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AR-NEWS Digest 452
Topics covered in this issue include:
1) (SG) More go for greens when eating out
by Vadivu Govind
2) Cousteau's Last Testament
by Andrew Gach
3) Plants gone, elephants fedsynthetic food
by Andrew Gach
4) [US] Geese slaughter to go ahead
by David J Knowles
5) Tiger Blamed for 50 Deaths in Nepal
by SDURBIN@VM.TULSA.CC.OK.US
6) Hog Number Nears Record (Oklahoma - USA)
by SDURBIN@VM.TULSA.CC.OK.US
7) (US) 18 Arrested at McDonald's Protest
by allen schubert
8) (US) McDonald's Unveils New Burger
by allen schubert
9) (US) McD's tries anything to get around the wishes/intent of
local people/laws...
by allen schubert
10) AR-Admin: subscription options
by allen schubert
11) Next Fall's Quail Crop Being Decided Now (Oklahoma, USA)
by SDURBIN@VM.TULSA.CC.OK.US
12) Re: Washington DC MacDonald's Protest....
by MINKLIB@aol.com
13) STAY ON TOP OF LEGISLATION AFFECTING ANIMALS
by "Christine M. Wolf"
14) P&G Admits Abuse, Drops Lab
by LCartLng@gvn.net (Lawrence Carter-Long)
15) Clone Miscarriages Show Need for Ban
by LCartLng@gvn.net (Lawrence Carter-Long)
16) Europeans Sour on Biotechnology
by LCartLng@gvn.net (Lawrence Carter-Long)
17) Mike Tyson
by Friends of Animals
18) DC MCDEATH UPDATE (US)
by civillib@cwnet.com
19) Richard Leakey's Speech to CITES reception
by Shirley McGreal
20) From Kyle Salisbury
by Doris Lin & Daniel Kim
21) MC DEATH PROTESTOR RELEASED FROM JAIL
by civillib@cwnet.com
22) Dallas Morning News: Coulston/Chimp Retirement & AIDS
by LCartLng@gvn.net (Lawrence Carter-Long)
23) [CA] Salmon industry wants to stop ad campaign
by David J Knowles
24) [CA] Greenpeace vessels blocked
by David J Knowles
25) [UK] BMA investigates threat of new genetic weapons
by David J Knowles
26) [PT] Primate Imports in 1997
by Shirley McGreal
27) [UK] RSPCA's 'humane' food breaks into profit
by David J Knowles
28) [UK] Giant crab is pinched
by David J Knowles
29) [CA] Scientists debate ethics of breeding animals for organs
by David J Knowles
Date: Tue, 1 Jul 1997 12:09:00 +0800 (SST)
From: Vadivu Govind
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (SG) More go for greens when eating out
Message-ID: <199707010409.MAA25964@eastgate.cyberway.com.sg>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>The Straits Times
1 July 97
More go for greens when eating out
By Pearl Lee
MORE people here are taking a leaf from the healthy lifestyle campaign
and asking for greens when they eat out.
Vegetarian dishes are becoming popular and menus are being expanded to
include more of them, according to 25 hotels, restaurants, food stalls and
vegetarian food marts polled by The Straits Times.
Hyatt Regency's communications manager, Mrs Monica Alsagoff, said: "We
now get requests for vegetarian versions of other dishes.
"One of our best-sellers is our vegetarian mee goreng."
At Hilton International, the Harbour Grill restaurant widened its
vegetarian menu from three to six dishes four months ago.
And at Michelangelo's, an Italian restaurant at Jalan Merah Saga in
Holland Village, demand for vegetarian food is so strong, its owner plans
to open a second outlet, serving only that, in August.
Owner-chef Angelo Sanelli said: "When I started two years ago, about 5
per cent of my clientele asked for vegetarian dishes. Now I get about 30 per
cent."
Six vegetarian restaurant managers said that in the past they catered
mostly to people who were vegetarians because of religious beliefs. Now,
more customers are
vegetarian for health reasons.
Madam Ong Tun Yong, the assistant manager at LingZhi Vegetarian
Restaurant in Orchard Towers, said: "We used to get a lot of Buddhist
customers, but now we also have an equal number of people who are
vegetarian because they are health-conscious.
"Some tell me they eat seafood and meat all the time, but once a week
they want something very light."
Kaoyi Vegetarian Food Mart, which opened its first outlet six years
ago, now has seven branches, selling mainly soya products and frozen food.
It also has two vegetarian restaurants, one of which is a fast-food
outlet in Taman Jurong Shopping Centre.
Its manager, Madam Poh Ah Moey, said: "When we started, we weren't making a
profit. Now we're thinking of opening even more branches."
Mr Chan Choong Shoung, who owns Kang Bao Le Vegetarian supermarket in
Tampines, said that 10 years ago, it was not convenient to be a vegetarian
because there were few places selling vegetarian foodstuff.
"But now there's so much variety. I used to get 20 to 40 customers a
day, today it's about 50 to 100."
Chao Zai Zhi Vegetarian Food, a food stall in MacPherson, serves
vegetarian satay, made from gluten.
Stall assistant Lee Chye Boon said: "You can tell that there are
definitely more customers eating vegetarian food for health reasons -- they
pick only the greens and stay away from the deep-fried food."
Mrs Loh Beng Choo, 47, general manager of a telecommunications company,
said her health improved after she started eating more vegetables five
years ago.
She said: "I used to get common coughs and colds easily, but since
eating more vegetables and brown rice in 1993, I've not had to see the
doctor for such ailments."
Miss Kim Lau, 23, is trying to become a vegetarian for health reasons.
The civil servant, who eats only fish and vegetables, said: "It's
difficult because my parents are not supportive and I have to consciously
watch my diet all the time."
Although a full vegetarian diet may be healthy, nutritionist May Low warned
that it may lack iron.
She said: "Vegetarians should remember to take either red beetroot or
grapes because these are good for replacing iron in the body."
A balanced vegetarian diet, she added, should contain food from the
carbohydrate food group such as rice and potatoes, leafy vegetables, which
are rich in vitamins, and beans, which are high in protein.
Date: Mon, 30 Jun 1997 21:16:25 -0700
From: Andrew Gach
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Cousteau's Last Testament
Message-ID: <33B88499.7189@worldnet.att.net>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Cousteau's posthumous attack on human greed
Times of London
PARIS (June 30, 1997 01:08 a.m. EDT) -- Jacques Cousteau, the celebrated
French underwater explorer who died last week, has issued an apocalyptic
message from the grave, warning that the natural world he worked to
reveal is being devastated by man's greed and stupidity.
M. Cousteau spent 20 years writing his memoirs and completed his "last
testament" just days before his death last Wednesday at the age of 87.
The 400-page autobiography, to be published Tuesday, on the day of a
grand memorial service for Cousteau in Notre Dame cathedral, is an
impassioned plea in defense of the environment coupled with a dire
prediction of the globe's future.
"Our survival is only a question of 25, 50 or perhaps 100 years," the
oceanographer warns in The Man, the Octopus and the Orchid. "It is
absurd and dangerous for those who live in prosperity to think that the
world economy is a cycle and that its riches will circulate for ever.
Unrenewable resources are being squandered. Waste is building up.
Valuable goods are vanishing while rubbish thrives."
Cousteau, who won multiple honors for his scientific films and books
from governments around the globe, attacks politicians, scientists and
world leaders with particular venom. "They pocket the cash without
looking ahead, writing checks our descendants will pay for in the
centuries to come. With their pesticides and their pollution, their
toxic discharges and the certainty of mutual destruction ...the
scientific experts have hidden the harsh reality: they will decide
whether we live or die."
But his doom-laden prophecies also contain flashes of optimism, as the
veteran explorer lays out his personal recipe for self-fulfilment:
"Bring a child into the world, write a book, assemble a machine,
build a chair. Those who create have the sensation of playing a role
larger than themselves. Those who make no effort to create ... will be
nothing."
-----snip-----
By BEN MACINTYRE, Times Newspapers Ltd., London
Date: Mon, 30 Jun 1997 21:21:55 -0700
From: Andrew Gach
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Plants gone, elephants fedsynthetic food
Message-ID: <33B885E2.608@worldnet.att.net>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Thai researchers develop fast food for elephants
The Associated Press
BANGKOK, Thailand (June 30, 1997 6:26 p.m. EDT) -- Dig in, Jumbo.
Six Thai elephants gave a big trunks-up to Thailand's first elephant
chow, a huge tablet developed to replace the rapidly disappearing plants
elephants usually eat.
The elephants at Bangkok's Dusit Zoo all ate with gusto when fed for
several months with chewable tablets made of concentrated sugar cane,
corn, molasses, vitamins and minerals, zoo director Alongkorn Mahannop
said Monday.
The one-pound tablets, developed by researchers at Bangkok's Kasetsart
University and the Dusit Zoo, will be tested in other zoos and in the
country's northern jungles, he said.
Excessive logging and development have left Thailand severely
deforested, virtually wiping out the elephants' natural habitat.
In response, many mahouts -- elephant owners -- have taken their animals
to Bangkok and other cities, where the pachyderms walk the roads begging
for food or serve as tourist attractions. Several have been hit by cars.
The concentrated food must still pass final tests, but Alongkorn said
after that Kasetsart may offer the tablets cheaply to elephant owners.
