Saturday, September 25, 2010
Stop whale hunt: court
Humane Society International spokeswoman Nicola Beynon outside the Federal Court in Sydney after the decision.
The Federal Court has ordered a Japanese whaling company to stop killing whales in Australian Antarctic waters.
But the court acknowledged the whalers cannot be arrested unless they enter Australia.
The Humane Society International (HSI) launched legal action against whaler Kyodo Senpaku Kaisha Ltd in 2004, seeking a Federal Court injunction against harvesting in the Australian Whale Sanctuary in Antarctic waters.
The sanctuary is not recognised by Japan.
HSI claims the company has slaughtered 1253 minke whales and nine fin whales since the sanctuary was declared in 2000, in breach of Australian domestic law protecting the animals.
Justice Jim Allsop today found Kyodo Senpaku Kaisha had committed numerous breaches of the Environmental Protection Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC) by slaughtering hundreds of minke, fin and humpback whales in the sanctuary since 2000.
Justice Allsop today said that, unless restrained, the Japanese company would continue to "kill, injure, take and interfere with" Antarctic minke whales and fin whales.
"The respondent has, on the evidence, no presence or assets within the jurisdiction," Justice Allsop said.
"Unless the respondent's vessels enter Australia, thus exposing themselves to possible arrest or seizure, the applicant acknowledges that there is no practical mechanism by which orders of this court can be enforced."
The hearing was derailed in 2005, after then federal attorney-general Philip Ruddock intervened on the grounds it could spark a diplomatic row with Japan.
But the full bench of the Federal Court ordered the proceedings to resume in 2006.
The Howard government wrote to HSI last October reiterating its opposition to the injunction, saying it went against long-standing international practice under the Antarctic Treaty system.
"Taking such action can reasonably be expected to prompt significant adverse reaction from other Antarctic Treaty parties, including Japan,'' the Australian Government Solicitor wrote.
Labor voiced support for the HSI action ahead of the election, with Environment Minister Peter Garrett promising to enforce a ban on whale slaughter in the sanctuary.
Humane Society calls for immediate action
HSI spokeswoman Nicola Beynon welcomed the decision as long overdue, and urged immediate action from the Rudd Government.
Ms Beynon said the Government's response to the ruling would be a litmus test for their commitment to the issue.
"The Japanese Government doesn't recognise Australia's claim to those waters. However, as far as the Australian Government is concerned, Australian law says it's an offence to kill whales in those waters and the court has confirmed that,'' Ms Beynon told reporters.
"The court has ordered that the hunt be stopped.
"I think it's the Australian Government's responsibility to uphold the law and to uphold the Federal Court's injunction."
Ms Beynon called for officials on board the Ocean Viking, currently tracking whaling ships in Antarctic waters, to immediately act on the court's orders.
"The Australian Government is very well placed to enforce the injunction, they have a ship on the way to the hunting grounds," she said.
Immediate action on Kyodo Senpaku Kaisha's permit from the Japanese Government to kill 935 minke whales and 50 fin whales this year could save hundreds of animals, Ms Beynon said.
"Under Australian law the Government can intercept the ship and stop this hunt," she said.
"Yes it would be controversial with the Japanese Government but hey, they're the ones who are being extremely provocative in killing whales in Australia's territorial waters and we think it's time that this whole matter is brought to a head."
Garrett seeks details of judgment
Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett says he'll be studying closely the Federal Court decision.
"I don't propose to further comment on it until I've actually had a chance to see the details of the judge's decision," he told reporters in Canberra.
"I think it's appropriate for private organisations and individuals to take up where they can through the legal system those issues of concern to them.
"The Commonwealth wasn't a party to this case but our intention to continue to have an overall, holistic and fair-dinkum approach to opposing Japanese so-called scientific whaling is absolutely clear."
But the court acknowledged the whalers cannot be arrested unless they enter Australia.
The Humane Society International (HSI) launched legal action against whaler Kyodo Senpaku Kaisha Ltd in 2004, seeking a Federal Court injunction against harvesting in the Australian Whale Sanctuary in Antarctic waters.
The sanctuary is not recognised by Japan.
HSI claims the company has slaughtered 1253 minke whales and nine fin whales since the sanctuary was declared in 2000, in breach of Australian domestic law protecting the animals.
Justice Jim Allsop today found Kyodo Senpaku Kaisha had committed numerous breaches of the Environmental Protection Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC) by slaughtering hundreds of minke, fin and humpback whales in the sanctuary since 2000.
Justice Allsop today said that, unless restrained, the Japanese company would continue to "kill, injure, take and interfere with" Antarctic minke whales and fin whales.
"The respondent has, on the evidence, no presence or assets within the jurisdiction," Justice Allsop said.
