|
|
AR-NEWS Digest 557
Topics covered in this issue include:
1) More on "Smokey the BAC"
by FARM
2) [CA] Human-chicken update
by David J Knowles
3) Fwd: Error Condition Re: UNSUBSCRIBE
by TianshingI@aol.com
4) Subscription Options--Admin Note--was: Fwd: Error Condition
Re: UNSUBSCRIBE
by allen schubert
5) Admin Note--Stuff
by allen schubert
6) Call to Action: US California
by allen schubert
7) (US) Oklahoma Weekly Hunting News (Part 2)
by JanaWilson@aol.com
8) (US) Oklahoma Weekly Hunting News (Part 1)
by JanaWilson@aol.com
9) Unexpected Mailbox Delivery - Puppy
by Snugglezzz@aol.com
10) Shame On You, Tulsa
by Snugglezzz@aol.com
11) (CN) World's last wild camels may not survive
by allen schubert
12) Forced molting
by jeanlee
13) (AU) Battle Rages Over Sea Cows
by allen schubert
14) no kill shelter
by KarmaLake@aol.com
15) (US) Study: poor nations may lack food supply
by allen schubert
Date: Sat, 25 Oct 1997 21:51:42 -0700
From: FARM
To: AR-News
Subject: More on "Smokey the BAC"
Message-ID: <3452CC5E.7683@erols.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
Yesterday, Andrew Gach posted a Reuters story entitled "USDA Unveils
'BAC' to Fight Foodborne Illness," which includes a quote from a news
release that we handed out at the USDA/HHS news conference and faxed to
several hundred wire services, networks, and major newspapers. The full
text of our news release follows.
-----------------------------------
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Art Eggertsen, 301-530-1737
USDA SHOULD NOT ASK US TO TURN OUR KITCHENS INTO LABORATORIES
This morning, Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman and Secretary of
Health and Human Services Donna Shalala introduced the ôFood Safety
Education Campaign,ö the ôPartnership for Food Safety Education,ö and the
ôFight BACö slogan, along with the revolting ôBACö character representing
meatborne infectious pathogens. The entire production is a flagrant
attempt to shift responsibility for safety of meat and poultry products
from the industries to the American consumer. The proposition is
impractical, unfair, and contrary to USDAÆs strategic plan.
Raw meat and poultry products brought into the kitchen contain every
pathogen that was carried by the animal and contaminate anything they
contact. From the supermarket to the refrigerator to the oven, a strict
protocol must be observed to prevent such contamination. Laboratory
technicians undergo extensive training before they are permitted to handle
infectious materials. Does USDA really expect American consumers to
follow suit? Are rubber gloves, forceps, and sterilizing alcohol the
kitchen implements of the future?
American taxpayers already subsidize heavily the meat and poultry
industries through a vast corporate welfare program that includes price
supports, tax breaks, marketing promotions, low-interest loans, crop
insurance, public grazing, and research and extension service. Moreover,
American society is suffering the high costs of medical care and lost
productivity associated with meatborne diseases as well as the loss of
food-growing and recreational resources associated with meat production.
Imposing on American consumers the additional burden of covering up for
these industriesÆ failure to provide a safe food supply is grossly unfair.
Only a couple of weeks ago, USDA published a five-year strategic plan
that establishes the goal of ensuring a safe food supply. The ôFood
Safety Education Campaignö falls far short of that lofty goal.
Date: Sat, 25 Oct 1997 23:35:42
From: David J Knowles
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: [CA] Human-chicken update
Message-ID: <3.0.3.16.19971025233542.352799a4@dowco.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
OTTAWA - Two humans have agreed to play chicken for a two week period,
which started today.
After artist Rod Thompson announced his plan to place two human volunteers
in a wire cage, of equivalent dimensions to those experienced by battery
hens, he and two other members of a selection committee were inundated with
people wishing to participate.
One unamed volunteer told the committee that he works in the restaurant
industry, and had been responsible for the deaths of thousands of chickens,
whilst another said that speaking philisophically, we were all in cages
anyway.
The final two chosen were Eric Wolf and Pam Meldrum, who entered the cage
earlier today.
