Author: Kristin Stone

World’s most illegally trafficked mammal in grave danger of extinction

Humane Society International / United States

Natural History Media/Alamy Stock photo

WASHINGTON— Wildlife conservation groups sued the Trump administration today to force officials to propose Endangered Species Act protections for critically imperiled pangolins.

Today’s lawsuit against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service notes that pangolins, which inhabit Asia and Africa, are in grave danger of extinction. A massive demand for their scales, erroneously believed to have curative properties in East Asian medicine, and their meat, consumed as a delicacy in some Asian countries, has fueled their decline.

“These odd, adorable animals may look like pinecones with legs, but the massive trafficking in pangolin parts is no joke,” said Sarah Uhlemann, international program director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “If poachers keep killing thousands of pangolins a week, they’ll disappear in decades. The Trump administration needs to help protect these unique creatures from exploitation and extinction.”

The world’s only mammal with scales, pangolins are also the world’s most trafficked mammals. Between 2004 and 2014, more than a million were illegally traded — an average of nearly 300 animals killed per day. Despite a 2016 ban on the international commercial trade in pangolin parts, several massive seizures in Singapore, Malaysia and China in 2019, representing tens of thousands of dead pangolins, show rampant illegal trade continues.

“The United States’ delay in listing these species belies its role as a leader in combating poaching worldwide,” said Adam Peyman, programs and operations manager for Humane Society International and co-author of the 2015 listing petition. “The U.S. market for pangolin products feeds poaching and trafficking in the countries where the animals are found. By giving all pangolin species the Endangered Species Act protection they desperately need, the Fish and Wildlife Service will have the tools it needs to stop U.S. trade in pangolin parts.”

While most illegally sourced pangolins are destined for markets in China and Vietnam, the United States also drives demand. At least 26,000 imports of pangolin products were seized in the United States between 2004 and 2013, and a 2015 report by Humane Society International found “medicinal” products containing or likely to contain pangolin parts openly for sale online and at U.S. stores.

“Pangolins cruelly suffer and die for their meat and the so-called medicinal properties of their scales. It is past time for the Fish and Wildlife Service to take action to prevent the illegal trade and eventual extinction of this species,” said Angela Grimes, CEO of Born Free USA.

One pangolin species, the Temminck’s ground pangolin, is already protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. In July 2015 wildlife groups petitioned the Fish and Wildlife Service to list the other seven pangolin species. The law required the Service to either propose protections or find protections “not warranted” by July 2016, more than three and a half years ago.

“The Trump administration should get with the program and do its part to save pangolins.” said Elly Pepper, deputy director of international wildlife conservation at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). “With scientists predicting the extinction of over one million species, the time for transformative change is now. We must rein in destructive consumption patterns like those decimating pangolins.”

Today’s suit was filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. If pangolins are protected as endangered, the law would prohibit the import and interstate sale of pangolin parts in the United States, except for scientific or other conservation purposes. Listing would also heighten global awareness about pangolins and their threats and make funding available for anti-trafficking and habitat conservation efforts.

Contacts:

Humane Society International helps build temporary shelters to house animal patients

Humane Society International / Global

Three koalas rescued on Kangaroo Island sitting in laundry baskets eat eucalyptus branches and wait for assessment and treatment.
Jo-Anna Robinson/AP Images for HSI

Kangaroo Island, South Australia–As the search-and-rescue mission for wildlife survivors of Australia’s Kangaroo Island bushfires continues, animal charity Humane Society International says the number of animals needing to be taken into care is increasing as starvation and dehydration start to hit.

Humane Society International took the heart-wrenching image of a traumatised koala sitting by the water beside another, deceased, koala. Although some media reports mistook the koala’s hunched posture as mourning, HSI experts say it’s the fact that they’re seeing koalas all over the island curled up and “shut down” like this on the ground instead of in the trees, which indicates a lack of food and water is taking its toll. Animal carcasses, like that of the dead koala in the water, litter the ground across the decimated bushland on the island.

