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Written by peter
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 Now is the time to bell your cat
If your cat enjoys the great outdoors with a spot of small game hunting on the side, now is the time to buy a collar with a bell on it. Preventing your favourite feline friend from sneaking up on the starlings and other birds could help you both stay out of trouble.
As recent events have proved, bird flu hasn't gone away and a research programme in Indonesia has shown that the virus has mutated and the infection has been found in cats.
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Written by peter
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 Because horse owners are now obliged by law to have a passport for their equine friend, it's become easy to check and there are just under a million horses and ponies in the U.K. today.
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Written by peter
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A paediatrician has called for compulsory dog training after the death of the small child who was mauled by a pit bull.
We welcome more training but should it be made compulsory? One of the nanny state's favourite words - but not one of ours.
We believe that there should be more understanding of the psychology and needs of all these dogs we keep in such artificial (for them) environments. Dogs are adaptable and sociable creatures and tolerate us and what we do to them with resignation, but......
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Written by peter
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New figures show that some traditional breeds of dogs are in danger of becoming extinct. There are now 24 breeds that have produced so few puppies that they are below the numbers needed to ensure their survival.
Mostly they are old breeds of working dogs, such as Skye terriers, Otterhounds, smooth collies and field spaniels. A birthrate of 300 plus puppies need to be born each year to ensure a viable adult population. But some breeds, such as the Glen of Imaal terriers only produced 41 puppies last year. |
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Written by peter
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 We get hundreds of books donated to us at the Sanctuary.
Our thanks to all the kind people out there! Selling them is one
way
to raise money for the animals and our campaigns. In spite of all
the IT there are lots
of booklovers around aren't there? But without a book shop,
selling them isn't as easy as it sounds.
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Written by peter
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About Hedgehogs
 There's been a hedgehog cull on
Uist in the Outer Hebrides by order of Scottish Natural Heritage who
were trying to exterminate every last one on the island. These
prickly little creatures were in trouble because of their liking
to eat the eggs of rare wading birds and this was threatening their
survival. Animal lovers had wanted to remove the hedgehogs
to the mainland and release them - but up to this week, weren't allowed
to and over six hundred of these super slug-eating heroes had already
been culled.
After a meeting on Tuesday, it was decided that the
killing must stop. Hurrah! Common sense has
triumped, although a little late, and the hedgehogs can be captured and
taken to new mainland homes where rare eggs are off the menu.
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Written by Pet Samaritans
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No matter what the intensive poultry producers might say, it's not just a fanciful idea that free range hens and turkeys are healthier. We're not talking now about the cruelty involved, the lack of anything approaching a normal environment for another sentient being on this planet. We're talking here about the health issues - for the birds first of all, then the people who eventually eat them.
So are these factory reared turkeys fit to eat? If you were to set foot inside an intensive rearing shed, the first thing you'd notice would be the awful stench. Thousands of birds all crammed up together, trampling about in their own faeces - the smell of ammonia is overwhelming and these poor creatures can't get away, there's no escape, they have to breathe it in.
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Written by peter
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Spanish Vet Research Report alleges 'that fighting bulls feel no pain'
The controversy surrounding the horror spectacle of
bullfighting has been re-ignited by a recent report by veterinary
scientists at Complutense University in Madrid. Using a sample
study of 500 bulls, the scientists have come to the conclusion that the
animals feel no pain during the fight - which always ends with the bull's
death.
They say that their research show that the specially bred
fighting bulls have special hormonal mechanisms that allow them to free
themselves from pain. This is all good stuff for the
bullfighting lobby who want to keep this ghastly tradition
going. Fortunately there are campaigners in Spain who are
committed to making bullfighting a thing of the past. One
of the spokespersons from Spanish animal protection group ADDA (Association Defending Animal Rights) has stated that
they are committed to ending this controversial spectacle.
That
day can't come too soon for us. We speak with first hand
knowledge of bullfighting, having steeled oursleves to visit one of
these horror torture shows. It defies belief that any civilised
human being can enjoy watching an animal being brutally tortured to
death in such a way. The bull's neck has sharp spikes poked
into it by men on horses before the bullfight begins. This is, in any event, no
contest. The bull is weakened by pain and loss of blood, in fear for
its life, the torture must seem interminable while the savage crowd
roar for more. Only when it is so weak that it can't go on, is it
killed with a sword blow. Once seen, this terrible cruelty
is impossible to forget. To say that that the bulls feel no
pain or stress is simply not true.
We will add our voice to the existing campaigns to ban bullfighting.
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Written by peter
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**** The present temporary order banning the import of wild birds to the EU is to be made permanent In July. This is more to stop the spread of bird flu than it is to stop the trade in birds. Still, this is good news and means that millions of birds will be saved and rare species protected. Only captive-bred birds will now be allowed in.
www.rspb.org.uk/policy/wildbirdslaw/index.asp |
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