• UK must ban wild animals in circuses
    As animals are endowed with emotions, they feel fear and pain. They weave strong social bonds and as we wish only to live free. We therefore strongly oppose the exploitation and suffering of animals for our "entertainment". And so ask you to put in place a ban on circuses with animals in our communes. During the off-season, the animals stay in transport boxes, stables or even in trucks or trailers. Few circuses have the means or the will to invest in adapted shelters that will only serve a few months a year. This confinement has devastating physical and psychological consequences. An American study reveals that captive elephants spend about a quarter of their day shaking their heads or swinging compulsively, while bears roam their cages back and forth. Animals used by circuses are constantly transported from one representation to another in an environment where their most basic needs can not be met. More than 90% of the time, they are locked up in cattle wagons, or dreary temporary enclosures, and can be beaten and punished as part of inhumane training methods. This is not an entertainment. Animals in circuses are deprived of all that is natural and important to them. Their mental equilibrium is broken and they are isolated, chained, alone, degraded and idle. Behaviors such as pacing, biting bars, circling and self-mutilation are common in show animals. It is now recognized that this neurotic behavior is caused by captivity and an artificial lifestyle. All animals held in circuses have specific needs. Some, like lions, need a warm climate; others, like bears, have a cooler climate. All need space, activities, social connections, water and food in sufficient quantity. In circuses, they have none of that. They are locked in transport cages or narrow pens from which they only go out to make their number. Because animals do not naturally ride a bicycle, do not stand on their heads, do not balance on balloons or do not jump through fire hoops, coaches use whips, tight necklaces, muzzle , electric batons, chop sticks ("bull hock") and other painful tools to force them to perform their show. Physical punishment has long been the standard method of training for animals in circuses. Animals in captivity are known to "crack" under pressure. There have been dozens of documented human deaths and injuries attributable to animals held in circuses or other captive environments.  In their places, we would rather not rather live FREE with the risks that that entails but to take advantage of our freedom, surrounded by ours or then to live a life of loneliness in a cage, traversing kilometers and kilometers in trucks, to execute tricks for the good will of the trainers, be subject to their wills and make tricks against nature such as sit on his buttocks for an elephant which can cause serious internal injuries. Is it not better to encourage species conservation programs in the countries of origin of these animals and to show very beautiful reports to children and adults wishing to discover these animals in their natural environment? Far from being only a social debate, the presence of animals in circuses also makes cities responsible for their obligation to enforce the legislation in force. Also, we wanted to remind you that scientific studies agree that their detention in circuses is contrary to the physiological needs of wild animals.
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    Created by Andy Hill
  • Ban the sale of plastic straws in the United Kingdom
    It is severely effecting the welfare of animals in the sea and in the wild. It is a great step to ruling out single use plastics in the United Kingdom.
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    Created by Nathan Groce Picture
  • Compulsory for ALL animals to be stunned prior their slaughter
    As a vegetarian and carer of animals I am deeply concerned that animals not stunned before death are suffering a cruel and painful death.
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    Created by Paula Cummings
  • Environmentally friendly industrial units
    Large industrial units are spoiling the natural landscape of many towns and villages. Too often beautiful vistas are ruined by these ugly structures. If constructors were enforced to ensure the units made the minimum impact, then at least we are doing something to help this cause. In addition, if we can go as far as having living walls and roofs, then that would have an added benefit to the ecosystem. These simple changes shouldn't really have a huge impact on the construction cost.
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    Created by Greg Whiteley
  • Legalise Dogs Access to Shops
    Dogs are comfort companions and a part of the family for many so deserve to be treated accordingly
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    Created by Joanne Croxford
  • Make can connectors bio- degradable
    Thousands of wildlife are trapped and injured by these horrible contraptions every year, which- unless shredded by the wildlife conscious consumer are left to clog up our planet, threatening our wild animals.
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  • STOP ANIMAL TESTING
    This is important because innocent animals are being tested on for human benefits, We must find a different way to test
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  • Protect Scottish Wildcat
    There are very few of these animials in the wild and have only recently been discovered in certain areas. These areas are now being destroyed.
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    Created by Wendy McLachlan
  • Remove palm oil from food
    Palm oil plantations are responsible for the destruction of rain forests and is threatening the orangutang with extinction. This is also causing negative climate change in a big way.