The cage does come equiped with a screened-off toilet, and has a shelf
inset in the front where water and food is provided. There is, however, no
room for the two to stand, and little room for them to fully stretch out.
If the two last the full period, they will be presented with cheques for
$2,500. Blow-ups of the cheques are in view of the pair, as is a video
showing hens in a battery system.
Thompson, who based the experiment on a similar one done in England, where
four participants gave up after a short time, is a trustee on the board at
the WAG Gallery, in the Canadian capital.
While Meldrum says she is going into the cage because she doesn't like the
conditions chickens are kept in, Wolf admits he is doing it for the money
Thompson noted money was why the chickens are crammed into their tiny cages.
"In order to provide cheap eggs in the supermarket, we put chickens through
hell," he said.
Asked whether the experiment could be considered "cruel" by some, he
replied: "They are free to leave whenever they want, unlike the chickens."
Ron Curruie, a spokesperson for the Canadian Egg Marketing Board, claims
that chickens aren't badly treated, and said that it was a waste of $5,000.
David
Date: Sun, 26 Oct 1997 07:09:36 -0500 (EST)
From: TianshingI@aol.com
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Fwd: Error Condition Re: UNSUBSCRIBE
Message-ID: <971026070935_1244532581@emout09.mail.aol.com>
In a message dated 97-10-23 03:40:15 EDT, listproc@envirolink.org writes:
<< Date: Thu, 23 Oct 1997 03:36:13 -0400 (EDT)
Message-ID: <971023033612_795575323@mrin45.mail.aol.com>
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: UNSUBSCRIBE
UNSUBSCRIBE]
>>
This request was not an error. I will be away from my computer for a while
and will
subscribe again when I am back to my computer on a regular basis. Thank you.
---------------------
Forwarded message:
From:listproc@envirolink.org
Sender:owner-ar-news@envirolink.org
Reply-to:listproc@envirolink.org
To:TianshingI@aol.com
Date: 97-10-23 02:40:15 EST
We are sorry, but this system sensed the following request which may have
been
inadvertently sent to list ar-news@envirolink.org:
UNSUBSCRIBE
If your posting was intentional, please accept our apologies and resend your
mail message, making sure you do not include anything that may look like a
request in the first line of the body of the actual message. If this was
indeed a request please resend it to listproc@envirolink.org
Your entire message is copied below.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
>From TianshingI@aol.com Thu Oct 23 03:30:53 1997
Received: from mrin45.mail.aol.com (mrin45.mx.aol.com [198.81.19.155])
by envirolink.org (8.8.7/8.8.7) with ESMTP id DAA19940
for ; Thu, 23 Oct 1997 03:30:52 -0400 (EDT)
From: TianshingI@aol.com
Received: (from root@localhost)
by mrin45.mail.aol.com (8.8.5/8.8.5/AOL-4.0.0)
id DAA18321 for ar-news@envirolink.org;
Thu, 23 Oct 1997 03:36:13 -0400 (EDT)
Date: Thu, 23 Oct 1997 03:36:13 -0400 (EDT)
Message-ID: <971023033612_795575323@mrin45.mail.aol.com>
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: UNSUBSCRIBE
UNSUBSCRIBE]
I will be away from my computer until next week; therefore, I am
unsubscribing for a short while. I will sign on again sometime next week.
Thank you.
Joanne
Tian Shing
TianshingI@AOL.com
Date: Mon, 27 Oct 1997 07:29:37 -0500
From: allen schubert
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Cc: TianshingI@aol.com
Subject: Subscription Options--Admin Note--was: Fwd: Error Condition
Re: UNSUBSCRIBE
Message-ID: <3.0.1.32.19971027072937.0068fd34@envirolink.org>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Hmmm....it's been over 24 hours since this was last posted....
To unsubscribe, send e-mail to: listproc@envirolink.org
In text of message: unsubscribe ar-news
--------------------------------------------------------------
Here are some items of general information (found in the "welcome letter"
sent when people subscribe--but often lose!)...included: how to post and
how to change your subscription status (useful if you are going on
vacation--either by "unsubscribe" or "postpone").
