Take Action for Whales | IFAW Web Site

Take Action for Whales | IFAW Web Site

Don't send monkeys into space!

Decades ago, Tintin landed on the moon; a childhood dream set in a comic-book world. Fifteen years later in the actual world, mankind's dream became reality with Apollo 11 and Neil Armstrong! Having set foot on the moon, manned missions to planet Mars are now the next frontier. American, Russian and European space explorers have set up several programs to make this happen.

Unfortunately, not all participants in space test programs are there voluntarily. In the past defenseless animals, such as monkeys, have been sent on space missions against their will. What's worse, as you read this, history is repeating itself.

Animal advocate groups Anti Dierproeven Coalitie and Animal Defenders International urgently call on Space Agencies worldwide not to send monkeys into space once again.

Currently a group of primates is awaiting their space voyage in a Russian laboratory. The researchers involved have put photographs online that show how the animals are 'prepared'; they are placed in so-called primate chairs, leaving them practically unable to move. The only movements they can make are aimed at forcing them operate a control mechanism attached to a computer. In order to make sure the monkeys cooperate they are deprived of water and food. Only when the animal performs a task as intended by the researchers it is rewarded with a drop of water or a piece of fruit.

Please send the example letter to the following email adresses and ask for the immediate release of the monkeys!

Thank you again.. This is a very important action for us. I hope you do the mailing.

Asli


estecpr@esa.int,
markus.bauer@esa.int,
Mars500@esa.int,
nicole.sentse@esa.int,
michel.courtois@esa.int,
jean-jacques.dordain@esa.int,
simonetta.dipippo@esa.int,
antonio.fabrizi@esa.int,
peter.hulsroj@esa.int,
ludwig.kronthaler@esa.int,
volker.liebig@esa.int,
rene.oosterlinck@esa.int,
david.southwood@esa.int,
magali.vaissiere@esa.int,
gaele.winters@esa.int,
info@imbp.ru,
pressa@imbp.ru,
sinyak@imbp.ru

Example letter:

To whom it may concern,

As a concerned citizen I appeal to you to halt the studies on monkeys. The monkeys who are used in the space project Mars500 are locked up in small cages and forced to participate in a project that was forcibly imposed upon them.

The Mars500 project will include sending monkeys into space for over 520 days. We respectfully ask you to halt the use of monkeys.

Monkeys are not on this planet to be used and experimented on, let alone to be sent into space! They are sentient and intelligent beings with a rich social life.

I support the campaign of the animal rights organisations Animal Defenders International and the Dutch/Belgian Anti Dierproeven Coalitie.

(Your name)
(Your Country)


On the other hand, please find attach a couple of petitions you might not object to sign..

Asli Han

Stop Animal Testing in Trinity College
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/214/stop-animal-testing-in-trinity-college



UW Madison Is Experimenting on Monkeys Ethical? Please Sign Petition
http://www.care2.com/news/member/457397809/1396544


Stop gruesome and unnecessary experiments!
http://www.gopetition.com/online/34789.html%20

Humpbacks And The Whaling Ban Under Fire ~ Urgent Action Needed!!!

Humpbacks And The Whaling Ban Under Fire

Members of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) meet this week, from

Tuesday onwards, in St.Petersburg, Florida, to discuss a proposal that

sets out the conditions to make commercial whaling legal again.

The full proposal will be considered at its annual Meeting in June 2010.
 On
the 4th and 5th of March the IWC will decide on another proposal by

Denmark as to whether humpback whales are added to the list of species

hunted in the waters off Greenland.

Is the European Union selling out on Humpback whales?

The
credibility of the International Whaling Commission is undermined by

Greenlands attempts to increase whale hunt quota. A Member of the

European Union, Denmark, has been keeping the EU hostage for the last

three years, trapping the EU in never-ending internal negotiations 

about this flawed proposal. A failure to agree a consensus position

(total agreement by all EU members of the IWC) means that Denmark can

force the EU to abstain on its own demand at the IWC for more whales

for Greenland.

Conservation led countries can no longer exercise
their rights to vote for conservation measures or against whaling

proposals, because Denmark can use the requirements of the internal EU

negotiation rules to tie the EU up in knots.

You can read about the issue of Greenland's proposal here in the joint WDCS/WSPA report revealing the failings in Greenland Whaling.


Urgent Action Needed Now!

Please take action to let the countries of the European Union that they cannot
allow Denmark to hold the EU back from upholding their conservation

lead.


Is the Future of the IWC the end of the whaling ban?

Two years ago the Members of the IWC agreed to open negotiations to potentially
develop a proposal that could be seen as a kind of compromise between

the differing positions of those countries engaging in whaling and

those wanting all commercial whaling banned once and for all.

An IWC  Small Working Group (SWG) of countries of differing opinions was tasked with taking these discussions forward.

This
week the Small Working Group is discussing their Chairmans  draft of

their deliberations and will seek to make recommendations to this years

annual Meeting of the IWC (due to take place in June, in Morocco) for a

decision to be made.

WDCS and our allies are extremely
concerned over the current proposal which basically foresees the

legalisation of commercial whaling as  currently carried out  by Norway

and Iceland under a reservation or objection to the moratorium.

Unfortunately,
from what we understand, the right for Member States to undertake so

called scientific whaling enshrined in Article VIII of the Whaling

Convention will continue to exist, allowing Japan to continue its

activities, both for commercial and research purposes.

The
vague concessions achieved by countries claiming to focus on whale

conservation is a limitation of such whaling activities to Iceland,

Norway and Japan and a still to be negotiated reduction of the number

of whales killed within a ten years time. And then …how many whales

will be dying ?

Both Norways and Japans
whalers have welcomed the proposal as a stepping stone to full scale

industrial whaling on many more species. They see the first ten years

of this so-called deal as simply a transition to allow them to prepare

to ratchet up their whaling

Read a general critique of the Deal by WDCS

Please help the whales now! Every email counts

Please help protect our humpbacks

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