AR-NEWS Digest 569

Topics covered in this issue include:

  1) Cosmetics testing on animals halted - sort of
     by Andrew Gach 
  2) ACTIVIST GATHERING/VIVISECTOR CONFERENCE
     by ARDAC-LA 
  3) Request for info
     by LGrayson 
  4) (NZ)RCD Released in Hawkes Bay
     by bunny 
  5) (NZ)The Rural Futures Trust
     by bunny 
  6) (US) Tainted Ham Blamed in Two Deaths
     by allen schubert 
  7) Noah's Ark update forwarded
     by "Vicki Sharer" 
  8) RFI: (US) Python skin shoes
     by "allen schubert, arrs admin" 
  9) (BE) Mad Cow Ground for Feed in Belgium by Mistake
     by allen schubert 
 10) (US) 'Bird Brain' Might Be a Compliment
     by allen schubert 
 11) (US) Deer given a reprieve until Dec.
     by allen schubert 
 12) Noah's Ark trial ends
     by "Vicki Sharer" 
 13) (AU) "epitome of eveil" cut off cat's ears
     by Lynette Shanley 
 14) Fw: BABY ELEPHANT NEEDS HELP!
     by "bhgazette" 
 15) (US) ANIMAL ABUSE CASE (fwd)
     by "allen schubert, arrs admin" 
 16) Incentives Take Aim on Decline of Youthful Hunters (US)
     by Michael Markarian 
 17) Re: Noah's Ark trial ends
     by "Leslie Lindemann" 
 18) (uk/us)IFAW Press Release-Great Apes
     by crystal1@capecod.net (truddi lawlor)
 19) Woman awarded $ for emotional distress associated
                          with the death of her dog.
     by LGrayson 
 20) Scumbag "animal activist" and "priest" sought/and caught
     by Barry Kent MacKay 
 21) will you please fwd to boston or mass lists?
     by Vegetarian Resource Center 
 22) AR-News Admin Note--was: Re: Noah's Ark trial ends
     by allen schubert 
 23) (US) Jury: Stray cat slaughter merits only a misdemeanor
     by allen schubert 
 24) (US) N.Y. Dead Pet Dumper Faces Fraud Charge
     by allen schubert 
 25) (US) Children Do Not Have Learning "Window"
     by allen schubert 
 26) (US) Sixty Baby Orangutans Confiscated
     by allen schubert 
Date: Thu, 06 Nov 1997 21:41:21 -0800
From: Andrew Gach 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Cosmetics testing on animals halted - sort of
Message-ID: <3462AA01.961@worldnet.att.net>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Britain halts animal testing of cosmetics 

Reuters 
LONDON (November 6, 1997 12:35 p.m. EST) 

The British government said on Thursday it had stopped testing cosmetic
products on animals at three research houses, a move animal welfare
groups hailed as a victory, although the decision does not ban animal
tests of medicines.

Home Office Minister Lord Williams said the three research houses in
Britain that had conducted such tests voluntarily agreed to stop, and
that no new licences for such tests would be granted by the Labour
government.

This means between 200 and 300 rabbits, guinea pigs and rats a year will
be spared the experiments now conducted to see whether they are
adversely affected by finished cosmetic products.

But they are only a fraction of the 2,800 animals that are subjected to
tests annually in Britain for the individual ingredients that go into
cosmetics.

Williams said the ingredients tests are not being stopped right away
because the bulk of the ingredients, such as anti-oxidants and
preservatives, are also used for medical or pharmaceutical purposes.

However, he said the government would seek to identify those ingredients
primarily used for "vanity products" and work towards a ban on testing
them on animals.

"Our policy unambiguously is that the use of animals is only to be
adopted in justifiable circumstances, and has always got to be in the
context of the due reverence for the fact that we are using living
creatures," Williams told a news conference.

"Cosmetic product testing is what is being stopped. We want to go
forward to see how far we can stop (cosmetic) ingredient testing," he
said.

The Body Shop, a cosmetics company that has long campaigned against
animal testing, said the announcement placed Britain at the forefront of
European nations on the animal testing issue.

"It's the first time a government has banned any category of animal
testing," said Steve McIvor, company spokesman.

Technically the move is not a legal ban.

Williams said there was no room in the government's legislative
programme in the next 18 months for a legislated ban, although he did
not rule out such a proposal in the long term.

Williams said he was legally prevented from naming the companies that
agreed to the testing ban.

The vast bulk of animals that undergo experiments, 2.7 million last
year, are used for medical and pharmaceutical research.

Williams said the government's Animal Procedures Committee would also
push for a ban on the use of Great Apes, such as chimpanzees, in any
kind of testing -- although they have not been used in the past -- and a
ban on alcohol and tobacco product development and testing on animals.

The government's decision was praised by the chairman of the
parliamentary animal welfare group, Roger Gale, who is a member of the
opposition Conservative party.

"We still have a long way to go, on a Europe-wide basis, to bring about
all the changes that are needed but these are significant steps
forward," Gale said.

-- By SUSAN CORNWELL, Reuters
Date: Thu, 06 Nov 1997 22:27:52 -0800
From: ARDAC-LA 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: ACTIVIST GATHERING/VIVISECTOR CONFERENCE
Message-ID: <3.0.3.32.19971106222752.007bc400@freenet.envirolink.org>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

CALLING ALL ACTIVISTS: DON'T MISS THIS ONE!!!!!


In mid-November, there is to be a huge conference of vivisectors here in
Southern California - we're not talking about a scientist's convention where
some will be vivisectors, we're talking about an estimated 4500 animal
researchers all in one place at one time.  Sound like fun?

On top of some very exciting things in the works to make their party,
a-hem, a little less productive than they probably hope, ARDAC (LA, SF and
SD) along with IDA is sponsoring a huge gathering/conference to coincide
with the event.

Here's the game plan:

NOVEMBER 15-16 (Sat/Sun) -- 2 days of workshops on a variety of
topics including (but certainly not limited to) CD tactics, Security
Issues, Government Harassment, Jail Support, Media and the A.L.F.
Speakers include (but not limited to) Sue McCrosky, JP Goodwin, Tony Wong,
Alison Frost, Freeman Wicklund, Jeff Watkins, Anne Crimaudo, Jerry Vlasak,
Gina Lynn, Jonathan Paul, Josh Trenter, Lorin Lindner, Cres Vellucci and many
more.

Workshops may include speakers panel, discussion, Q & A, hands on
experience with lockboxes, etc.  The conference will be held at the
Placentia Library (corner of Chapman and Kramer in Placentia) from 9:30am
til 6pm on Saturday and 9am til 6pm on Sunday.

There will also be several video showings as well as bonus workshops, protests
and possibly bands in the evenings.  Lunches will be catered by Food Not Bombs
and hopefully, at least one dinner will be catered by the best vegan,
mostly organic restaurant in Southern California, Alisan's.  Workshops are
free and meals are by a sliding scale donation.  Then.......


NOVEMBER 17-20 (Mon-Thurs) -- demos and actions against the American
Association of Laboratory Animal Scientists convention co-sponsored by ARDAC
and JIHAD.  The "big one" will be Monday for the sake of those who can't
stick around for the entire week.  There will also be one or two press
conferences with medical doctors Jerry Vlasak, Richard McLellan and Ray
Greek; veterinarian Elliot Katz; psychologist Lorin Lindner; and AIDS
patient Michael Bellafontaine.


We'll be arranging housing and finding the best motel rates for anyone who
wants to come in from out of town so let us know if you plan to attend so that
we can be sure to have enough accomodations for all.


ARDAC - LA
ardac@envirolink.org
(213) 477-2306

Date: Fri, 07 Nov 1997 07:46:49 -0500
From: LGrayson 
To: ar-news 
Subject: Request for info
Message-ID: <34630DB9.417@earthlink.net>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Can anyone tell us why the NYC shelter "reform"  initiative was not on
the ballot?

Thanks in advance,
Liz
Date: Fri, 7 Nov 1997 20:49:06 +0800
From: bunny 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (NZ)RCD Released in Hawkes Bay
Message-ID: <1.5.4.16.19971107204247.22b7c19c@wantree.com.au>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Media Release 7/11/97 

RCD Released in Hawkes Bay

The Ministry of Agriculture has been advised that the rabbit 
calicivirus disease (RCD) was released in Hawks Bay about 
a week ago.
Farmers at a meeting in Palmerston North this morning informed
MAF officials of the release. The meeting, which was designed to 
share information about RCD, was also attended by Hawks Bay,
Manawatu-Wanganui and Taranaki Regional Councils, Federated
Farmers groups from those areas, and the DOC. The Rural Futures
Trust provided information on its experiences with RCD in the South
Island.