"I think in the future, food for the elephants will be hard to find," he
said. "We have a problem with people destroying jungles."
Date: Tue, 1 Jul 1997 00:59:21 -0700 (PDT)
From: David J Knowles
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: [US] Geese slaughter to go ahead
Message-ID: <1.5.4.16.19970701010004.26274ba0@dowco.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
According to a report on KOMO 4 TV - the ABC affiliate in Seattle, a plan to
round up and kill up to 600 Canada geese from the Seattle area has been
given the go-ahead by a court on Monday.
The judge refused to cease the planned killing by officials from the US
Wildlife Service. The killing was opposed by an animal-rights group, which
was not identified by KOMO.
I don't have any further information on this.
Date: Tue, 1 Jul 97 06:22:48 UTC
From: SDURBIN@VM.TULSA.CC.OK.US
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Tiger Blamed for 50 Deaths in Nepal
Message-ID: <199707011119.HAA16622@envirolink.org>
Katmandu, Nepal - A tiger blamed for killing 50 people, most of them
children, has been sentenced to death. The tiger has been hunting humans
in the district of Baitadi, 330 miles west of Katmandu, over the last 5
months.
Baitadi's chief officer, Sathneshwor Devkota, said Monday he has ordered
his men to shoot the tiger because he was convinced it had turned into a
habitual man-eater.
Tigers that once roamed across much of Asia in large numbers are drawing
closer to extinction because of massive deforestation and poaching,
according to the World Wide Fund for Nature.
--Sherrill
Date: Tue, 1 Jul 97 06:37:55 UTC
From: SDURBIN@VM.TULSA.CC.OK.US
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Hog Number Nears Record (Oklahoma - USA)
Message-ID: <199707011134.HAA17095@envirolink.org>
Tulsa World: Oklahoma's hog population continues to climb, according to
the latest inventory by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The number
pigs inched closer to the 86-year-old state record, totaling 1.5 million
head as of June 1, the Oklahoma Agricultural Statistics Service reported.
That marked a 30 percent increase since June 1996 and just 100,000 head
fewer than the state record of 1.6 million set in 1911.
The breeding inventory of 210,000 head was up 17 percent from the previous
quarter, and the market hog inventory was up 8 percent from the previous
quarter, totaling 1.3 million head.
As of June 1, Oklahoma ranked ninth among the 17 states that report
quarterly hog production. Iowa still leads among hog producers with an
inventory of 12.7 million head, 3.3 million more than second-place
North Carolina.
-- Sherrill
Date: Tue, 01 Jul 1997 08:53:57 -0400
From: allen schubert
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (US) 18 Arrested at McDonald's Protest
Message-ID: <3.0.32.19970701085355.006f686c@clark.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
(at least the AP story is more favorable for AR than others I've seen)
from AP Wire page:
-----------------------------------
06/30/1997 10:13 EST
18 Arrested at McDonald's Protest
ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) -- Eighteen animal rights activists were arrested at
a fast-food restaurant when they refused to leave, and police used pepper
spray on some of the demonstrators.
All 18 of those arrested Sunday were charged with trespassing, and three
also were charged with vandalism, said Detective Ken Rosenberg. The
protesters said they equate eating meat with cruelty to animals.
Police said the group left the Animal Rights '97 national convention in
Crystal City at 12:30 p.m. and walked to the nearby McDonald's restaurant
on Jefferson Davis Highway, where they began harassing customers and
employees.
Three demonstrators who threw condiments and a container of ketchup on
the ground were charged with vandalism.
Some of the protesters went outside and blocked driveways to the
restaurant. Officers used pepper spray on other demonstrators who
threatened them and spit on them when they tried to arrest the group
blocking the driveway.
Authorities closed off the two blocks around the restaurant for several
hours. The protest ended around 3:30 p.m., and no one was injured, police
said.
A total of 60 officers in riot gear responded to the demonstration.
Bruce Friedrich, a spokesman for People for the Ethical Treatment of
Animals, said McDonald's was targeted by the protesters from the national
convention because of a recent ruling in Great Britain.
A judge there said last week in a libel trial of two animal-rights
activists that McDonald's was responsible for animal cruelty and
exploited children through its ad campaigns. However, the judge ruled the
two activists defamed the company by falsely claiming it destroys rain
forests, contributes to Third World starvation and serves unhealthy food.
Date: Tue, 01 Jul 1997 08:59:03 -0400
From: allen schubert
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (US) McDonald's Unveils New Burger
Message-ID: <3.0.32.19970701085901.006fcbfc@clark.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
from AP Wire page:
---------------------------------
06/30/1997 18:49 EST
McDonald's Unveils New Burger
By CLIFF EDWARDS
AP Business Writer
CHICAGO (AP) -- McDonald's Corp. hopes it has come up with a new Whopper
stopper.
Since December, the fast-food giant has been testing in selected markets
in southern California a new sandwich called the Quarter Pounder Big &
Tasty, which includes lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise, and sells for 99
cents. It will be rolled out statewide this summer, according to
Advertising Age magazine.
A McDonald's spokesman did not immediately return a phone call seeking
comment Monday.
While the burger, if it is eventually sold nationwide, could prove a
formidable challenge to Burger King's hot-selling Whopper sandwich,
analysts said Monday it is just one piece in a formula the world's
largest fast-food chain must come up with to boost sales.
``McDonald's needs a consistent supply or flow of new products, and the
Big & Tasty is not a bad burger,'' said Morgan Stanley analyst Howard
Penney. ``But the biggest issue for McDonald's, the biggest way they can
improve perceptions about taste, is to improve the style of servicing its
food.''
While McDonald's remains the undisputed leader in the fast-food industry,
its sales at U.S. stores open at least a year, an industry measure of
performance, have in recent quarters been sluggish or lower. The first
quarter was a exception. Sales were boosted because of a Chicken
McNuggets pricing campaign and Teenie Beanie Babies sales.
Burger King, meanwhile, has been making inroads with strong marketing
campaigns and its 99-cent Whopper sandwich. Wendy's also has seen sales
grow strongly; analysts say its recent introduction of pita sandwiches
will prove particularly profitable this year.
McDonald's executives for months have been stressing that they are
examining all approaches to boosting U.S. same-store sales. That includes
emphasizing quality food, fast and friendly service, convenience and
value, the hallmarks of its success in the past.
The chain, based in the Chicago suburb of Oak Brook, also is looking at
ways to get its message across effectively to the consumer. McDonald's
recently notified lead advertising company Leo Burnett Co. that it must
compete with DDB Needham Chicago for its huge account, estimated at $300
million annually.
Burnett, which currently handles the bulk of McDonald's image advertising
and created the current ``My McDonald's'' campaign, has been crafting the
client's national campaigns since 1981.
Needham, which created McDonald's ``You deserve a break today'' campaign
of the '70s, promotes the client's breakfast products and handles most
promotions.
The move comes after several corporate setbacks for McDonald's. It
quickly yanked most of its Campaign 55 discount pricing promotion after
it failed to catch on with consumers and got only lukewarm support from
some franchisees.
Its relatively pricey Arch Deluxe line of burgers and chicken sandwiches,
which cost in the hundreds of millions of dollars to develop, also has
been selling poorly, according to analysts and some franchisees.
McDonald's has said the sandwich is meeting its expectations.
A company initiative also is under way that would bring new food
preparation technology to most restaurants and the return of toasted
buns, franchisees say.
Date: Tue, 01 Jul 1997 09:08:19 -0400
From: allen schubert
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (US) McD's tries anything to get around the wishes/intent of
local people/laws...
Message-ID: <3.0.32.19970701090817.006a4bb4@clark.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
McD's tries anything to get around the wishes/intent of local people/laws...
from USA Today web page:
----------------------------------------
Do you need to leave a tip?
FALMOUTH, Mass. - A McDonald's owner is taking the "fast" out of his
fast-food franchise. A law bans fast-food
restaurants next to the port where more than 2 million people take ferries
to Martha's Vineyard each summer.
To comply with the law, John Holland got zoning regulators to approve his
plan to let customers take a seat
and wait for service instead of go to the counter. Some town leaders sued
on the grounds it would hurt the
town's character. But a judge ruled Friday that Holland could open his
restaurant. "It's just disappointing to us,"
said Denise Dias, who has run the "Pie In the Sky" bakery and sandwich shop
for 15 years. "Fast food is
prohibited in this area; McDonald's is fast food." Others said a McDonald's
only makes sense.
Date: Tue, 01 Jul 1997 09:17:04 -0400
From: allen schubert
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: AR-Admin: subscription options
Message-ID: <3.0.32.19970701091702.006f933c@clark.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
routine 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 !!!
(send them to listproc@envirolink.org)
For all commands, use a blank Subject line.
---------------------------------------------------
To request a digest version, send mail to listproc@envirolink.org
with the following single line:
set ar-news mail digest
To switch back to immediate mail, and to get copies of *your* postings
also, send the following command:
set ar-news mail ack
or the following to not get your own postings:
set ar-news mail noack
To see how you are set up ***(and to see if you are still subscribed!)***, use
set ar-news
To temporarily stop mailings, use:
set ar-news mail postpone
To re-enable it, use ack, noack, or digest as above.
To unsubscribe, use:
unsubscribe ar-news
or:
signoff ar-news
If you have to subscribe again, use:
subscribe ar-news first_name last_name (use false name if you want!)