“Sadly, this is the reality on the ground on Kangaroo Island. The survivors have little to no energy reserves left and we are finding them sitting on the ground totally shut down – all too often with other corpses nearby. We did manage to rescue this particular koala and she is doing well in the emergency rehab at the Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park,” said Kelly Donithan, Humane Society International’s disaster response specialist.

Although casualty numbers fluctuate day by day, Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park is also seeing an upturn in wildlife casualties being brought to its emergency triage centre. Although it’s always ideal to leave uninjured surviving koalas high in the trees in their natural habitat, the near total fire damage means that their natural food sources have been turned to ash, and increasing numbers of surviving koalas are now being found on the ground and dehydrated.

Ms Donithan continued: “Over recent days it’s been quite a bit cooler, so perhaps some animals are starting to move more than they did before in a desperate search for food and water, and that’s why we’re seeing an increase. As the days go by, these animals are weakening more and more to a point where they require intervention because there’s virtually nothing left for them out here.”

The Humane Society International team has been building water stations in remote areas where koalas have been seen perching in inaccessibly high trees, and photographs from camera traps set by the charity show that koalas are climbing down to drink. HSI has also delivered building materials to the island to allow for the construction of new temporary shelters at the wildlife park triage centre to help accommodate the growing number of animals needing veterinary and longer term care.

Erica Martin, CEO of HSI/Australia explains: “For so many of these animals, their natural habitat is gone, there simply isn’t anything to sustain them. So although the hope is that in time once the land recovers they will be able to be released back to the wild, that’s not likely to happen for some time yet. So for the meantime, we need to build these little guys a new, temporary home, and thanks to the donations we’re receiving, we’re able to get to work.”

Watch:

Australia Fires: Helping animals in crisis,Australia Fires: Helping koalas in need, Australia Fires: Rescuing animals in need and Facebook Live updates from our rescuers in the field.

Read a recent blog entry by HSUS President & CEO Kitty Block.

Donate to our Animal Rescue Fund at hsi.org/aid.

For more information about our response, see our Australia fires faqs.

Media:

Download photos and video of animal rescue here.

For interviews with HSI’s rescue team on Kangaroo Island, please call

Humane Society International

Australia fires animal rescue
Jo-Anne Robinson/AP Images for HSI

Q. I’ve seen reports regarding rainfall in Australia – does that mean that wildlife is in the clear?
A. Kangaroo Island, the focus of our response, hasn’t experienced significant rainfall like some other areas of Australia.

Unfortunately, minor amounts of rainfall are inadequate to begin the process of regenerating lost forest habitat and animals continue to be heavily impacted by the fires. Give now to support our Animal Rescue Fund.

Q. How long will animals rescued by HSI be held in captivity?
A. Habitat regeneration times will vary across the continent, depending on the species of trees and local environmental conditions. On Kangaroo Island, we are hopeful that stands of eucalyptus trees will be able to regenerate in a matter of months, if there is sufficient rainfall. Reintroducing koalas into regrown eucalyptus forests – in a manner that gives due consideration to the species’ territorial nature and social structure – is absolutely our goal. HSI/Australia is working hard to support its Wildlife Land Trust sanctuary members and wildlife carers across Australia to build rehabilitation facilities to increase their capacity for the overwhelming numbers of animals in care, and to keep them close to where they were found for eventual release. During their time in care, it will be important to avoid unnecessary handling of the koalas, but we are hopeful that they will integrate back into the wild very well.

Q. Is bottle feeding bad for koalas?
HSI’s Disaster Response Team is made up of trained professionals with experience handling injured, dehydrated and starving animals after natural and man-made disasters. We also work closely with available local vets when possible. It is true that pouring water into an animal’s mouth can create a risk that the animal inhales instead of swallows the water, which can cause a serious and sometimes fatal condition called aspiration pneumonia. That is why the HSI Disaster Response Team provided water to rescued animals in a bowl from which they could lap, or in small and slow quantities from a syringe so that their swallowing reflex would be stimulated. Unlike adult koalas, a baby koala or joey would naturally suckle milk from its mom, and so a teated bottle held at the appropriate angle (as demonstrated in HSI’s Facebook LIVE video) most naturally replicates that and presents no welfare danger to the joey.