"Unless the respondent's vessels enter Australia, thus exposing themselves to possible arrest or seizure, the applicant acknowledges that there is no practical mechanism by which orders of this court can be enforced."
The hearing was derailed in 2005, after then federal attorney-general Philip Ruddock intervened on the grounds it could spark a diplomatic row with Japan.
But the full bench of the Federal Court ordered the proceedings to resume in 2006.
The Howard government wrote to HSI last October reiterating its opposition to the injunction, saying it went against long-standing international practice under the Antarctic Treaty system.
"Taking such action can reasonably be expected to prompt significant adverse reaction from other Antarctic Treaty parties, including Japan,'' the Australian Government Solicitor wrote.
Labor voiced support for the HSI action ahead of the election, with Environment Minister Peter Garrett promising to enforce a ban on whale slaughter in the sanctuary.
Humane Society calls for immediate action
HSI spokeswoman Nicola Beynon welcomed the decision as long overdue, and urged immediate action from the Rudd Government.
Ms Beynon said the Government's response to the ruling would be a litmus test for their commitment to the issue.
"The Japanese Government doesn't recognise Australia's claim to those waters. However, as far as the Australian Government is concerned, Australian law says it's an offence to kill whales in those waters and the court has confirmed that,'' Ms Beynon told reporters.
"The court has ordered that the hunt be stopped.
"I think it's the Australian Government's responsibility to uphold the law and to uphold the Federal Court's injunction."
Ms Beynon called for officials on board the Ocean Viking, currently tracking whaling ships in Antarctic waters, to immediately act on the court's orders.
"The Australian Government is very well placed to enforce the injunction, they have a ship on the way to the hunting grounds," she said.
Immediate action on Kyodo Senpaku Kaisha's permit from the Japanese Government to kill 935 minke whales and 50 fin whales this year could save hundreds of animals, Ms Beynon said.
"Under Australian law the Government can intercept the ship and stop this hunt," she said.
"Yes it would be controversial with the Japanese Government but hey, they're the ones who are being extremely provocative in killing whales in Australia's territorial waters and we think it's time that this whole matter is brought to a head."
Garrett seeks details of judgment
Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett says he'll be studying closely the Federal Court decision.
"I don't propose to further comment on it until I've actually had a chance to see the details of the judge's decision," he told reporters in Canberra.
"I think it's appropriate for private organisations and individuals to take up where they can through the legal system those issues of concern to them.
"The Commonwealth wasn't a party to this case but our intention to continue to have an overall, holistic and fair-dinkum approach to opposing Japanese so-called scientific whaling is absolutely clear."
Toronto Humane Society star arrested
Tre Smith, the movie star-handsome public face of the Toronto Humane Society who once smashed a car window to save a dehydrated dog, has joined the slate of high-profile employees arrested as part of an ongoing OSPCA investigation.
Taken out of the THS headquarters at Queen and River Sts. in handcuffs Thursday afternoon, Smith is charged with one count of perjury and two counts of impersonating a peace officer.
A senior THS agent, Smith is accused of continuing to act as an
animal cruelty investigator despite his suspension last June when the OSPCA stripped the THS of its affiliate status.
"The top priority was animal care," said Chris Avery, lawyer for the OSPCA, when asked why Smith's arrest came so long after five other key staff members were charged with animal cruelty and obstructing peace officers last November.
With a search warrant obtained after those arrests, the OSPCA combed through the humane society's headquarters at Queen and River Sts. The lead investigator in the THS case, Kevin Strooband, said that computer files and THS clients confirm Smith was still performing cruelty investigations, even visiting animals and their owners at home.
The perjury charge stems from an affidavit Smith signed in October, in which Avery says Smith claimed not to have violated his suspension. Many Torontonians saw him as a hero after the sensational July 2007 rescue of Cyrus the Rottweiler, trapped in an SUV on a blistering summer day. Smith broke a window to rescue the dog, saying at the time it was "slumped over the back seat of the car, foaming from the mouth, gasping for breath."
The former security guard then handcuffed the dog's owner, Paul Soderholm, to the SUV and took Cyrus for medical care. In the hour it took for police to show up, bystanders beat Soderholm until he was bloody and missing teeth. That was the first time the OSPCA suspended Smith as an investigator, causing an outcry from animal lovers who defended his actions. His suspension and the four-month review of the incident became another battle in the decades-long war between the humane society and the OSPCA.
Eventually, Smith was reinstated as an investigator, Soderholm pleaded guilty to animal cruelty and Cyrus was adopted by a family in Thornhill.
A former star of the TV reality show The Lofters, Smith pulled heartstrings as a regular guest expert on CP24's Animal House Calls, answering pet owners' questions, and profiling animals available for adoption. Unwelcome at CP24 after his second suspension last summer, he took to Sun TV's Pet Thursday.
