U.S. Born Pandas Land in Sichuan China

Tai Shan and Mei Lan are now in Sichuan. Bi-lingual trainers will help the Pandas adapt to their new Chinese habitats.

SP in Europarlement neemt het op voor de ijsbeer - Oproep tot totaalverbod handel in ijsberen en hun bont

SP: stop ijsberenhandel

09-02-2010 De Telegraaf


STRAATSBURG - De SP heeft dinsdag in het Europarlement opgeroepen om de handel in ijsberen en hun bont geheel te verbieden. Aanleiding is dat het aantal ijsberen snel afneemt, mede door safari's voor jagers in Canada en Alaska.

De oproep van Europarlementslid Kartika Liotard (SP) krijgt woensdag waarschijnlijk steun van een meerderheid van het parlement. De Europese Commissie is volgens haar bereid tot een verbod, tenzij wereldhandelhandelsorganisatie WTO tegenstribbelt. „Ik heb goede hoop dat het verbod er komt”, aldus Liotard. Europa heeft eenzelfde handelsverbod op producten van zeehonden.

Volgens schattingen verdwijnt de komende 45 jaar zo'n 70 procent van de populatie aan ijsberen. De redenering is dat de dieren oververmoeid raken omdat ze steeds meer moeten zwemmen wegens het smeltende ijs op de Noordpool.

IJsberen fokken in dierentuinen blijkt erg lastig. Deze winter is er in geen enkele dierentuin in Europa een ijsbeertje geboren, meldde de Rotterdamse diergaarde Blijdorp maandag.

Het parlement stemt woensdag ook over een oproep om een verbod op de vangst van blauwvintonijn. Dat ligt gevoelig in Zuid-Europese landen waar vissers veel geld verdienen aan tonijn. Onder meer Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy (D66) steunt een verbod tijdens de VN-conferentie Cites over bedreigde diersoorten in maart in Qatar.

(Bron: http://www.telegraaf.nl/)

Faunabescherning protesteert bij minister Verburg tegen vangst huiskraaien - Vogels niet vergelijkbaar met bijvoorbeeld tijgermug

Vangen van huiskraaien zinloze bezigheid

09-02-2010 De Faunabescherming


De Faunabescherming heeft in een brief aan minister G. Verburg van LNV haar verbazing en bezorgdheid geuit omdat het ministerie voornemens is alle huiskraaien in Nederland te gaan vangen. Er wordt ten onrechte van uitgegaan dat deze dieren gelijkgesteld kunnen worden met onder andere de tijgermug. De situatie met betrekking tot beide soorten is echter onvergelijkbaar.

De tijgermug wordt als larve ons land ingevoerd in het water dat bij ingevoerde lucky bamboo zit bijgesloten. De huiskraaien hebben ons land bereikt door vrijwillig mee te liften met schepen. In die zin kan de komst van de huiskraai als een natuurlijke uitbreiding van hun leefgebied worden beschouwd. Ze zijn hier niet onvrijwillig naar toe gehaald en vervolgens opzettelijk losgelaten of per ongeluk ontsnapt, zoals dat bijvoorbeeld voor allerlei exotische watervogels en tuinplanten geldt die regelmatig in het buitengebied kunnen worden aangetroffen.

De huiskraaien zijn dus zelfstandig en vrijwillig meegelift. Het uitbreiden van het leefgebied van een bepaalde diersoort door op allerlei drijvende voorwerpen zeestraten over te steken, is een natuurlijk verschijnsel dat overal ter wereld optreedt. Gezien de intensiteit van de scheepvaart over de hele wereld, betekent dat dus ook dat deze huiskraaien Nederland opnieuw op dezelfde manier zullen kunnen bereiken, als de nu aanwezige vogels worden weggevangen.

