Are Road Planners Looking After Our Wildlife

It’s a shame that yet another road has to be built… but planners of the new A590 Newton bypass are looking after the wildlife by building four badger tunnels, cavaties and bridges for bats and reflective posts for deer.

North West Evening Mail Reports

Don’t Buy Your Fish From Whale killers, Urges Campaign Whale

As Iceland resumes commercial whaling, Campaign Whale are asking people not to buy fish from Iceland and to contact  local supermarkets to tell them so:

Full report here

Sir Roger Moore Urges Norwich Councillors To Ban Foie Gras Sales

Sir Roger Moore has sent a letter to Norwich City Council urging them to ban the sale of foie gras in the city.

Sound appetising?

Froie gras is made by ramming tubes down the neck of a goose and force feeding the bird, this causes the liver to become diseased and swell up to 10 times its healthy size.

The UK bans production of frois gras, but surprisingly allows it to be sold in this country.

Press release from Peta UK

Policeman Trampled By Cows

This very nearly happened to me, a stranger saved my (very old) dog from being trampled by waving his lead in the air and yelling at the cows!

Cows get very protective when they have calves, and when their calves are taken away from them. Police Inspector, Chris Poole unfortunately found this out the hard way…

Extract from The Mail

A police inspector walking his dog through a field suffered life-threatening injuries after he was trampled by a herd of cows.

Chris Poole, 50, had to be airlifted to hospital with broken ribs and a collapsed lung following the attack by the usually-docile animals.

“I worked on a farm when I was a youngster and always told people not to worry about cows and said they never attacked,” he said yesterday. “Little did I know.”

Mr Poole, who is married with a 16-year-old daughter, said he was with his golden retriever Zak on a designated footpath near his home in Brighton when the cattle became agitated.

“I had Zak on a lead but I think they were still bothered by his presence. Suddenly, one cow started mooing and then others began running towards me. There were about 50 of them.

Some were cows with calves but all were fully grown.

“We were surrounded but I wasn’t scared at that point. I waved and shooed them away as they came close.

“They were focused on Zak and became more agitated as they got nearer and nearer.

“Then I felt this cow butt me hard in the back. I fell to the ground and let go of Zak’s lead.

Full article here

Oldest Animal In The World Discovered

Help the Aged are aiding research into the aging of a recently dredged up clam, believed to be the oldest animal ever…

Here’s the BBC News Report:

Scientists said the mollusc, an ocean quahog clam, was aged between 405 and 410 years and could offer insights into the secrets of longevity.

Researchers from Bangor University in north Wales said they calculated its age by counting rings on its shell.

According to the Guinness Book of Records, the longest-lived animal was a clam found in 1982 aged 220.

Unofficially, another clam – found in an Icelandic museum – was discovered to be 374-years-old, Bangor University said, making their clam at least 31 years older.

The clam, nicknamed Ming after the Chinese dynasty in power when it was born, was in its infancy when Queen Elizabeth I was on the throne and Shakespeare was writing plays such as Othello and Hamlet.

Professor Chris Richardson, from Bangor University’s School of Ocean Sciences, told the BBC: “The growth-increments themselves provide a record of how the animal has varied in its growth-rate from year to year, and that varies according to climate, sea-water temperature and food supply.

“And so by looking at these molluscs we can reconstruct the environment the animals grew in. They are like tiny tape-recorders, in effect, sitting on the sea-bed and integrating signals about water temperature and food over time.”

‘Escaping’ old age

Prof Richardson said the clam’s discovery could help shed light on how some animals can live to extraordinary ages.

“What’s intriguing the Bangor group is how these animals have actually managed, in effect, to escape senescence [growing old],” he said.

“One of the reasons we think is that the animals have got some difference in cell turnover rates that we would associate with much shorter-lived animals.”

He said the university had received money from the UK charity Help The Aged to help fund its research.

‘Legalize Vegan and Vegetarian’ – Vegans Warn UK Prime Minister

Tony from Vegan News has just passed me the following press release, and petition (petition at bottom).

(PRLEAP.COM) Initiatives by vegans for World Vegan Day include a petition to the UK Prime Minister to legislate for a legal definition of the word ‘vegan’ similar to ‘Organic’ protection. The UK Government admit there is no legal definition of the word vegan or vegetarian. There is only recently released guidance from the UK Food Standards Agency for manufacturers.

Apart from trading standards regulation that states that products should be suitable for the use intended and trade description regulations there is nothing in law to protect ethical consumers.

As part of a number of initiatives for World Vegan Day, 1st November, Vegans are calling upon the UK Government to draw up a framework using the model of the ‘Organic’ standard and The Indian Government’s experiences to create a legal definition for ‘vegan’ and ‘vegetarian’

“Unless a product has The Vegan Society or Vegetarian Trademark on it, and thus protected by Trading standards laws to comply with a set criteria, the consumer currently has no real legal protection that something labelled as vegan truly is” warns author of ‘ Vegan’ Tony Bishop-Weston.

Consumers buying organic do have protection as anything calling itself organic must have been vetted by one of a number of Government approved licensing agencies such as The Soil Association.

