General News 1 6 PET TRADE WORLD OCTOBER 2009www. pettradeworld. com History in the Making as China Launches Its First Ever Animal Cruelty Laws The RSPCA has welcomed China's fi rst ever draft animal protection laws which were unveiled on Friday 18 September. The legislation, which was drawn up in consultation with the RSPCA, includes provisions to both protect pets and cover how farm animals should be raised, transported and slaughtered. It also delivered protection for captive wildlife and laboratory animals. The laws address deliberate cruelty and several of the most serious issues that have concerned the international animal welfare community for many years - including inhumane culling methods used against dogs, the live skinning of animals for their fur and the feeding of live farm animals to big cats in zoos and wildlife parks. " This launch sees the culmination of more than a decade of RSPCA activity in China. Since 1999, we have been working steadily there to promote the principles of animal welfare," says Paul Littlefair, senior programme manager with the RSPCA's International Department. " It is a very signifi cant landmark - when it is passed it will be the fi rst time in China's history that the state is sending a clear message to every citizen: ' the way we treat animal's matters'." The RSPCA welcomed the draft legislation as a ' huge step' but stressed the challenge now is to see the academics and politicians steer it through the legislative process and warned that there are even bigger hurdles in enforcing the law consistently. To this end, the RSPCA said it is committed to supporting implementation through providing advice, aid and training to the Chinese authorities and animal protection organisations. This is a long- term process, says the RSPCA, and the law will not be passed without broad popular support and increased awareness of the needs of animals. So alongside the legislation work the RSPCA has launched a joint project with the Chinese Ministry of Education to incorporate animal welfare values into the curriculum, covering topics such as respect for life, responsibility and caring for animals. Under this project the RSPCA has already delivered three training courses to more than 200 teachers from ten provinces and cities across China. Currently in China, only endangered species are protected and there is no penalty for abusing or killing other animals. Over the last few years, reports have increased of deliberate animal cruelty, and several high- profi le incidents have attracted widespread public condemnation and intense media coverage within China. Earlier this year the inhumane methods used in the indiscriminate and large-scale killing of around 30,000 dogs following rabies outbreaks in China attracted not only international but also domestic criticism. ¦ - New moves to tackle inhumane culling, live skinning and protect pets and farm animals - Igloo Cats Run 50% Discount Liner Igloo Cats is running a 3- month promotion on Eco- friendly Disposable Liners for the igloo 2- in- 1 Cat Loo and Carrier. The promotion will run through September, October and November 2009 off ering a 50% discount from the trade price for all customers. The disposable liner is moulded to fi t exactly in the bottom of the igloo tray and is the only ridged liner on the market. The igloo liners are simply removed and disposed off along with used litter to reduce the risk of contamination from cat waste and the health issues associated with it. Igloo cats Eco- friendly Disposable Liners are made from recycled paper making them biodegradable. No other litter tray has such a hygienic and easy to use system. The disposable liners and replacement fi lters for the igloo bring repeat sales to the retailer. Packs of 5 have a suggested RRP of £ 4.99. The promotional trade price is just £ 1.14 until the end of November 2009 ( normally £ 2.28). Liners are sold in cases of 10 x 5 Eco- friendly Disposable Liners. To benefi t from the 50% discount on Eco- friendly Disposable Liners contact Igloo Cats Ltd on 07929 108015, email trade. sales@ igloocats. com and the company's website is at www. igloocats. com. ¦

General News www. pettradeworld. comPET TRADE WORLD OCTOBER 2009 17 Hedgehog Numbers May Be At Risk From Rat Poison New scientifi c research aided by the RSPCA has for the fi rst time found that rat and mice poison may be having an eff ect on the welfare of hedgehogs. The new study shows that anticoagulants, which are a group of chemicals used to kill rodents by preventing the blood from clotting, have shown up in signifi cant levels in the hedgehogs studied. This could have an impact on their survival, breeding success or mobility. RSPCA's Wildlife Scientifi c Offi cer Sophie Adwick said: " All four of the RSPCA's Wildlife Centres, along with other establishments, supplied scientists at the University of Bristol with the carcasses of 120 hedgehogs that had died or were put to sleep due to illness or injury. The fi ndings of this study are a great surprise and may have a signifi cant impact on how these poisons are used in the future, so I'm pleased that our RSPCA Centres were able to contribute to this important study." Dr Claire Dowding, from the University of Bristol, who carried out the research said: " The number of hedgehogs aff ected is quite worrying. It's diffi cult to tell exactly how these animals are exposed to the chemicals. They may be eating them directly, scavenging on dead rodents that have been killed by the poison or eating their favourite diet of slugs and snails that have fed on the poison bait. Slugs and snails are not aff ected by anticoagulants because their blood is diff erent, but they will retain poisonous residues." Out of the 120 hedgehogs sampled, 80 of them had been exposed to these poisons, Claire said: " This high fi gure really is of concern and might be one of the reasons why the British hedgehog population is thought to be declining". Sophie added " The fi ndings of this study mean that we must ensure these poisons are used with even greater care. Because they are widely available and the most common form of rodent control, we would urge people to bear in mind the wider problems these are now thought to cause, and use them responsibly." ¦ Trixie Distribute Packed NEW Catalogue It's all go in the Trixie warehouse with the launch of the company's new catalogue and the arrival of over 700 additional lines. As there are so many changes to the range, customers are receiving a whole set of new inserts for their binders making a totally new catalogue. The new bumper catalogue is a true bible for any pet accessory buyer - it has almost 500- pages and contains just about every accessory line needed to stock a specialist pet store! The pages of a Trixie catalogue fi t into a ring pull binder, so updates are made by switching old pages for new. Colour coded pages split the substantial ' dog' and ' cat' areas of the catalogue from the ' bird', ' small animal' and ' aquatic' sections. Pets are used throughout the catalogue to model products. Customers will see quite a change to the ' grooming' section and a substantial number of new collars leads and harnesses are included amongst the new lines. Motif refl ective, refl ective stripe, several cheerful splash art and modern art two- ply nylon fabric designs provide additions to the large collar and lead section. Many new toys have become available, including latex, plush and DENTAfun toys for dogs. For dog owners comes a new Dog Activity Training Waistcoat ideal for warmth and for storing training equipment. For the winter there are new designs of Trixie beds, cushions and fl eece covers. For cats, plenty of new collars, scratching posts, toilet products and toys are on off er. The new catalogue shows, once again, the company's ability to stay ahead of the game with modern trendy designs of new coats and adorable pastel pink and blue puppy sets. To request a new Trixie catalogue, for all product enquiries, or place an order, call Trixie UK on 01233 647700 or email sales@ trixieuk. co. uk. ¦