News
The number of news found: 35.
05/31/2007 JAPAN'S WHALING LOSES SUPPORT FROM COMMERCIAL FISHERIES COMPANIES!
Japan's fourth largest fisheries company, Kyokuyo, has pledged to stop its sale of whale meat in Japan. Its decision follows a campaign led by Humane Society International, the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), and the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW). In April, the coalition of environmental and animal welfare groups called on American company True World Foods, which partnered with Kyokuyo to distribute sushi in the United States, to persuade Kyokuyo to stop selling whale products. According to Kyokuyo, it has ceased production of whale products and is in the process of selling off its remaining stockpile. Without companies like Kyokuyo, Japan's whaling industry will fall flat. This news is especially timely as Japan is pushing its plan to kill even more whales at the International Whaling Commission meeting, happening right now in Alaska.
05/31/2007 ZOO HIRES CLOWNS TO ENTERTAIN PRIMATES!
It is a case of clowning around for a bit of monkey business - zoo has hired a clown to keep its chimps, gorillas, orang-utans and baboons busy. Boredom can make the animals ill or aggressive, so the zoo in Krefeld, near Cologne, hired Christina Peters to entertain them. 'They go wild when they see me coming because they know they are going to have fun,' she said.
05/30/2007 UK SECRET PLANS DRAWN UP TO TURN US ALL VEGGIE!
Secret plans to encourage the nation to give up eating meat are being examined by the Government. A leaked e-mail expresses sympathy for the environmental benefits of a mass switch to a vegan diet - a strict form of vegetarianism which bans milk, dairy products and fish. The change would need to be done 'gently' because of a 'risk of alienating the public', according to the document. The extreme policy is being examined on the basis it could make a major contribution to slowing climate change. Farm animals are blamed for producing huge amounts of the greenhouse gases methane and carbon dioxide. However, the National Farmers' Union has ridiculed the idea as 'simplistic'. The e-mail, sent to a vegetarian campaign group, comes from an official at the Environment Agency, a Government advisory body. It states: 'The potential benefit of a vegan diet in terms of climate impact could be very significant.'
05/29/2007 'NOAH'S ARK' OF 5,000 RARE ANIMALS FOUND FLOATING OFF THE COAST OF CHINA!
Endangered, hunted, smuggled and now abandoned, 5,000 of the world's rarest animals have been found drifting in a deserted boat near the coast of China. The pangolins, Asian giant turtles and lizards were crushed inside crates on a rickety wooden vessel that had lost engine power off Qingzhou island in the southern province of Guangdong. Most were alive, though the cargo also contained 21 bear paws wrapped in newspaper. According to conservation groups, the haul was discovered on one of the world's most lucrative and destructive smuggling routes: from the threatened jungles of south-east Asia to the restaurant tables of southern China. The animals were found when local fishermen noticed a strange smell emanating from the vessel, which did not have any registration plates. When coastguard officials boarded the 25-metre craft, it was reportedly deserted and stripped of identification papers. They found more than 200 crates full of animals, many so dehydrated in the tropical sun that they were close to death. The animals - which weighed 13 tonnes - were taken to port, doused with water and sent to an animal welfare centre.
05/28/2007 NICK CARTER HELPS DOLPHINS!
Nick Carter has become a United Nations Special Ambassador. The former Backstreet Boys singer has been inspired by fellow celebrities who have taken on roles within the organisation. Nick, whose work will include raising awareness about dolphins, said, 'People like Bono, Angelina Jolie and Nicole Kidman have inspired me to put my celebrity to good use. I have the advantage of reaching multiple generations to make a difference.' The singer, who used to date Paris Hilton, insists he will be taking his responsibilities seriously. He added, 'I am really excited, but also a little nervous about this much responsibility - it is an actual job. There are responsibilities and commitments that I must make to be the voice of dolphins, whales and conservation issues, and the expectations are quite large. Everyone loves dolphins. Yet, we are still driving them to extinction.' Nick will be working on the Year of the Dolphin campaign, which educates people about the threats facing dolphins in the wild.
