There are some terrible things you see and hear of in the animal world, unbelievable cruelty.

And there are people who are trying to do something about it – so this is an appeal to you to give them your support.  In this case, Animals Australia need your support to get animals off death ships. 

I wanted to raise awareness of the horrendous journeys many animals make from Australia to the Middle East.  They leave Australia alive and many just cook to death on the ships.

Did you hear the news about the 2,400 sheep who died while making the journey from Australia to three Middle Eastern countries in August?

60 Minutes covered two stories – you may not want to click on the links…

1. The Awassi Express sailed from Australia’s winter to the Middle Eastern summer 2,400 sheep died of heat stress.   Some were trapped in excrement.  Somebody filmed it.
2. A second 60 Minutes program aired in Australia Animals Australia footage of sheep being beaten, dragged and thrown outside an abattoir in Qatar.  

Find out more here – it’s not nice reading.

On many of these live export ships:

1. Sheep have to stand – there is no room to lie down and rest
2. There is no access to food or water
3. They have to endure extreme heat, exhaustion, rough seas, poor ventiliation
4. They have to endure millions of litres of untreated urine and faeces
5. They are, effectively, trapped in a live oven

Over 3 million have died over the years.

According to Animals Australia, “the Australian Veterinarian Association has publically recommended that all live sheep exports between May and October be stopped — due to the predictable and unavoidable increased risk of heat stress”

Please help us!  Join Animals Australia campaign and add your name

Animals Australia say:

For the first time, authorities can now independently assess the actions of the live export trade at sea.  The Department of Agriculture is duty bound to stop the export of live animals if federal laws are not upheld, or if travel arrangements are inadequate for animal health and welfare.

New evidence reveals not only that the live export trade is breaking the law, but that animals are being denied their most basic needs – proper access to food, water, rest and veterinary care.

I will ask you to add your name to a current petition Animals Australia have to try to stop these live exports happening.  The way these animals are treated is absolutely wrong, it is cruel and unforgiveable.  

Animals Australia have more information on their website and you can get as much information as you need there;  but if you don’t want to read it, you don’t have to – you can simply sign. 

Signing your name…

When you click through to Animals Australia, look for the orange banner towards the bottom of what you see.  The orange banner has “Add your name” on the right hand side.   You can sign and do your bit for these animals.  It will only take a tick to do

And then please spread the word. 

The more of us that sign this petition the better and then hopefully the Australian government will come to its senses and show some decency and do the right thing and put a stop to live export of sheep. 

The Labor Government in Australia has said that, if elected, it will spare sheep from live export cruelty.   Find out more here

At the time of writing this, over 355,000 people have signed already – so please, join them.  Sign the petition – and then spread the word.

What sort of “human” being really thinks it’s okay for this to happen to animals?   

The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated. I hold that the more helpless a creature the more entitled it is to protection by man from the cruelty of humankind.

Mahatma Gandhi

It’s time to stop the rot.

Will you join all those caring people to help end illegal animal abuse — before another death ship leaves Australian shores?

Please SIGN HERE

Don't miss this one hour television programme on BBC2 tonight at 9pm. 

(If you do, you can see it on BBC's iplayer later on.) 

Watch the impact of your donations in action – you’ll see the life-saving work of International Animal Rescue’s teams, who are dedicated to rescuing, rehabilitating and releasing orangutans back into the forests of Borneo.

Rescue teams come to the aid of apes who’ve been stranded as their forest home id destroyed.   It shows them rehabilitate orphaned baby orangutans who’ve been taken from the wild from the illegal pet trade.

The documentary also shows how the orangutan has been pushed to the brink of distinction. It asks what hope remains for these amazing animals.

Consumer pressure can help these animals and bring them back from the brink of distinction.  

Find out more by watching this amazing programme tonight on BBC 2’s Natural World at 9pm! It will also be available on iPlayer shortly after.

Time is running out for the orangutan

Things you can do to help International Animal Rescue help the orangutan:

1. Plant a tree
2. Donate
3. Buy a t-shirt
4. Find out more about why this is all so urgent
5. Spread the word
   
   

Adopt Jo Jo 

Extinction is forever

When it comes to saving orangutans, what you've got to do is save their homes.  

For a list of orangutan conservation charities, swing over here

A new species of great ape was discovered a few months ago, living in Northern Sumatra in Indonesia.

Unfortunately, this species is already an endangered one.  There are just fewer than 800 Tapanuli orangutans alive.

Sign here to help save the Tapanuli orangutan

Their prospects of survival as a species is plummeting because a Chinese state-owned company called Sinohydro is planning to build a hydrodam right in the middle of the Tapanuli orangutan population’s habitat.

If the company goes ahead, it will cut the orangutan population in two which will make it much harder for the species to survive.   They won’t be able to connect. 

It is expected that the building of the dam, plus the roads, tunnels and electricity lines needed to go with it, will cause the extinction of two of the three sub-populations and destroy the most important habitat.

The incredible thing is that the Indonesian government approved this dam but the orangutan is a protected species.   The Indonesian law prohibits actions which harm a protected species so why this dam has been allowed to go ahead is a mystery.

Sign the petition today calling on the Indonesian government to save the Tapanuli orangutan and revoke approval of Sinohydro's Batang Toru dam!

You can find out more about the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme here.