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ANIMAL MEDIA ALERTS -- DECEMBER 2004
DAWNWATCH YEAR END ROUND UP AND SIGN-OFF FOR 2004 -- 12/23/04 Today I looked over the major media stories affecting animals in 2004. As with every year, there have been up and downs. A big downer has been the resurgence of fur. But I am inclined to agree with PETA's take, that we are witnessing the last gasp of a dying industry. Currently, wild horses and burros are in trouble. A provision in the spending bill signed Wednesday took away what little protection they had so that they can now legally be sold for slaughter. But the Horse Slaughter Prevention Act, which would offer ultimate protection, looks promising. And the SHAC 7, who have led the American fight against the notorious Huntingdon Life Sciences laboratory, await trial. It is hard to foresee the outcome. But looking back at the year, overall, in many ways we can be truly encouraged: California, the fifth largest economy in the world, joined over a dozen nations that have outlawed the production and sale of foie gras. Though the ban does not take effect until 2012, the legislative legitimacy it has granted to foie gras opposition has been reflected in worldwide press. It is a huge step forward. In the UK, the militant fringe of the animal rights movement blocked plans for a primate center at Cambridge, indefinitely stalled plans for a lab at Oxford, and brought discussion on the ethics of vivisection to the pages of every UK paper. Almost a year after his death, the heart disease plaguing Dr Atkins (which may have been responsible for his slip on the ice) finally made major news. And the Atkins diet craze, plaguing us and the animals for years, is finally starting to wane. In August, thanks to Compassion Over Killing's efforts, including their footage showing horrifying conditions on "Animal Care Certified" egg farms, the Better Business Bureau officially referred the egg labeling case against United Egg Producers to the Federal Trade Commission for possible law enforcement action. An Abercrombie and Fitch boycott of Australian wool brought us a commitment from the wool industry to end the hideous practice of mulesing -- cutting hunks of flesh, without pain relief, off the hindquarters of sheep -- as the cheapest way to control flystrike. PETA is now 'encouraging' other retailers to join the boycott, the aim being to end Australia's cruel live export trade. Through much of the year we watched the Detroit Zoo battle the American Zoo and Aquarium Association. In December, Detroit zoo director, Ron Kagan, finally got an agreement from the association that will allow the Detroit zoo elephants to go to sanctuary -- like those from the San Francisco zoo! Many of us grew up in a world where keeping wild animals captive for human entertainment was never questioned. Though such cruelty has yet to be universally banned, we at least know that the current college generation will not, in a few short years, take its young children to see wild animals at the circus or zoo with no ethical question in mind. And who knows what those college kids will be serving their kids for dinner! In what is perhaps the most encouraging development over the last year, because it affects by far the greatest number of animals, we have seen compassionate vegan living go mainstream. The Aramark food company conducted a study amongst college students across the US; 24 percent said they wanted vegan meals offered on campus, so Aramark is adding them nationwide. We saw vegan car marketing on the front page of the Los Angeles Times, vegan shopping on the front page of the San Francisco Chronicle, a story on "Vegan Chic" in Newsweek, and even vegan representation in the appalling world of reality TV, with a vegan family on "Trading Spouses" and a vegan candidate on Showtime's "American Candidate." And there are finally appealing vegan sitcom and soap characters, such as Persia White's character on "Girlfirends." In the most mainstream of genres, we saw the New York Times "Ethicist" come out against dolphin captivity and fur, and Dr Phil introduce his rescue dog to his millions of viewers, telling them to adopt their future companion animals. With much less fanfare, committed activists got wild animal circuses banned from towns across America, and animal labs dropped from the most prestigious medical schools. And millions of people did whatever they could to help spread a message of compassion. A quick scan of the media alerts page of the DawnWatch website pointed to the stories I mention above. I know I have missed many more. That's why, though my heart hurts for the billons who suffer, I feel comfortable writing that in many ways it has been a very good year. I send a message of the deepest gratitude and respect to all who helped make it so, knowing we can make 2005 just a little bit better. Yours and the animals', Karen Dawn
CAT CLONING COVERAGE UNIVERSALLY INCLUDES ETHICAL POINTS As I send out my last DawnWatch alert for 2004, an animal story makes headlines all over the world: A Texas woman has paid $50,000 for the first cloned cat to be sold as a companion animal. It is disappointing to see this development as millions of companion animals are exterminated every year in the United States for lack of homes. But, I have found the coverage of the issue to be encouraging -- a great note on which to end the year. The Associated Press version of the story, on which many papers will base their coverage, includes this quote from David Magnus, co-director of the Center for Biomedical Ethics at Stanford University: "It's morally problematic and a little reprehensible. For $50,000, she could have provided homes for a lot of strays." You'll find the story on the Chicago Tribune website at: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0412230209dec23,1,4809347.story and a truncated version of it on the New York Times website at: http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/23/national/23cat.html The Los Angeles Times includes a quote from Michael Mountain, president of Best Friends Animal Society: "There are millions of cats being killed in shelters every year. There is no shortage of cats; so why do they have to do this?" (Dec 23, Pg A18) http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-clone23dec23,1,2596201.story The Dallas Morning News in the state of Texas, where the $50,000 California engineered cat now lives, put the story on its front page and included a quote from the media director for the SPCA of Texas in Dallas: "There are enough available animals out there. It's really unnecessary to go to these lengths. It's disappointing. There's a lot that could be done for $50,000." And the article notes, "The SPCA's adoption fees range from $80 to $185." DawnWatch generally sends out links for letters to the editor -- and, indeed, I will provide them for the papers I mention above: Chicago Tribune: http://www.chicagotribune.com/services/site/chi-lettertotheeditor.customform New York Times: letters@nytimes.com Los Angeles Times: letters@latimes.com Dallas Morning News: http://www.dallasnews.com/cgi-bin/lettertoed.cgi But this story has already appeared in over 400 news outlets. Since I know it is in the local paper of every animal advocate reading this post, I strongly encourage every person to write, not to one of the huge national papers, but to his or her own local paper, picking up the ethical question that has, thankfully, been included in almost all of the coverage. I am always happy to lend a hand to those looking for an email address for their editor, but since I am about to go off line for the year I will make two general recommendations: You'll always find the email address for letters on the print edition of the letters page. And it is usually easy to find it on your newspapers website. Look for a link marked "contact us" at the very top or very bottom of the front page, or down the left hand column if the site is designed with one. I close this final DawnWatch alert for 2004 (though I will send a 2004 summary with it) with a message of heartfelt thanks to every person who has sent a note to the media some time during the year. Thank you for making the voice of compassion part of the public dialogue.