05/28/2007 GOV. BLAGOJEVICH SIGNS LEGISLATION BANNING THE SLAUGHTER OF HORSES IN ILLINOIS FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION!
Governor Rod R. Blagojevich on May 24 signed legislation that bans the slaughter of horses in Illinois for human consumption. House Bill 1711, sponsored by State Rep. Robert S. Molaro (D-Chicago) and State Sen. John Cullerton (D-Chicago), bans importing or exporting horsemeat if any horsemeat will be used for human consumption. 'It's past time to stop slaughtering horses in Illinois and sending their meat overseas. I'm proud to sign this law that finally puts an end to this practice,' Gov. Blagojevich said. The Governor announced his support for the legislation after hearing from advocates, including Bo Derek, actress and longtime activist for the protection of horses, in April. Violations of the new state law are punishable by up to 30 days in jail and a fine of $1,500.
05/27/2007 SWAN BUTCHER SENTENCED TO 13 YEARS!
A Chinese court has jailed a farmer for 13 years for trading in state-protected swans and their meat, Xinhua news agency reported on Friday. Zhang Yuelin, 48, from the northern province of Henan, had bought 38 dead swans and one kg of swan meat late last year, the agency said. He was also fined 50,000 yuan ($6,500). China, not known for strict protection of animal rights, nevertheless has stringent rules protecting its endangered species. In 2003, a farmer from Sichuan was jailed for 14 years for killing a panda and selling its skin.
05/26/2007 U.S. STOPS BREEDING CHIMPS FOR RESEARCH!
The U.S. National Institutes of Health, which supports a variety of biomedical studies using animals, will stop breeding government-owned chimpanzees for research - a step animal rights advocates lauded on Thursday. The NIH's National Center for Research Resources cited financial reasons for its decision this week to permanently cease breeding of government-owned chimpanzees for research. A breeding moratorium on NCRR-owned and supported chimpanzees had been in place since 1995. The Humane Society of the United States said it suspects that ethical reasons also were involved in the decision.
05/25/2007 ANIMALS KILLED AS FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT IN CHINA!
China's zoos have been described as 'insane asylums for animals' and a national disgrace, where live domestic pets are fed to lions and tigers for the entertainment of visitors. Animal rights activists have told Sky News that in 10 years of monitoring animals' living conditions there has been 'no improvement'. Campaigner Dr John Wederburn said: 'I come back to the same zoo four or five years later and the same animals are still trapped in the same tiny cage. It's called zoo-chosis. The animals are simply driven out of their minds by the boredom.' Stage shows, in which bears are trained to twirl sticks of fire and ride motorcycles, came in for particular criticism. At one zoo, a three-year-old bear was put in a dress and a harness to pull a car twice a day in front of the holiday crowds. The Harbin Wildlife Park, the world's biggest breeding centre for Siberian tigers encourages visitors to buy domestic animals that will be fed live to the tigers. Special vending flaps are fitted on the tourist buses to allow visitors to feed chickens to the waiting tigers. The authorities at the park say the tigers are being trained to be released back into the wild and argue that the fees charged for the live animals are used to support the park.
05/25/2007 KNESSET OUTLAWS ANIMAL TESTING FOR COSMETIC PRODUCTS!
Animal shelters across Israel prepared to take in new tenants Monday, after the Knesset passed a law outlawing all animal testing for cosmetic and cleaning products. The law, which passed a final reading Monday afternoon and goes into effect immediately, would free the 2,000-3,000 animals that are currently used to test the products. 'This is an important law that reflects how our society is changing its regard for animal rights,' said MK Gideon Sa'ar (Likud), who proposed the law. He added that the law still provides for animal testing for medicinal products and the health industry. Sa'ar told the Knesset that he proposed the bill at the prompting of his 16-year-old daughter, Daniella, who originally approached him about it. While Sa'ar said that he was happy about the bill's passage, he swore to advance a second bill that would ban the importation of products tested on animals. Sa'ar has already tried to pass that bill, but it was defeated by one vote.
