Author: Kristin Stone

MONTREAL—More than 50 dogs on a South Korean dog meat farm have escaped the cooking pot barely a month before the start of the Bok Nal summer season, during which more than one million dogs are eaten as ‘bosintang’ soup. Humane Society International has worked in South Korea for three years, permanently closing dog meat farms and helping farmers switch to alternative livelihoods as part of its strategy to demonstrate that the cruel trade can be phased out.

HSI reached an agreement with the facility’s owner, who has bred dogs for human consumption for four years in Namyangju-si, Gyeonggi-do, but now plans to expand his more profitable water parsley business. This will be the 12th dog meat farm closed down by HSI, which has so far flown more than 1,300 dogs to Canada, the U.S. and the UK to receive critical care and to have the opportunity to find forever homes.

Help protect dogs and cats in South Korea

These latest 50 dogs—including terrier crosses, Jindo mixes and Labrador mixes—are in the process of being transported to Humane Society International/Canada’s emergency shelter in Montreal, where they will receive urgently needed veterinary care, nutrition and socialization. Meanwhile, back in South Korea, HSI’s Seoul-based campaigners are publicizing the images from the farm to raise awareness as the Bok Nal season approaches and dog meat soup appears on menus more frequently.

Rebecca Aldworth, executive director for HSI/Canada, said: “My heart broke when I walked onto this dog meat farm. Multiple dogs were crammed into barren wire cages, with no protection from the elements. Some dogs had scarring and injuries from fights with cage mates due to the intense frustration and boredom of living inside small, confined cages day in and day out. They had subsisted on a stomach-turning slop made from ground up restaurant waste, and they never received fresh water. Most dogs were absolutely terrified, but as we moved them out of their cages, they seemed to know we were there to help them. Thanks to our incredible supporters, these wonderful dogs will all be safe now, and will get the care and love they so badly need.”

HSI/South Korea senior policy manager Borami Seo stated, “This farm is typical of many smaller dog meat farms we see across South Korea – dilapidated cages, squalid conditions, dogs in appalling conditions, some barely clinging to life when our rescue team arrives. It’s vital that we show Koreans the grim reality of these places because most people have no idea and are really horrified. Although the practice of eating dog is on the decline, and we anticipate it will ultimately die out, during the Bok Nal days of summer we still see an increase in people eating dog meat soup. We hope to change that by exposing the disgusting and cruel conditions, and we hope also to influence the government as a growing number of South Koreans are calling on our politicians to shut down this brutal trade.”

The owner of the dog meat facility, Mr. Shin, was eager to join HSI’s dog meat farm closure program after hearing from other former dog farmers working with the charity. With profits from dog farming dwindling, and his water parsley business booming, Mr Shin realised that the dog eating business is a dead-end industry. Once HSI rescues the dogs, the cages will be dismantled and Mr Shin will focus full time on his crop growing.

More than 2.5 million dogs are reared on thousands of dog meat farms across South Korea each year. Many of the dogs in HSI’s latest rescue are suffering from painful skin diseases and swollen paws that will be treated in Canada. One of the rescued dogs, a cocker spaniel named Louis, was abandoned as a pet dog, and despite living in terrible conditions, he is still very loving and craves human affection. Another dog on the farm, Kaya, is a wonderful Jindo mix and a devoted mum to puppies HSI hopes will soon forget their sad days spent on a dog meat farm.

These rescues would not be possible without the tireless and generous support of Friends of HSI, the Eric S. Margolis Family Foundation, La Fondation Emmanuelle Gattuso, Sharp Transportation, and our incredible shelter staff and volunteers.

