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.''