Het wegvangen betekent geen ‘oplossing’ als er al een probleem zou zijn. Ook daarom gaat de vergelijking met bijvoorbeeld de tijgermug mank. De tijgermug vormt een potentieel gevaar voor de volksgezondheid. De zeer kleine populatie huiskraaien leeft al tientallen jaren in Nederland zonder op enige manier daadwerkelijk schade of overlast te veroorzaken. Ze gedragen zich min of meer zoals zwarte kraaien, kauwen of roeken. Als gevolg van de concurrentie met deze inheemse kraaiachtigen is de kans dat zij zich op termijn explosief zullen vermeerderen dan ook nihil. In ieder geval is de situatie in ons land voor dit soort nieuwkomers totaal onvergelijkbaar met de situatie op afgelegen eilanden, waar de inheemse soorten niet gewend zijn aan predatoren.

De Faunabescherming verzoekt de minister met klem van dit voornemen af te zien en de kleine populatie huiskraaien met rust te laten.

(Bron: http://www.faunabescherming.nl/)
(Bron foto: http://slamenietdood.web-log.nl/sla_me_niet_dood_over_kle/2008/11/index.html)

CITES secretaris-generaal Willem Wijnstekers spreekt in Zimbabwe met premier over bedreiging stroperij voor wild - Militaire betrokkenheid stroperij

CITES boss arrives in Zimbabwe

09-02-2010 by Own Correspondent, Zim Online, Zimbabwe


HARARE – CITES secretary general Willem Wijnstekers has arrived in Zimbabwe on four-day working visit which will see him meeting Prime Minister (PM) Morgan Tsvangirai and Defence Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa over rampant poaching decimating wildlife in the southern African country and said to involve top politicians and army officials.

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) chief who jetted into Harare late Monday will also meet Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa, Environment Minister Francis Nhema and other senior government officials.

According to the official programme, Wijnstekers will meet the PM on Thursday.

Wijnstekers will discuss with Mnangagwa the alleged involvement of senior military officers in poaching while he seeks to establish from Chinamasa security measures put in place to curb illegal killing of protected wildlife and measures taken against those caught poaching including the levels of sentencing.

"Zimbabwe welcomes the visit by the CITES secretary general as it affords an opportunity to interact with political leadership thus ensuring long term sustainable wildlife management policies," department of National Parks and Wildlife Management said in statement.

The CITES boss is accompanied by John Sellar, chief enforcement officer responsible for providing technical advice and support in relation to the enforcement of the Convention, said the statement.

"He monitors illegal trade in wildlife and liaises with law enforcement agencies at the national, regional and international levels, particularly Interpol and the World Customs Organisation. He also coordinates work by CITES Enforcement Task Forces and the CITES Enforcement Expert group."

After his arrival Wijnstekers proceeded on a private visit to the largely white-owned Save Conservancy that has suffered poaching while some parts of the reserve have been invaded by supporters of President Robert Mugabe’s ZANU PF party.

Zimbabwean officials last week expressed displeasure that the CITES chief would tour the top private game conservancy during his visit to the country, saying he would be only told that which suits whites interests and the government will not be able to defend itself.

The visit comes after a report in December by TRAFFIC, IUCN and three other wildlife organisations said Zimbabwe and South Africa have the highest incidences of poaching on the continent.

Wijnstekers is the current CITES secretary general and he supervises the global implementation of CITES and its strategic vision. He is also responsible for policy formulation and direction within the secretariat.

Poaching has been rife in Zimbabwe since landless black villagers began invading – with tacit approval from the government – white-owned farms and game conservancies over the past nine years.

Some of the country’s biggest state-owned nature and game conservancies including Gonarezhou National Park that forms part of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier straddling across Zimbabwe, Mozambique and South Africa have large parts occupied by villagers.

In many cases farm invaders poach animals for meat and cut down trees for sale as firewood mostly to people living in urban areas.

But there has also been an upsurge in the poaching of endangered species such as the rhino targeted for its horn that is exported mainly to China and Vietnam where it is in huge demand. International syndicates working with local gangs are said to be behind rhino poaching.

There have also been reports of illegal and uncontrolled trophy hunting on former white-owned conservancies now controlled by powerful government officials and ZANU PF politicians.

The government however denies politicians are illegally hunting game and insists it still has poaching under control.

(Bron: http://www.zimonline.co.za/)

Ongeveer 6000 tijgers in Chinese gevangenschap - Niet meer dan 50 dieren in het wild

China says it has 6,000 captive tigers

09-10-2010 France24, France


AFP - China said Tuesday it had nearly 6,000 tigers in captivity and could breed 1,000 more every year, amid international controversy over the benefits of farming the endangered species.

