Region: Global

The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment’s unlawful decision to permit the trophy hunting of 10 leopards, 150 elephants and 10 black rhinos to be reviewed

Humane Society International / Africa

Oliver de Ros/AP Images for HSI

CAPE TOWN—Today, the High Court of the Western Cape granted urgent interim relief pending the judgment of the interim interdict against the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment’s (DFFE) hunting and export quotas for leopard, black rhino and elephants.  

The application for the hunting and export quotas was brought by animal protection organisation Humane Society International/Africa, and was based upon HSI/Africa’s argument that the DFFE failed to comply with the consultative process prescribed by the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act 10 of 2004 (NEMBA) when making the quota decision. HSI/Africa asserts that the relief provided, pending the judgment of the interim interdict, will provide opportunity to fully review the Minister’s Record of Decision by which these quota allocations were made. 

NEMBA prescribes a specific and comprehensive consultative public participation process that must be undertaken prior to such a decision being taken.  

HSI/Africa, during proceedings, argued that the 2022 trophy hunting quota, as  issued by the DFFE’s Minister Barbara Creecy, was unlawful for the following reasons: 

  • The DFFE announced the quotas on 25 February 2022 without consulting the public, which renders the decision invalid and unlawful; 
  • The notice for the 2021 quota, which was purportedly deferred to 2022 by the DFFE, was in any event defective and thus rendered any quota decisions arising from that process invalid and unlawful; 
  • The DFFE may not issue a quota for trophy hunting and export of elephant, black rhino or leopard without valid non-detriment findings. 

In its 25 February 2022 press release, the DFFE argued that the hunting quotas allocated are based on the fact that “regulated and sustainable hunting is an important conservation tool in South Africa.” However, HSI/Africa’s 2022 Trophy Hunting by the Numbers Report contradicts this argument, confirming that 83% of trophies exported from South Africa are from captive-bred animals, non-native species or species such as caracal, baboons and honey badgers that are not subject to scientifically based management plans. Also, only 25% of native species exported as trophies are managed with a national conservation plan. Hunting animals in these circumstances cannot be understood to advance the conservation of biodiversity.  

This month, Good Governance Africa released a report, authored by Dr Ross Harvey, entitled “Trophy Hunting in South Africa: Is it worth it? An evaluation of South Africa’s policy decision to elevate trophy hunting as a key conservation tool”. The report asserts that “the government’s apparent commitment to trophy hunting neither considers the opportunity costs associated with the practice nor its negative externalities”. Furthermore, it adds that whilst trophy hunting may generate some economic benefit, it is hardly enough to substantiate the overall harms that it does or to promote it as a conservation benefitting mechanism.  

Tony Gerrans, executive director for Humane Society International/Africa says: “HSI has long sought engagement with the Department regarding the harm that trophy hunting causes—the damage to individual animals and to the conservation of threatened and endangered wildlife, as well as South Africa’s reputation as an ethical wildlife destination. Today’s granting of interim relief, pending the final judgment of Part A, is another step in making these harms public and ensuring they are given the necessary consideration in wildlife policy. As Good Governance’s new report demonstrates, the economic and conservation benefits  of trophy hunting  are  materially overstated. It is not true to assert that without trophy hunting revenues, conservation in South Africa would be unfunded. More beneficial, transformational, long-term alternatives to the killing of threatened, vulnerable and endangered animals for fun already exist. Everyone has the right to have the environment protected for the benefit of present and future generations, through reasonable legislative and other measures that promote conservation.”

HSI/Africa will now await the final judgment on the interim interdict, which is expected in two weeks. The DFFE must make public the Minister’s Record of Decision that informed the quota announcement. Council will review all relevant documentation and a court will review the substantive matters basis of the quota of 10 vulnerable leopard, 150 endangered elephant and 10 critically endangered black rhino in 2022.  

Species and Trophy Hunting facts:

  • The leopard is listed as ‘vulnerable’ on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species. 
  • The African elephant is listed as ‘endangered’ on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 
  • The black rhino is listed as ‘critically endangered’ on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 
  • A study detailing South Africa’s role in the international trade in hunting trophies of mammal species listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) during the most recent five-year period for which data are available (2014-2018) demonstrated that:  
    • South Africa is the second largest exporter of trophies of CITES-listed mammal species globally, exporting 16% of the global total of hunting trophies, 4,204 on average per year.  
    • South Africa is the biggest exporter of CITES-listed mammal species in Africa. South Africa exported 50% more trophies than Africa’s second largest exporter Namibia, and more than three times that of Africa’s third largest exporter, Zimbabwe.  
  • Between 2014 and 2018 South Africa exported: 
    • 574 African leopard trophies, or 115 per year on average. 98% of African leopard trophies exported from South Africa were wild source, while 2% were bred in captivity.  
    • 1,337 African elephant trophies, or 268 per year on average, virtually all wild sourced. 47% of the total were exported to the United States.  
    • 21 black rhino trophies, or five per year on average, all wild sourced. 
  • About 83% of trophies exported are captive-bred animals or non-native species, and native species with neither a national conservation management plan nor adequate data on their wild populations or the impact of trophy hunting on them. This data challenges the assertion that trophy hunting is critical to in situ conservation. 
  • The top five species exported as trophies from South Africa are African lion (mostly captive), chacma baboon, southern lechwe (captive, non-native), caracal and vervet monkey. The most common captive-source species exported from South Africa between 2014 – 2018 was the African lion, comprising 58% of the total number of captive-source trophies exported.  
  • Most (90%) trophies exported from South Africa originated in South Africa. 
  • 68% of trophies exported from South Africa were from wild animals, while 32% were from captive animals –19% bred in captivity and 13% were born in captivity.  
  • The top ten importing countries of South African wildlife trophies are: 
Importing country   Percent of total  
United States   54%  
Spain   5%  
Russia   4%  
Denmark   3%  
Canada   3%  
Mexico   2%  
Germany   2%  
Hungary   2%  
Sweden   2%  
France   2%  

