A Different Environmental Perspective: February 2024 Report Cates 1980

 

Pix credit here

Cates 1980 has distributed its February 2024 Report. It is worth considering, even if one is inclined not to journey to the edges of policy and embrace the operative presumptions that may be embedded.The Report follows below (with some of the pictures). It is a useful way of getting a sense of what is happening at the edges of the perception from the center.

Feb 2024 Report 

Fifty ways not to save the planet!

50 Shades of Green. Cartoons by Josh.
Website: http://cates1980.wixsite.com/cateswebsite Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/robert.piller.3979

 

Jeffrey Smith

GE SOIL MICROBES NEW TARGET FOR AGRICHEMICAL COMPANIES.

https://responsibletechnology.org/ge-soil-microbes-new-target-for-agrichemical- companies/

Rhinos cont'd. Synthetic/Bio-Fabricated Rhino Horn.

Staying with this letter from Pembient, I couldn't help noticing the line highlighted below. When enquiring what this actually meant the news we got back was not exactly encouraging to put it mildly.

However, what he fails to understand is the difference between a simulant (e.g., glass, cubic zirconia) and a synthetic (e.g., an actual diamond made in a lab). We've always been interested in producing synthetics; although numerous technical challenges remain and may be insurmountable for us.

............................................................................................................................................

To answer your question as directly as possible. What we've manufactured is rhino horn powder. We chose not to take this powder to market since we felt it was better to focus on solid horn since that was (and is) unfakable. Unfortunately, we've never been able to manufacture solid horn of the appropriate quality.

I've now spent about ten years on this problem, and given that Pembient has only managed to raise a fraction of a fraction of the funds needed to even try to commercialize an animal-replacement technology (cf. Upside Foods ($608M total), Bolt Threads ($334M), Perfect Day ($840M total)), it is unlikely that we will succeed in our endeavor. While I haven't made a permanent decision yet, it is likely that Pembient will cease operations some time in 2024.

I wish I had better news for you, but that's my honest take on the situation. Cheers,
Matthew Markus
https://www.pembient.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewmarkus

I always prefer honest answers and this was what we got.

If ever it were perfected of course I believe this could have major implications for the trade in horn. I've always had so much more faith in it than the everyday rhino charities have ever had. It would be utterly self-funded too with the price horn commands within the existing markets, with many many thousands of dollars changing hand within this vile trade.

Imagine an alternate situation where that wealth was transferred from the killing of rhinos to the manufacturing of fake horn instead, with real conservationists working in the markets fleecing those evil bastards dry. It's a possibility those stuffy old fossils working within the rhino charities could barely begin to imagine. They would argue, it has to be declared as fake and would find any number of excuses as to why it wouldn't work.

In the meantime rhinos are at the mercy of all this bickering. Poaching's never going to go away with the current thinkings. And so there we are then.

 

2023 was another incredible year for Shark Champions. Thanks to your dedication and love for our magnificent sharks and rays, this is what we accomplished this year:

Twelve shark species spared shooting. The Queensland (QLD) Shark Control Program finally reduced their list of target sharks. Since the 1960s if any one of 19 species of shark were caught on drumlines or entangled in shark nets, they would be shot by contractors. As of 1 January 2023, the list of species to kill was reduced to seven species, down from 19. Species such as mako sharks, blue sharks, and great hammerheads will no longer be shot when found alive on shark control equipment. This is progress but we won't stop until there is an end to all shark culling in Queensland and New South Wales.

Sharks and sawfish have received a critical boost to protections in QLD waters. Gillnets will be banned from the Great Barrier Reef by 2027, and the majority will be gone by the end of this year! The few remaining gillnet vessels will come under tighter rules, including mandatory cameras on vessels to monitor exactly what and how much is being caught. Gillnet-free zones in the QLD-managed Gulf of Carpentaria are also due to be implemented in March 2024 - what a positive way to kick the year off!

Maugean skate is conservation priority. We are doing all we can to put the skate on the best possible path for it to avoid extinction. Constant pressure from Shark Champions, and our nomination for the skate to be listed as Critically Endangered under Australia’s nature laws has put it at the top of the Federal Government’s conservation priorities. Have an amazing and safe summer break with your family, friends and loved ones. We are so excited to think about what we can achieve together next year.

Shark Champions. 

 

Barely a month ago, we celebrated the first right whale calf of the season. Today, we're mourning the news that the calf has already been struck by a boat likely fatally.

Critically endangered North Atlantic right whales will never recover if we don't protect them from vessel strikes. NOAA has drafted rules that would protect whales from boats, but they've never finalized them. Draft regulations are meaningless on the water.

Please take a minute to let NOAA know that you think that right whale calves deserve to live longer than a month and a half.

With only around 350 right whales left, we can't afford any more delays. Every baby is necessary for the survival of the species. Calving season, when right whale mothers and their newborns travel through shipping lanes up and down the coast, is still underway. Please speak up on behalf of these vulnerable right whales.

Tell NOAA that right whale babies can't wait. We need to protect these gentle giants from vessel strikes today.

Please take action to protect the future of the North Atlantic right whale!

https://act.clf.org/page/60255/action/1 

 

Wild Wins in 2023.

Reflecting on 2023! As we turn the page to a new year, we're thrilled to share some of the incredible stories and successes that made last year truly wild. Here are 10 highlights that fuel our excitement for 2024. Each of these conservation milestones received support from Re:wild, and we couldn't do any of it without YOU. As we dive into the new year, we're filled with gratitude, excitement and unwavering determination. Let's rewild 2024!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxL9DRdk6Xc 

 

New Animation: End Hare Coursing

In a world where compassion and empathy should be our guiding principles, it is disheartening to discover that some individuals derive enjoyment and profit from the suffering of innocent creatures. Hare coursing, a practice that involves using dogs to chase and kill hares, stands as a stark reminder of the sort of sick activity we’re trying to end. To shed light on the issue and encourage people to back our campaign for a proper ban on hunting, we have produced a powerful animation narrated by the talented actress Poppy Lee Friar which you can watch below.

What is hare coursing?

Hare coursing was made illegal in 2004 under the Hunting Act however it still takes place across many counties. It is the pursuit of hares with sight hounds like lurchers as opposed to the harriers, beagles or bassets involved in hare hunting. It takes place mainly across the flatlands of Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire and Norfolk, and criminal gangs often film the events for betting use. In hare coursing there are usually two hounds chasing the hare and bets are placed on which of the two dogs will be able to kill the hare quicker.

This often results in a tug of war between the two dogs over the hare which unsurprisingly causes immense pain and suffering to the terrified animal being ripped to pieces. Shockingly, there are individuals who not only find joy in this bloodsport but also seek financial gain from the suffering of these defenceless creatures. Our animation - which has been viewed more than a MILLION times on TikTok in the last 24 hours - exposes the brutality inherent in hare coursing, as we put forward our case for the Hunting of Mammals Bill, a piece of legislation which we believe would finally see an end to all hunting with dogs. Watch the animation.

https://protectthewild.substack.com/p/new-animation-end-hare-coursing 

 

Recent Extinctions Within the US States & Territories - A cause for concern.

With all these extinctions happening within recent times, we need to ask ourselves exactly what might be causing them. The Bachman's warbler from South Carolina and Florida was no doubt helped along its way by modern farming methods. While the bridled white-eye from Guam would no doubt had fallen victim to the non-native and highly invasive brown tree snake which was accidentally taken over there from New Guinea. But most alarming of all perhaps, and there are no fewer than eight of them, are those that once lived in the state of Hawaii.

So what specifically is going on there?

Pesticides in Paradise: Hawaii's Health & Environment at Risk.

