Author: Kristin Stone

Over 130 animals sterilized in humane animal management program for remote First Nations communities

Humane Society International / Canada

MONTREAL – Humane Society International/Canada recently completed its 17th free veterinary clinic in partnership with Friends of HSI and Chiots Nordiques (northern puppies). The veterinary response team examined, treated, sterilized and/or vaccinated 162 animals during its deployment (162 animals examined, 133 sterilizations – 128 dogs and 5 cats).

Matimekush, an Innu community located over 1,100 km north of Montreal, has struggled with street dog overpopulation for years. Many animals there suffer from malnutrition, untreated injuries, parasites and other veterinary health challenges. The free veterinary clinic, conducted at the community’s request, was designed to help manage stray and roaming dog populations while fostering improved coexistence between residents and animals.

Ewa Demianowicz, senior campaign manager for HSI/Canada, stated: “Helping Matimekush humanely manage its stray and wandering dog population is our primary goal, as this community is very isolated and has been struggling with animal welfare issues. Since December, every week, dogs have been flown out of the community because of urgent and serious health issues. Our operation, which focused on spaying, neutering and vaccination, will help reduce animal suffering in the long term.”

Dr. Daphnée Veilleux-Lemieux, President – Chiots Nordiques, added: “We started our mission eight years ago in Matimekush and we were excited to be back in this community where the need for veterinary services is crucial. Our team of volunteers did an amazing job at caring for hundreds of dogs over the last four days and working hard to sterilize and vaccinate 133 animals. This clinic will have tremendous impact on the welfare of the animals and people of Matimekush for years to come.”

Remote indigenous communities in Canada commonly lack access to veterinary services, leading to overpopulation of stray and roaming dogs. HSI/Canada works with Chiots Nordiques in remote communities in Quebec to provide mass sterilization, vaccination and emergency veterinary services for such animals. Since 2013, the groups have treated over 1,000 dogs in First Nation communities.

 

Media Contact: Christopher Paré, Director of Communications – o: 514-395-2914 x 206, c: 438-402-0643, email: cpare@hsi.org

Campaigners urge China to end dog meat trade as pet trade booms

Humane Society International / China

WASHINGTON – As Shanghai prepares to host the 2019 World Dog Show despite global condemnation of China’s brutal dog meat trade, Chinese campaigners have exposed the sale of dog meat at restaurants in the same city as the major canine event.

In addition to identifying the restaurants, Humane Society International’s partner group in Shanghai also rescued 22 dogs from one of the restaurant’s slaughterhouse suppliers. The dogs – including a poodle and a French bulldog – are suspected to be stolen pets much like those being celebrated at the World Dog Show. The exposé demonstrates the troubling double standard in the way that dogs are treated in China, says Humane Society International, as the charity renews its call on the Chinese government to end the dog meat trade ahead of the infamous Yulin dog meat festival in June.

The World Dog Show starts on 30th April and bills itself as a “Joyful gathering for dog lovers and lovely dogs across the world!” However, less than 20km from the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Center where attendees will gather to celebrate their canine companions, Humane Society International’s partner group discovered three restaurants serving up dog meat soup for human consumption.

One of the restaurants displayed several dog meat dishes on its menu and also advertised dog meat in its window, with a sign boasting that its dog meat is supplied by slaughterhouses in Xuzhou city, notorious for the country’s biggest dog meat processing industry in Peixian county, Jiangsu Province (north of Shanghai). When the activists travelled to Peixian and visited one slaughterhouse, they discovered 22 dogs cowering in the corner of the facility having just witnessed their cage mates being beaten to death.

As there were several clues that these dogs were likely stolen pets, including a pile of dog hair and pet collars discarded in the corner, the activists were able to negotiate their release and swiftly rescue them.

Dr Peter Li, Humane Society International’s China policy expert, says: “This investigation exposes the horrifying way that millions of China’s dogs are abused for the meat trade while others are pampered for the pet trade, with those two worlds colliding when pet dogs are stolen from back yards and the street to be brutally killed for human consumption. The slaughter operation where the 22 terrified dogs were rescued could easily have supplied the Shanghai restaurant that claimed to get its dog meat from Xuzhou. Most of the rescued dogs are small, lap-dog breeds typical of pets in China, and the activists found a pile of collars in the corner of the slaughterhouse, so there is every likelihood that these dogs were stolen pets. It’s a double standard that enrages many dog lovers throughout China, who are frustrated at how this illegal trade is allowed to continue.

