AR-NEWS Digest 465

Topics covered in this issue include:

  1) Korean Dairy Unveils New Identity
     by Vadivu Govind 
  2) (HK) Spreading river pollution takes heavy toll on oysters
     by Vadivu Govind 
  3) (US) Little Pig, Are You Comfortable?
     by allen schubert 
  4) Admin Note--Subscription Options
     by allen schubert 
  5) (RU) Russia Faults Belgium on Brit. Beef
     by allen schubert 
  6) A pathetic attempt 
     by Hillary 
  7) Cats in Singapore
     by Patrick Nolan 
  8) [CA] Buddhists liberate the living
     by David J Knowles 
  9) Oops (Re: Singaporean cats)
     by Patrick Nolan 
 10) Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease (Australia)
     by bunny 
 11) Tribunal refuses to block rabbit virus.(Aust)
     by bunny 
 12) Re: Emu Clubbing
     by Mesia Quartano 
 13) Dead man eaten by pet dogs in NY apartment
     by Mesia Quartano 
 14) Bad News Belugas
     by David J Knowles 
 15) (UK) Brit Gov't Closes Two Meat Plants
     by allen schubert 
 16) (AU) Put koalas on menu - environment chief
     by Vadivu Govind 
 17) (AU) Thousands of dead fish found
     by Vadivu Govind 
 18) Scientists find growth gene in mice
     by Vadivu Govind 
Date: Mon, 14 Jul 1997 13:55:41 +0800 (SST)
From: Vadivu Govind 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Korean Dairy Unveils New Identity
Message-ID: <199707140555.NAA27931@eastgate.cyberway.com.sg>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"


>The Korea Herald
14 July 97
 Already Nation's Largest Dairy Products Brand, Seoul Dairy Unveils
     New Identity as It Turns 60 

     This July 11 proved an auspicious date for Seoul Dairy Co-op. For one,
the nonprofitcooperative celebrated its 60th anniversary. In addition, it
marked the establishment of a brand-new corporate identity. 

     The co-op, affiliated with over 6,000 stock-raisers, or milk ranchers,
has adopted a new logo incorporating the symbol of ``taegeuk,'' or
``yin-yang.'' The logo symbolizes the balance of  nature and technology
involved in the production of quality dairy products. 

     The cooperative has also introduced a new corporate mascot symbolizing
health _ the Seoul  Dairy Co-op's ``Super Cowboy.'' The new logo and mascot
will appear on all of the co-op's   products and public relations materials. 

This month, Seoul Dairy is launching a series of events to celebrate its
60th anniversary and  publicize its dramatic growth since its foundation in
1937. ``Seoul Dairy has been a prime  mover in the nation's milk processing
industry and has grown into Korea's largest  representative brand,'' said
Cho Kwang-hyun, president of Seoul Dairy Co-operative. 

     By the end of 1997, Seoul Dairy expects to be firmly established as the
nation's leading milk producer, with a sales turnover of 610 billion won for
its daily sales volume of 9 million packs of 200-ml milk. The cooperative is
also likely to snatch up a 50-percent share of the Korea's cheese market
within the year. 

     Seoul Dairy's confidence is expressed through its new corporate slogan:
``For Korea, there is Seoul Milk.'' Now that the cooperative has established
its own technology research center, a  powerhouse of R&D for advanced new
products, its name has become synonymous with fresh dairy products, Cho
said. The cooperative's whole range of dairy products is produced  through
Seoul Dairy's three automated plants in Yangju, Yongin and Ansan. 

     The dairy's Ansan plant, with its fully-automated, computer-controlled
manufacturing process,  is the largest plant for general dairy products in
Asia. The facility is capable of treating 780    tons of unprocessed milk
every day. The cooperative's nationwide distribution network of 16  branch
offices and more than 900 sales spots enables it to deliver its dairy
products to every
corner of the nation within a single day. 

     ``We have introduced the EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) to build a
high-performance nationwide transportation network, which has revolutionized
the whole process, from the   ordering of dairy products, to production, to
business management and distribution,'' Cho   said. The streamlined
electronic distribution system has created easy access to first-line
delivery spots across the country through its computerized intracompany
network. 

     To expand its business, Seoul Dairy inked an agreement with dairy
cooperatives in Taejon and South Chungchong Province on joint business
cooperation last January. The joint business agreement was the first of its
kind among the nation's milk rancher cooperatives. 

     Seoul Dairy expects that the joint cooperation project will boost the
productivity of dairy farms in those districts while improving the )quality
of unprocessed milk. ``It has given our company quite a boost when it comes
to strengthening our competitiveness in the market and securing a base of
production in the central part of the nation,'' Cho said. ``It has also saved
 us on distribution costs.'' 

     Unlike other milk producers, Seoul Dairy began producing the its full
range of high-quality  milk products by purchasing first-grade unprocessed
milk with a low level of bacteria. This move, which started May 1 of this
year, will not result in the hiking of consumer prices.
     ``Every now and then, our competitors try to enter the market by
launching a new product at a higher price yet lower quantity,'' Cho said.
``But we went against this trend.'' 

     The co-op's products which include first-grade unprocessed milk are
``Enfant'' milk, low-fat ``Rhythm'' milk, high-fat ``4.3DHA'' milk, ``Heart
Saver'' milk (a product favored by adults   and produced according to FDA
standards) and ``Seoul'' milk. In addition to its milk products, Seoul Dairy
produces yogurt and yogurt drinks like ``Yodeli Queen,'' ``Yodeli  Queen
Drink'' yogurt, ``Enfant Drink'' yogurt, ``Enfant Porte'' and ``Drink''
yogurt to cater to  the health-conscious tastes of many of its customers. 

