Author: Kristin Stone

New pet shop rules setting standards for animal housing and care are now in place in India. If implemented appropriately, the rules could stem the cruel practices rampant in the pet shop industry. The Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change notified the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Pet Shop) rules, 2018 in the wake of a series of representations made by Humane Society International/India and People for Animals, apprising the ministry of the cruelty found in the pet shop industry.

Animals transported and traded to meet the demand of the pet shop industry are kept in inhumane conditions. These animals are typically denied complete veterinary care; puppies are separated from their mothers soon after birth; birds, rats, mice, hamsters and guinea pigs are stuffed in small cages without access to adequate water or food. Other common harmful practices include mutilation in the form of de-beaking, tail-docking, feather plucking, nail clipping and de-clawing. An estimated 40 percent of animals die in captivity or during transportation. Pet shops often grossly violate the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 by blatantly selling wild animals.

Gauri Maulekhi, trustee at PFA and government liaison officer for HSI/India, said, “Animals sold in pet shops are treated as commodities and the cruelty they are subjected to at the hands of pet shop owners is unthinkable. The situation in pet shops demanded a crying need of a regulation and we are pleased that the Government and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change supported us in identifying the issue. The notification of these rules is half the battle won, and what we now await is a thorough implementation of these rules to ensure that no pet shop owner is allowed to thrive illegally.”

Some of the key features of these rules are:

1. 1. No person can operate a pet shop or carry on the business of trade in pet animals without a certificate of registration from the concerned State Animal Welfare Board. Any person already operating pet shops may apply for registration within 60 days from the date of these rules.
2. 2. Any pet shop without a valid certificate of registration, or the failure of the person to apply for the same within a specified time period, will result in the sealing of the pet shop. Animals confiscated from such shops shall be sent to an animal welfare organization recognized by the Board.
3. 3. Application for registration to be made to the State Board with a non-refundable fee of 5,000 INR. A separate application shall be made for every pet shop or any premises being used for the pet trade. Such a certificate shall be valid for a period of five years, non-transferable, and shall be subject to an yearly review.
4. 4. Pet shops registered by the Board shall be inspected by an authorized veterinarian upon receipt of the application. On being satisfied that the applicant and the establishment comply with requirements under these rules, the State Board shall continue the registration.
5. 5. The rules provide standards for accommodation, infrastructure, housing, general care, veterinary care and other operational requirements. These include the elimination of wire mesh for the floors of the enclosures, a health certificate from a veterinary practitioner for every animal on sale, and a written exercise plan for any pup over 16 weeks of age.
6. 6. Every pet shop owner shall maintain a record book with the particulars of breeders and suppliers of pet animals, trade transactions and their details. Records of the customers buying pet animals must also be kept. Additional records required to be kept are “mortality register” and “health register.”
7. 7. On receipt of a complaint for noncompliance of these rules by pet shop owners, an inquiry will be conducted through the local authority or SPCA. Animals found to be ill-treated or sick shall be confiscated and sent to a recognized animal welfare organization for treatment. The pet shop owner shall be liable for any expenses incurred for the care and treatment of such animals.
8. 8. If violations are discovered during the inspection, the State Board shall issue the owners a notice of show cause. The State Board may, if it is not satisfied with the response received, or if no response received from the owners, cancel the registration and communicate the reasons in writing. Subject to appeal, the pet shop may be sealed or registration reinstated as the case may be.
9. 9. Every registered pet shop owner is required to submit an annual report to the State Board detailing the total number of animals traded, boarded or exhibited during the previous year.

HSI/India and PFA have played a key role in drafting the rules and approaching the judiciary seeking to issue the directions so the Government may notify these rules.

Media Contact: Alokparna Sengupta, asengupta@hsi.org, +919849094113

FLORIANÓPOLIS, Brazil—Animal protection organisation Humane Society International has reacted with bitter disappointment as the creation of a whale sanctuary in the South Atlantic is voted down by pro-whaling nations such as Japan, Korea, Norway and Russia. The vote, which required a three-quarter majority to pass, resulted in a tally of 39 Yes, 25 No, 3 Abstentions, and 2 Not Present.

