Can you believe there are actually wackos that hunt bears?! Amazing. Besides some manly feelings, what would they gain from killing a bear? And if they're so manly, why not put down the guns, etc., and try to take on the bear with they're own physical devices? We’ll see how big of men they are then.
Read on:
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newjersey/ny-bc-nj--
bearhunt1128nov28,0,4647579.story?coll=ny-region-apnewjersey
Animal rights groups sue to stop bear hunt
By ANGELA DELLI SANTI
Associated Press Writer
November 28, 2005, 9:18 PM EST
TRENTON, N.J. -- Bear hunting opponents on Monday filed a lawsuit to try to stop New Jersey's second bear hunt in 35 years from taking place.
Two animal rights groups filed suit in the Appellate Division of Superior Court to ax the six-day hunt, which is scheduled to begin Dec. 5. A hearing was scheduled for Friday morning.
State officials approved the hunt earlier this month as part of a bear management strategy that advocates say is needed to curb the increasing bear population. A 2003 hunt killed 328 of the animals.
"Our state has a moral and ethical responsibility to properly protect and humanely coexist with the wildlife and animals of New Jersey," said Kevin Barber a lawyer for the groups, the Animal Rights Alliance and the Bear Education and Resource Group.
The state's bears have made a remarkable rebound since the 1970s, when fewer than 100 remained after nearly being eradicated by 19th century hunters who considered bears vermin. The animals now number in the thousands and have been spotted in all 21 counties, but are mainly concentrated in the state's northwestern areas.
The Department of Environmental Protection had no immediate comment on the suit, which names Environmental chief Bradley Campbell, who authorized the hunt, and the Division of Fish and Game, among others.
The suit maintains that the state's black bear management plan is flawed and should be invalidated. It contends the state overestimated its number of black bears and their impact on people and property, and that it failed to explore other alternatives to manage bear-human contact.
"Our state's black bear population should not be viciously hunted next week simply to support the position of a dozen individuals," said Angi Metler, executive director of the state's Animal Rights Alliance chapter.
The state's plan includes a hunt, public awareness campaign and creating bear-free zones near heavily populated areas. The bear exclusion zones encompass Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Union, Middlesex and northern Monmouth counties; the state's midsection in Somerset and Mercer counties; along the western border and the Jersey Shore. Bears wandering into those zones would be relocated or killed if necessary.
The New Jersey Sierra Club, while not part of the suit, has been pressuring acting Gov. Richard J. Codey to halt the hunt. Gov.-elect Jon Corzine said during the campaign for governor that he opposes a bear hunt.
"Codey should stay the execution until the next governor," said Jeff Tittel, executive director of the New Jersey Sierra Club.
Tittel also criticized the bear management plan, saying there is no money in the state budget to implement it.
If the six-day hunt goes forward as scheduled, hunting would be permitted in the area north of Interstate 78 and west of Interstate 287. New York and Pennsylvania have similar hunts to help keep their bear populations in check.
While the state does not know how many bears there are, it uses a research area in northern New Jersey to extrapolate data about the population. The bear management plan aims to reduce the number in that area over five years from about 1,600 animals now to the estimated 2002 level _ 1,317 animals.
Animal activists and environmentalists fought unsuccessfully to stop the 2003 hunt, arguing that overbuilding was to blame for increasing bear-human contact and that no impact study had been done.
Last year, the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance sued when Campbell opposed a hunt after the state's Fish and Game Council had approved one. The state Supreme Court canceled the hunt four days before it was to begin, saying that a bear management program was needed first.
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
Target stores are again selling fur and items with fur.
From another list. This really sucks. Target doesn't need to see these items. Fur is a barbaric practice that is unnecessary. Please read and act. It's very simple. We've done most of the work for you.
Target is selling rabbit fur trimmed hats, gloves, and hair clips as well as fabric hats with rabbit fur woven into them. I contacted them last year, and I see they are selling rabbit fur again this year. I brought it to the attention of my store manager, and he didn't have a clue as to the cruelty involved in these items. He gave me a number to call the buyers, and I also obtained mailing addresses. I called guest relations and mailed a very detailed letter to the buyers with copies to the district managers. I would really like to get on their case about this.
Web form:
http://www.target.com/exec/obidos/handle-generic-form
/$%7B0%7D/601-3622162-8764961?action=next%2dpage&target=
help%2fself%2dservice%2demail%2dform%2ehtml&display=tsq&browse=
1041342&method=GET%c2%96TargetStoreQuestions
Call:
Guest Service Representative - please call 1-800-440-0680, state your opinon on the matter and then ask to speak to a supervisor. In addition, get the information for the District Manager or your location. Then, email or call them.
To write letter to the Target buyers:
Mailing Address: Target Stores
Attention: Accessories Buyers
P. O. Box 9350
Minneapolis, MN 55440
Many thanks to those who feel moved to add their voice to the cause of these rabbits.
Target is selling rabbit fur trimmed hats, gloves, and hair clips as well as fabric hats with rabbit fur woven into them. I contacted them last year, and I see they are selling rabbit fur again this year. I brought it to the attention of my store manager, and he didn't have a clue as to the cruelty involved in these items. He gave me a number to call the buyers, and I also obtained mailing addresses. I called guest relations and mailed a very detailed letter to the buyers with copies to the district managers. I would really like to get on their case about this.
Web form:
http://www.target.com/exec/obidos/handle-generic-form
/$%7B0%7D/601-3622162-8764961?action=next%2dpage&target=
help%2fself%2dservice%2demail%2dform%2ehtml&display=tsq&browse=
1041342&method=GET%c2%96TargetStoreQuestions
Call:
Guest Service Representative - please call 1-800-440-0680, state your opinon on the matter and then ask to speak to a supervisor. In addition, get the information for the District Manager or your location. Then, email or call them.
To write letter to the Target buyers:
Mailing Address: Target Stores
Attention: Accessories Buyers
P. O. Box 9350
Minneapolis, MN 55440
Many thanks to those who feel moved to add their voice to the cause of these rabbits.
Monday, November 28, 2005
UN urges protection for dolphins
Let's hope it works this time.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4464784.stm
UN urges protection for dolphins
By Richard Black
Environment Correspondent, BBC News website
Small cetaceans are amongst the most charismatic creatures on the planet
Klaus Toepfer, Unep
The United Nations says additional protection measures are needed for
dolphins and small whales.
A new global survey, released at a conservation meeting in Kenya, finds
that more than 70% of species are at risk through snaring in fishing nets.
Other major threats include intentional catching, pollution, habitat
destruction and military sonar.
The UN Environment Programme (Unep) is calling for an upgrade of
international protection on eight species.
It wants the Ganges river dolphin, Atlantic spotted dolphin, Northern
right-whale dolphin and five others species to be given Appendix II status
under the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS).
Existing protection measures on a further seven species should also be
extended, it says.
A CMS summit is taking place this week at Unep headquarters in Nairobi.
Well loved
"Small cetaceans are amongst the most well loved and charismatic creatures
on the planet," said Unep executive director Klaus Toepfer in a statement.
"Sadly these qualities alone cannot protect them from a wide range of
threats; so I fully endorse measures to strengthen their conservation
through the CMS and other related agreements."
Appendix II status does not confer mandatory protection, but is designed
to induce relevant countries to draw up conservation agreements.
Two such agreements for small cetaceans are already in place, one in the
Baltic Sea, the other covering the Mediterranean and Black Seas.
The Unep report attempts to calculate the relative importance of the
various factors which put dolphins and whales at risk.
It finds that 26.5% of the threat comes from accidental bycatch, 24.9%
from deliberate hunting, and 21.2% from pollution.
Two years ago a scientific study found that about 800 cetaceans die each
day through being snared in fishing nets.
Other factors identitied by the new report include habitat degradation,
depletion of fish stocks on which the cetaceans feed, culling, and noise,
for example from naval sonar.
Dolphins' dive
Mark Simmonds, director of science at the Whale and Dolphin Conservation
Society, believes that the Unep report may underestimate the true scale of
the issue.
"What it's doing is indicating where there's very strong evidence of a
direct threat to a particular species," he told the BBC News website from
the Nairobi meeting, "and it's very difficult to get that kind of
evidence.
"Many of these species we know very little about, particularly the deep
diving ones.
"On the other hand, we know enough to say that pretty much all the river
dolphins are threatened, and in fact the next mammal to go extinct will
probably be a river dolphin - it's as serious as that."
Further measures are being debated at the CMS meeting, including a
proposal to list the Mediterranean population of the short-beaked dolphin
onto Convention Appendix I.
This would oblige countries around the Med to restore habitat and change
trends which are contributing to the dolphin's demise - in this case,
principally the reduction in stocks of sardines and pilchards which it
eats.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/science/nature/4464784.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4464784.stm
UN urges protection for dolphins
By Richard Black
Environment Correspondent, BBC News website
Small cetaceans are amongst the most charismatic creatures on the planet
Klaus Toepfer, Unep
The United Nations says additional protection measures are needed for
dolphins and small whales.
A new global survey, released at a conservation meeting in Kenya, finds
that more than 70% of species are at risk through snaring in fishing nets.
Other major threats include intentional catching, pollution, habitat
destruction and military sonar.
The UN Environment Programme (Unep) is calling for an upgrade of
international protection on eight species.
It wants the Ganges river dolphin, Atlantic spotted dolphin, Northern
right-whale dolphin and five others species to be given Appendix II status
under the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS).
Existing protection measures on a further seven species should also be
extended, it says.
A CMS summit is taking place this week at Unep headquarters in Nairobi.
Well loved
"Small cetaceans are amongst the most well loved and charismatic creatures
on the planet," said Unep executive director Klaus Toepfer in a statement.
"Sadly these qualities alone cannot protect them from a wide range of
threats; so I fully endorse measures to strengthen their conservation
through the CMS and other related agreements."
Appendix II status does not confer mandatory protection, but is designed
to induce relevant countries to draw up conservation agreements.
Two such agreements for small cetaceans are already in place, one in the
Baltic Sea, the other covering the Mediterranean and Black Seas.
The Unep report attempts to calculate the relative importance of the
various factors which put dolphins and whales at risk.
It finds that 26.5% of the threat comes from accidental bycatch, 24.9%
from deliberate hunting, and 21.2% from pollution.
Two years ago a scientific study found that about 800 cetaceans die each
day through being snared in fishing nets.
Other factors identitied by the new report include habitat degradation,
depletion of fish stocks on which the cetaceans feed, culling, and noise,
for example from naval sonar.
Dolphins' dive
Mark Simmonds, director of science at the Whale and Dolphin Conservation
Society, believes that the Unep report may underestimate the true scale of
the issue.
"What it's doing is indicating where there's very strong evidence of a
direct threat to a particular species," he told the BBC News website from
the Nairobi meeting, "and it's very difficult to get that kind of
evidence.
"Many of these species we know very little about, particularly the deep
diving ones.
"On the other hand, we know enough to say that pretty much all the river
dolphins are threatened, and in fact the next mammal to go extinct will
probably be a river dolphin - it's as serious as that."
Further measures are being debated at the CMS meeting, including a
proposal to list the Mediterranean population of the short-beaked dolphin
onto Convention Appendix I.
This would oblige countries around the Med to restore habitat and change
trends which are contributing to the dolphin's demise - in this case,
principally the reduction in stocks of sardines and pilchards which it
eats.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/science/nature/4464784.stm
Sir Paul McCartney has vowed never to perform in China after seeing horrific undercover footage of dogs and cats being killed for their fur.
All I can say is hell yeah! Right on to Paul McCartney. He's one of the few musicians of the world that actually does what he says. Right on to him. China is absolutely brutal when it comes to issues involving non-human animals. Just disgusting. China is by far one of the most egregious animal abusing countries in the world.
Here's the story:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4476664.stm
McCartney attacks China over fur
By Adrian Addison
BBC Six O'clock News!
Sir Paul wants China to bring in new laws to stop the practice
Sir Paul McCartney has vowed never to perform in China after seeing
horrific undercover footage of dogs and cats being killed for their fur.
The former Beatle also said he would boycott the 2008 Beijing Olympics
after viewing the! footage taken in a fur market in Guangzhou, southern
China.
The film shows animals being thrown from a bus, and into boiling water.
A Chinese official said boycotts were not justified, and blamed US and
European consumers for buying the fur.
In the film, dogs and cats packed by the dozen into wire cages little
bigger than lobster pots are pictured being thrown from the top deck of a
converted bus onto concrete pavements.
The screaming animals, many with their paws now smashed from the fall,
are then lifted out with long metal tongs and thrown over a seven foot
fence.
Some are senselessly beaten by laughing and smiling workers.
All are then killed and skinned for their fur - many are believed still
to be alive as their skins are peeled away! .
I wouldn't even dream of going over there to play in the same way I
wouldn't go to a country that supported apartheid
Sir Paul McCartney
Sir Paul, and his wife Heather, looked aghast and close to tears as they
watched the footage for a special report for the BBC's Six O'clock News
to be screened on Monday.
They urged people not to buy Chinese goods.
"This is barbaric. Horrific," said Sir Paul.
"It's like something out of the dark ages. And they seem to get a kick
out it. They're just sick, sick people.
"I wouldn't even dream of going over there to play, in the same way I
wouldn't go to a country that supported apartheid. This is just
disgusting. It's just against every rule of humanity. I couldn't go
there."
In another piece of the harrowing footage, shot this summer by an
undercover investigator connected to the People for the Ethical treatment
of Animals (Peta) campaign group, cats are seen squirming inside a sack
which is then thrown into a vat of steaming water.
Olympic host
They are boiled to death and skinned by a fleecing machine similar to a
launderette tumble drier.
Campaigners estimate that over two million dogs and cats are killed for
their fur in China every year. China also farms animals such as mink for
their fur and makes over half of the world's fur products.
McCartney added: "How can the ! host nation of the Olympics be seen
allowing animals to be treated in this terrible way?"
Heather McCartney, herself a vociferous animal rights campaigner added:
"I've seen so much footage where these poor creatures are clearly alive
when they're skinned. And for what? For fashion? It's sick.
"People in every other country in the world should now boycott Chinese
goods."
Dogs were seen in grim conditions
"If they want to consider themselves a civilized nation," said Sir Paul,
! "they're going to have to stop this."
A spokesman for the Chinese Ambassador in London told the BBC: "Though
cats and dogs are not endangered, we do not encourage the ill treatment
of cats and dogs.
"But, anyway, the fur trade mostly feeds markets in the US and Europe.
This fur is not consumed in China. So the Americans and Europeans should
accept the blame.
"We have no plans to clamp down on this internally that I am aware of -
it is for the US and Europeans to take their own action. They should
boycott fur as a fashion material.
"I do not agree with Mr McCartney and his wife's point of view - a
boycott of Chinese goods and the Olympics is simply not justifiable."
It is not currently illegal to trade in dog and cat fur in the UK and
most of Europe.
Ethical abhorrence
But the UK government sees any legislation as being a European issue - as
once the fur enters Europe from China, free trade and the difficulty of
identifying the fur makes it almost impossible to police.
A DTI spokesman told the BBC: "The government shares the ethical
abhorrence felt by many. That is why it banned by statute fur farming in
the UK in 2000.
"Action is best taken at the EU level as a harmonised approach throughout
the EU would have greater impact and avoid obstacles to the operation of
the single market."
There is little evidence, as yet, of the fur products being sold in the
UK. Campaigners insist they are available up and down the country, but it
is impossible to tell the difference from other fur without the aid of
expensive genetic tests.
The British Fur Trade Association, which represents the boomin g fur
industry in the UK, insists that its members do not knowingly use dog and
cat fur and have introduced a fur labelling system to try to guard
against its use.
"As an industry, we are against any form of animal cruelty," said a
spokeswoman.
"We deplore and work against the mistreatment of animals. For this
reason, we also actively support and encourage the adoption of Western
fur farming practices on Chinese fur farms."
Ruse accusation
But pro-fur campaigner Richard D North says a European ban is heavy
handed.
"This is a ruse by campaigners to attack the legitimate fur trade. Nobody
has ever found a large amount of cat and dog fur in the UK.
"The European fur industry would never use it. Why bother, when there are
lovely skins from properly farmed animals?"
Euro MP Struan Stevenson has an array of cat and dog products in his
Brussels office - including a coat made from Alsatian skin, a pelt made
from four golden retrievers and a blanket made from around 70 cats. All
were bought in Europe.
"It's cheaper to make these things from cat and dog than it is to make
synthetic fur," he told the BBC.
"It really is time for this trade to be banned and the EU border to be
sealed against it. And the new trade commissioner is more than
sympathetic."
Markos Kyprianou, EU Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection, is
responsible for this area of EU law.
His spokesman, Phillip Todd, told the BBC: "As a human being, the
commissioner abhors this trade and is! very supportive of there being a
ban. There are, however, legal obstacles which would need to be addressed
before a ban could be put in place."
