AR-NEWS Digest 481

Topics covered in this issue include:

  1) Admin Note--Crossposting
     by allen schubert 
  2) [UK] Commission calls for stag hunt ban
     by David J Knowles 
  3) [UK] Burger chain leaves France as sales fall
     by David J Knowles 
  4) [UK] Commission calls for stag hunt ban
     by David J Knowles 
  5) [UK] Burger chain leaves France as sales fall
     by David J Knowles 
  6) New Beef Campaign
     by SDURBIN@VM.TULSA.CC.OK.US
  7) (US) As 'organic' goes mainstream, USDA moves in to regulate
     by allen schubert 
  8) (US) Beef Industry Changing Ad Slogan
     by allen schubert 
  9) Live Animal Trade Website
     by Vadivu Govind 
 10) Joy Williams article in Harper's
     by Patrick Nolan 
 11) Sri Lankan Capital Hounded by Stray Dogs, Cats
     by L Grayson 
 12) Whale watchers catch thrills off the coast of  Argentina
     
                                               thrills off the coast of
                                               Argentina
     by L Grayson 
 13) CNN  follows Peace Frogs Rally
     by L Grayson 
 14) India's wilderness under siege  But new projects could save the wild spaces
     by L Grayson 
 15) Newswire: Russia clones over 100 new types of animals.
     by Lawrence Carter-Long 
 16) Fwd: Trapping Bills Near Floor Vote in NY State Legislature
     by LMANHEIM@aol.com
 17) Senate Tuna-Dolphin Mired In Controversy
     by LCartLng@gvn.net (Lawrence Carter-Long)
 18) US Fur Trade Statistics Summer 1997
     by MINKLIB@aol.com
 19) US Fur Trade Statistics Summer 1997
     by MINKLIB@aol.com
 20) Syracuse Fur Press Release
     by MINKLIB@aol.com
 21) (US) Oklahoma's Planned Prairie Dog Killing
     by JanaWilson@aol.com
 22) Vermont Action Alert
     by Mike Markarian 
 23) New Hampshire Action Alert
     by Mike Markarian 
 24) Fwd: Senate OKs Tuna Compromise
     by LMANHEIM@aol.com
 25) Re: Huntingdon Research news
     by "A. Hogan" 
 26) genetic engineering petition
     by jeanlee 
 27) Pigeon Shoot Protest 8/3
     by Mike Markarian 
 28) Bluefin Tuna On the Verge of Commercial Extinction
     by Vadivu Govind 
 29) EU, US Chicken Row Intensifies
     by Vadivu Govind 
 30) (TW) Foot and Mouth Disease contributes to agricultural deficit
     by Vadivu Govind 
Date: Wed, 30 Jul 1997 01:51:38 -0400
From: allen schubert 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Admin Note--Crossposting
Message-ID: <3.0.32.19970730015032.006c5294@clark.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Please do not "crosspost" when posting to AR-News!  (To include AR-Views or
various other lists.)

While crossposting is often frowned upon on many lists, on AR-News it can
lead to a "degradation" of the "news" concept.  Crossposting to other lists
and/or individuals when posting to AR-News may be convenient for the
poster, but may later cause problems for AR-News.  Many people quickly go
for the reply option and, depending on software, may "default" through
options asking "reply to all?" or "reply to all recipients?"--this is one
cause of comments/discussion/chat interfering with the "news" of AR-News.
Not everyone has unlimited access or time to the internet, therefore many
people subscribe to a "news" list for news, not discussion.  Please
remember this when posting to AR-News.
Date: Wed, 30 Jul 1997 01:42:41 -0700 (PDT)
From: David J Knowles 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: [UK] Commission calls for stag hunt ban
Message-ID: <1.5.4.16.19970730014319.25977758@dowco.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"


>From THe Electronic Telegraph - Wednesday, July 30th, 1997

Commission calls for stag hunt ban
By Charles Clover, Environment Editor 

THE suspension of deer hunting on Forestry Commission land and restrictions
on the activities of fox hunts are recommended by a review now before
ministers that is expected to be published this week.

The Forestry Commission review recommends the refusal of licences to the New
Forest Buckhounds - which announced its decision to stop hunting on Monday -
and to West Country groups that hunt red deer.

The implications for red deer hunts in the West Country are unclear because
the commission does not own the sporting rights on some of the land it controls.

The commission says that the cruelty of deer hunting has been established by
Prof Patrick Bateson, provost of Kings College, Cambridge, and a leading
authority on animal behaviour, in the study he carried out for the National
Trust.

It recommends the commission follows the trust's example by suspending
licences to hunt deer. Those suspensions would be made permanent if
scientists reviewing Prof Bateson's report do not throw doubt on his
conclusions. A review panel, led by Lord Soulsby, is expected to report this
week.

The commission is not expected to recommend the banning of fox hunts but
they may face undisclosed restrictions. Ministers will be under pressure to
make a statement to Parliament on the parts of the review that affect deer
hunting before the stag hunting season opens on Friday.

Details of the review emerged yesterday as Mike Foster, the Worcester MP,
began public consultation on the principles of his anti-hunting Private
Member's Bill. However, he expressed no willingness to compromise on the
main principle of his Bill, which is to stop hunting with dogs. 

The Bill would continue to allow gun packs that use dogs to flush out foxes
to guns, but it would not permit the use of terriers to kill foxes
underground. The use of dogs to drive hares would also be allowed. Mr Foster
said his Bill would not affect the use of dogs to control rabbits or rats,
nor would it affect fishing or shooting.

The Government has indicated it will not allow the Bill extra time if it
faces filibustering in the House of Commons. Mr Foster is hoping that,  with
or without government time, the vote at the Second Reading on Nov 28 will
represent "a clear mandate to outlaw hunting with dogs".

The League Against Cruel Sports said yesterday that it would be submitting
proposals to ban snaring under the Government's review of the Wildlife and
Countryside Act.

© Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1997. 

Date: Wed, 30 Jul 1997 01:42:44 -0700 (PDT)
From: David J Knowles 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: [UK] Burger chain leaves France as sales fall
Message-ID: <1.5.4.16.19970730014321.25975476@dowco.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"


>From THe Electronic Telegraph - Wednesday, July 30th, 1997

Burger chain leaves France as sales fall
By Susannah Herbert in Paris 

BURGER King is pulling out of France after 16 years as the country's love
affair with the hamburger shows signs of cooling.

The British-owned fast-food chain will close its 39 outlets by the end of
the year, with the loss of 550 jobs. Last year, hamburger consumption in
France stagnated after years of growth. Burger King's turnover fell from 325
million francs in 1995 (£32.5 million) to 300 million francs last year.

Even McDonald's, the market-leader - found recently in a British court to be
exploitative of children and cruel to animals - lost 10 per cent of its
French customers, half of them frightened off by the BSE crisis.

Burger King said yesterday that the French withdrawal was not because of a
popular revolt against hamburgers. A spokesman said: "It's simply that we
are not making an acceptable profit. We are third in the French market,
behind McDonald's and Quick and we decided we would be better off investing
in Britain, Spain and Germany.

Both McDonald's and its nearest competitor, Quick, have continued to open
new restaurants and launch new lines in the hope of whetting French
appetites. The latest attempt to woo "sophisticated" French tastes was the
McDonald's "McDeluxe", a burger in which tomato ketchup was replaced by a
mustard-and-pepper sauce. Quick hit back with Le Pepper Toast, an "adult"
burger. 

© Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1997. 

Date: Wed, 30 Jul 1997 01:42:41 -0700 (PDT)
From: David J Knowles 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: [UK] Commission calls for stag hunt ban
Message-ID: <199707301057.GAA22606@envirolink.org>


>From THe Electronic Telegraph - Wednesday, July 30th, 1997

Commission calls for stag hunt ban
By Charles Clover, Environment Editor=20

THE suspension of deer hunting on Forestry Commission land and restrictions
on the activities of fox hunts are recommended by a review now before
ministers that is expected to be published this week.

The Forestry Commission review recommends the refusal of licences to the New
Forest Buckhounds - which announced its decision to stop hunting on Monday -
and to West Country groups that hunt red deer.

The implications for red deer hunts in the West Country are unclear because
the commission does not own the sporting rights on some of the land it controls
Date: Wed, 30 Jul 1997 01:42:44 -0700 (PDT)
From: David J Knowles 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: [UK] Burger chain leaves France as sales fall
Message-ID: <199707301057.GAA22622@envirolink.org>


>From THe Electronic Telegraph - Wednesday, July 30th, 1997

Burger chain leaves France as sales fall
By Susannah Herbert in Paris=20

BURGER King is pulling out of France after 16 years as the country's love
affair with the hamburger shows signs of cooling.

