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animal welfare compassion cruelty News/Blog Promoted rodeo

Chilliwack Fair agrees to review rodeo events

 

 

Calf-roping and steer-wrestling are two of the worst rodeo events

 

 

In response to VHS’s campaign and the release of photos raising concerns about steer-wrestling and calf-roping at the Chilliwack Fair rodeo, the Fair has agreed to review the two rodeo events, including potentially cancelling them for the 2018 rodeo.

VHS has issued the following news release in response to the Fair’s announcement:

 

Media release
July 31, 2017

Vancouver Humane Society welcomes Chilliwack Fair decision to review rodeo events

Review to determine whether calf-roping and steer-wrestling should be canceled

Vancouver – The Vancouver Humane Society (VHS) has welcomed a statement issued today by the Chilliwack Fair that it will review the calf-roping and steer-wrestling events at its annual rodeo “to determine whether such events are suitable to continue in the 2018 Chilliwack Fair.”

“We are pleased that the Chilliwack Fair has listened to our concerns and the concerns of many people who object to these inhumane events,” said VHS spokesperson Peter Fricker.  “We urge the Fair’s board to cancel these events when it votes on this matter in September.  “It would be a major step forward in the evolution of rodeo toward a more acceptable form of entertainment.”

Fricker said VHS remains opposed to rodeo in principle but welcomes the Chilliwack Fair’s willingness to at least address concerns over these highly controversial events. 

-ends-

 

 

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A Whale Sanctuary in BC?

Renowned neuroscientist Dr. Lori Marino spoke to the public about the Whale Sanctuary Project at an event presented by the Vancouver Humane Society and the BC SPCA on July 11th. She and the executive director of the project, Charles Vinick, were in British Columbia looking at possible sites for the sanctuary.

The theme of the evening at the Roundhouse in Vancouver was “Reconciliation”, which was introduced by Bob Chamberlin, Chief Councilor of the Kwicksutaineuk Ah-kwa-mish First Nation. Chief Chamberlin discussed the reconciliation between Canada and its First Nations people, and how this should expand towards a reconciliation between all humans and the natural world. Recognition of this planet as a living being, and respecting the animals and nature, is a necessary step towards this reconciliation.

Dr. Marino continued on this theme by describing the Whale Sanctuary Project, which aims to create a seaside sanctuary for formerly captive cetaceans (whales and dolphins) that maximizes the well-being and autonomy of its residents. It will create an environment as close as possible to their natural habitat.

Other sites under consideration are along the coasts of Washington State and Nova Scotia.  There is a thorough list of requirements that a site must meet and Dr. Marino and her team have been working closely with First Nations communities to ensure that the project is adopted rather than tolerated. They hope to complete the site selection portion of this project by the end of the year. 

Once the sanctuary site has been selected they will begin a three-phase process to ensure it is ready for its first resident by 2019. They will first focus on development of infrastructure and veterinary facilities, followed by administration and housing. The final phase will develop educational and visitor programs. The sanctuary will allow the public to see cetaceans in a natural setting and will focus on education and conservation, not entertainment. Dr. Marino and her team believe a sanctuary is about the animals, not about the people, and they will work to create a better life for these highly intelligent animals.

Learn More!

 

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animal welfare compassion cruelty News/Blog Promoted rodeo

Newspaper refuses to print ad opposing rodeo

This is the ad the Williams Lake Tribune refused to print.

 

So much for freedom of speech in Williams Lake

 

Earlier this year, a tiny community newspaper in Iowa won a Pulitzer Prize for taking on big agriculture companies over factory farm pollution.

The Storm Lake Times, which investigated the effects of nitrogen from farm drainage on drinking water in the state, was praised for its “editorials fuelled by tenacious reporting, impressive expertise and engaging writing that successfully challenged powerful corporate agricultural interests in Iowa.”

The family that owns the newspaper reportedly lost a few friends and a few advertisers, but never doubted they were doing the right thing.