Here's the story:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4476664.stm
McCartney attacks China over fur
By Adrian Addison
BBC Six O'clock News!
Sir Paul wants China to bring in new laws to stop the practice
Sir Paul McCartney has vowed never to perform in China after seeing
horrific undercover footage of dogs and cats being killed for their fur.
The former Beatle also said he would boycott the 2008 Beijing Olympics
after viewing the! footage taken in a fur market in Guangzhou, southern
China.
The film shows animals being thrown from a bus, and into boiling water.
A Chinese official said boycotts were not justified, and blamed US and
European consumers for buying the fur.
In the film, dogs and cats packed by the dozen into wire cages little
bigger than lobster pots are pictured being thrown from the top deck of a
converted bus onto concrete pavements.
The screaming animals, many with their paws now smashed from the fall,
are then lifted out with long metal tongs and thrown over a seven foot
fence.
Some are senselessly beaten by laughing and smiling workers.
All are then killed and skinned for their fur - many are believed still
to be alive as their skins are peeled away! .
I wouldn't even dream of going over there to play in the same way I
wouldn't go to a country that supported apartheid
Sir Paul McCartney
Sir Paul, and his wife Heather, looked aghast and close to tears as they
watched the footage for a special report for the BBC's Six O'clock News
to be screened on Monday.
They urged people not to buy Chinese goods.
"This is barbaric. Horrific," said Sir Paul.
"It's like something out of the dark ages. And they seem to get a kick
out it. They're just sick, sick people.
"I wouldn't even dream of going over there to play, in the same way I
wouldn't go to a country that supported apartheid. This is just
disgusting. It's just against every rule of humanity. I couldn't go
there."
In another piece of the harrowing footage, shot this summer by an
undercover investigator connected to the People for the Ethical treatment
of Animals (Peta) campaign group, cats are seen squirming inside a sack
which is then thrown into a vat of steaming water.
Olympic host
They are boiled to death and skinned by a fleecing machine similar to a
launderette tumble drier.
Campaigners estimate that over two million dogs and cats are killed for
their fur in China every year. China also farms animals such as mink for
their fur and makes over half of the world's fur products.
McCartney added: "How can the ! host nation of the Olympics be seen
allowing animals to be treated in this terrible way?"
Heather McCartney, herself a vociferous animal rights campaigner added:
"I've seen so much footage where these poor creatures are clearly alive
when they're skinned. And for what? For fashion? It's sick.
"People in every other country in the world should now boycott Chinese
goods."
Dogs were seen in grim conditions
"If they want to consider themselves a civilized nation," said Sir Paul,
! "they're going to have to stop this."
A spokesman for the Chinese Ambassador in London told the BBC: "Though
cats and dogs are not endangered, we do not encourage the ill treatment
of cats and dogs.
"But, anyway, the fur trade mostly feeds markets in the US and Europe.
This fur is not consumed in China. So the Americans and Europeans should
accept the blame.
"We have no plans to clamp down on this internally that I am aware of -
it is for the US and Europeans to take their own action. They should
boycott fur as a fashion material.
"I do not agree with Mr McCartney and his wife's point of view - a
boycott of Chinese goods and the Olympics is simply not justifiable."
It is not currently illegal to trade in dog and cat fur in the UK and
most of Europe.
Ethical abhorrence
But the UK government sees any legislation as being a European issue - as
once the fur enters Europe from China, free trade and the difficulty of
identifying the fur makes it almost impossible to police.
A DTI spokesman told the BBC: "The government shares the ethical
abhorrence felt by many. That is why it banned by statute fur farming in
the UK in 2000.
"Action is best taken at the EU level as a harmonised approach throughout
the EU would have greater impact and avoid obstacles to the operation of
the single market."
There is little evidence, as yet, of the fur products being sold in the
UK. Campaigners insist they are available up and down the country, but it
is impossible to tell the difference from other fur without the aid of
expensive genetic tests.
The British Fur Trade Association, which represents the boomin g fur
industry in the UK, insists that its members do not knowingly use dog and
cat fur and have introduced a fur labelling system to try to guard
against its use.
"As an industry, we are against any form of animal cruelty," said a
spokeswoman.
"We deplore and work against the mistreatment of animals. For this
reason, we also actively support and encourage the adoption of Western
fur farming practices on Chinese fur farms."
Ruse accusation
But pro-fur campaigner Richard D North says a European ban is heavy
handed.
"This is a ruse by campaigners to attack the legitimate fur trade. Nobody
has ever found a large amount of cat and dog fur in the UK.
"The European fur industry would never use it. Why bother, when there are
lovely skins from properly farmed animals?"
Euro MP Struan Stevenson has an array of cat and dog products in his
Brussels office - including a coat made from Alsatian skin, a pelt made
from four golden retrievers and a blanket made from around 70 cats. All
were bought in Europe.
"It's cheaper to make these things from cat and dog than it is to make
synthetic fur," he told the BBC.
"It really is time for this trade to be banned and the EU border to be
sealed against it. And the new trade commissioner is more than
sympathetic."
Markos Kyprianou, EU Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection, is
responsible for this area of EU law.
His spokesman, Phillip Todd, told the BBC: "As a human being, the
commissioner abhors this trade and is! very supportive of there being a
ban. There are, however, legal obstacles which would need to be addressed
before a ban could be put in place."
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Otters Winning Battle of Wits: Score One for the Little Guys
Nice. I've always been for under dogs. Score one for the otter. Keep it up little guys!!!!
http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/science/11/16/
freerange.otters.ap/index.html
Otters winning battle of wits
Wildlife officials may give up on relocation plan
SANTA BARBARA, California (AP) -- Greg Sanders once stalked his chief
nemesis -- an otter nicknamed Phoky -- for 24 days.
When Sanders, a biologist, finally captured the critter at Southern
California's Anacapa Island, he shipped Phoky north to Monterey under an
ambitious federal program to preserve otters while protecting shellfish
divers from natural competition.
But within six months, Phoky was back in forbidden waters. He was one of
dozens of otters that surprised government biologists at almost every
turn. Now, it seems, officials are throwing in the towel.
In an admission that the slick-furred creatures refuse to respect
boundaries imposed by man, authorities want to officially abandon their
otter-relocation policy.
If the government's battle of wits is at an end, the otters have won.
"This concept of taking animals and putting them in one place and
expecting them to stay where we want them ... wasn't really working," said
Sanders, 44, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist.
The agency is taking public comment through January in hopes of scuttling
the program, which cost several million dollars before it tailed off in
1993. Fishermen want the existing policy enforced.
Environmentalists praise the idea of letting otters go where they want,
saying it will aid the recovery of a species hunted almost to extinction.
By the end of the 19th century, an otter population of 16,000 that had
stretched from Mexico to Oregon had dwindled to 50 otters in a secluded
cove off Big Sur. Today there about 2,700 southern otters off California's
coast, according to estimates.
To appease fishermen, Fish and Wildlife banned otters in 1987 from
California waters south of Point Conception near Santa Barbara -- with one
exception.
Fearful that an oil spill could wipe out otters elsewhere, the agency
tried to create a reserve for 150 otters on San Nicholas Island, about 80
miles south of Santa Barbara.
Biologists had thought the otters would stay near San Nicholas, which has
plenty of food and is surrounded by deep water that is hard to swim
across. Even if the otters wanted to leave, it seemed improbable that they
had the navigation skills to do it -- especially since they were taken to
the island by plane.
"We flew 'em out there," Sanders said, "although we didn't blindfold
them."
The otters didn't play along. Some swam up to 200 miles to return to
native habitat along the Central Coast.
Fishermen and seafood processors say federal officials never did enough --
and complain that lobster and urchin fishing could be devastated if otters
continue roaming Southern California waters.
"It comes down to a philosophy of, what do you believe in? Do you believe
in animals or do you believe in human beings?" said Robert S. Juntz Jr.,
president of the Sea Urchin Processors Association and owner of a
processing plant in Mendocino County that employs about 45 people.
Otters are good at getting their prey -- but getting otters was never so
easy.
After waiting for an otter to fall asleep, wildlife crews would sneak up
beneath it with a propeller-powered craft manned by a diver and snare it
in a net. The otter then would be flown in a chartered plane or driven
hundreds of miles to a Northern California beach for re-release. Some died
from the stress.
Total cost: $6,000 to $12,000 per otter.
But before officials can catch an otter, they have to spot it. One recent
day, as part of the agency's fall otter survey, Sanders spent two hours
near the University of California at Santa Barbara, peering through a
telescope at a kelp bed where something resembling an otter had been seen
the day before.
Sanders perked up when a potential otter bobbed near the surface, but it
turned out to be a harbor seal. Or a log. Lots of things look like otters.
"You get these harbor seals that fake you out," Sanders said.
Sometimes, though, Sanders catches a break -- as in the incident he refers
to as "the drive-by sighting."
Years ago, Sanders got a call from a lifeguard who had been cruising along
coastal Highway 101 near Ventura when he spotted what he thought was an
otter. Sanders was incredulous, but decided to follow up.
It turned out to be Phoky.
A few weeks ago, Sanders and other wildlife officials marked the 15th
anniversary of Phoky's first capture near Anacapa. Phoky, though, didn't
make it to the celebration. He had better places to be.
Last Sanders heard, the otter was rumored to be in Mexico.
Find this article at:
http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/science/11/16/freerange.otters.ap/index.html
http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/science/11/16/
freerange.otters.ap/index.html
Otters winning battle of wits
Wildlife officials may give up on relocation plan
SANTA BARBARA, California (AP) -- Greg Sanders once stalked his chief
nemesis -- an otter nicknamed Phoky -- for 24 days.
When Sanders, a biologist, finally captured the critter at Southern
California's Anacapa Island, he shipped Phoky north to Monterey under an
ambitious federal program to preserve otters while protecting shellfish
divers from natural competition.
But within six months, Phoky was back in forbidden waters. He was one of
dozens of otters that surprised government biologists at almost every
turn. Now, it seems, officials are throwing in the towel.
In an admission that the slick-furred creatures refuse to respect
boundaries imposed by man, authorities want to officially abandon their
otter-relocation policy.
If the government's battle of wits is at an end, the otters have won.
"This concept of taking animals and putting them in one place and
expecting them to stay where we want them ... wasn't really working," said
Sanders, 44, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist.
The agency is taking public comment through January in hopes of scuttling
the program, which cost several million dollars before it tailed off in
1993. Fishermen want the existing policy enforced.
Environmentalists praise the idea of letting otters go where they want,
saying it will aid the recovery of a species hunted almost to extinction.
By the end of the 19th century, an otter population of 16,000 that had
stretched from Mexico to Oregon had dwindled to 50 otters in a secluded
cove off Big Sur. Today there about 2,700 southern otters off California's
coast, according to estimates.
To appease fishermen, Fish and Wildlife banned otters in 1987 from
California waters south of Point Conception near Santa Barbara -- with one
exception.
Fearful that an oil spill could wipe out otters elsewhere, the agency
tried to create a reserve for 150 otters on San Nicholas Island, about 80
miles south of Santa Barbara.
Biologists had thought the otters would stay near San Nicholas, which has
plenty of food and is surrounded by deep water that is hard to swim
across. Even if the otters wanted to leave, it seemed improbable that they
had the navigation skills to do it -- especially since they were taken to
the island by plane.
"We flew 'em out there," Sanders said, "although we didn't blindfold
them."
The otters didn't play along. Some swam up to 200 miles to return to
native habitat along the Central Coast.
Fishermen and seafood processors say federal officials never did enough --
and complain that lobster and urchin fishing could be devastated if otters
continue roaming Southern California waters.
"It comes down to a philosophy of, what do you believe in? Do you believe
in animals or do you believe in human beings?" said Robert S. Juntz Jr.,
president of the Sea Urchin Processors Association and owner of a
processing plant in Mendocino County that employs about 45 people.
Otters are good at getting their prey -- but getting otters was never so
easy.
After waiting for an otter to fall asleep, wildlife crews would sneak up
beneath it with a propeller-powered craft manned by a diver and snare it
in a net. The otter then would be flown in a chartered plane or driven
hundreds of miles to a Northern California beach for re-release. Some died
from the stress.
Total cost: $6,000 to $12,000 per otter.
But before officials can catch an otter, they have to spot it. One recent
day, as part of the agency's fall otter survey, Sanders spent two hours
near the University of California at Santa Barbara, peering through a
telescope at a kelp bed where something resembling an otter had been seen
the day before.
Sanders perked up when a potential otter bobbed near the surface, but it
turned out to be a harbor seal. Or a log. Lots of things look like otters.
"You get these harbor seals that fake you out," Sanders said.
Sometimes, though, Sanders catches a break -- as in the incident he refers
to as "the drive-by sighting."
Years ago, Sanders got a call from a lifeguard who had been cruising along
coastal Highway 101 near Ventura when he spotted what he thought was an
otter. Sanders was incredulous, but decided to follow up.
It turned out to be Phoky.
A few weeks ago, Sanders and other wildlife officials marked the 15th
anniversary of Phoky's first capture near Anacapa. Phoky, though, didn't
make it to the celebration. He had better places to be.
Last Sanders heard, the otter was rumored to be in Mexico.
Find this article at:
http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/science/11/16/freerange.otters.ap/index.html
Hunting Animals in Pennsylvania: They Find One More Way to Kill
I don't see why they can't just stick to one way to kill. Must be getting bored.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051118/ap_on_re_us/ancient_weapon
;_ylt=Ak6UcKynGjNIg.zKDcDE8Hqs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA3ODdxdHBh
BHNlYwM5NjQ-
Pa. May Let Hunters Use Ancient Weapon
By MARK SCOLFORO, Associated Press WriterFri Nov 18, 4:54 AM ET
An ancient weapon that was apparently used as early as prehistoric times
to slay woolly mammoths may soon be added to the arsenals of Pennsylvania
hunters.
The state Game Commission is drafting proposed regulations to allow
hunters to use the atlatl, a small wooden device that propels a six-foot
dart as fast as 80 mph. The commission could vote in January and make a
final decision in April, officials said.
It's not yet clear which animals would be hunted, but the proposal has the
support of people who want to kill deer with the handmade weapon of Stone
Age design.
"For me, it would be a thrill to have a deer get up close enough and to
throw my dart and hit the deer, bag it like my ancestors did," said Jack
Rowe, 45, a veteran hunter and atlatl enthusiast from Sayre.
In Alabama, one of a handful of states that allows atlatls for hunting or
fishing, few hunters use them during deer season, said Allan Andress,
chief fish and game enforcement officer for the state Department of
Conservation and Natural Resources.
Even spear hunters
Alabama game law also allows spears
outnumber those using atlatls.
"As you might imagine, it's not something that most people have the skill
or the patience for," Andress said.
Pennsylvania Atlatl Association president Gary L. Fogelman, who got the
atlatl bug about 20 years ago, said he doubts large numbers of deer will
ever be killed with the weapon.
"You've got to know what you're doing, you've got to be good with all the
outdoor skills in order to be able to score with this thing," said
Fogelman, who publishes Indian Artifact Magazine.
To use an atlatl
the name is derived from an Aztec word for "throwing board"
hunters hook arrowlike hunting darts into the end of the weapon, which is
generally a wooden piece about 2 feet long. The leverage of the atlatl
allows them to throw the 5- to 8-foot darts much farther than they could
throw a spear.
At BPS Engineering in Manhattan, Mont., a leading manufacturer of atlatls,
owner Bob Perkins said customers pay $140 for a 2-foot maple
production-line model, the Warrior, and a set of five 5 1/2-foot aluminum
darts.
Perkins has killed two deer with atlatls and recently killed his first
buffalo.
"Atlatls were the first true weapon system developed by the human race,"
he said. "Comparatively speaking, the bow and arrow was a recent
development in projectile technology."
There is evidence the weapons were used more than 8,000 years ago in
Pennsylvania, said Kurt Carr, an archaeologist with the Pennsylvania
Historical and Museum Commission.
Prehistoric atlatls have a distinctive counterweight feature called a
winged banner stone that has helped confirm their existence. Atlatl use
goes back far as 12,000 years elsewhere in North America and far longer in
Europe.
"It takes some practice, but it's like the bow and arrow. I can't shoot a
bow and arrow for beans, but I can use an atlatl more effectively," he
said.
The World Atlatl Association, which has 380 members, has held an annual
accuracy contest since the mid-1990s, and this year more than 2,000 people
participated.
"People that are interested in archaeology and ancient history are the
ones that seem to be drawn to it," said association president Richard B.
Lyons, a retired firefighter from Jeffersonville, Ind.
Game Commissioner Roxane Palone, who generally supports legalization of
atlatl hunting, said some other game commissioners probably will join her
in voting in favor of its use.
