Category: Press Release

Majority of pups to find loving homes in Canada

Humane Society International / Canada

MONTREAL – Humane Society International/Canada is shining a global spotlight on the connection between South Korea’s cruel puppy mill trade and the dog meat industry by helping to rescue 200 dogs and puppies from a horrendous dog meat farm. Approximately 160 dogs are bound for Canada where they will be temporarily sheltered in Cambridge, Ontario, with some destined for Montreal where they will be rehabilitated at HSI/Canada’s emergency shelter.

This is HSI’s 14th dog meat farm closure in South Korea. The facility doubled as a puppy mill, with the dogs being sold as pets or for slaughter depending on where the greatest profits could be found. As a result, many of the dogs are small breeds such as Chihuahuas, corgis, Yorkshire terriers, poodles, Pomeranians, shih tzus and French bulldogs.

Ewa Demianowicz, senior campaign manager for HSI/Canada, said: “These dogs have been surviving in appalling conditions, in barren, filthy cages, with inadequate food and water and almost no veterinary care or human contact. Sadly, it is likely that many never left the cramped cages they have been confined in. It is heartbreaking to imagine how much they have suffered in their lives. Our team is eager to see these wonderful dogs leave this horrible place and arrive in Canada to get the love and care that they need.

HSI works with farmers who want to leave the dog meat trade by transitioning them to more humane industries, rescuing the dogs and closing the facilities. In turn, the owners sign contracts stating they will not return to the dog meat trade. The owner of the facility is eager to leave his business as his family disapproves and it is becoming less profitable.

Dog meat consumption is declining rapidly in South Korea, particularly among younger generations, with a survey by Gallup Korea in June 2018 showing that 70 percent of South Koreans say they will not eat dog meat in future. A series of recent moves by authorities to curb the dog meat trade reflects how Korean society is increasingly ill at ease with the industry. In November 2018, in Seongnam City, HSI/Canada participated in shutting down Taepyeong, the largest dog slaughterhouse in the country. As political and public momentum to end the dog meat trade grows within South Korea, HSI hopes its program will demonstrate a phase-out model that can one day be adopted nationwide with state support.

    Facts:

  • More than 2.5 million dogs a year are reared on thousands of dog meat farms across South Korea.
  • Most people in South Korea don’t regularly eat dog, but it remains popular during the Bok days of summer in July and August, when it is eaten as a soup called bosintang.
  • Dogs are mainly killed by electrocution, taking up to five minutes to die. Hanging is also practiced.
  • 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, and on killing them in public areas or in front of other animals of the same species.

Download b-roll video and photos of the rescue by clicking here.

Media Contact: Christopher Paré, Director of Communications – Office: 514 395-2914 x 206 / cell: 438 402-0643 / email: cpare@hsi.org

Humane Society International

Washington D.C. – The latest rescue mission by animal charity Humane Society International is shining a horrifying spotlight on the long-suspected connection between South Korea’s puppy pet trade and the dog meat industry. In a country where dog meat traders go to some lengths to persuade increasingly reluctant consumers that dogs bred for meat are somehow different from their beloved pet dogs at home, HSI’s rescue of nearly 200 Chihuahuas, corgis, huskies, jindos, Yorkshire terriers, poodles, Pomeranians, shih tzus, and French bulldogs from a squalid breeding facility in Hongseong that housed pups under heat lamps in disused tyres, will create shock waves.

Although HSI has found all sizes and breeds of dogs at its previous thirteen dog meat farm closures, this is the first time the charity has discovered a facility where puppies being born for the pet trade were being bred alongside others destined to be electrocuted and butchered for meat to supply local restaurants. Any pups unable to be sold as pets could also end up at the slaughterhouse.

Sixty-year-old Farmer Lee who ran the farm for eight years is eager to leave his dog breeding days behind him. His business is increasingly unprofitable as fewer people in South Korea wish to eat dogs, and selling pups at pet auctions has become competitive; his own family strongly opposes his profession. Mr Lee says he feels ashamed to be a dog farmer, but had no way out until he was introduced to HSI’s dog farm closure scheme by a former farmer with whom HSI had worked. Once HSI closes his farm and removes the dogs for rehoming, Mr Lee hopes to become a security guard with the help of financing provided by HSI for him to take a computer literacy training course.

