AR-NEWS Digest 581

Topics covered in this issue include:

  1) Venezuela: New Protection for Guinea Pigs, Human and Animal
  Alike
     by allen schubert 
  2) Antibiotics in animal food have Europeans worried
     by Andrew Gach 
  3) Eat nuts instead of meat or cheese, study suggests
     by Andrew Gach 
  4) (US) Committee Approves Animal Cruelty Bill
     by allen schubert 
  5) Noah's Ark story in People magazine
     by "Vicki Sharer" 
  6) (US) Fur Free Friday Events Calendar
     by Animal Rights Resource Site 
  7) Marine World Debate?
     by SHindi@aol.com
  8) Bullfighting-urgent
     by SHindi@aol.com
  9) Canadian Dept. Store Re-Opens Fur Salons
     by MINKLIB@aol.com
 10) TV program
     by Shirley McGreal 
 11) LA Times: 8 Arrested At Vivisection Protest (US)
     by LCartLng@gvn.net (Lawrence Carter-Long)
 12) (US) Food Think Tank Releases Vegetarian Diet Pyramid
     by allen schubert 
 13) (US) Cat Killer Barred From Owning Pets 
     by allen schubert 
 14) (NY) Bond Act Beaver Funds
     by Michael Markarian 
 15) Veg*ns, Fiona Apple, AR, Slammed by Comedy Central
     by Pat Fish 
 16) (US): Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel: "Disney Stocks New Kingdom ..."
     by Marisul@aol.com
 17) Re: Fw: info request
     by "A. Hogan" 
 18) (US) Study shows dangers of stick margarine, shortening
     by allen schubert 
 19) (US) Protests greet animal-research conference 
     by allen schubert 
 20) (US) Animal Rights -- "Lesson Plans For Teachers"
     by allen schubert 
 21) [CA]  Subdivsion plan threatens frogs
     by David J Knowles 
 22) [UK] TV cameraman risks his life to film polar bear underwater
     by David J Knowles 
 23) [UK] Horse show judge fined for cruelty
     by David J Knowles 
Date: Wed, 19 Nov 1997 00:49:17 -0500
From: allen schubert 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Venezuela: New Protection for Guinea Pigs, Human and Animal
  Alike
Message-ID: <3.0.32.19971119004914.00743d58@pop3.clark.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

from CNN custom news http://www.cnn.com/
-------------------------
Venezuela: New Protection for Guinea Pigs, Human and Animal Alike

Inter Press Service
18-NOV-97

CARACAS, (Nov. 17) IPS - Indigenous people, pregnant women, and the guinea
pig itself, will get new protection under Venezuela's new Declaration of
Principles and Ethical Norms for scientific research. 

The document, a local version of UNESCO's Declaration of Genome and Human
Rights, overtly states vulnerable groups must not be used as human guinea
pigs, while a lesser clause also calls for greater consideration for
laboratory animals. 

Walter Jaffee, vicepresident of the state Scientific and Technological
Research Council (Conicit), said this organism had used the official
document to form the basis of "ethical implications for research involving
human beings, animals" and the development of treatments. 

For while, "there are some 4,000 genetic illnesses, and it is hoped
progress will lead to early detection and perhaps treatment, we will erect
barriers against possible aberrations," President of the Venezuela's
National Bioethics Commission, Doctor Augusto Leon, told IPS. 

Minors, pregnant and breast feeding women, mentally ill or retarded people,
and prisoners will all be banned from taking part in research, except for
investigation into specific conditions or the collation of precise
statistics. 

These exceptions will include research related to pregnancy or breast
feeding, those aimed at improving maternal health, foetal well-being, or
promoting healthy infant development. 

Also, research in vulnerable social groups, like the lower levels in
hierarchical structures, and the members of marginal, rural and indigenous
communities, will not be allowed without the fulfillment of precise rules
on information, consent and payment. 

The latter groups have often been targeted by unscrupulous researchers, who
seek to exploit the homogenous nature of their members. 

Jafee explained that "from the outset, no research at all will go ahead
without ethical judgement from us and, where necessary, the country of
origin of the agency promoting the research." 

Meanwhile, the new animal rights clauses will demand they be treated as
sensitive beings, with pain suppression or minimization provided in any
experiment. There will also be a limit of only one experiment per animal. 

The Venezuelan bioethics sector will be making full use of the UNESCO
Genome declaration produced earlier this year. 

This document was prepared by experts in July and was discussed and
approved at the UNESCO conference, becoming, in Leon's words "the most
important document of its type since the 1947 Declaration of Human Rights." 

Doctors, geneticists, religious authorities, demographers and other
scientists working on the text proclaimed "the human genome is the basis of
the fundamental unity of all the members of the human family," calling for
the recognition of their intrinsic dignity and diversity. 

"In a symbolic way, the human genome is human heritage," stated the
declaration. "Material goods, like the seas, heavenly bodies or certain
works of art were previously considered in this class, but now the claim is
being made for the basic condition of the human being," said Leon. 

He explained the genome "is made up of the parts of the genes, the DNA
molecules in their material state -- their immaterial state is the genetic
information they contain." 

It is the genome which makes each person different "and defines the
personality of the individual, and it is not static, as genes mutate," he
explained. 

Classing this factor as heritage imposes respect for the dignity and rights
of each individual, whatever their genetic characteristics," stated Leon,
"and the mutations show genetic determinism is a lie." 

The UNESCO-centered scientific community is opposed to the cloning of human
beings. "There is a determined fanatic sect in the Bahamas who claim they
will be able to clone human beings within two years, and is offering
$250,000 for each case, as soon as some state gives them the green light." 

Leon also stressed other elements of the UNESCO Genome Declaration, such as
the guarantee confidentiality and payment to the people affected, and the
encouragement of international cooperation on the matter, to the benefit of
the developing South. 

It expressly calls for information exchange in the fields of biology,
genetics and medicine, allowing the developing countries to "take advantage
of the results of scientific and technological research and use them for
their social and economic progress." 

But most important of all, the Declaration on the Genome stresses "no
research can prevail over the respect for human rights, basic liberties and
the dignity of individuals and human groups." 

"Not everything that can be researched, should be researched," concluded Leon. 
Date: Tue, 18 Nov 1997 22:23:05 -0800
From: Andrew Gach 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Antibiotics in animal food have Europeans worried
Message-ID: <347285C9.4625@worldnet.att.net>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Antibiotics in animal food have EU states worried 

Agence France-Presse 
BRUSSELS (November 19, 1997 00:53 a.m. EST)

Denmark and Germany have asked the European Union for a report on the
risks to human health of putting antibiotics in the food of farm
animals, an EU spokesman said Tuesday.

