News
The number of news found: 41.
02/29/2008 BAYER WARNS DOCTORS ON RARE AVELOX SIDE EFFECTS
Bayer AG has warned doctors that its Avelox antibiotic may lead to potentially fatal liver damage and skin disease in rare cases, following a routine analysis of recent data on side effects. The link between Avelox and the side effects has been known but the analysis has yielded very rare new cases, prompting the German drug maker to adjust the labelling of Avelox and informing doctors, a Bayer spokeswoman said, confirming a report in Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad. Avelox, sold under the name of Avalox in Germany, is used to treat respiratory and other infections and generated 396 mln eur in sales in 2006.
02/28/2008 ANIMAL EXPERIMENTS SCRUTINIZED: NEW STUDIES YIELD DISTURBING EVIDENCE
Two respected scientific journals have recently published disturbing new evidence demonstrating that: 1. Animal experiments are not generally useful in contributing toward advancements in human healthcare, or predictions of human toxicity; and, 2. Despite most closely modeling human beings, chimpanzee experiments have contributed minimally toward the development of cures for human diseases. The evidence provided by these controversial new studies is strongly contrary to more traditional scientific opinion that animal experiments are essential during the development of cures for human diseases. Although opinions have been passionately expressed on both sides of the debate, hard evidence about the merits of animal experimentation for these purposes has generally been lacking, until now.
02/27/2008 SOUTH AFRICA TO ALLOW ELEPHANT CULL
The South African government has said it will allow elephants to be culled for the first time in 13 years. In a statement given to journalists on Monday, the government said a cull was needed to control elephant numbers. The elephant population is thought to have grown from 8,000 to 18,000 since the government banned culls in 1995. The statement acknowledged that the issue would rouse "strong emotions", and the news will anger many animal rights campaigners.
02/26/2008 JAGUAR SHOT AFTER ESCAPE FROM SANCTUARY
Provincial police were forced to shoot and kill a 180-kilogram jaguar after it escaped from an exotic animal reserve in Bracebridge, Ont. The owner of Guha Exotic Animal Reserve called police at about 5 P.M. on February 12 after the six-year-old jaguar named Bhino broke through the chain link fence of its enclosure. When officers arrived, they found the jaguar still on the property near the family home with their dog in its mouth and police say officers shot and killed the jaguar. The dog was on its chain and therefore couldn't escape the jaguar and it had to be put down because of its severe injuries. Guha Exotic Animal Reserve is home to many other wild animals, including lions, but police say all of the other enclosures were deemed secure. The local Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was notified and will be conducting its own investigation.
02/25/2008 PROTEST IN MEMORY OF JANEZ DRNOVSEK
On February 23, 150 protesters gathered in Ljubljana at a protest march against the killing of animals for fur. Protest march was dedicated to Dr. Janez Drnovsek, who was a vegan, an animal rights advocate and a great man in general. Fifty members of Animal Friends and other activists carried black ribbons and observed a minute of silence for the former Slovenian president at the peak of the protest. The emphasis of this protest was against the Canadian seal slaughter, and protesters from Slovenia, Croatia and Austria appealed to the Slovenian government – as Slovenia being the EU Council President - to take a firm position within the European Union for the ban on any kind of trade of seal fur and other products derived from seals.
02/25/2008 AFRICAN COUNTRIES TEAM UP TO SAVE MOUNTAIN GORILLAS
Uganda, Rwanda and Congo launched a joint effort on Wednesday to protect endangered mountain gorillas that roam the three nations' jungle borders. Fewer than 720 of the primates - famous for the shimmering silver hair on the backs of males - are believed to exist in the wild, spread across the remote Virunga hills where Democratic Republic of Congo meets Uganda and Rwanda. The first four years of the plan, costing 4.1 million euro ($6.03 million), is being funded by the Dutch government. Gorilla numbers across the region fell to a low of around 370 in the 1980s. But renewed conservation efforts, coupled with the primates' growing value as tourist attractions, has seen numbers recover.