The chemical industry’s experimentation with pesticide-promoting genetically engineered (GE) crops increasingly threaten Hawaii’s public health, biodiversity and food independence. To curb these threats and raise public awareness about this issue, HCFS has published the groundbreaking, in-depth report Pesticides in Paradise: Hawaii’s Health and Environment at Risk. On Oahu, Kauai, Maui, and Molokai, chemical and biotechnology companies Monsanto, Syngenta, DuPont-Pioneer, Dow Chemical, and BASF have purchased prime agricultural land, taking advantage of Hawaii’s isolation and year-round growing season, in order to field test crops that have been genetically engineered to withstand greater applications of pesticides. Hawaii is a relatively small state, but has one of the highest rates of open-air GE field tests in the U.S. in 2014, chemical companies conducted GE field tests on over 1,381 sites. Herbicide resistance has been the most frequently tested trait over the past five years.

This means GE crops tested in Hawaii, by and large, are designed to withstand ever greater applications of herbicides, posing a direct threat to human and environmental health. Pesticide drift is a primary concern for communities living alongside GE operations. In the report, HCFS reviews over 150 published scientific and medical research examining the threats pesticides used in Hawaii pose to public health, especially the risk to pregnant women and young children. The findings reveal that pesticide exposure in utero and early life has been linked to childhood cancers, neurobehavioral and cognitive deficits, adverse birth outcomes, and asthma. Neither pesticides nor GE crops are adequately regulated in the state of Hawaii, and this report is a major advancement in efforts to establish stronger regulations that protect Hawaii’s people and natural resources from harmful exposure to pesticides.

https://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/reports/3901/pesticides-in-paradise-hawaiis-health- and-environment-at-risk

The Hawaii Department of Agriculture and the University of Hawaii at Mānoa.

For the past few of decades or more under the guidance of the above authorities, chemical companies have taken full advantage of Hawaii's isolation and obvious lack of pesticides' regulations. Nicely out of the way of the US mainland, where there'd probably had been greater opposition, industries have been getting away with whatever eco-crimes they like. In fact between themselves and their government they've turned the entire place into the world's biggest chemical experimentation haven. And whilst it cannot be a 100% proven this was the direct cause of so many extinctions, there can positively be no justification for such reckless irresponsible practice either.

So where does this leave the wildlife living there?

The balance of life on these remote islands can be extremely complex. Each plant is often allotted to its own specific insect, bird or bat, where an interdependent relationship either as pollinators or seed dispersers forms between the two. Should for whatever reason any one of them disappear, it means that particular plant will no longer be getting the services it requires, and so that too will also eventually die out. With so many species being eliminated from their specific roles within the system, Hawaii could well be heading towards a complete ecological collapse.

With all the conservation measures in the world, as with those working around the clock to save their endemic plants, if outside forces of pure evil are working against and ultimately undoing any good work being done, it just make their efforts so much more difficult. Work like hand pollinating and seed collecting, which should normally only be seen as an interim stopgap solution until such time as things improve. If that's never going to happen down to self-centered interests, then these interim measures become not so much interim but more an everlasting treadmill.

Hawaiian Bird poisoners. Please write.

cynagami@hawaii.edu; epp@ctahr.hawaii.edu; manoa.admissions@hawaii.edu; info@uhalumni.org; book@hawaii.edu; billpayment-l@lists.hawaii.edu; kokua@hawaii.edu; finaid@hawaii.edu; gradss@hawaii.edu; uhsm@hawaii.edu; library@hawaii.edu; david@hawaii.edu; provost@hawaii.edu; uhmsh@hawaii.edu; hdoa.pested@hawaii.gov; hdoa.info@hawaii.gov; hdoa.titlevi@hawaii.gov; hdoa.jobs@hawaii.gov; Raenette.SL.Gee@hawaii.gov; info@bayer.com; alexander.hennig@bayer.com; alexander.gutmann@bayer.com; HRDirect.USA@dupont.com; HRDirect.Manila@dupont.com; HRDirect.Asturias@dupont.com; media@dow.com; ryschikorra@dow.com; FEUMREU@dow.com; mkfournier@dow.com; ycai8@dow.com; RMKeega@dow.com; FMatar@dow.com; HNAlonso@dow.com; FMatar@dow.com; anair9@dow.com; Accounts Payable: PH: 1-646-817-9581; Email: AP_Inquiry_Mail_box@basf.com; accounts_receivables@basf.com; CreditDepartmentInquiry_US-CA@basf.com; NA-Real-Estate- Requests@basf.com; customer.services@syngenta.com; product.technical_enquiries@syngenta.com; shareholder.services@syngenta.com; recruitment.uk@syngenta.com; support@syngentadigital.co.uk; Operations.HR_UK@syngenta.com;

 

Ace Hardware locations around the country are selling miniature tanks containing African dwarf frogs. These tiny cubes are far too small to sufficiently house these fragile animals. Urge Ace Hardware to stop selling small, transparent boxes with live frogs trapped inside.

African dwarf frogs require specialized care—yet consumers are misled to believe that they’re “low-maintenance.” Many frogs die as a result. In nature, they live 15 years on average. In captivity, they’re lucky to make it to age 5.

Selling frogs in these tiny boxes is inhumane. The artificial “biospheres” don’t allow them enough space to live comfortably, and there’s no filtration system, so the water can quickly become filthy and toxic. Frogs are vectors of salmonella and can easily pass the dangerous bacteria to humans, including children or immunocompromised people.

https://support.peta.org/page/60507/action/1

jvenh@acehardware.com 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PE3ZtUWTMJc

Neil Oliver and the Farmer's Revolt.

Throughout the rest of his programme he talked about multinationals this and multinationals that. Well, the farmers themselves know a thing or two about multinationals. These are just some of those they're dousing us with every time they're out there in their fields.

Ciba-Geigy, Dow, DuPont, Monsanto, Syngenta, AstraZeneca, Novartis, Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline, Eli Lilly, Courtaulds, EDBI, Johnson & Johnson, Cubist, Sandoz, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Bayer and BASF. 

 

ICELANDIC WHALE WARS PREPARATIONS

Recently I've had people being critical of our plan to return to Iceland. Many of them being the usual suspects i.e. people I formally trusted who changed the course of Sea Shepherd Global to the mediocre mainstream of non-action saber rattling. First they are saying that my tactics will alienate Icelanders and secondly it's; "hey Iceland said they will not issue permits and whaling will be ended, so why are you fund-raising to go to Iceland if no whales will be killed?

My answer to the first is criticism of our tactics are designed to save whales. We sank half of Iceland's whaling fleet in 1986 and we shut them down for years. Our objective is to prevent the killing of whales. Plus I highly doubt such actions will alienate Icelanders who are fed up with whaling.

In 2023, on the very day we arrived in Icelandic waters, a temporary ban on whaling was implemented. Kristján Loftsson began killing whales again in September. We could not return because Denmark pressured Jamaica to strike our flag for interfering with the slaughter of pilot whales in the Faroes.

We have now reflagged we are fully prepared to return and we will return in June 2024. As for Iceland ending whaling we only need to look at this quote from Kristján Loftsson from the October 13th, 2023 edition of The Guardian. (article attached). “I’m not worried. I know the people here and the politics better than many. I think it will be no problem. I am confident that we will be whaling next year.”

Loftsson is accustomed to getting what he wants and we need to prevent him if all other options fail. If he does not get his way, this wealthiest man in Iceland has the power to bring down the government unless they comply with his desires. But in the unlikely event that the Icelandic government does stop him, the outcome will be what we all want and no confrontation will take place. This will mean a short voyage over to the Faroe Islands and/or Norway to intervene against the killing of cetaceans there.