NPR COVERAGE OF CHINA BEAR RESCUE CAMPAIGN Jill Robinson, the founder and CEO of Animals Asia Foundation, will be the featured guest on NPR's live call-in show, 'The Connection' this Wednesday, December 22 from 11-12 noon EST. She'll be talking about AAF's China Bear Rescue campaign. You can learn about the campaign on the Animals Asia website at: http://www.animalsasia.org/index.php?module=2&lg=en . You'll see horrifying photos of bears with metal catheters implanted in their abdomens ( bile is extracted) kept in cages so small that they cannot move at all. And you'll see uplifting pictures, from the organization's sanctuary, of those that Animals Asia has rescued. If you don't get The Connection on your local NPR station, you can listen live on line, from anywhere in the world, at: http://www.theconnection.org/ Those of us in the United States can call in toll free on 1-800-423-8255. Also, The Connection archives its shows immediately so if you miss it you will be able to listen on line any time on Wednesday or later. And, after the show airs, please thank "The Connection" for the coverage. The show takes feedback at: http://www.theconnection.org/contactus/
NPR COVERAGE OF PETA'S KOSHER SLAUGHTERHOUSE FOOTAGE On Monday, December 20, the National Public Radio show "All Things Considered" gave strong even-handed coverage to the story regarding PETA's undercover footage taken at the AgriProcessors plant, which the story described "the world's largest glatt kosher slaughterhouse," and "the only one in the US certified by Israeli rabbinic authorities." You can hear the whole five minute story on line at: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4236845 I will summarize it, briefly, below: The reporter, Greg Allen, describes what one can see on the PETA tape: "A shochet, a ritual slaughterer, uses a sharp knife to cut a steer's throat, and as the blood begins to flow, a second man steps forward and pulls out the animal's trachea. In case after case, the animal struggles to its feet while its windpipe dangles from its open throat." Arguments on both sides as to whether the practices involve horrendous cruelty or just involuntary post-conscious movements are presented. The story mentions that the footage has been posted to PETA's website. It is PETA's www.GoVeg.com website that has the story front and central; unfortunately that is not noted but hopefully listeners will go to PETA's main site and find their way easily to the footage. Nobody seeing it, who is not strongly invested in believing there to be no cruelty, could watch the footage and interpret the bellowing and staggering, sometimes for minutes, of cows who have risen to their feet, as involuntary movement. Temple Grandin, who is described as "a veterinarian at Colorado State University," and an "expert on humane slaughtering processes" is not a PETA person. She is a meat-eater who helps design slaughterhouses with the intention of making them more humane. We hear her say: "My reaction was I just about fell off my chair when I saw this procedure of yanking out the trachea." Greg Allen reports: "Grandin, an expert on humane slaughtering practices, has worked closely with dozens of kosher slaughterhouses. Kosher slaughter, she says, can be extremely humane if done well. One sign, Grandin says, that AgriProcessors was not doing things correctly was how many animals tried to get up after having their throats cut. PETA says one-quarter of the 276 animals the group documented showed signs of consciousness after being released from the holding chamber. AgriProcessors disputes that, however, along with most of PETA's other charges. Spokesman Mike Thomas says plant workers don't deliberately remove the animals' tracheas. He says it's sometimes done accidentally. And despite evidence on the tape, Thomas says the vast majority of animals die within seconds." (Note: "Despite evidence on the tape.") The story includes strong quotes from PETA's Bruce Friedrich: "Many of the animals actually struggle and stand for up to three minutes after their throats have been slit open, which are unarguably, according to physiologists, signs of consciousness. What is happening on that slaughter plant line is clear and absolute cruelty to animals." And to the suggestion that anti Semitism is motivating the campaign, Friedrich responds: "We've been pretty flummoxed by the fact that anyone would defend the egregious cruelty to animals that is happening in this plant. Judaism actually has more vegetarians than any other faith, except Hinduism, and that's because of the fine Jewish tradition of compassion for animals." You might like to listen on line, at the link above, to the whole piece. Most importantly, please let "All Things Considered" know its attention to this matter is appreciated. Positive feedback will encourage similar stories in the future. All Things Considered takes comments at:
LOS ANGELES TIMES ON SHOCKING AQUARIUM ATTACKS 12/17/04 The Friday, December 17, Los Angeles Times has a lead story (Page B1) about a horrifying attack, by four boys, on animals at the Long Beach aquarium. It is headed "Scarred by an Attack on Sharks." It opens: "Crouched behind the Long Beach aquarium, a foghorn moaning off the coast, the three Franklin Middle School boys waited. The Aquarium of the Pacific now deserted, the 13-year-olds climbed the wall and began dragging docile sea life from darkened pools, prosecutors allege. They stabbed three sharks and a ray with pipes and left all but one to suffocate out of water. They lobbed small sharks into tanks of bigger predators. They slashed a shark's translucent egg sac and severed the embryos. Then, they slid back over the fence." The article discusses the sentencing possibilities for the boys -- some could be severe but it seems unlikely as they are juveniles. You can read the whole article on line at: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-aquarium17dec17,0,1802852.story It presents a perfect opportunity for letters to the editor on the link between human and animal cruelty. There is a particularly good essay on that, by Mary Lou Randour PHD, at the wonderful Animals' Voice website: http://www.animalsvoice.com/PAGES/writes/editorial/features/link/randour_link.html Always include your full name, address, and daytime phone number when sending a letter to the editor. Shorter letters are more likely to be published.
