February 2010

BEAUTY WITHOUT CRUELTY
Defending Animal Rights

STUDENTS MAKE ETHICAL CHOICES

After communication between an executive committee member and BWC, the Stellenbosch University's PAW (Promoting Animal Welfare) committee has made a decision to rule out outings to places where animals are part of the entertainment.

This is a wonderful step in the direction of awareness of animal exploitation and BWC commends all involved for the positive steps being taken.

WHY WE CANNOT ABUSE AND EXPOLOIT ANIMALS

The differences between humans and animals reveal the following compelling reasons for the abolition of the use and abuse of non-human animals:

Animals are vulnerable and totally defenseless when it comes to man vs. animal.
animals cannot give or withhold their consent,
animals cannot represent or vocalize their own interests
they are morally blameless,

Indeed, the majority of people, often unwittingly, hold the view that a way of life involving cruelty is a private matter. This was in fact noted by a Times leader in 1800. In his comment on the failure of the first bill to outlaw bull-baiting, the newspaper wrote that "whatever meddles with private personal disposition of a man's time or property is tyranny direct".

Of course animals are still seen as property under the law, and this is why it is so important that we use he /she/ they instead of 'it' as most of us do. It is a hard habit to break, and while it may change nothing under the law, the language we use reinforces the mindset and behaviour towards animals in general. Often even those fighting animal cruelty and abuse daily refer to animals as it, and indeed, a well known, animal welfare agency made it abundantly clear to Beauty Without Cruelty that they will not make any attempt to change they way they refer to animals, nor would they support any attempts for change.

LAWYERS FOR ANIMALS

Switzerland is working intensively to improve life for its animals. A Referendum will be held in March to decide if domesticated creatures should have the right to be represented by lawyers in court.

Switzerland is emerging as European champion of animal rights. It recently changed its constitution to establish rights for canaries and goldfish. If the referendum is approved, every canton in Switzerland will be obliged to appoint a lawyer to act for pets as well as farm animals and defend them from abuse.

In 2007 the canton of Zurich appointed Antoine Goetschel an "animal advocate" in an experiment whose success has encouraged animal welfare groups to mount a campaign for a referendum to create similar officials all over the country. Activists gathered more than the 100,000 signatures required for a national ballot.

The government is against the idea of animal lawyers, as are farmers' associations and pet breeders, who naturally fear stricter regulations if the motion is approved.

In court Goetschel acts much like a public prosecutor appealing for an appropriate sentence. It is his job to enforce legislation, enacted in 2008, under which goldfish, canaries and guinea pigs are considered social animals, who must never be kept alone. Goldfish tanks cannot be transparent on four sides, as fish need shelter. Dog guardians must take a four-hour course on pet care before they acquire their canine companion.

ELEPHANTS AND CITES

With the upcoming CITES convention in March Beauty Without Cruelty SA submits that there should be a permanent ban on the sale of ivory both internationally and within nations. In the meantime, while discussions continue, the suggested 20 year ivory trade moratorium by Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Rwanda, Sierra Leone & Togo must be put in place. The specific proposals of Zambia and Tanzania who seek the resumption of trade in African elephant ivory should be rejected outright.

There is clear evidence that the 'one off' sales to Japan and China have increased the demand for ivory and therefore no further stockpile sales should be considered. The argument that ivory sales can be used effectively to support elephant conservation is like saying that we should support the sale of pornography to support anti-porn campaigns.

Furthermore, public awareness campaigns are essential to reduce ivory demand here and abroad, and to highlight the ethical issues of killing elephants for any reason.

These are urgent issues in which the future survival of elephants hangs in the balance.

The oldest, largest males are the most successful breeders and studies show that male reproductive success peaks in the late forties and continues at least until 60 years of age. These are precisely the animals usually targeted for ivory.

It is clear that Elephants, who are sentient, highly intelligent, self aware beings with a complex language and well defined social skills, are capable of distinguishing dangerous humans from others, however poaching survivors who are stressed and living in disrupted social structures with reduced breeding success show increased antagonism towards local people.

The killing of older Elephants for their ivory seriously jeopardizes the viability of their population, as the experience of a matriarch provides a knowledge base and the breeding of an old male passes on the genes which allowed him to get to an advanced age in the first place.

