tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73641339751524039082024-02-07T11:40:02.373+07:00Cempaka Nature, Agriculture and EnvironmentNews, Subjects Related to Nature, Agriculture and Environment.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2630125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364133975152403908.post-73237879138150872802023-02-14T04:00:00.004+07:002023-02-14T04:00:39.561+07:00World's oldest dog Bobi, 30, is also one of the luckiest<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="https://news.yahoo.com/worlds-oldest-dog-bobi-30-095055695.html" target="_blank">Yahoo -AFP</a>, Levi FERNANDES, February 13, 2023</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-align: center;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrqMnMSLwOL5l6YdpTqQafQovKBGWKafPj_VkUkSFU_a2PLyY77QFsbXSMsBis2D-XAjTdzjNF6jgelygr8zk2ZEDGXzzE1qyBbjwY7bUOm610jijYjkA8tLBmRoEk-XVrp3RzZSAWQifZjQJIHrBW5uTkZPw5IkaGIoADkdbix9QJ7AmvnMAyftQJ/s705/449ca25624e758118b8c86dfea7af5c6.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="470" data-original-width="705" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrqMnMSLwOL5l6YdpTqQafQovKBGWKafPj_VkUkSFU_a2PLyY77QFsbXSMsBis2D-XAjTdzjNF6jgelygr8zk2ZEDGXzzE1qyBbjwY7bUOm610jijYjkA8tLBmRoEk-XVrp3RzZSAWQifZjQJIHrBW5uTkZPw5IkaGIoADkdbix9QJ7AmvnMAyftQJ/w400-h266/449ca25624e758118b8c86dfea7af5c6.webp" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Bobi, a 30-year-old guard dog who cheated death in his
first days, is living out the end of his life as a celebrity in central
Portugal after being declared the world's oldest dog ever.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">When he was recognised by Guinness World Records as
the world's oldest dog on February 1, he broke a nearly century-old record
previously held by Bluey, an Australian cattle dog who died in 1939 at the age
of 29 years and five months.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">A purebreed Rafeiro, a Portuguese livestock guard dog
whose normal life expectancy is between 12 and 14, Bobi was not supposed to
live at all, never mind make it this long.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">He was born on May 11, 1992, along with three other
pups in a wood storage shed owned by the Costa family in the small village of
Conqueiros in central Portugal.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Because the family owned so many animals, the father
decided they couldn't keep the newborn puppies and the parents took them from
the shed the next day, while the mother dog Gira was out, said Leonel Costa,
who was eight years old at the time.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">But they didn't realise they had left one puppy behind
-- his colouring made him blend in with the surrounding wood.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Secret existence</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Leonel and his sister were heartbroken that the
puppies were being killed.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">But then they noticed that Gira kept returning to the
shed, had a look and discovered the surviving puppy.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">They decided to keep his existence a secret until he
could open his eyes.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">"We knew they wouldn't do anything to him then
and that Bobi would remain with us. So we kept the secret," Leonel told
AFP.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">"Afterwards, we were punished, but it was worth
it," he said.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Today Bobi is living out his twilight years oblivious
that he is a world record holder, except for the media visits following the
Guinness classification.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">"We didn't expect this reaction," Leonel
said.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Leonel attributes Bobi's longevity to the tranquility
of country living and his human diet, which includes lots of meat and fish.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">"He has always eaten what we eat," he said.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">He has never been chained up or put on a leash and
used to roam the woods around the village.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Today walking has become difficult, so he spends most
of the time hanging out in the yard with cats or napping after meals.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Many of the Costa dogs have lived a long life. Bobi's
mother Gira lived to 18 years and another dog lived to 22.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">"We see situations like this as a normal result
of the life they have, but Bobi is one of a kind," Leonel told Guinness.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364133975152403908.post-37937935839469132892023-01-21T04:31:00.006+07:002023-01-21T04:31:57.956+07:00Dutch To Ban Unhealthy Designer Pets<p> <span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><a href="https://www.barrons.com/news/dutch-to-ban-unhealthy-designer-pets-01674222910" target="_blank">Barrons – AFP</a>, Charlotte VAN OUWERKERK, January 20, 2023</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="text-align: center;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFbnTZfRR5E7qcyLlVuY_K9bGIasVeM6bs8PMaUXbdsNVWGMyrGE_ex0zwD5kV3DwMg6awyPcgHD4B9T9TyMY0mTeirsOAUvIPFM9eUS97CCJIqDDyOg7nCBazJGK-x1p4sSrVPD9pi-cZqu-H0K88U7UCjx10hbqkv5oDl5TbTFG3A9_d0O95mOQzKg/s768/AFP8027519484137901806956948856562301255246---1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="571" data-original-width="768" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFbnTZfRR5E7qcyLlVuY_K9bGIasVeM6bs8PMaUXbdsNVWGMyrGE_ex0zwD5kV3DwMg6awyPcgHD4B9T9TyMY0mTeirsOAUvIPFM9eUS97CCJIqDDyOg7nCBazJGK-x1p4sSrVPD9pi-cZqu-H0K88U7UCjx10hbqkv5oDl5TbTFG3A9_d0O95mOQzKg/w400-h297/AFP8027519484137901806956948856562301255246---1.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">The Netherlands wants to ban the ownership of pets such as flat-faced dogs<br />.(Frank Rumpenhorst)</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" lang="EN-US">The Netherlands wants to ban pets such as flat-faced dogs and cats with folded ears, which look sweet but suffer "miserable" health problems, the government said on Friday.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Dutch Agriculture Minister Piet Adema said he would seek to outlaw the ownership of the designer breeds and to ban photos of them in advertising or on social media.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">"We make life miserable for innocent animals, purely because we think they are 'beautiful' and 'cute'," Adema said in a statement.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif">"That is why today we are taking a big step towards a Netherlands where no pet has to suffer from his or her appearance."</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Despite sought-after looks that have made them a favourite with celebrities and a fixture among social media influencers, such pets suffer from a range of health conditions.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The Dutch minister said that owners often "have the best of intentions but are often unaware of the dark side of their pets' appearance".<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif">"This subject touches me as a minister but also as a human," added Adema.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The government would now work out a full list of affected breeds, he said, adding that it could take some time.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">But the public broadcaster NOS said squish-faced pugs could be among those banned.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The Netherlands banned the breeding of pets that are affected by their appearance in 2014, but some animals were still being traded illegally or bought from abroad.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The proposed new rules are designed to close a loophole so that it will also be illegal to own them.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">In 2019, the Dutch government updated the rules to specifically apply to dogs whose snout is less than half the length of their skull.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">"Dogs with snouts that are too short are constantly out of breath, making them gasp throughout their life," Adema said in a letter to parliament setting out the proposal.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">"Dogs that have a deviant skull shape may suffer from a permanent headache.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">"Cats with folding ears have deviated cartilage which can cause them a lot of pain."</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="text-align: center;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZw91jKcM2TAT71vDORCUdkEBFNLrGDuqr-U_B7mc0KhRRPLUQfn1bOpVr016BCfOJ006GGiwcf1z40rgrhplI9wcjIltbyC5aj0W9Dx08NjXjFcERoG73lJ1LqOcWIy7PgT3GIGJ-g8aI-2bQkoxefwOSxVzkQ1ihHuM16MtSY8gv650qBjU24GMETg/s768/AFP8027519484137901806956948856562301255246---2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="510" data-original-width="768" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZw91jKcM2TAT71vDORCUdkEBFNLrGDuqr-U_B7mc0KhRRPLUQfn1bOpVr016BCfOJ006GGiwcf1z40rgrhplI9wcjIltbyC5aj0W9Dx08NjXjFcERoG73lJ1LqOcWIy7PgT3GIGJ-g8aI-2bQkoxefwOSxVzkQ1ihHuM16MtSY8gv650qBjU24GMETg/w400-h266/AFP8027519484137901806956948856562301255246---2.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-US" style="text-align: left;">Short-snouted dogs are constantly out of breath, the Dutch agriculture minister<br />said. (</span><span style="text-align: left;">Mladen ANTONOV)</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" lang="EN-US">The fold-eared felines would definitely qualify for a ban, as was already the case in the Flanders region of neighbouring Belgium, the agriculture ministry said.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">"There is scientific evidence for these cats that they always suffer because they are a have a cartilage defect caused by a specific gene," it said in briefing notes accompanying the proposal.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The government had asked for advice from experts in veterinary genetics at the University of Utrecht in the central Netherlands, it added.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Any ban would come in after a transition period. People who currently own one of the pets would be allowed to keep them until the animal dies.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Recent studies have found that pugs and other dogs bred to have short noses, such as French and English bulldogs, are more prone to health problems, particularly with breathing.</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364133975152403908.post-48846858931560256462022-06-22T02:41:00.004+07:002022-06-22T02:41:21.304+07:00VIDEO: 🇯🇵 Modern phoenix: Bird brought back from extinction in Japan<p style="text-align: center;"> </p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">VIDEO: 🇯🇵 Modern phoenix: Bird brought back from extinction in Japan<br /><br />Every day for the past 14 years, Masaoki Tsuchiya has set out to look for a bird rescued from extinction in Japan. The presence of the "toki" on Sado island is testament to a remarkable <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/conservation?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#conservation</a> programme <a href="https://t.co/aVmJdOWFBE">pic.twitter.com/aVmJdOWFBE</a></p>— AFP News Agency (@AFP) <a href="https://twitter.com/AFP/status/1539216571457064961?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 21, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><br /><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364133975152403908.post-32307859261209679732022-06-08T03:23:00.006+07:002022-06-08T03:23:56.642+07:00VIDEO: Visitors to a Swiss zoo catch a glimpse of a rare albino Galapagos giant tortoise born in May<p style="text-align: center;"> </p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">VIDEO: Visitors to a Swiss zoo catch a glimpse of a rare albino Galapagos giant tortoise born in May <a href="https://t.co/Yh8cR5aT8C">pic.twitter.com/Yh8cR5aT8C</a></p>— AFP News Agency (@AFP) <a href="https://twitter.com/AFP/status/1533778227168174080?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 6, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><br /><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364133975152403908.post-26826331892214714122022-04-26T02:08:00.006+07:002022-04-26T02:09:35.320+07:00Three critically endangered Sumatran tigers killed in Indonesia<p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><a href="https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20220425-three-critically-endangered-sumatran-tigers-killed-in-indonesia" target="_blank">France24 – AFP</a>, 25 April 2022</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="text-align: center;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRxLlWaYsW50s64hc3tZx0uD8lsAgJtDFxWZZerRdKjJmTgkZJgbNHZYdfl0xk95eGTeVrCCHbSuBmMXqm9bPmgIu5tpqvhRK2MqS5jVRL3evZQDX7S-UzOAy_s-CeKL-wcrBb8cfBBfJE_ky2ujAGGTavGBvKr2dOUKiM-89Q3iiDxXq3ZkcUDpoV/s980/Tigers.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="548" data-original-width="980" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRxLlWaYsW50s64hc3tZx0uD8lsAgJtDFxWZZerRdKjJmTgkZJgbNHZYdfl0xk95eGTeVrCCHbSuBmMXqm9bPmgIu5tpqvhRK2MqS5jVRL3evZQDX7S-UzOAy_s-CeKL-wcrBb8cfBBfJE_ky2ujAGGTavGBvKr2dOUKiM-89Q3iiDxXq3ZkcUDpoV/w400-h224/Tigers.png" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">Two of the tigers were found at a single location near the village of Sri Mulya, with <br />a third found about 500 metres (1,600 feet) away Handout INDONESIAN POLICE/AFP</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" lang="EN-US">Banda Aceh (Indonesia) (AFP) – Three critically
endangered Sumatran tigers were found dead in western Indonesia on Sunday after
being ensnared by traps, police said, dealing another blow to the species'
rapidly declining population.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Rampant deforestation has reduced the tigers' natural
habitat and increasing conflict with humans has left only several hundred of
the endangered species remaining in the wild, according to estimates.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Two of the dead tigers were first found by local
conservationists in Aceh -- which sits on the the northern tip of Sumatra
island -- before police were alerted, conservation officials said.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Authorities found the two intact tiger carcasses next
to each other with their feet ensnared by steel slings at a palm oil plantation
in East Aceh district, a police statement said.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">A few hours later, police found a third dead tiger
about 500 metres (1,600 feet) away from where the other two tigers were discovered.