02/24/2008 BULLFIGHTING EXHIBITION TO BE HELD IN EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
A bullfighting exhibition will be held at the European Parliament in June in Brussels in an effort to persuade lawmakers that the activity is acceptable, the Spanish organisers said Thursday. The exhibit, called "between man and bull," will be staged for two days at the headquarters of the assembly beginning on June 4, said representatives of the main body which represents Spain's bullfighting sector, the Mesa del Toro. The secretary general of the body, Eduardo Martin-Penato, said the event would be a "unique opportunity" to show the merits of bullfighting, which are traditionally held in Spain, Portugal and France, to those who are opposed.
02/22/2008 QUEEN STAR BRIAN MAY CALLS ON SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT TO BAN SNARES
Queen guitarist Brian May has written to the Scottish Government Minister for Environment, Michael Russell MSP, asking him to ban snares in Scotland. In a letter to the Minister, Brian May highlights the fact that snares are not only cruel but also indiscriminate traps. He said: "As somebody who cares about the welfare of animals I do not believe that people should be allowed to use these primitive traps to catch animals. I understand that in addition to the intended foxes and rabbits, other wild animals, including protected species such a badgers, otters and mountain hares are also caught in these unselective traps. In addition, peoples' pet cats and dogs are caught and killed in snares. Surely this treatment of animals is totally unacceptable in the 21st century. Nothing other than a complete ban on all snares will end this animal cruelty. I am not surprised that, like me, the vast majority of the public want to see snares banned. The continued use of snares is surely not consistent with a compassionate society. Scotland is in a unique situation where it can lead the way for the rest of the UK. I urge the Scottish Government to act now to ban snares and bring an end to this needless animal suffering."
02/21/2008 EVEN MONKEYS SELF-MEDICATE WITH HERBS
As if on a visit to their neighborhood pharmacy, capuchin monkeys living in the jungles of Costa Rica appear to seek out and apply a variety of natural remedies to their fur to keep their skin healthy and bug-free. The monkeys may intentionally select these plants for their medicinal value. Some of the plant-based therapies used by the capuchins might even be useful in treating human skin ailments. The researchers found that the monkey's "fur-rubbing" behavior, where the animals use their mouths and hands to break up seedpods and leaves from specific plants before rubbing them into their fur, was actually a sophisticated form of self-medication. The leaves of two plants used by the capuchins - Piper marginatum ("cake bush"), Clematis dioica ("Old man's beard"), and the seedpods of a third plant, Sloanea ternifola, each have "some antibacterial, antifungal and antiarthropodal (bug-repelling) properties. Extracts of both cake bush and S. ternifolia inhibited the growth of disease-causing staphylococcus and candida microbes, while cake bush extract also proved effective in repelling ants. Sloanea ternifola seedpods may do double duty as both tool and drug: according to the researchers, the monkeys also use the spiky pods as combs to rid their fur of parasites.
02/21/2008 USDA ORDERS RECALL OF 143 MILLION POUNDS OF FROZEN BEEF
The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Sunday ordered the recall of 143 million pounds of frozen beef from a Southern California slaughterhouse that is being investigated for mistreating cattle. Officials said this is the largest recall in the United States, surpassing a 1999 recall of 35 million pounds. The amount of beef - 143 million pounds - is roughly enough for two hamburgers for each man, woman and child in the United States. The federal agency said the recall will affect beef products dating to February 1, 2006, that came from Chino-based Westland/Hallmark Meat Co., which supplies meat to the federal school lunch program and to some major fast-food chains. Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer said his department has evidence that Westland did not routinely contact its veterinarian when cattle became non-ambulatory after passing inspection, violating health regulations. Federal officials suspended operations at Westland/Hallmark after an undercover video surfaced showing crippled and sick animals being shoved with forklifts.