Either way, we will be prepared for the worst in Iceland and fully prepared for the Faroes and Norway, should Iceland's endangered Fin whales are protected. What I can promise is a summer of action in defense of Fin whales, Minke whales, Pilot whales and Dolphins. I think it's time for another dramatic, aggressive and effective intervention.

Do you agree? Paul Watson.

Now this is more like the Paul Watson I knew and loved back in the early 1980s. If ever he does start a new beginning once again, we will be backing him every step of the way. With features, free advertising, and fund raising initiatives, we'll cover his activities in every CATES report.

Time will tell of course. We've been disappointed before but if it does all kick off we'll be there with him giving him all the support we can give.

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The Media Balance Newsletter: 1/22/24

Welcome! We cover COVID to Climate, as well as Energy to Elections.
Here is the link for this issue, so please share it on social media.
If you like the Newsletter, signup for my free Critical Thinking substack... https://election-integrity.info/Newsletter/2024/Media_Balance_Newsletter-1-22-24.pdf 

 

Cold Hard Times

With the past five days being 30 to 40 below zero, being on patrol felt apparitional. For what the animals have to live through, what they grow for in their hard lives, it's supernatural. Combined with the state of Montana's 'no tolerance stance' against the buffalo, the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem makes it hard to be a buffalo.

Still the Yellowstone buffalo instinctively and naturally migrate to lower elevation grazing grounds. A group of twenty dared to come out of Yellowstone National Park Monday and four were shot before they made it to Highway 191. The survivors ran back into the "safety" of the park.

We continue to witness buffalo not leaving the park until the deep snow makes them. We can conclude that this behavior is a direct result of this decades long Interagency Bison Management Plan. If we can live with wolves and grizzly bears out of the park, why can't buffalo roam? The plan focuses on brucellosis yet has allowed the elk, which carry brucellosis, to migrate freely, spreading the cattle borne disease into the Paradise and Madison Valleys. We are not seeing cows dropping from elk borne brucellosis although transmission is occurring. Brucellosis is a mute point.

Manage wild buffalo like elk

More than 60 million taxpayer dollars spent to date has seen the bison "management" plan be a total failure and only results in dead buffalo. Meanwhile chronic wasting disease (CWD) makes its way into the Yellowstone ecosystem. Wyoming's state run feed lots for wildlife and confinement of animals through industry practices and the buffalo management plan will only help CWD spread.

It is time we prioritize helping our native wildlife and people over an invasive livestock species we call the cow. It is time we rested the management of our last wild migratory buffalo out of the hands of the state of Montana and placed it into the hands of Indigenous and wildlife biologists who have both Traditional Ecological Knowledge as well as science-based management practices. Remember, it was the cow that gave our wildlife brucellosis. It was the decimation of millions of buffalo and the Buffalo People that continues to endanger the health of our Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem today. And it is the buffalo who continue to give birth and graze and heal the land and make antibodies and live in community.

Mike Mease, Buffalo Field Campaign.

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Take Action for Frogs

Carrefour was identified as one of the recipients of frog legs from many of the facilities investigated by PETA Asia. Like all animals, frogs deserve compassion. You can help stop the abuse of these sensitive individuals, who endure agonising deaths before reaching Carrefour shelves.

Please use the form below to urge Carrefour to spare frogs a violent death by ending its sale of frog legs.

https://secure.peta.org.au/page/137869/action/1 

 

Beekeepers are finding a carpet of dead bees where hives used to live and it's about to get worse.

Bayer and Syngenta are using an “emergency” loophole in the law to try and dismantle the progress we've made on banning neonics in Europe – fields are still soaking in banned bee-killing pesticides. But we can close the bee-killing loophole and save the bees!

If we all come together and pitch in, we can create a mega legal fund that bee-defenders everywhere can access to sue against these fake “emergencies” — and force governments from the UK to Romania to enforce the ban. This won’t be just one lawsuit – it will take many legal battles in several countries until Bayer and Syngenta give up...that's why we need to be ready.

Ever since we won the historic ban on bee-killing neonics, Bayer and Syngenta have been trying to undermine it – and now they’ve found a new tactic to keep their poisons in widespread use: sneakily helping industrial farms come up with “emergencies” to dodge the rules and slip their toxic pesticides past all of us.

And it’s working. There have been over 65 approvals to use banned bee-killing pesticides across Europe since 2018 – and new approvals have occurred even after the European Court of Justice issued a clear ruling last year: the use of emergency derogations to allow the use of banned pesticides violates EU pesticide law. 

 

Petition: Ban imports of hunting trophies of endangered animals

The Government made a manifesto commitment to ban imports of hunting trophies from endangered animals but has so far failed to deliver and legislation was not announced in the recent King’s Speech.

Please click this link to sign the petition.

https://petition.parliament.uk/signatures/140067928/

Red squirrel suffers slow and painful death in unmonitored trap

Scotland's Daily Record has published a photo of a trapped red squirrel, who had likely suffered a slow death from starvation and dehydration. The horrific image shows just how barbaric and torturous even supposedly 'humane' animal traps are if they are not regularly checked by the operator.

Dog walker Paula McLachlan discovered the body of the squirrel in woods near the village of Dalton, close to Lockerbie in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. “Saw this on my walk in the woods just outside of Dalton, on the road to Hightae. I assume whoever set this trap was intending to catch grey squirrels, not red, but why would there be a trap like this, in woodland where red squirrels live if the trap isn’t constantly monitored? There are few enough left, absolutely horrible to see one dead through being trapped.

When I initially found the squirrel dead on Monday morning, it looked like it had been there at least a day already. I went back on Tuesday and it was still there.” Paula stated that the squirrel had died while trying to claw her way out of the trap. "This squirrel trap closes when an animal enters and they can't get out. Sadly the squirrel in that photo probably died of thirst of hunger." It is thought that the trap was set by a grey squirrel monitor. Grey squirrels are an introduced species in the UK, and have been held responsible for killing off much of our native red squirrel population. Scotland has a grey squirrel-trapping programme, coordinated with Saving Scotland's Red Squirrels (SSRS). The organisation states:

"At this time, halting further spread of grey squirrels in strategically targeted areas is the only viable option to fully protect the strong red squirrel populations we still have across Scotland. Trapping or shooting are the only available means of doing this in Scotland. The SSRS project utilises live cage-trapping according to best practice guidelines, and then dispatches the animal in the most humane way possible."

Protect the Wild.

Another Red Kite poisoned with bendiocarb

Police in Norfolk are appealing for information after tests revealed a Red Kite discovered dead in North Creake had died from suspected insecticide poisoning.
Officers from Norfolk Police’s Operation Randall team have been investigating the death of the protected bird of prey, which was found by a member of the public in a field in North Creake in August 2023 with no obvious physical injuries (eg gunshot wounds or collision with overhead wires).

Because it was not clear how the kite had died, further tests were ordered. A post- mortem examination carried out at the end of November through the Wildlife Incident Investigation Scheme (WIIS) - which makes enquiries into the death or illness of wildlife, pets and beneficial invertebrates that may have resulted from pesticide poisoning - detected a number of pesticides and insecticides, including very high levels of Bendiocarb which has been concluded as the likely cause of death.

Wildlife officer PC Chris Shelley is quoted on the Norfolk Police website saying: “We now know the levels of Bendiocarb contained within the samples taken from the bird have not come from the approved use of such a product.” “I have to conclude that this product has been used illegally in very close proximity to where the bird was recovered."

All birds of prey are protected by law, and the laying of poison baits in the open countryside has been illegal for over 100 years. Birds are still being poisoned though. The RSPB Birdcrime report noted 36 poisonings in the UK in 2021 (victims included 12 Common Buzzards, 10 Red Kites, two Peregrines, one Golden Eagle, and one White- tailed Eagle), and there have been 64 confirmed incidents of abuse of banned or highly toxic chemicals to target birds of prey in Northern Ireland alone since 2009.

