AR-NEWS Digest 466

Topics covered in this issue include:

  1) River dolphins dying out in Ganges
     by Andrew Gach 
  2) Cutting the spinal cord of rats 
     by Andrew Gach 
  3) The American Edge
     by Sandra Boss 
  4) the nature conservancy has murdered over 27,000 sheep on Santa
  Cruz Island (long)
     by Animal Rights Hawaii 
  5) [UK] Anti Stalker Law Misused
     by "Miggi" 
  6) [UK] Racehorse owner jailed for cruelty and neglect
     by David J Knowles 
  7) [UK] 500 join last runway protest march
     by David J Knowles 
  8) [UK] Rabbits play nursemaid to ostrich chicks
     by David J Knowles 
  9) [UK] Outcry over swoops on 'black fish' suspects
     by David J Knowles 
 10) [CA] Loggers increase levels of violence, refuse to debate
     by David J Knowles 
 11) [EU] GREENPEACE CALLS ON EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT TO HALT PATENTING
  OF LIFE
     by David J Knowles 
 12) (US) Raising Lobsters in North Dakota?
     by allen schubert 
 13) the nature conservancy has murdered over 27,000 sheep on Santa  Cruz I
     by Animal Rights Hawaii 
 14) [UK] Racehorse owner jailed for cruelty and neglect
     by David J Knowles 
 15) [UK] Rabbits play nursemaid to ostrich chicks
     by David J Knowles 
 16) [UK] Outcry over swoops on 'black fish' suspects
     by David J Knowles 
 17) [UK] 500 join last runway protest march
     by David J Knowles 
 18) (US) Oklahoma Weekly Hunting News
     by JanaWilson@aol.com
 19) (US) Oklahoma Controlled Hunt Drawing
     by JanaWilson@aol.com
 20) (US) Oklahoma New Bluebird Society
     by JanaWilson@aol.com
 21) Newswire: AR Groups, Others Oppose FDA Drug & Cosmetic Warnings
     by Lawrence Carter-Long 
 22) (US) Oklahoma's Deer Hunting Stats
     by JanaWilson@aol.com
 23) Fwd: Thrifty Retiree Leaves $36M Estate
     by LMANHEIM@aol.com
 24) (US) Olestra snack chips draw more consumer complaints
     by allen schubert 
 25) ARRS--Big Change!!
     by allen schubert 
Date: Mon, 14 Jul 1997 21:54:04 -0700
From: Andrew Gach 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: River dolphins dying out in Ganges
Message-ID: <33CB026C.53AA@worldnet.att.net>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Dolphins dying out in India's Ganges, report says

Agence France-Presse 

NEW DELHI (July 14, 1997 10:21 a.m. EDT) - India's river Ganges dolphins
are dying out because of pollution and excessive fishing, a newspaper
reported.

The Asian Age quoted R.K. Sinha, a senior researcher at Patna
University, as saying the mammals were "under severe threat of
extinction."

He said New Delhi should launch protection measures to rival those. The
newspaper said the mammals were one of only a handful of freshwater
dolphins left in the world.

The newspaper said a 50-kilometre (31-mile) stretch of the Ganges had
been declared a dolpin sanctuary but no other protection schemes had
been proposed.
Date: Mon, 14 Jul 1997 21:57:06 -0700
From: Andrew Gach 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Cutting the spinal cord of rats 
Message-ID: <33CB0322.231A@worldnet.att.net>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Severed spinal cords in rats successfully repaired with skin cells

The Associated Press 

WASHINGTON (July 14, 1997 7:39 p.m. EDT) -- Rats with severed spinal
cords partially recovered their ability to walk in new research that
mirrors the results of earlier tests, but holds slightly better hope for
humans.

Gene therapy was used to stimulate a regrowth of nerve cells in the
severed spinal cords of the rats, researchers at the University of
California San Diego School of Medicine reported.

In the new experiment, described in the July 15 issue of The Journal of
Neuroscience, samples of normal skin cells taken through a biopsy were
modified to produce a growth protein, neurotrophin-3, which encourages
the survival and growth of nerve cells.

