Significant numbers of owls are being illegally trapped and sacrificed each year in India to supply rituals and ceremonies marking annual Diwali celebrations. While the exact number of owls traded domestically is unknown, estimates place the figure in the thousands.
Animal Aid Abroad reports on their partnership with Friendicoes, who work tirelessly to improve the health and lives of working equines. Frendicoes uses their Mobile Equine Ambulance to treat equines in and around Delhi and has over 2,500 working equines in its care.
Instead of honoring what should be a core commitment to conservation, South Africa’s DEA is planning to attempt to legalize trade in rhino horn. This is suspiciously timed with the announcement that China will allow trade in farmed rhino horn, and is a blatant prioritization of profit over the interests of rhinos.
On October 29th, the Government of China revealed that it allows commercial trade in tiger bone and rhino horn from farmed animals for use in traditional Chinese medicine research and clinical treatments. This is a brazen and regressive position which drastically undermines international efforts for tiger and rhino conservation.
While the global number of vegans rises each year, so does the number of animals killed for meat. Without a larger commitment to antispeciesism, what purpose does the vegan label serve, and how much change can it ultimately create?
These young elephants are not gifts or symbols, they are living beings with needs, emotions, and desires, none of which would be accommodated in a circus setting, where they will be forced to perform for the financial benefit of Durov Animal Theatre. Asia for Animals Coalition calls on Myanmar to reconsider the transfer in order to protect the elephants’ welfare.
A boom in demand for otters as pets in Japan has been linked to rising numbers of “otter cafés,” high-profile television programs featuring otters and celebrities, and the popularity of otter pet “superstars” on social media platforms.
Rabies kills approximately 59,000 people annually, with a majority of cases caused by dog bites. However, this disease is fully preventable, and dog vaccination programs are not only humane and cost-effective, but also proven to be effective in reducing rabies cases.
In Malaysia, cruelty cases towards dogs and cats are on the rise, despite the passing of the 2017 Animal Welfare Act, due in large part to a lack of enforcement. Even in shocking cases of deliberate cruelty, many abusers are not charged with a crime.
Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, China, Thailand and the Philippines, some of the world’s worst countries for elephant poaching and illegal trade in ivory, have been allowed to exit a key international initiative set up to curb the mass slaughter of elephants.
The fourth conference on Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT) in London this week has seen high-level participation from governments, NGOs, and the private sector, focusing the attention of the international community on commitments to tackle IWT as a form of serious organised crime.
Can emphasizing positive cultural connotations and mythology help bring pangolins back from the brink of extinction? This unusual-looking creature may benefit from being thought of as a sign of good luck or a symbol of hope, rather than a killable commodity.