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AR-NEWS Digest 505
Topics covered in this issue include:
1) Ape Slaughter
by Vadivu Govind
2) [UK] Prince urges aid for farms in Scilly Isles
by David J Knowles
3) [UK] Seal swims into nuclear plant
by David J Knowles
4) [UK] Last straw for harvest mice
by David J Knowles
5) (US) CIRCUS PROTEST - TAKING COP TO TUSK
by CircusInfo@aol.com
6) [UK] Most BSE cases in Europe 'are not reported'
by David J Knowles
7) [UK] Anger at pressure to build 'mad cow' furnaces
by David J Knowles
8) Biocontrol at work
by Andrew Gach
9) [UK] Prince urges aid for farms in Scilly Isles
by David J Knowles
10) Fur Information Council
by Jean Colison
11) [UK] Seal swims into nuclear plant
by David J Knowles
12) [UK] Last straw for harvest mice
by David J Knowles
13) Fowl play in Zhuhai
by jwed
14) [UK]Risk from genetic crops 'ignored'
by David J Knowles
15) (US) Millions may be eating themselves sick
by allen schubert
16) LA CAIXA DE BARCELONA AND BULLFIGHTING
by Jordi Ninerola
17) Re: sam farr's email address
by "Christine M. Wolf"
18) (US) Oklahoma Elk Ranching
by JanaWilson@aol.com
19) Visit Monkey Jungle and Learn the Demeaning of Life {FL]
by bchorush@paws.org (pawsinfo)
20) PAWS Opposes Capture Of Threatened Dolphins By Tacoma Veterinarian[WA]
by bchorush@paws.org (pawsinfo)
21) PAWS Opposes Capture Of Threatened Dolphins By Tacoma Veterinarian[WA]
by bchorush@paws.org (pawsinfo)
22) Newswire: WHO Confirms Bird To Human Virus
by LCartLng@gvn.net (Lawrence Carter-Long)
23) URGENT! LANGUR MONKEYS NEED YOUR HELP!
by "ida"
24) More Coulston departures, shigella outbreak
by eklei@earthlink.net
25) URGENT! LANGUR MONKEYS NEED YOUR HELP!
by "ida"
26) Mail to Sam Farr
by PAWS
27) NYC Mayor Guiliani Begins War on Rats
by Liz Grayson
28) Kim Basinger Condemns King Royal
by PAWS
29) (US) Beef Business Hopes for Best
by allen schubert
30) (US) E. coli has a dangerous strain
by allen schubert
31) (US) Body Shop's ad campaign takes on supermodels
by allen schubert
Date: Mon, 25 Aug 1997 12:19:54 +0800 (SST)
From: Vadivu Govind
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Ape Slaughter
Message-ID: <199708250419.MAA12508@eastgate.cyberway.com.sg>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>The Straits Times
25 Aug 97
APE SLAUGHTER: British soldiers are to gun down scores of the legendary apes
which live on the Rock of Gibraltar because the animals are becoming too
numerous, according to a press report yesterday.
The Sunday Times of London said that the slaughter would be carried out
because the Barbary apes, a symbol for centuries of the British colony
in the western Mediterranean, had started descending into town and
attacking residents. -- AFP.
Date: Sun, 24 Aug 1997 23:46:56 -0700 (PDT)
From: David J Knowles
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: [UK] Prince urges aid for farms in Scilly Isles
Message-ID: <1.5.4.16.19970824234728.36f71234@dowco.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>From The Electronic Telegraph - Monday, August25th, 1997
Prince urges aid for farms in Scilly Isles
By David Brown, Agriculture Editor
THE Prince of Wales has ordered a report on ways to
breathe new life into farms on the Isles of Scilly.
As Duke of Cornwall, he has ordered the Duchy - owners of
the islands - to investigate ways of re-establishing cows,
goats and sheep to make the islanders less dependent on
horticulture and tourism.
Under the project, supported by the Ministry of Agriculture
and the EU Commission in Brussels, researchers at the
Seale-Hayne College of Agriculture at Exeter are
investigating ways of importing larger numbers of livestock
to create an environmentally-friendly and balanced farming
system.
The Duchy said: "We are investigating the viability of
reintroducing livestock to the Isles of Scilly to help towards
self-sufficency and to help manage the environment." The
Duchy also said that some areas had become too overgrown
with weeds and scrub. A report is expected by next March.
During the past 20 years the islands have lost their only
abattoir and dairy due to rising costs and tighter health and
hygiene controls. All milk and most beef is imported from
the mainland. Cattle, which are shipped to Cornwall for
slaughter, can be numbered in dozens. Sheep are
non-existent and there are only a few goats. Most of the 50
farmers on the islands earn their living from producing
daffodils and other cut flowers.
In recent years farmers have also lost much of their trade in
early potatoes in the face of competition from the Canary
Islands, the Channel Islands, Cornwall, and other parts of
the British mainland where growers have found ways of
producing cheaper, early crops.
Penny Rogers, the area secretary for the National Farmers'
Union, said farmers welcomed the study. She said: "Loss of
the dairy was a big blow to us and we would need an
abattoir to expand beef production. A mobile abattoir may
be an option."
But she said: "Obviously we would need to be careful. Most
farmers now have bulbs and flowers which could be eaten
by sheep and goats. We would prefer animals which could
not escape easily into these crops."
A major problem, she added, was trying to persuade the
Ministry of Agriculture that the islands needed aid to
improve shelter-belts of pine trees and hedges to protect
fields from high winds.
© Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1997.
Date: Sun, 24 Aug 1997 23:48:04 -0700 (PDT)
From: David J Knowles
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: [UK] Seal swims into nuclear plant
Message-ID: <1.5.4.16.19970824234834.36f76780@dowco.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>From The Electronic Telegraph - Monday, August25th, 1997
Seal swims into nuclear plant
By Sebastien Berger
A SEAL has become trapped in a seawater tank at a nuclear
power station.
The Atlantic grey seal, thought to be heavily pregnant and
estimated to weigh 25 stone, is the fourth to be caught in the
tank at Dungeness B power station in Kent in 18 months.
She has been named Alison, after the wife of Mark Stevens,
a director of British Divers Marine Life Rescue, who is
overseeing the rescue effort.
"They have both got big, beautiful eyes and nice glossy
coats," he said. "The other reason is that she is sick and tired
of me coming down here to rescue seals."
The seal swam into the 60ft-deep tank on Thursday through
a 200-yard-long inlet pipe from the sea, attracted by the
huge numbers of fish there. A power station spokesman
described it as "Harrods food hall for seals".
The pressure of incoming water, used in vast quantities to
cool steam and recondense it into liquid within the power
station, means it cannot swim back out, although filters and
grilles ensure there is no risk of it, or any fish, entering the
power station system itself.
The rescuers have installed a trap, baited with fish, on a
platform in the triangular tank which will be lifted out once
the seal is caught.
"We have got to wait for it to gain confidence in the
platform and eventually it will get tired and have no option
but to climb on," said Mr Stevens. "The sooner it happens,
the better. It could be anything between five and 12 days."
He said the seal's size and the time of year meant there was
a strong possibility it was pregnant. "When we catch it, that
may induce it to give birth. We have got maternity
equipment, but hopefully it's just a fat seal," he added.
Dr Anthony Fawkes, acting station director, said the animal
posed no safety risk to the plant and the reactor would not
be shut for rescuers to enter the tank.
The last seal to be caught in the tank swam in it for nine
days before climbing on to a rescue platform and being
captured.
New grilles across the inlet pipe to the tank are due to be
fitted soon, preventing more seals entering the channel.
© Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1997.
Date: Sun, 24 Aug 1997 23:49:08 -0700 (PDT)
From: David J Knowles
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: [UK] Last straw for harvest mice
Message-ID: <1.5.4.16.19970824234938.36f7677a@dowco.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>From The Electronic Telegraph - Monday, August25th, 1997
Last straw for harvest mice
By Charles Clover, Environment Editor
THE harvest mouse, whose round nest of woven grass was
once common in cornfields, has declined by almost
three-quarters, according to a survey.
The Mammal Society looked at 300 sites where the mouse,
the smallest European rodent, was found in the 1970s and
discovered no evidence of harvest mice in 71 per cent of
them.
At 24 per cent of the sites there was no longer any suitable
habitat - which for harvest mice means long grass in field
margins, hedgerows and wetlands where there is tall, dense
vegetation.
The society says the mouse's habitats are being lost through
agricultural intensification, drainage and "a general
tidying-up" of the countryside.
The mouse, whose Latin name Micromys minutus means
"the smallest tiny mouse", weighs less than a 20p piece and
is so light that it can climb between grass stems using its
prehensile tail, without touching the ground.
Prof Stephen Harris, society chairman, said: "It is tragic to
see the loss of such an endearing mammal. Its loss is yet
another sign of the impact of modern agriculture on our
biodiversity."
© Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1997.
Date: Sat, 23 Aug 1997 12:54:25 -0400 (EDT)
From: CircusInfo@aol.com
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (US) CIRCUS PROTEST - TAKING COP TO TUSK
Message-ID: <199708251125.HAA20635@envirolink.org>
This editorial appeared in the August 22 edition of the Press of Atlantic
City. =20
The Press of Atlantic City was the major sponsor of the Clyde Beatty-Cole
Bros. Circus at the Atlantic City Race Course this August 20 through 22. The
Press has sponsored the Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros. Circus for many years as a
fund raiser for the Literacy Volunteers. After months of negotiating with
CIRCO-NJ, the Press has decided it will not sponsor the Clyde Beatty-Cole
Bros. Circus next year. When the circus was told by the Press that they
would no longer sponsor the circus, they asked if it was because of the
animal rights people. The Press said that it was one of several reasons. =20
Letters of thanks can be sent to:
The Press of Atlantic City
1000 W. Washington Ave.
Pleasantville, NJ 08232
e-mail: acpress@pressplus.com
CIRCUS PROTEST
TAKING COP TO TUSK
Elephants may be unhappy about being in the circus, but since pachyderms
maintain a stoic silence, we are not likely to have any definitive word on
the matter.
However, should someone decide to dress up as a clown, take up a post at a
public event and pass out pamphlets that claim sadness and suffering to be
the lot of Jumbo and Dumbo, he or she has a constitutional right to do so.
