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AR-NEWS Digest 493
Topics covered in this issue include:
1) 20,000 pounds of beef "recalled"
by Andrew Gach
2) Drug firm settles lawsuits
by Andrew Gach
3) (HK) Anger at panda plans for Expo '97
by Vadivu Govind
4) (CN) Shanghainese spend heavily on pets, even wolves
by Vadivu Govind
5) [EU] France in dock for failure to guard birds
by David J Knowles
6) Bull- fighting
by "sa338@blues.uab.es"
7) Pork Producers' Free Literature to School Children
by SDURBIN@VM.TULSA.CC.OK.US
8) Powerful Purr-suasion
by SDURBIN@VM.TULSA.CC.OK.US
9) Fwd: APHIS Press Release Dog Tethering
by CFOXAPI@aol.com
10) [UK] Barry Horne resumes hunger strike
by "Miggi"
11) (US) Oklahoma Praire Dog Reprieve
by JanaWilson@aol.com
12) Re: Form letter to Canadian Minister of Health: End primate Reseach and Breeding
by Sean Thomas
13) [Fwd: Form letter to Canadian Minister of Health: End primate Reseach and Breeding]
by Sean Thomas
14) [Fwd: Form letter to Canadian Minister of Health: End primate Reseach
by Sean Thomas
15) Scandal at Wisconsin Primate Center
by Shirley McGreal
16) Wisconsin scandal, Part 2
by Shirley McGreal
17) Wisconsin scandal, Part 3
by Shirley McGreal
18) Wisconsin scandal, Part 4
by Shirley McGreal
19) Wisconsin scandal, Part 5
by Shirley McGreal
20) Wisconsin Primate Center Scandal, Part 5
by Shirley McGreal
21) (US) Oklahoma Emergency Pet Adoption
by JanaWilson@aol.com
22) the dark side...
by sunless@ix.netcom.com
23) I knew i was forgetting something...
by sunless@ix.netcom.com
24) Letter re. King Royal
by PAWS
25) More bullfighting
by "sa338@blues.uab.es"
26) Re: More bullfighting(little mistake)
by "sa338@blues.uab.es"
27) Permit Application for Travelling Dolphin Show [US]
by bchorush@paws.org (pawsinfo)
28) Dog Tethering Banned / Whales in Bathtubs OK? [US]
by bchorush@paws.org (pawsinfo)
29) (US) APHIS Press Release JOHN CUNEO AND HAWTHORN CORPORATION
FACE USDA ANIMALWELFARE CHARGES
by allen schubert
30) (US) Bird Beheader Goes to Prison
by allen schubert
31) (US) Americans Said To Need Calcium
by allen schubert
32) (US) A List of Calcium-Rich Foods
by allen schubert
33) (US) Brazil Won't Analyze Deforestation
by allen schubert
34) (NZ/JP) Study: Japan Flouts Whale Meat Ban
by allen schubert
35) I Congress of Medical Doctors Against Vivisection
by "sa338@blues.uab.es"
36) Letter to copy re logging
by jeanlee
37) (UK) Buckingham guards' bearskins face their Waterloo
by allen schubert
38) (US) Steven Jobs (Apple Computer)--Vegan
by allen schubert
Date: Tue, 12 Aug 1997 21:25:34 -0700
From: Andrew Gach
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: 20,000 pounds of beef "recalled"
Message-ID: <33F1373E.18FC@worldnet.att.net>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
E.coli threat forces meat processor to recall burgers
Reuter Information Service
WASHINGTON (August 12, 1997 8:52 p.m. EDT) - Meat processor Hudson Foods
Co. is recalling 20,000 pounds of frozen ground beef patties nationwide
because the meat may be contaminated with the potentially deadly E.coli
O157:H7 bacteria, the U.S. Agriculture Department said Tuesday.
It said it learned about the problem from Colorado health officials
after several consumers in the state who had eaten hamburger in early
July became ill.
Date: Tue, 12 Aug 1997 21:27:51 -0700
From: Andrew Gach
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Drug firm settles lawsuits
Message-ID: <33F137C6.3138@worldnet.att.net>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
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Drug company settles thyroid drug lawsuits
The Associated Press
NEWARK, N.J. (August 12, 1997 11:58 a.m. EDT) -- A drug maker says it
will pay up to $135 million to settle charges it suppressed research
that threatened the sales of its prescription thyroid drug.
Knoll Pharmaceutical Co. admitted no wrongdoing in the settlement it
reached with attorneys for the millions of people who used the
drug over its cheaper equivalents, but said it wanted to avoid a costly
legal battle.
As many as 8 million people who paid two to three times more for the
Knoll drug Synthroid are eligible, the plaintiffs' lead attorney said
Monday.
The Aug. 1 settlement with Knoll, the Mount Olive-based subsidiary of
BASF Corp. in Germany, follows the April release of a study that
concluded that Synthroid, which controls 85 percent of the market
for synthetic thyroid hormone, was no better than one brand-name
and two generic equivalents.
Knoll commissioned the University of California at San Francisco study
by Betty Dong but disagreed with its results and considered suing to
halt its publication.
Dong told The Journal of the American Medical Association, which
published her research in April, that the company suppressed her study
for more than six years.
Under the settlement, Knoll will contribute $98 million to a fund to pay
plaintiffs in about 60 lawsuits filed nationwide over the past several
months. The money will cover up to 5 million plaintiffs who used the
drug between 1990, when Dong began her study, and Aug. 1, said Allan
Kanner, an attorney coordinating the lawsuits.
If more people apply for reimbursement, the company will pay up to $135
million.
The settlement should translate into a $25-per-person payoff, less court
costs, for Synthroid users, said Kanner. They should be
reimbursed by the end of the year, he said.
Synthroid is used by people whose thyroid glands have been damaged by
disease or have been surgically removed. Thyroid hormones regulate
metabolism.
One hundred tablets of a typical daily dose costs about $28, compared
with about $11 for the same amount of Levoxyl, a brand-name alternative.
The settlement still needs a federal judge's approval.
Date: Wed, 13 Aug 1997 13:03:15 +0800 (SST)
From: Vadivu Govind
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (HK) Anger at panda plans for Expo '97
Message-ID: <199708130503.NAA07003@eastgate.cyberway.com.sg>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>Hong Kong Standard
12 Aug 97
Anger at panda plans for Expo '97
By Lucia Palpal-latoc
ORGANISERS of one of Hong Kong's biggest trade fairs have come under fire
from animal rights groups for their plan to import a giant panda as the star
attraction.
Hong Kong Expo '97 organising committee member Irene Yim said preliminary
talks with zoo managers in Beijing had already been completed.
The panda, which is an endangered species, will be put on display during the
four-day trade exhibition at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre
from 19 to 22 December.
The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) and the World
Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) were both angered by the organisers' plan.
SPCA spokeswoman Amy Chow Tak-sum said the association would later decide on
specific measures to oppose the transportation of the animal from the
mainland to Hong Kong.
``Giant pandas are an endangered species and they will have to apply for a
licence from the Agriculture and Fisheries Department,'' she said. ``I hope
the department will carefully study the application.''
A WWF spokeswoman said it was opposing any short-term exhibition loans of
giant pandas from China because it could affect their breeding program.
``Since these loans subtract potential breeding animals from the captive
population, they do not form a useful part of an integrated breeding program.''
There are 90 giant pandas in captivity in China and another 12 are held in
overseas zoos.
WWF said there were only 1,000 giant pandas left in the wild and these were
restricted to six areas in the mountains of Gansu, Shaanxi and Sichuan
provinces.
But Expo '97 organisers defended the promotion.
``This is just one of the attractions in the Expo,'' Ms Yim said.
``For this year, after Hong Kong's return to the motherland we think that
the panda is one of the valuable animals in China. That's how we came up
with the arrangement,'' she said.
Ms Yim said zoo managers would have to decide on how the panda would be
transported to Hong Kong and how many experts would be deployed to look
after it.
``This is a problem that they have to face and that we have to agree with,''
she said, adding that in anticipation of opposition from animal rights
groups, the organisers were not intending to exploit the animal.
``This is the first time that the people of Hong Kong will see a panda,''
she said.
``Of course we have to evaluate the situation. If it is too dangerous for
the animal or if no experts will come, we won't do it.''
The exhibition, which is expected to attract 100,000 people over its four
days, is organised by Oriental and Western Promotions, China Promotion and
the Hong Kong Industry and Commerce Association.
Date: Wed, 13 Aug 1997 13:03:21 +0800 (SST)
From: Vadivu Govind
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (CN) Shanghainese spend heavily on pets, even wolves
Message-ID: <199708130503.NAA07005@eastgate.cyberway.com.sg>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>Hong Kong Standard
12 Aug 97
Shanghainese spend heavily on pets, even wolves
SHANGHAI: The people of Shanghai, China's richest city, are spending one
billion yuan (US$120 million) a year on pets that include wolves and
insects, and are developing a taste for the virtual kind, Business News said
on Tuesday.
The market for live pets was now 10 times the size it was a decade ago, the
newspaper said.
Whereas 10 years ago, Shanghai people bought dogs, cats, birds and fish to
raise as pets, today they bought squirrels, yellow-skinned wolves and a wide
variety of insects, it said.
The craze for virtual pets, or Tamagotchi, that has swept Asia had also
bitten Shanghai's pet lovers, it said, without giving further details.
Tamagotchi, egg-shaped Japanese electronic pet toys with a small screen
showing a pet that has to be fed, cleaned and put to sleep, have taken off
in China, with one Beijing department store reporting sales of 50,000 in
three months.
The People's Daily, the mouthpiece of the ruling Communist Party, recently
said they were harmful for children.
Tamagotchi are already banned in schools in Taiwan and Hong Kong. - Reuter
Date: Tue, 12 Aug 1997 20:04:00 -0700 (PDT)
From: David J Knowles
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: [EU] France in dock for failure to guard birds
Message-ID: <199708131203.IAA03409@envirolink.org>
>From the Electronic Telegraph - Wedneday, August 13th, 1997
France in dock for failure to guard birds
By Toby Helm, EU Correspondent in Brussels=20
THE European Commission has risked ruffling the feathers of President Chirac
by taking France to the European Court for failing to protect rare migrating
birds on the Seine estuary.
