XBK Chat (unofficial archive)

Guest · Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2004 2:13 pm Post subject: Help these souls

OM shanti!

It is amazing on what this society will tolerate. If you wish you may contact the local Greek embassay or anyone else and share this. I hope someone has the courage to stop this brutal act.

Take Care

Wed, July 21, 2004

Athletes enraged

Say COC should take a stand over pre-Olympic dog killings

By KEVIN CONNOR -- Toronto Sun

Canadian Athletes say the Canadian Olympic Committee should intervene in Greece's plan to poison 15,000 stray dogs in Athens before the games begin. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
Some of Canada's Olympic athletes are outraged the Canadian Olympic Committee won't take a stand against Athens officials who are poisoning up to 15,000 stray dogs in the city so the country looks pristine during the games.

"It's horrible, but it has nothing to do with us. We have no official comment," said COC spokesman Stacey Smith.

Since Athens officials are doing this for the Olympics, it has everything to do with the COC, said Olympic runner Leah Pells.

"It makes me sick. The COC is pathetic and they need to take a stand. It's embarrassing to me that they won't do anything," Pells said.

'ILLS OF SOCIETY'

"Sporting organizations can and should influence the ills in society," said Olympic gold medal-winning wrestler Daniel Igali.

Poisoning is a slow, agonizing death, Lynda Elmy of the Toronto Humane Society said.

"We should all stand up and there should be a huge outcry against this because we are sending athletes to the games. It's just appalling," Elmy said.

AESTHETIC REASONS

Athens officials have said the city needs to be dog free for the games for aesthetic reasons, said Dianne Alden of Greek Animal Rescue Canada, which is working with international animal protection groups to stop the slaughter.

"It's deliberate, appalling -- people need to know," she said.

It's not a situation we are proud of, said George Ayfantis, spokesman for the (Greek) Embassy of the Hellenic Republic in Ottawa.

"It's not automatic that 15,000 will be killed. Poisoning dogs is traditional but now illegal. Local officials have extended autonomy and it's done at night. It's considered a minor offence and public prosecutors and police don't want to go after elected officials," he said.

"There are animal lovers around the world expressing their fears. The embassy is doing their utmost for their cause."

Frank · Joined: 12 Jul 2004 Posts: 36 Location: The Netherlands

Killing should stop.

So many dogs killed for a sporting event, just for keeping up appearances.
So many people killed like dogs in the Sudan, just for keeping up whatever needs to be kept up.
Keeping up our western lifestyle and the global economy results in killing life somewhere on the planet.
The truth is not found with one's nose pointed heavenwards.
Stop the killing by consiousnes on a mico scale.
Check your every step
What you eat
What you consume
What you wear
Only this can effect killing on a macro scale

Frank
_________________
ONLY SILENCE REMAINS,
when I listen to him,
when I listen to the silence

Guest · Posted: Thu Jul 22, 2004 2:24 am Post subject:

I agree. There must be some other humane way to treat the dogs to make Athens look better. May be leaving them in jungles would be a more humane way. Or if they have to be indeed killed, then injecting them with a poison that kills them instantly will be a better option.....
Arjuna

hanuman · Joined: 23 Jun 2004 Posts: 174

These animals should be relocated to a special shelter and allowed to live out their lives. Funds should be maintained for establishing such a center. The UN or WHO may help fund such a program.
There is another darker side to this story.
I'm not pointing fingers at anyone. There are some pet food companies who would grab the opportunity of collecting the cadavers of the killed dogs and convert them to pet foods.
In the pet foods industry, even animal feces is not wasted.
When you think the premium protein in Fido's can of dog food or kitty cat's food is from cows, chickens, lambs or fish; think again!
Road kills, animals euthanized or animal body parts from processing plants are all prepared for consumption by pets.
_________________
Om Shanti,
To my brothers and sisters.

Love to you all,
Errol bhai

Guest · Posted: Thu Jul 22, 2004 1:25 pm Post subject:

OM shanti!

Bahai's I am excited Laughing

to announce that I received a response from the Canadian Olympic Committee saying that they have been assured that this will not happen.

I simply hope that they will hold there word.

Stray animals do not bother really anyone other thant he food merchant and this is natural.

Yes, the whole food industry has gone insane and the results are showing. Especially the pet food industry is completly insane.

My friend Misou (dog) loves to eat what I feed him and that is vegeterian foods.

Take Care,

Guest · Posted: Thu Jul 22, 2004 1:34 pm Post subject:

OM shanti!

Here is information directly from the site. They must have received alot of publicity on this. I was busy yesterday sending it to everyone from CNN etc.

There was no need for that and I thank Baba for his help.

Take Care,

Stray Animals

The staging of the Olympic Games in Athens in 2004, is an opportunity for the development of a long-term policy to deal with the phenomenon of strays in the big cities.
The Organising Committee for the Olympic Games ATHENS 2004 has taken the initiative to promote dialogue and cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture, the municipal authorities, the veterinaries and the SPCA�s, in order to present a common, realistic and effective solution to the issue. All stakeholders presented their initiatives during a press conference held on June 26, 2003 at the ATHENS 2004 headquarters.

All parties involved have rejected euthanasia and have agreed upon the following initiatives:

1. Stray animals will be collected from the wider area of Athens, with the cooperation of the Municipalities and SPCA�s.
2. A vaccination and neutering programme will be implemented in cooperation with the Municipalities and the veterinaries.
3. All healthy, vaccinated and neutered animals will be brought back to their natural environment.

These initiatives will be accompanied by an adoption programme, as well as a public awareness campaign.

The Hellenic Ministry of Agriculture has already proposed an institutional framework that covers these initiatives and actions taken by several municipalities in the greater Athens area.

ATHENS 2004 hopes that this example will be taken upon by other agencies as well, so that the necessary conditions for a long term solution to the issue will prevail even after the Olympic Games.

hanuman · Joined: 23 Jun 2004 Posts: 174

It is great that there is humanity in a nation which served as a conductor of knowledge from East to West.
In the long term, the Greek Government needs to have a more updated veterunary public health program. A neglected veterinary public health program increases the risk of the human population being exposed to strange and emerging pathogens; for example West Nile, Nipah Virus and Leptospirosis.
_________________
Om Shanti,
To my brothers and sisters.

Love to you all,
Errol bhai