Its feet were also ensnared by a sling and the body had started to rot.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"Our initial suspicion is that the tigers died
after being caught by a boar trap, because when we found them their feet were
ensnared by thick steel sling," local police chief Hendra Sukmana said in
a statement late on Sunday.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Officials will conduct autopsies to determine the
causes of the tigers' deaths.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"We strongly condemn this incident... if the
tests reveal there's intentional action that caused the deaths of these
protected species, we will take strict action," head of Aceh conservation
agency Agus Arianto told AFP on Monday.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Sumatran tigers are considered critically endangered
by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, with fewer than 400
believed to remain in the wild.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Up to 10 tigers are killed yearly, according to the
Indonesian forestry ministry.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Tigers are also targeted by poachers for their body
parts that are widely used in traditional medicine -- particularly in China --
despite overwhelming scientific evidence that they have no beneficial value.</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364133975152403908.post-23560962751903341252021-12-28T04:29:00.004+07:002021-12-28T04:29:28.171+07:00800 parakeets: an unexpected 'Christmas gift' to US rescue group<p><a href="https://news.yahoo.com/800-parakeets-unexpected-christmas-gift-202450490.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall" target="_blank"> </a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="https://news.yahoo.com/800-parakeets-unexpected-christmas-gift-202450490.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall" target="_blank">Yahoo – AFP</a>, December 27, 2021</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgtwWJ1H02K2c0F_W0pLTOPCfSgFqEynroTXKizvc0db1mjEWLONFDWUtFLrHIHuXA_PfKF572E4OICsPNT7F4MVeDLXsEN5bZGC7ov7zQF2ST73eyjzm1o5OuCtGfRjTjzqvsh3picSeoOm0flRBA4fspMpQKIuDMnagboeZdfkYhSSss_wqjMFcJ8=s705" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="469" data-original-width="705" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgtwWJ1H02K2c0F_W0pLTOPCfSgFqEynroTXKizvc0db1mjEWLONFDWUtFLrHIHuXA_PfKF572E4OICsPNT7F4MVeDLXsEN5bZGC7ov7zQF2ST73eyjzm1o5OuCtGfRjTjzqvsh3picSeoOm0flRBA4fspMpQKIuDMnagboeZdfkYhSSss_wqjMFcJ8=w400-h266" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The Detroit Animal Welfare Group, based in the northern US state of Michigan, r<br />eceived more than 800 parakeets over the Christmas weekend (AFP/Prakash MATHEMA)</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">A US animal shelter was "in shock" after
receiving over 800 parakeets during the holiday weekend -- delivered in two
batches by the son of their owner who had kept them all enclosed in one room.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The Detroit Animal Welfare Group, based in the
northern state of Michigan, posted on Facebook about a "Christmas present
we were not expecting" -- saying the "birds came from a very
unhealthy situation."</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">It said a first group of 497 birds were dropped off on
December 23 -- crammed into seven cages. The owner's son then returned on
Sunday with an additional 339.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"The irresponsibility of the owner is
infuriating," the group wrote on Facebook, saying the birds were
"smothering each other and needed immediate help."</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"We were in shock," it said, "but could
not turn them away."</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Working with other local organizations, the group was
able to find temporary housing for the parakeets.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"It truly takes a village to help these
animals," it said.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Kelly LeBonty, the rescue group's director, told local
newspaper the Detroit Free Press the birds "were very very stressed."</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"They were barely moving. We had to get them out
and into different cages."</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The son told Lebonty that he believed his father had
only planned to breed a few birds, but it got out of hand, and he was now
spending $1,200 a month to feed them all.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The parakeets, some visibly injured or malnourished in
photos posted by the group, will be available for adoption after they are
evaluated by a veterinarian.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The Detroit Animal Welfare Group cautioned that
"owning a parakeet is a 6-15 year commitment."</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"They require not only food, water and daily cage
cleaning but also daily interaction, enrichment and flight time."</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">In Michigan, owners can be prosecuted for not
providing adequate care to their animals.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Lebonty said the group had not contacted authorities,
noting that she's happy the family took a "step in the right
direction," by reaching out for help.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364133975152403908.post-81734839209245343662021-12-03T04:00:00.004+07:002021-12-03T04:00:25.326+07:00Elle says will drop fur from magazines worldwide<p><a href="https://news.yahoo.com/elle-says-drop-fur-magazines-133908344.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall" target="_blank"> </a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="https://news.yahoo.com/elle-says-drop-fur-magazines-133908344.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall" target="_blank">Yahoo – AFP</a>, Anna CUENCA, December 2, 2021</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrDJRbXVTWys0ePqJS1CQovN1jZpGgr3dZ2NV8sMih-A6e_DeKNzBrbjMd7qK1wSOGUZ9pIjPoPJkT4FbW_bKJEnjF7cGLw0InQbSpHs160-OlFC5eyzYnttMYs0yf564NUcz1dmLTnLk/s705/7c5da7e13c2bb7597e1a9e9b57b6eafa.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="470" data-original-width="705" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrDJRbXVTWys0ePqJS1CQovN1jZpGgr3dZ2NV8sMih-A6e_DeKNzBrbjMd7qK1wSOGUZ9pIjPoPJkT4FbW_bKJEnjF7cGLw0InQbSpHs160-OlFC5eyzYnttMYs0yf564NUcz1dmLTnLk/w400-h266/7c5da7e13c2bb7597e1a9e9b57b6eafa.webp" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Elle will soon be fur-free in terms of both editorial content and advertising<br />(AFP/JOEL SAGET)</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Elle magazine announced on Thursday it will stop using
fur in all its editorial and advertising content worldwide, becoming the first
major publication to do so.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The monthly lifestyle magazine, which originated in
France and is owned by French media group Lagardere, comes out in 45 different
editions around the world.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">It has about 33 million readers from Mexico to Japan,
with 100 million monthly online visitors.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">But Elle's international director Valeria Bessolo
Llopiz told an annual two-day fashion industry conference starting on Thursday
in Britain that fur was no longer acceptable.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"The presence of animal fur in our pages and on
our digital media is no longer in line with our values, nor our readers,"
she said.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"It is time for Elle to make a statement...
