Author: Cassie Bodin-Duval

HSI/Europe expresses concern about tactics to try to downgrade protections for large carnivores

Humane Society International / Europe

HSI

BRUSSELS—Following a concerted campaign by lobby interests seeking to decrease EU legal protections for large carnivores, the European Parliament has adopted a Resolution on the issue of the protection of livestock farming and large carnivores in Europe at its Plenary session in Strasbourg, proposing significant downgrade to the protection of the latter.

Dr Joanna Swabe, senior director of public affairs for Humane Society International/Europe, says.

“It is deeply depressing that the European Parliament has bowed to the pressure of the animal agriculture and hunting lobby and adopted a Resolution that calls for legal protections for large carnivores, like wolves and bears, to be downgraded. The slight recovery of large carnivore populations does not provide sufficient reason to downgrade legal protections for these species, especially when the EU Habitats Directive includes derogations for management control of species under exceptional circumstances.”

For many months a handful of MEPs, promoting agricultural and hunting interests, have been pushing to get wolves on the political agenda, leading to an internecine struggle between Parliamentary committees on the issue of competence. It has been a fight between those more concerned with protecting human economic interests and those who recognise the importance of preserving native biodiversity. MEPs from groups supporting a balanced joint Motion for a Resolution broke ranks and voted to weaken the text.

HSI/Europe points out that the European Commission has remained steadfast in its position with regard to upholding legal protections for large carnivores and not re-opening the EU Habitats Directive’s Annexes to allow more wolves and bears to be killed. Together with other animal and environmental protection NGOs, HSI/Europe has opposed a Parliamentary Resolution on the issue. Hundreds of wolves are already killed each year in the EU, using the existing exemptions in the Habitats Directive, indicating that there is already considerable flexibility in the implementation of EU legislation. The European Commission has been unequivocal in its position that the EU Habitats Directive is fit for purpose.

Swabe continues:

“The whole Resolution can be regarded as simply an attempt to mollify lobby interest and be seen to do something about wolves. We believe that rather than continually trying to milk this ram, MEPs would be better off accepting that people must learn to coexist with wolves and other large carnivores. They should be rigorously pursuing mitigation strategies to achieve greater coexistence with these animals, who play a vital role in increasing biodiversity, and implementing measures to promptly compensate farmers for their losses when predator attacks sadly do occur. Vilifying wolves and other large carnivores is not helpful; finding better ways to co-exist with them more peaceably is.”

While the current Commission under leadership of Ursula von der Leyen has been consistent in maintaining protections for large carnivores, a new Commission will be installed at the end of 2024. The question is whether a new leadership will maintain the same strong position on protecting biodiversity and the protection of native species, or bow to the pressure of the agricultural lobby.

Facts

  • Wolves are listed in the Annexes of the EU Habitats Directive as either a strictly protected or protected species, depending on the population in question. Hunting permits to kill them can only be granted under exceptional circumstances.
  • The Habitats Directive authorises Member States may use derogations to allow management control provided there is “no satisfactory alternative and the derogation is not harmful to the maintenance of the populations of the species concerned.” These exceptions are meant to stop “serious damage” to livestock and crops, protect the public’s health and safety or for research and education.
  • The Commission recently published a detailed Guidance Document to provide clarification to Member States on how this derogation can be applied.
  • The EU’s LIFE programme has already funded numerous projects to help effectively mitigate human-large carnivore conflicts.
  • State Aid provisions compensate farmers with 100% financial remuneration for losses suffered and costs incurred by predator attacks, but also offer 100% reimbursement for the mitigation measures implemented. The primary issue is that farmers are not always aware of their entitlement to such funds, and Member States are slow in compensating them for their losses.

ENDS

Media contact: Yavor Gechev, Humane Society International/Europe: ygechev@hsi.org; +359889468098

Animal protection charity announces new executive director, as current HSI/UK head Claire Bass steps into a newly created senior position

Humane Society International / United Kingdom

HSI

LONDON—Animal protection organisation Humane Society International/UK has today announced that it has appointed Nick Jones as its new executive director. The move will help HSI to develop and deliver even greater change for animals, both in the UK and around the world.

Jones has a wealth of expertise in charity management and strategic growth, having previously held several senior positions in UK nonprofits including Save the Children and, most recently, as managing director of fundraising, communications and policy at Action for Children. He is also an independent member of the Standards Committee of the Fundraising Regulator of England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

“Too many animals are subjected to cruelty and abuse and I’m inspired by HSI’s work to save lives and improve laws to protect animals,” said Jones. “I am very proud to be joining the HSI team and excited to be part of its mission to end animal suffering in the UK and across the world.”

