Author: Kristin Stone

HSI and Blood Lions welcome the announcement by Safari Club International that it will no longer allow the promotion of canned lion hunting at its events. This move by the largest US-based trophy hunting organisation to denounce the shooting of captive bred or “canned” lions comes into immediate effect.

Blood Lions® and Humane Society International have firmly opposed this shocking practice, and welcome SCI’s statement that the “practice of the captive breeding of lions for the purpose of hunting has doubtful value to the conservation of lions in the wild.”

Safari Club International also announced that it will no longer “accept advertising from any operator for any such hunts, or allow operators to sell hunts for lions bred in captivity,” or include any entries of captive bred lions in its record books. As 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 poorly regulated and fraught with welfare and ethical concerns. HSI and Blood Lions® hope that this closes the door on the exploitation of lions once and for all. We remain steadfast in our opposition to all trophy hunting of all wild species and urge the SCI to extend this ban to elephants, rhinos, buffalos, hippos, giraffes and other animals, who are also slaughtered for trophies auctioned at SCI events.

Humane Society International/India in collaboration with Coimbatore-based animal welfare organization Humane Animal Society is conducting a three-day animal law training program to more than 30 animal welfare activists in the city.

The program is tailor-made for practicing animal welfare activists, and will equip them with a thorough understanding of animal welfare law and the Indian criminal justice system. India, despite having some of the best animal protection laws in the world, is still lacking severely in the way they are enforced. The hope is to create a pool of legally trained advocates who will champion thorough investigation of animal cruelty and animal abuse incidents as well as illegal wildlife trade issues.

Mini Vasudevan, Managing Trustee, HAS, said: “The suffering of animals due to abuse by humans is getting worse day by day. When one notices the atrocities towards fellow human beings and animals, it only reaffirms the desperate need for awakening social consciousness towards responsible action and abiding by the laws that protect us and the animal kingdom. We are honored to be part of this training program and look forward to spreading awareness about this important responsibility to all the authorities and groups concerned with caring for and protecting animals in our country.”

NG Jayasimha, Managing Director for HSI India, said: “HSI/India has been successfully conducting such programs across the country and is conducting this for the first time in Coimbatore. We hope that through this program, we will find and train activists who will champion animal protection through the engaging with the appropriate law enforcement agencies in instances of animal cruelty and abuse as well as illegal wildlife trade issues.”

The curriculum is being taught by highly experienced as well as eminent animal welfare activists. The course is scheduled to begin on 2nd February and will continue till 4th February 2018.

Media Contact: Neelam Naseeb, +91-9205104695, nnaseeb@hsi.org

LONDON—The Indonesian government is being urged to shut down the country’s brutally cruel live animal markets, where thousands of dogs and cats a week are bludgeoned in public, blow-torched whilst still alive, and butchered for eating. Local authorities and tour operators are also being called on to stop promoting the markets as “must see” activities for tourists.

Campaigners from the Dog Meat-Free Indonesia coalition filmed at two of the most notorious of Indonesia’s 200 ‘live’ animal markets in North Sulawesi, Tomohon Extreme Market and Langowan Market, to expose the horrifying suffering routinely endured by animals. Described by one of the campaigners as “like walking through hell”, live dogs and cats are seen huddled together and trembling as all around them their cage mates are slaughtered. One by one they are yanked out of their cage, beaten over the head, and thrown to the ground as they writhe in agony. They are then blow-torched to remove their hair, a final torment that takes place whilst many are clearly still alive.

Lola Webber, Dog Meat-Free Indonesia campaign coordinator & Change For Animals Foundation founder, said “The animals we saw at the markets were terrified and often sick and injured, after surviving grueling journeys to market and rough handling by traders. It was like walking through hell. They huddled together in cages, trembling with fear as they watched others being killed around them, waiting their turn. The sight of absolute terror in their eyes, the thumping of the club as they were bludgeoned, their screams of pain, and the smell of burning hair and flesh, were appalling and unforgettable.”

Thousands of dogs and cats are killed at the markets in North Sulawesi each week, and investigations by Animal Friends Manado Indonesia estimate that 90 percent of them are stolen pets, owned or street dogs. Some 80 percent of them are imported from other provinces, which is illegal under the country’s anti-rabies law forbidding the movement of dogs across provincial borders. North Sulawesi Province has some of the highest numbers of human deaths from rabies in Indonesia, the majority of which occur in Minahasa Regency where there are several live animal markets, including Langowan market.

