Region: Global

Humane Society International

Rescued from a dog meat farm
Frank Loftus/The HSUS

Update: On January 9, 2024, South Korea’s National Assembly voted through a ban on the dog meat industry, making the breeding, slaughter and sale of dogs and dog meat for human consumption illegal from 2027.

In South Korea, dogs are intensively farmed for human consumption. They are given little food, usually no water, and live outdoors in small cages with no protection from the hot summers or brutally cold winters. Many suffer from disease and malnutrition and all are subjected to daily, extreme neglect. The methods used to kill the dogs are very cruel—electrocution is most common.

Rescued from a dog meat market
Jean Chung

The majority of South Koreans do not routinely eat dog meat. Dog meat is mostly eaten by older, male citizens who have the misguided belief that it is beneficial for health when consumed either as a soup called “boshintang”—which is believed by some to invigorate the blood and reduce lethargy—or as a tonic (gaesoju), which is sold in traditional medicine shops. Dog meat is particularly popular during the summer months, especially during Bok Nal—the three hottest days between July and August when 70 to 80 percent of the dog meat is consumed.

Agreeing to shut down a dog meat farm
Jean Chung

Models for Change: Closing dog meat farms

Since 2015, HSI has worked on the ground in South Korea to shut down more than a dozen farms and rescued more  than 2,500 dogs who have found loving homes in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. However, these farm closures are only a small part of our strategic and ambitious program to phase out dog meat farming in South Korea.

Rescued from a dog meat farm
Jean Chung

What sets HSI’s strategy apart

HSI works collaboratively with dog meat farmers who wish to leave the controversial industry but don’t have the means to stop. We don’t simply buy the dogs, leaving empty cages to be filled again. We sign a legally binding contract with each farmer to permanently shut down each farm and transition the dog meat farmer to a more profitable—and humane—business model, such as medicinal herb farming, water parsley farming, or blueberry farming. Our working model for change helps us demonstrate to the South Korean government that the dog meat industry can be phased out in cooperation, rather than conflict, with dog meat farmers.

Dog rescued from a dog meat farm
Jean Chung

Our broader campaign

Our goal is a ban on the consumption of dog meat and the cruel industry which supplies the dogs within the next 10 years. We work on the ground with local organizations and activists to create culturally sensitive solutions that will change public perceptions and influence policy makers in favor of reform. Dog meat farm closures are part of HSI’s strategy to facilitate the political and societal circumstances to make this possible.

Many people in South Korea love and keep pet dogs. However, there is a misconception held by some that “meat dogs” are different from “pet dogs.” We campaign to show the public that all dogs suffer in the same ways and are all deserving of love. Another goal of our campaign is to encourage pet adoption. Currently, the few shelters in South Korea are overcrowded and under-resourced. Pet adoption, particularly of large dogs, is uncommon and older dogs are at risk of being discarded on farms since there are no shelters to take them.

Korea dog meat protest
Michael Bernard/HSI

Progress/An industry in decline

Our dog farm closures demonstrate that there is a willingness within the industry to phase out this trade. HSI works with leading Korean animal groups, including Korea Animal Rights Advocates (KARA), Korean Animal Welfare Association (KAWA) and LIFE. Together, we have helped close some of the country’s largest dog slaughterhouses and dog meat markets.

According to the Korea Times, “Fewer people in Seoul are eating dog, as nearly 40 percent of the restaurants selling dog meat have closed over the last 10 years.” A 2020 opinion poll in South Korea commissioned by HSI and conducted by Nielsen, shows growing support for a ban on dog meat consumption, with 84 percent of those polled saying they don’t or won’t eat dog, and almost 60 percent supporting a legislative ban on the trade.

A growing number of South Korean animal rights activists are dedicated to ending the dog meat trade. Local authorities are cracking down on the industry, and new legislation applied stricter health and safety requirements on the dog farms. At a higher level, the Supreme Court concluded that killing dogs by the common method of electrocution breaches animal welfare law, and the President’s Blue House pledged to consider removing dogs and cats from the legal definition of livestock. Change is taking place in South Korea like never before and HSI is proud to work alongside our Korean partners to support their work in developing practical, culturally sensitive solutions to animal welfare concerns.

