Author: Kristin Stone

In a letter to The Honorable Oppah Muchinguri MP, the Minister of Environment, Water and Climate of Zimbabwe, Humane Society International is calling on the government of Zimbabwe to investigate the irregularities surrounding the killing of Xanda the lion last week. In particular, HSI requests that Zimbabwe officials fully investigate the hunt, bring legal action against the trophy hunters if warranted, prevent the export of the trophy and establish a five-kilometer no-hunting zone around Hwange National Park.

According to a document posted on the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority website, male lions of any age known to be heading prides or known to be part of a coalition heading prides with dependent cubs (18 months old or less) should not be hunted. At the time of the hunt, researchers with the University of Oxford were tracking Xanda, the 6-year-old son of Cecil the lion. They have confirmed that Xanda was a male in a pride with three females and at least seven dependent cubs of between 12 and 18 months old who are too young to survive on their own and will be vulnerable to infanticide by any male lion who takes over Xanda’s pride. The researchers informed the professional hunter, whose client killed Xanda, of these facts and that killing Xanda would harm the lion population. The advice was ignored.

Audrey Delsink, executive director of Humane Society International/Africa, said: “With so many irregularities shrouding the killing of Xanda, we urge the Government of Zimbabwe to hold the people involved in his death accountable, if they are found to have acted in an illegal manner. Sadly, Xanda’s killers have also left his cubs vulnerable to infanticide, which means this careless hunt could lead to further unnecessary loss of animals already threatened with extinction. It just further highlights the destructive nature of the trophy hunting industry. At minimum, Zimbabwe must conduct a full investigation and not allow Xanda’s remains to leave the country as a trophy.”

Although the hunting group representing the hunters who killed Xanda claim he did not hold tenure of a pride, the scientists at the Hwange National Park where the hunt took place confirmed the collar returned to them by the hunter was Xanda’s. The hunter’s nationality and identity remains unknown.

In the letter, HSI urges the Government of Zimbabwe to:

1.    Investigate the killing of Xanda to evaluate whether the relevant regulations and policies were followed and make the findings publicly known;
2.    Not issue an export permit for the trophy of Xanda if any irregularities are found;
3.    Prosecute any people involved in illegal acts with regard to the killing of Xanda if evidence of such is found; and
4.    Establish a 5 km no hunting zone around Hwange National Park to prevent further killings of research animals, as urged by lion scientists at the University of Oxford.

Read the letter here.

Facts:

• Fewer than 30,000 African lions—and possibly as few as 20,000—are estimated to remain today. Lions exist in 8 percent of their former range and are suffering from loss of habitat and prey in addition to poorly regulated trophy hunting.
• A report conducted by Economists at Large and commissioned by HSI found that trophy hunting is not economically important in African countries, with the total economic contribution of trophy hunters at most estimated at 0.03 percent of gross domestic product in the countries studied.

Media contacts:
UK: Wendy Higgins, whiggins@hsi.org, +44 (0)7989 972 423,
USA: Raúl Arce-Contreras, rcontreras@humanesociety.org, +1-301-721-6440

The Parliament of the Balearic Islands has voted in favour of legislative measures to make it impossible to hold bullfights or bull fiestas in this autonomous community. This legislation comes in lieu of an explicit ban because the Spanish Constitutional Court has previously ruled that regions do not have the autonomous power to ban bullfighting. Nonetheless determined to ensure this blood-sport cannot take place, the Parliament today introduced measures that in effect make bullfighting and cruel fiestas unviable, such as banning the use of sharp implements, limiting bulls to just 10 minutes in the ring and banning bull slaughter.  

Humane Society International/Europe applauds the Balearic Islands Parliament’s decision. Joanna Swabe, HSI/Europe’s senior director of public affairs, said: “Taunting and killing bulls for entertainment is a brutal anachronism and so this is a very satisfying victory for compassionate policy making. Rather than allow the Constitutional Court ruling to stand in the way of ending the cruel spectacle of bullfighting in the region, a cross-party group of politicians got creative to effectively ensure that the torture of bulls for public entertainment is relegated to the annals of history on the Balearic Islands. This vote shows that a full ban is not strictly necessary to end the practice of bullfighting, and that compassion can win the day where there is strong public and political will to end animal cruelty. Around 30 towns across the Balearic Islands had already voiced their opposition to bullfighting and so this measure to halt both bullfights and bull fiestas enjoys the broad support of both locals and the international community alike.”

