October 2010 Volume 16
Taste of Health, News about EU Seal Product Ban, Ground Squirrel Meeting in Turkey, Cruel Slaughter of Sanctuary Rabbits by Barb Smith, Bosnia Fur Farm taking care of minks
TASTE OF HEALTH EVENT
CATCA, CFNWIC and CMEPS will be this year at the Taste of Health Event on Saturday, October 23rd.
This year the Taste of Healt event will be held at the Vancouver Masonic Centre from 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM. Address: 1495 West 8th, 4th floor in Vancouver (near Broadway and Granville)
$5.00 at the door (Children and members of Earthsave FREE!)
We are looking for volunteers to come and help us at the table on that day. Please do contact me at: ericka@catcahelpanimals.org if you can help us. Thanks!
Bowl for the Animals ongoing event
Have fun bowling and eating veggie/vegan food, while
helping the animals in need! Just get 3 to 6+ friends
and come for a bowling day/night of fun.
CATCA Fundraiser Package is $20.00 Per Person and includes: 2 games of bowling, bowling shoes, a veggie meal with pop or beer and taxes/gratuities. FOR VEGANS: Bring your on tennis shoes or slippers!
Pls call 604-580-2600 to reserve a lane. Ask for Su Brock. YOU HAVE TO SAY that you are going to the CATCA FUNDRAISING to get this special promotional price.
Xcalibur Bowling Centre
12350 Pattullo Place Surrey
(Near the Scott Road Skytrain)
Open from 11 AM to Midnight -You need to be there
before 9:00 PM-.
There will be a change on the day. I will let you know about it when we get more information from Xcalibur.
CATCA AT THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION
CATCA went back to Brussels to the European Commission in September 2010, to discuss about the current situation regarding the ban on the import trade of seal products at the European Union.
My meeting was with the Member of the Cabinet in charge of the seal hunt at The European Commission, who met with me on behalf of the Commissioner of the Environment Mr. Janez Potocnik.
This person told me that the EC was quite surprised for the last minute European Court of Justice decision before the ban was implemented on August 20th. This happened as a result of the big pressure caused by Canada claims that this will affect the Inuits livehood.
The EC doesn't know when the Court will reach a decision and they believe these exceptions will be only for the aboriginals (Apparently not for the 15 other groups that are against, which include: native hunters, fur companies from Canada, Greenland and Norway who are contesting the European Regulation).
If that would be the case, then the ban would be inefficient and the EU doesn't want that. Anyhow, the E.Court of Justice in Luxemburg was supposed to make a decision after September 7th, but they have been dealing with this issue in a very secretive way, not sharing any information with other EU organisms. Whatever they decide, it may take 1.5 years to be implemented. But for now, the ban has been implemented.
The European Parliament and the European Council drafted the Proposal in quite a strict way, and aboriginal exceptions were already included (As most of you know by now, this unnecesary, unethical, cruel and wasteful commercial seal hunt has nothing to do with the aboriginal seal hunt, where every inch of the seal is used).
The Member of the Cabinet that I met, is going to try to find out about the Penalties and Enforcement of this new law within the Member Countries. There is not a harmonized Penalty or Enforcement of the Law within the EU to sanction the individuals or companies that violate this Law, so the Penalties can differ enormously.
I had almost an hour meeting with this Member of the Cabinet of Commissioner Potocnik, to discuss several issues and concerns about this ban on imports of seal products at the EU and several agreements that could create loopholes to the ban. Of course, once I started to speak about stadistics and all the differences between the comercial and the aboriginal hunt, she was surprised to hear what I say Vs. what Canada says. Now we only have to wait for the E. Court decision.
Ericka
CATCA
CATCA IN TURKEY
CATCA was invited to participate for the second time at the European Ground Squirrel meeting. This time the 3rd EGSM took place in Ordu, Turkey.
