Occupy  for  Animals!
  • Welcome!
    • 99% >
      • Corporate Ecocide. It’s much more than Monsanto
      • Nature is the 99%, too
      • who Is really occupying your plate?
      • Why Occupy?
      • quotes & thoughts >
        • Quotations
      • we are all one
      • changing times >
        • Awakening ~ let the great revolution begin!
        • The Riot Dog
    • about us >
      • who we are and why we do what we do
      • get in touch with us!
      • Our other websites
      • support us
      • the gratitude page
      • find us on Facebook
      • follow us on Twitter
      • for Amber, with love...
      • blocked from our pages?
      • copyright infringement notification
    • wake up call >
      • animal kill counter
      • Holocaust on a Conveyor Belt - Assembly Line of Death
      • Don't do to others what you would not want others to do to you! >
        • what are factory farms hiding? See for yourself!
      • Earth ~ our only HOME!
      • Earthlings
      • The Superior Human?
    • consider >
      • animal kill counter >
        • the vegan revolution has started in Israel
        • 'Italian & Vegan' ~ vegan alternatives to Italian food
      • animals ~ be a guardian not an owner
      • animals and the catholic church
      • Bill & Lou
      • forgotten lessons of human-animal system
      • Scientists declare: nonhuman animals are conscious ~ Cambridge Declaration on Consciousness from July 7, 2011
      • Gandhi was vegetarian, whether you like it or not
      • selective compassion >
        • speciesism >
          • Are speciesists stupid?
        • The immorality and hypocrisy of our present diet
      • let compassion be your guide
      • Vegan: more than a diet, more than a lifestyle
      • animals' natural rights >
        • animal rights - by Dr Tom Regan
        • the theory of animal rights - by Professor Gary L. Francione >
          • the abolitionist approach
      • universal declaration of animal rights
    • Our petitions to the EU (European Union)
    • Europe's homeless animals >
      • Stray domestic animals are NOT 'wild animals'!
      • Europe's homeless animals - campaign
      • EU, when do you think it is time to act?
      • Tom Animalpastor in Brussels ~ Quo Vadis Europa?
      • EU: make spaying and neutering compulsory!
      • European tourist countries ~ the ugly truth
      • Italy ~ the Mafia involved in shelter activities
      • Sofia ~ Corruption and shady practices hinder the management of stray animals population
      • Turkey intends to kill all stray animals
    • the EU on animal welfare >
      • The European Institutions and the power of inaction
      • We demand that the EU create a Directorate-General for Animal Welfare
      • The spotlights have been switched on and they are shining brightly into the bedrooms of the EU and our EU-Sleeping Beauty has already opened her eyes. But when will she get up, at last?
      • On the press conference given on 12th of February, 2014 by MEP Andrea Zanoni and MEP Janusz WOJCIECHOWSKI regarding their visits in Romania and the mistreatment of Romanian dogs
      • Our observations to IREC's 'Right to Reply' from 7th of March, 2014 concerning the article called 'Neglect of Stray Dogs - MEPs Deliver Damning Indictment of Romania's Mismanagement' published by Dr Rita Pal on Huffington Post
      • animal cloning for food production in the EU
      • EU Animal Health Law
      • Cosmetics: the final ban will come into force in March 2013 and no cosmetic products or ingredients will be allowed to be sold in the EU if tested on animals
      • REACH ~ we have until 2018 to save up to 54 million animals from being poisoned and killed
      • John Dalli denis his commitments regarding animal transports made publicly on June 7, 2012 after one week!
      • MEPs demand an end to hotch-potch laws, with EU-wide measures to protect all animals
      • MEP Tiziano Motti: "Europe should apply non-bloody solutions for strays" (Press Release)
      • New EU-strategy fails to highlight benefits of animal welfare for animals and people
      • Proposed animal tests for GM food and feed ignore science and are totally unnecessary
      • Thousands of dogs and other animals spared cruel chemical tests in Europe
      • European convention for the protection of pet animals
      • written declaration on dog population management in the European Union
      • News from Eurogroup for Animals >
        • ritual slaughter exemptions cause animal suffering and put consumers at risks
        • Serious animal welfare failures revealed in Spanish slaughterhouses
    • Tom Animalpastor will be at St Peter's Square on 4th of October 2013
    • this & that >
      • ACTA: The new threat to the net
      • Stop PIPA & SOPA
      • Carole Raphaelle Davis - a soap-opera actress is on collision course
      • a message received and our answer concerning the 'traditional funeral ceremony' in Sumba Island, Indonesia
      • Is there Racism in the Animal Rights movement?
      • 80-year-old lady faces charges for feeding birds
      • For the producers and management of 7 stars TV
    • famous activists >
      • Animal Liberation Front ~ Modern Day Heroes >
        • Britches ~ the story
      • Captain Paul Watson and the real reason for his arrest
      • Gary Yourofsky on animal rights and veganism
      • Jill Phipps - tribute to a heroine
      • Wild Time Radio with Thomas Janak
    • inspirational stories... >
      • Act as if what you do makes a difference
      • "Animals are our friends, not our food,” says Lo Hung-hsien (駱鴻賢), a former pork raiser
      • Bella & Tara ~ real love and friendship knows no differences!
      • Canelo ~ 12 years waiting for his friend
      • Change comes with the children
      • Gülümser, the miracle cat
      • a homeless man, a dog, a cat... and a rat!
      • Lucky's incredible fight for life
      • Masrya's story
      • Rats - the APOPO HeroRATS detect landmines and Tuberculosis
      • The Witness
      • The worlds' bravest mouse
    • how children from Khalsa Montessori School in Arizona have helped dogs in Bosnia Herzegovina
    • Masrya's story
    • OFA's selection of newsletter written by Dr Carmen Arsene, FNPA
  • all connected
    • do you want to become extinct? >
      • Study predicts imminent irreversible planetary collapse
      • Arctic oil drilling
      • Climate change rate could be faster than thought, study suggests >
        • Global warming ~ not only is it real, it is accelerating, scientists say
        • Global warming's terrifying new math
        • How the climate will change ~ The role of latent heat of fusion in global warming
        • the methane time bomb
      • the global water crisis >
        • Tapped - is water a human right? Or a commodity?
        • "Water is a human right" - the first ECI to collect one million signatures
        • All the Water on Planet Earth
      • Dead oceans, dead planet >
        • 75% of world's coral reefs under threat, new analysis finds
        • Ocean acidification ~ the other carbon dioxide problem
        • Little has been done to protect marine life since the 1992 Rio Earth Summit
        • All the Water on Planet Earth
      • Earth's lung ~ deforestation and the construction of the Belo Monte dam are destroying the Amazon
      • Earth tipping point study in Nature Journal predicts disturbing and unpredictable changes
      • in the era of Ecocide...
      • Fukushima ~ the fate of Japan and the whole world depends on reactor No.4
      • Oil sands, tar sands or, more technically, bituminous sands, are a GLOBAL threat