The court battle follows a long-running spat with the commission over bird
conservation. At the 1995 EU summit in Madrid, M Chirac launched an attack
on Jacques Santer, the commission president, for trying to limit the season
during which French farmers could shoot birds.
Now the commission has lodged a case in the Luxembourg court claiming France
has flouted EU law by failing to protect migrating species in an important
wetland site in northern France.
Of particular concern to Brussels is the presence of a chemical plant on the
Seine estuary which it says will lead to an "obvious deterioration of the
habitat".
The commission says that, under the terms of the 1979 Wild Birds directive,
France should place more of the area around Le Havre and Rouen in a Special
Protection Zone.The directive lists dozens of birds, including spoonbills,
marsh harriers, corncrakes and avocets that breed in wetlands, and thousands
of migrating waterfowl which need safe stop-over
sites.
A carefree attitude to bird protection is not unknown among French
politicians. The late President Mitterrand and the former prime minister
Alain Jupp both caused controversy
by admitting a taste for ortolans, the tiny songbird regarded as a delicacy
in France, but which is a protected species.
=A9 Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1997.=20
[EU] France in dock for failure to guard birds
Date: Wed, 13 Aug 1997 03:16:45 +0200
From: "sa338@blues.uab.es"
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Bull- fighting
Message-ID: <199708131203.IAA03411@envirolink.org>
----------------------------- Content-type: TEXT/PLAIN
---- M U L T I P A R T ---- Decoded from: 7BIT
---- Part 1 ---- Lines: 14
Dear friends,
I am Nuria from Spain and I bring some good news. We have achieved that
2 plazas (arenas, bull-fighting rings) are being closed! And thanks to a
demonstration and a report to the police with graphical evidences
condemning the terrible conditions of a plaza in lloret (near barcelona)
it may be closed too very soon!!!
I enclose a picture of the demonstration.
For the animals,
Nuria http://www.geocities.com/heartland/hills/3787
----------------------------- Content-type: IMAGE/JPEG
---- M U L T I P A R T ---- Decoded from: BASE64
---- Part 2 ---- Lines: 167
This attachment was sent as file LLORET.JPG
It was saved in file LLORET _JPG A
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Date: Wed, 13 Aug 97 07:56:14 UTC
From: SDURBIN@VM.TULSA.CC.OK.US
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Pork Producers' Free Literature to School Children
Message-ID: <199708131300.JAA08233@envirolink.org>
The National Pork Producers Council is giving away free pamphlets
to children containing ideas and recipes for their school lunches.
Recipes include Party Ham Sandwich, Peach Ham Kabobs, Ham Tortillas,
Ham Fajita Pita. Their pamphlet is called "Kids Ham It Up."
To voice an opinion on this, their website is: http://www.nppc.org/
foodfun/html
-- Sherrill
Date: Wed, 13 Aug 97 08:06:32 UTC
From: SDURBIN@VM.TULSA.CC.OK.US
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Powerful Purr-suasion
Message-ID: <199708131308.JAA08659@envirolink.org>
Excerpt from Family Circle: Maggie, a six-year-old tabby cat, is the
Pasadena Humane Society's official "dog tester." Six days a week, it's
Maggie's job to "evaluate" the feline-friendliness quotient of canines
about to be adopted by families who already have a cat at home. Before
the adoptees are cleared to leave the shelter, they get to meet Maggie.
"What we're looking for is the dog's instantaneous reaction," says
Humane Society spokeswoman Elizabeth Stelow. "If the dog shows any
aggression, we advise the adopters, who also attend the session, that
this is what the dog will do with their cat." Sometimes the dog is
fine, but Maggie gets riled. "We pay attention to that, too," says
Stelow. The best response according to Stelow? "A blase attitude on
both sides." Though she's a seasoned pro, Maggie has her prejudices.
They don't know why, but she really dislikes Dalmations.
-- Sherrill
Date: Wed, 13 Aug 1997 12:58:09 -0400 (EDT)
From: CFOXAPI@aol.com
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Fwd: APHIS Press Release Dog Tethering
Message-ID: <970813125735_309980299@emout19.mail.aol.com>
---------------------
Forwarded message:
From:qglenn@aphis.usda.gov (Questa Glenn)
Sender:owner-press_releases@info.aphis.usda.gov
To:press_releases@info.aphis.usda.gov
Date: 97-08-12 22:26:37 EDT
Jim Rogers (301) 734-8563
jrogers@aphis.usda.gov
Jerry Redding (202) 720-6959
jredding@usda.gov
USDA OUTLAWS DOG TETHERING AS A MEANS OF HOUSING
WASHINGTON, Aug. 12, 1997--The U.S. Department of Agriculture
amendedthe Animal Welfare Act regulations today, disallowing tethering
as a means of primary enclosure for dogs.
"We don't believe putting a dog on a tether provides adequate housing
under any circumstances," said Michael V. Dunn, USDA's assistant
secretary for marketing and regulatory programs.
"This change in regulations reflects concerns voiced by the public
and affected industries during a series of public meetings we held in
1996," Dunn said. "As a result of that input, persons now using tethers
as housing' will be in violation of the Animal Welfare Act."
For further information contact Stephen Smith, staff animal health
technician, AC, APHIS, Suite 6D02, 4700 River Road Unit 84, Riverdale,
Md. 20737-1234, (301) 734-7833, or e-mail snsmith@aphis.usda.gov.
This action is scheduled for publication in the Aug. 13 Federal
Register and becomes effective on Sept. 12.
#
NOTE: USDA news releases, program announcements, and media
advisories are available on the Internet. Access the APHIS Home Page
by pointing your Web browser to
http://www.aphis.usda.gov and clicking on "APHIS Press Releases."
Also, anyone with an e-mail address can sign up to receive APHIS press
releases automatically. Send an e-mail message to
majordomo@info.aphis.usda.gov
and leave the subject blank. In the message, type
subscribe press_releases
Date: Wed, 13 Aug 1997 18:36:27 +0000
From: "Miggi"
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: [UK] Barry Horne resumes hunger strike
Message-ID: <199708131734.SAA23991@serv4.vossnet.co.uk>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT
I was requested to forward the following to ar-news
> ANIMAL LIBERATION FRONT SUPPORTERS GROUP
>
> BM 1160, LONDON, WC1N 3XX
>
> PRESS RELEASE
> -------------
>
> ANIMAL LIBERATION PRISONER RESUMES HUNGER STRIKE
> ************************************************
>
> Barry Horne, currently on remand in Bristol Prison, resumed his hunger
> strike at midnight on Monday August 11th, because he believes the
> Government has reneged on pre-election promises regarding animal
> experimentation.
>
> BARRY HORNE SAYS THE LABOUR GOVERNMENT HAS BROKEN ITS PROMISES
ABOUT
> VIVISECTION
>
> Barry called off his hunger strike in February this year after 35 days
> without food, following promises by the Labour Party, then in
> opposition. Among the promises were a ban on cosmetic and weapons
> testing, a stricter inspection procedure, a review of the 1986
> Scientific Procedures (Animals) act and a Royal Commission to examine
> the validity of the claim that animal experiments for medical reasons
> are necessary.
>
> Despite many correspondences since Labours victory on May 1st, the
> Government has persistently refused to implement a single one of these
> promises, nor even to say when any action would be taken in future.
> Barry feels, like many other anti-vivisection campaigners, that the
> Labour Party gained many thousands of votes because of these pledges,
> and is now backtracking because of pressure from the powerful chemical
> and pharmaceutical lobbies. On a personal level, Barry is angry that he
> called off his hunger strike because of pledges that are now being
> broken.
>
> The 35 days of Barrys previous hunger strike sparked a massive upsurge
> in action against animal abuse, especially vivisection, including mass
> demonstrations at Consort Beagle Breeders in Herefordshire, in which
> Police used CS gas against protesters and crowds broke through Police
> lines to rescue beagles from the cages. Consort Beagle Breeders
> subsequently went into liquidation partly as a result of the anger
> generated by Barrys hunger strike.
>
> Barry now demands a commitment from the Government to withdraw all Home
> Office licences to experiment on animals, within an agreed time period.
>
>
> FOR FURTHER DETAILS AND PHOTOGRAPHS CONTACT:
> ALF PRESS OFFICE ON 01954 230542, BM 4400 LONDON WC1N 3XX
> --
> ALFSG
>
>
Date: Wed, 13 Aug 1997 13:40:01 -0400 (EDT)
From: JanaWilson@aol.com
To: AR-News@envirolink.org
Subject: (US) Oklahoma Praire Dog Reprieve
Message-ID: <970813133957_806567967@emout19.mail.aol.com>
In a/w local Okla. City television news report, the Lawton, Okla.
City Council voted 5 to 3 last night to allow the Okla. Wildlife
Dept. to trap and relocate 1000 prairie dogs causing "troubles"
in a local Lawton Park to two remote state locations. The
city had proposed to poison about 900 of the praire dogs by
the first of Sept and leave 50 in two locations of the park.
Video of the critters showed them being hand fed by
people in the park. Some appeared very tame.
It appeared that many people attended the meeting in
support of the praire dogs. (One city council man
said they were no better than rats and carried the plague!)
The Oklahoma animals have finally won a victory!!!
For the Animals,
Jana, OKC
Date: Wed, 13 Aug 1997 14:28:15 -0700
From: Sean Thomas
To: ar-news@envirolink.com
Subject: Re: Form letter to Canadian Minister of Health: End primate Reseach and Breeding
Message-ID: <33F226EF.10C4@sympatico.ca>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Someone suggested that I provide a form letter to urge the Canadian
Minister of Health to provide sanctuary for the monkeys in its care.
Here's a short one that can be sent via post (free in Canada) or you can
access the ministries web site at www.hwc.com and email them from there.
We are urging all interested parties to concentrate on the Ministry of
Health rather than the Royal Society (the Societies report is
non-binding)
Sean Thomas
Co-Director, Animal Action
---------------------------------------------------------------==
The Honourable Allan Rock, Brooke Claxton Bldg., P.L. 0916A Ottawa,
Canada
To the Honourable Allan Rock, T.C., M.P., Minister, Health Canada;
Health Canada now has the unprecedented oportunity to end its
involvement in primate
breeding and research, which has long been an unnecessary and expensive
burden on the
people of Canada. As a concerned observer, I urge you to retire all of
the existing
macaques, being kept by Animal Resources Division, to an outdoor
sanctuary setting and
ensure that they are the last primates to face a life of confinement in
a government
facility.
