AR-NEWS Digest 661

Topics covered in this issue include:

  1) (Aust)Rabbit Calicivirus-deregistration demanded
     by bunny 
  2) (Australia) Urgent Alert-please write to GMAC
     by bunny 
  3) (Aust)Wanted: More Submissions on Herbicide Tolerant Crops.
     by bunny 
  4) (US) Hunts no longer horrify suburbanites
     by allen schubert 
  5) deer killing in communities
     by Jean Colison 
  6) AAVS/ARDF PRESS RELEASE
     by AAVSONLINE@aol.com
  7) (US) Dr. White on Local Okla. City TV
     by JanaWilson@aol.com
  8) Fw: Please help to pass this on.......Greetings and THANKS!!!
     by "Bina Robinson" 
  9) Dr White
     by Lynette Shanley 
 10) Animaleran to Donate Cat Dissection CD-Roms
     by AAVSONLINE@aol.com
 11) Re: E-Mail for Vilas Monkeys
     by Pat Fish 
 12) Winfrey defends self show Cattlemen vs. Oprah Winfrey
     by bunny 
 13) PRION DISEASE, MECHANISM FOUND
     by bunny 
 14) (Canada)CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE, DEER & ELK
     by bunny 
 15) (USA) Conibear inhumane trap information
     by bunny 
 16) Catalina Island slaughter
     by vegan.doc@juno.com (Jerry w Vlasak)
 17) Vila RE: NIH monkey care, Dr. Peter Gerone
     by Pat Fish 
 18) Confiscated chimpanzees given to animal dealer
     by Shirley McGreal 
 19) Circus University
     by Lynette Shanley 
 20) (Malaysia)Austrlaian Livestock stranded on ship
     by bunny 
 21) (US) Supporter of PMU Ranching Selected for WH&B Advisory
     by allen schubert 
 22) [UK] Winter saved coast from full effects of Sea Empress spill
     by David J Knowles 
 23) (CN) Australian cattle
     by jwed 
 24) (US) Brokers testify quickly at Winfrey trial
     by allen schubert 
Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 13:34:35 +0800
From: bunny 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (Aust)Rabbit Calicivirus-deregistration demanded
Message-ID: <1.5.4.16.19980211132657.2cef8944@wantree.com.au>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

MEDIA RELEASE - URGENT DEREGISTRATION  OF  CALICIVIRUS  DEMANDED
*** FOR   IMMEDIATE RELEASE  11TH   FEBRUARY   1998 ***

Independent RCD researcher, Mrs Marguerite Wegner of Rabbit Information
Service, WA today warned that overseas calicivirus experts were not suprised
at recent statements by South Australian conservationist John Wamsley of
Earth Sanctuaries that rabbit calicivirus disease had killed bettongs and
could kill Australian wildlife.

Mrs Wegner stated that USA calicivirus experts Professor David Matson and Dr
Alvin Smith had written to Mr John Howard PM  and Mr John Anderson (Minister
for Primary Industries and Energy) urging that Australian authorities cease
the use of RCD as a biological control agent of the European rabbit in
Australia. Both USA calicivirus experts had warned Australian authorities
that they could not predict what RCD may or may not infect . Their concerns
were echoed in a warning given by Dr Brian Walker of CSIRO in 1996 who
stated on "60 Minutes" TV program that no guarantees could be given that RCD
would never infect any other species.

According to Mrs Wegner, recent warnings by South Australian conservationist
John Wamsley of Earth Sanctuaries that rabbit calicivirus disease has killed
bettongs and could kill wildlife emphasise the dangers of deliberately
spreading RCD in Australia. Mr Wamsley's observations coincide with reports
from Tasmanian wildlife carers of decimation of colonies of bandicoots and
other small animals who died mysteriously at the same time as RCD passed
through Tasmania. 

According to Mrs Wegner, 4 out of 5 main calicivirus groups are already
known to infect humans and RCD had only recently appeared in China in 1984.
She stated that Australian authorities had deliberately mislead the
Australian public and overseas countries as to the nature of the disease
being spread in Australia by changing the name to RCD. The correct
internationally recognised name for the disease is Viral Haemorrhagic
Disease of Rabbits. Currently, there are no vaccines to protect any other
species except the European rabbit against RCD and generally caliciviruses
were known for their trait of infecting multiple species. RCD escaped from
Wardang Island in late 1995.

Australia has been described overseas as a giant open air laboratory with
all inhabitants (including humans) being the "test subjects" of the RCD
program. Recent discoveries by CSIRO that antibodies of a related
calicivirus had given protection to some rabbit populations had shown how
little was really known by Australian scientists of the effectiveness of the
RCD virus in the field.

The neglect of Senator Robert Hill to call for a full Environmental Impact
Statement prior to the declaration of RCD as a biological control agent had
further placed at risk many of Australia's native predatory species such as
the wedge-tailed eagle and 10 other species of birds of prey. The overall
numbers of birds of prey have declined in many areas since the introduction
of RCD according to a recent BRS report and according to anecdotal evidence.

Mrs Wegner also pointed to recent statements by NSW scientists that
brushtailed possums,  bandicoots, small wallabies and kangaroo joeys have
been targeted by foxes and feral cats deprived of rabbits. It was not known
whether these native animals would survive increased predation 
which had increased in some areas by as much as 3 times the pre RCD level.
Australian authorities recent research in controlling predators such as
foxes with viral vectored immunocontraception
should be viewed with great concern according to Mrs Wegner. Australian
authorities are currently engineering several live viruses to carry
immunocontraception to foxes, rabbits and mice. However overseas scientists
have warned that such genetically engineered viruses should never be
released because they may cross species lines and cause sterility in
non-target species.

All inquiries to Rabbit Information Service, P.O.Box 30, Riverton, Western
Australia 6148 
Ph (08) 9354.2985  Email rabbit@wantree.com.au
http://www.wantree.com.au/~rabbit/rabbit.htm

=====================================================================
========
                   /`\   /`\    Rabbit Information Service,
Tom, Tom,         (/\ \-/ /\)   P.O.Box 30,
The piper's son,     )6 6(      Riverton,
Saved a pig        >{= Y =}<    Western Australia 6148
And away he run;    /'-^-'\  
So none could eat  (_)   (_)    email: rabbit@wantree.com.au
The pig so sweet    |  .  |  
Together they ran   |     |}    http://www.wantree.com.au/~rabbit/rabbit.htm
Down the street.    \_/^\_/    (Rabbit Information Service website updated
                                frequently)                                

Jesus was most likely a vegetarian... why aren't you? Go to
http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/4620/essene.htm
for more information.

It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong.
       - Voltaire

Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 14:00:59 +0800
From: bunny 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (Australia) Urgent Alert-please write to GMAC
Message-ID: <1.5.4.16.19980211135320.2277c372@wantree.com.au>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Dear Aussies,

Please write to GMAC opposing their impending approval
of the introduction of two the Genetic Engineered crops
into Australia (see below). This is really important. 
The public are not aware of what is happening here and 
if GMAC approve these crops,
the NRA may quietly give them the green light and we will have
higher levels of herbicide in our environment and residuals
in our canola and cotton (and there are more concerns - see below!). 
It doesn't matter that the deadline has just passed for letters,
just write!!!! Their first preliminary meeting isn't for a week or so.

Please find below
(1)my letter (emailed to GMAC)
(2)GMAC's response (by email)
(3)background information

Please make time to write, (and email is OK). Also, please send
a copy of your email to Bob Phelps as he may wish to put together a 
pamphlet of our letters. Bob's address is acfgenet@peg.apc.org
and please place in the subject line Attention Bob Phelps.

Kind regards,

Marguerite
-------------------------------------------------------------
To:The Secretary
Genetic Manipulation Advisory Committee
GPO Box 2183
CANBERRA ACT 2601
Tel: 02 6213 6490
Fax: 02 6213 6462
Email: gmac.secretariat@dist.gov.au

From:Mrs Marguerite Wegner,
P.O. Box 30,
Riverton,
Western Australia 6148
Ph/Fax (08) 9354.2985
Email rabbit@wantree.com.au

7th February 1998



Dear GMAC Secretary,

It has come to my notice that GMAC is considering the approval of :

(a) Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) - Roundup Ready (Roundup Tolerant) cotton

and

(b) Canola (Brassica napus) - glufosinate ammonium (Basta Herbicide) tolerant
hybrid canola cultivars.

I protest most strongly against the consideration and possible release of these
products into the Australian environment. Apparently, GMAC promised not to
"approve"
any herbicide tolerant crops until a national strategy was put in place.

There is no such strategy yet and I want to be part of an open public process
to develop such a strategy. 

It concerns me greatly that GMAC has no ecologists at present among its 20
members
and I feel that GMAC does not have the expertise to comprehensively assess these
proposals for GE cotton and canola. It is my view that increased and less
discriminate 
chemical use, will lead to environmental pollution and worker health impacts.

Both crops are fertile and so could transfer genes to weedy and native
relatives of the crops, creating herbicide tolerant superweeds.
Foods would be polluted with chemicals not currently allowed.

Also, with regards to antibiotic resistant genes,
it is also possible, in some cases, that antibiotic resistance genes in
every cell of every plant 
may transfer to pathogenic microbes. Even if the risk is low, as some will
claim, it is
entirely unnecessary as the company could have chosen to use the herbicide
tolerance gene as a selectable marker instead. No risk is worth running,
even if it is small when alternatives are readily available.

There are no social benefits, only social costs and private profits from
the crops you are currently considering. The Monsanto application appears 
to cover a number of cultivars, some of which are both Roundup Ready and 
contain Bt toxins too. Such an omnibus application should not be considered.

I urge GMAC to disallow the approval of the GE cotton and canola currently
before
GMAC for consideration and to initiate an open public forum on the urgent
introduction
of a national Australian strategy concerning GE products.

Kind regards,


Marguerite Wegner(Mrs)

----------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Mrs Wegner
     
     Thank you for your comments on proposals for release of genetically 
     manipulated organisms that are currently under assessment by GMAC.  I 
     will ensure that your views are brought to GMAC's attention for 
     consideration during the Committee's assessment of the proposals.
     
     Please note that GMAC's current membership includes a plant ecologist 
     (Professor Byron Lamont, Personal Chair in Plant Ecology, Curtin 
     University) and a microbial ecologist (Professor Staffan Kjelleberg, 
     School of Microbiology and Immunology, University of New South Wales).
     
     Yours sincerely
     
     Andina Faragher
     GMAC Secretary

--------------------------------------------------------------
X-From_: acfgenet@peg.apc.org  Thu Feb  5 11:59:53 1998
Return-Path: acfgenet@peg.apc.org
Date: Thu, 5 Feb 1998 14:39:13 +1100
To: "GeneEthics Network" 
From: acfgenet@peg.apc.org (Bob Phelps)
Subject: More on Emergency, SUBMISSIONS PLEASE.