      • UN urges global move to meat and dairy-free diet
      • UN issues 'final wake-up call' on population and environment
    • meat, the truth >
      • are humans designed to eat meat?
      • human starvation
      • killing fields ~ the battle to feed factory farms
      • Raising Resistance explores Latin American farmers’ struggle against the expanding production of genetically modified soy in South America
      • meat consumption and the destruction of our planet >
        • UN urges global move to meat and dairy-free diet
        • Livestock's long shadow
        • Livestock and Climate Change
      • meat demand and deforestation
      • meat production and water shortage >
        • Unsustainable water use depleting the world's major aquifers
      • meat is murder? more like suicide! >
        • Mad cow disease has hit the U.S. (April 25, 2012)
      • factory farms >
        • Rivers of Waste: The hazardous truth about factory farms
        • what are factory farms hiding? See for yourself!
      • making the connection
    • dangerous food >
      • the Monsanto Monster >
        • Study reveals that "safe" levels of Monsanto's GM corn and the chemical herbicide Roundup (glyphosate) are directly linked to causing cancerous tumors
        • How GMO foods alter organ function and pose a very real health threat to humans
        • Monsanto & The Genetic Conspiracy
        • Huge victory against GMOs as Monsanto driven out of the UK by consumer protests
      • animal cloning for food production in the EU
      • A quarter of all burgers tainted with drug-resistant bacteria
      • FDA admits chicken meat contains cancer-causing arsenic
      • Food Inc.
      • MRSA found in British milk: Superbug strain can cause serious infections in humans and is resistant to antibiotics
      • pesticide in agriculture ~ the slow poisoning of India
      • GMO pig development gets $500,000 from USDA
      • Enviropig - mouse and e coli genes injected into a Yorkshire pig embryo
      • Rendering... the grotesque and disrespectful way we continue to exploit animals, objectify them and commodify them even in death
      • You and your cat and Mad Cow Disease
    • organic ~ the green revolution
    • palm oil
    • Romania – the systemic evil of corruption, ignorance and indifference
    • hurt an animal, hurt a child! >
      • 'Making The Link' - A time for change...
      • Europe watches as a nation's psychological health erodes on a hitherto unimaginable scale
      • Peasenhall Primary School children rear pigs to send to butcher
    • Mexico's historic Oil Reform could plunge the country in even more poverty and misery, and protected natural areas would lose that status
    • articles of interest >
      • genetically modified cows produce 'human' milk
      • genetically modified rice created to produce human blood
    • The Benefits of Being Kind
    • SAMSARA - a documentary about Culture, Nature & Wildlife
  • fashion
    • alpaca
    • angora
    • cashmere
    • down
    • fur ~ general >
      • fur ~ fur farms
      • fur ~ fur traders & manufacturers
      • fur ~ Karakul lambs don't live older than three days
      • fur ~ fur is NOT green
      • fur ~ fur free
      • ban fur farms in the European Union
      • ban fur farms in Sweden
      • Kopenhagen Fur partnerships with Tivoli - Boycott them both!
      • black bears – the source of fur for Britain's Royal Guards' caps
      • seal hunt in Canada
      • seal slaughter in Namibia >
        • CITES must now protect cape fur seals in Namibia from extinction - Here is HOW
    • leather ~ general >
      • leather ~ India is one of the largest leather manufacturers in the world
      • leather ~ Millions of kangaroos are killed each year for their skin
      • leather ~ Pythons are the latest victims of fashion's new obsession
    • shahtoosh
    • shearling
    • silk
    • vicuña
    • wool
  • food
    • ALL about meat (including petition)
    • animal kill counter >
      • Holocaust on a Conveyor Belt - Assembly Line of Death (Samsara)
      • are humans designed to eat meat?
      • killing plants
    • from farm to fridge >
      • factory farms - definition
      • factory farming
      • livestock auctions
      • transportation >
        • Australia ~ shocking new evidence of live export breaches >
          • Indonesia - cattle being lifted by a crane from ropes tied to their heads
        • John Dalli denies his commitments regarding animal transports made publicly on June 7, 2012 after one week!
        • Truck with 31 bulls stranded at the Bulgaria/Turkey border
        • EU: report on animal transport successfully adopted in plenary
        • Jill Phipps - tribute to a heroine
      • Killing for a living
      • slaughter
      • Ritual slaughter for halal and kosher meat - all you need to know >
        • Denmark - Halal and kosher slaughter banned, as minister says 'animal rights come before religion'
        • Egregious brutality exposed at Israel’s leading kosher meat processor, Tnuva in Beit Shean, Israel
      • Ban religious slaughter throughout Europe >
        • ritual slaughter exemptions cause animal suffering and put consumers at risks
        • Top UK vet slams "unacceptable" slaughter of animals without prior stunning
      • The last moments of their life ~ an investigation by Elige Veganismo
      • Rendering... the grotesque and disrespectful way we continue to exploit animals, objectify them and commodify them even in death
      • You and your cat and Mad Cow Disease
    • bushmeat
    • cattle and cows >
      • Belgian Blue
      • milk is cruel >
        • Mothers against Dairy (external link)
      • veal
      • India ~ cow slaughter and the illegal cattle mafia
      • India is the world's biggest milk producer and all set to become the world's leading beef exporter in 2012
      • Mercy For Animals investigation exposes sadistic animal abuse at Burger King dairy supplier
    • dog meat >
      • Dog meat trade in Bali
      • dog meat trade in China
      • Thousands of dogs massacred for instant noodles in Jilin Province, China
      • Yulin Dog Meat Festival in China
      • the truth about 'pressed dog' actually known as 'waxed meat' in Mandarin
      • dog meat consumption in Nigeria
      • dog meat trade in South Korea
      • Dog meat trafficking
    • elephant meat
    • fish >
      • Bluefin tunas brutally slaughtered in Italy
      • dolphin slaughter in Taiji >
        • The Cove ~ full documentary
      • shark fin
      • whale hunt >
        • Whale hunt - Faeroe Islands' cruel, shameful tradition
        • Japan using tsunami funds for whaling hunt
        • South Korea vows 'scientific' whaling
      • over-fishing
      • Lance Armstrong's Livestrong website gives tips about how to cook various shark meats
    • goat milk
    • horse >
      • horse-meat scandal in Europe ~ organised criminal gangs operating internationally are suspected of playing a major role
    • Kopi luwak or civet coffee
    • lambs & sheep >
      • lambs ~ born to die for Easter
    • live sushi
    • pigs >
      • pig business >
        • Canada: Pig abuse exposed at pork supplier to major Canadian grocery stores
        • Canada - about 1,300 weanlings were shot dead at Manitoba hog farm
        • Thousands of dead pigs found in Shanghai river, China
        • Shocking brutality at East Anglian Pig Co. revealed by Animal Equality
        • Pigs brutally stabbed with swords on Spanish pig farm to supply leading UK Supermarket Morrisons
        • Shocking cruelty inside Harling Farm (AJ Edwards & son) UK >
