Tullos Hill Deer Shot Illegally

 Aberdeen City, Featured, News  2 Responses »
Jun 192012
 

John F. Robins, Secretary, Animal Concern Advice Line (ACAL), has been actively campaigning against and researching the Tullos Hill Deer Cull, which saw 23 animals killed to further the city’s ‘Tree for Every Citizen’ scheme. In a dramatic development, it seems the law has been broken during the hunting. This emerged following a Freedom of Information Request lodged by anti-cull campaigner Clare Rochford.

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Animal welfare charity Animal Concern Advice Line (ACAL) has asked the police to charge Aberdeen City Council for illegally killing deer during the controversial cull of roe deer on Tullos Hill on the outskirts of the city.
Despite widespread opposition from local residents, Community Councils and national animal welfare organisations the Council shot and killed 23 deer to make way for a Jubilee Woodland to commemorate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

The tree planting project is backed by another charity, The Woodland Trust, which has seen supporters resign their memberships and withdraw sponsorship over the deer culling.

Deer culling is strongly supported and promoted by the Scottish Government through Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) but yesterday SNH admitted that Aberdeen City Council did not have permission to shoot deer at night. Under Freedom of Information legislation ACAL had already shown that three deer were shot during the early hours of Thursday 22nd March 2012 at times when specific permission for night shooting was required.

John Robins of ACAL states:

“The law on night shooting exists to protect deer from being injured instead of being killed cleanly. Aberdeen City Council ignored public opinion which was overwhelmingly opposed to this cull and now we have discovered that the arrogance of the Council extended to ignoring the law.

“I’ve asked the police to prosecute those responsible as they need to be shown that they are not above the law. The Councillors and the Council employees in charge of this project should resign their positions and bosses at The Woodland Trust should hang their heads in shame for getting involved in this fiasco.”

Old Susannah No. 81: Alphabet Soup Leftovers And Dogs’ Dinners

 Aberdeen City, Opinion  2 Responses »
Jun 142012
 

Aberdeen Voice’s Old Susannah continues her romp through Aberdeen City Council’s A to Z of services, and  considers two very different ‘Mr Smiths’, and dog’s dinners.  By Suzanne Kelly.

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Tally Ho!  The burning issues of the past week include Olympic torches and scorching internet debate following Annie Lennox’s article in the Guardian.  In this piece Lennox suggests that Aberdeen might have some issues  and that the City Garden Project is ‘a dog’s dinner.’

In the first place as Mr Tom Smith (ACSEF, City Garden Trust, guru of truth, etc. etc.) points out, Annie doesn’t have all the facts.  Mr Smith will be happy to supply them to her.  This will be a historic first, considering ACSEF’s previous economy with said facts.   But what a result!  Tom Smith’s kindly offered to meet Annie!  I bet she’s wondering what to wear to any such meeting and is all nervous and excited.  Who could blame a girl? (Do I get a meeting invite as well, Tom, seeing as I was head of one of the official referendum campaign groups?).

I’m happy to admit I don’t have all the facts, either –  I keep asking for them, but I still don’t have them.  For one thing, I don’t know what comments people wrote on the voting slips when the six shortlisted designs were on show.  At the time comments and votes were requested (and paid for by the taxpayer).  Somehow, a private company, Aberdeen City Gardens Trust, seems to have the votes.  Tom is one of the people with access to them, and won’t let us see the results.  It wouldn’t be helpful, you see, to release this information.

I also don’t know the concrete web’s final business plan and its financial projections.  I also don’t know what the architectural drawings specify in any detail.  I don’t know what went on at the many meetings held to further the web.  I only  have ‘redacted’ (that’s with the details hidden) minutes of all those City Gardens Projects meetings you and I paid for (we’ve spent at least £600k on consultants and services for the granite web – you know, the project which won’t cost us a penny).  Call me over-cautious, but before I’d agree to borrow £90 million and commit to spending £140 million on a plan with no details, I’d want something a bit more concrete (excuse the expression).

I also don’t know the latest on Mr Smith’s front page P&J story from when he claimed UTG supporters were ‘harassing’ him and his family, and illegally hacking into his email.  You would have thought that had laws been broken, he’d have raced to the papers with the update. Otherwise, it just looks like a cynical manipulation of the press close to the referendum vote.    But all in all, I admit I don’t have these minor little facts.

But never mind the facts (which we’ve been asked to do so far) – once Tom’s had a word with Annie Lennox, she’ll be joining ACSEF, moving to Union Terrace and supporting the web.  Rumours that she has switched PR companies to Aberdeen’s BiG remain unconfirmed.

But Ms Lennox’ calling the Granite Web ‘a dog’s dinner’ in the Guardian was hardly fair.  Firstly, if you tried to feed such slop to a poor dog, it would slink away howling into the night, and the Scottish SPCA would step in, like they did to Dumfries & Galloway’s NHS supremo, one Mr Michael Keggens.  Because of his busy job and busy life, Keggens left his elderly dog without food and water, locked in the house for days.  Easy mistake to make I’m sure.

The Scottish SPCA were alerted to the dog barking, and found the poor thing alone in the house, caked in muck with not even water to drink.  Feeding the dog and returning a day later, the Scottish SPCA found the situation hadn’t changed.  Apparently living things need food and water, but you can’t expect someone high up in the NHS to know details like that.  Remember this the next time you hear of an elderly or infirm patient suffering dehydration. (PS – the Scottish SPCA is desperate for help just now, as are New Arc and Willows – if you can spare anything, please think about it).

Back to Mr Smith, well a Mr Smith anyway.  Old Susannah had a sudden urge this week to re-watch the old Jimmy Stewart film, ‘Mr Smith goes to Washington.’  Yes, it’s heavy on the sentiment and American values.  But the gist of the plot is this:  a corrupt, wealthy circle of small town businessmen and elected officials are milking the taxpayers; they have a crooked construction scheme (for a dam – a granite web would have been too far-fetched even for Hollywood).  These crooks have been sucking up public money, conspiring, and hiding the facts of their self-serving plans from the electorate.  This somehow sounds familiar.

In comes naive, honest Mr Smith, newly elected to the Senate, where people expect he will just do as the villains tell him to do.  He eventually finds out about all the corruption, and fights it (and he wins).  By the way, one of the most powerful weapons which the wealthiest crooked businessman has is his ability to dictate to the local press what to cover, how to cover it, and what to leave out of the news.

