Author: Cassie Bodin-Duval

Humane Society International / Europe

Hippo
Imagebroker/Alamy

STRASBOURG, France—Today, the European Parliament adopted a resolution unequivocal in its demands regarding the European Union’s objectives for the upcoming meeting of the parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.

While Parliament is making clear statements about eliminating the scourge of wildlife trafficking, closing the loopholes in the EU wildlife trade regulations and ending the imports of hunting trophies from CITES-listed species, Humane Society International/Europe has concerns as to whether the European Commission and the Member States will pay heed to the Parliament’s demands.

In November, representatives of the countries that have signed the CITES treaty will meet in Panama for the 19th meeting of the parties. At COP19, they will decide whether an array of threatened and endangered species, including the common hippopotamus, African elephants, requiem sharks and glass frogs, should be given stronger, or weaker, international protection from overexploitation for commercial trade. Humane Society International/Europe is deeply concerned that the Commission has already recommended that the EU should not support a proposal from 10 African range states to transfer the common hippo to CITES Appendix I, which would prohibit all commercial international trade in hippo parts and products and throw a lifeline to this imperilled species. In addition, the Commission has recommended that the EU abstain on the proposal from 14 CITES Parties to list glass frogs on Appendix II, which would provide crucial protections and trade monitoring of these imperilled amphibians.

Dr Joanna Swabe, senior director of public affairs for Humane Society International/Europe, says: “We are delighted that MEPs have adopted such a strong resolution in advance of the CITES COP19 meeting, recognizing the persistent threat posed to wildlife by international trade. Given that the EU is a highly influential bloc in CITES decision-making, they are often in the position to make or break decisions. Failure to support the hippo, glass frogs and other proposals put forward by range States, who are seeking to gain much-needed extra protection for their endemic species whose survival is threatened by overexploitation for commercial trade, may push them further towards the brink of extinction. It is unconscionable for the EU not to support such proposals given its own loudly trumpeted biodiversity strategy commitments to do all it can to halt global biodiversity decline.”

In addition to demonstrating its support for various CITES proposals, the European Parliament’s resolution recognizes that the EU’s role in the global fight against wildlife trafficking needs further strengthening. MEPs echo Humane Society International’s call for the Commission to take action to close the loopholes in the existing EU wildlife trade regulations by delivering a legislative proposal to criminalize the import, export, sale, acquisition or purchase of wild species that are taken, possessed, transported or sold in violation of the law of the country of origin.

HSI also welcomes the European Parliament’s call for urgent action to be taken to prohibit the import of hunting trophies derived from CITES-listed species. The EU is the world’s second largest importer of hunting trophies behind the United States. EU law continues to allow hunters to import trophies from threatened species, many of which are protected internationally through CITES and the EU Wildlife Trade Regulations and Habitats Directive.

Liam Slattery, Humane Society International/Europe’s trophy hunting campaign director, said: “The European Parliament’s call for urgent action to curb the import of CITES-listed species hunting trophies is a move supported by a clear majority of the public across member states. The Netherlands and France have already implemented bans on certain species of trophy. The Belgian Federal Parliament has passed a unanimous resolution demanding the government stop authorising trophy import permits. And the Environment Ministry in Germany has expressed an intention to restrict import of hunting trophies from protected animal species. With other Member States also actively considering proposals to limit or prohibit trophy imports, the Commission must display leadership on this issue in line with such measures, and the EU’s own biodiversity strategy.”

Facts:

  • HSI strongly urges the EU to support the CITES COP19 Proposal 1 to list the common hippo on Appendix I. Wild hippo populations are declining or unknown in 65% of countries they inhabit. Hippo ivory is popular among consumers and nearly 80,000 hippo products—nearly all wild sourced—were imported in the most recent decade for which data are available. Poaching and trafficking are a primary threat to hippos, and the illegal trade is often intermingled with legal trade. Further, the current levels of offtake—both legal and illegal—are predicted to result in future declines in wild hippo populations. This indicates the need to curtail international commercial trade in this species due to conservation concerns and the risk of promoting the illegal killing and trade. The EU contributes to the exploitation of hippos—nearly 800 hippo trophies were imported by EU Member States between 2014 and 2018.
  • HSI strongly urges the EU to support the CITES COP19 proposal to list glass frogs on Appendix II. Half of the species in this family are threatened with extinction, and individuals of highly threatened species are indistinguishable from others, necessitating the inclusion of the entire family in Appendix II. As the males of many of these frog species actively defend clutches of eggs, removal of males results in depredation of entire clutches, causing high mortality rates. Further, glass frogs have become increasingly popular in the international pet trade, and much of the trade happens illegally. Listing the family on Appendix II would bring much-needed monitoring of international commercial trade and help to stem illegal trade in these species.
  • HSI strongly urges the EU to support all of the proposals to add or increase protection for reptile and amphibian species. There are 21 of these covering 239 species which includes 53 turtle species. All these vulnerable species face threats including overexploitation for international trade. It is alarming that the Commission is not recommending support for many of these proposals from range states seeking assistance from importing countries including EU countries in controlling trade to ensure wild populations are not decimated.
  • Between 2014 and 2018, the EU imported nearly 15,000 hunting trophies—around eight per day—of 73 internationally protected species.
  • The number of trophies coming into the EU increased by 40% in five years, despite opinion polls indicating that the vast majority of EU citizens surveyed are clearly against trophy hunting and would like to see an end to this brutal industry.

