| Home | Bookmark | Tell | Active petitions in over 75 countries | Follow GoPetition |
Petition Tag - animal rights
1. Stop Animal Neglect and Animal Cruelty 
There are not many people who notice the fact that there are actually NO, NOT EVEN ONE law that protects animals in China. Our group contains of 4 people.
Although we are not a professional group of experts about Animal Abuse, we are 5th Graders who really want to change this fact. To change the world.
2. More pro-animal apps and less pro-hunting ones
If you have an iPhone, iPad or other Apple device, and search "hunting" under "apps", you will find loads of pro-hunting ones, and almost no anti-hunting apps.
Sport hunting is cruelty to animals. Period.
I can understand that some people, and some animals, need to hunt to survive, but hunting for fun or for profit is totally inexcusable and barbaric. We need more animal rights apps and less of those ones that promote cruelty, and at is why it is important for those of use who care about animals to buy pro-animal apps, sign this petition and send polite messages to Apple to spread compassion.
3. Stop the Use of Killing Neck Snares against Wolves in British Columbia
The Government of British Columbia currently uses killing neck snares targeting wolves and other apex carnivores as part of their wildlife management program. The snares are commonly set on crown (public) land. In the best case scenario the snares cause a painful death by choking - in the worst case the animal can suffer for days before slowly succumbing.
The snares are very poorly targeted and non-specific - and the number of non-targeted victims of other species can approach or equal the those of the targeted animals (background information: www.naturalart.ca/voice/blog.html- 21 February 2013 entry).
Wolves and other apex carnivores have high ecological value and potentially high economic value (background information: www.naturalart.ca/voice/wolfvalue.html). Their cost to society is extremely low (background information: www.naturalart.ca/voice/wolfcost.html). Yet the Government of BC manages them as vermin, reducing their population numbers as low as possible without actually endangering them.
Killing neck snares are most commonly used to “protect” cattle that are grazing on publicly-owned land. Depredation rates on cattle in BC by predators are minuscule - under one tenth of one percent of the total cattle that graze on public lands. This grazing has been described by scientists and politicians “as the most pervasive and destructive use of public lands” - and it occurs on 8.5 million hectares (almost 33,000 square miles) of land in BC. On this publicly-owned land the welfare of domestic cattle that are owned by private entrepreneurs currently takes priority over ecologically-valuable apex carnivores that are owned by all citizens of BC. And, the killing of wolves and other carnivores on this public land is paid for by the tax dollars of all British Columbians (an ecological and economic subsidy we all pay for).
It is time to stop the barbaric and inhumane practice of using neck snares to kill apex carnivores on public land. And it is time to reverse a policy that is completely backwards: the government of BC must move towards wildlife management policies that, on public land, give priority to all naturally-occurring and ecologically-valuable species of wildlife, and that are owned by all British Columbians, over that of the welfare of ecologically damaging domestic species (including cattle) that are owned by private entrepreneurs.
4. Help get Jax and Willow back
On January 2, 2013 two loving members of my family were wrongfully and without noice taken from my home.
We are devastated and in the fight of our lives to get them back. The people who took them are trying to strip me of my credibility as a responsible animal owner and caregiver, yet at the same time offering to sell Jax back to me.
I have been fully involved with animal rescue, care, rehabilitation and re-homing of animals since 2005. I am passionate about animals and take on full responsibility of any animal in my care.
We will be pursuing this matter in civil court and get our dogs back! I am asking you to sign my petition if you feel that I am a responsible animal owner and caregiver. Thank you for your support.
In rural areas people break the law and neglect their animals. The local animal shelter doesn't take in animals with fleas. People in rural areas don't feed, water, or give vet care to their animals. The animals get sick, roam around the neighbor hood, spread the disease, and then die.
People in rural areas believe they have a right to neglect their animals. The cats also overbreed and inbreed causing health problems in the kittens. Then the area gets over populated with cats.