Alternatives to the use of all animals in research are increasingly
relied
on as being the definitive method for obtaining accurate and cost
effective results.
Health Canada must follow this progressive lead to ensure its success in
the future
protection of the health of Canadian citizens.
Sincerely,
Date: Wed, 13 Aug 1997 14:32:53 -0700
From: Sean Thomas
To: ar-news@envirolink.com
Subject: [Fwd: Form letter to Canadian Minister of Health: End primate Reseach and Breeding]
Message-ID: <33F22805.6980@sympatico.ca>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: message/rfc822
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Content-Disposition: inline
Message-ID: <33F224FC.1A87@sympatico.ca>
Date: Wed, 13 Aug 1997 14:19:56 -0700
From: Sean Thomas
Reply-To: sean.thomas1@sympatico.ca
Organization: Animal Action
X-Mailer: Mozilla 3.01C-SYMPA (Win95; U)
MIME-Version: 1.0
To: sean.thomas1@sympatico.ca
Subject: Form letter to Canadian Minister of Health: End primate Reseach and Breeding
Content-Type: multipart/mixed; boundary="------------1ED14394860"
Someone suggested that I provide a form letter to urge the Canadian
Minister of Health to provide sanctuary for the monkeys in its care.
Here's a short one that can be sent via post (free in Canada) or you can
access the ministries web site at www.hwc.com and email them from there.
We are urging all interested parties to concentrate on the Ministry of
Health rather than the Royal Society (the Societies report is
non-binding)
Sean Thomas
Co-Director, Animal Action
==
To the Honourable Allan Rock, T.C., M.P., Minister, Health Canada;
Health Canada now has the unprecedented oportunity to end its involvement in primate
breeding and research, which has long been an unnecessary and expensive burden on the
people of Canada. As a concerned observer, I urge you to retire all of the existing
macaques to an outdoor sanctuary setting and ensure that they are the last primates to
face a life of confinement in a government facility.
Alternatives to the use of all animals in research are increasingly relied
on as being the definitive method for obtaining accurate and cost effective results.
Health Canada must follow this progressive lead to ensure its success in the future
protection of the health of Canadian citizens.
Sincerely,
Date: Wed, 13 Aug 1997 14:32:53 -0700
From: Sean Thomas
To: ar-news@envirolink.com
Subject: [Fwd: Form letter to Canadian Minister of Health: End primate Reseach
Message-ID: <199708131843.OAA07343@envirolink.org>
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Date: Wed, 13 Aug 1997 14:50:27 -0400
From: Shirley McGreal
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Scandal at Wisconsin Primate Center
Message-ID: <1.5.4.32.19970813185027.0073849c@awod.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
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The International Primate Protection League and the Animal Alliance of
Wisconsin have been working together to expose this scandal.
THE CAPITAL TIMES, Madison, Wisconsin, August 9-10, 1997
Zoo monkeys secretly killed - UW researchers broke commitment
by Jason Shepard
In apparent violation of written promises not to harm monkeys raised at the
Henry Vilas Zoo, researchers at the UW-Madison Primate Research Center have
quietly killed at least a dozen zoo monkeys in experiments.
An investigation by The Capital Times reveals that thesus monkeys
born at the zoo were taken and used in AIDS studies. They were injected with
the virus that causes the disease and they eventually died.
Over a five-year period, other monkeys were killed because researchers
needed their tissue or organs. Still others were sold to other organizations
and researchers and their fate is unknown.
The use of zoo monkeys is significant because the zoo and the UW have had
an agreement for eight years that asserts zoo monkeys would be not used for
invasive research, meaning the monkeys would not be physically harmed.
A letter sent to Vilas Zoo Director Dave Hall on June 15, 1989, and signed
by seven to Primate Research Center administrators, said:
"(T)he center's policy regarding animals removed from these established
troops ensures that they will not be used in studies at our facility
involving invasive experimental procedures. Such animals will be assigned to
the center's non-experimental breeding colony where they are exempt from
experimental use."
Exactly how many zoo monkeys were used for invasive research is not known.
The number could be as small as 12 or, according to sources at the primate
center, as many as 70.
The UW-Madison owns the monkey house at the zoo with roughly 150 rhesus
monkeys and stump-tailed macaques. The monkeys have been used for
observational research by scientists and as an educational tool for the
public to learn more about monkeys.
Primate center officials had denied using zoo monkeys in invasive research
until The Capital Times obtained specific monkey identification numbers that
showed monkeys being born at the zoo and dying at the hands of researchers.
The identification numbers were provided by a Madison animal rights group.
A spokeswoman for the Wisconsin Regional Primate Research Center - the $30
million a year center that is nationally recognized as a leader in primate
research - admitted late Friday that the data show that the center likely
broke the agreement.
"It does seem that someone put a research need over a previous agreement
made under a former director," said Jordan Lenon, a primate center spokeswoman.
Joe Kemnitz, interm director of the primate center, said he believed there
were exceptions in the agreement that would allow some monkeys to used in
invasive studies under unusual circumstances. The monkeys used for AIDS
research, for example, may have fallen under that category, he said.
Lenon and other primate center officials could not produce a copy of those
exceptions, however neither the 1989 nor a 1990 letter from primate center
officials confirming the agreement made mention of any exceptions.
And zoo Director Hall said Friday he does not recall any written exceptions
to the agreement.
Kemnitz defended the use of some of the zoo monkeys, saying certain
individual animals were singled out because they had unique qualities
crucial to researchers.
The apparent violations of the agreement have sent a ripple of anger
through many current and former employees and animal rights activists, who
say monkeys born and raised at the zoo should not be killed in experiments.
Employees at the primate center spoke about the situation only after being
guaranteed anonymity. They said they feared retaliation from administrators
if their names were learned.
Hall, who takes a hands-off approach to the monkey house because it belongs
to the UW, expressed disappointment that the primate center had violated the
agreement.
But he said, "I don't think they have broken any laws. This was more of a
gentleman's agreement."
He pointed to UW ownership of the zoo's monkey house and the animals there.
The university researchers are running the center under national guidelines,
Hall said.
The controversy comes at a time when the Primate Research Center is facing
public scrutiny on several fronts.
The primate center was trying to divest itself of the monkey house and its
150 inhabitants earlier this year, but a public outcry slowed the abandoment
process.
And scientists at the UW are gearing up for the first national animal
rights protest at the center in three years, slated for September.
On Friday, no one could provide any other agreement beyond the letters
written in 1989 and 1990 between the primate center and the zoo outlining
the ban on invasive research.
The letters from center directors to Hall clearly state that no harm should
come to the monkeys by way of invasive research.
The Capital Times made inquiries about the fate of seven zoo monkeys it had
learned were used in research projects in apparent violation of the agreement.
Center officials responded by saying only seven rhesus monkeys from the zoo
population were used and had died in research.
The newspaper then revealed it had questions about additional monkeys, and
officials then said they did not know an exact count of the monkeys used in
invasive research.
Kemnitz, the center's director said earlier this week that monkeys taken
from the zoo were used for breeding or for non-invasive research only. That
meant, he said, they did not undergo major surgery that was life changing
and were not injected with drugs that altered their life because of the
experiment.
Other monkeys taken from the zoo were used in breeding pairs at the center,
Kemnitz said Tuesday.
Presented Friday with evidence that contradicted his earlier statements,
Kemnitz conceded some of the zoo monkeys have been used for invasive research.
"I know it has happened on occasion and it's a very small percentage - I
would say 5 percent or less.... Of the animals that have come from the zoo
have been used in a biomedical research project that includes an invasive
procedure," he said.
Whatever the case, Kemnitz and Lenon stress that the zoo monkeys are a tiny
portion of their research. With 1,300 monkeys and 200 scientists, the center
is one of the largest and most reputable primate research facilities in the
world.
Lenon said 69 monkeys died in 1995 directly as a result of scientific
experiments. Their research has been instrumental in many fields, including
studies on aging, osteoporosis and potentially AIDS.
Animal rights activists say they have been trying to prove that the zoo
monkeys have been used inappropriately.
"This facility is dedicated to educating the public and as a result people
get attached to them when they go to visit them each Sunday," said Shirley
McGreal, chairwoman of the International Primate Protection League based in
South Carolina.
McGreal said she has been trying to prove for sometime that the university
has been using zoo monkeys for research that ended their lives, but she has
always been told by Kemnitz that it has not.
And Tina Kaske, executive director of the Madison-based Alliance for
Animals, hopes the public will fight to keep the monkeys at the zoo.
But giving them - and their $100,000 annual price tag - to the zoo is not
enough. Kaske said the university should establish an endowment to fund the
facility for at least the next five years.
"This is really going to shake up the structure of the whole system at the
primate center," Kaske said. "They've lied for so long, and now they've been
found out."
Dr. Shirley McGreal, Chairwoman
International Primate Protection League, POB 766 Summerville SC 29484 USA
Phone: 803-871-2280 Fax: 803-871-7988 E-mail: ippl@awod.com
Note new web page address: http://www.ippl.org/
PLEASE DIRECT ALL E-MAIL TO IPPL@AWOD.COM
Date: Wed, 13 Aug 1997 14:51:50 -0400
From: Shirley McGreal
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Wisconsin scandal, Part 2
Message-ID: <1.5.4.32.19970813185150.00731774@awod.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
THE CAPITAL TIMES, Madison, WisconsinAugust 9-10, 1997
Monkey house families can captivate the heart
by: Jason Shepard
When David Wade wakes up every morning, he's got monkeys on the mind.
He goes off to work each day to the Henry Vilas Zoo, where he cares for 158
rhesus and stump-tailed macaque monkeys at the monkey house.
"I felt like I won the lottery the day I got this job," says Wade, who
knows the majority of monkeys by name. "My heart sinks a little when I think
that my little piece of utopia may be fading away."
Wade's eyes tear somewhat when he talks about the possibility that the
monkeys may be taken away from the zoo because their owner - the University
of Wisconsin - does not want them any longer.