As the RSPB’s highly experienced investigator Guy Shorrock wrote in November 2021, “we are still a long way from removing the cancer of illegal poisoning from our countryside“, adding that bendiocarb “has increasingly become the poisoner’s weapon of choice”.

But what is bendiocarb? As we explain in our Protectors of the Wild page on Poisoning and Poisoned Baits, Bendiocarb is an acutely toxic carbamate insecticide used in public health and agriculture against a wide range of disease vector insects (it is used in malaria control, for example). Pure bendiocarb is highly toxic to birds (and to important pollinators including honey bees). It is so toxic that it has been banned in Scotland since 2005 and even possession is considered a serious offence. In England, bendiocarb is licenced for (diluted) use as an ingredient in a number of products, but they are intended for the indoor control of certain insects such as ants and wasps.

What should we do if we find a dead bird of prey that may have been poisoned?
It's clear that had the member of the public who found this bird NOT reported it to the police, this incident would have never been recorded. It is critical that any suspicious death of a bird of prey is reported to the police (on 999) or to RSPB Investigations (on 0300 999 0101) as quickly as possible (before the corpse disintegrates and any poisons are leached away into the soil).

Not every dead bird of prey we find will have been poisoned of course. Avian Flu has been found in birds of prey such as Peregrine Falcon, Hen Harrier, Buzzard, White-tailed Eagle and Golden Eagle, and of course sometimes birds simply die and their bodies are found soon after. However, especially if near a shooting estate, any unmarked bird of prey that is lying dead for no apparent reason may have been poisoned and a crime committed. If that is the case, photograph the body and report it.

Another reaction might be to pick up the body 'for evidence'. Please note that we should NOT be picking up dead raptors without being extremely careful. Please DO NOT TOUCH ANYTHING with your bare hands. Modern poisons like bendiocarb or carbofuran are extremely dangerous. Just a few grains or granules will kill a bird of prey by breaking down its nervous system, and the poison can be quickly absorbed through our own skin.

Protect the Wild.

The Amazon's freshwater dolphins are inching closer to extinction, threatened by over 400 hydroelectric dams in operation, under construction, or planned in the river basin. These structures disrupt the delicate aquatic ecosystem, posing severe risks to migratory species like the Amazon River Dolphin and the Tucuxi.

Studies reveal a rapid decline in the dolphin populations in the Amazon, with the risk of extinction looming unless immediate action is taken. The fate of the Ganges and Yangtze River Dolphins, with the latter now likely functionally extinct, serves as a grim reminder of what could happen to the Amazon's dolphins.

While some national protections exist, they're insufficient against the broader environmental impact of damming the Amazon's tributaries. An urgent moratorium on future large dams in the Amazon basin is critical to preserve these ecosystems and prevent the decline of these iconic dolphin species.

Join the movement to save Amazon's dolphins. Sign the petition urging the governments of the Amazon River Basin to halt dam construction and prioritize the preservation of these vital aquatic habitats.

Please sign.

https://therainforestsite.greatergood.com/clicktogive/trs/petition/amazon-river-dolphins

Rebuilding the Crooked House Pub cannot begin until such time as the police have finished their investigations. In the meantime we'll leave you with these.

European ancient forests are precious — vast, ancient and teeming with biodiversity. Most wilderness in our continent has already been destroyed, but the East is home to some of the continent’s few remaining old-growth forests. Unfortunately, illegal logging has cleared vast swathes of these ancient forests in Romania and the destruction still continues today.

A coalition of environmental organisations are determined to fight to ensure Europe doesn’t destroy the last of its most precious old-growth forests. Four years ago, they filed a formal complaint with EU Commissioner for the Environment, Virginijus Sinkevičius, urging accountability from the Romanian government to protect these vital forests. Yet, despite their efforts, illegal logging persists without consequence.

This year Commissioner Sinkevičius will be up for re-election — a crucial moment when he’ll closely watch public pressure, aiming to consolidate his legacy as a guardian of the environment. This is a moment to ramp up the pressure, so this coalition of environmental organisations have started a petition.

Please join us in urging the European Commissioner to safeguard our last ancient forests from illegal logging:

https://action.wemove.eu/sign/2024-01-trial-Romanian-forests-petition-EN/

After moving about 50 meters, the mother looked back and found one of her cubs still lazing at the spot where the family of three had rested most of the day. While the second cub at her heels waited, she turned and trudged back through the snow to their rest site. This tiny bit of motherly attention made the dawdling cub spring to its feet, rub its cheek against hers, and start following her.

I was sorry to see the beautiful family disappear from sight but also secretly thankful. The cold air had started to bite through my layers of clothing as the sun hid behind the mountains. I headed back to the village of Kibber, where a warm mud-walled room and a steaming hot cup of sweet tea waited for me, nearly 27 years after I first lived there as a young Ph.D. student.

Things were different then in this snow leopard haven of the Indian Himalayas. Soon after I initially arrived there, I heard that a snow leopard had been killed inside the village. It was a retaliatory killing. The conflict was intense. Snow leopards kill domestic livestock when they have an opportunity. At that time, spotting a wild snow leopard in any other way was almost unthinkable.

In fact, it would be ten years before I saw my first snow leopard in the wild. Today, Kibber and surrounding villages are among the world's top destinations for snow leopard tourism. For local residents, snow leopards - once viewed as pests to get rid of - are now a source of pride and livelihood. Such is the transformative power of conservation when local and indigenous communities are empowered to lead it.

So, when I heard about a recent experience in the village of Tashigang in Kinnaur District, further downstream from Spiti, I felt a distinct sense of deja vu. Kalzang Gurmet, a member of the indigenous community of Kibber, is a conservationist on our team leading work in Kinnaur. In his early conversations with the community, Kalzang discovered that a snow leopard had been killed in Tashigang in a retaliatory killing. The conflict was rife.

Tashigang in 2022 was where Kibber was in 1995. Kalzang knew that this was going to take time. Thus began a phase of presence and trust-building in Tashigang, followed by conservation action. In 2023, together with the community, we built 13 predator-proof corrals to secure their livestock. This region is important for snow leopards. Camera traps recently showed it to be a high-density habitat. Tashigang is the latest addition to our list of local community partners in snow leopard conservation. With patience and time, Kalzang and our team will hopefully make Tashigang another model of successful coexistence.

The work of Kalzang and our diverse teams would not be possible without your support. Because of you, we are making a positive impact in all 12 snow leopard range countries. And thanks to more than 2,500 supporters like you from 40 countries, we recently surpassed our year-end revenue goal, raising over $755,000 (and still counting!) Together, we are ensuring that the tale of the snow leopard is one of hope. I hope you'll feel inspired to learn more about some of the life-changing work you make possible.

During these times of global conflict and turmoil, it can be hard to stay optimistic. But each time I despair, I’m reminded of the special moments I've spent watching snow leopards and their families, such as the gentle gesture of love between a mother and her wayward cub. I'm reminded of our strong community partnerships and your dedication. And I'm filled with hope. Snow leopards bring people and nations closer. Together, we will transform the world: one family, one community, and one country at a time.

Charu Mishra. Snow Leopard Trust.

Hundreds of thousands of animals slaughtered and tens of millions of pounds wasted.

The government’s badger cull has been a disastrous, cruel failure. And yet, not only are they planning to carry on - they’re planning to escalate. You can help stop it. Hundreds of thousands of badgers slaughtered across England - for nothing. And now the UK government wants to expand this senseless, cruel cull to exterminate badgers entirely in some areas. They claim it is to reduce tuberculosis in cattle - but despite millions thrown at killing our furry friends, it’s done nothing to actually reduce the disease.

