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Animal protection group hails record fine for donkey’s abuse deathAn animal rights group that specializes in protecting Greece’s donkeys has hailed the decision by an Athens prosecutor to slap a fine of 30,000 euros on a man who allowed his donkey to die of shock and exposure.The 75-year-old owner of the donkey in question is accused of tying it to a tree in a field in Koropi, east of Athens, where it became tangled in the rope and died.Two other donkeys owned by the same man and found similarly tied to trees and in very bad shape have been surrendered to the Hellenic Donkey Center.
Bear held for killing jogger in Italy is innocent, say animal activistsWelfare group claims two forensic reports show culprit was male, while captive bear is femaleAnimal rights activists are calling for the immediate release of a female bear captured on suspicion of killing a jogger in northern Italy after they claimed tests showed the culprit was male.The 17-year-old bear, identified as JJ4, is suspected of killing Andrea Papi, 26, who was mauled to death while jogging along a mountain path close to his village of Caldes in Trentino on 5 April.JJ4, considered a “problematic” bear, was swiftly captured and taken to an animal enclosure while a court decides her fate.The case has pitted Maurizio Fugatti, the president of Trentino province, who wants the bear to be put down, against animal activists, who have been fighting for its release.
No croaks: French police intervene in neighbours’ frog rowA culture war has broken out in a small village in the Savoie region of the northern Alps where three large frogs are threatened with being silenced.In the latest example of a conflict of rights between town and country, nature and neighbour, 92-year-old Colette Ferry opened her door in the small village of Frontenex – population about 1,800 – to two gendarmes recently who said they would be taking away three amphibians that had taken up residence in her garden pond.The officers said they were responding to a complaint by a neighbour unable to sleep because of the loud croaking they were making at all hours.Animal noise pollution is a regular cause of rustic rows in France, which are often seen as symbolic of the clash between those living in rural areas who have long kept animals or rung church bells, and privileged incomers from urban areas of France or abroad who have moved to or bought second homes in the countryside.Most famously, Maurice the noisy rooster survived legal attempts to silence him in 2019 when a judge ruled he could continue crowing, after thousands of people signed a “Save Maurice” petition.
Police officers to undergo training in animal rights issuesA program to train at least one police officer in every police station in the country in animal rights issues will begin on Wednesday.The officers will be trained to deal with cases related to animal abuse, be they strays, pets, working or game animals, exotic species and others, the police said.Regarding the number of violations of animal protection legislation in the first four months of 2023, Citizen Protection Minister Takis Theodorikakos said 705 cases were opened, 138 people were arrested and 659 fines totalling 3,317,800 euros were imposed.
Could Hugo the west end cat change the law?A well-known Edinburgh cat, taken to the hearts of the residents of the city's west end, is at the centre of calls for a change to the law.Hugo, an Arabian Mau, was well-loved around the cobbled streets of the upmarket retail area and, despite having a devoted owner, was looked after by hundreds of locals.The tabby died last week after he was hit by a car that failed to stop.His death has inspired a campaign to make it law to report such an incident.Motorists are obliged to tell police when they collide with dogs, horses, sheep, pigs, cows and goats and notify a vet or the SSPCA, but not cats.Foxes and badgers also come under this category.
Drought and high temperatures lead Spain towards olive ‘catastrophe’‘It’s going to be another grim year’ and could spell the end of many farms, warns head of Spain’s leading olive cooperativeSpain is heading for an olive catastrophe amid an unprecedented drought and soaring temperatures, which are pushing up global prices.Rainfall since October has been 25 per cent lower than normal across Spain and 50 per cent lower in the southern region of Andalusia, the heart of Spain’s olive oil industry, where reservoirs are at 25 per cent capacity.The situation became worse at the end of April, when an early heatwave brought exceptionally high temperatures that saw the mercury hit 38.8C in southern Spain.
Jury finds Trump liable for sexual abuse and awards accuser $5 millionA jury has rejected a writer’s civil claim that the former US president raped her, but found him liable for sexually abusing her in the 1996 attack.