Region: United Kingdom

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.

Humane Society International / United Kingdom

Through extensive research, HSI UK has discovered that many animal fur items for sale in the UK, especially in independent boutiques, in markets and online, are either not labelled at all, or are incorrectly labelled or marketed as synthetic.

For the vast majority of British shoppers who reject the cruelty of the fur trade, trying to buy only fake fur can be a real challenge. Whether it’s raccoon dog fur bobble hats, rabbit fur key chains, or hooded coats trimmed with fox fur, misleading labelling or incorrect marketing is leading would-be ethical consumers to purchase real fur trim items in the mistaken belief that they are faux fur.

Don’t be misled—check out our guide to telling the difference between real and faux fur.

This is a double scandal—violating the rights of consumers who are not being protected from unfair trading, and artificially inflating the market for animal fur, causing immense suffering.

We believe that all retailers have a duty to ensure that they have rigorous buying and quality control procedures in place in order that they do not mislead customers.

Each year, HSI/UK finds more examples of ‘fake faux fur’ for sale, from well-known outlets on the UK high street to independent shops and markets, in London and other UK cities. The problem appears to be growing particularly acute online.

How can this happen? Isn’t fur expensive?

Shockingly, real fur can now be produced and sold for less than fake fur—a calculation that’s costing animals their lives.

Life is cheap in the animal fur industry; miserably poor conditions in countries such as China—where much UK fur trim comes from – means real fur can be produced and sold very inexpensively. At online wholesalers such as Alibaba.com, retailers can bulk-buy a 70cm raccoon dog fur hood trim for £3 per piece, or a raccoon dog fur pompom for a bobble hat for just 30p per piece.

This translates into cheap items on the high-street. Here are just a few of the items we’ve recently found in the UK:

  • A knitted hat with real marmot fur bobble costing £3.50
  • A handbag charm/keyring pom pom made from rabbit fur for sale at £5 each
  • A parka with real raccoon dog fur trim around the hood priced at £35
  • A gilet made from real raccoon dog fur with a £75 price tag
  • A short sleeveless jacket made of rabbit and marmot fur for sale at £35

Check before you buy, but please do not simply rely on labels or price when taking a decision on whether fur is real or fake—an animal’s life could depend on it. Check out our guide to telling the difference between real and fake fur—and if in any doubt, please leave it on the shelf.

Buyer beware: what’s (not) on the label

Shockingly, there’s no legal requirement for animal fur to be specifically listed on a garment’s fabric content label. We’ve recently found, for example:

  • A ladies’ coat with a real fur trim on the hood, labelled polyester 100%
  • A pair of fingerless gloves with real fur trim, labelled 100% acrilico [sic]
  • A knitted hat with a real fur bobble, labelled 100% acrylic
  • A pair of woolen gloves with real fur trim, labelled 80% wool, 20% polyester

By law, under the EU Textile Products Regulation (2011) a “textile product” that include parts of animal origin (for example, feathers, bone, or animal fur) must be clearly labelled or marked using the phrase “contains non-textile parts of animal origin”.

However, our retail surveys show extremely low compliance with this new Regulation, meaning consumers can’t rely on labels to avoid buying real animal fur. In addition, the fur labelling requirements under this Regulation do not apply to any non-textile items (for example a coat made primarily out of fur, or leather, which are not textiles would not legally require any fur labelling), plus shoes or accessories such as pom pom keychains are also exempt.

Current EU fur labelling laws are inadequate and poorly implemented, creating a confused marketplace.

Customers care—and deserve better

Opinion polls for decades show that the vast majority of the British public want no part in the cruel fur trade, and would not buy or wear real animal fur.

A poll commissioned by HSI/UK and conducted by YouGov shows that the vast majority (85%) of consumers expect to see real animal fur clearly labelled as such in the clothes and accessories they buy. The poll also reveals that, in addition to labelling, people rely most heavily on fur feeling synthetic (50%) and a cheap price (47%) as lead indicators to assess whether fur is real or fake. In fact, neither represents a reliable method to distinguish real from fake fur, and labels are unreliable.

UK shoppers are not getting the information they need to make informed, ethical buying choices.

The Advertising Standards Agency recently upheld two complaints from HSI/UK where real fur had been described as faux fur. It has since issued an Enforcement Notice and guidance to retailers reminding them of their responsibilities when it comes to describing fur.

Read our blog: Lacking Infurmation

View details of our recent investigation

Found fake faux fur? Send us the details

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

Humane Society International

Call on the government not only to retain a UK import ban on cat, dog and seal fur, but also to extend that ban to cover all animals killed for their fur.

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