Born Free Foundation letter campaigns
Too 'cute' to survive?
- © Robin Cox
IS YOUTUBE KILLING THE SLOW LORIS?
Those of you who saw the disturbing documentary, ‘Jungle Gremlins of Java’, shown on BBC 2 on 25th January 2012, will have learnt how video footage on YouTube, showing ‘cute’ captive slow lorises, has resulted in a huge demand for these big-eyed, cuddly looking primates.
Featuring the work of primatologist Dr Anna Nekaris, the documentary reveals the sickening trade in slow lorises, illegally captured from the wild and sold as pets.
Slow loris are the only venomous primate and by raising their arms above their heads they can access the stinky oil in the venom glands in their arm. The venom is activated by the saliva in their mouth, and by coating their teeth, they can deliver a toxic, painful bite.
Those illegally trading in slow lorises often clip their front teeth with pliers, nail clippers or wire cutters to reduce the impact of a venomous bite from the terrified loris. Not only is this process excruciatingly painful, but infections of damaged teeth can lead to death from septicaemia. It also means that many rescued lorises can never be released to back to the wild.
All five species of slow lorises are listed on Appendix I of CITES. This means all international commercial trade is banned. Local laws also prohibit domestic trade in slow loris and slow loris products, however they are still openly sold in local markets.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
1. Sign the on-line petition calling for YouTube to ban footage of captive slow lorises. http://www.thepetitionsite.com/318/--if-gte-mso-9xml-wworddocument-wviewnormalwview-wzoom0wzoom-wpunctuationkerning/
2. Contact the Indonesian Embassy (details of the UK Embassy below). Politely ask the Indonesian Ambassador to relay your concerns to the Indonesian Government. Say you would urge the Government to take strong action to enforce the law and prosecute all those involved in the illegal slow loris trade. Sometimes lorises will be confiscated but the vendors are rarely prosecuted. Indicate how you feel about the cruelty inflicted on slow lorises captured from the wild.
His Excellency, Teuku Mohammad Hamzah Thayeb
Indonesian Embassy
38 Grosvenor Square
London W1K 2HW
email: kbri@btconnect.com
Start letter “Your Excellency” and end it “Yours sincerely”.
Website of Dr Anna Nekaris http://nocturama.org/
‘The Jungle Gremlins of Java’ is available on BBC iplayer for the next two months for those in the UK. www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01bcp7z/Natural_World_20112012_Jungle_Gremlins_of_Java/
Prevent young, wild elephants from being captured in Sri Lanka
Ask the Sri Lankan authorities not to undertake programme of capture and training for religious festivals.
On 8th August 2011, Sri Lankan Wildlife Minister, Mr S.M. Chandrasena told a press conference that during the upcoming survey of wild elephants, strong young calves would be identified for capture, to be "donated" to temples for use in festivals.
Following this announcement at least 30 local conservation organisations have condemned the remarks. Conservationist Ajantha Palihawadana said such captures would interfere with nature by removing some of the best genetic stock from the elephant population, especially if elephants with tusks were being specifically selected as such individuals are relatively rare. Many are also very worried about the welfare of the elephants subjected to the trauma of capture and training, and spending the rest of their lives in captivity.
Liberate the Berlin bears!
Despite many letters already written by Born Free's Activate! letter-writing team and Born Free supporters, Schnute and Maxi, two European brown bears, continue to be housed in a bear pit in a Berlin Park. We encourage you to continue to write to the people detailed below to ensure the relocation of the bears from their pit.
German authorities state that conditions of the bears currently meet with German animal welfare legislation. However, the relevant guidelines and standards are currently under review and Born Free and our colleagues at Animal Public in Germany, along with other NGO’s will work to ensure strict animal welfare guidelines are produced which will likely mean the bear pit no longer meets the requirements.
Mirjana Plavac, a German researcher, has provided the following video which demonstrates why we need to move the bears to a sanctuary as soon as possible.
Background: Schnute and Maxi have been kept in the bear pit since their births in 1981 and 1986 respectively. Many Berliners are unaware of their existence and are horrified when they are discovered. Opened in 1939, the brick and concrete Berlin bear-pit in Köllnischer Park is bizarrely a listed-national building. To date, it has housed over 12 bears, animals that have reportedly had a total of 50 offspring, the majority of which have been rehomed in zoos and circuses throughout Europe.
While other European cities phase-out the keeping of bears in pits and castle moats, Berlin maintains this archaic and cruel tradition for no good reason. Born Free is asking compassionate members of the public in Germany, the UK and elsewhere to ‘bring their wall down’ and liberate Schnute and Maxi.
Don't forget to sign up to the Facebook group for the Berlin bears!
Please help us help Schnute and Maxi. Please write a polite letter to:
| District Mayor : Bezirksbürgermeister Berlin-Mitte Dr. Christian Hanke Rathaus Tiergarten Mathilde-Jacob-Platz 1 10551 Berlin Fax: (030) 9018 32101 Mail: christian.hanke@ba-mitte.verwalt-berlin.de |
Join Activate!
Activate, Born Free's proactive letter-writing team, gets you directly involved with our campaigns to help animals.
Click for more information on Activate. Contact us now for your FREE starter pack on 01403 240170 or tricia@bornfree.org.uk
Don’t forget, be courteous and persuasive – being rude or confrontational could have a negative effect!
Letter campaigns Born Free supports
Success! Clear Labels, Not Forests
Members of the European Parliament have voted 'Yes' to the labelling of palm oil* on food products, allowing shoppers to make choices about what they buy, and supporting vital changes in the palm oil industry as food companies will be encouraged to shift to sustainable sources of the ingredient.
As it stands palm oil is normally labelled under the generic term 'vegetable oil'. The new agreement, which requires all vegetable oils to be labelled individually, will come into force early 2012 and the new labelling rules will begin to apply in 2015.
About Palm Oil: Palm oil is the world’s most popular vegetable oil, primarily produced in Indonesia and Malaysia, and with rapid expansion now being seen in Africa. The development of oil palm plantations is often at the expense of tropical forests and carbon-rich peatlands, which has disastrous consequences for critically endangered species, including the orangutan, elephant, rhino and tiger, as well as local communities and indeed the global effort to reduce carbon emissions to prevent dangerous climate change.
Help protect animals in Thailand
Urge the Thai Government to Pass the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and Animal Welfare Bill
The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and Animal Welfare Bill has finally made its long way to the final stage of the legislative process before submission to the parliament for consideration, but it's currently being held up by the Cabinet Secretariat. The current term of parliament will end soon, and if the bill is not passed prior to that, the whole lengthy approval process will have to be started over again.
Help Stop the Illegal Trade of Sea Turtle Eggs
Help ProFauna Stop the Illegal Trade of Sea Turtle Eggs. Turtle egg trade is illegal and criminal. For a full report on the trade to inform you and your letter, please click here. Help stop the turtle egg trade by sending a letter to the Indonesian government to encourage them to curb the trade in Kalimantan.
Please send your letter to:
Zulkifli Hasan, Menteri Kehutanan
Gedung Manggala Wanabakti Blok I Lt. 3
Jalan Gatot Subroto - Senayan - Jakarta - Indonesia - 10270
Telp. +62-21-5704501-04; +62-21-5730191
Email: menhut@dephut.go.id dan dirjenphka@dephut.go.id
If you do get a reply please send a copy to Sarah Jefferson at the Born Free Foundation zoocheck@bornfree.org.uk
Don’t forget, be courteous and persuasive – being rude or confrontational could have a negative effect!
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