WASHINGTON POST ON RELOCATION OF BISON 12/16/04 The Thursday, December 16, Washington Post has a front page feel-good story on the relocation of buffalo from Catalina Island in California, to a Lakota Indian reservation in South Dakota. It is headed, "Returning to a Home on the Range; Buffalo Being Moved from Calif. Island to S.D. Land of Ancestors." We learn that "Fourteen buffalo that were shipped here about 80 years ago to play bit parts in a silent film spawned a herd that quickly grew to as many as 500 at one point." The article tells us that the bison eat native plants on the island and damage the eco-system. "A long-term study determined that Catalina could sustain about 150 buffalo. For a few years, the conservancy shipped small numbers of the animals to auction, where some ended up in breeding programs and others in slaughterhouses. "Last year, the group was approached by the animal rights organization In Defense of Animals, which suggested sending some to the Plains. A first group of about 100 was shipped last fall, with no ceremony, to several Lakota reservations in South Dakota. "Heartened by the success of the first transfer, Catalina decided to ship another group this year, bringing the island's herd to a sustainable 150. Under the agreement, Muscat said, the shipped-out 100 will be in a breeding program and will live out their natural lives. "'They will rejoin a people for whom the bison for centuries have been an important part of culture and life,' she said at the ceremony. 'This is good for the land, good for the plants and animals that share this land, good for our collective soul.'" You can read the whole article on line at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A3225-2004Dec15.html As mass extermination is so often determined to be the best solution for overpopulation, it is heartening to read evidence that with some effort and expenditure, ethical solutions can be found. The story presents a great opportunity for letters to the editor about the way we tend to treat members of other species. The Washington Post takes letters at: letters@washpost.com and advises: "Letters must be exclusive to The Washington Post, and must include the writer's home address and home and business telephone numbers. (Letters via regular mail should also be signed.) Because of space limitations, those published are subject to abridgment. Although we are unable to acknowledge those letters we cannot publish, we appreciate the interest and value the views of those who take the time to send us their comments."
FRONT PAGE STORY ON PET SHOP HORRORS -- Boston Herald 12/13/04 There is a story on the front page of the Monday, December 13, Boston Herald, headed "Pet shop horror: Outrage as pooch peddlers foist sick animals on public." (Apparently it is on Page 6 in some editions and the front page in others.) I send thanks to Priscilla Gargalis and Susan Tracy for making sure we saw it. The story, by Thomas Caywood, opens: "Profit-hungry puppy peddlers are taking advantage of lax state oversight to warehouse animals in inhumane conditions and foist sick dogs on unsuspecting families. "A Herald review of thousands of documents and interviews with former pet store workers and anguished customers exposed shocking cases of pooches caged in filth, treated superficially by store veterinarians and sold so ill they perished in their new owners' arms." We read that "hundreds of people over the past three years who complained to state officials about problem pet stores. Their concerns rarely led to fines or license suspensions." The complaints pertain to dozens of different stores or chains. You can read the whole article on line at: http://news.bostonherald.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=58532&format= Unfortunately, while discussing the poor condition of puppies, it does not go into the background of those puppies. The vast majority of puppies sold in pet stores across the country, even in beautiful stores in Manhattan, Beverly Hills and Boston, come from "puppy mills" -- breeding facilities in the Midwest where dogs live in small cages, in horrendous conditions, often going crazy from the confinement. The website www.StopPuppyMills.org has loads of information on the issue. If you click on "photos and video" you will see shots of a typical puppy mill and can watch a two minute video. The video ends with footage of beautiful shelter dogs up for adoption and the message that the local shelter is the place to get a dog. This front page story on "Pet shop horror" gives us the opportunity to make the same recommendation in letters to the editor of the Boston Herald. Rescue groups are another great option to recommend. And since there are so many more dogs in shelters than there are homes available, this is also a good opportunity to remind readers of the importance of spay/neuter. The Boston Herald takes letters at: letterstotheeditor@bostonherald.com The holiday season is also the perfect time for a letter to your local paper discouraging the giving of puppies as Christmas gifts -- they are too often given up to shelters a few months later as undesirable adolescents. The HSUS recommends, instead, giving books on companion animal care to those who have requested a puppy -- the puppy can come later, after the holiday rush. And, of course, letters should stress that the animal should come from a shelter and perhaps mention the benefits of adopting an older, already housetrained, no longer teething, companion. The HSUS has a good page on the issue at: http://tinyurl.com/57sg6 Don’t hesitate to ask me for help if you have trouble finding the correct address for a letter to your editor. Always include your full name, address, and daytime phone number -- most papers require the information. Shorter letters are more likely to be published. I am always happy to edit letters.
