Animal Campaign Express E

Demo against the 2008 Grand National

Fight Against Animal Cruelty in Europe (FAACE) in conjunction with Animal Aid have organised a demo against the 2008 Grand National.

This will take place on Thursday 3rd April from 12.00hrs to 14.00hrs opposite the main entrance to the Aintree Racecourse on the A59. This is in front of the Aintree railway station entrance.

For more info please contact Tony Moore (details below)

Tony Moore
Fight Against Animal Cruelty in Europe
29 Shakespeare Street, Southport, Merseyside, PR8 5AB
www.faace.co.uk
Tel: 01704 535922
Mobile: 07795 202770

Please join us for Global Boycott Procter & Gamble (P&G) Day XII on Sat. 17th May - the centrepiece of the worldwide campaign to end P&G's cruel and unnecessary animal testing. On this Day of Action thousands of animal activists will unite to expose P&G's callous abuse and inform people about cruelty-free shopping in dozens of countries all around the world. Research shows the vast majority of people oppose these types of animal tests, and would boycott unethical companies if given relevant, reliable information. We possess that crucial information, and, with your help, we can place it in the hands of the consumers who crave it. This is the largest Day of Action of its kind. Our efforts on this Day, and throughout the year, can save tens of thousands of animals from a horrific fate at the hands of P&G's vivisectors.

"We know we're getting there. But we won't get there without you by our side!"

MAJOR NEW CAMPAIGN INITIATIVE!
We will be opening exciting new fronts in our battle against P&G's cruelty. It will take our cruelty-free message to the public on a scale never before seen in the UK. Details are currently being finalised. We will furnish all our Uncaged Animal Allies, activists and anyone who else who expresses an interest with details and developments as we are able to release them. Sign up NOW to be part of something great! It promises to be a quantum leap for the Boycott P&G campaign!

Get up, Get into it, Get Involved
There is a Guide to P&G Day at: www.uncaged.co.uk/pgpamphlet.doc - it discusses in detail the different ways you can get involved, such as protests, stunts, street theatre, stalls and leafleting in town centres and outside supermarkets. And more info at www.uncaged.co.uk/pg.htm Also, organise protests etc. at P&G sites, or displays & information events at school, college, library, health-food shop, or workplace, and/or by firing off letters to all your regional media and online forums. There are leaflets, posters and petitions available to download at www.boycottpandg.co.uk We are offering a FREE CAMPAIGN PACK of posters, leaflets, stickers & petitions to all participants - although donations to help with costs would be a massive help!

Register Now!
By emailing: max@uncaged.co.uk.
Visit www.boycottpandg.co.uk to submit your Boycott P&G pledge and photo. Ask everyone you know to do likewise!

MONTANA OFFICIALS
Suzanne Lewis, Yellowstone National Park Superintendent
PO Box 168; Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190
ph: 307-344-2002, 307-344-2013, or 307-344-7381
email: yell_superintendent@nps.gov, suzanne_lewis@nps.gov

Montana Department of Livestock
Box 202001; Helena, MT 59620
ph: 1-406-444-0782
Christian Mackay, Executive Officer: cmackay@mt.gov
Dr. Marty Zaluski, State Veterinarian: 406-444-0782, mzaluski@mt.gov
Steve Merritt, Public Information Officer: 406-444-9431

Governor Brian D. Schweitzer
Office of the Governor, Montana State Capitol Bldg.
P.O. Box 200801; Helena MT 59620-0801
ph: 406-444-3111; fax: 406-444-5529
email: BrianSchweitzer@mt.gov, governor@mt.gov
web mail: http://governor.mt.gov/contact/commentform.asp

NATIONAL OFFICIALS
Mary Bomar, Director, National Park Service
1849 C Street NW Room 3312; Washington, DC 20240
ph: 202-208-4621; fax: 202-208-7889
email: Mary_Bomar@nps.gov, Director_Bomar%NPS@ios.doi.gov

Dirk Kempthorne, Secretary of the Interior
Department of the Interior
1849 C Street, N.W.; Washington DC 20240
ph: 202-208-7351, 202-208-6843
web mail: http://www.doi.gov/contact.html

National Park Service Advisory Board
c/o Mr. Loran Fraser, Chief Office of Policy
National Park Service
1849 C Street, NW, Room 7250; Washington, DC 20240
ph: 202-208-7468; email: loran_fraser@nps.gov

