Author: Kristin Stone

Humane Society International

  • Robust legislation is much needed. Len Tillim/istock

2006: The European Parliament adopted a resolution calling on the European Commission to strengthen the EU shark finning legislation [1]. The Parliament noted that the information supplied by Member States on their fishing fleets’ activities was very poor, enforcement of the Regulation was difficult and the fin-to-carcass ratio was problematic due to differences in the morphology of the various shark species. It also called on the Commission to present a Community Plan of Action for the conservation of sharks by June 2007.

2009: The European Commission’s Action Plan for the Conservation and Management of Sharks was eventually adopted in 2009. It aims to improve data collection and to decrease the decline in shark populations by reducing the pressures caused by overfishing, bycatch and shark finning.

The plan acknowledges the weaknesses in the present EU shark finning legislation and proposes tightening up this legislation. It also gives a commitment to ensuring that the measures against finning that have been adopted at an EU level are also implemented in all relevant international conventions, including Regional Fisheries Management Organisations.

2010: The amendment of Regulation (EC) No 1185/2003 was included in the European Commission’s work programme for 2010. A public consultation on shark finning was launched in November 2010.

An impact assessment will be conducted before the Commission presents its proposal to amend the EU shark finning Regulation to the Council of the European Union and European Parliament. It is anticipated that a proposal will be published during the course of 2011, and will be considered under the ordinary legislative procedure (co-decision).

In the meantime, the European Parliament has not stood still. In September 2010, Written Declaration 71/2010 calling for the strengthening of the present EU ban on shark finning was launched:

By its lapse date in December 2010, a total of 423 of the Parliament’s 736 MEPs had signed, showing their support for the requirement for sharks to only be landed with their fins naturally attached to their bodies. The European Parliament consequently adopted a Resolution urging the European Commission to swiftly deliver a proposal to prohibit the removal of shark fins on-board vessels without exception.

This Resolution is particularly relevant since it provides a good indication of the extent of the Parliament’s support for a fins-naturally-attached policy and its future voting behaviour. Following the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty, the European Parliament now has equal decision-making powers with the Council of the European Union when it comes to deciding fisheries policy.

2011: Stakeholders and EU citizens were invited to give their opinions on a range of policy options for amending the present legislation. HSI’s submission to the consultation, in March 2011, urged the Commission to adopt a ‘fins-naturally-attached’ policy without exception.

In November 2011, the European Commission adopted a strong draft legislative proposal on shark finning. The new legislation would ensure that all sharks caught by EU vessels anywhere in the world must be landed with their fins naturally attached to their carcasses, without exception.

2012: On 19 March, the Council of the European Union adopted a general approach supporting the Commission’s proposal to close the loopholes in the current EU shark finning legislation by ensuring that all sharks are landed with their fins naturally attached without exception. It is believed that Spain and Portugal were the only EU Member States to raise objections to the Commission’s proposal.

In the European Parliament, the Fisheries Committee and the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety are still debating the Commission’s proposal.  The final Plenary vote on the shark finning issue is expected in July 2012.

Moving forward

Working closely with Members of the European Parliament and our colleagues in the Shark Alliance, HSI Europe will continue to raise awareness of the cruelty involved in shark finning and work towards obtaining robust protection for sharks at the earliest opportunity.

  1. Motion for a European Parliament Resolution on the application of Council Regulation (EC) No 1185/2003 on the removal of fins of sharks on board vessels (2006/2054(INI))

Humane Society International

  • Prayer flags wave in the background of this sleeping dog. The flags bring good luck and merit to all sentient beings. Kathy Milani/HSI

  • HSI sterilized about 70 dogs at this monastery outside of Thimphu. An ear notch indicates a dog has been sterilized and vaccinated against rabies. Kathy Milani/HSI

  • Prior to HSI’s nationwide spay/neuter program, street dogs were rounded up and mass-sheltered, which even the government realized was inhumane and ineffective. Kathy Milani/HSI

  • In addition to reducing the overpopulation of street dogs, another goal is to make Bhutan rabies-free. Kathy Milani/HSI

  • HSI has field teams working across Bhutan; each can perform about 20 spay/neuter surgeries per day. Kathy Milani/HSI

  • Dogs are released later the same day in the same location where they were captured. Kathy Milani/HSI

  • Puppies with their mother. Kathy Milani/HSI

  • People may provide food and water, but street dogs do not receive veterinary care and are not allowed to live inside homes. Kathy Milani/HSI

  • During a five-month period, HSI sterilized and vaccinated 2,400 dogs in Paro. Kathy Milani/HSI

In September 2009, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests, Department of Livestock of the Royal Government of Bhutan (RGOB) and Humane Society International (HSI) formed a unique partnership. With the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding, the two entities embarked on a first-of-its kind, nationwide spay/neuter/vaccination program throughout the country of Bhutan, targeting more than 50,000 dogs over six years.View a video about our work in Bhutan.

