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Science Leaves no Doubt: The Commission Must Close the Door on Fur Farming - Euractiv While most of Europe was already off holidaying, the European Food Safety Authority quietly released its long-awaited scientific opinion on the welfare of mink, foxes, raccoon dogs and chinchillas kep...

On 30th July, @efsa.europa.eu published its damning scientific opinion on the welfare of animals on fur farms.

In this OpEd, I argue why the @ec.europa.eu must now act to relegate this cruel and unnecessary industry to the annals of history.
www.euractiv.com/section/eet/...

Kristian Vigenin, MEP: This new study gives us even stronger grounds to demand legislation that ensures no trade is allowed to benefit from cruelty and ecological damage within the single market.

@spietikainen.bsky.social: Let’s make a fair transition for everyone!

@spietikainen.bsky.social: It is a dying industry. It will go away. And it is understandable there is frustration among fur farmers. But this frustration should not be the reason to go on. It is a cruel and unethical industry and this is one of the reasons why this business is going away.

Mike Moser: “The fur industry knows its days are numbered. It’s economically unviable. It’s time to support a just transition from fur farming to more economically viable sectors.”

Mike Moser, former Director of Standards for the International Fur Federation and former Chief Executive for the British Fur Trade: “There’s no doubt about it, fur farms are hideous places.”

The True Cost of Fur shows EU fur industry in serious decline. In the last decade, the number of animals killed for fur is down 86%, number of fur farms is down by 73% & value of sales is down 92%. There’s no future in fur. We call on @ec.europa.eu to end cruel fur farming for good

Griffin Carpenter, author of the report, explains the findings showing #EU #furfarming is in serious economic decline, it’s been unprofitable for years.

Nature research paper: A MERS-CoV-like mink coronavirus uses ACE2 as entry receptor.

https://go.nature.com/4lXcUgs

Blackmore & Sparkford Vale Hunt: Four men guilty of offences under the hunting act Last year Channel 4 News reported on the Blackmore & Sparkford Vale Hunt, who were captured on drone cameras conducting what a court decided today was illegal hunting. Four men were found guilty of of...

Blackmore & Sparkford Vale Hunt: Four men guilty of offences under the hunting act

www.channel4.com/news/blackmo...

Step by step, we are dedicated to ending the fur trade for good.

Print showing two hares on grass on either side facing each other, one on the left and one of the right with a full moon in a darkening blue sky in the middle

The #fullmoon in March is known as the last full moon of winter. The moon has association's with hares in many cultures, from ancient Egyptians to Chinese folkore. Artwork by Kerry Buck. #WomensArt

New bat coronavirus with ‘concerning’ traits found by Chinese researchers Virologists warn the pathogen should be monitored ‘very, very carefully’ because it attacks human cells in the same way as Covid-19

"In a study published last year, which Prof Holmes co-authored, a very similar HKU5 virus was among 36 novel pathogens identified among animals including raccoon dogs, mink and guinea pigs in Chinese fur farms."

Fact-based reporting from Telegraph GHS

www.telegraph.co.uk/global-healt...

A really important point that most journos other than @peaseroland.bsky.social who have been covering this over the last few weeks havent clocked. A very similar btHKU5-like virus with all the attributes has already been detected in minks in Chinese fur farms.

www.cell.com/cell/abstrac...

Farmed fur animals harbour viruses with zoonotic spillover potential - Nature Fur farming represents an important hub of cross-species transmission for viral zoonoses.

The new paper, for example, cites this paper from last year from @eddieholmes.bsky.social and others on spillover-potential CoVs on fur farms (which we did cover at the time). How many times do people have to be told before they understand the problem??

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

What sparked the COVID pandemic? Mounting evidence points to raccoon dogs Nature - More than five years on, studies suggest the animal is the most likely culprit, but other candidates haven't been ruled out.

This time five years ago, the virus that causes COVID-19 was spreading around the globe unchecked.

One of the biggest questions that remains is: where did it come from?
https://go.nature.com/3QsXIJl

What sparked the COVID pandemic? Mounting evidence points to raccoon dogs More than five years on, studies suggest the animal is the most likely culprit, but other candidates haven't been ruled out.

A little bit of sane reporting.

The explosion of rage that this article has triggered in offices at the Waksman Institute was audible from this side of the Atlantic.

www.nature.com/articles/d41...