The numbers were announced by Yin Hong, vice head of the State Forestry Administration, according to a spokesman at the agency who refused to be named.

A tiger cools off from summer heat in a pool at a zoo in Hefei, east China's Anhui province. China said it had nearly 6,000 tigers in captivity and could breed 1,000 more every year, amid international controversy over the benefits of farming the endangered species.

"There are close to 6,000 tigers that have been artifically bred and raised in China," the official China News Service quoted Yin saying.
"These tigers can breed over 1,000 baby tigers every year."

Yin's comments came as China prepares to ring in the Year of the Tiger, which begins February 14, amid mounting worldwide concern over dwindling numbers of the great cats.
Yin said there were just 50 to 60 wild tigers left in China. Conservation groups have said recently fewer than 50 still roam the country.

There are four varieties of wild tigers in China, and one of them -- the South China tiger -- has not been spotted in the wild since the late 1970s. In the 1950s, there were around 4,000 of the subspecies.

Degradation of the animal's habitat and poaching of the tiger and its prey are blamed for its rapid disappearance.

In the 1980s, China set up tiger farms to try and preserve the big cats, intending to release some into the wild.

But experts warn it will be difficult for captive tigers to re-adapt to the wild, and the sheer number of the endangered animals kept in farms now poses a challenge.
"The government now realises it's a problem but they haven't figured out how to deal with the existing tigers yet," Xie Yan, director of the China programme for the Wildlife Conservation Society, told AFP.

The existence of tiger farms in China and other countries has sparked international controversy.

In July, Keshav Varma, leader of the World Bank's Global Tiger Initiative, called for tiger farming to be phased out, saying there was a danger this could hasten the extinction of the endangered species.

"Would it create new markets and an even higher demand for wild tiger products -- for those who want a luxury good -- the 'real thing?'" he asked.

Xie said farms in China make little money, apart from tourists, and some are pushing for a 1993 ban on the trade in tiger parts and related products to be reversed so they can profit from the animals once they die.

Experts, however, say this would encourage poaching.

(Bron: http://www.france24.com/)
(Bron foto: France24)

Dierenbescherming Nieuw Zeeland wil einde aan 'grijpspel' met rivierkreeften in pubs Auckland

SPCA warning over crayfish games

10-02-2010 TV NZ, New Zealand


The Auckland SPCA has warned its inspectors will take a police escort to close down an arcade game involving live crayfish if it does not get co-operation from pub managers. The SPCA on Tuesday said it will close down several games in pubs in Auckland where patrons paid to try to catch live crayfish in a tank using a metal claw.

The animal welfare organisation will visit the three pubs it knew of in Auckland running the game and would make the games inoperable. Other outlets around the country will face similar action.

Soon after the SPCA announced what it was doing, one of the pubs, The Albion in inner city Auckland, said it will not close down the game and has not been visited by the SPCA.
Hotel manager Andrew Jackson said the crayfish are not being abused and the machines will not be shut down.

He said it was the same as picking one out of a tank at a sea food market where there were "200 crammed in together in a tank".

SPCA executive director Bob Kerridge disagreed, saying the organisation wanted to stop cruelty to the crayfish and had yet to decide if any operators will be charged.

He said the games which used a mechanical, claw-like device to capture live crayfish from a water-tank and had been the subject of intense investigation by the society, involving expert species specialists and legal advice.

"Our expert advice is that the crayfish subjected to this arcade game are likely to suffer unreasonable or unnecessary pain or distress which is unacceptable in our view", he said.
"In view of this, after careful consideration, we have taken steps to prevent the further infliction of trauma on these animals."

Under the Animal Welfare Act (1999) inspectors "may take all such steps as are necessary or desirable to prevent or mitigate the suffering of the animal", Kerridge said.

He said they will do that by "rendering the mechanical parts of the machine unable to be used".
He said if they did not get co-operation from the pub managers, they may look at the option of taking the police with them to make the machines unusable.

