Chimp Has No Legal Rights

Chimpanzee 'has no human rights' http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-30338231

Serious Powwow On Animal Concerns Going On Now

Disabled Demo For Compassion

DATELINE DEPARTMENT OF VETERINARY SERVICES, PUTRAJAYA:

AN EXTRAORDINARY MEETING is taking place this morning - at this very moment - at the Ministry of Agriculture building in precinct four.

Animal lovers and activists from as far as the states of Selangor and Perak have gathered on the seventh floor of the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS).

They have convened with the related government representatives and agencies for a special powwow session  to decide on what many believe - and hope - will make a positive impact and difference for the future of animal welfare and rights in the nation.

It's called an "Animal Welfare Council". 

And it could very well be established during the two-hour open dialogue meeting this morning. 

Although the DVS has not disclosed much about the morning event, PET+BLOGSPOT believes that if such an institution was being set up, it could - and should - include selected NGOs for animal concerns.

Apart from PETPOSITIVE who has been invited to today's session, the SPCA's from both Selangor and Ipoh are also present. 

An invitation has also been extended to other animal shelters which include Noah's Ark, PAWS Animal Welfare Shelter, Malaysian Animal Welfare Society and MNAWF.

The Independent Living and Training Centre (ILTC), a well-known disabled self-help organisation, will be making its debut at the meeting.

They drew plenty of admiration from the general public for their outstanding courage in organising a demonstration (top pix) against the Kuala Langat municipal council (MDKL) when they senselessly destroyed nine pedigree dogs in September, instead of re-homing the canines. 

 

DVS DG Getting Tough

Today's event is the result of Petpositive's strong campaining recently for one of our elderly member of our society whose dog was brutally shot dead by the Ipoh City Council dog-catching unit on October 30th, last month.

The DVS meeting was called by its Director-General Datuk Dr Abdul Aziz Jamaluddin.

A press conference will follow after the meeting.

Please stay tuned to Twitter on this Blog or to Petpositive Empowerment on Facebook for possible latest updates on today's discussions. 

A full update will be provided in PET+BLOGSPOT this afternoon.  

PET+BLOGSPOT is the ONLINE BLOG of the Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association (Petpositive). Our reports and stories are CURRENT, ACCURATE and RELIABLE. We offer both local and foreign news on animals, disability and the elderly. PET+BLOGSPOT was first established in October 2007. Our hits since then is now 70,000 and going strong! PET+BLOGSPOT is updated daily. Sometimes even twice or three times a day. Kindly take note that views expressed in this blog are not necessarily those of PETPOSITIVE. You may also visit our Webpage by browsing: www.petpositive.com.my You can also find us in Facebook as PETPOSITIVE EMPOWERMENT. Please sign up as a FOLLOWER of this Blog if you haven't done so already in order to show us your kind support. Thank you!

Special Meeting Next Week Following Ipoh Dog-Shooting Incident

PETPOSITIVE BARKING NEWS!

DATELINE PETPOSITIVE THERAPY CENTRE, PETALING JAYA:

THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERINARY SERVICES (DVS) will be holding a special open dialogue and press conference on animal welfare and rights as early as next week.

The all-important meeting is being called following PET+BLOGSPOT's and PETPOSITIVE's breaking news story in The Star this week on the shocking shooting to death of a therapy dog belonging to an elderly woman in Taman Merdeka, Perak, by the Ipoh City Council.  

The important meeting is being called by the DVS Director General Datuk Dr Abdul Aziz Jamaluddin. (Right)

The news was conveyed directly to PET+BLOGSPOT via a SMS message this afternoon.

According to Dr Aziz, the purpose of the special meeting is to "activate and legitimize the Animal Welfare Council (into action for all animals in the country)".

Invitations to the open dialogue will be extended to all local councils and all relevant government and veterinary bodies. 

Nongovernmental groups such as Petpositive is being invited. 