MONTANA TOURISM OFFICES
West Yellowstone Chamber of Commerce
PO Box 458; West Yellowstone, MT 59758
ph: 406-646-7701; email: wycc@wyellowstone.com
website: http://www.westyellowstonechamber.com/

Montana Promotion Division (Travel Montana)
PO Box 200533; Helena MT 59620-0501
ph: 406-841-2870; fax: 406-841-2871
email: mt-webmaster@visitmt.com, bbaumgart@mt.gov, vbjornberg@mt.gov
website: http://travelmontana.state.mt.us/

All emails found for this alert:

yell_superintendent@nps.gov, suzanne_lewis@nps.gov, cmackay@mt.gov,
mzaluski@mt.gov, BrianSchweitzer@mt.gov, Mary_Bomar@nps.gov,
Director_Bomar%NPS@ios.doi.gov, loran_fraser@nps.gov, wycc@wyellowstone.com,
mt-webmaster@visitmt.com, bbaumgart@mt.gov, vbjornberg@mt.gov

Governor Brian D. Schweitzer, web mail:
http://governor.mt.gov/contact/commentform.asp

Dirk Kempthorne, Secretary of the Interior, web mail:
http://www.doi.gov/contact.html

Sample letter
This letter is prepared to inform you about the issue. Try to shorten and personalise your letter before sending.

Dear Montana State and Federal Officials:

Once again, a global spotlight shines on Yellowstone National Park and Montana state for their hostile approach to wildlife management. Though this year's slaughter of America's last free-roaming bison is already underway - I ask you to stop the roundup now.

The estimated 50 million buffalo who once ranged public lands have dwindled to fewer than 4,500 wild, genetically intact bison. And they all exist in Yellowstone National Park; elsewhere they are ecologically extinct. It is irresponsible to let Montana's Department of Livestock shape their fate.

Yet the Park Service seems to easily bow to pressure from Montana's livestock trade. Since 2/8/08, the agency has overseen the capture and confinement of 169 buffalo at the Stephens Creek bison trap within Yellowstone borders. All are destined for slaughterhouses, even 17 young calves among them.

I strongly urge federal and state authorities to defend our national heritage and uphold a policy of lenience toward a species vital to the area's ecological integrity.

The government's quarantine and massacre of our last migrating herd may appease state cattle interests wary of Brucellosis - yet there are no documented cases of wild buffalo spreading this disease directly to cows. Elk, believed to spread brucellosis, are not systematically herded and killed. They roam freely, as the buffalo should.

Millions of US tax dollars fund the killing of buffalo whose natural migration leads them in or near the Church Universal & Triumphant property, where less than 250 cows graze. Bison are also excluded from Gallatin National Forest lands, even though Congress once qualified this region as winter habitat for animals whose forage becomes snow-covered inside Yellowstone. Buffalo, the only wildlife restricted to Yellowstone, are killed for roaming into lower-elevation habitat in search of food.

The Park Service's job is to safeguard wildlife. The livestock industry's job is to protect its animals, including vaccination of all cattle against brucellosis. Please do your jobs so I may once again support tourism in Montana.

Thank you,

Sadly, Hawkin's Bazaar, the lovely children's toyshop, is still selling sea monkeys (brine shrimp). We (Shellfish Network) have received answers from them saying that they monitor the animals closely, but since it will be children who take the creatures home, it seems unlikely that the welfare of the animals will be monitored from then on.

We would be grateful, therefore, if you could write a polite letter to these good people asking them to end their sales of brine shrimp. There is obviously no cruelty intended, but children are notoriously quickly bored even by the most cute and cuddly of animals!

Brine shrimp can live in their eggs for an incredible time until put in water. They then grow into enchanting little creatures full of life and fun. But, like all creatures, they must be cared for, especially when kept in a cage.

The address to write to is:
Emma Hayden, Compliance Officer, Hawkin's Bazaar, The Old Aerodrome, Worlingham, Beccles, Suffolk NR34 7SP

Sea Monkeys are also on sale at branches of Woolworths in Birmingham and Redditch. Presumably they`re in stores nationwide. And on their website too http://tinyurl.com/2npf77

Complain to:
Woolworths Customer Relations
Woolworths House, Royal Barn Road, Castleton, Rochdale, Lancashire, OL11 3DU
Tel: 0844 811 7112
Email: customer.relations@woolworths.co.uk