Elephants eat large amounts of plant material from ground level to the tree canopy. In Africa, elephants are known as the 'architects of the savannah' due to their preventing bush encroachment, a trait recognized by pastoral people. Elephants keep the savannahs open for grassland that is essential to cattle-keepers. If elephants are removed, the structure of habitats changes dramatically.

Elephants ingest and disperse the seeds of large, important forest tree species. Scientists have recorded 96 species in elephant dung, which can be dispersed more than 10 km from the parent tree and furthermore certain tree species can only reproduce if elephants swallow and transport their seeds. It has been concluded that the loss of forest elephants will result in a decline of animal-dispersed tree species.

The links between the ivory trade and the illegal killing of elephants are clear. Allowing trade in ivory will result in African elephants lost from most of their area within a few years, resulting in a serious ecological impact.

An estimated 38,000 elephants are killed annually to supply the ivory trade, according to Dr. S. Wasser's genetic studies of confiscated ivory. If this rate were to continue, elephants could be gone from most of their ranges in less than 15 years.

The killing of elephants is increasing in East, Central and West Africa, as evidenced by increased poaching and increased seizures of ivory originating in Africa.

Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia were granted a one shot opportunity to sell off their ivory stocks to the Japanese market. Ivory demand in China has escalated since the one-off sales. In 2009, an additional 37 stores in China were approved as new, official ivory retail outlets. The proposals to relax the African elephant's internationally protected status and to increase one-off sales of stockpiled ivory spell doom to Africa's elephants within a few years. If just a small percentage of the current 1.3 billion Chinese purchase ivory, the effect on elephant populations will be devastating.

ANIMAL CRUELTY RED FLAG

Dr Ian Lambie, a clinical psychologist with Auckland University, says some people actually get some pleasure from seeing and experiencing violence toward animals and hearing the animal cry and seeing them being killed.

" Psychologists and police say animal cruelty, particularly in younger people, is a red flag for potential future cruelty to people. "They have low levels of empathy, are more likely to receive pleasure from hurting other people and or animals, and this is a sign of potentially early psychopathic traits," says Lambie.

He says cruelty to animals is often a precursor to cruelty to humans. "It could be used as a trophy. They feel a rush when they have power and control and some reward when they actually act out violently to animals."

GREYHOUND RACING

All Quiet on the Western Front, as they saying goes, regarding the re-introduction of grey hound racing in South Africa. Beauty Without Cruelty has been vocal in their condemnation of this for various reasons, both humanitarian and from an animal welfare perspective. Greyhound racing is legal in the UK, and one of the arguments of the pro-racing brigade is that all the dogs will be cared for, and that people and dogs will be monitored etc. Yeah right.

Recently, a badly neglected greyhound was found in Northern Ireland with wounds so deep, her hip bones were exposed. This suggests she may have been dragged on her back, according to a vet. Staff at the Rainbow Rehoming Centre in Eglington say they are 'very worried' about what appears to be the growing trend of neglect of some retired greyhounds in the Londonderry district. Brianna, the greyhound's new name, is the most recent case to be bought to the centre. There are fears that former racing dogs are being dumped after they lose their competitive edge.

If there are regular cases of abuse, neglect and abandonment of dogs who prove to be unproductive in a first world country that has a 'regulated' industry of many years, how can we possibly be so naīve as to think that in a country in which animals are seen first and foremost as mechanical commodities, to be used and abused at our whim, we can expect any better?

ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA, AND THE SNAKE

BWC approached the director of the Maynardville Shakespearian play this year, in which they use a live snake. It is not the fact that a snake, specifically, is being included, nor the question of 'care' that will be given to him / her, or even that he is not loved. The fact is, animals are not needed to entertain us. That a wild animal will be used as part of the set is ethically questionable at best. What is in store in future? An elephant ,perhaps? A trained lion?

Maynardville has always been about the excellence of the performers, not the props, and the use of an animal as a prop (where a live like wooden one would be perfectly acceptable) demeans the entire performance. In response they said that the text of the play calls for snakes. "Considering it is called for in the text and that the professional advice we were given was positive, the choice to use live snakes made a lot of sense as their effect is far stronger than a 'live like' wooden version that would be unlikely to crawl up to the neck where Cleopatra gets bitten."

We disagree. Beauty Without Cruelty will never condone the use of an animal for entertainment purposes, for any reason, nor support performances in which live animals participate.

