Once more the SANParks killing machine has moved in, this time on the jackals. Their subsequent report is now to hand and for the benefit of Snoutians, Chris Mercer has converted their Ecobabble into ordinary English:
Extermination of Jackals in Addo
The Jackal Slaughter by SANParks (or Einstein’s Quantum Theory on Jackals)
The ‘Brief report’ by SANParks is now to hand. After explaining that the Springbok herds in Addo and Karoo were not increasing at the desired rate, SANParks deduced that, in the absence of large predators, the problem might be caused by caracals and jackals. A reasonable deduction, all other things being equal. The solution? Kill all the jackals. (The report does not say anything about killing caracals! Hmmm.) Or as they put it in their quaint Ecobabble:
‘This intervention took the form of reduction of the jackal population, together with monitoring of jackal and antelope populations. Since the start of this intervention 132 jackals have been removed from Karoo National Park, 73 from the Darlington Section of Addo Elephant National Park, and 139 from the Kuzuko Contractual Section of the Addo Elephant National Park. The jackals were shot in accordance with SANParks Standard Operating Procedures for Lethal Population Management, which has been approved by the SANParks Animal Use and Care Committee. No traps or poisons of any kind were used’
(The jackals must have been very happy to know that they were being shot in accordance with standard operating procedures, as approved by the Ethics committee.)
Having admitted that the whole thing was an experiment, the report goes on to state as follows. However, it is written in Ecobabble, comprehensible only to the High Priests of Conservation, so we have translated the text into ordinary English after each statement, for better understanding by ordinary mortals.
1. The outcome of this intervention is envisaged to be a robust manuscript about the complexities of jackal-herbivore interactions, which will provide SANParks with guidance for jackal management. (Translation: When we have counted the dead jackals, and the live springbok, then we can tell other parks so they can also go out and kill all their jackals.)
2. All SA National Parks with jackal will benefit by having explicitly tested the competing hypotheses about the efficacy of jackal population management. (Translation: Once we have proved beyond doubt that exterminating jackal populations in game parks stops them from stealing springbok lambs, all of us in SANParks will be so much wiser..er..better informed.)
3. The results can be used in other parks outside of the Frontier Cluster to aid in drawing up mechanism diagrams, and hence management options, for park-specific jackal-herbivore interactions. (Translation: Conservation officers in other parks will be better equipped with ‘robust manuscripts’ telling them how to draw diagrams and exterminate jackals.)
4. The results will also contribute towards the broader understanding of jackal-herbivore interactions and the efficacy of jackal population control within the livestock farming community. (Translation: After this experiment, no one will ever be able to deny that exterminating jackals stops them from stealing springbok lambs, and we can pass this scientific truth on to livestock farmers so that they too can draw diagrams and exterminate jackals.)
5. SANParks will also benefit by being able to demonstrate its ability in implementing active adaptive management to strategically direct its conservation decisions in the face of uncertainty in complex ecosystems. (Translation: Once we are left with no jackals and lots of diagrams, everyone will have to admit how clever we are in solving complicated stock theft cases.)
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Sunday, September 26, 2010
THE REAL RHINO ISSUE
The WWF, in support of its P.R. campaign, declared an 'Anti Rhino poaching day' and urged people to 'make a noise at 13h00 in support of anti-rhino poaching.' But few people realise that behind the public image of WWF lies an organisation which actually keeps the system going by its old-style conservationist approach and its touting of a policy of sustainable usage of resources which sees sentient beings reduced to unfeeling commodities, indeed money making machines.
The WWF is not against the hunting or trophy hunting of sentient beings but about preserving a killing machine which brings in money. So it's all right to hunt, as long as you hunt sustainably, that is leave enough to be hunted another day.
One of the real comparisons we should be making is add up the number of 'poached' animals for the year and the number of those that are 'legally trophy hunted' (a very grey area) and add up these two. Only then will we get a better idea of what's happening with the animals. The only difference between 'poaching' and 'hunting' is that the money goes to different people, and that's the big issue for the game farmers associations - they are losing income. They don't give a damn about the animals.
It is notable that the WWF only makes a noise about politically correct issues and not controversial ones, such as, trophy hunting, the millions of animals tortured in the vivisection labs or, indeed, the slaughter of millions of sentient beings in the abattoirs on a daily basis, plus the intensive factory farming that feeds the latter practice and contributes to the major part of the destruction of the ozone layer and the subsequent earth warming.
I would urge Snoutians to read the Animal Rights Africa press release below which deals with the Rhino issue, and then you might even consult the following website:
www.goallover.org/rhino-charity-profits-from-trophy-hunting/8729
ANIMAL RIGHTS AFRICA
PRESS RELEASE: 05 August 2010
SOUTH AFRICA’S CALLOUS COMMODIFICATION OF RHINOS IS AT THE ROOT OF THEIR CURRENT MISERY
It is a foregone conclusion that at the very least, 300 rhinos will die horrible and painful deaths in South Africa in 2010.
South Africa is currently entrusted with the vast majority of the world’s population of rhinos, but at the same time it has become abundantly clear that not only are rhinos in South Africa facing one of their worst threats ever as a species, but they are literally under siege. More rhinos have been killed illegally in South Africa during 2008, 2009 and 2010 than at any other time in the last 90 years. South Africa is quite literally the last bastion for rhinos in the world but the colossal growth of rhino killings (both legal and illegal, and the concomitant insufficient anti‐poaching capacity and poor record keeping, means that rhinos are facing untold suffering, exploitation and death and has the potential to once again threaten the survival of the entire species.