---------------------------------------------------------------
To post messages to the list, send mail to ar-news@envirolink.org
POSTING
To post a *news-related item* (no discussions), send your message to:
ar-news@envirolink.org
Appropriate postings to AR-News include: posting a news item, requesting
information on some event, or responding to a request for information.
Discussions on AR-News will NOT be allowed and we ask that any
commentary either be taken to AR-Views or to private E-mail.
------------------------------------------
***General Subscription Information***
ALL THE FOLLOWING SHOULD NOT be sent to ar-news !!!
(send them to listproc@envirolink.org)
For all commands, use a blank Subject line.
---------------------------------------------------
To request a digest version, send mail to listproc@envirolink.org
with the following single line:
set ar-news mail digest
To switch back to immediate mail, and to get copies of *your* postings
also, send the following command:
set ar-news mail ack
or the following to not get your own postings:
set ar-news mail noack
To see how you are set up ***(and to see if you are still subscribed!)***, use
set ar-news
To temporarily stop mailings, use:
set ar-news mail postpone
To re-enable it, use ack, noack, or digest as above.
To unsubscribe, use:
unsubscribe ar-news
or:
signoff ar-news
If you have to subscribe again, use:
subscribe ar-news first_name last_name (use false name if you want!)
If you have problems, please contact:
Allen Schubert
ar-admin@envirolink.org
Date: Mon, 27 Oct 1997 08:05:48 -0500
From: allen schubert
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Admin Note--Stuff
Message-ID: <3.0.1.32.19971027080548.0068fa14@envirolink.org>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
To subscribers of AR-News...
In the past two weeks, we have had more occurances of crossposting,
unsubscribe messages, and postings of non-news items. If you have problems
with any of these things, please contact ar-admin@envirolink.org before you
do anything else.
For those of you who have deleted the "welcome letter" sent to you when you
subscribed to AR-News, please see:
http://envirolink.org/arrs/wgtar/ar-news-views/
or, for those with e-mail-only access, please contact me via private e-mail
and I will be glad to send the welcome letter to you again.
Allen Schubert, Listowner, AR-News
Date: Mon, 27 Oct 1997 09:52:26 -0500
From: allen schubert
To:
Subject: Call to Action: US California
Message-ID: <3.0.32.19971027095223.006f7c20@pop3.clark.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
from private e-mail
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
California Senate Bill 621 (SB621) amends portions of the Lockyer-Polanco
Pet Warranty Act to provide wider protection to consumers and require some
accountability on the part of anyone who breeds a dog.
If you endorse this effort, please send a letter (see sample) to Chairman
John Burton (D) of the Senate Judiciary Committee and copies to each member
of the committee. The committee members are:
Vice Chair:Tim Leslie (R)
Democrats:
Charles Calderon
Bill Lockyer
Jack O'Connell
Byron D. Sher
Republicans:
Ray Haynes
Cathie Wright
All members may be addressed:
c/o State Capitol
Sacramento CA 95814
SAMPLE LETTER:
Dear Chairman John Burton,
I am writing to voice my support for Senator Rosenthal's Breeding
Regulation Bill (SB621) which requires California breeders to acquire a
breeding permit and a reseller permit.
A statewide Breeding Regulation Law will make professional and backyard
breeders accountable for the lives they create. It will reduce
indiscriminate breeding which results in surplus animals that ultimately
die in our pounds and shelters.
The problem of animal overpopulation will not go away unless we control the
number of animals being born. I believe SB621 will encourage responsible
breeding! Please support this legislation.