Grettel Delgadillo, deputy director of HSI/Latin America, says: “It’s a bitter disappointment that — in Brazil of all places — the proposal for a South Atlantic whale sanctuary has once again been defeated by Japan and its allies. Brazil and the other champions of the sanctuary have made a strong and principled case on ecological and scientific grounds. This first vote at IWC 67 shows how determined the whaling nations are to oppose sensible conservation measures and to obstruct the IWC’s evolution as a full-fledged conservation body. The rejection of the South Atlantic sanctuary is a genuine sign of bad faith and continuing intrigue by the Japan bloc, and it bodes very poorly for the crucial votes that will come later this week.

Take action now to help whales.

“The nations of the region want to create – and they have every right to create — a safe haven for whales under continued threats from commercial whaling, death from entanglement in fishing gear, marine pollution, and injury from ship strikes. The proposed South Atlantic whale sanctuary encompasses a vital breeding and calving area that would protect whales and their habitats. It’s a common sense proposal directly informed by the fact that cetacean species and populations are still recovering from decades of merciless commercial whaling in the twentieth century.”

HSI’s experts at the 67th meeting of the International Whaling Commission are available for interview. Contact Wendy Higgins, whiggins@hsi.org

FLORIANOPOLIS, Brazil—On the opening day of the 67th meeting of the International Whaling Commission, animal charity Humane Society International’s team of experts at the meeting are calling on governments to reject Japan’s reckless proposal to set quotas for cruel commercial whaling, and urging welfare improvements for whales killed in aboriginal subsistence hunts.

Japan is seeking an implausible consensus on its proposal to introduce an amendment that would directly nullify the moratorium on commercial whaling. To highlight the suffering this would cause, HSI refers to data from Japan’s so-called “scientific” coastal whaling, between 2010 and 2015, in which Japan collected welfare data on 482 minke whales. Less than half of these died immediately on being hit by exploding harpoons, and the surviving whales took an average of five minutes to die. Data collected on 575 sei whales during the same period showed that 50 percent did not die immediately, and that surviving whales took an average of three minutes to die.

Whales not killed immediately are struck with cold (non-exploding) harpoons (banned for commercial whaling by the IWC in 1980), rifles, and steel lances. Japan has not submitted welfare data to the IWC since 2006, and does not provide data on maximum times to death, though independent analysis of footage has shown that whales in Japan’s Antarctic hunt have taken at least 33 minutes to die.

Take action now to help whales.

The Japanese government has designated the week immediately after IWC67, from 20th to 26th September, as “Be Kind to Animals Week,” framed as “a way to raise awareness about the welfare and proper care of animals.” HSI urges the Japanese government to apply this same principle to whales.

Claire Bass, Executive Director of Humane Society International UK says: “Japan could not possibly have advanced a more regressive and reckless proposition, imperiling both the conservation and welfare of whales. You don’t need to be a veterinarian to know that firing at a whale with a harpoon that explodes inside its body, in many cases not killing it immediately, is going to cause appalling and completely unacceptable suffering. There is no humane way to kill whales at sea, and that fact alone should be enough for countries to reject Japan’s proposal.”

The other major issue under consideration at the meeting is a bundle of proposals to approve quotas for aboriginal subsistence whaling, seeking approval for 2,905 whales to be killed over a seven year period, by Russia, the USA, Greenland and St Vincent and the Grenadines. It also seeks approval for automatic renewal of quotas, if certain criteria are met. While HSI supports the rights of aboriginal peoples to maintain their cultures, and recognises that the rights of indigenous peoples for self-determination are rightly protected by the UN Declaration on Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the charity also believes that all cultures can be encouraged to embrace and improve animal welfare. It also stresses that not all claims for subsistence whaling are without question or controversy, and the animal welfare in some aboriginal hunts needs serious attention.

In East Greenland minke whales are killed with rifles, and its own data presented at the IWC this week reveals that not only did none of the minke whales caught in 2016 die immediately, but it took an average of 26 minutes for whales to die, with one whale taking one hour to succumb to its gunshot injuries. In the Russian hunt, which kills 120 gray whales annually, whales routinely take half an hour to die. Data from the 2016 and 2017 hunts reveals that one unfortunate animal was shot with 16 harpoons, 8 darting guns and 273 rifle bullets, and took three hours five minutes to die.

