BULLETIN HIVER 2008

[Animal 0]

Escaped steer shot after charging police officer



Updated Thu. Mar. 20 2008
toronto.ctv.ca

A Mississauga, Ont., community was taken hostage by a herd of cattle for nearly four hours on Thursday morning.

Four steer who escaped from a transport truck during a morning accident made their way to a residential area around Brentano Boulevard near Highway 427 and the Queen Elizabeth Way.

More than 20 officers, animal control workers and farmers were involved in rounding up the nervous animals.

Police managed to contain the animals and were leading them into the back of a truck when one of them escaped.

One steer was eventually shot after it knocked a couple of residents off their feet and charged a police officer.

The animal was killed by an officer's service revolver as a last-minute defence, OPP Const. Dave Woodford told CTV Toronto.

Police said the animals caused some property damage. An ambulance was on the scene but there were no serious injuries reported.

Residents said they were shocked to see the large cattle roaming their neighbourhood.

"What made me nervous was the OPP cars had blocked us in and one (officer) was standing at my neighbour's across the street with a shotgun," said a woman named Theresa. "At first I thought maybe it was a criminal or something, not a cow."

"It was a major distraction for someone who's self-employed because it's really hard to continue working when there's four cows in your neighbourhood," Dorothy Pilarski said with a laugh.

The cattle situation caused delays during the morning traffic rush on the Queen Elizabeth Way.

A transport truck carrying the animals overturned on the highway at about 6:40 a.m. The driver of the truck was not injured in the accident.

Police managed to get the cattle off the road, closing the highway for nearly one hour in the process. All lanes were reopened by 7:30 a.m.

With a report from CTV Toronto's Naomi Parness



http://www.ctv.ca/

[Animal 0]

Three charged with illegal whale fishing near Ulsan

March 18, 2008


After finding 90 mink whales in a cold storage facility in Ulsan, police yesterday arrested three fisherman on charges of illegal whaling, the East Regional Headquarters of the Coast Guard announced yesterday.
Another 78 buyers and traders were indicted without detention.
Police said the three fishermen, including the 47-year-old captain of a whale fishing boat, went fishing for the mink whales in May, July and August of last year off the coast of Ulsan in the East Sea (Sea of Japan).
The three, whose names were not released, then tried to sell their catch to restaurant owners in Ulsan through traders. Police were tipped off to the existence of two cold storage facilities in Ulsan, about 400 kilometers (250 miles) south of Seoul. The whales being stored there were worth 800 million won ($804,000), police said.
¡°We are still investigating the illegal whaling,¡± said Chung Woo-jin, an officer of the Korea Coast Guard on the case. ¡°We expect to arrest more fishermen who caught whales illegally.¡±
If convicted, the three suspects could be sentenced to up to three years in prison or fined 20 million won.

http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2887540

[Animal 0]

St. Adolphe (Manitoba)
Il faut sauver le martinet ramoneur


Mise à jour le dimanche 23 mars 2008, 17 h 36 .



L'an dernier, le comité chargé de la situation des espèces en péril au Canada a désigné le martinet ramoneur comme une espèce menacée de voie d'extinction. Le petit oiseau de 15 cm niche dans les cheminées en brique des vieilles maisons. Il y de moins en moins d'abris pour les oiseaux, car les cheminées sont moins nombreuses.

Cet été, un projet sera lancé à St. Adolphe pour tenter de sauver cette espèce. Avec l'appui de bénévoles, trois sites ont été découverts comme étant des lieux d'habitation de cet oiseau.

Ainsi, des cheminées artificielles d'une hauteur de 4 mètres seront construites à St. Adolphe pour accueillir le martinet ramoneur. Ces cheminées seront faites de béton, car la brique coûte trop cher.

Mike Quigley, le coordonnateur de l'initiative, souligne que cet oiseau joue un rôle important, car il dévore les insectes, y compris les moustiques.

rc

[Animal 0]

Un cas de tremblante du mouton a été découvert dans un troupeau de petite taille de la région de Rimouski dans le Bas-Saint-Laurent.

L’Agence canadienne d’inspection des aliments (ACIA) a immédiatement placé le troupeau en quarantaine et procède à l’abattage des animaux à haut risque, c’est-à-dire tous ceux « qui ont été exposés au même environnement de mise bas et qui sont jugés à risque de contracter la maladie », indique l’Agence.

Il s’agit du deuxième cas de tremblante à surgir au Canada en 2008, le premier ayant été détecté en Ontario. Au Québec, les deux derniers diagnostics remontent à 2005, bien loin de la vague d’abattage de 43 troupeaux en 1997 et 1998.

Depuis 1984, la maladie, proche parente de l’encéphalopathie spongiforme bovine, a été détectée dans 86 troupeaux de la province.


Tremblante du mouton - 25/03/08
www.laterre.ca/?action=detailNouvelle&menu=&section=manchette&idArticle=5152

[Animal 0]

110 magasins auraient vendu des steaks et de la viande hachée contaminés par une bactérie. 30 clients de Monoprix souffrent d'ores et déjà de diarrhées et de nausées.

L'alerte concerne 110 magasins des enseignes Carrefour (29 magasins), Monoprix (59) et Monop' (22) situés en Ile-de-France et dans une quinzaine d'autres départements (la liste complète des magasins concernés). Selon le journal Le Parisien-Aujourd'hui en France qui révèle l'information, elle porte sur près de deux tonnes et demie de viande hachée, sorties le 10 mars des chaînes de fabrication de l'abattoir Socopa de Coutances, dans la Manche, et contaminées par la bactérie Escherichia coli 0 157. Une bactérie d'origine fécale, présente dans l'intestin des mammifères, et qui, selon le porte-parole de l'abattoir, aurait pu transiter par le cuir d'un bovin sale avant de contaminer une carcasse. L'Escherichia coli peut engendrer une simple gastro-entérite (avec maux de ventre, vomissements et diarrhée) dont les symptômes apparaissent entre deux et huit jours après l'intoxication. Elle peut aussi provoquer le décès par insuffisance rénale des personnes au système immunitaire affaibli, comme les personnes âgées et les bébés.

(...)


Viande contaminée : 30 malades signalés - 25/03/08
http://alerte-a-la-viande-avariee.php

[Animal 0]

Date: 24 Mar 2008

Éclosion d'une forme très contagieuse d'herpès chez des chevaux de la Saskatchewan...


An outbreak of a highly contagious form of equine herpes has numerous
horses and stables in quarantine near Saskatoon, Saskatchewan,
veterinary officials said.

Dr. Katharina Lohmann of the large animal clinic of the Western
College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) told the Regina Leader Post
that equine herpes virus type one, or EHV-1, is much like herpes
simplex in humans, and horses can transmit it to one another by
sharing a feeding bucket.

It does not infect humans, but can be spread among horses by humans,
the report said.

The 1st incident was noted on 13 Mar 2008, when the operators of a
stable noticed some horses running fevers and stumbling. Two horses
were taken to the WCVM, where they were quarantined. Eight other
horses at the stable were diagnosed as having the virus, and more
than half of the 85 other horses were running high temperatures last
week but were showing no other signs of the infection, spokeswoman
Lynda Jones told the newspaper.

The stable has canceled all transport of horses until the outbreak
dies down, she said.