In the end ‘people power’ and truth win out over greed, corruption and manipulation.  I guess that’s Hollywood for you.  I’m still stumped as to why I thought of this film and wanted to see it again, but it will come to me.

Before I continue with my search through Aberdeen City Council’s A to Z of ‘services’, I’d like to say that I’m greatly looking forward to next Saturday’s (23 June) party in Union Terrace Gardens, courtesy of Common Good Aberdeen.  Hope to see you there.  And congratulations on the unanimous decision for a cafe in UTG to be run by Common Good Aberdeen volunteers, with 100% of profits going to improving the gardens.  A result in the truest sense.

I would also like to say a sincere thank you to the Guardian for its investigations, and to Ms Lennox (who can’t win – she gets it in the neck if she says anything, and gets it in the neck if she doesn’t.  But I dare say she knows what’s important and what she’s doing, and petty, small-minded criticism can’t stop her.  More power to her, as they say).

Now back to Aberdeen City’s A to Z of services.

M is for Marischal College: – Result!  ACC gutted this building, fitted it out with new furniture for some of the council staff, and boasted widely how wonderful it was – it only cost around £60,000,000 and it ‘came in on time and under budget’.  You can’t say fairer than that, can you?

Of course we never got to see a list of what the alternatives for council office space were (Old Susannah did do a FOI, knowing there is a ton of empty space owned by ACC out there – but was told this information was top secret).  Marischal may have been under budget, but what the budget was for other solutions was never disclosed.

Marischal workers are also under something else, and it’s not budget.  The problem I reported earlier with leaking toilet pipes hasn’t entirely been solved.  It must be kind of stimulating – you never know what’s going to land on your desk if you work at Marischal.

N is for National Fraud Initiative: – No, it’s not an initiative to strip the taxpayer of as much money as possible, it means that:-

“…Aberdeen City Council is required by law to protect the public funds it administers. We may share information provided to us with other bodies responsible for auditing or administering public funds, in order to prevent and detect fraud.”

We’ll have to wait and see if the new administration can do as well as the previous one at preventing fraud.  Let’s see – we had Councillor Cassie and his little financial embarrassment.  We had ‘care’ workers stealing from their elderly clients, we’ve had social workers buying themselves goods with our money;  we’ve had people at the council offices taking their work home with them (in the form of embezzled funds).

There is a saying: steal something small and you’ll go to jail; steal something big and they’ll make you a legend.  Steal an entire Victorian Park and put it into private hands to manage?  They’ll make you an ACSEF member.

O is for Open Data: – As the Council tells us,

“Open data is about increased transparency, about sharing the information we hold with the wider community to build useful applications.”

There is a link to this open data –

“We now have a linked data repository, available at: http://linkeddata.aberdeencity.gov.uk/ which provides a number of data sets as linked data. “

Please do be my guest and visit this link.  But if you’re looking for any controversial data, I’m not sure this will be much help to you.

P is for Package Holidays: – the City is giving us advice on consumer protection regarding package holidays.   Result!

I wonder whether the previous Lord Provost did a package holiday when he went on some of his essential world-wide trips in order to save the city some money.  His visit to Nagasaki clearly worked wonders, and I hear the Japanese want to get rid of some of their tedious green space to build granite webs.

There was a tartan created to commemorate the visit as well.  While we were spending all this money on his designer jeans, clothes, travel, portraits and so on, we sensibly have just auctioned off some of the artefacts from Thomas Glover House.  Glover, you may recall, was for all intents the man who most helped to open up Japan to the outside world, and his house in Aberdeen was a monument to him and his travels.

I wonder if they’ve sold the doorknobs, light bulbs and light switches from the Glover house yet?

Q is for…. nothing:  There are no entries.  Nothing about quality of services, quality of life, nothing.  That’s because things are so good, there’s nothing left to say.  (X has no listings, either, FYI).

R is for Rats:  If any of you have read the previous columns about the city’s A to Z of services, you will suspect correctly that this link takes you back to the city’s exterminator services.  The city will happily kill rats, rodents, insects, and a whole host of critters for you, for a fee.  And as we sadly know, they’ll shoot deer.

Next week:  Expect an update on the Tullos Hill deer slaughter story, the remainder of the alphabet, and a return to definitions as normal.

PS – I have learnt a great deal from the online debate sparked from the Guardian’s Annie Lennox story.  But most importantly, I’ve learnt you are not allowed to criticise a place unless you live in it.  Therefore, let’s have no more carping on about the situations in Syria, Iraq, Tibet, Myanmar, DRC, and so on.  Glad that’s settled.

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Rock ‘n’ Roll Animals: Paul Rodgers and Cynthia Kereluk

 Aberdeenshire, Featured, News  No Responses »
Jun 142012
 

Willows Animal Sanctuary announced two new patrons – Paul Rodgers and his wife Cynthia Kereluk.  The couple were at Willows answering questions, visiting the animals, even playing a few acoustic bars of Bad Company Songs last week.  Would the voice behind Bad Company, Free and The Firm be at home on an Aberdeenshire farm?  Yes, and then some, as Aberdeen Voice’s Suzanne Kelly found out.

Willows. Cynthi, Suzanne and Elly
When I last spoke to Paul Rodgers it was for a split second while backstage when The Firm – Jimmy Page, Tony Franklin, Chris Slade and Paul Rodgers – were on tour in America, playing massive arenas and Madison Square Garden… I was a very lucky girl indeed.

When I saw him next, he was petting a cat at Willows, comparatively in the middle of nowhere.  Willows had just celebrated its twelfth anniversary, and in these troubled times is financially stretched.

The Rodgers’ have been supporting Willows and adopting animals there for some time, but what more could Paul and Cynthia do?   And how in the world did they find out about Willows to begin with?

Well, they had to be genuine animal lovers, there is no other way they’d wind up in this part of the world.  The press conference started and Paul launched straight into the subject:-

He jokes about finding Willows.

“I thought we were on our way to Sweden, and Cynthia persuaded me this was a shortcut.” 

Cynthia explains in a little more detail

“We were on our way to Sweden where Paul was going to perform with Sandi Thom. She told us about Willows before, and we wanted to see it.”

Paul continues

“This past Christmas we decided to give our nieces and nephews sponsored animals as presents.  I think half of them are still wondering where their gift is.”

The couple sponsored a dozen or more animals for life last year around Christmas time, which was when I recall first seeing their names linked to Willows.

Cynthia continues

“We spoke with Jenny about fundraising. We wanted to help, and we’ve come up with a few ideas.  No one wants to see it shut.”

