animals – Page 4 – Art, animals, and the earth

Letter to help save 2,000 Mute Swans

February 3, 2014by sharonstjoan1 Comment

2,000 Mute Swans in New York State are being threatened by a plan to kill them, on the grounds that they are harming the natural world. As we know, it is humans, not swans, that harm the natural world. Please read more about this issue on the Friends of Animals website. The link is given below, at the end. And please write a polite letter to help save the swans. Thank you.

Letter sent to

gov.cuomo@chamber.state.ny.us;

fwwildlf@gw.dec.state.ny.us

NYSDEC Bureau of Wildlife,

Swan Management Plan,

625 Broadway,

Albany,

NY 12233-4754

Dear Madam, Sir,

Please cancel the plan to kill 2,000 Mute Swans in New York State.

Mute Swans and other waterbirds do not destroy habitat. They are part of the natural world — a beautiful, innocent part of nature, and they have every right to live in peace, undisturbed.

I have personally cared for Mute Swans in Utah for many years, and I know them well.

All wildlife must be respected and protected – this is the core principle which forms the basis of all wildlife law. The problems that human beings have in their relationships with nature are caused entirely by humans – by our aggressive and destructive relationship with the planet we live on. These problems will never be solved by killing other species whenever we find them inconvenient.

It is time for us to come to our senses and relate to animals and all of nature with kindness, respect and compassion – to protect wild animals and not kill them.

How can we help ourselves by destroying other forms of life?

Sincerely,

Sharon St Joan

Thank you to Sharon Hopkins for passing on information about this threat to Mute Swans in New York.

To read more about this issue on the Friends of Animals website, click here.

http://friendsofanimals.org/news/2014/january/stop-mute-swan-slaughter-ny

Photo: Author: Geni / File:Mute Swan Emsworth.JPG / “This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported, 2.5 Generic, 2.0 Generic and 1.0 Generic license.” / Wikipedia Commons / Mute Swan swimming on Emsworth Millpond

animals

Egypt: Care for animals at the Pyramids

January 13, 2014by sharonstjoan4 Comments

ESAF (Egyptian Society of Animal Friends) held a Pyramids Clinic on Wednesday, January 8 and Saturday January 11, 2014, to provide food and vet care to the Pyramids animals. The horses, donkeys, and camels are used to give rides to tourists, but during times when tourists are few, their owners suffer economic hardship, and the animals need extra help.

ESAF provided fresh greens to the animals, as well as soft nosebands (to replace wire ones), and gave out educational brochures to the owners to improve the care of the animals. The vets treated any injuries and cared for the horses’ hooves and teeth. Around 90 animals were fed and cared for.

Ahmed El Sherbiny thanks Sue Evans for her sponsorship of the Pyramids Clinics.

To visit ESAF’s Facebook page, click here.

Photos: Courtesy of ESAF

animals

Liberia: Advocating a vegan lifestyle

December 22, 2013December 22, 2013by sharonstjoanLeave a Comment

LAWCS (Liberia Animal Welfare and Conservation Society) spent the month of November reaching over 10,000 students with an inspiring message about the importance of a vegan lifestyle.

To conclude the program, LAWCS held a Vegan Day and provided free, delicious vegan food.

LAWCS Vegan Outreach Program was sponsored by FARM’s Sabina Fund. It gave Liberian students and teachers an insight into the healthful benefits of vegan food, and even more importantly, it stressed that animals are sentient beings, to be treated with compassion and respect.

The program was a tremendous success, and the Liberian Ministry of Health has asked that it be expanded to hospitals and clinics so that patients can learn how to adopt a more compassionate and healthier diet.

LAWCS dynamic Program Coordinator, Morris Darbo, has been instrumental in creating a number of innovative programs to raise the level of awareness about animal welfare among Liberian people. He writes, “LAWCS humane education is about fostering kindness, respect, and empathy for animals, people, and the environment, and recognizing the interdependence of all living beings.”

Active since 2001, LAWCS conducts programs on a whole range of animal issues, from humane policies for community dogs to educating people about how to protect wildlife and forests.

Photos: Courtesy of LAWCS

To learn more about LAWCS, please visit their website. Click here.

animals

France: Much-needed help for Spanish greyhounds

December 21, 2013by sharonstjoanLeave a Comment

Thanks to the outstanding work of C.R.E.L., this dog is now free to run and play in the snow.

C.R.E.L., a network of animal rescuers throughout France, has for several years been extending a very much-needed helping hand to the Spanish dogs called “galgos,” who are Spanish greyhounds.