rejecting animal cruelty," Bessolo Llopiz told delegates at The Business
of Fashion Voices 2021 event in Chipping Norton, in Oxfordshire, southern
England.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Instead, she said the magazine wanted to
"increase awareness for animal welfare" and "foster a more
humane fashion industry".</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The magazine has already dropped fur from 13 of its
editions. Twenty more will drop fur from January 1, 2022 and the rest will
start a year later.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">'Old-fashioned'</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The move reflects the changing nature of consumer
demand, Bessolo Llopiz told AFP.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"Fur has become old-fashioned," she said,
noting many brands had gone "fur-free" years ago.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"We are in a new era and the Gen Z (born in the
late 1990s to early 2010s), which is the golden target for fashion and luxury,
has huge expectations in terms of sustainability and ethics," she added.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Welcoming Elle's decision, PJ Smith, director of
fashion policy for the Humane Society of the United States, said he looked
forward to other fashion magazines following suit.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"This announcement will ignite positive change
throughout the entire fashion industry and has the potential to save countless
animals from a life of suffering and a cruel death," he told the
conference.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"Fur promotions belong only in the back copies of
fashion magazines from days gone by," Elisa Allen, the UK director of
animal rights organisation PETA, told AFP.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">She welcomed decisions by publications -- including
British Vogue, InStyle USA, Cosmopolitan UK, and the newly launched Vogue
Scandinavia -- rejecting fur on their editorial pages and expects the move to
soon extend to advertising.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Consumer pressure</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The decision comes as the fashion industry has faced
pressure from animal rights activists to stop the use of real fur on humane
grounds and mounting public opposition.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Smaller fashion weeks held in cities such as
Amsterdam, Oslo, Melbourne and Helsinki have all banned fur but larger ones in
Paris, Milan and New York leave it up to designers.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Many big names have already chosen to no longer use
fur.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">They include Gucci, Versace and Prada, Burberry,
Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen, Donna Karan, DKNY and Michael Kors, as
well as Jean-Paul Gaultier and Balenciaga.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">A 2020 YouGov survey found that 93 percent of British
people refuse to wear natural fur while another by Research Co suggested that
in the US, 71 percent opposed killing animals for their fur.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">In Europe, an FOP poll indicated that 90 percent of
French opposed the fur trade, while 86 percent of Italians expressed opposition
in a 2019 survey by Eurispes.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">In a German poll by Kantar in 2020, 84 percent said
cruelty towards animals and killing them for their fur was unacceptable.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Israel in June became the world's first country to ban
selling fur to the fashion industry.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The fur industry itself argues that its natural
product is being replaced with synthetic fur made with plastics that damage the
environment.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The French fur industry federation said in a statement
on Thursday evening that it would "consider suing" the magazine's
platform for "refusing to sell". The fur industry believes that the
decisions of designers and consumers are being forced by "pressure from
radical movements".</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">While fake fur coats are often made from polyester,
which takes hundreds of years to biodegrade, some designers such as Britain's
Stella McCartney opt for plant-based materials.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Others use natural fibres such as wool and feathers to
mimic the appearance of fur.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364133975152403908.post-40758951605301688242021-11-19T03:04:00.001+07:002021-11-19T03:04:13.077+07:00France bans wild animals in circuses<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20211118-france-bans-wild-animals-in-circuses" target="_blank">France24 – AFP</a>, 18 November 2021</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-align: center;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><o:p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzATgiYqG9fZahQdIQ2lXhTPWyxP8lVHmdGfR_DA9XyxwBBfQnZX6Rj2PdNPgOnWL9twM1C1rahPKYpCSeCb4xAPQgb3bNcEnjcRHG3mGunjdZ-C-j4TNr_HQuD_jSwNlllwkNOk5aLA4/s1024/344547f958d2d0330c3249f9f89819cdacda0f6a.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzATgiYqG9fZahQdIQ2lXhTPWyxP8lVHmdGfR_DA9XyxwBBfQnZX6Rj2PdNPgOnWL9twM1C1rahPKYpCSeCb4xAPQgb3bNcEnjcRHG3mGunjdZ-C-j4TNr_HQuD_jSwNlllwkNOk5aLA4/w400-h225/344547f958d2d0330c3249f9f89819cdacda0f6a.webp" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Consigned to history: The new law will ban use of lions such as these of<br />the Amar Circus in 1946 Paris</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Paris (AFP) – French lawmakers voted on Thursday to
end wild animals being used in live circus shows, spelling an end to performing
tigers, lions or bears.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Performances of wild animals will be prohibited in two
years and owning them outlawed in seven years, under the wide-ranging animal
rights legislation that has been under debate since 2020.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The law, once signed by President Emmanuel Macron,
will also ban live dolphin shows in the next five years and immediately end
mink farming, meaning the country's last operator will close.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Macron's centrist Republic on the Move (LREM) party
called the legislation "a historic step in the animal rights combat".</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Circus owners denounced it, while some
environmentalists said it did not go far enough.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The foundation of France's most famous animal
advocate, veteran actress Brigitte Bardot, welcomed "a major advance for
the animal rights cause in France".</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">As well as the measures targeting circuses, the new
law will raise the maximum penality for mistreating animals to up to five years
in prison and a fine of 75,000 euros ($85,000), and will tighten restrictions
on the sale of pets.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Loïc Dombreval, the LREM co-sponsor of the law,
conceded that other controversial issues had not been included within the scope
of the legislation, which won cross-party support in both houses of parliament.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"There will inevitably come a day when... we will
debate sensitive issues such as hunting, such as bull-fighting, or some
animal-rearing practices," said the lawmaker, who is also a veterinarian.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><b>'Arbitrary law'</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Environmentalists had called for measures to improve
the conditions inside industrialised animal farms, which will require "a
change in our agricultural model", Senator Daniel Salmon said on Thursday.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Issues such as hunting and bull-fighting are
especially sensitive because they are staunchly defended by supporters in rural
areas as long-standing cultural practices.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Farms that make foie gras pate in France -- which
force-feed birds such as geese and ducks to artificially bloat their livers --
have also long been targeted by campaigners.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The 120 circus owners in France are likely to protest
against the restrictions placed on their livelihoods and have warned that some
animals might end up abandoned.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"It's an arbitrary law because there are not
mistreated animals in our circuses," William Kerwich, head of the circus
animal trainers' union, told AFP.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">He said there would be a reaction from his members on
Monday, and a legal appeal.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The new legislation also bans the use of wild animals
in television shows, nightclubs and private parties.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Polls show that a vast majority of French people
support the law, and dozens of cities and towns around the country have already
banned travelling circuses that use animals.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The changes will bring France into step with more than
20 European countries that have either banned or heavily restricted the use of
animals for entertainment.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364133975152403908.post-1032846277614353202021-07-19T02:58:00.002+07:002021-07-19T02:58:10.736+07:00France pledges to end chick culling in 2022<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="https://news.yahoo.com/france-pledges-end-chick-culling-150451748.html" target="_blank">Yahoo – AFP</a>, July 18, 2021</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLRa8qWgHYhBETJhVuytQmTuvrY1ZkNHZoifcJMca_xQsS1J3GmfJiAfuk8gfKHUJMv820riTGhTH0A8FfFKPQNG4z-54T2sTeQCiKb3GI4Zzp8DB_Jvw1Zqww6415-lLLfIWMRa-lNhU/s704/c52883be8a4feae5ef60a41ecaa7d5ce.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="459" data-original-width="704" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLRa8qWgHYhBETJhVuytQmTuvrY1ZkNHZoifcJMca_xQsS1J3GmfJiAfuk8gfKHUJMv820riTGhTH0A8FfFKPQNG4z-54T2sTeQCiKb3GI4Zzp8DB_Jvw1Zqww6415-lLLfIWMRa-lNhU/w400-h261/c52883be8a4feae5ef60a41ecaa7d5ce.webp" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">German animal rights activists throw toy chicks into a fake shredding machine<br />to protest the killing of male chicks</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">France will outlaw the culling of male chicks in the
poultry industry in 2022 after years of protests from animal welfare activists,
Agriculture Minister Julien Denormandie said Sunday.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Millions of male chicks are killed after hatching
every year, most often by being shredded or gassed with carbon dioxide, because
they do not produce eggs and do not grow as large as females.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Farmers say no practical and affordable ways exist to
tell a chick's sex in the egg at mass production facilities, and an EU
directive from 2009 authorises shredding as long as it causes
"immediate" death for chicks less than 72 hours old.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">But opponents denounce unnecessary cruelty and point
to improving techniques for finding males before they hatch.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"As of January 1, 2022, all poultry hatcheries
will have to have installed or ordered machines letting them learn a chick's