FACTS:

• The Bok Nal days are not a festival or single event, but the three hottest days spanning the summer months according to the lunar calendar, this year falling on July 17 (Cho Bok), July 27 (Jung Bok) and August 16 (Mal Bok).
• Bok Nal accounts for 70-80 percent of the dog meat eaten in South Korea, mainly as a soup called bosintang that is believed to improve stamina and virility.
• In addition to their life of suffering on the farm, the method used to kill the dogs is brutal – death by electrocution is most common, with dogs usually taking up to five minutes to die, (and there have been recorded instances of dogs taking up to 20 minutes to die). Hanging is also practiced. Dogs are killed in full view of other dogs.
• The dog meat industry is in legal limbo in South Korea, neither legal nor illegal. Many provisions of the Animal Protection Act are routinely breached, such as the ban on killing animals in a brutal way including hanging by the neck, and on killing them in public areas or in front of other animals of the same species.
• In China, Vietnam, Indonesia, India and other places across Asia an estimated 30 million dogs are killed and eaten each year. However, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand and Singapore have dog meat bans in place.
• At each dog meat farm closure, HSI has a veterinarian test for the presence of the H3N2, or dog flu, virus at the time the dogs receive their vaccinations. HSI then quarantines the dogs on the farm or at a temporary shelter with no dogs permitted in or out for at least 30 days prior to transport overseas.

Take action and donate now to help.

For interview requests, please call or email media contact below. To download high-resolution photos, click here; then click “create account” at the top of the page.

Media Contact: Aviva Vetter—office: 514 395-2914 x 205 / cell: 514-975-9720, email: avetter@hsi.org

Mexico City—Humane Society International/Mexico, a leading animal protection organization, was invited to join the national meeting of State Environmental Attorney Generals, which gathers the top officials responsible for environmental and animal protection law enforcement at the State level across Mexico.

The event, in which HSI donated 3,000 humane education materials that are being sent to local animal protection organizations that partner with authorities (coloring books on playing safely with dogs), was an opportunity to strengthen numerous welfare policies including cooperation to improve animal welfare legislation and enforcement, response to extreme cruelty cases and education. The meeting was held in Mexico City on June 12 and 13 and was attended by the Attorney Generals of Aguascalientes, Chiapas, Mexico City, Coahuila, State of Mexico, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Morelos, Nayarit, Nuevo León, Quintana Roo, and Sonora.

Give now to support our lifesaving work.

HSI/Mexico has a strong working partnership with Environmental Attorney Generals of Mexico City and Aguascalientes, among other agencies, to whom HSI has provided several trainings, hundreds of animal handling equipment items, and technical advice on animal welfare assessment. HSI and the Mexico City agency (PAOT) have jointly coordinated various animal cruelty operations, including two notorious hoarding cases together involving over 100 animals, as well as emergency veterinary clinics in response to the earthquake that shook Mexico City in September and in which over 1,000 animals were helped. Additionally, HSI, local organization Amigos Pro Animal and Aguascalientes State and Municipal authorities worked together to rescue nearly 200 animals from abuse and neglect last year.

This cooperation has also been directed to improve legislation. HSI and PAOT worked hand in hand to lobby in favor of amending the Federal Criminal Code to penalize dogfighters, reform the Mexico City Animal Protection Bill to ban the selling of animals in markets, and include an animal protection article in the new Mexico City Constitution that recognizes animals as sentient beings. These three bills were all enacted last year. In his remarks at the event, Anton Aguilar, executive director for HSI/Mexico, highlighted the positive outcomes of government and civil society partnerships to improve animal welfare policies and enforcement. HSI offered to extend its cooperation to other State Attorneys through trainings, technical advice on enhancing animal cruelty laws, and launching humane education programs. HSI/ Mexico was the only non-governmental organization invited to speak at the event.

“Most Mexicans oppose animal cruelty,” said Aguilar. “We need to continue working together to improve legislation and enforcement. Animal problems are human problems, and protecting animals is key as we work to build a better, safer and more humane society in Mexico.” A formal Memorandum of Understanding to extend enforcement cooperation between HSI Mexico and PAOT was renewed in the margins of the event.

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

MONTREAL—HSI/Canada and Chiots Nordiques (“Northern Puppies”) will travel to the remote Quebec First Nations community of Unamen Shipu (La Romaine) to conduct a sterilization clinic for stray and wandering dogs.

Because of a lack of access to veterinary services (the area is only accessible by plane) the community of Unamen Shipu had to resort to inhumane methods of dog management to control their street dog populations. In recent years, the animals were at risk of being killed.. But now there is hope for these dogs, with the community fully committed to spay–neuter as a lasting and humane solution. Many rural areas with limited access to resources resort to culling street dogs because they feel they have no other option.

