Author: Kristin Stone

Johannesburg—Today, the University of Witwatersrand (WITS) launched an innovative new Green menu, offering 23 delicious plant-based dishes in all six of its residence dining halls as part of Humane Society International-Africa’s (HSI-Africa) Green Monday South Africa (Green Monday SA) program. One dining hall, the Green Hub, is the first dining hall in Africa to offer 100 percent plant-based dishes only, for breakfast, lunch and dinner every Monday.

Green Monday is a global initiative supported by Humane Society International (HSI), one of the largest animal protection organizations in the world. The program encourages people to make a positive difference to their health and the environment by swapping meat, milk and eggs for entirely plant-based meals at least one day a week. WITS is the second university in Africa to implement such a program. Culinary staff participated in a number of food tastings and chef trainings implemented by Humane Society International-Africa, all at no cost to the university.

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“Our students are always asking for new dishes and they truly care about the world around them. This program is so exciting, and the dishes are delicious! We are pleased to be working with HSI-Africa, offering students healthier and more sustainable meal options on a daily basis”, said Bontle Mogapi, Operations Manager – Catering, University of the Witwatersrand.

Some of the new dishes include: Baked Mexican Enchiladas, Mediterranean Pasta Primavera, Creamy African Peanut Stew, Butter Bean Scramble, Red Lentil and Cauliflower Curry Roti’s and Cape Malay Bobotie. The dishes rely heavily on local ingredients and are less expensive and more sustainable than similar dishes using animal products. For instance, the “water footprint” of meat, milk or eggs is substantially more than for plant-based foods, based on the amount of water needed to grow feed for the animals to eat. With beef, for example, it takes over 15,000 litres of water to produce a single kilogram of meat.

“Eating more green meals can really make a difference to our environment and our nation’s health. It also reduces the number of animals being raised on large-scale industrial farms where there are often significant welfare problems,” said Leozette Roode, Media and Outreach Manager for HSI-Africa. “We are so excited to implement our second Green Monday SA program at one of Africa’s largest universities and we look forward to continuing working with WITS, its staff and students on this historic program.”

HSI-Africa works with governments, farmers and other stakeholders in the egg, meat and dairy sectors to end the extreme confinement of animals in cages and crates, and improve the overall welfare of farm animals. We can all stand up for animals every time we sit down to eat by reducing the number of animal products we consume, replacing them with plant-based products or animal products from sources that adhere to higher animal welfare standards.

For more information on the Green Monday SA movement, and other animal welfare campaigns managed by HSI-Africa, visit www.hsi.org/world/africa or follow HSI-Africa on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/HSIAfrica/. If you would like to get into contact about launching the Green Monday SA program at your institution, kindly email Leozette Roode at lroode@hsi.org.

Media contact: Leozette Roode, lroode@hsi.org, 071 360 1104

Mexico City—To mark World Spay Day, teams of volunteer veterinarians spayed and neutered 409 cats free of charge throughout Mexico City. Local veterinary clinic, Cemegatos, executed the effort with support from Humane Society International. The campaign ran Feb. 22 to Feb. 26 and involved eleven veterinarians and 16 assistants.

Dr. Claudia Edwards, DVM, HSI/Mexico programs director, said: “Cats are wonderful pets. They’re often overlooked in spay/neuter efforts and this is why it is so important to promote their inclusion in humane population control campaigns accessible to people without the means to pay for this service.”

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World Spay Day shines a spotlight on the power of affordable, accessible spay/neuter services to save the lives of companion animals, community (feral and stray) cats and street dogs who might otherwise be put down in shelters or killed on the street. Mexico has an acute street cat and dog problem, with an estimated 23 million free roaming cats and dogs.

Throughout the year, HSI collaborates with organizations across Mexico to bring veterinary services to thousands of street dogs and cats. We also provide training opportunities to veterinarians working on private and government-sponsored spay/neuter campaigns across the country.

Cachar—Humane Society International India is offering a reward of 1,00,000 INR for information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of the person named, Habib Hussain, who is absconding from the Cachar Police and Assam Rifles.

The Case: An article published in PNI News dated 21 February, 2017 reported that in a joint effort by the Cachar Police and the Assam Rifles, the team was able to arrest four poachers from Bhoirabpur, Katigorah constituency of Cachar. However, the fifth poacher, identified as Habib Hussain, aged 32, fled the scene with the rhino horn.