Need for action

Like many developing nations, Bhutan has faced the problem of how to deal with the overwhelming number of dogs roaming the streets. Eventually, negative reactions by tourists to the presence of street dogs and non-stop nightly barking prompted the administration of the RGOB to take action.

HSI was introduced to the RGOB through the Bhutan Foundation, a U.S.-based organization with years of experience of working in Bhutan. Based on this introduction and a series of conversations with the RGOB, HSI was invited to give advice on handling the situation. We began planning a mass spay/neuter/rabies vaccination program using the Catch-Neuter-Vaccinate-Release (CNVR) method.

Status of program

After three years, HSI and the RGOB extended the agreement to keep the program going for another three years, with the aim to ensure sustainability of dog population management in Bhutan and for the RGOB to eventually run the program independently. As of June 2014, we had sterilized and vaccinated more than 50,000 animals.

Initially, there was a shortage of veterinarians in Bhutan, and HSI offered to deploy our Indian veterinary teams to Bhutan to begin the project. Bhutanese personnel, such as vet assistants and dogcatchers, were included on the teams from the start.

In the first few years of the project, more than 30 Bhutanese underwent extensive veterinary training in India. On their return home, they participated in an HSI CNVR training to ensure the highest standards possible of CNVR, passing on their newfound skills to their colleagues with the the team now consisting of 100% local veterinarians and para-veterinarians. It has been heartening to see local participation in the program through the newest initiative, a “Community Animal Birth Control Program” that sees people from all over the country bringing their pets to one of the 20 District Veterinary Hospitals on “Tuesday—Love Your Dog Day.” This only strengthens our belief that it will continue as a sustainable, locally run initiative across the 20 districts of Bhutan in the future.

Security for people and animals

Our program is designed not only to humanely and effectively address the dog overpopulation problem in Bhutan, but also to help people and dogs live more comfortably in each other’s presence. Most dogs in Bhutan are “community dogs,” which means they live within a certain territory or neighbourhood and rely somewhat on human charity for survival. They are not considered pets, but are still tolerated and in some cases, cared for, by local people in a given location. In turn, the dogs provide a sense of security. Unfortunately, a fear of rabies, continuous litters of puppies, and the aggression sometimes seen can create friction in this otherwise harmonious relationship. Our dog population management program is helping to alleviate these concerns and more.

Humane Society International

  • Sharks need stronger protection. istockphoto

The European Union is one of the world’s leading exporters of shark fins to Asia. Spain and Portugal have the largest shark fisheries in Europe, with pelagic longline fleets that operate not only in the Atlantic, but also in the Pacific and Indian Oceans.

Spain is responsible for 7.3 percent of the reported global shark catch, landing an average of 59,777 sharks a year. This makes it the third largest shark fishing country in the world. Portugal lands a reported average of 15,819 sharks per year [1]. Blue sharks and shortfin makos are the species most commonly targeted by their fleets, but silky sharks, thresher sharks, porbeagles, hammerheads and oceanic whitetip sharks are also caught.

Value of fins

Although people consume some shark meat, the fins remain the most valuable part of the animals. Today, a kilo of processed shark fins can fetch up to 300 Euros on the Asian market [2]. The value of fins provides a powerful incentive to not only catch large numbers of sharks, but also to engage in the cruel and wasteful practice of shark finning.

EU shark finning legislation

Despite the EU’s being a major player in global shark fisheries, its shark finning legislation (Regulation (EC) No 1185/2003) is one of the weakest in the world, with gaping loopholes that allow the practice of shark finning to continue.

‘Special fishing permit’

Firstly, the legislation contains a derogation that allows fishermen to remove the fins from carcasses on board vessels if they have a special permit to do so. Since the Regulation was enacted, five Member States have applied for these special fishing permits: Spain, Portugal, the UK, Germany and Lithuania.

The term ‘special fishing permit’ is misleading because these permits are the norm, rather than the exception, particularly in the Spanish and Portuguese longline fisheries.

