country. The award recognizes individuals whose plant-based advocacy contributes significantly to the animal protection movement in India.

The award honors the late Ms. Swarnali Roy, an employee of the organization who led the plant-based outreach program in India until her death in 2021. Roy’s work in building a strong foundation for plant-based campaigns in India paved the way for reducing cruelty in intensive animal agriculture systems.

Alokparna Sengupta, managing director of HSI/India, said: “Swarnali was a passionate advocate for animals. Under her mentorship, the animal protection movement welcomed many young individuals who continue to work on advocating for a plant-based future. So, we thought it only right to honor her memory by supporting the work of the rising generation of advocates. This award will showcase the remarkable work of people in promoting veganism and the plant-based movement in India.”

HSI/India will announce the first set of awards on April 5th, Roy’s birthday, starting in 2023 and every year thereafter. Nominations are invited from residents of India who are above 18 and promote a vegan or plant – based lifestyle in their city, state or across the country. The award will be given at three ranks. The first-place awardee will receive INR 50,000), the second will receive INR 30,000 and the third will receive INR 20,000. The evaluation and selection of winners will be enabled by a five-panel jury consisting of vegan enthusiasts, leaders and advocates including Abhay Rangan, Founder of One Good, Palak Mehta, Founder of Vegan First, Nikunj Sharma, CEO, Mercy for Animals India Foundation and Parag Agarwal, Founder, Indian Animal Fund in addition to an HSI India representative.

To nominate someone you know or yourself who meets the eligibility requirements, you can fill out the form available here by March 25, 2023 on HSI’s website hsi.org.  Award Rules, including eligibility requirements, are set out below.

Rules:

Nominees must be legal residents of the Republic of India who are 18 years or older as of March 25, 2003.   All nominations must be received by 11:59 pm (IST) on March 25, 2003.  Incorrect, untrue or incomplete nominations are void.  Employees of Humane Society International (HSI) and affiliates and jury members, and members of their households, whether or not related, and immediate family members (spouses, parents, siblings, children and each of their respective spouses) are not eligible.  In connection with the award nomination process, HSI and affiliates will collect personal data about nominees and those nominating them in accordance with its privacy policy. By participating in the nomination process you hereby agree to HSI collection and usage of the personal information submitted and acknowledged that you have read HSI’s privacy policy.  Except to the extent prohibited by law, participation in the nomination process and/or acceptance of an award constitutes consent to HSI and affiliates use of name, photograph likeness, statements, biographical information and nomination application for advocacy and promotional purposes in any and all media, now or hereafter devised, worldwide in perpetuity, without any payment or consideration, or further notification or permission.  Awardees will be determined by a five-panel jury based on five selection criteria focused on motivation, self-development and impact, with the three nominees with the highest cumulative scores being awarded the first (INR 50,000), second (INR 30,000) and third place (INR 20,000) awards, respectively.  Awardees will be contacted by Hsiindiamailbox@hsi.org on or about 4th April.  If HSI/India is unable to contact an awardee with three (3) calendar days of the first notification attempt, that awardee will forfeit the award and the award will go to the nominee with the next highest cumulative score.  Award prizes are subject to income tax withholdings.

Dame Joanna Lumley leads celebrities, MPs and Peers in sending giant Mother’s Day card to Defra calling on them to facilitate ‘The Crate Escape’ for mother pigs

Humane Society International / United Kingdom

Compassion in World Farming. The Crate Escape event. The Houses of Parliament, London. © Nacho Rivera

LONDON—New polling data shows that less than one in five people in Britain (19.8%) support the use of pig farrowing crates. Yet, every year on UK farms, over 200,000 mother pigs are confined for up to five weeks at a time in small cages in which they can’t even turn around.

Today, The Crate Escape campaign led by Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation, Humane Society International/UK and Compassion in World Farming held a Parliamentary reception hosted by Mark Francois MP calling on the UK Government to ban farrowing crates and support farmers to transition away from their use. The reception, which was attended by cross-party MPs and Peers, raised awareness of the suffering sows endure when they are forced to spend almost a quarter of their lives in cages so small, they cannot even turn around.

