Animal Aid

Urge Cardiff University to stop experimenting on animals

We recently reported that animal experiments at Cardiff University have risen by 13 per cent since 2006. In 2009, the University used 46 cats in research, more than a quarter of all the cats used in research facilities in the UK during that period. Animal Aid has previously exposed Cardiff University in its 2006 'Mad Science' awards, for conducting particularly pointless and grotesque research on rats.

A petition has been set up urging Cardiff University to stop experimenting on animals, and instead adopt humane methods of research.

Stop the Balmoral Hotel selling foie gras

The Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh is offering foie gras on its menu, despite widespread condemnation of the cruelty behind foie gras, and a ban on its production in the UK. To produce foie gras, ducks and geese are painfully force-fed through a long metal pipe until their livers swell up to ten times their normal size. Please politely contact the Balmoral Hotel and request that it stops selling this cruel product.

The Balmoral
1 Princes Street
Edinburgh
EH2 2EQ

Telephone: 0131 556 2414

Save Cheltenham Gulls

Cheltenham Borough Council is considering shooting gulls in an effort to control their numbers, following complaints about the amount of noise they make, even though, as autumn approaches, noise levels will naturally diminish anyway. Culls do not work, and in a matter of weeks bird numbers can return to pre-cull figures. And, of course, culling is never humane.

Please politely contact the council and urge them to use a humane method instead:

Cheltenham Borough Council
Municipal Offices
Promenade
Cheltenham
Gloucestershire GL50 9SA

Telephone: 01242 262626

Help Captive Fish

We have been informed that John Lewis has aquaria full of large and small fish in the make-up departments of its Oxford Street and Bluewater stores - perhaps also others. The ornamental fish industry is motivated by profit. Fish are mass-produced and transported around the world, leading to associated welfare problems and disease risks. Fish are expected to conform to a stipulated colour and quality, and those who don't 'make the grade' are killed. Besides, keeping them in aquaria, when they belong in the oceans, is immoral.

Please contact John Lewis and ask them not to support this exploitative industry:

Noel Saunders
Managing Director
John Lewis
300 Oxford Street
London W1A 1EX

Karen Lord
Managing Director
John Lewis Bluewater
Greenhithe
Kent DA9 9SA

Ask Your MP to Back Early Day Motion for Racehorses

Every season the clock ticks down to death and destruction for thousands of race horses. Hundreds are shot in the head or lethally injected on racecourses or during training, due to catastrophic injury. Thousands more who lack the ability to race meet the same fate.

Portsmouth South Lib Dem MP, Mike Hancock, has tabled an important Early Day Motion (EDM) calling on the government to undertake a full audit of racehorse production, death and injury, and to make its findings public.

He has also urged the government to curb the industry's over-breeding of Thoroughbreds, and to publish the names and details of all race horse fatalities. Animal Aid already collates details of race horse deaths on Race Horse Death Watch but we recognise that not all injuries and fatalities come to our attention. This is why it is vital for the government to put pressure on the industry to release this data.

Please ask your MP to sign EDM 177.

View the wording of the EDM If you or your MP require further information, please download our brand new booklet, The Trouble with Horse Racing. Visit the Race Horse Death Watch website

Get the Great British Circus out of Rochford

Despite Rochford Council refusing to let the Great British Circus appear on its land, the circus has managed to find a landowner who will. The shocking suffering of animals at this circus was exposed last year by Animal Defenders International, who filmed workers hitting elephants in the face. Please politely contact this landowner and ask him to withdraw his support of this cruel and exploitative circus.

Write to:
Mr Charles Taylor
Sutton Hall
Sutton Road
Rochford
Essex SS4 1LQ

Telephone: 01702 545730

Stop the Hillbark Hotel selling foie gras

The Hillbark Hotel in Wirral is serving foie gras on its menu, despite widespread condemnation of the cruelty behind foie gras, and a ban on its production in the UK. To produce foie gras, ducks and geese are painfully force-fed through a long metal pipe until their livers swell up to ten times their normal size. Please politely contact the Hillbark Hotel and request that it stops selling this cruel product.