Sincerely,
cc:Tim Leslie
Charles Calderon
Bill Lockyer
Jack O'Connell
Byron D. Sher
Ray Haynes
Cathie Wright
___________
Paul Wiener
got_the_T-shirt@been-there.com
paulish@cyberjunkie.com
paulish@thepentagon.com
paulish@usa.net
tinea-pedis@bigfoot.com
KJ6AV@callsign.net
- --------------------------------------------------------
http://www.netforward.com/cyberjunkie/?paulish
===================END FORWARDED MESSAGE===================
___________
Paul Wiener
got_the_T-shirt@been-there.com
paulish@cyberjunkie.com
paulish@thepentagon.com
paulish@usa.net
tinea-pedis@bigfoot.com
KJ6AV@callsign.net
- --------------------------------------------------------
http://www.netforward.com/cyberjunkie/?paulish
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: 2.6.3ia
Charset: noconv
iQCVAwUBNFNaPgAQDcH6qrIRAQFwtQP/Z6/fWsj7VzxWMA+pSSRlkRMAXmcVcLfq
KPCc+wiN/2j/UFxEzJbvCGt4qOHfsdUl5BlDiaUe5F2eR6L2IZ2JA1jUb/gqbRcy
FzLGNIVZKA4kJ6ZXXUxyR6nzlS2XmNZAGeJx9eyP92iJntKCu8XcmQl6zYxYU5gX
u+DKRhRILHE=
=DZFx
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----
Date: Sun, 26 Oct 1997 10:20:53 -0500 (EST)
From: JanaWilson@aol.com
To: AR-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (US) Oklahoma Weekly Hunting News (Part 2)
Message-ID: <971026102052_1150585871@mrin43.mail.aol.com>
The Oklahoma Wildlife Dept. Director Mr. Greg Duffy said the
agency will look at three proposals during the coming legislative
session. He said the department wants to eliminate its role
on regulating commercial breeders of big cats and bears,
ease investment restrictions on the agency's lifetime license
account, and make wildlife vanity license plates avaliable at
tag agencies across the state.
A project to develop a welands interpretive area at Lake Arcadia
near Edmond, Okla. just received a $1,000 grant from the
Oklahoma Conservation Commission. These funds will help to
buy supplies and equipment needed to design and build a wetlands
area on the south side of the lake.
The wetlands interpretive area will be an outdoor classroom where
students can see a native wetland and learn about is role in
protecting water and providing fish and wildlife habitat. It will be built
on 475 acres of land which the Wildlife Dept has leased from
the Corps of Engineers.
David Warren, information and education chief for the Okla. Wildlife
Dept. said " In the future , we hopt to create a state-of-the-art
education center on the site, and the wetlands interpretive area
will certainly be a part of that overall effort."
Deer hunters who just can't get enuf of it might interested in the
Oklahoma Trophy Hunters Association at 615 Berton, Holdenville,
Okla. 74848. A one-year membership is $20 which includes a
cap, two decals and a quarterly newsletter devoted to deer and
deer hunting. The stated goal of the association is to promote
"quality" deer hunting in Okla. and to educate landowners,
lease holders, and deer hunters on how to achieve that goal.
Mr. Trent Hodgins of Holdenville is the president and founder
of this association.
For the Animals,
Jana, OKC
Date: Sun, 26 Oct 1997 10:20:56 -0500 (EST)
From: JanaWilson@aol.com
To: AR-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (US) Oklahoma Weekly Hunting News (Part 1)
Message-ID: <971026102047_661822095@emout11.mail.aol.com>
A/w Oklahoma City hunting news:
Mark it down: the first of Nov. on Saturday.
That's when things get really busy for Oklahoma hunters.
The quail season opens, the fall turkey season kicks off, the Zone 2
duck season, and the statewide goose season begins on that day.
To further jam up your schedule, the primitive firearms deer season
winds down, ending Nov. 2. The northwestern Oklahoma pheasant
season runs concurrently with quail season.
And if that is not enough, the trout season at the state's designated
trout fishing areas also begins for the winter on the first of Nov.
The Oklahoma Fur Harvesters Fall Reunion will be this Saturday from
8 am to 5 pm at the Porum Landing Rural Fire Dept. on Texanna Road
near Lake Eufaula. A number of demonstrations and a fish fry are
planned. This event is free and there is no charge for dealers.
The Okla. City Hunting Retriever Club will meet at 7 pm at Johnnie's
Charcoal Broiler here in Okla. City this coming Thursday. The
program includes John Amico of Deep Fork Retrievers talking
turkey to your retrievers. Game Warden Joel McClung will discuss
whitetail deer management and there will be a display of the
latest hunting equipment from the company The River's Edge.
