Animal Rights ... Human Wrongs?

Is “Factory Farming” Responsible For SARS?

The severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) now spreading across the globe is apparently just one more example of a situation in which a virus has leaped from animals to people. Many viruses are harmless to animals but mutate and become deadly when they infect human beings. SARS evolved in southern China, where 80 million people share living space with the ducks, chickens, pigs, shrimp, and carp they eat. Chicken waste is fed to pigs. Pig waste is dumped into ponds in which shrimp and fish are raised for food. All the animals are crowded into small spaces where viruses thrive. One scientist called this area "a complete soup of chemicals and viruses." Another explained, "A virus gets into a duck, it jumps to the pig. It mutates, the pig excretes it and humans can become infected." The World Health Organization reports that, like SARS, the annual influenzas that sicken and kill thousands every year almost always originate in animals in southern China and Hong Kong. All this disease comes from people's desire to consume meat and to farm animals in small spaces. The stress of intensive farming promotes illness, which is why massive doses of antibiotics are put into animal feed on Western factory farms-antibiotics, which, in turn, lower human resistance to disease. SARS is thought to be a virulent form of coronavirus. A Canadian researcher believes that "the coronavirus in animals may be associated with the 'shipping fever' pigs and cattle get when they are stressed by the crowded transport situations they are in when they are sent to feedlots before slaughter.” The influenza epidemic of 1918 originated in pigs. It swept the globe, killing 20 million people. By 1920, nearly every American family had lost one member to this flu. The Hong Kong avian flu of 1997 jumped from chickens to people, sickening hundreds and killing six. To stop the spread of the disease, 1.5 million chickens were slaughtered.

Brewer Stops Sponsorship

Recent visitors to Guam were surprised to find huge banners with Miller Beer’s trademark advertising cockfights on the island. Cockfighting is a cruel practice that forces animals to fight to the death by cutting each other with razor-sharp spurs. In the U.S., cockfighting is prohibited in all but two states and is a felony offence in many. Cockfighting is also linked to high-stakes gambling, illegal drug activity, and other serious crimes. Following protests from tourists and Animal Rights activists, officials from the Miller Brewing Company have made it clear that the use of the Miller trademark to promote cockfighting is unacceptable and will be stopped. The distributor in Guam has been instructed to ensure that Miller’s sponsorships of local festivals not be used to promote cockfighting.

Hens Wood-Chipped

Tens of thousands of “spent hens”, birds worn out from lives in factory farm battery cages, were thrown into a wood-chipping machine in a crude attempt to kill them cheaply at two farms in San Diego County, California. Despite the fact that the local animal services agency found the situation to be “clearly animal cruelty,” the District Attorney inexplicably declined to file charges against the owners of the facility, because they claimed they were “given permission” by a veterinarian and that this somehow excused them from the state’s animal cruelty statute.

Stray Control Breakthrough In Dubai

Dubai has become the first Emirate to successfully adopt a humane stray control programme in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), with the support WSPA and member societies K9 Friends and Feline Friends. In response to growing concerns over the shooting of stray dogs and poisoning of feral cats, WSPA was invited by Dubai's municipality to hold humane stray control workshops in Autumn 2002. WSPA's input has resulted in the adoption of a humane policy to control the number of stray companion animals, with the municipal veterinary section, rather than the pest control section, assuming responsibility. Further WSPA training workshops were held in January 2003.The number of stray dogs in Dubai is relatively small, with approximately five dogs being caught each week. Now, instead of being shot, those captured will be kept in a holding facility for up to ten days. After that period, they will be re-homed wherever possible, although strays that are certified aggressive or severely ill will be humanely euthanased. WSPA has also succeeded in persuading the authorities to abandon the poisoning of feral cats in Dubai, where large numbers of cats tend to congregate around reliable food sources, such as large hotels. The majority of cats are now being caught humanely, by live trapping methods, and are neutered and vaccinated before being returned to their original locations. WSPA’s spokesperson said, "The steps being taken towards the adoption of a humane dog control programme in Dubai are a real first. Stray animals are a problem all over this region and are often dealt with in an extremely cruel manner. The UAE is the first country in the Middle East where WSPA has been permitted to carry out work for companion animals and we hope that other countries will follow its lead and set up their own humane stray control programmes."