Q. Can I volunteer to go to Australia and help with animal rescue?
A. Animal rescue organizations on the ground are not currently accepting overseas volunteers. Australia itself has a large pool of volunteers to pull from. The recovery of the wildfires will be long term and once the initial response dies down, groups may be looking for experienced volunteers. Experience in disaster response and animal care is essential, as well-intentioned but inexperienced animal responders can do more harm than good (such as by over-watering dehydrated koala bears). We also strongly discourage people from self-deployinig. Self-deploying to fire zones creates an unsafe situation for both people and animals. We know people are very moved by the fires and want to help, but sometimes the best help we can give is to support the organizations with the expertise to respond.

Q. Can I send supplies to help with animal rescue?
A. At this time, HSI and other rescue organizations are asking that people not send non-monetary donations as they do not have the bandwidth to sort through them. Unless you see a specific wish list of items on an organization’s website, please hold off from sending donations other than funds.

Q. Why should I donate to HSI instead of other organizations involved in Australia fire relief?
A. HSI has had a permanent presence in Australia since 1994 and will continue to work there on the ground long into the future. This has allowed us to establish a robust network of relationships with wildlife sanctuaries and governmental and nongovernmental partners. This network is critical to a successful animal search and rescue mission in the face of such a calamitous event. Established wildlife rehabilitation facilities specifically requested that HSI conduct a search and rescue mission to find any animal survivors and bring them to the sanctuaries for treatment. HSI is committed to using the funds raised to cover grants to local organizations involved in the short, medium, and long-term animal rescue response a disaster of this scale will require, as well as all of the costs of our deployment to Australia. Only in the event that we receive more funds than can be spent to help animals impacted by the Australian fires will the funds be used to provide animal care in other disaster zones or for the rescue of animals where it is most needed.

Q. What percent of donations made to hsi.org/aid will go to animal rescue?
A. 100% of all donations made to Humane Society International’s Animal Rescue Fund will be used for direct care of animals and funding the deployment our team of expert disaster and rescue responders. The impacts of this disaster will be long felt by the wildlife and their carers who tend to the injured, orphaned and displaced animals round-the-clock. HSI is committed to using the funds raised to cover grants to local organizations involved in the short, medium, and long-term animal rescue response a disaster of this scale will require as well as all of the costs of our deployment to Australia. Only in the event that we receive more funds than can be spent to help animals impacted by the Australian fires will the funds be used to provide animal care in other disaster zones or for the rescue of animals where it is most needed. Humane Society International has a Gold Seal of Transparency from GuideStar and is approved by the Better Business Bureau for all 20 standards for charity accountability.

Q. What is HSI doing to combat the root causes of the climate change crisis?
A. HSI/Australia has long engaged in policy advocacy to protect animals, including bolstering the country’s biodiversity and environmental laws. HSI/Australia is working both within Australia and through international treaty bodies to promote the adoption of laws that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and establish best practices for adapting to a changing climate. HSI/Australia has been particularly focused on creating a mechanism to Reduce Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) as part of an international emissions trading scheme and urging domestic protection of Australian wildlife habitat as a means of providing resilience against climate change. For more information, visit: https://hsi.org.au/campaign/category/law-and-policy-general.

Q. Why didn’t HSI deploy to Australia earlier?
A. We have been watching the situation in Australia ever since the fires started earlier in the fall. For the safety of our staff, firefighters, and members of the public, we do not deploy to active fire zones that are under evacuation order or where our presence could make a dangerous situation worse. Further, unlike many of the countries where we work, Australia has an existing infrastructure capable of helping animals (and people) in distress during times of disaster. We never enter a country during a disaster unless we are invited by the government or partner groups on-the-ground requesting our aid. As soon as our partners in Australia reached out to us seeking help, we immediately responded by sending staff to Kangaroo Island to lead a search and rescue mission. We are in regular contact with our partners in Australia and will evaluate any additional requests to send staff, supplies, or other resources to assist in the short, medium, and long term.

