Further to Poor Annabel, there’s also Susi at Barcelona Zoo. Here’s a link (in Spanish) to the campaign to give her some justice.
Obama Cuts Bush Decision on Endangered Species
A few weeks before he left office, President George W. Bush told federal officials that, in effect, they did not have to bother getting the advice of wildlife experts before taking actions that might harm plants or animals protected by the Endangered Species Act.
On Tuesday, President Obama said that, in effect, they did.
At a visit to the Interior Department marking its 160th anniversary, the president said he had signed a memorandum directing the Interior and Commerce Departments to review a regulation that the Bush administration issued Dec. 16.
The regulation lifted longstanding requirements that agencies contemplating actions that might affect endangered species consult with scientists from the Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service and to take their guidance into account.
Until the review is complete, Mr. Obama’s memorandum says, agencies must return to the former practice of seeking and acting on scientific advice.
In brief remarks, the president said he had signed the memorandum to “help restore the scientific process to its rightful place” in the working of the Endangered Species Act.
A Sorry State of Affairs in the British Animal Welfare Movement
Can someone please answer the question why is it that when you visit the Web sites of the leading British animal welfare organizations (e.g., BUAV, RSPCA, LACS, IFAW, Respect for Animals, CIWF, Dog’s Trust) and search (when they have a search function) on “June 4 2009 election,” there is nothing to be found. The only exception that the Grumpy Vegan could find is Animals Count.
In the UK on June 4 2009, which is less than three months away, the electorate will be voting in elections to the European Parliament and local government elections in certain parts of England. It is also not possible to find on the British animal welfare Web sites any mention of the next UK general election which has to be on or before 3 June 2010. This election is less than 15 months away.
Contrast this with the pro-hunting Countryside Alliance. Check this out Countdown to the General Election?
The British animal welfare movement (animal rights terminology isn’t used here as much as it is in the US) used to be in the forefront of the campaign to make animal protection a mainstream political issue. Not any more. The U.S. leads the way.
And, of course, the animals will lose out. And there will no one else to blame other than ourselves.
Nonhuman Primates: One Forward, One Back
As HSUS’s undercover expose at the New Iberia Research Center (NIRC) near Lafayette, La., one of America’s largest primate laboratories, gets attention on national television, including ABC’s News’ “Nightline”, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute reports
Researchers have taken a major step toward developing a better animal model of human AIDS. Such a model could greatly improve researchers’ ability to evaluate potential strategies for preventing and treating the disease.
Researchers have lacked a reliable animal model in which to study HIV infection, because the virus replicates poorly in most other animals. But now a team assembled by Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) investigator Paul D. Bieniasz of the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center (ADARC) has genetically modified the human virus so that it can infect a species of rhesus monkeys. Viral infection in the monkeys mimics the early stages of HIV infection in humans.
The Virtual Battery Cage by Animal Visuals
The virtual battery cage is truly astonishing in conveying what it must be like for a chicken to be confined with thousands of other birds in a prison. With many thanks to Animal Visuals.
Poor Annabel
This film shows Annabel, the oldest elephant in the Netherlands Emmen Zoo, after she fell down in a dry moat. She could not get out by herself, and a crane was brought to lift her out. She could not stand and was in shock. She was euthanized.