In fact, in Scotland - where there is no cull, and the government has taken other measures - bovine tuberculosis has been eradicated altogether. And yet, despite the cruelty, the slaughter, and the waste, the UK government isn’t just planning to carry on with the cull - they’re planning to expand it.

Experts are equal parts baffled and outraged by the proposals, but the government already ignored the experts when they introduced the cull in the first place, and they’re set to ignore them again. We need to send them a message, from hundreds of thousands of members of the public, that’s so huge that they can’t ignore it.

STOP THE CULL – PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION

https://secure.avaaz.org/campaign/en/stop_the_cull_v2_1/

Cheshire Independent Hunt Monitors.

Or the Cheshire Indies as they’re usually known) are an independent monitoring group working across the northwest of England. They focus on the Cheshire Hunt, Cheshire Forest Hunt, and the notorious Wynnstay Hunt (a hunt that has regularly featured on Protect the Wild eg see here).

In November 2023 Protect the Wild provided the ‘Indies’ with funds to buy a drone, a serious purchase for us to make bearing in mind the cost and the fact that Protect the Wild has a responsibility to our supporters and their donations. As we reported in “Putting an 'eye in the sky' on Cheshire's Hunts”, though, the group (who undertook extensive training on drone flying) were confident that their ‘eye in the sky’ would make a huge difference to their ability to track the hunts across the huge areas of farmland and open country they were using.

That confidence has already borne fruit!

Just last weekend, the ‘Indies’ recorded excellent footage which showed beyond any doubt (and in sharp, high-res 4k) that contrary to hunts’ claims of so-called ‘trail hunting’ in actual fact hunting now looks very much like it did before the Hunting Act banned hunting with hounds almost twenty years ago: the hounds running wherever they want, riders arrogantly blocking roads and stopping traffic to allow hounds to cross from one field to the next, and - as they break through hedges and across a road - proving the impossibility of a scent trail being followed.

While more footage is being sorted through to provide to the police, the ‘Indies’ have released the clip and explanation below as a good example of a hunt operating behind the ‘smokescreen’ of ‘trail hunting’.

Protect the Wild.

A huge week is upon us and the Judicial Review hearing will start at 10 am Uk time, on the 18th January, so just two days away. We are thoroughly prepared, have an excellent legal team in place and so we are ready to speak up on behalf of the Scottish Wildcat. It simply makes no sense that the home of the most endangered feline in the world, can be destroyed for a windfarm that can be situated elsewhere, on one of the multitudes of bare, treeless hills across Scotland.

We are constantly monitoring the Clashindarroch for logging activity but also of course detecting wildcats. Cameras are set in strategic places and left for months to record any wildcat that passes. We are absolutely thrilled to show you this beautiful footage of a wildcat we caught on camera, right in the heart of the Clashindarroch. As it comes towards the camera you can see the blunt tail, the dorsal stripe, nape stripes and there is there no white patch on the chest. It is a real beauty. What a privilege to be face to face with such an incredible animal, going about its business in the forest home where it belongs. We think this a fully mature male, you can see the swagger as it approaches the camera and the broad head. Just awesome.

This is why we fight; this is why we won’t give up and we thank each and every one of you for your unwavering support.

This wildcat and the others that inhabit the Clashindarroch, deserve the right to live and breed in peace.

We really hope you enjoy the video and that inspires you as it does us:

https://www.wildcathaven.com/news/face-to-face-with-a-clashindarroch-wildcat

Emily and the whole Wildcat Haven Team

He Mercilessly Shot His Two German Shepherds Execution-Style.

Then, Authorities Found His Private, Illegal Slaughterhouse. The idea of an illegal, personal slaughterhouse sounds like something straight out of a horror film. But for a large group of animals in Long Island, New York, it was a very real place where they were being held captive. There, a man was keeping dogs, pigs, goats, cows, and chickens prisoner, depriving them of clean water and food -- and slowly killing them, one by one.

Authorities became aware of the nightmare situation when a one-year-old German Shepherd arrived at a local vet with a gunshot wound to his head that had left him paralyzed. A witness had found this poor pup on the Long Island man's property, so police went there to investigate. What they found was sickening. Not only had this man shot the German Shepherd intentionally, but he had shot and killed a 6-month-old puppy named Cranky just weeks earlier! Cranky had been disobedient (what puppy isn't?), so the man shot him in the back. He then shot and killed Cranky when someone else on the property tried to comfort and help the poor pup. Clearly, this man isn't at all phased by terrorizing and endangering the lives of both animals and humans alike.

But if what he did to these dogs wasn't proof enough, police found an excess of horrors still to come. Nearly a dozen more dogs, and a "multitude" of pigs, cows, chickens, goats, and sheep living in misery. Allegedly there were dead animals and horrific displays of body parts everywhere. The smells, sights, and sounds must have been unbearable for rescuers.

Please sign the petition to protect future animals!

https://www.thepetitionsite.com/en-gb/takeaction/202/541/623/

French officials are actively destroying coral reefs in Tahiti -- and all to build a fancy, new air-conditioned judging tower for the 2024 Paris Olympics Surfing Competition. The French Minister for Sports and the President of the Organising Committee for Paris Olympics 2024 refuse to stray off their path -- for now.

Already, local organizers together with pro surfers and marine activists succeeded to push for a construction pause -- but with constructions about to continue again, they're running out of time. That’s where the Eko-Community can help and strengthen the push for a complete halt on the tower construction.

As a global community of millions, we can show the organisers of the Paris Olympics that the whole world is against their destructive plans! Will you join us in protecting Tahiti’s precious reefs? Tell the Hosts of Paris Olympics 2024: Don’t build a new judging tower!

For decades, surfers have been using a wooden tower to judge competitions -- using the same foundation every time. The new judging tower is planned to be positioned right on top of the reefs in Teahupo’o, decked out with toilets, air conditioning and everything fancy for the organisers’ comfort. But, this is a death sentence for the corals and marine environment.

As a global community of millions, we have the power to protect our planet from greed for prestige and profit. Together we have saved vast lands of rainforests. Today, we can protect our oceans and protect the beautiful strips of coral reefs in Tahiti. Are you in?

Please sign.

https://actions.eko.org/a/paris-olympics-2024-tahiti-coral-reefs/

I have received 6 boxes of clothes from a certain organisation

I have a lot of people who want help but where can I get help if you can find people who can help us please help us. I give them to disabled people, orphans, old people who can't get help on their own, so it's hard for me to be able to do it with the little help I get. but please try to tell them in Ghana that maybe they can send the clothes here in Malawi so that people can wear them because we donate to the needy and the elderly and orphans so please try to push up

Albert Chemba

https://www.facebook.com/albert.chemba.9

Clothes should be warn and not dumped on the beaches. British charities who routinely send their clothes to Africa please take note.

Scottish Natural Heritage - “The Guardians of Scotland's tremendous natural heritage,” no less.

Murdering as many barnacle and grey-lag geese as they've ever done, Scottish Natural Heritage is the outright scourge of conservation. In this link below filmed by an undercover journalist from the Ferret, it shows what a complete disregard these people have for wildlife.

https://youtu.be/dFiZV7d5vws

Please write to:

ENQUIRIES@Nature.scot; enquiries@snh.gov.uk; MEDIA@nature.scot;

Did you know that salmon farms are fed on fish plundered from Africa, putting millions of people at risk of malnutrition? That's why a growing number of restaurants and chefs have committed to simply not serving open-net farmed salmon. One big name that's missing though is Wagamama, a chain of 190+ restaurants around the world, that's known for its noodle dishes and its many vegetarian and vegan options. Wagamama says "we believe in the power of small choices for big change" -- so let's hold them to their own words: Tell Wagamama to take farmed salmon off the menu. In a few decades, salmon has gone from a rare luxury, but its popularity comes at a terrible cost. The chemical pesticides, fish faeces, and diseases flowing from salmon farms can have fatal consequences for other marine life.