ENDS

Media contact: Cassie Bodin-Duval, international coordinator media relations: cbodinduval@hsi.org ; +32 (0) 469 149 469

Moves to lift global ban on commercial whaling a major concern, says Humane Society International

Humane Society International / United Kingdom

HSI Humpback Whale, Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska.

LONDON—Ahead of the upcoming 68th meeting of the International Whaling Commission which begins on 13th October in Slovenia, animal protection and conservation non-profit Humane Society International warns that the very future of the IWC and the global moratorium on commercial whaling could be in jeopardy.

The global economic crisis, the pandemic and the exit of Japan―a whaling nation and formerly a major IWC funder―have created a serious budgetary emergency at the IWC. Efforts to reduce costs, including selling the IWC Secretariat headquarters in Cambridge, have stalled. The financial survival of the IWC as the only international body that focuses on cetacean conservation hangs in the balance at a time when almost half of the world’s known species, subspecies and subpopulations of cetaceans, are listed as Critically Endangered, Endangered or Vulnerable. The negotiations to balance the budget will be critical for the future of whales.

Rebecca Regnery, senior wildlife director at Humane Society International, said: “Whales face myriad threats from human activities including whale hunting; fisheries bycatch; chemical, plastic and noise pollution; ship strikes; habitat loss and the urgent climate crisis. If the IWC were to collapse now, everything it has done to establish and maintain the global whaling moratorium, the Southern Ocean sanctuary and multiple other scientific and conservation work would also collapse. The framework the IWC has provided for global cetacean conservation and management would disappear, leaving these ocean giants even more vulnerable in increasingly challenging and hostile seas.”

The threat to the IWC’s vital work, and even the global moratorium on commercial whaling, are at further risk because the IWC is considering allowing voting rights for nations even if they have failed to pay their membership fees, a move that would largely benefit pro-whaling countries. While the proposal aims to assist countries hit hard by the pandemic, many of which rely on tourism, it could tip the balance on some key pro-whaling draft resolutions including one by Antigua and Barbuda to lift the commercial whaling ban.

Regnery says: “The global moratorium on commercial whaling, which has spared the lives of hundreds of thousands of cetaceans and been instrumental in pulling many species back from the brink of extinction, is in very real danger. Scrapping the moratorium is what Japan has been pushing for since it was first adopted in 1982. Ironically, although Japan has withdrawn from the IWC, its pro-whaling influence is as menacing as ever via country allies beholden to Japan that continue to push its dangerous agenda. This year, if many more pro-whaling nations are allowed to vote, it could be the beginning of the end for global whale protection. So we are urging all whale-friendly countries to assemble at the IWC ready to fight once again to save the whales.”

Other top IWC priorities for Humane Society International include:

  • A marine plastic pollution draft resolution by the European Union that, if adopted, will provide critical IWC support for international negotiations on a global plastics treaty to tackle the serious threats to cetaceans including entanglement and ingestion, both of which can also lead to strandings and death.
  • A proposal to establish a South Atlantic Whale Sanctuary by Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay. The IWC has considered this proposal many times at past meetings, but it has consistently been blocked by pro-whaling nations. However, due to climate change and the biodiversity crisis, establishment of this sanctuary is increasingly important for the continued survival of marine mammals and our oceans.
  • A food security proposal by Gambia, Guinea, Cambodia, Antigua and Barbuda, countries very closely aligned with Japan. None of these countries provide any evidence that they rely on whale meat for subsistence or national food security. Conversely, whales kept alive in the ocean may provide financial and therefore food security and poverty alleviation to communities reliant on whale watching income, as well as contributing to healthy fish stocks as marine ecosystem managers.
  • A newly developed Cetacean Welfare Assessment Tool which will be presented at the meeting. We foresee this tool being extremely useful for our work and others for assessing welfare threats and solutions.
  • The fate of Greenland hunts, especially of killer whales which are in need of a full population assessment, harbour porpoises which may be overhunted especially when combined with the threat of bycatch, and narwhals which are being excessively hunted causing changes to life history and population dynamics. The North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission has recommended a zero-hunting quota stating that narwhals in Greenland are at “high risk of extirpation of the stocks if harvest at any level continues.” The 2022 hunting quota for narwhals in Greenland is 50. Atlantic white-sided dolphins are also hunted in high numbers in Greenland, Norway, Newfoundland, Canada and the Faroe Islands (where direct take is especially high and has occurred without a full assessment).

ENDS

Media contact: Wendy Higgins, director of international media for HSI/UK: whiggins@hsi.org

Notes

Of the 90 species, 12 subspecies and 28 subpopulations of cetaceans that have been identified and assessed to date, 22 are listed as Critically Endangered, 22 as Endangered and 16 as Vulnerable.