A giant Mother’s Day card signed by dozens of MPs, Peers and celebrities, including Dame Joanna Lumley, was delivered to Defra after the reception. The card asks Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey to ‘please give pigs a happier Mother’s Day’ and urges her to deliver on the Government’s 2021 commitment to launch a consultation for a farrowing crate ban.

The reception coincided with the publication of a new Survation poll [1], carried out in March 2023, which also found that two-thirds of those polled would support the Government providing financial support to farmers to move to free-farrowing methods. Only 15.5% would presently oppose a ban on farrowing crates.

Speaking at the reception, Anna Firth, Conservative MP for Southend West, said: “Pig farrowing is one of the most inhumane, restrictive farming systems still in existence in the UK and the European Union. Pig farrowing crates have to go. […] I’m proud of the fact that this Government has introduced the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway, which amongst many things, pledges to explore reforming our use of pig farrowing crates. So we have a Government that’s committed to a future where this system is no longer necessary, which I commend, but what that means is that we must hold their feet to the fire, we must, all of us, urge this Government to continue putting pressure to make sure that this aim becomes a reality.”

Speaking at the reception, Shadow Defra Spokesperson Baroness Sue Hayman said: “These are mothers. I’m sure I’m not the only mother in the room, how would we feel if it was the practice to put us in a cage […] it’s an absolute outrage, there isn’t any other way of putting it. […] The Government has talked about [banning farrowing crates] so it is time that the UK caught up and actually started the process to make banning an actuality.”

Claire Bass, senior director of campaigns and public affairs at Humane Society International/UK, commented: “Pigs are intelligent and sensitive animals, and the torment they suffer while confined in tiny cages for weeks on end is heartbreaking. Our polling shows that the majority of Brits, over 60%, had not even heard of farrowing crates despite their widespread use. That’s a worrying indication of how disconnected consumers are from the grim reality for animals suffering on factory farms. If we’re truly a nation of animal lovers then we can and must do better than this, mothers should not be kept in cages.”

Lorraine Platt, co-founder of Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation, commented: “We were delighted to see Parliamentarians, NGOs, charities and campaigners come together as one voice in Parliament to call for an end to the use of farrowing crates in the UK. The Crate Escape reception was a clear display of the strong public and political will to end the suffering 60% of our national pig herd endure every year.

We would like to thank our host Mark Francois MP, as well as our other speakers including Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation Head of Research Dr Steve McCulloch, Shadow Defra Spokesperson Baroness Hayman, and our Patron Anna Firth MP. The Crate Escape will continue to support the Government’s aim for farrowing crates to longer be necessary, and we look forward to seeing this objective become a reality.”

James West, senior policy manager at Compassion in World Farming, commented: “Around 200,000 sows are confined in crates in the UK each year. Stuck in pens so narrow that they can barely move, mother pigs are forced to feed their piglets through bars. The use of these cruel cages causes unimaginable suffering.

The UK Government has promised to review the use of cages in British farming, and recent polling shows that the British public want a ban, with less than one in five people supporting the use of farrowing crates. It’s time for the Government to listen to public opinion and take the next step to facilitating The Crate Escape by finally publishing the long-awaited consultation.”

ENDS

Notes to editor

  1. Polling carried out by Survation via online panel, with 1,074 total respondents, on 2nd-3rd March 2023. Results released on 16th March 2023.

HSI/Africa and ProVeg South Africa launch ‘My Plant-Based City’ map to finding veg-friendly restaurants in the Mother City.

Humane Society International / Africa

Leozette Roode/HSI

CAPE TOWN—Considering that South Africa is one of the highest per capita meat-consuming countries in Africa, one might be surprised to discover that there are 14 fully vegan restaurants in Cape Town alone. Humane Society International/Africa and ProVeg South Africa have partnered to create a My Plant-Based City map of Cape Town to highlight these restaurants, as well as 16 other vegan-friendly eateries offering great plant-based options.

