Raymond Elliott pleaded guilty to drowning a grey squirrel after it raided his nut feeders out in his garden which were intended for the birds. A neighbour reported Mr Elliott to the RSPCA after the squirrel was drowned, resulting in legal action by the charity.

A spokesman for the RSPCA said:

“Drowning grey squirrels causes unnecessary suffering, as this case demonstrates. Realistically the only humane method would be to take the squirrel along to vet, as you would with a pet.”

However, the RSPCA have been roundly criticised for taking legal action. Tim Bonner from the Countryside Alliance said that the court action was merely an attempt from the RSPCA to push its animal welfare agenda, rather than being concerned about Mr Elliott’s actions being inhumane.

“Killing grey squirrels is a good thing – there are far too many of them and they threaten our native species and woodland. It is absolutely ridiculous that the RSPCA has spent thousands dragging this man through the courts when he was clearly unaware of the law.”

“They are using the courts as a propaganda vehicle.”

Even Carri Nicholson from Save Our Squirrels has come out in support of Mr Elliott:

“I feel very sorry for this man being prosecuted as most people don’t know the law and it’s not always clear what they should do.”

What do you think? Should the RSPCA have pursued this case in the courts and should a guilty verdict have been delivered?

The criticism relates specifically to the lion enclosure used overnight in the winter, with the report stating:

“There were clear signs of fighting between the animals; the overnight house was inadequate in space provision and facilities for the animals, structurally unsound and unsafe to operate.”

“The lions were confined in the winter season for unreasonable lengths of time.”

However, Woburn Safari Park was praised for its conservation work in other areas and the report did note that the unacceptable situation was a temporary one:

However, it was clear that the Woburn management were acting to improve the situation.

A spokesman for Woburn Safari Park has stated that the Defra inspectors misunderstood the fact that lions were free to move between 10 interlinked enclosures during the evening, and also confirmed that a new state-of-the-art enclosure was currently being built:

“The new overnight facility will be bigger than most zoo facilities for lions and the existing day-time facility is bigger than most UK zoos in their entirety.”

It is surprising that conditions in a UK zoo were allowed to deteriorate to such an inadequate standard but fortunately the situation is now being improved.

You can take a look at the lions at Woburn Safari Park in the video below:

With this in mind WSPA has recruited Ricky Gervais to front its campaign, with Ricky Gervais himself saying:

“Sometimes the worst kind of cruelty is done in the name of entertainment. It sickens me to know that people still pay money to see an animal tortured to death. Cultural heritage is no excuse for inflicting such pain on a frightened and confused animal.”

A huge number of bulls suffer each year due to bullfights and bull festivals, with some estimates putting the figure of bulls killed each year at an incredible quarter of a million. The bulls go through incredible suffering and the campaign to ban it is really building momentum. WSPA carried out a poll last year showing that 42% of Americans now believe that it should be banned – a huge swing on similar polls just a few years ago.

The argument for keeping bullfighting is largely centred around the fact that its a cultural sport, has great heritage, and is responsible for pulling in huge numbers of tourists to the bull festival regions.

However, Ricky Gervais takes the view of many others that this is a ‘sport’ which should have been outlawed years ago on moral grounds:

“The bull is stabbed for around 15 minutes by spears, spikes and daggers. It dies slowly and painfully, because when the matador sticks the final sword in, it often pierces the lungs instead of the heart, and the bulls are left drowning in their own blood. It’s amazing that there are fans of this so-called ‘sport’ across the world, from Spain to Latin America. I just can’t accept that cultural heritage is an excuse for inflicting such pain on a frightened and confused animal.”

With this vote coming up there’s now a real opportunity to change the laws for bullfighting, as Ricky goes on to say:

“There’s already quite a bit of progress being made. At the moment, the Catalonian Government in Spain is on the verge of voting for a ban on bullfighting. It could be a real step forward, so I wanted to get involved with this campaign to let Catalonian MPs know that there are thousands of people all around the world who care which way they vote.”

If you’d like to support the campaign then you can do so by filling in a letter against bullfighting.

However, a funding crisis has brought about a change in this policy for the very first time. Instead they’ll be focusing on caring for animals which have been seized from owners who have treated them badly.