     Cheese and butter are also among the firm's main product items. They
comprise ``Enfant''  cheese, pizza cheese, shredded cheese, sliced cheddar
cheese, ``Emmental'' cheese, salad cheese, cheese slices and garlic butter.
Other products include dairy beverages, fruit juice, ice cream, milk powder
and condensed milk. Among Seoul Dairy's other accomplishments is its
introduction of the ``cold chain system'' in its manufacturing process. This
differentiates it from other milk producers, which often employ the system
only for high-priced dairy products. 
``Upgrading the quality of our milk to protect the interest of our customers
has been our  fundamental mission,'' Cho said. Seoul Dairy's business
philosophy has also been reflected in   guidance activities for livestock
raisers or milk ranches. In support of over 6,000 milk  ranchers, the
nonprofit cooperative has funneled 35 billion won annually into such goals
as  improving existing facilities, upgrading the overall stock-raising
environment and restructuring
 the Korean dairy industry through varied guidance activities. 

     Its first attempt to use first-grade unprocessed milk into its milk
products without raising consumer prices resulted from cooperative members'
unsparing investment and efforts toward    quality improvement, Cho said.
Under its commitment to return its profits to the society, Seoul  Dairy has
been staging programs like athletic events, including three categories of
children's  sports competiti ons. During the thanksgiving festival in July,
dubbed the ``Festival of Love for  Milk and Customers,'' the cooperative
will provide cold-storage bags for households upon     request. 
In addition, Seoul Dairy will donate 1 percent of ``Enfant'' milk sales to
help hunger-stricken     children in North Korea. At the ceremony
commemorating its 60th anniversary, outstanding     employees and
cooperative members were awarded prizes. The ceremony celebrated the
publishing of the ``Yearbook of Seoul Dairy's Six Decades,'' which outlines
the history of the     Korean dairy cooperative from 1937, when it was
established under the name of Kyongsung
Dairy Cooperative, to the present. (SKH) 


Date: Mon, 14 Jul 1997 13:56:10 +0800 (SST)
From: Vadivu Govind 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (HK) Spreading river pollution takes heavy toll on oysters
Message-ID: <199707140556.NAA30467@eastgate.cyberway.com.sg>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"



>South China Morning Post
Monday  July 14  1997

     Spreading river pollution takes heavy toll on
     oysters

     FIONA HOLLAND

     Oysters may soon be a memory, their legacy piles of empty shells
littering the coast.

     The oysters' breeding grounds in Deep Bay are becoming increasingly
polluted as  population, industry and farming spread along mainland rivers.

     The Shenzhen River and Yuen Long Creek drain into the bay, bringing
with them a potent mix of pollutants which can lodge inside filter-feeding
shellfish, such as oysters.
Lau Fau Shan on the tip of the northwest New Territories is famed for its
oysters, which have been harvested for several hundred years. But the
industry is under threat  from food poisoning.

     Fears of escalating pollution 20 years ago sparked the slow demise of
Lau Fau Shan as  a magnet for seafood lovers when university research
discovered high levels of the  heavy metal cadmium. In 1995 the news was
worse: two out of six oysters contained the hepatitis A virus.

     Last summer the crabs and worms of the Deep Bay mudflats, on which
migratory birds feed, all but disappeared, raising concerns about pollution
levels.

     Friends of the Earth spokesman Lisa Hopkinson said Deep Bay was the
second most  polluted body of water in Hong Kong after Victoria Harbour.
"You have the whole sweep of pollutants from organic waste to
non-biodegradable toxins such as heavy metals and organochlorines
[pesticides]," she said.

     Straightening the Shenzhen River not only churned up toxins buried deep
in the mud but swept more into Deep Bay.

     "What it means is pollutants will actually sweep down faster because
there is better drainage," she said.

     Environmental Protection officials deny Hong Kong is to blame for
deteriorating water quality, and await information from the Shenzhen
authorities.

Oysters, like other shellfish, feed by filtering plankton from the water, a
process which  also absorbs toxins such as heavy metals, pesticides and
bacteria from sewage.


Date: Mon, 14 Jul 1997 19:48:47 -0400
From: allen schubert 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (US) Little Pig, Are You Comfortable?
Message-ID: <3.0.32.19970714194844.006a04fc@clark.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Article about research in factory farming.
from AP Wire page:
-------------------------------------
 07/14/1997 01:53 EST

 Little Pig, Are You Comfortable?

 By ROGER MUNNS
 Associated Press Writer

 AMES, Iowa (AP) -- Little pigs grow best when they are comfortable -- not
 too hot, not too cold.

 So how do you know when they are comfortable?

 Ask the pig.

 Hongwei Xin, an assistant professor at Iowa State University, is trying
 to do just that with a computer that measures the comfort of pigs by the
 way they position themselves at rest.

 ``You won't have to guess and you won't have to stay around all day to
 adjust the thermostat. Instead, you let the pigs be the thermostat,''
 said Xin (pronounced Shin).

 ``It will be interesting to see if he can succeed,'' said Jon Caspers, a
 past president of the Iowa Pork Producers Association, which is financing
 Xin's work. ``This (invention) would allow us to fine-tune the system and
 ask the pig what is most comfortable.''

 A chilly pig will burn calories just to stay warm, which is an
 inefficient use of feed, while a warm pig will not feel like eating at
 all.

 ``Right now, a lot of producers compensate for their lack of knowledge by
 providing different environments in the same pen. They might put a
 heating lamp over part of the pen, so if the pig is cold he can go over
 there and get warm,'' Caspers said.

 Simply providing a constant temperature is not the answer, Xin said.
 Seventy degrees with a draft is a lot different than 70 degrees in calm
 air. Also, pigs prefer lower temperatures at different times of the day.

 Xin's idea is to take a picture of just-weaned pigs at rest, using an
 overhead camera. The image is digitized and a computer analyzes the
 amount of space between the animals to determine if they are comfortable.
 Based on that conclusion, the computer then sends a message to the
 thermostat.