The Indian one-horned rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) is a protected species under the Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, which means hunting them is against the law and a punishable offence. Indian Rhinos are a vulnerable species and the loss of even one rhino is of great consequence. There are approximately 2500 Rhinos in India, majority of them are in Kaziranga National Park in Assam. 74 rhinos were killed by poachers in Assam since 2015.

Sumanth Bindumadhav, wildlife campaign manager for HSI/India, said, “Wildlife trade, especially trade in rhino horns, is unfortunately an increasing trend globally. This is primarily attributed to a lot of myths and superstitions surrounding rhino horns. While some cultures believe them to possess properties of an aphrodisiac qualities; others, believe they have healing powers, which is false and has absolutely no scientific backing. Even though, the rhino population in India is fairly well protected, one does hear instances of rhinos being poached and their horns being traded. In this instance, Assam Rifles and the police have done a great job in apprehending four of the five accused. We appreciate the efforts of the agencies involved in this case and hope to assist them in apprehending the fifth suspect as well, if anyone has any information, please reach out to us.”

HSI/India has been working to mitigate human-wildlife conflict issues in the country through engagement with community, education & awareness and sensitization training of the Forest Department. In the past, HSI/India has been successful in identifying and arresting the culprit of Kerala dog bestiality, New Delhi Green park dog stabbing case, puppies burnt alive in Hyderabad and others.

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

BANGALORE, India—Karnataka Forest Department’s Chikkaballapur Division Officers, under the direction of DCF Dr. Manjunath I.F.S, rescued three Indian eagle-owls (Bubo bengalensis) from traffickers of the Hakki-pikki tribe about six kilometres from Chintamani town. It is suspected the animals were to be sold for meat or black magic activities. HSI India assisted in the rescue.

The birds, also known as rock eagle owls, were extremely dehydrated and had injuries from being captured and kept in inhumane conditions. All three have since been sent to a wildlife rehabilitation facility for further treatment and eventual release.

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Wildlife trafficking activities have been on the rise in India, with an increased demand for live animals and their parts. The Karnataka Forest Department has collaborated with HSI/India and other organizations to crack down on this activity. While India has the legal and policy framework to regulate and restrict the wildlife trade, it lacks the staff capacity to monitor sufficiently.

Sumanth Bindumadhav, wildlife campaign manager for HSI/India, who assisted the team, said, “These owls are classified under Schedule 4 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, a regulation that has no teeth when it comes to enforcing or punishing these kinds of crimes. The weak regulation, combined with the misconceptions about the use of owls in black magic and other occult practices, does nothing to deter people from this trade. The swift action taken by the Karnataka Forest Department in this case is sure to deal a mighty blow to the accused and others who intend to follow suit. We applaud the department officials and hope this kind of proactive approach towards curbing wildlife crime in the state continues.”

Trade in live owls in India is a notoriously popular activity. In December 2017, Karnataka Forest Department rescued two owls from wildlife traffickers near Doddaballapura on the outskirts of Bangalore. The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, protects all owl species in India and makes their capture and trade illegal. While the punishment is lower as compared to other schedule species, it nevertheless implies that hunting of and trade in all Indian owl species is banned under the Act. Support our life-saving work.

Media Contact: Vidhi Malla: +919560103078, vidhimalla@gmail.com

CHIHUAHUA—Humane Society International welcomes the passage of a bill to penalize a host of activities related to dogfighting in the State of Chihuahua, Mexico. Congresswoman Nadia Xóchitl Siqueiros Loera introduced the bill during a ceremony attended by HSI in August.

Dogfighting became a federal offense last June, thanks in part to HSI’s efforts to convince legislators that the activity is cruel, unpopular and harmful for society. The federal legislation adopted in June approved penalties for dogfighting and the activities surrounding it, including organizing fights, owning or trading a fighting dog, possessing property used to hold fights or attending a fight as a spectator. This was the first time any form of animal abuse has been penalized at the federal level in Mexico.

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Dogfighters tend to have strong ties to organized crime. While the country’s federal criminal code now includes dogfighting, it is also important that each state penalize it in their respective criminal codes, since they will have jurisdiction in some cases (for instance, when dogfighting occurs outside federal facilities or when foreigners or officials are not involved).

Claudia Edwards, DVM, program director of HSI/Mexico, said: “We applaud the Chihuahua Congress for passing these much-needed reforms to the State Criminal Code to impose strong penalties on any dogfighting-related activity. Dogfighting is a criminal act that needs to be punished because of the immense suffering it causes to dogs as well as the violence that surrounds these illegal and underground activities. With this vote, Chihuahua legislators are sending a clear signal, and echoing what the Mexican public demands, that it’s time to root out animal cruelty and violence from Mexico.”