 ‘Two wounded creatures’ as Cynthia put it, had found each other and helped each other

The ideas they launched include an international raffle to celebrate the twelve years of Willows’ operations – the top prizes include an acoustic guitar played and signed by Paul, a painted tambourine, other autographed presents, and two mystery gifts.

There will also be an online charity shop (donations needed) and the plan is to raise Willow’s profile, particularly in Edinburgh and Glasgow.  Raffle tickets are on sale now, available online at http://www.willowsanimals.com/

Paul added

“I have a huge respect… I am amazed that they take in horses, donkeys, stick insects– ‘all creatures great and small.’”

Cynthia then brought up the importance of Willows to people.  She retold one particular story -there are dozens – about the animal assisted therapy Willows offers, and how it has changed, if not saved lives.  The story concerns a young boy who was anorexic, a rare but increasing problem for young men, who was involved with Willows therapy.

One day he arrived unexpectedly, just after Willows had accepted a very badly treated horse.  This particular creature had a fractured pelvis, yet its owners were trying to ride it.  The horse became understandably more and more ‘of a diva’ and when it was sent to Willows, the fracture was discovered.  By then the horse had little time or trust for people.

The horse was still in an upset state, and was in a field on its own.  Willows staff could see the young boy was going up to the horse and they were quite concerned as the boy didn’t know the horse’s sad story or condition.  Well, somehow the horse and the boy got along famously from the first minute they met.

‘Two wounded creatures’ as Cynthia put it, had found each other and helped each other.  The horse improved, and so did the boy, who is now living a happy, stable life.

 Cynthia has just been describing a cat they had, which had been hit by several cars in a horrible accident

The story of a little girl in a wheelchair was told; she was in a crowd visiting the sanctuary, and was having problems seeing what was going on.  A horse named Ninja put its head onto her lap and gently nuzzled her.  These may seem like little things to you and me, but for people who have problems, such little things can make an entire world of difference.  This is not sentiment, it is fact.

“There are over 300 animals here, and there’s a story for each one” Paul says, “and there’s a book in it.”  This thought gives me some ideas, we will see.

The Rodgers and Willows staff explain that the government does not give them grants any longer, due to the economic crisis and budget cuts.  They have had to be self-funding for the past year and a half.  Not exactly a great position when you are a last-chance sanctuary for so many unwanted wild, domestic and farm animals.

“The lives of animals are not something you can walk away from” Paul says, and that’s how I feel myself.

Before the press call got going, I had started to ask if the Rodgers had any pets.  I thought I misheard them, because I thought I heard ‘thirty-six cats’; (I put this down to my listening to too much loud music over the years).

“We had thirty-six cats at one point” Paul says – they were all rescued animals.

Cynthia has just been describing a cat they had, which had been hit by several cars in a horrible accident. This poor pet needed help with all of its needs, and it sounded to me like it wound up with the right people.  There is chez Rodgers, a Shepherd crossbreed which weighs 91 pounds, and currently they are down a mere eight cats. Somehow through all this it emerges that Cynthia is allergic to cats – my sympathies indeed, as I am too, despite having two rescue cats myself.

“We have had some interesting trips to Mexico” Rodgers says.

His experiences in Mexico are far from any rock star cliché – they go there and bring back abandoned cats.  They describe going back through US customs with several cats at a time, and because it is standard Food & Drug Administration procedure, they have to declare that the cats ‘are not for human consumption’.  Such are the workings of governments.   

“All of our friends have two cats now – we meet them at the airport and they just take the cats then.”

Well, you can’t say they’re not cat lovers.

The press call then takes a tour through Willows to visit the various animals, something I’d been greatly looking forward to doing again. I was on the lookout for some old favourites of mine.   Sandi Thom has adopted a giant, 18 hands high horse named McGill, who’s out in a pasture. We visit Arthur the cat, found living on waste ground in an empty paint can, the lovely three-legged Elly, and a host of other creatures, all warmly greeted by the Rodgers.

I ask Cynthia for a comment on what I see as being one of the biggest problems at present – people abandoning animals.  She has this to say:-

“People fall on hard times.  Reach out for help; don’t be embarrassed.  But you need to treat living things as you would like to be treated: pet ownership is a lifelong commitment.  There are those who will come behind and help.”

And on that note I leave her, tending to Arthur the cat that needs some medicine.   If you can come behind and help Willows, then please get in touch.

Coda:  Look out for Paul Rodgers performing with an orchestra works from his career.  Also look out for a Sandi Thom concert at Willows in July.
http://www.paulrodgers.com/news.html

 

Old Susannah No. 80: Alphabet Soup, And A Farewell

 Creative Writing, Satire and Humour  1 Response »
Jun 072012
 

Voice’s Old Susannah comments on current events and enlightens us with definitions of some tricky terms with a locally topical taste. This week, more ABZ ‘A to Z’, some ATOS, and thoughts on the sad loss of a Voice colleague. By Suzanne Kelly.

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Tally Ho!  It’s all been happening up and down the country, and whatever you think of the Jubilee, isn’t it grand that our ConDems have got the unemployed something to do.  Not only have they apparently been given important (albeit temporary) jobs as stewards at Jubilee events, but our government employment arm has combined this great work experience with a holiday.

Lucky invitees from the ranks of the unemployed enjoyed several days in London, camping under the stars (and a tiny bit of rain) to help run Jubilee events.  I have nothing against the Jubilee itself, and it is great to see people getting back to work.

Soon some of our lazier unemployed, including MS and cancer patients, will be given suitable jobs too; all thanks to our Coalition and ATOS, the kind (foreign) organisation which assess who’s fit for work and who’s not (and gives work to absolutely all of these people anyway).

While the layabouts got to layabout in lovely tents in London, it’s come to our attention that Conservative co-chairperson MP Lady Warsi was roughing it as well.  While this frugal woman would apparently stay in cheap B&Bs or kipped on a friend’s sofa  (as befits someone of her office), she’d put in expense claims for the maximum amount allowable, and seems to have travelled to Pakistan with a relative/business partner in tow.  Result!

Nothing wrong with having a bit of an earner now and then, as long as you’re not unemployed.  Voice readers might like to know Warsi’s never won an election.  Interestingly she was a ‘community cohesion’ guru of sorts (I’ll have to define ‘community cohesion’ sometime), despite some allegations that her election material was homophobic.  It is a funny old world indeed, and we are extremely generous taxpayers.