Farmer Lee said: “From the very beginning, my entire family has been against my dog farming. All my daughters and my wife want me to close it, and they have never wanted to visit the farm. I feel very ashamed to be a dog meat farmer and a puppy mill farmer so I barely tell anyone what I’m doing. My business is also making no money now and it’s too hard to farm the dogs as I have back pain. Also, I’ve had a hard time with my neighbor complaining about the barking which meant I had to move my farm. I spend more money on this farm than I make from it. I think dog meat trade will die soon. I feel like it’s already ending.”

HSI works in partnership with dog farmers to rescue their dogs and transition their businesses to alternative, humane and more profitable enterprises such as crop growing or service trades. Following the closure of this farm, the cages will be demolished and no animals will suffer again on this property. A 20-year contract has been signed by the farmer that ensures he will stay out of the dog meat and any other animal related industry. HSI follows up regularly to ensure compliance among all past farmers. As political and public momentum to end the dog meat trade grows within South Korea, HSI hopes its program will demonstrate a phase-out model that can one day be adopted nationwide with state support.

Nara Kim, HSI/Korea’s dog meat campaigner says: “The lines between puppy mills and dog meat farms are routinely blurred throughout South Korea, and with our latest dog farm closure we are exposing the shocking reality of that. These dogs are suffering at the hands of two abusive industries, their ultimate fate depending on whether they will sell for more money as a pet or for meat. They all start life in this depressing, squalid place, with the lucky few ending up being a loved companion whilst their cage mates are served at a restaurant or enter a chain of auctions where they are sold on to the next farmer to produce litter after litter of puppies. Korean consumers will be shocked to see that the dog meat they buy in restaurants or from markets could come from the very same dogs they see in the pet shop window. No matter where the dogs go, the conditions at this farm are horrifying. The emaciated dogs have matted fur and untreated wounds. We found them cowering in rusty cages as they endure the bitter cold of the Korean winter. It is an immense relief to be able to rescue them and fly them to North America where we can work with partner organizations and begin their search for adoptive families. For them the nightmare is over, and we hope that by exposing their suffering we can hasten the end of the entire industry for good.”

In addition to the nearly 200 dogs, HSI/Korea is also rescuing three pigs who live on Mr Lee’s farm. Named by HSI, Mable, Martha and Maggie are mini-pigs originally bred for the pet trade, but at 50 kg in weight and growing, they were highly unlikely to find happy homes, and faced an uncertain future. As HSI’s legal contract with dog farmers obliges them to transition to strictly animal-friendly livelihoods, the pigs will shortly be starting a new life being cared for at a sanctuary being established with HSI’s partner group KARA.

Dog meat consumption is declining rapidly in South Korea, particularly among younger generations, with a survey by Gallup Korea in June 2018 showing that 70 percent of South Koreans say they will not eat dog meat in future. A series of recent moves by authorities to curb the dog meat trade reflects how Korean society is increasingly ill at ease with the industry. In November last year, HSI/Korea assisted Seongnam City Council in shutting down Taepyeong, the largest dog slaughterhouse in the country, which is to be replaced with a community park.

Facts:

  • More than 2.5 million dogs a year are reared on thousands of dog meat farms across South Korea.
  • Most people in South Korea don’t regularly eat dog, but it remains popular during the Bok days of summer in July and August, when it is eaten as a soup called bosintang.
  • Dogs are mainly killed by electrocution, taking up to five minutes to die. Hanging is also practiced.
  • 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, and on killing them in public areas or in front of other animals of the same species.
  • 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 also vaccinates the dogs for distemper, parvo and coronavirus. HSI then quarantines the dogs on the farm or at a temporary shelter with no dogs permitted in or out for at least 30 days prior to transport overseas.

Download b-roll video and photos of the rescue here.

ENDS

Media contact:

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

South Korea: Nara Kim, nkim@hsi.org

Humane Society International / Africa

HOEDSPRUIT—Humane Society International/Africa has joined forces with local organization Hoedspruit Animal Outreach (HALO) to improve the lives and welfare of community cats and dogs in the villages around Hoedspruit. HSI/Africa is providing HALO with grants in 2019 totaling approximately ZAR150,000 to increase spay/neuter efforts and to provide medical care to more cats and dogs in the area. In this wild corner of South Africa, animal vaccination and sterilization will be used not only to improve domestic animal welfare and manage overpopulation but also to help protect wild and endangered species such as the African Wild Dog and African wild cats against diseases such as rabies that are spread by domestic animals.

