AR-NEWS Digest 459

Topics covered in this issue include:

  1) [UK] Eagle owl found dead on St Paul's
     by David J Knowles 
  2) (TH) Native birds under threat
     by Vadivu Govind 
  3) (ES) Spanish women take on bulls
     by Vadivu Govind 
  4) Antarctic pollution sickens fish
     by Andrew Gach 
  5) Unknown viruses kill two pandas
     by Andrew Gach 
  6) Foodborne diseases ion the rise in the U.S.
     by Andrew Gach 
  7) (UK) Scientists close to making human blood from animals
     by Persephone Moonshadow Howling Womyn 
  8) *Desperate*
     by hsusga@ix.netcom.com
  9) Twenty-two emus clubbed to death by frustrated owner
     by primates@usa.net
 10) Re Email addresses for Senators and Reps
     by Liz Grayson 
 11) GOODALL ESTABLISHES CHIMP SANCTUARY IN SOUTH AFRICA
     by LCartLng@gvn.net (Lawrence Carter-Long)
 12) URGENT Federated Dept. Stores Fur Action Alert
     by MINKLIB@aol.com
 13) Stumptail monkey colony in danger
     by Shirley McGreal 
 14) 3,000-6,000 MINK FREED FROM WASH ST. FUR FARM (US)
     by civillib@cwnet.com
 15) News on Lori Gauthier - URGENT!!!!!!!!!
     by SDURBIN@VM.TULSA.CC.OK.US
 16) Victory AS Consort Closes Down.
     by "Miggi" 
 17) FWS Names New Director
     by Mike Markarian 
 18) Mostly Pro AR/Mary T. Moore article
     by Julie Beckham 
 19) Admin Note--AR-News subscription options
     by ar-admin 
 20) Letters Needed on Behalf of Animals in Ireland Zoo
     by co@ix.netcom.com (Cathy O'Brien)
Date: Mon, 7 Jul 1997 21:36:21 -0700 (PDT)
From: David J Knowles 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: [UK] Eagle owl found dead on St Paul's
Message-ID: <1.5.4.16.19970707213707.2d7fbd16@dowco.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"


>From The Electronic Telegraph - Tuesday, July 8th, 1997

Eagle owl found dead on St Paul's
By Barbie Dutter 

AN escaped eagle owl nicknamed Paula after it chose to roost in St Paul's
Cathedral was found dead yesterday after a two-year adventure in central London.

Office workers in a block opposite the cathedral, who had been watching the
bird avidly since it was first sighted at St Paul's, spotted it lying
face-down on a ledge beneath the dome.

They alerted the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals,
which sent its local inspector, Lee Hopgood, to check on the owl's welfare.

He clambered out on to the 60ft-high ledge and found that Paula was dead. "I
am absolutely gutted. It is such a sad ending," he said, cradling the limp
owl in his arms.

Mr Hopgood, 29, had been monitoring Paula's progress for about two years,
since she was first spotted hooting at a male eagle owl called Max at London
Zoo.

He subsequently received regular reports of the owl's whereabouts - from
rooftops in Camden Town, north London, to nearby Regent's Park, Hyde Park
and most recently St Paul's.

The owl, 3ft tall with a 5ft wingspan and distinctive tufted ears, was
wearing leather anklets commonly used in falconry, proving that it was once
kept in captivity. It is thought to have escaped from a falconer's collection. 

Its arrival at St Paul's was first noticed about six weeks ago by a team of
stonemasons cleaning the cathedral dome. Mark Yeomans, 22, a stonemason's
mate, said: "We first saw it sitting above our tea hut on the scaffold. It
was beautiful, with big brown eyes.

"We watched it every day, just resting there on the ledge, but we didn't
tell anyone at first because we didn't want people coming and scaring it
off. We are all really sad about what has happened. Our theory is that it
must have eaten a dodgy pigeon."

Native to mainland Europe, Scandinavia and China, the eagle owl is the
largest European owl and has the capacity to kill a dog or even a roe deer.

But Mr Hopgood said it would only target such large prey if it were
exceptionally hungry and there were few pickings to choose from.

"In London the prey is on a plate, with pigeons galore, rats, squirrels,
rabbits and water fowl in all the parks," he said. "I have no idea why Paula
died. I saw her on Friday and she was fine. She was seen by cathedral staff
on Saturday and she was fine. So in the last two days she has either fallen
ill or had a mishap."

The bird's body has now been delivered to London Zoo where a post-mortem
examination will be carried out.

Last week, the London Fire Brigade and RSPCA failed in their attempt to
capture the owl as it perched 130ft above the cathedral's main doors.

They were called by workmen who feared it had become trapped in netting or
wiring. The area around the cathedral was cordoned off and a crowd of around
3,000 watched as Mr Hopgood, armed with a large net, was winched up on a
hydraulic platform.

But as he got within eight feet, Paula gave him a steely stare and flew off,
to the cheers of the watching crowd.

Peter Mitchell, administration manager at St Paul's, which attracts more
than two million visitors each year, said: "The owl's arrival was totally
unexpected and it is very sad that it wasn't with us very long."

While the bird's presence made no apparent impact on visitor numbers, people
did spend more time studying the cathedral's facade, he said.

© Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1997.

 "The view that we are the special creation on earth, that we are somehow
seperate from earth and the rest of the animal kingdom, is a terrible
fallacy of the modern age.

"We can't trust ourselves with the little knowledge that we have because
when we have a little bit of knowledge, we think we know it all. We have to
accept the fact that we're clever, but we're still monkeys." 

Dr Michael Fox - HSUS

Date: Tue, 8 Jul 1997 12:37:24 +0800 (SST)
From: Vadivu Govind 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (TH) Native birds under threat
Message-ID: <199707080437.MAA31621@eastgate.cyberway.com.sg>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"



>Bangkok Post 
8 July 97
Native birds under
             threat
             Habitat destruction and illegal poaching
             are pushing many Thai birds towards
             extinction
                                           Wings are usually
                                           a great means of
                                           escape. Yet, many
                                           winged creatures
                                           cannot fly away
                   from the formidable grasp of extinction. In
                   Thailand, five species of bird are already confirmed
                   extinct, while several more are critically
                   endangered, and, considering the current situation,
                   have a slim chance of survival.

                   Habitat destruction and hunting are the major
                   causes of the bird decline in Thailand, but poaching
                   of live birds to be sold as pets is also threatening
                   some species. Many of them, such as the
                   Red-whiskered Bulbul in the south of Thailand,
                   have been caught and caged in such great numbers
                   that few are now left in the wild.

                   Rising public concern for our vanishing birds is
                   evident in the recent addition of three species - the
                   Sarus crane, the White-eyed River Martin and
                   Gurney's Pitta - to the country's reserved animals
                   list.

                   The move, however, comes too late to be effective.
                   The graceful Sarus Cranes virtually disappeared
                   from Thailand 30 years ago. The White-eyed River
                   Martin was last spotted in the wild in 1980, and
                   chances are that this elusive bird is already gone
                   from the face of the Earth. The few pairs of
                   Gurney's Pitta that remain in Krabi province seem
                   to be on a final countdown, too, as their forest
                   habitat is rapidly diminishing.

                   GURNEY'S PITTA

                   Native to Thailand and the southern tip of Burma,
                   the Gurney's Pitta was one of the most common
                   birds in the region 30 years ago. The population,
                   however, has suffered a rapid decline due to
                   hunting by humans and a loss of its forest habitat.

                   The bird was last seen in the wild in Thailand in
                   1952, when Herbert Deignan, author of Birds of
                   Northern Thailand, captured a female Gurney's
                   Pitta in Prachuap Khiri Khan province.

                   After that, no sighting of the Gurney's Pitta was
                   reported, and it was believed to be locally -
                   perhaps globally - extinct until two bird watchers
                   and researchers, Philip Round and Uthai
                   Treesukhon, searched for and found it again 34
                   years later.

                   "The Gurney's Pitta may seem to have disappeared
                   from the eyes of bird watchers, but in a wildlife
                   market, they were still available," Uthai once told
                   Outlook. A rare and resplendent song bird, the
                   Gurney's Pitta is a victim of its own beauty. The
                   bird is a favourite pet among wildlife fanciers and
                   lucrative merchandise for traders.

                   At present, Gurney's Pittas are restricted to Khao
                   Nor Chu Chi lowland rainforests in Khao Pra-Bang
                   Khram Wildlife Sanctuary, Krabi province. A
                   survey conducted by the Biological Conservation
                   Centre, Mahidol University, and Birdlife
                   International from 1986 to 1989 revealed that the
                   Gurney's Pitta population had declined from around
                   40 to no more than 25 pairs.

                   Habitat destruction is the number-one threat to the
                   rare pitta. The problem is aggravated by the fact
                   that the lowland areas where the majority of the
                   birds thrive cannot be incorporated into the nearby
                   sanctuary because it was claimed for agricultural
                   use and homesteading. (Khao Pra-Bang Khram
                   was upgraded from a non-hunting forest to a
                   wildlife sanctuary in 1993.)

                   The need for land leads to further migration,
                   settlement and encroachment into the vulnerable
                   sanctuary. Logging and clearing of the forest are
                   done openly and defiantly, sometimes with the
                   assistance of influential local figures.