The British-owned fast-food chain will close its 39 outlets by the end of
the year, with the loss of 550 jobs. Last year, hamburger consumption in
France stagnated after years of growth. Burger King's turnover fell from 325
million francs in 1995 (=A332.5 million) to 300 million francs last year.

Even McDonald's, the market-leader - found recently in a British court to be
exploitative of children and cruel to animals - lost 10 per cent of its
French customers, half of them frightened off by the BSE crisis.

Burger King said yesterday that the French withdrawal was not because of a
popular revolt against hamburgers. A spokesman said: "It's simply that we
are not making an acceptable profit. We are third in the French market,
behind McDonald's and Quick and we decided we would be better off investing
in Britain, Spain and Germany.

Both McDonald's and its nearest competitor, Quick, have continued to open
new restaurants and launch new lines in the hope of whetting French
appetites. The latest attempt to woo "sophisticated" French tastes was the
McDonald's "McDeluxe", a burger in which tomato ketchup was replaced by a
mustard-and-pepper sauce. Quick hit back with Le Pepper Toast, an "adult"
burger.=20

=A9 Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1997.=20

    [UK] Burger chain leaves France as sales fall
Date: Wed, 30 Jul 97 06:40:52 UTC
From: SDURBIN@VM.TULSA.CC.OK.US
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: New Beef Campaign
Message-ID: <199707301141.HAA29693@envirolink.org>

(Business News, Tulsa World, USA): The beef industry isn't satisfied
with simply telling consumers "what's for dinner." In a new ad
campaign, beef producers hope to appeal to people's deep-down craving
for a good steak.

"Beef. It's What You Want" is the new slogan developed for a yearlong
television and radio ad campaign by the National Cattlemen's Beef
Association. It will replace the "It's What's for Dinner" campaign
that has run since 1992.

"These ads get to the emotional level of eating beef, while our previous
campaign focused on the functional aspect of meal planning and preparation,"
Monica Eorgoff, advertising director at the cattlemen's association, said
Tuesday.


-- Sherrill
Date: Wed, 30 Jul 1997 07:50:07 -0400
From: allen schubert 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (US) As 'organic' goes mainstream, USDA moves in to regulate
Message-ID: <3.0.32.19970730074951.006c9eb8@clark.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

(includes reference to genetically engineered foods)
from CNN web page:
--------------------------------
                     As 'organic' goes mainstream, USDA moves in to
                      regulate
                     'There is fraud out there'             

                     July 29, 1997
                     Web posted at: 7:57 p.m. EDT (2357 GMT)

                     From Correspondent Eugenia Halsey

                     WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Organic foods have started to
                     go mainstream. Sales of foods grown without
                     herbicides and pesticides are growing 25 percent a
                     year.

                     Now the federal government is developing rules
                     that regulate what qualifies as "organic." For the
                     past seven years, officials at the United States
                     Department of Agriculture have been trying to come
                     up with a single definition, a national list of
                     what can and cannot be used in organic food.

                     Currently, "organic"
                     means different            
                     things from state to             
                     state. The USDA has        
                     been getting advice
                     from the National            
                     Organic Standards
                     Board.

                     "There is fraud out there," said Kathleen Merrigan
                     of the National Organic Standards Board. "There
                     are people who are claiming to have organic
                     products that aren't really organic."

                      The USDA's new rules aren't
                                          out yet. But the board has
                     come up with a definition of "organic" that says,
                     in part: "Organic agriculture practices cannot
                     ensure that products are completely free of
                     (chemical) residues. However, methods are used to
                     minimize pollution from air, soil and water."

                     Once the new rules go into effect, it will be a
                     federal offense to label something "organic"
                     unless it has been certified.

                     Certification of farmers and handlers will be done
                     by private or state programs approved by the USDA.
                     The new organic standards will pertain not only to
                     fresh fruit and vegetables, but to processed food.

                     The rules also apply to meat, now        
                     labeled commonly as "natural." In
                     describing meat that qualifies for the label,
                     Robert Anderson of Walnut Acres Organic Farms
                     said: "There are no hormones or growth promoters.
                     We recommend that humane treatment was a key to
                     the process."

                     Although the organic food industry has been
                     pushing for a natural standard, some farmers are
                     worried certification will cost too much. And some
                     scientists fear the government will allow
                     genetically engineered foods to be called organic.

                     "Many people in this country are looking to the
                     organic community as a place to find foods that do
                     not have genetically engineered organisms in
                     them," said Jane Rissler of the Union of Concerned
                     Scientists.


Date: Wed, 30 Jul 1997 08:05:54 -0400
From: allen schubert 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (US) Beef Industry Changing Ad Slogan
Message-ID: <3.0.32.19970730080551.006cf10c@clark.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

from AP Wire page:
----------------------------------
 07/29/1997 13:51 EST

 Beef Industry Changing Ad Slogan

 WASHINGTON (AP) -- The beef industry isn't satisfied with simply telling
 consumers ``what's for dinner.'' In a new ad campaign, beef producers
 hope to appeal to people's deep-down craving for a good steak.

 ``Beef. It's What You Want'' is the new slogan developed for a yearlong
 television and radio ad campaign by the National Cattlemen's Beef
 Association. It will replace the ``It's What's For Dinner'' campaign that
 has run since 1992.

 ``These ads get to the emotional level of eating beef, while our previous
 campaign focused on the functional aspect of meal planning and
 preparation,'' Monica Eorgoff, advertising director at the cattlemen's
 association, said Tuesday.

 In one spot, a man desperately attempts to grill a final steak as a giant
 meteorite streaks toward earth. Another one shows a rotisserie chicken
 longing to be as popular as a steak.

 And yes, the ads still include that music from Aaron Copland's ``Rodeo.''

 Although beef remains the most popular meat in America at about 63.5
 pounds per person annually, compared to 49.6 pounds for chicken, its
 share of the market has declined in recent years.

Date: Wed, 30 Jul 1997 21:39:21 +0800 (SST)
From: Vadivu Govind 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Live Animal Trade Website
Message-ID: <199707301339.VAA04205@eastgate.cyberway.com.sg>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"


I found a website which I think might be useful:

http://www.lattmag.com/lattmeet.htm

It is by the Live Animal Trade & Transport Magazine and it lists
Meetings, Seminars & Other Events related to that topic.

The calendar could be used by AR groups to plan counter-events well in advance.

The links may be worth a second look too.

- Vadivu

Date: Wed, 30 Jul 1997 10:09:24 -0400
From: Patrick Nolan 
To: "ar-news@envirolink.org" 
Subject: Joy Williams article in Harper's
Message-ID: <33DF4B14.BA8EE5AF@animalwelfare.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Please check out Joy Williams's excellent, excellent article on animal
rights in the August issue of Harper's magazine.  (It is far too long to
post here.)

Date: Wed, 30 Jul 1997 10:18:28 -0500
From: L Grayson 
To: ar-news 
Subject: Sri Lankan Capital Hounded by Stray Dogs, Cats
Message-ID: <33DF5B41.2D2B@earthlink.net>
MIME-Version: 1.0

Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

July 30, 1997 10:20 am EDT 






                              Sri Lankan Capital Hounded by Stray Dogs,
Cats

                              Reuters
                              30-JUL-97

                              COLOMBO, July 30 (Reuter) - Sri Lanka's
capital is grappling with a
                              rising menace of stray dogs and cats, but
authorities say a lack of
                              public support is making it difficult for
them address the problem, the
                              state-owned Daily News said on Wednesday. 

                              It quoted Colombo municipal authorities as
saying that thousands of
                              stray dogs and cats roamed the city's
streets, but residents
                              prevented officials from seizing them. 

                              ``In most cases people continue to protect
the stray animals without
                              vaccinating them and taking other
preventive measures,'' the
                              newspaper quoted a municipal official as
saying. 

                              ``When our men seize dogs, they are
harassed, the vehicle is
                              damaged and so many other obstructions
come in between,'' the
                              official said. 

                              He attributed the opposition to social and
religious factors. Sri
                              Lankans are known animal lovers and prefer
that stray dogs die a
                              natural death rather than be killed. 

