AR-NEWS Digest 605

Topics covered in this issue include:

  1) Dolphins stranded on Florida beach
     by Andrew Gach 
  2) (US) Lab, PETA Settle Lawsuit Over Trade Secrets
     by allen schubert 
  3) request to interrupt ar-news service for 3 weeks
     by 0 <74754.654@compuserve.com>
  4) Bad news: USDA to "clean up the confusion" about organic foods
     by Andrew Gach 
  5) US Mclibel Support Campaign needs Help
     by Vadivu Govind 
  6) (CN) Breeding tigers
     by jwed 
  7) (HK) New Zoo proposed
     by jwed 
  8) ISRAEL- Rabies infested country, Minister of health blames Animal welfare Organizations.
     by erez ganor 
  9) Carriage Horses
     by leah wacksman 
 10) Beef Industry Takes Aim at "Food Disparagement" 
     by LCartLng@gvn.net (Lawrence Carter-Long)
 11) Make-A-Wish Cancels Duck Hunt (US-MS)
     by Michael Markarian 
 12) Ohio House Bill 437
     by "David A. Balz" 
 13) Scientists count Uganda mountain gorillas
     by Mesia Quartano 
 14) (US) Groups intensify fight to halt wolf ruling
     by Mesia Quartano 
 15) Escaped Lion Seen but Still Free       
     by Mesia Quartano 
 16) (US) PETA Settles Trade-Secret Suit 
     by Mesia Quartano 
 17) Geneticists bring speed and accuracy to an age-old craft Animals/Food     
     by Mesia Quartano 
 18) (US) Judge Won't Block Bison Slaughter 
     by Mesia Quartano 
 19) [Fwd: National Conference on Civil Disobedience]
     by Dan 
 20) The Nature Conservancy info request
     by "Leslie Lindemann" 
 21) info request
     by "Leslie Lindemann" 
 22) Huntingdon Muzzles Animal Rights Group
     by Tereiman 
 23) Canada Signs Trapping Agreement
     by Tereiman 
 24) (US) Emu Humor Doesn't Fly
     by Marisul 
 25) EP Debates Animal Trap Agreement
     by Tereiman 
Date: Mon, 15 Dec 1997 22:22:46 -0800
From: Andrew Gach 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Dolphins stranded on Florida beach
Message-ID: <34961E36.38A@worldnet.att.net>
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Dozens of dolphins ground themselves on Panhandle beach

The Associated Press 
CAPE SAN BLAS, Fla. (December 15, 1997 10:07 p.m. EST) 

Rescuers struggled in cold, windy weather and rough seas to help keep
dozens of dolphins alive after the animals stranded themselves on a
Florida Panhandle beach.

About 30 roughtooth dolphins, a species not normally found in shallow
water, managed to swim back out into the Gulf of Mexico on Sunday, while
29 were trucked to a boat basin on Cape San Blas, a narrow, hook-shaped
peninsula that juts into the gulf about 75 miles southwest of
Tallahassee, said sheriff's Capt. Joe Nugent.

Of the approximately 60 dolphins, about a dozen are known to have died.

On Monday, seven dolphins were shipped to the Gulfarium, a marine
attraction near Fort Walton Beach, and authorities were hoping to send
four more each to similar facilities in Sarasota and St. Augustine. Up
to five remaining at the basin may have to be euthanized because no
other facilities are available, Nugent said.

Members of the public and even prison camp inmates waded into 62-degree
water Sunday to join in the rescue effort along with personnel from
government and rescue agencies.

"I've never seen a mass stranding in this area like this," said Ron
Hardy, co-owner of Gulf World, a marine attraction at Panama City Beach.

"When you have this many animals there's nothing you can do. You pick
out one or two or three and try to help them. It's very heartbreaking."

The most common cause of mass stranding of dolphins and whales is when a
pod's leader gets ill with a virus or bacteria, and beaches itself to
get a steady flow of oxygen, Hardy said. Still, that phenomenon usually
involves smaller groups of mammals, Nugent said.

Blood tests indicated no evidence of disease, but additional testing is
being done on the dolphins that died.

Timothy Burney, an inmate from a state forestry prison camp, was among
the volunteers who stood in the surf Sunday, trying to hold weakened
dolphins upright to keep their blowholes out of the water so they could
breathe.

"This is my first time seeing something like this, my first time
touching one," Burney said. "I just want to help them out and keep them
alive, which is a discouraging experience because they don't look too
good."

*******************************************************8

I'm no marine mammal expert, but it mystifies me why sending the
dolphins to amusement parks or killing them outright are the only
choices onsidered.  Is there any reason why they can't be treated (if
necessary) and released back to the wild?

Andy
Date: Tue, 16 Dec 1997 01:23:16 -0500
From: allen schubert 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (US) Lab, PETA Settle Lawsuit Over Trade Secrets
Message-ID: <3.0.32.19971216012313.006ee12c@pop3.clark.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
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from CNN Custom News http://www.cnn.com
-----------------------------------------------------
Lab, PETA Settle Lawsuit Over Trade Secrets

AP
15-DEC-97

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) A New Jersey pharmaceutical testing company settled a
lawsuit Monday accusing an animal-rights group of infiltrating the firm
with a spy and stealing trade secrets. 

Huntingdon Life Sciences Inc. contends an undercover worker for People for
the Ethical Treatment of Animals lied to get a job cleaning cages at the
lab in East Millstone, N.J. 

PETA officials said the worker videotaped lab employees yelling at and
dangling monkeys, throwing some of them into cages and threading tubes down
their noses for tests. The group claimed one technician cut into a monkey
before it was dead. 

Under the settlement signed Monday, Norfolk-based PETA must return or
destroy all the information the worker who signed a confidentiality
agreement took from the lab. 

PETA also must return all information learned about Huntingdon during the
litigation process and it may not interfere with the lab's business
relationships. PETA also is barred from any undercover
information-gathering against the lab for five years. 

PETA does not have to pay any damages or admit wrongdoing. The group also
may respond to any inquiries from the Department of Agriculture regarding a
complaint it previously filed against Huntingdon. 

"We didn't exactly give away the farm, and we did not pay them a penny,"
PETA president Ingrid Newkirk said. 

She said PETA wasn't concerned about the settlement's restrictions because
it already had written to the lab's clients and distributed the videotape. 

"We won a great deal for the animals in that Colgate canceled its contract
with Huntingdon, and Procter & Gamble launched an independent investigation
that led to its denouncement of Huntingdon's animal-handling practices,"
Ms. Newkirk said. 

Huntingdon President Alan Staple said the settlement achieves the company's
goals of retrieving the lab's materials and protecting the business and its
clients' interests. 

PETA estimated that Huntingdon lost $10 million as a result of its
investigation and spent $2 million in legal fees. 

Staple said the legal fees were closer to $1 million. He said he could not
put a dollar amount on losses due to PETA, although he said the company
lost some contracts worth a couple hundred thousand dollars each. 

"The concern that we had was going into the future," he said. "We were
concerned about our reputation for maintaining confidentiality." 
Date: Tue, 16 Dec 1997 00:47:34 -0500
From: 0 <74754.654@compuserve.com>
To: Blind.Copy.Receiver@compuserve.com
Subject: request to interrupt ar-news service for 3 weeks
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Attachment Converted: "C:\EUDORA2\Attach\out1"
Date: Mon, 15 Dec 1997 22:35:30 -0800
From: Andrew Gach 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Bad news: USDA to "clean up the confusion" about organic foods
Message-ID: <34962132.7E5@worldnet.att.net>
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USDA unveils national regulations on organic foods

The Associated Press 
WASHINGTON (December 15, 1997 4:48 p.m. EST)

Just what makes an organic apple organic? For the first time, the
government started answering that question by proposing rules Monday to
help consumers get the all-natural foods they think they're getting.

