Dear All

Please help us stop the seal pups hunt in Russia!

Due to years-old media reports stating the seal hunting Russia stopped because of bankruptcy and the high cost of helicopter fuel, many westerners are unaware that the brutal seal hunt in Archangelsk, Russia continues to this day. The seal hunt was big and cruel last year, and now will be renewed because of negotiations between Norwegian company Riber Skinn AS and the Archangelsk Regional Administration. With the Fishery Ministry of Norway fuelling money into the Archangelsk Administration to ensure the continuation of the seal hunt, Archangelsk will oblige - unless the Russian and Norwegian governments hear from the international community.

The problem could have been solved by passing the bill for Protection of Animals from Brutal Treatment into law. One of the articles of the bill would completely ban the seal pups hunt. Unfortunately this bill was vetoed by the President Putin.

How can you help? Please send a letter to Russian President Putin and to your Norwegian Ambassador. And please circulate this message widely, as it is important for the west to become more aware of this pressing issue, and of our efforts to stop these cruel hunts. We firmly believe that stopping the seal hunt in Russia is a real possibility, but we absolutely need your international support! Thank you so much for your time and help.

To the President of Russian Federation Vladimir Putin,
Ilinka str. 23, Moscow, Russia 103132
Fax: 7 (095) 205-4330, 206-5173
E-mail: http://www.kremlin.ru/eng/articles/send_letter_Eng1a.shtml

Dear President Putin,

I am asking you to stop the cruel slaughter of seal pups on the coast of the White Sea. Why - while other countries condemn such brutality - does Russia continue to support the slaughter of baby seals on its shores? This heartless slaughtering takes place on the very birthing grounds of these seal pups - terrorising both pups and mothers alike.

It can be stopped by passing the Law of the Russian Federation for Protection of Animals against Cruel Treatment. Please sign this law into effect and stop the killing of the seal pups. Instead of relying on funds from the Norwegian Ministry and continuing the hunts, promote eco-tourism in the White Sea region to see the pups in their natural environment. Also please ensure these pups' safety from poaching by appointing land-guards to watch the territory. Above all this cruel slaughter of baby seals in Russia must be stopped immediately. Thank you very much for your attention to this matter.

Name/Country
__________________________

Embassies:
USA: emb.washington@mfa.no
England: emb.london@mfa.no
Germany: emb.berlin@mfa.no
Bulgaria: emb.sofia@mfa.no
Or find the contact info for your country's Norwegian embassy here:
http://www.norway.info/

Sir

Please consider this a formal letter of complaint to mark my protest against GC Riber Skinn AS and all other Norwegian companies benefiting from the seal hunt in Russia. GC Riber Skinn AS is a direct financial endorser of the brutal baby seal hunt in Archangelsk, Russia, and as such I will boycott all Norwegian companies with products tied to this violence - including the fish and fur companies Norge Fish AS, Saga Furs, and their partners. This cruel hunting of seal pups takes place on the picturesque shores of the White Sea - indeed on the very birthing grounds of these beautiful animals. The babies are often ruthlessly clubbed to death in front of their own mothers - an unthinkable tragedy that we must not let to continue another year.

We ask you to discontinue this brutal seal hunt immediately. Not only is this animal cruelty performed in the name of vanity alone, but it also represents a huge scar on Norway's political reputation around the world.

Until your government agrees to reverse its financial support of the seal hunt in Russia, I will widely promote this important issue as well as the boycott against all Norwegian companies related to the hunt. Thank you for your serious consideration of this pressing matter, and I look forward to a letter of response at your earliest convenience.

Sincerely,
Name/Country

Additional INFO:
Norwegians to hunt seal in Arkhangelsk
A new cooperation agreement signed by the Arkhangelsk regional administration and the Norwegian company Riber Skinn AS is to help revive seal hunting along the White Sea coast. The Norwegians will assist Russian hunters catch the whole seal quotas, currently being fulfilled on 15 percent. According to head of the regional department of Natural Resources, Alexander Davitashvili, the joint cooperation could have a major positive effect for the population along the White Sea coast. The official says both Norwegian and Russian investments are planned attracted to the project .Small-size catch vessels and training programs are to be developed.
Mr. Davitashvili is confident that the project by the end of 2007 will create about 50 new jobs. He also believes that a new fur plant could be open in the future. All the activities will be done in line with environmental laws and in loyalty to the local population, Mr. Davitashvili stresses.
http://www.barentsobserver.com/index.php?id=441678&showforumform=1&noredir=1