In South Africa, the challenges so often seen in street dogs and cats – such as overpopulation, lack of veterinary care, undernourishment – are common to community dogs and cats as well. Whilst most community dogs are ‘owned’ in some way or form, they often roam the neighbourhood, scrounging for scraps and freely breeding. As they come from rural and disadvantaged communities, affordable and accessible veterinary care is very limited.

HALO has been operating to serve Hoedspruit communities since April 2016, providing access to primary animal health care (including vaccinations and sterilizations) and educating owners about animal care and welfare. The organization is currently involved in five communities – Lepelle, The Willows, Sigagule, Tswenyane and Moraba (also known as California) – and has treated more than 2400 cats and dogs in the last year alone. HALO is run exclusively by volunteers under the supervision of qualified veterinarians. With the funds provided by HSI, HALO hopes to sterilize nearly 150 additional dogs and treat 800 more animals during the year.

HSI/Africa and HALO share in the vision of improving street animal welfare and agree on a long-term, sustainable approach to animal population control. For more information about HSI/Africa’s animal protection campaigns, visit www.hsi.org/world/africa.

Photos available here.

BACKGROUND
Even though some countries encourage acceptable animal welfare practices for street dogs and cats, these animals are usually seen and treated as pests by local communities. Sadly, overpopulation of street animals in some countries is often dealt with in inhumane ways such as poisoning or shooting. Humane Society International works in a variety of countries to improve street animal welfare based on the needs of the country. HSI’s approach to overpopulation always places the welfare of the animals as a priority. The cornerstone of this approach hinges on humane application of animal control, helping to create programs that focus on sterilization and vaccination campaigns and education.

Contacts:

HSI/Africa: Media and Communications Outreach Manager Leozette Roode, mobile +2771 360 1004, lroode@hsi.org

HSI/UK: Director of International Media Wendy Higgins, mobile +44 (0) 7989 972 423, whiggins@hsi.org

The Asia for Animals coalition has written to Samsung and Canon asking them to use their economic influence to force government action.

Humane Society International / Viet Nam

NEM THUONG, BAC NINH, Vietnam — Animal welfare campaigners are urging global companies such as Samsung and Canon to take a strong stand against a gruesome Lunar New Year festival in Vietnam in which live pigs are tied up and paraded around the streets before being chopped in half with machetes. Provincial authorities are set to allow the Nem Thuong Pig Chopping Festival to take place in Bac Ninh province on February 10 despite condemnation from local and international charities, as well as the central Vietnamese government and the general public in the country.

The Asia for Animals coalition of 18 international and Asian animal protection groups has written to leading corporate investors in Bac Ninh province urging them to apply economic pressure to help end the bloody tradition. Industry is a mainstay of the Bac Ninh economy with scores of multinational corporations investing in the province’s many industrial parks. Samsung and Canon are two of the biggest players with Foxconn, PepsiCo and Nokia also present.

This month, the capital city of Hanoi announced it will set up a 24-hour hotline for the general public to report “offensive” or “violent” Lunar New Year festivals in a move which may bring more pressure to bear on rogue events such as the Nem Thuong Pig Chopping ritual.

Animals Asia Animal Welfare Officer Nguyen Tam Thanh said: “The public, the media and the central government want this violent ritual to end, but the Bac Ninh authorities are refusing to take action. Now we’re asking the province’s leading commercial players to apply economic pressure and help them see sense.

“Continuing this barbaric ritual is totally at odds with Vietnamese culture and the tradition of New Year. It negatively impacts society, animal welfare and the country’s image abroad. Animal cruelty cannot be part of modern Vietnamese culture.”

The gory spectacle has been decried by the central Vietnamese government with the Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism enacting a regulation in 2016 that all “outdated” and “uncivilised” festivals should end. So far this mandate has resulted in halting numerous “buffalo stabbing” and buffalo fighting festivals across the country. Yet the Bac Ninh provincial government, which has the authority to end the extreme animal cruelty which takes place in Nem Thuong village, has remained defiant and allowed the gory spectacle to continue.

The letters from the Asia for Animals coalition, sent on January 10, ask both Samsung and Canon to speak with both the Bac Ninh People’s Committee and the Bac Ninh Department of Culture, Sport and Tourism to finally end the bloody spectacle.