Dear Friends,

The deadline for submissions/comments/protests to GMAC on these herbicide
tolerance proposals is COB Monday February 9 as their Planned Release
subcommittee meets shortly after.

The Food Authority (ANZFA) has four applications for general release of
genetically engineered crops from Monsanto but is not processing them until
a standard on genetically engineered food is put in place, following
agreement of all the Health Ministers. ANZFA's recommendation on the
standard, including labelling, is near completion and may be considered by
the Ministers soon.

The National Registration Authority on Agvet Chemicals (NRA) does not
confirm or deny it has applications but we can assume it does. NRA will
consider whether the chemicals may be used on these crops. If so, at what
concentrations and under what conditions which are reflected on the product
labels. As neither chemical is registered on cotton or canola we believe it
will then come into the public domain for comment, especially as they are
food crops. NRA also then recommends Maximum Residue Levels (MRLs) for the
chemical in the foods produced.

What a bloody mess. At this point, the priority is to tell GMAC "NO!"

GROUNDS:

GMAC is biased, presently having no ecologists among its twenty members. It
does not have the expertise to comprehensively assess these proposals.

Increased and less discriminate chemical use, will lead to environmental
pollution and worker health impacts.
Both crops are fertile and so could transfer genes to weedy and native
relatives of the crops, creating herbicide tolerant superweeds.
Foods would be polluted with chemicals not currently allowed.
Antibiotic resistance genes in every cell of every plant which may transfer
to pathogenic microbes. Even if the risk is low, as they will claim, it is
entirely unnecessary as the company could have chosen to use the herbicide
tolerance gene as a selectable marker instead. No risk is worth running,
even if it is small when alternatives are readily available.
There are no social benefits, only social costs and private profits from
these crops.
The Monsanto application appears to cover a number of cultivars, some of
which are both Roundup Ready and contain Bt toxins too. Such an omnibus
application should not be considered.

Please send something to the address below. Email is ok.

Thanks,

Bob
____________________________________________________________________________

HERBICIDE TOLERANT CROP PLANTS ARE TO BE COMMERCIALISED. MORE
CHEMICALS IN
FOOD AND THE ENVIRONMENT!

WITH THE HOLIDAYS, WE OVERLOOKED THE PROPOSALS, DUE FOR COMMENT
NOW.

WE ARE ATTEMPTING TO GET MORE DETAIL FROM THE COMPANIES ASAP AND
WILL SEND
DETAILS.

THE NATIONAL REGISTRATION AUTHORITY ON AGVET CHEMICALS WOULD
ALSO HAVE TO
REGISTER THESE PLANTS FOR SPRAYING WITH HERBICIDE. THAT WILL BE DONE
AFTER
GMAC'S ASSESSMENT. WILL KEEP YOU POSTED.

GMAC PROMISED NOT TO 'APPROVE' ANY HERBICIDE TOLERANT CROPS UNTIL A
NATIONAL STRATEGY IS PUT IN PLACE. THERE IS NO SUCH YET AND WE WANT
AN OPEN
PUBLIC PROCESS TO DEVELOP IT.

PLEASE IMMEDIATELY MAKE COMMENTS/PROTESTS TO:

The Secretary
Genetic Manipulation Advisory Committee
GPO Box 2183
CANBERRA ACT 2601
Tel: 02 6213 6490
Fax: 02 6213 6462
Email: gmac.secretariat@dist.gov.au

__________________________________________________________________________

GR-5: General release of glufosinate ammonium (Basta Herbicide) tolerant
hybrid canola cultivars

                                        AgrEvo Pty Ltd
 Organisation proposing release:        1731 Malvern Road
                                        Glen Iris VIC 3134
 Organism to be released:               Canola (Brassica napus)

Brief description of the nature and effect of the genetic modification:

A new system has been developed for making hybrid varieties of canola. (Hybrid
varieties of canola provide higher yields.) The system involves ensuring
that plants cross-pollinate (with other canola plants) rather than
self-pollinate. To ensure that the plants cross-pollinate, a bacterial gene
conferring male-sterility has been introduced into the plants. A second line
of plants contains a bacterial gene that restores fertility, so that the
hybrid formed when the two lines cross is fertile.

Selectable marker genes, encoding resistance to the herbicide glufosinate
ammonium (Basta) and the antibiotics kanamycin and neomycin, were also
transferred to the transgenic plants. This gene was inserted to allow
identification and selection of the transgenic plant cells in the
laboratory.

Further information: The institution's contact officer for this proposal is
Mr Peter Whitehouse, telephone (03) 9248 6666, facsimile (03) 9248 6650.

__________________________________________________________________________

GR-4: Evaluation of Roundup Ready (Roundup Tolerant) cotton grown under
commercial use
conditions

                                        Monsanto Australia Limited
 Organisation proposing release:        PO Box 6051
                                        St Kilda Road Central VIC 8008
 Organism to be released:               Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum)

Brief description of the nature and effect of the genetic modification:

The cotton plants have been modified to express the
5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS) gene from the soil
bacterium, Agrobacterium. This gene produces a protein which confers
tolerance to glyphosate (the active constituent in the herbicide Roundup).

In addition, the plants express a selectable marker gene from the bacterium
Escherichia coli, neomycin phosphotransferase, which confers resistance to
the antibiotics kanamycin and neomycin. This gene was inserted to allow
identification and selection of the transgenic plant cells in the
laboratory.

Some cultivars will also express the CryIA(c) gene, derived from the
bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis. This produces a highly specific
insecticidal protein (Bt) that is toxic to the major caterpillar pests of
cotton. The Bt protein is non-toxic to humans, other animals and most other
insects.

Further information: The institution's contact officer for this proposal is
Ms Marion Sheers, telephone (03) 9522 7122.
_________________________________________________________________________


Bob Phelps
Director
Australian GeneEthics Network
c/- ACF 340 Gore Street, Fitzroy. 3065 Australia
Tel: (03) 9416.2222 Fax: (03) 9416.0767 {Int Code (613)}
email: acfgenet@peg.apc.org
WWW: http://www.peg.apc.org/~acfgenet  (under construction)




=====================================================================
========
                   /`\   /`\    Rabbit Information Service,
Tom, Tom,         (/\ \-/ /\)   P.O.Box 30,
The piper's son,     )6 6(      Riverton,
Saved a pig        >{= Y =}<    Western Australia 6148
And away he run;    /'-^-'\  
So none could eat  (_)   (_)    email: rabbit@wantree.com.au
The pig so sweet    |  .  |  
Together they ran   |     |}    http://www.wantree.com.au/~rabbit/rabbit.htm
Down the street.    \_/^\_/    (Rabbit Information Service website updated
                                frequently)                                

Jesus was most likely a vegetarian... why aren't you? Go to
http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/4620/essene.htm
for more information.

It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong.
       - Voltaire

Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 16:57:42 +0800
From: bunny 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (Aust)Wanted: More Submissions on Herbicide Tolerant Crops.
Message-ID: <1.5.4.16.19980211165004.2e275164@wantree.com.au>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Subject: Wanted: More Submissions on Herbicide Tolerant Crops.

Dear Friends,

Re: GMAC General Release of Herbicide Tolerant Crops - More Submissions Please

Basta tolerant canola and Roundup tolerant cotton

It turns out the GMAC committee meets 27/2, so there is still time for late
papers/comments/objections. They will be considered on the day, but not
circulated to GMAC members in advance, so keep them short.  Model them on
the material below if you wish (or the others that will come in a day or
two).

Following, three submissions to GMAC following my 'emergency' message last
week. More coming! If you've made a submission, thanks, and please do
forward it to me for circulation to the lists.

Cheers,

Bob
________________________________________________________________
>Date: Fri, 06 Feb 1998 13:59:25 +1030
>From: Arnold Ward 
>X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.03 [en] (Win95; I)
>MIME-Version: 1.0
>To: gmac.secretariat@dist.gov.au
>Subject: 'Approval' for herbicide Tolerant Crops.
>
>I STRONGLY URGE YOU TO DEFER ANY APPROVAL OF HERBICIDE TOLERANT
CROPS
>UNTIL A NATIONAL STRATEGY IS AGREED UPON.
>
>There is great concern in my mind as to the Pandora's Box that is being
>opened, with the rapid rate at which genetically engineered crops are
>being released, and only in the name of profits for chemical/seed
>multinationals which probably see potential environmental disasters as a
>means of making yet more profit as they attempt to counteract what they
>have done.
>
>You have two of my papers in your possession, and I also provide an
>extract from "Transgenic Transgression of Species integrity and Species
>Boundaries" which was written by Mae-Wan Ho, Biology Department, Open
>University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA, U.K. The extract is as
>follows:-
>
>"Summary
>Biodiversity and species integrity are inextricably linked. Transgenic
>technology transgresses both species integrity and species boundaries,
>leading to unexpected, systemic effects on the physiology of the
>transgenic organisms produced as well as the balanced ecological
>relationships on which biodiversity depends. Allergenic and toxic
>products have arisen in transgenic organisms and recent evidence
>suggests that transgenic resistance to pests and diseases may be
>associated with increased allergenity. Vectors for multiplying and
>transferring genes are chimaeric recombinations of parts of different
>genetic parasites so as to increase their host range, thus allowing them
>to transgress species barriers. They are now also designed to overcome
>endogenous cellular mechanisms which help to maintain species integrity.
>The vectors, carrying transgenes and antibiotic resistance marker genes,
>form potentially infectious units for further transgressions of species
>barriers by horizontal gene transfer, i.e., by infection.
>Recent evidence also suggests that vectors carrying transgenes may
>spread horizontally via micro-organisms, animals and human beings in an
>uncontrolled and uncontrollable manner. The teeming microbial
>populations in the terrestrial and aquatic environments serving as a
>horizontal gene transfer highway and reservoir, facilitating the
>multiplication, recombination of vectors and infection of all plant and
>animals species.
>Vector-mediated horizontal gene transfer and recombination have been
>shown to be responsible for the rapid evolution of multiple antibiotic
>resistance and for the emergence of new and old pathogens. Horizontal
>gene transfer can effectively create new LMOs across national
>boundaries. It is a runaway process that cannot be regulated. This makes
>it paramount to control what is released in the first place. We shall
>discuss the implications of the findings for biosafety risk assessment
>and the biosafety protocol".
>
>As I am in my seventies, and most likely unaffected by what scientists
>are doing  to our environment, albeit in the belief that what they do is
>proper and necessary, I have no axe to grind personally. My great
>concern is not only for my children and grandchildren, but also yours,
>and the rest of humanity. The potential for irreversible damage is
>there, and you only have to think of the 'wonderful' developments of
>previous decades to realise that your Authority may be presiding over
>one of the greatest 'Stuff-ups' of all time. Those developments were -
>asbestos, DDT, Diethylstilbestrol, dioxin, CFC's, PCB's, thalidomide, to
>name but a few. ALL OF THOSE WERE REVERSIBLE, WHAT IS HAPPENING NOW IS
>NOT.