"The rules are going to clear up the confusion that sometimes exists in
the minds of consumers, processors and merchandisers about what is and
what is not organic," said Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman.

But the regulations announced by the Agriculture Department drew
criticism from environmental groups and organic farmers worried that the
rules could permit use of germ-killing irradiation, growth of
genetically altered crops and spreading of sewage sludge as fertilizer.

"These things have no place in organic food production," said Ken Cook,
president of the Environmental Working Group. "The public should say no
to them, too."

Glickman said more public comment would be accepted before a final
version of the rules is issued in 1998. The government itself is already
promoting irradiation to kill bacteria and genetic engineering to
improve crop yields and reduce use of chemical pesticides.

"I have intentionally left open some of the more divisive questions,"
Glickman told reporters. "I think it's important to have a full national
and international discussion of this issue."

Although differences remain on those points, the issuance of the
proposed rules is a milestone in itself: It has taken seven years, since
the Organic Foods Production Act was first passed in 1990, to get this
far.

For the fast-growing organic industry, the regulations finally validate
their industry as part of mainstream farming, no longer dismissed as
"low-tech throwbacks to horse-powered agriculture, or as hippie
gardeners," as Cook put it.

Organic products account for only about 1 percent of national food sales
but have grown more than 20 percent annually since 1990 and now account
for about $3.5 billion annually. Agriculture Department officials
forecast a fourfold increase in sales during the next decade and
several large food companies have begun marketing organic products.

Yet, because there are no national rules, consumers could never be
certain that products with "organic" on the label are actually grown,
processed and handled under the principles of nature over synthetics
that have developed within the industry. Indeed, there are some 40 state
and private organic certification programs around the country.

The new regulations, Glickman said, will improve consumer confidence in
the organic label and provide a boost to the roughly 12,000 farmers
seeking an edge by marketing all-natural products. The average organic
farm is about 250 acres, but there are some very large ones.

"We hope this will help small farmers continue to build a niche for
themselves," Glickman said.

Organic farmers face higher costs because their natural fertilizers and
pest control efforts tend to be more expensive and they must hire more
workers to replace the mechanization common in conventional farming.
Thus, their produce costs more.

To gain an Agriculture Department seal, the proposed regulations require
that raw products be 100 percent organic and that processed foods
contain 95 percent organic ingredients.

Processed foods with 50 percent to 95 percent organic content could be
labeled as "made with certain organic ingredients," while those with
less than 50 percent organic content must specify the organic
ingredients.

The rules also set numerous standards for producing and handling the
foods, including a requirement that cropland be free of prohibited
pesticides for at least three years before harvest and a prohibition on
use of antibiotics or hormones to stimulate growth in livestock.

Those selling or labeling products that do not meet the standards could
be fined up to $10,000.  The Agriculture Department will certify states
and private organizations to oversee the system, and states could adopt
their own tougher standards.

The Grocery Manufacturers of America, representing the makers of
name-brand foods and packaged goods, called the new uniform standards "a
great service to America's consumers and the food-producing industry."

But the group added that the nutrition, health and safety levels of
organic and "traditionally produced products" were the same and the
conventional food industry was using new techniques to reduce use of
crop-protection chemicals.

Since 99 percent of the nation's food is produced using conventional
practices, Glickman took pains to say that the regulations should not be
viewed as an endorsement of organic methods as superior or safer.

"These rules are not about creating a category of agriculture than is
safer than any other," he said. "These rules are about giving consumers
choices as to how their food is produced."

By CURT ANDERSON, AP Farm Writer
Date: Tue, 16 Dec 1997 15:45:36 +0800 (SST)
From: Vadivu Govind 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: US Mclibel Support Campaign needs Help
Message-ID: <199712160745.PAA25192@eastgate.cyberway.com.sg>
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Re-posted from Mclibel list.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: US Mclibel Support Campaign
Date: 16 Dec, 1997
From: Dan Mills and Dave Morris


                ***       APPEAL   APPEAL   APPEAL       ***

For almost four years, the US McLibel Support Campaign has been circulating
campaigning materials and information about McDonald's, the McLibel Trial,
other multinationals, and about other important issues of our times (such as
genetic engineering).  The group has also coordinated protests and helped to
organise events such as the recent and highly successful visit of Helen &
Dave (the McLibel Defendants) to the US.  Even though the McLibel Trial is
now over, Helen & Dave are appealing parts of the verdict, the issues that
were examined in the courtcase are as important as ever and the campaign
against McDonald's and other multinationals continues to grow.

We are funded entirely by donations from the public.  Until now, the
donations we have received have enabled us to operate the e-mail listserver,
coordinate protests, send out mailings, post materials on request, pay phone
bills etc.  However, we now have a severe shortage of funds which threatens
our ability to continue this work.  We hope that those of you that have been
receiving our e-mails and who would like to see our work continue will be
able to help us in this time of need.  If we receive more funds than we
need, the surplus will be sent to London to help pay for expenses related to
Helen and Dave's continuing legal battles.

Please send checks in US dollars (payable to "McLibel Support Campaign") to
the following address:

   US McLibel Support Campaign
   PO Box 62
   Craftsbury VT 05826-0062, USA

Tel  1-802 586 9628
E-mail: dbriars@world.std.com

Also, we'd be grateful if you could circulate this appeal and let us know if
you have any fund-raising suggestions.


Dan Mills   Dave Morris   David Briars


-----------------------------------------------------------------------
U.S. McLibel Support Campaign                   Email dbriars@sover.net
PO Box 62                                        Phone/Fax 802-586-9628
Craftsbury VT 05826-0062                    http://www.mcspotlight.org/
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To unsubscribe, change the message to: "unsubscribe mclibel"



Date: Tue, 16 Dec 1997 16:00:28 +0000
From: jwed 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (CN) Breeding tigers
Message-ID: <3.0.5.32.19971216160028.007b2810@pop.hkstar.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
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China daily - 16th December 1997

NANJING -- The city of Suzhou in China's Jiangsu Province has started
building a breeding base for the South China tiger on Lidao Island, to
protect the rare species which is on the verge of extinction. The base has
13 tigers on its 4 hectares, and plans to increase the number to 30 in the
near future. The Suzhou Zoo also has 14 South China tigers, the largest
number in China's zoos. Since 1983, the zoo has produced 38 of the tigers
in captivity, with 29 surviving. It has sent 15 to zoos in Tianjin,
Guangzhou, Xiamen and Nanjing.

[Me - i would rather be dead than in any of those zoos] 




Every child has the right to a healthy diet - that means no meat.

http://www.earth.org.hk/
Date: Tue, 16 Dec 1997 16:17:41 +0000
From: jwed 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (HK) New Zoo proposed
Message-ID: <3.0.5.32.19971216161741.007a4290@pop.hkstar.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
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South China Morning Post - 16th December 1997

by ALLAN ZEMAN 

Hong Kong is an international city. The main tourist problem we have is
perception. People around the world think now that Britain has gone and
Hong Kong has returned to China, Hong Kong is just another Chinese city.

We must hire a top advertising company to design a campaign telling the
world we are still international. We have not lost our charm. We are
better! We need a slogan like New York had in the old days (I Love NY). We
need something like "HK - Love The Energy!"

We should enlist famous Hong Kong people such as Joyce Ma, David Tang
Wing-cheung, Li Ka-shing, Tung Chee-hwa, John Woo and Jackie Chan to star
in commercials telling the world about our wonderful city.

We need international events to keep Hong Kong in the public spotlight. I
propose having 12 international events a year - one per month. This would
give tourists a reason to come here any month of the year.

Hong Kong's shopping reputation has been built on famous name brands. To go
on drawing tourists from around the world we must continue to build on name
brand concepts.