“Most people in China don’t eat dogs, and in fact the World Dog Show in Shanghai is a prime example of a growing, younger, and more affluent Chinese population who love their canine companions and despise the dog thieves who steal their friends for the meat trade. It also demonstrates the huge economic benefit to China of this booming pet care industry, versus a dog meat trade that acts only as a stain on China’s international reputation. We urge China to act to end its brutal dog meat trade.”

Mr. Tian, one of the Shanghai activists, said: “Peixian in Jiangsu’s Xuzhou City is notorious in China, producing processed dog meat such as dog meat sausages, canned and dried dog meat, mainly for local restaurants. But it also ships frozen dog meat further afield. Had we not rescued them, the 22 dogs we found could very easily have been killed and served up at the restaurant in Shanghai near where dogs just like them are being shown at the World Dog Show. The dogs were clearly terrified, but they all responded to human kindness and sought our comfort, which is a typical sign they were once someone’s pet. We want the world to know that most Chinese citizens don’t eat dogs or support this horror. It is not our culture, it is a crime.”

The rescued dogs were accepted into an animal shelter in North China where HSI funding will help support their veterinary care and rehabilitation in preparation for being put up for adoption. The 22 dogs were given a full health check and treated for minor injuries, skin diseases and shock, before being settled into their new temporary home. In time, the shelter will hold a special adoption event for local passionate dog lovers, and HSI will fly a small number of the dogs to the United States to help them find loving homes.

This shocking investigation takes place just two months ahead of China’s notorious dog meat festival in Yulin. Held every year on and around June 21st, the event in south China sees thousands of dogs and cats driven many miles across the country on the back of slaughter trucks, to be killed and eaten in the city of Yulin. A relatively recent invention, the festival was started in 2010 by dog meat traders as a way to boost their flagging sales. It’s a commercial enterprise presented to the world as a cultural event, but China’s animal activists are keen to set the record straight.

Mr. Tian says: “The world is being hoodwinked by Yulin’s dog meat traders. Their cruel event has no cultural heritage whatsoever, and has served only to tarnish China’s global reputation. No self-respecting person in China supports that bloodbath, it’s shameful.”

Fast facts

Download video and photos of the dogs rescued from slaughter: https://newsroom.humanesociety.org/fetcher/index.php?searchMerlin=1&searchBrightcove=1&submitted=1&mw=d&q=ChinaRescue0419

 

Media contact:

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

Humane Society International / United States

WASHINGTON—After a prod from a lawsuit filed by conservation groups, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced today that giraffes may qualify for protection under America’s Endangered Species Act.

The 2018 lawsuit — brought by the Center for Biological Diversity, Humane Society International, Humane Society of the United States, and the Natural Resources Defense Council — seeks a response to their April 2017 legal petition for Endangered Species Act protection for giraffes. The species is gravely imperiled by habitat loss and fragmentation, civil unrest and overhunting, as well as the international trade in bone carvings, skins, and trophies.

The United States provides a large market for giraffe parts: More than 21,400 bone carvings, 3,000 skin pieces and 3,700 hunting trophies were imported over the past decade. Limiting U.S. import and trade would give giraffes important protections, and an ESA listing would also help provide critical funding for conservation work in Africa.

“The U.S. on average imports more than one giraffe trophy a day, and thousands of giraffe parts are sold domestically each year,” said Anna Frostic, attorney for the Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society International. “The federal government must now expeditiously take stock of the role we are playing in giraffe decline and how we can work to instead save these unique animals.”

Africa’s giraffe population has plunged nearly 40 percent in the past 30 years. It now stands at just over 97,000 individuals.

“This is a big step toward protecting giraffes from the growing use of their bones by U.S. gun and knife makers,” said Tanya Sanerib, international legal director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “It’s disgusting that it took a lawsuit to prompt the Trump administration to act. Saving everyone’s favorite long-necked animal from extinction should have been the easiest call in the world.”

With fewer giraffes than elephants left in Africa, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature elevated the threat level to giraffes from “least concern” to “vulnerable” on its “Red List of Threatened Species” in 2016. That finding was confirmed in 2018 along with a critically endangered assessment of two giraffe subspecies and an endangered assessment for another.