Claire Bass continues: “We are particularly concerned by requests for increases in the quotas awarded to Russia and East Greenland, since these are the subsistence hunts with the worst animal welfare records. In Russia, gray whales are frequently peppered with hundreds of bullets from Kalashnikov assault rifles, causing immense pain and distress. And Greenland is now using less powerful and effective weapons than it was a few years ago, meaning more whales suffering for prolonged periods. We urge these countries to do much more to help their subsistence whaling communities to prevent such excessive suffering.”

Humane Society International has a team of experts at the IWC meeting available for interview.

Media contact: HSI (United Kingdom) Wendy Higgins, Director of International Media, whiggins@hsi.org

FLORIANÓPOLIS, Brazil—The following is Humane Society International’s opening statement at the start of the 67th meeting of the International Whaling Commission:

The International Whaling Commission, like the International Convention on the Regulation of Whaling, which established it, was born in a moment of understanding and acknowledgment concerning the heavy toll commercial whaling had taken on cetacean populations worldwide. The Commission’s charge has always been a difficult one, and it has become complicated still more by changing attitudes toward whales and whaling, the expansion of our knowledge of whales, and our assessment of threats to their survival.

In 1946, there were few who questioned whaling’s legitimacy, so it was appropriate to forge an international agreement on its regulation. However, even then, the Convention gave equal emphasis to whale conservation, well before such thinking became the norm. This was a remarkable instance of foresight given its origins, and it has made all the difference.

Today, three quarters of a century later, conservation is the norm, and the Commission’s adoption of a global moratorium on commercial whaling, which has spared tens of thousands of whales, is widely and justly regarded as a great success. Whatever the case may have been in 1946, most of the world now believes that whaling should be reserved for rare and specialized circumstances—specifically as aboriginal subsistence whaling where genuine human needs are at stake. There is nearly universal consensus worldwide that commercial whaling is biologically and economically unsustainable, that it causes unacceptable suffering, and that whales deserve the fullest possible protection.

Some thirty years after its adoption, the commercial whaling moratorium is the baseline for global deliberations concerning whales. In our view, the IWC should not consider or adopt any proposal that forfeits the enormous gains wrought by the commercial whaling moratorium. In good faith, we would ask those few countries still whaling to respect the judgment of the community of nations, and of history, that the moratorium has been and remains the best conservation tool ever enacted to ensure the recovery of whale populations and to prevent their future decline.

In light of its historic impact, the continuing efforts of some nations to undermine the moratorium within the Commission itself have come to seem ever more cynical. Criticism of the Commission as dysfunctional, proposals to change the Schedule to permit commercial whaling, campaigns for the recognition of a new form of whaling, Small Type Coastal Whaling, demands that amount to an expansion and commercialization of aboriginal subsistence whaling quotas, refusal to respect existing sanctuaries or create new ones, and continued whaling under exemption by several member nations — all of these, in their way — represent attacks on the integrity of the Commission and the ICRW.

Take action now to help whales.

These actions constitute both a distraction and an impediment to the IWC’s urgent work of ensuring the further recovery and good health of whale populations across the planet. Over the last few decades, the Commission has advanced a large and expanding agenda of work to better understand and mitigate threats to cetaceans in our increasingly degraded global oceans. Those threats include the other human-induced impacts on whale survival — pollution and degradation of habitat, emerging diseases, marine noise, ship strikes, and entanglement in fishing gear. With these hazards increasing each year, it would be irresponsible of the Commission to do anything other than strengthen its ban on commercial whaling.

Especially in light of what we are learning about the probable course of global climate change, the IWC and its members have a collective obligation to take a precautionary approach. Never have we been so clearly in need of the goodwill of the whaling countries. Never before have we so needed their commitment to the commercial whaling moratorium. Never before has it been so incumbent on the IWC’s member nations to work together to help secure the greatest possible protection for cetaceans, and make the oceans a safer place for them to live.

We are proud to attend the IWC to observe and assist in advancing its urgent, essential and effective work on cetacean conservation and welfare. It is clear to us, and to the more than 100,000 people from many countries worldwide who signed the pledge below, in just 14 days, that this future-focused agenda of stewardship is what the world expects of the IWC:

“I believe that commercial whaling is cruel, unnecessary and irresponsible. I stand with Humane Society International in urging all countries that are members of the IWC to oppose Japan’s proposals to bring back commercial whaling. Whales already face so many threats, a return to commercial whaling is the last thing they need.”