He said the action might also prompt court action against the SPCA but he was satisfied it had reasonable grounds, including legal advice, to take the action.
"We find it necessary to send a clear message that the SPCA will simply not tolerate cruelty to animals in any form or for any reason," he said.

He said games outside the Auckland region will also be closed.

The national animal advocacy organisation Safe said seven bars had removed the machines after animal welfare complaints from patrons but "some bars have taken a more defiant position".

(Bron: http://tvnz.co.nz/)
(Bron foto: TV NZ)

Wales (UK) gaat rode eekhoorn beschermen tegen oprukkende grijze eekhoorn

Wales fight to save red squirrels

09-02-2010 News Wales, UK


An iconic species, the red squirrel is in need of concerted conservation action to save it from extinction in Wales.

Environment Minister Jane Davidson and Rural Affairs Minister Elin Jones have jointly approved a new conservation plan for the animals, which are now only found at handful of sites in Wales.

Many factors have contributed to the decline of red squirrel - competition from grey squirrels, the spread of disease and, to a lesser extent, habitat loss. Conservation of red squirrels depends on maintaining sites free from grey squirrels and ensuring suitable habitat for red squirrels.

First known reference in Wales was in the 13th century in the laws of Welsh prince, Howel Dda. Since the introduction of grey squirrels to the UK, reds have gradually declined.

Elin Jones said: “Red squirrels live and breed in trees, making their nests, or dreys, in them and feeding on tree seeds. At one time, red squirrels were found in the woodlands and forests throughout Wales and many people may remember seeing red squirrels in local woodlands during their childhood.

“Red squirrels are now only found at handful of sites in Wales with the main populations being on Ynys Mon, in Clocaenog forest and in the complex of forests of mid-Wales in and around the Tywi valley. Genetic studies have shown that each of these red squirrel populations contain DNA which is unique to Wales.”

Jane Davidson said: “In recognition of the importance of these three populations, we have agreed that Anglesey, Clocaenog and mid-Wales sites should be Focal Sites for red squirrels and that urgent strategic action is needed in these areas.

"We can no longer take red squirrels for granted, like other members of our fauna and flora, they have suffered as the result of the spread of a non-native species – the grey squirrel. We have a duty to protect red squirrels in Wales and to ensure that future generations will continue to have the privilege of seeing them in the wild.

(Bron: http://www.newswales.co.uk/)

Speciale website in Australië om bedreigde koala te monitoren

New website to track endangered koalas

10-02-2010 The Courier Mail, Australia


AN Australian-first website that lets everyone from school children to senior citizens track koalas in live time has become the latest weapon in the fight to save the furry creatures from extinction.

The inspiration of Noosa neighbours Carolyn Beaton and Alex Harris, koaladiaries.com.au was launched yesterday.

It introduces the latest Geographic Information Systems technology to plot koala sightings by the public in Queensland and could eventually be extended to include all of Australia and other endangered animals.

The technology is so advanced it means anyone sighting a koala – whether alive, injured or dead – can register its location to the exact tree, field or road where the animal was located in three easy internet steps.

(Bron: http://www.news.com.au/couriermail)
(Bron foto: http://koaladiaries.com.au/)

Japanese Whalers Attack Sea Shepherds The Bob Barker

February 6 2010, the Sea Shepherd Ship Bob Barker's hull is gashed open by Japanese harpoon vessel Yushin Maru 3 in Antarctic water.

Four harpoon ships, the Yushin Maru 1, 2, and 3 and Shonan Maru 2, were circling and making near passes to the stern and bow of the Sea Shepherd vessel.

The Bob Barker did not move from its position, at which point, the Yushin Maru 3 intentionally rammed the Bob Barker, creating a three-foot (90cm) long 4-inch (10cm) deep gash in the mid starboard side of the Sea Shepherd vessel above the waterline.

No crew members were injured during the collision.

This incident demonstrates a continued escalation of violence by the illegal whalers in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary.