CATCA would like to thank the organizer Mr. Islam Ganduzi, the University of Ordu and the Government, for all their incredible attention and hospitality during the meeting. A big thank you to Dr. Kepel for sponsoring CATCA's participation at this meeting.
It was a very interesting meeting, with important scientific discoveries, such as viruses that attack these endangered animals, differences on their alert calls according to the species, results of the re-introduction proograms, etc.
This meeting happens every two years and it is important because the European Ground Squirrel already got extinct in several Eastern and Central European countries, so since some years ago, several programs of re-introduction has been created, with several individuals been introduced to new habitats and succesfuly breeded and released.
I am very happy to inform that Dr. Kepel from PTOP Salamandra Poland, got an award for the best poster at the poster competition during this meeting. Poland also announced that they will be the host country of the next EGSM in 2012.
Changing the subject abruptly, I am very glad to report that in my time in Turkey, I was happily surprised to find out that the thousands of cats in this country are mostly in very good health and not malnourished. I was even shock to see bowls with water and food on the streets and even at the bazaars,stores, hotels, restaurants... Yes, the owners of the shops or business take care of these strays. Another big surprise was that is mostly the men who take care of these cats!.
I saw cats allowed to scratch and play on hand made carpets at carpet stores, jump on chairs at restaurants (most of the times that is considered kind of normal).. I even saw cats at Mosques, arqueological zones, museums and even deep inside the Hagya Sophia! No problema...
There are few street dogs and they look quite healthy, even if they are running on the busy streets and often in packs.
Another thing that really surprised me, is that drivers in Turkey STOP for the animals, in cities, towns or villages. Of course, sometimes with their crazy driving ways accidents happen, but all the times that I almost got a heart attack seen dogs, cats, goats, cows or horses in the middle of the street or road, even in heavy fog conditions or night, the cars always stop for them.
IN OTHER NEWS....
Media Release - Cruel and unprovoked attack on defenceless rabbits by wealthy lawyer Barb Smith has community demanding justice by Roslyn Cassells on Friday, October 1, 2010
A cruel and unprovoked attack on defenceless animals by wealthy lawyer Barbara Smith has claimed the lives of dozens of former UVic rabbits and family pets of EARS sanctuary manager Susan Vickery in Coombs, British Columbia.
On Tuesday September 28, World Parrot Refuge manager Wendy Hurtbach received an irate call from neighbour Barbara Smith, who owns the property bordering the refuge, which is also home to the new EARS rabbit sanctuary for rabbits rescued from the University of Victoria. Hurtbach relayed the call immediately to rabbit sanctuary manager Susan Vickery who arrived on the run from Saltspring Island with a load of live traps to catch the rabbits. Despite the fact that only two hours had elapsed since the initial phone call the neighbour chose to let loose with a vicious attack on the rabbits before any attempt could be made to recapture them and mend the breaks in the fence where they exited the sanctuary.
Barbara Smith and her husband Rick Coonce are alleging the rabbits had been on their property for days and have admitted that instead of contacting Susan Vickery the owner of the rabbits they chose to instead hire an exterminator to come and shoot the animals. Smith, a non-practising lawyer, and Coonce, a former child-protection worker, went straight to killing the animals, an issue which calls into contention Smith's judgement, her dangerous and aggressive behaviour, her ability to practise law, and her professional standing with the Law Society of BC, of which she is still a member.
When contacted today, the Law Society of BC's Lynne Knights said she had opened an investigation into the matter, considering the "conduct unbecoming of a lawyer" section of the code of conduct for lawyers in this province. The Law Society of BC has jurisdiction over the behaviour and professional standing of both practising and non-practising lawyers. "We hold lawyers to a higher standard of behaviour than the general population" commented Knights in a phone conversation Thursday with Action for UVic Rabbits founder Roslyn Cassells. Complaints on this matter can be submitted to the Law Society by fax or by email to professionalconduct@lsbc.org
Vancouver Island has experienced record-breaking rain-fall and wind in the past week, and the fence may have been damaged by this, by vandalism, or some other means. In any case, Susan Vickery and volunteers are repairing the broken and weak spots in the fence and hope to move quickly to construct a second perimeter fence around the sanctuary to protect the rabbits from their hostile neighbours.
