Annual event where elephants smash half-ton pumpkins in Oregon Zoo : 8 months old elephant Tula-Tu prefers to play football with pumpkin ( gorgeous video)

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A baby elephant at the Oregon Zoo had more tricks than treats to show when handlers gave it a small pumpkin to play with during an annual fall event where giant elephants smash half-ton pumpkins.

Weighing just 775 pounds (351.5 kilograms), eight-month-old Asian elephant Tula-Tu is about the heft of one of the giant pumpkins so is too small to smash them. Instead, zoo handlers gave her a small pumpkin to practice with. The little elephant dribbled the gourd around like a soccer ball, a video from the zoo shows.

Her elephant family at the Oregon Zoo enjoyed the large pumpkins on Oct. 16 at the annual “Squishing of the Squash,” a tradition that goes back to 1999 when a farmer donated a pumpkin weighing 828 pounds (376 kilograms). The donated pumpkins have gotten bigger, around 1,000 pounds (450 kilograms) this year, thanks to competitive hobbyists at the Pacific Giant Vegetable Growers Club.

To break open the gargantuan gourds, zookeepers present them to Tula-Tu’s adult relatives like her brother and father who weigh slightly over 10,000 pounds (4,500 kilograms). In a video from the zoo, they appear to delicately place one foot at the top, and gently press down. The pumpkins crack with a loud pop, sending rind and seeds flying.

Morocco plans to kill millions of street dogs before co-hosting the World Cup Football in 2030: A letter to FIFA by 9 animal organisations asking to stop the plans

 

FIFA urged to take stand against culling of dogs ahead of World Cup

Animal protection organisations are appalled at claims that Morocco plans to cull millions of street dogs ahead of co-hosting the 2030 World Cup, and are appealing to FIFA to take a stand.The country agreed to carry out a Trap Neuter Release (TNR) programme in 2024, however circulating media reports now indicate that the country has abandoned these plans and is resorting to cruel and crude killing methods instead, such as shooting and poisoning.

In a letter to FIFA, Eurogroup for Animals, Deutscher Tierschutzbund, Animals de Rua, Animal Protection Denmark, DJGT, La SPA, FOUR PAWS, LAV and SEY point out that killing street dogs is not an appropriate means of reducing the population of strays in the long term. 

https://www.sftmorocco.org/

In addition, the killing of dogs is also in breach of law in Morocco, which requires stray animals to be caught and sterilised. The TNR method is also important for disease control, as animals vaccinated against rabies can contribute permanently to herd immunity, thereby protecting the public from infection. Killing dogs is not effective with regards to rabies control, as unvaccinated animals take the place of those killed.

The 2030 World Cup will be co-hosted by Spain and Portugal, in addition to Morocco. FIFA are headquartered in Switzerland, meaning several European countries could be complicit in this cruel and unnecessary culling of homeless companion animals. 

The treatment of stray dogs in Morocco could draw international attention and cast a shadow over the World Cup and FIFA, which will deter many animal-friendly football fans from experiencing the event and Morocco’s culture.

The effect would be short-term at best. New dogs take the place of the animals that have been killed because dogs migrate from neighbouring areas and more young animals survive… In the five years leading up to the World Cup, Morocco still has enough time to reduce the population of street dogs in a humane way. We call on FIFA to use its influence to put pressure on the local authorities. Killing millions of animals would be cruel and pointless.

Luca Secker, Animal Protection Specialist, Deutscher Tierschutzbund