Waterkanonnenoorlog tussen Sea Shepherd en Japanse walvisvaarders in Arctische wateren gaat onverminderd door - Japan priotesteert bij Nederland

Anti-whalers, Japanese fleet fire water cannons

09-02-2010 By TANALEE SMITH Associated Press Writer, The Houston Chronicle, USA


ADELAIDE, Australia — Activists vowing to stop the killing of whales exchanged water-cannon fire with a Japanese whaling fleet they are tailing in the Antarctic Ocean, as sea confrontations that have led to collisions and a sunken vessel continue.

The Sea Shepherd conservation group said its ships, the Steve Irwin and the Bob Barker, confronted the Japanese factory ship Nisshin Maru early Monday.

"The factory ship turned on their water cannons and were surprised when the Steve Irwin responded with a more powerful water cannon that had a couple of the whalers diving for the bridge doors," said a Monday statement from the group.

On Saturday, the Bob Barker and a Japanese harpoon boat collided in icy Antarctic waters, causing minor damage to both vessels. A Japanese whaler struck Sea Shepherd's high-tech speed boat Ady Gil and sheared off its nose on Jan. 6. The Bob Barker then came to rescue the crew of the Ady Gil, which sank a day later.

Japanese Fisheries Agency official Shigeki Takaya condemned the use of water cannons after Monday's confrontation. "As we have always said, we condemn the act. It is totally unforgivable," he said.

A Japanese foreign ministry official said Japan lodged a protest with the Netherlands and Togo over the water cannon fire in the Antarctic Ocean — the countries where the Steve Irwin and Bob Barker are registered.

"We asked the respective governments to stop the ships from obstructing our whaling activities," the official said, speaking anonymously, citing departmental policy. He declined to elaborate further.

Sea Shepherd, a U.S.-based activist group, sends vessels to confront the Japanese fleet each year. Two major clashes have already occurred this year, one a collision that destroyed a Sea Shepherd vessel.

Sea Shepherd founder Paul Watson said his activists have prevented the whalers from catching any whales since Saturday.

"We intend to turn these three whaling-free days into three whaling-free weeks," Watson said in the statement. "I am confident that once again we will severely cut their kill quotas and we will once again negate their profits."

Japan has a six-vessel whaling fleet in Antarctic waters as part of its scientific whaling program, an allowed exception to the International Whaling Commission's 1986 ban on commercial whaling. It hunts hundreds of mostly minke whales, which are not an endangered species. Whale meat not used for study is sold for consumption in Japan, which critics say is the real reason for the hunts.

Watson estimated the whaling fleet has so far killed about 350 minke whales.

Sea Shepherd activists try to block the whalers from firing harpoons, and they dangle ropes in the water to try to snarl the Japanese ships' propellers. They also hurl packets of stinking rancid butter at their rivals.

The whalers have responded by firing water cannons and sonar devices meant to disorient the activists. Collisions have occurred occasionally.

The Sea Shepherd statement said its two vessels have enough fuel to pursue the whaling fleet for another month.

"It does not matter where they go, east or west along the Antarctic Coast," said Steve Irwin 1st Officer Locky MacLean. "We intend to stick to their rear like glue and we will not allow a single whale to be loaded onto the decks of that foul floating abattoir."

(Bron: http://www.chron.com/)

Ruimen drachtige geiten gaat onverminderd door - Ook geitenhouder Belfeld dupe ruimiingsbeleid ministerie LNV

Geiten Belfeld worden woensdag geruimd

09-02-2010 De Limburger/Limburgs Dagblad


De drachtige geiten van de Belfeldse geitenhouder Stef Smits worden dinsdag getaxeerd. Op het bedrijf is Q-koorts geconstateerd. De rechter heeft maandag bepaald dat de drachtige dieren daarom gedood moeten worden.

Een woordvoerder van het ministerie van Landbouw, Natuur en Voedselkwaliteit meldt dat de drachtige dieren woensdag geruimd worden.

Het College van Beroep voor het bedrijfsleven in Den Haag gaf maandagmiddag toestemming voor de ruiming. Nieuwe tests wijzen volgens het ministerie uit dat er wel degelijk Q-koorts heerst op het bedrijf. Vanwege onbetrouwbare uitkomsten van de onderzoeken werd ruiming van het bedrijf vrijdag nog opgeschort. Minister Gerda Verburg (LNV) was bijzonder bezorgd over de situatie, omdat op het bedrijf al volop lammetjes worden geboren. De Q-koortsbacterie komt in grote hoeveelheden vrij als een melkgeit een miskraam heeft.