          • Pigs suffer greatly despite concerns for the welfare
        • Sickening scenes at Freedom Food Pig Farm
        • Walmart's pork supplier exposed
    • poultry >
      • chickens >
        • American egg industry bill would keep hens in cages forever
      • turkeys
      • foie gras
    • Rabbits
    • reindeer
    • green turtles are considered a delicacy in Bali and are being smuggled and slaughtered under the disguise of ritual and religious purposes
    • Killing for a living
    • Why vegan? (external link)
    • animals should be off the menu!
    • The Emotional World of Farm Animals ~ a documentary
    • articles of interest >
      • Will the amendment to the Farm Bill introduced by Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) nullify laws against animal cruelty?
      • Ag Gag Bill dead in Florida
      • Five states now have 'Ag-Gag' laws on the books
      • California's slaughterhouse law overturned by Supreme Court
      • Farmers on red alert over outbreaks of new livestock disease
    • more about food... >
      • animal cloning for food production in the EU
      • bugs as food?
      • grow your own food
      • mad cow disease has hit the U.S. (April 25, 2012)
      • meat is murder? more like suicide!
      • why meat is addictive?
      • why are you addicted to cheese?
      • Swedish agricultural authorities are recommending a tax to reduce meat consumption and say such a levy should be adopted across the European Union
      • The Incredible Vegan Health Report (by Viva! Health)
      • U.S. vegan population doubles in only two years
      • 'Italian & Vegan' ~ vegan alternatives to Italian food
  • fun
    • exploitation of Asian elephants
    • camel races *
    • circus >
      • travelling Dolphin circus
    • dancing bears
    • diving horse
    • Dog races ~ Greyhounds are running for their life!
    • dolphinarium >
      • Lolita ~ slave to entertainment
      • Animal suffering at 'Marineland'
    • hunting >
      • hunting dogs ~ Galgo and Podencos
      • Fox hunting >
        • UK government: Leave fox hunting where it belongs - in the history books!
      • Salburun, which means "Hunter's Zest" in Kyrgyz language, has been held annually since 1997
      • trophy hunting >
        • Canned Hunting - Born to be killed - Lion hunting in South Africa
    • horse dressage
    • horse races >
      • Omak suicide horse race
    • Mutton Busting: both child abuse and animal abuse
    • rodeo ~ a legalized abuse of animals for COWARDS!
    • Romania tourist information
    • sled dog races *
    • sport fishing *
    • Tourist attraction - baby bear torn away from her mother to be used as tourist attraction in Ukraine
    • zoo >
      • Egypt's zoos ~ hell holes for animals! >
        • Egypt ~ the animals at Giza Zoo are in grave danger during unrest in Cairo
        • Egypt ~ The "mysterious" death of three American black bears at Giza Zoo
        • Egyptian zoos ~ the elephants, Karema and Naeema, are short-chained at Giza zoo
        • Masrya's story
  • greed
    • Earth's lung ~ deforestation and the construction of the Belo Monte dam are destroying the Amazon
    • 'Art' ~ animals killed/used in the name of 'art' >
      • Adel Abdessemed
      • Damien Hirst
      • Guillermo Habacuc Vargas
      • 'Die Guillotine' ~ Perversity from Germany
      • Hermann Nitsch
      • Katinka Simons, aka TINKEBELL
      • Nathalia Edenmont
      • Ondrej Brody and Kristofer Paetau
    • bear baiting >
      • bear baiting in Pakistan
      • bear baiting in South Carolina
    • bear bile farming *
    • breeding * >
      • puppy mills, puppy farms, pet shops *
      • teacup puppies *
    • corruption >
      • Prihvatilište KS Prača, commonly known as ‘Praca’, is a dog concentration camp in Sarajevo (B&H)
      • Sofia ~ Corruption and shady practices hinder the management of stray animals population
      • India ~ cow slaughter and the illegal cattle mafia
      • Italy ~ the Mafia involved in shelter activities
      • Romania - what you should know before visiting
      • The Romanian 'extermination enterprise'
      • Romania - THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY
      • Romania ~ organized crime & stray dog business >
        • the mayor of Botosani wants to send the city's stray dogs to Constanta, on a dubious 'pilot project'
        • Romania ~ a country cries out for revenge after the tragic death of a four-year-old boy who had been attacked by dogs
        • Oradea-dog-shelter, once Romania's privately funded pilot project par excellence, has become a living hell for the animals since the municipality has taken it over
        • Timisoara - the municipality pays huge sums of taxpayer's money to Danyflor to care for the stray dogs, but they receive not even a drop of water in their shelter. So where does the money go?
    • cock fighting *
    • dog fighting >
      • Rep. Steve King defends the right to watch dog fighting
      • Dog fighting in Pakistan
      • Dog Fighting in South Korea
    • horse fighting *
    • horse races in Italy
    • Italian Mafia making millions from brutal horse races
    • ivory trade >
      • Ivory fuels wars and profits
    • rhinoceros (Rhino) horn
    • Romania's homeless animals... no-one ever wanted them. Except PROTAN!
    • Romania ~ Roșia Montană, Europe's largest gold mine: a lot of gold, a lot of money and a lot of cyanide
    • SCAMMERS - How to recognize them, using the example of Jamie Hunt & Col Bayes
    • China reopens trade in tiger and leopard skins (2011)
    • wildlife trafficking
    • wombat Forest and its waters under threat of gold mining contamination
  • labour
    • horse carriage *
    • working animals >
      • Nepal ~ Brick kiln donkeys face the most extreme working conditions, excruciating injuries and disease
  • research
    • animal experimentation ~ hidden crimes >
      • Britches ~ the story
      • Rabbit test 1927
      • The 'smoking Beagles'
    • animal experimentation & vivisection >
      • Botox
      • Fetal Bovine Serum or Fetal Calf Serum
      • Iams / Eukanuba pet food
      • Premarin
      • Xenotransplantation - trading in spare parts
    • inside laboratories >
      • AstraZeneca: please set the Beagles free!
      • Donetsk Medical University, Ukraine ~ appalling living conditions and barbaric experiments conducted on dogs and other animals
      • Europe's biggest vivarium in Azambuja, Portugal
      • Green Hill, Montichiari, Italy
      • Mansoura University ~ merciless killing of donkeys as a mean of education
      • Animal testing and monkey business at Monash University, Australia
      • Monkeys killed for being of the 'wrong size'
      • University of Texas
      • University of Wisconsin–Madison conducts horrific experiments on cats
      • Wayne State University’s Inhumane Dog Experiments: Queenie’s Story
    • animal cloning for food production in the EU
    • animal experimentation - good science versus bad science
    • 1,000 doctors (and many more) against vivisection
    • animal experiments - safer medicines >
      • Cancer - The forbidden cures
    • Beagles are the dog breed most often used in animal testing, due to their size and passive nature
    • Cosmetics: the final ban will come into force in March 2013 and no cosmetic products or ingredients will be allowed to be sold in the EU if tested on animals
    • India, Government bans use of live animals for education and research
    • Iran plans to send monkey into space
    • Italy ~ 86% of Italians want to abolish vivisection >