Old Susannah was up in the lovely town of Helmsdale for a long weekend.

This pretty coastal town is missing several tricks however.  There are no concrete high-rise buildings, no development plans, and not even a ring road.  There are several grassy areas with no granite webs planned, and the seashore doesn’t have any bingo halls, amusement arcades or huge factories.  And somehow, without so much as a single shopping mall, the people were friendly, cheerful and happy.

I met a lovely man nicknamed ‘Klondike Davy’ who took me panning for gold.  I say he is nice, but one or two people in the town have ridiculed him in the past apparently.  You see, he’s given prizes for the region’s highland games in the form of the valuable gold and garnet gemstones he’s found while panning.

The criticism from a minority, quite rightly, is that he’s given valuables and his time and efforts away for nothing.  People like that, or who give money to charities, run parties in Victorian Gardens and so on just aren’t stimulating the economy and are obviously mugs.

Apparently some of the lovely schools are in the wrong place, even after all the 3Rs strategic planning and expensive consultants

We don’t need great acts of generosity, children having fun, family days in parks with music – we need to encourage businesses to come to Scotland.  This can only be done by getting scroungers to work and by building granite webs.  Perhaps in 20 years’ time people will still remember having a great day out or winning a unique, valuable gift of gold.

Or perhaps in 20 years’ time people will still remember people being generous to a fault.  I know which I think is more likely.

Before we continue with our romp through ACC’s A to Z of its spectrum of services, spare a thought for our school children.  Apparently some of the lovely schools are in the wrong place, even after all the 3Rs strategic planning and expensive consultants.  I think we should close them all down and build new ones.

But if the children aren’t busy worrying about the unending cycle of exams they are expected to take, like so many dogs jumping through flaming hoops, another worry looms.  No, not lingering asbestos in Walker Road School, now completely clear of contaminants (I’m sure).  I can reveal that Aberdeen Football Club plan to give schools more unsold/unsellable tickets for the home games.

In this heart-breaking development, inconsolable youngsters were given the news they’ll be expected to pack the empty seats.  One young person, close to tears, told Old Susannah

“It’s bad enough to know that AFC is our team and that soon we’ll build an even more empty stadium near Loirston Loch, but to actually have to sit through a match will be torture.  Not to mention the cost of a coke and burger.”   

Reports that child welfare agencies may step in are as yet unconfirmed.  A further rumour suggests unemployed might be forced to attend games – but those surveyed so far have expressed a preference for sleeping in tents in the rain along the Thames.

Finally, Willows Animal Sanctuary needs help (the government only has funds for consultants), and it was such a pleasure to see a big help arriving in the form of Paul Rodgers and wife Cynthia.
(See article – ‘Willows Name New Patrons Paul Rodgers And Cynthia Kereluc’ in this weeks issue. )

The last time Old Susannah had seen Mr Rodgers (or ‘Paul’ as he said I should call him) was in the late 1980s, backstage at a concert for the Firm (if you don’t know – you should – Tony Franklin, Chris Slade, Jimmy Page and Paul Rodgers).  John Bonham’s son Jason was the opening act (if memory serves this band of his was called ‘Virginia Woolf’ – but don’t quote me).  Good times.

The couple are animal lovers to serious extremes, as I’ll describe next week.  It was a pleasure to meet them and to visit all the animals at Willows (although I did forego the exotic insects).  PS – The New Ark also could use our support.

Right – on with some more listings from the Aberdeen City Council’s matrix of services.

H is for Housing: – but to examine the city’s housing services, policies and expenditures – to say nothing of properties sitting empty – will take a bit more than a column to sort.  Consider this on hold for now.

I is for Insects: – Yes, you guessed correctly – the link takes you back to the list of extermination services mentioned last week.  I wonder if in the jungles on the equator so many insects and forms of vermin exist as must do here in Aberdeen.

J is for Jobs: – Yes, you can work for the council, and as an added bonus, the city will give you its beneficial assistance when it comes to knowing what you can and cannot complain about in public.  The city has apparently told its employees not to get involved with protests over school closures, park destruction, turning Hazelhead into a recycling centre and so on.

The city kindly warns its employees what will happen if they turn whistle-blower, yet somehow seems not to tell them in what circumstances they are meant to be whistle-blowers (as covered previously).  I would have expected to see a great deal of jobs for exterminators and pest controllers given the coverage this issue gets on the website, but no such jobs appear this week.

There are jobs for trainee planners (which may interest some of our recently unemployed ex-councillors), and indeed a few vacancies for Freedom of Information Officers – hopefully filling these FOI posts will speed things up.

K is for Kerb: – Old Susannah wondered what would pop up when I clicked on the link for kerb:  would it be a reference to the wonderful, smooth, well repaired and dog mess free kerbs we enjoy?  Would it be a reference to our former councillor who was arrested for kerb crawling?

No – there is a procedure for changing your kerb.  Do you want to go wide?  Do you want to change it?  Well, there is a dedicated person and procedure.  Sleep well tonight in this knowledge.

L is for – actually lots and lots of things: – ‘literacy and numeracy’ spring up (good to know the city is numerate, even if it can’t keep track of its millions or the employees who have embezzled hundreds of thousands over the years), as does my favourite ‘Lord Provost’ (I wonder if the new one will be as frugal – and portrait-worthy as the previous?).  L is for Local Plan, Local Development Plan, Local Transport strategy and so on.

But L is for litter.  If you’ve wondered why our streets are the envy of Europe, it’s because of our policy:-

“…it is an offence to drop or leave litter in any public place even if thrown from a vehicle. City Wardens assist the local community in maintaining a clean litter free environment and are authorised to issue Fixed Penalty Notices should the need arise.” – Aberdeen City website

Well, I doubt the need will ever arise for a warden to issue a fixed penalty notice, but if you should ever encounter the rare spectacle of someone littering – like the guy wearing a council badge (he had dark hair and a beard) last Thursday evening who put his trash in the doorway of a closed store on Union Street), then call the city, the wardens will spring into action, and the litter will be cleared away.

But that’s enough for now on the alphabet.  Time for something a bit serious and sad.

One of the Aberdeen Voice Team has passed away; you might have seen something about this on Facebook or elsewhere in the Voice.  She will be sorely missed by friends, colleagues and her family.  It was an unforeseen tragedy.

