Animal

Marée noire Deux fois pire qu'on l'avait cru Agence France-Presse Guillaume Decamme 10/06/2010 22h43 Un poisson mort en Louisiane. AFP WASHINGTON - Les secours engagés dans la lutte contre la marée noire ont convoqué jeudi le président de BP pour rencontrer Barack Obama, alors que les autorités annonçaient que le volume de pétrole qui s'écoule chaque jour est deux fois plus important que ce qu'elles craignaient. Dans une lettre, le commandant des garde-côtés américains, l'amiral Thad Allen, sollicite le patron du groupe pétrolier britannique, le Suédois Carl-Henric Svanberg, «et tout responsable idoine de BP» afin qu'ils rencontrent «de hauts responsables de l'administration le mercredi 16 juin 2010 pour discuter des questions» liées à la marée noire qui souille le golfe du Mexique depuis l'explosion de la plateforme Deepwater Horizon le 20 avril. Jusqu'à maintenant, les autorités américaines estimaient que le brut qui s'écoule dans la mer chaque jour représentait entre 12 000 à 19 000 barils de brut par jour. Or jeudi, elles ont avancé le chiffre de 40 000 barils, soit environ 6,4 millions de litres. «L'estimation basse des scientifiques (...) tourne autour de 20.000 barils, tandis que la haute est un peu supérieure à 40.000», a indiqué Marcia NcNutt, directrice de l'Institut de géophysique américain (USGS) et présidente du groupe d'experts mandatés par l'administration américaine pour évaluer l'écoulement de pétrole. Cette mesure a été faite avant la pose le 3 juin d'un entonnoir destiné à contenir la fuite du puits à l'origine de la marée noire. ... http://fr.canoe.ca/infos/environnement/archives/2010/06/20100610-224307.html

Compton Un violent incendie ravage une ferme Mise à jour le mercredi 26 mai 2010 à 17 h 09 Le feu s'est déclaré vers 19 h mardi. Un violent incendie a ravagé la ferme laitière Breault & Frères située à Compton, en Estrie. Le feu, qui s'est déclaré vers 19 h mardi, a complètement détruit deux des cinq bâtiments de ferme. Deux cents vaches laitières ont péri à la suite de l'incendie. Une cinquantaine de pompiers ont passé la nuit à combattre les flammes. Des municipalités voisines ont été appelées en renfort pour venir à bout de l'incendie. Les dommages sont évalués à 1 million de dollars. Selon l'un des propriétaires de l'endroit, Denis Breault, l'incendie serait accidentel et aurait été causé par un problème électrique. Une vingtaine de vaches ont survécu au sinistre. Un vétérinaire a été appelé sur les lieux pour évaluer l'état de santé des bêtes qui ont été blessées. La ferme Breault & Frères est une entreprise familiale établie depuis plus de 40 ans à Compton. ================

À la une «Les chiens ne démontrent aucune agressivité» Marc Pigeon Le Journal de Montréal 10/06/2010 06h14 - Mise à jour 10/06/2010 16h20 On ignore si ce husky sera euthanasié. Agence QMI Enfermés depuis plus de 48 heures dans les locaux d'un organisme de protection des animaux, les chiens Husky confisqués ne démontrent aucun signe d'agressivité. Le Pavillon des animaux, de Saint-Hyacinthe, accueille tous les chiens saisis, soit un mâle, deux femelles et une portée de chiots, tous des huskies qui se trouvaient dans l'appartement lors du drame. Les animaux n'ont pas encore été expertisés et on ignore toujours le sort qui leur sera réservé. Dans une cage Dans l'intervalle, les chiens croupissent dans une cage, pour une quarantaine de 10 jours, pour se conformer à une procédure fédérale en cas de morsure. Un seul employé s'en occupe. «Ce sont de très bons chiens, ils ne démontrent aucune agressivité, a dit le propriétaire du Pavillon des animaux, Claude Dionne. Ils mangent bien et sont calmes.» On attend une requête de la police pour procéder à une analyse du caractère des chiens, notamment pour savoir s'ils sont soumis ou agressifs, par exemple. Il ignore pour le moment s'ils seront euthanasiés. On interdit l'accès au public dans le secteur où ils sont gardés, pour ne pas les énerver et ainsi altérer leur comportement. Les chiens sont plutôt craintifs, particulièrement le mâle. http://fr.canoe.ca/infos/societe/archives/2010/06/20100610-061400.html

31/05/10 05:41 Les singes ont été créés pour servir à des tests médicaux, selon un ministre malaisien Réagir KUALA LUMPUR (AP) — Les singes et les rats ont été créés pour servir à des tests médicaux, a estimé un ministre malaisien, favorable à l'implantation d'un laboratoire indien sur son territoire. Le projet de Vivo BioTech de créer un centre d'essais médicaux sur les animaux à Malacca est dénoncé par les défenseurs des chiens et autres animaux familiers. La Malaisie n'a pas de législation particulière sur le sujet, ce qui fait craindre des abus. Selon le responsable Mohammad Ali Rustan, "Dieu a créé les animaux pour le bien-être des humains. C'est pourquoi il a créé les rats et les singes..." ajoutant que les essais médicaux ne pouvaient pas être conduits sur des hommes. Il a rappelé que manger les animaux est également cruel, mais généralement accepté. AP http://tempsreel.nouvelobs.com/actualite/monde/20100531.FAP2810/les-singes-ont-ete-crees-pour-servir-a-des-tests-medicaux-selon-un-ministre-malaisien.html

