AR-NEWS Digest 490 Topics covered in this issue include: 1) EarthSave job openings by allen schubert 2) [US] Dana Lyons Interview by David J Knowles 3) [UK] Fury over top RSPCA job for animal-test man by David J Knowles 4) [UK] Disposables don't halt nappy rash by David J Knowles 5) (IN) Scheme to preserve local cattle breed on anvil by Vadivu Govind 6) (US) Oklahoma Weekly Hunting News (Part 1) by JanaWilson@aol.com 7) (US) Oklahoma Weekly Hunting News (part 2) by JanaWilson@aol.com 8) (US) Oklahoma Deer Hunting Season Debate by JanaWilson@aol.com 9) Request for Info: Russian/US Space Program by Nichen@aol.com 10) fur selling in China by Jean Colison 11) Talk: This could help the animals: AOL's Instant Messenger software. by LMANHEIM@aol.com 12) (VA) Richmond shelter lacks drug permit by NOVENAANN@aol.com 13) Chimp retirement by LMANHEIM@aol.com Date: Sun, 10 Aug 1997 00:26:37 -0400 From: allen schubert To: ar-news@envirolink.org Subject: EarthSave job openings Message-ID: <3.0.32.19970810002635.006dac74@clark.net> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" from EarthSave web page: ----------------------------------------- EarthSave International Job openings for EarthSave staff in Louisville, Kentucky, USA August 1997 Marketing/PR Director Experience with marketing strategy development/implementation, material coordination/design/production, and all areas of media and public relations effort for non-profit. Knowledge of natural products industry a strong plus. $30,000 commensurate with experience, plus benefits. Some relocation assistance available. Development Director Experience in non-profit membership recruitment/retention, grant writing, annual giving campaigns, corporate and major donor solicitations. Knowledge of natural products industry a plus. $30,000 commensurate with experience, plus benefits. Some relocation assistance available. Research Director Extensive experience with writing, research. Knowledge and understanding of health and environmental impact of meat-centered diet a strong plus. $30,000 commensurate with experience, plus benefits. Some relocation assistance available. Finance Director Experience with payroll operation and all areas of non-profit accounting, finance, tax reporting. Also performs Human Resource functions. Knowledge of SBT software strong plus. $32,000 plus benefits. Information Systems Officer Experience with software/hardware support for pc network. Database management, website coordination. Knowledge of Donor Perfect and Novell Netware strong plus. $26,000 plus benefits. Send resume and cover letter to: EarthSave International PO Box 4396 Louisville, KY 40204 Date: Sun, 10 Aug 1997 02:00:08 -0700 (PDT) From: David J Knowles To: ar-news@envirolink.org Subject: [US] Dana Lyons Interview Message-ID: <1.5.4.16.19970810020101.0ee7f024@dowco.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Dana Lyons, singer, songwriter, environmentalist and animal-rights advocate, recently spoke with Animal Voices from his home in Bellingham, WA. Lyons, as you may recall, is the creator of "Cows With Guns". Although the following is mostly serious, Dana Lyons has a great sense of humour, and this was brought out several times during our conversation. Of the many things that define Lyons, which does he consider he is? "All of them," he says. How long has he been involved in environmental issues and animal-rights? "I've been an enviromentalist ever since I was a little kid, watching the adults trashing the planet everywhere I looked - something that's not changed too much. "... In terms of animal-rights, I believe all species have rights, and they have an intrinsic right to exist, and to not be harrassed or tortured. They need to be treated with respect on the planet, and in terms of being a songwriter, I do that as much as possible." How did he come up with idea for "Cows With Guns?" " Basically, I dreamt the song "Cows With Guns." It was a few years ago, it was in August. I woke about 5 in the morning from this very bizare dream where I'd been signing this Country & Western version of this song with these very millitant cattle. I had about 12 versions of the song when I woke up. It was a lot more violent. "It took a long time to generate so many really bad puns." The song has now reached number 27 on the Australian album charts, and No. 1 on the country charts. "In Queensland, which is the most right-wing state in Australia, and a big cattle state, it reached No. 1. "I encourage farmers, or any one near cattle, to turn down the radio so the cows do not hear this song, " Lyons advises. Next, we talked about why he had included a song dedicated to Rod Coronado on the CD. " Rod Coronado is a friend of of mine. I met him on the 'Sea Shepherd'." "Rod was listed on the 10 Most Wanted List in the United States. I find it facinating that the most powerful military might on earth puts a man on the 10 Most Wanted List, and he is accused of freeing rabbits. I find it interesting that a giant nuclear power is afraid of a man who frees rabbits. "Rod Coronado is one of the most amazing people I've ever met. An extremely couragous and giving person, who was willing to risk their life and freedom to help out poor defenceless animals who were locked away in some basement, in some university, with electrodes being stuck in them. He's worked to free animals and to rehabiltate them, and I think Rod is a hero and I'm proud to have him as a friend. I'm really glad to write that song for him and have it on the album." What was the significance of "Geronimo"? " In many ways, the song is about Geronimo himself. I also wrote it for the modern day "Earth Warriors" if you will - the