Almost daily we read, see or hear about rhino killings. There is no doubt that ordinary South Africans are horror-struck and outraged at the suffering rhinos are enduring. Yet astonishingly, the perpetrators caught for these unspeakable acts of cruelty are never prosecuted under the Animal Protection Act but rather for the possession of illegal ‘wildlife products’.
“We should not be surprised that welfare and anti-cruelty legislation has never been invoked because treating rhinos as if they are merely a tradable commodity is the cornerstone of South Africa’s approach to ‘conservation’. There seems something deeply unethical and inappropriate about supposedly championing rhino conservation and protection but at the same time driving trophy hunting, trade in rhinos, the sale of rhino from national and provincial Parks to known ‘put and take’ hunting outfitters and the stockpiling of their horns by government and private individuals” said Animal Rights Africa (ARA) spokesperson Michele Pickover.
Undoubtedly that there needs to be a global initiative to tackle the insatiable illegal market for rhino horn in the East but equally South Africa needs to recognize its culpability in bolstering the market through trophy hunting and rhino horn stockpiling. It’s morally and ecologically bankrupt and rampant ‘consumptive and sustainable use’ policies are trumping ethical conservation, biodiversity protection and concern for the welfare of wildlife. This is literally translating into a war against wildlife. Wild animal, who were victims and suffered under colonialism and apartheid, now continue to be victims under sustainable use policies, which are turning living beings into mere commodities.
“ARA is extremely concerned about our government’s uncritical support for the ethically and scientifically flawed process of ‘sustainable use’ which has no regard for who rhinos and no understanding of their social complexities, relationships or culture. It is just a euphemism for unsustainable killing, suffering and massive exploitation. ARA urges the South African public to speak out against these current policies” said Pickover.
South Africa remains the world's top destination for the hunting of captive raised lions and is also the premier market for those wishing to shoot rhinos.The hunting permit system has been repeatedly used in recent years to launder horn into the illegal market. The government says it is trying to limit the number of rhinos hunted illegally. Yet despite the abuses within the industry, selling rhino hunts to foreigners remains a growing business.
It is therefore not surprising that it is within this context of overt ‘consumptive use’ that poaching of rhinos in South Africa has reached the highest levels in decades. In the short space of 19 months, poaching of rhinoceroses in South Africa has accelerated to a rate almost six times higher than that of the previous eight years and at the same time South Africa has become the conduit of most of the rhino horns leaving the African continent.
Exactly a year ago, through the release of a special report on rhinos entitled, Under Siege: Rhinoceroses in South Africa, ARA alerted people to the alarming situation in relation to rhinos. Since then the killings have not only continued but have risen. The recommendations of that report remain unchanged and need to be restated. There is an urgent need to:
• Open the government policy of ‘sustainable use’ and trophy hunting to public debate.
• Impose an immediate moratorium on all capture, sale, translocation and hunting of rhino in South Africa.
• Burn rhino horn stockpiles.
The Report is available on: http://www.animalrightsafrica.org/Archive/ARA_Report_Under_Siege_Rhinos_in_South_Africa2009.pdf
Ends.
The WWF is not against the hunting or trophy hunting of sentient beings but about preserving a killing machine which brings in money. So it's all right to hunt, as long as you hunt sustainably, that is leave enough to be hunted another day.
One of the real comparisons we should be making is add up the number of 'poached' animals for the year and the number of those that are 'legally trophy hunted' (a very grey area) and add up these two. Only then will we get a better idea of what's happening with the animals. The only difference between 'poaching' and 'hunting' is that the money goes to different people, and that's the big issue for the game farmers associations - they are losing income. They don't give a damn about the animals.
It is notable that the WWF only makes a noise about politically correct issues and not controversial ones, such as, trophy hunting, the millions of animals tortured in the vivisection labs or, indeed, the slaughter of millions of sentient beings in the abattoirs on a daily basis, plus the intensive factory farming that feeds the latter practice and contributes to the major part of the destruction of the ozone layer and the subsequent earth warming.
I would urge Snoutians to read the Animal Rights Africa press release below which deals with the Rhino issue, and then you might even consult the following website:
www.goallover.org/rhino-charity-profits-from-trophy-hunting/8729
ANIMAL RIGHTS AFRICA
PRESS RELEASE: 05 August 2010
SOUTH AFRICA’S CALLOUS COMMODIFICATION OF RHINOS IS AT THE ROOT OF THEIR CURRENT MISERY
It is a foregone conclusion that at the very least, 300 rhinos will die horrible and painful deaths in South Africa in 2010.
South Africa is currently entrusted with the vast majority of the world’s population of rhinos, but at the same time it has become abundantly clear that not only are rhinos in South Africa facing one of their worst threats ever as a species, but they are literally under siege. More rhinos have been killed illegally in South Africa during 2008, 2009 and 2010 than at any other time in the last 90 years. South Africa is quite literally the last bastion for rhinos in the world but the colossal growth of rhino killings (both legal and illegal, and the concomitant insufficient anti‐poaching capacity and poor record keeping, means that rhinos are facing untold suffering, exploitation and death and has the potential to once again threaten the survival of the entire species.
Almost daily we read, see or hear about rhino killings. There is no doubt that ordinary South Africans are horror-struck and outraged at the suffering rhinos are enduring. Yet astonishingly, the perpetrators caught for these unspeakable acts of cruelty are never prosecuted under the Animal Protection Act but rather for the possession of illegal ‘wildlife products’.