A full copy of this media release is available at www.maf.govt.nz




===========================================

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: Fri, 7 Nov 1997 20:50:24 +0800
From: bunny 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (NZ)The Rural Futures Trust
Message-ID: <1.5.4.16.19971107204405.22b78e22@wantree.com.au>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

The Rural Futures Trust 

The Rural Futures trust has been contracted by MAF
to collate farmer information on/experience with RCD
and is establishing a e-mail mailing list.
The Trust is also contacting people in Australia and UK
and inviting them to join.
To join, from your own e-mail address, send a mesage
to  and in the message area type
the word . If you wish to have your name removed
at a later date, type the same address and type .
To send out a message to everyone on the list all you need to
do is enter the e-mail address of  and type your
message.

This information can be found on MAF's web site www.maf.govt.nz
Also at this site RFT Farmer Practices for the Spread of RCD.

===========================================

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: Fri, 07 Nov 1997 09:29:21 -0500
From: allen schubert 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (US) Tainted Ham Blamed in Two Deaths
Message-ID: <3.0.32.19971107092919.00689340@pop3.clark.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

(followup to an earlier posting)
from AP Wire page http://wire.ap.org/
----------------------------------------
 11/06/1997 22:37 EST

 Tainted Ham Blamed in Two Deaths

 By RAJU CHEBIUM
 Associated Press Writer

 CHAPTICO, Md. (AP) -- Preliminary tests indicate tainted ham is to blame
 in the deaths of two elderly women and the sickening of more than 600
 people who attended a church fund-raising dinner.

 ``When you look at who ate what and who came down with illness, it seems
 that the ham sticks out,'' Dr. Martin Wasserman, secretary of the state
 Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, said Thursday.

 Thirty-five people remained hospitalized Thursday in fair and stable
 condition.

 More than 1,400 attended the dinner Sunday at Our Lady of the Wayside
 Church in Chaptico in St. Mary's County, and so far nearly one-half have
 fallen ill, said Mary Novotny, spokeswoman for the county Health
 Department.

 Complaints included diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting and fever.

 Autopsies must be conducted to determine the cause of the deaths, Ms.
 Novotny said. Authorities did not release the names of the two women.

 Tori Leonard, a spokeswoman for the state health department, said
 salmonella was strongly suspected in one of the two deaths.

 ``The other one, we're not sure,'' she said.

 The county was investigating what food is to blame, who handled it and
 how it was processed.

 The manager of the store that sold the ham and turkey for the dinner said
 Thursday she has been selling meat for more than 30 years without a
 problem.

 Virginia Tennyson, who along with her husband, Jackie, runs the Chaptico
 Market and Deli, also said she has never had problems before with the
 company that supplied the meat she sold for the church dinner.

 She said she sold the church 68 turkeys and 38 stuffed hams, which she
 bought from a supplier she refused to name.

 She said she was a principal organizer of the fund-raiser, ate there
 Sunday and even served her family leftovers on Monday. She and her
 husband did not become sick, but some of her six children became mildly
 ill, she said.

 Chaptico, a community of about 2,000, is about 70 miles south of
 Baltimore.

 ``We are a very family-oriented parish,'' Mrs. Tennyson said. ``It was
 just a good family gathering. I was so pleased that I said ... `We pulled
 off a good one this year.'''

Date: Fri, 07 Nov 97 08:58:03 CST
From: "Vicki Sharer" 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Noah's Ark update forwarded
Message-ID: <9710078789.AA878922111@INETGW.WKU.EDU>

     This was sent to me via e-mail:
     
     From: madlyn 
     Organization: Luvcatz....A Voice for the Animals X-Mailer: Mozilla 
     4.03 [en] (Win95; I) MIME-Version: 1.0
     To: "janet-ashman@uiowa.edu" 
     CC: joy , K9Gal ,
     Kate Ashley , Kathy Petty 
     , ladylynx 
     Subject: Latest from Iowa
     Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 
     7bit
     
     Here is the latest live update from the trial:
     
     Testimony was heard all day yesterday from the State regarding the 
     break in and killing of cats at the Noah's Ark Animal Foundation 
     shelter.
     
     Witnesses included former Fairfield veterinarian, Kathy Axford Kline, 
     who described the scene of the crime when she arrived on March 8th 
     after the slaughter occurred. She described finding cats who were 
     injured, with severe head trauma, shock, broken limbs and jaws 
     hanging, cats who were traumatized with fear and how they were brought 
     outside to determine which ones needed immediate veterinary care.
     
     She described the nature of the injuries inflicted as being from the 
     same cause--- blunt trauma which is the medical term that describes 
     being beaten over the head. She described taking the cats and treatng 
     them at the vet clinic and then referring three of the more critical 
     cases to Ames Iowa State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital for 
     small animals.
     
     The most powerful testimony came when she was asked why the ainimals 
     that she took were not just euthanized and she said that they were in 
     her opinion capable of being saved and living their lives as happy 
     pets if they were treated. She said she reommended treatment and that 
     it was a part of her oath to save animal's lives if that were 
     possible.
     
     Testimony was also heard from Noah's Ark Director, David Sykes who was 
     asked about adoptions, cat records, shelter policies and other related 
     issues pertaining to the cats care and the facility. No questions were 
     permitted which enabled him to describe what he actually saw and 
     experienced the day after the killings when he discovered the dead 
     cats because the defendants had already pleaded guilty to that part of 
     the charge.
     
     In cross examination, Steve Gardiner, attorney for Daniel Meyers began 
     his line of questioning by directing his inquiry into David Sykes' 
     personal business endeavors, internet contacts, and acquisition of a 
     house trailer on the Noah's Ark property. The State objected and 
     called for a private meeting with the judge. The jury was excused and 
     the lawyers met in judge's chambers. What came out of that is that the 
     defense lawyers were instructed that they were not permitted to ask 
     questions about Sykes' or Noah's Ark's financial records or 
     information pertaining to that. That had been a prior ruling by the 
     judge which the defense has been attempting to erode at every 
     opportunity.
     
     In the defense attorney's opening remarks to the jury he stated that 
     he would prove that this whole incident was used as a means for Noah's 
     Ark directors to gain widespread media attention and collect money 
     making it a lucrative and beneficial thing for them which they 
     capitalized upon. Fortunately the judge would not permit this line of 
     questioning and it was stricken from the record and the former ruling 
     was upheld.
     
     Defense cross examination was then limited to discussion of the cat's 
     medical records and adoptions which did not bear out anything very 
     detrimental to our case, other than that many of the cats (about 5) 
     were live-trapped indicating that they were feral cats and the defense 
     will conclude had no value to anyone.
     
     After David Sykes' testimony, Dr. Grahame from Iowa State University 
     Veterinary Teaching hospital also testified as to the nature of the 
     treatments of the injured cats that she saw, and the extent, 
     description and cause of the injuries. Photos of the injured cats were 
     shown and she stated that the cats admitted had been in a great deal 
     of pain, but in her opinion were capable of being saved and worth 
     their time and effort. She stated that a portion of the treatments 
     were donated by the hospital and that this occurs sometimes when the 
     cost is exorbitant or if circumstances warrant it. She was asked by 
     defense attorney Kirk Daily if the cats had a "fair market value" and 
     she said "if you mean like a hog or a cow, no, but their lives did 
     have a significant value and that's why we treated them."
     
     Defense lawyers then put forth a motion to the judge with the jury 
     excused, that the charges against their clients Lamansky and Myers be 
     excused from considertation by the jury because of the State's failure 
     to prove any significant value pertaining to the cat's lives equalling 
     $500.
     
     They then asked that charges of aggravated misdemeanor also be excused 
     because of the State's failure to prove any value equaling $100, and 
     again repeated the same request for charges of simple misdemeanor. The 
     State argued persuasively that considerable value had been shown 
     sufficient to uphold both counts of well over $500 on various 
     occasions with respect to adoptions, veterinary bills, and private pet 
     store valuation of what cats are sold for. The judge overruled the 
     request and stated that the evidence was compelling enough that the 
     jury should be allowed to consider it and make their determination.
     
     Now the state has rested its case and the defense will call their 
     witnesses. So far their case has been almost non-existent, and we 
     understand they will now call a few farmers up there to say that cats 
     *have no value*. Other than that the state's evidence is very 
     substantative, but in the end it will be up to the jury to determine 
     what value if any will be considered for these cat's lives.
     
     'Court TV' will not broadcast live as previously thought, but will air 
     the program after it is edited and commentary by their correspondant 
     is prepared and added, which will include interviews at Noah's Ark 
     with the directors.
     
     "People" magazine correspondent has arrived here today and is 
     preparing to do a story on the shelter and the tragedy for their 
     magazine.
     
