Much of what’s in the media regarding wolf hunting is propaganda. “Propaganda” is biased with undertones promoting a particular cause. The statement in a Jan. 14 letter that “city people don’t understand wolves” was propaganda at its finest. The assertion was narrow, lacked credibility and failed to consider the larger picture.
I rarely see mentions of the complexities surrounding pack instincts and wolf communities. Killing one wolf impacts a larger system. Are we as a civilized culture defending practices that have devastating repercussions on ecosystems based on the premise humans are a superior life form responsible for population control?
I have lived in rural Minnesota most of my life and now live in Duluth. In 15 years I’ve seen two wolves. Recently, a colleague caught a glimpse of a lone wolf in her yard that frightened off when she approached. Wolves are shy and elusive creatures. Rumors and misinformation abound.
Sport and population-control hunting causes an increase, not a decrease, in livestock and pet predation. Individual wolves, especially pups, depend on their pack (and not just the alpha, contrary to popular belief) to learn hunting and social skills required for survival. Wolves are more likely to prey on easier targets such as domesticated or livestock animals when their packs are compromised.
Under the recent federal ruling, it remains legal for an individual to kill wolves deemed a threat to human life. Even a perceived threat suffices. No one challenges the right of livestock owners to kill wolves posing a threat to their livestock.
I raise the question: What’s the wolf hunt actually about? In northern Minnesota, where anti-wolf sentiment is on the verge of hysteria, I can’t help but believe it’s about human predators perpetuating values that disrespect natural order and fellow species important to intricate ecological systems of life.
A fisherman managed to escape after his truck broke through the ice on Lake Minnetonka Wednesday night, but his dog didn’t make it out.
The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office told the Star Tribune the truck went through the ice near the Arcola Bridge, between Crystal Bay and Browns Bay, which was not a posted thin-ice area. He was on his way to his fish house on Lafayette Bay.
The 35-year-old man was able to climb out of the truck and pull himself onto a shelf of thin ice, where he yelled for help and was heard by a nearby resident. Four police deputies then formed a human chain to pull him to safety, the newspaper notes.
The man’s dog however, could not be rescued from the truck as it sank.
Victim rescued transported to hospital. He was conscious. Dog in the vehicle did not get out.
GR: Recent surveys of Brazilian rainforest indicate the loss is greater than thought before. This study says that most of the remaining forest is in private hands. And though laws require owners to preserve a large percentage of their forests, they tend to cut it instead.
GR: We need to find the environmentally conscientious businesses and give them our support. There are several directories. B Corp has made a strong effort. Take a look. EcoFirms.org has another approach. It appears less rigorous, but still a good job. If you know of others, please list them in the comments. Thank you.
What needs to be improved is our acknowledgement and incorporation of the values of biodiversity as an integral element of social, economic and technological progress. Source: thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com
Named for Carroll County, Mississippi, where she was found, Carroll is a two-year old female shepherd mix who came to In Defense of Animals Hope Animal Sanctuary in late January. This thin, starving dog had been chained to a post without access to food or water and then cruelly abandoned and left to die by an unknown perpetrator.
Carroll is a gentle dog who is friendly with everyone she meets and she walks politely on a leash without pulling which indicates that at some point she must have been trained by people who invested their time and patience in her care, perhaps as a four legged member of their own family. One possibility is that Carroll was perhaps stolen and then abandoned, but we may never know for sure. Sadly, another dog was chained similarly on the property, but did not survive the ordeal.
The property where these dogs were abandoned and left to starve was reportedly located next to one of the many ‘hunting clubs’ found throughout rural Mississippi. The reports of Carroll and the other dog who died came to IDA only after the first dog had already perished in front of the comings and goings of the hunting club without anyone speaking up on behalf of two dogs starving to death before their very eyes. Carroll was finally brought to Hope Animal Sanctuary after it was too late to save one dog and almost too late to save Carroll herself. She came to us weighing just 32 pounds, dehydrated, mere days from death, and testing positive for heartworm.
Carroll is now enjoying life off the chain with her own bed to sleep in and wide open spaces to roam while she begins the long road to recovery. In the next few weeks, she will need to gain 20 pounds of additional body weight, after which she will begin the months long process of heartworm treatment and medication. Once she has fully recovered she will be placed into a loving forever home.
How can people pass an d property, see these two dogs and do absolutely NOTHING to try and either save them on their own or at the very least call someone who can? That is totally beyond my comprehension.
About IDA:
Working to protect the rights, welfare and habitats of animals.
Founded in 1983 by Dr. Elliot Katz DVM, In Defense of Animals is an international animal rights and rescue organization dedicated to protecting the rights, welfare and habitats of animals.
We are supported by a network of tens of thousands of determined activists, dedicated volunteers, interns and donors. We work to expose and end animal experimentation; protect wildlife and restore balance in their natural habitats; end the exploitation and abuse of wild species living in captivity, protect domestic and wild species worldwide from abuse and slaughter for food, conduct cruelty investigations and rescue operations, and provide veterinary care for sick, abused and orphaned animals in our natural habitat sanctuaries.
FIGHTING APATHY, BUILDING EMPATHY: In Defense of Animals works to educate the public to fight apathy, build empathy and take concrete action to end all forms of animal exploitation worldwide. We work to ensure that decisions made involving animals, from the legislative level to the dinner table, are made with consideration of their needs and interests.
We seek to redefine the role of animals in society on local, national and international levels by elevating human perception of animals from that of mere property, objects and things, to that where animals are recognized to be individuals, with feelings, needs and interests of their own. Through our work to inspire and shift the way people think about non-human beings, we believe a positive change will result in the way people treat them today and in the future.