Give now to help achieve more victories like this one for animals worldwide.

Facts

• The measures voted through by the Balearic Parliament include restrictions on the transport, origin, age and weight of bulls; a requirement for veterinary inspections; a ban on the use of sharp implements; a limit of 10 minutes of bulls ‘performing’ in the ring; a ban on the slaughter of bull or their return to their ranch of origin afterwards; a ban on the use of horses at bullfighting events, and a ban on alcohol consumption at the events.
• In February 2016, the Balearic Islands Parliament voted in favour of a proposal to ban bullfighting and bull fiestas, which would have revised the Balearic Islands’ Animal Protection Law 1/1992 and made the Balearics the third Spanish autonomous community to ban bullfighting, after the Canary Islands and Catalonia. However, the bill came to a standstill in October 2016 when the Spanish Constitutional Court overturned Catalonia’s 2010 bullfighting ban and declared that  that the regions do not have the autonomous power to prohibit bullfighting.
• HSI supports the Mallorca Without Blood initiative, led by AnimaNaturalis and CAS International, which aims to end bullfighting in the Balearic Islands.
• An opinion poll of Spanish citizens commissioned by HSI in 2013 showed that only 29 per cent of the population support bullfighting (just 13 per cent support it strongly). Seventy-six per cent oppose the use of public funds to support the bullfighting industry.

Media contacts:
UK: Wendy Higgins, +44 (0)7989 972 423, whiggins@hsi.org
USA: Raúl Arce-Contreras, rcontreras@humanesociety.org, +1-301-721-6440

Humane Society International has expressed sadness and indignation to reports of the killing of Xanda, the 6-year-old son of Cecil the lion whose own killing at the hands of an American trophy hunter caused international outcry two years ago. According to news reports, a hunter in Zimbabwe killed Xanda who was wearing a research collar, pointing to the hunter’s blatant disregard of scientific research crucial to the survival ofthis imperiled species.

Masha Kalinina, international trade policy specialist for HSI, issued the following statement:

“The killing of Xanda just goes to show that trophy hunters have learned nothing from the international outcry that followed Cecil’s death. They continue at a time when lions face a conservation crisis in Africa, with as few as 20,000 lions left in the wild. Xanda was a well-studied lion like this father and critical to conservation efforts in Zimbabwe. To stop lions slipping into extinction, it is critical that countries like Zimbabwe keep as many lions alive as possible and shift away from the trophy hunting industry. They should follow the examples of Botswana and Kenya, which ban trophy hunting.”

Earlier this year, HSI commissioned a report conducted by Economists at Large that found that trophy hunting is not economically important in African countries, despite hunters’ claims. In Botswana, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe, trophy hunting brings in just 0.78 percent or less of the overall tourism spending and has only a marginal impact on employment in those countries, providing approximately 0.76 percent or less of overall tourism jobs. The total economic contribution of trophy hunters is at most an estimated 0.03 percent of gross domestic product.

Before Cecil was killed, The Humane Society of the United States, HSI and other NGOs successfully petitioned the U.S. Department of the Interior to list the African lion under the Endangered Species Act. In 2015, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed lions on the Endangered Species Act, which prohibits imports of lion trophies from countries like Zimbabwe that are not sustainably managing lion hunting.

Poachers and trophy hunters are driving lions to extinction. Fewer than 30,000 African lions—and possibly as few as 20,000—are estimated to remain today. Lions exist in 8 percent of their former range and are suffering from loss of habitat and prey in addition to poorly regulated trophy hunting.

