1. VICTORY! Jimba Safaris Has Officially Cancelled Their Lion Hunt In Zimbabwe Thanks To Animal Advocates Worldwide
Victory! The Zimbabwe Professional Hunters and Guides Association issued a statement that Wayne Dietrechsen, the owner of Jimba Safaris, who had a permit to hunt a lion outside of Hwange National Park, has officially cancelled the hunt and lion safari.
“We have no shortage of supporters on the ground in Zimbabwe monitoring his concession to make sure that this hunt does not take place. Trophy hunting is a dying practice, as it should be, and those who provide safaris that preserve and protect these magnificent animals will continue to flourish,” Mark Robinson, Founder of Cecil The Lion group, told WAN. “It is time to relegate trophy hunting to the trash heap of human history where it belongs.”
The collaboration of World Animal News, Peace 4 Animals,and Cecil The Liongroup, along with the action taken by animal advocates worldwide, helped bring this would-be travesty to an end. Together, we can make a difference!
2. Israel Is On Its Way To Becoming The 1st Country In The World To Ban The Immoral Fur Trade
The historic move to ban the fur trade, which results in the senseless suffering and death of thousands of animals each year, was recently set in motion in Israel. The news was shared on numerous social media posts over the weekend, including one from the country’s Environmental Protection Minister, Gila Gamliel. Once instituted, Israel would become the first country in the world to ban the barbaric trade.
“This morning an important move I initiated is on its way to being implemented; the ban on the fur trade in Israel. There is no need and no justification for the use of fur in the garment industry,” Minister Gamliel shared on her Facebook page. “I call on all countries to join us, and together, we will show benevolence and act kindly towards animals.”
3. Estonia & Poland Are One Step Closer To Becoming The Latest European Countries To Ban Fur Farming
Estonia took an important step towards banning fur farms recently when a draft for the amendment of the Animal Protection and Nature Conservation Actpassed the first reading in the Riigikogu, the Parliament of Estonia. The bill reportedly provides a phase-out period until 2023.
“We are very happy that the members of Riigikogu made an animal-friendly decision and did not reject the bill,” Regly Johanson, a board member of the animal advocacy organizationLoomus, said in a statement.Johanson also called the decision historic and important because the bill to ban fur farms in the country has never before passed the first reading.
4. A Plan By Strauss Meats To Build A Massive Slaughterhouse That Would Kill 500+ Cows Per Day Has Been Rejected By The Common Council Of Franklin, Wisconsin
Earlier this week, the voices of animal advocates were heard and plans by Strauss Meats to build a massive new slaughterhouse in Franklin, Wisconsin, were rejected. This is the same company that reportedly fired 29 workers who complained about unsafe working conditions after employees tested positive for COVID-19.
After what was described as “five hours of heated debate,” the Franklin Common Councilvoted 4-2 againstissuing a special use permit to Strauss for expanding into a more than 150,000 square foot facility where a minimum of 500 unwanted dairy calves and mother cows would be slaughtered each day.
5. 118 Elephant Ivory Tusks Seized By Customs Officials In Cameroon, Central Africa; We Must End The Ivory Trade!
Customs officials in Cameroon seized 118 ivory tusks weighing approximately 626 kg last week. The tusks were hidden in a truck of merchandise in Ambam, in the southern region of Cameroon in Central Africa. As per TRAFFIC, this marks the largest seizure made in the area, where the three countries of Cameroon, Gabon, and Equatorial Guinea meet.
According to Cameroonian officials involved in the investigation, one suspect was caught at the scene and was reported to be a Cameroonian arriving from Gabon. The suspect reportedly has connections to an international wildlife trafficking network.
6. Beyond Meat Launches Beyond Breakfast Sausage Links In Grocery Stores Throughout The United States Beginning This Month
Beyond Meat announced the addition of Beyond Breakfast Sausage Links to its line of innovative and delicious plant-based meat offerings. Designed to deliver the same taste and texture as pork-based links, Beyond Breakfast Sausage Links have no GMOs, bioengineered ingredients, synthetic colors, hormones, antibiotics or cholesterol, and have 40% less sodium than leading brands of traditional pork breakfast sausage links.
Marking the brand’s fourth new retail product of 2020, following the launch of Beyond Breakfast Sausage Patties, Cookout Classic, and most recently, Beyond Meatballs, Beyond Breakfast Sausage Links will roll into grocery stores nationwide, including at select: Krogers, Albertsons, Sprouts, Harris Teeter, Wegmans, Whole Foods Market, and more throughout October.
7. Endangered Species Act Protection Shockingly Stripped From Gray Wolves In The Lower 48 U.S. States Putting Their Species In Jeopardy
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)finalized a rule today that removes protection from gray wolves in the lower 48 states, except for a small population of Mexican gray wolves in Arizona and New Mexico. The USFWS made its decision despite the fact that wolves are still functionally extinct in the vast majority of their former range across the continental United States.
In July, WAN reported that almost two million Americans opposed the Trump administration’s plan to remove Endangered Species Act protection for gray wolves. The number of comments submitted were the highest ever recorded on a federal decision involving endangered species, yet the administration still chose to move forward with this disastrous plan.
Even the scientific peer reviews written at the behest of the USFWS state that the agency’s proposal contained numerous errors and appeared to come to a predetermined conclusion, not even supported by its own science.
“A healthy ocean is key to fighting the climate crisis,” Grijalva said in a statement. “This bill provides a roadmap for ocean and coastal climate resilience, and uses them to curb the pollution that is intensifying the climate crisis. We must stop the ongoing damage to our oceans to protect the food, jobs, and coastlines that millions of Americans depend on.”