If you have problems, please contact:
Allen Schubert
alathome@clark.net
Date: Tue, 1 Jul 97 08:52:23 UTC
From: SDURBIN@VM.TULSA.CC.OK.US
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Next Fall's Quail Crop Being Decided Now (Oklahoma, USA)
Message-ID: <199707011349.JAA27425@envirolink.org>
Tulsa World: The past several weeks have been a crucial time for what
quail hunting enthusiasts will find with their bird dogs just about four
months from now.
The Oklahoma Wildlife Department points out this time of year always
plays a big role in bobwhite quail populations.
Steve DeMaso, upland game bird biologist for the department notes,
"June is the peak of Oklahoma's quail hatch. The majority of the birds
in fall populations are young-of-the-year, which means nesting success
and chick survival are critical factors in later hunting success."
The Wildlife Department's Packsaddle Wildlife Management Area (WMA)
quail mortality study has been recognized by wildlife professionals
across the country as one of the top long-term studies under way
anywhere. Researchers have tracked adult quail throughout an entire
calendar year.
The Wildlife Dept. is offering free technical assistance to landowners
and property managers to offer management recommendations.
It also offers a 44-page booklet that discusses all aspects of quail
biology and habitat requirements, as well as specific management
techniques landowners can use to improve quail populations on their
property. Copies are $2.00 from the Wildlife Department.
____________________________________________________________
I can't count the number of times I've seen property for sale
in the newspaper, bragging on how wonderful quail hunting is on the site.
-- Sherrill
Date: Tue, 1 Jul 1997 10:16:11 -0400 (EDT)
From: MINKLIB@aol.com
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Re: Washington DC MacDonald's Protest....
Message-ID: <970701101608_-1494903401@emout15.mail.aol.com>
I have a problem with the following quotes from VRC that were included in a
report to ar-news. This goes outside of the news segment and into commentary.
Just to set the record straight, TV reaches millions while only thousands
drive by and see a demo. That is why TV is so much more important than
whining about our exposure being limited when the street was shut off. Also,
the comment about the Burger King down the street shows the author of that
piece did not understand this demo. It was against McDonalds because of the
McLibel case. Burger King has not sued AR activists for leafletting so
McDonalds was targetted.
This was not intended as commetary, but rather to answer 2 questions raised
in a previous post.
JP
In a message dated 97-06-29 20:48:35 EDT, you write:
<< Furthermore, I walked several blocks to where traffic was being re-routed
AROUND the event, which has me wondering, who saw what happened? Not many
people, just those watching tv (like me later). I think someone needs to
re-think how these protests are staged as very few people saw what
happened, and I don't like depending upon tv talking heads to get the story
straight.
Anyway, some quick comments and thoughts. Anyone involved or seeing
coverage of this elsewhere in the country are welcome to send me their
thoughts/observations. I noted that "Burger King" (a block away) had no
similiar protest. Is this observation pertinent?
>>
Date: Tue, 1 Jul 1997 07:51:46 -0700 (PDT)
From: "Christine M. Wolf"
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: STAY ON TOP OF LEGISLATION AFFECTING ANIMALS
Message-ID: <2.2.16.19970315111254.270fb4ea@pop.igc.org>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
For updated information on legislation affecting animals during the 105th
Congress, check out THE FUND FOR ANIMALS' WEB PAGE at:
www.fund.org (choose "Alerts")
Letters and phone calls are needed on many issues that are currently
pending. Check our web page frequently for changes in the status of
legislation, or call me at THE FUND FOR ANIMALS for more information.
We also have a CONGRESSIONAL SCORECARD available from the previous congress,
that shows how your elected officials voted on critical animal issues from
1994-1996.
Remember: EVERY LETTER AND PHONE CALL COUNTS - THE ANIMALS ARE
COUNTING ON
YOU TO SPEAK FOR THEM!
******************************************************************
Christine Wolf, Director of Government Affairs
The Fund for Animalsphone: 301-585-2591
850 Sligo Ave., #300fax: 301-585-2595
Silver Spring, MD 20910e-mail: ChrisW@fund.org / web: www.fund.org
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change
the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." (Margaret Mead)
Date: Tue, 1 Jul 1997 09:46:42 -0700
From: LCartLng@gvn.net (Lawrence Carter-Long)
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: P&G Admits Abuse, Drops Lab
Message-ID: <199707011642.MAA14171@envirolink.org>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
CITING ABUSE OF ANIMALS, P&G DROPS LAB
Source: CINCINNATI POST
The Procter & Gamble Co. said Thursday it has confirmed that animals
involved in some of its tests by a New Jersey-based contract laboratory were
mistreated.
However, P&G will complete two tests at the laboratory under close
supervision by its own employees and currently plans to place no further
work with Huntington Life Sciences, spokeswoman Mindy M. Patton said.
The two tests - which were under way when P&G suspended all testing at
the lab June 4 after an animal rights group released a video showing
animals being mistreated - will be completed by mid-July, Ms. Patton said.
The tests involve new drugs for migraines and bone diseases. If moved to
another lab the tests would have to be done from the beginning, Ms. Patton
said.
On June 4, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals released a
nine-minute videotape the national animal-rights group said was secretly
made at the lab.
The tape shows workers ''slamming monkeys into cages, suspending
monkeys in the air while pumping test substances into their stomachs,
screaming at frightened monkeys, shaking their fists in monkeys' faces when
they were strapped down for electrocardiograms, and stuffing a lotion bottle
into a monkey's mouth as a 'joke,' '' Michael McGraw, spokesman for Norfolk,
Va.-based PETA, said at the time.
The tape also shows a laboratory technician conducting an autopsy on a
monkey that PETA said had been used in a test for P&G. The animal had
been sedated but showed clear signs of being alive during the procedure,
PETA said.
PETA has been sued by Huntington Labs and a gag order issued in the case
prohibits the group from commenting on P&G's actions Thursday, McGraw said.
As a result of the tape, P&G launched an examination of Huntington and
other contract laboratories it uses, Ms. Patton said. Normally, contract
labs are reviewed every two years by different groups at P&G, she said.
A veterinarian was among the P&G personnel investigating the lab, Ms.
Patton said.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture also is investigating Huntington and is
expected to complete its work by mid-July.
Ms. Patton said P&G voluntarily gave its findings to the USDA and has
offered to share them with PETA.
''We confirmed that the behavior of the people was inappropriate and
unprofessional,'' Ms. Patton said of the investigation at Huntington.
P&G determined that the problems at Huntington stemmed from a lack of
training and management oversight, Ms. Patton said.
Text of fax box follows:
Safeguards
Procter & Gamble will continue to use contract labs for its testing but will
focus on making sure they have properly trained staffs, according to a
company spokeswoman.
P&G also will sponsor training for animal handlers at the labs it uses and
will work to establish new standards for the contract laboratory industry.
[06-30-97 at 17:22 EDT, Copyright 1997, CINCINNATI POST]
Lawrence Carter-Long
Coordinator, Science and Research Issues
Animal Protection Institute
phone: 916-731-5521
LCartLng@gvn.net
"Faced with the choice between changing one's mind
and proving that there is no need to do so, almost
everyone gets busy on the proof." - Galbraith's Law
Date: Tue, 1 Jul 1997 09:52:06 -0700
From: LCartLng@gvn.net (Lawrence Carter-Long)
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Clone Miscarriages Show Need for Ban
Message-ID: <199707011647.MAA14750@envirolink.org>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
MYSTERIOUS PROBLEMS CROP UP IN CLONE LABS MISCARRIAGES,
GENETIC ALTERATIONS RAISE RED FLAG
Source: CHARLOTTE OBSERVER
WASHINGTON - Cows, sheep, pigs and monkeys in laboratories around the United
States and Europe are now pregnant with clones created by methods similar
to those used to make Dolly the sheep, scientists report.
At least one of the pregnant sheep is carrying a clone that has been endowed
with an added gene, marking a significant step toward a long-standing goal of
cloning animals that produce medically useful drugs in their milk.
But many other pregnancies involving clones have already ended in
miscarriages, scientists said at a two-day meeting that ended Friday. And
evidence is cropping up that many cloned fetuses have subtle genetic
alterations that affect their development in mysterious ways - suggesting that
this month's recommendation by a presidential ethics panel to ban human
cloning on safety grounds may be well-founded.
``Clearly it's important for all the potential applications of this
technology that
we understand'' these problems, said Ian Wilmut, the researcher from the
Roslin Institute in Scotland, who led the effort to make Dolly.
Wilmut spoke at the first international meeting on mammalian cloning to be
organized since his team electrified the world in February by announcing it
had grown a sheep from a single skin cell taken from another adult sheep.
The conference in Arlington, Va., was sponsored by Mary Ann Liebert Inc.,
a New York-based publisher of scientific journals.
Tanja Dominko, a researcher at the University of Wisconsin, said a team
there had taken skin cells from the ears of adult cattle, inserted those cells
into cattle egg cells whose genetic material had been removed, and then
applied an electric current to fuse the two cells and make them start dividing
into an embryo.
Of the many such embryos they have implanted into the wombs of cows - all
of which are genetically identical to the cow that donated the ear cells -
about 15 are still developing, with the oldest about 35 days old, Dominko
said.
