Write a letter to editor expressing your concern about poisoning of bird due to indiscriminate use of insecticides
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Action Against Poisoning supports animal protection efforts in general and fights animal poisoning in particular. We have been well informed on the Manifesto ANIMAL and we have taken notice of an excellent supportive argumentation presented to you by email on 23-02-2008 by Mr. Rich Russom.
We link the severity and persistence of Portuguese animal abuse and neglect to the total lack of animal protection law enforcement. In our fight against a significant Portuguese animal poisoning problem we hit the “no report – no statistics – no problem” barrier. Denial en hypocrisy are standard reactions to signals of abuse and neglect of domestic animals and cruelty in bullfights, dogfights and circuses. In the rare cases police reacted and in the single case a police report was filed we have not seen a single follow-up. As police denies complainants a copy of a report civilians have no access to information and possibilities to monitor the outcome. This situation of judicial arbitrariness reflects a serious omission in Portuguese animal rights as well as human rights.
In addition to the arguments that might have reached your desk we stress the following points regarding stray and abandoned animals. This particular category of animals has our special attention and priority as it is enormous in numbers, primary target for poisoning and extremely vulnerable to the widest range of daily human misbehavior.
In our view abandoned animals and subsequently their stray offspring are the exclusive products of human misbehavior. Ignorance, neglect and cruelty creates a steady flow of diseased, abused and undesired domestic animals that are dumped by Portuguese citizens.
We are stunned by a human mentality that generates abandoned and stray animals as “Live Waste” in the public domain.
In civilized countries human waste is a public problem. This problem is recognized as a public responsibility requiring public solutions funded with public budgets. So why is live waste an ethical, legal and political blind spot?
It appears that European animal welfare and protection legislation mainly serves economic and public health interests. Roughly, the legal protection covers wild animals and domestic animals whilst stray and abandoned animals are outlawed. It is a fact that wild animals care for themselves and domestic animals are protected by their owners for emotional or economic reasons. Abandoned animals however have no protection although this – on human care and treatment dependent - category of animals needs protection most of all.
We have noticed that in Portugal stray and abandoned animals are the property of the Câmara’s, implying proper shelter, care and treatment. However, without a rare exception the presidents, veterinarians and police forces of those Câmara’s have failed in every field of animal protection as animal welfare has political and legal rock bottom priority. The sorry Câmara budgets – if any – are restricted to confinement, feeding and killing. It is disturbing to see that inadequate circumstances turn Câmara veterinarians into cynical professional misfits.
We are saddened by the fact that veterinary treatment and compassion are left to private initiatives. It is clear that the Portuguese society should do better than that.
We highlighted this “Live Waste” problem to illustrate the need for a solid animal welfare legislation. It is not the only reason as we also take this opportunity to state that a festive game with the single purpose of torturing an animal to death – the bullfight – is in total disaccord with the most basic animal welfare standards. In fact any torture in a festive context is sadistic and a (public) mental health threat.
Consequently we call on you “to put Portugal on the animal welfare map” by your support of the proposals as stipulated in the Manifesto ANIMAL.
With kind regards,
We link the severity and persistence of Portuguese animal abuse and neglect to the total lack of animal protection law enforcement. In our fight against a significant Portuguese animal poisoning problem we hit the “no report – no statistics – no problem” barrier. Denial en hypocrisy are standard reactions to signals of abuse and neglect of domestic animals and cruelty in bullfights, dogfights and circuses. In the rare cases police reacted and in the single case a police report was filed we have not seen a single follow-up. As police denies complainants a copy of a report civilians have no access to information and possibilities to monitor the outcome. This situation of judicial arbitrariness reflects a serious omission in Portuguese animal rights as well as human rights.
In addition to the arguments that might have reached your desk we stress the following points regarding stray and abandoned animals. This particular category of animals has our special attention and priority as it is enormous in numbers, primary target for poisoning and extremely vulnerable to the widest range of daily human misbehavior.
In our view abandoned animals and subsequently their stray offspring are the exclusive products of human misbehavior. Ignorance, neglect and cruelty creates a steady flow of diseased, abused and undesired domestic animals that are dumped by Portuguese citizens.
We are stunned by a human mentality that generates abandoned and stray animals as “Live Waste” in the public domain.
In civilized countries human waste is a public problem. This problem is recognized as a public responsibility requiring public solutions funded with public budgets. So why is live waste an ethical, legal and political blind spot?
It appears that European animal welfare and protection legislation mainly serves economic and public health interests. Roughly, the legal protection covers wild animals and domestic animals whilst stray and abandoned animals are outlawed. It is a fact that wild animals care for themselves and domestic animals are protected by their owners for emotional or economic reasons. Abandoned animals however have no protection although this – on human care and treatment dependent - category of animals needs protection most of all.
We have noticed that in Portugal stray and abandoned animals are the property of the Câmara’s, implying proper shelter, care and treatment. However, without a rare exception the presidents, veterinarians and police forces of those Câmara’s have failed in every field of animal protection as animal welfare has political and legal rock bottom priority. The sorry Câmara budgets – if any – are restricted to confinement, feeding and killing. It is disturbing to see that inadequate circumstances turn Câmara veterinarians into cynical professional misfits.
We are saddened by the fact that veterinary treatment and compassion are left to private initiatives. It is clear that the Portuguese society should do better than that.
We highlighted this “Live Waste” problem to illustrate the need for a solid animal welfare legislation. It is not the only reason as we also take this opportunity to state that a festive game with the single purpose of torturing an animal to death – the bullfight – is in total disaccord with the most basic animal welfare standards. In fact any torture in a festive context is sadistic and a (public) mental health threat.
Consequently we call on you “to put Portugal on the animal welfare map” by your support of the proposals as stipulated in the Manifesto ANIMAL.
With kind regards,
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