02/20/2008 FEDS AGREE TO TOXICITY TESTS THAT CUT ANIMAL TESTING
Rodents and primates around the world can breathe a little easier. Ditto animal rights activists who have long opposed testing drugs and conducting other experiments on animals. Top officials from the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Thursday announced a five-year deal promising to share technology, information andother pesources that will improve the toxicity testing of chemical compounds used in food, medicine and other products using robots rather than lab animals. This joint effort will include experts from the NIH National Toxicology Program (NTP), high-speed, automated screening robots at the NIH Chemical Genomics Center and computational toxicology capabilities available at the EPA Office of Research and Development's National Center for Computational Toxicology (NCCT).
02/20/2008 150,000 FISH SUFFOCATE IN POWER OUTAGE
Sungai Petani, Malaysia: A cut in power supply for six hours cost a fish breeder losses of RM1 million after some 150,000 barramundi died when its oxygen supply was interrupted on Feb 9. Relating the incident, Lim Bun Thong, 43, said on Monday at 9:30 P.M. the power supply was suddenly interrupted in Kampung Sungai Layar Ujung here where his two ponds of fish were located. The power supply was down until 3:30 A.M. on Tuesday and the dead fish started floating on the pond.
02/19/2008 MAGISTRATE RULES THAT LIVE EXPORT IS CRUEL
In a landmark animal cruelty trial, a Perth magistrate has ruled that Australia's live export industry is cruel. Evidence gathered by Animals Australia in 2003 was presented during the 8-day long trial in which cruelty charges were laid against Emanuel Exports Pty Ltd (the largest live sheep export company in WA) and its two Directors in relation to a routine shipment from Fremantle, WA. Magistrate Catherine Crawford found the charge of transporting animals in a manner likely to cause them unnecessary harm proven beyond reasonable doubt. Yet despite this breach the of the WA Animal Welfare Act being proven, the magistrate was forced to acquit the defendants on a "technicality" due to the fact that they had been issued an export permit under Commonwealth legislation. Magistrate Crawford's finding in effect means that each time the Commonwealth grants a live export permit allowing shipments of live sheep to leave WA, they are permitting cruelty to animals, and live exporters to breach the WA Animal Welfare Act.
02/19/2008 TAIWAN TO BAN LIVE BIRD MARKETS
In a significant step forward for farm animals, the government of Taiwan has announced that they will ban live bird markets beginning in April. WSPA and the Environment and Animal Society of Taiwan (EAST), have long campaigned to bring an end to these cruel markets, where over 80,000 birds are abused and brutally killed every day. WSPA and EAST welcome the government's decision and have offered to support them in ensuring that the ban goes into effect.
02/18/2008 CHINESE ZOO PUTS ON A SHOW, BUT MISTREATS ANIMALS
The Xiongsen Tiger and Bear Park in Guilin, China, has long been a favorite target of international animal rights groups because of the live animal sacrifices and the taunting and torture of animals that have been performed there for years. The Guilin zoo is one of China's largest, boasting a tiger farm with over 1,300 cats and scores of other animals. It is also the prime example of the shocking practice that is common at zoos and animal parks across China. Animal rights groups have been critical of the treatment of animals here for years. But it's been going on virtually unabated. But as the Beijing Olympics approach, critics hope new light will be shed on the controversial zoos.
02/17/2008 VIDEO SHOWS BRUTAL WHALE TORTURE DURING JAPANS "SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH"
Australian Customs chiefs have finally released video footage showing the Japanese torture of whales as they are harpooned. The disturbing proof of the cruel nature of Japan's "scientific research" - their justification for this year's slaughter of minke whales in the Southern Ocean - emerged after The Advertiser revealed photos of a mother minke and baby being winched aboard a Japanese whaler.
02/17/2008 NOVA SCOTIA AUTHORIZES LIMITED GRAY SEAL CULL
A limited grey seal hunt has been authorized for Hay Island, a provincially protected wilderness area off Cape Breton, Nova Scotia Fisheries Minister Ron Chisholm announced. Nova Scotia already has a yearly quota of 12,000 grey seals, but in recent years hunters have rarely taken more than a few hundred annually. The main reason is that the bulk of the 300,000-strong herd can be found around Sable Island, a remote and windy sand spit 250 kilometres east of Halifax. Hay Island is only about 10 kilometres from Main-a-Dieu, off the east coast of Cape Breton.