That's about one-fourth of the total gestation time for cattle, and past
efforts
by the same team suggest that few of the pregnancies will survive to term. In
some cases the problem appears to be improper development of the
placenta, which provides nutrients for the developing fetus, but most of the
failures are unexplained.
``We are losing embryos at every step of the process,'' Dominko said. ``If
we ever want to make this procedure work, we have to understand why.''
In Scotland, Dolly was the sole survivor of 277 sheep embryos made from
adult cells. Wilmut said she seems healthy today as she approaches her first
birthday, and will be old enough to mate in the fall, providing an opportunity
to see if she is fertile.
But in recent studies, Wilmut said, some of Dolly's chromosomes underwent
subtle structural change usually found only in cells from older animals -
evidence, perhaps, that they have retained a molecular memory of the fact
that they are derived from a skin cell taken from a 6-year-old animal.
``Is she in some sense 7 years old?'' Wilmut asked rhetorically, adding
quickly that the chromosome studies were very preliminary and that he was
reluctant to draw conclusions from an experiment on a single animal.
A more pressing potential problem among cloned animals, described by
several researchers, is the tendency for them to grow overly large in the
womb, at significant risk to newborn and mother.
[06-30-97 at 18:29 EDT, Copyright 1997, CHARLOTTE OBSERVER]
Contact: CHARLOTTE OBSERVER
Lawrence Carter-Long
Coordinator, Science and Research Issues
Animal Protection Institute
phone: 916-731-5521
LCartLng@gvn.net
"Faced with the choice between changing one's mind
and proving that there is no need to do so, almost
everyone gets busy on the proof." - Galbraith's Law
Date: Tue, 1 Jul 1997 10:14:19 -0700
From: LCartLng@gvn.net (Lawrence Carter-Long)
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Europeans Sour on Biotechnology
Message-ID: <199707011709.NAA01625@envirolink.org>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Europeans Sour on Biotechnology
LONDON--The more Europeans know about biotechnology, the less they like it,
according to a new multinational survey. And when they ponder potential
applications, they worry more about moral issues than perceived risks. The
survey, published in today's issue of Nature, also finds little faith that
industry and universities tell the truth about their work, or that
governments can provide effective regulation.
Last October and November, an international team of researchers assembled by
the European Union polled about 1000 households in each of the EU's 15
member countries. The team found that public optimism about the potential
benefits of biotechnology and genetic engineering has declined since surveys
in 1993 and 1991. People are least supportive in countries such as Germany
that have a developed biotech industry and greater public knowledge of the
issues and basic science. Enthusiasm is higher in countries with less
developed industries like Portugal and Spain.
In a relative ranking of potential gains, genetic testing won the most
public support, followed by new medicines and vaccines, pest-resistant
crops, enhanced food production, and transgenic animals for biomedical
research or cell or organ donation (xenotransplants). Almost all were
considered risky, but the harshest criticism was reserved for genetic
research on animals, which struck people as morally wrong. "The public is
asking questions different from those of the regulators," who focus only on
risk, says survey coordinator George Gaskell of the London School of Economics.
The most popular option for regulating biotechnology was through
international organizations (such as the United Nations and World Health
Organization), favored by over a third of respondents. Some 25% voted for
scientific organizations, while less than 10% opted for either national
governments or the EU. When Europeans looked for information on one
particular biotech topic, xenotransplantation, 45% thought doctors were most
trustworthy. Twelve percent would turn to animal welfare groups. Only 7%
considered universities the most reliable source. Industry ranked even lower.
"The moral," says survey coordinator John Durant of London's Science Museum,
is that biotechnology companies "certainly can't afford to take public
support for granted." John Sime, chief executive of the U.K. BioIndustry
Association, agrees: "It is the responsibility of industry to persuade the
public that [biotechnology] is justified."
© 1997 by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, June 25, 1997
Lawrence Carter-Long
Coordinator, Science and Research Issues
Animal Protection Institute
phone: 916-731-5521
LCartLng@gvn.net
"Faced with the choice between changing one's mind
and proving that there is no need to do so, almost
everyone gets busy on the proof." - Galbraith's Law
Date: Tue, 1 Jul 1997 11:08:32 -0700 (PDT)
From: Friends of Animals
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Mike Tyson
Message-ID: <2.2.16.19970701135522.646f1736@pop.igc.org>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bill Dollinger (202) 296-2172
July 1, 1997
Friends of Animals Gives Mike Tyson Something to Chew On
----Boxer Receives One Dozen Ears and Vegetarian Cookbook
Friends of Animals (FoA) is reaching out to Mike Tyson
in his time of need. In an effort to persuade the boxer to
adopt less violent eating habits, the animal protection
organization is sending the boxer a vegetarian cookbook
and a dozen ears of corn. The package will be sent to
Tyson's home in Bethesda Maryland, along with the following letter:
Dear Mr. Tyson:
If I could have your ear for a moment, I would like to
show you the way to a less violent diet.
Perhaps it is unfair for you to have been singled out
by the media for the recent "incident." More ears are
eaten in our culture than people would comfortably admit,
as anyone who has witnessed the production of hot dogs
and sausages could attest.
Friends of Animals is providing you with this vegetarian
cookbook and these ears of corn which will help you to get
started on a path which will alleviate stress to you, to the
animals and fellow boxers.
Sincerely,
Bill Dollinger
Friends of Animals is an international animal protection
organization with more than 200,000 members and supporters,
with headquarters in Darien, Connecticut.
-30-
Date: Tue, 1 Jul 1997 12:31:20 -0700 (PDT)
From: civillib@cwnet.com
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: DC MCDEATH UPDATE (US)
Message-ID: <199707011931.MAA07840@borg.cwnet.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>Date: Mon, 30 Jun 1997 23:39:13
>From: civillib@cwnet.com
>Subject: D.C. MCDEATH UPDATE (Monday night)
>
>(( List, this is the latest information I h ave. - cres ))))
>
>---------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>16 ARRESTED AT MCDONALD'S PROTEST, MAJOR
>HIGHWAY BLOCKED, MCDONALD'S CLOSED FOR
>HOURS; ONE JUVENILE REMAINS JAILED
>
> ARLINGTON, VA (6/29/97) -- Sixteen animal rights activists were
arrested Sunday at a massive demonstration -- even police estimated the
protestors at 200 or more -- at a McDonald's restaurant here that involved
nearly 100 city, county, state police officers, as well as an FBI terrorist
squad, sent in to quell the disturbance.
>
> At its peak, the protest involved closer to 300 demonstators, most
who were attending Animal Rights '97 Convention at a nearby hotel. The
demonstration was one of several held during the conference, including one
at a fur store where all the windows were smashed and and effigy
representing the fur industry was burned.
>
> The McDonald's -- a huge two-story eatery -- was closed down by a
blockade of its driveway for more than 3 hours. Activists spilled out into
Route 1, blocking traffic on the highway for at least 2 hours.
>
> Of the 13 adults, and 3 juveniles all but one were released on
signature bond (no bail) within a few hours of their arrest Sunday. They
were arraigned Monday morning where the judge refused to let them enter a
plea and another court date has been set for Sept. 8.
>
> Kyle Salisbury of San Diego, CA remains jailed in juvenile
detention. However, he is expected to be released Tuesday, according to
Frank De Giacomo, who is acting as his guardian and also as the Activist
Civil Liberties Committee representative for the action. Kyle was to be
released on Sunday also, but police -- jsut before he walked out -- decided
to keep him longer because he is facing "destruction of property" charges.
All others, except one,were charged with trespassing.
>
> After 2 activists were arrested, an effigy of Ronald Mcdonald was
torched in front of the store, and activists blocked the entrance/exit. The
crowd became more agitated when police refused to arrest the McDonald's
manager and another employee who strangled and battered one activist.
Eventually,police -- at the "urging" of the crowd and ACLC -- took
statements from the activist.And, then arrested her, too. They did not
arrest the manager.
>
> There was a standoff for about 2 hours, and police first used
pepper spray without warning and indiscrimately on protestors were chanting
on the sidewalk. A volunteer medical team, including Dr. Rich McLellan,
quickly and without asking, obtained massive amounts of water to wash off
the chemicals.
>
> The pepper spray forced activists into the highway - causing the
traffic jam. Several activists were injured by the spray, including Dr.
Elliot Katz, founder of In Defense of Animals, who joined the protest. After
he was arrested, Dr. Katz required medical attention. When he finance went
over to see how he was doing, they arrested her, too.
>
> Eventually, police -- about 40-50 specially traning riot squad
members -- declared the demonstration an "unlawful assembly," and used
shields to herd activists up and down the highway and away from the
McDonald's -- but still more than 3 hours after the protest began.
>
> ACLC legal team members have secured the names of officers involved
and witness statements and/or names.
>
> More information as we receive it Tuesday.
>
>CONTACT: Cres Vellucci (ACLC) 916/452-7179
>
>
Date: Tue, 01 Jul 1997 17:10:43 -0400
From: Shirley McGreal
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Richard Leakey's Speech to CITES reception
Message-ID: <1.5.4.32.19970701211043.008d3660@awod.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Dr. Richard Leakey, former head of the Kenya Wildlife Service, flew to
Harare, Zimbabwe, to address the Species Survival Network's reception (held
on 12 June) at the 1997 CITES conference. Although many reporters attended
the reception, the Zimbabwe government-controlled press never made a single
mention of Dr. Leakey's visit, presumably because he did not sing "the
Zimbabwe Song." The text of Dr. Leakey's speech follows. I take
responsibility for any typing errors!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
I confess that I find the very concept of conservation to be ambiguous at
best and in the era of political correctness, one hears all kinds of
interpretations of what a 'good' conservation program should be about. Does
it follow that good conservation practice will prevent species extinctions?