Humane Society International / United States

CINCINNATI—Today the Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE: PG) joins with the Humane Society International #BeCrueltyFree campaign, to ban animal testing for cosmetics in all major global beauty markets by 2023.

The #BeCrueltyFree campaign was launched in 2012 with the aim of extending the European Union’s legal precedent – banning cosmetics animal testing and the sale of newly animal tested cosmetics – to countries where this practice is still allowed or even mandated by law. P&G’s support for #BeCrueltyFree will include joint education and capacity-building programs for non-animal alternatives, continued development of new animal-free approaches to safety assessment and advocating for the legislative end of cosmetic animal testing in key global beauty markets.

Kitty Block, President of Humane Society International and the Humane Society of the United States, said: “This partnership represents an important milestone in our efforts to end animal testing for cosmetics worldwide through our #BeCrueltyFree campaign. By working together with forward-looking companies like Procter & Gamble, we can make this ambitious goal a reality.”

Kathy Fish, Chief Research, Development and Innovation Officer, Procter and Gamble, shared “We are pleased to partner with the Humane Society International in the quest to end cosmetic animal testing. I’m proud of the passion and expertise our researchers have contributed already to this goal. I know they will continue to be a force for good, providing leadership and advocacy to help achieve our shared vision.”

For over two decades, P&G, HSI, the HSUS and Humane Society Legislative Fund have collaborated on the development and regulatory uptake of animal-free test methods. The organizations expect that by bringing their complementary strengths together, they will reach the end goal more quickly. A key focus will be gaining acceptance of new methods by regulators and enrolling many companies and governments globally to adopt cruelty-free public policies and practices.

Dr. Harald Schlatter, P&G Corporate Communications and Animal Welfare Advocacy, added: “We’ve invested more than $420 million over forty years in developing non-animal test methods. Our researchers have led or co-designed at least twenty-five cruelty-free methods that have replaced animal testing of cosmetic products. HSI and the HSUS have been powerful partners in advancing these methods globally.”

Troy Seidle, HSI Vice President for Research & Toxicology, said: “Animal testing of cosmetics not only causes unnecessary animal suffering, but it also represents outdated science. For more than 20 years, we have collaborated with Procter & Gamble to advance the development and regulatory acceptance of non-animal testing approaches, but in order to finally move proposed cosmetic animal testing bans into law in the United States, Canada, Brazil, Chile, South Africa and other influential markets, we need the active support of major industry leaders such as P&G. With the power of P&G’s household brands, I’m confident we can achieve a legislative end to cosmetic animal testing globally within five years.”

Media contacts:

Procter & Gamble

Humane Society International

  • Canada: Christopher Paré, 438-402-0643, cpare@hsi.org
  • Europe/UK: Wendy Higgins, +44 (0) 7989 972 423 (mobile), whiggins@hsi.org
  • United States: Nancy Hwa, 202-676-2337 (direct), 202-596-0808 (cell), nhwa@hsi.org

Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society Legislative Fund

About Humane Society International

Humane Society International and its partner organizations together constitute one of the world’s largest animal protection organizations. For more than 25 years, HSI has been working for the protection of all animals through the use of science, advocacy, education and hands on programs. Celebrating animals and confronting cruelty worldwide – on the Web at hsi.org.

About the Humane Society of the United States

The Humane Society of the United States is the most effective animal protection organization, as rated by our peers. For more than 60 years, we have celebrated the protection of all animals and confronted all forms of cruelty. We and our affiliates are the nation’s largest provider of hands-on services for animals, caring for more than 100,000 animals each year, and we prevent cruelty to millions more through our advocacy campaigns. Read about our more than 60 years of transformational change for animals and people. HumaneSociety.org

About the Humane Society Legislative Fund

The Humane Society Legislative Fund is a social welfare organization incorporated under section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code and formed in 2004 as a separate lobbying affiliate of The Humane Society of the United States. The HSLF works to pass animal protection laws at the state and federal level, to educate the public about animal protection issues, and to support humane candidates for office. Visit us on all our channels: on the web at hslf.org, on our blog at animalsandpolitics.com, on Facebook at facebook.com/humanelegislation and on Twitter at twitter.com/HSLegFund.

