November 23rd, 2011
The ISPCA are this week asking their supporters to help them out with two very important campaigns.
Ireland’s leading animal welfare charity has been shortlisted for the Better Together Charity Awards. €10,000 is at stake for the organisation which receives the most individual donations. It is not about how much money you donate – every single contribution, big or small, will count towards putting them in first place! The closing date is this Friday, the 25th of November. They are currently coming second – please make a donation to help put them in the lead.
As well as this, they are launching their ISPCA Hay Drive in the coming week. The sad truth is that many horses, ponies and donkeys will die of starvation this winter in Ireland as a result of neglect or abandonment. Just €3 will provide a bale of hay for a needy equine – you can donate by texting the word Hay to 57802 or by making a pledge online. The Hay Drive will be officially launched on Ryan Tubridy’s radio show next Tuesday, but you can kick off the campaign by making a commitment today.
Sign up to the ISPCA’s newsletter to receive regular updates on their work.
By Sinéad. Posted in Animal Welfare, Events, Horses, News
November 21st, 2011
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A blind dog name Dou Dou has been reunited with his owner, Meng Xiaoting, after spending at least two months trapped down a manhole.
The young dog went missing in early September when out for a walk in Qingdao, Shandong Province, China. After following all leads, and knowing that it would be very difficult for a blind dog to survive on its own, Meng had reluctantly given up on finding Dou Dou.
It was not until her friend told her about a newspaper article she had read that Meng began to think that her dog might still be alive.
The paper reported on a stray dog found in a town 10 miles away. It was said to be visually impaired and had been living down a manhole for about two months, too nervous and hostile for strangers to get near. He had been living on food that locals threw down to him.
‘I immediately found the newspaper and from the picture I instantly knew it’s my Dou Dou,’ Meng said.
She rushed to the scene and went down the hole herself to rescue her beloved pet – who happily allowed his owner to approach him.
Vets say that Dou Dou will make a full recovery following his underground ordeal.
By Sinéad. Posted in Dogs, Lost & Found, News
November 18th, 2011
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Nessie the dromedary camel runs a hilarious, galumphing race against her keeper, Alex Komechak, in Arizona. Here’s what Alex has to say about the video:
“Nessie and I have been doing this since she was a couple weeks old. We walk together, then turn around…I say, “Go!” and we run!!! She runs really crazy and I try to stay out of her way. Nessie LOVES to run. And she usually wins…!”
By Sinéad. Posted in Funny, News
November 17th, 2011
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In an all too familiar tale of ‘domesticated’ wild animals acting on their natural urges, a hippo named Humphrey has killed his South African owner, Marius Els.
The 2,600 pound animal and his passionate custodian became internet sensations when a video of the pair emerged on YouTube earlier this year. The foreboding footage showed the 40 year old farmer hand feeding apples to the hippopotamus and riding around on his back. At the time of the video, Els told of their ‘father/son’ relationship:
“He’s like a son to me. There’s a relationship between me and Humphrey and that’s what some people don’t understand…They think you can only have a relationship with dogs, cats and domestic animals. But I have a relationship with the most dangerous animal in Africa.”
The YouTube video ends with former army major Els being thrown off Humphrey’s back into the specially-made dam enclosure.
Els’ body was this week found in the Vaal River river near his home in Free State, a rural part of South Africa. It was the same river that Humphrey had first been adopted from 6 years ago as a calf. He had been bitten several times and dragged under the water.
Neighbours of Els say that they tried to advise him of the dangers of keeping wild animals as pets and that that Humphrey was not as tame as his naive owner would like to believe. He had recently showed several signs that contradicted his supposed docility, killing cattle and terrorising the clientele of a local golf club.
In one particularly terrifying incident, Humphrey chased a man and his 7 year old grandson, forcing them to seek refuge up a tree for several hours. They had been canoeing on the river when the unprovoked dangerous animal turned on them.
Hippos are among the most aggressive and dangerous animals in the world, every year killing more people than lions, leopards, elephants, buffalo and rhino combined. Els was quoted as saying, “It’s a little bit dangerous, but I trust him with my heart that he will not harm anybody”, echoing the sentiments of such wildlife enthusiasts as Timothy Treadwell, who was mauled by his beloved grizzly bears and Steve Irwin, who was killed by a stingray.
By Sinéad. Posted in News
November 11th, 2011
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Shane McEntee, the Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine this week welcomed the passing of the Welfare of Greyhounds Bill 2011 by the Senate. All that is required now is for the new President to sign it into law. It is most likely to be the first piece of legislation that Michael D. Higgins will put his signature to.
The Bill promises to “to provide for the welfare of greyhounds, regulate the operation of greyhound breeding establishments and establish a register of greyhound breeding.”
The Minister of State said: “My officials and I have consulted widely with all the interested parties in relation to the Bill. The result is a Bill that has cross-party support, putting in place a modern, comprehensive framework – with appropriate sanctions – to ensure nothing but the very best levels of welfare for our greyhounds”
As well as the significance this holds for the welfare of greyhounds, it will also help to stabilise and regulate a very important part of the economy. According to Bord na gCon, the greyhound industry provides 11,000 full-time and part-time jobs in Ireland, both directly and indirectly – many of which are in rural areas.
By Sinéad. Posted in Animal Welfare, Dogs, News
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