Daily Animal News: More space for animals, welfare ad wins award

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The Animal Reader
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Daily Animal News, Koala om Tree
Koala, photo: Canva

Australia launched its Threatened Species Action Plan: Towards Zero Extinctions to protect animals and plants in the country famous for its unique species.

“The state of the Australian environment is bad and getting worse. We are the mammal extinction capital of the world. We’ve seen around 100 species lost in the time since colonization, and we absolutely have to turn that around,” Tanya Plibersek, Australian Minister for the Environment and Water, said.

“It includes a target of zero new extinctions. It delivers on our target of protecting 30 percent of our land and 30 percent of our oceans by 2030,” Plibersek said. “When we know that a species is on the brink of extinction, it means we can make sure that we’re protecting its habitat, making sure that that species has the opportunity to survive and recover and rebuild.”

“If we keep doing what we’re doing, we’ll keep getting the same results,” she added.

Humane Society International Australia called it a key moment that will change Australian environmental policy: ” Australia has notoriously been a leader in species extinctions, and we thank the Minister for wanting to draw a line in the sand. To be successful, strong environmental policies must follow, such as new funding to protect species and law reform.”


Horse abuse in Egypt
Horses forced to drag carriages with tourists showed clear signs of physical abuse and were eating from garbage containers in Egypt, a new investigation by animal welfare organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) Asia revealed.

The horses were working in scorching heat without shade, food, or water, PETA Asia showed. “The footage shows wounded, exhausted horses eating rubbish to survive.”

“Please urge Egypt’s minister of tourism and antiquities to end this abuse by banning horse-drawn carriages,” PETA said.


Extreme abuse at US pig farm
Animal welfare organization Mercy For Animals released a new undercover investigation exposing the cruelty of gestation crates, metal cages for mother pigs during their pregnancies, at pig factory farms in the United States.

The investigator captured footage of pregnant pigs confined to cramped gestation crates, unable to lie comfortably or even turn around: “It was like she (female pig) realized she was trapped in a never-ending nightmare.”

“She had just given birth a few days before. Some of her babies were born dead, and the others were taken away. But her suffering wouldn’t end there. Yet again, she was crammed into a “gestation crate.”

Pigs that are only a day old suffered painful mutilations, such as castration and their tails cut off, without any anaesthesia or pain relief, footage revealed. The babies were taken from their moms at only a few days old.


Calf & Cow Stay Together milk
“A special and beautiful day today: ‘Calf & Cow Stay Together’ milk is now available in all organic stores!” Dutch animal welfare organization Eyes on Animals celebrated on World Animal Day. 

At ‘normal’ farms, babies are instantly taken away from their moms so humans can use their milk (intended for babies). But some Dutch farmers want to have moms and babies stay together for at least a few months.


Ad about factory farming wins award
A short animated film about the reality of factory farming from animal welfare organization Djurens Rätt has won “Best Animation” at Sweden’s commercial awards, Eurogroup for Animal shared on Twitter.

The animated movie played at cinemas across Sweden this year. “It feels incredibly powerful that our film that questions Sweden’s animal welfare wins such a prestigious advertising award,” Tina Hogevik from Djurens Rätt said.