The Vegan Society, The Vegetarian Society, The European Vegetarian Union and ViVA!’s Vegetarian and Vegan Foundation all have schemes that it’s believed could be used to follow the organic model.

The Indian Government has already made moves to legally protect 220 million vegetarians in India where there are even completely vegetarian neighbourhoods that meat eaters are legally being barred from.

Other World Vegan Day initiatives include a poll to establish why, given the moral, environmental and well proven health benefits of a vegan diet, that over half the population are still committed red meat and dairy consumers.

Vegans are also campaigning for the first nationally available vegan pizza.

Pizza Express scrapped plans just days before a series of planned World Vegan Day pizza events in November 2004 despite finding high quality and realistic vegan alternatives to pepperoni, ham and dairy free melting mozzarella. According to supervegans.org Vegan Pizzas are common place in New York, but a UK chain has so far failed to take advantage of the rapidly expanding market.

“Even McDonalds and Burger King have vegetarian society approved veggie burgers these days. I’m amazed a pizza chain hasn’t realised the potential of this massive market and created a vegan pizza with meat free pepperoni and dairy free cheese topping” says a flummoxed Bishop-Weston.

Meanwhile Glasgow University has become the first UK University to achieve Sunflower Caterer status and licensed to use The Vegan Society international trademark. They join other vegan establishments in Glasgow such as Mono, The78, Stereo and The Flying Duck.

World Vegan Day 2007 is expected to make a far bigger impact than usual following the participation of 88 UK high street stores of anti animal testing, funky, super-green cosmetics manufacturer Lush.

Vegans will be celebrating veganism’s birthday all over the world from Croydon to Melbourne and from Montreal to Los Angeles.

EDITORS NOTES

http://www.worldveganday.org.uk

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/LegalVeganDefin/

http://www.communigate.co.uk/london/worldveganday/page3.phtml

http://www.news.for-vegans.co.uk

About This Release
If you have any questions regarding information in these press releases please contact the organization listed in the press release. Issuers of press releases and not PR Leap are solely responsible for the accuracy of the content.

Live Cat Found Dumped In Bin Bag

 A dustman found a live cat dumped in a bin bag in Plymouth. Unfortunately the animal was so badly injured it had to be put down.

According to the BBC News:

Vet Duncan MacWhirter, of Woolwell Vets in Plymouth, said: “Someone could have done something. Owning an animal is not a right. It is a privilege.” ‘Sad and unpleasant’

He said that as a vet he had seen some horrific incidents, but he was still shocked at the discovery.

The small female black cat had its two rear left legs broken.

“It was very sad and unpleasant to see it in that state,” said Mr MacWhirter.

“But for people to put it in the bin is unbelievably cruel and thoughtless.

“A lot of people don’t think about the responsibilities that come with having a pet.

“There is no reason for something like this to happen.

“It could have been taken to a vet, the RSPCA or the PDSA and if you don’t have any money they will help you.”

Mr Foley, 29, of Coxside, said: “We tipped the bin up and the rubbish fell into the back of the lorry. We heard the cat and it sounded distressed.

“It had obviously been buried quite deep in the bin but it had managed, even with broken legs, to get itself to the top.”

IFAW’s Big Cat Rescue

The International Fund For Animal Welfare (IFAW) swooped into Ohio last week, rescuing 4 tigers and 2 lions who had been kept by an unlicenced trainer. The animals were declawed by the trainer who was recently evicted by her landlord.

The IFAW animal rescue blog says:

IFAW is pleased to step in and be part of this extraordinary attempt which took the combined efforts of federal agencies, local county animal control and animal protection groups to rescue these declawed big cats and shut down the illegal tiger trainer camp in Gambier, OH. Not only this move of the big cats to permanent sanctuaries will lead them to receive much better care, it also brings attention to the abuse of big cats as photo props and to horrific situations created by unlicensed exotic animal facilities. Hopefully, when the IFAW supported federal bill – Haley’s Act, becomes law, it will enable federal, state and local agencies to join hands with animal protection groups to shut down illegal and unlicensed exotic animal facilities.

Petition Against Badger Cull

The decision of the government’s chief scientist to recommend a badger cull, to prevent the spread of TB, is causing a public outcry.

The Black Rabbit, from the Wild About Britain Forum, is urging people who disagree with this decision to sign a petition to be handed in to Downing Street.

Link to petition here

Link to thread here

University Of Glasgow Awarded Sunflower Standard

I’ve just read on Vegan News that Glasgow University has become the first Uni to be accredited with the ’Sunflower Standard’ from the Vegan Society.

Vegan News reports:

Neil Campbell, Director of Campus Services said: “I am delighted that the team at Hospitality Services continues to move forward and engage with service users. The input from vegan colleagues is welcome and the award demonstrates the joint effort that has gone in to securing this achievement.”Among the mouth-watering vegan options on offer are the following: vegetable Thai Green Curry; Tofu Sausage Cassoulet; Falafel with Cauliflower Gratin; Butterbean Burger with Soya Spring Onion Dip; Chick Pea Arriabatta; Baked Squash with Cajun Tofu; Grilled Tofu Sausage with Cranberry Polenta; and Falafel with Asparagus and Fennel Compote.