CHRONICLE FRONT PAGE STORY ON VEGAN SHOPPING 12/12/04 There is an extraordinary article on the FRONT PAGE of the Sunday, December 12, San Francisco Chronicle, headed "High Tech and Cruelty Free Vegan Shopping: Making a list, checking it twice -- no cashmere sweaters, no silk ties, no leather jackets -- but lotsa style." It is by Chronicle Staff writer Joe Garofoli. It talks about the difficulty of finding "a decent pair of shoes -- that wasn't once a cow or an alligator." Garofoli explains: "Vegan-friendly designers and retailers say part of the reason for the relative dearth of products is that many manufacturers have an outdated image of your typical vegan consumer. Or, at least, of what they want." But he lets us know that the prospects are improving as vegan specialty stores and trendy clothing lines are starting to take off. For example, "Jackie Horrick of Pasadena, who started the online Alternative Outfitters in April and has seen her business double every month since. The big sellers among her 300 items: a vegan takeoff on the trendy Ugg boots and a Gore-Tex cell phone pouch." " Since I have a cool little Matt & Natt wallet I was interested to read the planning behind that label: "The designer wanted to wait until his company, whose Matt & Nat bags are available in 1,500 North American locations, was known for its style before its sensibility." That designer, Inder Bedi, is quoted: "We wouldn't go very far if we were known as a vegan company that sold handbags. We had to be a handbag company that happened to be vegan." We learn that "Bedi will open his first store next spring in Montreal -- with a shoe selection." The article shares wonderful news: "In a survey of 100,000 college students across the country earlier this year, 24 percent of respondents said they wanted vegan meals offered on campus, according to a study conducted by the ARAMARK food service company. Over the next two months, the firm will roll out vegan meals such as sweet Thai tofu stir-fry at two dozen campuses." Aramark's Doug Warner is quoted: "That number kind of surprised us. But it made us believe that we had to provide options for vegans." The article mentions the terrific magazine VegNews, (Check out http://www.vegnews.com ) "which debuted as a 24-page free newspaper in 2000, into a full-color, bimonthly lifestyle magazine. Subscriptions have tripled over each of the past three years for VegNews, which is located in San Francisco's Sunset District -- about a block from the zoo." The magazine's founder and editor, Joe Connelly, is quoted, saying that for the vegan world: "The writing is on the wall. The hippie days are over." The article ends with an interesting discussion about whether new vegans should wear out the leather shoes they already own. You can read the whole article on line at: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2004/12/12/MNGN9AAPGN1.DTL It gives us a great opportunity to open a bottle of champagne and celebrate the movement of compassionate living from the fringes of society onto the front pages. And it provides the opportunity to keep the story alive on the letters page, and to make it clear that this kind of front page story is well received. Please write an enthusiastically supportive letter about the joys of cruelty-free living to the San Francisco Chronicle. The Chronicle takes letters at: letters@sfchronicle.com and advises, "Please limit your letters to 200 or fewer words ... shorter letters have a better chance of being selected for publication." I am always happy to edit letters being sent to papers. Please include your full name, address, and daytime phone number -- most papers require that information.
NEW YORKER ON FOIE GRAS BANS -- Dec 13 edition The prestigious New Yorker magazine has an interesting article in the "Oughta Be A Law" department (Page 38), of the November December 13 edition, headed, "Good for the Goose." (I send thanks to Michael Croland for making sure we saw it.) It discusses various bans on foie gras happening throughout the world, and some opposition to the bans. For example, the Food Network personality David Rosengarten bemoans the bans: "He tells his readers that, all around the world, governments previously hospitable to foie gras—Israel (the world’s third-largest producer), Hungary (its second), and even France itself (No. 1)—have charged the foie-gras-sie with finding a way to fatten the livers without what the French call le gavage. ("Doesn't that sound better?" he says.) Otherwise, they will have to give up the trade." Michael Ginor, the co-founder of Hudson Valley Foie Gras says that foie gras without "le gavage," or force-feeding, is impossible, and that "Foie gras has been produced for five thousand years using exactly the same mechanism." The article discusses the recent victory party in California to celebrate the first anti foie-gras legislation in the US, after "California’s governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, signed a bill banning the sale and production of foie gras in the state, effective July 1, 2012." We read comments by attending celebrities James Cromwell, Tippi Hedron and Corey Feldman's assistant, who says he is a carnivore, but with regard to foie gras says, "I wouldn't buy that stuff now that I know how cruel it is." And there is a fun quote from the bill’s author, State Senator John Burton. From the podium at the event he said, "People keep asking me, 'What was it that got Arnold to sign the bill?' At the bottom of the letter saying what the bill is about, it says, 'Arnold: Save Donald Duck and Fuck Wolfgang Puck.'" The article ends by telling us that "Ginor, of Hudson Valley Foie Gras was feeling moderately hopeful in spite of the dark omen in the West." And also despite the impending reintroduction, by Assemblyman John McEneny, of an anti foie gras bill in New York. Ginor is quoted: "I think New Yorkers pride themselves on not being flaky the way that, say, they have an image of Californians being." This presents a great opportunity to let the New Yorker know that New Yorkers are just as likely as Californians to shun animal cruelty -- that there is nothing flaky about that stance. You can read the whole article on line at: www.newyorker.com/talk/content/?041213ta_talk_goodyear The New Yorker takes letters at: themail@newyorker.com Always include your full name, address, and daytime phone number when sending a letter to the editor. Shorter letters are more likely to be published. I am always happy to edit letters.