In its February 29 press release, the World Wildlife Fund announced that it's sponsoring Iditarod race winner Martin Buser in the 2008 Iditarod. The World Wildlife Fund claims that Buser loves and cares about his dogs. But one of Buser's dogs died in the Iditarod from "internal haemorrhage." Buser holds the speed record in the race. A newspaper reported that he "wants to accelerate the pace even more." To read the World Wildlife Fund release:
http://www.panda.org/news_facts/newsroom/index.cfm?uNewsID=125880

Please send protest emails to the World Wildlife Fund:
plannedgiving@wwfus.org, kerry.zobor@wwfus.org, lee.poston@wwfus.org,
monica.echeverria@wwfus.org, amanda.carufel@wwfus.org, kathleen.sullivan@wwfus.org,
erika.viltz@wwfus.org, trishna.gurung@wwfus.org

Sample letter:

Dear World Wildlife Fund:

Please end your organisation's support Martin Buser and the Iditarod dog sled race. For the dogs, this event is a bottomless pit of suffering. What happens to the dogs during the Iditarod includes death, paralysis, penile frostbite, bleeding ulcers, bloody diarrhea, lung damage, pneumonia, ruptured discs, viral diseases, broken bones, torn muscles and tendons, sprains, torn footpads and anaemia. One of Buser's dogs died in the Iditarod from "internal haemorrhage."

At least 133 dogs have died in the race. No one knows how many dogs die after this tortuous ordeal or during training. For more facts about the Iditarod, visit the Sled Dog Action Coalition website,
http://www.helpsleddogs.org ..

On average, 53 percent of the dogs who start the race do not make it across the finish line. According to a report published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, of those who do finish, 81 percent have lung damage. A report published in the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine said that 61 percent of the dogs who complete the Iditarod have ulcers versus zero percent pre-race.

Iditarod dog kennels are puppy mills. Mushers breed large numbers of dogs and routinely kill unwanted ones, including puppies. Many dogs who are permanently disabled in the Iditarod, or who are unwanted for any reason, including those who have outlived their usefulness, are killed with a shot to the head, dragged, drowned or clubbed to death. "Dogs are clubbed with baseball bats and if they don't pull are dragged to death in harnesses....." wrote former Iditarod dog handler Mike Cranford in an article for Alaska's Bush Blade Newspaper.

Dog beatings and whippings are common. During the 2007 Iditarod, eyewitnesses reported that musher Ramy Brooks kicked, punched and beat his dogs with a ski pole and a chain. Jim Welch says in his book Speed Mushing Manual, "Nagging a dog team is cruel and ineffective...A training device such as a whip is not cruel at all but is effective." "It is a common training device in use among dog mushers..."

Jon Saraceno wrote in his March 3, 2000 column in USA Today, "He [Colonel Tom Classen] confirmed dog beatings and far worse. Like starving dogs to maintain their most advantageous racing weight. Skinning them to make mittens. Or dragging them to their death."

During the race, veterinarians do not give the dogs physical exams at every checkpoint. Mushers speed through many checkpoints, so the dogs get the briefest visual checks, if that. Instead of pulling sick dogs from the race,
veterinarians frequently give them massive doses of antibiotics to keep them running.

Most Iditarod dogs are forced to live at the end of a chain when they aren't hauling people around. It has been reported that dogs who don't make the main team are never taken off-chain. Chained dogs have been attacked by wolves, bears and other animals. Old and arthritic dogs suffer terrible pain in the blistering cold.

Please end your organisation's association with this horrific race and Martin Buser.

Sincerely,

Please send protest emails to the other Iditarod supporters. The contact information for them can be found on
http://www.helpsleddogs.org/sponsors.htm

Please urge Portugal's Prime Minister to officially support the "Manifesto ANIMAL – Guiding Proposal for a Portuguese Animal Protection Code", its principles, objectives and the rules it aims to establish.

Please write to Portugal's Prime Minister urging him and the Portuguese Government to officially support and promote the establishment and enactment of the proposals and objectives outlined by ANIMAL in the "Manifesto ANIMAL – Guiding Proposal for a Portuguese Animal Protection Code" to forward and consolidate the legislative protection of animals in Portugal as an important national project.

Please find below the suggested message. You may use it and send it or, if you prefer, you may write and send your own personal message. Please, send it by e-mail and, if you can, send it also in a letter through postal mail
or fax to:

Prime Minister of Portugal
Rua da Imprensa à Estrela, 4
1200-888 Lisboa, Portugal
E-mail: pm@pm.gov.pt, pm@pm.gov.pt

On behalf of all animals in Portugal, we thank you for your support and participation, which are truly vital for the success of this campaign.