Lohmann said the large animal clinic was also closed until it could
be disinfected.

"The big mystery is what's causing this large outbreak," she said.

<http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Top_News/2008/03/24/equine_herpes_outbreak_in_saskatchewan/6914/>

[Animal 0]

St Liboire, mardi le 25 mars 2008 dans le rang Charlotte, une porcherie naisseur-finisseur a complètement été détruite par le feu, en fin d'avant-midi. Le propriétaire était en train de sortir des porcs prêts pour l'abattoir lorsqu'il a senti une odeur de fumée.

Malheureusement, il était trop tard, le feu ravageait déjà le toit des 2 bâtiments. Les pompiers de plusieurs municipalités se sont rendus sur les lieux, dont St-Liboire, Upton, St-Valérien et St-Simon, afin de contenir le brasier.

Toutes les bêtes ont péris, la porcherie est une perte totale. Il semblerait que le feu soit dû à une défectuosité d'un système de chauffage.


Incendie dans une ferme de St-Liboire - 26/03/08
http://www.zone911.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3622&Itemid=213

--------------

Les pompiers de St-Pie et des municipalités environnantes ont combattu un incendie de porcherie. Malheureusement, ce type de bâtiment étant particulièrement vulnérable aux incendies, il s'est effondré et consummé très rapidement.

http://www.lentille.com/interventions/20070329-01-PorcherieStPie/

[Animal 0]

Sainte-Eulalie
Le toit d'une porcherie s'écroule


Mise à jour le mardi 1 avril 2008, 11 h 13 .

Le toit de la porcherie de la Ferme Progéniporc, située à Sainte-Eulalie au Centre-du-Québec, s'est affaissé sous le poids de la neige, lundi soir. Le centre du toit s'est effondré sur la maternité de la porcherie, qui comptait 1400 bêtes au total.

Le nombre d'animaux qui ont péri n'est pas encore connu, mais il pourrait s'élever à près d'une centaine.

Le propriétaire de la ferme avait fait déneiger le toit cet hiver, mais la pluie a alourdi la neige qui s'y trouvait.

Le gérant de la porcherie, François Martel, explique qu'un périmètre de sécurité a été érigé pour éviter que d'autres problèmes surviennent.

Des pompiers qui ont été appelés en renfort doivent déneiger le bâtiment, mardi matin, pour notamment dégager la machinerie qui est restée coincée sous les débris.

http://www.radio-canada.ca/regions/mauricie/2008/04/01/001-porcherie-toit.shtml

[Animal 0]

2 avril 2008


900 cochons morts dans l'incendie dans une porcherie

Environ 900 bêtes ont péri dans l'incendie d'une entreprise porcine mardi à Minderhout, entité de Hoogstraten, dans la province d'Anvers, a indiqué Arnold Van Aperen, bourgmestre de Hoogstraten. Une cinquantaine de cochons ont survécu aux flammes, mais sont grièvement brûlés. Un vétérinaire doit venir les achever.

La porcherie a subi de lourds dommages. L'incendie s'est déclaré aux alentours de 09 heures et a probablement été provoqué par un court-circuit. La porcherie, de 70 mètres sur 15, s'est rapidement embrasée. Les pompiers sont rapidement arrivés sur place, mais les cochons ne pouvaient plus être sauvés.

"La porcherie abritait environ 950 animaux. Il s'agissait d'animaux de qualité qui servaient à la reproduction. Les cadavres seront évacués dans le courant de la journée", a expliqué le bourgmestre. Les dégâts matériels sont importants. De la porcherie, seuls quelques murs subsistent. Le toit a été entièrement consumé. La route qui la longe était toujours fermée à la circulation à la mi-journée. (belga)

[animo-aequoanimo 0]

Aux nouvelles télé de ce matin : le toit d'une porcherie à Ste-Eulalie, je crois, chargé de neige s'est écrasé.

[Animal 0]

oui Cé, voir la nouvelle que j'ai affichée (2 messages plus haut)

[animo-aequoanimo 0]

Ah mais oui. Je ne l'avais pas vue. Parfait ma belle Do.

[Animal 0]

Posted on Mon, Mar. 31, 2008



Dozens of animals, alive and dead, found in Pa. home

The Associated Press

UNIONTOWN, Pa. - Animal rescue workers and police raided a Fayette County home and found many dogs, along with the carcasses of several other animals.

Authorities say the dead animals were found throughout the first and second floors, and garbage and animal feces covered the floors of the Uniontown home, about 45 miles southeast of Pittsburgh.

Police say 17 dogs and two turtles were taken out of the home alive. Authorities also took 14 dead turtles, four dead chinchillas and one dead bird from the home.

Authorities say the owners weren't home when it was raided on Monday.

Earlier this month, humane officers raided a Frazer Township animal sanctuary northwest of Pittsburgh and found several hundred cats, many sick and dying. Dozens of dead cats also were found.

--------------------------------------





TARENTUM, Pa. - Hundreds of sick and dying cats were removed from a fortress-like sanctuary Friday in a raid brought on by worried animal lovers and a county worker who infiltrated with a hidden camera. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of dead cats were believe buried on the secluded 29-acre property known as Tiger Ranch Farm, about 20 miles northwest of Pittsburgh. Owner Linda Bruno apparently meant well but lost track of the needs...
------------------------------------------
WOOD-TV
updated 5 minutes ago (2 avril 2008)
By Patrick Center

ECKFORD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) -- A farm owner in Calhoun County is facing animal cruelty charges after 14 cows were found dead on his property, some improperly buried.

Sheriff's deputies were notified March 17 of a situation at the farm on F Drive South near 22 Mile Road in Eckford Township.

The sheriff's office used a warrant Tuesday and arrested the farm owner, Jack Fouts, who later posted bond.

A veterinarian determined the animals died from lice and emaciation. The 78-year-old Fouts said he didn't know the hay he purchased last year was infested with lice.

Twenty-four other cows in poor condition on the farm have been medicated and are doing better.

Fouts says he has been a cattle farmer for 40 years, and has "never been arrested before."

He admits he didn't have all the money needed to treat his herd.

"These are my pets. Why the hell would I want to kill my pets?" said Fouts.

He says the cows have to be buried "200 feet from the stream" and six feet deep. But county officials said the animals were not properly deposited - in this case a criminal act.

"There's a law that requires that if an animal is deceased, appropriate burial take place and it's for decease reasons - contamination, potential ground water or other type of water contamination," said Calhoun County Prosecutor John Hallacy.

"We took a look at the information, the reports as well as the other evidence, photographs detailed information, regarding the animals and brought about these 14 charges."

Animal cruelty had been a 93-day misdemeanor, carrying a $1,000 fine for each abuse. But under a new law, which went into effect Tuesday, if two or three animals are involved then it is a misdemeanor with a punishment of up to one year behind bars and a $2,000 fine. If four to 10 animals are abused then it is a two-year felony. If 10 or more animals are abused, or if it is a second offense, then it is a four-year felony and a $5,000 fine.

Fouts won't be charged under the new law if he is convicted since the investigation dates back to mid-March.

He will be arraigned sometime this week.

-------------------------

Two charged with cruelty to animals in "animal hoarding"
KSNW-TV
An investigation by the Elk County Sheriff’s Office has led to a large seizure of animals located in the northern part of the county in what could only be described as “animal hoarding.”

