|
AR-NEWS Digest 547
Topics covered in this issue include:
1) (UK) RABIES : POSSIBLE QUARANTINE CHANGES
by bunny
2) Global Days of Action Against Genetic Engineering
by bunny
3) World food day
by bunny
4) Re: AR-NEWS digest 546
by "Leslie Lindemann"
5) Hog Farm Conference Coming Up
by SDURBIN@VM.TULSA.CC.OK.US
6) Speaker Announcement
by Miyun Park
7) (US) Okla. City's PETA Letter to the Editor
by JanaWilson@aol.com
8) puzzeled
by "Diane Moore"
9) (US) Poison Protest In Plumas County
by allen schubert
10) URGENT Trappers Call for Congressional Hearings
by MINKLIB@aol.com
11) Fur Industry in Canada
by Hannah Dayan
12) Montpelier, VT: Moose Hunt Vigil 10/17
by Michael Markarian
13) Subscription Options--Admin Note
by Allen Schubert
14) (UK) Britain Backs Off Whaling Plan
by allen schubert
15) (BM) Anti-McDonald's Law Is Overturned
by allen schubert
16) IDA job listing
by In Defense of Animals
17) [CA] Transplant risk from pig organs
by David J Knowles
18) [CA] Salad days for girl with vegetarian scholarship
by David J Knowles
19) [EG] Deformed buffalo born
by David J Knowles
20) [ID] Forest fires threat grows
by David J Knowles
21) (CN) More on Pandas
by jwed
22) (CN) The man who spells hope for the panda
by jwed
23) (US) BLM Agrees To Reform Horse Program
by allen schubert
Date: Wed, 15 Oct 1997 12:20:17 +0800
From: bunny
To: ar-news@manatee.envirolink.org
Subject: (UK) RABIES : POSSIBLE QUARANTINE CHANGES
Message-ID: <1.5.4.16.19971015115832.2ea71b20@wantree.com.au>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
RABIES - UK: POSSIBLE QUARANTINE CHANGES
****************************************
Date: October 3, 1997
Source: Media sources
According to The Times, 3 October, 1997, Jack Cunningham, UK Minister of
Agriculture, announced to the Labour Party Conference that "It is time to
take a fresh look at our quarantine laws. But any new system must be as
effective in protecting the British people as the system we have had in
place for most of this century." He has set up an independent review panel
to review the anti-rabies controls. This panel will be headed by Ian
Kennedy, Professor of Health Law, Ethics & Policy, University College,
London. The panel is not expected to make its recommendations before early
1998, which will then be followed by a further period of public
consultation. Thus any new system would not be implemented before the
second half of 1998 at the earliest.
Cunningham is said to favour scrapping quarantine only for pets moving
between Britain and the other EU countries and the European Free Trade
Association, plus a few other countries deemed to be rabies-free, such as
Australia & New Zealand. The account did not mention USA and Canada. The
panel is expected to look very closely at the successful Swedish system
introduced in 1994, based on vaccination and blood tests.
The review is welcomed by the RSPCA and 'Passports for Pets'. Owners of
quarantine kennels/catteries have called for compensation if the present
law is changed. Such a kennel owner has stated, "It would be brutal if the
Government simply pulled the rug out from under people who have invested
their life savings in providing these facilities."
===========================================
Rabbit Information Service,
P.O.Box 30,
Riverton,
Western Australia 6148
Email> rabbit@wantree.com.au
http://www.wantree.com.au/~rabbit/rabbit.htm
(Rabbit Information Service website updated frequently)
/`\ /`\
(/\ \-/ /\)
)6 6(
>{= Y =}<
/'-^-'\
(_) (_)
| . |
| |}
jgs \_/^\_/
Date: Wed, 15 Oct 1997 20:12:19 +0800
From: bunny
To: ar-news@manatee.envirolink.org
Subject: Global Days of Action Against Genetic Engineering
Message-ID: <1.5.4.16.19971015195024.0cff3c2e@wantree.com.au>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Errors-To:
>X-Sender: rwolfson@pop3.concentric.net
>Mime-Version: 1.0
>Date: Tue, 14 Oct 1997 20:45:14 -0400
>To: info@natural-law.ca
>From: Richard Wolfson
>Subject: Appeal from Bio Safety Meeting
>
> Global Days of Action Against Genetic Engineering
>
> Press Release 13/10/97 For immediate use
>
> Genetically Engineered Soya has Elevated Hormone Levels:
> Public Health Threat
> International Scientists Appeal To Governments World-Wide
>
> Today, an urgent appeal has been made by scientists from around the world
>attending the Third Meeting of the Open-ended Working Group on Biosafety
>of The UN-Convention on Biological Diversity (13-17 October) in Canada.
>The scientists implored "all governments to use whatever methods available
>to them to bar from their markets, on grounds of injury to public health,
>Monsanto's genetically manipulated (GM) [herbicide-resistant] Roundup-Ready
>(RR) soybean." New findings indicate that EU member nations should
>immediately invoke Article 16, the safeguard clause of Directive 90/220,
>banning the soya on the grounds of specific health risks.
>
>Dramatic scientific evidence has revealed that the application of
>glyphosate (such as the herbicide Roundup) increased the level of plant
>estrogens of bean crops. Plant estrogens are known to affect mammals
>including humans. The signatories to the appeal, including Dr Ricarda
>Steinbrecher, UK Geneticist, stated: "Young children are especially
>susceptible to elevated levels of estrogen. Thus there is a clear and
>serious health issue at hand."
>
>Further alarming evidence has now been released concerning the GM soybeans,
>hitherto ruled as been substantially equivalent to ordinary soybeans and
>safe for introduction into our food supply: Cows fed with the RR-soybeans
>were found to produce milk with significantly higher fat content than those
>fed with ordinary soybeans. The scientists concluded this to be direct
>proof of a substantial difference between the GM- and ordinary soybeans.
>
>Monsanto's application for market approval of the RR-soybean provided no
>data on estrogen levels of RR-soybeans sprayed with glyphosate. Indeed,
>all data provided on the concentration levels of different compound was
>derived from unsprayed beans!
>
>Scientific advisor to the UK Genetic Engineering Network commented on the
>findings: "It is horrifying that Roundup-Ready soya was released into our
>food chain with such insufficient data, especially as such as large
>proportion [60%] of supermarket products contain soya derivatives.... The
>lack of independent, full investigations prior to the approval of these
>genetically manipulated soybeans is illustrative of the US biotechnology
>industry's strangle-hold on the regulatory bodies entrusted with our food
>safety."
