AR-NEWS Digest 361

Topics covered in this issue include:

  1) (AU)  Australia Calls Beef Ban Hasty
     by allen schubert 
  2) (MY) Study: Angling a popular sport in Malaysia
     by vadivu 
  3) (MY) Curb illegal fishing, depts told 
     by vadivu 
  4) (MY) An act of cruelty to keep exotic animals as pets 
     by vadivu 
  5) (TH) Four get anthrax from buffalo meat
     by vadivu 
  6) (HK) Homing instinct of turtles threatens survival
     by vadivu 
  7) PROTEST FOR HUNGER STRIKING TEEN WIDENS
     by nnetwork@cwnet.com
  8) (US) Vegetarian SummerFest 97
     by allen schubert 
  9) (US-TW) Taiwan Reports Outbreak in Pork 
     by allen schubert 
 10) (AU) Aussie Beef Ban To Be Lifted 
     by allen schubert 
 11) (AU) Once Australia's 'babes', now a menace
     by vadivu 
 12) Re: (CA) Tiger Escapes in Ontario, Canada
     by BKMACKAY@aol.com
 13) POSTING
     by Me1ani@aol.com
 14) Re: (TW) emergent appeal 
     by Ming-Lee Yeh 
 15) notice for posting
     by 0  <74754.654@CompuServe.COM>
 16) Lynn Rogers/Jeffrey M. Masson/Jane Goodall lectures
     by "Zoocheck Canada Inc." 
 17) (US) L.A. Zoo Has Geriatric Animals 
     by allen schubert 
 18) Woman Gets Jail for Cat Killings
     by Nichen@aol.com
 19) Leaving SdeCAP/Changing addresses
     by SdeCAP@arc.unm.edu (Lawrence Carter-Long)
 20) (US) Groups Want Salmon Habitat Saved 
     by allen schubert 
 21) Saving the Rare Houbara Bustard
     by Nichen@aol.com
 22) Your tax dollars at work
     by Andrew Gach 
 23) Falcons return to Seattle skyscraper
     by Andrew Gach 
 24) FWD: Forest Focus
     by Andrew Gach 
 25) The newest drug racket
     by Andrew Gach 
Date: Tue, 01 Apr 1997 00:05:21 -0500
>From: allen schubert 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (AU)  Australia Calls Beef Ban Hasty
Message-ID: <3.0.32.19970401000519.006a191c@clark.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

from NY Times web page:
--------------------------------------
          March 30, 1997

          Australia Calls Beef Ban Hasty

          Filed at 8:30 p.m. EST

          By The Associated Press

          SYDNEY, Australia (AP) -- Indonesia was too hasty in
          banning beef and cattle imports from Australia because
          of anthrax as any outbreaks were under control, New
          South Wales' state Agriculture Department said Monday.

          Indonesia halted imports from New South Wales and
          Victoria on March 10, citing anthrax disease in cattle
          in both states.

          Asian food buyers are particularly sensitive since
          Britain has been rocked by the ``mad cow disease''
          scare.

          But the head of the New South Wales Agriculture
          Department's animal industries division, Helen
          Scott-Orr, said New South Wales should not be included
          in the ban as reports of anthrax were normal and
          decreasing.

          ``In fact, our incidence this year has been on the
          lower side of what our normal incidence has been,'' she
          told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio.

          ``So it's not as if there's any greater risk whatsoever
          to the Indonesians than there was in the past.

          ``Each year we would have anywhere between five and 20
          outbreaks but essentially they have been diminishing
          each year.

          ``Obviously (Indonesia) feels because of the high
          incidence in Victoria, it has aroused their awareness
          and they have looked to see where anthrax occurred in
          Australia and they have thrown the net rather wider
          than we think necessary.''

          From January through March some 150 cattle died on
          Victoria farms before anthrax was contained through
          quarantines and inoculation.

          More than 80 Victoria farms lost cattle to the disease
          and more than 77,300 head of cattle were vaccinated.

          There had been outbreaks of the disease on six isolated
          New South Wales farms this year, Scott-Orr said.

          Anthrax is a highly infectious cattle disease that
          leads to ulcerating nodules, lesions in the lungs and
          blood poisoning. It can also be transmitted to humans
          handling the infected products.

          The Sydney Morning Herald reported Monday that
          Australia's US $2.7 billion (3.5 billion Australian
          dollars) red meat and livestock export industries are
          worried about a possible loss of access to lucrative
          Asian markets after an apparent breakdown between
          government agencies in reporting recent anthrax
          infections in New South Wales.

          The Herald said Federal Primary Industries Minister
          John Anderson had spearheaded efforts to satisfy
          concerns on the part of Australia's major trading
          partners over Australia's anthrax quarantine
          effectiveness after the recent outbreak in Victoria.

          A spokesman for Anderson told the paper that Australia
          always notified its trading partners of any anthrax
          outbreak, but so far there had been no contact about
          New South Wales infections.

Date: Mon, 31 Mar 1997 15:19:09 +0800 (SST)
>From: vadivu 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (MY) Study: Angling a popular sport in Malaysia
Message-ID: <199703310719.PAA29032@eastgate.cyberway.com.sg>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

>The Star (31-Mar-97)  Study: Angling a popular sport in Malaysia

JOHOR BARU: About two million Malaysians go angling at least once a year and
spend an average of RM100 million annually on the sport.

    Malaysian Fisheries Society president Talachan Singh said a study
conducted by the association found that angling had become an important
sub-sector of the fishing industry in Malaysia.

  "In view of the positive development, there has to be a consistent effort
by all quarters for sustainable growth.

  "There must be certain restrictions on the environment to ensure that the
country's rapid economic growth will not affect the sector.

  "At the same time, rules and regulations must be imposed on anglers to
inculcate discipline and monitor the approval of licenses," he said in an
interview.







Date: Mon, 31 Mar 1997 15:19:16 +0800 (SST)
>From: vadivu 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (MY) Curb illegal fishing, depts told 
Message-ID: <199703310719.PAA28818@eastgate.cyberway.com.sg>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

>The Star (31-Mar-97) 
Curb illegal fishing, depts told
By Maizatul Nazlina 

JOHOR BARU: The Agriculture Ministry has called on state fisheries
departments to set strict rules to ensure that dams are not exposed to
illegal fishing in a move to preserve the fish population.

  Deputy Agriculture Minister Datuk Dr Tengku Mahmud Mansor said stringent
measures were needed to prevent a recurrence of an incident in Kenyir Dam in
Terengganu where between 50 and 60 tonnes of fish had been indiscriminately
netted.

  "The department should regulate fishing at these areas to preserve the
fish population in an effort to boost the agro-tourism industry," he said in
an interview.

  There were also reports that locals were allowing foreigners to use their
permits to fish at several dams in the state. This was an offence as such
permits were not allowed to change hands.

  Tengku Mahmud was commenting on several complaints from the public of such
activities, especially at the Bekuk, Sembrong and Machap dams.

  He said evidence was needed to revoke the permits of those who had defaulted.

  "Since these are also catchment areas, permit holders must adhere to the
state's requirements, including not being allowed to use high-powered boats
but they have not done so," he said.

  They were also not allowed to wash their boats or engines at the dams, he
added.

  He said under the proposed amendment to the Fisheries Act 1985, those
found using fishing nets at lakes, dams and river mouths would be slapped
heavier compound fines.

  "It will take us at least one year to make thorough studies before making
the amendment to ensure its effectiveness as well as to preserve the
breeding grounds," he said.

  He said that at present, defaulters were liable to a fine of RM2,000 or
one year's jail or both upon conviction.







Date: Mon, 31 Mar 1997 15:19:23 +0800 (SST)
>From: vadivu 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (MY) An act of cruelty to keep exotic animals as pets 
Message-ID: <199703310719.PAA28892@eastgate.cyberway.com.sg>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

>The Star (31-Mar-97)  An act of cruelty to keep exotic animals as pets

Letter To The Editor
An act of cruelty to keep exotic animals as pets

S.M. Mohd Idris, President, Sahabat Alam Malaysia, writes:

SAHABAT Alam Malaysia (SAM) is deeply perturbed by recent news of the
keeping of exotic pets, particularly primates, for status symbol.

  The keeping of exotic pets is not something new as SAM is aware of cases
in Penang where supposedly bird lovers and wildlife lovers would go to great
lengths to import exotic bird species, reptiles, amphibians and mammals.

  Gradually, with the increase in collection, these individuals would
venture out into profit-making business with the establishment of aviaries
and mini-zoos, all for educating the public.