The skin cells were then grafted to the spine at the injured site of the
animals. There, the modified cells continuously delivered the growth
protein for several months, further enhancing the regeneration
of damaged nerve cells.

"The goal in spinal injury research is to promote the regrowth of cut or
damaged axons," or specific parts of nerve cells, said Dr. Mark
Tuszynski, an associate neurosciences professor at UCSD School of
Medicine and the study's senior author.

"These results indicate that cellular delivery of (the growth protein)
through gene therapy can restore function."

In a previous study reported last summer, researchers at the Karolinska
Institute in Sweden successfully removed a block of healthy nerve cells
from lab rats and transplanted them to the injured sites, where they
grew nerve connections across the gaps of severed spinal cords.

But that experiment, which also restored some motion and sensation to
the paralyzed hind legs of the animals, proved only that regrowth was
possible and did not necessarily indicate the best technique,
scientists said at the time.

One scientist, Dr. Wise Young, a nerve system researcher at the New York
University Medical Center in New York, said the bridge technique used in
the Swedish study could probably never be applied to humans.

Because of that, the new gene therapy technique could eventually prove
more useful if it could be replicated in humans.

While the California scientists said the new research is encouraging,
they said the years of research will be required before such a treatment
could be available for humans.
Date: Mon, 14 Jul 1997 23:24:01 -0700
From: Sandra Boss 
To: "'ar-news@envirolink.org'" 
Subject: The American Edge
Message-ID: <01BC90AD.9DF43320.sboss@cts.com>

CNN Wednesday, July 16th, 10 p.m. eastern time "The American Edge" with 
segment on the fairness of hunting bear with dogs wearing radio transmitter 
collars.

Date: Mon, 14 Jul 1997 21:55:54 -1000 (HST)
From: Animal Rights Hawaii 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: the nature conservancy has murdered over 27,000 sheep on Santa
  Cruz Island (long)
Message-ID: <199707150755.VAA26912@mail.pixi.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"


from the July 13, San Francisco Examiner (photo of a "hunter" with the
decapitated heads of two sheep)

Sunday, July 13, 1997 · Page A 15 
                                                       ©1997 San Francisco
Examiner 



SHEEP ON THE RUN 

Park Service ponders how to rid primitive island of destructive outsiders

Steven A. Capps
OF THE EXAMINER STAFF

        The video was startling. The bloody bodies of nearly two dozen
spring lambs and
        their mothers lie dead in heaps, slaughtered by gunfire as they
huddled along a
        fence. 

        More startling was where the sheep were found. Their carcasses were
said to be
        just inside the boundaries of a new national park, located on the
tip of                primitive Santa Cruz Island, 20 miles off the Santa
Barbara coast. 

        The scene, recorded just two weeks after the National Park Service
had taken
        control of its island park in February, caused an immediate stir. 

        The Park Service insisted it had nothing to do with the killing of
the sheep and
        would allow no such hunting on its new property. 

        The Nature Conservancy, which owns about 90 percent of the
60,800-acre island,
        said it killed no sheep on park property but vowed to keep sheep off
its part of         the  island - whether by herding, shooting or both
        

        A federal investigation was begun, and it continues to this day, but
several            things were learned very quickly.
        

        The conservancy's hunters killed the sheep, but they were outside
the park
        property. The fence separating the park from the Nature Conservancy
holdings was
        several miles inside conservancy property. 

        The videotape was shot by a disgruntled former hunting guide, who
lost his
        business when the Park Service took over and whose associates had
come under
        suspicion of robbing Chumash Indian burial grounds on the island. 

        Officials of the Park Service and the conservancy say the motive may
have been          to cause trouble for the new arrangement on the island,
which did not provide           for anyfurther public hunting. 
        

        Since that day in late February, things have quieted down on Santa
Cruz Island.
        The Nature Conservancy has suspended its sheep eradication program.
The Park
        Service has moved onto its part of the island, erecting a campground
and                declaring an end to all fees that had been charged by the
former owners. 