ELK COUNTY, Kansas, March 19, 2008 &ndash; An investigation by the Elk County Sheriff&rsquo;s Office has led to a large seizure of animals located in the northern part of the county in what could only be described as &ldquo;animal hoarding.&rdquo;

On March 13, 2008, the sheriff&rsquo;s department seized 11 miniature horses, one pony, three full-sized horses, four donkeys, six llamas, five great pyranees-mix breed dogs, five smaller dogs and puppies, three sheep, two goats, four cats, two turkeys, seven head of cattle including two Scottish Highlander cattle, one chicken and two prairie dogs. The animals were all in various stages of neglect.

Deputies also found the carcasses of four horses, numerous fowl, one dog, &ldquo;a pile of dead goats&rdquo; being fed upon by dogs. All of those animals were found to be in emaciated condition.

Officers say the horses found were in such bad condition they aren&rsquo;t sure they will be able to recover.

The animals seized are all in the Sheriff&rsquo;s custody.

Ten charges of cruelty to animals have been filed against Billy G. Claycamp and Susan Lyles in connection with the incident. Additional charges are possible pending further assessment of the surviving animals.

Stay with KSN for more developments.
-------------------

Animal Ranch Raided; Hundreds Of Cats Found, Woman Arrested
ThePittsburghChannel.Com
updated 3:06 p.m. ET, Fri., March. 14, 2008
FRAZER TOWNSHIP, Pa. - Hundreds of sick and dying cats were retrieved Friday from a western Pennsylvania animal sanctuary following an undercover investigation by a humane officer who said the place had turned into a "slow-kill shelter." Humane officials and volunteers said it could take at least until Saturday to remove all the animals from the secluded 29-acre property known as Tiger Ranch Farm on Miller Drive in Frazer Township. Watch The Video Report (Updated at noon)

Six hundred to 700 cats were found on the property and hundreds, perhaps thousands, of dead ones were believed buried on the land, said Howard Nelson, director of the Philadelphia-based Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which organized the raid.

"It's billed as a sanctuary, but no one person can take care of 750 cats," he said.

Owner Linda Bruno apparently meant well but lost track of the needs of the animals she had hoarded for years, he said.

"I found her to be in denial of the condition of the cats," Nelson said. "It's been a hard couple of days. We haven't slept. We were here all night. It's hard, but how can you not do it when the cats are suffering?"

Bruno, also known as Linn Marie, 45, was arraigned Friday on animal cruelty charges. It was not immediately clear if she had an attorney. She was being held in the Allegheny County Jail, unable to post bond.

Animal control agents and sheriff's deputies arrived about 7 p.m. Thursday. By midday Friday, at least a dozen cats had been euthanized at the site and more than 400 had to be medicated due to highly contagious diseases, officials said.

The SPCA got a search warrant after a seven-month undercover investigation in which Butler County humane officer Deborah Urmann, working Saturdays as a volunteer, videotaped the operations using a button camera purchased over the Internet, officials said.

"She claims she's a no-kill shelter, but really she's a slow-kill shelter," Urmann said.

Urmann compiled up to 1? hours of video of the conditions in the fall.

"I was scared because I knew that I really, really needed to get a lot of evidence so that I could stop the cruelty," Urmann said. "And, you never know when you are found out when you're working undercover, you know, what is going to happen. ... I'm still having heart palpitations."

Workers wearing orange American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals hats and hoodies on Friday carried animals in small cages to two small trucks.

Nelson estimated 75 percent of the cats need significant veterinary attention, but said he was hopeful that 60 to 70 percent of the cats could be saved.

Two animal ambulances were on-site Friday. An emergency shelter was set up at the Clarion County SPCA in Shippenville, Pa., to handle the animals that are being removed.

Nelson said the animals were found in various places and conditions all over the property. Besides the hundreds of cats, Bruno had several dogs, several horses, a chicken and a goat.

About 100 cats were living in a building that looked like a construction trailer. It was strewn with blood and feces and had two doors that enabled the cats to go out into a fenced area.

Dozens of cats lived with Bruno in her ranch-style home, too, Nelson said.

"You couldn't even breathe because of the ammonia," Nelson said, referring to the stench of cat urine.

Becky Morrow, a local veterinarian, said officials hope to find homes for the cats once they are rehabilitated. She said animal lovers had been complaining to humane officers for years but had difficulty getting enforcement for a lack of specific information.

"You can't get anything on them unless you have an inside person, which we did," Morrow said.

Morrow said Nelson's group was spurred to act once they saw the undercover videotape, which showed dead and ill cats. Officials refused to release the tape Friday.

Dr. Carolyn DeForest, a psychologist from Sewickley involved in volunteer animal rescue work, and Rebecca Reid, of Pittsburgh, with Voices for Animals, were two of those who complained about alleged animal abuse at the shelter. They were near the farm Friday, watching as workers cared for and rounded up the animals.

One problem was that Bruno operated secretively and didn't allow people onto the property except from 10 p.m. to midnight, when she'd accept animals to shelter, DeForest said.

"The place is like Fort Knox," she said.

------------------------------

Mar. 27, 2008

Malnourished horses seized in Jessamine
About 70 removed from farm
By Greg Kocher
GKOCHER1@HERALD-LEADER.COM
In what officials described as the largest animal seizure of its kind for Jessamine County, animal control officers and sheriff's deputies Wednesday began removing about 70 malnourished horses from a farm near the Kentucky River.

Sharon Clagett was not arrested but was charged with multiple counts of second-degree animal cruelty, said animal control officer Mike Cassidy. An exact count wasn't known, but Cassidy said there were about 70 Tennessee walking horses on the property at the end of Hunters Ferry Road, 6 miles south of Nicholasville.

Clagett's husband, Argo, and son, Charlie King, were not charged Wednesday, but Cassidy said he expected charges against other people as well.

King said in a telephone interview Wednesday night that the horses were fed each day.

"They just got in the shape they're in because of the lack of grass in the field," King said. He said last year's drought had damaged the pasture, but that the horses were fed with hay and corn.

"I think it's an inside job. I think somebody got mad at us and called us in," King said.

A complaint from an anonymous tipster led Cassidy and a veterinarian from Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington to get a search warrant and inspect the animals on Monday.

Cassidy said the veterinarian, whom he would not identify, found the horses to be malnourished. On a scale in which a healthy horse is a 4 and an obese horse is a 9, the average for the whole herd was 1.5, Cassidy said.

The horses were taken to undisclosed locations in Jessamine and Garrard counties, said Kim Hurst, president of the Jessamine Humane Society.

Jeff Maness, a friend of the Clagetts and King, said the atmosphere was tense at the farm as the animals were removed.

"This is not a thoroughbred farm. We don't have millions of dollars," Maness quoted Sharon Clagett as telling animal control officers.

Instead of seizing animals and bringing charges, the government should help people by finding and providing hay, Maness said.

Second-degree animal cruelty is a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail and a $500 fine. A year is the maximum prison time a person could face even if there are 70 counts, Cassidy said, but the fine could be multiplied by the number of counts.

Clagett is scheduled to appear in Jessamine District Court on April 23.