 Xin's experiment is taking place in a make-do research lab on the north
 end of the Iowa State campus. For now, the pigs are fake -- cardboard
 cutout pictures of pigs in a make-believe pen. These pigs always rest,
 but real pigs are not too different, Xin said.

 With real pigs, he must find a way to make sure the image fed to the
 computer is really of pigs at rest, not moving pigs. One solution is for
 the computer to compare the position of the animals in pictures taken at
 intervals, say 10 or 20 minutes. If they are the same, the animals are
 presumably resting.

 Another problem is to make sure the picture ``looks at'' only the pigs,
 filtering out the slats of their pen or manure.

 Xin and his helpers are getting pretty good at this part. The next step
 is to digitize the image and feed it to a computer that is programmed to
 know the ultimate in pig comfort.

 ``When they barely touch each other, they're comfortable,'' Xin said.
 Pigs that seek as much distance as possible are too hot, while those that
 huddle next to others are too cold.

 Xin's team is trying to develop a program that analyzes the space between
 the animals. If there is not enough space, for example, the program would
 tell the thermostat to move up.

 Xin hopes to have a prototype within a year.

Date: Mon, 14 Jul 1997 19:50:04 -0400
From: allen schubert 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Admin Note--Subscription Options
Message-ID: <3.0.32.19970714195001.006a04fc@clark.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

a routine posting.......

Here are some items of general information (found in the "welcome letter"
sent when people subscribe--but often lose!)...included:  how to post and
how to change your subscription status (useful if you are going on
vacation--either by "unsubscribe" or "postpone").
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Date: Mon, 14 Jul 1997 20:07:10 -0400
From: allen schubert 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (RU) Russia Faults Belgium on Brit. Beef
Message-ID: <3.0.32.19970714200708.006a94a0@clark.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

mad cow disease/UK beef
from AP Wire page:
-------------------------------------
 07/11/1997 12:35 EST

 Russia Faults Belgium on Brit. Beef

 MOSCOW (AP) -- Belgium exported more than 700 tons of British beef to
 Russia using forged papers, an action that could damage relations between
 the countries, Russia's prime minister said Friday.

 Viktor Chernomyrdin said those who sent potentially tainted meat to
 Russia should be branded ``criminals,'' adding that he would raise the
 issue during a previously scheduled visit to Belgium on July 17-19.

 ``The problem affects ... our bilateral relations,'' the premier said
 Friday, according to Russian news agencies.

 ``Russia will make no compromises in tough veterinarian control over the
 quality of meat taken from abroad,'' Chernomyrdin said.

 Russia's Agriculture and Food Minister Viktor Khlystun said that about
 730 tons of British beef had been exported to Russia via Belgium in
 violation of a worldwide ban on British beef exports.

 The imported meat had forged papers, according to the Russian officials,
 who have not said when the meat was imported or where it was sold in
 Russia.

 The officials have said none of the meat was tested, because it was
 assumed to be from Belgium. There is no indication that the meat has
 resulted in any illnesses in Russia.

 The European Union imposed the ban on British beef in March 1996 after a
 potential link was established between mad cow disease -- also known as
 bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) -- and a fatal human ailment
 called Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease.

 The European Union head office in Brussels, Belgium, said last week that
 it had uncovered evidence of illegal exports of British beef.

 EU officials provided few details, but members of the Socialist faction
 of the Strasbourg-based European Parliament said the fraud involved the
 illegal export of 700 tons of British beef.

 According to a Socialist party statement, a Belgian firm obtained beef
 slaughtered in Britain, removed its British stamps, and re-stamped it as
 Belgian.

 The statement said the beef was then exported to Russia, Egypt and
 Bosnia. Some beef may also have gone to Spain and France.

Date: Mon, 14 Jul 1997 11:18:59 -0700
From: Hillary 
To: "ar-news@envirolink.org" 
Subject: A pathetic attempt 
Message-ID: <3.0.32.19970714111857.00683b80@pop01.ny.us.ibm.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Subj:Little Pig, Are You Comfortable?


.c The Associated Press

      By ROGER MUNNS
      AMES, Iowa (AP) - Little pigs grow best when they are
comfortable - not too hot, not too cold.
      So how do you know when they are comfortable?
      Ask the pig.
      Hongwei Xin, an assistant professor at Iowa State University, is
trying to do just that with a computer that measures the comfort of
pigs by the way they position themselves at rest.
      ``You won't have to guess and you won't have to stay around all
day to adjust the thermostat. Instead, you let the pigs be the
thermostat,'' said Xin (pronounced Shin).
      ``It will be interesting to see if he can succeed,'' said Jon
Caspers, a past president of the Iowa Pork Producers Association,
which is financing Xin's work. ``This (invention) would allow us to
fine-tune the system and ask the pig what is most comfortable.''
      A chilly pig will burn calories just to stay warm, which is an
inefficient use of feed, while a warm pig will not feel like eating
at all.
      ``Right now, a lot of producers compensate for their lack of
knowledge by providing different environments in the same pen. They
might put a heating lamp over part of the pen, so if the pig is
cold he can go over there and get warm,'' Caspers said.
      Simply providing a constant temperature is not the answer, Xin
said. Seventy degrees with a draft is a lot different than 70
degrees in calm air. Also, pigs prefer lower temperatures at
different times of the day.
      Xin's idea is to take a picture of just-weaned pigs at rest,
using an overhead camera. The image is digitized and a computer
analyzes the amount of space between the animals to determine if
they are comfortable. Based on that conclusion, the computer then
sends a message to the thermostat.
      Xin's experiment is taking place in a make-do research lab on
the north end of the Iowa State campus. For now, the pigs are fake
- cardboard cutout pictures of pigs in a make-believe pen. These
pigs always rest, but real pigs are not too different, Xin said.
      With real pigs, he must find a way to make sure the image fed to
the computer is really of pigs at rest, not moving pigs. One
solution is for the computer to compare the position of the animals
in pictures taken at intervals, say 10 or 20 minutes. If they are
the same, the animals are presumably resting.
      Another problem is to make sure the picture ``looks at'' only
the pigs, filtering out the slats of their pen or manure.
      Xin and his helpers are getting pretty good at this part. The
next step is to digitize the image and feed it to a computer that
is programmed to know the ultimate in pig comfort.
      ``When they barely touch each other, they're comfortable,'' Xin
said. Pigs that seek as much distance as possible are too hot,
while those that huddle next to others are too cold.
      Xin's team is trying to develop a program that analyzes the
space between the animals. If there is not enough space, for
example, the program would tell the thermostat to move up.
      Xin hopes to have a prototype within a year.
      AP-NY-
Date: Mon, 14 Jul 1997 12:50:40 -0400
From: Patrick Nolan 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Cats in Singapore
Message-ID: <33CA58E0.347F2F21@animalwelfare.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Hello,
     I hope to have some good news soon, but in the meantime I'm
forwarding the following... particularly gruesome is the part about how
in Singapore, the dumping of kittens brings "good luck."