Fall wilderness hikes at the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge
are sat for this coming Saturday and for Nov. 8 and Nov. 15.
Reservations are required and there is a $3 fee. The hikes will
begin at 10 am and last three hours. Please call for information
at (405) 429-3222.
For the Animals,
Jana, OKC
Date: Sun, 26 Oct 1997 10:46:32 -0500 (EST)
From: Snugglezzz@aol.com
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Unexpected Mailbox Delivery - Puppy
Message-ID: <971026104631_1369513897@mrin44.mail.aol.com>
Detroit, MI (Reuters) USA: A Motor City mailman got an unexpected delivery
when he found a shivering, emaciated 6-week-old puppy abandoned in a downtown
mail box.
The Michigan Humane Society said the postal worker extracted the whimpering
black and tan terrier-mix puppy and brought it to their shelter, where it was
treated for shock.
The group said the dog was probably inside the box on Joy Road in Detroit for
several hours. Workers at the humane society's Detroit shelter have named her
"Joy."
-- Sherrill
Date: Sun, 26 Oct 1997 11:24:13 -0500 (EST)
From: Snugglezzz@aol.com
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Shame On You, Tulsa
Message-ID: <971026112230_745113713@emout09.mail.aol.com>
Tulsa, OK, USA (Animal Aid Newsletter): Recently in Tulsa, an individual was
arrested for fighting dogs (supposed to be a felony in OK) and six dogs of
his were seized. All had multiple fight wounds that clearly indicated that
they had been used for fighting repeatedly. After the primary witness refused
to testify (probably afraid, because dog fighters are notorious for being
violent), the local prosecutor dropped the case and the dogs were RETURNED to
the accused!! It is extremely unfortunate that some of our local officials
are still unaware of the gravity of animal cruelty. Animal abuse cases in
Tulsa are almost never brought to trial unless the evidence is completely
overwhelming and the public is aware of the case.
-- Sherrill
Date: Mon, 27 Oct 1997 20:41:54 -0500
From: allen schubert
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (CN) World's last wild camels may not survive
Message-ID: <3.0.32.19971027204151.00683c58@pop3.clark.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
from CNN http://www.cnn.com/
-------------------------------------------------------
World's last wild camels may not survive
October 26, 1997
Web posted at: 3:08 p.m. EST (2008 GMT)
XINJIANG PROVINCE, China (Reuters) -- The
spectacle of a herd of 150 two-humped Bactrian
camels surrounded by Kazakh herdsmen was once a
common sight in China's remote northwestern
Xinjiang province. But now the camels are becoming
a rarity, and environmentalists are calling for a
sanctuary to save them from extinction.
Kazakh nomads continue their annual trek from
their summer grazing areas in the mountainous
north to winter grazing in the south with their
domesticated camels.
But on that journey one thing is missing -- the
wild Bactrian camel, the original ancestor of the
Bactrian camels that thousands of years ago were
domesticated for use as "ships of the desert."
Rare video shot by researchers on expeditions into
the deserts of Xinjiang in 1995 and 1996 showed a
handful of wild camels galloping through the
desert scrub.
But the last wild camels on
Earth are losing the battle
for survival, being preyed upon by wolves, hunters
and gold miners.
Professor Yuan Guoying, vice director of the
Institute of Environmental Protection for Xinjiang
province, is part of a team that hopes to turn the
home of the wild Bactrian camel into a sanctuary
for the endangered animal.
Yuan teamed up in 1995 with British camel expert
John Hare, who founded the Wild Camel Protection
Foundation and has been the driving force in the
campaign to save the animal.
Yuan is convinced that unless the world comes up
with $1 million for the desert reserve, the wild
camel will vanish within a decade.
"If we don't take measures to save the wild camel
then it will be in far greater danger than the
panda," said Yuan, referring to China's national
symbol that is the focus of a multi-million dollar
campaign to save it from extinction.
