Category: News

Update, October 27, 2016: Delegates voted in favor of:

• a resolution to formally recognize the important role that whales play in looking after the health of the marine environment, as well as the loss to marine ecosystems resulting from declining whale populations

• a resolution to strengthen the review process for whaling under “special permit,” a provision under Article VIII of the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling under which Japan has since 1987 issued to itself a permit to kill whales for scientific research

• an urgent draft resolution by the USA to save Mexico’s vaquita porpoise (thought to be the most critically endangered cetacean species in the world, with only an estimated 59 animals remaining in the Upper Gulf of California) from extinction.

Our fight to save whales from commercial whaling continues after a proposal to establish a South Atlantic sanctuary for whales failed this week at the International Whaling Conference, which is still in progress in Portorož, Slovenia. A host of nations far from the South Atlantic voted against the proposal, urged on by Japan, which defied a 2014 International Court of Justice ruling earlier this year that sought to end whaling in the southern ocean whale sanctuary.

Some 70 percent of the almost three million whales killed globally during the 20th century were taken in the southern hemisphere. The designation of a sanctuary in those waters would be the best way to make amends for this sad history of exploitation. The HSUS and Humane Society Internationalhave been at the front lines of the fight against commercial whaling since the early 1970s, and we’re on the ground in Slovenia fighting for whales.

Please support our efforts to protect wildlife.

Among the most pressing issues that are before us now, the preservation of the IWC’s commercial whaling ban against the attempts of Japan and others to undermine it remains paramount. The global moratorium, implemented 30 years ago, has likely saved tens of thousands of whales, and it has isolated the three nations that continue to whale — Iceland, Japan, and Norway — as outliers.

The safety and well-being of whales is also threatened by many factors apart from whaling — things like ship strikes, bycatch, entanglement, marine debris, and toxic pollution. Fortunately, the IWC has expanded its work to address these threats in recent years, and become a strong example of an international body that has evolved with the times to meet pressing needs. The positive agenda of the IWC, through its scientific committee and other channels, underscores the genuine transformation of the organization since the days when animal advocates aptly dubbed it “a club for whalers.”

This year’s meeting of the IWC, which has steadily shifted toward whale preservation, marks not only the 30^th anniversary of the moratorium but also the 70th anniversary of the treaty that established the IWC, making this a good time to take stock of its achievements. Unfortunately, given the continuing influence of Japan in its bilateral relationships with a large number of nations in Africa and the Caribbean, there are still some limits to the progress whale protectionists can achieve at IWC. But the good news is, the whale sanctuary proposal is gaining momentum in other quarters. In September 2016, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) affirmed its support for a whale sanctuary in the South Atlantic Ocean, a position reiterated by an IUCN representative at Portorož.

Champions of the sanctuary proposal include all of the range nation states bordering the South Atlantic, like Argentina, Brazil, Gabon, South Africa, and Uruguay, which have passed strong national legislation to protect whales and marine ecosystems near their shorelines. In recent years they’ve also added a true management plan to their proposal, laying out the way such a sanctuary might work for all. The proposed sanctuary, encompassing known breeding grounds for all large whale species in the South Atlantic Ocean, would prevent the direct commercial take of cetaceans.

Japan is the biggest global problem for whales, and that’s an issue we’ll continue to confront to bring this island nation into the growing community of states that want to preserve and protect the largest animals who have ever lived on our planet. Donate now to help marine and other animals.

Last month, HSI-supported China Animal Protection Power worked with other local groups to rescue 72 dogs from a dog meat restaurant, a roadside slaughter operation and two other slaughterhouses in Henan Province in Central China–a supply center for the country’s three major dog meat markets.

“The animals were in extremely poor shape when we arrived,” said CAPP activist Biao Han of the group taken from the restaurant. Eight or nine were close to death. Two dogs too weak to lift their heads still wagged their tails when petted. “These dogs could have been snatched from people’s backyards or grabbed off the streets,” said Biao.

Give now to help fight the terrible dog meat trade and keep all animals safe.