05/24/2007 PEPSICO DECLARES NO MORE ANIMAL TESTS!
PETA's campaign to convince food and beverage companies to drop animal tests has been gaining momentum, with Welch's, Ocean Spray, and POM Wonderful agreeing to drop all funding for animal experiments in favor of non-animal test methods. And now food-industry giant PepsiCo - the multibillion-dollar parent company of brands like Pepsi-Cola, Frito-Lay, Tropicana, Quaker Oats, and Gatorade - has joined the ever-growing list of companies that are creating innovative products without using animals in laboratory tests. Prior to its agreement with PETA, PepsiCo and its partners had funded several experiments on animals. After PETA brought these experiments to the attention of PepsiCo executives, the company began discussions with PETA regarding what they could do to eliminate animal testing. As a result of this collaboration, PepsiCo has announced that it will not experiment on animals and is pledging to communicate its opposition to animal testing to all entities that the corporation works with. PepsiCo's compassionate decision to end funding for tests on animals stands in stark contrast to other food and beverage companies that continue to fund needless animal experiments, such as Coca-Cola and Unilever (maker of Lipton Tea and other food products).
05/23/2007 MARS BARS GET VEGGIE STATUS BACK!
Mars has abandoned plans to use animal products in its chocolate, and has apologised to 'upset' vegetarians. The firm had said it would change the whey used in some of its products from a vegetarian source to one with traces of the animal enzyme, rennet. The Vegetarian Society organised a campaign against the move, asking members to voice their concerns to parent company Masterfoods. Mars said it became 'very clear, very quickly' that it had made a mistake. In just one week, more than 6,000 people bombarded the company, which produces the Mars, Snickers, Maltesers and Galaxy brands, with phone and e-mail complaints. Forty MPs also signed a petition to voice their opposition. Fiona Dawson, managing director of Mars UK, said the company had listened to customers and decided to reverse its decision.
05/22/2007 THE NETHERLANDS BANS THE IMPORT OF SEAL PRODUCTS!
The cabinet has decided on May 19 to ban the import, trade and possession of fur, skins, oil and other products made from seals. The ban applies to two species, the harp seal and the blueback (Cystophora cristata). The import of skins or products manufactured from the skins of young seals (up to around 12 days) of both species is already banned throughout the EU. 'The large-scale hunt has however shifted to animals slightly older than 12 days', explained the Agriculture and Nature Ministry. 'The cabinet is concerned about issues including the population count, the decline in the habitat quality of the seals and the hunting methods used'. The cabinet decision now taken introduces a ban regardless of age category. 'An exception applies to products originating from the traditional hunt by the Inuit people, to live animals and to products that have previously been lawfully brought to the Netherlands', said the ministry. In Belgium, a comparable trade ban is in place, and Germany is also preparing such a ban. The Dutch government will continue insisting on a ban at EU level, but up to the present there is insufficient support for such a measure.
05/22/2007 STATE PARLIAMENT CALLS FOR HALT TO MACAQUE RESEARCH!
German scientists have condemned a parliamentary decision to stop primate experiments at the University of Bremen, calling it unacceptable political interference with the freedom to conduct research. Animal-rights activists in the state of Bremen have been campaigning for years against the macaque experiments of Andreas Kreiter, a neuroscientist at the university's brain research centre. Now, in the run-up to regional elections on 13 May, the activists have finally won cross-party political support. Bremen's parliament last month unanimously asked the state government not to reapprove Kreiter's experiments from the end of 2008, when his licence becomes due for renewal. Meanwhile, a commission of scientists and representatives of animal-protection groups is to re-evaluate the scientific value of Kreiter's research, and assess whether the experiments could be replaced by non-invasive methods. Both issues have been addressed before by granting agencies and by the local authorities and ethics committees, Kreiter says. Neither the state parliament nor the state government can order the university to close down the centre. But Kreiter fears that political pressure will force the local authorities not to approve further experiments.