At the same time, Finland and Sweden have asked for an extension of the
permission granted them when they joined the EU in 1995 to curb the use
of such antibiotics.

German Agriculture Minister Jochen Bochert said the request for a report
followed a World Health Organization conference on the subject in Berlin
last month.

WHO experts said the excessive use of such antibiotics could be
dangerous to human health, by building up a resistance to the drugs in
animals which could then be passed on to people through the food chain.

Agriculture Commissioner Franz Fischler pledged to consult the relevant
scientific commission on the requests.
Date: Tue, 18 Nov 1997 22:26:33 -0800
From: Andrew Gach 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Eat nuts instead of meat or cheese, study suggests
Message-ID: <34728699.1F91@worldnet.att.net>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Eat nuts instead of meat or cheese, study suggests

Reuters 
LONDON (November 18, 1997 09:29 a.m. EST)

People who eat large amounts of animal fats, not just meat, have the
highest risk of developing heart disease, scientists said on Tuesday.

A study of 11,000 health-conscious vegetarians and meat-eaters in
Britain showed their risk of coronary heart disease was less than half
of the general population, but consuming lots of cheese, eggs, meat and
milk raised the odds of getting a heart attack.

The research also highlighted the benefits of eating nuts five or more
times of week.

"The highest intake of nuts was associated with a 23 percent reduction
in all cause mortality," the doctors said in the report in the medical
journal Heart. 

People with a total intake of animal fat and cholesterol at around 70
grams a day had three times the death rate from coronary artery disease
than those consuming 25 grams daily.

"Dietary saturated animal fat and cholesterol, rather than simply meat,
were the factors most strongly linked to coronary heart disease. This
implies that replacing meat in the diet with other foods rich in animal
fat and cholesterol, such as cheese and eggs, will not reduce risk,"
said Dr. Tim Key, one of the authors of the report.

The research also indicated that heart disease risk was higher among
overweight people.
Date: Wed, 19 Nov 1997 08:15:30 -0500
From: allen schubert 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (US) Committee Approves Animal Cruelty Bill
Message-ID: <3.0.32.19971119081527.007283cc@pop3.clark.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

from CNN http://www.cnn.com/
----------------------------------------------
Ohio State News
Reuters
19-NOV-97

Committee Approves Animal Cruelty Bill

(COLUMBUS) -- An Ohio House committee has approved a plan for tougher
penalties for people who abuse animals. The plan makes harm to household
pets like cats and dogs... as well as livestock... a first-degree
misdemeanor. The House Criminal Justice Committee also tacked on a measure
to increase the penalties for organizing dog fights... something the
sponsor of that amendment State Rep Jack Ford says is on the rise in Ohio. 
Date: Wed, 19 Nov 97 07:35:42 CST
From: "Vicki Sharer" 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Noah's Ark story in People magazine
Message-ID: <9710198799.AA879954057@INETGW.WKU.EDU>

     In the November 24th issue of People magazine, there's a feature 
     article on the tragedy at Noah's Ark Shelter.  I'll get copies to 
     anyone who needs it if you let me know.  Again, the shelter is in 
     Fairfield, Iowa. (PO Box 748, Fairfield, IA 52556)  Laura Sykes says 
     she's been getting many calls night and day on the article.   
     
     vicki 

Date: Wed, 19 Nov 1997 08:42:38 -0500
From: Animal Rights Resource Site 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (US) Fur Free Friday Events Calendar
Message-ID: <3.0.32.19971119084235.0072ec3c@envirolink.org>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/enriched; charset="us-ascii"

The Fur Free Friday 97 Events Calendar is at:

http://www.envirolink.org/arrs/calendar/fff97.html


At least 37 locations will have protest ("at least" as some areas will
have multiple events/multiple dates).


Updates to the page have averaged twice a day, so check back
occassionally if you haven't found an event in your area.


allen

"As an activist, any problem is only your problem until
you can make it everybody's problem."

Date: Wed, 19 Nov 1997 09:44:31 -0500 (EST)
From: SHindi@aol.com
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Marine World Debate?
Message-ID: <971119094431_-2041790748@mrin79>

November 19, 1997
NEWS RELEASE
The Chicago Animal Rights Coalition  (CHARC)

Contact: Donna Hertel
                  630-801-3262


CHICAGO GROUP CHALLENGES MARINE WORLD AFRICA USA TO PUBLIC DEBATE

The recent death of Marine World's orca Yaka is making waves across the
country - literally.  Chicago's most active animal rights group - the Chicago
Animal Rights Coalition (CHARC) is challenging Marine World to debate, and
they are not laid back in their approach.

The letter, from CHARC President Steve Hindi to Premier Parks CEO Gary Story,
chides Marine World, calling it an "abusement park," and accusing the park of
"greed and cruelty."  While the letter invites Marine World to debate, it
also predicts that nobody at the facility will, claiming Marine World has
something to hide.

CHARC also accuses Marine World of changing estimates of orca lifespans to
fit their current public relations requirements.  Marine World's estimates
have moved from seventy-five to twenty-five years old.

"We hope people on the west coast realize that orcas at Marine World aren't
California dreaming - they're dying to amuse you," says Hindi.  "Marine parks
are the whalers of the 20th century."

Copies of the CHARC letter were also sent to Marine World General Manager Dan
Aylward, and Vallejo Mayor Gloria Exline.

Date: Wed, 19 Nov 1997 09:53:31 -0500 (EST)
From: SHindi@aol.com
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Bullfighting-urgent
Message-ID: <971119095330_1626018929@mrin44.mail.aol.com>

TV PROGRAM PRIME TIME LIVE GLORIFIES BULLFIGHTING!

On 11/12/97 ABC's program PRIME TIME LIVE aired a segment on a female
bullfighter named Christina Sanchez.  They glorified her family "tradition"
and lightheartedly reported the number of bulls this woman has killed!  700
bulls, Christina proudly reports as they show her piercing the bull's neck
with spears used in bull fighting.  It generally requires repeated stabbing
before the bull falls down in agony to die.  The crowd cheers and Christina
is victorious!  PRIME TIME LIVE also reports this "beautiful woman's" courage
as she enters the ring and how she overcame being shunned by male bull
fighters.