The recent announcement by officials at the center that they are planning
to abandon the 30-year old facility sometime within the next five years has
sparked a public debate about the fate of the facility and the monkeys.
It also has the public asking more questions about what the Wisconsin
Regional Primate Research Center does in its research.
And the discovery that some of its monkeys have been taken from their
families ant the zoo and have been killed by AIDS research and other studies
- an apparent violation of an agreement between the university and the zoo -
has raised the temperature of the debate.
But Wade doesn't get too involved in the scientific end of things. He just
minds his business: taking care of the monkeys.
Spending just an hour watching the animal from Wad's perch at the top of
the monkey house at the zoo, for example, shows just how intelligent and
emotional monkeys are.
Mother monkeys watch their babies slide down a slide and climb up walls.
The babies learn about life, while the mothers watch closely to protect them
from a fall or from an unfriendly foe.
"This is Madison's best kept secret," Wade said, looking down on the three
cages from the top of the monkey house. "they live in anonymity. People
don't know about these great animals."
Wade is quick to point out that the troops of monkeys are one of the
largest groups in the world that have lived together so long. And he would
like to see it kept that way.
"I've got my fingers crossed that maybe this will ultimately work out,"
Wade said.
`The 111 rhesus macaques and the 47 stump-tailed macaques at the zoo are
descendants of monkeys that first arrived at the zoo decades ago.
The stump-tailed monkeys are especially valuable because it may be the
largest troop of older stump-tailed monkeys in the country. The species is
classified as threatened, a step below endangered.
The UW, meanwhile, does not need the facility anymore. According to Joe
Kemnitz, interim director of the primate enter, the value of the facility to
scientists has declined over the past 30 years, and the costs of upkeep
continue to climb.
He said there are any number of possibilities that may happen, from having
the zoo assume ownership of the facility and its monkeys to the other
extreme of entirely removing the building and selling all the monkeys.
"The point is, we are in no rush to do something quickly," Kemnitz says.
"In fact, our lease runs for another six years."
The monkey house itself has never been a big part of the research projects
at the UW. "It has always been a very small percentage of our overall
program," said Kemnitz, who came to the center in 1977.
The primate center nestled on the far south side of campus one block off
Regent Street, was established back in the 1960s after Congress pushed for
the creation of seven regional research centers aimed at using primates to
better understand humans.
"The mission was to use non-human models to solve problems in human
health," Kemnitz said. "It's only been since the '60s that we've kept large
numbers of primates for research."
Monkey's life brief and sad
Roger, a rhesus monkey born at the Henry Vilas Zoo, died Oct. 31, 1993
after being infected wit simian AIDS.
Roger's story is just one example of apparent violations of an agreement
between the UW-Madison Primate Research Center and zoo officials concerning
the use of monkeys born at the zoo for research.
Roger was born May 1, 1990 to mother Ropey and father Otis, said an
employee at the research center who was fond of him.
At age 1, Roger - known as r90046 to scientists - was taken from his family
at the zoo and moved to the primate center, the employee said.
At age 2, he was infected with the monkey version of AIDS. A few months
later, in January 1993, Roger's rectum was punctured in six places for
biopsies, records reviewed by The Capital Times show.
Roger's lymph nodes became infected and needed to be punctured to drain fluid.
He also was injected with whooping cough.
Less than a year later, Roger died.
Dr. Shirley McGreal, Chairwoman
International Primate Protection League, POB 766 Summerville SC 29484 USA
Phone: 803-871-2280 Fax: 803-871-7988 E-mail: ippl@awod.com
Note new web page address: http://www.ippl.org/
PLEASE DIRECT ALL E-MAIL TO IPPL@AWOD.COM
Date: Wed, 13 Aug 1997 14:52:29 -0400
From: Shirley McGreal
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Wisconsin scandal, Part 3
Message-ID: <1.5.4.32.19970813185229.0073dae8@awod.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
THE CAPITAL TIMESMadison, WisconsinAugust 11, 1997
UW scientists deny knowing monkeys had lived at zoo
by: Jason Shepard
Scientists at the UW-Madison Primate Research Center say it's not their job
to know the birthplace of monkeys they use and often kill in experiments.
Presented with data showing that monkeys raise at the Henry Vilas Zoo had
died in researchers' hands, David Pauza and Paul Kaufman, two primate
scientists at the University of Wisconsin, said they weren't aware that
monkeys in their studies had been born at the zoo.
The UW primate center, which owns the monkey house at the zoo and pays for
the care of its 159 monkeys, uses hundreds of animals each year in pursuit
of medical research.
The distinction between the monkeys at the zoo and other animals raised by
the center for experiments is an important one. Primate center officials
made written promises that they intended the monkeys housed at the zoo only
for observational research and as an educational resource for the public.
The use of at least a dozen zoo monkeys, and perhaps scores more, for
lethal experimentation apparently violates written promises by UW scientists
not to use monkeys born at the zoo for invasive research.
Pauza said at no time during the past eight years did he knowingly use zoo
monkey for his AIDS research. Data obtained by The Capital Times and
confirmed with Joe Kemnitz, interim director of the Wisconsin Regional
Primate Research Center, show at least four monkeys born at the zoo were
used by Pauza's research team to study AIDS.
"I don't have the authority to assign monkeys," Pauza said, adding that he
has always bent over backward to comply with a policy prohibiting zoo
monkeys from being used in research.
"This agreement has always caused major problems because it has delayed
many projects," he said.
His statement comes a day after Virginia Hinshaw, dean of the UW Graduate
School, announced she was launching an investigation into reports that the
primate center had broken its agreement with the zoo.
An investigation by The Capital Times revealed that at least a dozen zoo
monkeys have been used for invasive or deadly research. Some sources at the
center say that number may be as high as 70.
Kaufman, like Pauza, said he did not know he had used zoo monkeys, and said
it was the assigner's responsibility to comply with the zoo agreement.
The assigner, Kirk Boehm, did not return a phone call from The Capital
Times on Sunday.
Ei Terassawa, another scientist who studied some of the monkeys that were
reviewed by The Capital Times, refused to comment. She said she did not want
to talk to a reporter and said she was upset to be contacted at home.
Kemnitz, who as interim director of the center is expected to be replaced
perhaps as early as this week, maintained Sunday that the primate center has
done nothing wrong. The monkeys taken from the zoo and used for invasive
research are a tiny percentage of all the monkeys at the center and
represent a legitimate exception to the non-use policy, he said.
Today the primate center released another letter written on Feb. 1, 1995,
to zoo Director David Hall. If the letter, the previous center director,
John Hearn, restated the UW policy that the monkeys would not be used in
invasive research, but he added that "in any cases where exceptional
circumstances require a different use, for example unique genetic
characteristics requiring more detailed investigation for human and animal
health, we will review the proposal in advance with you."
Hall said this morning that he remembers discussing an exception at only
one point during the past eight years, regarding two monkeys that were
genetically unique.
The 1995 letter reaffirmed two previous letter, dated in 1989 and 1990,
stating the non-invasive use policy.
Kemnitz said the primate center, in connection with the UW News and Public
Affairs Office, may release a statement as early as this afternoon
explaining the situation.
When asked if a reporter could review records for as many as 70 zoo monkeys
that may have been killed or used for invasive research, Kemnitz said top UW
administrators were engaged in a review and would release an information later.
Hinshaw, who is Kemnitz's immediate supervisor, said she has asked for
documentation of the exceptions to the agreement with the zoo.
She also wants to see monkey records for those taken from the zoo and used
in research, she said Sunday. She will review the process used by officials
to determine how a monkey fit into the exception clause, she said.
Scientists, meanwhile, say it is their business to conduct research -
research that they maintain is critical to solving problems to human health.
Pauza said he thought the UW policy in regard to the zoo monkeys should
have been updated annually to "make sure it is in sync with current
research." Monkeys at the zoo may not have been cri6tical to some forms of
research 10 years ago, but things can change, he said.
Kemnitz responded by saying that the birthplace of a monkey is open to
anyone. Had researchers wanted to know where their subject was born, they
could have found that information easily, he indicated.
"We have complete documentation for all of our animals regarding their
clinical and experiment history," Kemnitz said, "If an investigator is not
aware of the origins, it's not because the information was not available,
but perhaps because the investigator felt that the location of where the
animal was born was not essential.
Dr. Shirley McGreal, Chairwoman
International Primate Protection League, POB 766 Summerville SC 29484 USA
Phone: 803-871-2280 Fax: 803-871-7988 E-mail: ippl@awod.com
Note new web page address: http://www.ippl.org/
PLEASE DIRECT ALL E-MAIL TO IPPL@AWOD.COM
Date: Wed, 13 Aug 1997 14:53:20 -0400
From: Shirley McGreal
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Wisconsin scandal, Part 4
Message-ID: <1.5.4.32.19970813185320.0073ae64@awod.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
WISCONSIN STATE JOURNALAugust 12, 1997
UW-Madison bans lethal experiments on zoo monkeys
By: Jennifer A. Galloway
UW-Madison has banned lethal experiments on research monkeys housed at the
Vilas Zoo.
Graduate school dean Virginia Hinshaw, who oversees the Wisconsin Regional
Primate Center, said Monday that the university will forbid any exceptions
to the center's 1989 policy of not using zoo monkeys for dangerous research
such as injecting them with viruses or inducing other life-threatening
diseases.
The ban follows news reports that at least a dozen and perhaps as many as
70 rhesus monkeys at the zoo died in AIDS experiments - an apparent
violation of the primate center's policy. The primate center owns and cares
for 150 rhesus monkeys and stump-tailed macaques housed at Vilas Zoo in
Madison. It also owns the building in which they live.
Primate center officials maintain that the zoo monkeys used for invasive
research were exceptions to the protection policy because they had unique
genetic characteristics. The policy was clarified by the former primate
center director, John Hearn, in February 1995 in a letter to Vilas Zoo
director David Hall.
That letter says that "in any cases where exceptional circumstances require
a different use, for example unique genetic characteristics requiring more
detailed investigation for human and animal health, we will review the
proposal in advance with you."
Hall said Monday he did not receive any information about using monkeys at
the zoo for dangerous research and Hinshaw confirmed that Hearn failed to
notify the zoo.