More and more South African consumers are looking for healthier, more environmentally friendly, and ethical food options. This has led to an increase in veg-friendly restaurants serving everything from burgers and brownies to fine-dining dishes. A decade ago, it would have been almost impossible to find a vegan-friendly menu in South Africa, but today there are countless eateries offering a selection of plant-based meals. Offerings cater to everyone, from those looking for healthy poke bowls featuring fresh whole foods, to others craving plant-based versions of fast-food favourites like cheeseburgers. Advances in food technology have meant that plant-based meat and dairy alternatives are now able to successfully mimic the taste and texture of animal products they replace.

Leozette Roode, meat-reduction specialist for HSI/Africa, says: “The guide is an ideal tool to help Capetonians explore the diversity of the city’s incredible plant-based food options. These options are not only offered to die-hard vegans but also consumers who want to eat more plant-based, like on a Green Monday, and who have other dietary, cultural or religious needs. Today it is easier than ever to feast on foods that are healthier and less harmful to the planet and to animals, without having to sacrifice on taste!

HSI/Africa advocates for a reduction in the number of animals raised for food by changing consumer eating habits to reduce the amount of meat, dairy, eggs and fish they eat. Through its Green Monday SA campaign, HSI/Africa assists institutions, private and public businesses and food service providers in increasing plant-based offerings by conducting culinary training with chefs. The My Plant-Based City maps form part of HSI/Africa’s Green Monday SA campaign as a fun, affordable and tasty way to bring about positive change.

The list of eateries featured on the map is based on recommendations from renowned local blogger and vegan influencer, Garth Tavares, better known as the Cape Town Vegan. The list highlights some of the most novel vegan offerings including “meaty” options like Infinite Foods’ ultimate burger, seitan burgers and subs from The Fussy Vegan, and chicken-style kebabs from The Vegan Butchery. For those with a sweet tooth, some highlights include ice-cream and waffles from Ditto, donuts from Grumpy & Runt, We Cafe’s gluten-free chocolate brownies and baked goods and coffee from Okja Café. Health-enthusiasts also have a variety to choose from including a tempura cauliflower bowl from Wild Eatery and Sunshine Food Co’s sprouted charcoal burger with chickpea dahl. You can even have a crackable plant-based egg from Vegan Street Food or sushi from Plushi.

The My Plant-based City Map also lists the top five most plant-based friendly national food chains according to ProVeg South Africa’s 2022 Plant-Based Friendly Fast Food Franchise Ranking. According to Donovan Will, co-creator of the maps and Country Director of ProVeg South Africa, taste and availability remain two of the biggest barriers to consumers who are considering eating more plant-based food, and fast food chains play a big role in removing these barriers.

“We know that many South Africans eat fast food, and we know that fast food chains generally don’t sacrifice on taste, so having chains with hundreds of branches across the country offering plant-based options clearly plays a big part in making these options more available, and getting consumers to try them.”

ProVeg South Africa is the local chapter of ProVeg International, a global food awareness organisation working to transition the food system from one primarily centered on animal agriculture to one based on plant-based and cellular agriculture. The maps and the fast food ranking form part of their ongoing efforts to promote plant-based food in South Africa, which includes the licensing of Europe’s largest vegan accreditation, V-Label, hosting events like the annual Plant-based Heritage Day Braai, and working to influence government food policies.

Printed versions of the map will be distributed across Cape Town at the participating restaurants as well as various information points. South Africans can also download the map and access all the locations of all the restaurants via the www.myplantbasedcity.co.za website.

Photos of the dishes can be downloaded here.

ENDS

Media contacts:

  • HSI/Africa media specialist: Leozette Roode; e: LRoode@hsi.org; t: +27 713601104
  • ProVeg South Africa communications manager: Arleen Nel, e: nel@proveg.com; t: +27 72 649 2346

State-of-the-art curriculum aims to build confidence, capacity, and global use of non-animal science in safety decision-making

Humane Society International

NiDerLander/iStock.com

BRUSSELS—A first-of-its-kind Master Class in Animal-Free Cosmetic Safety Assessment has been launched by the Animal-Free Safety Assessment Collaboration (AFSA), a global coalition of corporate, non-profit, and data science leaders working to advance acceptance and use of animal-free safety science as a gold standard across regulatory frameworks worldwide. Release of the AFSA Master Class comes on the 10-year anniversary of the European Union bans on cosmetics animal testing and trade, and amid growing debate regarding the value of animal-free approaches in safety decision-making.