Monday, June 7, 2010- Abattage massif de lions de mer (USA) Sale temps pour les lions de mer sur la Côte Pacifique des États-Unis et au Mexique. Dans le Puget Sound (bras de mer de l'océan Pacifique situé aux États-Unis), plusieurs animaux ont été abattus durant les derniers mois. Au sud de la péninsule de la Basse-Californie mexicaine, les pêcheurs proposent un abattage massif de ces créatures à cause de la compétition sur les ressources de poisson. Toutefois, un représentant mexicain de l'environnement, soutient que la population actuelle des lions de mer ne justifie pas un massacre. Benito Bermudez Almada, directeur du bureau de la Commission nationale des zones naturelles protégées, a déclaré que le nombre de ces animaux a en fait diminué en Basse-Californie du Sud : 70.000 animaux en 1978 à 30.000 en 2010. "Un grand massacre ne résout pas le problème parce que les grandes colonies de lions de mer ont diminué, comme dans le cas de l'île de Margarita, où il y avait 4.000 animaux et maintenant il n'en reste que 1.200", a ajouté Bermudez. Néanmoins, les pêcheurs font pression sur la législature publique pour prendre des mesures contre les lions de mer. Le législateur d'État Natividad Osuna Aguilar a déclaré que l'on dispose d''une étude examinant les aspects juridiques et socio-économiques de la situation de ces animaux. Bien que le lion de mer soit une espèce protégée au Mexique, un «prélèvement» pourrait être approuvé que s'il est établi que les mammifères marins sont préjudiciables à l'industrie de la pêche locale, a déclaré Marco Antonio Gonzalez Vizcarra, Directeur du Secrétariat fédéral de l'Environnement et des ressources naturelles. Ces dernières années, les controverses au sujet de la population des lions de mer ont éclaté en différents endroits le long de la péninsule de la Basse-Californie mexicaine. Comme aux États-Unis, de nombreux tirs illégaux de lions de mer ont été rapportés. Partie importante de la chaîne alimentaire, les lions de mer sont une source de nourriture pour le grand requin blanc, dont le nombre est en chute libre... http://spendeursauvage.over-blog.com/ext/http://www.mexidata.info/id2693.html

contre les élevages de cervidés http://lapetition.be/en-ligne/petition-7230.html

Jun 7, 2010 Peru's government has approved the import of kangaroo meat from Australia, officials have announced. A notice published in a registry of new government rules and laws gave notice that the federal health officials have "authorized the import of meat from kangaroos born and raised in Australia."... http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100608/sc_afp/peruaustraliaanimalskangaroo_20100608011714

New farm building code worries pork producers Monday, May 24, 2010 CBC News Manitoba hog producers say farm building code changes being pushed by animal rights groups could put the industry out of business. Ne serait-ce pas merveilleux ? The code could include requirements for sprinkler systems, firewalls and alarms in new and renovated barns housing animals. The activist group Canadians for the Ethical Treatment of Food Animals supports stricter industry-wide building codes, saying thousands of animals have died over the years in hog barn fires. But while the animal rights group says contemplated changes to the code don't go far enough ‹ Manitoba's hog producers say while they're to make changes, they also have to keep an eye on costs. "If we put the cost too high then you're going to put the producers out of business," said Manitoba Pork Council chairman Karl Kynoch. Activists say thousands of hogs and other animals are at risk under existing building standards. Current building codes fail to take into account the fact that many farms have evolved from small-family owned businesses to larger industrial-type operations, they argue. "We have major concerns about the barn fires in Manitoba," said animal rights spokesman Twyla Francois. " What we are calling for is that higher standards be put in place." Manitoba's Fire Commissioner Chris Jones also has concerns about agricultural buildings, especially industrial-sized barns which can house thousands of animals. "We are taking steps to ensure in the future that new buildings or buildings undergoing major renovations meet a minimum standard of code," he said. But the activist group wants any new code to cover all existing farms, forcing owners to retrofit with sprinkler systems, better alarms and firewalls. Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/manitoba/story/2010/05/24/manitoba-hog-barn-buildin g-code.html#ixzz0oupLTe7U