Use your power at the till point to help the animals who feed our nation

Humane Society International / South Africa

Erin Van Voorhies

CAPE TOWN, South Africa— Sunday, 22 Oct. 2022 is World Farm Animals Day, an opportunity for members of the public to recognize the suffering and climate impacts of the approximately 88 billion land animals who are bred, raised and slaughtered globally for human consumption each year. This year, while animal protection organization Humane Society International/Africa works with the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development and industry bodies to improve the welfare of these animals, the organization also calls on the public to use their purchasing power and make conscious consumer choices.

Despite farmed animals playing such a significant role in human lives, most people have little knowledge of how those animals actually become their food. Over the years, the methods used to raise animals have changed significantly, and the idyllic image of farms with animals on green pastures has given way to a massive industry in which animals are intensively confined, seen as commodities and raised in a way that has negative consequences for both animals and humans.

Animal agriculture is one of the most significant contributors to climate change, representing more than 16.5% of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions globally, which is on par with all forms of transportation combined. It is also the single largest anthropogenic user of land and a major driver of deforestation, species extinction, land degradation, exhaustion of water resources and pollution. The increasing demand for animal feed is also a major driver of the loss of habitat, biodiversity and the destruction of rural livelihoods.

If the implications of intensive animal production appear this dire for people and the planet, the consequences for the animals can only be described as horrendous. Animal production has been optimized in whatever way the pursuit of profits sees fit. Selective breeding, unnatural diets, castration, tail-docking, debeaking, amputation without anesthetics, the routine use of prophylactic antibiotics, long distance live transport and industrial scale slaughter are some of the common inhumane practices that animals on farms face. In many cases the conditions in which farmed animals live their pathetic lives deny them even their most basic needs such as stretching their limbs, running, flapping their wings, foraging for food, mud and dust bathing, natural reproduction and other everyday behaviors.

This happens on South Africa’s doorstep. Nearly 70% of the 135 000 sows in South African production systems are confined to crates and more than 90% of the 27 million egg-laying hens in the country are housed in small wire battery cages, giving each hen less than an A4 piece of paper’s space. Studies show that the intensive confinement of these animals not only cause them physical pain but also great psychological stress.

Further, crowded and unhealthy conditions in which animals are kept, whether on farms or during live transportation, present the ideal environment for zoonotic diseases to spread, potentially raising the risk for future pandemics. Industrial agriculture and livestock farming also promotes intensive use of agricultural chemicals which could affect food quality, human and environmental health.

Candice Blom, farmed animal welfare specialist for HSI/Africa, says South Africa is an animal-loving nation. We are exceptionally proud and protective of our diverse wildlife, and we express great outrage towards cruelty inflicted upon companion animals. It is tragic then that the same mercy is not shown for the over 1 billion farmed animals who are bred and slaughtered in South Africa every year, many in horrific conditions. The mass production of animals for meat, eggs and dairy has grave consequences for the animals, people and the planet but is largely ignored and even disguised. Decades have passed without material amendments of legislation to improve the welfare standards for farmed animals. HSI/Africa hopes that acknowledging a day dedicated to farmed animals and raising awareness of the lack of welfare in our intensive animal production facilities will help increase South Africans’ consciousness about where their food comes from. This day also serves as an opportunity to call on government, producers and industry bodies to urgently transition towards a sustainable food system that is not premised on systemic animal cruelty. “

World Farm Animals Day stemmed from the birthdate of the late Mahatma Gandhi who lived and worked in South Africa for 21 years, fighting against injustice and discrimination. He was an outspoken advocate of non-violence – towards both human beings and animals. The unimaginable suffering of farmed animals in South Africa’s industrial production systems should not continue unnoticed. South Africans have the opportunity to improve farmed animal welfare now and in the future by assuming responsibility at the till point and purchasing higher welfare products and/or alternatives to animal-proteins. The increase in demand for higher welfare products will encourage the government to enforce anti-cruelty legislation and the agricultural industry to commit to environmentally sustainable food production systems not premised on cruelty.

ENDS

Media contact: Leozette Roode, media and communications specialist for HSI/Africa: LRoode@hsi.org ;  0713601104

 

No meaningful action from the EC on EP’s resolution despite the once-in-a-decade opportunity presented by the Chemical Strategy for Sustainability

Humane Society International / Europe

unoL/iStock.com

BRUSSELS— Just one year following the adoption of a groundbreaking resolution by the European Parliament to reduce the use of animals in scientific experiments asking the European Commission “to set reduction goals […]through a more proactive implementation of the current regulations on the safety of chemicals and other products”, Humane Society International is calling on European executives to use the revision of the EU’s chemical legislation to deliver on the MEPs’ request.

More than 10 million animals each year are used in laboratories around Europe for research and testing procedures that can cause them agonizing pain and suffering. The number of animals used in experiments in the European Union is not decreasing, and as the European Parliament resolution highlighted, the EU is not properly equipped to achieve the mandatory goal of replacing animals in research, regulatory testing and education.

In the next few months, the Commission will publish proposals for revising the key chemical management laws such as REACH (registration, evaluation, authorization and restriction of chemicals), CLP (classification, labeling and packaging of substances and mixtures) and Cosmetic Products. This legislative package proposed as part of the EU’s Chemical Safety Strategy represents a unique opportunity for proposing a coherent and efficient strategy to reduce the use of animals in chemical testing through the wider use of more efficient and ethical approaches.