"It's a good way to expand hunting opportunities," she said. "I don't
think it's any more unusual than people who use long bows to hunt."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051118/ap_on_re_us/ancient_weapon
;_ylt=Ak6UcKynGjNIg.zKDcDE8Hqs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA3ODdxdHBh
BHNlYwM5NjQ-
Pa. May Let Hunters Use Ancient Weapon
By MARK SCOLFORO, Associated Press WriterFri Nov 18, 4:54 AM ET
An ancient weapon that was apparently used as early as prehistoric times
to slay woolly mammoths may soon be added to the arsenals of Pennsylvania
hunters.
The state Game Commission is drafting proposed regulations to allow
hunters to use the atlatl, a small wooden device that propels a six-foot
dart as fast as 80 mph. The commission could vote in January and make a
final decision in April, officials said.
It's not yet clear which animals would be hunted, but the proposal has the
support of people who want to kill deer with the handmade weapon of Stone
Age design.
"For me, it would be a thrill to have a deer get up close enough and to
throw my dart and hit the deer, bag it like my ancestors did," said Jack
Rowe, 45, a veteran hunter and atlatl enthusiast from Sayre.
In Alabama, one of a handful of states that allows atlatls for hunting or
fishing, few hunters use them during deer season, said Allan Andress,
chief fish and game enforcement officer for the state Department of
Conservation and Natural Resources.
Even spear hunters
Alabama game law also allows spears
outnumber those using atlatls.
"As you might imagine, it's not something that most people have the skill
or the patience for," Andress said.
Pennsylvania Atlatl Association president Gary L. Fogelman, who got the
atlatl bug about 20 years ago, said he doubts large numbers of deer will
ever be killed with the weapon.
"You've got to know what you're doing, you've got to be good with all the
outdoor skills in order to be able to score with this thing," said
Fogelman, who publishes Indian Artifact Magazine.
To use an atlatl
the name is derived from an Aztec word for "throwing board"
hunters hook arrowlike hunting darts into the end of the weapon, which is
generally a wooden piece about 2 feet long. The leverage of the atlatl
allows them to throw the 5- to 8-foot darts much farther than they could
throw a spear.
At BPS Engineering in Manhattan, Mont., a leading manufacturer of atlatls,
owner Bob Perkins said customers pay $140 for a 2-foot maple
production-line model, the Warrior, and a set of five 5 1/2-foot aluminum
darts.
Perkins has killed two deer with atlatls and recently killed his first
buffalo.
"Atlatls were the first true weapon system developed by the human race,"
he said. "Comparatively speaking, the bow and arrow was a recent
development in projectile technology."
There is evidence the weapons were used more than 8,000 years ago in
Pennsylvania, said Kurt Carr, an archaeologist with the Pennsylvania
Historical and Museum Commission.
Prehistoric atlatls have a distinctive counterweight feature called a
winged banner stone that has helped confirm their existence. Atlatl use
goes back far as 12,000 years elsewhere in North America and far longer in
Europe.
"It takes some practice, but it's like the bow and arrow. I can't shoot a
bow and arrow for beans, but I can use an atlatl more effectively," he
said.
The World Atlatl Association, which has 380 members, has held an annual
accuracy contest since the mid-1990s, and this year more than 2,000 people
participated.
"People that are interested in archaeology and ancient history are the
ones that seem to be drawn to it," said association president Richard B.
Lyons, a retired firefighter from Jeffersonville, Ind.
Game Commissioner Roxane Palone, who generally supports legalization of
atlatl hunting, said some other game commissioners probably will join her
in voting in favor of its use.
"It's a good way to expand hunting opportunities," she said. "I don't
think it's any more unusual than people who use long bows to hunt."
Thursday, November 17, 2005
Elephant Explosion Triggers Cull Row: Another Example that Shows the Ridiculous Nature of the Kill Argument when Looking at "Overpopulation"
We see it time and time again - a population of some species is defined as overpopulated. Then, the only response is to kill. Well, let's consider two important things when showing the ridiculous nature of the kill argument:
One, overpopulation mostly does not occur. It is simply a population staying near to it's numbers, but human encroachment on their lands forces the species to have a smaller area to roam, and of course, puts them closer to human habitation. Being closer to human habitation makes humans mistakenly believe that the population has grown. Idiotic if you really look at it. Plus, if you look at it on the flip side, wouldn't it be more logical to say that the constant growth of the human population and its related encroachment would lead humans and the animals they are affecting to see that as overpopulation. After all, by this definition, humans have clearly expanded beyond their normal boundaries.
Which brings me to the second point:
If the argument is to cull or kill segments of a population of animal that has grown beyond their natural boundaries, then wouldn’t it logically follow from what I mentioned in the first point that the animal affected by this growth should argue for a cull? Well, if they could, and logic was maintained amongst all species, then yes, they logically could.
So, you see the ridiculous nature of the cull or kill argument. Management is the key. This is clearly stated in the following article. And, with the writing that follows the article. Please read all:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4392800.stm
Elephant explosion triggers cull row
By Sam Wilson
BBC News
Kruger National Park's elephant population has nearly doubled
The systematic slaying of thousands of elephants is a subject always
likely to stir emotions.
So it has been in South Africa, where the government has opened a public
consultation on proposals to resume an elephant cull.
In the highly charged debate, opponents refer to the "murder" of
elephants, while cull-supporters warn of a "holocaust" among other species
if elephants go unchecked.
South Africa's Sunday Independent has played host to the argument on its
opinion and letters pages.
"Letters from our readers have been overwhelmingly against culling. The
idea appals them," says the paper's deputy editor Andrew Walker.
The outcry now may be nothing compared to the response if and when TV
images show rangers in helicopters herding elephants into small groups,
downing them with tranquiliser and then finishing them off with a
high-calibre shot to the head.
Rapid growth
The irony is that the explosion in animal numbers is due to the success of
conservation projects, and measures to counter poaching and
ivory-smuggling.
In Kruger National Park, some 13,000 elephants now roam - nearly double
the 7,000 that was considered the optimum number during South Africa's
apartheid years, when culling took place regularly.
It is recommended that application of lethal means, specifically culling,
be approved as part and parcel of a range of options
Elephant Management Report
SA National Parks
SANParks report (306K)
Most computers will open PDF documents automatically, but you may need to
download Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Download the reader here
The repopulation of elephants since culling was stopped in 1994 has been
so dramatic that it threatens other species, and the elephants' own
well-being.
An animal with a large range, a long lifespan, a huge appetite and no
predators is trampling less robust creatures underfoot.
Elephants can turn woodland into grassland - killing off the majestic
baobab trees that can be thousands of years old, and depriving birds like
vultures, eagles and ground hornbills of places to nest.
They have also been blamed for driving rhinos off their ranges, and
threatening delicate botanical assets.
"They are converter animals - habitat engineers - they will modify their
habitat if allowed to do so," says Rob Little, director of conservation at
World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) South Africa.
South Africa National Parks (Sanparks) has recommended a return to culling
to save the country's flora and fauna before it is too late.
"Culling should certainly be retained as an option," says WWF's Mr Little.
Elephants live long lives, making passive measures less effective
The government insists it has not yet made its mind up, and is considering
all options.
"This is spoken about at a very emotive level - this government prefers
not to decide what's best for its country on the basis of emotion," says
JP Louw, director of communications at South Africa's environment
ministry.
Some groups, however, believe the deal is done and the 18-month
consultation will be more about persuading domestic and international
public opinion.
Contraception
The International Fund for Animal Welfare (Ifaw) insists there is no
scientific proof that elephants threaten biodiversity and says there is no
way they should be culled until there is concrete proof of the damage they
cause.
"Sanparks is looking at elephants in a vacuum. They need to adopt a far
more holistic approach," Ifaw's South Africa director Jason Bell-Leask
told the BBC News website.
To say we should wait is to say 'wait until everything is destroyed'
JP Louw
SA environment ministry
He advocates allowing greater migration of elephant groups between parks
and countries in southern Africa.
Others point to successful projects to transport elephants to
less-populated areas, and to use contraceptives.
A two-year experiment with contraception in South Africa's Greater
Makalali game reserve used darts filled with a hormone that prevented any
female elephants from giving birth.
However, experts say a programme to immunise the 5,000 cow elephants in
the Kruger, and to track them all for further booster shots, would be
unfeasible both in terms of cost and logistics.
Moreover, because elephants live long lives, it would have no immediate
effect on their numbers, and the damage they wreak.
Zimbabwe would like to move herds to Namibia
"We're researching how contraception can be used as an effective method,"
says JP Louw.
"At present we don't know anyone able to tell us that contraception works.
"The option of translocation we continue to test. But this problem of
overpopulation is a problem across southern Africa, not just South Africa
- other countries have their own problems."
Botswana and Zambia have overpopulations of elephants and want to conduct
culls that would allow them to sell the ivory.
On Monday, Zimbabwe said 50 elephants had died "because of shortage of
water and pasture" in a western reserve, and that it wanted to cull or
move herds to Namibia.
As the debate rages on, officials insist that doing nothing is not an
option.
"To say we should wait is to say 'wait until everything is destroyed',"
South Africa's Mr Louw says. "That is definitely not responsible
management."
---------------------------------------------------------
Comments from Kristal Parks an individual who has spent considerable time with this issue. Please read her comments below and visit her site at:
http://www.KristalParks.com
I think you may recall that I spent a month in S. Africa (last Spring) working
on elephant contraception (at a private reserve) which DOES work. But
Kruger officials refuse to use it on the elys in their park. I also
spent 11 hours a day for six days driving around Kruger park trying to
find all the elephants who are doing all the damage they claim. I found
a few bull elys but no female herds. It is all so much bull shit. The
S. Africans just want to kill elys for their meat, skin and ivory which
they are stock piling, just waiting for the moment when the ban on ivory
is overturned which they try to do at every CITES (Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species) meeting. Kruger Park is 6
million acres. They have 12,000 elys. That is 500 acres/ elephant. I
don't think they are having a problem with over population! Also, it is
known by those who have studied the behavior of elephants over a long
period of time, that elys will monitor their birth rate according to the
conditions of their environment (unlike humans, I might add). Such a
person is Cynthia Moss who has monitored the same herds of elys for
almost 40 years in Kenya (where I also visited for a month) and she
says: "Elephants will not eat themselves out of house and home".
You will be interested to know that Dr. Iain Douglas-Hamilton said this
to me: "Any species that over populates to the detriment of other
species needs to be curtailed. But I would no more advocate the culling
of elephants than I would humans because of who elephants are, sentient,
feeling animals..."
S. Africa is still in the stone age and although apartheid was overcome
for humans, oppression continues for its animals, especially elephants.
Canned hunting is legal and encouraged there.
I think the whole world should be in an uproar over their barbaric and
obscene intentions to slaughter this glorious and highly evolved animal.
For elephants,
Kristal Parks
http://www.KristalParks.com
EU Plans to Cut Animal Tests - An Excellent Step to Ending the Use of Animals in Research and Testing
An excellent step. Hopefully
For more information on the alternatives to animal testing or animal tests, visit the following pages:
http://altweb.jhsph.edu/
http://caat.jhsph.edu/
http://www.pcrm.org/resch/anexp/position.html
Read on:
http://www.the-scientist.com/news/20051116/01
Nov. 16, 2005
DAILY NEWS
EU plans to cut animal tests
Industry groups pledge to collaborate on refining,
reducing, and replacing the use of lab animals
By Stephen Pincock
A leading animal rights organization in Europe has
given a cautious thumbs-up to a pledge made by
industry groups last week to help the European Union
expedite the search for new alternatives to animal
testing.
At a meeting in Brussels hosted by the European
Commissioners for Enterprise and Research, Günter
Verheugen and Janez Poto̬nik Рalong with groups
representing the chemical, cosmetic, pharmaceutical,
biotechnology, soap and detergents, animal health, and
crop protection industries -- signed a joint
declaration on the "3 Rs"-- refining, reducing and
replacing the use of lab animals.
"We think it is a very promising initiative," said
Marlou Heinen from the Eurogroup for Animal Welfare,
an umbrella group for some 19 animal welfare
organizations. "But we see it very much as a first
step—whether it will be an actual success will very
much depend on how this is going to be implemented."
The ultimate goal of the partnership is to eliminate
the use of animals in testing altogether, Verheugen
said in a statement. "We do not only wish to reduce
animal testing, but also want to bring it to an end in
the long run."
So far, the details on how that is going to be
achieved are yet to be worked out. The declaration
commits the signatories to developing an action plan,
which they are due to deliver by early in 2006, said
Sebastian Marx from Colipa, the cosmetic industry
group. "Then the real flesh will be put on the bones,"
he told The Scientist.
Colin Humphris, spokesman for the chemicals industry
group Cefic, agreed that the partners were "feeling
our way" in terms of how the collaboration might work.
"But what I think is important is that when you bring
together these different sectors, you bring together
different programs of work that relate to this area,"
he told The Scientist. "There's some common interest
there."
As many as 10.7 million animals are used annually for
experiments in the EU according to figures quoted by
the European Union. More than half of these are used
in research, human medicine, dentistry and fundamental
biological studies. Another 16 percent are used in
production and quality control of products and devices
in human and veterinary medicine and dentistry, and 10
percent for toxicology and other types of safety
evaluation.
In 1986, an EU directive insisted that whenever an
alternative to an animal experiment exists, it has to
be used, and called for support to make such
alternatives available. But the timing of the current
initiative had a lot to do with another proposed EU
directive that could have the opposite effect of the
earlier directive.
That new law, under debate at the moment, is REACH
(Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of
Chemical Substances), a framework designed to gather
better information on the chemical substances that
reached the market before 1981.
REACH would require testing of those old substances to
evaluate their health and environmental risks. The
trouble is, Verheugen said, the proposal as it stands
could require millions more animal tests. "REACH is
not ethically acceptable if it leads to such excessive
additional use of animals. I will do everything I can
to change the current proposal in this respect," he
said in a report on the Euractive news service.
Marx said the imminent arrival of the REACH rules was
a big impetus for last week's animal testing
declaration. "This is not really a response to the
actions of animal rights groups," he said. "We have
new legislation coming and we need to do something."
The declaration signed last week commits the
signatories to making a progress report at about the
same time next year. For Heinen, this is another
positive sign. "That will enable us and other
stakeholders to see that the promises are being met."
A key sign of success will be evidence of extra
financial commitment from industry, she said.
Links for this article
"Reducing animal testing: Commission agrees
partnership with industry," European Commission press
release
http://europa.eu.int/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/05/1375&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en
Günter Verheugen
http://europa.eu.int/comm/commission_barroso/verheugen/index_en.htm
Janez Potoènik
http://europa.eu.int/comm/commission_barroso/potocnik/profile/role_en.htm
European Partnership to Promote Alternative Approaches
to Animal Testing: 3 Rs Declaration
http://www.euractiv.com/29/images/Declaration%20Animal%20Testing%207%20Nov%202005_tcm29-147050.pdf
Eurogroup for Animal Welfare
http://www.eurogroupanimalwelfare.org/about.htm
Cefic http://www.cefic.be/
"Commission-industry partnership aims to reduce animal
testing," Euractive, November 5, 2005.
http://www.euractiv.com/Article?tcmuri=tcm:29-147027-16&type=News
EU directive, "Protection of animals used for
experimental purposes."
http://europa.eu.int/scadplus/leg/en/lvb/l28104.htm
S. Pincock, "UK extremist attacks drop," The
Scientist, August 5, 2005.
http://www.the-scientist.com/news/20050805/01
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Gorillas Take Stab at Mind Games
Obviously, I hate zoos. So, although zoos are mentioned here, they are done so in a context of behavior and not support. The main point to take from this is that Gorillas are primates (as are humans) and as such have the capability for developing and using tools for certain goals. I say duh..this is common sense, but a lot out there fail to realize the commonalities amongst a species. And, even more, most proclaim all primates except for humans as "stupid." Well, perhaps this article helps to show who the stupid one really is. It certainly isn't Gorillas.
From: Masako Miyaji
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news
/nation/13080645.htm
Posted on Fri, Nov. 04, 2005
Gorillas take stab at mind games
BY WILLIAM MULLEN
Chicago Tribune
CHICAGO - When reports came out of Africa in recent
weeks that researchers for the first time in history
were seeing wild gorillas using sticks and rocks as
tools, keepers at Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo weren't
exactly surprised.
Earlier this year, zoo researchers watched two female
gorillas figure out how to use sticks to retrieve two
of their favorite snack foods - ketchup and mustard -
from holes in a fake termite mound. It took weeks, but
the apes finally learned that if they inserted a stick
of the right length into the holes, the stick would
come out coated with a slurpable treat.