>Once the environment is flooded with these products you have no chance
>of remedying the situation.
>
>Proceed with experimentation, but in the hands of government bodies and
>universities, and only released after absolute surety that the results
>will be benign to the environment.
>
>I trust that you will all proceed with caution, and enlist the aid of a
>diverse range of community interest groups before a final decision is
>made.
>
>With my regards
>
>Arnold Ward
_________________________________________________________________
>7th February 1998
>
>Dear GMAC Secretary,
>
>It has come to my notice that GMAC is considering the approval of :
>
>(a) Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) - Roundup Ready (Roundup Tolerant) cotton
>
>and
>
>(b) Canola (Brassica napus) - glufosinate ammonium (Basta Herbicide) tolerant
>hybrid canola cultivars.
>
>I protest most strongly against the consideration and possible release of these
>products into the Australian environment. Apparently, GMAC promised not to
"approve"
>any herbicide tolerant crops until a national strategy was put in place.
>
>There is no such strategy yet and I want to be part of an open public process
>to develop such a strategy.
>
>It concerns me greatly that GMAC has no ecologists at present among its 20
members
>and I feel that GMAC does not have the expertise to comprehensively assess
these
>proposals for GE cotton and canola. It is my view that increased and less
discriminate
>chemical use, will lead to environmental pollution and worker health impacts.
>
>Both crops are fertile and so could transfer genes to weedy and native
>relatives of the crops, creating herbicide tolerant superweeds.
>Foods would be polluted with chemicals not currently allowed.
>
>Also, with regards to antibiotic resistant genes,
>it is also possible, in some cases, that antibiotic resistance genes in
every cell of every plant
>may transfer to pathogenic microbes. Even if the risk is low, as some will
claim, it is
>entirely unnecessary as the company could have chosen to use the herbicide
>tolerance gene as a selectable marker instead. No risk is worth running,
>even if it is small when alternatives are readily available.
>
>There are no social benefits, only social costs and private profits from
>the crops you are currently considering. The Monsanto application appears
>to cover a number of cultivars, some of which are both Roundup Ready and
>contain Bt toxins too. Such an omnibus application should not be considered.
>
>I urge GMAC to disallow the approval of the GE cotton and canola currently
before
>GMAC for consideration and to initiate an open public forum on the urgent
introduction
>of a national Australian strategy concerning GE products.
>
>Kind regards,
>
>
>Marguerite Wegner(Mrs)
____________________________________________________________________

February 9, 1998

The Secretary
GMAC
GPO Box 2183
Canberra   2601

Fax: 02 6213 6462

Dear Secretary,

Re: General Release: GR4 Glufosinate Tolerant Canola, and GR5 Roundup
Tolerant Cotton

We urge GMAC to recommend a moratorium on these two proposals for general
commercial release on the following grounds. These matters are all within
GMAC's terms of reference and should receive their full consideration.

General

The government's proposal for a restructuring of the regulatory
arrangements, including the passage of new laws and the amendment of
others, are designed to facilitate the commercialisation of GEOs. Until the
revised system is operational, no further commercialisations should occur.

The aerial spraying of broad spectrum herbicides, facilitated by the use of
these herbicide tolerant crops, would have such negative impacts on
Australian biodiversity that they should not be permitted.

Specific

If approved, these proposals would:

1. allow the crops to be sprayed at higher doses, more often, and less
carefully, with the likely creation of herbicide tolerant weeds. GMAC
previously resolved that general release for commercial purposes should
wait until a national coordinated strategy on herbicide tolerant crops. No
such strategy has been developed. Nor has it been agreed to by the
community.

2. impact the food supply by allowing residues of these chemicals into food
where none occurred before;

3. reduce environmental quality and put workers' health at greater risk. We
do not consider the present membership of GMAC has the expertise to
comprehensively assess these proposals since there are no ecologists among
its twenty members;

4. increase the prospects of gene transfer to weedy and native relatives,
creating herbicide tolerant superweeds. Two examples of Roundup tolerant
weeds have recently been identified in Australia, adding to Australia's
record of herbicide misuse, uncontrollable weeds, and our odious reputation
as the continent with the worst weed problems in the world.

5. include antibiotic resistance genes in every cell of every plant, which
may transfer to pathogenic microbes. As a precautionary measure, these
genes should not be permitted in commercial crops. No risk, however small,
is worth running where the alternative of using the herbicide tolerance
gene as a selectable marker was readily available. There are no benefits to
the broader community yet we would all be potentially at risk.

GMAC and the government have never publicly stated their views on this risk
and should do so fully before allowing any such extraneous genes to be
released commercially. In particular, they should take a view on the
precautionary findings of the 1992 UK Inquiry into antibiotic resistance
marker genes which counselled that they be removed from GEOs. Proponents'
claims, that they transfer genes precisely without any extraneous genetic
material, are refuted by these constructs. GMAC cannot let such a basic
breach of the industry's promise to the community pass unremarked.

6. generate private profits while the community as a whole will bear the
social costs of degraded environments, polluted food and increased health
impacts;

7. without clear public notice, apparently introduce cotton that is both
Roundup Ready and expressing Bt toxins. This is an omnibus application,
where several unspecified constructs are to be considered. It demands
further elaboration for community comment.

On these grounds we believe a moratorium on these proposals is fully justified.

Alternative

If GMAC chooses to ignore or reject our call for a moratorium, we ask that
the following precautionary restraints be imposed on these proposals, so
they are only permitted to proceed after:

1. national weed and herbicide tolerance management strategies have been
fully implemented;
2. GMAC's policy on antibiotic resistance marker genes has been developed
and implemented through public processes;
3. a program of provisional registration for the first five years has been
developed and implemented by all parties, with provision for annual public
review;
4. there is community agreement on an appropriate scale and geographical
location for the provisional period, as happened with Bt cotton;
5. agreement has been reached for the implementation of a management
strategy, including weed management to minimise herbicide tolerance,
analogous to that required of Bt cotton, with the results made available in
a full and timely way for review by all interested parties;
6. a regime is in place for the independent monitoring (reporting direct to
government) of the safety, efficacy, public health and environmental
impacts (such as chemical pollution and herbicide tolerance in weeds and
native plants) required during the five years of provisional.

These are a minimal set of precautionary requirements for the precautionary
introduction of these crop plants if a moratorium is not agreed to. We
strongly urge the committee to recommend a moratorium.

Yours sincerely,




Bob Phelps
Director

Cc: John Moore; John Anderson, Robert Hill.
_____________________________________________________________________________


Bob Phelps
Director
Australian GeneEthics Network
c/- ACF 340 Gore Street, Fitzroy. 3065 Australia
Tel: (03) 9416.2222 Fax: (03) 9416.0767 {Int Code (613)}
email: acfgenet@peg.apc.org
WWW: http://www.peg.apc.org/~acfgenet  (under construction)


=====================================================================
========
                   /`\   /`\    Rabbit Information Service,
Tom, Tom,         (/\ \-/ /\)   P.O.Box 30,
The piper's son,     )6 6(      Riverton,
Saved a pig        >{= Y =}<    Western Australia 6148
And away he run;    /'-^-'\  
So none could eat  (_)   (_)    email: rabbit@wantree.com.au
The pig so sweet    |  .  |  
Together they ran   |     |}    http://www.wantree.com.au/~rabbit/rabbit.htm
Down the street.    \_/^\_/    (Rabbit Information Service website updated
                                frequently)                                

Jesus was most likely a vegetarian... why aren't you? Go to
http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/4620/essene.htm
for more information.

It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong.
       - Voltaire

Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 07:43:38 -0500
From: allen schubert 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (US) Hunts no longer horrify suburbanites
Message-ID: <3.0.32.19980211074335.006ad558@pop3.clark.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

from USA Today http://www.usatoday.com
---------------------------------
    02/10/98- Updated 01:38 AM ET
    
Hunts no longer horrify suburbanites

CENTREVILLE, Va. - To animal rights activists, it's a cruel and
politically incorrect vestige of caveman days.

To sportsmen, it's an opportunity to extend the hunting season,
bag a couple more white-tail deer and restock the freezer with
some tasty venison.

But to many homeowners and motorists, who once shuddered at the
thought of shooting Bambi in their backyards, the urban deer hunt
has become a necessary evil for thinning burgeoning deer herds
that cause mischief and mayhem on suburban lawns and roadways.

In many deer-saturated states in the East and Midwest, game wardens
and town councils are hiring professional sharpshooters or rounding
up bands of experienced hunters to reduce white-tail herds that
are roaming through urban parks and forest preserves and residential
areas. And surprisingly, residents in many suburbs and some cities
aren't resisting. As recently as 10 years ago, the concept of
stalking deer in metropolitan parks and neighborhoods was practically
unheard of. But no longer.

Although deer are still scarce in some parts of the West, the
critters are so abundant elsewhere that people have begun viewing
them as a threat to public health and safety.

"The public sentiment toward hunts is changing," says
Rick Story, vice president of the Wildlife Legislative Fund, a
conservationist group in Columbus, Ohio. "The very people
who used to scream bloody murder about killing deer now consider
them long-legged rats."

"It's a hot issue," says Stuart Mendelsohn, county board
member in Fairfax County, Va. At public meetings, "virtually
every hand goes up when I ask how many people have a friend or
family member" who has nearly hit a deer on the road.

Urban deer hunts are tightly managed for safety reasons. In densely
populated areas, the shoots are typically confined to large, wooded
areas where participants, garbed in neon orange, are limited in
number. "Shooting lanes" are marked with bright ribbons
so bullets aren't fired at houses or people.

Hunters must be licensed and usually must prove they're proficient
with firearms. In some places, only bow-and-arrow hunting is allowed.
Archers use "tree stands" to shoot from an elevated
level. If they miss, the arrow hits the ground.

Hunters keep the venison or give it to the needy.

Deer population rebounding 

Not so long ago, wildlife experts fretted that the prized white-tail
was becoming extinct. Since the turn of the century, when the
U.S. white-tail population dwindled to 350,000, hunting regulations
and conservation programs have been phenomenally successful at
restoring the species. Today, wildlife experts estimate that between
15 million and 25 million white-tail roam the country.