Protests to accompany baby seal hunt in Russia ARKHANGELSK.
The seal hunting campaign has been launched in Russia's Arkhangelsk region amid protests by animal advocacy groups. One collective farm alone has a quota to capture 10,000 Greenland seal pups in the White Sea over 10-14 days. A spokesman for the Beloye More farm told Interfax that all the animals will be held in open-air cages until they grow up a bit, after which they will be slaughtered. Quotas are distributed by the international community every year. Animal rights activists are to stage rallies in Arkhangelsk, Murmansk, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Rostov-on-Don, Barnaul, Sochi to protest the seal hunt. Greenland seals give birth to their babies in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, off the Newfoundland coast in Canada, and in the White Sea in Russia in late February-early March.

Protest Australia's Mass Kangaroo Kill

"The commercial kangaroo kill quota for 2007 is just over 3.6 million kangaroos. Some skins and meat products are used domestically (60 to 70% of kangaroo meat goes into the Australian pet food market), and the rest is exported to 55 countries as leather or meat for human consumption. Kangaroo leather is widely used in the manufacture of sporting shoes and gloves as well as in dress shoes and accessory manufacture."

Australian Government Officials:

The Hon. Kevin Rudd MP, Prime Minister
Parliament House, CANBERRA ACT 2600
web mail: http://www.pm.gov.au/contact/index.cfm

The Hon. Peter Garrett AM MP
Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts
PO Box 6022, Parliament House, Canberra ACT 2600
ph: 02-6277-7640; fax: 02-6273 6101
email: Peter.Garrett.MP@aph.gov.au
general web mail: http://www.environment.gov.au/about/comments.html

Mr. Peter Cochrane, Director of National Parks
GPO Box 787, Canberra ACT 2601
ph: 02-6274 2221; fax 02-6274 2349
email: peter.cochrane@environment.gov.au

Ms. Kerry Smith, Assistant Secretary, Wildlife Division
Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts
GPO Box 787, Canberra ACT 2601
ph: 02-6274 1224; fax: 02-6274 1600
email: Kerry.Smith@deh.gov.au

Department of Environment and Climate Change NSW
PO Box A290, Sydney South NSW 1232, Australia
ph: 02-9995-5000; fax: 02-9995 5999
email: info@environment.nsw.gov.au

NSW National Parks And Wildlife Services
NPWS Kangaroo Management Unit
PO Box 2111, Dubbo NSW 2830
ph: 02-6883-5343, 02-6883-5375; fax: 02-6884-8675
email: kangaroo.management@environment.nsw.gov.au

Kangaroo Industry Association of Australia
email: info@kangaroo-industry.asn.au

Australian Embassies:
http://www.dfat.gov.au/missions/

EMAIL BLOCK: All emails found for this alert.

Peter.Garrett.MP@aph.gov.au, peter.cochrane@environment.gov.au,
Kerry.Smith@deh.gov.au, info@environment.nsw.gov.au,
kangaroo.management@environment.nsw.gov.au, info@kangaroo-industry.asn.au,
public.affairsus@dfat.gov.au

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

Honourable Officials of Australia:

The commercial slaughter of kangaroos for meat, fur and leather demeans Australia's global image. I call upon politicians to phase out kangaroo shooting altogether. In the meantime, please rein in mass kill quotas that endanger future populations.

The killing methods sanctioned in the National Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos and Wallabies sicken me. Kangaroos are Australia's national icon and beloved worldwide. They deserve enforceable
protections. Instead, animal welfare oversight is virtually nonexistent.

Hunters spotlight kangaroos in the outback at night. Though they aim for the head, they often miss the brain - leaving kangaroos with gaping head and mouth wounds. An estimated hundreds of thousands of maimed animals suffer prolonged death every year.

Orphaned joeys, considered worthless, are yanked from their slain mother's pouch for a grisly death. The Code recommends they be decapitated with a sharp blade; shot at point blank range; clubbed with a metal pipe; or
slammed against a tow bar or other firm object.

Older joeys (who live in and out of the pouch) succumb to exposure, starvation or predation. Some 300,000 "at foot" joeys die each year.

I oppose the mass slaughter of Australian wildlife for both ethical and ecological reasons. A two-year investigation shows kangaroo numbers in shooting ranges - areas also imperiled by drought - have dropped about 59%, from over 57 million in 2001, to roughly 23.6 million in 2006.