      • News from 'Occupy Green Hill' >
        • Green Hill seized by police
        • Green Hill, Montichiari, Italy
        • 8th of May, 2012 International Day of Action against Green Hill and Vivisection
      • Italy: Make vivisection history (campaign)
    • List of animal derived ingredients and additives
    • Make vivisection history!
    • NIH Decision signals the beginning of the end for medical research on chimps
    • REACH ~ we have until 2018 to save up to 54 million animals from being poisoned and killed
    • UK - Government opens laboratory gates to lost pets, protects secrecy, poisoning and electrocution
    • Western beauty giants selling their brands to China's fast-growing middle classes are threatening to reverse years of progress in reducing animal testing
  • society
    • animal abuse >
      • animal abusers - named & shamed! >
        • Staff of the Faculty Of Veterinary Medicine Cairo University (FOVMCU) threw dogs off the third floor after experimenting on them
        • Alabama, "Purple Hearted Puppies" charged in an extreme case of animal neglect and abuse
        • Brazil, Camilla Corrêa Alves de Moura Araújo - a practicing nurse killed a little Yorkshire in front of her child
        • Bulgaria ~ Lynch mob enters private property and beats defenseless crippled doggy while TV-reporters film the scene and the police does nothing
        • Bulgaria, Raycho Ivanov, from Topolovo, tied his dog to the drawbar of his car and dragged him for many kilometers ~ 'Making The Link' initiator, Malcolm Plant, writes to the prosecutors
        • Cyprus - stray puppy thrown into cardboard crushing machine on the orders of the manager of 'Anastasia Beach Hotel' in Protaras
        • Greece, priest shot dog for trespassing the convent yard in Patra
        • Greece, a so-called shepherd systematically neglected his dog, brutally beat it and gouged out its eyes
        • Greece, Salamina ~ a man shot in cold blood a stray for trespassing his garden
        • Greece, a man of Albanian nationality tried to kill three dogs with a sledgehammer
        • Animals being mistreated at the University of Guadalajara, Mexico
        • UK, Robert Payne, ex-councillor for Keighley West, killed four kittens in barbaric attack
        • three Vietnamese soldiers tortured and skinning alive before eviscerating and barbecuing two rare monkeys
      • Bulgaria - Mrs Zinaida Zlatanova, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice, confirmed that the penalties for cruelties for animals will NOT be lessened
      • cruelty to animals and connections (incl. petition to the EU)
      • animal abuse - how to report
      • never be silent!
    • animal crush videos
    • bestiality zoophilia >
      • animal rape and animal brothel
    • BSL (Breed Specific Legislation) fails to target the problem: bad dog owners
    • Egypt ~ when migrating birds collide with wind turbines
    • British Government euthanizes 800 war dogs!
    • Camel cull in Australia
    • capitivity >
      • Help to save the Bosnian bears from euthanasia
    • Chernobyl - life in the dead zone
    • China ~ live animal key-rings for sale on street markets
    • companion animals ~ pets >
      • black cat superstitions & black dog syndrome
      • companion animal overpopulation
      • So you’re thinking about giving up your pet? You might want to reconsider!
      • gas chambers >
        • Daniel's Law ~ please help to make it pass!
        • Dogs being burned alive at Ohio shelter
        • Japan's radical response to abandoned dog problem
      • Helping Animals in Gaza
      • portraits taken on the very day in which the animal depicted is about to be put down or mercifully killed
      • Puppy mills (puppy farms) - prisoners for profit
      • the economic benefits of no kill animal control
      • a NO KILL NATION for just one day!
      • We want justice for Buddy
    • Coyotes - California city council of Seal Beach had decided that trapping and gassing coyotes in mobile gas chambers was good enough - until a public backlash caused them to abandon this misguided plan. But there are no laws to actually prevent it.
    • Democracy - The Romanian Way
    • dogs ~ man's best friends >
      • the sad of case of Lennox, the dog >
        • Lennox ''humanely put to sleep' , Belfast City Council confirmed on July 11, 2012
        • World declares war on Belfast!
        • One last push of urgent e-mails needed for a Lennox miracle
        • First Minister Peter Robinson has made a last-minute intervention to try and save the life of Lennox
      • China, a new policy proclaimed in Harbin Province prohibits large dogs
      • Denmark - 13 dog breeds are now banned, 12 more are lined up!
      • The Riot Dog
      • lost dogs
    • stray dogs - the anonymous >
      • Stray animals are NOT 'wild animals'
      • Bosnia & Herzegovina: on 3rd of October, 2013 the parliament will vote on whether to implement the "Romanian model" or not - if they, too, will kill all homeless dogs 2 weeks after capture
      • Bosnia & Herzegovina: if the law from 2009 gets suspended, the killing of stray animals would resume! >
        • Horror dog shelter in Bihać, Bosnia & Herzegovina
        • Prihvatilište KS Prača, commonly known as ‘Praca’, is a dog concentration camp in Sarajevo (B&H)
      • Bulgaria, the stray dogs of Sofia are in eminent danger! >
        • Sofia ~ Corruption and shady practices hinder the management of stray animals population
        • No mercy for stray dogs in Sofia
      • Egypt has organized intensive campaigns against stray animals. The animals are being poisoned with strychnine and/or shot dead with rifles
      • EU, when do you think it is time to act?
      • Humane dog population management guidance
      • India ~ Send stray dogs to China, Mizoram or Nagaland, for “whatever they do to them”
      • Italy ~ the Mafia involved in shelter activities
      • The history of Romania's homeless dogs
      • Romania - Laws regarding the management of stray dogs
      • Romania ~ a country cries out for revenge after the tragic death of a four-year-old boy who had been attacked by dogs
      • Romania - on the greatest animal genocide in European history, government initiated anarchy, violations of human rights and children rights
      • The Romanian 'extermination enterprise'
      • Romania - ​The city of Ploiesti sets a precedent, two years since the introduction of the 'Slaughter Law', as the first and only town in the entire country to deal in a humane and effective manner with their surplus dog population by implementing
      • How IREC tried to manipulate Prefect Rodica Paraschiv to destroy Ploiesti's newly adopted C-N-R program according to HCL 502/2015, with a ​manipulative letter containing erroneous, misleading and false information
      • Ploiesti Part III - Dr Carmen Arsene v. IREC - The Battle for Justice
      • on the press conference given on 12th of February, 2014 by MEP Andrea Zanoni and MEP Janusz WOJCIECHOWSKI regarding their visits in Romania and the mistreatment of Romanian dogs
      • Romania – the nazification of social relations
      • Romania – Our tacit approval of the evil will make us the evil’s accomplices
      • Romania – the systemic evil of corruption, ignorance and indifference
      • Romania - On the Seminar "Stray dogs: present and future" to be held on 3rd of June, 2015 in Iasi, Romania
      • The Romanian Extermination Enterprise >
        • The Romanian 'extermination enterprise'
        • The Romanian Extermination Enterprise - Who is going to pay the price?