>>From peacock@wizard.net Sat Jul 12 16:39:18 1997
>Date: Sat, 12 Jul 1997 16:29:04 -0700
>From: Aleta Clayton 
>MIME-Version: 1.0
>Subject: HELP ONE, HELP ALL SINGAPORE CATS
>X-Priority: 3 (Normal)
>
>Peacock is being a pest again.
>
>She insists that I ask you once again to help the Singapore cats. (If
>you've already done everything you possibly can, go get yourself some
>tuna and whipped cream. And then find someone else to help these cats.)

>
>What's so special here?
>
>Every nation has a problem of homeless animals. But Singapore is
>different. The government itself has created a climate in which pets
are
>
>disposable and even private compassion is discouraged. Worse still, it
>is a crime to criticize that government. A crime to express outrage
>about policies creating intentional strays.
>
>In Singapore, thousands of homeless cats and dogs are left to starve
and
>
>die.  But in the wealthy Republic of Singapore, the government does not

>spend a dime for shelters, rescue organizations and spay-neuter. The
>only animal organization is the SPCA, which receives no government
>funding and which was forced to euthanize 9883 animals last year while
>finding homes for only a few. The government's PPD collected another
>10,000; that department is responsible for colllecting trash, not
>helping homeless animals.
>
>How to deal with the problem of homeless animals? This is what PPD
>spokesman S.Y. Goh says,"The most effective way to keep the numbers of
>strays in check is not to feed them." Not spay-neuter, not humane
>shelters, not support for rescue organizations. Just don't feed them
and
>
>they will "go away" -- but there is no place left to go on the island
of
>
>Singapore. Recently, an elderly woman was arrested for feeding homeless

>cats.
>
>Much of the problem is intentional. In the 1970s, the government opened

>new housing developments and ordered citizens to turn in their animals
>for euthanasia. Some refused and left their animals to the streets.
Now,
>
>homeless animals have no place to go but to parts of the city scheduled

>for another wave of  massive economic development. Some Singaporeans
>dump the kittens they've acquired on the street to celebrate the New
>Year; it is said to "bring good luck." Others dump pets after a few
>months, when they are no longer amusing toys.
>
>Public education? This is one "children's story" the government proudly

>posts on its website: A little girl has a goldfish, but her brother
gets
>
>a cat who eats the goldfish. She retaliates by getting a St. Bernard,
>who tries to eat the cat and tips over furniture in the process. Dad
>intervenes, telling the children they do not know how to take care of
>pets and that both the cat and dog must go back to the "pet store."
>That same government has a poster at the government airport showing the

>happy face of a homeless cat.
>
>There are two things we can do now:
>
>1.  PETITION THE GOVERNMENT OF SINGAPORE FOR KINDNESS TO ANIMALS
>
>Send your own message to me with copy to janalee@pacific.net.sg and be
>sure to say whether your name can be used or just your initials and
your
>city/state or country.
>
>If you only have a second, read this:
>
>I urge the government of Singapore to fund spay/neuter, humane shelters

>and rescue organizations, safe havens for homeless cats, public
>education and everything else in its power to become an international
>model of commitment to kindness to animals.
>
>Then just hit the reply button for e-mail and type "I AGREE," but if
you
>use this form, you'll have to give your name and city/state or country
>such as JSmith, NYC, because anonymous agreement with a form petition
is
>not going to be taken seriously. Do try to send an individual e-mail if

>you can though.
>
>Your voice will then be added to give a voice for the homeless animals
>of
>Singapore. (It would be even better to write your own brief message).
>
>2. RELOCATE TIGGER AND MISSY
>
>By the time we're done, relocating 4 Singapore hedge cats -- KitKat,
>Julius, Tigger and Missy -- to the US for foster care and adoption
homes
>
>will cost as much as a tourist trip to Singapore. By rescuing these few

>cats among thousands, we're saying that's how we'd rather spend our
>money until the government of Singapore itself. These cats speak for so

>many who have no hope. They are citizens of the world.
>
>Thanks to the generosity of animal-lovers not just in the US but
>internationally, there now are funds for KitKat, Julius and Tigger,
>while mom cat Missy waits. Julius will live on the West Coast and
>Peacock eagerly awaits her new sister KitKat, while kitten Tigger isn't

>sure where she will go in the US and Missy wonders if she will have a
>home at all. But if she can get to the US, Missy can stay at Pet Rescue

