Sydney Meeting

Come along to the monthly Sydney Animal Liberation volunteer meeting. If you have always wanted to become more involved in animal rights and rescuing animals from cruelty and neglect, please come along. These meetings have been the launch pad for many of our amazing long-time activists.

Time: 6.30pm

Date: Tuesday 11th May

Where: 904/32 York Street, Sydney

We've got a special guest this month, Clare Knight, who will be speaking about her experience completing an internship at both PETA US and PETA Asia Pacific. PETA have fantastic facilities for budding and experienced animal rights activists, so if you have thought about applying to become an intern, or maybe you are about to head over to start the program, Clare will be here to answer all your questions and tell us of her experiences and knowledge gained from completing the program.

Other agenda items to be discussed are:

Vegan expo - your feedback

Jumps Racing - 7pm project interview

Rabbit colony at Circular Quay, update on re-homing project

Dairy Seminar

After the meeting please join us for dinner at Peace Harmony restaurant, approx 8.15pm.

Look forward to meeting you :)

Thanks,

Angie

Parramatta Meeting

Ever wanted to know how to put an end to circuses with animal acts? Guest speaker Larry Murphy will be joining us to tell us about his mission to expose the cruelty suffered by all circus animals. Larry has been working tirelessly to achieve state wide bans on the use of all animals in circuses. Larry is a great source of information, so if you have ever wanted to become more involved in this campaign, this meeting is a must-go!

Want to hear about how to become more involved in direct, peaceful action? Guest speaker Mark Pearson will also be joining us to tell us the courageous stories of Animal Liberation in the front line; from piggery sit-ins to stopping live export ships.

Other agenda items include feral goat racing and upcoming dairy seminar.  We always have some free vegan treats available to share on the night.

Where: 2 Civic Place, Parramatta

When: Wednesday 19th May, 2010 (third Wednesday of the month)

Time: 7:30pm

Please use the intercom outside if you arrive late. We will be in the Gwen Logan Room.

Animal Justice Party Formed – Please Join

Dear supporters

You may have heard already about the Animal Justice Party (AJP). For the first time in Australian history we will have a political party representing the interests of voiceless animals. The Charter and Constitution have been established, and are accessible via our website www.animaljusticeparty.org.

Please find below an official invitation to join this wonderful initiative.

********************************************************************

Dear Animal Supporter

Much of the cruelty inflicted on animals in this country results from government policy decisions, ignorance, and inertia. The interests of animals have not been represented in the Australian electoral system and as a result governments have not given due regard to their plight.

Over recent months, a small but widely representative group of compassionate animal advocates has been working to establish a political party to represent the interests of animals in the Australian Parliamentary system. During this time, a Charter, Constitution and Party logo have been established and a wide range of policy papers is currently being prepared, covering such areas as: vivisection, intensive farming, live animal exports, animals used for sport and entertainment, wildlife, kangaroos, domestic animals, animals and the law, marine animals, population and settlement, and others. These policy papers will be on the Animal Justice Party web site in a few weeks from now.

To be registered as a political party with the Australian Electoral Commission the AJP will need 500 members. Simply through word of mouth and our website we have almost reached this target, but we will need many more members if we are to be the significant force that all animals need.

We therefore invite you to visit the infant (but soon to be upgraded) AJP website (www.animaljusticeparty.org), read the key documents and download and complete a Party membership form.

Yours faithfully

Animal Justice Party Steering Committee

20 April 2010

PO Box 3126 Blakehurst, NSW 2221

Email: info@animaljusticeparty.org

Web: www.animaljusticeparty.org

The Animal Welfare Society's Lunchtime Talks

Check out the timetable below and come along to hear some amazing talks by some of Australia's leaders in animal welfare.

The talks will all be held in the Pharmacy Lecture Theatre at the University of Sydney. The Pharmacy Building is just off the Quadrangle on Science Road and the lecture theatre is on the ground floor. There will be signs around to point you in the right direction.

Live Export - Lyn White (Animals Australia)

Monday the 10th of May, Pharmacy Lecture Theatre, 1-2pm.

An eye-opening talk on live export: the transport of live animals, such as sheep and cattle, from Australia to predominantly Middle Eastern and South East Asian countries. Not only does live export result in stress, illness and death of animals during transport, the method of slaughter of these animals once they reach their destination is typically prolonged and extremely painful.

Lyn White is Communications Director of Animals Australia, an animal protection organisation dedicated to exposing animal abuse. She is one of Australia’s premier animal advocates, lobbyists and animal cruelty investigators and her work has featured on 60 Minutes, The 7.30 Report and Australian Story. Lyn will talk about the ethics of the live export trade, her investigations in the Middle East, and how she is now working with the Jordanian Royal Family to improve the lives of animals in the region. Her investigations resulted in the first ever government suspension of the live export trade on welfare grounds, so don't miss this fascinating talk from one of Australia's leading live export authorities.

Bear Bile Farming - Dr Leanne Clark

Monday the 17th of May, Pharmacy Lecture Theatre, 1-2pm.

The Asiatic Black Bear (more commonly known as Moon Bears) are critically endangered bears found throughout Asia. They are illegally caught in the wild and confined for life in tiny, cramped cages, so that their bile can be painfully extracted for use in traditional medications.

Dr Leanne Clark is a veterinarian who has spent much of her career working with wildlife, especially overseas where she has been involved in the fight against the illegal wildlife trade. Most recently, she has been working with Animals Asia Foundation (AAF) as the head veterinarian at their Vietnam Moon Bear Rescue Centre. The Animals Asia Foundation is working to end this horrific practice, by shutting down the bile farms and rehabilitating the bears at their sanctuaries in China and Vietnam.

In her presentation, Dr Clark will delve into the welfare aspects of bear bile farming and discuss the physical and psychological rehabilitation of the bears that is required in her work. She will expose the conditions on the bile farms and the reality of the illegal bear bile trade, and give you insight into her fascinating experiences working as a veterinarian with these traumatised bears.

Pedigree Dogs Update - Associate Professor Paul McGreevy

Monday the 24th of May, Pharmacy Lecture Theatre, 1-2pm.

The documentary Pedigree Dogs Exposed was released in 2009 and caused a big stir in both the UK and Australia. It exposed the breed standards set by the UK Kennel Club (which directly influences the Australian National Kennel Club), demanding that show dog breeders create animals with impractical and often inhumane physical characteristics. By breeding for traits such as 'globular' eyes in Pugs or an extremely large head in Bulldogs, these dogs are often predisposed to a number of painful and debilitating diseases.

Associate Professor Paul McGreevy is a University of Sydney lecturer in Animal Behaviour and Welfare Science. He is a member of RSPCA Australia's Scientific Advisory Panel, a member of the Scientific Advisory Panel for World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) and a member of the Scientific Advisory Panel for the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

Since the documentary's release A. Prof. McGreevy has been continuing his research into the consequences of breeding pedigree dogs, with the ultimate aim of changing breed standards and improving the lives of innumerable animals. Come along to this informative and interesting talk to hear about the latest developments on breed standards and the battle to change them.

Volunteers Needed

Volunteers needed for office admin work. Please contact Angie at angie@animal-lib.org.au or call 0425 220 750.