There is growing evidence that humans increase their risk of becoming infected with the fatal rabies virus through slaughtering and butchering, and the illegal movement of large numbers of animals of unknown disease status into densely-populated areas contravenes rabies elimination recommendations by leading health authorities, including the World Health Organization, the World Organisation for Animal Health, and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Kelly O’Meara of Humane Society International said: “These markets are open displays of the most wanton animal cruelty I have ever seen, but they also pose a serious risk to public health by routinely breaching Indonesia’s anti-rabies rules. The ground is awash with blood, bits of flesh and smashed brain-matter. The earth moving with maggots, further increasing the risk of spreading other diseases too. If Indonesia has any hope of achieving its goal to eliminate rabies by 2020, it needs to take urgent action to shut down these macabre markets.”

Shockingly, these extreme markets are promoted as tourist attractions by local authorities and tour operators. Travel site TripAdvisor also listed Tomohon Extreme market as a “must see”, but removed the listing following a complaint by the Dog Meat-Free Indonesia coalition, stating that, “We have investigated the TripAdvisor listing page for Tomohon Extreme Market and concluded that it does not meet the standards set by our listings policy. As a result, we have permanently removed the listing from both our site and our app.”

Karin Franken of Jakarta Animal Aid Network, said: “Most travelers would be horrified at the promotion of such horrific markets which trivialise the very serious nature of the animal suffering that takes place there. The traders who beat and burn these animals alive show total indifference to their pain and anguish, and even appear to play up to the crowds. It’s a sickening display that should never be seen as entertainment.” Another shocking aspect of the DMFI video evidence is that it shows young children estimated to be between the ages of two and ten years old, watching as animals are beaten to death. Whilst the government of Indonesia looks to promote programs to make “good citizens”, experts confirm that exposing children to animal cruelty is psychologically damaging.

Dr. Mary Lou Randour, senior advisor for Animal Cruelty Programs at the Animal Welfare Institute watched DMFI’s footage and commented: “Witnessing violence of any type, particularly animal abuse, is a traumatic event for a child, as it changes how the brain develops. Exposure to violence at a young age can alter neurons, the building blocks of the brain, negatively affecting capacity for emotional regulation, physical health, cognitive capacity, and behavior control. Without a doubt, children who witness the severe beating of dogs in the markets and streets of Indonesia, highly charged traumatic events, would experience long-lasting adverse effects.”

Indonesia relies heavily on tourists from around the world who care deeply about their own beloved pets. More than 10 million tourists a year visit Indonesia, mainly from Singapore (1.6million), Malaysia (1.5million) Europe (1.5 million) China (1.3million) and Australia (1million). Significant numbers of tourists from the UK, North America, India and New Zealand also visit annually (see notes). The DMFI coalition is calling on tourists and animal lovers around the world to join their calls for an outright ban on this illegal, dangerous and brutal trade.

Bobby Fernando of Animal Friends Jogja said: “People will be shocked by the gruesome nature of the video evidence we have gathered, but we cannot allow ourselves to simply look away. These poor animals have to endure this horror every day, and they have no-one but us to speak up for them. The tourist board’s slogan of a ‘Wonderful Indonesia’ rings hollow when you’ve gazed into the eyes of a dog spattered with blood and shaking with fear. We need the world to join us in calling for an end to Indonesia’s dog and cat meat trade.”

In addition to live dogs and cats, our investigators witnessed the routine sale of slaughtered wildlife including illegally-caught species of bats, snakes and other reptiles.

The DMFI coalition has written to local and central governments of Indonesia, calling for urgent action to be taken. Despite requests for meetings with North Sulawesi provincial government numerous times, officials have so far refused to meet with our campaigners.

FACTS

• Most people in Indonesia don’t eat dogs and cats. Less than seven percent of the population consume dog meat.
• Studies have revealed a high incidence of rabies-infected dogs in slaughterhouses and markets from throughout Southeast Asia, including Indonesia. For example, in 2007, research conducted in markets in North Sulawesi (Manado, Airmadidi and Langowan) showed that between 7.8 percent and 10.6 percent of dogs being sold for human consumption were infected with rabies.
• DMFI investigators found dog meat on sale at the local Multi Mart chain of supermarkets in Manado, as well as meat from protected species of snake, including reticulated pythons.
• Take action at www.dogmeatfreeindonesia.org by writing to the Indonesian government and signing our petition.

