Olorcain Collie Rough

Mere words can never ever express the incredible shock, horror, disbelief and grief we are feeling here in the north for the courageous people of fire ravaged country Victoria, such senseless devastation and tragic loss of life. Our hearts and thoughts are will you all at this terrible time of bereavement for the tragic loss of precious loved ones - family members, friends, neighbours, collegues, pets; and livestock, property and livelihoods. With tears in our eyes we offer our sincerest and deepest heart felt sympathy and concern to all who have lost a loved one, including their pets; livestock, their home; and pray that you will all pull through this tragedy with the strength to go on and rebuild your lives.

It is so wonderful to see that through all of this horror people of Victoria and fellow Australians pulling together in these people's time of need; displaying their selfless compassion, humanity, loving kindness and generosity.

The dog cull in China has now ceased due to domestic and international condemnation of authorities perpetrating these cruel culls by concerned Chinese citizens, Chinese animal welfare groups, international community and animal welfare groups.

Yes it is still happening!!. 36,000 dogs - vaccinated, registered pets and strays have been cruely been beaten to death in Yongxian City in Hanzhong, Shannxi Province, China; in their misguided attempts to quell yet another rabies outbreak. Please visit WSPA, HSUS, IFAW websites to add your voice of abhorrence and condemnation of these brutally cruel and inefficient practices. Furthermore, according to the Associated Press, the city Guangzhou in China with a population of around 12 million people, have declared that their citizens can save one dog per family, the rest are to be eliminated by the deadline of 1 July..

Greenland is presently seeking IWC permission to butcher 10 humpback whales annually commencing 2010. Other pro-whaling nations and their supporters will soon follow suit. Please send your protest to EU member governments through WDCS website. Denmark and Switzerland plan to support Japan and their followers in their recommencement of industrial commercial whaling. Please also visit HSUS site where you can send letters of protest to Switzerland and Denmark. Basic letter templates are available for personal editing. It is my opinion that we cannot rely on our government or US to stand up to the government of Japan and their whaling corporation.

MARCH 27 (26 in Canada): Over 19,200 seal pups have already been cruelly butchered since March 23. As of 6.42pm 27 March - QLD time in Australia (26 in Canada) there were 51,679 signitures internationally supporting Senator Harb's bill to end Canada's commercial baby seal slaughter. Please join us in supporting Senator Harb's bill to end this obsenity once and for all. The Link to IFAW's petition can be found below, - March 24.

Canada's commercial seal slaughter of 280,000 seal pups has started at 5.48am Eastern time March 23. Please sign the petition supporting Senator Mac Harb's historic bill urging other Canadian senators to follow suit and support this bill. Senator Mac Carb needs your help to save the seals. Doesn't matter what country you reside in, the world is watching!!. We need a lot more Canadians to sign, dont be shy, you can remain anonymous to the public). 72,515 signitures @ 5.50pm Qld time - Sunday 12 April (Sat 11 - Canada).

By the way the Canadian government has upped it's ante to outdo themselves in their cruel butchery of baby seals by issuing new slaughter quotas: 338,000 harp seal pups, 55,000 grey seal pups and 8,500 hooded seal pups.

President Obama recently signed a bill to give Secretary of the Interior - Ken Salazar authority to immediately rescind the Bush administration's hasty changes to the US ESA (Endangered Species Act) just prior to leaving office eliminating necessary protections for the survival of the Polar Bear.

However, if Secretary Salazar does not do his duty in recinding these 'laws', by May 9th, Bush's laws will stay in effect. Hence no protection for threatened Polar Bears. Please sign the petition- WWF/Center for Biological Diversity. http://www.salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2167/t/8257/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=1878

Over 1,000 dogs, the majority of which are peoples healthy pets are being cruelly poisoned with Strychnine by government officals in Bali as their way of attempting to combat a possible rabies outbreak as there have been 6 human fatalities they suspect may be rabies, not as yet confirmed. Please sign the WSPA online letter to the Governor of Bali to cease this inhumane and ineffective 'cull', urging him to vaccinate these dogs - the only effective way of protecting both humans and animals.

Although I do realise that we are all still reeling in shock from the tragedy of the Victorian bushfires, I urge all people no matter what country you reside in to please sign the petition: "Urge Obama to Stop Plan to Slaughter whales", and ask for the immediate dismissal of William Hogarth, the Bush administration Commissioner to the IWC who is seeking to lift the moritorium on commercial whaling to appease the Japanese Government. No whale will ever be safe again, and please remember that if we continue to remove whales, other cetaceans, seals, sharks, etc from our oceans, will spell the end for our planet and humankind . Without whales, small cetaceans, seals, sharks, etc; our oceans will loose the ability to sequester greenhouse pollutants, become more acidic, producing more sulphur dioxide and methane; and weather and geological events as experienced by Victoria, SA, QLD, NSW etc; will rapidly increase in severity due to global warming.

South Korea has announced plans to start commercial whaling if Japan takes up Hogarth's (from the former Bush administration) deal offered to Japan to allow them commercial whaling in the North Pacific and lesser quotas for the southern ocean whale sanctuary. Iceland and Norway's commercial whaling will also be legitimised if this deal goes ahead. How many more will follow?. All Governments must cease appeasing the Japanese Government and uphold international conservation law under their obligations as signitories to numerous international conventions including CITES and Antarctic Treaty. Please write to President Obama asking him to remove Hogarth from the IWC before the upcoming June meeting of the IWC otherwise no whale will ever be safe again.