So also is SPCA, PAWS Animal Welfare Society and the Malaysian National Animal Welfare Foundation.

Others include Furry Friends Farm, Noah's Ark and many more. 

They will all be able to give their views at the special meeting.   

All praise for DVS

In an immediate reaction to the news, Petpositive President Anthony SB Thanasayan welcomed and praised the initiative of the DVS.

"Datuk Dr Aziz certainly needs credit for hitting the nail on the head with his very timely move to hold this vital meeting," he told PET+BLOGSPOT. 

"Our animals have suffered enough already and animal activists and groups have grown weary over the lack of respect of our society towards the lowest, voiceless and defenseless creatures.

"With the DVS' positive step forward to empower the Animal Welfare Council, local authorities will be forced to abandon their current lackadaisical attitude towards animals under their care, especially dogs," added the local council chairman of the Canine Advisory Teams (CAT) of the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) and the Klang Municipal Council (MPK).     

The venue will most probably be at the DVS' headquarters in Putrajaya.

The DVS will issue a press statement at the special meeting on the Ipoh Therapy Dog-Shooting case.

Keep it right here for further details of this positive development.

Click HERE for previous development.

NEXT ON PET+BLOGSPOT: PETPOSITIVE CALLS ON MBI DATUK BANDAR TO VISIT THE ELDERLY LADY
 

PET+BLOGSPOT is the ONLINE BLOG of the Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association (Petpositive). Our reports and stories are CURRENT, ACCURATE and RELIABLE. We offer both local and foreign news on animals, disability and the elderly. PET+BLOGSPOT was first established in October 2007. Our hits since then is now 70,000 and going strong! PET+BLOGSPOT is updated daily. Sometimes even twice or three times a day. Kindly take note that views expressed in this blog are not necessarily those of PETPOSITIVE. You may also visit our Webpage by browsing: www.petpositive.com.my You can also find us in Facebook as PETPOSITIVE EMPOWERMENT. Please sign up as a FOLLOWER of this Blog if you haven't done so already in order to show us your kind support. Thank you!

WEEKEND VIEW #2: Eating dogs . . . view by Star Columnist Veera Pandiyan

Thursday March 11, 2010

Eating dogs and other tortured flesh

Along The Watchtower
By M. VEERA PANDIYAN

It is hypocrisy to condemn the eating of dogs and cats if we don’t think twice when it comes to consuming other kinds of meat

AS A veterinarian, he should have known better than to have made such a suggestion. More so being the deputy director-general of the Veterinary Services Department.

Dr Ahmad Suhaimi Omar has landed in hot water for proposing that municipal council dog pounds be allowed to sell the animals to those who like eating canine meat.

He said this at a forum on effective animal pound management called in the wake of media reports about the appalling conditions at the Selayang Municipal Council dog pound.

“Do we have to keep the dogs at the pounds forever? They are animals, just like chicken or goats,” he said, adding that allowing the sale of animals in the pounds for their meat, could help check the unmanageable increase in the number of strays.

His remarks drew howls of outrage, spawning new threads of animal cruelty postings against Malaysia on the Web.

The forum, in which representatives of 12 local councils took part, eventually decided on these steps for better animal pound management.

They include educating pet owners on their responsibilities, closer liaison with the Veterinary Services Department, cooperation with animal welfare groups to catch and shelter strays humanely, micro-chipping dogs for ownership identification, stringent laws on licensing, and enforcement.

But as tasteless and shocking as Dr Ahmad Suhaimi’s remarks were, he does have a point.

Most people have a natural repulsion to the eating of dogs, but if viewed objectively, such practices are mostly linked to cultural norms.

In places like China, the two Koreas, Vietnam and even parts of Thailand, it is acceptable food. And it’s not just the authentic hotdogs.

Cats, too, are eaten in many places including the Ivory Coast, Australia and even Italy, which is globally renowned for its classy cuisine.