>in Florida -- no cage, in a farm home where she's welcome on the bed if

>she chooses -- while she gets her bearings about becoming a housecat.
>
>Tigger is a 12-week silver tabby, spayed already, FeLV and FIV
negative,
>
>with rabies and distemper shots, worming and flea-bath. She's the sole
>survivor of Missy's second litter, and although she has approached for
>petting, she is upset about being in a boarding cage in Singapore while

>her rescuers try to find her a foster home in the US that will give her

>individual attention and patience. With that attention, she will become

>a good pet -- and a very smart one. Ideal would be placement on the
West
>
>Coast, to minimize travel time and to avoid hot destination airports.
Or
>
>in the Washington DC area in spite of heat, where KitKat's new home
will
>
>be?  Missy, her tortoiseshell mother, is more wary. It is how she has
>beaten the odds to survive 12-18 months. It is likely that Missy was
>dumped when she was still a kitten; dumping dark tortoiseshell kittens
>is reputed to give particularly "good luck."
>
>No one taking Tigger or Missy will be expected to pay any of the costs,

>which include vet, pre-flight boarding (just forget about finding
foster
>
>care in Singapore) travel documents and air travel. But good references

>are essential. These cats deserve a home, not a cage. They need reason
>to trust humans.
>
>Can you donate just a few dollars? Can you offer Tigger a foster home
or
>
>adoption?
>
>Please visit the Peacock's Friends update for more information
>
>http://www.wizard.net/~peacock/kitkat4.htm
>
>Before moving on to the whole story to Help Homeless Singapore Cats at
>
>http://www.best.com/mtyler/yourpage4.htm
>
>Please do whatever you can. And let me know your questions.
>
>Aleta
>
>
>
>--
>Peacock's Friends: connecting homeless cats and human friends in the
>Washington DC area
>at http://www.wizard.net/~peacock/home.htm
>






Date: Mon, 14 Jul 1997 10:29:14 -0700 (PDT)
From: David J Knowles 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: [CA] Buddhists liberate the living
Message-ID: <1.5.4.16.19970714103022.0e3f76fc@dowco.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
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>From The Province - Sunday, July 13trh, 1997

By Lora Grindlay
Staff Reporter

On the last Sunday of every month, Virginia Kapoor puts a bucket in a black
garbage bag and goes shopping in [Vancouver's] Chinatown.

She eyes glass tanks brimming with live seafood.

She's looking for a healthy crab. One with no broken limbs. One that looks
like it's got some life left in it after spending who knows how long in the
tank.

Kapoor puts the chosen one - and some of the salty water from the tank - in
her bucket and covers it with the bag.

Holding the creature gingerly in front of her, she walks the two blocks to
the Gold Buddah Sagely Monastery on East Hastings Street.

It is there - in the unadorned, pale-yellow twmple quietly existing amid the
painful social ills of the downtown east side - that Kapoor will liberate
the crab in her bucket.

She'll be joined by about 20 other practising Buddhists and the temple's 30
Buddhist nuns in a ceremony intended to bring her good karma and compassion
for the living.

"It's a certain fellowship with people who have a love for mankind and
everything that's living and breathing," said Kapoor, 53, who also
volunteers for an animal-rescue group.

"I think all beings are longing for happiness, and we should exend
compassion to all."

The half-hour ceremony is one of the shortest in Buddhism.

Throughout the service the animals - clams, angel fish, goldfish, lobsters -
are in oxygen-fed tanks at the temple's altar.

The Great Compassion mantra is recited, the creatures blessed with a willow
branch and a verse is read to transfer virtue from the ceremony to all
living beings. Then they are loaded into an old Datsun pickup and driven to
the shores of Burrard Inlet.

Under grey clouds and rain, three monks burn incense sticks and recite
Buddha's name as the tanks are overturned and the sea creatures libertated.

Serlina Huang, a 23-year-old Vancouver bank teller, has been practising
Buddhist teachings for about four years.

Once a month, she and her 25-year-old husband, Wilson Huang, donate $10 or
so to a temple fund to buy the animals for release. 

Serlina Haung stood back last month as the three tubs of animals were released.

At every Liberate the Living ceremony, she's struck with the feeling that
she's crossing paths with someone she's known in the apst - someone who may
have commited sins and slipped into a lower realm of existance.

"There's so many fish, so why do you have a connection with these particular
fish?" she contemplated out loud.

"You've maybe had a past with them. You have met them before.

"You free them and they will free you."

Her husband has a more straightforward reason for liberating the living.

He said: "What goes around comes around."

Brian Ruhe, a teacher with the International Buddhist Society in Richmond,
called the ceremony "very Asian." He said it's commonly held at Buddhist
temples in the Lower Mainland.

There are six realms in Buddhist cosmology. the lowest positions are the
animal realm, the ghost realm and the hell realm.

One wins a human birth, said Ruhe, becasue of efforts made in a past life to
preserve life.

To liberate the living, Ruhe said, is to earn merit.

"The idea is to extend your compassion to the lower realms instead of just
to human beings," he said.

"It's about compassion. The Buddhists are looking for any creative way to
manifest compassion."

In 1991, Ruhe, who spent 4 years in a Thai monastery, bought a crab and
released it at a beach.

"You are liberating them from death. I let this crab go and I watched him
walk away."

Buddhist nun Heng Cheng, 48, is usually moved to tears by the ceremony.

"It's as if she's liberating part of herself," she said.

"Whatever wholesome deed you create always comes back. The merit and virtue
comes back," said Cheng.

Not all the animals realeased will thrive, but Cheng insists their mortality
is not the point.

"The point is we are giving them a chance. It's a chance they wouldn't have
if they stayed in one of those containers in Chinatown."

Cheng said most westerners don't understand the principal of cause and effect.

But she doesn't think the ceremony is beyond most Lower Mainlanders.

"Most people understand kindness and compassion. Everybody has a conscience."