                              The newspaper said more than 2,000 stray
dogs and about 150 cats
                              were seized in 1995. The number rose to
2,633 dogs and 262 cats
                              last year. 

                              This year, 1,642 dogs and 400 cats have
already been seized, the
                              official was quoted as saying. 

                              The newspaper said the Dog Pound Unit of
the Colombo Municipal
                              Corporation also faced a shortage of
people who could seize the stray
                              animals because of a social stigma
attached to the job. 

                              The official said the animals were kept
for three days so that owners
                              could claim them before the animals were
gassed to death.
Date: Wed, 30 Jul 1997 10:36:39 -0500
From: L Grayson 
To: ar-news 
Subject: Whale watchers catch thrills off the coast of  Argentina
     
                                               thrills off the coast of
                                               Argentina
Message-ID: <33DF5F82.CC0@earthlink.net>
MIME-Version: 1.0
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Whale watchers catch
                                          thrills off the coast of
                                          Argentina

                                          July 29, 1997
                                          Web posted at: 10:47 p.m. EDT
(0247 GMT) 

                                          (CNN) -- In the calm waters
                                          off the southern coast of
                                          Argentina, the whales are at
                                          ease. This time of year they
                                          find plenty of krill, small
                                          shrimp-like creatures for
                                          eating, and the environment
                                          is ideal for breeding. 

                                          And that makes it one of the
world's premier spots for
                                          whale watching. More than
50,000 people from around
                                          the world visit the Argentine
coast each year in quest
                                          of the spectacular mammals.
They rarely leave
                                          disappointed. 

                                                                                                     
>From April to October,
                                                                                                     
the Right whales
                                                                                                     
populate the coast off
                                                                                                     
the Patagonia region,
                                                                                                     
where they can been
                                                                                                     
seen leaping and
                                                                                                     
diving. This is the
                                                                                                     
whales' preferred spot
                                                                                                     
for raising their
                                                                                                     
newborn. 

                                          The whales are something of a
lifeblood for many
                                          residents in the small coastal
town of Puerto Piramides,
                                          on the Valdez Peninsula.
Visitors can board one of
                                          many boats and have an
up-close encounter with the
                                          whales, who seem to welcome
them with loud whistles
                                          and crackles. 

                                           
Date: Wed, 30 Jul 1997 10:51:01 -0500
From: L Grayson 
To: ar-news 
Subject: CNN  follows Peace Frogs Rally
Message-ID: <33DF62DE.7CB0@earthlink.net>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
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CNN American Edge reporters Jack Hamann and Bruce
                                          Burkhardt -- who call their
team "NO COMMENT"  race
                                          across America in the second
annual Peace Frogs Road Rally. 

                                          Starting in Richmond,
Virginia, the Peace Frogs Road Rally winds
                                          over 7000 miles across North
America to Fairbanks, Alaska. To win,
                                          contestants must reach
Fairbanks by land vehicle within two
                                          weeks and accumulate the
highest number of points by executing
                                          a series of challenges. The
greater the challenge, the more points
                                          rewarded. 

                                          The race serves a as both a
fundraising activity and a means to
                                          promote cultural and
environmental awareness about Frogs. Peace
                                          Frogs -- a sportswear company
-- donates Rally proceeds to the
                                          Organization for Tropical
Studies and its frog research program. 

                                          This year CNN joins the race
to bring you an intimate and
                                          insightful look into the lives
of the fellow racers, people who are
                                          on a journey for
self-fulfillment, fun, and the chance at the grand
                                          prize of $10,000.00 in gold.
As they trek across the continent, we'll
                                          find out what drives these
contestants to live and play on the
                                          edge. 

                                          You will also hear from Sharon
Collins as she files some unique
                                          diary entries on frogs and
current amphibian research. 

                                          They'll also produce an
hour-long program on the race for an
                                          American Edge special to air
in November on CNN. 

                                          But one of the coolest things
about this year's race can be seen
                                          right now. You can follow our
team and other contestants from
                                          your desktop. Through daily
journal entries, photos and some
                                          new global positioning
technology, you can watch the progress of
                                          the race and each contestant
on the web. You can also interact
                                          with our team through message
boards and e-mail. 

                                          For more information on the
race, visit the Peace Frogs Web site.
Date: Wed, 30 Jul 1997 10:59:19 -0500
From: L Grayson 
To: ar-news 
Subject: India's wilderness under siege  But new projects could save the wild spaces
Message-ID: <33DF64CE.21F8@earthlink.net>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1


India's wilderness under
                                          siege

                                          But new projects
                                          could save the wild
                                          spaces

                                          July 29, 1997
                                          Web posted at: 7:30 p.m. EDT 

                                          From Correspondent Gary
                                          Strieker 

                                          RAJASTHAN, India (CNN) --
                                          Ranthambore National Park
                                          spreads across nearly 400
                                          square kilometers (about
                                          150 square miles) of forest,
                                          meandering around
                                          overgrown temples and
                                          long-forgotten villages. Once
                                          a hunting preserve for
                                          maharajas, today it is a
                                          wilderness reclaimed. 

                                          But this park, considered by
                                          many to be the crown jewel
                                          of India's national parks, is
                                          also under siege. 

                                          The human population
                                          surrounding this tiger
sanctuary has doubled in the
                                          last 20 years. Now, more than
160,000 people crowd
                                          neighboring towns and
villages, plundering
                                          Ranthambore's resources,
allowing their livestock to
                                          graze on park grounds, and
cutting trees for firewood. 

                                                                                         
The plunder has already
                                                                                         
devastated the surrounding
                                                                                         
buffer zone, leaving almost
                                                                                         
nothing to exploit but the
                                                                                         
park itself. 

                                                                                         
"It's losing its habitat very
                                          fast, and that means when the
habitat goes, any wild
                                          animals that live inside go
with the habitat, which
                                          includes the tiger," said
Goverdhan Singh Rathore, of
                                          the Ranthambore Foundation. 

                                          Both grazing livestock and
cutting trees inside the park
                                          are illegal. But the practices
have become so widespread
                                          that park authorities seem to
have given up trying to
                                          stop them. 

                                          The old way to keep people out
of protected areas like
                                          Ranthambore was to post guards
with guns. Today, with
                                          growing pressure from
surrounding human and
                                          livestock populations, using
force to withstand the
                                          pressure seems impossible.
Experts say the only hope
                                          now is to find ways to somehow
reduce the pressure on
                                          protected areas. 

                                          Outside help giving
conservationists hope

                                          With some outside help, one
                                          group of villagers has found
                                          some success in doing just
                                          that. "It is one of the most
                                          forest-friendly villages in
the
                                          area," Rathore said of the
                                          village near Ranthambore. 

                                          Their cattle don't trek miles
                                          to find food inside the park.
                                          Instead, they are fed in
stalls
                                          in the village, eating fodder
grown by the villagers on
                                          their farms -- something they
would never have done
                                          before. 

                                          They do it now because they've
upgraded their buffalo,
                                          and cross-bred their cattle
with prize Holsteins. These
                                          pampered cows produce much
more milk to sell, and
                                          that means more cash income
for the families who tend
                                          them. 

                                          Their hearty diet and their
consistent confinement also
                                          means more fresh manure is
available locally to
                                          generate biogas, so families
can cook with gas instead of
                                          firewood taken from the park. 

                                          "This is an excellent means,
if it can be replicated around
                                          the park in a big way ... this
can really be the saving of
                                          the park," Rathore said. 

                                          The pilot projects were
sponsored by the Ranthambore
                                          Foundation, one organization
among several trying to
                                          convince villagers they can
improve their lives and
                                          protect the park at the same
time. 

                                          The grassroots projects are
proving to be small but
                                          heartening successes against
overwhelming odds, as
                                          the expanding human population
here drives the
                                          plundering of the park beyond
control. 

                                           
Date: Wed, 30 Jul 1997 09:40:12 -0700
From: Lawrence Carter-Long 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Newswire: Russia clones over 100 new types of animals.
Message-ID: <33DF6E6C.6658@mail-1.gvn.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Russia clones over 100 new types of animals. 

      July 30, 1997


      Itar - Tass News Agency : MOSCOW, July 29 (Itar-Tass) -
      Russia's genetic engineers have already cloned over 100 new
      types of animals, a research centre official told Itar-Tass on
      Tuesday. 

      Mikhail Prokofyev, director of a bio-technical centre in the
      Moscow region and a corresponding member of the Russian
      Academy of Agricultural Sciences, said the new types of sheep
      and rabbits "have been received as a result of multifarious
      research in the field of the finest genetic engineering" led by
      academician Lev Ernst. 