And it's not just a problem for countries that host the farms. Farmed salmon are fed fish plundered with devastating consequences from oceans half a world away. In West Africa, in particular, the demand for these wild-caught fish causes overfishing and robs local livelihoods. Wagamama has the power to cut its ties to the salmon farming industry, but it won't move without a push. That's why we've got to raise our voices together: Tell Wagamama to join the growing movement of restaurants that have already pledged to get farmed salmon off the menu.

Along with partner organisations, 189,000 Ekō members recently took on the Australian salmon industry for shooting hungry seals. Ekō members have for years also supported local protests and investigations into salmon farms in Scotland, and recently we helped stop a major copper and gold mine in Alaska that would have endangered the 60 million wild sockeye salmon that come to Bristol Bay each year. Wagamama's slogan of "small choices for big change" is nice. Now it's time they walked the talk:

https://actions.eko.org/a/wagamama-salmon/

It's up to you. I never force you, if you believe and care about me saving animals, please get in touch. I really respect you.

Warm greetings.
Antoni Kanto. https://www.facebook.com/antony.west.52

Watch the video.

https://www.facebook.com/messenger_media/

Please write letters to Hilary Franz to ask she stop the timber sale on the Elwha River watershed! Please see the information Coleman sent below.

Happy New Year! Alfredo Quarto.

https://actionnetwork.org/letters/save-the-carrot-and-cabbage-patch-forests

https://actionnetwork.org/letters/power-plant-is-canceled-take-the-next-step-for-the- elwha-watershed

https://actionnetwork.org/letters/save-our-mature-forests-in-pierce-county

Saudi Prince ‘booked out 80 seats on public flight for his killer falcons’

A trip on a flight is rarely something people look forward to and that’s without the jet being filled with killer birds.

That’s what a bizarre image that has been taking the internet by storm purports to show. Row after row, regular economy-class seating is taken up not with crying babies and men with nauseating body-odour, but rather blood-thirsty birds of prey, believed to be falcons. The image has been around for a while, but has been enjoying a resurgence this week after it was reposted by an account on X, formerly Twitter, called Historic Vids.

It shows some 80 falcons, all hooded, sitting on boards on the backs of plane seats. It is surreal – the birds look both at home and strangely humanoid, sitting bolt-upright and not dissimilar to people making casual chit-chat as their flight cruises at 37,000 feet.

The birds are claimed by Historic Vids and other sources to have belonged to a Saudi Prince, with the royal said to have booked out each of the seats for the birds – only adding to this bizarre anthropomorphised scene.

However, while it might look odd to people mainly familiar with Western culture, the transportation of birds is not a wholly uncommon phenomenon in the Middle East. The falcon is the national bird of the nearby UAE with training having taken place in the region for thousands of years and remains a popular pastime.

The image of the falcons on the plane caused shock online (Image: X/historyinmemes)

Falcons can get their own passports from the UAE which are valid for three years, according to the state’s Ministry of Climate Change and Environment. It allows them to travel to Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Morocco, and Syria.

A number of airlines have a policy on the birds, so common is the movement of them on airliners. On Qatar’s website, it reads: “You can carry one falcon in the Economy Class cabin of an aircraft, and a maximum of six falcons are permitted within the Economy Class cabin of any one aircraft (country regulations may apply).”

Meanwhile, the Emirates site’s pet policy, it reads: “Pets are not permitted in the cabin, with the exception of falcons between Dubai and certain destinations in Pakistan.”

It is not known what airline this particular image was taken on.

https://focusingonwildlife.com/news/saudi-prince-booked-out-80-seats-on-public-flight- for-his-killer-falcons/

Derbyshire man convicted of stealing Peregrine eggs

A man has been jailed after abseiling down a quarry cliff face to steal Peregrine eggs. Christopher Wheeldon was caught on hidden cameras set up by the RSPB as he abseiled down the limestone quarry (belonging to construction company Tarmac Group) in April 2023. Derbyshire Police were alerted and Wheeldon, a serial criminal described by Derbyshire Live as a ‘drug-addicted tree surgeon’ was identified and arrested. Search warrants were conducted at two addresses which found the clothing seen in the video but sadly the three eggs he stole were not there and were never able to be retrieved. It's thought that the eggs were hatched and the chicks sold into the illegal falconry trade.

Wheeldon admitted the theft and pleaded guilty to intentionally disturbing a Schedule One protected bird of prey and taking the eggs. It is illegal under the Wildlife & Countryside Act to intentionally or recklessly disturb any Schedule One bird while nest building but also while they’re at or near a nest containing eggs or young - see our Protectors of the Wild page Nesting Bird, Nests, and the Law).

The 34-year-old appeared at Southern Derbyshire Magistrates’ Court on 15th January where he was jailed for eight weeks for two counts relating to the birds. Interestingly (and demonstrating society's priorities), Wheeldon was also given a further ten weeks in prison for a number of shop thefts he committed the same month as he stole the eggs. The RSPB has been alert to the dangers to Derbyshire's Peregrines for many years. During lockdown in 2020 three Peregrine nests were robbed in the Peak District National Park and in 2021 Mark Thomas, RSPB Head of Investigations UK, said:

“Scientific data and crime reports show that raptor persecution is endemic in the Peak District National Park, particularly impacting iconic species like peregrine and goshawk: this is despite both the species and landscape having the fullest legal protection in the UK. More has to be done as it is clear the initiatives in place are failing.” At least in this case Wheeldon was caught and convicted.

Thanking the police and Tarmac for their cooperation in the case, RSPB investigations officer Thomas Grose said: “Peregrine Falcons represent the epitome of being wild and free and it is this very characteristic that makes them such a target for criminals involved in the illegal falconry trade, earning money from the laundering and trading of these birds overseas. The theft of Peregrine eggs and chicks has been a persistent threat to these birds in Derbyshire. This case is a great example of organisations working together to bring those responsible to justice. Without dedicated volunteers and the efforts of Derbyshire Police this would have been just another failed nest. I hope this sends the message that we are watching and will continue our efforts to protect these amazing birds of prey.”

Wheeldon was convicted on video evidence captured by RSPB cameras. While cases have been lost because of a barrister's arguments around the legal technicalities of gaining permission for placing covert surveillance cameras, in this case Tarmac had given permission for the cameras to be installed - and it appeared that (unlike the gamekeepers employed by wealthy shooting estates who typically walk free) Wheeldon wasn't represented by a law firm well-versed in getting wildlife criminals off.

While any conviction is of course welcome, it is still a minor sentence - and as noted above Wheeldon received a longer sentence for the shoplifting offences (ten weeks) than he did for disturbing the Peregrine nest (eight weeks) and stealing the eggs (another eight weeks but running concurrently). Hardly a deterrent to stop an offence that is supposed to be a national police wildlife crime priority that could result in six months in prison. Especially when the thieves - even at this bottom end of the supply chain - stand to make so much money.

One of the world's fastest flying birds Peregrines clock up enormous speeds when 'stooping' or diving, breaking the necks of prey like pigeons with the force of impact as they strike them. Wild falcons are highly prized among the Middle East's falconers, who believe they are generally heavier and more powerful than captive-bred birds, and theft is an ongoing problem for a species that is also persecuted on grouse shooting estates. Following the removal of a Government registration scheme which was intended to differentiate between wild and captive-bred birds, it is now virtually impossible to trace where these Peregrines will have ended up. But tethered to a block and being used to hunt the endangered Houbara Bustard is one distinct (and distressing) possibility...