The comeback has been most dramatic since the 1960s, thanks to
dwindling predators and rampant suburbanization. Sprawling home
developments, office parks and golf courses have shrunk available
lands for hunting, while providing hungry deer a leafy cafeteria.

Among the places holding deer hunts: 

Ohio established "urban deer zones" in 1994. Since then,
more than 40,000 deer have been killed around Cincinnati, Cleveland,
Akron, Dayton, Youngstown and Columbus. Hunters who purchase $10
permits from the state are allowed to stalk deer in areas where
hunting is legal, as long as they have property owners' permission.
"Permit sales have gone through the roof," says Mike
Tonkovich, Ohio's deer project leader.

In Virginia's Fairfax County, part of the Washington, D.C., suburbs,
hunters armed with shotguns bagged 60 deer in two regional parks
during an eight-day hunt that ended Friday. The hunt was scheduled
after a local librarian died in a car collision with a white-tail
on her way to work. The cost was high, about $600 per deer, because
of steps to protect public safety, says county supervisor Mendelsohn.
But he says, "It was a good start to our deer management
program." Shooters in neighboring Montgomery Co., Md., killed
354 deer this season. County officials there credit the hunt with
stabilizing the deer population.

Lake Forest, Glencoe, and Northfield are among the upscale Chicago
suburbs where state-certified marksmen are paid to cull herds
in wooded areas. "These guys do it professionally and cleanly,"
says Lake Forest spokesman Micheal Thomas.

Story, of the Wildlife Legislative Fund, estimates that there
are "probably hundreds" of managed deer hunts around
the country every year. Although the hunts may be acceptable to
some, they still horrify others.

Residents in Highland Park, Ill., an upscale suburb of Chicago,
demanded a referendum on the issue after the city council moved
to bring in sharpshooters. The referendum wound up in a tie. But
the debate was so emotional that the council reversed its decision.

"You don't kill deer because they're eating people's plants,"
says Thomas Loughlin, who helped lead the fight against sharpshooters.
"And I don't particularly want people with high-powered rifles
in the neighborhood."

The National Park Service was forced to suspend deer killing in
Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania after animal
rights groups sued in federal court. The groups say the park service
should be protecting wildlife, not shooting it. Police sharpshooters
killed 858 deer on the Civil War battlefield in 1995-96 because
the animals were damaging historically significant woodlands.

Accidents kill thousands 

Graceful and beautiful as they are, deer are woefully indiscriminate
about what they eat, where they poop and how they cross the street.
So as their numbers multiply, so do gripes about ruined vegetation
and, more serious, car accidents.

A new survey by the Insurance Information Institute in Washington,
a trade group, says deer caused about 500,000 auto collisions
in the U.S. last year. The accidents killed 100 people, injured
thousands more and accounted for more than $1 billion in property
damage.

"The carnage on the highways is really significant,"
says Carolyn Gorman, the institute's vice president. She predicts
that the number of accidents will keep rising as the deer population
continues to grow.

And the collisions are commonly occurring not just in rural areas
but in populous suburbs where commuters suddenly find themselves
dodging deer on the way to the store or office. In many cities,
elected officials can hardly get through a town meeting without
hearing angry complaints about deer making breakfast out of homeowners'
expensive landscaping. Azaleas and rhododendrens, it turns out,
taste like candy to deer.

"People think sweet thoughts of Bambi until their azalea
bushes are gone," Gorman says. "I have friends who spent
thousands of dollars on landscaping. As soon as it's in the ground,
deer eat it. That's changing public opinion."

Concerns about lyme disease, caused by ticks that are on deer,
also are becoming more frequent. Even environmentalists have started
complaining that the rising deer population is denuding wooded
areas of low-level leaves and brush, which hurts other critters'
habitats.

Animal protectionists 

Animal protectionists argue in favor of less-violent tactics,
such as reduced speed limits to lessen the chance of collisions,
and use of spray repellents and taller fences to keep deer from
gardens. Some communities are experimenting with roadside reflectors
intended to discourage deer from crossing busy highways.

Animal advocates argue that suburbanites should learn to be more
tolerant of four-legged neighbors. "We're encroaching on
wildlife habitat," says Colleen Dermody, spokeswoman for
the Humane Society of America. "There are probably too many
people, not too many deer."

Alan Rutberg, the society's senior scientist, insists there isn't
enough information to prove that managed hunts are effective.
"They rarely solve the problem," Rutberg says. "They
are mostly attempts to extend hunting into unhunted areas."

And while accidents are rare during controlled hunts, stray shots
sometimes occur. In January, near Bethesda, Md., a hunter mistakenly
fired a bullet outside a shooting lane, hitting a barn. No one
was hurt.

When a community decides it has too many deer, hunts often are
the most cost-effective solution, wildlife experts say.

Trapping and moving deer elsewhere often shifts the problem to
another city. And birth control injections are costly and must
be dispensed annually - a complicated task with free-roaming deer.

In Fairfax Co., 1,200 deer ended up as road kill in 1996. County
supervisors rejected the idea of a hunt last summer but quickly
reversed their decision after the librarian's death in October.

And sportsmen are more than willing to help reduce the herds.
More than 1,400 signed up for a chance to join Fairfax's hunt.

One of 140 picked in the lottery, Robert Fiscus of Columbia, Md.,
arrived at a local rifle range last month to prove his shooting
skills. "I got six deer during hunting season, and now I
hope to get two more," Fiscus says, shotgun in hand. "I
raised my daughters on deer meat."

By Carol Jouzaitis, USA TODAY 

Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 10:16:58 -0500 (EST)
From: Jean Colison 
To: Ar-news 
Subject: deer killing in communities
Message-ID: 
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII

An article from yesterday's USA Today was posted which quoted the 
following statistics from the Insurance Information Institute for 1996:

deer caused 500,000 automobile collisions, killed 100 people, injured 
thousands and cost 1 billion dollars.

I called the Institue library in New York to ask them for comparable 
information on all the other causes of automobile accidents that they 
track.  Unfortunately, their search service is only for their members.

Does anyone have that information?

Thanks,

Jean
Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 11:05:02 EST
From: AAVSONLINE@aol.com
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: AAVS/ARDF PRESS RELEASE
Message-ID: <1bfa7a06.34e1cc30@aol.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit

   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE               CONTACT:  
   February 11, 1998                               Tina Nelson:  (215)
887-0816

BIOLOGY PROFESSOR HONORED FOR ACHIEVEMENTS IN THE FIELD OF SCIENCE
EDUCATION
PROMOTING RESPECT FOR ANIMALS

PHILADELPHIA, PA--The Alternatives Research & Development Foundation (ARDF)
today announced the recipient of its prestigious William A. Cave award.  This
marks the second year for the $5,000.00 award which recognizes achievements in
the advancement of humane alternatives and the promotion of compassion in the
biomedical sciences.

This year's honoree, George K. Russell, Ph.D., Professor of Biology at Adelphi
University in Garden City, New York was chosen for his achievements in the
field of non-animal alternatives in science education.  Widely respected as an
educator, researcher and author, Dr. Russell is the Editor-In-Chief of Orion:
People and Nature, a national quarterly magazine devoted to a deeper
understanding of our relationship to the natural world.  Dr. Russell's college
laboratory manual, Laboratory Investigations in Human Physiology demonstrates
that advanced education does not require the use of invasive procedures on
animals.  "Dr. Russell has been an extremely influential advocate for biology
instruction which encourages a respect for life,"  says John E. McArdle, Ph.D.
director of ARDF.  "We are proud to acknowledge the impact he has had on
traditional science education and hope that other educators will follow his
progressive lead."  

The award ceremony will take place on Sunday, February 15, from 1:00
p.m.--4:00 p.m. at the Wyndham Franklin Plaza Hotel.  The presentation
coincides with the American Association of the Advancement of Science's annual
meeting and Science Exposition which is being held at the convention center in
Philadelphia. 

The ARDF is the scientific affiliate of the American Anti-Vivisection Society
and is dedicated to funding research which develops non-animal alternatives in
the areas of product testing, education and basic research.  ARDF is proud to
have funded the development of an alternative to the use of mice in monoclonal
antibody (MAb) production.  In 1997, AAVS launched its Antibodies without
Animals campaign and petitioned the National Institutes of Health to ban the
use of mice in MAb production.    
###
Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 13:07:11 EST
From: JanaWilson@aol.com
To: AR-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (US) Dr. White on Local Okla. City TV
Message-ID: 
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit


Last night on the local Okla. City local NBC affiliate was a
story on Dr. Robert White and his plans for a human head transplant.
A/w the story "the time had come for science to attempt a human
head transplant" or possibly that if it couldn't be done transplant
a human brain.  They showed a poor man in a wheel chair who
was paralazed from a diving accident 20 years ago.  He volunteered
to be the first experiment.  Dr. White stated that with advances
in science it would be feasible.  However, the problem was 
connecting the brain stem and spinal cord, but he could see
it happening in the next century.  They showed the old film of the poor
monkey with eyes open blinking after being transplanted. 
The only opposition in the segment was an unnamed medical
ethicist who said this was science fiction.  The story was very
onesided.  One of the local news persons said after the story that
the  monkey lived for two weeks. They looked very uncomfortable
with this story but tried to put a good spin on it..and they never
mentioned any of the contraversy that has followed this doctor.
Just the possible "good" that could come.
If anyone would like to send comments to the station (chan. 4, KFOR)
please email them at 

                            News@KFOR.com

                                                           For the Animals,

                                                           Jana, OKC
Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 14:42:55 -0500
From: "Bina Robinson" 
To: 
Subject: Fw: Please help to pass this on.......Greetings and THANKS!!!
Message-ID: <199802111933.OAA29934@net3.netacc.net>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit



----------
> From: buffalo folks 
> To: stop-the-slaughter@wildrockies.org
> Subject: Please help to pass this on.......Greetings and THANKS!!!
> Date: Sunday, February 01, 1998 1:50 PM
> 
> Greetings!!
> 
> I just returned from down at the Buffalo Nations camp in West
Yellowstone.
> I think it can best be summed up by a conversation I had with Rosalie
> Little Thunder... "you have to be carefull what you wish for 'cause with
> this campaign it always seems to happen."
> 
> The large 4 bedroom cabin began bristling with 25-30 activists when alarm
> clocks awoke the 5AM patrol members.  The activity continued late into
the
> the night as the computer and wood stove in the office glowed together as
> emails and faxes went out.
> 
> Throughout the day, the phones rang with folks asking questions and
> offering to help.
> The kitchen was continually producing healthy, tasty meals.  A baker
> donated some pastries which made the early mornings yummy.  A local had
> cleaned out her freezer and donated some game from last year.  I also
heard
> it was not unusual for a certain patrol to return and find a fresh cherry
> pie waiting for them at their rig from the local neighbor lady!
> 
> In the short time while I was there, i was wowed with the outflow of
> generosity.
> One afternoon, a kind couple unexpectedly arrived from Bozeman with warm
> blankets and food to donate.  Another man arrived from Seattle with not
> only a bunch of much needed camping gear but to stay and ski for a week
> (time off his job).  We were cleaning the kitchen and "wished" for towels
> and that evening they appeared in a large care package (complete with
gum,
> toothbrushes, kitchen hanging baskets and other goodies)!
> An elder from Texas arrived and led some smudge ceremonies to help
> volunteers process feelings of grief over the killing of the 3 mother
> buffalo and 3 calves on January 29th.
> One day, I talked with a gent from Oregon who was going to send a pair of
> waders that he rarely used.  The activists were excited to hear that!
> 
> The committed activists meet every evening and stategize logistics of the
> next days patrols.  Every buffalo near or out of the park boundaries is
> sheperded every day.  Some folks pulled double shifts to help out.  Many
> folks go up to two weeks without a day off.
> I was lucky to be there on a week with no slaughtering by the DOL.
> (perhaps??.. because our activists had gotten DOL license plates numbers
> and reported their activities of driving bison down the HIGHWAY at 11:30
> last Monday nite??)
> 
> It was amazing that as three folks left for California and Japan, two
more
> showed up to take their place.  Just about the time we needed to buy some
> more bulk food, some checks arrived in the mail to help out.
> 
> The main message I bring to you all is a big THANKS!
> This is an all volunteer effort and everyone of you who has written a
> letter, sent a check (small or large), passed on our updates to a friend
or
> went out of your way to send a donation or come to the camp to help will
be
> responsible for the success of this campaign!
> With an issue this important and vital... it is not suprising.
> 
> I don't mean to say that the struggle is getting any easier.
> Nor do I beleive that the Montana Department of Livestock will wise up
and
> stop the killing (yet).
> I just wanted to pass on the encouragment I felt that because people
trully
> care only 11 buffalo have passed over this year.
> 
> So keep up the good work.
> Support folks are vital to keeping the front line warriors in the field
> doing the hard work!
> 
> A big thanks once again to all and thanks in advance for helping to
spread
> the word and making any tax deductible donations!  Mail them to: Buffalo
> Nations; PO Box 957; West Yellowstone, MT 59758
> 
> check out these newly posted accounts from field activists:
> http://www.wildrockies.org/Buffalo/speak/speak.html
> 
> for the buffalo!
> su
> 
> ********************************************************
> This is an all volunteer effort.  Your actions make the difference.
> 
> TELL YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT the Stop-the-Slaughter SITE
> http://www.wildrockies.org/bison
> 
> ********************************************************
> Check out Buffalo Nations site!  constantly updated with new info from
the
> field!
> http://www.wildrockies.org/Buffalo
> write a letter to the editor of one of the papers listed there!
> ***********************************
> 
> For the Buffalo!
> Mitakuye Oyasin (All My Relations)
> ********************************************************
> 
> 
Date: Thu, 12 Feb 1998 06:51:58 +1100
From: Lynette Shanley 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Dr White
Message-ID: <3.0.1.32.19980212065158.00755528@lisp.com.au>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Dr White received much publicity in Australia last year in both newspapers
and TV.

What you have described sounds almost word for word what he said on the
Today Show here. Except here he went one step further and said if he wasn't
allowed to carry out one of these experiments soon he would go to Russia or
some other country where he would be given permission. 

I have also heard he made similar appearances in other countries. It seems
he is trying to get the public used to the idea so they will not be so
horrified. He is getting to much coverage for it to be anything but a
planned publicity campaign. 

Here in Australia, I wrote to the Today show and ask that the other side be
represented. They said No. On the Today show he also made rude remarks
about animal rights activists. 


Lynette Shanley
International Primate Protection League - Australia
PO Box 60
PORTLAND  NSW  2847
AUSTRALIA
Phone/Fax 02 63554026/61 2 63 554026
EMAIL ippl@lisp.com.au
Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 14:49:02 EST
From: AAVSONLINE@aol.com
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Animaleran to Donate Cat Dissection CD-Roms
Message-ID: <5381ba49.34e200b0@aol.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


CONTACT: Katherine Lewis
     Education Director
     215-887-0816



ANIMALEARN DONATES ALTERNATIVES TO CAT DISSECTION 
TO SCHOOLS ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

JENKINTOWN, PA, FEBRUARY 12, 1998 ---- In an effort to save the lives of tens
of thousands of cats, ANIMALEARN, the education division of the American Anti-
Vivisection Society (AAVS),  announced today that they will be donating a CD-
Rom alternative to cat dissection to high schools across the country.
ANIMALEARN will be presenting this alternative to schools which have the
technological capabilities to handle CD-Roms and show an intent to use this
alternative to dissection. 

More than 100,000 cats are dissected in classrooms across the country.
Hundreds of thousands of young adults in junior and senior high schools and
colleges dissect cats in courses every year.  This continues despite the fact
that out of every 1,000 students entering the fifth grade, only 220 will
graduate from college and only 40 will obtain science degrees, almost all will
dissect an animal before they leave high school.  Of those 40 who receive
their science degree, very few will enter a field where dissection experience
is even remotely related.  

Many of the cats used for dissection are obtained in a variety of different
ways, both legal and illegal.  Animal dealers have been documented obtaining
animals from "random sources" which can include shelters, stray animals, "free
to good home" ads, or pets left unattended. 

ANIMALEARN's objective is to encourage schools to explore alternatives to cat
dissection.  Katherine Lewis, Education Director, was quoted as saying,
"through this innovative CD-Rom, teachers and students will be able to explore
the cat's anatomy, while reducing the amount of cats used for dissection."
The alternative, entitled CatWorks, was designed and developed by
ScienceWorks, Inc.  The program combines the detailed study of dissection with
computer technology to bring students and teachers an effective means of
sharing the intricacies of the cat.  The CatWorks CD-Rom was developed by
teachers and specialists who are experienced in science and technology
education for the middle and high school levels.  

ANIMALEARN will also be purchasing several CatWorks CD-Roms to add to THE
SCIENCE BANK, ANIMALEARN's alternatives to dissection lending library.  THE
SCIENCE BANK offers a multitude of computer programs, CD-Roms, charts, books,
and models on loan, free to teachers and students.  ANIMALEARN  in conjunction
with AAVS will have a booth at the American Association for the Advancement of
Sciences annual meeting and Science Exposition.  In Booth 116, ANIMALEARN will
be highlighting some of the alternatives to dissection that they offer.

AAVS is a national animal protection organization.

#####

Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 16:51:06 +0000 (GMT)
From: Pat Fish 
Cc: AR-News Post 
Subject: Re: E-Mail for Vilas Monkeys
Message-ID: 
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII

To simplify the process of contacting the members, here is an e-mail listing
all in one string, delimited by commas.  Your mailer may appear truncate or
wrap this string. 

becker.jonathan@co.dane.wi.us, hendrick@co.dane.wi.us,
kesterson@co.dane.wi.us, schoer@co.dane.wi.us, stoebig@co.dane.wi.us,
hellenbrand@co.dane.wi.us, olson.larry@co.dane.wi.us,
pederson@co.dane.wi.us, blaska.michael@co.dane.wi.us, gawenda@co.dane.wi.us,
janssen@co.dane.wi.us

On Tue, 10 Feb 1998, Rick Bogle wrote:

>I was asked to re-post this information. The Ways and Means Committee meets
>tomorrow (Wed.) night to discuss and vote on Resolution 241 which would
>require the county to generate a series on options for the 150 monkeys
>currently on the block.
>
>One amendment has been added which states that no matter where they go ,
>that the county continue to track them and assure their humane care.
>
>Please e-mail the following members of the board and politely ask that they
>support Resolution 241. While you are at it, also urge them to accept the
>university's offer and take over ownership of the monkeys. The university
>has said that if the county will take over, that the university will pay
>for their upkeep during the rest of this calendar year - giving the county
>time to develop a humane and caring plan. 
>
>Should the county accept this offer, NIH monkeys win for a change.
>
> 
>Dane County Ways & Means Committee
>
>Jonathan Becker, Chair
> becker.jonathan@co.dane.wi.us
SNIP!
>
>The monkeys say, "Thanks!"
>

Date: Thu, 12 Feb 1998 06:19:24 +0800
From: bunny 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Winfrey defends self show Cattlemen vs. Oprah Winfrey
Message-ID: <1.5.4.16.19980212061146.2e87bdac@wantree.com.au>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

 Winfrey defends self, show
 Cattlemen vs. Oprah Winfrey
 
 By KAY LEDBETTER
 Globe-News Farm and Ranch Editor
 
 Oprah's on - not on television, but rather on the witness stand in the
 beef-disparagement case brought against her by area cattlemen.
 
 Oprah Winfrey took the stand much the same as she would take the stage,
 presenting a powerful presence and using the microphone with great 
skill.
 
 The talk show host turned defendant spent much of Wednesday morning in 
a
 hardball debate with plaintiff attorney Joseph Coyne over statements 
made
 on the show.
 
 Both Coyne and Winfrey used raised voices in asking or answering 
questions.
 More than 30 minutes were spent on one question concerning the 
statement
 made by Howard Lyman that mad cow disease could make AIDS look like the
 common cold.
 
 Coyne asked Winfrey whether she or her staff did anything to determine
 whether Lyman's statement was based on facts. Coyne obviously wanted 
her to
 say they did nothing, but she maintained it wasn't necessary for her or 
the
 staff to have determined the truth, only that the people on the show
 believed what they were saying.
 
 "We are a talk show, and we present guests with opposing views. We 
believe
 that Mr. Lyman believed in what he was saying, and that's what we did."
 
 Coyne asked whether she ever let the audience know this was just 
Lyman's
 opinion. "People know that because it's a talk show, not a news show or 
a
 documentary. People who watch us are wise enough and discerning enough 
to
 know opinions are being offered."
 
 In another standoff, concerning Winfrey's "that's an extreme statement"
 remark on the show, Coyne asked who put that in the script or told her 
to
 say that.
 
 "No one tells me what to say," Winfrey said.
 
 Winfrey first took the stand Tuesday afternoon and appeared at ease 
both
 days. She told reporters outside the courthouse she was not nervous.
 
 Winfrey said she had training in speech. She seemed to grow annoyed 
when
 Coyne asked her whether she had training in biology, chemistry, 
medicine,
 veterinary medicine and epidemiology.
 