6. Petition Against Pet Shops Being able to Sell Live Animals
We are against animals being sold in pet stores, such as Pets at Homes or Pet Paradise, because:
- Most animals come from rodent farms, where they live in tiny, dirty accommodation and disease is spread quickly. This is in no way a moral way to breed. See: http://www.brecklagh.com/petshops.html
- Store staff are often untrained and give incorrect, appalling and dangerous advice. This leads to animals being treated badly, which goes against the Animal Welfare Act, the owner's duty: http://animalrights.about.com/od/animallaw/a/AnimalWelfareAct.htm
- People are able to buy animals on the spot without much thought, leaving animals to end up neglected, as the ownerr don't realise the effort they need to put in looking after them, or the animal is not how they expected to be like.
- No home checks are required. The animals can be sold to anyone. It wouldn't be right to let a child be adopted by a random stranger and animals are no different to humans.
- Animals are simply breed for money. There's no research behind genetic problems, which can be fatal for the animal or cause them to have a miserable life.
- Why not RECUSE these animals? Because you are just providing more funds for them to breed and collect more animals in these conditions. It stop it, we need to decrease the demand for them.
- Animals SHOULD come from responsible, trained breeders or rescue centres, who are willing to give home checks to make sure the new owners are fully prepared and loving for their new arrival(s).
- If we don't stop stores from being able to sell live animals, more and more animals will end up neglected, in bad accommodation (due to there being no home check), with genetic problems and not at all content! It's no fair for them to be treated this way as we all aim for equality and peace in this world. We believe this extends to animals, not just humans. We were all created for a purpose and we must love and respect each other, no matter who we are.
7. One Million Reasons to Love, Not Eat Dogs
Coalition Against Dog Eating (CADE) is an international campaign to highlight and combat the cruelty of the Asian dog meat trade.
Dogs are illegally captured, brutally treated and tortured to benefit a minority of Asians and the trade is often linked to criminal elements. There is a growing movement within Asia against the industry - help CADE build this momentum of activism!
Take a stand against this appalling cruelty to our companion animals and be part of a first step to improving animal rights in developing countries.
8. Caging of animals as pets should be made illegal
Human beings were just lucky to have more intelligence than the rest of the animals on the planet. Every animal in the planet has it’s own level of intelligence and emotions. That is why they too, just like human beings, flee for their lives during a threat.
If you look at the world, it is always the strong dominating the week. If we treat less intelligent creature with disrespect, why should anybody else including god or an advanced alien species care about us. They will watch and do the same.
As an example - Keeping a parrot inside a cage and feeding it is not Love. Food is no substitute for freedom.
It’s time the government did something about it . Caging of animals ( birds, squirrels, lizards etc. ) for pleasure should be made illegal.
9. Boycott Lady GaGa and all artists who exploit animals
Several photos of Lady Ga Ga wearing wolf fur and other fur products have been released to the public and Lady Ga Ga herself shows no remorse for these poor animals, even though in a previous interview on the Ellen Degeneres show she stated that she would never wear fur. This irresponsible, heartless act will not be tolerated.
She claims to be the voice of the bullied. We are speaking for all those who can not speak for themselves; abused, tortured and exploited animals everywhere.
We may not change her beliefs, but we can show Lady Ga Ga and Interscope Records that acts like these can have monetary consequences.
10. Tell Arthur Galan to go fur free
Australian designer Arthur Galan, is a proud producer of fur designs including rabbit, Rex rabbit, raccoon and fox.
What he doesn't tell people is that his designs often contain dog and cat fur from china also.
Animals are skinned ALIVE just for fashion and they feel every ounce of pain inflicted on them. there is nothing fashionable about fur.
Arthur has expanded from QLD, VIC and NSW and now has a boutique in Adelaide Myer, please tell him that you want him to stop selling real fur.
11. STOP AUSTRALIAN NATIVES BEING PUT TO DEATH!
PERMITS to kill thousands of native animals, including black swans, kookaburras and more than 1500 wombats were issued by Victoria's Department of Sustainability and the Environment last year in a move that has outraged animal rights activists.
Authorities also gave the nod for more than 32,000 kangaroos and wallabies to be killed.
In two cases, permits to kill up to 300 parrots were issued to protect golf courses.