“We should not be surprised that welfare and anti-cruelty legislation has never been invoked because treating rhinos as if they are merely a tradable commodity is the cornerstone of South Africa’s approach to ‘conservation’. There seems something deeply unethical and inappropriate about supposedly championing rhino conservation and protection but at the same time driving trophy hunting, trade in rhinos, the sale of rhino from national and provincial Parks to known ‘put and take’ hunting outfitters and the stockpiling of their horns by government and private individuals” said Animal Rights Africa (ARA) spokesperson Michele Pickover.
Undoubtedly that there needs to be a global initiative to tackle the insatiable illegal market for rhino horn in the East but equally South Africa needs to recognize its culpability in bolstering the market through trophy hunting and rhino horn stockpiling. It’s morally and ecologically bankrupt and rampant ‘consumptive and sustainable use’ policies are trumping ethical conservation, biodiversity protection and concern for the welfare of wildlife. This is literally translating into a war against wildlife. Wild animal, who were victims and suffered under colonialism and apartheid, now continue to be victims under sustainable use policies, which are turning living beings into mere commodities.
“ARA is extremely concerned about our government’s uncritical support for the ethically and scientifically flawed process of ‘sustainable use’ which has no regard for who rhinos and no understanding of their social complexities, relationships or culture. It is just a euphemism for unsustainable killing, suffering and massive exploitation. ARA urges the South African public to speak out against these current policies” said Pickover.
South Africa remains the world's top destination for the hunting of captive raised lions and is also the premier market for those wishing to shoot rhinos.The hunting permit system has been repeatedly used in recent years to launder horn into the illegal market. The government says it is trying to limit the number of rhinos hunted illegally. Yet despite the abuses within the industry, selling rhino hunts to foreigners remains a growing business.
It is therefore not surprising that it is within this context of overt ‘consumptive use’ that poaching of rhinos in South Africa has reached the highest levels in decades. In the short space of 19 months, poaching of rhinoceroses in South Africa has accelerated to a rate almost six times higher than that of the previous eight years and at the same time South Africa has become the conduit of most of the rhino horns leaving the African continent.
Exactly a year ago, through the release of a special report on rhinos entitled, Under Siege: Rhinoceroses in South Africa, ARA alerted people to the alarming situation in relation to rhinos. Since then the killings have not only continued but have risen. The recommendations of that report remain unchanged and need to be restated. There is an urgent need to:
• Open the government policy of ‘sustainable use’ and trophy hunting to public debate.
• Impose an immediate moratorium on all capture, sale, translocation and hunting of rhino in South Africa.
• Burn rhino horn stockpiles.
The Report is available on: http://www.animalrightsafrica.org/Archive/ARA_Report_Under_Siege_Rhinos_in_South_Africa2009.pdf
Ends.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
BORN FREE – OR ARE THEY?
'A Robin Redbreast in a cage sends all heaven in a rage'
Many, like the author of the above - William Blake, would agree that imprisoning a bird in a cage for human entertainment is cruel, but few are fully aware of the vast trade in wildlife which causes animals to be taken from their natural habitats to be imprisoned either in zoos or circuses or else languishing in small indoor enclosures in private homes, in climates which are not endemic to their species. Wildlife Trafficking, the illegal trade in plants and sale of wild birds and exotic pets is said to be the second biggest threat to species survival after habitat destruction. It is also thought to be the third most valuable illicit commerce in the world, after drugs and weapons, each believed to be worth billions of dollars each.
There are serious environmental implications. A number of popular pet birds, especially those from Central and South America, are declining in number in the wild in the wake of the chopping down of trees, in the search of baby parrots in high up nests. The resultant deforestation then also destroys the habitat of other small animals. The Environmental Investigation Agency estimates that for every wild caught bird that reaches a pet shop, three others have died during capture, confinement and transportation.
A furore has recently erupted over the trade in the Kalahari Meerkat. This follows an undercover investigation by the Captive Animals’ Protection society (CAPS) which has spearheaded an international campaign based on the message ‘Wild Animals Belong in the Wild’. The investigation established that these little mammals sell for up to R 17 000 each in the flourishing pet trade. Indeed, they are on the wish list of an increasing number of Britons, according to Craig Redman, spokesperson for CAPS who found many of these mammals, indigenous to Southern African deserts, for sale in pet shops.
Grant McIlrath of the Meerkat Magic Conservation Project in Oudtshoorn confirms that the Meerkats are highly sociable animals who live in family groups of up to thirty and care for each other. They are generally considered cute but in fact bite and are very destructive indoors as they will still exhibit burrowing behaviour and easily become ill because of an incorrect diet. Many literally go insane because of lack of social contact, which leads to their subsequently being disposed of.
Permits are required before wild animals can be exported but there are many illegal means to circumvent the environmental laws. Documented cases have shown the involvement of zoos being used to ‘launder’ the animals. Whilst permits are not readily obtained for export for domestic purposes, it’s relatively easy to obtain permits for inter-zoo transfer. One such documented case was the transfer of three chimps from Whippersnade Zoo in the U.K. to Johannesburg Zoo whence they were obtained for experimental purposes in the SADF’s infamous Chemical and Biological warfare (CBW) programme. It’s also very difficult to trace the ultimate destination of animals transferred in this way, as zoos from time to time dispose of their ‘surplus’ animals, including baby animals that have reached maturity and are no longer a drawing card.
