Thousands March To Protest Bullfighting In Spain

Thousands March Against Bullfighting In Spanish Capital

MalaysiaKini Mar 29, 2010

Several thousand people marched through the streets of Madrid Sunday to call for bullfighting to be outlawed amid a growing national debate over the practice which animal activists condemn as a form of torture.

The protest was organised by about 50 animal rights and anti-bullfighting groups in response to plans by the conservative regional government of Madrid to declare bullfighting part of the region's cultural heritage, which would give it some legal protection.

Mireya Barbeto, spokeswoman for the tiny anti-bullfighting political party PACMA, said the march demonstrated society's "rejection" of the measure, which the regional governments of Valencia and Murcia are also planning to take.

"In Madrid over 70 percent of the population rejects these acts of barbarism and torture, a national shame," she told AFP.

Some 20,000 people took part in the protests, which had as a slogan "Torture is Not Culture", according to the party. Police gave no estimate but the online edition of daily El Pais put the number of participant at between 2,000-3,000.

"Embarrassing and cruel ritual from yesterday's Spain!" and "Neither art nor culture. Torture!" were among some of the slogans on display on signs. Some featured pictures of slain bulls in a bullfighting arena in a pool of blood.

A large number of the participants at the demonstration were under the age of 30.

Earlier this month the head of the regional government of Madrid, Esperanza Aguirre, said she planned to declare bullfighting part of the region's cultural heritage, arguing it had been a source of inspiration for painters like Goya and Picasso and authors such as Orson Welles and Ernest Hemingway.

"It's an art that has been in our culture as long as we can remember," she told reporters as she posed with a matador's cape.

The announcement by Aguirre, who political commentators say has ambitions to lead the main opposition Popular Party, comes as the regional parliament of the northeastern region of Catalonia is considering a ban on bullfighting as requested by a petition signed by over 180,000 voters.

If the motion is approved in Catalonia, home to Barcelona, Spain's second-largest city, it would become the first region in the country, outside of the Canary Islands, to ban the practice.

The wealthy region, where many seek independence from Spain, has led opposition to bullfighting, in part due to a desire among some Catalans to strike a separate identity from the rest of the country.

In 2003 it passed a sweeping animal protection law that restricted towns without bullrings from building them and prohibited all children under 14 from attending bullfights.

During the right-wing dictatorship of General Francisco Franco, bullfighting was promoted as a unifying national spectacle.

But its mass appeal has faded with polls showing a rising disinterest in bullfighting throughout Spain, especially among the young, although it retains a passionate following and leading matadors are treated as celebrities - AFP

Ahmad Suhaimi DVS No. 2 suggest Malaysians start eating dogs from the pound

And this is the No. 2 man of the DVS, a government body that is supposed to advise the government and advocate animal welfare in this country!!!


The Sun Newspaper
by Meena L. Ramadas

PETALING JAYA (March 7, 2010): People with a penchant for exotic meat should be allowed to buy dogs from dog pounds for consumption, Department of Veterinary Services(DVS) deputy director general Dr Ahmad Suhaimi Omar says.

Ahmad Suhaimi, who made the suggestion at a forum on effective animal pound management organised by the Petaling Jaya City Council’s Canine Advisory Team last week, said people who have no qualms about eating dog meat should be allowed to eat dogs kept in pounds.

“Do we have to keep the dogs at the pounds forever?” he asked. “They are animals, just like chickens or goats,” he added.

He said consuming dogs kept in pounds will help to check the number of strays at the pounds and help address any unmanageable increase of strays.

His suggestion sparked an outburst from a veterinarian who was among those attending the forum.

Without identifying herself, the vet, who appeared to be quite emotional, said: “About consuming dogs, the answer is simply no.”

She said as an animal lover, it was unimaginable to consume dogs and strays at that.

“I find the suggestion inhumane and cruel,” she said.

Ahmad Suhaimi responded by saying he too did not have the stomach to eat stray dogs, but as a veterinarian who is required to think clinically, it is important to consider all options when dealing with the issue of strays.

“I like to think outside the box,” he said with a laugh, which received some sniggers from those present.

Ahmad Suhaimi’s pitch, however, did not make the cut.

The forum made five recommendations for animal pound management.

This were that local councils should work with the veterinary department; local councils should cooperate with NGOs on catching strays; micro-chipping canines for easy ownership identification, educating pet owners and more stringent licensing laws.

A total of 12 local councils participated in the forum which was held in light of media reports last week about the appalling conditions at the Selayang Municipal Council’s (MPS) dog pound.