---------------------
Charges laid in animal cruelty case

Two men were charged yesterday in connection with a large animal cruelty case after 27 horses were found dead and 100 emaciated on a ranch northeast of Edmonton. Peace officers raided the rural
(trouver cette nouvelle...)

[Animal 0]

7,000 Pigs Perish in Manitoba Barn Fire
Source: CBC News
A Manitoba Hutterite colony lost its main source of income after a fire killed an estimated 7,000 pigs Wednesday.

RCMP said the hogs and sows were destroyed after the barn caught fire on the Netley Hutterite colony, about 70 kilometres north of Winnipeg, on Wednesday afternoon.


RCMP originally pegged the loss at 12,000 pigs, but the colony now says the figure was closer to 7,000. The colony estimates the cost of the hog fire at $3 million.
4 avril 2008

Colony resident Tom Hofer witnessed the fire.
"It was the biggest income we had," he said. "You don't recover from something like that. It's too big a loss."


RCMP said two men were taken to hospital with minor injuries. One suffered smoke inhalation, while the other injured his hands while breaking a window in the kilometre-long barn.


Kim Henderson, deputy chief of the nearby Clandeboye Fire Department, said half of the massive building was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived.


Thick smoke likely killed the animals before they were burned by the fire, he said.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation. No damage estimate has been made available.

[animo-aequoanimo 0]

7,000. Quelle catastrophe. Pauvres petites bêtes.

[Animal 0]

c'est horrible et ça arrive tellement souvent !!

[Animal 0]

Two Die In Spain From Human Form Of Mad Cow Disease
April 8, 2008

Two people have died in Spain from variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, the human form of mad cow disease, the health department of the regional Castilla-Leon government said on Monday.

The Carlos III Institute, which specialises in epidemics, said it had logged three deaths from vCJD since 2005, including those announced in Castilla-Leon.(...)

Mad cow disease, bovine spongiform encephalopathy, first emerged in Britain in the 1980s and has been found in herds in several European and other countries. Scientists believe it is transmitted through infected meat and bone meal fed to cattle and may cause vCJD in humans....

http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/47831/story.htm

Two Die In Spain From Human Form Of Mad Cow Disease
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



SPAIN: April 8, 2008


MADRID - Two people have died in Spain from variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, the human form of mad cow disease, the health department of the regional Castilla-Leon government said on Monday.


The Carlos III Institute, which specialises in epidemics, said it had logged three deaths from vCJD since 2005, including those announced in Castilla-Leon.
A health department spokesman from the northern region said one person had died of vCJD 15 to 20 days ago, and one in late December or early January.

Juan Jose Badiola, the director for Spain's National Reference Centre for Transmitted Spongiform Encephalopathy, said there was no cause for alarm.

"It is most likely that both victims contracted the disease more than eight years ago," Badiola said in a report by Europa Press.

The European Union in January 2001 banned the use of animal and bone meal in animal feed in order to prevent the spread of mad cow disease and vCJD.

The National Health Service in Britain, where several deaths from vCJD have been reported, says on its Web site that similar infections take between 15 and 20 years to become active.

Mad cow disease, bovine spongiform encephalopathy, first emerged in Britain in the 1980s and has been found in herds in several European and other countries. Scientists believe it is transmitted through infected meat and bone meal fed to cattle and may cause vCJD in humans.

(Reporting by Itziar Reinlein; Writing by Martin Roberts; Editing by Catherine Evans)

[Animal 0]

et bien + si on rajoute les feux de fermes du Québec...


7-04-2008

Factory Farm Fires Claim 10,000 Pigs in Three Weeks
By Martha Rosenberg



One of the worst parts of incarceration, many say, is knowing if a fire breaks out the guards aren't going to save you. They're not going to rush back into the prison building and risk their lives. Why would they? If your life had any value, you wouldn't be locked up in the first place.


That's exactly what happened to 10,000 pigs who perished in factory farm fires in Canada and Indiana in the past month.


8,700 pigs burned alive at Netley Hutterite Colony in Manitoba, Canada about 30 miles north of Winnipeg on April 2.


The pigs were housed together in a 900 foot by 80 foot barn with only six full-time and two or three part-time employees caring for them.


Efforts to stop the fire by cutting a path through the barn with a bulldozer failed when it "got hung up" on the factory farming style manure pits beneath the stalls.


"At one point we heard a big squeal and it was ear-shattering," said Tom Hofer, a retired hog worker, with tears in his eyes


"You could hear them scream," agreed Markus Hofer, a teacher who also witnessed the blaze.


On March 11, firefighters were called to Cardinal Farms Sow Farm, 55 miles northwest of Indianapolis, IN where 2,500 pigs were burned alive as fire engulfed a hog farrowing and nursery barn.


The facility, owned by Agrivest Inc., the largest farrow to finish hog producer in Montgomery County which produces more than 100,000 hogs annually, is still in operation.


Fritz Holzgrefe, owner/operator of Agrivest Inc., thanked firefighters and the Red Cross and promised to do "what we have to do to get the mess cleaned up."


No cruelty to animal charges were filed against the farm owners or operators.


The Netley fire is not the first factory farm fire at a Hutterite Colony whose members follow the teachings of Jakob Hutter in sharing communal goods and observing pacifism at least toward humans. In the past two years, fires at Vermillion Farms Colony and Rainbow Colony, both also near Winnipeg, have incinerated 3,000 and 5,500 pigs, respectively.


Nor is it the first big Indiana fire.


Less than a year ago, firefighters from eight departments in three counties responded to a fire that killed all the hogs, thought to be in the hundreds, on a farm in White County, IN near Otterbein.


Some owners of burned hog farms are even repeat offenders.


Last June, 50 firefighters battled a lethal hog farm fire near Flora, IN, in the same building where 3,300 hogs perished in a fire seven years earlier-a fact Flora Volunteer Fire Department Chief Scott Sisson called "ironic."


"The Lord's in control," said Lynn Peters, owner of the fire prone farm, who vowed to get more hogs. "We'll get through this," he promised.


And a fire that killed hundreds of pigs in Chilliwack, BC, Canada, last summer was the third for hog farmers Jan and Nancy Pannekoek who were just planning to leave the business. Their second fire, in August of 2004, killed 250 pregnant sows and 20 boars.


No cruelty to animal charges have been filed against Peters or the Pannekoeks.


Of course factory farms, with their uninterrupted rows of confined animals and manure pits, are known to be harmful to the environment, animals and people who live or work near them.


For the Netley Hutterite Colony and similar communities often targeted by corporate farming interests, they are not even profitable.


Nor are barn fires new.


But only a factory farm can incinerate 10,000 pigs in a few hours in a fire-as they wait, in vain, for their guards to rescue them.





Martha Rosenberg is Staff Cartoonist, Evanston Roundtable

http://newsblaze.com/story/20080406142442rose.nb/newsblaze/OPINIONS/Opinions.html

[Animal 0]

More than 1,200 exotic African Grey Parrots have been seized from traffickers in Cameroon after 2 two shipments were intercepted at Douala International Airport. The parrots were being illegally shipped to Bahrain and Mexico for the exotic pet trade, but are now being cared for by the Limbe Wildlife Centre (LWC).

The parrots were squashed into tiny crates, with the live birds standing on top of the many dead ones.