>
>Further reports also presented at the Meeting, include the latest evidence
>of the detrimental environmental and agricultural impact of Novartis
>(formerly Ciba) insect resistant maize prematurely approved by the European
>Commission for marketing and cultivation (23 January 1997). The report
>calls for an urgent "moratorium for transgenic insect resistant plants" and
>details the evidence supporting legal action, which has been filed against
>the USA Environmental Protection Agency over its approvals by over 30
>scientific, environmental and agricultural groups. The Meeting coincides
>with the Global Days of Action Against Genetic Engineering (2-16 October).
>
>For further information or interviews, contact the Genetic Engineering
>Network in London at: 0181 374 9516
>
>_________________________________________________________
>Richard Wolfson, PhD
>Campaign for Mandatory Labelling and Long-term
>Testing of all Genetically Engineered Foods
>Natural Law Party, 500 Wilbrod Street
>Ottawa, ON Canada K1N 6N2
>Tel. 613-565-8517 Fax. 613-565-1596
>email: rwolfson@concentric.net
>
>Our website, http://www.natural-law.ca/genetic/geindex.html
>contains more information on genetic engineering.
>
>To receive regular news on genetic engineering and this
>campaign, please send an email message with 'subscribe GE'
>in the subject line to rwolfson@concentric.net To
>unsubscribe, please send the message 'unsubscribe GE'
>__________________________________________________________
>__________________________________________________________
>
>
>
Bob Phelps
Director
Australian GeneEthics Network
c/- ACF 340 Gore Street, Fitzroy. 3065 Australia
Tel: (03) 9416.2222 Fax: (03) 9416.0767 {Int Code (613)}
email: acfgenet@peg.apc.org
WWW: http://www.peg.apc.org/~acfgenet (under construction)
===========================================
Rabbit Information Service,
P.O.Box 30,
Riverton,
Western Australia 6148
Email> rabbit@wantree.com.au
http://www.wantree.com.au/~rabbit/rabbit.htm
(Rabbit Information Service website updated frequently)
/`\ /`\
(/\ \-/ /\)
)6 6(
>{= Y =}<
/'-^-'\
(_) (_)
| . |
| |}
jgs \_/^\_/
Date: Wed, 15 Oct 1997 20:13:57 +0800
From: bunny
To: ar-news@manatee.envirolink.org
Subject: World food day
Message-ID: <1.5.4.16.19971015195200.0cff2f08@wantree.com.au>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
NEWS MEDIA RELEASE OCTOBER 16, 1997
WORLD FOOD DAY - SECURING FOOD FOR THE FUTURE
On World Food Day, October 16, groups in forty countries say "No" to
Genetic Engineering, Life Patents and Agribusiness. There are lunchtime
activities in Brisbane, and in Melbourne groups will leaflet the Bourke
Street Mall, and Melbourne, LaTrobe and RMIT Universities.
"Mutant plants, animals and microbes further entrench factory farming and
expand the industrial/chemical farming treadmill," said GeneEthics Network
Director, Bob Phelps.
"In contrast, organic alternatives promise to more than double output,
while also improving environmental quality, soil structure and fertility,"
he said.
"Though global agribusiness delivers relatively cheap food, its
environmental, social, and health costs are disastrously high," he said.
"World Watch Institute figures show industrial food production is in
long-term decline world-wide because of its many hidden costs," he said.
"Genetic engineering is designed to produce bulk commodities for global
markets and every patented organism creates an even bigger flow of
royalties back to head office. Its primary purpose is to produce profits
not food," said Mr Phelps.
"Using gene technology would mean the agribusiness companies responsible
for crop monocultures and chemical pollutants could expand their control of
food production," he said.
"If we continue to treat agricultural environments as factories, our food
exports could end and the famines already haunting communities in our
region may happen here," he said.
"CSIRO's Land and Water Division and the NFF say the Euro-centred farming
systems of the past 200 years created terminal soil loss, salination, and
water pollution so Australian farming must be urgently reformed," he said.
"Sustainable organic systems are the way of the future, " he said.
"Extensive knowhow already exists in Permaculture, Organic and Biodynamic
farming methods that do not use synthetic chemicals, conserve scarce water
resources, and can restore our depleted soils," he said.
"Food is the world's biggest business, so organics would have immediate
environmental benefits, create permanent jobs, revitalise rural
communities, and offer a healthier diet to all," Mr Phelps said.
"But governments and companies deny official support because local seed
varieties and traditional practices cannot be patented or monopolised for
profits," he said.
"We should all support the transition from agri-business to agri-culture by
buying foods certified organic, biodynamic or labelled as not genetically
engineered," he said.
"On World Food Day we call on everyone to spend their food dollars wisely,
by selecting truly clean, green products and future food security," Mr
Phelps concluded.
For more comment and information:
Bob Phelps Tel: 03 9416 2222 (O) 03 9830 1592 (H)
___________________________________________________________________________
SECURING FOOD FOR THE FUTURE
By Bob Phelps
Today is World Food Day. To mark the day, citizens in forty countries are
calling for new production systems to guaranty food security. While global
agribusiness delivers a lot of relatively cheap food, the huge
environmental, social, health and political costs of industrial farming are
largely hidden from city people. The World Watch Institute warns that food
yields are in long term decline and global food stocks are perilously low.
CSIRO's Land and Water Division also recently confirmed that two hundred
years of Euro-centred farming on this fragile continent has created
multiple disasters - soil loss, salination, water pollution and
desertification. The nation's ecosystems are being depleted at a rate far
beyond replacement. For example, each kilo of grain fed to feedlot beef and
battery chickens costs up to five kilos of topsoil, washed or blown away.
Despite the continued clearing of large tracts of increasingly marginal
land, Australian primary productivity has peaked. Our enviable position as
a net exporter of food is also at long term risk. We cannot continue to
treat agricultural environments as factories. Unless we reform the ways we
are fed, clothed and housed, future generations may suffer the chronic
hunger and famine which already haunts many communities in our region and
beyond. Inaction is not an alternative.
There are two main options for rural reconstruction - the Gene Revolution
that will keep us on the chemical treadmill, or Ecological Farming Systems
which promise truly clean, green systems and future food security.
Industrial gene technology deploys genetically engineered plants, animals
and microbes, designed to produce bulk commodities for global markets. The
technology is owned and operated by the same foreign seed, chemical and
food processing giants which have promoted synthetic chemicals and crop
monocultures over the past fifty years. They argue that more of the same,
now with added genes, is the only way to feed the world. But their primary
goal is monopoly control of all primary production, with every patented
organism creating a flow of royalties back to head office.