Already they had watched as zoo gorillas tackled "food
puzzles," or lengths of PVC pipe sealed at each end,
pierced with holes and stuffed with raisins or peanut
butter. Sometimes the apes shook treats out of the
holes, but other times they seemed to use sticks to
dig at the food, a behavior that could be construed as
tool use.
"We had seen our gorillas do this, as had keepers at
other zoos, but because gorillas aren't known to be
tool users in the wild, it was thought this knowledge
of captive gorillas using them was not applicable,"
said Elizabeth Lonsdorf, the zoo's director of
conservation resources.
But in late September, field researchers in the
Republic of Congo reported they had seen a female
lowland gorilla use long sticks to gauge water depth
while walking through a swamp pond. A different female
selected and laid down a dead tree trunk to cross a
deep swamp patch.
Other researchers at a lowland gorilla sanctuary in
Congo reported last month on an orphaned, 2
1/2-year-old female gorilla who smashes palm nuts
between rocks to extract oil - an even more complex
behavior known as the "hammer and anvil" technique.
This proof that tool use is a natural behavior for
gorillas represents a surprisingly profound discovery.
Previously it was thought humans and chimpanzees were
the only primates that have the cognitive powers
needed to fashion and use tools to accomplish certain
tasks. Seeing gorillas use tools indicates that
cognitive power probably occurred far earlier in
history than previously thought, when all the great
apes had a common ancestor.
It also points up the irony, said Lonsdorf that only
in the recent past has science begun to study man's
closest genetic relatives - gorillas, chimps and
orangutans - just when human activity has wild apes on
a fast path to extinction.
"Before we really get to know and understand their
lives in the wilderness, they could be gone," Lonsdorf
said.
Lonsdorf said it doesn't surprise her that scientists
are only now observing tool use by gorillas in the
wild.
"Most of what we know about wild gorillas is from a
very small population of mountain gorillas, who live
in an atypical environment for their species,"
Lonsdorf said. "Mountain gorillas live in a salad
bowl, feeding on a relatively narrow selection of
easily obtainable fruits and leaves that they have no
trouble finding or eating."
For that reason, they have little incentive to develop
tools.
With fewer than 700 mountain gorillas left, zoos keep
and breed only lowland gorillas. Though more numerous
than their mountain cousins, far less is known about
lowland gorillas in the wild because they live in
heavily forested, swampy terrain where it is difficult
to find them and even harder to follow them for
observation.
As big logging companies have begun clear-cutting
their forests in recent years, however, scientists
have increased efforts to get in the swamps and learn
about them in hopes of slowing the wholesale
destruction of their world. The discovery of the two
females using tools in the swamp in the Republic of
Congo grew out of those efforts.
Soon after Lincoln Park moved its resident troops of
lowland gorillas and chimpanzees into the zoo's new
apehouse in July 2004, Lonsdorf and her colleagues
started a comparative study of tool use between
gorillas and chimps.
One of the ape habitats in the building is equipped
with a fake termite mound. Because it is built flush
to a viewing window, the public can see into the
mound's hollow interior.
That is where keepers can attach tubes filled with
mustard or ketchup to small holes that are open to the
apes and allow them to smell the treats.
Keepers leave sticks and straw of varying lengths near
the mound, but it is up to the apes to decide to pick
up a stick or stem and try to insert it into a hole.
If the stick is long enough, it will come out coated
with the condiment.
The experiment started with a troop of chimps known as
Hank's group after one of its male leaders. In the
wild, chimps learn from their mothers to "fish" for
termites to eat by carefully poking sticks and straw
into termite mound holes.
"The chimps caught on the very first day," said
Lonsdorf, "at least the female chimps did. From then
on ... they would get so excited when they heard
keepers inside the termite mound, they were sticking
their sticks through the hole before the mustard tubes
were attached. It got so I worried they'd poke a
keeper's eye out."
The male chimps weren't so quick to pick up on the
technique, she said, which also is the case in the
wild.
"One little male in Hank's group tried it
unsuccessfully," she said, and other young males
didn't try at all. "It took Hank four weeks to catch
on."
Last January, keepers moved Hank's group out and
brought in a gorilla group headed by JoJo, a
silverback. Unlike the chimps, JoJo's family had
frequently played with the PVC pipe food puzzles in
the past.
"We baited our termite holes at random times between
11 a.m. and 2 p.m., sometimes two days a week,
sometimes three," said Lonsdorf. "We don't want them
to become accustomed to it through routine."
The gorillas, especially the adult females, quickly
noticed something was happening when they heard the
keepers inside the mound after two weeks of no treats.
Ignoring the sticks under their feet, they'd spend 15
or 20 minutes trying fruitlessly to stick their
fingers into the holes before losing interest.
"It took almost two months before any of the gorillas
figured it out," Lonsdorf said. The two adult females,
Makari, 18, and Bahati, 15, were the ones who
succeeded.
No other gorillas ever learned to use the sticks.
Early in September, keepers switched Hank's group back
in. As the research continues, JoJo's family likely
will be returned to the habitat at some point next
year to see if more gorillas learn how to use the
sticks.
"It's a good situation for comparative studies in
which the chimps and gorillas are given the
opportunity to do the same tasks in the same
environment," Lonsdorf said.
She and the zoo's chief animal behaviorist, Steve
Ross, already are trying to devise a second tool
experiment, providing hard-shelled nuts to the apes
and a hammer-like object to break them open.
The trick for the scientists is to figure out how they
can add a big rock to the exhibit that is anchored
with an unbreakable chain or cable so it can't be
carried away by the animals.
"Obviously we can't leave a big boulder in there,"
said Lonsdorf, "because JoJo or Hank might try tossing
it through a window."
From: Masako Miyaji
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news
/nation/13080645.htm
Posted on Fri, Nov. 04, 2005
Gorillas take stab at mind games
BY WILLIAM MULLEN
Chicago Tribune
CHICAGO - When reports came out of Africa in recent
weeks that researchers for the first time in history
were seeing wild gorillas using sticks and rocks as
tools, keepers at Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo weren't
exactly surprised.
Earlier this year, zoo researchers watched two female
gorillas figure out how to use sticks to retrieve two
of their favorite snack foods - ketchup and mustard -
from holes in a fake termite mound. It took weeks, but
the apes finally learned that if they inserted a stick
of the right length into the holes, the stick would
come out coated with a slurpable treat.
Already they had watched as zoo gorillas tackled "food
puzzles," or lengths of PVC pipe sealed at each end,
pierced with holes and stuffed with raisins or peanut
butter. Sometimes the apes shook treats out of the
holes, but other times they seemed to use sticks to
dig at the food, a behavior that could be construed as
tool use.
"We had seen our gorillas do this, as had keepers at
other zoos, but because gorillas aren't known to be
tool users in the wild, it was thought this knowledge
of captive gorillas using them was not applicable,"
said Elizabeth Lonsdorf, the zoo's director of
conservation resources.
But in late September, field researchers in the
Republic of Congo reported they had seen a female
lowland gorilla use long sticks to gauge water depth
while walking through a swamp pond. A different female
selected and laid down a dead tree trunk to cross a
deep swamp patch.
Other researchers at a lowland gorilla sanctuary in
Congo reported last month on an orphaned, 2
1/2-year-old female gorilla who smashes palm nuts
between rocks to extract oil - an even more complex
behavior known as the "hammer and anvil" technique.
This proof that tool use is a natural behavior for
gorillas represents a surprisingly profound discovery.
Previously it was thought humans and chimpanzees were
the only primates that have the cognitive powers
needed to fashion and use tools to accomplish certain
tasks. Seeing gorillas use tools indicates that
cognitive power probably occurred far earlier in
history than previously thought, when all the great
apes had a common ancestor.
It also points up the irony, said Lonsdorf that only
in the recent past has science begun to study man's
closest genetic relatives - gorillas, chimps and
orangutans - just when human activity has wild apes on
a fast path to extinction.
"Before we really get to know and understand their
lives in the wilderness, they could be gone," Lonsdorf
said.
Lonsdorf said it doesn't surprise her that scientists
are only now observing tool use by gorillas in the
wild.
"Most of what we know about wild gorillas is from a
very small population of mountain gorillas, who live
in an atypical environment for their species,"
Lonsdorf said. "Mountain gorillas live in a salad
bowl, feeding on a relatively narrow selection of
easily obtainable fruits and leaves that they have no
trouble finding or eating."
For that reason, they have little incentive to develop
tools.
With fewer than 700 mountain gorillas left, zoos keep
and breed only lowland gorillas. Though more numerous
than their mountain cousins, far less is known about
lowland gorillas in the wild because they live in
heavily forested, swampy terrain where it is difficult
to find them and even harder to follow them for
observation.
As big logging companies have begun clear-cutting
their forests in recent years, however, scientists
have increased efforts to get in the swamps and learn
about them in hopes of slowing the wholesale
destruction of their world. The discovery of the two
females using tools in the swamp in the Republic of
Congo grew out of those efforts.
Soon after Lincoln Park moved its resident troops of
lowland gorillas and chimpanzees into the zoo's new
apehouse in July 2004, Lonsdorf and her colleagues
started a comparative study of tool use between
gorillas and chimps.
One of the ape habitats in the building is equipped
with a fake termite mound. Because it is built flush
to a viewing window, the public can see into the
mound's hollow interior.
That is where keepers can attach tubes filled with
mustard or ketchup to small holes that are open to the
apes and allow them to smell the treats.
Keepers leave sticks and straw of varying lengths near
the mound, but it is up to the apes to decide to pick
up a stick or stem and try to insert it into a hole.
If the stick is long enough, it will come out coated
with the condiment.
The experiment started with a troop of chimps known as
Hank's group after one of its male leaders. In the
wild, chimps learn from their mothers to "fish" for
termites to eat by carefully poking sticks and straw
into termite mound holes.
"The chimps caught on the very first day," said
Lonsdorf, "at least the female chimps did. From then
on ... they would get so excited when they heard
keepers inside the termite mound, they were sticking
their sticks through the hole before the mustard tubes
were attached. It got so I worried they'd poke a
keeper's eye out."
The male chimps weren't so quick to pick up on the
technique, she said, which also is the case in the
wild.
"One little male in Hank's group tried it
unsuccessfully," she said, and other young males
didn't try at all. "It took Hank four weeks to catch
on."
Last January, keepers moved Hank's group out and
brought in a gorilla group headed by JoJo, a
silverback. Unlike the chimps, JoJo's family had
frequently played with the PVC pipe food puzzles in
the past.
"We baited our termite holes at random times between
11 a.m. and 2 p.m., sometimes two days a week,
sometimes three," said Lonsdorf. "We don't want them
to become accustomed to it through routine."
The gorillas, especially the adult females, quickly
noticed something was happening when they heard the
keepers inside the mound after two weeks of no treats.
Ignoring the sticks under their feet, they'd spend 15
or 20 minutes trying fruitlessly to stick their
fingers into the holes before losing interest.
"It took almost two months before any of the gorillas
figured it out," Lonsdorf said. The two adult females,
Makari, 18, and Bahati, 15, were the ones who
succeeded.
No other gorillas ever learned to use the sticks.
Early in September, keepers switched Hank's group back
in. As the research continues, JoJo's family likely
will be returned to the habitat at some point next
year to see if more gorillas learn how to use the
sticks.
"It's a good situation for comparative studies in
which the chimps and gorillas are given the
opportunity to do the same tasks in the same
environment," Lonsdorf said.
She and the zoo's chief animal behaviorist, Steve
Ross, already are trying to devise a second tool
experiment, providing hard-shelled nuts to the apes
and a hammer-like object to break them open.
The trick for the scientists is to figure out how they
can add a big rock to the exhibit that is anchored
with an unbreakable chain or cable so it can't be
carried away by the animals.
"Obviously we can't leave a big boulder in there,"
said Lonsdorf, "because JoJo or Hank might try tossing
it through a window."
More than 100 Homeless 'Katrina Dogs' Found Suffering in Shelter
A few reasons to post this.
1. Shows that you should never just trust a place that has the word shelter in it's name.
2. Shows the devastation caused to dogs and cats from Hurricane Katrina.
3. Shows that desperate needs still exist for those to save and adopt (more at http://www.animalrescueneworleans.com).
From: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/HurricaneKatrina/story?id=1303571
More than 100 Homeless 'Katrina Dogs' Found Suffering in Shelter
The Deplorable Conditions Most Likely a Case of Animal Hoarding, Experts Say
By JOY VICTORY
Nov. 15, 2005 — - Adding horror to heartbreak, about 107 dogs rescued from the streets of hurricane-battered New Orleans didn't make it to happy homes -- or even clean, well-stocked animal shelters.
Instead, these dogs had the misfortune of ending up in deplorable conditions with about 400 other dogs in the Every Dog Needs a Home shelter in Gamaliel, Ark.
Discovered by authorities in late October, the scenario was stomach-turning: The estimated 477 dogs, three goats and two cats were steeping in filth. Many were injured, most were aggressive, and almost all of them were cramped. At least six dogs were dead, some still in transport containers.
"They were standing in their own filth, feces, urine," said Humane Society of the United States volunteer Desiree Bender in a report published by the society. "Their paws were burning, bleeding. You couldn't get close to them at first. They were so aggressive. They had not been walked or moved, and they were in such pain."
Bender was referring to several "Katrina dogs" who apparently had not been let out of their cages since being taken from New Orleans by Tammy and William Hanson, who operated the shelter.
Animal rescue experts say that what authorities had stumbled upon was a case of "animal hoarding," in which animals are collected by a pet owner who becomes overwhelmed by the responsibility to care for them. While the pets suffer in unimaginable conditions, the owner sinks into a bizarre denial about the conditions and will continue to accumulate pets. It is thought to be closely linked to mental illness, although it is still a new area of research.
'Crazy Cat Ladies'
Animal hoarders come from all walks of society, says Gary Patronek, director of the Tufts University Center for Animals and Public Policy and the founder of the Hoarding of Animals Research Consortium.
Some are the stereotypical "crazy cat ladies," but many are single men, married couples or even the unexpected -- veterinarians and psychiatrists.
"That does suggest a mental health component -- if someone can counsel people all day or deliver healing animal care, and then go home, like some Jekyll and Hyde," he said.
Even though the stench was overwhelming and dead dogs were strewn about the property, the Arkansas shelter's owners insisted in newspaper reports that they were innocent and were pressured into taking in more animals. They both have been arrested and charged with animal cruelty.
"We were overwhelmed with the new dogs arriving, but we were getting it together," William Hanson said Oct. 24 in an interview with The Baxter Bulletin in Mountain Home, Ark. "A week from now it would have been a whole different story."
The Hansons, local authorities and the Humane Society have been trying to hammer out a compromise. Currently, the Humane Society is taking care of the dogs, but the Hansons are still technically the animals' owners, said Melissa Rubin, vice president of the society's field and disaster services.
"The dogs are considered property under the law," Rubin said. "We've fixed up the place and taken care of (Tammy's) animals, but they're still hers."
This case is just one of the thousands of reports annually of animal hoarding, said Randy Frost, a psychology professor at Smith College and a hoarding researcher.
An Addictive Behavior
Some hoarders are individuals who keep the pets in their own homes, others have animal shelters.
"In some ways, people like this serve a function in the community, in that people will often offload their unwanted animals thinking, now it's taken care of, without really exploring what's happening to the animals," Frost said. "That's how many people with animal hoarding problems develop 'collections' -- other people not wanting the animals anymore."
Newspaper reports state that the Hansons refused to let people who dropped off pets to get past a second gate on the property, and that this wasn't Tammy's first run-in with the law. In 2003, she was charged with -- but not convicted of -- animal cruelty in a similar case in Missouri, the Bulletin reported. And in 1994, she was convicted of impersonating a medical doctor.
Animal hoarders are rarely able to stop collecting animals because the condition is like an addiction, Patronek said. Lenient state laws also can mean little jail time or enforced counseling.
"It's like any other addictive behavior -- you can't just say no," he said.
While it's hard to generalize about hoarders, there are some noticeable patterns, Frost said.
"The one characteristic that cuts through all of it is a failure to appreciate the living conditions. There may be some recognition that it's not good, but yet it's not considered dire," he said. And "these folks come to look at these animals as somehow being independent or possessing human-like characteristics ... so the person is absolved of taking care of the animal."
This may stem from an erratic childhood upbringing in which the hoarder's only sense of stability or love came from a beloved family pet, Patronek said. "There's something there to give them unconditional love regardless of what the rest of their world is like. It's an attempt to fulfill all these unmet human needs that can't possibly be filled by these animals. That's why they try to acquire more." Hoarders usually suffer from a variety of mental illnesses, such as depression. But where things go really awry -- and what is hardest to understand -- is why the animals are allowed to suffer. Chalk that up to human adaptability, Frost said. The person reaches a breaking point and can no longer care for the animals, but also doesn't want to give up the animals.