      According to Ernst, "animals were received as a result of planting
      genes into the genetic apparatus of the animals' embryos." 

      This is a new stage in zoological engineering that "opens
      boundless opportunities, foremost in intensive industrial
      cattle-breeding," Prokofyev said. 

      In this case, "striking results may be obtained in receiving highly
      productive animals with hereditary resistance to various
      diseases," the academician noted. 

      According to Prokofyev, the new types of animals can give
      valuable medicines in their milk as well as transplant organs for
      people. 

      Specifically, a sow's heart can be transplanted to sick persons
      which at the same time resolves the most acute graft vs host
      disease problem, he noted. 

      The on-going comprehensive research at the centre has already
      yielded some discoveries which have been patented. Apparently
      certain fields are turning towards industrial application. 

      For example, a flock of the so-called "transgenic" sheep that
      reaches over 100, contain the chemozene ferment in their milk --
      the principal component in the production of cheese, as well as
      abomine -- to treat gastro-intestinal diseases. 

      Earlier, chimozene was prepared from slaughtered milk calves,
      Prokofyev said. 

      myz/ezh 

      [Copyright 1997, Comtex]

Posted by:
Lawrence Carter-Long
Coordinator, Science and Research Issues
Animal Protection Institute
phone: 916-731-5521
LCartLng@gvn.net

"It's important to remember that just because 
there are crooks, zealots and morons supporting 
a position, it does not automatically follow that the 
position is wrong."  --  Jan D. Wolter
Date: Wed, 30 Jul 1997 13:37:08 -0400 (EDT)
From: LMANHEIM@aol.com
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Fwd: Trapping Bills Near Floor Vote in NY State Legislature
Message-ID: <970730133658_-1709584944@emout04.mail.aol.com>

In a message dated 97-07-30 01:34:57 EDT, tjancek@northweb.com (Theresa E.
Jancek) writes:

 << Subj:Trapping Bills Near Floor Vote in State Legislature
  Date:97-07-30 01:34:57 EDT
  From:tjancek@northweb.com (Theresa E. Jancek)
  To:FYI-NYAlert@mrin48.mail.aol.com
 
 Two bills extending the trap check interval and empowering the NYSDEC
 to permit the use of the long-illegal snare in NY waters are nearing
 the time when they will be reported to the floor for a vote. If you
 believe that this ill-advised and unnecessary legislation should not
 pass, I encourage you to make your opposition known now. The bills may
 be reported to the floor as soon as tomorrow, Wednesday the 30th of
 July.
 
 Please contact the following legislative leaders and ask that the
 subject bills NOT be reported out of the Rules Committee to the floor
 for a vote:
 
 
     The Honorable Sheldon Silver
     Speaker of the Assembly of the State of New York
      OR 518-455-3791
 
     Ref: Assembly Bill No. A01635-A  (Title:AN ACT to amend the
          environmental conservation law, in relation to the trapping
          of beaver, otter, muskrat and mink)
  
                               and
 
     The Honorable Joseph L Bruno.
     President Pro Tempore and Majority Leader of the Senate of the
         State of New York
      OR  518-455-3191
 
     Ref: Senate Bill No. S03561-A (Title: AN ACT to amend the
          environmental conservation law, in relation to the trapping of
          beaver, otter, muskrat and mink)
 
 
 If you have time, it would also help if you would call YOUR state
 member of the assembly and senator and ask that they NOT support these
 bills if they should come to a vote.
 
 
 Summaries of both bills are attached. The full text of the proposed
 legislation is available through the New York Legislative Information
 Service at:
 
     .
 
 
 Thanks,
 Terry
 ____________________________________________________
 Theresa E. Jancek
 Mail:  PO Box 276, Hannawa Falls, NY 13647-0276 USA
 Tel:  +1 315 262 2120
 E-Mail: 
 
 
 -----------------------------------------------------------------------
 Summary of Assembly Bill No. A 01635A
 
 BILL NO   A01635A



                                                                             
 SPONSOR   Bragman



                                                                             
 COSPNSR   Robach



                                                                             
 MLTSPNSR



                                                                             
 Amd SS11-1101 & 11-1105, En Con L
 Sets times for the checking of traps for beaver, otter, muskrat, or
 mink underwater in the northern and southern zones; provides that the
 department of environmental conservation may, by regulation, permit the
 use of snares set in water during the open trapping season for beaver.
 -----------------------------------------------------------------------
 Summary of Bill Senate Bill No. S 03561A
 
 BILL NO   S03561A



                                                                             
 SPONSOR   WRIGHT



                                                                             
 COSPNSR   MARCHI, MEIER, SPANO



                                                                             
 MLTSPNSR



                                                                             
 Amd S11-1105, En Con L
 Sets times for the checking of traps for beaver, otter, muskrat, or
 mink underwater in the northern and southern zones; provides that the
 department of environmental conservation may, by regulation, permit the
 use of snares set in water during the open trapping season for beaver.
 -----------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 
---------------------
Forwarded message:
From:tjancek@northweb.com (Theresa E. Jancek)
  To:FYI-NYAlert@mrin48.mail.aol.com
Date: 97-07-30 01:34:57 EDT

FYI: Although you are not a New York state resident, I thought you would 
be interested in the following Alert...


Two bills extending the trap check interval and empowering the NYSDEC
to permit the use of the long-illegal snare in NY waters are nearing
the time when they will be reported to the floor for a vote. If you
believe that this ill-advised and unnecessary legislation should not
pass, I encourage you to make your opposition known now. The bills may
be reported to the floor as soon as tomorrow, Wednesday the 30th of
July.

Please contact the following legislative leaders and ask that the
subject bills NOT be reported out of the Rules Committee to the floor
for a vote:


    The Honorable Sheldon Silver
    Speaker of the Assembly of the State of New York
     OR 518-455-3791

    Ref: Assembly Bill No. A01635-A  (Title:AN ACT to amend the
         environmental conservation law, in relation to the trapping
         of beaver, otter, muskrat and mink)
 
                              and

    The Honorable Joseph L Bruno.
    President Pro Tempore and Majority Leader of the Senate of the
        State of New York
     OR  518-455-3191

    Ref: Senate Bill No. S03561-A (Title: AN ACT to amend the
         environmental conservation law, in relation to the trapping of
         beaver, otter, muskrat and mink)


If you have time, it would also help if you would call YOUR state
member of the assembly and senator and ask that they NOT support these
bills if they should come to a vote.


Summaries of both bills are attached. The full text of the proposed
legislation is available through the New York Legislative Information
Service at:

    .


Thanks,
Terry
____________________________________________________
Theresa E. Jancek
Mail:  PO Box 276, Hannawa Falls, NY 13647-0276 USA
Tel:  +1 315 262 2120
E-Mail: 


-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Summary of Assembly Bill No. A 01635A

BILL NO   A01635A


                                                                             
SPONSOR   Bragman


                                                                             
COSPNSR   Robach


                                                                             
MLTSPNSR


                                                                             
Amd SS11-1101 & 11-1105, En Con L
Sets times for the checking of traps for beaver, otter, muskrat, or
mink underwater in the northern and southern zones; provides that the
department of environmental conservation may, by regulation, permit the
use of snares set in water during the open trapping season for beaver.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Summary of Bill Senate Bill No. S 03561A

BILL NO   S03561A


                                                                             
SPONSOR   WRIGHT


                                                                             
COSPNSR   MARCHI, MEIER, SPANO


                                                                             
MLTSPNSR


                                                                             
Amd S11-1105, En Con L
Sets times for the checking of traps for beaver, otter, muskrat, or
mink underwater in the northern and southern zones; provides that the
department of environmental conservation may, by regulation, permit the
use of snares set in water during the open trapping season for beaver.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------



Date: Wed, 30 Jul 1997 10:45:42 -0700
From: LCartLng@gvn.net (Lawrence Carter-Long)
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Senate Tuna-Dolphin Mired In Controversy
Message-ID: <199707301740.NAA21729@envirolink.org>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

>From the Envirolink News Service:

SENATE TUNA-DOLPHIN DEAL CONTROVERSIAL

WASHINGTON, DC, July 28, 1997 (ENS) - The Senate has reached a compromise in
the dispute over redefining dolphin-safe labels for tuna cans that has
delayed for nearly two years implementation by the United States of an
agreement regulating the setting of tuna nets on dolphins in the eastern
tropical Pacific called the Panama Declaration.