Phuong Tham, Humane Society International’s Vietnam Director said: “Most people in Vietnam don’t want to see this type of animal cruelty spectacle go ahead, particularly the younger Vietnamese who share the global concern for animal welfare and believe that cruelty has no place in a modern Vietnam. The pig chopping festival is brutal and unnecessary, subjecting pigs to a terrifying ordeal and cruel slaughter. Our message is clear, go ahead with a New Year festival but replace the animal suffering with a cruelty-free ritual that everyone can enjoy. Let’s have a new culture of compassion for animals.”

Samsung’s Global Sustainability Strategy claims it aims to “take on a stronger responsibility as a global citizen to create social values”, a claim Asia for Animals believes means it has a responsibility to oppose the cruel Nem Thuong pig chopping ritual.

The coalition also highlights Canon Vietnam’s philosophy of “Kyosey”, in which “All people, regardless of race, religion or culture, harmoniously live and work together into the future”. Asia for Animals has called on Canon Vietnam to expand this philosophy to all non-human animals and to help develop positive social values which benefit both people and animals.

To date, neither company has responded to the letters.

Download images from last year’s festival here.

For further information or to arrange an interview, please contact:

Viet Nam:
Mai Nguyen maitn@hsi.org
Humane Society International/Vietnam

United Kingdom:
Wendy Higgins
Director of International Media, Humane Society International
+44 (0)7989 972 423 whiggins@hsi.org

United States:
Lisa Agabian
Head of Communications, Animals Asia Foundation
+1 (310) 422 -6106 lagabian@animalsasia.org

Notes to editors:

The Asia for Animals (AfA) Coalition is an alliance of 21 well -known and respected animal
Protection organisations with a shared focus on improving the welfare of animals in Asia.
The coalition works with 600 supporting organisations to raise awareness of the issues which
impact upon the welfare of animals across Asia and advocate for campaigns aimed at improving animal welfare or ending the exploitation and suffering of animals.

Humane Society International / Global

KERALA, India – Eight puppies who were found covered in thick tar on the streets of Tirur, India had a lucky escape when the local community rallied for hours in a desperate bid to save them. A barrel of tar had collapsed on the puppies in the early hours of the morning, and when local residents heard their whimpering, the tiny puppies had been struggling to breathe or move in the toxic tar for at least eight hours.

A local animal lover Mr Jaleel led the rescue effort which included residents, ambulance drivers and journalists, subsequently joined by animal rescuers from Humane Society International/India who drove for two hours to reach the scene after receiving a call for help from the local government. HSI/India praised the community effort which is all the more remarkable because historically the region has struggled with human/street dog conflict.

HSI/India continued the rescue effort at its facility in Nilambur where the team battled for hours to clean the puppies with vegetable oil until all eight were safely free of the sticky tar and could be reunited with their mum. Sally Varma of Humane Society International/India works with the local community to promote animal welfare and humane street dog management, and she was part of the HSI animal rescue effort when devastating floods hit Kerala last year.

Sally was delighted at the community’s response to the puppies, and said: “This was such an awesome community effort because there is absolutely no doubt that these puppies would have died had the local people not come to their rescue. These tiny puppies had been trapped in the tar for many hours, and were exhausted as well as overwhelmed by the noxious fumes. They had tar covering their eyes, and in their noses and mouths, so they would surely have perished were it not for these compassionate people. HSI’s animal welfare officers refused to give up, and worked tirelessly to remove the tar. It was thrilling to see these sweet pups come back to life and suckle from their mother after their ordeal.”

Mr Jaleel, the ambulance drivers, journalists and HSI/India were presented with an award by the Tirur Press Club for this remarkable rescue effort. In two weeks the puppies will be old enough for HSI/India to vaccinate and sterilise them, before returning them to Tirur where the locals are anxiously waiting to look after them.

Robert Tigga, one of HSI/India’s animal welfare officers who helped the puppies, said: “To see this community tend to these street puppies with such kindness really makes us happy because Kerala has had a very troubled history with brutal dog culling. We’ve been working in this area for some years now on spay and neuter of street dogs, and promoting animal welfare, so this joint effort to save the puppies really feels like we’re seeing a more humane attitude towards these dogs.”

Download video and photos of the puppy rescue here.

