Animal Law News
An alternative perspective on live exports (Australia)
Ban on live exports will increase cruelty.
A recent article argues that, amid the emotion and the growing number of opportunistic MPs who see the subject of live exports as an issue to make some hay ("while the sun shines"), there is a serious lack of rational explanation as to why this trade exists - and why Australia must remain involved. "The basic reason we trade live animals is this - demand".
Why do other countries want live animals? There are two main reasons.
Religion: Even the most religious in...more >>
Revoking licence would harm New Zealand’s international reputation
Fears of an international backlash deterred the then Ministry of Agriculture from considering closing down Whangarei’s Zion Wildlife Gardens, despite six attacks by the big cats in the park, a court has heard.
Dr Barry Wards, a specialist adviser to the ministry, yesterday told an inquest into the death of Clifford (Dalu) MnCube that the political backlash from supporters of Lion Man Craig Busch after he was sacked from the park reached the very top of Government, including Prime Minister John Key. The ministry determined that based on the level of support Mr Busch...more >>
Animal welfare law in Japan reportedly "has no backbone"
"The friction between competing political parties no longer fortifies the effectiveness of lawmaking. If anything it confounds the process. The opposition Liberal Democratic Party has openly vowed to be legislatively uncooperative until the ruling Democratic Party of Japan calls an election, so in order to give the appearance of actually doing something, the DPJ passes any bill it can regardless of its value".
That's hardly reassuring for animal protection advocates.
The article goes on to report that:
- A revision to the Animal Welfare Law has been...more >>
Are the SPCA "out of control"? (Canada)
“Believe it or not, there are some people who believe they are out of control,” Craitor said. “So it just shows you there are two strong points of view out there.” That was one of the reported comments concerning an investigation into animal neglect allegations at Marineland at the Niagara Falls theme park in Ontario, Canada.
Anticipating Defenses in Animal Abuse Cases
Diane Balkin of the Animal Legal Defense Fund will present a free webinar on "Anticipating Defenses in Animal Abuse Cases" in a webinar series presented by the National Center for Prosecution of Animal Abuse, a program of the National District Attorneys Association, in partnership with the ASPCA and the Animal Legal Defense Fund.
Scheduled for 16 October 2012. Go to http://www.ndaa.org/animal_
Animal Abuse Among Female Batterers
While the overwhelming majority of domestic violence/intimate partner violence cases are perpetrated by men, a number of incidents are caused by women who batter. Research on the likelihood of women batterers to be aggressive to non-intimate partners, children and animals has been minimal. In this study, 17% of women who battered reported having committed at least one act of animal abuse since the age of 18, compared to a prevalence rate of .28% of women in the general population. The over-representation of animal abuse among this sample was consistent with that of men arrested for...more >>
Animal Welfare in British Zoos
Since 1984, British zoos have been required to meet the animal welfare standards set out under the Zoo Licensing Act 1981. Zoos are regularly assessed by government-appointed inspectors, who report on animal welfare standards in each zoo. This is the first analysis of those reports from a representative sample of British zoos. We highlight a number of concerns about the inspection process itself, and identify areas where changes would lead to improvements in both the inspection process and our ability to monitor animal welfare standards in zoos.
Improving farm animal welfare
The globally growing demand for animal products has put a strain on producers in order to keep producing profitable. However, the public’s concern about the welfare of farm animals has recently been increasing.
Success in Agricultural Transformation: What It Means and What Makes It Happen
‘Why is it that our operations at the (World) Bank to develop smallholder agriculture fail so often?’
Laboratory finds "There was no disease" (Pakistan)
The Sindh High Court (SHC) recently issued a stay order until the next hearing in response to a petition filed against the culling of Australian sheep allegedly sick with anthrax. Questions have been raised about underlying political/profit based motivations after it was revealed that Prof Rafique Khanani, head of the relevant (medical) commission, told the court that no indication of anthrax was found in the sheep after examination and chemical tests.
Of the 20,468 sheep imported from Australia to Pakistan, 7,667 were culled my slitting the animals’ throats or stabbing or...more >>