Last month, Italy’s celebrity chef Beppe Bigazzi, 77, was barred from the country’s state television after he said there was nothing wrong with dining on felines.

He insisted that cat casserole (cat-erole?) was a savoured “delicacy” in his home region of Valdarno, Tuscany. “I’ve eaten it myself and it’s a lot better than many other animals. Better than chicken, rabbit or pigeon.”

He suggested that for optimum flavour, the meat be “soaked in spring water for three days” before being stewed.

As thousands of irate viewers phoned the show’s producers to complain, and cat-lovers hissed and spat at Bigazzi in cyberspace, a popular children’s author in Australia came to his defence.

Kaye Kessing, who is also a chef, proposed that Aussies should do the same. Her condition was that only one type of felines be slaughtered for the dining table – the country’s pesky feral cats.

Feral cats have been killing small marsupials towards extinction and causing serious ecological problems.
This goes to show that people tend to easily place their own values and societal norms when viewing such issues, instead of looking at other creatures as fellow animals.

Besides their obvious instincts, animals have their own intelligence as well as capacity to feel pain and suffering.

Human beings slaughter and eat many kinds of domesticated animals – cows, buffalo, pigs, goats and birds like chicken, turkey and geese.

We often pretend that we kill livestock “humanely” when the reality is quite the opposite.

Most of the beef, pork and chicken meat we consume are from animals kept in small enclosures, force-fed and injected with hormones for optimum growth before their slaughter.

How many people have seen what goes on inside the slaughterhouses, and looked into the faces of the animals as the knife goes in?

As the author of Eating Animals, Jonathan Safran Foer, writes in his book: “When we eat factory-farmed meat we live, literally, on tortured flesh. Increasingly, that tortured flesh is becoming our own.”

It is pure hypocrisy to say eating cats and dogs is wrong when not thinking twice about ordering hamburgers, fried chicken, mutton varuval or bak kut teh.

In January, China proposed a ban on eating cats and dogs after pressure from the country’s middle class.
Under the proposed anti-animal maltreatment law, offenders could be fined up to US$700 (RM2,327) and jailed 15 days. The debate is still going on, with many Chinese opposing the proposed law.
To come back to our own increasing numbers of stray dogs and cats, it is about time that we look at long-term solutions to resolve the basic problem.

Educating pet owners to be responsible has certainly not been effective. The numbers of animals being brought for spaying and neutering is negligible.

But there are many Malaysians who genuinely care about animal welfare and, unlike in the past, there are now several organisations with active volunteers.

All of these bodies share a common problem – lack of money. Malaysians are charitable folk, but there is little sympathy when it comes to giving money for animals.

Much can be achieved if the Federal Government provides adequate annual grants to animal welfare NGOs, which run shelters. The Veterinary Services Department can monitor how the funds are spent.
Most of our local councils have failed miserably when it comes to strays, as the emphasis has always been on shooting strays or locking them up in pounds.

Would you bring this up, Dr Ahmad Suhaimi?

> Associate Editor M. Veera Pandiyan feels guilty for not being able to spend much time with the SPCA Malacca, of which he is a committee member.

PET+BLOGSPOT is the official online blog of the Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association (Petpositive).


We take pride in the fact that everything you read in our blog is ACCURATE, RELIABLE and THE LATEST.


Our blog which was first established in October 2007 currently has more than 35,000 hits. PET+BLOGSPOT is updated frequently.


Kindly take note that views expressed in this blog are not necessarily those of Petpositive.


You may also visit our Webpage by browsing: www.petpositive.com.my

NEWSFLASH! Lawyers for animals move rejected by Swiss voters - bbc online

Switzerland rejects move to provide lawyers for animals
By Imogen Foulkes
BBC News, Geneva

Dogs
Opponents argued that Switzerland had enough animal protection laws

Voters in Switzerland have rejected a proposal to introduce a nationwide system of state-funded lawyers to represent animals in court.

