Tag Archives: Tierrecht

animal abuse, animal rescue, animal sanctuary, animal welfare, elephant, Keine Tiere im Zirkus, legal, Nosey the Elephant, refuge, saved for now, say no to animals in entertainment, Tierquälerei, Tierrecht, Tierrettung, Tierschutz, victory, Wildtierschutz

Success for Nosey, the Elephant!

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Photo: PeTA

One of my first blog posts was about Nosey, the elephant. Today, four years later, I am grateful and immensely happy to share with you that this one elephant is finally in a safe  sanctuary, will never be exploited again.

Many, many people worked together for this happy ending – hopefully it will be the beginning of the end of animal exploitation in entertainment.

“23. JAN. 2018 — A Lawrence County, Alabama judge has ruled today that Nosey the elephant will be able to stay in true sanctuary at The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee. A case against Nosey’s notorious owners, the Liebel Family Circus, was heard on December 15, 2017, and Judge Angela Terry has ruled that Nosey will remain at the Sanctuary PERMANENTLY!

SAVE NOSEY NOW has worked since 2013 for this day, chasing this small family circus from town to town all over the country, never giving up on Nosey for one day. We pushed hard at the USDA who was charged with upholding the Animal Welfare Act by promoting call-in actions, tweetstorms, letter writing campaigns, and a formal march on their Washington, DC site in June 2015. We also dug deep into the patterns of abuse by this small family circus and pushed hard against the Florida Wildlife Commission who repeatedly rubberstamped the permit for this abusive family to keep and use Nosey. Our work involved research into many state and city animal laws as Nosey was hauled around the country from state to state, city to city, day to day, month to month, year to year. We were successful in shutting down venues in many locations as the entities were educated about the true life of Nosey the elephant.

We have run into many obstacles along the way to Nosey’s freedom, but the powers aligned in the little town of Moulton, Alabama on a fateful day in November, 2017 where Nosey was spotted by some very brave local women. These women saw a wrong and decided to fix it. Googling Nosey, Save Nosey Now was found, and we were able to provide assistance to the local officials throughout the proceedings with documents, pictures and videos to strengthen the case against the circus owners. Contacting the law enforcement division of PETA, more resources were on the way to Alabama. Save Nosey Now was pleased to be a part of the bench trial in Lawrence County, Alabama, and to provide assistance wherever needed.

We thank the good people of Alabama for their perseverance and follow through. We thank our supporters who have always believed that this day would come for Nosey, and we thank all the other organizations who worked hard for Nosey for many years.”

Nosey the Elephant’s story can be found here:

https://www.facebook.com/Nosey-The-Elephant-Needs-Our-Help-207161135983376/

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/sangita-iyer/elephant-abuse_b_5769818.html

https://www.elephants.com/news/press-releases/posts/nosey-arrives-safely-at-the-elephant-sanctuary

Judge gives Lawrence County custody of Nosey the elephant

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Good News: The Chimpanzees in Liberia Will be Receiving the Care They Need and Deserve

The Humane Society of the United States has agreed with the New York Blood Center to provide the chimpanzees with the care needed:
Breaking news: The HSUS, New York Blood Center announce landmark agreement for care of Liberian chimpanzees

The crux of the agreement announced today stipulates that the NYBC and The HSUS are effectively splitting costs for long-term care of the chimpanzees, which will include day-to-day care and also the construction of improved sanctuary facilities. Photo by Carol Guzy/For The HSUS

Breaking news: The HSUS, New York Blood Center announce landmark agreement for care of Liberian chimpanzees

May 30, 2017

Today, The HSUS announces a major, multi-million-dollar agreement with the New York Blood Center (NYBC) concerning more than 60 chimpanzees formerly used by the NYBC in medical experiments in Liberia. The New York-based medical charity has committed $6 million to The HSUS to help with the decades-long task of providing long-term care for the animals. This morning’s joint announcement signals a critical turnaround in The HSUS’s relationship with the NYBC. Most importantly, it provides financial resources for the careful stewardship of these chimpanzees, who deserve every measure of human mercy after the travails they’ve endured.