Only 730 to 880 wild Bactrian camels, ancestors of
Asia's two-humped beast of burden, are estimated
to remain in the deserts of China's western
Xinjiang and neighboring Mongolia, compared with
at least 1,000 endangered pandas.
Yuan estimates their numbers have plunged by 75
percent from 2,500-3,000 when surveys were carried
out in 1980 and 1981.
One reason the wild camel has succeeded in
surviving in such harsh terrain may be due in part
to China's nuclear testing program that closed off
much of the Lop Nur section of the desert to
intruders for decades.
But China recently relaxed restrictions in the
desert of Lop Nur following a final nuclear test
last year and the area is becoming a powerful
magnet for prospectors.
Under the plan for the sanctuary, six to eight
checkpoints would be set up at the most commonly
used entry points to the region to prevent
invasions by illegal hunters and miners.
But some fear it may be too late.
For the few wild camels that do remain, the
founding of a sanctuary may prove to be their last
hope.
Date: Sun, 26 Oct 1997 21:52:07 -0500
From: jeanlee
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Forced molting
Message-ID: <345401D7.65A8@concentric.net>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Hi All-
The Association of Veterinarians for Animals Rights and
United Poultry Concerns have joined forces to campaign for
an end to forced molting.
As AVAR describes it, "Molting is a normal occurrence for
all birds. In the egg production industry, molting is a
'problem' for the producer because hens do not lay eggs
during this period, which may be long and drawn out. The
producers cause hens to endure extreme suffering in order to
get around this. They deprive the hens of all food for up
to two weeks and often deprive them of water for up to three
days. This process, known as 'forced molting' causes
extreme physiologic shock resulting in rapid molting as well
as a loss of 25 percent to 30 percent of body weight. It
also results in the death of many hens."
They also mention that the deprivation "causes extreme
metabolic shock which results in all the (surviving) birds
molting at once and returning to egg production at the same
time which is convenient for the industry. As implied, the
shock is so profound that some of the birds do not survive
this and die, after untold suffering."
The American Veterinary Medical Association, a mainstream
group, supports some aspects of the practice of forced
molting. AVAR and UPC are asking for letters to AVMA
protesting their endorsement of this practice in general.
For more information on this issue, go to UPC's website.
http://www.envirolink.org/arrs/upc/
Letters go to:
Dr. David Granstrom
American Veterinary Medical Association
1931 N. Meacham Road, #100
Schaumburg, IL 60173-4360
THANKS!
Jeanlee
Date: Mon, 27 Oct 1997 21:00:43 -0500
From: allen schubert
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (AU) Battle Rages Over Sea Cows
Message-ID: <3.0.32.19971027210041.006feee8@pop3.clark.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
from AP Wire page http://wire.ap.org/
-----------------------------------------------------
10/26/1997 12:01 EST
Battle Rages Over Sea Cows
By PETER JAMES SPIELMANN
Associated Press Writer
CONWAY, Australia (AP) -- Dugongs munching seagrass graze the seabed near
the Great Barrier Reef, oblivious to the battle raging on shore to save
this last great tribe of saltwater sea cows.
Conservationists are turning the dugong into their sacred cow in a
crusade to halt what they see as runaway development and rampant
exploitation.
Green groups are protesting against developers they accuse of destroying
seagrass beds and commercial fisherman who use nets that can drown
dugongs.
The dugong makes for an improbable poster animal; though they grow up to
10 feet long and weigh up to 1,200 pounds, they are so reclusive they are
rarely seen.
Dugongs are mammals of the order Sirenia, so-called because they gave
rise to mermaid legends when sailors who obviously had been too long at
sea mistook seaweed-draped dugongs for ravishingly beautiful women with
the tail of a fish.
They are found around the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea, and from Ceylon to
Australia and the Solomon Islands, and are related to Florida's
freshwater manatees.
But they particularly flourished in the waters of Queensland, between the
shore and the Great Barrier Reef, in areas like the quiet bays of Conway
National Park near the Whitsunday Islands, until recent years.
Edmund James Banfield wrote of dugongs ``gambolling like good-humored,
contented children'' around Dunk Island in his 1908 memoir, ``Confessions
of a Beachcomber.'' He found their affection almost human, and when one
was killed by Aborigines, its mate lingered nearby for days, as if in
mourning.