"The person habituates to living in an environment that is compromised. Often it's not just the animals that are living in these conditions. The human beings are too," Frost said. "For some reason, their sense of appropriate living space, including their sense of smell, has habituated to an environment that most us find intolerable."
1. Shows that you should never just trust a place that has the word shelter in it's name.
2. Shows the devastation caused to dogs and cats from Hurricane Katrina.
3. Shows that desperate needs still exist for those to save and adopt (more at http://www.animalrescueneworleans.com).
From: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/HurricaneKatrina/story?id=1303571
More than 100 Homeless 'Katrina Dogs' Found Suffering in Shelter
The Deplorable Conditions Most Likely a Case of Animal Hoarding, Experts Say
By JOY VICTORY
Nov. 15, 2005 — - Adding horror to heartbreak, about 107 dogs rescued from the streets of hurricane-battered New Orleans didn't make it to happy homes -- or even clean, well-stocked animal shelters.
Instead, these dogs had the misfortune of ending up in deplorable conditions with about 400 other dogs in the Every Dog Needs a Home shelter in Gamaliel, Ark.
Discovered by authorities in late October, the scenario was stomach-turning: The estimated 477 dogs, three goats and two cats were steeping in filth. Many were injured, most were aggressive, and almost all of them were cramped. At least six dogs were dead, some still in transport containers.
"They were standing in their own filth, feces, urine," said Humane Society of the United States volunteer Desiree Bender in a report published by the society. "Their paws were burning, bleeding. You couldn't get close to them at first. They were so aggressive. They had not been walked or moved, and they were in such pain."
Bender was referring to several "Katrina dogs" who apparently had not been let out of their cages since being taken from New Orleans by Tammy and William Hanson, who operated the shelter.
Animal rescue experts say that what authorities had stumbled upon was a case of "animal hoarding," in which animals are collected by a pet owner who becomes overwhelmed by the responsibility to care for them. While the pets suffer in unimaginable conditions, the owner sinks into a bizarre denial about the conditions and will continue to accumulate pets. It is thought to be closely linked to mental illness, although it is still a new area of research.
'Crazy Cat Ladies'
Animal hoarders come from all walks of society, says Gary Patronek, director of the Tufts University Center for Animals and Public Policy and the founder of the Hoarding of Animals Research Consortium.
Some are the stereotypical "crazy cat ladies," but many are single men, married couples or even the unexpected -- veterinarians and psychiatrists.
"That does suggest a mental health component -- if someone can counsel people all day or deliver healing animal care, and then go home, like some Jekyll and Hyde," he said.
Even though the stench was overwhelming and dead dogs were strewn about the property, the Arkansas shelter's owners insisted in newspaper reports that they were innocent and were pressured into taking in more animals. They both have been arrested and charged with animal cruelty.
"We were overwhelmed with the new dogs arriving, but we were getting it together," William Hanson said Oct. 24 in an interview with The Baxter Bulletin in Mountain Home, Ark. "A week from now it would have been a whole different story."
The Hansons, local authorities and the Humane Society have been trying to hammer out a compromise. Currently, the Humane Society is taking care of the dogs, but the Hansons are still technically the animals' owners, said Melissa Rubin, vice president of the society's field and disaster services.
"The dogs are considered property under the law," Rubin said. "We've fixed up the place and taken care of (Tammy's) animals, but they're still hers."
This case is just one of the thousands of reports annually of animal hoarding, said Randy Frost, a psychology professor at Smith College and a hoarding researcher.
An Addictive Behavior
Some hoarders are individuals who keep the pets in their own homes, others have animal shelters.
"In some ways, people like this serve a function in the community, in that people will often offload their unwanted animals thinking, now it's taken care of, without really exploring what's happening to the animals," Frost said. "That's how many people with animal hoarding problems develop 'collections' -- other people not wanting the animals anymore."
Newspaper reports state that the Hansons refused to let people who dropped off pets to get past a second gate on the property, and that this wasn't Tammy's first run-in with the law. In 2003, she was charged with -- but not convicted of -- animal cruelty in a similar case in Missouri, the Bulletin reported. And in 1994, she was convicted of impersonating a medical doctor.
Animal hoarders are rarely able to stop collecting animals because the condition is like an addiction, Patronek said. Lenient state laws also can mean little jail time or enforced counseling.
"It's like any other addictive behavior -- you can't just say no," he said.
While it's hard to generalize about hoarders, there are some noticeable patterns, Frost said.
"The one characteristic that cuts through all of it is a failure to appreciate the living conditions. There may be some recognition that it's not good, but yet it's not considered dire," he said. And "these folks come to look at these animals as somehow being independent or possessing human-like characteristics ... so the person is absolved of taking care of the animal."
This may stem from an erratic childhood upbringing in which the hoarder's only sense of stability or love came from a beloved family pet, Patronek said. "There's something there to give them unconditional love regardless of what the rest of their world is like. It's an attempt to fulfill all these unmet human needs that can't possibly be filled by these animals. That's why they try to acquire more." Hoarders usually suffer from a variety of mental illnesses, such as depression. But where things go really awry -- and what is hardest to understand -- is why the animals are allowed to suffer. Chalk that up to human adaptability, Frost said. The person reaches a breaking point and can no longer care for the animals, but also doesn't want to give up the animals.
"The person habituates to living in an environment that is compromised. Often it's not just the animals that are living in these conditions. The human beings are too," Frost said. "For some reason, their sense of appropriate living space, including their sense of smell, has habituated to an environment that most us find intolerable."
Friday, November 11, 2005
Trader Joe’s Opts to Sell Only Cage-Free Eggs
A great step and a great victory. Definitely on the right track.
Trader Joe’s ‘chickens out,’ opts to sell only cage-free
By Jennifer Heldt Powell
Wednesday, November 9, 2005
Trader Joe’s plans to free the chickens.
The grocer, under intense customer pressure organized by animal
rights activists, said it will no longer put its name on eggs laid by
chickens confined to tiny cages.
“Customers looking for cage-free eggs will need to look no further
than the Trader Joe’s label,” the company said in a statement.
It’s a great day for chickens, said Paul Shapiro, who is organizing
the anti-cage campaign for the Humane Society of the United States.
Commonly, commercial egg-laying hens are kept in cages so small they
can’t spread their wings, walk around or engage in natural behaviors such
as nesting or dust bathing, he said.
“The abuse these birds endure is so immense that no socially
responsible company should support it,” Shapiro said.
The cage-free birds can be confined inside, as long as they’re not
stuck in cages. That’s a compromise from calling for free-range birds,
which are allowed to wander in and out.
Other grocers who’ve signed on to the cage-free movement include
Whole Foods Market and Wild Oats Natural Marketplace.
Although some countries have banned the cages, the Humane Society for
now is focusing on customer pressure rather than new laws to change
practices in the United States.
Trader Joe’s ‘chickens out,’ opts to sell only cage-free
By Jennifer Heldt Powell
Wednesday, November 9, 2005
Trader Joe’s plans to free the chickens.
The grocer, under intense customer pressure organized by animal
rights activists, said it will no longer put its name on eggs laid by
chickens confined to tiny cages.
“Customers looking for cage-free eggs will need to look no further
than the Trader Joe’s label,” the company said in a statement.
It’s a great day for chickens, said Paul Shapiro, who is organizing
the anti-cage campaign for the Humane Society of the United States.
Commonly, commercial egg-laying hens are kept in cages so small they
can’t spread their wings, walk around or engage in natural behaviors such
as nesting or dust bathing, he said.
“The abuse these birds endure is so immense that no socially
responsible company should support it,” Shapiro said.
The cage-free birds can be confined inside, as long as they’re not
stuck in cages. That’s a compromise from calling for free-range birds,
which are allowed to wander in and out.
Other grocers who’ve signed on to the cage-free movement include
Whole Foods Market and Wild Oats Natural Marketplace.
Although some countries have banned the cages, the Humane Society for
now is focusing on customer pressure rather than new laws to change
practices in the United States.
A very creative way of discussing and showing the truth behind animal testing. ANIMAL TESTING IS FUN WITH PROFESSOR VITZERDOOBLE!
From another group. Very good. You really all need to see this. A very creative way of discussing and showing the truth behind animal testing.
Ever wondered what goes on in the minds of scientists who test on animals?
World renowned Professor Vitzerdooble has produced a new public information
film to explain why using animals is still the best way to test chemicals.
With the help of his “little friends” – the animals in his laboratory – the
Professor answers criticisms that animal testing is cruel, outdated,
expensive and inaccurate.
You really don’t know about animal testing until you’ve seen this.
See the film at http://www.testingtoday.info/
The short film Testing Today with Professor Vitzerdooble has been brought
to you by the BUAV, in the interests of a fair and open debate. Please
forward it to as many people as you can.
Ever wondered what goes on in the minds of scientists who test on animals?
World renowned Professor Vitzerdooble has produced a new public information
film to explain why using animals is still the best way to test chemicals.
With the help of his “little friends” – the animals in his laboratory – the
Professor answers criticisms that animal testing is cruel, outdated,
expensive and inaccurate.
You really don’t know about animal testing until you’ve seen this.
See the film at http://www.testingtoday.info/
The short film Testing Today with Professor Vitzerdooble has been brought
to you by the BUAV, in the interests of a fair and open debate. Please
forward it to as many people as you can.
Hunting Season Opens for Mythical Creature
How does the saying go? "Human, oh so very human."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051111
/ap_on_re_eu/sweden_lake_monster
Hunting Season Opens for Mythical Creature
By KARL RITTER, Associated Press WriterFri Nov 11,12:35 AM ET
A mythical monster, believed by some to have lived for hundreds of years in the murky depths of a Swedish lake, is now fair game for hunters — if they can find it. Authorities have agreed to lift its endangered species protection.
Hundreds of people claim to have spotted a large serpent-like creature in Lake Storsjon in the northwestern province of Jamtland, and in 1986 the regional council put it on a list of endangered animals.
But a government watchdog challenged the decision, saying such protection was hardly necessary for a creature whose existence has not been proven.
The regional council agreed to remove the listing this month, but declined to rule out that a monster lives in the 300-foot deep lake.
"It exists, inasmuch as it lives in the minds of people," the council's chief legal adviser Peter Lif said about the purported beast. "But I guess we'll have to agree that it cannot be proved scientifically, and then it should not be listed as an endangered species."
The so-called Storsjo monster was first mentioned in print in 1635. Hundreds of sightings have been reported since then. Some people describe the creature as a snakelike animal with a dog's head and fins on its neck. But no clear image of it has been captured on camera.
Storsjo monster aficionados said lifting the endangered species protection was a mistake, and appeared insulted by the decision.
"We are not fanatics," said Christer Berko, of the Storsjo monster association. "We see this as very interesting phenomenon that we unfortunately have not been able to document."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051111
/ap_on_re_eu/sweden_lake_monster
Hunting Season Opens for Mythical Creature
By KARL RITTER, Associated Press WriterFri Nov 11,12:35 AM ET
A mythical monster, believed by some to have lived for hundreds of years in the murky depths of a Swedish lake, is now fair game for hunters — if they can find it. Authorities have agreed to lift its endangered species protection.
Hundreds of people claim to have spotted a large serpent-like creature in Lake Storsjon in the northwestern province of Jamtland, and in 1986 the regional council put it on a list of endangered animals.
But a government watchdog challenged the decision, saying such protection was hardly necessary for a creature whose existence has not been proven.
The regional council agreed to remove the listing this month, but declined to rule out that a monster lives in the 300-foot deep lake.
"It exists, inasmuch as it lives in the minds of people," the council's chief legal adviser Peter Lif said about the purported beast. "But I guess we'll have to agree that it cannot be proved scientifically, and then it should not be listed as an endangered species."
The so-called Storsjo monster was first mentioned in print in 1635. Hundreds of sightings have been reported since then. Some people describe the creature as a snakelike animal with a dog's head and fins on its neck. But no clear image of it has been captured on camera.
Storsjo monster aficionados said lifting the endangered species protection was a mistake, and appeared insulted by the decision.
"We are not fanatics," said Christer Berko, of the Storsjo monster association. "We see this as very interesting phenomenon that we unfortunately have not been able to document."
Thursday, November 10, 2005
Congo's Hippos Hunted, Eaten to Extinction
Just terrible. What a bunch of scum.
Of particular note is a statement at the end by some jack:
"I know killing a hippo is illegal, but I don't know why," said Kiyana Zirimagawabo, 55, wearing green flip-flops and a cowboy hat over his graying hair. "Animals are for us to eat."
Not too long ago, people thought the same thing about his ancestors - but that they were to be used for work. You'd think he'd lay off such a bold statement. For him, extinction is just another word for satiated apatite.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051109/
ap_on_re_af/congo_disappearing_hippos
Congo's Hippos Hunted, Eaten to Extinction
By ANJAN SUNDARAM, Associated Press WriterWed Nov 9, 2:10 PM ET
In his poaching days in the Congo forests, Guillaume Kasereka used a rusty Russian-made rocket launcher to kill hippos for meat. These days, he says, they're too scarce and the competition too fierce — rebels and militiamen machine-gun the animals and even dynamite lakes to bring dead hippo to the surface.
Congo's hippopotamus population, the world's largest, is being devastated by poaching, conservation officials say. Only about 800 remain in Virunga National Park, in the northeast of the country, down from 29,000 in the mid-1970s, according to Walter Dzeidzic of the World Wildlife Fund in Congo. Dzeidzic says the hippo may soon be extinct in the Central African nation.
The poachers are believed to be veterans of Congolese bush wars and former Hutu rebels who fled to eastern Congo in 1994 after killing Tutsis in the genocide in neighboring Rwanda. They hunt because they are hungry, but also for profit — the meat, though tough, is a pricey delicacy and a three-ton hippo fetches thousands of dollars in village markets across northeastern Congo.
A stocky Congolese ex-militiaman told a reporter he and his comrades had killed 40 hippos in the past three years.
He said they were hungry and needed money, but acknowledged they may have killed too many. He asked that his name not be used, saying he feared retribution for abandoning his militia.
Villagers say hippo meat usually comes to markets unannounced. Its sale is illegal and it sells fast.
"Sometimes we hear of hippopotamus meat in the village market," said Agustin Ndimu, a wildlife officer with the WWF who tracks the hippo meat trade. "But even an hour later, the meat is all sold and there is no trace to follow."
A restaurant owner in the river town of Rutshuru, about 45 miles north of the city of Goma, told a reporter she was out of hippo meat. Knowing the trade is illegal, she refused to give her name.
Mashuri Mazakongo, a 44-year-old bean farmer in ragged clothes, held up a worn and heavily lined palm and said: "That much meat is $5" — enough to feed him for three to four days.
"I like eating hippos, even though the meat is tough," he said. "But I don't go near them now. They belong to the enemies."
"The enemies" is the villagers' term for the estimated 5,000 Hutu rebels in Virunga National Park who are notorious for looting Congolese villages and raping their women.
Not all the villagers see a link between their appetites and the dwindling hippo population.
"I know killing a hippo is illegal, but I don't know why," said Kiyana Zirimagawabo, 55, wearing green flip-flops and a cowboy hat over his graying hair. "Animals are for us to eat."
Of particular note is a statement at the end by some jack:
"I know killing a hippo is illegal, but I don't know why," said Kiyana Zirimagawabo, 55, wearing green flip-flops and a cowboy hat over his graying hair. "Animals are for us to eat."
Not too long ago, people thought the same thing about his ancestors - but that they were to be used for work. You'd think he'd lay off such a bold statement. For him, extinction is just another word for satiated apatite.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051109/
ap_on_re_af/congo_disappearing_hippos
Congo's Hippos Hunted, Eaten to Extinction
By ANJAN SUNDARAM, Associated Press WriterWed Nov 9, 2:10 PM ET
In his poaching days in the Congo forests, Guillaume Kasereka used a rusty Russian-made rocket launcher to kill hippos for meat. These days, he says, they're too scarce and the competition too fierce — rebels and militiamen machine-gun the animals and even dynamite lakes to bring dead hippo to the surface.
Congo's hippopotamus population, the world's largest, is being devastated by poaching, conservation officials say. Only about 800 remain in Virunga National Park, in the northeast of the country, down from 29,000 in the mid-1970s, according to Walter Dzeidzic of the World Wildlife Fund in Congo. Dzeidzic says the hippo may soon be extinct in the Central African nation.
The poachers are believed to be veterans of Congolese bush wars and former Hutu rebels who fled to eastern Congo in 1994 after killing Tutsis in the genocide in neighboring Rwanda. They hunt because they are hungry, but also for profit — the meat, though tough, is a pricey delicacy and a three-ton hippo fetches thousands of dollars in village markets across northeastern Congo.
A stocky Congolese ex-militiaman told a reporter he and his comrades had killed 40 hippos in the past three years.