02/17/2008 CLONED OR CONVENTIAL, MEAT IS UNSAFE
Meat - cloned or not - is about as "safe" as a troubled celebrity behind the wheel of a car. It's high in cholesterol, saturated fat and concentrated protein - all of which contribute to heart disease. Research shows that meat-eaters are 50 percent more likely to develop heart disease than vegetarians are. A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that 26 percent of meat-eaters studied suffered from high blood pressure - the No. 1 risk factor for strokes - compared to only 2 percent of vegetarians. The American Dietetic Association acknowledges that people who eat animal products are more likely to be overweight than people who do not. The FDA is moving in the wrong direction. More and more consumers are resolving to make healthy, humane food choices. A 2005 Mintel survey indicated that U.S. sales of vegetarian food increased by 64 percent from 2000 to 2005 and predicted that the vegetarian food market will continue to grow in the next few years.
02/16/2008 SAVE THE PLANET - CHANGE YOUR DIET
According to UN's report, the meat industry is the main producer of greenhouse gas emissions: carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and ammoniac. Besides, the FAO ensures that ranching is "the major driver of deforestation worldwide" and overgrazing is turning a fifth of all pastures and ranges into desert. Pesticides, antibiotics and hormones used to treat cattle get into drinking water and endanger human health. The Argentinean Vegetarian Union (UVA) asks to the United Nations and through this organization to every government in the world to sensitize world population about the importance of basing our diet on vegetables.
02/15/2008 UK GOVERNMENT HUMILIATED IN COURT OVER VIVISECTION
The Government has been unlawfully withholding the details of the animal experiments it licenses in the UK, according to a key ruling from the Information Tribunal. The case was brought by the BUAV after the Home Office refused to reveal basic information about animal experiment licences the organisation had applied for under the Freedom of Information Act (FOI). It attempted to argue that only the information which researchers applying for such licences chose to publish in summaries could be released. The decision means that far more information about what is done to lab animals and for what purpose - and about consideration of non-animal alternatives - will have to be disclosed by the Government. The cover-up of this information prevents informed public debate about the controversial area of animal experiments and, as the Home Office candidly accepted at the hearing, it means the Government cannot be held to account. The ruling is a key victory in the BUAV’s campaign to get the Government to abide by the FOI law and be open and transparent about animal experiments.
02/15/2008 EX-WIFE STABS DOG 27 TIMES
Texas - A woman who pleaded guilty to stabbing her ex-husband's dog 27 times was to receive to six months in jail and 10 years probation under a plea deal. Joanne Lee Hinojosa, 33, took the deal on last Tuesday in the 2006 stabbing of Marti, a nine kilogram mixed breed later euthanised because of its injuries, the Austin American-Statesman reported.
02/14/2008 "ART WORK" HAS ANIMAL-RIGHTS FOLKS HOWLING
An artist who reportedly killed her cat and made a purse out of it and fed baby chicks through a paper shredder has sparked fresh outrage in the Netherlands. Katinka Simonse, who is known professionally as Tinkerbell, contributed a dead dog that can be turned inside out to be a dead cat for display at The Art Rotterdam International Art Fair, Radio Netherlands reported. The piece, which the artist dubbed "Popple," has angered animal-rights advocates and inspired the political party representing animal rights in the Dutch parliament to seek the prohibition of using creatures in "extreme art," the report said.
02/14/2008 NORWAY SETS COMMERCIAL WHALING QUOTA FOR 2008
Norway has set a 2008 quota of 1,052 minke whales for its hotly protested commercial whaling, maintaining the level set in 2006 when it sharply increased the extent of the hunt, the Fisheries Ministry said last Thursday. The quota is the same for the third straight year, after the government increased the number of minke whales hunters were allowed to kill by 30 percent to 1,052 - the highest level since it resumed commercial whaling in 1993.