Probably not. I don't know what is right or good but I do think that as we
approach the end of this century we must be increasingly mindful of the
consequences that result from extinctions.
Species survival is obviously the focus for many of us gathered here this
evening and I hope that it is also an important concern for some of the
other participants in CITES meeting who are not here this evening.
Most of you know as well as I do that biologists and conservationists are
operating from a position of ignorance: we don't actually know how many
species there really are on the planet, let alone on the African or any
other continent. The rate of extinctions is also unknown. Scientists suggest
that there are somewhere between 10 and 100 million species on the planet.
Human activities are causing between 10,000 and 40,000 species to become
extinct each year. Since life first appeared, apparently more than 99% of
species have become extinct. Our role in this extraordinary saga has been
minuscule and so far it is not statistically significant. Most of these
losses are well before we came on the scene and we probably would not have
appeared at all if extinctions had not opened up some ecological
opportunities for our ancestors.
It is the acceleration of species loss through human activities today that
is significant and unless the present trend is reversed, the planet could
lose approximately 55% of today's species over the next 50 to 100 years.
Such rapid catastrophic losses to biodiversity have happened before, and
these catastrophes have always had far reaching consequences for the
surviving species.
Given the inevitability of extinctions, and bearing in mind that most of
these losses will come about as a consequence of activities beyond the
control of individual nations or their conventions, should we really be
concerned about the loss of a few species that results from international
trade? Will the world any worse off if there are no longer pangolins, brown
hyenas or pandas?
The Europeans don't seem to have suffered from the loss of the woolly
rhinoceros and how many American's even remember the giant sloth that
slipped into extinction some ten thousand years ago?
Will Africans miss the elephant or the rhino if these too disappear? Is the
elephant any more important than an orchid that grows near tropical
wetlands? What about the extinction of hundreds and thousands of species
that we humans have not yet even discovered? Does it matter if they become
extinct before we even know that they exist?
I think it does, and I am sure many of you do too, but there are a good number
of people on our planet for whom the idea of conservation is quite
irrelevant and our rhetoric is entirely empty of practical meaning to their
lives. This is perhaps the greatest challenge.
The increasingly popular and politically correct slogans such as community
wildlife, parks beyond parks, sustainable utilization and "If it pays it
stays" are just as irrelevant to these same people, the masses. The vast
majority of our species now live where all but they and a few
human-dependent species remain. The rest have gone and gone for ever. The
threat to habitat and to communities of wild species is actually from a
relatively small proportion of the total human population, be it considered
globally or at the local level. Notwithstanding this, the consumptive
trends are encouraging this small element to decimate natural habitats to
produce the needs or perceived needs of the growing markets.
Conservation is a responsibility of leaders. Those of us who can afford to
make policy, do so, on behalf of these who cannot. We do this in all realms
of human affairs: public health, education taxation and so forth. Many
actions of responsible government are not necessarily popular with the
people but through civic education and other means, people do learn to
accept regulation of their lives and activities in some form. Popularity is
not the aim in much of public policy - the public good is - although I have
to admit that this is easier to talk about than to achieve.
Nonetheless, I personally believe that in the area of species protection, we
should concern ourselves with what is right as opposed to what may be
easier, or popular in the short term. We need, as leaders, to lead and to be
accountable for our leadership.
It is bogus to believe that you can 'buy' support over the long term.
Revenue sharing, decision sharing and similar well intended tactics will not
be sustainable in those parts of the world where the general standard of
living is declining and where there is a frightening increment to the cost
of meeting basic human needs. The numbers of people on the planet are
increasing, their needs are increasing, their expectations are increasing.
The resource that we are concerned with , wildlife or nature has finite
limits. The estate available to wild species is in fact constantly
decreasing under pressure from the other human activities and these are
unstoppable.
CITES is an extremely important international organ and I do not have any
regard for those who are claiming that it is or has been a protectionist
club of western interests. The original idea was to establish an
international regulatory organ that would make certain that international
trade did not threaten the survival of species. This is quite different from
an organisation that seeks to ensure that concerns for species survival
should not endanger international trade! I fear that over the past decade
there has been an attempt by some to change the mission of the organisation.
This must be resisted and we should not be afraid to express ourselves on
the importance of species survival. I do not feel guilty or uncomfortable
when I am accused of being 'on the side of wildlife'; I care and so do
millions of other people in every part of the world. We must be heard, we
must stand tall and remember that a species lost is lost for all time.
In the past few years I have changed the focus of my own activities and I
am, as some of you perhaps have heard, now active in Kenya in the
pro-democracy movement.
Kenyans, like other people in other countries, want to be fairly governed:
they want accountability, justice and opportunity to better their own lives.
The opponents of the movement for greater democracy, usually powerful
incumbent government leaders who have no popular mandate, claim that
democracy is a 'western' or foreign concept.
They are wrong: fairness and justice, along with the rights of a people to
question and change their leaders, were the norm in pre-colonial African
nation states. These are foundations of democracy and they are universal.
I raise this because I am well aware that there are some vocal critics of
CITES and other conservation groups who claim that attempting to protect and
ensure survival of species is somehow neo-colonialist, foreign or worse
still, western. The term "bunny huggers" has been used to describe some of
us who are concerned about the fate of wild species. To [not clear on
transcript but appears to be "to belittle our"] noble cause is the practice
of shallow, insecure [not clear, appears to read "incompetents"], be it in
the realm of wildlife or liberty and justice.
May I remind these same critics that before western or specifically
Caucasian penetration of Africa or the Americas, conservation was widely
practiced; species were not endangered and there was a tolerable balance
between human populations and their environs. It went wrong when 'western
influences' reached these continents.
Preserving pasture, forests and species was very much a part of the culture
and practice of many traditional societies. It is certainly not 'western' or
'European' to appreciate nature; it is a human value that is expressed world
wide.
This human value is of course conditioned by circumstances and a poor and
hungry person with no prospects for a better life will see a patch of
beautiful wilderness very differently from a well fed, affluent person who
has the use of a 4 wheel drive vehicle to escape the rigours and routines of
an affluent life.
In large measure attitudes will go along with real life issues and this must
not be forgotten when we consider the claims and counter-claims by those who
are charged with looking after wildlife, and who insist that they know what
the stake-holders wants. I am not sure that these so-called stake holders
are in fact known or recognised and I am certain they are seldom consulted.
I also believe that it is important to examine the quite ridiculous notion
that is increasingly put about that everything is best seen as part of a
complex economic equation. We are encouraged to believe that unless
something can be given a dollar value, it is of little relevance to the
modern age and the march towards Utopia.
I disagree and I am reminded of a recent editorial comment in the New
Scientist where the observation was made that nature, like liberty, has no
price tag. In the context of a CITIES meeting, I think it would be right to
remind the delegates that species which are the stuff of nature are
priceless, as are human dignity and freedom. Government and inter
government policies and actions should be based firmly on this premise which
is not negotiable.
It is in this regard that I would like to pay particular tribute to the Non
Governmental Organization (NGO) movement. At a conference of this kind, the
official 'representatives of government' prefer to have their debates in
camera without the irritation of either the press or the NGO's. It is often
claimed that the NGO's have no mandate and from this we are expected to
believe that the official delegations do. For some nations this is possibly
true but for a good many others it is certainly not.
I would be surprised if a number of NGO's did not in fact have a far better
grasp of what the 'people' want than many of the well-paid, allowance
living, government representatives who are here for this CITES meeting. I
was at a CITES meeting some years ago on the government or official side and
believe me, the discussions would have been a great deal better if the NGO's
could have participated rather than simply being kept at the back of the
room or outside altogether. One of the reasons that I accepted the
invitation to speak here tonight was so that I could pay tribute to the
NGO's and their role in bringing pressure on policy makers. Pressure must be
maintained.
Before concluding these brief remarks, let me succumb to a temptation that I
should probably resist: I want to talk about elephants and the issue of a
split-listing or down listing. I am well aware that we are guests in
Zimbabwe and that my remarks may not please some. Anyway I did not leave my
mother's womb to please people.
I am entirely opposed to any resumption of any international trade in ivory
now or at any time that can be presently predicted. The principle of an
ivory trade I accept: the practice of the trade under present circumstances
in both producer and consumer countries is untenable.
It is difficult to admit, especially if you are a government employee or
political representative that your own government has no prospect of being
able to successfully supervise or police the trade in ivory. In spite of
denials, we all know that this is the truth. I know of no country, where the
integrity of the public service and the transparency of goverance would give
the necessary guarantees that illegal trading would not flourish if legal
trade were resumed at this time.
We have all read and heard of the problems, not only here in Africa but also
in the far east. Japanese traders have openly admitted that it is not
difficult to manipulate the system even in Japan and there are no guarantees
that all imported ivory will be from legal stocks.
The critics of the Appendix I listing have any number of arguments and I do
not wish to go over them all tonight.
