CAPS Newsdesk
 |  | 
 |
 |  |  |
|
| Latest news |
Sign up for our monthly updates
|
|
|
| |
 | Help end animal circuses
| |
 | Redwood hamper prize draw
Win a cruelty-free feast! More | |
 | Zoo's 'big cat sanctuary' is misleading
More | |
 | Government minister won't be going to the zoo
More | |
 | Britta Jaschinski interview
Interview with award-winning photographer More | |
 | Join CAPS on Facebook
More | |
 | Elephant training cruelty revealed
More | |
 | Zoo kicked out of trade body over circus connection
More | |
 | No Place Like Home
New film exposes reality of zoo life More | |
 | Adopt a rescued monkey!
More | |
 | Circuses don’t meet animals’ needs say researchers
More | |
|
|
| |
 | Archived news | |
CAPS relies entirely on donations to fund our work on behalf of captive animals. You can help by supporting our campaigns and buying CAPS merchandise.
News Result For Animals Protection
HSUS ranks states by animal-protection laws
by Tom Grady
Canine Relay for Life is now the “Bark for Life”
by Tom Grady
More Critters News of the Day – Feb. 18
by Tom Grady
Critters News of the Day – Feb. 18
by Tom Grady
Good Grief – Now I’m on Twitter
by Tom Grady
Boxer Andre Ward is speaking out against dog fighting
by Tom Grady
Notes from the Love a Pet Fair in Wilmington
by Tom Grady
Highway dogs a symbol of a bigger problem
by Tom Grady
Reminder: Monty’s Home Pet Expo on Sunday
by Tom Grady
Pender Humane Society to hold fundraising golf tournament
by Tom Grady
Cross-reporting child and animal abuse
by Tom Grady
Critter News of the Day – Feb. 16
by Tom Grady
Snow Pics from here and there – and some postscript observations
by Tom Grady
Reader Photo: Jinx salutes Old Glory in the snow
by Tom Grady
In case you missed it – the dog Doritos ad
by Tom Grady
Critters News of the Day – Feb. 14
by Tom Grady
Chico gets his goat with sheepish love
by Tom Grady
Rotund rodent makes for a large lapdog
by Tom Grady
Animals: Self awareness and emotion
by Tom Grady
Oklahoma State Senate pet-breeding bill would make a good law
by Tom Grady
The missions of the Cape Fear Critters Blog include reporting on animal and pet-related news, highlighting issues as they relate to pets and wildlife and to help homeless pets find loving homes.
Bookmark the new Cape Fear Critters Blog today.
GENEVA — Lawyer Antoine F. Goetschel feels uncomfortable talking about one of his recent clients. And it isn't just because he lost the case.
"Fish don't get much sympathy," he explains.
That's doubly true for the unnamed dead pike whose cause Goetschel took up earlier this month, much to the amusement of Swiss anglers who couldn't understand why one of their own was being hauled into court for landing a big catch.
Goetschel is Europe's only animal lawyer and the figurehead for a movement that wants to expand Zurich's pioneering legal system across Switzerland.
Voters will decide in a March 7 poll whether every canton (state) should be required to appoint an animal lawyer to represent the interests of pets and farm animals in court — in effect a dedicated public prosecutor for dogs, cats and other vertebrates that have been abused by humans.
"Swiss law has taken a big step forward in recent years" particularly for animals that live in groups, Goetschel tells The Associated Press.
The country's constitution now prohibits keeping pigs in single pens and budgies alone in a cage — solitary confinement, as Goetschel calls it.
Dog owners have to take a training course and from 2013 it will be forbidden to tie horses in their stalls.
Campaign group Swiss Animal Protection, which launched the petition and gathered the necessary 100,000 signatures to force a nationwide vote, argues that abuses on pets are often not taken seriously by local authorities and don't make it up to court.
The Swiss government has recommended voters reject the proposal, saying animal lawyers are unnecessary and existing laws are sufficient.
Swiss Animal Protection's director Hansueli Huber says the group received 5,000 reports of alleged abuse in 2008. That's about 1,000 more than in 2007, he added.
"As long as you consider animal rights breaches a trivial offense we don't get anywhere," he says, noting that in many cases pet owners get away with a fine.
The debate took on a new dimension two weeks ago when prosecutors in the canton of Zurich accused an angler of having tortured a large pike, because the battle between man and beast took about 10 minutes.
Goetschel, in his capacity as the canton's animal lawyer, was in court to represent the dead fish. He regrets that the case, which isn't typical of his work, received so much attention.