                   Last month, a tractor was hired to clear a patch of
                   secondary-growth forest where six pairs of
                   Gurney's Pitta lived. Some 563 rai of forest was
                   gone before the border patrol police could halt the
                   operation.

                   Some people may wonder why there is so much
                   fuss about this so-called lowland rainforest. Apart
                   from being the last one in our country, this unique
                   ecosystem is home to over 70 kinds of mammals,
                   more than 100 kinds of reptiles and amphibians,
                   and more than 300 species of bird. If the forest
                   goes, so does the irreplaceable wealth of biological
                   diversity.

                   With the assistance of the Royal Forestry
                   Department and Birdlife International, Mahidol
                   University's Biological Conservation Centre was
                   established in 1990. It aims to end the
                   encroachment into the Khao Nor Chu Chi
                   rainforest by developing alternative sources of
                   income for local villagers and promoting
                   conservation awareness, especially among children.
                   It is also trying to reforest the area.

                   Diversity of birdlife is a good indicator of the health
                   of the whole ecosystem. The Forestry
                   Department's latest survey found that the number of
                   Gurney's Pittas in the sanctuary is down to five
                   pairs, and with coffee and palm plantations
                   replacing more and more of their rainforest habitat,
                   their future looks bleak indeed.

                   Those who would like to help save the Gurney's
                   Pitta and the lowland rainforest can do so by
                   visiting the area or by contributing to the
                   Gurney's Pitta scholarships, which will be
                   forwarded to impoverished students and schools
                   in Krabi. For more information, contact the
                   Khao Nor Chu Chi Conservation and
                   Rehabilitation Project, PO Box 2, Muang
                   district, Krabi province 81000, or Biological
                   Conservation Centre, Department of Biology,
                   Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Rama
                   VI, Bangkok 10400. Tel 247-7051.

                   GREEN PEAFOWL


                   Although more Green
                   Peafowls are now found
                   along the Mae Yom river,
                   their survival is in jeopardy
                   because of the Kaeng Sua
                   Ten dam project.

                   The green and gold, fan-like tail of the male Green
                   Peafowl attracts not only female peafowls, but also
                   human persecution. So many green peafowls have
                   been hunted down that it is feared their population
                   will no longer be viable.

                   Peafowls normally roam around stream banks,
                   usually ones with sand bars, in mixed-deciduous
                   forests in Thailand. Since the peafowls' habitat is
                   also the prime spot for human settlement and
                   cultivation, the birds are pushed out of their home.

                   Large and magnificent, the Green Peafowl is a
                   coveted pet and the eggs are often poached to
                   produce offspring for sale. At the current rate they
                   are disappearing, it will not take long before they
                   vanish from every forest in Thailand except the
                   Huai Kha Khaeng wildlife sanctuary.

                   Recently, it was found that Mae Yom river, along
                   with its tributaries, is another place that supports
                   the Green Peafowl. Mae Yom is one of the last
                   rivers in Thailand that remains uninterrupted by
                   dams. While traces of peafowls were found in Mae
                   Yom National Park, a flock of up to 30 peafowls
                   were spotted in the adjacent Doi Phunang forest
                   reserve.

                   Associate Professor Veena Mekvichai, who is
                   researching Green Peafowls in the Doi Phunang
                   area, said that the habitat, feeding patterns and
                   behaviour of peafowls in Doi Phunang are quite
                   different from those in the Huai Kha Khaeng area.
                   The information, however, is not enough to indicate
                   whether they are a different subspecies.

                   The newly-found habitat is far from being a safe
                   haven. Encroachment, hunting and theft of eggs are
                   rampant, and harvest fire is also a threat to the
                   peafowls' propagation areas.

                   Plans to upgrade Doi Phunang to a national park
                   have been up in the air for a while. The most
                   worrisome threat to the whole Mae Yom
                   ecosystem comes from the Kaeng Sua Ten dam
                   proposal. Should the dam be built, not only will a
                   lush teak forest be inundated, but more than
                   40,000 rai of forest that supports a variety of
                   wildlife, including the endangered Green Peafowls,
                   will also be destroyed.

                   HORNBILL

                   A prominent bill and thick casque are characteristic
                   of hornbills, the loyal lovers and remarkable parents
                   of the wild.

                   The hornbill mates for life. During the breeding
                   season, the female bird will dig a hole and seal it
                   with a mud-and-dropping paste, leaving an opening
                   large enough for her bill to poke out. She locks
                   herself in the hole for several months to lay her eggs
                   and hatch them.

                   During that time, the whole family is dependent on
                   the father bird, who shuttles back and forth bringing
                   them food. If something happens to him, the whole
                   family will starve to death.

                   Hornbills share the same plight as other distinctive
                   birds, that of being relentlessly hunted down by
                   poachers. The most vulnerable time is reproduction
                   time when the mother bird is in the nesting hole with
                   her eggs. She throws her faeces from the hole to
                   clean her nest and the presence of faeces near a
                   tree alerts poachers to the presence of the birds.

                   The Hornbill Research Foundation classifies as
                   critically endangered the Wrinkled Hornbill,
                   Plain-pouched Hornbill, Rufous-necked Hornbill,
                   Rhinoceros Hornbill, Helmeted Hornbill, Black
                   Hornbill and White-crowned Hornbill.

                     If you come upon any hornbills in captivity or in
                   the wild, please notify the Hornbill Research
                   Foundation, Department of Microbiology, Faculty
                   of Science, Mahidol University. Rama VI Road,
                   Bangkok 10400. Tel 246-1358 and 246-0063,
                   ext. 4606 and 4611. 

                   LIMESTONE WREN-BABBLER

                   Every time a loud blast echoes through the
                   countryside of Saraburi province, another part of
                   the limestone hills is being blown up to produce raw
                   materials for cement production. As the
                   construction business grows, almost every inch of
                   the limestone hills has been granted as concessions
                   to mining companies.

                   The potential profits of over a thousand billion baht
                   easily overshadow the imminent termination of a
                   small bird - the Limestone Wren-Babbler.

                   There are two types of Limestone Wren-Babblers
                   in Thailand: crispifrons found in the North and West
                   of Thailand, and calcicola found only along the
                   limestone range in Kaeng Koy district of Saraburi
                   province. These hills are covered with mixed
                   deciduous forest where herb and medicinal plants
                   are found in abundance.

                   H.G. Deignan spotted the bird first in 1939.
                   Several sightings were later reported, especially
                   around the Bhothisat cave. The Limestone
                   Wren-Babbler, however, was reduced in number
                   when rock-blasting concessions were granted
                   around the cave. After the last sighting in 1982,
                   ornithologists assumed that it was extinct.

                   The recent sighting of several Limestone
                   Wren-Babblers in Kaeng Koy district confirmed
                   the bird's survival. Yet, this last flock may replicate
                   the fate of their ancestors. The whole area where
                   they live is already due to be blasted for cement
                   production.

                   Needless to say, these hills are the last home for the
                   Saraburi Limestone Wren-Babbler. If the
                   rock-blasting is allowed to go on, we can count on
                   adding another name to the growing list of extinct
                   birds.

                     Seub Nakhasathien Foundation and Bird
                   Conservation Society of Thailand are conducting a
                   campaign requesting the Department of Mineral
                   Resources and Ministry of Industry to revoke the
                   rock-blasting concessions in the Limestone
                   Wren-Babbler area. Those who would like to take
                   part can send postcards with your opinions to Seub
                   Nakhasathien Foundation, Alumni Association
                   Building, Kasetsart University, 50 Phaholyothin
                   Road Jatujak, Bangkok 10900. Tel 561-2469-79.
                   Or the Bird Conservation Society of Thailand,
                   69/12 Ram-intra 24, Jarakhebua, Ladphrao,
                   Bangkok 10230. Tel 930-1271, 510-5921

                   MALAYSIAN PLOVERS 


                                      Several nests of Malaysian
                                      Plovers are found along the
                                      sandy beaches of Sam Roi
                                      Yot National Park.


                   Sam Roi Yot National Park is a mosaic of diverse
                   ecosystems, from grasslands, meadows, mud flats,
                   mangrove forests, sandy beaches and islands, to
                   wetlands and deciduous forest on limestone hills. It
                   is not surprising, then, that there are as many as
                   316 different kinds of birds in the 61,300-rai area.

                   The park's Khao Dang beach is the last remaining
                   propagation and nesting site of the Malaysia Plover
                   - a diminishing white-and-rufous-coloured wader.

                   Waders do not weave their nests from leaves like
                   forest birds. They simply dig a shallow hole in the
                   sand and lay their eggs there. So far this year,
                   dozens of Malaysian Plover's nests have been
                   located in the national park, a positive sign that their
                   numbers are increasing.

                   The Malaysian Plover's reproduction hinges almost
                   entirely on the state of Khao Dang beach. But luck
                   is obviously not on the bird's side, since the park is
                   constantly plagued by encroachment from shrimp
                   and fish farming.

                   Last year, Khao Dang beach was chosen as the
                   location for the planned Riviera Beach Resort. The
                   resort is questionably close to the national park's
                   boundary and parts of the resort are within reach of
                   the seawater. The law does not allow land like this
                   to be privately owned.