02/13/2008 PLAN EXPEDITES ALTERNATIVES TO ANIMAL TESTING
A new plan to further reduce, refine and replace the use of animals in research and regulatory testing commonly referred to as the 3Rs was unveiled at a symposium marking the 10-year anniversary of the Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Validation of Alternative Methods (ICCVAM). The plan identifies priority areas for research, development, translation, and validation activities necessary to achieve regulatory acceptance of alternative test methods. A cornerstone of the federal government's five-year plan is the formation of partnerships with industry and other national and international stakeholders to achieve measurable progress.
02/13/2008 COURT REJECTS PRESIDENT BUSH SONAR WAIVER
On February 5, a federal judge struck down a waiver issued by the White House that would have exempted the U.S. Navy from obeying a key environmental law during sonar training exercises that endanger whales. In doing so, the court affirmed the bedrock principle that we do not live under an imperial presidency. Both the White House and the military must obey and uphold our environmental laws.
02/12/2008 SARC STOP GOAT EXPERIMENTS
After a sustained campaign over the last year and a half, the Southern Animal Rights Coalition have finally put a stop to cruel and unnecessary hyperbaric research conducted by the MoD at the QinetiQ laboratory in Alverstoke, Hants. The campaign began after 9 goats were rescued from the facility in June 2006.
02/12/2008 MONKEYS SAVED FROM LAB
The capuchin monkeys were liberated from solitary cages in Santiago, Chile, and flown to their new homes in Monkey World, Wareham, Dorset, on Sunday. Some of the monkeys, aged between two and 30, have spent 20 years confined in the cages, only taken out for medical experiments, without ever seeing daylight. They will now be rehabilitated before being settled into social groups at the sanctuary's Capuchin Lodge. The laboratory asked for Monkey World's help and Dr Alison Cronin and her late husband Jim, who died from cancer last year, had been planning the rescue for more than a year. They initially intended to take them in smaller groups but pressure mounted after staff at the lab received death threats from animal rights protesters. Dr Cronin, who is director of Monkey World, said: "This is the largest rescue Monkey World has ever undertaken in its history and the largest rescue of primates in the world ever. They have been confined in small laboratory cages and they are coming to us with lots of psychological and potentially medical problems."
02/11/2008 FARM GROUP BACKS ANIMAL WELFARE MOVE
The Western Australian Farmers Federation has welcomed moves by the Department of Agriculture to monitor and assist in managing animal welfare on farms. Currently the Animal Welfare Act falls under the Department of Local Government jurisdiction. However, the federation's Mike Norton says the department cannot help farmers on a regular basis. He says it puts farmers at risk of being prosecuted over their animal management practices, with little or no evidence to defend themselves. "The penalties are extremely high, a judge can ban a farmer from running livestock, the fines can go out as high as $50,000 odd, so it's a very serious issue and for farmers to protect themselves they need to be fully aware, they need systems to defend themselves not only publicly but in the courts," he said.
02/10/2008 CALLS TO STOP USE OF ANIMALS IN SHELLFISH TESTING
Eurogroup for Animals is calling for an immediate ban on animals being used to test shellfish for human consumption, after a scientific panel ruled it was a poor way of spotting potentially lethal toxins. The panel from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) analysed the different methods to detect toxins in shellfish at the request of the European Commission, and concluded using animals was a flawed method of uncovering the harmful substances. As a result EFSA is recommending the European Union to use alternative, animal-friendly tests instead. Although tests using mice and rats are currently the official method to check batches of shellfish for possible poisoning, several countries have been using alternative tests successfully for years. The use of reliable animal-friendly tests is obligatory when available under directive 86/609/EEC, the animal experimentation directive.