Q. Are animals that survived the Australian bushfires being euthanized?
A. On Kangaroo Island, the extent of destruction to wildlife habitat is severe, but responders have been searching for any animal survivors. Our priority is to keep wildlife in the wild, but even unharmed wildlife may need to be taken to sanctuaries if they do not have access to food or water due to fire damage. Animals who are injured are taken to rehabilitation facilities for veterinary treatment, with the goal of re-release back into the wild after recovery. Only if animals are severely injured, suffering, and not able to be returned to health would they be humanely euthanized.

Q: What is your response to the report that the Australian government is going to kill 10,000 camels who are in search of water?
A: We understand that many people are shocked by the recent media coverage of camel culling in South Australia. Humane Society International and our partner organization, HSI/Australia, advocate strongly for humane animal management practices across all species. Aerial culling is not a sustainable solution and more humane methods must be found. HSI and HSI/Australia encourage state and territory governments in Australia to urgently invest in humane alternatives such as contraception which has been shown to work well for other species.

Q: What happened to the kangaroo pictured in your first Facebook post?
A: The picture is of a young eastern grey kangaroo named Bridgette who is safe at Dimmocks Retreat Wildlife Rehabilitation & Rescue in Bundanoon, New South Wales, a member of HSI/Australia’s Wildlife Land Trust. As devastating fires ripped through the town of Bundanoon last Saturday, heroic volunteer firefighters managed to save the sanctuary’s homestead but over a third of the property’s forest and the adjoining national park was destroyed. After the fire had passed through, wildlife carers Justine and Greg found Bridgette and several other kangaroos and wombats safe and miraculously unharmed at the sanctuary.  Since they have very little natural food left, Justine and Greg will need to provide hay, pellets and fresh water until the bushland begins to regenerate. You can keep up-to-date with Dimmocks Retreat here: https://www.facebook.com/DimmocksRetreat/

“Every time we find an animal alive, it feels like a miracle,” say HSI rescuers

Humane Society International / Global

Humane Society International

Note: See ENDS at bottom for the latest videos and updates on our rescue efforts.

Kangaroo Island, South Australia – Animal charity Humane Society International has deployed a disaster response team to Kangaroo Island on a search and rescue mission for wildlife survivors of the bushfires that have scorched over one third of the island. As HSI surveys the devastation first hand, the charity welcomed today’s announcement by the Australian government, pledging aid for species and habitat recovery.

HSI/Australia CEO Erica Martin said: “The land we’re searching is utterly scorched with charred animal bodies everywhere. It is very confronting to see the extent of the loss of wildlife. At one area, which was badly burned a week ago, the scenes were nothing short of apocalyptic. There we only found one living koala amongst thousands of bodies of koalas, kangaroos, wallabies and birds. So as we prepare to set out again to search for surviving animals, we warmly welcome this $50 million pledge. A substantial elevation of funds to the environment will need to be sustained for the long term.”

HSI’s team — led by Kelly Donithan, who is a global expert in disaster response — is building water and food stations to sustain uninjured wild animals in the area, as well as rescuing survivors suffering from burns, injuries, smoke inhalation and other physical or mental trauma.

The first reports from Kangaroo Island are harrowing to read; however, despite the devastation, the team has found and provided aid to koalas, kangaroos and possum survivors. Local groups on the ground with whom HSI is working are battling around the clock, especially Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park, which is taking in and caring for burned and injured animals.

HSI’s senior specialist in disaster response, Kelly Donithan, said: “These are some of the toughest scenes I’ve ever witnessed as an animal rescuer: the bodies of charred animals as far as the eye can see. But as we set out each day on search and rescue, we’re still finding animals alive, injured, dazed or traumatised, and it’s such a relief to be able to give them immediate life-saving assistance. We’ve seen kangaroos with devastating burn injuries and dehydrated koalas gasping for water. Amidst all this death, every time we find an animal alive it feels like a miracle. The local sanctuaries here are working around the clock, so we’re bringing in every animal we find in need of veterinary care and then heading straight back out to save more.” 