The government claims some of the annual cull is "damage mitigation" because kangaroos degrade grazing grounds. But there is not enough impartial scientific data to justify slaughter. Destructive agricultural practices, on the other hand, are proving unsustainable.

Australia's kangaroo kill is the largest known slaughter of land wildlife. I respectfully ask the government to work toward the non-consumptive "use" of kangaroos for tourism. Please maximize eco-tourism instead of killing.

Thank you,

Dolphin Hunters in Nago City, hunted dolphins 20 years ago but stopped when the town received bad publicity. The city has started the practice again.

We can stop this again by flooding the Tourism and Culture Office with e-mail messages from international tourists. Please CC the mayor of Nago City and governor of Okinawa.

Let them know you won't be visiting Nago City or anyplace else in Okinawa prefecture until the dolphin slaughter is abolished.

Contact Addresses:

Mario Ginama, Okinawa Prefecture Tourism and Culture
Office: e-mail: aa057037@pref.okinawa.jp

Mayor of Nago City: Mr. Yoshikazu Shimabukuro
e-mail: shichoushitsu@city.nagu.okinawa.jp

Governor of Okinawa: Mr. Hirokazu Nakaima
e-mail: kouhou@pref.okinawa.lg.jp

Ask Escada For Cruelty-Free Couture

Escada World Headquarters
Margaretha-ley-Ring 1, 85609 Aschheim; Deutschland (Germany)
ph: + 49 (0) 89-9944-0; fax: + 49 (0) 89-9944-1111
email: info@de.escada.com

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

Dear Sir/Madam:

Please eliminate fur and fur-trimmed goods from your product lines. I cannot in good conscience purchase Escada designs while your company endorses the violent fur industry.

There are virtually no regulatory guidelines to protect animals farmed for their fur. At typical farms, caged animals are stacked in open sheds where they pace in faeces and urine. Some perish from dehydration or starvation.

Wild animals normally travel miles each day, raise young, gather food, and express other traits. On fur farms, they resort to head bobbing, self-mutilation, infanticide, cannibalism, and other "coping tools."

Undamaged pelts are commonly derived via genital electrocution. With a metal conductor lodged in the animal's throat and an electric prod in his or her rectum, the killer delivers a 240-volt blast of electricity. The electrical current only works as a paralysing agent. The animal remains conscious for two or more minutes to endure an excruciating heart attack.

Other fur-bearers die by cervical dislocation (neck popping), lethal injection of pesticides or other junk chemicals, and asphyxiation from unfiltered carbon monoxide.

Animals trapped in the wild suffer no less. Those caught in leghold traps or snares may gnaw their teeth to the jawbone or chew off their feet to escape. Others languish on trap lines for days before trappers return to fatally
club, stomp or drown them.

Indiscriminate trapping devices crush dogs, cats, deer, livestock and 2 to 10 times as many non-target animals. Endangered species are among the millions of "trash animals" dumped by trappers every year.

I urge Escada stores worldwide to choose cruelty-free couture. Please join Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, J. Crew, Ann Taylor, Polo Ralph Lauren, Stella McCartney, Vivienne Westwood, Todd Oldham, Marc Bouwer, and other popular designers that market sophisticated collections without real fur.

Thank you,

Escada stores - USA (Stores Owned by Escada)

Florida, Bal Harbour / ESCADA Shop
9700 Collins Avenue 155; Bal Harbour, FL 33154
ph: +1 305 8679283; fax: +1 305 8644694

California, Beverly Hills / ESCADA Shop
9502 Wilshire Boulevard; Beverly Hills, CA 90212
ph: +1 310 2850330; fax: +1 310 2850165

Massachusetts, Boston / ESCADA Shop
308 Boylston Street; Boston, MA 02116
ph: +1 617 4371200; fax: +1 617 4236643

Maryland, Chevy Chase / ESCADA Shop
5555 Wisconsin Avenue; Chevy Chase, MD 20815
ph: +1 301 6579000; fax: +1 301 6579041

Illinois, Chicago / ESCADA Shop
840 North Michigan Avenue; Chicago, IL 60611
ph: +1 312 9150500; fax: +1 312 9150799

California, Costa Mesa / ESCADA Shop
Suite 2207; 3333 Bristol Street; Costa Mesa, CA 92626
ph: +1 714 9576800; fax: +1 714 9571434

Texas, Dallas / ESCADA Shop
Highland Park; 34 Highland Park Village; Dallas, TX 75205
ph: +1 214 5212882; fax: +1 214 5212994