MOHAIR - NO HAIR!

Winter trends will apparently see Mohair returning to the world of fashion and design. Mohair usually refers to a silk-like fabric or yarn made from the hair of the Angora goat. No matter what it's called, any kind of wool causes harm to the animal from whom it is taken. There will be abuse and suffering, which is inherent in the industry.

Wool can't compete with revolutionary new fabrics like Gore-Tex, Thermolite, Thinsulate, and Polartec Wind Pro, which is made mostly from recycled plastic cold drink bottles and has four times the wind resistance of wool. It also wicks away moisture, and to the best of my knowledge won't shrink like wools do and is green to boot!

Please, this winter season, shop with conscience. Take the time to search out animal-free coats, jackets and jerseys. You can look sensational, be warm and be beautifully cruelty-free at the same time.

SOUTH AFRICA'S IVORY SHAME!

It is South Africa's great shame that Thailand has just seized two tons of elephant tusks hidden in pallets labeled as mobile phone parts in the country's largest ivory seizure.

Officials seized two pallets containing 239 tusks of African elephants, which originated in South Africa and was labeled as mobile phone parts destined for Laos. It has been confirmed that smuggling of ivory from Africa is on the rise in Thailand as in much of Southeast Asia. Horrifyingly, ivory shipped to Thailand typically goes to carvers who fashion it into Buddhist statues, bangles and jewelry for sale to tourists or sale in other countries, which is in direct contradiction with Buddhist principles!

The U.N. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species banned all international ivory trade in 1989. Traders in Thailand have thrived in part because the 1989 ban did not address domestic trade. That loophole allows them to deceive authorities by claiming their African ivory came from domestic sources - a tactic that is effective due to the difficulty, without DNA testing, to tell the difference between African and Asian ivory.

Have you joined the'Beauty Without Cruelty the Official Site Facebook group? Get the latest updates and information on events immediately.

LIVING WITHOUT CRUELTY COOKBOOK / CAPE TIMES WINNERS

Just after 6am this morning, the first five correct e-mails were received, who correctly answered that BWC stands for Beauty Without Cruelty in an article about the new cookbook.

They are Andy McPherson, Dr S Strope, Kerry Le Roux, Binci Clarke, and Arlene Golden. Your books will be posted shortly. Enjoy!

SUPPORT US HERE

Beauty Without Cruelty can only continue to fight animal exploitation, in all its forms, with your ongoing support.

Please consider placing a stop order on your account, from as little as R50 monthly.

The funding, without which no organisation can survive, goes toward educational materials and essential day to day running costs.

Standard Bank
Branch 025109
Savings Acc 077 491 645

VEGANISM AND ANIMAL RIGHTS

Occasionally we are asked why veganism is promoted by Beauty Without Cruelty, as our 'job to is to fight animal exploitation within laboratories, wildlife exploitation like canned hunting and so on, and not what people eat.

Generally folks are extremely defensive about their eating practices, and mentioning something that may be in contrast with their own practices can be seen as threatening, disapproving or coming from some supposed 'moral superiority.

The simple fact of the matter is, that the most exploited and abused animal by far, are those who end up on someones plate. We can all make a difference, right now, with our next meal. We can choose to enjoy a violence-free meal and therefore not directly contribute to pain and suffering.

FIND OUT MORE

FREE DOWNLOADS

The Beauty Without Cruelty August 2009 Approved List

We have strict criteria that includes the
subsidiaries and suppliers.

Humane Criteria

WINNERS

Our heart congratulations and thanks for their support to the winners of the raffle / lucky draw, who are:

Mickey Treurnicht - Overnight stay for two at Drakenstein Lion Park near Paarl
Glynis Schmidt - Designer Tea Pot by Tanya Knöckler-Golding
Peter Pierce - Woolworths Skin care hamper
Jessica Notelovitz - BWC teeshirt
Jacqui Cockroft - Living Without Cruelty Cookbook

BEAUTY WITHOUT CRUELTY COOKBOOK

Order your Living Without Cruelty coobook now and enjoy easy, tasty food now!