        "Now that the National Park Service has the east end, we have what
we consider a
        conservation neighbor," said Diane Divine of the Nature
Conservancy's Santa
        Barbara office. 

        Jewel of park system

        The island is a cherished acquisition for the Park Service. It is
virtually             untouched by humans. Only a few structures were ever
erected. It has been         described as what
        all of Southern California might have looked like before modern
civilization         came
        with its freeways and housing developments. 

        The island also is home to several rare species, including the Santa
Cruz Island         kit
        fox, a tiny creature found nowhere else in the world. 

        Preservation of the island's unique animals and plants is part of
the park's
        management plan, but so is opening the area to visitors. 

        "Yosemite's goals are the same as ours," said Tim Setnicka,
superintendent of         the
        new island park. "Is the public well-served by what has occurred the
past 150         years
        in Yosemite Valley? It depends on who you talk to and if they like
brunch at the
        Ahwahnee or they climb or whatever." 

        While the impact of humans may be slight on the island, the impact
of the sheep         is
        severe. 

        With the help of native American sheep herders and an old Army
landing craft,           the Park Service - which like its neighbor is
concerned about the environmental         havoc caused by the sheep grazing
- is about to embark on a roundup. 

        The plan is to capture and remove the estimated 2,500 feral sheep
still living          on the island's eastern end. 

        The sheep were brought in by the island's original ranchers decades
ago,                eventually turned wild and became popular quarry for
hunters, who paid hefty         fees to the former owner. 
        
        Navajo shepherds will try to corral the sheep, herd them onto a
stock truck and
        ship them across the Santa Barbara Channel via an old landing craft
purchased by
        the Park Service. And the Park Service has at its disposal some of
the best             sheep dogs in the region. 

        Sheep D-Day could be sometime in August. 

        "It's kind of an exciting process and has widespread public
support," Setnicka          said.
        "It's going to take time, but our goal is to try and round up all
the sheep. It         won't be as easy as it sounds, but it's not the
impossible dream." 

        The sheep are still the property of the island's former owners, who
have not
        announced their plans. There has been talk of a sheep adoption
program, and
        several ranchers have expressed interest in obtaining some of the
stock. 

        The sheep are the final part of a herd that once totaled more than
30,000. The          rest were killed by volunteer hunters working for the
Nature Conservancy. 

        The conservancy, which acquired its island property in the 1980s,
tried a               variety ofmethods to get rid of the sheep but finally
used professional hunters,         Divine said. 

        "It was a difficult decision," she said, but she said the sheep were
on much            more rugged terrain than the park's and were of a wilder
stock. 

        The conservancy's policy has not set well with some observers. One
of the               leading critics was Kathy Jenks, animal regulation
officer for Ventura County. 

        "It's like the Nature Conservancy just can't wait to kill
something," she told          one local reporter earlier this year. She
called for a sheep adoption program. 

        The Park Service roundup is only the latest in a unique series of
events on the
        island during the last few months. Even the way the area became a
park was
        unique. 

        Congress takes island

        Francis Gherini, whose great grandfather purchased the eastern
6,300-acre tip of
        the island in 1869, was forced to give it up to the park service by
an act of
        Congress. 

        His three siblings had been paid about $4 million each for their
equal shares in         the
        property, but he held out for more. Then, Southern California real
estate values
        dropped, and the government - prohibited from paying much more than the
        assessed value - offered him $2.8 million last year. 

        Finally, the property was taken from Gherini under an omnibus parks
bill passed         by
        Congress and signed by President Clinton last November. 

        The Park Service took over Feb. 10. Negotiations between Gherini and the
        government continue over a final price. 

        In January, about a month before the Park Service took over,
Setnicka became
        fearful that the island's Chumash Indian artifacts were being looted
by the         hunting
        concessionaires who had a contract with Gherini. 

        Setnicka sent a team of heavily armed federal and local agents onto
the island,
        swooping down on two hunting camps aboard a Blackhawk attack
helicopter. 