About Procter & Gamble

P&G serves consumers around the world with one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Always®, Ambi Pur®, Ariel®, Bounty®, Charmin®, Crest®, Dawn®, Downy®, Fairy®, Febreze®, Gain®, Gillette®, Head & Shoulders®, Lenor®, Olay®, Oral-B®, Pampers®, Pantene®, SK-II®, Tide®, Vicks®, and Whisper®. The P&G community includes operations in approximately 70 countries worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and information about P&G and its brands.

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

Overview

We all dream of the day when cancer is cured and AIDS is eradicated, but is the continued use of mice, monkeys and other animals as experimental “models” of human disease actually holding us back from realizing the promise of 21st century science?

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/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

Countries must grasp vital chance to protect 152 wild animal species from trade exploitation including giraffes, sharks, elephants and white rhino, says Humane Society International ahead of CITES CoP18 in Sri Lanka

Humane Society International / United Kingdom

WASHINGTON—A proposal to give protection status to the woolly mammoth, a species that has been extinct for 10,000 years, is the latest attempt by conservation-minded countries to stop its genetic cousin the African elephant from following in the mammoth’s giant footsteps by slipping into extinction.

The proposal by Israel to afford the prehistoric mammoth Appendix II protection under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) taking place in Sri Lanka in May, could play a vital role in saving elephants who are being poached at the rate of around 30,000 animals a year. Unlike the demise of the mammoth, it is the global ivory trade that is decimating elephants. Although international trade in elephant ivory has been banned since 1990, traffickers often try to pass off ivory as legal mammoth ivory to circumvent the ban, because of its near identical appearance.

Israel’s proposal is one of 57 announced this week by CITES. Countries from around the world submitted the proposals seeking to increase or decrease protections for 152 wild animal species affected by international commercial trade. These include conflicting proposals on elephants, with nine African countries wanting to up-list the African elephants of Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe from Appendix II to I in the face of an insatiable poaching crisis, whilst a proposal by Zambia seeks to down-list its elephants to Appendix II to allow international commercial trade in raw ivory. And Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe, whose populations of the species are already on Appendix II, want to weaken existing restrictions on their ability, and that of South Africa whose elephant population is also on Appendix II, to export ivory to consumer countries.

Other species on the CITES agenda include the giraffe whose wild populations have declined by up to 40 percent in the last 30 years due to habitat loss and poaching, Mako sharks threatened by the Asian shark fin trade, Sri Lankan lizards imperilled by the exotic pet trade, giant guitarfish and 10 species of wedgefish declining due to over-fishing, and a proposal by Namibia to down-list the Southern white rhino and by Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) to allow trade in rhino horn.

Wildlife experts at Humane Society International, who will attend the CITES meeting in Sri Lanka, say that nations need to urgently reboot their approach to wildlife protection in the face of unsustainable trade driving species to the edge of extinction.

Kitty Block, president of Humane Society International, said: “Every single day, human-induced habitat loss, poaching, commercial trade and climate change are pushing more of our planet’s precious wild species towards extinction. We can no longer afford any complacency when it comes to saving wild animal species threatened by over-exploitation, and so as we welcome CITES proposals to establish new or increased protections, we urge nations to ensure that species conservation is approached as a necessity not a luxury, with pro-active trade restrictions imposed long before a species is at the extinction precipice.

With ivory traffickers exploiting the long-extinct mammoth so that they can further exploit imperilled elephants, the time is now for African and all other nations to unite in the fight to end the poaching epidemic and ensure all ivory markets are closed. Giraffes too need our urgent attention, having already disappeared from seven countries and now quietly slipping into extinction with the wild population at or just under 100,000. The time to act is now, before we lose them forever.”