Aviva Vetter, Humane Society International’s senior manager for cosmetics, says: “Although current binding legislation prescribes the end of animal testing, at present no operational plan with a timeline, targets, indicators and milestones is in place. Present legislation does not indicate cut-off dates for achieving progress towards the end of animal testing. The compulsory objective to achieve total replacements is therefore weakened by the absence of an operational plan.”

Humane Society International also urges the Commission to close the existing loopholes between REACH and the Cosmetic Products Regulation which still allow animal testing to be carried out for ingredients solely used in cosmetics, despite a mandatory ban being placed in 2013. Illustrating the strength of public opinion on this subject, about 1,4 million signatures have recently been collected through the “Save Cruelty Free Cosmetics” European Citizens Initiative , which calls on Member States to implement a full ban on animal testing for cosmetic products and their ingredients.

New Approach Methodologies, which describe non-animal advanced methods, offer a variety of opportunities in terms of safety, competitiveness, growth and employment which are currently being missed to the benefit of other countries such as the U.S. and Singapore, which are leading in research and innovation with NAMs.

ENDS

Media contact: Cassie Bodin-Duval, international coordinator media relations, cbodinduval@hsi.org ; +32 (0) 469 149 469

Campaigners urge Romania to become 20th country in Europe to ban cruel fur farming

Humane Society International / Europe

HSI in Romania

BUCHAREST, Romania—Romania is being urged to become the 20th country in Europe to ban fur farming following revelations from an undercover investigation by Humane Society International/Europe which uncovers serious animal welfare concerns. Following discussion with HSI/Europe, deputies from the National Liberal Party have submitted a bill to Parliament to ban mink and chinchilla fur farming, and HSI/Europe has submitted its dossier of investigation evidence to Romania’s Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă with a formal request for the government to introduce a national fur farming ban.

In the first ever exposé of chinchilla fur farms in Romania, filming by HSI/Europe reveals animals confined in small, filthy, wire mesh cages stacked three or four on top of each other, in windowless “farm” rooms, with piles of excrement accumulating under each cage. Baby chinchillas are seen struggling to walk on the wire cage floor, their legs slipping through the mesh, and adult chinchillas are filmed frantically chewing at the bars.

Chinchillas were housed individually (except when rearing young) despite being highly social creatures, and provided just a fraction of their species’ natural range in the wild—they can jump as high as one metre, and horizontally up to two metres. HSI’s investigator was told females are forced into a cycle of almost perpetual pregnancy, which can start again just several hours after giving birth. Fur farms employ an unnatural and likely stressful polygamous breeding system which allows the same male to have access to, and breed with, up to 10 females who are fitted with neck braces or collars to prevent them escaping their own cage during mating. Several fur farmers were also filmed holding chinchillas upside down by the tail, a practice that goes against veterinary advice due to the risk of tail snapping.

The investigation breaks as across Europe, EU citizens in their thousands are signing a European Citizens Initiative calling for an EU-wide ban on fur farming. The ECI must achieve one million signatures to trigger a response from the European Commission.

Andreea Roseti, Romania country director for Humane Society International/Europe, said: “This investigation provides shocking evidence of the deprivation these animals are suffering in Romania for the fur industry. Such cruelty brings shame on Romania and we hope that our investigation marks the beginning of the end for the fur industry here. I am sure that most Romanian citizens will be horrified to learn that hidden from view, thousands of gentle chinchillas are suffering in silence for the sake of frivolous fur fashion items that nobody needs. There is no future in fur farming in a modern, compassionate society. That is why 19 countries across Europe have fully banned the practice.

We are calling on Romania’s Prime Minister Ciucă to act swiftly with a comprehensive ban on fur farming of all species, to stop this atrocious suffering in the name of fashion. Top designers and manufacturers across the globe are shunning fur, and soon we hope the fur industry will be consigned to the history books. This is Romania’s chance to be on the right side of history.”

Unlike mink fur farming where animals are housed in rows of cages in field units in rural areas, chinchilla farming in Romania typically takes place in a room or even a basement of a building in more residential areas. The deprived conditions HSI/Europe found, fail to meet the very basic Five Freedoms of animal welfare as well as the requirements of Council Directive 98/58/EC. HSI’s investigation also raises questions about the methods used to kill chinchillas in Romania. A number of the fur farmers told HSI’s investigator that they break the animals’ neck, a practice not listed as an authorised killing method for chinchillas (Council Regulation (EC) No. 1099/2009). One fur farmer showed the investigator his homemade gas chamber he had constructed using a pressure cooker, and another revealed chinchilla carcasses stored in a freezer.

