Anything For Animals

posted by admin on Jul 21

You may be helping to kill turtles, sharks and even whales - all for a snack!

As you sit at home reading this, there are dying sea turtles taking their last painful look at the world; a young shark could be struggling to breath in a place it has always lived; or a passing whale wondering why it can’t resurface this time for one last breath…..

All so that you can have that fish lunch you have been promising yourself….

Unfortunately, fish hooks don’t just catch fish and fish nets don’t just catch fish either - infact more species of fish, mammal and crustacean die than the very fish we are trying to catch.

You may be currently aware of the problems of by-catch closer to home - but it is just as important across the World as it is at home with WWF estimating that a marine turtle is killed every few minutes across the Oceans; and they are trying to highlight just one - but very important - area that is currently under threat.

The Coral Triangle:

This is a vast area of the Oceans stretching from South-East Asia out into the Pacific Ocean where some 3000 species of fish ply the reefs - along with 5 of the 7 known species of turtles; plus all sorts of other associated species in tropical waters.

The fishermen here are just fishing - as they have done for centuries - to make a living, however the equipment they are using is old-fashioned and is the root of the issue.

With rising numbers of mouths to feed, and rising costs of living - these fishermen are increasing in numbers and so is the amount of by-catch - ie; turtles and dolphins!

However, with a few new items of fishing equipment and a small amount of training - the number of non-fish species caught and killed by these fishermen can be greatly reduced.  For example a newly designed hook that can reduce turtle deaths by an amazing 90%.

And if turtles do get snared, it is normally only a slight wound that results and with the employment of another great invention, these hooks can be removed simply and with as little damage as possible.

How To Help:

Well, these fishermen still need to make a living - and we still want to eat fish - so the best way you can help is to get in touch with WWF to promote and increase the use of these specialist hooks.  A 90% reduction in turtle deaths is well worth just a small donation.

The fishermen don’t want to catch the turtles as they take up a hook that a fish could have been on, but they weren’t able to move on from their old techniques - however, technology can help - and so can you.

And by donating regularly to WWF, you can help them to investigate more ways to save marine life and improve the livelihood or other people across the globe who rely on the oceans for their food and wages.

We already have quite easy lives - so let’s share that good fortune.

posted by admin on Nov 20

Here’s your chance to get your rabbit the publicity it deserves!

Rabbits are currently the 3rd most popular pet in the UK - and it’s not suprising really since they are sociable, intelligent, can live indoors and most importantly: are cute and fluffy!

Ever since pet stores began encouraging people to welcome the humble bunny into the home - it has come on in leaps and bounds!

It is now well known that rabbits can be litter trained, learn tricks and make great homely companions - so more people are seeing the benefits of the indoor life.

Inside Information:
Well, we all know that they can wreak havoc in the home with their insatiable gnawing and those teeth can be a whole different problem of their own - clocking up some costs at the vets too!

So, before setting out on the rabbit path to pet heaven, it is worth considering a few basics about their health and general care - and that is just what the RSPCA as well as many other small animal charities are hoping to do.

Thousands of rabbits end up in rescue centres across the country every year due to people not realising the very basics in rabbit care - the worst offender being that they really do breed like rabbits!

It seems so obvious that a male rabbit left alone with a female rabbit will produce babies - but endless strings of pet owners seem to think that it won’t happen to them!  A classic excuse is that the rabbits were brother and sister!  As if rabbits have human morals and decline from mating with their close relatives or rabbits they ‘don’t like the look of’!

Another reason for rehoming is that certain breeds of rabbits can grow to quite a size and can live for up to 8 years on average.

Other problems that seem to ’suprise’ new rabbit owners are that they: dig up the lawn (even though they are natural diggers), they smell (only if you don’t clean them out), they chew things (they have to chew to keep their teeth under control) and they fight (not if matched correctly or in a large enough environment - I mean what do you think would happen if you left 2 teenagers trapped in a room for week without toys, games or books, one cup and non flushing toilet?).

Still Interested?
If you love animals and will try to do the best for your pets no matter what the demands - then share your stories and help make a difference to those pets that aren’t so lucky.

Visit the ‘We’re All Ears’ campaign webpages and check out tips and hints on rabbit care and be in with a chance of winning loads of rabbit related goodies!

And make sure you come with a story about your rabbits to enter on the site - to share with others and hopefully inspire a new generation of rabbit owners to come forward and rehome some of the less fortunate bunnies in rescue centres across the country!

posted by admin on Aug 5

This appeal works to help save wildlife habitats in the UK.

The Details:
The Landfill Communities Fund offer funding to restore habitats - but you have to raise the first 10%.

This way if you offer £10 to the WWT, they can ‘unlock’ a further £90 from this Landfill Communities Fund - therefore turning your £1 onto £10.

However the funding is lost completely if the initial 10% isn’t raised.

Therefore the WWT are currently asking for donations for their latest fund to save and restore valuable habitats in local areas across the country.

Previous Work:
Over the past 3 years, previous campaigns have helped to raise over £100,000 - pretty impressive on it’s own - but don’t forget: this gets multiplied by 10 - so they were able to get their hands on a further £900,000 as a result.

That’s £1 million to help restore wetlands and heathland all over the UK! 

So, what did they do with all that money?  Well they had several large projects including the Great Crane Project which was featured on Springwatch and various other wildlife news reports and events.

The other successful actions were restoring wetlands at Slimbridge, saline lagoons at Washington and adding a canoe safari to their events at Martin Mere.  Also at Arundel they have started some serious work to help the water vole population on the River Arun - and pictures coming in from visitors show the results of this project!

How To Contribute:
You can help in a number of ways for this specific appeal - but with an immediate donation having the desired effect!

Belts may be tight - but think of what you would like to donate at the top of your budget - and then divide it by 10.  Basically just £1 of your money will in effect be a £10 donation, so if you would love to offer £100 but are a bit cash-strapped - then just offer £10 and you have done your best!

Obviously if your pockets are not quite so empty, then be as generous as you can and work out your total donation by adding the noughts!  If you can spare £100 - that’s £1000 in the WWT bank and so on.

Alternatively visit their website to find other ways to support them in their valuable work.

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