AR-NEWS Digest 671

Topics covered in this issue include:

  1) Animal-disease epidemics may grow
     by Vadivu Govind 
  2) AMA conference promises cancer cures
     by Andrew Gach 
  3) Marine mammals, birds die of starvation
     by Andrew Gach 
  4) (US) Wild Horse Deaths Investigated
     by allen schubert 
  5) RFI:UK and US cruelty-free lists
     by Vadivu Govind 
  6) Re: (USA) Endangered Species petition
     by Doris & Dan 
  7) Dallas - A.L.T. Upcoming Actions
     by BanFurNow@aol.com
  8) TW hog farmers consider relocating overseas
     by Vadivu Govind 
  9) (TW-S.Africa) Help in conservation efforts
     by Vadivu Govind 
 10) [US] Washington Post editorial - 'Oprah Winfrey, Meat and Microbes'
     by "Linda J. Howard" 
 11) Circus protesters supported-Use of megaphone raises issue(VA)
     by NOVENAANN@aol.com
 12) Dallas - Neiman Marcus Action
     by BanFurNow@aol.com
 13) [US] "Deadline nears for action on monkeys" (WSJ-022098)
     by Steve Barney 
 14) Hog Waste Spill May Foul Oklahoma City Water
     by Snugglezzz@aol.com
 15) (Aust)Caliciviruses damages sought
     by bunny 
 16) Efforts to Overturn Trap Ban in Mass. by Div of F&W  (US Mass.)
     by Pat Fish 
Date: Sat, 21 Feb 1998 13:05:39 +0800 (SST)
From: Vadivu Govind 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Animal-disease epidemics may grow
Message-ID: <199802210505.NAA12937@eastgate.cyberway.com.sg>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"


>The Straits Times
19 Feb 98

BEAST DANGER: Europe could face more animal-disease epidemics if livestock
were kept in large
     numbers and transported over long distances, a United Nations agency
warned on Tuesday. 

     The Food and Agriculture Organisation said nine of the 15 major animal
diseases in recent years had
     broken out in Europe. -- Reuters.


Date: Fri, 20 Feb 1998 21:04:11 -0800
From: Andrew Gach 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: AMA conference promises cancer cures
Message-ID: <34EE604B.263C@worldnet.att.net>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
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Less toxic, more effective cancer drugs on the way

Reuters News Service 
NEW YORK, February 20, 1998 

Drugs for treating cancer will be more effective and less toxic in
future and molecular technology is propelling the development of a
cancer vaccine, researchers said on Thursday.

Scientists also told an American Medical Association (AMA) conference
that new treatments for certain lymphomas were "extremely effective,"
that gene therapy offered "promising" results in the fight against
cancer and that genetic testing had created scope for cancer prevention.

The AMA said that new biologically based therapies were being used or
would soon be available for inoperable brain cancer, melanoma, breast
cancer and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. It said that in the future,
biotherapies could exist for lung, colon, prostate, ovarian and liver
cancers.

"Biotherapies are engineered to target only specific biological
functions, making this type of treatment more tolerable to the body,"
the AMA said in an introduction to the one-day conference on Thursday in
New York, "Fighting Cancer: Advances in Biotherapeutic Treatments."

Almost 10 million Americans are either living with cancer or have had
cancer previously, according to the AMA. It said advances in
biotherapeutic treatments "may extend the lives of even more Americans
living with cancer. In some instances cancers may be cured, but more
likely, lives will be lengthened beyond what today's diagnoses
indicate."

Dr. S. Gail Eckhardt of the the Cancer Therapy and Research Center's
Institute for Drug Development in San Antonio, Texas, told the
conference that a new class of drugs that included thalidomide and a
compound derived from the dogfish shark would make treatments more
effective and less toxic.

Eckhardt is among the researchers testing angiogenesis inhibitors --
drugs that work by inhibiting the growth of blood vessels that a tumor
needs to grow and spread to other parts of the body.

Approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for angiogenesis
inhibitors was several years away, researchers said.

"We have to be able to prove that what we're giving has some beneficial
effect," Eckhardt said. "That is more difficult when you have agents
that are achieving disease stabilization rather than tumor shrinkage."

The future was brighter for people with tumors of the lymphatic system
(lymphomas) because of a new type of cancer therapy that used monoclonal
antibodies to attack the tumor, the conference was told.

Use of those antibodies for lymphomas was new, but may become widespread
in two or three years, said Dr. Louis Weiner of the Fox Chase Cancer
Center and Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia.

The conference heard that potential vaccines against melanoma and
lymphoma were seen as the most promising, but that most work was in the
first phase of testing.

Cancer researchers were using molecular technology to identify antigens
and turn on the body's own T-cells -- two key steps in developing
cancer-fighting vaccines. T-cells are one of two main classes of
lymphocytes, or white blood cells, that play an important role in the
body's immune system.

