Region: United Kingdom

Saving dogs and cats from the meat trade

Humane Society International / United Kingdom

Rescuing dogs and cats from the dog meat trade is a small but important part of our work to end this cruelty. In China, through our amazing partner groups, we’ve helped rescue thousands of dogs and cats from slaughter trucks and slaughterhouses. In South Korea, we’ve permanently shut down 18 dog meat farms since 2015, and rescued more than 2,700 dogs flown to the USA, UK, Canada and the Netherlands for adoption. So far, 38 dogs and 2 cats have been re-homed in the UK, many of whom act as ambassadors for our campaign.

Our South Korean dog farm closures are a key part of our broader strategy to demonstrate to the South Korean government a working model for a state-sponsored, nationwide closure of farms. We have been working directly with farmers who have expressed a desire to end their involvement in the industry, identifying ways to shut down the farms and transition to humane livelihoods, such as sustainable crop-growing businesses. See the latest updates on our Facebook page.

How to volunteer

HSI does not deploy volunteers to assist with dog meat farm closures (nor disaster aid), as we have specialists and trained teams to carry out this work. At our emergency shelter in Montreal, volunteers help HSI/Canada rehabilitate rescued animals, clean their cages on a daily basis and socialize them so they can be ready for placement through our partners.

HSI’s partner groups, VShine and Capital Animal Welfare Association, run animal hospital or shelter facilities in Beijing and Dalian, China, and accept volunteers for a minimum of 2 weeks. Volunteers with specific animal care, shelter management, animal behaviour or veterinary skills are ideal, but generalist volunteers are also welcome to apply to help clean out, feed and walk the animals. Accommodation may be provided. Apply by emailing vshine@vip.163.com with the subject line: Application for Volunteer Work.

How to adopt

To see the dogs who are looking for their forever homes, please visit our re-homing partners, Chimney Farm (scroll to bottom of page). You can express interest in adoption via their online form here. Another of our regular partner shelters is All Dogs Matter, who have dogs and cats looking for homes all year round. Check them out here.

Humane Society International’s canine ambassadors to help make dog meat trade history

Humane Society International / United Kingdom

London–Humane Society International’s rescue team is on the ground in South Korea to save more than 90 dogs and puppies from the horrors of a dog meat farm, with seven lucky pups destined to fly to the United Kingdom to seek adoptive homes. The remaining dogs are being flown to the United States and Canada. TV vet, animal welfare campaigner, and founder of PupAid Marc Abraham, and world-respected dog trainer and star of Animal Planet’s “It’s Me or the Dog” and Channel 5’s “Dogs With Extraordinary Jobs”, Victoria Stilwell, flew out to South Korea with HSI to witness the rescue first-hand.

During their trip, Victoria and Marc also joined the HSI team as special guests of the British Ambassador Simon Smith for a gallery exhibition about the charity’s dog farm rescue work, at which the Ambassador praised the charity for working collaboratively with dog farmers wanting to exit the cruel trade.

Download broll video and photos of the rescue here.

The dogs were living on a dog meat farm in Gyeonggi-do province that is closing thanks to HSI’s pioneering program that sees the charity help dog farmers who want to leave the increasingly controversial industry. This is the 15th dog farm HSI has permanently closed, and one of thousands of such farms across the country supplying live dogs to slaughterhouses and markets for human consumption.

Seven of the rescued dogs will fly to the UK where they will begin their search for adoptive homes. Winston the Boston Terrier, Labrador mixes Pumpkin and Oscar, spaniel mix Maisy, terrier Scooby, and Jindo mixes Bella and Molly, were among the more than 90 dogs destined to be sold to the butcher before the dog farmer – 40-year old Kwon Tae-young – had a change of heart and asked to join HSI’s dog farm closure program, the only campaign of its kind in South Korea helping farmers leave dog farming behind them to set up more humane and profitable livelihoods.

Victoria Stilwell said: “It’s been a real privilege to join Humane Society International’s team in South Korea and see their dog meat farm closure program for myself. I’ve seen all breeds of dogs here suffering the same, kept in filthy cages with no environmental enrichment whatsoever. It’s little wonder that they seem so desperate to escape. The agreement that HSI reaches with the dog farmer truly is a lifeline for these dogs.”

Vet Marc Abraham, who campaigned successfully to achieve a ban on puppy farming in England, Wales and Scotland (known as Lucy’s Law), said: “I’m really in awe of the resilience of these beautiful dogs. They endure miserable lives in squalid conditions with just the bare minimum to keep them alive, and no veterinary care whatsoever, and yet so many of them still wag their tails and jump with excitement when shown the slightest bit of affection. Any factory farm for dogs is a hellish place, bethat for the pet trade or the meat trade, and HSI’s program is making a massive difference here to pave the way to end this cruel industry for good.”

The tosa and jindo breeds more typical of the trade were kept at the farm alongside a chow-chow, golden retriever, several terrier mixes and two Boston terriers, all destined for the cooking pot, with most enduring a miserable life in cramped and barren wire frame cages, while others were chained up alone.

Like all the dog farmers with whom HSI has worked, Farmer Kwon Tae-young 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 he feels happy to know that his remaining dogs will escape the grim fate of fighting or slaughter.