brave women and men who go out and risk their freedoms and their lives to do things that will protect our old-growth forests, our native habitats, who basically put themselves out there to protect clean water and clean air for all of us. I believe that Geronimo's spirit lives on in these people and it's a way of honouring their brave deeds and tying it in with Geronimo, who was really a warrior for the earth himself." We also talked about some of his other work, including "Turn of the Wrench". Lyons said the title track is about farmers in two rural counties in Minnisota who cut down high-tension power lines that were being forced through their land by the big cities of Minneapolis/St. Pauls and the utilities. The last song - 'Drop of Water' - is about Milton Born With a Tooth and the Lone Fighters, who were involved with the disruption to the construction of the Old Man Dam, in Southern Alberta. Speaking about the blockades protesting the clearcut logging of old-growth forest that have occured in British Columbia recently, Lyons noted that he can see the lights of BC from his home. Is there a solution? "It doesn't have to be 'Us and them', as the industry would always like it to be - it's a matter of communities working together to build a sustainable economy that includes a healthy environment." Can there ever be a change in the attitude of the large corporations? "If the CEO of McMillan Bloedel had some kind of religous experience tomorrow, and said ' Hey, we've got to save the forest,' he or she would just be replaced. The corporate system is like a giant machine that has to gobble up everything to generate profit. We, the sovereign people of this region, have to create the laws and dicatate to the corporations what their limitations are. If we don't, they'll just gobble up everything." David J Knowles 'Animal Voices News' The full interview will be broadcast on Vancouver's Cooperative Radio - 102.7 FM CFRO - on Monday, August 18th. Check out Coop Radio's Home Page: www.vcn.bc.ca/cfro Copyright 1997 Animal Voices. You may distribute the above as you wish, provided that the author is cited. A copy of any material the above is used in would be appreciated. Date: Sun, 10 Aug 1997 02:00:11 -0700 (PDT) From: David J Knowles To: ar-news@envirolink.org Subject: [UK] Fury over top RSPCA job for animal-test man Message-ID: <1.5.4.16.19970810020104.0ee7fdc8@dowco.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" >From The Electronic Telegraph - Sunday, August 10th, 1997 Fury over top RSPCA job for animal-test man By Lynne Wallis and Greg Neale ANIMAL rights activists have condemned the appointment to a senior post in the RSPCA of a scientist who conducted experiments on animals. Dr Tony Suckling, who has been appointed deputy director-general, joined the RSPCA in 1990 as its director of science. He carried out experiments on animals in the 1970s and 1980s as part of research into damage to the human nervous system. He has since changed his views on the acceptability of vivisection, but believes that some animal experiments are necessary. Dr Suckling said his appointment had been confirmed earlier this year. "As far as I can recall, there wasn't any dissent." But Marjorie Pooley, an RSPCA member from Winchester and a long-time campaigner against vivisection, said the appointment was unacceptable. She said: "To give someone with Dr Suckling's history the second most powerful position within the organisation is giving out all the wrong messages about experiments on animals. As it is, the RSPCA is only calling for reductions and refinements, not abolition." Dorothy Adams, a member of the RSPCA's ruling council for the past six years, was also concerned about the appointment. "I am unhappy that he still thinks that some animal experiments may be necessary," she said yesterday. "I'd like to know what those experiments are. I believe that the RSPCA should be consulting those bodies, such as Doctors and Lawyers for Responsible Medicine, which are totally opposed to animal experiments on medical and scientific grounds only." An RSPCA spokesman said: "We take the pragmatic view that it is very important that the animal welfare position is represented. Some other animal welfare organisations do not talk to the people who run laboratories to discuss vivisection practices. We do, and we believe this has led to improvements in animal welfare." Working at St Thomas's Hospital during the late 1970s, Dr Suckling injected a virus into mice to study damage to the central nervous system. He then moved to York University, where he created an animal "model" of multiple sclerosis, known as Chronic Relapsing Encephalomyelitis, in baby guinea pigs. Dr Suckling produced the model by injecting the ground-up spinal cords of young guinea pigs into adult animals, along with other substances, to generate an auto-immune response. The experiments sometimes caused the animals paralysis, unsteadiness, weakness, incontinence and weight loss - all symptoms of MS in humans. He regarded this as the best available model of the human disease and published papers on the subject in 1989. Yesterday, he said he gave up experiments on animals after 18 years after coming to question their value. "I would never go back," he said. "There comes a time when you have to say, 'Is this worth it?' I was becoming less sure that the work I was doing had value." Now, he said, while he accepted that some animal experiments were required under law, and some had some human medical benefit, "personally, I am concerned that there are experiments being done that are not properly justified". He said: "I sit quite comfortably with the RSPCA's policy, which is one of opposition to experiments [on animals] that cause pain, suffering or distress." Dr Suckling is also a member of the Animal Procedures Committee, appointed by the Home Secretary, which advises the Government on vivisection. Anti-vivisection groups have complained that of the committee's 14 members only three - including Dr Suckling - are from animal welfare groups. But an RSPCA campaigner said yesterday that Dr Suckling was an active spokesman for animal welfare interests on the committee. © Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1997. Date: Sun, 10 Aug 1997 02:00:25 -0700 (PDT) From: David J Knowles To: ar-news@envirolink.org Subject: [UK] Disposables don't halt nappy rash Message-ID: <1.5.4.16.19970810020118.21c71302@dowco.