Photos from his wedding reception are on the THS website, and snaps of his daughter, Victoria, have been in the organization's Animal Talk newsletter.
With a defiant sway to his gait, Smith said nothing as he was led to a 52 Division police car on Thursday.
That the OSPCA alerted media to his impending arrest has become another issue for the two animal care organizations to snipe over.
"The public has a right to know what's going on," Avery said, defending the OSPCA's move. Later in the evening, humane society lawyer Frank Addario released a statement calling the tip-off an "American style publicity stunt."
"The allegations against Mr. Smith are serious," Addario said. "However, there is no necessity for handcuffing or a perp walk ... that have the effect of gratuitously embarrassing people who have been arrested on unproven allegations."Strooband and the OSPCA also laid charges Thursday against Mark Beauchamp, an animal cruelty investigator based in Newmarket. The OSPCA alleges that Beauchamp tipped the THS off about last November's raid, leading staff to move and hide animals. He has been charged with one count of obstructing a peace officer, and fired as an OSPCA employee.
Humane Society of Cabo San Lucas - Los Cabos, Mexico
The shelter began offering rescue and rehabilitation to homeless animals in early 1998.
An adoption program was formed to find responsible homes for sterilized and vaccinated healthy dogs and cats.
Hundreds of homeless dogs and cats have been given a second chance to live a happy life through the shelter adoption program.
Conscientious animal care and the value of animals is a lesson that accompanies the adoption process.
An adoption fee is charged and every home screened for suitability before permission to adopt is granted.
Each year the number of animals adopted from our shelter has increased significantly.
The Humane Society of Cabo San Lucas, A. C. Is operating as a legal non-profit civil association in México and as the Humane Society de Cabo San Lucas, Inc. A non-profit U.S. Corporation with tax exempt status under section 501 (c) (3).
An adoption program was formed to find responsible homes for sterilized and vaccinated healthy dogs and cats.
Hundreds of homeless dogs and cats have been given a second chance to live a happy life through the shelter adoption program.
Conscientious animal care and the value of animals is a lesson that accompanies the adoption process.
An adoption fee is charged and every home screened for suitability before permission to adopt is granted.
Each year the number of animals adopted from our shelter has increased significantly.
The Humane Society of Cabo San Lucas, A. C. Is operating as a legal non-profit civil association in México and as the Humane Society de Cabo San Lucas, Inc. A non-profit U.S. Corporation with tax exempt status under section 501 (c) (3).
Toronto Humane Society officials arrested, face animal-cruelty charges
The charges against volunteer president Tim Trow, veterinarian Steve Sheridan and three other senior officials came six months after a Globe and Mail investigation uncovered widespread allegations of problems at the River Street facility.
Toronto police officers and agents from the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals swooped in Thursday afternoon to execute a search warrant and lead five handcuffed men out of a shelter that the OSPCA’s lawyer derided as “disease-infested.”
“These are animals who are just left to die in their cages,” Christopher Avery, a lawyer for the OSPCA, said during the raid. “They’re found dozens at a time, dead in [a] cage, every morning in this building. Dying from cancer, suffocating based on phlegm, these are animals who are starving to death, literally.”
THS spokesman Ian McConachie said the charges were without merit.
“The animals are under excellent veterinary care, they receive all medicines, all treatments, all procedures necessary to make them better,” he said.
“... Animals are not neglected, animals receive food, water, clean bedding and litter boxes every day and the dogs receive three walks every day.”
Toronto Police and the OSPCA raided the Toronto Humane Society offices and shelter on River Street.
A team of veterinarians has moved into the shelter and started inspecting the animals to ensure they are healthy and well cared-for, and to help determine whether further charges should follow. The shelter will be closed to the public until the inspection is concluded, likely in a few days.
If convicted, Mr. Trow, Dr. Sheridan, general manager Gary McCracken and senior staff members Romeo Bernadino and Andy Bechtel all face a maximum of five years in prison and tens of thousands of dollars in fines. They also face animal cruelty charges under the Ontario SPCA Act, as do all the volunteer members of the charity’s board of directors.
Police and OSPCA officers also executed a search warrant at Mr. Trow’s home yesterday.
As the shelter raid began just after 3 p.m., the sky was grey and the shelter bustling with unsuspecting staff and volunteers. A dog walker and her whipped-butterscotch toy dog froze as agents whisked past her to secure the building’s rear exits. Inside, bewildered staff were herded to the lobby.
Toronto police moved into Mr. Trow’s second-floor office, where Bandit, Mr. Trow’s rescued pit-bull-Labrador cross, lunged at them. They pepper-sprayed the dog and brought it under control, Mr. Avery said.
Bandit first made news in 2003 when he bit a three-year-old’s head, leaving a gash that required 200 stitches. The city ordered Bandit euthanized, but the THS refused and the dog came to live in Mr. Trow’s office. Former staff said that Bandit was aggressive and badly bit at least two more people.
