tagged w/ WSPA
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Recently Complete News Updates WALB Ch10 NBC Albany, GA. What a great surprise! We had a dramatic response to the Albany event. A wreck in Albany sent five people to the hospital after a SUV rolled over several times on West Oakridge drive. Witnesses say there were at least two children involved.Recently Complete News Updates WALB Ch10 NBC Albany, GA. What a great surprise! We had... more
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Pakistan floods ravage bear sanctuary
Aug 20, 2010
Sadly, WSPA must report some distressing news from our bear baiting project in Pakistan. The recent floods have severely affected the Kund Park sanctuary, resulting in the tragic death of 20 of the 23 bears living there.
The death of these much-loved bears has devastated BRC and WSPA staff and we know it will be equally upsetting for our supporters.
Suzi Morris, WSPA UK Director said: “I hope it is of some comfort to know that it was the generosity of WSPA supporters that allowed the final chapter of these bears’ lives to be one of peace and tranquillity, safe from the violence and fear of bear baiting.”
Rescue against the odds
Initially it was feared that all of the 23 bears at Kund Park had been lost but Babu, Maylu and Sohrab were found alive in the floodwaters.
In difficult circumstances, BRC staff transported them to the near-complete, new sanctuary at Balkasar. It is now more urgent than ever that building work on the Balkasar sanctuary is finished and the team at BRC are working flat out to achieve this.
Over the past few weeks the world has watched as heavy monsoons have caused the worst floods in Pakistan for 80 years. At the time of writing, up to 14 million people have been affected by the floods and an estimated 1,600 have lost their lives.
The damage to the Kund Park sanctuary is so severe that is seems unlikely that it can be rebuilt in the near future, perhaps at all.
Thanks to WSPA supporters, the new Balkasar sanctuary is due to be completed in October and will have the capacity to provide a home for Babu, Maylu and Sohrab and for the remaining bears still being used to fight in bear baiting arenas.
Why was the sanctuary so badly hit?
The Kund Park sanctuary is located between the Indus and Kabul Rivers in North-West Frontier Province, the epicentre of the recent floods.
A flood warning system was in place but the dramatic rise in floodwaters – reaching 60ft above river level – did not give BRC staff enough time to remove the bears from danger. The team did all they could to try to secure the safety of the bears by moving them to higher ground, staying at the sanctuary for as long as possible before they had to evacuate for their own personal safety.
Tireless search and rescue
As soon as the floodwaters receded, Fakhar and his team worked around the clock to search for the bears. Three bears were found alive but after days of searching, they had to face the devastating realisation that 20 of their beloved bears were confirmed dead.
WSPA is extremely impressed by the fortitude of BRC staff and their response to such a devastating tragedy. Many of the local staff were personally affected, some losing their homes to the floods, but this did not stop their dedication to securing the safety of the bears they have spent years caring for.
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Amongst the drowned bears were names that WSPA supporters will know well
Star: rescued only months earlier from the horrors of bear baiting, thanks to BRC and the wonderful response of WSPA supporters to a recent appeal.
Lailah: saved from bear baiting in 2008 and featured in a WSPA appeal.
Rustam: liberated by Victor Watkins, WSPA’s bear expert, in 2001 and one of the oldest bears at the Kund Park sanctuary.
Dewa: confiscated from poachers in 2009 aged just five months old, was taken to the Kund Park sanctuary along with his brother, Babu, who was saved from the floods.
The other two lucky survivors are three year old Maylu was rescued in 2006, saved from the black market bear trade. Sohrab is a two year old Asiatic black bear who had been living peacefully at the Kund Park sanctuary since 2007.Pakistan floods ravage bear sanctuary
Aug 20, 2010
Sadly, WSPA must report some... more
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Updated September 24, 2009
(Wellford, SC)—Wellford Mayor Sallie Peake is rescinding her controversial “no chase” policy, saying she is following the example of an embattled South Carolina congressman.
“I’m like Joe Wilson,“ says Peake. “He was forced to apologize. I’m changing (the policy) not because I want to, but because I’ve been asked to.“
Three weeks ago, Peake sent a memo to all Wellford police officers which says: “As of this date, there are to be no more foot chases when a suspect runs. I do not want anyone chasing after any suspects whatsoever.“
She said she did this because officers kept getting injured during chases, costing the small town too much money in insurance.Updated September 24, 2009
(Wellford, SC)—Wellford Mayor Sallie Peake is... more
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World Society for the Protection of Animals -
Elections go to the dogs (and pigs, cows, and chickens)!
The election results are in - and animals have come out with the winning vote in two crucial initiatives.
In California a wide majority of voters, 63%, passed the Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act, a measure that will ban cruel confinement systems on factory farms and will significantly improve the lives of over 20 million farm animals in California.
In Massachusetts 56% of voters spoke up for greyhounds by voting "Yes" for a ballot initiative that will phase out commercial dog racing in the state by 2010, making a huge difference for the over 1,000 dogs currently being held at the state's two dog tracks.
On November 4th voters across the United States turned up in record numbers to make their voices heard for the Presidential election as well as for many crucial state and local initiatives. We're thrilled to report that among these, voters passed two historic ballot initiatives that will greatly improve the lives of animals
Congratulations to voters, animal welfare groups, and compassionate people everywhere who worked so hard to pass these two important initiatives!
