The Donkey Sanctuary saddles up Free download from https://www.thedonkeysanctuary.org.uk/under-the-skin/full-report Reviewed by Merritt Clifton BEIJING––Can demand for a commodity that constitutes only one ten-thousandth of the global market for traditional Chinese medicine really pose what Donkey Rescue World blogger David C. Duncan calls “an existential threat” to barnyard animals as abundant worldwide as donkeys? This is […]
Sharkwater maker Rob Stewart, 37, saved five million sharks’ lives
Died after videotaping sharks around wreck of former Canadian flagship KEY WEST, Florida––Sharkwater documentary series filmmaker Rob Stewart, 37, died on January 31, 2017 after his third deep dive of the day to the wreck of the Queen of Nassau, near Alligator Reef off Islamorada, Florida. “Stewart and a small group of divers were […]
Witness to Extinction: How We Failed to Save the Yangtse River Dolphin
by Samuel Turvey Oxford University Press (198 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016), 2008. 224 pages, paperback. $29.95. Reviewed by Merritt Clifton Samuel Turvey, born in Lohja, Finland, as a child enjoyed a rare sighting of the Lake Saimaa seal. Landlocked by receding glaciers about 9,500 years ago, the Saimaa seal has adapted to living […]
Jasper’s gift: the real-life care bear
“Poster bear” for ending bile farming Jasper, 30, the moon bear who became “poster bear” for the Animals Asia Foundation campaign against farming bears to extract bile from their livers, was euthanized on April 29, 2016 due to incurable cancer. “Moon bear Jasper spent 15 years in a Chinese bile farm crush cage,” the Animals […]
Fur farm releases in China reflect falling fur demand worldwide
Raccoon dogs freed twice in eight months BEIJING, China––For the second time in eight months a Chinese fur farmer appears to have released his animals in response to three years of steeply falling pelt prices and fur garment demand worldwide, with no upturn in sight. Reported the Beijing Daily News on April 13, […]
Two furors bring China draft standards for lab animals
Lab animal standards are step toward Chinese national animal welfare act BEIJING, China––A brief public comment period on draft animal welfare and ethics standards for Chinese laboratories closed on March 20, 2016. The draft standards were released soon after two furors erupted over the use of lab animals in China. Medical university dog use “In […]
Ric O’Barry reports campaign success in China
Good news continues from China, where I have been on a book promotion tour for the Simplified Chinese edition of The Cove, with Swiss journalist Hans Peter Roth and photographer Sasha Abdolmajid, A user of the Chinese social media platform WeChat posting under the name Enterprise Volunteers on May 23, 2015 merged three media reports […]
Norway proposes to pelt the fur trade
OSLO, Norway––Norwegian finance minister Siv Jensen on May 12, 2015 presented a Revised National Budget to Parliament that includes a proposed 17.8 million kroner cut in agricultural subsidies to fur farmers. The proposed cut, amounting to $2.35 million in U.S. funds, or 2.1 million euros, would halve the total amount of aid to fur […]
More medical warnings link dog meat to rabies
MANILA––Philippine, Chinese, and international public health media in mid-March 2015 warned that eating dogs can spread rabies, after at least 13 people ate meat from a rabid dog in Cabatangan village, Zamboanga, the Philippines. Summarized Robert Herriman of Outbreak News Today on March 15, 2015, from reports published on March 14, 2015 by Philippine media […]
Anti-fur protests in China
Hundreds of volunteers protested fur use on February 25, 2014 at the opening ceremony of the Hong Kong International Fur Fair. Thanks to Animal Earth Hong Kong for organizing this protest. One of the main organisers is a radio station show host. She interviewed me about fur for a program targeting Chinese people who live […]