The number one tourist attraction in Tokyo is Disneyland. Hong Kong should
allocate a suitable tract of land in the New Territories and we should then
try to entice Disney to come here. This would help to bring tourists from
China as well as North and Southeast Asia. We already have the hotels,
airport, and shops which would all be kept busy.

Turn Government House into a tourist attraction. I would make it into a
mini-museum featuring the history of Hong Kong under colonial Britain.

It would include a room with a small cinema telling the story of the last
100 years, created artistically by someone like Woo. A great indoor and
outdoor restaurant would serve some of the best Chinese food in Hong Kong.
This would be a great must-see stopover for tourists.

Allocate another piece of land in the country parks to build the largest
zoo in the world. This could be done by taking advantage of Hong Kong's
beautiful parks and creating a natural environment for animals which would
be unrivalled in the world. We would not destroy the natural surroundings,
but enhance them to give animals a chance to live in a beautiful environment.

We could then build small natural campsites where tourists could stay for a
few nights to experience the quieter side of Hong Kong.

The Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre: make Hong Kong the fashion
capital of Asia. Twice a year, immediately following the pret-a-porter
shows in Europe, we have the Hong Kong-Asian World Pret-a-porter. Invite
the top designers such as Chanel, YSL, Armani, Versace, DKNY and Calvin
Klein. They could be asked to put on their shows at the Convention Centre
in autumn and spring on an annual basis. This would attract tourists from
around Asia and keep Hong Kong at the top of the fashion list.

We would invite the fashion reporters from around Asia and have a week of
European and American fashion shows. Shows must be done on the scale of
Paris, Italy and New York. This would also be sure to attract many Japanese.

The International Dragon Boat Race: make this event into a week-long event
with prize money of a million dollars to the winning team. Organise dragon
boat parties at Sai Kung and Aberdeen. Make this a great world event with
dragon boat parades and fairs.

The Annual International Music Festival: one week of top singers from
around the world, performing at the Convention Centre, Coliseum, Cultural
Centre, Academy for Performing Arts, Jazz Club and any other available
venues. World-class stars from Pavarotti, Celine Dion and Georgie Fame to
famous Japanese singers and musicians would perform. This could be run by
the Jockey Club and operated on a non-profit basis.

Hong Kong International Derby Race week: similar to the Melbourne Cup or
Kentucky Derby, but with the biggest prize in the world. At the moment
Dubai has a prize of US$4 million (HK$31 million). Hong Kong should have
two events in one week: on Wednesday a $23 million race followed by a $38
million derby race on Sunday. This would put Hong Kong at the top of the
world racing map, attracting the top horses from around the world.

We could also have the Hong Kong Derby Ball and invite famous trainers,
owners and jockeys from around the globe. The Wednesday event could be a
Japan-Hong Kong event where top Japanese horses compete against top Hong
Kong horses for the Hong Kong-Japan Cup. Promoted in Japan, this would
attract a lot of Japanese tourists.

Take two of the Hong Kong ferry terminals (one on Hong Kong side, such as
Central or North Point, and one on Kowloon side - Tsim Sha Tsui or Hunghom)
and turn them into restaurant and seafood areas. These areas could be
developed into beautiful outdoor restaurants and cafes, modelled on
Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco. This could also work for part of the
land at Kai Tak airport. We could turn some of that land into wonderful
seafood and shopping experiences on the harbour.

Japan month in Hong Kong: invite Japanese tourists to Hong Kong during a
certain month. Any shop, restaurant, or hotel displaying a Japan sticker in
the window would automatically offer Japanese passport holders a 10 per
cent discount. During this month, Hong Kong would play host to top Japanese
chefs, designers and singers. Special package tours from Japan to Hong Kong
would bring tourists to enjoy the shows and, of course, do some shopping
while they were here.

Hong Kong Casino: build a Las Vegas-style casino or casinos at the old Kai
Tak airport site. Operated by the Jockey Club, this would attract tourists
from all over the world. Unlike in Macau where a crime element exists, this
would be run by the Hong Kong Jockey Club in the same clean manner as they
operate the races. All profits would go to charity. At the moment, casinos
are legal in almost every major city in the world. New York is at present
very close to building a casino. Hong Kong is an international city and
this could help us attract many high rollers from around the world who
spend lots of money in shops. At the moment we are losing that money to
other cities. Why not keep it here? Gambling at a casino is no different
from gambling on horse races.

We must tell the world we are still an exciting stand-alone international
city even though we are now part of China.

Allan Zeman is chairman of California International Investments Group.


Date: Tue, 16 Dec 1997 18:18:51 +0200
From: erez ganor 
To: "ar-news@envirolink.org" ,
        "CFN-Views@can-inc.com" ,
        Adolfo Sansolini - LAV ,
        Barbara Harkaway , Born Free ,
        "BreachEnv@aol.com David" ,
        "folkerts@worldonline.nl" ,
        Glenn Hunt ,
        Karin Zupko ,
        PETA Nederland , rhus 
Subject: ISRAEL- Rabies infested country, Minister of health blames Animal welfare
Organizations.
Message-ID: <3496A9EB.B22EADB6@netvision.net.il>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
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The 3rd victim of Rabies, a child from a village in the north died today
from Rabies.
Municipal vets has stopped to deal with stray dogs 2 months ago , as
part of their pressure on the public to lift a law suit against the
Municipal vets who were caught violating the Anti-Cruelty Animal
Protection law.
It all started when the Municipal vet of the town of Haddera was caught
killing a stray dog in the most brutal and inhumane way, although the
Municipal vets are supposed to euthanasia stray dogs by injecting Sodium
pentobarbital.  apparently some one was trying to save the municipal
budget, by inventing another cheep way to deal with the Stray ones.
After the media exposed the case, it appears that the Vet of Haddera was
not the only municipal vet, using that tectonic. as a result a report to
the police was filled and a law suit against the cruel vets. however The
Chief Municipal vet in the Ministry of Agriculture decide to support his
employees by declaration that the municipal vets will not deal with
rabies control anymore till the lawsuit will be dismissed.
for 2 months, the municipal vets are not collecting stray dogs from the
streets , and the quarantines are refusing to accept dogs who were
brought by good citizen.
During the past months the Ministry of health is spreading rummers about
the risk of the disease, misleading the public with horror cases that
has nothing to do with dogs ( Such as the couple who got bitten from
ticks after visiting deserted caves in the West Sameria - were Bedouins
are keeping their Sheep) as a result of that 2 things happened:
1)The public is horrified and can be easily manipulated.
2)Dog owners are throwing their dogs to the streets.
Today after the death of the 3rd victim, the ministries of Agriculture
and Health are declaring war against the Animal welfare organizations in
Israel, blaming them for the eruption of the Rabies.
All Animal Welfare Organizations in israel are doing their best to
accommodate and find placement for stray Dogs and Cats. several
Educational programs are running in the country, however with the New
Minister of Environment, the importance of the issue has been ignored
and budget to help the shelters were not given.
The Animal Protection Squad- a body formed to protect animals and
prevent cruelty, under the former minister of Environment Mr. Yossi
Sarid , was asked by the new minister to resign, and the office is being
dismissed.
It is irresponsible to blame the Animal Welfare organizations, while the
ministers are failing to fulfil their responsibility to the public.
On the other Hand, what can you expect from a government that has to
deal with the Stories of Sara Netanyahu and the way she was throwing
shoes on her workers...
Any Shipment of Bananas will be appreciated.

Erez Ganor.


Date: Tue, 16 Dec 1997 10:30:43 -0500
From: leah wacksman 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Carriage Horses
Message-ID: <34969EA1.A54B093@galen.med.virginia.edu>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
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Saturday, December 13, 1997

                       Panicked team races out of downtown Roanoke
pulling
                       empty carriage
                       Fireworks scare Dickens out of
                       horses

                       The owner of the two horses and carriage chased
them down
                       at a roadblock in a police car.