ENDS

Photos and video: Download photos, broadcast quality broll video footage, and campaign video here: https://www.dogmeatfreeindonesia.org/resources/extreme-markets

Media Contacts: For additional information or interview requests, please contact:

• Change For Animals Foundation (CFAF) Co-Founder & Programmes Director /Dog Meat-Free Indonesia Coalition Coordinator: Lola Webber (Bali, Indonesia) — Lolawebber@changeforanaimls.org/ info@dogmeatfreeindonesia.org; Tel. +62 813 3740 8768
• Animal Friends Jogja (AFJ) Co-Founder/ Programmes Director: Dessy Zahara Angelina Pane (Yogyakarta, Indonesia): animalfriendsjogja@gmail.com – Tel. +62-821 3374 9524
• Jakarta Animal Aid Network (JAAN) Co-Founder/ Programmes Director: Karin Franken (Jakarta, Indonesia): jaan_adopt@yahoo.com
• Humane Society International (HSI) Director International Media: Wendy Higgins (London, UK): whiggins@hsi.org

Notes to Editors:

1. The Dog Meat Free Indonesia (DMFI) coalition—founded by Animal Friends Jogja, Change For Animals Foundation, Humane Society International and Jakarta Animals Aid Network—has a shared commitment towards ending the trade in and slaughtering of dogs, and sale of dog meat, based on grounds on animal welfare and public health and safety. Find out more: www.dogmeatfreeindonesia.org

2. Official data from the tourism ministry of the Republic of Indonesia shows that 10,406,759 foreign tourists visited Indonesia in 2015 (Singapore 1,624,058; Europe 1,462,434; Malaysia 1,458,593; China 1,260,700; Australia 1,099,058; Japan 549,705; India: 319,608; United Kingdom 292,745; United States 276,027; New Zealand: 87,923; Canada 75,816. In 2016, tourism’s foreign exchange reached 13.5 million US dollars per year, the country’s second largest foreign exchange earner. President Jokowi has targeted the tourist sector to become the largest foreign exchange earner by 2019, creating 13 million jobs, contributing 8% of GDP and with 20 million visitors a year.

London—Well-known brands Tesco, Boots, FatFace and Romwe are the latest in a string of retailers found mis-selling real fur as faux fur, an investigation by Humane Society International/UK and the Mail on Sunday has found.

Shoppers who bought a £16 “faux fur” pom-pom key chain from Tesco’s online store or purchased FatFace’s £18 chenille gloves with a “faux fur pom-pom” will be shocked to find out that they have bought real rabbit fur. Boots were found to be selling £3.99 hair clips advertised as faux fur which when lab tested by HSI UK turned out to be mink fur, and popular online fashion site Romwe was found to be selling mislabelled fox fur shoes and a rabbit fur bobble hat, both wrongly described as faux fur. Full item details are listed at the end of the release.

These are the latest in a long list of well-known retailers in the UK exposed for selling fake faux fur. Last month a joint HSI UK and Sky News investigation exposed T.K. Maxx, Boohoo, Amazon and Not On The High Street for selling mislabelled fur.

Join our call to ban the import of fur into the UK.

Many of the mislabelled items that HSI UK finds are fur trim and accessories such as bobble hats, keychains, scarves and shoes. The items have deceptively low price points; life is cheap on fur farms, with animals often having to endure appalling deprivation. This means that real fur trim can cost the same or even less to produce than faux fur.

Laboratory tests have confirmed that the fur discovered in HSI UK’s latest haul came from fox, rabbit and mink; raccoon dog and chinchilla were also found in the previous investigations.

Claire Bass, executive director of Humane Society International UK, said:

“Tesco, FatFace, Boots and Romwe are all companies with commendable no-fur policies, so it is very disappointing to find that real animal fur has slipped into their stores described as faux fur. Most British consumers want nothing to do with the cruel fur trade so it is vital that retailers improve their vigilance to ensure their customers are not being misled into buying real fur. It is simply unacceptable that compassionate consumers are unknowingly spending their money on the very cruelty that they are trying to avoid, fur from foxes, raccoon dogs, mink and rabbits who have suffered lives of confinement in barren wire cages, and excruciating deaths through electrocution or gassing. Stricter fur labelling laws are urgently needed but ultimately animal fur has no future in British shops and wardrobes, which is why we’re calling on the government to use Brexit to ban all fur imports into Britain, closing our borders to this revolting, outdated and unnecessary trade.”