Claire Bass, who has been executive director of Humane Society International/UK since she joined the organisation in 2014, is stepping into the newly created role of senior director of campaigns and public affairs. Throughout her tenure as executive director, Bass led the organisation to many important victories for animals. In her new position, Bass will continue to increase HSI/UK’s impact, securing more critical campaign successes and furthering legislative animal protection progress.

ENDS

Media contact: Sally Ivens, senior specialist in media and communications for HSI/UK: sivens@hsi.org; (+44) 7590 559299

As the UN climate convention ends, Humane Society International is encouraged by recognition of food system’s contribution to the climate crisis

Humane Society International / Global

HSI team at COP27. HSI.

SHARM EL SHEIKH, Egypt—Humane Society International is encouraged by the long overdue recognition among climate talk negotiators that food systems not only contribute to the ever-worsening climate crisis but can also serve as a key to mitigating it.

For the first time ever, this year’s climate talks held an official day dedicated to negotiations on food and agriculture. Under the banner of the Food4Climate pavilion, HSI co-organized and hosted three side events that brought together government delegates, policymakers, farmers, businesses, climate activists and community leaders to discuss how we can shift our food systems in a way that is better for animals, people and the planet.

Audiences heard about HSI’s successful work in Latin America, as an example of how government procurement and diet change is not only improving climate emissions, but also giving millions of schoolchildren access to healthy, sustainable and plant-rich food. This is a system that has been shown to work and can be scaled around the world to help countries increase their progress toward reaching climate goals.

However, despite the engagement by a record number of organizations bringing scalable mitigation strategies to the event, animal agriculture continued to remain the proverbial “cow in the room”. Official discussions around food systems sidestepped the critical issue of how we can lower emissions through reducing production and consumption of foods from industrial animal production, which is a leading driver of climate emissions that is on par with all transportation in the world combined. The menus at COP 27 themselves offered a range of resource-intensive animal-based foods.

In addition, when emissions from the livestock sector was discussed, there was increased focus on proposed solutions involving low-impact technical measures, such as feed additives, rather than more ambitious and impactful measures such as dietary shifts and global livestock number reductions. HSI is particularly concerned that the meat industry’s disinformation tactic to maintain the status quo by shifting the discussion away from meat and dairy reduction measures threatens the now barely alive 1.5°C target.

President and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States and CEO of Humane Society International, Kitty Block said: “Even after a productive conference, we cannot ignore that world leaders still failed to make and execute ambitious pledges that address one of the biggest anthropogenic greenhouse gas emitters in the world: animal agriculture. As a global community, we need clear policies and targets that shift farming toward plant-based food production. While it is clear the conversation has started, it is equally apparent the world still has a long way to go—and we are running out of time.”

Although COP27 may be over, the work to combat the impact of intensive animal farming on animals, people and the planet continues. Particularly in countries where the average consumption of animal products is above recommended intakes for planetary and human health, HSI will continue to engage with global leaders on this topic, advocating for policies that focus on shifting diets to more humane and healthier, plant-rich models; that support farmers in transitioning to more resilient, plant-based agriculture; and that foster and promote innovation and growth in the protein landscape.

Stephanie Maw, public affairs and campaigns officer for HSI/United Kingdom, attended the conference, and said: “While there were many conversations at COP27, particularly at the Food4Climate pavilion, about the urgent need for global food system reform, leader negotiations around this topic were disappointingly lacking in ambition. Through our programs around the world, HSI has shown that policies that support a more resilient, plant-centric global food system such as public procurement shifts towards plant-rich models can be achieved successfully and at scale. We leave this COP more determined than ever to inspire global leaders to include concrete measures and tools for supporting diet change in their national action plans and policies.”

Julie Janovsky, vice president of farm animal welfare at HSI said, “UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres correctly told delegates on Nov. 7 that the world was on the ‘highway to climate hell with our foot on the accelerator.’ If we are to achieve the Paris Agreement target of limiting global temperatures to a 1.5˚C increase from pre-industrial levels, we must move past the fantasy that low-impact solutions are merely a tap on the brakes. A global transformation of our food production system, as well as consumption habits, is imperative for human and planetary health. If we are truly serious about reducing our speed, we must stem the increase and ultimately reduce the number of animals globally raised, fed and slaughtered for consumption through a systemic transition to climate-friendly, plant-centric food production and diets.”