HSI’s team is assessing every animal survivor they find to decide if they can be left in-situ or taken into care. If animals are uninjured and have access to a reasonable food source, it is far less stressful for them to be left with a water station so that the team can check back on them later.

Ms. Donithan explained: “Obviously, the goal is to keep animals in the wild as much as possible. Unfortunately, the landscapes are so decimated that for many this hasn’t been an option because there is nothing left for them to eat or drink, so they need to be taken in for care. Sadly some animals are so badly burned that euthanasia is the only option. We found one kangaroo so burned her feet and tail were nothing but exposed bones. She was in a terrible state and must have endured such suffering, so I’m grateful at least that she didn’t have to die out there alone and in pain.” 

Despite the best efforts of firefighters, rescuers are seeing new fires continuing to spring up, with animals fleeing with burns. One possum was rescued by the team after emerging from flames as the team was stopped waiting to see if the road ahead would become passable or whether they needed to find an alternate route.

Humane Society International/Australia manages a network of 600 wildlife sanctuaries across the country as part of its Wildlife Land Trust. Many of these sanctuaries have been devastated by the fires or are experiencing an influx of patients to care for. With assistance from Humane Society International, HSI/Australia will provide funds, supplies and support to Wildlife Land Trust sanctuaries and other wildlife carers across fire zones.

Evan Quartermain, HSI/Australia’s head of programs who manages the WLT, said: “It is extremely emotional. I can barely describe it. In some places you can’t walk 10 metres without coming across another carcass. Humane Society International/Australia’s bushfire fund is paying for emergency truckloads of water and supplementary feed for rescued wombats, kangaroos and flying foxes in care impacted by fire and severe drought across the country. We have been able to fund the building of additional rehabilitation enclosures for koalas and other wildlife and with generous donations from around the world we are letting wildlife carers know we are here to support them for the long haul.”

ENDS

Watch:

Australia Fires: Helping animals in crisis,Australia Fires: Helping koalas in need, Australia Fires: Rescuing animals in need and Facebook Live updates from our rescuers in the field.

Read a recent blog entry by HSUS President & CEO Kitty Block.

Donate to our Animal Rescue Fund at hsi.org/aid.

For more information about our response, see our Australia fires faqs.

Download images and b-roll of animal rescue here.

For interviews with HSI’s rescue team on Kangaroo Island, please call Rhiannon Cunningham in Sydney on 0449 803 492 or (02) 9973 1728 and email rhiannon@hsi.org.au, or Wendy Higgins in London, UK on +44 (0)7989 972 423 whiggins@hsi.org.

In the U.S., contact Nancy Hwa, nhwa@hsi.org, 202-676-2337 (direct), 202-596-0808 (cell).

Humane Society International / Global

Humane Society International / Australia

Humane Society International / Global

Wildlife trophies
Ton Koene/Alamy

WASHINGTON — Every year, trophy hunters kill tens of thousands of wild animals around the world for fun and bragging rights. Their gruesome quests, some of which can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, may even involve illegal activities. The trophy hunting industry marginalizes local people and exploits the corruption of government officials. Moreover, the glorification of gratuitous violence through hunters’ social media posts with images of themselves posing with animals they’ve slain belies their conservation claims.

The Humane Society of the United States, Humane Society International and Humane Society Legislative Fund highlight here the “Terrible Ten Trophy Hunting Stories of 2019.”

Both Safari Club International, a primary defender of trophy hunting worldwide, and Donald Trump, Jr., a headliner at SCI’s February 2020 annual convention, made the list.