  Apart from profit-making, SAM strongly believes that orang utans are being
kept as pets by many people in Borneo because of their appealing human
qualities.

  In fact, the people there bring up their pets like children where they are
allowed to romp with the village children, eat from plates and cuddle up to
their owners.

  Often these animals are fed foods not natural to their diet in the wild as
few people know how to feed and care for baby primates.

  As such many may not survive the early days of captivity. When they become
too large to handle, problem starts for they then become dangerous and
difficult to manage.

  The animal may be tethered with a short rope or chain or given away to
friends or to zoos.

  In the case of Sabah, the primates would be lucky to end up in the Orang
Utan Rehabilitation Centre.

  Giving exotic pets to zoos will only create further problems for the
animals as the zoos will be forced to house them with other strange animals
from their existing collections.

  The newcomer may not eat or be prevented from getting food by the dominant
member of the cage. Gradually, it may languish and die in solitary confinement.

  SAM views the keeping of eagles in cages as cruel, for the birds are
deprived of their flight and freedom.

  All living things are born free and to subject them to 1ife in a cage in a
condominium for one's own pleasure is just not right.

  In case of a fire breaking out there would be no escape for the poor
birds. An incident of a fire which wiped out an exotic number of reptiles,
mostly snakes, occurred once at the home of an exotic animal trader.

  The demand for wild animals as pets has a detrimental effect on wild life
population.

  Many species may not be genetically viable as their habitats are destroyed
and their mates are increasingly hard to locate.

  It is high time that legislation for the Protection of Wildlife Act 1972
be re-enacted to include the possession of exotic species of animals, birds,
reptiles and amphibians as illegal.

  The capture and importation of such species for the pet trade must be stopped.

  Lastly, the public must realise that the bringing of wild animals from the
forest to be confined in homes is wrong; for the final disposal of
confiscated animals will always remain a problem.







Date: Mon, 31 Mar 1997 15:19:31 +0800 (SST)
>From: vadivu 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org, veg-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (TH) Four get anthrax from buffalo meat
Message-ID: <199703310719.PAA28622@eastgate.cyberway.com.sg>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

>Hong Kong Standard, 31 Mar 97
Four get anthrax from buffalo meat

BANGKOK: At least four people in central Thailand have 
contracted anthrax from infected water buffalo meat.

The villagers were admitted to hospital in Nong Chang district on 
Thursday with clear symptoms of the disease, while another four 
patients arriving on Saturday also showed signs of infection, Dr 
Kanokwan Thamthiwai said. 

About 50 families from several villages in the area were 
panic-stricken after the outbreak was traced to a butcher who had 
bought some water buffalo meat and sold it a discount, local media 
reported. 

The latest outbreak of the deadly disease, which normally affects 
livestock, took place in Uthai Thani province about 240 kilometres 
north of Bangkok. 

Last month, almost 20 people, most of them from a Muslim community in 
Bangkok, were infected after eating or handling beef. The disease was 
believed to have originated with cattle from Tak province on the 
border with Burma. 

Public health services are non-existent on the Burmese side of the 
border, Thai officials have said, as the military government in 
Rangoon is trying to wrap up a 49-year civil war with ethnic 
minorities. - AFP

                                                     


Date: Mon, 31 Mar 1997 15:19:36 +0800 (SST)
>From: vadivu 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (HK) Homing instinct of turtles threatens survival
Message-ID: <199703310719.PAA29035@eastgate.cyberway.com.sg>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

>South China Morning Post, Internet Edition, 31 Mar 97

Homing instinct of turtles threatens survival
FIONA HOLLAND
     
     Green turtles return to their birthplace to breed - and it is this homing
instinct that threatens the species' survival.

 Development of coastal areas, increasing marine traffic and pollution all
work against the green turtle, but the greatest threat comes from villagers
stealing eggs.