        Dressed in camouflage and with guns drawn, more than 20 officers
handcuffed and
        searched members of the hunting parties, who had paid hefty fees to
hunt on the
        island. 

        One hunting guide was arrested as a suspected grave robber of Indian
burial
        grounds, and his two partners were arrested on misdemeanor charges
of guiding
        and serving food without a permit. 

        Setnicka defended the action, saying it was necessary to protect the
sacred             burial grounds. "I guess the timing was good or bad,
depending on your position         on it,"    he said. 

        Building a tourist stop

        Besides the sheep, there are about 200 feral pigs on the Park
Service end of the
        island. Because they are infected with several viruses, including
one related to
        rabies, the state Department of Agriculture will not allow them
removed from the
        island. 

        "They will be removed by shooting them in place on the island," said
Carol              Stears, spokeswoman for Channel Islands National Park. 

        The Park Service is busy at the island taking stock of natural and
exotic               species of plants and animals, as well as assessing
damages from the sheep and         pigs. 

        "Compared to the rest of the park islands, the current state of the
resource is         grim,"
        Setnicka said, referring to the other four islands, San Miguel,
Santa Rosa,         Santa
        Barbara and Anacapa, included as the Channel Islands National Park. 

        "It is in need of resuscitation and intensive care, but there is
hope," he said. 
        Our experience has shown that given time and given the removal of
these exotic
        species, and some redirection, that these resources will be able to
regenerate
        themselves." 

        The Park Service has already constructed a campground with fire
pits, picnic 
        tables and restrooms. A new fresh water system is being developed. 

        Visitors are starting to arrive, a few hundred on the weekends.
Everything at           the  island is free, but visitors must bring fresh
water for the time being. 

        "Other national parks have raised their fees," said Setnicka. "We
have no 
        camping fees. This is the best deal in Southern California. 

        "This is an exciting process. We are now able to go in an start
managing it 
        under the umbrella of the National Park Service, with our goals and
objectives." 

############################################################################
#############NOTE: The reason that the pigs shall lie where shot is because
TNC/NPS used hog cholera as a biological control-
the URL for the San Francisco Examiner is http://www.examiner.com
    

Date: Tue, 15 Jul 1997 09:25:04 +0000
From: "Miggi" 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: [UK] Anti Stalker Law Misused
Message-ID: <199707150823.JAA13806@serv4.vossnet.co.uk>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT

>From 'The Guardian' 14/07/97 by Clare Dyer
-
ANTI-STALKER LAW 'MISUSED'
  The first major injunctions granted under the new Protection from
Harassment Act, the legislation intended to protect women from
stalkers, have been issued against animal rights activists. The
disclosure vindicates critics of the act, who warned of its civil
liberties implications and predicted it would be used more widely.
  Two injunctions were granted by Mr Justice Moses in the High
Court last Wednesday. One put a 24-hour exclusion zone around
the headquarters of the British Field Sports Association during
the Countryside Rally in Hyde Park on Thursday, to deter anti-
hunt protesters. The second bars three named activists, Cynthia
O'Neill, Natasha Dallemange and John Curtin, and "all
individuals and organisations holding themselves out as animal
rights activists" from interfering with an Oxfordshire cat-breeder,
Christopher Brown, and his Family.
-
Date: Tue, 15 Jul 1997 01:50:38 -0700 (PDT)
From: David J Knowles 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: [UK] Racehorse owner jailed for cruelty and neglect
Message-ID: <1.5.4.16.19970715015149.1107daba@dowco.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"


>From The Electronic Telegraph - Tuesday, July 15th, 1997

Racehorse owner jailed for cruelty and neglect
By Barbie Dutter 

A RACEHORSE owner who subjected his thoroughbreds to cruelty and neglect was
jailed for three months yesterday and banned from keeping horses and dogs
for the rest of his life.

Robert Layland allowed his horses to live in such squalor that they were
unable to move because they were standing three feet deep in their own
manure. They were emaciated, balding and lice-ridden and one animal's
carcass was left to rot among live beasts, magistrates at Blackburn, Lancs,
were told.