"At least a lot of people who didn't know what an animal lawyer is discovered that the job is about representing the interests of animals in court," he says.
Asked why he represented the fish, Goetschel says, "It's the same reason why a prosecutor goes after a murderer: to make sure that people are suitably punished for their crimes."
Goetschel says he represents about 150-200 animals each year, mostly dogs, cows and cats. Since animals can't pay, the canton of Zurich picks up his 200 Swiss francs-an-hour ($185-an-hour) bill.
"A commercial lawyer wouldn't touch a pencil for that kind of money," says Goetschel, who sports a distinctive silver mane and is vegetarian.
The Swiss Farming Association opposes the plan to appoint more animal lawyers, and pet breeders are divided.
Peter Rub, president of the Swiss dog breeding association, says he is in favor because "animals are not objects" to be paraded in fashion shows or to be brought up in crowded places without sufficient exercise.
Roger Bernet, president of the Swiss Budgerigar Society, says there's no need for special animal lawyers and it could lead to absurd situations such as the fish case.
Goetschel, who says he probably won't appeal on behalf of the pike, notes "it's not about making animals into humans."
But if Swiss voters accept the proposal, "it would really push the animal rights debate forward."
Humane Society rates Montana among worst states for animal protection
HELENA - The Humane Society of the United States has ranked Montana among the bottom 15 states in the country for its animal-protection laws.
In its first "Humane State Ranking," the society examined state animal-protection laws in 65 potential categories and rated the states.
California received the top score with strong animal-protection laws in 45 categories, followed by New Jersey with 41 laws. Colorado, Maine and Massachusetts tied for third place with 38 laws.
Montana had 19 animal-protection laws in place for its 35th place ranking and tied with Alaska, Arkansas, Kentucky, South Carolina, West Virginia and Wyoming.
Among Montana's other neighbors, North Dakota was tied with Mississippi for 47th place with 13 animal-protection laws. Idaho was ranked 49th with nine laws, while South Dakota was 50th with eight laws.
Wayne Pacelle, the Humane Society's president and CEO, said the study found positive trends in the enactment of animal-protection laws by states, but uncovered major gaps throughout the country.
"Anemic animal-protection laws in many states will allow cruelty and abuse to continue, and that must change," he said.
Montana drew low marks for not restricting "puppy mills" and requiring them to be licensed and inspected.
In addition, Montana's score was hurt by not having any laws restricting trapping such as prohibiting or seriously limiting the use of steel-jawed leg hold traps or requiring garments made from animal fur to be labeled.
Montana lost points for not having laws aimed at protecting farm animal such as prohibiting gestation crates for breeding cows, banning veal crates for calves and lacking protections for downed farm animals too sick or injured to walk.
The state drew low marks for not banning the slaughter of horses for human consumption, for not having standards regulating the transportation of horses and for not prohibiting horse tripping, or the roping of the legs of a galloping horse.
Montana received positive points for its laws imposing felony penalties for cock fighting and dog fighting, but was marked down for not making it a crime to attend these fights.
Montana scored points for having felony penalties for egregious acts of animal cruelty and for first offenses of this crime, but lost points for not requiring counseling for these offenders.
The state gained points for prohibiting the use of hounds and bait to hunt bears and for prohibiting the trading of bear parts. But Montana was marked down for not banning the hunting of bears and cougars, not banning hunting on Sundays and not giving students the right to choose an alternative to animal dissection in school.
Montana won points for banning the private possession of all primates and venomous snakes as pets but lost points for not banning the private possession of bears, wolves and "big cats" as pets.
The state gained points by requiring animals to be spayed or neutered before being adopted from shelters and allowing the creation of trust funds to benefit pets. However, Montana lost points for not banning the use of gas chambers for euthanasia, not requiring the addition of a bittering agent to antifreeze to help prevent animals from consuming it and for not banning greyhound racing.
The full state-by-state comparisons may be found at: http://www.humanesociety.org/news/press_releases/2010/02/humane_state_rankings_020810.html.
Posted in State-and-regional on Thursday, February 18, 2010 2:45 am Updated: 5:37 am. | Tags: Humane Society Of The United States, Animal Cruelty, Trapping, Livestock, Horses, Dog Fighting, Montana News
Call for tougher animal abuse penalties in N.L.
Last Updated: Thursday, February 18, 2010 | 7:49 PM NT
CBC News
A disturbing case of animal abuse in southern Newfoundland has ignited calls for tougher animal protection laws.