Write to:
Hillbark Hotel
Royden Park
Frankby
Wirral CH48 1NP

Telephone: 0151 625 2400

Save Attingham Park Pigs

We have been informed that two pigs at the Attingham Park National Trust site are going to be killed for a 'hog roast' later this year, after being part of a children's attraction. Please contact the National Trust and urge them to spare the lives of these pigs.

Write to:
The National Trust
PO Box 39
Warrington WA5 7WD

Telephone: 0844 800 1895

Complain about rabbit fur toys

We have been informed that Aldi have started selling toy mice for cats made with real rabbit fur. Please contact the company to complain about this, and urge them to use only synthetic fur in their products.

Write to:
Aldi Stores
Holly Lane
Atherstone
Warwickshire CV9 2SQ

Telephone: 0844 406 8800

Stop Wimbledon Park Golf Club from Killing Geese

We understand that Wimbledon Park Golf Club has contracted a pest control company to shoot Canada Geese, even though users of a nearby lake are encouraged to feed the birds. Reports state that Greylag geese and goslings have also been shot, and that 20 percent were not killed outright but suffered terribly until put out of their misery.

Please contact Wimbledon Park Golf Club and ask that they learn to share green spaces with wildlife instead of bringing in the killers.

Wimbledon Park Golf Club
Home Park Road
Wimbledon
London SW19 7HR

Stop the Killing of Pigeons

Please contact Wycombe District Council and urge them to seek humane, non-lethal advice instead of killing pigeons in the town centre. Culls do not work, as new birds will move in to the area once the cull is over. And culling is never humane.

Wycombe District Council
Queen Victoria Road
High Wycombe
Buckinghamshire
HP11 1BB
Telephone: 01494 461000

Help Canadian Farmed Animals

On Friday June 18th, Canadian authorities discovered a barn full of pigs in Manitoba in horrific condition. The ventilation had been turned off, and feed and water withheld for some time. By the end of the weekend police reported that 500 pigs had died of starvation and/or suffocation, and almost 200 more were in such bad condition that they had to be euthanased. The remaining pigs were confiscated and received urgent medical care. This is the largest case of criminal farmed animal cruelty in Canadian history, and Canadians for the Ethical Treatment of Food Animals has asked for worldwide support in ensuring that the perpetrator is prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Please email the Canadian Minister of Justice & Attorney General, and Minister of Agriculture, Food & Rural Initiatives, and urge them to make sure this happens:

The Hon. Andrew Swan, Minister of Justice & Attorney General - minjus@leg.gov.mb.ca The Hon. Stan Struthers, Minister of Agriculture, Food & Rural Initiatives - minagr@leg.gov.mb.ca

Help Neglected Dogs

We have been contacted by a local supporter who is concerned about some neglected dogs spotted in Charlton, Greenwich. Many dogs have been seen on a travellers' site in the area, some crammed in cages, some running loose near the busy roads. All look to be in poor health.

Please contact the Dog Warden at Greenwich Council, and politely ask that they help these poor dogs:

Write to:
Dog Warden
Greenwich Counci
l Town Hall
Wellington Street
Woolwich
London SE18 6PW

Telephone: 020 8921 8157

Support the Hunting Ban

Several initiatives have been set up as part of the fight against a repeal of the Hunting act, including Brian May's 'Save Me' campaign and the 'Campaign for Decency'. They will be lobbying MPs to vote against such a repeal. The organisers need as many people as possible to sign up and support their campaigns to make them effective.

Please visit the websites and register your support:

It would also be extremely helpful if you could write to your MP as soon as possible to ask how they would vote. You may like to base your email or letter on the wording below

Sample letter:

Dear [NAME OF YOUR MP]

I am deeply concerned that the coalition government has promised a free vote on repealing the Hunting Act.