sex in the egg," Denormandie told the daily Le Parisien.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"2022 will be the year when shredding and gassing
of male chicks ends in France," he said, saying the law would prevent the
killing of 50 million male chicks every year.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The state will provide a financial aid package of 10
million euros ($11.8 million) to help farmers buy the necessary equipment, he
added.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The move comes after Germany said in January that it
would also ban the controversial practice next year.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Switzerland banned the shredding of live chicks last
year, but still allows them to be gassed.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364133975152403908.post-16692643569271017762021-05-20T02:26:00.005+07:002021-05-20T02:26:34.979+07:00Valentino joins growing band of fur-free designers<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="https://news.yahoo.com/valentino-joins-growing-band-fur-144033185.html" target="_blank">Yahoo – AFP</a>, May 19, 2021, Rudolph Valentino</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-align: center;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><o:p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm6e62tPtgvEQP9ABcHjuc2Cdi3SBG2jXzxA2h99BAtRtbuZ1rmzLvaNOGKe7Qy2_mY_DaIxQNLaQJiS0Xws4y37mZxt1ryQwOxQtTPLo_4csjdRcvy8IRdt5P94VCilCiDT26wGIN1x0/s705/f1af2d60ea4355ec31ff7d32b9b0dd7f.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="469" data-original-width="705" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm6e62tPtgvEQP9ABcHjuc2Cdi3SBG2jXzxA2h99BAtRtbuZ1rmzLvaNOGKe7Qy2_mY_DaIxQNLaQJiS0Xws4y37mZxt1ryQwOxQtTPLo_4csjdRcvy8IRdt5P94VCilCiDT26wGIN1x0/w400-h266/f1af2d60ea4355ec31ff7d32b9b0dd7f.webp" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-US" style="text-align: left;">Valentino's decision follows a growing number of big fashion names <br />renouncing the use of animal fur</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Valentino has became the latest fashion powerhouse to
abandon real fur, in a move welcomed on Wednesday by Italian campaigners as a
"nail in the coffin for the cruel fur trade".</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The iconic Italian house said it would cease
production at its Milan-based fur company, Valentino Polar, at the end of this
year and the last collection to include fur will be the fall/winter 2021-22
season.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"The fur-free stance is perfectly in line with
the values of our company," said Jacopo Venturini, CEO of Valentino, in a
statement.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"We are moving full-steam ahead in the research
for alternative materials in view of a greater attention to the environment for
the upcoming collections."</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The decision follows a growing number of big fashion
names renouncing the use of animal fur, including Armani, Prada and Gucci.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Martina Pluda, Italy director for campaign group
Humane Society International, said Valentino's decision "is a major nail
in the coffin for the cruel fur trade".</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"Like so many other designers, Valentino knows
that using fur makes brands look outdated and out of touch, and fur industry
certification schemes are little more than the hollow PR spin of an industry
that kills 100 million animals for fur a year," she said.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364133975152403908.post-44875371881054443392020-12-01T04:03:00.005+07:002020-12-01T04:03:52.030+07:00Cambodia ready to welcome 'world's loneliest elephant'<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20201130-cambodia-ready-to-welcome-world-s-loneliest-elephant" target="_blank">France – AFP</a>, 30 November 2020</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><o:p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0YltVbLaDkecvyejIQ-OgMR6A8sxpCmeu3Zh9AhNi5pdkJ4S5LbHjFdvr2xl8qszepNOtMRufWTu0yCXNXRAkp2i0_t-H7ZiSTCwhO1hBCjisZMN1bmOcjl7Kw8Op_iUSTmbhUgsvBfI/s980/8aec43d005bc23bd0e55fa7affecf523019e047b.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="551" data-original-width="980" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0YltVbLaDkecvyejIQ-OgMR6A8sxpCmeu3Zh9AhNi5pdkJ4S5LbHjFdvr2xl8qszepNOtMRufWTu0yCXNXRAkp2i0_t-H7ZiSTCwhO1hBCjisZMN1bmOcjl7Kw8Op_iUSTmbhUgsvBfI/w400-h225/8aec43d005bc23bd0e55fa7affecf523019e047b.webp" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Dubbed the world's loneliest elephant by the press, Kaavan was the only <br />Asian elephant in Pakistan Aamir QURESHI AFP/File</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Siem Reap (Cambodia) (AFP) - An elephant dubbed the
"world's loneliest" was set to land in Cambodia on Monday from
Pakistan, headed for a sanctuary housing three potential mates, an official
said.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The case of Kaavan -- an overweight, 36-year-old bull
elephant -- sparked global uproar from animal rights groups, who petitioned for
his move from an Islamabad zoo accused of substandard care and conditions.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">His cause was boosted by a spirited social media
campaign by American singer Cher, who travelled to Pakistan to see him off.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"Cambodia is ready to welcome Kaavan,"
deputy environment minister Neth Pheaktra told AFP Monday.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The elephant is expected to land in tourist hotspot
Siem Reap around 2 pm (0700 GMT), before being transported to neighbouring
province Oddar Meanchey where a wildlife sanctuary awaits him.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"We expect to breed Kaavan with local elephants
-- this is an effort to conserve the genetic fold," the minister said,
adding that the sanctuary also houses three female elephants.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Dubbed the world's loneliest elephant by the press,
Kaavan was the only Asian elephant in Pakistan.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">But the conditions at the Islamabad zoo were so bad
that a judge in May ordered that all the animals be moved.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">A team of vets and experts from Four Paws, an
Austria-based animal welfare group, has spent months working with Kaavan to get
him ready for the trip -- a complicated process due to his size and the amount
of food needed en route.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The elephant also had to be taught to enter the
massive metal crate that was placed in a cargo plane for the seven-hour flight.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">But "Kaavan quickly gained confidence in us and
made great progress in a short time", said Four Paws veterinarian Dr Amir
Khalil in a statement Monday.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Superstar Cher is expected in Cambodia to be part of
Kaavan's welcome entourage.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364133975152403908.post-32584881519998473462020-10-21T02:08:00.002+07:002020-10-21T02:08:14.134+07:00A zoo soap opera: Gay penguins steal nest with eggs from lesbian couple<p><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2020/10/a-zoo-soap-opera-gay-penguins-steal-nest-with-eggs-from-lesbia" target="_blank">DutchNews</a>, October 20, 2020 </span></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIdIgvNLGQiAQ0aarDGuKMRWGyGWD3e7TJZpKizlHeYy3V__dW4HuN0XafcXsfdR4E7umaC0pUnyuztBYfadNOuWeX0N4qUkzZB_wAJvRo8mpka5pBsf8B6sJlO1snzhEli1TQMrcPs4uv/s560/Pingui%25CC%2588ns-leven-monogaam-en-kiezen-e%25CC%2581e%25CC%2581n-vaste-partner-560x373.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="373" data-original-width="560" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIdIgvNLGQiAQ0aarDGuKMRWGyGWD3e7TJZpKizlHeYy3V__dW4HuN0XafcXsfdR4E7umaC0pUnyuztBYfadNOuWeX0N4qUkzZB_wAJvRo8mpka5pBsf8B6sJlO1snzhEli1TQMrcPs4uv/w400-h266/Pingui%25CC%2588ns-leven-monogaam-en-kiezen-e%25CC%2581e%25CC%2581n-vaste-partner-560x373.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The would-be fathers. Photo: Dierenpark Amersfoort</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">A gay penguin couple at Amersfoort’s Dierenpark zoo, who
hit the international headlines last year when they stole an egg to hatch, have
gone a step further this year by stealing the complete nest of another couple –
who happen to be a lesbian duo. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Last year the same African penguin couple stole
an egg from another penguin family, ‘acquiring’ it at a moment when no-one was
looking.That egg failed to hatch and the couple remained childless – and are
likely to remain so, for now at least. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The couple are taking in it in turns to
sit on the eggs and keep them warm, while the other forages for food. However,
the eggs are unlikely to hatch because they have probably not been fertilised,
given they were laid by the lesbian couple, says zoo keeper Sander Drost. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Drost
says the would-be fathers are a dominant couple within the 17-strong group in
penguin enclosure. ‘Each couple in the enclosure have their own shelter but
this couple has commandeered two,’ he told RTV Utrecht <a href="https://www.rtvutrecht.nl/nieuws/2080089/liefdesbaby-voor-homopinguins-amersfoort-blijft-uit.html" target="_blank">earlier this year</a>. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Penguins breed twice a year and the ousted females will probably build a new
nest shortly, the zoo told DutchNews.nl. Homosexuality is fairly common in
penguins and there have been <a href="https://www.livescience.com/gay-penguins-steal-egg.html" target="_blank">various other reports</a> of them fostering chicks.</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364133975152403908.post-77214501223328003432020-09-21T03:29:00.000+07:002020-09-21T03:29:06.842+07:00Two endangered Javan rhino calves spotted in Indonesian park<p><a href="https://www.france24.com/en/20200920-two-endangered-javan-rhino-calves-spotted-in-indonesian-park" target="_blank"> </a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.france24.com/en/20200920-two-endangered-javan-rhino-calves-spotted-in-indonesian-park" target="_blank">France24 – AFP</a>, 20 Septemebr 2020</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><o:p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV6rCCm2R71zWybEonMexlg-q0_Bj98Nkaw7T2FpZnmJT64j7SC6Mm1OHpFuNGMtgjT4FuuC92LbIhTkLvWD4J4rLB_y4uXReHWYJtysIt9DnVvDW718-5TjGoTpb9KWPFJp2j8yGY2lE/s980/091c325b6f5bb988e8057b961e6549e1242bb9a4.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="551" data-original-width="980" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV6rCCm2R71zWybEonMexlg-q0_Bj98Nkaw7T2FpZnmJT64j7SC6Mm1OHpFuNGMtgjT4FuuC92LbIhTkLvWD4J4rLB_y4uXReHWYJtysIt9DnVvDW718-5TjGoTpb9KWPFJp2j8yGY2lE/w400-h225/091c325b6f5bb988e8057b961e6549e1242bb9a4.webp" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Two extremely rare Javan rhinoceros calves have been spotted in an Indonesian <br />national park Handout ENVIRONMENT AND FORESTRY MINISTRY/AFP</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Jakarta (AFP) - Two extremely rare Javan rhinoceros
calves have been spotted in an Indonesian national park, boosting hopes for the
future of one of the world's most endangered mammals.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The rhino calves -- a female named Helen and male
called Luther -- were seen with their mothers in footage taken from nearly 100