Dr. Larry Kwak, a senior investigator for the National Cancer Institute
in Bethesda, Md., said researchers could now make a personalized
lymphoma vaccine in about three months for patients who suffer from
blood-borne cancers.

Kwak said companies may be reluctant to develop patient-personalized
products, but he believed the scientific and business communities would
ultimately have to develop individualized cancer vaccines because a
number of other such vaccines appeared promising.

"Even though these are individualized vaccines, we've been able to
streamline the process so that we can do this on a very efficient
basis," Kwak said.

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

If you have a sense of déjà vu, it's because of the hundreds of similar
announcements made since the beginning of Nixon's "war against cancer"
25 years ago; yet age-adjusted cancer death rates are higher today than
were in the 1970s.  

So the government continues throwing public funds at molecular research
which "advances scientific understanding" but has only empty promises
where cancer cure is concerned. 

Andy
Date: Fri, 20 Feb 1998 21:08:29 -0800
From: Andrew Gach 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Marine mammals, birds die of starvation
Message-ID: <34EE614D.1855@worldnet.att.net>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

El Nino forces sea lions onto Chile beaches

Reuters News Service 
SAN ANTONIO, Chile, February 19, 1998

A fearless sea lion pup waddles up to a fisherman on the beach, its sad,
black eyes begging for a scrap of fish. But the old man boots the hungry
pup away and another fisherman nearby growls, "If I had a stick of
dynamite, I'd blow them up."

The southern sea lion pups have become a common sight on the beaches of
this small fishing harbor 68 miles west of Santiago since January. They
are victims of the erratic weather pattern called El Nino.

El Nino results from an interaction between the surface layers of the
ocean and the overlying atmosphere in the tropical Pacific. Depending on
the region, it can cause droughts or floods as well as unusually warm
ocean currents.

These warmer waters have pushed fish farther offshore in search of
colder waters, so the parents of the young sea lions have left them
behind to pursue the fish.

"They wean them before they normally do, which is usually between six
and 10 months of age," said Jose Luis Brito, head of a rehabilitation
campaign in San Antonio manned by about two dozen volunteers. "The
little ones cannot swim far. They get weak and fall sick."

The pups, cold from their lack of blubber, turn to Chile's beach in
search of warmth and rest. Dozens have died.

"In the 100 kilometers (62 miles) of coast around San Antonio we have
found 107 dead ones," Brito said. "We have found pups in yards and in
the streets where cars pass. We found two swimming in a freshwater
streamlet of the San Pedro River eating dead fish and we have also found
them around the containers at the port."

Brito's team nourishes the pups, lets them swim a few hours a day in a
shallow pool and then returns them to the sea. Since January, they have
housed 86 pups and returned 72 of them.

But money, medicine and fish to feed them are scarce, he said. The
volunteers spend about $100 to $150 a day, excluding medicine and
equipment. The group has launched a campaign to collect funds.

But while the young sea lions' stomachs are rumbling, local fishermen
are grumbling. They see the creatures as rivals in their efforts to put
food on their families' tables.

"In one fishing net, 10, 15, 20 sea lions gather. How many fish are they
going to leave?" asked one fisherman, his crossed arms defensively
resting on his yellow overalls.

Fisherman probably will not have to complain much longer. Brito expects
the beaching trend to slow down when El Nino is over, which climate
experts expected to occur in April.

San Antonio's beaches are not the only ones being flooded by sea lions.
Silvia Arancibia, a university professor, said she counted 30 dead sea
lions and dozens of dead sea birds scattered on the sand while she was
on vacation at the Pan de Azucar National Park, 620 miles north of
Santiago.

Even farther north, in the Peruvian port of Callao just outside Lima,
two sea lions are being rehabilitated, Brito said, adding that he is
advising the caretakers.

And sea lions are not the only animals affected by El Nino. The
phenomenon has also caused sea turtles to migrate from Central American
waters to northern and central Chile.

The turtles, which prefer warmer waters, follow the El Nino current,
Brito said. His volunteers sheltered two stray turtles, which eventually
died.

El Nino has also caused feeble pelicans to flock to Chile's coasts in
abnormal quantities, he said. At beaches in northern Chile, pelicans,
sea lions and stray dogs fight viciously over fish scraps that the
public throws them.

Meanwhile, in southern China, fisheries officials suspect El Nino of
causing rare whale beachings in the South China Sea island province of
Hainan this month. And in Alaska, Fish and Wildlife Service officials
said hundreds of thousands of seabirds have starved to death as warmer
waters forced their food sources deeper into the ocean beyond their
reach.