He said they were hungry and needed money, but acknowledged they may have killed too many. He asked that his name not be used, saying he feared retribution for abandoning his militia.
Villagers say hippo meat usually comes to markets unannounced. Its sale is illegal and it sells fast.
"Sometimes we hear of hippopotamus meat in the village market," said Agustin Ndimu, a wildlife officer with the WWF who tracks the hippo meat trade. "But even an hour later, the meat is all sold and there is no trace to follow."
A restaurant owner in the river town of Rutshuru, about 45 miles north of the city of Goma, told a reporter she was out of hippo meat. Knowing the trade is illegal, she refused to give her name.
Mashuri Mazakongo, a 44-year-old bean farmer in ragged clothes, held up a worn and heavily lined palm and said: "That much meat is $5" — enough to feed him for three to four days.
"I like eating hippos, even though the meat is tough," he said. "But I don't go near them now. They belong to the enemies."
"The enemies" is the villagers' term for the estimated 5,000 Hutu rebels in Virunga National Park who are notorious for looting Congolese villages and raping their women.
Not all the villagers see a link between their appetites and the dwindling hippo population.
"I know killing a hippo is illegal, but I don't know why," said Kiyana Zirimagawabo, 55, wearing green flip-flops and a cowboy hat over his graying hair. "Animals are for us to eat."
Tuesday, November 08, 2005
Update on Hurrican Katrina Animal Victim Resue Update: What's Really Going on There
Read on. A sobering messege on the reality of the situation. Again, if you can help, please do so.
From: animalrescueneworleans.com
11/7 Very depressing day...
Today we found 3 dead cats at 3 separate houses. These were cats who had
only died in the past few days. Two of the cats were found dead on their
front porches next to empty food and water bowls. The other was found dead
on the back porch of a house where again, no food/water was available. Why
did these animals die? Because we do not have enough people to feed them.
This is not a normal city on a normal day where animals can search through
trash for scraps. This is a city where the majority of the residents have
not returned so no trash is being generated. This is a city where there are
no puddles for them to drink out of because it has not rained in over a
month. This is a city where there are no residents who will feed them
because very few people are actually living in New Orleans. This is a city
in a crisis. These animals have nothing but us to help them. I hate to say
it but the animal community is failing these animals. Today we only had 24
people to put out food and water stations in a city that has thousands of
animals on the streets. It is a tragedy that these animals made it through
the hurricane, made it through the flood, made it through another hurricane
and are dieing because they don't have enough food and water. Please don't
think that someone else will go and help...because they won't and they're
not. Please get in your car, get on a plane and come to New Orleans to help
put food and water out for these animals. We currently have over three
thousand locations in our database where we know animals are hiding under
porches and under houses. I am begging you to please help. We will provide
you with the list of locations and all the dog and cat food you will need.
Just come...
All the instructions you need are on Animalrescueneworleans.com.
PLEASE don't let anymore animals die...
Jane Garrison
From: animalrescueneworleans.com
11/7 Very depressing day...
Today we found 3 dead cats at 3 separate houses. These were cats who had
only died in the past few days. Two of the cats were found dead on their
front porches next to empty food and water bowls. The other was found dead
on the back porch of a house where again, no food/water was available. Why
did these animals die? Because we do not have enough people to feed them.
This is not a normal city on a normal day where animals can search through
trash for scraps. This is a city where the majority of the residents have
not returned so no trash is being generated. This is a city where there are
no puddles for them to drink out of because it has not rained in over a
month. This is a city where there are no residents who will feed them
because very few people are actually living in New Orleans. This is a city
in a crisis. These animals have nothing but us to help them. I hate to say
it but the animal community is failing these animals. Today we only had 24
people to put out food and water stations in a city that has thousands of
animals on the streets. It is a tragedy that these animals made it through
the hurricane, made it through the flood, made it through another hurricane
and are dieing because they don't have enough food and water. Please don't
think that someone else will go and help...because they won't and they're
not. Please get in your car, get on a plane and come to New Orleans to help
put food and water out for these animals. We currently have over three
thousand locations in our database where we know animals are hiding under
porches and under houses. I am begging you to please help. We will provide
you with the list of locations and all the dog and cat food you will need.
Just come...
All the instructions you need are on Animalrescueneworleans.com.
PLEASE don't let anymore animals die...
Jane Garrison
Monday, November 07, 2005
Animal Rescue New Orleans Needs You Now - Yep, Still Work to be Done. Here's How You Can Help Those Animals Still Victims of Hurricane Katrina
It's hard to belive that there is still so much to be done. This email is pretty clear on how you can help. Please read and do what you can.
http://www.AnimalRescueNewOrleans.com
Jane Garrison & David Meyer
UPDATE FROM THE FIELD:
Question: Are volunteers still needed in New Orleans? Answer: Desperately!
WE STILL DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH VOLUNTEERS TO SUSTAIN ANIMALS WITH
FOOD/WATER UNTIL WE CAN CATCH (TRAP) THEM. They are surviving in packs or
burrowing under homes, some of which may be bulldozed.
A cat cowers in the dirt under her broken home. A pack of dogs dart between
shattered cars. Quick shadows. Glimpsed after dark. Now mere vestiges of
their former lives.
Where once there was a home, a warm lap and kind hand... There is starvation
and death for thousands of animals in the ruins of New Orleans.
November 2: We rescued an emaciated cat living amid the debris of a
destroyed home. This cat was experiencing liver failure by the time we
reached her. Sadly, the cat died while in transit to the emergency clinic...
These animals survived hurricanes and floods. How can we let them succumb to
starvation and disease? In New Orleans Parish, the Louisiana SPCA operates
with just a few officers. Nearby St. Bernard Parish has virtually no animal control.
Please reserve days, weeks—whatever you can—to help New Orleans animals.
JUST DO IT. All of your questions are answered below.
WHO DOES ANIMAL RESCUE NEW ORLEANS NEED?
1. People to help put out feeding stations.
2. People to trap dogs/cats.
3. People to transport rescued animals to Best Friends in Mississippi each evening.
4. People to transport animals to humane societies.
In other words, we need people!
HOW LONG WILL YOU BE IN NEW ORLEANS?
We need volunteers THROUGH END OF NOVEMBER INTO DECEMBER, at which time we
will assess continued need and update you.
HOW DO I VOLUNTEER?
1. PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT US UNTIL YOU KNOW YOUR ARRIVE/DEPART DATES.
2. EMAIL VOLUNTEER COORDINATORS
Brenda: info@kinshipcircle.org or Kate: katedanaher@animalearthhuman.org
3. In your email, state: (PLEASE DO NOT SEND INFO MORE THAN ONCE!)
* Full name / Name of organization (if applicable)
* Street, city, state
* Cell phone, land phone
* Email address
* Brief description of experience working with animals
* ARRIVE/DEPART dates in New Orleans
* Where did you hear about us or see our alert?
info@KinshipCircle.org, Best Friends, ARNO website, other blog, website or list?
*When you write back, please keep our original message in the body of your email.
4. Type “HURRICANE VOLUNTEER” in the subject line of your email, or we may miss it.
5. If you are an Animal Control Officer, Veterinarian/Vet Tech, or Experienced Humane Trapper
state this in subject line of email. I.E., HURRICANE VOLUNTEER: Animal Control Officer
WHERE DO I GO WHEN I GET TO NEW ORLEANS?
Attend the morning assignment meetings - 7:30 am
Corner of Magazine and Felicity Streets by empty Star Hair & Nails bldg.
Around the corner from prior location at 1823 Magazine Street.
MAPQUEST “Magazine and Felicity St.” in New Orleans.
If you arrive after 7:30 am meeting:
Call Jane Garrison 843-343-8887 for food/water assignment area.
Call Holly: 757-641-4527 or Rob Stone: 253-307-0969
WHO DO I CALL IF...
1. I’M A LOUISIANA RESIDENT. I WANT TO HELP.
CONTACT Jane Garrison: 843-343-8887, JaneGarrison@comcast.net
2. I’M IN NEW ORLEANS, MISSED MORNING MEETING... CAN’T FIND YOU GUYS!
CONTACT Holly: 757-641-4527 or Rob Stone: 253-307-0969
3. I CAN HELP EXPORT/TRANSPORT/FOSTER ANIMALS
CONTACT Karla Osbeck: vixey23j@yahoo.com or 310-800-7011
4. I WANT TO DONATE MONEY OR SUPPLIES
CONTACT Priscilla Gargalis: pgargalis@yahoo.com
5. I READ THE WHOLE ALERT, BUT STILL HAVE QUESTIONS
Kate Danaher: katedanaher@animalearthhuman.org
Brenda Shoss: info@kinshipcircle.org
Pia Salk: piapia@adelphia.net
TELL ME ABOUT TRAVEL & ACCOMODATIONS
- Fly into New Orleans or Baton Rouge.
- Rent a vehicle with room for supplies. Vans and SUVs appreciated.
CAMPING: Bring tent to camp on parking lot/small fenced yard located
alongside property at 1585 Magazine Street.
HOMES: Request list of residents to contact directly, Brenda: info@kinshipcircle.org
FEMA TENT: (Premier Camp tent) FEMA campground with cots, laundry, food,
first aid, running water, showers, etc. that volunteers may use.
1 Melvin Bernard Hwy., Chalmette, LA 70043, Off St. Bernard Highway
State you are in town for ANIMAL RESCUE NEW ORLEANS. You must sign in and
sign out of the FEMA tent daily, or we may lose privileges to stay there.
HOTELS: Volunteers have told us about...
Days Inn, in Harvey ($99; sharing makes it reasonable) 504-366-8531
Quality Inn, in Gretna ($112; Two beds) 504-366-8531
Wyndham New Orleans, 504-566-7006
http://www.wyndham.com/hotels/MSYCP/main.wnt
AFFORDABLE TRAVEL & RIDESHARES:
Email Shanah Lia Richardson at illinoiskatrinapets@hotmail.com for help
locating affordable travel options or rideshares.
WHAT DO ARNO VOLUNTEERS DO?
1. FEED AND WATER TEAMS: Responsible for keeping animals alive until they
can be trapped. Does not require any specialized skills...just compassion and will!
2. TRAPPING TEAMS: Animal Control Officers, DVMs, Vet Techs or Individuals
with Experience Trapping Animals. These volunteers are encouraged to spend
at least one week in New Orleans and may submit (air, car rental, or gas)
travel receipts for reimbursement. An estimate of travel expenses is
required for approval.
3. RESCUE TEAMS: Rescue animals described in calls to our dispatch number as
“animals in need.” Teams also comb city to pick up street animals who
approach them without need to trap. Animal handling experience necessary.
WHERE DO THE ANIMALS GO?
CARE FOR CRITICAL ANIMALS
Animals unable to survive transport are brought to:
SE Veterinary Specialists, 504-219-0444
400 N. Causeway; Metairie, Louisiana
PROCEDURE FOR OTHER RESCUED ANIMALS
Other animals go to Southern Animal Foundation by 4:30 pm.
They are then transported to Best Friends in Tylertown, MS.
Southern Animal Foundation
1823 Magazine Street; New Orleans, LA 70130
WHAT DO YOU NEED & WHERE CAN I SEND SUPPLIES?
CONTACT Priscilla Gargalis: pgargalis@yahoo.com
SMALL SHIPMENTS TO:
ATN: Rescue Groups
Southern Animal Foundation
1823 Magazine Street
New Orleans, LA 70130
LARGE SHIPMENTS TO:
Our storage area at (Church’s parking lot) 1585 Magazine St., New Orleans, LA 70130.
PLEASE CONTACT Holly: 757-641-4527 or Rob Stone: 253-307-0969
to arrange for someone to meet you there.
WE NEED:
Dry Dog/Cat Food
ANC (pop-top) Canned Cat Food and/or Canned Mackerel (for cat/dog traps)
Fresh Water (gallon containers)
Pedialyte
Disposable Lasagna Trays or Litter Boxes (for water on the streets)
Large Plastic Dog Crates / Small Crates
Catch Poles
Humane Large Dog Traps & Cat Traps
Towels and Sheets
Cat/Dog Gloves
Car Chalk for Marking Rescue Vehicles
Gift Cards to Gas Stations / Gift Cards to Wal-Mart
Monetary Donations for Vet Care, Spay/Neuter, etc.
Vet Supplies (Lactate Ringer fluid bags & tubing), antibiotics, etc.
Bottled Water, Gatorade, Energy Bars, Snacks for Rescuers
HOW CAN I DONATE MONEY?
Make check payable to: 1-800-Save-A-Pet.com
1-800-Save-A-Pet.com / P.O. Box 7 / Redondo Beach, CA 90277
Indicate in check memo: Animal Rescue New Orleans
Donate online:
https://secure2.convio.net/sap/site/Donation?ACTION=SHOW_DONATION_OPTIONS&CAMPAIGN_ID=1541
Make check payable to: Jane Garrison
2294 Otranto Rd. / North Charleston, SC 29406
Indicate in check memo: Animal Rescue New Orleans
GIFT CARDS: http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product_listing.gsp?cat=175427
Jane can download Walmart gift cards from this site. Or, you may go to any
Walmart to purchase a gift card and mail to the address above.
HURRICANE ANIMAL RESCUE SHIRTS!
http://acustomtshirt4u.com/1800SaveAPet
FRONT: “If I leave, they leave... In Memory of Hurricane Katrina Animals”
BACK: “Animal Rescue New Orleans. 1-800-Save-A-Pet.com”
SUGGESTED PERSONAL SUPPLIES LIST
current Hepatitis vaccinations
(Hepatitis A most important)
current Tetanus shot
pepper spray
hand sanitizer; alcohol and hydrogen peroxide
insect repellent (non- aerosol if flying)
sunscreen
first aid kits
thick "bite-proof" work gloves
sturdy, waterproof (rubber) work boots/shoes
change of shoes, extra socks, hat
long sleeve shirts, long pants (for coverage, but lightweight)
eye protection (sunglasses)
cases of dust/surgical masks
MAPS OF NEW ORLEANS
utility knife, crowbar
belt (to hang gears/supplies from)
flashlights, D batteries
cell phone & car charger
phone cards (in case cell phones don’t work)
waterproof walkie talkies helpful
toilet paper
pillows, blankets, sheets, towels
water, Gatorade, snacks
other personal-care items
cash
Come prepared to camp:
tent, sleeping bag, air mattress or cot
TO SUBSCRIBE TO KINSHIP CIRCLE HURRICANE ALERTS:
Regarding Animal Rescue New Orleans with Jane Garrison, as well as other
relief efforts, send an email to info@kinshipcircle.org
FOR DETAILS NOT ADDRESSED IN THIS ALERT, TRY:
http://savinglives.1-800-save-a-pet.com/site/PageServer?pagename=KatrinaVolunteers
http://www.AnimalRescueNeworleans.com
*********************************************************
GRASSROOTS EFFORT
FOR ANIMALS OF THE STORM
KINSHIP CIRCLE
Brenda Shoss, Information & Volunteer Coordinator:
(desk) 314-863-9445; (cell) 314-795-2646
7380 Kingsbury Blvd.; Saint Louis, MO 63130
http://www.kinshipcircle.org
ANIMAL RESCUE FOUNDATION (ARF)
Julia Fischer, Supply Storage & Distribution Director:
(cell) 251-455-9377; (home) 251-645-8605
shelter phone: 251-478-9743
771 Holcombe Ave.; Mobile, Alabama 36605
http://www.animalrescuemobile.org
*DISCLAIMER:
Information in all alerts is verified with original sources, to the best of
our ability. We cannot assume responsibility for the consequences of its
use. Call or email contacts at specific locations before going.
Grassroots Effort for Animals of the Storm
Kinship Circle * Animal Rescue Foundation (ARF)
http://www.AnimalRescueNewOrleans.com
Jane Garrison & David Meyer
UPDATE FROM THE FIELD:
Question: Are volunteers still needed in New Orleans? Answer: Desperately!
WE STILL DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH VOLUNTEERS TO SUSTAIN ANIMALS WITH
FOOD/WATER UNTIL WE CAN CATCH (TRAP) THEM. They are surviving in packs or
burrowing under homes, some of which may be bulldozed.
A cat cowers in the dirt under her broken home. A pack of dogs dart between
shattered cars. Quick shadows. Glimpsed after dark. Now mere vestiges of
their former lives.
Where once there was a home, a warm lap and kind hand... There is starvation
and death for thousands of animals in the ruins of New Orleans.
November 2: We rescued an emaciated cat living amid the debris of a
destroyed home. This cat was experiencing liver failure by the time we
reached her. Sadly, the cat died while in transit to the emergency clinic...
These animals survived hurricanes and floods. How can we let them succumb to
starvation and disease? In New Orleans Parish, the Louisiana SPCA operates
with just a few officers. Nearby St. Bernard Parish has virtually no animal control.
