AN RSPCA-funded study from the University of Queensland has found that whipping racehorses does little to change the outcome. The study was based on the examination of five races in New South Wales using stewards to count whip strikes at different intervals of the race. Ascot trainer Rob Wells said trainers had the best interests [...]

A MAN who killed his dog Imi by breaking its leg and then drowning it in an Esky cool box has been fined $6,500 and given a suspended sentence. Michael David Hastie, 26, pleaded guilty in Esperance Magistrates Court this morning to animal cruelty charges after bragging about killing Imi in June 2010. The Castletown [...]

The RSPCA says the number of cats and dogs dumped at its Darwin branch in the last few weeks is disappointing. Every year, people leave the unwanted animals they have received as Christmas presents. Darwin RSPCA’s Gillian Priddy says up to 40 cats and 15 dogs have been left at the local branch since early [...]

PET owners are again being warned not to leave dogs in cars after a weimaraner died in a shopping centre carpark. Witnesses described how people stood screaming for help after seeing the distressed animal. Eventually a man broke into the car at Karingal Hub and took the dog to Karingal Vet Hospital and Dr Scott [...]

THERE is limited scientific or environmental evidence to support the killing of large numbers of kangaroos every year, a series of reports has found. Despite being the national symbol of Australia, more than 3 million are killed each year for their meat, or because they are considered pests that compete with livestock for food and [...]

Animal groups in Bunbury are warning dog owners about an outbreak of canine parvovirus. The virus can be fatal, and symptoms include severe vomiting, diarrhoea, and respiratory and cardiovascular problems. DeeAnn Baldwin from animal group Rescued Friends says the virus is carried in dog faeces and can live in the ground for years. She has [...]

ONE of Western Australia’s largest pig producers has welcomed the State Government’s new set of animal welfare regulations for the WA pig industry. The Animal Welfare (Pig Industry) Regulations 2010 provide for the welfare of commercially-kept pigs including new minimum space requirements for pig enclosures and six-week time limits on the time a sow can [...]

WA is one of only two states to veto ads on public transport exposing the cruelty of factory farming. The Animals Australia ads, which show confronting photos of caged chickens and pigs on commercial farms, will appear around most of Australia, but have been banned in WA and Queensland. The Public Transport Authority said it [...]

BRUSSELS—The European Union moved a big step closer toward a ban on cloning farm animals and a prohibition of imports of cloned livestock and their meat and milk, which would be another stumbling block for the powerful U.S. farm biotechnology industry. The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, proposed the ban Tuesday. It is expected [...]

In a small fishing village in Japan, dolphins and pilot whales are being herded into a quiet cove. Fishermen hold large poles underwater and bang them with hammers to create a wall of sound that disorientates the animals and causes them to swim toward the shore. Here, mothers and babies are separated by ropes, some [...]

A volunteer-operated wildlife helpline has reported new heights of interest, taking almost 10,000 calls in the 12 months to July. The 24-hour, seven-day-a-week Wildcare Helpline provides advice for people who find sick, injured or orphaned native animals, and arranges wildlife rehabilitators to assist with the recovery of the animals and release them back into their [...]

The Australian public has finally been presented with their next Prime Minister, Julia Gillard. While the people now know who will be speaking up for them in government, the same can’t be said for the majority of animals across Australia. Traditionally the responsibility for animal welfare at a Federal government level has rested with the [...]

Europe has banned the use of great apes in animal testing. After two years of debate on how to protect animals without scuppering scientific research, the European Parliament has agreed to cut the number of animal tests in Europe and enforce stricter rules for animals used in research. Under the legislation, experiments on great apes [...]

THE already pampered four-legged friends of Britney Spears, Paris Hilton and Jennifer Aniston have been invited to the opening of a new 9754sq/m luxury hotel for pets in LA. The hotel, called The Barkley, will open its doors on October 25, offering private luxury suites, a salon, spa and even limousine transport. The A-list pets [...]

A 26-YEAR-OLD Castletown man has been charged with animal cruelty after breaking his dog’s leg before drowning it in an Esky. Michael Hastie is accused of kicking and drowning his dog Imi, after the animal dug up garden reticulation. He will face the Esperance Magistrates Court tomorrow on a charge of animal cruelty under the [...]

Kathy Freston, self-help author, personal growth and spirituality counselor, wrote this article for the Huffington Post last year. Although it’s not new news, it sums up the issues with eating “white meat” based on the assumption that it is somehow more environmentally friendly or less cruelly produced than “red meat”. Note: For links to other [...]

Jonathan Safran Foer used to love his grandmother’s chicken and carrots. But after his son was born, the bestselling American author decided to give up meat. Like German author Karen Duve, who is also writing a book about eating ethically, Foer is trying to make the world a better place. It was a magical moment [...]

FREMANTLE Federal candidates have taken stock of the live export issue after the RSPCA urged them to become “political animals” and support a phase-out of the trade. RSPCA chief executive Heather Neil said sheep meat exports were worth 20 per cent more to the economy than sheep sent overseas for slaughter, and keeping sheep in [...]

We may feel queasy eating manipulated meat, but more troubling is the motivation of the affluent West By Paul Vallely Photographers, like poets, understand the power of suggestion. Which is why they get low on the ground and point the camera upwards towards the cow, so its muzzle becomes huge and an enormous head dwarfs [...]

Australia’s animal welfare lobby wants federal politicians to turn their attention to factory farming and live exports. The RSPCA has launched its election platform, calling for live exports to be phased out, truthful labels on humanely farmed food, and an end to the intensive farming of dogs in puppy factories. CEO Heather Neil says the [...]