By TIFFANY WOODS, Reuters
Date: Sat, 21 Feb 1998 00:11:36 -0500
From: allen schubert 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (US) Wild Horse Deaths Investigated
Message-ID: <3.0.32.19980221001134.0074fbfc@pop3.clark.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

BLM horses
from Associated Press http://wire.ap.org
--------------------------------------
 02/20/1998 23:09 EST

 Wild Horse Deaths Investigated

 RENO, Nev. (AP) -- The Bureau of Land Management is investigating the
 deaths of nine wild horses shipped to Colorado.

 The horses began dying shortly after arriving Wednesday night near Denver
 from the National Wild Horse and Burro Center.

 A preliminary examination indicated they may have ingested a toxic
 chemical, according to the BLM.

 The horses were among 50 transported by truck to a holding Center. The
 truck left Nevada on Tuesday afternoon and arrived the next day. That
 night, some of the horses starting showing signs of distress.

 By early Thursday, one had died. Three more died later Thursday and five
 others died that night.

 All the horses suffered high temperatures and rapid heartbeats.

 ``The problem appears to be limited to the horses on one truck,'' said
 Tom Pogacnik, who heads the BLM's wild horse adoption program here.

 No health problems were detected among nearly 2,000 horses that remain at
 the national center or the 400 at the holding center, Pogacnik said.

 Tissue samples were taken from the dead animals for analysis. Results
 will not be known for at least five days, the BLM said in a statement.

Date: Sat, 21 Feb 1998 13:27:19 +0800 (SST)
From: Vadivu Govind 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: RFI:UK and US cruelty-free lists
Message-ID: <199802210527.NAA22888@eastgate.cyberway.com.sg>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"



1. I am looking for information on UK/European cosmetic/household/etc
product companies that test and don't test on animals. Can someone give me
names and contact details (preferably email or fax) of UK/European animal
groups that produce such lists. I have already contacted Animal Aid. I
haven't received a reply from PeTA in UK.

2. With regards to US brands, there seem to be quite a few cruelty-free
lists by different animal groups (PeTA, NAVS, BWC, HSUS etc). I need to
select 1 or 2 to give the locals here in Singapore. I'd like to know the
different criteria used by the groups to include companies in their lists
and any reliable, informed opinion on which lists are the best to recommend.
I need the information urgently and can't write and wait for the replies of
all the groups so I am looking for someone who has researched this topic
sufficiently to give an informed opinion.

Please respond by private email.

Thank you very much.

- Vadivu

Date: Sat, 21 Feb 1998 00:58:45 -0500
From: Doris & Dan 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Cc: esa@server.pirg.org
Subject: Re: (USA) Endangered Species petition
Message-ID: <34EE6D15.6D5B@alum.mit.edu>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
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Dear Friends,

Try to send a *handwritten* letter to your U.S. Representative and
Senators.  If you don't know who your reprentative/senators are, call
the Capitol switchboard at (202)224-3121 or (202)225-3121.  The addreses
are:

The Honorable ___________
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC  20515

The Honorable __________
U.S. Senate
Washington, DC  20510

Petitions are largely ignored by Congressional staff.  It's *so easy* to
sign a petition or a form letter, so they doubt your sincerity.  (One
staffer told me that her office automatically throws away anything that
looks like a petition or form letter!)  A handwritten letter means
*much* more, and only has to be one or two sentences long.  Make sure to
include your return address, so they will know that you are a
constituent.  They will write back to you, and your letter counts a lot
more than a letter from someone outside their district.

Letters *do* make a difference!  Congress members frequently say that
they will not decide how to vote on an issue until they hear from their
constituents.