ENDS 

Media contact: Leozette Roode, HSI/Africa media and communications specialist: LRoode@hsi.org;  +27 (0)71 360 1104

New poll shows 87% of British public want the Government to maintain or increase its level of action on animal protection, but bills to enshrine sentience and ban live exports are almost out of time, and sources suggest promised Animals Abroad Bill may be scrapped altogether

Humane Society International / United Kingdom

amadeusamse/Stock Photography

LONDON—Thirty-two of the UK’s leading animal protection organisations have written urgently to Prime Minister Boris Johnson to express alarm and opposition to reports that the Government has in mind to de-prioritise animal welfare and put at risk legislation to ban live exports, imports of hunting trophies, fur and foie gras, amongst other critical measures and manifesto commitments. The letter shares the results of a new YouGov poll, which affirms the strong public support for animal welfare, with almost two-thirds (63%) of respondents wanting the Government to increase its level of action on animal protection. 

The letter is signed by CEOs from the UK’s leading animal protection organisations, including the RSPCA, Humane Society International/UK, Compassion in World Farming, and FOUR PAWS UK. It was sent the day after the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill had its final Commons stages in Parliament, but was further delayed from becoming law by an amendment from 27 Conservative backbenchers, which was supported by the Government. The bill will now have to return to the House of Lords, with little time left this session. Animal sentience was the only piece of EU legislation that was not transposed when the UK formally left the EU on 1st January 2021. 

In an opinion piece in The Daily Telegraph on 9th March, politics editor Christopher Hope reported on a conversation with a minister who told him there is likely to be “a bit more focus on what matters to our constituents and a bit less of the peripheral stuff. The party does care about [the environmental agenda] but it is a question of getting priorities right.”  

Claire Bass, executive director of Humane Society International/UK, said: “The notion that animal welfare doesn’t matter to voters simply does not chime with public opinion. Even with all the other important government priorities at this time, including supporting Ukraine, almost 90% of Brits think the government should maintain or increase action for animals. Support is equally as strong (89%) amongst Conservative voters at the last election. The public want to see real progress for animals, including bans on imports of cruel fur and foie gras, so Number 10 will appear tone deaf if it waters down ambitions for animal welfare, or tries to quietly dispose of the promised Animals Abroad Bill. Reneging on manifesto commitments and promises from its 2021 Action Plan on Animal Welfare would be a betrayal of both animals and the British public.” 

James West, senior policy manager at Compassion in World Farming, said: “We are disappointed not to see animal sentience once again enshrined in UK law by now, and trust that the Government will ensure the Sentience Bill quickly passes through Parliament. We are deeply concerned that numerous other legislative and policy pieces which the Government promised have not been delivered – are the high hopes generated by the Government’s Action Plan for Animal Welfare going to be shattered? We urge the Government to ensure that they give animal welfare the same importance that the majority of the British public does. In particular, we call for swift progress on legislation banning live exports and the sale or import of foie gras, as well as significant steps to End the Cage Age in farming.” 

Introduced into the Commons in June 2021, the Kept Animals Bill hasn’t been seen in Parliament since 9th November. Campaigners stress that if the government is going to deliver a number of manifesto commitments such as a ban on live animal exports, they must ensure it is given time to become law as soon as possible. 

Emma Slawinski, director of advocacy and policy at the RSPCA, said: “The Government promised the public that they would ban live exports, stop the illegal puppy trade and deliver animal sentience when they put these into their 2019 manifesto. This new polling shows the public desire to get these delivered has not diminished and as we approach the first anniversary of the Government’s animal welfare action plan we need to see a new resolve from the Government and urge them to deliver on their promises.” 

Sonul Badiani-Hamment, UK country director at FOUR PAWS UK, said: “After years of Brexit stagnation, last year the Government brought forward an ambitious policy agenda with the Animal Welfare Action Plan. With promises of progressive legislation such as the fur, foie gras and trophy hunting import bans, the UK would finally be a global leader in animal welfare whilst delivering on the wishes of the overwhelming majority of the British public. To see them now backing away from their commitments in the face of political opposition by a small minority, is nothing short of cowardice.” 

A change.org petition set up by Chris Packham urging the government ‘#DontBetrayAnimals suffering for fur and foie gras’ now stands at over 125,000 signatures since it was launched three weeks ago. The petition was set up after it was reported by the BBC that some cabinet ministers were opposed to the bans because they restrict personal choice, in spite of strong public support. A YouGov poll on 22/23rd February reveals 73% of the public back a fur import ban, including 59% of Conservative voters at the last election, who strongly support a ban, up almost 20% since a 2018 poll. 

ENDS  

Media contact: Mathilde Dorbessan, HSI/UK media and communications manager: +44 (0)7341 919874

Resolution unanimously passed by the Belgian Federal Parliament urges the government to immediately stop the authorization of trophy import permits of species protected under international trade regulations.

