AR-NEWS Digest 506 Topics covered in this issue include: 1) Goring renews debate about mock bullfights in Massachusetts by Vegetarian Resource Center 2) RCD/RHD-The killer rabbit virus loose in New Zealand by bunny 3) [UK] E coli wedding alert by David J Knowles 4) [US] As hamburgers go, so goes America? by David J Knowles 5) [CA] Garbage strike affecting city dogs by David J Knowles 6) [UK] E coli wedding alert by David J Knowles 7) (US) Colo. Company Uses Homing Pigeons by allen schubert 8) (US) Scientists Try To Cure Hog Stench by allen schubert 9) Fisheries officials deserve much, much more scrutiny by BKMACKAY@aol.com 10) EVENT 19Sept97 - Choosing retirement for Canada's whales[ca] by bchorush@paws.org (pawsinfo) 11) Did pigeon poisoning kill this dog? (CA) by BKMACKAY@aol.com 12) Poisoning pigeons promotes perilous problems for Peregrines (CA) by BKMACKAY@aol.com 13) Farr Writes Glickman by PAWS 14) Bad News from Hegins, Pa. by Mike Markarian 15) King Royal Update by PAWS 16) Toronto: Tougher Laws For Animal Abusers (CA.) by LCartLng@gvn.net (Lawrence Carter-Long) 17) Barry Horne press 26th Aug 97 by "Miggi" 18) Mails to stop bullfighting!!!!!! by "sa338@blues.uab.es" 19) Request for Information by WalshMM@aol.com 20) (US) Veggie Patties by allen schubert 21) (US) FDA To Seek Juice Warning Labels by allen schubert 22) Re: Mail to Sam Farr by carol 23) (US) Activists Demand Release Of Trapped Geese by klaszlo@juno.com (Kathryn A Laszlo) 24) ACTION ALERT - Live monkey in Seattle Opera [WA] by bchorush@paws.org (pawsinfo) 25) Carson & Barnes Circus Leafleting [WA] by bchorush@paws.org (pawsinfo) 26) Admin Note--subscription info by allen schubert 27) Davenport Faces New Charges by PAWS 28) (US) Kim Basinger Urges Protection of Circus Animals by allen schubert 29) RFI-anti-cruelty laws by Tracy Rackauskas 30) (US-PeTA) VEGETARIANS AIR BEEF AT BURGER KING by allen schubert 31) Goring sparks outcry; Legislator seeks ban on bullfights by Maynard Clark 32) Boston Globe 8/26: McDonald's beefing up foreign presence; Fast-food giant looks to dominate global market by Maynard Clark Date: Tue, 26 Aug 1997 00:42:52 -0400 From: Vegetarian Resource Center To: AR-News@envirolink.org Subject: Goring renews debate about mock bullfights in Massachusetts Message-ID: <3.0.3.32.19970826004252.00706978@pop.tiac.net> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" >From Monday's Boston Globe Goring renews debate about mock bullfights in Massachusetts By Glen Johnson, Associated Press, 8/25/97 BOSTON (AP) - Is it a cultural ritual or glorified animal abuse? Two lawmakers squared off on the subject of mock bullfighting in Massachusetts on Monday, following a weekend incident in which a Lowell police officer was gored by a runaway bull during a Portuguese festival. The officer suffered knee and thigh injuries that required surgery. Rep. Steven Angelo, D-Saugus, said he planned to refile a bill on Tuesday that would outlaw mock or so-called bloodless bullfights in Massachusetts. Violators would face a maximum penalty of one year in jail or a fine of $1,000. ``I have a good sense of humor, but this really is a serious issue,'' Angelo said. ``They torment the bull, slapping it on its back, even though they don't kill it.'' But Rep. Antonio Cabral, D-New Bedford, a native of Portugal, said that bullfights are an important part of his countrymen's heritage. ``This is not bullfighting, first of all. It's an activity that is a cultural expression. What is important is that it's well regulated and that whoever is responsible for handling the bulls knows what they're doing,'' he said. When Angelo offered a similar bill in 1991, Cabral opposed and helped kill it by relegating the measure to a study committee. Federal law has long outlawed Spanish-style bullfighting, which climaxes with the killing of a bull. Portuguese bullfighters, by contrast, generally do not kill their bulls. The mock bullfights, featuring immature bulls with no horns or animals who have had their horns covered, are an attempt to recapture that custom, supporters argue. On Sunday, a 1,400-pound bull escaped from a compound operated by the Holy Ghost Society, a Portuguese cultural club that was holding its annual bullfights under a rodeo permit. Officer Kenneth Shaw, who was patrolling the festival, chased the bull through a parking lot, down a side street and across Route 38, a busy road lined with fast food restaurants. Fearing the bull might head for a business, Shaw fired several shots at it. Along the way, the bull knocked over a motorcyclist, police said. The bull turned on Shaw in a vacant lot and gored him through the thigh and knee. A motorist help stave off further attack by pulling his car between the bull and the officer. Other officers shot and wounded the bull before its owners killed the animal. Two hours later, a bull handler was injured by a second bull. Angelo's law would ban anyone using a bull in a mock bullfight. It would not extend to zoo or rodeo displays. ``This doesn't have anything to do with rodeos or circuses. In those circumstances, you're not physically hurting the bull for entertainment purposes,'' he said. Angelo said he received support for his bill on Monday from the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, as well as roughly 20 of his House colleagues. Date: Tue, 26 Aug 1997 16:23:03 +0800 From: bunny To: ar-news@envirolink.org Subject: RCD/RHD-The killer rabbit virus loose in New Zealand Message-ID: <1.5.4.16.19970826160657.32f710f6@wantree.com.au> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Tue, 26th August 1997 (New Zealand) The Killer Rabbit Virus Is Loose The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries says it has identified the Rabbit Calicivirus Disease as being present in the South Island. Officials confirmed that dead rabbits found in Central Otago, near Cromwell, have tested positive for the killer rabbit virus. It is believed that the virus is present in at least two other areas in the South Island. Officials believe that the virus may have been illegally imported some time last week. Yesterday MAF officials rejected rumours that RCD had been illegally released in the South Island as not supported by any evidence. The rumours came from farmers in the Central Otago and Mackenzie Area who had heard that someone has smuggled RCD on the carcass of an infected animal from Australia. Many high country farmers are angry at the Ministry's refusal earlier this year to allow the importation of RCD from Australia until more is known about how the disease is transmitted between different species. RCD was developed in Australia and escaped from isolation. The disease spread rapidly through the rabbit population there and after initial good results in killing rabbits there have been reports that the virus is not effective in some areas with some rabbits building up immunity particularly in wetter climates. Farmers' groups say that while they can understand the anger of farmers who are being driven off their land by rabbits, but they would not condone anyone breaking the law. Furthermore they say that an uncontrolled release might backfire as without the right weather conditions and other factors the rabbits would not be killed, but would instead build up a resistance. MAF officials are now attempting to control the spread of the disease in the area it has been found. No one has yet identified how the virus came into New Zealand and the punishment for such illegal imports is a maximum fine of $100,000 and five years jail. Officials say they intend to find who did and seek a prosecution. (26.8.97) =========================================== Rabbit Information Service, P.O.Box 30, Riverton, Western Australia 6148 Email> rabbit@wantree.com.au http://www.wantree.com.au/~rabbit/rabbit.htm (Rabbit Information Service website updated frequently) /`\ /`\ (/\ \-/ /\) )6 6( >{= Y =}< /'-^-'\ (_) (_) | . | | |} jgs \_/^\_/ Date: Tue, 26 Aug 1997 01:26:20 -0700 (PDT) From: David J Knowles To: ar-news@envirolink.org Subject: [UK] E coli wedding alert Message-ID: <1.5.4.16.19970826012644.37b73b76@dowco.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" >From The Electronic Telegraph - Tuesday, August 26th, 1997 E coli wedding alert HUNDREDS of wedding reception guests, many of whom work in the catering industry, were being sought last night by health officials tackling an E coli outbreak. Ian Coghill, Birmingham's director of environmental services, said: "At least 30 of the guests work in the food industry. It's important we contact those in the food industry to make sure they are not likely to pass E coli on in their own businesses or at work." The source of the outbreak has been traced to a lamb dish served at the reception held at Swanshurst Girls' School in the city's Billesley area earlier this month. Mr Coghill said 600 people had been contacted since the outbreak but more than 1,400 attended the wedding. © Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1997. Date: Tue, 26 Aug 1997 01:26:22 -0700 (PDT) From: David J Knowles To: ar-news@envirolink.org Subject: [US] As hamburgers go, so goes America? Message-ID: <1.5.4.16.19970826012645.37b78700@dowco.