Ewa Demianowicz, senior campaign manager for HSI/Canada, said: “We are proud to support such an important initiative and work with the people of Unamen Shipu who have been truly determined to find a humane model for dog population management. This remote First Nations community is only accessible by plane and has no veterinary services on site, which led to a dog overpopulation crisis with an estimated over 200 dogs roaming freely. The mass sterilization clinic organized by Chiots Nordiques and HSI/Canada will tackle this problem by humanely reducing the dog population and preventing suffering.”

Dr. Daphnée Veilleux-Lemieux—Chiots Nordiques, added: “For close to six years now, our volunteers have been working hard to help dogs in need through targeted and regular spay-neuter clinics. The support of our many partners, as well as the collaboration of communities and their commitment to helping these animals, is essential to the program’s success. Communities that have participated in these clinics are now managing canine populations thanks to this amazing team effort. Chiots Nordiques aspires to offer not only quality care for the dogs of Unamen Shipu, but also help improve public safety.” This clinic will have positive, long-term results and prevent the suffering of countless dogs. Not only is this humane approach more effective than a cull, it’s also much less traumatic for the dogs and the people of La Romaine.

Media Contact: For interview requests, please call or email Christopher Paré – office: 514 395-2914 x 206 / cell: 438 402-0643, email: cpare@hsi.org

MONTREAL—A total of 89 dogs and puppies rescued from a South Korean dog meat farm in March have all left Humane Society International/Canada’s Montreal emergency shelter. Most of the dogs are now in forever homes while others have been placed with rescue organizations and will be available for adoption. HSI worked with SPAs, SPCAs, rescue groups and humane societies in Canada and in the U.S. to find loving homes for the rescued dogs and puppies.

This rescue was made possible in large part by a generous contribution from animal rescuer Eric Margolis. Mr. Margolis and the Eric S. Margolis Family Foundation have sponsored HSI in rescuing thousands of abused and neglected dogs and other animals from Quebec puppy mills and neglect cases as well as the Chinese and South Korean dog meat trade. We also wish to extend our deepest gratitude to Emmanuelle Gattuso and Etienne Borgeat for their invaluable support.

Speak out against the cruel dog meat trade.

Our temporary sheltering operation was also made possible by HSI’s shelter staff and volunteers. In the past months they have worked around the clock to heal these dogs and help them gain trust in people. In addition, corporate partners including Mondou, Kruger, Sharp Transportation, Kane Vet Supplies, and Global Pet Foods / Pitou & Minou who provided sheltering supplies and pet food for our shelter.

Our Montreal emergency shelter is set to re-open in mid-June, when HSI/Canada will help close another dog meat farm in South Korea.

Rebecca Aldworth, executive director for HSI/Canada, said: “The rescue of nearly 90 dogs from a horrific South Korean dog meat farm in March was truly a community effort. From the generosity of our top supporter Eric Margolis, to the tireless efforts of our shelter team, our corporate partners who donated products to the shelter, and our placement partners, everyone came together to give these dogs a second chance. Just weeks ago, some of these dogs were too terrified to come out of their enclosures. Now, most are already in loving, forever homes. We are thrilled to see these dogs recover from the trauma they endured and become ambassadors for our campaign to end the global dog meat trade.”

The rescued dogs—which include jindo mixes, husky mixes and Great Pyrenees-mixed breed dogs—were subjected to horrible conditions. Living in isolated and barren wire cages, they subsisted on a diet of restaurant waste. The owner of the farm voluntarily surrendered the dogs and has since transitioned to a new, more humane vocation with the help of HSI. Take action and donate now to help.

Media Contact: Christopher Paré, 514.395.2914/438-402-0643, cpare@hsi.org

London—In a landmark debate, MPs of all political parties at a Westminster Hall debate in Parliament passionately spoke out in favour of banning fur imports from the United Kingdom, with MPs calling the fur trade “vile”, “loathsome” and the “grimmest of human activities”. The debate was held in response to the submission of a 425,834-strong petition delivered to No.10 Downing Street by the #FurFreeBritain coalition led by Humane Society International UK.