Professor Alastair MacMillan, a veterinary consultant who viewed the footage, said: “The factory farm style caging in which these chinchillas are forced to exist, piled high floor to ceiling, fails to meet almost every measure of the internationally recognised Five Freedoms of Animal Welfare. Chinchillas are naturally very sociable animals, yet on these fur farms they are kept in solitary caging. They have a strong desire to run, jump, burrow, forage for food and regularly take sand baths, and yet their tiny cages with only the very minimum of enrichment, means they are unable to exhibit these natural behaviours to any meaningful extent, which must cause them significant frustration and psychological distress. Having to stand for long periods on wire mesh floor will cause pain and injury to their delicate feet and is clearly a physical challenge for the young kits. Cervical dislocation—breaking the animal’s neck—is an entirely unsuitable method of killing chinchillas, and if these animals are routinely being killed this way, as some of the fur farmers admit, that will surely be an horrific end to a miserable life.”

HSI’s analysis shows that a fur farming ban in Romania would have minimal economic impact because the industry has been in considerable decline for some time. Farmers told HSI’s investigator that pelt prices had fallen steeply from 40 euros to 25 euros each, and that the farming of chinchillas was not economically viable as a full-time occupation. One chinchilla farmer commented that in the past he was producing 4,000 pelts a year, but now it is closer to 1,500 pelts. In 2013, Romania produced 200,000 mink, 30,000 chinchilla and 2,000 fox pelts, exporting 1,585,098 euros worth of fur garments. In 2021 the value of exports dropped to just 762,359 euros and recent statistics show pelt production halved to 100,000 mink and 15,000 chinchilla. Financial information seen by the investigator shows that Romania’s two remaining mink farms reported zero profits every year from 2014 to 2021 and employ just 46 people at the farms.

Although the fur market is in decline, chinchilla fur items still come with a high price tag. A chinchilla fur lined coat by Yves Salomon retails at Harrods in the UK for £12,600. Spanish homeware website Dentro Home, which ships to the UK, is selling a chinchilla throw for 124,950 euros. Chinchilla fur is also used by Fendi and Loro Piana.

Fur facts:

  • More than 100 million animals are killed for their fur every year worldwide—that is equivalent to three animals dying every second, just for their fur.
  • Fur farming has been banned in 19 European countries, including Malta, Ireland, Estonia, France, Italy and most recently on 22nd September 2022, Latvia. Political discussions on a ban are also underway in Lithuania, Spain and Poland. A further two countries (Switzerland, Germany) have implemented such strict regulations that fur farming has effectively ended, and three other countries (Denmark, Sweden, Hungary) have imposed measures that have ended the farming of certain species.
  • In Denmark, only 1% of fur farmers applied for state aid to re-start business if the temporary fur farming ban is lifted after December 2022. Mink farming is also being phased out in the Canadian province of British Colombia. The UK was the first country in the world to ban fur farming, in 2003.
  • Outbreaks of COVID-19 have been documented on over 480 mink fur farms in 12 different countries in Europe and North America since April 2020. Fur also comes with a hefty environmental price tag including C02 emissions from intensively farming carnivorous animals, the manure runoff into lakes and rivers, and the cocktail of toxic and carcinogenic chemicals, such as chromium and formaldehyde, used to preserve the fur and skin to stop it from rotting.
  • An increasing number of fashion designers and retailers are dropping fur cruelty. In the last few years alone, Canada Goose, Oscar de la Renta, Valentino, Gucci, Burberry, Versace, Chanel, Prada and other high-profile brands have announced fur-free policies.

Download video and photos from the investigation

ENDS

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

Notes: filming took place between April and October 2021 at four chinchilla fur farms in Transylvania, as well as neighboring regions to the north and south.

HSI/Europe welcomes Italian Exhibition Group’s decision todiscontinue HIT Show for its incompatibility with environmental values

Humane Society International / Europe

Trophy hunting “Not In My World” action in Rome, Italy, on October 20th, 2021.

VICENZA, Italy —Martina Pluda, director for Italy at Humane Society International/Europe, states the following regarding the announcement by IEG Italian Exhibition Group SpA to discontinue HIT Show, the hunting fair:

“I welcome the decision by IEG Italian Exhibition Group SpA to no longer organize HIT Show, Italy’s largest hunting fair that had  40,000 visitors and hundreds of international exhibitors per year. According to research by Humane Society International/Europe, many outfitters offered trophy hunting trips targeting protected species. In their statement, the company that runs the Vicenza exhibit hall stressed the incompatibility of this event with environmental values and its own mission. Public opinion is consistent with that view. In fact, according to an HSI/Europe poll, 86% of Italians surveyed oppose trophy hunting of all wild animals.

Trophy hunters from the European Union kill thousands of wild animals worldwide, including endangered or threatened species, with Italy being a major trophy destination. In addition to the cruelty and loss of animals who could contribute to a diverse gene pool while the world is facing a biodiversity crisis, it is irresponsible to allow wealthy elites to shoot endangered species for pure pleasure and to promote this practice as a recreational activity. Hunting shows are an important yet disgraceful showcase for outfitters who offer the opportunity to hunt lions, elephants, hippos and many other species for several thousand euros on macabre price lists. The divestment by IEG of the HIT Show is a strong blow to the industry and a clear signal.

