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Dear animal advocate,
It has been a busy month!
I hope that you and yours are planning on enjoying the summer and I hope you get to spend some time outdoors.
Animal Alliance is working very hard on quite a few issues - the cormorants, the proposed slaughter of thousands of grey seals on Sable Island, and the rescue of 40 beagles from the University of Guelph - to name just a few of things we are working on.
As always, Project Jessie has many lovely animals in foster care looking for permanent homes. If you, or someone you know is looking to add to their family this summer - please adopt! And ideally - please adopt from Project Jessie if you are in Ontario.
The beautiful faces across the banner of this newsletter are all creatures looking for new homes.
Luki the hound has been looking for about 8 months now, Tegan the black kitty has been in foster care over a year. The little dwarf hamster and his white kitty buddy are rescues that are currently being cared for by one of our super supportive vets.:o)
To see all of the animals currently looking for homes, please visit the website: www.ProjectJessie.caAnd please consider fostering! Summer is the hardest time to find new foster homes - but if you aren't going away anywhere, it might be a great time to try it!
Please feel free to email me with any questions, suggestions or comments!
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Animal Alliance at Queens Park Rally July 10th
Organized by Reform Ontario Animal Rights, we will be attending a rally in support of changes to animal laws. MPP Frank Klees will be in attendance, as well as other animal groups pushing for changes to cruelty laws, animals in research, and the investigation of what happened at the OSPCA and the THS.
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Thank you to everyone who walked or sponsored the K9 Rescue Me walkathon in June. Although not as successful as years past, we still raised about $2500 for Project Jessie.
THANK YOU!!!
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Canada has it's first Bill to ban horse slaughter! A big thank you to NDP MP Alex Atamanenko
and to horse supporters everywhere for this huge, historical step toward banning horse slaughter in Canada.
Ottawa press conference (photo credit to Twyla Francois).
Left to right:
Nik Gour, Campaigner, Humane Society International/Canada
Dr. Ray Kellosalmi, M.D.
Sinikka Crosland, CHDC Executive Director
MP Alex Atamanenko (Agriculture Critic for NDP)
Twyla Francois, CHDC Central Region Director
Dr. Debi Zimmermann, DVM
On June 16, 2010, a Private Member's Bill C-544 to ban the slaughter of horses for human consumption was tabled in Canadian Parliament by MP Alex Atamanenko (NDP Agriculture Critic). The basis of the bill is the fact that horses are not food-producing animals and many are treated with drugs that are prohibited from entering the human food chain.
This bill is a huge step forward in the movement to abolish a cruel, archaic and unnecessary industry, and we applaud Mr. Atamanenko for his monumental initiative.
What can horse advocates do to ensure that this bill becomes law?
There is a process involved: All Private Member's bills must be debated and pass three readings. In order to move forward, a vote must take place and a bill must have the support of the majority of Members of Parliament.
While Parliament is in recess for the Summer, this is the time for horse advocates to reach out to their MP to brief them on this issue and to encourage them to support this Bill when the Fall session resumes.
To reach your MP:
Ask your MP to support Bill C-544!
We ask you to remind your elected official that horsemeat may contain drugs that are unsafe for human consumption. Horses are generally considered to be sport and companion animals. They are not meant to be served at dinner tables!
Background Information
In February 2010, the CHDC received covert footage from two horse slaughter plants, Bouvry Exports in Fort Macleod, Alberta, and Viande Richelieu in Massueville, Quebec.
The evidence of inhumane practices as an industry norm was overwhelming. For more information from this investigation please click the link below:
It is evident from this investigation that horses cannot be humanely slaughtered in an assembly-line manner.
We have also researched the troubling issue of banned drugs commonly found in horsemeat, as well as new requirements from the European Union stipulating that horsemeat for human consumption must be drug-free. For more information on what this will mean to North America's horse industry, go here: http://www.defendhorsescanada.org/pdf/finaldisc100314.pdf.
Thank you!
