Rabies strikes Namibian kudu

June 1, 2006 Archivist Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, June 2006:

WINDHOEK–Veterin-arians Otto Zapke and
Beate Voights in mid-May 2006 reportedly
confirmed that a rare outbreak of rabies
spreading from herbivore to herbivore during the
past two years was responsible for the deaths of
“thousands” of kudu in the Omaruru region of
Namibia.
“Sources in the industry have voiced
concern that the outbreak could impact negatively
on the hunting season,” reported Chrispin
Inambao of the Windhoek New Era. “People come to
Namibia because of kudus,” Inambao said a
hunting industry source told him. About 5,000
hunters per year visit Namibia.

Canned hunts for rare imported “trophy” species are booming in Spain

June 1, 2006 Archivist Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, June 2006:

Only U.S. hunters visit South Africa more
than Spaniards, who make up about 8.5% of the
South Africa hunting traffic–and Spanish hunting
ranch proprietors are trying to keep them home,
even if it requires stocking rare species in
violation of the law.
“In January 2006, 12 Indian blackbuck
antelope were confiscated from a farm near
Cáceres, Extremadura,” recently wrote Sunday
Telegraph correspondent David Harrison. “Guardia
Civil officers said they had found evidence that
exotic beasts had been hunted illegally on at
least six reserves. During the first half of
last year the Guardia Civil game protection unit
confiscated 678 illegally imported live animals
across Spain.”

Europe

Zimbabwe running out of “trophies”

June 1, 2006 Archivist Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, June 2006:

HARARE–The Zimbabwe Parks & Wildlife Management Authority in
April 2006 suspended hunting in game conservancies, just three
months after nationalizing the hunting industry amid reports that
profiteering Robert Mugabe regime insiders were allowing visiting
hunters to annihilate the “trophy” animal population of the country.
“We want the animals to be more mature before hunting can
resume,” said parks public relations manager Edward Mbewe. “We want
to improve the trophy quality.”
All lion hunting was suspended in Matabeleland North.
“Villagers should report any stray lions instead of killing the
animals,” Mbewe said. “Lions are favoured by hunters and thus
generate a lot of foreign currency.”
Mbewe acknowledged that tourists had complained about seeing few
animals in drought-stricken Hwange National Park.

Africa

Letters [June 2006]

June 1, 2006 Archivist Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, June 2006:

Corrections and more info about the Ghana SPCA

On behalf of the Ghana SPCA, thank you
very much for publishing an article in your May
2006 edition about the work we are doing in
Accra, Kumasi, and in some of the rural areas
of Ghana.
While we appreciate your interest in the
GSPCA, I am writing to correct a few errors in
the article.
Most importantly, Roland Azantilow and
David Nyoagbe are co-founders of the GSPCA; it
was very much a joint effort. While the article
focused on Azantilow, David Nyoagbe is chair of
the Ghana SPCA, and has been in that position
since the organization started. Azantilow is
vice chair. Nyoagbe oversees activities in the
Accra area; Azantilow oversees the Kumasi area.
Nyoagbe’s interest in animal welfare was
first sparked by the World Society for the
Protection of Animals Kindness Clubs. For over
20 years he was a leader in first a school
Kindness Club, and later in a community club.

Letters

Bear escape, mauling, & deadly fire may bring tougher Ohio exotic regs

June 1, 2006 Archivist Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, June 2006:

CLEVELAND–Ohio state senator Tim Grendell (R-Geauga County)
on May 26, 2006 pledged to introduce a bill to increase restrictions
on keeping exotic pets and wildlife. “State law now requires
wild-animal breeders to obtain a license and keep records, but does
not require cages,” observed Cleveland Plain Dealer reporter John
Horton.
Two incidents in three days may at last have brought
legislative attention to the hazards of keeping exotic and wild
animals, more than 22 years after the first such incident involving
one of the keepers involved.
On May 22, 2006 a 500-pound black bear escaped from a cage
at the Grand River Fur Exchange in Hartsgrove Township, one of 57
businesses in Ohio that hold permits to breed a total of 137 captive
black bears. The bear mauled Rachel Supplee, 36.

South Africa moves on canned hunts–can rules be enforced?

June 1, 2006 Archivist Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, June 2006:

PRETORIA–Six weeks of public comment on
government proposals to reform the South African
trophy hunting industry are expected to end in
mid-June 2006 with the recommended reforms on the
fast track to adoption–almost 10 years after the
British TV expose series “The Cooke Report”
brought to light the abuses that the proposals
address.
Introducing the proposed “National Norms
and Standards for the Regulation of the Hunting
Industry” and accompanying “Threatened and
Protected Species” on May 1 at the De Wildt
Cheetah & Wildlife Centre, west of Pretoria,
Environmental Affairs Minister Marthinus van
Schalkwyk predicted that they might be in effect
before the end of the year.

St. Petersburg G8 Summit meet brings war against street dogs

June 1, 2006 Archivist Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, June 2006:

ST. PETERSBURG–Tight security
precautions for the G8 Summit to be held in St.
Petersburg, Russia, July 15-17, include
“exterminating street animals with utmost
cruelty,” Baltic Care of Animals members Elena
Bobrova, Marina Ermakova, Svetlana Los, and
Tatiana Goritcheva alleged in a June 2 joint
statement relayed to western media by North Kent
Animal Welfare founder Mark Johnson, of Britain.
The BCA members’ joint statement echoed
and amplified exposés by St. Petersburg
journalists Yelena Andreyeva and Galina
Stolyarova, published on December 2, 2005 by
the St. Petersburg Times and on May 5, 2006 by
PetersburgCity.

Europe

Animal advocacy rumbles to life in the Islamic world

June 1, 2006 Archivist Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, June 2006:

BALI–“Humane Society Inter-national disaster response
assessment teams have been on the ground in Yogyakarta, Bentul, and
Klaten,” in Java, Indonesia, “since May 28, one day after the 5.9
magnitude earthquake struck,” HSI Asia consultant Dawn Peacock
e-mailed to ANIMAL PEOPLE on May 31.
“Today,” Peacock added, “HSI sent a vet to join the already
tired assessment team, and we are making a plan based on the
information we get back. The most likely needs so far are food,
water and basic first aid and shelter for stray or lost animals.
“Preliminary assessments have found that there is a need to
help animals who have survived the earthquake and are left without
guardians to provide adequate food and water,” Peacock continued.

Humane success makes market for mixed-breed pups

June 1, 2006 Archivist Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, June 2006:

TACOMA–Why did the Humane Society of
Tacoma & Pierce County fire one 15-year employee
on May 25, and suspend another without pay for
three days, for mistakenly euthanizing five
Labrador-mix puppies?
Why did Joseph P. “Jo Jo the Dog Man”
O’Neill, 70, die alone of a heart attack on
June 22, 2005 aboard a train in Poland, after
40-odd years of rounding up surplus puppies in
rural Ohio for sale in New Jersey?
Why are puppies suddenly the hottest
animal commodity crossing the Mexican border,
supplanting the traffic in parrots?
After a decade of rumors about an
impending puppy shortage, mostly disregarded by
animal advocates as breeder propaganda, the U.S.
and western Europe are experiencing a puppie
scarcity so severe that even some young dogs
considered utterly unadoptable just a few years
ago are quickly finding homes.

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