Farmer Kwon Tae-young said: “I’ve thought about closing my dog farm for a while now for various reasons, but never actually did anything about it. I have lost more money on this dog farm than I have made, and I feel like the dog meat industry in South Korea has already ended really because it’s the worst of the worst times for dog farmers I think. One day I talked to a former dog farmer who had worked with HSI and he recommended I work with the charity to help me leave the dog meat industry. When I heard that HSI would help find forever homes for the dogs instead of them being euthanized, that’s when I decided to do it. Rather than selling them off to traders, I thought it would be so much better if they can live their life and not die for meat or live the life of a fighting dog. That is why I’m working with HSI.”

HSI’s unique program sees the charity work with dog farmers to rescue their dogs and transition their businesses to more humane and profitable enterprises such as crop growing or service trades like water delivery. A 20-year contract is signed by each farmer stipulating they must not breed dogs or any animals again, and the cages are demolished to ensure that no animals will suffer on the property in future. As political and public momentum grows in South Korea to end the dog meat trade, HSI’s strategy points to the cultural need for a solution that works for both people and dogs caught up in the industry. The charity hopes its program will demonstrate to the government that its phase-out model can be adopted nationwide with state support, and buy-in rather than opposition from farmers.

Nara Kim, HSI/Korea’s dog meat campaigner says: “All animals can suffer for the meat trade, but we have a unique set of social and political circumstances in South Korea that means we have a chance of ending that suffering for millions of dogs, as appetites and attitudes towards dog meat are changing. More Koreans than ever before are speaking out against the dog meat industry, and pressure is building on the government to make a plan to phase out this cruel business. As a Korean myself, I know what a difference HSI’s dog farm transition program can make in hastening an end to the suffering. ”

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, and in July this year HSI/Korea worked with fellow Korean animal groups and Busan city council to close down Gupo dog meat market.

Speaking at the British Embassy dog meat rescue gallery exhibition, Ambassador Smith said: “We have been delighted to host a reception for Humane Society International at the Embassy, to bring attention to their work tackling the animal welfare problems of the dog meat trade. HSI’s approach is commendable and clearly effective, working collaboratively with dog farmers keen to leave the trade behind them, and supporting their willing transition to alternative humane livelihoods. We also congratulate the city councils of Seongnam and Busan with whom HSI have worked recently to close dog meat markets, a move that we understand has been welcomed by the local communities. Improving animal welfare is a global challenge and opportunity, for all animals, and we welcome the progress that has been made for dogs here in Korea.”

Download photos of the British Ambassador with a jindo puppy, saved by HSI from the dog meat trade, here.

The seven dogs destined for the UK will first complete their quarantine at Humane Society International’s shelter partner in South Korea, after which they will be flown to the UK at the end of November to be placed in foster families by HSI shelter partner Chimney Farm Rescue in Surrey. Prospective adopters can apply to Chimney Farm Rescue via https://www.chimneyfarmrescue.com/

Facts:

  • An estimated 2 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 (Boknal) in July and August, when it is eaten as a soup called bosintang.
  • In advance of Boknal this year, HSI/Korea launched an online public voting campaign called #NameMe. Thousands of Korean citizens voted on the new name of “Nuri” to replace the derogatory term “meat dogs” that has served to normalise the concept that such a type of dog exists. HSI believes that tosas, jindos and other dogs should not be defined by the abusive industry they find themselves in, and that by renaming them we are promoting our core message that all dogs are equally capable of becoming pet dogs, and are deserving of equal protection under the law.
  • Dogs are mainly killed by electrocution, taking up to five minutes to die. Hanging is also practiced despite being illegal.
  • 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’s veterinarian vaccinates all the dogs against the H3N2 (dog flu) virus, rabies, DHPP, corona virus, distemper and parvo. 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 broll video and photos of the rescue here.

ENDS

Media contact: Wendy Higgins: whiggins@hsi.org

Alesha Dixon, Evanna Lynch, Leona Lewis, MPs, forty animal charities, and Larry the cat call on PM to announce new animal sentience legislation

Humane Society International / United Kingdom

Larry the Cat/Twitter Larry the Cat

LONDON—Celebrities, MPs, animal protection organisations and Number 10’s Larry the Cat have joined forces to call on the Prime Minister to prioritise legislation that recognises animals as sentient beings and enacts a duty to protect them when formulating and implementing policy, before the UK departs the EU.

Celebrity video messages of support for the #BetterDealforAnimals campaign were played at a Parliament event yesterday attended by 27 MPs. Larry the cat tweeted in support of the campaign saying, “I was delighted to receive more than 100,000 signatures from my friends at #BetterDealForAnimals as part of their campaign for animal sentience to be recognised; perhaps it could be called #LarrysLaw #BetterDealForAnimals.”

I was delighted to receive more than 100,000 signatures from my friends @HSIUKorg as part of their campaign for animal sentience to be recognised; perhaps it could be called #LarrysLaw#BetterDealForAnimals pic.twitter.com/Yr143X4cjN

— Larry the Cat (@Number10cat) September 3, 2019

In his first speech as PM, Mr Johnson said: “Let’s promote the welfare of animals that has always been so close to the hearts of the British people.” Yet as it stands, deal or no deal, animals will lose vital legal protections on 31st October because EU laws recognising that they are sentient will no longer apply.