Dr Catherine Willett, principal coordinator of the AFSA Master Class and senior director of science and regulatory affairs at Humane Society International, said: “The ability to perform animal-free risk assessment for a wide range of consumer products and their ingredients is at our doorstep, yet there remain some significant barriers to acceptance and wide implementation of these approaches. We hope our AFSA Master Class will contribute to greater understanding, acceptance, and global capacity to implement animal-free approaches as the basis for regulatory safety decisions.”

The AFSA Master Class is a free, in-depth, e-learning course designed to support safety assessors and regulators, compliance specialists, SMEs, CROs, NGOs, and other interested stakeholders develop a greater understanding of contemporary non-animal predictive approaches, and increase their confidence in their use to inform regulatory decisions, support safe and sustainable products by design, and aid compliance with mandates restricting animal testing. The course content is based on established scientific principles of “next-generation risk assessment,” an exposure-led, hypothesis-driven risk assessment approach that integrates existing knowledge with in silico, in chemico, and in vitro approaches in a tiered framework to identify situations in which a product or ingredient may be used safely.

Dr Julia H Fentem, Head of Safety & Environmental Assurance Centre (SEAC), Unilever said, “The safety of the cosmetics and personal care products that consumers use and trust every day is of the utmost importance. Our unique AFSA Master Class program is focused on the safety assessment of cosmetic products and ingredients without generating new animal data, and covers all aspects of using non-animal tools and data for internal company decisions-making as well as regulatory safety assessments.”

Troy Seidle, VP research & toxicology at Humane Society International said: “With significant proposed changes to EU regulations under the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability, a rigid focus on hazard, and some stakeholders’ lack of confidence in non-animal approaches, our AFSA Master Class comes at an opportune time. Our hope is that, through this program, we can build a future where animal-free methods are the cornerstone of a more effective, efficient, and ethical regulatory safety paradigm for cosmetics and chemicals.”

AFSA partner L’Oréal said, “We believe that scientific and regulatory advancements of non-animal testing methods is only possible through multidisciplinary cooperation. Raising awareness on better science is a fundamental step in reaching beauty without animal testing. Our AFSA Master Class is providing state-of-the art scientific content on the safety assessment of cosmetic products and ingredients, encompassing a large spectrum of predictive approaches in decision making.’’

The AFSA Master Class is available online at AFSAcollaboration.org/MasterClass and is being released in three phases in March, May, and July 2023.

ENDS

Media contacts:

Notes to editor:

  • The AFSA Master Class consists of 10 modules corresponding to discrete steps in the risk assessment process (problem formulation, consumer exposure, predictive chemistry, exposure-based waiving, history of safe use, in vitro assay synthesis, internal exposure, and integration into risk assessment), together with overview modules on the NGRA framework and the global regulatory environment for cosmetics.
  • The course content is based on the principles of next-generation risk assessment and was built by more than 50 experts from AFSA Collaboration members Avon Products Inc., Crème Global, Delphic HSE, Firmenich, Givaudan, Humane Society International, IFF, Institute for In Vitro Sciences, Lhasa Ltd., L’Oréal, Lush, Procter & Gamble, Symrise, and Unilever.
  • The EU was hailed as the world’s largest cruelty-free beauty market in 2013 when the final phase of its step-wise bans on cosmetics animal testing and sales entered into force. However, since 2020, the European Chemicals Agency has begun requesting new animal tests for cosmetic ingredients under the EU chemicals legislation “REACH” in spite of the ban under the cosmetic products regulation.