“We’re here to challenge people’s assumptions and I think that’s what every good newspaper should do,” said one family member.

It’s a great example of a community newspaper showing courage and tenacity in seeking the truth. Some newspapers still uphold the highest standards and values of a free press.

Then there’s the Williams Lake Tribune. In May, VHS tried to book a full-page ad in the Tribune. The ad, as we informed the Tribune’s publisher via email, would express VHS’s opposition to the Williams Lake Stampede rodeo.

After a couple of days of silence from the publisher, we emailed again and received this reply from an executive at Black Press, the Tribune’s corporate owner:

“In consultation with our lawyer we have determined that we are entitled to decline advertising in the circumstances.

“The Williams Lake Tribune is a sponsor of the Stampede because it is a significant community event that the paper supports. We appreciate that your society opposes the event and we respect your right to that opinion. You were wise to check with us before commissioning artwork and design.

“While we cannot say definitively that we will decline all possible advertising, we can say, from experience, that anti-Stampede type display advertising that suggests or argues gratuitous cruelty to animals by image or text is unlikely to be accepted by the Williams Lake Tribune at this time.”

Since the words “unlikely to be accepted” seemed to leave the door slightly open, we sent the executive the planned content of the ad to see if it would be acceptable. This included a photograph of the steer-wrestling event taken at last year’s Williams Lake Stampede, accompanied by text stating: “You know in your heart this is not right. Stop cruel rodeo events at the Williams Lake Stampede.”

The executive replied that this would not be accepted.

This is not the first time a Black Press newspaper has refused one of VHS’s anti-rodeo ads.  In 2015, the Abbotsford News rejected a full-page ad opposing the Abbotsford Rodeo (which was ultimately cancelled in 2016).  No reason was given for the rejection.

It’s perfectly legal for a newspaper to refuse an ad for any number of reasons.  The ad might be libelous or gratuitously offensive or misleading to readers.  VHS’s ad did contain a graphic image of a steer being wrestled to ground, but it only showed what a rodeo-goer would typically see at the Stampede – the very activity that the Williams Lake Tribune says it promotes and supports.  If the Tribune finds a photo of steer-wrestling offensive and unacceptable, how can it support the event?

It’s also perfectly normal for a newspaper not to agree with an ad it might carry. The Tribune could have made this clear with a disclaimer on the VHS ad or it could have run an editorial explaining its contrary position on rodeo.

But the Tribune chose instead to simply suppress a legitimate point of view on a matter of public interest.  It didn’t trust its readers to make up their own minds about rodeo.  Unlike the Storm Lake Times, it didn’t challenge assumptions, “like every good newspaper should do.”

The B.C. Community Newspaper Association, of which the Williams Lake Tribune is a member, says part of its mission is to: “Improve standards in the practice of the profession of journalism, and to promote a high standard of conduct and professional ethics in the business of newspaper publishing.”

The Canadian Association of Journalists’ ethics guidelines state that “Defending the public’s interest includes promoting the free flow of information, exposing crime or wrongdoing, protecting public health and safety, and preventing the public from being misled.”

Clearly, ethics matter to journalists and to the public they serve.  People still believe that a free press is vital to democracy, that diversity of opinion matters, that newspapers should be courageous defenders of free speech.

What isn’t clear is whether those things matter to the Williams Lake Tribune, which, to our knowledge, has not been nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.

 

TAKE ACTION: Help us fight rodeo cruelty at the Williams Lake Stampede

 

 

 

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Today is Meatless Monday in Metro Vancouver

Sutherland Secondary’s Meatless Monday Club tabling for Meatless Monday and giving away free salads.

Schools lead the way, as more schools offer plant-based meals

In an effort to raise awareness of the links between diet and the environment, health and animal welfare, the Cities of Vancouver, New Westminster, North Vancouver and Port Moody have proclaimed today Meatless Monday. Students in Metro Vancouver are leading the way in introducing the concept, with a number of secondary and post-secondary schools offering plant-based meals in their food facilities on Mondays.