05/21/2007 SPECIES IN STRIFE!
The tiger - already endangered but now further threatened by the possible re-opening of the tiger trade in China, tops 'WWF's 10 Most Wanted' list of species most at risk from international trade. As delegates from 171 countries prepare to attend the Conference of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), from 3-15 June in The Hague, the WWF has released its biennial list of 10 of the world's most in-demand species that are bought, sold, smuggled, killed or captured for the global market place. 'CITES provides a vital opportunity to protect some of the world’s most endangered species so that they are not traded to the point of extinction,' said Heather Sohl, wildlife trade officer at WWF. 'Some of the marine species in the top ten list, such as the porbeagle and spiny dogfish sharks and the sawfish, are seeing dramatic population declines which need to be addressed before it is too late.' MSN has compiled a gallery of the 'WWF's 10 Most Wanted' to mark the plight of the struggling species.
05/20/2007 UNILEVER PAMPLONA BULL RUN ADVERTISEMENT!
Rexona (Unilever) promotes its deodorant by the glorification of the Pamplona bull run. Men dressed in the traditional white and red outfit run through the streets, followed by all sorts of animals (brown bears, wolves, rhinos, jealous husbands...). The ad ends in the bullring with the
deodorant having passed the test.
05/20/2007 SEA SHEPHERD ACTIVISTS PREPARE TO TAKE 'WHALE WARS' CRUSADE TO ICELAND!
Sea Shepherd activists have left to take on Iceland as support grows among Australians for a harder legal line against whaling. Their flagship, Farley Mowat, sailed May 17 from Melbourne for the North Atlantic, where Icelandic whalers have begun a minke whale hunt. At the same time an independent opinion poll has found 81 per cent of Australians want the Howard Government to do more to halt Japanese whaling. A similar number back the ALP's commitment to take international legal action.
05/18/2007 BELGRADE ZOO BECOMES A SERBIAN BRAND?!
Horrific Belgrade zoo is a zoo under every possible low standard. In spite that Belgrade zoo was named into Serbian Grand SuperBrand! On April 16, 2007, in Sava Center, Belgrade zoo was given the diploma of aproval as Brand of Serbia among 2800 aplications. By 'member of jury' Belgrade zoo was selected along with other 237 candidates, after which consumers gave points from 1 to 20. Belgrade zoo got a status of GRAND SUPERBRAND in category CULTURE and leisure. 'Alliance 4 Animal Rights Serbia' will protest loudly against this kind of Branding. Animals in Belgrade zoo are not serbias Brand - those animals came from Nigeria, Afrika, Asia... and they are not serbian brand because that is not something that Serbia invented.
05/16/2007 MARS STARTS USING ANIMAL PRODUCTS!
Some of the UK's best-selling chocolate bars, such as Mars and Twix, will no longer be suitable for vegetarians. Also affecting brands such as Snickers and Maltesers, owner Masterfoods said it had started to use animal product rennet to make its chocolate products. Masterfoods said the change was due to it switching the sourcing of its ingredients and the admission was a 'principled decision' on its part. The Vegetarian Society said the company's move was 'incomprehensible'.
05/15/2007 BETRAYED BY THE BARCELONA CITY COUNCIL!
19 days away from the start of the works at the railway lines in Barcelona the 500 cats living there and their protectors have been betrayes by a man from the Council called Francesc frobredo@bcn.cat who has not facilitated a place for the cats to go to or been in touch with any of the cat protection organizations that wanted to manage the new cat colony! They will be torn apart under the excavation machinery. There are many litters, as nothing has been done by the Council to prevent it. Please write to this individual and tell him he must help the animals as promised.
05/13/2007 ASIAN MARKETS PUSH ILLEGAL IVORY!