 "My only training is in speech."
 
 Winfrey said she has acted in movies but does not consider herself an
 accomplished actress.
 
 "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and Winfrey herself have won about 30 combined
 Emmy awards in the 12 years on air, she said.
 
 "We've been the No. 1 syndicated talk show since we've been on the air, 
if
 you average all the markets together," she said.
 
 Coyne repeatedly questioned her about her ability to influence others, 
to
 which she said, "I believe people I speak to are intelligent enough to 
make
 decisions for themselves."
 
 Coyne said, "Your counsel indicated you are well aware you have the 
power
 to influence people. You believe with that power comes responsibility,
 don't you?"
 
 "Oh, I certainly do," Winfrey said.
 
 When asked about her reputation, she said, "I think all you have is 
your
 reputation in the end."
 
 Coyne asked Winfrey if she hadn't made her show the success it is by
 telling people she tells them the truth.
 
 "I've tried to have the show be an extension of what I am and what I 
stand
 for. What I stand for is the truth as I know it to be," Winfrey said.
 
 She said the mission of her show is "to inform, enlighten, uplift and
 entertain; to use our lives and voices as a means of service to the 
viewing
 public."
 
 Coyne asked, "Do you believe you have a responsibility to make sure
 statements made on your show are truthful and accurate?"
 
 She replied, "I make sure people coming on our show believe what they 
are
 saying is truthful and accurate, and that's why we have them sign a
 document."
 
 She said everyone at Harpo Productions bears the responsibility of 
making
 sure "The Oprah Winfrey Show" is balanced and fair and not 
inflammatory,
 qualifying it with a "to the best of our knowledge."
 
 Winfrey said she didn't do research on the show in question, "Dangerous
 Foods," but relied on her staff and the system she has in place.
 
 "Every show, and we do more than 200 a year, every show we have the 
same
 standard for ourselves," Winfrey said. "That doesn't change because 
we're
 doing a show on the safety of your food, the safety of your children or 
on
 the safety of your home. The system is in place, so they know what to 
do."
 
 She said she only spent about 15 minutes backgrounding herself on the 
mad
 cow segment but said that was plenty to ask 10 minutes worth of 
questions.
 
 "I felt I was prepared enough to ask questions of the guests who were 
there
 to talk about mad cow disease," Winfrey said.
 
 Winfrey grew short when asked wjetjer she knew the "Dangerous Foods" 
show
 could hurt the cattle industry.
 
 "I wasn't thinking about the beef industry, I was thinking about the
 consumers," Winfrey said. Asked again about the beef industry, she said 
"I
 speak for myself, and I believe I also speak for the people, I'm not
 thinking about corporations and their money."
 
 
 
=====================================================================
========
                   /`\   /`\    Rabbit Information Service,
Tom, Tom,         (/\ \-/ /\)   P.O.Box 30,
The piper's son,     )6 6(      Riverton,
Saved a pig        >{= Y =}<    Western Australia 6148
And away he run;    /'-^-'\  
So none could eat  (_)   (_)    email: rabbit@wantree.com.au
The pig so sweet    |  .  |  
Together they ran   |     |}    http://www.wantree.com.au/~rabbit/rabbit.htm
Down the street.    \_/^\_/    (Rabbit Information Service website updated
                                frequently)                                

Jesus was most likely a vegetarian... why aren't you? Go to
http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/4620/essene.htm
for more information.

It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong.
       - Voltaire

Date: Thu, 12 Feb 1998 06:41:03 +0800
From: bunny 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: PRION DISEASE, MECHANISM FOUND
Message-ID: <1.5.4.16.19980212063325.2a0f64b4@wantree.com.au>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

PRION DISEASE, MECHANISM FOUND
******************************
A ProMED-mail post

Date: Thu, 05 Feb 1998 21:04:31 -0500

Source: FSNET 


BRAIN-DESTROYING PROCESS IDENTIFIED

A team from the University of California, San Francisco, has reported in
Science that it has discovered a type of prion that attaches to a key
structure in neuron cells and triggers a signal that causes the cell to
die.   

Dr. Vishwanath R. Lingappa, the primary author, says that the research
reveals a process "that is at the heart of at least one prion disease," but
he said it is not clear if the same process occurs in all prion diseases.  

In the latest study, the California researchers used a form of mutated
prion that is different from the BSE prion in a search for an explanation
of how the proteins cause disease. Lingappa was cited as saying they found
that when the abnormal prion is made in the cell, it becomes stuck in a
structure called the endoplasmic reticulum, a membrane that makes proteins
and moves them around within the cell. When the prion is lodged in the
membrane, it triggers a signal that causes the cell to die.   

A TRANSMEMBRANE FORM OF THE PRION PROTEIN IN NEURODEGENERATIVE
DISEASE, 6
February 1998 Science Volume 279, Number 5352, pp. 827 - 834.  Ramanujan S.
Hegde, James A. Mastrianni, Michael R. Scott, Kathryn A. DeFea, Patrick
Tremblay, Marilyn Torchia, Stephen J. DeArmond, Stanley B. Prusiner,
Vishwanath R. Lingappa *  

At the endoplasmic reticulum membrane, the prion protein (PrP) can be
synthesized in several topological forms. The role of these different forms
was explored with transgenic mice expressing PrP mutations that alter the
relative ratios of the topological forms. Expression of a particular
transmembrane form (termed CtmPrP) produced neurodegenerative changes in
mice similar to those of some genetic prion diseases. Brains from these
mice contained CtmPrP but not PrPSc, the PrP isoform responsible for
transmission of prion diseases. Furthermore, in one heritable prion disease
of humans, brain tissue contained CtmPrP but not PrPSc. Thus, aberrant
regulation of protein biogenesis and topology at the endoplasmic reticulum
can result in neurodegeneration. 

--
=====================================================================
========
                   /`\   /`\    Rabbit Information Service,
Tom, Tom,         (/\ \-/ /\)   P.O.Box 30,
The piper's son,     )6 6(      Riverton,
Saved a pig        >{= Y =}<    Western Australia 6148
And away he run;    /'-^-'\  
So none could eat  (_)   (_)    email: rabbit@wantree.com.au
The pig so sweet    |  .  |  
Together they ran   |     |}    http://www.wantree.com.au/~rabbit/rabbit.htm
Down the street.    \_/^\_/    (Rabbit Information Service website updated
                                frequently)                                

Jesus was most likely a vegetarian... why aren't you? Go to
http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/4620/essene.htm
for more information.

It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong.
       - Voltaire

Date: Thu, 12 Feb 1998 06:42:46 +0800
From: bunny 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (Canada)CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE, DEER & ELK
Message-ID: <1.5.4.16.19980212063508.1adf24a8@wantree.com.au>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE, DEER & ELK - CANADA: SURVEILLANCE
**********************************************************
A ProMED-mail post


Date: Wed, 04 Feb 1998 10:23:55 -0800 (PST)
From: Frederick A. Leighton


Two Canadian provinces, at least, have initiated surveys for Chronic
Wasting Disease in wild deer. Alberta began a survey last year and
Saskatchewan is in the collection phase of its first survey year. British
Columbia has made some preliminary plans for such a survey. A great many
wild deer brains have been examined over the past 30 years by Canadian
veterinary pathologists, both wildlife disease specialists and general
veterinary diagnosticians familiar with the lesions of scrapie, the
equivalent disease in domestic sheep. No lesions typical of CWD have been
detected except as reported previously for a small number of captive mule
deer and one captive elk. Thus, there is some background evidence that the
disease does not exist in wild cervids in Canada at a prevalence detectable
under current conditions of surveillance. Further surveillance is
justified, however.  

Health Canada recognizes its responsibility with respect to public safety
and zoonotic diseases and is expanding its activity in this area. We are
indeed fortunate to have Dr. Harvey Artsob and his group and can look
forward to expanded activity in zoonotic diseases when that group is
relocated to its new facility in Winnipeg.  

Contacts regarding Health Canada's program are Dr. Artsob or Dr. Robert
Clarke  (Robert-Clarke@hc-sc.gc.ca) 

--
Frederick A. Leighton, Co-Director
Headquarters Office
Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre
University of Saskatchewan
Saskatoon,  SK  S7N 5B4
1-800- 567-2033 (Canada only)
306-966-5099
e-mail: ccwhc@sask.usask.ca
=====================================================================
========
                   /`\   /`\    Rabbit Information Service,
Tom, Tom,         (/\ \-/ /\)   P.O.Box 30,
The piper's son,     )6 6(      Riverton,
Saved a pig        >{= Y =}<    Western Australia 6148
And away he run;    /'-^-'\  
So none could eat  (_)   (_)    email: rabbit@wantree.com.au
The pig so sweet    |  .  |  
Together they ran   |     |}    http://www.wantree.com.au/~rabbit/rabbit.htm
Down the street.    \_/^\_/    (Rabbit Information Service website updated
                                frequently)                                

Jesus was most likely a vegetarian... why aren't you? Go to
http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/4620/essene.htm
for more information.

It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong.
       - Voltaire

Date: Thu, 12 Feb 1998 06:54:09 +0800
From: bunny 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (USA) Conibear inhumane trap information
Message-ID: <1.5.4.16.19980212064631.29cfda8a@wantree.com.au>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Someone has started a website opposing the Conibear trap etc

"There is a new type of trap being used by "sportsmen" that is killing pets
and has the potential to kill or maime our children.  It is called a
Conibear trap and if a pet is caught in it, there is no way for the owner,
EVEN IF HE IS RIGHT THERE to open it unless he or she has had training".

The site is at

http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Valley/4235

and the name of the page is - Stop the Use of Inhumane Traps



=====================================================================
========
                   /`\   /`\    Rabbit Information Service,
Tom, Tom,         (/\ \-/ /\)   P.O.Box 30,
The piper's son,     )6 6(      Riverton,
Saved a pig        >{= Y =}<    Western Australia 6148
And away he run;    /'-^-'\  
So none could eat  (_)   (_)    email: rabbit@wantree.com.au
The pig so sweet    |  .  |  
Together they ran   |     |}    http://www.wantree.com.au/~rabbit/rabbit.htm
Down the street.    \_/^\_/    (Rabbit Information Service website updated
                                frequently)                                

Jesus was most likely a vegetarian... why aren't you? Go to
http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/4620/essene.htm
for more information.