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    Created by Nicholas Frost
  • Animals locked in cars or mistreated
    Animals have no voice we need to protect them
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    Created by Nicola Roberts
  • Call for a review into uk Badger Cull
    Some research suggests that only 17 - 26% of badgers carry bovine tuberculosis (bTB) and that badger to cattle transmission of bTB accounts for only 5.7% of badger related bTB incidence in cattle, while cattle to cattle transmission accounts for the remaining 94.3%. There is mounting evidence that the current UK badger cull is not effective in reducing bTB in cattle and may even increase the risk of badger to cattle bTB transmission. Other studies suggest that it may take 3-4 years for effects of badger culling on bTB in cattle to be observed. This makes the recently announced bTB strategy review the perfect opportunity for a review into badger culling which began with pilot culls in 2013. There is also the risk that badger culling could risk already declining hedgehog populations since studies have shown that badger culls may result in increased numbers of red foxes in some areas. This may lead to a reduction in red fox prey species like hedgehogs. References Giesler, R. and Ares, E., 2018. House of Commons Library, Badger Culling in England [pdf] Available at: <http://researchbriefings.parliament.uk/ResearchBriefing/Summary/SN06837#fullreport> [Accessed 17 April 2018] Gormley, E., NiBhuachalla, D., O’Keeffe, J., Murphy, D., Aldwell, F.E., Fitzsimons, T., Stanley, P., Tratalos, J.A., McGrath, G., Fogarty, N., Kenny, K., More, S.J., Messam, L.L.McV. and Corner, L.A.L., 2017. Oral Vaccination of Free-Living Badgers (Meles meles) with Bacille Calmette Gue’rin (BCG) Vaccine Confers Protection against Tuberculosis. PLoS ONE, [e-journal] 12(1), e0168851. Available through: Anglia Ruskin University Library website <https://libweb.anglia.ac.uk/> [Accessed 19 April 2018] Donnelly, C.A. and Nouvellet, P., 2013. The Contribution of Badgers to Confirmed Tuberculosis in Cattle in High-Incidence Areas in England. PLoS Currents [e-journal] 5. Available through: Anglia Ruskin University Library website <https://libweb.anglia.ac.uk/> [Accessed 21 April 2018] Godfrey, H.C.J., Donnelly, C.A., Kao, R.R., Macdonald, D.W., McDonald, R.A., Petrokofsky, G., Wood, J.L.N., Woodroffe, R., Young, D.B. and McLean, A.R., 2013. A restatement of the natural science evidence base relevant to the control of bovine tuberculosis in Great Britain. Proceedings. Biological Sciences, [e-journal] 280(1768) pp.16-34. Available through: Anglia Ruskin University Library website <https://libweb.anglia.ac.uk/> [Accessed 20 April 2018] Bielby, J., Donnelly, C.A., Pope, L.C., Burke, T. and Woodroffe, R., 2014. Badger responses to small-scale culling may compromise targeted control of bovine tuberculosis. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. [online] 24 June. 111(25), pp.9193-9198. Available through: Anglia Ruskin University Library: <https://libweb.anglia.ac.uk/> [Accessed 3 May 2018] Giesler, R. and Ares, E., 2018. House of Commons Library, Badger Culling in England [pdf] Available at: <http://researchbriefings.parliament.uk/ResearchBriefing/Summary/SN06837#fullreport> [Accessed 17 April 2018] Carter, S.P., Delahay, R.J., Smith, G.C., MacDonald, D.W., Riordan, P., Etherington, T.R., Pimley, E.R., Walker, N.J., Cheeseman, C.L., 2007. Culling-induced social perturbation in Eurasian badgers Meles meles and the management of TB in cattle: an analysis of a critical problem in applied ecology. Proceedings. Biological Sciences, [e-journal] 274(1626), pp.2769-2777. Available through: Anglia Ruskin University Library website <https://libweb.anglia.ac.uk/> [Accessed 21 April 2018] Donnelly, C.A., Bento, A.I., Goodchild, A.V., Downs, S.H., 2015. Exploration of the power or routine surveillance data to assess the impacts of industry-led badger culling on bovine tuberculosis incidence in cattle herds. Veterinary Record [online] 15 September. Available through: Anglia Ruskin University Library website <https://libweb.anglia.ac.uk/> [Accessed 25 April 2018] 6. Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, 2018. Policy paper, Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) strategy review 2018: Terms of reference. [online] Available at: <https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/a-strategy-for-achieving-bovine-tuberculosis-free-status-for-england-2018-review/bovine-tuberculosis-btb-strategy-review-2018-terms-of-reference> [Accessed 1 May 2018] Casanovas, J.G., Barrull, J., Mate, I., Zorrilla, J.M., Ruiz-Olmo, J., Gosalbez, J., Salicru, M., 2012. Shaping carnivore communities by predator control: competitor release revisited. Ecological Research. [e-journal] 27(3), pp.603-614. Available through: Anglia Ruskin University Library website <https://libweb.anglia.ac.uk/> [Accessed 11 April 2018] Lozano, J., Casanovas, J.G., Vigos, E. and Zorrilla, J.M., 2013. The competitor release effect applied to carnivore species: how red foxes can increase in numbers when persecuted. Animal Biodiversity and Conservation. [e-journal] 36(1), pp.37-47. Available through: Anglia Ruskin University Library website <https://libweb.anglia.ac.uk/> [Accessed 11 April 2018] Caut, S., Casanovas, J.G., Virgos, E., Lozano, J., Witimer, G.W., Courchamp, F., 2007. Rats dying for mice: Modelling the competitor release effect. Austral Ecology. [e-journal] 32(8), pp.858-868, Available through: Anglia Ruskin University Library website <https://libweb.anglia.ac.uk/> [Accessed 28 April 2018] Hof, A. and Bright, P., 2016. Quantifying the long-term decline of the West European hedgehog in England by subsampling citizen-science datasets. European Journal of Wildlife Research, [e-journal] 62(4), pp.407-413. Available through: Anglia Ruskin University Library website <https://libweb.anglia.ac.uk/> [Accessed 6 January 2018]
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    Created by Rachel Evans