     --
     
     Madlyn
     
     Laura Sykes, director of Noah's Ark can be reached at 
     noahsark@lisco/com.  Address is PO Box 748, Fairfield, Iowa  52556
     515-472-6080.  There are several web sites on the tragedy.  I'll try 
     to make a list and post toon.
     
     vicki

Date: Fri, 07 Nov 1997 11:34:20 -0500
From: "allen schubert, arrs admin" 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Cc: "Richard Carlson" 
Subject: RFI: (US) Python skin shoes
Message-ID: <3.0.32.19971107113417.006da608@envirolink.org>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Request For Information (private e-mail replies)
posted for (and reply to)  "Richard Carlson" 
-----------------------------------------------------
I was in a Ross clothing store the other day and was outraged when I saw 
several pairs of Python skin shoes on sale. At first I assumed that they were 
man-made reproductions. But when I looked at the tag inside the box, it 
contained a statement of authenticity assuring the customer that they were 
made from 100% natural snake skin. These shoes were made in China by a
company 
called Impo. I would like to know if this is illegal. Also, who can I contact 
to assist in putting a stop to this deliberate destruction of a species that 
is rapidly disappearing from the wild.

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Thank You!

Richard
RiCarlson@msn.com




Date: Fri, 07 Nov 1997 13:27:08 -0500
From: allen schubert 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (BE) Mad Cow Ground for Feed in Belgium by Mistake
Message-ID: <3.0.32.19971107132706.0069302c@pop3.clark.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

from CNN custom news http://www.cnn.com/
-------------------------------------------------
Mad Cow Ground for Feed in Belgium by Mistake

Xinhua
07-NOV-97

BRUSSELS (Nov. 7) XINHUA - The discovery of the first case of mad cow
disease in Belgium took a surprising turn as local press today reported
that its carcass had not been destroyed at all. 

Instead, it was used to fabricate animal feed by mistake even though
Belgian Agriculture Minister Karel Pinxten said last week that the mad cow
had been slaughtered and burned in accordance with the European Union law. 

Local television and newspaper reports quoted an agriculture ministry
spokesman as saying that the mistake was caused by a veterinarian who took
the case for a rabies prior to the final diagnosis. 

The reports quoted Pinxten as saying that the mistakenly fabricated animal
feed would not contaminate further in that the feed fabrication procedure
was a "secure" one. 

On Monday, Belgium had to destroy a herd of 34 cattle raised together with
the one found with the mad cow disease in a farm in the province of Namur. 

The positive diagnosis of the first case of mad cow was announced late last
week after several rounds of laboratory analyses and the discovery made
Belgium the eighth country in Europe that has reported cases of the disease. 

Mad cow disease is suspected of provoking in human beings a new form of the
fatal disease known as Creutzfeldt-Jacob that has already claimed 21 lives
in Britain. 

So far, 261 cases among cattle were reported in Switzerland, 210 cases in
Ireland, 70 cases in Portugal, 28 cases in France, five cases in Germany,
two cases in the Netherlands and 170,000 cases in Britain. 
Date: Fri, 07 Nov 1997 13:36:38 -0500
From: allen schubert 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (US) 'Bird Brain' Might Be a Compliment
Message-ID: <3.0.32.19971107133635.00693940@pop3.clark.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

from AP Wire page http://wire.ap.org/
-----------------------------------------
 11/07/1997 12:03 EST

 'Bird Brain' Might Be a Compliment

 CHICAGO (AP) -- Polly want an education?

 Maybe Polly doesn't need one. New research seems to indicate that
 parrots, like chimps and dolphins, are capable of mastering complex
 intellectual concepts that children cannot handle until the age of 5.

 Pet experts gathering in Chicago today for the American Veterinary
 Association's annual animal welfare forum believe the parrot's
 intelligence is why the popularity of the bird has grown faster than any
 other pet over the past decade.

 Irene Pepperberg is an ecologist and evolutionary biologist who studies
 the intelligence of parrots. Pepperberg, of the University of Arizona in
 Tucson, has focused her studies on a parrot she bought at a Chicago pet
 store in 1977.

 That bird, Alex, can name 50 objects when shown them, knows colors, knows
 numbers up to eight and even understands the concepts of same and
 different.

 ``All of the tests we've done with dolphins and great apes to investigate
 their intelligence, we've done with Alex,'' Pepperberg said. ``He scored
 as well as they did in many of them, better in some.''

 Bird brains are different than those of advanced mammals, catching the
 interest of neurologists, psychologists and others.

 ``I compare parrot brains with chimp brains like people compared the old
 Macintosh computers with IBM computers. They are wired in different ways
 and they use different software to do the same things, but when the same
 data goes in, the same answers come out of both systems.''

 Intelligence doesn't always equal a good pet, however.

 Experts say the bird is domineering and sometimes difficult to
 understand, and although they can live up to 80 years, many people give
 up these pets after the first five years.

 ``I have seen entire families, their German shepherd included, buffaloed
 by a bird,'' said Chris Davis, a California parrot psychology expert.
 ``They are never subservient.''

 But Liz Wilson, a parrot behavior consultant from Philadelphia, said
 she's heard of cases where people come home feeling blue and their parrot
 asks them outright, ```Is something wrong?'

 ``You have to earn their love. I like that,'' she said.
Date: Fri, 07 Nov 1997 14:07:42 -0500
From: allen schubert 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (US) Deer given a reprieve until Dec.
Message-ID: <3.0.32.19971107140739.00694e08@pop3.clark.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

from Beacon-Journal http://www.ohio.com/bj/news/docs/020478.htm via
Newsworks http://www.newsworks.com/
------------------------------------------------------------
Deer given a reprieve until Dec.

Shooting won't start in the Cuyahoga Valley until hearing is held before
federal judge

Bob Downing Beacon 
Journal staff writer

Today's scheduled shooting of white-tailed deer in the Cuyahoga Valley
National Recreation Area has been postponed to Dec. 10 and perhaps longer.

But what happens after Dec. 10 remains unclear, according to parties involved.

Whether park officials will be able to shoot deer in the Cuyahoga Valley
park and in nearby Cleveland Metroparks this winter will likely be
determined in courtrooms in Cleveland and in Washington, D.C., in the
coming weeks.

The deer are threatening flora and fauna in the parks and the number of
deer needs to be reduced, park officials say. But that has brought about
legal challenges from national and local animal rights groups.

The U.S. Justice Department voluntarily agreed yesterday in U.S. District
Court in Washington, D.C., to keep the National Park Service from starting
to shoot 470 deer in the Cuyahoga Valley park. That action came before U.S.
District Court Judge Paul L. Friedman in a lawsuit filed by a coalition of
animal rights groups.

Parties involved in the suit are the Animal Protection Institute, the
Humane Society of the United States, the Fund for Animals, In Defense of
Deer and Ohioans for Animal Rights.

Friedman did not rule on the animal rights groups' request for a temporary
restraining order to block the shootings.

The judge scheduled oral arguments on the valley park deer issue for 10
a.m. Dec. 10.

``The deer are safe until Dec. 10, and that's good news. It really is,''
said Sheila Hughes Rodriguez of the Sacramento-based Animal Protection
Institute. ``We remain very optimistic that we can win this.''

Added Eastlake's David Sickles of Ohioans for Animal Rights, ``It is
absolutely great news.''

Officials of the Cuyahoga Valley park were not surprised the scheduled
shooting of the deer was halted, said Tom Bradley, assistant park
superintendent.

``We hope today's agreement will expedite the process and let the case be
heard on its merits as soon as possible,'' he said.

The park service agreed not to shoot the deer for 30 days and to speed up
the legal process in exchange for the animal rights groups' not pushing
their request for a temporary restraining order, officials said.

It is not known if Friedman will issue a ruling immediately after the Dec.
10 hearing or whether he might issue an order to block shooting the deer
and issue his ruling later, officials said.

Sickles' group called yesterday's legal maneuvering a victory for the
animal rights groups.

``The delay in killing deer shows that the park service is worried that
their plan would be exposed as the farce it really is,'' said spokesman
Jamie Patrick.

``This agreement shows that the park service is worried because they do not
have the facts on their side and they knew the judge would find that they
violated the law and their scientific evidence is laughable,'' he said.

Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Frank D. Celebrezze Jr. has scheduled a
hearing on Monday on whether Cleveland Metroparks will be permitted to
proceed with plans to shoot 100 deer in its Brecksville and Bedford
reservations.

A Bedford-based group, In Defense of Deer, has filed suit against the
Cuyahoga County park district for its deer-culling plans.

The two parks contend that the deer population has grown so large between
Akron and Cleveland that concentrations of 100 deer per square mile are
common and that the herd needs to be reduced to 20 deer per square mile.

The Cuyahoga Valley park is the first national park to cite the threat to
biodiversity in seeking to justify shooting the deer.

The park service plan would affect 18,000 federally owned acres within the
33,000-acre park. It would not affect private lands.