camera traps installed in Ujung Kulon national park between March and August,
authorities said in a statement on Sunday.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">On the westernmost tip of Java in Banten province,
Ujung Kulon is the last remaining wild habitat for Javan rhinos.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">After years of population decline, the arrival of the
new calves brings the total number of the rare mammals to 74.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The sanctuary comprises some 5,100 hectares (12,600
acres) of lush rainforest and freshwater streams.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The Indonesian government has been surveying other
areas across Java and Sumatra islands to relocate the rhinos from the danger of
Mount Krakatau, an active volcano not far from the national park.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"These births bring a big hope for the
continuation of the life of the critically endangered special Javan
rhino," said Wiratno, a senior official at the environment ministry.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Javan rhinos have folds of loose skin giving them the
appearance of wearing armour plating.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">They once numbered in the thousands across Southeast
Asia, but have been hard hit by rampant poaching and human encroachment on
their habitats.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364133975152403908.post-24465174750034302202020-08-29T02:53:00.000+07:002020-08-29T02:53:25.407+07:00Swiss to ban foreign trophy hunters from killing Alpine ibex<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://news.yahoo.com/swiss-ban-foreign-trophy-hunters-152834442.html" target="_blank">Yahoo – AFP</a>, DIETER NAGL, August 28, 2020</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA2MB4muin-mDHOsjW-5NyU_LERwRvOWBFjAONsCdJVgzFxAxqbmxYdQ3bW1cVQQP6o78JMIUFRLqKtsyTo9l1NFLjI7C-n4IzvN2z96DFG0KeIEIrh9ckVvmXeiYA5ykB_tYc1o89NtU/s1600/8e3f4152cd608c8228778b9ef6aee891.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="551" data-original-width="768" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA2MB4muin-mDHOsjW-5NyU_LERwRvOWBFjAONsCdJVgzFxAxqbmxYdQ3bW1cVQQP6o78JMIUFRLqKtsyTo9l1NFLjI7C-n4IzvN2z96DFG0KeIEIrh9ckVvmXeiYA5ykB_tYc1o89NtU/s400/8e3f4152cd608c8228778b9ef6aee891.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">There are
over 6,000 Alpine ibexes in the Swiss canton of Wallis<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">A Swiss
region that has faced heavy criticism for allowing wealthy foreigners to pay
large sums to shoot protected Alpine ibexes, a species of wild goat, for
trophies decided Friday to end the practice.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The
southern Swiss canton of Wallis, the only one to allow the trophy hunting, said
in a statement that as of next year, foreigners would no longer be granted
permits to hunt ibexes.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The canton
stressed that its Alpine ibex population was growing healthily and said there
was still a need for responsible regulation through hunting.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But it said
that from 2021, "ibex regulation will only be carried out by hunters
residing in the canton of Wallis or those who hold a Wallis hunting
licence."<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The canton
has for years quietly allowed trophy hunters to shoot ageing male ibexes
already destined for elimination.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But a
documentary aired by public broadcaster RTS last year brought the trophy hunt
to the attention of the broader public, sparking a heated debate across
Switzerland about the practice and its potential impact on the viability of the
species.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Outraged
citizens launched a petition demanding the "disgraceful" hunt be
halted, gathering some 75,000 signatures in a matter of months.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The entire
Swiss ibex population was wiped out at the end of the 19th century, but since
they were reintroduced from neighbouring Italy, the population in the country
has grown to around 17,000.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Wallis
counted 6,030 ibexes at the end of 2019 -- nearly double the roughly 3,500 in
the canton 15 years earlier.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The canton
allows several hundred animals to be culled each year, with the maximum quota
this year standing at 544 animals.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Animals
across all age groups and of both sexes can be listed for culling, but males
over the age of 11 are typically offered to trophy hunters, at a price.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The cost
depends on the length of the horns, with the longest specimens, measuring
around 1.10 metres, reportedly raking in up to $20,000 for a pair.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The canton
has pocketed hundreds of thousands of dollars in income from this hunt
annually.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For 2020,
authorities have granted hunting permits for up to 45 large males over the age
of 11, including 25 to foreign hunters.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">While the
canton will lose income once the foreign trophy hunters are gone, it pointed
out Friday that the shift would lead to a reduction in workload for game
rangers, who had been tasked with supervising and accompanying foreigners
holding one-day hunting permits.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This, it
said, would allow the region to save on personnel resources, meaning there
would be no need to hike hunting licence prices for Wallis residents, which had
been one of the main sticking points in the debate.</span></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364133975152403908.post-52051931177825734552020-08-29T02:44:00.005+07:002020-08-29T02:44:47.688+07:00Mink farmers to shut up shop next year, reported compensation deal worth €180m<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2020/08/mink-farmers-to-shut-up-shop-next-year-reported-compensation-deal-worth-e180m/" target="_blank">DutchNews</a>, August 28, 2020 </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0eMstZ8dW12K61CWrjzwm9xFXDuNWpbXxmnwMrIR86LrI-Ht1BqI-dQIIZM78Jea34ZWGFHGjEh0g8JHUG7fHZaOMucNyfM1ASl03PH6vtADbiVsDupDolsezWU8TOtQWfgFpUVPCyHM/s1600/mink-560x373.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="373" data-original-width="560" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0eMstZ8dW12K61CWrjzwm9xFXDuNWpbXxmnwMrIR86LrI-Ht1BqI-dQIIZM78Jea34ZWGFHGjEh0g8JHUG7fHZaOMucNyfM1ASl03PH6vtADbiVsDupDolsezWU8TOtQWfgFpUVPCyHM/s400/mink-560x373.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Mink on a fur farm. Photo: Dzīvnieku brīvība via Flickr </span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">The government has decided to bring forward the closure of the Dutch
mink fur industry from 2024 to next March, following outbreaks of coronavirus
on at least 41 of the country’s 110 fur farms. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Fur farmers begin killing young
mink for their fur in November and have been told by farm minister Carola
Schouten that they must shut up shop before the next breeding season in 2021,
broadcaster NOS has reported. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">The mink on all 41 farms where coronavirus has
been found – well over 160,000 – have already been killed. Before coronvirus
hit, there were some 700,000 young mink on fur farms in the Netherlands, national
statistics agency CBS said last week. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">There had been calls from some quarters
to close down the industry immediately because of the risk coronavirus is
spread to humans and because pockets of infection could remain. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">However,
government health experts have said the risk to human health is not serious
enough to merit such a move, NOS said. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Sources suggest the government has come
up with a €180m compensation package to offset the financial impact of early
closure. Of this €40m is to pay for the cull and the rest will go to the
farmers who have lost their income. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Schouten is expected to go public with her
plan after discussing it with the cabinet on Friday morning.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364133975152403908.post-4382887480172366382020-08-16T02:42:00.002+07:002020-08-16T02:42:57.383+07:00Dutch baby panda is named after Van Gogh, with a nod to Starry Night<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2020/08/dutch-baby-panda-is-named-after-van-gogh-with-a-nod-to-starry-night/" target="_blank">DutchNews</a>, August 14, 2020</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYA6JsKi8vbMRUTTlt8rNKjzNnkictDduUARmwNOiX9x3vQF22hzJ9Do9H7dEb_bG2MTd3gN3B5t_6OnoT-ZCWuts4HZAlY-atXQEN5q7s72DChSslXzpcNf-y7Q_vKyj-6OUTmjmBR0Po/s1600/Screenshot-2020-08-14-at-14.44.20-560x399.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="399" data-original-width="560" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYA6JsKi8vbMRUTTlt8rNKjzNnkictDduUARmwNOiX9x3vQF22hzJ9Do9H7dEb_bG2MTd3gN3B5t_6OnoT-ZCWuts4HZAlY-atXQEN5q7s72DChSslXzpcNf-y7Q_vKyj-6OUTmjmBR0Po/s400/Screenshot-2020-08-14-at-14.44.20-560x399.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A webcam still from the promotional video</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The baby giant panda born in the Ouwehands zoo in Rhene in May has been
named Fan Xing, which refers to Van Gogh
and his painting Starry Night, zoo officials said on Friday. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Fan comes from Fan
Gao which means Van Gogh in Chinese while Xing, which means star, and
symbolises hope, is also a reference to the panda’s father Xing Ya. The name is
gender neutral because no-one yet knows the baby’s sex. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In total, 22,000 people
from all over the world helped chose the name from a shortlist of five, all of
which had a link to the Netherlands. The baby panda and mother Wu Wen are
currently remaining in their nest, but officials expect the baby will first be
on view to the public in October. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Fan Xing will stay in the Netherlands for a
maximum of four years. Wu Wen and Xing
Ya, who arrived in the Netherlands in May 2017, will return to China in 2032. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Fans can also follow the baby panda via webcam, at a cost of €1 per hour. The
money raised goes to help pandas in the wild, the zoo authorities said.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364133975152403908.post-11029431658688233442020-08-09T03:20:00.000+07:002020-08-09T03:20:03.535+07:00Alpaca therapy helps convicts with mental illness<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://news.yahoo.com/alpaca-therapy-helps-convicts-mental-105824015.html" target="_blank">Yahoo – AFP</a>, LENNART PREISS, August 8, 2020</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJdaz2I62HBzguVwS-uMTwh07QukKTjwegLHwF0DfMWdj87lc0eAkvOPQSW7S3uAc4yovPFJwTkNJbyDxafGU0F73mT8XYGWg5EfoLhg2c-GtJVllEbTLk43KqSGctzz1MBVE3bRN-N1I/s1600/51613ffb0c07651d7b68c3915c028de1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="511" data-original-width="768" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJdaz2I62HBzguVwS-uMTwh07QukKTjwegLHwF0DfMWdj87lc0eAkvOPQSW7S3uAc4yovPFJwTkNJbyDxafGU0F73mT8XYGWg5EfoLhg2c-GtJVllEbTLk43KqSGctzz1MBVE3bRN-N1I/s400/51613ffb0c07651d7b68c3915c028de1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A German psychiatric hospital is offering alpaca therapy for criminals with mental illnesses</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Offenders with mental health conditions at a southern