Authorities also granted permits for wildlife officers to kill up to 10 Australian fur seals.
Other Australian animals marked for death included eastern rosellas, rainbow lorikeets and sulphur-crested cockatoos
Breeding dogs in puppy mills throughout this country suffer unimaginable pain, filth and starvation each day. Regulated by the USDA, these animals are left to suffer at the hands of inhumane people.
Many of the females are bred to death. They do not receive veterinary care. They suffer with infections, broken bones, missing eyes, and if they bark too much a metal rod is forced down their throat to sever the vocal cords!
13. Stop Dog Competitions: Dog Shows, Dog Agility Competitions, Greyhound Racing
Dogs are man’s best friend. A dog’s existence it to please their owner and a dog will do this even at his/her detriment.
DOG SHOWS promote the practice of inbreeding as an effort to breed dogs with specific physical attributes. this practice can lead to dogs with weaker immune systems and birth defects. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) have also held issue with aspects of the Westminster show. Particularly, they object to the practice of tail docking, or amputation, which is done to adhere to some breeds standards.
DOG AGILITY COMPETITIONS are dangerous and force dogs to perform jumps and grueling obstacle courses. several dog rights groups have lodged complaints due the numerous injuries and long term damage suffered by dogs forced to compete in these cruel agility competitions. some examples: a small poodle and former AKC National Champion fell off the dogwalk and died from a broken neck; a sheltie broke her jaw because she turned abruptly and slammed her face into the side of a dogwalk ramp; an australian shepherd received debilitating injuries from slamming into a weave pole during his run. a long standing competitor labrador retriever suffered long term back problems after years of running through the weave poles of the obstacle course. a multitude of dogs have ruined their shoulders by slamming against the A frame; a dog was suffocated when a tunnel collapsed during a competition. another common injury of agility competitions affect dogs with ear flaps are ruptured ear drums, due to the constant speed of running trials
GREYHOUND RACING may seem like a harmless sport, but life in the fast lane is no picnic for these overworked dogs. Every year, thousands of young and healthy greyhounds are killed merely because they lack racing potential, are injured while racing or are no longer competitive. they spend long hours in cramped kennels and are deprived of normal social contact and life experiences.
14. Protest against Andrew Summerfield of Colchester for animal abuse
Protest outside Colchester magistrates court on 11th July at 9-9.30am against Andrew Summerfield for the horrific injuries he inflicted against Barney (dog).
Barney was shot 10 times with an air rifle, he was also attacked by Andrew Summerfield with a meat cleaver, and left stranded on the A12 with a noose round his neck.
This fiend should never be allowed to have an animal in his care again and also should be served the maximum sentence.
Please sign this protest especially if you cannot attend on the 11th July
15. Stomp Out the 70% Euthanasia Rate at the Hendricks County Animal Control Shelter (Danville, Indiana)
Stomp Out the 70% Euthanasia Rate at the Hendricks County Animal Control Shelter!! (Danville, IN)
Hello,
I grew up in Hendricks County, Indiana and attended Plainfield High School. A few of my classmates, along with other animal lovers, want to thank you in advance for reading what our Petition is all about! If you are reading this, you are more than likely an animal lover.
We've all heard that one person can make a difference. Well, imagine if all of us could work together, by signing this petition, to make a huge difference at this shelter to save thousands of animal’s lives!
You may have seen some recent controversy in the news about the Hendricks County Animal Control Shelter. I’ve been working with a couple organizations (Allies for All Animals & The Hendricks County Humane Society) for the last 6 months trying to make a real difference for the animals in Hendricks County.
The 2011 Shelter Report received from the Hendricks County Commissioners show an unusually high euthanasia rate of 70%!! That is completely unacceptable!
Chief Animal Control Officer Mary Ann Lewis has run the county shelter for the past 21 years. She admitted on Channel 6 News to an 82% euthanasia rate (which includes owner requested euthanasia, as well)! In my opinion that is 21 years too long for the same Animal Control Chief to euthanize thousands of animals in Hendricks County!! It is time for this to stop! It is time for a change!