That's free speech.
This week, at the Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros. Circus at the Islander Raceway and
Amusement Park in Middle Township, some animal-rights activists showed up to
protest what they claim are poor living conditions for circus animals, most
notably, the elephants. An off-duty police officer from Wildwood told them to
leave. They refused. He called his chief, Robert Davenport, who called Middle
Township Police Capt. William Shea, who called the township solicitor and the
county prosecutor's office.
Shea was told the protesters were exercising a legal right to assemble and
express an opinion. Shea wisely let them be.
Too bad such wisdom was not shared by the off-duty Wildwood officer James
Nanos, who initiated and maintained the confrontation to the point of having
to be told by a Middle Township police sergeant that he had no jurisdiction
at the site of the circus.
It=92s disturbing to see a police officer who doesn't recognize it when people
are exercising their constitutional rights. It's disturbing to see an
officer butting in where he has no business doing so. It's even more
disturbing to learn that the officer in question is vice president of the
Fraternal Order of Police lodge that is benefiting from the circus, which is
being held on his chief's land. Davenport is part-owner of Islander Raceway.
Whatever we might think about the treatment of circus elephants, anyone is
entitled to express an opinion on the matter without being intimidated -
especially by a police officer who should know better.
Our position - It's disturbing to see a police officer who doesn=92t recognize
it when people are exercising their constitutional rights.
********
CIRCO-New Jersey is a is a circus information resource center dedicated to
the liberation of animals from circuses and traveling shows.
(US) CIRCUS PROTEST - TAKING COP TO TUSK
Date: Sat, 23 Aug 1997 10:46:34 -0700 (PDT)
From: David J Knowles
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: [UK] Most BSE cases in Europe 'are not reported'
Message-ID: <199708251125.HAA20639@envirolink.org>
>From The Electronic Telegraph - Saturday, August 23rd, 1997
Most BSE cases in Europe 'are not reported'
By David Brown, Agriculture Editor=20
CONTINENTAL European Union countries have reported only one in six cases of
mad cow disease, according to an official veterinary survey published today.
The report calculates that of the 55,400 British cattle exported to other EU
countries for breeding purposes between 1985 and 1989, at least 1,642 would
have contracted BSE after export. However, only 285 cases were reported.
In Germany - where the campaign against buying British beef has been
strongest - the number of BSE cases reported since March last year was 48
times less than expected.
The figures are published today in The Veterinary Record, official journal
of the British Veterinary Association. They confirm fears of scientists,
vets and farmers that chronic
under-reporting has put animal and human health at risk due to lax controls
and delayed efforts to wipe out BSE.
They also vindicate the tough stance taken by Dr Jack Cunningham, Minister
of Agriculture, who threatened to disrupt imports of beef from other EU
countries which do not follow the strict anti-BSE controls which are already
in place in the UK.
>From next January, all beef entering the UK must have been processed in
plants where specified offals are removed and destroyed in line with strict
controls applied in British
abattoirs. Scientists fear that meat and bone meal from unreported infected
cattle on the Continent has been re-circulated and used in animal food where
it will cause new cases of BSE - many of which will again go unreported.
The report was drawn up by three of Europe's most respected experts on
animal disease - John Wilesmith, head of epidemiology at the Government's
Central Veterinary Laboratory, Dr Bram Schreuder of Holland's Institute of
Animal Science and Health and Professor O C Straub of the Germany's Federal
Research Centre for Virus Deases of Animals.
Their figures were based on the number of cattle exported to EU and other
countries for breeding purposes rather than slaughter and the number which
would have been expected
to succumb to BSE if they had remained in the UK. This, in turn, was based
on the percentage of beef and dairy cattle which fell ill in this country.
More than 55,400 cattle went to other EU countries between 1985 and 1989
when exports were halted under the UK controls to halt the spread of the
disease.=20
Denmark imported 889 animals in that period. Of these, according to the
report, 29 would have been expected to fall victim to BSE if they had
remained in the UK. But only one BSE case had been reported by January this
year.
So far about 168,531 cattle have died from BSE in the UK since 1988. But by
January this year only 515 other cases had been reported from other parts
of the world, including the EU, despite exports of cattle from the UK
between 1985 - when BSE was taking hold here - and 1989.
Switzerland, which has carried out a sweeping slaughter and destroy policy,
suffered 228 cases blamed mainly on imported rations containing the rendered
remains of contaminated cattle.
The Swiss authorities have long maintained that the number of cases
elsewhere in Europe should be much higher. By January, the Republic of
Ireland had reported 188 cases - but the number expected was 911.=20
Germany reported five - the expected number was 243. Of the others:
France reported 28 - expected number 32;
Spain reported none (54);
Italy reported two (50);
Portugal reported 61 (262);
Denmark reported one (29);
Holland reported none (44);
Belgium and Luxembourg reported none (17).
The research team reported difficulties in gathering accurate statistics
from various countries. Professor Karl Linklater, president of the British
Veterinary Association, said: "This report quantifies more accurately what
we have believed all along.
"It is important that we get uniform preactions in place throughout the EU,
including the removal and disposal of specified offals from, cattle. The
Ministry of Agriculture is taking the same position."
Ben Gill, Deputy president of the National Farmers' Union of England and
Wales, said: "This report vindicates the position taken by the NFU and the
Government. It also vindicates the action of Franz Fischler, EU Farm
Commissioner, to secure tight controls throughout the EU.
We have made the point all along that BSE is not just a British problem."
=A9 Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1997.=20
[UK] Most BSE cases in Europe 'are not reported'
Date: Sun, 24 Aug 1997 01:48:34 -0700 (PDT)
From: David J Knowles
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: [UK] Anger at pressure to build 'mad cow' furnaces
Message-ID: <199708251125.HAA20641@envirolink.org>
>From The Electronic Telegraph - Sunday, August 24th, 1997
Anger at pressure to build 'mad cow' furnaces
By Greg Neale and Graham Hind=20
COUNCILS have accused the Government of pressuring
them to approve the building of controversial incinerators in
its attempt to end the mad cow disease outbreak.
The accusations come after a senior civil servant wrote to
every chief planning officer in the country, saying extra
incinerators were urgently needed to destroy the carcasses of
hundreds of thousands of cattle slaughtered under the drive
to wipe out BSE.
In the letter - a copy of which has been passed to The
Sunday Telegraph - Dr Brian Marker, a senior official in the
minerals and waste planning division of the Department of
the Environment, says the Government "considers it
important that additional incineration capacity should be
provided urgently".
While Dr Marker's letter says that such incinerators "will not
receive special, or less demanding treatment" from pollution
control authorities, it urges councils to be "alert for
opportunities to contribute to the provision of additional
capacity".
Before the election there was a "green welly" revolt in many
shire counties - often including those with senior
Conservative figures - against proposals to build incinerators.
Since the election, a majority of councils have continued to
resist applications by would-be incinerator operators. Experts
say burning cattle remains is the best way to destroy the
prion protein, thought to be responsible for the disease.
Council officers contacted by The Telegraph said they felt
under pressure to agree incinerator plans.
Only two new incinerators have so far been approved for
trial burning to begin - at Langar, Notts, and Flagg,
Derbyshire.
Villagers in Flagg, which is in the Peak national park, are
divided over the issue. Sheenagh Mudford, a spokesman for
an action group fighting the incinerator plan, said: "We
accept that carcasses will have to be disposed of, but surely
it should be at a secure industrial site, not next door to a
village in a national park?"
=20
=A9 Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1997.
[UK] Anger at pressure to build 'mad cow' furnaces
Date: Sun, 24 Aug 1997 16:18:39 -0700
From: Andrew Gach
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Biocontrol at work
Message-ID: <199708251125.HAA20646@envirolink.org>
This attachment was sent as file (File name not found)
It was saved in file 16040000 ATTCHMNT A
Note: One or more attachments were saved to your personal
storage ("A" disk). Most programs and documents sent
from a PC will need to be downloaded to a PC to be
usable; select the BINARY option of your file
transfer program.
If you know the attachment was plain text, but it is
now unreadable, it may need translation from ASCII
to EBCDIC. If it was saved as "README TXT A", the
command would be "A2ETEXT README TXT A".
Date: Sun, 24 Aug 1997 23:46:56 -0700 (PDT)
From: David J Knowles
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: [UK] Prince urges aid for farms in Scilly Isles
Message-ID: <199708251125.HAA20650@envirolink.org>
>From The Electronic Telegraph - Monday, August25th, 1997
Prince urges aid for farms in Scilly Isles
By David Brown, Agriculture Editor=20
THE Prince of Wales has ordered a report on ways to
breathe new life into farms on the Isles of Scilly.
As Duke of Cornwall, he has ordered the Duchy - owners of
the islands - to investigate ways of re-establishing cows,
goats and sheep to make the islanders less dependent on
horticulture and tourism.
Under the project, supported by the Ministry of Agriculture
and the EU Commission in Brussels, researchers at the
Seale-Hayne College of Agriculture at Exeter are
investigating ways of importing larger numbers of livestock
to create an environmentally-friendly and balanced farming
system.
The Duchy said: "We are investigating the viability of
reintroducing livestock to the Isles of Scilly to help towards
self-sufficency and to help manage the environment." The
Duchy also said that some areas had become too overgrown
with weeds and scrub. A report is expected by next March.
During the past 20 years the islands have lost their only
abattoir and dairy due to rising costs and tighter health and
hygiene controls. All milk and most beef is imported from
the mainland. Cattle, which are shipped to Cornwall for
slaughter, can be numbered in dozens. Sheep are
non-existent and there are only a few goats. Most of the 50
farmers on the islands earn their living from producing
daffodils and other cut flowers.=20
In recent years farmers have also lost much of their trade in
early potatoes in the face of competition from the Canary
Islands, the Channel Islands, Cornwall, and other parts of
the British mainland where growers have found ways of
producing cheaper, early crops.
Penny Rogers, the area secretary for the National Farmers'
Union, said farmers welcomed the study. She said: "Loss of
the dairy was a big blow to us and we would need an
abattoir to expand beef production. A mobile abattoir may
be an option."