Ce film sera présenté et commenté par Tracy Worcester, à Toronto le 16 juin Press release June 9, 2010, 9:45 The Film Factory Farmers Don't Want You to See- Voir le film: http://www.pigbusiness.co.uk/ English Aristocrat Brings Her Eco-Doc to Canada TORONTO, ONTARIO, Jun 09, 2010 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- The English Marchioness of Worcester, a presenter at this year's IdeaCity, will touch down in Canada later this week with a campaign message that the Canadian landscape must eventually rid itself of factory farms. Otherwise known as Tracy Worcester, the Marchioness who will become the next Duchess of Beaufort, is a leading figure in the UK's environmental movement. She has already struck fear into leading American pig producer, Smithfield Foods, following the UK broadcast of her eco-documentary 'Pig Business', which examined their takeover of the Polish landscape with their huge pig factories. In the wake of Smithfield's arrival in that country she found the company had left a legacy of environmental pollution, loss of community jobs and fears for public health. Their arrival is also speeding up the demise of the small-scale farmer in Poland, potentially changing the face of farming there forever. As one of the world's biggest producers of pork, Canada is next on the Marchioness's hit-list of not-so-great factory farming nations and the first Canadian screening of the film will take place at the Al Green Theatre at the Miles Nadon Jewish Community Centre (750 Spadina Ave @ Bloor St W), on the evening of Wednesday, June 16th at 7pm. She will complete her visit by speaking as a presenter at the IdeaCity event in Toronto on the June 17th. This unique event takes place from the 16th to 18th June. www.ideacityonline.com. After the film's screening she will be joined on a discussion panel by Stephanie Brown from the Canadian Coalition for Farm Animals (CCFA), Glen Koroluk from Beyond Factory Farming (BFF), Roger Harley from Rowe Farms and Paul DeCampo from Slow Food Canada. The panel's moderator will be Erika Ritter, Author of 'The Dog By The Cradle, the Serpent Beneath'. Ritter is also a presenter at this year's IdeaCity. The film and panel discussion is being presented free of charge by BFF, CCFA and the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) in order to raise awareness of the true costs of factory farming - to the environment, to human health, to small-scale family farmers, local communities and animal welfare. suite ... http://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-film-factory-farmers-dont-want-you-to-see-english-aristocrat-brings-her-eco-doc-to-canada-2010-06-09?reflink=MW_news_stmp

Depuis 10 ans, au Québec, il est également illégal de nuire à la chasse

aussi

et c'est sans compter tous les autres animaux qui sont pris dans ces gigantesques filets (tortues marines, baleines, dauphins, etc. )

C'est tout simplement horrible et révoltant !

Ça n'aurait jamais dû être permis ! Que font ces gens de leurs poules en hiver ? Ils les gardent où ?

Bébé tué par un chien Le maître a toujours tort Agence QMI Stéphanie Saucier 08/06/2010 17h45 La propriétaire de la femelle husky. Agence QMI MONTRÉAL - Il faudra déterminer le rapport qu’avait le maître avec son chien husky sibérien pour comprendre pourquoi ce dernier a mordu à mort un bébé de 21 jours à Saint-Barnabé-Sud, lundi, croient des spécialistes. Les experts du comportement canin sont sans équivoque; n’importe quel chien aurait pu considérer le bébé naissant qui se trouvait sans surveillance sur le sol de sa résidence comme une proie si son maître ne pouvait l’en empêcher. «S’il n’y a pas de chef autour de lui, le chien prendra le contrôle. Un enfant de 21 jours peut gesticuler, crier et exciter le chien qui verra son instinct de prédateur alimenté surtout s’il n’y a personne pour lui dire non», explique le spécialiste au Centre d’étude en comportement animal, Michel Fournier. Celui qui détient une expérience de 30 ans dans le domaine écarte du revers de la main la possibilité que la bête ait attaqué l’enfant sans raison. «À son summum, le chien a l’intelligence d’un enfant de 2 ans et demi. Imaginez si les enfants de cet âge faisaient la loi. Si le chien estime qu’il a les rennes, il les prend», ajoute-t-il. ... http://fr.canoe.ca/infos/societe/archives/2010/06/20100608-174541.html

Donkey detonated on Gaza border By ASSOCIATED PRESS AND JPOST.COM STAFF 05/25/2010 18:14 Animal dead, no human casualties; 200 kg of dynamite heaped on cart. A small Syrian-backed terrorist group in Gaza said its activists blew up a donkey cart laden with explosives close to the border with Israel on Tuesday, killing the animal but causing no human casualties. Abu Ghassan, spokesman for the terrorist group, said more than 200 kilograms of dynamite were heaped on the animal-drawn cart. He added that the explosives were detonated 60 meters from the concrete security barrier that separates the territory from Israel. suite ... http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=176452

C'est significatif, mais le problème, c'est qu'une grande majorité d'animaux élevés pour leur viande en Nouvelle-Zélande, sont envoyés vivants par bateau pour être égorgés dans des pays musulmans

Brian May a tellement raison! La guerre au renard est déclarée ...! Ça me fait penser aux trappeurs ou aux chasseurs qui sautent sur la première occasion pour exiger l'extermination des ours... des coyotes, des loups, etc. etc. Et dire que nos villes sont remplies d'humains sadiques, de tueurs, de criminels en liberté

Publié le 08 juin 2010 à 06h40 | Mis à jour à 15h12 Bébé tué par un chien: la mère accusée d'homicide involontaire Une adolescente de 17 ans a comparu cet après-midi au palais de justice de Saint-Hyacinthe à la suite de la mort de sa fillette, un bébé de 21 jours, décédée hier après avoir été mordue par un chien à Saint-Barnabé-Sud, en Montérégie. L'adolescente a été accusée en Chambre de la Jeunesse d'homicide involontaire. La couronne a décidé de porter ces accusations plutôt que celles de négligence criminelle comme la police l'avait laissé entendre dans la journée. La mère de l'adolescente ne sera finalement pas accusée, a indiqué son avocate, Mélissa Côté, cet après-midi. La jeune mère a été arrêtée lundi soir par la Sûreté du Québec après avoir été hospitalisée en raison d'un choc nerveux. Elle a passé la nuit en détention. La jeune femme a été remise en liberté sous certaines conditions en attendant son retour en cour le 31 août. http://www.cyberpresse.ca/actualites/quebec-canada/justice-et-faits-divers/201006/08/01-4287783-bebe-tue-par-un-chien-la-mere-accusee-dhomicide-involontaire.php