CITES offers three levels of protection, and the proposals generally aim to list currently unlisted species, or to increase or decrease protection between Appendix I (which more or less prevents commercial international trade) and II (which allows trade under special conditions).

CITES proposals of note include:

    • Giraffe: Central African Republic, Chad, Kenya, Mali, Niger and Senegal have proposed to list the giraffe on CITES Appendix II. The species is currently not CITES-listed; its wild population has declined by between 36 percent and 40 percent over the last 30 years; it is threatened by poaching, and it is internationally traded: nearly 40,000 giraffes and their parts and products were imported to the U.S. from 2006-2015, including bone carvings (21,402), bones (4,789), trophies (3,744), skin pieces (3,008), bone pieces (1,903), skins (855), and jewellery (825).The latest International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species has added the Kordofan and Nubian subspecies of giraffes to the list of “critically endangered,” with fewer than 4,650 animals left. The reticulated, Thornicroft’s and West African giraffe subspecies were also listed as endangered or vulnerable. Giraffes have disappeared completely from Burkina Faso, Eritrea, Guinea, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria and Senegal.

 

    • African elephant: Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Sudan, Syria and Togo have proposed to transfer elephant populations of Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe from Appendix II to Appendix I in order to offer maximum protection under CITES in the face of the ongoing threat posed by the unsustainable demand from the ivory trade, the uncertainty of the impact of that trade on the species across its range, and the enforcement problems that exist because the level of protection is inconsistent across the continent, with some populations protected under Appendix I and others under Appendix II.In a separate proposal, Zambia seeks to transfer its elephant population from Appendix I to II and to allow international trade in raw ivory for commercial purposes; and Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe have proposed to allow unlimited amounts of registered raw ivory from government-owned stocks to be traded to importing Parties verified by the Secretariat to have certain measures in place to, among other things, prevent re-export.

 

    • Woolly mammoth: Israel proposes to list the woolly mammoth in Appendix II to tackle the growing trade in mammoth ivory which can be used to launder illegal elephant ivory. To get around the elephant ivory ban, traders sometimes mix the two ivories together, and in the absence of a reliable and cost-effective test to distinguish between the two, the market in mammoth ivory is providing a dangerous cover for poached elephant ivory.

 

    • Mako sharks, giant guitarfishes and wedgefishes: sharks and rays have again broken the CITES record for numbers of countries proposing listings. Longfin and shortfin Mako sharks, six species of giant guitarfishes, and 10 species of wedgefishes have been proposed for listing on CITES Appendix II. All of these fish species are declining in the wild, mainly as a result of over-fishing, particularly for the lucrative Asian shark fin market.

 

  • Southern white rhino: Namibia has proposed to transfer its population from Appendix I to II, and Eswatini has proposed a measure that would allow international trade in rhino horns for commercial purposes. There are an estimated 20,000 southern white rhino in Africa, and they remain threatened by poaching for their horn. Poaching in South Africa, which is home to around 90 percent of southern white rhino, has escalated enormously in recent years.

Facts:

  • This will be the 18th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES, which will take place in Colombo, Sri Lanka, from May 23 to June 3.
  • 183 countries are CITES Parties and 64 of them, plus the European Union representing 28 member states, submitted proposals for consideration at the upcoming meeting.
  • If approved at the meeting, the proposals could affect the protective status under CITES of 574 taxa including 17 mammals, 4 birds, 51 reptiles, 57 amphibians, 18 fish, 20 invertebrates, and 407 plants.
  • CITES offers three levels of protection for species affected by international trade:
  1. 1. Appendix I is for species threatened with extinction which are or may be affected by trade. Trade in specimens of these species must be subject to particularly strict regulation in order not to endanger further their survival and must only be authorized in exceptional circumstances.
  2. 2. Appendix II is for species which although not necessarily now threatened with extinction may become so unless trade in specimens of such species is subject to strict regulation in order to avoid utilization incompatible with their survival; and other species which must be subject to regulation in order that trade in specimens of certain species may be brought under effective control.
  3. 3. Appendix III is for species which any Party identifies as being subject to regulation within its jurisdiction for the purpose of preventing or restricting exploitation, and as needing the co-operation of other Parties in the control of trade.