To His Excellency the Prime Minister of Portugal:

Dear Mr. Prime Minister,

Considering that it is the duty of humans to respect animals and to ensure that these benefit from legislation which protects them in an adequate and effective way;
considering that this duty is increasingly recognised and valued not only within the Portuguese society but also across the world, and that it has been driving governments, parliaments and municipalities from several regions of the world to take advanced legislative and practical steps to protect animals;
considering that, in spite of the latter being also a duty of the Portuguese State, this state has not been matching it, or meeting its responsibilities in this field, in a satisfactory way, thus leaving Portugal´s animals cruelly abandoned and victims of the state's indifference, which, both by actions and omissions, has been permitting that many and serious harms committed against animals may happen in an environment of almost total impunity;
considering that the Portuguese State, both by not taking pro-active, modern, effective and adequate legislative measures, by not even conducting a satisfactory prevention, enforcement and penalty regime regarding the existing animal protection regulations, by not forbidding cruel, unacceptable and absolutely unnecessary practises, and also by involving some of its institutions, among which are the municipalities, in the cruel treatment of animals, has originated serious problems affecting animals in the country;
and also considering that the unprecedented study "Values and Attitudes Towards the Protection of Animals in Portugal", released in May 2007 by the Centre of Sociologic Studies and Research of the ISCTE, based on a survey conducted between February and March 2007 by the survey company Metris GfK, made clear how the majority of the Portuguese people – a very significant one, in many aspects, and overwhelming, in so many others – believes that animals in Portugal are, in fact, extremely unprotected and should, in several areas, be urgently and strongly protected by the Portuguese State;
the Portuguese Parliament, and all its parliamentary groups, are presently being asked to:
1. Approve, establish and enact a new animal protection law – to be shaped as an Animal Protection Code – that is
a) wide-ranging, in a way that it establishes animal protection regulations affecting all areas in which these are somehow used and involved,
b) coherent, clear and specific, in a way that its provisions can be understood, respected and enforced in a clear way and without causing any doubts,
c) strongly restrictive, establishing i) unequivocally the prohibitions which are due to be defined, ii) strong penalties to the infringements of the law, and iii) exclusive legal permissions to hold animals in captivity and/or to inflict pain, suffering and/or death to animals only in the cases in which that is strictly necessary and justified, also rigidly and clearly regulating those permissions, and
d) easy to enforce, in a way that the agencies and officials which are responsible for enforcing the law and making sure it is respected may execute their enforcement work in the most direct, fast and effective manner, so that the infringements may be punished as swiftly and efficiently as possible, also to be accompanied of immediate and precautionary measures to protect the affected animals' safety and integrity – measures which should be also immediately put to practice by these very agencies and officials;
and
2. To additionally consider and incorporate in the preparation of this new animal protection law – which is requested to be established and enacted shaped as an Animal Protection Code taking into consideration all the
aspects mentioned in the previous point – all the elements which are outlined and advocated in the fair, extensive and comprehensive guiding proposal for a Portuguese Animal Protection Code presented in the document "Manifesto ANIMAL", written by ANIMAL and promoted by this organisation to accomplish a modern, effective, progressive and fair Animal Protection Code in relation to the needs of the legislative protection of animals in Portugal and to the Portuguese State's duties in this field.

I not only support all these claims and principles but I also believe that this great initiative meets a very urgent and serious need which should be regarded as nationally – and internationally, as organisations and people from all over the world are calling for it as well – important. The consideration and support to this initiative must come not only from the Portuguese society but also from the highest figures of the Portuguese State, I believe. That is why I am writing to you to ask the Portuguese Government to officially support and promote the establishment and enactment of the proposals and objectives which I mentioned above, so that the legislative protection of animals in Portugal may evolve in a modern, effective, progressive and fair way.

Thanking you in advance for the attention which, I trust, you will give to my request,
Yours, respectfully,
Name:
Town:
Country:
E-mail:

The crowd roars its approval as the chestnut stallion sinks his teeth into the throat of his opponent. The terrified victim rears up on his hind legs and veers away in a desperate bid to escape, but it is no use. Blood is pouring into his eyes and he can no longer see. His right ear is torn and bloody.