Although DEFRA Minister George Eustice MP failed to commit to government action, he acknowledged that there is nothing in World Trade Organisation rules that precludes the UK from banning items on ethical grounds, and that there is case law for us to advance such measures.

Join our call for a fur-free Britain.

Humane Society International UK Executive Director Claire Bass said “After such an impressive display of compassion from MPs of all political colours, it’s immensely disappointing and frustrating that the government made no solid commitment towards a fur import ban. The U.K. banned fur farming as inhumane, so it is illogical to suggest we should now try to help fur farmers overseas make their businesses slightly less awful for the animals subjected to this cruel trade. MPs at the debate were united in their position that fur farming cannot be made humane, and that Prime Minister Theresa May’s ambition to be a ‘world leader in animal welfare’ will never be realised if we ban cruel practices here continue to outsource that same cruelty overseas.”

Notable quotes from MPs at the debate include:

Giles-Watling, Conservative MP for Clacton said: “Even though we should celebrate our world leading ban on fur farming… we have only outsourced this form of animal cruelty, and that is why I believe this import ban should be put in place… By waiting for this to happen we only prolong our role in supporting and enabling these terrible animal welfare practices and I do not believe this is in keeping with our British values.”

Kerry McCarthy, Labour MP for Bristol East, said “Fur farming was banned in England and Wales in the year 2000 and two years later in Scotland on the grounds of public morality, and the fact that fur produced in the same methods is allowed to be imported into the country is fundamentally illogical and surely it must be immoral too…A lot of our fur imports come for countries where animal welfare standards are even lower than the UK’s were before we introduced a fur farming ban. In some countries you could say the standards are simply non-existent.”

Kerry McCarthy continued “The idea of ethical fur farming even in countries which report to be high welfare, has been shown time and time again to be a complete fiction… The UK’s ban on fur farming was introduced only after our farm animal welfare council spent years gathering evidence eventually concluding that fur farms are simply unable to satisfy even the most basic needs of the wild animals kept in them. The council explicitly stated it was not possible to safeguard the welfare of animals kept on fur farms.”

Patricia Gibson, SNP MP for North Ayrshire and Arran, said “Consumers have made an ethical choice away from fur, a ban is important to keep these loathsome and vile products from our country, to help us wash the blood from our hands…The door for a fur import ban is open, will the Minister walk through it?”

On the morning of the debate, Humane Society International UK, Open Cages and more than 100 #FurFreeBritain campaigners gathered outside Westminster holding placards showing the grim conditions on fur farms across 15 countries such as France, Poland and China that import fur into the UK. Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell MP and Shadow Environment Secretary Sue Hayman MP attended the event to show their support. The #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, racoon 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).

The campaign has garnered strong celebrity support; 31 of the country’s biggest celebrities—including Dame Judi Dench and Ricky Gervais—sent a letter to the Prime Minister calling for a fur import ban. The full letter and list of signatories can be read here. Alesha Dixon, Evanna Lynch, Kirsty Gallacher and Chris Packham have taken to social media to show their support for the campaign. Take action and donate to help.

Further information:

• More than 130 million animals suffer each year in the global fur trade, the majority reared in terrible conditions on fur factory farms.
• 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 fare 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.
• A 2018 YouGov poll commissioned by HSI UK shows that more than two thirds of the British public support a UK fur import ban, with only 8 per cent opposed to the idea.
• The #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.
• Earlier this month, Environment Secretary Michael Gove received a letter from 50 vets and animal experts speaking out against cruel fur farming. The full letter and list of signees can be read here.
• In recent times there has been a fast-growing list of designers banning fur—Gucci, Versace, Michael Kors, Donna Karan and Jimmy Choo—who join those with long-standing fur bans, such as Hugo Boss, Armani, Tommy Hilfiger, and Vivienne Westwood.