“The United States has long been complicit in the trade of giraffe parts, so it’s time for the federal government to stick its neck out for this species,” said Elly Pepper with NRDC. “The United States has taken action to help staunch the trade of numerous species in trouble. Sadly, now it is time to take action to ensure giraffes remain on the planet. They need Endangered Species Act protections and they need them now.”

Known for their six-foot-long necks, distinctive patterning and long eyelashes, giraffes have captured the human imagination for centuries. New research recently revealed that they live in complex societies, much like elephants, and have unique physiological traits, including the highest blood pressure of any land mammal.

The IUCN currently recognizes one species of giraffes and nine subspecies: West African, Kordofan, Nubian, reticulated, Masai, Thornicroft’s, Rothchild’s, Angolan and South African. The legal petition seeks an endangered listing for the whole species.

The Fish and Wildlife Service has 12 months to decide whether Endangered Species Act listing is warranted.

For photos/video of the HSUS/HSI 2018 undercover investigation into the sale of giraffe parts CLICK HERE.

Eating green is affordable, fun and delicious for all South Africans

Humane Society International / Africa

CAPE TOWN — Humane Society International/Africa (HSI/Africa), in collaboration with the Western Cape Government: Health, Western Cape on Wellness (WoW!) Healthy Lifestyles Programme has developed and launched a novel Healthy Plant-Based Cooking course for community members on practical plant-based nutrition. The course, developed by an expert panel, is an instrumental part of HSI/Africa’s Green Monday initiative to encourage South Africans to eat plant-based at least one day every week to improve their health, reduce their carbon footprint, and make a positive difference to the lives of farm animals.

Families on tight budgets will be pleased to discover that plant-based meals can be quick and easy to prepare, often being more affordable (and more delicious) than conventional animal-based foods.

“Participants were excited to learn how to cook plant-based ingredients as a main meal”, said Leozette Roode, Media and Outreach Manager for HSI/Africa. “A key part of the course is the ripple effects it will have, as it is designed to teach attendees how to train other community members on plant-based cooking as well as the environmental, public health and animal welfare benefits of adding more plant-based meals to their weekly routine”.

HSI encourages everyone to reduce or replace consumption of animal products with plant-based foods, and to refine their diets by avoiding products from farms with abusive practices, such as the confinement of hens in cages and choosing products from sources that adhere to higher animal welfare standards.

The 5-day course combined theoretical training with practical plant-based cooking, and was attended by 17 participants from various Western Cape communities, including Bishop Lavis, Khayelitsha, Gugulethu and Ravensmead, who committed to share their knowledge with 10 additional community members, who in turn will spread the plant-based message with another 10 community members. The course is facilitated by the WoW! Programme in partnership with HSI/Africa and supported with free training manuals and presentations.

Comments from participants include: It made me rethink on how to be a more plant-based eater; I have decided to join the plant-based eaters; The meal was delicious. Will definitely encourage my community to go plant–based; I enjoyed eating vegetables; Overall it’s been an exciting time for me to actually cook plant-based food.

Dr Frederick Marais, Deputy Director: Increasing Wellness, Western Cape Government: Health, said: “The development and delivery of this unique course are important steps towards making healthy plant-based cooking and eating contextually appropriate and accessible, easy and enjoyable! This course is a first in Africa, so WoW! is very excited to work with our much valued partners, sponsors and importantly the WoW! Community Wellness Champions to increase cooking and eating with plant-based foods, together with regular physical activity, as part of promoting physical, intellectual, social, financial and environmental wellness. We are pleased and encouraged by the preliminary findings suggesting increased knowledge and behaviour change after the 5-day course! Determined by the long-term findings, the aim is to scale the course as part of promoting healthy eating behaviour at population level”.

For more information on the Green Monday SA movement and programs implemented in South Africa, visit www.greenmondayza.org. For plant-based recipes and to join the movement, visit www.greenmonday.co.za.  For more information on the course and the WoW! Healthy Lifestyles Programme, visit www.westerncape.gov.za/wow

 

Media Contacts:

HSI/Africa: Media and Communications Outreach Manager Leozette Roode, mobile +2771 360 1004, lroode@hsi.org

Humane Society International / United Kingdom

LONDON—Avon Products, Inc. (NYSE: AVP), today announces its support for a worldwide ban on animal testing for cosmetics by backing Humane Society International on its #BeCrueltyFree initiative. The campaign is leading legislative reform to prohibit cosmetics testing on animals in all major global beauty markets by 2023.