Spain has issued hundreds of these permits since the EU legislation entered into force in 2003 [3]. Unofficial figures for the years 2008 and 2009 indicate that the number is between 164 and 185, which means that almost two-thirds of Spain’s longline fleet has used this derogation. The Portuguese fleet is much smaller but, according to Portuguese officials, 44 permits were issued in 2009, representing 100 percent of the country’s surface longline fleet.

In 2009, Germany and the UK announced that they would no longer issue special permits; all sharks landed by their fleets must now be landed with their fins still naturally attached. Lithuania has reportedly only ever issued one permit to a Spanish-owned vessel. Cyprus has indicated that it intends to start applying for special fishing permits in the near future.

Fin-to-carcass ratio

The second loophole in the EU Regulation is that the fins legally separated from carcasses at sea under this derogation may weigh up to 5 percent of the live (whole) weight of the shark. This fin-to-carcass ratio is one of the highest in the world and is so lenient that it is theoretically possible for up to two out of three sharks caught by EU fishermen to still be finned.

Separate ports

The third and final loophole is that the fins and carcasses may be landed at separate ports. This makes the current legislation almost impossible to enforce. It also makes a mockery of the 5 percent rule, since there is no way of checking whether the fins truly make up this percentage of the shark’s carcass weight.

View A Timeline for Change, detailing steps taken to strengthen legislation for sharks in the European Union.

  1. Fowler, S. & Séret, B (2010) Shark fins in Europe: implications for reforming the EU finning ban. European Elsamobranch Association and IUCN Shark Specialist Group. p. 5.

  2. Ibid.

  3. Proposal for a Council Regulation amending Council Regulation (EC) 1185/2003 on the removal of fins of sharks on board vessels (2010/MARE/005)

Humane Society International

  • Transporting recycling materials. Alex Rothlisberger/HSI

  • Checking for signs of abuse. Alex Rothlisberger/HSI

  • Competing with motorized vehicles. Alex Rothlisberger/HSI

  • A profession passed from generation to generation. Alex Rothlisberger/HSI

  • Confiscated horse shows signs of possible abuse. Alex Rothlisberger/HSI

  • Exhausted from galloping on pavement. Alex Rothlisberger/HSI

  • Most VTA drivers don’t carry a form of ID. Alex Rothlisberger/HSI

  • Napping between stops. Alex Rothlisberger/HSI

  • Learning to share the road. Alex Rothlisberger/HSI

by Alexandra Rothlisberger

Animal Traction Vehicles, or Vehiculos de Traccion Animal (VTA), have long been a hot topic with animal welfare groups in Colombia.

Better known as VTAs, these carts with four car tires are used to carry heavy loads of recycling materials, debris from construction sites, vehicle parts, furniture and other items. Often, the massive loads are stolen. Always, they’re pulled by small, malnourished horses sometimes barely able to manage them.

On a typical day, the horses transit the carts alongside buses and cars, going back and forth on city bridges, rushing through motorcycles and pedestrians while trotting on hot cement streets. But on too many occasions, a horse collides with another vehicle, collapses from exhaustion, or is dragged by the cart when the animal cannot muster the strength to pull it uphill. Sometimes, a horse will even give birth on the middle of the street.

Give now to help us improve the lives of these working equines and other animals who are suffering.

Animal welfare organizations in Colombia have decidedly seen it all. Because the need to help these horses is so great, some groups are focusing almost solely on this issue: ADA Colombia and Fundacion Amigos del Planeta in Bogota, and Asociacion Sentir Animal and PazAnimal in Cali.

Exposing cruelty and neglect

The issue of trying to help these horses is complex. The people who depend on them, called carreteros, have proclaimed their legal right to work, and the government cannot confiscate their animals without substituting something that will allow them to continue to earn a living. The business of the carreteros is passed on from generation to generation. It’s a strong, well-organized community, but with extremely meager wages, it’s also very poor and has for decades been neglected by its own government.

HSI visited Bogota and accompanied Fundacion Amigos del Planeta on one of the “operations” they perform every week in the poorest and most dangerous neighborhoods of the city.

The animals are mostly in poor shape, never having been seen by a veterinarian or a farrier. They’re worked around the clock, with no rest between shifts. They’re not fed properly and the water they consume they find in puddles and polluted city streams. Many have open sores, bleeding wounds and scars that reflect the cruelty they suffer, like a swollen eye after one horse was beaten on the head with an iron stick.

