PETITION
www.canadianvoiceforanimals.org/GreenlandSledDogs.html
http://www.helpsleddogs.org/
Scroll down for correspondence - reactions
A SWEET MOTHER WITH HER TWO FROZEN PUPPIES
PLEASE SIGN THE GREENLAND DOG PETITION ON THE SISTER SITE OF CANADIAN VOICE FOR ANIMALS IN NORWAY -OPPROP.NO
http://www.opprop.no/opprop.php?id=sledehunder 
| TEETH KNOCKED OUT WITH HAMMER SO THEY DON'T CHEW THEIR HARNESS ALSO SEE THIS LINK: |
Correspondence received via other organisations:
MP Kuupik Kleist, IA:
"Since the Danish tabloid Ekstrabladet featured the story of the neglected and abused dogs on 5 February 2007, the Greenland Home Rule has been receiving protest e-mails from Scandinavia, and the wave of protest has now spread to 21 countries throughout the world.
- We have received e-mails from countries in Europe, in North, Central and South America, and in Asia. Animal control organisations, amongst others, are behind dissemination of the news to the many people from whom we have received e-mails. Pressure from the outside world is increasing and Members of the European Parliament have begun to receive protest e-mails. This development is worrying, says Mr Heilmann, who takes the situation very seriously.
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It must be difficult to imagine that other people in many parts of the world live under conditions and according to survival terms that are radically different from their own. Let us hope that the people behind this international smear campaign are fully aware of their responsibility and the consequences of their actions. Unfortunately, we may be heading for a situation in the near future when, eventually, very few sledge dogs will be left and their only purpose will be to transport rich Western tourists around the last remaining sections of the inland ice cap."
Sidetracked Debate on Greenland's Sledge Dogs
The recent photos sent round the world of neglected sledge dogs in Greenland have aroused indignant protests and understandably so. The debate is undoubtedly justified, and we, the people of Greenland, undoubtedly have an unpleasant, lamentable problem on our hands that we must do our utmost to resolve. Even now many initiatives have been set in motion, both by the Greenland Home Rule and by the inhabitants of districts where the dogs are kept because we have an animal protection act that has obviously been violated and which we must follow.
In my opinion, however, two aspects of the current debate are unacceptable: 1) the possible causes of this tragedy are completely missing from the debate; and 2) we, the people of Greenland, once again - as in the seal issue - must bear the brunt of a worldwide smear campaign which this time, too, will affect a people who have been living off the land and its resources in a harsh climate for thousands of years.
As I see it, Greenland's hunters - and their dogs - are in reality the first victims of global climate change, and the individual problems of animal neglect ought to be viewed as one alarming symptom of a problem of global dimensions. The hunters' - and thus the sledge dogs' - basis of survival is the snow and ice that are disappearing with such alarming haste that it is difficult for the hunters to readjust to the new situation, occupationally or culturally. In many areas, the drastic climate changes have transformed the hunting conditions, rendered the sledge dogs superfluous and even pose new challenges for the hunters in the Arctic environment, already harsh to begin with, where the very act of supporting oneself and one's family has been extraordinarily difficult at times. Some hunters simply cannot afford to feed or care for their dogs as they should. The very fact that the identity and culture of a hunter from North Greenland is inextricably bound to the use of dog sledges for transportation and hunting is partially responsible for a situation where many hunters have not had the heart to kill their dogs after all.
The hunters regard the more than 60,000 sledge dogs as "utility animals" - not pets. By no means does this justify neglecting one's animals, but it ought to serve as a reminder that other animal species in Denmark and the "civilised Western world" are regarded from the same utilitarian, "unromantic" point of view. Being a traditional hunter in Greenland is not the same as being backward or morally callous. Nor is being a farmer in Denmark, in spite of the fact that massive problems and wretched conditions are also found within the Danish meat industry. For this reason, the Danish People's Party's idea of linking block grants to animal protection is just as hysterical as if the European Union had put a definitive stop to all agricultural subsidy to Denmark because of neglected livestock on Danish farms.
The debate lacks objectivity and a sense of proportion. When leading lights in the so-called industrialised countries express their views in this debate by sending standard e-mails worldwide with the same photos of neglected sledge dogs, they have a responsibility. They have a responsibility to study the issues in the debate in which they are participating and realise that by pressing a few keys on their keyboard, they can significantly worsen the plight of other people in a totally different situation. But this must be difficult to do, of course, from the comfort and warmth of one's living room, presumably surrounded by all the material goods that have contributed to the manmade climate change. It must be difficult to imagine that other people in many parts of the world live under conditions and according to survival terms that are radically different from their own. Let us hope that the people behind this international smear campaign are fully aware of their responsibility and the consequences of their actions. Unfortunately, we may be heading for a situation in the near future when, eventually, very few sledge dogs will be left and their only purpose will be to transport rich Western tourists around the last remaining sections of the inland ice cap.