Avon has committed to support #BeCrueltyFree to drive regulatory change in key markets around the world – predominantly in Latin America and Southeast Asia – towards the desired global ban. Avon will also support the recently launched Non-Animal Cosmetic Safety Assessment Collaboration (NACSA). NACSA aims to promote best practice in animal-free safety assessment among companies and government health authorities to promote faster acceptance and use of modern non-animal approaches, particularly in countries such as China, where cosmetic animal testing is still required by law for some products. By throwing its weight behind Humane Society International and joining its ever-growing network of supportive beauty giants, Avon believes an end to the era of cosmetic animal testing will be achieved more swiftly.

Avon was the first major cosmetics company to end animal testing 30 years ago and has decades of experience in developing non-animal approaches to product safety evaluation. It collaborates with partners across the world, including advocacy organizations and NGOs to accelerate the adoption of non-animal-test methods.

Louise Scott, Chief Scientific Officer at Avon, said: “Avon’s been working to end animal testing for 30 years, but as an industry there is still more to do. I’m proud of our contribution to driving change to date. But we’re even stronger if we work with others. It’s crucial that we open up more partnerships with other change-agents to end the unnecessary and unacceptable practice of animal testing for cosmetics.

“We’re confident that through collaborations with HSI and other committed partners we will accelerate the transition to alternative approaches to animal testing and result in a worldwide ban in the foreseeable future. It’s a future that we at Avon are committed to and that millions of Avon Representatives and their customers around the world demand.”

As part of Avon’s support for HSI’s campaign, it will continue to actively collaborate with global partners to accelerate the adoption of a worldwide ban on animal testing. The new multi-year collaboration between Avon and HSI will include Avon’s support for robust legislation to prohibit cosmetic animal testing in key global beauty markets and participation alongside other leading brands to enhance capability across companies and regulatory authorities so safety decisions for cosmetics are based on exclusively non-animal approaches.

HSI Vice President for Research & Toxicology Troy Seidle said: “We couldn’t be more pleased to welcome Avon to our #BeCrueltyFree campaign family. As a household name in so many of our priority campaign regions thanks to its direct-to-consumer marketing model, Avon’s reach will provide a significant boost to our efforts to abolish cosmetic cruelty across the globe. Other socially conscious beauty brands are encouraged to join Humane Society International in supporting meaningful legislative change to usher in a new era of ethical beauty worldwide.”

For images, visit the newsroom.

-ENDS-

 

Media contacts:

Avon

HSI

 

About Avon Products Inc.

For 130 years Avon has stood for women: providing innovative, quality beauty products which are primarily sold to women, through women. Millions of independent sales Representatives across the world sell iconic Avon brands such as Avon Color and ANEW through their social networks, building their own beauty businesses on a full- or part-time basis. Avon supports women’s empowerment, entrepreneurship and well-being and has donated over $1billion to women’s causes through Avon and the Avon Foundation. Learn more about Avon and its products at www.avonworldwide.com. #Stand4Her

About Humane Society International

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.

 

Forward-Looking Statements

This material contains “forward-looking statements” that are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements relating to Avon’s involvement with the Humane Society International. Because forward-looking statements inherently involve risks and uncertainties, actual future results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the possibility of business disruption, competitive uncertainties, and general economic and business conditions in Avon’s markets as well as the other risks detailed in Avon’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Avon undertakes no obligation to update any statements in this material after it is posted to the Investor Relations section of our website.

Humane Society International / Europe

Minke whale
Kevin Schafer/Alamy

STRASBOURG (16 April 2019)—At the European Parliament’s final plenary session before the EU elections, MEPs voted in favour of a new Regulation on the conservation of fishery resources and the protection of marine ecosystems through technical measures, following many months of difficult negotiations between the European Parliament, Council and Commission. The proposed Regulation is intended to merge and simplify 33 different pieces of EU legislation, including the existing rules on cetacean bycatch. While some positive advances were made, the legislation adopted misses important opportunities to improve the protection of marine species and their habitats.

