All in one house

131 dogs,86 guinea pigs, 80 rabbits,48 cats,3 degus,3 chickens and even one parrot BY OLIVER STALLWOOD MORE than 350 animals  have been found squeezed into a single home. Pets including 131 dogs 48 cats 80 rabbits and 86 guinea pigs were packed into cages and unlikely cor ners throughout the house the RSPCA said. The animals charity was called in by the local council and officers served a search warrant. The animals were removed for treatment and taken to a holding centre, although some will have to be put down. Two people were issued with cautions. RSPCA superintendent Tim Wass said the animals were kept in cramped and unhygienic conditions in Cromer, Norfolk. 'Staff are working round the clock to rninimise their suffering and we hope to rehabilitate as many as possible,' he added. The animals included kittens and puppies which were only days old. Mr Wass said the owners of the house were warned a few months ago about there treatment of animals but,under present laws,inspectors could search the  premises only when they knew offences had been committed. Existing legislation meant people caring for animals could not be forced to heed the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals' advice, he added. Mr Wass said: 'This is another prime example of why the Government should introduce the Animal Welfare Bill as soon as possible. Current laws nearly 100 years old mean we are unable to take action until an animal actually suffers, which often is simply too late. 'This case and countless others show how desperately we need legislation fit for the 21st century.' Last week, Rosalind Gregson, 55, of Silveradale, Lancashire, was jailed for three months for keeping 271 animals, including 246 dogs, in her cottage in appalling conditions. [Metro Jun15,2005] 40 animals found in stable of death BY SARAH HILLS RSPCA inspectors spoke of their horror yesterday after finding almost 40 dead animals in a stable. They discovered the remains of at least 19 horses, 11 chickens, three dogs and a rabbit following a tip-off. Three dogs - a rottweiler and two border collies - were found alive at the stable in Trimdon, Co Durham. It is believed they survived by feeding off the stinking corpses. Inspector Mark Gent, who went to investigate, said: 'I have never seen anything on this scale before.' The RSPCA was alerted more than a week ago after a member of the public saw one of the dogs and became concerned for its welfare. Mr  Gent said: 'When I got there, I smelt a terrible smell and knew there was something wrong. I phoned police who attended and we broke in and found a shocking sight. 'I have smelt it before, sadly, but you know that aroma and I knew there was something wrong. I have never seen anything on this scale before.' The RSPCA is trying to locate the owner of the stables, who has not been seen for some time. A spokeswoman said: 'We found 36 to 38 dead animals but that is a conservative estimate. 'We cannot say exactly how many animals will be there until our investigations have finished. 'It is very upsetting and distressing for the officers. It is one of those incidents you must get on with.' Tests are being carried out on the reimains - the dead animals were in varying states of decomposition - to establish the causes of death. [Metro 7Jun2005]

BY GEORGINA LITTLEJOHN

MORE than 300 people have signed up for a real-life hunt which allows computer users to shoot animals with a click of a mouse.

The online marksmen can target a deer, goat or sheep on a ranch, take aim through a moving camera attached to a rifle - and shoot. If the animal, which has been lured in front of the camera with food and water, is killed, its carcass will be sent to the hunter to be stuffed and mounted.

Participants pay for the privilege, ranging from £107 for a sheep to £1,350 for a deer, on top of an £8 monthly membership fee and £80 for an hour-long hunt.

The next event will be on April 8 and Britons are among those signed up.

But the site, created by John Lockwood, a 39-year-old mechanic from Texas, has been condemned by animal welfare groups. The RSPCA expressed 'grave concerns' yesterday.

A spokesman said: 'We assurne it would be extremely difficult to accurately control a gun in this way and therefore it would be difficult to ensure a clean kill - something the RSPCA accepts is the intention of those shooting for sport.'

Kirby Brown, of the Texas Wildlife Association, added: 'That's not something that is ethical in anyone's imagination.

'Clicking a mouse in downtown Dallas or New York is not hunting.'

But Mr Lockwood said it was ideal for a disabled person or someone who could not indulge in real-life hunting.

He said: 'I was thinking about people who might be disabled or bedridden. Maybe they used to hunt and can't any more. Also, the camera only overlooks a small portion of the land so there is no guarantee that you'd get something.'

Dale Hagberg, 38, from Indiana, whose one wish was to hunt again after being paralysed from the chin down in a diving accident, said: 'It's basically good medicine. I'm excited already.

'I'm sure that when the time comes on the screen, I'll be really excited. This is opening a whole new world for me.'

My Comment: There is no end to the depraved sickness of the warped and diseased human mind - I feel saddened and sickened that yet another powerful piece of mankind's technology has been twisted to be used as a weapon of death.