                       By LAURA FASBACH
                       THE ROANOKE TIMES

                          It was the kind of chase that had all the
elements of a Western: a loud
                       bang, two frightened horses, a runaway
wooden-wheeled carriage.

                           But this one happened in downtown Roanoke.

                           Josh and Lady, two quarterhorses with the
Lexington Carriage Co.,
                       galloped nearly half a mile from the City Market
to Kimball Avenue after
                       they were spooked by fireworks going off at the
Dickens of a Christmas
                       festivities.

                           The horses, which had been pulling a
nine-passenger carriage on tours
                       around the city, were taking a break on Market
Street when the fireworks
                       started.

                           Carriage driver Shana Purdue had just stepped
to the street when a loud
                       boom set off Josh and Lady.

                           "They are 1,700-pound creatures," Purdue
said. "We were not going to
                       stand in front of them."

                           The pair bolted down to Church Street, where
they turned left, ran to
                       Williamson Road and turned left again. They
turned right on Kimball Avenue,
                       opposite the Hotel Roanoke. City police officers
blocked intersections as the
                       horses ran through the streets.

                           Unable to stop the large whinnying creatures,
carriage owner Kent
                       McMichael hopped into city police Officer F.L.
Pledge's car. The two men
                       followed.

                           At Kimball, McMichael hopped out of the car,
leapt onto the carriage and
                       grabbed the reins. Chase over.

                           The horses have been pulling passenger
carriages for at least five years.
                       McMichael said Friday's mishap was out of
character for the usually mellow
                       pair.

                           No tickets were issued, but Officer M.A.
Harris wondered how he would
                       word the incident on a police report.

                           "DMV will get a kick out of this," he said
with a smile.

Date: Tue, 16 Dec 1997 09:15:51 -0800
From: LCartLng@gvn.net (Lawrence Carter-Long)
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Cc: VEGAN@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU
Subject: Beef Industry Takes Aim at "Food Disparagement" 
Message-ID: <199712161707.MAA14668@envirolink.org>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

E: The Environmental Magazine
November/December 1997

Mad Cowboys: The Beef Industry Takes Aim at "Food Disparagement" 
By John Stauber and Sheldon Rampton

"You said [mad cow disease] could make AIDS look like the 
common cold?" asked TV talk show host Oprah Winfrey. "Absolutely," 
said her guest, Howard Lyman of the Humane Society of the United 
States (HSUS). "That's an extreme statement, you know," Winfrey 
said. "Absolutely," Lyman said again. "A hundred thousand cows per
year in the United States are fine at night, dead in the morning. The 
majority of those cows are rounded up, ground up, fed back to other
cows. If only one of them has mad cow disease, it has the potential 
to affect thousands." 

After hearing a bit more of what Lyman, a former Montana rancher 
who now represents HSUS' Eating With a Conscience Campaign, 
had to say about the danger of mad cow disease coming across 
the Atlantic from England, Winfrey was convinced. "It has just stopped 
me cold from eating another burger," she said. "I'm stopped!" 

The Oprah show aired on April 16, 1996, less than a month after 
the British government reversed a decade of denial and admitted 
that consumption of beef from mad cows was the "most likely"
explanation for the appearance of a bizarre, previously unseen 
dementia in humans known as "new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob 
Disease," an incurable and invariably fatal strain that kills its
victims by filling their brains with microscopic, spongy holes. To 
date, 19 cases-some of them in teenagers-have been documented. 
Lyman's statement about mad cow disease being "worse than AIDS' 
was based on the fact that both can take years, even decades, to 
incubate, thereby making it impossible to predict the size of an 
outbreak during its early stages. 

The broadcast produced a dramatic price drop in cattle futures on the 
Chicago Mercantile Exchange, and an uproar from the meat industry, 
lead by the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA). Despite 
the fact that Winfrey agreed to a follow-up interview with the NCBA's 
policy director, the industry took legal action anyway, with a $2 million 
lawsuit filed against Lyman and Oprah by beef feedlot operator Paul 
Engler. The suit charges that Lyman made "biased, unsubstantiated, 
and irresponsible claims against beef..." 

The lawsuit against Lyman marked the historic first test case for a 
new legal standard which the agriculture industry has spent the past
five years lobbying into law in more than a dozen U.S. states-"food 
disparagement." Engler's attorney describes the suit as "an historic 
case; it should make reporters and journalists and entertainers-and 
whatever Oprah considers herself-more careful." 

Under the new laws, it doesn't matter that Lyman believes in his 
statements, or even that he can produce scientists who will support 
him. The industry will be able to convict him of spreading "false
information" if it can convince a jury that his statements on the show 
deviated from "reasonable and reliable scientific inquiry, facts, or 
data"-a legal standard which gives a clear advantage to the multi-
billion-dollar beef industry, particularly in Texas cattle country, where 
the lawsuit was filed. 

In legal jargon, food disparagement suits are called
SLAPPs, for Strategic Lawsuit Against Public
Participation. The SLAPP against Oprah originated in
a coordinated campaign spearheaded by the nonprofit
Washington-based Animal Industry Foundation
(AIF), whose funding comes from the meat industry.
AIF developed a "model" food disparagement statute,
which it distributes to legislators and agribusiness
interests in state capitols across the country.

Essentially, food disparagement laws are industries'
payback for the victory won by consumers when,
following a media campaign, the pesticide Alar
(sprayed on apples to make them ripen longer before
falling off the tree) was pulled off the market by its
manufacturer, the Uniroyal Corporation. The
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) concluded in
1985 that Alar might be causing as many as 100
cancers per million people-a risk factor 100 times over
EPA standards. Alar stayed on the market, though,
until rocked by a 1989 60 Minutes expose entitled "A is 
for Apple." The documentary's point was reinforced by 
public service announcements from the Natural Resources 
Defense Council (NRDC) featuring actress Meryl Streep, 
who warned that Alar had been detected in apple juice
bottled for children. The apple industry abandoned Alar, 
but growers in Washington filed a lawsuit the next year 
against CBS, NRDC and its public relations consultant, 
Fenton Communications. In a ringing victory for environmentalists, 
the suit was dismissed by a judge who noted that "governmental 
methodology fails to take into consideration the distinct hazards
faced by preschoolers." The industry setback led to the 1991 
passage of the first state food disparagement law, pushed 
through by apple growers in Colorado. Biotechnology giant
Monsanto has taken similar legal action-to protect the image 
of its genetically engineered bovine growth hormone, rBGH. 
Monsanto's own studies have linked rBGH use to increased
udder infections and other health problems in cows, but the 
company has filed lawsuits against dairies advertising that 
their milk is "rBGH-free," because of its implied notion that
non-rBGH-free milk is harmful. 

Actual court victories are not necessarily the goal of a SLAPP 
suit. They primarily aim to chill speech by forcing defendants 
to spend huge amounts of time and money defending themselves
in court. "The longer the litigation can be stretched out...the closer 
the SLAPP filer moves to success," observes New York Supreme 
Court Judge Nicholas Colabella. And the industry can simply 
threaten to file a suit, as it did in a recent warning to Food & 
Water Inc., a grassroots group in Vermont that campaigns 
against the use of radiation to extend shelf life in foods. 

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) challenged Georgia's
food disparagement law, but in 1995 a state court upheld it on a 
technicality. David Bederman, the Emory University Law School
professor who represented the ACLU in that case, comments, 
"The freedom of speech, always precious, becomes ever more 
so as the agricultural industries use new methods such as exotic
pesticides, growth hormones, radiation, and genetic engineering 
on our food supply." Perhaps he shouldn't say that too loud-he 
could get SLAPPed. 