In this regard Paul Hart of the Drakenstein Lion Park, which provides sanctuary to abused lions rescued from cruel circumstances around the world, has many a tale to tell.
For instance Dodo, the cute lion cub, purchased illegally from an Eastern European zoo. This is quite a common practice with many of these zoos, which sell animals like lion cubs as pets to earn extra revenue. The buyer’s intent was to keep him as a pet, but obviously a growing lion does not fit in well in any household. Dodo's owner evicted him from the house and ended up keeping him in a small underground concrete pit. There he was incarcerated for almost his entire life of eight years. In winter his jail filled with snow while temperatures dropped to minus 20 degrees. Many animal welfare organizations tried to liberate Dodo from his dungeon, unsuccessfully, but Paul Hart persevered and after almost three years of hard work Dodo was finally freed from his prison.
No wild animal is safe from exploitation. Apart from birds, monkeys and even tortoises are exploited. “This is because animals are seen as commodities to be traded and there is a lot of pressure on governments in Africa to up their trade surplus. So animals, natural resources, etc. are all being stripped and going to the North,” says Michele Pickover of Animal Rights Africa. “There is little or no consideration for the welfare of the animals.”
And so the silent screams of these creatures remain unheard, while the human species continues to imprison them, creating the very market which sustains this unethical practice.
But at least there was a happy ending for Dodo the Lion . Highly traumatised on arrival at the Drakenstein Lion Park as grey walls and the rusted steel bars above his head were all that he’d seen his entire life, and unused to nature, he feared even the leaves that rustled in the wind. Fortunately, after several months of special care, he is now well adjusted.
“Everything he experiences is new for him and he delights in everything around him,” says Paul Hart. “He has found sanctuary and can now live the kind of life he deserves.”
If only this could be the fate of all wild animals.
Many, like the author of the above - William Blake, would agree that imprisoning a bird in a cage for human entertainment is cruel, but few are fully aware of the vast trade in wildlife which causes animals to be taken from their natural habitats to be imprisoned either in zoos or circuses or else languishing in small indoor enclosures in private homes, in climates which are not endemic to their species. Wildlife Trafficking, the illegal trade in plants and sale of wild birds and exotic pets is said to be the second biggest threat to species survival after habitat destruction. It is also thought to be the third most valuable illicit commerce in the world, after drugs and weapons, each believed to be worth billions of dollars each.
There are serious environmental implications. A number of popular pet birds, especially those from Central and South America, are declining in number in the wild in the wake of the chopping down of trees, in the search of baby parrots in high up nests. The resultant deforestation then also destroys the habitat of other small animals. The Environmental Investigation Agency estimates that for every wild caught bird that reaches a pet shop, three others have died during capture, confinement and transportation.
A furore has recently erupted over the trade in the Kalahari Meerkat. This follows an undercover investigation by the Captive Animals’ Protection society (CAPS) which has spearheaded an international campaign based on the message ‘Wild Animals Belong in the Wild’. The investigation established that these little mammals sell for up to R 17 000 each in the flourishing pet trade. Indeed, they are on the wish list of an increasing number of Britons, according to Craig Redman, spokesperson for CAPS who found many of these mammals, indigenous to Southern African deserts, for sale in pet shops.
Grant McIlrath of the Meerkat Magic Conservation Project in Oudtshoorn confirms that the Meerkats are highly sociable animals who live in family groups of up to thirty and care for each other. They are generally considered cute but in fact bite and are very destructive indoors as they will still exhibit burrowing behaviour and easily become ill because of an incorrect diet. Many literally go insane because of lack of social contact, which leads to their subsequently being disposed of.
Permits are required before wild animals can be exported but there are many illegal means to circumvent the environmental laws. Documented cases have shown the involvement of zoos being used to ‘launder’ the animals. Whilst permits are not readily obtained for export for domestic purposes, it’s relatively easy to obtain permits for inter-zoo transfer. One such documented case was the transfer of three chimps from Whippersnade Zoo in the U.K. to Johannesburg Zoo whence they were obtained for experimental purposes in the SADF’s infamous Chemical and Biological warfare (CBW) programme. It’s also very difficult to trace the ultimate destination of animals transferred in this way, as zoos from time to time dispose of their ‘surplus’ animals, including baby animals that have reached maturity and are no longer a drawing card.
In this regard Paul Hart of the Drakenstein Lion Park, which provides sanctuary to abused lions rescued from cruel circumstances around the world, has many a tale to tell.
For instance Dodo, the cute lion cub, purchased illegally from an Eastern European zoo. This is quite a common practice with many of these zoos, which sell animals like lion cubs as pets to earn extra revenue. The buyer’s intent was to keep him as a pet, but obviously a growing lion does not fit in well in any household. Dodo's owner evicted him from the house and ended up keeping him in a small underground concrete pit. There he was incarcerated for almost his entire life of eight years. In winter his jail filled with snow while temperatures dropped to minus 20 degrees. Many animal welfare organizations tried to liberate Dodo from his dungeon, unsuccessfully, but Paul Hart persevered and after almost three years of hard work Dodo was finally freed from his prison.
No wild animal is safe from exploitation. Apart from birds, monkeys and even tortoises are exploited. “This is because animals are seen as commodities to be traded and there is a lot of pressure on governments in Africa to up their trade surplus. So animals, natural resources, etc. are all being stripped and going to the North,” says Michele Pickover of Animal Rights Africa. “There is little or no consideration for the welfare of the animals.”