The only known local breeding site is Sham Wan beach, Lamma Island, where four empty nests were found in 1995. Last September, conservationists feared a lone female had returned in vain after villagers stole her eggs. Reptile expert Michael Lau Wai-neng said collecting the eggs - a traditional delicacy - threatened the green turtle with extinction. The population would never be replenished, Mr Lau said: "In general they are threatened by development. The green turtle is a species which has been over-exploited. "With regard to this population, the major threat would be collecting of eggs by villagers." Hunting of turtles and their eggs is prohibited under the Wild Animals Protection Ordinance, designed to protect all species of turtles and terrapins. Eleven species have been recorded locally but only the green turtle breeds in Hong Kong, although since the 1970s only a handful of them have been recorded. Trade in the green turtle is also controlled under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna. Seven illegally imported stuffed green turtles have been seized this year. Date: Mon, 31 Mar 1997 00:47:53 -0800 (PST) >From: nnetwork@cwnet.com To: ar-news@envirolink.org Subject: PROTEST FOR HUNGER STRIKING TEEN WIDENS Message-ID: <199703310847.AAA00730@main.cwnet.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" (I am not sure how much of the Tony Wong story has filtered to groups and individuals. But, after 30 days a pure hunger strike gets very serious. Tony is in good shape, relatively speaking. However, we need a major presence at the jail for him. Anyone interested in attending a major rally for Tony within the next week, or otherwise helping, please contact me at the above email) FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 31, 1997 African-American Groups Support Hunger Striking Teen; U.S. Flag Will be Torched in Indy Monday INDIANAPOLIS -- Several African-American organizations have announced their support for hunger striking animal rights activist Tony Wong,16, and said they will, in protest of the jailing and force-feeding of the teen activist, torch a U.S. flag Monday at 3:30 p.m. at the Pan Am Plaza (next to the RCA Dome). The public display and burning of the symbol of "freedom" by the African Collective and the Black Panther Militia is only part of the growing support for Wong, jailed Feb. 24 for at least 2 months at the Plainfield Indiana Boys' School for protesting against animal cruelty at Castleton Mall and Lazarus Dept. Store last Nov. 29. Wong "celebrates" his 36th day on a hunger strike Monday -- the longest ever hunger strike by an animal rights activist. Barry Horne, a British activist, spent 35 days on a hunger strike earlier this year before ending it. But, Wong -- who is being forcibly fed a liquid supplement through a tube up his nose and down to his stomach -- continues to refuse to eat. He weighs about 114 pounds, down from about 134 pounds when he was sent to jail. Lawyers for Wong also are expected to file even more motions Monday in an attempt to free Wong. Motions have already been filed in Marion County Superior Court, but lawyers are considering filing in the Appellate Dept. and Federal Court. They are asking for Wong's immediate release, and/or an end to the unethical and unnecessary force-feeding of the youth. Wong, and Jeff Watkins, a hunger striker in Syracuse jailed for 32 days for, like Wong, participating in peaceful protests, will not eat until the Clinton Administration agrees to support federal legislation banning the barbaric leghold trap, and end opposition to the European Union wild fur ban, which would stop the importation to EU countries of fur from nations not yet banning the trap. The U.S. has not banned the trap and is threatening to sue the EU. The third demand asks New York to kill a measure that would legalize a "snare trap" for beavers. -30- Activist Civil Liberties Committee PO Box 19515, Sacramento, CA 95819 (916) 452-7179 Date: Tue, 01 Apr 1997 07:34:33 -0500 >From: allen schubert To: ar-news@envirolink.org Subject: (US) Vegetarian SummerFest 97 Message-ID: <3.0.32.19970401073431.006b54f0@clark.net> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Information for the Vegetarian SummerFest 97, sponsored by the North American Vegetarian Society (NAVS), is available online now! URL: http://www.cyberveg.org/navs/fest97/index.html July 9-13, 1997 The Conference Center at Pitt-Johnstown Johnstown, PA. Registration information, speakers, prices--all this information is available on the web page. For those who haven't been to a SummerFest before, a link to the previous SummerFest (96) is available. Also, you can e-mail NAVS at: navs@telenet.net Or...snailmail at: NAVS PO Box 72-S3 Dolgeville, NY 13329 phone: (518) 568-7970 Date: Tue, 01 Apr 1997 08:26:23 -0500 >From: allen schubert To: ar-news@envirolink.org Subject: (US-TW) Taiwan Reports Outbreak in Pork Message-ID: <3.0.32.19970401082620.006da5d8@clark.net> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" from AP Wire page: ----------------------------- 03/30/1997 14:05 EST Taiwan Reports Outbreak in Pork By CLIFF EDWARDS AP Business Writer CHICAGO (AP) -- A severe outbreak of hoof-and-mouth disease in Taiwan's pork population could boost U.S. exports and possibly lead to higher prices at the grocer. The highly contagious disease has spread quickly among Taiwan's pork population, with that country's Council of Agriculture reporting Friday that 842 pig farms were affected and about 140,000 pigs dead or destroyed. Some 740,000 pigs are on the farms. Hoof-and-mouth disease is a virus that causes fever and blisters in an animal's mouth and around its hoofs. Animals affected usually do not eat and ultimately must be destroyed. The disease does not harm humans. Taiwan has banned exports of its pork while it works to contain the disease and rebuild its herds, a process that experts say could take years. Its largest export partner, Japan, has banned all Taiwanese imports -- which could lead to substantial new U.S. export business. ``Right now, it's a wait-and-see thing about what Japan is going to do,'' said Ken Maschoff, whose family-operated business in Carlyle, Ill., produces 140,000 hogs annually. ``Everybody's guessing they're going to lower tariffs to allow more Western pork in, and that could mean consumers paying more for pork this summer,'' Maschoff said. After the outbreak two weeks ago, pork prices began to hog the limelight on U.S. futures exchanges. Live hogs futures prices rose the daily trading limit for three consecutive days last week on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and are poised to go higher. Taiwan accounted for 41 percent of Japanese pork imports last year, with American imports accounting for 22 percent. American imports to Japan could rise to 50 percent, economists have suggested. The possibility for increased exports comes as the government has suggested that American pork supplies could get tighter in the second half of this year because of lower production. If that forces pork prices -- which have been relatively low all winter -- to rise before the summer grilling season, fewer supermarkets may opt not to heavily advertise pork in favor of other meats because of lower profit margins, Maschoff said. ``A lot of people think this situation in Taiwan came about at the wrong time,'' Maschoff said. ``American pork producers actually could end up getting hurt if Japan doesn't lower tariffs to allow more pork in, or if Japanese consumer demand falls off and American consumer demand also falls off.'' Date: Tue, 01 Apr 1997 08:37:08 -0500 >From: allen schubert To: ar-news@envirolink.org Subject: (AU) Aussie Beef Ban To Be Lifted Message-ID: <3.0.32.19970401083705.00688fe0@clark.net> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" from AP Wire page: ----------------------------- 03/31/1997 07:25 EST Aussie Beef Ban To Be Lifted SYDNEY, Australia (AP) -- Indonesia was too hasty in banning beef and cattle imports from Australia due to anthrax because any outbreaks are already under control, a state agriculture official said today. Indonesia halted imports from New South Wales and Victoria on March 10, citing anthrax disease in cattle in both states. Asian food buyers are particularly sensitive about beef after Britain's problems with mad cow disease. But Victoria state's chief veterinary officer, Dr. Andrew Turner, said the Indonesian ban on Victorian meat and cattle will be lifted Thursday and the ban on New South Wales imports was lifted over the weekend. However, the head of the New South Wales' animal industries division, Helen Scott-Orr, said her state should not be included in the ban as reports of anthrax were normal and decreasing. ``In fact, our incidence this year has been on the lower side'' of normal, she told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio -- outbreaks on six isolated farms. She said Indonesia appeared to be reacting to the high incidence of anthrax in Victoria. More than 200 cattle died in Victoria this year before anthrax was contained through quarantines and inoculation. More than 80 Victoria farms lost cattle to the disease and more than 77,300 head of cattle were vaccinated. Anthrax is a highly infectious cattle disease that leads to ulcerating nodules, lesions in the lungs and blood poisoning. It can also be transmitted to humans handling the infected products. The Sydney Morning Herald reported today that Australia's $2.7 billion beef and livestock export industries are worried about losing access to lucrative Asian markets after an apparent breakdown between government agencies in reporting the anthrax infections in New South Wales. A government spokesman told the paper that Australia always notified its trading partners of any anthrax