Komputer for Alle 1998 #6/1998 CD 6 (Gul).iso/web/ffa/wwwenv~1.org/arrs/digest/news55~1.htm/text0010.txt

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Subject: (HK) Pet Fair Asia '97
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                          Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

17th October, 1997

Pet Fair Asia October 1-4 1997 Hong Kong

    SPCA (Hong Kong) is anxious that all participants in the recent Pet
Fair should be made aware of the facts regarding animal welfare and
pet-ownership in Asia.

    The organisers' slogan "Little Animals mean Big Business" indicates a
heartless disregard for the living creatures exploited by the pet-trade.
Their description of Asia, as a growing pet-market completely ignores the
realities of huge populations of strays, many restrictions on ownership and
lack of public education in basic pet-care.

    The SPCA was invited to have a booth on the last day of the fair and
our display appealed to the pet-trade not to add to the animal
over-population and suffering already seen in Hong Kong, China and Taiwan.

    We have sent the enclosed letter in English or Chinese to every company
that took part in Pet Fair Asia 1997 with the exception of those dealing
solely in tropical fish and related products.  Please add your voice to
ours and give these companies the facts about pet-ownership and animal
welfare in your particular country and the Asian region.

                                                                      Yours
sincerely,

Doreen Davies

Executive Director


                      Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
     20 October, 1997


Dear Sir / Madam,

The Asian Pet Trade - the other side of the story

     The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) is
concerned that participants in "Pet Fair Asia 1997" should be made fully
aware of the facts regarding pet ownership in Asia and are not misled by
the rosy picture painted by Fair organisers of a market expanding daily.

     In many parts of Asia we have seen, in recent years, encouragement of
pet-ownership followed soon after by government bans and restrictions which
have led to the unnecessary suffering and untimely death of countless animals.

     The facts:-

A.   Hong Kong
1.   At least 50% of the population are not allowed to keep pets of any
kind, including small animals, birds and fish, because they live in public
estates. This restriction was strictly enforced from April 1996 when
tenants were given two weeks to get rid of their dog or lose their flat.
The SPCA's appeals to the Government to allow people to keep cats,  birds,
fish and other small pets have been rejected and the "no pets" policy has
in fact been adopted by the management of many non-government residential
buildings.

2.   The pet market in Hong Kong, which boomed in the early 90's has
consequently declined but at the cost of thousands of innocent pets' lives.
     The number of licensed pet shops has steadily dropped from 161 in 1993
to 110 in April 1997. The SPCA, in addition to its welfare services, runs
one of the largest fee-paying  veterinary practices in Hong Kong employing
nine veterinary surgeons.     Our 1996/97 clinic figures are down almost
15% on the previous year while numbers of unwanted pets taken in from
owners are up 11% and numbers of stray dogs caught are up 18%.
     We humanely destroyed 12,287 animals last year including 6,180 dogs.
 45% of these dogs were purebreds.  Many were totally unsuited by breed to
Hong Kong's climate.

3    Small Pets
     In 1995/96 chinchillas were "in fashion" and the SPCA now deals with
the many that are surrendered to us because they are sick or simply because
the owners have tired of them or are unwilling to spend money on special
food and dust.  It is our experience that many owners of small pets like
rabbits, hamsters etc are reluctant to pay for veterinary treatment when
they become sick and many are also unaware of the importance of proper food
and hygienic, comfortable living conditions, suitable to the animals'
behaviour patterns and not just to their small size. Owners are usually
also unaware that most small animals reproduce at an alarming rate and
over-population leads directly to suffering. Responsible sellers of these
animals must ensure that prospective owners are allowed to keep them and
are fully informed of what is involved in caring for them.

     At the recent Pet Fair, the array of colourful and cute accessories
designed for the use of hamsters, chinchillas etc tended to send the wrong
message to file public that these pets were not live animals but a kind of
toy around which a fantasy world could be built, rather like `My Little
Pony" or a "Barbie" doll.

     It cannot be more strongly stressed that all of these small pets are
just as forbidden to most people in Hong Kong as are dogs and cats.   The
SPCA very much regrets this fact and is trying to have the Housing
Authority's ruling relaxed, but it is still a fact and traders must not
encourage potential buyers to ignore it.   In the end it is the animals
which will suffer.

B.   Taiwan
1.  Taiwan has an estimated 1.3 million stray dogs. Many of them are
purebreds abandoned because people were encouraged to buy them but had no
idea of the responsibilities of  pet-ownership.  Many of these dogs are
completely unsuited by breed to the country's climate and should never have
been imported.

2.  The strays that are caught are not killed humanely. They are kept in
crowded, filthy conditions before being drowned or electrocuted.
Classified as rubbish, many are simply left to starve to death.

3.  The Taiwan authorities, in the face of international criticism are at
last starting to draft animal protection laws but this will take time.
The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and the World Society for
the Protection of Animals (WSPA) are currently working in Taiwan to ease
the suffering of the thousands of dogs held in the municipal pounds. Any
encouragement of the pet-trade in Taiwan at this time could have a
disastrous effect on their efforts and on those of the local Life
Conservationist    Association (LCA).