Thayana Oliveira, food policy manager at HSI in Brazil, said: “Through our programs together with Mercy for Animals Brazil, HSI is providing practical models of how amending procurement policies at scale can help meet sustainability goals—models that we will use in our continued advocacy for food systems transformation. In the city of Salvador, for example, more than 10 million meals are being transitioned to plant-based every year across the city’s municipal schools. Not only are we providing children with new nutritious, healthy options and saving hundreds of thousands of animals lives every year, but we are also achieving impactful benefits for the environment. Through this program, Salvador is saving an estimated 75,000 tons of CO2-equivalent emissions per year, which is the equivalent of approximately 357 million miles driven by car, to say nothing of the savings in water and land use.”

ENDS

Media contact: Madeline Bove, media relations specialist: mbove@humanesociety.org ; 213-248-1548

Dr. Khan and HSI/UK team up for new short documentary on why a UK hunting trophy import ban is crucial, ahead of key political debate

Humane Society International / United Kingdom

HSI

LONDON—Animal advocate and much-loved TV regular Dr. Amir Khan has joined with animal protection organisation Humane Society International/UK to front a short film exposing the cruelty of the trophy hunting industry. In the film, Khan explains why the UK’s proposed ban on hunting trophy imports—due to be debated by MPs in Parliament next Friday, 25 November—is a vital step towards protecting threatened and endangered species. Alongside Dr. Khan, some of Africa’s most prominent wildlife advocates also speak out in HSI/UK’s film, namely Josphat Ngonyo, executive director of the Africa Network for Animal Welfare, and Lenin Tinashe Chisaira, founder of Advocates4Earth, a Zimbabwe-based environmental organisation.

Around the world, tens of thousands of animals every year are killed by hunters who pay thousands of dollars purely to kill for their own pleasure, often taking photos alongside the dead bodies of the animals they’ve shot and then cutting off their body parts to bring home as souvenirs. In recent years, UK hunters have imported trophies from some of the world’s rarest species, including polar bears, rhinos, African elephants and leopards. A 2021 YouGov poll showed that the overwhelming majority— 82% —of the British public supports a ban on the import of hunting trophies, and the issue is set to be debated in the House of Commons on 25 November during the Second Reading of Henry Smith MP’s Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Bill.

Arthur Thomas, public affairs manager at Humane Society International/UK, said: “Dr. Khan’s film with HSI/UK debunks the trophy hunting industry’s absurd claim that it means to protect the very animals it delights in killing, and shines a light on the corruption, greed and self-interest that really drive this cruel and archaic practice. Rather than aiding conservation, trophy hunting threatens endangered species; rather than alleviating poverty, it reinforces colonial power imbalances; and rather than protecting habitats, it cherry picks the most valuable species and leaves areas abandoned when they are no longer profitable. With Parliament about to debate this vital Bill, we hope that Dr. Khan’s film will help MPs see through the trophy hunting industry’s spin, and ensure that people who kill wild animals for kicks can no longer bring their grotesque souvenirs back to Britain.”

Since trophy hunting rose to prominence in the colonial era, there have been catastrophic declines in populations of some of the world’s most iconic species, including elephants, lions, rhinos and giraffes. Many of these species are under increasing pressure from human-induced mortalities, including from loss of habitat, climate breakdown, poaching and the illegal wildlife trade.

Dr. Amir Khan said: “Like the majority of the British public, I find the concept of trophy hunting—the killing of animals for fun, especially species which are rare or endangered—disgusting. Seeing images of hunters posing with an animal they have just killed makes my blood boil. We cannot continue to support an industry that profits from the death of rare animals and exploits the natural world for short-term gain. That’s why HSI/UK and I are calling on the UK Government to ban the import of hunting trophies and end its involvement in this outdated practice.”

Countless scientific studies over the years have evidenced that trophy hunting damages conservation efforts and fails to provide meaningful support to local communities living alongside the targeted animals, debunking claims often made by the industry in attempts to greenwash its unfavourable image.

Africa Network for Animal Welfare’s executive director, Josphat Ngonyo, is featured in the video, stating: “I personally come from a community that has lived in a conservation area. Communities have come out very strongly everywhere to say no, [trophy hunting] doesn’t help.”

Speaking about HSI/UK’s campaign to ban hunting trophies from being imported into the UK, Advocates4Earth founder Lenin Tinashe Chisaira is seen in the video saying: “As an environmentalist based in the Global South, I really urge the government not to support trophy hunting.”