The #BetterDealForAnimals campaign is supported by forty of Britain’s largest and most effective animal charities including the RSPCA, Humane Society International, World Animal Protection and Compassion in World Farming. Campaigners stress that failure to bring forward the ‘sentience’ law would make animals vulnerable to the government creating new laws, policies or trade deals that don’t take animals’ welfare needs into account. For example, new trade deals could be agreed that would permit imports of lower welfare animal products – such as chicken carcasses washed in chlorine to mask low welfare standards, and meat and dairy produced from hormone-treated animals. See more examples of potential post-Brexit animal harm here.

Despite one of the most fraught days in Parliament’s history, 27 MPs from five political parties prioritised animals and attended the event, sponsored by Shadow Secretary of State for Environment Sue Hayman MP, Alistair Carmichael MP of the Lib Dems and Deidre Brock MP from SNP, to show their support for the new animal protection law. Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Zac Goldsmith MP gave the keynote address and pressed that he would find the earliest possible opportunity to introduce animal sentience legislation adding “it’s hard to exaggerate how important animal welfare issues are to me, and as long as I am Minister for Animal Welfare, I’ll use every opportunity I can to advance this agenda.”

A Parliamentary e-petition, signed by more than 100,000 UK animal lovers, which calls for sentience to be recognised in law before we leave the EU closed on 27th August and was handed in to Number 10 Downing Street yesterday. The petition had already prompted a Parliamentary debate on animal sentience, but due to the chaos in parliament the debate has now been knocked down the priorities list and rescheduled to November.

Claire Bass, Executive Director of Humane Society International/UK, a #BetterDealForAnimals campaign partner, said: “Rescue puppy Dilyn has landed on his paws taking up residence at Number 11 this week, and Larry the cat looks relaxed on his window ledge, but the welfare of millions of other animals hangs in the balance. Mr Johnson has made promising proclamations about the importance of animal welfare but the clock is ticking to turn words into laws. The Prime Minister must listen to the public, MPs, celebrities and, of course, his in-house feline and canine special advisers, and prioritise legislation to ensure that animals don’t lose legal protections as a result of Brexit.”

Sonul Badiani-Hamment from World Animal Protection, a #BetterDealForAnimals campaign partner, said “It’s been over 18 months since the government declared that it would recognise in law that animals can think and feel, and afford them legal protection accordingly after Brexit. May’s government left this languishing and despite encouraging words from Mr Johnson, we’re now just weeks from leaving the EU with no legislation or parliamentary time in sight. With government and parliament fighting between themselves, animals are being entirely forgotten. Mr Johnson should listen to Larry the Cat, celebrities, MPs and the millions of animal lovers across the country and ensure animal sentience legislation is prioritised at the first opportunity.”

The #BetterDealForAnimals campaign has already been backed by over 100 MPs and peers across all parties: www.wcl.org.uk/better-deal-for-animals

-END-

Notes to Editors:

  1. The parliamentary event is sponsored by Sue Hayman MP (Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
  2. The organisations supporting the #BetterDealForAnimals campaign are: Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, Animal Aid, Animal Defenders International, Animal Equality, Animal Interfaith Alliance, Animal Protection Agency, Badger Trust, Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, Born Free Foundation, Catholic Concern for Animals, Cats Protection, Change for Animals Foundation, Christian Vegetarian Association, Compassion in World Farming, Cruelty Free International, Crustacean Compassion, Dogs Trust, Four Paws UK, The Humane League, HSI-UK, IFAW, International Animal Rescue, League Against Cruel Sports, Mayhew, Naturewatch Foundation, OneKind, Open Cages, PAAW House, PDSA, PETA, Quaker Concern for Animals, RSPCA, The Donkey Sanctuary, The Save Me Trust, The Shellfish Network, Treat Me Kind International, Whale and Dolphin Conservation, Wild Welfare, World Animal Protection, Wildlife and Countryside Link
  3. The online petition to Parliament to “Recognise animal sentience & require that animal welfare has full regard in law” attracted 103,919 signatures and closed on 27th August  https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/242239

YouGov online polling of 1,825 adults between 4-5 February 2019 showed that:

  • Voters for all the main political parties believe that animal welfare laws should be maintained or made more extensive than they are now – 86% of Conservative voters, 84% of Labour voters and 82% of Lib Dem voters
  • 80% of the British public want post-Brexit Government trade deals to have clear requirements that imported animal products meet or exceed British animal welfare production standards. Only 6% say this should not be a requirement
  • Almost 7 out of 10 (68%) want legal requirements to ensure that animal welfare is protected, to the greatest extent possible, when new laws and policies are made. Only 3% oppose this
  • Less than a third (31%) of the public are confident that the UK Government will live up to its promises of being a world leader on animal welfare, 56% say they are not confident
  • Two-thirds (66%) want an animal protection committee established to give expert independent advice to government on safeguarding animal welfare

The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+). YouGov is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by their rules.

3.52 million mice, dogs, monkeys, rabbits suffered and died in UK labs in 2018

Humane Society International / United Kingdom

Andrei Tchernov/iStockphoto

LONDON—Home Office statistics published today[1] reveal a shockingly high number of dogs, mice, cats, rabbits and other animals are still suffering in invasive, painful and sometimes lethal experiments in British laboratories despite unprecedented availability of high-tech and often more human-predictive non-animal approaches.

