Category: Law

Gyrocopter pilot acquitted of killing huntsman

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From ANIMAL PEOPLE, April 2010:

 

BIRMINGHAM, U.K.–A Birmingham Crown Court jury on March 17,
2010 acquitted anti-fox hunting gyrocopter pilot Bryan Griffiths of
alleged manslaughter by gross negligence in connection with the March
9, 2009 death of Warwickshire Hunt owl keeper Trevor Morse at Long
Marston airfield. Morse, 48, was killed when the gyrocopter
propeller vertically cleaved his head.
The Hunting Act of 2004 banned hunting with dogs, but with
many exemptions, including a provision allowing the use of dogs to
flush out prey for falconers. Traditional fox hunts have continued
since then by carrying raptors, including owls, who would not
normally hunt by daylight.

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Record dog attack liability settlement raises stakes for shelters

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From ANIMAL PEOPLE, April 2010:

 

PHILADELPHIA, INDIANAPOLIS–The known economic risk to third
parties in non-fatal dog attack liability cases soared to $1.9
million on March 5, 2010 when Rottweiler attack plaintiffs Evelyn
and Larry Shickram accepted a $1.6 million settlement offer from Boss
Pet Products.
“Schickram v. Boss Pet Products was in the middle of jury
selection in Philadelphia Common Pleas Court when the plaintiffs
settled,” wrote Legal Intelligencer senior staff reporter Gina
Passarella. “The Schickrams had previously settled with the dog
owner, Pamela Leader, for $300,000–the policy limits of her
homeowners’ insurance.”

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U.S. backs deal to let Japan legally kill whales in the Southern Oceans

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From ANIMAL PEOPLE, April 2010:

 

WASHINGTON D.C.–Japan is likely to be authorized to engage
in commercial whaling in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary and
coastal waters, and Norway and Iceland are likely to be allowed to
continue commercial whaling, now with International Whaling
Commission approval, at the 2010 IWC meeting in Agadir, Morocco,
to be held June 21-25.
Japan has engaged in “research” whaling at commercial levels
throughout the global whaling moratorium declared by the IWC in 1982,
and has killed whales within the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary ever
since the sanctuary was designated in 1994. The IWC has not
previously addressed Japanese coastal whaling, which mostly kills
species smaller than those regulated by the IWC. Norway has killed
minke whales in coastal waters since 1993. Iceland has wobbled
between authorizing and prohibiting whaling.

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Attorney general investigates Connecticut Humane; 20-year president resigns

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From ANIMAL PEOPLE, April 2010:

HARTFORD–Investigating the management of the Connecticut
Humane Society since January 2010, Connecticut attorney general
Richard Blumenthal on March 30, 2010 released preliminary findings
that were highly critical of how the society was managed during the
20-year tenure of former Connect-icut Humane president Richard
Johnston, who resigned on March 23.
But Blumenthal did not find evidence of criminal wrongdoing.
“The investigation has focused primarily on Connecticut
Humane’s alleged misuse of charitable funds, but touches on several
other issues,” Blumenthal’s office said in a prepared statement.
“The investigation continues, particularly with respect to the
handling of charitable funds and allegations of improper treatment of
animals,” the statement added.

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Swiss voters reject special prosecutors for animal cases

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From ANIMAL PEOPLE, April 2010:

 

GENEVA–Approximately 70% of the Swiss electorate on March 7,
2010 rejected a referendum proposal by Swiss Animal Protection to
require each canton to designate a public prosecutor to handle animal
cruelty cases–exactly opposite to the outcome that opinion polls
reportedly predicted.
The chances of the proposal passing appeared to be harmed when
the first designated prosecutor of animal cases, Antoine F.
Goetschel of Zurich, brought a cruelty charge against an angler who
took 10 minutes to land a pike in February 2010.
Swiss Animal Protection collected 140,000 signatures to place
the proposal on the ballot. Swiss Animal Protection director
Hansueli Huber told Associated Press writer Eliane Engeler that
cruelty case reports in Switzerland increased by 20% from 2007 to
2008.

CITES protects elephants but not sharks & polar bears

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From ANIMAL PEOPLE, April 2010:

DOHA, Qatar–Leading a last-minute rally to keep ivory
billiard balls out of fashion, the Kenyan delegation ran the table
on behalf of African elephants at the 15th triennial meeting of the
signatories to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered
Species, held in Doha, Qatar from March 13 to March 25, 2010.
Formed by the United Nations in 1973, CITES in 1989 banned
international traffic in elephant ivory, but CITES triennial
meetings have several times authorized exemptions allowing Botswana,
Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe to sell stockpiled ivory from
legally culled elephants, confiscated from smugglers, and collected
from elephants who died of natural causes. The exemptions–and
rumors that exemptions may be granted–have repeatedly been followed
by resurgent poaching throughout the wild elephant range in Africa
and Asia, as illegal traffickers respond to the opportunity to
market poached ivory under forged legal cover.

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Sultan bans hunting in Johor Baru, Malaysia

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From ANIMAL PEOPLE, April 2010:

JOHOR BARU, Malaysia– Johor state ruler Sultan Ibrahim Ibni
Almarhum Sultan Iskandar on March 5, 2010 ordered a halt to hunting
and called for gun licensing to be tightened.
Sultan Ibrahim said that alleged nuisance wildlife, such as
boars or crows, should be reported to the Johor Wildlife Department,
which might still use lethal measures in specific situations.
Personally involved in breeding endangered species and
rehabilitating injured wildlife, Sultan Ibrahim reportedly has as
many as 18 tigers, several panthers, and 400 deer on his property.

Israel to ban fur?

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From ANIMAL PEOPLE, March 2010:

 

TEL AVIV–The Israeli ministerial committee on law and
constitution on February 7, 2009 unanimously approved a bill to ban
the import and export of fur garments, except for shtreimels, a
type of fur hat traditionally worn by Hassidic Jews.
“The bill, prohibiting originally only trade in cat and dog
fur, has been expanded to include all fur from all mammals,”
explained Let The Animals Live founder Eli Altman. “Now the
Education, Culture and Sports Ministry committee will vote on the
amendment,” Altman added. “With their approval the bill will be
put to a second and then third reading before finally being past into
law.”

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Farm animal initiative in Ohio builds on California success

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From ANIMAL PEOPLE, March 2010:
COLUMBUS, Ohio–Ohioans for Humane Farms,
a coalition headed by the Humane Society of the
U.S. and Farm Sanctuary, on February 1, 2010
began gathering signatures to place an initiative
on the November 2010 Ohio state ballot which, if
approved by voters, would require the Ohio
Livestock Care Standards Board to ban lifelong
confinement of veal calves, breeding sows, and
laying hens.

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