Humane Society International/UK is sharing the video with MPs, and urging people to contact their MP to ask them to attend the debate on 25th and speak in strong support of the ban.

Watch the video.

ENDS

Media contact: Sally Ivens, senior specialist in media and communications for HSI/UK: sivens@hsi.org; (+44) 7590 559299

HSl/Europe welcomes the European Commission’s adoption of the revised EU Action Plan against Wildlife Trafficking

Humane Society International / Europe

HSI

BRUSSELS— The European Commission today adopted the revised EU Action Plan against Wildlife Trafficking, a few days before the 19th Conference of the Parties for CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) kicks off in Panama. The new Action Plan recognises the role played by the EU in wildlife trafficking as an important destination market and a transit hub for the unsustainable legal and illegal wildlife trade; the latter is believed to have generated at least EUR 4.7 million in 2019.

The revised EU Action Plan against Wildlife Trafficking includes many laudable commitments to prevent the scourge of wildlife trafficking and address its root causes, as well as to bolster the EU’s legal and policy framework, improve enforcement and strengthen global partnerships to combat the the illegal trade in source, consumer and transit countries. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the report notably includes a consideration of the risk of zoonotic disease transmission via the wildlife trade and the need to follow a “One Health” approach in its regulation.

Dr Joanna Swabe, senior director of public affairs at Humane Society International/Europe, says:

“It is fantastic to see that the European Commission is taking concrete policy action to address civil society’s concerns about the EU’s failures to comprehensively tackle both the legal and illegal trade in wildlife. We are delighted that the Action Plan includes a commitment to looking at the development of new tools to tackle the issue of ‘stolen wildlife.’ For many years, we have been calling on the Commission to close the loopholes in the existing legislation by criminalising the trade in illegally sourced wildlife for the exotic pet trade, which is decimating imperiled species, particularly reptiles and amphibians, such as glass frogs, in other parts of the globe.”

She adds: “We also welcome that the Commission intends to apply greater scrutiny to imports of hunting trophies and be more transparent about decision-making concerning country-species combinations for trophy imports. While a comprehensive ban on trophy hunting imports would certainly have been preferable, the very least that the EU can do is to ensure that import permits are required for all trophies from threatened and endangered species.”

The Commission is also seeking to strengthen the engagement of local communities in the management and conservation of wildlife to support the development of sustainable livelihoods in source countries. Regrettably, it misguidedly lists “well-managed trophy hunting” as a form of sustainable income.

Dr. Swabe clarifies: “The claim that trophy hunting is well-managed is highly contentious. There is a long history of a lack of proper regulation of oversight when it comes to trophy hunting. 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, and a lack of transparency. The regulations are insufficient in ensuring populations are not negatively impacted. Studies also find that trophy hunting does not provide meaningful employment opportunities or revenues for the majority of community members, and can instead contribute to wealth inequalities. Community-based natural resource management approaches should not make the poor poorer and the rich richer.”

The EU is well-placed to demonstrate global leadership in the fight against wildlife trafficking by ensuring strict regulation of wildlife trade and their effective enforcement. The question is whether the EU will live up to this leadership role in the upcoming CITES meeting (which begins on November 15), given its failure thus far to support the hippo, glass frogs and other proposals.

FACTS:

  • HSI/Europe’s feedback on the roadmap for the revision of the action plan, which outlines HSI/Europe’s position on the import of hunting trophies and the need to close the loopholes in the EU Wildlife Trade Regulations, can be found here.
  • The EU is the second-largest importer of animal trophies in the world, according to HSI/Europe’s report. Since 2016, the EU is the largest importer of lion trophies globally. Trophies from at least 15,000 internationally protected mammals from 73 CITES-listed species have been legally imported to the EU during the period 2014-2018 and there has been an increase of nearly 40% of trophy imports during this period.
  • At present, the EU legal requirement for hunting trophies to be accompanied by import permits relates only to species in Annex A of the EU Wildlife Trade Regulation and six additional species listed in Annex B, namely the African elephant, common hippopotamus, African lion, southern white rhinoceros, polar bear and Argali sheep.
  • Legally obtained hunting trophies of the species covered by these rules can only be imported into the EU after a Member State has issued an import permit and verified that such imports have been legally acquired and will not be detrimental to the conservation of the species. There is no transparent process for the issuance of such permits and non-detriment findings. Hunting trophies of all other species are exempted from this rule.
  • With respect to the need to close the loopholes in the EU Wildlife Trade Regulations, the CITES does not cover all illegal wildlife trade. Many threatened species are protected from exploitation in their home countries but are not protected from being traded, either through domestic legislation or by CITES, and such domestic protections are often poorly enforced. In addition, many demand-focused countries have no protections for non-native species. As a result, wildlife traffickers are able to easily smuggle these animals into legal (or illegal) international trade flows, and once out of their countries of origin, little can be done to stop the trade in these species.
  • Many demand-focused countries have no protections for non-native species. As a result, wildlife traffickers can easily smuggle these animals into legal—or illegal—international trade flows, and once out of their countries of origin, little can be done to stop the trade in these species. HSI/Europe is urging the EU to adopt supplementary legislation prohibiting the importation, transshipment, purchase and sale of wildlife taken illegally in the country of origin.