Legislators from other state congresses have presented similar initiatives to punish dogfighting in Mexico City and Sonora. A recent Parametria poll shows that 99 percent of Mexicans oppose dogfights and 85 percent support strong penalties for those involved in the business. Donate to support our efforts.

Media contacts: Mexico: Magaly Garibay, mgaribay@ideeconsulting.com, (55) 5211 8731 ext. 104/

Tokyo—Japanese Coalition for Animal Welfare and Humane Society International held a Citizen Forum on Monday, February 12th, to build momentum toward the forthcoming revision of the Act on Welfare and Management of Animals. The forum addressed the current situation and trends of the welfare of various animals including animals used in testing, farm animals and captive wildlife. Ahead of the 2020 Olympics to be held in Tokyo, the Forum also proposed a paradigm shift from “aigo” (a Japanese term used to highlight human sentiment towards animals) to animal welfare, which is a more scientific framework and a principle accepted as global standards of laws pertaining to animal protection.

JCAW and HSI have collaborated to improve protections for animals in laboratories in Japan by lobbying for the inclusion of stronger clause on lab animal regulations in the Act on Welfare and Management of Animals. The Citizen Forum was part of an effort by JCAW and HSI to engage with the regulatory authorities and policymakers for the next revision of the law as well to raise public awareness about animal welfare.

Animal welfare science is a relatively recent discipline (in the 1980s the EU provided significant resources to explore farm animal welfare) that emphasizes the quality of life for the animals. It is a science-based concept that is supported by objective evaluation and research. The Citizen Forum discussed how animal welfare laws around the world address the welfare of various animals, including pets such as dogs and cats, animals in laboratories and on farms, and captive wildlife, using a science-based perspective. Participants listened enthusiastically to the lecture on the most recent trends of animal welfare given by Dr. Andrew Rowan, a foreign expert in this area, and Chief Scientific Officer for The Humane Society of the United States.

Dr. Rowan gave many examples on how the global trend on animal welfare has implications beyond protecting animals and has positive impacts on the quality of life of humans. For example, he discussed how the wave of 37 countries enacting national bans on animal testing for cosmetics, saves animals and leads to improved product safety for consumers. The bans include legal requirements that companies switch to validated, human-biology based test methods that don’t involve animals. Similarly, improving the welfare of farm animals also not only benefits the animals, it leads to better public health and food quality in addition to boosting the economy of agricultural industry.

Dr. Koichi Aoki, representative of JCAW said, “This year, various stakeholders are moving actively in order to impact the revision of the Animal Welfare Act. The revision will be largely impacted by the public attitude at that time, so we hope that the Citizen Forum helped boost public awareness and further enhance momentum to prepare for the revision of the Act.”

Troy Seidle, senior director of HSI’s Research & Toxicology Department said, “From Europe to China, there has been tremendous progress in animal welfare regulatory policy globally since the Animal Welfare Act was first enacted, and we certainly hope that Japanese regulations will follow suit in the path of animal welfare science and global best practices toward reduction and ultimate replacement of animal use in the life sciences.”

Media Contacts: HSI (Japan): Sakiko Yamazaki, syamazaki@hsi.org (interview in both Japanese and English); JCAW: Koichi Aoki, info.dokyoren@gmail.com　

Johannesburg—Humane Society International and Blood Lions® welcome the announcement by U.S pro-trophy hunting group Safari Club International that it will no longer allow the promotion or auctioning of hunts involving African lions bred and shot in captivity. SCI says that canned hunting “has doubtful value to the conservation of lions in the wild.”

According to the government of South Africa, private operators hold between 6,000 and 8,000 captive African lions in approximately 200 facilities where canned lion hunts sell for around $45,000 each, though price tags rise depending on the size and colour of the male lion’s mane. Of the 1,052 trophies from captive lions traded internationally in 2015, American hunters killed 686 animals, and imported their body parts into the United States – about 65 percent of the total.

Effective February 4, SCI will no longer “accept advertising from any operator for any such hunts, or allow operators to sell hunts for lions bred in captivity at the SCI Annual Hunters’ Convention,” or include any entries of captive bred lions into its Record Book.