The first genetically engineered whole food in the global market is
Monsanto's Roundup Ready Soybean, sold to US farmers as a seed/chemical
package. These soy plants are engineered to tolerate Monsanto's herbicide
Roundup, so growers can spray the toxic chemical directly on their fields
and plants, more often, less carefully, and at higher doses, to kill weeds
better. As a result, Monsanto has asked the Australia NZ Food Authority
(ANZFA) for a 200-fold increase (.1mg/kg to 20 mg/kg) in allowable Roundup
residues in imported soybeans.
We are all affected, as a majority of processed foods - bread, infant
formulas, pizza toppings, manufactured meats, etc. - contain soy or soy
products. Monsanto's "gene beans" contain potential allergens - microbial
genes never in food before, new proteins, and increased chemical residues.
They have no history of safe use and underwent no premarket human tests.
ANZFA's draft standard on genetically engineered foods sees gene beans as
"substantially equivalent" to ordinary soybeans, so they need not be
labelled. Yet preliminary research shows that Brazil nut allergens can be
transferred to soybeans; foreign DNA may pass into the blood and organs of
experimental mice; and antibiotic resistance marker genes, used in gene
manipulation, may transfer to pathogens.
Gene technology is an extension of the industrial/chemical farming
treadmill and cannot deliver food security. Corporate plans to further
dominate the world's food supply through gene technology, life patents,
chemical farming and global markets will not serve our needs.
In contrast, Modern Ecological Farming Systems can feed the world.
Conservative estimates suggest sustainable agriculture could at least
double present output, while also dramatically improving environmental
quality, soil structure and fertility. As food is the world's biggest
business, changing over would produce huge environmental benefits, create
permanent jobs, revitalise rural communities, strengthen local food
self-reliance, and offer a healthier diet to all.
A large body of modern, sustainable farming knowhow already exists in
Permaculture, Organic and Biodynamic methods, built on experience from the
past four thousand years. These systems are being successfully applied, as
grower and seed-saver networks offer positive solutions that are grounded
in natural processes, use no synthetic chemicals, conserve scarce water
resources, and restore our depleted soils.
More official support is urgently needed for the transition to sustainable
systems but governments and companies offer few research and development
resources. They heavily back the genetic engineering option because there
are few opportunities to patent and monopolise organic management systems,
traditional wisdom, and natural seed varieties. Since royalties cannot be
charged, company control and profits would decline.
We can all support the transition from agri-business to agri-culture by
spending our food dollars wisely, on foods from Ecological Farming Systems.
Look for the labels that say certified organic or biodynamic. Some
conventional producers that avoid genetically engineered ingredients have
also begun to label. Let's begin to select truly clean, green systems and
future food security.
Bob Phelps is Director of the Australian GeneEthics Network, Melbourne.
Bob Phelps
Director
Australian GeneEthics Network
c/- ACF 340 Gore Street, Fitzroy. 3065 Australia
Tel: (03) 9416.2222 Fax: (03) 9416.0767 {Int Code (613)}
email: acfgenet@peg.apc.org
WWW: http://www.peg.apc.org/~acfgenet (under construction)
===========================================
Rabbit Information Service,
P.O.Box 30,
Riverton,
Western Australia 6148
Email> rabbit@wantree.com.au
http://www.wantree.com.au/~rabbit/rabbit.htm
(Rabbit Information Service website updated frequently)
/`\ /`\
(/\ \-/ /\)
)6 6(
>{= Y =}<
/'-^-'\
(_) (_)
| . |
| |}
jgs \_/^\_/
Date: Wed, 15 Oct 1997 08:17:22 -0400
From: "Leslie Lindemann"
To:
Subject: Re: AR-NEWS digest 546
Message-ID: <19971015121724.AAA9351@oemcomputer>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
----------
> From: ar-news@manatee.envirolink.org
> To: Multiple recipients of list
> Subject: AR-NEWS digest 546
> Date: Wednesday, October 15, 1997 12:04 AM
>
>
> AR-NEWS Digest 546
>
> Topics covered in this issue include:
>
> 1) (CN) Squirrel exports to see good year
> by Vadivu Govind
> 2) Scientists see flu in fearful form
> by Vadivu Govind
> 3) (AU) Kangaroo meat confusion
> by Vadivu Govind
> 4) Laboratory monkeys face eviction countdown
> by Vadivu Govind
> 5) Urgent Help Needed For Indonesian Animals
> by Vadivu Govind
> 6) [CA] Aquarium Protest
> by David J Knowles
> 7) (ID) Wildlife traders benefit from fires - WSPA PRESS RELEASE
> by Vadivu Govind
> 8) Action Alert - British Government - Right Now!
> by BreachEnv@aol.com
> 9) [UK] Garlic clove a day keeps doctor away
> by David J Knowles
> 10) NJARA Animal Rights Festival
> by "veegman@qed.net"
> 11) Subscription Options--Admin Note
> by allen schubert
> 12) [US] More Urban Deer Killing
> by Debbie Leahy
> 13) (US) Catfish Farmer Brings Up Case
> by allen schubert
> 14) Prairie Chicken Hunt Goes on...
> by SDURBIN@VM.TULSA.CC.OK.US
> 15) Pigeons Make Mess of Wagoner, OK
> by SDURBIN@VM.TULSA.CC.OK.US
> 16) WWW Epidemiologic Cohort Study of Diet and Health
> by Vadivu Govind
> 17) Re: Prairie Chicken Hunt Goes on...
> by "D.B.Sullivan"
> 18) [WA] Tribal Opponents Of Makah Whaling Leave For International
Whaling Commission Meeting
> by bchorush@paws.org (pawsinfo)
> 19) NEW YORK TRAPPING ALERT
> by CFOXAPI@aol.com
> 20) (US) Hunger Strike Continues
> by allen schubert
> 21) Public Meeting re:Tule Elk at Point Reyes
> by In Defense of Animals
> 22) PROCTER & GAMBLE PROTESTORS RELEASED
> by civillib@cwnet.com
> 23) (US) Salmonella Used To Fight Cancer
> by allen schubert
> 24) (US) Insecticide researchers win food prize
> by allen schubert
> 25) PBS whale program coming up
> by LMANHEIM@aol.com
> 26) (CA) Lab animal legislation needed
> by Stephanie Brown
> How can I select what I want to read? Do I have to e-mail the address
given and ask for the info?
Date: Wed, 15 Oct 97 07:47:41 UTC
From: SDURBIN@VM.TULSA.CC.OK.US
To: ar-news@manatee.envirolink.org
Subject: Hog Farm Conference Coming Up
Message-ID: <199710151250.IAA19088@manatee.envirolink.org>
Rural residents concerned about the dramatic increase in corporate hog
and poultry farms and other confined animal operations should plan to
attend an upcoming Confined Animal Feeding Operation Conference on
October 31 and November 1, 1997 in Oklahoma City.