But coastal development and commercial fishing have clouded the future of
these placid animals.
``The population is in serious decline in the southern Great Barrier
Reef, down by 50 to 80 percent over the last 20 years,'' said Tony
Stokes, coordinator of the threatened species program of the Great
Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. In the northern part of the reef,
their numbers seem stable.
A 1986-87 estimate indicated some 3,600 dugongs inhabited the southern
reef; but by 1991-94, numbers were down to about 1,600 animals, he said.
Dugongs are classified as vulnerable to extinction by the World
Conservation Union.
``Australia is without doubt the remaining stronghold of the animal,''
Stokes said. ``There are perhaps 80,000 left, but much of their range is
not surveyed.''
At the end of this year, a new patchwork of marine sanctuaries will come
into force strung along 650 miles of the southern reef, giving the dugong
further protection.
``We think it's a positive and welcome step in saving the animal on the
southern reef, and urgent action needs to be taken. It remains to be seen
if it is sufficient to turn the animal around. But it will take some
time, because it is a very slow-maturing animal. Its capacity to recover
is limited,'' Stokes said.
At the insistence of the Queensland Commercial Fisherman's Association,
however, the sanctuaries are divided into two types, with gill-netting
for fish allowed in the less protective zones.
Gill nets can kill dugongs, turtles and whales.
``They become tangled, and they drown in 4 to 8 minutes,'' said Jeremy
Tager, coordinator of the North Queensland Conservation Council. ``Gill
netting is the primary cause of dugong mortality.''
Aborigines are allowed to hunt dugong from wooden canoes with spears, but
in all other cases it is illegal to kill a dugong.
``In terms of what Aborigines are permitted to take, the numbers are
incidental. In general, there's a feeling that the traditional owners are
a lot more responsible than the commercial fisherman,'' Tager said.
Conservationists accuse fishermen of slashing open the bodies of drowned
dugongs so they sink, in an attempt to hide the evidence.
Nine dugong carcasses were found in August and September by the Great
Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, four or five of which had net marks
or were slashed so they would sink.
Dr. A. Smith of Australia's federal science agency, the Commonwealth
Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, has forecast that the
killing of as few as two to 15 dugongs a year in the southern reef area
could put that population on the decline to oblivion.
But Martin Breen, the marine parks coordinator for the Queensland
Commercial Fisherman's Association, says it is ``an oversimplification of
reality'' to say netting is the prime cause of dugong mortality.
Ted Loveday, president of the group which represents 200 to 300 anglers,
insists dugongs are ``not critically endangered and are not at risk of
extinction.''
``Tags like that are not true,'' he said. ``They're being used by
environmental groups to create a false sense of urgency, of impeding
doom, as an excuse to rush through closures on commercial fishing.''
Loveday blamed the decline of the dugong on another target of the
conservationists, the real estate developers gobbling up swathes of
Queensland coast.
At Hinchinbrook Island, 75 miles northeast of Townsville, property
mega-developer Keith Williams is building a $73 million, 750-room resort
and dredging a 250-berth marina and canals in a dugong sanctuary.
The North Queensland Conservation Council says the project will increase
dugong deaths by collisions with motorboats and degrading the seagrass
beds.
In September, protesters tried to stop the development by locking
themselves to dredging equipment with thumb-cuffs bought from sex toy
shops, in a futile attempt to keep the dredgers from moving in.
Other groups in the anti-resort campaign include the Wilderness Society,
Australian Conservation Foundation and Queensland Conservation council.
The green groups make up a powerful lobby in Australia, and the fact that
the conservative national governments and Queensland state government
adopted the sanctuary network is testimony to their persuasiveness, as
well as the affection Australians have for the gentle dugong.
``Considering that 10 months ago there were no sanctuaries, and there
will be 16 by the end of the year, I think it is a marvelous move
forward,'' Stokes said.
``Whether it is sufficient, there is no guarantee, but it is a great step
forward.''