Thank you.
Doris



bunny wrote:
> 
> Subj:    Endangered Species petition
> Date:   98-02-18 23:30:19 EST
> From:   SCHWARTZ@POSTBOX.CSI.CUNY.EDU (Richard Schwartz)
> To:     JV@vegetarian.org
> 
> Shalom,
> 
>      Because of the importance of the issue, I am forwarding the
> message below.
>      Best wishes,
>      Richard
> ------------------
> ------- Forwarded Message Follows -------
> From:           "Richard Schwartz" 
> To:             schwartz
> Date sent:      Wed, 18 Feb 1998 09:53:54 -0400
> Subject:        Endangered Species petition
> 
> Date:    Tue, 17 Feb 1998 12:11:56 -0500
> From:    COEJLinDC@AOL.COM
> Subject: Endangered Species -- Action Now!!
> 
>   The following is a sign-on petition that US PIRG is circulating about
> endangered species legislation.  A vote on S.1180 could be coming up in the
> Senate as early as the end of February or March.  We have to let our
> Congresspeople know that we do not support S.1180, but are in strong support
> of H.R. 2351.  This is a great opportunity to take part in advocacy on this
> issue!
> 
> B'Shalom,
> Heather Kaplan
> 
> * START * PETITION TO SAVE ENDANGERED SPECIES * KEEP IT ALIVE!
> * * PLEASE SIGN AND FORWARD BY APRIL 15th, 1998 * URGENT! * *
> 
> We're experiencing the greatest rate of extinction since the
> dinosaurs - up to 50,000 species a year.  In the U.S., we
> have lost over 500 plants and animals since the signing of
> the Declaration of Independence; 250 of these species have
> disappeared in the last 15 years.  This massive loss of life
> threatens our own existence, by depriving us of potential
> cures to deadly diseases and decimating local economies.  For
> example, in the Pacific Northwest, the fishing industry has
> lost approxmiately $1 billion in the last ten years due to
> the decline in salmon.
> 
> The U.S. Congress is now considering two radically different
> bills to reauthorize the Endangered Species Act.  Kempthorne's
> Extinction bill (S.1180) rolls back 25 years of conservation
> efforts, sacrificing protections for endangered species to
> benefit industry.  Miller (H.R. 2351) strikes a reasonable
> compromise, balancing wildlife needs with landowners, while
> working for the recovery of species.
> 
> Congress could vote on these bills as early as the end of
> February, 1998.  Please keep our endangered species alive
> by signing the below petition and forwarding to family,
> friends, and lists interested in preserving our environment.
> 
> * HOW TO SIGN THIS PETITION * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
> 
> Copy this entire email (from * START * to * END *) into a
> new email.  After the last signature below, enter a new line,
> with the next number.  Please list your name, city, state
> and zip code.  Forward to your family, friends, coworkers,
> and relevant lists.  Please cc: your message to
> .
> 
> * PETITION TO CONGRESS * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
> 
> Dear Member of Congress:
> 
> We are currently faced with the greatest rate of extinction
> worldwide since the disappearance of dinosaurs 65 million
> years ago, losing up to 50,000 species a year. Since 1973,
> the Endangered Species Act (ESA) has halted the potential
> extinction of dozens of animals, including the bald eagle,
> the gray wolf and the California sea otter.
> 
> Senator Kempthorne's (R-ID) and Chafee (R-RI) are pushing
> forward a bill, S.1180, that protects the interests of
> industry at the expense of endangered species. At the same
> time, Rep. Miller (D-CA) has introduced a moderate bill,
> H.R. 2351, that strikes a balance between wildlife and
> landowners without sacrificing protection and recovery
> for endangered species.
> 
> Please vote against S.1180 and support H.R. 2351.
> 
> * SIGNED *
> 
> 1) Christopher Chatto, Santa Barbara, CA 93101
> 2) Chris Mullin, Quincy, MA 02169
> 3) Elizabeth Hitchcock, Washington DC  20003
> 4) Richard Trilsch, Washington, DC 20003
> 5) Adam Ruben, Boston, MA  02111
> 6) Mark Ferrulo, Tallahassee, Fl  32303
> 7) Kim Delfino, Washington, DC 20007
> 8) Richard H. Schwartz, Staten Island, NY 10314
> 9) Rachel Freedman,Needham,MA 02192
> * FOR MORE INFORMATION * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
> 
> http://www.pirg.org/
> -The State Public Interest Research Groups (PIRGs)
> 
> pirg@pirg.org
> -general email address for inquiries
> 
> http://www.pirg.org/enviro/esa/
> -The PIRG's endangered species pages, including fact sheets
> on Kempthorne's Extinction Bill (S.1180), Miller's Recovery
> Bill (H.R. 2351), and what else you can do.
> 
> http://www.pirg.org/enviro/esa/pe
> tition/
> -A web-based version of this petition, and detailed
> instructions on how to sign an email petition.
> 
> * * PLEASE SIGN AND FORWARD BY APRIL 15th, 1998 * URGENT! * *
> * PETITION TO SAVE ENDANGERED SPECIES * KEEP IT ALIVE! * END *
> ------------------------------
> 
> ----------------------- Headers --------------------------------
> Return-Path: 
> Received: from  relay16.mail.aol.com (relay16.mail.aol.com [172.31.106.72]) by
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> Date: Wed, 18 Feb 1998 23:26:22 -0500
> To: JV@vegetarian.org
> From: "Richard Schwartz"  (by way of
Vegetarian
> Resource Center )
> Subject: Endangered Species petition
> Mime-Version: 1.0
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> 
>
=====================================================================
========
>                    /`\   /`\    Rabbit Information Service,
> Tom, Tom,         (/\ \-/ /\)   P.O.Box 30,
> The piper's son,     )6 6(      Riverton,
> Saved a pig        >{= Y =}<    Western Australia 6148
> And away he run;    /'-^-'\
> So none could eat  (_)   (_)    email: rabbit@wantree.com.au
> The pig so sweet    |  .  |
> Together they ran   |     |}    http://www.wantree.com.au/~rabbit/rabbit.htm
> Down the street.    \_/^\_/    (Rabbit Information Service website updated
>                                 frequently)
> 
> Jesus was most likely a vegetarian... why aren't you? Go to
> http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/4620/essene.htm
> for more information.
> 
> It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong.
>        - Voltaire
Date: Sat, 21 Feb 1998 00:58:52 EST
From: BanFurNow@aol.com
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Dallas - A.L.T. Upcoming Actions
Message-ID: <519ac8e0.34ee6d1e@aol.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit

Animal Liberation of Texas  (A.L.T.)
P. O. Box 820872
Dallas, TX  75382
(972) 664-6760
BanFurNow@aol.com

Upcoming Actions

Saturday, February 21, 1998
Neiman Marcus anti-fur protest at the downtown store.  Activists are to meet
at the corner of Ervay and Main at 1:00 p.m.

Saturday, February 28, 1998
Animal Damage Control (ADC) kick off demonstration in Ft. Worth at 1:00 p.m.
The demonstration will be held at the ADC offices located at 501 W. 10th
Street (The United States Courthouse). Activists interested in carpooling to
Ft. Worth please call (972) 664-6760 for arrangements.

Saturday, March 7, 1998
Neiman Marcus anti-fur protest at the downtown store.  Activists are to meet
at the corner of Ervay and Main at 2:00 p.m.

Saturday, March 28, 1998
Neiman Marcus anti-fur protest at the downtown store.  Activists are to meet
at the corner of Ervay and Main at 2:00 p.m.

Saturday, April, 11, 1998
Neiman Marcus anti-fur protest at the Northpark store.  Activists are to meet
in front of TGI Friday's at the corner of Park and Central at 1:30 p.m.

Sunday, April 26, 1998
National Lab Week - Dallas kick off vivisection Demonstration.  Details to be
announced at a later date.

Please check our info. line and/or web page for updates on upcoming actions
· (972)  664-6760 Information Line
· http://www.envirolink.org/orgs/alt/animalrights.html
Date: Sat, 21 Feb 1998 14:53:45 +0800 (SST)
From: Vadivu Govind 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: TW hog farmers consider relocating overseas
Message-ID: <199802210653.OAA22526@eastgate.cyberway.com.sg>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"


>CNA Daily English News Wire

TAIWAN HOG FARMERS CONSIDER RELOCATING OVERSEAS 


Taipei, Feb. 13 (CNA) Under formidable pressure triggered by Taiwan's bid to
join the World Trade Organization (WTO), the island's hog farmers are
considering relocating their operations to overseas locations, like Canada,
to evade increasing competition from foreign imports and rising production
costs. 

Taiwan hog farmers are facing unprecedented pressure. First came an outbreak
of foot-and-mouth disease that ravaged the island's hog population last
year. Now comes the WTO negotiations with Washington -- wherein Taipei is
likely to agree to the imports of American pork chops, bacon and offals --
which is expected to increase competition in the local pork market. 

It is estimated that after markets are opened to US pork products, Taiwan
will lose about NT$15 billion (US$455 million) a year in the pork market,
and some 5 million hogs will be forced to be cut from the annual production
charting board. 

Meanwhile, Taiwan's foodstuff producers are expected to suffer an enormous
shrinkage of their production after the island becomes a WTO member, with
annual production cut back some 50 percent from the current 9 million metric
tons worth NT$12 billion (US$364 million) annually. 

Canada, which has cheaper hog-raising conditions than the United States,
will sponsor discussions on hog farming in the near future to provide Taiwan
hog raisers with more economical options for relocating operations there.
(By Deborah Kuo) 

Date: Sat, 21 Feb 1998 14:53:49 +0800 (SST)
From: Vadivu Govind 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (TW-S.Africa) Help in conservation efforts
Message-ID: <199802210653.OAA13964@eastgate.cyberway.com.sg>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"


>CNA Daily English News Wire

ROC LAUDED FOR HELPING CONSERVATION EFFORTS IN SOUTH AFRICA 


Washington, Feb. 13 (CNA) An American conservationist has praised Taiwan's
decision to present a plane to South Africa to help in that country's
conservation efforts. 

Robert Cleaves, president of the Los Angles-based Wilderness Conservancy,
said the move showed Taiwan's commitment to conservation has not been
affected by politics. 

South African President Nelson Mandela announced in late 1996 that Pretoria
would switch diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing at the end of 1997. 

Despite this, the government of the Republic of China on Taiwan announced in
1997 that it would donate US$110,000 for the purchase of a used six-seat
plane. The Cessna U206F will be presented to Kruger National Park in June
after renovation work on it in the United States is completed in March. 

Taiwan also presented a smaller single-engine plane to anti-poaching rangers
in Kruger National Park in September 1996. 