Sinds 2007 zijn duizenden mensen ziek geworden door de Q-koorts. In de omgeving van Belfeld ging het om 26 ziektegevallen.

De geitenhouder in Belfeld wist vorige week de ruiming nog tegen te houden door een kort geding aan te spannen bij de rechtbank in Den Haag. Volgens hem is er onvoldoende aangetoond dat zijn geiten besmet zijn met het Q-koortsbacterie. De rechter gaf de veehouder gelijk, maar het ministerie besloot meteen een nieuwe test te doen. Die bleek opnieuw positief te zijn met als gevolg dat nu de geiten geruimd moeten worden.

(Bron: http://www.limburger.n/)
(Bron foto: De Limburger)

Nog steeds wordt honden- en kattenbont in VS verwerkt in producten

The truth in Fur Labeling Act of 2009

Real or faux?

09-02-2010 The Anti-Fur Society, USA


Dog & cat fur trade has been outlawed in this country, right? Not so fast! We keep hearing of high or low end department stores getting caught selling fur that has been outlawed in the United States, but this is a no brainer. There is a loophole on the law that keeps the door open for all sorts of furs to come into the United States exempted from labeling as long as it costs under $150.

Without proper labeling, it is virtually impossible to know what kind of fur one is purchasing, and there is no way to know how much of these skins are circulating on the market, or have made it into households under false pretenses, including as "FAUX!"

How do we protect ourselves from false labels? First we send the merchandise to be DNA tested in special laboratories, and pay around $500 per test. Then confront the trader and pursue legal venues? Who will do that?

Meanwhile the fur industry continues selling their offending goods while bills to close this loophole linger on lawmakers' desks. The most recent bills that may have a chance to close this loophole are the H.R.2480 & S.1076 which have gathered many sponsors, but not enough to have them move forward.

Please take a minute to write or call your Reps and ask them to help end the atrocious suffering of innocent animals simply by supporting the bills: "TRUTH IN FUR LABELING ACT" H.R.2480 & S.1076

CLICK ON THIS LINK TO WRITE TO YOUR REP:
http://www.antifursocietyinternational.org/furlabeling.php

DON'T LET THE LABEL FOOL YOU--ALL ABOUT FUR LABELING--CLICK HERE

(Bron: http://ww.antifursociety.org/)
(Bron foto: archief Kraaijer)

Controverse over gebruik apen als proefdieren in Universiteit Wisconsin-Madison (VS) - Discussie over ethiek gebruik apen als proefdieren

Dane Co. Board Debates Controversial UW Animal

Research

Supervisors Send Letter To Chancellor, Appeal For Biddy Martin's Involvement

09-02-2010 Channel 3000, Madison, USA


MADISON, Wis. -- The Dane County Board has gotten involved in presidential politics and war in the past. Now, a majority of board members are weighing in on the University of Wisconsin-Madison's primate research.

Twenty county board supervisors have sent a letter to UW-Madison's Chancellor Biddy Martin, asking her to get directly involved in the ethics of monkey experimentation.

WISC-TV has learned that a public debate on the ethics of monkey research will be held on campus in March, keeping alive a touchy campus debate that's been brewing for years.

The question of whether it's ethical to experiment on monkeys last came up in early January 2010.
At the direction of the chancellor, the UW's All Campus Animal Care and Use commmittee answered a question long-posed by animal activist Rick Marolt of Madison.

The committee voted and decided monkey research was ethical because the UW committee and others always follow federal animal welfare standards.

However, in the letter sent to Martin last Friday, 20 county board supervisors said the committee didn't tackle the real question of whether it's right to experiment on primates.

District 6 Supervisor John Hendrick is one of those who signed the letter.
"We would really like to have everyone view this as a moral issue, and to answer that question," said Hendrick.

Hendrick also said the county board has passed resolutions regarding monkeys before -- including one closing down a county zoo exhibit with UW monkeys in it -- and it's possible the board could do so again.