END

MEDIA CONTACT: Wendy Higgins, Director of International Media, HSI/UK, whiggins@hsi.org

LONDON—On the day that iconic British brand Burberry announces it’s going fur-free, a global campaign has been launched ahead of Fashion Week in New York, London, Paris and Milan urging fashion house Prada to adopt a fur-free policy. The campaign headed by animal charity Humane Society International, its American affiliate the Humane Society of the United States, international coalition the Fur-Free Alliance, and with help from Care2, will see compassionate citizens targeting Prada’s phone lines, email and social media urging the design house to drop fur because it is cruel, out-dated and has no place in a modern society.

Prada, which has a number of stores and outlets in the UK across London, Manchester and Glasgow, is a major fur user and its current range includes items made of fox and mink fur. Fur products include a fox fur jacket for £4,550, a mink fur jacket for £7,880, and a full-length fox fur coat for £10,700.

Prada’s use of fur is increasingly out of mode; in the last year alone major fashion-houses Gucci, Versace, Michael Kors, DKNY, Donna Karan and Jimmy Choo have gone fur-free. Many other global designers such as Hugo Boss, Armani, Tommy Hilfiger, Stella McCartney and Vivienne Westwood have long-standing fur bans.

HSI/UK Executive Director Claire Bass said “Brands like Prada that continue to sell animal fur are becoming increasingly isolated as top designers drop fur cruelty from their collections, knowing that the vast majority of consumers find it obscene and obsolete. Prada has a clear choice to make as to whether it wants to be an apologist for the vile fur trade or to move with the times and strike a pose for compassionate fashion. We hope it makes the ethical choice to go fur-free, joining more than 900 brands that have joined the Fur Free Retailer programme globally. It’s never been clearer that fur’s days are numbered, and with our #FurFreeBritain campaign we’re urging the government to blaze a trail as the world’s first fur-free country.”

HSI’s #FurFreeBritain campaign calls on the government to make the UK a fur-free zone by extending existing cat, dog and seal fur bans to cover all fur-bearing species. Although fur farming was outlawed in the UK on moral grounds in 2000, and EU regulations ban fur from domestic cats, dogs and from commercial seal hunts, Britain still imports and sells fur from a range of other species such as fox, rabbit, mink, coyote, raccoon dog and chinchilla. According to the most recent trade statistics from HMRC, in the last year*, the UK imported almost £75 million of animal fur (£74,154,873). A UK fur sales ban would follow on from fur import or sale bans in India, Sao Paolo in Brazil, and San Francisco, West Hollywood and Berkley in the United States. Los Angeles is currently also considering an animal fur sales ban.

The #FurFreeBritain campaign has received significant political support, including a landmark Westminster Hall debate in June at which MPs of all political parties spoke passionately in favour of banning fur imports from the United Kingdom. A recent parliamentary report by the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee also called on the government to launch a public consultation on banning fur sales in the UK.

Public and celebrity backing for #FurFreeBritain is also growing. A 2018 YouGov poll commissioned by HSI/UK shows that more than two-thirds of the British public support a UK fur import ban, and earlier this year 31 of Britain’s biggest stars, including Dame Judi Dench and Sir Andy Murray, wrote to UK Prime Minister Theresa May in support of a #FurFreeBritain. The full letter can be seen here.

Prada’s UK Headquarters can be contacted about their use of fur on +44 (0) 20 7399 2030, via email through our petition and Care2 or on social media: Twitter https://twitter.com/PRADA, Facebook https://www.facebook.com/PRADA and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/prada

HSI President and Acting President of the Humane Society of the United States Kitty Block writes about our Prada campaign on her blog here.

*April 2017–March 2018 inclusive

Fur facts:

• More than 130 million animals suffer each year in the global fur trade, the majority reared in terrible conditions on fur farms. This number does not include rabbits, whose numbers (in the hundreds of millions) are not reported by the fur trade.
• Around the world in countries such as the U.S., France, Poland and China, wild species are kept in small, barren battery cages for their entire lives before being killed by gassing or electrocution.
• Wild animals such as coyotes fair no better—they can languish in agony in cruel traps for hours or even days before dying from dehydration, starvation or attacks by predators, or being shot or crushed to death when the trapper returns.
• There is no legal requirement in the UK to use the specific word “fur” on items containing real fur. EU regulations require items defined as “textile products” that contain animal fur to carry the confusing wording “contains non-textile parts of animal origin” however this does not clearly tell consumers that it means “real animal fur,” and in practice this wording is rarely adhered to at all, as evidenced in our report “Mislabelled and misleading”. Products sold online are exempt from the above confusing wording requirement, and footwear or non-garment accessories such as handbags and keychains are also excluded.
• The Fur Free Retailer programme (furfreeretailer.com) is managed by the Fur Free Alliance. It provides support and information to designers and retailers adopting fur-free policies, and it provides consumers a list of fur-free shopping options.