BY OLIVER STALLWOOD

A TAXIDERMIST has gone into hiding after receiving death trreats over her latest venture - turning pets into pillows. Jeanette Hall was inundated with hate-filled e-mails from all over the world and dubbed 'Cruella De vil' when news of her service spread online.

The 29-year-old, who also received hundreds of orders, said: 'I had people threatening to burn down my house.'
Now, she says will have to wait until the furore dies down, before she can continue offering - her macabre mementoes to bereaved pet owners.The taxidermist drew death tereats after an article about her work appeared on the Net.

She charges £34 for a cat, £40-£65 for a dog and £80 for a horse.All owners need to do is freeze Patch or Felix long enough for her to skin and stuff the animal and turn it into a handy soft furnishing.

'I love making animals come back to life,' said the taxidermist, from Nevada.
'You get an animal that's blasted and shot up, and you think, 'how on Earth am I going to fix this?'. But it comes back to life again. I love getting the expression in the eyes.'

While orders flooded in from customers delighted at the prospect of snuggling up on the sofa again with their four-legged friends, she also found herself running a gauntlet of hate, being called 'sick' and the 'devil incarnate'.

One of Britain's top taxidermists, Mike Gadd, said owners should think carefully before getting a pet stuffed.
Of the  Pet Pillows, he said: 'This sounds pretty sick really. Would you really want to do that with your pet? No.' [Metro Apr11,2005]

My comment: It's rather odd that people so upset that a human being becomes a target - when they are so willing to make targets of other creatures - you want to dance with the devil - you have to know how to play his game.I actually do not see the probem with Ms Hall's work - if people wish to keep a memento of a loved animal.... but turning it into a pillow to be exploited for another purpose seems to tarnish it's memory.I don't see why we couldn't do the same thing with human beings - but stuffing creatures you have deliberately killed for fun seems sick to me.Perhaps Ms Hall's solution would be not to have anyone kill animals in the first place - and maybe she could take up vetinary medicine - as for already dead animals - it's not as if they have souls is it?

Those trunk calls you'll never hear

BY SARAH HILLS

MOST libraries are happy to loan you the latest talking book or a copy of The Wall with a cracked case. But one now proudly boasts a unique collection of elephant noises- and some are so extraordinary you can't actually bear them.

The US Library of Congress in Washington DC is better known for preserving long-forgotten folk songs and famous speeches.

Now, alongside the familiar elephant trumpet calls, it also has infrasonic (below the level audible to humans) recordings of the animals.
African and Asian elephants cornmunicate across distances up to 4km in low rumbles which we cannot pickup.
They make the sounds when competing for dominance,to attract a mate or when females warn others they are protecting a calf.
Other additions to the National Recording Registry include several albums, including Nirvana's 1991 Nevermind, the Beach Boys' 1966 Pet Sounds and Public Enemy's 1989 Fear Of A Black Planet. Library visitors will also now be able to listen to astronaut Neil Armstrong's 'one small step for  man...' speech from the Moon.Other acquisitions include a broadcast of Charles Lindbergh in Washington after his solo flight to Paris in 1927 and General MacArthur's 'old soldiers never die' speech in 1951.

[Metro Apr6,2005]

Animal rights battle given the go-ahead

BY JAYNE ATHERTON

ANIMAL rights campaigners won permission yesterday to challenge the legality of animal experiments at Cambndge University.
The British Union for the Abolition of vivisection claimed documents taken by an undercover activist showed animals were not properly cared for.
The evidence, dating from March 2001 to January 2002, shows marmoset monkeys had the tops of their skulls sawn off.
The monkeys, used for research into the development of treatment for strokes; Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases, were then left unattended for up to 15 hours after a stroke was induced. Some of the animals died while others were found 'in a poor condition'. In response, the Government asked the then chief inspector of animals, Dr Jon Richmond, to review the licences.Dr Richmond rejected BUAV's claims that licences should not have been granted or that stricter limits should have been placed on the animals' suffering.
Yesterday, Mr Justice Stanley Burnton gave BUAV the go-ahead for a judicial review of the decision. But the review will not be as wide-ranging as BUAV hoped,after the judge ruled the Home Secretary had acted properly in following Dr Richmond's guidance.

The university last night insisted that 'the welfare of animals used in research at Cambridge is of the utmost importance' and 'that good science and good animal welfare go hand in hand'. At the time of its exposé BUAV had showed the Home Secretary was allowing animals to suffer without proper scrutiny. 'Brain-damaging monkeys is immoral,' it added.

[Metro Apr13,2005]