German hospital can pitch in with looking after a small herd of alpacas as part
of their therapy.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Staff at the Mainkofen psychiatric hospital in Bavaria
say the aim is for the generally calm animals to help patients develop skills
towards social reintegration.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Those on the programme have daily tasks, such as to
feed the around 10 alpacas, walk them, brush their coats, dress their wounds
and clean out their stables.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Erwin Meier, whose name has been changed for this
report, has helped care for the alpacas since October and believes it has
helped him.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"I like it very much," he said. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUpIIVpBnYGuCej5uYyNxFq9gW5Jpt-pEEd9mD0TSJHaNXKc_u-pTeKPVllqDVhUoaWTCJJIcJut0oUWFIzRQuueSBNLByMb-Did0NSz4sUGvkbSPJyMcA4B0srPluwVR3JCR0o3iDW0w/s1600/35df291e2c6930c4c3054d1303f3c800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="511" data-original-width="768" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUpIIVpBnYGuCej5uYyNxFq9gW5Jpt-pEEd9mD0TSJHaNXKc_u-pTeKPVllqDVhUoaWTCJJIcJut0oUWFIzRQuueSBNLByMb-Did0NSz4sUGvkbSPJyMcA4B0srPluwVR3JCR0o3iDW0w/s400/35df291e2c6930c4c3054d1303f3c800.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Patient Erwin Meier (not his real name) says looking
after alpacas has helped </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">him to control his anger<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"It's fun to work with animals. There is
something to do every day."<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The animals, which can be known to spit, have helped
him to control his anger, said Meier, who did not want to give details about
his conviction. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"I used to get angry quite quickly, I was
impulsive, but it's improved thanks to the animals, because if I get angry,
they get angry too, and the calmer I am, the calmer they are too," he
added.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Hats and blankets</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The programme is open to all patients at the hospital
but intended primarily for offenders.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEADaHz659rzzRdgiLZbCgpCqvcJbPdUWMyO09JPFaPxnBxCoFrr56ROyPev3Kf5WjXKIdmCzK7YioQK67Ox1YYGsjT_lifY_lgk6wjsR7HSQ4WC3WKv6jbW5AaRljHJ-hBrWFmEF0z6o/s1600/7d6042390c94000d8287e528f1af904c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="511" data-original-width="768" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEADaHz659rzzRdgiLZbCgpCqvcJbPdUWMyO09JPFaPxnBxCoFrr56ROyPev3Kf5WjXKIdmCzK7YioQK67Ox1YYGsjT_lifY_lgk6wjsR7HSQ4WC3WKv6jbW5AaRljHJ-hBrWFmEF0z6o/s400/7d6042390c94000d8287e528f1af904c.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Alpaca owner Silke Lederbogen has a farm with about 50
of the animals and </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">uses their wool to make hats and blankets<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If they stay out for too long or outside the authorised
hours, permission to spend time with the alpacas is revoked.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Silke Lederbogen, the programme leader and owner of
the alpacas, runs a nearby farm with her husband with about 50 of the animals,
using their wool to make hats and blankets.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Usually, patients in the hospital do not have
contact with 'normal' people," she said.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But, in walking with the alpacas on the hospital
grounds, they are given the chance to chat and answer questions about the
animals from interested visitors, patients and staff, she added.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"And they can do so competently," she said.</span></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364133975152403908.post-41097450792821458872020-08-04T03:21:00.002+07:002020-08-04T03:21:40.948+07:00Leopards, wolves vanishing from panda conservation areas: study<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/leopards-wolves-vanishing-from-panda-conservation-areas-study/ar-BB17vNGj#image=2" target="_blank">Yahoo – AFP</a>, 3 August 2020</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">It may be one of the most recognisable symbols of
conservation, but efforts to protect the giant panda have failed to safeguard
large mammals sharing its habitats, according to research published Monday
showing dramatic declines of leopards and other predators.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi855YfEFgOfGBYNW0M1Bkv83mGAHq77LnwZ-T-w9d5WA0_B0U3dBjvpN24jAVAko9ZWsmEoeTCsxaorUH5fi9pJz3vFY-GYuC_w2-sY-Rg_GJRQIt9RrDutZOwE708xchcG2QsoLQ18PM/s1600/BB17wpgX.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="493" data-original-width="768" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi855YfEFgOfGBYNW0M1Bkv83mGAHq77LnwZ-T-w9d5WA0_B0U3dBjvpN24jAVAko9ZWsmEoeTCsxaorUH5fi9pJz3vFY-GYuC_w2-sY-Rg_GJRQIt9RrDutZOwE708xchcG2QsoLQ18PM/s400/BB17wpgX.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The giant panda is seen as an 'umbrella' species because its conservation is <br />considered to help many less well-known animals, plants and birds</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXms5O4bqzs_n-VbEiGk0s5BWSLqU7bZ1y4cKkyNk6ph8jPXZ3VkNb8tbRyb6wBL6lSIhlTUBlvPOvVHH7hb59JAEm7Cm0ysAzh9puXnyjkDIIRn9d76GFBuq_ouXrPfHHy7yOHBAlOKE/s1600/BB17wnjY.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="531" data-original-width="768" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXms5O4bqzs_n-VbEiGk0s5BWSLqU7bZ1y4cKkyNk6ph8jPXZ3VkNb8tbRyb6wBL6lSIhlTUBlvPOvVHH7hb59JAEm7Cm0ysAzh9puXnyjkDIIRn9d76GFBuq_ouXrPfHHy7yOHBAlOKE/s400/BB17wnjY.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The giant panda has won the hearts of animal lovers
around the world and images of the bamboo-eating creature with its ink-blot eye
patches have come to represent global efforts to protect biodiversity. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Since conservation efforts began, China has cracked
down on poachers, outlawed the trade in panda hides and mapped out dozens of
protected habitats. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The strategy is considered one of the most ambitious
and high-profile programmes to save a species from extinction -- and it worked.
<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The panda was removed from the International Union for
Conservation of Nature endangered species list in 2016 although it remains
"vulnerable".<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But a new study published on Monday in the journal
Nature Ecology and Evolution has cast doubt over the idea that efforts to
protect the panda automatically help all other animals in its territory. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Researchers found that the leopard, snow leopard, wolf
and dhole -- also known as the Asian wild dog -- have almost disappeared from
the majority of giant panda protected habitats since the 1960s.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The findings "indicate the insufficiency of giant
panda conservation for protecting these large carnivore species," said
Sheng Li, of the School of Life Sciences at Peking University, who led the
research.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The authors compared survey data from the 1950s to
1970s with information from almost 8,000 camera traps taken between 2008 and
2018. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">They found that leopards had disappeared from 81
percent of giant panda reserves, snow leopards from 38 percent, wolves from 77
percent and dholes from 95 percent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The predators face threats from poachers, logging and
disease, the study found.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The authors said a key challenge was that while pandas
may have a home range of up to 13 square kilometres (5 square miles), the four
large carnivores can roam across an area exceeding 100 square kilometres. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sheng Li told AFP that individual panda reserves --
typically around 300-400 sq km -- are too small to support a "viable
population of large carnivores like leopards or dholes".<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">- 'Enormous charisma' - <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Panda conservation has helped protect other animals,
he said, including small carnivores, pheasants and songbirds. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Failing to safeguard large carnivore species
does not erase the power of giant panda as an effective umbrella that has well
sheltered many other species," he added. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But he called for future conservation to see beyond a
single species, or animals with "enormous charisma", to focus on
broader restoration of natural habitats.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">He said he hoped this can be achieved as part of a
proposed new Giant Panda National Park, a long-term programme that would link
up existing habitats over thousands of kilometres to allow isolated populations
to mingle and potentially breed.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The recovery of large carnivore populations would
"increase the resilience and sustainability of the ecosystems not only for
giant pandas but also for other wild species", the researcher added.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The IUCN estimates there are between 500 and 1,000
mature adult pandas in the Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu regions of China. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The conservation group lists the leopard and snow
leopard as vulnerable across the areas they are found in, while the dhole is
listed as endangered.</span></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364133975152403908.post-80325579554239642602020-07-26T04:19:00.000+07:002020-07-26T04:19:10.482+07:00Vietnam suspends wildlife trade as pandemic prods action<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://news.yahoo.com/vietnam-suspends-wildlife-trade-pandemic-prods-action-060012790.html" target="_blank">Yahoo – AFP</a>, July 24, 2020</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAXIcPxHZNQN9Hr9lvT3BbeuSj5dMHlejHH5GDSLEs9yZIsCNg-pRersZQfR7OV4sx-wJKysqThuGF7LH2jtX8tLvhUnBvkIbK3hfOC4fajtGk2Oam5sEUbMNhzAyx70ABtNs3PG7TWOg/s1600/d53d1c5db795a57aebab48c577009341ade2e25e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="511" data-original-width="768" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAXIcPxHZNQN9Hr9lvT3BbeuSj5dMHlejHH5GDSLEs9yZIsCNg-pRersZQfR7OV4sx-wJKysqThuGF7LH2jtX8tLvhUnBvkIbK3hfOC4fajtGk2Oam5sEUbMNhzAyx70ABtNs3PG7TWOg/s400/d53d1c5db795a57aebab48c577009341ade2e25e.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Vietnam, one of Asia's biggest consumers of wildlife products, has suspended <br />all imports of wild animal species "dead or alive" (AFP Photo/HOANG DINH NAM)</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Vietnam, one of Asia's biggest consumers of wildlife
products, has suspended all imports of wild animal species "dead or
alive" and vowed to "eliminate" illegal markets across the
country.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The directive signed by the leader of the Communist