To mark the occasion Vancouver Councillor Adriane Carr will visit David Thompson Secondary at 1755 E 55th Avenue at 11:30 a.m. to congratulate students and staff on the success of their Meatless Monday initiative. Here are a few photos from today’s media and outreach event at David Thompson Secondary!

Eleven Metro Vancouver schools will be participating by offering at least one meatless dish on their menu in addition to their regular menu items. Two of these schools, Argyle Secondary and Lord Byng Secondary, are launching their initiatives today.

The Carnegie Community Centre, which serves the Downtown Eastside, will be offering a special Meatless Monday menu today. The centre aims to offer healthy, culturally diverse and delicious food on a daily basis for the community.

Meatless Monday is a global initiative, active in more than 30 countries and growing in popularity in Metro Vancouver. The campaign is aimed at increasing awareness about the impact of food choices and improving access to humane, healthy and sustainable food options. Reducing our overconsumption of animal products and increasing our consumption of plant-based foods helps fight climate change, protects individual/public health and reduces the demand for cheap meat that drives factory farming.

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Circus on the run!

The circus is coming to the PNE.  And we need to stop it.

VHS supporters will recall that the Royal Canadian Circus was scheduled to appear at Concord Pacific Place in Vancouver from May 12th to 14th, but after VHS encouraged the public to complain to Concord Pacific about the circus’s questionable animal welfare record, the venue was switched to the PNE.  It’s not too late to let the PNE know how you feel about its decision to host this performance.

This circus is put on by the U.S.-based Tarzan Zerbini Circus, which has a reportedly poor animal welfare record with regard to its treatment of elephants, as detailed in this 2016 article in the Ottawa Citizen and in this report by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). This gives us concerns about the welfare of other animals in its care. 

The article in the Citizen, by the Harvard Law School’s Animal Law & Policy Fellow, reveals that the Zerbini Circus has been cited for animal welfare violations in the U.S. and states that it “has featured elephants who are kept chained and forced to perform under threat of punishment.”

The PETA report says the circus failed to “meet minimum federal standards for the care of animals” used in exhibition, as established in the Animal Welfare Act in the U.S. It states that in 2011 the USDA “cited Tarzan Zerbini for failure to prevent elephants from being exposed to tuberculosis (TB).”

While it is VHS’s understanding that the Vancouver performance of the Royal Canadian Circus will feature only domestic animals and not exotic animals (which is prohibited by City of Vancouver bylaw), its parent company’s animal welfare record raises serious concerns.  Consequently, we are urging the public not to attend the Royal Canadian Circus’s performances.

We are also asking the public to complain to the PNE about hosting this circus.

Please email the PNE and politely ask them to cancel the performance of the Royal Canadian Circus.

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animal welfare compassion Cruelty-free Food and Drink News/Blog plant-based diet Promoted school Uncategorized vegan vegetarianism

Meatless Monday is on the move

Meatless Monday at Langara College.

Mark May 15th in your calendars! In an effort to raise awareness of the links between diet, the environment, health and animal welfare, Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson has proclaimed Monday May 15th, 2017 to be Meatless Monday.

The globally popular movement, aimed at increasing awareness about the impact of our food choices and improving access to humane, healthy and sustainable food options, has been gaining popularity in Metro Vancouver. To date, ten schools have embraced the “once a week, cut the meat” message, with the most recent being Sutherland Secondary in North Vancouver. Sutherland launched their cafeteria campaign with the leadership of their new Meatless Monday club, comprising students who are passionate about the impact eating meatless has on pressing issues like factory farming, climate change and individual and public health.

Sutherland’s Meatless Monday club got its start after students learned that Capilano University was implementing the meat reduction initiative with support from VHS. Program Coordinator, Emily Pickett, was thrilled to help Sutherland’s Meatless Monday club bring the campaign to their cafeteria. Just a couple of months in and the club has worked closely with food service provider, Amaga Foods, to add and promote delicious menu items like Mexican bean burritos, Mediterranean chickpea salad, tofu fried rice and lentil vegetable curry with rice.