ADA Colombia and Fundacion Amigos del Planeta conduct these operations in conjunction with “auxiliaries,” or police-in-training. They stop the VTAs to check on the animals’ condition, looking for sores, wounds and signs of abuse and malnourishment, and to make sure each one is wearing much-needed shoes. If the horse is in bad shape, the groups have the legal right to take him away for veterinary treatment. Most of the time, resources are unavailable to care for any more horses, so the operations are really a way to make those doing the checking up known to the community and demonstrate that someone is looking out for the horses.

When the animal welfare groups respond to an emergency such as a collision between a horse and a vehicle, they must act quickly, as the carreteros have in the past pulled the horse back onto the cart, only to drop the animal in the next curve of the road in their rush to get away. The cart owners are often armed with knives and bats and congregate quickly to support each other. Often, the animal protectionists have to euthanize an equine in agony and then flee without the corpse; there are many illegal slaughter houses that will buy the dead animal and process it for food, so the carreteros will not risk losing the money a dead horse can generate when they already lost the income a living animal produces.

Working toward transition

Medellin is the first city in Colombia to implement a solution to benefit both animals and owners. After years of working on this issue, the city substituted every working horse within city limits with either a motorbike with a roof and a trailer that carries up to 700 kilos, or seed money for those who wished to switch professions. Medellin, Colombia’s second largest city, has now prohibited the transit of horses through its streets. Horses who were surrendered during the designated time period were placed with farms and are now safe from harm.

To help accelerate this process in the country’s two other mega-cities, HSI hosted a forum in Cali this past September. Donate to support our efforts.

Alexandra Rothlisberger is program manager, Latin America and the Caribbean, for HSI.

Humane Society International / Canada

Jennifer Kunz

With nearly 72,000 horses slaughtered in 2013 alone, Canada’s horse slaughter industry is among the largest in the world, and a shameful betrayal against our loyal companions.

Horses are slaughtered in Canada primarily to provide horse meat to European and Asian countries. Horses are brought to slaughter in every possible condition—old, young, sick, healthy, injured, and even pregnant. They are not all unwanted—often, their guardians can no longer afford to keep them, and bring the horses to auction hoping to find them a good home. But horribly, more than 50 percent of horses sold at rural auctions go to slaughter after being bought by “kill buyers.”

A terrible journey

Many times, horses are crammed in trailers designed for shorter animals and travel in uncomfortable positions over very long distances. Loading and unloading is extremely stressful and dangerous for horses as they are moved along the relatively steep ramps. Canadian animal transport standards are among the worst in the industrialized world. Current regulations allow horses to be transported for up to 36 hours without food, water or rest.

Inhumane slaughter—not humane euthanasia

There have been many reported cases of animal welfare violations in Canadian horse slaughterhouses including failure to provide food and water, illegal unloading of animals, animals left for extended periods in kill pens and sick or injured animals denied veterinary care. Not surprisingly, veterinary experts around the world and leading animal protection groups have denounced horse slaughter as inhumane.

Once the horses are corralled into the slaughterhouse, the end is predictable—violent and bloody. Sometimes injured and emaciated, horses are beaten and electro-shocked in overcrowded pens and must endure the smell of blood and the sights and sounds of other horses in pain and being killed before they, too, are led into a kill chute.

Horse slaughterhouses use the same type of stalls and techniques as cattle slaughterhouses. These stalls are too wide for horses and the captive-bolt stun gun method used with cattle is ill-suited for horses. Horses are an extreme example of a flight animal. The panic and instinctive desire to escape they experience in the slaughterhouse causes them to thrash their heads frantically in the kill chute, making it difficult to effectively stun them prior to slaughter. Witnesses (and video footage) document horses subjected to a sharp blow to the head from the captive-bolt gun three or four times before they are rendered unconscious for exsanguination. In a recent investigation of carcasses discarded by a Canadian slaughterhouse, skulls of many horses processed for meat were found without any holes from a stun gun or rifle whatsoever!

Time to act

With the closing of the remaining equine slaughter plants in the United States in 2007, the number of horses imported to Canada for slaughter has increased. There are now four equine slaughter plants in Canada, two in Quebec and two in Alberta. We need to act now to stop this growing climate of cruelty to horses in Canada!