But she said: "Obviously we would need to be careful. Most
farmers now have bulbs and flowers which could be eaten
by sheep and goats. We would prefer animals which could
not escape easily into these crops."
A major problem, she added, was trying to persuade the
Ministry of Agriculture that the islands needed aid to
improve shelter-belts of pine trees and hedges to protect
fields from high winds.
=A9 Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1997.=20
[UK] Prince urges aid for farms in Scilly Isles
Date: Sat, 23 Aug 1997 21:21:53 -0400 (EDT)
From: Jean Colison
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Fur Information Council
Message-ID: <199708251125.HAA20655@envirolink.org>
Washington Post
Letters-to-the-Editor
1150 15th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20071
Free For All
Saturday, August 23, 1997; Page A17
The Washington Post=20
Fur Chic
Contrary to Kevin Sullivan's reference that fur coats have fallen out of=20
fashion due to animal rights protests here in the United States ["Fur=20
Eastern Economics: Beijing's Pelt Belt," Business, Aug. 6] fur sales=20
have risen 15 percent in the past two years alone, and now are up to=20
$1.25 billion in retail sales in the United States. Fur is very much in=20
fashion, as evidenced by the abundance of fur seen on the runways this=20
year. Every top fashion magazine has hailed the return of fur as the=20
major fashion trend of the year, and the number of designers including=20
fur in their collections has quadrupled in the past dozen years.=20
Furthermore -- according to a poll by Responsive Management, a research=20
firm specializing in public opinion on conservation, wildlife and=20
environmental issues -- 88 percent of Americans believe that the animal=20
rights movement has no influence on their decision to wear fur. In=20
addition, 92 percent disapprove of the tactics used by animal activists.
-- Carol Wynne
The writer is executive director of the Fur Information Council of=20
America.
=A9Copyright 1997 The Washington Post Company
Fur Information Council
Date: Sun, 24 Aug 1997 23:48:04 -0700 (PDT)
From: David J Knowles
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: [UK] Seal swims into nuclear plant
Message-ID: <199708251125.HAA20658@envirolink.org>
>From The Electronic Telegraph - Monday, August25th, 1997
Seal swims into nuclear plant
By Sebastien Berger=20
A SEAL has become trapped in a seawater tank at a nuclear
power station.
The Atlantic grey seal, thought to be heavily pregnant and
estimated to weigh 25 stone, is the fourth to be caught in the
tank at Dungeness B power station in Kent in 18 months.
She has been named Alison, after the wife of Mark Stevens,
a director of British Divers Marine Life Rescue, who is
overseeing the rescue effort.
"They have both got big, beautiful eyes and nice glossy
coats," he said. "The other reason is that she is sick and tired
of me coming down here to rescue seals."
The seal swam into the 60ft-deep tank on Thursday through
a 200-yard-long inlet pipe from the sea, attracted by the
huge numbers of fish there. A power station spokesman
described it as "Harrods food hall for seals".
The pressure of incoming water, used in vast quantities to
cool steam and recondense it into liquid within the power
station, means it cannot swim back out, although filters and
grilles ensure there is no risk of it, or any fish, entering the
power station system itself.
The rescuers have installed a trap, baited with fish, on a
platform in the triangular tank which will be lifted out once
the seal is caught.
"We have got to wait for it to gain confidence in the
platform and eventually it will get tired and have no option
but to climb on," said Mr Stevens. "The sooner it happens,
the better. It could be anything between five and 12 days."
He said the seal's size and the time of year meant there was
a strong possibility it was pregnant. "When we catch it, that
may induce it to give birth. We have got maternity
equipment, but hopefully it's just a fat seal," he added.
Dr Anthony Fawkes, acting station director, said the animal
posed no safety risk to the plant and the reactor would not
be shut for rescuers to enter the tank.
The last seal to be caught in the tank swam in it for nine
days before climbing on to a rescue platform and being
captured.
New grilles across the inlet pipe to the tank are due to be
fitted soon, preventing more seals entering the channel.
=A9 Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1997.=20
[UK] Seal swims into nuclear plant
Date: Sun, 24 Aug 1997 23:49:08 -0700 (PDT)
From: David J Knowles
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: [UK] Last straw for harvest mice
Message-ID: <199708251125.HAA20664@envirolink.org>
>From The Electronic Telegraph - Monday, August25th, 1997
Last straw for harvest mice
By Charles Clover, Environment Editor=20
THE harvest mouse, whose round nest of woven grass was
once common in cornfields, has declined by almost
three-quarters, according to a survey.
The Mammal Society looked at 300 sites where the mouse,
the smallest European rodent, was found in the 1970s and
discovered no evidence of harvest mice in 71 per cent of
them.=20
At 24 per cent of the sites there was no longer any suitable
habitat - which for harvest mice means long grass in field
margins, hedgerows and wetlands where there is tall, dense
vegetation.=20
The society says the mouse's habitats are being lost through
agricultural intensification, drainage and "a general
tidying-up" of the countryside.=20
The mouse, whose Latin name Micromys minutus means
"the smallest tiny mouse", weighs less than a 20p piece and
is so light that it can climb between grass stems using its
prehensile tail, without touching the ground.
Prof Stephen Harris, society chairman, said: "It is tragic to
see the loss of such an endearing mammal. Its loss is yet
another sign of the impact of modern agriculture on our
biodiversity."
=A9 Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1997.=20
[UK] Last straw for harvest mice
Date: Sat, 23 Aug 1997 18:44:48 +0000
From: jwed
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Fowl play in Zhuhai
Message-ID: <199708251125.HAA20669@envirolink.org>
Saturday=A0=A0August 23=A0=A01997
South China Morning Post
by SIMON BUERK=20
Tycoon David Lieu Tsang-van is master of all he surveys. Literally. Nestled
around a man-made lake, his new country club occupies an entire picturesque
valley, a 40-minute drive down the bumpy highway from the Zhuhai ferry pier
across the border from Macau.
High fences march along the distant hilltops encircling his domain, keeping
out locals who cannot afford the $255,000 club membership.
Wander around the grounds, and there are an unusual number of birds
scuttling in the bushes. A faint popping often echoes across the lake,
different to the pile-driver boom familiar in the rest of the province.
Occasionally guests catch a whiff of cordite.
Zhuhai Wansheng Sports and Country Club is Mr Lieu's contribution to
hunting, his passion since his first kill in Shanghai in the 1950s. With
pheasant, quail and duck, and 100 shotguns laid on, it is a first for
southern China.
"It's good exercise, climbing up and down hills, hiking, holding a heavy
gun," said Mr Lieu, who speaks English with a twangy American accent. "It
keeps you fit."
Mr Lieu, 61, forked out $130 million to build his dream, all of it,
according to club spokesman Franki Yang Wai, from the tycoon's savings. For
his money, Mr Lieu got a club rather different from its competitors. Which
is why its opening has not been welcomed by everybody.
"Some people may call it sport," said Amy Chow Tak-sum, spokesman at the
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) in Hong Kong, "but
to us, it's just the infliction of pain and suffering on animals. We're
opposed to things like this.
"Hunting is not something very Chinese. People may introduce this as a
gimmick to make money. We hope people realise the suffering involved,
because if there is no demand, there will be no supply."
"It is an animal welfare concern," said Jill Robinson, China director for
the International Fund for Animal Welfare. "It's just unnecessary and I
think it's the wrong influence now in a country that has very little
concern for animal welfare, and no legislation at all to stop cruelty to
animals."
Mr Lieu dismissed talk of animal rights with an impatient wave of his hand,
and allusions to hypocrisy for eating meat.
"It's really crap, really nonsense," he snapped. "Animal lovers are idiots.
These people always go from one extreme to the other. People today talk
about democracy and freedom on one hand, but on the other hand interfere in
other people's democracy and freedom."
In fact, Mr Lieu said, he should be patted on the back for re-stocking the
area with birds. Pheasants, quail and wild ducks are now bred in a building
behind the club house, with an incubator capable of hatching 12,000 eggs
per batch. By his own account, Mr Lieu's club is a 1,730-hectare oasis for
harassed expatriates living in Zhuhai, with its gleaming clubhouse, 72
luxurious rooms for overnight stays, two huge swimming pools, tennis,
badminton and squash courts, a gym stuffed with hi-tech equipment, and
smartly uniformed staff lurking deferentially in every corner ready to meet
every whim.
"It's the best club in Southeast Asia," the tycoon said proudly at the
opening ceremony on Monday. After an 18-hole golf course is finished on the
other side of the lake next summer, and a club marina is constructed at
Zhuhai harbour, it will be one of the best clubs in the world, Mr Lieu added.
The opening ceremony, held at the target shooting range, was clearly a
moment of triumph for Mr Lieu, who invited the Hong Kong press to travel to
the club to be wined and dined, hoping they would record the moment in a
positive light for posterity.
Zhuhai Communist Party bigwigs trooped to the podium in turn, to tell the
assembled businessmen and jewel be-decked tai-tais what a wonderful boost
the club was for foreign investment in the Special Economic Zone. Mr Lieu
was declared an honorary citizen of Wushan County, in which the club is
located, by the county party boss.
After the traditional lion dance and firecrackers, the assembled throng,
some 200 strong, were treated to a trap and skeet-shooting display by Ding
Hongping, Zhang Yafei and Zhang Jinhua of the Chinese national squad. Zhang
Jinhua also shoots for the People's Liberation Army team.
The targets in trap and skeet shooting - Olympic sports - are orange discs,
called clay pigeons, thrown into the air by a machine. Ms Ding, 19, said
the team also like to shoot rabbits and wild birds, although she added they
did not have time to take any pot-shots at Mr Lieu's pheasants during their
short visit to the club.
The wood-panelled bar, scattered with stern leather arm-chairs, seemed more
Scottish glen than southern Guangdong. Nineteenth century-style prints of
pheasant, partridge and quail line the walls. Giant antlers loom above a
cavernous fireplace. Mr Lieu shot the moose that owned them himself, in
Canada.
The club's logo is a silhouetted man, shotgun slung nonchalantly over one
shoulder, with a trusty hound frolicking at his feet.
A bell rang to signal dinner, and the drinkers wandered up the wide curving
staircase to the dining room where a lavish buffet, mostly meat including
pheasant, awaited them.