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" >From The Electronic Telegraph - Sunday, August 10th, 1997 [Posted out of general interest. (Don't P & G test 'Pampers' on rabbits?) "Nappy" is the English term for diaper.] Disposables don't halt nappy rash By Catherine Elsworth PARENTS who use disposable nappies in the belief that they will prevent nappy rash in their babies are misguided, according to new research. A study of 14,000 babies has shown that the type of nappy used is not significant in relation to incidence of nappy rash. The findings contradict the common belief that disposable nappies are better at preventing nappy rash than cloth ones. The report concludes that "disposable nappies give little protection". The study, Getting to the Bottom of Nappy Rash, was based on infants in the Bristol area. It also found that the early introduction of solids in the diet, particularly cereals, made the condition worse. The research, reported in this month's British Journal of General Practice, is part of the Avon Longitudinal Study of Pregnancy and Childhood, or Children of the Nineties project. A quarter of babies in the study suffered nappy rash within the first four weeks of life. During this period, the relative risk of nappy rash for babies with towelling compared with those put only in disposable nappies was 1.16 (compared with 1.00 for disposable). With cases of "very bad" or "quite bad" nappy rash, "the type of nappy worn did not emerge as a significant factor". Professor Jean Golding, who led the research, said: "The point about disposable nappies is important as they are so expensive. When you have impoverished families feeling that is the healthiest thing they can do, I'm not sure that it is." Gina Purrmann, co-founder of the Real Nappy Association, said: "We get far more calls to our help line from people with babies in disposable nappies suffering nappy rash." But David Hammond, environmental affairs manager for Procter and Gamble, which manufactures disposable nappies, said: "It is absolutely conclusive that disposable nappies are better for skin dryness, an essential benefit that helps reduce the potential for nappy rash." © Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1997. Date: Sun, 10 Aug 1997 18:52:11 +0800 (SST) From: Vadivu Govind To: ar-news@envirolink.org Subject: (IN) Scheme to preserve local cattle breed on anvil Message-ID: <199708101052.SAA05008@eastgate.cyberway.com.sg> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" >The Hindu Online Scheme to preserve local cattle breed on anvil Date: 09-08-1997 :: Pg: 06 :: Col: e By S. Rajendran BANGALORE, Aug. 8. The Government has decided to implement an ambitious scheme aimed at preserving the local draught animal breeds apart from improving the quality of milch animals by going in for exotic breeds for the purpose of cross- breeding. Although it is said that farmers prefer machines to plough their fields, a survey has revealed that the draught animals are still in demand. It will take a long time for farmers to replace these draught animals with machines. This has prompted the Government to preserve and maintain the draught animal stock. The well-known draught cattle in Karnataka are the Amrut Mahal, the Hallikhar, the Khillar and the Deoni. All these breeds are listed among the best breeds in the country. Similarly, in Tamil Nadu, the Kangeyam cattle and in Andhra Pradesh, the Ongole bull, are well known. Fears have been expressed that if the local varieties in the State are not properly tended to, they might either degenerate or become extinct. The Minister of State for Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services, Mr. B. B. Ningaiah, told TheHinduthat every effort would be made to preserve the reputed local cattle. ``Nucleus herds'' would be created in the cattle farms owned by the Government to generate quality sperms and make them available to farmers. Towards promoting the indigenous breeds for their draught power and the exotic breeds to step up milk production, the Government would set up four hi-tech frozen semen technology laboratories - two in Hessarghatta on the outskirts of Bangalore and one each in Munirabad in Raichur district and Dharwad. Two more sperm stations would be set up in Birur in Chikmagalur district and in Koila in Dakshina Kannada. While the Birur station would be dedicated to the indigenous breeds, the Koila station would be set apart for the exotic breeds. Even today, the Jersey and the Holstein Friesian were dominating the milch animal sector all over the world, and in some countries such as Australia, Denmark, United Kingdom, cows of these breeds yielded 70 litres of milk per day. Asked on the Red Dane, the Animal Husbandry authorities here said that the Red Dane was no longer in demand and the breed had become redundant. The Red Dane was a hefty cow and owing to its heavy weight, it was prone to the