The Conference, entitled "The Plains Truth, Corporate Farming in the
Heartland," will be held at the Radisson Inn at Interstate 40 and
Meridian. Speakers include Leland Swenson, president of the National
Farmers Union, Jim Hightower, former Texas Agriculture Commissioner and
author of the new book, "There's Nothing in the Middle of the Road But
Yellow Stripes and Dead Armadillos." Also included will be Joel Dyer,
author of the runaway selling book, "The Harvest of Rage, Why Oklahoma
City is Only the Beginning."
According to conference organizers, the conference will be jam packed with
educational workshops on a variety of issues surrounding the CAFO's in
Oklahoma and around the country. Breakout sessions will focus on regional
and state strategies, health related and social issues, factory farms vs.
family farms, and EPA-CAFOs and consequences, nuts and bolts on rules and
nuisance damages.
Conference registration is $25 until October 17th and $30 afterwards.
Sponsors include the Oklahoma Family Farm Alliance, The Oklahoma Toxics
Fund, Oklahoma Farmers Union, and The League of Women Voters. For more
information, contact Keith Smith at 405-840-2219.
-- Sherrill
Date: Wed, 15 Oct 1997 10:31:09 -0400
From: Miyun Park
To: ar-news@manatee.envirolink.org
Subject: Speaker Announcement
Message-ID: <3.0.32.19971015103107.0069254c@pop.erols.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
American University's Animal Rights Effort is hosting its first speaking
event for the DC Animal Rights Community. This is to be a monthly event at
the American University and any suggestions or criticisms on speakers,
issues, or style, is welcome and useful for us. For more information, call
Nisha at 202-686-7966.
Dr. Kenneth Shapiro, Executive Director of Psychologists for the Ethical
Treatment of Animals and author of recent book '*Animal Models of Human
Psychology: Critique of Science, Ethics, and Policy*' will be speaking on
the use of non-human animals in the lab.
When: Thursday, October 30. 8:30 p.m.
Where: American University
4400 Mass Ave N.W.
Tenleytown Metro (red line) - shuttlebus to AU
Contact Nisha Anand at 202-686-7966 for more details
Date: Wed, 15 Oct 1997 10:34:59 -0400 (EDT)
From: JanaWilson@aol.com
To: Ar-news@manatee.envirolink.org
Subject: (US) Okla. City's PETA Letter to the Editor
Message-ID: <971015103223_442310939@emout10.mail.aol.com>
This appeared in today's local Okla. City news. This local
newspaper has run several anti-PETA editorials in the past
and has printed few rebuttals:
Animals Need Protection
TO THE EDITOR:
To the recent conviction of a Le Flore County man for torturing a
cat should remind us all of the importance of taking animal abuse
seriously. Unfortunately, animal abuse is often shrugged off by
law enforcement officials, even in the face of horrific violence. Those
who disregard it argue - truthfully - that we are overwhelmed with
cases of crimes against people. Yet animals, who cannot speak
for themselves, need our protection.
Research in psychology and criminology shows that people who
commit acts of cruelty against animals soon move on to their fellow
humans. These include Albert De Salvo, the "Boston Strangler"
who killed 13 women in 1962-63, serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer and
Richard Allen Davis, the man charged with abducting Polly Klaas
from her bedroom and murdering her. The majority of inmates on
death row at San Quentin penitentiary, according to the warden,
"practiced" their crimes on animals. According to statistics
compiled by a researcher at Yale University, a staggering 80 percent
of convicted violent criminals have histories of abusing animals.
If we are to promote respect for life, we must take animal abuse
seriously. It's too late for the cat in this case, but punishing her
attacker and continuing to aggressively prosecute others who abuse
animals will spare both humans and animals her fate.
(signed) Alison Green
People for the Ethical
Treatment of Animals
For the Animals,
Jana, OKC
Date: Wed, 15 Oct 1997 10:36:19 -0400
From: "Diane Moore"
To:
Subject: puzzeled
Message-ID: <19971015143700.AAA5134@default>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
You speak of this as an issue. How do I read the issue so that I may
respond to it?
Diane
Date: Wed, 15 Oct 1997 10:54:29 -0400
From: allen schubert
To: ar-news@manatee.envirolink.org
Subject: (US) Poison Protest In Plumas County
Message-ID: <3.0.32.19971015105426.0068c124@clark.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
from CNN web page:
-------------------------------
California State News
Reuters
15-OCT-97
Poison Protest In Plumas County
(PORTOLA) -- Many of the 20-thousand residents of Plumas County are very
upset with the state Fish and Game Department's plans to poison an entire
lake this morning. State officials say they want to poison Lake Davis to
kill off a predatory fish called the Northern Pike. Authorities say the
process will be safe for the public despite the fact the lake is the
primary source of drinking water for nearby Portola. Protests are planned
at the site of the planned dumping of 15-thousand gallons of chemicals into
the lake at dawn this morning.
Date: Wed, 15 Oct 1997 12:34:02 -0400 (EDT)
From: MINKLIB@aol.com
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: URGENT Trappers Call for Congressional Hearings
Message-ID: <971015123007_862150757@emout19.mail.aol.com>
The National Trappers Association is calling for the Senate Judiciary
Committee to hold hearings on what they call "animal rights terrorism". The
want federal law enforcement agencies, and get this, the media, to be forced
to spend millions going after animal rights activists that free animals from
fur farms, and intervene to stop the killing.
Apparently, the NTA thinks that police and federal agents should use their
time attacking non violent activists who have a perfect track record of never
physically harming anyone, instead of targeting drug dealers, organized
street gangs, and white collar fraud.
Just in the past few years over 50,000 detonators and explosives have been
stolen, possibly by militias, street gangs, or white power groups, but the
fur trade would rather have the ATF and FBI spend their time watching animal
rights groups.
The NTA is having a letter writing campaign to the US Senate, and several
other places to demand a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee to
address the resurgance of direct action animal rights groups.
We need to contact the same people and make the following points:
*There are violent criminals out there that need focus. Congress should not
bow down to special interest groups like the NTA, when doing so would
redirect precious resources that could be used to stop violent crime.
*74% of Americans oppose the leghold trap. 59% of Americans oppose the
wearing of fur. Most Americans oppose hunting and the testing of cosmetics
and household goods on animals. Perhaps if Congress would actually do
something for the pro animal majority, certain activists wouldn't feel that
they had no other choice than to break into fur farms and free mink and fox.
Meeting the demands of the pro animal majority would do a hundred times more
to stop illegal animal rights activities than funneling money into a federal
campaign that would inevitably lead to the harrassment of innocent activists.