Shooting, stuffing, packing and receiving dead animals and their body parts and displaying them in their homes motivates these hunters. An import ban on trophies in more EU countries would effectively help stop the killing of these animals. Already since the last legislature, HSI/Europe’s #NotInMyWorld campaign has been calling for Italy to introduce a ban on the import, export and re-export of hunting trophies obtained from internationally protected species. With the submission of a bill on this issue we have taken the first step. I trust that the next government will want to work to achieve this goal together with us and the Italian people, once and for all.”

Facts:

  • Between 2014 and 2020, Italy imported 437 hunting trophies from internationally protected species such as hippos, elephants, lions, leopards, cheetahs, brown bears and polar bears.
  • Notably, Italy was one of five countries to have imported at least one critically endangered black rhino trophy.
  • According to a survey commissioned by HSI/Europe to Savanta ComRes, 86% of Italians surveyed oppose trophy hunting of all wild animals, 88% agree that Italians should not be allowed to import hunting trophies from other countries, and 74% support a total ban on the export and import of dead animal trophies to and from Italy.
  • A petition launched by HSI/Europe in Italy has already collected more than 45,000 signatures.

ENDS

Media contact: Martina Pluda, HSI in Italy’s country director: mpluda@hsi.org; 3714120885

 

Campaigners call for national ban on dog meat trade

Humane Society International

HSI

JAKARTA, Indonesia—Forty five dogs rescued from an illegal dog slaughterhouse have flown to North America to seek loving adoptive families. The dogs—including Sunshine, Oreo, Alice, Neo, Dave, Randy and Olive—were saved by police last November, with assistance from the Dog Meat Free Indonesia (DMFI) coalition which campaigns for a nationwide ban on the dog meat trade. DMFI rescuers discovered the dogs tied up in sacks on the back of a truck as it arrived at a notorious slaughterhouse that was reported to kill on average up to 30 dogs per day.

The 45 dogs—including puppies born to some of the dogs who were heavily pregnant when rescued—had been trafficked from West Java on a grueling 365-mile journey to Sukoharjo. Many of them had painful skin diseases at the time of rescue, and required treatment at DMFI’s shelter for shock, dehydration, malnutrition and deep wounds from the snares used to catch them. Once settled at Humane Society International’s care and rehabilitation centre in North America, they will be evaluated before being made available for adoption.

Bali-based Lola Webber, Humane Society International’s director of campaigns to End Dog Meat, was at the police interception to help rescue the dogs. Webber says: “Seeing the terrified and traumatized faces of these dogs huddled together at the slaughterhouse, is something that will stay with me for the rest of my life. They were skin and bones, dehydrated, weak and bewildered, suffering from profound trauma and horrific wounds from their capture. Now that they’ve recovered, flying them to North America will give them the best chance of a loving home where they will get to play with toys, sleep in soft beds and enjoy all the belly rubs they could they ever want. The dog meat trade has already been banned in 19 jurisdictions across Indonesia. I hope the government will take the next step of banning this awful trade for good so that no more dogs have to suffer this cruelty in future.”

Nationwide opinion polls from 2021 show that only a small minority of Indonesians (4.5%) consume dog meat, and 93% of all Indonesians support a ban on the dog meat trade. Despite this, conservative estimates suggest that more than one million dogs a year are stolen, trafficked, slaughtered and sold for human consumption. Many of them are pets snatched from their homes or the streets who are bludgeoned and bled to death at markets or slaughterhouses.

As well as being cruel, the dog meat trade jeopardizes Indonesia’s anti-rabies efforts and represents a substantial public health threat. Rabies is endemic across most of Indonesia, with only eight provinces holding rabies-free status. With dogs being routinely stolen from rabies positive areas and trafficked into rabies-free areas, the dog meat trade actively undermines attempts to control the deadly disease.

Karin Franken of Jakarta Animal Aid Network and national DMFI coordinator, said: “For the past ten months since their rescue, we’ve cared for these dogs at our shelter, healed their wounds and given them the love and care they needed to recover from their ordeal. The puppies born to dogs who were heavily pregnant when stolen for the meat trade, have only experienced human kindness, but the others have seen the very worst of humanity and it must have been extremely frightening. I’m thrilled that they will now be able to put all that trauma behind them and start new lives in loving, adoptive.”

Fifty-three dogs in total were rescued at the Sukoharjo interception which was conducted under COVID-19 health and safety restrictions, and a veterinarian was on site throughout. At the DMFI shelter the dogs received vaccinations against rabies, coronavirus, distemper and parvovirus. The dogs also underwent quarantine for more than 30 days, and received veterinary health checks in accordance with regulations prior to transport overseas. The remaining dogs will be open to local adoption and provided life-long care at the JAAN shelter as part of the shelter team family if needed.