This shelter has one of the highest euthanasia rates in the state of Indiana! This is embarrassing for the taxpaying citizens of Hendricks County!
The shelter is currently only open 10-4pm M-F, and they are only open on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays for very short hours. These hours are not convenient to the working citizens of Hendricks County! It does not give the adoptable animals a chance to find their forever home!
At the present time, the dogs are not allowed to be walked or even go outside! They are not allowed to be taken out of the shelter to adoption events. The cats are not allowed to touch the floor in the facility. The facility currently does not have a quarantine area for the cats. The intake room is being used for the dogs. And worst of all, the kennels are hosed down and cleaned WITH the animals in them! Those are all completely unacceptable practices in this new age of animal welfare!
The Shelter recently started a Volunteer Program, but the volunteer handbook that states you must do volunteer activities such as yard maintenance or sitting at tables with pictures of the adoptable animals for a massive150 hours before you could ever touch a animal at the shelter!! Most shelters allow volunteers to work with the animals almost immediately after a few hours of training. Certainly not 150 hours! Clearly this shelter does not want outsiders in their building.
Our tax dollars pay for the employee’s salaries, the building, and the utilities in this county-run facility. So what we want our county shelter to be should matter to the County Commissioners who are responsible for running the shelter.
We have presented a proposal for a Shelter Director to take over the daily duties of the shelter. This would include finding homes for the adoptable animals, calling rescue groups, setting up foster homes, and forming a much-needed, more reasonable volunteer program.
The shelter currently has an “Animal Control Chief" that runs the facility. And she runs the shelter with an “animal control” mentality only. That is to protect the citizens from “vicious, attack” animals. When in fact, very few of these animals are vicious. They have only been displaced from their homes through no fault of their own. Yet they are treated like inmates!
We believe the Chief Animal Control Officer can work out of the Sheriffs office, or out of a van. This is the way Hamilton County handles it. Their Animal Control Officers do not have anything to do with the running of the shelter, nor are they housed at the facility. They simply pick up strays and drop them at the shelter.
A new Shelter Director would check for microchips on strays, look for owners of lost pets, contact rescue groups, organize foster families, use the Canine Express (a train which takes animals to shelters who presently don't have a lot of adoptable animals), advertise the adoptable animals to increase awareness (Hendricks County Flyer, PetFinder.com and all available online adoption sites), be in charge of a volunteer program, hold fundraising events to raise money for vaccinations and medical supplies, and take animals out to adoption events. The Shelter Director would be responsible for making sure the animals are socialized, evaluated, groomed, vetted, with the help from volunteers.
Problems with the Shelter have been a news item on rtv6, Indiana News. See:
I will try to post my letter here from the director Mary Ann Lewis, and the assistant to commissioners, Mike Graham "firing" me from my 10 plus hours a week, volunteer position posting all the animals on line, and caring too much about the animals welfare I received recently. I asked too many questions for them... hmm Jenny
16. Stop Testing Products on Animals
Right now, millions of mice, rats, rabbits, primates, cats, dogs, and other animals are locked inside cold, barren cages in laboratories across the country. They languish in pain, ache with loneliness and long to roam free and use their minds.
Instead, all they can do is sit and wait in fear of the next terrifying and painful procedure that will be performed on them.
(Courtesy: http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-experimentation/default2.aspx)
17. Prohibit discrimination against people with pets by landlords in Alberta
In Ontario, there is currently a law prohibiting landlords from discriminating against people with pets. In Alberta, that is not the case. If you search on kijiji.com you'll find pages of ads from people in desperate need of a home that allows pets, or you'll find animals being given away or sold because people cant find a home that will allow their pet.
Thousands of perfectly healthy and loving pets end up in animal shelters or rescues or abandoned because their owners just cant take them with them. Sadly, older dogs are not exempt to this and often go into a shelter and never come back out. Perfectly good homes with huge backyards that would be a pet owners dream come true, are listed as "no-pets" or "small pets only". A person with a quiet well behaved great dane is not accepted for the home but another person with a destructive and excessive barking chihuahua gets the home.