The main problem is that the chairman of the judiciary committee is Orin
Hatch from UT. Word has it that fur farmers from his state have him in their
back pocket. If this is the case, then UT activists need to work to get him
unelected at the next election.
Call 202-224-3121 and ask to be connected to each of your two Senators. Talk
to them about this issue and ask that congressional resources be used to ban
leghold traps instead of wasted fulfilling the wants of fur trappers, who
happen to make up less than 1% of the American public. Secondly, point out
that should these hearings be held, animal rights groups such as the
Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade deserve to be present so that we can
explain things from our perspective.
Also, write your Senator at:
The Honorable (full name)
US Senate
Washington, DC 20510
Be sure and follow up with your Senators reaction to your letters and phone
calls. The animal rights movement must begin voting for or against
politicians because of their voting record as it pertains to animal rights.
When we take a few people out of office because they prefer to vote for
animal torture, then we will begin to see political strength.
Please post this alert in your newsletters, and please forward this message
on to other email lists.
Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade
PO Box 822411
Dallas, TX 75382
Date: Wed, 15 Oct 1997 15:40:30 -0230 (NDT)
From: Hannah Dayan
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Fur Industry in Canada
Message-ID:
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
HI there
Does anyone have any information about the fur industry in Canada. I am
researching for an article, and i am trying to find the most recent stats,
methods used, etc etc.
Thanks!
For the animals,
Hannah
hannah@cs.mun.ca
Date: Wed, 15 Oct 1997 12:42:02 -0700 (PDT)
From: Michael Markarian
To: ar-news@envirolink.org, en.alerts@conf.igc.apc.org, ar-wire@waste.org
Cc: coremach@aol.com, vpirg@together.net, cs@ncia.net, jobetty@sover.net,
peace@together.net, npaquett@vermontlaw.edu, pamela@quest-net.com,
SMatGMAD@aol.com
Subject: Montpelier, VT: Moose Hunt Vigil 10/17
Message-ID: <2.2.16.19971015163552.55f7b906@pop.igc.org>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, October 15, 1997
CONTACT: Jon Schottland, (802) 387-4827
Virginia Mead, (603) 788-3750
HERD OF PROTESTORS TAKES AIM AT MOOSE HUNT
Candlelight Vigil to be Held on State House Lawn
MONTPELIER, Vt. -- On Friday, October 17, from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m., members of
the Vermont Wildlife Education Network, The Fund for Animals, Green Mountain
Animal Defenders, and many other concerned groups and individuals will
gather on the lawn of the State House for a candlelight vigil. Holding a
giant banner that reads, "SAVE VERMONT'S MOOSE," the wildlife advocates will
protest the state's aggressively expanding moose hunt.
Says Jon Schottland, spokesperson for the Vermont Wildlife Education Network
and former member of the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife's Moose
Advisory Committee, "When the moose hunting season began in 1993 it was
limited to 30 permits and confined to the Northeast Kingdom. Four years
later, the number of permits has more than quadrupled to 165, and the hunt
is taking place in central and western parts of Vermont where moose
populations are very sparse."
Adds Virginia Mead, Vermont/New Hampshire Coordinator for The Fund for
Animals, "According to the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife's own
survey, there has been a 32 percent decline in moose sightings since the
hunt began. Vermont residents and tourists enjoy seeing live moose, and this
enjoyment should not be jeopardized by any actions which negatively impact
the moose herd."
# # #
http://www.fund.org
Date: Wed, 15 Oct 1997 16:44:05 -0400
From: Allen Schubert
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Subscription Options--Admin Note
Message-ID: <3.0.1.32.19971015164405.006ad508@envirolink.org>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
another routine (though necessary!) post
To unsubscribe, send e-mail to: listproc@envirolink.org
In text of message: unsubscribe ar-news
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Here are some items of general information (found in the "welcome letter"
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how to change your subscription status (useful if you are going on
vacation--either by "unsubscribe" or "postpone").
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Date: Wed, 15 Oct 1997 17:24:46 -0400
From: allen schubert
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (UK) Britain Backs Off Whaling Plan
Message-ID: <3.0.32.19971015172443.006d6b50@clark.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
from AP Wire page:
-------------------------------------
10/15/1997 16:36 EST
Britain Backs Off Whaling Plan
LONDON (AP) -- Britain has backed away from supporting a controversial
Irish government plan to restart commercial whaling to save the Minke
whale from extinction.
Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Elliot Morley said Wednesday the plan,
which he had backed in a letter to British lawmakers earlier this week,
has flaws that prevent the British government from supporting it.
The Irish proposal would allow Japan and Norway to catch Minke whales in
coastal water belts 200 miles wide, giving the go-ahead to commercial
killing for the first time in 11 years.
In return, whaling nations would have to accept the establishment of a
global whale sanctuary and the closing of a legal loophole that allowed
killing for ``scientific'' reasons.
Morley said the size of the proposed coastal limit was ``absolutely
unacceptable.''
``The U.K. government's policy is no return to commercial whaling. It's
all a question of trust, but the scientific whaling loophole would have
to be closed,'' Morley said.
The Irish proposal, which will be debated at an International Whaling
Commission meeting in Monte Carlo next week, is aimed at saving the Minke
whale from extinction.
``We will only consider the possibility of agreeing to a solution on
these lines if it leads to a significant and permanent reduction in the
number of whales currently being killed each year,'' Morley said.
Environmental groups have protested for years that ``scientific'' quotas
allow Japan and Norway to exploit a dwindling population of Minkes and
satisfy demand for whale steaks in upmarket restaurants.
Whale meat is a delicacy in Japanese restaurants, and the animal has been
caught for centuries by small Norwegian fishing communities. But years of
illegal slaughter and the threat of extinction of some species led to a
worldwide ban of commercial killing in 1986.
Date: Wed, 15 Oct 1997 17:29:29 -0400
From: allen schubert
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (BM) Anti-McDonald's Law Is Overturned
Message-ID: <3.0.32.19971015172924.006d5b14@clark.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
from AP Wire page:
---------------------------------
10/15/1997 13:42 EST
Anti-McDonald's Law Is Overturned
By RAYMOND HAINEY
Associated Press Writer
HAMILTON, Bermuda (AP) -- Favoring property rights over propriety,
Bermuda's Supreme Court has overturned a law banning McDonald's and other
fast-food restaurants from setting up in this British colony.
``We are very pleased,'' said attorney Mark Diel, after the Tuesday night
decision which overruled the ban of his client, former Premier Sir John
Swan.
Justice Vincent Meerabux found the act failed to respect a previous
contract between Swan's Grape Bay Ltd. and the U.S. fast-food giant, thus
violating Swan's constitutional property rights.