The RCMP and members of the SPCA forced their way into a house in Dunville, Placentia Bay, this week after receiving a report that starving animals were trapped inside.
Susan Deir, a spokeswoman for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in St. John's, said they found a dead dog and another emaciated dog that was barely alive.
"When we proceeded through the house there was a dog that was tethered onto an appliance in the kitchen that was dead," she told CBC News. "There was a lot of feces in the kitchen around where the dogs were kept — feces and urine, urine-soaked towels, that sort of thing. It was awful."
The remains of a cat were found the next day. Deir, who is now caring for the surviving dog, said there was a bucket of food left for the animals in the bathroom, but it wasn't within their reach.
Under the province's current Animal Protection Act, someone guilty of cruelty to an animal can be fined from $50 to $200 for a first or second offence. The maximum fine for a third offence is $500.
Olga McWilliam-Benson, the vice-president of the St. John's SPCA, said her organization has been saying for years that the price for the kind of neglect seen in Dunville has to be much higher.
"We would like to see something in the range of $10,000, for example, as being a real deterrent," she said.
There are tougher penalties under the Criminal Code of Canada — up to five years in prison and a maximum fine of $10,000 — but McWilliam-Benson said most offenders never get charged under the Criminal Code.
"The Criminal Code requires that the actions be willful. And we don't believe that most people who abuse an animal or neglect an animal do so in a willful manner. Willfulness is difficult to prove under the Criminal Code," she said.
The Liberal opposition in the province is calling for changes to the legislation, also arguing that current fines aren't sufficient.
The provincial government is expected to table a revised Animal Protection Act in the spring.
The RCMP said the investigation Dunville is continuing and criminal charges are possible. Police said they have identified the owner of the animals, but he is currently in hospital.
Bud Wheatley, seen in January 2008, faces seven charges of animal cruelty. (CBC) A P.E.I. man who operated an online pet store has been charged with causing unnecessary pain, suffering or injury to animals.
Bud Wheatley faces seven charges, five under the Criminal Code and two under the provincial Companion Animal Protection Act.
Wheatley, who up until about three years ago owned Snookums pet store in Charlottetown, ran PuppiesAcrossCanada.com. He took orders online for puppies and kittens and either transported the animals himself to buyers in the Maritimes or sent them by plane.
His website said he bought the animals from breeders and that a veterinarian inspected them for health problems.
The charges stem from a four-month investigation in 2009.
RCMP raided Wheatley's home in Covehead, on the North Shore, in October 2009. The provincial Department of Agriculture seized about 80 cats and dogs at the time and took them to the Humane Society.
Wheatley was served with a summons to answer to the charges of animal cruelty this week.
He declined an interview on Friday, saying his lawyers have told him not to talk.
Wheatley was in the news about three years ago after several people who bought puppies at Snookums claimed the animals died from the parvovirus within a week of coming home from the store.
At the time, Wheatley blamed the pet owners, saying he only sold healthy puppies. When business was good, he said he sold 3,000 puppies a year.
No charges were laid at that time, but Wheatley closed the store. He had been in business for about 15 years.
Wheatley is scheduled to be in court March 8 to answer to the charges against him.
Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/prince-edward-island/story/2010/02/19/pei-charges-wheatley-animal-pet-584.html#ixzz3lQwfiNh0
WeHo Takes Leading Role In Global Animal Protection Movement
West Hollywood, California (February 18, 2010) - As the council unanimously approved the second reading of the WeHo ban on the sale of puppy mill and kitty factory animals, West Hollywood council member Jeffrey Prang revealed his office had been inundated with calls from around the world about the proposed law. Most came from around the country, but some contacts from Europe and other continents made their way to his desk. “Many of them come from communities that want to know how we put the law together,” he said from the council dais Tuesday night. The vote caused jubilation in the animal protection community. "This definitely calls for champagne," Carole Raphaelle Davis, West Coast director of the Companion Animal Protection Society (CAPS), said. A ban co-writer along with Mr. Prang and Legal Animal Defense Fund, Ms. Davis expressed hope that the idea would encourage similar measures’ passing, saying, “We're definitely taking this fight to Los Angeles. We want all of the stores citywide to go humane." Mr. Prang announced that a Maryland state senator introduced a bill that day that would prohibit stores from selling dogs less than 9 months old. “We hope to see more of that,” he said. Mayor Abbe Land expressed her pride in launching this issue into the international limelight, and noted one question her office fielded: Was it controversial? She laughingly said, “Nothing like the smoking ordinance… No, it was not at all controversial.”
No comments:
Post a Comment