The Name's Changed But the Aim is the Same. Open Cages is Now Anima

The UK animal charity Open Cages has rebranded to Anima, reflecting its global identity as Anima International.

The change comes as Anima prepares to invest “more resources than ever” into its campaign to end the use of fast-growing “frankenchickens” in the UK.

The announcement follows major recent wins for Anima, including Poland’s fur farming ban and a world-first decision in Norway to phase out fast-growing chickens completely.

The UK is one of Europe’s largest chicken producers, with over 90% of chickens bred to grow at unnaturally fast rates, commonly leading to severe welfare problems, including chronic pain, lameness, and sometimes even heart attack. Anima International has identified the UK as a key strategic priority in its efforts to reduce animal suffering.

Commenting on the rebrand, Connor Jackson, CEO of Anima, told That's Green: “The breeding of fast-growing chickens represents one of the biggest sources of animal suffering in the world, and it’s a practice that is out of step with public sentiment.

"As a result, a transition is already happening in countries such as Norway, the Netherlands, Denmark and Germany. Our mission to achieve this in the UK hasn’t changed; we’re preparing to devote more resources than ever to this fight.

"Our new identity reflects our increasing focus on Britain as a priority for our entire organisation, given the snail’s pace at which we are solving this animal welfare crisis.”

Waitrose is the only major UK company to have totally phased out fast growing chickens, branding the practice an “animal welfare crisis.” M&S has done it for 30% of its products. KFC, Nando’s and several other restaurants recently abandoned their commitments to make the change. Whilst companies such as Pret and Greggs are yet to follow through on their commitments.

Anima International is a global animal advocacy organisation with six national groups, and two decades of experience working to end animal suffering. Now operating as Anima in the UK, the organisation plans to launch its largest UK campaign to date later this year.

anima.org.uk

Major Online Marketplace Bans Catapult Sales in ‘Win for Wildlife’ say campaigners

A major online marketplace has banned the sale of catapults and slingshots in a move hailed as a “win for wildlife”, as pressure mounts on other retailers to follow suit ahead of a Parliamentary briefing next week.

Animal welfare charity Naturewatch Foundation has warmly welcomed the stance taken by Gumtree, which prohibits the sale of catapults and slingshots on its platform, citing concerns over their cruel misuse in the  harming of animals.

The announcement comes as MPs prepare to hear new evidence next week surrounding catapult misuse.

Modern high-powered catapults can inflict lethal injuries and have been linked to attacks on swans, birds, hedgehogs, squirrels and domestic pets. Yet in England and Wales, they remain completely unregulated, with no minimum age for purchase and no controls on sale.

Andy Harper, CEO of Gumtree, told That's Green: “Gumtree does not permit the sale of catapults or slingshots. 

"Both are prohibited under our policies and any listings identified are removed. We support concerns regarding the cruel misuse of these items to harm animals.”

He added: “Animal cruelty has no place in society, and we are committed to ensuring our platform is not used to facilitate the sale of items that could contribute to such harm.”

Gumtree also confirmed its support for stronger safeguards to prevent dangerous items being misused and to ensure they are not accessible to children.

Naturewatch Foundation says the decision demonstrates that immediate action is achievable and is urging other retailers to act now rather than wait for legislation.

Jim Clark, Wildlife Crime Campaign Manager at Naturewatch Foundation, told us:  “This is a real and meaningful win for wildlife, and for simple common sense. Gumtree has shown genuine leadership by becoming one of the first major platforms to recognise the devastating impact that the misuse of catapults is having on wildlife. 

"By taking this bold and ground-breaking step, they are setting a powerful example for others to follow"

Wildlife rescue centres across the UK continue to report animals suffering catastrophic injuries consistent with catapult attacks. Police are often unable to intervene unless another offence has been committed, and incidents are not recorded as a specific crime, meaning the true scale of harm remains hidden.

Next week’s Parliamentary briefing, hosted by Naturewatch Foundation, will highlight growing evidence of catapult misuse and call for stronger safeguards.

Alongside calls for legislative reform, the charity is urging retailers to:

Introduce voluntary age restrictions on sales

Remove high-powered catapults from toy and sports categories

Prevent the marketing of devices for “hunting” wildlife

Jim Clark added: "These weapons can cause immense suffering, yet they remain cheap, easily accessible, and largely unregulated. 

"Gumtree’s decision acknowledges that this is not just a retail issue, but a responsibility issue. Other retailers should act now and follow their lead; our wildlife and our communities simply cannot afford any more delay or inaction”

Public support for stronger wildlife protection remains high, and campaigners hope Gumtree’s stance will encourage industry-wide action.

naturewatch.org 

World Wildlife Day Warning: as rescued baby bear Lissy sends a stark message about vigilance against the wildlife trafficking trade

The dancing bear trade ended in 2009, so this World Wildlife Day, 3rd March, why are we writing about another bear cub rescued in recent months? 