Dog meat trade facts:

  • Guruh Tri Susilo, the trucker driver, and Suseno, the slaughterhouse owner, were both found guilty of breaking Law 18 of 2009 chapter 89 regarding animal health and husbandry, and sentenced to 17 and 12 months in jail respectively. Suseno’s conviction marked only the country’s third conviction of a dog meat trafficker since the national government’s declaration in 2018 that “dogs are not food.”
  • The dog meat trade is banned in 18 cities and regencies across Indonesia. The regencies are Karanganyar, Sukoharjo, Semarang, Blora, Brebes, Purbalingga, Mojokerto, Temanggung, Jepara and Magelang. The cities are Salatiga, Malang, Semarang, Magelang, Blitar, Mojokerto, Medan and Surabaya.
  • In addition to the 18 locations in Indonesia, across Asia the trade in and slaughter, sale and consumption of dogs is also banned or otherwise ended in Taiwan, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Thailand and two major cities in mainland China. In South Korea a government-initiated task force is currently considering the issue of a ban. President Yoon Suk-yeol has stated he would not oppose a dog meat ban provided there is social consensus, and first lady Kim Keon-hee has spoken publicly of her desire for an end to dog meat consumption.
  • The Dog Meat Free Indonesia campaign comprises local campaigners Jakarta Animal Aid Network and Animals Friends Jogja, and international groups Humane Society International, Four Paws and Animals Asia.

ENDS

Download photos and video of the dogs being prepared/ loaded at the shelter and at Jakarta airport

Photos and videos of the police interception and the dogs at the DMFI shelter

Media contacts:

Indonesia

  • Lola Webber, Humane Society International’s End Dog Meat campaign director, and Dog Meat Free Indonesia international coordinator : Lwebber@hsi.org ; +6281337408768
  • Karin Franken, Jakarta Animal Aid Network Founder, and  national coordinator Dog Meat Free Indonesia Coalition : jaan_adopt@yahoo.com ; +6282122487794

United Kingdom

  • Wendy Higgins, Humane Society International’s director of international media: whiggins@hsi.org

 

 

School meals in Sobral improve animal welfare, climate impact and health for 35,000 students

Humane Society International / Global

reproduction/City Hall of Sobral

SOBRAL, Brazil—An agreement signed by the Municipality of Sobral, in collaboration with Humane Society International and Mercy for Animals’ Alimentação Consciente Brasil program, will bring healthier and more climate-friendly food to almost 35,000 students attending the city’s public schools while improving the welfare of animals. Lectures on nutrition and plant-based culinary training sessions delivered in late Augustkick-started the implementation of the program.

The initiative seeks to replace 20% of ingredients from animals with vegetables, legumes, grains and fruits in more than 2.3 million meals every year. Teams from Humane Society International and Alimentação Consciente Brasil will train municipal kitchen teams in plant-based cuisine and will share knowledge with school education coordinators about the positive nutritional and environmental principles of making small changes to diets.

Food systems with high intake of animal products have been reported to increase health problems such as obesity, diabetes and cancer. Further, animal agriculture globally is a leading driver of climate change and is directly linked to serious environmental problems such as deforestation and excessive use of water.

The agreement is the result of the city’s participation in the first edition of the Urban Laboratory of Food Public Policies, organized by Instituto Comida do Amanhã and Local Governments for Sustainability, with institutional support from Alimentação Consciente Brasil and Humane Society International.

“We believe that food policies drive sustainable development, can contribute to the regeneration of the planet and also to the health of people in the present, as well as future generations,” comments Alice Martins, senior manager of food policies at Alimentação Consciente Brasil.

In Brazil, about 70% of grains are fed to farmed animals instead of people, a sobering statistic when many in the world face hunger and food insecurity. Indeed, the farm animal production sector is the single largest anthropogenic user of land globally, with meat, egg, dairy and aquaculture production systems using approximately 83% of the world’s farmland while providing just 37% of the world’s protein and 18% of calories. Animal agriculture is also a major contributor to the climate crisis, responsible for at least 16.5% of human-induced greenhouse gas emissions.  By changing our food system and consumption habits we can significantly reduce the environmental impact of our food system while also providing adequate nutrition.

“Several municipalities, food service companies, and public and private institutions around the world have implemented similar programs as a means to promote more resilient food systems that align with global commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while also improving animal welfare,” says Thayana Oliveira, food policy manager at the Humane Society International.

The sustainability assessment conducted by Alimentação Consciente Brasil and Humane Society International estimates that this agreement, which the participants signed in April 2022,  will:

  • Spare 4,200 tons of soy no longer destined for livestock, which is enough to feed about 50,000 adults for one year.
  • Preserve 1,400 hectares of land, the equivalent of 800 football fields.
  • Save 22 million liters of water, the equivalent to more than 160,000 showers of 15-minutes.
  • Reduce 5,000 tons of CO2eq emission, the equivalent of driving a car for 40 million km.

“With this agreement the city of Sobral, recognized as the education capital of Brazil, is taking leadership in advancing public health and sustainability through school meals,” says Francisco Herbert Lima Vasconcelos, secretary of education of the municipality of Sobral.

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Media contact: Thayana Oliveira Soares, food policy manager for HSI in Brazil, toliveira@hsi.org ; (31) 98484-4890

Humane Society International/India’s “Fab Four” demonstrate peaceful co-existence of dogs with locals and tourists in yoga capital of the world

Humane Society International / India

Lennon, one of the four dogs named after the Beatles, in the context of HSI/India’s humane street dog program in Rishikesh, is helping raise awareness. HSI.