Slaughterhouse workers charged with animal cruelty By JOHN CURRAN THE ASSOCIATED PRESS - Published: June 5, 2010 MONTPELIER — Two former employees of a now-closed Vermont slaughterhouse have been charged with animal cruelty for the excessive shocking of calves with an electric prod, prosecutors said Friday. The state Attorney General's office issued arrest warrants for Christopher Gaudette, 37, and Frank Perretta, 51, both of Grand Isle. The charges stem from revelations last November at the Bushway Packing Inc. slaughterhouse in Grand Isle, where hidden-camera video taken by the Humane Society of the United States showed days-old calves being dragged, kicked and shocked as they were loaded off a truck and taken to slaughter. Both Gaudette and Perretta, one of Bushway's corporate directors, remained at large Friday afternoon, and neither could be reached for comment. A telephone listed as belonging to a Chris Gaudette in Grand Isle was no longer in service and a phone listing for Perretta could not be found. U.S. Department of Agriculture regulations permit the use of prods, but only as "little as possible in order to minimize excitement and injury." Gaudette and Perretta engaged in more than that, according to an affidavit filed by attorney general's investigator Darrin Barber. According to the affidavit: The Humane Society, which had received a hotline complaint about inhumane handling of the animals at Bushway, hired independent contractor Jason Smith, who had done undercover work for similar organizations before. Smith conducted a six-week undercover operation at Bushway Packing in 2009 after being hired to be a worker. The one-hour video he produced contained 33 scenes of the "handling and inspection" of the calves, 16 of which were deemed to show inhumane treatment of animals, according to USDA veterinarian Dr. Ata Chaudhry, who reviewed it. In a video shot by Smith on Sept. 15, Gaudette is seen shocking a downed calf 11 times until it gets up. He then shocks it five more times before kicking it, pouring water on its head — to enhance the electrical current — and shocking it seven more times, which Chaudhry called excessive. Perretta, secretary of the company and one of its corporate directors, was shown the videotape by USDA inspectors and said he would never condone the behavior Gaudette had engaged in, telling them he would banish Gaudette from the barns. But he, too, was cited for excessive shocking of a calf, and for kneeing another animal in the backside. He engaged in "egregious inhumane handling," according to Chaudhry. The charges were filed in Grand Isle County after an investigation by the USDA, according to Vermont prosecutor Cindy Maguire. She said such charges had never been filed in Vermont in a slaughterhouse case before. "The fact that we've filed charges speaks to the import of the case," she said. The slaughterhouse, which has since been closed, specialized in "bob veal calves," or those less than a month old, up to 800 a week of which were slaughtered and sent to market as whole carcasses. The abuse was called "inexcusable" by U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack last year. It led to the closing of Bushway Packing and calls for closer regulation of animal handling. Ultimately, the state Legislature passed a bill creating a Livestock Care Standards Advisory Council. The bill also allows the state to deny a commercial slaughter license to people convicted of animal cruelty. Gaudette is charged with felony aggravated cruelty to animals and two counts of cruelty, a misdemeanor; Perretta is charged with one count of cruelty. The misdemeanor is punishable by up to one year in prison and $2,000 in fines. If convicted of the felony, Gaudette could face three years behind bars and $5,000 fines on each count. http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20100605/NEWS02/6050372/1003/NEWS02

