PARIS, AFP - Horses from the United States, Canada and other countries in the region whose meat is sold in France for human consumption pose a health risk and are often cruelly treated, a leading animal rights group said Thursday.
L214, which derives its name from an article in a 1976 French law that stipulates that animals have to be kept properly and in healthy conditions, said the conclusions followed a wide-reaching, two-year investigation launched in 2012. Horses from the US, Canada, Mexico, Uruguay and Argentina destined for human consumption were found to be emaciated, sick, injured or had been administered strong doses of anti-inflammatory medicines, according to the findings. Using secret cameras, the probes were conducted at horse auctions, in export enclosures, at veterinary checkpoints, feedlots and abattoirs. In a video posted on L214's website, horses are seen with open gashes, dislocated or broken legs, and left without treatment in feedlots. Some are visibly dead and in a state of decomposition, in enclosures or in transport trucks, with other horses squeezed around them. "Apart from the unacceptable treatment of the horses, the use of phenylbutazone or other dangerous substances banned in the European Union is common," said L214's Brigitte Gothiere. The drug, commonly referred to as bute, is used to alleviate pain in horses that are not destined for human consumption. It was originally also given to humans to treat rheumatoid arthritis and gout but was found to cause irreversible liver damage when combined even in small doses with other human painkillers. The drug is no longer approved for human use in the European Union and United States. The revelations follow a Europe-wide health scare last year when horsemeat was found in millions of ready meals labelled as containing only beef. The group called Thursday upon leading supermarket chains to shun horsemeat coming from the Americas to put an end to the "cruel and illegal treatment" of the animals. It carried out the study in conjunction with other animal lobby groups including Switzerland's Tierschutzbund-Zurich, Animals Angels' USA, Belgium's GAIA and Eyes on Animals in the Netherlands. According to the groups, 82,000 horses were slaughtered in Canada in 2012 for human consumption. About 70 percent of them were imported from the United States, where horse abattoirs were closed down in 2007. France, meanwhile, imported 16,900 tonnes of horsemeat in 2012, mainly from Canada, Belgium, Argentina, Mexico and Uruguay -- many of the countries featured in the investigation.
0 Comments
A pet parrot in India has been credited with helping catch the man who murdered its owner, a relative said Thursday.
The owner, a 55-year-old woman, was stabbed to death and her jewellery stolen at her home in the northern city of Agra on February 20. The woman's relatives grew suspicious when her caged bird became agitated whenever her nephew, Ashutosh Goswami, was in the home or his name was mentioned. The family started calling out different names to the parrot, who stayed silent until the nephew's name was used, said the woman's brother-in-law Ajay Sharma. "Whenever the name of Ashutosh was taken, the parrot shrieked and behaved abnormally and gave sufficient indication of (him) being involved," Sharma said. "This information was passed to police," Sharma told AFP. The nephew, 35, who also had a bite mark on his hand from the woman's dog, was arrested and charged on Tuesday along with an accomplice after the murder weapon and the jewellery were recovered, a local police officer said. Shalabh Mathur, senior superintendent of Agra police, acknowledged the bird called "Heera" -- which means diamond in Hindi -- proved useful. "We got a lot of help from the parrot to zero in on the murderer," Mathur was quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India news agency. A stray dog found himself in a lucky situation when he wandered into the Milwaukee Brewers spring training camp in Phoenix, Arizona. The lost pup showed up at the team’s training camp on Feb 17th looking a little grubby and worn down. Staff members decided to post photos of the canine in an attempt to reunite him with his owner. Unfortunately, no one claimed the dog. Turns out he had already stolen the hearts of the players and staff, so they decided to keep the homeless dog. According to the team’s blog, the canine was named Hank, after legendary Milwaukee Brewers player Hank Aaron. Hank was taken to the vet where he received his shots and a bath. He even got to spend a day at the Team Store where he received plenty of team gear and got his very own team jersey; a dog-sized jersey, of course. He now spends most the day roaming the offices and playing fields, greeting players and staff. He can also be seen on the field with the team during their workouts. At the end of day, the lucky pup goes home with different members of the organization. Hank is now a valuable member of the team and is even being called the Brewers’ unofficial spring training mascot. Let Fido Find His 'Inner Dog'