A spokesman for the RSPCA has denied that this goes against the charity’s core mission:

“Our highest priority is to look after the animals that most need help, the pets and other animals rescued by our inspectors from cruelty and neglect. That is the RSPCA’s core aim and that has not changed.”

The new rules come into force across 17 RSPCA centres, although a further 41 independently run centres will be able to choose themselves whether to follow the policy.

The decision has been blamed on two factors – falling donations because of the recession along with a growing trend for owners to discard unwanted pets, as a spokesman for RSPCA highlighted:

“We must look to the cause of the increasing number of unwanted dogs, cats and exotic animals. The recession perhaps has had some impact but there is a growing trend for people to buy animals as status symbols and indeed it is all too easy to take on a pet without realising the responsibilities for the care and welfare of that animal.”

The change in RSPCA’s stance is going to put increasing pressure on other animal charities, at a time when donations are low across the charity sector.

However, as of yet no other animal charities have changed their policy on stray animals. The Chief Executive of Blue Cross, Kim Hamilton, says:

“Many thousands of animals are given up every year by loving owners who simply can’t cope for a variety of reasons… the Blue Cross will always help people who make the responsible choice to give up their pet and will continue to do all that we can to help as many abandoned animals as possible find permanent, loving new homes.”

Hopfully as the economy picks up later on the year donations will increase and RSPCA may be able to reverse their decision.

Dave Sexton, the RSPB officer patrolling the Isle, spotted the polar bear:

“We rounded a headland on the west coast of the island and saw a large, white shape lying by some rocks in the distance. As we got closer, I was staggered to see that it was a polar bear. At first I felt sure it was dead, but then I realised it was still breathing. Scarily, it opened its eyes as we got next to it, but didn’t show any other signs of moving. We grabbed a few photos and went off to get help.”

Often this would be seen as a sign of global warming, with the polar bear straying from the Arctic in the search of food, but ironically the colder winter and lower than average sea temperatures may in fact be responsible as it’s thought that the polar bear floated down to the Isle of Mull on a large block of ice.

You can view the location of the Isle of Mull below:

View Larger Map

When Dave Sexton left the polar bear to get help it disappeared. People in the area have been warned not to approach it as it may be hungry following it’s journey down to Scotland.

At least 27 protected birds of prey poisonings were recorded, with these figures also significantly lower than the reality as many poisonings go unreported. Amongst those 27 birds were:

• 2 Golden Eagles
• 4 Red Kites
• 19 Buzzards

The head of species at RSPB Scotland, Duncan Orr-Ewing has called on the police to step up and take faster and firmer action:

“We ask the authorities to deploy the full range of sanctions against the perpetrators of this indiscriminate activity… experience tells us that these figures represent just a fraction of the true scale of this illegal activity.”

The government minister in charge of looking into this issue is Roseanna Cunningham, the Scottish Environment Minister. She’s come out to say:

“The protection of Scotland’s wildlife has never before occupied such a prominent position politically or in terms of the law. I am hugely grateful to those partners working together to tackle these appalling crimes and I hope that our joint efforts will result in a safer environment for our birds of prey.”

Despite the right words being said it’s clear that something more needs to be done. Back in 2008 a review was conducted stating that a dedicated wildlife crime officer would be employed for every Scottish police force but this has never materialised.

In Simon Cowell’s own words:

“The World Society for Protection of Animals struck a chord with me, as it’s a global charity that recognizes the needs of animals around the world. When I was growing up, we had pets, and I was taught early on that you have to respect animals. I don’t have pets now, simply because I travel too much to take on the responsibility. But owning pets has had an immensely positive impact on my life and I think animals deserve our protection.”

“Right now, there are no international laws to protect animals and The World Society for the Protection of Animals is working to change that. They are calling on governments across the world to embrace a common agreement called the Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare. This would recognize that animals can suffer and feel pain and need proper protection.”

“All you have to do is add your name to the Declaration — I’m encouraging people to sign it and send it to a friend as well. The Universal Declaration will mean so much; it would help governments appreciate the important role that animals play in our lives and in the environment we live in, and so inspire better legislation to protect animals around the world.”

WSPA’s campaign can be found at AnimalsMatterToMe.org – you can sign-up on the home page to show your support for the campaign.