Animal rights groups had proposed the move, saying that without lawyers to argue the animals' case, many instances of cruelty were going unpunished.

But the measure was rejected by around 70% of voters in a referendum.

Opponents had argued that Switzerland did not need more legislation. The government had opposed the idea.

Voters were almost certainly swayed by worries about how much such a system might cost taxpayers, and by objections from Switzerland's farmers already struggling with reduced subsidies and falling milk prices.

Switzerland already has some of the strictest animal welfare legislation in the world.

Pigs, budgies, goldfish and other social animals cannot be kept alone; horses and cows must have regular exercise outside in summer and winter; and dog owners have to take training courses to learn how to care for their pets.

PET+BLOGSPOT is the official online blog of the Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association (Petpositive).

We take pride in the fact that everything you read in our blog is ACCURATE, RELIABLE and THE LATEST.

Our blog which was first established in October 2007 currently has more than 35,000 hits. PET+BLOGSPOT is updated frequently.

Kindly take note that views expressed in this blog are not necessarily those of Petpositive.

You may also visit our Webpage by browsing: www.petpositive.com.my

Switzerland voting today on referendum on lawyers for animals - bbc online

Switzerland referendum on providing lawyers for animals

By Imogen Foulkes BBC News

Opponents say Switzerland has enough animal protection laws

A nationwide referendum is taking place in Switzerland on a proposal to give animals the constitutional right to be represented in court.

Animal rights groups say appointing state-funded animal lawyers would ensure animal welfare laws are upheld, and help prevent cases of cruelty.

Opponents say Switzerland does not need more legislation regarding animal protection.

The Swiss government has recommended that voters reject the idea.
There is already one animal lawyer in Switzerland.

Zurich has made legal representation for animals in cruelty cases compulsory since 1992.
The current incumbent is Antoine Goetschel. He has gone to court on behalf dogs, cats, cows, sheep, and even a fish.

Animal 'minority'

He believes speaking up for those who cannot speak for themselves is the essence of justice.
"For me the animals are one of the weakest parts in society and they need to be better protected.
"So, it's kind of a fight for a minority that needs to be supported. And to make legislation more respectful towards humans and animals as a whole."

But Switzerland has very strict animal welfare laws, and the Swiss government, conscious that the taxpayer would have to pay the fees for a nationwide system of animal lawyers, has recommended voters reject the idea.

And there is opposition from Switzerland's powerful farming lobby.

Struggling with reduced subsidies and falling milk prices, Swiss farmers say animal lawyers would simply add another layer of bureaucracy to a system already overburdened with animal protection legislation.

PET+BLOGSPOT is the official online blog of the Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association (Petpositive).

We take pride in the fact that everything you read in our blog is ACCURATE, RELIABLE and THE LATEST.

Our blog which was first established in October 2007 currently has more than 35,000 hits. PET+BLOGSPOT is updated frequently.

Kindly take note that views expressed in this blog are not necessarily those of Petpositive.

You may also visit our Webpage by browsing: www.petpositive.com.my

Weekend View Newsflash! Swiss go to polls tomorrow for animal rights lawyers

Swiss ask whether animals need lawyers

By Imogen Foulkes BBC News, Zurich

Supporters say Switzerland's animal welfare laws are not being enforced

Swiss voters will go to the polls on Sunday to decide on a proposal to appoint state-funded lawyers across the country to represent animals in court.
Supporters of the initiative say such lawyers would help deter cases of animal cruelty and neglect, by making sure that those who did abuse or neglect animals would be properly punished.
Opponents however claim that Switzerland, which already has strict animal protection laws, does not need any more legislation.
The canton of Zurich has in fact had its own animal lawyer for a number of years; the current incumbent, Antoine Goetschel, is the only state-funded lawyer in Switzerland who goes to court to speak on behalf of animals.
Four-legged clients
His clients include dogs and cats, guinea pigs, cows, horses and sheep, even, recently, a large pike, fished from Lake Zurich.