ENDS

Media contact: Yavor Gechev, Humane Society International/Europe: ygechev@hsi.org; +359889468098

Bill to ban the import, export and re-export of hunting trophies of animals belonging to species at risk resubmitted, inspired by HSI/Europe campaign

Humane Society International / Europe

HSI

BRUSSELS —The issue of trophy hunting is back on the Italian political agenda with the new presentation by Hon. Michela Vittoria Brambilla of a bill aimed at banning the import, export and re-export, to and from Italy, of hunting trophies obtained from animals who are protected by CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species).

A bill on the same issue was presented in 2021 by members of the Five Star Movement, with support from Humane Society International/Europe who is currently leading an EU-wide initiative to ban certain hunting trophy imports and exports to and from Europe. The initiative of Hon. Brambilla—the first to pick up the baton in this struggle—is back on the agenda of this new legislature, despite it often being ignored by politicians. This initiative follows the Parliament resolution calling for an EU-wide ban on the import of hunting trophies of species protected by CITES.

Hon. Brambilla, who served as president of the Parliamentary Intergroup for Animal Rights during the 18th legislature and is still president of the Italian League for the Defense of Animals and the Environment, presented the bill during the first parliamentary session on Oct. 13, 2022.

According to CITES data, in the five-year period from 2014 to 2020, the European Union, the world’s second-largest importer of hunting trophies after the United States, imported more than 20,000 hunting trophies of animals belonging to 79 internationally protected species. Trade data shows that 427 trophies were imported into Italy from animals such as hippos, elephants, lions, leopard, polar bears, and a critically endangered black rhinoceros.

It is still legal to import hunting trophies of protected species, even if they are endangered. This bill to put an end to these imports meets with vast support of the Italian population. Polls show that 86% of Italians surveyed are against trophy hunting of all wild animals and 74% are in favor of banning the import of hunting trophies into Italy. Moreover, the #NotInMyWorld petition launched by HSI/Europe in Italy has already collected more than 42,000 signatures.

Hon. Brambilla, president of the Italian League for the Defense of Animals and the Environment, said: “In Panama from November 14 to 25, 184 CITES member countries will consider 52 proposals to increase or decrease protection measures for 600 species of wild animals and plants. It is essential that Italy plays its part here. At the national level and on its own, our country can already do a lot for threatened species, such as banning the import, export and re-export of hunting trophies from animals like tigers, rhinos and hippos. This practice is largely unknown by Italians, but is not as marginal as one might think. Not only because of the numbers, which are significant in a context of near-extinction of many endangered animal populations, but because of the very nature of trophy hunting, which sacrifices an invaluable heritage to the entertainment of hunters. I will work with the utmost conviction on gathering the broad support in Parliament to this bill.”

Martina Pluda, HSI/Europe’s director for Italy, said: “It is intolerable and irresponsible for our country to still be involved today in this type of colonial practices, which are cruel and threatening the future of so many species. As trophy hunting is a competition, the animals targeted are those who have the most impressive physical characteristics—the thick mane, long tusks and developed horns—of adult individuals in full reproductive age and often holding the functions of guide and protection. Therefore, they are critical to the survival and genetic integrity of that species. A ban on the import, export and re-export of hunting trophies of protected species in multiple EU member states would effectively help stop the killing of these animals. It is time for the Italian government to act responsibly, as other European countries are already doing and as the European Parliament has called for. We thank Congresswoman Brambilla for her political commitment to this cause.”