Cleaves said he had worried that the ROC government might renege on its
pledge to send the plane after the severance of the diplomatic ties between
Pretoria and Taipei, but that he was not surprised to learn of Taipei's
decision. 

The move shows the good will of the ROC, he said, adding that he hopes the
action is widely publicized so people will know what Taiwan has done. 

As when the first plane was donated in 1996, there will be a public
presentation ceremony for the Cessna U206F. US news media, including CBS,
are planning to cover the donation, according to Cleaves. 
The second plane will be used to help transport anti-poaching personnel and
to send them needed supplies so that they can remain in the field longer.
Kruger National Park is about two-thirds the size of Taiwan. 

The Cessna will also fly animal conservation specialists and volunteer
doctors and nurses to remote regions in South Africa. (By Jay Chen and
Lilian Wu) 

Date: Sat, 21 Feb 1998 08:01:44 -0800
From: "Linda J. Howard" 
To: "AR NEWS" 
Subject: [US] Washington Post editorial - 'Oprah Winfrey, Meat and Microbes'
Message-ID: <01bd3ee2$01fb0140$d56faccf@default>
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Oprah Winfrey, Meat and Microbes
Saturday, February 21, 1998; Page A18

THE CIRCUS-LIKE showdown in Amarillo between Oprah Winfrey and the Texas
cattlemen's industry will not, it turns out, rest on the finer points of
free-speech doctrine and the constitutionality of laws prohibiting "veggie
libel." The Texas federal judge in the case ruled this week that the
questionable, newly passed Texas law against "disparagement of a perishable
food product," one of a rash of such laws in 12 states, does not apply to
the cattlemen's hoofed product, leaving the case to proceed on the more
common-sense matter of whether it's defamatory to express, as Ms. Winfrey
and a guest did, strongly worded reservations about the safety of the meat
supply.

But while this deprives the Amarillo case of its significance on First
Amendment grounds, it does nothing to deprive it of interest to the large
public that continues to have a stake in freewheeling discussion of the
hamburger question. Meat safety continues to command perennial worry and
occasional panic following big scares. By odd coincidence, the Winfrey trial
also coincides with the biggest serious step forward in slaughterhouse
safety and health monitoring in decades. This was the rollout by the
Agriculture Department Jan. 26 of a system of microbe testing and analysis
after more than a decade of political maneuvering.

The plan has picked up its own little audience of mesmerized spectators in
the years since 1985, when the National Academy of Sciences first
recommended an update to a federal meat inspection system that had last been
revised in 1906, after meat-packing scandals immortalized by the muckraking
journalist Upton Sinclair. The scientists proposed that something be done to
modernize a system relying on visual inspection -- sometimes called "look
and sniff" -- with a more systematic approach that recognized the importance
of invisible microbes and analyzed the process to allow for sample-taking at
crucial points in the meat-processing sequence. As Congress and Ms.
Winfrey's opponents have both found out, fear of E. coli and uncertainty
about globalization of the food supply combine into a force politically
ruinous to oppose. The meat industry will be better off if Ms. Winfrey is
cleared of any intent to defame, since the broad, free discussion of meat
safety thus safeguarded by such a ruling should leave that much more room
for the unaccustomed news that, for once, there's genuine progress.

© Copyright 1998 The Washington Post Company


Date: Sat, 21 Feb 1998 10:10:04 EST
From: NOVENAANN@aol.com
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Circus protesters supported-Use of megaphone raises issue(VA)
Message-ID: <3248bc35.34eeee4f@aol.com>
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Saturday, February 21, 1998 

Circus protesters supported
Use of megaphone raises issue of city noise ordinance 

BY JIM MASON
Times-Dispatch Staff Writer
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia has sent a letter to 
Richmond police warning them to back off from telling animal rights 
activists they can't use amplified megaphones in their protests of 
performances of The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. 

The letter was sent yesterday to Richmond Police Chief Jerry Oliver. 
Richmond Police spokeswoman Cynthia Price, said police will continue to 
maintain crowd control at the circus performances. "Whatever is within 
the law we are allowing," Price said. 

Members of the Richmond Animal Rights Network have been demonstrating on 
the sidewalk in front of the parking deck, across from the Seventh 
Street entrance to the Richmond Coliseum. Last night, 11 protesters were 
holding banners and chanting slogans such as "One struggle, one fight, 
human freedom, animal rights" and "Animal abuse, no excuse." 

Hundreds of children and adults streamed past them and into the 
coliseum. Officers patrolling on bicycles stopped momentarily to watch 
the protesters but took no action against their use of the amplified 
megaphone. 

In a statement released yesterday, ACLU executive director Kent Willis 
said, "These protesters have a right to be where they are, and so long 
as they abide by the noise ordinance set out by the city, the police 
must leave them alone. I hope we don't have to litigate this one." 