On achève bien «mal» les chevaux au Québec. On pourra utiliser ce titre pour un petit article éventuellement J'ai choisi ce titre, que j'ai aussi fait figurer sur mon dernier blogue: http://non-a-la-cruaute.blogvie.com/ =========================================== 3 mai 2010- Présentée au détachement de la GRC de Sorel Tracy (Québec) contre Viande Richelieu, un abattoir de Massueville au Québec, une plainte a été portée par la Canadian Horse Defence Coalition, qui a remis une vidéo filmée à l’insu du personnel comme preuve que les chevaux, dans cet établissement, sont abattus de façon cruelle et qu’on les laisse souffrir pendant de longues périodes. Une plainte semblable a été présentée à l’Agence canadienne d’inspection des aliments (ACIA) qui procède à une enquête.Vidéo (en anglais) Des coups de bâton électrique et de fouet au visage Dans la vidéo, on peut voir des chevaux qui reçoivent des coups de bâton électrique et de fouet au visage. On y voit aussi un travailleur qui manque souvent de rendre les chevaux inconscients au premier coup. Lorsque le coup est tiré au mauvais endroit de la tête ou du corps, bien des chevaux souffrent pendant de longues périodes avant d’être finalement tués.Les actions dans la vidéo sont une infraction aux articles 445.1 et 446 du Code criminel du Canada, ce qui fait que le problème est du ressort de la GRC. On croit aussi que c’est une infraction aux articles 62 (1) et 80 du Règlement de la loi canadienne sur l’inspection des viandes et c’est pourquoi la CHDC a déposé plainte devant l’ACIA.Les chevaux souffrent de façon inacceptablePlusieurs vétérinaires ont évalué la vidéo. «Du fait des pratiques actuelles dans l’industrie des abattoirs, a déclaré Debi Zimmermann, B.Sc (Zoologie), D.V.M., les chevaux doivent souffrir de façon inacceptable, aussi bien sur le plan émotif que physique. Puisque c’est un problème de cruauté, il faut prendre les mesures immédiates et déclarer un moratoire sur tous les types d’établissement semblables en attendant ». La vidéo a été examinée par des experts en «abattage non cruel» de la Société mondiale pour la protection des animaux qui ont demandé à l’ACIA de faire une enquête et de porter des accusations. La WSPA a aussi demandé au ministère de l’Agriculture et de l’Agroalimentaire d’éliminer immédiatement l’agrément et le permis ainsi que tout permis donnant à cette usine le droit d’exporter de la viande de cheval à l’étranger. L’abattage devrait être supervisé D’après Rasto Kolesar, directeur des programmes pour animaux de ferme de la WSPA: «Nous croyons que l’abattage devrait être supervisé par l’ACIA. De cette façon, on éviterait les pratiques qui causent beaucoup de douleur et de souffrance aux animaux abattus, comme celles que l’on a remarquées sur des centaines d’animaux. » «Les enquêtes font ressortir qu’il y a abus dans les usines d’abattage des chevaux au Canada, et pourtant notre gouvernement continue à laisser ces pratiques cruelles avoir cours», ajoute Nikolas Gour, responsable de campagne de la Humane Society International/Canada. «L’abattage des chevaux pour la consommation humaine est cruel et ne devrait pas être permis.» (Article paru dans La Voix Gaspésienne)

Le Canada prolonge la durée de la chasse au phoque Un chasseur de phoques sur la côte de la Pointe-aux-Loups, au Canada, le 29 mars 2008 Le gouvernement du Canada a décidé de prolonger de deux semaines, soit jusqu'au 31 mai 2010, la durée de la chasse au phoque à Terre-Neuve et au Labrador, sur la façade atlantique du pays, a annoncé mardi la ministre des Pêches et des Océans, Gail Shea. Cette décision, prise au niveau régional, doit permettre aux chasseurs de phoques d'avoir plus de temps "pour utiliser leur allocation de 2010 et tirer profit des perspectives commerciales potentielles", a précisé Mme Shea dans un communiqué. L'année en cours est considérée comme mauvaise pour la chasse au phoque. Le golfe du Saint-Laurent n'a pratiquement pas gelé cet hiver, alors que c'est sur la banquise qu'on trouve les animaux, et l'embargo européen sur les produits dérivés du phoque a incité de nombreux chasseurs à ne pas prendre la mer, sachant qu'ils ne trouveraient pas d'acheteurs pour leurs prises. A Terre-Neuve, moins de 50 bateaux ont pris la mer, contre environ 500 ces dernières années. Le gouvernement fédéral souhaitant apporter un soutien actif aux chasseurs, Mme Shea a approuvé récemment une "allocation de développement pluriannuelle" de 20.000 phoques par an pour favoriser la réalisation de projets à valeur ajoutée présentés par l'industrie du phoque. Il s'agit notamment de la mise sur le marché de nouveaux produits de viande de phoque, et de travaux de recherche menés par des scientifiques grecs et canadiens qui vérifient si les valvules cardiaques du phoque se prêtent à la greffe humaine. AFP