outbreak, but so far there had been no contact about New South Wales infections. Date: Mon, 31 Mar 1997 22:25:07 +0800 (SST) >From: vadivu To: ar-news@envirolink.org Subject: (AU) Once Australia's 'babes', now a menace Message-ID: <199703311425.WAA17902@eastgate.cyberway.com.sg> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" >The Straits Times, MAR 31 1997 Once Australia's 'babes', now a menace SYDNEY -- Hundreds of pet pigs dumped by fans of the award-winning movie, Babe, are creating environmental mayhem in the Australian bush, the Sun-Herald newspaper said yesterday. Bought as cute piglets, they were dumped when they grew into full-grown pigs with aggressive temperaments. Rangers in wildlife parks around Sydney said that the new arrivals were threatening local species and chasing tourists away. "They can inflict serious damage on ground-dwelling birds and small mammals," said Mr Andrew Glover of the Rural Lands Protection Board, adding that the dumped pigs, now anything up to 100 kg, had charged at rangers and frightened park visitors. Babe, the endearing story of a piglet which learns to herd sheep, was a box-office hit around the world and was nominated for several Oscars, including best picture. -- DPA. Date: Mon, 31 Mar 1997 10:59:56 -0500 (EST) >From: BKMACKAY@aol.com To: alathome@clark.net, ar-news@envirolink.org Subject: Re: (CA) Tiger Escapes in Ontario, Canada Message-ID: <970331105952_854449122@emout07.mail.aol.com> According to today's news the tiger was safely lured into a pen. No injuries to anyone, including the tiger. Barry Date: Mon, 31 Mar 1997 14:24:08 -0500 (EST) >From: Me1ani@aol.com To: ar-news@envirolink.org Cc: Me1ani@aol.com Subject: POSTING Message-ID: <970331142358_-1537492803@emout02.mail.aol.com> *****URGENT- TIME SENSITIVE LEGISLATION UP FOR CONSIDERATION***** Attention Connecticut Greyhound Advocates and other Concerned Individuals: Committee Bill #6425 which is currently before the Finance, Revenue and Bonding committee is designed to give further tax relief to the pari-mutuel gaming industry (dog tracks and jai alai frontons) here in Connecticut. Currently, one dog track here is in bankruptcy and the remaining one is projected to COST Connecticut taxpayers 1.4 million dollars this year. Repeated tax breaks and concessions over the years have done little to resuscitate this industry. The time is long overdue for CT taxpayers and voters to say enough is enough. Dog racing is an inhumane industry which should not be supported let alone subsidized with OUR tax dollars. Even more outrageous is the fact that the State of Connecticut spent $700,000 urine testing greyhounds last year at the behest of the tracks which claimed they could not afford to pay for this expense themselves. Monies spent on oversight of dog tracks would be put to better use encouraging realistic economic revitalization and exploration/creation of long term job opportunities. If you reside in CT or have friends or family who do, please encourage them to call their Senators and Representatives and demand that they stop supporting any bills which aid the dog tracks. Please tell them that Maine, Vermont, Virginia, Idaho and Washington have repealed/banned greyhound racing and you think Connecticut should get with the program. For info on who your legislators are, or to volunteer, contact: League of Women Voters (Hamden, CT) ~203-288-7996 Your library or Town Hall Greyhound Protection League/CT ~203-968-2308 EDUCATE~~LEGISLATE~~ELIMIN ATE Date: Mon, 31 Mar 1997 15:15:01 -0500 (EST) >From: Ming-Lee Yeh To: veg@wam.umd.edu Cc: ar-news@envirolink.org, tllin@udel.edu Subject: Re: (TW) emergent appeal Message-ID: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Dear Lynn and all ar-activitists, If you want to speak for pigs in Taiwan, you can also call Mr. Hu, the representative of Taiwnanese Government in the Washington DC office. Their number is 202-8951800 If you prefer to fax your signature to LCA, any of the following number is avaiable: 011 (US)+ 886-2-7191044; +886-2-2866403; +886-2-2402688; + 886-2-9825630; +886-2-2681465 All of your voices are appreciated and helpful! Sincerely, Minglee On Thu, 27 Mar 1997, Lynn Andrea Halpern wrote: > Ming Lee, > It is heartbreaking to read of this situation in Taiwan. Will it > be helpful to call the embassy here in Washington? > > Sincerely, > Lynn Halpern > > Emergent signature collection -- appeal for using humane methods to > terminate foot-and-mouth infected hogs [Taiwan] > > According to 3/27 Taiwanese newspapers, the epidemic situation of the > foot-and-mouth disease is continuously increased. Over 716 farms and > 146,713 hogs have been infected and more than 76,065 pigs were killed. > This disaster has impacted national economy and threatened farmers' > survival. At this moment, slaughtering all diseased animals for > minimizing the negative impact seems to be inevitable. However, numerous > cruel images are seen on all media recently, such as, burying animals alive, > beating animals to death, and incorectlly electrocutting animals > leading them suffering in half death. The scene of cruelty is to the > degree that even farmers and soldiers, who implement the slaughter, > can not bear and have both complained about their mental stress they > had received. These images have raised the publics awareness that such a > cruel and inhumane termination will have an extremely negative impact on > our next generation in Taiwan. > > This outbreak of Foot-and-mouth disease has indeed affected the country > economically. Have we not handle it carefully, it may also hurt the > society and morally psychologically, sue to our cruel actio. Eased on the > belief of all lives are precious and should be treated with respect, the > Life Conservationist Association (LCA) urges the authority to use the most > humane method to terminating animals to minimize animals' suffering before > they die. > > The LCA suggests: > 1. to use the effective electrical stunning to knock out the animals > before they are shot by gun > > 2. to mobilize professional veterinarians to implement the above > procedure, assisted by military and farmers; > > 3. the electrial stunning must be provided with sufficient current that > is passed through an animal's brain, inducing immediate unconsciousness > and insensibility to pain > > 4. gun shooting must be accurate to the fatal point in the animal's head, > which will immediately terminate theiir lives and reduce their fear and > pain. It can also avoid to spread the virus cased by bloodletting. > > Considering the equipment and work-forcer, the effective electrical > stunning and gun-shot is the "most" feasible, fast and humane method which > can be suggested now. Currently using bar-beating and ineffective > electrical stunning will result in burying or burning animals that are > still alive and conscious. In order to stop the cruel termination and its > negative impact to our society, the LCA APPEALS to your support! > > Please SIGN your name or WRITE Your statement on this letter, and FAX > to: > 011-886-2-7191044; 011-886-2-2866403; 011-886-2-2402688 > > Tel: 011-886-2-7150079 (LCA) > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Organization: _________________________ > Your name (print): ___________________________ > Signature: ___________________________ > Tel #: _________________________ > Fax #: _________________________ > Address: _________________________________________ > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > > All support are most appreciated!! > > Sincerely, > Minglee Yeh > Representative in the US > Life Conservationists Association of Taiwan > > > > > > ----- End of forwarded message from Ming-Lee Yeh ----- > Date: 31 Mar 97 16:24:33 EST >From: 0 <74754.654@CompuServe.COM> To: Ian Lance Taylor Subject: notice for posting Message-ID: <970331212432_74754.654_EHL76-1@CompuServe.COM> Contact: Nina Natelson (703) 658-9650 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 31, Alexandria, VA - On March 17th, Na'ama Bello, President of Magen le Chatul, a cat protection organization in Tel Aviv, was arrested. Ms. Bello was charged with putting starving, injured, sick, suffering, homeless cats out of their misery with injections of the humane euthanasia drug sodium pentobarbital, the same drug used in animal shelters worldwide. While in the U.S. and elsewhere around the world, animal welfare workers are trained and allowed to euthanize animals when necessary, Israeli law makes it illegal for anyone but a veterinarian to do so. According to Ms. Bello, "At all hours of the day or night, cats are hit by cars, suffer from diseases, or are injured by dogs or cruel people. It is neither possible nor humane to transport them a long distance to a veterinarian. Veterinarians are often either unavailable or unwilling to euthanize animals. Many demand high fees. I do what animal welfare workers around the world must do to relieve suffering." Na'ama has been released pending trial, but the media has labeled her the "Angel of Death", a term applied to Josef Mengele, a Nazi official infamous for extreme cruelty, and people have threatened to burn her newborn baby. Days before Na'ama's arrest, Melvin Simons, a British immigrant to Israel in his 60's who resides on a kibbutz (farm settlement) in the north (the Galilee) and who is assigned the task of dealing with all the stray dogs dumped on or near his kibbutz, was also threatened with arrest. Melvin, also, euthanizes injured and homeless animals, rather than watch them be strychnine poisoned, starved, drowned, run over by cars, eaten by Thai workers brought to Israel to replace Palestinian workers, sacrificed by cults, or sold to laboratories for experimentation. The Upper Galilee municipal veterinarian demanded that Melvin