PRO FUR LUXURY ARTICLE IN CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR 12/09/04 There is an unfortunate article in the Thursday, December 9, edition of the widely distributed and well-respected Christian Science Monitor. It is headed "Grandma left me her only luxury" . The writer, Nancy Bennett, is referring to a floor-length fur. It opens: "Grandmother left me her fur coat. I had a hard time accepting it, being the animal rights activist I was. What could she have been thinking? It hung in my closet for years - until I realized that it wasn't so much a dead animal as it was a dead animal that had been dead for 50 years. More important, the coat was grandmother's one true luxury. It was something bought just for her, something she saved her egg money for. Even poor farmer's wives need a little luxury." She writes about how good the coat felt, and that it smelt of her grandmother's perfume, and that "People treated her differently in that coat. They took notice of this beautiful woman I felt fortunate to be related to. She was no longer a farmer's wife, she was blue-eyed Elizabeth Potts, and she mattered." Bennett closes with: "It's tough sometimes, but for those who don't chastise me for wearing a floor-length fur, I take the time to tell them how it transformed Grandmother into the gracious woman I always knew her to be." You'll find the whole article at: http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/1209/p18s02-hfes.html and you can post a letter to the editor at http://www.csmonitor.com/cgi-bin/encryptmail.pl?ID=CFF0C5E4&url=/2004/1209/p18s02-hfes.html For some fur facts, check out http://www.FurisDead.com. You'll find shocking photos and statistics. But also on that website, PETA has just released its very catty, very funny "worst dress" list of celebrities who wrap themselves in fur. Check it out!
NEW YORK TIMES ON COCKFIGHTING -- Dec 12, 04 The Thursday, December 9, New York Times has a large article headed "Bastion of Cockfighting Is Under Pressure to Ban It" (Pg 24). It is about attempts to ban cockfighting in New Mexico, one of only three states that still allows it. New Mexico's Governor Richardson is quoted: ''I'm officially undecided on the issue, but I don't believe it merits the attention it's received. Every time it's introduced it distracts from pressing issues like access to health care or drunk-driving fatalities, serious problems affecting our population.'' However, Martin Chavez, the mayor of Albuquerque, is also quoted: ''The idea of putting razor blades on the feet of these birds and allowing them to tear each other up is obscene.'' The article tells us: "Though Mr. Chavez supports a ban, he acknowledges that earlier efforts to enact one have been accorded little importance, with the required legislation handed off to freshman lawmakers as a way of testing their mettle with one of the state's more fragile issues." Anybody who has seen footage of cockfights knows that "obscene" describes it well. It is brutal and cruel. However, I was struck by the Governor's contrasting of cockfighting to "serious problems" since I sometimes find myself contrasting it with the factory farming of egg-laying hens, which affects billions more birds. Egg-laying hens also die brutally, since the federal humane slaughter laws exempt birds. And they spend years in horrifying conditions, five or seven to a cage so small that they can't stretch their wings, whereas fighting chickens tend to be reasonably well-treated till the last hour. But it is important to remember that the existence of even worse cruelty doesn't make a form of horrendous cruelty acceptable. Of course it is appropriate to work towards bans on cockfighting. And the coverage of the issue gives us openings for letters to the editor that publicize other legal yet horrifying treatment of birds. Our letters might inspire readers who are upset by cruelty, and would never support a cockfight, to examine their eating habits. You can read the whole cockfighting article on line at: http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/09/national/09fight.html And you can send an animal friendly letter in response to letters@nytimes.com As always, I ask you to take care, please, not to use any of my exact language when writing. Since our responses are not form letters, it would be a shame if the letters editor interpreted them as such. Always include your full name, address, and daytime phone number when sending a letter to the editor. Shorter letters are more likely to be published.
TIME MAGAZINE ON ANIMAL LAW -- 12/13/04 edition There is an article in the December 13 edition of Time Magazine, headed "Woof, Woof, Your Honor; It's no joke. Animal lawsuits are gaining respect as pet owners seek justice for the ones they love." (Pg 46). It discusses the growing field of "animal law." We learn that "some 40 law schools offer courses on the topic" that "Veterinary-malpractice suits, pet-cruelty cases and even landlord-tenant disputes over animals are reaching the courts as well," and that "when it comes to animal cruelty, more than 40 states have felony-level charges that virtually ensure jail time for serious offenders." The article opens with a story of a custody dispute over a 2-year-old Boxer named Marley. A woman filed suit after her ex-partner stopped delivering Marley to her every other weekend. A superior court judge has ruled that the exchanges must resume, pending a final ruling. The woman is quoted, regarding her first contact with Marley in three months: "His tail was wiggling out of control. I just hugged him and started to cry." The story ignores the greater issue -- that Marley was purposely bred (inbred really -- lovely boxers, like all 'pure-bred' dogs, are susceptible to various diseases and tend to die years younger than equally lovely mixes), then taken away from his real mother in order to provide emotional support for humans, even as millions of dogs are exterminated in America every year for lack of homes. And I noticed she described Marley's tail as "wiggling," since cosmetic surgery on dogs, banned in some other countries, is still legal in this one -- so boxer puppies endure vertebral column amputation and grow up without an important means of communication natural to the canine species. The article includes a positive message -- Cass Sunstein, professor at the University of Chicago Law School is quoted: "There is a universal agreement that animal suffering matters. Even those who think they despise the notion of animal rights think that suffering and cruelty are problems." It is relatively new for the legal system to take the interests of nonhuman animals into account at all. And note that Sunstein refers to those who "think they despise" the notion of animal rights. There is perhaps a tacit suggestion that once we have agreed that suffering and cruelty are "problems," the granting of some rights is inevitable. The article is a mixed bag, but it gives us the opportunity to discuss, on Time Magazine's letters page, the topic of how we treat members of other species . The letters page is one of the most read sections of major newspapers and magazines. Those of us who have committed ourselves to helping to make the world a better place for all species must take advantage of that forum. We can ensure that the voice of compassion is part of the public discourse. I send a huge thank you to those of you who write regularly, and will share today what a letters page can look like, with a little effort from our community. Today's Chicago Tribune, one of the largest papers in the USA, has five letters on various animal protection issues. Check it out: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/letters/. I hope it inspires you to write. The Time Magazine article on 'animal lawsuits' is available at: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1101041213-880258,00.html Time Magazine takes letters at: letters@time.com As always, I ask you to take care, please, not to use any of my exact language when writing. Editors can smell a campaign and will avoid publishing any letters that appear to be part of one; identical phrases give that appearance. And remember that shorter letters are more likely to be published. Any writer's work benefits from editing, and I am always happy to edit letters you intend to send. Finally, always include your full name, address, and daytime phone number when sending a letter to the editor.