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" >From The Economist - August 23rd - 29th edition LEXINGTON There are 16 sick people, their bodies ravaged by a bacterium that can shred intestines, clog kidneys and eventually be fatal. There is the disgraced Hudson Foods of Arkansas, which distributed 5 m. hamburgers tat may have been contaminated with E. coli 0157:H7, the bacterium-villain, and which had already been responsible in 1995 for America's largest-ever meat recall. And there may in time be yet another victim too. Its demise would leave nobody bereaved, and nobody jobless. But it might leave many Americans disorientated. This potential victim is none other than the hamburger: a symbol of the reassuring predictability, the pre-packaged straightforwardness, the sheer lack of pretention of American life. The average American eats three hamburgers a week, a collective effort that puts paid to 40 billion burgers annually. Despite cholesterol-phobia, the number of hamburgers and cheeseburgers consumed in restaurants has jumped by nearly a fifth since 1990. At various times, Americans have bought hamburger juggling sets, hamburger teapots and hamburger watches. Bloomingdale's once stocked chrome-and-brass hamburger paperweights. In 1962, Claes Oldenburg created his 'Giant Hamburger' out of painted sailcloth, giving the hamburger the artistic reverence that befits a national icon. The rise of the hamburger is a metaphore for the rise of America. It came ashore with immigrants from Hamburg, who had a long since acquired the habit of eating ground beef, raw with onion juice, from nomadic Tatar tribes. Like the immigrants themselves, the hamburger evolved in the new world. It was cooked; it was sheathed in bread. Then, somewhere around 1920, a bun replaced the sandwich bread. The American century had begun in earnest. It soon picked up speed. In 1948 Richard and Maurice McDonald opened the first fast-burger joint; the food was prepared in advance and kept warm under infra-red lamps. The pre-packaged hamburger - standard, efficient, cheap - fitted the mass culture that emerged after the war. It was as reliable and practical as the blue jean; it lacked any trace of snobbery. The McDonald's waiters wore paper hats; "We weren't going to sell to the country club set," sneered Dick McDonald. Soon, lamp-warmed burgers were fanning out from the McDonald's California base. You could buy a McDonald's hamburger anywhere and it would be the same; you would know you were in America. By now, McDonald's has served 70 billion hamburgers, enough to reach to the moon and back 17 times over. The production of hamburgers has become as automated as Henry Ford's assembly lines; but the act of consuming them has remained somehow inividualistic. Pizzas are big, so you need a friend to eat them with. Hamburgers can be consumed solo, they are made from cows which, if you let your imagination run a bit, have been raised on a wild open ranch by lonesome cowboys toting six-guns. Hamburgers are classless, too: they are consumed by scruffy kids, but have been admired by movie stars and presidents, not least Bill Clinton. And hamburgers suit a country on the move. The growth of McDonald's in the 1950's tracked the growth of the interstate highways. Nowadays, more and more McDonald's restaurants are "drive-thrus". The American way has spread abroad, with hamburgers in the vanguard. McDonald's has opened restaurants in 103 countries, most recently in Tahiti and Cyprus. Tom Freidman, a columnist for the 'New York Times' has declared that countries with McDonald's do not go to war with each other; with the burgers comes an established middle class, which makes a country too sensible to cause trouble. This is not the most extravagant claim made for hamburger power. When McDonald's opened in Tokyo in 1971, its chief executive officer declared: "If we eat hamburgers and potatoes for 1,000 years, we will become taller, our skin will become whiter and our hair blonder." Maybe hios countrymen tool him seriously. A quarter-century on, McDonald's is Japan's biggest chain of restaurants. Like America, the hamburger has come to dominate the world; as with America, it is fair to ask whether this can last forever. Abroad, there have been some rude set-backs. In 1989, Romans tried to block the opening of a McDonald's near the Spanish steps, complaining of "disgusting odours." In 1993, McDonald's was refused permission to open under the Eiffle Tower. In 1994, the company got involved in an embarrasing court case against environmental activists in Britain, emerging as an ogre of American capitalist-imperialism. But the darkest question, raised by the poisonings of the past month, concerns the hamburger's standing in America. The current outbreak is not the first: in 1993, 700 people were laid low after eating contaminated burgers. Nicols Fox, author of a new book on food poisoning (and a writer for The Economist) reckons that the casualties will multiply. Meat from one infected cow is mixed with many other cows, so that one bad cow can cause hundreds of bad stomachs. A single hamburger, Ms. Fox reports, can contain meat from 100 cattle from four different countries. And yet, America and its symbols have been written off before, always prematurely. Health scares about hamburgers date back to the era of the St Louis Exposition, but the hamburger has always counter-attacked. In the 1920's the White Castle hamburger chain cooked its fare in full view of its customers, and painted everything white to suggest the hygienic standards of a hospital. White Tower, a competing chain, deployed a team of Towerettes, women dressed as nurses to reassure the public. Years on, the hamburger is triumphant. Over the past generation, McDonald's has offered its customers fishburgers, veggie burgers, chicken burgers and (shudder) salads. And yet, the Big Mac remains the most popular sandwich in the world, and the quarter-pounder with cheese is not far behind it. Date: Tue, 26 Aug 1997 01:26:30 -0700 (PDT) From: David J Knowles To: ar-news@envirolink.org Subject: [CA] Garbage strike affecting city dogs Message-ID: <1.5.4.16.19970826012653.37b7eaec@dowco.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" VANCOUVER, BC - Outside workers employed by Vancouver City Council, including all the city's garbage collectors, are now entering the third week of a strike. Despite several complaints from residents throughout the city, local health officials are so far saying the piles of uncollected garbage pose no risk to the public health. If such a decision is made, city officials would attempt to have garbage collection declared an essential service at the Labour Relations Board. There have been concerns about a possible increase of rodents, but there have been no actual reports of this as yet. In the meantime, local veterinarians are encountering a spate of what they are refering to as "garbage gut" in local dogs. Garbage gut is the result of dogs ingesting objects from garbage piles, and the objects then becoming stuck in the dogs' digestive tracts. Residents were informed Monday by Vancouver Mayor, Philip Owen, that they had better get used to the uncollected garbage, as the city would not add to its final pay offer, and advised them to keep it in areas such a garage, where it would be less likely to be attractive to animals. David J Knowles Animal Voices News Date: Tue, 26 Aug 1997 01:26:20 -0700 (PDT) From: David J Knowles To: ar-news@envirolink.org Subject: [UK] E coli wedding alert Message-ID: <199708261144.HAA17339@envirolink.org> >From The Electronic Telegraph - Tuesday, August 26th, 1997 E coli wedding alert HUNDREDS of wedding reception guests, many of whom work in the catering industry, were being sought last night by health officials tackling an E coli outbreak. Ian Coghill, Birmingham's director of environmental services, said: "At least 30 of the guests work in the food industry. It's important we contact those in the food industry to make sure they are not likely to pass E coli on in their own businesses or at work." The source of the outbreak has been traced to a lamb dish served at the reception held at Swanshurst Girls' School in the city's Billesley area earlier this month. Mr Coghill said 600 people had been contacted since the outbreak but more than 1,400 attended the wedding. =A9 Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1997.=20 [UK] E coli wedding alert Date: Tue, 26 Aug 1997 08:03:03 -0400 From: allen schubert To: ar-news@envirolink.org Subject: (US) Colo. Company Uses Homing Pigeons Message-ID: <3.0.32.19970826080301.006ee73c@clark.net> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" hard to believe... from AP Wire page: --------------------------------- 08/26/1997 04:19 EST Colo. Company Uses Homing Pigeons By AARON J. LOPEZ Associated Press Writer FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) -- Forget the modems and the snazzy digital cameras. A rafting company looked backward for a faster way to get photos of its clients down river: Homing pigeons. Outfitted with homemade backpacks, the pigeons carry film of whitewater rafters shooting the Poudre River's rapids, arriving fast enough for Rocky Mountain Adventures to develop pictures and have them ready to sell by the time rafters finish their run and dry off. ``We did pretty good research before we started and there didn't seem to be any reason why it couldn't work,'' said Tony Costlow, a company co-owner. ``The main thing was getting them to carry the film.'' The idea was born from a dilemma -- how to get finished photo proofs to the end of the run while keeping photographers on the banks to shoot the next batch of rafts. Digital cameras and modems to transmit photos between sites were too expensive, and those photos were of poorer quality, Costlow said. Waiting until the end of the day meant asking clients to buy photos sight unseen, a poor sales tool. Costlow homed in on pigeons. He designed the Pigeon Express Bird Pack -- a backpack of stretchy Lycra and Velcro straps that fits snug to the pigeon's breast and lets it fly unrestricted. A local pigeon trader helped with the training. ``Certainly in the early stages it was a lot of watching because they were all chicks,'' Costlow said. ``They couldn't fly. They'd miss the fence and land over where the dog could get them. You'd have to go retrieve them.'' Now he has a fleet of 16 birds, with each pigeon making the half-hour flight two or three times a week. Pigeons have been used for centuries to send messages, but most are now used for races and recreation, said Rick