Humane Society International / Europe

Vanessa Mignon 

BRUSSELS—Today, the Belgium Parliament took a significant step against the import and trade of animal trophies, adopting with overwhelming support a resolution urging the government to immediately end the authorisation of trophy import permits for certain threatened and endangered species. Among those included are the rhinoceros, African elephant, lion, polar bear and argali sheep, listed in Annex A of the EU’s regulation on trade in plants and animals. The resolution also includes certain animal species listed in Annex B of the same regulation.

Kris Verduyckt (Vooruit, Flemish Socialists), Melissa Depraetere (Vooruit, Flemish Socialists) and Mélissa Hanus (PS, Francophone Socialists), who originally submitted a legislative proposal to ban hunting trophy imports in 2020, expressed their delight at the result of their efforts at this critical step towards achieving their goals. Verduyckt said: “Concretely, it means, based on this decision, that Minister Zakia Khattabi [minister of Climate, Environment, Sustainable Development and Green Deal of Belgium] can now stop issuing import licenses. Her party colleagues have already stated in the Energy, Climate and Environment committee that this will happen soon. I hope that other countries will now follow suit and there will soon be a full ban in place at the European level.”

Humane Society International/Europe praises the Belgian Federal Parliament for its efforts to protect biodiversity and threatened and endangered species. Ruud Tombrock, executive director of HSI/Europe, said: “Trophy hunting has no place in modern society. With this decision by the Belgian Parliament, we are one step closer to ending the unnecessary and cruel hunting of species on the brink of extinction who don’t deserve to be killed for a trophy. We would like to thank everyone involved in the critical efforts made, especially the sponsor, Kris Verduyckt MP.”

The resolution is in line with the major public interest in Belgium on animal welfare. The country has some of the highest levels of opposition to trophy hunting among EU Member States. According to the results of a survey by Ipsos commissioned by Humane Society International/Europe, 91% of Belgians oppose trophy hunting and 88% support the prohibition of importing any kind of hunting trophy at all.

Belgium is not the first country to take action to stop its involvement in this anachronistic and cruel practice that endangers the survival of many wild species. Neighboring countries have already banned hunting trophy imports:

  • The Netherlands banned trophies of over 200 species in 2016.
  • France banned imports of lion trophies in 2015.
  • In March 2022, the Spanish Parliamentary Association in Defence of Animal Rights hosted an expert panel in the Congress of Deputies titled, “Let’s ban the import of hunting trophies of endangered species” where they presented a motion for resolution to prohibit the trophy imports of protected species.
  • The Honorable Vittorio Ferraresi and Francesca Flati (M5S) introduced the first bill in the Italian Chamber of Deputies to ban the import and export of hunting trophies of protected species.
  • Members of the Finnish Parliament presented a motion containing a proposal for a ban.
  • Switzerland and the United Kingdom committed to stopping the imports of hunting trophies from protected species. The United Kingdom policy would be the strictest ban on importing hunting trophies ever.

Some of the initiatives follow the 2021 publication of the HSI/Europe report, Trophy Hunting by the Numbers: The European Union’s Role in Global Trophy Hunting, which highlights the European Union’s devastating contribution to the trophy hunting industry as the world’s second-largest importer of hunting trophies after the United States. From 2014 to 2018, the EU imported nearly 15,000 hunting trophies—eight per day—of 73 internationally protected species. Over those five years, the number of trophies entering the EU increased by 40%.

In 2019 and 2020, despite the impact of COVID-19, European trophy hunters still managed to travel and import more than 5,700 trophies of species listed by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

Trophy hunting, a colonial pastime celebrating the killing of wild animals for bragging rights, is incompatible with the biodiversity ambitions of the European Commission as well as the views of EU citizens. According to the results of a survey conducted in five EU Member States by Savanta ComRes—which was commissioned by HSI/Europe in 2021—over 80% of respondents opposed trophy hunting.

Download Photos

ENDS

Press contact: Adeline Fischer, communications manager Europe: afischer@hsi.org; +49 17631063219

Humane Society International

Chicken
Grigorios Moraitis/Getty Images

SANTIAGO, Chile—Egg farmers who are using cage-free hen housing systems in Chile have formed the country’s first union association to support  cage-free production. The formation of Chile Libres comes after many years of dialogue among producers and stakeholders including Humane Society International, who played a technical advisory role.

Chile Libres aims to promote cage-free egg production systems with high animal welfare standards and to collaborate with similar national and/or foreign institutions to develop capacity building programs, to inform the organization’s activities and to engage in regulatory developments that support a transition to cage-free hen systems.

“We have felt the need to promote change and call on those who share this vision to work together. We would like to make our experience available to strengthen local capacity and become the solution to society’s call for more humane, fair and sustainable production systems. Animal welfare is a core value for our association,” said Pablo Albarrán, Chile Libres Association president, in a statement translated from Spanish.

Daniela Sánchez, country director and farm animal welfare corporate policy manager for Humane Society International in Chile, said: “We are proud that Chilean producers are leading this effort  to promote cage-free hen and higher welfare egg production systems. We applaud their entrepreneurial spirit and their active and public role in support of higher welfare production systems that allow laying hens to express their natural behavior.”

Egg-laying hens in Chile are typically confined in wire cages so small that they cannot freely spread their wings. Cage-free production systems provide a much higher level of welfare, allowing the birds to express their natural behavior, including ground scratching and pecking, laying their eggs in nests, perching and fully spreading their wings, which are all scientifically documented behavioral needs. HSI works with the food industry in Chile and worldwide to help ensure a successful transition to these higher-welfare production systems.