Two Year Ban on Export of African Greys

Under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), only limited numbers of parrots can be moved or traded. In January 2007, the Animals Committee of CITES, the convention governing international trade in species, recommended a two-year ban from January 2007 on exports of African Grey Parrots (Psittacus erithacus) from five West African countries (Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Cameroon). Even with regulations in place, millions of wild birds find themselves stuffed in boxes or bags headed for the black market.
In 2006, Cameroon had a legal quota of birds that it could export. With the global outbreak of Avian Flu in 2007, all trading of birds was ceased. ‘The ban on the movement of birds has been lifted (although Cameroon’s quota for 2008 is zero birds), so the traders wanted to use up their 2006 quotas.

The trade in bird species is banned in the USA but is still legal in Europe and elsewhere. ’The African Grey Parrot is in decline due to a growing and highly lucrative harvest for the pet trade from West and Central Africa. The species may be threatened with extinction in its natural environment unless the trade is subject to strict enforcement,’ says Dr. Emmanuel de Merode, CEO of WildlifeDirect.org.

The parrot family has more globally threatened species than any other bird family and the capture for pets is a primary cause of decline. ‘This is a tragic story of wildlife being exploited for the international trade in exotic pets, one of the most lucrative illegal trades in the world. However, due to some diligent work by those responsible for implementing the wildlife laws of Cameroon, at least these birds have been saved. How many other shipments of birds make their way out of the country undetected we can only dread to imagine,’ reports Dr. Lankester.

The African Grey Parrot is listed on CITES appendix II which restricts trade of wild caught species, because wild populations can not sustain trapping for the pet trade. It is popular as a pet, partly because of its ability to imitate speech. While captive-bred birds usually assimilate into their new households with relative ease, wild-caught African Grey parrots require considerably more time to adapt to living with humans, and have a tendency to growl and panic when they are approached. Unlike more common pets, African Grey Parrots have not been greatly ‘modified’ by selective breeding; they are only available as wild-type birds.

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/shepherd-print.html

[Animal 0]

Federal officers board, seize protest vessel
The Canadian Press

April 12, 2008 at 2:45 PM EDT

HALIFAX — Ottawa's decision Saturday to board and seize a vessel owned by a militant conservation group opposed to the annual East Coast seal hunt amounts to "an act of war," says Paul Watson, head of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.

Mr. Watson, speaking in an interview from New York, said armed federal officers from two coast guard vessels stormed aboard the Farley Mowat at around 11 a.m. ADT in the Cabot Strait — the body of water between Cape Breton and Newfoundland.

"(They) took command of the vessel, and .... they were screaming at people to lie down on the deck."

Mr. Watson said a communications officer aboard the ship was relaying details of the boarding via satellite phone when the connection was suddenly lost.


Enlarge Image
The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society vessel Farley Mowat (front) and the Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker Des Groseilliers stand idle off the coast of Cape Breton island, Nova Scotia, in this photo taken March 30, 2008. (Paul Darrow/Retuers)

The federal Fisheries Department later confirmed the ship's captain and chief officer were arrested for violating Canada's marine mammal regulations.

Last week, the department brought forward charges alleging the Farley Mowat's captain, Alexander Cornelissen, and First Officer Peter Hammarstedt broke rules that prohibit anyone without a valid observation licence from coming within 900 metres of the hunt.

Mr. Cornelissen is also charged with obstruction or hindrance of a Fishery Officer or inspector.

"The Government of Canada has taken action to protect the safety and livelihoods of Canadian sealers," federal Fisheries Minister Loyola Hearn said in the statement.

"The safety and security of sealers remains our government's focus and is what guides our decisions on the water."

Mr. Watson maintains the Farley Mowat is a Dutch-registered vessel and doesn't have to submit to Canadian regulations.

"We're regarding this as an unlawful boarding," he said.

Mr. Watson said the conservation group had been filming seals being slaughtered and he believes the footage will be damaging to Canada, particularly as the European Union considers a ban on the import of all seal products.

"I think we've embarrassed the hell out of the Canadian government and they're desperate," he said.

"Quite frankly, I think Loyola Hearn has made a very, very bad mistake because this is going to blow up in Europe."

The European Commission, the executive branch of the European Union, is awaiting a second report on the seal hunt before making its recommendation to the European Parliament, likely this summer.

The annual hunt started March 28 in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence, then expanded to include a portion of the gulf west of Newfoundland. The main hunt, in an area north of Newfoundland known as the Front, started Saturday.

On March 31, some seal hunters called for assistance from the coast guard, complaining that the Farley Mowat was getting to close to them on the ice floes about 60 kilometres north of Cape Breton.

The Fisheries Department later said its 98-metre icebreaker Des Groseilliers responded to the scene and was "grazed" twice by the 54-metre Farley Mowat.

But the conservation group said its ship was rammed twice by the icebreaker.

The crew aboard the Mowat said they were told by the coast guard not to approach an ice-covered area where seals were being slaughtered, but the crew did not comply with the order.

On April 5, Mr. Hearn said charges had been laid, but he did not say how or when the summonses would be served.

The charges, brought forward in Nova Scotia, could result in fines of up to $100,000 or up to one year in prison, or both.

The captain of the Cape Breton sealing vessel who called for help said the arrests were long overdue.

"It's time, it's high time, it's past time that they did something with them," said Pat Briand of Dingwall, N.S., the 55-year-old skipper of the Cathy Erlene.

Mr. Watson has denied the Farley Mowat got too close to the hunt.

He later released a video that shows the two vessels travelling briefly in a parallel course and then colliding twice. But it's difficult to determine which vessel, if any, initiated the collision.

The Sea Shepherd Society and previous incarnations have long used militant tactics to stop hunters from killing seals, whales and other marine wildlife.

The group claims to have sunk six whaling ships since 1979, saying no one was hurt in those actions.

During the 1980s, Mr. Watson harassed Russian whaling ships and Japanese dolphin hunters. In the mid-80s, he was tear gassed off the Faroe Islands when he tried to stop the sport kill of pilot whales.

In 1995, he scuffled with an angry mob of angry sealers on Iles-de-la-Madeleine when he went there to stage a protest with actor Martin Sheen.

Last week, angry fishermen on the French islands of St-Pierre-Miquelon cut the mooring lines of the Farley Mowat when it stopped to pick up provisions.

To be sure, the Canadian Coast Guard and the Fisheries Department are no strangers to confrontation on the water.

On March 9, 1995, as Spain and Canada were locked in an emotional battle over the overfishing of turbot just beyond Canadian waters, the coast guard patrol vessel Cape Roger intercepted the Spanish trawler Estai, which cut its nets and fled.

After a lengthy pursuit, the crew of the Cape Roger fired four bursts from .50-calibre machine gun across the bow of the Estai, which then stopped and was seized by RCMP and Fisheries officers.

As well, Fisheries officers routinely track and board foreign fishing vessels far off Canada's coasts to enforce international fisheries rules.

About two-thirds of this year's catch limit of 275,000 harp seals can be taken during the hunt north of Newfoundland.

But federal officials say low pelt prices and soaring fuel costs have made the hunt a money-losing proposition for many sealers. That means the total catch this season is expected to be far below the limit.