Dr Joanna Swabe, senior director of public affairs for Humane Society International/Europe, issued the following statement after the vote:

“The revision of bycatch rules had great potential to significantly increase protections for European cetacean populations and prevent the horrific and needless deaths of porpoises, dolphins and whales accidentally entangled in fishing gear. Unfortunately, the legislation that passed will only marginally improve the status quo.

“In the past few weeks alone, the mutilated corpses of hundreds of dolphins have washed up on French beaches; these poor animals represent only a fraction of the thousands who are accidentally killed by the fishing industry in the EU each year. Sadly, the legislation adopted today will likely continue to fail these sensitive species since the measures adopted for marine mammals are not sufficient to mitigate bycatch effectively.”

Swabe faulted MEPs and Member States for ignoring key information during the legislative process, saying, “They turned a blind eye to the recommendations of scientific experts, such as the ICES1 Bycatch Working Group, ASCOBANS2 and ACCOBAMS3. They also failed to take up the Commission’s proposal to require the use of Acoustic Deterrent Devices in specific marine areas where they are much needed.”

The legislation did include minor improvements to existing cetacean bycatch rules:

  1. The adoption of overarching objectives for technical measures adopted under the new framework, and a mechanism for monitoring and reporting on their effectiveness;
  2. A new requirement for EU Member States to provide information on the effectiveness of existing mitigation measures and monitoring arrangements with respect to bycatch of sensitive species, including cetaceans, seabirds and sea turtles;
  3. A requirement that Member States submit joint recommendations for additional mitigation measures for the reduction of incidental catches of these species;
  4. The inclusion of sea turtles in the technical conservation measures regulation – a species that had been overlooked in the Commission’s original proposal.

“So much more could have been achieved if the politicians had been more concerned with protecting marine species and their habitats, rather than the interests of the fishing industry,” said Swabe.

Facts

  • The current EU cetacean bycatch legislation (Council Regulation (EC) No 812/2004) has been found to have significant weaknesses and is being repealed and incorporated into the proposed regulation on the conservation of fishery resources and the protection of marine ecosystems through technical measures (2016/0074).
  • Technical measures are the rules for where, when and how fishing may take place. These measures are fundamental to regulating the impact of fishing on stocks and marine ecosystems, and they will play a key role in achieving some of the main objectives of the EU Common Fisheries Policy, such as implementing an ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management, minimising the impacts of fisheries on the wider environment and avoiding unwanted catches and gradual elimination of discards.
  • The Commission proposal to require the use of Acoustic Deterrent Devices in the following fishing areas, where there is documented evidence of negative impacts on cetacean populations, was disregarded: VIa (west of Scotland), ICES sub-areas VIII and IXa (southwest waters), the Mediterranean and Black Seas.

 

END

 

Media contact: Jo Swabe, jswabe@hsi.org

 

1 International Council for the Exploration of the Sea

2 Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic, North East Atlantic, Irish and North Seas

3 Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans of the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and Contiguous Atlantic Area

Humane Society International, Animal Alliance of Canada, Lush Cosmetics and 81% of Canadians call for swift passage of the bill by Parliament

Humane Society International / Canada

OTTAWA — Canada is positioned to become the world’s 40th country to prohibit cosmetic testing involving animals following today’s introduction of the Cruelty-Free Cosmetics Act (Bill S-214) into the House of Commons. The bill was passed by the Senate and has been introduced by Conservative Shadow Minister for Health Marilyn Gladu. The bill is a product of years of advocacy led by Humane Society International, Animal Alliance of Canada and Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics, with backing from more than 750,000 Canadians from coast to coast.

The Cruelty-Free Cosmetics Act was first introduced in June 2015 by Conservative Senator Carolyn Stewart Olsen in close cooperation with HSI Canada and Animal Alliance. HSI has also been at the forefront of the global public policy shift toward cruelty-free cosmetics, spearheading legal reforms in the European Union, India, New Zealand, Taiwan, South Korea, Guatemala, and most recently Australia, with similar legislation in development in the United States, Brazil, Chile, South Africa, Sri Lanka and elsewhere.