Farmer Mr Yang will grow cabbages and crops instead

Humane Society International

Sangkyung Lee, Dog Meat campaign manager of HSI/Korea, rescues a dog at a dog meat farm in Asan, South Korea, on March 7, 2023. Jean Chung/For HSI

SEOUL―Seventy-three year old Mr Yang in South Korea’s Chungcheong province has become the latest dog meat farmer in the country to join Humane Society International/Korea’s Models for Change program as part of the charity’s efforts to end the dog meat industry. Through working with HSI/Korea, Mr Yang is leaving dog meat farming behind him and transitioning to growing cabbages and other crops instead. The nearly 200 dogs and puppies on his farm, who were destined for slaughter, will instead be transported to the United States and Canada where they will begin their search for adoptive families.

The closure comes at a time of increasing public and political support for ending the dog meat industry. Last year, First lady Kim Keon-hee openly called for a ban, and latest opinion surveys show that most South Koreans (85%) don’t eat dog meat and 56% support a ban. In December 2021, the government formed a task force to bring forward recommendations on the issue, but after repeated delays, HSI/Korea is urging the government to begin a phase out program mirroring HSI’s Models for Change.

Mr Yang has farmed dogs for human consumption for 27 years in the city of Asan-si, but now agrees that the best solution for the dog meat industry in South Korea is a phase out, and he wants to leave. His farm, unlike many in the country, is legally registered, but he believes it has no future.

Mr Yang says: “In the early years of the dog meat industry, no-one reported dog meat farms for violations or criticised the industry. But as time has passed, animal groups like HSI/Korea have appeared and the world is changing, so are Korean people. I’m a member of the dog farmers association and I know how the Dog Meat Task Force is going. The compensation and phase-out period are the issues now. But regardless of the Task Force’s recommendation, I was planning to leave the industry in a few years anyway so when I talked with HSI/Korea, I knew it was a good opportunity to leave now. I plan to do cabbage farming after this and share my crops with local people. HSI will rescue the animals, and I will help the people with my cabbages.”

Launched in 2015, Models for Change sees HSI/Korea work cooperatively with farmers like Mr Yang who want to exit the industry, and help them transition to humane, alternative livelihoods.

Sangkyung Lee, HSI/Korea’s End Dog Meat campaign manager, says: “Many of the dogs on this farm are clearly traumatised from their experience in the dog meat industry, and they will need all the love and patience we can give them to start to heal. But farmers like Mr Yang are symbols of change in South Korea, because a new generation of animal lovers like me don’t wish to see this suffering continue. I hope that the government listens, and our Models for Change program is showing there is a desire for change and a way to a new future where dogs are only friends, not food.”

This is the 18th dog meat farm permanently closed by HSI/Korea, resulting in the rescue of more than 2,700 dogs since the program began who have found adoptive families in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and a small number in South Korea.

Mr Yang is glad that the dogs on his farm will now have a chance of a happy future. He said: “While working with HSI/Korea, I was surprised and enlightened by the way the team interacts with the dogs. Even with their clothes covered in dog poop, they kept smiling and talking kindly to the dogs without any displeasure. I was somewhat shocked. I got to know that HSI really values animals much more than me who has handled dogs for nearly 30 years. I feel happy that these dogs will go to a good place and I don’t feel good to see any of them dying. I feel sorry for them.”

Fast facts:

  • An estimated up to 1 million dogs are bred and confined in appalling conditions on thousands of farms across South Korea to be killed for human consumption.
  • The dogs suffer immensely both physically and mentally, spending their entire lives in small, barren, wire cages without proper food, water, stimulation, comfort, shelter or veterinary care. Death is by electrocution.
  • HSI/Korea is the Seoul office of international animal protection charity HSI that campaigns across Asia (China, Indonesia, South Korea, India and Viet Nam) to end the dog meat trade.

Download video and photos of the farm closure and rescueand  of the farm pre-closure

ENDS

Media contact: Wendy Higgins, director of international media ; whiggins@hsi.org

Captive-bred lion hunts for sale against convention rules; potential violations of state law; hundreds of hunts targeting rhinos, leopards, elephants; practices that violate hunting ethics; custom products made from skin and claws

Humane Society International

The HSUS

WASHINGTON—A shocking undercover investigation released today by the Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society International exposed the hypocrisy that the trophy hunting industry uses to promote the killing of imperiled species. The Safari Club International convention in Nashville, Tennessee Feb. 22 through 25, hosted over 850 exhibitors from more than 140 countries peddling trophy hunts and products made from animal skins and claws. The event brought in about $6 million in revenue for SCI to further its lobbying efforts to roll back laws and regulations that protect vulnerable species from trophy hunting, including Endangered Species Act protections.