Sutherland Secondary launches Meatless Monday

“Our club does regular outreach in our school’s cafeteria to help raise awareness of Meatless Monday, the benefits of participating and what meatless options are on the menu, “ says club organizers Naiara Peruchena and Shiqi Xu. “We are thrilled to see sales of the meatless Monday special steadily increase and we think this initiative is important for helping students become more aware of what’s on their plate and the impact that has beyond their plate.”

But it’s not just schools who are getting on board, Cabrito, a Spanish tapas restaurant on Vancouver’s Commercial Drive, also recently embraced Meatless Monday. Jamie Stolar, Cabrito’s general manager, says the idea emerged from a mix of reasons. “We love the idea of being able to encourage people that aren’t vegan or vegetarian that even choosing one day a week to eat meet free can make a difference.”

Cabrito’s Meatless Monday offer includes a sampler of the three items for $19, allowing diners to try a few different items for a great value and still leave full. Currently, both vegetarian and vegan options are available, but Stolar say the focus will be “100 per cent vegan going forward.”

Cabrito’s Roasted vegetable sliders

Stolar thinks Meatless Monday has lots of potential, given Vancouver’s veg-friendly nature. “It would be really cool to see more restaurants join the movement as it’s such a great way to educate people and get them to start thinking about what they are consuming. It leaves them with ideas that they can incorporate into their daily lives.”

The Mayor’s May 15th Meatless Monday proclamation is not only a great show of support for the local schools, businesses and individuals who have already embraced Meatless Monday, but it may be just the type of encouragement needed to take Meatless Monday to the next level!

VHS has invited other Lower Mainland municipalities to follow Vancouver’s lead and pass similar proclamations in solidarity and is encouraging citizens, schools, businesses and the community as a whole to embrace plant-based eating on Monday, May 15th (and every Monday moving forward)! Get in touch with Program Coordinator, Emily Pickett, to learn more and get involved.

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animal welfare compassion cruelty Cruelty-free Food and Drink News/Blog Promoted

New code of practice still leaves hens stuck in cages

So-called “enriched” cages will still be allowed under new codes of practice for laying hens

 

by Debra Probert, VHS Executive Director

A cage is a cage

The long-awaited revised Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Pullets and Laying Hens has been released. You may remember that in 2016 VHS called upon you to submit your thoughts to the committee during the comment period.

First, an explanation. The codes of practice, according to industry and the National Farm Animal Care Council (NFACC), are nationally developed guidelines. Yes, guidelines. They contain ‘requirements’ and ‘recommended practices’.  ‘Requirements’ represent a consensus position that the required measures are to be implemented. Yes, a position. Those who fail to implement requirements may be compelled by industry to comply. Requirements may be enforceable under federal and provincial legislation.

‘Recommended Practices’ promote ‘producer education’ and are generally expected to ‘enhance animal welfare outcomes.’ Failure to implement them, according to the Council, doesn’t imply acceptable standards of animal care are not met.

One of the most egregious failing of the new codes, in our opinion, is that they do not require a system to enforce the requirements or the recommended practices. They do not mandate a third-party animal welfare auditing system, as occurs in organic egg production. There is nothing mandatory in place to ensure that farmers are complying with requirements or recommended practices.

The failure of the codes to recommend a phase-out of all cages is also an egregious omission. Although conventional battery cages are to be phased out by July 1, 2036, and although industry has committed to transition a minimum of 85% of hens within 15 years, ‘enriched’ cages are considered to be an acceptable option. Enriched cages still restrict key behaviours like running, full wing-flapping and flying and do not permit unrestrained perching and dustbathing. Even in an enriched cage system that meets the code requirements, many of the welfare problems inherent in battery cages remain. 

In Europe, where enriched cages have been used for years, investigators are finding the conditions for hens to be little better than they were in battery cages – anxious hens with beaks severely trimmed, bodies badly feather-pecked, perches too low, too many hens crammed in, lives spent on wire floors or dirty perches and inadequate nesting and foraging opportunities.