The Annual Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals, Great Britain 2018 show that a total of 3.52 million procedures were completed in the UK in 2018, including tests on mice (1.1 million), rats (170,665), birds (146,860), rabbits (11,159), guinea pigs (6,445), monkeys (3,207), dogs (4, 481), cats (159), horses (10,424) and fish (300,811). A total of 87,557 animals were subjected to severe suffering, the highest category allowed under the law.

Humane Society International Senior Scientist Dr Lindsay Marshall, who for 12 years managed a laboratory dedicated to animal-free research into respiratory diseases, said: “As a scientist myself, I know all too well the drawbacks of relying on animals to study and treat human disease. The fact is that animal models fail far more often than they succeed, so it’s hugely frustrating and worrying to see the UK, year after year, failing to move away from outdated animal experiments. It’s high time UK research funding bodies stopped squandering British taxpayer money and charitable donations on dead-end research, and made a serious investment in human organoids, organs-on-a-chip, computerised systems biology models, and other advanced, non-animal technologies that are the true future of modern medical research.” 

The government made a commitment in 2010 to reduce animals used in scientific research, but almost 10 years after this declaration of intent[2], the UK remains one of the highest lab animal users in Europe. In those same years, non-animal technologies that can produce faster, cheaper and more human-relevant results, have advanced enormously:

  • Computers are much better than animals at predicting possible toxic effects of chemicals and drugs[3].
  • The discovery of induced pluripotent stem cells has helped to remove the ethical barriers to stem cell use[4].
  • Scientists have created human-mimetic systems of almost every organ in the body. There is a human-on-a-chip for drug testing[5], a patient-on-a-chip is not far away[6] and chips have travelled to space to investigate the impact of ageing on the human body[7].

Dr Marshall is not alone in her opinion. A raft of academic reviews from expert scientists in a range of fields reach the same conclusion for conditions as diverse as autism, cardiovascular disease, liver disease, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s disease[8] and they call for more investment in human-relevant methods.

Dr Marshall continues: “Despite staggering advances in scientific technology, medical research in Britain remains irrationally wedded to broken animal models. If our government is truly committed to advancing medical progress for its citizens, and to reducing the use of animals in laboratories, significant funding must be redirected from animals to human-mimetic approaches, rather than the paltry 3% of the UK annual research spend that non-animal methods receive at present.”

The recent closure of two mouse breeding facilities[9] illustrates the growing recognition within the scientific community that a paradigm shift away from animal use is essential for medical progress. Recognition that fewer animals are required due to a “rise in the use of alternative technologies”[10] is a step in the right direction, yet the Home Office animal use statistics indicate that there is much more work required to reduce the body count.

Facts:

  • Despite the ever-increasing growth in animal procedures, there is no corresponding increase in the number of human medicines making it to the clinic. In recent years, both the European Medicines Agency and US Food and Drug Administration approved fewer new drugs than they had been approving earlier in the decade.
  • Most animal models are poor predictors of human response, with over 90% of new candidate drugs never making it to patients. That’s because pharmaceutical compounds that appear ‘safe’ and ‘effective’ in animal trials fail to deliver the same result when given to people; 55% do not effectively treat the condition for which they are intended, and almost 30% show signs of toxicity that were not seen in animal tests[11].
  • Advances in gene sequencing and phenotypic analysis in humans is ushering in the era of precision medicine, and focused funding and efforts on human-relevant technologies like these are more likely to provide disease understanding and much-needed new treatments.
  • Nearly 560,000 experiments in 2018 were deemed to have caused moderate or severe suffering to animals. Moderate suffering is described by the Home Office as causing short term moderate pain or distress to animals while severe suffering causes long-lasting extreme pain or distress.

ENDS

Contact: Dr Lindsay Marshall, 07719 531 675, lmarshall@hsi.org

Notes to editors:

  1. 2018 Home Office statistics: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/818578/annual-statistics-scientific-procedures-living-animals-2018.pdf
  2. https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmhansrd/cm110718/wmstext/110718m0001.htm
  3. Passini, et al. 2017 Human In Silico Drug Trials Demonstrate Higher Accuracy than Animal Models in Predicting Clinical Pro-Arrhythmic Cardiotoxicity. Front Physiol.8:668.
    Luechtefeld et al. 2018 Machine learning of toxicological big data enables read-across structure activity relationships (RASAR) outperforming animal test reproducibility. Toxicological Sciences. 165 1, 1 September 2018: 198-212
  4. https://www.eurostemcell.org/ips-cells-and-reprogramming-turn-any-cell-body-stem-cell
  5. https://hesperosinc.com
  6. Edington et al. (2018) Interconnected Microphysiological Systems for Quantitative Biology and Pharmacology Studies. Sci Rep. 2018 Mar 14;8(1):4530. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-22749-0
  7. https://ncats.nih.gov/tissuechip/projects/space
  8. Savoji, et al. 2018 Cardiovascular Disease Models: A Game Changing Paradigm in Drug Discovery and Screening. Biomaterials. 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2018.09.036
    Boeckmans et al. 2018. Human-based systems: Mechanistic NASH modelling just around the corner? Pharmacol Res. 134:257-267. 10.1016/j.phrs.2018.06.029
    Muotri, A. R. 2016. The Human Model: Changing Focus on Autism Research. Biol Psychiatry. 79;8:  642-9.
    Bowman, et al. 2018. Future Roadmaps for Precision Medicine Applied to Diabetes: Rising to the Challenge of Heterogeneity. Journal of Diabetes Research. 10.1155/2018/3061620
    Clerc, et al. 2016. A look into the future of ALS research. Drug Discov Today. 21;6: 939-49
  9. https://www.sanger.ac.uk/news/view/sanger-institute-animal-research-facility-close
    https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-02002-y
  10. https://chemicalwatch.com/77872/sanger-institute-announces-closure-of-animal-research-facility
  11. https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/iccvam/meetings/iccvam-forum-2019/06-lee-ncats_508.pdf