Trophy hunts were offered in at least 65 countries with the majority in South Africa, Canada, Namibia, Zimbabwe and New Zealand. Almost 100 outfitters offered elephant hunts, at least 115 offered leopard hunts, 98 offered lion and giraffe hunts, 89 offered hippo hunts, and 39 offered rhino hunts. On exhibitors’ websites, critically endangered animals, like the forest elephant and the black rhino, were also available to hunt, as well as captive animals such as scimitar oryx, a species classified as extinct in the wild and bred almost exclusively for trophy hunting.

The investigation revealed hunting trips sold from $2,500 to $143,000 with menus so hunters could “add-on” animals in addition to their primary targets. Most African carnivore hunts were advertised to include baiting—a practice that uses carcasses of other animals, like impala and zebras, or other items to lure the target species, which violates fair chase ethics and causes conservation issues by drawing out animals from protected areas into hunting zones.

Among the most revealing investigation findings is a recorded conversation with an exhibitor who encouraged the investigator to schedule a white rhino hunt before it is too late as the species is on the brink of extinction. They stated: “The one that’s gonna be closed down the soonest to import to the United States because of the numbers going down is the rhino… and if you want something Africa[n], you have to get the rhino as soon as possible.”

Outfitters were also vocal about “bending the rules” and broke policies to make a sale. One vendor violated the convention’s own policy against promoting captive lion hunts—a cruel, senseless practice condemned by the South African and U.S. governments and many others. He told the investigator, “You can hunt…captive bred lions in South Africa, cause this way you’re not impacting the wild lions…but they…catch their own animals; they’re as wild as can be.” Another told the HSUS/HSI investigator, “…we’ve got hunters that really can’t walk at all…we do bend our own rules a little and we shoot them from the truck…we don’t have a problem with it.” Hunting from a vehicle is illegal in many places because it violates fair chase ethics and invites numerous safety hazards.

Kitty Block, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, said: “Despite the public’s growing disdain for trophy hunting, Safari Club International’s convention celebrates the senseless killing of animals, putting their deaths up for sale around the world, all to be turned into nothing more than trinkets and stuffed trophies. Make no mistake: This is an industry that threatens our most imperiled and ecologically important wildlife. As one of the world’s largest consumers of hunting trophies of imperiled species, the United States government has the responsibility to end hunting trophy imports.”

Jeff Flocken, president of Humane Society International, said: “Iconic species like elephants, rhinos and leopards play critical roles in their respective ecosystems, with many other species dependent on the delicate balance they provide. Sadly, these same animals are also highly coveted by trophy hunters. And as they often target the largest individuals of a species, they weaken the gene pool and can even cause collapses of small populations. In the midst of this biodiversity crisis in which over one million species face extinction, the global community must strive to protect wild animals by eschewing cruel practices like trophy hunting.”

Hundreds of luxury items were offered at the convention and for custom order including elephant skin luggage sets ranging from $10,000 to $18,000 and jewelry made from leopard claws. Both African elephants and leopards are listed under the Endangered Species Act. Exhibitors also offered lynx coats for $14,000 and purses made from zebra for $2,350. Multiple vendors displayed or offered for sale items made from imperiled species in potential violation of state law. At one booth, for example, a taxidermy company advertised its services by displaying horns from an endangered black rhino. Tennessee state law prohibits the commercial use of federally endangered species.

Among the hunting trips up for auction were a lion, leopard and plains game hunt in Zambia valued at $143,000; a hunt for a brown/grizzly bear, Dall sheep, moose, black bear and caribou in Alaska valued at $100,000; a white rhino hunt in South Africa valued at $100,000; a canned hunt for a bongo antelope in Texas valued at $41,870; and a polar bear hunt that sold for $100,000.