What we’re doing

Horse slaughter is an urgent problem that needs to be addressed throughout North America. In the United States, for example, the Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE) Act (H.R. 1094/S. 541) was introduced and, if adopted, would ban domestic horse slaughter in the U.S. permanently and the export of horses for slaughter abroad.

In Canada, HSI is working to achieve a federal ban on the horse slaughter industry that would end the slaughter, sale, transport and trade of horses for human consumption. By raising public awareness regarding horse slaughter, actively campaigning for legislative change in Canada and by working with our partners in the United States and in Europe, HSI/Canada aims to put an end to the cruel horse slaughter industry in this country.

Humane Society International

Dolphins underwater
Shane Gross/iStockphoto Photographer

In recent years, whale strandings associated with nearby naval sonar use have increased public concern about the impacts of human-caused noise on marine mammals, especially sound-sensitive whales and dolphins.

Whales and dolphins rely heavily on their sense of hearing to navigate, locate prey, avoid predators, and communicate in the ocean environment. This is because sound travels very well in water, whereas light only penetrates for a short way below the water’s surface.

Clearly, the growing amount of human-caused noise in the ocean may be a growing problem for sound-sensitive creatures. Marine mammals and other marine species can suffer not only hearing damage when exposed to loud noises, but also other physical and psychological harm. For example, exposure to an unexpected and unnatural loud noise could startle a deep-diving whale, causing it to bolt for the surface in a panic. Such a rapid ascent could lead to bubbles forming in the tissues (a condition known in human divers as “the bends”) and then to a stranding.

Noise sources

Mid-frequency (MF) sonars have been commonly deployed on naval vessels since the 1960s. Relatively new low frequency sonars (including Low Frequency Active or LFA sonar) are now in limited use. The U.S. Navy claims LFA sonar can detect today’s quieter submarines more reliably and at a greater distance than is possible with MF sonars. All active sonars emit a noise pulse or “ping”—in the case of LFA sonar, a “ping” is six to 100 seconds in duration. These sound pulses bounce off a target (such as a submarine) and return as echoes that are detected by underwater microphones, called hydrophones. Hydrophones also listen for sounds actively generated by ships, submarines and even whales.

Evidence is mounting that MF sonars can harm at least certain species of whales—to the point of causing fatal mass strandings—and has probably been doing so for decades. However, its range of potential impact is smaller than LFA sonar (the lower the frequency, the farther a sound travels through water), although there are many more MF sonars deployed throughout the ocean. LFA sonar’s relatively limited use has yet to be associated with direct harm to marine mammals, but its greater range and sustained loudness could ultimately affect a far greater number of marine animals, especially if the number of LFA sonars increases.

Other human-made noise sources are also loud and could be harmful in different ways. For example, shipping noise from the vast fleet of trans-oceanic container ships, tankers, and other large vessels is low frequency and pervasive in many parts of the ocean. While it is unlikely to cause acute physical harm (other than long-term hearing loss), it may “mask” important communication signals from large whales whose vocalizations are in the low frequency range.

Seismic airguns, used by the petroleum industry to locate pockets of oil or natural gas within the ocean floor and by researchers to locate sub-surface geological features, are like underwater gun blasts and at times can be heard throughout entire ocean basins. Such sounds can be acutely harmful to nearby animals, but may also repeatedly startle or disturb them to the point where they abandon important habitat.

Other human-made noise sources with the potential to harm marine species include demolition and military explosives and “seal scarers.”

Better safe

Marine noise is one of many environmental threats facing marine life, but its impacts are harder to identify than those from chemical pollution or debris entanglement. Noise impacts may also result in fewer outright deaths (although the science on this is still not clear), but may be more insidious. Many noise impacts, including stress, may be sub-lethal yet significant, reducing reproductive success or shortening life spans. Therefore, it is vital that management and mitigation of this threat be pro-active and precautionary.

Research is urgently needed to clarify the ways in which human-caused noise can affect marine animals, but until the science catches up, laws and regulations should be enacted that give the benefit of the doubt to wildlife and slow the spread of human-caused noise in the oceans.

Humane Society International

  • The evidence against captivity is clear. Sergey Ivanov/istock

by Naomi Rose

Since 1964, killer whales, also known as orcas, have been entertaining people in theme park performances, showing off their dramatic black and white markings and beautiful acrobatics. But the glamor of the show has hidden what goes on behind the scenes, including dangerous interactions between trainers and whales, whales injuring each other, early deaths, and forced weaning of calves. The public is only slowly becoming aware of these negative aspects of the captive display of orcas.