It would be the second national park in the country to shoot deer.
Pennsylvania's Gettysburg National Military Park shot 858 deer in 1995 and
1996. The park service suspended that operation while Friedman considers a
similar lawsuit filed by the animal rights groups against shooting the deer.

The Northeast Ohio parks would rely on sharpshooters, recruited as
volunteers from among park employees, to shoot the deer at night when the
parks are closed. The shooting would be done mostly from platforms mounted
on pickup trucks.

The deer meat would be furnished to local food banks to feed the needy.
Date: Fri, 07 Nov 97 13:19:18 CST
From: "Vicki Sharer" 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Noah's Ark trial ends
Message-ID: <9710078789.AA878937945@INETGW.WKU.EDU>

     I just had a note from Laura at Noah's Ark.  Unbelievably, the two 
     defendants were found not guilty on 2 felony counts.  For all of the 
     lives lost, the jury put a value of $100.00 therefore not meeting the 
     $500.00 mark for felony convictions.  They were convicted of 
     aggravated misdemeanor which could carry 2 years in jail and a $2,000 
     fine.  
     
     
     vicki

Date: Sat, 08 Nov 1997 06:34:24 +1100
From: Lynette Shanley 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (AU) "epitome of eveil" cut off cat's ears
Message-ID: <3.0.1.32.19971108063424.0071efcc@lisp.com.au>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

>From the Sydney Morning Herals Saturday 8th November, 1997
Reporter  Anabel Dean. 

A psychopathic double murderer had been encouraged by his grandmother to
mutilate kittens by cutting off their ears and tails when he was a child, a
Supreme Court judge heard yesterday. 

Justice Jeremy Badgery-Parker was told that Richard William Leonard, now 24
had stayed during school holidays with his "disturbed" and "cruel"
grandmother. She had cut the ears and tails off cats and kittens - which
she bought for her grandson - and then encouraged him to do the same. 

"It may well have been in those early ages that he started to have an
inability to adapt to the needs and suffering of other living creatures"
says Dr Bruce Westmore. a consultant psychiatrist. 

Leonard went on to kill Mr Stephen Dempsey by shooting him through the
heart with a high-powered bow and arrow at a known homosexual beat near
Narrabeen on 2nd August, 1994. He cut up Mr Dempsey's body and stored it in
his refrigerator for four months before dumping the parts - wrapped in
chicken wire and weighed down by rocks - at Pittwater. 

Fifteen weeks later, Leonard murdered taxi drive Mr Ezzedine Bahmad by
stabbing him in the chest 37 times and then slitting his throat. Mr Bahmad
was found slumped in the driver's seat at Collaroy Plateau on 18th
Nobember, 1994. 

The Crown prosecutor, Mr Christopher Maxwell,QC, siad this had beed "the
epitome of evil". He called on the judge to impose a life sentence. 

Leonard had pleaded guilty to Mr Bahmad's murder. Last week a jury found
him guilty of Mr Demsey's murder after it failed to accept that Leonard had
been provoked.  
 
Dr Westmore told the court that Leonard was a homosexual who had a great
deal of difficulty adjusting to his sexual orientation. He suffered from
"an extreme personality disorder" and could be best described as a
ppsychopath. 

The former abattoir worker, from Balgowlah, will be sentenced on Monday. 


Lynette Shanley
International Primate Protection League - Australia
PO Box 60
PORTLAND  NSW  2847
AUSTRALIA
Phone/Fax 02 63554026/61 2 63 554026
EMAIL ippl@lisp.com.au
Date: Fri, 07 Nov 97 13:54:09 PST
From: "bhgazette" 
To: "AR News" 
Subject: Fw: BABY ELEPHANT NEEDS HELP!
Message-ID: 
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1"; X-MAPIextension=".TXT"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit



----------
> Date: Thursday, November 06, 1997 14:14:38
> From: GarrisonMJ
> To: BHG@intex.net
> Subject: BABY ELEPHANT NEEDS HELP!
>
>
> BABY ELEPHANT NEEDS YOUR HELP!!
> KEEP ASIAN ELEPHANTS IN ASIA!
>
> Enron Corporation, a large power supply company, recently acquired Portland
> General Electric in Oregon.To show its "community spirit" Enron has decided to
> "donate" a baby female Asian elephant to the Washington Metro Park Zoo in
> Portland.  The company claims that the baby elephant chosen will be an
> "orphan".
>
> When elephants in the wild are orphaned, the rest of the herd will care for
> the baby, turning Enron's benevolent spin on this kidnapping, on its ear.  In
> her press statement about Enron's "gift", Sherry Shang, the recently departed
> director of the Metro Washington Zoo confirmed that humans don't need to
> "rescue" orphaned elephants: " It is expected that the current female adults
> at the zoo will 'adopt' her as one of their own--a common practice in the wild

> when calves are orphaned."
>
> The zoo, which has an appalling history of placing elephants from its breeding
> program into Las Vegas acts and circuses, sees Enron's gift as a money-making
> draw and a future breeder.
>
> Right now, there are three female Asian elephants advertised for sale by a
> circus.  Enron could turn the lives of these animals around by buying them and
> donating them to the Washington Metro Zoo and the zoo, by giving them a place
> to retire, could make up for its having turned over other magnificent
> elephants to the harsh circus life.
>
> PLEASE CONTACT THE FOLLOWING PEOPLE IMMEDIATELY:
>
> Jeffrey K. Skilling, President COO
> Enron Corporation
> 1400 Smith Street
> Houston, TX 77002
> Fax: 713-646-8381
>
> Kathy Kiaunis, Acting Director
> Metro Washington Park Zoo
> 4001 SW Canyon Road
> Portland, OR 97221-2799
> Fax: 503-226-6836
> For more information contact:
> Jane Garrison/ PETA
> 757-622-7382 ext. 635
>


Date: Fri, 07 Nov 1997 15:29:16 -0500
From: "allen schubert, arrs admin" 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (US) ANIMAL ABUSE CASE (fwd)
Message-ID: <3.0.32.19971107152914.006dd380@envirolink.org>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Please send replies to:  JAMES RICHARD RAMSEY II 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sat, 01 Nov 1997 22:31:58 +0000
From: JAMES RICHARD RAMSEY II 
To: support@envirolink.org
Subject: ANIMAL ABUSE CASE

MY MOTHER SHOWS, RAISES, AND BREEDS CHOWS IN TENNESSEE.
SHE RECENTLY SOLD A DOG TO A LADY. THREE MONTHS LATER THIS
LADY TOLD MY MOM TO COME GET THE DOG, BECAUSE THE DOG WAS
NOT FRIENDLY. MY MOTHER GOT THE DOG BACK AND THE DOG HAD A
106 DEGREE TEMP, NUMEROUS CUT(SOME TWO INCHES IN DIAMETER
WITH OOZING PUSS), AND RASHES ALL OVER THE DOGS.
MY MOTHER IS A REPUTABLE DOG BREEDER AND NEEDS SOME HELP
TO POSSIBLY PURSUE LEGALLY. CAN YOU PLEASE GIVE ME S POINT
OF CONTACT OF SOME AGENCIES THAT CAN HELP ME.
MY E-MAIL ADDRESS IS RAMSEYAJ4@EARTHLINK.NET
JAMES R RAMSEY
3320 DIANA LEE CT
VA BEACH, VA 23452
THANK YOU




Date: Fri, 7 Nov 1997 12:34:08 -0800 (PST)
From: Michael Markarian 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Cc: alococo@wyoming.com, crawford@tcplink.nrel.gov, ellij@csn.net,
        rosmarin@sobek.Colorado.EDU
Subject: Incentives Take Aim on Decline of Youthful Hunters (US)
Message-ID: <2.2.16.19971107175824.4f2fc26a@pop.igc.org>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit

from http://www.denverpost.com

Denver Post
Friday, November 7, 1997
Cover Story, Lifestyles Section

                  Incentives take aim on decline of youthful hunters 

                  By Cate Terwilliger 
                  Denver Post Staff Writer 

                  Nov. 6 - The Colorado Division of Wildlife is aiming for a
future populated with the likes of young
                  Jason Woodfork, an earnest, straightforward youth whose
enthusiasm for nature - and hunting -
                  percolates through unpolished prose. 

                  "Hunting, I think that's in my blood - like a kid with
science or a kid with math,'' says the 14-year-old
                  Career Education Center freshman. "It's something that
rings that bell in their mind, that they crave for.
                  I'm that way about wildlife.'' 

                  That brings a smile to the face of DOW hunter education
administrator Mike Stone. "This kid is on fire;
                  he just loves to be outside,'' says Stone, who scrambled
to find two adults who would take the Denver
                  teen elk hunting before the season closes Sunday. Jason
makes an appealing example of an
                  endangered species - young hunters. And he's eager to take
advantage of a mentor program and other
                  concerted efforts to draw Colorado youth into a dying
tradition. 

