Police Open Investigation in Southern India After 300 Stray Dogs Found Dead
Source: independent.co.uk
August 2, 2021
At least 300 street dogs were allegedly poisoned and killed, after which the carcasses were dumped in a pit near a lake in southern India’s Andhra Pradesh state on 24 July. Srilatha Challapalli, a treasurer of the Challapalli charitable trust which fights for animal issues, has claimed local village authorities to be responsible for the act. The authorities in Lingapalem village hired “animal killers” to poison the stray animals as part of their resolve to reduce the population of street dogs, instead of sterilizing them.
Ms. Challapalli has filed a complaint with the local police in neighboring Dharmajigudem village, after which a case was registered under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act against the secretary and the head of the village council.
Police have carried out a postmortem on the dog carcasses to determine if they were killed using poisonous substances. No further details have been given by the police yet.
Commentaries of IALA
Under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act in India, CHAPTER III CRUELTY TO ANIMALS GENERALLY, mutilating any animal or killing any animal (including stray dogs) by using the method of strychnine injections in the heart or in any other unnecessarily cruel manner is prohibited as treating animals cruelly by Article 11 (l).
Learn more on how to help stray dogs in India here.
Russian Amendments Legalize Trophy Hunting of Endangered Species, Activists Say
Source: themoscowtimes.com
August 2, 2021
New amendments to Russia’s hunting law will effectively legalize trophy hunting of endangered animals. According to the amendments, which enter into force Monday, the killing of rare and endangered species listed in Russia’s Red Book is permissible in “exceptional cases.” The amendments also note that animals may only be hunted for research and education or “for the purpose of acclimatization, resettlement, and hybridization of hunting resources.” The amendments forbid actions "that can lead to the death, reduction in the number of violation of the habitat" of Red Book species.
Greenpeace says that the language used effectively lifts the ban on killing these species where the law previously only allowed their capture.
Commentaries of IALA
Many endangered species live in Russia, including the Amur tiger, Central Asian and Far Eastern leopard, the snow leopard, the bison, the saiga, Przewalski's horse, Altai mountain sheep, the gazelle, the polar bear, Siberian crane, the bowhead whale, and the gray whale. Under the prior law, killing species on the Red Book is prohibited, but under the current amendment, hunting could be conducted with proper license. The scientific director of WWF Russia said that the old wording was better when the hunting of Red Book species is absolutely prohibited, but “[t]he wording does not fundamentally change anything.”
Asian Elephant Herd Heads Back Home After a 17-Month Odyssey
Source: globaltimes.cn
August 9, 2021
After almost a year and a half of marvelous travel, a herd of 14 stray wild Asian elephants, who left home as part of a bigger group and wandered more than 500 kilometers in Southwest China's Yunnan Province, have finally crossed the Yuanjaing River, getting ready for their trip back home.
Experts said that the breakthrough can be largely attributed to the effective guidance of local wildlife authorities and they predicted the herd will continue to head south for its original habitat, where most of the elephant habitats are located.
The elephants were guided by the special work team to cross the Yuanjiang River through a bridge and arrived safely on the river's south bank on the evening of Sunday. To make way for the giant animals, local authorities have restricted traffic and lights near the river. The elephants were seen lined up one after another strolling across the bridge, with trucks parked alongside to block potential interference.
The work team will continue to guide the herd back to its original habitat in the Xishuangbanna Nature Reserve while ensuring its safety and health, local authorities said.
Commentaries of IALA
It is still unclear what makes the elephant leave their home. According to official data, through protection efforts, China's elephants have increased in recent 10 years, from less than 200 to above 300 currently. However, at the same time, their habitat is losing due to deforestation. As they start to get through the boundaries of the nature reserve into more regions, they find that crops are more attractive than their usual forest food. Elephants are learning and adapting to new ways to get along with humans.
Rescue of 101 Bears from Abusive Bile Farm Industry Inspires Short Film Moon Bear Homecoming
Source: people.com
August 10, 2021
According to a release from Animals Asia, the animal welfare organization organized the rescue of 101 moon bears from an ex-bile farm in China earlier this year and successfully moved from the animals to an award-winning sanctuary in Chengdu.
Understanding the magnitude and importance of this effort, Animals Asia filmed the bears' trek from the ex-bile farm to the sanctuary and has transformed the footage into a short film called Moon Bear Homecoming, which details the resources and heart that went into transporting all 101 bears from the Nanning farm to the Chengdu Bear Rescue Centre from April 19 to May 27 with nine trucks.
The bears traveled over 775 miles to their sanctuary home, making the mission "the largest operation of its kind ever undertaken by any animal welfare organization."
Commentaries of IALA
Animals Asia has worked since 1998 to help the moon bears from the bear bile farming industry. Commercial 'bear bile farming' began in China in the 1980s. It is a cruel farming system designed to extract bile from the gallbladders of living bears. The demand for bear bile comes from medicine or wine products, which can be mainly found in mainland China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Taiwan. Bear bile products are also found in Australia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Singapore, the U.S., and Canada.
Read more about the fact of bear bile farming here.
Singapore’s First Giant Panda Cub Has Been Born to Jia Jia and Kai Kai
Source: channelnewsasia.com
August 15, 2021
The very first born-in-Singapore panda cub has arrived. River Safari’s beloved panda pair, Kai Kai and Jia Jia are finally parents, Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) announced on Sunday (Aug 15). The cub was born on Aug 14 and weighs in at an estimated 200g, and its gender is yet to be determined.
The nation has been cheering Jia Jia and Kai Kai on in their seasonal mating attempts since they first arrived in Singapore in 2012, but giant pandas are notoriously uninterested in non-bamboo-related pursuits. This April, when giant pandas displayed signs of being in heat, they officially entered their seventh breeding season.
Commentaries of IALA
Giant pandas have a very low reproductive rate which is about 1 cub every 2 years. Their gestation takes from 95-160 days, and pandas normally give birth to single young. In the case of habitat loss, breeding in the wild is more difficult for them. Attempts to breed pandas in captivity in China began in 1955, but it was not until eight years later, on September 9 in 1963, that Ming Ming the first-ever captive-bred giant panda, was born at the Beijing Zoo.
Learn more about the life of giant pandas here.
Emirati Farmer Catches Honey Badger That Killed at Least 35 of His Livestock
Source: thenationalnews.com
August 15, 2021
An Emirati farmer has caught a honey badger that killed and ate about Dh80,000 ($21,785) worth of livestock. The farmer said it killed at least 35 sheep on his farm in Al Musaili, Ras Al Khaimah over two years. He finally caught the honey badger last Thursday after setting up a series of traps and managed to move it into a metal cage. Now handlers from Sharjah Environment and Protected Areas Authority collected the animal.
Commentaries of IALA
The honey badger (Mellivora capensis), also known as the ratel is a mammal widely distributed in Africa, Southwest Asia, and the Indian subcontinent. They are rarely found in the Gulf, so it may be the invasive species coming from private owners. Private ownership of wild and dangerous animals is banned under UAE federal law.
Honey badgers have been observed engaging in surplus killing, in which they kill more prey than they can immediately eat, and then they either cache or abandon the remainder. They may attack humans if provoked.