That the decline in the horses' living standards mirrored Layland's downturn
from prosperity to bankruptcy, the court was told. He had once owned a
thriving car business, was a Master of the Hunt and bred and trained horses
for races including the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

But when he lost his personal fortune following the collapse of his company,
he began living in a fantasy world and refused to admit that things were
going wrong, said Duncan Birrell, prosecuting. He told the court: "At one
stage Layland ran a successful business and maintained a string of horses.
He had employees to keep them in the best of health and he fully understood
the needs of the creatures he owned. But by February this year these horses
had suffered the same fate as his circumstances had changed. They were found
in squalid conditions hard to comprehend."

When police and officials of the Horses and Ponies Protection Association
(HAPPA) asked Layland about his cruelty, he falsely claimed that the animals
were poised to go to a new home on the estate of the Earl of Lonsdale in
Cumbria. The officers found 15 neglected horses and a yearling foal and
discovered the body of a dead horse under a pile of pallets.

Layland, 62, of Newsholme, near Gisburn, Lancs, admitted five offences of
failing to dispose of horse and dog carcasses and two offences of causing
horses unnecessary suffering. He also asked for nine other horse neglect
charges to be considered.

Mr Birrell said: "It is these animals' good fortune that they came into the
care of HAPPA. One of the association's officials described how she had
never seen such pictures of depression, dejection and unhappiness. So far it
has cost HAPPA £26,000 to look after and rehabilitate these once-proud animals."

Michael Bower, defending, said of Layland: "He is not proud of what has
happened. He is ashamed. He maintains it was only for a short period and the
horses were to be moved to a new home." 

Layland was fined £200 for failing to dispose of dead animals, and was
ordered to pay £10,000 compensation to HAPPA, which celebrates its diamond
jubilee this year.

Ken Cranage, chairman of HAPPA, said afterwards: "Cruelty and neglect knows
no social boundaries. Sadly, this sort of case means that this organisation
is now needed more than ever."

© Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1997.

Date: Tue, 15 Jul 1997 01:50:42 -0700 (PDT)
From: David J Knowles 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: [UK] 500 join last runway protest march
Message-ID: <1.5.4.16.19970715015152.51f71872@dowco.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"


>From The Electronic Telegraph - Monday. July 14th, 1997

500 join last runway protest march

TERRY Waite and Martin Bell, the MP for Tatton, joined about 500 campaigners
against Manchester airport's second runway yesterday for a last march
through the site before building work begins.

Residents of Mobberley in Cheshire and other nearby villages walked along a
footpath on the site of the £172 million development before staging a rally.
Veteran campaigners were joined by families walking their dogs and a group
of "eco-warriors" who were evicted from camps on the site last month.

Mr Bell, who defeated the former Conservative MP Neil Hamilton at the
general election, said he was there to support his constituents. "I happen
to represent a lot of angry, upset and concerned people who believe the
runway is a terrible thing. When I fought the election campaign I supported
the decision on the runway, but since then I have learnt a lot about it."

Terry Waite, who was born in the nearby village of Styal, took part in
protests against the runway during the eviction of the protesters. "We will
continue to fight the building of this runway so I hope this will not be the
last time we can walk around here," he said. "We ask the Government to
review this decision and change their policy on air traffic." Mr Waite said
the matter had been referred to Europe because campaigners believed there
were irregularities in the way the project was developed.

Work was due to begin in the spring, but was delayed after protesters built
tunnels and treehouses at camps on the site in the Bollin Valley. The
eviction process took around four weeks.

Gaynor Trafford, who organised the march, said: "It is the last time we will
be able to see this part of the countryside before it is closed off and
becomes the second runway."

© Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1997.

Date: Tue, 15 Jul 1997 01:50:44 -0700 (PDT)
From: David J Knowles 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: [UK] Rabbits play nursemaid to ostrich chicks
Message-ID: <1.5.4.16.19970715015154.1107d628@dowco.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
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>From The Electronic Telegraph - Monday, July 14th, 1997

Rabbits play nursemaid to ostrich chicks
By David Brown, Agriculture Editor 

PET rabbits have been recruited as nursemaids to comfort baby ostriches that
are hatched and reared away from their natural mothers. 