It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong.
       - Voltaire

Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 17:31:20 EST
From: vegan.doc@juno.com (Jerry w Vlasak)
To: ardac-sd1@juno.com, kbrooks@envirolink.org, janelleb@earthlink.net,
        ccdasilva@aol.com, fdegiac@juno.com, vgunpower@hotmail.com,
        falaco@earthlink.net, rimbaud65@aol.com, thejerry@pacbell.net,
        dhayden@envirolink.org, purexkid@aol.com, sasha_liege@link.freedom.com,
        xjihadx24@aol.com, glynn@envirolink.org, alan1@ix.netcom.com,
        purplezebra@earthlink.net, mrodrigo@indy1.calarts.edu,
        davevegan@aol.com, proftRhah@aol.com, dietrying1@aol.com,
        aeinc@mainnet.com, ppickman@ix.netcom.com, ocmozzer@aol.com,
        tradska@cats.ucsc.edu, kruegerand@aol.com, veg@scf-fs.usc.edu,
        Subhumyn@aol.com, lbtattoboy@aol.com, pupo25@aol.com, ravyn@gte.net,
        gdonath@cmcvax.mckenna.edu, pparmer@earthlink.net, fat77nova@aol.com,
        hbxedgerx@aol.com, bd669@lafn.org, garrisonmj@aol.com, vgnpwr@aol.com,
        malivenice@earthlink.net, fat81rab@aol.com, avaccfw@aol.com,
        bitterjoe@prodigy.net, briju01@cai.com, veganpunk7@hotmail.com,
Subject: Catalina Island slaughter
Message-ID: <19980211.143147.14287.2.vegan.doc@juno.com>

>From Bill Dyer (IDA Field Representative)

A massive slaughter of innocent animals has just taken place on Catalina
Island over the last 2 days. Officials in helicopters have shot at least
110 pigs and 160 goats in cold blood, claiming it was necessary to
prevent the ruination of native vegetation. Eyewitness reports indicate
many animals were only wounded, left to suffer painful and terrifying
deaths over the next few days.

The killing was sanctioned by the Catalina Island Conservancy, a
bloodthirsty group headed by one Rose Gardner. Please call and let her
know what you think of her callousness and cruelty. Her number is (310)
510-2595.

The killing was performed by the California Department of Fish and Game,
and the officer in charge was Tom Slock, who can be reached at (562)
590-5132. These sadistic animal torturers need to hear from someone with
a little compassion.

Please post this to as many lists and people as possible, including
ar-views and ar-news if possible. Thanks.
Jerry Vlasak for Bill Dyer.

_____________________________________________________________________
You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail.
Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com
Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]

Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 19:49:24 +0000 (GMT)
From: Pat Fish 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Vila RE: NIH monkey care, Dr. Peter Gerone
Message-ID: 
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII

This is what a Dane County legislator wrote regarding the monkeys:

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 15:48:02 -0600
From: "Janssen, Andy" 
To: 'Pat Fish' 
Subject: RE: NIH monkey care

Dear Mr. Fish,

Thanks for the note.  As I have become more involved in this issue, it 
occurs to me that we must do all we can to ensure the safety of these 
fine animals.

In my opinion, they have paid their dues and deserve to live out their 
days without risk of being subjected to evasive research.  Of 
particular concern is the idea of transferring any of the colony to 
the Tulane Primate Research Center.  Its director, Dr. Peter Gerone, 
is of dubious character when it come to animal research.  His 
reputation and record show virtually no regard for the treatment of 
animals used in his research.  To send the monkey there would, in my 
opinion, be shameful.

I will be working to see that the County and University can come to a 
resolution that is acceptable to the safety and well being of the 
monkeys.

Thanks for your interest.

Sincerely,


Andy Janssen
Dane County Supervisor
District 5

----------
From:  Pat Fish[SMTP:pfish@fang.cs.sunyit.edu]
Sent:  Wednesday, February 11, 1998 10:48 AM
To:  Janssen, Andy
Subject:  NIH monkey care

Dear Ways and Means Committee Member,

As you probably know, this issue is getting press outside of the 
county.
I want to express my support for any resolution that would require 
the
county to track and assure humane care of the monkeys (as judged by a 
panel
including vets, animal welfare proponents, animal rights proponents,
educational interests).

I'm under the impression that Resolution 241 supports this position, 
and
thus believe you should support 241.

I also support the suggestion that the university pay for the monkeys' 
needs
during the year.

Regards,
Patrick Fish



Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 19:59:51 -0500
From: Shirley McGreal 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Confiscated chimpanzees given to animal dealer
Message-ID: <1.5.4.32.19980212005951.00727ca8@awod.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Some weeks ago I heard of a couple named Morrow in Danville, California, who
owned two pet chimpanzees and various monkeys, and who had aroused the ire
of California Fish and Game. I didn't give this matter much attention. IPPL
opposes the primate pet trade. We want it stopped. We don't even like
Michael Jackson owning pet orangutans and chimpanzees in California.  

At around 4.50 p.m. on 11 February I received a phone-call from a California
reporter working on a story about the Morrow animals. Apparently Fish and
Game picked a Texas Class B animal dealer named Buddy Jordan to receive the
primates. The 1997 Department of Agriculture "List of Licensed Dealers"
lists "Buddy and Nancy Jordan" of NCJ Ranch, 4580 FM 1863 Bulverde TX 78163
as holders of License 74-B-0084. The reporter said that, just a few hours
ago, the chimpanzees had been trucked off, and are on their way to Texas.
Presumably the monkeys are also gone.

The reporter said the recipient was chosen by a Fish and Game veterinarian. 

Unless all the departing primates were sterilized, and/or a contract entered
into that the NBJ Ranch will do so and will not sell any of the animals
and/or their offspring, there is a possibility that some or all of the
animals could be resold or used for breeding purposes - thus furthering the
pet trade. Class B dealers are not be confused with sanctuaries, and IPPL
believes that in general they should not be recipients of confiscated animals. 

The trucks move on... 

Go figure! Shirley McGreal 




 

|--------------------------------|---------------------------------------|
| Dr. Shirley McGreal            | PHONE: 803-871-2280  FAX: 803-871-7988|      
| Int. Primate Protection League | E-MAIL: ippl@awod.com                 |
| POB 766 Summerville            | http://www.ippl.org                   |
|                                                                        |
|FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - FROM THE TREES -                                | 
|StoP tHE LogGINg oR wE WiLl coNtInUE To KiLl oNe CeleBrITY EacH WeEK.   | 
|THeRe ARe nO SkIinG "aCciDenTS"                                         | 
|--------------------------------|---------------------------------------|


Date: Thu, 12 Feb 1998 12:15:30 +1100
From: Lynette Shanley 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Circus University
Message-ID: <3.0.1.32.19980212121530.00685f28@lisp.com.au>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

FIRST CIRCUS UNIVERSITY COURSE IN AUSTRALIA. 

We often hear circus attendances are dropping. However figures from the
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) do not indicate this. At the moment
15 national circuses are touring the country. This does not include visits
from overseas circuses and the Circus Oz and Flying Fruitfly circus, both
of which do not use animals. The 15 touring the country at the moment are
all traditional circuses. This is more than double the amount of circuses
that toured the country during the golden age of circuses between the
second world war and the introduction of TV. 

The circus is amongst the top five entertainers for Australians, Figures
from the ABS show that in 1995 11% of the country population visited
circuses. The figure for city dwellers is much lower. However figures from
the circus industry reveal that in 1997 approx 4,000,000 Australians
visited circuses. This is out of a population of approx 18,000,000. 

Ashton's circus has an annual audience of 365,000 and Perry's 100,000. This
is only two of the 15 touring the country at the moment. 

Circuses are so popluar that plans are afoot to launch Australia's first
tertiary level circus school in Victoria. It is hoped it will extend into a
three year university bachelor course. 

Circuses are now extending their activities to include juggling lessons
whilst in town and educational activities whilst in town. Circuses are
taking on these extra activities to increase audience levels.  

Protests in Australia against circuses all take place in the city. However,
it is the country people that love circuses and the protests do not reach
them. 

Probably the only way to stop the popularity of circuses in the country is
to offer some alternative form of entertainment. Country areas are often
devoid of entertainment except for the local pub. When the circus arrives
in the country areas everyone gets excited, comes into town and makes a
social occasion of it. The circus coming to town is something to get happy
about. No thought of course is given to the animals. 

It is anticipated there will be plenty of work for the circus school
graduates. One circus, the Rock and Roll circus, had to suspend its 1997
tour because of lack of staff and Circus Oz had to suspend performances for
6 weeks in the middle of 1997 to train artists. 



   
Lynette Shanley
International Primate Protection League - Australia
PO Box 60
PORTLAND  NSW  2847
AUSTRALIA
Phone/Fax 02 63554026/61 2 63 554026
EMAIL ippl@lisp.com.au
Date: Thu, 12 Feb 1998 09:23:18 +0800
From: bunny 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (Malaysia)Austrlaian Livestock stranded on ship
Message-ID: <1.5.4.16.19980212091538.3e3fc208@wantree.com.au>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Livestock stranded
by George Boylen
West Australian (12/2/98)

A cargo of 2400 cattle and goats
shipped from Geraldton [Western Australia]
to Malaysia in January are stranded on board ship in
sweltering conditions at Port Klang,
near Kuala Lumpur.

A Kuala Lumpur newspaper reported yesterday
that the stock were in danger of dying.

They have been stranded since January 29th when agents
representing five importing companies refused to take delivery of them.

The animals, shipped from Geraldton on January 21 on board the Anomis,
were to have been slaughtered for sale during the Chinese Lunar New Year and
Muslim Eid-al-Fitr celebrations at the end of January.

The ship's local agents cancelled the order on January 27 when it failed to
arrive
at Port Klang. The ship arrived two days later and anchored off Port Klang,
Malaysia's biggest port, when the agents refused to bring it into dock.

Agricultural Exports, a WA firm with offices in Forrestfield, is taking
legal action to bring the ship to port to release the animals. The case goes
to the 
High Court in Kuala Lumpur today.

The firm's export manager Rocco Sacca, said that by not receiving the cargo
the agent was committing cruelty to the animals.

"As a regular customer the agent knows that it takes between nine and 10
days to deliver the cargo and the five clients who ordered the livestocl are
willing to accept them." Mr Sacca said. He did not know if any of the stock
had died.

End


=====================================================================
========
                   /`\   /`\    Rabbit Information Service,
Tom, Tom,         (/\ \-/ /\)   P.O.Box 30,
The piper's son,     )6 6(      Riverton,
Saved a pig        >{= Y =}<    Western Australia 6148
And away he run;    /'-^-'\  
So none could eat  (_)   (_)    email: rabbit@wantree.com.au
The pig so sweet    |  .  |  
Together they ran   |     |}    http://www.wantree.com.au/~rabbit/rabbit.htm
Down the street.    \_/^\_/    (Rabbit Information Service website updated
                                frequently)                                

Jesus was most likely a vegetarian... why aren't you? Go to
http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/4620/essene.htm
for more information.