foot-and-mouth disease. Further, the milk yield was disproportionate to the fodder intake. Animal Husbandry scientists had given up their hopes on the Red Dane resulting in the phasing out of the famous milch cow whose yield was regarded as high in the post-World War days. Mr. Ningaiah said the Government had decided to utilise the Union Government funding for the embryo technology centres and in the first phase three centres would come up in Hessarghatta, Ajjampur and Dharwad. The new embryo transfer technology for the betterment of the milch and the draught animals had come as a shot-in-the-arm for the Animal Husbandry sector and akin to the test tube babies, embryos were being developed in laboratories and implanted in cows on heat, and the surrogatecows served the genetically superior calves. Some of the high-yielding cows in the advanced countries cost $ 40,000 and more. It was stated that the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), which had commended the work in the milch animal sector in the State, had agreed to set up four frozen semen banks on a turnkey basis and later hand them over to the Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services. Each semen bank was expected to cost about Rs. one crore. Karnataka ranked third in milk production after Gujrat and Maharashtra. Veterinary services in the State were available at a cheaper rate, particularly in the Government hospitals, compared to other States. The Department of Animal Husbandry has, under its control, 11 cattle breeding farms in about 50,000 acres. Half of this land is set apart for the Amrut Mahal. The Deoni serves well in the rural areas since it is a dualpurpose animal. The males have abundant draught power and the cows yield a reasonably good quantity of milk. Date: Sun, 10 Aug 1997 12:04:48 -0400 (EDT) From: JanaWilson@aol.com To: AR-news@envirolink.org Subject: (US) Oklahoma Weekly Hunting News (Part 1) Message-ID: <970810120447_1551489573@emout07.mail.aol.com> A public meeting will at at Butler High School on Monday at 7pm to discuss goose depredation on winter wheat fields during the migration season. Butler is near the Washita National Waterfowl Refuge on Foss Lake. Representatives of US Rep. Frank Lucas (R) and the US Fish and Wildlife Service will be there to discuss the problem with the area wheat farmers in an effort to minimize crop losses caused by geese. The National Wild Turkey Federation has hired well-known sportsman Gary Purdy of Enid, Okla. as regional director for Oklahoma. "I'm really excited to be with the NWTF, especially since the organization is approaching its 25th anniversary, and I expect the number of federation chapters in Oklahoma to double within the next year. As our membership and our fund-raising capabilities increase, the amount of money the NWTF spends in Oklahoma for conservation projects, youth events, education and other federation programs will also increase," said Purdy. Purdy formally worked for the United Sportsman's Alliance of Oklahoma as executive director. The Oklahoma Wildlife Commission authorized telephone sales of hunting and fishing licenses last week at their monthly meeting. Under the system, both residents and nonresidents would be able to buy licenses with their credit cards at any hour by calling a 1-800 number. The Wildlife Dept. hopes to have the program in place this coming fall. Buyers would pay a $4 fee above the cost of the license for the service. The commission also voted to require training for license dealers and to make all permits and licenses nonrefundable. For the Animals, Jana, OKC Date: Sun, 10 Aug 1997 12:04:54 -0400 (EDT) From: JanaWilson@aol.com To: AR-news@envirolink.org Subject: (US) Oklahoma Weekly Hunting News (part 2) Message-ID: <970810120450_2062861967@emout09.mail.aol.com> Ducks Unlimited will sponsor the Frontier Fun Shoot on Saturday at the Oklahoma Shooting Sports Club located at 24100 N. Hawasse Road in Okla. City. (This club advertises as the "The Family Sportsman's Club".) Competitors may enter either of two classes, registered or nonregistered. Prizes include a shotgun which will be awarded in both classes. Other prizes will be awarded at random. Entry fee is $75 and includes a DU membership. The state's prairie chicken population is declining so drastically that no hunting will be allowed after this year. The Oklahoma Wildlife Dept. adopted a management plan which calls for hunting opportunities to be based on population levels. Given the current situation, hunting will end in 1998. The steady decline of Oklahoma prairie chickens is blamed on loss of habitat. The Oklahoma Wildlife Commission has proclaimed Sept. 27th as National Hunting and Fishing Day in Oklahoma. This annual observance recognizes the contributions of hunters to conservation and economics. Lohman Game Calls has introduced an electronic game-caller, the company claims is effective for coyotes, bobcats, crows and other "varmints". It comes with a camo carrying bag containing speaker, player, battery and charger. For the Animals, Jana, OKC Date: Sun, 10 Aug 1997 12:46:13 -0400 (EDT) From: JanaWilson@aol.com To: AR-news@envirolink.org Subject: (US) Oklahoma Deer Hunting Season Debate Message-ID: <970810124612_-85942809@emout09.mail.aol.com> According to local Oklahoma City hunting news, the Oklahoma Wildlife Commission is planning to take another "shot" at a 16-day deer gun seaon. The Game division has proposed a regulation adding a full week to the nine-day session. This is going to be the no. 1 topic during a series of public hearings scheduled across the state in during this month. Opinions voiced during the hearings will be considered when the