Talk for the animals

[Guest guest]

THE AUSTRALIAN

Talk for the animals

If you see dancing bears or mistreated creatures on your travels,

it's time to speak up, writes Steven Fosbery

 

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/printpage/0,5942,19256658,00.htm

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27 may 06

 

IN the mid-1990s, visitors to Greece and Turkey began objecting to

Gypsies parading dancing bears in tourist areas. Some others said

nothing but stopped giving money. Others complained about the cruel

practice, first to tour companies, then to animal welfare groups and

finally to the two governments, which had been unwilling to act

until they understood the potential damage to their image.

 

Today, there are no dancing bears in Greece and Turkey. Seventy were

confiscated and placed in special sanctuaries, one in each country,

and their handlers trained for new employment.

The focus is now India, where it has been estimated there are 2000

dancing bears. As in Greece and Turkey, the campaign involves the

World Society for the Protection of Animals, which has a membership

of close to 700 animal welfare groups in 142 countries.

 

WSPA's Jordan Burke says the example of the dancing bears shows

tourists can play a part in breaking the cycle of animal

cruelty. " There are many countries where the exploitation of animals

is common. The compassionate traveller can make a difference. "

 

Burke says it's as simple as not buying a painted turtle shell or

posing for a photo with an orang-utan. " We are constantly receiving

complaints from travellers angered by acts of animal cruelty, " he

says. One was from a tourist upset by the poor condition of emus

used for rides at a zoo in central Thailand. Another came after a

couple visited an Indonesian resort where elephants were treated

poorly.

 

" Some [elephants] were used for rides, while others were chained in

extreme heat for the entire day without shelter or water, " he

says. " A third came after a tour of a crocodile farm in Malaysia

where a secondary attraction was a bear that performed tricks. The

bear was kept in a tiny, exposed enclosure that was lower than the

level of the croc swamp, so when it rained, as it often does, the

cage flooded. The cage floor was mud most of the time. "

 

One tourist has taken the situation into her own hands. Sherry

Grant, an American with a marketing background, visited Bali in 1998

and was so appalled by the plight of the island's 600,000 stray dogs

that she decided to stay. She started with three helpers and a

medicine box, giving first aid. Her Bali Street Dog Foundation has

grown into one of the world's most successful stray-dog control

programs. Dogs are caught, desexed and released, and there's an

education program to tackle the local myth that neutered dogs are

not worth having.

 

WSPA estimates there are at least 400 million stray dogs in the

world. Its head office is in London and, of its branches, Sydney is

one of the biggest, with 14 permanent employees. This is largely

because the office covers Southeast Asia and the subcontinent, areas

considered to be animal welfare hot spots. Domestic cases are

usually (but not always) handled by the RSPCA.

 

In 2004, WSPA's Australian arm worked with the environmental

investigations unit of the Department of the Environment and

Heritage, conducting raids on 35 stores in Sydney, Brisbane and

Melbourne that were illegally selling bear bile in liver medicine,

tonics, shampoos and wine. WSPA is working with the DEH to produce a

bear bile detection kit that Customs can use to test if products

contain bile, the extraction of which causes animals extreme pain.

China has bile farms, some of which hold thousands of bears, and

some Chinese travel agents have been caught promoting tours that

include a visit to a bile farm.

 

One of the DEH's roles is to stop the illegal importation of

traditional medicines made from animals, including endangered

species such as tiger and rhino. " Ending the illegal trade in

protected wildlife and wildlife parts will help prevent their

further decline, " says a department spokesman.

 

Working with non-endangered species, WSPA takes a conservative,

scientific, non-confrontational, long-term approach, says

Burke. " It's about empowering local people to make changes. In India,

for example, the Gypsy community uses the dancing bear for their

livelihood. We need to convince them [that] training is cruel and

work with them to find alternative employment. "

 

Funded by its supporters, the society concentrates on developing

countries, which have inadequate animal welfare legislation or none

at all. But it also tackles international issues such as whaling,

farm practices and long-term problems caused by disasters such as

the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami. " In the developing world, one way to

help people get back on their feet is by getting their animals back

on theirs, " Burke says.

 

The main aim is to convince the UN of the need for a universal

declaration on animal rights, similar to those on human rights,

religious tolerance and the environment. While the document would

have no legal basis, says Burke, it would " raise awareness of the

issue, particularly with governments, as have the previous

declarations " . WSPA hopes to collect 10 million signatures to help

sway the UN to make a declaration by 2010. " Everything we want to do

takes time, " Burke says. " So we're in it for the long haul and we

know there's no point in kicking and screaming. People don't listen.

You need a rational approach to make long-term change, to bring

people along with you. "

 

And just as travellers are becoming increasingly aware of the

environment and their effect on it, Burke says they are taking a

greater interest in the treatment of animals they encounter. " And

that's a great thing. "

 

More: www.biodiversity.environment.gov.au/wildlife; www.wspa.org.au.