The club is family-friendly, spokesman Mr Yang said, adding gambling,
prostitutes, mobile phones and smoking are banned. Stray toddlers ran and
whooped around him.
The family-fun effect was enhanced when Mr Lieu, wearing a golf shirt, took
his seat at the head of the top table like some grand clan patriarch, with
his wife and son, Wayne Lieu Bon-wai, 26, in tow.
A search through the extensive Post files revealed no trace of Mr Lieu, a
tycoon who normally eschews the glitzy Hong Kong social scene, in favour of
quiet dinners at home with friends, according to his son.
The Lieu family are neighbours of Tung Chee-hwa in Grenville House on
Magazine Gap Road. They also own holiday flats in London and Tokyo, and
houses near New York and in Orlando, Mr Lieu junior said.
Mr Lieu senior's businesses include Van Shipping Co Ltd and Super Value
Sporting Goods Co Ltd. The shipping firm once had a fleet of 15 ships, but
now has just one, according to the younger Mr Lieu. His father's main
venture now is the club. All are family owned.
Currently assistant manager at the Queensland government's office in the
SAR, Wayne Lieu said that one day he will probably take over at the helm of
his father's empire. The tycoon, who refused to be photographed by the
Post, also has two grown-up daughters, both working in the United States.
Hunters at Mr Lieu's club order their prey in advance, at $73 per bird. The
doomed fowl are then taken to one of the hunting grounds, each about 250
hectares, and released.
About 30 minutes later, armed with shotguns and followed by one or more of
the club's seven dogs, specially imported from Britain, the hunters arrive
to try to kill them, a feeling Mr Lieu equated several times to working out
at another type of club. "It's just like hitting a golf ball," he said.
At the moment club membership is only for the chosen few, according to Mr
Yang. A hundred of Mr Lieu's friends and business associates have been
invited to join.
Within four years though, membership is expected to reach 1,200, mainly
expatriates living in Zhuhai. Then, some 120 birds will be taken to the
hunting grounds each day, according to Mr Yang.
The hunters are only allowed as many sightings, or kill chances, as the
number of birds they ordered. Anything they kill is cooked in the club's
kitchens, or cleaned up and given to the hunter to take home.
But as even good shots often miss, the hunters are effectively subsidising
the release of birds into the wild, Mr Yang said. Pheasants, quail and wild
ducks could fly over the club's fences, and would eventually re-populate
the countryside for miles around. Already 1,000 quail which Mr Lieu has
released to increase the sport, scamper about in the woods.
"Before I came here," Mr Lieu said, "there wasn't even one sparrow. Now
there are birds everywhere." In the club's brochure the page on hunting is
headed "Hunter and prey in perfect harmony."
It was an argument that did not impress Tim Woodward, former secretary of
the Hong Kong Birdwatching Society, who questioned first whether the
species of pheasants, quails and ducks raised at the club were indigenous
to the area. Many types of pheasants, at least, are native to China, he
said, and even flew wild in Hong Kong until about 100 years ago.
"But even if they were the right species," Mr Woodward said, "the idea of
them re-populating the area is just ludicrous. There's no habitat, and as
soon as they get over the fence, somebody else will just trap and shoot them."
Ms Chow at the SPCA wondered if the birds, raised in cages, would be able
to fend for themselves in the wild. "Anyway no matter how many excuses they
give, the intention is to release animals to shoot simply for fun and
entertainment," she said.
Land prices are prohibitive in Hong Kong, but that is not the only reason
why Mr Lieu's club could never have been built in the SAR.
As Mr Lieu's pheasants, partridges, quails and ducks are bred in captivity,
he might not have fallen foul of the Wild Animal Protection Ordinance, but
he would certainly have violated the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
Ordinance, according to Dr Howard Wong Kai-hay, veterinary officer at the
Agriculture and Fisheries Department.
"Cruelty is an offence with a maximum punishment of six months imprisonment
and a $5,000 fine," Dr Wong said.
"The shots are never accurate enough to cause instantaneous death, you get
pheasants flopping around on the ground, half-dead, and we certainly know
that animals as high up as pheasants do feel a lot of pain.
"If anyone did decide to breed pheasants and shoot them we would prosecute
them immediately," he said, although he could not recall any cases.
Dr Wong also dismissed Mr Lieu's suggestion that eating chicken, pork or
beef is as cruel as hunting.
"The time taken for a chicken to lose consciousness from having its throat
cut," he said, "is probably a lot shorter than blasting a bird's legs off
then spending the next 20 minutes searching around for it."
In the SAR only one kind of hunting is allowed. When police receive
complaints that wild pigs are destroying crops, two special teams, with 10
skilled civilian marksmen in total, are called out to kill the animals,
according to Dr So Ping-man, conservation officer also at the Agriculture
and Fisheries Department.
The winter months are the peak pig-hunting season, Dr So said, when the
teams are in action once a fortnight on average, mostly in the northeast
New Territories. At the end of each hunt the teams must submit a report,
detailing how many pigs they killed, the pigs' weight, and estimated age.
The meat is split between the hunters.
Perhaps it is no surprise that one of those government-sponsored pig
sharp-shooters is Mr Lieu
Every child has the right to a healthy diet - that means no meat.
http://www.earth.org.hk/
Fowl play in Zhuhai
Date: Sat, 23 Aug 1997 10:46:38 -0700 (PDT)
From: David J Knowles
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: [UK]Risk from genetic crops 'ignored'
Message-ID: <199708251125.HAA20679@envirolink.org>
>From The Electronic Telegraph - Saturday, August 23rd, 1997
Risk from genetic crops 'ignored'
By David Brown, Agriculture Editor=20
GREENPEACE accused the Government yesterday of
"learning nothing from the beef crisis" and failing to
recognise the dangers to consumers of genetically-engineered
crops.=20
The environmental pressure group claimed that these crops,
which are altered to make them resistant to pests, diseases
and weed-killing chemicals, pose "potentially serious" risks
to public health and the environment.
In a report, From BSE to Genetically-Modified Organisms,
Greenpeace blamed the BSE crisis on "a negligent
decision-making process which cannot cope with scientific
uncertainty".
Greenpeace claimed that the risks from BSE were "strikingly
similar" to those from genetically-modified organisms.
"Exactly the same mistakes are likely to be repeated over the
introduction of these organisms into the human food chain,"
Greenpeace claimed.=20
In both cases, it said, there was a potentially long time-lapse
before problems could be identified. There was also
scientific uncertainty about the damage they could cause.
Yet despite this, safety approvals for growing and marketing
genetically-modified crops were becoming "routine" in
Europe.
Dr Ian Taylor, a Greenpeace spokesman on earth sciences,
said: "The BSE fiasco showed that waiting for proof of harm
is indefensible . . . yet the Government wants to do the same
with genetically-modified food."
The Ministry of Agriculture dismissed the claims last night.
A spokesman said: "Food safety is, and will remain, the
Government's top priority. Before any genetically-modified
organisms are approved for sale in Britain they are subject to
a rigorous risk assessment.
"The Government is determined that all foods which contain
genetically-modified ingredients will be clearly labelled."
The National Farmers' Union for England and Wales also
dismissed the report, adding: "We have insisted all along that
there should be safeguards for the consumer."
Britain's first commercial crop of genetically-modified
oilseed rape is expected to be planted next spring.=20
BP yesterday withdrew its legal action against Jon Castle,
captain of the vessel Greenpeace which took part in the
occupation of the Stena Dee drilling platform in the
Foinaven oilfield, west of Shetland, last week.
The company, which dropped a =A31.4 million damages claim
against the Greenpeace environmental group on Thursday,
had alleged Mr Castle had been in breach of an interdict.
=A9 Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1997.=20
[UK]Risk from genetic crops 'ignored'
Date: Mon, 25 Aug 1997 07:55:45 -0400
From: allen schubert
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (US) Millions may be eating themselves sick
Message-ID: <3.0.32.19970825075542.006e11fc@clark.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
from USA Today web page:
-------------------------------------------
08/25/97 - 12:35 AM ET
Millions may be eating themselves sick
E. coli is just one of the kinds of bacteria that bring on foodborne
illnesses in this country and around the world. But no matter where the
illnesses occur, most cases go undetected as food-related.
The World Health Organization reported recently that foodborne diseases
"may be 300-350 times more frequent than the reported cases tend to
indicate. It is believed that hundreds of millions of people worldwide
suffer from diseases caused by contaminated food."
In the United States this weekend, at end-of-summer barbecues and picnics,
it's likely many people will pick up a foodborne disease, experts say,
unless care and attention are given to safe handling and thorough cooking
of food.
Already this summer:
More than 240 people in the Washington, D.C., metro area got sick from
cyclospora, a parasite that contaminated basil and pesto sold at a local
gourmet store. Another 1,580 or more people have had cyclosporiasis this
year, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most of those
cases were traced to imported raspberries or mesclun lettuce, a mix of baby
lettuces.
About 60 people in Michigan and 48 in Virginia suffered E. coli O157:H7
infection in outbreaks that were traced to alfalfa sprouts. Health
officials are still investigating but say the infections were probably
caused by contaminated alfalfa seeds.
A man in Maricopa County, Ariz., developed cholera last month after eating
raw shrimp that he had bought at a local market. Health officials believe
the shrimp, which was imported from Ecuador, had been caught in water
contaminated with cholera. They urged consumers to avoid eating undercooked
or raw fish or shellfish.
Raw food can't be guaranteed free of bacteria, experts say. But cooking
kills most harmful microbes, including E. coli O157:H7, making food safe.
The Industry Council on Food Safety, a restaurant and food service
coalition, is offering a free brochure to consumers as part of its
"National Food Safety Education Month," in September (for a copy, call
800-266-5762).
Based on the food safety training program used in restaurants, the brochure
recommends cooking food to these internal temperatures:
Ground beef, veal, lamb, pork: 160 degrees
Ground chicken, turkey: 165 degrees
Chicken, whole and pieced: 180 degrees
Fish fillets and whole fish: 160 degrees
Shellfish: 160 degrees.
It also advises refrigerating leftovers and other perishable foods within
two hours of cooking and defrosting foods in the refrigerator, in cold
water or in a microwave oven.