The opposition to trophy hunting is growing fast and is crystalized in many initiatives in Europe:

  • The Belgian Federal Parliament unanimously passed a resolution demanding that the government immediately stop authorizing trophy import permits of species protected under certain international trade regulations.
  • This year, in addition to Italy, the governments of Spain and Poland are actively considering policy options to ban the import and export of certain hunting trophies supported by strong public opinion polls; based on a 2021 representative survey, the majority of citizens in each country support a hunting trophy import ban.
  • Prior to these developments, the Netherlands and France pioneered this paradigm shift in Europe. In 2015, France implemented a ban on the import of lion-hunting trophies. In the same year, the Dutch government adopted a decision to ban the trophy imports of over 200 species, which was implemented in 2016.
  • A recent policy statement signed by approximately 170 conservation and animal protection non-governmental organizations from around the globe is also calling for an urgent end to trophy hunting. Several of these organizations are from key source countries for hunting trophies.

ENDS

Media contact: Adeline Fischer, senior communications manager: +4917631063219; afischer@hsi.org  

Humane Society International is supporting RIU Hotels to reach animal welfare commitment by 2025

Humane Society International / Mexico

HSI

MEXICO CITY, Mexico—RIU Hotels Group, with 100 locations in over 20 countries, announced its commitment to implement a fully cage-free procurement policy for all types of eggs utilized by its hotels around the globe by the end of 2025.

The hotel group has been working with Humane Society International/Mexico since 2021 to begin this supply chain transition, supporting egg producers who have made the change to higher animal welfare systems and cage-free living for thousands of hens.

The cage-free systems provide the laying hens with space to walk and develop their natural behavior. In caged systems, the laying hens do have not enough space to walk, nest or perform other fundamental behaviors. RIU Hotels has been committed to sustainability and animal welfare initiatives throughout its global operations. This commitment represents an important step in fulfilling its path as a socially responsible company.

“Within the framework of our Animal Welfare Policy, we commit that 100% of the eggs consumed in all our hotels and in all our products come from cage-free birds by the end of 2025. We will not accept breeding systems combined. This transition will be gradual, and we will work hand in hand with expert organizations in the field, as well as local suppliers and producers to achieve it. We will publicly report our progress toward full compliance with this commitment on our website or other means annually, said RIU Hotels Group”

“HSI congratulates RIU Hotels for its commitment to farm animal welfare and for taking steps to implement better conditions for hundreds of thousands of laying hens worldwide. We commend RIU for taking action to ensure that this important commitment will be met and are excited to collaborate further in Mexico and beyond,” says Arianna Torres, corporate relations, and public policy manager at HSI/Mexico.

Reference in this article to any specific commercial product or service, or the use of any brand, trade, firm or corporation name is for the information of the public only, and does not constitute or imply endorsement by HSI/Mexico or any of its affiliates of the product or service, or its producer or provider, and should not be construed or relied upon, under any circumstances, by implication or otherwise, as investment advice. Links and access by hypertext to other websites is provided as a convenience only and does not indicate or imply any endorsement with respect to any of the content on such website nor any of the views expressed thereon.

Media contact: Laura Bravo: laura@labcomunicacion.com

Humane Society International / Mexico

Claudia Edwards

MEXICO CITY—To provide tools to adequately respond to reports of animal abuse as well as in cases of emergencies and disasters, Humane Society International/Mexico conducted a training session for members of the Animal Vigilance Brigade within the collaboration agreement signed with the Secretariat of Citizen Security of Mexico City.

This activity was carried out jointly by Centro de Capacitación, Adiestramiento y Desarrollo en Emergencias and Humane Society International/Mexico, a leading international animal protection organization, on October 20 and 21.

Dr. Claudia Edwards, program director of HSI/Mexico, said: “Working together with diverse agencies allows us to strengthen the capacity to protect companion animals, who are a fundamental part of our lives. Activities such as this one improves the officers’ ability to respond in cases of mistreated and injured animals that they attend every day and thus they know how to act in the best possible way to safeguard them.”

The event was aimed at 24 members of the Animal Vigilance Brigade, who received national and international certifications from CECAD. The activity covered theoretical and practical topics such as the most common emergencies, how to perform CPR on dogs and cats, oxygen therapy, how to place splints and muzzles, and disaster response plans for animals and people, among others.

HSI makes various efforts to strengthen the culture of prevention and the capacity to respond to cases of cruelty to animals and emergencies and disasters involving animals. The organization has trained several elements of various agencies in cities such as Chetumal, Merida, Monterrey, Tlaxcala, Aguascalientes and Mexico City.

