World News Roundup: September 8, 2017

Mumbai Pet Owners Gain Access to Pet Ambulances (Business Standard)

An app-based ambulance aggregator in Mumbai (Dial4242) has announced the addition of ambulances for pets. Mumbaikar pet owners “can now get instant access to pet ambulances … that are equipped to handle emergency medical situations and can also be used by pet owners to take their pets for routine appointments, surgical procedures or in [an] emergency situation.” Dial4242 will operate 15 pet ambulances.

Chinese Village Celebrates Dog Carrying Day (Independent)

The residents of Jiaobang village in the Guizhou province of China celebrated Dog Carrying Day last week—“an annual festival that sees a dog being dressed up in human clothing, carried on a sedan chair, and worshipped as a god. Legend has it that the first settlers in the area were saved from dying of thirst by a dog that led them to a water source in the area.” Celebrated for centuries, the holiday causes some controversy today.

Animal Welfare Group Attacks KFC Campaign in UK (AdvertisingAge)

The World Animal Protection charity painted over a new KFC campaign mural with the words “The whole truth about KFC chicken?” and the hashtag #ChangeforChickens. The original mural depicted a new chicken every day for a week, accompanied by the words, “The Whole Chicken Freshly Prepared All Day Every Day.” Protesters of the ad campaign are asking for the fast-food chain to commit to higher animal welfare standards.

Cocker Spaniel Saved from Rising Tides in South Wales (Express)

“A terrified dog was plucked to safety from treacherous rocks in the most heart-warming animal rescue of the year.” Rescue dog Susie the cocker spaniel was about to be swept away by rising tides, but a brave lifeboat crew saved her in its inflatable inshore rescue boat. “As soon as the dog was in difficulty, [her owner] called the emergency services and remained in a safe place out of the water.”

Animal Welfare Crisis May Wipe Out Koalas in Australia (news.com.au)

Animal welfare groups in Australia say tree clearing is a far more serious problem than animal cruelty and puppy farming, and it’s being ignored. This hidden crisis, they say, may wipe out the koala. “Tree-clearing rates due to urban sprawl, logging, and development have more than tripled in recent years and Australia’s east coast now is one of 11 global deforestation hot spots.”

Tel-Aviv to Host World’s Largest Animal Rights March (Israel21c)

“Some 30,000 people are expected to demonstrate September 9 to protest animal cruelty in the food, entertainment, research, and fashion spheres.” VeganFriendly, an Israeli nonprofit, has been sponsoring the annual march since 2015, but this is expected to surpass a 1990 event in which 25,000 people marched for animal rights in Washington, DC. “It is estimated that five percent of Israelis, or about 400,000 people, are committed to a plant-based diet.”

Microchipped Cows Put Argentinian Beef Exports Back on the Map (Independent)

By promoting microchip technology to increase the traceability of supplies, Argentina is making beef shipments more attractive to potential buyers in the United States and Asia. “Currently, farmers use colored ear tags to manually track cattle. Microchips, and the accompanying digital tracking, would eliminate errors that arise from monitoring animal movement with paperwork.” Beef shipments to the United States have been banned since 2001 due to an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease.