Thankyou for supporting and promoting our petition, together we will make a difference.

Turtlesco.com

Turtlesco Petitiion

Take care, Paul N Davis - Turtlesco]]> http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/518761759 Turtlesco 2007 All rights reserved. en-gb Mon, 15 Oct 2007 23:46:53 +0100 paul@turtlesco.com Sun, 9 Sep 2007 14:40:56 +0100 paul@linpaul.com FeedForAll v2.0 (2.0.2.9) http://www.feedforall.com http://www.turtlesco.com/waitingfeed.jpg http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/518761759 These are the main highlights taken from the Turtlesco Tesco Turtle - Petition. For more detailed content please visit the petition by clicking the image of the turtle - ' Butchered ALIVE ! ' 144 123
For more detailed content please visit the petition itself by clicking the banner below.




Please sign the petition to place your objection against  TESCO and Fresh and Easy ( USA ) for selling and butchering turtles alive in China..

Please pass the link to the petition on to as many people as you can.

Thank you so much for your support.

Take care, Paul N Davis]]> http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/518761759 F8CDDD49-66A7-454C-BBAD-CF4D95DACE02 Mon, 15 Oct 2007 23:46:41 +0100 Los Angeles Times.

Here is a part of that article ..............

Internationally, however, Tesco has drawn the fire of labor, environmental and animal welfare groups.

This week, a British animal welfare group called Turtlesco said it would attempt to expand a Tesco boycott in England to the new Fresh and Easy chain in the U.S. The group is protesting the decapitation of live turtles for food at Tesco stores in China. The group says Tesco's slaughter method can cause suffering in the decapitated brain of the animal.

Paul Davis, a spokesman for the group, said it was responding to the green, environmentally friendly image that Fresh and Easy are promoting in the USA by providing information about Tesco's activity in China and calling for a boycott.
]]> http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-tesco7sep07,1,2830722.story 79BFFAD0-416F-41EE-82C3-52076826693E Sat, 8 Sep 2007 18:30:29 +0100


We now have 7,200 signatures on the petition.

Thankyou all for your support and for helping promote our petition.




Take care, Paul N Davis - Turtlesco]]> http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/518761759 00E08D71-A881-47EF-A83D-E13DF0DAAA3B Mon, 15 Oct 2007 23:46:38 +0100

Paula Gooden
I will never shop at any Tesco, or any other store with such barbaric practices!  

Ana Claudia Silva
I'm against all animal cruelty. Please do not EVER give any more money to them!!!  

Susan Shum
I believe there is a "Fresh and Easy" store opening up soon near my home - I will NEVER set foot in that store as long as Tesco continues to support animal cruelty.  

Anonymous
I refuse to shop at Tesco's  

Anonymous
I will NEVER shop at this store until I know they are not butchering other living creatures for money.  

David Verizzo
Does Tesco imply in their logic that if they open a store in Papua, Indonesia, they will sell live humans there, as, after all, cannibalism is part of that culture? Unlikely, and if in fact their answer is "No," they will have admitted that the basis of their professed rationalization just doesn't hold water (or blood,) just profits.  

Gianna Lanz
It's real easy for Tesco to stop selling the vulnerable Turtles; Monetary gain is what makes it hard. So if Tesco keeps enabling a cruel situation, Tesco will lose not only profits in the future but all respect. I believe Boycotting Tesco is really the only way to send a clear message if they fail to terminate this practice. If you promote destruction and suffering, remember the sword has a double edge. There should be no further discussion on the matter. Stop selling live or otherwise any turtles no less to china for God's sake. The current practice and boycott of Tesco will be passed onto family, friends, co-workers, and our animal-welfare network until such cruel and unnecessary actions on Tesco's part end.]]> http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/518761759 F15381B5-3D1C-4226-B451-A879D36D454E Mon, 15 Oct 2007 23:46:11 +0100
"Cruelty and evil can never be excused on the grounds of 'culture'. The infliction of horrendous suffering on sentient beings of any kind is universally wrong, and all the more so when the motive is simply to make a quick profit. Companies operating multinationally have a moral duty to uphold and disseminate the best standards and highest ideals, not to sink to the level of the very lowest and most debased practices that exist wherever they do business. Make no mistake - in this case Tesco have descended into the gutter. The level of suffering they are daily inflicting upon live animals in their Chinese stores would result in criminal charges being laid against them were they to repeat these acts of barbarity in the UK.