The galgos (and “podencos,” a similar breed) are used for hunting in Spain. The hunters treat them with extreme cruelty and keep them only for the duration of the hunting season.

Kind people in Spain, many of whom run shelters, devote their time to saving the many thousands of galgos every year who need shelter, rehabilitation, and forever homes. These Spanish rescuers are dependent on animal people outside Spain for material support for their work, for transportation for the dogs, and for loving homes in other countries to adopt the dogs.

C.R.E.L. has been working for several years to provide much-needed assistance for these beautiful dogs so that they can recover and go on to live happy lives with their new families.

C.R.E.L.’s website is in several languages, including French, English, German, and Dutch. Click here. (Caution: the treatment of the galgos is extremely cruel, and the descriptions are graphic.)

To read C.R.E.L.’s newsletter, in French, click here.

Photo: Courtesy of C.R.E.L. / A rescued galgo who can now run and play in the snow.

animals

India: Andhra Pradesh: VSPCA helps thousands of storks

December 20, 2013by sharonstjoanLeave a Comment

In the year 2000, VSPCA (Visakha Society of Protection and Care of Animals) began their program of protecting a large colony of Painted Storks at Telenelipuram, in Andhra Pradesh, against poaching. They have continued to work with the local people to provide a safe environment for the storks.

This year with support from the Winsome Constance Kindness Trust, VSPCA is developing a full fledged team of vets, paravets, and helpers to keep an eye on the birds, to help with their protection, vet care, and to assist chicks who’ve fallen from their nests.

During recent storms and severe flooding, VSPCA, with the expert wildlife rehabilitation help of Saleem Hameed, along with several other organizations, was able to save thousands of stranded Asian Open Bill Storks. They took off on their yearly migration in November, and VSPCA has turned their attention again to the Painted Storks of Telenelipuram.

These beautiful birds need ongoing help to stay safe.

To visit the Facebook page of VSPCA, click here.

Photo: Courtesy of VSPCA / Painted storks at Telenelipuram.

animals

Egypt: New constitution to include animals

December 19, 2013by sharonstjoanLeave a Comment

Ahmed El Sherbiny, Chairperson of ESAF, has written to let us know that the 50 member Constitution Committee, charged with drafting the new constitution of Egypt, has determined that animal welfare issues will be included.

This represents a huge step forward as only a few countries in the world make mention of animal welfare in their constitution.

Many Egyptian animal welfare groups worked together to bring this about. Among them were The Brooke Hospital, SPARE, ESAF, The Donkey Sanctuary, AWAR, and ACE Egypt.

Congratulations to the Egyptian people for joining the ranks of countries that make a special place for animals in their constitution!

Photo: Courtesy of ESAF / These camels are benefitting from ESAF’s feeding and vet care program for working animals at the Pyramids.

To visit ESAF’s Facebook page, click here.

animals

One Million Protest Stripping Wolves of Endangered Listing

December 18, 2013December 18, 2013by sharonstjoanLeave a Comment

Wolves still need protection, but may be delisted anyway….

Exposing the Big Game

http://ens-newswire.com/2013/12/17/one-million-protest-stripping-wolves-of-endangered-listing/

WASHINGTON, DC, December 17, 2013 (ENS) – The public comment period closed today on a proposal by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to remove federal protections for all gray wolves across the country. Close to one million Americans stated their opposition to the plan – the largest number of comments ever submitted on a federal decision involving endangered species.

Also today, conservation groups challenged as “premature” the Service’s removal of federal Endangered Species Act protections for gray wolves in Wyoming. Arguments were heard at the U.S. District Court in Washington this morning.
wolves
The court’s decision will determine whether Endangered Species Act protections will be restored to gray wolves in Wyoming unless and until state officials develop a stronger wolf conservation plan.

The delisting of wolves in Wyoming turned wolf management over to the state, which the plaintiff groups say is “promoting unlimited wolf killing across more than…

View original post 1,124 more words

animals, the earth

Pakistan: Letter requesting protection for migrating cranes and bustards

December 14, 2013December 14, 2013by sharonstjoanLeave a Comment

Honorable Mr. Nawaz Sharif, Prime minister of Pakistan,

It’s Winter, and it’s the time for the arrival of Migratory Birds from Europe, Central Asia and Siberia to the wetlands of Pakistan. Several endangered migratory birds including Siberian cranes and bustards are being hunted indiscriminately. Both species of the migratory birds flying into Pakistan from Siberia during the winter months are listed in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) with 14,000 other endangered species in Pakistan including birds, other animals and plants.

