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Animals In Entertainment

Help end the Factory Farming of Crocodiles in the region

June 2006: A farmer in Cambridgeshire is planning to intensively farm as many as a thousand crocodiles, despite the State Veterinary Service telling Viva! that they were not aware of any official guidelines on welfare or slaughter.

For a number of years now, crocodiles have been killed in the wild ­ or more increasingly taken for captive breeding in Australia and Asia. Studies of this trade overseas have shown that the shock and trauma of capture is substantial and that is before they are confined in an unnatural habitat for the rest of their lives. Killing can involve being clubbed to death or having a chisel hammered through the spine at the base of the skull.

The trade is so new here, we can only presume the same horrific methods of slaughter will be used in the UK, also ­ but one thing is certain, these magnificent animals will spend six years imprisoned on intensive units, with only death at the end of it.

Please help us to end this new farming atrocity before it takes hold.

Contact David Miliband, the new Secretary of State for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, and ask him to ban the farming of crocodiles in the UK. Use the pre-prepared letter below, or write in your own words.

Email: david.miliband@defra.gsi.gov.uk

Write:
Rt Hon David Miliband MP
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Nobel House
17 Smith Square
London
SW1P 3JR

Dear Mr Miliband,

I was shocked to hear that a farm in Cambridgeshire has been given the go-ahead to farm crocodiles for meat. These magnificent creatures are the latest addition to the seemingly never ending list of animals driven from the wild into factory farms ­ and I ask you, whilst this new cruelty is in its infancy ­ to nip it in the bud, and support a ban of the intensive farming of crocodile in the UK.

I am aware that, for a number of years now, crocodiles have been killed in the wild ­ or more increasingly taken for captive breeding in Australia and Asia. Studies of this barbaric trade overseas have shown that the shock and trauma of capture is substantial and that is before they are confined in an unnatural habitat for the rest of their lives. Killing can involve being clubbed to death or having a chisel hammered through the spine at the base of the skull. Until I hear differently, I presume similarly cruel methods will be used in the UK, as I am not aware of any welfare codes for crocodiles.

Most farmed animals are slaughtered after a matter of just weeks, but press reports state that the crocodiles being bred for meat in Cambridgeshire will be kept captive for 6 years before they are killed. Taken from their wild habitat, these animals will be unable to fulfil any of their natural behaviour in these concrete prisons.

The farmer in Cambridgeshire has reportedly boasted that he wants to breed as many as a thousand crocodiles. I am aware that he has obtained a wild animals licence, but I believe that public safety could be put at risk. It is outrageous that the local council have given their blessing to this foolhardy and cruel venture.

Please tell me what plans Defra has to regulate this trade ­ or, even better, please put matters in motion to end it."

Yours faithfully,

NAME
ADDRESS

Hallswood Wildlife Reserve has now lodged an appeal against their eviction notice

Please write to the Councillors (list here) who are members of the Planning Committee asking them to overturn the eviction notice. The original vote to serve the notice was very close, and due to there being local elections in May, these Councillors need to be made aware that they could lose votes if they do not support keeping this wildlife reserve open, which has the overwhelming support from vets, businesses, the RSPB, local people, members of the public, and as far away as Dhabi!

Keith (Hall) continues to prove to Broadland Council that this 10 acre sanctuary needs and must stay open - So please let these Councillors know that the eviction notice must be withdraw.

Please keep letters polite - Thank you for making a difference.

Broadland District Council
Thorpe Lodge
1 Yarmouth Road
Thorpe St Andrew
Norwich NR7 ODU

Say NO to NIRAH!

CAPS and Animal Aid have joined together to campaign against the construction of a massive new aquarium known as the NIRAH Project - the National Institute for Research into Aquatic Habitats. It would be four times the size of the Eden Project.

NIRAH plans to be the world's largest freshwater aquarium, holding thousands of wild animals. It would also house a laboratory in which drug company and university scientists will carry out research on aquatic or semi-aquatic animals, to investigate the 'biomedical potential' hidden in the toxins, venoms and secretions they produce.

The NIRAH Project, if allowed, would be built in Bedford and is strongly backed by the local councils and MPs. CAPS, Animal Aid and Bedford Animal Action recently held a protest outside Bedford Town Hall to draw attention to the animal welfare and conservation implications of allowing the NIRAH Project. Members of the public were shocked at the thought of wild-caught animals being put on display and animals being used in experiments.