As someone who finds the idea of hunting with dogs abhorrent, I would like to ask how you would vote?

Would you vote for a repeal of the Hunting Act, or would you vote in favour of keeping the Hunting Act, which makes hunting with dogs illegal?

Yours sincerely

[YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS]

Save baby pigeons

Reading Borough Council has hired a contractor to remove pigeons and repair pigeon netting after complaints from a local resident. A photograph of the nest shows that there are baby pigeons living there, and concerns have been raised over what will happen to them.

Please politely contact Reading Borough Council and ask them to ensure that the pigeons are handed over to a rescue centre, rather than killed by the contractor.

Telephone: 0118 937 3737

Support Austrian Activists

An international campaign has been launched against the persecution of animal protection activists in Austria. Thirteen activists are to be put on trial, yet according to the campaign 'there is nothing in the charge sheets that could be seen as evidence of criminal behaviour'. Please visit the campaign website, which has more information and a sample protest email to the Austrian government:

Support the Campaign Against Noah's Ark Zoo

Last year, an undercover investigation by the Captive Animals' Protection Society revealed that Noah's Ark Zoo, in North Somerset, was breeding tigers for the owner of the Great British Circus. Several problems relating to animal welfare and veterinary care were also uncovered. Following this, the zoo has lost its membership of the zoo trade body BIAZA, and two government zoo inspectors have called for changes in the way the zoo operates.

There are several ways you can help with this campaign:

Demonstrations are being held every Saturday from 11am - 3pm. To get involved email Bristol Animal Rights Collective at: barc@hotmail.co.uk

Help End Fur Farming in Sweden

Shockingly, in Sweden it is still legal to raise and kill animals for their fur. Around 1.5 million mink and 2000 chinchillas are killed every year. The Animal Welfare legislation is currently undergoing revision, so now is the time to send a message to the Swedish government that the public want fur farming banned.

Please sign the petition urging the Swedish government to implement a ban on fur farming

Complain about charity pig racing

Cobble Hey Farm is planning another pig racing event this August bank holiday. Racing events are never in the best interests of the animals, and often cause them high levels of stress. They also encourage people to see animals as objects of fun, rather than sentient beings. Please politely contact Cobble Hey Farm and urge them to raise funds only through cruelty-free means.

Write to:
Cobble Hey Farm & Gardens
Off Hobbs Lane
Claughton on Brock
Garstang
Nr Preston
Lancaster
PR3 0QN

Telephone: 01995 602643
Email Cobble Hey

Help ban the barbaric declawing of cats in the USA

Declawing cats is illegal in the UK and many other countries because the procedure is painful and inhumane, and can cause problems for the rest of a cat's life. It involves amputating the last bone of each toe - much like amputating the last joint of a person's fingers. Shockingly, this is a common practice in America, and is often requested by people who are annoyed that their cat claws their furniture. This is no excuse for mutilation.

Protest the brutal treatment of animals in Ukraine

A concerned Ukrainian supporter contacted us regarding the cruel treatment of homeless dogs in Ukraine. Rather than building a shelter, she reports that the authorities have constructed a 'mobile crematorium', which travels through cities where people catch stray dogs and throw them alive into the furnace. Please politely contact the Ukrainian Embassy to protest about this shocking cruelty.

Write to:
Ukrainian Embassy
60 Holland Park
London W11 3SJ
Tel: 020 7727 6312

Protect the Snowdonia Goats

Wild goats in Snowdonia are still being culled due to concerns that they are causing ecological damage. Such culls are not only cruel, but also ineffective as population numbers often soon return to pre-cull figures. Please politely contact the Snowdonia National Trust and Snowdonia National Park Authority to complain about this continued cull, and ask them to consider humane alternatives:

National Trust
Trinity Square
Llandudno
Conwy LL30 2DE
Tel: 01492 860123

Snowdonia National Park Authority
National Park Offices
Penrhyndeudraeth
Gwynedd LL48 6LF
Tel: 01766 770274

Kew Gardens Culling Wildlife

We have recently found out that Kew Gardens culls foxes, grey squirrels and rats, despite portraying themselves as friendly towards wildlife. Culling is never a humane or effective method of population control.