The HSUS is also leading the fight to end trophy hunting of thousands of cougars, bobcats and other native carnivores being killed in the U.S. every year. Methods used to kill these animals include steel-jawed leghold traps, snares and packs of dogs who chase the animals.

Media contacts:
US: Rodi Rosensweig, 203-270-8929, TheRodiCompany@gmail.com
UK: Wendy Higgins: whiggins@hsi.org, +44 (0)7989 972 423

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As South Korea’s Boknal summer season, during which more than one million dogs are killed and eaten as a spicy soup, gets underway, Humane Society International has changed the grim fate of 149 dogs and new born puppies saved from the pot. Once destined to be sold to a nearby dog meat market to be killed by electrocution and butchered in time for the Boknal days, the fate of the dogs all changed when the dog meat farmer asked HSI to help him close his dog meat farm in rural Yesan.

The dogs are being flown to animals shelters and rescues in the United States to help them get a new life. Fifteen tiny puppies are too young to fly so will stay with their moms at a foster home until they can make the trip to the States. See below for a list of shelters receiving dogs from this rescue.

This is the ninth dog meat farm that HSI has permanently closed since 2014, rescuing and rehoming nearly 1,000 dogs by working in cooperation with dog meat farmers keen to get out of the trade. This latest farmer is considering a move into crop growing, and if so HSI will help him with a business plan. Other dog farmers who HSI has helped have moved into humane livelihoods like chili plant growing and water delivery.

The rescues and farm closures are part of HSI’s broader strategy that aims to encourage the South Korean government to end the cruel dog meat industry.

Nara Kim, HSI’s South Korea dog meat campaigner, said: “With every dog meat farm we close, we are not only saving the lives of these poor, terrified dogs caught up in this cruel trade, but we are also presenting a successful blueprint for change that we hope the government will follow. Eating dog is a dying practice in Korea, especially among young people. However, the Boknal days of summer still lead many to eat dog meat soup in the mistaken belief that it will invigorate the blood in the sluggish heat. Our campaign shows them the disgusting conditions in which the dogs are forced in live in their own feces, and their pitiful suffering, and it is changing hearts and minds.”

More than 2.5 million dogs a year are reared on thousands of dog meat farms across South Korea. The farm in Yesan is a typical dog meat farm with row upon row of bored, frustrated, frightened dogs in barren metal cages, many with injuries and deep pressure sores. For example, Emily is a beautiful young mastiff-cross suffering from painful skin diseases and swollen paws. HSI found her cowering in her cage, too afraid to lift her head or make eye contact. Angel is a 4-month-old puppy who has been kept in lonely isolation, so desperate for company she leapt into the arms of our HSI team when they first opened her rusty cage.

Opposition to the dog meat trade is growing among Korean citizens and politicians, and even the newly elected President Moon Jae-in recently adopted a dog named Tory who was rescued from a dog meat farm.

Kim says: “Some people say that dog eating is Korean culture, but you won’t find many young people who feel it’s a cultural habit we want to hold on to. It’s intellectually lazy to use culture as an excuse for cruelty because all cultures evolve over time and we often shed practices of the past. We are hopeful that things will change, and that the new Korean president will advance a new culture of compassion to animals. I am so happy that for these dogs the dog meat trade is over, but we have to fight on for the millions who are still suffering.”

Across the summer, HSI is taking its campaign to the streets of Seoul to raise awareness. An eye-catching advertising poster featuring Korean-American actor Daniel Henney recently launched on the Seoul subway, and next the charity will invite Seoul’s citizens to experience the grim reality of dog farm life for themselves by trying out their iDog virtual reality experience.