Mr. Avery blamed many of the THS’s problems on shelter management’s reluctance to euthanize sick animals. He also said the advice of veterinarians was routinely ignored.
A source said that the warrant was executed swiftly in order to avoid evidence being destroyed or tampered with. Mr. Avery said that obstruction charges laid against Mr. Trow, Mr. McCracken, Mr. Betchel and Mr. Bernadino stemmed from a June 2 inspection, during which animals were allegedly hidden from investigators.
“We received information that [on June 2] approximately two dozen animals were moved around the shelter and kept out of the eyesight of the SPCA because of the condition they were in,” he said. “There’s also a number of animals euthanized. In other words, the shelter management took active steps to ensure that [OSPCA] Officer [Kevin] Strooband was not able to properly conduct his inspection.”
Linda MacKinnon, a spokeswoman for the Association for the Reform of the THS, said she felt relieved but saddened by news of the charges.
“We would have hoped that it could have come to a less dramatic conclusion … because we’ve worked hard to try to act as members and go through the appropriate channels with the board, to no avail,” she said. “So, regrettably, it’s come to this.”
Mr. Trow, Mr. McCracken, Mr. Betchel and Mr. Bernadino were all charged with cruelty to animals, conspiracy to commit an indictable offence, and obstruction of a peace officer. Dr. Sheridan was charged with conspiracy to commit an indictable offence and cruelty to animals. All five men were expected to be released on bail Thursday night.
If convicted, Mr. Trow, Dr. Sheridan, general manager Gary McCracken and senior staff members Romeo Bernadino and Andy Bechtel all face a maximum of five years in prison and tens of thousands of dollars in fines. They also face animal cruelty charges under the Ontario SPCA Act, as do all the volunteer members of the charity’s board of directors.
Police and OSPCA officers also executed a search warrant at Mr. Trow’s home yesterday.
As the shelter raid began just after 3 p.m., the sky was grey and the shelter bustling with unsuspecting staff and volunteers. A dog walker and her whipped-butterscotch toy dog froze as agents whisked past her to secure the building’s rear exits. Inside, bewildered staff were herded to the lobby.
Toronto police moved into Mr. Trow’s second-floor office, where Bandit, Mr. Trow’s rescued pit-bull-Labrador cross, lunged at them. They pepper-sprayed the dog and brought it under control, Mr. Avery said.
Bandit first made news in 2003 when he bit a three-year-old’s head, leaving a gash that required 200 stitches. The city ordered Bandit euthanized, but the THS refused and the dog came to live in Mr. Trow’s office. Former staff said that Bandit was aggressive and badly bit at least two more people.
Mr. Avery blamed many of the THS’s problems on shelter management’s reluctance to euthanize sick animals. He also said the advice of veterinarians was routinely ignored.
A source said that the warrant was executed swiftly in order to avoid evidence being destroyed or tampered with. Mr. Avery said that obstruction charges laid against Mr. Trow, Mr. McCracken, Mr. Betchel and Mr. Bernadino stemmed from a June 2 inspection, during which animals were allegedly hidden from investigators.
“We received information that [on June 2] approximately two dozen animals were moved around the shelter and kept out of the eyesight of the SPCA because of the condition they were in,” he said. “There’s also a number of animals euthanized. In other words, the shelter management took active steps to ensure that [OSPCA] Officer [Kevin] Strooband was not able to properly conduct his inspection.”
Linda MacKinnon, a spokeswoman for the Association for the Reform of the THS, said she felt relieved but saddened by news of the charges.
“We would have hoped that it could have come to a less dramatic conclusion … because we’ve worked hard to try to act as members and go through the appropriate channels with the board, to no avail,” she said. “So, regrettably, it’s come to this.”
Mr. Trow, Mr. McCracken, Mr. Betchel and Mr. Bernadino were all charged with cruelty to animals, conspiracy to commit an indictable offence, and obstruction of a peace officer. Dr. Sheridan was charged with conspiracy to commit an indictable offence and cruelty to animals. All five men were expected to be released on bail Thursday night.
File:Royal Humane Society Meeting in Exeter Hall
English: A meeting of the Royal Humane Society in Exeter Hall in the 1840s.
Remarkable Middle School Students
Remarkable Middle School Students
Creative students Brittney Carter, Renee Sauceda and teacher Jodi Gusman from Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School came up with their own unique way to help the homeless pets at the Kauai Humane Society by getting permission from Wal-Mart to have a toy drive for our shelter's orphans. These remarkable students in a short 4 hour span got enough donations to help over 85 pets and received roughly $160 in cash donations for our island's less fortunate animals. MAHALO NUI LOA from all of us at the Kauai Humane Society!
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