Can I please please urge anyone who is starting to be unhappy for any reason at all or dissatisfied with their life to open up about their feelings at an early stage.  There is a friend, colleague or relative who wants to help you, I promise.  They would be devastated if they lost you – believe me.   If you’re too proud or too afraid to talk to someone in your life (which is totally understandable), then talk to a counsellor.  But don’t let things get worse.

Like any problem, the best thing to do is get on top of it while it is still small.  If things are already on top of you, then I’m begging you to do something constructive about it today.

A great deal has been done to break down the outdated stigmas attached to depression and other forms of mental illness.  It is not a sign of weakness; it is not a sign of inferiority.  Above all, it is something that can be dealt with.

Whoever you are, whatever side of the political or economic divide, you are valuable, you are needed, and you have contributions to make.  Do please remember that.

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Willows New Patrons – Paul Rodgers And Cynthia Kereluk

 Aberdeenshire, Featured, News  No Responses »
Jun 072012
 

PAUL RODGERS, iconic rock/blues singer and songwriter from FREE, BAD COMPANY and THE FIRM, along with his wife Cynthia Kereluk, visited Willows Animal Sanctuary on Tuesday the 5th of June. Aberdeen Voice’s Suzanne Kelly was on hand to meet the new patrons and say hello to some old friends.

Willows Paul Rodgers Guitar 2
Willows Animal Sanctuary received a huge boost when Paul Rodgers and his wife Cynthia announced this past Tuesday that they would be active patrons of the animal charity, which celebrates its 12th anniversary this year.

The couple spent a considerable time speaking to the media and to fans, sharing their (considerable) rescue animal stories, touring the facilities, visiting the animals – and crucially launching a raft of helpful fundraising initiatives.

To celebrate the 12th Anniversary of Willows’ services to animals (rescued or abandoned farm, domestic and wild creatures) and people (with animal assisted therapy), there will be a raffle, featuring prizes connected to and autographed by the new patrons. 

An acoustic guitar, freshly signed for the raffle by Mr Rodgers (or ‘Paul’ as he said we should call him) was used for an impromptu version of ‘All Right Now’.

The assembled press did not make for great backing singers it’s true – but it was a great deal of fun.  Other raffle prizes include:

  • a tambourine painted by Cynthia and signed by the couple;
  • a signed limited edition photo;
  • autographed CDS and DVDs;
  • two mystery prizes (but definitely not a horse)

AND a DVD will go to the first 50 people who donate £20 (so – do get in there!  – Willows website has details for donating via PayPal)

Along with their patronage and the anniversary raffle, the couple’s plans include:-

  •   an online charity shop – people are encouraged to donate goods (details tbc)
  •   an increased fundraising profile – the charity will increase its visibility, particularly in Glasgow and Edinburgh but internationally as well.

Willows, like other shelters, is under great pressures – economic downturn, increase in animal feed costs, unpredictable veterinary treatments, and unforeseen rescues all take a toll.  Despite the excellent results the animal assisted therapy delivers, Willows receives no Government funding at all.  As both Paul and Cynthia said, ‘We all want to see Willows continue.’

Willows Kelsey And friend
There is a full programme of monthly events, which will include a Sandi Thom concert on 15 July.  Ms Thom grew up in the area, is a long-time supporter, and has adopted several animals (including a beautiful, formidable 18 hand horse named McGill).

Thom was instrumental in bringing Willows to Paul and Cynthia’s attention.

Within the first few minutes of the press conference, it became clear Paul and Cynthia are committed, genuine animal lovers.

Their stories include homing more than a few rescue animals (36 rescue cats at a peak), and physically rescuing cats from Mexico (more on their experiences will be published next week).

This was their first visit to Willows, but it was clear they had done their homework, for they knew the majority of the animals’ names and the stories behind them.  For instance Cynthia knew several of the cats and had asked to see specific ones, and was soon tending to long-term resident Arthur, who needed some medication.

A clear favourite, a sweet three-legged cat named Elly seemed to be following Paul and Cynthia as we toured the farm.  They say that cats know who cat lovers are; it certainly seemed to be true.

“There are over 300 animals here, and a story for each one,” Rodgers said

“…there’s definitely a book to be written about Willows.”   

I do believe he’s right.

Sixteen year-old Kelsey was also on hand to help with the press conference; he gives some of his time each Sunday to come and help out – which is no mean feat with dozens of stalls to clean, hundreds of animals to groom, and a mountain of farm chores.  His favourite is a delightful pony named Amber.

Jenny Gray, Manager said “We are delighted that Paul Rodgers and Cynthia Kereluk Rodgers are visiting Willows Animals Sanctuary. We have talked extensively about the problems faced by Willows and it is wonderful that we are going to finally meet them! Willows is in trouble at the moment as we only have funding until the end of July.”

“Recently, we have been overwhelmed by the number of animals needing help and we urgently need more donations to help us to continue helping unwanted, abused and abandoned animals. We are entirely funded by public donations and receive no government funding.

“Unlike larger charities, we have no reserves of money and are desperately short of funds. We specialise in helping elderly or more vulnerable animals that have already been refused help by well-known large national charities. We can only continue to help needy animals with your support. 

“At present, Willows cares for over 60 horses, ponies and donkeys and more than 100 farm animals and birds, approximately 60 cats and dogs, 30 rabbits and many other small animals and reptiles. Many of these animals are very elderly, have been treated cruelly, neglected or are simply unwanted – Willows is their only hope.”

“We also have an on-going Animal – Assisted Therapy programme for vulnerable people in the community. This programme has helped many people gain confidence and new skills enabling them to seek employment or other opportunities. It has proved to be very beneficial for our clients’ on-going recovery and we helped hundreds of people each year. We need your support to keep this hugely beneficial programme going.”

PAUL RODGERS says:

“We are currently just down from 15 cats to 8 and have a 95 lb rescue dog, so my fingers are crossed that Cynthia does not fall in love with yet another set of sad eyes.Willows does such a great job, and we want to see how we can help them secure their future so that they can continue to care for, love and find forever homes for these abandoned sweet souls.”

Aberdeen Voice readers can contact Willows as follows (why not arrange a visit, adopt an animal and/or buy a raffle ticket?):-

Willows Open Day 26 May And Rescue News

 Aberdeenshire, Featured, Information  No Responses »
May 172012
 

willowshorse2
With thanks to Suzanne Kelly.

Kate at Willows Animal Sanctuary has updated Aberdeen Voice with the latest news, including an open day and some dramatic equine rescues.