                  "The bottom line is, hunting used to be more of a Colorado
tradition than it is today,'' Stone says. "We
                  find that the average age of hunters in Colorado right now
is 46 years old or so.'' 

                  State wildlife officials say that while the number of
people hunting in Colorado is relatively steady -
                  about 20,000 people take hunter-education training here
each year - hunters represent an
                  ever-shrinking percentage of the state's booming
population. The trend is evident nationwide.
                  Hunting-license holders have dropped from a peak of 16.7
million in 1982 to 15.2 million in 1996,
                  according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. A trio of
Cornell University researchers notes that 9
                  percent to 11 percent of Americans 12 and older were
hunters as recently as 1980. But that figure has
                  since dropped steadily; in 1991, the last year cited, the
percentage was 7.5. 

                  Officials blame the decline on a number of factors:
increasing urbanization; a plethora of activities
                  competing for kids' attention; the time, expense and
relative difficulty of executing a hunt; safety
                  concerns; and the breakdown of families in which fathers
have historically initiated sons into hunting. 

                  "Hunting and fishing are generally family activities, and
we find if people don't get involved when they're
                  kids, they're not likely to get involved,'' Stone says.
"This has broken down. People are not inheriting
                  that hunting tradition in the family.'' 

                  In the past few years, Colorado wildlife officials have
responded by providing special incentives to help
                  kids under 16 get started in hunting. They include: 

                  *  Discounted licenses. DOW-supported legislation in 1994
provided for $1 combination small-game
                  hunting/fishing licenses for youth. The law also created
bargain big-game licenses ($10 for residents,
                  $75 for nonresidents, or about half the adult license
price) and lowered the minimum age to obtain a
                  big-game license from 14 to 12. In 1996, 11,452 kids
bought the small-game license; 11,748 took
                  advantage of the discounted big-game license. 

                  *  A mentor program that links kids who want to hunt with
adults willing to teach them. 

                  *  Exclusive use, for young hunters and their mentors, of
10 state wildlife areas and trust lands. 

                  *  A waterfowl hunting day exclusively for children. 

                  *  This year, preferential granting of antlerless limited
hunting licenses to children 12-15. 

                  "There's a demand for those sorts of opportunities;
there's a demand for hunting recreation from that
                  group,'' says Patt Dorsey, the DOW's education/special
projects coordinator. 

                  But critics of efforts such as Colorado's say kids
nationwide are being drawn into blood sports for
                  reasons that are more financial than altruistic - to
maintain the livelihood of firearms manufacturers, the
                  hunting industry and state wild life agencies themselves.
Big money is at stake: Hunters spent $20.67
                  billion on their sport in 1996 alone, according to
government statistics. 

                  License fees are part of that and an important source of
revenue for state wildlife agencies. In fiscal
                  year 1995-96, the Colorado DOW got 76 percent of its
revenue from sales of hunting and fishing
                  licenses; hunting licenses alone pumped more than $51.3
million into the agency, which receives no
                  state tax dollars. In addition, some of the federal funds
Colorado receives each year depend on the
                  number of licenses sold. 

                  Maintaining funding is "a very real concern,'' Dorsey
concedes. "We realize that, as an agency, we do
                  need young hunters to become old hunters.'' 

                  A spokesman for the nation's largest anti-hunting group
casts that observation in a harsher light. "State
                  wildlife agencies . . . have to make hunting interesting
and accessible to kids,'' says Michael Markarian
                  of the New York-based Fund for Animals. "They don't want
kids to go out hunting once and never do
                  it again. They want them to do it for the rest of their
lives, so they will pay money for hunting licenses;
                  they will pay money for guns and ammunition. 

                  "The people who are protesting these efforts are concerned
about . . . cruelty to animals, the fact that
                  you don't want to expose children to violence, and the
fact that a state agency should represent all its
                  constituents. It shouldn't take sides on a controversial
issue like hunting, and it shouldn't spend its
                  money to recruit kids.'' 

                  State wildlife officials began considering incentives for
children a few years ago, at the behest of several
                  Grand Junction sportsmen concerned about declining numbers
of young hunters. At about the same
                  time, 1993, Colorado State University researchers working
in partnership with the DOW surveyed
                  Coloradans' interest in hunting, fishing and
wildlife-viewing. 

                  The sampling of 1,202 residents ages 18 and older
indicated that 14 percent had taken a hunting trip in
                  the previous year and that 28 percent - those hunters plus
an additional 14 percent - were interested in
                  a hunting trip in the next year, says researcher and CSU
Professor Mike Manfredo. The numbers were
                  highest in western Colorado, where the state's hunting
tradition remains strongest, and lowest along the
                  highly urbanized Front Range. 

                  Although the study did not include children, wildlife
officials interpreted the data to mean that, for every
                  Coloradan of any age who buys a hunting license, another
is interested in doing so. 

                  But the extent to which that demand exists among children
remains unclear. 

                  "Hunting and fishing are both heavily driven by parents or
close relatives,'' Manfredo says. "So if you
                  look at it from that standpoint, you could make a case
that it's reasonable to suggest that there is a
                  potential demand here, because the demand exists in the
adults. . . . I'm not sure kids even have a well-

                  formed impression of what's involved in hunting.'' 

                  Whatever interest uninitiated kids do have is fleeting. 

                  "Even with all this goodie stuff, the kids are still not
beating our doors down to go hunting,'' Stone says.
                  "They like Nintendo, really and truly.'' 

                  Dorsey says about 30 percent of children she visited in
Boulder elementary-school classrooms showed
                  an interest in hunting, but "if they're not given the
opportunity at that point, by the time they're 16, the
                  interest level goes way down. 

                  "If we don't cultivate that group at that young age, it's
sort of an ephemeral interest. And what we want
                  to cultivate is a persistent interest.'' 

                  Stone recalls being surprised at the ease with which the
'94 bill stipulating discounted licenses and the
                  younger age made it into law. "At the same time, they were
talking about kids with guns and violence
                  on the streets and gangs and passing laws,'' Stone says.
"I thought, "Oh, boy - this will be a direct
                  conflict.' But it wasn't. All the way through the Senate
and the House, it flew.'' 

                  Both bodies passed the bill unanimously, and dissenters
remain few. "I have had a few comments from
                  people that we shouldn't be killing any animals to begin
with, and we for darn sure shouldn't be
                  teaching kids to kill animals,'' Dorsey says. "I don't
know how you address the concerns of that
                  particular group of people. . . . That's simply their
belief system and their value system, and that's OK.
                  But what we want to do, (for) the people who don't feel
that way . . . is that they know that the next
                  generation of hunters is going to be ethical and courteous
and responsible and safe.'' 

                  Beginning with Florida in 1985, some 42 states now sponsor
children's hunting, according to "Killing
                  Their Childhood: How Public Schools and Government
Agencies Are Promoting Sport Hunting to
                  America's Children.'' The draft report issued last month
by The Fund for Animals notes that many
                  states conduct special youth hunts of deer, waterfowl and
birds; one Mississippi hunt in December
                  1994 made Christmas presents of hunter orange vests and
deer grunt calls to kids from children's
                  homes and single-parent families. Other states, like
Colorado, include among their incentives special
                  areas or seasons exclusively for kids. 

                  "Sometimes, states are having youth seasons before the
regular season so it's not as cold,'' Markarian
                  says. "A special season or a special location means kids
are not competing with adult hunters. They
                  have a better chance of getting a kill, a feeling of
accomplishment, which will encourage them to
                  return.'' 

                  Markarian and other critics believe such campaigns are
driven in part by gun manufacturers' attempts
                  to exploit the youth market. They cite literature
published by the Connecticut-based National Shooting
                  Sports Foundation, which sponsors the annual national
trade show for the firearms industry. 

                  "There's a way to help ensure that new faces and new
pocketbooks will continue to patronize your
                  business: Use the schools,'' columnist Grits Gresham wrote
in the September/October 1993 issue of
                  the NSSF's magazine, S.H.O.T. Business. "Unless you and I
. . . imprint our positions in the minds of
                  those future leaders, we're in trouble.'' 

                  The Violence Policy Center, a gun-control group in
Washington, says the NSSF is using the nation's
                  schools to introduce youth to firearms through educational
material on hunting and wildlife management.
                  "The NSSF reasons that an increased acceptance - or lack
of antagonism - toward hunting can lead to
                  an interest in, and subsequent purchase of, firearms,''
the center noted in a 1994 report. 

                  About 110,000 copies of three NSSF videos and related
material have been distributed free
                  nationwide to teachers who request them, including many in
Colorado. The material was produced in
                  the late '70s and '80s with the help of U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service funding, a fact The Violence
                  Policy Center finds disconcerting: "At issue is not
hunting, but whether any industry should, with federal
                  funds, use schools to increase the sale of its product and
bolster its political base.'' 