What PRIME TIME LIVE NEGLECTED to report is the suffering these bulls endure
and what is done to them behind the scenes in order the make them "perform!"
 They are beaten and taunted by SEVERAL people before releasing them into the
ring.  They are often given sedatives, hit in the kidneys and Vaseline rubbed
in their eyes.  They are taunted and stabbed by picadors; finally, the
matador attempts, sometimes repeatedly, to run a sword into the victim's
heart.  If this fails, the matador severs the bull's spinal cord and cuts off
the ears and horns for trophies!  GLAMOROUS HUH?!!  

In addition to the bull's suffering, horses are injured as well.  The horses
used in taunting are gored by the disoriented bull!  PRIME TIME also did not
inform their U.S. audience that bull fighting is ILLEGAL in the United
States!

PLEASE INFORM PRIME TIME LIVE OF THE SUFFERING INVOLVED IN
BULLFIGHTING!
 TELL THEM THAT GLORIFYING THIS HORRENDOUS FORM OF "ENTERTAINMENT"
IS IN VERY
POOR TASTE!  ASK THEM TO AIR A FOLLOW-UP SEGMENT SHOWING WHY THIS
"ACTIVITY"
IS BANNED IN THE U.S.!

 CALL:New York212-456-1000 or 212-456-1600
      Chicago312-750-7777

     FAX:212-456-1246WRITE:WABC
      E-MAIL:abcaudr@abc.com147 Columbus Avenue
     New York, NY  10023
REPORTER:  JOHN QUINONES

Date: Wed, 19 Nov 1997 10:27:56 -0500 (EST)
From: MINKLIB@aol.com
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Canadian Dept. Store Re-Opens Fur Salons
Message-ID: <971119102755_-1961978522@mrin44.mail.aol.com>

The Canadian dept. store The Hudson Bay Co. has reopened some fur salons.
 The Hudson Bay Co. had closed their salons some years ago, but is reopening
them immediately in Toronto and Montreal, and is planning caravan sales to
test the waters in other cities.  HBC has over 100 stores nationwide.

Eatons and Holt Renfrew are the other major Canadian chains that sell fur.
 Should animal rights groups focus on knocking fur out of these three chains
we would see a major drop in fur exposure to mainstream consumers.  This
would have a major impact in cutting fur sales as few are inclined to visit
speciality shops, but would rather pick up everything in big trips to major
shopping malls.

Perhaps someone from Canada would have a toll free number for any of these
stores that they would be willing to post here.

Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade
PO Box 822411
Dallas, TX 75382
MINKLIB@aol.com 
Date: Wed, 19 Nov 1997 10:41:47 -0500
From: Shirley McGreal 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: TV program
Message-ID: <1.5.4.32.19971119154147.006ee220@awod.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

        On 30 November 1997 the US cable TV station TBS will show a new
National Geographic Explorer program called "Wildlife Guardian." It tells
the story of Gladys Kalema who recently obtained her doctorate in veterinary
medicine in the United Kingdom and returned to Uganda to work as a wildlife
veterinarian with the Uganda Wildlife Authority.
        The program will be shown at 7 p.m. Eastern time. The film has
already been shown in the United Kingdom as "Gladys the African vet."
        Dr. Kalema has worked with mountain gorillas, among many other species.

|---------------------------------|----------------------------------------|
| Dr. Shirley McGreal             |   PHONE: 803-871-2280                  | 
| Int. Primate Protection League  |   FAX: 803-871-7988                    |
| POB 766                         |   E-MAIL: ippl@awod.com                |
| Summerville SC 29484            |   Web: http://www.ippl.org             | 
|---------------------------------|----------------------------------------|


Date: Wed, 19 Nov 1997 11:43:52 -0800
From: LCartLng@gvn.net (Lawrence Carter-Long)
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: LA Times: 8 Arrested At Vivisection Protest (US)
Message-ID: <199711191935.OAA19337@envirolink.org>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Tuesday, November 18, 1997 

Los Angeles Times: Animal Research Protested 
Demonstration: Activists clash with police outside a science convention.
Eight people are arrested. One woman is hospitalized. 

By GEOFF BOUCHER, Times Staff Writer
 
ANAHEIM--As laboratory scientists ducked and hurried by
Monday, scores of animal rights activists clogged the entrance
to a national researchers conference here, blocked traffic on a
busy thoroughfare and clashed with police in minor skirmishes. 

More than 120 protesters, some wearing black ski masks and
carrying graphic posters showing experiments on animals, shouted
insults at many of the 3,000 researchers and other medical
professionals attending a weeklong conference of the American
Assn. for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS) at the Anaheim
Convention Center. 

Eight protesters were arrested--five of them on suspicion of
assaulting police officers. An Atlanta woman taking part in the
protest was hospitalized for minor injuries suffered when she was
knocked to the pavement, police said. 

The protesters also marched from Convention Center Way to
Katella Avenue and briefly blocked midmorning traffic in the street's
eastbound lanes. But most of their energy was concentrated on the
nervous scientists trying to enter the convention hall, and on the rows
of Anaheim police officers posted at the hall's entrances. 

Inside, distracted scientists tried to put on a conference. 
AALAS is an association for researchers, regulators and others
who work with animal experimentation. The group's leaders say its
mission is to promote the most ethical and humane treatment possible
mfor rodents, monkeys and other creatures used for research. 

"We sort of want to say, 'Hey, we're the good guys, the advocates
for the best treatment,' " said Lynn C. Anderson, the association's
president and a New Jersey laboratory director. "At the same time,
we don't feel we have to defend animals from big, bad, abusive
scientists. There are none of those." 

Anderson said lab workers use animals only when necessary,
most often to test the safety of a new drug or treatment, or to seek
new advances in curing major diseases. She credits the "vital,
appropriate and judicious" practice for shepherding the development
of antibiotics, insulin treatments and vaccines for smallpox, polio and
measles. 

Her view was in sharp contrast to that of the protesters, who say
animal experiments are cruel, unethical and of dubious scientific
value. 

Protest leaders said the biological differences between species
are too great to consider the testing a true gauge for safety. Instead,
they argue, the testing actually delays development of new drugs and
treatment. 

"What has animal research really done to help human health?
Nothing," said Dr. C. Ray Greek, a Kansas anesthesiologist. "It's
mythology." 

Greek challenged the conference speakers to a "reasoned debate"
on the topic. But on Monday, the issues were argued mostly with
shouts and shoving. 

Some of the activists chose to stage a sit-in or join in chants of
"Shame!" and "Murderers!" But others raced about to physically
confront people leaving the conference. 