We just love to take our dogs with us wherever we go. In the car, to the beach, for walks, a swim. And now, there’s something else you can do with your dog -- Yoga! Dubbed "Doga," it seems this new craze is taking the nation by storm. There are books and DVDs and even classes to be had … Getting "Down" with Downward-Facing Dog Strange as it may seem, yoga for dogs makes sense. Just watch how your canine buddy stretches -- it's as if they were built for it. And it’s not only good for Rover’s health, flexibility, and relaxation, but yours, too. Loving the Limelight It should come as no surprise that your dog will love the attention a doga class offers. An instructor (or you) will watch his every move and guide him gently into the proper positions. And even if your dog isn't down with the doga, he'll still have a good time peacefully checking out all the ladies in the room. Plus, he'll be with you -- his favorite person in the whole wide world. Reaching Equilibrium We all lead super busy lives, and sometimes it’s hard to squeeze in exercise and quality "together" time with your favorite pooch. That’s why Doga is perfect. You get to workout, relax, your dog gets to exercise, and best of all, you both get to spend time ... together! If Doga is something you’re interested in, check and see if there’s a class offered in your neighborhood. Or, pop your favorite yoga workout into the DVD player, get your dog, and just start doing it. You’ll be surprised how quickly both of you become relaxed. Doga. It’s not just for dogs. If you’ve ever wished your dog could talk, you may get your wish sooner than you think.
Scandinavian scientists are developing a headset that could allow for your dog to voice his opinion. "No More Woof" explains on their website that the device is being introduced by the Nordic Society for Invention and Discovery (NSID). They hope to be able to put together a device that will allow dogs to tell us when they’re hungry and when they want to go out. They are even hoping to advance to two-way communication, what they call their “holy grail.” The technology uses EEG signals from the dog’s brain and translates them into human language through a speaker (English is the only one that is currently available). The website explains: For instance, there is a spectrum of specific electrical signals in the brain defining the feeling of tiredness ("I'm tired!"). Some of the most easily detected neural patterns are: "I'm hungry, "I'm tired," "I'm curious who that is?" and "I want to pee." (It is worth pointing out that dogs "think" in a different way than humans. Whereas the dog's brain signals might indicate hunger, that does of course not really mean the dog is "thinking" that, it's rather more a mental state than a "thought," although the difference between these two things is actually an interesting philosophical question, for those who are into these things.) The one hangup is how to best fit the EEG monitor to the dog’s fur for maximum results and comfort for the dog. Currently, the company is offering prototypes that will help fund the research, starting as low as $65, which detect 2-3 thought patterns. Prototypes go up to $1,200 per unit, which are created to blend with your dog’s fur and come with a golden engraved dog tag. “Right now we are only scraping the surface of possibilities; the project is only in its cradle. And to be completely honest, the first version will be quite rudimentary. But hey, the first computer was pretty crappy too,” reads the website. Personally, I think I’ll just continue to read my dog’s body language and allow him to speak his own “woof.” By Kerri Fivecoat-Campbell When pets get lost and are found weeks, months or even sometimes years later, they are typically a little worse for wear.