                  NSSF President Robert Delfay calls such statements
"utterly irresponsible and distorted.'' 

                  "Our educational programs in schools report on the success
of sportsmen-supported wildlife
                  management,'' Delfay says. "And that's all they do.'' 

                  Some students - especially in rural areas - learn about
hunting through less formal channels. Many of
                  Colorado's 500 volunteer hunter education instructors are
public school teachers, Dorsey says, and
                  some - no one knows how many - discuss hunting with
students in the context of health or wildlife
                  management classes. 

                  Such formal and informal curricula have inspired The Fund
for Animals to offer schools an opposing
                  video and literature critical of hunting. "So long as the
pro-hunting message is being presented in public
                  schools, it is essential to get the animal protection
message into public schools on an equal basis,'' the
                  fund stated in its recent report. 

                  Jason Woodfork would be baffled by all the hullabaloo.
He's thinking about his recent afternoon spent
                  hunting elk with a mentor at Golden Gate Canyon State Park. 

                  "We didn't see any elk, but it was still peaceful,'' he
says. "We went on top of three mountains, just
                  walking the whole way. We went from snow like an inch
deep, to no snow, to like, past our knees. . . .
                  We saw a golden eagle.'' 

                  Hunting is something he always wanted to do, Jason says;
he didn't need any encouragement from
                  wildlife officials. "I was interested,'' he says simply.
"I had a fascination with guns, but not with a bad
                  intent.'' 

                  In Colorado, any prospective hunter born after 1948 must
pass a hunter-education class before buying
                  a license. The course includes instruction in outdoor
ethics and survival skills as well as firearms safety,
                  Dorsey says. 

                  "I've even had people say to me after I've taught a youth
firearms class, "Yeah, great - now that you
                  taught them all of that stuff, next time they do a
drive-by, they'll hit their target,'‚'' Dorsey says. "My
                  experience is that most of the kids we see come through
the classes are real mature young people . . .
                  not the kinds of kids who do drive-bys.'' 

                  His fascination with firearms aside, Jason allows that
guns aren't the best part of hunting. "There's a
                  thrill there, I guess,'' he says. "Not the thrill of the
killing, but the power and the force, and the meat and
                  the taste. . . . Then there's the wildlife. I love that
more than anything. A lot of it is being out in nature.'' 

                  Jason's mom is no fan of hunting, but she likes what it
gives her youngest son. "I don't believe in killing
                  an animal,'' Dora Woodfork says. "I don't understand the
theory of hunting. I just know this is
                  something he believes in and wants to do.'' 

                  Hunting, she says, has given Jason a sense of
accomplishment and self-confidence, and has taught him
                  patience. Those are among the virtues touted by West
Virginia wildlife biologist and Professor David
                  Samuel, an advocate of children's hunting. 

                  "Kids who hunt know that there's a better way than drugs
if you want to alter your state of mind,''
                  Samuel says. Hunting teaches cooperation, builds
self-esteem and character, reduces stress, improves
                  concentration and connects young people to nature, he
says. It also builds "family values.'' 

                  "There are other ways to do these things,'' Samuel says.
"I will be the first to admit that. . . . But we
                  need to look at what's good for man and what's good for
our spirit. We've done it (hunting) for a long
                  time. Why give up on it now?'' 

                  Because times have changed, says Michael Kaufmann,
director of education for the Denver-based
                  American Humane Association, a child and animal protection
organization founded in the 1860s. While
                  some hunters still kill to put needed food on the table,
the days of subsistence hunting belong largely to
                  America's frontier past. 

                  "What's at stake here is that old tradition of hunting,
which in this country goes back to our beginning,''
                  Kaufmann says. "It was a very romantic notion - the early
settlers, pa and grandpa, went out, the son
                  would be indoctrinated into hunting. There are a lot of
warm, fuzzy memories associated with it. . . .
                  (But) it is another time, and today's sport hunting is a
different ball of wax for most people.'' 

                  Markarian also rejects the argument. "There are some
things that may have been a tradition in the
                  country a hundred years ago that we don't consider part of
our society anymore,'' he says. "When
                  people defend hunting as a tradition that is passed down
through generations, they focus on aspects of
                  spending time in nature. All those things can still be
experienced through activities that do not involve
                  killing animals.'' 

                  The debate over youth hunting raises a broader question,
the answer to which will shape wildlife
                  management in the 21st century: On whose behalf are
officials managing the wild populations? 

                  "The system is seriously distorted in favor of sport
hunting, and a major systemic overhaul is needed,''
                  The Fund for Animals report states. "In every state in the
nation, sport hunters are a small minority of
                  the population.'' 

                  Colorado anglers and wildlife watchers far outnumber
hunters, according to the 1993 study conducted
                  by Manfredo and his CSU colleagues. And, while some 14
million Americans 16 and older hunted last
                  year, 62 million participated in wildlife watching,
according to government statistics. 

                  But the DOW's Stone questions whether this nonhunting
majority is willing to foot the wildlife
                  management bill traditionally paid by hunters. "The real
issues are the homeless, crime, the prisons, the
                  highways, public schools,'' he says. "Wildlife is nice and
all that business, but when it comes right down
                  to it . . . the state of Colorado general fund - the
demands on it are so great and the priorities are higher
                  than wildlife habitat.'' 

                  Until that changes, he says, "There's no way we could do
business as we're doing it now without
                  revenue from hunting and fishing licenses.'' 




Date: Fri, 7 Nov 1997 16:01:47 -0500
From: "Leslie Lindemann" 
To: , 
Subject: Re: Noah's Ark trial ends
Message-ID: <19971107210107.AAA7155@oemcomputer>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit



----------
> From: Vicki Sharer 
> To: ar-news@envirolink.org
> Subject: Noah's Ark trial ends
> Date: Friday, November 07, 1997 2:19 PM
> 
>      I just had a note from Laura at Noah's Ark.  Unbelievably, the two 
>      defendants were found not guilty on 2 felony counts.  For all of the

>      lives lost, the jury put a value of $100.00 therefore not meeting
the 
>      $500.00 mark for felony convictions.  They were convicted of 
>      aggravated misdemeanor which could carry 2 years in jail and a
$2,000 
>      fine.  
>      
>      
>      vicki

I'm speechless.  
What are we going to do?
Leslie
Date: Fri, 7 Nov 1997 17:25:44 -0500 (EST)
From: crystal1@capecod.net (truddi lawlor)
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (uk/us)IFAW Press Release-Great Apes
Message-ID: <199711072225.RAA09451@mailhost.capecod.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

>To: arrs@envirolink.org
>From: crystal1@capecod.net (truddi lawlor)
>Subject: (uk/us)IFAW Press Release-Great Apes
>Cc: 
>Bcc: 
>X-Attachments: 
>
>Date: Thu, 6 Nov 1997 13:36:04 -0400
>
>IFAW Welcomes 'significant' steps to reduce animal tests
>
>The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) has welcomed a Home 
>Office paper published today, in which it has announced that as a 
>matter of morality it will not allow the Great Apes (Chimpanzees, 
>Gorillas and Orang-Utangs) to be used in animal experiments.
>It also "...takes the view that suffering of animals is not justified 
>in safety testing for finished cosmetic products."
>
>IFAW's UK Director Cindy Milburn said "All three companies involved 
>in this testing have agreed to relinquish their licenses and no more 
>will be issued.  The Government is also exploring the feasibility of 
>a ban on the testing of household products on animals, and will not 
>allow animal based tests for the development of alcohol or tobacco 
>products."
>
>'The number of animals spared from suffering may be small in the 
>short term, but Lord Williams of Mostyn has taken a symbolic and 
>significant step in the right direction.  In addition, it has also 
>been announced that there will be far greater scrutiny of the 
>regulatory requirements, support for the development of alternative 
>tests, and the establishment of welfare committees in all designated 
>establishments.  This will provide channels to ensure that animals 
>are used for scientific purposes only when justified.'
>
>'It is clear that the Government are concerned and are prepared to 
>act on issues surrounding animal cruelty.'
>
>International Fund for Animal Welfare/Yarmouthport, Ma 
>
>
>

Date: Fri, 07 Nov 1997 18:34:01 -0500
From: LGrayson 
To: ar-news 
Subject: Woman awarded $ for emotional distress associated
                          with the death of her dog.
Message-ID: <3463A569.7B54@earthlink.net>
MIME-Version: 1.0

Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
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November 6, 1997                        
                     Web posted at: 9:52 p.m. EST (0252 GMT)

                     From Detroit Bureau Chief Ed Garsten

                     DETROIT (CNN) -- A Michigan jury has awarded a
                     woman $5,000 for the emotional distress associated
                     with the death of her dog.