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/815731--220-000-sable-island-seals-fa\ ce-proposed-slaughter?bn=1 220,000 Sable Island seals face proposed slaughter Published On Fri May 28 2010 Nova Scotia. Michael MacDonaldThe Canadian Press HALIFAX—The windswept beaches of Sable Island would become a scene of slaughter if the federal government adopts the results of a study that explores in chilling detail how 220,000 of the island’s grey seals could be exterminated over five years.The 2009 feasibility study, compiled for the federal Fisheries Department, says the first year of a proposed cull would target 100,000 seals, requiring a team of 20 specially trained hunters with silenced rifles to kill 4,000 seals per day during the dead of winter.“At this production rate, a tandem dump truck would be filled with seals approximately every 10 minutes — seven hours per day for 25 days,” says the 68-page study, drafted by engineering consultants at Halifax-based CBCL Ltd.The hunters’ rifles would be equipped with silencers to avoid spooking the herd, the report says. Since silencers are a prohibited device in Canada, the federal government would be required to get a special permit to import them from the United States.“To avoid suffering, animals should be killed by a well-aimed shot to the head,” the study says. “Any orphaned pup should be killed lest it starves to death.”The slaughtered seals, some of them weighing more than 350 kilograms, would then be grabbed by one of 30 modified heavy loaders and carried to portable incinerators at five work camps set up across the island.The consultants also look at storing the remains until the summer months, when containers would be shipped to a new $100,000 base in mainland Nova Scotia and later dumped at a dedicated landfill site.“It would be a tremendously complicated undertaking and it would be very expensive,” Gus van Helvoort, the department’s director for fisheries management for the Maritimes region, said in an interview.“Is it doable? I think it is doable. Is it the right thing to do? At this juncture, that’s not the purpose of the report.”He stressed that the study is a technical evaluation of logistics, not a decision-making document.“This came about as a result of questions from industry on what it would take to address the seal problem,” he said. “The seal population has increased exponentially on Sable Island over the last 15 years.”He said an international meeting of fisheries researchers later this year will provide a scientific basis for any government decisions made about the Sable Island seals.Nova Scotia’s fisheries minister, Sterling Belliveau, says the province’s NDP government is not opposed to a cull on the island, which is destined to become a national park.While many Canadians regard Sable Island as a wild and unspoiled oasis worthy of park status, commercial fishermen in Nova Scotia see the island very differently.They say the grey seals that frequent the island are responsible for eating too many commercially valuable fish, particularly cod. The seals are also blamed for ruining many of the fish that are left by leaving them infected with parasites called sealworms.The study notes that the east coast grey seal population has grown from 20,000 animals in the 1970s to more than 300,000 today.About 80 per cent of all grey seal pups are born on Sable Island, about 300 kilometres southeast of Halifax.The study was obtained through the Access to Information Act by The Coast, a Halifax-based weekly tabloid. Its release comes a week after federal Environment Minister Jim Prentice confirmed the island, famous for its 400 wild horses and fragile ecosystem, will become a national park.The study concludes that the cull and subsequent disposal would cost roughly $35 million over five years.The hunt would take place on the island’s beaches between December and February when the females are giving birth to their pups.The report concludes that a cull of 20,000 annually would be more feasible. ------------------------------- http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/canadian-standards-for-farm-animal-\ transport-dangerously-lax-report-says/article1589007/ Canadian standards for farm-animal transport dangerously lax, report says Inspection records show animals arriving to slaughterhouses dead or diseased, with few repercussions for transporters Globe and MailPublished Jun. 02, 2010 Poultry workers opened the doors of a chicken truck at a Toronto slaughterhouse in December, 2008, to find that nearly 1,500 birds had frozen to death in sub-zero temperatures during their final journey from the farm. At about the same time, 16 neglected horses – animals so emaciated they had not developed winter coats – were sent to a meat factory in Lacombe, Alta., in an unheated truck as the thermometer dipped to minus 12 C. Government inspectors who witnessed their arrival took note of the incident but let the transport company off with a simple warning.Those and other anecdotes are included in a report by the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) to be released later this week that looks at the conditions in which animals intended for Canadian dinner plates are transported – often for the last time.The study, which was based on inspection reports filed by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) between Oct. 9, 2008, and Jan. 9, 2009, was initiated in response to the listeriosis crisis of 2008 that killed 22 people. It finds that Canadian standards for the transport of animals are significantly weaker than those of other jurisdictions, including Europe and the United States.Under CFIA policy, an inspection is warranted if 1 per cent of a shipment of broiler chickens arrives dead, whereas the U.S. threshold is 0.5 per cent. The report also found that the CFIA standards are not strenuously enforced.“A lot of MPs were asking how many meat inspectors were hired during the listeriosis outbreak and it started to get us questioning how many animal inspectors are there,” Melissa Matlow, the report’s lead author, said in an interview with The Globe and Mail. It’s an important question, “not only from an animal welfare perspective, which is what our organization cares the most about, but from a food-safety perspective.”In fact, much evidence suggests that food-borne illnesses are readily transmitted among animals that are crammed into trucks and train cars.“When the animals are packed more closely, the opportunity for bacteria to pass from one animal to another is obviously increased,” said Carlton Gyles, who studies animal-borne diseases at the University of Guelph. “There have been studies looking at things like salmonella that can be passed by animals during transportation. So that could increase the chances of contamination of meat.”Canadians also want to know that the meat they eat comes from animals that did not suffer unduly, Ms. Matlow said. Statistics that the animal rights organization obtained from CFIA indicate that two million to three million animals die during transport every year and another 11 million arrive at their destination diseased or injured.