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Hamilton Deer Need Your Voice Another municipality look at killing
Liz and Lia have been in Hamilton (ON) for several meetings regarding the deer at Iroquoia Heights Conservation Area. The last meeting began with a review of the Committee's Terms of Reference, which are still in draft format. The Committee has one more issue to discuss in this regard.
The meeting went on to discuss correspondence the City has received about the deer. Interestingly, people writing in to support the deer are writing in from other cities (which is fantastic!).
For those in Hamilton, it would be great if you could write or e-mail Council with your thoughts.
The Committee was presented with the 2009 Deer Wintering Survey, prepared by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. The discussion and questions that arose were thought-provoking and, hopefully, informative for the Committee. Members of the public are encouraged to review the Committee's Terms of Reference and meeting Minutes. All meetings are open to the public. If you would like to address the Committee, you must contact the Secretary, Shari Faulkenham, to do so.
All meetings are held at the Old Ancaster Town Hall, 310 Wilson St E, Ancaster, unless otherwise indicated.
June 30, 2010 - Public Forum
Sept 8, 2010
Oct 6, 2010
Nov 3, 2010
We need to make sure that the City implements a non-lethal approach to the deer. Please copy, paste and print the letter below to send to the Mayor and Members of Council urging them to implement a non-lethal prevention programme for the deer in Iroquoia Heights and throughout the City of Hamilton.
THANK YOU all again, for being a voice for the animals.
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Mayor Fred Eisenberger and Members of Council
Hamilton City Centre
77 James St. North
P.O.Box 2040, LCD1
Hamilton, ON
L8R 2K3
Dear Mayor and Members of Hamilton City Council,
I am writing to ask you not to implement a cull of the deer in Iroquoia Heights Conservation Area. I urge you to implement an integrated human-deer conflict prevention and non-lethal intervention programme for the City of Hamilton. Please consider some of the following suggestions:
Comprehensive prevention and non-lethal intervention programme for Iroquoia Heights deer:
1. Stopping feeding the deer: Visitors to the area bring food for the deer. This encourages the congregation of larger numbers of deer than would occur if food was not provided. The City should educate residents and visitors why feeding deer at Iroquoia Heights may increase conflicts and result in a proposal to kill many of them.
2. Excluding the deer from conflict areas and from specific plants and bushes through fencing: Fencing provides a longer term solution to the impact of deer on landscaping, backyard gardens and bog plants.
3. Using repellents to make plants less palatable and less desirable to deer and deterrents to deter the deer: Repellents and deterrents are options to be used as part of an integrated non-lethal plan.
4. Planting less palatable landscape plants: City staff should consider using native plants that are rarely or seldom damaged when rehabilitating degraded areas of the conservation area. Residents whose yards back on or are close to the area should consider plants that are largely unattractive to deer.
Sincerely,
_____________________________________
Signature
_____________________________________
Name
_____________________________________
Address
_____________________________________
Province and Postal Code
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Canadian Seal Hunt Generates Fury and Fur The Canadian seal hunt continues despite a ban on seal products by the EU
Sue you, EU! Another Canadian seal hunt has come to an end.
On June 15th, it was over. Warm weather made hunting conditions dangerous, Nelson Kalil, media spokesperson for Fisheries and Oceans Canada, said. "The quota was something like 300,000, but my understanding is they didn’t get anywhere near 200,000."
The 2009-2010 hunt wasn't good and dimming the prospects even more for hunters was the ban on seal products by the European Union that was adopted in September of 2009, but is scheduled to come into effect in phases beginning on August 20. The prohobition will result in a $2.4 million loss for the Canadian sealing industry. "I imagine that finding a market will remain a challenge for sea hunters," the Fisheries and Oceans spokesperson said.
From videos depicting the blood of baby seals soaking the purity of ice to images of Governor-General Michaëlle Jean gobbling down raw seal meat in Rankin Inlet in Nanuvet, the seal hunt is one of Canada's most divisive issues. As the seal hunt draws to a close this year, the Vancouver Observer decided to take a closer look at a cultural tradition with an insecure future.