Dame Judi Dench and violinist Vanessa-Mae send messages of solidarity

Humane Society International / United Kingdom

LONDON – Dame Judi Dench and violinist Vanessa-Mae have sent heart-felt messages of support and solidarity for a 1.5 million-signature petition by Care2 and Humane Society International, delivered today to the Chinese Embassy by dogs rescued from China’s annual Yulin dog meat festival. The festival, which starts on 21st June, sees thousands of dogs and cats beaten to death and eaten, most of them stolen pets grabbed from back yards and the streets. Most people in China don’t eat dogs, and pet owners and dog thieves have had numerous violent clashes.

Snorki, Fred and two dogs named Lily were saved from Yulin slaughterhouses in 2016 and 2018 by Chinese partner groups supported by animal charity Humane Society International. HSI and the ‘ambassadogs’ were joined by petition partners Care2 as well as Clacton MP Giles Watling who shares the campaigners’ desire to see urgent action to end the gruesome spectacle of Yulin.

Claire Bass, Executive Director of Humane Society International/UK, said: “The dog meat trade in China is first and foremost about crime and cruelty. The Yulin festival is one small but distressing example of an unspeakably cruel trade run by dog thieves and sellers who routinely steal pets in broad daylight using poison darts and rope nooses, defy public health and safety laws, and cause horrendous suffering, all for a meat that most people in China don’t consume. Dogs like Snorki, Fred and Lily are amazing ambassadors for our campaign to end this horror, we are proud to deliver this petition with them. And we’re immensely proud to support dedicated animal advocates in China who passionately work to end the dog meat trade, saving so many lives along the way.” 

Beth Granter from Care2, the online community, says: “The huge number of signatures on this petition shows the strength of feeling against Yulin dog meat festival. Care2 members want to see an end to the dog meat trade entirely. When people’s pets are being stolen, cruelly killed and then eaten, this is inhumane, and has to stop. We hope that the Chinese authorities will hear the voices of over 1.5M people who want to see an end to this cruelty.”

Actress Dame Judi Dench sent a message of support for the petition delivery, saying: “It fills me with sadness to think that the Yulin dog meat festival is just around the corner again. So I wanted to send this message as a symbol of my solidarity with all the thousands of people in China against the dog meat trade, who love their dogs and cats just as much as we do, but who go through the awful heart ache of having them stolen by dog thieves. I cannot imagine the suffering of those poor dogs, and I hope very much that one day soon this cruel trade will end.” 

Violinist Vanessa-Mae showed her support with a video message, saying: “Please join us in solidarity as we want to see an end to China’s barbaric dog meat trade including the horrific Yulin dog meat festival… Along with compassionate people in China, who do care about dog welfare, please show that you also have a heart, and support us in calling on China to end such cruel and heart breaking treatment of dogs.”

The Yulin dog meat festival is not a traditional festival. It was only invented in 2010 by dog traders trying to boost flagging meat sales. Before the festival started, Yulin had no history of mass dog slaughter and consumption. The World Health Organisation has warned that the dog meat trade spreads lethal diseases such as rabies and cholera.

The Yulin dog meat festival begins in earnest on 21st June to mark the summer solstice. When first launched, as many as 15,000 dogs were killed during the core festival days, but Chinese and international pressure has seen this figure decline to around 3,000 dogs. However, many hundreds are still killed each day in the weeks leading up to the festival, and an estimated 10 million dogs and 4 million cats are killed for meat throughout the year across China.

Giles Watling, MP said “I am proud to stand with so many others in calling on the Chinese government to end the cruel Yulin dog meat festival. An action that would save thousands of dogs from terrible suffering each year, and also help prevent pet theft and the spread of rabies within China. I implore the Chinese authorities to heed the calls from compassionate citizens both inside China and across the world who want to see the abhorrent dog meat trade ended once and for all.”

Photos and video downloads

 

 

Media Contact:

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

Snorki, Rosie, Fred and Lily 1 & 2 escaped Yulin death for UK homes

Humane Society International / United Kingdom

LONDON — As the Yulin dog meat festival in China’s Guangxi Autonomous Region fast approaches later this month, UK charity Humane Society International/UK shares happy ending stories of some of the dogs its Chinese activist partners have previously rescued from Yulin slaughterhouses. Snorki, Rosie, Fred and two dogs called Lily are just five of hundreds of dogs and cats HSI and its Chinese partners have saved from slaughter at Yulin, as well as from slaughter trucks and kill floors from across China.

