Humboldt Penguin

Exotic animals such as crocodiles, tigers and penguins may soon be disappearing from homes in Russia as parliament is considering a bill which would help cut down the number of animals which could be kept as pets.

Yevgeny Tugolukov, the chairman of the lower house’s natural resources committee, has commented that a pending bill on the care of animals may also include a list of animals which are “inadvisable to keep at home”.

That list of animals would include “exotic” animals such as crocodiles, snakes and monkeys which are rather popular amongst the people of Russia, but can also promote the spread of rather nasty diseases.

This bill was submitted to the State Duma this past Monday.

It will help to drive the responsibility of pet owners to take good care of their pets home, and is in response to a steep rise of cases of animal cruelty. However, there are very few cases of animal cruelty which actually make it to court.

The latest outrage, which helped to prompt the promotion of this new bill, was from a woman in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg, who had kept a rare Amur tiger in a cage. However, the biggest outrage comes not from the crime, but from the punishment. She is expected to pay a “hefty” fine of 2,500 rubles or about 80 US dollars.

Russia is known as being a nation filled with pet lovers, and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is no exception. His rather extensive group of pets was just recently made larger by a Karakachan puppy, which was a thoughtful gift from Boyko Borisov. While the gift may not have done anything to improve politics, it did bring a smile to his face.

Shark fins

Individuals involved in the European Parliament have commenced an initiative to more heavily enforce the EU ban on shark finning. Shark finning is a barbaric practice which involves capturing a shark, ripping of its fins, and tossing the rest overboard.

The shark finning ban in the EU is one of the least enforced in the world, as it contains loopholes which prevent law enforcement officials from properly enforcing it. You see, the regulation which bans shark finning in the EU also has a derogation which allows different states of the EU to give out licenses to “process” sharks, and remove their fin on ocean faring vessels.

The most effective, and easiest, way to have a ban on shark finning would dictate that sharks need to be reeled in intact, meaning that fishermen can’t just bring in the fins in their hauls.

“For too many European fisheries, the EU ban on finning is the only measure in place that helps curb excessive killing of sharks. The ban must be strengthened to ensure that this incredibly wasteful practice is prevented,” explained Chris Davies MEP. “France has long supported strong bans on shark finning, in European waters as well as in our overseas territories,” said Jean-Paul Besset MEP “French fishermen are already leaving the fins attached to sharks caught in oceans all over the world, demonstrating that this strategy is entirely feasible. We cannot wait any longer to enforce robust protection for these important predators, which are so key to the balance of life in the sea.”

It’s good to see that someone in the parliament is finally making a stand for the poor sharks. Let us hope that something is done soon to protect the poor creatures more effectively.

Shark fins

On July 1st, Hawaii became the first government in the world to institute a law to ban the sale, distribution and even possession of shark fins, the news is sending ripples all around the globe, and animal advocates everywhere are cheering, and ramping up their efforts to get their governments to do the same.

This new law means that restaurants in Hawaii will not be able to serve shark fin soup, a real delicacy, but the implications are so much greater than a few items on a lunch menu.

The shark has made the jump from predator and food source, to being protected. The new law instituted in Hawaii is aiming to prevent shark finning, a rather gruesome process where, once caught, the fins are removed from the shark, and the rest of it is thrown back overboard.

State Senator, Clayton Hee had this to say about the momentous occasion, “As far as I’m concerned it’s no different than killing an elephant for its tusks or de-horning a rhinoceros for its horn. These are cruel and inhumane practices that have no business in a civilized world”.

It was Senator Hee, with the support of many animal rights advocates, which managed to drum up the votes to make it illegal to have, serve, buy, or sell shark fins.

Other States, such as California, are starting to jump on the band wagon, and even other countries are talking about creating similar laws.

Not surprisingly, China is where a lot of the efforts are being made. WildAid launched a campaign in China using NBA superstar Yao Ming, to get people to stop buying shark fins, and stop eating shark fin soup.

The Maldives is planning to ban shark fishing in its waters, a move which would make the Maldives the first nation in the region to enact such a protective law.

The announcement was made by the Maldives Minister of State for Fisheries and Agriculture, Dr Hussein Rasheed Hassan, at the South West Indian Ocean Fisheries Commission steering committee meeting in Mombasa.

“We have realised that it is more economically viable to leave the shark and other sea creatures unharmed because the country currently earns about $7 million annually from the diving industry,” said the minister.

In 1998, the Maldives imposed a 10-year moratorium banning shark fishing around seven atolls that received a lot of vacationers from abroad. Now, the country intends to expand the ban to include all reef shark fishing across the Maldives within a 12 nautical mile radius (22km).

During recent years, the number of sharks in the Maldives has plummeted due to overfishing for the lucrative shark fin market.

“The marine ecosystem is very fragile and that is why we have to regulate activities that coupled with the treats of climate change could adversely affect the major sources of income for the country,” Hassan explained.

The Maldives is an island country consisting of a group of atolls stretching south of India’s Lakshadweep islands. Despite having a population of no more than roughly 300,000 individuals, the Maldives receives over 600,000 tourists each year.