Progress has been made, but poachers persist in the wildlife trafficking trade.

International Animal Rescue is calling for continued support against wildlife trafficking on World Wildlife Day after a young sloth bear cub, Lissy, was rescued from the illegal ‘dancing’ bear trade 17 years after it was officially eradicated.

The three-year-old cub was rescued from the Jharkhand–West Bengal border following a tip-off to forest officials. Spotting their approach, the trafficker threw the cub onto the floor before running off.

The baby bear, named Lissy, had gruesome injuries. Her muzzle had been pierced, and a rope had been forced through it, and her canine teeth had been smashed out. 

She was emaciated and thirsty. Her injuries are a trademark of the horrific dancing bear trade, which forces cubs away from their mothers and tortures them into ‘performing’ in agony. Lissy’s injuries reflect why this practice was outlawed in 1972 and eradicated fifteen years ago.

In 2009, after many years of hard work from both International Animal Rescue and Wildlife SOS, more than 620 bears had been rescued and taken into sanctuary. So why was another cub still trafficked?

Alan Knight OBE, President of International Animal Rescue, told That's Green: “We cannot become complacent. 

"We thought that the dancing bear trade had stopped, but this latest rescue proves otherwise, as traffickers are still attempting to sneak bears across borders. We named her Lissy, after our beloved colleague Lis Key, who spent her career working to end this practice. 

"I know she’d be proud to see this cub, which is now safe and happy. We are calling for support to increase vigilance and to raise awareness.”

Native to South Asia, sloth bears (Melursus ursinus) are classified as Vulnerable and continue to face threats from habitat destruction, poaching and illegal trade.

This World Wildlife Day, International Animal Rescue is asking for support to continue enforcement, maintain cross-border vigilance and urge the public to help prevent this torturous trade from happening again as well as supporting Lissy bear.

To help them keep up the fight against wildlife traffickers, please visit: https://www.internationalanimalrescue.org/animals/indian-sloth-bear

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Loch Lomond Banks Refusal of Planning Application. Charity Speaks Out

A spokesman for Friends of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs said: "Regarding Land at Pier Road, Ben Lomond Way and Old Luss Road, Known as West Riverside and Woodbank House, Balloch, G83 8QX

"Erection And Operation Of A Mixed-Use Tourism And Leisure Development Including Refurbished Tourist Information Building; Up To 60-Bedroom Apartment Hotel; Up To 32-Bedspace Budget Hotel, Up To 104 No. Self-Catering Holiday Lodges; Restoration And Redevelopment/Conversion Of Woodbank House And Attendant Listed Structures For Up To 21 Self-Catering Holiday Apartments (Subject To Other Necessary Consents); Leisure Pool, Waterpark, Spa; Restaurants, Hot Food Cafe And Retail Areas; Craft Brewery Inc

"As a long-established independent conservation charity which works in and around the LL&T national Park, we have consistently supported this planning application because it has always been clear to us that with its minimal frontage on the loch, the site’s previous planning history of being zoned for leisure and recreation and its situation within an existing envelope of development, it would have zero negative impact on the special qualities of Loch Lomond and its wider surrounding area. 

"On the contrary, it would help to absorb the visitor pressures which already exist elsewhere and has the capacity to deliver many conservation and economic benefits to the area.

Their Chairman, John Urquhart (PICTURED) told That's Green: “We are disappointed, but not much surprised by Mr McKee’s decision to refuse the Lomond Banks planning application -conveniently before the Holyrood elections in May, in what we suspect is a politically motivated gambit which stands against good sense and all the planning evidence.

“The Green Party has very successfully turned this planning application into a political football, with “Saving Loch Lomond’ never being much about the merits of the planning facts, but much more about whipping up a sensational vote catching narrative. 

"However, Mr Greer’s trumpeting of success may be premature as the ancient woodland and flooding grounds for refusal cited by Mr McKee are weak and will not stand up to legal analysis should the developer decide to follow the court option which is now open to them.

"There is almost no ancient woodland on the site, most of it having been cleared well before the 19th Century. A remaining agricultural shelter belt was mostly removed during the mid-20th Century by sand and gravel excavation. 

"Ironically, what has saved the fragmentary narrow strip that now remains is the INEOS Finnart-Grangemouth oil pipelines which cross the site. The woodland whicTheh has colonised the former caravan site, rail yards and sand pits is recent. 

"It is nonetheless one of the site’s primary assets which the developer wants to retain with compensatory planting nearby or onsite to make up for any trees lost agreed at the detail stage, because, after all, the application was always only an outline proposal. The same goes for the flooding issue. 