                   According to press reports in June this year,
                   provincial authorities and forestry officials inspected
                   the site and found that about 30 rai of the resort
                   land encroached into the park. Diamond Group,
                   the resort operator, however, insisted that it
                   acquired the land legally. The Natural Resources
                   Conservation Office will conduct another survey to
                   verify the encroachment before prosecuting the land
                   developer.

                   The finding comes a bit late. From an ecological
                   point of view, the Khao Dang beach is already
                   severely disturbed by the construction of Riviera
                   Beach's office. Mr Philip Round, a British bird
                   researcher and co-author of A Guide to the Birds
                   of Thailand, remarked in bewilderment:

                   "This is definitely not about giving more importance
                   to birds than human beings. It is about your country
                   and your heritage. I don't understand why Thai
                   people don't love the common property - the public
                   land that everyone owns."


Article copyright Post Publishing Public Co., Ltd 1997
Reprinted for non-commercial use only.
Website: http://www.bangkokpost.net




Date: Tue, 8 Jul 1997 12:54:38 +0800 (SST)
From: Vadivu Govind 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (ES) Spanish women take on bulls
Message-ID: <199707080454.MAA00754@eastgate.cyberway.com.sg>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"


>Hong Kong Standard
8 July 97

Spanish women take on bulls

SIXTEEN-YEAR-OLD Beatriz Tablado shows off her credentials for her chosen
sport when she stares the interviewer into submission then fires off her
answer. 

``When the bull enters the ring, he doesn't look at the sex of the person
facing him,'' the Madrid student replies defiantly to anyone who wonders why
a woman would want to be a bullfighter. 

She is one of 10 Spanish girls between 15 and 17 years old, who want to rise
to the top of what is Spain's national sport and spectacle, continuing a
battle begun a century ago by a Spanish woman nicknamed ``La Fragosa'' _ the
loud one. 

Beatriz couldn't care less about its tradition as an expression of the sort
of male virility and machismo so dear to Hispanic culture. For her, gender
is not an issue. 

She is unconcerned whether she should be called by the masculine or feminine
form of the title should she ever reach the sport's top rank. 

``Matador or matadora?'' 

``I don't care, it's all the same, and anyway I'm still only a novillero, ''
she said _ using the masculine form for an apprentice matador. 

She and the other novilleros at Madrid's famous bullfighting school train
only with animals less than four years old. 

The 10 girls at the Madrid school are enrolled with about 180 boys, joining
a handful of other girls at Spain's other big bullfighting schools, notably
in Seville and Valencia. 

Few of the students _ boy or girl _ will actually make it to the next stage
to study under an expert, and fewer still will master the skill and courage
to be named a true matador de toros, the one allowed to kill the adversary. 

The girls' inspiration is the blond, feminine Cristina Sanchez, 25, the only
woman today with the status of matador and only one of three women ever to
achieve this rank. Sanchez, who also trained at the Madrid school, is ranked
in the ``top 10'' of the bullfighting elite and competes with the bestworld
arenas. 

Her notoriety has the Spanish press following her every move, including her
engagement this week to Mexican singer Pablo Montero. It has also helped
break the taboo over female matadors. 

``Cristina broke down barriers, but she has enormous talent and the will,''
her manager, Frenchman Simon Casas, said. 

``In this terribly macho world, the market for women is very slim. She will
have to be exceptional to succeed,'' he said, suggesting bullfighting, like
tennis, should be organised into separate men's and women's circuits. 

Jose Luis Bote, matador and teacher at the Madrid school, says he makes no
distinctiion between the girls and boys. 

``When they train, they are all the same,'' he said. ``But their character
comes through when they face the animal. It is a very, very hard job. When
you realise that only a half dozen of the 200 students at this school will
actually reach the level of matadors, what hope is there for a girl to be
among them?'' 

Their male classmates take a fair-play approach, mindful they too might not
make the grade in this stylised sport brought to Spain by the Moors in the
11th century. 

``It's the bull who will decide everything,'' said one of boys, standing
under a poster bearing the mantra of the celebrated matador El Vite: ``To
become a star matador is almost a miracle.'' 
Only four girls today are officially ranked among the top 130 novilleros,
but they are the latest in a century-old struggle. Though women toreadors
became fashionable 100 years ago, they wore skirts and stayed in the
background. In 1890, Dolores Sanchez, ``La Fragosa'', was the first to don pants
and enter the ring as an equal to men. 

In 1932, 15-year-old Juanita Cruz defied a 1908 ruling that women should not
be allowed in the ring, but only as mounted toreadors. Her efforts got the
ruling overturned in 1934, but she fled to Mexico during the Spanish Civil War. 

Besides Cristina Sanchez, the late Juanita Cruz and another Spanish woman,
Maribel Atienzar, were the only three women to earn the rank matador, though
the latter two won their titles in Mexico, respectively in 1940 and 1981. 
Another key woman in the sport is toreador Marie Sara of France. 

Perhaps the most exotic of the group was Maria Salome, a novillera who drew
lots of attention at the turn of the century. But when the 1908 ban was
passed barring women from bullfighting on foot, she revealed her true
nature: Agustin Rodriguez, a man and a mediocre matador who found he got
better contracts masquerading as a woman. - AFP 


Date: Mon, 07 Jul 1997 22:43:25 -0700
From: Andrew Gach 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Antarctic pollution sickens fish
Message-ID: <33C1D37D.4F1F@worldnet.att.net>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
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Sick fish are sign of severe Antarctic pollution, scientist says

Agence France-Presse 

AUCKLAND (July 8, 1997 01:32 a.m. EDT) - Sick fish, a legacy from 40
years of Antarctic exploration, were proof that access to the frozen
continent must be limited, a scientist who studied Antarctic pollution
said Tuesday.

Clive Evans, deputy director of the School of Biological Sciences at the
University of Auckland, said tons of rubbish dumped in the past four
decades, was producing very sick fish from the polluted waters of Winter
Quarters Bay, near McMurdo Station.

The area is home to the big U.S. polar base and the smaller New Zealand
Scott Base.

Evans led a research team to study pollution including the effects on
fish and marine life of waste and rubbish dumped by early Antarctic
explorers.

He said there were 40 years of "accumulated muck" at Winter Quarters
Bay. 

While rigid rules on waste and rubbish disposal had been introduced,
Evans said they might not safeguard the Antarctic from pollution if
commercial activity, including mining and tourism, increased.

As the number of people engaged in commercial activities at Antarctica
rose, the chances of a boat sinking or a major oil spill will be much
greater, he said.

"(Winter Quarters Bay) was the site of an old rubbish dump for McMurdo
Station and all the rubbish was bulldozed into the water or left on the
ice, dropping into the water as the ice melted.

"This included fuel drums, broken machinery and vehicles, and much of
the everyday rubbish generated by a small town of nearly 1000 people in
the summer months.

"I am told there is even an airplane down there," he said.

Fish caught in the polluted waters of the bay had significantly higher
levels of hydrocarbon substances in their livers than fish from other
areas.

The polluted fish had an ion imbalance in their blood biochemistry,
implying functional damage to the fish gills and possibly other
structural damage.

"I would say that fish at Winter Quarters Bay are severely impacted,"
Evans said in the latest issue of the University of Auckland News.

He said it was fortunate that attitudes to waste and rubbish disposal
had changed dramatically since the early days of Antarctic exploration
and extreme efforts were being made to control pollution on the
continent.

However, he said "the legacy of our earlier cavalier attitude remains.

"And it is an indicator too of the problem that Antarctica will face if
activities there increase.

"If we want to keep it pristine, we have to keep a cap on commercial
activities and limit access to those who serve as its guardians."

Evans said the rubbish problem was exacerbated in Antarctica where the
cold water temperatures impeded the activity of microbial organisms
which broke down pollution.
Date: Mon, 07 Jul 1997 22:45:47 -0700
From: Andrew Gach 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Unknown viruses kill two pandas
Message-ID: <33C1D40B.7793@worldnet.att.net>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Unknown viruses kill two pandas in southwestern China

Agence France-Presse 

HONG KONG (July 8, 1997 01:26 a.m. EDT) - Two pandas have died after
being stricken by an unknown virus at a zoo in southwestern China's
Sichuan province, it was reported Tuesday.

The giant pandas, namely "Xixi" and "No. 8 cat," died at Chongqing zoo
last month, the Hong Kong branch of the China News Service said.

The report said it was not yet known what the deadly virus was.

The female panda "Xixi" was artificially bred in Chongqing in 1985,
while 25-year-old "No.8 cat" was the only male panda at the zoo, and the
oldest, the report said.

The giant panda, which is native to China, is a national symbol and has
been under state protection since 1962.

Only about 1,000 of the endangered species remain in the wild, mainly in
the western provinces of Sichuan, Gansu and Shaanxi.
Date: Mon, 07 Jul 1997 22:52:07 -0700
From: Andrew Gach 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Foodborne diseases ion the rise in the U.S.
Message-ID: <33C1D587.247F@worldnet.att.net>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Foodborne diseases increasing in U.S.

Reuter Information Service 

NEW YORK (July 7, 1997 10:32 a.m. EDT) - While the United States is
thought to have the world's most stringent food safety laws, more
Americans than ever are suffering from foodborne diseases, health
experts say.