HSI will continue to support the work of the Chile Libres Association to bring the collective knowledge of producers on cage-free production to enhance the global cage-free movement.

ENDS

Media Contact: Daniela Sanchez: +56 9 62181089; dsanchez@hsi.org

Humane Society International / United Kingdom

BornFreeUSA/HSI/HSUS

LONDON—Amidst concerns that the UK government could be considering abandoning a ban on cruel fur imports, a shocking new undercover investigation exposing the cruelty of animal trapping in the United States, including for the fur trade, has been released by animal welfare and conservation non-profit, Born Free USA, in collaboration with Humane Society International. 

An undercover investigator accompanied three trappers out in the field in the U.S. state of Iowa in November/December 2021, to witness how animals are trapped and killed for fur and recreation. Prior to that he had attended the National Trappers Association Convention in July and a state-sponsored “Trappers Education Course” in November. The investigation’s findings are harrowing and reveal the inherent cruelty of trapping. 

Video and audio evidence captured includes:  

  • Trapped raccoons being bludgeoned with a baseball bat causing protracted death. 
  • A trapper standing on the neck of a raccoon after the animal has been beaten with a bat. 
  • Animals being thrown in the back of a pickup truck after being bludgeoned but without confirmation of death. One raccoon was later found to still be alive and was hit multiple times again with the bat.   
  • A dead fox in a leghold trap who had struggled so hard to free himself that his leg had snapped clean through. The fox had likely been killed by coyotes as he was unable to defend himself or run away. 
  • The bloody toe of a coyote torn off and left in the jaws of a trap during the animal’s escape. The trapper added the toe to his grisly souvenir collection of other previously retrieved toes, displayed on his truck dashboard. 
  • Photographic evidence of a dead cat among the bodies of wild animal trapping victims, demonstrating that traps are also dangerous and deadly to non-targeted animals, including companion animals. 
  • A representative from the Department of Natural Resources volunteering information on loopholes in trapping law, and trainers on a state sponsored education course laughing as they talk about illegal practices. 

Claire Bass, executive director of Humane Society International/UK, said: “This investigation provides a graphic account of the casual disregard for animal suffering that underpins the whole fur trade. As if it’s not enough to be caught for hours or even days in torturous traps that should belong only in horror films, the animals we filmed also endured protracted and violent deaths, being repeatedly bludgeoned and left to suffer, all to be skinned and sold for fur fashion. For as long as the UK continues to import and sell fur from animals caught in the wild or bred on factory fur farms, we remain complicit in this cruelty. I urge Boris Johnson to watch our video evidence to see for himself the abhorrent cruelty of the fur trade, and heed the enormous public support to ban fur. Britain must not be party to this nasty trade anymore.”  

Will Travers OBE, co-founder and executive president of Born Free, said: “Trapped: Exposing the Violence of Trapping in the U.S. has two objectives: to document the reality of trapping, where sentient beings are brutally exploited, and lives are ended with such casual disregard and lack of compassion; and to accelerate measures to bring an end to this cruel practice and its associated activities – including selling the skins of trapped animals for profit. 

As a species, we have done many things of which we can be justifiably proud. But not when it comes to trapping and the fur trade. This archaic throwback to the past is well beyond its sell-by date and is a stain on our humanity. It’s time we evolved. We implore lawmakers in the U.K., the U.S., and beyond, to take swift action to call time on trapping.” 

This and previous investigations clearly demonstrate that trapping frequently involves extreme animal suffering. The cruelties exposed are in stark contrast to the PR claims of fur industry certification schemes such as Furmark, which promise that North American Wild Fur programs “prioritize the sustainability and welfare of all fur-bearing species”. Our evidence also completely undermines the fur trade’s claims that wild fur trapping is “subject to a comprehensive system of laws, regulations, checks and controls.”  

Trapping animals for fur with leg hold traps has been banned in the UK for more than sixty years (as well as being banned or heavily restricted in 108 countries worldwide), and fur farming has been banned across the UK since 2003. Despite this, in a clear double standard, the UK has imported more than £850million of fur from countries including Finland, Italy, Poland, China and the United States. In the past decade (2011 to 2020) the UK has imported more than £20 million of fur (both farmed and trapped) from the U.S. according to the HMRC. 

Banning fur imports commands enormous public support – latest YouGov polls show that 73% of Brits support a fur sales ban, with 74% of Conservative voters wanting to see the ban in place, up from 64% in 2018. Furthermore, 63% of Brits think the government should increase its level of action of animal protection. A ban had been set to be included in the upcoming Animals Abroad Bill, but following opposition from cabinet member Jacob Rees-Mogg and others, the government is believed to be considering abandoning it, along with a ban on imports of foie gras.  

The UK government set out a clear ambition to be a ‘world leader in animal welfare’ with action on fur imports pledged in its Action Plan for Animal Welfare last year, and repeated ministerial statements confirming that post-Brexit the UK would be free to explore opportunities for a ban.   

In the United States, BFUSA and HSI are calling on U.S. lawmakers to pass and implement the Refuge from Cruel Trapping Act which would ban trapping using body-gripping, leg-hold, snare and similar traps.  