Judy Foulke of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration cautions consumers to
remember to wash their hands carefully before beginning to cook, and
frequently during food preparation.
"When people start cooking, they wash their hands with soap," she says,
"but then about 15 minutes into it, maybe grandmother calls and says she
needs help going to the bathroom, or the baby cries and needs a diaper
change."
Hands should be washed after each interruption, she says, and when changing
from handling one type of food to another.
Other tips: "Keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold," says Foulke. And
remember to scrub melons, celery and other produce with a brush if
possible. Even fresh fruits and vegetables can carry dangerous bacteria,
she says.
"It's not like it used to be" in the old days, she says. "There are
emerging pathogens now - we cannot say you can wash off all the E. coli
O157:H7, but you can reduce that risk if you wash it good."
By Anita Manning, USA TODAY
Date: Mon, 25 Aug 1997 15:19:30 +0200
From: Jordi Ninerola
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: LA CAIXA DE BARCELONA AND BULLFIGHTING
Message-ID: <9708251426.AA20548@blues.uab.es>
MIME-version: 1.0
Content-type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
In Catalonia, Spain, La Caixa de Pensions i Estalvis de Barcelona, an important bank in this
country, sell tickets for bullfight in Barcelona's bullfighting place. We think that this act is are a
accomplice and propose that send a mail to La caixa's director. In their web, they have a link
about letters to director, please visit their web and write an letter for resent for this act.
Thanks
http://www.lacaixa.es/
JORDI
http://www.geocities.com/colosseum/loge/31Date: Mon, 25 Aug 1997 07:09:35 -0700 (PDT)
From: "Christine M. Wolf"
To: elephant@calweb.com, ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Re: sam farr's email address
Message-ID: <2.2.16.19970329140445.2fb77664@pop.igc.org>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
At 07:30 AM 8/23/97 -0700, carol wrote:
>does anyone know congressman sam farr's email address? i want to thank him
>for his stand against the king royal circus.
>
>email sent from his site is returned with this message:
>
>YOUR MAIL WAS NOT DELIVERED FOR THE FOLLOWING REASON:
>
>EXPLANATION : INVALID RECIPIENT
>
The most recent e-mail address I have for him is: samfarr@hr.house.gov
If that doesn't work, try faxing him at 202-225-6791.
On a related note, Congressman Farr is fast becoming the leading animal
advocate in the House of Representatives. Recently, when I presented him
with our Congressional Scorecard, on which he received a perfect score of
100, he told me "I wouldn't have it any other way". At a hearing in late
July on Asian elephant conservation, he fired off some very harsh questions
to Ringling Brothers' federal lobbyist, Andy Ireland, and stated, "...I
don't agree with the circus' need for elephants. I don't think they should
be there...and traveling around on trains and trailers." He certainly
deserves praise and support from the animal protection community, especially
because I can guarantee that he is being harassed and condemned by animal
exploitative enterprises.
Chris Wolf
******************************************************************
Christine Wolf, Director of Government Affairs
The Fund for Animalsphone: 301-585-2591
World Buildingfax: 301-585-2595
8121 Georgia Ave., Suite 301e-mail: ChrisW@fund.org
Silver Spring, MD 20910web page: www.fund.org
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change
the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." (Margaret Mead)
Date: Mon, 25 Aug 1997 16:07:10 -0400 (EDT)
From: JanaWilson@aol.com
To: Ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (US) Oklahoma Elk Ranching
Message-ID: <970825160610_-1602927446@emout12.mail.aol.com>
A/w local Okla. City news:
Two years ago, Mr. Jerry Hale walked out of the oil field and
into a booming business. Mr. Hale and his wife, Marilyn, began
raising elk at their Cedar Creek Elk Ranch west of Vici, Okla.
It was Hale's road away from a demanding job that meant lots
of hours and miles away from his family. Now nearly 60 elk
roam the Hales' Dewey County ranch--and he's around to see them.
"This is our entertainment," Mr. Hale said. "We come out here in
the evening and look at the elk. We love them."
He supplies elk cows and bulls to buyers building herds. He sells
the velvet antlers to buyers at North American trade shows and the
buyers forward the material to makers of nutritional suppliments
billed to cure ailments from high cholesterol to joint pain.
The largest markert for velvet antlers (sotf elk horns cut off in the
spring) is Korea, where elk antlers have been a medicinal staple
for centuries. Mr. Hale said, "Koreans have used velvet antlers for
3,000 years. They use certain parts of the antler to mix with certain
herbs for certain illnesses. It's supposed to make the body function
to its full potential. Everybody I've talked to says it works."
A young bull's antlers can be sold for $40 to $50 per lb and
usually weigh 30 to 40 lbs. A big bull can produce a 90-lb antler.
They are usually cut off in May and June using a local anesthetic
and they leave a small piece the animal will shed early the next
year. By the following May, the bull will have grown another rack
that can be cut during the solft velvet stage and sold.
Money can also be made in raising breeding stock. A pregnant
cow is now selling for $10,000 according to Hale.
Cedar Creek is one of about a dozen elk ranches in Oklahoma.
But the majority of North American elk producers are in northern
states.
Mr. Hale's knowledge of elk ranching comes from extensive
research and networking with experienced producers. He found
that he really loved elk ranching. "I didn't know people would pay
you to do something you really wanted to do," said Mr. Hale.
The job has displaced a longtime hobby as Mr. Hale was an
avid elk hunter for years.
For the Animals,
Jana, OKC
Date: Mon, 25 Aug 1997 13:05:56 -0700 (PDT)
From: bchorush@paws.org (pawsinfo)
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Visit Monkey Jungle and Learn the Demeaning of Life {FL]
Message-ID: <199708252005.NAA22726@siskiyou.brigadoon.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>From PAWSnews Summer 1997-
Visit Monkey Jungle and Learn the Demeaning of Life
We all know the western lowland gorilla is a highly intelligent and social
animal. But King, a wild-caught 27 year-old silverback lives alone in a
small concrete cage at Miami's Monkey Jungle. To earn his keep he puts on
three shows a day. Pay $17 and see King bang his drum. Stay after the show
and see King bang his head against the wall. Show biz ain't what it used to be.
The world-renowned experts at Zoo Atlanta have offered to rescue King from
his pathetic home. At Zoo Atlanta King would live with other gorillas on
over four acres. There, King would have trees, grass, open space,
companionship and dignity. And exemplary care: Zoo Atlanta specializes in
rehabilitating solitary gorillas, like Ivan and Willie B.
Monkey Jungle isn't a zoo. It's a for-profit business that lost its
accreditation years ago. For two years we've been quietly encouraging the
people at Monkey Jungle to find a new home for King. They've given us a song
and dance. The show goes on. Help us send the message that King-sized
cruelty doesn't pay. That the public really does care.
To support King being moved to Zoo Atlanta please fill out the form at:
http://www.paws.org/activists/pn4/pn404.htm
(if you do not have web access, email comments to:
The Progressive Animal Welfare Society will forward all replies to Monkey
Jungle.
Bob Chorush Web Administrator, Progressive Animal Welfare Society (PAWS)
15305 44th Ave West (P.O. Box 1037)Lynnwood, WA 98046 (425) 787-2500 ext
862, (425) 742-5711 fax
email bchorush@paws.org http://www.paws.org
Date: Mon, 25 Aug 1997 13:06:18 -0700 (PDT)
From: bchorush@paws.org (pawsinfo)
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: PAWS Opposes Capture Of Threatened Dolphins By Tacoma Veterinarian[WA]
Message-ID: <199708252006.NAA22797@siskiyou.brigadoon.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
August 25, 1997
For Immediate Release
Contact: Bob Chorush (425) 787-2500 ext 862
PAWS Opposes Capture Of Threatened Dolphins By Tacoma Veterinarian
Michael Jones D.V.M., President of the Jones Animal Hospital in Tacoma, has
been named the veterinarian of record in a permit application to the
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to capture and import four Amazon
river dolphins from Venezuela for a display under construction at the Dallas
World Aquarium.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources
(IUCN) and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species
(CITES) consider these dolphins to be threatened, which means that they are
likely to become endangered in the near future. As well, no census has been
taken of the wild population, nor has any study been done to determine the
impact on the wild population that the removal of these four dolphins would
cause.
Since 1956, approximately 100 Amazon river dolphins were exported from South
America, yet only three survive. The average longevity for Amazon river
dolphins in captivity has been 32.6 months, while this species normally
lives to 35 years of age in the wild.
The Dallas World Aquarium, described by the Dallas Morning News as "a
combination aquarium-restaurant in the city's West End", was opened in 1992
by Daryl Richardson, whom they described as "a caterer, entrepreneur and
tropical fish enthusiast".
Bob Chorush at PAWS observes that "by stocking dolphins, this aquarium would
be bucking an industry trend against new facilities keeping whales and
dolphins in captivity. In the last five years, no new aquariums in the U.S.
have included these animals in their collections due to high mortality
rates, prohibitive upkeep costs and public controversy."
Michael Jones D.V.M., who was a consulting veterinarian to the Point
Defiance Zoo and Aquarium from 1973 to 1995, cited no previous experience
with Amazon river dolphins in his resume; however Jones did indicate that,
from 1980 to the present, he had been involved in "collection and transport
of numerous species of wild animals across the U.S. and throughout the world
including…bottlenose dolphin from Florida to Washington and killer whales
from Iceland to Japan."
Recent video footage of killer whale captures in Taiji, Japan graphically
showed the violent and inhumane methods used to separate captured animals
from their families. Two of the five whales captured at Taiji have since died.
The Progressive Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) has filed comments with the
National Marine Fisheries Service opposing the capture and import of Amazon
River Dolphins from Venezuela.