Around the world in countries such as the U.S., France, Poland and China, animals on fur farms are subjected to terrible conditions. Wild animals are kept their entire lives in small, barren cages, physically and mentally deprived, before being killed and skinned for their fur. Wild animals such as coyotes fare no better, caught in agonising traps for hours or even days before being shot.

The vast majority of the British public are against wearing fur. A 2016 YouGov poll shows nine out of 10 Brits believe that it is unacceptable to buy and sell real fur, averaged across nine species. Although fur farming was outlawed in the UK on moral grounds in 2000, and EU regulations ban fur from domestic cats, dogs or commercial seal hunts, the UK still imports and sells fur from a range of other species such as fox, rabbit, mink, coyote, racoon dog and chinchilla.

HSI is campaigning for the British Government to make the United Kingdom a fur-free zone by extending the cat, dog and seal fur bans to include all fur-bearing species. As a member of the EU single market, under rules relating to free movement of goods, the UK is not currently at liberty to ban the import of animal fur, which is farmed in several European countries. But Brexit could give the government the freedom to adopt policies that reflect the public’s distaste for all fur and close our borders fully to this cruel and outdated trade.

Take action: A petition to ban the import of fur into the UK can be signed here.

Item Information

Tesco

• Item: Pompom key chain
• Sold as: Faux fur
• Lab tests: Rabbit fur
• Made in: China
• Cost: £16.00
• Anti-fur policy: Yes

FatFace

• Item: Gloves
• Sold as: Faux fur
• Lab tests: Rabbit fur
• Made in: China
• Cost: £18.99
• Anti-fur policy: Yes

Boots

• Item: Hair slides
• Sold as: “faux fur bobbi pins” online
• Lab tests: Mink fur
• Made in: China
• Cost: £3.99
• Anti-fur policy: Yes

Kurt Geiger

• Item: Shoes
• Sold as: ‘feather’ pompom
• Made in: China
• Cost: £119.00
• Lab tests: Racoon dog fur
• Anti-fur policy: No

Romwe

• Item: Shoes
• Sold as: “Faux fur”
• Lab tests: rabbit fur
• Made in: China
• Cost: $15.99
• Anti-fur policy: Yes

• Item: Hat
• Sold as: “Faux fur”
• Lab tests: fox fur pompom
• Made in: China
• Cost: $8.99
• Anti-fur policy: Yes

FAQS

• There is no legal requirement to use the specific word “fur” on items containing real fur. EU regulations do require items defined as “textile products” to carry the confusing wording “contains non-textile parts of animal origin.” In addition to not clearly telling consumers that it means ‘real animal fur,’ in practice this wording requirement is rarely adhered to at all.
• Products sold online are exempt even from the above confusing wording requirement, and footwear or non-garment accessories such as handbags and keychains are also excluded.
• Under consumer protection legislation, it’s technically illegal to mislead. However, the regulation – with respect to the sale of animal fur—is very poorly enforced, and ‘an honest mistake’ is considered a legitimate defence and so retailers are rarely prosecuted.
• HSI believes that all products containing real animal fur (including clothing, footwear and accessories) should be clearly labelled. Such labelling is already in place in the US and Switzerland, and should include the animal species (both common and scientific name); country of origin (where the animal was bred/trapped and killed); how the animal was reared and killed (trap caught or reared in a wire cage, for example).

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

The European Pharmacopoeia Commission and the United States Department of Agriculture have recently revised their requirements for the safety assessment of vaccines to remove or waive two controversial and scientifically unnecessary animal tests, a move that could spare scores of animals going forward. Humane Society International and The Humane Society of the United States welcome these developments, and call on vaccine manufactures to be pro-active in seizing these opportunities to end the use of animal testing on their products, and on other national vaccine authorities to follow these positive examples. 

In Europe, the “Abnormal Toxicity Test” used in batch safety testing of human vaccines will be removed from all pharmacopoeia monographs effective 2019, and in the U.S., authorities recently announced that they will now permit replacement of the Target Animal Batch Safety Test for veterinary vaccines with non-animal quality controls and production consistency. These vaccine batches are tested on untold thousands of animals every year, given their repeated use to test every new batch of a vaccine. Globally, vaccine batch-release testing is believed to account for up to 15 percent of the more than 100 million animals used each year in laboratory experiments.