Under Antoine Goetschel, prosecutions for animal cruelty have increased

"It took 10 minutes of struggle to reel the pike in before killing it," Mr Goetschel explained. "The fisherman was reported by a long-standing animal rights organisation."
In fact, Mr Goetschel lost that particular case, but that has not deterred him. He believes appointing lawyers to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves is the essence of justice.
"People accused of animal cruelty very often hire lawyers to defend themselves," he pointed out.
"Why shouldn't someone speak for the animal as well?"
Zurich success
Supporters of a nationwide system of animal lawyers in Switzerland point to the sharp increase of prosecutions for animal cruelty in Zurich since Mr Goetschel started work. While he can average over a hundred successful cases a year, other cantons rarely have more than one or two.

We see it as unnecessary bureaucracy, a kind of academic exercise Hans Staub Dairy farmer

In neighbouring canton Aargau, Marlies Widmer manages a home for neglected animals. For her, animal lawyers cannot come soon enough.
At the moment Marlies has more than 40 dogs in her care, as well as 30 cats, and several rabbits and guinea pigs.
"These were brought in as three-week old puppies," she said, pointing to four lively young dogs. "They were completely emaciated, they had been kept in an underground garage, in the dark."
Marlies believes Switzerland's strict animal welfare laws, among them mandatory animal care courses for dog owners, and a prohibition on budgerigars being kept alone in cages, are simply not being enforced.
"At the moment even if there are court cases the fines are tiny, laughably small," she said. "They don't deter people at all, we really want people who have behaved in such a brutal manner towards animals to be properly punished."
Farmers doubts
But there is one rather powerful lobby in Switzerland with big doubts about yet another layer of animal protection legislation.
Swiss farmers are already struggling with reduced subsidies and falling milk prices, and many fear the introduction of animal lawyers could lead to long, costly, and unnecessary court cases.

The Swiss government is recommending a "no" vote

Hans Staub, who has a dairy farm in the town of Waedenswil, is in full compliance with all the many existing laws governing the keeping of cattle.
His cows, each named after a different city from Delhi to Rimini to Granada, are clean and well fed. In the winter they spend their time mostly in the stall, but, following the rules, Hans lets them out into the fields two or three times a week.
"You know as a farmer I have always thought of an animal's welfare and dignity as an integral part of my job," he said. "But animal lawyers, no, farmers won't vote for that. We see it as unnecessary bureaucracy, a kind of academic exercise."
What's more, Hans and his farming colleagues are very suspicious of what they believe is a hidden agenda among those pushing for stricter animal welfare laws.
"Some of these groups actually question the ethics of keeping animals at all," he pointed out. "It should be possible for us to do our jobs, all the while respecting our animals, but we are farmers and we want to stay farmers."
Costly legal fees
Antoine Goetschel believes the farmers' fears are groundless.
"If they keep their animals properly and obey the law, they have absolutely nothing to fear from me," he insisted.
"But," he continued, "perhaps the problem is that lots of people just don't like lawyers; after all, one in two people nowadays may have a costly divorce behind them."
In fact, the cost of appointing animal lawyers nationwide may be the proposal's downfall. In the past, Swiss voters have been very supportive of tough animal welfare legislation, but this time the government is recommending a "no" vote.
One reason could be that animals who need their day in court will not, of course, be paying the lawyers' fees - that will be left to the Swiss tax payer.
PET+BLOGSPOT is the official online blog of the Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association (Petpositive).

We take pride in the fact that everything you read in our blog is ACCURATE, RELIABLE and THE LATEST.

Our blog which was first established in October 2007 currently has more than 35,000 hits. PET+BLOGSPOT is updated frequently.

Kindly take note that views expressed in this blog are not necessarily those of Petpositive.

You may also visit our Webpage by browsing: www.petpositive.com.my