It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong.
       - Voltaire

Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 22:42:56 -0500
From: allen schubert 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Cc: Project Equus 
Subject: (US) Supporter of PMU Ranching Selected for WH&B Advisory
Message-ID: <3.0.32.19980211224249.006a937c@pop3.clark.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

posted for Project Equus 
------------------------------------------- 
On June 6, 1997 the BLM began soliciting nominations
for a Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board that the
agency was re-establishing.  The re-establishment of
this board was the BLM's effort to "improve manage-
ment of the 42,000 wild horse and burros" on BLM
land.
 
Nine people have been selected.  Among these
people is Dr. Nat Messer, who chairs the Equine
Welfare Committee for the American Association
of Equine Practitioners.
 
Dr. Messer has been at the forefront of advising
Wyeth-Ayerst, manufacturer of Premarin, on how to
"better manage" horses on PMU ranches.

In a March 1997 article published by the AAEP,
Messer is quoted as saying, "It is my opinion that
mares being utilized for collection of pregnant mare
urine are not being abused, neglected or treated
inhumanely...I feel this industry does represent a
responsible use of horses and that using horses to
produce a commodity for the benefit of mankind is
appropriate, as long as the horses receive the type of
humane care they do on these farms."

This industry that represents the "responsible use of
horses" claims the lives of tens of thousands foals
and exhausted mares each year, most of whom are sold
to slaughter.  Clearly, Messer has no problem with this.
Do we dare trust his opinion on what is best for
the remaining wild horses and burros?

If you object to Messer's appointment, you can write
to:

Mr. Patrick A. Shea, Director
Bureau of Land Management
Department of Interior
1849 C St NW
Washington DC 20240

------------------------------------------------------------
PROJECT EQUUS:
 
"We Are The Future For Horses;
 We Are A Breed Apart"

Visit us at:   http://www.projectequus.org
E-mail us at:   equus@projectequus.org
-------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 19:29:42
From: David J Knowles 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: [UK] Winter saved coast from full effects of Sea Empress spill
Message-ID: <3.0.3.16.19980211192942.2fbf059c@dowco.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit

>From The Electronic Telegraph - Thursday, February 12th, 1998

Winter saved coast from full effects of Sea Empress spill
By Charles Clover, Environment Editor 

A FORTUNATE combination of factors spared many birds, fish and holiday
beaches after the grounding of the Sea Empress oil tanker, a report found
yesterday.

The accident on Feb 15 1996 cost up to £100 million in losses to the
tourist trade and bills to clear the 72,000 tons of oil from Milford Haven,
Pembrokeshire. But Prof Ron Edwards, chairman of the Sea Empress
Environmental Evaluation Committee, said the pollution would have caused
more damage if the ship had run aground in summer. Birds would have been
nesting and tourist resorts full.

The spillage was the third largest to hit the British coast. But he said
that it could have been a lot worse, and said: "We were very fortunate. But
that is not to say that it was minimal. It happened when the birds were not
nesting and the fish were not spawning. The wind was blowing offshore and
as a result the oil was largely dispersed. Tourist beaches were not crowded
and there was time to clean up before they arrived." 

The findings of the two-year study, the subject of a three-day conference
in Cardiff this week, highlight several shortcomings in the way such
incidents are handled. It referred to the amount of time and money spent
trying to save seabirds which either did not survive being cleaned or died
soon after being released. A special survey found that more than 70 per
cent of guillemots died within 14 days of release and only three per cent
survived for two months.

Of the 3,000 birds rescued, 60 per cent lived. The best survival rate was
among mute swans, while the worst was among guillemots and red-throated
divers. The study concluded that there was "no conservation case for
cleaning". It asked whether it was not better to kill some birds humanely
when they were found, rather than put them through the stress of cleaning.

The RSPCA, which was largely responsible for collecting and organising the
cleaning of the oiled birds, was asked to ensure tougher standards when
volunteers were recruited. There was criticism that some of those who
helped the operation were unskilled in handling the birds.

A total of 7,000 oiled birds were washed ashore but many more died at sea.
The study said that, two years on, those most affected included the common
scoter ducks. The winter after the spill, 10,000 fewer of the ducks visited
the area.

At West Angle Bay, across from where the tanker ran aground, the population
of rare cushion star was reduced from 150 to 13. The report said the
shoreline ecology was recovering, but in sheltered areas recovery might
take years.

Many limpets and other molluscs died on heavily oiled shores. This led to a
 "green flush" of algae and weed which they would normally have eaten.
Small crustaceans, such as shrimps and sand hoppers were also killed in
large numbers. There appeared to be no impact on seals, porpoises and other
mammals.

Although oil levels increased in the tissue of some fish species
temporarily, very few died. The report said fish and mammals were able to
avoid the worst of the oil and any that they absorbed was probably broken
down by their enzyme systems. It said that 40 per cent of the oil
evaporated soon after the spill, 52 per cent was broken down by
micro-organisms and a
small amount was stranded on shore.

A year later, less than one per cent remained on the coastline and only a
small amount was found in a form that could cause long-term environmental
problems. Tourist beaches, including Tenby, were cleaned up enough to allow
holidaymakers to use them at Easter, nine weeks after the spill. The
economic effect to tourism was far less than expected.

Though fishing was banned for 810 square miles as a precaution to protect
public health, no damage had been found to any major fish stock, including
salmon and sea trout. The local fishing industry suffered losses from the
ban estimated at £7-12 million.

The report said the clean-up of more than 120 miles of coastline was
handled well. The use of chemical dispersants almost certainly reduced the
levels of oil on the shore and the number of birds affected at sea. The
committee called for a statutory duty to be placed on all coastal local
authorities to have oil spill contingency plans, as Dyfed county council
had in this case.

Prof Edwards said Lord Donaldson made a similar recommendation after his
inquiry into the Braer disaster, but nothing had been done. The committee,
which was set up by the Government, also said there was a need for the
monitoring of wildlife damage to start immediately after a  spillage and
for better monitoring of wildlife movements.

It suggested that an overall commander be appointed at the scene of a major
incident to act as a spokesman. It also called for compensation for the
cost of environmental impact studies to come from the shipping and oil
companies responsible.

Calls for a year-round oil watch tug to be stationed in the Western
Approaches were rejected yesterday by the transport minister, Glenda
Jackson. Prof Edwards was asked if this was an unwise decision given  that
a fast-response vessel might have averted the Sea Empress accident. He
said: "I would have preferred to have the tug."

Ron Davies, the Secretary of State for Wales, welcomed the report and asked
for comments on any of the recommendations.He said: "I'm pleased that the
report shows that the clean-up operation was effective and there appear to
have been few major long-term effects."

However, Friends of the Earth said it was far too early to know how much
damage to wildlife had been caused. Gordon James, a spokesman, said:  "Oil
can still be found in some of the sheltered bays of Milford Haven. It's too
early to know exactly what damage has been done. More studies will have to
be carried out."

© Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1998. 
Date: Thu, 12 Feb 1998 12:44:32 +0000
From: jwed 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (CN) Australian cattle
Message-ID: <3.0.5.32.19980212124432.007cf7b0@pop.hkstar.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

 China Daily - 12th February 1998

CHENGDU -- The Sichuan Xing'ao Cattle Co in Sichuan Province has imported
1,200 head of cattle from Australia through the southern port of Beihai.
The cattle will be used to improve breeds in Sichuan, according to the
importer. This is the largest number of cattle China has imported, which
means a big leap toward large-scale beef cattle raising. Sichuan's goal is
to become a major livestock producer in China. 


Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 23:58:19 -0500
From: allen schubert 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (US) Brokers testify quickly at Winfrey trial
Message-ID: <3.0.32.19980211235817.0074ea58@pop3.clark.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

from Amarillo Globe-News http://www.amarillonet.com/
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Web posted Wednesday, February 11, 1998 7:22 p.m. CT

Brokers testify quickly at Winfrey trial
Cattlemen vs. Oprah Winfrey

By CHIP CHANDLER
Globe-News Staff Writer

The focus of the Oprah Winfrey beef-defamation trial shifted from the talk
show stage to the commodity trading pits during Day 17 of the trial.

Two brokers testified in less than two hours on Wednesday afternoon, a
faster pace than the trial has exhibited so far. Previously, witnesses
remained on the stand for several hours at a time.

Chicago brokers Fred Moore and Tim Brennan said they were on the floor of
the Chicago Mercantile Exchange on the morning of April 16, 1996, the day a
Winfrey show on dangerous foods aired. The show began with a segment on
bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad cow disease.

Moore, an Amarillo native, said he was told before the market opened at
9:05 a.m. that a segment on BSE was expected on the show, which aired at 9
a.m.

"Although I had concerns for what was going to air on `The Oprah Winfrey
Show,' I didn't expect anything catastrophic," Moore said.

But the market hit its lowest level possible in one day about one hour
after the show aired, he said.

Moore said he sold contracts on beef that day because "I was fearful that
`The Oprah Winfrey Show' would have a negative impact on the demand for the
product."

Under questioning by Winfrey's attorney, Charles Babcock, Moore said he is
not an objective witness.

"I thought that a really gross injustice had been done (on the show) . .
.," he said.

Brennan, an executive vice-president with a Chicago brokerage firm, said he
saw a lot of "aggressive" selling activity as the show aired. He said he
watched a portion of the show in a break room on the floor of the exchange.

Brennan said he thought the show would have a "dramatic impact on demand."

"You think (Winfrey) ought to pay $10 million because you thought what she
said would stop housewives from buying hamburgers?" Babcock asked.

"This is true," Brennan answered.

He also testified that high grain prices were not responsible for the low
cattle prices because they were "old news."

Babcock then played an excerpt from an interview with Brennan aired by WLS,
an ABC affiliate in Chicago, the day after the show ran.

"We're not here (at low market prices) because of the Oprah Winfrey segment
yesterday," Brennan said on the tape. "One of the biggest ingredients have
been these extraordinarily high grain prices."

Under later questioning by plaintiffs' attorney Joseph Coyne, Brennan said
his quote was out of context. He said grain prices had caused cattle prices
to be $10 lower than a year before, but that the Winfrey show was "a hammer
. . . an explosive event" that caused prices to plummet in one day.

Brennan then said, under further questioning by Babcock, that he had a
profitable day despite the crash, making between $6-to-7,000.

Brennan and Moore testified after another plaintiffs' witness said that an
E. coli scare was "relatively old news."

A segment on the "Dangerous Foods" episode on the bacterial disease did not
have the "shock potential" that the mad cow disease segment did, Dr. Wayne
Purcell said.


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