State executive councillor for health Dr Xavier Jayakumar, at a press conference earlier, said municipal councils have been instructed to maintain cleanliness at their pounds, and to work with the VSD. Officers in charge also have to treat sick animals and follow guidelines when euthanising them. -- theSun

Dog Tied To A Grill And Wood Stuck Down Its Throat

The sick behaviour of municipal councillors are now bordering on psychotic. Now even the number two man of DVS, Ahmad Suhaimi is suggesting we Malaysians acquire a palate for dog meat [see story above]. It is truly frightening to think these people are the ones in charge.


Letter published in Malaysiakini
Mar 2010

I am writing because of a grievous incident that took place on Monday, March 15 at about 3pm at Kepong Central KTM Station. My friends and I (six of us) were there to take the train to the Bank Negara station.

After parking our cars, we heard a dog howling, more like a painful cry. Then, we noticed a dog being tied to the grill (steel fence) of the KTM station. As we approached the dog, we stood aghast at the sight.

The stray dog's leg and neck was tied very tightly to the grill and a piece of wood had been shoved down inside its throat! The dog was bleeding and its feces were all around it. The string was attached to a pole in the KTM station.

Immediately, we confronted the KTM workers. They said that it was done by Kuala Lumpur City Hall workers because a minister was to be visiting the station next week. They failed to explain further.

At once, we called the SPCA and the Paws animal welfare society. The SPCA responded efficiently by informing us that an animal control officer would be there soon. We made a slight commotion in front of the KTM station but the KTM workers were not concerned at all.

After about an hour, as we were returning to the KTM Kepong Central Station, we received a call from the SPCA officer stating that the dog was now not tied up and was moving around. When we arrived, the dog was limping. The same KTM workers avoided us as we tried to confront them. A passer-by told us that the dog has been that way for quite some time.

The SPCA officer could not capture the dog as it walked away for quite a distance. He advised us to write to the media and to the SPCA as well.

Doesn't our country's animal rights support the idea that an animal has the right to live its life without being harmed and hurt by humans? We realize that people define the meaning of animal rights and abuse in different ways but aren't the citizens of our country merciful? This dog could have been just put to sleep if it had been harming the public or causing a nuisance. Why stick a wooden stick down its throat?

Don't Buy Kentucky Fried Chicken

PETA Asia will be holding a series of demonstrations against KFC in Malaysia and we need your help! Join us in protest against KFC’s refusal to eliminate the worst abuses that chickens suffer in the factory farms and slaughterhouses of its suppliers, including crippling injuries because of cruel breeding practices and the overuse of drugs, having their throats slit while they are still conscious, and being dunked into tanks of scalding-hot water while they are still alive and able to feel pain.

Protests will be held as follows:

· Kota Kinabalu (first time!) – Sunday 28 Feb 2010

· Penang – Thursday 4 Mar 2010

· Kuala Lumpur – Saturday 6 Mar 2010

We need your help to make these demos successful! Please contact me if you’re able to help in any of the following ways or know someone who can:

· We need a volunteer who speaks Bahasa Malay to attend each demo. The volunteer would be assisting us in speaking to the public and the media. If you’re not comfortable speaking to the media, we’d love to have you help by passing out leaflets.

· We need volunteers to demonstrate in costumes, hold signs, or pose in cages, at each demo.

· We need volunteers who can make follow-up calls in Malay to media outlets. The calls need to be done on the afternoon before and/or the morning of the demo. The calls are very simple and are just intended to verify that the media outlet has received our news release. We are grateful for any help with media calls—even five calls can make a big difference!

· We need volunteers who can translate our news releases from English to Malay. This would need to be done a week before the demo.

· We need a volunteer who can check out KFC locations in Kota Kinabalu and Penang before we arrive to make sure that they are suitable for demos.

· We need volunteers in Penang and Kota Kinabalu to help us compile a media list of local newspapers, TV stations, and radio stations so we can ensure our events get maximum media attention.

Why is PETA Asia-Pacific targeting KFC Malaysia? Each year, hundreds of millions of chickens raised and killed each year for KFC Malaysia are tortured for their entire abbreviated lives. They are drugged and bred to grow so large that many become crippled under the weight of their massive upper bodies.

Many have their throats slit while they are still conscious and are scalded to death in defeathering tanks. KFC Malaysia has ignored the recommendations of animal welfare advisory panel for years. For more information, click on the following link: kentuckyfriedcruelty.com

If you’d like to volunteer, please email me at EdwardB@PETAAsiaPacific.com.

For all animals,

Edward Basse

Activist Liaison

PETA Asia-Pacific