Author: Kristin Stone

Letter from Mayor de Blasio reflects increasing concern about illegal elephant ivory entering the U.S. from the 2020 Summer Games

Humane Society International / United States

WASHINGTON—As athletes and organizers prepare for the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is asking Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike to support efforts to end the ivory trade in Japan, the largest ivory market in the world. Mayor de Blasio is among a growing group of world leaders and elected officials urging Japan to ban all ivory sales to combat the illegal ivory trade in advance of the 2020 Summer Games.

In a letter sent to Governor Koike on May 8, Mayor de Blasio wrote: “Sustainability is a key theme of next year’s games as reflected in the guiding principle: ‘Be better together – for the planet and the people.’….With millions of people traveling to Tokyo, many from countries with strict ivory regulations, tourists and participants may unknowingly engage in the illegal ivory trade by bringing home souvenirs that violate their local laws, causing undue distress and tarnishing their Olympic experience.”

New York City and Tokyo have shared close economic and cultural ties over the last few decades. New York state is one of nine U.S. states that prohibit the sale of ivory products, and the Big Apple has hosted two high-profile destructions of seized ivory — in Times Square in 2015 and in Central Park in 2017. In contrast, after China banned ivory in 2018, Japan became the world’s largest legal ivory market.

Iris Ho, senior specialist of wildlife programs and policy for Humane Society International, said, “The 2020 Summer Games present a critical opportunity for Japan to show itself as a responsible and reputable leader on the world stage. Without an ivory trade ban in place, the Tokyo Games are a transnational ivory trafficking disaster waiting to happen, offering millions of tourists easy access to illegal ivory souvenirs. We can ‘be better together – for the planet and the people’ when we choose elephants over the ivory trade.”

Brian Shapiro, New York senior state director for the Humane Society of the United States applauds this effort to seek great protection for elephants from the illegal ivory trade.

Masayuki Sakamoto, executive director of Japan Tiger and Elephant Fund, said, “In Japan, 80% of ivory is used for the mass production of hanko, or personal signature seals. Ivory is not a traditional material for hanko. There is no doubt that Tokyo residents will give a ringing endorsement to ban ivory sales in order to protect live elephants.”

Amy Zets Croke, senior policy analyst at the Environmental Investigation Agency, said, “Japan’s ivory trade stimulates demand and undercuts domestic ivory bans in the United States, China and elsewhere. To demonstrate real commitment to protecting Africa’s elephants, Japan must close its domestic ivory market before hosting millions of athletes and spectators from around the world during the 2020 Tokyo Games.”

In addition to the letter by Mayor de Blasio, on May 7, 37 members of the U.S. House of Representatives sent a letter to Ambassador Shinsuke J. Sugiyama asking the government of Japan to join the growing effort to close domestic ivory markets worldwide in order to conserve dwindling elephant populations. The letter was co-led by Reps. Madeleine Dean, D-Pa., and Peter King, R-N.Y., and co-signers include chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Eliot Engel, D-N.Y.

Facts:

  • Japan has more than 16,000 registered ivory retailers, manufacturers and wholesalers.
  • From 2011 to 2016 more than two tons of ivory from Japan was confiscated by Chinese authorities.
  • Japan’s ivory market facilitates transnational ivory trafficking and undermines the enforcement efforts of neighboring China.
  • The African Elephant Coalition, representing 32 African nations including elephant range states, is appealing to Japan to close its domestic ivory market.
  • Many countries and jurisdictions have announced or implemented measures prohibiting or restricting domestic ivory trade, such as the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Luxemburg, Belgium, China, Hong Kong SAR and Taiwan.

For photos of elephants and the ivory trade click HERE.

 

Media Contacts:

Humane Society International / Brazil

Chickens

SÃO PAULO—Premier Pet, one of the largest pet food companies in Brazil, has announced it will switch to exclusively cage-free eggs in its entire supply chain by 2025, becoming the first pet food company to adopt this policy in Brazil and Latin America. This announcement comes after working with Humane Society International, one of the largest animal protection organizations in the world, and other animal protection organizations. Premier Pet and HSI will continue to work together on the implementation of this policy.

Cristiana F. Ferreira Pontieri, Premier Pet product development director, stated: “The adoption of the cage-free philosophy represents yet another step in PremieRpet®’s commitment to conscious consumption at all of our activity levels and reflects our concern for animal welfare and high quality ingredients. To lead this initiative in Brazil, in alignment with global trends, meets and strengthens our precepts of more natural production practices.”