An increasing number of fashion designers and retailers are dropping fur cruelty. In the last few years alone Canada Goose, Oscar de la Renta, Valentino, Gucci, Burberry, Versace, Chanel, Prada and other high-profile brands have announced fur-free policies. In addition, major online fashion retail platforms Net-A-Porter, Farfetch and MyTheresa have adopted fur-free policies. In the United Kingdom, Harrods, Harvey Nichols, House of Fraser and Flannels are among the few remaining retailers to still sell fur, including wild trapped fur from North America, and House of Bruar and Etsy sell fur from raccoons trapped in the wild in the United States for products including hats and keychains. Canada Goose, which for years has trapped coyote fur at the centre of its brand, has now ended the purchase of new fur and will end manufacturing products with fur by the end of 2022. Other brands still using North American wild trapped fur (mainly coyote) are Parajumpers, Woolrich and Yves Salomon.** 

Watch the investigation footage here  

Read the report at bornfreeusa.org/trappingexposed. 

ENDS 

Media Contacts: 

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

Born Free USA: Heather Ripley, Orange Orchard (865) 977-1973, hripley@orangeorchardpr.com   

Notes 

* All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 1,687 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken on 22-23 February 2022. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+). 

** While there is no suggestion that these brands obtain furs from this trapper or this State, the investigation demonstrates the kind of suffering animals caught for fur might typically endure. 

HSI praises Romanian Red Cross for unprecedented co-operation to help people with animals in war

Humane Society International

HSI’s Romania director Andreea Roseti delivers pet food to Romanian Red Cross for the Ukrainian relief effort.

Sibiu, ROMANIA—The Romanian Red Cross and animal protection organisation Humane Society International have launched an unprecedented agreement to get vital pet food and veterinary supplies into Ukraine to help tackle a worsening animal welfare crisis.

Hundreds of animal shelters, veterinary clinics and rescue centres, as well as thousands of families with pets who remain in Ukraine, are struggling to find food for the animals in their care, and providing veterinary care for injured or sick animals is increasingly challenging as supplies are at risk of running out. In recognition of the clear desire of people in Ukraine to care for the animals caught up alongside them in the war, the Romanian Red Cross will, for the first time ever, add life-saving aid for animals to its humanitarian aid transport. Humane Society International has donated the first tonne of pet food to the Romanian Red Cross, which the agency will take into Ukraine and distribute according to need.

Raluca Morar, executive director Romanian Red Cross Sibiu county, says: “In times like these, we, at the Red Cross know that our most valuable resource is kindness and compassion. Our humanitarian convoys will deliver not only supplies to people in desperate need, but also hope that help in on the way. In times like these we know that not only people, but also animals need help. We are happy and honoured to have Humane Society International on our side, making sure that much needed pet food will also reach Ukraine with our convoys. First ton of dry pet food has reached our loading point in Sibiu, and will be delivered to Ukraine within the next days.”

HSI/Europe’s Romania director, Andreea Roseti, says: “As this conflict continues, people and animals in Ukraine are suffering alongside each other, particularly in those animal shelters and homes where leaving animals behind has simply been an impossible decision to make. We are grateful that the Romanian Red Cross has recognised that the plight of animals in war is inextricably bound up with the plight of the people who live with them and care so deeply about their welfare. We have donated one tonne of emergency pet supplies, the first of many to come, that the Red Cross will distribute within Ukraine to help avert a worsening animal welfare crisis. There are large numbers of pet dogs and cats roaming the streets who have become separated from their families; they are bewildered, traumatised and in need of help. The tragedy of war doesn’t differentiate between two legs or four, and together with the Red Cross we will get aid to those people in Ukraine desperately asking for help to keep their animal friends alive in this crisis.”

HSI is also working with other local animal welfare groups in Germany, Italy and Poland to help Ukrainian refugees fleeing the conflict with their beloved pets by providing emergency supplies at refugee reception points. Supported by a generous donation from Mars, Incorporated, the charity is providing pet food, blankets as well as veterinary care for refugees arriving with animal companions. The people accessing these pet support services speak of their relief at being able to save their pets who are an enormous comfort in extremely stressful circumstances, especially for traumatised children. In Germany, HSI is working with animal welfare group Berliner Tiertafel to provide pet food and veterinary treatment. All over Berlin more than 30 vets are already supporting the project to provide aid to refugees and their pets, so that the animals receive urgent veterinary treatments alongside necessary vaccinations and microchips.

HSI’s Germany director, Sylvie Kremerskothen Gleason, says: “Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is of course a devastating humanitarian crisis, but the beloved dogs, cats and other animals of those fleeing Ukraine are very much part of that refugee story. We have heard from refugees we’re helping in Berlin that the loyal companionship of their pets has kept them and their families going on the arduous journey to safety. For children especially, their pets are an enormous source of comfort to help them cope with the trauma of war. These refugees are frightened and exhausted, so being able to help them care for their pets means they have one less thing to worry about at a time when they need help the most.”

Download Photos/Video of Humane Society International/Romania Red Cross

Download Additional Photos of Humane Society International’s Ukraine Response

ENDS

Media contacts:

New video exposes thieves stealing and bludgeoning terrified dogs; dogs sold for meat alongside bats, snakes and wild boar in Sulawesi wet markets

Humane Society International / Indonesia

Dog Meat Free Indonesia

Indonesia President Joko Widodo and local leaders are facing pressure to shut down the country’s criminal dog meat trade after sickening new video released by the Dog Meat Free Indonesia coalition—of which Humane Society International is a member—revealed horrific animal cruelty and public health risks at wet markets on the island of Sulawesi. Dog and cat meat is seen being sold at the markets, which sell meat, produce and other perishable items, alongside bush-meat including meat from bats, snakes and wild boar in scenes similar to those found in Wuhan, China where the SARS-CoV-2 virus is believed to have originated.