                     Leah Murray sued a kennel where she boarded
                     Brandy, the basenji she had for 12 years, prior to
                     its death two years ago. She blamed the kennel for
                     the dog's death, and she asked for damages because
                     of the emotional distress the death caused her.

                     Murray was so attached to her pet that she kept it
                     in bed with her for two days after it died.

                     Brandy suffered from diabetes and Cushing's
                     disease. During the trial, Murray claimed that the
                     kennel where Brandy was boarded, while she took a
                     trip to Las Vegas, didn't give the dog its insulin
                     and didn't feed it properly.

                     The kennel's owners said attempts were made to
                     feed Brandy but that the dog wouldn't eat. They
                     also said Murray withheld the dog's full medical
                     condition -- and should have boarded it with a
                     veterinarian because of the dog's extensive health
                     problems.

                                           An eight-person jury, after
                       [vxtreme] CNN's Ed  just 47 minutes of
                       Garsten reports.    deliberation, decided that
                                           Murray and the kennel were
                     equally responsible for Brandy's death. But jurors
                     awarded $5,000 to Murray for her emotional loss.

                     "I'm ecstatic about the verdict," she said. "I
                     really feel that it was time for there to be some
                     sort of change about how people look at the
                     communication and bonds between humans and
                     animals."

                     Murray says she will use the money to take care of
                     her other pets.

                     With the verdict, Michigan joins New York, Florida
                     and Hawaii as states where juries have awarded
                     monetary damages for the emotional strain after
                     losing a pet.
Date: Fri, 07 Nov 1997 19:38:24 -0800
From: Barry Kent MacKay 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Scumbag "animal activist" and "priest" sought/and caught
Message-ID: <3463DEB0.6A4A@sympatico.ca>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

"PRIEST" SOUGHT IN FOOD-BANK INVESTIGATION

Generous donations of groceries from corportations were regularly sold
to Toronto liquidation outlets, police say

By Timothy Appleby and Michael Grangk, The Globe and Mail

The Globe and Mail, Wednesday, Novmber 5, 1997

TORONTO - As police sifted through a warehouse for evidence yesterday,
there was no sign of the self-described "priest" believed to have headed
a scheme in which millions of dollars of food-bank contributions
allegedly were sold for profit.

Eight men and women were in custody on fraud charges awaiting a bail
hearing at Newmarket provincial court.  An [sic] 59-year old woman was
also charged with fraud over $5,000 but is free on an undertaking.

A warrant was issued last night for 47-year old Rev. Robert MacKenzie,
who set up the food bank that is under scrutiny.  It was operating under
the auspices of the Missionary Church of St. Francis of Assisi, also
called St. Francis Community Servicies, which Mr. MacKenzie founded.

As well, he set up a controversial Scarborough organization named the
Animal Rescue Missions.

"We're looking for him as we speak," said Sergeant John Sheldon of York
Regional Police.

The fraud charges allege that generous food donations from large
corporations were regularly sold to low-price liquidation outlets in the
Metro Toronto area.  Although their two-month investigation is
incomplete, the police said the proceeds are estimated at millions of
dollars.

"It hits everybody in the heart when people who are in need are taken
advantage of," Sgt. Sheldon said.  "This past Thanksgiving [note that
the Canadian Thanksgiving was a month ago] there was a large cry for
donations for the needy, and it wasn't being met."

It is not the first time Mr. MacKenzie has been accused of preying on
others.

The Animal Rescues Missions, which its many critics have accused of
bilking the needy through such services as providing $500 funerals for
cats at its Warden Avenue office, was an arm of the St. Francis group.

Operating animal shelters, an ambulance service, a retirement home for
cats, a newsletter, a paralegal service and a chapel, the Missions has
attracted wide interest over the years from Humane Society officials,
who say it falls within a grey area of the law were there is scant
regulation.

The animal-shelter drew particular attention to itself because it
described itself as "a charitable service organization," but was never
registered as a charity.

The religious background of Mr. MacKenzie --- who also calls himself
Father Bob and Bishop --- is also unclear.  In a 1991 interview, he said
he had been "ordained by my board of directors," of which he was the
head.

"Yes, "I am religious," he added.  "We pattern our work after the
Catholic Church, although we don't follow Rome."

Since then, Mr. MacKenzie has retired from his work with animals, a
spokesman for the Animal Rescue Missions said yesterday.  "I took over a
year ago; I make the decisions, and I know what's going on, said a man
who described himself as "a volunteer" and would give only the name Roy.

"I'm very shocked at what's going on right now.  I don't believe Bob
would do anything like that.  I'm hoping to hear from him.  But until
Bob appears and makes a statement, I think you should just wait."

The Missions no longer have an affiliation with the St. Francis group,
Roy added.  "No, we're not part of that; we have no connection
whatsoever.  Bob retired a year ago."

However, the evidence seems to indicate otherwise.

As police sorted through crates of boxed and canned goods at the food
bank's warehouse on Sunrise Avenue, near Eglinton and Bermondsey
Avenues, a "closed" sign hung on the office door.

Behind a two-metre barbed-wire-topped fence sat three cube vans and
serveral freight trailers.

One of the vans, backed up to a loading dock, was marked St. Francis
Community Services, with "anti-cruelty officer" on the driver's side
door.

Also out back were two ambulance-style vehicles complete with flashing
lights and brightly marked as "ani-ambulance" and "Emergency Mobile
First Aid Station."

At the nearby Sunset Restaurant, owner Ramsay McKee said the warehouse
staff, many of whom were regulars at his lunch counter, started
operations six or eight months ago and seemed busy.

"The place was always stuffed to the rafters," said Mr. McKee, who often
delivered takeout food to the building.  "I always thought they were
bringing lots of product through there.

"For Christians ostensibly working for a higher purpose, there was
nothing holy about them.  They certainly didn't preach."

A spokeswoman for the Canadian Association of Food Banks, an umbrella
group for 150 or so food banks across the country, expressed dismay at
the criminal charges.

"We've never heard of anything like this; it seems most extraordinary,"
executive director Julia Bass said.

But the CAFB has heard of the St. Francis group, she said.

"Our organization sent a letter out earlier this year to our major
corporate sponsors, cautiously worded, saying it had come to our
attention there were some dubious organizations operating," she said.

In 1983 Mr. MacKenzie was jailed and fined for conspiring to supply four
boys to an undercover policeman posing as a perverted politican.

A year earlier, he was convicted of practicing veterinary medicine
without a licence.  In 1986, Mr. MacKenzie was further investigated by
the College of Veterinarians of Ontario, which licenses vets, over a
pet-health plan he was promoting.  However, no charges were laid.

-30-

"Priest" in scam surrenders.

The Globe and Mail, Friday, November 7, 1997

Robert Charles MacKenzie, the self-styled "priest" wanted in connection
with an alleged food-bank scam, turned himself in to police yesterday,
after a Canada-wide warrant was issued Tuesday for his arrest.  The food
bank, located in the Toronto borough of East York and known as the
Missionary Church of St. Francis of Assisi or St. Francis Community
Services, is alleged to have sold food donated by corporations to
liquidation food outlets.  York Regional Police estimate the value at
milions of dollars.  Altogether, 10 people have been charged with
fraud.  ---Staff.

-30-

Date: Fri, 07 Nov 1997 18:47:34 -0500
From: Vegetarian Resource Center 
To: Veg-Boston@waste.org, Veg-NE@waste.org
Subject: will you please fwd to boston or mass lists?
Message-ID: 
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Cleveland Amory will be signing copies of his new book, 
RANCH OF DREAMS, 
at the following location in the Boston area:

Saturday, December 6th
4:00-5:00 p.m.
Border's Books
151 Andover Street
Peabody, Massachusetts   01960


Peabody is NORTH of Boston, near Salem. MA.
1997 Maynard S. Clark     Vegetarian Resource Center
Date: Fri, 07 Nov 1997 23:03:28 -0500
From: allen schubert 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Cc: "Leslie Lindemann" 
Subject: AR-News Admin Note--was: Re: Noah's Ark trial ends
Message-ID: <3.0.1.32.19971107230328.00693610@envirolink.org>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Must this be a daily posting?!

EVERYONE -- Please understand your e-mail program and the difference
between "reply" and "reply to all" -- _you_ are responsible for your own
software.  The only other solution to the "chat" problem is to turn AR-News
into a "moderated" list, meaning that nothing gets posted until the
listowner (me) approves it.  Such a move would greatly reduce the
timeliness of posts.  And remember, 880+ subscribers worldwide ARE NOT
interested in your private e-mail.

Please do not post commentary or personal opinions to AR-News.  Such posts
are not appropriate to AR-News.  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. 

Continued postings of inappropriate material may result in suspension of
the poster's subscription to AR-News.