RISHIKESH, India—Four street dogs living in India’s tourist hotspot of Rishikesh, where the Beatles visited in 1968, have been named after the Fab Four as part of a mass spay/neuter and rabies vaccination drive. Lennon, McCartney, Starr and Harrison are among thousands of mainly female street dogs in Rishikesh being sterilized and vaccinated by animal charity Humane Society International/India to humanely reduce the city’s growing street dog population and promote peaceful co-existence between dogs, local residents and the thousands of tourists who flock to the city for yoga retreats and water sports.

Lennon, McCartney, Starr and Harrison have all been sterilized by HSI/India, and their personal stories are helping spread awareness of the program as well as fostering an appreciation of street dogs as individuals. Seven-year-old Harrison lives in the city’s Ganganagar district where community members make sure she regularly receives her favorite foods–biscuits and roti. Now a happy and cared-for dog, Harrison’s life on the street had been tough–all her puppies from multiple litters died, and she also lost her dog companion in a road accident. One-year-old Lennon is a third-generation community dog born in the neighborhood, and McCartney is the only living survivor of a litter of seven who struggled to protect herself from bigger dogs before community carers stepped in. Starr is a young dog who lives with her mother and sister in Awas Vikas Colony where local residents feed her eggs and buns.

Piyush Patel, HSI/India’s senior manager for the Dog Management program, explains: “An estimated 75 million dogs live on the streets across India, with most puppies dying before they reach 12 months old. Without access to veterinary care, dogs can also die of rabies and other diseases, and live with painful and debilitating injuries from being hit by traffic. When the number of dogs exceeds the community’s capacity to care for them, street dogs can also suffer from malnutrition and may even face cruel behavior such as stone throwing, which can be exacerbated by a community’s fear of dog bites and rabies. In Rishikesh we aim to sterilize 80% of female dogs like Lennon, McCartney, Starr and Harrison, because this is the most effective way to control the population growth. We will monitor this approach over the next few years but if successful, this female-focus could shape all animal birth control projects in the future.”

In addition to sterilization and vaccination, the program will also focus on community engagement to ensure public awareness of the program, mitigate human-dog conflict and address dog welfare concerns.

Download photos and video of the “Beatles” dogs of Rishikesh

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

 

 

European Citizens’ Initiative reaches over one million signatures

Humane Society International / Europe

HSI

BRUSSELS—For the second time in seven years, more than one million people across the European Union have called for an end to animal testing by signing a European Citizens’ Initiative.  Introduced by the Treaty of Lisbon in 2007 to facilitate participation by EU citizens in policy development, ECIs are an established and respected participatory democracy mechanism to which the European Commission is required to respond within six months.

As the deadline for signatures passed at 23:59 yesterday, 1,414,383 people had signed the latest ECI calling for the European Commission to end the cruel use of animals in cosmetics and chemicals tests, as well as an ambitious plan to bring all experiments on animals to an end.

More than 10 million animals each year are used in laboratories around Europe for research and testing procedures that can cause them agonizing pain and suffering. This includes cruel and needless re-testing of cosmetic chemicals at the behest of the European Chemicals Agency, contrary to the EU’s longstanding ban on animal testing for cosmetics.

The Save Cruelty Free Cosmetics ECI was launched by a coalition of animal protection organizations including Cruelty Free Europe, PETA, Eurogroup for Animals, Humane Society International/Europe, and the European Coalition to End Animal Experiments, is supported by global beauty and personal care companies Dove, The  Body Shop, Lush, Herbal Essences, Aussie and is actively promoted by a coalition of groups and campaigners from every corner of Europe.

Joanna Swabe, senior director of public affairs for Humane Society International/Europe, said: “We are delighted that more than a million EU citizens have added their voices to the call to save cruelty-free cosmetics. It is a travesty that the landmark legislation banning cosmetic tests on animals has been undermined by EU authorities who continue to exploit a loophole in the legislation and demand that animal tests are carried out on ingredients used in lipsticks and eyeshadow. Not least because there are so many non-animal methods to ensure the protection of consumers and workers who are exposed to these chemicals, as well the environment.”

Aviva Vetter, Humane Society International senior manager for cosmetics, added: “This European Citizens’ Initiative is a wake-up call to EU institutions that continued erosion of the EU’s cruelty-free commitment will not be allowed to stand. Moreover, the European Commission must come forward with substantive legislative proposals to phase out  animal  experiments,  end  the  suffering  of millions of animals in laboratories.”

Vetter continued: “We are incredibly proud of this collaborative landmark and look forward to successful validation of the signatures. European citizens have made the task for the European Commission clear: it must come forward with substantive legislative proposals to phase out all animal experiments and end the suffering of millions of animals in laboratories in Europe. We demand change in testing and research. It is time for Europe to evolve past cruel and outdated animal testing.”

The organizers of the initiative now have three months to submit signatures to member state competent authorities for validation before they can take it to the European Commission and Parliament for action. To date, only six ECIs out of a total of 90 that have been registered have successfully completed this validation stage; a further four are currently in the validation phase. To have attracted 1,413, 383 signatures is a strong signal that this ECI could join them.

Background information:

Download pictures from our newsroom here

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Media contact: Cassie Bodin-Duval, international coordinator media relations: cbodinduval@hsi.org ; +32 (0) 469 149 469

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