There are, however, some things that I must say. The level of poaching did
decline following the ban: it may not have stopped but it was certainly a
massive improvement. Illegal trade did continue but the volume was
substantially down and I believe most of the illegal movements were from
those countries that now want to lift the ban.
The downlisting proponents claim that Africa's elephant population was not
in fact as precarious as had been thought; if this is true and it may well
be, lets be glad that the error was on the 'right' side of the account! As
Prince Bernhard once said at one occasion like this; where there is doubt,
let wildlife be the beneficiary.
One final point to be made before I conclude these brief musings on our
elephants is that the money to be made from trading ivory may be substantial
for individuals but its a pittance for governments. Governments are
supposedly there to serve the people and I believe that, if these
governments wanted to well serve their people, they will stand firm and
ensure that the ivory trade remains banned indefinitely.
There are other elephant problems and issues: sport hunting and problem
animal control, along with the necessity of managing elephant populations.
These are not matters to be addressed by CITES and I will therefore, not
dwell on them now. Instead I will tell you a brief elephant anecdote which
will perhaps underline the importance that I attach to the evolution of a
sensible and sensitive elephant management policy:
[not on my transcript but, as best I recall the anecdote, Dr. Leakey told
the story of one of Joyce Poole's study elephants who allowed Joyce to rub
his tusk. After Joyce's 7 year absence she called on the elephant who came
up and solicited the same attention].
To conclude, I support the concept of an international regulatory body such
as CITES. It must do what no other organ of inter-government standing can
do: provide legislative protection for endangered species. It must
disregard the whines of endangered species traders and short-sighted
conservationists.
The SSN and others, including our particular hosts this evening, should
press on with their good work. You cannot win all the battles and you will
not always be popular but a good number of species, mammal, insect, reptile,
bird and fish, along with plants depend upon your efforts and on their
behalf, I both commend you all and thank you.
Richard E. Leakey
12th June, 1997
Dr. Shirley McGreal, Chairwoman
International Primate Protection League, POB 766 Summerville SC 29484 USA
Phone: 803-871-2280 Fax: 803-871-7988 E-mail: ippl@awod.com
Web page (revised January 1997): http://www.sims.net/organizations/ippl/
NOTE; THE OLD E-MAIL ADDRESS AT SC.NET IS NOT BE IN USE, PLEASE DIRECT
ALL
E-MAIL TO IPPL@AWOD.COM
Date: Tue, 01 Jul 1997 18:14:16 -0400
From: Doris Lin & Daniel Kim
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: From Kyle Salisbury
Message-ID: <33B98138.1680@waonline.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Hey everyone! I am freed from the Arlington detention center and have a
court date on August 1. I was released on bond because we figured the
media attenetion would have generated bad publicity (since I may be
found with "destruction of property" charges). For now it is just
Disorderly Conduct. I had a lot of fun meeting cool activists and the
Miller's Fur attack/protest went awesome. I hope to see all you
"RIOTous" McMurder arrestees in Virginia in September.
Kyle @ 9321 Crest Dr., Spring Valley, CA 91977 (619) 697-9959
P.s. This isn't my e-mail address, I'm borrowing the computer from Doris
Date: Tue, 1 Jul 1997 16:23:22 -0700 (PDT)
From: civillib@cwnet.com
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: MC DEATH PROTESTOR RELEASED FROM JAIL
Message-ID: <199707012323.QAA15171@borg.cwnet.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
UPDATE!!!!!!!
Kyle Salisbury, one of those arrested (for disorderly conduct) as a result
of the McDeath protest in Arlington Sunday, was released last Tuesday from
jail, according to Frank DeGiacomo, who is handling the case as an ACLC
representative.
Kyle and Frank are now heading back to California. Many thanks to Rich
Mclellan and IDA for helping in paying the costs of transportation, and bond
for Kyle -- who would have spent weeks, maybe months, in jail awaiting trial
because he was from out-of-town.
Cres
Date: Tue, 1 Jul 1997 16:57:00 -0700
From: LCartLng@gvn.net (Lawrence Carter-Long)
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Dallas Morning News: Coulston/Chimp Retirement & AIDS
Message-ID: <199707012352.TAA04872@envirolink.org>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
"USE OF CHIMPS FOR RESEARCH DEBATED; Oversupply in U.S. Spurs Idea For,
Resistance to Aging Study"
-By Nancy Traver; Albuquerque, N.M., free-lance writer
Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News
Alamogordo, N.M. - Nine-month-old Delilah, swaddled in a cotton
blanket and dressed in a diaper, snuggles in the lap of her caretaker.
Strewn around her on the floor are a plastic jungle gym and colorful toys -
the stuff you see in virtually any day-care center.
But Delilah is not just any toddler; she is one of 650 chimpanzees at
the Coulston Foundation, the largest chimp colony in the world, outside
of the wild.
If the president of the foundation, Dr. Frederick Coulston, can win
$45 million in federal funding, Delilah - and her brothers and sisters -
may become the subjects of a 25-year study to determine what causes aging in
humans.
The proposal comes as Dr. Coulston's foundation has drawn fire from
animal rights groups and some scientists, who question the wisdom of
allowing one man to control so many of the nation's 1,800 captive
chimpanzees used for biomedical research.
Dr. Coulston, 82, an expert in toxicology and infectious diseases,
says his proposed research project will look for ways to prolong human life.
"Call it the fountain of youth," said Dr. Coulston. "There's no reason you
can't live as long as you want to and then quit." The study would also aim
to find ways to preserve a good quality of life, he said.
If you're old and sitting on your...bed and you can't get around and
you can't see you loved ones and you can't play, that's no good," Dr.
Coulston said.
"We'll be looking at how you age and how you die. Where does aging
start - how does it start? How do diseases progress?"
He said chimps exhibit many of the same aging symptoms as humans,
including Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, senility, Parkinson's disease and
arthritis. Also, they are more than 98 percent genetically identical to
humans. That makes them ideal test subjects for research into aging,
according to Dr. Coulston.
But some critics say that resemblance makes them particularly
uncomfortable.
Franz de Waal, a zoologist at the Yerkes Regional Primate Center, a
federally financed center in Atlanta, said: "It used to be you could nail an
animal to a table and nobody thought about whether he was experiencing any
pain. Now, a younger generation of researchers has become sensitized to this
whole ethical issue of what we can do with animals."
Dr. de Waal, 48, said many of the nation's researchers were in
graduate school during the 1970's - the nascent years of the animal rights
movement. "I'm not saying that my generation is any smarter, but we don't
take animals for granted. We may still end up using them, but not without
reflection," he said.
And because housing and feeding a chimp cost about $15 a day over a
life span of up to 65 years, some scientists and government researchers
back away from the economics of chimp research.
Earlier this month, the Air Force moved to divest itself of 144
chimpanzees once used on space research and now housed under lease at the
Coulston Foundation.
"There's no longer a mission need for the chimps," said Air Force
spokesman Capt. Stacey Hawkins. "There's no longer a need for chimps to
prove survival in space is possible."
A spokesman for the Coulston Foundation said Dr. Coulston has not
yet decided whether to pursue permanent ownership of the animals.
In Defense of Animals, a national animal rights group based in Mill
Valley, Calif., will submit a bid providing for permanent retirement of
the chimps. Eric Kleiman, the group's research director, said: "The
animals deserve to be retired. Some have been used in research for more
than 40 years." In Defense of Animals has long criticized Dr. Coulston
and has filed a number of complaints after the deaths of chimps.
Suzanne Roy, the organization's program director, said, "Fred
Coulston has advocated the use of chimpanzees in toxic chemical tests and as
living blood and organ banks. His anachronistic view of humankind's closest
genetic cousins clearly indicates he is out of the scientific mainstream."
Since 1993, 29 chimpanzees have died at the foundation. Three chimps
died four years ago after being left overnight with a space heater that
overheated, raising the room temperature to more than 140 degrees.
After that incident, the federal Department of Agriculture charged the
Coulston Foundation with violating the Animal Welfare Act. Last year,
Dr. Coulston pleaded no contest and settled the charge and others, paying
$40,000 in fines and court costs and agreeing to make improvements that
would prevent such accidents from happening again.
Last month, foundation spokesman Don McKinney confirmed the deaths
of two more chimps, one from an infectious disease. But he said, "Neither
death is significant. Chimps - like humans - catch bugs all of the time."
Meanwhile, a congressional investigation has been launched into
whether the foundation has been overcharging the federal government for the
care of chimpanzees used for AIDS research. Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., a
member of the House Government Reform and Oversight Committee, has her staff
looking into fees of up to $196 per day for each animal - roughly 13 times
the industry standard, a spokesman said.
Mr. McKinney said: "While we understand Rep. Maloney has made
inquiries, she has not come to our facility nor requested to come. Our
charges are open for inspection by the National Institutes of Health
anytime."
Mr. McKinney dismissed the foundation's critics, and the animal rigthts
movement at large, as "troublemakers who know nothing about the care of
these animals." He attributes many of the gains in medical science to the
use of primates in research and points to recent study results showing
that a vaccine using Coulston Foundation chimps protected two animals
from the AIDS virus.
In that experiment, developed by Dr. David Weiner of the University of
Pennsylvania, two Coulston chimps were injected with the DNA-based
vaccine. Then scientists infected 250 times the amount of AIDS virus
needed to produce infection into the two chimps. Only minor evidence of
the AIDS virus was found in the animals, indicating significant
protection.