* (April 2017–March 2018 inclusive)

Media contact: Humane Society International UK: Harriet Barclay, hbarclay@hsi.org, +44 (0) 7794354596

LONDON—Ahead of China’s annual Yulin dog meat festival in June, and South Korea’s Bok Nal summer days in July and August when dog meat soup is popular, actress Evanna Lynch has joined with Humane Society International to raise awareness about the work the charity does across Asia to end the suffering. In a new PSA video, Evanna also highlights the lesser known plight of cats caught up in the brutal trade, with the help of cat meat-trade survivor Li who now lives in her forever home in the United Kingdom.

Li was rescued from Yulin by HSI’s Chinese partner group where she was found crammed in a tiny cage with other cats, terrified and waiting to die. An estimated 4 million cats a year are killed for human consumption in China, many of them stolen pets still wearing their collar when rescued from slaughter trucks or slaughterhouses.

Evanna, who cares for her own cat companion called Puff, visited Li’s new north London home, where she is doted on by her new dad Daniel, and her best feline friend Pippin! Evanna says: “When I first found out that cats are also victims of Asia’s deadly meat trade, it broke my heart. I love all animals, but cats have a special place in my heart so I was delighted to meet Li and see how she’s put her distressing meat trade ordeal behind her. HSI works in China, South Korea, India and Indonesia is vital to help bring an end to the suffering that so many millions of cats and dogs endure.”

HSI’s program sees the charity work in partnership with local groups eager to bring about change in their home country. In South Korea, HSI works with dog meat farmers to permanently close their farms and help them move on to alternative livelihoods such as water delivery or crop growing. HSI has rescued nearly 1,300 dogs so far from South Korea’s meat trade, who are flown to the UK, Canada and the USA for a better life. In Indonesia, as part of the Dog Meat-Free Indonesia coalition, HSI exposes the horrifying cruelty of traditional markets where dogs and cats are bludgeoned and blow-torched, while at the same time advancing policy work to persuade local governments to change laws.

In China, HSI’s partner groups rescue thousands of dogs and cats throughout the year from trucks headed to slaughterhouses. As Evanna explains in her new video, the activists tend to find more dogs than cats on these rescue missions because dogs are eaten in far greater numbers than cats in China. But when cats like Li are rescued, they are taken to recover in one of HSI’s partner shelters where they receive a soft bed, toys and lots of love.

Dr Peter Li, HSI’s China Policy Expert says: “Li is one of the lucky ones who thankfully escaped a dreadful fate in China. I have seen first-hand at the Yulin festival the rows of cages on the slaughter trucks, each one packed tight with cats meowing in distress, their little paws often crushed as the cages are offloaded and thrown on the road. People around the world are increasingly aware of the horrors of the dog meat trade, but few realise that cats are caught up in this trade too. Most people in China don’t eat dogs and cats, and there is growing vocal opposition to the trade, particularly because so many companion animals are stolen.”

Please take action and donate now to help.

ENDS

Media contacts Wendy Higgins at whiggins@hsi.org; +44(0)7989 972 423

Rajasthan—The Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate at Amer has directed the police department to begin an investigation into cruelty carried out against the elephants used as a tourist attraction at Amer Fort. This court order came after a complaint filed by Smt. Gauri Maulekhi, Trustee, People for Animals, and Government Liaison for Humane Society International/India.

The complaint filed at the Amer Court by Smt Maulekhi asks to provide relief to the elephants under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960. The approximately 103 elephants at Amer Fort carry tourists up and down a steep slope at Amer Fort. They are housed in Haathi Gaon, a concrete housing structure around 4 kilometres away.

Sign our pledge: Say no to cruel elephant rides.

The Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) has conducted multiple investigations in the past disclosing the conditions under which these elephants labor. They suffer from the blows of the ankush or bullhook, which is prohibited, and from beating, kicking, tethering, and insufficient diet and inadequate medical care. If the investigation finds the complaint made by the complainant valid, the police will be required to file a first information report and submit the investigation report to the court.

Gauri Maulekhi said; “We are happy with the order of the court. We are confident that our concerns will be proven in the police department’s investigation. This is a landmark order and we believe it is the beginning of the end of the torture that these elephants have suffered for so long.”