Okla. Wildlife Commission makes the final decision on the 1998 hunting regulations sometime in October. This is the third time in recent years that the Game Commission has recommended a longer gun hunt. The two previous proposals were shot down by landowners who don't want to be bothered by hunters any more than they already are. However, that was before the deer became more of a headache than the hunters. For example, in the Woodward County area, the animals are becoming a traffic hazard and in other northern counties they are being blamed for significant crop damage. That should lesson opposition from such groups as the Farm Bureau and the Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association. The Wildlife Commission approved a 16-day gun season four years ago, but it died under a late assault by landowners. Meanwhile the deer herd continues to grow. Alan Peoples, assistant game chief, said there are a number of reasons for the proposal. Hopefully, he said, more deer would be killed, thus curtailing crop depredation and reducing the potential for traffic accidents. With more time available, hunters might become more selective, removing some of the pressure on the young bucks. When bad weather strikes during the season as it did last year, the hunters will still have time to fill their tags. A longer season sould mean hunters would spend more time afield. Thus increasing the economic benefits for the rural communities. With three weekends available, hunters who work during the week will still have a lot of time for hunting. "Historically, deer hunting has been a mad dash to the woods. When you've got twice as long, you're going to have a better quality hunt," said Peoples. He also said that he doesn't anticipate much organized opposition from farmers and ranchers. "There's a lot of deer haters out there. It's not unusual in the northwest to see 100 deer feeding on a 80-acre wheat field. The farmers see it as money going out the window. They're going to be more receptive than they were the last time," said Peoples. For the Animals, Jana, OKC Date: Sun, 10 Aug 1997 12:47:59 -0400 (EDT) From: Nichen@aol.com To: ar-news@envirolink.org, ar-views@envirolink.org Subject: Request for Info: Russian/US Space Program Message-ID: <970810124758_585934552@emout01.mail.aol.com> A few months ago(?) the US pulled funding on a Russian Space Program experiment using Chimpanzees, where they had hard-wired the apes' brains and were performing experiments on them. I know it was on the AP wire, and I am sure I've seen it on AR-News but can't find it in any of the downloads I still have. I would really appreciate it if someone could tell me how to find this information again. The program was going on in Russia and the US pulled funding when one of the apes died. It would be most helpful if I could find an on-line site where it is reported, or if someone still has the any of the articles, to e-mail them to me. If those are not possible, does anybody remember the time frame, so I can narrow my search of old newspapers at the library? Thanks Nix Date: Sun, 10 Aug 1997 13:10:20 -0400 (EDT) From: Jean Colison To: Ar-news Subject: fur selling in China Message-ID: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII LETTER FROM CHINA: Fur Eastern Economics: Beijing's Pelt Belt By Kevin Sullivan Washington Post Foreign Service Wednesday, August 6, 1997; Page C01 BEIJING —It's ugly, sweaty hot in the Beijing summer, but down on Chaowa Street everyone is dreaming happily of miserable Russian winters. In more than 100 stalls along this dusty market alley, merchants are hawking fur coats. Nothing but fur coats, except maybe for a few fur stoles and fur hats and fur gloves. Racks and racks and racks of them. Mink and rabbit and goat and dog (more on that later) and fox -- so many coats hung on shop fronts and in windows and doorways that this long, narrow street looks like a fur-lined tunnel. Almost every one of these coats will end up in Russia. Many of the heavy fur coats emblematic of dreary Moscow winters come from this market street. The merchants do their best to make Russian customers feel welcome. Most of the signs here are in Russian, almost every shop employs a Russian translator, the corner cafe pours shots of vodka with breakfast. Grumpy Russian traders crowd the streets buying trainloads of Chinese furs. "The quality here is not very good. But it's cheap, and it stands up better than our fabrics," said a Russian trader who identified herself only as Gulja, sporting a pair of Ray-Bans with the little "UV-protection" sticker still in place in the middle of one lens. Chaowai Street is in the center of an area known as the Russian Market, which sprang up in 1990 as relations warmed between China and the Soviet Union. Following the free-market impulses of Soviet reformer Mikhail Gorbachev and the late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping, China began encouraging Russians to come shopping, and they flocked to buy their basic necessities. As a result, trade between the two countries nearly doubled in the past seven years, to $6.8 billion last year. The market, close to Beijing's embassy district, is full of shops and stalls selling everything from underwear to roller skates. The merchants say things like "Russian heavy industry is good, but their light industry is not productive" to explain why they sell bras and soap and kids' clothes and backpacks and jeans and toiletries to the Russians faster than they can restock their shelves. A few merchants on this alley started fur shops, basically on a whim. The result wasn't quite the Hula-Hoop, but it was great news for Chaowai Street. Shopkeeper