Pippa Hankinson, producer of the film Blood Lions®️, said “South Africa’s lion breeding industry is truly shameful. Lion cubs are ripped from their mothers as early as a few days old and hand reared to habituate them to people. Paying volunteers then raise these lions under the false belief that they are orphans, the same cubs are also exploited for tourist cub petting and, once older, for the ‘walking with lions’ activity. The adult lions are then sold off to trophy hunters for canned hunts or killed for the lion bone trade. This is a cycle of mistreatment that must end.”

Audrey Delsink, executive director of HSI/Africa, says, “Humane Society International and Blood Lions® have firmly opposed the shocking practice of canned lion hunting, and we welcome SCI’s adopted policy. We are proud partners with Blood Lions® and the campaign to end the exploitation of captive bred lions and the industry it perpetuates. In South Africa, captive breeding of lions is fraught with welfare and ethical concerns. We therefore urge the South African government to shut the lid on canned-lion hunting for good.”

FACTS:

• • Other hunting organizations have already spoken out against trophy hunting of captive-bred lions: Dallas Safari Club, Boone and Crockett Club, South African Hunters and Game Conservation Association, Operators and Professional Hunter Associations of Africa, Namibia Professional Hunters Association, Rowland Ward Ltd.
  • In November 2017, the South African Professional Hunters Association amended its constitution to allow for the hunting of captive bred lions under specific circumstances. This resulted in their suspension from OPHAA, the loss of sponsorship and fragmentation of PHASA.
  • In its 2015 Biodiversity Management Plan, the government of South Africa stated “captive lions are bred exclusively to generate money.” The 2018 “Non-Detriment Finding Assessment for Panthera Leo (African Lion)” found that “trophy hunting of captive bred lions poses no threat to the wild lion population within South Africa, and it is thought that captive lions may in fact serve as a buffer to potential threats to wild lions by being the primary source of hunting trophies and derived products (such as bone).”
  • An African lion listing U.S. Endangered Species Act petition from HSI and partner groups prohibited the import of captive lion trophies effective January 22, 2016. Yet HSI’s review of 2016 data from the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora revealed that the U.S. government nevertheless authorized at least 280 such imports, through an inappropriate application of an exemption for captive lions killed before the effective date of the listing.
  • On November 28, 2017, 25 individuals representing the African Lion Working Group, prominent lion researchers, National Geographic, and leading wildlife conservation groups submitted a letter to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior. It urged the U.S. to maintain its current restriction on importation of captive-origin lion trophies, stating:
    – “The hunting of captive-bred lions neither benefits biodiversity conservation, nor the conservation of wild and free-ranging lions.”
  • – “Today, the most prolific threats to wild lions are a lack of safe and suitable space, and conflict with people. The captive breeding of lions does not address these threats.”
  • –  “[C]aptive lion breeders are not preventing the poaching of wild lions, and may in fact be stimulating it”
  • –  “SAPA [South African Predator Association] states in their letter that hunting of captive bred lions presents direct conservation benefits to wild lions, yet there is no published, peer-reviewed evidence to support this statement.”

• Blood Lions® is an award-winning feature film documentary and campaign that launched in 2015 to expose the cub petting, predator breeding and canned hunting industries in South Africa.

END

Contacts:

Humane Society International – Africa: Social Media and Communications manager, Leozette Roode, lroode@hsi.org

Blood Lions: info@bloodlions.org – http://www.bloodlions.org/

Mexico City—More than 130,000 people are joining with Humane Society International Mexico in calling for a ban of Torneo del Lazo, a horse evisceration spectacle in Yucatan, Mexico.

Torneo del Lazo is a bloody and archaic spectacle that takes place throughout the year in various Yucatán municipalities. In it, horses are chased, severely injured and often killed by bulls. When the bulls attack, they usually wound the horses by gutting them. Horses experience a long and painful death in front of crowds that frequently include children as spectators.

Humane Society International launched a petition campaign to garner public opposition to the event and has been pressing for an amendment to the Yucatan Animal Protection Law to explicitly ban this horrible practice. The group delivered the 130,000 signatures in favor of banning Torneo del Lazo to the Congress President and to the Chair of the of the Environment Committee of Yucatan Congress.

Anton Aguilar, HSI Mexico director said: “95 percent of Mexicans oppose animal cruelty and believe people who harm animals should be penalized. It is particularly troubling that children are exposed to the mayhem and suffering involved. As a major touristic destination, Yucatán should not allow animal cruelty to damage the State’s image and harm the tourism industry. We urge Yucatan Congress to take a compassionate stance against this cruel tradition and reform the Yucatán Animal Protection Bill to explicitly outlaw Torneo del Lazo.”