One sweet young Tibetan mastiff broke everyone’s heart. He was huge, but terribly emaciated. He had likely been starving for days or weeks, but he still looked happy to see his rescuers, as if he knew he was finally safe. All the dogs were skinny, smelly and dirty, and the room where they were kept was filthy.

With funding from HSI, CAPP activists purchased medicine and delivered it to the shelter to treat those suffering from distemper, pneumonia, injury and malnutrition. Forty-three dogs remain at the facility; the rest have already found homes.

CAPP activists are finalizing a petition to be sent to the authorities calling to stop public dog slaughter, crack down on theft and illegal transport of dogs, and shut down the province’s dog meat industry.

Since July, they have staged three protests at an open market where dogs are slaughtered in broad daylight. They displayed banners reading “Shut Down Public Dog Slaughter, Protect the Youth” to express their outrage that such bloody scenes are imposed on shoppers and pedestrians, including young children. Help stop the cruelty.

by Sally Kannan

Given Kerala’s reputation as not being very friendly towards animals, I was surprised to be invited by the Animal Husbandry Department of the state’s Palakkad District to manage their Animal Birth Control program. The government wanted me to train the area’s dog catchers to handle the dogs in a humane and compassionate manner—the first time such as request had been made there. Even the name of the program, “Dog-Friendly Palakkad,” demonstrated a positive attitude.

All of the men I was to instruct used to cull dogs for a living, and it was a real challenge for me to change their feelings, but within a few days, these people who used to seize animals with poles and wires were catching them by hand and treating them gently. Even dogs who were initially aggressive responded to the kindness they were shown.

The tolerance shown by the public was also commendable. Every time we went out, we gave a brief lecture for the people nearby, explaining ABC and why it was important to release the animals back to the same place they came from after their spay/neuter surgery. I strongly believe that awareness is the key; we must engage citizens in a dialogue and dispel misconceptions about street dogs.

Donate now to support our lifesaving street dog initiative.

It was heartwarming to see people lovingly accepting the animals back into their community. Some kids were worried seeing us with dogs near their school, but I reassured them that these dogs were docile and could be trusted. Hearing me speak, someone came forward and adopted a puppy we had just let go. It was one of my happiest days ever. Help make a difference for more dogs in India and worldwide.

Sally is a consultant with HSI/India and an honorary member of the Animal Welfare Board of India. She and her husband also run a rescue shelter called Save A Life. She has been recognized by the president of India as one of the country’s Top 100 Women Achievers.

In a sign that the humane economy is an unyielding force, exerting its influence on companies in all sectors of commerce, SeaWorld announced in cooperation with The HSUS today that it will end all breeding of its orcas and it won’t obtain additional orcas from other sources—policies sought by animal advocates for many decades.

The company also announced, after negotiations with The HSUS, that it would phase out its theatrical orca shows in favor of orca exhibits that highlight the whales’ natural behaviors, and have no orcas at all in any new parks around the world – the remaining orcas will be the last generation housed at SeaWorld. The company has also agreed to redouble its efforts to conduct rescue and rehabilitation for a wide variety of marine creatures in distress; join The HSUS in our advocacy campaigns against commercial whaling, sealing, shark finning, and other cruelties; and revamp food policies at all of its parks for 20 million visitors.

Help us achieve more victories like this: Please support our efforts to protect wildlife.

It’s a momentous announcement, and it comes almost exactly a year after Ringling Bros. agreed to phase out its elephant acts in traveling circuses. SeaWorld has pledged to invest at least $50 million over the next five years for the rescue and rehabilitation of marine animals and on advocacy campaigns—a major boost to our movement in helping marine animals in crisis.

In my forthcoming book, The Humane Economy: How Innovators and Enlightened Consumers Are Transforming the Lives of Animals, I wrote about SeaWorld in a chapter on the use of animals in film and television, in the circus, and in marine parks. I noted the revolutionary changes in the film industry where more and more producers and directors are embracing computer-generated imagery as an alternative to using live animals, and I recounted the decades-long campaign to bring pressure to bear on Ringling Bros. to end its elephant acts. In my discussion of SeaWorld, I forecast that its business model would have to change – that there was an inevitability to the shift in its operations due to consumer demand.