Protect the Wild.

Tiger Conservation: The Road Ahead.

It was 9.30 a.m. in May 2022, and the forest had already gone silent under the overpowering blaze of the sun. Just as our vehicle drove up a small but steep slope, leading to a large dike that encircled a medium-sized pool of water, I noticed a movement – it was a sub-adult male tiger about to settle down in a shaded patch smack in the middle of the dike. He glanced cursorily at our vehicle before looking away. After a five-minute grooming session, he stood up, stretched, and began walking along the dike away from us.

Within moments we noticed an adult gaur, about 80 m. away, staring at the tiger, which glanced nonchalantly at the largest wild ox in the world, before continuing on his path, acting as if the gaur didn’t exist. The gaur was equally unconcerned, but did not look away from the large cat. When the distance between the two reduced to under 25 m., the tiger descended along the inner slope of the dike, skirted around the opposite bank, and sat on a damp patch close to the water. Unable any longer to keep his eye on the tiger, the gaur turned unhurriedly and disappeared into the undergrowth.

Tigers seldom stray far from perennial water sources. Unlike most cats, water is much more to a tiger than a mere thirst-quenching substance. During summers they often enter the water to cool off, just like this adult male. Not surprisingly, the tiger is called the ‘striped water god’. I have often witnessed encounters between these two large mammals, but this was different in that both predator and prey displayed a respectful fearlessness towards each other. We humans tend to anticipate drama whenever the two meet, but for them, it is a routine affair, particularly at waterbodies.

I spend much of my life in the wilds that I live to protect, and that morning I was on a drive through the incredible Satpura Tiger Reserve’s Churna Range in Madhya Pradesh with my family. I chose to head for the waterhole, knowing fully well that the tiger is unique among most cats in its relationship with water, especially during the hottest part of a summer day.

A face off between the largest cat and the most formidable bovine on earth. The density of tigers is highly dependent on the density of large herbivores. While sambar and chital form a staple diet of the tiger in India, gaur too are taken if an opportunity presents itself. After all, an adult gaur kill can last for five to six days for a family of four – a tigress and three 15-20 month old cubs. Photo: Dr. Anish Andheria.

The Satpura Tiger Reserve is the rising star of the Great Indian Conservation Story. Less than a decade ago, this beautiful 2,000 sq. km. tiger reserve was overrun by communities struggling to make ends meet. While there were over 55 villages inside the core, the first systematic tiger estimation exercise carried out by the Wildlife Conservation Trust revealed under 20 adult tigers. That spelt a density of under one tiger per 100 sq. km.

Today, however, a vast majority of those villages have chosen, actually petitioned, to be assisted in moving out of Satpura, largely because the ambitions of the younger generation have changed. Also because, surrounded by herbivores and overwhelmed by plant-eating insects, they routinely lost a large percentage of their crop. Their livestock too was constantly at risk from predators, and neither schools nor medical facilities were on tap.

When the villages eventually moved out, agricultural fields were almost magically transformed into grasslands through management inputs, village ponds served as secluded water sources for wild species, and forest fires – that used to be set to facilitate mahua flower and tendu leaf collection – reduced drastically. As anticipated, wild prey populations bounced back as anthropogenic pressures went down. Livestock no longer competed with wild herbivores for fodder and with the rise of deer, gaur, monkey and wild pig numbers, tiger numbers rose too. What is more, with enhanced vegetative cover, water regimes and soil moisture improved, as did the health of soil organisms.

https://sanctuarynaturefoundation.org/article/tiger-conservation%3A-the-road-ahead

Dr. Anish Andheria.Tiger Conservation President and CEO, Wildlife Conservation Trust.

This is a huge year for the Scottish Wildcat and we will be hitting the ground running, with the Clashindarroch windfarm court hearing, just over 2 weeks away. We also have big plans for our wider project work in Aberdeenshire and beyond, so as usual there will be lots going on.

As we promised, we have put together a Finlay compilation featuring some of the most important events in his life. He is rehomed back in the Highlands where he was born and he has freedom of choice, which all animals deserve.

We know how much Finlay means to you all and so we hope you all enjoy this sequence. We certainly enjoyed looking back at the early footage of him when he was so tiny and then to see how he has grown into such a beautiful and magnificent animal.

Animals can teach us many things if we are humble enough to listen. Finlay has taught us the importance of resilience, to never to give up, no matter what. That lesson will be at the forefront of our minds as we start 2024.

We hope you enjoy the video
Very best wishes as always
Emily and the whole Wildcat Haven Team. https://www.wildcathaven.com/news/finlay-compilation

What did it take to convict huntsman Chris Woodward?

A look at the evidence gathered by Cheshire Borderland Monitors

Last month Protect the Wild reported that the Wynnstay Hunt's serial criminal former- huntsman Chris Woodward had been convicted of hunting a wild animal with dogs in Lower Wych, Wrexham, on 14 January 2023. Evidence for the conviction had come from Cheshire Borderland Monitors volunteers who had filmed Woodward galloping down a road after his hounds and subsequently hunting across a field. The evidence the monitors collected persuaded the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to pursue the case in court.

Last week the Monitors posted an account on Facebook of Woodward's court appearance and briefly explained how the video they'd taken (which they published in full) had been used to convict him. Many people leave comments on Protect the Wild asking why it is so hard to convict someone for hunting under the Hunting Act 2004, and we thought that a brief look at this case might go some way to providing an answer.

(We've covered the Hunting Act and so-called 'trail laying' (where a scent trail is allegedly laid in advance of a hunt) in detail in other posts and pages (see for example, our Protectors of the Wild page on the Hunting Act 2004) so will focus on two other elements here instead that are crucial for a successful case: identification and intent).

Why is it so hard to prove illegal hunting?

If you go out dressed as a fox hunter, with a bunch of other fox hunters, and you take with you a pack of hunting hounds trained to hunt foxes, the obvious conclusion (to quote the 'If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck...it's a duck' idiom) is that you are indeed fox hunting. The law though, to quote legal text, demands evidence "as a means of ascertaining the truth of any alleged matter of fact under investigation before it". No one would seriously argue that the law could be applied differently to different people (even fox hunters), but as Cheshire Borderland Monitors explained in their post the evidence bar needed for a successful prosecution is set very high indeed.

Typically to pass that bar, evidence (preferably presented in high-definition video) needs to include: The fox running. The hounds in pursuit. The huntsman in view of the fox and encouraging the hounds to chase it using horn or voice calls. All three elements need to be clearly established to even begin to convince a court that illegal hunting was taking place. It's not too difficult to obtain video of a running fox or of running hounds, and most observers will recognise the sound of chasing dogs in full cry - but of course animals can't be charged with illegal hunting (in the jargon, 'non-human animals lack moral agency and so cannot be held culpable for an act'). The case is always all about the role of the huntsman. Which is where defence lawyers routinely depend on the two other elements we mentioned earlier: identification and intent.

Identification and intent

We're not lawyers here at Protect the Wild, but we are deeply interested in natural justice. We're pretty sure that any of us faced with the possibility of a conviction in court would insist that the evidence used against us is as conclusive as possible. There are far too many cases of mistaken identity (deliberate or otherwise), and - if we had broken the law - we'd hope the court would have unequivocal evidence to prove it was us who'd 'done it', and would take into account whether we meant to commit a crime (had intent) or were perhaps in the wrong place at the wrong time or that events had spiralled out of our control before the crime was committed.