Across Indonesia, an estimated 1 million dogs are killed for their meat annually. While a crackdown on the trade is being seen in parts of Indonesia, authorities in Sulawesi—a 70,000 square mile island with a population of nearly 20 million people—have failed to act.

An investigator for DMFI infiltrated criminal gangs and traders who steal at least 4,500 pets and roaming dogs every month from villages in South Sulawesi. The shocking and disturbing undercover video shows traffickers hoisting terrified and screaming dogs by the neck from an underground pit as they are repeatedly bludgeoned across the face and head. Other scenes at the markets show cages of dogs huddling together as nearby lifeless bodies of other dogs—some still alive—are blowtorched to remove their fur for sale to customers. Next, the meat is sold to local restaurants and at wet markets. Some dogs are trafficked from as far away as Makassar, South Sulawesi’s capital, a 40-hour gruelling journey covering 1,000 miles.

Lola Webber, End Dog Meat campaigns director for Humane Society International, a DMFI member group, said: “This is some of the worst animal cruelty we have seen—gangs and traders stealing and bludgeoning thousands of terrified, screaming dogs every month from villages. Many of them are beloved family companions. They are torn away and abused by these criminals in broad daylight, scared and helpless. All of this to be sold for their meat in restaurants and at wet markets on display alongside bats, snakes and wild boar. Despite the serious public health risks associated with these markets, Sulawesi’s roughly 200 traditional markets are still operating business as usual. With Indonesia still in the grip of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is a matter of urgency that President Widodo take action immediately to stop this dangerous and illegal trade.”

The DMFI investigator, who is not being named for his own protection, said: “The scale of the dog meat trade was really surprising. Thieves are stealing dogs from all over the island before selling them to the traders who warehouse them until they have enough to sell on. Mentally, this was a harrowing mission because every day I could see how utterly terrified and traumatized these poor dogs were. All around them they witness other dogs being dragged by the neck, beaten over the head, thrown around violently. They would tremble in fear when approached. Like me, the vast majority of Indonesians will be sickened by what I saw. This trade brings shame on Indonesia.”

DMFI—which comprises local campaigners Jakarta Animal Aid Network and Animals Friends Jogja, and international groups Humane Society International, Four Paws and Animals Asia—is now seeking urgent meetings with the provincial and city authorities in Tomohon, Manado, Minahasa and Makassar to call for urgent action. The coalition of animal groups already works successfully with police and local governments in multiple other regions to crack down on the trade. In November 2021 DMFI joined Sukoharjo police in Java on a sting operation at an illegal dog slaughterhouse that saw more than 50 dogs rescued.

At least eight national laws and regulations exist that, if enforced, would serve to prohibit the dog meat trade, and thus far five regions in have passed explicit bans on the dog meat trade. Karanganyar passed a ban in 2019. Sukohrajo and Salatiga City passed bans in 2021. Semarang, which is the provincial capital of Central Java, passed a ban earlier this year. DMFI now invites the Sulawesi authorities to follow suit.

Dog meat trade facts:

  • Although demand for dog meat is higher in Sulawesi than the rest of Indonesia, latest opinion polling by Nielsen (2021) confirms that only 6% of Sulawesians consume dogs.
  • Dog meat is mostly eaten by certain ethnic groups such as the Minahasa people of North Sulawesi where there are 24 markets collectively selling around 360 live and slaughtered dogs per day, amounting to more than 130,000 dogs every year.
  • Dog meat is not an expensive delicacy; a dish containing dog meat can be bought at market for around 25,000 – 35,000 IDR which is roughly $2US, the same price as a cup of coffee.
  • In 2018 President Joko Widodo received a letter from DMFI calling for action. It was signed by more than 90 national and international celebrities including Simon Cowell, Sophia Latjuba, Yeslin Wang, Nadia Mulya, Lawrence Enzela, Cameron Diaz, Chelsea Islan, Ellen DeGeneres and Pierce Brosnan.
  • Across Asia, opposition to the dog and cat meat trades is increasing, with an ever-growing number of countries and territories (Taiwan, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Thailand and two major cities in mainland China) banning the trade in and slaughter, sale and consumption of dogs. In South Korea, a task force has been set up by the government to discuss a dog meat ban following a suggestion by President Moon Jae-in.

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Media contact: Melissa Smith: 231-360-7676; mmsmith@humanesociety.org

Humane Society International is pleased by changes in national regulations to minimize animal use in school supplies safety assessment

Humane Society International

mustafagull/iStock.com 

RIO DE JANEIRO—Humane Society International is excited to announce that animal-free safety assessment of school supplies is now possible in Brazil. Previously, rats and rabbits were routinely used to test paints, glues and other school supplies. HSI worked together with Brazilian stakeholders to change the requirements for school supplies safety, avoiding the use of many animals.

Although several non-animal methods have been accepted in Brazil since 2014, due to lack of clarity animals are still routinely used. Non-animal assessment of school supplies first required changing the Brazilian National Standards Association (ABNT) norm for school articles safety to allow assessment of the product based on existing information on its ingredients. Another important change is the requirement that animals are used only as a last resort and only when technical justifications are present. These unprecedented changes have been codified in ABNT NBR 15236:2021, published on Sept. 9.