For Tesco to claim that "it would be wrong" for them to cease the sale of live turtles and frogs because these practices are part of Chinese culture is absurd. If gross cruelty is a part of a culture, then that culture needs to change. Would Tesco willingly sell dogs to be tortured to death in Korea? Would they sell 'bushmeat' from primates in Africa? Would they sell whale meat in Japan? The answer would appear to be "Yes, they would" - and indeed, they already have offered whale meat in their Japanese stores. They were forced to retreat when a major consumer backlash in Europe threatened.

I do not believe most UK consumers will wish to support a company that behaves like this. Tesco need to learn that their customers have some moral and ethical standards, even if they don't. Demand that Tesco cease all involvement in this inhumane, grossly damaging trade.

Until they do, shop elsewhere."

Andy C. Highfield Tortoise Trust

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"In my view, in the history of human-animal abuse few events are more brutal, inhumane and ecologically damaging than the current massive harvestation of turtles as food in China. Chinese culture is establishing itself as the world's centre of animal disregard, inhumanity and death. It is a stain on the reputation of the Orient.

As a specialist advisor on aspects of humane treatment of reptiles, I can dismiss at once Tesco's claim to have imposed any form of acceptable killing method.

That Tesco presently has its hands well and truly soaked in the blood of the disreputable business of selling live turtles as food is something that is set to tarnish Tesco for many years to come. Common decency should dictate that where protective laws are feeble or absent, moral standards should be at their compensatory greatest. Instead, Tesco have taken full advantage of the lack of animal protection in China to maximise their already weighty profits."

Clifford Warwick PGDipPHC(Med) CBiol EurProBiol FRSH FRIPH FIBiol Consultant Biologist

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

China has no animal welfare standards of any kind and Tesco are happy to take advantage of that. They claim they demand ‘high standards of animal welfare’ but you couldn’t get worse welfare than this. They excuse it as being part of Chinese culture. Thanks largely to our patron Heather Mills, the EU has just voted to ban all cat and dog fur from China because of the abject cruelty of skinning animals alive. The British people have made a stand against cruelty in China, so has the EU and yet here is Tesco excusing it. Obviously every little helps when it comes to profit.

Justin Kerswell - Vegetarians International Voice for Animals

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I see this as a two part situation. The first concerns the capture and sale of wild caught turtles. Turtles are very long-lived animals which, under normal conditions, have a combination of high adult survival and very low hatchling and juvenile survival. Low recruitment into a population is offset by the long breeding life of the adults under normal circumstances. These chelonian traits are what make them so resilient to external pressures with the exception of removal of the adults from the population. When an adult turtle is removed from the wild it is not just that turtle that is being removed, but also the reproductive potential of that animal over a breeding life that may exceed 50 years. Research has shown that there is no compensation of increased hatchling survival in response to a reduced adult population. (Brooks, Brown, Galbraith. 1991)

As a result removal of even a few adults from a population can result in the decline and eventual loss of the entire population. (Congdon)

An example of this can be seen in the extirpation of a healthy and protected Glyptemys insculpta population in just a decade after the area was opened to recreational usage. It is assumed that the sole difference in conditions was the removal of occasional adults by recreational users. (Garber and Burger. 1995).

Brad Compton noted similar results with Glyptemys insculpta in Maine. Compton found that reproductive recruitment declines as adults are continually removed. Compton built a demographic model to estimate the effect of the annual removal of a small number of adults from a hypothetical population of wood turtles. The model indicated that removal of a single adult annually from a stable population of 100 adult turtles would cause a 60% decline in over 100 years, and that removal of two animals annually would extirpate the population in less than 80 years. (Compton)

The second situation applies to the humane treatment of captive raised "farmed" stock.

Turtles have evolved to be highly tolerant of low oxygen environments as can be seen by the ability to hold their breaths for extended periods. As a result of this decapitation is not an acceptable method for killing prior to slaughter. The turtle experiences pain and awareness long after a typical mammalian species would. The only humane method of ending the life of a turtle or tortoise that I know of outside a veterinary laboratory would be destruction of the brainstem by captive bolt.