An open day will be held on 26th May at Willows Animal Sanctuary from 11:30 to 5pm.

You are invited to come and meet the staff and residents of Willows and enjoy:

  •    LIVING HISTORY!
  •    COFFEE SHOP!
  •    LOTS OF TOMBOLAS!
  •    BOTTLE STALLS!
  •    TREASURE HUNT!
  •    PLANTS FOR SALE!
  •    LIVE MUSIC!
  •    HOME BAKE STALL!
  •    BODY SHOP STALL!
  •    BEASTIE HOOSE!
  •    GIFT SHOP!
  •    LUCKY DUCKS!

Come along and meet all your favourite furry friends!

While animals all over the UK are experiencing problems, here are some tales of equine work that Willows has been doing locally:

Early in 2012 Willows received a call about the plight of three miniature Shetland Ponies that had been abandoned on one of the Shetland Islands.  Their owner had neglected the ponies and then simply moved away, with the result that they had been seized by Shetland Island Council and were subject to legal proceedings.

We learned that one of the ponies was a young stallion named Faramir, who had at an earlier date been rescued from being sold for slaughter.  We were told that he was very badly behaved around other ponies and arrangements were about to be made to have him put down. Another of the ponies was named Carly and she was expecting a foal which had been sired by Faramir.

The third pony, called Defiant, was also facing an uncertain future.  We agreed to save all three ponies and they undertook a fourteen hour boat trip from Shetland to Aberdeen where they were picked up and transported to Willows. They were checked by our vet and were so riddled with worms that the worms were visible on the poor ponies’ bottoms!

Here is a short film of their arrival at Willows.

They all settled in well, and Defiant already has a new home, while Faramir has been beautifully behaved and Carly is quietly awaiting her happy event!

Tor came to Willows because he suffers very badly from sweet itch, which is an allergic response to midge bites. His owners were desperate to find him a home where there were not too many midges.  He is a lovely gentle horse, but when he arrived and was inspected by our vet it was agreed that he was the most overweight horse that any of us had ever seen.

He was immediately placed on a restricted diet as he was in imminent danger of developing laminitis, a disease which affects horses’ feet, and is linked to over-feeding.  When he has been reduced to a more svelte outline Tor will be available for rehoming!

 Humphrey’s neglected feet were beginning to turn up and he was riddled with both worms and lice.

Humphrey the donkey came to Willows with a Shetland pony companion called Dennis because they were no longer wanted.   He had been bought – with much enthusiasm but little knowledge – as a children’s pet, and had ended up just being left out in a muddy field all winter.

No proper attention had been paid to him – his neglected feet were beginning to turn up and he was riddled with both worms and lice. Humphrey and his shetland pony friend Dennis will become permanent residents here at Willows and will be able to enjoy the happy life that they deserve.

Prince was the much loved pet of a lady who, due to a change in her circumstances, found herself unable to keep him.  Prince travelled down from Shetland with the three rescued miniature Shetland ponies and has settled in well.

willowsginger
Clyde was the deeply loved pet of a young woman who had, sadly, been diagnosed with cancer.  Her distraught mother was desperate to find a safe home for this much loved pony and rang Willows in desperation – she had rung a large horse charity and asked for their help, only to be told that she should have Clyde put down!  She told Willows of her plight, whilst sobbing her heart out and begged us to take him as we were her last hope!

We agreed of course, and are happy to report that Clyde has settled in well and is enjoying his time at Willows.

As a registered charity, Willows relies on your donations to continue its ever-increasing work supporting rescued wild, domestic and farm animals, and all contributions will be welcomed.

See how you can donate by visiting our website at www.willowsanimals.com

Willows Animal Sanctuary is situated on the B9093 between New Pitsligo and Strichen.

Election Candidate Hits Out At Deer Slaughter

 Aberdeen City, Featured, News  No Responses »
May 012012
 

A roe deer fawn born on Tullos Hill 2011. probably now culled by Aberdeen City Council.
With thanks to Suzanne Kelly.

A candidate in the Torry/Ferryhill area of the city for City Councillor, has hit out at Aberdeen City Council for the slaughter of 22 Roe deer on Tullos Hill.

Suzanne Kelly  has been researching, reporting on and campaigning against the ‘Tree For Every Citizen’ scheme (a LibDem election pledge) for over a year.

Kelly says:

“The Council are hiding behind new legislation and insisting the deer were overpopulated and had to be culled.  This is a nonsense.  Firstly, the roe deer have lived on Tullos Hill in stable numbers for over 70 years .  Some of those who joined us at the Mock Funeral yesterday grew up with the deer, and are well aware that deer move from area to area.  I want to set the record straight:  there was absolutely no need to try and turn this meadow into a giant forest.  It is the city’s idea to do this against the written wishes of three of its community councils representing tens of thousands of people.

“The idea that this council is so keen to enforce any laws is laughable to people who live here.  We have had overcrowded classes, cuts in services to people with special abilities without proper consultation, higher than EU limit air pollution (Wellington Road), and years of men and women working for the council without equal pay.  A new law, open to interpretation, is no excuse for this long-planned determination of the city to destroy these deer.

The SNH and the City were planning as long ago as November 2010 as to how the public should be ‘managed’ over the cull.

“An initial public consultation for the tree scheme said that rabbit fencing would keep rabbits out.  This consultation was live when – as I proved – the cull had already been planned.  The city did not tell its citizens the trees would be at the expense of the deer, even though they knew it.  

“They knew full  well the scheme would have not passed an honest consultation.  They also never said a massive 89,000 trees would be put on this hill.  People are justly outraged.  The city now feebly claim that ‘the consultation was not about the method’ of the tree-planting.  Explaining that rabbit fencing would be needed is obviously to do with method.  In fact, the SNH and the City were planning as long ago as November 2010 as to how the public should be ‘managed’ over the cull.  This is not democracy:  this is scheming.

“The Scottish SPCA said it was ’abhorrent and absurd’ to kill deer to protect trees that don’t even exist yet.  The Scottish SPCA is very vigilant and effective in my area:  if the deer had been suffering or starving, they would have ordered a cull long ago.  Other animal welfare groups likewise think the deer were fine as they were.  As far as we can tell, there has never been a cull on this hill.  That is because these animals lived in sustainable numbers, and lived only 6-7 years.

“I was not surprised that the police decided to attend our peaceful funeral protest.  However, when they showed up at the Aberdeen branch of Lush where I was to speak later, I was somewhat bemused.