Here is subscription info for AR-Views:

Send e-mail to:  listproc@envirolink.org

In text/body of e-mail:  subscribe ar-views firstname lastname

Also...here are some websites with info on internet resources for Veg and
AR interests:

The Global Directory (IVU)
http://www.ivu.org/global

World Guide to Vegetarianism--Internet
http://www.veg.org/veg/Guide/Internet/index.html
Date: Fri, 07 Nov 1997 23:08:28 -0500
From: allen schubert 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (US) Jury: Stray cat slaughter merits only a misdemeanor
Message-ID: <3.0.32.19971107230826.006eb794@pop3.clark.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

from CNN custom news http://www.cnn.com/
------------------------------------
Jury: Stray cat slaughter merits only a misdemeanor

November 7, 1997 
Web posted at: 7:55 p.m. EST (0055 GMT) 

BLOOMFIELD, Iowa (AP) -- Jurors didn't think stray cats are worth much,
ruling out felony convictions for two teen-agers who slipped into an animal
shelter late at night and beat 16 cats to death with baseball bats. 

The 18-year-olds were found guilty of two misdemeanor charges of offenses
against an animal shelter and a misdemeanor charge of criminal trespassing. 

The Davis County jury deliberated about 2 1/2 hours before returning the
verdicts against Chad Lamansky and Daniel Myers, who also injured seven
cats in the March 8 attack. 

The jury found that the value of the dead cats did not exceed $500 -- that
would be $31.25 each for the 16 cats -- thus ruling out felony charges that
would have carried up to 10 years in prison and a $15,000 fine. Instead,
each man now faces up to five years in prison and $750 in fines. 

"I'm very disappointed," said David Sykes, owner and founder of the
shelter, Noah's Ark. " ...I'm shocked and disappointed in the jury's
determination." 

"For a jury to see the magnitude of injuries and death and destruction, and
to say these cats are not worth $500, it's hard to swallow," he said. 

Sykes will be able to file a victim impact statement to be considered at
the December 12 sentencing, Jefferson County Attorney John Morrissey said.  

The two defendants did not show any emotion as the verdict was read. 

Defense attorneys had admitted in opening statements that Myers and
Lamansky slipped into the animal sanctuary in Fairfield late at night,
killing the cats with baseball bats. One defense attorney called it "a
stupid teen-age mistake." A third teen, Justin Toben, agreed to testify
against his buddies in exchange for the dismissal of some charges. He was
sentenced to three years' probation and 200 hours of community service, and
must pay restitution. 

In his closing argument Thursday, Morrissey told the jury that the state
proved that the value of the cats had more than met the $500 threshold
needed for a felony charge. 

He cited initial health tests, neutering or spaying, transportation costs
to acquire animals, a $50 required donation for pet adoptions, as well as
thousands of dollars in medical costs required to treat the cats after the
attack. 

But defense attorney Kirk Daily, representing Lamansky, said people brought
stray cats to the shelter and thus Noah's Ark got them for free. 

He also said that there was no market for adult stray cats and that jurors
should not consider testimony from a Fairfield pet store employee who said
her store charged $30 for kittens. 

"It's not the same. It's apples and oranges," he said. "People don't want
adult stray cats." During questioning of prospective jurors, the defense
noted that state law provides for no monetary damages for someone's
emotional ties to an animal. Prospective jurors with mixed-breed cats,
asked how much their cats cost, reported getting the cats for free. 

The killings sparked outrage in Fairfield, a southeastern Iowa community of
10,000 people, and the case was moved here because of pretrial publicity. 
Date: Fri, 07 Nov 1997 23:13:00 -0500
From: allen schubert 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (US) N.Y. Dead Pet Dumper Faces Fraud Charge
Message-ID: <3.0.32.19971107231258.006e7d2c@pop3.clark.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

from CNN custom news http://www.cnn.com/
------------------------------------
N.Y. Dead Pet Dumper Faces Fraud Charge

Reuters
07-NOV-97

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (Reuters) - A man who allegedly dumped the rotting
bodies of up to 40,000 pets in uncovered mass graves was charged here
Friday with fraudulently taking money from pet owners for cremations. 

Terence McGlashan of Saratoga Springs, New York, was arrested on a felony
charge of first-degree fraud for the pet cremations that never happened in
the culmination of a six-week investigation by state and local officials. 

``Mr. McGlashan's motive in dumping the animal carcasses instead of
following through with the cremations he promised was a combination of
expediency and greed,'' said Attorney General Dennis Vacco. 

Vacco said his office would work with pet owners to identify their pets and
provide information on the bodies of thousands of cats and dogs dumped in
black bags, which were ripped open by wild animals, in ditches on a farm in
the city. 

The farm owner, Ralph Seamen, told authorities when the gruesome dump was
discovered by a jogger in September that McGlashan, who owns a pet hauling
business and runs a licensed city pet crematorium, paid him $2 per animal
to dump them on the 500-acre farm. 

As many as 40,000 animals have been buried there for the last three decades
as well as headless rabid raccoons, laboratory rats, wildlife such as owls
and egrets, and medical waste including syringes that originated from
veterinarians. 

Attorney General Vacco worked on the case with the state Departments of
State, Health and Environmental Conservation and Saratoga County officials. 
Date: Fri, 07 Nov 1997 23:24:24 -0500
From: allen schubert 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (US) Children Do Not Have Learning "Window"
Message-ID: <3.0.32.19971107232421.006e7d2c@pop3.clark.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

(a situation where animal research misled people)
from Yahoo news page http://www.yahoo.com/headlines/
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Friday November 7 7:00 PM EST

Children Do Not Have Learning "Window"

NEW YORK (Reuters) -- Some brain research may mislead parents into thinking
they have only a narrow window of opportunity to stimulate an appreciation
of language, math or music in their child, according to a Missouri
researcher. However, the evidence to support these contentions are weak at
best, according to Dr. John Bruer, president of the McDonnell Foundation, a
St. Louis-based program that awards grants for biomedical and educational
research.

"The claim that children are capable of learning more at a very early age,
when they have excess synapses and peak brain activity is one of the most
common ones made in neuroscience and education literature," reported Bruer
in a paper scheduled to be published in the journal Educational Researcher.

"Other articles urge that children begin the study of languages, advanced
mathematics, logic and music as early as possible, possibly as early as age
3 or 4," he wrote.

So why the rush? Well studies -- mainly conducted in monkeys -- show that
at birth, infants have fewer synapses -- connections between neurons -- per
unit of brain tissue than adults. However, the infant brain soon begins to
form large numbers of such synapses, which connect brain cells into
circuits, in a process known as synaptogenesis.

At this point, there is an elimination process, where synapses are "pruned"
over a number of years and the number of synapses falls to the adult level,
usually around the age of sexual maturity for most species, Bruer notes.
This findings has led some to claim there is a "critical period" of
learning from birth to age 3. However, this theory assumes that the human
brain develops in much the same ways as the brain of rhesus monkeys,
according to Bruer.

"Unlike the monkey, where synaptogenesis appears to occur simultaneously
across all regions of the brain, the limited human data suggest that
changes in synaptic density in our species may vary among brain areas," he
wrote.

Instead, research suggests that the human mind is more "plastic" than
previously thought, able to adapt and change throughout a life-span.

"Stories stressing that children's experiences during their early years of
life will ultimately determine their scholastic ability, their future
career paths, and their ability to form loving relationships have little
basis in neuroscience," Bruer wrote.

Date: Fri, 07 Nov 1997 23:58:04 -0500
From: allen schubert 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (US) Sixty Baby Orangutans Confiscated
Message-ID: <3.0.32.19971107235802.00693b04@pop3.clark.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

from AP Wire http://wire.ap.org/
--------------------------------------------
 11/07/1997 13:10 EST

 Sixty Baby Orangutans Confiscated

 JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) -- Indonesian authorities have confiscated at
 least 60 baby orangutan apes this year from illicit wildlife traders.

 The red-haired apes were confiscated in Surabaya, East Java, throughout
 the year and are now being cared for at the Wanariset Samboja
 conservatory on the island of Borneo, the official Antara news agency
 reported Friday.

 It quoted Willie Smits, chief of the conservatory, as saying hunters
 usually kill mother apes in order to capture the babies.

 The report did not say whether any of the traders had been arrested or
 prosecuted.

 Smits said earlier that at least 120 orangutans have been tortured or
 killed by residents as the primates were forced out of their habitat by
 wildfires now raging on Indonesia's islands of Borneo and Sumatra.

 Fires in Indonesia have been burning for months and have smothered a
 large area of Southeast Asia with thick smoke haze. Large tracts of rain
 forest, the orangutan's habitat, have been destroyed.

 Environmentalists estimate that only 20,000 orangutans remain in the
 wild.



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