country follows an international scandal over the sale of wildlife, which has
been blamed as the origin of the coronavirus pandemic in neighbouring China.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It is a major victory for conservation groups who have
in the past accused Vietnamese authorities of turning a blind eye to the
rampant trade in endangered species inside and across its borders.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"The prime minister orders the suspension of
imports of wildlife -- dead or alive -- their eggs... parts or
derivatives," said the order released Thursday on the government website.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNjnZY3zaBCRPMfUblRnPNeDDCZFdwRaEJS-xnBqfQhpXSwqdsGp-iR45nSt2i_JvTaUBBNIQFiXKUTicf6Z8cgukcBLupxylDjDglNDi9oC8eh8-ySSawNPG-BB2EsoWyRrohHvXBcvU/s1600/7eca0a97ad7d18503e65bd2ea2fa9b4ffec7e237.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="688" data-original-width="768" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNjnZY3zaBCRPMfUblRnPNeDDCZFdwRaEJS-xnBqfQhpXSwqdsGp-iR45nSt2i_JvTaUBBNIQFiXKUTicf6Z8cgukcBLupxylDjDglNDi9oC8eh8-ySSawNPG-BB2EsoWyRrohHvXBcvU/s400/7eca0a97ad7d18503e65bd2ea2fa9b4ffec7e237.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Graphic on pangolins, the world's most heavily trafficked mammals (AFP Photo/AFP)</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"All citizens, especially officials... must not
participate in illegal poaching, buying, selling, transporting... of illegal
wildlife."</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Among the most frequently smuggled animal goods are
tiger parts, rhino horn and pangolins used in traditional medicine.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Despite the high prices they command -- with
ingredients trafficked from as far as Africa -- there is no scientific evidence
of their health benefits in humans.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Vietnam locked down swiftly to dodge a major health
crisis as COVID-19 emerged, but its economy has been hit hard.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The country will also "resolutely eliminate
market and trading sites which trade wildlife illegally", the edict said
-- warning of a crackdown on the poaching, trafficking, storing and advertising
of animals, birds and reptiles.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkq1N-LNVGfQhl_1Sp5ioT7h-MfZemltIkLgZXztbdEyrTbTvrT2W6POGJlpNyZc7iFaIugtZYaVTaniFh_N-0xiM8RICeyYSS8sSN-ns9vwX5yN0aT_pCj2YgcnxCqj1zlu4W1t1It2o/s1600/204bef536acffee76b2cb88e876289bf05f345fc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="768" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkq1N-LNVGfQhl_1Sp5ioT7h-MfZemltIkLgZXztbdEyrTbTvrT2W6POGJlpNyZc7iFaIugtZYaVTaniFh_N-0xiM8RICeyYSS8sSN-ns9vwX5yN0aT_pCj2YgcnxCqj1zlu4W1t1It2o/s400/204bef536acffee76b2cb88e876289bf05f345fc.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">It is a major victory for conservation groups who have
in the past accused </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Vietnamese authorities of turning a blind eye to the
rampant trade in </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">endangered species (AFP Photo)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Anti-trafficking group Freeland hailed the move as the
most stringent to control the wildlife trade since the pandemic broke out.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Vietnam is to be congratulated for recognising
that COVID-19 and other pandemics are linked to the wildlife trade," said
Steven Glaster, its chairman.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"This trade must be banned as a matter of
international and public health security," he added.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">China, the world's biggest market for illegal wildlife
products, has enacted a similar ban. Vietnam has gone further by taking aim at online
sales and imposing an indefinite ban on the trade.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">While welcoming the move, conservationists warn
enforcement will be a challenge across a country with long porous borders and
poorly paid officials who can be bent by cash.</span></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364133975152403908.post-41627081853334144052020-07-15T02:18:00.004+07:002020-07-15T02:19:31.550+07:00Rare red panda born in Dutch safari park<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2020/07/rare-red-panda-born-in-dutch-safari-park/" target="_blank">DutchNews</a>, July
14, 2020</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiwGG3a_mkbw-vMlKwh4TDP7y4VCRWeoeqSbOxklEsYFuX3Sfu4WwC3fZLfTYbkfRIBX76JwZRAhh7KqFc1I3Y-V59OWVnaeC1DxuZjzbo5RLBKcbfuN4gKkTMBklMG05BWLPHqI5x5cY/s1600/red-panda-deposit-photos-1-560x373.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="373" data-original-width="560" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiwGG3a_mkbw-vMlKwh4TDP7y4VCRWeoeqSbOxklEsYFuX3Sfu4WwC3fZLfTYbkfRIBX76JwZRAhh7KqFc1I3Y-V59OWVnaeC1DxuZjzbo5RLBKcbfuN4gKkTMBklMG05BWLPHqI5x5cY/s400/red-panda-deposit-photos-1-560x373.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">An adult red panda Photo: Depositphotos</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A rare red panda has been born
at the Beekse Bergen safari park in Hilvarenbeek. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In the wild only 2,500 of the
animals are still alive, the park reports, but this newborn is doing well. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">‘We
have every confidence that it will grow up,’ head of animal care Kris Jansen
said. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The mother panda was pregnant for four and a half months and the animal
was born at the beginning of July. The zoo does not yet know if it is male or
female. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">‘In its first period, the young panda is fragile and so we are leaving
the mother and father and their son or daughter in peace,’ he added. ‘We
disturb them as little as possible, don’t enter the nest and this is why we
don’t know the gender of the newborn. Only after three months or so will the
young come out of the nest.’ </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">However, visitors to the zoo might catch a glimpse
of the baby red panda if the mother is cleaning up the nest or temporarily
away. Red pandas mostly live in mountainous forests in China near fast-flowing
rivers, and eat bamboo, fruit and flowers. They grow to about 50 or 60 cm in
height and weigh between three and six kilos, the safari park reports.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nAJ_qVJ_MBY" width="560"></iframe></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364133975152403908.post-82170764571469320372020-07-10T01:45:00.000+07:002020-07-10T01:45:11.350+07:00Cambodia's tourist hotspot bans dog meat trade<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://ph.news.yahoo.com/cambodias-tourist-hotspot-bans-dog-meat-trade-062912417.html" target="_blank">Yahoo – AFP</a>, 8 July 2020</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGzuZHNhEhxBJRkG6jWbMq2z8QsvjKallOZMQJrEi7pEededLT2vnEMQ1yAO_Dm03YrYqb4fxZu-k9vtiCF_FAsJVKUusTBqquYCeWr9Z5JnYC-bcYmYChGgCmD1HBou_bftdkIVgtNzo/s1600/a1c173d337f451c72fa02f2963edec51d13cca71.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="768" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGzuZHNhEhxBJRkG6jWbMq2z8QsvjKallOZMQJrEi7pEededLT2vnEMQ1yAO_Dm03YrYqb4fxZu-k9vtiCF_FAsJVKUusTBqquYCeWr9Z5JnYC-bcYmYChGgCmD1HBou_bftdkIVgtNzo/s400/a1c173d337f451c72fa02f2963edec51d13cca71.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">A dog sits in a cage next to a pit where the animals are drowned at a <br />slaughterhouse in Cambodia</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">The
Cambodian tourist town of Siem Reap has banned the dog meat trade, a victory
for animal rights campaigners who describe the area as the "lynchpin"
of an industry that slaughters millions of creatures each year.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Dog meat, a
cheap source of protein, is eaten in several Asian countries, including
Cambodia, although it is much more popular in neighbouring Vietnam.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But animal
rights group Four Paws has identified Siem Reap province -- home to the famed
Angkor Wat temple complex -- as a hub for the trade within the kingdom, where
they say three million dogs are butchered annually.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Siem Reap
authorities announced a ban late Tuesday, with the provincial agricultural
department saying the dog meat trade has descended into "anarchy" in
recent years.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"It
has caused the infection of rabies and other diseases from one region to
another, which affects the public health," said the statement.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"The
catching, buying, selling and slaughtering of dogs... will be punished
severely."<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The maximum
penalty for dealing in dogs for slaughter as food is five years in prison,
while fines range from 7-50 million riel ($1,700 to $12,200).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">How the ban
will be enforced remains to be seen, as Cambodia has long struggled with lax
policing.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">However,
Four Paws on Wednesday hailed the decision to take out Siem Reap as a
"lynchpin for the Cambodian dog meat trade".<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"We
hope that Siem Reap will serve as a model for the rest of the country to follow
suit," said veterinarian Dr. Katherine Polak.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Their
investigation last year found that the northern province served as a gateway
for the trade, with roving dog catchers nabbing animals and selling them to
over 20 dog meat restaurants in the tourist city.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Thousands
are also transported each month to different parts of the country, including
the capital Phnom Penh where there are still more than 100 restaurants.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">On
Wednesday, a streetside vendor in the capital continued to advertise dog meat
on his menu, hawking barbecue dishes from $2.50 to $10 a kilogram.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Tourism to
Cambodia has seized up due to the coronavirus pandemic.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Siem Reap
draws the bulk of the kingdom's six million tourists, nearly half from China.</span></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364133975152403908.post-47557260287113885742020-07-09T03:40:00.002+07:002020-07-09T03:40:22.310+07:00Sri Lanka rangers spot possible rare baby elephant twins<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://news.yahoo.com/sri-lanka-rangers-spot-possible-rare-baby-elephant-094101142.html" target="_blank">Yahoo – AFP</a>,
July 8, 2020</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Nawl4PpKExUA_K8_NbbCTAWNk3jKqp2RXOkAOAZ-y5rt1ZIDcmvcUCPQdjFbO1aH9VIaNzeLg1EJOn5IL2S5ycGv8Y3wFBKkY4YHCm23qcCKb0bzR_2FUnZ8Ycbh87NrlM8RxCT4t-c/s1600/acdf3bcb26d8d203749a16c7e6c96f4f58006bc9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="768" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Nawl4PpKExUA_K8_NbbCTAWNk3jKqp2RXOkAOAZ-y5rt1ZIDcmvcUCPQdjFbO1aH9VIaNzeLg1EJOn5IL2S5ycGv8Y3wFBKkY4YHCm23qcCKb0bzR_2FUnZ8Ycbh87NrlM8RxCT4t-c/s400/acdf3bcb26d8d203749a16c7e6c96f4f58006bc9.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The young tuskers - who rangers estimate are three to four weeks old - were <br />spotted in the Minneriya sanctuary in Sri Lanka (AFP Photo/SUMITH PILAPITIYA)</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A pair of