Today the Indian government claims that 1,411 tigers are still alive but this is a highly contentious figure. The real figure is likely to be closer to 750 and the race is on to save the Indian tigers from extinction. In fact, the situation has deteriorated to such as extent that tigers were actually placed on WWF’s 10 Most Threatened Species in 2010 list.

The situation is increasingly desperate, as Director of WWF Scotland, Dr Richard Dixon, says:

“We have a window of opportunity in which to step up and pull back some of the world’s most splendid animals from the brink of extinction. We urge everyone who wants to live in a world with tigers, polar bears, and pandas to make it their New Year’s resolution to help save these amazing and threatened species before it’s too late.”

One of the major problems facing tigers is the value of their skin, as just across India’s border in China a tiger skin can fetch as much as $20,000. As tigers continue to decline in numbers this value is only going to rise, further increasing the potential rewards of poaching.

Speaking to Dharmendra Khandal, who works for Tiger Watch, a privately funded organization trying to prevent and track down poachers, he mentions how they utilise paid informants to try to gain an upper–hand over the poachers:

“It’s a risky job. We have four regular paid informants from this community and we give them money in return for information. The community knows who the informants are. Some of them are resisting but there are cracks in the society now. Some of them are asking why they should live in such a primitive state.”

Although on the surface it might appear to be a losing battle against the poachers some real progress has been made. Tiger Watch also works extensively with the local communities and its work is starting to pay off, as Sanwali Kesra, the wife of a former poacher, illustrates:

“We are not willing to live in an atmosphere where the police are always coming after us. We had to move from here to there. Our forefathers were involved in poaching, but we don’t want to be involved in this trade any more.”

This view is shared by members throughout the local community, such as Asanti, a 26 year old from a family of poachers:

“We want our children to be educated. We want to learn more. We want a regular source of income. Hunting is not a regular source of income. Times have changed and our community is scattered. Now we want to live respectably.”

While the fight against poachers is gradually turning in the direction of conservationists, there are also major concerns over deforestation.

Aditya Singh, a conservationist and tiger expert, believes that the final straw for India’s tigers could be the destruction of the remaining corridors of forest that link the different nature reserves and parks together.

“There are still connections between the reserves, but in five years they won’t be there. I think the tigers have five years. They will stay in isolated pockets, but they will have reached an evolutionary dead end.”

Unless something can be done soon then India’s tigers will be gone forever. You can read more about the situation facing the Indian tigers over at the Guardian.

As Colby Loucks, WWF-US deputy director of conservation science, says:

“It’s disheartening to imagine that the Sundarbans – which means ‘beautiful forest’ in Bangla – could be gone this century, along with its tigers. If we don’t take steps to address the impacts of climate change on the Sundarbans, the only way its tigers will survive this century is with scuba gear.”

Unlike in other areas of the world the main threat to the tigers’ habitat is sea level rises instead of deforestation. Up to 400 tigers live along the Sundarbans coast and, whilst it may seem like a small number, the number represents approximately 10% of the remaining Bengal Tigers living in the wild today.

The study suggests that a 28cm rise in sea level is possible by 1970, at which point the whole area would become submerged and uninhabitable.

The victim, Dawn Brancheau, was apparently grabbed from the side of the pool and pooled under water. This follows other reported attacks in both 2004 and 2006, as well as a fatality back in 1991, courtesy of the same killer whale.

Following the news, Suzi Morris, UK Director for WSPA, said:

“The shocking news that an animal trainer has died after being attacked by a killer whale at the SeaWorld amusement park in Orlando, Florida, is a sad reminder of the inappropriateness of keeping these animals in captivity.”

“Killer whales are highly intelligent mammals that are taught to perform against their will by their human trainers. Marine mammals experience dreadful stress when forced to endure these unnatural interactions in their concrete prisons as it is not the way they would naturally behave in the wild. They do not enjoy ‘playing’ like this in this extremely traumatic environment.”

Peta, the animal welfare charity, also backed up WSPA’s views, announcing that they have been asking SeaWorld to stop taking wild killer whales into captivity for years.

However, despite opposition by animal charities it doesn’t look like the practice of putting on killer whale shows will be ending anytime soon at SeaWorld.