02/10/2008 SCHOOLS BAN SOCAL MEAT
Two major hamburger chains and dozens of school districts around the nation have banned meat from a Chino slaughterhouse after a video showed workers brutalizing sick and crippled cows. Altogether, more than 150 school districts in California, Arizona, Hawaii, Utah, Montana, Minnesota, Washington and other states have stopped using ground beef from Hallmark Meat Packing Co. and its associated Westland Meat Co. until completion of a federal investigation. The New York City public school system - the nation's largest with 1.1 million students - pulled all hamburgers from its menus.
02/09/2008 MOSCOW UNIVERSITY TO ABANDON ANIMAL EXPERIMENTS
It's the first time Moscow higher educational institution will give up animal experiments. An agreement on this subject was signed by famous Timiryazev's Academy zoology faculty and International Network for Humane Education (InterNICHE). According to this agreement, InterNICHE will provide Academy's zoology faculty with videotapes and software, which are intended to replace prosected animals, saving a lot of lives for animal kingdom representatives. Software and video films containing procedures of professional prosection will also help to avoid problems with students, who refuse to make preparations due to ethical reasons.
02/08/2008 MEAT COMPANY FIRES 2 OVER CRUELTY TO ANIMALS
A California slaughterhouse fired two employees, and the Agriculture Department opened a formal investigation following revelations that the plant used inhumane and what appear to be illegal methods to get sick and hobbled cows past federal inspectors. The abuse, shown in videotapes shot with a concealed camera by an employee who was working undercover for the Humane Society of the United States, included zealous use of electric prods to get ailing animals on their feet; chains to drag live cows down a ramp toward the killing room; and repeated jabs with the prongs of a forklift, which was also used to roll ailing animals along the ground.
02/07/2008 MONKEY BOILED ALIVE AT US RESEARCH LAB
A monkey, slotted to be used in a drug-product research experiment, was instead boiled alive inside an Everett laboratory, a KIRO Team 7 Investigation found. It's a deadly error, but not the first one KIRO Team 7 Investigators uncovered at SNBL USA. That company is near the Boeing Plant off Merrill Creek Parkway in Everett. It houses around 2,000 primates and represents clients like Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, Eli Lilly and Seattle Genetics. Using hidden camera footage, Investigative Reporter Chris Halsne shows you inside a facility that's no stranger to federal animal care violations.
02/06/2008 HEATH LEDGER WAS TIPPED FOR ROLE AS ANTI-WHALING CAPTAIN
Heath Ledger, who passed away suddenly at the age of 28, was tipped to portray the life of anti-whaling captain Paul Watson; as reported by the West Australian. The production group Kingsborough Pictures was planning to "vigorously pursue" Ledger for the role after the actor expressed extreme interest in it during a meeting with the legendary captain last October. Immediately after their conversation, Heath became a member of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society advisory board. Under the direction of filmmaker and actor Stuart Townsend, the movie Mighty Hearts could have had Ledger as Capt. Watson ramming driftnet fishing trawlers, smashing illegal whaling boats and sailing boldly into Soviet waters in his bid to stop whalers. Kroonenburg said Ledger would have been perfect for the lead role in the film, now in pre-production, as he was a gifted actor who had a genuine interest in whales and had demonstrated a capacity to "age beautifully" in Brokeback Mountain.
02/05/2008 PETA URGES KINDNESS AND RESPECT FOR RATS
An animal rights group urged people to welcome the Year of the Rat by treating the rodents with kindness and respect instead of trapping, poisoning and killing them. "Rats are intelligent, sensitive and friendly animals who bear the brunt of human fears and prejudices," said People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) in the Asia-Pacific. The group urged consumers to boycott companies that conduct "cruel experiments" on rats, mentioning several candy companies. "Rats laugh and express joy," the PETA report said. "Recent studies have shown that when rats play or are playfully tickled, they make chirping sounds that are strikingly similar to human laughter. Rats who live with people often seek touch play or tickling, in much the same way that dogs and cats do."