The Clinton administration has accepted the Senate compromise, according to
a July 25 letter from Sandy Berger, President Bill Clinton's national
security adviser, to Senator John McCain, chairman of the Senate Commerce
Committee.

The compromise is also acceptable to the Mexican government, which has
challenged the existing U.S. tuna embargo in an international trade forum,
according to Berger's letter. The letter said the Mexicans are trying to
persuade the other Panama Declaration parties to accept the Senate
compromise. "I am hopeful that all the signatories will be able to accept
this compromise as well," Berger wrote.

A vote passing the Senate compromise bill is expected July 29. The
compromise averted a filibuster by opponents of the bill. The legislation
was originally supported by the Clinton administration and was passed by the
House of Representatives in May.

Under the compromise bill, as well as in the House-passed bill, the United
States would immediately lift its embargo on yellowfin tuna from the fishing
countries Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, Panama and Vanuatu. The embargo would
also be lifted from intermediary countries, those importing yellowfin from
the fishing countries, Costa Rica, Italy and Japan.

The Senate compromise bill differs from the Panama Declaration and the
House-passed bill on the controversial issue of dolphin-safe definition. At
present, the label means no dolphins were killed or harmed in harvesting the
yellowfin.

The House bill, passed in accord with the Panama Declaration, would
redefine the dolphin-safe label to mean that accredited international
observers on board the fishing boats saw no dolphins killed in the harvest.
This proposed change in the definition has split the U.S. environmental
community, caused most Democrats in the House to vote against the Clinton
administration, and led to threats of filibuster in the Senate.

The Senate compromise, reached after months of negotiations, would change
the definition of dolphin-safe in accord with the Panama Declaration only
after the Secretary of Commerce makes a determination that setting tuna
purse seine nets on dolphins does no harm to the dolphins.

The secretary would make a preliminary determination in March 1999 and a
final determination between July 2001 and December 2002 based on results
from a three-year study required by the compromise bill.

Whether the House will pass the Senate compromise bill is not known.

For reasons not understood, schools of large yellowfin travel with schools
of dolphins in the eastern tropical Pacific, from southern California to
Chile. Fishermen setting nets on dolphins to harvest the yellowfin below
were slaughtering hundreds of thousands of dolphins a year in the 1960s.

The number of dolphin kills fell to 2,547 in 1996 after implementation of
some conservation measures:

1.)    a 1972 U.S. law prohibiting U.S. fishing boats from setting nets on
dolphins.

2.)   a 1984 U.S. law, implemented starting in 1988, banning imports of
yellowfin from countries that do not adopt a dolphin conservation program
comparable to the U.S. one.

3.)    a 1990 U.S. law defining dolphin-safe labels for tuna cans as meaning
that no dolphins were harmed in harvesting the tuna.

4.) the 1992 La Jolla Agreement among the fishing countries in the
Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) for reducing dolphin kills
below 5,000 a year by 1999, enforcing the limits for each boat by an
on-board observer.

In 1990 Mexico challenged the U.S. embargo in the General Agreement on
Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and won favorable panel decisions, but the
decisions were never adopted by the full GATT Council.

In 1995 the United States and 11 countries unhappy with the continuing U.S.
embargo negotiated and signed the Panama Declaration, which, if implemented,
would make the La Jolla Agreement binding instead of voluntary. The original
Panama Declaration implementation deadline was January 1996. Other parties
to the agreement have become impatient with U.S. inaction, occasionally
threatening to let the La Jolla Agreement unravel.

"The only reason for this legislation is to bail out Mexico's dolphin deadly
boats and tuna industry," says Don White of Earthtrust, a Hawaii based
non-profit environmental group with its own dolphin-safe certification mark,
the Flipper Seal of Approval.

White says the safety of dolphins will be compromised by the pending
Congressional agreement to change the dolphin-safe labelling standard.
"There is no new way of catching dolphins. Under this 'new' accord these
dolphins will be caught by the same boats, in the same nets, in the same
waters, by some of the same captains that were responsible for the largest
dolphin kill in the history of the world."

Because the tuna fishery is an international fishery, sovereignty issues
make it extremely difficult for the U.S. to monitor whether or not dolphins
are harmed by tuna fishers of other countries.

Earthtrust's approach certifies to the standard that no dolphins can be
killed in the tuna harvest. The Flipper Seal is grounded in contract law. 
To carry the seal on its products, a company must open its records to
Earthtrust and sign a binding contract to absolutely be truly dolphin safe -
killing no dolphins, and not dealing in dolphin deadly programs. At one
point over one half the tuna traffic in the country bore the Flipper Seal
until the U.S. dolphin safe labelling law went into effect.

If the current labelling compromise becomes law, White foresees a
"fraudulent" federal mark going on tuna cans and warehouses full of Mexican
tuna caught by "dolphin deadly methods." Consumers will 
just be put off by a label they cannot trust and may switch from tuna
to other low-cost forms of protein.

Groups in favor of the compromise put their trust in a dolphin kill quota of
5,000 a year. White says that quota is "ridiculous." "A single boat can kill
5,000 dolphins in one set of the net. One set usually kills 1,000 to 2,000.
The real numbers will be in the hundreds of thousands."

The environmental community is split unevenly on the dolphin-safe
compromise. Approximately, 85 groups are actively opposing it, with five,
including Greenpeace, in favor of it.








Lawrence Carter-Long
Coordinator, Science and Research Issues
Animal Protection Institute
phone: 916-731-5521
LCartLng@gvn.net

"It's important to remember that just because 
there are crooks, zealots and morons supporting 
a position, it does not automatically follow that the 
position is wrong."  --  Jan D. Wolter

Date: Wed, 30 Jul 1997 13:49:50 -0400 (EDT)
From: MINKLIB@aol.com
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: US Fur Trade Statistics Summer 1997
Message-ID: <970730134854_950790312@emout14.mail.aol.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=unknown-8bit


U.S. Fur Trade Statistics Summer 1997

Actual US fur sales 1996 $720 million
Total US fur industry sales including services and accessories $1.25 billion
Fur Apparel Imports were valued at $165.8 million in 1996 (wholesale)
Fur Apparel Imports for the first quarter of 1997 declined 28.5%
Imports account for an estimated 60% of US fur sales
Less than 200 fur manufacturers remain in the US
About 1350 retail furriers remain in business, down from 2,400 in the mid
eighties

Top fur markets are New York City and Chicago.
Other big fur markets are Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Washington DC/Baltimore,
Boston, Detroit, Cleveland, Dallas/Fort Worth, San Francisco, Milwaukee, and
Seattle
51% of all US fur sales are in the Northeast and 25% of US fur sales are in
the Midwest

415 mink ranches operate in the US 
US fur farmers kill about 2.65 million ranch raised mink a year
The US accounts for approximately 10% of world mink production
World mink production is approximately 26 million a year
Denmark is the largest mink producing country in the world, followed by
Russia, the US, and Finland

Top mink ranching states are:
     Wisconsin 74 farms 718,100 mink killed per year
     Utah 130 farms 585,000 mink killed per year
     Minnesota 40 farms 293,300 mink killed per year
     Oregon 23 farms 208,000 mink killed per year
     Idaho 22 farms 170,000 mink killed per year
     Washington 19 farms 117,000 mink killed per year
     Iowa 20 farms 97,000 mink killed per year
     South Dakota 4 farms 94,100 mink killed per year
     Ohio 12 farms 73,800 mink killed per year
     Pennsylvania 13 farms 65,700 mink killed per year
     Michigan 9 farms 57,000 mink killed per year
     Illinois 9 farms 56,700 mink killed per year
     New York 11 farms 20,100 mink killed per year
     All other states 29 farms 93,300 mink killed per year

40 mink ranches also raise fox, while 50-100 fox farms are in operation that
don’t raise mink.

Average mink ranch has 6,400 captive mink
Most common mink killing methods are gassing, poison injection, neck breaking
For fox anal electrocution is most common, followed by poison injection then
gassing
Chinchilla are usually killed by genital electrocution, foot to ear
electrocution or neck breaking

Mink account for 90% of all ranch raised animals followed by fox with 8%
Chinchilla are also raised in the US, as are bobcats and lynx, though cat
ranching is limited.