baby elephants feeding from the same mother have been spotted in a Sri Lankan
national park, with officials speculating Wednesday the two could be a rare set
of twins.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The young
tuskers -- who rangers estimate are three to four weeks old -- were spotted in
the Minneriya sanctuary about 200 kilometres (125 miles) north-east of Colombo,
grazing with a herd of about a dozen elephants.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After
observing the pair from a distance, officials are confident enough to "say
they are twins," Department of Wildlife Conservation Director-General
Tharaka Prasad told AFP.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The two
were also photographed feeding from the same cow on Monday by renowned conservationist
Sumith Pilapitiy, who also told AFP he believed the two were twins.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rangers
were carrying out DNA tests on the herd's dung to confirm, Prasad said.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If the
results matched, it would mark the first time wildlife officials on the Indian
Ocean island had sighted twins alongside their mother, he added.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The
sighting was near the area where seven elephants died from poisoning in
September, in an act blamed on local farmers.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Nearly 200
elephants are killed every year on the island, many by farmers after the
pachyderms stray onto their land.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Marauding
elephants kill an average of 50 people annually, mostly when they stray into
villages near their habitat.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The
country's elephant population has declined to just over 7,000 according to the
latest census, down from an estimated 12,000 in the early 1900s.</span></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364133975152403908.post-88106919350509482102020-07-04T04:32:00.002+07:002020-07-04T04:32:19.899+07:00China aims to phase out sale of live poultry at food markets<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://news.yahoo.com/china-aims-phase-slaughter-sale-live-poultry-150151322.html" target="_blank">Yahoo – AFP</a>,
July 3, 2020</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCIirsU-ZclvAFwWxJKtUUDlqKnZPoMnmC2UCtVod1lXgm3MqqqDdwRk6SYBqH1eYkQGSVVMjy7P_qp-4NlPgMNXULs5MdLsPPK_lpjjOHC2LNRvzAviwh8uPnUvhE49UItfGWpY9bGdw/s1600/eb3bab5426a01946161add62590a1e5251f1fe2d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="768" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCIirsU-ZclvAFwWxJKtUUDlqKnZPoMnmC2UCtVod1lXgm3MqqqDdwRk6SYBqH1eYkQGSVVMjy7P_qp-4NlPgMNXULs5MdLsPPK_lpjjOHC2LNRvzAviwh8uPnUvhE49UItfGWpY9bGdw/s400/eb3bab5426a01946161add62590a1e5251f1fe2d.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The virus is believed to have emerged at a market that sold live animals<br />in the central city of Wuhan late last year (AFP Photo/Hector RETAMAL)</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">China on
Friday vowed to gradually phase out the slaughter and sale of live poultry at
food markets, in a move welcomed by animal rights activists amid the
coronavirus pandemic.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The
announcement came as China stepped up inspections of wholesale food markets and
outlawed the sale and consumption of wildlife, after a recent COVID-19 outbreak
in Beijing was traced to a major agricultural wholesale market.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The virus
is believed to have emerged at a market that sold live animals in the central
city of Wuhan late last year.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"China
will restrict the trading and slaughter of live poultry, encourage the mass
slaughter of live poultry in places with certain conditions, and gradually
close live poultry markets," said Chen Xu, an official at the State
Administration of Market Regulation, at a press briefing.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Live
poultry kept in cages is a common sight in agricultural wholesale food markets
and "wet markets" -- smaller-scale fresh food markets -- across
China.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The poultry
is traditionally butchered on the spot by stallholders, or buyers can opt to
slaughter the live animal at home.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Some
Chinese people traditionally believe that this allows for maximum freshness.
Live seafood, amphibians and other creatures are also commonly sold at wet
markets.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Scientists
believe the pathogen originated in bats before jumping to humans through a
yet-unknown animal intermediary.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Chen urged
local governments across China to "strengthen supervision of food safety
at agricultural wholesale markets" and "investigate hidden safety
risks", taking the Beijing Xinfadi market virus hotspot as an example.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"It is
understood that more than 70 percent of meat, poultry, seafood, fruit and
vegetables enter the market through wholesale agricultural markets," he
said.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There are
more than 4,100 wholesale markets nationwide, a commerce ministry official told
the briefing.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The
announcement was welcomed by animal rights groups.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"We
are happy to see that live-poultry markets are on their way out in China,"
said Jason Baker, senior vice president of PETA Asia.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"PETA
hopes the State Administration of Market Supervision and Administration
continues to stretch their wings and ban all live-animal markets
nationwide."</span></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364133975152403908.post-69009920594867776752020-06-27T02:46:00.001+07:002020-06-27T02:46:12.253+07:00MPs vote to close mink farms early, after coronavirus hits 17 farms<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2020/06/mps-vote-to-close-mink-farms-early-after-coronavirus-hits-17-farms/" target="_blank">DutchNews</a>, June 26, 2020 </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVN3_ai0df0yLodLLYgvEi5eqKuFwUbJ-MVnVuSBKBnKV-xcLn6lzs9Te6zG2D7Zaqs6jsdW_8IH4L3JghZcQACAQZomghFMGL6V6dYJbsAmDs5rOtibP28gcx2mySVTcIGG00ts3Gz3k/s1600/mink-560x373.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="373" data-original-width="560" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVN3_ai0df0yLodLLYgvEi5eqKuFwUbJ-MVnVuSBKBnKV-xcLn6lzs9Te6zG2D7Zaqs6jsdW_8IH4L3JghZcQACAQZomghFMGL6V6dYJbsAmDs5rOtibP28gcx2mySVTcIGG00ts3Gz3k/s400/mink-560x373.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Mink on a fur farm. Photo: Dzīvnieku brīvība via Flickr </span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">A majority of MPs voted
earlier this week to close down the Dutch mink farming sector three years ahead
of schedule, after coronavirus outbreaks on 17 farms in Brabant and Limburg. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Over 600,000 mink have been gassed since Covid-19 was first found on two farms
at the heart of the mink farming industry in Brabant. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">MPs voted in favour of a
motion drawn up by Esther Ouwehand, from the pro-animal PvdD, to end mink
farming and to ensure the farms which have been have been emptied because of
Covid-19 cannot fill their cages again. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">‘Mink farming is not only morally
disgusting but a danger for human health,’ Ouwehand said. ‘And by stopping now,
rather than in 2024, millions of mink will be spared a miserable life.’ </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">There
are some 200 mink farms in the Netherlands operated by 165 companies, and the
Netherlands is the third biggest mink producer in the world behind Denmark and
China. MPs agreed in 2013 to phase out the industry by the end of 2023. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">A
spokeswoman for farm minister Carola Schouten told DutchNews.nl</span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">she is working on plans to help mink farmers
stop close down their farms ahead of schedule, but did not comment on the
parliamentary vote. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">The vote in the lower house of parliament does not mean fur
farming will actually be phased out early. The upper house of parliament will
also have to vote in favour and it is unclear if there would be majority
support.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7364133975152403908.post-83918254690843737752020-06-22T03:04:00.002+07:002020-06-22T03:04:31.532+07:00Canada launches investigation after 38 dead puppies found on plane<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://news.yahoo.com/canada-launches-investigation-38-dead-puppies-found-plane-203915555.html" target="_blank">Yahoo – AFP</a>,
June 20, 2020</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHFWfTbK_mhneNZ52PG9oUH-hgVWikKTllToAy9bOAy4pa6EdtE-B60yiNf-RlaG8ARahTf82W4s991ecr-dPPirYUtmXXucTzTPGaIcc412fEbqPWG9PUtiHhduTYvWFxcUtL5Rr9e8E/s1600/b70fcbc0dab7c35a8077f0c5a9f59ddb11240bb5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="511" data-original-width="768" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHFWfTbK_mhneNZ52PG9oUH-hgVWikKTllToAy9bOAy4pa6EdtE-B60yiNf-RlaG8ARahTf82W4s991ecr-dPPirYUtmXXucTzTPGaIcc412fEbqPWG9PUtiHhduTYvWFxcUtL5Rr9e8E/s400/b70fcbc0dab7c35a8077f0c5a9f59ddb11240bb5.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">French bulldogs, like those pictured here, are a popular breed in Canada<br />(AFP Photo/Gary Gershoff)</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Montreal
(AFP) - Canada has launched an investigation after some 500 puppies -- 38 of
them dead -- were found on board a Ukraine International Airlines plane at the
Toronto airport, officials said Saturday.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The
surviving French bulldogs, a popular breed in Canada, were suffering from
symptoms including dehydration, weakness and vomiting when they were found on
the flight from Ukraine which landed at Toronto Pearson Airport on June 13, the
Canadian Food Inspection Agency said in a statement.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The agency
"will determine next steps once the investigation is complete," it
said.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A dog
handler who was picking up another animal from the airport cargo area where the
puppies were discovered last Saturday told the CBC of a "horror
scene," adding: "It was a nightmare."<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">UIA offered
its "condolences for the tragic loss of animal life on our flight"
and said on Facebook that it was working with local authorities.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Puppy sales
are "lucrative" in Canada, Scott Weese of the University of Guelph
told the CBC.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Most buyers
believe the animals are bred in Canada, but the reality is "we have no
idea how many dogs come in, where they go, where they come from," he said,
adding that there was "potentially some organized crime component."<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"You
mentioned 500 French bulldogs. If those are going for sale at $3,000 to $4,000
a dog, that's a massive amount of money," he told the broadcaster.</span></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0