In 2015, The HSUS and Humane Society International responded to an emergent crisis and began to care for the chimpanzees on a set of estuarine islands in Liberia with insufficient natural food and water resources. Dedicated individuals took it upon themselves to provide enough food and water for the chimpanzees to survive in the first days, but the circumstance required the intervention of a party that had the staying power to provide daily care to the animals. With the support of the Liberian government and more than 35 animal protection and conservation organizations worldwide, The HSUS stepped in, bringing on many of the chimps’ long-term caregivers to provide boots on the ground for the animals. We’ve been there ever since, at a cost of tens of thousands of dollars a month. We have a staff of more than 30 people operating the facility, led by great ape specialists Dr. Jim Desmond and Jenny Desmond, as well as John Zeonyuway and Joseph Thomas, who have worked with the chimpanzees in Liberia for decades.

To care for these animals, we had to confront some extreme logistical, security, and personnel challenges, in addition to shouldering responsibility for the immense financial liabilities that this intervention required. In the broadest sense, we were mindful that chimpanzees are long-lived, and our response to this crisis essentially obligated us to a 40-year commitment and millions of dollars to provide proper housing, enrichment, and veterinary care for them.

The crux of the agreement announced today stipulates that the NYBC and The HSUS are effectively splitting costs for long-term care of the chimpanzees, which will include day-to-day care and also the construction of improved sanctuary facilities. The HSUS and HSI will take on responsibility for the lifetime care of the chimpanzees and will seek support from our supporters and others to help raise the remainder of the needed funds.

I am pleased to express my thanks to the NYBC for making this very generous and important commitment. I’d be remiss, too, if I did not offer our sincerest expression of gratitude to thousands of individuals and dozens of organizations whose generosity and kindness allowed us to help the chimps for the past two years, providing a bridge to an even more secure future with the new facilities we intend to build. This project has required an ensemble cast, and I offer additional earnest appreciation to the government of Liberia, the Arcus Foundation, Dr. Jane Goodall and the Jane Goodall Institute, Duke University scientist Brian Hare, former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, actors and animal advocates Kate and Rooney Mara, the American Anti-Vivisection Society, and the Liberia Animal Welfare and Conservation Society. And the most important thanks are reserved for our incredible chimpanzee care team on the ground.

The HSUS and HSI plan to work hand in hand with the government of Liberia in the years ahead, and that partnership will be critical given that the chimps have been through very difficult circumstances and need round-the-clock care.

The additional millions we must raise are still a very substantial financial burden we must bear, but we do so knowing of the steadfast resolve and commitment of our supporters. We intend to start building an endowment for the care of these chimps today, rather than leaving the task to future generations of leaders and other supporters of The HSUS. I hope you’ll join us in celebrating the HSUS-NYBC agreement and adding to the $6 million endowment by making a donation to this Liberian chimp fund online at: www.humanesociety.org/liberiasanctuary or www.humanesociety.org/liberiachimps.

Read more here:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/animalia/wp/2017/05/30/dozens-of-research-chimps-were-abandoned-on-liberian-islands-a-battle-over-their-fate-is-now-over/?utm_term=.1a08c1f5527d#comments

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Good News: India Passes New Rules for the Protection of Animals

These new rules are not perfect for the animals, but one step closer to a better life for animals living in India. PeTA India published this positive information:

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has released three new Gazette notifications under The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, to regulate dog breeders , animal markets, aquariums, and pet shops that sell fish. This progress has included a joint effort by animal protection groups including PETA India. PETA India was involved in the public consultation process for these rules and had provided useful comment to strengthen protections.

The rules are the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Dog Breeding and Marketing) Rules, 2017; Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Regulation of Livestock Markets) Rules, 2017; the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Aquarium and Fish Tank Animals Shop) Rules, 2017; and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Care and Maintenance of Case Property Animals) Rules, 2017.

In a perfect world, laws to protect animals would eliminate all cruelty, because dogs shouldn’t be bred and sold, cattle and other animals shouldn’t be sent to slaughter, and fish shouldn’t be kept in tanks. But sometimes change occurs in stages, and for now, the government has passed certain additional protections for dogs and fish as well as for cows, buffaloes, camels, and other animals who end up at animal markets. We also commend the government for helping remove animals from abusers through the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Care and Maintenance of Case Property Animals) Rules, 2017.

Some points to be noted include the following:

• The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Care and Maintenance of Case Property Animals) Rules, 2017 says, “If the accused is convicted, or pleads guilty, the magistrate shall deprive him of the ownership of animal and forfeit the seized animal to the infirmary, pinjrapole, SPCA, Animal Welfare Organisation or Gaushala already having custody for proper adoption or other disposition.”