The humane society takes in over 13,000 animals each year and that's just the humane society. Children are often far more destructive than a pet, yet most homes are "family friendly". Pet owners consider their animals a part of their family as much as their children. If they move, they expect to bring their pet along.
Thousands of other animals end up in various rescue societies or are passed through several homes or put down. Not every animal is destructive and there should be a law against landlords denying a person to rent from them due to owning a dog or a cat. You can hold an irresponsible owner accountable for damages done to your property but you shouldn't deny everyone with a pet the opportunity to prove that they are a responsible owner and tenant.
18. Stop horse slaughtering in Australia
Have you ever thought of what happens after the race?
In the horse racing industry it’s not about horses, it’s about people and money. Approximately 2,000 tonnes of horse meat is exported for human consumption each year and over 40,000 horses are slaughter in Australia alone.
Also this meat is not being exported to countries where there are starving people with few options. It is being sent to wealthy countries that consider horse meat to be a “delicacy”.
How do they kill them? An employee comes into what’s called the “kill room” and holds a pressurized gun called a "captive bolt pistol" up to the horse's forehead and shoots a 4-inch piece of metal about the size of a roll of quarters into its brain.
Why do they get sent to be slaughtered? Many race horses are sent to be slaughtered if there owners decide that they don’t want them anymore. Not only that but if they have some sort of a long term injury (Possible Broken leg) that most of the time can be healed over a period of time.
Instead of this the owners could arrange for them to be put on some sort of a retirement paddock where they can be paddock horses for the rest of their lives.
19. Ban animal cruelty in slaughter houses
How much do you know about the pork, milk, beef, or chicken in your house? Do you know what happens to the animal to get there, on your dinner plate?
Tons of pigs, cows, horses, turkeys, and chicken are living in extremely bad conditions just so you can eat. These animals have their throats silt open or their heads chopped off while still being alive and upside down.
Chicken and turkeys (For eggs and meat). They most likely have it the worst, being cramped into small sheds by the 10,000's. Filthy sheds, walking in their own excrement and on the bodies of other dead birds. Most of them can't even walk due to steroids people use to make them grow larger. Their bones break and most die because they can't reach their food. They also die from heart attacks or lung failure. When they are being moved to a slaughter house, they are literally thrown into tiny wired boxes. Usually injuring them further, due to carelessness of people. They will often freeze to the sides of the wire boxes they are transported.
At the slaughter house, they are slapped into straps by their already brittle bones and their throats slit open while still alive. 90% of them are still alive when placed into feather removal tanks, that scaled and burn their feathers off. If you thought the males had it bad, hens are stuffed into tiny wired cages. Between 5 and 15 per box. These boxes are so small and so filled, they won't even be able to stretch a wing. The hens might go insane locked in these tiny boxes, so their beaks are removed. A chicken beck is FILLED with nerve endings that will cause them extreme pain.
Cows (Dairy and beef cows). Males are castrated, their horns chopped off, and repeatedly branded. All with no pain kills. Dehorning is a very painful and dangerous thing. USDA approves the sell of cattle with cancerous or pus pouring wounds to be sold as beef. Which can be consider tainted and unhealthy meat. Illness and injuries go untreated and uncared for. When the reach the slaughter houses, they are hung upside down, their throats slit open, and usually skinned alive.
Dairy cows have it just as bad, if not worse. They are forced to stay pregnant through almost all of their lives to keep milk producing. They are hooked up to machines that milk them, and will often injure their utters. At the end of their lives, they are either sent straight for slaughter or sold off at actions to be sent to a slaughter house. More the 1,000 cows are not able to walk off transportation trucks every year. They are still sold as human food. Most of the hamburger in the USA comes from spent dairy cows.