        • The Romanian Extermination Enterprise - Fueled by EU-taxpayers' money?
        • The Romanian Extermination Enterprise
      • Romania's Animal Police, ANSVSA's market stunt to counter their image loss
      • Romania - ASPA raided a private shelter and the adjucent clinic of Vier Pfoten in Bucharest on 21st of March, 2014
      • Romania - ASPA's illegal 'blacklist'
      • Exposing ASPA - From Animal Protection to Animal Extermination
      • EXPOSING ASPA & IREC
      • Romania tourism
      • The Invisible Rape of Europe
      • The invisible rape of Romania and psychology of violence
      • The Eleventh Commandment of Romania: 'Thou Shalt Not Love!'
      • Romania - PROTAN and where the Romanian stray dogs "go"
      • Romania - Daciana Sarbu: 'A Head with Two Faces' - One face smiling at the death-bringers, the other face smiling at the protectors!
      • The life of an animal rescuer >
        • My name is Alexandra Sarau, I am an animal rescuer in Romania
        • A Thousand Tears fall for Luana... a Life taken too soon!
      • MEP Daciana Sarbu, aka Daciana Ponta, makes an impressive election "pledge" to help animals
      • Our observations to IREC's 'Right to Reply' from 7th of March, 2014 concerning the article called 'Neglect of Stray Dogs - MEPs Deliver Damning Indictment of Romania's Mismanagement' published by Dr Rita Pal on Huffington Post
      • Romania's public shelters - Come in, and die!
      • Romania - FPAM takes legal actions against the Romanian government and ANVSA
      • I am a citizen of Romania - Sunt un cetatean al Romaniei
      • Romania ~ organized crime & stray dog business
      • the mayor of Botosani wants to send the city's stray dogs to Constanta, on a dubious 'pilot project'
      • Romania - Craoiva lets the dogs to starve to death in the municipal shelter and wants to become a 'European Capital of Culture' .
      • Romania - what really happened in Craiova during the night from 3rd to 4th of February, 2014.
      • Oradea-dog-shelter, once Romania's privately funded pilot project par excellence, has become a living hell for the animals since the municipality has taken it over
      • Timisoara - the municipality pays huge sums of taxpayer's money to Danyflor to care for the stray dogs, but they receive not even a drop of water in their shelter. So where does the money go?
      • the mayor of Valcea considers killing all stray dogs after 7 days if not adopted
      • Romania - the mayor of Drobeta-Turnu Severin, Gheorghe Constantin, will apply the 'Slaughter Law' and kill all 577 dogs that are currently in the public shelter because he rather prefers spending the money that is needed for their 'maintenance' on the eld
      • OFA's selection of FNPA-newsletters written by Dr Carmen Arsene
      • Russia's homeless animals
      • Serbia - dogs eating each other at the horror-shelter in Leskovac is 'normal' says official
      • Turkey intends to kill all stray animals!
      • For a rabies-free future
      • Trap-Neuter-Release
    • Stray cats are starving to death in Belarus basements that authorities have sealed to control rats
    • deforestation and the construction of the Belo Monte dam is killing the Amazon
    • Over 1,000 dolphins killed by villagers of a remote Solomon island in conservation dispute
    • electrocution of wild animals *
    • electronic waste ~ the truth
    • European tourist countries ~ the ugly truth
    • event preparations >
      • Azerbaijan kills its stray animals in preparation of Eurovision Song Contest 2012
      • Ukraine, the European Football Championship and the mass murders of stray animals
    • extinction >
      • Tigers are spiraling to extinction in the wild >
        • China reopens trade in tiger and leopard skins (2011)
        • India ~ tiger poachers to be shot on sight
    • famous animals *
    • fireworks and animals
    • Fukushima ~ animals left behind >
      • Free the Fukushima animal rescuers Hiroshi Hoshi and Leo Hoshi
    • Kerala - tourist information
    • Killer whales trapped by ice near Inukjuak, in northern Quebec
    • loss of habitat *
    • military training exercises
    • Please help to rebuild 'Norma's Universe'
    • over-population control *
    • politics >
      • grey seal cull in Canada is politically motivated and not supported by science
      • Ukraine ~ a new law intends to legalize unlimited shooting of wolves, foxes and even cats and dogs
    • pollution >
      • Dead oceans, dead planet >
        • 75% of world's coral reefs under threat, new analysis finds
      • in the age of plastic
      • plastic bags threaten wildlife: mammals, birds, fish - no animal can escape!
      • the plastic cow
      • electronic waste ~ the truth
      • the garbage patch
      • Trashed - No place for waste!
      • tsunami debris
    • Puppy farms (campaign) >
      • Puppy mills in Lebanon
    • religion >
      • religion ~ animals and the catholic church
      • religion ~ Islamic legal tradition holds that dogs are "unclean" animals
      • religion ~ ritual slaughter for halal and kosher meat
    • Romania - The Shameful Chronology of Abandonment
    • Scammers - how to recognize them, taking the case of Jamie Hunt and Col Bayes
    • THANK YOU, UKRAINE!
    • U.S. Congressmen compare undercover investigators to arsonists and terrorists
    • zoophilia - bestiality >
      • animal rape and animal brothel
  • tradition
    • animal sacrifice >
      • Aid al-kabir or Eid al-Adha
      • Eid animal slaughter funds Pakistan terror groups
      • Dashain festival, Nepal
      • Gadhimai festival in Nepal
      • Animal sacrifice at Halavatha Munneswaram Kovil, Sri Lanka
      • Animal sacrifice in India
      • India ~ Owl sacrifice during Diwali, the Festival of Lights
      • traditional funeral ceremony and sacrifice, island of Sumba, Indonesia
      • Kapparot
      • the goats of Khokana
      • During the Lomisoba celebration in Georgia, hundreds of sheep, calves and chickens are sacrificed
      • Malaysia - ritual slaughter of cattle during Hari Raya Aidiladha in schools
      • The brutal festival at Nem Thuong village, Vietnam
      • Ukweshwana, the festival of fresh fruits
    • bullfighting - corridas >
      • The Mental Illness called the Corrida, by Captain Paul Watson
      • Will the EU-Commission respond in favor of the EU-Parliament's vote to end EU-subsidies for bullfighting?
      • Mexico City considers ban on bullfighting
      • Jallikattu
      • the story of Álvaro Múnera Builes
    • Dog spinning or “trichane” is a ritual celebrated in Brodilovo, a village in Bulgaria
    • Horse races in Italy
    • Salburun, which means "Hunter's Zest" in Kyrgyz language, has been held annually since 1997
    • Spanish fiestas >
      • Boar hunting 'Lanceo al Jabalí' set for comeback in Spain
      • Fiesta del Pero Palo, Villaneuva de la Vera (Spain)
      • El Toro Jubilo, or 'bull on fire'
      • Toro de la Vega ~ Tordesillas' sadistic fiesta
      • A Rapa das Bestas
    • Thanksgiving, Christmas & Easter >
      • turkeys
      • reindeer
    • Traditional Chinese Medicine TCM >
      • Open letter to China ~ 'Dear China'
      • bear bile farming >
        • Bear bile harmful to human health, according to research released at major Beijing event
        • rescued from Vietnamese bear bile farms
      • Pangolins are being hunted to the edge of extinction
      • Rhinoceros (Rhino) horn
      • Traditional Chinese Medicine could extinct the tigers within the next decade!
      • Vietnam proposes legalising use of tiger parts in traditional medicines (2012)