(The writers are the authors of the book Mad Cow USA, just 
published by Common Courage Press.) 

CONTACTS: 

Food & Water Inc.
RR 1, Box 68D
Walden, VT 05873
Tel: (802) 563-3300 

Pure Food Campaign 
860 Highway 61 East
Silver Bay, MN 55614
Tel: (218) 226-4164 

Posted by:

Lawrence Carter-Long
Science and Research Issues, Animal Protection Institute
email: LCartLng@gvn.net, phone: 800-348-7387 x. 215
world wide web: http://www.api4animals.org/

"Civil liberties are always safe as long as their exercise doesn't
bother anyone."   New York Times editorial, 1-3-41






Date: Tue, 16 Dec 1997 09:13:23 -0800 (PST)
From: Michael Markarian 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Make-A-Wish Cancels Duck Hunt (US-MS)
Message-ID: <2.2.16.19971216132835.54372a3e@pop.igc.org>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Below is a press release from the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Mississippi,
announcing that they have canceled a duck hunt that had been organized as a
fundraiser. Thank you to everyone who wrote and called!

By siding with the animals and canceling this duck hunt, the Make-A-Wish
Foundation of Mississippi has refused to accept approximately $8,000 from a
hunting group, and they are apparently very strapped for cash. It might be a
nice gesture of "thank you" if people are so inclined to send them a
donation. -- MM

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

Make-A-Wish Foundation of Mississippi
931 Highway 80 West, Unit 17
Jackson, MS 39204
(601) 352-2408
FAX: (601) 948-8746

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Suzanne Vivier, Executive Director
Make-A-Wish Foundation of Mississippi
(601) 352-2408

SPONSOR TO PURSUE ALTERNATE FUNDRAISING EVENTS
TO BENEFIT THE MAKE-A-WISH FOUNDATION OF MISSISSIPPI

(Jackson, December 11, 1997) -- The organizer of a local duck hunt that was
to have benefited the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Mississippi has decided to
pursue other fundraising opportunities for the chapter that do not involved
hunting.

Bo Prestidge of Wildlife, Inc. says he is working with the Make-A-Wish
Foundation of Mississippi to explore other fundraising activities, after
evaluating the event that was scheduled for December 29th at the private
hunting lodge.

"We have an excellent working relationship with the Make-A-Wish Foundation
of Mississippi," says Prestidge. "Our goal is to support the fine work of
this organization and the special kids it serves."

Suzanne Vivier, Executive Director of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of
Mississippi says she respects Prestidge's decision. "We value our
partnership with Wildlife, Inc. and look forward to pursuing alternate
fundraising activities in the very near future. We appreciate that we are
the beneficiaries of such loyal local support."

The Make-A-Wish Foundation of Mississippi is committed to its mission of
granting the wishes of children with life-threatening illnesses. The
organization fulfilled the dreams of 50 children last year, at an average of
cash cost of $3,700 to grant each wish.

The have many, many wishes of children that are waiting to be fulfilled. The
canceled fundraisers would have raised approximately $8,000. They need the
public's help with donations to help replace the lost revenue. You can send
your donations to: Make-A-Wish Foundation of Mississippi, 931 Highway 80
West, Unit 17, Jackson, MS 39204.

For more information about the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Mississippi, please
contact Suzanne Vivier at (601) 352-2408.

# # #

Date: Tue, 16 Dec 1997 12:00:00 -0500
From: "David A. Balz" 
To: AR-NEWS 
Subject: Ohio House Bill 437
Message-ID: <199712161200_MC2-2C33-B196@compuserve.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
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******************APPEAL**************APPEAL************************APPEA
L*
****************


From: David Balz, Director, Wyandot County Humane Society

To: Any resident Ohio, USA -- and others interested in cruelty prevention.

Ohio's animal cruelty statutes are over 100 years old.  Recent attempts to
improve the laws have been successful for the first time.   HB 437, while
no model for future laws, is a vast improvement in providing an enforceable
law for our cruelty investigators to use.  It provides definitions and
standards that are documentable and enforceable.  Provides for
reimbursement for agencies involved in the care of seized animals and
allows judges more options for disposition of cases, including counseling
for offenders and limited prohibition against future possession of animals.

Recently several groups in southern Ohio have mounted a telephone campaign
to defeat this bill.  The bill is now on the floor of the Ohio House of
Representatives.  The need right now is for anyone in Ohio, but especially
in southern Ohio to call their elected representative and voice their
support for Ohio House Bill 437 - The Companion Animal Cruelty Bill.

No one behind this bill thinks it is perfect -- but it is a giant leap
forward for the animals of Ohio.  It is best to call your representative at
his local office, the public library can give you that number.  If nothing
else call 1-800-282-0253 and leave a message for you representative.

I can be reached at Email   WyHumane@compuserve. com      or    
1-888-294-4477

End Message.......  
Date: Tue, 16 Dec 1997 13:53:26 -0500
From: Mesia Quartano 
To: "ar-news@envirolink.org" 
Subject: Scientists count Uganda mountain gorillas
Message-ID: <3496CE26.E5BCACDA@usa.net>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Tuesday, December 16, 1997

An international team of scientists recently worked their way through
the thick and steep terrain of Uganda's Bwindi            Impenetrable
Forest National Park to count populations of endangered mountain
gorillas. They found about 300, bringing the known total of this gorilla
sub-species to around 600.

The census, conducted in October and November by the Bronx Zoo-based
Wildlife Conservation Society, International Gorilla Conservation
Program, the Institute of Tropical Forest Conservation and the Uganda
Wildlife Authority resulted in a tally of 292 individual gorillas from
28 groups, along with seven lone silverbacks -- adult males.

Using survey techniques developed in the Virunga Conservation Area,
where the other, much better-known population of mountain gorillas live,
researchers followed trails and counted nests. A large team was used to
cover more ground in a shorter period of time and to reduce the risk of
counting the same gorillas twice.

Each night, gorillas build a new nest, and researchers can tell the age
of the animal that slept there by the size of dung piles left behind,
and if it is a female by the presence of infant dung. In addition,
silvery hairs found in the nest can reveal the presence of adult males.

Researchers collected hairs from every nest for DNA fingerprinting, to
confirm that no groups were counted twice, and to understand the genetic
differences between the Bwindi and Virunga populations.

Bwindi gorillas differ from Virunga gorillas by their shorter hair and
slightly longer limbs. Further research will be needed to confirm
whether the Bwindi gorillas are themselves a sub-species distinct from
the Virunga population.

The steep mountains and thick, thorny brush that give the Impenetrable
Forest its name provided a significant challenge for the census teams
that scoured all areas of the park in search of gorilla trails.

The future of these rare gorillas remains uncertain, however. "Given
that the Virunga Volcanos is currently a war zone and that park staff
cannot even enter this region to monitor the gorillas, there is strong
concern in the conservation community that there may be even fewer than
600 animals," said Dr. Andrew Plumptre, assistant director for Africa
programs of the Wildlife Conservation Society.

The results of the Bwindi census are being used for a strategic analysis
being conducted at this week's Mountain Gorilla Population and Habitat
Viability Analysis Workshop, organized by the Uganda Wildlife Authority
and the Conservation and Breeding Specialist Group of IUCN.

The workshop participants are designing a regional plan of action that
will best ensure the conservation of these endangered gorilla
populations.

For more information, contact Stephen Saunter, WCS, (718)220-5197.
Copyright 1997, Environmental News Network, All Rights Reserved

Date: Tue, 16 Dec 1997 13:57:05 -0500
From: Mesia Quartano 
To: "ar-news@envirolink.org" 
Subject: (US) Groups intensify fight to halt wolf ruling
Message-ID: <3496CF00.3D58D3A9@usa.net>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Tuesday, December 16, 1997

Environmentalists intensified their fight today against a Friday court
ruling that the reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone National Park
and central Idaho was illegal, saying they would battle all the way to
the Supreme Court if necessary.