As wild turtles can not be removed without harming the species as a whole and the slaughter of farmed animals can not be done humanly under existing conditions, I fully support the separation of any commercial business from any aspect of turtles for the food trade.

Turtles are a precious natural resource, seeing them and yes, holding them as well, is a part of growing up that should be experienced by all children. Sadly this experience will disappear we do not protect our existing populations."

Darrell Senneke Director - World Chelonian Trust Turtle Survival Alliance - Steering Committee Member IUCN Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group- member IUCN / TSA Indotestudo elongata Taxon Management Group Point Person

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"China’s hunger for turtle meat has sparked an extinction crisis. By selling freshwater turtles for food in their Chinese outlets, Tesco acts as an accessory to the escalating conservation demise of these species. Care for the Wild International has been campaigning to dissuade Tesco from selling live frogs and turtles for food in its Chinese outlets since June 2006. Although Tesco introduced changes to address some of the animal welfare problems associated with selling live turtles after assessing information provided by Care for the Wild International and carrying out its own research, these changes don’t go far enough.

Two-fifths of the world’s tortoises and freshwater turtles and three quarters of Asian species are threatened with extinction as a result of human consumption. Despite legislation restricting trade in many turtle species, enforcement is weak, and many protected species still find their way onto Chinese plates. Any action that endorses or participates in this devastating trade pushes wild turtles one step closer to extinction. No western supermarket should have a hand in the extermination of these imperilled animals.

Tesco argues that turtles sold in its stores are farmed, but this does not mean there is no impact on wild populations. Recently published research by confirmed that turtle farming too represents a major threat to the survival of wild turtles. Conditions on turtle farms and during transport are poor and animals are over-crowded, which affects their welfare. In-store display for these sub-tropical to temperate species too is inappropriate (e.g. on ice or in nets), raising further significant concerns. Consumers believe that wild-caught individuals possess better potent tonic qualities. Wild turtles therefore continue to be exploited. Successive generations of farm-raised turtles show a marked decrease in reproductive capability. Farms therefore rely on supplementing existing stocks with wild-caught individuals. Wild turtles are also caught to establish new breeding facilities. Turtle species on farms are hybridised and escape into the wild, and high levels of parasites and water-born pollutants are discharged into the environment. Turtle farms therefore also endanger the health and viability of local wildlife.

The softshell turtle Pelodiscus sinensis is now the only species Tesco currently sells. But Pelodiscus sinensis is listed as 'Vulnerable’ in the Red List of Endangered Species, as a direct result of harvesting for food. This means that this species faces a high risk of extinction in the medium-term. Selling softshell turtles for food supports a destructive market that is fuelling a global extinction crisis, and Tesco should therefore cease all live turtle sales in its Chinese stores".

Dr Barbara Maas Chief Executive Care for the Wild International

  --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

With no legal protection for animals in China, the scale of suffering is unimaginable. Instead of promoting a more compassionate consumerism, Tesco hides behind "cultural differences" and "consumer choice" and cashes in on this suffering. Turtles are complex creatures with complex needs but Tesco apparently cares little for the pain they endure. Is there nothing this corporate giant won't do to add a few pounds more to its profits?

Kate Fowler-Reeves Head of Campaigns Animal Aid

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Decapitation will not cause immediate loss of consciousness in a reptile. Unconsciousness will occur when the oxygen concentration in the brain falls below a critical level. This takes up to an hour in a reptile because the rate at which reptile tissues consume oxygen is much lower than that of mammals.

Decapitation is an acceptable method of killing only if the brain is rendered unconscious prior to, during, or immediately after the procedure. Prior to decapitation the captive animals will be stressed, and the longer they are held the greater the suffering that is caused. Between decapitation and destruction of the brain the animal will be experiencing the pain of the wound inflicted.

It is good practice, and essential to the welfare of the animals killed, that each animal is confirmed insensible before the next is started. In a method of killing that requires the operator to be skilful and consistent if it is to be humane, the batches of animals killed should be small.

The procedures described in the Chinese facility do cause suffering to the turtles.

Presumably the practice is permitted because suffering in a reptile is not considered significant."

Robert Reynolds BVSc CertzooMed MRCVS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------]]> http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/518761759 15B81E21-563F-4DD9-93C5-40D94CFE9343 Mon, 17 Sep 2007 19:40:56 +0100

"Turtles are endangered species. Our moral duty is to protect them not to permit their inhumane sale and slaughter for human consumption."