The illegal ivory trade is expanding, driven by East Asian crime syndicates, according to the wildlife trade monitoring network Traffic. The syndicates gather ivory in Africa for export to East Asian countries. The biggest market is mainland China, though there is also significant trade to other countries such as Thailand and the Philippines. Traffic says there are 92 illegal ivory seizures per month, and the number of large hauls has doubled in a decade.
05/11/2007 WOLF AND DONKEY BECOME FRINEDS!
A wolf and a donkey share a cage in the northwestern town of Patok in Albania, about 40 km (25 miles) from capital the Tirana, May 9, 2007. The donkey was brought into the enclosure to be fed to the wolf, which was caught in the northern Albanian mountains four months ago. The animals have since become attached to each other, cohabitating in the cage for the last 10 days, and attracting curious villagers and local media.
05/11/2007 HORSE FEARS MOVES STONES CONCERT!
A Rolling Stones concert which had been due to take place at Belgrade's racetrack has been moved over fears the noise could upset the horses. Serbian animal rights activists had been concerned over plans to sedate 300 stabled horses during the event at Belgrade's Hippodrome on 14 July. But the gig will now take place in a public park in the Serbian capital.
05/10/2007 DIETER LUTTICKEN AWARD WINNER!
The annual Dieter Lütticken Award, has been granted to Dr Mark Stevens from the Institute of Animal Health, United Kingdom for his commitment to advancing the 3R concept - reducing, refining or replacing the use of animals in research. The Dieter Lütticken Award aims to encourage research into the use of in-vitro models, which replace animal testing for product licensing purposes, as well as studies avoiding the use of animals in efficacy, safety and quality testing of biological and pharmaceutical products for animals. With a prize fund of 20,000 euros, the award is sponsored by animal health company Intervet and is intended to be presented to Dr Stevens by Dr Ellen de Brabander, Vice President Research and Development, Intervet at a special ceremony during the 6th World Congress on Alternatives in August in Tokyo, Japan.
05/09/2007 ANIMALS DIE IN STUDENT'S CAR IN IRELAND!
More than 70 animals were found dead in a car after a student left them to go to classes. An animal welfare charity in the North said the creatures probably died of heat exhaustion and dehydration after they were crammed into a small family car in Coleraine, Co. Derry. With almost 500 birds, hamsters, gerbils, rabbits and rats discovered in the car, the Ulster Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is calling for the vehicle's owner to be prosecuted for animal cruelty. The animals were spotted by a passer-by who alerted police about boxes and cages in the vehicle. However, when the USPCA arrived to remove the animals, 70 of the 477 were dead. The charity said it believed the owner of the car had intended to deliver the animals to a pet shop in Co. Donegal.
05/06/2007 EUROPE SET TO OULAW COSMETIC TESTING ON LIVE ANIMALS!
Tests of cosmetic products on rabbits and mice will soon be banned after European scientists announced that most experiments can now be carried out using non-animal alternatives. The switch will spare almost 20,000 rabbits a year and 240,000 mice from a life of misery in the laboratory. Scientists say the new tests will actually provide a more reliable way of checking the safety of chemicals in everyday products such as makeup and washing-up liquid. The scientific advisory committee of the European Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods approved five new tests which make the use of live rabbits and mice unnecessary. A full ban is subject to approval by all 27 member states, but this could happen by the end of the summer. Under European Union rules, testing on animals must stop once other options have been validated by experts. Some rabbits and mice will still be needed for cosmetic testing, however, along with guinea pigs and rats. An EU spokesman said the medical advances were significant because a directive will ban the testing of cosmetic ingredients on animals from 2009.
05/05/2007 SONY APLOGIZES FOR DEAD GOAT PROP!