The Hunt for Malaysia's Elusive Wildlife Trafficker - bellingcat After a decade of elusive wildlife trafficking, we traced one anonymous dealer to a house in Malaysia, all thanks to a customer complaint.

We all like to engage with cute animal videos of baby monkeys, little lion cubs… But what if they’re shown in small cages and in boxes, ready for sale? @foeke.bsky.social & contributors @chrisosieck.bsky.social and Darcy White track down a wildlife dealer www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/02...

How Worried Should We Be About the Latest Bird-Flu Mutation? A virologist explains that why this probably isn’t the big one — but that it’s a sign of bad things happening with the virus.

I had a nice, if foreboding, sense-of-impending doom-filled chat with Matt Stieb @nymag.com about my concerns with the current H5N1 situation.

Human H5N1 cases on the rise, infected cows and birds everywhere, while seasonal flu is surging—really not loving how it's going
nymag.com/intelligence...

Artwork created with small pressed leaves presented in the shape of the upper half of a sitting fox, facing left with head turned to look right, all on a white background

Fox by Helen Ahpornsiri, an artist who creates intricate collage artworks created with real pressed flora and foliage. #WomensArt

Concurrent Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome Virus Outbreaks on Multiple Fox Farms, China, 2023 The role of farmed animals in the viral spillover from wild animals to humans is of growing importance. Between July and September of 2023 infectious disease outbreaks were reported on six Arctic f...

Another virus outbreak (Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome Virus -SFTSV) associated with fur farming. It needs to stop. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

The inspiration you seek is already within you. Be silent and listen. Rumi A golden picture of a hare, with a large harvest moon and shiny silver honestly seed heads.

The inspiration you seek is already within you. Be silent and listen. Rumi

Such an old picture now but a big part of my learning process as an artist.

I really hope you like it. ❤️

Thanks to @bebedi123 for day 3 of #12DaysofFoxmas !

#FoxOfTheDay

H5N1 is showing signs of adapting to humans with recent mutations (A134V, N182K, E186D) enhancing its ability to bind to human-like α2-6 receptors in the upper respiratory tract.

This raises serious concerns about the virus’s potential to become more transmissible among humans.

A hare, painted in purples, blacks and pale greens, with with a large silver moon and the hand lettered words, always remember you are loved. Oh and honesty seed heads surrounding the hare. @samcannonart

Always remember you are loved.

And that's exactly what I hope for, even if it is just by the donkeys and the dog!

Two young hares (leveretts) huddled together in the grass amongst fritiallia flowers. With hand lettered words from Rumi - The beauty you see in me is a relfection of you.

Three wolves, howling into the night, with a full moon, beautiful yellow leaves on an autumn tree, corvids erupting into the night. With hand lettered words from Rumi - The beauty you see in me is a relfection of you.

Two interpretations of the same words by Rumi.

The first, two Leveretts (baby hares), in the grass, surrounded by Fritillaria.
The second, 3 wolves under an autumn tree with corvids erupting from the leaves.

Both painted in watercolours.

Mountain hare hunkered down in snow covered ground with grass peeking through

Mountain Hare - Watercolour crayon & pencil - by Scottish wildlife artist, Lucy Newton... whose paintings I absolutely love

More of this artist's beautiful work, here: lucynewtonartist.com

#hares #art

Long-distance, synchronized and directional fall movements suggest migration in Arctic hares on Ellesmere Island (Canada) - Scientific Reports Scientific Reports - Long-distance, synchronized and directional fall movements suggest migration in Arctic hares on Ellesmere Island (Canada)

Arctic hares may be migratory in the high Arctic.

Uncertain what causes this possible migration but resource tracking seems plausible.

🧪🌍 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Twenty big cats die of bird flu at sanctuary in Washington state Bengal tiger, cougars, a lynx and bobcats dead as disease spreads rapidly among US poultry flocks and dairy herds Twenty big cats, including a Bengal tiger, four cougars, a lynx and four bobcats, have died after contracting bird flu at an animal…

Twenty big cats die of bird flu at sanctuary in Washington state

Saving ‘old and wise’ animals vital for species’ survival, say scientists Hunting bigger, more experienced animals eradicates memories and knowledge crucial to group survival, research suggests It’s not just humans who get wiser as they age – animals do too, according to a growing body of research. The bigmouth buffalo fish…

Saving ‘old and wise’ animals vital for species’ survival, say scientists