Hawaii, Honolulu / ESCADA Shop
Ala Moana Shopping Center Court 3F
1450 Ala Moana Blvd., 3101; Honolulu, HI 96814
ph: +1 808 9733738; fax: +1 808 9733740

Nevada, Las Vegas / ESCADA Shop
The Forum at Caesar's Palace
3500 Las Vegas Blvd. Suite C-3; Las Vegas, NV 89109
ph: +1 702 7912300; fax: +1 702 7917644

California, Los Angeles / ESCADA Shop
9502 Wilshire Blvd.; Los Angeles, CA 90212
ph: +1 310 2850330; fax: +1 310 2850165

New York, Manhasset / ESCADA Shop
The Americana; 2060 Northern Blvd.; Manhasset, NY 11030
ph: +1 516 8690966; fax: +1 516 8690980

Florida, Naples / Marissa Collections / ESCADA Shop
1167 Third Street South; Naples, FL 34102
ph: +1 239 2634333; fax: +1 239 2625437

New York, New York / ESCADA Shop
715 Fifth Avenue; New York, NY 10022
ph: +1 212 7552200; fax: +1 212 8323750

Florida, Palm Beach / ESCADA Shop
222 Worth Avenue; Palm Beach, FL 33480
ph: +1 561 8359700; fax: +1 561 8354503

Arizona, Phoenix / ESCADA Shop
Biltmore Fashion Park; 2550 E. Camelback Rd.; Phoenix, AZ 85016
ph: +1 602 2240336; fax: +1 602 2245239

Texas, Plano / ESCADA Shop
The Shops at Willowbend
Suite B-201, 6121 West Park Blvd.; Plano, TX 75093
ph: +1 469 3660746; fax: +1 469 3660750

Washington, Seattle / ESCADA Shop
The Skinner Building; 1302 Fifth Avenue; Seattle, WA 98101
ph: +1 206 2239433; fax: +1 206 2234996

Take Horses & Donkeys Off Tel Aviv Streets

Mayor Ron Huldai
Tel Aviv City Hall, 69 Ibn Gvirol St., Tel Aviv 64162, Israel
web mail: http://www.tel-aviv.gov.il/english/general/contact/contact.htm

Dear Mayor Huldai,

Please register my support for a ban on horse-drawn carts due to their elemental cruelty and threat to public safety. Horse or donkey-drawn carts on congested streets endanger both pedestrians and drivers. Moreover, municipal veterinarian Zvi Galin claims Tel Aviv is deficient in resources needed to regularly inspect and remove horses from abusive owners.

A more logical solution in the 21st Century is to prohibit horse-drawn carts entirely. The image of battered, skeletal horses and donkeys navigating urban traffic is old fashioned and inhumane. These animals suffer fatigue, dehydration, chronic hoof conditions and lameness as they lug carts laden with bulky furniture, produce or construction supplies. They work without water or shade under a sweltering sun or rainstorms.

When they are too weak to stand, horses and donkeys are discarded at garbage sites or along roads to slowly die by starvation. Please ban horse-drawn vehicles all together and institute interim sanctuaries for the rehabilitation of abused animals once they've been seized.

I urge Tel Aviv to join London, Paris, Beijing, Toronto, Las Vegas, and progressive cities worldwide that already forbid the use of horses and donkeys within city limits.

Thank you for considering my opinion. I look forward to your reply.

Sincerely,

Hotel reservations website, CentralR, has been asked by ICABS to stop publicising foxhunting on its website.

In an entry for a Carlton Shearwater Hotel, the website mentions foxhunting as one of the local "leisure pursuits" -
http://www.centralr.com/Carlton_Shearwater_Hotel.html

ICABS has provided CentralR with photos showing the barbarity of foxhunting and informed them that 70 per cent of Irish people view foxhunting as cruel, with a majority wanting the activity banned.

"We believe that most of the visitors to your site would find the publicisation of foxhunting to be offensive," we stated. "We hope that you can consider excluding the reference to foxhunting from your site."