Facts:   

• The Boknal days are not a festival or single event, but the three hottest days of summer according to the lunar calendar, falling on July 12 (Cho Bok), July 22 (Jung Bok) and Aug. 11 (Mal Bok).
• During the Boknal days, 70-80 percent of dog meat is eaten in South Korea, mainly as a peppery soup called bosintang that is believed to improve stamina and virility.
• Most people in South Korea never visit a dog meat farm and are unaware of the suffering experienced by the dogs. HSI is keen to dispel the widespread misconception that farmed dogs are somehow different in nature to companion dogs.
• 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, although there have been instances of dogs taking up to 20 minutes to die. Hanging is also common. Dogs are killed in full view of the other dogs, and their final moments will be terrifying and extremely painful.
• 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, killing in public areas or in front of other animals of the same species.
• In China, Vietnam, Nagaland in India and other places across Asia an estimated 30 million dogs are brutally 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 rabies, DHPP, and corona virus vaccines. HSI then quarantines the dogs on the farm or at a temporary shelter with no dogs in or out for at least 30 days prior to transport to the US.

For more information visit hsi.org/dogmeat

Media contacts:
UK: Wendy Higgins: whiggins@hsi.org, +44 (0)7989 972 423
US: Raúl Arce-Contreras, rcontreras@humanesociety.org, +1-301-721-6440
South Korea: Nara Kim, nkim@hsi.org

Note: Below is a list of HSUS Emergency Placement Partner shelters receiving dogs from this latest rescue. The dogs are being transported on various days in the coming weeks; please check their websites for dog arrival and adoption information.

Florida:
Humane Society of Sarasota County, Sarasota, Fla.
Leon County Humane Society, Tallahassee, Fla.

Illinois:
Magnificent Mutts, Hillside, Ill.

Indiana:
Humane Society of Indianapolis, Indianapolis, Ind.

New Jersey:
St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center, Madison, N.J.

New York:
Animal Haven, New York City

Pennsylvania:
South Hills Pet Rescue, South Park, Pa.

Virginia:
Lynchburg Humane Society, Lynchburg, Va.

Wisconsin:
Elmbrook Humane Society, Brookfield, Wis.
Humane Animal Welfare Society (HAWS), Waukesha, Wis.
Northwoods Humane Society, Hayward, Wis.
Sheboygan County Humane Society, Sheboygan, Wis.
Washington County Humane Society, Slinger, Wis.

In addition to our shelter and rescue partners, we are grateful to the Pittsburgh Aviation Animal Rescue Team (PAART), which provided transport to Pennsylvania.

Update: The person has been identified and has been summoned to the police station.

Humane Society International/India is offering a reward of 50,000 INR for information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of a person seen in a video strangling a street dog.

A video shared by Fauna Police with HSI/India showed a man in a traffic police uniform suffocating a dog. The video surfaced on Saturday and the incident is reported to have occurred near Sardarpur Bazaar, Sector 45, Noida. The perpetrator is suspected to be a traffic police worker from Delhi or Noida.

In the video, the perpetrator can be seen standing with one foot on the dog’s abdomen to keep the animal immobile and with another foot on the neck, effectively throttling the dog. Witnesses to the incident have reported to the Fauna Police that the man continued to stand on the dog, in spite of being asked by the public not to harm the dog. 

Abhinav Srihan, founder, Fauna Police said, “Anyone so callous should be brought to book, regardless of whether they are a civilian or an authority. Anyone with information that will lead us to the identity of the perpetrator of this killing is requested to call us at +91 9212111116.”

Be a street dog defender.

Getting the serious attention of law enforcement, prosecutors and residents in cases involving allegations of cruelty to animals is an essential step in protecting the community. The connection between animal cruelty and human violence is well documented. Studies show a correlation between animal cruelty and all manner of other crimes, from narcotics and firearms violations to battery and sexual assault.

HSI/India has been working to raise public awareness through educating communities about the connection between animal cruelty and human violence. It also conducts animal law training programs to build capacity of the law enforcement agencies, educators, legislators and the judiciary. HSI/India offers rewards in animal cruelty cases across the country and works to strengthen laws against animal cruelty. In the past, HSI/India has been successful in identifying and arresting the culprits of the Kerala dog bestiality case, the New Delhi Green park dog stabbing case, the incident involving puppies burnt alive in Hyderabad, and others.

Media Contact: Alokparna Sengupta, asengupta@hsi.org

Home Office statistics published today on the UK’s use of animals in scientific procedures in 2016 [1] have been blasted by Humane Society International/UK as exposing the government’s failure to use its regulatory and research funding powers to curb uncontrolled breeding activities.