Salmonella, E. coli and cyclospora are just some of the pathogens that
have turned up recently in the U.S. food supply, causing everything from
mild stomach cramps to chronic liver disease, paralysis and even death.
The incidents have called attention to a rise in the number and severity
of food-related illnesses over the past 20 years, prompting new federal
food safety initiatives designed to halt the surge.

"Food poisoning is not just a bellyache anymore," Caroline Smith DeWaal,
director of food safety with the private consumer health group Centers
for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) said. "Bacteria and pathogens
are tougher and stronger and they are surviving efforts to kill them."

Some scientists deny that the U.S. food supply has become more
contaminated, or that enforcement is lax. Rather, better laboratory
techniques for identifying foodborne diseases have fostered the
illusion that the number is on the rise.

"If doctors know cyclospora is out there they will ask for the test,"
Marta Ackers, a medical epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC), said. "It is always hard to tell if we are
seeing more of something or if surveillance has increased."

Better detection may be part of the story but increased food imports,
more frequent restaurant dining and greater use of animal antibiotics
are also to blame. Scientists say several of the bacteria that infect
farm animals have become resistant to certain antibiotics. When these
organisms infect humans, they are harder to fight because of their
acquired resistance.

"An infection a physican would have treated with an antibiotic in the
past may not respond today," Joseph Madden, a microbiologist with the
Food and Drug Administration, said.

Other health experts blame the trend on a steady increase in restaurant
dining, exposing more Americans to contaminated food more often. CSPI
said 46 percent of all food dollars were spent in
restaurants in 1993, up from 27 percent in 1960.

"Consumers are eating out more than ever before and they are relying on
restaurants to control the safety of their food," Smith DeWaal said.

That is precisely what worries health experts, who charge that
inspection and enforcement standards are lax.

While the FDA issues safety recommendations every two years addressing
everything from cooking temperatures to hand washing, it is the state,
county or city health department that decides which regulations to adopt
and how to enforce them. The result can be a lack of uniformity that
leaves consumers in some areas vulnerable to bacteria and disease.

"It is very random," said CSPI's Elizabeth Dahl, who led a national
survey last year on food safety in restaurants. "(Food safety) depends
on what county, city or state you happen to live in, how well the local
department is funded, and which standards it chooses to enforce."

The FDA's Madden agreed that limited resources can mean fewer restaurant
inspections but he said most health departments adopt the entire code or
the major portions.

Still, three years after the widely publicized deaths of three children
from eating hamburgers contaminated by E. coli at a national restaurant
chain, a third of health departments surveyed did not set a minimum
cooking standard for ground beef. Only only 31 percent enforced the
recommended cooking temperature for pork, while 89 percent did not
follow the FDA's advice on refrigerator temperatures.

"The enforcement of basic food safety requirements should not be
optional," Smith DeWaal said. "Consumers are paying for lax enforcement
with unacceptably high numbers of foodborne illnesses."

The private Council for Agricultural Science and Technology says as many
as 33 million foodborne illnesses occur each year and up to 9,000 people
die as a result.

Medical and productivity costs associated with foodborne diseases range
from $6.5 billion to $35 billion a year, Tanya Roberts, an economist
with the U.S Department of Agriculture, said. "We are no longer going to
the pathogens, the pathogens are coming to us," she said, adding that
food imports allow contaminants to spread swiftly from one country to
another.

Just one infected food handler could transmit bacteria to thousands of
people across the globe, as was seen this year when 236 people in the
United States contracted hepatitis A and thousands of others became sick
after eating contaminated strawberries from Mexico.

Economic and human costs associated with food-related illnesses have
spotlighted the need for more effective safety procedures on all fronts.
In January, President Clinton asked Congress to earmark $43 million
towards a national food safety initiative that would reinforce existing
food safety programs and allow health experts to identify outbreaks
early.

About $23 million will be used to upgrade FDA inspection, research and
risk assessment facilities for seafood. The USDA will use $8.5 million
for similar meat and poultry programs.
Date: Tue, 08 Jul 1997 07:03:59 -0700
From: Persephone Moonshadow Howling Womyn 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (UK) Scientists close to making human blood from animals
Message-ID: <3.0.32.19970708070356.008db700@206.184.139.138>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

>Date: Mon, 7 Jul 1997 22:33:45 -0500
>To: info@natural-law.ca
>From: Richard Wolfson 
>Subject: Scientists close to making human blood from animals
>
>Scientists close to making human blood from animals
>
>Scottish firm helped clone sheep
>
>July 6, 1997 Web posted at: 4:16 p.m. EDT (2016 GMT)
>
>LONDON (AP) -- Scientists who helped engineer the first cloned sheep are
>close to generating human blood plasma from animals, a newspaper reported
>Sunday.
>
>PPL Therapeutics, the Scottish firm that helped Edinburgh's Roslin
>Institute clone a sheep, is developing the means to replace the plasma
>genes of sheep and cows with the human equivalent, according to The
>Observer, a respected weekly paper.
>
>The animals' milk will then contain the key elements of human blood plasma,
>including albumen, clotting factors and antibodies, the newspaper reported.
>
>PPL told the paper it plans to rear herds of the animals and manufacture
>plasma from the proteins extracted from their milk.
>
>PPL hopes the process will be ready "in months," The Observer quoted Dr.
>Ron James, the firm's managing director, as saying.
>
>Only 5 percent of Britain's population regularly gives blood. Genetically
>modified animals could produce 10,000 times more plasma a year than a human
>donor.
>
>James told the newspaper that the results would be of "great medical
>benefit to man."
>
>Britain's National Blood Service was more cautious.
>
>"Using animal-grown human plasma is fine in theory," said a spokeswoman,
>who was not further identified by The Observer, "but until the clinical
>trials are complete you can never be sure that you have the full plasma
>equivalent, or whether the animals will pass on diseases to man."
>
>The announcement by scientists at the Roslin Institute in February that
>they had created a cloned sheep using cells from another sheep's udder
>triggered an ethical storm and led several governments -- including the
>Clinton administration -- to introduce legislation that would limit the
>uses of cloning.
>
>
>
>
>_________________________________________________________
>Richard Wolfson,  PhD
>Campaign to Ban Genetically Engineered Food
>Natural Law Party
>500 Wilbrod Street
>Ottawa, ON  Canada  K1N 6N2
>Tel. 613-565-8517  Fax. 613-565-6546
>email:  rwolfson@concentric.net
>NLP Website:  http://www.natural-law.ca
>.
>To receive regular news from the Campaign to Ban
>Genetically Engineered Food, please sent an email
>message to rwolfson@concentric.net, with the words
>'subscribe GE' in the subject line.  To remove yourself
>from this list, please send the message 'unsubscribe GE'
>__________________________________________________________
>__________________________________________________________
>
>
>
>
--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~
        "Life shrinks or expands in| 
           proportion to one's courage."| 
                 -Anais Nin-| http://www.persephone.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~
My PGP Public Key can be found at:  http://www.persephone.org/PGPKEY.shtml/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~
Date: Tue, 08 Jul 1997 12:29:24 -0700
From: hsusga@ix.netcom.com
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: *Desperate*
Message-ID: <33C29514.549F@ix.netcom.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1


The U.S. Congress will be voting on funding for CAMPFIRE very soon, probably next week. 
The CAMPFIRE program of the USAID sends millions of U.S. tax dollars every year to 
Africa to support trophy hunting.  Sen. Boxer (D-CA) has proposed an amendment which 
would reduce the amount of funding for this program.

*Please* write 3 letters (or make 3 phone calls) this week, one to each of your senators 
and one to your representative, asking them to curb funding to CAMPFIRE by supporting 
the Boxer amendment to the appropriations bill. (California residents:  Your letter to 
Boxer should thank her for introducing the amendment.)  If you can, ask your friends, 
family, co-workers, etc. to write letters, also.  We are at a crisis stage, and need 
letters from constituents to turn the tide.

Following is a letter which was sent to volunteers who are working with HSUS on this 
campaign.  It includes more details about CAMPFIRE, as well as sample letters.  
Write/call your senators at:

The Honorable ____________
US Senate
Washington DC  20510
(202)224-3121

Write/call your representative at:

Representative _________________
US House of Representatives
Washington DC  20515
(202)225-3121

If you don't know who your senators and representative are, you can call the switchboard 
(number above) and the operator can tell you.


                                      * * *

     Dear CAMPFIRE Coordinators,Wed. July 2, 1997

Thank you for being willing to help out at this crisis point on the CAMPFIRE issue.  As 
you know, the CAMPFIRE program is under USAID, and is currently expending millions of 
dollars on the creation of a trophy hunting industry there as a way of creating 
"sustainable development."  Not only is the trophy hunting deadly for the elephants, 
leopards, zebras, baboons, and lions, but it is not creating any sustainable 
development.  For every dollar that goes in to this program, only five cents make their 
way to local villagers...and reports are that this corrupt program will collapse once 
U.S. tax dollars stop flowing into it.  