Action Alerts

1. Please join us in asking CentralR to exclude the reference to cruel foxhunting from their site.
CentralR Headquarters:
2nd Floor Quantum House, 52 Temple Road, Blackrock, Co. Dublin.
Email: info@CentralR.com
Tel: +353 (0) 1 764 2500
Fax: +353 (0) 1 633 5445

2. Write to Carlton Shearwater and ask them to act to ensure that foxhunting is not mentioned in relation to their hotel
Dermot Birchall
General Manager
Carlton Shearwater Hotel, Marina Point, Ballinasloe, Co. Galway
Email: dbirchall@carlton.ie
Tel: 0909 630400

Please email Hilary Benn (Secretary of State at DEFRA)
NO slaughter of badgers to appease the NFU!
Email: bennh@parliament.uk

"Vice President Meurig Raymond says the NFU wants a "thorough and intensive" cull. This would lead to the slaughter of thousands of perfectly healthy badgers. Mr Rew also claims that TB causes a "horrible death" for
badgers, yet the Central Science Laboratory says that TB is not a significant cause of death for badgers and the minority that are infected with it (by cattle, incidentally) live and breed normally for many years. The NFU's approach is like that of a doctor stating: "You're just fine. And to keep you that way I'm going to gas you." The public are not fooled by this nonsense." - Trevor Lawson, Badger Trust

For more information:
http://www.badger.org.uk/Content/Home.asp
http://www.rspca.org.uk/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RSPCA/RSPCARedirect&pg=badgers

The defenders of bullfighting refuse to admit that their practice, in addition to inflicting atrocious flesh wounds to animals for twenty long minutes, can seriously harm the minds of children or even of unwitting adults oblivious to the spectacle's actual content. Ever since the first appearance of bullfighting in 18th century Spain and its extension to towns in southwest France at the end of the 19th century, the ‘aficionados' have always staunchly maintained before governing bodies and the media that bullfighting possesses only exemplary virtues.

There is a simple way to refute these arguments.
We have collected a number of oral testimonies, some on-the-spot during protest demonstrations at the rings, others during our information campaigns.
The time has come to solicit written testimonies.

So we are appealing to you now to send us your personal accounts:
- if you attended one or more bullfights as a minor, taken along by adults (family, friends...) and remember what you went through as painful or traumatic.
- if you attended a bullfight as an adult and have a painful recollection of the experience; this might be the case if you entered the bullring without knowing exactly what you were in for, if you were a tourist attending a fiesta for example.

You don't have to be able to write well; just describe your experience in your own words.
We request that your e-mail response be backed up by a posted letter either typed or handwritten, and signed in order that your testimony may be given all the consideration it deserves.
You should try to be as precise as possible concerning your age (for experiences during childhood or adolescence) or the year (if you were an adult), the exact location of the bullfight(s), and clearly indicate your complete name and address.
Your testimonies may be sent out over the Internet but your personal contact data will be withheld to protect your privacy. This information may, however, be provided as part of a group action aimed at political and legal officials or members of the media in order to prove that the testimonies are genuine.

We are aware of the effort involved in carrying out such a task, but every contribution helps move the debate forward.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation and don't hesitate to send this appeal on to others you know that might feel concerned !

Send your e-mail to: jeanpaul.richier@noos.fr
AND
Post your back-up letter to:
Comité Radicalement Anti-Corrida Guillassou
24110 - St Astier - FRANCE

Smoking Monkeys In Absurd OHSU Lab

Elizabeth G. Nabel, M.D.
Director, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute
Building 31, Room 5A48, 31 Center Dr. MSC 2486, Bethesda, MD 20892
ph: 301-496-5166; email: nabele@nhlbi.nih.gov

Joseph Robertson, Jr., M.D., MBA, President of OHSU
3181 S.W. Sam Jackson Park Rd. Portland, OR 97239-3098
ph: 503-494-7891
email Dr. Robertson through his assistant: elliojer@ohsu.edu

Dear Dr. Nabel and Dr. Robertson,

I am astonished Eliot Spindel of Oregon Health and Science University receives millions from the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to conduct nicotine experiments upon monkeys. I respectfully ask you to stop funding these irrelevant studies.

Since 1972, NIH has awarded Spindel $7.6 million taxpayer dollars to dose pregnant monkeys with nicotine via pumps embedded in their backs. Spindel has failed to produce data that can't already be gleaned from human clinical studies. Yet NIH intends to subsidize his experiments through 2012.

Please invest federal money in education, prevention and smoking cessation efforts. It is fundamentally futile to pump nicotine into monkeys. We know smoking harms fetuses and promotes cancer of the lungs, larynx, tongue, salivary glands, pharynx, and esophagus. We understand its link to strokes, coronary heart and pulmonary diseases. We already know smoking is addictive.

Moreover, test animals acquire nicotine intravenously whereas humans inhale it. Test animals receive mass doses in brief intervals, while people encounter small quantities over long periods. In 1999, Science Journal reported the way a drug digests contrasts widely from one species to another. By the time a monkey excretes a drug, it doesn't look like the same drug in a human.