 C. China
 1  In China the picture is even bleaker.     There are no animal welfare
laws and no local organisations like the SPCA or LCA to help educate the
public.

 2  In most Chinese cities, the keeping of dogs is only allowed on payment
of huge registration fees often equivalent to a year's salary for an
ordinary citizen.  Dogs kept illegally are seized and beaten to death.

 3. Strays are treated as harshly and the inhumane handling and slaughter
of cats and dogs in Chinese markets has made headlines worldwide.    This
is a country seemingly seeking to eradicate companion animals rather than
one ready to welcome an expanded pet trade.

 Conclusion
    While we want existing Asian pet-owners to have access to food, drugs
and accessories that will improve their pets' health and quality of life,
the SPCA totally condemns any encouragement the Asia Pet Fair may have
given to businesses to exploit the ignorance of a public largely new to
pet-ownership, tempting them to buy a pet on impulse and discard it with
just as little thought, adding to the huge population of strays that
already exists.

    We sincerely hope that any reputable company will research very
carefully the prospects for "Big Business" to be made out of "Small
Animals" in Asia.   What is certain is the potential for great suffering to
be caused. Please don't be a party to it.


                                                                   Yours
faithfully,

                                                                    Doreen
Davies

Executive Director


Date: Sat, 25 Oct 1997 18:00:49 +0000
From: jwed <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Restaurant shark snatched from jaws of death (HK)
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
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SaturdayááOctober 25áá1997 - South China Morning Post

by NIALL FRASER

A Mongkok restaurant owner faces animal cruelty charges after a 2.6-metre
shark was rescued from a fish tank a day before it was due to be served to
customers.

Agriculture and Fisheries Department inspectors swooped to save the
eight-year-old nurse shark, which cost the Lei Garden Restaurant between
$15,000 and $20,000, after a public relations ploy went wrong. The
publicity campaign, including invitations to the media, backfired when
reporters sought comment from the department.

Four inspectors arrived at the Sai Yee Street restaurant with a mobile fish
tank at 10.15 am yesterday.

Veterinary Inspector Howard Wong Kai-hay said the female fish, caught by a
local fisherman last week, was in a "pretty unhealthy" state.

Describing the tank as "a coffin", Mr Wong said: "The shark only had three
inches [eight centimetres] in which to move." It is now being kept at Ocean
Park.

A restaurant spokesman claimed they had asked for official guidelines on
keeping sharks but received none.

Mr Wong said: "There are no written guidelines for this type of thing. But
the law provides for cruelty proceedings if the animal goes through
unnecessary suffering."

Officials were checking another restaurant in the same chain at Sha Tin.



Date: Sat, 25 Oct 1997 12:18:10 -0400
From: "allen schubert, arrs admin" <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Website:  Animal Protection Visual Materials
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
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Animal Rights Resource Site (ARRS) now hosts the Animal Protection Visual
Materials site:

http://www.envirolink.org/arrs/Faqs+Ref/vadivu/

This database began by trying to answer the question, "Do you have any
pictures I can use in my work to protect animals".   Activists often have
problems finding resources available to use in the course of their
outreach/educational endeavors.  The Animal Protection Visual Materials
seeks to make that task easier by indexing materials from different
organizations into one location (though materials must still be ordered
from those organizations).

It was compiled by Vadivu Govind and put into final text form by David
Briars.  Many of you already recognize these names.  Vadivu Govind often
posts news from the Far East.  David Briars is heavily involved with the
McLibel effort in the US.

Files included:

Photos and Posters
Slides
Videos
Contact Information (Addresses for ordering)
Date: Sat, 25 Oct 1997 13:25:04
From: David J Knowles <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: [CA] Donkeys' keeper faces charges
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
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VANCOUVER, B.C. - SPCA officials were called in last night to rescue 10
donkeys after receiving an anonymous tip that an animal was suffering in
the suburb of Pitt Meadows.

What they found was described as "unbelievable" - three donkeys at one
location, and a further 7 at another location owned by the same person. The
donkeys were all suffering from severely overgrown hooves.

One animal - a 20-year-old female was killed on the spot after a vet
determined her condition was too severe to be saved. SPCA director of field
operations, Brian Nelson, said that she was unable to stand up because of
the length of her hooves, which measured over 25-centimetres. She was only
able to eat things she could reach in the area in which she lying down.

The other nine are expected to live, Nelson said.

This is not something that occured overnight, Nelson said, adding that it
would take two to three years for the hooves to grow that long. "... For
two to three years, they watched these animals suffer."

About 70 per cent of a donkey's weight normally is born on their front
legs. Where the hooves aren't regularly trimmed, the weight shifts and the
feet end up being bent almost backwards.

The SPCA said they would be persuing charges under the Criminal Code of
Canada's animal cruelty provisions against the unnamed farmer, and that a
criminal investigation had been launched.