In any event, CAMPFIRE could be creating new avenues for ecotourism or non-lethal forms 
of trade, rather than catering to the interests of a small number of wealthy safari 
hunters who are seeking a pair of mounted tusks for their wall.  A recent poll showed 
that fully 84% of Americans oppose the trophy hunting of elephants...Why are our tax 
dollars supporting it in other countries?  We think our best hope is to ask senators to 
support the Boxer amendment, which will place restrictions on the CAMPFIRE program, 
insuring that the money does not go to lobby for resumption of the ivory trade or for 
trophy hunting.

I know you don't need convincing, but I wanted you to know the basics so that you are 
armed to educate those you are requesting letters from.  I must warn you though, time is 
of the essence and your efforts are best if you can eek as many letters out as possible 
in the next few days.  The less time you spend elaborating the issue and the more time 
you spend calling more people, the better off the elephants will be.  

Letters to senators don't need to be lengthy, just genuine.  So, even a one or two line 
letter that someone can shoot off in tomorrow's mail will count as much as an eloquently 
written treatise.  Strive for quantity of letters in this effort and you will serve the 
animals well!

You'll find seven sample letters to copy prose from, in case your friends and family ask 
you to write the letter for them.  And, others may wish for a sample letter faxed to 
them.  The main goal is to reach letter writers by Friday and ask them to drop their 
letters in the mail by Friday or Sat.  If they can fax them, all the better.  With this 
short notice, a follow-up phone call from them would be great.  And, if they won't 
write, but will phone, then we'll take that too.

We're begging, basically.

Thank you so much for your help--it truly will make a difference, whatever you can do!

Nancy Perry (301) 258-8266, Grassroots Coordinator, The HSUS

P.S. Call me for specific Senators' names/numbers/addresses, etc!


 SAMPLE LETTER #1:

The Honorable (full name)
United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510

Dear Senator    (last name)     ,

     I recently learned that the United States contributes millions of dollars to 
promote trophy hunting of elephants in Zimbabwe under the CAMPFIRE program funded by 
USAID.  It is difficult to believe, during a time of such financial struggle, that our 
country sees fit to spend money so foolishly.  

     I am outraged that the U.S. is financially supporting trophy hunting of 
elephants!  How horrified taxpayers would be, particularly during this post-taxpaying 
season, to learn that that is how their money is spent!

     However, encouraging other governments to build a trophy hunting program in the 
name of helping the poor is even more disturbing.   Worst of all, the only benefit 
coming from this cruel approach is five cents back for every dollar put in?!

     Please support the Boxer amendment to control CAMPFIRE spending!

     Sincerely,

     
     Your name
     Your address
     Your phone number












SAMPLE LETTER #2:

The Honorable (full name)
United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510

Dear Senator    (last name)     ,

     Please support the Boxer amendment to place limitations on the CAMPFIRE program 
under U.S. AID.

     I have just learned that some $28 million U.S. taxpayer dollars have been 
committed to creating a trophy hunting industry in Zimbabwe under CAMPFIRE.  The targets 
for trophy hunters?  Elephants, leopards, baboons, hippos, lions and zebras.

     Not only is this obviously the sort of expenditure that makes most Americans 
sick, CAMPFIRE fails as a program to create any sort of sustainable, real benefit for 
the local communities of Zimbabwe.  We cannot tolerate such misuse of funds — it is 
nothing short of an outrage.

     I would like to hear from your office on your position.

     Sincerely,


     Your name
     Your address
     Your phone













SAMPLE LETTER #3:

The Honorable (full name)
United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510

Dear Senator    (last name)     ,

     I am writing to you to request that you support the Boxer amendment to place 
limitations on CAMPFIRE under USAID funding.  I recently read that we have committed 
some $28 million dollars to fund a project in Zimbabwe which actually encourages 
elephant hunting.  This is not done for any reason except to raise money... ostensibly 
for local villagers, but a closer examination of CAMPFIRE demonstrates that only five 
cents for each dollar spent will ever reach those people in need.  Is this some sort of 
reverse fundraising?  

     Americans dislike trophy hunting of elephants and are no less disturbed by it in 
this context.  It is only the relative anonymity of this program that has allowed it to 
survive for the years it has.  Surely, with increasing visibility, CAMPFIRE will be seen 
for what it is — a tremendous waste of taxpayer money and a cruel departure from U.S. 
policy. 

     CAMPFIRE monies also fund these implementing groups to travel to the U.S. and 
lobby our own government to weaken the Endangered Species Act.  The same groups are 
working to lift the current ban on the ivory trade.  I've never heard of U.S. dollars 
being spent to lobby against our own policies until now!
     
     I am interested in hearing your position on the CAMPFIRE issue. 

     Sincerely,

     
     Your name
     Your address
     Your phone








SAMPLE LETTER #4


The Honorable (full name)
United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510

Dear Senator    (last name)     ,

     I am taking a moment to let you know that I have recently heard of a great way 
to help cut our budget!  I hope you will support the Boxer amendment to place 
limitations on the USAID funded CAMPFIRE program.  This program is getting some 
well-deserved attention in the press as more and more folks learn about this ridiculous 
waste of taxpayer dollars!

     We are spending around $5 million per year on this program which encourages 
trophy hunters to kill several species of wild animals in Zimbabwe.  They range from 
elephants to zebras to leopards to baboons.  

     CAMPFIRE was supposed to help local people by creating a sustainable program for 
them to make money.  Instead, for each dollar spent, those people get back five cents!  
I am not against helping out people who do need help, and I am sure Zimbabwe has lots 
who do, but I am outraged that we would waste money on a program that is cruel to 
majestic wildlife like elephants!  There are plenty of humane and effective ways to help 
these folks out--but, clearly, this is not one of them!

     Please keep me apprised of your position on this issue.

     Thank you.

     Sincerely,

     
     Your name
     Your address
     Your phone





SAMPLE LETTER #5 — FOR A REPUBLICAN!

The Honorable (full name)
United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510

Dear Senator    (last name)     ,

     I am sure you know that Americans are enamored with elephants!  They are 
wonderful creatures which symbolize the wilds of Africa and our own hope that some 
animals still roam the great open spaces, free and unharmed.  Their domestic cousins 
amuse and delight us with their dexterity, their awkward but awesome size and their 
sensitive, intelligent nature.

     It is difficult to fathom what is increasingly reported as the USAID program 
called CAMPFIRE.  Despite its benign sounding name, this program takes in over $5 
million dollars of US taxpayer funds and spends it on institutionalizing the trophy 
hunting of elephants in Zimbabwe.  Please vote in favor of the Boxer amendment which 
would place desperately needed restrictions on this program!

     In this current climate, we have plenty of reasons to look for ways to cut our 
budget...we cannot afford to throw our money away on this outrageous and wasteful 
CAMPFIRE program.

     I would like to hear from your office as soon as possible about your intention 
to support the Boxer amendment.

     The republican party has always been against waste, and, on this program, the 
symbol of the party is under assault as well!  Please, do all you can!

     Sincerely,

     

     Your name
     Your address
     Your phone







SAMPLE LETTER #6 - FOR A DEMOCRAT!

The Honorable (full name)
United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510

Dear Senator    (last name)     ,

     Please take a stand in the current fight to place restrictions on one of the 
worst government spending embarrassments I have heard about in current times.  I am 
referring to CAMPFIRE, a program funded under the USAID.

     While USAID has a proud tradition of helping other nations build their future, 
CAMPFIRE tarnishes the otherwise important work carried out through this agency.  It 
would be most unfortunate for Americans to associate AID with elephant killing.

     It would be even more unfortunate to continue to allow such waste in this 
program when there are plenty of other worthy projects which must go unfunded.  For 
every dollar spent in the CAMPFIRE program, only five cents reach the local villages.  
That return is unconscionable.  For the elephants, and for the people.

     I do wish to hear your feelings on this issue and hope that you will take the 
lead in supporting the Boxer amendment to restrict the CAMPFIRE program.  Please let me 
know.

     Thank you.

     Sincerely,

     

     Your name
     Your address
     Your phone








SAMPLE LETTER #7

The Honorable (full name)
United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510

Dear Senator   (last name)     ,

     One of the best things our government has ever done for wildlife was our work to 
accomplish a ban on the trading of ivory.  One of the worst things we did for wildlife 
was to fund, through USAID, a program called CAMPFIRE.  Under this $5 million a year 
fraud, our taxpayer dollars support the trophy hunting of elephants in Zimbabwe, 
lobbying efforts to gut the Endangered Species Act, and efforts to bring back the deadly 
ivory trade.  I am writing to ask you to support the Boxer amendment which will place 
reasonable  restrictions on the CAMPFIRE programs.

     There can be no doubt that American citizens will continue to be outraged as 
they learn the details about CAMPFIRE, as I have.  Why should we be footing the bill for 
wealthy trophy hunters to kill majestic animals (which also include lions, leopards, 
baboons, and zebras, along with the elephants)?  Why should we allow our money to be 
spent to lobby our own government to change its vital wildlife protection policies?  

     We shouldn't.  No more government waste and lies.  Take a stand and vote to stop 
the abuses of the CAMPFIRE program by supporting the Boxer amendment.

     Please let me know of your position.