Maria Fernanda Martin, corporate policy and program manager for HSI Farm Animals in Brazil, said: “We applaud Premier Pet for becoming the first pet food company in Brazil and throughout Latin America to pledge to use only cage-free eggs, and look forward to continuing to work with them and their egg suppliers on the implementation of this policy. This move will relieve thousands of egg-laying hens from a life of extreme confinement and sends a clear message to the egg industry that the future of egg production is cage-free.”

Egg-laying hens are typically confined for their whole lives in wire battery cages, so small that the cannot even fully stretch their wings. Both common sense and science agree that virtually immobilizing animals for their entire lives causes mental distress and significant physical pain.

Premier Pet joins hundreds of food corporations that have already committed to switching to exclusively cage-free eggs in Brazil and throughout Latin America, including Unilever, which has committed to a global cage-free egg supply chain by 2025, and Nestlé, the largest food company in the world, also by 2025. After working with HSI, Burger King and Arcos Dorados, which operates McDonald’s in Brazil and 19 other countries in the region, committed to switching to 100 percent cage-free eggs, as did other restaurant operators, accounting for thousands of restaurants in Brazil and Latin America. In Brazil, Compass Group (GRSA) and Sodexo have previously announced their commitment to a global cage-free policy in partnership with HSI. Alsea, the largest restaurant operator in Latin America and Spain, and Grupo Bimbo, the world’s largest bakery company, announced their cage-free egg policies after several years of working with HSI. Corporations like Kraft-Heinz, International Meal Company (IMC), Cargill, Brazil Fast Food Corporation (BFFC), Subway, Intercontinental Hotels Group, AccorHotels, Marriott International, Hilton Worldwide, Giraffas, Barilla, Divino Fogão, Habib’s, Grupo CRM, Bauducco and Grupo LemosPassos have also pledged to go cage-free in Brazil.

 

Media contact: Maria Fernanda Martin, mfmartin@hsi.org, +55 (11) 9 5770 9922

 Humane Society International and its partner organisations together constitute one of the world’s largest animal protection organisations. 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.

Chinese police in Dalian praised for operation that saved 62 spotted seal pups found starving on remote farm

Humane Society International / China

LONDON – Thirty-seven spotted seal pups have been released back to wild in China three months after Dalian police found the stolen animals starving and dying in a shed at a remote coastal farm in the village of Hutou, Wafangdian. The pups were snatched from the wild by traffickers for the aquarium industry and for display in commercial venues like shops and restaurants.  Humane Society International, whose Chinese partner group VShine sent a representative at the release, praised Dalian’s law enforcement for saving the baby seals and arresting eight suspects.

In all, 71 seal pups were found alive but highly distressed; another 29 had sadly already died and a further 20 dead seals were later found buried under nearby concrete. At less than two weeks old when found, the surviving pups were so young they hadn’t even been weaned from their mothers’ milk and required emergency veterinary care at a local institute of marine and aquatic sciences. Despite the best efforts of the specialist carers and veterinarians, some of the very weakest pups subsequently died at the marine hospital, but the surviving pups have now been released, including 24 last month.

Despite being a protected species in China, spotted seals are still hunted. Once killed for Chinese traditional medicine (male seal genitalia was used to improve virility), the pups are now stolen from their mothers to supply aquariums and commercial venues across China.

Dr Peter Li at Humane Society International said: “We are thrilled that our Chinese partner group, VShine, was able to send animal welfare observers to the release of these seal pups back to the wild. When the pups were found by police, they were starving and traumatised, but after receiving veterinary care and rehabilitation, they are now in good health and have a good chance of thriving back at sea. For these seal pups to have been cruelly ripped away from their mothers, and crammed into a dark shed to await their fate, is really contemptible. In a country with a shocking record for wildlife exploitation and woefully little regard paid to animal protection by many police departments, Dalian police are to be congratulated for their swift action without which many more of these seal pups would surely have perished. Their eagerness to take wildlife crime seriously, including rescuing the animals, arresting those found responsible and offering cash rewards to help apprehend more perpetrators, should act as an example to police across China in how to tackle animal cruelty cases. Sadly, China’s growing obsession for keeping marine species like seals and turtles in captivity is fuelling wildlife crime such as this, which causes immense animal suffering and loss of life.”