According to the Home Office stats, in 2016 the UK completed a shocking 3.94 million procedures on living animals, of which nearly half (49 per cent) are associated with the production of genetically altered animals, which is notorious for wasteful overbreeding. Surplus animals from continuous breeding programmes are not used for any specific testing or research purpose, but are simply bred, caged and killed without any biomedical or scientific gain. HSI is calling on the government to adopt routine cryopreservation, the freezing of sperm or embryos, to immediately curb the breeding-killing cycle and respect their commitment to reduce the use of animals in labs.  

Troy Seidle, HSI senior director for research & toxicology, said: “Ultimately the best outcome for both science and animals is for our research effort to shift to cutting-edge humane alternatives, but in the meantime it’s galling to know that the number one opportunity to curb the explosive growth in UK animal procedures is being all but disregarded year after year. We’ve witnessed this trend toward out-of-control breeding of genetically modified animals developing for more than a decade, and have repeatedly called on the Home Office to take action. Yet despite all assurances of the UK government’s commitment to reducing the use of animals in labs, the numbers keep going up, rendering the government’s current strategy a qualified failure. As the department responsible for authorising animal experiments, the Home Office has all the authority it needs to require universities and other institutions to adopt more efficient strategies such as cryopreservation to minimise the over-production of genetically modified animals — all that’s missing is the motivation to act.”

Cryopreservation represents a practical, near-term alternative to continuous breeding for existing transgenic lines. The Medical Research Council’s frozen embryo and sperm archive in Harwell, and a number of animal supply companies, already offer this service [2], with facilities that can accommodate millions of cryopreserved embryos from hundreds of different strains for a small fraction of the cost of maintaining a live colony.

Facts:

• Despite the ever-increase growth in animal procedures, there is no corresponding increase in human therapeutics making it to the clinic, with both the European Medicines Agency and US Food and Drug Administration approving lowest number of new drugs in 2016 [3].
• Some genetic mutations cause catastrophic defects, such as mice born with shortened limbs, with no limbs, with the front of their head missing [4]. If the mice survive birth, they could have significant developmental defects affecting their limbs, eyes, brain or hair; they may be predisposed to tumour formation, or they could be subjected to deliberate, repeated and ultimately fatal infections to assess the impact of the mutation on their response [5].
• Advances in gene sequencing and phenotypic analysis in humans is ushering in the era of precision medicine, are may be more likely to provide the new treatments [6].

Contact: Dr Lindsay Marshall, 07719 531 675, lmarshall@hsi.org

References:

1. 2016 Home Office statistics are available here.
2. The Jackson Laboratory (2009), available here.
3. Mullard, A. (2017). EMA drug approval recommendations. Nat Rev Drug Discov. 16;77. doi:10.1038/nrd.2017.17
4. Turgeon B, Meloche S (2009). Interpreting neonatal lethal phenotypes in mouse mutants: insights into gene function and human diseases. Physiol Rev. Jan;89(1):1-26. doi: 10.1152/physrev.00040.2007
5. Holtzclaw JD, et al. (2004). Enhanced pulmonary and systemic response to endotoxin in transgenic sickle mice. AJRCCM. 169(6)2004.
6. Aronson SJ, Rehm, HL (2015). Building the foundation for genomics in precision medicine. Nature. 526: 336-342. doi:10.1038/nature15816

On the eve of the Boknal days – South Korea’s hottest days of summer during which more than one million dogs will be killed and eaten –  animal protection charity Humane Society International and MP for Crawley Henry Smith hosted a VIP reception in the Palace of Westminster to shine a spotlight on the cruelty. The Only Way Is Essex’s Pete Wicks, Gogglebox’s Sandi Bogle and Downton Abbey’s Peter Egan, joined MPs and campaigners for an exhibition of powerful images and inspiring stories of some of the 850 dogs that HSI has rescued from ‘death row’ on South Korea’s dog meat farms. Wildlife TV presenter Anneka Svenska and TV vet Marc Abraham attended to add their full support to the campaign.