Phalen, executive director of the American Racing Pigeon Union in South Hamilton, Mass. ``I know that in some many days gone by that over in England there was a hospital or group of hospitals that would use the birds for quick transmission of lab results and transportation of negatives,'' Phalen said. In Colorado, the pigeons caught the fancy of vacationer Laura Quigley-Wysoki of Temperance, Mich.: ``It is like totally awesome. Those backpacks are pretty neat.'' Costlow said he has been happy with the pigeons since he began using them two years ago. He's learned to keep them fit or else they can fall prey to hawks and eagles. So far, two birds haven't returned. Occasionally, he has to berate a bird for taking too leisurely an approach. ``It's critical the birds fly fast and don't dawdle when they come back,'' Costlow said. ``Every once in a while, they'll hang out on the roof.'' Date: Tue, 26 Aug 1997 08:10:19 -0400 From: allen schubert To: ar-news@envirolink.org Subject: (US) Scientists Try To Cure Hog Stench Message-ID: <3.0.32.19970826081016.006c87fc@clark.net> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" from AP wire page: ---------------------------------- 08/26/1997 03:20 EST Scientists Try To Cure Hog Stench PEORIA, Ill. (AP) -- How do you take the stink out of hog manure? That's a question researchers at the University of Illinois and elsewhere are trying to answer. Scientists at the National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research, located in Peoria, soon might join other researchers in trying to solve the problem. Rep. Ray LaHood, R-Ill., said last week he would ask Congress for $1 million in federal money to pay for the research. Mega-scale hog farms usually store the abundant waste the animals produce in large lagoons, and the resulting unpleasant odor is one of the main problems associated with the livestock operations. The farms are also controversial because environmentalists and others say the large collections of manure pollute the air and threaten groundwater. Dr. Peter B. Johnsen, director of the National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research, a division of the U.S. Agriculture Department, said removing the smell from hog waste is not easy. But, he added, ``It's not a bizarrely difficult, intractable problem.'' Yuanhui Zhang, a professor in the department of agricultural engineering at the University of Illinois, is researching thermochemical conversion of livestock waste. That means trying to convert manure into other products, such as fuel oil and plant fertilizer, that would not smell like hog manure. Scientists studying manure odor also have been looking into the role of dust. ``Dust particles are the major player, acting as an odor-carrier,'' Zhang said. ``If we reduce dust concentrations, we get a good chunk of the odors.'' Potential solutions range from the relatively simple, such as sprinkling edible vegetable oil on the floors of buildings where hogs are kept, to the high-tech -- using air scrubbers to cut down on dust and odor. Some of the microorganisms responsible for hog manure odor already have been identified, Johnsen said. But it is unclear whether hogs create an environment where the microorganisms can grow, or whether the microorganisms are inside the hogs. Edith Galloway, a rural Carthage woman who lives about a mile from the Little Timber L.L.C. hog-raising facility, said removing the bad smell from manure would not necessarily eliminate the problems created by large-scale livestock operations. ``If you could perfume it up, you could have a silent nuisance,'' said Galloway, adding that such research is a waste of money. Date: Tue, 26 Aug 1997 09:13:56 -0400 (EDT) From: BKMACKAY@aol.com To: ar-news@envirolink.org Cc: OnlineAPI@aol.com Subject: Fisheries officials deserve much, much more scrutiny Message-ID: <970826091356_839281756@emout17.mail.aol.com> FISHERIES OFFICIALS DESERVE MUCH, MUCH MORE SCRUTINY Nature Trail, by Barry Kent MacKay The Toronto Star, Sunday, August 24, 1997 Let us consider a still-unfolding national scandal. It represents the effective destruction of a major part of the Canadian economy, yet the full implications still do not sink in with the majority of the Canadian media. It did not surprise many of us to learn, yet again, that the federal department of fisheries and oceans suppresses data and opinions from its own scientists in order to make politically motivated decisions about fish management, or the role of harp seals as predators of commercial fish stocks. This hit the media a few weeks ago when The Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, published by the National Research Council, printed a paper by Jeffrey Hutchings, Carl Walters and Richard Haedrich entitled "Is Scientific Inquiry Incompatible With Government Information Control?" Fourteen years after Canada declared a 200-mile fisheries jurisdiction around the coasts, "commercial exploitation of Newfoundland's northern cod...ended because of a 100-fold reduction in spawner biomass of what was once the largest cod fishery in the world." This did not happen in isolation, but as part of a systematic destruction of fisheries in the Great Lakes and the Pacific coast. (The travesty of our provincial government endlessly dumping captive-bred, hybrid and non-native salmonids into the Great Lakes and thus creating the illusion of robust fisheries is something I will deal with in a future column.) Hutchings and his colleagues document the political interference that produced the collapse of the Atlantic cod and Pacific salmon fisheries. The fisheries department's habit of "suppress(ing) scientific facts and opinions that do not conform either to current departmental orthodoxy or to political expediency" as National Research Council editorial puts it, is hardly unique. Nor is the department's "shoot-the-messenger" response anything other than tiresomely predictable. Thus, it is understandable that media attention is shifting to an over-all examination of suppressing of fact in the interest of politics, and that is a good thing. I fear, however, that this broadening of focus may be at the expense of clarity. While the department of fisheries and oceans may not be unique in kind, I believe that it may very well be unique in degree. Of course, I am, if nothing else, an embittered, taxpaying observer who wants to scream "I told you so!" but knows that my opinion does not count. Indeed, as a conservationist, I represent a constituency of Canadians (and others) held in utter contempt by the senior levels of the department of fisheries and oceans, their political masters and the media they have duped. There simply must be levels of accountability and that includes public scrutiny of an independent advosory body. I am not so naive as to think politics won't be the ultimate arbiter, but those political decisions ought to derive from accurate and objective data, and Hutchings and his colleagues advocate. -30- Date: Tue, 26 Aug 1997 09:11:30 -0700 (PDT) From: bchorush@paws.org (pawsinfo) To: ar-news@envirolink.org Subject: EVENT 19Sept97 - Choosing retirement for Canada's whales[ca] Message-ID: <199708261611.JAA23280@siskiyou.brigadoon.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" posted for please respond to this address, not REPLY ------------------------------------------------------------ A Lecture by Cathy Kinsman of RETURN TO THE WILD "BELUGAS IN THE BRAS D'OR OCEAN RESERVE" Choosing retirement and the future home for Canada's whales Friday, September 19, 1997 at 7:30 pm at the H.R.MacMillan Planetarium 1100 Chestnut Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Tickets: $8.50 - $6.00 Students & Seniors You are invited to join Cathy Kinsman of RETURN TO THE WILD on a journey to the Bras D'Or, Canada's east coast inland sea. Learn first hand of the plan now in development that will allow Canada's white whales to remain in Canada and be provided for in a pristine, natural marine environment. Canadians and foreign visitors alike have had the privilege of viewing arctic beluga whales from Hudson Bay in the tanks of the Vancouver Aquarium, while enjoying Canada's diverse culture and the beauty of British Columbia. Recent events such as the Vancouver Park Board considering the phasing out of the whale exhibits, the beluga whales being warehoused for over two years in the aquarium's small reserve tank, and the publicized export of the beluga "Nanuq" to Sea World in San Diego, have prompted the development of a proposal to retire some of Canada's captive beluga whales to a natural sea pen in eastern Canada. This timely proposal offers a wide range of benefits for the whales, the Vancouver Aquarium, the Bras D'Or region of Cape Breton and all Canadians. For tickets and information, please phone (604)736-9514 or email: annelise@direct.ca Bob Chorush Web Administrator, Progressive Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) 15305 44th Ave West (P.O. Box 1037)Lynnwood, WA 98046 (425) 787-2500 ext 862, (425) 742-5711 fax email bchorush@paws.org http://www.paws.org Date: Tue, 26 Aug 1997 12:35:12 -0400 (EDT) From: BKMACKAY@aol.com To: ar-news@envirolink.org Cc: bisgould@idirect.com, OnlineAPI@aol.com, AAC@inforamp.net Subject: Did pigeon poisoning kill this dog? (CA) Message-ID: <970826123507_-435440691@emout05.mail.aol.com> Suspected Avitrol Poisoning of Non-targe Species Avitrol (4-aminopyridine) is an agent used in the control of nuisance species of birds, particularly in urban areas. The compound is delivered in bait, usually kernals of courn. It affects the nervous system in a manner similar to organophosphate and carbarnate insecticides. In sufficiently high doses, it is lethal, while at lower doses, it causes disorientation and the emission of distress calls [Note: although it is often used in pigeon control, and although its original purpose is to "chase" birds by causing some