Although the summer solstice event on June 21st in Yulin has come to symbolise China’s dog and cat meat trade, many people are unaware that the brutality of this crime-fuelled trade takes place all year round and country-wide, with an estimated 10-20 million dogs and 4 million cats killed each year. Many of these animals are believed to be strays snatched from the streets and pets stolen from people’s backyards. They are crammed into wire cages and driven for hours or even days across the country, before reaching the slaughterhouse where they are beaten to death, some still wearing their pet collars.

Last year, Chinese activists supported by HSI rescued 135 dogs from Yulin slaughterhouses, five of whom — Lily, Harley, Fred, Coco and Rosie — the charity flew to the United Kingdom where they found forever families. In 2016, HSI rescued 170 sick and injured dogs from slaughterhouses and markets in Yulin, with four lucky dogs – Lily, Snowy, Snorki and Lucy – and two cats – Simon and Li – now living safe and happy in the U.K. The group of 170 had been just one day away from being slaughtered for the festival.

Some of HSI’s dog meat trade survivors have gone on to make celebrity friends. Li the cat who lives with his human Daniel in Crouch End, was lucky enough to meet Harry Potter actress Evanna Lynch when HSI filmed them for a video about the suffering of cats for the meat trade. Lily, Snowy, Snorki and Lucy were all welcomed to the UK by actor and animal campaigner Peter Egan who gave them their first cuddle on British soil with the HSI charity.

Claire Bass, HSI’s U.K. director, said: “These dogs and cats have been to hell and back, surviving China’s terrifying meat trade, and it’s so humbling to say that despite their ordeal, their resilience and forgiving nature shine through. They are just a few of the millions of dogs and cats who are stolen and snatched for China’s meat trade all year round. Yulin is one relatively small example of a much larger, uglier issue that thousands of dedicated Chinese activists are working to stop. Contrary to the assumptions by many in the West, most people in China don’t eat dogs and in fact they are horrified at the thought of a trade that takes their canine companions away from them.” 

Rosie was saved from Yulin slaughter in 2018 and now lives with Kirsten McLintock in Norfolk. Kirsten says: “It’s been six months since I first got Rosie and she has been an utter delight; friendly with other dogs, no separation anxiety, perfect traveller in the car. It’s clear that she must have been someone’s stolen pet, as from her first arrival she was house trained and used to having a collar and walking on the lead. Chasing squirrels is her favourite thing in the whole world, and she’s a tart for a tummy rub. Her latest discovery is the beach.  She does a little happy dance and bottom wiggle when we reach the beach which is so sweet. I love her to bits, she’s the sweetest dog who is so intuitive, soft and gentle.”

Black and white dog Lily was saved from a Yulin slaughterhouse in 2018 by HSI’s partner activists. The rescue produced an iconic photo of Lily sitting patiently on the kill floor staring pleadingly at her rescuers. She now lives with spaniel Sophie and adopter Susie Warner in Berkshire. Susie says: “Lily is a superstar diva and she is adorable. A huge thanks to Humane Society International for saving her and allowing her to live her best life.”

Little Fred was saved in 2018 and now lives in London with Fernanda Gilligan, her husband and three year old daughter. Fernanda says: “We are so grateful to be Fred’s new family. He is such a fantastic addition. He loves going for walks and runs in the parks. Adventures to the countryside are even more enjoyable with Fred and we just love having him with us as much as possible. He truly is a remarkable addition to our family.”

Lily was rescued in 2016 and adopted by Lynn Hutchings in Kent, who says: “Lily has blossomed from a shut-down girl who didn’t trust humans very much to a family dog who loves everyone especially if she can charm them into giving her food!”

Snorki from HSI’s 2016 rescue found her happy home in Clapham, South London with Angelina Lim. Angelina says: “Snorki is far more settled than she was at first but she’s still fearful of strangers. Once she knows you, she’ll happily accept strokes and belly rubs, but you have to earn her trust. I’m convinced she was a stolen pet because she was housetrained within one day. She also had a small hump on her back which has since disappeared, I think from being squashed in a cage for quite a while before she was rescued. My life is so enriched with Snorki around, she is a joy to live with despite being a 24/7 eating machine!”

HSI UK would like to thank All Dogs Matter and the Wild at Heart Foundation for helping the charity finds homes for the Yulin rescues.

Facts about China’s dog meat trade

  1. The Yulin dog meat festival is not tradition. It was invented in 2010 by dog traders to boost profits. Before the festival started, dog meat consumption had already been declining as a culinary subculture, and a dog meat festival had never previously existed.
  2.  The World Health Organisation warns that the dog trade spreads rabies and increases the risk of cholera.
  3. Most people in China don’t eat dogs; in fact dog meat is only eaten infrequently by less than 20 per cent of the Chinese population. Many of them have eaten dog meat by accident.
  4. When first launched, as many as 15,000 dogs were killed during the core Yulin festival days, but Chinese and international pressure has reduced this figure to around 3,000 dogs. However, many hundreds are still killed each day in the weeks leading up to the festival.
  5. Dogs and cats are typically bludgeoned to death in front of each other, put in the de-hairing machine to remove fur, and the carcass blow-torched for sale to markets. Dog slaughter continues to occur in public places, exposing young children to horrendous brutality and potentially desensitizing China’s younger generations.

Media Contacts:

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

 

Photos of our Yulin rescue dogs are available on request.