turn over all dogs found to the municipality, which then strychnine poisons them. The law says dogs can be strychnine poisoned only if they cannot be captured, but this municipality poisons even captured dogs. Many years ago, CHAI provided sodium pentobarbital free to -2- every municipal pound in Israel, as a result of which they switched from poisoning to using this drug. In the case of the Upper Galilee municipality, however, the workers poison many dogs before they ever reach the pound. Years ago, CHAI urged the Veterinary Services Division of the Agriculture Ministry to allow trained animal welfare personnel to euthanize animals and even offered to sponsor a course on the subject for them. At CHAI's request, animal organizations around the world appealed to the Israeli government. The Veterinary Services, however, said the shelters did not operate at a sufficiently professional level to be trusted with the drug, nor would they take action to help improve conditions. Sodium pentobarbital is a controlled substance, but it is "denatured" and, therefore, has no street value. Theft or illegal use of the drug has never been a problem in U.S. shelters in all the decades of its use. Said CHAI's President, Nina Natelson: "CHAI is calling on animal activists everywhere to stand by these courageous people who will not be stopped from relieving animal suffering by a cruel and unreasonable governmental policy that permits strychnine poisonings, but denies trained animal welfare personnel the right to put animals out of their misery humanely. Israeli government policy also prevents proper animal welfare work by imposing high customs duties on donated animal ambulances, while allowing ambulances for people into the country duty-free." Letters of protest can be sent to the newspaper and T.V. station that led the negative media campaign. Write or fax Mr. Yossi Klein, Manager, Ha'Ir, 19 Josef Caro Street, Tel Aviv, Israel, fax # 011 972 3 563-4663 or 011 972 3 562-7420; and Mr. Guy Zohar, News Editor at The Second Channel T.V. station, 5 Kanfe Nesharim St., Jerusalem 95464 Israel, fax # 011 972 2 537-5707 or 011 972 2 655-6287, asking that they tell the other side of the story - the side of the animal welfare workers who must deal with the suffering that results from the massive overpopulation caused by an irresponsible public. Journalistic integrity requires no less. Contributions toward a public education campaign and legal fees can be sent to CHAI at POB 3341, Alexandria, VA 22302. Update on CHAI's efforts to get ambulances to the SPCAs in Israel: The new Animal Protection Division within the Ministry of the Environment has agreed to pay the customs duties on the ambulance we seek to donate to the new Tiberias SPCA, however, the Ministry of Finance has not yet given its approval. Knesset member Uzi Landau has agreed to introduce a bill in the Knesset to change the government's policy on the issue. Knesset member Avraham Poraz (sponsor of the Animal Protection Law), at a meeting of Israeli animal groups in the Knesset, said the ambulance issue has become his personal issue and he swore that he would get the ambulance in. Two other Knesset members also agreed to lend their support to efforts to get the ambulance in. Thanks to all of you who have told organizations that raise money for Israel that you will withhold your contributions until the poisonings stop and the donated ambulance is allowed in to relieve animal suffering. Please ask the organizations' Presidents or Executive Directors to convey your protest to Israeli officials. In positive news, our "Living Together" program that brings Jewish and Arab children together at the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) in Israel to learn about and help animals has tripled to 120 students and many more schools are seeking to participate in it. With your help, we are reaching the country's youth, the best hope for change. Surveyors have been called in to begin construction on the Isaac Bashevis Singer Humane Education Center, and construction on the Tiberias SPCA has begun. We'll keep you posted on these exciting developments. Date: Mon, 31 Mar 1997 17:00:24 -0500 >From: "Zoocheck Canada Inc." To: ar-news@envirolink.org Subject: Lynn Rogers/Jeffrey M. Masson/Jane Goodall lectures Message-ID: <3.0.32.19970331170016.006b69b4@idirect.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/enriched; charset="us-ascii" Three presentations in Zoocheck Canada's 1997 Natural World Lecture Series have now been confirmed. On April 24, 1997, wildlife biologist/photographer Dr. Lynn Rogers will present a lecture entitled Mysterious and Misunderstood: The Truth About Black Bears at the J.J.R. McLeod Auditorium, 1 Kings College, Circle, Toronto, Canada, 7.30 pm.. The great Edward O. Wilson has ranked the work of Lynn Rogers, whose specialty is the black bear, with that of the long-term research projects of Jane Goodall on chimpanzees, Iain Douglas-Hamilton on elephants, and George Schaller on lions., labelling their projects the "four major pioneering studies of large mammals". For some twenty-five years, Lynn Rogers has conducted an ongoing field study of black bears in northern Minnesota, as well as studies of timber wolves, white-tailed deer, moose and beaver. His thousands of hours of observation have revealed many previously unknown facts about black bear life. On June 5th, also at the J.J.R. McLeod Auditorium, international best-selling author Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson presents a lecture entitled When Elephants Weep: The Emotional Lives of Animals. And on October 30th at Centennial Hall in London, Ontario Canada, world-renowned primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall presents a lecture entitled The Chimpanzees of Gombe. For more information, or to order tickets contact Zoocheck Canada. Zoocheck Canada Inc. 3266 Yonge Street, Suite 1729 Toronto, ON M4N 3P6 (416) 696-0241 Ph (416) 696-0370 Fax E-Mail: zoocheck@idirect.com Web Site: http://web.idirect.com/~zoocheck Registered Charity No. 0828459-54 Date: Tue, 01 Apr 1997 17:03:15 -0500 >From: allen schubert To: ar-news@envirolink.org Subject: (US) L.A. Zoo Has Geriatric Animals Message-ID: <3.0.32.19970401170310.006ce70c@clark.net> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" from AP Wire page: ----------------------------- 03/31/1997 11:36 EST L.A. Zoo Has Geriatric Animals LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The Los Angeles Zoo is becoming a regular geriatric ward. Some occupants have bad teeth and arthritis. Others suffer from diabetes and need insulin shots and a regimented diet without sweets -- just like they're human counterparts. Twenty percent of the 1,200 animals at the zoo are considered old for their species, with more living longer lives thanks to scientific advances and improved living conditions in captivity. But just as with elderly humans, older animals have to deal with issues like long-term medical care and chronic illness, and subsequently, fatter health budgets. High medical costs have prompted Los Angeles Zoo Director Manuel Mollinedo to ask Mayor Richard Riordan this February for $70,000 to supplement the zoo's overall $12 million budget. ``It's almost like a double whammy,'' said zoo administrative officer Robert Tanowitz. ``It's not just the aging population but more preventive medicine. The drugs we're using to treat these illnesses have almost doubled our budget.'' Animals with incurable diseases may be euthanized if they don't respond to treatment after approval from the animal's keeper, the zoo curator and a veterinarian serving on a three-member committee. But those that survive are inflating the zoo's budget. Preventive exams and medications for older animals could surpass the zoo's $89,000 budget for such expenses by $70,000. Take, for example, Koo, a 24-year-old white-cheeked gibbon who was diagnosed with diabetes. ``Koo was acting kind of cranky. We would test him and his blood sugar would be too low,'' zoo veterinarian Cynthia Stringfield said. Zoo officials contacted a physician who offered free medical advice. Stringfield said that Koo is now trained to hold out his arm for insulin injections once a day, and his high-fiber diet is devoid of grapes, other sweet fruits or sugary liquids. Arthritis is particularly common among elephants, rhinoceroses and other large animals that compact the soil in their exhibits until it is like concrete. The condition flares up especially on cold, rainy days. ``They're just like people with creaky joints. It's much harder for them to move around,'' Stringfield said. Zoo keepers give the animals ibuprofen and till the soil in their living areas to cushion the ground. Date: Mon, 31 Mar 1997 17:11:24 -0500 (EST) >From: Nichen@aol.com To: ar-news@envirolink.org Subject: Woman Gets Jail for Cat Killings Message-ID: <970331170944_-602563580@emout10.mail.aol.com> I<< .c The Associated Press KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - A Missouri woman is going to jail for four months - for stabbing to death a cat and five kittens. The woman said she wanted to teach her son a lesson, after he became fascinated with knives. But court records say Vicki Hill had become fed up with the commotion that the cat family was causing in her small duplex. Her 6-year-old son was traumatized by the incident - and he's been in state custody at a group home ever since. Hill claims that she's really an animal lover - and that ``no one has suffered more'' than she has. But animal-rights activists are applauding the sentence. Prosecutors say the case has generated more calls and letters than most murder cases. AP-NY-03-29-97 2148EST --------------------- Forwarded message: >From:AOLNewsProfiles@aol.net Date: 97-03-29 23:05:07 EST