Tragedy spotlights problem

The curtain was pulled back firmly last year, when a popular and experienced trainer at SeaWorld Florida, Dawn Brancheau, was killed in a horrific and violent manner by a whale named Tilikum in February 2010. The subsequent investigation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) uncovered a great many negative facts about the maintenance of orcas in captivity, facts that are now being made public via the courts.

OSHA issued a “willful” citation in August 2010—“willful” is defined as plain indifference to or intentional disregard for employee safety—and SeaWorld is contesting it. The court hearing to determine whether the citation stands or is withdrawn began on September 19, 2011, went on for one week, and will conclude in a second week starting November 15. The hearing is open to the public and all of the information presented in court, including testimony and documents submitted by both sides to be reviewed by the administrative law judge hearing the case, will be publicly available.

An alarming record

Witness testimony, mostly from SeaWorld employees, has revealed a long history of whales putting trainers at risk, not just in a couple of incidents, but in more than 100 for which the company maintains official records. During the OSHA attorney’s examination of a SeaWorld executive, it became clear that additional incidents never made it into the official records. In short, SeaWorld has been presenting a smiling face to the public while behind the scenes (and sometimes very much in front of an audience) captive whales have been acting dangerously and unpredictably.

Captive orcas have seriously injured dozens of people and killed four. However, there is no record of any wild orca seriously injuring or killing anyone at any time in history. The most logical explanation for this marked difference is that the psychological well-being of orcas is negatively affected by captivity, making the artificial proximity of people and orcas in a captive setting a disaster waiting to happen.

Awareness increasing

While this news is grim and there is no escaping the tragedy of Ms. Brancheau’s death, there is something positive to be found in all this. The revelations in the Florida courtroom are finally making transparent—to the ticket-buying public—what has been for too long a dirty little secret. Orcas in captivity are not happy performers. They are stressed captives whose relationship with their trainers is tense and unpredictable, far from the magical bond depicted in shows. Trainers believe they understand the way orcas think—and these intelligent animals do think—but the facts strongly suggest otherwise.

No one working that day at Shamu Stadium expected Tilikum to do what he did. He pulled Ms. Brancheau into the water and behaved in a way that seemed frustrated or angry. No one, including his trainers, knows why. But this was not an accident, in the sense of an event that was unavoidable or unintended; this was a deliberate act by Tilikum that left him isolated and a person dead.

Keep them free

The only predictably safe way for orcas to be trained is to keep barriers or distance between them and their trainers, as OSHA spelled out in its citation. However, this is arguably inhumane, since the interactions between captive orcas and their trainers are important to these very social animals. So clearly the only true solution to this dilemma, as animal advocates such as HSI have been saying for years, is to end the practice of keeping this species in captivity in the first place. And perhaps for the first time in 45 years, the general public is beginning to agree.

Dr. Naomi Rose is senior scientist for Humane Society International, specializing in international marine mammal protection issues.

Humane Society International

  • A dog enjoys one of the many treats generously donated by Jamieson Vitamins. HSI

  • Playing on the grass for the first time. Elise Ledsinger/HSI

  • One of a number of mother dogs with pups. Elise Ledsinger/HSI

  • Staff put together some of the 500 donated Kuranda dog beds. HSI

  • Basking in affection. Elise Ledsinger/HSI

  • A dog named Taffles with a donated toy. HSI

  • A mop-haired sweetheart. Elise Ledsinger/HSI

  • Learning to walk on a leash. Elise Ledsinger/HSI

  • Each dog is given much-needed attention. Elise Ledsinger/HSI

by Rebecca Aldworth

Every day at the shelter gets better, because of you.

As our dedicated team of staff and volunteers faces the tremendous challenge of caring for well over 500 rescued dogs and puppies, we are making major improvements each day.

Yesterday, Jamieson Vitamins—one of the most generous corporate sponsors of our sheltering project—delivered more than 500 special Kuranda beds. These specialized beds work perfectly in shelters, providing a clean and comfortable place for the dogs to sleep on. We are assembling them now, putting them into the dog enclosures one by one. To see the happiness of these dogs, just to have a soft place to rest, is overwhelming.

Jamieson Vitamins also donated a huge number of dog treats from their new PetCare line, which we are using to help socialize the dogs with great success. Amazingly, with every online purchase from their new PetCare line, Jamieson Vitamins is contributing $3 to our emergency shelter.