108 baby elephants sold by Zimbabwe to zoos overseas since 2012

Humane Society International / United Kingdom

Baby elephantsOscar Nkala

LONDON—The Zimbabwe Elephant Foundation will be joined on Friday 24th May by international NGOs, as well as actor and conservationist Dan Richardson, in a silent protest outside the Chinese Embassy against the exploitative export of wild-caught baby elephants from Zimbabwe to foreign destinations, mainly zoos in China. Humane Society International, Animal Defenders International, Action for Elephants UK and the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting will stand in solidarity with protest organiser and ZEF founder and director Mrs Nomusa Dube to shine a spotlight on the abusive practice that sees elephants as young as two years old being stolen from their mothers for lucrative export to foreign zoos.

According to trade data of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, Zimbabwe has exported 108 young elephants to zoos in China and the UAE since 2012. Humane Society International has vocally opposed this trade for a number of years. Heart-breaking footage released by HSI and others has shown 14 elephant calves being kicked and beaten during the capture process in 2017 and 35 young elephants in 2019 pacing their pens in Hwange National Park, showing signs of stress and demonstrating wide-eyed, ear-splayed defensive postures as they await export to foreign lands. In 2016, Zimbabwe exported 35 baby elephants to Chinese zoos. One of the elephants died during transit or after arrival. Photos of the few surviving baby elephants, standing alone in dark, barren cells, were shocking.

These captures have sparked outrage from other African countries. In February this year, Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Tourism & Wildlife, The Honourable Najib Balala remarked, “Trade in live elephants should only be for the purpose of enhancing the conservation of the species in its natural habitats (in-situ) as the only appropriate and acceptable destination.” The African Elephant Coalition, an alliance of 32 African countries, has also called for an end to the export of wild elephants to zoos and other captive facilities. And in March 2019 the People and Earth Solidarity Law Network, together with seven Zimbabwean NGOs, submitted a petition to the Zimbabwean Parliament calling for a ban on the export of young elephants and improvements to the welfare of wildlife in Zimbabwe.

Protest organiser, Nomusa Dube of the Zimbabwe Elephant Foundation said: “What China needs to understand is that not everything in Africa is for sale.”

Mrs Dube wrote an open letter to Zimbabwe’s President Mnangagwa, which reads: “Seeing the wildlife as something which can be uplifted and sold like a ripe fruit off a tree into a terrifying chasm. In the chasm lies an insatiable demand for all wildlife and her products. So huge is this demand that we could sell or kill every single living thing in Zimbabwe, it would be like one drop of water going into an ocean…Zimbabwe’s Elephants are the jewels in her crown, do not sell them.”

Claire Bass, Executive Director of Humane Society International/UK, who will speak at the event after the silent protest, said: “The capture of baby elephants from the wild for sale into a lifetime of suffering in captivity is heart breaking and shameful. Video footage shows that these young elephants are already displaying stress behaviour after being ripped away from their mothers and bonded family group, and are likely terrified. In the wild, calves remain closely bonded to their natal family groups; females never leave their families whilst males only leave their herd at 12 – 15 years of age. Such callous disregard for the physical and emotional wellbeing of these highly intelligent and socially complex animals is utterly inexcusable and casts a sordid light over both Zimbabwe and China. South Africa has banned the capture of elephants from the wild for captivity, and we urge Zimbabwe to follow suit by stopping these vile exports immediately.”

The protest takes place on Friday 24th May 1.30-3.30pm at the Chinese Embassy, 49-51 Portland Place, London. Media wishing to speak with Noma Dube or Claire Bass prior to the protest can do so by contacting Wendy Higgins at whiggins@hsi.org

ENDS

Media contacts:

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

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

Notes:

  • In collaboration with the AEC, Humane Society International co-authored a report highlighting the challenges that the live trade in elephants poses to the CITES regulations.
  • In January 2018, Humane Society International/Africa and 33 partners, submitted a letter to Zimbabwe’s new president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, pleading for a halt to the horrific abuse and practice of capturing elephants from the wild for captivity.

Chinese police in Dalian praised for operation that saved 62 spotted seal pups found starving on remote farm

Humane Society International / China

LONDON – Thirty-seven spotted seal pups have been released back to wild in China three months after Dalian police found the stolen animals starving and dying in a shed at a remote coastal farm in the village of Hutou, Wafangdian. The pups were snatched from the wild by traffickers for the aquarium industry and for display in commercial venues like shops and restaurants.  Humane Society International, whose Chinese partner group VShine sent a representative at the release, praised Dalian’s law enforcement for saving the baby seals and arresting eight suspects.

In all, 71 seal pups were found alive but highly distressed; another 29 had sadly already died and a further 20 dead seals were later found buried under nearby concrete. At less than two weeks old when found, the surviving pups were so young they hadn’t even been weaned from their mothers’ milk and required emergency veterinary care at a local institute of marine and aquatic sciences. Despite the best efforts of the specialist carers and veterinarians, some of the very weakest pups subsequently died at the marine hospital, but the surviving pups have now been released, including 24 last month.

Despite being a protected species in China, spotted seals are still hunted. Once killed for Chinese traditional medicine (male seal genitalia was used to improve virility), the pups are now stolen from their mothers to supply aquariums and commercial venues across China.