.c The Associated Press
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - A Missouri woman is going to jail for four months - for stabbing to death a cat and five kittens. The woman said she wanted to teach her son a lesson, after he became fascinated with knives. But court records say Vicki Hill had become fed up with the commotion that the cat family was causing in her small duplex. Her 6-year-old son was traumatized by the incident - and he's been in state custody at a group home ever since. Hill claims that she's really an animal lover - and that ``no one has suffered more'' than she has. But animal-rights activists are applauding the sentence. Prosecutors say the case has generated more calls and letters than most murder cases. AP-NY-03-29-97 2148EST
To edit your profile, go to keyword NewsProfiles. For all of today's news, go to keyword News. Date: Mon, 31 Mar 1997 17:14:25 -0500 (EST) >From: SdeCAP@arc.unm.edu (Lawrence Carter-Long) To: ar-news@envirolink.org Subject: Leaving SdeCAP/Changing addresses Message-ID: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" I regret to relate that today March 31, 1997 will be my last day of employment at Sangre de Cristo Animal Protection, Inc. When I moved to Albuquerque in October of 1995 it was because I felt SdeCAP's campaign against the Inhalation Toxicology Research Institute was worthwhile. I still do. Lately, however, concerns about funding have precluded any program work that I've been able to do and unfortunately, we have been forced to cease our efforts on the ITRI campaign. I hate to leave, but have no other choice. The campaign has been running at a deficit for over a year now and simply cannot continue in this manner. I am still discussing other options and will let y'all know as soon as something noteworthy develops. For now, I can be reached at the email addresses below if anyone needs or wants to reach me. Lawrence Carter-Long Email: LCartrLong@aol.com SPYKE@arc.unm.edu "Nothing is given to humanity, and the little we can conquer is paid for with unjust deaths, but humanity's greatness lies elsewhere. It lies in our decision to be stronger than our condition, and if our condition is unjust we have only one way of overcoming it, which is to be just ourselves." -- Albert Camus, 1944. Date: Tue, 01 Apr 1997 17:12:03 -0500 >From: allen schubert To: ar-news@envirolink.org Subject: (US) Groups Want Salmon Habitat Saved Message-ID: <3.0.32.19970401171201.006a2748@clark.net> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" from AP Wire page: --------------------------- 03/31/1997 01:31 EST Groups Want Salmon Habitat Saved By SCOTT SONNER Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) -- Environmentalists are returning to court in Oregon to ask a federal judge to play ``fish master'' and save the endangered Northwest salmon. Ultimately, they want to return the Snake and Columbia rivers to a more natural state where currents run faster and cooler. But that could hurt hydropower producers, shippers and irrigation farmers. The conservationists say past efforts to move salmon by barge and truck around a series of dams has failed to reverse the salmon's population declines. They want more water devoted to helping flush young fish to the Pacific Ocean, at the expense of commercial river users. Two years ago, U.S. District Judge Malcolm Marsh of Portland, Ore., ruled in a related case that federal efforts to protect the dwindling salmon runs were ``seriously, significantly flawed.'' Environmentalists were heading back to Marsh's court today for a hearing on their claim that the National Marine Fisheries Service, the Army Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Reclamation are still doing too little to save several Snake River salmon species from extinction. The environmentalists complain that the government for the last two years has fallen short of water-flow targets needed to help flush young fish to the ocean. ``This could be a big turning point,'' said Rick Taylor, spokesman for the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission in Portland, which has filed friend-of-the-court briefs in support of the conservationists. ``They have asked the judge to become the fish master of the Columbia.'' The plaintiffs want Marsh to order the government to draw reservoir levels down to return the river to a more natural state with faster moving, colder water. That would help juvenile salmon arrive at the ocean in days, just as they did before the dams were built a half-century ago, instead of the weeks-long journeys they now make through slack water pools filled with predators. But it also would make less water available to churn hydropower turbines and shut down at times the navigational system that connects the port of Lewiston, Idaho, to the Pacific. The salmon population once numbered 10 million to 16 million in the Columbia River basin. Federal scientists estimate only 2 percent are left and the number continues to drop. American Rivers, a conservation group leading the lawsuit, has been pressing for increased protection of three Snake River salmon species since they were listed as endangered in 1991 and 1992. The group contends that federal agencies are loathe to carry out conservation measures that could hurt other river users, especially the producers of cheap hydropower. ``They call themselves the federal family. We call them the dysfunctional federal family,'' said Lorraine Bodi, Northwest regional director of American Rivers in Seattle. Doug Arndt, senior program manager for the Army Corps of Engineers' North Pacific Division in Portland, said his agency has struggled to achieve a balanced approach. ``We have 13 Indian tribes, five states, any number of utilities and environmental groups all coming at this thing trying to present their points of view,'' Arndt said. ``There's not even agreement we are chasing the right goal.'' Much of the disagreement centers on whether the fish are better off being barged and trucked around the dams or remaining in the Columbia throughout their migration. After hearing oral arguments today, Marsh is expected to rule within a few weeks -- about the time the fish start their annual migration to the ocean. Date: Mon, 31 Mar 1997 17:31:00 -0500 (EST) >From: Nichen@aol.com To: ar-news@envirolink.org Subject: Saving the Rare Houbara Bustard Message-ID: <970331172955_-1805264476@emout12.mail.aol.com> IThis is some of the most disgusting waste of money and resources for digusting practices I have ever seen. c The Associated Press By SCHEHEREZADE FARAMARZI SWEIHAN, United Arab Emirates (AP) - Artificial insemination, man-made rain, computers and satellite identification tags are among high-tech tools used by researchers trying to revive a declining bird population. And all this is to save the birds so they can be hunted. The birds - houbara bustards - are the most prized quarry in Arab falconry, a sport revered by the wealthy sheiks of the Gulf. The birds are being studied and bred at the National Avian Research Center, which opened in the emirate of Abu Dhabi in 1990 and is a pet project of Emirates ruler Sheik Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, an avid falconer. The center is run by a team of international specialists, some of whom admit privately they are happy to have Gulf oil money to save the houbara bustard but are less dedicated to the center's other goal - encouraging falconry. Using costly, sophisticated gear, the center studies every detail of the houbara, a brown and gray bird with dark neck feathers that is about the size of a large chicken. Twenty houbaras are housed in desert aviaries where researchers study their reproduction in a natural habitat. Scientists monitor the mating behavior of another 20 birds kept in artificial conditions at the center's Environment House in Sweihan, east of the Emirates capital, Abu Dhabi. Derek Gliddon, a geographic systems analyst, follows color dots on a computer screen that show movements of tagged birds - 15 have been released by the center since 1994 - over the course of their migration. ``When they start moving, they go very quickly,'' says Gliddon, a 33-year-old Briton, pointing to the route on a map. The tagged houbaras wear tiny backpacks holding satellite transmitters. Each weighs 1.2 ounces and costs $3,000, plus $2,000 to run for a year. The transmitters beam signals 620 miles to three orbiting satellites, which calculate the birds' position from space and send the data to a computer in France. The houbaras inhabit an area stretching from the Canary Islands in the west to China in the east. They migrate to the Gulf between November and February, the hunting season. Conservationists say without such a sophisticated project the houbara bustard is certain to disappear because the Gulf sheiks - who have hunted the birds with falcons for 2,000 years - are unlikely to stop. Olivier Combreau, an ecologist at the center, says the houbara population in the Emirates could be fewer than 1,000 in winter. By contrast, David Remple, founder of the Dubai Falcon Hospital, estimates there are 10,000 falconers in the region. It's difficult to get a firm picture of the houbaras' decline since no studies were done on past migrations. But, according to poachers, the birds are in noticeable decline. Farming and use of pesticides in the birds' breeding grounds have contributed to the drop in numbers, but by far the major reason is overhunting - mainly because the sheiks have switched from camels to four-wheel-drive vehicles in giving chase. In the past, a party of hunters would pursue bustards for weeks or months across the desert, tracking their footprints in the sand. Today, as before, the falcon perches on the falconer's wrist, which is protected by a glove-like mangela. Once a hood covering the falcon's head is removed, the falcon is trained to attack with its claws and beak to break the prey's neck, then drop the kill on the ground before the hunter. As a quarry, the houbara bustard is prized by Gulf Arabs for its rich, dark meat. The falcon is such a part of Gulf heritage that it's the Emirates' official symbol. Arab poets use the falcon as an image for strength and speed; it can fly at more than 100 mph. British traveler and author Wilfred Thesiger gives a picture of the traditional hunt in his writing about desert trips in the 1940s and '50s with Sheik Zayed, the Emirates' ruler. ``For months or more we rode for long hours on superb camels, slept on the ground in the open, fed on the hares and the bustards we had taken - half a dozen in one day if we were lucky - an exacting and rewarding experience in confronting an immemorial past.'' At the research center, spokeswoman Theri Bailey said the breeding of houbaras to be killed as prey does not contradict conservationist values. ``We see the potential for conservation ... if the hunting was managed properly. We try to put out a positive message,'' said Bailey, who comes from England. ``Arab people need to move toward the right direction. If you are their friends, advisers, it's better to work with them than throwing mud at them from the outside.'' One environmentalist at the center, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said he would prefer to free the houbaras to enjoy a long life but added: ``We must please the sheiks.'' ``It's a sensitive subject. We cannot tell the sheiks they cannot hunt. They will if they want to. But we can utilize their money to understand the ecology in order to protect the houbara,'' he said. Sheik Zayed, the center's benefactor, has described the hunt for the bustard as a meditating experience. ``Our hunting trips accustom us to patience and endurance,'' he wrote recently. ``We regard them as a means of achieving a degree of psychological equilibrium between sedentary urban life and that of the desert. The simple happiness this sport brings us fortifies us against the stresses and strains of our official duties.'' AP-NY-03-30-97 1201EST >> --------------------- Forwarded message: >From:AOLNewsProfiles@aol.net Date: 97-03-30 12:04:24 EST