A recent report by the AWBI showed that many of these elephants used for foreign tourists suffer from tuberculosis (TB). In addition, most of the 103 elephants have open wounds, scars, are chained when not working and display stereotypical behaviour that entails repetitive movements for long durations of time like swaying side to side or back and forth due to suffering from lack of natural mental stimulation. The foreign tourists who frequent the elephant rides are often unaware of the cruelty behind them. Take action and donate to help.

Media Contact: Vidhi Malla: vmalla@hsi.org, +919560103078

LONDON—Fifty veterinary and animal behaviour experts have written to Environment Secretary Michael Gove to express their “concern at the severe animal welfare deficiencies inherent to the fur trade” ahead of Parliament debating a UK ban on fur imports next week.

The experts, including UN Ambassador of Peace and world renowned conservationist Dr Jane Goodall and wildlife expert Chris Packham, point to the “worrying, even distressing evidence of persistently poor welfare conditions” from multiple investigations at fur farms importing fur into the UK. The letter’s authors also say that the intensive way that wild species such as fox, raccoon dog and mink are kept in battery-cage farm systems “fail to satisfy some of their most basic needs, particularly their need to display normal behaviours essential for mental and physical well-being.”

Animal charity Humane Society International/UK, which leads the #FurFreeBritan campaign for a UK fur import ban, says the veterinarians’ letter serves to remind MPs to be beware of ‘welfare washing’ by the fur trade. At a recent fur inquiry evidence session, Mette Lykke Nielsen of Fur Europe told members of the Environment Food and Rural Affairs Committee that keeping foxes in small, wire cages for their entire life is natural and that such wild species are domesticated, astonishing assertions refuted as ‘inaccurate’ by the veterinary and animal behaviour experts.

Claire Bass from HSI/UK says: “It beggars belief that the fur trade would attempt to convince MPs that keeping a fox in a small wire cage for the whole of its life could ever be considered natural or acceptable. The life of an animal on a fur farm is one of monotonous deprivation, and it’s extremely common that the relentless boredom and lack of space triggers the repetitive pacing and spinning so indicative of mental disturbance. For the fur trade to shamelessly promote that miserable existence as ‘welfare friendly’ is surely taking their PR-spin to new levels of audacity. We hope that this letter from veterinary and animal welfare experts will remind MPs to beware of ‘welfare washing’ by the fur trade. It’s time to call time on cruel fur, it’s time for the UK to stop trading in this suffering.”

Signatories include Alick Simmons, former UK Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer; Professor Alastair MacMillan, former DEFRA veterinarian; Andrew Knight, Professor of Animal Welfare & Ethics at the University of Winchester, as well as TV vets and presenters Marc Abraham, Emma Milne, Scott Miller, James Greenwood, and Chris Packham. Read the full letter here.

Fur farming was banned in the UK in 2000, but since then Britain has imported animal fur worth more than £650 million from countries such as Italy, France, Poland, China and Russia where animals are typically bred in appalling conditions on fur farms. With around 135 million animals killed for their fur globally, HSI/UK estimates that some 2million animals a year could be suffering and dying for fur imported into the UK.

The experts’ letter reads: “Wild animals on fur farms live their lives in wire-floored cages thousands of times smaller than their natural territories. They are denied their biological inheritance to exhibit natural behaviours and stimulations such as hunting, digging and swimming. And they can be kept in what is for them unnatural social groups. For example naturally solitary mink are compelled to live in very close proximity to each other. These features of fur farms can inevitably lead to psychological stresses. Instances of stereotypical behaviour, a sign of compromised psychological well-being, have been well documented on fur farms, as has cannibalism, untreated wounds, foot deformities and eye infections.”

Support our efforts to protect animals from abuse.

The fur industry has funded various welfare certification schemes over the years in an attempt to welfare-wash fur, however such schemes rarely require more than the minimum legally required and lack sufficient standards and enrichments necessary for a wild animal to behave naturally in a cage.