Spotted seals live in the North Pacific Ocean and can be found along the north-eastern cost of China. Although the hunting or trading of spotted seals without permission is banned by China’s Wildlife Protection Law, it remains a huge problem.

Download video of the pups’ rescue and release here: https://newsroom.humanesociety.org/fetcher/index.php?searchMerlin=1&searchBrightcove=1&submitted=1&mw=d&q=SealRescue0519

 

Media contacts:

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

Humane Society International

Humane Society International responds to the landslide in La Paz, Bolivia. Alejandra Tellez/HSI

LA PAZ—In the aftermath of a landslide that swept away dozens of homes last week, leaving hundreds of people without a place to live, a team from Humane Society International is in La Paz to provide veterinary care and to help reunite dogs and cats with their families. An innovative tattoo numbering system, established by HSI to identify animals that have been spayed or neutered, has helped displaced residents find their pets.

The first 24 hours after the landslide were chaotic, with confused animals frantically looking for their owners and vice versa. Well-meaning individuals took seemingly lost animals to other locations without consulting neighbors, further separating pets from their families. Thanks to HSI’s unique alphanumeric code, which is tattooed on a dog’s or cat’s ear during spay/neuter surgery, and the records that HSI keeps of these surgeries, some animals were returned to their families after a tattoo was identified.

HSI’s team has also provided on-site emergency veterinary care where needed and assisted with animals who needed longer-term medical attention in temporary shelters. The team is currently working with government rescue agencies to assess the needs of animals whose families were displaced by the landslide and to provide care once the pets have adjusted to their temporary homes and their stress level is reduced.

Since 2013, HSI has worked with city officials, local organizations and veterinarians to develop high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter programs in La Paz. Alexandra Rothlisberger, director of companion animals and engagement and manager of HSI’s Bolivia program, said, “We plan to provide veterinary services to the animal victims of this disaster in the weeks to come. Now that these animals and their families will be living in smaller quarters, it is important to spay or neuter and vaccinate pets to avoid unwanted reproduction and to prevent the spread of diseases like rabies, which is endemic in Bolivia.”

HSI will continue to support the impacted families and their pets by providing pet food as well as veterinary treatment until they are able to find stability in their lives again.

Photos available here.

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Media contact: Nancy Hwa, nhwa@hsi.org, 202-676-2337 (direct), 202-596-0808 (cell)

Two lion cubs with neurological condition confiscated, others suffering severe mange

Humane Society International / Africa

CAPE TOWN—Shocking photos from an anonymous source have revealed severely neglected lions covered in mange at a captive breeding facility in the North West Province of South Africa, providing a shocking insight into an industry that breeds an estimated 12,000 lions on approximately 200 farms across the country. Lion breeding farms in South Africa are part of what campaigners Humane Society International/Africa call the “snuggle scam” because they supply lion cub petting tourist attractions where visitors from around the world take selfies, oblivious to the suffering behind their holiday photos.

Upon investigation of the facility at Pienika Farm, officers at the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals entered the property on the 11th April and discovered 108 neglected lions, as well as caracal, tigers, and leopards living in horrendous conditions. Humane Society International/Africa, which calls for an end to the captive lion breeding industry, praised NSPCA inspectors for their swift action.

The NSPCA’s senior inspector Douglas Wolhuter detailed how two lion cubs appeared to be suffering from a neurological condition and were found unable to walk. The cubs were confiscated for assessment and veterinary treatment by a specialist carnivore veterinarian. Wolhuter stated that, “Other issues such as small enclosures and inadequate shelter, no provision of water, overcrowding, and filthy and parasitic conditions were noted in the camps that contained the lions, caracals, tigers, and leopards. Twenty-seven of the lions had mange and the caracals were obese and unable to properly groom themselves.”

Photos of the lions show the animals almost entirely bald due to acute mange and poor, overcrowded living conditions.

Audrey Delsink, Wildlife Director of HSI/Africa, says: “South Africa’s captive lion breeding industry is a vicious cycle of exploitation, from cradle to grave. Lion cubs are ripped from their mothers at just a few days old, to be hand-reared by paying volunteers from countries around the world such as the United Kingdom, who are misled into believing the cubs are orphans. The cubs are exploited their whole lives, first as props by paying tourists looking for selfie shots whilst petting or bottle-feeding the animals, then later as part of “walking with lion” safaris. Once too big and dangerous for these activities, these lions are then killed for their bones which are exported to Asia for traditional medicines, or sold to be killed by trophy hunters largely from the United States in “canned” hunts in which hand-reared lions are shot in a fenced area from which they cannot escape.