A study commissioned last year by CAPS found that 90% of UK public aquaria keep animals who display stereotypic behaviours, 79% of the animals had been taken from the wild and 98.2% of the animals do not belong to species classed as threatened.

Please help us save animals from confinement and experimentation by joining us in opposing the NIRAH Project. Write to the Councils and Mayor asking them to withdraw support for the aquarium and laboratory.

Mr S E Field
Chief Executive, Bedford Borough Council
Town Hall, St Paul's Square, Bedford, MK40 1SJ
Tel: 01234 26742; Fax: 01234 221606
Email: sfield@bedford.gov.uk

Andrea Hill
Chief Executive, Bedfordshire County Council
County Hall, Cauldwell Street, Bedford, MK42 9AP
Tel: 01234 363222; Fax: 01234 228619
Email: Andrea.hill@ bedscc.gov.uk

Jaki Salisbury
Chief Executive, Mid Bedfordshire District Council
The Limes, Dunstable Street, Ampthill, Bedfordshire, MK45 2JU
Tel: 01525 402051; Fax: 01525 406288
Email: jaki.salisbury@midbeds.gov.uk

Mr Frank Branston
Mayor of Bedford
Bedford Borough Council
St Paul's Square, Bedford, MK40 1SJ
Tel: 01234 221620
Email: Fbranston@bedford.gov.uk

If you live in Bedfordshire also contact your MP.

Alistair Burt MP (Conservative MP for North East Bedfordshire) Tel: 020 7219 8132; Fax: 020 7219 1740
Email: burta@parliament.uk

Patrick Hall (Labour MP for Bedford)
Tel: 020 7219 3605; Fax: 020 7219 3987
Email: hallp@parliament.uk

Jonathan Sayeed MP (Conservative MP for Mid Bedfordshire)

Telephone: 020 7219 2355; Fax: 020 7219 1670
Email: Wolffea@parliament.uk

Info taken from Caps website

Sanctuary facing eviction

Hallswood Wildlife Reserve
Shorthorn Road
Stratton Strawless
Norwich NR10 5NU
Tel: Keith Hall 01603 754157 or 07733 032743

Keith has run this 10-acre wildlife sanctuary for nine and a half years, which he started with his late wife. The land is owned by him, paid by him, and his late wife is buried there. It has taken Broadland Council ALL this time to decide that Keith's wildlife reserve should go. Keith is saving lives on a daily asis, with over 350 sick and injured animals, deer, and birds there. Not only is he undertaking incredible dedicated care for these animals, he is also doing the Council a service too !!! Keith has overwhelming support from vets, businesses, the RSPB, local people, and members of the public have given their support and continue to do so. Keith has said that he will never leave this sanctuary, all he wants is to be left alone and to carry out nursing and saving wildlife.

Please write letters of support to Keith, which he will keep and hand over to the Press, when he needs to.

Broadland District Council have served a planning enforcement notice, which can take effect after 6 weeks, and allows 1 year for the site to be cleared. Keith is going to lodge an appeal with an independent inspector, which means that the enforcement notice will be held in abeyance pending the outcome of that appeal.

Broadland District Council
Thorpe Lodge
1 Yarmouth Road
Thorpe St Andrew
Norwich NR7 ODU

Enforcement Officer: Jane Fountain-Yardley
Direct Line Tel: 01603 430470
Email jane.fountain@broadland.gov.uk

Please write to Broadland Council telling them that they should be supporting Hallswood Wildlife Reserve, it is an asset to both the community and in deed essential for the rescue of wildlife. Because of this eviction, they will be responsible for the suffering and death of 'tomorrows' wildlife, if this reserve is not there. Councillors narrowly voted in favour of eviction !!!!

Please write to the below Newspaper (letters editor) - supporting Hallswood Wildlife Reserve:-

Evening News
Prospect House
Rouen Road
Norwich NR1 1RE

Tel: 01603 772427
Email: eveningnews@archant.co.uk

This newspaper has been particularly supportive, and it's essential that lots of letters are published demanding that Hallswood Wildlife Reserve is NOT closed.

The letters written to Broadland Council can be the same letters which are forwarded onto Keith, for him to keep, until such time he needs them.