The second required change was for the registering authority to refer to this new norm, which was published on Oct. 8 in the Inmetro Ordinance number 423. This makes the ABNT 15236:2021 the mandatory requirement for toxicological safety assessment and school supplies compliance in Brazil.

These regulatory changes are the result of a joint effort and HSI appreciates the discussions involving different stakeholders and the important support provided by the National Council for the Control of Animal Experimentation (CONCEA).

“These apparently simple changes ensure child safety while avoiding the unjustifiable use of many animals in safety assessment of school supplies in Brazil,” said Dr Bianca Marigliani, HSI’s science advisor. “These changes also set the precedent for the kind of regulatory clarity that is needed to finally implement non-animal methods in chemical safety assessment in Brazil and bring us closer to regulatory harmonization with other countries.”

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Media Contact: Bianca Marigliani: bmarigliani@hsi.org; +55 11 97635-6068

Additional Information:

According to Brazilian regulations, all school supplies with more than 3 grams of paints, glues, gouaches, watercolors and powered material per unit of use must have their safety confirmed regarding acute oral toxicity. Those susceptible to skin contact must also have their safety confirmed for skin irritation. According to the previous version of the ABNT 15236 (Amendment 1, published in May, 2020), acute oral toxicity and skin irritation could be assessed by in vivo or in vitro methods, which means the laboratories were free to choose between testing on living animals or using alternative methods, in these cases, cell cultures. In addition, in Brazil safety testing has traditionally been performed on finished products, which is expensive, time consuming and has significant limitations, mostly counting on animal testing.

The Research and Toxicology Department of HSI in Brazil identified that ABNT Brazilian Norm 15236:2020 was in disagreement with:

  • the Three Rs principle, which stands for reduction, refinement and replacement of animal use;
  • the Environmental Crimes Law (Law number 605/1998), which considers it a crime to use living animals for scientific purposes when there are alternatives; and
  • the Normative Resolution number 18 of the CONCEA, which recognized alternative methods for different endpoints, including an alternative (non-animal) method for skin irritation, and with a five-year deadline for mandatory replacement of the animal method, ended in September, 2019.

Aware of the possibility of an unjustified and wrongful use of animals for conformity assessment of school supplies, HSI managed to engage CONCEA and ABNT on the discussion to change the ABNT 15236 norm. ABNT organized a series of online meetings with HSI and CONCEA members, representatives of laboratories and school supplies industries and other stakeholders to discuss HSI suggestions for changing the ABNT requirements for safety assessment of school supplies. After two rounds of public consultation, HSI’s suggestions were accepted and ABNT standard 15236:2021 was published on Sept. 9, 2021.

The main changes by endpoint are the following:

  • for both acute oral toxicity and skin irritation, the ingredient-based safety assessment is the recommended strategy.
  • for acute oral toxicity, in vitro methods can be used if it is not possible to perform ingredient-based safety assessment, and in vivo methods are only allowed as a last resort and when there is technical justification (e.g. sample incompatibility with the in vitro test).
  • for skin irritation, an integrated approach on testing and assessment (IATA) must be followed, if new tests are needed, in vitro methods can be used, and in vivo methods are only allowed as a last resort and when there is technical justification.

The ABNT 15236:2021 is now cited by the consolidated version of the Inmetro Ordinance number 423, which determines the requirements for conformity assessment of school supplies. This makes the ABNT 15236:2021 the mandatory requirement for toxicological safety assessment and school supplies compliance in Brazil. The changes made to the ABNT 15236 ensure child safety while guaranteeing the use of animals as the very last resort, which can prevent the unjustifiable use of many animals in the safety assessment of school supplies.

Humane Society International

Jean Chung for HSI Dogs are shown locked in a cage at a dog meat farm in Hongseong, South Korea. The operation is part of HSI’s efforts to fight the dog meat trade throughout Asia.

SEOUL—Animal groups in South Korea are urging the newly elected president Yoon Seok-yeol to act swiftly on his pre-election pledge to tackle the dog meat industry. Among them, Seoul-based animal protection group Humane Society International/Korea says Yoon’s election must herald “an historic opportunity to consign the dog meat industry to South Korea’s history books.”

Yoon Seok-yeol of the People Power party, has made several statements confirming his support for a ban on dog meat providing there is social consensus. A 2020 opinion poll commissioned by HSI/Korea and conducted by Nielsen demonstrates such consensus, with nearly 84% of South Koreans saying they don’t or won’t eat dog, and almost 60% supporting a legislative ban on the trade.

During the 20th presidential election campaign, Yoon was criticised for expressing an often-repeated but baseless claim by the dog meat industry that dogs raised for meat are different from pet dogs. But he later clarified that he is personally opposed to eating dogs and would progress a phase-out plan as soon as possible as long as such an action has Korean society’s support, which polling suggests is the case.

HSI/Korea has rescued more than 2,500 dogs from South Korean dog meat farms since 2015 and permanently closed 17 dog farms in co-operation with farmers eager to exit the dying industry. Nara Kim, HSI/Korea’s dog meat campaign manager, says: “The election of Yoon Seok-yeol as South Korea’s new president presents our country with an historic opportunity to consign the dog meat industry to South Korea’s history books where it belongs. More than one million dogs a year—from small dachshunds to large tosas—are needlessly suffering on miserable dog meat farms just to be killed for soup. With changing perceptions of dogs as family members, social consensus in favour of a dog meat ban is now beyond doubt so HSI/Korea stands ready to work with the new president to put his pledge into action. Factory farming dogs for eating must become a thing of the past as soon as possible.”