The bigger horse moves in for the coup de grace, repeatedly kicking the weaker animal in the head with his front hooves. His opponent soon collapses and lies panting on the ground, an all too typical end to one of the most horrific spectator 'sports' ever devised - horse-fighting tournaments. But that hasn't stopped them becoming hugely popular in the Philippines. "These tournaments are truly barbaric," says Andrew Plumbly of the welfare group Network for Animals, which has been campaigning to bring an end to the savage contests.

"Our vets have seen horses being kicked in the head so hard that their eyes have popped out of their sockets. Other horses have had their ears ripped off. It's straight out of the Middle Ages." Horse-fighting occurs almost exclusively in Mindanao in the southern Philippines, and in parts of China. Thousands of people turn out to watch the bloodbath, including hundreds of children. Many of the adults are drunk and spend their time gambling and jeering at the battling animals.

Though horses do not normally fight one another, stallions are whipped into a fighting frenzy by the presence of a young mare who is "in season" and staked to the ground in the middle of the muddy arena. Overwhelmed by desire, the stallions attacked each other in a bid to defeat their sexual rivals.

Many are soon covered in gashes and bites. Others limp around the arena with a glazed look in their eyes as they pathetically try to escape. The tournament is equally traumatic for the mare used as "bait" for the stallions. Not only is she repeatedly hit by stray blows from the duelling horses, but the poor creature is also obliged to mate with the victorious stallions from each "bout", meaning that she is mounted as many as 30 times during one tournament which can last up to six hours.

"Horses often die in the ring from exhaustion or their injuries," says Mr Plumbly, who has witnessed one such tournament. Veterinary care is too expensive for most owners to bother with, so wounded horses are often killed for their meat and the choicest cuts barbecued and sold to the crowd.

A similar fate awaits those horses deemed too old or too weak to fight. These are "sacrificed" by pitting them against much stronger stallions. Some break their legs as they desperately try to escape. But the bloodier the injuries, the louder the crowd cheers. Although horse-fighting is illegal in the Philippines, corruption and lack of enforcement ensure that the tournaments continue - and with apparent official sanction. Matches are featured on TV, and local businesses sponsor horses and tournaments. Local authorities offer prize money. The tournaments are promoted as a "cultural tradition", but in fact they are largely organised and controlled by crime syndicates, who rake in huge profits from gambling. Thousands of pounds are bet on each fight - a small fortune in a desperately poor country such as the Philippines.

Network for Animals wants to build clinics to treat injured horses and to educate local people about caring for animals. It is also encouraging tourists to avoid the southern Philippines.

"If people want to help stop these tournaments they should write to the embassy in London and tell them that they will not visit these islands," says Mr Plumbly. "The threat of a loss of tourism money will help bring this despicable blood sport to an end."
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=515508

Please sent protest emails to the Officials asking them to enforce the law.

President of Philippines
http://www.op.gov.ph/contact.asp

Vice-President
vp@ovp.gov.ph

Press Secretary
ops_edp@ops.gov.ph

Rodrigo Duterte, Mayor
Davao City Investment Promotion Center
Door 10, Ramon Magsaysay Park Complex, R. Magsaysay Avenue
Davao City, Philippines
www.davaocity.gov.ph/contactus.aspx

DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM
Office of the Secretary
T.M. Kalaw,
Malate, Manila
webmaster@tourism.gov.ph

Philippine Tourism Authority
DOT Building, T.M. Kalaw Street
Teodoro F. Valencia Circle, Ermita
Manila, Philippines 1000
info@philtourism.gov.ph

Dear Sirs,

I understand that horse-fighting which was banned by the Philippino government in 1998 continues to be widely practised on the island of Mindanao.

It is outrageous that it falls upon foreigners to ask you to enforce your own laws.

I look forward to your reply informing me that these illegal displays will not be allowed to take place.

Sincerely,
Name/Country

I am writing to ask you to help prevent a plan to starve to death many thousands of pigeons in and around Venice's St Mark's Square. For generations, locals and tourists alike have bought food from eighteen licensed corn sellers on the Square and fed the semi-domesticated flock.

Over the years, just as in Trafalgar Square, the birds have come to depend on this food source for their survival. And, just as in Trafalgar Square, Venice's Mayor, Massimo Cacciari, is planning to outlaw the feed sellers from 1st May. Even the traditional throwing of rice at weddings at Palazzo Cavalli, the nearby registry office, will be criminalized.

With the feeding of pigeons in the areas surrounding St Mark's Square already illegal, mass starvation amongst the birds is inevitable.