Date: Mon, 14 Jul 1997 14:00:38 -0400
From: Patrick Nolan 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Oops (Re: Singaporean cats)
Message-ID: <33CA6946.5D61AA9E@animalwelfare.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Please send any responses to the above alert directly to Aleta Clayton
(peacock@wizard.net) instead of to me, as I just forwarded it (not
realizing that it said "just hit the reply button for e-mail and type 'I
AGREE'").  I'm sorry about the confusion and for the subsequent list
clutter.
Thanks,
Patrick Nolan

Date: Tue, 15 Jul 1997 03:36:47 +0800
From: bunny 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease (Australia)
Message-ID: <1.5.4.16.19970715032645.256f2e72@wantree.com.au>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Western Tiers, Tuesday, April 15, 1997 [Tasmania, Australia - regional
newspaper]

Questionable release of Calicivirus.

There are dozens of people in our area who have been to their doctors with
vague symptoms of being unwell.
The symptoms as reported are as follows:

1.Sore Eyes and Headaches
2.Double vision
3.Lassitude, (feeling tired)
4.Aching joints and bones
5.Vague indigestion

Many people have had thorough check-ups, including Blood Tests and Doctors
have no answers.
The question remains, what is causing these symptoms?
Many people are blaming the Calicivirus release in our area,
people are saying and asking could this untested (on humans) and much of our
native wildlife be the cause?
Reports are about of Brush Possums, Ringtails [possums], Native Hens and
Bandicoots being found with no apparent or visible signs
of death.
It is suggested that anyone finding one of these victims, should perhaps,
get the specimen tested for Calicivirus symptoms through
an autopsy (though will the truth of the test be published or said?).
Despite the government denying the release of the Calicivirus, we must all
therefore condemn any such activity as questionable and dangerous. An
inquiry at Government level should be sought as to the truth or otherwise.
It should be noted that Calicivirus can jump species.

===========================================

Rabbit Information Service,
P.O.Box 30,
Riverton,
Western Australia 6148

Email>  rabbit@wantree.com.au

http://www.wantree.com.au/~rabbit/rabbit.htm
(Rabbit Information Service website updated frequently)

     /`\   /`\
    (/\ \-/ /\)
       )6 6(
     >{= Y =}<
      /'-^-'\
     (_)   (_)
      |  .  |
      |     |}
 jgs  \_/^\_/













Date: Tue, 15 Jul 1997 04:31:33 +0800
From: bunny 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Tribunal refuses to block rabbit virus.(Aust)
Message-ID: <1.5.4.16.19970715042130.0d97a9e2@wantree.com.au>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Tribunal refuses to block rabbit virus.
By Roderick Campbell (Legal reporter)
>From "The Canberra Times" Friday July 4 1997

The Administrative Appeals Tribunal has refused to block the continued use
of rabbit calicivirus as a control device pending the hearing of a challenge
to the Government decision to register the product.

Seeking to overturn the registration of the rabbit calicivirus injection
by the National Registration Authority is an organisation known as Defence
Coalition Against RCD Incorporated. It was formed to
oppose use of the product.

At the request of the CSIRO, the authority registered the injection last
September, on condition that the product carry a 12-month use-by date and
that data be provided supporting the nominated shelf life.

Rabbit calicivirus works by infecting rabbits with rabbit haemorrhagic
disease which, the authorities hope, will result in rabbit deaths on a
massive scale. Defence Coalition is challenging the decision to register the
product, and the authority's refusal to reconsider registration or suspend
registration. It is proceeding in
both the tribunal and the Federal Court.

Its most recent application was for a stay of the authority's decision
pending a full tribunal hearing. This was refused recently by Deputy
President T.E.Barnett in Perth. The next stage will be fought in court.

The organisation believes rabbit calicivirus is unsafe for registration. 
Among other things, it asserts that: the origins of RHD in China are
unknown; the genetic mechanisms resulting in RHD-induced death are unknown;
the modes of RHD transmission across oceans and 
between continents are unknown; the host range of RHD is virtually
certain to extend beyond rabbits; RHD vaccines are not available to protect
non-rabbit species, including humans; and RHD may have already affected
human health.

In Australia, it is claimed, RHD is uncontrollable, unpredictable
and often unreliable as a rabbit-control agent. The reality of having RHD
loose is that virtually every Australian and New Zealand RHD program
prediction has been turned into a "statement of silly foolishness".

It is argued that the tribunal should stay registration now.
If left until after a full hearing, it might be "too late" because
of the significant risk. The more the product was spread around, the greater
the risk of an unintended target becoming infected.

The authority did not seek to counter these claims. Instead, it
argued that the tribunal's jurisdiction was limited to the two conditions
attached to the registration. If it granted a stay, the
conditions would disappear. The product could still be used, 
but without the present safeguards and the applicant would achieve nothing. 

It argued also that it would be a denial of natural justice to grant a stay
without the CSIRO and farmers having a say. Noting that the product had been
registered for several months and been released widely, the tribunal said
other parties had an interest in the matter.

These included the CSIRO, farmers, the manufacturers of the virus,
animal-rights proponents and animal lovers (who might favour or oppose the
product, depending on which animal life they were concerned for), scientists
and health specialists (who might be concerned that the virus could mutate
or affect foxes and feral cats and even humans), and the general public,
some of whom may favour a rabbit-free environment, while others may put a
higher priority on an environment free of a potentially dangerous virus.

The tribunal said it could not assess the competing interests at this stage
or how they might be affected by a stay. And given the authority's attitude
- it would treat a stay order as requiring the removal of registration
conditions - suspension of the product might not be desirable or appropriate.