The suffering of
farmed cattle and cows

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Calf being pulled out by farmer pulling rope. After the agony of giving birth, the mother will not benefit from the reward of a baby. 
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Veal calf, a product of the diary industry - born into pain, suffering, isolation and death.

You are looking at a newborn baby whose mother was not even allowed to clean him off before he was torn away from her.

They can't use him for dairy, so he will end up isolated in a tiny dark crate, unable to move (to make his flesh tender), for four to six months, living in his own excrement, being fed a low-iron formula (to keep his flesh white) and then slaughtered.

This will not stop until people stop demanding cheese, ice cream, and yogurt from bovine milk. For every glass of milk you consume, a calf is chained in a filthy crate somewhere, lowing for his mother, sentenced to become veal.

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Veal calves on their way to slaughterhouse. They had a very short, sad and lonely life.



Cows, slaves of the meat and dairy industry

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This so called weaning nose ring is fitted into the nose of the calf and tightened against the septum in order to stop the calf 
from trying to drink milk and to stop the reflex of nursing. This is also used in organic farming. 
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A slave of the flesh and dairy industry gives loving affection to a cat passing by. All that she wants is to live happily, yet we label her as "livestock", exploit her, torture her and strip away her ability to live said life. 

She will spend her short existence being utilized as a machine to generate inordinate amounts of milk whilst enduring severe stress, pain and be forced to watch her babies taken to slaughter. When she has endured more abuse than her body can cope with and her milk yield grows poor, she will then be horrifically slaughtered, herself.

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Milk-producing machines
In an unfettered state, a cow will feed her calf for approximately six to eight months. Milk is secreted at a maximum rate of about eight to ten litres per day, which the calf suckles on four to six occasions. The mother produces less than 1,000 litres throughout the duration of her lactation, storing approximately two litres in her udders at any one time.

In modern dairy farming, cows can be expected to produce between 6,000 and 12,000 litres during their 10 month lactation. This means she may be carrying in excess of 20 litres at any one time - ten times as much as would be required for her calf.

Exploitation of the reproductive system
The most common technique used to impregnate dairy cows is artificial insemination (AI). But, increasingly, powerful hormones are being used to force high quality cows to produce large numbers of embryos, which are surgically removed and inserted into lower grade females who then bring the calves to term.

Housing
Dairy cows are usually kept outside on pasture for the duration of the summer months. For the remainder of the year they are kept indoors, typically in concrete cubicle houses. Each cow has a cubicle to stand or lie in, which should have straw or wood shavings provided. Behind each animal a passageway collects urine and faeces, requiring cleaning twice daily. Accumulated waste is stored in huge slurry lagoons, later to be spread on the land.

Many cubicles still in use were designed decades ago and have become too small for the modern, larger animal. This has compounded welfare problems, resulting in cows standing in the dunging passageway. It also has major health implications.

Lameness
Around 20% of British dairy cows are lame at any one time. In fact, inspections of the feet of cull cows at slaughter reveal evidence of past or present foot damage in nearly all animals. Lameness is caused by a number of factors. These include the quantity of bedding available, the move towards cubicle housing and the now near universal practice of feeding animals wet, fermented grass (known as silage), rather than dry hay. Silage produces wet faeces and acidic slurry in the dunging passageway, which eventually softens the feet and causes infection.

Also implicated in lameness is the reliance on concentrated feed supplements, which are difficult for these slow-digesting ruminants to cope with. The result is the release of inflammatory substances into the bloodstream, which lead to a condition known as laminitis, an acutely painful foot disorder.

Another important reason for dairy cow lameness is the vast size and weight of the modern animal's udder. It is so large and distended that most cows simply cannot stand or walk properly.

Mastitis
Dairy cows are prone to infection of the udder caused by bacteria and other environmental pathogens entering via the teat canal. This acutely painful condition is known as mastitis. Incidence varies from between 30 to more than 60 cases in every 100 cows during a year.

Other illnesses
About 5% - 8% of cows suffer from the condition known as "milk fever". This is caused by the sudden depletion of calcium reserves each year from the heavy burden of calf-birth and lactation.

Many also get "grass staggers" from lack of magnesium in the diet. General depletion of nutrients caused by increasing intensification also triggers cases of brucellosis and viral infections and susceptibility to salmonella bacteria.

Cows would naturally live for as long as 25 years, but by the time they reach four or five on modern farms, they are likely to be physically exhausted, lame and infertile. These worn-out animals are sent to a slaughterhouse.








Beef cattle
There are around 1.6 million adult beef cows in the UK. As well as suckling their own calves, around 70% of youngsters born to dairy animals are also raised within beef herds. From the beef farmer's point of view, the heavier and "beefier" his calves the better. Specialist companies dealing in bull semen for artificial insemination (AI) provide the means to achieve this.

The most popular breed chosen to provide semen is the Belgian Blue. This animal carries a recessive gene for "double muscling", so-called because of the enormous muscles, particularly on the hindquarters. Belgian Blue stud bulls have to be born via Caesarean section because their sheer size makes natural delivery impossible.