“We tried proving that the soil is scant (there is a Government soil report proving this and showing trees would be likely to topple in the rocky ground).  We tried showing that the public didn’t want this cull or a giant forest.  Since reason, democracy and public opinion didn’t work, we were forced to stage this funeral.

“It was a blow to all of the campaigners when we found out the funeral was not going to be the mock event it should have been.  It is now clear the city was given permission to shoot outside of the normal deer hunting season, and have been destroying these deer since February.

“John Robins of Animal Concern Advice Line, Deb from Lush Aberdeen, and Fred Wilkinson of Aberdeen Voice are three of the people who have helped bring this situation to light and help fight it.   They have the thanks of all the campaigners – who themselves have been amazing.

“Councillor Neil Cooney and I have been trying to promote the idea of keeping the hill as a meadow – we have no idea how much public money has been wasted so far on the trees.  The first batch didn’t take – due largely to weeds – and this cost the public £43,800.  The ‘expert’ who claims the deer must go has a vested interest:  they have been paid £44,000 so far that I know of.  Expensive deer fencing has been installed.   This is in a city with a massive budget deficit.  The whole thing is a disgrace, a farce, and an environmental disaster.

“On my way back down the hill after the protest, I passed huge swathes of land which had been cleared of gorse (home for birds as well as deer).  I remembered seeing in January a deer leap out of a gorse thicket.  The gorse thicket has been destroyed now – and I guess that deer has been shot.    People who live nearby tell me they fed deer by hand on occasion.  What an unnecessary, violent waste.”

Further information:

  • Suzanne Kelly – 07752 356 455     sgvk27@aol.com
  • John Robins – Animal Concern Advice Line     john@jfrobins.force9.co.uk
  • Reports, source material, etc:     http://suzannekelly.yolasite.com/

Queen Asked To Intervene In Deer Cull Controversy

 Aberdeen City, Information  No Responses »
Apr 262012
 

 The secretary to Animal Concern Advice Line John F. Robins has written to the Queen on the Tullos Hill deer cull issue.

Protestors Deliver A Petition Of Nearly 2,500 Signatures To Cllr Aileen Malone
Her Majesty the Queen has been asked to intervene in a row over a controversial cull of roe deer being undertaken by Aberdeen Council.

The deer are being killed to make way for a tree planting operation under the auspices of The Woodland Trust’s Jubilee Woods initiative to mark The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and ACC’s Tree for Every Citizen project.

Thousands of Aberdonians have signed petitions and written e-mails asking the Council not to kill deer in their names, and it is hoped The Queen, who is Patron of the RSPCA, will not be amused at the thought of the deer being culled in her name.

Aberdeen City Council is killing the deer under advice from Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH). This is the same quango which is putting pressure on landowners, including Her Majesty who owns deer stalking estates in nearby Deeside, to cull large numbers of red deer.

Many estate owners have expressed opposition to what they see as unnecessarily excessive culling targets imposed by SNH, which inherited a policy of mass slaughter of deer when it took over the work of Deer Commission Scotland last year.

John Robins, Secretary of Animal Concern Advice Line states:

“The Queen is Patron of the RSPCA and the owner of large areas of deer forest on her Balmoral and Delnadamph Estates south west of Aberdeen. I sincerely hope Her Majesty will not be pleased to hear that deer are needlessly being killed as part of a project to mark her Diamond Jubilee.

“Aberdeen City Council has refused to listen to thousands of local voters, at least three local community councils, and numerous animal welfare and conservation bodies who are all opposed to the cull. If we can persuade Her Majesty to express concern over this cull perhaps Aberdeen City Council will listen to her.”

For further info/comment please contact John Robins on: 01389841111 or 07721605521.

Below is a copy of the letter to Her Majesty.

, 

Sunday, 22 April 2012
The Private Secretary to
Her Majesty The Queen,
Buckingham Palace,
London SW1A 1AA

Dear Sir,

I write to inform Her Majesty the Queen of a controversial project being carried out in Her Majesty’s name by Aberdeen City Council (ACC) and The Woodland Trust (WT).

The project in question is planting of trees on Tullos Hill, Aberdeen under the auspices of the WT Jubilee Woods initiative and the ACC Tree for Every Citizen project.

On the advice of Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) and Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS), ACC are embarking on a long-term culling operation to stop any potential damage to saplings by the roe deer herd which has been established on Tullos Hill for at least 80 years. I am quite sure that Her Majesty and the managers of Her Majesty’s Scottish Estates are fully aware of the controversial and, according to many, unsound nature of the vehement deer culling policy being aggressively promoted by SNH and FCS throughout Scotland.

Much of Tullos Hill is old landfill covered with a thin layer of topsoil. Gases from the buried waste are vented off at the site. Tullos Hill is exposed to the full force of North Sea gales. A previous tree planting operation on the Hill failed for reasons other than deer browsing and, given the nature of the site, it is highly unlikely that, even if there were no deer in the area, any number of trees would survive to maturity.

ACC have refused to employ deer deterrence equipment such as tree protectors and deer fencing to minimise or eliminate deer related tree damage. ACC have also ignored the widespread local opposition to the deer cull. Thousands of people have protested to the Council through petitions, e-mails and letters.

Three local Community Councils have written an open letter to ACC asking for the deer cull to be stopped. Many animal welfare organisations, including the SSPCA and at least one woodland conservation charity, also wrote to ACC condemning the cull.

Tullos Hill has naturally regenerated into a valuable wild flower meadow and in its current state is an important wildlife habitat and community resource for those living nearby.

As these deer are being needlessly culled in a project to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Her Majesty, we ask her Majesty, both as Monarch and as Patron of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, to intervene and make it known to Aberdeen City Council that they should not be killing the roe deer on Tullos Hill in the name of Her Majesty The Queen.

Yours faithfully,

John F. Robins,

Secretary to Animal Concern Advice Line.

Aberdeen Deer Massacred – Not Culled

 Aberdeen City, Featured, News  No Responses »
Apr 262012
 

With thanks to John F Robins. 

darkdeerpic
Further to our release this morning concerning asking Her Majesty the Queen to intervene in the case of the controversial Aberdeen deer cull we have this afternoon received a belated response to a request we made to Aberdeen City Council (ACCO) under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 and the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 on 25th March.

The response from ACC confirms that of the estimated 30 roe deer on Tullos Hill ACC have killed 22 animals, all but wiping out the herd. 