.c The Associated Press
By SCHEHEREZADE FARAMARZI SWEIHAN, United Arab Emirates (AP) - Artificial insemination, man-made rain, computers and satellite identification tags are among high-tech tools used by researchers trying to revive a declining bird population. And all this is to save the birds so they can be hunted. The birds - houbara bustards - are the most prized quarry in Arab falconry, a sport revered by the wealthy sheiks of the Gulf. The birds are being studied and bred at the National Avian Research Center, which opened in the emirate of Abu Dhabi in 1990 and is a pet project of Emirates ruler Sheik Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, an avid falconer. The center is run by a team of international specialists, some of whom admit privately they are happy to have Gulf oil money to save the houbara bustard but are less dedicated to the center's other goal - encouraging falconry. Using costly, sophisticated gear, the center studies every detail of the houbara, a brown and gray bird with dark neck feathers that is about the size of a large chicken. Twenty houbaras are housed in desert aviaries where researchers study their reproduction in a natural habitat. Scientists monitor the mating behavior of another 20 birds kept in artificial conditions at the center's Environment House in Sweihan, east of the Emirates capital, Abu Dhabi. Derek Gliddon, a geographic systems analyst, follows color dots on a computer screen that show movements of tagged birds - 15 have been released by the center since 1994 - over the course of their migration. ``When they start moving, they go very quickly,'' says Gliddon, a 33-year-old Briton, pointing to the route on a map. The tagged houbaras wear tiny backpacks holding satellite transmitters. Each weighs 1.2 ounces and costs $3,000, plus $2,000 to run for a year. The transmitters beam signals 620 miles to three orbiting satellites, which calculate the birds' position from space and send the data to a computer in France. The houbaras inhabit an area stretching from the Canary Islands in the west to China in the east. They migrate to the Gulf between November and February, the hunting season. Conservationists say without such a sophisticated project the houbara bustard is certain to disappear because the Gulf sheiks - who have hunted the birds with falcons for 2,000 years - are unlikely to stop. Olivier Combreau, an ecologist at the center, says the houbara population in the Emirates could be fewer than 1,000 in winter. By contrast, David Remple, founder of the Dubai Falcon Hospital, estimates there are 10,000 falconers in the region. It's difficult to get a firm picture of the houbaras' decline since no studies were done on past migrations. But, according to poachers, the birds are in noticeable decline. Farming and use of pesticides in the birds' breeding grounds have contributed to the drop in numbers, but by far the major reason is overhunting - mainly because the sheiks have switched from camels to four-wheel-drive vehicles in giving chase. In the past, a party of hunters would pursue bustards for weeks or months across the desert, tracking their footprints in the sand. Today, as before, the falcon perches on the falconer's wrist, which is protected by a glove-like mangela. Once a hood covering the falcon's head is removed, the falcon is trained to attack with its claws and beak to break the prey's neck, then drop the kill on the ground before the hunter. As a quarry, the houbara bustard is prized by Gulf Arabs for its rich, dark meat. The falcon is such a part of Gulf heritage that it's the Emirates' official symbol. Arab poets use the falcon as an image for strength and speed; it can fly at more than 100 mph. British traveler and author Wilfred Thesiger gives a picture of the traditional hunt in his writing about desert trips in the 1940s and '50s with Sheik Zayed, the Emirates' ruler. ``For months or more we rode for long hours on superb camels, slept on the ground in the open, fed on the hares and the bustards we had taken - half a dozen in one day if we were lucky - an exacting and rewarding experience in confronting an immemorial past.'' At the research center, spokeswoman Theri Bailey said the breeding of houbaras to be killed as prey does not contradict conservationist values. ``We see the potential for conservation ... if the hunting was managed properly. We try to put out a positive message,'' said Bailey, who comes from England. ``Arab people need to move toward the right direction. If you are their friends, advisers, it's better to work with them than throwing mud at them from the outside.'' One environmentalist at the center, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said he would prefer to free the houbaras to enjoy a long life but added: ``We must please the sheiks.'' ``It's a sensitive subject. We cannot tell the sheiks they cannot hunt. They will if they want to. But we can utilize their money to understand the ecology in order to protect the houbara,'' he said. Sheik Zayed, the center's benefactor, has described the hunt for the bustard as a meditating experience. ``Our hunting trips accustom us to patience and endurance,'' he wrote recently. ``We regard them as a means of achieving a degree of psychological equilibrium between sedentary urban life and that of the desert. The simple happiness this sport brings us fortifies us against the stresses and strains of our official duties.'' AP-NY-03-30-97 1201EST
To edit your profile, go to keyword NewsProfiles. For all of today's news, go to keyword News. Date: Mon, 31 Mar 1997 20:21:20 -0800 >From: Andrew Gach To: ar-news@envirolink.org Subject: Your tax dollars at work Message-ID: <33408D40.29F8@worldnet.att.net> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Genes used to restore salivary glands in rats The Associated Press WASHINGTON (Mar 31, 1997 7:55 p.m. EST) -- When patients with head and neck cancer are treated with radiation, a serious side effect is damage to glands that produce saliva. Now researchers say a new gene therapy may eventually solve this problem. Scientists at the National Institute of Dental Research have demonstrated in laboratory rats that near normal saliva secretion can be restored for a time by transferring a saliva-making gene into certain cells in the mouth. The study is to be published Tuesday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Dr. Bruce Baum, chief scientist in the study, said the work is "an important first step to managing a condition for which no suitable and effective therapy is currently available." Head and neck cancers often are treated with radiation, but the therapy may kill acinar, or fluid-producing, cells in the salivary glands. This causes unrelenting "dry mouth," leading to a chronic inflammation of mucous membranes and frequent infections. Patients also can have difficulty swallowing, speaking and eating. Radiation often does not affect the salivary ducts, however, and now researchers may have found a way to make those ducts produce fluid. The scientists modified an adenovirus, which is similar to a cold virus, so that it could not reproduce. They then put into the virus a gene called aquaporin. This gene, recently discovered, causes the formation pores for the passage of fluid. In an experiment, laboratory rats were irradiated so that their salivary glands were damaged and saliva secretion was reduced by 64 percent. When the rats salivary ducts were infected with the modified virus, the saliva secretion increased to near normal. The effect was transitory, however, the researchers said, because the infection from the modified virus lasted only a short time. Baum said in a statement that the research is at an early stage and it may be several years before the gene transfer technique will be ready for testing in humans. Date: Mon, 31 Mar 1997 20:23:53 -0800 >From: Andrew Gach To: ar-news@envirolink.org Subject: Falcons return to Seattle skyscraper Message-ID: <33408DD9.4A79@worldnet.att.net> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Endangered falcons return to Seattle skyscraper Reuter Information Service SEATTLE (Mar 31, 1997 5:19 p.m. EST) - Capistrano may have its famous swallows, but Seattle has a mated pair of endangered peregrine falcons who have returned to nest on a downtown office building for the fourth year in a row. The female, Belle, laid her third egg at 1:56 a.m. Monday on a ledge on the 56-story building and is expected to lay one more, according to Terry Onustack, a spokesman for Washington Mutual Bank, the tower's principal tenant. Last year, the falcon laid four eggs. Two of the babies survived to leave the nest. It will take four weeks for the latest eggs to hatch, and then another six weeks before the young falcons make their first flight. Bank patrons and other nature lovers can follow the progress of the eggs and any chicks on two video monitors set up in the building, the Washington Mutual Tower, including one visible from the street that is switched on after hours. Daily updates on the progress of the falcons can also be heard on a telephone hotline. Date: Mon, 31 Mar 1997 20:35:51 -0800 >From: Andrew Gach To: ar-news@envirolink.org Subject: FWD: Forest Focus Message-ID: <334090A7.732C@worldnet.att.net> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit >From: Western Ancient Forest Campaign Newsgroups: misc.activism.progressive Subject: WAFC Forest Focus - March 27, 1997 Date: 31 Mar 1997 00:10:45 GMT FOREST FOCUS, the Bulletin of the Western Ancient Forest Campaign, Mar. 27, 1997 Reach us at (202)879-3188, fax (202)879- 3189, or email WAFCDC@igc.apc.org NEW LAWS?: Sen. Frank Murkowski, chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, says he is "skeptical" about the claims of the Clinton Administration that they don't need new laws to effectively manage the national forests, AP reports. "Administrative changes are taking, if not forever, longer than most people can afford to wait," Murkowski said in requesting the Government Accounting Office to provide his committee with information on the agencies' rule making process and the average time frames involved. "We believe wholesale revisions of land management statutes are neither necessary nor desirable," Secretaries Bruce Babbitt and Dan Glickman wrote to Sen. Larry Craig earlier this month in commenting on Craig's proposed timber industry legislation. "The laws under which the Forest Service and BLM now operate are fundamentally sound." MINE APPEAL: The Kettle Range Conservation Group has appalled the Crown Jewel Mine, a proposed open-pit mine located on Buckhorn Mt. on Forest Service land, a release from the group says. The mine "has it all," KRCG says: "mine tailings over a creek, blasting the top off a mountain, use of cyanide to process microscopic gold, and disregard for the folks living in the area." The group claims that the creation of a "special management area" by the Forest Service for the mine "is unprecedented and illegal." KRCG is appealling the project to Regional Forester Bob Williams in Portland OR and asks "all concerned citizens to write a letter to the Regional Forester, as an 'interested party,' opposing the mine and asking him to prevent this land grab." NO GOSHAWKS: Logging on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon has eliminated goshawk habitat, a new wildlife study says according to the Arizona Republic. "Goshawks aren't there," researcher Richard Reynolds