Little did I know when I turned in my manuscript in December that I’d soon be meeting with the new CEO of SeaWorld and launching discussions with him about the future direction of the company. And little did I expect that our two organizations would together make a landmark announcement before the book made it into bookstores.

The humane economy can move at lightning speed, and hit with full force. The world is waking up to the needs of all animals, and the smartest CEOs don’t resist the change. They hitch a ride on it and harness the momentum.

Joel Manby, SeaWorld’s CEO, is banking on the premise that the American public will come to SeaWorld’s parks in larger numbers if he joins our cause instead of resisting it, and if SeaWorld is a change agent for the good of animals. He’s exactly right, and I give him tremendous credit for his foresight.

As I wrote in The Humane Economy, the film “Blackfish” proved to be extraordinary in the annals of documentary filmmaking. It is exceedingly rare for an advocacy film to get a long run, and even rarer for it to get tens of millions of viewers, as “Blackfish” did, thanks to serial rebroadcasting by CNN. Director Gabriela Cowperthwaite changed the dynamics of this debate overnight with her potent film, following closely on the heels of David Kirby’s Death at SeaWorld, featuring my former colleague and orca scientist Naomi Rose. That book offered a hard-hitting critique of the history and operations of the company.

During my discussions with Manby, I was clear that the agreement we forged should deal with all animals—not just orcas. That’s why this announcement not only promises more help for manatees, sea lions, and other marine creatures in distress, but it also connects consumers to these issues through their diets. Starting soon, all SeaWorld food offerings will be cage-free for eggs and gestation-crate-free for pork, all seafood will be more sustainably sourced, and there will be more vegetarian and vegan options.

While the remaining captive orcas will live out their lives at SeaWorld, the company is phasing out theatrical performances at its three parks in San Diego, San Antonio, and Orlando, and spectators will instead see orca enrichment and exercise activities. In a nutshell, this is essentially an end to orca shows, with no orca breeding, no orcas at any new parks, and, during the transition period, a better environment for the remaining whales.

SeaWorld and The HSUS still have some disagreements. But we’ve found an important set of issues to agree upon. The sunsetting of orcas in captivity is a game changer for our movement, one that’s been a long time coming, and one that is only possible because of your advocacy and participation. I am immensely excited about this announcement and I hope you are, too. Donate now to help marine and other animals.

We found Ruby in a barren cage on a dog meat farm in South Korea. When HSI’s Adam Parascandola first saw her, he feared she wouldn’t survive. But with a little time and a whole lot of love (especially from Adam, who has now adopted her), Ruby was able to shed her fear — and her terrible past.

Here, in Adam’s words, is their story:

After our first visit to the farm for vaccinations, etc., we had real concerns about Ruby and her ability to survive in that environment. I pulled her off the farm and boarded her at a vet clinic because she was weak and anemic. She lived in absolute squalor and was completely filthy. She seemed to be having trouble even walking normally.

Because she weighed only about four pounds, I worried about how she would do on the flight to the United States with the other dogs and determined it would be safest to fly her back with me. I contacted a rescue on the east coast of the U.S. and they agreed to take her.

When I picked Ruby up from the vet clinic, she was clean (having had two baths), but still completely shut down. She did not seem able to take in anything that was going on and preferred to hide in her bag. Still, when I would take her out, she would cling to me. On the flight, we had the last row of seats to ourselves and I set her bag on the seat next to me. She was completely quiet, but when I would unzip the bag and put my hand in it, she would lay her face across my fingers. She ate my entire dinner roll!

Finally when I reached home, she was at first too terrified to even come out of her bag. It was like she had never seen such a large space as a room and did not know what to do. Since we had flown all night and were exhausted, I went to take a nap. I let her into the bed with me and she immediately crawled up next to me. From that point on, she wanted to go wherever I went and overcame any fears she had to be near me. She didn’t miss a beat learning the steps to the bed and couch. She quickly learned how much fun toys are and has been non-stop ever since.

She is extremely curious and very playful. She is always into everything and a laugh a minute. She is so lively and such a good-natured, happy little dog. I am impressed with how quickly she has overcome her terrible start to life. It gives me hope for all these dogs. Though exposed to such cruelty, they can truly shine when given love. Please support our campaign against the dog meat trade.

