Welfare experts say people need to choose pets with natural body shapes so their health doesn’t suffer Would-be dog owners should avoid bulging skulls, protruding eyes and shortened twisted legs and instead opt for a naturally healthy body shape, an international team of experts has urged. The health and welfare implications of extreme canine body forms has become a pressing issue, with experts repeatedly warning of the myriad problems faced by breeds with flat faces – from breathing challenges to difficulties exercising and giving birth. Flat-faces Large and protruding eyes Shortened, twisted ..read more

Environmental and animal welfare groups call on lender to phase out support for ‘industrial’ livestock operations The private sector arm of the World Bank is facing claims that it contributes to global heating and the undermining of animal welfare by providing financial support for factory farming, including the building of pig farming tower blocks in China. A coalition of environmental and animal welfare groups is calling on the World Bank to phase out financial support for large-scale “industrial” livestock operations. More than $1.6bn was provided for industrial farming projects between 201 ..read more

Copenhagen fashion week is hailed for raising the bar on animal rights. But will the organisers of other fashion weeks follow? Copenhagen fashion week has just announced that it will ban exotic skins and feathers from its catwalks next year, becoming the biggest industry event yet to do so. “Skål to Copenhagen fashion week for raising the bar for other events,” says the vice-president of corporate projects at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta), Yvonne Taylor. “Now all eyes are on other fashion week organisers, who must follow suit ..read more

From dachshunds to pugs, our canine friends are bred to better serve as emotional crutches or status symbols You may have missed a recent international incident. Last week, we Brits got wind of a very worrying development across the Channel. “Sausage Dogs to be banned in Germany,” ran alarmed headlines in the UK press. The Germans, for their part, were so baffled by this response that they reported on it themselves. “Brits Fear for the German Sausage Dog”, ran a puzzled article in Bild, the country’s best-selling newspaper. “There will always be sausage dogs,” a spokesman told the BBC, which w ..read more

Man says he ended up in ‘a crazy situation’ after he began taking in cats abandoned during Covid pandemic An animal welfare charity in western Canada is scrambling to secure the resources needed to care for about 300 cats – all of them seemingly in good condition – after a call came in from a man who described himself as being “overwhelmed” by the sheer number of cats and kittens in his home. Bruce Robinson told the British Columbia SPCA that he had taken in cats that had been abandoned during the Covid-19 pandemic but that the cost of caring for them had become a herculean task after he lost ..read more

University of Adelaide study finds potential lamb deaths from heat stress could increase from 2.1m to 3.3m per year under a 3C rise Sign up for the Rural Network email newsletter Join the Rural Network group on Facebook to be part of the community Rising temperatures due to global heating will decrease lamb survival and fertility rates in Australia’s sheep flock resulting in industry-wide losses of up to $166m annually, new analysis predicts. A University of Adelaide study, published in the journal Nature Food, modelled the impact an average temperature increase of 1C and 3C would have on Au ..read more

WARNING: contains images some viewers may find distressing Footage supplied to Guardian Australia shows koalas clinging to falling blue gums as logging occurs on Kangaroo Island in South Australia. The footage was taken across two days in November 2023 and January 2024. Logging has been stopped while an investigation takes place. Investigation into logging on Kangaroo Island under way after release of ‘horrific images’ of dead koalas ..read more

Exclusive: Number of such dogs that have been dumped rose from eight in 2020 to 582 in 2023, RSPCA says They may be lauded in the show ring, adored by celebrities, and feature in myriad adverts, but the number of French bulldogs being abandoned has risen sharply in recent years, data suggests. According to the RSPCA, the number of such dogs in England and Wales that have been dumped rose from eight in 2020 to 582 in 2023 – an increase of more than 7,000% in three years ..read more

Hackney MP endorsed a post saying it was unlikely she would be allowed to rejoin Labour despite the support of senior figures A reader asks: Is there anything other than convention which says elections must be on a Thursday? The reason for choosing Thursday, it is said, was as follows. On Fridays the voters were paid their wages and if they went for a drink in a public house they would be subject to pressure from the Conservative brewing interests, while on Sundays they would be subject to influence by Free Church ministers who were generally Liberal in persuasion. Therefore choose the day fur ..read more

Undercover crew finds cannibalism, untreated wounds and cramped and filthy conditions at Cross Farm Warning: this article contains some graphic images Undercover footage of pigs at a Devon farm showing them exposed to “unimaginable suffering” has prompted calls for legal action against the owners. The film crew said the video of pigs being kept in filthy, cramped conditions – featuring instances of cannibalism and malnourishment, as well as animals with untreated, bleeding wounds and hernias – was filmed at Cross Farm in Holsworthy, owned by WJ Watkins and Son ..read more