ENDS

Media contact: Claudia Edwards, campaign director HSI/Mexico: cedwards@hsi.org ; 5513805569

The animal welfare group warns of opposition from the industry and attempts to water down the Commission’s proposals

Humane Society International / Europe

HSI

BRUSSELS—Humane Society International/Europe welcomes the European Commission’s decision to bring forward its legislative proposals to revise EU animal welfare rules from the fourth to the third quarter of 2023. This decision—outlined in the Commission’s work programme for 2023 presented earlier this week—reaffirms the Commission’s commitment to advancing farm animal welfare. With the European elections and the appointment of a new Commission leadership due in 2024, it is vital for these legislative proposals to be delivered as soon as possible.

Dr Joanna Swabe, senior director of public affairs for Humane Society International/Europe, said: “We are delighted that the European Commission is on track to deliver its impact assessment and legislative proposal for the revision of the EU animal welfare legislation in 2023. A large portion of Europe’s farm animals have suffered long enough living under cramped cage confinement conditions that fail to meet their complex welfare needs. Moreover, for many other farmed species, such as cattle, sheep, goats and rabbits, there are still no species-specific minimum standards to ensure that their welfare is adequately protected. Any delay in delivering the much-needed legislative proposals would be wholly unacceptable and a slap in the face of a growing number of EU citizens who want to see farm animal welfare radically improve.”

It is noteworthy that the Commission’s work programme explicitly mentions the European Citizens’ Initiative to End the Cage Age, which was supported by 1.4 million European citizens and more than 170 organisations across the EU. In addition to proposing legislation to end the caged confinement of farm animals, it is expected that the Commission will strengthen and introduce minimum welfare standards for all species farmed for food, as well as updating the rules for live animal transports and slaughter. Amongst other things, it is expected that the Commission will seek to end the mass killing of “surplus” day-old male chicks.

Further to the revision of the EU animal welfare acquis, the Commission is also expected to deliver a legislative proposal on Sustainable Food Systems in the third quarter of 2023. This is also warmly welcomed by HSI, as Swabe notes:

“Our current food system is largely unsustainable and is inextricably linked to climate change, biodiversity decline, environmental pollution and public health crises. There is mounting and incontrovertible evidence that the EU cannot continue with ‘business as usual,’ particularly with regard to the (over)production and consumption of animal products. It is a good move to try to mainstream food policies and achieve policy coherence at both an EU and national level, but it is vital that this legislation includes measures to stimulate the adoption of higher animal welfare standards, reduce farm animal numbers and stocking densities and to increase the production and consumption of plant-based products.”

Once presented, the Commission’s legislative proposals must also be approved by Member States and the European Parliament. HSI, however, notes that, given the time needed to complete the ordinary legislative procedure and the number of legislative files needing to be finalised by the Parliament before the 2024 EU elections, there is a strong likelihood that both of the Commission’s proposals will be dealt with by the next legislature.

HSI also warns that there is likely to be strong industry opposition to implementing stricter animal welfare standards and attempts to water down the Commission’s proposals, largely on the basis of costs. However, HSI reminds both Member States and industry that rather than resisting this necessary change to improve animal welfare, they should be making full use of the funding opportunities provided by both pillars of the Common Agricultural Policy . For example, eco-schemes (a new feature of the 2023-2027 CAP) should be used to finance the transition to cage-free animal production, or even more sustainable non-animal agricultural production activities.

ENDS

Media contact: Yavor Gechev, Humane Society International/Europe: ygechev@hsi.org; +359889468098

Humane Society International / Global

Hippopotamus with Cattle Egret on back, in reeds at edge of River Nile at Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda

WASHINGTON—The 19th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora—known as CITES—will meet November 14-25 in Panama City, Panama, where delegates from the 184 member countries will consider 52 proposals to increase or decrease protections for 600 species of wild animals and plants. Key issues on the table include increasing protections for hippos, elephants, glass frogs and sharks, and amending annual leopard trophy export quotas.

Humane Society International experts will be attending the meeting to lobby countries to support proposals that could help ensure species are not pushed further toward the brink of extinction by overexploitation through international trade in their parts and products. The HSI delegation will be available for comment throughout the proceedings.

Key species listing and other proposals to be discussed include:

Hippos: Ten African countries propose to include the common hippopotamus in Appendix I of CITES, which would effectively prohibit international commercial trade in hippo parts and products. Hippos are threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation, poaching for their meat and ivory, and they continue to be targeted for commercial trade in ivory, skins and trophies, including by poachers. Current legal and illegal exploitation levels are predicted to lead to wild population declines, indicating the need to enact a higher level of protection for this species. HSI released an undercover investigation earlier this year into the robust sale of hippo parts in the U.S.