ELEPHANTS WANDA AND WINKY WILL GO FROM DETROIT ZOO TO SANCTUARY -- coverage 12/05/04 Wonderful final news from Detroit: Thanks to the efforts of Detroit Zoo director Ron Kagan, the Asian elephants, Winky and Wanda, are going to sanctuary in California. The Detroit Local 4 news website has detailed information at http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/3971376/detail.html . It tells us that the American Zoo and Aquarium association had wanted the elephants to go to the Columbus zoo, with the Detroit zoo risking loss of accreditation if it refused to comply. However, "A break in the impasse came when a test indicated that Wanda may have been exposed to endotheliotropic herpes virus, which would not be detrimental to her health but could be fatal to young elephants exposed to it. Because other accredited zoos with breeding herds might have similar concerns, the zoos and the AZA re-evaluated the case and decided both Winky and Wanda could be transferred to the PAWS sanctuary in San Andreas, Calif. Of its 2,300 acres, about 100 are set aside for elephants." The Associated Press has covered the story, and it is in many papers and on hundreds of news websites. You can look over the coverage, and see if your local paper has picked up the story, at: http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ned=us&ie=UTF-8&scoring=d&q=winky+and+wanda&btnG=Search+News Though the story is only about the plight of two animals amongst billions who suffer every year at human hands, it represents real change: A practice accepted for thousands of years -- keeping large wild animals in close confinement for human entertainment -- is being challenged, with favorable results. This story opens up the opportunity for a wider discussion on editorial pages about the way we treat members of others species. Please consider a letter to your editor. Don’t hesitate to ask me for help if you have trouble finding the correct address for a letter to your editor. And I am always happy to edit letters. Always include your full name, address, and daytime phone number when sending a letter to the editor. Shorter letters are more likely to be published.
NEW JERSEY BEAR HUNT CANCELLED -- MUCH NATIONAL COVERAGE 12/03/04 There is great news for about 300 bears in New Jersey. They won't hear about it, but they will still be enjoying life in a few weeks. The bear hunt, scheduled to begin Monday, has been called off. It is good news for us too; we won't have to see the horrifying pictures. Remember last year's wounded cub who made it to the side of the highway and died there as motorists stood around and wept? The story is in many papers including the New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, The Miami Herald, and of course the New Jersey papers. The New York Time article, headed "No Bear Hunt in New Jersey, State's Highest Court Decides" (Pg B6) opens: "Two weeks after a lower court ordered the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to begin issuing permits for a bear hunt set to begin on Monday, the New Jersey Supreme Court struck down the decision yesterday, effectively canceling what would have been the state's second black bear hunt in two years. "Earlier this year, the state's Fish and Game Council, whose members are appointed by the governor, voted to hold a six-day hunt beginning Dec. 6. But Bradley M. Campbell, the department commissioner, ordered his agency's Division of Fish and Wildlife not to grant bear hunting permits and closed all department land to bear hunting. "In its unanimous order yesterday, the Supreme Court said that in light of the dispute between Mr. Campbell and the council, no hunt could take place until the state adopts a comprehensive bear management policy. "Two weeks ago, the Appellate Division of New Jersey Superior Court ruled that Mr. Campbell overstepped his authority when he refused to issue permits, and it ordered the department to begin processing hunting licenses. More than 3,700 permits had been issued by yesterday afternoon." The article makes much of the "blame" being given to Campbell. W. Scott Ellis, chairman of the Fish and Game Council, says, ''If there is any damage or injury caused by black bears in the state, Mr. Campbell is the sole person who should shoulder the responsibility, because he is the reason bears will be around." Tsk. Tsk. You can read the whole piece on line at: http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/03/nyregion/03bear.html and send a supportive letter to the editor at letters@nytimes.com The Newark Star Ledger article is headed, "Justices block bear hunt over lack of policy." It goes into a discussion on whether the ruling will affect other hunting in the state. You can read it on line at: http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/index.ssf?/base/news-19/110205445171650.xml and send a letter to: eletters@starledger.com . The paper advises, "Letters must not exceed 200 words." The December 3 Los Angeles Times (Bear Hunt Halted Days Before Season Opener, Pg A17), Chicago Tribune ("State high court cancels bear season," P 25) and the Miami Herald ("You can't hunt bears in New Jersey this year," pg A3) carry almost identical brief articles. The Times writes: "The state's highest court called off New Jersey's bear hunt, four days before the season was scheduled to start. In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court ruled in Trenton that the state needs to establish a proper management program for bears before it can allow the animals to be hunted. More than 300 black bears were killed in last year's hunt." Angelenos can send comments to the Times at letters@latimes.com The Chicago Tribune takes letters at: http://www.chicagotribune.com/services/site/chi-lettertotheeditor.customform Floridians can respond at: http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/contact_us/feedback_np1/ And the Bergen Record article is headed, "High court shoots down bear hunt." You can read it on line at: http://www.bergen.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjcxN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkyJmZnYmVsN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk2NjIxMzY2 letterstotheeditor@northjersey.com The story provides a great opportunity to get out the animal rights message. Always include your full name, address, and daytime phone number when sending a letter to the editor.