Mutilations performed on cattle
Male calves reared for beef are often castrated, despite being slaughtered before they reach sexual maturity. Methods commonly used include surgical castration, tight rubber rings that restrict blood flow, and appliances that crush the spermatic cord of each testis - the so-called "bloodless castrator".

Both dairy cows and beef cattle are de-horned - a painful procedure - to prevent animals injuring each other. Horns contain both blood circulation and nerve endings, and so local anaesthesia and cauterisation are necessary to stem bleeding. If horns have already developed, they are removed with saws, horn shears or cutting wire.

Young animals whose horns are not established can be disbudded. A hot iron is applied to the horn-forming tissue when the calf is 4-6 weeks old, permanently preventing growth.

Disease
The BSE crisis was followed in the winter of 1996/97 by a serious outbreak of food poisoning created by meat infected with E. coli 0157 bacteria. Twenty people died in a series of outbreaks in Scotland.

More than 700 types of E.coli have been identified. They are mainly harmless and inhabit the intestinal tract of people and other warm-blooded animals but a few strains, including the notorious O157:H7, can be deadly.

O157:H7 is found in the guts of many animals, but mainly cows. The increased number of human cases has been attributed to the intensification of farming practices and the consequent widespread use of antibiotics. Studies in France, Sweden and Canada have identified a positive correlation between the cattle density of an area and rates of human infection.

Consuming contaminated beef products is the most common source of infection, but the disease can be spread by any food or drink that has been tainted by animal manure.

Slaughterhouses are an obvious place for contamination of meat. Operators are urged to ensure the animals’ skins are not covered in faeces, and prevent the spillage of the digestive tract contents during and after organ removal. However, in 2008, secret filming by BBC journalists found carcasses at a number of Welsh abattoirs which had been health-marked by inspectors yet were contaminated by feces.

Live Transport
Current EU rules allow cattle to travel for 14 hours without a rest or water. They must have a rest period of at least one hour after a 14 hour journey, after which, they may be transported for a further 14 hours. If the destination can be reached within another 2 hours then they may go a full 16 hours. After the second 14 hour journey, if the destination has not been reached the cattle must be unloaded, given food and water and rested for 24 hours. The journey times can then be repeated and this pattern can be repeated infinitely.

A number of organisations and politicians have created an online petition campaign to limit the maximum overall journey length to 8 hours. Whilst this would be a considerable improvement on current legislation, it is still a long time to be spent in a confined space with no room to turn around, lie down and without access to water. You can add your signature to this important petition at the link http://www.8hours.eu/

Source



The following presentation features footage captured by VIVA at dairy farms that supply Cadbury with milk.


nothing is sacred, not even the "holy cow"

PETA India's undercover investigation of several dairy farms reveals shocking cruelty to cows and buffaloes.


Throwaway Lives:
the massacre of pregnant animals
by Viva!

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Calf foetus at the abattoir
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Calf fetuses at the abattoir

How many pregnant animals are killed? 

DEFRA (Department of Environment, Food & Rural Affairs) say that they do not see any justification for recording the number of pregnant animals who are slaughtered. However, a scientific paper published by the British Cattle Veterinary Association* reveals that 150,000 pregnant cows are sent to slaughter each year. At least 40,000 of these cows are in the last stages of their pregnancy and are bearing calves who may be capable of independent life. 

Why are pregnant cows being killed? 

90% of the cows are dairy cows and the majority of farmers do not even realize that they are pregnant. In the BCVA survey, 50.9% thought the cow wasn't pregnant and 27.3% said they did not know. Infertility was cited as the most common reason for culling an animal, followed by mastitis (a painful swelling of the udders common in dairy cows) and then old age. So some cows are being sent to slaughter because they are assumed to be infertile when they are in fact pregnant. Dairy cows who are over thirty months of age must be slaughtered and incinerated under BSE regulations. The compensation payment structure encourages the killing of pregnant cows. Animals sent through market are weighed liveweight and the farmer is compensated per kilo. If the animal is pregnant, the farmer will receive extra money. 

How are the animals killed? 

There are no special regulations in place to protect pregnant animals in slaughterhouses. Viva! has filmed in abattoirs and conducted a full investigation of the UK's slaughter industry. We found that stunning techniques are frequently inadequate and that animals routinely regain consciousness whilst bleeding to death. 

Each year, 5 million electrically stunned sheep regain consciousness before they die from loss of blood. 

1.8 million electrically stunned pigs a year regain consciousness before they die. 244,800 pigs a year are incorrectly stunned and do not lose consciousness at all. 

Each year, up to 230,000 cattle are not correctly stunned with the captive bolt pistol. They will have to endure the pain of being shot in the head and will then have to be shot again or knifed whilst conscious. 

Do unborn animals suffer as their mothers are slaughtered? 

The RSPCA's chief veterinary officer states, "The problem with killing heavily pregnant ewes is that if you shoot them in the head, the foetus does not die instantly with the mother and it is a prolonged and rather horrible death." 

After animals have been stunned, they are knifed and left to bleed out for 20 seconds (sheep and pigs) or 30 seconds (cattle). When asked about the slaughter of pregnant cows, Professor Donald Broom (Cambridge university animal welfare specialist) said, "After stunning and bleeding the cow will be dead. The calf will also die but a little later - probably 30-90 seconds" . This means that the foetus would still be living while its mother's front feet, head and possibly hide are removed. 

Nobody is sure of the exact moment when foetuses die. It is possible that they may still be living when the mother is disembowelled. 

Gabriele Meurer MRCVS, a former official veterinary surgeon in UK abattoirs, says, "What is happening right now in British slaughterhouses is quite simply a scandal. Sometimes when these creatures are hanging on the line bleeding to death, you can see the unborn calves kicking inside their mothers' wombs. I, as a vet, am not supposed to do anything about this. Unborn calves do not exist according to the regulations. I just had to watch, do nothing and keep quiet. It broke my heart. I felt like a criminal. I left the Meat Hygiene Service and the country - completely disillusioned and full of disgust." 

Is there legislation in place to protect pregnant animals and unborn babies? 

Animals are not supposed to be transported if they are likely to give birth during transport. However, Viva! campaigners have filmed animals giving birth at market when they were about to be loaded up for the slaughterhouse. The BCVA paper also shows that pregnant cows are frequently slaughtered in the third trimester of their pregnancy. 

There is no legislation to protect unborn animals in abattoirs - even if they are days away from being born. 

Christopher Day MRCVS says, "The routine slaughter of known pregnant animals in the UK should be made illegal forthwith, on humane grounds. In this country we make pretensions to be compassionate to animals. This practice is wholly inconsistent with such pretensions." 

What happens to the foetus? 

