Birds migrating over the Mediterranean face fire from all directions

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, November/December 2007:
ATHENS–Moving to protect migratory birds
from some of the most prolifigate hunters in
Europe, the highest Greek administrative court
on November 9, 2007 banned hunting until
November 21 in several of the regions where
wildlife habitat was most severely damaged by
August 2007 wildfires.
The Council of State, as the court is
called, was expected to rule by November 21 on
whether the hunting ban should remain in place
longer. The Greek hunting season normally runs
from August through February, but even if the
ban is not extended, it was widely acclaimed for
supposedly protecting many of the most fragile
European migratory birds during the peak weeks of
their passage over the Mediterranean, Adriatic,
and Agean seas.
Aliki Panagopoulou, projects coordinator
for ARCHELON, the Sea Turtle Protection Society
of Greece, was skeptical.

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Elephant polo debate overshadows introduction of microchipping

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, November/December 2007:
BANGKOK, MUMBAI–The Tourism Authority of Thailand on
Nov-ember 19, 2007 named the King’s Cup Elephant Polo Tournament one
of Thai-land’s must-see “Seven Amazing Wonders.”
The announcement reignited a debate over elephant polo that
has raged for more than two years through the Asian Animal Protection
Network electronic forum. Opponents, chiefly in the northeast of
India, where elephant polo has never been played, hold that the
game is cruel exploitation. Others see it as a chance for the
elephant participants to enjoy a day of light work on grass, as a
pretext for affluent humans to party.
The game itself consists of only two ten-minute chukkars,
in contrast to the elephants’ usual daily labor of either hauling
tourists or waiting for customers.

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Guangzhou bans eating snakes– ban helps cats

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, November/December 2007:

 

GUANGZHOU–Guangzhou bureau of forestry director Guo Qinghe
suppressed human consumption of cat meat during the first weekend of
November 2007 by announcing on local television his intent to enforce
a four-year-old Guangzhou city ordinance against eating snakes. “It
is illegal for companies, restaurants and individuals to sell live
snakes, snake meat, and related foods,” Guo said, not mentioning
cats, but in case there was any doubt about what he meant, Zheng
Caixiong of the official government newspaper China Daily spelled it
out.
“The popular Cantonese dish longhudou or ‘dragon duels with
tiger’ has been banned,” wrote Zheng Caixiong. “The delicacy
derives its name from snake and cat meat. Apart from having their
snakes and snake products confiscated, those caught flouting the ban
will be fined between 10,000 yuan ($1,300) and 100,000 yuan
($13,000).”

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RSPCA & the League Against Cruel Sports show U.K. pack hunting ban can be enforced

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, November/December 2007:

 

LONDON–Nearly three years after the
Hunting Act 2004 nominally banned fox hunting and
other forms of pursuing wildlife with packs of
dogs, more people are reportedly participating
than before the act took effect. Only one hunt
club has disbanded; two new clubs have formed.
“Half of the 10 prosecutions brought
under the Hunting Act have not even been against
formal fox or stag hunts,” scoffed Daniel Foggo
and Nic North in the November 4, 2007 edition of
The Times of London. “The most recent
conviction, in October, was against a gang
hunting rats. The police have made clear that
they do not see enforcing the hunting ban as a
priority. Most of the cases that have come to
court have been private prosecutions.”
Similar reports appeared a year earlier,
18 months after the passage of the Hunting Act
2004. “The Hunting Act is failing,” alleged Guy
Adams of The Independent. “Last week, The
Independent was invited to follow a typical hunt
in a remote corner of Wales. It killed nine
foxes, almost all by illegal methods; the
previous week’s bag had been 13. Supporters of
field sports believe the Hunting Act 2004 to be
unenforceable, poorly drafted, and riddled with
loopholes. Opponents say it is being ignored by
many of Britain’s 300-odd hunts.”

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Blue Cross of India is cleared by the Central Bureau of Investigation

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, November/December 2007:
CHENNAI–Notified by telephone on November 12, 2007 that it
had been completely cleared of allegations of fiscal impropriety,
the Blue Cross of India on November 29 was still trying to retrieve
files taken on September 28 by inspectors from the Central Bureau of
Investigation.
The CBI raid on the Blue Cross followed a series of raids on
the offices of the Animal Welfare Board of India and the homes of
current and former AWBI staff. Blue Cross of India chief executive
Chinny Krishna had served on the Animal Welfare Board in the past,
but not since the board was reconstituted after the election of the
present Indian national government in mid-2004.

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Killing predators barely noticed in U.S

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, November/December 2007:
LOS ANGELES–Killing protected predators makes headlines in
much of the world, but in the U.S. often barely rates a published
mention, perhaps because the offense is frequent and not all that
different from the routine practices of many public agencies.
USDA Wildlife Services, the Alaska Department of Fish &
Game, and many other state wildlife departments routinely target
predators including coyotes, wolves, bears, feral cats, and
cormorants. Some of these species are protected in some habitats but
not others.
Private citizens accused of killing predators, usually as a crime of
opportunity while hunting other species, often win lenient
sentencing by pleading confusion–such as mistaking a wolf for a
coyote, or a grizzly bear for a black bear.

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Dog killings in Bolivia

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, November/December 2007:
ACHACACHI, Bolivia–“Aymara peasants loyal to President Evo
Morales, calling themselves the Red Ponchoes, yesterday beheaded
two dogs as a gruesome signal to those ‘who don’t want change’ in the
country,” a representative of the Asociacion para la Defense de los
Derechos de los Animales de Bolivia e-mailed to humane media on
November 23, 2007. “Red Ponchos secretary general Ruperto Quispe
confirmed that other peasant groups from the La Paz area
participated,” the report added.
Video of the killings reportedly hinted that Morales
himself encouraged the action.
Identified by New York Times correspondent Simon Romero as a
former organizer for the coca growers’ union, Morales in June 2007
attended a llama sacrifice.

SPCA International debut raises questions

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, November/December 2007:

MONTREAL–Complaints about SPCA International promotional
tactics began to reach ANIMAL PEOPLE almost as soon as the SPCA
International web site went up on January 5, 2007.
Proclaimed a media release from Bold New World, the
self-described “Los Angeles-based interactive agency” that produced
the web site, “The mission of SPCA International is to raise the
awareness of the abuse of animals to a global level, and to mount
efforts to enhance animal welfare throughout the world. SPCA
International accomplishes this mission by working both independently
and as an umbrella organization for local SPCA organizations in all
countries.”
More than 11,000 animal charities working in more than 140
nations might have thought they had already raised “awareness of the
abuse of animals to a global level,” but no one objected to further
“efforts to enhance animal welfare throughout the world.”

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Cat-killing bill may be stalled

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, November/December 2007:
WASHINGTON D.C.–HR 767, a bill that if passed would allow
the National Wildlife Refuge system to authorize hunters to shoot
feral cats, unanimously cleared the U.S. House of Representatives on
an October 23, 2007 voice vote, and entered the Senate without
organized opposition.
Then, after page one exposure in the October 2007 edition of
ANIMAL PEOPLE, HR 767 ran into Lee “The LocoMotive” Zucker, owner
of The LocoMotive vegetarian restaurant in Eugene, Oregon. Zucker
called many of the national animal advocacy groups and regional
humane societies whose first word was that HR 767 could not be
stopped.

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