Pigs. Forced in tiny stalls, they aren't even allowed to turn around. The first time they will breathe fresh air, if when they are on the back of the truck. Many will go insane. Piglets have their ears mutilated, tails chopped off, teeth removed and males castrated all without pain killers. Pig who don't grow fast enough, "fall behinds". Are killed by being swung around by their feet and heads slammed into a cement floor. Like chickens, they grow so quickly they cannot walk. Many become ill or severally injured, but not put out of their misery, because as long as they are alive, they can be sold. Those who can't make it, are shot with what they call a captive bolt gun. Which shots out a bolt by compressed air, and sometimes won't kill the animal on the first strike. They usually lay in pain, screaming for mercy. Beating them with gate rods is how they are moved. It's the most common form of abuse.
They are packed so tightly in trucks, most of their legs will snap under the weight of other pigs. 400,000 pigs who are unable to walk off the truck arrive at the slaughter house each year. 100,000 arrive dead. Theses are industry figures. Most refuse to believe this, and know it's a lie. Their throats are slit while still awake. Some are burned alive in the scolding tank, used for hair removal.
I'm not doing this to say you need to be a vegetarian or a vegan. I'm doing this to ban the cruelty in the slaughter houses. These animals are going through this pain, just so companies can save a penny here and their. I hope that this will be recognized and animals will have better living conditions.
20. STOP BREED-SPECIFIC LEGISLATION IN BASTROP LA
Put a stop to breed-specific legislation(BSL). Everyday a dog is mistaken for a pit bull. There are over 25+ dog breeds that can look very similar to an American Pit Bull Terrier (APBT). Also, everyday laws are being put in place to take away or restrict our pets. Any dog has the potential to be dangerous.
I do not agree with dog fighting and that being said, feel that laws against fighting should be enforced better. All of this is the result of irresponsible owners. The APBT is NOT a human aggressive breed. They love humans and want to please us. They are also a great family dog, wonderful with children. They didn't get the nickname Nanny Dog for nothing. If no one does anything about this euthanasia will be next. It is impossible to enforce the registration of one specific breed.
Please, help us in our efforts to stop BSL before it's too late. Once our breed is gone they will find another breed to slander and it could be yours. There is no such thing as a bad dog, only bad owners.
I am making this petition as it came to my attention that at the Grand Nationals 2012, two horses were sadly killed. Both horses were put down for having broken bones, and i do not think that this is acceptable.
I would also like to add that during the Grand Nationals 2011 five horses lost their lives.
Estée Laude, Avon and Mary Kay are paying for tests on animals. These include the DRAIZE EYE IRRITANCY TEST, which is extremely painful.
It consists of placing a rabbit's head in a restraining device and then putting in one of their eyes a substance such as bleach, shampoo, nail polish, chemical cleaning substances, or weed killer. Some rabbits snap their necks in their frantic attempts to escape.
23. Minimum two years for animal cruelty, no parol
All states nationwide have varying degrees of punishment for animal abusers.
Seeing as how this crime is so heinous in nature, there should be a nationwide MINIMUM of two years in prison with NO parole for anyone who abuses animals.
24. Put a Stop to Bakers Hill Puppy Mill in Western Australia
Every Year we see a huge waste of life with the euthenising of thousands of companion animals. Our Shelters and Pounds are overflowing with unwanted or abused animals and all at the tax payers expense. Does it not make sense then to put an end to Puppy Mils that send out a constant flow of dogs and cats into society only to add more to the already horrific number of animals that are disposed of on a daily basis.
Not only are they adding to this already huge number, it is a documented fact that animals from Puppy Mills come with a high risk of health and behavioural issues.
As voters we have the power to put an end to the farming of our companion animals by letting our government know we will not remain silent in regards to this cruel and unnecessary industry. We will fight for those who cannot fight for themselves.
25. Stop Thailand Elephant Abuse
I have witnessed cruelty towards elephants in Asia before. Now, I came across a photograph of a baby elephant being tied up to a tree and beaten by two men with sticks.
This is a method to break the animal's spirit and body and prepare it to be used for tourism purposes in Thailand.
26. STOP DOG CRUELTY AND TORTURES IN CHINA
We ask for an end to the terrible practice of eating dog meat and cage torture to which the dogs are subjected in China.
We ask Mr. Jose Manuel Barroso President of the European Commission and Mr. Barack Obama to convey our request to the Chinese government to stop brutality and cruelty on dogs in China.