Dr Peter Li at Humane Society International said: “We are thrilled that our Chinese partner group, VShine, was able to send animal welfare observers to the release of these seal pups back to the wild. When the pups were found by police, they were starving and traumatised, but after receiving veterinary care and rehabilitation, they are now in good health and have a good chance of thriving back at sea. For these seal pups to have been cruelly ripped away from their mothers, and crammed into a dark shed to await their fate, is really contemptible. In a country with a shocking record for wildlife exploitation and woefully little regard paid to animal protection by many police departments, Dalian police are to be congratulated for their swift action without which many more of these seal pups would surely have perished. Their eagerness to take wildlife crime seriously, including rescuing the animals, arresting those found responsible and offering cash rewards to help apprehend more perpetrators, should act as an example to police across China in how to tackle animal cruelty cases. Sadly, China’s growing obsession for keeping marine species like seals and turtles in captivity is fuelling wildlife crime such as this, which causes immense animal suffering and loss of life.”

Spotted seals live in the North Pacific Ocean and can be found along the north-eastern cost of China. Although the hunting or trading of spotted seals without permission is banned by China’s Wildlife Protection Law, it remains a huge problem.

Download video of the pups’ rescue and release here: https://newsroom.humanesociety.org/fetcher/index.php?searchMerlin=1&searchBrightcove=1&submitted=1&mw=d&q=SealRescue0519

 

Media contacts:

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

Humane Society International / United Kingdom

Reduce your consumption of animal products and pledge to #EatKind for animals, people and the planet!

Humane Society International / United Kingdom

LONDON—Avon Products, Inc. (NYSE: AVP), today announces its support for a worldwide ban on animal testing for cosmetics by backing Humane Society International on its #BeCrueltyFree initiative. The campaign is leading legislative reform to prohibit cosmetics testing on animals in all major global beauty markets by 2023.

Avon has committed to support #BeCrueltyFree to drive regulatory change in key markets around the world – predominantly in Latin America and Southeast Asia – towards the desired global ban. Avon will also support the recently launched Non-Animal Cosmetic Safety Assessment Collaboration (NACSA). NACSA aims to promote best practice in animal-free safety assessment among companies and government health authorities to promote faster acceptance and use of modern non-animal approaches, particularly in countries such as China, where cosmetic animal testing is still required by law for some products. By throwing its weight behind Humane Society International and joining its ever-growing network of supportive beauty giants, Avon believes an end to the era of cosmetic animal testing will be achieved more swiftly.

Avon was the first major cosmetics company to end animal testing 30 years ago and has decades of experience in developing non-animal approaches to product safety evaluation. It collaborates with partners across the world, including advocacy organizations and NGOs to accelerate the adoption of non-animal-test methods.

Louise Scott, Chief Scientific Officer at Avon, said: “Avon’s been working to end animal testing for 30 years, but as an industry there is still more to do. I’m proud of our contribution to driving change to date. But we’re even stronger if we work with others. It’s crucial that we open up more partnerships with other change-agents to end the unnecessary and unacceptable practice of animal testing for cosmetics.

“We’re confident that through collaborations with HSI and other committed partners we will accelerate the transition to alternative approaches to animal testing and result in a worldwide ban in the foreseeable future. It’s a future that we at Avon are committed to and that millions of Avon Representatives and their customers around the world demand.”

As part of Avon’s support for HSI’s campaign, it will continue to actively collaborate with global partners to accelerate the adoption of a worldwide ban on animal testing. The new multi-year collaboration between Avon and HSI will include Avon’s support for robust legislation to prohibit cosmetic animal testing in key global beauty markets and participation alongside other leading brands to enhance capability across companies and regulatory authorities so safety decisions for cosmetics are based on exclusively non-animal approaches.

HSI Vice President for Research & Toxicology Troy Seidle said: “We couldn’t be more pleased to welcome Avon to our #BeCrueltyFree campaign family. As a household name in so many of our priority campaign regions thanks to its direct-to-consumer marketing model, Avon’s reach will provide a significant boost to our efforts to abolish cosmetic cruelty across the globe. Other socially conscious beauty brands are encouraged to join Humane Society International in supporting meaningful legislative change to usher in a new era of ethical beauty worldwide.”

For images, visit the newsroom.

-ENDS-

 

Media contacts:

Avon

HSI

 

About Avon Products Inc.

For 130 years Avon has stood for women: providing innovative, quality beauty products which are primarily sold to women, through women. Millions of independent sales Representatives across the world sell iconic Avon brands such as Avon Color and ANEW through their social networks, building their own beauty businesses on a full- or part-time basis. Avon supports women’s empowerment, entrepreneurship and well-being and has donated over $1billion to women’s causes through Avon and the Avon Foundation. Learn more about Avon and its products at www.avonworldwide.com. #Stand4Her

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.

 

Forward-Looking Statements

This material contains “forward-looking statements” that are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements relating to Avon’s involvement with the Humane Society International. Because forward-looking statements inherently involve risks and uncertainties, actual future results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the possibility of business disruption, competitive uncertainties, and general economic and business conditions in Avon’s markets as well as the other risks detailed in Avon’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Avon undertakes no obligation to update any statements in this material after it is posted to the Investor Relations section of our website.

Learn More Button Inserter