After reviewing the decision by Judge William Downes of Wyoming U.S.
District Court in Casper, Defenders of Wildlife said it not only will
join the Interior Department in an appeal, but also take more immediate
action within the next week to ask the judge to review and reverse his
decision. Parties  have 10 days after a ruling to file a motion for
reconsideration.

"We have found several legal bases for challenging the judge's
decision," said Defenders of Wildlife President Rodger Schlickeisen.
"The reality is that removal could become a death sentence for the
wolves -- where would they be moved?

"These wolves have become symbols across America and the world of a more
enlightened way of dealing with the natural world. Our phones are
ringing off the hook -- the American public has embraced the Yellowstone
wolves and will not stand for
dismantling this program. We will fight all the way to the Supreme Court
if necessary and we will win," added Schlickeisen.

In separate action, attorneys for Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund,
formerly the Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund, announced that they had
recommended to their clients National Audubon Society, Predator Project,
Sinapu and the Gray Wolf Committee that
they file an appeal of the court decision.

"We want wolves to stay and prosper in the Northern Rockies," said
Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund attorney Doug Honnold. "We will continue
to fight to protect all wolves in the region."

Before the release of wolves imported from Canada in early 1995,
litigation was filed against the Interior Department in an attempt to
block the reintroduction. Defenders of Wildlife, the National Wildlife
Federation and others intervened on behalf of the department against the
Farm Bureau.

The judge's ruling combined what were originally three different suits,
which has caused some confusion. However, the group's Legal Director
William Snape emphasizes that, "Although there has been confusion about
the highly technical legal issues decided under the Endangered Species
Act, the American people and the environmental community are united in
their desire to keep wolves in Yellowstone and central Idaho."

This ruling is "a miscarriage of common sense," said Defenders of
Wildlife northern Rockies representative Hank Fischer. "The wolves are
reproducing well, mortality is low, livestock losses are minimal; this
is a success story. Why ruin it?"

"The unfortunate reality is that our case got combined against our
wishes, with that of the Farm Bureau," Honnold said. "We are trying to
enhance the recovery of wolves in central Idaho; the Farm Bureau is
trying to stop wolf recovery in both Yellowstone and central Idaho."

For more information, contact Bill Snape, Defenders of Wildlife,
(202)682-9400 ext. 232.
Copyright 1997, Environmental News Network, All Rights Reserved

Date: Tue, 16 Dec 1997 14:17:50 -0500
From: Mesia Quartano 
To: "ar-news@envirolink.org" 
Subject: Escaped Lion Seen but Still Free       
Message-ID: <3496D3DD.6DC5435D@usa.net>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

(AP Online; 12/16/97)

By MIKE SCHNEIDER  Associated Press Writer

KISSIMMEE, Fla. (AP)   A full-grown lion that escaped from a roadside
zoo near Disney World was spotted today in a cypress swamp by wildlife
officials trying to recapture her.

The lion was spotted from a helicopter around midday, only about 100
yards from the zoo, but the swampy terrain and thick vegetation made it
impossible to reach her quickly from the ground. By early this
afternoon, the animal was no longer visible from the air, said Harley
Cook, agent from Florida's Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission.

Deputies from the Osceola County Sheriff's Office had joined zoo
employees and agents from Florida's Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission
in the hunt.

Residents and tourists in the area surrounded by hotels and restaurants
were put on alert, but officials described the 2 1/2-year-old lioness as
hand-raised, declawed and very sociable.

"She loves the public," said Kathy Bacon, the zoo's marketing director.
"She loves the kids. When they come here, she hams it up."

Because of recent heavy rain, a crew tried to construct a platform in
Nala's cage Monday so she and other lions could stay dry, said Cynthia
Potter, JungleLand spokeswoman. "She was startled, and she bolted and
squeezed through
a narrow opening," Ms. Potter said.

JungleLand is located on Highway 192 in the heart of a busy tourist
district of hotels and restaurants near Disney World.

{APWire:Domestic-1216.252}   12/16/97

(yet another circus animal that will probably get shot to "protect the
public"...)

Date: Tue, 16 Dec 1997 14:51:15 -0500
From: Mesia Quartano 
To: "ar-news@envirolink.org" 
Subject: (US) PETA Settles Trade-Secret Suit 
Message-ID: <3496DBB3.32761FFF@usa.net>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

(AP Online; 12/15/97)

 By SONJA BARISIC  Associated Press Writer

NORFOLK, Va. (AP)   A New Jersey pharmaceutical testing company settled
a lawsuit Monday accusing an animal-rights group of infiltrating the
firm with a spy and stealing trade secrets.

Huntingdon Life Sciences Inc. contends an undercover worker for People
for the Ethical Treatment of Animals lied to get a job cleaning cages at
the lab in East Millstone, N.J.

PETA officials said the worker videotaped lab employees yelling at and
dangling monkeys, throwing some of them into cages and threading tubes
down their noses for tests. The group claimed one technician cut into a
monkey before it was dead.

Under the settlement signed Monday, Norfolk-based PETA must return or
destroy all the information the worker   who signed a confidentiality
agreement took from the lab.

PETA also must return all information learned about Huntingdon during
the litigation process and it may not interfere with the lab's business
relationships. PETA also is barred from any undercover
information-gathering against the lab for five years.

PETA does not have to pay any damages or admit wrongdoing. The group
also may respond to any inquiries from the Department of Agriculture
regarding a complaint it previously filed against Huntingdon.

"We didn't exactly give away the farm, and we did not pay them a penny,"
PETA president Ingrid Newkirk said.

She said PETA wasn't concerned about the settlement's restrictions
because it already had written to the lab's clients and distributed the
videotape.

"We won a great deal for the animals in that Colgate canceled its
contract with Huntingdon, and Procter & Gamble launched an independent
investigation that led to its denouncement of Huntingdon's
animal-handling practices," Ms. Newkirk said.

Huntingdon President Alan Staple said the settlement achieves the
company's goals of retrieving the lab's materials and protecting the
business and its clients' interests.

PETA estimated that Huntingdon lost $10 million as a result of its
investigation and spent $2 million in legal fees.

Staple said the legal fees were closer to $1 million. He said he could
not put a dollar amount on losses due to PETA, although he said the
company lost some contracts worth a couple hundred thousand dollars
each.

"The concern that we had was going into the future," he said. "We were
concerned about our reputation for maintaining confidentiality."


{APWire:Domestic-1215.452}   12/15/97


Date: Tue, 16 Dec 1997 14:55:14 -0500
From: Mesia Quartano 
To: "ar-news@envirolink.org" 
Subject: Geneticists bring speed and accuracy to an age-old craft Animals/Food     
Message-ID: <3496DCA1.CD47EF36@usa.net>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

 (Guardian; 12/15/97)

Animals:

COMING soon to a farm near you: pigs with human hearts, cows with
muscles that turn to jelly and chickens that sing like quails. Hot on
the heels of self-shearing sheep will be featherless chickens and
animals that glow in the dark - just the thing for a hill farmer on a
cold winter night, write Danny Penman and Tim Radford.

The end results of animal experiments carried out over the last few
years are expected to begin filtering into shops, hospitals and farms in
five to 10 years.

Although in principle animals could eventually be re-designed for almost
any use, economics will focus the minds of genetic engineers on a
relatively narrow range of options. Animals will be engineered to
produce more meat, wool, eggs or milk. Animals will be re-designed to
secrete useful drugs into their blood and milk.

Goats, sheep and pigs  are seen as future "pharm" stock: producers of
human medical proteins no laboratory could synthesise.

