Horse and Donkey Abuse in Israel
Thanks to the WSPA for this one. These poor animals are so cheap to buy that when they are too old, tired or ill to go on, thet're simply abandoned. Wandering around with no food or water, the donkeys make easy targets for sickening attacks by wild dogs. People let them wander out onto the roads to be killed by passing cars.
Some of themost unfortunate ones are found by kids and tortured. Some of them are so cruelly mistreated that you can find them with ears cut off, visibly broken legs and any number of cuts, lacerations and various forms of malnutrition. It is essential that the citizens of Israel take more responsibility for these animals.
Eating Dogs in the Philippines
My thanks to Network for Animals for this picture -
I think that it’s easy to see from this and the previous ‘issue’ that the Philippines is a very uncivilised country. It’s not the fact that they choose to eat these animals which is offensive, it is the gratuitous suffering they inflict upon them in the process. The rights of humans in general and of children in particular fare little better in that appalling country.
Horse Fighting in the Philippines
If you visit the Philipines, you'll witness the bloody and barbaric spectacle of horse fighting. Observers place bets on the outcome and God knows what happens to the poor horses after the fight.
If this were to happen in a civilized country, there would be an uproar and the perpetrators would be arrested. Sadly, this is not the case in the Philipines. We really need to get the lobbying going in order to stop this appalling activity. My thanks to Mel Alipio and Brian Davies for bringing this to my attention.
Slaughter of the Seals
What can you say about this Canadian activity? If the seal's lucky he'll be bashed and skinned -
Most of Europe and many other countries around the world have banned purchase of these skins. Some UK supermarkets have banned Canadian fish products in protest. This is one of those issues where constant lobbying of those in power will be essential.
Whale Hunting
With many species of whale still endangered or heading towards extinction, the Japanese and others still feel it appropriate to use dirty tricks to secure a vote in favour of a resumption in whaling. I would like to thank Tony Blair for making the point that this activity is cruel, inhumane and, in general, a disgrace.
It is clear that the whaling nation in general, and Japan in particular, have trouble understanding the majority world opinion on this. To help make them understand, I would suggest that we all do what I do and refuse to buy any Japanese products until this disgraceful activity stops once and for all. The interest level over the Thames whale shows how the British public feels on this issue.
Farmers and Killing for Pleasure
I live in a small village in the West Midlands and am surrounded by farmers. I spend a lot of my time feeding the wild birds and foxes, in addition to my own menagerie. The farmers seem to spend most of their time killing these creatures for the sheer pleasure of it. They won't even show mercy in the cold snaps at Christmas when the animals are desperate for food.
They call it pest control but, having observed these cretins for a long while, it is clearly killing for the pleasure of it. I have to pick up countless injured birds from my garden. A few make it to the vets but most I have to put down myself. It's all incredibly distressing. We tried to catch a fox recently that had been shot in the leg. Unfortunately, it got away. God knows what happened to the poor thing.
China in Particular
China always seems to be able to plumb even great depths of cruelty. I have been sickened for a long while by the bear bile farms. What would possess someone to keep a poor animal in a rusty cage too small to lay down in with a rusty pipe inserted into their flesh to extract the bile.
Their latest accomplishment to come to our attention is the cat and dog fur trade. The horrific way these animals are kept and finally skinned should keep most people awake at nights. Paul McCartney is doing a fine job helping to expose this.
Asia in General
Animal cruelty is rife throughout Asia -
I am realistic enough to accept the need to eat animals. I can even understand why some might choose the dog as their food source. I will never understand the mentality which brings them to treat them in the way this picture shows.
Turkey/Pakistan - Bears etc
For a democratic, 'modern' country, Turkey is a disgrace. Religion and cultural tradition appear to be acceptable reasons for a catalogue of animal abuses. Pakistan is another 'almost democracy' with a lot to answer for.
What is particularly disheartening is that the Turkish government appears to do no more than pay lip-service to the reform agenda. This photograph was taken long after the government assured that the problem was 'being dealt with'. Turkey in the EU? Never.
Bull Fighting
Spain and Mexico -
Fur and Fashion
There's a world of difference between an Innuit wearing the skin of his last meal to survive the elements and those wearing animal fur for appearance rather than function. Our celebrities in general, and models in particular, are known for being a shallow bunch at the best of times but how can they possibly choose to wear fur from an animal that died for no other reason than it 'looks good'. Where's the conscience?
Animal Experimentation
This subject should bring most of us to tears. One sign of a civilized being is the ability to empathise. What must it be like to be a creature that can feel fear, anxiety and pain yet is not capable of understanding the reasons for which it is being inflicted. If experiments must be conducted on living beings, I suspect our jails have enough child murderers and terrorists in them to suffice.