At least one man attending the conference was spat on as he
walked past a group of protesters, and other conference participants
said they believed they were in physical danger as they walked a
gantlet of insults and elbows. 

Two of those arrested were young men who police said assaulted
a woman leaving the conference. 

The jostling brought some of the protesters into conflicts with the
more than 50 police officers on hand, most of them wearing riot gear.

One of the officers who tried to hustle the woman away used
pepper spray on several protesters. The officer later said he acted
because he was worried about the crush of people coming toward
him, but Joan Delehanty, a Seattle activist among the people sprayed,
said the officer "sprayed generously and randomly." 

Another protester, Amanda Prentice of Atlanta, was hospitalized
after complaining of a head injury. Protesters said Prentice was
shoved to the ground by a police officer, but police spokesman Sgt.
Joe Vargas said she probably fell because of the crowd pushing
 toward the police lines. 

Copyright Los Angeles Times 

Lawrence Carter-Long
Science and Research Issues, Animal Protection Institute
email: LCartLng@gvn.net, phone: 800-348-7387 x. 215
world wide web: http://www.api4animals.org/

"We are here on earth to do good for others. What the others
are here for, I don't know."   --  W. H. Auden





Date: Wed, 19 Nov 1997 14:43:30 -0500
From: allen schubert 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (US) Food Think Tank Releases Vegetarian Diet Pyramid
Message-ID: <3.0.32.19971119144328.0072edc0@pop3.clark.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

International Conference on Vegetarian Diets 
from CNN custom news http://www.cnn.com/
----------------------------------
Food Think Tank Releases Vegetarian Diet Pyramid

LA Times
19-NOV-97
Oldways Preservation & Exchange Trust Releases A New Diet Pyramid That
Advocates Including More Vegetable Dishes In The Daily Meals Of American
Families AUSTIN,

Texas--(BW HealthWire)--Nov. 19, 1997--The Vegetarian Diet Pyramid, as it
is called, was developed by Oldways, a Cambridge, Mass.-based food think
tank and released during the three-day (Nov. 15-18) International
Conference on Vegetarian Diets at the Omni Austin Hotel. 

The pyramid is the group's fourth graphic representation of traditional
eating plans and cuisines found in other cultures. Each is designed to
highlight and preserve the healthiest elements of traditional,
culture-based diets and to encourage Americans to incorporate these
elements into their own eating plans. 

"This new pyramid does not recommend that consumers become vegetarians,"
said Oldways president and founder K. Dun Gifford, "but simply that they
eat more vegetables, fruits, legumes and grains in daily meals." 

The importance of the vegetarian pyramid, Gifford said, is that it reflects
the views of an increasing number of doctors, researchers and national
public and private groups (National Cancer Institute; American Heart
Association; the U.S. Department of Agriculture; U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services, among them) who recommend greater consumption of
plant-based foods. It also recognizes the inherent environmental wisdom of
raising more plant foods than animal foods and it celebrates the dietary
pattens of an increasing number of young people who are proactively
concerned about their health and are demanding a greater quantity and
variety of fresh produce in their food markets. 

Oldways' other pyramids focus on traditional diets found in specific
geographic regions, including the Mediterranean, Latin America and Asia.
The vegetarian pyramid encompasses the common elements of plant-based diets
of many world regions, all of which rely heavily on plant foods for a full
range of nutrients. 

Gifford also noted that unlike any other vegetarian diet pyramid, the
Oldways pyramid includes wine, beer and spirits. "We believe that alcohol,
consumed sensibly and in moderation, promotes a healthy lifestyle," he said. 

The purpose of the International Conference on Vegetarian Diets (Nov.
15-18) is to review the scientific underpinnings of healthy vegetarianism,
validate those who are already vegetarians and encourage those who would
like to become "part-time" vegetarians. 

Said Gifford, "I don't believe we should tell people not to eat meat, but
encourage them to eat less of it and depend more on plant-based foods." 

The conference featured such speakers as nutritionist Marion Nestle of New
York University, community health expert Johanna Dwyer of Tufts University,
researchers Sonja L. Connor of Oregon Health Sciences University and Gene
Spiller of the Research Studies Center in California and nutritionist and
epidemiologist Joan Sabate of Loma Linda University. Also presenting were
cookbook authors Colin Spencer and Peggy Knickerbocker, among others; chefs
Rick Bayless, Nora Pouillon, Jesse Cool and Texas chefs Tim Keating, Monica
Pope, David Garrido, Jay McCarthy, Wayne Henderson and others; and editors
and journalists from several national health magazines. 

For more information about the vegetarian pyramid or about Oldways, contact
Francie King at 617-621-3000, fax 617-621-1230, or mail to Oldways, 25
First St., Cambridge, MA 02141. E-mail can be sent to oldways@tiac.net 

The International Conference on Vegetarian Diets was presented with support
from: Vegetarian Times Magazine, the California Avocado Commission,
Vitasoy/Nasoya, International Nut Council, Peanut Institute, Pollio,
Worthington Foods/Morningstar Farms, Spectrum Essentials, Vita-Mix, Eden
Foods, California Olive Industry, Whole Foods Market, Wholesome & Hearty,
USA Dry Pea & Lentil Council, Aubrey Organic, Sun Maid, The Wine Institute,
Wisconsin Dairy Council, Bay State Milling, Fall Creek Vineyards, Cakebread
Cellars, HEPO: Olive Oil from Greece, King Arthur Flour, Natural Ovens,
Pacific Bakery and Salton/Maxim. 

Oldways is an non-profit educational organization that promotes healthy
eating based on the "old ways," the traditional cuisines of cultures from
around the world using foods grown in environmentally sustainable ways. 
Date: Wed, 19 Nov 1997 14:57:04 -0500
From: allen schubert 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (US) Cat Killer Barred From Owning Pets 
Message-ID: <3.0.32.19971119145701.0072dbf4@pop3.clark.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

from Associated Press http://wire.ap.org/
--------------------------------------
11/19/1997 13:48 EST 

 Cat Killer Barred From Owning Pets 

 BRISTOL, Conn. (AP) -- A woman who stabbed her cat to death with a steak
knife has been forbidden from owning any pets as a condition of probation. 

Doris Smith, 58, was also ordered Tuesday in Superior Court to perform 50
hours of community service or make a $250 contribution to charity. 

Smith was charged with cruelty to animals after killing her cat, Tiffany,
on Aug. 28. She called police to confess. 

Her attorney, Joseph Mazzaccaro, said that Smith killed the cat after
failing to properly take her medicine for manic depression. 