Sony Corp. on Monday issued an apology for using a freshly slaughtered goat as a prop at its 'God of War II' video game launch party in Athens, a publicity stunt that has outraged animal rights activists. Sony hosted about 20 journalists at the March 1 event, which it called a theatrical dramatization with a Greek mythological theme. The goat, provided to the production company by a local butcher, was part of the set dressing, the company said. The U.K.'s Daily Mail newspaper on Sunday published a story on the party, where female hostesses with breasts covered with nothing but body paint fed grapes to guests, who competed to eat the most 'warm entrails' - a meat soup made to look like the goat's internal organs. In its mea culpa, Sony said: 'We recognize that the use of a dead goat was in poor taste and fell below the high standards of conduct we set ourselves.' The company said it has launched an internal inquiry into the circumstances of the event and that it will put measures in place to make sure it does not happen again.
05/04/2007 EUROPEAN PARLIAMENTARIANS SUPPORT BAN ON PRIMATES FOR RESEARCH!
A proposed ban on using primates for research experiments in the European Union has received 'unprecedented support' from Members of the European Parliament and top EU politicians. Eighty-eight MEPs from parties across the political spectrum backed a new Declaration calling for a ban on the use of Great Apes and wild-caught primates for research, alongside a commitment to phase out all primate use within the EU, according to a report by Animal Defenders International. The Declaration was launched on April 24th, designated Lab Animal Day, by the National Anti-Vivisection Society and Animal Defenders International, at a reception in the European Parliament. A survey conducted in 2006 by the European Commission Survey found that 80 percent of respondents considered primate use in research 'not acceptable.'
05/04/2007 CHINA SETS ITS LAWYERS ON ANIMAL DISEASE!
As the world's largest producer of poultry, livestock and aquatic products, China has much to lose from outbreaks of animal diseases. It is estimated that animal diseases cost China 40 billion yuan annually. Now, China's top legislature is deliberating a draft amendment to the law on animal disease and hopes to prevent future animal epidemics in doing so. By 2008 it is hoped that local governments above the county level will have a surveillance network to monitor animal diseases, said the draft amendment which was tabled at the 27th session of the Standing Committee of the 10th National People's Congress (NPC). Veterinary departments at the central and provincial levels are obligated to issue early warnings against possible outbreaks based on thorough epidemiological study, according to the draft. The draft also demands a prompt and transparent reporting system, saying that all government agencies, businesses and individuals must immediately report outbreaks of animal diseases to veterinary departments. Officials and government employees, who fail to take prompt preventative measures, delay reporting or try to cover up outbreaks of animal diseases should face administrative discipline, according to the draft.
05/03/2007 CHIMP DENIED A LEGAL GUARDIAN!
An Austrian judge turned down a request this week to appoint a woman as legal guardian of a chimpanzee. The decision is a blow to a growing movement in Europe attempting to give apes some of the legal rights of humans, such as protection from being owned. But proponents of ape rights say they will appeal the decision and continue fighting for the cause elsewhere in Europe. In Spain, for example, they are pushing for a national law that would extend some human rights to apes. Paula Casal, a vice-president of the Great Ape Project branch in Spain, says the Spanish law, first proposed a year ago, might finally be put to a vote soon in parliament. The goal of the Great Ape Project is to extend basic human rights to apes, such as the right to life, protection of individual liberty and prohibition of torture. Apes are no longer used in most western nations for research, with the United States being a major exception. New Zealand passed an ape rights law in 1999, which prohibits using apes in any experiments that would benefit humans. The proposed Spanish law goes beyond this, additionally banning private ownership of apes, or their use for employment or entertainment. In the Austrian case, the VGT group earlier this year went to court in an attempt to name a legal guardian for Hiasl, who was taken in 1982 from western Africa with several other young chimps. The chimps were to be shipped to a research laboratory, but did not have proper documentation and were intercepted by customs officials. The VGT decided the best strategy was to seek a legal guardian for Hiasl, and then, if they won, use that as legal precedent to appoint a legal guardian for Rosi and other chimps in Austria. In the lawsuit, Paula Stibbe was put forward to be Hiasl's guardian. In a trustee court hearing on 24 April, the judge denied the request. She said that if she appointed a legal guardian for a chimp, then this might create the public perception that humans with court-appointed legal guardians are at the same level as animals. The VGT will appeal the decision to a higher district court.
