Despite protests, Japan continues dolphin slaughter Fishermen at the Japanese town made famous by the controversial Oscar-winning documentary “The Cove” shrugged off protests by animal rights activists on Tuesday to carry out their grisly annual dolphin hunt. Japanese broadcaster TBS said the first hunt of the season in the town of Taiji took place on Tuesday, without mentioning how many dolphins were involved. But Sea Shepherd, one of several animal rights groups that have been monitoring fishermen in Taiji since the season began in September, said in a report dated October 11 on its website that they witnessed the second killing of dolphins this season on Tuesday. UK: FSA threat to abattoirs who refuse to install CCTV ABATTOIRS that do not install CCTV cameras could face additional inspection costs, under plans to be discussed by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) board on Tuesday. The FSA board is being asked to endorse a proposal to encourage abattoirs to install CCTV as a tool to help protect animal welfare. FSA director of operations Andrew Rhodes has recommended the policy in response to undercover filming by animal rights group Animal Aid, which has exposed breaches of animal welfare legislation at a number of UK abattoirs over the past year. Baltimore takes steps to end animal cruelty While serving an eviction notice this summer in East Baltimore, a team from the sheriff's office opened the door of vacated rowhouse to find two pit bulls left behind with no food or water — a black one waiting by the entrance, and a brown one in the living room, locked in a cage barely big enough to hold it. A few months earlier, if they had found animals like this, they would have called animal control to pick them up, end of story. Now, however, with the dogs safe, sheriffs launched an investigation to find their owner, hoping to have him charged with abandonment and neglect. It's a tiny victory for Baltimore's fledgling efforts to crack down on animal cruelty. But in a city that just dropped charges against a man who clubbed a small dog to death, and then, to the horror of animal advocates, ordered him to work with rescued dogs and cats, animal rights reformers say they have a ways to go. Australia/UK: ‘Cruelty Free Super' launched UK-based ethical investment specialist Lee Coates is launching a niche super fund in Australia dedicated to investing only in products that do not contribute to human or animal rights abuses or environmental degradation. Cruelty Free Super officially launched on October 10, 2010, and Coates said the fund had attracted expressions of interest even before the launch date and he hoped to build it to more than $100 million in funds under management. The fund is being launched by Melbourne-based Ethical Money, set up by Coates in 2009 to deliver socially responsible, ethical and sustainable investment options via multiple channels. Credit Suisse will manage the fund's investments. Utah: Protesters target animal shelter About 20 people, many of them animal-rights advocates, were turned away from a hearing at Utah County's main animal shelter Thursday as they sought to speak against a policy of selling abandoned dogs and cats for University of Utah medical experiments. Four were allowed into the North Utah Valley Animal Shelter hearing room and met with a few board members and staff after the meeting adjourned. More than a dozen others protested outside to decry the sales to the U., which they claim subject the animals to torture in university laboratories and violate the public trust. BM