Members of the European Parliament have voted in favour of ending EU subsidies to farmers who specifically breed bulls for bullfights. Joanna Swabe, Ph.D., Humane Society International/Europe’s executive director, issued the following statement:

“Bullfighting is a cruel practice that inflicts a great amount of pain and suffering on bulls. While the EU cannot legislate to ban bullfighting, it can stop granting farming subsidies to bull breeders. These subsidies are indirectly helping to keep the cruel practice of bullfighting alive. We applaud the fact that MEPs have sent a clear signal to the European Commission and EU Member States that it is unacceptable for EU funds to be used to finance any part of an industry that involves the torture of sentient animals for public entertainment, even if it is indirectly.”

A majority of MEPs voted in favour of an amendment to a Parliamentary report on the General Budget of the EU for 2016, which was tabled by Estonian MEP Indrek Tarand on behalf of the Greens/EFA group. This amendment demands that “CAP appropriations or any other appropriations from the budget should not be used for the financing of lethal bullfighting activities”.

Within the space of just three days, more than 20,000 EU citizens signed HSI/Europe’s petition to MEPs urging them to support this amendment.

The Parliament’s report will now be sent to the Finance Ministers of the 28 EU Member States, who will have to reach an agreement with the European Parliament with respect to the EU budget for 2016 and whether the budget appropriations may be used to subsidise activities associated with bullfighting.

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

Barely visible beneath a tangle of filthy, matted hair, the dog’s blue eyes reflected fear mixed with hope as his rescuers lifted him off a truck in Qinhuangdao, China last month. He and 194 others had been on the way to a slaughterhouse, near-victims of the dog meat trade. Heartless men with only profit in mind had packed the animals into crowded cages and driven them for miles in the summer heat without food or water.

On July 9, brave activists pulled over the vehicle and changed Xiao Jiu (Little Ninth Angel, aka Blue Eyes)’s fate. Hardly a year old, looking like a total mess, he seemed to ask his liberators,” What are you going to do to me now?”

He was very lucky. A young man named Yu Duoduo and his mother took the dog home. They cleaned him up and shaved him themselves, revealing injuries new and old that shocked them.

Fortunately, despite his poor physical condition, Xiao Jiu was not too scarred emotionally. He has become a complete sweetheart. He eats well and has gained weight. Very possibly a stolen former pet, he must be so relieved to find himself once more in a loving home, safe and secure.

We will not rest in our fight to help millions more like him.

For the last two mornings, Adam Parascandola, director of animal protection and crisis response for Humane Society International, has woken up at 3 a.m. in China to bear witness to one of the most horrific scenes you can imagine: the slaughter of thousands of dogs—and cats—for the Yulin dog meat “festival.” Adam is in Yulin with 22 other activists from HSI and our local partners on the ground. Their aim is to build momentum to stop this monstrous spectacle that persists despite surging local protests and a growing international clamor for this cruelty to end.

It pains me even to give voice to Adam’s firsthand account, since what he’s witnessing is so truly atrocious—but we must document it to rally China and the world to halt it.

“The killing has not stopped,” writes Adam, who has witnessed many scenes of animal brutality over his career with The HSUS and now HSI. “I will be haunted for the rest of my life by the sight of dogs so crowded into the slaughterhouse pen they were standing three deep on top of each other. I will never forget their cries as they were beaten.”

The Yulin dog meat “festival” is held to mark the beginning of the summer solstice. Dog meat traders falsely claim it is a time-honored traditional festival—in fact, they created it in 2009-2010 to boost their business. Many of the dogs and cats slaughtered here are stolen pets who are transported to the event site over several days, often without food and water for days on end during the long journey that can cover half of China. They watch in shock as their cage mates are ruthlessly butchered, before that same fate befalls them.

HSI staff and our Chinese partners have organized protests in front of the Yulin city government building, sponsored a 50-city protest campaign calling for an end to the festival, and sponsored four city candlelight vigils against the dog meat industry. HSI also sponsored an international Chinese open letter addressed to top leaders in Yulin, calling for a stop to the event. And all the time, we have kept the international media’s attention focused on the events in Yulin, making sure that the world learns of these atrocities. (HSI staff has also rescued one dog and two cats who will be brought to the United States for adoption—survivors and ambassadors for the continuing campaign.)