An estimated 30 million dogs a year are killed for their meat in Asia, mainly stolen pets and stray dogs snatched from the streets. South Korea is the only country known to intensively farm dogs for human consumption. More than 2.5 million dogs spend their whole lives in barren metal cages on those farms before suffering agonising deaths by electrocution or hanging. The majority of dog meat, as much as 80 percent, is consumed during Boknal season, the three hottest days of the year between July and August. As part of its campaign to end the dog meat trade, HSI has so far permanently closed down eight dog meat farms in South Korea, working in partnership with dog farmers to help them transition to new, humane livelihoods such as blueberry growing.

More than 850 dogs have been rehomed, eight of whom have started their new lives in their forever homes in the UK. Millions of dogs are still suffering on farms in South Korea, but HSI is hopeful that attitudes are changing – most young Koreans don’t regularly eat dog meat and Korean activists against the industry are growing in strength and number. There is diplomatic hope too: South Korea’s new President Moon Jae-in recently adopted a dog meat farm rescue called Tory and the British Ambassador in Seoul adopted Caspian from a farm closed by HSI earlier this year. HSI is aiming to work with the South Korean government to end the trade for good, working with the growing number of farmers who want to transition to alternative livelihoods. The charity’s rescue team is currently in Seoul preparing for its ninth dog farm closure.

Attendees last night were able to experience the grim life on a dog meat farm through HSI’s virtual reality experience iDog, as the charity launched its new global petition calling for an end to the trade. You can sign the petition at www.hsi.org/helpprotectdogs.

Speaking at the event, actor and HSI-friend Peter Egan shared his own personal experience of joining HSI’s rescue team in South Korea at the end of last year: “The dog meat farm I visited with HSI was like something out of a horror story, a dreadful place where 200 beautiful dogs were kept in deplorable conditions until they’re sold or slaughtered. I am still haunted by the gut-churning stench of that place. Learning about the hundreds more dogs rescued by HSI from facilities just like the one I experienced, fills me with hope that we might one day be able to end this barbaric business once and for all.”

“We are thrilled to bring celebrities, politicians and campaigners together to share in and amplify our campaign to take dog meat off the menu,” said HSI UK’s Executive Director Claire Bass. “Attitudes and behaviours are changing in South Korea and we’re hopeful that the country’s new president will take action to hasten an end to the dying dog meat trade, helping millions of dogs and thousands of dog meat farmers.”

Sponsor of the event, Henry Smith, Conservative MP for Crawley and Co-Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Animal Welfare, said: “I was delighted to sponsor this event, in support of HSI’s campaign to end South Korea’s inhumane dog meat trade. Asia’s dog and cat meat trade is a source of enormous concern for many millions of British people, and HSI’s stories of farms closed and dogs rescued give cause for optimism that the suffering will stop. I know I speak for many MPs who support our government using diplomatic channels to encourage positive change for dogs in South Korea.”

Facts:  

• Most people in South Korea don’t regularly eat dogs, and the practice is increasingly out of favour with the younger generation who is rejecting dog meat.
• During the Boknal days, 70-80 percent of dog meat is eaten in South Korea, mainly as a peppery soup called bosintang that is believed to improve stamina and virility.
• Most people in South Korea never visit a dog meat farm and are unaware of the suffering experienced by the dogs. HSI is keen to dispel the widespread misconception that farmed dogs are somehow different in nature to companion dogs.
• There are an estimated 17,000 dog meat farms in South Korea, breeding more than 2.5 million dogs annually.
• 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, although there have been instances of dogs taking up to 20 minutes to die. Hanging is also common. Dogs are killed in full view of the other dogs, and their final moments will be terrifying and extremely painful.
• The dog meat industry is in legal limbo in South Korea, neither legal nor illegal. Many provisions of the country’s Animal Protection Act are routinely breached, such as the ban on killing animals in a brutal way including hanging by the neck, killing in public areas or in front of other animals of the same species.

Media contact:

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