of them to utter distress calls (ie, blackbirds and starlings) in fact pigeons do not utter distress calls. Avitrol is NOT licensed for use as a lethal substance, but it nevertheless is illegally used for that purpose by pest control companies, with regulatory bodies turning a blind eye - BKM ) which lead to the dispersal of other birds of the same species. Concerns have been raised over the possibility of poisoning of non-target species that consume either the bait or the carcasses of birds that have died as the result of avitrol poisoning. Of particular concern is the possibility of inadvertent poisoning of raptors such as peregrine falcons that have been reintroduced into urgan areas. The CCWHC Ontario Regional Centre received a submission that consisted of a single dead pigeon and the crop contents of a second bird from a person whose dog had found a number of dead pigeons, and was thought to have consumed some of the birds. Whithin hours of this event, the dog began to salivate excessively, developed diarrhea and eventually entered respiratory distress. It was taken to an emergency clinic, but died in spite of treatment. A necropsy was conducted on-site. No significant lesions were noted, and no tissues were saved for further examination and analysis. Concerned that the dog may have been poisoned by consuming the pigeons, the owner brought the two samples from the birds to the CCWHC. Avitrol was detected in the crop contents, which consisted of corn kernals. There is, of course, no way of determining whether the dog died as the result of avitrol poisoning, but the circumstances suggest that possibility. Mammals are as susceptible to avitrol poisoning as are birds; a potentially lethal dose is generally less that 10 mg/kg (Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology 1973, 26:532-538). The crop contents of the pigeon contained 34-43....[parts per million] of avitrol. A review of cases of avitrol poisoning previously diagnosed at this laboratory found a range of avitrol concentrations in crop contents of 12-480 ppm. Liver concentrations are much lower, and never exceeded 10 ppm. At these concentrations, it would be difficult for a large dog to consume sufficient amounts of bait or poisoned birds to be fatally poisoned. The dog would have to consume undiluted or poorly mixed avitrol-laced bait in order to consume a lethal dose. Similar considerations apply to raptors consuming pigeons. A raptor would need to eat the crop contents of a poisoned pigeon in order to encounter a lethal quantity of avitrol. [Note: personal published observation by myself confirm that raptors DO eat entire crops, as has been verified by professional falconer Urlich Watermman, pers. comm. - BKM] Tissue concentrations are sufficiently low that poisoning from this source is unlikely. Avitrol is a compound that is capable of affecting a wide range of species in addition to those against which its use is directed. This increases the need for those using it to apply it in strict conformity to the manufacturer's directions with regard to dilution and placement of baits. (D. Campbell and I. Barker, Ontario region - CCWHC). Copied from Wildlife Health Centre Newsletter, Vol. 4, No. 3, Summer, 1997. Note: This newsletter, English version, is available at . Click on the CCWHC logo.) Submitted by Barry Kent MacKay, Animal Protection Institute Date: Tue, 26 Aug 1997 12:37:37 -0400 (EDT) From: BKMACKAY@aol.com To: ar-news@envirolink.org Cc: OnlineAPI@aol.com, aac@inforamp.net, bisgould@idirect.com Subject: Poisoning pigeons promotes perilous problems for Peregrines (CA) Message-ID: <970826123453_1252473037@emout15.mail.aol.com> Strychnine Poisoning of a Peregrine Falcon (Note - The Newsletter is available in English at . Click on the CCWHC logo) A peregrine falcon that had been released from a captive breeding and reintroduction program was found dead on the roof of a building in the city of Hull [across the river from Ottawa, on the Quebec side]. A freshly dead and half-eaten pigeon (rock dove) was found beside the falcon. At necropsy, the falcon was found to be in good nutritional condition and its crop was filled with pigeon flesh. Toxicologic evaluation of the crop content detected strychnine. Thus, the falcon died of secondary strychnine poisoning from eating a pigeon that had been poisoned. In Canada, use of strychnine to kill pigeons is permitted. A search of the CCWHC (Quebec Region) records found three previous cases of strychnine poisoning: one case involving 31 common grackles and two involving one pigeon each. All these poisonings occurred in urban areas. It is our view that the use of pesticides that pose a high risk to non-target species should be discontinued. In Europe, strychnine is recognized as a highly dangerous product and its use is prohibited. [Igor Mikaelian, Daniel Martineau (CCWHC) and Daniel Saint Hilaire (MEF-Hull) >From Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre's Wildlife Health Centre Newsletter, Vol. 4, No. 3, Summer, 1997 Submitted by Barry Kent MacKay, Animal Protection Institute Date: Tue, 26 Aug 1997 13:40:26 -0400 (EDT) From: PAWS To: ar-news@envirolink.org Subject: Farr Writes Glickman Message-ID: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Congressman Sam Farr has written the following letter to Secretary of Agriculture Glickman, regarding the King Royal Circus: August 21, 1997 The Honorable Dam Glickman Secretary USDA 14th St. and Independence Ave SW Washington, DC 20250 Dear Mr. Secretary, Following up on our meeting with you, Kim Basinger, Pat Derby--representing the Performing Animal Welfare Society--and myself last May, during which we spoke about the repeated violations by a few traveling circuses of the Animal Welfare Act and the need to better enforce the laws to prevent these abuses, I unfortunately must now write to you to bring the matter of King Royal Circus violations of animal protection laws in Albuquerque, New Mexico to your attention. Badly dehydrated exotic animals along with a dead baby African elephant were found in a slipshod van in a parking lot by the Albuquerque police on August 6th. I once again urge you in the strongest possible terms to fully enforce the Animal Welfare Act as you are authorized to do and impose the strongest sanctions possible against repeat offenders like King Royal. As we discussed at the May meeting, not only is the abuse of animals an issue, but also the safety of the public is at risk when such circuses are allowed to continue to use performing animals that have been maltreated. I would appreciate your giving the highest possible priority to my request and ask that you keep me advised of what actions you are taking in this matter in Albuquerque as well as in the enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act in other instances of substantiated animal abuse occurring in traveling circuses. Sincerely, Sam Farr Member of Congress cc: Mike Dunn, Assistant Sec. of Agriculture Dr. Ron DeHaven, Acting Director of Animal Care, APHIS Date: Tue, 26 Aug 1997 14:25:26 -0700 (PDT) From: Mike Markarian To: ar-news@envirolink.org Subject: Bad News from Hegins, Pa. Message-ID: <2.2.16.19970826180618.5f7f1b6a@pop.igc.org> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Unfortunately, Judge Cyrus Palmer Dolbin of the Court of Common Pleas of Schuylkill County denied today a request for an injunction to halt the Hegins pigeon shoot schuled for Labor Day. Judge Dolbin claimed that the plaintiff in the case, humane society police officer Clayton Hulsizer of the Pennsylvania SPCA, does not have jurisdiction in Schuylkill County. The Judge ignored the fact that the Pennsylvania SPCA is a statewide agency with shelters and officers across Pennsylvania and with a statewide mandate to enforce the animal cruelty law. Date: Tue, 26 Aug 1997 17:39:55 -0400 (EDT) From: PAWS To: ar-news@envirolink.org Subject: King Royal Update Message-ID: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII USDA officials have today told several callers that the USDA will "seek permanent revocation" of King Royal's permits and an "expedited" hearing on the recent incident in Albuquerque. Thank you to everyone who has continued to call and to put pressure on the USDA. Please continue to call and write until the USDA agrees to confiscate all of King Royal's animals and place them in a safe refuge. We must keep up the pressure now and let the USDA know how imperative it is that the animals be confiscated and sent to a place of permanent safety. Please contact: Mike Dunn Asst. Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Affairs (202) 720-4256 phone (202) 720-5775 fax Date: Tue, 26 Aug 1997 15:22:02 -0700 From: LCartLng@gvn.net (Lawrence Carter-Long) To: ar-news@envirolink.org Subject: Toronto: Tougher Laws For Animal Abusers (CA.) Message-ID: <199708262216.SAA20797@envirolink.org> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" TOUGHER LAWS FOR ANIMAL ABUSERS August 26, 1997 TORONTO, Aug. 25 /CNW/ via Individual Inc. -- Isabel Bassett, MPP (St. Andrew - St. Patrick, is holding a press conference tomorrow at 11 am at the Toronto Humane Society, 11 River Street. Bassett will be announcing her Private Member's Bill proposing changes to the OSPCA Act (Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals). This revised Act will allow humane societies to get tough with animal abusers, creating substantial deterrents for offenders. ``The impact of having the OSPCA Act revised is phenomenal,'' said Jeannie Butler, President of the Toronto Humane Society. ``Finally, humane societies will have the powers of a concise and comprehensive Act when investigating cases of cruelty. The Toronto Humane Society worked closely with Ms. Bassett on the new Act, and will do everything in its powers to help ensure the success of this bill,'' added Butler. The Private Member's Bill being considered would amend the OSPCA Act to provide for better protection for animals from cruelty and neglect by introducing fines and penalties for people who abuse or neglect animals. ``The OSPCA Act is based on legislation passed almost 100 years ago,'' said Butler. ``It doesn't begin to meet Ontario's needs. The recent case of the kittens being left in a box for dead in Alliston emphasizes the need to modernize the Act. The need for the OSPCA Act to meet the animal welfare challenges of the 1990's and twenty-first century is urgent.'' For over 110 years, the Toronto Humane Society has maintained the high standard of care and compassion on which the Society was founded. Every function of the Society is geared towards the protection and care of lost and abandoned animals and the elimination of cruelty. /For further information: Amy White, Media/Communications Officer, (416) 392-2273 ext. 142, 11 River Street, Toronto, Ontario M5A 4C2/ [Copyright 1997, Canada Newswire] -- Lawrence Carter-Long Coordinator, Science and Research Issues Animal Protection Institute, phone: 916-731-5521 email: LCartLng@gvn.net world wide web: http://www.api4animals.org/ "The person using the Internet has the choice. Whether the Internet becomes material for happiness or for suffering depends on your mind. The mind goes before the external object." -- The Buddhist monks of Namgyal Monastery Date: Tue, 26 Aug 1997 23:23:06 +0000 From: "Miggi" To: ar-news@envirolink.org Subject: Barry Horne press 26th Aug 97 Message-ID: <199708262222.XAA02175@serv4.vossnet.co.uk> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT > 26th Aug 1997 > To: News Desk > > Contact: Barry Horne Support Campaign Tel: 01954 230542 Mobile: 0976 > 200724 Fax: 0117 9559814 > > > Police Attack Peaceful Anti-Vivisection Protesters > Escalation in actions predicted > > Witney, Oxford: From 5pm on Monday 25th August, activists arranged to > stage a protest in support of hunger striker Barry Horne, who has entered > his 3rd week of hunger strike. Their target was Hillgrove, a cat breeders > in Minster Lovell, just outside Witney. > > Police try to stop protest > 100-150 people turned up to find that the police had invoked Section 60 > of the Criminal Justice Act on all the roads around Minster Lovell and > Witney. Protesters were not allowed on to these roads which were blocked > - they had their vans searched and were generally harassed and some were > assaulted. Protesters then split up into groups and disappeared into the > woods but police stopped them getting anywhere near to Hillgrove. > > Police turn violent > Protesters then marched on to the house of Jack Straw, the Home > Secretary, who is responsible for vivisection and prison policy. By > coincidence Mr Straw lives in the same village as Hillgrove breeders. > They encountered up to 100 police. Several had no numbers on their coats > and refused to give them out to protesters. These police seemed intent on > violence, sporadically attacking protesters - pushing them to the ground, > twisting their arms behind their back and generally using a high level of > physical violence. > > Slashed tyres 'unavoidable' > Only four protesters were arrested, and two of these were not charged. > When two were released they returned to their car to find 2 tyres were > slashed and 2 were let down. Despite the presence of 100-150 police on > foot, 12 on horseback and a police helicopter this damage was apparently > unavoidable. > > Quote > A protester present said, "Protesters are furious at the way they were > treated and feelings are already running high because of Barry Horne's > hunger strike. The police's action has only gone to provoke the > situation. Protesters will not be deterred, if they are not allowed to > protest peacefully then they will be forced to seek other alternatives. > As Barry gets further into his hunger strike people will become > increasingly angry and frustrated." > > She continued, "Every day animals are tortured, blinded, mutilated and > force-fed in laboratories. We join Barry in his call for the government > to end this barbaric and worthless practice. Every minute they stall, > another 6 animals die a lonely and miserable death in a British > laboratory." > > Protest to be held at Labour Party Headquarters > >From 12.30pm on Wedsnesday 27th August activists will stage a follow-on > protest in support of Barry Horne. The Labour Party HQ is situated on > Walworth Road, London, SE17. > > > ENDS > > > Type Bits/KeyID Date User ID pub 1024/BBFB4A25 1997/08/01 Mark Ridley -----BEGIN PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK----- Version: 2.6.3ia mQCNAzPiI3EAAAEEAJZIPxOpGxtbbLQVEb1kCebF/v7W3x36n5VxfIv1s7iY0l1V CniPJ3YkbdEswBHUzBBUcEG1ImE9ZwHYnUatK1v7hMwxzZbH+iXK6vJw1pmwE9Bg XachOc9sgu+WD3drVO1mcQOmOoT7uvAKPcsPwLfmvkJ/oeod22wi7Ea7+0olAAUR tCFNYXJrIFJpZGxleSA8bWlnZ2lAdm9zc25ldC5jby51az6JAJUDBRAz4iNxbCLs Rrv7SiUBASwPA/9Mqf6nCpS3Tdmpkkdx2ej+YEpQxMaZfYcfP8Ib+/lPzH6qD+aD JbUj8lbgV+3IEs5EXQL3/isUZIQC974w1b9QnFOu2eNmP4E0fZODwyylvMsJS6VP N8wGpRub6LD8IEVprGozKUQyagUT/CnSmY+rQbv1sqibeo27C2+5HMIxZQ== =gkSI -----END PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK----- Date: Wed, 27 Aug 1997 00:41:12 +0200 From: "sa338@blues.uab.es" To: ar-news@envirolink.org Subject: Mails to stop bullfighting!!!!!! Message-ID: <34035B88.477C@blues.uab.es> MIME-version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit Gabriela Gamboa wrote: > > At 09:55 PM 21/07/1997 +0800, you wrote: > >PLEASE FORWARD THIS MESSAGE TO AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE, WHETHER IN HK OR > >OVERSEAS. > >(When forwarding, please be considerate and snip any unneeded headers, > >etc.) > > > >July 1997 > > > >Dear friends, > > > >Last year I watched many bulls being led off to slaughter. They were > >frothing at the mouth, with blood pouring down their flanks from the > >harpoons embedded in their flesh. They were the doomed participants in the > >barbarism that is Portuguese-style bullfighting. > > > >Despite what the organisers say, there is nothing noble or cultural about > >watching these animals being tortured. Over thirty bulls were slaughtered > >in the name of public "entertainment" in Macau last year. In September 1997 > >the spectacle is to be repeated. > > > >The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (HK) and the > >International Fund for Animal Welfare have launched a joint campaign to > >persuade the government of Macau to reconsider its decision to allow this > >diabolical event to go on. The text of a petition to that effect is > >reproduced below. If you would like your name added to it, please cut and > >paste the text into an email to me (slewis@cyron.com.hk) and type your name > >below it. (Please do not include the whole of this email and any headers, > >etc. in any reply to me.) > > > >There are other ways you can help, e.g. joining us in the campaign, > >distributing posters, making a donation or just forwarding this email. I am > >happy to provide you with more information, including a copy of the > >veterinary report of Dr Oliver Young, BVMS, MRCVS, who was present at the > >1996 bullfights in Macau. If you would like to write a letter to the > >Governor of Macau or the event's sponsors, I can provide you with a sample > >letter that you need only print out, sign and post. > > > >If you are interested in helping in any way, please so indicate when you > >send back your completed petition email. > > > >Thank you for taking the time. > > > >Steven Lewis > > > >Anti-Bullfighting Campaign Co-ordinator > >SPCA (HK)/ IFAW > >************************************************************************ > >********************************************* > > > >*PETITION* > >[Please return only your name, country and the text of the petition to > >slewis@cyron.com.hk, i.e. please don't include the letter above or any > >headers and messages resulting from forwarding.] > > > >I the undersigned deplore the re-introduction of bullfighting to Macau. > >Bullfighting is neither sport nor entertainment. It is the deliberate > >infliction of mental and physical pain on animals that have no chance of > >survival. I appeal to the organisers and sponsors to reconsider and cancel > >this event. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >Every child has the right to a healthy diet - that means no meat. > > > >http://www.earth.org.hk/ > > > > Date: Tue, 26 Aug 1997 19:21:22 -0400 (EDT) From: WalshMM@aol.com To: ar-news@envirolink.org Subject: Request for Information Message-ID: <970826192122_-1436286264@emout16.mail.aol.com> Does anyone know anything about the Kelly-Miller Circus? It is appearing in the mid-Michigan area soon and I am trying to learn more about it. If you have information, please forward by private email. Thanks. Marilyn Walsh Portland Michigan WalshMM@aol.com Date: Tue, 26 Aug 1997 19:22:08 -0400 From: allen schubert To: ar-news@envirolink.org Subject: (US) Veggie Patties Message-ID: <3.0.32.19970826192205.006880f0@clark.net> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Well...someone in the press finally made the connection...