5 million fox are ranched each year with 65% of total production coming from
Finland
250,000 chinchilla are raised and killed on fur farms each year, mostly in
the US, Canada, and increasingly in South America
Russia ranches 150,000 sable a year and has a monopoly on that branch of fur
farming
100,000 raccoon dogs are ranched each year, mostly in Finland
100,000 fitch (ferret) are ranched each year, mostly in Finland
Finland is trying to develop a pine marten ranching industry, but this is at
an experimental stage right now.
Russia is trying the same thing with river otters.
Some ranches have nutria (coypu) but this is rare.

Mink are usually kept in cages that measure 12” wide by 18” long 
About 17% of all mink die prematurely from the stress of confinement, bad
sanitation, on fur farms, summer heat, food poisoning, and other confinement
related illnesses.
There are about 30 known mutant color genes in mink.
These are exploited to produce different color phases.  Production of mutant
color phases leads to other genetic flaws.  For example, Hedlund white mink
which become deaf at about 30 days of age, and Royal Pastel mink which have
screw neck (a nervous disorder which causes the animal to turn its head
around and around.)

The US is the leading fur trapping nation in the world.  10 million animals
(world count) may die in traps that tear skin, rip tendons, and often times
break bones.  This does not include non-target animals that get caught in
traps.  The number of non-target animals caught in traps is impossible to
measure.

Top trapping states are WI, MN, PA, OH, and MI in that order.
There are 150,000 trappers in the US.

Hundreds of thousands of baby seals are clubbed in Canada each year, but
their pelts are low in value because of bans on seal skins in the US and
Europe.  The skins are used in Canada and a lot of the meat is fed to mink
and fox on fur farms.

More fur statistics are available by calling CAFT at 214-503-1419 or through
email at MINKLIB@aol.com






Date: Wed, 30 Jul 1997 13:49:50 -0400 (EDT)
From: MINKLIB@aol.com
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: US Fur Trade Statistics Summer 1997
Message-ID: <199707301753.NAA24115@envirolink.org>


U.S. Fur Trade Statistics Summer 1997

Actual US fur sales 1996 $720 million
Total US fur industry sales including services and accessories $1.25 billion
Fur Apparel Imports were valued at $165.8 million in 1996 (wholesale)
Fur Apparel Imports for the first quarter of 1997 declined 28.5%
Imports account for an estimated 60% of US fur sales
Less than 200 fur manufacturers remain in the US
About 1350 retail furriers remain in business, down from 2,400 in the mid
eighties

Top fur markets are New York City and Chicago.
Other big fur markets are Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Washington DC/Baltimore,
Boston, Detroit, Cleveland, Dallas/Fort Worth, San Francisco, Milwaukee, and
Seattle
51% of all US fur sales are in the Northeast and 25% of US fur sales are in
the Midwest

415 mink ranches operate in the US=20
US fur farmers kill about 2.65 million ranch raised mink a year
The US accounts for approximately 10% of world mink production
World mink production is approximately 26 million a year
Denmark is the largest mink producing country in the world, followed by
Russia, the US, and Finland

Top mink ranching states are:
        Wisconsin 74 farms 718,100 mink killed per year
        Utah 130 farms 585,000 mink killed per year
        Minnesota 40 farms 293,300 mink killed per year
        Oregon 23 farms 208,000 mink killed per year
        Idaho 22 farms 170,000 mink killed per year
        Washington 19 farms 117,000 mink killed per year
        Iowa 20 farms 97,000 mink killed per year
        South Dakota 4 farms 94,100 mink killed per year
        Ohio 12 farms 73,800 mink killed per year
        Pennsylvania 13 farms 65,700 mink killed per year
        Michigan 9 farms 57,000 mink killed per year
        Illinois 9 farms 56,700 mink killed per year
        New York 11 farms 20,100 mink killed per year
        All other states 29 farms 93,300 mink killed per year

40 mink ranches also raise fox, while 50-100 fox farms are in operation that
don=92t raise mink.

Average mink ranch has 6,400 captive mink
Most common mink killing methods are gassing, poison injection, neck breaking
For fox anal electrocution is most common, followed by poison injection then
gassing
Chinchilla are usually killed by genital electrocution, foot to ear
electrocution or neck breaking

Mink account for 90% of all ranch raised animals followed by fox with 8%
Chinchilla are also raised in the US, as are bobcats and lynx, though cat
ranching is limited.

5 million fox are ranched each year with 65% of total production coming from
Finland
250,000 chinchilla are raised and killed on fur farms each year, mostly in
the US, Canada, and increasingly in South America
Russia ranches 150,000 sable a year and has a monopoly on that branch of fur
farming
100,000 raccoon dogs are ranched each year, mostly in Finland
100,000 fitch (ferret) are ranched each year, mostly in Finland
Finland is trying to develop a pine marten ranching industry, but this is at
an experimental stage right now.
Russia is trying the same thing with river otters.
Some ranches have nutria (coypu) but this is rare.

Mink are usually kept in cages that measure 12=94 wide by 18=94 long=20
About 17% of all mink die prematurely from the stress of confinement, bad
sanitation, on fur farms, summer heat, food poisoning, and other confinement
related illnesses.
There are about 30 known mutant color genes in mink.
These are exploited to produce different color phases.  Production of mutant
color phases leads to other genetic flaws.  For example, Hedlund white mink
which become deaf at about 30 days of age, and Royal Pastel mink which have
screw neck (a nervous disorder which causes the animal to turn its head
around and around.)

The US is the leading fur trapping nation in the world.  10 million animals
(world count) may die in traps that tear skin, rip tendons, and often times
break bones.  This does not include non-target animals that get caught in
traps.  The number of non-target animals caught in traps is impossible to
measure.

Top trapping states are WI, MN, PA, OH, and MI in that order.
There are 150,000 trappers in the US.

Hundreds of thousands of baby seals are clubbed in Canada each year, but
their pelts are low in value because of bans on seal skins in the US and
Europe.  The skins are used in Canada and a lot of the meat is fed to mink
and fox on fur farms.

More fur statistics are available by calling CAFT at 214-503-1419 or through
email at MINKLIB@aol.com






    US Fur Trade Statistics Summer 1997
Date: Wed, 30 Jul 1997 15:03:18 -0400 (EDT)
From: MINKLIB@aol.com
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Syracuse Fur Press Release
Message-ID: <970730150312_426659799@emout10.mail.aol.com>

For Immediate Release:
July 30, 1997






Anti Fur Activists to Converge on Bonwit Teller, Hope to Confirm Rumors of
Stores Departure From the Fur Trade

Syracuse--Anti fur activists are expected to converge on Bonwit Teller in the
Carousel Center to confirm rumors that the store is planning to leave the fur
trade.  In a rally today at 4:15 pm, activists who are not under restraining
orders to stay away from the store will go in to see if Bonwit is still
involved in fur retailing.

Members of the Syracuse Animal Defense League have been protesting Bonwit
Teller for several years.  The group picketed outside of a store managers
house last weekend, at which time they were told by police that Bonwit was
closing their fur department.  Follow up calls to Bonwit provided conflicting
stories so the ADL has decided to go see for themselves.
 
If Bonwit Teller has stopped selling fur it will be the most recent of
several anti fur victories this year.  In April Macy's West announced that
they were closing their fur salons, and fur imports into the US were down 28%
in the first quarter of 1997.  New statistics from the USDA show that there
was a 7% decline in the number of mink farms in operation domestically from
1995 to 1996.