The charge against her will be dropped in a year if she successfully
completes her probation. 
Date: Wed, 19 Nov 1997 14:21:04 -0800 (PST)
From: Michael Markarian 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org, en.alerts@conf.igc.apc.org
Subject: (NY) Bond Act Beaver Funds
Message-ID: <2.2.16.19971119200115.55770df6@pop.igc.org>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, November 17, 1997

CONTACT: Sharon Brown/Beavers: Wetlands & Wildlife, 518-568-2077
         Marion Stark/The Fund for Animals, 518-478-9760


BOND ACT BEAVER FUNDS


ALBANY, N.Y. -- Funding for devices to prevent beaver flooding will soon be
available from Governor Pataki's Clean Water/Clean Air Bond Act. $55 million
within the Bond Act is designated for Wastewater Treatment and Flood Control
projects, including beaver flow devices.

"We are grateful to the Governor and to Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno
for promoting these environmentally sound solutions that mean tremendous
savings for taxpayers down the road," says Sharon Brown, Director of
Beavers: Wetlands & Wildlife (BWW). "Municipalities with populations of
75,000 or less are eligible, and over 40 towns have inquired so far."

She adds, "Right after our state's leaders met in July of 1996 to plan the
Bond Act, Senator Bruno's office called to tell us the good news. It came in
the wake of defeating retrogressive beaver legislation, including bills to
legalize snares, for several years. A coalition we formed with The Fund for
Animals and other wildlife organizations was instrumental in this effort.
Two bald eagles and their handlers from the Raptor Project also came to our
press conference at the Capitol this year, because our national symbol would
have been at risk had the snare bill passed."

Devices to control beaver flooding have been used extensively in many other
states and in Canada. Beaver flow devices usually allow wetlands to remain,
and 13 ecologists and economists writing in the May 15, 1997 journal NATURE
rated wetlands as the world's most valuable land-based ecosystems. The
experts valued freshwater wetlands at almost $8,000 per acre per year.
Beavers build wetlands for free with each New York beaver family creating 15
acres of wetlands on average. BWW, which formed in 1985 as a memorial to
"Beaver Woman" Dorothy Richards, distributes literature and videos about
beavers and proven methods of coexistence, and consults on specific situations.


# # #


http://www.telenet.net/users/beavers
http://www.fund.org

Date: Wed, 19 Nov 1997 21:32:50 +0000 (GMT)
From: Pat Fish 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Veg*ns, Fiona Apple, AR, Slammed by Comedy Central
Message-ID: 
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII

Weds. Nov 19th.  "You self-important unwashed bag of sticks."

The US TV program called "The Daily Show"  ran a segment near the start of
the show bashing vegetarian Fiona Apple and the "anti-turkey hotline" which
provides a way for the public to get vegetarian recipes for Thanksgiving.  I
did not see the first few seconds of the segment, but think the organization
sponsoring the line was PETA.  Fiona Apple was given a "Purrr" in the latest
issue of PETA's "Animal Times".
 
  The program showed un unflattering photo of Ms. Apple, accompanied by an
audio recording from the hotline.  When  sje mentions vegetarianism,
laughter is heard.

  Host Craig Kilbourne then, apparently refering to Fiona Apple's thin
physique, called her a "self-important unwashed bag of sticks".
 
 The Daily Show them superimposed an image of Apple at a music awards show,
with host Kilbourne paraphrasing her speech which encouraged people to think
for themselves, and not listen to celebrities.

 
 Offended parties can visit www.comedycentral.com

Date: Wed, 19 Nov 1997 21:35:39 -0500 (EST)
From: Marisul@aol.com
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (US): Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel: "Disney Stocks New Kingdom ..."
Message-ID: <971119213538_1880005936@mrin54.mail.aol.com>

Copyright 1997 Sun-Sentinel Company
Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, FL);  November 16, 1997, Sunday,  Final
EDITION;
SECTION: SUNDAY BUSINESS,  Pg. 8G

DISNEY STOCKS NEW KINGDOM WITH ANIMALS  AND WORKERS

BYLINE: JILL JORDAN SPITZ; The Orlando Sentinel

DATELINE: ORLANDO

   With construction well under way, a Birnbaum's guidebook on the market,
and the first birth and death recorded among its menagerie, Walt Disney Co.'s
newest theme park is taking shape.
   About half of the initial 3,000 employees needed to run Disney's Animal
Kingdom have been hired, and recruiting efforts to find the rest are
underway.   Auditions for the park's shows and live entertainment are in full
swing. Although the company won't yet release specifics on entertainment,
insiders say likely candidates are:

   * A full-scale show  complete with acrobatics and stunts  based on The
Jungle Book.  

   * A song-and-dance show, perhaps to be called ''Festival of the Lion
King,'' that's likely to be similar to the new Lion King Broadway show  all
of which isbased on the Disney movie.

   * A smaller-scale show featuring live animals and a singing Pocahontas.

   About 100 of the park's 1,000-animal menagerie have arrived at their new
home.
   Although most of the project, scheduled to open in late 1998, is going
smoothly, Disney is already experiencing some of the difficulties associated
with live animals --  something the company has never dealt with before on
such a large scale.
   The park's first casualty was a 6-year-old female black rhino, one of four
of the
endangered species to arrive last summer.
   A necropsy conducted after the rhino died revealed that she had ingested
an
18-inch-long stick, which had perforated her gut and caused a massive
infection, Ledder said.
   On a happier note, a male gorilla was born at the park last week, Ledder
said. Vets are monitoring the baby's health but have not handled him because
they don't want to interfere with the mother-baby bonding process, she said.
   The park also received two male Okapi, very rare animals that look like a
cross
between a zebra and a giraffe. There are only about 120 of the African
animals left,
Ledder said.  ''We want our guests to appreciate the animals as if they were
in the wild,'' she said.
   Still, if early efforts are any indicator, the park can expect plenty of
protests. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has already sent
letters to key travel agents, urging them to boycott the park. The Animal
Rights Foundation of Florida is seeking to make Animal Kingdom a refuge for
unwanted exotic animals.