Adam Peyman, director of wildlife programs for HSI, said: “Hippos are an iconic African species, yet the scale of the international trade in their parts and products such as tusks, teeth, skins, skulls and trophies is shocking. We urge CITES Parties to adopt this proposal to ensure that this commercial trade ends. This pointless industry of selling animal parts, along with other threats facing hippos, is pushing these incredible animals to the brink of extinction.”

Glass frogs: Fourteen countries in Central and South America are proposing to include the family of glass frogs in Appendix II of CITES. Twelve members of this family are highly threatened, but it is nearly impossible to distinguish them from other, less threatened species, indicating the need to enact protection for all glass frogs. Listing them on Appendix II of the Convention would provide crucial monitoring and put measures in place to help ensure that future trade is legal and sustainable.

Grettel Delgadillo, deputy director, HSI Latin America, said: “Glass frogs, with their translucent skin, are an amazing family of species. Sadly that is what has attracted the attention of the pet traders, who will go as far as smuggling live frogs out of Central and South America to sell them. It is crucial that CITES Parties adopt this proposal to stem the illegal trade in these incredible frogs and put in place critical monitoring of legal trade to prevent overexploitation by the pet industry.”

Sharks: There are three proposals to list families of sharks and related species on Appendix II. The proposals are to list requiem sharks, hammerhead sharks and guitarfishes, which are related to sharks. All of these species have low reproductive output and several species in each species group are highly endangered. Fins are the primary products in trade derived from the endangered members of these families. As these fins are practically indistinguishable from those of other species, their families should be included in Appendix II so that international trade can be monitored to ensure it is sustainable and legal.

Rebecca Regnery, senior director of wildlife for HSI, said: “Several shark and guitarfish species have seen declines in their wild populations of up to 70-90%. It is unconscionable that trade in fins from these imperiled families is not monitored to ensure its legality or sustainability, especially since upward of 100 million sharks are killed each year for their fins. We urge CITES Parties to adopt the proposals to list requiem sharks, hammerheads and guitarfishes on Appendix II before it is too late.”

Leopard trophy hunting quotas: Although the leopard is threatened with extinction and trophy hunting is one of the major threats to its survival, CITES Parties have set export quotas for 12 countries that allow for the annual export of up to 2,648 leopard trophies or skins. These controversial export quotas are not based on science. Furthermore, trophy hunting has been shown to cause population declines. Two countries with such quotas, Kenya and Malawi, are asking for their quotas to be removed, while Ethiopia is asking for its annual quota to be reduced from 500 to 20 leopards. However, this leaves leopards in the remaining nine countries in the crosshairs, including two countries (Tanzania and Zimbabwe) with an outrageous annual export quota of 500 leopards each.

Southern white rhino and African elephant proposals: HSI is urging countries to oppose a dangerous proposal that would reduce CITES protection for southern white rhinos in Namibia, which are under severe threat due to poaching for rhino horn. If adopted, the proposal would ease control over international trade in hunting trophies of the species. In addition, HSI is supporting a proposal to increase CITES protection of African elephants in Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe and South Africa, which would increase regulation of international trade in hunting trophies. Given the serious and long-lasting impacts of trophy hunting on species survival, it is imperative that member countries restrict the trade world-wide in hunting trophies of species listed under this Convention.

Sarah Veatch, director of wildlife policy for HSI, said: “CITES is the international oversight authority for trade between member countries in hunting trophies of leopards, elephants, rhinos, lions and others. As highly sought-after trophies, it is imperative that members take a precautionary approach here. Quotas based on outdated data, unreliable data or inaccurate methods are unacceptable and should be invalidated. CITES Parties have the opportunity to give these species the necessary protections and oversight to avoid overexploitation, and we urge them act with prudence before we reach a point of no return.”

Members of the Humane Society International delegation to CITES include:

  • Jeff Flocken, HSI president
  • Rebecca Regnery, HSI senior director wildlife, U.S.
  • Madison Miketa, HSI wildlife scientist, U.S.
  • Sarah Veatch, HSI director, wildlife policy, U.S.
  • Sophie Nazeri, HSI wildlife program coordinator, U.S.
  • Grettel Delgadillo, deputy director, HSI/Latin America, Costa Rica
  • Lawrence Chlebek, marine biologist, HSI Australia
  • Mai Nguyen, wildlife program manager, HSI in Viet Nam

ENDS

Media contact: Rodi Rosensweig, senior principal strategist media relations, rrosensweig@humanesociety.org, 202-809-8711

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