• According to these new rules, dog breeders and owners of aquariums and pet shops that sell fish must register with the animal-welfare board of their respective states.

• No aquarium can keep, house, or display “any cetaceans, penguins, otters, manatees, sea turtles and marine turtles, artificially coloured fish, any species of fish tank animals listed in the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 (53 of 1972), or any species listed under the Appendix I of the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species”.

• The sale of camels and all types of cattle, including buffaloes, for slaughter via animal markets isn’t allowed. The sale of cattle and camels can be made only to a person who carries valid documents proving that he or she is an “agriculturist”.

• Certain types of cruelty that commonly take place at markets will no longer be allowed, including hot branding and cold branding, mutilating animals’ ears, and force-feeding animals fluid to make them appear fatter in order to fetch a better price.

Unfortunately, the new rules don’t prevent the dairy industry from continuing to supply animals to the beef industry. India’s beef industry is massive because its supplier, the dairy industry, is massive. Read more about the link between beef and dairy foods here.

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Some Good News on Animal Welfare

Here are some victories for the animals, thanks to many compassionate people and PetA:

  • Retailers are learning that compassion is always in fashion: Armani agreed to stop selling fur, and Dynamite announced that it will no longer sell angora wool.
  • A church in Washington canceled an event that was to include a “Chicken Chase” with awards of live baby chicks for participants who caught chickens.
  • The city council in Asheville, North Carolina, voted to ban dangerous horse-drawn carriages.
  • Officials in Dickson, Tennessee, made the compassionate decision to cancel plans to kill ducks and geese at Luther Lake.
  • GEICO promised not to feature chimpanzees or other great apes in its commercials again.
  • Dangerous legislation in Colorado that would have secured a “right” for hunters and anglers to kill wild animals was defeated.
  • Air Transport Services Group told PETA that it’s ending the transport of monkeys to laboratories.

The more people stand up for those who cannot speak for themselves, the more change away from suppression, torture, killings and ignorance can be seen.

Thank you for spreading the new on animal awareness!

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What the World Needs to Hear from Philip Wollen

 

Here is a brilliant speech by a formidable man about animal rights. Thank you to Animalista Untamed for bringing this to my attention.

Please share it widely.

What the World Needs to Hear from Philip Wollen

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When Laws Change in Favor of Animals, There is Hope

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photo: Washington Post

In most legal systems of the world animals are still “things” and not beings. Even though this has not (yet) changed in the United States, it is a big step in this direction when animal cruelty is to be a treated as a crime by the FBI. This includes only companion animals, for now. Mary Lou Randour, a psychologist who started the fight for this change, is to be applauded for her consistent push that has significantly paved the path towards success.

You can read more here:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/inspired-life/wp/2016/01/06/a-big-win-for-animals-the-fbi-now-tracks-animal-abuse-like-it-tracks-homicides/?postshare=1381452806388458&tid=ss_tw-bottom

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Who Want Bears in Florida?

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It seems only hunters want bears in Florida. The lobby for the animals in Florida had a chance in court, but lost. So this year the bears will have no protection from those who kill for pleasure.

There is a chance the appeals court will vote differently, but there is “bearly” any time left. Please speak up for the bears and help them survive in Florida.

You can read more here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/11/us/floridas-bears-go-from-brink-of-extinction-to-rifles-crosshairs.html?_r=0

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/politics/os-bear-hunt-court-hearing-20151001-story.html

http://www.speakupwekiva.com/Stop_the_Black_Bear_Hunt.html

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Animals and the Law

It is hard to say what needs to be done first to change the plight of animals: change the human behavior by raising awareness or changing laws according to scientifically based research studies indicating that animals are beings, not things.

The Nonhuman Rights Project believes in the law and has gone to court to fight for the rights of two chimpanzees:

“The New York County Supreme Court Justice Barbara Jaffe issued a 33-page decision in the case of the chimpanzees Hercules and Leo. They are being held in captivity in a Stony Brook University laboratory.

Justice Jaffe denied habeas corpus relief to Hercules and Leo only because, as she wrote, “for now” she is bound by the intermediate appellate court decision in Tommy’s case, which we have placed before the Court of Appeals—New York’s highest Court— seeking further review.

As with Tommy’s and Kiko’s cases, the legal battle will continue as our chimpanzee plaintiffs continue to suffer in captivity the way any self-aware, autonomous being would.