"Hearn based these exceptions on scientific needs, but they should have
been followed up with written notification to the zoo," Hinshaw said.
The original protection policy for the zoo monkeys was created during a
time of intense animal rights activity, said Joseph Kemnitz, interim
director of the primate center. He said that from the zoo's perspective, it
was helpful to have a policy of not using high profile animals for invasive
research.
Housing research animals in a public zoo is an unusual relationship for a
national primate center, but the arrangement has been in place since 1963. A
total of 811 rhesus monkeys belonging to the primate center have been born
at the zoo, Kemnitz said.
The zoo colony was used primarily for aggression research. In the 1990s,
the intensity of behavioral research declined and the primate center needed
more monkeys for biomedical experiments, Kemnitz said.
It is unclear how many zoo monkeys were used for invasive research and died
as a result. Kemnitz said the center is conducting an inventory of the
animals that should be completed today.
This latest incident involving the Wisconsin Regional Primate Center
follows news that it now no longer needs the 150 monkeys at the zoo. The
center may close the monkey house if the zoo can't afford it and sell the
animals to another zoo or research facility.
Before that announcement, UW-Madison disclosed that former director Hearn
was forced to resign because he failed to tell Hinshaw about a romantic
relationship he had with a woman who worked for him. The university requires
that people report personal relationships with a subordinate in order to
avoid conflict of interest.
Hinshaw said the committee seeking a replacement for Hearn has narrowed its
search to two candidates. Vivien Casagrande of Vanderbilt University and
Peter Nathanielsz of Cornell University are the finalists for the job.
The primate center is one of seven federally funded centers in the country
that conducts medical research.
Dr. Shirley McGreal, Chairwoman
International Primate Protection League, POB 766 Summerville SC 29484 USA
Phone: 803-871-2280 Fax: 803-871-7988 E-mail: ippl@awod.com
Note new web page address: http://www.ippl.org/
PLEASE DIRECT ALL E-MAIL TO IPPL@AWOD.COM
Date: Wed, 13 Aug 1997 14:54:07 -0400
From: Shirley McGreal
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Wisconsin scandal, Part 5
Message-ID: <1.5.4.32.19970813185407.00735600@awod.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Inventory of Monkeys Used by the Primate Center From the center's Henry
Vilas Park Zoo Colony
Statement by Graduate School Dean Virginia S. Hinshaw
August 13, 1997
An inventory conducted August 11-12, 1997 by officials from the Wisconsin
Regional Primate Center indicates that Primate Center monkeys housed in the
UW facility at Henry Vilas Park Zoo were used in invasive research projects.
This represents a serious breach of the 1989 local agreement between
directors of the center and the zoo.
According to the June 19, 1989 agreement, no invasive studies were to be
performed on animals housed at the zoo. While federal regulations for
research were strictly followed by the center, the assignment of monkeys
from the Vilas facility to some research projects did not adhere to that
agreement.
I want to reiterate my instructions to the center's leadership on Monday,
Aug. 11, that no monkeys housed in the Vilas facility will be assigned to
invasive research projects. No such assignments have been made in 1997, and
none will be made in the future.
The records of animals assigned from the zoo to the center since 1989 show:
*A total of 65 monkeys were used in invasive research studies, and 39 of
those monkeys died or were euthanized as a result of the research. The
remaining 26 monkeys are still part of research projects at the center.
*An additional 26 monkeys were euthaized and used in a tissue distribution
program at the center from 1990 to 1996. The goal of the program was to
provide researchers with normal tissues important for many internal and
external biomedical research projects. That program was discontinued in June
1996.
The decisions made regarding these animals were improper, given the
guidelines in the 1989 policy statement. The administration of Vilas Park
Zoo should have been consulted about these decisions. I regret that this
activity has cast doubt on a facility that is important to the community.
I should emphasize that none of the monkeys currently housed at the Vilas
facility have been used in invasive research experiments. I also want to
make it clear that, in the past, monkeys from the Vilas facility have been
sold as a colony management practice, primarily to prevent overpopulation.
From 1989 to 1995, 110 monkeys were sold to other facilities, such
as research universities, companies and an NIH research center. However, no
animals have been sold since 1995.
I would also like to address concerns about the future of the center's
monkey colony housed at the zoo. The center's lease at the zoo is expected
to expire in 2003, and we are currently working to find a long-term home
that is best for the welfare of the animals and are committed to supporting
the animals financially. But there is no quick resolution to this issue and
finding an appropriate arrangement for the colony may take several years.
It is clear that the animal assignment process at the center regarding
these specific monkeys failed. This process will be corrected. We are
currently conducting a search for a new director of the center, and we look
forward to working with that individual to strengthen our excellent research
programs and promote public confidence in the center.
Dr. Shirley McGreal, Chairwoman
International Primate Protection League, POB 766 Summerville SC 29484 USA
Phone: 803-871-2280 Fax: 803-871-7988 E-mail: ippl@awod.com
Note new web page address: http://www.ippl.org/
PLEASE DIRECT ALL E-MAIL TO IPPL@AWOD.COM
Date: Wed, 13 Aug 1997 14:57:57 -0400
From: Shirley McGreal
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Wisconsin Primate Center Scandal, Part 5
Message-ID: <1.5.4.32.19970813185757.0075734c@awod.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Inventory of Monkeys Used by the Primate Center From the center's Henry
Vilas Park Zoo Colony
Statement by Graduate School Dean Virginia S. Hinshaw
August 13, 1997
An inventory conducted August 11-12, 1997 by officials from the Wisconsin
Regional Primate Center indicates that Primate Center monkeys housed in the
UW facility at Henry Vilas Park Zoo were used in invasive research projects.
This represents a serious breach of the 1989 local agreement between
directors of the center and the zoo.
According to the June 19, 1989 agreement, no invasive studies were to be
performed on animals housed at the zoo. While federal regulations for
research were strictly followed by the center, the assignment of monkeys
from the Vilas facility to some research projects did not adhere to that
agreement.
I want to reiterate my instructions to the center's leadership on Monday,
Aug. 11, that no monkeys housed in the Vilas facility will be assigned to
invasive research projects. No such assignments have been made in 1997, and
none will be made in the future.
The records of animals assigned from the zoo to the center since 1989 show:
*A total of 65 monkeys were used in invasive research studies, and 39 of
those monkeys died or were euthanized as a result of the research. The
remaining 26 monkeys are still part of research projects at the center.
*An additional 26 monkeys were euthaized and used in a tissue distribution
program at the center from 1990 to 1996. The goal of the program was to
provide researchers with normal tissues important for many internal and
external biomedical research projects. That program was discontinued in June
1996.
The decisions made regarding these animals were improper, given the
guidelines in the 1989 policy statement. The administration of Vilas Park
Zoo should have been consulted about these decisions. I regret that this
activity has cast doubt on a facility that is important to the community.
I should emphasize that none of the monkeys currently housed at the Vilas
facility have been used in invasive research experiments. I also want to
make it clear that, in the past, monkeys from the Vilas facility have been
sold as a colony management practice, primarily to prevent overpopulation.
From 1989 to 1995, 110 monkeys were sold to other facilities, such
as research universities, companies and an NIH research center. However, no
animals have been sold since 1995.
I would also like to address concerns about the future of the center's
monkey colony housed at the zoo. The center's lease at the zoo is expected
to expire in 2003, and we are currently working to find a long-term home
that is best for the welfare of the animals and are committed to supporting
the animals financially. But there is no quick resolution to this issue and
finding an appropriate arrangement for the colony may take several years.
It is clear that the animal assignment process at the center regarding
these specific monkeys failed. This process will be corrected. We are
currently conducting a search for a new director of the center, and we look
forward to working with that individual to strengthen our excellent research
programs and promote public confidence in the center.
Dr. Shirley McGreal, Chairwoman
International Primate Protection League, POB 766 Summerville SC 29484 USA
Phone: 803-871-2280 Fax: 803-871-7988 E-mail: ippl@awod.com
Note new web page address: http://www.ippl.org/
PLEASE DIRECT ALL E-MAIL TO IPPL@AWOD.COM
Date: Wed, 13 Aug 1997 15:34:00 -0400 (EDT)
From: JanaWilson@aol.com
To: Ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (US) Oklahoma Emergency Pet Adoption
Message-ID: <970813153358_65973728@emout02.mail.aol.com>
VOLUNTEERS FOR ANIMAL WELFARE, INC. AND THE WEATHERFORD POLICE
DEPARTMENT
DESPARATELY NEED THE PUBLIC'S HELP!
Weatherford, Oklahoma, August 13, 1997
30 dogs and 50 cats, confiscated by the Weatherford Police Department,
desparately need the public's help to save their lives. These animals were
confiscated when cruelty to animals charges were filed against Dr. Victoria
Nadolsky- Fisher, D.V.M, a Weatherford Veterinarian.
"These precious and innocent victims deserve a second chance at life," states
Volunteers for Animal Welfare's Executive Director, Shirley Coble. "The
Weatherford Police Department should be commended for their efforts to
humanely care for these animals. Due to their numbers, they can not keep
them for an indefinite period of time. If homes are not found for the cats
and dogs soon, the majority will probably have to be euthanized. They simply
have no place to go. We feel certain the public can assist in adopting these
dogs and cats. The word just has to get out that the opportunity to help
exists and is urgently needed!
For more information on how to adopt one of these pets call: The Weatherford
Police Department, (405) 772-7791.
Date: Wed, 13 Aug 1997 14:47:57 -0500 (CDT)
From: sunless@ix.netcom.com
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: the dark side...
Message-ID: <1997813124650441@>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
H.A.A.R.M. (Hunters Against Animal Rights Maddness)
has a website with a guestbook... if you'd like a
glimpse into the dark side of humanity, have a look
at it. And be sure to sign their guestbook to point out
all of the glaring inconsistencies and blatant use of
dogma.
Date: Wed, 13 Aug 1997 15:19:34 -0500 (CDT)
From: sunless@ix.netcom.com
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: I knew i was forgetting something...