“Trophy hunting is an archaic and abhorrent practice that we must no longer tolerate,” said Sara Amundson, president of the Humane Society Legislative Fund. “It is unthinkable that endangered and threatened species are killed just to have their parts put out on display. Congress has been urging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to look into its trophy import program for years and this convention is another reminder that the Biden administration must take a hard look at trophies coming into the U.S. so that species are not further pushed to the brink of extinction. We must continue to fight to end this egregious display of blatant disregard for the future of these imperiled species.”

Media Contact: Rodi Rosensweig, 202-809-8711, rrosensweig@humanesociety.org

Humane Society International / Europe

Fox on a fur farm
Oikeutta eläimille

BRUSSELS—An official EU-wide petition, called the Fur Free Europe European Citizens’ Initiative, has closed more than two months ahead of the deadline for signatures after exceeding the number of signers required for the European Commission to respond. More than 1.7 million EU citizens signed the petition calling for an EU-wide ban on cruel fur farming and trade. Following its commitments under the EU Farm to Fork Strategy, the European Commission is currently drafting legislative proposals to update and expand the scope of EU animal welfare legislation. Campaigners argue this is the perfect opportunity to include a ban on the fur trade across the European Union.

Launched on 18 May last year with a target of 1 million signatures within 12 months, the ECI has collected enough signatures in less than 10 months for campaigners to be confident it will exceed the target after signatures are officially validated. More than 80 animal protection organisations from across Europe, including Humane Society International/Europe and other members of the Fur Free Alliance, called on EU citizens to take part if they agree that fur farming is cruel and unnecessary.

Dr Joanna Swabe, HSI/Europe’s senior director of public affairs, says: “EU citizens have made their voice heard loud and clear, they want a full EU-wide ban on cruel fur farming and fur imports. Fur farming is inherently inhumane, so we warn the Commission that any proposal for animal welfare standards for species, such as mink and fox, would be completely unacceptable. More than 1.7 million signatures have been collected in less than 10 months, so now it’s time for the Commission to take decisive action and consign this cruel trade to the annals of history. Confining animals to a miserable life in a cage just for frivolous fur fashion is a practice that belongs to the past. The fur industry has no future in the European Union.”

The complex behavioural needs of wild species, such as American mink, fox, chinchilla and raccoon dog, cannot be met on fur factory farms, and eye and ear infections, deformed feet, repetitive pacing indicative of mental decline, and cannibalism have all been documented on fur farms in Europe. In addition to animal cruelty, fur farming is damaging to the environment due, for example, to the use of toxic chemicals to dress, dye and preserve fur. Fur farms also pose a risk to European biodiversity. American mink is an invasive alien species that has been implicated in the decline of native species, such as the European mink and water vole, and has had a significant impact on breeding success of native birds and on domestic fowl.

Fur farming also poses a serious public health risk. Since April 2020 there have been hundreds of outbreaks of COVID-19 on mink fur farms across Europe, and in October 2022 a fur farm in Spain with 52,000 mink reported an outbreak of avian flu that had likely spread between the animals.

To date, 19 countries across Europe, including Member States the Netherlands, Belgium, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia, Italy, France, Luxembourg, Estonia, Latvia, Malta, Ireland and Austria, have banned the practice of fur farming. Fur farming continues to be allowed in Finland, Poland, Greece, Lithuania, Spain, Romania, Sweden, Denmark and Bulgaria. However, figures show the industry is in decline: in 2014, approximately 43.6 million animals were killed for fur in European countries, a number that had fallen to 30.7 million by 2019 and, as of 2021, has declined further to 12 million animals. More than 1,500 retailers, including Gucci, Adidas, H&M and Zara, have committed to a fur-free future and have joined the Fur Free Retailer scheme.

The next phase of the ECI process is the validation of the signatures by Member States, which will take three months, after which the European Commission must take the ECI into consideration and deliver a response within six months.

Download photos and video of a Finnish fur farm taken in Nov 2021

ENDS

Media contact:  Yavor Gechev, HSI/Europe communications director: ygechev@his.org

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