Date: Sun, 26 Oct 1997 22:41:07 -0500 (EST)
From: KarmaLake@aol.com
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: no kill shelter
Message-ID: <971026224107_-1642226891@mrin46.mail.aol.com>
A group of people here in Terre Haute, IN are starting up a no kill shelter.
Land has been donated, plans have been drawn up and now they are in the
process of aquiring funding from the local city council. If anyone has any
experiences with no kill shelters, or can provide financial or moral support,
drop me an email. We will gladly provide membership and adoption information.
This town is horrible in it's treatment of stray dogs and cats and this
shelter is very much needed. And an added p.s.--
I dont know if people are aware that Olivia the burned kitty in Bloomington
IN didnt make it. My heart and prayers go out to her family. This should make
everyone check into their own local laws concerning animal cruelty. If it
isnt a felony in your state, then do something about it.
Thanks,
Roxanne Lake
karmalake@aol.com
Date: Mon, 27 Oct 1997 23:29:16 -0500
From: allen schubert
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (US) Study: poor nations may lack food supply
Message-ID: <3.0.32.19971027232914.00707d38@pop3.clark.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
environment/animal welfare/world hunger
from Mercury Center news http://www.sjmercury.com/news/breaking/
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted at 7:13 p.m. PST Sunday, October 26, 1997
Study: poor nations may lack food supply
New York Times News Service
A survey of what people will be eating -- and
feeding their animals -- into the first two decades
of the next century finds that problems from rising
consumer demands to falling water tables could
create huge food gaps in the poorest countries
despite their economic growth.
Imports of meat and cereals are likely to rise in
countries that once were largely self-sufficient,
benefiting exporting nations like the United
States, Australia and Argentina but making the cost
of feeding families in developing nations higher,
says the survey, which was done by a unit of the
World Bank.
A report on the survey published Sunday, ``The
World Food Situation: Recent Developments, Emerging
Issues and Long-Term Prospects,'' says that
improvements in living standards in a world growing
by 80 million people a year put pressure on food
stocks at a time when there are no prospects of
another green revolution to guarantee increased
agricultural yields.
The report says that increases in yields of major
cereal crops, including wheat, rice and corn, are
expected to slow in the next 25 years, following
already slower growth since 1982. Stepped-up grain
production is reaching the limit of what it is
possible to produce, especially in Asia, the study
found. In the richer countries, especially in
Europe, opposition to genetically altered
foodstuffs slows research, hurting poorer countries
that need larger crops most.
The demand for meat, mostly poultry and beef, is
rising everywhere, the report says, but is growing
fastest in developing countries. In 1993, poorer
countries accounted for 47 percent of the world's
meat demand. By 2020, these countries could be
consuming 63 percent of meat products.
Given such consumption changes, huge questions loom
over China and India, which together have almost
half the world's people. Better living standards
and changing tastes that come with urbanization
could strain the world's food supplies on a still
unpredictable scale, the report's researchers
concluded. The report was prepared by the
International Food Policy Research Institute in
Washington for the Consultative Group on
International Agricultural Research at the World
Bank.
Dwindling fresh water supplies almost everywhere
can no longer be ignored as a major factor in
calculations about future food stocks, the report
says, adding that the growth in irrigated areas is
declining.
``Unless properly managed, fresh water may emerge
as the key constraint to global food production,''
the survey reports. ``While supplies of water are
adequate in the aggregate to meet demand for the
foreseeable future, water is poorly distributed
across countries, within countries and between
seasons. And with a fixed amount of renewable water
resources to meet the needs of a continually
increasing population, per capita water
availability is declining steadily.''
Ismail Serageldin, the World Bank's vice president
for environmentally and socially sustainable
development and chairman of its agricultural
research group, said in an interview that stocks of
surplus food for use in emergencies should be
increased as insurance against future disruptions
in supplies, and that aid groups should try to
speed up help to the poorest subsistence farmers.
``We have to do the hard work of dealing with the
problems of the small-holder farm in remote
areas,'' he said. ``They are the real defenders
against food insecurity.''
Copies of the report are available free from the
Consultative Group on International Agricultural
Research, 1818 H St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20043.
|
|