Pelt prices have dropped to about $33 this year from an average of $65 last year.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080412.wsealhunt0412/BNStory/National/home

[Animal 0]

Date: 14/04/2008


Un embargo sur le phoque

L'Europe envisage d'emboîter le pas à la Belgique pour mettre fin au massacre

BRUXELLES Le commissaire européen à l'Environnement, Stavros Dimas, a annoncé qu'il proposerait un embargo européen sur tous les produits issus de la chasse aux phoques employant des méthodes cruelles. Cet embargo, si la proposition du commissaire européen est suivie, pourrait déclencher un conflit commercial avec le Canada.

L'an dernier, la Belgique et les Pays-Bas ont décidé de proscrire les importations de produits issus de la chasse aux phoques : Ottawa a répliqué en poursuivant en septembre l'UE devant l'Organisation mondiale du commerce (OMC). "Nous proposerons un embargo sur les importations de fourrures de phoque si un pays ne peut prouver qu'elles ont été obtenues d'une manière humaine", a dit Dimas en marge d'une réunion informelle des ministres de l'Environnement à Brdo, en Slovénie.

Sa proposition, qui n'est pas assortie d'un calendrier, doit obtenir le soutien de la Commission. Elle s'appliquerait aux importations de produits à base de fourrures et de peaux de phoque, mais aussi d'autres dérivés (le phoque est notamment utilisé dans la fabrication de vitamines). Dimas a refusé en revanche de définir ce qu'il considérait comme une "façon humaine de tuer des animaux", renvoyant à un avis publié en décembre par l'Autorité européenne de sécurité des aliments (EFSA).

Soulignant que les phoques sont "des mammifères sensibles, susceptibles de ressentir de la douleur, de la détresse, de la peur et d'autres formes de souffrance", cet avis scientifique de l'EFSA prône un abattage rapide et efficace des animaux et une vérification de leur mort avant dépeçage. Selon l'EFSA, près de 750.000 phoques d'au moins quinze espèces sont abattus et dépecés chaque année à des fins commerciales, le Canada, le Groenland et la Namibie comptant pour environ 60 % de la totalité des phoques abattus.


La Belgique interdit toute importation de produits à base de phoque. L'UE pourrait enfin s'aligner sur cette position forte. (reuters)

[Animal 0]

2 seriously injured in 401 crash involving pig truck

April 14, 2008 C CBC News

Two people were seriously injured — and at least 50 pigs escaped onto the country's busiest highway — after a multi-vehicle accident just west of Toronto on Monday.

The collision involving a tractor-trailer hauling about 200 pigs, a pickup truck and two other vehicles happened on Highway 401 during morning rush hour.

The drivers of a car and a pickup truck were transported to hospital with serious injuries. The driver of the transport truck and another vehicle suffered minor injuries.

All lanes of the 401 near Winston Churchill Boulevard were closed for almost two hours. The westbound lanes were later reopened but the eastbound lanes remained closed for hours at the crash site.

On the other side of the highway, an Enbridge Gas pickup truck sat with its back end smashed in, metal tools and glass from the truck littering the highway.

About 50 pigs escaped onto the busy highway. Some of the animals were killed in the accident and others injured.

Provincial police Sgt. Cam Woolley, looking at a small Honda that had been badly damaged in the accident, said it could have been much worse.

"A bar has come right through the dashboard of this car, so, as bad as this was, I think we're very lucky it wasn't a fatality. Had the big rig hit this Honda first, I really think it would not have been survivable," he said.

Police said most of the pigs were rounded up and put into a trailer.

"At least several were killed in the crash. Two had to be euthanized by OPP officers that first arrived on scene, that had horrible injuries. The only humane thing to do was to euthanize them," said Woolley.

The highway reopened entirely at about 3 p.m.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2008/04/14/collision-pigs.html?ref=rss

[Animal 0]

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080426.POLARBEAR26/TPStory/?query=polar+bear


GAME OVER?: 'IF I WANTED ONE, I GOT TO GET IN NOW'

U.S. hunters targeting polar bears while they can
Looming import ban threatens to kill lucrative, but controversial, tradition of chasing trophies in the Arctic with Inuit guidance
KATHERINE O'NEILL

April 26, 2008

RESOLUTE BAY, NUNAVUT -- The rules of engagement are simple: The trophy must be male and at least 2.4 metres tall.
And since March, big-game hunters, mainly Americans, clad head to toe in caribou-skin outfits and riding dogsleds, have been on the hunt in Canada's Arctic for one of the most controversial animals on the planet: polar bears.
In this male-dominated, high-priced world, where Inuit-guided hunts can run more than $40,000 (U.S.), bigger is better, right down to the animal's baculum, or penis bone.
But this year, the stakes to bag the iconic predator before the annual season ends next month are at an all-time high because these hunters are also being hunted.



Amid concerns that climate change is threatening Arctic sea ice - the polar bears' main habitat - a U.S. government agency is considering listing the bears as a threatened species under its Endangered Species Act. The decision, which was originally to be announced on Jan. 9, is imminent, according to a government spokesperson.
If the recommendation is adopted, it would likely lead to a ban on the importation of polar bear trophies to the United States.
Without the trophies, hunters from the United States will largely stay home, killing off a lucrative sports-hunting industry that, over the years, has pumped millions of dollars into such struggling Arctic communities as Resolute Bay. Canada is the only country where sport hunting for polar bears is still legal.
Some U.S. hunters were so afraid they wouldn't be able to export their pelt if a decision was made this spring that they cancelled their trips. Many lost deposits as high as $5,000.
But because of waiting lists stretching into 2011, outfitters were able to fill those spots.
"All of the hunters who have been around for years and years told me that if I wanted one, I got to get in now," said Allyn Ladd, 33, a bow hunter and unemployed dentist from Alaska, during an interview at Resolute Bay's co-op hotel.
He's concerned that even if the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decides against listing the massive animal as threatened, it's only a matter of time before the hunt is shut down for good by either the federal or territorial governments.
Located 600 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle, Resolute Bay, a mainly Inuit community of 250, is the farthest north in Canada that commercial airlines fly. Passengers are greeted in the tiny airport's lobby by a stuffed polar bear that was shot by Nathaniel Kattuk, a local Inuk outfitter.
Like many other hunters who made the trek north of the 60th parallel, Mr. Ladd has dreamed of killing a polar bear since childhood. "As a kid you have dreams," the Arkansas native said in a slow accent. "One thing I've made a point in my life is to chase dreams."
On Day 2 of his hunt this month, Mr. Ladd shot a 9-foot-6 polar bear from about 30 metres. "I was trying to get as close as I could, just to get better video," he said.
By law, sports hunters have to be accompanied by an Inuit guide. The guide, who can tell the size of a bear by the width of its pawprint, helps track them down on the sea ice. As daylight fades, the bears become easier to locate because their white fur appears almost brown due to the shadows. Once a bear has been "glassed" - hunter-speak for spotted - the sled dogs are released to surround and distract the animal so the hunter can get closer to take the perfect shot.
Most aim for the lungs. By the hunter's side is the guide, holding a rifle just in case their shot is off. The animal is then skinned, with the meat turned over to the local community.
Some hunters do it for the glory, with a few paying for camera crews to shoot the feat and the animal's final seconds.
Some are here for the thrill of the kill. "It's a super adrenalin rush. It's incredible," said Mark Beeler, a 49-year-old bow hunter from Milwaukee, Wis. "A polar bear is almost mysterious. Before this, I'd only ever seen a polar bear at the zoo."
Others are trying to complete a hunting hit list. There are several, including the North American Grand Slam (hunters must bag 28 big-game animals from across the continent) and the prestigious Safari Club International 29 - a list of 29 North American predators and ungulate animals.
While the future of the polar bear is a hot topic in the United States, it's also fiercely debated in Canada, with the predator becoming symbolic of animal rights and climate change.
Scientists and Inuit disagree over the health of polar bear populations and whether the loss of sea ice is contributing to their demise. Canada is home to two-thirds of the world's 22,000-25,000 polar bears. This month, the World Wildlife Fund warned that some of Canada's polar bear populations could be wiped out by 2050 because of declining sea ice and overhunting.
Caught in the middle are people like Mr. Kattuk, who owns Nanuk Outfitting Ltd. with his wife Martha in Resolute Bay.
"I hope they still come," the 55-year-old Inuk said when asked whether hunters from the United States will still hire him if they can't bring their pelts home.
Outside the kitchen window of his small, bright blue home, a spring snowstorm rages. The soft-spoken father of four, who employs five local guides, said the Nunavut government and local hunters and trappers organizations are equally concerned about polar -bear conservation, and that the kill would happen - with or without the sport hunters.
"If there are too many of them, there will be problems," he said. "If there are too few, there will be problems."
By the numbers
22,000-25,000
Approximate number of the world's polar bears.
16,000
Approximate number of polar bears in Canada.
13
Polar bear populations in Canada, 12 of which are in Nunavut.
468
Number of polar bears allowed to be killed in Nunavut in 2007-08. Sources: Nunavut government, Northwest Territories government, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Canadian government