This seems incredibly short-sighted, considering that most of the major retail and restaurant companies in North America have committed to sourcing cage-free eggs to meet the demands of consumers, and most of them, well before 2036.

This looks to be a case of the fox guarding the henhouse, and it will now be up to consumers to continue to demand cage-free products – or the least inhumane – certified organic eggs.

Or just don’t buy eggs at all.

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Stop sled dogs dying

Sled dog races push dogs to their limits.

Sled dogs are dying in cruel, long-distance races.  You can help stop this.

Five dogs have died so far in this year’s Iditarod race in Alaska. One died in the Yukon Quest in February.

The deaths have prompted an impassioned plea from P.J. Johnson, the Yukon Poet Laureate and life-long Yukoner, to end these races.

To sign a petition against the Iditarod and contact race sponsors click here.

Another petition has been launched by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

VHS is supporting a new documentary called Sled Dogs, which exposes the cruelty of sled dog races and tours.  It will be available on the CBC Documentary Channel later this year.

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Help stop this circus from appearing in Vancouver

VHS is concerned about the welfare of ALL circus animals

.

The circus is coming to town.  And we need to stop it.

The Royal Canadian Circus is scheduled to appear at Concord Pacific Place in Vancouver from May 12th to 14th.

This circus is put on by the U.S.-based Tarzan Zerbini Circus, which has a reportedly poor animal welfare record with regard to its treatment of elephants, as detailed in this 2016 article in the Ottawa Citizen and in this report by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). This gives us concerns about the welfare of other animals in its care. 

The article in the Citizen, by the Harvard Law School’s Animal Law & Policy Fellow, reveals that the Zerbini Circus has been cited for animal welfare violations in the U.S. and states that it “has featured elephants who are kept chained and forced to perform under threat of punishment.”

The PETA report says the circus failed to “meet minimum federal standards for the care of animals” used in exhibition, as established in the Animal Welfare Act in the U.S. It states that in 2011 the USDA “cited Tarzan Zerbini for failure to prevent elephants from being exposed to tuberculosis (TB).”

 
While it is VHS’s understanding that the Vancouver performance of the Royal Canadian Circus will feature only domestic animals and not exotic animals (which is prohibited by City of Vancouver bylaw), its parent company’s animal welfare record raises serious concerns.  Consequently, we are urging the public not to attend the Royal Canadian Circus’s performances.

We are also asking the public to complain to Concord Pacific, the company that owns Concord Pacific Place (the circus venue), and to the company that manages the venue, WestPark.

Please email these companies and politely ask them to cancel the performance of the Royal Canadian Circus:

Concord Pacific: marketing@concordpacific.com

WestPark: ritar@westpark.com

Thank you.

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animal welfare compassion cruelty News/Blog Promoted

A victory for the opposition to cetacean captivity

VHS is thrilled with the unanimous vote by the Vancouver Park Board to direct its staff to bring forward a bylaw change by May 2017 prohibiting display of cetaceans at Vancouver Aquarium.

This is a huge step forward in the fight against cetacean captivity.  We hope the Park Board will approve the amended bylaw in May and end the aquarium’s captive cetacean program once and for all.

We would like to congratulate and thank all the groups and individuals who have helped convince the Park Board that now is the time to stop putting captive whales and dolphins on display at the aquarium.

VHS is proud to have played a part in the broad and growing movement to end cetacean captivity.  Late, last year we and Zoocheck published a powerful report that questioned claimed value of the aquarium’s cetacean research.

The report was distributed to each Park Board Commissioner and was followed up by a presentation to the board, which is reprinted here: 

The crux of this debate, in our view, is whether the Vancouver Aquarium’s claimed benefits of cetacean captivity outweigh the negative impacts of that captivity on animal welfare. 

The concerns over animal welfare are genuine and credible, but the Aquarium has tried to undermine those concerns with personal attacks on those who oppose its plans.