(full story not yet available) from http://www.marketplace.org/today.html : ------------------------------- Veggie Patties In the Mid-West, veggie patties made by Morningstar are all the rage. Marketplace Cleveland bureau chief Lorna Jordan takes a look at whether the company's getting a big boost in light of the current e-coli hamburger scare. Date: Tue, 26 Aug 1997 20:04:03 -0400 From: allen schubert To: ar-news@envirolink.org Subject: (US) FDA To Seek Juice Warning Labels Message-ID: <3.0.32.19970826200400.00713178@clark.net> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" e-coli stuff.... from AP Wire page: ------------------------------------ 08/26/1997 17:07 EST FDA To Seek Juice Warning Labels By LAURAN NEERGAARD Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) -- As the fall apple season starts, the Food and Drug Administration asked makers of unpasteurized apple juice and cider Tuesday to warn customers that the drinks could contain bacteria dangerous to children, the elderly and people with weak immune systems. Only a small share of the nation's apple juice is not heat-treated to kill potentially deadly bacteria such as E. coli. But the FDA's call for voluntary warning labels comes after an E. coli outbreak in unpasteurized apple juice a year ago killed a child and sickened 66 other people. The FDA said its request was just a first step, taken because it didn't have time to complete stronger federal rules governing all unpasteurized juices before fall harvests. Later this fall, the FDA said, it will propose forcing makers of all untreated juices to take new safety steps. Critics questioned whether the interim call for voluntary warning labels came too late -- apple season already is starting now in northern states. ``This is not a little Montezuma's revenge or flu-like bout with diarrhea,'' warned Laurie Girand of the advocacy group Safe Tables Our Priority. Her daughter was hospitalized for a week and required two blood transfusions last year after drinking unpasteurized apple juice in California. But small cider producers say the FDA's plans could put them out of business. If they're ultimately forced to pasteurize, the equipment alone could cost about $40,000. ``I wasn't even aware of E. coli being in cider,'' said Rick Kimes, owner of Kimes Cider Mill in Bendersville, Penn. He said he has no plans to put warning labels on his cider, nor to begin pasteurizing it, a heat treatment that easily kills E. coli. Pasteurization, Kimes argued, would destroy cider's distinctive tangy taste and turn it into traditional apple juice. But one small cider maker who quietly began ``flash pasteurizing'' after last year's outbreak says consumers are demanding the change. McCutcheon's Apple Products of Frederick, Md., didn't immediately label its cider as flash-pasteurized for fear that customers who demand an ``all-natural'' cider wouldn't buy. But now, says Robert McCutcheon III, customers are so scared of E. coli that they don't mind the slight change in flavor that the method causes. ``We've had people take unpasteurized cider to the register, say `Is it pasteurized?' and when you say no, they take it back and leave the store,'' McCutcheon said. ``After last year, a lot of our customers are looking forward to having a pasteurized product.'' Once thought a threat only in undercooked meat, virulent E. coli now has surfaced repeatedly in apple cider. The biggest outbreak came last year among children who drank a trendy gourmet brand of unpasteurized apple juice. Cider is another name for unpasteurized apple juice. Other unpasteurized juices can be risky, too. Salmonella, for instance, has surfaced in unpasteurized orange juice. But apple cider is getting special attention because E. coli outbreaks, although rare, are increasing. In addition to the voluntary warning labels, the FDA this month will work with the apple industry to educate cider processors and consumers about the E. coli risk. Later, the FDA will propose requiring makers of all unpasteurized juices to adopt a stringent new safety program tracking juices from harvest to grocery store. The program may force companies to take some bacteria-killing processing steps. Full pasteurization or the quicker ``flash'' method aren't the only options; fruit also could be rinsed in chemicals or steamed. The FDA ``may well end up requiring some sort of processing for all juice products, but that remains to be decided,'' said Deputy Commissioner William Schultz. Meanwhile, industry trade groups agree that voluntary warning labels are prudent. They can come as stickers attached to cider, signs at roadside stands or consumer leaflets distributed with each cup, said Julia Daly of the U.S. Apple Association. The association is printing such leaflets so that small cider makers won't have to undergo the expense. ``We think it makes sense to educate at-risk persons about the potential problem, even though we believe the risk is pretty low,'' Daly said. Her advice: ``Do everything you can to protect the consumer and the future of the industry in the process. The potential consequences are just too high.'' Date: Tue, 26 Aug 1997 17:05:18 -0700 From: carol To: ar-news@envirolink.org Subject: Re: Mail to Sam Farr Message-ID: <3.0.2.32.19970826170518.0069cdf8@pop.calweb.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" >>sam farr's email address is samfarr@mail.house.gov >> >>thanks to everyone who responded to me >> >>carol >> >>At 07:05 PM 8/25/97 -0400, you wrote: >>>Thanks to the many people who have e.mailed, asking how to contact >>>Congressman Sam Farr to thank him for taking a stand against King Royal >>>Circus. You can wirte write him at 1117 Longworth House Office >>>Building, Washington, DC 20515 or call his office at (202) 225-2861. >>> >>> "The animals of the world exist for their own reasons. They were not made for humans anymore then blacks were made for whites or women for men." ~Alice Walker http://www.envirolink.org/arrs/paws/ Date: Tue, 26 Aug 1997 20:14:33 EDT From: klaszlo@juno.com (Kathryn A Laszlo) To: ar-news@envirolink.org Subject: (US) Activists Demand Release Of Trapped Geese Message-ID: <19970826.203031.4575.3.KLaszlo@juno.com> Animal-rights Activists Demand Release Of Trapped Canada Geese Dean Rebuffoni Star Tribune Minneapolis/St. Paul August 23, 1997 Citing a new federal court decision, animal-rights advocates on Friday demanded the release of about 80 nuisance Canada geese that recently were trapped in the Twin Cities area and were destined for local food shelves. Although state officials tentatively agreed to protect the geese, it may be impossible to determine exactly which were headed for the chopping block. That's because some of those birds are mixed with 200 other geese in pens at the Carlos Avery State Wildlife Management Area in Anoka County. And the other geese, while also considered nuisances, apparently are not affected by Thursday's decision by U.S. District Judge Richard Kyle in St. Paul. He revoked permits that had allowed the annual roundup of pesky geese in the metro area, ruling that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Interior Department violated their own regulations by issuing the permits. Three animal-rights groups had sued the agencies, arguing that the roundups are illegal. About 4,300 goslings were captured and relocated out of the area in this summer's roundup; 1,300 adult geese were slaughtered, and their meat was donated to food shelves. The 80 geese in question are the last that were to be slaughtered. That was to happen next week. However, the animal-rights advocates did not challenge another part of the goose-control program: the capture of geese around airports, where they could collide with aircraft. The other birds being held at Carlos Avery were captured near airports. If all of the geese were released, the "airport birds" most likely would fly right back to where they were captured, wildlife biologists said. "Those 80 geese won't be going to food shelves next week, but at this point we're not sure what to do with them," said Tim Bremicker, of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. The DNR manages Carlos Avery and had overseen the annual goose roundup, using the federal permits that Kyle revoked. Bremicker, the DNR's wildlife chief, said he and other agency officials will review Kyle's decision before deciding what to do with the geese. "They really should be released ASAP, because they're being held under an illegal permit," said Nancy Perry, of the national Humane Society, one of the three animal-rights groups. The others are the society's Minnesota affiliate and Friends of Animals and Their Environment, a Twin Cities-based group. Perry said there are humane, nonlethal alternatives for controlling the area's burgeoning goose population. Copyright 1997 Star Tribune / Minneapolis-St.Paul Date: Tue, 26 Aug 1997 17:40:46 -0700 (PDT) From: bchorush@paws.org (pawsinfo) To: ar-news@envirolink.org Subject: ACTION ALERT - Live monkey in Seattle Opera [WA] Message-ID: <199708270040.RAA11055@siskiyou.brigadoon.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ACTION ALERT!ACTION ALERT!ACTION ALERT!ACTION ALERT! In August 1995 the Seattle Opera's presentation of The Ring featured a live bear cub. The cub was rented from a company called Action Animals. PAWS provided the Opera with a videotape depicting the atrocious living conditions of the animals at Action Animals facility in Vancouver, BC. We asked that The Ring be the last production to use live wild or exotic animals. We received no response. The Seattle Opera is currently using a live capuchin monkey in their production of Der Rosenkavalier. In the wild, capuchins live in groups of 10-20 members. They spend most of their time in the trees and have a rich social life. No monkey willingly tolerates, nor do they enjoy, the noise and confusion of an opera. Ask the Seattle Opera to establish a policy prohibiting the use of live animals in Opera productions. Please write: John F. Nesholm, President; Seattle Opera Board of Trustees; PO Box 9248; Seattle, WA 98109. More info: Lisa Wathne 425-787-2500 ext 811 or lwathne@paws.org Bob Chorush Web Administrator, Progressive Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) 15305 44th Ave West (P.O. Box 1037)Lynnwood, WA 98046 (425) 787-2500 ext 862, (425) 742-5711 fax email bchorush@paws.org http://www.paws.org Date: Tue, 26 Aug 1997 17:40:57 -0700 (PDT) From: bchorush@paws.org (pawsinfo) To: ar-news@envirolink.org Subject: Carson & Barnes Circus Leafleting [WA] Message-ID: <199708270040.RAA11078@siskiyou.brigadoon.