Seahorses and ponies (young) DIE FOR THE FOURTH TIME at 'ethical' Skin care company CRÈME DE LA MER

national | animal rights | press release Sunday September 24, 2006 11:55 by Bernie Wright - Alliance for Animal Rights afarireland at gmail dot com 085 7371810

So called ethical Company kills Seahorses

The Alliance for Animal Rights (AFAR) are accusing Estee Lauder's Crème de la Mer and Aer Rianta Retail of gross cruelty, repedative neglect and negligence to Seahorses and their young over the past year in Dublin Airport.

The Animal Rights group and other welfare groups were alerted to the situation when dead seahorses were seen in the tank at departures in Dublin Airport. Staff at the Airport and travellers using the route to Departures contacted the group.

Alliance for Animal Rights

PRESS RELEASE ~PRESS RELEASE ~PRESS RELEASE

Seahorses and ponies (young) DIE FOR THE FOURTH TIME at 'ethical' Skin care company CRÈME DE LA MER shop in Dublin Airport.

The Alliance for Animal Rights (AFAR) are accusing Estee Lauder's Crème de la Mer and Aer Rianta Retail of gross cruelty, repedative neglect and negligence to Seahorses and their young over the past year in Dublin Airport.

The Animal Rights group and other welfare groups were alerted to the situation when dead seahorses were seen in the tank at departures in Dublin Airport. Staff at the Airport and travellers using the route to Departures contacted the group.

'During our initial enquiry we were told by Airport staff that the first lot in the tank died in May 2006 as a result of pump failure. The Airport swiftly replaced these as they had suffocated. A further two or possibly three lots of Seahorses were simultaneously purchased and put as replacements in the tank. The resulting deaths were also from suffocation due to pump failure. However, the last lot of fish died as a result of someone unplugging the tank and leaving them to die. One family of Seahorses had just given birth to young and these also lost their lives.' An AFAR spokesperson said.

Also the fish have gone unfed when staff reported in sick.

We feel that the Airport and the Skin care shop have been flippant and dismissive and we have called for the tank to be removed. In this day and age threatened species should not be kept for display nor should they be used as an adornment on a shop wall. A flat screen television could easily be substituted and would be more appropriate.

· Its distinctive appearance, a monogamous lifestyle and male pregnancy make the seahorse unlike any other marine species. But as one of the truly wondrous creatures of the ocean, the seahorse is commercially valuable and traded internationally - and unsustainably - as a souvenir and for use in aquariums and in traditional Asian medicine.

· International trade rules, make seahorses one of the first commercially valuable marine species to be protected by the world's largest wildlife treaty, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). In order to help countries abide by the new rules and keep trade sustainable, TRAFFIC - the wildlife trade monitoring network of WWF and IUCN - and Project Seahorse have produced a guide for Customs agents and others to help identify the different species of seahorses in trade.

· Seahorses are thought to live about one to five years, depending on the species. They have a very inefficient digestive system (no stomach!) that requires them to eat large amount of food, mostly small crustaceans, each day. They also are able to change color, and do so to match their surroundings as a form of protection from predators

a.. Hobbyists are often enchanted by these peculiar-looking fish, and buy them for aquariums. However, seahorses are very difficult to keep because they require live brine shrimp for food and are prone to disease in a contained environment.
b.. The Crème de la Mer seahorses are purchased from Seahorse Ireland. 'This company although boasting of its conservation efforts are actually exploiting these gentle fish and it is unknown and questionable just how many more Seahorses and ponies are actually dying in other tanks nationwide to make a quick buck and decorate a wall' spokesperson for AFAR..
c.. We have contacted Crème de la Mer and Aer Rianta Retail
d.. DEMONSTRATIONS will commence within 14 days unless the tank is removed
Bernie Wright ,AFAR Press Officer 087 2651720

Crème de la Mer 00 44 8700 346 700 or 00 44 207 409 7320, Aer Rianta Retail 8141111.