05/03/2007 GRANDFATHER SHOOTS GRANDSON HE THOUGHT WAS A TURKEY!
A Mason City native was shot and seriously injured by his grandfather while they were turkey hunting near Waukon early Sunday. Shane Emmert, 41, who lives in Davenport, was injured when he was shot by his grandfather, George Emmert, 80, of Mason City. They were hunting north of Waukon when the accident occurred at 6:15 A.M. Shane Emmert was initially listed in serious condition with a collapsed lung and internal bleeding Sunday afternoon, according to a statement released by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. His aunt, Deb Paulson, of Klemme, said that while serious, his condition seemed to be stable. According to Kevin Baskins of the DNR, Shane Emmert was returning to the group's vehicles when he was mistaken for a turkey and shot by his grandfather.
05/02/2007 ELEPHANT LEAVING PHILADELPHIA ZOO AFTER 41 YEARS!
After 41 years at the Philadelphia Zoo, Dulary the elephant was leaving Monday. Friends came to sign a going away card for Dulary, who is headed for retirement, because the zoo is closing its elephant exhibit, reacting in part to pressure from animal rights groups who believe they suffer in cramped enclosures. 'The minute as an organization you stop listening to your audience, your guest, or any one of the groups that that are out there, I think you run the risk of becoming irrelevant,' said Vikram Dewan, present and CEO of Philadelphia Zoo. Philadelphia is not alone. Zoos in San Francisco, Detroit, Chicago and the Bronx Zoo have all decided to phase out their elephants. In the Tennessee sanctuary where Dulary is headed, she'll have more than 20 companions and 2,700 acres to roam.
05/02/2007 POLICE SWOOP ON ANIMAL RIGHTS ACTIVISTS!
A series of police raids targeting animal rights activists across the UK and Europe have been carried out in the largest operation of its kind. Mr Leppard said the alleged offences included burglary and conspiracy to blackmail. More than 700 officers were involved and 30 suspected animal rights activists were arrested. Raids took place in 12 counties across England and in Belgium and the Netherlands. They were the result of a two-year investigation into what police called suspected 'criminal activity associated with animal rights extremism'. The main target for the activists was Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS) in Cambridgeshire. Other victims are believed to include businesses and individuals associated with HLS. Police said 15 men and 15 women had been arrested and 27 remained in custody and were being questioned.
05/01/2007 EXPOSED: 4.5 M POUNDS ON ANIMAL LAB SECURITY!
Security for Oxford's controversial new animal testing centre will cost a massive £4.5 million over the course of the lab's construction, The Oxford Student can reveal. The release of the costs of security comes after former Oxford Student editor Roger Waite battled for two years to compel the University to divulge the costs under the Freedom of Information Act. The revelation regarding the cost of security provision increases the estimated £20 million cost of its construction by over 20%. The £4 million figure does not include security costs that the University will incur after the lab is completed and is equivalent to a year's top-up fees of almost half an undergraduate intake. Animal rights activists have condemned the costs and pledged to continue the fight against the lab, even after its construction is completed.
05/01/2007 SONY USES SLAUGHTERED GOAT TO PROMOTE VIOLENT VIDEO GAME!
Electronics giant Sony has sparked a major row over animal cruelty and the ethics of the computer industry by using a freshly slaughtered goat to promote a violent video game. The corpse of the decapitated animal was the centrepiece of a party to celebrate the launch of the God Of War II game for the company's PlayStation 2 console. Guests at the event were even invited to reach inside the goat's still-warm carcass to eat offal from its stomach. Sickening images of the party have appeared in the company's official PlayStation magazine - but after being contacted by The Mail on Sunday, Sony issued an apology for the gruesome stunt and promised to recall the entire print run. Critics condemned the entertainment giant, which produces scores of Hollywood blockbusters each year, for its 'blood lust' and said the grotesque 'sacrifice' highlighted increasing concerns over the content of video games and the lengths to which the industry will go to exploit youngsters.
The number of news found: 35.