ORDER NOW

Our grateful thanks to Charoltte Rhys for their generous support of this project! Charlotte Rhys is South Africa's premier luxury brand, and all the products are manufactured at their factory in Cape Town. The new Spa skincare range launched this month through spas and beauty therapists nationally is highly sophisticated, with the most technologically advanced formulations and ingredients available anywhere in the world.

Highly unusual at this very top end of the luxury skincare market, is the fact that it is environmentally friendly, made without any harmful chemicals, dyes or animal derivatives and is endorsed by Beauty Without Cruelty. The owners have a strong green policy of sustainability and environmental responsibility.

BEAUTY WITHOUT CRUELTY T-SHIRTS

We still have a few 'I'm not into clubbing' tees, with a picture of a young seal head, available. We now proudly announce our new tee, also conceptualised by Roedean students, now available in Black, Navy and White, standard tee sizes, SMLXL and in White, Navy, Emerald Green and Sky Blue age 13/14 (for a snugger fit women size 32/34)

Limited stocks. Get yours now! 100% cotton tees, made in South Africa only R150 plus R30 p&p.

Bank details: Beauty without Cruelty Standard Bank - Branch: 025109 Savings Acc: 077 491 645. Email your EFT and postal address to toni@bwcsa.co.za with size details.

NOTE: SHOESTRING SLEEVE TEESHIRTS / VESTS AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF
ACTION FOR SEALS

According to Sea Sheperd, The Canadian commercial seal "hunt" is the largest mass slaughter of marine mammals in the world.

Canada intends to kill over 325,000 seals this spring with an additional 10,000 harp seal quota for an aboriginal allowance!"

Please, apply for a long lunch and join us. St Georges Mall outside Newspaper House at 1pm MONDAY 15TH MARCH 2010. Street Theatre is planned for this event.

Wear your 'I'm not Clubbing' tee shirt. Some Pickets will be provided. We need your RSVP. The seals need your presence!

Clubbing tee shirts can be ordered from toni@bwcsa.co.za at R180 incl postage and packaging. E-mail EFT, postal address and size. Red only. Limited stocks!

FUR UPDATE

Further to our correspondence with Dr. Precious Moloi-Motsepe, chairperson of the Africa Fashion International show and Heni, who used fur in his collection, we received the following response from the office of Dr. Moloi-Motsepe:

African Fashion International does not condone the use of fur in designer collections. Additionally, we do not place any conditions on what designers may or may not show as part of their collections on any of our platforms. They have complete artistic control over their collections. We hope that designers make sound ethical judgments.

Your email I believe refers to Heni using fur in his collection and below is his comment in that regard: "The fur was inherited from my grandmother and my collection is inspired by, and pays homage to, her. After using the second hand fur, which is more than 60 years old, on some of the garments I decided to incorporate faux fur in the rest of the collection. The pieces in the collection are one off unique garments, and will not be reproduced with real fur."

As much as we do not place any conditions on what designers show as part of their collections, we hope and encourage that they make sound ethical judgments.

Our contention is that granny's fur perpetuates the demand for fur regardless, and as such, should be avoided, and we take note of Heni's stand that faux will be used in the rest of the collection. We do however, await his view on using real fur in future collections, regardless of the origin.

THE OTHER FUR

Most people have heard of fur coats, but we tend to overlook the fur brushes are used in the fine arts and cosmetics industries by artists and beauticians.

We are processing wild and farmed animals into brushes!! It's like turning an elephant into a ring, bracelet or small carving! Is this necessary? Many people would say that a good artist can paint with just about anything and that beauty should be cruelty-free.

The animal that artists prize most for making the paint brush is the Siberian weasel who lives in Siberia, China and other parts of Asia. Siberian weasels wear russet coloured fur, live throughout the taiga's forested river valleys and swim in its lakes. Other animals turned into brushes are as diverse as sable, mongoose, hog and goat. Brushes with the name sabeline are made from cattle hair. So-called camel brushes do not come from camels but from ox, pony, squirrel, sheep or other beings.

Bushes made from synthetic fibres, such as nylon or polyester, form a large and growing market. Brushes with synthetic fibres are much less expensive than fur brushes, but animal hair may be mixed in with some of them. To confuse matters, some synthetic brushes are labelled with animal or animal-like names, for instance White Sable, Golden Sable and Erminette.

When making your next make up or artists brush purchase, please, consider the terrible suffering involved. If the hair or fur is real, cruelty is involved. Always.