Date: Wed, 19 Nov 1997 21:43:07 -0500 (EST)
From: "A. Hogan" 
To: Leslie Lindemann 
Cc: AR-news postings ,
        "A. Hogan" 
Subject: Re: Fw: info request
Message-ID: 
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII

The Earth First! peaceful CD sit-in protest was against old-growth logging 
and took place in Eureka CA at the district office of U.S. Rep. Frank 
Riggs (R-CA/Timber Industry). The local sherrif's department 
unwittingly took on the George Holliday role (the Rodney King beating videographer circa March
1991)
and their footage showed cop thugs directly applying pepper spray to 
agonized, objecting, locked-down protesters. Copper and manufacturer 
guidelines even state it's never to be used except on someone very 
violent and then no closer than one meter. Lisa Sanderson-Fox and other 
victims plan to use. She and Riggs were interviewed about the incident on 
"CBS News Saturday Morning" a couple or so weeks back (the incident took 
place maybe three or four weeks ago, and was also reported on by the "CBS 
Evening News With Dan Rather" earlier. Riggs and the local head cop thug 
had no apologies at all. Riggs said his staff was frightened because the 
protesters dressed in all-black (Johnny Cash and Jerry Brown, watch out).
--ar hogan
ahogan@capaccess.org
Date: Wed, 19 Nov 1997 22:39:22 -0500
From: allen schubert 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (US) Study shows dangers of stick margarine, shortening
Message-ID: <3.0.32.19971119223918.0073b6b0@pop3.clark.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

trans fat (hydrogenated vegetable oil)
from CNN http://www.cnn.com/
--------------------------------------------
                     Study shows dangers of stick margarine, shortening

                     November 19, 1997                       
                     Web posted at: 8:53 p.m. EST (0153 GMT)
                     BOSTON (AP) -- Ordinary stick margarine, as well
                     as anything baked and fried with shortening and
                     other kinds of hardened vegetable oil, appear to
                     be the worst foods of all for the heart.

                     A large U.S. study offers the strongest evidence
                     yet that something called trans fat, which is a
                     primary ingredient of standard stick margarine and
                     shortening, is an especially unhealthy part of the
                     diet.

                     The mounting mass of scientific data contradicts a
                     generation of advice that switching from butter to
                     stick margarine is a healthy thing to do. On the
                     contrary, the latest study suggests that ordinary
                     stick margarine -- though probably not the newer
                     low-fat spreads -- is even worse for the heart
                     than butter. However, both should be avoided.

                     "The worst type of fat appears to be trans fat,"
                     said Dr. Walter C. Willett of the Harvard School
                     of Public Health. "That's still unknown to most
                     consumers."

                     Most of the trans fat that people eat is made
                     through a process called hydrogenation, in which
                     vegetable oil is altered so it hardens and resists
                     spoiling. Usually these foods list "partially
                     hydrogenated" oil on the label.

                     Regular stick margarine is typically about 17
                     percent trans fat. Most of the trans fat that
                     people eat, though, is hidden. The biggest sources
                     in the diet are cookies, crackers and other
                     commercial baked goods as well as french fries and
                     other deep-fried food.

                     Willett's research, called the Nurses' Health
                     Study, was published in Thursday's issue of the
                     U.S. New England Journal of Medicine. It was based
                     on 80,082 female nurses who were outwardly healthy
                     when they filled out dietary questionnaires in
                     1980. Over the next 14 years, 939 had heart
                     attacks or died from heart disease.

                     The researchers first raised concerns about trans
                     fat in a report published in the British journal
                     Lancet in 1993. The team now adds an additional
                     six years of follow-up and reaches similar though
                     statistically stronger conclusions.

                     The researchers calculated that people could
                     reduce their risk of heart disease by 53 percent
                     if they replaced 2 percent of the calories they
                     take in from trans fat with calories from
                     unhydrogenated, unsaturated fats. This would
                     require virtually eliminating trans fat from the
                     typical diet.

                     They could also reduce their risk by 42 percent if
                     they replaced 5 percent of calories from saturated
                     fat with calories from unsaturated fats.

                     The study also challenges the wisdom that the less
                     total fat people eat, the better off they are.
                     Instead, people might be better off forgoing some
                     carbohydrates and instead substituting
                     monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fats. This
                     could mean putting olive oil on a salad but eating
                     it without bread to save the carbohydrate
                     calories.

                     Whether fats harm or help the heart depends on
                     what they do to blood levels of the two main kinds
                     of cholesterol, HDL and LDL. Raising HDL is good,
                     because this protects against heart disease, while
                     raising LDL is bad, because this increases risk.
                     Trans fat appears to be especially harmful because
                     it raises the bad LDL while it lowers the good
                     HDL. Saturated fat is also dangerous -- but not
                     quite so much as trans -- because it raises both
                     HDL and LDL.

                     The other main kinds of fat -- monounsaturated fat
                     and non-hydrogenated polyunsaturated fat -- are
                     both good for the heart. Monounsaturated raises
                     HDL while it lowers LDL, and polyunsaturated
                     lowers LDL while leaving HDL unchanged.

                     Even if trans fat is the worst, saturated fat may
                     still be a bigger health problem, since people eat
                     so much more of it. The nurses studied got 2
                     percent of their total daily calories from trans
                     fat, while 16 percent came from saturated fat.

                     Health experts emphasize that the new data do not
                     mean that foods high in saturated fat are suddenly
                     a healthy alternative. Indeed, some nutritionists
                     may have been reluctant to acknowledge the hazards
                     of trans fats because of fear that people would
                     simply switch from margarine and shortening to
                     butter and lard.

                     "The real important message is people should
                     decrease their intake of saturated fat and trans
                     fat, period. No one recommends either butter or
                     stick margarine at this point," said Dr. Alice H.
                     Lichtenstein of the U.S. Department of Agriculture
                     nutrition center at Tufts University in Boston.

                     The food industry has already begun to change its
                     products, at least in part in response to worries
                     about trans fats.

                     Sue Taylor, a dietitian at the U.S. National
                     Association of Margarine Manufacturers, said 60
                     percent of spreads now are the soft tub or squeeze
                     bottle types. These contain little or no trans
                     fat.

                     Further, even the stick spreads are likely to be
                     reduced-fat "vegetable oil spreads" rather than
                     true margarine, which, like butter, must be 80
                     percent fat. These also generally contain less
                     trans fat.

                     Some food companies also plan soon to produce
                     stick spreads that contain no trans fat at all.
                     Unilever said all of its Promise products and
                     Nabisco's Fleischmann's spreads will soon be
                     trans-free.

                     The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is
                     considering a proposal to add trans fat data to
                     food labels.