The locals have been found shooting at flocks of Siberian cranes flying overhead during winter with their AK-47 machine guns just for leisure and on the other hand members of royal families from the Middle East, particularly those in Saudi Arabia, are often given licenses to hunt endangered migratory birds, such as bustards, despite the stringent restrictions. International laws are been violated. These birds are of much Ecological importance as they prey on insects and weeds and thus contributing towards the betterment of Agriculture and Environment. In an era of unstable climate change the environmental disaster is elevated by the mass killing of such birds.

I request your honor to kindly take strict actions against hunting of Migratory Birds in Pakistan and impose a complete ban on hunting of these Birds. I, hope that this request will get your kind consideration and mercy towards your “Guests” the beautiful and innocent Migratory Birds.

Sincerely,

Khalid Mahmood Qurashi,

President, Animal Save Movement Pakistan

H # 1094 / 2 Hussain Agahi Multan , Pakistan

Photo: Photographer: BS Thurner Hof / Wikimedia commons / “This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.” / A Siberian Crane; this one is in captivity in a zoo.

To view the Facebook page of Animal Save Movement Pakistan, click here. (Caution: graphic photos)

animals

Egypt: ESAF’s Pyramids Project has helped 6,000 animals

December 5, 2013December 5, 2013by sharonstjoan1 Comment

The program for horses and camels who work at the Pyramids, giving rides to tourists, has provided feeding and vet care to over 6,000 animals since this past July.

This is one of a series of such programs carried out by ESAF and other Egyptian animal groups, over a number of years, for the working animals at the Pyramids. This most recent special project has come to a successful close. Their ongoing, regular work with the Pyramids animals will continue.

The periodic unrest in Egypt has caused great hardship for the animals because, when there are few tourists, there is no income for the animal owners, who then have difficulty providing food and vet care to their animals. ESAF’s programs are a great help to them, and they will be continuing twice-weekly clinics in the Pyramids area, as well as their usual work in the area around ESAF’s shelter.

Ahmed El Sherbiny, ESAF Chairperson, writes that there was a slight increase in the number of tourists during the month of November, and a consequent decrease in the numbers of animals needing special feeding. He wrote, “We have also noticed a slight improvement in the animals overall condition.”

Any improvement at all is really wonderful news, and, for the sake of the animals, it is to be hoped that there will be peace and stability in Egypt, so that more tourists will return. While working animals do not ever lead ideal lives, good food and vet care can make a huge difference to their well-being. ESAF also conducts ongoing educational programs with the owners to encourage kind treatment of the animals, with good, practical solutions, like replacing wire bridles with soft nose pads.

Ahmed El Sherbiny expressed his heartfelt thanks to the people and organizations that made possible this latest Pyramids Project: Animal Aid Abroad, Wereld Asielen, Sue Evans and her UK group, Richard Gabriel, and Humane Society International (HSI).

The total number of animals treated and fed during the month of November was 1,002 horses and 379 camels.

During the course of the project, which ran from July 10 through the end of November, the total number of animals fed and treated was 5,471 horses and 663 camels.

Thanks to ESAF and their generous sponsors for doing so much to make the lives of the Pyramids animals easier and more comfortable.

To go to ESAF’s Facebook page, click here.

Photos: Courtesy of ESAF

animals, the earth

A prayer for turkeys

November 28, 2013November 28, 2013by sharonstjoan2 Comments

Holy One,

Thank you for blessing the souls of turkeys, that they may rest in peace, released from the pain and suffering of this world.

May they, who are forever innocent, walk once again in the sunlit grasslands of heaven, may they fly under the blue sky, may they dance at sunrise by the streams that flow through the meadows.

May they be blessed always with happiness and the companionship of their mates and friends, for in your sacred world there is no distance, no time, and no separation.

May these children of the earth hear, in the air, the music of the wind, the singing of the songbirds, the silence of the snowfall, and the enchanted whisper of the forest leaves.

May they may be free, now and always, protected from all harm, held in the grace of your hands, in the infinite peace and power of your presence.

Holy One, may all your creatures of innocence be blessed, that the dolphins may play in the waters, the cats may walk in the moonlight, the birds may fly in the wind.

That the arrows of hate may be broken, that man’s tyranny may be ended,

That the wings of your Holy Spirit may soar again in the sunlight of your land.

May the wild ones and the tame ones live in peace, forever, in your kingdom.

Amen.