02/05/2008 FACE CREAM FIRMS STOP USING SHARK LIVER OIL
Leading cosmetic companies have stopped using shark liver oil as a moisturising base because of concerns over the survival of the deep-sea predators. In a development welcomed by marine conservationists, L'Oreal said it had started switching to plant sources for the compound squalene, which is used in creams, lotions and glosses.
02/04/2008 RUSSIAN MAN GETS JAIL TERM FOR KILLING DOG
A court in northwest Russia's Leningrad Region convicted a man who killed a dog to one year and five months in prison for animal cruelty. The court was told that the citizen of Vsevolozhsk, 24 kilometers east of St. Petersburg, seized the dog by the neck and stabbed it six times. "The defendant told the court that his partner returned home and said she had been attacked by a dog. Soon afterwards he went out onto the street, a dog started to bark at him, so he kicked the dog, which continued to bark and jump at him, after which he stabbed it with a knife," the regional prosecutor's office said in a statement. The defendant was charged with animal cruelty "with the use of sadistic methods resulting in death." Animal cruelty cases rarely come to trial in Russia. However, last week a court in St. Petersburg imposed a 3,000-ruble ($123) fine on a pensioner who strangled a puppy using wire in the presence of three children.
02/03/2008 ANIMAL RIGHTS ACTIVISTS TURN HEAT ON COUGHLAN TO BAN FUR FARMING
Animal rights activists accused Agriculture Minister Mary Coughlan of turning a blind eye to the suffering of animals on fur farms. More than 50 members of Animal Rights Action Network (ARAN) picketed the minister's department in Dublin demanding that fur farming be banned in the forthcoming Animal Welfare Bill. The demonstrators carried posters showing graphic images of the fur trade and video footage of animals being skinned for their fur. ARAN spokesman John Carmody said that while fur farming was banned in the UK, up to 170,000 mink, arctic and silver fox were caged in five fur farms in the State. These were reared in small cages before being killed at about six months old for their fur. A Department of Agriculture spokesman said the Bill was only in its earliest stage and he did not know whether fur farming would be addressed in the new legislation.
02/03/2008 FDA SLAMS EPILEPTIC DRUGS
FDA informed healthcare professionals that the Agency has analyzed reports of suicidality from placebo-controlled clinical studies of eleven drugs used to treat epilepsy as well as psychiatric disorders, and other conditions. In the FDA's analysis, patients receiving antiepileptic drugs had approximately twice the risk of suicidal behavior or ideation (0.43%) compared to patients receiving placebo (0.22%). The increased risk of suicidal behavior and suicidal ideation was observed as early as one week after starting the antiepileptic drug and continued through 24 weeks. The results were generally consistent among the eleven drugs. The relative risk for suicidality was higher in patients with epilepsy compared to patients who were given one of the drugs in the class for psychiatric or other conditions. The drugs included in the analyses include: Carbamazepine, Felbamate, Gabapentin, Lamotrigine, Levetiracetam, Oxcarbazepine, Pregabalin, Tiagabine, Topiramate, Valproate, and Zonisamide.
02/02/2008 EGYPT PLAYERS SACRIFICE COW IN TRAINING
Egypt's players sacrificed a cow during a soccer training session on Friday to bring them luck at the African Nations Cup. A Reuters photographer at the practice session said the players surrounded the cow when it was released on to the field and pulled it to the ground before one of them killed it by stabbing it in the neck. Team sources said the ritual was to bring them luck and that the meat would be donated. Nations Cup holders Egypt face Angola in their quarter-final in Kumasi on Monday.
02/01/2008 BOAR WAR AS ANIMAL PROTECTION GROUPS HIT OUT AT HUNTS
Britain's first commercial wild boar hunt has been set up in Scotland, with gunmen paying £550 a head to shoot the animals. But organizers are so concerned at being targeted by anti-hunting campaigners that the boar drives will only be advertised by word of mouth. Two hunts have been held in the past few weeks at a secret location on a private estate in Dumfries and Galloway, where 20 riflemen killed 51 wild boar.
The number of news found: 41.
