Aussie greyhound trainer pleads guilty to shocking cruelty

You have Australians who speak to their pet animals as if they were human and let them sleep in their beds. And then you have the likes of former greyhound trainer Leslie Bates. The greyhound racing business in Australia, as elsewhere in the world where it survives in the face of growing opprobrium, is increasingly getting exposed for what it is in reality: a cruel human attempt to find enjoyment in and profit from animal...

Training course available for animal-free testing of cosmetics

A new online Master Class course to train scientists in testing cosmetics and chemicals without using animals is being hailed as a game-changer for cruelty-free testing. Featuring real-world case studies to walk scientists through animal-free testing step by step, the curriculum launched by the Animal-Free Safety Assessment collaboration has attracted over 1,200 participants from nearly 70 countries since its debut in 2023, highlighting a global interest in innovative, ethical testing methods, the Humane Society International...

Global vet medicine market seen growing to $85 billion by 2031

The global veterinary medicine market, valued at $46.51 billion in 2023, or about Rs3.92 lakh crore at the current exchange rate, is expected to grow at a compounded annual growth rate of 7.77% to reach $85.05 billion, or about Rs7.18 lakh crore, by 2031, according to a new marketing research report. This growth in the vet medicine market is attributed to the rising awareness of animal health and welfare, coupled with increased adoption of companion...

9 in 10 Aussies talk to their pets as they would to a human

Do you speak to your dog or cat as if it were a human being? If your answer is yes, take heart. You are not alone. A survey carried out in Australia among dog and cat owners found that more than 90% talk to their pets as if they were simply another member of the family. The poll of 1,000 Australians from pet insurer Budget Direct found that about 59% said they regularly talk to...

PETA offers temple robotic elephant after live animal kills 2

In a horrific, but not unusual, incident on November 18, a temple elephant in Tamil Nadu trampled her mahout and a relative of the attendant to death. It is unclear what triggered the elephant’s anger. But the India chapter of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has offered to gift a robotic elephant to the Subramania Swamy temple in Tiruchendur town in return for Deivanai’s release from custody and rehabilitation at a sanctuary, “where...

NY’s Xmas gift: No more buying pups, kittens in pet shops

The retail sale of pet animals in shops will be prohibited by law throughout the state of New York, USA, from December 15, CBS News reported. The Puppy Mill Pipeline Act, which was passed by the state legislature in December 2022 and signed by Governor Kathy Hochul on December 16, applies to dogs, cats, and rabbits. It will still be legal to adopt pets through humane societies, animal rescues, and licensed breeders. On Thursday, the...

Clothing giants H&M and C&A abjure use of down, leather

Animal welfare organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has welcomed the decision of clothing retailers H&M and C&A, respectively, to ban the use of down and the use of leather and newly plucked down in their products. A report on PETA India’s website earlier this month said C&A announced its new animal welfare policy during the publication of its latest sustainability report on October 10, while H&M—the world’s second-largest clothing retailer—confirmed to PETA...

Court refuses custody of paralysed infant monkey to saviour vet

The Madras High Court refused last week to grant custody of a partially paralysed infant monkey to a Coimbatore veterinarian who had found it in a critical condition and cared for it for over 10 months, the Indo-Asian News Service reported. The case is a study of how the “rules” and the bureaucracy ensure that nothing, not even the welfare of an individual, an animal in this case, stand in their way. Rejecting the petition...

Vet’s suicide raises questions of easy access to deadly drugs

A well-regarded young veterinarian in Winchester, England, took his own life with a drug used to euthanize pets at least partly because he was disturbed by wealthy customers asking him to put down their animals unnecessarily, The Independent newspaper reported. The vet’s suicide has prompted a coroner to warn about the easy access to dangerous drugs in the veterinary profession. The Winchester Coroner’s Court in Hampshire was told John Ellis, 35, tricked a veterinary nurse...

Do your bit, don’t wait for govt, Goodall tells nature lovers

Jane Goodall, renowned primatologist and anthropologist, emphasized to a rapt, packed, fawning audience at the Tata Theatre in Bombay’s iconic National Centre for the Performing Arts yesterday the need for people to learn about and understand nature. Delivering the closing address at the Literature Live! 2024 event held over three days at the NCPA, the U.N. Messenger of Peace explained why this has become so important in the modern world where technology is taking people...