The Aquarium’s CEO, Dr. Nightingale said opponents of cetacean captivity “in my view have no credibility.” – CP story, Feb 21, 2017

Dr. Nightingale has referred to those who oppose cetacean captivity at the aquarium as “extremists” – “The head of the Vancouver Aquarium says “extremists” are behind a petition calling for a referendum to decide whether any new dolphins, whales or porpoises can be added to its expanding tanks.” – Metro News Vancouver, Feb 17, 2014.

I would like to list some of the people who are on record as opposing cetacean captivity at the Aquarium:

Dr. Lori Marino, Ph.D. – neuroscientist and expert in animal behavior and intelligence

Dr. Naomi Rose, Ph.D. – marine mammal scientist for the Animal Welfare Institute.

Dr. David Duffus, Ph.D. – founder of the Whale Research Lab at the University of Victoria

Dr. Paul Spong, Ph.D. – neuroscientist and cetologist, founder of the OrcaLab on Vanc Island

BC biologist Alexandra Morton –  who in 2006 received an award from Van Aquarium for Excellence in Aquatic Conservation.

 Dr. Jane Goodall, world-renowned animal scientist, whom Dr. Nightingale dismissed as “operating on information provided by the activist community.”

 Dr. Rebecca Ledger, Ph.D., animal behaviourist.

 This is what Dr. Ledger told the Vancouver Province after viewing the captive belugas Quila and Aurora at the Aquarium last July:

 “They’re trapped,” said Rebecca Ledger, an expert in animal behaviour, during a visit to the aquarium with The Province. “Psychologically, they are not fulfilled and are behaving abnormally. That’s sad, especially since these are very intelligent animals. We’re not talking about cockroaches, we’re talking about cetaceans.” – Vanc Province, July 2. 2016

 Barbara Cartwright, CEO of the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies, which represents SPCAs and humane societies across Canada, including our own BC SPCA…

 And what about the BC SPCA? – the agency with statutory responsibility for protecting animals in BC:

Here’s what the BC SPCA website says: “The BC SPCA recognizes the complex needs of cetaceans, and their highly sentient and social nature,” says Dr. Sara Dubois, BC SPCA chief scientific officer. “The society is opposed to the capture, confinement, and breeding of marine mammals for entertainment or educational display, as fully providing the animals with the Five Freedoms is not possible for wild animals who require large and diverse aquatic habitats to live. It is time to phase out these displays.”

These people are not extremists.  They do not lack credibility.  Yet the aquarium continues to demonize those who disagree with its plans.

What does lack credibility is the Aquarium’s sudden prioritization of Beluga whale research, which it claims is the chief reason for bringing back belugas to live and be displayed until 2029 – at least another decade..

Dr. Nightingale now says research on belugas is “crucial”. – CP story, Feb 21, 2017

But in a report VHS and Zoocheck released last year, we reviewed published Vancouver Aquarium research papers in which captive cetaceans were the research subjects.

 The report found just 13 peer-reviewed original scientific papers over the past 30 years in which captive cetaceans were the research subjects.

That is a low output, considering the Aquarium’s statements about how important cetaceans are to its research – 13 in 30 years is very poor. 

Citation analysis (number of papers produced and number of citations per paper), found that the research Impact is also low, with relatively few citations – from a low of 0 citations to a high of 27. 

Not exactly a world changing research program at the Vancouver Aquarium. But now, all of a sudden it is “crucial.”

To say the least, all of this has left both the Vancouver Humane Society and Zoocheck skeptical about the Aquarium’s justifications for bringing back belugas to live in captivity.

To put it bluntly, we think they are being brought back because they are a lucrative tourist attraction, not because they are vital to cetacean research. 

Furthermore, we believe that decision is being made in spite of the strong and credible opposition of those who believe cetaceans suffer in captivity and that the Aquarium cannot justify that suffering.

That is why we believe the Aquarium should not import any more belugas and why it should end cetacean captivity.