Animals\' Angels - wir sind bei den Tieren | we are there with the animals

ANIMALS’ ANGELS and the French animal rights organization PMAF are invited to Tulle (Cedex) to hold a training course for 75 police officers and 6 veterinarians on the provisions for the protection of animals during transport. After the theoretical part several inspections take place along the highway. One of the four inspected transporters is a horrible sight: The loaded pigs are lying on top of one another; blood is running down the partition wall, one pig – Emma – is dead. The police impose a fine on the transporter and a second transport vehicle is called to reload a portion of the pigs. ANIMALS’ ANGELS thanks the police officers for their commitment and the good work together.

ANIMALS’ ANGELS Team follows a Dutch transporter loaded with 900 piglets. The drivers take a break at a rest area and we have the opportunity to look into the transporter. The piglets are standing closely crowded together and are clearly stressed. We learn from the drivers that the piglets are being transporter via Austria and Hungary all the way to Romania.

ANIMALS’ ANGELS accepts an invitation to the MUNLV to discuss various animal welfare problems during transport and with “utility“ animal husbandry with representatives from the animal protection division.

Animals' Angels Team visits the cow retirement in Butjadingen by the North Sea. Together with the cattle of the animal welfare foundation Hof Butenland. 15 Animals’ Angels cows have a self-determined life in a herd – without bearing children annually, being milked and “being useful” to people. The cows have been out to pasture for one month again and after a long winter they are able to fully enjoy their urge to move again.

Animals’ Angels team visited the BIP of Letenye to investigate into the export of animals from EU to Croatia and other third countries. Many animals, mostly piglets and calves are transported on a long journey from Netherlands and Germany. Based on information gathered we will continue our investigations into transport on these routes.

At the invitation of the Bündnis 90/The Green Party, ANIMALS’ ANGELS gives a presentation at the Bundestag hearing „Rediscover animal welfare! The new green animal protection law.” The reason for the event is a draft law by the Green Party on a new animal protection law. ANIMALS’ ANGELS welcomes the draft law as it will give animal welfare greater significance in Germany, for example with the long overdue introduction of a collective right to sue for animal protection associations. ANIMALS’ ANGELS also points out parts of the draft law where the requirements must be more extensive to allow a more targeted approach against poor conditions in “utility” animal husbandries and on animal transports. ANIMALS’ ANGELS expresses its thanks for the invitation and welcomes the attempt by the Bundestag party to meet the state objective of animal welfare through a new animal protection law.

ANIMALS’ ANGELS Team visited port of Koper. There animals are gathered inside stables of the control point to latter continue their journey via ship to Lebanon or Egypt. Unfortunately we were not able to get permission to enter the port.

This “Equine Transfer” or ET facility uses “surrogate” mares to carry foals for expensive mares. Embryos are transferred and implanted into the “surrogate” mares who then carry and give birth to the foals. In 2008, over 100 of these mares died here as a result of an apparent Botulism poisoning tied to the forage they were fed. The owners of the facility very recently declared bankruptcy (March 2010) and reduced their herd from 900 “surrogate” mares to 300. ANIMALS’ ANGELS has reliable information that horses from this facility were sold for slaughter. The Stanley Brothers, familiar to many because of recent investigations involving injured horses in their care in Louisiana, are involved in the slaughter trade of these horses. Conditions for “surrogate” mares are surprisingly poor. Expensive client horses graze on 87 acres of green pastures, but the majority of the 300 surrogates are kept on a barren dirt feedlot. These horses are branded with a large “ET” and numbers. Several are thin. A neighbor tells investigators that he has observed dead horses being pushed out of the lot with a front loader. ANIMALS’ ANGELS will continue to investigate.

Okeechobee is a large, old auction with small, dark pens. No food or water is available. Cattle attempting to stand on manure-covered concrete floors are continually slipping and falling. The pens are overcrowded. Cattle with long horns are packed in with other calves and cows. Risk of injuries is great with lots of movement and slipping inside the pens. Again, auction workers are very suspicious, when investigators try to access areas where animals are being moved they are approached immediately and told to leave. Handling inside the auction ring is satisfactory.

Animals’ Angels participates in a training program “Animal transports” of an inspection group in Lüneburg. After the theoretical part the 18 officers conduct inspections of animal transporters on 13 April with the support of official veterinarians and a representative of LAVES. The police officers carry out the inspections in an impressive routine. There were complaints regarding ten of the 16 inspected transporters, among other things because of animal welfare violations. The measures were taken with all consequences and in light of the welfare of the animals. In a double-decker transport with bulls some of the animals’ backs were hitting the ceiling, which would have led to injuries during further transport. In addition, the bulls were packed in so tightly that they could barely move. One pig transporter even had 40 pigs too many in its load. The animals of both transports were reloaded onto different transport vehicles. With regard to another transporter the police will check into the possibility of filing charges against the driver. During this transport a pig was crushed between the partition wall and the ceiling, presumably during loading.