Allanna Wiggins, an Animal Rights coordinator, said her group turned to 
the ACLU after they felt they were harassed by police Wednesday and 
Thursday nights for using the megaphone. "The police stopped us and told 
us we were in violation of the city noise ordinance, but we were not," 
Wiggins said. 

"We support the rights of those going to the circus," said Price, "but 
we also support those who want to peacefully assemble and exercise their 
right of free speech. As long as everyone is obeying the law, we are not 
going to interfere." 
-----------------------------------------------
For more information contact-
RICHMOND ANIMAL RIGHTS NETWORK
RARNKV@aol.com
Date: Sat, 21 Feb 1998 12:11:34 EST
From: BanFurNow@aol.com
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Dallas - Neiman Marcus Action
Message-ID: <46463d2f.34ef0ac8@aol.com>
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 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE    CONTACT:  Lydia Nichols - 214-342-8144
  February 21, 1998                                Animal Liberation of Texas


ANTI-FUR ACTIVISTS RETURN TO NEIMAN MARCUS DESPITE PREVIOUS ATTACKS
AND
ARRESTS


     Dallas - Anti-fur activists from Animal Liberation of Texas (A.L.T.)
announced plans for a peaceful demonstration at Neiman Marcus.  The
demonstration will take place on Saturday, February 21, 1998 beginning at 1:15
p.m. at the Neiman Marcus located downtown.
     
In November, five activists locked together and blocked the front entrance of
the store and were arrested for obstruction of a passageway. When police
attempted to move the chained activists the action escalated and five more
activists standing on the sidewalk were arrested and charged with interfering
with a public servant.  Four of the five charged with interfering with a
public servant have a trial setting on Monday, February 23, 1998.

A.L.T. activists announced plans to continue the campaign against Neiman
Marcus despite the violent attacks from store security and police.   In
September 1997, a Dallas Neiman Marcus security officer was arrested after
assaulting two activists.  Just last month a New York furrier was arrested for
making threatening phone calls to a New York activist.

Activists announced that the overall objective is to eliminate the fur trade
by providing education and public awareness to the torture and murder of
innocent animals for the sake of fur.   "It is obvious by the violent attacks
that Neiman Marcus and other furriers do not want consumers to know that
animals are gassed, anally electrocuted and have their necks broken to fill
their stores with fur products" stated A.L.T. spokesperson Lydia Nichols.


# # #

Date: Sat, 21 Feb 1998 14:16:01 -0600
From: Steve Barney 
To: AR-News 
Subject: [US] "Deadline nears for action on monkeys" (WSJ-022098)
Message-ID: <34EF3601.FCE668E3@uwosh.edu>
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"Deadline nears for action on monkeys"
Wisconsin State Journal
By Marv Balousek
Dane County reporter
Madison, WI
US
Friday, February 20, 1998
Page 1C

-- Beginning --

Deadline nears for action on monkeys

By Marv Balousek
County reporter

The clock is ticking on a March 2 deadline for keeping the Vilas Zoo
monkeys, but Dane County officials still hope a financial solution will
be reached.

Topf Wells, an aide to County Executive Kathleen Falk, said Thursday
that Falk would not preclude the limited use of county funds to support
the monkey exhibit.  He said a partnership would be needed with
UW-Madison and perhaps others.

But Joseph Kemnitz, interim director of the university's Wisconsin
Regional Primate Center, said the university intends to stick to the
deadline.

"Unless the community has a firm commitment by March 2 by the county to
accept full responsibility for the monkeys by Jan. 1, 1999, we will
pursue our own plans," he said.

Since last year, the university has been searching for a new home for
the 150 monkeys it keeps at the county-run zoo.  The exhibit has been at
the zoo since 1963. but the National Institutes of Health ordered the
primate center to stop using grant money to support it

The center plans to ship 100 rhesus monkeys to the Tulane University
Regional Primate Research Center in Louisiana and 50 stumptailed
macaques to a sanctuary in their ancestral home of Thailand.

The university already has extended its deadline by 30 days.  Falk had
asked for a 45-day delay.

Supervisors were expected to vote Thursday night on a resolution
directing the Zoo Commission and zoo director to develop options for
keeping the monkeys.

Before the vote, animal rights activists told supervisors that sending
the monkeys to Tulane would expose them to research that includes
exposure to tropical diseases.

"If they go to Tulane, they will not be protected from invasive
experimentation," said Leslie Arena, board chairman of the local chapter
of Alliance for Animals.

David Wade, who helps care for the monkeys, said he believes a $211,000
estimate of the annual cost of monkey care is too high.

But several veterinarians defended the plans to send some of the monkeys
to Tulane.