Others are working on ways of boosting the growth of muscles to produce
more meat at a faster rate.  A gene which normally limits muscle
development could be knocked out, theoretically causing muscles to grow
to twice their normal size. Animals such as "double muscled" Belgian
Blue cattle have already been bred for this mutation using conventional
selective breeding.

The result, says Dr Tim O'Brien of Compassion in World Farming, has been
"catastrophic" for animal welfare. The calves are so big they have to be
delivered by caesarean.

Food:

RIGHT now, you could picnic on genetically engineered tomato sandwiches
in the shade of genetically engineered trees, writes Tim Radford.

You could, in theory, select from a trattoria menu a meal of roast
aubergine followed by polenta and tomato sauce, and then salmon served
with fried potatoes, followed by fruit salad - every item, including the
oil, pepper and the horseradish sauce, having been genetically
engineered.

Three years ago, there were no genetically modified foods. Then
suddenly, the future arrived. It was announced, but most people were not
listening, and its long-term effects are completely unknown.

So far, all government scientific bodies have approved the products for
safety but the longer-term public health implications of designer food
is uncertain.

"We do not know about all the potential allergens. They could also
increase the number of bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics," says
the Consumers' Association.

"The overriding worry is that not enough is known about the behaviour of
genes once they are released and, since genetically modified organisms
can migrate, mutate and multiply, any mistakes could be irreversible. It
raises questions about the long-term effects when a wide range of
products are released. We cannot be sure how they will interact."

Mistakes have been made and there have been unexpected side effects.
Cross-pollination between genetically modified crops and standard ones
has occurred, and Danish researchers found that herbicide resistance
from genetically modified soya plants could spread to weeds.

At Cornell University, New York, there is rice with a potato gene to
protect it from flying insects. And at Leeds University there is a
potato with a rice gene to protect it from nematode worms.

In Edinburgh, experimental nicotiana plants have been issued with
luminescence genes from a jellyfish: tobacco that lights up all by
itself. The eventual aim is to programme crops to signal when they are
being attacked by blight or fungus. The farmer will be able to see the
first gleams of disease and snuff it out before it gets a hold.

Although the first genetic experiments to go on sale involved tomatoes
that kept better, or made a tastier sauce, most developments have
involved protecting plants from pests and diseases or weed competition.

Experimental maize yields in Kenya have trebled because of a
herbicide-resistant corn. The seed was soaked in the stuff and the
seedling roots were attacked by parasitic witchweed which absorbed the
herbicide and died.

Around the next corner is the prospect of "nutra-ceuticals".

The US department of agriculture already has a cucumber which retains
all its beta-carotene even after it is pickled: that means vitamin A for
better teeth, stronger bones and clearer vision.

Coming to a greengrocer near you could be grapes that reduce the risk of
heart disease; tomatoes that help control prostate problems, broccoli
with a powerful anti-cancer arsenal, alfalfa to fight tooth decay, and
bananas containing  hepatitis B vaccines.

(Copyright 1997)

{A5:Guardian-1215.01256}   12/15/97


Date: Tue, 16 Dec 1997 15:00:36 -0500
From: Mesia Quartano 
To: "ar-news@envirolink.org" 
Subject: (US) Judge Won't Block Bison Slaughter 
Message-ID: <3496DDE4.5B1F3697@usa.net>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

(AP Online; 12/16/97)

By BOB ANEZ  Associated Press Writer

HELENA, Mont. (AP)   A judge today refused to block government agencies
from killing bison that wander out of Yellowstone National Park,
although he limited the number that can be shot in a program to prevent
the animals from spreading
disease to cattle herds.

No more than 100 bison can be killed without a court hearing, U.S.
District Judge Charles C. Lovell said. He said he does not want a repeat
of last winter, when almost 1,100 bison were shot or shipped to
slaughter.

Lovell ruled in a lawsuit filed by several conservation groups and the
Inter-Tribal Bison Cooperative challenging an interim management plan
aimed at blocking bison from leaving the park.

The plan is designed to keep the animals from spreading brucellosis to
cattle. The disease causes cows to abort their calves. In humans, it
causes undulant fever.

Montana ranchers fear that if infected bison are allowed out of the
park, they could be required to spend millions to test their cattle and
certify them disease-free before shipment to other states.

In a report last week, the National Academy of Sciences said the risk of
infection to cattle was small, but real, and that the result of
infection could be catastrophic.

The conservation and tribal groups argued that state and federal
agencies should be required to do another environmental analysis of the
program to better measure the potential impacts on the Yellowstone bison
herd, which
numbers about 2,000 animals.

In the meantime, the management plan should be shelved, said Jim Angell
of Bozeman, attorney for the Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund, formerly
the Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund.

Justice Department lawyer Martin LaLonde said state and federal
officials had agreed on changes to the plan that are intended to reduce
the slaughter of bison.

Increased use of hazing to keep bison in the park, allowing more
disease-free bison to remain outside the park in one area and a new
location for a trapping facility near West Yellowstone will make a
difference, he told Lovell.


{APWire:Domestic-1216.266}   12/16/97


Date: Tue, 16 Dec 1997 15:27:58 -0800
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Message-ID:  <19971216.113447.10678.1.lemurx@juno.com>
Date:         Tue, 16 Dec 1997 11:30:53 -0500
Reply-To: AU Animal Rights Effort 
Sender: AU Animal Rights Effort 
From: Nisha l Anand 
Subject:      National Conference on Civil Disobedience
To: AUARE-L@AMERICAN.EDU

National Conference on Civil Disobedience
January 24 & 25, 1998

Civil Disobedience is an old and effectibe technique of resistance and
protest which has led many oppressed groups to freedom.  This conference
is designed to give activists a variety of tools on how to fight using
nonviolent civil disobedience to take home, practice, and teach ohters.
Come to the nation's capitol at the beginning of the new year to educate
yourself and get active.

Where:  The American University, Washington DC
        4400 Massachusetts Ave NW, Tenleytown Metro
        Served by BWI, Dulles, and Washington National Airports
        Amtrak and Greyhound, Union Station
When:  Saturday January 24 and Sunday January 25, 1998
        Friday Night registration:  7:30 pm - 12-:00 midnight at Mary
Graydon Center
        Saturday Registration:  8:00 am - 9:00 am Kay Spiritual Life
Center, AU
Price:  $7.00 registration for all workshops, $15.00 to include two vegan
lunches
        Free sleeping space scholarships for students (first come)
        Special low cost housing for individuals and groups available but
limited
        For more info on housing, contact Kate Lowe at 301-649-5838 or
        k8low@hotmail.com
        Preregistration for groups requiring housing advised
        Mail to: AUARE, 4519 Alton Place, NW.  Wahsington, DC  20016
For more information contact Nisha Anand, conference coordinator, at
                lemurx@juno.com or 202-686-7966

List of Worskshops
Workshops will run all day the 24th and most of the day the 25th.  Two
workshops will be running at all times, some workshops will be repeated.
Below is a list of workshops as of December 13, 1997.  The list is
subject to expand and possibly change.  A confirmed list of workshops,
speakers, and times will be available soon.  Call or email Nisha Anand
for an up to date list of workshops. (contact information above)

Opening workshop and introduction - HIstory of Civil Disobedience as a
Means of Resistance

Local and National Issues
Fighting Nuclear Growth and Weaponry
Ending Homelessness and Hunger with Nonviolent Action
Bikes:  A means of Mass Protest
Transformation Through Education - The New Revolution
Squaters Rights - Squating in the US

International Issues
Consumer and Economic Means of Protest:  A Case for Burmese Liberation
Escaping the Capitalist Market System:  The Silent Revolution in Africa
East Timor and the US Government:  How Can We Fight ?
Peacemaking Roundtable Discussion:  The Role of Mediation and Conflict
Resolution

Animal Rights Issues
Civil Disobedience and Animal Rights:  Theory and Action
How to Plan a Successful Civil Disobedience
What Happens When Arrested?
Incorporating Eastern Traditions into Soxial Action:  Nonviolence and
Animal Rights
Politics and Reasoning Behind Fasting and Hunger Strikes as a Means of CD


nisha!  I do look like a lemur


Date: Tue, 16 Dec 1997 17:48:41 -0500
From: "Leslie Lindemann" 
To: "AR-news postings" 
Subject: The Nature Conservancy info request
Message-ID: <19971216224803.AAA27690@oemcomputer>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Does anyone have current info on The Nature Conservancy's in regards to the
snaring of pigs?  I thought I'd read somewhere that they stopped, but I
can't find the info.  I ask because I was at Stop N' Shop and saw that they
make a contribution to TNC every time a customer reuses a bag. I'd like to
tell them why I don't support TNC, but I need current info.