``No one, not even the legislature, can disobey the constitution with
impunity,'' Meerabux said.
Gov. Thorold Masefield, who approved the law in August despite Senate
opposition, is expected to appeal the decision.
Supporters of the legislation argued it would safeguard the tourist
appeal of the island, where gambling is prohibited, the top speed limit
is only 20 mph and tourists must rent bicycles and mopeds instead of
cars.
The issue came up in February 1996, when the finance minister gave Swan
permission to set up the holding company with the sole purpose of
bringing McDonald's into Bermuda. Swan put down $3 million to guarantee
sites at the airport and in downtown Hamilton, the capital.
Legislators fought back, drafting a bill banning all restaurants with ``a
foreign flavor'' from setting up in Bermuda.
However, a Cabinet committee set up to hear public opinion on the law
found the community ``on the whole is not overly concerned'' about having
McDonalds and other fast-food establishments set up on the island.
Some residents of Bermuda, 600 miles east of North Carolina in the
Atlantic Ocean, had developed a taste for Big Mac hamburgers when a
McDonald's operated here on a U.S. military base. That closed in 1995.
Date: Wed, 15 Oct 1997 17:31:34 -0700
From: In Defense of Animals
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: IDA job listing
Message-ID:
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
In Defense of Animals, a national animal rights organization located in the
San Francisco Bay area with over 70,000 members, is looking for a full-time
office assistant. Vegan or vegetarian who believes in the animal rights
philosophy preferred.
You must be very flexible, organized and able to handle many tasks under
pressure. You must be able to manage your workload efficiently. You must be
computer competent and be able to type 45 wpm. You must have good
communication skills, both written and verbal.
If you are interested in this exciting position, please send your resume
and cover letter to Emma Clifford, Assistant to the President, In Defense
of Animals, 131 Camino Alto, Suite E, Mill Valley, CA 94941, or fax at
415-388-0388.
Please respond before Nov.1.
Date: Wed, 15 Oct 1997 18:29:37
From: David J Knowles
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: [CA] Transplant risk from pig organs
Message-ID: <3.0.3.16.19971015182937.3affbc28@dowco.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
From The Electronic Telegraph - Thursday, October 16th, 1997
Transplant risk from pig organs
By Roger Highfield, Science Editor
THE risk that "humanised" pig organs might infect a human recipient is
underlined by a report today which suggests that it will be difficult to
rid donor animals of potentially harmful viruses.
A number of teams worldwide are experimenting with genetically-altered pig
organs to overcome the shortage of human organs for transplant. Today,
scientists report that two different classes of viruses, both retroviruses,
have been isolated from pig kidney cells. They are capable of infecting
humans.
They would be particularly difficult to breed out of donor pigs because
they are endogenous - their genetic material is mixed in with that of the pig.
Dr. Jonathan Stoye, of the National Institute for Medical Research in north
London, Prof Robin Weiss, of the Institute of Cancer Research and
colleagues report in journal Nature that they have identified these
so-called "porcine endogenous proviruses" or PERVs.
The UK Xenotransplantation Interim Regulatory Authority recognises that
these viruses may be a factor when considering the use of genetically
altered pig organs in humans, Dr Stoye said. He said the threat posed by
the viruses remained theoretical.
Numerous copies of both proviruses are found in several breeds of pig,
including those considered for human transplants.
Viruses consist of genetic code wrapped in a protein coat. Endogenous
viruses are viruses whose genetic code has been incorporated into that of
the host, so that it is passed to future generations in eggs and sperm.
There is, however, particular reason to be concerned: when the genetic code
is used to generate the whole virus, the coating of the virus - molecules
called glycoproteins - is of a type that would allow the virus to infect
human cells.
Even if infectious, they could be harmless. However, these retroviruses
originate from a family of viruses that can cause cancer.
For a heart patient who would die without a transplant, a long-term risk of
cancer might be acceptable, Dr Stoye said.
© Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1997.
Date: Wed, 15 Oct 1997 18:34:39
From: David J Knowles
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: [CA] Salad days for girl with vegetarian scholarship
Message-ID: <3.0.3.16.19971015183439.380750d6@dowco.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
From The Electronic Telegraph - Thursday, October 16th, 1997
Salad days for girl with vegetarian scholarship
By Sean O'Neill
A SCHOLARSHIP for a vegetarian student that has been unclaimed for years
was taken up yesterday by a 15-year-old girl.
Lisa Stephenson, whose parents are both vegetarians, accepted the £1,000
bequest and joined a family tradition of vegetarian scholars at the
independent school, Wycliffe College, at Stonehouse, Glos. She was already
a boarder at Wycliffe, which was chosen by her parents, Richard and Carol
Stephenson, from Chester, because her grandfather and uncles were
vegetarian students there before.
They were boarders in Springfield House, established solely for vegetarians
in 1909 by George Sibly, Wycliffe's founding headmaster and a pioneering
campaigner for vegetarianism.
David Prichard, the headmaster, is delighted that after several years in
abeyance the line of vegetarian scholars has been resumed.
"Lisa is a delightful girl and has been a vegetarian all her life," he
said. "I learned at lunchtime that Roger Bacon, her grandfather, went on a
walking holiday for vegetarians in Holland with George Sibly and met a
vegetarian Dutch girl who became her grandmother." Lisa's father said the
vegetarian scholarship was a wonderful idea.
"My wife's family have been vegetarians for several generations and I
became a vegetarian after we were married," said Mr Stephenson, a research
scientist.
"Lisa's great-grandfather knew George Sibly and her grandfather and uncles
went to Wycliffe as vegetarians. So we are pleased to be carrying on a
worthy tradition."
When Mr Sibly was headmaster he claimed that Springfield House's record in
carrying off the bulk of the school's sporting trophies was evidence of the
value of a meat-free diet. But Mr Prichard suspects his Edwardian
predecessor may have engineered Springfield's success to promote his cause.
"It was not unknown for him to bring the best athletes into Springfield so
that they would win everything. I am told by old Wycliffians that some
slipped through the back door to satisfy their desire for meat and were
carnivores in the holidays."
Although Wycliffe, which has 400 pupils and charges fees of £13,000 per
annum, no longer has an vegetarian-only boarding house, the Sibly legacy
remains and many students are vegetarians.
© Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1997.
Date: Wed, 15 Oct 1997 19:01:04
From: David J Knowles
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: [EG] Deformed buffalo born
Message-ID: <3.0.3.16.19971015190104.316f0802@dowco.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
From The Electronic Telegraph - Wednesday, October 15th, 1997
Deformed buffalo born
A BUFFALO with two heads, two tails and seven feet has been born in the
northern Egyptian province of Daqahliya.