And so the silent screams of these creatures remain unheard, while the human species continues to imprison them, creating the very market which sustains this unethical practice.
But at least there was a happy ending for Dodo the Lion . Highly traumatised on arrival at the Drakenstein Lion Park as grey walls and the rusted steel bars above his head were all that he’d seen his entire life, and unused to nature, he feared even the leaves that rustled in the wind. Fortunately, after several months of special care, he is now well adjusted.
“Everything he experiences is new for him and he delights in everything around him,” says Paul Hart. “He has found sanctuary and can now live the kind of life he deserves.”
If only this could be the fate of all wild animals.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
PUPPY MILLS PERPETUATE THE CRUELTY
There is great need at the animal welfare societies that house thousands of dogs. As the number of available homes is limited, many of these loyal companion animals, some of them in the prime of their lives, have to be put down. One also hears how puppies, bought from a local pet shop, have to be put down owing to the fact that they are harboring an illness incubating at the time they are bought. Pet shops seldom bother to check whether new ‘merchandise’ has received all the necessary innoculations, possibly because it would be cutting into profits.
Another ugly reality is the ‘puppy mills’ or unlicenced backyard breeders who supply the pet shops. These puppy farmers care little for the well-being of the dogs, as long as they bring in the tax free profits. Very often the mothers have their pups removed at age six weeks instead of the optimal eight or twelve in order that they may become pregnant more quickly. So these hapless animals become little more than perpetual breeding machines, their off-spring sold, unspayed of course, to the nearest pet shop.
From time to time exposés highlight the plight of these wretched creatures, doomed to lives of misery. Currently, there is an on-going case against such a puppy mill brought by the Wet Nose Animal Rescue Centre (WNARC). Shocking scenes of the conditions at the puppy farm were aired on the TV programme Carte Blanche.
Laws are currently being considered, outlawing the breeding of dogs without a valid breeders’ license.
Considering the price pet shops ask for the puppies, that makes for an enormous amount of tax free merchandise. And anybody can open a pet shop and sell animals, without having any knowledge or background of animal welfare. What restrictions there are, pertain to health regulations and not the welfare of the animals. There does not appear to be any law requiring these animals to have valid vaccination certificates before being sold. The new Cape bylaws currently under consideration stipulate that pet shop owners have to have proof that the dogs and cats they are selling have been vaccinated. But these new bylaws have been a long time coming and besides they are difficult to police as the SPCA only covers a small area and this constitutes a big loophole.
Ideally, pet shops should not sell live animals anyway. This would not necessarily mean the end of the road for such concerns. Most well run pet shops who don’t deal in animals manage a steady income from pet accessories and dog foods which, world-wide, constitute a multi-billion dollar industry. Surprisingly, this market slice has also proved to be recession proof as good owners will always spend on their companion animals.
Meanwhile, a word of caution from the WNARC: Buy only from registered welfare organizations that will ensure that the animals come to you vaccinated and spayed. But if you should be so unwise as to buy from a pet shop, do read their legal disclaimer as the minute you leave there, any subsequent problems become your own. Take time about purchasing the animal and ensure that the breeder is registered, that the documentation is correct and the breeder info on the vaccination card is up-to-date. You should also contact the Kennel Union of South Africa (KUSA) in order to check up on the breeder who might just be among those banned from the organization because of bad practices. Some of the certificates that are supplied are fraudulent.
It is most unwise to advertise animals in the papers and on Gumtree offering them ‘Free to good homes’ rather than sending them to a registered animal welfare society. There have been documented instances where such pets have landed up in experimental laboratories or for use as bait in dog fights.
In the end it is those who buy from pet shops who must carry the blame for this unethical trade. If we would rather adopt from the nearest shelter, the puppy mills would close down. It’s all about supply and demand.
So the next time you walk past a pet shop on a cold evening or weekend, do spare
a thought for the puppies shivering inside, deprived of their mothers’ warmth. And remember that for every person that supports a breeder (be it backyard or registered) a rescue dog dies – even pedigreed ones.
Another ugly reality is the ‘puppy mills’ or unlicenced backyard breeders who supply the pet shops. These puppy farmers care little for the well-being of the dogs, as long as they bring in the tax free profits. Very often the mothers have their pups removed at age six weeks instead of the optimal eight or twelve in order that they may become pregnant more quickly. So these hapless animals become little more than perpetual breeding machines, their off-spring sold, unspayed of course, to the nearest pet shop.
From time to time exposés highlight the plight of these wretched creatures, doomed to lives of misery. Currently, there is an on-going case against such a puppy mill brought by the Wet Nose Animal Rescue Centre (WNARC). Shocking scenes of the conditions at the puppy farm were aired on the TV programme Carte Blanche.
Laws are currently being considered, outlawing the breeding of dogs without a valid breeders’ license.
Considering the price pet shops ask for the puppies, that makes for an enormous amount of tax free merchandise. And anybody can open a pet shop and sell animals, without having any knowledge or background of animal welfare. What restrictions there are, pertain to health regulations and not the welfare of the animals. There does not appear to be any law requiring these animals to have valid vaccination certificates before being sold. The new Cape bylaws currently under consideration stipulate that pet shop owners have to have proof that the dogs and cats they are selling have been vaccinated. But these new bylaws have been a long time coming and besides they are difficult to police as the SPCA only covers a small area and this constitutes a big loophole.
Ideally, pet shops should not sell live animals anyway. This would not necessarily mean the end of the road for such concerns. Most well run pet shops who don’t deal in animals manage a steady income from pet accessories and dog foods which, world-wide, constitute a multi-billion dollar industry. Surprisingly, this market slice has also proved to be recession proof as good owners will always spend on their companion animals.