Bob Chorush Web Administrator, Progressive Animal Welfare Society (PAWS)
15305 44th Ave West (P.O. Box 1037)Lynnwood, WA 98046 (425) 787-2500 ext
862, (425) 742-5711 fax
email bchorush@paws.org http://www.paws.org
Date: Mon, 25 Aug 1997 13:06:18 -0700 (PDT)
From: bchorush@paws.org (pawsinfo)
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: PAWS Opposes Capture Of Threatened Dolphins By Tacoma Veterinarian[WA]
Message-ID: <199708252023.QAA13462@envirolink.org>
August 25, 1997
For Immediate Release=20
Contact: Bob Chorush (425) 787-2500 ext 862
PAWS Opposes Capture Of Threatened Dolphins By Tacoma Veterinarian
Michael Jones D.V.M., President of the Jones Animal Hospital in Tacoma, has
been named the veterinarian of record in a permit application to the
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to capture and import four Amazon
river dolphins from Venezuela for a display under construction at the Dallas
World Aquarium.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources
(IUCN) and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species
(CITES) consider these dolphins to be threatened, which means that they are
likely to become endangered in the near future. As well, no census has been
taken of the wild population, nor has any study been done to determine the
impact on the wild population that the removal of these four dolphins would
cause.
Since 1956, approximately 100 Amazon river dolphins were exported from South
America, yet only three survive. The average longevity for Amazon river
dolphins in captivity has been 32.6 months, while this species normally
lives to 35 years of age in the wild.
The Dallas World Aquarium, described by the Dallas Morning News as "a
combination aquarium-restaurant in the city's West End", was opened in 1992
by Daryl Richardson, whom they described as "a caterer, entrepreneur and
tropical fish enthusiast". =20
Bob Chorush at PAWS observes that "by stocking dolphins, this aquarium would
be bucking an industry trend against new facilities keeping whales and
dolphins in captivity. In the last five years, no new aquariums in the U.S.
have included these animals in their collections due to high mortality
rates, prohibitive upkeep costs and public controversy."
Michael Jones D.V.M., who was a consulting veterinarian to the Point
Defiance Zoo and Aquarium from 1973 to 1995, cited no previous experience
with Amazon river dolphins in his resume; however Jones did indicate that,
from 1980 to the present, he had been involved in "collection and transport
of numerous species of wild animals across the U.S. and throughout the world
including=85bottlenose dolphin from Florida to Washington and killer whales
from Iceland to Japan."
Recent video footage of killer whale captures in Taiji, Japan graphically
showed the violent and inhumane methods used to separate captured animals
from their families. Two of the five whales captured at Taiji have since died.=
20
The Progressive Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) has filed comments with the
National Marine Fisheries Service opposing the capture and import of Amazon
River Dolphins from Venezuela.=20
Bob Chorush Web Administrator, Progressive Animal Welfare Society (PAWS)
15305 44th Ave West (P.O. Box 1037)Lynnwood, WA 98046 (425) 787-2500 ext
862, (425) 742-5711 fax
email bchorush@paws.org http://www.paws.org
PAWS Opposes Capture Of Threatened Dolphins By Tacoma Veterinarian[WA]
Date: Mon, 25 Aug 1997 14:22:28 -0700
From: LCartLng@gvn.net (Lawrence Carter-Long)
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Newswire: WHO Confirms Bird To Human Virus
Message-ID: <199708252116.RAA18665@envirolink.org>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
WHO Confirms New Influenza Virus Strain in Humans
August 25, 1997
Xinhua : GENEVA (Aug. 22) XINHUA - The World Health Organization (WHO) has
confirmed that an influenza virus, known previously to infect birds only,
has been isolated in a three-year-old boy who died in Hong Kong in May of
Reye Syndrome during an acute respiratory illness.
In a press release Thursday, WHO confirmed that this is the only case
detected so far.
"There is no indication at present that this strain is spreading from
person to person," said Dr. Daniel Lavanchy of WHO's Division of Emerging
and other Communicable Diseases Surveillance and Control (EMC).
"There is consequently no need for special measures to be taken as of
today," he said.
Although there have been no other instances of type A(H5N1) virus being
found among humans, efforts are being made to determine whether other
persons in Hong Kong or other parts of southern China may have been
infected with this strain.
A team of scientists from a WHO Collaborating Center, the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia, arrived in Hong Kong
Wednesday to conduct an extensive investigation in conjunction with the WHO
Collaborating Center at the National Institute of Infectious Diseases in
Tokyo.
They will assist the Influenza Center and Department of Health in Hong Kong
in assessing the significance of this discovery and its impact on public
health.
The Reye Syndrome, which involves the central nervous system and the liver,
is a rare complication in children who may have ingested salicylates (i.e.
aspirin).
It occurs mainly in children with influenza type B, and less frequently in
children with influenza type A or chickenpox.
[Copyright 1997, Comtex]
Lawrence Carter-Long
Coordinator, Science and Research Issues
Animal Protection Institute, phone: 916-731-5521
email: LCartLng@gvn.net
world wide web: http://www.api4animals.org/
"The person using the Internet has the choice. Whether the
Internet becomes material for happiness or for suffering
depends on your mind. The mind goes before the external
object." -- The Buddhist monks of Namgyal Monastery
Date: Mon, 25 Aug 1997 14:31:03 -0700
From: "ida"
To:
Cc:
Subject: URGENT! LANGUR MONKEYS NEED YOUR HELP!
Message-ID: <199708252128.OAA12357@proxy4.ba.best.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
UC Berkeley has stalled once again in making a decision about the langur
mankeys' future. University officials met recently & have put the decision
off indefinitely! While the university deliberates(?) about the fate of
the monkeys, they languish in the Berkeley hills. Seventeen monkeys used
to live in UCB's concrete lined, steel cages, yet only 14 are there now.
What happened to the other 3? Call Dr. Hellen Diggs at (510) 642-9232, or
(510) 643-9567 and ask her for records regarding what happened to the other
three!
The langur monkeys have been subject to UC Berkeley's research for more
than twenty years, and have been sitting, awaiting a decision about their
future since research grants dried up several years ago. Twenty years is
long enough! Please call the Vice Chancellor for Research Joseph Cerney
and demand that the langur monkeys immediately be placed in a caring
sanctuary. Wildlife Rescue is a sanctuary which has agreed to take the
langurs, if funds can be generated. Considering the vast amount of money
the university has at its disposal, it certainly can come up with the funds
necessary to place the langurs in a sanctuary. Please call, fax, and
e-mail both Hellen Diggs and Joseph Cerny and demand freedom for the langur
monkeys!!!
Hellen Diggs Joseph Cerny
phone:(510) 642-9232 phone: (510)642-7540
fax:(510)643-9567 fax: (510) 643-5620
e-mail: hdiggs@olac.berkeley.edu e-mail:
jcerny@uclink4.berkeley.edu
Date: Mon, 25 Aug 1997 17:09:48
From: eklei@earthlink.net
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: More Coulston departures, shigella outbreak
Message-ID: <3.0.1.16.19970825170948.2b6f074e@earthlink.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
In Defense of Animals
131 Camino Alto, Suite E
Mill Valley, CA 94941
415-388-9641 (voice)
ida@idausa.org (email)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TWO MORE COULSTON VETS, ENRICHMENT
DIRECTOR, PATHOLOGIST QUIT
INFECTIOUS SHIGELLA (Dysentery) OUTBREAK IN 3
TCF CHIMP BUILDINGS PROMPTS PUBLIC HEALTH
CONCERNS FROM USDA, IDA COMPLAINT TO CDC
Alamogordo, NM (August 25, 1997) -- Yet more key staff
departures and an outbreak of shigella at The Coulston Foundation
(TCF) have prompted new federal complaints filed with the USDA and
NIH as well as concerns for public safety relayed to the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), In Defense of Animals
(IDA) announced today.
Shigella is a group of bacteria with four different strains
that cause gastrointestinal illness, often resulting in diarrhea
(sometimes with blood or mucous), stomach cramps, fever, and nausea
or vomiting. Children, the elderly and the infirm are the most
susceptible to infection. Extreme cases of shigellosis (bacillary
dysentery) can cause Reiter's disease (juvenile arthritis with
inflammation of urinary tract and eyelids), hemolytic uremic
syndrome (diminished urine, kidney failure, anemia and dizziness in
children), mucosal ulceration, rectal bleeding, drastic dehydration
and death.
A July 31 USDA inspection report stated that the shigella
outbreak at TCF, combined with unsanitary conditions, lack of
security and a perimeter fence at TCF's Lavelle Road site, and
possible human and animal exposure to infected chimp feces "present
a public health risk." IDA informed the CDC in Atlanta of the
USDA's concerns, which could pose even more of a threat because
sources have stated that some TCF employees in contact with the
infected chimps may have other jobs involving food preparation.
"TCF's long history of violating federal animal welfare laws
has put not only the health of chimpanzees and monkeys at risk, but
also potentially the surrounding community of Alamogordo," stated
IDA Program Director Suzanne Roy. "The CDC should contact the
appropriate New Mexico authorities to prevent infection of the
human population. Of course, the outbreak itself -- in three
separate buildings, no less -- raises serious questions about the
conditions and staffing at TCF."
In addition to the shigella outbreak, a new round of staff
resignations has shaken the facility. Key staff recently departed
from TCF are two veterinarians, the lab's only on-site pathologist
and its Director of Environmental Enrichment.
One of the two veterinarians who resigned in early August, Dr.
Drew Williams, was TCF's most-experienced full-time chimpanzee
clinician. She inherited that role from Dr. Pat Frost, who had
been TCF's most experienced chimp vet until her departure only six
months ago. Since May 1994, _nine veterinarians_ with combined
decades of clinical chimpanzee experience have left TCF. Three of
TCF's vets have left within the last six months. The high turnover
of veterinary staff could help to account for TCF's long record of
"unintended" chimpanzee and monkey deaths (at least 29 since 1993).
These include the negligent deaths of two young, healthy
chimpanzees, Jello and Echo, earlier this year. Both deaths are
currently under active investigation by USDA.
"This continued staffing turmoil at TCF may have contributed
to the shigella outbreak there," stated Roy. "At the very least,
having it spread to three separate buildings indicates a possible
lack of adequate infectious disease safeguards, identification and
monitoring; questionable husbandry practices and preventive care;
possible overcrowding; and unsanitary conditions. The departure of
TCF's pathologist -- apparently the only one on-site -- is also
troubling, since one of the main reasons for a pathology program is
to protect the surviving members of the colony, and to help
diagnose, prevent and control disease."