John Bowis Conservative Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for London and the Conservative spokesman on the Environment, Health and Food Safety in the European Parliament.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


"I was astounded to hear that Tesco are supporting this appalling practice. You have done a great public service in drawing this to widespread public attention. "

JONATHAN EVANS MEP (Wales) Chairman Transatlantic Legislators Dialogue

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


That Tesco in China butchers live turtles in a way which causes extreme suffering is despicable and should be stopped. Its UK customers would be appalled to hear this practice exists, so you are to be commended for raising its awareness. The fact that this is being done to an endangered species makes it even worse, yet again highlighting that commercial interests are too often allowed to trample on the fragile biodiversity of the planet.

Liz Lynne Liberal Democrat MEP for the West Midlands

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


The sale of live animals for customers to kill in anyway they like is completely unacceptable, whatever animal we’re talking - and wherever it takes place.

If we’re talking about species which are endangered from a conservation point of view it’s not only cruel  it’s completely unethical from a bio-diversity point of view.

Minimum animal welfare standards should be adopted everywhere, and their enforcement should be a condition of doing business for any firm or country wanting to trade with or set up shop in the EU. This should be a top priory of the regulation of world trade, and until it is we must all put pressure on Tesco  and all other businesses engaged in such unacceptable practises  to stop, now.

I support Turtlesco’s campaign to stamp out this barbaric trade and I urge you to join me and sign its petition. This isn’t about the imperialistic imposition of Western standards on China  it’s about respecting common minimum welfare standards for animals worldwide.

Dr Caroline Lucas MEP (Green Party, South-East England)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


"As a UK-based firm, TESCO should follow UK animal welfare standards in its food stores abroad and not promote practices which are cruel and also threaten conservation of rare species."

Dr Phyllis Starkey MP
Labour Member of Parliament for Milton Keynes South West

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


"I fully support the campaign to stop Tesco to sell living turtles. Many species of turtles are indeed endangered, and that is reason enough to stop selling turtles. Mankind should learn to respect animals and avoid in any case unnecessary and cruel killing of all animals. Turtles in particular are vunerable and they deserve our full respect and protection.They deserve respect from Tesco!"

Dr. Dorette Corbey, MEP
Party of European Socialists
European Parliament

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


"Britain is often seen as leading the way in the practice of high animal welfare standards. Corporate social responsibility is supposed to drive standards upwards. Companies should therefore be adopting high welfare standards abroad as well as at home. By selling live turtles in China, Tesco are demonstrating that this is clearly not happening: they are not meeting their animal welfare responsibilities."

Jean Lambert MEP
London's Green Party

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------




“This trade is absolutely barbaric. Tesco must lead the way in exporting good practice to China, and abandoning this dreadful practice immediately. The world needs food, and this must be done sustainably and humanely. There is no excuse for the sale and butchering of turtles”


Sue Doughty
Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Spokesperson for Guildford
]]> http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/518761759 0E9ACCAE-D489-481D-B138-2331688301FF Sat, 8 Sep 2007 18:29:57 +0100

"Wild animals sold by Tesco are captured, tortured and slaughtered in the most horrible ways imaginable. Clearly, every little hurts."

Hayley Mills, Viva! patron and star of ITV’s Wild at Heart

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



"Already threatened by habitat destruction and pollution, turtles now have an unlikely but formidable foe - Tesco. It is unacceptable to allow an animal to suffer in this manner. It is also hypocritical for a British supermarket to sanction this kind of slaughter when Tesco's would not allow animals to be killed in such an inhumane way in Britain."

Sanjida O'Connell, VIVA supporter and presenter of BBC's Nature's Calendar

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------]]> http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/518761759 C1DBB40C-808F-475E-8458-F60F81040242 Mon, 27 Aug 2007 00:25:16 +0100 Turtlesco.com
Turtlesco Petition
Fresh Easy
Care for the Wild International
VIVA - Vegetarians International Voice for Animals
The Tortoise Trust]]> http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/518761759 ED2C3DAD-3D7E-46B1-B648-AE6F29ADFE0F Mon, 27 Aug 2007 00:33:02 +0100