Chile and Argentina have just staked territorial rights claims in Antarctica at their military bases (yes in Antarctica) The Antarctic Treaty does not allow military activity, new territorial claims, nor mining or drilling for oil. The UN will make a decision on Britain's territorial claim of 2007 in May allowing Britain to drill for oil and gas reserves up to 350 kms off Antarctica. The rush for oil and mineral reserves in pristine Antarctica has definitely begun!!.

"Singapore-made biofuel to run cars in Europe, North America" - Biodiesel from Palm oil from Indonesia and Malaysia. Korean and Japanese companies are also potential purchasers of this biofuel. God help the orangutan and their habitat!.

IMCO (International Market & Consumer Protection Committee) has rejected the original bill requiring the labelling of seal products, and has now backed a partial ban on seal products, with exemptions for Inuit communities. The EU is expected to make a decision on the proposed ban in June. Sweden, Finland and Denmark are opposed to the EU ban. Please sign the HSI petition through our links page supporting the EU ban on seal products.

After bludgeoning 200 out of a quota for 2,200 grey seal pups on Hay Island Reserve even though there was no market for the pelts, sealers now want to go and kill more baby grey seals on privately-owned Henry Island.

Is there anyone in the Townsville area who can sandbag our local RSPCA animal shelter at the Bohle, and/or offer the staff the use of their boat to gain access to the shelter in the event of more flooding?. More heavy rain falls are expected and with King tides tommorrow (peak 4.04m at 8.21 am) and Monday (peak 4.10m at 8.59am), and Tuesday (peak 4.02 at 9.35am), plus the possibility of a 300mm to 500mm storm surge on top of the tides, the animals and staff at the shelter may possibly find themselves in serious trouble. The dog adoption shelter and access road to the shelter has already been inundated with flood waters and more is yet to come.

Over the past few weeks I've seen many dogs roaming the streets in the rain after having escaped their sodden yards, they are at great risk of being hit by a vehicle, or being washed away in flooded drains and rivers. These dogs have just been left to fend for themselves in their yards (many with long grass), with no shelter or escape from the heavy rain, floodwaters, lightning; venomous snakes, toads; disease carrying rodents (eg: Leptospirosis) and mozzies, etc.

These surface and flood waters can make you and your pet extremely ill or cause death, as the water may possibly contain bacterial toxins such as the endotoxins and enterotoxins (prime examples are: Clostridium botulinum, (cause of botulism) Escherichia coli, AKA E.coli.) from sources such as: animal faeces and/or carcasses, sewage from backed up flooded sewerage systems and septics, rotting vegetable matter, garbage; toxic algae including blue-green algae (many toxins produced by algae are neurotoxic (affect the nervous system) and may produce seizures in normal animals, or an increase in the intensity and duration of seizures in epileptic animals, they are also known carcinogens (cancer producing).

A variety of chemicals may also contaminate these waters, depending on which area you live in - the majority of these chemicals are endrocrine otherwise known as hormone disrupting chemicals, and these include the endotoxins and enterotoxins - (mycotoxins included).. It is a well known fact that these hormone (endocrine) disrupting chemicals can produce severe birth defects and developmental problems in foetuses and neonates of numerous animal species including humans and cancer. (Pulp Mills, agriculture including GM (Genetically Modified) crops, and other industries also pollute our environment - particularly surface waters, aquifers and marine environments with these endocrine disrupting chemicals) these chemicals are persistent in our environment and have the ability to be bioaccumulative, and to biomagnificate.

This wet weather also provides perfect conditions for the growth of toxic fungi such as mushrooms and toadstools, (many species of which are highly poisoness and can kill your pet within several days with no cure available, although some animals may be saved with intensive care treatment by a knowledgeable vet. Consumption of poisoness mushrooms from the genus Amanita produce mainly gastrointestinal and neurological symptoms.

Fungal toxins (mycotoxins) such as the aflatoxins are a serious threat to all animals including humans, and absolutely thrive in foods during wet, humid conditions such as we are experiencing at present. It is important to store all animal feed (and human foods) in a cool, dry area, with plenty of airflow around the bags or containers, storage in airconditioning is preferable. Do not leave bowls of pet food out in the weather, and if you do feed kibble, change at least once daily cleaning (and drying well) bowls each time.

The fungi (moulds) responsible for these mycotoxins in foods can also found multiplying on walls, floors, in cupboards, etc; in flood-effected homes, aviaries, dog kennels, etc; and in any area with high rainfall and/or humidity. People and animals with low immunity/immune deficiency disease are at serious risk from these mycotoxins - and developing the incurable Aspergillosis. More on this subject at a later date.

It would be nice to see people showing some responsibility and compassion for their pets by keeping them inside the house during this weather, and to cease from dumping their pets at the shelter. A pet is a sentient being and is your responsibility for it's lifetime, they are a member of your family. They are not a possession that can be discarded at peoples convenience, like an old couch!..

$111,581 pledged, collection progress at 55% - $61,317.95 collected.The Stray's Birthday campaign has now wrapped it's fundraising up for 2008, raising over $127,000 to support Lort Smith shelter program for yet another year. Many thanks to the generosity of so many people.

ALL ANIMALS MATTER TO ME, no matter where they reside........and the Lort Smith Animal Hospital is the largest animal hospital in the Southern Hemisphere doing such great work in rescuing so many animals, in our opinions they are such a deserving cause.

"The health and welfare of all animals endemic to our globe is the responsibility of all human inhabitants - we are the "caretakers" of our planet; therefore all aspects of animal welfare should be regarded as having no borders.