MP Kuupik Kleist, IA"
Reaction CVFA - March 19, 2007:
Dear Mr. Kleist:
First let me congratulate you on an excellent piece of spin doctoring, and second, let me say I'm very happy to say the Canadian Voice for Animals is more than willing to take blame for what you are now calling a smear campaign, and we fully admit that we began the campaign on February 8th, 2007. Regrettably, your attempted rhetoric in the attached document is an obvious omission of guilt, and I assure you that I, and my associates around the world are aware of the consequences of our actions.
I applaud you for admitting that the people of Greenland have a lamentable problem on their hands, how true that is sir, and unless we see positive proof that action is being taken to protect the sled dogs of your county, we will begin a full fledged boycott of all things from Greenland and Denmark.
The two aspects of the current debate that you think are unacceptable make no sense.
First: Yes, you must bear the brunt of the campaign to help the sled dogs. The cause of the debate is that the owners of the dogs just don't give a care what happens to the dogs as there will always be a group of new pups to take their place, provided they don't freeze to death on the Island of Death.
Second: Your peoples live off the land. In the Northern Territories of Canada the Canadian Eskimos live off the land, and like Greenlanders, they too, have a limited time to stock up on supplies. However, unlike the Greenland peoples, the Canadian Eskimos take very good care of their dogs so that they live long and productive lives…Sorry, Mr. Kleist, you are still batting zero.
Global warming has been happening for decades. The Greenland and Denmark governments, had they been responsible governments, should have made provision for such a problem as global warming. To use the excuse that the hunters cannot afford to feed their dogs and don't have the heart to kill them is, at the very least, comical and completely ludicrous. However, the hunters are quite prepared to set their dogs loose on an island and let them starve to death. Those that do survive, do so by eating their dead mates…this has been going on for decades and that Mr. Kleist is a world-known fact.
You cannot blame any industrial nation for your negligence. All countries have problems. There are many problems in Canada and we are addressing them with smear campaigns against our own government. The slaughter houses in Canada are a disgrace as they are in many other countries. I also address this problem by being totally VEGAN…The slaughter of the Harp Seals each year in Canada is a national disgrace. The CVFA is also campaigning to have that slaughter stopped. Animal foundations all over Canada have joined forces and the government is feeling the brunt of our actions.
You also state that there are 60,000 sled dogs that are considered working dogs and not pets. How does that statement justify the massive deaths of the dogs each and every year from starvation and freezing? Again, Mr. Kleist, you are batting zero.
For your information; I do live in a very nice flat and I have a Siberian Husky who will be 16 on the 3rd of April. She loves being outside, but always wants to come in when it gets too cold. Further, Mr. Kleist, I and all of my colleagues will continue to send out mail to newspapers, television stations, magazines, and anyone else who cares to listen.
I look forward to some positive action, and please, no more of this redundant rhetoric, as no one is buying such lame excuses.
I am, respectfully yours,
Earle Bingley
Canadian Voice For Animals
* . * . *
Letter by Action Against Poisoning
Subject: Comment on treatment sled dogs
Date: March 31, 2007 3:18:04 PM GMT+01:00
To: info@gh.gl
Paornánguaq Kleist
Section of Information
Dear Mr Kleist,
Action Against Poisoning fights animal poisoning in particular and supports animal protection efforts in general. We assume that during the past years you have been well informed on the details of neglect and abuse of sled dogs in your country. The miserable care for and treatment of these dogs reflects an utter disregard for animal welfare. The fact that this structural dismal situation is condoned by authorities also reflects a rock bottom priority in Greenland's policies for the most basic human values regarding respect for life, any life and responsibility for life held in human trust.
We have been confronted with numerous sad cases of abandoned and maltreated utility animals, especially hunting dogs all over the world. It is clear that their owners are unfit for their task to care for their animals and - lacking a sense of responsibility - they should be banned from ownership for life. We cannot witness the acts of violence on the barren plains of Greenland, but the marks of brutality on the sledge dogs betray the conduct of the owner. It may be clear that we demand a proper enforcement of animal protection laws to stop animal abuse.
We would like to point out that in the case of sled dogs we meet aggravating circumstances in Polar regions. We understand that - beside the regular abuse - sled dogs are abandoned because of the emergence of snow scooters. In moderate climates a number of abandoned animals survives in nature and a few of them can find new homes. On the other hand sled dogs have no chance at all as natural circumstances make survival impossible.
We ask you to use your powers, either in the field of legislation and law enforcement or in the field of information to stop the cruelty inflicted on men's best friend. Especially when you realize the immense mutual life saving dependability of the sled dog and its owner.
With kind regards,
Action Against Poisoning
www.actionagainstpoisoning.com