As well as being barbaric and heartless, a lion colloquium (parliamentary conference) in August last year revealed that the captive breeding of lions is poorly regulated and fraught with welfare and ethical concerns. There is no better evidence of that than the atrocities discovered at the Pienika Farm.”

According to an article released on 4th May 2019, Pienika Farm is allegedly owned by South African Predator Association member and councilman, Mr Jan Steinman. SAPA has for years strongly supported South Africa’s captive lion breeding industry, and at the Portfolio Committee of Environmental Affairs during the Colloquium on the Captive Breeding of Lions in August 2018, SAPA President, Mr Kirsten Nematandani claimed that “SAPA sets very high standards for [its] members” and assured the PCEA that it had “implemented SAPA’s Norms and Standards [N&S] for Breeding and Hunting to make sure everything is above board”. And yet it would appear that one of SAPA’s own members could be in breach of several SAPA regulations including those regarding animal welfare, lion husbandry, minimum enclosure size, and the trade of lion products.

The NSPCA laid charges of contravention to the Animals Protections Act 71 of 1962 against Mr Steinman on May 2nd.

Karen Trendler, Manager NSPCA Wildlife Trade & Trafficking Portfolio, says: “The very fact that SAPA has included the word “undue” in its version of the Five Freedoms, an internationally accepted set of animal welfare guidelines, basically suggests that SAPA believes there are justifiable times for an animal to be hungry or thirsty, or suffer from fear, pain or disease, which is totally unacceptable in terms of animal welfare.”

The South African government sanctions the captive lion breeding industry and has established a quota for the international lion bone trade, despite growing global outrage.  A recent exposé by former Conservative Peer Lord Ashcroft of the United Kingdom revealed serious non-compliance issues regarding permitting and restricted activities (activities prohibited by provincial and national law) at South African breeding facilities, including alleged illegal “green-hunts” (where animals are darted with an immobilising agent as opposed to live ammunition) of lions, cross breeding of lions and tigers to produce larger offspring (ligers and tigons), and even plots to illegally export lion skins hidden in deer skin hides.

South Africa is a popular tourist destination that welcomed approximately 10.3 million foreign tourists and facilitated 17.2 million domestic tourism trips in 2017 (South Africa Tourism Report 2017). Most tourists come from North America, South and Central America, and Europe.

Audrey Delsink, HSI/Wildlife Director said “In the face of so much evidence supporting the significant welfare atrocities and illegal activities, and the bogus standards presented by the industry, the South African government cannot stand idle. We demand that the government shut down this industry once and for all; that is the only way brand South Africa can recover from this significant scourge.”

The eventual fate of the lions is uncertain and will depend on the outcome of the legal process. Even if the NSPCA is able to prove that the neglect was so severe as to justify confiscation of all the lions, there are no reputable facilities in South Africa able to immediately take in such a large number of lions.

Delsink says: “Caring for big cats requires really specialist expertise and facilities, as well as sufficient space. These animals can’t just be released into the wild as they’ve been captive bred and have no idea how to survive, plus if they are as sick as they appear, they’ll need veterinary treatment. There is sadly no quick fix to rehome more than 100 lions all at once. It’s an extremely sad situation, with these lions the innocent victims.” 

Take action by signing our petition and request the South African government’s conservation authority to shut down captive breeding of predators. The horrors at Pienika Farm demonstrate that the provincial authorities are failing to regulate this industry in any way.

Key facts:

  • With fewer than 3,000 wild lions, South Africa has more lions languishing in captivity than in the wild.
  • Between 6,000 and 8,000 lions are bred in captivity in some 260 facilities across South Africa, marketed to tourists as lion interaction experiences.
  • In its 2015 Biodiversity Management Plan, the government of South Africa stated “captive lions are bred exclusively to generate money.”
  • In the wild, lion cubs remain with their mothers for 18 months, and females rest for at least 15-24 months between litters. Cubs born on breeding farms are taken from their mothers when they are a few days or even hours old to be used as living photo props. The removal of cubs forces the mother into an exhausting and continuous breeding cycle while incarcerated in enclosures, sometimes without adequate food, hygiene, or the ability to express their natural behaviours.
  • Lions are a threatened species, listed as Vulnerable by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). While the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) prohibits the trade of bones from wild lions, it does allow South Africa to export bones from captive ones.
  • It is impossible to differentiate body parts from wild vs. captive lions, so the legal export of captive lion bones facilitates the illegal export of wild lion bones.
  • Learn more about HSI’s lion exploitation campaign here: https://www.hsi.org/issues/wildlife-trade/
  • Take the Don’t Buy Wild Pledge to avoid buying items or experiences that compromise the welfare of wild animals. Leave souvenirs like ivory trinkets and exotic leathers, attractions that keep animals’ captive in inhumane conditions, or exotic pets for sale off your travel itinerary.