ANIMAL POPULATIONS

Panel confirms species as 'special concern'
UNNATI GANDHI

April 26, 2008

The polar bear population is large enough that stricter legislation isn't necessary to protect it - for now. But the scientific group that advises the federal government on endangered species said yesterday that the environmental threats to the animal are real and looming.
The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada, which assessed nearly three dozen plants and animals at a meeting in Yellowknife this week, said it re-examined the status of Ursus maritimus and decided to confirm the species' designation as "special concern" (one category below threatened, and two below endangered).
The special-concern tag was first applied to the polar bear in 1991, and was reconfirmed in 1999 and 2002.
"There's no doubt the species is at risk in Canada. It's close to being threatened. And it's clear that some populations are declining," said committee chairman Jeff Hutchings in an interview from Yellowknife last night.




Among those are the bears to the west of Hudson Bay and those in the western Arctic, which are declining primarily because of the loss of summer sea ice as a result of climate change, Dr. Hutchings said. The populations in the far northeast, in Baffin Bay and Kane Basin, are declining because of overharvesting, he said. But at the same time, populations in other parts of the region are increasing, weakening the argument to change their status to threatened or endangered.
"Are things worse than they were in 2002? I'd have to say yes. And they're near to being threatened. And if the declines we're seeing today continue, their status will have to change," Dr. Hutchings said.
The group's findings will be forwarded to Environment Minister John Baird. If they are accepted, the government will have to address issues the group has identified as threats to the animal's survival, including climate change.

[Animal 0]

http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5g3ZqdZ44_GRGn2TM3D9Gx4-EWS-w

Inuit hunters, scientists set to square off over polar bear quotas
21 avril 2008

Inuit hunters are bracing for another showdown this week with government wildlife scientists, this time over how many polar bears they'll be allowed to kill from one of Canada's largest populations of the iconic predator.
Scientists say the bears of Baffin Bay have been overhunted for years - partly by Greenlanders - and they will argue at hearings beginning Tuesday in Pond Inlet, Nunavut, that the number of valuable tags for the animals should be cut by 40 per cent, if not eliminated.
But Inuit say the bears are fine and that researchers haven't even counted them in more than a decade. They point to a recent admission that scientists drastically underestimated bowhead whales in the Arctic as a reason to be skeptical of bear estimates.
Some say if they're cut off from harvesting an animal they depend on for food and clothing, they'll ignore regulations and shoot as many bears as they need.
"We don't believe the scientists' information any more," said Jayko Alooloo, head of the Hunters and Trappers Organization in Pond Inlet, one of the three communities along the east shore of Baffin Island that hunts the bears. "(Hunters) will ignore new quotas."
The territorial government wants the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board to reduce the Baffin Bay bear quota to 64 from 105 immediately and consider reducing it further or eliminating it.
The last time anyone counted - in 1997 - there were 2,100 polar bears along the area's mountainous coast and rugged sea ice.
But Nunavut increased hunting quotas in 2004. And the year after that, Greenland revealed its hunters had been taking more than twice as many bears as previously thought.
Computer models suggest the population is now 1,500 - almost a 30 per cent drop.
Nonsense, says Alooloo.
The survey is too old. As well, scientists look for bears in the wrong places at the wrong times.
Hunters north of Pond Inlet routinely see several bears a day, Alooloo said.
"My brother-in-law, he's seen six bears in a day," he said. "They always see the bears and the tracks. That's why we don't believe the government. We know they're increasing every year."
Alooloo points to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans' recent admission that, far from being threatened, bowhead whales have in fact returned to the numbers they enjoyed before commercial harvesting - just as Inuit elders insisted all along.
"That's the same thing with the polar bear," said Alooloo.
Scientific information has to be combined with traditional knowledge to develop hunting quotas, he said.
Steve Pinksen of Nunavut's environment department defends the scientific estimates, saying bears are much easier to number than whales.
"To assume that because one is wrong they're all wrong is not a fair conclusion. We do have what we feel is a fairly accurate population survey system."
Greenland has acknowledged the problem and drastically cut its quotas, Pinksen said.
Ian Stirling, a retired Environment Canada polar bear researcher, said bear sightings are misleading because hunters naturally go to the best habitat. Population declines would start at the margins, he said.
"I don't think hunters would see changes in numbers of polar bears in the kind of travelling they do," he said.
Other pressures could increase human-bear contacts.
"It could be the ice is melting earlier in Baffin Bay and (the bears) are coming ashore a little bit hungrier and looking for an alternate food source."
In fact, Stirling said a recent survey of hunters suggested about 57 per cent of them felt bears were thinner than they used to be.
Still, Inuit are feeling increasingly beset by southerners telling them how to manage what they feel are their animals, said Colin Saunders, Pond Inlet's economic development officer.
"Sometimes, scientists do need to listen to Inuit people more," he said.
Inuit hunters are also frustrated by forces outside their control, such as anti-sealing campaigns in Europe and the American effort to declare polar bears an endangered species.
"There are people who would rather generate an income from being out on the land rather than a nine-to-five job," Saunders said.
"There are people who still want to hunt. That's just in them."
Although a polar bear tag is worth up to $25,000 to a sport hunter, Alooloo said they will be cut off if the reduced quotas are imposed. Inuit needs will come first, as bear meat provides needed variety from seal and fish and the hide makes warm clothes.
"It's Inuit food, like cows for southern people," Alooloo said.
"It's going to be like cutting off our hunters' arm if the NWMB decreases our quota."

[Animal 0]

april 22, 2008

http://tinyurl.com/3rtxc9


The University of Calgary is leading a research team in a $5 million study to determine if a disease killing deer and elk in Alberta and Saskatchewan has any impact on human health.