Dr. Ali Javadian, a Coulston virologist who worked on the AIDS study,
said: "It was the first time any animals were protected against HIV."
The DNA-based vaccine is now being tested in about 30 humans.
It was the need for AIDS research in the 1980's that first sparked a
drive to breed more chimps. But just as more chimps gave birth in
captivity, scientists concluded that infected chimps did not come down
with full-blown AIDS and could not be used as models for studying the
disease.
The chimp baby boom, plus a reluctance among some researchers to use
primates, has created a national chimp surplus. Indeed, many of the
nation's chimps - including those at the Coulston Foundation - are not
being used in experiments at all and spend most of their time swinging in
cages.
Many live among family groups in outdoor cages, where thay eat fresh
fruit and play on tire swings. A 26-year-old, 175-pound powerful male
named Marty sleepily eyes his plastic toys and hanging rings. Ruff, once
a stray dog found roving through the surrounding desert cactus and
sagebrush, keeps company with the chimps and barks at strangers.
Patty Cooper, nursery supervisor, says, "I get very attached to
them. They're just like my own kids."
But animal rights groups want the chimps removed from this
environment and sent to what would be a national sanctuary for retirement
from all research.
A bill calling for $40 million in federal funds to build such a center,
endorsed by Dr. Jane Goodall, the researcher and advocate for
chimpanzees, has been introduced.
Meanwhile, the issue of what to do with the nation's chimps has found
its way into the National Institutes of Health, where a committee of
experts was appointed last year to issue recommendations on the future of
the chimp population. The group's conclusions are expected later this
month.
But Dr. Coulston says he's not waiting for the committee's report; the
answer is his aging study.
The aging of America's baby boomers makes his proposed research
especially timely, according to Dr. Coulston. "At the turn of the
century, 65 percent of the population will be 65 or over," he said.
"That's why we're going to need studies like this one."
Dr. Coulston, who helped discover the vaccine against malaria during
World War II, said he needs even more chimps for his aging study.
"People think I'm crazy wanting all these chimps, but I need them for
statistical analysis," he said. "We will house, care for, feed the
animals, in turn for which they will work. And if we find something that
prolongs life, we'll use it on them."
Susan Paris, president of Americans for Medical Progress, a group
organized to counter the animal rights movement, said, "If the chimps are
already in captivity, why not put them in a retirement study? It's both a
good use of the animals and the taxpayers' money."
Rep. Joe Skeen, R-N.M., is pushing for the portion of the Health,
Education and Welfare appropriations bill that would fund the aging
research; some action is expected on the measure in July, according to a
spokesman for Mr. Skeen.
Dr. Coulston asks, "Is this all pie in the sky? No - we already know
lots about the cell. Now we're going to learn what weakens it and how to
regulate it. And we're all going to live longer."
Lawrence Carter-Long
Coordinator, Science and Research Issues
Animal Protection Institute
phone: 916-731-5521
LCartLng@gvn.net
"Faced with the choice between changing one's mind
and proving that there is no need to do so, almost
everyone gets busy on the proof." - Galbraith's Law
Date: Tue, 1 Jul 1997 20:11:30 -0700 (PDT)
From: David J Knowles
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: [CA] Salmon industry wants to stop ad campaign
Message-ID: <1.5.4.16.19970701201215.28df7246@dowco.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
VANCOUVER, BC - The BC Salmon Farmers' Association has applied to the
Advertising Standards Agency in a bid to stop an ad campaign which is
currently being run against the salmon farming industry.
The latest ad, which ran in newspapers last week, poses the headline
question: "Is your dinner laced with drugs?"
The full-page ad then points out the use of antibiotics in fish farming that
are similar or the same as those used for humans.
There is a danger the antibiotics can lead to the development of
antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which in turn can lead to the passing on of
antibiotic-resistance to humans who eat the fish.
A recent study, which lasted for around 6 months, is believed to show there
is no danger to humans from the use of the drugs.
The report is currently being studied by provincial government officials.
Greg D'Avignon, spokesperson for the salmon farmers told CBC's 'Broadcast
One' that he felt it was time the environmentalists stopped "spreading lies."
The David Suzuki Foundation, who paid for the ads, says it too has a report,
which was compiled by independent scientists and which shows there is a risk.
A spokesperson for the Foundation also said the salmon farmers tried to
portray themselves as small, poor businesses, but in fact they had billion
dollar multi-national and Candian corporations backing them.
The government is expected to release its decision on the future of the
industry within BC in the next few months.
David J Knowles
Animal Voices News
Date: Tue, 1 Jul 1997 20:12:09 -0700 (PDT)
From: David J Knowles
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: [CA] Greenpeace vessels blocked
Message-ID: <1.5.4.16.19970701201254.0d3f03b0@dowco.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
VANCOUVER, BC - In a strange twist to the ongoing war in the woods between
environmentalists opposing clearcut logging of old-growth forests and the
logging industry & loggers union, aided abetted by the provincial
government, the MV Moby Dick and MV Artic Sunrise belonging to Greenpeace
International, are being picketed by members of the IWA woodworkers' union.
A spokesperson for the IWA local involved told BCTV that Greenpeace
activists could board or leave the ships anytime they liked, but the ships
themselves weren't going anywhere.
He added the union was calling on other unions to assist in their picket.
Earlier today, the Western Canada Wilderness Committee applied for a court
injunction to remove pro-logging activists who are blocking an access road
for a research station which WCWC has set up in the Stoltmann Wilderness area.
Joe Foy, director of WCWC said, in an interview with CBC radio, that the
group had set up the station to identify the types of wildlife which were in
the area and if any were endangered.
This had not been done by anyone else, despite it being required, Foy said.
David J Knowles
Animal Voices News
Date: Tue, 1 Jul 1997 20:32:53 -0700 (PDT)
From: David J Knowles
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: [UK] BMA investigates threat of new genetic weapons
Message-ID: <1.5.4.16.19970701203338.0d3f449a@dowco.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>From The Eletronic Telegraph - Wednesday, July 2nd, 1997
BMA investigates threat of new genetic weapons
By Celia Hall, Medical Editor
THE threat of genetic weapons capable of biological ethnic cleansing are
being investigated by the British Medical Association.
The BMA said yesterday it has commissioned a report to show how advanced
such technology might already be and how to prevent its potential development.
Dr Vivienne Nathanson, head of science and ethics at the BMA, said during
the annual conference in Edinburgh that weapons could be developed to target
genes in certain body sites which could wipe out an army. It might also be
possible to develop weapons capable of recognising specific populations with
clusters of genes in common.
She said the new form of warfare was possible only because of advances in
gene therapy. Genetic medicines which can repair damaged cells and cure
human diseases might be only five to 10 years away.
It was not hard to imagine that people involved in weapon development would
have realised that gene therapy technologies to make poeple well could also
be designed to have the opposite effect.
"How selective such weapons could be we don't know, which is why we are
commissioning experts to look into this for us. It might be that 90 per cent
of your enemy was blue-eyed and blond. You might be able to add in a lot of
other common factors like blood type and height," she said.
"The sort of things that are being talked about could be delivered by a
range of different systems. They could go into food, water and they could
get in through your skin. We all fear something sprayed in the air which
lasts in the environment for a very long time," she said.
Earlier, doctors had debated a range of human rights issues and called on
their colleagues across the world who witnessed torture to inform
human rights organisations on what they had seen.
Dr James Barrett, a senior registrar in neurology, from London, told the
conference of a Birmingham company which had made thousands of pairs of leg
shackles and handcuffs designed to crush a nerve in the wrist if applied too
tightly.
He spoke of torture chambers which emitted a high-pitched noise "designed to
drive people mad" and multi-gallows formerly made in Britain for Saudi Arabia.
The doctors also supported a call to ban landmines and urged the Government
to persuade other nations to eradicate them. The Government has committed
itself to a ban in the manufacture and sale of landmines but Dr Andrew
Carney, a hospital registrar from Derby, said that the 10-year time scale
was too long.
© Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1997.
Date: Tue, 01 Jul 1997 23:33:12 -0400
From: Shirley McGreal
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: [PT] Primate Imports in 1997
Message-ID: <1.5.4.32.19970702033312.008ddefc@awod.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
The US Fish and Wildlife Service has provided IPPL with a list of live
primate imports to the United States from 1 January - 2 June 1997. There may
be other shipments not yet entered into the USFWS computer system. There
were, according to USFWS, 28 shipments totalling 2691 primates valued at
$3,255,124. The larger shipments consisted of:
10 January: 120 rhesus macaques: Oriental Scientific Instruments, China to
Covance Research Products
17 January: 110 rhesus: Oriental Scientific Instruments, China, to Charles
River Labs
24 January: 100 crab-eating macaques: Universal Fauna, Indonesia, to Covance
Research Products
25 January: 120 crab-eating macaques: Bioculture, Mauritius to Charles River
25 January: 111 crab-eating macaques: Bioculture, Mauritius to Charles River
(could be a second entry for the first shipment?)
26 January: 120 crab-eating macaques from China Nat. Sci. Instruments to
Buckshire
29 January: 50 (+50?) rhesus: Oriental Scientific Instruments, China, to
Sierra Biomedical (two entries, either entered twice or there were 100 animals)
29 January: 100 crab-eating macaques: from Bowman Grey Indonesia to
Comparative Medicine Clinical Res.