SUPERB GREYHOUND RACING SEGMENT ON HBO'S REAL SPORTS TILL DECEMBER 9, '04 I recently sent out an alert about what was then upcoming coverage of the greyhound racing industry, airing on the HBO show "Real Sports" hosted by Bryant Gumble, on November 23. Here is wonderful news: The piece is superb, and since Real Sports is a monthly show, it is still airing. It will screen tonight, and at least 14 times in the next week, through December 9. I will paste the air times below for those who have access to the various HBO channels. And I have transcribed much of the piece for those who don't. I urge everybody to please send a huge thank you to HBO for this groundbreaking coverage. You can do that at: http://www.hbo.com/apps/submitinfo/contactus/submit.do . That is the general HBO feedback page. You'll see a pull-down menu headed "Choose a topic" from which you can choose "Real Sports." At the top of the show, when Gumble gave his overview of the various segments, this is how he summarized the greyhound piece: "When racing greyhounds hit the track they are literally running for their lives, because, all too often, the also-rans are put to death." The story was the first segment on the show. Here is Gumble's introduction: "We begin tonight with a fairly disturbing look at what happens to racing greyhounds when they are not fast enough to turn a profit on the track. In a perfect world these retired greyhounds would be allowed to run free in open fields when their racing days are done. But that scenario is far too idyllic. In the real world there are too many dogs who can't cut it on the track, and too few places for them to go. And that's an equation with deadly consequences." You might notice that Gumble's script said "who can't cut it" when referring to the dogs, rather than "that can't cut it," which would be more common language. Throughout the piece, Bernard Goldberg, the correspondent, also consistently uses the word "who" or "he" rather than "it," to refer to a dog. The piece begins with shots of greyhounds in training, muzzled, racing after a mechanical rabbit. We learn that greyhounds are raced on 46 tracks in 15 states and that a dog can win $200,000 in one big race, making it big business for the breeders. And we hear that 33,000 greyhounds are bred around the country each year. Goldberg says: "The fastest ones are money making machines, but the slower ones grade off, as they put it, being sent to lower and lower tracks until they can't compete any more. So what happens to a greyhound when he reaches the end of the line, when he is not winning races any more and not making money for his owner? The good ones, the ones with champion blood lines, go back to the farm for breeding, to make more champions. Others are put up for adoption to live out their days with families across the country. But for the rest, the washed up athletes with no place to go, the news isn't nearly so good. They are the ones who are "put down," to use the delicate terminology, "killed" in plain English." And then viewers saw something I have never seen on television before: a close-up of a dog -- a beautiful white greyhound -- being killed by lethal injection, then dumped in a trash bag. Goldberg interviews Susan Netboy of the Greyhound Protection League (http://www.greyhounds.org) She says, "There are thousands and thousands and thousands of greyhounds killed every year....The excess of dogs in intrinsic to the racing industry. You've got an eight dog race, one primary winner. There have to be losers. There is no competition if their aren't losers." Goldberg asks, "If the dogs aren't making money, if they are not winning races, I don't want to be cold about it, but they are of no use to the people who own and train the dogs?" Netboy nods and says, "Unfortunately." There is an interview, with darkened face and electronically disguised voice, of a man who worked as a breeder and trainer for ten years. He says, "The lingo, the talk in the kennels is, 'If a dog is not running, take it out back and kill it.' It is just a business. They don't even consider them animals, they consider them gaming machines. They are breeding enormous amounts of greyhounds every year to get the one dog that they feel is going to go out there and win." Goldberg explains, "Killing racing dogs humanely, euthanizing them, is perfectly legal in most states as long as it is done by a licensed vet. But not everybody plays by the rules." Then we are shown the farm where the remains of 3,000 greyhounds, who had been shot in the head, were dug up in 2002. We see close-ups of the decaying bodies of the dogs. Goldberg tells us that advocates say dogs are commonly shot, clubbed or even electrocuted and "since it is happens on private property... the dogs simply disappear with no official record of what happens to them." We hear about "kill trucks going out the back door of the track." Goldberg asks what a kill truck is and Netboy responds: "It is a truck jam-filled with dogs going to a remote location to be killed." Then we see another groundbreaking sequence. Goldberg narrates as we watch: "On a tip, Real Sports went to a veterinary clinic ten miles from a track in Alabama. At seven in the morning trailers began pulling in and the dogs were taken off the trucks." (They are gorgeous dogs, looking happy to be off the trucks, tails wagging.) "Look at the dog on the left, the light greyhound with the brown spot on his back. The dogs are walked behind this fence. And less than three minutes later, the light greyhound with the brown spot is thrown into a dumpster." (We see his dead body getting tossed in.) "What we don't know is exactly how the dogs are put down behind the fence. We do know that over the course of thirty minutes, sixteen dogs were disposed of, and it is all legal." Goldberg interviews Gary Guccione, director of the National Greyhound Association who says that the industry is trying to save as many greyhounds as it can and that 85% of greyhounds coming off the track are being adopted or going back to the farm for breeding careers. Netboy, however, says that yearly around 17,500 are killed. Guccione says that is ridiculous, that the number is more like 3,500. I think the average person watching HBO Real Sports would be shocked to learn that the most conservative, highly biased, estimate of how many unwanted greyhounds are killed every year as a result of the racing industry is 3,500! Bridget Cooper, another greyhound rescuer, is interviewed. She says "The moment I set up an adoption hall and get thirty dogs out, a week later the racetrack owners call again and