In fact, data derived from distressed animals is so misleading, early experiments prompted the tobacco industry to dub nicotine harmless. Epidemiological and clinical studies -- not animal experiments - have disclosed all applicable data about smoking-related illnesses in people.

Nonetheless, Eliot Spindel squanders millions to impregnate monkeys and implant nicotine-dosing pumps in their backs. Females endure up to five surgeries as pumps are modified during pregnancy. Fetuses are cut out and killed during different developmental phases. Their lungs are dissected.

One caretaker who worked in Spindel's lab for two years stated: "Among the most horrifying things I witnessed at the lab were the times baby monkeys were stolen away from their mothers... A worker reached into the cage to rip the baby from her mother, who screamed and fought to keep her baby safe. Once removed, the entire room of monkeys erupted into pandemonium - screaming, thrashing, and crashing against the sides of their cages..."

Some might attempt to argue animal suffering serves a higher purpose. But even those people could see that Spindel's lab doesn't serve progress. Please cut funds for these indisputably cruel experiments at Oregon Health and Science University.

Thank you,

Chained dogs bake outside in the intense tropical heat and sun of Miami-Dade County. Imagine how painful it is for a dog when a scorching hot metal chain touches his paws, nose or genitals. Chained dogs are also subject to tropical storm and hurricane force winds. On Jan. 22, 2008, the Miami-Dade County Commission rejected a tethering ordinance that would have established humane conditions for tethering. The ordinance would have required people to be outside when their dogs are chained. Please help the chained dogs of Miami-Dade County by writing to the commissioners of Miami-Dade County.

Commissioner emails:
district11@miamidade.gov, District4@miamidade.gov, District12@miamidade.gov,
District3@miamidade.gov, District9@miamidade.gov, District6@miamidade.gov,
district5@miamidade.gov, BMORRIS2@miamidade.gov, District1@miamidade.gov,
District7@miamidade.gov, District7@miamidade.gov, District8@miamidade.gov
Commissioner Seijas has no email. Fax her at 305-375-2011

Sample letter (Please personalise the letter. If you're boycotting travel to Miami, please say so.)

Dear County Commissioners:

Miami wants to be known as a glamorous and fun tourist destination. A dog suffering on a chain in the hot tropical sun tarnishes this image. Please approve the tethering ordinance that was proposed Miami-Dade Animal Services, which would have imposed humane conditions for tethering, including requiring people to be outside when their dog is chained. I am shocked that in spite of all the evidence that demonstrates why chaining is cruel and inhumane, often making "vicious monsters" out of otherwise gentle and social animals, Miami-Dade County Commissioners refused to act on this important legislation, which would have restricted this cruel and archaic practice.

Dogs are social animals who instinctively want to be part of a group or pack. Leaving dogs chained outside makes them aggressive. The Center for Disease Control reported that chained dogs are 2.8 times more likely to bite. Dogs who are forced to live at the end of a chain are at risk from the elements: blistering heat, windstorms, rain and lightning. They are also vulnerable to attacks by other animals.

Numerous jurisdictions have enacted tethering ban ordinances because studies show that to do so is not only humane, but it also ultimately protects both dogs and people. I urge you to act at once to enact this ordinance that will improve the lives of so many neglected and abused animals.

Sincerely,

Ask your MP to sign EDM 736

Please write a letter to your MP to ask them to sign a parliamentary motion in support of a strong Climate Change Bill.

Here is the action guide with the key points to make:
Please write a personal letter to your MP about EDM 736:
http://www.foe.co.uk/phplist/lists/lt.php?id=Nh5UCwIHVAgHBUpXAglMVAwFCQNT

The New Year in Poland has dawned with a grim reminder of the fickleness of political agendas. A 'volte face' by the ruling Civic Platform Minister for the Agriculture, Marek Sawicki, means that Poland's cherished status as a GMO Free Country is about to be dissolved.

Speaking in Brussels 21st January, Mr Sawicki declared that he would not enforce the GMO ban on animal feeds due for implementation this year. He went on to state that he was also interested in the production of certain GM plants in Poland, particularly potatoes. He cited the disease resistant characteristics of certain GM plants as the main potential benefit for the Country's farmers.

This announcement is the culmination of a period of deep unease amongst supporters of a GMO Free Poland, who have long recognised that Civic Platform has been working covertly to undermine the previous administration's prohibition of GMO and the introduction of a GMO animal feed ban.

