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

At the invitation of the Free University of Berlin, an ANIMALS’ ANGELS Team speaks to students of veterinary medicine. The occasion is the current ANIMALS’ ANGELS exhibition at the university, “We are there with the animals. Where are the veterinarians?” The content of the presentation focuses on the obligations and responsibilities of official veterinarians in connection with animal transports. The students’ interest is so great that ANIMALS’ ANGELS will visit the seminar again next week to conclude the presentation and to answer outstanding questions. ANIMALS’ ANGELS is pleased about the interest and the animated discussion and expresses its thanks for the invitation.

ANIMALS’ ANGELS escorts a Polish transporter loaded with 160 pigs from Frankfurt/Oder until the transporter stops on a parking lot near Dessau. Outside temperatures are around minus 9 degrees Celsius. According to the documentation the transporter has been en route for 9 hours and is on its way to Italy. The drinking system has frozen. Due to the catastrophic weather conditions the police are busy with accidents and we have to let the transporter continue. Through our contacts in Italy we check whether the transporter in fact takes a 24-hour supply break in northern Italy as stated in the transport plan. We will file a complaint against the clearing veterinary authority in Poland because the transport should not have been cleared on the basis of its lack of a water supply.

Over 6 hours Animals’ Angels observes app. 15660 sheep being delivered on 23 transports to the Al Kuwait for live export to the Middle East for slaughter (without pre-stunning). The ship arrived from Portland Victoria, already partly loaded with sheep. We are informed that all drivers have been told to check all animals on their trucks when they park inside the port area, but only 1 was observed doing this. Another 2 drivers were observed checking the animals on the lowest deck and one of these drivers used an electrical shock prodder to poke inside the crate. Some trucks had big sheep forced into pens which are not built for such animals, and we document eye infections, many sheep with possible cancer of the tail and significant shearing cuts. Apparently all drivers have been told to keep their dogs out of the crate when loaded with sheep and we did not see any dogs in the loads pace. The State Animal Welfare Unit inspectors who are responsible for enforcing the animal welfare legislation and prevention of cruelty are not in attendance. Both are on annual leave, so there was no person to contact if there is an immediate animal welfare problem at the port. The Animal Welfare Unit has one Animal Welfare Inspector and a Unit Manager remaining from an original team of 6 Inspectors and a manager. The ASEL (regulations governing live export) was not being enforced as AQIS was not present. There was no government authority at the port to monitor activities and prevent cruelty.

Animals’ Angels is tipped off about horses being kept in Laubenheim/Rhineland-Palatinate in violation of animal welfare and goes to see the horses and the husbandry. The horses have likely been standing on the pasture all winter without any shelter, which is absolutely impermissible. At the time of the inspection hay and water were there but the horses were in poor condition. The hooves in particular urgently need care. We will file a complaint with the competent veterinary authority but so far have not been able to locate the animals’ keeper.

Animals’ Angels participates in the working group to draft a European guideline on the assessment of the fitness for transport of cattle.

Upon arrival ANIMALS' ANGELS investigators found an otherwise healthy looking horse lying dead in the parking lot. In the pen area, investigators observed as the typically rough, untrained workers used long wooden poles to hit and poke horses with great force. Eventually this caused horses to rush forward, knocking down a closed gate. One horse escaped while a draft horse went down, its legs thoroughly wedged in the gate. The Amish workers stood by and watched as the frantic horse whirled its legs at great speed for several minutes until it was finally able to get up, though with one leg still entangled in the gate. It took several more minutes to disengage the horse’s leg. By luck the horse did not appear to be injured (though the auction veterinarian was never observed checking the horse), nor was the horse trampled during the sustained uproar. However, the workers’ unnecessary and cruel handling of the horses is a violation of Ohio law [statute 959.13]. Another situation had a less positive outcome. An emaciated mare, tag # 739, went through the auction unsold. It is a crime in Ohio to allow a horse to get in this condition. Upon receiving the mare, Sugarcreek Auction should have called law enforcement but did not. An Ohio rescue was able to take the mare and their vet treated her for shock and colic. Unfortunately, her condition deteriorated and the mare had to be euthanized.

Animals’ Angels visits the agricultural operation Eichhof in Hesse to gather information on conventional animal husbandry, particularly sow husbandry and the husbandry of “dairy” cows. The “dairy” cows are milked by a milking robot and decide themselves when and how often they are milked. The finding that the cows go to be milked at least 3 times in 24 hours on average, i.e. every 8 hours, is interesting. The animal transport regulation provides for milking intervals of 12 hours, which might possibly already lead to pain in cows with high milk output. Animals’ Angels will research this topic.

ANIMALS' ANGELS visits this very old yard for first time. Busy day with over 1000 animals; including cattle, bobby calves, goats and sheep. The facility is undergoing gradual upgrade but shade is available for many animals and water available for some. Animals generally in good condition, apart from a couple of very poor cows with calves. Council and yard management express commitment towards ongoing welfare improvements. Electric shock prodders used in loading, but not in yards. No Govt animal welfare Inspectors present.

An Animals’ Angels team observed animal transports that passed the freeway direction Genova (Italy) and France. In contrast to a previous inspection in August 2009, merely a few animal transports passed over this route. Three trucks were controlled by Animals’ Angels without findings. One transport carrying female bovines from France to near Venezia (Italy) was assumed to violate several animal welfare provisions. Animals’ Angels established that the headspace over some bovines was insufficient as well as the bedding and that the water system was inadequate. Furthermore, the journey log was filled out incompletely or rather was partly empty. Animals’ Angels followed the truck and asked the Italian police for a check. The exact procedure of this check is unknown to Animals’ Angels, as we were urged to stay away.

Animals’ Angels trails a transporter with lactating „dairy“ cows from Germany to Spain. “Dairy“ cows are highly sensitive animals. During their lactation phase they must be milked regularly, at least every 12 hours, otherwise their swollen udders cause them immense pain. This is completely ignored during long-distance transports because the regular milking makes the transport uneconomical or because the infrastructure is lacking. In this current case both were true: During the first half of the transport the animals were not milked for over 19 hours because it seemed uneconomical to the transporter; during the second portion of the transport in Spain the animals were not milked for over 21 hours because there are no inspection points there where cows can be milked. In addition, cows have a great need for water while giving milk, up to 180 liters per day. Thirty-four cows are transported on one truck, but the vehicle’s tank can carry a maximum of 600 liters, so the water requirement of the animals during transport can never be met. These transports are carried out weekly from northern Germany to destinations all over Spain and Portugal. Hardly any of these transports are legal and it is unavoidable that the animals are made to suffer during the long-distance transports. Buyers and sellers know this, as do the clearing official veterinarians. Animals’ Angels will once again ask the German veterinary authorities not to clear these illegal transports anymore. In addition, Animals’ Angels will take legal steps against the Spanish transporter and continue to monitor these transports.