A veterinary surgeon, Abdelghani Ibrahim, said that the mother must have
grazed on grass heavily treated with insecticides or have been given drugs.
The government newspaper Al-Ahram quoted experts as saying that such
deformities occurred once every 500,000 million births.
© Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1997.
Date: Wed, 15 Oct 1997 18:59:03
From: David J Knowles
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: [ID] Forest fires threat grows
Message-ID: <3.0.3.16.19971015185903.3aff858c@dowco.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
From The Electronic Telegraph - Wednesday, October 15th, 1997
Forest fires threat grows
THE forest fires in Indonesia are spreading despite government warnings to
landowners, officials said yesterday.
Satellite photographs showed that 62 fires had been detected by late on
Sunday, up from 40 at the end of last week, the National Co-ordination
Centre for Ground Fire Control reported.
© Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1997.
Date: Thu, 16 Oct 1997 10:31:42 +0000
From: jwed
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (CN) More on Pandas
Message-ID: <3.0.3.32.19971016103142.006a9988@pop.hkstar.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
South China Morning Post - Thursday 16th October 1997 - by Alison Smith
It was 1979 in remote southwest China. Nancy Nash, an American public
relations woman, was wondering if she would ever feel warm again. So when
Pan Wenshi offered to show her where a beam of sunshine sliced through the
rugged peaks, she began the two-hour hike to get there.
"I remember him pointing towards this tree, and true enough the sun was
shining directly on to it. I put my arms around it and just stood there,
slumped against it, with the sun on my face. It was wonderful.
"Then he casually said to me: 'You know Nancy, this region of China has 16
species of snakes - and all of them are poisonous.' "
It takes a certain character to trudge through dense forest for a simple
slice of sunshine, but it is typical of the woman who carved a path through
Chinese bureaucracy so international conservation groups could start to
make a difference.
Ms Nash was a public relations assistant for the World Wide Fund for Nature
(WWF) in Switzerland when she was told nothing was being done for species
such as the giant panda, because work in China was "impossible".
Today, the Hong Kong resident, who is fluent in Mandarin, is known as the
woman who opened up China for the WWF's founder, the late Sir Peter Scott -
and thereby international conservation work. The initial goal was to save
the panda.
The animal with the soulful black eyes would soon become the WWF symbol; it
tugged on heartstrings worldwide with its cuddly, fat appearance, it had a
sad story of imminent demise, and a black-and-white face that could
reproduce cheaply on a logo.
In 1980, a year after Ms Nash went to China, an agreement was signed with
the Chinese authorities and the WWF began conservation work with particular
focus on the panda.
Ms Nash spent eight years in the country, often working closely with
Professor Pan, considered the world's leading Chinese researcher of pandas.
The two are still working together to save the species, but now mostly at
press conferences in five-star Hong Kong hotels or residences on The Peak.
Four years ago, the Chinese authorities initiated a 200 million yuan
(HK$187 million) programme to protect the pandas' precious habitat from
logging and population pressure. If it had ever got off the ground, laments
Professor Pan, the plan would have ensured that more than half the habitat
was protected and saved 60 per cent of the pandas. But it still exists only
on paper. Costs have now spiralled to 600 million yuan and the panda
continues to die.
The WWF expanded to include wetlands and tropical forests five years after
Ms Nash and Sir Peter entered China, and now most of its projects emphasise
education and training or sustainable use of the country's natural resources.
There are more than 30,000 species of plants in China, of which 18,000 are
found nowhere else on Earth. The country also has 499 species of mammal, 62
of which are unique to the country. The figures for birds and marine life
are even more staggering, with at least 1,186 species of birds, 13 per cent
of the world's total; 46 species of wild duck, or nearly a third of the
world's total; and eight species of crane. There are more than 13,000
marine species.
But the panda remains the best known. "It really is the ambassador for
endangered species everywhere," says Ms Nash.
"The animals and plants are being destroyed right now, this is the world's
patrimony. And when they are gone, you will never bring them back with all
the money in the world."
Date: Thu, 16 Oct 1997 10:31:26 +0000
From: jwed
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (CN) The man who spells hope for the panda
Message-ID: <3.0.3.32.19971016103126.006a22b0@pop.hkstar.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
South China Morning Post - Thursday 16th September 1997 - by Fiona Holland
Professor Pan Wenshi could easily be mistaken for a sober-suited mainland
businessman brokering a lucrative deal in Hong Kong. But pandas, not
paisley, dot his tie. And instead of cementing contracts, Professor Pan is
in the serious business of saving the giant panda, among the most
endangered species in the world.
Previous surveys, the fruits of collaboration between Chinese scientists
and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), have estimated the total
population of pandas at under 1,200 and declining.
In the most comprehensive assessment of China's biodiversity, published
last year, the WWF noted that despite the establishment of reserves and
enactment of strict laws, the number of pandas has declined steadily in the
past 25 years.
The major threat is the loss of habitat due to humans - a familiar story
for thousands of creatures worldwide - in the form of logging and farming
in the pandas' last stronghold. The pandas' plight is complicated by the
fact that, like other mega-fauna at the pinnacle of the pyramid-shaped food
chain, their populations are naturally small and vulnerable.
Added to this are the unique characteristics of panda biology: their almost
exclusive dependence on bamboo - which is so devoid of nutrients they must
consume vast quantities - and a slow reproductive cycle.
However, from the misty gloom of the pandas' mountainous homeland have
emerged some encouraging discoveries, the results of Professor Pan's 17
years of research in the field.
Contrary to the belief that the panda population is in general declining
throughout its range, Professor Pan suggests the numbers in some areas may
be increasing. This stems from his long-term study of 60 square kilometres
of a 300 sq km reserve high in the Qinling mountains of Shaanxi province.
The research area is home to 40 pandas Professor Pan and his team tracked
with the use of radio collars between 1984 and 1996.
When Professor Pan speaks of Jao Jao, a female panda whose progress he has
painstakingly charted, his shining eyes soften with tenderness. Jao Jao
produced four offspring in seven years, two of whom have already
reproduced. Based on this and other breeding records, Professor Pan
estimates the panda population of his research area may be increasing by
four per cent a year.
Although reluctant to apply that annual growth figure to pandas in other
areas, he believes the 1988 census by the WWF may be conservative. In the
1,500 sq km of the Qinling mountains, he estimates there could be as many
as 250 pandas, compared to the WWF's figure of 110.
Encouraging population surveys were not Professor Pan's only success.
During his 13 years of work in the Qinling mountains, he scored a rare
victory which inspired hope for the panda despite the odds stacked against
the species. When the loggers moved in in 1984, Professor Pan realised it
was only a matter of time before they ravaged mountains beyond 1,350 metres
above sea level - the pandas' preferred habitat and the only areas
untouched by farming.