Troy Seidle, HSI Vice President of Research & Toxicology, said: “As a proud Canadian I could not be more pleased to see my country move a step closer to becoming a cruelty-free beauty market. In 2019, with the vast array of established cosmetic ingredients and animal-free approaches to safety assessment, there’s simply no excuse for continued reliance on animal testing for cosmetic products or ingredients.”

Mark and Karen Wolverton, co-owners of Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics, North America, added: “The time has come to get cruelty out of cosmetics and listen to the 88 percent of Canadians who oppose animal testing for cosmetics. We know that our millions of customers who support Bill S-214 will take this issue with them to the polls this fall and will elect leaders who legislate on their behalf. We believe that animal testing for cosmetics is not acceptable or relevant and perpetuates the suffering of animals.”

Liz White, director of Animal Alliance of Canada, added: “We urge the Canadian government to act quickly and pass this crucial legislation to prevent any more animals from suffering needlessly. We look forward to working with officials to see Canada join other nations in taking a stand against cruel cosmetics by enacting the Cruelty-Free Cosmetics Act.”

Gladu added: “Protecting animals has always been a cause that I care deeply about and I am pleased to sponsor this bill so MPs can debate this important issue.”

Polling by The Strategic Counsel on behalf of Animal Alliance of Canada and HSI found that 88 percent of Canadians agree that testing new cosmetics is not worth the animals’ pain and suffering, and 81 percent would support a national ban on animal testing of cosmetics and their ingredients.

For interviews and more information, please call or email media contact below.

 

Media contacts:

Humane Society International/Canada: Christopher Paré, o: 514-395-2914 x 206, c: 438-402-0643, email: cpare@hsi.org

Animal Alliance of Canada: Liz White, 416-809-4371, email: liz@animalalliance.ca

Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics: Eva Cook, 604-562-4428, email: pr@lush.com

 

HSI helps dogs, cows, pigs and other animals in Malawi and Mozambique after Cyclone Idai devastation

Humane Society International / Africa

HSI Humane Society International responds to Cyclone Idai. In Bandua, Mozambique, HSI animal rescue specialist Kelly Donithan holds an orphaned puppy as Dr. Amade Miguel, the government veterinarian for the Buzi district, gives the puppy deworming medicine and a rabies vaccination.

BEIRA, Mozambique—A team of animal rescue experts from animal charity Humane Society International is providing emergency aid to animals in some of the areas hardest hit by Cyclone Idai. HSI’s team has been working in Malawi and Mozambique, providing much needed food, medicine and care to sick, injured and lost animals. They have also met with national and local government officials and community leaders to assess the needs for animal populations in the areas. Amongst the rescue workers is Brit Jack Finn-Kelcey, a member of HSI’s Animal Rescue Team and a former British Army paratrooper who has previously lived in Malawi.

One of HSI’s specialties is responding to the needs of animals following disasters, and the organization has been working with officials and local groups to complement the humanitarian relief effort, even travelling by helicopter to help animals in places currently inaccessible by road. Veterinary care is given to any animal in need, and more than 200 animals have been treated so far, including dogs and cats, and a host of farm animals – cows, pigs and goats – suffering in the wake of the cyclone. Critical veterinary care includes treatment for vitamin deficiencies and dispensing antibiotics and vaccinations to prevent disease.

Many communities have sustained an immeasurable loss of both human and animal life, and HSI’s Animal Rescue Team has witnessed the vast destruction caused by the cyclone. In the Nhamatanda district outside of Beira, the team came across an emaciated calf who was suffering from dehydration so extreme he could not stand. After hydrating the calf and administering veterinary aid he was able to stand and began nursing again from his mother. In another district, the team found that only 16 of the 108 cattle in a single community had survived. The team has also provided vaccinations and deworming for dogs, including three tiny puppies whose mum had died.

Kelly Donithan of HSI’s Animal Rescue Team said, “We have been working around the clock to treat animals injured or swept away in the cyclone, treating wounds, administering medication and providing food, water and basic supplies. Animals are not only beloved in many communities across Malawi and Mozambique but also central to their lives and livelihoods. By providing lifesaving care and disease prevention, we hope to help these communities and their animals begin the long road to recovery.”

HSI is asking for donations to its Animal Rescue Fund to help the charity continue providing essential veterinary medicines, food, water, blankets, shelter materials and transport for this response and for other disasters around the world. Donate here.