Meanwhile, a word of caution from the WNARC: Buy only from registered welfare organizations that will ensure that the animals come to you vaccinated and spayed. But if you should be so unwise as to buy from a pet shop, do read their legal disclaimer as the minute you leave there, any subsequent problems become your own. Take time about purchasing the animal and ensure that the breeder is registered, that the documentation is correct and the breeder info on the vaccination card is up-to-date. You should also contact the Kennel Union of South Africa (KUSA) in order to check up on the breeder who might just be among those banned from the organization because of bad practices. Some of the certificates that are supplied are fraudulent.
It is most unwise to advertise animals in the papers and on Gumtree offering them ‘Free to good homes’ rather than sending them to a registered animal welfare society. There have been documented instances where such pets have landed up in experimental laboratories or for use as bait in dog fights.
In the end it is those who buy from pet shops who must carry the blame for this unethical trade. If we would rather adopt from the nearest shelter, the puppy mills would close down. It’s all about supply and demand.
So the next time you walk past a pet shop on a cold evening or weekend, do spare
a thought for the puppies shivering inside, deprived of their mothers’ warmth. And remember that for every person that supports a breeder (be it backyard or registered) a rescue dog dies – even pedigreed ones.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Abuse against animals and humans – the link
Capetonians were recently stunned to hear of a case of cruelty against a horse by a youthful gang in Macassar. Their game involves stealing ponies and taking them for a joy ride using a makeshift bridle, often of barbed wire. When the exhausted horse can go no longer respond to relentless whipping and beating, they stab it in the flanks to coax a further few kilometres out of it. On this particular occasion the aged pony had been put out to pasture, whence it was stolen. After the event, it managed to drag its pain racked body home where it subsequently died, just fifty kilometres from home.
Rescued from a life of abuse as a cart horse, he had found sanctuary with horse lover Anthea Myburgh 15 years before and it was to this happy home and his beloved owner that he tried to return with his last reserve of strength.
It is important that the youthfulness of the perpetrators or their social circumstances should not be used as an excuse for a less vigorous sentencing.
Sadistic tendencies are not just a result of poverty as sadists are to be found in all income groups. Rather, these barbaric acts should be seen as indicative of a greater problem which should be taken most seriously and investigated rigorously.
In his book Child Abuse, Domestic Violence and Animal Cruelty, Phil Arkow of the Latham Foundation shows a link between domestic violence and animal abuse. He shows how animals, esp. pets, often get caught up in the cycle of family violence and in many cases the animal is just the last victim in a cycle of abuse that filters down from the strongest in the family to the weakest. Women and children are sometimes intimidated into silence about sexual and other abuses by threats against a favourite pet. Pets are sometimes hurt or killed to punish a child for something he has done.
An abused child might act out aggression or frustration on an animal that is perceived to be more vulnerable. At the same time, well documented research shows disturbing correlations between early childhood cruelty to animals and later juvenile delinquency or adult aggressive criminal behaviour towards humans.
Animal abuse is a predictor of violent behaviour and psychopathic tendencies. Intentional cruelty is of particular concern, because it is a sign of psychological distress and often indicates either that an individual has already experienced violence, or may be predisposed to committing acts of violence. It could also be an indication of a serious pathological disorder. It is a fact that in most cases psychopaths have been found to have tortured animals in their youth and such tendencies escalate as the culprit grows older. Most serial killers such as the Boston Strangler and Jeffrey Dahmer have a history of cruelty towards animals.
Clearly, what is needed is an animal abuse reporting policy. We need a central base of animal abuse cases as pointers to domestic violence and vice versa and in this instance welfare and child protection officials should work together.
There is no doubt that, on a global scale, a culture of violence appears to be escalating and perpetrators of violent crimes are becoming younger. Taking animal abuse seriously will bring us step closer to eliminating violence from our society. It is therefore in the interests of society as a whole that these perpetrators be dealt with decisively and that justice is seen to be done, whatever the age of the perpetrators.
Rescued from a life of abuse as a cart horse, he had found sanctuary with horse lover Anthea Myburgh 15 years before and it was to this happy home and his beloved owner that he tried to return with his last reserve of strength.
It is important that the youthfulness of the perpetrators or their social circumstances should not be used as an excuse for a less vigorous sentencing.
Sadistic tendencies are not just a result of poverty as sadists are to be found in all income groups. Rather, these barbaric acts should be seen as indicative of a greater problem which should be taken most seriously and investigated rigorously.
In his book Child Abuse, Domestic Violence and Animal Cruelty, Phil Arkow of the Latham Foundation shows a link between domestic violence and animal abuse. He shows how animals, esp. pets, often get caught up in the cycle of family violence and in many cases the animal is just the last victim in a cycle of abuse that filters down from the strongest in the family to the weakest. Women and children are sometimes intimidated into silence about sexual and other abuses by threats against a favourite pet. Pets are sometimes hurt or killed to punish a child for something he has done.
An abused child might act out aggression or frustration on an animal that is perceived to be more vulnerable. At the same time, well documented research shows disturbing correlations between early childhood cruelty to animals and later juvenile delinquency or adult aggressive criminal behaviour towards humans.