The veterinary and animal behaviour experts agree, noting: “Almost 20 years ago, a Council of Europe Recommendation recognised the inherent welfare problems of battery cage fur farm systems, and urged that housing systems should be developed that allow animals to fulfil their biological needs, for example mink to access water for swimming, and foxes to be able to climb and dig as well as fulfil other ‘exploratory, territorial and social behaviour’. None of these natural behaviours are possible to any meaningful extent on typical fur farms, and such a barren and unnaturally limited environment can never be conducive to basic wellbeing. The presence of a single bone or section of plastic tube in an otherwise empty cage does not constitute sufficient or meaningful environmental enrichment.”

Most Brits support a UK fur ban. A YouGov opinion poll commissioned by HSI/UK shows that 69 per cent of the public are in favour of a UK fur ban, with only 8 per cent opposed. In March, campaigners submitted a petition with over 425,000 signatures to the Prime Minister, and the campaign is gaining traction in Westminster with a growing number of MPs of all political colours—including Conservatives Zac Goldsmith and Sir Roger Gale, Labour’s Kerry McCarthy and Daniel Zeichner, and Green Party co-leader Caroline Lucas—all declaring their support for a ban.

The Fur-Free Britain campaign is calling on the government to make the UK a fur-free zone by extending the current import ban on fur from cats, dogs and commercial seal hunts, to include all fur-bearing species including foxes, rabbits, mink, coyotes, raccoon dogs, and chinchillas. Take action to help.

ENDS

Media contact: HSI/UK: Wendy Higgins whiggins@hsi.org, (+44) 0 7989 972 423

Rajasthan—A court in India has stepped in to save a 10-year old elephant, Suman, from her miserable life of illegal captivity in chains, following a complaint filed by animal charities Humane Society International/India and People For Animals. HSI and PFA discovered that Suman—separated from her mother as a baby and sold from person to person on the black market—was being kept illegally in Ajmer without the required documents under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, by persons who after being discovered fled with the elephant to Jaipur.

The Honorable Chief Judicial Magistrate of Ajmer has directed the Chief Wildlife Warden of Rajasthan to take custody of the young elephant and move her to a state-run rescue facility. HSI/India and PFA brought the incident to the attention of Forest Department officials last week.

Donate to support our lifesaving work.

HSI India and PFA welcome the ruling. Smt. Gauri Maulekhi, Government Liaison Officer to HSI/India and PFA Trustee, says: “It is an extremely positive move by the Hon’ble Court and the Rajasthan Forest Department for Suman. Elephants are supposed to be a protected species in India and it is only right that the state be responsible for their well-being and safety. Elephants like Suman have been illegally brought into the state and in almost every case the person holding them captive has no ownership certificate. These animals are tortured, beaten and broken so that they can be made to work, condemning these gentle animals to a miserable life of abuse. We hope that this order will set an important precedent and have a positive impact on the lives of all the other elephants suffering in illegal captivity just like little Suman, who have known only horrible treatment at the hands of humans.”

In India and elsewhere, elephants who are forced to work all too frequently endure tremendous mental, physical and emotional abuse. Their spirits are broken, even as they are denied the ability to express their most basic natural behaviours such as foraging for food or socializing with other elephants. Such animals are beaten regularly to make them obey, and the use of a sharp iron rod or ‘ankush’ for rides is prevalent in places such as Amer, despite being banned. These elephants have no respite from being overworked and are denied proper food, adequate water or medical treatment.

Elephant are often captured as babies and undergo a ruthless training regime called ‘the crush’, whereby they are beaten, poked and starved into submission by their handlers. Such abuse continues well into their old age.

HSI/India has also filed a complaint against the multiple owners of elephants used for rides in Amer Fort, Jaipur on the basis of a health inspection report by The Animal Welfare Board of India which uncovered animal cruelty and deplorable health conditions.

Facts:

• On 22nd May, Rajendra Kumar Sharma – without the permission of the Forest Department – transported a young elephant by the name of Suman from Ajmer to Jaipur.
• On 23rd May an FIR (First Information Report) was lodged against the same for blatantly disregarding the laws set under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 .
• On 25th May Forest Department Officials seized the elephant from the accused and took her into their custody.

Media Contact: Vidhi Malla | vmalla@hsi.org | + 91 9560103078