It is always galling when political figureheads say one thing but do another. Such hypocrisy has been played out with particular effect in this case, as all the oratory suggested a firm commitment to maintaining the current ban - in spite of the threat of fines from the European Commission for non-conformation with it's decree that individual member states have no authority to institute a blanket ban GMO.

We are pulling out all the stops to try and prevent a meltdown of all that has been achieved over the past 3 years.... and we know you too will feel a sense of repulsion and pain at this outright deception of the Polish public. We therefore call upon you to MAKE ONE MORE EFFORT TO HELP US CONVINCE MR SAWICKI TO CHANGE HIS MIND - AND TO COME IN LINE WITH THE VAST MAJORITY OF EUROPEAN CITIZENS WHO HAVE ALREADY REJECTED GMO ON HEALTH, WELFARE AND ENVIRONMENTAL GROUNDS.

We have such an amazing opportunity at this precise point in time to press calls for a COMPLETE MORATORIUM of GMO across the whole of Europe. President Sarkozy of France has taken the first genuinely meaningful step by a political figure, by assembling an independent team of experts to examine the case of MON 810 GM maize and then acting on the conclusion of this team, by outright banning this GM product.

Stavros Dimas, The EU Commissioner for the Environment, has also expressed severe reservations concerning GMO. Austria, Greece and Hungary have all held firm in their commitment to prohibiting specific GMO plants which the Commission has stated they must accept. Other Countries, such as Germany, are also moving in the same direction. NEVER HAS THERE BEEN A BETTER TIME FOR CARRYING THROUGH OUR DESIRE FOR A GMO FREE EUROPE.

If Poland were to also dig her heels in and refuse to capitulate to Corporate and EU commission pressures, the balance might well be tipped decisively in our favour and the Commission's bureaucrats would no longer be able to impose their will on the citizens of Europe.

We call upon you to please add your voice to those demanding non capitulation!! Just a few well chosen words written in Solidarity with the Polish people will be invaluable in keeping this pivotally important battle alive! Remember, the results will affect us all! Don't ignore this call - YOUR EFFORTS REALLY COUNT.

Please send your comments to: ..................

Minister of Agriculture:
Marek Sawicki
Marek.Sawicki@sejm.pl
Ministerstwo Rolnictwa i Rozwoju Wsi
ul. Wspolna 30, 00-930 Warszawa
tel.: 0048 22 623 15 10
fax: 0048 22 623 17 88

Minister of Environment:
Maciej Nowicki
minister.srodowiska@mos.gov.pl
ul. Wawelska 52/54, 00-922 Warszawa
Tel.: 0048 22 57 92 400, 57 92 222
Fax: 0048 22 57 92 224

When Cotswold District Council gave some land to a local children's charity no-one could have thought how much damage could be done. For the last 15 years or so Cotswold Animal and Bird Rescue had leased this land from the Council but has now been told to move out by May of this year. The Cirencester Opportunity Group, the beneficiary of the Council's goodwill, has said that it now needs the land to expand its premises and requires the sanctuary to find alternative accommodation, coldly stating "Your charity went into occupation of a portion of the Cirencester Opportunity Group land without consent of the trustees and have remained on the land since that either as tenants at will or as trespassers." The sanctuary maintains that it has attempted to continue leasing the land from the new owners but payments have not been cashed.

Naturally those at the sanctuary are devastated and are appealing for help. If you know anyone who can offer homes to any of the residents, please ring 01285 658923. A local pro-animal group welcomes any suggestions that will allow the sanctuary to continue, contact:
Telephone 01285 658923 or
email the Western Animal Rights Network
http://www.stopanimalcruelty.co.uk/warn/contact.asp

It's our 10th anniversary year and we'd be honoured if you would join us in celebrating our achievements, after all, you're a very important part of Animals Asia. Quite simply, we wouldn't have reached this milestone without you. And we know with your help the Moon Bears will get their freedom.

To kick off this special year, I'm writing to invite you to take part in our 2008 sponsored walks. Over the years, these walks have raised thousands of pounds, helping free many Moon Bears including, `Somerset', 'Womble', named after Wimbledon Common and Quantock', after the beautiful Quantock Hills. Will you join us this year?

Our Moonie bear has also got his walking shoes on, ready to join walkers in London, Manchester, Somerset, Southampton, Devon and Cornwall, and sometimes more than once in the same city or county, phew...