  1. At Safari Club International’s annual trophy hunting convention in January 2019 in Nevada, an undercover investigation by HSUS and HSI found vendors peddling captive-bred lion hunts in contravention of SCI’s own policies. Some vendors offered for sale the body parts and products of imperiled species such as elephants and hippos, in apparent violation of Nevada state wildlife trafficking laws.
  2. In February, Pakistanis reacted with indignation when a video and photos emerged showing an American trophy hunter from Texas, smiling alongside the  markhor he paid $110,000 to kill in Pakistan. This imperiled species of mountain goat is Pakistan’s national animal.
  3. A 2011 video featuring an American trophy hunter from Illinois sneaking up on and killing a sleeping lion in Zimbabwe, surfaced in March 2019. The video shows the man receiving congratulations from his companions as the wounded lion writhed in pain on the ground.
  4. A trophy hunter covered in blood posed with the mountain lion she had just killed in Colorado.
  5. South African authorities discovered 108 lions suffering in terrible conditions at a captive-breeding facility that supplies lions for canned hunts in May.
  6. An American trophy hunter from Kentucky who widely shared photos of a giraffe she had killed in 2018 re-ignited controversy and headlines in June 2019, when she bragged about her kill and stated in an interview that the giraffe meat “tasted delicious” and the skin would make fabulous pillows. A 2018 HSUS investigation into the sale of giraffe-skin pillows and other products led New York to recently become the first state in the U.S.— and the world —to ban the trade.
  7. A Canadian couple who posted a photo of themselves in July kissing over the dead lion they’d just killed in South Africa demonstrated their remorseless killing of an animal threatened with extinction. The lion allegedly came from a captive breeding facility.
  8. In September it was reported that the Trump Administration allowed a Michigan trophy hunter to import parts of a critically endangered black rhino he paid $400,000 to kill in Namibia.
  9. In December, ProPublica released the news that Donald Trump, Jr., known for his trophy hunting, had killed an imperiled argali sheep in Mongolia without a permit earlier in the year. Trump, Jr., is the scheduled keynote speaker at the February 2020 Safari Club International convention, which will auction off a trophy hunting trip with him.
  10. Two people in charge of a hunting party that killed five elephants in Botswana  had their hunting licenses revoked by the government. Because the killing of collared animals is not permitted in Botswana, the hunters destroyed one elephant’s collar to hide the evidence of their crime.

Kitty Block, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States said, “Killing magnificent wild animals for fun and social media bragging is not only wrong, but a serious detriment to conservation that undermines federal and international wildlife protection measures. We must all move beyond such violence, which is driving rare and treasured species to extinction.”

The three groups encourage the public to contact their Members of Congress to support H.R. 4804, the ProTECT Act of 2019 (Prohibiting Threatened and Endangered Creature Trophies Act) which would amend the Endangered Species Act  to prohibit taking endangered or threatened species into the United States as trophies as well as the importation of any such trophies into the United States.

 

Media contacts:

The Humane Society of the United States/Humane Society Legislative Fund:

Rodi Rosensweig, 203-270-8929, RRosensweig@humanesociety.org

Humane Society International:

Nancy Hwa, 202-676-2337, nhwa@hsi.org

 

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Founded in 1954, the Humane Society of the United States and its affiliates around the globe fight the big fights to end suffering for all animals. Together with millions of supporters, the HSUS takes on puppy mills, factory farms, trophy hunts, animal testing and other cruel industries, and together with its affiliates, rescues and provides direct care for over 100,000 animals every year. The HSUS works on reforming corporate policy, improving and enforcing laws and elevating public awareness on animal issues. More at humanesociety.org.

Humane Society International and its partner organizations together constitute one of the world’s largest animal protection organizations. For more than 25 years, HSI has been working for the protection of all animals through the use of science, advocacy, education and hands on programs. Celebrating animals and confronting cruelty worldwide – on the Web at hsi.org.

The Humane Society Legislative Fund is a social welfare organization incorporated under section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code and formed in 2004 as a separate lobbying affiliate of The Humane Society of the United States. The HSLF works to pass animal protection laws at the state and federal level, to educate the public about animal protection issues, and to support humane candidates for office. Visit us on all our channels: on the web at hslf.org, on our blog at animalsandpolitics.com, on Facebook at facebook.com/humanelegislation and on Twitter at twitter.com/HSLegFund.