Animal abuse is a predictor of violent behaviour and psychopathic tendencies. Intentional cruelty is of particular concern, because it is a sign of psychological distress and often indicates either that an individual has already experienced violence, or may be predisposed to committing acts of violence. It could also be an indication of a serious pathological disorder. It is a fact that in most cases psychopaths have been found to have tortured animals in their youth and such tendencies escalate as the culprit grows older. Most serial killers such as the Boston Strangler and Jeffrey Dahmer have a history of cruelty towards animals.
Clearly, what is needed is an animal abuse reporting policy. We need a central base of animal abuse cases as pointers to domestic violence and vice versa and in this instance welfare and child protection officials should work together.
There is no doubt that, on a global scale, a culture of violence appears to be escalating and perpetrators of violent crimes are becoming younger. Taking animal abuse seriously will bring us step closer to eliminating violence from our society. It is therefore in the interests of society as a whole that these perpetrators be dealt with decisively and that justice is seen to be done, whatever the age of the perpetrators.
Monday, December 21, 2009
PORCUPINES – A PRICKLY ISSUE
Beatrice Wiltshire
Photo : courtesy of Anna Haw of the Landmark Foundation
Do porcupines really shoot their quills? This erroneous belief seems to have been around a long time, possibly perpetuated by childhood story book illustrations. The truth is that, if attacked, the little animal engages in some formidable posturing, erecting its quills, which are quite loosely attached and lets its enemy’s teeth sink into them. The attacker ends up with a mouth and throat full of painful barbs, as our own Jock of the Bushveld experienced.
On browsing through the gift- and curio shops, it becomes obvious that porcupine quills are increasingly being used in the manufacture of various commodities relating to the Afro-chic fad. And don’t be misled by the shop owner’s assurance that the quills were ‘picked up around the farms.’ The quills you see are usually obtained by killing the animal in the most inhumane manner by clubbing to death, hunting with dogs or the cruellest of all, using gin traps, the latter banned in more than 90 countries – but not in South Africa.
The specie has definite positive implications within a biodiversity context and porcupine research scientist Christy Bragg has written scientific papers referring to them as ‘ecosystem engineers.’ According to her, ‘studies show that productivity and diversity of plants within porcupine diggings can be many times higher compared to outside their diggings. They not only increase bulb diversity (which has important eco -tourism implications) but also contribute towards an increase in the diversity and germination of annuals, shrubs and grasses.’ This was all as Nature intended.
Going back in history, one learns that porcupine populations were inherently stable as there were
no urban or agricultural impacts on them. This stability was brought about by a self-regulating mechanism determined by population density and predation.
Then arrived the most destructive predator of all – the human being, which saw the natural balance disturbed and the start of human/animal conflict.
With an increase in agriculture and urban development, coupled with a concomitant decrease in natural habitat and predator species such as big cats, jackals, etc. this vegetarian animal turned to the ready food supply afforded by agricultural practices. With their strong incisors, porcupines were able to bite their way through agricultural fencing. In arid regions their keen sense of smell caused the thirsty animals to locate and bite through PVP water pipes, often positioned below ground level.
But this problem is not insurmountable. After discussion with farmers in the affected regions, Grant McIlrath of the Meerkat Conservation Project in the
Be that as it may, a tipping point was reached when porcupines were classified ‘vermin’ and ‘problem animals’ because of their perceived detrimental effect on farming activities. This classification led to large scale mortalities through hunting, trapping and poisoning.
Their fate was sealed when consumption of their meat entered into the equation and some game lodges now have porcupine steaks on their menus. Opportunistic farm stalls began introducing the public to the quirky commodity of porcupine quills, thereby putting an economic value on them. This led to an exponential increase in demand and killing to supply the quill trade.
Occasionally, however, some ethical farmers would contact conservation organisations, requesting help in removing problem porcupines, but this was not the norm and the fact that it is happening less frequently, is put down to the destructive impact the quill industry is having on porcupines. It appears that the animals are now being targeted specifically for their quills.
Because of their classification as vermin, porcupines were not afforded protection through either national or provincial conservation legislation. This was further compounded by the fact that little was known regarding their distribution and population. So while commercial exploitation of the species was taking place on a large scale, it was happening in a vacuum of scientific data on its effects. The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW,) through their Think Twice campaign, highlighted the plight of the porcupine within
In order to address this problem and as a result of public pressure, the government drew up draft Biodiversity and Threatened and Protected Species Bills and called for input in the matter from stakeholders. In the subsequent Biodiversity Act, the porcupine has now been listed a ‘protected species,’ which by definition means ‘an indigenous species of high conservation value of national importance that requires national protection.’
Because of the Government’s policy of ‘sustainable usage’ however, this new classification does not mean that they are no longer hunted or trophy hunted. It merely means that they may be ‘used sustainably.’
There has been an exponential increase in the number of quills being supplied to the market and no documentation to trace the source or extent of each transaction – a person can deal in porcupine by-products without having to obtain a permit to do so. So there is no control over this random hunting and killing of porcupines and no means of accountability. Exports thrive.
Meanwhile our indigenous porcupine continues to be trapped (including use of the inhumane gin trap) and then shot or clubbed to death, as well as hunted with dogs. The latter method is cruel to the dogs as well, because of collateral injuries. Such is the result of the commodification of sentient beings.
It has been pointed out, also in the Farmer’s Weekly (4 August 2006) that ‘no farmer/wildlife programme has much chance of success without input from the kingpins in the debate namely the farmers.’ This is so as, apart from a few isolated eco-friendly farmers, it is mostly the farmers who have been encouraging their labourers to hunt porcupines both for their meat and their quills.