     Sincerely,


     Your name
     Your address
     Your phone
Date: Tue, 08 Jul 1997 13:15:37 -0400
From: primates@usa.net
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Twenty-two emus clubbed to death by frustrated owner
Message-ID: <33C275B9.295E@usa.net>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

01:25 PM ET 06/28/97

Twenty-two emus clubbed to death by frustrated owner

        
COLLEYVILLE, Texas (Reuter) - Penned in and unable to
escape, 22 emus were clubbed to death by a Texas man frustrated
by his financial losses in breeding the once-valuable flightless
birds, police said Saturday.

The man and his brother were trying to relocate the emus to
a rural property from a ranch in Colleyville, near Fort Worth,
Friday but could not move the birds so they allegedly began
beating them with an aluminum baseball bat.

Sgt. Clyde Davis said police responded to a neighbor's call
and found a pile of dead emus lying inside a trailer with more
scattered around a pen.

"There was one bird still alive which had to be euthanized
when I got there," said Reed Young of the Humane Society of
North Texas. "It was vomiting blood and had blood on its face,
and was staggering around, and then it fell to the ground and
couldn't get up anymore."

The market for emu meat, oil and eggs boomed several years
ago but quickly became saturated as large numbers of people
started buying them and breeding them in the hope of getting
rich quickly.

Young said a pair of emus, which once fetched thousands of
dollars, are now worth about $200.

"The owner told us he couldn't even take them to the
slaughterhouse in this area, because the slaughterhouse already
had all the meat and oil they needed," he said. "He told me he
didn't feel like he had done anything wrong."

Police confiscated a baseball bat and Davis said the men
could be charged with cruelty to animals. The charge carries a
maximum one year in prison and a fine of up to $4,000.

Eighty-six more emus, all alive, were found on the 10-acre
property. They were taken from the owner's custody and a judge
will decide next week whether to auction them off, give them to
the Human Society for placement or return them to the owner.

Davis said the men may have had little idea of how to handle
the birds.

"What they were apparently doing is grabbing them around
the neck but, from what I understand from the animal control
people, the best way is to grab them by their wingettes and then
you're able to guide them wherever you want them to go," he
said.
     
--REUTER@
Date: Tue, 08 Jul 1997 12:02:32 +0000
From: Liz Grayson 
To: ar-news 
Subject: Re Email addresses for Senators and Reps
Message-ID: <33C22C44.2D91@earthlink.net>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

An easy way to find the email etc address for your US Senator/
Representative

http://www.voxpop.org/zipper/

and enter your zip code

     The email reply I received from Moynihan said,  in order to get a
written reply (by regular mail),  include your address in your email.
      There is a companion page dealing with enviornmental/AR activism
(etc.)


800-962-3524  or  800-972-3524 are toll free numbers for Senators


Date: Tue, 8 Jul 1997 10:45:32 -0700
From: LCartLng@gvn.net (Lawrence Carter-Long)
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: GOODALL ESTABLISHES CHIMP SANCTUARY IN SOUTH AFRICA
Message-ID: <199707081740.NAA25308@envirolink.org>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

This news story is from the Environment News Service:
http://www.envirolink.org/environews/ens/
---

GOODALL ESTABLISHES FIRST CHIMP SANCTUARY IN SOUTH AFRICA

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, July 6, 1997 (ENS) - Four chimpanzees landed at
Johannesburg International Airport Wednesday as part of a conservation
project to establish the first chimpanzee sanctuary in South Africa. The
David Graybeard project, which will be run by the Jane Goodall Institute
South Africa (JGI), could see the development of a 500 hectare (1,236 acre)
sanctuary near Sun City.

"Chimps cannot live in houses, drink beer or smoke cigarettes simply to
amuse their owners. They belong in their natural habitat and this sanctuary
will aim to rehabilitate orphan chimps to break their dependence on
humans," said Professor Peter Gray, a founding trustee of the Jane Goodall
Institute South Africa.

The four chimps, which faced a certain death in Angola before being
confiscated, go first into 45 day quarantine at the Johannesburg Zoo where
they will be checked for potential viruses.

Plans for the JGI sanctuary, to be developed across from the lake at Sun
City, include accomodation for three communities of thirty chimps each. A
hospital, a kitchen, a fenced-off mothering centre and an education
facility where visitors can learn more about chimps and rehabilitation
programmes, are all part of the design.

"It will be closed as chimps are strong and have no fear of man, as most of
them were rescued from domestic captivity. The Institute will be
responsible for their welfare, and we will be creating and extending their
natural habitat," Gray said.

Jane Goodall lectured on the rehabilitation of domesticated chimps at the
National Zoological Gardens in Pretoria on Saturday. Goodall is a protogee
of the late, renowned zoologist and anthropologist Dr. Louis B. Leakey. She
was the first to reveal that chimpanzees fashion simple tools, and that the
supposedly vegetarian primates in fact hunt and and eat small game.

At the turn of the century, over 1 million chimpanzees inhabited 25
countries across equatorial Africa, according the Jane Goodall Institute.
Today there are an estimated 250,000, found mainly in 5 countries. Habitat
destruction, the bushmeat trade, entertainment and biomedical research
industries and the international/local pet trade are the primary reasons
for their decline. Infant chimps are captured for illegal trade after their
mothers have been hunted and killed. Only in 10 infants survive to reach
the destination market.

Sancutaries provide a solution for government agents who confiscate
illegally held chimps. Reintroduction into the wild has not been successful
for a variety of reasons, the Institute said in a statement. Captive chimps
may live to be 50 or 60. Funding from the JGI provides care for over 100
chimps at 6 African locations. The one at Sun City will be the seventh JGI
sanctuary.

There are two in the Congo - the Tchimpounga Sancturary, near Pointe-Noire,
and one at the Brazzaville Zoo. In Kenya, the Institute maintains the
Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary at Nanyuki. Tanzania has the Kitwe Point
Sanctuary at Kigoma. There are two in Uganda - the Entebbe Wildlife
Education Centre and the Lake Edward Chimpanzee Sanctuary.


---
The EnviroNews Service              | E-Mail: newsdesk@envirolink.org
A Project of the EnviroLink Network | Phone : (412) 683-6400
General Info: info@envirolink.org   | Fax   : (412) 683-8460

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to: listproc@envirolink.org with the following as the ONLY line of the
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EnviroLink is a member supported non-profit organization, for membership
information, visit: http://www.envirolink.org/membership  or call
412-683-6400

Posted by:


Lawrence Carter-Long
Coordinator, Science and Research Issues
Animal Protection Institute
phone: 916-731-5521
LCartLng@gvn.net

"Faced with the choice between changing one's mind 
and proving that there is no need to do so, almost 
everyone gets busy on the proof."  -  Galbraith's Law

Date: Tue, 8 Jul 1997 15:24:36 -0400 (EDT)
From: MINKLIB@aol.com
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: URGENT Federated Dept. Stores Fur Action Alert
Message-ID: <970708152434_-1024629361@emout16.mail.aol.com>

Federated Dept. Stores, parent company of Macy's, Bloomingdales, Rich's,
Lazarus, etc. has a web page which asks for peoples opinions on their
continued sale of fur.  This is an excellent opportunity for would be
Federated customers to make a statement about fur.  Presumably, if they get
enough negative comments about fur in this survey, it will impact future
policy concerning this issue.

The address is www.federated-fds.com/gbook.htm

Please tell everyone you know to take part in this survey.  If you are with a
group please distribute this info to your members.  

Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade
PO Box 822411
Dallas, TX 75382
MINKLIB@aol.com

Membership is $15 a year.
Date: Tue, 08 Jul 1997 16:02:14 -0400
From: Shirley McGreal 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Stumptail monkey colony in danger
Message-ID: <1.5.4.32.19970708200214.00748044@awod.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

        The stumptail macaque, a monkey native to Southern China and
Southeast Asia, is listed as "Threatened" on the US Endangered Species List
and as "vulnerable" in the IUCN Red Data Book. Reports from the field
indicate that this species is in real trouble and in danger of extinction.. 
        IPPL has learned that an unusual US stumptail macaque colony
numbering around 45 animals may soon be broken up. The colony is, to the
best of IPPL's knowledge, the only large flourishing troop of this rare
species in captivity anywhere in the world. This troop includes a 36 year
old female, which is considered ancient for this species.  
        This colony is housed at the Henry Vilas Park Zoo in Madison,
Wisconsin, but it consists of animals which belong to the University of
Wisconsin Primate Center in Madison. The zoo also houses rhesus macaques. 
        Many of those attending the 1996 Congress of the International
Primatological Society, which was held in Madison, visited the zoo to see
the monkeys. When I visited there were lots of children present marvelling
at the animals' activities. 
        IPPL has learned that all the Vilas Park Zoo stumptail macaques may
be sold to the Procter and Gamble company for an unknown (to IPPL) purpose,
but which would reportedly involve their leaving Madison.  
        The university animals living at Vilas Park Zoo are housed with an
exceptional degree of environmental enrichment, and live in troops (about
100 rhesus as well as the stumptails).  
        It is unusual to find research animals housed at a public zoo. Most
zoos' animal disposal policies do not allow disposal of surplus animals to
facilities performing invasive research on animals. It would be bad p-r for
any zoo to send animals beloved by the public, including its community's
children, into situations where harm or death could result.   
        IPPL has copies of two letters (reproduced below) from university
officials stating that Vilas Park Zoo monkeys will not be used for invasive
research at any time of their lives at the university. We believe that under
the SPIRIT of these letters (there are technical loopholes, probably
unintended) the stumptails should be safe. 
        IPPL believes that these two letters should be viewed as an implied
promise to the animals and to the public. Ideally these animals would be
returned to Asia for release and rehabilitation at the expense of the
university. But that is apparently not an option under consideration.
Therefore we think that these animals should be allowed to live out their
lives in dignity in their home troop and in the environment to which they
are habituated - and under the terms and spirit of the letters. 
        These letters are reproduced in full below (please excuse any typos):

Letter dated 15 June 1989 to David Hall, Director, Vilas Park Zoo, signed by
Robert Goy, Director: William Bridson, Associate Director: Robert Watson,
Assistant Director: Wallace Houser, Chief Veterinarian: Viktor Reinhardt,
Assistant Veterinarian: Stephen Eisele, Breeding Supervisor, and Milford
Unren. Vilas Park Zoo Facility Supervisor.