“We have to ask the question, how many of these animals [that die in transit] are ending up on people’s dinner plates?” Ms. Matlow said. “If there is only one inspector for every two million animals slaughtered for food every year in this country, how can they possibly ensure this isn’t happening?”CIFA says its inspectors see the animals both before and after slaughter and they would move quickly to shut down a plant that attempted to process animals that were dead on arrival – which is strictly prohibited by federal regulations. But they also admit they cannot be in every meat plant at all times.The greatest animal suffering observed in the study occurred on long journeys – especially in freezing weather. Canadian cows can be in transit for 52 hours without food, water and a rest break. In Europe, the standard is 12 hours.Geoff Urton, the farm animal welfare co-ordinator at the British Columbia SPCA, said Canada’s regulations are more than 30 years old and need to be updated. “There is really good evidence that the current standards are not adequate to actually protect the animals,” said Mr. Urton.Paul Mayers, the associate vice-president of programs at the CFIA, said his agency is preparing to rewrite the rules on animal transport.But he said the changes will be less about setting time limits for transportation than an overall effort to keep animals healthy. “What we’re talking about,” Mr. Mayers said, “is achieving the outcome in relation to the individual species as opposed to arbitrary time limits, focusing instead on the animal itself.”As for the fact that many transporters who break the rules get off with a warning, he said the CFIA uses a graduated approach to enforcement, leaving prosecution – in most cases – for repeat violators.Transporters and the slaughterhouses rely on animals for their income, Mr. Mayers said. “So we certainly see that the vast majority of Canadian producers and transporters are strongly committed to treating animals humanely.”KEY FINDINGS OF THE REPORT1. Unacceptable numbers of animals, particularly chickens, die during transport.This most often happens when the birds are moved over long distances and in inclement weather.2 to 3 million: The number of animals that arrive dead every year at Canadian slaughterhouses.2. Animals are transported in overcrowded conditions.Transporters pack between seven and 16 chickens into crates that are a half-metre square, and cows have arrived at processing plants with sores on their backs from brushing against the roof of the truck.6% to 89%: The increase in number of animals covered with salmonella after being kept in crowded conditions for 40 minutes, according to a Texas Tech University study.3. Severely injured and sick animals are transported in contravention of federal regulations.Animals are arriving at slaughterhouses and auctions emaciated, weak, crippled and with severe injuries.2: The number of sheep a farmer brought to be slaughtered at Princeton Meat Packers in Woodstock, Ont., that had injuries so severe, they should never have been transported.4. Severely compromised animals are transported and left to suffer for prolonged periods, sometimes days.The World Society for the Protection of Animals says many incidents may be in violation of federal or provincial animal cruelty laws.58: The length of time, in hours, one crippled cow was left alive on top of a pile of dead animals in Lethbridge, Alta.5. A shortage of trained animal welfare inspectors, particularly veterinarians, puts animal health and welfare at risk.Canadian Food Inspection Agency inspectors are not authorized to euthanize animals or relieve their suffering for humane reasons, and few animal inspectors are veterinarians or trained to address animal welfare problems during transport.329: The number of animal inspectors employed by the CFIA across Canada to supervise 772 facilities that slaughter 700 million animals annually. There are also 980 meat inspectors.CFIA's reporting and enforcement are often weak and inconsistent.Animals are transported in clear violation of regulations (for example, goats transported in feed bags, rabbits transported in the trunk of a car, animals tied up and under covers without air holes) and inspectors respond by giving warnings or educational pamphlets.$221,800: The total amount of individual fines, ranging from $500 to $2,000, levied in 2006 across the country for violations of the health of animal regulations. Animals suffer as a result of poor driver training.Drivers appear to be unaware of regulations, including their right, indeed, their responsibility, to refuse to transport an injured animal. Some drivers didn't even know how many animals they had aboard their truck.20 hours: In one case, the number of hours a severely injured horse spent in transit. ======================= Summer beaver cull set for P.E.I. 3 trappers hired to get rid of 'nuisances' Drew Halfnight, National Post Published: Friday, May 14, 2010 Beavers, the very symbol of Canada, are overrunning its Prince Edward Island birthplace. So the provincial government has contracted three professional trappers to kill more than 150 of them. The island's rivers are infested with so-called "nuisance beavers," whose dams cause flooding and destruction of roadways, kill mature trees, contaminate water and interfere with migratory fish runs. The problem has gotten so bad, the province has drafted a "beaver policy" and appointed a permanent committee to deal with "beaver problems affecting highways." A beaver cull will be undertaken this summer, and their pelts sold. "What we're doing is in the interest of public safety," said Shelley Cole-Arbing, an environmental officer with the Department of Transportation and Public Works. "This isn't something we want to do. This is a necessary part of our lives." The government poured thousands of taxpayer dollars into repairing washed-out roads and culverts before adopting the trapping scheme as last resort 10 years ago. "I wish we had a magic wand to fix the problem," said retired P.E.I. biologist Daryl Guignon. "But it's not easy, let me tell you. The beavers are so prolific here, they're in pretty well every watercourse," so relocating them would be futile. Clarence Ryan has been a government-contracted trapper in eastern P.E.I. since the beaver management program was first launched. Last season, he killed 87 beavers with two types of traps, a traditional Conibear clamp and a submersible snare. The first, the "trap of choice" for professionals, is supposed to kill the beaver instantly, though some environmental groups say it often doesn't. The second is meant to drown the animal in under five minutes. "They're humane, fast and efficient," Mr. Ryan said. ============ 71,000 Coyotes Killed Under Sask. Program http://www.cbc.ca/canada/saskatchewan/story/2010/05/26/sk-coyote-program-100 5.html More than 71,000 coyotes have been killed under a bounty program run by the Saskatchewan government — a number far greater than what Agriculture Minister Bob Bjornerud had predicted earlier. Under the program that ran from November 2009 to March 2010, people had to bring in the paws to be paid $20 an animal. Bjornerud said in February