In the letter to the chancellor, the supervisors question whether the committee analysis was conflict-free and they urge Martin to join an upcoming public discussion.

A Wisconsin Union Directorate committee has scheduled a March 15 ethics debate where animal activist Rick Bogle will go head-to-head with monkey researcher Dr. Paul Kaufman, the chairman of the UW Ophthalmology Department who focuses his research on developing therapies for eye diseases like glaucoma.

The primate research debate will include a question and answer period, according to organizers.

"The University of Wisconsin is one of largest primate researchers in the country. And we thought that this would be really as good a place as any to raise the question of the ethics of primate research and to really get students and people in the community to think about that critically," said Sean Becker, associate director for the Society and Politics committee of the Wisconsin Union Directorate.

UW-Madison is only one of eight National Primate Research Centers, and there's a move to expand it, WISC-TV reported.

The primate center has about 1,200 monkeys, most of them Rhesus. The center has said most of the research it does is non-invasive.

A UW representative said Monday that the chancellor just got the letter, but will respond.
Dr. Kaufman declined to comment before the scheduled debate.

(Bron: http://www.channel3000.com/)

ADC betuigt op Valentijnsdag haar liefde voor de opgesloten apen van apenhandelaar Hartelust in Tilburg

Valentijnsactie: ADC doneert reuzenhart aan

Hartelust!

08-02-2010 St. Anti Dierproeven Coalitie

Op de dag van de liefde organiseert de Anti Dierproeven Coalitie een manifestatie voor de poort van Hartelust.

Roberto en Raymond Hartelust verdienen grof geld aan het verhandelen van apen uit een loods in Tilburg. Alle apen zullen gebruikt worden in gruwelijke experimenten. De Anti Dierproeven Coalitie is het knagende geweten van deze harteloze handelaren. Het wordt dan ook hoog tijd om een reuzenhart te doneren om respect voor dieren bij te brengen.

Campagneleider Robert Molenaar: 'Ik daag Roberto en Raymond Hartelust uit om het reuzenhart en de 9 reuzen valentijnskaarten in ontvangst te nemen. Zij moeten beseffen dat er ook andere manieren zijn om geld te verdienen, die niet ten koste gaan van schitterende dieren zoals apen.'

Tevens gaat onze gedachte uit naar alle apen die gebruikt worden in experimenten. De Anti Dierproeven Coalitie laat 9 ufo-ballonnen op met daarin een liefdevolle boodschap voor de dierproefnemers: Denk met je hart, en volg je geweten. Laat de apen leven!

Naast het reuzenhart worden er 9 reuze valentijnskaarten achtergelaten die ondertekend zijn door dierenvrienden tijdens onze informatiestand van zaterdag 30 januari op de Heuvel in Tilburg.
Het getal 9 staat symbool voor de 6 laboratoria in Nederland en Belgie waar apen gebruikt worden in experimenten (KU Leuven, UCL, Schering-PLough, Erasmus MC, BPRC, Radboud universiteit) en voor de apenleveranciers China, Roberto en Raymond Hartelust.

Tijd: van 14.00 tot 16.00 uur
Waar: Kapelmeesterlaan 112b, Tilburg

Zondag 14 februari is ook de dag dat het Carnaval weer losbarst in Tilburg en omstreken. We adviseren iedereen daarom om met de auto af te reizen naar de Valentijnsactie bij Hartelust B.V. Zij die met het openbaar vervoer reizen, kunnen het beste uitstappen op treinstation Tilburg West.
De Anti Dierproeven Coalitie heeft vervoer geregeld naar de Valentijnsactie vanaf treinstration Tilburg West. U kunt van deze service gebruik maken tussen 13.00 en 13.30 uur. Het vervoer is gratis, opgeven is wel verplicht: Tel 06-17767881 of mail naar info@stopdierproeven.org.

Ook is er de mogelijkheid om mee te reizen uit andere delen van het land naar de Valentijnsactie.
Download hier ons rapport: Hartelust B.V. Apenhandelaar in Tilburg.

(Bron: http://www.stopdierproeven.org/)