A Terrible Treat

Beware when giving your dog a “treat”! Chocolate contains a chemical called theobromine, which is harmless to humans in normal amounts but toxic to dogs, causing vomiting, diarrhoea, convulsions and even death. Cocoa powder is the most toxic, followed by dark and then milk chocolate. Unfortunately, most dogs adore chocolate and will beg whenever they see some. Pet owners can get round the problem by having a supply of special dog chocolate drops to hand, which are available from most pet shops. Also to help keep your dog healthy, never use cocoa shell mulch around the base of indoor potted plants, it is even more toxic to dogs than chocolate. Generally it is always best to try and keep your animal on its normal diet as it is estimated that as many as a third of all pets are overweight and this can shorten their lives and reduce their ability to withstand surgery or fight disease. The best treat for a dog is a chew because it will keep them occupied and helps keep their teeth clean as well. And if you don’t give your chocolate to your dog, there’s more for you!

Bird Flu In Europe

Belgium has been forced to ban all chicken and egg exports after an outbreak of bird flu apparently spread across the Dutch border. Food safety officials announced that a suspected case of the highly contagious disease was thought to have been found on a farm near the border. A quarter of a million birds near the farm, in the eastern border region of Limburg, have now been slaughtered. The entire poultry sector will be immobilised and that means there will be no contact between farms and other related businesses. The outbreak came to light when hundreds of birds died on a farm in the village of Meeuwen-Gruitrode. The movement of poultry and eggs from Belgian farms has also been halted. Authorities in the neighbouring Netherlands have fought since February to contain the bird flu outbreak. Eleven million birds have been slaughtered - around 10% of the entire Dutch flock - but new cases of the disease are still being found. All Dutch poultry and egg exports remain banned - costing the industry an estimated two million euros a day. The disease has also had an impact in Germany, where some birds have been culled as a precaution. No cases have been found in Germany. Belgian officials have urged farmers to report any suspected flu cases at once, and to take care in person-to-person contact. In the Netherlands, the disease spread through contacts between people.

Extinction Faces Mans Close Relatives

Two of man's closest relatives in the animal kingdom will be on the edge of extinction within a decade, unless drastic conservation measures are put in place immediately. That is the alarming conclusion of a major international study of gorillas and chimpanzees in the forests of Western Equatorial Africa, published in the scientific journal Nature. The dense jungles of the Republic of Congo and Gabon were previously thought to be the last stronghold of the two species, since deforestation in this region has been much less intense than in other parts of Africa. But a comprehensive survey of ape numbers in Gabon between 1998 and 2002 has revealed a dramatic decline in the population in recent years, caused by a combination of commercial hunting for bush meat, and the deadly Ebola virus, which has also attacked local people. By comparing the figures with a survey carried out in the early 1980s, the researchers conclude that on a conservative estimate, gorillas and chimpanzees have declined by more than half within 20 years. Gabon and Congo account for around 80% of the world's gorillas and most of the common chimpanzees, so this is described by the study as a major conservation crisis. Without aggressive investments in law enforcement, protected area management and Ebola prevention, the next decade will see our closest relatives pushed to the brink of extinction. One of the major problems facing the apes is that they are now being killed for their meat on a commercial scale, where hunting used to be confined to local villagers providing food for themselves. The timber trade has driven roads deep into the forest, providing easier access for hunters to areas previously out of reach. Bush meat finds a ready market in the towns and cities of the region. And now rivalling hunting as a threat to the apes is Ebola haemorrhagic fever, steadily spreading through Gabon and Congo. The epidemic is now approaching Odzala National Park, which boasts the world's highest recorded gorilla and chimpanzee densities.

Animal Torture Video Prosecution

A man who pleaded guilty to charges brought by the Police of conspiracy to produce and distribute obscene material is starting a nine-month prison sentence. Mr McCann, from London, was the instigator of one of the most shocking videos ever seen by the RSPCA and police. The ‘squish’ video depicted scenes of animal torture and involved mice, guinea pigs and most shockingly, a six-week old kitten being slowly crushed underfoot. Four people from the Stoke area were sentenced in May for their involvement in the making of the video for McCann. In a separate court case they pleaded guilty to both conspiracy to publish obscene material and charges relating to the cruelty and torture of small animals. As well as custodial sentences, all four were banned from keeping animals for life. Information from that case led the RSPCA special operations unit to McCann who was heading the ‘squish’ ring. The Police were informed and a warrant issued to search his property. Videos and equipment were seized during the raid and, the case was brought to court. The RSPCA chief superintendent said: “This video is one of the most abhorrent instances of cruelty that our special operations unit has ever come across. It beggars belief that people out there want to watch such depraved footage. “Our intelligence leads us to believe that this sort of sick video production is on the increase and we will do everything in our power to ensure those caught face the consequences.”