Humane Society International / Global

Numbers

HSI’s Farm Animal Welfare and Protection program works with producers, restaurant companies, supermarkets, manufacturers, food service providers and hotel chains to transition their animal agriculture production and supply chains to higher welfare systems. Financial institutions such as commercial banks, investment management companies, pension funds and insurance companies are key stakeholders in the supply chain that often go unnoticed, and yet their funding often makes production possible. Increasingly, financial institutions are updating their lending, insuring and investing policies to address the conditions under which farm animals are bred, raised, transported and slaughtered, often as part of their Environmental, Social and Governance programs. More and more financial institutions are incentivizing higher welfare production methods and, in some cases, making production methods that rely on confining farm animals in small enclosures ineligible for financing.

HSI works to ensure that the world’s most influential financial institutions are aware of the significant body of science, public policy and growing market demand that supports the trend towards higher animal welfare standards, and to encourage them to take greater responsibility for animals in the meat, dairy and egg supply chains that they finance, invest in and insure. HSI’s team of attorneys, animal welfare scientists, experts and campaigners around the world seeks to provide resources and raise awareness about the economic, regulatory and reputational risks of financially supporting intensive confinement of farm animals.

Private financial institutions and pension funds

HSI briefs private financial institutions and pension funds on animal welfare changes in the food industry and has organized meetings and events in Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, France, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and Vietnam.

  • Worked with UK-based Standard Chartered on the first-ever cage- and crate-free policy by a global financial institution. (2018)
  • Consulted with Singapore’s DBS Bank on South East Asia’s first-ever sustainability linked loan to a Small Medium Enterprise, a S$27 million loan to an egg producer for construction of a cage-free egg facility. (2019)

The FARMS Initiative

In 2019, HSI and two other animal protection organizations established the Farm Animal Responsible Minimum Standards (FARMS) Initiative, the world’s first initiative designed specifically to provide technical resources for financial institutions to assist them in managing their portfolios of food businesses.

  • HSI and other members of the FARMS Initiative finalized Responsible Minimum Standards (RMS) for five of the most commonly farmed animals: beef cattle, chickens raised for meat, dairy cattle, laying hens and pigs. (2019)
  • The FARMS Initiative and the RMS were included as a “Key Resource” in the United Nations Environmental Programme Finance Initiative’s Principles for Responsible Banking Guidance Document. (2019)

International finance institutions

HSI engages with the most influential IFIs, including the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the World Bank Group, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the European Investment Bank, numerous EU member state development banks, and government-supported agricultural banks in Brazil, India, Mexico, the Philippines, South Africa and Viet Nam.

  • Contributed to the IFC’s Good Practice Note on Improving Animal Welfare in Livestock Operations.
  • Successfully advocated for increased animal welfare standards during consultations for the World Bank Group’s updated Environmental and Social Policy.

Entities supporting financial institutions

HSI supports entities such as Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) research and reporting companies, standard-setting bodies, on-farm certifiers, and inter-governmental organizations such as the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), in order that their work reflects science-based animal health and welfare standards.

Consumers also want to know if the products they purchase were tested on animals

Humane Society International / Brazil

mustafagull/iStock.com

BRASILIA—An opinion poll released today by Humane Society International and conducted by Datafolha revealed that the vast majority of the Brazilian public want robust federal legislation against cosmetic testing on animals. According to 73% of respondents, if the Congress were to legislate on this matter, “cosmetics products should not contain new ingredients tested on animals.”

The poll also revealed that cosmetics product information is of special importance to consumers, with 75% of respondents declaring that the “guarantee that a cosmetic has not been tested on animals” is an influencing factor when purchasing cosmetics. Furthermore, 84% of respondents also declared that companies should be obliged to “inform in a clear manner if they still test their new products and ingredients on animals” once legislation has been passed.