 

NEWSROOM: https://newsroom.humanesociety.org/fetcher/index.php?searchMerlin=1&searchBrightcove=1&submitted=1&mw=d&q=CaptiveLions0519

All to be credited as per the individual photo caption. Please click on any image and then select Sign Up to request access.

 

Media contacts:

  • Humane Society International – Africa: Social Media and Communications manager, Leozette Roode, lroode@hsi.org
  • HSI/UK: Director of International Media Wendy Higgins, mobile +44 (0) 7989 972 423, whiggins@hsi.org

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

HSI/India will build capacity of government veterinary department if needed who will now carry this program forward

Humane Society International / India

MALAPPURAM—Humane Society International/India, on the completion of two years of its animal birth control (ABC) program at Malappuram in Kerala, has decided to hand over operations to the District Animal Husbandry Department and Jilla Panchayat.

Over the past two years, HSI/India’s dog management team has sterilized and vaccinated more than 2,700 dogs in Malappuram. In addition to sterilizing more than 70% of the dog population, HSI/India’s aim was to create healthy and safe coexistence between dogs and human beings. The team started work in early 2017 and has worked across regions of Poonani, Manjeri, Thenipalam,Tirur, Areekode and Chungathara.

Rahul Sehgal, senior director for HSI/India’s companion animals and engagement department, says, “HSI/India started the ABC program in Malappuram to curb dog culling and to deliver high quality spay and neuter. We initiated community engagement to highlight the importance of co-existence with these animals. Our team was supported wonderfully by the local administration and the Panchayats. The program ended on April 30, and the local administration has made arrangements to continue what we started and take it to the next level”.

Dr. Ayub, deputy director of the district animal husbandry office for Malappuram, says, “We are extremely happy at how the team has done the work so far and appreciate the leadership and skills in community work. In all the places where the HSI/India team has operated, they have managed to influence the public as well as the gram panchayats and community leaders into peaceful human – street dog coexistence. Also the work done during the Kerala floods and other rescue work are very commendable.”

In 2015 and 2016, Kerala came under scrutiny because of dog culling that was taking place across the state, a punishable offense under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960. It was during that time that the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India reiterated the illegality and cruelty of dog culling and ordered a stop to it, citing implementation of Animal Birth Control Rules, 2001.

Media Contact: Uma Biswas, +91 8758807223, ubiswas@hsi.org

 

Humane Society International / Mexico

Cage-free hens
Michelle Riley/The HSUS

VERACRUZ—The Mexican diner chain La Parroquia de Veracruz announced its new commitment to animal welfare, pledging to source only cage-free eggs in its egg supply chain by 2025. With 32 restaurants in Mexico, the company worked with Humane Society International on the adoption of this policy, and will continue to work with the organization to complete the transition to a 100% cage-free egg supply chain at all its locations, improving the animal welfare standards of the product as well as the economic sustainability of all their processes.

Marcelino Fernández Rivero, CEO  of La Parroquia de Veracruz, stated: “We are proud to offer our customers higher quality products by joining the cage-free egg movement. La Parroquia de Veracruz has corporate social responsibility policies on different issues, and it is a great pleasure for us to work to improve animal welfare in order to achieve a more responsible supply chain.”

Vivian Argüelles, animal behavior and welfare specialist for HSI/México, stated: “We congratulate La Parroquia de Veracruz for its commitment to only serve cage-free eggs in all its restaurants by 2025, and we are looking forward to working with them to ensure that the commitment is implemented. More and more corporations are adopting responsible consumption procurement policies, specifically with respect to cage-free eggs, and we invite other Mexican companies to follow this initiative.”

La Parroquia de Veracruz joins hundreds of other leading food companies committed to switching to cage-free eggs in Mexico and other regions around the world.