say we need more dogs out." Goldberg explains that far too many dogs are being bred in the hope of getting that one superstar. He says to Cooper: "No matter how you cut it, this is a business, and if the dog isn't generating revenue, the dog isn't winning races we don't want you. This sounds like any other athlete, if you don't produce for us on the field, you are out." And at the close of the segment, she answers, "But he lives. He can find a different job. A greyhound cannot." Revealing the life of a racing greyhound, towards the end of the segment we have seen shots of greyhounds living in small individual cages, muzzled. The segment is followed by the following discussion between host Bryant Gumble and correspondent Bernard Goldberg. Gumble: "Mr. Guccione, speaking of his critics, told you they are trying to shut down the industry, is that true?" Goldberg: "For some of them it absolutely is. Some of them don't want any greyhound racing because they say it is cruel to the animals --they are kept in cages all day when they don't run. So for some critics, not all, it is true." Gumble: "At what age do the owners of these greyhound typically give a thumbs up or a thumbs down on their future?" Goldberg: "Well, when the dogs are about eighteen months, that is when they start running. It takes a little while to see if they win any races and the thumbs up or thumbs down is based on one thing and only one thing: Do they win races? So a little after that." Gumble: "What kind of pets do they make if they don't make it on the track." Goldberg: "If you can catch 'em, they make very good pets. These dogs have been running all their lives. They like to just hang around. They are like couch potatoes. And there are thousands and thousands of them right now, tonight, that need to be adopted. If anybody is interested they can go on the Internet and find an adoption center near where they live." Gumble: "Yeah, but that applies to a lot of other dogs, non greyhounds also. And on a regular basis aren't we euthanizing dogs by the hundreds of thousands year in and year out? Goldberg: "Millions. Dogs and cats, about three to four million a year. The difference here is that the greyhounds are bred and the question is, are they over bred -- is that why we have too many who need to be put down." I don't think anybody with any affection for dogs, and that is the majority Americans, could have watched the segment and been left with the feeling that greyhound racing is a good thing. Please, using the link I provided above, thank HBO Real Sports. And catch the segment if you can. Below are the listings I found on line, but my local channel (Adelphia Los Angeles) tells me it will air tonight, Dec 1, at 8:30 on HBO East, so check your local listings. ALL SHOWINGS, HBO/MAX East (CHECK YOUR LOCAL LISTINGS!!) DATE/TIME CHANNEL Wed 12/1 01:15 AM HBO2 - EAST Wed 12/1 11:30 PM HBO - EAST Wed 12/1 11:30 PM HBO High Definition - EAST Wed 12/1 11:30 PM HBO LATINO - EAST Fri 12/3 06:00 PM HBO - EAST Fri 12/3 06:00 PM HBO High Definition - EAST Fri 12/3 06:00 PM HBO LATINO - EAST Sun 12/5 09:00 AM HBO - EAST Sun 12/5 09:00 AM HBO High Definition - EAST Sun 12/5 09:00 AM HBO LATINO - EAST Mon 12/6 02:30 PM HBO2 - EAST Tue 12/7 12:05 AM HBO2 - EAST Thu 12/9 09:00 AM HBO2 - EAST Thu 12/9 06:00 PM HBO2 - EAST
GRISLY KOSHER SLAUGHTERHOUSE FOOTAGE IN NEW YORK TIMES AND IHT -- 12-1-04 The New York Times, and the International Herald Tribune have covered PETA's latest undercover investigation, in a Wednesday, December 1, article headed, "Videos Cited in Calling Kosher Slaughterhouse Inhumane" (Page A21) in the Times and "Video lifts lid on Slaughterhouse Practices" in the International Herald Tribune. Donald G. McNeil Jr's article opens: "An animal rights group released grisly undercover videotapes yesterday showing steers in a major kosher slaughterhouse in Iowa staggering and bellowing long after their throats were cut." We learn that "The plant is the country's largest producer of meat certified as glatt kosher." And, "On the 30-minute tape, each animal is placed in a rotating drum so it can be killed while upside down, as required by Orthodox rabbis in Israel. Immediately after the ritual slaughterer, or shochet, has slit the throat, another worker tears open each steer's neck with a hook and pulls out the trachea and esophagus. The drum turns, and the steer is dumped on the floor. One after another, animals with dangling windpipes stand up or try to; in one case, death takes three minutes. "In most kosher plants, animals are tightly penned while their throats are slashed, and the organs are not torn; tearing by the shochet is forbidden under Jewish law. In nonkosher plants, animals by law must be made unconscious before they are killed....Federal law views properly conducted religious slaughter as humane, and so allows Jewish and Muslim slaughterhouses to forgo stunning." The article covers a discussion amongst rabbis as to whether such killings are truly kosher. With regard to cruelty, we read "Rabbi Chaim Kohn, of the AgriProcessors plant, says the steers feel nothing, even as they struggle on the floor and slam their heads into walls." However Dr. Temple Grandin, probably the best known designer of slaughter plants that attempt to be humane is quoted. She called it ''an atrocious abomination, nothing like I've seen in 30 kosher plants I've visited here and in England, France, Ireland and Canada." On the tearing she commented, "Nothing in the Humane Slaughter Act says you can start dismembering an animal while it's still conscious." We read that PETA has posted the tapes at http://GoVeg.com and "demanded that the plant be prosecuted for animal cruelty and decertified by the kosher authorities. While the group advocates vegetarianism, it accepts that shechita can be relatively painless, said Bruce Friedrich, a spokesman." You can read the whole article on the New York Times website at: http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/30/national/30cnd-kosh.html and the International Herald Tribune website at: http://www.iht.com/articles/2004/12/01/news/kosher.html It gives a great opportunity to thank the papers for the coverage (complimentary letters are far more likely to be printed than those critical of a publication) and to advocate vegetarianism. The Times takes letters at: letters@nytimes.com The IHT takes letters at: letters@iht.com Always include your full name, address, and daytime phone number when sending a letter to the editor. Shorter letters are more likely to be published.
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