What Justice Jaffe’s decision does is allow us to appeal the decision to First Department which, unlike Justice Jaffe, is not bound by the decision of the Third Department in Tommy’s case.

As we work on what will be a prompt appeal of the decision, we’re pleased also to tell you that:

  • One, Justice Jaffe’s decision was thoughtful and comprehensive. We thank her for so carefully examining our arguments and for having granted the historic Order to Show Cause that compelled the Attorney General’s office to appear in court on May 27th to justify Hercules and Leo’s detention at Stony Brook.
  • Two, Justice Jaffe agreed that the NhRP had standing to litigate on behalf of Hercules and Leo. Indeed, she rejected one by one all the procedural barriers the Attorney General of New York attempted to place before her. She also rejected the argument that “opening the floodgates” to lawsuits on behalf of other nonhuman animals (also known as the “slippery slope” argument) was a sufficient reason for denying relief to Hercules and Leo and refused to follow the appellate decision handed down in Kiko’s case (which is also before the Court of Appeals for further review on our request).
  • Three, she concluded her decision on what we see as a sympathetic, positive note: ´Efforts to extend legal rights to chimpanzees are thus understandable; some day they may even succeed.´We encourage you to read the entire decision and share this news with your friends and fellow nonhuman animal advocates.”

You can read more here:

http://www.nonhumanrightsproject.org

Click to access Judge-Jaffes-Decision-7-30-15.pdf

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Animals in Court

What approach to changing how humans treat animals is more effective: appealing to the conscience and hearts of humans not to hurt other beings or changing the laws so that other beings besides humans have the same legal status? Here is a group of lawyers fighting in court for the rights of animals:

“A legal team from the Nonhuman Rights Project argued on their behalf of Hercules and Leo — two chimpanzee plaintiffs wrongly imprisoned inside a SUNY animal experimentation laboratory – in a New York Supreme Court. Here are some of the news reports of Hercules’ and Leo’s historic day in court:

For a general overview of the proceedings, follow this link for a short Fox News TV report.

Wired magazine focuses on the fact that Justice Barbara Jaffe decided to call both sides into court for a hearing at all. It quotes me as telling reporters after the hearing that the fact that she held a full hearing represents a victory in itself. “Many human beings have these kinds of hearings,” I said. “Chimpanzees are now being treated like all the other autonomous beings of this world.”

Wired also takes note of how the judge challenged New York Assistant Attorney General Christopher Coulston’s argument that there’s no precedent for a case like this. It is the very essence of the common law, she said, that it “evolves according to new discoveries and social mores.” And so, she asked, “Isn’t it incumbent on judiciaries to at least consider whether a class of beings may be granted a right?”

The New York Times quotes me telling the court that chimpanzees “are the kinds of beings who can remember the past and plan ahead for the future, which is one of the reasons imprisoning a chimp is at least as bad, and maybe worse, than imprisoning a person.” They are enough like humans that they should have a right to “bodily liberty,” even if other rights, like voting or freedom of religion, are beyond them.

The Guardian also takes up the scientific evidence presented by the Nonhuman Rights Project, citing the voluminous research on “chimpanzee intelligence, emotions and consciousness” and noting that Hercules and Leo are “autonomous and self-determining beings.”

Courthouse News picks up on the parallel that the Nonhuman Rights Project draws between the imprisonment of chimpanzees and human slavery, adding that Coulston “bristled” at the comparison. “This language of animals as slaves is exactly what I’m talking about of the slippery slope,” he said, arguing that the case could open up the possibility of court cases on the rights of zoo animals, farmed animals, and even pets.”

Here are the links to more information:

http://video.foxnews.com/v/4260819425001/should-chimpanzees-have-the-same-legal-rights-as-humans/?playlist_id=921261890001#sp=show-clips

http://www.wired.com/2015/05/chimpanzee-rights-get-day-court/

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/28/nyregion/arguing-in-court-whether-2-chimps-have-the-right-to-bodily-liberty.html?_r=0

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/may/27/chimpanzee-animals-rights-new-york-court

http://www.courthousenews.com/2015/05/27/unprecedented-hearing-on-habeas-for-chimps.htm

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/05/27/410058029/research-chimps-get-their-day-in-court-in-new-york

http://www.wsj.com/articles/chimps-get-their-day-in-court-in-n-y-personhood-hearing-1432756362

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