In the five-year study, the largest project to be funded by the Alberta Prion Research Institute, researchers led by Stefanie Czub of the U of C's Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, will learn about the human health risks associated with chronic wasting disease (CWD), a progressive, fatal illness of the nervous system spreading through deer and elk herds.


Unlike bovine spongiform encephalopathy, known as mad cow disease, in cattle, CWD can cross from animal to animal and is more difficult to control.


Part of Czub's project will involve inoculating macaques monkeys with high doses of CWD to see whether they develop the disease.

[Animal 0]

Battle to save horses from slaughterhouse

AARON HARRIS/TORONTO STAR
These horses at the Ontario Livestock Exchange in Waterloo, April 29, 2008 could be destined for restaurants in France, Japan and Switzerland.


Canadian owner finds rare diamond


His critics told Charles Fipke he was on a fool's errand, combing through the Northwest Territories with microscope in hand, digging for buried treasure in the untamed tundra like a young boy who had read one too many adventure novels.Once racing days are done, even major stakes winners can be killed

May 03, 2008 04:30 AM
Jennifer Morrison
Special to the Star

The 20 horses competing in today's Kentucky Derby have spent the week being primped and pampered in their Churchill Downs stable digs, cameras fixed on every move, handlers mindful of every step they take: they are royalty on four legs.

If history is any guide, though, some Derby bluebloods will end up one day far away from the bright lights, in the cold, cruel surroundings of a slaughterhouse.

Take Ferdinand. The striking, well-bred son of Canadian-bred Nijinsky II won the Kentucky Derby in 1986 and his future seemed secure. He died in a slaughterhouse in Japan 16 years later, reportedly no longer attractive to breeders as a stallion.

Exceller, the only horse ever to beat two Triple Crown winners – Seattle Slew and Affirmed in the 1978 Jockey Club Gold Cup – died in a Swedish slaughterhouse in 1997. Phantom on Tour, sixth in the '97 Kentucky Derby, might have met a similar fate if rescue groups hadn't have stepped in.

It almost happened to Little Cliff, too. A Derby hopeful two years ago for owner Robert LaPenta and two-time Derby-winning trainer Nick Zito, who have Cool Coal Man in today's race, Little Cliff never panned out as a top horse and eventually slid down to the lower claiming ranks, changing hands several times. Despite a notation on his registration papers that he be returned to Zito after his final race, Little Cliff fell off the map – until April 7, when a thoroughbred rescue group member found him in a direct-to-kill waiting pen at the New Holland livestock auction in Pennsylvania.

The destination for Little Cliff's remains was Canada, where more and more horses are being butchered each day. With no more remaining slaughterhouses in the United States, Mexico is the only other country slaughtering American horses. According to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, seven licensed plants slaughter horses here. A spokesman at Cookstown Stockyards, an auction house north of Toronto, said that of about a dozen horses that may go through its sale a week, more than 30 per cent are typically racehorses.The appetite appears to be growing. Statistics Canada reports that in 2007, almost $70 million worth of horsemeat was shipped from Canada to countries such as France, Japan and Switzerland, an increase of 20 per cent over 2006. Numerous Toronto restaurants offer horsemeat on the menu – from horses raised like cattle in Quebec. At least one butcher shop located five minutes from Woodbine sells horsemeat imported from Calgary.

The horses arrive at the slaughterhouses through numerous auction/stockyard facilities, including several in Ontario that sell the occasional unwanted racehorse by the pound. The conditions in the vans transporting the horses are often atrocious: low-ceilinged and overcrowded. Veterinarians working with the CFIA inspect all horses delivered to slaughterhouses both before and after their deaths.

Members of the continent's horse racing industry are becoming vehemently pro-active about preserving equine athletes. In the last decade, the number of racehorse retirement, adoption, rescue programs and foster farms has quadrupled.

Animal advocacy groups in the U.S. are lobbying Congress for an American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act. In Canada, the Canadian Horse Defence Coalition is working to introduce a private member's bill which would ban the slaughter of horses nationwide.

At Woodbine and Fort Erie, a precedent was set by granting a percentage of purses each year – one-quarter of 1 per cent, or about $200,000 – to LongRun Thoroughbred Retirement Society, a racehorse adoption and placement program based at Woodbine.

"Our mission is to work with owners and trainers and help them find homes for racehorses who have been injured or are no longer competitive," said LongRun founder Vicki Pappas.

"Horses are donated to us, we foster them and then they are adopted out. More than 250 horses have found homes through us (in nine years). We are fully supported by all organizations in racing in Ontario. We can't help all of them, but everyone does their part."

Some of the heroes that have gone through LongRun include Swamp Line, a stakes winner who made $175,000 for owner Robert Fisher but suffered a career-ending injury in his stall six years ago. Today, the dark bay gelding is living life as a ribbon-winning dressage horse for young, new owner Lesley Kahan.

Others, like Dawn Watcher, are simply just living a good life. An earner of nearly $500,000 and stakes-placed several times, Dawn Watcher last raced in June 2005. He had severe injuries from the rigours of continuous racing and slowly slipped down the claiming ladder. Donated by his owner to LongRun, the grey gelding is now romping through lush pastures of green grass at a foster home.

Alex Brown, whose website at Alex Brown Racing has formed the Fans of Barbaro forum, has saved more than 2,100 horses from slaughter and raised nearly $1 million. Just over a year after the death of popular 2006 Derby winner Barbaro, Brown is leading a grassroots anti-slaughter project.

A former Internet marketing professor with an MBA, Brown travels the world on his own dime doubling as an exercise rider for the world's leading trainer Steve Asmussen, who trains Derby second favourite Pyro. Brown is also a spokesperson for the banning of horse slaughter. He arrived at Woodbine with a string of Asmussen horses this spring.

"I worked in racing for 20 years. Two years ago, I didn't know anything about this," Brown said. "I think people don't understand what's happening."

Recently, he attended the Ontario Livestock Exchange auction in Waterloo where he saw one half-blind racehorse sold for slaughter – essentially, exiting the ring to a van that takes horses to the meat packers. Brown gave the horse a pat. Nothing more he could do.

"That's pretty up front; you don't sell by the pound for the show ring," Brown said. "They are being sold to be killed.

"What is disgusting is horses that have won some money for the owners, maybe some stakes, end up in these places. How many have we missed?"

Brown agrees that more people are talking and doing things about protecting racehorses after their careers end, but he says higher-profile folks need to get involved.

"From a PR standpoint, what we're doing is good. These are ordinary people raising money; we don't have any rich benefactors. But we're still losing horses. The claiming game allows them to slip through the cracks."

Zito's wife Kim will greet Little Cliff at their farm in Kentucky soon after the Derby. The horse has been in quarantine since being saved from the slaughterhouse.

"Nick and I were sick when we heard the story," Kim Zito said. "When we got over the initial shock of it, our sadness turned to anger. There are still some people in this game that don't care.

"The horse should be treated with dignity and respect. They fight with heart and soul so that we can become, rich, famous, successful and, hopefully, get that picture in the winner's circle.

"We need to have a little compassion and say, 'Thank you.' "

http://www.thestar.com/Sports/HorseRacing/article/420982