Mayor Cacciari is going further. Already his officials are trapping large numbers of these trusting, semi-tame birds and breaking their necks. Incredibly, the barbarism even has the support of the Chief of Police, Marco Agostini, who described the birds as "unbearable".

Please email or write to Mayor Cacciari urgently, urging him to halt the culling and to abandon his plans to ban the sale of pigeon food.

Email: sindaco@comune.venezia.it
(http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=12817475&msgid=5035711&act=D9JG&c=41417&admin=0&destination=http://app.icontact.com/ym/Compose?To=sindaco@comune.venezia.it)
Postal Address: Comune di Venezia
Ca Farsetti, San Marco 4136, Venezia, Italy

Thanks for caring.

The Hon. Kevin Rudd, Prime Minister
PO Box 6022
House of Representatives, Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600
ph: (02) 6277 7700; fax: (02) 6273 4100
web mail: http://www.pm.gov.au/contact/index.cfm

Contact the Australian Labour Party
email: info@cbr.alp.org.au
website: http://www.alp.org.au/action/contact.php

The Hon. Tony Burke MP, Minister For Agriculture, Fisheries, and Forestry
Canberra Office, PO Box 6022, Parliament House
CANBERRA ACT 2600
ph: (02) 6277 7520; fax: (02) 6273 4120
email: Tony.Burke.MP@aph.gov.au

Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
Animal Welfare Unit Product Integrity, Animal and Plant Health
GPO Box 858, Canberra ACT 2601
Animal and Plant Health Policy, General Manager, Dr. Bob Biddle
ph: +61 2 6272 5364; email: bob.biddle@daff.gov.au
Animal Welfare Unit, General Manager, Sally Standen
ph: +61 2 6272 5411; email: animalwelfare@daff.gov.au
web mail: http://www.daff.gov.au/feedback?query=animalwelfare

Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS)
Live animals: 02 6272 5506, 02 6272 3110
email: animallive@aqis.gov.au, animalexp@aqis.gov.au
website: http://www.aqis.gov.au

EMAIL BLOCK

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, web mail: http://www.pm.gov.au/contact/index.cfm

info@cbr.alp.org.au, Tony.Burke.MP@aph.gov.au, bob.biddle@daff.gov.au,
animalwelfare@daff.gov.au, animallive@aqis.gov.au, animalexp@aqis.gov.au

Sample letter

Dear Prime Minister Rudd and Honourable Officials Of Australia:

I write to ask for your intervention in Australia's annual live export of millions of sheep and cows to the Middle East. A December 2007 investigation debunked government and industry claims about enhanced welfare measures.

In fact, extensive footage exposed the ruthless handling of Australian animals in Bahrain, the UAE, and Jordan. Animals are seen with their legs tightly bound, wrenched through the streets. They are smashed into car trunks and tossed atop truck beds.

Since Middle East countries do not require stunning, animals remain fully alert when their throats are slit. Observers have described killers who strike animals with long knives to cut tendons and shatter joints. Once an animal collapses, his eyes are sometimes stabbed.

I implore the Australian government to advocate a policy of ethical reform. In February 2008 a West Australian Magistrate concluded animal cruelty accusations against Emanuel Exports Pty. Ltd. were confirmed beyond reasonable doubt. Yet, she was compelled to acquit the defendants because the federal government had granted them an export permit.

If you disapprove of animal abuse, you are obligated to stop export permits to the Middle East. Australia ought to set responsible and humane standards, rather than endorse an industry deemed legally cruel and in violation of animal welfare regulations.

Recent allegations about live-transport brutality seem to represent the norm. Reliable news sources such as 60 Minutes, 7.30 Report, Four Corners, Today Tonight and Landline have broadcast horrific scenes from past investigations. The international community has witnessed animals packed into airless chambers aboard multi-tiered ships. We've heard about sheep frothing at the mouth as they crush against bars in an effort to breathe.

The live export trade functions for profit, and therefore cannot be entrusted to regulate itself. I call upon the Australian government to not only enforce humane regulations for animals leaving its ports - but to also phase out the industry entirely.

The current administration has made strides to renew Australia's image as a compassionate and progressive country. It is time to permanently end the suffering inherent in live exports and barbaric overseas slaughter.