Message-ID: <1997813131853441@>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Sorry everyone,
Here is the URL for H.A.A.R.M.:
http://www.haarm.com/
H.A.A.R.M. (Hunters Against Animal Rights Maddness)
has a website with a guestbook... if you'd like a
glimpse into the dark side of humanity, have a look
at it. And be sure to sign their guestbook to point out
all of the glaring inconsistencies and blatant use of
dogma.
Date: Wed, 13 Aug 1997 16:57:08 -0400 (EDT)
From: PAWS
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Letter re. King Royal
Message-ID:
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
PAWS sent the following letter to the editor of the Albuquerque Journal
today:
August 13, 1997
Bill Hume
Letters Editor
Albuquerque Journal
Dear Mr. Hume,
Thank you for your consistent and excellent coverage of the ongoing
situation regarding the King Royal Circus animals, which were found by
Albuquerque police in a motel parking lot last Wednesday. We also
commend Albuquerque Animal Services personnel, Zoo Director Ray Darnell,
and zoo personnel for their ongoing concern for the animals.
One thing the public might not glean from your articles, though, is that
King Royal has a long history of animal neglect, injury and death. For
example, PAWS has documented the shooting death of a bull elephant named
Tommy by King Royal personnel who could not handle or load him; the 1993
death of Joy, another young elephant who, like Heather, was found dead in
a King Royal trailer; the death in 1994 of a King Royal giraffe, after
the USDA had warned King Royal to improve its transportation vehicle, in
which the giraffe could not stand upright; and the beating of a baby
elephant, Mickey, during a King Royal performance in Oregon in 1994.
These are just a few of the incidents recounted in USDA inspection
reports.
I also think it is important that the public and the media understand the
process through which violations of the Animal Welfare Act such as those
listed above are made part of the public record. If a circus such as
King Royal is charged with violations of the Act but agrees to pay a fine
in regard to the charges, nothing goes on their record. The incident
that provoked the charges is considered settled by "consent decision" and
is not recorded as a "violation" of the Animal Welfare Act. This is
often confusing to representatives of the media who call the USDA about
circuses such as King Royal. They are often told--as were reporters in
Beloit, Wisconsin and Las Vegas,Nevada last week--that the circus has no
past history of violations!
The said reality is that when violators pay a fine, they can continue
business as usual. Nothing goes on their record and elephants and other
animals continue to suffer and die in trailers as Heather and Joy did.
The USDA is providing violators of the Act with a convenient "cop out"
through the "consent decision" process and terminology. Let's hope that
the current King Royal case will not be resolved through "consent." If
it is, Heather's death and the neglect of the other animals in that hot
trailer last week will not even be considered a "violation" of the
federal Animal Welfare Act.
Sincerely,
Pat Derby
Director
Date: Thu, 14 Aug 1997 00:18:10 +0200
From: "sa338@blues.uab.es"
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Cc: sa338@blues.uab.es
Subject: More bullfighting
Message-ID: <33F232A2.5A7C@blues.uab.es>
MIME-version: 1.0
Content-type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
Content-transfer-encoding: 8bit
I am Nuria from Spain and I would like to thank everybody that sent me
their support.
This wednesday there is a bullfighting demonstration in Biziers (France)
and this Sunday there is another demonstration in Bilbao(Northern
Spain).
You can read an anti-bullfighting magazine at
http://www.intercom.es/adda/html
Thanks for your support, For the animals
Nuria http://www.geocities.com/heartland/hills/3787
Date: Thu, 14 Aug 1997 00:19:53 +0200
From: "sa338@blues.uab.es"
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Cc: sa338@blues.uab.es
Subject: Re: More bullfighting(little mistake)
Message-ID: <33F23309.597D@blues.uab.es>
MIME-version: 1.0
Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit
sa338@blues.uab.es wrote:
> (THEY ARE ANTI-BULLFIGHTING DEMONSTRATIONS,SORRY!!!!!!!!!!!!)
> I am Nuria from Spain and I would like to thank everybody that sent me
> their support.
>
> This wednesday there is an ANTI- bullfighting demonstration in Biziers (France)
> and this Sunday there is another demonstration in Bilbao(Northern
> Spain).
> You can read an anti-bullfighting magazine at
> http://www.intercom.es/adda/html
>
> Thanks for your support, For the animals
>
> Nuria http://www.geocities.com/heartland/hills/3787
Date: Wed, 13 Aug 1997 15:27:17 -0700 (PDT)
From: bchorush@paws.org (pawsinfo)
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Permit Application for Travelling Dolphin Show [US]
Message-ID: <199708132227.PAA26763@siskiyou.brigadoon.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Posted by Bob Chorush
**************************
Deadline: AUGUST 25,1997
There is now a permit application (PHF #870-1391) posted in the Federal
Register regarding the import of marine mammals into Puerto Rico for a
travelling dolphin/sea lion show.
The following information is now available from NMFS:
M&M Amusement Park, Calle Gilberto Rolin
L16, Caguas, PR 00725 has applied in due form for a permit to import 3 South
American sea lions and two Atlantic bottlenose dolphins (one captured in
Cuba and one captured in Argentina) for purposes of a traveling public
display exhibit in several Puerto Rican cities.
These marine mammals are currently in the custody of Ricardo Rico,
Waterland-Mundo Marino, Valle, Colombia The marine mammals will be imported
from the Dominican Republic where they are currently traveling.
There have been no traveling dolphin shows on portable tanks on trucks, etc.
in the US since before 1972. There is currently one traveling sea lion show
with a circus out of Florida. Dolphins should be a different story due to
their differing needs, both social and environmental.
APHIS has done a pre-licensing inspection of the site in San Juan and will
be required to inspect each additional site.
If this permit is granted, we can expect to see an influx of permits for
other travelling menageries featuring dolphin shows. It is also likely that
circuses will again begin to feature dolphin shows. As well, the Puerto Rico
permit includes the possibility of swim with programs.
Reputable animal exhibitors and animal rights people can agree that shows of
this sort do little or nothing to promote conservation, education or humane
treatment of animals. These shows are not members of nor are they accredited
by the AZA or any other similar self-regulatory group.
While there is certainly a range of opinions regarding the appropriateness
of keeping dolphins in captivity, I believe that this issue clearly crosses
the boundaries of most of our acceptible limits for these practices.
Comments on this permit can be faxed or mailed by August 25, 1997. EMAIL
COMMENTS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED!!!
Please comment to:
Ann Terbush
Chief Permit Division NMFS, NOAA
1315 East West Highway
Silver Spring, MD 20910
fax: 301-713-0376
re: M&M Amusement Park Permit Application (PHF #870-1391)
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: Wed, 13 Aug 1997 16:02:33 -0700 (PDT)
From: bchorush@paws.org (pawsinfo)
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Dog Tethering Banned / Whales in Bathtubs OK? [US]
Message-ID: <199708132302.QAA02309@siskiyou.brigadoon.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
August 13, 1997
Dog Tethering Banned / Whales in Bathtubs OK?
The Progressive Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) congratulates Michael V. Dunn,
USDA's assistant secretary for marketing and regulatory programs, on his
recent announcement disallowing tethering as a means of primary enclosure
for dogs.
Mr. Dunn stated, "We don't believe putting a dog on a tether provides
adequate housing under any circumstances."
APHIS is responsible for regulating housing of all animals persuant to the
Animal Welfare Act, including minimum standards for marine mammals in captivity.
We at PAWS believe that confining a whale to a pool which does not even meet
APHIS minimum standards is also not adequate housing under any
circumstances. Such has been the case of Lolita, a Pacific Northwest orca
captured 28 years ago off the Washington coast, now resident at the Miami
Seaquarium.
Since this recent change in the Animal Welfare Act "reflects concerns voiced
by the public and affected industries," it is our hope that public comment
to APHIS will encourage that agency to re-evaluate the housing of orca to
reflect humane standards such as those implemented in the UK several years ago.
We are asking concerned individuals and organizations to forward their
concerns to APHIS c/o:
Jim Rogers (301) 734-8563 jrogers@aphis.usda.gov
Jerry Redding (202) 720-6959 jredding@usda.gov
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: Wed, 13 Aug 1997 21:06:44 -0400
From: allen schubert
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (US) APHIS Press Release JOHN CUNEO AND HAWTHORN CORPORATION
FACE USDA ANIMALWELFARE CHARGES
Message-ID: <3.0.32.19970813210640.006e27c0@clark.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
USDA press release:
--------------------------------------
Jim Rogers (301) 734-8563
jrogers@aphis.usda.gov
Jamie Ambrosi (301) 734-5175
jambrosi@aphis.usda.gov
JOHN CUNEO AND HAWTHORN CORPORATION
FACE USDA ANIMAL WELFARE CHARGES
RIVERDALE, Md., Aug. 13, 1997--The
U.S. Department of Agriculture recently
charged licensed animal exhibitors John
Cuneo and the Hawthorn Corporation,
doing business in Grayslake, Ill., with
violations of the Animal Welfare Act.
?These charges against John Cuneo
and the Hawthorn Corporation are very
serious,? said Michael V. Dunn, USDA?s
assistant secretary for marketing and
regulatory programs. ?Our inspectors
believe that actions taken by Cuneo and
Hawthorn jeopardized the health of at
least one of their animals. That sort
of husbandry, or lack of, cannot be
excused.?
APHIS inspectors found that Cuneo
and Hawthorn:
-- Exhibited an elephant (Joyce)
under conditions inconsistent with her
good health and well-being;
-- Failed to maintain a written
program of disease control and
prevention, euthanasia, and adequate
veterinary care under the supervision
and assistance of a doctor of
veterinary medicine;
-- Failed to make accessible
records for inspection by APHIS
personnel; and
-- Exhibited 15 tigers while under
a 21-day summary license suspension.
APHIS inspectors conduct
inspections of licensees to ensure
compliance with the Act. Any
violations that inspectors find can
lead to civil penalties. The AWA
requires that regulated individuals and
businesses provide animals with care
and treatment according to standards
established by APHIS. The standards
include requirements for recordkeeping,
adequate housing, sanitation, food,
water, transportation, exercise for
dogs, veterinary care, and shelter.
The law regulates the care of animals
that are sold as pets at the wholesale
level, transported in commerce, used
for biomedical research, or used for
exhibition purposes.