Animal Rights and In Defense of Animals Humans and other animals share many similarities, despite our differences in appearance, forms of communication and ways of living. As feeling beings, we are united by our desires to seek pleasure and enjoyment, and to avoid pain and suffering.
When we speak of animal rights, we are not referring to political rights or rights that we presume to bestow as the dominant species on Earth.
The rights of animals are birthrights, similar to those we claim for ourselves—the right to live our lives free of subjugation and institutionalized violence, where the random and special joys of being alive can be experienced.
The Golden Rule is not a ‘do-gooders’ slogan. We need to treat others as we want to be treated not only for their sake, but also because our own good is interwoven with the good of others, including other species. Animal Rights and Human Rights are linked at their core, because how we treat those most affected by our actions is the best reflection of who we are as a species. We must strive to do right when our actions, needs and interests intersect with those of other species.
IDA is unwavering in our promotion of actions that support doing right for animals and their interests, and our opposition to doing what is wrong, harmful or malicious.
The biological mechanism that may give some cancer cells the ability to form tumors in dogs has been identified by researchers. The recent study uncovered an association between the increased expression of a particular gene in tumor cells and more aggressive behavior in a form of canine bone cancer. It may also have implications for human cancers by detailing a new pathway for tumor formation.
by Jeff DeLong, RGJ 6:25 a.m. PST February 17, 2015
Critics of coyote hunting contests hope to ban the controversial practice in Nevada, insisting it amounts to little more than wanton slaughter of wildlife.
Hunters counter that it is a legally protected sport that may help keep in check a soaring coyote population increasingly posing threats to livestock, pets and people.
Don Molde of Reno and Fred Voltz of Carson City have petitioned the Nevada Board of Wildlife Commissioners for regulatory changes that would outlaw contests awarding cash or other prizes for killing coyotes.
The proposal, scheduled to be discussed by commissioners in March, comes as state lawmakers discuss similar action in New Mexico and two months after California enacted a first-of-its-kind ban on coyote hunting contests.
Charity will neuter, vaccinate, tag and register stray dogs in the capital Tirana
International animal welfare organisation FOUR PAWS has launched its first stray animal care project in Albania, one of the many countries in Southeast Europe in which unchecked stray dog populations are causing problems for the city and its residence.
Tirana, the Albanian capital, is the first city in the country to cooperate with an animal welfare organisation to control the local stray dog population in a humane, sustainable way. With many years of experience in other countries facing similar situations, FOUR PAWS offers a proven, animal friendly strategy to prevent illness and the uncontrollable breeding of strays.
Dr. Anca Tomescu, FOUR PAWS Head of Stray Animal Care, explained the upcoming project: “We are happy to start an important project for stray animals in Tirana, in collaboration with the local authorities. Tirana, like many other cities in Europe, faces the problem of stray dogs. We were contacted by the local authorities to work together and to apply a humane and efficient solution. Like us, they believe that only sterilization can solve the problem. FOUR PAWS is now officially launching the project and is very glad to see that not only are the authorities involved in finding a positive solution, but there has also been a positive response from the citizens of Tirana. The capital of Albania will be just the start. After that, the FOUR PAWS team will continue its work in Korca, where we will also cooperate closely with the municipality.”
“We are happy to collaborate with FOUR PAWS, a well known and professional partner,” said Nevila Sokoli-Xhindi , Deputy Mayor of the Municipality of Tirana. “The Municipality has been in constant contact with the representatives of the organisation, until we finalized the plan for the project. Our staff, part of the Agency of Consumer Protection, have identified the hot spots in Tirana and together with FOUR PAWS we will try to do the best to keep the situation under control, sterilize the dogs, vaccinate them and return them to their habitat, as outlined in the law. It is a difficult task, but that’s the reason we are collaborating with the best team in Europe.”
Albanian law indicates that strays may only be put to sleep by certified practicing veterinarians and without causing them pain or unnecessary suffering. However, although the law also requires dogs to be registered, there are no official figures regarding the number of strays. However, it is estimated that there are approximately 7,000 stray dogs in Tirana and its surrounding areas alone.
In just one location, a FOUR PAWS team can neuter, vaccinate and treat hundreds of stray animals per week, costing less than it would to kill and dispose of the animals. For the animals this means their lives are saved and they receive treatment for disease and injuries.
As well as Albania, FOUR PAWS has recently been implementing stray animal care projects in Romania, Bulgaria, Egypt, the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine, Lithuania, Jordan, Slovakia, Sudan, India and Sri Lanka.
FOUR PAWS has been continuing its birth control programme for wild horses in the Letea area of Romania, with a new session of immuno-contraceptive vaccinations. Between December 2014 and January 2015, FOUR PAWS Romania’s specialist veterinary team tranquilised and vaccinated 22 mares and re-vaccinated 16 mares out of 100 animals, which were already previously immunized last year.
Recently, the Danube Delta Protected Area Administration (ARBDD) offered its complete support for the FOUR PAWS project. Depending on the results, they intend to use it as a best practice example for how to manage the rest of the wild horse population in the Danube Delta. Upon ARBDD’s request, the National Administration of Forests (Romsilva) allowed the FOUR PAWS team to access in the recently fenced Letea Forest, where some of the horses remained.
The local horse population made it through the first two months of winter in good conditions, with FOUR PAWS vets assessing their health as good in general.
According to an aerial census that took place in April 2014, the Letea area is inhabited by approximately 500 wild horses. The census will be updated in the coming weeks.
Wolf Is My Soul 