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

WARNING: This content includes graphic descriptions of animals being killed.

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JAKARTA—Shocking new footage of dogs and cats being bludgeoned over the head and blow-torched whilst still alive at an ‘extreme’ market in Indonesia’s North Sulawesi province has prompted campaigners from the Dog Meat-Free Indonesia coalition to urge the Indonesian government to keep its promise to ban the islands’ brutal dog and cat meat trade. The DMFI comprises local and international groups Animal Friends Jogja, Jakarta Animal Aid Network, Change For Animals Foundation, Humane Society International, Animals Asia Foundation and Four Paws.

Download photos and video: https://www.dogmeatfreeindonesia.org/resources/media-pack-for-tomohon-market (WARNING: graphic content)

The treatment of animals filmed by DMFI is not only extremely brutal, but also flouts public health and safety regulations designed to protect citizens from deadly rabies transmission and the spread of zoonotic diseases. Despite the national government’s Director of Veterinary Public Health, Mr Syamsul Ma’arif, making a groundbreaking and progressive public pledge last month to end the trade which he called “torture for animals,” DMFI’s new footage shows that thousands of dogs and cats are continuing to be slaughtered at markets in Tomohon, North Sulawesi, every week and the meat sold for human consumption.

Lola Webber for Dog Meat-Free Indonesia, said “Every single dog and cat we saw at Tomohon extreme market was blowtorched whilst clearly still alive. It was the most horrific cruelty we have witnessed so far in our campaign to shut down this hideous trade, and it was all done in full view of very young children. By the end of our filming we were all spattered with blood and brain matter from the bludgeoning, showing how easy it would be for customers and tourists to become infected with diseases such as rabies, and in fact two of our team were extremely sick following the market visit. We are really grateful that the horrific cruelty and human-health risks of this appalling trade has been publicly recognized by the Indonesian government, but our latest evidence clearly shows the need for an immediate ban cannot be ignored. This is an urgent situation requiring immediate action.”

Since its first in-depth investigations in December 2017, DMFI has gathered alarming evidence of animal cruelty and violent dog and cat theft which it has submitted to both central and provincial governments, including North Sulawesi. This sparked both national and global outcry including a letter to President Joko Widodo calling for a ban. More than 90 Indonesian and international celebrities such as Cameron Diaz, Chelsea Islan, Dr. Jane Goodall, Simon Cowell and Ellen DeGeneres signed the letter. DMFI’s global petition has also been signed by over 940,000 people from around the world.

Call to ban Indonesia’s dog meat trade.

In February this year, officials from the Mayor of Tomohon’s office met with DMFI representatives and pledged to end the sale and slaughter of dogs and cats at Tomohon market and to work with the coalition to promote respect for animal welfare with the aim of ending the dog and cat meat trade in the city. However, DMFI’s latest video shows that it is business as usual at these barbaric markets.

There is increasing concern among Indonesian citizens at this lack of action. Law enforcement officials are failing to deter or punish gangs of thieves who terrorise neighbourhoods and steal dogs and cats from back yards and houses. Jakarta Animal Aid Network says it receives countless reports each week from devastated pet owners who have had their dogs stolen by armed dog thieves.

The dog and cat meat trades in Indonesia also operate in breach of disease control regulations put in place to curb the spread of fatal zoonotic diseases such as rabies, despite the government’s pledge to eliminate the disease by 2020. Rabies is endemic in 25 out of 34 of Indonesia’s provinces, and dogs and cats of unknown disease status are routinely transported across provincial borders and islands and into densely-populated cities. This is in clear breach of the law, and threatens those cities and provinces, including Jakarta, that have worked so hard to secure their rabies-free status.