The departure of TCF's Director of Environmental Enrichment,
Dr. Elaine Struthers, means that the world's largest chimpanzee
colony currently has only one full-time enrichment person --
Struthers' former assistant -- for over 600 chimps and 1,300
monkeys. TCF has a long history of failing to support
psychological enrichment of primates, which is mandated by the
Animal Welfare Act. Even behaviorist Dr. Joseph Erwin, TCF's own
paid consultant, stated in _June 1995_ -- _before_ the addition of
almost 100 chimps from a New York lab -- that the facility's
enrichment program was understaffed, and that Dr. Struthers should
have at least three full-time assistants. Previously, Struthers
had requested one assistant, but was told by TCF management at the
time that she "didn't need the help."
"Dr. Struthers' departure is simply the latest and perhaps
most telling evidence of TCF's continued failure to uphold the
Animal Welfare Act's requirement for psychological enrichment, and
we strongly suspect that she resigned in part because of TCF
management's continued lack of support," concluded Roy. "The loss
of key personnel, including nine veterinarians, the shigella
outbreak, and the deficiencies in the area or enrichment make clear
that TCF is in continuing violation of the Animal Welfare Act.
Clearly, the formal USDA charges filed in July 1995 -- including a
$40,000 fine and the cease and desist order that TCF signed in June
1996 -- have not been enough to force TCF into compliance. USDA
and NIH must act swiftly and punitively, to file new charges and
suspend all NIH funding to the facility so that TCF management can
no longer continue to thumb their noses at federal law and place
the health and well-being of both chimpanzees and humans at risk."
IDA is a national animal advocacy organization with over
65,000 members based in Mill Valley, California.
# # #
Date: Mon, 25 Aug 1997 14:31:03 -0700
From: "ida"
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: URGENT! LANGUR MONKEYS NEED YOUR HELP!
Message-ID: <199708252134.RAA20241@envirolink.org>
UC Berkeley has stalled once again in making a decision about the langur
mankeys' future. University officials met recently & have put the decision
off indefinitely! While the university deliberates(?) about the fate of
the monkeys, they languish in the Berkeley hills. Seventeen monkeys used
to live in UCB's concrete lined, steel cages, yet only 14 are there now.
What happened to the other 3? Call Dr. Hellen Diggs at (510) 642-9232, or
(510) 643-9567 and ask her for records regarding what happened to the other
three!
The langur monkeys have been subject to UC Berkeley's research for more
than twenty years, and have been sitting, awaiting a decision about their
future since research grants dried up several years ago. Twenty years is
long enough! Please call the Vice Chancellor for Research Joseph Cerney
and demand that the langur monkeys immediately be placed in a caring
sanctuary. Wildlife Rescue is a sanctuary which has agreed to take the
langurs, if funds can be generated. Considering the vast amount of money
the university has at its disposal, it certainly can come up with the funds
necessary to place the langurs in a sanctuary. Please call, fax, and
e-mail both Hellen Diggs and Joseph Cerny and demand freedom for the langur
monkeys!!!
Hellen Diggs Joseph Cerny
phone:(510) 642-9232 phone: (510)642-7540
fax:(510)643-9567 fax: (510) 643-5620
e-mail: hdiggs@olac.berkeley.edu e-mail:
jcerny@uclink4.berkeley.edu
URGENT! LANGUR MONKEYS NEED YOUR HELP!
Date: Mon, 25 Aug 1997 19:05:00 -0400 (EDT)
From: PAWS
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Mail to Sam Farr
Message-ID:
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
Thanks to the many people who have e.mailed, asking how to contact
Congressman Sam Farr to thank him for taking a stand against King Royal
Circus. You can wirte write him at 1117 Longworth House Office
Building, Washington, DC 20515 or call his office at (202) 225-2861.
Date: Mon, 25 Aug 1997 20:26:24 +0000
From: Liz Grayson
To: ar-news
Subject: NYC Mayor Guiliani Begins War on Rats
Message-ID: <3401EA5E.335C@earthlink.net>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
August 25, 1997
New York City's Rats Too Bold, Even
for Hardiest New Yorkers
By LYNETTE HOLLOWAY
EW YORK -- Curses! Rats! They're
everywhere -- even
amid the cloistered elegance of the
mayoral residence
in Manhattan, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani said
Sunday.
Giuliani made the revelation a day after his
administration
announced an election-year offensive on New York
City's
teeming rat population, which has gnawed its way to
the top
of the city's political agenda after vociferous
complaints.
The deciding factor for the assault, which is to
begin Monday,
apparently was not just tours offered by the
community
groups, which showed blocks where the
disease-carrying
rodents scampered near schools and apartment houses
in
broad daylight. Giuliani had his own personal
testament.
"About a week and a half ago, I was sitting at home
outside
and I saw a large rat run across the porch of Gracie
Mansion
about this large," Giuliani said, parting his hands
to about 12
inches. "It wasn't the first time," he said,
speaking at a news
conference at Madison Square Park in Manhattan after
marching in the Pakistani Independence Day Parade.
"We've
had about 10 of them since I've been there. So this
is a
problem that afflicts everybody in every place."
The mayor's residence, Gracie Mansion, however, will
not be
included in the blitz, mayoral aides said Sunday.
The $8
million initiative by the city's Health Department
was
warmly praised by community leaders, as it would
target 16
neighborhoods in all 5 boroughs, in places where
rats are
numerous enough to be a serious health hazard. In
addition
to using exterminators, the program will rely on the
Health
Department and the Police Department to issue
summonses
to businesses.
The move comes after the city's Bureau of Pest
Control
budget was cut almost in half in 1992 and in 1993.
Complaints about rats have averaged about 20,000 a
year
for the last two years, city officials said.
Other Places of Interest on the Web
New York City Department of Health
"The Blue Room", where the Mayor's press releases
are
posted. Site does not currently contain a press
release on the
new rat control program, but may by Monday
afternoon.
Mayor Rudy Guiliani announced that today the city will start spreading
rat poison in a 10 million dollar 2 year effort to "reduce "(" I do not
want to say exterminate" he said at a campaign rally) the number of rats
in the city.
Rat poison causes a slow painful death usually by hemmoraging. It also
kills cats, dogs and anyone else that eats poisoned rats. There are
alternatives and the city is aware of them. However without an NYSPCA or
humane organization to fight for the animals protection, the city and
the DOH will favor barbaric and inhumane animal control tactics.
The NYC Animal Control ballot initiative mandates the formation of an
animal control agency run by the city, instead of an animal protection
agency run by a humane or animal protection organization. The initiative
also authorizes Mayor Guiliani to employ an animal control officer
instead of mandating the employment of someone with a background that
shows a demonstratable commitment to animal protection and humane care.
If the initiative passes Guiliani can say that during his
administration he facilitated shelter reform and reduced the
overpopulation of homeless animals.
.Last week it was pigeons, this week rats-and feral cats and starving
dogs that eat the rats
Date: Mon, 25 Aug 1997 20:36:03 -0400 (EDT)
From: PAWS
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Kim Basinger Condemns King Royal
Message-ID:
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
Kim Basinger is being featured on Monday and Tuesday evening's
"Entertainment Tonight" broadcasts. She'll be discussing the King Royal
Circus and demanding the the USDA revoke King Royal's license and
confiscate the animals.
Tomorrow, Kim and Pat Derby will hold a press conference in Albuquerque
about the King Royal Circus and the plight of the surviving animals.
Following is a press release issued today by PAWS:
Kim Basinger Pleads for the Elephants:
Basinger Gives Press Conference at the Site of Dead Elephant
Albuquerque: Just over a week after a young African elephant was found
dead of heat prostration in a circus trailer with temperatures beyond 120
degrees, actress Kim BAsinger is flying to Albuquerque to plead for the
remaining animals and to appeal to the USDA to, once and for all, enfoce
the existing Animal Welfare Act.
On Tuesday, August 26th at noon, Basinger will appeal once again to the
Secretary of Agriculture, Daniel Glickman, to enforce the existing law
and revoke the license of King Royal Circus.
Over three years ago, Basinger became a major participant in the campaign
to get elephants out of traveling shows after she viewed a tape of a King
Royal trainer repeatedly stabbing a baby elephant to force him to perform
for a circus audience. Then in July, 1997, Basinger and PAWS' director
Pat Derby, visited Sec. Glickman to educate him about the miserable lives
of elephants in traveling shows.
Now, not even two months later, another elephant has died while on the
road with a traveling show. Heather, a 9 year old African elephant, was
one of three elephants in the trailer in Albuquerque when police
apprehended it. The remaining two, Irene and Donna, are being held at
the Zoo. Another group of King Royal animals is still reported to be on
the road somewhere in Wisconsin.
"We contacted Kim immediately after heather's death and she was adamant
that it would be a tragedy to load up the remaining elephants and make
them continue to work for the circus," says Pat Derby, PAWS' Director.
"Each time an incident like Heather's death occurs, the circus world
instantly closes ranks and tells the media that the situation is
'isolated.' The illogic in their statement, of course, is that there are
many of these documented 'isolated' incidents every year! This is not
clean family fun as the circus would have us all believe. These animals
are living and dying in misery."
According to a PAWS' report, King Royal has a long history of violations
of the Animal Welfare Act, including the death, in a transportation
vehicle, of an elephant named Joy in 1993; the death of a giraffe in
1994; and the beating of baby Mickey in 1994. PAWS made the latter
incident the subject of a series of "Crusaders" tv shows as well as a
petition drive to the USDA.
Basinger interrupted her vacation to give an in depth interview to
Entertainment Tonight on August 22 and on August 26 she will be available
to answer questions from the media in Albuquerque.
Says Derby, "One of our main concerns is that there is another group of
King Royal animals out there on the road right now. They must be in the
same condition and traveling in the same kind of vehicles as the animals
seized in Albuquerque. It is time for the USDA to permanently revoke
King Royal's permits and confiscate ALL of the animals."
+++++++++++++
PAWS asks that you continue to call and write the USDA now, while they
are in the decision-making process about what action to take against King
Royal. Please call or write today.