The Yulin dog meat “festival” has very little support among local Chinese who were shocked when local authorities gave enthusiastic support to the opening of this event in 2009, believing it would attract tourists. Instead, Yulin, a city of 6.7 million people, has only earned an indelible black mark and worldwide condemnation.

More and more Chinese today accept dogs and cats as friends and companions, and there are now more than 130 million dogs in China, including 27 million pets. In response to the public outcry, Yulin’s government has responded by banning public slaughter of the animals, and by removing the words “dog meat” from all banners related to the festival. But the killing continues behind closed doors and in the middle of the night.

There is no doubt that change is coming to China, as locals become more aware of the human-animal bond. Adam reported how a brave group of young activists unfurled protest banners at Yulin’s festival. Each time they unfurled a banner, they were chased by groups of unidentified men who would rip their banners away. But they kept coming back again and again, determined to ensure that their voices were heard.

In 2011, the Jinhua Dog Meat Festival was banned after huge protests. And more and more advocates are invoking China’s existing laws and regulations to expose dog meat traders who are engaging in criminal conduct by kidnapping pets. In 2014, 18 trucks bound for the slaughterhouses were stopped by activists and more than 8,000 dogs were rescued from their journeys to sure death.

A prominent Hong Kong businessman and artist, Mr. Genlin, has directed a documentary, “Eating Happiness,” about the cruelty of the dog meat trade and the work of courageous Chinese to end it. I look forward to sharing details with you about the documentary when it is released soon.

As the most influential regional power, China occupies a strategic position in the global campaign against the dog meat trade. Its success in ending the dog meat trade has the potential to set off a chain reaction in the region.

“It is so important we be there to expose this horrendous cruelty,” Adam argues. “We must send a message that hiding the killing in the dead of night will not bring an end to the protests against the Yulin Dog Meat Festival. Only an end to the festival can do that.”

 

by Peter Li

2014 was a banner year for China’s animal protection movement. In particular, the campaign against eating dog meat gained significant momentum.

In March, a nationwide protest called for the shutdown of the Yulin “Dog Meat Festival,” an annual event promoted by the city’s dog meat traders.

Between August and December, thousands of activists took part in highway rescues of dogs on trucks bound for northeast China’s dog meat markets. Of 23 attempts, 18 trucks carrying more than 8,000 dogs were successfully pulled over.

Incredible results—but even so, these activities could have been planned, organized and coordinated better. Even more importantly, activists, if equipped with knowledge of China’s existing laws and regulations regarding animal product safety, animal disease control, and trans-provincial animal transport, could have been more effective in assisting officials with efforts to punish the traders, who have never been able to meet the proper legal requirements for transporting live animals across provincial boundaries. In fact, no dog meat traders can produce the required documents since most of the dogs are stolen household pets.

In other words, the framework already exists to deter the shipment of dogs across the country for slaughter—the activists just need to know how to work within it.

This past May, in collaboration with VShine Animal Protection Association, Hebei Buddhist Charity Foundation, and the California-based Duo Duo Animal Welfare Project, Humane Society International sponsored the “Chinese Young Activist Summer Workshop” in Tianjin, some 80 miles east of Beijing. The workshop brought together two Chinese attorneys and three American experts to help activists lay a road map for their campaign against the dog meat industry.

The Chinese made participants aware of the laws they could use to help them, while the Americans introduced ways to plan for action and coordinate emergency rescues, along with information about typical behaviors of traumatized animals and how best to care for them.

The 79 attendees were mostly born in the late 1980s, part of the Chinese generation that is least tolerant of animal abuse. Among them were those involved in the highway interceptions and the anti-Yulin Festival demonstration. With these passionate young people now even better-equipped to fight for their cause, the days of the dog meat industry are numbered. Please, donate to help shut down the dog meat trade and keep all animals safe.

Dr. Peter Li is HSI’s China Policy Specialist.