This commitment will improve the lives of thousands of egg-laying hens in Mexico. Conventional production systems in the country keep hens confined for their entire lives in wire cages so small they cannot even fully stretch their wings or carry out their natural behaviors. Common sense and science tell us that immobilizing animals for their lifetime in cages results in significant stress and physical pain.

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Media contacts

Humane Society International: Laura Bravo, 55 5456 1476, laurabravocom@gmail.com, laura@labcomunicacion.com.mx, hugo@labcomunicacion.com.mx

Humane Society International / Europe

BRUSSELS—Humane Society International celebrated the 10-year anniversary of the historic European Union ban on trade in commercial seal products. The EU ban, a watershed event in the global campaign to stop commercial sealing, was adopted by an overwhelming majority in the European Parliament on 5th May 2009.

The impact of the EU ban — and of the many other seal product trade prohibitions that followed — is undeniable. Prices paid for seal fur in Atlantic Canada have declined by more than 70%, while 90% of licensed commercial sealers no longer participate in the slaughter because it is not profitable for them to do so. As a result, more than 3 million seals have been spared a horrible fate in the past decade alone. International prohibitions on the seal product trade contain clear exemptions for products of indigenous seal hunts.

Rebecca Aldworth, executive director for HSI/Canada, said: “Ten years ago, I watched firsthand as the European Parliament voted to prohibit commercial trade in seal products. In the minutes before the vote, images of so many suffering and dying baby seals kept flashing through my mind. When the vote was in, I knew that the beginning of the end of this brutal industry had just happened. As someone who has observed commercial sealing for 18 years, I will be forever grateful to the EU for its moral leadership and for saving so many seals from a horrible fate.”

Dr Joanna Swabe, senior director of public affairs for HSI/Europe, added: “The adoption of the EU Regulation on trade in seal products was certainly an amazing landmark victory for animal protection, but this was not the end of the story. In the years that followed, the legislation was subjected to and, most importantly, withstood separate spurious legal challenges in the European Courts and at the World Trade Organization. Most importantly, the WTO Appellate Body ruled that, while the legislation needed tweaking, the EU was justified in banning the cruel products of commercial seal hunts on the grounds of public morality. By 2015, I found myself back in the European Parliament talking about seals again as a legislative proposal to amend the ban to make it fully compliant with WTO rules was considered by MEPs. Yet again, the seal product trade ban survived cynical attempts from opponents to water it down and thankfully the EU’s borders remain firmly shut to commercial seal products.”

FACTS

  • In 2009, the European Parliament voted 550 to 49 in favor of a strong ban on trade in products of commercial seal hunts. In 2010, the EU ban came into force.
  • The commercial seal hunt in Atlantic Canada has been the largest slaughter of marine mammals on earth, with hundreds of thousands of seal pups clubbed and shot to death each year.
  • The seals are killed primarily for their fur. The Canadian government notes that the pelts of young seals are the most valuable and not surprisingly, more than 98% of the seals killed each year are less than three months of age.
  • The commercial seal hunt in Atlantic Canada is conducted by commercial fishermen who, on average, earn a tiny fraction (less than 5%) of their annual incomes from killing seals. Today, only a few hundred fishermen participate in the annual slaughter.
  • Harp seals—the primary targets of the Atlantic Canadian commercial seal hunt—are ice-breeding animals, and climate change is fast destroying their sea ice habitat. According to Garry Stenson, section head for marine mammals for Fisheries and Oceans Canada, “We’re seeing two things: fewer animals pupping and when they do, there is a high mortality with it…The ice isn’t thick and it breaks up before the animal can survive on its own… We’ve been seeing years where ice mortality is very high. We’ve seen dead pups that have drowned. It has a big impact on mortality.”
  • To date, more than 37 countries—including the 28 Member States of the European Union—have prohibited trade in products of commercial seal hunts for conservation or animal welfare reasons.
  • Canada and Norway challenged the EU ban at the World Trade Organization. In 2013, the WTO upheld the right of the EU to ban the trade in commercial seal products on the grounds of public morality. In 2014, the WTO considered an appeal to that ruling. Although the WTO Appellate Body, once again, ruled largely in favour of the EU, the EU agreed to make minor amendments to the ban to achieve full compliance to WTO rules before 18th October 2015
  • The WTO ruling in seals set a legal precedent because it was the very first time that animal welfare has been recognised by the WTO as a legitimate public moral concern.
  • In September 2015, the European Court of Justice rejected an appeal brought by commercial sealing interests and some Inuit representatives with regard to the EU ban on trade in seal products. This appeal concerns a 2013 decision by the European General Court, which rejected the appellants’ request to find the legal basis and implementing measures for the EU ban on commercial seal product trade unlawful.
  • In October 2013, the Court of Justice of the European Union preserved the EU ban on commercial seal product trade by dismissing an appeal by commercial sealing and fur trade interests and some Inuit representatives. The appeal sought to overturn a 2011 decision from the European General Court that the applicants’ action against the EU ban was inadmissible.
  • A separate application to have the EU seal product trade ban overturned was rejected in April 2010.