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Carson & Barnes Circus, hosted by the Redmond Chamber of Commerce, will be in Redmond on Tuesday, September 2 and Wednesday, September 3. Carson & Barnes bills itself as "the show with that BIG TENT, FIVE RINGS and ALL THOSE ELEPHANTS." They take great pride in the fact that the circus is "all set up and torn down, 7 days a week, ..." and "From March through November the Circus is on the road, performing each and every day." This means a grueling traveling and performance schedule for the animals including 14 Asian elephants, 3 African elephants, 1 zebra, 1 giraffe, 1 rhino, 1 pygmy hippo, 3 four-horned sheep, 4 tigers, 2 lions, 2 ligers (lion/tiger cross), 5 camels, 2 llamas, 1 zebu (zebra/burro cross), 2 pot-bellied pigs and numerous reptiles. Please join us for leafleting at the following times: Tuesday, September 23:30 pm & 6:30 pm Wednesday, September 33:30 pm & 6:30 pm The circus will set up in a vacant lot at the corner of 196th and Union Hill Road. Directions from Seattle: from I405 north- or south-bound take 520 east; 520 turns into Avondale Road at the intersection of Union Hill Road; turn Right on Union Hill Road; go to 196th; circus will be in vacant lot on NW corner of 196th and Union Hill Road Also ask the Redmond City Council to enact legislation prohibiting wild animal acts and exhibits in the city of Redmond. Please write: Redmond City Council; City of Redmond; Executive Dept., CHEX; PO Box 97010; Redmond, WA 98073-9710. More Info: Contact Lisa Wathne, PAWS 425-787-2500 ext 811 or lwathne@paws.org Bob Chorush Web Administrator, Progressive Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) 15305 44th Ave West (P.O. Box 1037)Lynnwood, WA 98046 (425) 787-2500 ext 862, (425) 742-5711 fax email bchorush@paws.org http://www.paws.org Date: Tue, 26 Aug 1997 20:44:59 -0400 From: allen schubert To: ar-news@envirolink.org Subject: Admin Note--subscription info Message-ID: <3.0.32.19970826204456.006ead00@clark.net> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" The highly necessary posting..... Here are some items of general information (found in the "welcome letter" sent when people subscribe--but often lose!)...included: how to post and how to change your subscription status (useful if you are going on vacation--either by "unsubscribe" or "postpone"). --------------------------------------------------------------- To post messages to the list, send mail to ar-news@envirolink.org POSTING To post a *news-related item* (no discussions), send your message to: ar-news@envirolink.org Appropriate postings to AR-News include: posting a news item, requesting information on some event, or responding to a request for information. Discussions on AR-News will NOT be allowed and we ask that any commentary either be taken to AR-Views or to private E-mail. ------------------------------------------ ***General Subscription Information*** ALL THE FOLLOWING SHOULD NOT be sent to ar-news !!! 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If you have problems, please contact: Allen Schubert ar-admin@envirolink.org Date: Tue, 26 Aug 1997 21:10:46 -0400 (EDT) From: PAWS To: ar-news@envirolink.org Subject: Davenport Faces New Charges Message-ID: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII The following article appeared in Tuesday, August 26th edition of the Albuquerque Journal: Elephant Handler Faces New Charges: Cruelty Allegations Have Jail Penalty Animal handler Ben Davenport lost his circus elephants and llamas last week when a judge granted temporary custody of the animals to the city. He also could lose his freedom for more than four years if he's found guilty of charges filed after those animlas were found August 6 in a cramped, hot trailer with the body of a dead elephant, a prosecutor said Monday. The alleged mistreatment of the animals has had animals rights activists up in arms. And today, actress Kim Basinger and Pat Derby, director of PAWS, plan to be in Albuquerque to ask the USDA to permanentlyt revoke the circus's exhibiting license. Last week, the USDA gave Texas-based King Royal circus which owns the animals, a 21-day suspension, meaning it cannot exhibit any animals for the next two weeks. Davenport, 23, was initially cited on suspicion of animal cruelty, leaving an animal unattended in a vehicle, and improper care and feeding of an animal. But Bernalillo County Assistant District Attorney Alison Pilgrim said prosecutors decided to dismiss those citations. Instead, Pilgrim said, DAvenport has been charged with one count of cruelty to animals, 11 counts of failing to provide oroper animal care and noe count of obstructing a police officer. Davenport also was cited on suspicion of having no vehicle registration or insurance. He could be jailed up to 54 months and fined up to $5200 if found guilty of the new charges, Pilgrim siad. She said 19 year old John Davis who reportedly was at the trailer with Davenport, also faces the same charges and an additional charge of refusing to obey a police officer. Pilgrim said prosecutors--including District Attorney Jeff Romero--discussed the case and thought it important. Davenport faces one charge for each animal found in the trailer. "We felt this was a better way to handle it," Pilgrim siad. "It addresses all of the animals." Davenport and Davis could not be reached for comment Monday. Davenport's attorney, Ron Koch, was out of town and did not return a phone message seeking a comment. Davenport said earlier this month the animals in the trailer were well cared for. He also said he planned to fight the original citations. "The way I look at (the citations) they were thrown at me for no reason," he said in an August 7 interview. Davenport and Davis are scheduled to appear in Metropolitan Court on September 9 to be formally advised of the charges against them. Davenport has said he was using the animals for other shows and was not working for the circus when the animals were found in Albuquerque. Repeated attempts to obtain a phone number for King Royal have been unsuccessful. Earlier this month, Heather, an 8 year old African elephant belonging to King Royal, was found dead inside a trailer near the Sunport. Eight llamas and tow other elephants also were inside and animal health officilas have said it was traumatic for the surviving elephants to be in the trailer with Heather's body. State District Judge Susan Conway on Thursday compared King Royal Circus to an abusive parent and gave temporary custody to the city until the full case comes to trial. That could be as much as two years away. According to criminal complaints filed against Davis and Davenport, police made the gruesome discovery after noticing the trailer was swaying. The complaints say Davenport was not at the trailer when police made the discovery but he arrived at the scene later. The complaints say Davis initially told police there were no animals inside the trailer then told them there was only one elephant inside. Davis later said there was one elephant and three llamas inside. The complaints also say Davis wouldn't open the doors of the trailer. "He refused to open the trailer doors even after being ordered to do so by a police officer so officers could check on the wlefare of the animals. Davis told the officers that it was unsafe to open the trailer and he would not take the chance of the animals getting loose." Davenport "was also evasive in his answers" to police, the complaints say. Date: Tue, 26 Aug 1997 21:50:34 -0400 From: allen schubert To: ar-news@envirolink.org Subject: (US) Kim Basinger Urges Protection of Circus Animals Message-ID: <3.0.32.19970826215031.006ed908@clark.net> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Kim Basinger Urges Protection of Circus Animals Reuters 26-AUG-97 ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (Reuter) - Actress Kim Basinger Tuesday urged the U.S. government to clamp down on the mistreatment of elphants and other animals in circuses across the country. Speaking in Albuquerque, where an elephant was found dead inside the trailer of a traveling circus earlier this month, Basinger urged Agriculture Secretary Daniel Glickman to strictly enforce existing animal welfare laws and punish any circus that violates them. ``These animals are kept in horrific conditions. They're dragged around cities suffering in the name of entertainment,'' Basinger, a high-profile animal rights campaigner, told reporters at a news conference. An African elephant named Heather was found dead inside a trailer of the King Royal Circus outside an Albuquerque hotel Aug. 6. Last week, a New Mexico judge stripped the circus of custody over its two other elephants and eight llamas, ordering they be kept safe in a city park. Reuters/Variety Date: Mon, 25 Aug 97 20:59:15 PDT From: Tracy Rackauskas To: ar-news@envirolink.org Subject: RFI-anti-cruelty laws Message-ID: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; X-MAPIextension=".TXT" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi all-- I am in need of information on U.S. anti-cruelty laws and information regarding the status of animals as property. I am looking for: statutes, recent or major court decisions, articles, books, good sources to check out...anything you think may be helpful. Thanks and have a wonderful day! Tracy Rackauskas laloba@niu.edu Date: Tue, 26 Aug 1997 22:42:40 -0400 From: allen schubert To: ar-news@envirolink.org Subject: (US-PeTA) VEGETARIANS AIR BEEF AT BURGER KING Message-ID: <3.0.32.19970826224237.006f1e58@clark.net> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" from PETA news release (web page): ------------------------------------------------------ VEGETARIANS AIR BEEF AT BURGER KING Tainted Meat Sparks Call for Veggie Burger at Fast Food Chain -------------------------------------------------------------------- For Immediate Release: August 25, 1997 Contact: Tracy Reiman 757-622-7382 Miami -- Hot on the heels of the largest recall of meat in U.S. history--one that even took the burger out of Burger King--vegetarians are sinking their teeth into a new effort to get the fast food giant to add a meatless patty to its menu. A 6-foot-tall "cow" will kick off the campaign, standing alongside a giant clock that reads, "Burger King: Time for a Veggie Burger": Tuesday, August 26 12 noon to 1 p.m. Burger King, 20 W. Flagler (at First Street) The recall of 25 million pounds of meat last week--prompted by the spread of E. coli bacteria at Hudson Foods in Columbus, Neb.