Helder Constantino, HSI’s #BeCrueltyFree Brazil campaign manager, says: “The practice of testing cosmetics on animals has long been rejected by the public, and this poll illustrates how important this issue is for consumers. It also proves that consumers diligently check the products they purchase and do not want to be misled about them. We very much hope that the Congress will take note and legislate accordingly.”

A report proposed to the Senate’s Commission of Economic Affairs (CAE) by Senator Alessandro Vieira amending Bill 70/2014 on cosmetic tests on animals would ban cosmetic products and ingredients tests on animals with immediate effect. It has yet to be voted on by the CAE.

The Datafolha opinion poll was conducted in August 2019, using a sample of 2,094 interviewees that was socially and geographically representative of the Brazilian population.

Facts:

  • Launched in 2012 by Humane Society International, #BeCrueltyFree is the largest campaign in history to end cosmetics animal testing and trade globally.
  • In Brazil, #BeCrueltyFree has received the support of Xuxa Meneghel, Fernanda Tavares, Ellen Jabour, Ray Neon, Rita Von Hunty and many other influencers and celebrities. #BeCrueltyFree has also been joined by other NGOs, such as Latin American consumer awareness group Te Protejo.
  • The states of Amazonas, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Pará, Paraná, Pernambuco, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo have already banned cosmetic tests on animals. Together, these states host approximately 70% of Brazil’s national cosmetic industry.
  • Thirty-nine countries have already enacted measures aligned with the objectives of the campaign, including the European Union, Norway, India, New Zealand, South Korea, Taiwan, Guatemala and Australia. Similar legislation is under consideration in Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, the United States and elsewhere.
  • Tests on animals are still allowed by National Agency for Sanitary Surveillance (Anvisa) regulations to assess the toxicity of cosmetics. Although some tests have been recently abolished by the National Council for the Control of Animal Experiments (CONCEA), a body of the Ministry of Science and Technology, long-term toxicity tests that can use hundreds of animals to evaluate a single substance are still allowed.

END

Media contact: Helder Constantino, hconstantino@hsi.org, +55 (21) 9 8342 4163

Humane Society International/Korea welcomes move as an important step towards South Korea becoming dog meat-free

Humane Society International

Jean Chung/for HSI Puppies locked in a cage at a dog meat farm in Yeoju, South Korea, September 2019

SEOUL—Seoul’s last three dog meat shops have agreed to end dog slaughter on-site, following over a year of campaigning from Seoul’s Mayor Park Won-soon and the Seoul Metropolitan Government. The initiative has been welcomed by leading animal charity Humane Society International/Korea which has been active in South Korea since 2015 working with dog meat farmers to close farms, rescue dogs and drive change.

Dog meat consumption is declining rapidly in South Korea, particularly among younger generations. A survey by Gallup Korea conducted in June 2018 shows that 70% of South Koreans say they will not eat dog meat in future. In July this year HSI/Korea assisted in the closure of South Korea’s notorious Gupo dog meat market in Busan, following the closure the previous year of Taepyeong, the largest dog slaughterhouses in the country in Seongnam.

Nara Kim, dog meat campaign manager for Humane Society International/Korea says: “I am so happy to see Seoul’s last remaining dog meat shops end dog slaughter. Although these shops can still sell dog meat, it is nonetheless wonderful to see South Korea take one step further away from this dying industry that most Koreans want nothing to do with. It gives me hope that South Korea’s future is dog meat-free. HSI/Korea will continue working with the government, and supporting farmers who no longer want to work in the dog meat trade, so that one day we will be able to celebrate the closure of South Korea’s final dog slaughterhouse.”

HSI/Korea has so far closed 15 dog meat farms in South Korea, helping farmers to close down their dog meat farms and transition to alternative, humane livelihoods. Increasingly, dog farmers are keen to exit the controversial trade due to societal shame, family pressure and decreasing profits.

Photos and video of HSI’s latest dog meat farm closure and rescue are available for download here.

ENDS

Media contact:

HSI Director of International Media Wendy Higgins, whiggins@hsi.org, +44 (0)7989 972 423

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