he hoped there would be 35,000 coyotes killed by the time the program ended. The final tally was much higher, likely because hunters were saving up paws, he said. "At the end of March ... they would bring them all in at once," he said. "The average was about 14 or 15 [coyotes] per applicant but I think the highest was about 90." The province spent about $1.5 million on the bounty program, which was introduced in response to complaints by ranchers that coyote numbers were up and the animals were preying on livestock. However, some questioned whether it was the wisest use of tax dollars. In a typical year, with no bounty offered, Saskatchewan hunters kill about 21,000 coyotes, the Environment Department said. Bjornerud said the pilot project is not likely to be repeated unless farmers complain again in the future about too many coyotes. ================= Published On Thu May 27 2010 A leading polar-bear authority says their population could plunge by as much as 30 per cent in a year. A mathematical analysis for the first time has uncovered the prospect of a sudden, dramatic decline among Canadian polar bears as they starve to death.“This is much, much different. This is not a gradual change,” said Dr. Andrew Derocher, one of the world’s leading polar bear authorities and co-author of the study. “We’re looking at a decrease by 20 or 30 per cent or even much more in a year.”The study was released this week just as Environment Canada is meeting to decide, also for the first time, whether polar bears should be declared a species at risk.“The key thing is that this allows us to look forward better and more accurately,” said Derocher of the study, which combined his expertise as a University of Alberta professor who has studied polar bears for 28 years with that of two biomathematicians.“You can go a reasonable period of time without seeing major effects. But once you look at the data, you start to see sudden, dramatic changes.”Scientists factored in the shrinking sea ice, which affects how many seals the bears can eat before they hibernate and how easily they can find mates. Without enough food or opportunity, mating is less successful, fewer, less robust cubs are born, and teenage bears spend longer “wandering around trying to find something to eat.”All of that information can be subjected to “some fairly advanced math” to create data tables that chart the estimated time of death by starvation for adult male polar bears.Typically 120 days in the 1980s, the time polar bears have to spend fasting has increased by about seven days per decade and is continuing to increase.While 3 to 6 per cent of polar bears in the Western Hudson Bay die during a 120-day summer fast, 28 to 48 per cent would die if it reached 180 days, the study found. The fast occurs because polar bears depend on frozen sea surface to cover distances.There are about 900 polar bears in the Western Hudson Bay now.The government advisory group Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada labelled polar bears “of special concern” in its 2008 review. Environment Canada uses that recommendation to decide whether to change the status of polar bears, which now have no protection in Canada.“The concept of a tipping point is very real,” said Dr. Justina Ray, executive director of the Wildlife Conservation Society of Canada and co-chair of the committee study group that includes polar bears.“The minister is in a difficult political situation,” the other co-chair, Dr. Mark Brigham, acknowledged, stressing he spoke for himself and not the committee. “When it comes to big mammals, the minister dawdles.”Defending the committee’s controversial rating, Brigham said the polar bear population in 2008 was the largest it had been in 50 years. While scientists knew climate change would affect them, it hadn’t started yet.“A major conservation failure” is how Derocher brands the committee’s polar bear recommendation. The U.S. has already designated polar bears as “threatened” – a higher degree of risk – while Canada has yet to act.“We are past the point where we can couch this in cautious terms,” he said. “Canada doesn’t take the threat of climate change seriously.”Derocher, who first wrote about the warming Arctic and its threat to polar bears in 1993, admitted he never expected then that the deadly changes would happen in his lifetime.“I thought this was something for the generation coming after me. Now I’m very certain we’re going to see very serious changes in the near future.”Watch Andrew Derocher discuss climate change and polar bears. ================ http://www.torontosun.com/news/canada/2010/05/29/14186736.html Cat goes missing on Air Canada flight CALGARY — Fur is flying after the cat belonging to a southern Alberta family went missing during a cross-country Air Canada flight to New Brunswick. Jillian Zwicker and her family from Ralston, 200 km southeast of Calgary, are heading overseas to live and decided to leave their cat Dusty temporarily with the woman’s father in St. John, N.B. When the Zwickers arrived in St. John on Wednesday evening, they expected to collect the 12-year-old gray, green-eyed English shorthair from its kennel box on the conveyor belt but received a shock, said Zwicker. “When the kennel came out, my husband went to pick it up and the whole top came right off and it was empty,” said Zwicker from St. John, her home town. “I expected Dusty to come walking out on the belt but it didn’t happen.” She said half of the kennel’s clips were askew. “Somebody busted it and he got out,” said Zwicker. The family has owned the cat for the past 10 years and the animal has a treasured place in the family, she said. “I’m just devastated‚ every single day I’m wondering where he is, what he’s doing,” said Zwicker, adding her eight-month-old son Dylan notices Dusty’s absence. Air Canada officials determined the cat escaped its kennel when the Zwickers changed planes at Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport in Montreal. Dusty, Zwicker was told, was spotted in the carrier’s baggage room in Montreal and baited traps have been set to nab the fugitive feline. But it could take a while to corral the cat, who’s extremely shy, she added. “He’s a house cat — he’s never been outside,” said Zwicker, who’s not impressed with Air Canada’s handling of her pet. It’s bad enough, she said, that the family’s regular luggage was also badly battered on the trip “but come on — this is a live pet in a carrier,” she said. “If they find him, they’ll be flying him back first class if I have anything to do with it — he is not going back into the belly of that plane.” Tuna traps have been set throughout the large airport by animal control specialists hired by Air Canada, said carrier spokeswoman Isabelle Arthur. “We’re very, very sorry this cat has been missing...we’re pet owners, too, so that’s why we’re devoted all these resources,” she said, adding wanted posters have been pasted as well. It’s still not clear how Dusty escaped, said Arthur, adding such incidents “are very, very rare.” ==========

Ce soir, je n'ai pas le courage de regarder- Imaginer leur calvaire me fait déjà souffrir

Bravo à ces antispécistes