Media contact

United Kingdom: Wendy Higgins whiggins@hsi.org

Humane Society International / Europe

BRUSSELS—Last week the European Pharmacopoeia Commission announced its decision to modernize Europe’s accepted process for safety assessment of vaccines for pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough, by adopting a modern cell-based method in place of an inhumane and unreliable test in mice. Pertussis is known for uncontrollable, violent coughing, which often makes breathing difficult. Previously, government health authorities required the extensive testing for vaccine quality and safety before products are approved and marketed for human use, a process that inflicts severe pain and distress on millions of animals each year worldwide.

Laura Viviani, HSI regulatory science advisor for vaccines, said: “Humane Society International welcomes the decision to remove the mouse histamine sensitisation test and associated testing requirements from the European Pharmacopoeia, and the adoption of a more reliable cell-based test in its place. The mouse test has long been scientifically criticized for its high variability and poor reproducibility, which often leads to repeat testing, with associated costs, delays and needless animal suffering. The European Commission is to be commended for embracing the use of historical safety data confirming the consistency of different batches of pertussis vaccine in place of cruel and repetitive animal testing of each and every new batch.”

Removal of the mouse histamine sensitisation test from the European Pharmacopoeia will become effective on 1 January 2020, and could spare as many as 36,000 mice used yearly for pertussis vaccine testing for the European market. This decision, coming exactly one year after the authority officially scrapped another notorious animal study, the Abnormal Toxicity Test, further reinforces Europe’s commitment to the elimination of animal testing.

HSI is urging vaccine manufacturers and authorities globally to follow Europe’s example by embracing the “consistency approach,” which combines good manufacturing practices to ensure quality and consistency of vaccines with an accurate historical analysis of safe use and of lot releases. This approach is ripe for application to a host of human vaccines, such as tetanus, diphtheria and rabies, which continue to undergo invasive animal testing for every new manufactured batch.

Facts:

  • Worldwide approximately 65,000 mice are used for the histamine sensitisation test each year: 48,000 by manufacturers and 17,000 by national control laboratories. These tests covered the release of approximately 850 lots of pertussis vaccines each year. (Hoonakker, M. et al. Safety testing of acellular pertussis vaccines: Use of animals and 3Rs alternatives. Hum Vaccin Immunother. 2017;13:, 2522-30)
  • The mouse histamine sensitisation test is used by manufacturers and control laboratories to verify the safety of the pertussis vaccines by checking the presence of residual toxin in the vaccine.
  • Most regulatory authorities require a “lethal challenge” procedure, in which groups animals are infected with a virus or other disease agent after being immunized with different dilutions of a vaccine. Animals in the “control” group are given no vaccine, and are left to suffer, without pain relief, until they die.
  • Humane Society International supports the “Three Rs” approach to animal testing: replace animal testing with alternative methods, reduce the use of animals in testing, and refine testing procedures to minimize animal suffering.

Media contact: Nancy Hwa (Washington, D.C.), nhwa@hsi.org

Humane Society International / Canada

MONTREAL – Humane Society International/Canada commends Health Canada for staying true to its promise of letting evidence, not industry, inform the latest food guide. The newly-released guide includes a key recommendation to shift diets toward a higher proportion of vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts and legumes.

HSI/Canada is encouraged by the emphasis on plant-based foods because of the clear benefits for human health, the planet and animal welfare. HSI/Canada runs a national culinary training program, Forward Food, to help Canadians access more nutritious and delicious plant-based foods.

Riana Topan, food specialist for Forward Food at HSI/Canada, said: “This guide will encourage Canadians to make more nutritious food choices and may help to curb many of the lifestyle diseases associated with insufficient vegetable and fruit consumption. Moreover, reducing the consumption of products generated by industrial animal agriculture will bring both environmental and animal welfare benefits.”

The new food guide is the nation’s first set of dietary guidelines that take a truly evidence-based approach to informing citizens about dietary choices that promote optimal health. Additionally, the Canada Food Guide will bolster important domestic industries. For example, this guide represents a major opportunity for Canada’s renowned pulse industry to continue growing.

Canadians are increasingly recognizing the benefits of a ‘flexitarian’ or ‘plant-forward’ diet, and the new national food guide reflects both the best available health research and consumer interests. The guide is an enormous step in the right direction, demonstrating Canada’s commitment to evidence-based dietary recommendations and a holistic approach to mindful eating.