I know we all lead busy lives - but please write just a few lines - BROADLAND COUNCIL MUST NOT BE ALLOWED TO CLOSE THIS SANCTUARY.

Keep pandas out of Zoos

The leader of Essex County Council has raised fears that giant pandas may once more be kept in British zoos, more than a decade after London Zoo stopped keeping them.

Lord Hanningfield, returning from a recent business trip to China, has stated that he wants to negotiate the introduction of the animals to a British Zoo. Colchester Zoo has expressed interest in having them.

Research published this year states that there are only around 1,600 giant pandas left in their natural habitat and they are now restricted to a few isolated areas in western China. There are 166 giant pandas in captivity world-wide, most in breeding centres in China. The only giant pandas currently in Europe are a pair in Schönbrunn Zoo in Austria.

CAPS believe that the over-riding purpose of bringing pandas to a British zoo would be for tourism and Lord Hanningfield appears to admit that with his comment "I am sure that the queues to see them would stretch for miles." According to the United Nations Environment Programme "Giant Pandas are one if not the most sought after of animals for zoos. They are probably the biggest crowd pullers on Earth." Zoos that have exhibited pandas have reported a doubling in attendance figures and profits of millions of pounds, some from the sale of souvenirs. Although some of these profits are given to the Chinese government, allegedly towards panda conservation, many that believe that this money has not necessarily been used for the right purposes.

At the height of the 'rent-a-panda' controversy (when lots of zoos were having pandas on short term display), Dr George Schaller, a conservationist who has studied pandas in the wild, criticised the use of money raised through zoo loans to fund panda breeding stations in China. "If the millions of dollars that have been raised from loans were spent on anti-poaching and forest protection measures instead of on construction and maintenance of walls around pandas, the future of the species would be brighter", Schaller said.

As well as displaying the typical behavioural problems seen in so many animals confined in zoos, captive pandas have also become overweight and listless, and are often unable to mate normally. The birth-rate and survival of cubs has been so poor in captivity that most are now bred by artificial insemination.

According to the World Wide Fund for Nature breeding success of pandas is greater in the wild than in captivity. In their natural state, all adult females and males appear to be involved in breeding whereas only 28% of adult pandas in captivity are breeding. Loaning pandas to zoos has in the past been criticised for encouraging China to continue taking pandas from the wild, particularly because the captive population has not been self-sustaining. The United Nations Environment Programme states: "The popularity of the panda has led to the creation of many captive breeding facilities, which may have added to the demand for Giant Pandas from the small wild populations."

China's agreement to send giant pandas to zoos around the world has often been accused of having more to do with international relations between governments than about conservation. Many of the pandas 'loaned' to zoos by China have been to encourage diplomatic relations or commemorate events such as the Olympic Games. They have had little, or nothing, to do with conservation.

The major threats to the giant panda are habitat destruction (particularly through logging which not only disturbs the animals but also destroys nesting sites and bamboo, the main source of food) and poaching. The recent announcement that the Chinese government will nearly double protected areas for giant pandas in the Qinling mountain range by creating five new panda reserves and five 'corridors' (linking protected regions) is expected to have a major benefit on the future of the panda. 61% of giant pandas are now in one of 40 protected reserves in China.

Funding of wildlife reserves and habitat preservation and restoration are the only real way to protect these animals. The authors of a WWF report concluded: "protecting pandas in their natural habitat is indisputably the highest priority for conservation of this internationally known and loved, but highly endangered species".

Please contact Lord Hanningfield and politely ask him to publicly withdraw his proposal to bring giant pandas to a British Zoo:

Lord Hanningfield Leader, Essex County Council
County Hall Chelmsford Essex CM1 1LX
Email: Lord.Hanningfield@essexcc.gov.uk

Also please sign our petition www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/609180579

URGENT ACTION ALERT
O and C Butcher have been exposed for selling real fur trim on their coats.

Despite protests and press attention, they still continue with the sale of fur.

Please spare five minutes to write polite letters requesting that O and C Butcher makes an ethical decision not to sell real fur.

O and C Butcher
129-131 High Street,
Aldeburgh,
Suffolk,
IP15 5AS

Tel: 01728 452229
Email: shop@ocbutcher.co.uk
www.ocbutcher.co.uk