#
NOTE: USDA news releases, program
announcements, and media advisories are
available on the Internet. Access the
APHIS Home Page by pointing your Web
browser to
http://www.aphis.usda.gov and clicking
on ?APHIS Press Releases.? Also,
anyone with an e-mail address can sign
up to receive APHIS press releases
automatically. Send an e-mail message
to
majordomo@info.aphis.usda.gov
and leave the subject blank. In the
message, type
subscribe press_releases
Date: Wed, 13 Aug 1997 21:16:55 -0400
From: allen schubert
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (US) Bird Beheader Goes to Prison
Message-ID: <3.0.32.19970813211652.006e2224@clark.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
(if only we could get stuff like this to read: HEGINS, Pa.)
from AP Wire page:
-------------------------------------
08/13/1997 16:04 EST
Bird Beheader Goes to Prison
MORRISTOWN, Pa. (AP) -- A man who stalked his ex-girlfriend, broke into
her home, stole her underwear and beheaded her birds drew 1 1/2 to three
years in prison.
Paul Anthony Arnao, 30, pleaded guilty Tuesday to theft, burglary and
stalking.
The victim told police she heard glass breaking in her apartment on Feb.
8 and hid in a closet until the intruder left.
She emerged to find that he had tortured and beheaded Teardrop, her
parakeet, and Cora, her cockatiel. Arnao also took a few things he had
given the woman, including a pair of cowboy boots and a dozen pieces of
lingerie.
Arnao cut himself when he broke into the apartment, leaving a trail of
blood.
Date: Wed, 13 Aug 1997 21:27:16 -0400
From: allen schubert
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (US) Americans Said To Need Calcium
Message-ID: <3.0.32.19970813212713.006e6654@clark.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
from AP Wire page:
--------------------------------
08/13/1997 17:35 EST
Americans Said To Need Calcium
By PAUL RECER
AP Science Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Virtually all American adults -- not just women --
should eat and drink more calcium-rich foods such as milk, cheese and
yogurt to slow an ``alarming'' increase in the brittle-bone disease
osteoporosis, a panel of experts said Wednesday.
Protecting against brittle bones requires 1,000 to 1,300 milligrams of
calcium a day, the report by the Institute of Medicine concludes. But
most Americans get far less.
``Most age groups are not at 75 percent -- especially women,'' said Dr.
Connie M. Weaver, a Purdue University nutrition expert on the panel.
``Among elderly Americans, only about 10 percent are getting anywhere
close to the requirements needed to protect against losing bone.''
One cup, or eight ounces, of skim milk contains about 300 milligrams of
total calcium. Thus, drinking 3.3 cups, about 26.5 ounces, would put
1,000 mg of calcium into the diet. About a third of this is absorbed by
the body.
Dairy products are the major source of calcium in the diet. But worries
about the fat content in whole-milk products have frightened a generation
of Americans away from these foods, Weaver said. High-fat diets have been
linked to heart disease and obesity.
Although fat-free or low-fat milk products are now common, many people
still avoid the dairy case, she said.
``That is why one out of four women will have hip fractures within their
lifetime,'' said Weaver.
Hip fractures are on the increase among men as well, she said. They now
account for about 20 percent of such injuries.
``The increase in osteoporosis is becoming alarming,'' said Weaver. ``It
now costs the nation about $13.8 billion annually in health-care
expense.''
New research into calcium and its effect on bones and general health
caused the panel to change the way the nutrient's value is calculated.
Instead of setting a Recommended Dietary Allowance for calcium, the panel
established what it calls Adequate Intake. RDAs have been used since 1941
as the measure of ``nutritional adequacy,'' but the committee said the AI
measure is for nutrient levels needed for ``optimizing health.''
The new system also establishes more age categories for preferred
nutrient levels.
For children ages 1 to 3, the board recommends 500 milligrams of calcium
daily. The level jumps to 800 mg for ages 4 through 8, and to 1,300 mg
for ages 9 through 18.
The AI for ages 19 to 50 is 1,000 mg. For those aged 51 and older, the
board called for dietary calcium levels of 1,200 mg daily.
The new levels are 25 to 50 percent higher for adults than RDAs
previously used.
``The need is greater than we previously thought, so the requirements
went up some,'' said Weaver. The most serious deficiency is among females
ages 11 and older. Adequate calcium at young ages helps to build bone
density that will resist osteoporosis later in life, the researcher said.
For pregnant and lactating women, calcium AI levels of 1,300 mg daily
were recommended for ages 14 to 18, 1,000 mg for ages 19 through 50.
Earlier RDA calcium levels for pregnant and lactating women were 1,200
mg.
Calcium intake is best accomplished by eating foods rich in the nutrient,
but some people also may require fortified foods or pills, the panel
said.
``The panel recommends food first because there are a lot of nutrients
other than calcium that are helpful in building bone,'' Weaver said.
``But taking supplements is better than not getting calcium at all.''
Although dairy foods are the most common source of calcium, food such as
tofu, spinach, almonds, mustard greens, pinto beans and broccoli are also
rich in it.
The panel also set new dietary levels for phosphorus, magnesium, vitamin
D and fluoride. Weaver said these are not significantly different from
earlier recommendations.
``Calcium is the most serious issue,'' she said.
Date: Wed, 13 Aug 1997 21:27:24 -0400
From: allen schubert
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (US) A List of Calcium-Rich Foods
Message-ID: <3.0.32.19970813212721.006e942c@clark.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
from AP Wire page:
------------------------------------
08/13/1997 17:03 EST
A List of Calcium-Rich Foods
By The Associated Press
Foods rich in calcium, showing the amount of food and the amount of
absorbable calcium they contain:
Food Amount Calcium
Cheddar cheese 1.5 oz 112 mg
Skim milk cup 96 mg
Tofu cup 160 mg
Mustard greens cup 76 mg
Broccoli cup 36 mg
Almonds 1 oz 17 mg
Spinach cup 12 mg
The new Institute of Medicine report considers these to be adequate daily
intake levels:
Infants: 0 to 6 months, 210 mg; 6 to 12 months 270 mg.
Children: 1 through 3 years, 500 mg; 4 through 8 years, 800 mg; 9 through
18 years, 1,300 mg.
Adults: 19 through 50 years 1,000 mg; 51 and older 1,200 mg.
Pregnant and lactating women, age 14 through 18, 1,300 mg; age 19 through
50, 1,000 mg.
Date: Wed, 13 Aug 1997 21:40:33 -0400
From: allen schubert
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (US) Brazil Won't Analyze Deforestation
Message-ID: <3.0.32.19970813214030.00688ed8@clark.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
links deforestation of rain forests with cattle ranching
from AP Wire page:
------------------------------------
08/10/1997 13:08 EST
Brazil Won't Analyze Deforestation
By MICHAEL ASTOR
Associated Press Writer
MARABA, Brazil (AP) -- In this southeastern corner of the Amazon, the
jungle canopy has been supplanted by smoke that hangs so thickly that, at
times, it can inflict nosebleeds and force airports to close for days.
The smoke rises from countless fires fed by foliage stripped and then
burned to make way for cattle pasture.
In the past two years, the Amazon rain forest has seen some of its worst
burning ever. And as the burning season again approaches,
environmentalists see little reason why this year should be different.
They argue the fires are part of a little-noticed upswing in Amazon
deforestation this decade that followed a much-publicized decline in the
late 1980s. Just five years after Brazil hosted the world's first Earth
Summit -- amid optimism that conservation was becoming a priority -- the
Amazon jungle is still going up in smoke.
``The number of fires where there formerly was forest is a good, if
indirect, indicator of deforestation,'' said Garo Batmanian, president of
the World Wildlife Fund in Brazil.
The government says the fires do not necessarily translate into
deforestation -- many represent farmers maintaining areas previously cut.
But a government agency has satellite photos that could determine exactly
how much forest has been lost. But it seems in no rush to analyze them.
``It would be irresponsible to say whether deforestation is going up or
down until the figures are ready,'' said Thelma Krug, coordinator for the
department with the National Institute of Space Research that monitors
deforestation.
The institute first promised figures for 1995-96 would be released last
November, then in March. It now says they should be ready by October.
The official reason for the delay is a lack of funds to analyze the 229
photos snapped by NASA's Landsat-5 satellite over the 2 million square
miles of the Brazilian Amazon.
The photos remain rolled up, gathering dust.
A visitor to the institute's Foundation for Science and Space Technology
Applications found the poster-sized photos packed in cardboard boxes on
the floor.
The foundation has state-of-the-art computers and printers and employs
some 30 analysts. But no one has permission to analyze the photos
detailing Amazon deforestation until the government releases the $4.5
million promised for the project.
Although that sum is repeatedly handed up as the reason nothing is being
done, Krug concedes that analyzing the photos with existing equipment
would cost only about $400,000.
Environmentalists claim the government is stonewalling to avoid
unpleasant news.
``The only reason that data isn't analyzed and available is that the
government doesn't want it to be,'' said Stephen Schwartzman, a senior
scientist at the Environmental Defense Fund in Washington. ``The
government still deals with it only as a potential international
embarrassment and not as something in the interest of the nation.''
By the late 1980s, about one-tenth of the Amazon's original forest had
been cut down. The destruction sparked an international outcry that
embarrassed the Brazilian government.
But between 1988 and 1991, a slowdown in the rate of deforestation -- due
more to an unraveling economy than any coordinated action -- allowed the
government to claim the trend had been reversed. Much of the furor died
down.
In July 1996, the government announced a series of measures to protect
the rain forest. They included a moratorium on new concessions to cut
mahogany and virola, a source of plywood, and a law forbidding Amazon
landowners from cutting more than 20 percent of their forests -- down
from 50 percent.
Almost unnoticed, the government also released figures showing Amazon
deforestation had jumped from 4,450 square miles in 1992 to an average of
5,950 square miles in 1993 and 1994 -- a 34 percent increase.
Much was made of the new measures, but little was said about the renewed
upswing in deforestation. Many people had thought the problem of Amazon
destruction had been ``solved.''
``The 1992 Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit was the last we heard about the
Amazon,'' said Philip Fearnside, a scientist at the National Institute
for Amazon Research in the jungle city of Manaus.
``The impression people were left with was that deforestation was going
down. Then they released the data that showed deforestation had been
going up during the four years the government has been claiming that it's
been going down.''