--is only the latest scare that has consumers backing away from beef. While each outbreak of E. coli causes renewed public health warnings about meat consumption, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Dan Glickman admits government testing of meat and poultry cannot guarantee food safety, saying, "There's probably no way to absolutely foolproof this process." Statistics from the USDA indicate that each year, more than 6 million Americans get sick, and 3,000 of them--mostly children--die from eating contaminated meat. According to a recent Gallup poll, 20 percent of Americans say they look for a restaurant that serves vegetarian items when they dine out, and about one-third of Americans say they would order a meatless item if it were listed on a menu. What's more, there are now an estimated 13 million vegetarians in the United States, with the number growing rapidly among teenagers. At least 12 percent of American teens shun all meat. "We vegetarians want it our way at Burger King," says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. "To tell consumers that meat is safe to eat is the biggest whopper yet." Date: Tue, 26 Aug 1997 23:03:23 -0400 From: Maynard Clark To: AR-News@envirolink.org Subject: Goring sparks outcry; Legislator seeks ban on bullfights Message-ID: <3.0.3.32.19970826230323.01ccad4c@pop.tiac.net> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Goring sparks outcry Legislator seeks ban on bullfights By Scot Lehigh, Globe Staff, 08/26/97 Sunday bull-running festival that resulted in injury to two men and the death of a runaway bull has sparked calls to ban so-called ''bloodless bullfights'' - and touched off a cultural war of words. State Representative Steven Angelo (D-Saugus), a longtime opponent of the practice of mock bullfights, yesterday said he will reintroduce legislation today to outlaw the events, in which participants taunt bulls, and then run and dodge when the animals charge. ''We have already done away with the Crusades and the Inquisition, and this should go the way of that,'' said Angelo. ''This is something that ought to be banned by a civil society.'' But Dimas Espinola, the incoming president of the Holy Ghost Society Inc. of Lowell, the Portuguese-American group that sponsored the festival Sunday, said the events are an important cultural event for the Portuguese-American community. Saying the activity is far closer to a ''running of the bulls'' than an actual bullfight, Dimas said it is no crueler to animals than some accepted American customs. ''This is a tradition in our country,'' said Espinola. ''The American rodeo is more dangerous to an animal than this is.'' State Senator Marc R. Pacheco (D-Taunton), a Portuguese-American, echoed that sentiment yesterday, contending that the mock bullfights are no worse than horse racing, in which the steeds are spurred and whipped to speed them up. ''I think there certainly is a cultural bias,'' said Pacheco, who said he has attended several of the events. But those arguments found little sympathy with Angelo. ''I think it is torture of an animal, and that shouldn't be part of anyone's culture,'' responded Angelo, who said he has 20 cosponsors for his bill. In events like the one Espinola's group sponsors four or five times a year in Lowell, a bull is lead into a ring on a long, thick rope. Two participants, trained professionals Espinola said, provoke the bull to induce it to charge, then dodge and run from it. If the bull appears to be endangering the men, the rope-tenders pull on the tether, temporarily cutting off the animal's air. Walter Kilroy, director of law enforcement for the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said the events are considerably worse. One 1990 Massachusetts event in Taunton, which the MSPCA filmed, degenerated into riotous harassment in which dozens of people circled the bull, poking it, pulling its tail, and flapping jackets in its face until the animal collapsed in exhaustion. ''The reality is that in some instances the animals can be pretty banged up because of the way they react to the most innocuous of stimulus,'' said Kilroy. ''In my mind, it is an outrageous activity.'' And Lowell Police Chief Edward Davis challenged Espinola's version of Sunday's event. Davis, who reviewed a video of the Portuguese festival, said he saw at least 20 to 30 people, including a number of young people, in the ring taunting the bull. ''If you sign a release you can go in there,'' Davis said. ''That is what I was told yesterday at the scene.'' Davis said his department is investigating the events and may recommend that the city ban them. ''From what I saw there yesterday, there are not proper safety guarantees, and we need to review all that,'' he said. Several specialists said Lowell is the only place in the state where mock bullfights occur. Noel Manuel, an event participant, suffered head injuries inside the ring constructed on the Holy Ghost Society's parking lot in Lowell. Espinola said Manuel was caught by the bull after he got tangled in the animal's tether. A Lowell police officer, Kenneth Shaw, was repeatedly gored by a runaway bull he had chased down. Shaw was released from Lowell General Hospital yesterday. Date: Tue, 26 Aug 1997 23:09:21 -0400 From: Maynard Clark To: ar-news@envirolink.org Subject: Boston Globe 8/26: McDonald's beefing up foreign presence; Fast-food giant looks to dominate global market Message-ID: <3.0.3.32.19970826230921.01ccad4c@pop.tiac.net> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" McDonald's beefing up foreign presence Fast-food giant looks to dominate global market By Patricia Commins, Reuters, 08/26/97 CHICAGO - Faced with intense competition in the United States, McDonald's Corp. is increasingly relying on its international operations for the majority of its profits and the bulk of its new-store openings. ''I think there definitely will come a time when 80 percent of our profits come from outside the United States,'' James Cantalupo, president and chief executive of McDonald's international operations, said in a telephone interview. ''I would describe our international business as one of huge opportunity.'' McDonald's, which reaped nearly 60 percent of its overall operating income outside the United States in 1996, has restaurants in 103 countries. The latest - Bolivia and Ecuador - are slated to open in October. For McDonald's, the global market, where it has more than 9,000 restaurants, represents an open field compared with the United States. While McDonald's dominates the US fast food market with more than 12,000 restaurants, the domestic industry is considered by many analysts to be saturated. Thus, for players like McDonald's, Grand Metropolitan's Burger King, and Wendy's International Inc., the US strategy is one of stealing market share. McDonald's, which from mid-1995 to the end of 1996 saw six straight quarters of declining US same-store sales, has scaled back on its domestic expansion. Of 2,400 restaurants expected to be opened this year, 80 percent will be overseas. In the past, about two-thirds of McDonald's new openings have been overseas. International operations account for 60 percent of McDonald's profits and more than 80 percent of new units and are expected to grow at about four times the rate of its business in the United States, Merrill Lynch analyst Peter Oakes said in a recent report. McDonald's international presence goes back more than 25 years to a time when the company was starting to sell hamburgers abroad while its US business was carrying the profit load. '' [The] US business carried our international operation for many years, while we were building an infrastructure that is paying dividends today,'' Cantalupo said. With McDonald's opening some 2,000 restaurants outside the United States each year, it will open more units overseas in the next five years than it did in the past 30 years, Cantalupo said. About 40 percent of McDonald's international restaurants are company owned, with another 40 percent operated by franchisees and another 20 percent in joint ventures. ''Now our challenge is to dominate those markets ... because that's where the world income is represented,'' he said. After establishing a presence in many international markets - including a foothold in places like India, where it sells lamb and vegetarian sandwiches, and China - McDonald's has taken the lead from its global competition. '' [The] most significant international markets [i.e., ones with large populations and growing incomes] have already been entered, and most well ahead of the competition,'' Lehman Brothers analyst Mitchell Speiser said in a recent report on McDonald's. Still, Cantalupo says, repeating an oft-quoted company statistic, McDonald's serves less than 1 percent of the world's population on a daily basis. That, he believes, presents a ''huge'' opportunity to sell hamburgers and french fries to a growing world population with an increasing appetite for Western products. ''If you use 12,000 restaurants in the States as any potential benchmark for outside the United States, even adjusting for income levels you have the potential for many times what we have today outside the United States,'' Cantalupo said. McDonald's stock fell 7/16 to 495/16 on the New York Stock Exchange. This story ran on page D06 of the Boston Globe on 08/26/97. © Copyright 19docroot Globe Newspaper Company.