Tails from a Compassionate Planet

New Year Rings in Hope for Bulls in Catalonia

Thanks to a citizens’ advocacy campaign, Catalonia is now one important step closer to becoming an anti-bullfighting region. The “Prou” (“Enough” in English) campaign, led by Spanish citizens and supported by the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA), scored a victory on December 18 when local politicians approved a debate on changes to the region’s Animal Protection Law that currently protects all animals except the bulls and horses used in bullfights.

 

The Prou campaign led a Popular Legislative Initiative (PLI) in favor of a ban on bullfights in Catalonia and collected 180,000 signatures from Catalonian citizens who had “had enough” of the parliament’s refusal to acknowledge their wish for a ban, over three times the required number to force a vote in the regional parliament.

 

Local politicians will now debate on changes to the Animal Protection Law during the first half of this year. Future votes would effectively results in the enforcement of a ban on cruel and inhumane bullfighting.

 

WSPA collected signatures of over 85,000 concerned citizens from over 140 countries, to support Prou. With this added encouragement from the international community, WSPA hopes members of Catalonia’s Congress will feel confident in boldly speaking out against the cruelty displayed in bullfights in upcoming votes.

An end in sight…

 

Changes to existing Animal Protection Law in Catalonia would not only lead to 100 less bulls being inhumanely slaughtered every year, it could also lead the way for the rest of Spain and other bullfighting countries to embrace culture without cruelty.

 

The anti-bullfighting movement is experiencing growing support throughout the world, with a surge of towns and regions across Europe and Latin America declaring themselves “anti-bullfighting” in the last two years.

 

Learn more about the Prou campaign and see a map of Spanish cities that have declared themselves anti-bullfighting

 

What you can do as a Compassionate tourist…

 

Annually, more than 250,000 bulls and hundreds of horses are maimed and/or killed during traditional bullfights and similar events in Europe and Latin America. While many locals boycott these practices, as in the case of Catalonia, it is tourist demand that is keeping bulls at the center of the ring, but compassionate travelers can be powerful agents of change. Tourists traveling to Spain or Latin America should boycott festivals and activities where bulls are taunted and killed for the sake of entertainment. By refusing to pay for a ticket, you are voting to end the cruel practice.

 

To learn more about what you can do to help animals, visit WSPA’s Compassionate Travel website.

Earthquake in Haiti: WSPA Prepares to Respond

WSPA has been receiving many calls from concerned and compassionate supporters regarding the situation in Haiti which has prompted us to use this blog to spread the word. Here is a brief overview of the current situation and WSPA's response from Gerardo Huertas, WSPA's Disaster Operations Director based in Costa Rica.

 

My team and I have been closely monitoring the situation in Haiti since the devastating earthquake hit the capital, Port-au-Prince, last night. With most communications infrastructure down, it meant we had a long night waiting for information that beyond sketchy news reports.

Since this morning, we have been in talks with the United Nations (under serious stress themselves since their office in Port-au-Prince has collapsed, with 15 staff members dead and 20 still missing) and the local Red Cross Chapters to gain a further understanding of the impact on animals caught up in the situation.

Our Disaster Liaison Officer from Panama, Jorge Alcidez Gonzalez who also works as the Head of the K9 unit of Civil Defense, is now traveling out of Panama with a team of specially trained veterinary staff to assess the destruction and welfare needs of the animals. Jorge and his brave team will be treating animals as soon as they are on the ground.

They have told me that they will carry veterinary supplies to treat any injured animals that they come across. I have also arranged for him to feedback the extent of the damage and where we can be of most help, as quickly as possible.

Do look out for more updates from us, as we relay on the information we get from Jorge and the rest of the team. Considering the troubled security situation in Haiti at the best of times, my primary concern at the moment is Jorge’s safety; we will be paying particular attention to this in the next couple of days while planning our disaster relief operation in greater detail.

 

For up-to-date information and further updates, please visit WSPA's Animals in Disasters blog at http://animalsindisasters.typepad.com/. 

WSPA has been receiving many calls from concerned and compassionate supporters regarding the situation in Haiti which has prompted us to use this blog to spread the word. Here is a brief overview of the current situation and WSPA's response from Gerardo Huertas, WSPA's Disaster Operations Director based in Costa Rica.

 

My team and I have been closely monitoring the situation in Haiti since the devastating earthquake hit the capital, Port-au-Prince, last night. With most communications infrastructure down, it meant we had a long night waiting for information that beyond sketchy news reports.

Since this morning, we have been in talks with the United Nations (under serious stress themselves since their office in Port-au-Prince has collapsed, with 15 staff members dead and 20 still missing) and the local Red Cross Chapters to gain a further understanding of the impact on animals caught up in the situation.

Our Disaster Liaison Officer from Panama, Jorge Alcidez Gonzalez who also works as the Head of the K9 unit of Civil Defense, is now traveling out of Panama with a team of specially trained veterinary staff to assess the destruction and welfare needs of the animals. Jorge and his brave team will be treating animals as soon as they are on the ground.

They have told me that they will carry veterinary supplies to treat any injured animals that they come across. I have also arranged for him to feedback the extent of the damage and where we can be of most help, as quickly as possible.

Do look out for more updates from us, as we relay on the information we get from Jorge and the rest of the team. Considering the troubled security situation in Haiti at the best of times, my primary concern at the moment is Jorge’s safety; we will be paying particular attention to this in the next couple of days while planning our disaster relief operation in greater detail.

 

For up-to-date information and further updates, please visit WSPA's Animals in Disasters blog at http://animalsindisasters.typepad.com/.