Date: Wed, 19 Nov 1997 22:52:28 -0500
From: allen schubert 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (US) Protests greet animal-research conference 
Message-ID: <3.0.32.19971119225226.007354b0@pop3.clark.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit

from Newsworks http://www.newsworks.com/
http://www.ocregister.com/news/1997/1197/111897/rights.html Orange County
Register
-----------------------------------------------
Nov. 18, 1997
BRUCE CHAMBERS/The Orange County Register

WITH A REBEL YELL: An animal-rights activist gets face to face with Anaheim
police during a protest Monday at the convention center. He was arrested
later as he allegedly tried to push through the line.

Protests greet animal-research conference 

SOCIAL ISSUES: Police, who read about demonstrators' plans on the Web,
arrest eight activists and have skirmishes with others. 

By BILL RAMS and MICHELLE NICOLOSI The Orange County Register

ANAHEIM — Some animal- rights activists wore black hoods that covered their
faces and screamed ``murderer'' into the faces of doctors. 

Others waved signs of monkeys pictured with screws to their shaved heads
and kittens with an eye poked out. 

More than 100 protesters from across the country confronted medical
professionals outside the Anaheim Convention Center on Monday, the site of
a national conference of about 3,000 veterinarians and scientists who use
animals in their research.  

``We want to stop the holocaust,'' said Bhasskar Sinha, 20, of Davis. 

But Dr. Lynn Anderson, organizer of the conference, said activists who call
animal research unethical should understand that stopping animal research
would halt medical advances. 

People would ``suffer or die,'' said Anderson, president of the American
Association for Laboratory Animal Science. And that, she said, is unethical. 

More than 50 police officers wearing helmets and carrying shields blocked
the building's entrance as protesters stood toe-to- toe with them and
chanted: ``Nothing to hide? Let us inside!'' 

>From atop the convention center, members of the police department's
counter-sniper team monitored the demonstration, in which officers and
conference attendees were repeatedly yelled at. 

For more than an hour, the activists screamed in unison ``You must
understand, their blood is on your hands'' and other slogans outside the
building's entrance. Some conference attendees tried to enter through the
side of the building. But when they were spotted, the protesters ran toward
them and yelled ``torturer'' or ``killer'' at them. 

Eight people were arrested; five for allegedly assaulting police officers,
two on suspicion of assault and another on suspicion of malicious mischief.
Officers pinned by a throng of protesters used pepper spray to subdue a
woman who had allegedly spit on a researcher. The spray burned the eyes and
skin of several nearby activists. 

Another woman, who said she was shoved by an officer, was injured and
treated at UCI Medical Center. 

``She refused medical treatment at first,'' said Anaheim Sgt. Joe Vargas.
``But we called an ambulance anyway.'' 

Vargas said police investigators learned about plans for the protest online. 

The animal-rights Web site advised female protesters to dress as though
they were pregnant to invoke sympathy from media and police. It also
informed officers that the Animal Liberation Front — considered domestic
terrorists by the FBI — had planned to attend, Vargas said. 

Police worried the group would spark confrontations similar to those in
April that led to 30 arrests in Davis and more than 60 in Atlanta. 

Heather McCormick, 19, of San Francisco was arrested at the Atlanta protest
and was at Monday's demonstration. 

``All this show of force (by police) is basically an overreaction,'' she
said. A protest is planned for the duration of the conference, which ends
Thursday.

The American Association for Laboratory Animal Science conducts
certification classes for technicians who care for lab animals; some
members also study lab animals to learn how to create disease-free
environments for them. 

The group's goal is to ensure animals are well cared for and to ensure they
don't suffer during experiments, Anderson said. 

``We are really there on the animals' behalf,'' said Anderson. 

Police officials say they will continue to monitor the conference through
Thursday. 
Date: Wed, 19 Nov 1997 22:57:34 -0500
From: allen schubert 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (US) Animal Rights -- "Lesson Plans For Teachers"
Message-ID: <3.0.32.19971119225731.0077f828@pop3.clark.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

from Newsworks http://www.newsworks.com/
The Louisville Courier-Journal
http://www.courier-journal.com/education/lessonplans/971110ani.html 
-----------------------------------------------
Animal Rights
November 10, 1997 

Discussion: Animal rights is a recurring topic of controversy among
individuals and groups as well as in the media. Ask students if they are
aware of any personalities or activist groups that are very vocal in their
stance on animal rights--either pro or con. Have students themselves taken
a stand on this issue in the past? 

How has animal rights become a political issue in our society? Have
students examine the ways in which groups and individuals on both sides of
the issue seek to exert pressure to create public and political action. 

What are the implications for our society at large if the more extreme
views on either side of the issue were adopted by the majority of people? 

As with any issue of this nature there is a continuum of possible positions
with the extreme pro and con positions at either end of the continuum.
Suggest that students create a visual that illustrates possible positions
on the issue that fall between the two extremes. 

The rest of the newspaper: As part of students' study of animal rights
issues, have them search for stories about this topic in The
Courier-Journal. Also suggest that they look for related items in other
media, such as television and magazines. Discuss how media coverage is a
part of the way in which activists on either side of the issue seek to
promote their views. 

The power of words: In a hotly debated issue such as this one, the power of
words becomes particularly evident. Have students circle words in the story
that have strong connotations for them. Look for similarly connotative
words in other coverage of the animal rights issue. Ask students to examine
the ways in which choice of words can help influence peoples' attitudes
toward an issue, and conversely, how the use of certain words can sometimes
muddy an issue. 

Have students chose another issue that is in the news and look for examples
of this same powerful use of words in the arguments on either side of this
issue. 

Vocabulary: What does a critic of a movement do? How can a computer
simulate animal bodies? How would the animal rights movement create
restrictions on research? 
Date: Wed, 19 Nov 1997 18:55:30
From: David J Knowles 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: [CA]  Subdivsion plan threatens frogs
Message-ID: <3.0.3.16.19971119185530.2a672110@dowco.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

WEST VANCOUVER, BC - Councilors had to make a hard decision Monday night -
weigh up the benefits of  a multi-million dollar housing development
against the future of a frog which, 
the developer claims is not that rare.

Four Grade 5 students told council, at a reconvened public meeting, how
they had come across adult tailed frogs as much as 100 metres away from a
tributary of McDonald Creek,  which is slated for diversion
as part of the development.

10-year-old Tristan Huntingdon said the four had several interviews about
the frogs, and also found that many others felt the same way.

"I've learned a lot from our study of the tailed frogs - more than any book
could teach me," he said, "Other people can learn a lot too. If the frog
survives, (others) can do the same thing we did."

Michael Van Hinsberg, also 10, told council they had no idea when they
started the project, what it would lead to.