Eduardo Martins, president of Brazil's Environment Protection Agency, is
one of the few high-level government officials willing to admit that
Amazon deforestation probably is increasing.
It is the agency's job to stop the destruction, and the satellite data is
crucial. Even with information in hand, it's a daunting task for the
fewer than 400 poorly paid inspectors, who cover a region twice the size
of France and Spain combined.
``It doesn't help to have some general figure -- that only adds to our
anxiety and fears,'' Martins said. ``We have to know where it is in order
to focus our enforcement. And we have repeatedly insisted that (the
National Institute of Space Research) reduce the time in which the
information is made available.''
The data is especially important in understanding how Amazon
deforestation is changing, he said.
In past decades, deforestation was largely a result of large-scale
projects such as dams, timber harvests, cattle ranches, highways and
peasant settlements -- often spurred by government incentives.
Today, the forest is being eroded by a host of smaller interests, from
furniture makers to poor farmers searching for land.
Another recent threat is an influx of foreign loggers, mainly from Asia,
who have been investing heavily in the region since 1994.
A leaked government report recently published in the newspaper O Liberal
of Belem, a city at the mouth of the Amazon River, said 80 percent of
Amazon logging is illegal, with many companies extracting 15 to 20 times
the amount of lumber legally permitted.
Date: Wed, 13 Aug 1997 21:46:43 -0400
From: allen schubert
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (NZ/JP) Study: Japan Flouts Whale Meat Ban
Message-ID: <3.0.32.19970813214641.006db338@clark.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
from AP Wire page:
------------------------------------
08/10/1997 22:21 EST
Study: Japan Flouts Whale Meat Ban
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) -- A New Zealand survey of whale meat for
sale in Japan points to illegal whale hunting and commercial
exploitation, anti-whaling groups said.
The study, by Auckland University researchers who analyzed DNA in 30
samples of whale meat bought commercially in Japan, found protected
humpback, killer and finback whales among the meat being sold.
Hunting those species is banned by the International Whaling Commission.
The Dominion newspaper on Sunday quoted an unnamed official at Japan's
Fisheries Agency as saying the meat in question had probably been caught
when it was still legal to do so and then frozen.
But World Wide Fund for Nature New Zealand executive director Chris
Laidlaw suspected illegal whaling was the source of the meat, and said
the research appeared to confirm ``rumors we've heard for a couple of
years.''
Naoko Funahashi, a member of the International Fund for Animal Welfare in
the United States who participated in the university study, claimed the
Japanese government had a lax attitude toward the whaling ban.
``Illegal whale meat is never found in studies conducted by the Japanese
government,'' she told the Dominion, ``but is repeatedly found in studies
by conservationist groups.''
A nonbinding, worldwide moratorium on commercial whaling has been in
effect since 1986. The ban permits a limited number of whales to be
killed for scientific research.
Japan annually hunts whales under a government program that it says
qualifies as scientific research. Norway resumed commercial whaling in
1993 after a six-year hiatus and is allowed to do so because the country
had objected to the moratorium originally.
Environmentalists fear a return of large-scale, commercial whaling if
some countries continue to flout the moratorium.
Date: Thu, 14 Aug 1997 04:03:12 +0200
From: "sa338@blues.uab.es"
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Cc: sa338@blues.uab.es
Subject: I Congress of Medical Doctors Against Vivisection
Message-ID: <33F26760.4101@blues.uab.es>
MIME-version: 1.0
Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit
The First Congres of The International League Of Medical Doctors for the
Abolition Of Vivisection took place last 31/5/97 in Madrid (Spain).
There came very important personalities of the Medical Research world
and animal rights. I will include an article in my page very soon,I'll
let you know. Thanks.
Nuria http://www.geocities.com/heartland/hills/3787
Date: Wed, 13 Aug 1997 22:05:01 -0400
From: jeanlee
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Letter to copy re logging
Message-ID: <33F267CD.379B@concentric.net>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
Hi All-
I invite you to copy and mail this letter to your legislators in
Washington. Tho it's about logging, animals are directly affected, of
course. The letter, as printed, is to your congressperson at U.S. House
of Representatives, Washington, DC 20515. You can also mail the same
letter to your senators at United States Senate, Washington, DC 20510 -
just CHANGE the last paragraph to read "Please introduce a companion
bill to H.R. 1376 in the Senate." If you don't know who represents you,
call 1-800-688-9889. Here's the text:
Dear Congressman/Woman:
America’s most precious remaining forest ecosystems are being destroyed
by clearcutting in our National Forests. Because of the horrible timber
salvage rider, logging is occurring in groves of thousand-year-old trees
and in our last remaining wild and roadless forests. This carnage must
be stopped before our natural forests are gone forever.
The new Act to Save America’s Forests, H.R. 1376, will finally end
logging in all the remaining Northwest Ancient Forests, end logging in
all our remaining roadless forests, and end logging in “special” forest
areas throughout our federal forest system, such as the giant Sequoia
forests in California, the Robert Frost forest in Vermont, and the
Sipsey Wilderness in Alabama. In addition, the Act will promote
sustainable logging and ban destructive clearcutting in our National
Forests.
The bill already has over 55 cosponsors. Please add your support by
cosponsoring H.R. 1376.
Sincerely yours,
Date: Wed, 13 Aug 1997 22:19:17 -0400
From: allen schubert
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (UK) Buckingham guards' bearskins face their Waterloo
Message-ID: <3.0.32.19970813221914.006e6f38@clark.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
from CNN web page:
------------------------------------
Buckingham guards' bearskins face their Waterloo
August 13, 1997
Web posted at: 7:46 p.m. EDT
(2346 GMT)
LONDON (AP) -- Worn since the Napoleonic wars and
still loved by tourists who crowd to see the
changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, the
British army's towering bearskin hat may be about
to meet its Waterloo.
The Ministry of Defense said Wednesday it has
ordered a search for synthetic alternatives to
bearskin, because of its concern for the welfare
of the Canadian brown bear. Bearskin hat lovers
countered that only skins from culled bears are
used.
Past attempts to produce fake bearskin have ended
in disaster. "When it rained the hats became
rather bedraggled -- like a bad hair day," said
ministry spokesman Maj. Michael Devlin.
"They were also subject to static electricity
which was rather embarrassing when they passed
under (electricity) pylons."
Devlin said defense minister Lord Gilbert took a
personal interest in animal rights issues and
wanted to see bearskin phased out as soon as a
substitute could be found.
Five elite infantry regiments -- the Coldstream,
Scots, Welsh, Irish and Grenadier guards -- wear
the well-known bearskin hats. They were adopted to
commemorate Britain's victory in 1815 over
Napoleon's forces at Waterloo, where France's
elite troops, the Imperial Guard, had worn
bearskins to appear more intimidating.
Soldiers today wear the 18-inch (45-centimeter)
bearskin, which weighs around 1 1/2 pounds (665
grams), for ceremonial duties and to guard royal
residences like Buckingham Palace and St. James'
Palace in London and Windsor Castle, Queen
Elizabeth II's weekend home west of the capital.
Soldiers in bearskins also protect the Tower of
London.
The bearskins come from Canada's brown bear,
culled by Inuit hunters under an agreement with
the Canadian government. The army says the bears
are culled anyway and that no bears are killed
solely to provide the bearskins.
One senior officer said his regiment would fight
any move to replace the bearskin.
"I am not sure exactly what the problem is," said
Gen. Sir Willie Rous of the Coldstream Guards.
"The bearskin is available and the animals are not
endangered, indeed they are culled. The bearskin
is genuine and it is traditional.
"It also lasts a very, very long time. I wear one
I got through my family. One officer I know has
one that is at least 100 years old and was worn by
his father and grandfather," said Rous.
Iain Duncan-Smith, a lawmaker in the main
opposition Conservative Party and a former Scots
guardsman, agreed.
"When we tried synthetic hats they frizzed up," he
told The Financial Times.
Devlin said the army had gradually found
alternatives to skin and fur regimental uniforms
and decorations such as leopard skin sashes,
animal drum skins and some fur hats, "except where
we have kept the old animal skins."
But "not even the fashion industry has come up
with a wearable alternative" to bearskin, he said.
"We are determined that any substitute will come
up to the mark and look the same as the foot
guard's bearskin, which is known the world over
and synonymous with the British army," Devlin
said.
Date: Wed, 13 Aug 1997 22:52:30 -0400
From: allen schubert
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (US) Steven Jobs (Apple Computer)--Vegan
Message-ID: <3.0.32.19970813225227.006eee74@clark.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
excerpt from Time magazine web page
http://www.pathfinder.com/@@epI7MgcAO*kN9LmR/time/magazine/1997/dom/970818/c
over3.html
-----------------------------------------------
The Steve Jobs who is currently running two sophisticated companies lives in
a turn-of-the-century English-style country house in Palo Alto with his wife
Laurene, 33, their two young children and his 19-year-old daughter Lisa,
home from college for the summer. The house is run with a distinct 1960s
flavor. Laurene has planted a garden of wildflowers, herbs and vegetables all
around. The rooms are sparsely decorated, the only extravagances being
Ansel Adams photographs. We dine as the Jobses always do: both are strict
vegans, eating no meat products. Dinner is pasta with raw tomatoes, fresh
raw corn from the garden, steamed cauliflower and a salad of raw shredded
carrots. While the adults eat, their six-year-old son picks lemon verbena and
other herbs in the garden for the after-dinner tea. His reward is a tickle and
being tucked into bed by Dad.
Over dinner, Jobs tells how Laurene overloaded his circuits eight years ago
while he was speaking at nearby Stanford University. "I couldn't take my eyes
off her," he says of the brainy blond M.B.A. He "bagged" a business dinner to
be with her, he says, and they've been together ever since. Conversation is a
mix of politics, Laurene's work setting up a mentor group for a nearby high
school and tales of a presidential visit last summer when Bill Clinton rang up
and invited himself to dinner so he could meet with Silicon Valley executives.
"We had to rent a Dumpster to clean out the house before they came!" says
Jobs, whose prenuptial housing style was "spare," if that's the term for
lacking
furniture. The couple giggle over their search for cheap wine glasses to serve
the President. The menu was, naturally, vegan.
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