End

===========================================

Rabbit Information Service,
P.O.Box 30,
Riverton,
Western Australia 6148

Email>  rabbit@wantree.com.au

http://www.wantree.com.au/~rabbit/rabbit.htm
(Rabbit Information Service website updated frequently)

     /`\   /`\
    (/\ \-/ /\)
       )6 6(
     >{= Y =}<
      /'-^-'\
     (_)   (_)
      |  .  |
      |     |}
 jgs  \_/^\_/













Date: Mon, 14 Jul 1997 16:31:55 -0400
From: Mesia Quartano 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Re: Emu Clubbing
Message-ID: <33CA8CBB.40DB@usa.net>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

According to the police dept., an animal cruelty case has been file with
the Tarrant County District Attorney's Office (phone# 817-884-1400).
I still haven't found out the men's names yet.


>Subject: Re: Clubbing of 22 Emus to death by Colleyville Man
>Date:    Mon, 14 Jul 1997 10:34:51 -0700
>From:    Colleyville Police Department 
>To:      primates@usa.net
>
>Mesia Quartano:
>
>A "Cruelty to Animals" case has been filed with the Tarrant County
>District Attorney's office and is pending.
Date: Mon, 14 Jul 1997 17:00:18 -0400
From: Mesia Quartano 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Dead man eaten by pet dogs in NY apartment
Message-ID: <33CA9362.5302@usa.net>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

>10:23 PM ET 07/12/97
>
>Dead man eaten by pet dogs in NY apartment
>
>NEW YORK (Reuter) - A 51-year-old New York City man, who
>died in his apartment over the Fourth of July, was eaten by his
>seven starving dogs, police said Saturday.

>Neighbors at the apartment building, on Manhattan's lower
>east side, said the dead man, who was not identified, had been
>ill with AIDS. He was last seen alive Sunday or Monday, police
>said.

>Police went to the apartment following complaints from the
>neighbors. "Upon entering, police discovered that the seven dogs had
>consumed most of the victim's body. He apparently died and then
>they ate his body," a police spokesman said.
>            
>The animals, all mixed breeds, were taken to the Animal Care
>and Control Center in Manhattan. It is not known if they will be
>destroyed or put up for adoption.

Does anyone know anything about the status of these dogs? Obviously,
they should not be euthanized for *eating* when they were starving...
Date: Mon, 14 Jul 1997 15:43:27 -0700 (PDT)
From: David J Knowles 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Bad News Belugas
Message-ID: <1.5.4.16.19970714154436.2d17dd52@dowco.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Posted on behalf of WhaleSave. Please send all questions/comments to
WhaleSave, and not to me. Thanks

David

>Date: Mon, 14 Jul 1997 14:52:58 -0800
>To: aschwarz@langara.bc.ca, alexb@vcn.bc.ca, hogana@CadillacFairview.com,
>        akirkby@sfu.ca, office@animalsagenda.org, adncstr@muskoka.com,
>        arkabc@arkanimals.com, cbp@island.net, cmeyer5@gwdg.de,
>        dknowles@dowco.com, Dennis_Dorgan@nykatt01.attmail.com, fsharpe@sfu.ca,
>        reelife@sunshine.net, jhannah@imma.org, ldill@sfu.ca,
>        UNIVERSE@UVVM.UVic.CA, apollock@globalnet.co.uk, kevin@eagletree.com,
>        sheehan@mars.ark.com, johnsonm@istar.ca, markc@eriv.com,
>        mickmc@ozemail.com.aU, pwatts@direct.ca, 70007.5072@compuserve.com,
>        vfta@intergate.bc.ca, fan@alternatives.com, fowbc@alternatives.com,
>        brown@idirect.com
>From: WhaleSave 
>Subject: Bad News Belugas
>
>Bad News Belugas
>
>In total frustration and disappointment I must inform you that on July 9,
>NMFS granted Sea World an import permit to transfer a male beluga whale
>called Nanuq from the Vancouver Aquarium to San Diego.  Although Sea
>World's proposed transfer date is Sept.24, we are concerned the move will
>take place in the middle of the night any time before then.  We will keep
>you updated and ask for your support when we've figured out what to do
>next.
>
>The good news is that on September 19, Cathy Kinsman will do a presentation
>in Vancouver regarding belugas.  Here's your formal invitation to the
>lecture:
>
>**************************************
>BELUGAS IN THE BRAS D'OR OCEAN RESERVE
>Choosing retirement and the future home for Canada's whales
>
>7:30 pm - Friday, September 19, 1997
>at the H.R.Macmillan Planetarium
>1100 Chestnut Street, Vancouver, B.C. Canada
>Tickets: $8.50 - $6.00 Students & Seniors
>
>You are invited to join Cathy Kinsman of RETURN TO THE WILD on a journey to
>the Bras D'Or, Canada's east coast inland sea. Learn first hand of the plan
>now in development that will allow Canada's white whales to remain in
>Canada and be provided for in a pristine, natural marine environment.
>
>Canadians and foreign visitors alike have had the privilege of viewing
>arctic beluga whales from Hudson Bay in the tanks of the Vancouver
>Aquarium, while enjoying Canada's diverse culture and the beauty of British
>Columbia.  Recent events such as the Vancouver Park Board considering the
>phasing out of the whale exhibits, the beluga whales being warehoused for
>over two years in the aquarium's small reserve tank, and the publicized
>export of the beluga "Nanuq" to Sea World in San Diego, have prompted the
>development of a proposal to retire some of Canada's captive beluga whales
>to a natural sea pen in eastern Canada. This timely proposal offers a wide
>range of benefits for the whales, the Vancouver Aquarium, the Bras D'Or
>region of Cape Breton and all Canadians.
>**************************************
>
>Please contact me for more information.
>
>Annelise Sorg
>Coalition For No Whales in Captivity
>102 - 1365 West Fourth Avenue
>Vancouver, BC V6H 3Y8 Canada
>Tel: (604) 736-9514
>Fax: (604) 731-2733
>E-mail: 
>
>
>
>
>

Date: Tue, 15 Jul 1997 07:41:05 -0400
From: allen schubert 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (UK) Brit Gov't Closes Two Meat Plants
Message-ID: <3.0.32.19970715074101.00692498@clark.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

from AP Wire page:
-------------------------------------------
 07/14/1997 17:43 EST

 Brit Gov't Closes Two Meat Plants

 LONDON (AP) -- The government said Monday it had closed two meat plants
 suspected of violating an export ban on British beef that was imposed
 during the ``mad cow'' crisis.