Although they had told British Pacific Properties, the development company
concerned, as soon as the frogs were dicovered, BPP had, to date, not
responded.

How endangered are the frogs? Michael told council that in BC they are on
the Bluelist (potentially vunerable); in Washington state, they are listed
as "concerned"; and in Oregon, they are "vunerable".

According to a letter forwarded to West Vancouver council, Walter
Thorneloe, British Pacific's vice-president of development, says although
the frogs are potentially vunerable in BC, "they are not in Washington or
Oregon."

Catherine Fall, the third member of the group, requested council to ensure
a 100-metre-wide corridor be left to enable the frogs to survive.

David Meszaros told the council that the four had recieved letters of
congratulation and encouragement from various people including well-known
environmentalist Dr David Suzuki. 

David also took The Vancouver Sun to task (and yours truely), saying the
headline they had used - 'Frog threatens subdivision plan' - was not right,
and that it should have read: 'Subdivsion plan threatens frogs.' 

He also told council that frogs are declining all over the world, and that
they are an environmentally-sensitive animal. "Scientists don't have all
the answers, but one scientist has said we do know good, old-fashioned
habitat destruction is causing a great deal of it. Frogs don't breed too
well in a parking lot," he said.

There was again a warm reception by the council and members of the public
after the pre-teens' presentation.

Linda Dupois, a University of B.C. research associate who has been studying
tailed frogs since the early 90's, and Tanya Waki, a PhD student, who has
studied them since 1994, also appeared before council. Waki told council
that neither she nor Dupois had been approached prior to the development
plans being drawn up. Neither had Dr Fred Bunnell, who is an expert
regarding the frog.

Thornoloe promised that there would be on-going monitoring of the situation.

After the presentation, I asked Michael Van Hinsberg why he thought they
had found the frogs, when the environmental consultants contracted by  BPP
had not found any. Michael replied that it was "probably because they
didn't look in the right season. The frogs are much easier to spot in the
summer, but they looked in the winter."

Council decided they hadn't heard enough from thepublic about this issue,
and postponed any further action on the plan until they continue the public
hearing on December 1st. BPP's Thorneloe had earlier pleaded with council
to stop listening to the public and make a quick decision on their proposal.

[I was particularly impressed with the way the kids conducted themselves.
They made a much better presentation than many adult delegations to council
that I've seen, and were extremely knowedgeable about the issue they were
dealing with. Anyone wishing to contact them about their efforts to
preserve the tailed-frogs can contacty them via private e-mail to myself -
I know their addresses but wish to respect their privacy.]

David J Knowles
Animal Voices News

Date: Wed, 19 Nov 1997 20:25:32
From: David J Knowles 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: [UK] TV cameraman risks his life to film polar bear underwater
Message-ID: <3.0.3.16.19971119202532.2a676d9c@dowco.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit

[Obviously not from the Marty Soufler school of wildlife photography]

>From The Electronic Telegraph - Thursday, November 20th, 1997

TV cameraman risks his life to film polar bear underwater
By A J McIlroy 

A TELEVISION crew has succeeded in filming a polar bear swimming underwater
in the wild for what is thought to be only the second time in history.

The sequence was captured by Doug Allan, 47, a cameraman with Sir David
Attenborough's BBC wildlife series team, on an expedition to the Arctic to
record one of the world's most dangerous carnivores.

He seized his chance when the bear was seen in a break in the ice, diving
into the water "to make sure the opportunity was not missed".

The resulting sequence so excited Sir David that it has been left unshown
for 14 months so that it can be the highlight of a six-part wildlife
television series starting next week to mark the 40th anniversary of the
BBC's Natural History Unit.

"He took his life in his hands," Sir David said last night. "When I first
saw the footage I could hardly believe it - it was a remarkable deed. I
would have been out of the water like a shot."

Martha Holmes, series producer, said: "This is a remarkable achievement. It
is a wildlife photographer's dream to capture a polar bear on film
underwater in the wild, and so far as we know this may have been done only
once before, by an Australian." 

The sequence will be shown on BBC1 at 7.55pm next Wednesday in Wildlife
Specials - Polar Bear.

© Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1997. 

Date: Wed, 19 Nov 1997 20:20:44
From: David J Knowles 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: [UK] Horse show judge fined for cruelty
Message-ID: <3.0.3.16.19971119202044.2a6761ec@dowco.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit

>From The Electronic Telegraph - Thursday, November 20th, 1997

Horse show judge fined for cruelty
By Michael Fleet 

THE mother of an Olympic three-day eventer was fined £1,500 yesterday for
causing suffering to three horses kept at her stables.

Jennifer Clapham, whose daughter Diana "Tiny" Clapham represented Britain
in the 1984 Olympics, was cleared of 10 other charges relating to horses
found at the farm at Mattingley, near Basingstoke, Hants. She now faces a
legal bill of an estimated £25,000 and is having to resign from a number of
equestrian organisations. As well as training horses, she is a
senior judge at horse shows.

Magistrates at Andover, Hants, were told that six horses were removed by
the RSPCA on a first visit to the farm in January and seven more were later
taken away. Clapham was found guilty in respect of one horse which had to
be put down and of two others which were in an emaciated state.

After the case, Insp Alison McVicar of the RSPCA said: "This is the worst
horse case I have been involved with during my five years with the charity.
The contrast between what we found in one barn and others less than a
stone's throw away was staggering.

"She kept some show horses absolutely immaculately and then there were
these three horses whose condition there are no words to describe."

Insp McVicar had told the court that she thought one horse was already dead
when she found it lying on the floor of its barn. She said: "I approached
it and got a shock when the head started to move and the legs started
flailing."

The animal was so emaciated it was later destroyed by a vet called to the
farm. As she toured the farm she made a note referring to "images of
Belsen," because of the condition of horses. Clapham claimed in court that
all the horses were well fed, well looked after and had all been regularly
wormed.

Evidence was given on her behalf to show that all the animals involved were
suffering from a parasite infestation which could cause horses to suffer
extreme weight loss within 48 hours. Clapham, the wife of an Army colonel,
was fined £750 for the horse which had to be shot, £500 for a second and
£250 a third.

She was also ordered to pay £7,500 costs and will have to pay her own legal
fees. Edward Brown, defending, said Clapham had already received anonymous
hate-mail using "foul language and threats to attack her physically".

He added that Clapham had already stood down from the British Pony
Three-Day Event Team selection committee as well as a number of other
equestrian bodies.

© Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1997. 



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