The Ministry of Environment has seized the bodies of the dead rabbits as evidence and concerned community members hope that charges under the Wildlife Act will be brought against the errant neighbour.
The British Columbia Society for the Protection of Animals has also been contacted and charges should be brought against the neighbours for animal cruelty. The killing of the Ministry rabbits at the sanctuary is a violation of the BCSPCA's position statement on feral rabbits which does not recommend shooting as a killing method.
The killing of Susan Vickery's pet rabbits is a violation of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act which the BCSPCA should enforce in this case. It is no different than killing someone's pet cat or dog...or killing a horse or cow who wanders onto one's property from a legal standpoint.
RCMP officers attended the scene several times to gather evidence. There are Criminal Code provisions which pertain to animal cruelty. There are also civil statutes which could be brought to bear on this horrific incident.
Smith has refused to allow Vickery access to her property to reclaim the escaped rabbits, and Vickery is understandably concerned for their welfare, and about the possibility of rabbits injured in the initial attack lying out on the property suffering and dying without veterinary care. Concerned neighbours approached Smith about arranging a meeting with Vickery to resolve the issue but were thrown off the property and Vickery threatened with trespass if she tried to save her rabbits.
Please contact the relevant institutions and representatives and demand they intervene in this matter to protect the rabbits, and bring charges against Barb Smith for her vicious attack on the animals and her refusal to allow for the safe removal of remaining animals.
BCSPCA Manager Cruelty Investigations Marci
Moriarty: mmoriarty@spca.bc.ca
cell: 604-647-1318
BCSPCA Wildlife Management Sara Dubois: sdubois@spca.bc.ca
BCSPCA CEO Craig Daniell: cdaniell@spca.bc.ca
Ministry of Environment officer Mike Stalberg tel:
250-751-3109 email: mike.stalberg@gov.bc.ca
Ministry of Environment Vancouver Island manager Don
Cadden tel: 250-751-3211 email: Don.Cadden@gov.bc.ca
Law Society of BC - Conduct Complaint regarding Barb Smith (non-practising member)by email: professionalconduct@lsbc.org contact person Lynne Knights tel: 604-443-5722
RCMP Constable Richard Van de Pol: 250-240-0403 w: 250-248-6111 ext. 245 email: bcrcmp@rcmp-grc.gc.ca to the attention of Constable R. Van de Pol.
Donations towards the cost of the second perimeter fence can be made at the EARS website at www.earthanimalrights.org or by contacting EARS at this email: susanvickery7@gmail.com
GREAT NEWS!
These excellent news come from Friends of Animals
Bosnia. CONGRATULATIONS MAIDA!
I have just talked to the owner of fur farm here in Bosnia. He was very kind to me when I explained to him what I tend to do. Very soon we'll organize several parties, very huge parties, and collect money to save minks from his fur farm. Minks will stay there for some time, but alive. We'll sign an agreement then. Agreement obliges him not to kill animals ever, until we open fake fur factory and make international marketing campaign for this event. After we open the factory, and give it to him, we tend to make a anti fur fashion show, again covered by international media.
Very interesting thing in this story is that he tends to break an agreement with the Danish fur importer. This means that we will break danish fur import for awhile.
After this campaign, we are going to talk to all the other fur producers here and offer something similar.
I think we can celebrate already, because more than 2000 minks are safe :)
Cheers,
Maida
PETITIONS (please sign them!)
Free Orcas and Dolphins from Slavery in Tenerife http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/free-orcas-and-dolphins-from-slavery-in-tenerife
Outcry from Romania-Stop the killings of Dogs! http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/outcry-from-romania-stop-the-killings-of-dogs
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