DMFI’s Dr. Katherine Polak says: “As long as the dog and cat meat markets in North Sulawesi continue to drive the illegal trans-provincial trade into densely-populated cities, any attempts by Indonesia to secure its rabies-free status will fail. Millions of Indonesian citizens and global tourists could be at risk of exposure to diseases. It only takes one lick, scratch or bite from a rabies-infected animal to require prophylactic treatment for rabies which is otherwise a fatal disease.”

Download high-resolution photos and broadcast quality video footage from Tomohon market here: https://www.dogmeatfreeindonesia.org/resources/media-pack-for-tomohon-market (WARNING: graphic content)

MEDIA CONTACTS:

DMFI Campaign Coordinator/Change for Animals Foundation Director: Lola Webber: Lolawebber@changeforanimals.org; Tel. +62 813 3740 8768

Jakarta Animal Aid Network (JAAN) Co-Founder/Programmes Director Karin Franken (Jakarta, Indonesia): jaan_adopt@yahoo.com; Tel. +62 82122487794

Animal Friends Jogja (AFJ) Programmes Director Bobby Fernando (Yogyakarta, Indonesia): animalfriendsjogja@gmail.com; Tel.+62 8562930912

Humane Society International (HSI) Director International Media Wendy Higgins (London, UK): whiggins@hsi.org

Notes

The national government’s pledge to ban the dog and cat meat trade came at a “National Coordination of Animal Welfare” meeting in Jakarta held on August 1st and 2nd by the Directorate of Veterinary Public and attended by national and regional government representatives including the livestock and animal health departments, animal quarantine agencies, veterinary faculty academics, the Indonesian Veterinary Medical Association. At the close of the meeting, all national participants agreed to issue a ban on the trade of dog and cat meat in Indonesia and to prohibit the issuance of health certification for dog and cat meat for human consumption.

Mr. Syamsul Ma’arif, Director of Veterinary Public Health, warned of the impacts the dog meat trade is having on animal welfare and described the trade as “torture for animals” after reviewing DMFI’s investigation footage. He also cited the risk the trade poses to Indonesia’s international reputation, warning that “foreign countries find a low standard of animal welfare and cruelty unacceptable and will stop visiting Indonesia which is very bad for our tourism.” He added that “dog meat or any animal that is not registered as farm animals, is illegal” and that the way in which the dogs were handled and transported alone were a violation of animal welfare and must be stopped.

SAN JOSÉ, Costa Rica—A recent workshop to develop strategies to protect dolphins and whales in and around Costa Rica resulted in agreements to pursue efforts to increase protections for these animals at this month’s meeting of the International Whaling Commission in Brazil.

Humane Society International/Latin America met with the Vice Ministry of Water and Oceans, other government agencies, marine mammal experts, non-governmental organizations, and the academic sector on August 10 at a workshop on the conservation of these majestic animals.

Take action now to help whales.

Participants discussed the status of scientific research, threats to cetacean populations, and policies, education and funding to assist government agencies in decision making about cetacean protection in Costa Rica.

“We seek to maintain Costa Rica´s leadership on these issues, drawing the line in the conservation of whales and dolphins and their important role in marine ecosystems, and highlighting the guidelines for how activities such as whale and dolphin watching can be conducted responsibly,” said Grettel Delgadillo, deputy director of HSI/Latin America.

The Vice Ministry of Water and Oceans and the National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC) of the Ministry of Environment work to establish public policies for the conservation of cetaceans. They also coordinate with the tourism industry in coastal areas on activities such as the Whales and Dolphins Festival, which takes place every year in September when high sighting season coincides with migration season at Marino Ballena National Park, one of Costa Rica´s most visited beaches.

“The health of our oceans is a priority, that’s why we are committed to the conservation of species that are fundamental to the marine ecosystems, such as whales. It is key to create a link between the government and the scientific experts in this issue in order to promote actions and public policies that allow us to achieve this goal,” said Haydée Rodríguez Romero, Vice Minister of Water and Oceans.

Commercial hunting, climate change, and ocean pollution threaten the future survival of whales, dolphins, and porpoises.

If you wish to support the work of HSI/Latin America in favor of animals, visit our Facebook profile facebook.com/HSILatinAmerica or search for HSI on the Yo me Uno platform of BAC Credomatic.