Not so for Woosie, a cat in Great Britain, that ran away from home three years ago. Instead of joining a circus, he went to live at a pastry factory, which made him one fat cat. “He’s a heavy cat now - he’s quite large. We think that he may have been eating all the pasties and sandwiches up there,” Helen Johns, Woosie’s human mom, told the U.K’s Daily Mail. A Long Trip to the Pastry Factory Woosie’s journey began in Gover in 2011 when, as they always did, the Johns let out their beloved cat for a romp in the garden. Unfortunately, Woosie never returned. It wasn’t long after that Woosie would show up at the at the Ginsters pastry factory nearly 30 miles away! How he got there is anyone’s guess, but it’s been theorized that he might have hitched a ride on a delivery truck or in another vehicle going to the area. Workers quickly took to the cat and “adopted” him. They apparently fed him rich snacks and sandwiches, and even allowed him free reign of the office. In return, Woosie would meet workers outside every morning. It wasn’t until this past week that a worker took the cat, whom they named George, to the vet. When he was scanned for a microchip, his rightful owners were located. Johns said they were “godsmacked” when they received the call from the vet. Even better, Woosie has taken to his home again as if he had never left — aside from the occasional hiss at the other housecat, Lola, who was just a kitten when Woosie disappeared. “He came home on Tuesday evening, came straight into the house and just stretched out in the chair as if nothing had happened,” Johns said. “He’s like Lord Muck. It’s surreal. He’s unfazed by it.” So, you think you can dance? Animals dance, too. They don’t all do it quite the same way we do, but they often shake their stuff for the same reasons (showing off for the opposite sex) and sometimes for vastly more complex ones. See our list of animals with smooth moves. Red-Capped Manakin Bird The first time the world saw Michael Jackson moonwalk we went collectively bananas, wondering if we really saw what we thought we saw. Check out the Red-Capped Manakin Bird's MJ impersonation below: Ready to Relive the ‘90s? Let see how many of these famous TV pups you remember from your favorite 90's sitcom shows...make a list first (NO CHEATING!!) lol These are in no particular order other than maybe starting with the less obscure :-) 10) Eddie from Frasier: A Jack Russell terrier known for his fixed stare and scene-stealing antics, Eddie belonged to Frasier’s father, Martin Crane. Moose, the dog who played him, also starred in the film My Dog Skip and fathered another canine actor named Enzo. Moose died at the age of 16 of old age. 9) Brian from Family Guy: This sassy dog, created and voiced by Seth MacFarlane, is the family pet of the Griffin family. Brian walks, talks and has an affinity for dry martinis and the Griffin’s youngest child Stewie. Brian has also made appearances on MacFarlane’s other shows, American Dad! and The Cleveland Show. 8) Santa’s Little Helper from The Simpsons: The Simpson family’s pet greyhound, Santa’s Little Helper made his first appearance in the premiere episode of the show. After being abandoned by his owner for losing races at Springfield Downs, he was adopted by Homer and Bart, who brought the dog home on Christmas Eve. 7) Wishbone: This curious Jack Russell starred in the series Wishbone and was known for his curious nature and big imagination. During his days at home in Oakdale, Texas, Wishbone would daydream about being a character in stories from classic literature including Oliver Twist,Romeo and Juliet and Joan of Ark. 6) Comet from Full House: The beloved Golden Retriever of the Tanner family, Comet’s mother Minnie gave birth to a litter of puppies (including Comet) on Jesse’s bed during the third season of Full House. He was played by a dog named Buddy, who also starred in the film Air Bud. 5) Murray from Mad About You: The Buchmans loveable but dimwitted pet, Murray was found as a puppy in the show and was with his owner, Paul when he met his future wife, Jamie. Murray was played by Maui, a collie-mix that was found in a California animal shelter by famed animal trainer Boone Narr. 4) Dreyfuss from Empty Nest and Golden Girls: This 100-plus pound St. Bernard-Golden Retriever mix was treated “like gold” on the set of the series Empty Nest, a spin-off of The Golden Girls, according to Examiner.com. 3) Buck from Married With Children: The Bundy’s wisecracking pup, Buck appeared in the first 10 seasons of the show as himself and in the 11th season of the show as Lucky, the reincarnated version of himself. 2) Stinky and Nunzio from Dharma and Greg: Dharma and Greg’s adorable pups, Stinky is a long-haired mutt and Nunzio is a Pembroke Welsh Corgi that Dharma gave to Stinky on his Bar Mitzvah. 1) Speedy the Dog from The Drew Carey Show: This Golden Retriever, who also appeared in Full House as Comet’s understudy, got around using a doggy wheel chair. Speedy came to live with Drew after he broke up with his girlfriend, Lisa. "Time Machine" stars buffoonish man who thinks boy and his Golden Retrieverpower their machine with chips: |
The PAW Blog...
For the LOVE of Pets The goal of this blog is to help educate pet owners by sharing pet health facts and pet news articles...and ... sometimes put a smile on your face with a cute or funny pet story! Categories
All
Archives
May 2024
Search for any topic...
|