-30-

Contact: J.P. Goodwin 214-503-1419



Date: Wed, 30 Jul 1997 15:31:52 -0400 (EDT)
From: JanaWilson@aol.com
To: Ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (US) Oklahoma's Planned Prairie Dog Killing
Message-ID: <970730153140_786145011@emout11.mail.aol.com>


This was in today's Oklahoma City news:

                      Officials to Kill Lawton Prairie Dogs

(Lawton, Okla. is located in southwest Oklahoma where the
Army's Fort Sill is also located.)  More than 1000 prairie dogs
roam Lawton's Elmer Thomas Park, where they are begging
                                  for food, burrowing their homes and eating
plants, trees
and grass.  The City officials think the park has about 900 too many.
  They'll consider legitimate offfers from anyone interested in paying to
remove the animals from the 80-acre park to start new prairie dog 
towns.  Otherwise, the city plans to start exterminating most of
the animals on the first of Sept.
  Members of Lawton's Parks and Recreation Commission decided this
week that poison was the most effective way to reduce the population
at the park to 100 before the animals breed again in February.  Parks
and Recreational Director Mr. Dick Huck said.  He also said they
hoped to keep two prairie dog towns with about 50 animals on
opposite ends of the park.
  "We feel we can manage 100 very nicely in the park and still
give an a opportunity for people to view the prairie dogs," a/w Huck.
"The prairie dogs just do so much damage in those large nos."
  Many Lawton residents were complaining Tuesday about the choice
to kill the prairie dogs.  "I'm an animal lover, and i know that there are
a lot of prairie dogs, but it just seems to be such an extreme measure,"
said Linda Gunhus.
   City offices had many phone calls Tuesday from Lawton residents
obecting to the poisoning, worrying the park would lose all of the
popular animals and suggesting other ways to re-locate them.
    Mr. Huck said the animals chew on the flowers and plants in the
city's landscaped areas, wear down grass in irrigated spots, dig
holes thruout the park and damage some buildings.  "We planted
some new trees a couple od days ago, and they've already eaten
the bark around them."
    The prairie dogs have attracted visitors from thruout the region,
at least since the 1950s when the city acquired the land, said Huck.
The animals thrive there because no natural predators threaten them
andthey have all the food they want, since visitors often feed them.
    They reproduce rapidly too.  Huck said about 2,000 animals would
live there by next year if the city doesn't do something about the
population now.
     About 500 were relocated last year.  The city killed some too. 
But the upcoming poisoning effort would be the most aggressive
approach the city has taken in at least seven years a/w Huck.
     Huck said the commission had three choice to reduce this
prairie dog population:  killing them, relocating them to other
areas such as a prairie dog town near Lake Ellsworth in Lawton
or hiring a Colorado company to vacuum them out of their holes.
The vacuuming would cost $10,000 and relocating them would
cost between $5,000 to $7,000 and require heavy staffing to
get the job done a/w Huck.  Killing them would cost the least
he said.

                                                   For the Animals,

                                                   Jana,OKC
   
Date: Wed, 30 Jul 1997 10:21:49 -0700 (PDT)
From: Mike Markarian 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org, seac+announce@ecosys.drdr.virginia.edu,
        en.alerts@conf.igc.apc.org
Subject: Vermont Action Alert
Message-ID: <2.2.16.19970730132703.563fc4d0@pop.igc.org>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

>The Vermont Department of Fish & Wildlife has proposed rounding up and 
>destroying 15 breeding pairs of mute swans.  The swans currently reside 
>on Arrowhead Lake in Milton.  Many of the residents are fighting the F&W 
>proposal to kill them.
>
>According to Vermont Fish & Wildlife, the swans are a "non-native" 
>species who are aggressive toward other wildlife, including "native" 
>ducks and other waterfowl.  Also, the swans may pose a "safety hazard" to 
>people because they hiss when people approach their eggs.
>
>Please contact Ron Regan at the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife 
>(telephone 802-241-3700 or 103 South Main St, 10 South, Waterbury, VT 
>05671-0501) to urge him to
    >1) save the swans,
    >2) find a humane alternative, e.g. addling (i.e. shaking) the 
    >eggs but not killing live birds;
    >3) humanely transport the swans to a more welcoming habitat, e.g. 
    >Northern New Hampshire.  (A pond with no native waterfowl 
    >has been located in Lancaster, NH, and Ron Regan has been 
    >notified about this.)
>
>Vermont's moose are under the gun again!  The Vermont Department of Fish 
>& Wildlife have issued 165 moose hunting permits for 1997.  This is a 65% 
>increase over the 100 issued in 1996.  They have also approved the 
>expansion of the moose hunt from the Northeast Kingdom to Central Vermont 
>(Barre, Waterbury, Montpelier, Plainfield).
>
>Thr VDFW is using questionable, unsubstantiated numbers of moose in the 
>state upon which they base their premise that more moose should be 
>killed.  Please contact Governor Dean (telephone 802-828-3333 or write 
>Pavilion office Building, Montpelier, VT 05609) to protest this massacre.
>
     >* Moose are gentle, docile creatures who are a boon to the 
    >state as a tourist attraction, not as a hunted animal.  
    >* Vermont Fish & Wildlife have gone way out on a limb, expanding 
    >the hunt geographically (from 3 to 7 Wildlife Management 
    >Units from 1996 to 1997, including portions of central 
    >Vermont) and numerically from 30 to 165 permits issued 
    >from 1993 to 1997!  This represents a more than 500% 
    >increase in permits over 5 years.
    >* Ask that Fish & Wildlife officials consider the views of all 
    >Vermonters, not just the moose hunters.

Date: Wed, 30 Jul 1997 10:22:14 -0700 (PDT)
From: Mike Markarian 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org, seac+announce@ecosys.drdr.virginia.edu,
        en.alerts@conf.igc.apc.org
Subject: New Hampshire Action Alert
Message-ID: <2.2.16.19970730132724.5cb7614e@pop.igc.org>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

>The NH Fish & Game Commission has approved the killing of 70 deer who 
>live on an island in Lake Winnipesaukee.  The "Long Island deer" are 
>tame, gentle, healthy animals who have no escape.  This would constitute 
>a "canned hunt" of tame animals.  Island residents are protesting the 
>hunt, scheduled to last September 15-December 15, for the next eight 
>years.
>
>The Humane Society of the US has offered to provide, at HSUS expense, 
>immunocontraception for these deer.  With the contraception program, the 
>deer would live without being able to reproduce, thus curbing F&G 
>concerns over population increases.
>
>Please contact Governor Jeanne Shaheen (telephone 603-271-2121 or write 
>Office of the Governor, State House, Concord, NH 03301) to urge that
    >* The HSUS contraception program be implemented for the Long 
    >Island deer--a win for those who want to stop the deer 
    >population from increasing, for those who want to save 
    >the deer, and for the animals themselves, at no cost to 
    >the state.
    >* Please mention also that NH Fish & Game appears to be out of 
    >control--even with a majority of the residents of Long 
    >Island objecting to the hunt, and even with the HSUS 
    >proposal in hand, the Fish & Game Commission overrode all 
    >home rule and humane considerations and approved the 
    >3-month "hunt".
>
>This is a winnable issue if we can get enough public support!

Date: Wed, 30 Jul 1997 17:49:48 -0400 (EDT)
From: LMANHEIM@aol.com
To: ar-news@envirolink.org, Nyppsi@aol.com, EnglandGal@aol.com
Subject: Fwd: Senate OKs Tuna Compromise
Message-ID: <970730174930_-1139932746@emout02.mail.aol.com>

In a message dated 97-07-30 16:13:30 EDT, AOL News writes:

 << Subj:Senate OKs Tuna Compromise
  Date:97-07-30 16:13:30 EDT
  From:AOL News
 BCC:LMANHEIM
 
       By CAROLYN SKORNECK
       WASHINGTON (AP) - After seven years of only ``dolphin-safe''
 tuna on grocery shelves, consumers may soon see tuna cans with no
 such promise under a measure the Senate passed 99-0 Wednesday.
       The bill would lift the embargo on imports of tuna from the
 Eastern Pacific, but tuna caught there with huge nets that can
 encircle dolphins could not carry the dolphin-safe label until
 proved safe.
       Under the bipartisan compromise, the secretary of Commerce would
 make a preliminary determination in March 1999 on whether new
 net-fishing methods - which have greatly improved dolphin safety
 since the embargo was imposed in 1990 - protect the mammals
 sufficiently to warrant the label.
       Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., pressed for the compromise after
 the House in May passed a measure 262-166 to lift the embargo and
 immediately label the new imports ``dolphin-safe'' without the
 study the Senate would require.
       ``I feel good today because I know that consumers can continue
 to rely on the `dolphin-safe' label for at least 18 more months,
 and that means fewer dolphins will die,'' Boxer said.
       The House will likely accept the Senate's version, said Dan
 Walsh, legislative director for Rep. Wayne Gilchrest, R-Md., who
 sponsored the House bill.
       ``We think the compromise is worse than the House bill, but
 apparently it's the best we're going to get from the Senate, so
 we'll take it,'' Walsh said.
       Under the Senate version, it would be up to consumers to
 determine whether to stick with tuna labeled ``dolphin-safe'' - the
 only kind now available - or buy fish without the label.
       A final decision by the Commerce secretary, either confirming or
 reversing the March 1999 ruling, is due by Dec. 31, 2002.
       The close connection between dolphins and schools of tuna occurs
 mainly in the tropical eastern Pacific Ocean. The 1990 embargo was
 imposed after the huge encircling purse-seine nets were blamed for
 the deaths of hundreds of thousands of dolphins a year.
       But fishing methods with the nets, including deployment under
 the dolphins, have vastly improved, said Annie Petsonk of the
 Environmental Defense Fund.
       Twelve countries, including the United States, signed the
 Declaration of Panama in October 1995 that limited total annual
 dolphin kills through net fishing to 5,000.
       The other 11 countries - Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador,
 France, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Spain, Vanuatu and Venezuela -
 had contended the U.S. embargo was an unfair barrier to the
 lucrative American market.
       ``I think at the end we are seeing a good result,'' Carlos
 Camacho, Mexico's deputy minister of fisheries, said in an
 interview in Washington. ``We needed the United States, which was
 committed to the Declaration of Panama, to change its
 legislation.''
       One third of Mexico's tuna fleet already fishes dolphin-safe,
 Boxer said.
       The issue has sharply divided the environmental community.
       Critics say a designation of dolphin-safe doesn't ensure that
 all individual dolphins are being protected.
       ``Dolphin-safe for the average consumer means it's safe for each
 and every dolphin,'' said John Fitzgerald of Friends of the Earth.
 ``It turns dolphin-safe from a green label to a green lie.,''
       However, groups including Greenpeace and the Center for Marine
 Conservation support changing the dolphin protection policy,
 arguing the Senate legislation will lead to increased international
 protection of dolphins by the tuna industry.
       ``This is a victory for dolphin, the marine ecosystem and
 consumers,'' said Roger McManus, president of the Center for Marine
 Conservation. He said by the United States lifting the import ban,
 countries with large tuna fleets in the eastern Pacific will comply
 with new international efforts to protect dolphins.
       AP-NY-07-30-97 1528EDT >>