Dear Dr. Hall:
        I want to inform you of the Primate Center's policy regarding our
monkeys that reside at the Vilas Park Zoo in a building we refer to as the
"WRPRC Vilas Park Zoo Facility." This building was constructed with funds
provided by the federal government to the Primate Center. Thus, despite its
somewhat ambiguous designation, the facility is owned and operated by us,
and, accordingly, the University of Wisconsin.
        More than a few of the monkeys housed at the facility have lived
their entire lives there, and animals are removed from their natal groups
only to prevent over-crowding. The groups have been established for the
principal purpose of studying social organization and social dynamics in
stable primate societies. Accordingly, on those infrequent occasions when
animals are removed from a group, the removal is guided by procedures aimed
at ensuring the least disruption of the group and at preserving social
stability.
        _The research performed on troops housed at the zoo is purely
observational in nature_. As a matter of policy, no invasive physiological
studies are carried out on these animals. In addition, the 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 nonexperimental
breeding colony, where they are exempt from experimental use.
        This policy on use of monkeys at the WRPRC Vilas Park Zoo facility
has the endorsement of my administrative council as well as the staff
veterinarians and animal care supervisors responsible for the care and
humane use of all Center animals. As evidence of this, their signatures are
also affixed.
        Let me take the opportunity to point out that the center has long
taken a leadership role in the humane treatment of research animals. Our
housing meets or exceeds all applicable standards. Our 12-person animal care
staff has an average of nearly 20 years of dedicated service to the Center
and its animals. In addition, our Chief Veterinarian is one of just a
handful of veterinarians in the state to be certified as diplomate of the
American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine, and our assistant
veterinarian has developed a highly regarded program of pairing caged
monkeys to enhance their psychological well-being. 


-----------------------End Goy letter------------------------

        On 18 April 1990 John Hearn, then Director of the Wisconsin Primate
Center, wrote Dr. Hall:

Dear Dr. Hall:
        I confirm that the existing and future policies of the Wisconsin
Regional Primate Research Center are that any animals bred at the zoo are
used in non-interventive behavioral research or for breeding purposes only.
        We are very pleased to have the zoo facility and will do all in our
power to make it an interesting display for the public as well as a
significant Center for behavioral studies. We are addressing new ways in
which the condition of the animals can be improved. In particular, with
regard to the hair loss during the late winter months. 
        In addition, we are currently establishing field research in the
conservation biology of stumptail macaques. We hope to provide some
illustrated posters of our studies concerning this endangered species in the
wild. These posters will show how studies in captivity strengthen
conservation efforts in the wild. I will of course consult you on the
preparation of these posters, which I hope would also be of interest to the
Commission and to the public.
        My predecessor Dr. Goy wrote to you last June 15 and July 17. Our
policies were spelled out in detail in these letters and these policies
remain in place. In particular, Dr. Goy's letter of June 15 addresses this
topic. You are aware that the Center, which is one of seven federally-funded
Primate Research Centers in the USA, carries out basic research in
biomedical and behavioral sciences relevant to both human and animal health
and conservation.

---------------End Hearn letter-----------------------

Addresses for comments:

Dr. David Hall, Director
Vilas Park Zoo
702 South Randall Av.
Madison WI 53715

Dr. Joseph Kemnitz, Acting Director
Wisconsin Regional Primate Center
1223 Capitol Court
Madison WI 53715-1299
Fax: 608-263-4031




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
Web page (revised January 1997): http://www.sims.net/organizations/ippl/

NOTE; THE OLD E-MAIL ADDRESS AT SC.NET IS NOT BE IN USE, PLEASE DIRECT
ALL
E-MAIL TO IPPL@AWOD.COM

Date: Tue, 8 Jul 1997 14:02:47 -0700 (PDT)
From: civillib@cwnet.com
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: 3,000-6,000 MINK FREED FROM WASH ST. FUR FARM (US)
Message-ID: <199707082102.OAA16651@borg.cwnet.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

URGENT NEWS ADVISORY
July 8, 1997


   
Thousands of Mink
Freed from Wash
State Fur Farm

     SEATTLE, WA -- As many as 6,000 mink were freed from a fur farm about 50
miles southeast of here this past weekend by an underground animal rights
organization, according to communiques released to sympathetic organizations.

     Between 3,000 and 6,000 mink were "liberated," said the Animal Liberation
Front (ALF), from a fur farm located on Hwy 970, near Cle Elum, WA over the
July 4 weekend as part of an "Independence Day for Mink" action.

     The release makes the 31st such raid since late 1995 in the U.S. and
Canada. An estimated 45,000-50,000 fur-bearing animals, all but a few dozen
of which were mink, have been freed in the campaign by the ALF in a dozen
states, including Utah, Washington, Oregon, Ohio, Massachusetts, Texas,
Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Tennessee, New York and Maryland. Thousands
of fur-bearing animals have also been released in Germany, Sweden, Finland,
Austria and Norway this past year.

     The attack follows on the heels of the largest-ever fur farm raid in May,
when an estimated 10,000 mink were set free from a fur farm in Mt. Angel,
Oregon.

     In Washington State, in December, 1996, 80 mink were taken from a fur farm
in Snohomish, and there have been 3-4 attacks in Washington over the past
few years on mink-producing facilities. In 1991, 6 mink were freed, and a
Washington State University fur research lab was sabotaged by the ALF.

     The ALF -- which has a code of nonviolence, and in 20 years of operation in
the U.S. has never harmed a human or nonhuman animal -- has been responsible
for thousands of actions, which have led to the release of tens of thousands
of animals from research labs, fur farms and factory farms, as well as the
sabotage of animal abuse industries, including research labs and fur farms.
-30-

Contact: Liberation Collective (503) 280-8916

Date: Tue, 8 Jul 97 16:19:34 UTC
From: SDURBIN@VM.TULSA.CC.OK.US
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: News on Lori Gauthier - URGENT!!!!!!!!!
Message-ID: <199707082116.RAA09426@envirolink.org>

URGENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lori Gauthier just called and I found out why she's gotten many of
the flood victim animals back:  The vicinity just had a tornado that
literally flattened buildings and now even more people are homeless. To
be exact, now she has an extra 121 families with animals who need her
help. The only thing she is not out of is dog food. She needs MONEY
desperately to buy kennels, flea/tick products, medication for the
animals, collars, leashes, anything and everything. She's broke. Flat
broke. And, bless her heart, she refuses to stop helping all these
animals.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE: She needs help. And, she needs it now.

Send to:  Lori Gauthier, "A Dog's Life," 2342 US Hwy 68,
Maysville, KY   41056    OR CALL HER: She needs lots of moral
support, too. I'm very, very worried about her mental state at this
point:  606-759-4600.

Thanks and bless you for helping her!!!!!!!!!!!  -- Sherrill
Date: Tue, 8 Jul 1997 23:52:19 +0000
From: "Miggi" 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Victory AS Consort Closes Down.
Message-ID: <199707082251.XAA03313@serv4.vossnet.co.uk>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT

>From the July issue of ARCNews:

     Yes victory after only 10 months of intensive campaigning. All those 
days of standing outside Consort through the winter and the big demos 
have proven their worth as Consort closes down.
     The end started on Thursday July the 3rd when Consort started to 
empty their kennels of their breeding dogs. On Thursday they moved 2 
van loads of dogs out and on Friday one. We tried to follow the vans 
but lost them. On Friday we got a phone call from a 'friend' telling 
us they were closing down and the police also told the press the same 
thing. We have been told that they have sold out to Huntingdon Life 
Sciences, but we have not been able to confirm this, but Central TV 
received a fax from Consort today (Monday) confirming that they are 
closing, and will not be carrying on elsewhere.
     We cancelled the demo on Sunday 6th because of the news and in only 
24 hours managed to get most people to go straight to Hillgrove farm 
where approx. 150 turned up, to yet again, annoy farmer Brown and put 
another nail in his companys coffin. Gossip says that Brown is a 
nervous wreck and could give in soon, so let's keep the pressure up 
and another victory could soon be in out hands.
-
Mark.
PS. Since this was written it has been discovered that the breeding 
dogs have been sold to Huntingdon, but not the company.
Hillgrove (cat breeders) is now THE big target a demo planed on 
the 13th July, and a "Beach Party" ?! planned for the 10th Aug.
Date: Tue, 8 Jul 1997 14:38:37 -0700 (PDT)
From: Mike Markarian 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: FWS Names New Director
Message-ID: <2.2.16.19970708180150.5d6f9c76@pop.igc.org>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service list:
>============================================================
>
>INTERIOR SECRETARY APPLAUDS CHOICE OF JAMIE RAPPAPORT CLARK AS
>DIRECTOR OF THE U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE
>
>Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt today praised President Bill 
>Clinton's announcement of his intention to nominate Jamie Rappaport Clark
>to head the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
>
>"Jamie Clark is an experienced career professional who has been involved on
>a daily basis with many of the major wildlife issues facing the U.S. Fish
>and Wildlife Service.  She knows the Service well and will bring to the job
>energy, commitment, and an understanding of the Service and its major
>constituents.  I am very pleased that the President has made Jamie his
>choice for Director."
>
>Clark has served as the Service's Assistant Director for Ecological 
>Services since 1994.   In this position she has been responsible for
>implementation of the Endangered Species Act nationwide and has overseen
>habitat restoration programs, wetlands protection, contaminants damage
>restoration programs, and other Service initiatives involving enviromental
>protection. During her career with the Service, she has served as chief of
>the Division of Endangered Species and as Deputy Assistant Regional
>Director in the Southwest Region and as senior staff biologist. Before
>joining the Fish and Wildlife Service eight years ago, she served as Fish
>and Wildlife Administrator for the Department of the Army from 1988-89, and
>Natural/Cultural Resources
>Coordinator for the National Guard Bureau from 1984-88.  She has also
>worked as a research biologist for the Army Medical Research Institute and
>a wildlife biologist for the National Institute for Urban Wildlife.
>
>Clark received a Bachelor of Sciences in Wildlife Biology from Towson State
>University and a Master of Sciences in Wildlife Ecology from the University
>of Maryland.  She and her husband, Jim, currently reside in Leesburg,
>Virginia.
>
>The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency with 
>responsibility for conserving, protecting, and enhancing fish and wildlife
>and their habitats.  The Service manages 511 national wildlife refuges
>covering 92 million acres as well as 65 national fish hatcheries.
>
>The agency also enforces Federal wildlife laws, manages migratory bird 
>populations, stocks recreational fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife
>habitat, administers the Endangered Species Act, and assists foreign
>governments in their conservation efforts.  The Service oversees the
>Federal Aid program that funnels Federal excise taxes on angling and
>hunting equipment to
>state fish and wildlife agencies for fish and wildlife restoration
>programs.  
>
>
>============================================================ 
>News releases are also available on the World Wide Web at 
>http://www.fws.gov/~r9extaff/pubaff.html  They can be reviewed in
>chronological order or searched by keyword.
>
>Questions concerning a particular news release or item of information
>should be directed to the person listed as the contact. General comments or
>observations concerning the content of the information should be directed
>to Craig Rieben (craig_rieben@mail.fws.gov) in the Office of Public
>Affairs.
>
>============================================================ 
>To unsubscribe from the fws-news listserver, send e-mail to
>majordomo@www.fws.gov 
>with "unsubscribe fws-news" (and omit the "quotes") in the **body** of the
>message. 
>You should not include anything on the Subject: line.  
>
>For additional information about listserver commands, send a message to
>majordomo@www.fws.gov with "info fws-news" (and no "quotes") in the body of
>the message. 
>
>

Date: Tue, 8 Jul 1997 21:59:44 -0400 (EDT)
From: Julie Beckham 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Mostly Pro AR/Mary T. Moore article
Message-ID: 
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII

The McCall's August 1997 issue features a cover story on Mary Tyler 
Moore.  The article references MTM's ar activities touching on fox 
hunting, fur coats, vegetarian diet, pregnant mare urine.  One of the 
photos is of MTM, her horse and her New York home with the caption "An 
ardent animal-rights activist, Moore spends lots of time at her home in 
rural New York, practicing what she preaches.  

Note:  The only blemish in the article was a reference to the Dolly 
cloning and a statement that MTM 
is not opposed to every research project using animals.  Except for this 
(which seemed more to be an attempt at humor), I thought the article was 
pro AR.  

The end of the article has 3 web sites listed and includes HSUS for readers.

Please write McCall's and thank them for the cover story on MTM and for 
pointing out her pro AR stance.  (You may want to mention something about 
the research issue, but if you do, please read the article first to get 
the context).

Mail Call, McCall's
375 Lexington Avenue
New York, NY  10017-5514
Fax:  212-499-1778
e-mail:  mccallsmag@earthlink.net

(Be sure to include you name, address and daytime telephone number for 
possible publication in their letters to the editor).

Thanks.

Julie

Date: Tue, 08 Jul 1997 22:26:06 -0400
From: ar-admin 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Admin Note--AR-News subscription options
Message-ID: <3.0.32.19970708222517.006d08c8@envirolink.org>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

The usual and very necessary post.......

Here are some items of general information (found in the "welcome letter"
sent when people subscribe--but often lose!)...included:  how to post and
how to change your subscription status (useful if you are going on
vacation--either by "unsubscribe" or "postpone").
---------------------------------------------------------------

To post messages to the list, send mail to ar-news@envirolink.org
POSTING

To post a *news-related item* (no discussions), send your message to:

     ar-news@envirolink.org

Appropriate postings to AR-News include: posting a news item, requesting
information on some event, or responding to a request for information. 
Discussions on AR-News will NOT be allowed and we ask that any
commentary either be taken to AR-Views or to private E-mail. 
------------------------------------------

***General Subscription Information***
ALL THE FOLLOWING SHOULD NOT be sent to ar-news !!!
(send them to listproc@envirolink.org)
For all commands, use a blank Subject line.
---------------------------------------------------

To request a digest version, send mail to listproc@envirolink.org
with the following single line:

     set ar-news mail digest

To switch back to immediate mail, and to get copies of *your* postings
also, send the following command:

     set ar-news mail ack

or the following to not get your own postings:

     set ar-news mail noack

To see how you are set up ***(and to see if you are still subscribed!)***, use

     set ar-news

To temporarily stop mailings, use:

     set ar-news mail postpone

To re-enable it, use ack, noack, or digest as above.

To unsubscribe, use:

     unsubscribe ar-news

or:

     signoff ar-news

If you have to subscribe again, use:

     subscribe ar-news first_name last_name   (use false name if you want!)

If you have problems, please contact:

     Allen Schubert
     ar-admin@envirolink.org
     

Date: Tue, 8 Jul 1997 22:11:30 -0500 (CDT)
From: co@ix.netcom.com (Cathy O'Brien)
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Letters Needed on Behalf of Animals in Ireland Zoo
Message-ID: <199707090311.WAA03226@dfw-ix6.ix.netcom.com>

Posted on Behalf of the Alliance For Animal Rights, Dublin, Ireland

The Alliance For Animal Rights (AFAR) is asking for help from activists 
around the world to flood the Dublin Zoo with letters, faxes, and/or 
phone calls expressing concern and outrage over the mistreatment of 
animals there, particularly over the tragic and inexplicable deaths of 
several animals.

The most recent death took place on April 17, when a rare young white 
rhino named Dorothy was shot and killed after she escaped while being 
moved for transport to a safari park in England.  Dorothy was in the 
process of being loaded into a container to ship her to England.  
According to a zoo spokesman, she "broke free and had to be shot in the 
interests of public safety."  When asked why tranquilizer darts were 
not used or even available, the spokesman stated that "it was difficult 
to determine how much sedative to use."

White rhinos are a "Class A" endangered species; they are extremely 
threatened in the wild.  Dorothy spent her entire life in a concrete, 
sterile pen no larger than an average garage.  She was unable to take 
more than a couple of steps without bumping into a wall.  Her shocking 
death was the latest in a series of horrific incidents.  When Dorothy 
was just a year old, her mother died suddenly under mysterious 
circumstances.  Shortly before Dorothy's death, a snow leopard (another 
endangered animal) died after being fed tainted chicken meat.  Last 
year, two tigers perished due to emaciation.  These are just a few 
examples of the mistreatment, abuse and neglect that goes on at this 
zoo and has been going on for many years.  The zoo keeps very quiet 
about all of this, and it is very difficult to get complete 
information.

Please contact the Dublin Zoo and express your outrage over these 
incidents, as well as the ongoing incompetence, neglect and poor animal 
care.  AFAR holds weekly protests at the zoo, but the zoo is a very 
powerful organization in Dublin and seems to have the government and 
the media "in its pocket."  AFAR is asking for help from people around 
the world -- they believe that an outpouring of concern from around the 
world will have an effect and will help force the zoo to be more 
forthright with information.

Contact:  Peter Wilson, Director
          Dublin Zoo
          Phoenix Park
          Dublin 8
          Ireland
(No postal code or street address is needed.)
          Phone:  01-677-1425
          Fax:  01-677-1660

For more information, contact AFAR at P.O. Box 4734, Dublin 1, Ireland. 
 It would be great if you could send them copies of your letters, too.

Thanks for your help.





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