Lyndon Goodly, a veterinarian who graduated from Tulane, said the
university is an ideal location for the monkeys.  He said keeping the
animals at Vilas Zoo would be "making a monkey out of the taxpayers."

If the zoo keeps the animals, veterinarian Joseph Thulin said the county
would have difficulty finding veterinary care for the monkeys without
the university.

"Managing the monkey colony requires a specialized facility and a highly
trained staff," he said.  "These resources simply are not readily
available in the Dane County community."

-- End --

More information is available at:

     http://www.uwosh.edu/organizations/alag/Issues.html

Date: Sat, 21 Feb 1998 19:21:05 EST
From: Snugglezzz@aol.com
To: ar-news@Envirolink.org
Subject: Hog Waste Spill May Foul Oklahoma City Water
Message-ID: 
Mime-Version: 1.0
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Tulsa World, OK, USA: Liquefied hog waste that was spilled Thursday night in
western Oklahoma may be on its way to Oklahoma City via that city's drinking
water source.

Crews worked Friday to clean up the spill from the Pig Improvement
Corp.-Cochino Fairview  Nursery, in rural Major County, about 65 miles
northwest of Oklahoma City. Neighbors, however, worried that the efforts were
already too late.

Bob Horn, who lives about three miles east of the spill, said sandy soil that
drains at a rate of about 1 foot per hour on a site 20 feet above the water
table led to only one conclusion.

"So it's already in the ground," Horn said Friday afternoon. "Right here, on
this property, it's already in the water."

Horn spoke from the home of his sister and brother-in-law, Bonnie and Ron
Clinesmith. The Clinesmith's son, Colt, noticed wastewater pouring from an
irrigation pipe when he got home Thursday afternoon. The Clinesmiths reported
the spill to the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture on Friday morning.

Agriculture Secretary Dennis Howard said a cap on an irrigation pipe
apparently failed. The spewing pipe created a pool of hog waste about 100
yards from the Clinesmith's door about a half-mile from the drainage area for
Canton Lake.

The spill could affect drinking water, a nearby lake, and a refuge area for
migratory waterfowl.

Problems could also travel downstream to the state capital. A dam on the North
Canadian River formed Canton Lake, south of the spill site. The lake, in turn,
drains into Lake Hefner and provides drinking water to Oklahoma City.

- Sherrill
Date: Sun, 22 Feb 1998 10:45:00 +0800
From: bunny 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (Aust)Caliciviruses damages sought
Message-ID: <1.5.4.16.19980222103708.111fec7c@wantree.com.au>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Caliciviruses damages sought
West Australian 
Saturday February 21st 1998

A supplier of rabbit skins to the makers of the
Akubra hat has joined a fight for damages over the
accidental release of the killer rabbits disease
virus.

The Bendigo Bunny Company is one of three named plaintiffs suing the
Commonwealth Sientific and Industrial Research Organisation and the Federal
Government.

As well as supplying skins to Akubra for the manufacture of hats, the
company supplies meat to businesses for pet food.

The preliminary hearing in the Victorian Supreme Court was adjourned yesterday 
until May 29.
=====================================================================
========
                   /`\   /`\    Rabbit Information Service,
Tom, Tom,         (/\ \-/ /\)   P.O.Box 30,
The piper's son,     )6 6(      Riverton,
Saved a pig        >{= Y =}<    Western Australia 6148
And away he run;    /'-^-'\  
So none could eat  (_)   (_)    email: rabbit@wantree.com.au
The pig so sweet    |  .  |  
Together they ran   |     |}    http://www.wantree.com.au/~rabbit/rabbit.htm
Down the street.    \_/^\_/    (Rabbit Information Service website updated
                                frequently)                                

Jesus was most likely a vegetarian... why aren't you? Go to
http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/4620/essene.htm
for more information.

It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong.
       - Voltaire

Date: Sat, 21 Feb 1998 23:03:57 +0000 (GMT)
From: Pat Fish 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Efforts to Overturn Trap Ban in Mass. by Div of F&W  (US Mass.)
Message-ID: 
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII

Reposted by request

The Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife is seriously trying
to overturn that state's ban on trapping.  There will be a hearing on
March 2 by an oversight committee, and individuals and organizations can
write to:

    Douglas Peterson, Chairman of the Natural Resources Committee
    Room 473F
     State House Beacon St.
     Boston, MA  02133

MDFW personnel have exaggerated beaver problems and said that only less
than 10% can be solved with water control devices, yet Maine and New
Hampshire solve 50% of beaver flooding problems with devices.  The Maine
Dept. needs to acquire some expertise in these lasting cost-effective
methods, rather than campaigning to overthrow the ban that a majority of
state citizens supported.  A division spokesperson has also erroneously
said that traps other than live-traps are "humane."


http://www.telenet.net/~beavers





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