Humane Society International / Global

Overview

HSI works globally and locally to address animal abuse and neglect. These efforts include education initiatives, policy coordination and facilitating implementation. HSI trains law enforcement and government officials on animal cruelty investigation and prosecution and collaborates on humane animal control efforts.

Humane Society International / Global

By participating in certain activities while traveling, you may be feeding the demand for captive wildlife and wildlife for entertainment. Live animals are often used in a variety of tourist attractions, and while vendors may claim that they came from sustainable sources and are treated well, it is likely that the opposite is true. The following are some examples of attractions and activities that you should avoid patronizing or participating in.

Animal performances and displays

All over the world, animals are made to perform in rodeos, bullfights, and circuses, are displayed in zoos and aquaria, and are sometimes even exhibited in hotels and restaurants. Many of these captive creatures have been taken from their habitats and trained to do unnatural tricks for tourists. The dancing bears in Eastern Europe are one example.

These animals are often subjected to improper housing and care. Many receive little, if any, veterinary attention. Everything about their lives—from diet to exercise (or lack thereof)—may be inappropriate and inadequate to their needs.

You can help reduce the proliferation of animal entertainment and displays by refusing to attend events involving animals or to visit animal displays. When a hotel, restaurant, or other tourist attraction features birds or other animals, let your objections be known. Speak to the manager and to your tour operator and encourage your travel companions to do the same.

Rides, encounters and walks

In many countries, animals like camels, elephants, donkeys and horses are used to earn income from tourists through rides and safaris. These animals are often malnourished and/or physically abused, and may even walk about with open wounds. They are expected to carry very heavy loads for extended periods of time. All too often, old, ill or pregnant animals who should not be ridden are offered for hire. Please do not support these enterprises. Let your tour guide and the manager in your hotel know that you are disturbed by such cruelty.

“Lion walk” experiences by organizations that breed lions and allow people close interaction with them ultimately remove the fear that these animals should have of humans. The possibility of attack is high and in such instances the animals always pay with their lives. The project serves no conservation purpose, as such animals cannot and will not be returned to the wild.

“Swim with the dolphins” attractions are yet another tourist trap to avoid. Dolphins are commercially exploited in marine parks, aquaria, and “swim with the dolphins” (SWTD) programs worldwide.

Photo opportunities

Tourists generally love a good photo-op. Pictures of interesting or exotic spots capture happy memories of good times. Unfortunately, they can also serve as records of man’s inhumanity towards the animal kingdom.

Cute monkeys, young lions, colorful parrots, and other animals and birds taken from the wild are sometimes posed outside restaurants or busy tourist attractions. For a nominal fee, local entrepreneurs will take the visitor’s picture with these creatures. Tempting as it may be to want to support the local economy in this modest way, stop for a moment to consider the animals. Taken from the wild, usually as babies and often at the expense of killing their parents, these creatures are over handled and kept for long periods without food, water, and shelter. The larger and more dangerous animals may be drugged. When out of the public eye, they generally live in tiny cages, are fed inadequate and inappropriate diets, and are denied veterinary care. And when they are old, sick or no longer considered cute, they are abandoned.

Please help put a stop to such cruelty. Don’t have your picture taken with animals that have been captured from the wild. Make your objection to such practices known to restaurant owners, your tour guide or another appropriate official. Remember that the best photo-op for animals is in their natural habitat.

A better way

There are certainly ways to interact with wildlife that are safe and beneficial for both you and the animals. When done right, “volunteer with wildlife” programs can be an all around rewarding experience.

Humane Society International

Overview

Humane Society International conducts and facilitates educational outreach worldwide, raising awareness of welfare issues to encourage people to treat animals more humanely and make better-informed choices as consumers.

Learn More Button Inserter