"Most of the site is above maximum flood levels and mitigation measures for anything built lower down could readily have been developed at the detail stage.

"It is a great pity there has been so little exploration of the many economic, heritage and habitat benefits which could and should flow from such a proposal. The National Park’s planners have seemed largely blind to that, and the scheme’s huge potential has never been properly examined. Instead, many people have swallowed the populist “Save Loch Lomond” bait, including it seems, the National Park’s Board.

"In an effort to insert some balance, we outline here some examples of the kind of “planning gain” which would have been (and may yet be) available if only there was some leadership, ambition, imagination and, dare we say it, partnership.

They include:

Considerable local economic benefit including many good quality jobs during construction and then long-term operation of the business. Increased footfall would also benefit struggling Lomond Shores, Balloch and Alexandria retail and eatery businesses. Conservation of Woodbank House’s 18th century façade. Improved woodland management. 

"Promotion of Red Squirrel population versus Grey. Rewilding of Stoneymollan Burn. Support for conservation efforts around Paddle Steamer Maid of The Loch and its heritage slipway, steam winch and Balloch Pier. Conservation of Old Balloch Station. Existing woodland walks lit and maintained. Re-established public transport link between Balloch and Balloch Pier. Strengthening of woodland wildlife corridors around southern end of Loch Lomond. 

"Former (now disused) Gateway Centre repurposed to provide wet weather/indoor sports facilities for Lomond Banks residents (and the public). Facilitated by a bridge or ferry connection to Lomond Shores at Balloch Pier, repurposing of disused Balloch Castle as a café, shop, interpretation and visitor information centre. Assistance with efforts to improve peak time traffic flows at local A82 pinch points. Substantial tourism levy income to the local authority.

"It is highly unlikely any of these developments will ever occur without this kind of development”

For more information on rewilding the Stoneymollan Burn, see page 13 of the latest edition of their magazine, “Voice”, available online at https://www.lochlomondtrossachs.org.uk/voice-magazine

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World Water Day: Why Every Drop Matters

Every year on 22 March, the world pauses to reflect on something so ordinary we often overlook it: water. 

World Water Day, coordinated by United Nations, shines a spotlight on the global water crisis and the urgent need for sustainable management of freshwater resources.

It is easy, particularly here in the UK where turning on the tap feels effortless, to forget that billions of people around the world still lack reliable access to safe drinking water. 

Yet even closer to home, issues such as ageing infrastructure, river pollution, drought risk and rising demand remind us that water security is not guaranteed.

Why World Water Day Matters

Water underpins everything:

Public health

Food production

Energy generation

Wildlife habitats

Local economies

Without clean water, communities cannot thrive. Globally, water scarcity is increasing due to climate change, population growth and pollution. 

Periods of extreme rainfall followed by prolonged dry spells are becoming more common, placing pressure on reservoirs, farmland and wildlife alike.

In England, hosepipe bans in recent summers have demonstrated that even a temperate climate is not immune to shortages. Meanwhile, concerns about river quality have prompted widespread discussion about sewage discharge and environmental regulation. These are not distant problems — they are part of our national conversation.

The Link Between Climate and Water

Climate change is, at heart, a water story. Rising temperatures intensify the water cycle, meaning heavier storms, more flooding, longer droughts and disrupted seasonal rainfall patterns.

This affects:

Farmers managing crops

Households facing higher bills

Wildlife depending on stable ecosystems

Coastal communities vulnerable to rising seas

World Water Day encourages governments, businesses and individuals to think long-term about resilience, infrastructure and responsible consumption.

What Can We Do at Home?

While global policy matters, everyday habits make a difference too. Consider:

1. Use water wisely

Shorter showers, fixing leaks promptly and running full washing loads all reduce waste.

2. Choose reusable options

A refillable bottle and filtered tap water cut down on plastic and support trust in local supplies.

3. Be mindful of what goes down the drain

Avoid pouring fats, oils and chemicals into sinks. These damage waterways and treatment systems.

4. Support river conservation

Many local volunteer groups help protect streams and canals. Even a few hours a year can have impact.

Water and Community

Water has always brought people together, from village wells to canal networks and seaside towns. It shapes our landscapes and our memories. Whether it is a walk along a Welsh coastline, a Shropshire riverbank or a city canal path, water connects us to place.

World Water Day is not simply about statistics. It is about recognising that access to clean water is a human right and a shared responsibility.

A Moment of Reflection

The next time you fill the kettle or water the garden, pause for a moment. Consider the journey that water has taken, from cloud to reservoir, through pipes and treatment plants, and finally into your home.

Every drop has value.

And protecting it is something we can all be part of.

https://www.unwater.org/our-work/world-water-day