In December last year, the South Korean government set up a cross-ministerial task force to consider a ban on the dog meat industry, following a suggestion by the then President, Moon Jae-in. The task force, comprising of four ministries, as well as academic, dog meat industry and animal welfare stakeholders, is expected to make recommendations in April this year, and Seoul city municipal council is also due to vote on a proposed bill calling for the mayor to ban the consumption of dog meat citywide.

Facts:

  • HSI/Korea helps farmers transition to new, more humane and profitable livelihoods such as chili plant growing or water truck delivery. Most of the farmers with whom HSI/Korea has worked experience mounting societal, family and financial pressure to get out of farming dogs. With growing concern for animal welfare, and over six million pet dogs now living in Korean homes, demand for dog meat has dwindled.
  • Although most people in South Korea don’t eat dog, the belief that dog meat soup will cool the body during the hot summer and build stamina still holds with some, particularly the older generation.
  • In South Korea up to 1.5 million dogs a year are raised on thousands of farms across the country. Many of them are sold to butchers for Bok Nal season across July and August, to be killed by electrocution and sold for soup.*
  • Dog meat is banned in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines, as well as in the cities of Shenzhen and Zhuhai in mainland China, Siem Reap province in Cambodia, and five cities and regencies in Indonesia. An estimated 30 million dogs a year are still killed for meat in other parts of Asia.

Download photos/video of HSI/Korea’s dog meat farm closure program in action.

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Media contacts:

  • South Korea: Nara Kim, dog meat campaign manager: nkim@hsi.org
  • United Kingdom: Wendy Higgins, director of international media: whiggins@hsi.org

*Since publication of this press release and progress towards the decline of the dog meat industry in South Korea, current estimates suggest that up to 1 million dogs are reared on dog meat farms in the country.

Charity warns of worsening animal welfare crisis alongside humanitarian tragedy

Humane Society International / Europe

Charlotte Bröcker HSI in Germany and Berliner Tiertafel helping refugees and their pets arriving in Berlin with their pets.

BRUSSELS—Animal protection organisation Humane Society International, together with a generous donation from Mars, Incorporated, is helping Ukrainian refugees fleeing the conflict with their beloved pets by providing emergency funding and supplies such as pet food, blankets as well as veterinary care. The charity reports that refugees accessing their pet support services speak of their relief at being able to save their much loved animal companions who are an enormous comfort in extremely stressful circumstances, especially for traumatised children. While HSI and the local groups with which it works are providing a welcome lifeline for animal victims who make it to safety, the organisation warns of a worsening animal welfare crisis to come inside Ukraine as reaching people and animals with aid is likely to become more problematic.

In Germany, HSI is working with animal welfare group Berliner Tiertafel at a dedicated aid station in Berlin, to provide care packages and veterinary treatment for the refugees arriving with animals. Some of the pets have severe medical issues like epilepsy for which they were provided medication.

HSI’s Germany director Sylvie Kremerskothen Gleason who has been in Berlin distributing pet supplies to refugees, says: “Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is of course a devastating humanitarian crisis, but the beloved dogs, cats and other animals of those fleeing Ukraine are very much part of that refugee story. Leaving pets behind to starve or be injured in the conflict is understandably for many an impossible decision, and we have heard from refugees we’re helping in Berlin that the loyal companionship of their pets has kept them and their families going on the arduous journey to safety. For children especially, their pets are an enormous source of comfort to help them cope with the trauma of war. These refugees are frightened and exhausted, so being able to help them care for their pets means they have one less thing to worry about at a time when they need help the most.”

One of the refugees being helped by HSI and Berliner Tiertafel in Germany is Marianna, who fled Kyiv with her two children aged six and 12 years, her mother and their two dogs Erik and Liza the husky. Liza has epilepsy and had a seizure during the traumatic escape, but has now received veterinary attention thanks to HSI.

Another refugee, Karyna, also came to HSI and Berliner Tiertafel for help in Berlin. Her cat, Bonifacio, was in her foster care from a local shelter in Kyiv when the war began and she didn’t want to leave him behind. Karyna says there are around 60 other cats still left at the shelter. Bonifacio has several pre-existing injuries including a hip trauma and brain injury.  Karyna is relieved her cat is now receiving the veterinary care he needs.

HSI teams in Berlin and Trieste in Italy have also packed hundreds of kilos of pet food and supplies to make the journey to the Ukraine border to reach shelters and homes struggling to keep going. Inside Ukraine, HSI has also teamed up with Kyiv-based animal organisation UAnimals to provide them with the funds they need to help rescues, veterinary clinics and even zoos caring for hundreds of animals.

HSI/Europe’s executive director, Ruud Tombrock says: “We are deeply concerned for the people and animals in Ukraine for whom the threat of injury or death from the fighting is compounded by the increasing challenge of safely finding food and supplies. Our first shipment of emergency funds and goods will reach many shelters, rescues and families struggling to cope. But the longer this conflict continues, the more challenging it may become. Significant numbers of dogs are now roaming the streets and seeking shelter in abandoned or bombed buildings because shelters have been damaged. There will also be animals on farms and in zoos for whom evacuation is just not possible. So alongside the human tragedy of this invasion we face the possibility of a worsening animal welfare crisis.”

You can help by making a donation to HSI’s emergency response for Ukraine and other life-saving efforts.

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