John Robins of Animal Concern Advice Line states;

“This is not a cull or a management programme, it is an unjustified massacre of innocent animals which had happily and healthily lived on Tullos Hill for many generations.

“Aberdeen City Council did this despite opposition from several thousand people – the majority of them Aberdonians, a number of animal welfare and conservation groups including Animal Concern and the SSPCA and at least three of the local Community Councils. A great number of Aberdeen City Councillors should hang their heads in shame over what they have done. 

“I hope the people of Aberdeen will remember the dead deer on Tullos Hill when it comes to casting their votes next Thursday.”

Footnote – A protest will take place on Tullos hill this Saturday 28th April – See link: tullos-deer-cull-protestors-to-stage-mock-funeral

Facebook Lost Pet Service

 Aberdeenshire, Featured, Information  No Responses »
Apr 262012
 

Aberdeen Voice’s Suzanne Kelly is on the subject of animal cruelty. She talks to Di Melville, who set up and administers a Facebook page which reunites families with lost pets.

brookpic
At present, our local newspapers are filled with stories of animal cruelty –neglect, abandonment, abuse, dog fighting and so on.  A lost dog was beaten to death in the Rosemount area a week ago in a particularly brutal and sickening attack.
However some people are doing something about the many pets which go missing in our area and promoting responsible animal ownership.

Facebook can be more than a place to catch up with friends and have online conversations – for many pet owners it can be a means to help recover lost animals. 

In the Aberdeen City and Shire area, Diane Melville is the administrator and creator of the  ‘Lost and Found Pets Aberdeen/Aberdeenshire’ page, which provides a free, vital and successful service when an animal goes missing.

Sadly, not all animals are well loved and tended to, and we also have to be mindful of neglect and abuse.  The Lost and Found Pets Aberdeen/Aberdeenshire page can be found at:

https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/204791249612190/

When a pet is lost (or even occasionally deliberately stolen), the owner can post details of when and where the animal disappeared, along with photos.  In many cases, animal lovers from across our area pick up the bulletin from the Lost and Found Pets page, and where possible, actively go and look for the animal.  It is not unusual to see upwards of 50 people contributing to a single thread on this page, and fairly quickly at that.  It is a testament to the concern and kindness of people that this page is as effective as it is.

I had a quick chat with Di Melville, who had just returned from talking to a vet about an injured animal:

“Same old stuff, different day” she told me.

Diane Melville had this to say about why she started the page:

“There was a woman who lived near my grandparents who did animal rescue.  I helped her out, and got hooked.  I was once handed a kitten which had been found under a shed.  The cat needed medical attention and had epilepsy.  Well, she went missing and I had to find her as she needed medicine daily. 

“I had to go through the yellow pages and find all the telephone numbers – Cats Protection, Scottish SPCA, Mrs Murray’s Dog & Cat Home.  I had to figure out who these people were and if they could help.  We searched night and day.  I set up a list and got all these organisations linked into one page.”

This page has evolved into a Facebook site with over 260 members which have had dozens of successes in reuniting animals and owners.

“Losing a pet is like losing a member of your family” Di says, and I agree.

The Lucky Ones

Within the last few weeks alone there have been several success stories because of this web page.  Tia, a Jack Russell, was reunited with its owners very quickly.  A missing Siberian Husky which strayed from its owners near an Aberdeen petrol station was found safe and sound – thankfully quickly as well, for the dog needed daily medication.

Should you lose an animal, this page could be your best bet.   Go onto Facebook where you can search for the page under ‘pets Aberdeen’. Post a photo of your pet and the relevant details:  where lost, was it microchipped, did it have a collar on, does it need medication, and any distinguishing features.

Vigilance

Pets do go missing – and have been stolen from cars and from outside of shops, but there are some ways to avoid your animal disappearing:

  • Consider microchipping.  Animal shelters now check strays that are brought in, and you should be reunited with your animal if it is chipped.
  • Moving house?  don’t let your animals stray too far from your sight for the first few weeks.
  • Your dog should be kept on a lead.  in the past few years ‘normally well behaved’ dogs have killed dozens of lambs, even a few sheep – and tragically a horse – in our area.  Deer were attacked by deer hounds in an  Edinburgh park last week and the owners are still being sought.

As unpleasant a thought as it is, cats and even dogs can wind up stolen for use as ‘bait’ in the dog fighting industry.  Even older, unwanted cats and dogs that are advertised for adoption ‘to a good home’ are occasionally taken in by people and then turned over to dogfight trainers.  (You don’t want to know the rest).  Do not randomly advertise your pet for adoption if you can no longer keep it.

Please find someone you know and trust or a shelter to take your pet if you can no longer look after it.  Do not abandon it or give it to unknown people.

The Unlucky Ones

Unfortunately not all animals are found, and it is important whether we are pet owners or not to be watchful of apparent stray animals or any suspicious behaviour.  Very sadly some people are finding it hard to cope in this economic downturn.  The Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals reports in its latest newsletter that it and other charities are swamped with animals which have been cruelly abandoned by owners on the side of the road – or even put out with the trash.

A gerbil in a cage was left in a bin bag near rubbish, and was only found by chance.  A 62 year-old woman put two kittens in a bag and threw them off of a bridge (thankfully she was discovered, prosecuted and banned from keeping animals).  Luckily the kittens landed on a path and though traumatised and slightly injured are making a recovery.

Ponies, donkeys and horses are also being abandoned and mistreated.  We have seen one of the worst cases of cruelty and neglect in the UK right here in Aberdeenshire, where a woman was convicted of cruelty and banned.  She had starving animals suffering alongside of dead animals.

Worst of all, dog-fighting continues to blight our area.  Two brothers were recently convicted who had been involved in badger-baiting as well as dog fighting.  Most people know that these activities are not only barbaric, for the record they are completely illegal.  Please report any suspicions or evidence to the Scottish SPCA on 03000 999 999 and/or the police on 0845 600 5700.

In all of these cases, if it were not for members of the public stepping up, getting involved and calling the Scottish SPCA with concerns and evidence, the cruelty and neglect would have continued.  If you know something, then please call 03000 999 999 straightaway.  Your details will be kept confidential.

Please bear in mind that our local shelters and sanctuaries are bursting at the seams due in no small part to our current economic situation.  If you can donate time or money – or if you can give an animal a loving home, here are some animal charities which could use your help

Until people think carefully about what pet ownership means in terms of cost, care and time, we will be needing these sanctuaries and agencies to pick up the pieces when things go wrong.  Please support them any way you can.

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