Thank you,
Name/Country

In July 2008 Brighton Animal Action has been given permission to spend 6 days legally liberating 13,500 chickens. In order to ensure we save as many chickens as possible from slaughter we need to raise money and lots of it. We've had lots of offers of homes from all over the country and we need funds to help with the rescue and to transport these chickens throughout the country

We have planned a fundraising event on Sunday 23rd March in Brighton at the Cowley Club on London Road. Time from 12.00 until food runs out

Come and join us for what promises to be a scrumptious vegan 2 course meal all for the low price of £5.00

Menu for fundraising lunch Sun 23rd March

Mains
Stuffed peppers, mash and a pea sauce.
or
Nut roast vegetables and gravy

Dessert
Vegan peanut butter sponge and custard
or
Baked apple with cinnamon and raisins.

Come early to avoid disappointment and eat lovely vegan food knowing you are helping to save thousands of chickens from slaughter.

For further information please email info@brightonanimalaction.org or contact Tara 07704221545

Nationwide Youth Arts Competition

Animal Aid - the UK's largest organisation campaigning on behalf of animals - has launched a nationwide poetry and art competition encouraging young people (aged 11-18 years) to express their own opinions on the controversial issue of factory farming - a topic highlighted recently by celebrity chefs Jamie Oliver and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. The organisation hopes to encourage young people to research what happens on intensive farms, and to feel inspired to create powerful poetry and passionate art pieces.

The winning entries will be displayed at a London event in July, where TV presenter Wendy Turner-Webster will award the winners their prizes, which include a games console, ipod and digital camera.

The competition has been launched as part of Animal Aid's high profile initiative - Veggie Month - that takes place each March and is open to all young people across the country.

Says Veggie Month Coordinator Kelly Slade:
'Eleven to eighteen is a perfect age to start thinking about where food comes from and for making important decisions that will not only benefit animals, but human health and the environment too. Young people are passionate about fair treatment for animals and I hope that this competition will spark discussion and thought, as well as produce some exciting and imaginative results.'

For more information on the competition or Veggie Month contact Kelly Slade (Kelly@animalaid.co.uk) or see www.veggiemonth.com

All competition entries should be clearly marked on the back with name, age and address and sent to the Animal Aid office (The Old Chapel, Bradford Street, Tonbridge, Kent, TN9 1AW) before April 30th 2008.

Hugletts Wood Farm Animal Sanctuary and Working Vegan Farm

Open Day on 17th May 2008 10.30am - 5pm.
Come and meet the calves, cows, bulls, pigs, sheep, ducks, geese, chickens and Idaho the turkey, all living in peace and tranquillity at Hugletts and will never see or fear the abattoir. Ebony, Hattie and Burfi arrived recently having narrowly escaped certain death and are the start of a second herd. Also : Woodland Walks, Talks on Cow Protection and Managing the Ancient Woodland at Hugletts. Or just find a quiet corner and relax!
There will be shelter, but bring wellies and umbrellas if wet.
Plenty of tasty Vegan food and drink available.
+ Raffle.
+ Stalls.
Hugletts Wood Farm, Grovelye lane, Churches Green, Dallington, (Nr Heathfield), East Sussex. TN21 9PA. Need more details or directions? Ring Jane 07884046703. Email :- wendashehata@lttmail.com

Animal Rights festival "Voices for Animals!"
Moscow and St. Petersburg
June 1-10th 2008

This is more than a meeting. This is more than a concert. These are voices of everyone. These are our voices for animal liberation. They are waiting when we muster all strength and cross the path for cruel humans confining animals in cages and making them feel pain.

We will open the cages!
We will vanish all the factories of death from the surface of the globe!
We will raise the standard of equality and freedom!

Series of meetings, exhibitions, concerts, demos, rallies, screenings and etc will take place in Moscow and St. Petersburg in June, 1st till 10th. It is an opportunity for everyone to know what it is possible to do for animal liberation.

During open meetings you will be able to clear for yourself philosophical and practical questions of animal rights movement, and activists from other countries will help you.

Alliance for Animal Rights is acting as an initiator of the festival and everyone who is interested in it's organisation is invited. We thank everyone who is ready to take part in festival and to promote the organisation's actions. We are ready to consider and accept interesting offers. Any initiative and desire to take part in festival is welcomed!

Join voices of thousand people from all over the world! Support festival "Voices for Animals!"

Our page in english: http://animalrights.ru/fest-en and russian http://animalrights.ru/fest
It will be regularly updated.

For communication with organizers of festival write on e-mail:
fest@animalrights.ru

Help the festival right now!