DEFRA says that, " The uterus and dead foetus is sent with the green offal from the slaughterhouse for disposal by rendering from any pregnant animals which are under thirty months when slaughtered. All material from animals over thirty months (which is the majority of cows slaughtered) has to be separated, stained yellow and destroyed by rendering and incineration." 

Is the government doing anything to stop the slaughter? 

When Viva! asked what the government planned to do to prevent so many pregnant cows from being sent to slaughter, DEFRA replied, "We do not believe that the slaughter of pregnant cows presents a specific welfare concern... We do not believe further legal measures are necessary to protect the welfare of pregnant cows or unborn calves." 

However, they say that, "Effective pregnancy detection lessens the risk of inadvertently sending pregnant animals for slaughter". The department is currently consulting on proposals to change the law to allow 'per rectum' ultrasound scanning in cattle to be carried out by, "trained and competent non-veterinarians as well as by veterinary surgeons." 

DEFRA has been consulting on these proposals for over three years. Consultation papers reveal that, "Concern has been expressed by the veterinary profession and some animal protection societies that use of this procedure by untrained non-veterinarians to detect pregnancy in cattle could cause welfare problems. Invasive techniques of this nature have the potential to cause serious injury, such as perforation of the rectal wall."  

Source: Viva!
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Calf foetus at the abattoir
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Calf heads. Unborn calves cut out of mother's tummy at the kill floor
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Calf fetuses at the abattoir. Many cows are pregnant at their time of slaughter. This is the bin where unborn calves are discarded when they are cut out while the mother is butchered. They lay wet with their hooves still soft and are still attached to their placentas.

In addition to the trauma of still being alive inside their mothers during the latter's death, fetal calves may also be cut from their mother's womb while still alive--so that their blood can be drained for use in science, without anesthesia (see the page: fetal bovine serum or fetal calf serum) - the calf's skin is used to make 'high quality' leather.

The following German link states:

Fleischwirtschaft 90 (8), S. 100 -106, 2010

Schlachtung gravider Rinder - ethische und rechtliche Aspekte


Von Katharina Riehn, Gottfried Domel, Almuth Einspanier, Jutta Gottschalk, Goetz Hildebrandt, Jörg Luy und Ernst Lücker

Der Tierschutz hat in der Europäischen Union einen hohen Stellenwert, und die Sicherheit von Lebensmitteln im Rahmen des „farm-to-fork" Konzeptes der EU wird auch durch die Einhaltung von Tierschutzstandards in der Nutztierhaltung mit beeinflusst. Die Harmonisierung der Gesetzgebung bezüglich des Lebensmittel- und Fleischhygienerechts auf der einen und des Tierschutzrechts auf der anderen Seite haben dazu beigetragen, die diesbezüglich gewonnenen Erkenntnisse innerhalb der Europäischen Union umzusetzen. 

Für die Schlachtung tragender Tiere wurden in diesem Zusammenhang bislang weder im gemeinschaftlichen noch im nationalen Recht Regelungen getroffen. Ein Grund hierfür ist sicherlich die Tatsache, dass die Schlachtung tragender Tiere von Seiten der Kommission als ein selten vorkommendes, unbeabsichtigtes Ereignis betrachtet wird. Erste eigene Untersuchungen haben jedoch gezeigt, dass bis zu 10% der weiblichen Rinder in verschiedenen Europäischen Mitgliedstaaten tragend zur Schlachtung kommen. Ziel der eigenen Untersuchungen ist somit die Erfassung von Daten zur Prävalenz trächtig geschlachteter Rinder in Deutschland sowie tierschutzrelevanter Parameter zu Transport, Schlachtung und Schicksal der Feten bzw. ungeborenen Kälber. 

Im Rahmen eines 12-monatigen Erhebungszeitraums werden in diesem Zusammenhang verschiedene deutsche Schlachtbetriebe mittels eines Erhebungsbogens zur Häufigkeit der Schlachtung tragender Tiere sowie zu tierschutzrelevanten Parametern bezüglich Transport, Schlachtung und Schicksal der Feten bzw. ungeborenen Kälber befragt. 

Die Auswertung der Fragebögen von bislang 53 teilnehmenden Betrieben hat ergeben, dass in mehr als der Hälfte der Schlachtbetriebe regelmäßig gravide Rinder in verschiedenen Trächtigkeitsstadien geschlachtet werden. Der Anteil tragender Tiere an der Gesamtzahl der weiblichen Rinder macht bis zu 15% aus. 90% der tragend geschlachteten Rinder befanden sich im 2. oder 3. Trimester der Gravidität. Die bisherigen Ergebnisse zeigen deutlich, dass es sich hier keinesfalls um ein Einzeltierphänomen handelt, sondern tragende Tiere offensichtlich bewusst der Schlachtung zugeführt werden. Dies wirft die Frage auf, inwieweit die Schlachtung gravider Tiere der im Tierschutz geforderten angst- und schmerzlosen Tötung entspricht und ob eine gesonderte Euthanasie der Feten tragender Tiere im Anschluss an die Schlachtung notwendig wird.

English Summary  (original article is only in German language available)
  

Slaughter of pregnant cattle - ethical and legal aspects
 
The EU has the among the world's highest standards of animal welfare in the world, and the safety of the food chain is indirectly affected by the welfare of animals, particularly those the cattle farmed for food production. The welfare of food producing animals depends largely on how they are managed by humans. A range of factors can impact on their welfare including housing and bedding, space and crowding, transport conditions, stunning and slaughter methods. Harmonised EU rules are in place covering a range of food safety- and welfare-affecting issues, but a regulatory framework which governs the slaughter of pregnant farm animals is still missing. A need for action on this part has not been seen by the Commission yet, because it was assumed that pregnant heifers are only slaughtered in exceptional cases. 

However, first own investigations show, that the proportion of pregnant heifers raised in different European member states amounts to up to 10%. The objects of this study are  the collection of data concerning the frequency of slaughter of pregnant heifers in different German abattoirs,  acquisition of animal welfare relevant parameters during transport, stunning and slaughter, and  fate of the foetuses and unborn calves. For this purpose, a mail questionnaire was sent to different German slaughterhouses. 

Until now feedbacks from 53 slaughterhouses could be gathered and evaluated. More than 50% of the participants reported that they slaughter pregnant heifers. The percentage share of pregnant animals on the total number of female cattle is approximately 15%. More than 90% of the affected animals were slaughtered during last two trimesters of pregnancy.

Pregnant heifers in different states of gravidity are regularly slaughtered as the first results of our study show and questions concerning animal welfare particularly with regard to an animal welfare conform way of euthanasia for both the mother and the unborn calf have to be discussed in this context. 

To see the list of signatories of the above text, please go to the source






Leave cows and calves the f*ck alone!

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