Case against Martin Balluch and fellow Austrian activists is thrown out of court

June 1, 2011 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, June 2011:

VIENNA–Austrian federal judge Sonja Arleth on May 2, 2011
dismissed all charges against Association Against Animal Factories
(VGT) founder Martin Balluch and co-defendants, just three weeks
short of three years after Balluch and 11 others representing seven
animal advocacy organizations were arrested in dawn raids on at least
two dozen homes and offices on May 21, 2008.
Three of the arrestees were released without charges soon
afterward. Balluch and nine others were released on bail 104 days
later, charged with alleged involvement in a variety of “direct
action” offenses that occurred between 2002 and 2007.

Protesters confront fur trade in Seoul

June 1, 2011 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, June 2011:
SEOUL–Fur will be exhibited after all at a June 2, 2011
show by the Italian fashion house Fendi on a new artificial “floating
island” in the Han River in downtown Seoul. But there will be less
fur, city officials said on May 23, after announcing on May 16 that
fur would be banned to avoid confrontation with protesters organized
by the local group Coexistence of Animal Rights on Earth.
Fendi “originally planned to present 20 fur items,” reported
Agence France-Presse. “A Seoul city official said Fendi pledged to
‘redesign’ the lineup to reduce the number of fur items displayed.”
In response, Coexist-ence of Animal Rights on Earth “called for
protesters to picket the show,” AFP added.

Romanian pound dog massacre was a test of pending legislation, veterinarian charges

June 1, 2011 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, June 2011:

BOTOSANI, Romania–A May 10, 2011 dog massacre that shocked
Romania was undertaken as a political trial balloon, Bucharest
veterinarian Liviu Gaita alleged to news media.
The killing occurred in Botosani, a small city in the
extreme northeastern corner of Romania, about six hours’ drive from
Bucharest. Volunteers who fed the dogs at the Botosani city pound
arrived on the morning of May 10 to find that more than 230 dogs had
already been killed by muncipal workers, purportedly by order of
mayor Catalin Mugurel Flutur. The killing was still underway, said
to be necessitated by a disease outbreak that the volunteers were
unaware of. “The volunteers called the TV stations and the police
but nothing happened,” said an anonymous message distributed within
minutes via Facebook. “They were in shock and tried to get out of
the shelter the last few puppies that were alive. They were
assaulted and offended by the guards.”

Ecuadorans pass constitutional amendment to ban cockfighting & bullfighting

June 1, 2011 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, June 2011:
QUITO–Ecuadoran voters in a May 7, 2011 referendum voted to
ban bullfights and cockfights that result in the animals’ deaths, as
part of a 10-point package of constitutional amendments proposed by
President Rafael Correa.
All 10 amendments passed, several after trailing at
mid-count. Topics included limiting banking activity by financial
service firms, prohibiting ownership of news media by non-media
companies, and prohibiting casino gambling. Opponents of the
amendment package alleged that Correa used the referendum to
strengthen his political position, including control over mass
media, and included the ban on lethal animal fighting to help
attract voters to the polls.

European Union follows U.S. in reinforcing truth in fur labeling

June 1, 2011 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, June 2011:
STRASBOURG, WASHINGTON D.C.–Updated European Union and U.S.
truth-in-fur-labeling legislation will be in effect by the start of
the 2011-2012 “fur season.”
Beginning the day after U.S. Thanksgiving, called “Fur-Free
Friday” by anti-fur protesters, and ending at Valentine’s Day, the
“fur season” annually accounts for two-thirds or more of all retail
fur garment sales.
The new European Union regulation requires that clothing makers
must include the phrase “contains non-textile parts of animal origin”
in labeling any garment containing fur, leather, feathers, or any
other material of animal origin.

ESA protection lifted, wolf killing accelerates

June 1, 2011 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, June 2011:

WASHINGTON D.C.–“Interior Announces Next Steps in
Protection, Recovery, and Scientific Management of Wolves,” Kendra
Barkoff of the U.S. Department of the Interior and Chris Tollefson of
the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service headlined a May 17, 2011 joint
press release.
What “protection, recovery, and scientific management”
meant was that wolves in the northern Rocky Mountains, western Great
Lakes region, and Oregon may now be shot, trapped, poisoned, and
strafed from aircraft as state governments see fit, so long as they
do not actually reduce wolf populations to the verge of regional
extinction.

Missouri & Oklahoma puppy mill legislation is diluted before taking effect

June 1, 2011 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, June 2011:

JEFFERSON CITY, OKLAHOMA CITY– Missouri
Governor Jay Nixon and Oklahoma Governor Mary
Fallin on April 27, 2011 and May 17, 2011 each
endorsed into law two-bill packages substituting
weaker regulatory packages for anti-puppy mill
legislation passed in 2010. The substitution
means the laws passed in 2010 never took effect.
In Missouri, wrote Kansas City Star
correspondent Jason Noble, “parallel bills
constituted an agreement between the Democratic
governor and the Republican-led General Assembly
to overhaul Proposition B, approved by voters
last November. Nixon signed SB 113, which
substantially watered down the restrictions
enacted by Proposition B. In exchange,
lawmakers quickly pushed through SB 161, which
contained compromise language brokered by Nixon.”

A zebra dies of officially “unknown causes” as tear gas hits the Giza Zoo

June 1, 2011 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, June 2011:

GIZA, Egypt–Amid drifting tear gas, as demonstrators and
police clashed on May 15, 2011 just outside the Giza Zoo, a zebra
died of officially unknown causes.
“At least 120 people were injured,” reported Al Jazeera,
“when Egyptian security forces fired tear gas and rubber-coated steel
bullets at pro-Palestinian protesters who were trying to storm the
Israeli embassy. Protesters gathered to commemorate the 63rd
anniversary of the “Nakba” or “catastrophe” –the day Israel declared
independence and hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled or were
expelled from their homes. At least 20 people were arrested. Al
Jazeera’s Rob Gilles, at the scene, said that some protesters
burned tires in the middle of the road and threw stones.”

Criminal case opened against former Kyiv Zoo director

June 1, 2011 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, June 2011:
KYIV, Ukraine–The Kyiv Prosec-utor’s Office on May 3, 2011
announced that it had opened a criminal case against former Kyiv Zoo
director Svitlana Berzina, who now heads the city dog licensing
bureau. “Berzina is suspected of embezzling some $47,000 from the
zoo by commissioning projects that weren’t fully carried out, if at
all,” reported Associated Press.
“Berzina was fired last year,” Associated Press recalled,
“after nearly one-half of the zoo’s animals either died or
disappeared. Rights groups claimed the deaths were caused by
mistreatment, with rare animals illegally sold to private
collectors.”

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