Date: Mon, 25 Aug 1997 20:50:41 -0400
From: allen schubert
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (US) Beef Business Hopes for Best
Message-ID: <3.0.32.19970825205038.006c72c4@clark.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
from AP Wire page:
-------------------------------------
08/25/1997 16:27 EST
Beef Business Hopes for Best
By KATIE FAIRBANK
AP Business Writer
DALLAS (AP) -- Consumers are looking a little closer at meat
these days following another E. coli outbreak and cattle
ranchers are hoping Americans' love of beef will last through
this latest contamination scare.
Mad cow disease, which hasn't been reported in the United
States, previous warnings about E. coli and years of hearing
nutritionists warn against too much red meat have many shying
away from beef already.
``I was in the grocery store the other day and didn't buy any
hamburger. I thought why not just wait awhile,'' said Cameron
Tyler of Boulder, Colo.
A poll conducted for Newsweek magazine last week as the E. coli
outbreak was getting wide attention found that 41 percent of
those polled less likely to purchase hamburger at grocery stores, and 54
percent less likely to buy hamburgers at fast-food restaurants.
Many cattle ranchers agree that the highly publicized outbreaks could
wind up diminishing American's appetite for beef.
``The stigma is always a concern,'' said Texas rancher Chaunce Thompson,
a past president of the Texas and Southwest Cattle Raisers Association.
``But I feel like the American people are smart enough to realize these
are very isolated incidents.''
During an E. coli outbreak in 1993 that sickened more than 500 hamburger
eaters and killed three children, consumers turned their backs on beef.
Consumption bottomed out at 61.6 pounds per person, according to the
National Cattlemen's Beef Association.
The beef industry, which has struggled to hold its market share over pork
and poultry in recent years, has become highly sensitive to reports of
contamination and are hopeful the same thing won't happen this time
around.
Reaction has been less this time around. Livestock futures on the Chicago
Mercantile Exchange hovered around 69.85 cents a pound before the USDA's
recall on Aug. 18, when they plummeted to 66.42 cents a pound. The prices
have been creeping back upward since.
``I think that consumers are used to hearing about once a week about a
food scare. We've heard, `don't eat chicken, don't drink water, don't eat
strawberries, don't eat apples','' said Lisa Williams, a spokesman for
the Texas Beef Council. ``Of course we're concerned about the recent E.
coli outbreak, but we think consumers are starting to understand.''
The Newsweek poll of 501 adults was taken Friday and has a margin of
error of plus or minus five percentage points. It found that 51 percent
of respondents in recent days had decided to avoid certain foods or were
being more careful about handling and preparing food.
Some consumers say they've heard so many warnings about their food
they've tuned them out, deciding to enjoy a meal and take their chances.
``I've been around a long time, and people have banned everything at some
point. When I want a hamburger, I'm going to order it. I just don't let
it bother me,'' said Charlie Hurwitz, 85, a retired New York banker, who
ate two plain hamburgers for lunch on Monday.
Date: Mon, 25 Aug 1997 23:21:32 -0400
From: allen schubert
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (US) E. coli has a dangerous strain
Message-ID: <3.0.32.19970825232130.006f4188@clark.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
from Mercury Center web page:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted at 8:06 p.m. PDT Monday, August 25, 1997
E. coli has a dangerous strain
Chicago Tribune
CHICAGO -- There are hundreds of strains of the
bacterium Escherichia coli, commonly known as E.
coli, and most are harmless and live in the
intestines of healthy humans and animals.
The strain that causes between 10,000 and 20,000
cases of infection and illness in the United States
each year is E. coli O157:H7. This bacterium can
cause severe bloody diarrhea and abdominal cramps.
In young children, elderly people and people with
damaged immune systems, the infection can cause
kidney failure.
Most of the reported E. coli illnesses have been
associated with eating undercooked contaminated
ground beef. The meat can become contaminated
during slaughter, and organisms can be mixed into
beef when it is ground. Contaminated meat looks and
smells normal.
According to the National Center for Infectious
Diseases, drinking unpasteurized milk and swimming
in or drinking sewage-contaminated water also can
cause infection. Bacteria in diarrheal stools of
infected people can be passed to others if hygiene
is inadequate, the center said.
Here is what the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention advises for preventing E. coli
infections:
--Cook ground beef thoroughly, making sure the meat
is gray or brown throughout (not pink), the juices
run clear and the inside is hot.
--Consume only pasteurized milk and milk products.
Avoid raw milk.
--Make sure that infected people, especially
children, wash their hands carefully and frequently
with soap to reduce the risk of spreading the
infection.
--Drink municipal water that has been treated with
adequate levels of chlorine or other effective
disinfectants.
Date: Mon, 25 Aug 1997 23:23:21 -0400
From: allen schubert
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (US) Body Shop's ad campaign takes on supermodels
Message-ID: <3.0.32.19970825232319.006f5d44@clark.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
from Mercury Center web page:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted at 6:53 p.m. PDT Monday, August 25, 1997
Body Shop's ad campaign takes on supermodels
N.Y. Times News Service
NEW YORK -- Can a plump plastic doll help change
the way that fashion, beauty and cosmetic marketers
portray women in advertising?
The Body Shop, an iconoclastic retailer that sells
creams, soaps and other products primarily to
women, hopes so. The chain, which has been
suffering sales declines in this country in the
face of intensifying competition, is undertaking a
rare campaign in the mainstream American media,
which carries the theme ``Love your body.''
The campaign is emblematic of the hotly debated
issue of the ability of advertising to affect and
influence behavior. Print advertisements and
posters are focused on self-esteem and self-image
and centered on the doll, nicknamed Ruby.
The reason for that sobriquet is obvious after
seeing the toy, which appears in an ad in the
September issue of Self magazine and on the posters
due to go up in Body Shop stores for two weeks
beginning in mid-September. Though Ruby's red hair,
blue eyes and pert nose are typical of so-called
fashion dolls, her body is definitely not.
The doll's breasts, stomach and thighs are in a
word, Rubenesque. She reclines on a green velvet
sofa under this headline: ``There are 3 billion
women who don't look like supermodels and only 8
who do.''
``Most of the cosmetics industry bases its
communications on stereotypical notions of
unattainable ideals,'' said Marina Galanti, head of
global communications at the Body Shop
International PLC in Littlehampton, England.
``We're asking for a reality check.''
``The images in the barrage of advertising around
you have very little to do with people riding the
bus with you, sitting in the office with you,
having dinner with you,'' said Ms. Galanti, who is
responsible for advertising and marketing. ``It's
good to step back once in a while and say, `Hmmmm.'
''
The Body Shop campaign, created in house, is
indicative of a growing trend: sales pitches that
mock or tweak conventional methods of peddling
products, particularly images that are perceived as
persuading women to conform to certain ideals of
appearance. That trend has intensified in the 1990s
with the formation of activist groups like Stop
Anorexic Marketing, an organization founded by
women in the Boston area, some of whom suffered
from eating disorders.
For instance, ads for Dove beauty bar promote that
Unilever product as ``for the beauty that's already
there.'' Campaigns for Chic jeans from Henry I.
Siegel Co. have carried such themes as ``Look like
yourself'' and ``It's what you feel that counts.''
Print ads for the Freeman Cosmetic Corp. feature a
woman, her back turned to the camera, asking, ``How
much do you need to see to know I'm beautiful?''
And an ad for Special K cereal, run in Canada by
Kellogg Co., that depicted an ultrathin model and
carried the headline ``If this is beauty, there's
something wrong with the eye of the beholder.''
``It's enlightened self-interest to identify
yourself with women who will be drawn in by
advertising that doesn't show an anorexic
15-year-old,'' said Susan Weidman Schneider, editor
in chief of Lilith, a quarterly women's magazine
from Lilith Publications Inc. in New York that has
run articles on subjects like self-esteem and
self-image.
``Say what you will about the Body Shop trying to
reclaim market share,'' she added, referring to the
chain's loss of sales to rival retailers like Bath
and Body Works, H20 Works and the Gap. ``The
campaign is terribly clever.''
Ms. Galanti said: ``In terms of competition, it's
good to celebrate our points of difference. And
Ruby does that.''
Most ads by Body Shop International have appeared
in stores, devoted to cause-related marketing
programs like voter registration. The company has
advertised only sporadically in U.S. media,
primarily in small, so-called alternative
publications like Lilith and Mother Jones.
``Our approach to advertising has been sort of
experimental,'' Ms. Galanti said. ``This is a trial
for taking alternative imagery into the mainstream
media. There are a lot of interesting possibilities
there, even for companies oriented toward
unorthodox methods of communication.''
If that evokes the strategy pursued by Benetton
Group SpA -- the Italian apparel retailer notorious
for campaigns that advocate stands on contentious
social issues -- well, Ms. Galanti spent four and a
half years overseeing international communications
and media for Benetton.
``I don't have a problem with advertising as a tool
for activism,'' Ms. Galanti said. ``The more
interesting way to use advertising is to make brand
statements, saying more about our brand than our
product.''
Body Shop International initially thrived in
America with proclamations by its founder, Anita
Roddick, on disputatious issues like animal rights
and ecology. The Ruby campaign, though still
issue-oriented, is more narrowly focused on a topic
more relevant to a purveyor of ointments, lotions
and potions.
``It's not a question of what we're trying to tell
people, but of what we're not trying to tell
people,'' Ms. Galanti said. ``We're saying our
products will moisturize, cleanse and polish; they
will not perform miracles.''
Ruby's arrival in America comes after she appeared
in ads in several of the 47 countries in which Body
Shop International operates stores, including
Australia, where newspapers there coined her
nickname, and Switzerland. In Britain, Simon Green,
creative partner at the BDDH agency in London,
praised the campaign last month in a critique for
the newspaper The Independent as ``incredibly
powerful'' because ``it shows enormous empathy for
women.''
In addition to the Ruby print ad and posters, there
will be what Ms. Galanti called ``Ruby approval
stickers'' in stores, which consumers can affix
``on images of men and women they agree with.''
Ruby is an element of a three-part campaign with
self-esteem motifs from Body Shop International.
After the focus in September on body image, Ms.
Galanti said, October will be devoted to
``self-esteem and activism,'' in the form of a
promotion to sell whistles that symbolize what a
coming print ad calls ``the urgent need to stop
violence against women.'' And in November, Ms.
Galanti said, the focus will be ``self-esteem and
aging -- wrinkles.''
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