Photos and video from our animal rescue efforts in Malawi and Mozambique are available here.

 

Media contacts:

South Africa: Audrey Delsink, adelsink@hsi.org, + 27 83 390 0337

UK: Harriet Barclay, HBarclay@hsi.org, +44 (0) 7794 354596

United States: Nancy Hwa, nhwa@hsi.org, +1 202-676-2337 (direct)

Humane Society International

Dow AgroSciences will release the beagles who were being used in a pesticide test to the Michigan Humane Society where they will be cared for and readied for adoption into loving homes. This is the exact outcome we have been working toward for many months now, since our undercover investigator found these beagles being used for the test, and we are grateful to Dow AgroSciences (Corteva Agriscience) for making the right decision for the dogs.

I am also incredibly proud and grateful for you, our followers, without whom this victory would not have been possible. Hundreds of thousands of you contacted Corteva, first to demand an end to the testing, and then to ask that the company work with the Humane Society of the United States to find a suitable shelter for the dogs.

I want to applaud our amazing staff at the Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society International who worked tirelessly to get these beagles out. Their expertise and devotion, as well as the strong partnerships we have built with the animal sheltering community nationwide, have made all of the difference for these dogs.

The last two weeks have been intense, beginning with our Animal Research Issues and Investigations teams releasing the undercover investigation at the Charles River Laboratories in Michigan, where dogs were being tested for various products, including one of Corteva’s pesticides. While most of the dogs our investigator encountered were killed at the end of the studies they were part of, we discovered that 36 beagles in the Corteva study were undergoing unnecessary testing for a pesticide intended for Brazil, and we had a chance to get them out.

Right away, our HSI staff reached out to Brazil and worked to get a waiver for the test. Once Corteva had ended testing, we convinced the company, with your support, to release the beagles to a reputable shelter where they would have the best chance of finding forever homes. The Michigan Humane Society, one of our 350 amazing shelter partners nationwide, stepped up to the plate and agreed to take the dogs under their wing. MHS has the expertise and a proven track record so we know the dogs will be in good hands.

Our investigation succeeded in shining a light on the cruelty of animal testing and in raising awareness, but there are still thousands of dogs suffering in laboratories here in the United States and around the world. Our work to help them continues, but today, I am excited about this important victory, and for these dogs who have never known anything but life behind the bars of metal cages – they were born at a facility that breeds dogs for research after which they were taken to the lab. They deserve the best futures they can possibly get, and we are thrilled for the role we have played in saving their lives and making this outcome happen for them.

Humane Society International / Latin America

SAN JOSÉ—During February and March, Humane Society International/Latin America, together with the National Animal Health Service, the College of Veterinary Doctors and the School of Veterinary Medicine of the National University, participated in health fairs organized by the Asociación Costa Rica Indígena in the indigenous communities of Daytonia and Cachabri, in Talamanca.

This project provides free veterinary care to not only dogs and cats but also to farm animals such as pigs, cows, horses and chickens. Dogs and cats are spayed or neutered for free.

Amanda Chaves, manager of the Companion Animal Program for HSI/Latin America, sees the health fair as an excellent opportunity to collaborate closely with state institutions and other stakeholders in areas where there is very limited access to relevant services. “Since we started this project with the Asociación Costa Rica Indígena, we have participated in five health fairs and provided medical care for more than 1278 animals that had never received any veterinary attention. We hope to continue this work for the benefit of animal welfare in Costa Rica,” explains Chaves.

The first of these fairs in 2019 took place in February in Daytonia. Over the course of a single weekend, 227 animals received free medical care, including general veterinary checks, deworming and vaccinations against rabies. In addition, veterinarians performed spay/neuter procedures on 35 dogs and cats.

In March, the team visited the indigenous area of Cachabri, where inadequate access to health services, public services and transportation contribute to poor health for many animals and made the work arduous. Animals brought for treatment presented severe skin problems, high levels of malnutrition and infestation by fleas, ticks and parasitic flies. A total of 345 animals received veterinary care in just two days, including general health exams, deworming and rabies vaccinations, while 83 dogs and cats were spayed or neutered.

Media contact: Fabiola Ruiz, fabiola.ruiz@efectiva.cr, ph. +506 88241785

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