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Canadian migratory birds, fish at risk from oil spill Louisiana leak will kill several hundred thousand
(June 07, 2010)
Several migratory birds species that make their summer home in Canada’s Arctic and East Coast, as well as the already endangered Atlantic blue fin tuna, are at risk because of the massive oil spill off Louisiana’s Gulf Coast.
And it may never be known how many of these birds and fish will survive the spill, said Craig Stewart, director of the Arctic Program for the World Wildlife Fund, in an interview with the Star. "Several hundred thousand birds may be lost," become victims of the oil spill, he said.
And untold numbers of tuna will simply disappear.Sandpipers and plovers, including red knots — the latter of which is already on an endangered list on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature — all winter in South America and make their way to Canada’s Arctic and each spring. But first they stage — or gather — on the Louisiana coast to eat and rest before they head north.These birds were on the coast when the spill occurred, Stewart said. It’s not clear how many were directly affected or if they escaped and headed north before the oil began to wash ashore, said Stewart...
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Population soon won't be viable, researchers say
(Winnipeg Free Press June 7, 2010)
The only polar bears Manitoba kids will be able to see in just a few years will be in museum displays, if research by two of the world's top experts proves right.
Manitoba may have just a handful of polar bears by 2035, as the world's leading experts on the iconic Arctic species believe the bears that summer around Churchill are doomed.
The Western Hudson Bay subpopulation of polar bears, estimated at 935 animals in 2004, is expected to decline over the next 25 to 30 years to the point where there are not enough bears to sustain a breeding population, predicts University of Alberta biologist Ian Stirling, who's been studying polar bears for 37 years.
The increasing length of the ice-free season on Hudson Bay will soon reach a tipping point where 20 to 30 per cent of Manitoba's polar bears will begin dying off every year, according to a mathematical analysis released two weeks ago by Stirling's colleague, University of Alberta biologist Andrew Derocher, who's studied polar bears for 28 years.The predictions mean the province that calls itself the polar bear capital of the world may no longer be able to count the iconic Arctic animal as a resident species within a generation...
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Stampede Rodeo a stale myth (Calgary Herald June 21,2010)
It's no surprise that two American cowboys, best known as contestants on the reality TV show Amazing Race, are this year's Calgary Stampede parade marshals. They epitomize the Stampede's American show business roots.
Promoters of the Calgary Stampede often play the "heritage card" when animal welfare advocates criticize the treatment of rodeo animals. The Stampede rodeo, they say, represents ranch life, the history of the Old West and western Canadian culture. But the facts show otherwise.
Consider, for example, who competes in the Stampede rodeo. In 2009, only 36 per cent of the rodeo's professional competitors were Canadian. What's more, every single rodeo event was won by an American -- and each one received a big, fat $100,000 cheque to take home and spend in the U.S. It's nice to know that "the richest ride in rodeo" ensures that most of the $2 million in Stampede prize money is headed south to do its bit for the American economy.
Some people might complain that the $10 million annual subsidy the Stampede gets from the provincial government would best be kept in Canada. But don't worry, there's lots more public money available for
the Stampede -- like the $2 million provided by the federal government in 2009 to help the Stampede with its marketing strategy (and another $1 million this year).
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Issued for an over the counter pet vitamin product
These are available at Wal-Mart and other retailers.
PRO-PET ADULT DAILY VITAMIN Supplement tablets for Dogs is being recalled due to possible Salmonella contamination.
See the following link for more info.
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm216903.htm
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"Adaptation: Between Species" New show at Harbourfront Centre - Toronto
The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery at the Harbourfront Centre is opening a new show called "Adaptation: Between Species", this summer group exhibition highlights interspecies encounters. It addresses questions such as, "what happens when humans, animals and the natural world meet? What forms of communication, miscommunication, intimacy and exchange ensure?" This exhibition is FREE all summer long, and more information is available at www.thepowerplant.org. All of their summer programming is animal-related! Enjoy your summer and we hope to see you at the gallery!
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