By embracing concepts like “The Three Rs”— “reducing” or “replacing” consumption of animal products, and “refining” our diets by choosing products from sources that adhere to higher animal welfare standards—consumers can have a direct impact on reducing inhumane practices that are commonly found on factory farms.

Media Contact: Christopher Paré – office: 514 395-2914 x 206 / cell: 438 402-0643, email: cpare@hsi.org

The Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society International found imperiled wildlife parts for sale, possibly violating Nevada law, and canned lion hunts for sale in violation of SCI’s own rules

Humane Society International / United States

WASHINGTON – An undercover investigation by the Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society International revealed dozens of items made from imperiled wildlife for sale last week at the Safari Club International convention in Reno, Nevada. These items included elephant skin furniture, paintings on elephant ears, hippo skulls and teeth, and stingray skin belts. SCI is one of the world’s largest trophy hunting advocacy groups. Offering these items for sale likely violates Nevada state law on wildlife trafficking, and HSUS and HSI have reported their findings to enforcement authorities.

The investigation also found that canned lion hunts, the sale of which SCI banned at its conventions as of February 4, 2018, were easily available for purchase in Reno last week.

Kitty Block, acting president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States and president of Humane Society International, said: “The world’s leading trophy hunting industry group is apparently promoting, enabling, and profiting from the illegal wildlife trade and unethical hunting practices. Conservation laws and hunting ethics are thrown out the window by SCI when financial profit is involved, driving iconic wildlife such as African elephants toward extinction.

“Making money off the opportunity to kill these animals for bragging rights is something that most people around the world find appalling. It’s an elitist hobby of the 1 percent, and there is no place for trophy hunting in today’s world.”

As of January 1, 2018, it is unlawful for any person within the state of Nevada to “purchase, sell, offer for sale or possess with intent to sell any item that it, wholly, or partially, made of an animal part or byproduct derived from a shark fin, a lion of the species Panthera leo or any species of elephant, rhinoceros, tiger, leopard, cheetah, jaguar, pangolin, sea turtle, ray, mammoth, narwhal, walrus or hippopotamus.” Nev. Rev. Stat. § 597.905.

The investigators found more than a dozen convention vendors offering for sale and possessing with intent to sell wildlife products that appear to violate this law. The items include:

  • Paintings on elephant ears and skins;
  • An elephant skin bench;
  • Elephant leather boots, shoes, chaps, belts, and saddles;
  • Bracelets made from elephant hair;
  • An entire mammoth tusk;
  • Mammoth tusk carvings;
  • Stingray skin boots, shoes, belts and purses;
  • Boxes of hippo teeth;
  • A hippo skull table;
  • Hippo leather belts and boots;
  • Shark skin belts;
  • A knife with a handle made of narwhal tusk.

Investigators also found “canned” lion hunts for sale, in which customers can pay to shoot a captive-bred African lion in an enclosed area from which it cannot escape. Canned hunts are internationally scorned, and SCI claims that it does not allow such lion hunts to be sold at its conventions. Yet vendors, in an attempt to attract bookings of such hunts, showed investigators sample pictures of types of lions that may be killed, priced according to the age and size of the animal and his mane. One conference attendee told the investigators that he and his children participated in a canned hunt, killing “their” lion within 90 minutes. Canned hunt operators described baiting lions with meat, which they said they could do ahead of a trophy hunter’s arrival, to save time. One canned hunt operator told investigators if they wanted to kill a really big lion, he could special order one.

The Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society International are releasing their investigation while the Dallas Safari Club convention is underway in Dallas, Texas, with some of the same vendors that were at the SCI convention last week. While Texas does not have the same laws prohibiting the sale of wildlife products as Nevada, the Dallas Safari Club has stated that it too opposes captive bred lion hunting. At least six exhibitors selling canned lion hunts at the SCI convention are also at the DSC convention. These include De Klerk Safaris, whose representatives told investigators that they buy lions from breeders and could special order a really big lion, and Mabula Pro Safaris, whose representative told investigators that they are the biggest breeder of lions in South Africa.

The Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society International submitted its findings in writing to the Nevada Department of Wildlife on January 10, requesting investigation and enforcement of Nevada law. Any person who violates this law is guilty of a gross misdemeanor for the first offense, a category E felony for a second offense, and a category D felony for a third offense, in addition to civil penalties of up to $6,500.

Investigation Report HERE.