Please reserve days, weeks—whatever you can—to help New Orleans animals.
JUST DO IT. All of your questions are answered below.
WHO DOES ANIMAL RESCUE NEW ORLEANS NEED?
1. People to help put out feeding stations.
2. People to trap dogs/cats.
3. People to transport rescued animals to Best Friends in Mississippi each evening.
4. People to transport animals to humane societies.
In other words, we need people!
HOW LONG WILL YOU BE IN NEW ORLEANS?
We need volunteers THROUGH END OF NOVEMBER INTO DECEMBER, at which time we
will assess continued need and update you.
HOW DO I VOLUNTEER?
1. PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT US UNTIL YOU KNOW YOUR ARRIVE/DEPART DATES.
2. EMAIL VOLUNTEER COORDINATORS
Brenda: info@kinshipcircle.org or Kate: katedanaher@animalearthhuman.org
3. In your email, state: (PLEASE DO NOT SEND INFO MORE THAN ONCE!)
* Full name / Name of organization (if applicable)
* Street, city, state
* Cell phone, land phone
* Email address
* Brief description of experience working with animals
* ARRIVE/DEPART dates in New Orleans
* Where did you hear about us or see our alert?
info@KinshipCircle.org, Best Friends, ARNO website, other blog, website or list?
*When you write back, please keep our original message in the body of your email.
4. Type “HURRICANE VOLUNTEER” in the subject line of your email, or we may miss it.
5. If you are an Animal Control Officer, Veterinarian/Vet Tech, or Experienced Humane Trapper
state this in subject line of email. I.E., HURRICANE VOLUNTEER: Animal Control Officer
WHERE DO I GO WHEN I GET TO NEW ORLEANS?
Attend the morning assignment meetings - 7:30 am
Corner of Magazine and Felicity Streets by empty Star Hair & Nails bldg.
Around the corner from prior location at 1823 Magazine Street.
MAPQUEST “Magazine and Felicity St.” in New Orleans.
If you arrive after 7:30 am meeting:
Call Jane Garrison 843-343-8887 for food/water assignment area.
Call Holly: 757-641-4527 or Rob Stone: 253-307-0969
WHO DO I CALL IF...
1. I’M A LOUISIANA RESIDENT. I WANT TO HELP.
CONTACT Jane Garrison: 843-343-8887, JaneGarrison@comcast.net
2. I’M IN NEW ORLEANS, MISSED MORNING MEETING... CAN’T FIND YOU GUYS!
CONTACT Holly: 757-641-4527 or Rob Stone: 253-307-0969
3. I CAN HELP EXPORT/TRANSPORT/FOSTER ANIMALS
CONTACT Karla Osbeck: vixey23j@yahoo.com or 310-800-7011
4. I WANT TO DONATE MONEY OR SUPPLIES
CONTACT Priscilla Gargalis: pgargalis@yahoo.com
5. I READ THE WHOLE ALERT, BUT STILL HAVE QUESTIONS
Kate Danaher: katedanaher@animalearthhuman.org
Brenda Shoss: info@kinshipcircle.org
Pia Salk: piapia@adelphia.net
TELL ME ABOUT TRAVEL & ACCOMODATIONS
- Fly into New Orleans or Baton Rouge.
- Rent a vehicle with room for supplies. Vans and SUVs appreciated.
CAMPING: Bring tent to camp on parking lot/small fenced yard located
alongside property at 1585 Magazine Street.
HOMES: Request list of residents to contact directly, Brenda: info@kinshipcircle.org
FEMA TENT: (Premier Camp tent) FEMA campground with cots, laundry, food,
first aid, running water, showers, etc. that volunteers may use.
1 Melvin Bernard Hwy., Chalmette, LA 70043, Off St. Bernard Highway
State you are in town for ANIMAL RESCUE NEW ORLEANS. You must sign in and
sign out of the FEMA tent daily, or we may lose privileges to stay there.
HOTELS: Volunteers have told us about...
Days Inn, in Harvey ($99; sharing makes it reasonable) 504-366-8531
Quality Inn, in Gretna ($112; Two beds) 504-366-8531
Wyndham New Orleans, 504-566-7006
http://www.wyndham.com/hotels/MSYCP/main.wnt
AFFORDABLE TRAVEL & RIDESHARES:
Email Shanah Lia Richardson at illinoiskatrinapets@hotmail.com for help
locating affordable travel options or rideshares.
WHAT DO ARNO VOLUNTEERS DO?
1. FEED AND WATER TEAMS: Responsible for keeping animals alive until they
can be trapped. Does not require any specialized skills...just compassion and will!
2. TRAPPING TEAMS: Animal Control Officers, DVMs, Vet Techs or Individuals
with Experience Trapping Animals. These volunteers are encouraged to spend
at least one week in New Orleans and may submit (air, car rental, or gas)
travel receipts for reimbursement. An estimate of travel expenses is
required for approval.
3. RESCUE TEAMS: Rescue animals described in calls to our dispatch number as
“animals in need.” Teams also comb city to pick up street animals who
approach them without need to trap. Animal handling experience necessary.
WHERE DO THE ANIMALS GO?
CARE FOR CRITICAL ANIMALS
Animals unable to survive transport are brought to:
SE Veterinary Specialists, 504-219-0444
400 N. Causeway; Metairie, Louisiana
PROCEDURE FOR OTHER RESCUED ANIMALS
Other animals go to Southern Animal Foundation by 4:30 pm.
They are then transported to Best Friends in Tylertown, MS.
Southern Animal Foundation
1823 Magazine Street; New Orleans, LA 70130
WHAT DO YOU NEED & WHERE CAN I SEND SUPPLIES?
CONTACT Priscilla Gargalis: pgargalis@yahoo.com
SMALL SHIPMENTS TO:
ATN: Rescue Groups
Southern Animal Foundation
1823 Magazine Street
New Orleans, LA 70130
LARGE SHIPMENTS TO:
Our storage area at (Church’s parking lot) 1585 Magazine St., New Orleans, LA 70130.
PLEASE CONTACT Holly: 757-641-4527 or Rob Stone: 253-307-0969
to arrange for someone to meet you there.
WE NEED:
Dry Dog/Cat Food
ANC (pop-top) Canned Cat Food and/or Canned Mackerel (for cat/dog traps)
Fresh Water (gallon containers)
Pedialyte
Disposable Lasagna Trays or Litter Boxes (for water on the streets)
Large Plastic Dog Crates / Small Crates
Catch Poles
Humane Large Dog Traps & Cat Traps
Towels and Sheets
Cat/Dog Gloves
Car Chalk for Marking Rescue Vehicles
Gift Cards to Gas Stations / Gift Cards to Wal-Mart
Monetary Donations for Vet Care, Spay/Neuter, etc.
Vet Supplies (Lactate Ringer fluid bags & tubing), antibiotics, etc.
Bottled Water, Gatorade, Energy Bars, Snacks for Rescuers
HOW CAN I DONATE MONEY?
Make check payable to: 1-800-Save-A-Pet.com
1-800-Save-A-Pet.com / P.O. Box 7 / Redondo Beach, CA 90277
Indicate in check memo: Animal Rescue New Orleans
Donate online:
https://secure2.convio.net/sap/site/Donation?ACTION=SHOW_DONATION_OPTIONS&CAMPAIGN_ID=1541
Make check payable to: Jane Garrison
2294 Otranto Rd. / North Charleston, SC 29406
Indicate in check memo: Animal Rescue New Orleans
GIFT CARDS: http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product_listing.gsp?cat=175427
Jane can download Walmart gift cards from this site. Or, you may go to any
Walmart to purchase a gift card and mail to the address above.
HURRICANE ANIMAL RESCUE SHIRTS!
http://acustomtshirt4u.com/1800SaveAPet
FRONT: “If I leave, they leave... In Memory of Hurricane Katrina Animals”
BACK: “Animal Rescue New Orleans. 1-800-Save-A-Pet.com”
SUGGESTED PERSONAL SUPPLIES LIST
current Hepatitis vaccinations
(Hepatitis A most important)
current Tetanus shot
pepper spray
hand sanitizer; alcohol and hydrogen peroxide
insect repellent (non- aerosol if flying)
sunscreen
first aid kits
thick "bite-proof" work gloves
sturdy, waterproof (rubber) work boots/shoes
change of shoes, extra socks, hat
long sleeve shirts, long pants (for coverage, but lightweight)
eye protection (sunglasses)
cases of dust/surgical masks
MAPS OF NEW ORLEANS
utility knife, crowbar
belt (to hang gears/supplies from)
flashlights, D batteries
cell phone & car charger
phone cards (in case cell phones don’t work)
waterproof walkie talkies helpful
toilet paper
pillows, blankets, sheets, towels
water, Gatorade, snacks
other personal-care items
cash
Come prepared to camp:
tent, sleeping bag, air mattress or cot
TO SUBSCRIBE TO KINSHIP CIRCLE HURRICANE ALERTS:
Regarding Animal Rescue New Orleans with Jane Garrison, as well as other
relief efforts, send an email to info@kinshipcircle.org
FOR DETAILS NOT ADDRESSED IN THIS ALERT, TRY:
http://savinglives.1-800-save-a-pet.com/site/PageServer?pagename=KatrinaVolunteers
http://www.AnimalRescueNeworleans.com
*********************************************************
GRASSROOTS EFFORT
FOR ANIMALS OF THE STORM
KINSHIP CIRCLE
Brenda Shoss, Information & Volunteer Coordinator:
(desk) 314-863-9445; (cell) 314-795-2646
7380 Kingsbury Blvd.; Saint Louis, MO 63130
http://www.kinshipcircle.org
ANIMAL RESCUE FOUNDATION (ARF)
Julia Fischer, Supply Storage & Distribution Director:
(cell) 251-455-9377; (home) 251-645-8605
shelter phone: 251-478-9743
771 Holcombe Ave.; Mobile, Alabama 36605
http://www.animalrescuemobile.org
*DISCLAIMER:
Information in all alerts is verified with original sources, to the best of
our ability. We cannot assume responsibility for the consequences of its
use. Call or email contacts at specific locations before going.
Grassroots Effort for Animals of the Storm
Kinship Circle * Animal Rescue Foundation (ARF)
Friday, November 04, 2005
Coalition Asks Court To Overturn State Farming Regulations
A very interesting case. Though it's in New Jersey, it will have ramifications for future events. Might set a nice precedent. Read on.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
COALITION ASKS COURT TO OVERTURN NEW JERSEY FARMING REGULATIONS
Department of Agriculture’s So-Called “Humane” Regulations Allow
Rampant Animal Cruelty on Factory Farms
TRENTON, NJ (November 4, 2005)—In legal papers filed today in the
Superior Court of New Jersey, a broad coalition of humane organizations,
farmers, veterinarians, and environmental and consumer groups allege that
the New Jersey Department of Agriculture has failed to establish humane
standards for farm animals—as required by the New Jersey legislature in
1996—and has instead sanctioned numerous inhumane practices used to raise
animals for meat, eggs, and milk on industrialized factory farms.
The lawsuit goes beyond any previous legal action taken on behalf of farm
animals in that it seeks a judicial declaration that most common factory
farming practices are inhumane under New Jersey law.
The groups include the New Jersey Society for the Prevention of Cruelty
to Animals, Farm Sanctuary, The Humane Society of the United States,
American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Animal Welfare
Institute, Animal Welfare Advocacy, Save Our Resources Today, Center for
Food Safety, and the Organic Consumers Association.
“The Legislature has charged the Department of Agriculture to create
humane standards for the treatment of agricultural animals, as well as an
appropriate method for enforcing those standards,” said Stuart Rhodes,
NJSPCA president. “Their current rules and regulations are neither
humane nor do they permit appropriate enforcement of these standards.”
The new “humane” regulations permit numerous inhumane farming practices,
including:
• Confining pregnant pigs for months at a time in gestation crates,
individual metal stalls too small for them to turn around;
• Tethering and restrictively confining calves raised for veal
until they are sent to slaughter; and
• Force-molting egg-laying hens by starving them up to 14 days.
“As the only state in the Union that requires a code of humane standards
for farm animals, New Jersey has an opportunity to improve the quality of
life for the state’s farm animals, while influencing humane measures
nationwide,” said Gene Bauston, president of Farm Sanctuary.
“Unfortunately, New Jersey’s Department of Agriculture has chosen to
cater to the will of factory farming, endorsing cruelty to animals as a
standard business practice.”
In 1996, the New Jersey legislature decided that its cruelty code should
cover farming practices and directed the NJDA to develop appropriate
“standards for humane raising, keeping, care, treatment, marketing, and
sale of domestic livestock.” By law, these regulations were supposed to
protect farm animals from inhumane, industrialized farming practices.
Eight years later in May 2004, the agency issued regulations that not
only continue to allow industrialized farming practices, but also exempt
compliant farming operations from liability under New Jersey animal
cruelty laws. Additionally, the regulations exempt all “routine husbandry
practices,” essentially codifying the abusive practices the legislature
sought to change.
“New Jersey Department of Agriculture officials may be the only people
left in America who still think factory farming is humane,” said Jonathan
R. Lovvorn, vice president of animal protection litigation for The HSUS.
“The New Jersey Legislature certainly didn’t think so; otherwise, it
wouldn’t have ordered the agency to adopt new standards.”
The organizations are represented by the public interest law firms Meyer
& Glitzenstein, Washington, DC, and Egert & Trakinski, Hackensack, N.J.
More information about the New Jersey lawsuit can be found at
njfarms.org.
-30-
The NJSPCA is the law enforcement agency that is charged with enforcing
the animal cruelty statutes in New Jersey. The organization was enacted
in 1868.
Farm Sanctuary is the nation's leading farm animal protection
organization with over 150,000 members and supporters. Since
incorporating in 1986, Farm Sanctuary has worked to expose and stop cruel
practices of the "food animal" industry through research and
investigations, legal and institutional reforms, public awareness
projects, youth education, and direct rescue and refuge efforts.
www.farmsanctuary.org.
The Humane Society of the United States is the nation’s largest animal
protection organization representing more than 9 million members and
constituents. The non-profit organization is a mainstream voice for
animals, with active programs in companion animals and equine protection,
disaster preparedness and response, wildlife and habitat protection,
animals in research and farm animal welfare. The HSUS protects all
animals through education, investigation, litigation, legislation,
advocacy, and field work. The group is based in Washington and has
numerous field representatives across the country, including one in
Flanders, NJ. On the web at www.hsus.org.
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is the
nation’s first humane organization. More than 750,000 members support the
ASPCA’s mission to promote humane principles, prevent cruelty and
alleviate pain, fear and suffering in animals. www.aspca.org.
Editor’s Note: Video and photos are available at
http://www.njfarms.org/B_video.htm
The Humane Society of the United States
2100 L St., NW
Washington, DC 20037
www.hsus.org
Promoting the Protection of All Animals
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
COALITION ASKS COURT TO OVERTURN NEW JERSEY FARMING REGULATIONS
Department of Agriculture’s So-Called “Humane” Regulations Allow
Rampant Animal Cruelty on Factory Farms
TRENTON, NJ (November 4, 2005)—In legal papers filed today in the
Superior Court of New Jersey, a broad coalition of humane organizations,
farmers, veterinarians, and environmental and consumer groups allege that
the New Jersey Department of Agriculture has failed to establish humane
standards for farm animals—as required by the New Jersey legislature in
1996—and has instead sanctioned numerous inhumane practices used to raise
animals for meat, eggs, and milk on industrialized factory farms.
The lawsuit goes beyond any previous legal action taken on behalf of farm
animals in that it seeks a judicial declaration that most common factory
farming practices are inhumane under New Jersey law.
The groups include the New Jersey Society for the Prevention of Cruelty
to Animals, Farm Sanctuary, The Humane Society of the United States,
American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Animal Welfare
Institute, Animal Welfare Advocacy, Save Our Resources Today, Center for
Food Safety, and the Organic Consumers Association.
“The Legislature has charged the Department of Agriculture to create
humane standards for the treatment of agricultural animals, as well as an
appropriate method for enforcing those standards,” said Stuart Rhodes,
NJSPCA president. “Their current rules and regulations are neither
humane nor do they permit appropriate enforcement of these standards.”
The new “humane” regulations permit numerous inhumane farming practices,
including:
• Confining pregnant pigs for months at a time in gestation crates,
individual metal stalls too small for them to turn around;
• Tethering and restrictively confining calves raised for veal
until they are sent to slaughter; and
• Force-molting egg-laying hens by starving them up to 14 days.
“As the only state in the Union that requires a code of humane standards
for farm animals, New Jersey has an opportunity to improve the quality of
life for the state’s farm animals, while influencing humane measures
nationwide,” said Gene Bauston, president of Farm Sanctuary.
