Animal Rights ... Human Wrongs?

Rabbit Incident At MLP Mass Meeting

Following the large outcry and general condemnation caused by the scenes of apparent cruelty to a rabbit, we have now been informed that the police have fully investigated the incident and have questioned those who were seen with the rabbit. The conclusion of the investigations was that “the rabbit had died the day before the political event was held” and that there are therefore no grounds for any criminal action to be taken.

Beware of the Lioness

A lioness bit off the arm of a British grandmother after she put her hand in its mouth at an animal sanctuary in Spain. Anne Richards' sister watched in horror as the beast snapped its jaws shut and ripped off the limb below the elbow. Anne, 54, collapsed and was airlifted to hospital where she was said to be stable after surgery. Anne and Carol were on a week-long holiday in Benidorm when they decided to go on a day trip to the sanctuary. Carol has told family members back in Britain that Anne and other tourists were encouraged to stroke Marta the lioness and put their hands in her mouth. But when Anne tried it, the beast attacked and ate her arm. The sanctuary owner claimed Anne had climbed a three-metre high barrier and pushed her fingers into the lion compound. Anne's husband said: "There is no way my wife could have climbed a fence." I have spoken to her. She is groggy, but OK. I don't think it's sunk in."

Romanian Road Rabbit

Police in Romania have fined a motorist for failing to reduce his speed when passing a rabbit. Nicolae Balaita was fined LM7 - the equivalent of a week's wages - after he hit and killed the rabbit near Adjud. Mr Balaita said, "I hit the rabbit because there was no way for me to avoid it." I decided to go to the nearest police station because my car's bumper was broken and I thought I'd have problems later if I didn't report the incident. He says the fine was handed out by animal lover, sergeant Spiroiu. Mr Balaita said: "When the policeman saw blood on my car, he went completely crazy. He fined me, checked my blood-alcohol levels and wouldn't accept my excuse." Police say they are standing by the fine. A spokesman said: "A rabbit today, may be a child tomorrow. Speed restrictions are in force in the area and they must be obeyed. From the dent it's clear he was going too fast."

Copy Cat

Grieving owners who want to bring back their dead pet with cloning will end up with an animal that may not act or even look like the original, according to studies of the first cloned cat. CC (for carbon copy) is just over a year old. Her birth made headlines worldwide when it was announced last February because it was the first time a household pet had been cloned. Now researchers at Texas university have compared CC with her genetic mother, Rainbow, to show that cloning does not mean simple duplication. While Rainbow is a typical calico with splotches of brown, tan and gold on white, her clone has a striped grey coat over white. While Rainbow is reserved, CC is curious and playful, and while Rainbow is chunky, CC is sleek. CC's creation was funded by Genetic Savings & Clone, a company that hopes to make money from people's desires to duplicate beloved pets. But those who hope to resurrect a pet will be disappointed. Environment is as important as genes in determining a cat's personality. And as far as appearance, having the same DNA as another calico cat does not always produce the same coat pattern. A GSC spokesman, said the company tells owners that cloning will not reproduce their pet and it has turned away customers. He said: "In the long term, it's unethical, and the pet owner will quickly find that, 'Hey, this isn't Fluffy, this puppy doesn't recognise me or know all the old tricks.'

Government Licences Badger Killing

The UK’s animal welfare minister has taken the unprecedented step of licensing the slaughter of a family of badgers to maintain the value of private property after some invaded the gardens of four suburban homes in East Sussex. The first issue of a licence for badger extermination by the Government has angered animal rights campaigners and farmers, who are usually in fierce opposition over the issue of badger culling. Until now, the Department for the Environment has issued licences permitting the closure of problem badgers' setts. The National Federation of Badger Groups said the issuing of a slaughter licence had set a "deadly precedent". It is the first time that a minister has licensed the extermination of a large badger family apparently in order to increase the value of private property and to prevent seemingly minor damage. It is entirely against the spirit of the Protection of Badgers Act 1992." Farmers were similarly enraged, not because the slaughter had been licensed to protect private property, but because they have been campaigning for years for selective culling to stem the spread of bovine tuberculosis (an unproven and hotly disputed issue). The badgers licensed for extermination in East Sussex have established a new sett in a residential street after their existing home was bulldozed to make way for a block of flats.

“Dogvertising”

A mobile phone company has opted to use big dogs as moving billboards to advertise its new handset. The company behind the innovative form of advertising is appealing for owners of larger dogs to register their pooches for future "dogverts". Sony Ericsson have signed up new venture Dogvertise to promote their new photo messaging service with the appropriate slogan "something to drool about". The dogs are being hired in cities throughout the UK and will wear special coats emblazoned with the mobile firm's logo. Professional dog walkers will be paid to parade their canine charges around city streets, and the dogs' owners get their hounds exercised for free. Dogvertise say giant dogs make up only 3.8% of Britain's 6.1 million dogs, and they need the likes of St Bernard and Great Danes in order to get the right size of logo. Based in Holland, the company will also be using sheepdogs, Newfoundlands, bloodhounds and Irish wolfhounds, as well as special breeds like the Italian Spinoni and Weineramer. Dogvertise founder Dylan Ingham said: "We are a world first and this is the biggest advertising campaign of its kind. "It is the beginning of a new era in advertising - a walking, barking, tail-wagging billboard." Dogverts have been trialled before using vegetable dye to paint slogans on the coat of the dog itself.

Bull On Trial

Prosecutors in Bulgaria have put a bull on trial in court for murder, according to a local newspaper report. The court case in Kardzhali, near Sofia, concerns the death of a farmer whose trampled body was found in the bull's stall. The newspaper quoted a spokesman for the public prosecutor as saying: "Obviously its not usual to put a bull on trial, but we need to know if we are looking for anyone else. "If the bull is found guilty, then we will know that the case is closed as far as the hunt for the killer is concerned." A spokesman for the defence said: "We believe there are extenuating circumstances as the bull had been given a vaccination earlier in the day that made him mad."

Viagra Saving Animals Lives

The anti-impotence drug Viagra has become an unexpected hero in the fight against the hunting of endangered animals for traditional Chinese medicine. The global success of Viagra since it went on sale in 1998 has led to a decline in the trade of animal parts for their supposedly anti-impotence properties, scientists have found. Viagra is cheaper than many traditional animal-parts remedies – such as dried seahorses or crushed rhino horn – and it visibly works whereas the natural cures do not. Research shows that the trade in the velvet covering of reindeer antlers fell by 72 per cent from 1997 to 1998. This was the sharpest annual drop in nearly 30 years. Meanwhile, sales of the penises of Canadian hooded and harp seals – also valued as impotence treatments – fell by half between 1996 and 1998. While many Western medicines do much the same thing as Chinese traditional medicines, East Asians are typically suspicious of Western medical products. What's different about Viagra is that its effect is so immediate and visible. Experts believe they have detected the first significant evidence that Viagra is protecting endangered species. Because market forces are what drive the overcollection of and subsequent threat to some species, the elimination of these market forces may prove to be the most effective conservation solution.

Island Sanctuary volunteer appeal.

If you are reading this you are probably an animal lover. Perhaps you even care enough about animals to volunteer. The Island Sanctuary at Tas-Silg needs responsible animal lovers to help care for the dogs. Recently the number of volunteers has fallen and this is putting the valuable work of the sanctuary at risk. If you think you could help, or would like to know more please telephone 21659895 or Claire on 21657657