Special needs

Right now, our major focus is caring for the most vulnerable animals—the pregnant mothers and their puppies. Giving birth needs to happen in a quiet, restful place, and the puppies need good nutrition and constant attention. Sadly, many of these mothers are simply too young or too old to be having puppies, and a number of them need extra help caring for their newborns.

Give now to make a difference for these dogs and others.

Earlier this week, one Chow puppy was rejected by his exhausted mother. Only a few days old, he was being watched over, fed and held around the clock by veterinarians and volunteers. But every day, he cried for his mama, and the feeble sounds were heartbreaking. Then, this morning, another dog responded to his calls, taking him in with her own litter of puppies. Now, he is safe and sound and contented in a new family.

Moved by kindness

The capacity of these neglected dogs to not only forgive and trust again, but to extend compassion to each other brings me to tears. So too does the generosity and support of a huge community of people, including you, who have allowed us to give these deserving dogs a second chance at happiness.

I wish I could bring you to the shelter to see firsthand what you are helping to do. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for giving these dogs a new life.

We are grateful to all of the individuals and companies who have given so generously to fund our shelter and our work on this issue. Read earlier stories about this rescue and learn more about how to help.

Rebecca Aldworth is executive director of HSI Canada.

Humane Society International

  • Chanting a blessing. Joan Wai

  • Taking the tour. Monlam Lama

  • Patting a new buddy. Monlam Lama

  • Checking out the goat pen. Joan Wai

  • Walking through the barn. Monlam Lama

  • The group enjoyed their visit. Monlam Lama

by Iris Ho

Humane Society International has been working with Buddhist communities in both the U.S. and Asia since 2009 to address our concerns about the Buddhist practice of “mercy release.” The release ritual, based on the Buddhist belief that freeing a captured animal creates good karma and fortune, causes the suffering of millions of animals every year, as well as serious environmental damage.

Offering an alternative

In September 2011, we arranged for a group of more than 40 Buddhist abbots, abbesses, and congregation members from Chinatown in New York City to visit the Catskill Animal Sanctuary in upstate New York. The purpose of the day-long tour was to demonstrate that supporting and working with animal sanctuaries or animal welfare groups—instead of participating in the harmful mercy release ritual—is truly the best and most compassionate way to help animals.

Help by signing our “No Mercy Release pledge” or donating to support our work.

Located two hours north of New York City in the Hudson Valley, the sanctuary provides a safe and loving haven for abused horses and other farm animals. More than 1,700 animals have been cared for there since it was founded in 2001. The sanctuary also serves as a means for raising awareness about the mistreatment of farm animals and how this impacts all of us.

Making new friends

Kathy Stevens, founder and director of the sanctuary, took the group on an enchanting tour. We were greeted by all sorts of adorable animals, including horses, pigs, chickens, goats, cows, ducks and geese who seemed equally thrilled to see us.

Several pot-bellied pigs congregated by the fence to get acquainted with their visitors. A turkey and a goat followed the group around like self-appointed chaperones. Kathy told us a moving story about how the horses were rescued from their previous abusive owners.

Blessings, offerings and thanks

The visitors performed Buddhist blessings for their new friends. The Chinese blessing was led by the president of American Buddhist Confederation, the Venerable Shi Rui Fa, while the Tibetan blessing was led by the Dorje Ling Buddhist Center from Brooklyn. Holding back tears, Kathy said to the visitors, “I don’t know what you are chanting. But I thank you. I thank you for your love for these animals.” It was a moment that required no translation.

In addition to the spiritual blessings to show compassion, the visitors also generously donated to the sanctuary to help buy enough hay to feed the animals for an entire winter.

This visit could not have happened without the enthusiastic support from the Ven. Shi Benkong of Grace Gratitude Buddhist Temple, the Ven. Shi Rui Fa of Buddhist Peaceful Enlightenment Temple, member temples of the American Buddhist Confederation, the Dorje Ling Buddhist Center, and Joan Wai of Youth Buddhism Communications.

A bond between these rescued animals, the Buddhist community and the sanctuary was formed that day. And HSI is glad to have played a role in this wonderful experience, thoroughly enjoyed by all. In the future, we plan to roll out a series of such visits to local wildlife rehabilitation centers and animal sanctuaries for more members of the Buddhist community in the New York City area.

Read an excerpt [PDF] from Youth Buddhism Communications’ newsletter

Iris Ho is wildlife campaigns manager for HSI.

Learn More Button Inserter