Date: Wed, 30 Jul 1997 18:27:44 -0400 (EDT)
From: "A. Hogan" 
To: Shirley McGreal 
Cc: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Re: Huntingdon Research news
Message-ID: 
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII

The Washington Times (Wednesday 30 July 1997) carries a staff story about 
the Norfolk VA judge's ruling Tuesday that perpetuates the gag order on 
PETA against releasing more videotape and documents from its undercover 
investigation of this firm.
Date: Wed, 30 Jul 1997 20:07:35 -0400
From: jeanlee 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: genetic engineering petition
Message-ID: <33DFD747.2AA6@concentric.net>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Hi-

At the ecomall there is a link to a great PETITION to mandate the
labeling of all genetically engineered food (or products containing
genetically engineered and mutated food).  Everyone should print it out
(I tried copying it but it doesn't work with forms for me) and disribute
it!!! here's the address:
http://206.26.90.8/mothersfornaturallaw/petition.html

FYI - these companies have all decided to use genetically 
engineered foods:

Coca-Cola - corn sweetners
Frito's Corn Chips
Quaker Oats Cornmeal
Fleishmann's Margarine
Karo Corn Syrup
Kraft Salad Dressings (soybeal oil)
Green Giant Harvest Burgers (I was very disappointed to hear 
that one)
Nestle Crunch - soybean oil

Just one more reason to boycott - and let them know about it!
Date: Wed, 30 Jul 1997 14:38:06 -0700 (PDT)
From: Mike Markarian 
To: ar-wire@waste.org, ar-news@envirolink.org,
        seac+announce@ecosys.drdr.virginia.edu, en.alerts@conf.igc.apc.org
Subject: Pigeon Shoot Protest 8/3
Message-ID: <2.2.16.19970730174333.553f7686@pop.igc.org>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

On Sunday, August 3, beginning at 10:00 A.M. The Fund for Animals and
Pennsylvania activists will protest a live pigeon shooting contest at the
Strausstown Rod & Gun Club in Berks County. Take Exit 7 off I-78, go North
on Rt. 183 for about 1/2 mile, turn Left at sign for Gun Club Road. Gun club
is on the Right.

Date: Thu, 31 Jul 1997 11:41:20 +0800 (SST)
From: Vadivu Govind 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Bluefin Tuna On the Verge of Commercial Extinction
Message-ID: <199707310341.LAA01304@eastgate.cyberway.com.sg>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"


>CNA Daily English News Wire

BLUEFIN TUNA ON THE VERGE OF COMMERCIAL EXTINCTION 

Canberra, July 30 (CNA) Taiwan, South Korea, Indonesia, Japan, New Zealand
and Australia are among the countries blamed for the commercial extinction
of the southern bluefin tuna, due to their excessive catches in the waters
of Oceania and surrounding areas. 

A report by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the wildlife trade
monitoring group TRAFFIC Oceania showed "frightening" numbers of bluefin
tuna being taken by three members of the Convention for the Conservation of
Southern Bluefin Tuna -- Australia, New Zealand and Japan
-- and 10 non-members, including Taiwan, South Korea and Indonesia. 

The WWF said the excessive catches have resulted in the commercial
extinction of the species because of the reduced level of breeding stocks,
according to the Sydney Morning Herald on Wednesday. 
The WWF earlier this week disclosed the worsening plight of the bluefin
tuna, which can sell for more than US$6000 per fish and is the pride of
Japan's luxury sashimi trade. 

WWF director of conservation Dr. Ray Nias said the parental population of
bluefins was now down to nine percent of the levels of 1960, when heavy
fishing had already taken its toll on the species. 

He said it was "well below a biologically safe level" for the slow-growing
bluefins, which do not reach maturity until eight years of age and live for
about 40 years. 

The WWF and TRAFFIC jointly called for tougher catch restrictions by both
convention members and non-members. 

He said the three convention member-countries have so far failed even to
agree on a joint management plan for the bluefin fishery and that now up to
10 other countries are hunting the dwindling stocks. (By Peter Chen) 

Date: Thu, 31 Jul 1997 11:42:23 +0800 (SST)
From: Vadivu Govind 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: EU, US Chicken Row Intensifies
Message-ID: <199707310342.LAA01337@eastgate.cyberway.com.sg>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"


>CNA Daily English News Wire
EU, US CHICKEN ROW INTENSIFIES 


Geneva, July 28 (CNA) The European Union will soon complain to the
Geneva-based World Trade Organization (WTO) about U.S. curbs on US$1 million
worth of imports of EU poultry products, the WTO reported Monday. 

The WTO said EU Farm Commissioner Franz Fischler told a meeting of EU
agricultural ministers he would take up the issue with the WTO after
Washington failed to end the ban by June 30. 

The US blocked imports from the EU, mainly French chicken pate and foie
gras, on April 30 in retaliation for EU curbs on US$50 million of U.S.
poultry after both sides failed to agree on poultry hygiene standards. 

The EU said the U.S. method of decontaminating chicken carcasses in
chlorinated water could harm consumers, an allegation denied by the U.S. 

French Farm Minister Louis le Pensec welcomed Fischler's move, saying that
little progress had been made to resolve the dispute, the WTO report said. 

France would only support an April 30 EU-U.S. agreement on mutually
acceptable veterinary inspection rules if the U.S. recognized the health
status of EU countries, the WTO report said. 

France wants the U.S. also to accept regional trade curbs, instead of only
national restrictions. 

The agreement, concluded on April 30, covers some US$3 billion trade
annually in red meat, dairy, fish and other products. (By Maurus Young) 

Date: Thu, 31 Jul 1997 11:43:43 +0800 (SST)
From: Vadivu Govind 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (TW) Foot and Mouth Disease contributes to agricultural deficit
Message-ID: <199707310343.LAA01332@eastgate.cyberway.com.sg>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"



>CNA Daily English News Wire
FMD OUTBREAK CONTRIBUTES TO AGRICULTURAL DEFICIT 

Taipei, July 29 (CNA) Official statistics released on Tuesday show that the
foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) epidemic which broke out in March and decimated
Taiwan's hog population, contributed to
the US$3.03 billion deficit in agricultural trade in the first half of 1997. 

The epidemic crippled exports of Taiwan pork, with outbound shipments of
frozen pork reduced to just US$237 million over the six-month period, a drop
of 72.32 percent from the same period of 1996. 

In terms of agricultural imports, wood and wood products were the top
imports, followed by grains and beans. 

Vegetable imports, mainly from Vietnam and Indonesia, skyrocketed by 82
percent, a result of heavy rains and flooding which damaged thousands of
hectares of crops in June. Cucumbers,
onions, cabbage, lettuce, cauliflower and asparagus constituted the majority
of these imports. (By Fiana Kai) 


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