Photos/Video of the investigation HERE.

Media Contacts:

Rodi Rosensweig, 203-270-8929, RRosensweig@humanesociety.org

Nancy Hwa, 202-596-0808 (cell), nhwa@hsi.org

Humane Society International/India and People for Animals applaud ICMR initiative to “think outside the cage”

Humane Society International / Global

NEW DELHI — In a historic move to advance both human medical progress and move away from reliance on monkeys, dogs and other animals as models of human disease, the Indian Council of Medical Research, under the aegis of Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, has announced its plans to establish a new “ICMR Centre of Excellence in Human Pathway-Based Biomedicine and Risk Assessment” in Hyderabad.

ICMR’s announcement comes on the heels of meetings with Humane Society International and People for Animals, which have urged Indian science funding bodies to ramp up their investment in leading technologies such as human organs-on-a-chip and next-generation computer modeling techniques, which are essential for advancing public health and economic growth alongside the United States, Europe, China and other global innovation leaders.

HSI/India Deputy Director Alokparna Sengupta said: “We are grateful to ICMR for thinking outside the cage and heeding our call to establish this urgently needed centre for advancement of human-specific approaches for medical research and product safety testing. More and more scientists are questioning the relevance and utility of animal-based research and testing, while foreign funding agencies are investing heavily in cutting-edge non-animal technologies. This new ICMR centre, if properly resourced, has the potential to make India a key global player in 21st century medical research. We look forward to continued collaboration with ICMR to make this vision a reality.”

In parallel, ICMR has coordinated the drafting of an “Indian Roadmap on Alternatives to Animals in Research” with inputs from eminent Indian scientists and experts in the area, including representatives of HSI/India. It is expected that this white paper document will serve as a foundation for developing future research funding calls by ICMR, which will ultimately drive the science agenda at the new human-focused Centre of Excellence in Hyderabad.

Humane Society International is a founding member of the Biomedical Research for the 21st Century (BioMed21) Collaboration, a diverse, international group of stakeholders who share a vision of a new, human-focused paradigm in medical research. The Collaboration is currently advertising an open funding call aimed exclusively at Indian health scientists, to support the development and open-access publication of targeted review articles in key public health areas such as cancer, diabetes (type II), cardiovascular diseases and tuberculosis.

Media Contact: Sanjana Rao, +918897827214, srao@hsi.org

Humane Society International

Seoul—Global animal welfare leader Humane Society International has once again collaborated with South Korean National Assembly member Jeong Ae Han to reverse the country’s increasing use of animals in laboratories through legislative reform, this time by amending the Korean Chemical Consumer Products and Biocides Safety Act to require the use of recognized cellular, computational and other alternatives to vertebrate animal testing whenever possible (bill no. 2018185).

The biocides law includes management of products that may potentially expose people and/or the environment to chemical substances, such as cleaning agents and detergents. Because biocides are designed to be toxic to some organisms, they are subject to extensive pre-market testing requirements, which can kill thousands of rodents, rabbits, fish, birds and other animals for each product approved for market.

Korea’s two major chemical laws, Act on the Registration and Evaluation of Chemical Substances (K-REACH) and the Biocides Act came into effect in 2015 and 2019 respectively to strengthen the management of chemicals. However, there has been a growing concern that these laws are driving the construction of new animal testing facilities in Korea, contributing to the country’s soaring number of lab animals. As a first step toward addressing this problem, HSI collaborated with Assembly Member Han to advance a bill amending K-REACH, which was introduced and passed the National Assembly in 2018. Dr. Han’s new bill proposes nearly identical changes to Korea’s biocides law to protect animals.

A 2018 national public opinion poll by Realmeter on behalf of HSI revealed that 85 percent of Koreans would like to see their tax dollars spent on alternatives to replace animal testing. Another 85 percent of respondents support increased government funding to replace animal testing, and 88 percent support legislative action to require companies and scientists to use non-animal alternatives in testing.

Borami Seo, HSI/Korea acting executive director and senior policy manager, urged the passage of the amendment, saying, “Thousands of animals are dying because of K-REACH and Biocides Act. Unless the government and industry proactively develop alternatives, it is only a matter of time before Korea becomes a massacre site for lab animals. In addition, support for developing human-relevant testing methods to replace animal use is necessary to improve human safety and risk assessment.”

Media contact: Borami Seo, bseo@hsi.org

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