Liu Jin Shan says he sells 10,000 fur coats a year, and his shop is just one in a crowd of more than 100. Fur manufacturers from all over China have turned this alley into one big factory outlet center, Beijing style. "This is a spontaneous expansion market," said a beaming Liu, whose office equipment consists of a phone, a calculator and a photo of Mao Zedong. "Things have opened up in China, and this is all about fair trading and mutual needs." It's also about price and the cost of labor, which are helping China to become the world's major producer of inexpensive clothing. In the Chinese countryside, where the furs are sewn, factory workers often earn well under $100 a month, so the fur coats on Chaowai Street are remarkably cheap. Some sell for as little as $40. While the better-quality full-length minks go for $1,200 or more, it's still a small fraction of what the same coat would cost in Europe or the United States. "Triple," said Tadeusz Liminski, a burly Russian trader drinking shots of vodka and smoking Marlboros one morning at an outdoor Russian cafe, when asked how much coats bought here sell for in his native Lithuania. Liminski, who is not given to long sentences, said he flies to Beijing "every three weeks" to stock up. "Many, many, many," he explained, when asked how many furs traders bring home. Then Liminski growled and threw his empty cigarette pack at a cafe worker who had turned the stereo up too loud. It's hard to imagine the Chaowai Street market existing in the United States, where fur coats have fallen out of fashion in the face of protests by animal rights groups. But in bustling Beijing, where the free market is booming and happily chaotic, everyone is too busy making money to worry about the animals. No one has ever tossed red paint on the furs on Chaowai Street -- although people here know it happens in America. "We've heard that," Liu said. "But these animals are raised for their fur. Americans eat beef, don't they? You kill those big animals for food; we kill these little minks for fur. What's the difference?" Liu also said that some of the mink pelts made into coats at Chinese factories are imported from the United States. The dog furs, though, are all from China. Every stall along the street has coats made of fairly coarse fur, a grayish blend that looks suspiciously like German shepherd. Which it is. Merchant Zhuang De Yue said the dogs are raised on farms; their fur is used for coats and their meat is used for food. Zhuang looks slightly puzzled that Americans might find this distasteful. "It's just like a poultry farm," he said. Each morning, Russian traders pour out of the Ritan Hotel at the top of Chaowai Street. They cruise the market lanes, inspecting racks of furs dyed black, yellow, green and pink. The traders have just arrived by Aeroflot from Moscow or the Baltics. Some are hustling young men swigging their morning Coronas as they walk, or squinting at the furs as cigarettes hang from the corners of their mouths. Several are immense women in dresses like parachutes, whose humor seems to darken with the sweat running down their temples. One bleached-blond Russian woman cruises the street on the back of a bicycle-taxi that's been fitted with a little flatbed for hauling goods and Russians. In midsummer on Chaowai Street, the temperature hovers close to 100 degrees. The Chinese merchants sit patiently in lounge chairs or on a patch of shady ground in front of their shops. Many of the men try to keep cool by wearing the fronts of their sweaty T-shirts rolled up to their chests, exposing their bellies. The merchants watch silently as Russians prowl the street, hoping for a nibble from a buyer with a big wallet. It's lazy, like a day at the fishing hole. Du Jinzhi is sweltering in the furry doorway of his shop, waiting for a customer. He is confident. He knows that nature is on his side. "Russia is very cold," Du said. "You can't survive in Russia without fur." @CAPTION: It's always fur weather on Chaowai Street, where stores cater to Russians looking for a warm deal. ©Copyright 1997 The Washington Post Company Back to the top Date: Sun, 10 Aug 1997 15:51:43 -0400 (EDT) From: LMANHEIM@aol.com To: ar-news@envirolink.org Subject: Talk: This could help the animals: AOL's Instant Messenger software. Message-ID: <970810155142_-802136089@emout17.mail.aol.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=unknown-8bit Sorry, it's not directly animal related, but it can help a-r folks contact each other FAST when they need to. Personally I think EVERYone should get this, because if there's some sort of emergency--an animal in distress or a short-notice protest demo, you can just go online, see who else is online--regardless of their Internet Service Provider--and shoot out an instant (real time) message which pops up on the other person's screen. The other person can then respond with help or advice, or drop his/her tofu pup to run out to join the demo (if it's local)--whatever. I just emailed essentially this same message to a wildlife rehabber mailing list I'm on. Please pass it along to other animal mailing lists you may belong to. This is FREE software that enables you to send and receive Instant (realtime) messages to individuals on the Internet who have the same software. (Everyone on America Online has it already.) It also lets you set up a Buddy List. When someone on your Buddy List is online, you are made aware of it and can IM (instant message) him or her to chat. I would never give up AOL, even though it was a royal pain for quite a long time, because of this incredible feature (and other things too). Now it's available to EVERYONE. You're