Media Contact: Grettel Delgadillo, deputy director of HSI/Latin America, (506) 7018-4437, gdelgadillo@hsi.org

LONDON—Today marks the start of the International Whaling Commission meeting in Florianópolis, Brazil, and marine experts attending from Humane Society International will be reminding whale-friendly governments—including the United Kingdom and the United States—that Japan’s proposals to bring back commercial whaling are a dangerous threat to whales, displaying reckless disregard for their conservation and welfare.

Japan will argue that the ban should be lifted because, it claims, some whale populations have sufficiently recovered in number to start killing them again. This not only glosses over the extreme cruelty of whaling, but also ignores the considerable difficulty in assessing whale population health and status, especially given the range of 21st century threats to their survival.

Claire Bass, executive director of HSI/UK, says: “The very reason that many species of whale were driven to near extinction in the first place is because of decades of unrelenting and merciless commercial whaling. The fact that some of these whales have just now started to recover from that decimation should in no way be seen as a green light to start massacring them again. Whales are long-lived, slow breeding mammals who are uniquely vulnerable to over-exploitation, and their ocean homes are severely degraded by many human activities. If Japan’s proposals were accepted it would once again be open season on whales, so this is the most dangerous and reckless attempt to bring back commercial whaling that we have seen in decades.”

Take action now to help whales.

Whilst Japan may accuse anti-whaling nations of so-called ‘cultural imperialism’, HSI believes that culture should never be accepted as an excuse for the immense cruelty of killing these ocean giants with exploding harpoons. It is also highly debatable how culturally significant the average Japanese citizen considers whale meat, with much of Japan’s whale meat stockpiled in freezers without buyers, and the most recent opinion poll (from 2012) by Nippon Research Centre showing that 88.8 per cent of Japanese people had not bought whale meat in the preceding 12 months, and a mere 27 per cent of respondents expressing support for whaling.

HSI will call on anti-whaling governments such as Australia, New Zealand and Britain—led by Commissioner Gemma Harper—to speak up for whale conservation on the moratorium and other key topics such as bycatch, the creation of a South Atlantic Whale Sanctuary, and the myriad threats to thousands of cetaceans accidentally killed or injured each year by entanglements, strandings and pollution from noise, plastic and chemicals. Faced by such a barrage of perils, many of which we’re only just beginning to understand, the last thing whales need is also to be targeted by whalers.
Humane Society International has a team of experts at the IWC meeting from the United Kingdom, Australia, United States, Latin America and Brazil who are available for interview or comment.

Media contact: HSI (United Kingdom) Wendy Higgins, Director of International Media: whiggins@hsi.org

MEXICO CITY—To promote a culture of prevention among Mexico City residents, government and civic organizations joined forces to organize an earthquake drill with companion animals on Saturday near Los Venados park in the Benito Juárez district of Mexico City.

The event was coordinated by several organizations, including Humane Society International/Mexico, the National Center for Disaster Preparedness, the General Directorate for Civil Protection, the Mexico City Environmental and Territorial Planning Agency, the Animal Brigade of Mexico City Police, the Mexico City Animal Protection Agency, the Benito Juárez Civil Protection Unit, the UNAM’s Search and Rescue Canine Unit, the Citizens’ Council, the Letrán Valle Neighbors’ Committee, the Let’s Help Mexico platform, Mascotas Sismo, and CEVA Animal Health.

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“We are very pleased by the positive response the drill has elicited. This reflects the work we have been doing with local authorities and civic organizations to promote a culture of prevention and to inform citizens as to what measures to take with their companion animals in the event of an earthquake. Thank you to everyone who participated in this event,” said HSI/Mexico Programs Director Dr. Claudia Edwards.

The drill provided basic guidelines and tools so that people are prepared to assist and care for their companion animals in an earthquake. It included simulated scenarios with cats and dogs who were either injured or under stress. Staff and volunteers from the organizing groups acted as first responders and were on hand to administer first aid to the animals.

HSI implements prevention and natural disaster response programs that are designed to protect not only humans but their companion animals. In 2017, together with the Let’s Help Mexico platform, HSI provided veterinary assistance for 6,200 animals in areas affected by earthquakes in Mexico last September, and treated more than 900 animals after the eruption of the Fuego volcano in Guatemala in June.