However, there are far too many examples of the police or the Crown Prosecution Service not taking a case to court even when - at least from the outside - the evidence seems indisputable. Why is that? Because of the fog of uncertainty that the 'lawful activity' of hunting has successfully wrapped itself in... In every criminal case the prosecution must prove the identity of the 'person who perpetrated or participated in the commission of an offence'. Defendants in hunting cases will often claim that the evidence being presented doesn't specifically identify them as the individual who was allegedly hunting illegally - it's usually obvious that they were present at a hunt meet (monitors and sabs deliberately film as many of the senior hunters present as possible) but while they may have been there, they'll say, they weren't hunting. They were bystanders when a kill took place, or were charging down the road simply in an effort to bring the hounds under control before a crime was committed.

Protect the Wild.

"There is no avoiding war, it can only be postponed to the advantage of your enemy." — Niccolò Machiavelli

Do you remember this event? 'Twas 1990. Her name was Nayirah al-Ṣabaḥ. If you were around then you may have heard her testify, “I saw the Iraqi soldiers coming into the hospital with guns and go into the room where 15 babies were in incubators. They took the babies out of the incubators, took the incubators and left the babies on the cold floor to die.” It never happened. But it was reported and corroborated and repeated and believed. And as was the message of John Ford's classic The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance: "When the legend becomes fact, print the legend."

I’ll never abandon my country. My government, different story. Keep this in mind when you peruse the following, intended for the most serious of Russia-Ukraine observers and analysts. If CNN, Fox or MSDNC are your usual sources of news, unsubscribe immediately. You won't like or understand the following.

“The Azov Battalion is a neo-Nazi Ukrainian National Guard unit ... . Its founder, Andriy Biletsky, has served in the Ukrainian parliament and has made clear he wants an antidemocratic and anti-capitalist system for Ukraine ... only for ethnic Ukrainians.”

“If you [the West] transfer nuclear weapons to Poland or Lithuania, to our borders, then I will turn to Putin to return the nuclear weapons that I gave away without any conditions,” Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko spake thusly.

"A U.S. warship sailed through the sensitive Taiwan Strait on Saturday, part of what the U.S. military calls routine activity but which China described as 'provocative'." While mindless saber-rattling sockpuppets demanded something yet to be defined in Ukraine, our military pivoted to poke China with its Taiwan stick. Does anyone around here see where this is heading? And if so, why don’t they care? Get ready, Sparky.

The world is never more vulnerable than when its abilities to critically think have never been allowed to flourish or were never taught in the first place. Ignorance of reality history and perspective are deadly combinations to be avoided altogether.

Today, hand any of your friends a globe and have them point roughly to Ukraine. Roughly. And then have them explain what NATO does and what role it plays in 21st- century global geopolitics. Then sit back and enjoy the hilarity.

China’s Cross-Border International Payments System (CIPS) can replace SWIFT for Russian trade financing. Remember this name today. You won’t hear anything of it on anything you’re probably forced to watch via intellectual lassitude and incuriosity.

Hillary Clinton, perennial political stink bomb and punchbowl floater, forces herself yet again on the Demoncrat stage and thunders forth spreading discontent disagreement and disgust as Pops’ numbers implode in freefall. They’ve lost all control of party and future. Behold.

How many American #J6Trespassers are still housed illegally in DC underground gulags? Rough guess. And I’m supposed to worry more about NATO containment lunacy? Sorry. I’ve got this reality thing for domestic focus.

Ukraine apparently killed COVID and mask mandates as well as vaccination passports. And plummeting Democratic polls helped tremendously as well. Tony Fauci must be royally PO’d. His raison d'être gone. Fin.

What type of concessions have been made as to freezing Hunter Biden’s Ukrainian assets? I don’t remember the EU banning American flights when we were held captive by rampaging and marauding BLM/Antifa domestic terrorists torching American cities. Do you? I simply cannot believe anything I read in the shadow government sockpuppet media.

As with most rational fellow Americans, while we do not advocate war or death anywhere, if it doesn’t affect us here then it’s really none of our business. And that’s a reality that has never changed status.

The shadow government sockpuppet media are doubling down on the most ridiculous stories anyone could have ever concocted. Let me ask you a question, don’t you find it odd that there is not one article or report of anything positive coming from Donbass in favor of Russia? Nothing?

If you honestly believe that anybody in their right mind is going to be dumping out expensive Russian vodka AFTER THEY PAID FOR IT then you’re more gullible than I thought. Freedom Fries, anyone?

Till it be morrow, good citizen. Lionel.

Here's thanking those who have already donated.

If you'd like to donate anyone it would be appreciated. Just a small amount would enable us to be far more flexible with our campaigns than we are at the moment.

So if you can help in any way the details are given below. Sort Code. 30-94-30
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Let's Do This For Polly!

If you've not already done so please share, open the link and write your messages to the pet-food manufacturers.

http://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/74da12_e4ad32ba6c0147b58b589d24f3c052f1.pdf

This campaign has been a huge success but it needs to go to that next level in order to get those artificial antioxidants removed. Whilst additives like colourants and preservatives have been completely abandoned by many companies the use of artificial antioxidants remain as prevalent as ever. The manufacturers will reply by saying they are safe to use and that all additives are strictly within EU permitted levels. Just write back and tell them you won't buy their products until they're removed altogether.

Please do it for Polly and tell these companies to get this muck out of the nation's pet-food once and for all. This is an ongoing campaign we'll be putting out there until such time as we see significant changes.

........................................................................................................................... Idaho opens first-ever swan hunting season.

It doesn't get much more disgusting than this. Idaho Department of Fish and Game. Please write:

Julie.lininger@idfg.idaho.gov; brad.corkill@idfg.idaho.gov; MagicValley.Commissioner@idfg.idaho.gov; clearwater.commissioner@idfg.idaho.gov; tim.murphy@idfg.idaho.gov; lane.clezie@idfg.idaho.gov; derick.attebury@idfg.idaho.gov; Salmon.Commissioner@idfg.idaho.gov; rules@idfg.idaho.gov;

Voltarol: Active ingredient diclofenac. Highly toxic and not only to Vultures.

https://worldcowgirl.wordpress.com/2011/07/15/in-india-cattle-and-the-vulture-crisis/

Thanks to lobbying from them, diclofenac is now in widespread use as a veterinary drug throughout the EU., knowingly endangering its Southern European vulture populations. This company still continues with its TV. ads. so please write to them even thought you may've done so several times before.

The tell-tale signs of diclofenac poisoning, the head hanging from its drooping neck. A magnificent bird reduced to this pitiful state

http://www.bing.com/images/search? q=vultures+dying+from+diclofenac+poisoning&FORM=HDRSC2

Please click onto this link, download this image and send it to. Now owned by GlaxoSmithKline. Please write to: community.partnerships@gsk.com; medinfo.uk@novartis.com

Each and every time you see this worthless piece of hype on the television send it over to them and let's shame them off the box.

http://raptorpolitics.org.uk/2015/03/12/another-mass-poisoning-of-vultures-in-asia-at- least-20-himalayan-griffon-vultures-dead-in-india/

The VCF and its partners have been working on anti-poisoning activities, campaigns and programmes in Europe. Please check the link below for more details.

http://www.4vultures.org/our-work/anti-poisoning/international-workshop-african-vultures- poisoning/

Concluding: We print any letters here from all sides of both arguments. So long as it's relevant to the subject matters and provided it's not obscene we will print it. If you disagree with anything that's been said, please write in. This is a public arena so please feel free to have your say. Contact details will always be withheld.

For details of other campaigns please visit http://cates1980.wixsite.com/cateswebsite and go through the Projects pages.

CATES1980