gonna love it! A letter from AOL follows my Letters for Animals "commercial." :-) Lynn Manheim Letters for Animals PO Box 7-AO La Plume, PA 18440 717-945-5312 Fax: -3471 Letters for Animals - how it works Everybody's News LfA-bad charities Everybody's New s LfA-mules Everybody's News LfA-eat horses Here's the letter from America Online You're Invited to Try AOL Instant Messenger™ You're invited to try the FREE limited beta of the AOL Instant Messenger™ service. All you have to do is go to the AOL web site [www.aol.com] and download the software. This revolutionary tool allows you to communicate instantly via private, real-time text messages, which can be sent to and from AOL members as well as friends on the Internet who've installed AOL Instant Messenger™. With AOL Instant Messenger™ you can: - Stay in Touch Know immediately when your friends, family and business associates go online and communicate with them in "real time." - Communicate Privately and Personally Send and receive private text messages that are identified by personalized "screen names." - Be More Productive While juggling tasks at home, at work, or on the road, get in touch with others quickly and exchange essential information. - Be a Part of the World's Largest Online Community Have online access to AOL's eight million members and a world of Internet users. - Enjoy a Safe Online Environment Set and maintain standards for safe online interactions with AOL's "Neighborhood Watch" program. Don't wait! Get the AOL Instant Messenger™ today! Just go to AOL's web site (http://www.aol.com) where you can download it now. Date: Sun, 10 Aug 1997 17:28:59 -0400 (EDT) From: NOVENAANN@aol.com To: ar-news@envirolink.org Subject: (VA) Richmond shelter lacks drug permit Message-ID: <970810172853_-1439012745@emout08.mail.aol.com> Sunday, August 10, 1997 Richmond-Times Dispatch Outdated license unnoticed Shelter lacks permit to possess fatal drug BY CARRIE BUDOFF Times-Dispatch Staff Writer ------------------------------------------------------------------------ For almost a year, the Richmond Animal Shelter has lacked a license to possess the drugs it uses to kill animals. The controlled substance permit allows the shelter to possess sodium pentobarbital, the drug used to euthanize animals. The permit wasn't renewed after it expired in September 1996, even though the city continued to purchase and store the drug at the shelter. The former veterinarian, and officials at the Virginia Board of Pharmacy and the shelter said they don't know why the outdated permit went unnoticed. ''It just slipped through the cracks,'' said Elizabeth Scott Russell, executive director for the state Board of Pharmacy. ''I feel it was just an oversight.'' Meanwhile, the federal Drug Enforcement Agency on Wednesday began reviewing the shelter's records, said Anthony Romanello, deputy director of the city Department of Public Health. ''I don't know why they came to review,'' he said. ''I wouldn't presume to guess.'' Jack Henderson, a DEA supervisor, declined to comment. Dr. Kim Eaton, the former veterinarian, discovered the expired controlled substance permit when she stopped working at the shelter July 28. As the official designated by the shelter to euthanize about 150 animals a month, Eaton had to notify the Board of Pharmacy when she left and take inventory of all the drugs in stock. That's when Eaton said she realized that the shelter had just one current permit: the humane society permit, which registers the shelter with the Board of Pharmacy and allows it to possess certain drugs other than sodium pentobarbital. The humane society permit is a prerequisite to obtaining the controlled substance permit, which allows the shelter to possess sodium pentobarbital. But the controlled substance permit was never renewed, said Russell. ''It is not legal to possess (sodium pentobarbital) without registering,'' she said. Because Eaton is a trained veterinarian, state regulations allow her to euthanize animals without the controlled substance permit if she brought the sodium pentobarbital with her each day she reported for work and took it with her at the end of the day. However, a permit was still needed in this case because the drugs were stored at the shelter and purchased by the city, Russell said. The shelter has been able to obtain pentobarbital because manufacturers usually require only a permit number from the federal Drug Enforcement Agency. It has a permit that expires in 1998, Romanello said. The board can decide when the shelter reapplies whether to level any sanctions, which can range from a reprimand to a revocation of the license, Russell said. Russell declined to comment on whether the board is investigating the incident but described the outdated permit as a ''technical violation.'' "I don't want to make light of it,'' Russell said. ''But if there are no other problems'' at the shelter, sanctions may not be necessary, she said. The Richmond Animal Shelter stopped putting animals to death when Eaton left, Romanello said. A pharmacist has since removed the drugs, he said. Romanello said that euthanasia will be handled by state certified veterinarians or veterinary technicians outside the shelter. The shelter does not need the Board of Pharmacy permits if it does not euthanize animals on its premises. ''Our aim is at some point to perform euthanasia at the shelter just as we have in the past,'' said Romanello. Ordinarily, animals without collars are kept for seven days. Animals with collars are kept for 12 days, on the theory that their owner will look for them. If no one adopts the animals, they are put to death by injection. Eaton said she filled out the