If convicted, he faces a fine of up to $2,000 and/or a jail sentence of six
months, as well as a ban from keeping an animal for two years. It is,
however, extremely rare for a custodial sentence to be given for animal
cruelty, and normally only a fine is imposed.



Date: Sat, 25 Oct 1997 16:08:48 -0500
From: [e-mail] (Rick Bogle)
To: <[e-mail]>
Subject: CA Primate Center
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
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 POSTING

You are invited to join me.

>From 5am until 10pm from Nov. 1 to Nov. 9 I will sit in front of the
California Regional Primate Research Center to protest the continuing
holocaust of primate vivisection.

This is part of a nationwide series of similar protests at each of the
seven regional primate research centers.  For more information please see:
 www.orednet.org/~mnorthcu

We can stop this nonsense.

For the Ape Army,
Rick Bogle
Date: Sun, 26 Oct 1997 09:02:20 -0800
From: Coral Hull <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: (AU) Australian Activists Inside Piggeries
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
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Release....26th October,1997

ANIMAL WATCH AUSTRALIA is pleased to announce a photo tribute to the
activists who protested and rescued piglets from inside Bunge piggery,
Corowa, and Parkville piggery in Scone, New South Wales Australia. Bunge
piggery is the largest intensive pig farm in the Australia and the
southern hemisphere, torturing over 230,000 pigs at any given time. It
has its own onsite slaughterhouse murdering 7,600 pigs a week. Activists
including the Hon Richard Jones MP (Member of the NSW Legislative
Council) and actress Lynda Stoner, have protested inside the piggery
alerting police of the horrendous cruelty. Activists from different
organisations, including Animal Liberation NSW and AWA have regularly
inspected the farms, in order to rescue sick and dying animals, and to
obtain valueable film footage that has been used by the media, in
schools and at other conferences to educate the public.

You can view the photos by visiting the AWA site 6. PHOTO GALLERY at:

http://www.envirolink.org/orgs/animal_watch/au.html

Images may take a little time to download, but the wait is worth it.
Click on to any image to bring up a larger version.

(Raw video footage of battery hen farms, intensive piggeries and puppy
factory farm rescues and inspections is available from AWA. These videos
show of the conditions inside Australian farms, the work of activists,
rehabilitated animals and media coverage of the events. Costs are $25
per video for overseas orders and $20 for Australian orders. Price
includes postage and packaging. Please send cheques to: Raw Footage
ANIMAL WATCH AUSTRALIA PO Box 15 Elwood 3184 Victoria Australia.
Tel:[phone] Fax:[phone]).Please state whether you
would prefer pig, hen or puppy farm footage).

Coral Hull (Site Director)
Animal Watch Australia
http://www.envirolink.org/orgs/animal_watch/au.html
Date: Sat, 25 Oct 1997 20:05:41 -0400 (EDT)
From: [e-mail]
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Noble Boxers Now In Need of Homes
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>

Tulsa World, Tulsa, OK, USA: In her 18 years of saving boxers off the
streets, Tracy Hendrickson has always had a waiting list for those wishing to
adopt the full-breed dogs. Now, she's shocked to suddenly have her hands full
with the German-born animals that no one seems to want.

"It's the doggie dump-off society," the president of Tulsa Boxer Rescue said
of people who abandon the fawn, brindle or white-colored dogs. "And we have
to pick up the mess."

Hendrickson currently has 10 boxers that need homes, and it looks as if it
may soon have 11 or 12, she said.

Despite advertising efforts, she's had several of the dogs for months now.
Ranging in age from puppies to older dogs, they all  have their shots, have
been spayed or neutered, had heart worm tests and treatment if necessary. The
dogs are also bathed and dipped before adoption.

Tulsa Boxer Rescue is a nonprofit organization. For more information, call
[phone].


-- Sherrill
Date: Sat, 25 Oct 1997 23:07:21 -0400
From: allen schubert <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Cc: [e-mail]
Subject: Crossposting--Admin Note--was--Re:  Support dawn Ratcliffe
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
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Please do not "crosspost" when posting to AR-News!

While crossposting is often frowned upon on many lists, on AR-News it can
lead to a "degradation" of the "news" concept.  Crossposting to other lists
and/or individuals when posting to AR-News may be convenient for the
poster, but may later cause problems for AR-News.  Many people quickly go
for the reply option and, depending on software, may "default" through
options asking "reply to all?" or "reply to all recipients?"--this is one
cause of comments/discussion/chat interfering with the "news" of AR-News.
Not everyone has unlimited access or time to the internet, therefore many
people subscribe to a "news" list for news, not discussion.  Please
remember this when posting to AR-News.
Date: Sat, 25 Oct 1997 23:07:34 -0400
From: allen schubert <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Cc: [e-mail]
Subject: Admin Note--was--Re:  Support dawn Ratcliffe
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
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AR-News Admin Note

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Continued postings of inappropriate material may result in suspension of
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Here is subscription info for AR-Views:

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Also...here are some websites with info on internet resources for Veg and
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The Global Directory (IVU)
http://www.ivu.org/global

World Guide to Vegetarianism--Internet
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