You can take a banner on our page http://animalrights.ru/fest-en and to place it on your site or blog. A mutual exchange of references and banners is welcomed!

http://animalrights.ru/fest-en

Grey Squirrels Petition - Please Sign

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Grey-Squirrels/

A New Campaign Rallying One Million Citizens around the world to turn off their televisions and boycott the Beijing Olympics Unless China Ends Its Support for Burma's Military Regime

SIGN UP TODAY to Be one of One Million People to Pledge to Not Watch The Olympics: Also, Tell Your Friends

http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=1RVPFyk0viF0vcOxtqa5D8sSDRhIIKfw

We are writing to ask for your help.

A few days ago, leading human rights activists inside Burma called on people throughout the world to turn off their televisions and not support the Beijing Olympics unless China stops propping up Burma's military regime.

In response, each and every citizen of conscience throughout the world has a decision to make: do we lend our support to China by watching the Olympics or do we turn off our televisions? We, and leaders of the democracy movement in Burma, are asking you to turn it off. In fact, we are asking one million people throughout the world to sign up to turn off their televisions and not participate in the Olympics, unless China changes its policies on Burma.

Here is why: China keeps Burma's military regime -- and its brutal human rights record -- in power.

- Burma's military regime has burned down or otherwise destroyed 3,200 ethnic minority villages, forcing 1.5 million refugees to flee their homes. Who is the #1 supplier of arms and weapons to the regime? China.

- Burma's regime has recruited more child soldiers than any other country in the world. Who is the Burmese military regime's leading supporter? China.

- Aung San Suu Kyi, the world's only imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize recipient, is locked up in prison along with 2,000 other political dissidents. Despite its huge influence, China refuses to call for her release.

- The United Nations has been completely paralysed, unable to take any action to prevent genocide in Burma. Why? Because China has used its veto at the UN Security Council to block any meaningful action. As a result, the UN is making many of the same mistakes it made on Darfur and Rwanda.

Put simply, China is the funder, weapons supplier, and the diplomatic protector for Burma's military regime. Like the Berlin Olympics in 1936 that wrongly brought world acclaim to Adolf Hitler, the Beijing Olympics in 2008 are becoming a monument to suffering.

Adding insult to injury, the Olympics are scheduled to begin on August 8, 2008 - the anniversary of a major massacre in Burma. On the same date in 1988, thousands of peaceful protesters were massacred by the regime during Burma's largest democracy uprising. Each year, thousands of people around the world commemorate this slaughter and honour those who spoke out for human rights and justice - instead of supporting Beijing, we are asking you to think of Burma on that day.

Already, many people are speaking out. Nobel Peace Prize recipients Desmond Tutu and Jody Williams have said they will not support the Olympics. Prominent director Steven Spielberg ended his position working with the Olympics to protest China's support for the genocidal leaders ruling Darfur, Sudan.

After one million people sign up for this effort, we will let you know if China has changed its policies on Burma. If they do not, we will all turn off our televisions and personally boycott the Olympics.

Specifically, we are asking China to:

- Stop blocking a UN Security Council arms embargo on Burma and stop selling weapons to Burma's regime.

- Demand the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners, an immediate cessation of attacks against ethnic minorities, and the discharging of all conscripted child soldiers

- Declare that China will not recognise the SPDC's constitution as long as Aung San Suu Kyi, democracy groups, and ethnic party representatives are excluded from participation

- Play a constructive role in facilitating peaceful negotiations in Burma between the military regime, Aung San Suu Kyi, and Burma's ethnic nationalities

Instead of watching the Olympics:
- 8.8.08 will be a day of commemoration for Burma. For the next few months we will be collecting pledges from a million people around the world who pledge to not watch the Olympics

- Also, we are asking those that sign up to not purchase Olympics merchandise or products from Olympic sponsors

- While not a requirement, we are also asking those who sign the petition to consider organising an event for Burma on the opening day of the Olympics, such as a film-screening, protest at a Chinese embassy, prayer service, speaking event, or fundraiser.

- Before the event we will be encouraging (and have many tools on our website) for people to email Olympic corporate sponsors, write letters to the editor in their local paper, and spread the word to their friends.

Please add your name to the petition by signing up on our website so you can be one of one million people to raise your voices. We created a tool on our webpage so that when you sign up, you can easily ask your friends to sign up at the same time. It will only take a few clicks of your mouse.

We urge you to stand up with us and call for China to remove the taint of genocide and oppression from the Olympic Games.

Aung Din, Jeremy, Jennifer, and Thelma
US Campaign for Burma
www.uscampaignforburma.org