"Logging was very heavy," he said. Apart from encroaching on the pandas'
habitat, logging threatened to isolate the animals in small populations,
disrupting their breeding cycle. "There had to be some kind of damage for
sure, because it was over such a large area. It would definitely harm their
reproductive rate."
In particular, logging poses a problem for female pandas, who search out
secluded caves and tree stumps between 1,950 and 2,000 metres above sea
level to give birth.
In desperation at the damage loggers were wreaking on their study area,
Professor Pan and his team wrote to President Jiang Zemin and Prime
Minister Li Peng in 1993, appealing for help.
The daring appeal paid off. The central government came up with 25 million
yuan (about HK$23.34 million), the provincial authorities with 30 million
yuan and the World Bank with US$4.7 million (about HK$36.3 million) to
compensate the 2,400 loggers in the area.
Older men were retired early with 50,000 yuan, while younger workers
received up to 40,000 yuan and were retrained in local industries based in
the foothills of prime panda habitat. By July 1994, the chainsaws had been
silenced and a 300 sq km reserve declared.
But despite Professor Pan's success, logging and farming continue to
encroach on the pandas' range. The WWF has estimated that half of the
suitable panda habitat in Sichuan was lost in the 15 years between 1974 and
1989.
A 10-year panda conservation plan, drawn up by the WWF and the Ministry of
Forestry in 1989, agreed to set up 14 new reserves and the establishment of
15 bamboo corridors connecting isolated clusters of pandas, at a cost of
US$35 million. The National Conservation Programme for the Giant Panda and
its Habitat was revised in 1992 to include compensation to timber companies
and farmers. The bill now stands at US$60 million.
If it is implemented, nearly 14,000 sq km of habitat would be preserved,
protecting 60 per cent of all pandas across 26 reserves.
The stumbling block is funding. "Money is the biggest problem. The Chinese
Government cannot afford this amount of money to protect 13,900 sq km. They
rely on foreign aid. This is the only way to help the pandas," said
Professor Pan.
China is committed to footing a third of the bill, but without outside
support the loggers - Professor Pan estimates as many as 20,000 workers are
felling forest across prime panda habitat - will continue to eat into their
range.
When and if foreign funding comes in, half of it will go into captive
breeding centres at the Wolong nature reserve and the Chengdu and Beijing
zoos, which were originally intended to halt the removal of wild pandas
into captivity.
A longer-term aim, and the ultimate justification of captive breeding, is
to restock the waning wild populations. But so far no pandas have been
returned, and at a recent meeting scientists agreed this was only a remote
possibility.
Since 1936, 400 pandas have been held in captivity around the world and 300
of them have died. Of the 70 captive-bred cubs, 40 survived until six
months and only 30 reached the sexual maturity age of five years.
Professor Pan says 112 pandas remain in captivity today. Last month, two
pandas were born at Chengdu Research Base - the fruits of artificial
insemination pioneered by the centre. Such is scientists' frustration at
the apparent frigidity of pandas in captivity that they have even raised
the spectre of cloning.
"I don't think it [captive breeding] is very meaningful," said Professor
Pan, adding that pandas bred well when undisturbed in the wild.
He believes that more than 80 per cent of all funding for pandas should be
channelled to conservation in the wild. "There is no need for zoos to have
so much money. If they love pandas, they should agree to give the money to
protecting wild pandas."
Professor Pan knows he is on dangerous ground. Studying pandas is not just
a matter of science. It was renowned wildlife biologist, George Schaller,
the first foreigner allowed to study them in situ, who coined the phrase
"panda politics" in his book The Last Panda.
When Schaller first set foot in Sichuan in 1980 under the auspices of the
WWF, which had signed an agreement with the Chinese authorities on panda
research and breeding, it marked a new era of international co-operation in
conservation. But the road to understanding and agreement on how to
conserve the panda was pitted with potholes, sometimes huge and often hidden.
Schaller said the panda project was the most difficult of all his studies,
not due to the research, but because it was overseen by two vast
bureaucracies, the Chinese Government and the WWF. "The two institutions
understood the enterprise imperfectly and misunderstood each other
frequently," he said.
He painted a depressing picture of bureaucratic chaos, personal greed and
laziness; as a result research was hindered, pandas were poached,
needlessly taken into captivity, and kept in horrible conditions.
Professor Pan, who worked with Schaller for four years at the Wolong nature
reserve and warned him not to publish the book, said The Last Panda was too
negative. In contrast, Professor Pan, who will publish a book about his
research next year, is upbeat about the pandas' prospects.
He and his team of 11 students, who have successfully battled against the
odds in Qinling, are optimistic.
"They all have a target and they are not afraid of any difficulties. There
is hope for the pandas," he said.
Date: Wed, 15 Oct 1997 23:17:21 -0400
From: allen schubert
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (US) BLM Agrees To Reform Horse Program
Message-ID: <3.0.32.19971015231718.006d9efc@clark.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
from AP Wire page:
------------------------------------
10/15/1997 17:24 EST
BLM Agrees To Reform Horse Program
By SANDRA CHEREB
Associated Press Writer
RENO, Nev. (AP) -- The U.S. Bureau of Land Management agreed in court
Wednesday to tighten the reins on its wild horse adoption program, which
has allowed thousands of federally protected animals to go to slaughter.
The agreement settles a lawsuit filed in June by the Fund for Animals and
the Animal Protection Institute of America after an investigation by The
Associated Press uncovered abuses in the $16 million-a-year program.
``We feel like we've satisfactorily resolved all of the issues that we
brought forward in a way that's really going to make a difference for the
horses and the adoption program in the future,'' said Howard Crystal, a
Fund for Animals lawyer in Washington.
He said the settlement will not end the slaughter of wild horses but
should reduce the number killed each year.
``The settlement is about whether people can take title to animals with
the intent to sell them for slaughter. That's been the major loophole for
years,'' he said.
The BLM manages about 42,000 wild horses and burros on public lands in 10
Western states. During the past 25 years, more than 175,000 of the
animals were rounded up and placed with adopters for about $125 each.
The adopter must keep each animal for one year and comply with a health
check before receiving a title.
The AP investigation found that the BLM had lost track of 32,000 adopted
animals and that 90 percent of the horses rounded up each year -- or
several thousand -- eventually ended up being slaughtered. BLM employees
profited in some cases, according to the investigation, which the BLM
disputed.
Under the settlement signed by U.S. District Judge Howard McKibben,
adopters must swear they don't plan to sell the horse for slaughter or
commercial processing.
Violators could be subject to criminal prosecution for perjury, though
Crystal said prosecutors would have to prove an intent to deceive.
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