And it is all so unnecessary. When we asked one of the biggest exporters of quill products whether these quills could be manufactured synthetically, the answer was a resounding ‘no.’ However, the Inter-Continental hotel at the O.R. Tambo airport sports an eighteen metre long sculpture, all made of synthetic quills, hanging in the atrium of its Quills restaurant. So the only thing keeping this cruel trade going is the retail industry.
The next time you are browsing through gift- and curio shops, don’t be tempted to buy an item of beauty made up of porcupine quills. By doing so, you are actively supporting a cruel and unethical, consumer driven trade and could be assisting in the demise of the porcupine. A relevant, recent example would be the indigenous porcupine in
We can do without the lamp shades, jewellery, picture frames and even glass coasters made up of porcupine quills, but our environment cannot do without our little eco-system engineers.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
ZOOS – AN OUTDATED CONCEPT
“They pay the price for their beauty, poor beasts. Mankind wants to catch anything beautiful and shut it up, and then come in thousands to watch it die by inches.”
David Garnett – A Man in the Zoo.
Zoos have come to represent fun days for children, but the public spotlight is increasingly falling on this relic of colonialism. Like many institutions of the past that have fallen by the wayside as they no longer measure up to moral scrutiny (slavery and child labour spring to mind) modern society is increasingly questioning the incarceration of wild animals in cages.
Few are aware of the enormous cruelty inherent in the system. To be placed in zoos, animals have been captured in the wild, taken from their habitat and families, manhandled, transported, made to feel pain and caged in order to be exhibited and exposed to continual human gaze.
In their wild state, the average lion pride has a range of 15 to 150 square miles, depending on the carrying capacity of the habitat and prey density. Like elephants, primates and other wild animals, they live in colonies with strong social structures and hierarchies. So the environments provided by zoos are at best artificial, creating artificial animals, with not a thought to their sadness and loneliness, torn from their families, unable to live out their natural and social instincts, for the whole of their lifetimes, often decades.
States EC Young, Professor of Zoology, Auckland University: “The simple basis of my opposition to captivity in zoos is that we are holding animals in grossly unnatural, debilitating, and aberrant circumstances. None of their beauty and force and intelligence is apparent. Confined, frustrated, performing the same ritualistic and often dangerous damaging behavior of acute boredom, they caricature the real thing.” Confining wild animals to zoos can therefore hardly be called educational.
In his book: ‘Reading Zoos: Representations of Animals in Captivity’ Professor Randy Malamud exposes the zoo’s unwritten history in its relation to colonialism. Zoos were inextricably bound up with imperialism and its ideologies of conquest, and they provided much-needed symbols and legitimation for conquering nations. Animals captured in foreign lands were brought back to capitals such as London in order to be displayed for a gawking public. Exotic animals symbolized the empire’s prowess to gain dominion over nature. Prof. David Ehrenfeld of Rutgers University states in Ethics on the Ark: "In many ways, the zoo has come to typify the themes of the Age of Control: exploration, domination, machismo, exhibitionism, assertion of superiority, manipulation.”
In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries humans were frequently exhibited in cages with animals as part of an exotic collection of life forms. Dwarfs, bearded women and people with all kinds of deformities and oddities were exhibited for human amusement, forming part of the ‘us’ and ‘them’ distancing scenario.
Closer to home in the early 20th Century, Saartjie Baartman , a member of the Griqua tribe in the Eastern Cape, caught the eye of a visiting English ship’s surgeon who persuaded her to accompany him to England as a subject of medical and anthropological research. She was considered a freak because of her extraordinary enlarged buttocks and genital peculiarities, and after being put under scrutiny by the researchers, was exhibited like a wild beast in the streets of London, eventually being taken to Paris where she was handed to a “showman of wild animals” in a traveling circus. While moral progress compelled people to realize the wrongs of exhibiting humans, society is only now starting to comprehend the injustice of exploiting wild animals in zoos and circuses.
A possible parallel to Saartjie Baartman’s story is the well documented case of Jackie the Chimp who, torn from the wild, was kept in unbearable captivity and taught to do demeaning tricks for the patrons of Boswell Wilkie circus. He was subsequently given to the Johannesburg zoo in 1966 before eventually being passed on to Roodeplaat, the South African Defence Force’s covert Biological and Chemical Warfare facility. His Hveterinary history over the period of 10 years spent at the zoo shows that he was kept on drugs and tranquillizers for most of the time.
Like the majority of zoo animals who are denied a rich social life, their every need and instinct thwarted and in possession of complex minds, he’d developed zoochosis, a term used to describe various psychological problems, from stereotypic behaviour that includes rocking and walking in circles, to self mutilation and even infanticide.
The drugs on which Jackie was kept also raises disturbing questions about what zoos do to animals in their care in order to make them viewable objects.
According to Travers and McKenna of the Born Free Foundation over 60% of polar bears in British zoos are mentally deranged.
Alarmingly, zoos are not only breeding excessively, but this is an activity that is encouraged, particularly because young cubs and baby animals are more of an attraction and because animals bred in zoos are often sold for profit via dealers. This is how zoo animals end up in the pet trade, in circuses or experimental laboratories, as victims of canned hunts, or as breeding animals for the cruel wildlife trade.
Says Dr. Steven Best of the University of Texas: “The fact that, as insipid parents claim, their children might ‘enjoy’ the zoo is not an argument for it, but a disturbing indication of an early stage in the warping of a young mind.”
Indeed, a society that cages animals cages itself.
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