27. Make Neutering and Micro-chipping of pets Compulsery
FIRSTLY i am just a 17 year old girl doing an animal management course at college i am NOT a member of PETA or any such organisation, simply a outspoken young lady trying to make a difference in the laws.
I find it disgusting that some people breed animals purely to make a profit of money and don't care about the animals welfare.
So I'm hoping doing this petition will bring forward a law making it COMPULSORY to neuter your pets whether it be Rabbits, dogs, cats, horses, pigs (excluding farms and registered breeders) and ONLY being able to breed if a Breeding licence is applied for from the government with appropriate reasons to breed; and also to make Micro-chipping compulsory to limit the amount of abandoned animals along with lost and stolen and to help owners when moving house etc.
Please sign, it will help save millions of animals lives and prevent selfishness from humans towards animals.
This link below is just a short and very simple presentation i put together to show you some hidden information about how people are treating animals and getting away with it, my petition is to help stop this kind of behaviour from happening.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajdwi5kJ47s
28. Kind & considerate treatment of abandoned animals
The Spanish government is considering new laws regarding abandoned & feral cats & dogs. They would like to fine anybody found feeding these poor creatures & any animals picked up on the street & taken to shelters will be put down within 3 days.
No doubt many of you have seen the recent tv advertisements promoting the 7th Annual International Rodeo that will be held here in Melbourne. I was so shocked to see this abhorrent 'sport' still finds support within out community.
While I doubt we can prevent this particular event from going ahead, we can raise the profile of this issue and call for a ban on events like this in the future, as has been done in the ACT, Britain and parts of Europe and (surprise?) the USA.
Put simply, this 'sport' relies on the use of pain to satisfy it's audience. In this day and age, we know better. Were rodeos not to exist, hundreds of animals would live without being forced to go through this distressing, painful experience, while it's supporters would simply find some other hobby to consume their time.
To me, the argument is a simple one: the pleasure people may take in this 'sport' is not of greater value than the welfare of the animals that are subjected to its inherent cruelty.
I urge you to take action against these disgraceful events, and show that they are not welcome here in the future.
THE FACTS
Bull Riding:
- Straps are placed around the bulls' bodies and press on their genitals. This, as it would for any one of us, causes pain and makes the bulls buck.
- In addition, electric prods are used as a bull leaves the gate in order to make it buck more wildly.
Calf/Steer Roping (copied from animalsaustralia.org/issues/rodeos):
"Contestants on horseback must rope a calf (usually within 60 seconds), dismount and throw the calf, then any three of its hooves must be tied together and held for five seconds.
Injuries caused by the force of lassoing and jerking to a halt, then being thrown, include tearing or stretching of ligaments, disc rupture, internal haemorrhaging to the thymus gland and trachea and subcutaneous tissue damage.
Calves can suffer broken legs, even broken necks, and research has shown that even though they get to their feet and leave the arena apparently unharmed, calves can still be suffering from internal haemorrhaging which is not visible without an autopsy. These young animals with soft bones and still developing bodies, should never be subjected to such harsh treatment.
Steers are usually required to be roped within 90 seconds. Injuries include bruising, broken limbs and horns, as well as stress caused by brutal handling. Injuries in this event can cause an animal to be destroyed (out of sight of the crowd)."
30. STOP WHALING
Whaling is an inhumane act of extreme animal cruelty which needs to be stopped. Scientific whaling is having a serious impact on whale populations across the world. Sadly seven out of thirteen species of whales are now endangered and hanging on the verge of survival.
Australian statics show that more than 1,400 whales are killed every year in Australian Antarctic waters, and since 1986 more than 25,000 whales have been inhumanely slaughtered for profit. Whaling is unethical, inhumane and cruel; death by harpoon potentially imposes traumatic slow and extremely painful death, whales have been documented to be alive for up to two hours whilst they are pointlessly being slaughtered.
Whaling is a serious form of animal cruelty and must be stopped immediately; we have already lost too many precious living species on this planet and must act now to protect the gracious existence left that can be treasured for our generations to enjoy.