World Society for the Protection of Animals -
Elections go to the dogs (and pigs,... more
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Act beautiful for animals
WSPA has teamed up with international cosmetic and beauty chain The Body Shop to ask people around the world to make themselves beautiful by signing our petition to promote the Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare.
Animals Matter - World Society for the Protection of Animals
http://www.wspa-usa.org/pages/1706_animals_matter.cfm
You can make yourself beautiful by signing the declaration, or if you've already signed, by inviting your friends to do so, at www.makeyourselfbeautiful.org. WSPA Australia, Canada, and New Zealand are also taking part in this campaignAct beautiful for animals
WSPA has teamed up with international cosmetic and beauty... more
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WSPA Animal Rescue
Please watch video: https://www.wspa.org.au/campaigns/orangutan_bos/index.asp?ID=A0808E01
There is a place of refuge for these beautiful creatures, but now it too needs saving.
There is something so tragic about a baby orangutan sitting alone on the rainforest floor. Too scared to even move. Her mother nowhere in sight. The tragedy lies in this baby's chance of survival if left without help.
For every orphaned orangutan that lives through such an ordeal, there are on average three mothers and two infants who have perished. It is vital those fortunate enough to survive are given the care they need to one day return to a remote part of the forest where they belong. Safe. Protected. Home.
Run by Borneo Orangutan Survival (BOS), the Nyaru Menteng Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre is the largest primate sanctuary in the world - and a lifeline for the many hundreds of orphaned, injured and abused orangutans who call it home.
With ninety per cent of their natural habitat gone, the threats orangutans face now, and in the future, are terrifying.
https://www.wspa.org.au/campaigns/orangutan_bos/index.asp?ID=A0808E01
Machete attacks on orangutans are common and often fatal for the adults, leaving orphaned infants alive and traumatised. Sadly, some are captured and sold into the pet trade experiencing poor care, disease, injury and psychological trauma which all take their toll on these poor creatures. Many can expect a life of beatings, solitude, confinement and malnutrition.
Amidst this suffering there is hope. Last year, you helped save the Nyaru Menteng Sanctuary from imminent closure. We now need your help to keep it open and running so it can continue its life saving work for orphaned and injured orangutans, and teach them the independence they need to one day return to the wild where they rightfully belong.
Without additional funding, the sanctuary still risks closure. Orangutans could be handed over to the local government for a life of confinement with no prospect of release. Caged and uncared for, we could lose an entire orangutan generation.
WSPA Animal Rescue
Please watch video:... more
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Bears Need Our Help! Pass the Bear Protection Act of 2008
H.R. 5534: Bear Protection Act of 2008:To amend the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 to extend its protections to bears illegally harvested for their viscera in the same manner as with respect to prohibited wildlife species, and for other purposes.
Visit: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h110-5534
Petition Target: U.S. House of Representatives
Sponsored by: World Society for the Protection of Animals
Each year wild bears are killed so that their parts can be sold in Traditional Asian Medicine (TAM) shops in the United States and internationally. In a recent undercover investigation, the World Society for the Protection of Animals found that the trade in intact gallbladders had actually increased since their previous investigation in 2000.
Unfortunately, state laws pertaining to the trade in bear parts are inconsistent and, in some cases, non-existent. The solution is clear: a unifying federal law is the only viable solution for bears! U.S. Representative Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) recently introduced H.R. 5534, the Bear Protection Act of 2008, to protect North American bears. The Act specifically bans the import, export and interstate trade of all bear parts and products, while closing loopholes in existing state laws.
PLEASE SIGN! http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/918445507
North American bears are killed for the interstate
trade in bear parts and products. Already threatened by habit degradation
and hunting, these bears face further imperilment from criminal poaching.
Tens of thousands of bears are annually destroyed to harvest their parts for
Traditional Asian Medicine in the United States and abroad.
H.R. 5534, the Bear Protection Act of 2008, which seeks to conserve bear populations by banning the import, export, and interstate trade of bear viscera and items.
Federal lawmakers must take a stronger stand against illicit poaching.
Ambiguous state laws make smuggling a cinch. Gallbladders camouflaged as
chocolate figs or concealed in coffee to mask odor are ferried to states
where their sale is permissible.
American poachers profit from a prolific Asian bear bile market. Traditional
Oriental Medicine uses bile acid to treat maladies from headaches,
hemorrhoids, and bone fractures to heart disease, poor vision, and sexual
dysfunction. Thousands of Asiatic Black (moon) Bears spend their entire
lives smashed in iron cages barely larger than their bodies. Farmers cut a
permanent hole into the bear's belly to drain bile from their gallbladders.
The farms have come under fire for profound cruelty. In addition, China's
moon bear numbers continue to drop, with less than 20,000 in the wild. Both
factors open the door for American poachers to smuggle bear parts overseas.
Please visit my other pages for more information on how you can help bears and many other animal species (non-profit links, news, petitions, videos...).
http://my.care2.com/julesrs007
http://julesrs007saveanimals.blogspot.com/Bears Need Our Help! Pass the Bear Protection Act of 2008
H.R. 5534: Bear... more
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