Media Contact: Magaly Garibay, (+52 55) 5211 8731, ext. 104, mgaribay@idee.agency

KERALA—Animal charity Humane Society International/India has pledged its commitment to Kerala’s flood-affected animals and their people, as the charity predicts hundreds of animals could go on to develop respiratory and infectious diseases, and the area could see outbreaks of canine distemper and parvovirus. After the floodwaters subside, HSI/India will remain behind to assist local groups in Malappuram that need support in providing veterinary care, and implementing large-scale feeding programmes for starving animals in remote and poverty-stricken areas such as Nilambur.

HSI/India already has an established vaccination and sterilisation program in Malappuram district which was launched in January 2017 to humanely manage street dog populations, so the charity was well placed to spring into action when the floods hit the State. The charity’s commitment to the local community means that animal rescue is only the beginning rather than the end of its activities in the area.

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One such example of HSI/India’s approach is that of Sunitha Sinto whose story went viral when she refused to leave her house in Thrissur without her 25 dogs. Sunitha was one of hundreds of people forced to choose between saving their families and their animals, when humanitarian rescue crews refused to let them brings dogs and others with them. Sunitha contacted HSI/India for help, which rallied a local group to collect Sunitha and her dogs, but when she was refused entry by the relief camp which had a strict people-only policy, she was forced to return to her flood-ravaged home. Now back at what’s left of her dwelling, HSI/India has stepped in to deliver rice and dog food as well as other basic provisions.

Sally Varma, HSI/India’s education and awareness officer, says: “We cannot take care of Kerala’s animals without also caring about Kerala’s people, and Sunitha is a great example of that. Her bond with her dogs is so strong, they are her family, and so we’re providing her with the help she needs to look after them in this disastrous situation.”

Sunitha Sinto says: “My dogs are my children, and if ever I am in a life or death situation like the floods, I will never leave without them. I’m so happy that Sally from HSI/India was here to offer help when I needed it, and still now after the flood when we are still in need. I have just adopted two more dogs from the streets too, so now I have 27 children, and we really need the food and medicine that HSI/India is giving us. It’s stopped us from starving. I want to let people around the world know that animal lives matter too, and when calamity strikes they rely on us to save them.”

To help Sunitha protect her dogs from any future floods, HSI/India will build a raised kennel and a compound wall. The charity has also agreed to arrange an adoption event to find loving homes for the puppies Sunitha has saved from the streets.

HSI/India’s animal rescue helpline has been inundated with calls from desperate pet owners worried about their beloved pets they were forced to leave behind. Together with a network of local animal groups across Kerala, HSI has been going house to house rescuing any stranded animals they come across. Rescuers are also encountering large numbers of cases of lost animals who will need to be reunited with their people or placed for adoption into new families. One such happy reunion was made possible in Cherpu this week when HSI/India rescuers walked for 2kms through waist-deep water to find Ray the German Shephard who had fled his home in terror at the rising water and become disorientated as once familiar landscape around him became submerged. After going missing for five days, Ray was finally found by the HSI team when his family called the charity’s helpline.

HSI/India predicts that as the waters subside and open up previously inaccessible areas, its rescue teams will find large numbers of starving and diseased animals requiring emergency help.

Rahul Sehgal, HSI/India’s senior director of Companion Animals & Engagement, says; “Rescuing frightened dogs from roof tops or cows and goats trapped up to their neck in water, is only the beginning of our disaster relief work. If we were to simply pack up and leave after the initial rescue, we would be condemning hundreds of animals to perish later on as their weakened bodies are overwhelmed with disease or infection.”

Donations to HSI’s International Disaster Fund can be made at hsi.org/disasteraid to help the charity continue providing essential rescue, veterinary medicines, food, water, shelter transport and support for this response and for other disasters around the world.

HSI responds to natural disasters to assist animals and communities in need. In June, HSI stepped in to provide emergency treatment to dogs, cats, chickens, horses and other animals affected by the Volcan de Fuego eruptions in Guatemala. Last year, HSI helped more than 6,200 animals affected by deadly earthquakes in Mexico.

ENDS

Media Contacts:

HSI (India) Neelam Naseeb: nnaseeb@hsi.org, +919205104695

HSI (UK) Wendy Higgins: whiggins@hsi.org

Photos and video from our animal rescue efforts in Kerala are available here: https://newsroom.humanesociety.org/fetcher/index.php?searchMerlin=1&searchBrightcove=1&submitted=1&mw=d&q=KeralaFloods0818