END

Media contact: Jo Swabe, jswabe@hsi.org

 

Puppy mill operator convicted and sentenced for illegally breeding dogs for sale

Humane Society International / Latin America

Ivannia Brenes holds Lola and Lulú, 2 Yorkshire terriers whom she adopted after they were rescued from an illegal puppy mill in Guapiles, Limón, Costa Rica, in 2017. Photo by Arnoldo Moirin.

SAN JOSÉ—The Sanctioning Administrative Proceeding Court of the National Animal Health Department (SENASA) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock announced a sentence in favor of animal welfare in Costa Rica, convicting a person who was breeding dogs in a puppy mill. Humane Society International/Latin America worked with SENASA to rescue the dogs in this case.

In November 2017, more than 35 dogs were rescued from a puppy mill named Flora and Fauna in Limón. The dogs included breeds such as French poodle, Maltese, Shih Tzu, Chihuahua, Yorkshire terrier and Pekinese. At the time, they were living in unsanitary conditions and many suffered from health issues such as severe skin problems, alopecia, eye diseases, malformations, periodontal disease and tooth loss.

Amanda Chaves, manager of HSI/Latin America’s companion animal program, said: “No animal should be forced to live in such deplorable conditions as we found these dogs in 2017. We are grateful to SENASA for allowing us to help with the animals’ rescue. We are relieved that the dogs were adopted and now live in homes full of love. We will continue supporting and collaborating with SENASA and other local organizations to improve welfare levels of animals in Costa Rica.”

The majority of the puppy mill’s females were forced to give birth continuously as a means of income for the mill’s operators. After the rescue, the animals were checked by a veterinarian, who found that several of them were pregnant, including some whose lives were at risk due to their advanced age.

Thanks to evidence collected by SENASA, the Sanctioning Administrative Procedure Tribunal was able to demonstrate that the accused illegally bred dogs for sale. The offender was found guilty of the facts and fined approximately ₡645,000 colones, equivalent approximately to the base annual salary of a professional with a university degree.

HSI/Latin America encourages people to adopt companion animals (dogs and cats), instead of buying them at pet stores or from illegal breeding sites. Puppy mills breed animals for trade, focusing solely on economic profit and not on the welfare of the animals. The dogs bred in these places usually live in small wire cages with little to no human interaction, veterinary care or exercise.

Watch a video about Lola and Lulu, two dogs rescued in this case and adopted into a loving home: https://www.facebook.com/HSILatinAmerica/videos/vb.1526638017432247/1645090288920352/?type=2&theater

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Media contact: Amanda Chaves, achaves@hsi.org, 506 70184621

Humane Society International / Mexico

IZAMAL—For the fourth consecutive year, the cruelty-free Fiesta de San Bartolo replaced Kots Kaal Pato, the brutal Yucatan ritual of stringing up animals inside piñatas and beating them to death or cutting off their heads. Humane Society International/Mexico has been working on the ground with local partners for several years now to help the community embrace a cultural change in favor of the humane treatment of animals. Through humane education and by offering alternative activities, animals are no longer victims of cruelty in the name of “entertainment.”

Felipe Marquez, HSI/Mexico animal protection expert, said: “Cruel festivities in which different kinds of animals are abused take place on a regular basis across Mexico. Ensuring the humane transformation of the Izamal fiesta is vital to proving that traditions can evolve as societies’ values become more considerate and compassionate.”

Replacing what used to be one of the cruelest festivals in Mexico, Fiesta de San Bartolo has become a family celebration, promoting sports and games such as “Carreras Argentinas,” in which young people ride bikes while trying to get prizes hanging from a wire in the main plaza.

By continuing to work with the people and authorities of the community Citilcum in Izamal, HSI/Mexico hopes that this annual event will remain cruelty-free into the future.

END

Media contact (en español): Magaly Garibay, 55 5407 0502, mgaribay@idee.agency

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