Please contact them to voice politely your opposition to this cruelty:

Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew
Richmond
Surrey
TW9 3AB
Telephone: 020 8332 5655 / 020 8332 5000

Email: info@kew.org

Protest plans for a new zoo in Scotland

The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland and Glasgow and South Lanarkshire local authorities are reconsidering plans for a £35 million 'animal-based visitor attraction' on the banks of the River Clyde in Glasgow, which will include giant pandas, manatees, jaguars and primates. There is a huge amount of evidence showing that captive life has a severely detrimental effect on the welfare of wild animals, causing them both physical and psychological suffering.

Please contact Glasgow City Council and South Lanarkshire Council to put forward your objections. The plans were dropped once before due to opposition so we need to show the authorities that people haven't changed their minds!

Write to them at:
South Lanarkshire Council
Almada Street
Hamilton
ML3 0AA

Write to them at:
Glasgow City Council
City Chambers
George Square
Glasgow
G2 1DU

Urge the Co-op not to fund animal research

Recently, the Co-op donated £150,000 to research into falling honeybee numbers, thought to be due, in part, to pesticides. An Animal Aid supporter contacted the Co-op to enquire whether this research would involve animals, and they replied that at the present time they do not know. They are currently reviewing outline research projects, so we are asking people to politely contact the Co-op and urge them to stick by their ethics and not support research projects that involve animals.

Please write to:
Plan Bee Team
The Co-operative Group
6th Floor
New Century House
Corporate Street
Manchester M60 4ES

Telephone: 0161 829 4359

Stop Tesco Animal Cruelty

In addition to selling live turtles in China, Tesco has now started selling foie gras in its stores in Hungary. The production of this so-called delicacy is banned in the UK because of the cruelty involved. Ducks and geese are force-fed through a long metal pipe until their diseased livers swell up to ten times their normal size. Many birds die during this painful process.

Please contact Tesco to politely complain and ask that it stops selling foie gras in all of its stores:
Sir Terry Leahy
CEO Tesco
Tesco House
PO Box 44
Delamare Road
Cheshunt
Herts
EN8 9SL

Freephone: 0845 600441

Challenge Council's Lifting of Animal Circus Ban

Wycombe District Council recently voted to lift the ban on performing animal circuses in their area. This is a sad and retrograde decision to take, especially as more and more councils are banning such circuses due to the animal cruelty they embody. Circus animals are often kept in cramped conditions, with much of their natural impulses and behaviours frustrated. They may be forced to endure brutal training, and then perform for our entertainment. Such exploitation of animals is cruel and immoral.

Please voice your complaints about the council's decision to:
Wycombe District Council
Queen Victoria Road
High Wycombe
Buckinghamshire
HP11 1BB
Telephone: 01494 461000

Shame on the Danes

We have had many emails recently expressing disgust at the annual slaughter of thousands of innocent pilot whales in the Danish Faeroe Islands. Entire pods are driven into shore where they are brutally killed. This senseless murder of beautiful, intelligent creatures is inexcusable and must be stopped. Please complain.

Help end the killing of Scottish seals

Scotland is fortunate to be the guardian of around 90 per cent of the UK's internationally-important seal populations - yet some colonies have already declined by around 40 per cent.

Thousands of seals are needlessly shot by the fish and farming industries in Scotland every year. The Conservation of Seals Act 1970 permits seals to be shot during the closed season, which means that pregnant seals or those with dependent pups can legally be shot. There is no requirement for shooters to meet any standard of proficiency, resulting in additional suffering.

The Scottish government is currently consulting members of the public about a new Marine Bill. Please contact them and ask for the Marine Bill to include full protection for seals.