paperwork in October and assumed it was received by the board. ''I guess somebody who processed the paperwork failed to send it in,'' she said. ''The only neglect on my part is that I should've pursued it further. I was led to believe everything was fine.'' Romanello and the acting superintendent, Selina Deale, both figured all the permits were current. ''She was bound by her contract to have the license with the commonwealth,'' Romanello said. ''It was a shock when we were told. She represented to us that she had the valid licensing.'' Eaton first volunteered at the shelter last year after an employee there went public with complaints about inhumane treatment of animals. She later was given a contract to work there part time at $25.50 an hour. She stopped working there after she refused to euthanize a mother and seven puppies that she considered healthy. Deale and Romanello said the shelter could not keep the litter any longer, and that Eaton did not follow the rules. Date: Sun, 10 Aug 1997 23:05:39 -0400 (EDT) From: LMANHEIM@aol.com To: ar-news@envirolink.org Cc: EnglandGal@aol.com Subject: Chimp retirement Message-ID: <970810230538_-1103462946@emout19.mail.aol.com> Since I forwarded the initial press release (not written by me) announcing the government's progress towards chimpanzee retirement, and since there's another side of the story, I'm presenting here the Letters for Animals column I subsequently wrote, and which appeared in the online daily newspaper "American Reporter" and the Cincinnati alternative weekly, "Everybody's News." GOVERNMENT PONDERS CHIMPANZEE RETIREMENT Lynn Manheim American Reporter Correspondent LA PLUME, Penn. -- The United States has a glut of research chimpanzees--some 1,500, of whom 500 are owned by private concerns and 1,000 by the Air Force and the federal health institutes. A National Research Council (NRC) committee has pondered for more than a year how best to use and dispose of this so-called resource, which by virtue of its striking genetic proximity to humans and its indisputable human-like expressions and emotions, cannot be killed without incurring massive public outrage. Of the 1,000 government-owned chimps, 168 are designated "crisis breeding models," to be held in readiness as procreators, should medical science perceive at some point that more are needed. This could happen in case of a threat to public health, as it did in the mid-1980s, when a likely animal model was sought for AIDS research. The NRC admits that the present chimpanzee overpopulation is "due primarily to the success of the [National Institutes of Health]-sponsored Chimpanzee Breeding and Research Program, which achieved the birth numbers thought necessary to meet the projected needs of biomedical research." The summary continues, "However, the expected level of use...did not materialize...." Researchers succeeded in infecting only one chimpanzee with AIDS. Another 360 chimpanzees are currently being used in research, and a third category consists of 260 animals who, infected with hepatitis or other disease pathogens for research purposes, are considered a "potential public health threat." It is the remaining 212 chimps who are of present concern. They must be housed until they die, and a chimpanzee may live for 50 years. On July 16, the NRC committee released a report addressing, among other matters, the issue of perpetual care for chimpanzees no longer deemed useful for experimentation. This unprecedented official recognition of a moral obligation to animals used for human ends (at least to those very similar to ourselves) is encouraging, or so says the National Chimpanzee Research Retirement Task Force, an animal rights/welfare panel consisting of representatives of the National Anti-Vivisection Society (NAVS), the American Anti-Vivisection Society (AAVS), the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), and the Doris Day Animal League (DDAL). Others are not so sure. The Task Force wants a congressionally-chartered National Chimpanzee Research Retirement System, to be supported by government funds, private donations and endowments for individual animals. Congress is to consider enacting legislation this year to establish a sanctuary system. Because chimpanzees are expensive to maintain in research facilities ($7.3 million per year for the government's animals alone), the NRC report embraces the sanctuary solution for those no longer needed in experimentation. The paper urges the research community to cooperate with animal advocacy organizations, which have long been at opposite poles ethically. Sending the animals to sanctuaries, according to the report, will presumably benefit and please all concerned. Once again, animal advocates are in the position of having to thank those who use animals in ways inimical to animal rights for the privilege of cleaning up the latter's messes. Will animal rights organizations be thus co-opted? Some may well be. Humane societies which are permitted to bring dogs and cats for adoption to large retail petstore outlets do not complain about the many animals sold at these stores. Greyhound rescue groups are careful not to publicly criticize the dog racing industry, lest they be prevented from saving even the small number of doomed ex-racers they can place. Wildlife rehabilitators dare not speak out against hunting and trapping for fear that game wardens will not bring in animals who need their help. There is a vast difference between retiring chimps from research and protecting them from it. -30- Lynn Manheim operates Letters for Animals, "a letter- writing service for activists too busy to put pen to paper." Contact her at LManheim@aol.com.