told the Republic about "seed-tree" logging areas on the North Kaibab Plateau. Conservationists say that if goshawks are in decline in the North Kaibab, their numbers "must be drastically off in other, more heavily logged Southwestern forests." Robin Silver of the Southwest Center for Biological Diversity said that the area is "what historically was the best habitat for goshawks in North America." DAVIS SUPPORT: The Mayor of Davis CA has written to Rep. Vic Fazio (D-CA) asking that Fazio support measures in Congress "that bring more accountability and oversight" to the Forest Service. The letter specifically asks Fazio, who is a member of the House Appropriations Committee, to support the Kennedy amendment to eliminate Forest Service road building in roadless areas. "We object to spending millions of dollars to promote the obliteration of our old growth forests, watersheds, and wildlands," says the letter to Fazio from Mayor Lois Wolk for the Davis City Council. "We would like to see an end to certain funds, such as the Salvage Fund, which promote increased logging at taxpayer expense." AFRICAN ALARM: "An alarm bell must be sounded" at the devastation taking place in central African forests, Rep. Clay Shaw (R- FL) told a House subcommittee considering development assistance last week, the Environment News Service reports. Shaw and Rep. Bill Archer travelled to central Africa in January and Shaw said he observed that "the new type of logging that is being done by the Asians [in Africa] is clear-cutting pure and simple." --=====================_859607111==_ Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Steve Holmer Campaign Coordinator Western Ancient Forest Campaign 1025 Vermont Ave, NW, 3rd Floor Washington, D.C. 20005 202/879-3188 202/879-3189 fax wafcdc@igc.apc.org Date: Mon, 31 Mar 1997 20:54:48 -0800 >From: Andrew Gach To: ar-news@envirolink.org Subject: The newest drug racket Message-ID: <33409518.51DF@worldnet.att.net> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Critics Claim Drugs Intended For Obesity Are Often Misused By ROBERT LANGRETH Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL On a pale Saturday morning in Santa Monica, Calif., while much of the town is still waking up, the waiting room of the Manhattan Weight Control Medical Center is already packed with patients. Most are young women, and they wait for up to an hour to be seen for a few minutes by a doctor or an assistant in one of the nine patient rooms. They want pills to make them thin -- or thinner. By closing time at 1 p.m., more than 70 customers have been treated in just 4 1/2 hours, each spending $30 or more for a seven-day supply. The pills are American Home Products Corp.'s hot-selling Redux, an obesity drug based on dexfenfluramine, and "phen-fen," a combination of two other obesity drugs, phentermine and fenfluramine. The drugs, available only by prescription, are intended only for patients who are clinically obese -- that is, 20% or 30% heavier than ideal weight -- and can have rare but devastating effects. But some customers at Manhattan Weight Control simply want to shed a few pounds to improve their appearance. Hundreds of new diet-pill clinics have sprouted nationwide in the past year or two to cash in on the new drugs and the desire of women -- the clinics' chief customers -- to be fashion-model thin without working at it. These "pill mills," as critics call them, maximize patient turnover while providing little direct contact with doctors. Many play down the risks and deceptively promise permanent weight loss; sometimes a doctor isn't present at all. "There are plenty of pill mills out there, handing out medications like cheap Halloween candy," says Michael Myers, an obesity specialist and doctor in Los Alamitos, Calif. "Lots of physicians have suddenly become experts in obesity." Those who promise permanent weight loss come in for particularly sharp criticism from Richard Joseph, a weight-loss specialist in Naperville, Ill. Dr. Joseph, chairman of the ethics panel of the American Society of Bariatric Physicians, a group of weight-loss specialists, says: "It's totally unethical to promise permanent weight loss ... since weight loss is rarely, if ever, permanent." Experts say it is the biggest gold rush in the diet-pill business in 30 years. Diet clinics offer an alluring cash business to doctors stung by managed care. In Southern California alone, at least half a dozen doctor-owned chains now offer multiple locations. Get-rich-quick entrepreneurs are jumping in, too, including a Houston used-car lender and the Florida operator of a money-losing chain of Domino's pizza palaces in Poland. "I've never seen a vehicle like this for seeing large number of patients. You may be talking to the next billionaire!" says Fred Garcia, owner of Slim & Slimmer Medical Associates of Newport Beach, Calif. Dr. Garcia operates 24 sites, most of them opened since May 1995. "It's a wide-open market. The profit margins are much larger than in restaurants," says Mitchell Rubinson, chief executive of QPQ Corp. of Miami Beach, the Polish pizza business. QPQ opened four weight-loss centers staffed by doctors last year and hopes to expand to 36 in three years. The last time a diet-pill craze sparked big business was in the 1960s, when hundreds of weight-loss centers prescribed amphetamines that proved to be highly addictive. Diet pills fell out of favor and were frowned upon for three decades, until phen-fen caught on in 1994, followed by Redux last year. Though not as addictive as amphetamines, the new drugs have possible side effects that include temporary memory loss, depression, dependency and pulmonary hypertension, a lung disease that kills half of the people who get it. That is why the pills usually are intended only for those who are 20% to 30% overweight or more; the health risks of obesity outweigh the risk of side effects. "It is terrible medicine, malpractice per se, to give the medications out to people who want to lose five or 10 pounds and risk the chance of side effects. All it does is enrich the doctor," says Morton Maxwell, an obesity expert at the University of California, Los Angeles. Gary Huber of the Texas Nutrition Institute in Tyler, Texas, warns: "A lot of people are going to get killed." Last year, doctors wrote a total of 18 million monthly prescriptions for one or the other of the two drugs in the phen-fen combo, a daytime/nighttime mix. Redux racked up an additional 2.4 million prescriptions in just its first six months, according to IMS America Ltd., a pharmaceutical-research firm. Sales of the three drugs cleared $400 million last year, and about three-quarters of that went to American Home, which makes Redux and Pondimin, the main brand of fenfluramine. Sales of Pondimin quadrupled to about $190 million last year. An American Home spokeswoman says the vast majority of doctors prescribe its diet drugs only to patients who are obese. However, visits to several clinics in California and Texas, both states with high numbers of diet-pill centers, show just how liberal the prescription practices are -- and how vastly profitable the clinics can be. At Manhattan Weight Control in Santa Monica, lawyer Emily Maxwell has trimmed 15 pounds off her 5-foot-7-inch frame and has reached the 125-pound mark with phen-fen. "The time to exercise isn't there," she says, but she doesn't worry about the diet drugs' side effects. "I feel good about this place." Jan Wineman of Irvine, Calif., was treated for several months at a Manhattan Weight Control clinic last year, dropping almost 30 pounds to just 112; she is 5 feet 6 inches tall. Acquaintances wondered whether she had AIDS. She had bothersome side effects -- memory loss, stomach cramps, irregular menstruation and jarring heart palpitations -- which she says she reported to the clinic. "It was like having 15 cups of coffee," she says. She ultimately quit the drugs on her own and has since gained back about 10 pounds. The pills, she says, were "so easy to get." Manhattan Weight Control maintains it weans patients off the drugs after they have lost enough weight. Most of the chain's 18 clinics have opened only in the past year. The owner, Don S. Jensen, a former family practitioner who lives in Los Angeles' exclusive Bel-Air section, says the chain reaped $15 million in revenue last year. He says most customers are more than 60 pounds overweight and that the chain rejects many who don't qualify. He acknowledges treating people who aren't really fat; but he maintains, contrary to generally accepted medical opinion, that doing so doesn't pose a risk. Dr. Jensen also says his company hasn't had a single serious side effect among 45,000 people it has treated and that the threat of pulmonary hypertension is "a red herring ... pretty much a media creation." But at least two malpractice lawsuits have been filed against Dr. Jensen by patients who say the chain was wrong to prescribe drugs for them. One suit filed by Serzine Oghli in Los Angeles Superior Court against Dr. Jensen and his company alleges that the plaintiff, on medication for high blood pressure when treated at the center, had to be hospitalized for heart palpitations because of the diet drugs. In the second case, Don Ventura is suing the center, Dr. Jensen and another doctor no longer at the center; the suit, filed in Orange County Superior Court in Santa Ana, Calif., alleges that diet pills caused Mr. Ventura, who had uncontrolled hypertension, to suffer a stroke that left him partially paralyzed. Dr. Jensen denies the allegations and calls both lawsuits "totally ridiculous." At local rival Slim & Slimmer Associates, business is booming. Dr. Garcia, the would-be billionaire, went into the diet business after watching his anesthesiology practice fall off 40% because of managed care. His chain treats 1,400 patients every month at $90 each, pocketing a 30% profit, he says. And Slim & Slimmer is in talks to open clinics at a chain of 34 health clubs. Dr. Garcia says he mainly treats patients who are 20% overweight or more. But Julie Taylor, an accountant, had no trouble getting phen-fen at one of his San Fernando Valley offices. She is 5 feet 6 inches tall and dropped about 20 pounds to 110 before recently stopping the drugs. In suburban Atlanta, several doctors say they were pressured to churn out rapid-fire prescriptions and that the patients often were too thin at Ashford Medical Weight Loss. "They talked about spending three to five minutes, maximum, per patient," says James Heusner, a physician who worked for a single day at an Ashford clinic. "At least three times in four or five hours, they complained I wasn't moving fast enough." John Powers, operator and part owner of the Ashford chain, denies pressuring doctors. He also says: "If somebody isn't 20% overweight, our doctors aren't going to treat them. Period." In Houston, Jay Mont treats several dozen patients a day at his clinic inside a small office building. Dr. Mont buys magazine ads emblazoned with before-and-after photos of a bikini-clad woman who purportedly lost 140 pounds on his program. "Permanent weight loss ... even if you only want to lose five pounds!" the ads blare. Some patients say Dr. Mont tells them exercise is optional and lets his staff treat patients when he isn't present. Dr. Mont declines to comment. In Tyler, Texas, Anton Lester III treats up to 20 diet-pill patients a day at $50 a head; several patients say he often gives them only a cursory exam. Dr. Lester says the diet pills are only a fraction of his business. He admits that he sometimes prescribes the drugs to people who need to lose only a few pounds. "If they pay you, you have to give them something," he says.
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