“Unfortunately, New Jersey’s Department of Agriculture has chosen to
cater to the will of factory farming, endorsing cruelty to animals as a
standard business practice.”
In 1996, the New Jersey legislature decided that its cruelty code should
cover farming practices and directed the NJDA to develop appropriate
“standards for humane raising, keeping, care, treatment, marketing, and
sale of domestic livestock.” By law, these regulations were supposed to
protect farm animals from inhumane, industrialized farming practices.
Eight years later in May 2004, the agency issued regulations that not
only continue to allow industrialized farming practices, but also exempt
compliant farming operations from liability under New Jersey animal
cruelty laws. Additionally, the regulations exempt all “routine husbandry
practices,” essentially codifying the abusive practices the legislature
sought to change.
“New Jersey Department of Agriculture officials may be the only people
left in America who still think factory farming is humane,” said Jonathan
R. Lovvorn, vice president of animal protection litigation for The HSUS.
“The New Jersey Legislature certainly didn’t think so; otherwise, it
wouldn’t have ordered the agency to adopt new standards.”
The organizations are represented by the public interest law firms Meyer
& Glitzenstein, Washington, DC, and Egert & Trakinski, Hackensack, N.J.
More information about the New Jersey lawsuit can be found at
njfarms.org.
-30-
The NJSPCA is the law enforcement agency that is charged with enforcing
the animal cruelty statutes in New Jersey. The organization was enacted
in 1868.
Farm Sanctuary is the nation's leading farm animal protection
organization with over 150,000 members and supporters. Since
incorporating in 1986, Farm Sanctuary has worked to expose and stop cruel
practices of the "food animal" industry through research and
investigations, legal and institutional reforms, public awareness
projects, youth education, and direct rescue and refuge efforts.
www.farmsanctuary.org.
The Humane Society of the United States is the nation’s largest animal
protection organization representing more than 9 million members and
constituents. The non-profit organization is a mainstream voice for
animals, with active programs in companion animals and equine protection,
disaster preparedness and response, wildlife and habitat protection,
animals in research and farm animal welfare. The HSUS protects all
animals through education, investigation, litigation, legislation,
advocacy, and field work. The group is based in Washington and has
numerous field representatives across the country, including one in
Flanders, NJ. On the web at www.hsus.org.
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is the
nation’s first humane organization. More than 750,000 members support the
ASPCA’s mission to promote humane principles, prevent cruelty and
alleviate pain, fear and suffering in animals. www.aspca.org.
Editor’s Note: Video and photos are available at
http://www.njfarms.org/B_video.htm
The Humane Society of the United States
2100 L St., NW
Washington, DC 20037
www.hsus.org
Promoting the Protection of All Animals
Senate to Vote on Arctic Drilling. Get to that Phone and Use It. It's Easy!
Yeah, I don't have much hope in those rich, (mostly) white guys in Washington, but I suppose it's worth a try.
From Another Group: Please Act. Very easy!
Senate to Vote on Arctic Drilling!
Arctic Drilling Proposal on Senate Floor – Calls Needed!
Drilling in the Arctic Refuge will be under debate tomorrow on the
floor of
the US Senate (Wednesday, November 2) while the Senate is debating the
overall Budget Reconciliation bill. It is possible Arctic champion
Senator
Maria Cantwell (D-WA) will again offer an amendment to remove the
Arctic
drilling provision from the budget reconciliation bill. Debate is
expected
to go all day Wednesday and most of the day Thursday.
Drilling in America’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge has no place in
the
federal budget reconciliation bill. This proposal has nothing to do
with
lowering gas prices. According the Government’s own Department of
Energy,
drilling in the Refuge will lower gas prices by only a penny per
gallon 20
years from now. This proposal has nothing to do with reducing our
dependence on foreign oil. The Department of Energy estimates that
even
when the Arctic Refuge is at peak production, our country will still be
importing 66% - a whopping two thirds of all of our oil. Drilling in
America’s Arctic Refuge has nothing to do with the budget – it is a
backdoor
effort to ram an unpopular proposal through the Senate, sidestepping
the
usual process of open debate.
The American people have made it clear that they want the Arctic Refuge
protected. There are some places that are too special to ruin with oil
drilling, and America’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is one of them.
WE NEED YOU TO CALL YOUR SENATOR NOW!!
Take a moment and call your Senator – tell them to please protect
America’s
Arctic Refuge and vote against the budget reconciliation bill.
Capitol Switchboard: (202) 224-3121
To send an email, go to:
http://capwiz.com/awc/issues/alert/?alertid=8174476&type=CO
If this bill passes the Senate, we will still have a chance to stop it
in
the House, and indications are looking better all the time that the
House
willnot accept a budget with Arctic in it. But if we can stop it in
the
Senate, we don't have to worry about the House - please call your
Senator
today!
Erik DuMont
National Field Director
Alaska Wilderness League
122 C Street, NW, Suite 240
Washington, DC 20001
P: 202-544-5205
F: 202-544-5197
www.alaskawild.org
“Report Says Arctic Drilling Would Devastate Gwich'in Lifeways,” Brenda
Norrell, Indian Country Today, October 28, 2005. Copyrite1998 - 2005
Indian Country Today. All Rights Reserved.
[“Fairbanks, AK: A new report says drilling in the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge would devastate the Gwich'in way of life, which depends
on the Porcupine caribou herd that calves at a site targeted by some
members of Congress
for drilling. Luci Beach, executive director of the Gwich'in Steering
Committee which is authorized by the Gwich'in Nation, spoke of the
crucial impact that drilling would have on the ability of the Gwich'in
people to survive. ‘Our fear
is that the United States is turning their backs on the Gwich'in
people,’ Beach said. Beach said the Gwich'in are carrying out their
longstanding responsibility given to them by the Creator to take care of
the caribou herds. ‘It represents who we are as a people,’ Beach said.
‘What happens to the caribou, happens to the Gwich'in.’ Beach's comments
came during the release of the new report, ‘A
Moral Choice for the United States: The Human Rights Implications for
the Gwich'in of Drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.’ The
report was released by the Gwich'in Steering Committee; Trustees for
Alaska; the Episcopal
Church; and Professor Richard J. Wilson, director of the International
Human Rights Law Clinic at American University in Washington, D.C..”]
From Another Group: Please Act. Very easy!
Senate to Vote on Arctic Drilling!
Arctic Drilling Proposal on Senate Floor – Calls Needed!
Drilling in the Arctic Refuge will be under debate tomorrow on the
floor of
the US Senate (Wednesday, November 2) while the Senate is debating the
overall Budget Reconciliation bill. It is possible Arctic champion
Senator
Maria Cantwell (D-WA) will again offer an amendment to remove the
Arctic
drilling provision from the budget reconciliation bill. Debate is
expected
to go all day Wednesday and most of the day Thursday.
Drilling in America’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge has no place in
the
federal budget reconciliation bill. This proposal has nothing to do
with
lowering gas prices. According the Government’s own Department of
Energy,
drilling in the Refuge will lower gas prices by only a penny per
gallon 20
years from now. This proposal has nothing to do with reducing our
dependence on foreign oil. The Department of Energy estimates that
even
when the Arctic Refuge is at peak production, our country will still be
importing 66% - a whopping two thirds of all of our oil. Drilling in
America’s Arctic Refuge has nothing to do with the budget – it is a
backdoor
effort to ram an unpopular proposal through the Senate, sidestepping
the
usual process of open debate.
The American people have made it clear that they want the Arctic Refuge
protected. There are some places that are too special to ruin with oil
drilling, and America’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is one of them.
WE NEED YOU TO CALL YOUR SENATOR NOW!!
Take a moment and call your Senator – tell them to please protect
America’s
Arctic Refuge and vote against the budget reconciliation bill.
Capitol Switchboard: (202) 224-3121
To send an email, go to:
http://capwiz.com/awc/issues/alert/?alertid=8174476&type=CO
If this bill passes the Senate, we will still have a chance to stop it
in
the House, and indications are looking better all the time that the
House
willnot accept a budget with Arctic in it. But if we can stop it in
the
Senate, we don't have to worry about the House - please call your
Senator
today!
Erik DuMont
National Field Director
Alaska Wilderness League
122 C Street, NW, Suite 240
Washington, DC 20001
P: 202-544-5205
F: 202-544-5197
www.alaskawild.org
“Report Says Arctic Drilling Would Devastate Gwich'in Lifeways,” Brenda
Norrell, Indian Country Today, October 28, 2005. Copyrite1998 - 2005
Indian Country Today. All Rights Reserved.
[“Fairbanks, AK: A new report says drilling in the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge would devastate the Gwich'in way of life, which depends
on the Porcupine caribou herd that calves at a site targeted by some
members of Congress
for drilling. Luci Beach, executive director of the Gwich'in Steering
Committee which is authorized by the Gwich'in Nation, spoke of the
crucial impact that drilling would have on the ability of the Gwich'in
people to survive. ‘Our fear
is that the United States is turning their backs on the Gwich'in
people,’ Beach said. Beach said the Gwich'in are carrying out their
longstanding responsibility given to them by the Creator to take care of
the caribou herds. ‘It represents who we are as a people,’ Beach said.
‘What happens to the caribou, happens to the Gwich'in.’ Beach's comments
came during the release of the new report, ‘A
Moral Choice for the United States: The Human Rights Implications for
the Gwich'in of Drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.’ The
report was released by the Gwich'in Steering Committee; Trustees for
Alaska; the Episcopal
Church; and Professor Richard J. Wilson, director of the International
Human Rights Law Clinic at American University in Washington, D.C..”]
Tuesday, November 01, 2005
Reminder: Iams Dog and Cat Food: A Double Whammy: Tested on Animals and Owned by Animal Testing Giant Proctor and Gamble
Here's the actual full title: Reminder: Iams Dog and Cat Food: A Double Wammy: Tested on Animals and Owned by Animal Testing Giant Proctor and Gamble: Your Dogs and Cats Would be Angry if they Knew You Bought their Food from a Company that Tested on their Relatives.
Yes, the title seems funny, but, unfortunately it’s true. I bet they would be angry if they knew some distant relative of theirs was a victim of animal testing for a product you feed to them. Would make me sick! Or, even worse, say one of your cats or dogs ended up as a victim. Makes the unnecessary reality even more real. Read on...
I'm sure there are still a few good people out there who don't support animal testing but who still give Iams to their dogs and cats. Well, believe it or not, Iams not only tests on animals, but also is owned by animal testing / abuser giant Proctor and Gamble.
I provided a snippet below from a site that details animal testing and Iams. This is backed up with actual footage. So, those who doubt the truth of these claims are easily silenced. More can be found at this site dedicated to proving Iams use of animal testing. Yes, it's hard to believe they can use animal testing when developing food, but really, there's no end to Iams and Proctor and Gambles' ideas on how to test on more animals. Here is the site: http://www.iamscruelty.com
More information on Proctor and Gamble and animal testing can be found at: http://www.pandgkills.com/main.html
Here is a link to lists of companies that do and do not test on animals. Take it with you when shopping: http://www.caringconsumer.com/searchcompany.asp
Did you visit http://www.iamscruelty.com, read the truth and decide that you need an alternative to Iams dog and cat food? Here is a link to a list of dog and cat food companies that do not test on animals: http://www.iamscruelty.com/notTested.asp
What’s wrong with Iams? From: http://www.iamscruelty.com/FAQ.asp
For nearly 10 months, [we] conducted an undercover investigation in an Iams contract laboratory. What our investigator witnessed and captured on hidden camera would outrage any animal lover: dogs who had gone crazy from being confined to barren steel-and-cement cells, dogs who had been left on a paint-chipped floor after having their vocal chords severed and part of their leg muscles hacked out, dogs who were sweltering in scorching heat and shivering in bitter cold, and horribly sick dogs and cats languishing in their cages, neglected and left to suffer without veterinary care. The animals in Iams’ tests are no different from our dogs and cats at home when it comes to deserving companionship, play, a stimulating environment, and the right not to be tormented in painful experiments.
Yes, the title seems funny, but, unfortunately it’s true. I bet they would be angry if they knew some distant relative of theirs was a victim of animal testing for a product you feed to them. Would make me sick! Or, even worse, say one of your cats or dogs ended up as a victim. Makes the unnecessary reality even more real. Read on...
I'm sure there are still a few good people out there who don't support animal testing but who still give Iams to their dogs and cats. Well, believe it or not, Iams not only tests on animals, but also is owned by animal testing / abuser giant Proctor and Gamble.
I provided a snippet below from a site that details animal testing and Iams. This is backed up with actual footage. So, those who doubt the truth of these claims are easily silenced. More can be found at this site dedicated to proving Iams use of animal testing. Yes, it's hard to believe they can use animal testing when developing food, but really, there's no end to Iams and Proctor and Gambles' ideas on how to test on more animals. Here is the site: http://www.iamscruelty.com
More information on Proctor and Gamble and animal testing can be found at: http://www.pandgkills.com/main.html
Here is a link to lists of companies that do and do not test on animals. Take it with you when shopping: http://www.caringconsumer.com/searchcompany.asp
Did you visit http://www.iamscruelty.com, read the truth and decide that you need an alternative to Iams dog and cat food? Here is a link to a list of dog and cat food companies that do not test on animals: http://www.iamscruelty.com/notTested.asp
What’s wrong with Iams? From: http://www.iamscruelty.com/FAQ.asp
For nearly 10 months, [we] conducted an undercover investigation in an Iams contract laboratory. What our investigator witnessed and captured on hidden camera would outrage any animal lover: dogs who had gone crazy from being confined to barren steel-and-cement cells, dogs who had been left on a paint-chipped floor after having their vocal chords severed and part of their leg muscles hacked out, dogs who were sweltering in scorching heat and shivering in bitter cold, and horribly sick dogs and cats languishing in their cages, neglected and left to suffer without veterinary care. The animals in Iams’ tests are no different from our dogs and cats at home when it comes to deserving companionship, play, a stimulating environment, and the right not to be tormented in painful experiments.
Animal Testing Giant Proctor and Gamble Profit Tops Estimate: And, Now Owns Gillette. What to do Now?
News story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051101/bs_nm
/manufacturing_procter_earns_dc
Two reasons for posting this:
1. Of course, bad news for those concerned with decreasing animal testing. As you all may know, Proctor and Gamble is one of the kings of supporting brutal animal testing. It is obvious now that their profits haven't been hurt at all with consumer-oriented campaigns. So this should cause us all to re think strategy on how to work to get them to stop animal testing.
Here's one site on Proctor and Gamble and animal testing: http://www.pandgkills.com/main.html
And, here's one on the dog and cat food company Iams which is owned by Proctor and Gamble, and its use of animal testing. Yep, believe it or not, Iams carries out animal testing. See for yourself: http://www.iamscruelty.com/
2. A reminder that Proctor and Gamble now own Gillette. Many believe that Gillette was in no way connected to animal testing in prior years. Well, that was false anyway, but now, with their new parent owner being Proctor and Gamble, they most certainly ARE connected to animal testing.
So, of course, don't buy Proctor and Gamble OR Gillette products. And tell others to not buy them as well. This includes Iams dog and cat food.
Here is a link to lists of companies that do and do not test on animals. Take it with you when shopping: http://www.caringconsumer.com/searchcompany.asp
Here is a link of a list of dog and cat food companies that do not test on animals: http://www.iamscruelty.com/notTested.asp
But, to the activists out there, what are the other ways to tackle this issue when profits seem to continue to rise? A question we all will battle.
/manufacturing_procter_earns_dc
Two reasons for posting this:
1. Of course, bad news for those concerned with decreasing animal testing. As you all may know, Proctor and Gamble is one of the kings of supporting brutal animal testing. It is obvious now that their profits haven't been hurt at all with consumer-oriented campaigns. So this should cause us all to re think strategy on how to work to get them to stop animal testing.
Here's one site on Proctor and Gamble and animal testing: http://www.pandgkills.com/main.html
And, here's one on the dog and cat food company Iams which is owned by Proctor and Gamble, and its use of animal testing. Yep, believe it or not, Iams carries out animal testing. See for yourself: http://www.iamscruelty.com/
2. A reminder that Proctor and Gamble now own Gillette. Many believe that Gillette was in no way connected to animal testing in prior years. Well, that was false anyway, but now, with their new parent owner being Proctor and Gamble, they most certainly ARE connected to animal testing.
So, of course, don't buy Proctor and Gamble OR Gillette products. And tell others to not buy them as well. This includes Iams dog and cat food.
Here is a link to lists of companies that do and do not test on animals. Take it with you when shopping: http://www.caringconsumer.com/searchcompany.asp
Here is a link of a list of dog and cat food companies that do not test on animals: http://www.iamscruelty.com/notTested.asp
But, to the activists out there, what are the other ways to tackle this issue when profits seem to continue to rise? A question we all will battle.
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