Also, I've written to TNC several times and demanded to be removed from
their mailing list, but they ignore me.  Any suggestions?

Leslie
Date: Tue, 16 Dec 1997 19:42:54 -0500
From: "Leslie Lindemann" 
To: "AR-news postings" 
Subject: info request
Message-ID: <19971217004217.AAA21295@oemcomputer>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Could someone please repost the article about the graphic endangered
species video being shown to (mostly Asian I think) schoolkids. It was
posted a few weeks ago.  
Thanks
Leslie
Date: Tue, 16 Dec 1997 21:40:48 EST
From: Tereiman 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Huntingdon Muzzles Animal Rights Group
Message-ID: <9e71f267.34973bb2@aol.com>
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit

Huntingdon muzzles animal rights group


LONDON, Dec 16 (Reuters) - Drug research company Huntingdon Life Sciences Plc
said on Tuesday it had secured a court settlement under which animal rights
group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) will stop its
campaign against the company. 

Huntingdon, which has faced allegations of cruelty to the animals used at its
sites, said under the settlement PETA was barred "from any undercover or
surreptitious information gathering operations" against it for five years. 

Huntingdon said PETA also had to return or destroy all stolen documents,
information and other materials. 

PETA is also barred from using any of the documents, information or materials
taken from Huntingdon and from interfering with any of the company's business
relationships. 

The company's operating licence in the UK was renewed in October after it met
16 stringent conditions. Two staff at its Huntingdon centre near Cambridge in
eastern England admitted charges of cruelty to dogs in September. 

03:22 12-16-97
Date: Tue, 16 Dec 1997 21:44:27 EST
From: Tereiman 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Canada Signs Trapping Agreement
Message-ID: <2a00abf6.34973c8d@aol.com>
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit

Canada Signs Trapping Agreement

BRUSSELS, Belgium (Reuters) - Canada said it had signed an international
agreement Monday phasing out the use of jaw-type leghold traps to catch some
species of fur animals. 

Canada and Russia reached agreement with the European Union in July to phase
out the traps, ending an EU threat to ban imports of fur from animals such as
beaver and muskrat. 

The 15-nation EU has long campaigned against use of the restraining traps,
saying they are cruel. 

Jean-Pierre Juneau, Canada's ambassador to the EU, signed the Agreement on
International Humane Trapping Standards at a ceremony in Brussels, the
Canadian mission to the European Union said in a statement. EU officials also
signed the agreement. 

The Russian Federation is expected to sign the agreement soon, the Canadian
mission said. 

``This agreement sets a precedent by establishing for the first time
internationally agreed animal welfare standards. It is a good deal for animal
welfare and a good deal for Canada,'' Juneau said in the statement. 

The agreement requires Canada to bar all use of jaw-type restraining leghold
traps for seven species immediately and to bar all conventional steel-jawed
restraining leghold traps for five other species from March 2001. 

Under the deal agreed to earlier this year, Russia will ban jaw-type leghold
traps by the end of 1999. 

Three EU member nations -- Austria, Belgium and Britain -- voted against the
agreement last July, feeling it did not go far enough, and the pact was
condemned by animal rights groups. 

In a separate agreement, the EU this month accepted an offer from the United
States to phase out over six years the use of steel-jawed leghold traps to
catch fur-bearing animals, averting a threatened EU ban on U.S. fur imports. 

Opponents of leghold traps complain that they do not kill outright but often
break animals' legs and hold them until they drown, starve or bleed to death. 
 ^REUTERS@ 

17:10 12-15-97
Date: Tue, 16 Dec 1997 20:36:47 EST
From: Marisul 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (US) Emu Humor Doesn't Fly
Message-ID: <9a53b0b4.34972cb4@aol.com>
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit

Emu Humor Doesn't Fly 

>From Progressive Farmer
December 1997 

You may remember the TV ad Honda Motor Co. ran last year. A young man named
Joe struggles to choose a career. Nothing he considers is appealing. He looks
at a job in home siding, then as a hot dog vendor with a stand in the desert.
An old, toothless rancher approaches him, shows him a corral, and says, "Emu,
Joe. It's the pork of the future."

The commercial, which meant life is full of difficult decisions and buying a
car needn't be one, was funny. Guess who's not laughing?

Emu ranchers. Already suffering from prices that took a nosedive from as much
as $30,000 a bird to well under $100, some claim prices dropped more after the
ad ran.

Ten Texas ranchers are suing under a state law that protects ranchers and
farmers with perishable food products from having those products bad-mouthed.
They're asking for at least $75,000 each, plus lawyers' fees.

Because of Honda's ad, the suit claims, the emu ranchers have been "exposed to
the hatred, contempt, and ridicule of the general public, as well as of their
friends and relatives."

Particularly offensive to them was the old-timer saying, "Joe, let's not call
it a pyramid scheme."

"If anything, I thought they'd be happy," Honda spokesman Larry Postaer told
one reporter. "It's more advertising than they've gotten in their entire
lives." 
Date: Tue, 16 Dec 1997 21:47:39 EST
From: Tereiman 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: EP Debates Animal Trap Agreement
Message-ID: <59d0bff9.34973d4d@aol.com>
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit

EP Debates Animal Trap Agreement

BRUSSELS, Belgium (Reuters) - Canada said it had signed an international
agreement Monday phasing out the use of jaw-type leghold traps to catch some
species of fur animals. 

Canada and Russia reached agreement with the European Union in July to phase
out the traps, ending an EU threat to ban imports of fur from animals such as
beaver and muskrat. 

The 15-nation EU has long campaigned against use of the restraining traps,
saying they are cruel. 

Jean-Pierre Juneau, Canada's ambassador to the EU, signed the Agreement on
International Humane Trapping Standards at a ceremony in Brussels, the
Canadian mission to the European Union said in a statement. EU officials also
signed the agreement. 

The Russian Federation is expected to sign the agreement soon, the Canadian
mission said. 

``This agreement sets a precedent by establishing for the first time
internationally agreed animal welfare standards. It is a good deal for animal
welfare and a good deal for Canada,'' Juneau said in the statement. 

The agreement requires Canada to bar all use of jaw-type restraining leghold
traps for seven species immediately and to bar all conventional steel-jawed
restraining leghold traps for five other species from March 2001. 

Under the deal agreed to earlier this year, Russia will ban jaw-type leghold
traps by the end of 1999. 

Three EU member nations -- Austria, Belgium and Britain -- voted against the
agreement last July, feeling it did not go far enough, and the pact was
condemned by animal rights groups. 

In a separate agreement, the EU this month accepted an offer from the United
States to phase out over six years the use of steel-jawed leghold traps to
catch fur-bearing animals, averting a threatened EU ban on U.S. fur imports. 

Opponents of leghold traps complain that they do not kill outright but often
break animals' legs and hold them until they drown, starve or bleed to death. 
 ^REUTERS@ 

17:10 12-15-97