You don't have to be super-fit, just ready to have some fun while raising whatever you can for a vital cause. Start today, simply register now by email and we'll send you a sponsorship form. If you can't take part, don't worry, you can still help by sponsoring Moonie at www.justgiving.com/mooniebear

The details of our 2008 walks are below:

Hampstead, London 17 May, 11am: Sponsored Walk on Hampstead Heath (2.5 or 5 mile)

Southampton 18 May, 1pm: Moon Bear festival and sponsored walk at Southampton Sports Centre. The walk will be laps of a 400m track (no limit on the number you do)

Somerset 8 June, 11am: Sponsored walk on Ham Hill/Stoke Sub Hamdon (5 mile)

Manchester 7 September, 11am: Sponsored walk at Chorlton Water Park (5 or 10 mile)

Wimbledon Common, London 13 September, 11am: Sponsored walk with our patron, BBC Flog it! presenter, Paul Martin and his beautiful dog Bluebelle (2.5 or 5 mile)

Devon/Cornwall, 14 September, 11am: Sponsored walk at Mount Edgcumbe Country Park (6 or 13 mile)

Somerset: 5 October, 11am: Sponsored walk on the Quantock Hills (4.6 or 12 mile)

To register for any of our walks please contact me on 01579 347148 or info@animalsasia.org

Make a difference today and help bring freedom to thousands more bears, living in fear and pain, on bear farms across China and Vietnam as well as support vital work to protect other animals in Asia.

The organising committees of the Paris and Rome Veggie Pride demonstrations share with you their hope that 2008 will see important changes in the situation of animals. We hope that this year will be rich in solidarity with all animals and that we will come in still greater numbers to demonstrate for their rights and for those of vegetarians next May 17th.

We are very happy to announce that in 2008 the Veggie Pride will be international; in effect, thanks to the initiative of Italian activists (and US activists too - see below) will be held this year the first Veggie Pride outside of France. Thus two demonstrations will take place at the same moment, at Paris and at Rome, on Saturday May 17th.

We hope that the Italian Veggie Pride will be a great success and will encourage vegetarians from other countries to organise their own Veggie Pride demonstrations.

Note that a report on the Paris 2007 Veggie Pride and a video can be found at the following address:
http://www.veggiepride.org/fr/cr2007.php.

The French team expresses its hope that the 2008 Veggie Pride will be a powerful moment for the expression of the voices demanding the abolition of meat and that this demonstration will contribute to the development of a global movement for the abolition of meat (see http://abolitionblog.blogspot.com).

For the French Veggie Pride, see: http://www.veggiepride.org

For the Italian Veggie Pride, see: http://www.veggiepride.it

Breaking News: First Veggie Pride parade in America - May 18, 2008
Greenwich Village, NYC

The First Veggie Pride Parade in America will take place in Greenwich Village, New York City, on May 18, 2008.

The procession will begin at 12 Noon in the Old Meat District (where 9th Ave., Gansevoort St., Greenwich St., and Little West 12th St. intersect). The parade will culminate in Washington Square Park (Eastern end),
where a festival of rock music, speakers, and exhibitors will take place. Parade participants are encouraged to dress up in costumes and to wear sign boards announcing their pride in their vegetarian lifestyle.

Local restaurants will represent themselves with banners. And otherwise, contingents from all walks of life are encouraged to get involved. Participants may be animal-rights activists, environmentalists, or people simply concerned with their health. They may be bricklayers who just so happen to also be vegetarians (just one example). But on May 18, 2008 all will come together with one voice, one expression, of veggie pride.

At 2 p.m. on stage at the post-parade rally in Washington Square Park, the winners of a costume and poster-slogan contest in various categories will be announced. At 4 p.m., also on stage, a 7-foot-tall human pea pod, Penelo Pea Pod (long-time mascot of parade sponsor VivaVegie Society) will be married in an open wedding ceremony. The lucky guy (or, animal? vegetable?) has yet to be identified. Stay tuned. The secret will
soon be out.

The parade is fashioned after, and will take place the same weekend as, the Veggie Pride Parade in Paris. The Parisian parade was the first of its kind ever to take place in the world and has been going on annually since 2001.

Visit http://www.veggieprideparade.org for more information about the Parisian roots of the parade as well as the genesis for the New York spin-off.

Also at http://www.veggieprideparade.org , find buttons to click to get involved through volunteering and sponsorship. Find maps with start location and parade route as well.

Click at http://www.veggieprideparade.org for the official Veggie Pride Parade (USA) blog, calendar, volunteers' listserve, and costume page. And so much more...

Visit http://www.veggieprideparade.org to find it all.