19 February: 100 crab-eating macaques: Vietnam Primate Breeding Center to
Covance
26 January: 120 crab-eating macaques: China National Scientific Instruments
to Buckshire
20 February: 220 crab-eating macaques: CV Inquatex Primates, Indonesia to
LABS of Virginia, South Carolina
22 February: 100 crab-eating macaques: Nafovanny, Vietnam to Covance
5 March: 60 baboons (species not identified): Mann and Miller, Kenya to
Charles River BRF
5 March: 100 crab-eating macaques: CV Universal Fauna, Indonesia, to Covance
14 March: 120 crab-eating macaques: Navofanny to Covance
19 March: 50 rhesus: Oriental Scientific Instruments, China to Sierra Biomedical
19 March: 100 crab-eating macaques: Indonesia to Comp. Med. Clinical Research
19 March: 50 crab-eating macaques: Oriental Scientific Instruments to Sierra
Biomedical
19 March: 50 rhesus: Oriental Scientific Instruments, China, to Sierra
Biomedical
21 March: 100 crab-eating macaques, Universal Fauna, Indonesia to Covance
4 April: 100 crab-eating macaques: Simian Conservation, Philippines to Covance
10 April: 253 crab-eating macaques: from Inquatex Aquatics, Indonesia to
LABS, South Carolina
14 April: 20 rhesus from Israel Institute for Biological Research to Covance
23 April: 120 crab-eating macaques: from Navofanny, Vietnam to Covance
23 April: 50 (+50?) crab-eating macaques: Oriental Scientific Inst. to
Sierra Biomedical (could be duplicate entry or 100 animals)
The Form 3-177s show that pregnant monkeys and newborn babies are being
shipped: the babies with their mothers. According to a supporting document
for the shipment of 253 crab-eating macaques from Indonesia to LABS, 20 baby
monkeys were shipped. The babies were born between 2 January and 7 March
1997 and some were barely one month old when shipped on 8 April. Subjecting
baby monkeys to the stress of a long intercontinental journey in the hold of
a plane (Air France was the carrier) appears to IPPL to be cruel, even if
the babies are with their mothers. The 17 pregnant monkeys were between 1-3
months pregnant. This huge shipment consisted of 98 adults: 135 "youngster
cynos" and 20 babies.
In a subsequent shipment incident reported to IPPL and confirmed by Air
France, a mother monkey en route from Indonesia to the US was dead on arrival in
Paris and Air France killed the baby.
Dr. Shirley McGreal, Chairwoman
International Primate Protection League, POB 766 Summerville SC 29484 USA
Phone: 803-871-2280 Fax: 803-871-7988 E-mail: ippl@awod.com
Web page (revised January 1997): http://www.sims.net/organizations/ippl/
NOTE; THE OLD E-MAIL ADDRESS AT SC.NET IS NOT BE IN USE, PLEASE DIRECT
ALL
E-MAIL TO IPPL@AWOD.COM
Date: Tue, 1 Jul 1997 20:51:32 -0700 (PDT)
From: David J Knowles
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: [UK] RSPCA's 'humane' food breaks into profit
Message-ID: <1.5.4.16.19970701205217.28df5ccc@dowco.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
[This article had links to the ARRS; Compassion in World Farming; the animal
welfare section of McSpotlight and thesection of the McLibel verdict which
dealt with animal welfare; the RSPCA in Australia and a BSE information site.]
>From The Eletronic Telegraph - Wednesday, July 2nd, 1997
RSPCA's 'humane' food breaks into profit
By Hugh Muir
THE RSPCA's scheme to promote "humanely produced" food will make a profit
this year after three years of losses.
Officials predict that Freedom Food, a project selling "humanely produced"
meat and eggs through some supermarkets, will make a £93,000 profit. They
believe that the scheme's fortunes have been boosted by consumer fears about
food safety and say that sales of Freedom Food beef have been largely
unaffected during the Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy crisis.
A spokesman said: "It appears that people are concerned about what they eat
and what they buy. People are trusting Freedom Food and we have been able to
turn a corner. I think the figures vindicate our decision to begin the scheme."
Freedom Food, which involves farmers, hauliers, abattoirs and supermarkets,
has been contentious from the outset. Senior RSPCA members argued that the
charity's money should not be risked in the competitive world of food
production and retailing.
They complained about the society's outlay of £1.5 million on Freedom Foods,
and additional loans of £510,000. These loans, which were requested when the
enterprise failed to reach its targets, had to be written off in 1996 when
the scheme became a charitable company. There were also claims that
standards demanded of farmers who wished to join the scheme were too lax to
have any impact on animal welfare.
But the society says there has been considerable growth in the past year,
with the number of stores stocking its produce rising from 1,000 to 3,000,
including branches of Safeway, Somerfield, Asda, Tesco and the Co-op. The
number of producers involved in the scheme has increased from 35 in 1996 to
133 this year.
However, Angela Walder, a former member of the RSPCA's ruling council, said
she remained unimpressed. "Anyone can run into profit on the back of a £2
million loan," she said.
© Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1997.
Date: Tue, 1 Jul 1997 20:51:35 -0700 (PDT)
From: David J Knowles
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: [UK] Giant crab is pinched
Message-ID: <1.5.4.16.19970701205220.0d3f8890@dowco.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>From The Eletronic Telegraph - Wednesday, July 2nd, 1997
Giant crab is pinched
BRITAIN'S biggest crab has been stolen by raiders who broke into a seaside
tourist attraction yesterday.
Staff at the Sea Life Centre in Southend, Essex, have offered a £100 reward
for the return of the 11lb 8oz giant edible crab, Big Frank, which they fear
could be destined for a restaurant cooking pot.
The crab has been the centre's star exhibit for the past 18 months earning
the title of Britain's biggest crab in March last year after outweighing an
edible crab from Newquay, Cornwall.
Tim Clabon, a marine expert, said: "The front doors had been smashed open
but there had been no attempt to break into the offices and I thought the
raiders had escaped empty-handed until I noticed that Big Frank was missing
from his display tank in the centre reception area.
"Nothing else has disappeared so he was clearly the intended prize. He is
the showpiece exhibit at the centre and the first thing visitors see when
they walk in. Commercially, he may not be worth a lot of money but to us he
is priceless."
© Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1997.
Date: Tue, 1 Jul 1997 20:51:36 -0700 (PDT)
From: David J Knowles
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: [CA] Scientists debate ethics of breeding animals for organs
Message-ID: <1.5.4.16.19970701205222.0d3f8364@dowco.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>From The Ottawa Citizen Online
Tuesday 1 July 1997
Scientists debate ethics of breeding animals for organs
Sharon Kirkey
The Ottawa Citizen
Genetically altered pigs and baboons may be the best solution to the chronic
shortage of human donor organs, an international medical conference heard
yesterday.
The more scientists learn about how to overcome the biological hurdles to
cross-species transplantation, the more society will be forced to grapple
with the ethics of breeding animals for the purpose of saving a human life.
"What this ... offers us is the potential for an unrestricted source of
organs -- provided that two things happen," said Dr. Timothy Winton,
surgical director of the Lung Transplant Program at the University of
Toronto. Dr. Winton was in Ottawa yesterday for the seventh World Congress
of Intensive and Critical Care Medicine.
First, said Dr. Winton, researchers would have to overcome the massive
immune assault the human body would launch against an animal organ. Then, if
their attempts succeed, there is the ethical issue of "having cloned
colonies of separate species being bred simply for the use of organ
transplantation," he said.
On the first issue, scientists are making considerable headway: Last year,
California doctors successfully transplanted baboon bone marrow into an AIDS
patient. Since 1992, a Pittsburgh team has performed two baboon-liver
transplants. And last year, researchers announced they had successfully bred
transgenic pigs, which contain human genes that reduce the patient's ability
to reject a transplanted organ.
All of these achievements have sparked renewed interest in cross-species
transplantation. Some experts say the timing couldn't be more crucial.
"Transplantation has become a victim of its own success," Dr. Megan Sykes,
of Harvard Medical School, told conference delegates.
Doctors have become so skilled at transplants that the number of transplant
candidates has increased "astronomically" in the past decade, she said. But
there is a limited number of donor organs.
In Canada, the donor pool hasn't increased in the past five years, despite
campaigns to get people to sign their donor cards. As a result, many
patients in need of a new heart, lung, liver or other organs die waiting.
But the possibility that cross-species transplantation could unleash
undetected animal disease on the general population remains a real threat.
Scientists know, for example, that HIV originated in primates.
"There's great concern, and it's well justified, that because we can't
screen for unknown viruses, these could potentially become a problem if
primate-human transplantation were used," Dr. Sykes said.
There's also concern that genetically manipulating animals such as pigs
could generate new viruses.
Scientists are already genetically modifying pigs to make their organs more
suitable for human transplant, and looking at ways to neutralize the natural
killer cells that the human body rapidly produces against an animal organ.
One method researchers are exploring in lab experiments is the possibility
of removing the patient's thymus gland -- where the t-cells that activate
the body's defence against foreign bodies are produced -- and replace it
with the donor animal thymus.
The conference continues today.
Copyright 1997 The Ottawa Citizen
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