Troy Seidle, HSI senior director for research & toxicology, said: “We recognize the years of investment by many corporate and governmental stakeholders that have brought animal testing alternatives for vaccines to this point, and are committed to supporting and expanding this humane revolution on a global basis. We believe the extremely animal intensive field of vaccine testing is ripe for change through facilitated stakeholder dialogue, cooperation and science-based regulatory reform.”

Be a Lab Animal Defender.

Facts:

• The Abnormal Toxicity Test dates back to the early 1900s, and involves injecting a defined amount of vaccine from a production batch into mice or guinea pigs, followed by a period of clinical observation. Its removal from the European Pharmacopoeia is a product of years of dialogue supported by the European Partnership for Alternative Approaches to Animal Testing, with similar proposals having been made by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and several other national authorities. However, the test is still required by vaccine authorities in Argentina, China, Japan, Mexico and other countries. 
• The Target Animal Batch Safety Test is an overdose test using either the target species (mammals, birds, fish, etc.), or mice and guinea pigs, performed on each batch of vaccine to assess its safety. Animals are injected with two- to 10-times the human dose of a vaccine and observed for signs of illness or death. The test was almost fully deleted from the European Pharmacopeia in 2012, but is still required in other major markets, including Brazil, China, India and South Korea.

Media contact: please fill out our media relations contact form here.

The European Parliament has voted to only marginally improve protections for cetaceans in EU waters in the framework of the proposed new Regulation on the conservation of fishery resources and the protection of marine ecosystems through technical measures (2016/0074).

Each year, high numbers of dolphins, porpoises and whales continue to die horrific and needless deaths after becoming accidentally entangled in fishing gear. Scientific experts have repeatedly raised concern about the inadequate and poor quality of cetacean bycatch monitoring, assessment and mitigation in the European Union.

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

“The result is far from spectacular. While MEPs made some small advances to improve measures to prevent cetaceans from accidental entanglement in fishing gear, they have largely chosen to turn a blind-eye to scientific advice and have failed to take sufficient action to eliminate the needless deaths of countless dolphins, porpoises and whales. It is a missed opportunity to make a significant difference to the conservation and welfare of the cetacean species who live in EU waters. Ultimately, the interests of the fishing industry have been placed above those of marine species and their natural habitats. Profit trumps protection.  

Amongst other things, the adopted text does not include any measures that would have prioritised monitoring and mitigation according to fishing gear type rather than vessel size. This is vital because gear type is a primary risk factor in influencing bycatch rates. MEPs also rejected efforts to consider the welfare implications of bycatch. On a more positive note, cynical attempts to remove protections for cetaceans in two regions were thwarted. The rapporteur had re-tabled amendments that the Parliament’s highly conservative and industry-driven Committee on Fisheries had already rejected. Had he succeeded, this would have resulted in the lifting of the ban on driftnets in the Baltic Sea, which could have meant the last coffin in the harbour porpoise population in the region. Likewise, he sought to remove all requirements for monitoring and mitigating cetacean bycatch in the Mediterranean. Further to this, proposals to expanding measures to include seals were adopted.”

Prior to the vote, Humane Society International/Europe had joined numerous conservation and animal protection NGOs in recommending that MEPs reject the file altogether at Plenary if cetacean bycatch and wider fisheries conservation measures were not significantly improved.

Inter-institutional negotiations, known as trilogues, will commence after the adoption of the Parliament’s position on the Commission’s proposal. HSI/Europe urges EU Member States to not attempt to further water down this legislation in these negotiations.

Facts

• Council Regulation (EC) No 812/2004), which covers incidental catches of cetaceans in EU fisheries, is to be repealed and incorporated into the new Regulation on the conservation of fishery resources and the protection of marine ecosystems through technical measures (2016/0074).
• The proposed Regulation is intended to merge and simplify 33 different pieces of EU legislation, including the existing Regulation covering incidental catches of cetaceans in fisheries. Technical measures are the rules for where, when and how fishing may take place. These measures are fundamental to regulating the impact of fishing on targeted stocks, other animals and the wider marine ecosystems. They will play a key role in achieving some of the main objectives of the EU Common Fisheries Policy, such as implementing an ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management, minimising the impacts of fisheries on the wider environment and avoiding unwanted catches and gradual elimination of discards.
• The Baltic Sea subpopulation of harbour porpoises are critically endangered, due largely to historical removals but with the current major threat being bycatch in fishing gear. The existing driftnet ban was introduced to protect the local harbour porpoise population.

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