Wildlife SOS saves more bears from Indo-Nepal traffic

From ANIMAL PEOPLE,  March 2013:

AGRA,  India––“In an all night anti- poaching rescue operation based on intelligence provided by Wildlife SOS,  four young male sloth bears were seized from poachers in the Sahibganj district of Jharkhand on the Indo-Nepal border,”  Wildlife SOS cofounder Geeta Seshamani e-mailed to ANIMAL PEOPLE on February 19,  2013. Read more

Anti-fur legislation

From ANIMAL PEOPLE,  January/February 2013:

If you’re wondering what this “waste pile” is made of, the answer is simple: the carcasses of the animals who died so that humans could take their skins for money. This photo comes from a Russian fur farm but the horrors are the same in all latitudes. —P. Greanville [Photo redacted]

TAIPEI,  DEN HAGUE––Taiwan on January 8,  2013 became the first Asian nation to ban the import of seal pelts and products,  by amendment to the national Wildlife Conservation Act,  while the Dutch senate on December 18,  2012 ratified a ban on mink farming,  to take effect in 2024.  Both measures undercut fur trade hopes of economic recovery.  

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Who ended dancing bear acts in India?

From ANIMAL PEOPLE,  January/February 2013:

Rewriting history

I just wanted to thank you for setting the record straight in your November/December 2012 Watchdog page article “Wildlife SOS ended dancing bear acts in India,  but WSPA claims credit.”

I was in India during the 21st International Conference on Bear Research and Management in New Delhi,  and I can’t tell you how dejected International Animal Rescue,  Free The Bears,  and of course Wildlife SOS cofounders Kartick Satyanarayan and Geeta Seshamani were with regards to the World Society for the Protection of Animals shamelessly trying to position themselves as the organization that solved the problem.  I don’t know that people were shocked because this fit into a pattern;  however,  people felt really downtrodden,  realizing that WSPA had their marketing wheels in motion trying to rewrite history.  Thanks for making it harder for them to take full credit. Read more

Bangalore court rules that “menace or nuisance” can be cause to kill a dog, regardless of ABC status

From ANIMAL PEOPLE,  January/February 2013:

BANGALORE––The Karnataka High Court on December 7,  2012 ruled that dogs who “are a menace or cause nuisance,  irrespective of whether there is evidence of them having mauled or bitten children or adults, could be exterminated.”

Problem dogs may be killed “even if they are vaccinated,  sterilized and free from diseases,”  summarized The Hindu.   Read more

Indonesian bear sanctuary fights closure

From ANIMAL PEOPLE,  January/February 2013:

Balikpapan,  East Kalimantan,  Indonesia––Sun bears,  the smallest of the bear family,  are known for their seemingly ceaseless foraging in the wild.  Yet a decade after sun bears were made the official mascots of Balikpapan,  the most affluent city in East Kalimantan,  Indonesia,  in part in appreciation of their industriousness,  chief city councilor Andi Burhanuddin Solong reportedly wants to disenfranchise them because he views them as “lazy.” Read more

Animals Asia Foundation saves Vietnam Bear Rescue Centre and halts Zimbabwe/China baby elephant deal––in same week

From ANIMAL PEOPLE,  January/February 2013:

HONG KONG,  HANOI,  HARARE––The Animals Asia Foundation on January 16,  2013 won a six-month battle against the ordered eviction of the Vietnam Bear Rescue Centre from the edge of Tam Dao National Park,  Vietnam––and just three days later won the cancellation of a controversial sale of baby elephants from Zimbabwe to China. Read more

Bred for labs, 70 beagles find homes instead

From ANIMAL PEOPLE,  January/February 2013:

CHENNAI––Seventy beagle puppies bred in China by Beijing Marshall Biotechnology Co.,  Ltd for laboratory use were instead on December 19,  2012 adopted into homes by the Blue Cross of India. Bought by the Bangalore pharmaceutical firm Advinus Thereapeutics,  the beagle pups were flown to Chennai on October 19,  2012 by Cathay Pacific Airways,  misidentified as pets on transport documents. Read more

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