 ``Evidence is coming to light that some U.K.-based companies may have
 been exporting U.K. beef,'' said Agriculture Minister Jack Cunningham in
 a statement. ``I am determined to crack down hard on anyone who runs
 risks with public safety,'' he added.

 He said he had ordered an ``immediate'' end to operations at the two
 sites following investigations by ministry officials and the anti-fraud
 unit of the European Commission, the European Union's executive arm.

 ``I am serving notices on two companies requiring them to stop the
 relevant business immediately,'' he said.

 Cunningham gave no further details of the two plants.

 ``We have been working on this for a number of weeks and action has been
 taken as soon as possible to prevent any further activities taking
 place,'' said a spokesman for the ministry, speaking on terms of
 customary anonymity. ``The investigation is continuing.''

 In 1996, the 15-nation European Union banned British beef exports and
 ordered London to accelerate the eradication of mad cow disease through a
 massive slaughter program.

 Scientists believe there may be a link between that degenerative ailment
 and a new strain of the fatal human brain ailment Creutzfeldt-Jakob
 Disease.

 Cunningham said the companies that run the two plants may also have
 flouted hygiene regulations.

 ``We have uncovered very poor hygiene standards, meat which isn't
 properly labeled, meat which has apparently been labeled with documents
 from other countries and a whole number of other completely
 unsatisfactory activities,'' Cunningham said in an interview with ITN
 television news.

 British beef was discovered April 23 in the Netherlands where officials
 seized 700 tons and found an additional 900 tons had been shipped to
 Egypt and Russia.

 It was not immediately clear if there is a connection between those
 shipments and the plants under investigation.

Date: Tue, 15 Jul 1997 10:21:03 +0800 (SST)
From: Vadivu Govind 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (AU) Put koalas on menu - environment chief
Message-ID: <199707150221.KAA13597@eastgate.cyberway.com.sg>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"



>South China Morning Post
Tuesday  July 15  1997

     Put koalas on menu - environment chief

     RACHEL BRIDGE and REUTER in Sydney

     Australians should be allowed to eat more native fauna such as koalas,
the country's  top environment officer said yesterday.

     But conservationists said koalas were worth more than A$1 billion
(HK$5.74 billion)  in tourism last year.

     Professor Joe Baker, head of the Commission for the Environment, said
Australia had  fallen into the trap of developing its food chains along
European lines despite differentclimatic conditions.

     "Why can't I sit down to a koala steak or a breast of sulphur-crested
cockatoo?" he  asked. "Yet, I can eat mud crabs, prawns, bream or whiting
without a murmur of  protest because seafood is widely accepted as a
sustainable food resource."

     Speaking at the Compost '97 conference in Brisbane, Professor Baker
said native  animals and birds could be successfully harvested.

     He warned that Australia's natural resources were being wasted because
scientists  were bad communicators and unable to get their messages across
to politicians and the    public.

Carlos Repetto, chef at Darling Mills restaurant in Sydney, which began serving
 barbecued kangaroo with pickled beetroot a couple of years ago, said: "At
first people  were saying how could you put Skippy on the menu? But now more
and more people  are keen to try it."

     The Australian Koala Foundation released a study showing the tourism
value of koalas and said the marsupials were also responsible for providing
9,000 jobs.


Date: Tue, 15 Jul 1997 10:21:38 +0800 (SST)
From: Vadivu Govind 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (AU) Thousands of dead fish found
Message-ID: <199707150221.KAA12243@eastgate.cyberway.com.sg>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"



>Hong Kong Standard
15 July 97
Thousands of dead fish found

HOBART, Australia: Thousands of dead fish have washed up on the coast of
Tasmania, an official says, warning people not to handle them. 

Fishermen had ``observed thousands of the small fish floundering around in
the water'', off the east coast of the island state, the Tasmanian
Environment Department said in a statement. They appeared to all be of the
same species _ possibly pilchards _ between 50-100 millimetres long. 

The dead fish sparked fears that a herpes-like virus which clogged gills
with mucus and killed millions of pilchards in Australian waters two years
ago had struck again. 

Amid reports that people were collecting the fish for bait, an official
warned against handling them, saying they could cause disease. - AFP 

Date: Tue, 15 Jul 1997 10:22:16 +0800 (SST)
From: Vadivu Govind 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Scientists find growth gene in mice
Message-ID: <199707150222.KAA02599@eastgate.cyberway.com.sg>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"



>Hong Kong Standard
15 July 97

Scientists find growth gene in mice

HAMILTON: Scientists searching for a milk-producing gene have stumbled on
another that turns growth off and on in mice - and in humans. 

The gene interacts with growth hormone, allowing male growth to outstrip
that of females. 

The male-growth gene, Stat5b, starts when males reach puberty and is linked
with hair and fat growth. 

The findings, announced on Monday, were expected to have important medical
implications, especially for treating the disorder that causes dwarfism, and
for increasing meat, wool and milk production in agriculture. 

Professor Dick Wilkins, spokesman for the team of Ruakura Research Centre
and Waikato University, scientists that made the discovery, said the gene _
identified so far only in mice _ was present in all species. 

Prof Wilkins said the challenge now was what to with the basic concept. 

``If the agricultural sector took it up they might be able to . . . increase
animal production. We're looking at fibre, fatness and leanness of animals.'' 
The research could help produce larger animals. - AP 



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