Vets have found that the rabbits have a calming effect on agitated chicks
hatched from eggs and reared in nurseries to guarantee their survival. The
partnership has proved so successful that deaths and injuries from panic
attacks and stress have been reduced among ostrich chicks, which need to be
cosseted in the first few weeks of life.

In the fast-expanding world of ostrich farming, where every chick destined
to be farmed for meat for supermarkets and gourmet restaurants is worth
between £50 and £100, a huge investment is at stake. 

Since the cost of providing round-the-clock care by attendants would be too
expensive and time-consuming, the rabbits are used instead. 

Erica White, the hatchery manager at the West Bar Animal Hospital at
Banbury, Oxon, which rears about 700 chicks a year for ostrich farms, said:
"The chicks need a lot of attention. But they calm down and become less
stressed in the company of rabbits. They don't like being on their own. They
snuggle up to the rabbits, which comfort them and show them how to feed
themselves. It sounds silly, but before we used rabbits we had to make
beak-shapes with our hands to show the chicks how to peck at their food. It
was very time consuming."

Clive Madieros, the senior partner at the hospital and an expert on
ostriches, has written a guide to "ostrich chick bunny protocol" for fellow
vets. 

He said: "Ostrich chicks and rabbits have a strong affinity for each other.
The rabbit acts as a 'dummy figure' for the ostrich chicks. The rabbit
effectively supplements the mother and considerably improves the welfare of
the newly-hatched ostrich chick."

Dwarf rabbits - either does or neutered bucks - are used in the first few
days of the chicks' lives. But Mr Madieros recommended that larger rabbits
be used as the chicks grow bigger and stronger. It is then that they start
to pester and bully their "foster mothers".

After five or six weeks, the chicks have learnt to fend for themselves.

© Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1997.

Date: Tue, 15 Jul 1997 01:50:46 -0700 (PDT)
From: David J Knowles 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: [UK] Outcry over swoops on 'black fish' suspects
Message-ID: <1.5.4.16.19970715015156.51f75144@dowco.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"


>From The Electronic Telegraph - Monday, July 14th, 1997

Outcry over swoops on 'black fish' suspects
By David Brown, Fisheries Editor 

FISHERMEN accused the Government of harassment yesterday for actively
applying new controls against landing fish caught in breach of EU
conservation rules.

Police officers are accompanying fisheries inspectors when they swoop on
suspect vessels to try to reduce the number of illegal landings, which
affect half of all cod caught in the North Sea.

The "black fish" scandal has so angered the Government that it has drawn up
a tough plan of action.

Scottish Office officials have written to fishermen to tell them that they
not only face large fines, but EU and government grants worth tens of
thousands of pounds a boat will be refused or taken back.

Fishermen accused the Government of intimidation and harassment yesterday,
saying they needed the grants to modernise their vessels and keep up with
changing technology at sea. They also complained that British fishery
protection ships were monitoring them for many hours while they fish
normally. They said expensive obstacles had been put in the way of
skippers applying for licences to switch catching activities from one zone
to another around the British Isles.

The clamp-down was ordered by Elliot Morley, the fisheries minister, after
evidence from conservationists, fish wholesalers and some foreign fishing
interests that British boats have been landing huge quantities of cod,
haddock, plaice and other fish in breach of EU rules.

A report in The Telegraph disclosed that quotas had been routinely breached
on a huge scale for at least five years. Mr Morley described it as "a
national disgrace".

The tough stance is unlikely to help relations with the fishing industry.
Fishermen cited a recent incident at Fraserburgh, Scotland, as an example of
over-reaction. Police sealed off the harbour while fisheries inspectors
carried out a spot-check on a local fishing vessel which was unloading in
the early hours.

The police also accompanied inspectors when they boarded the vessel to check
its documents. They found everything in order. Fishermen say it is not
unusual for boats to unload at night. Landings are dictated by the tides and
the weather, they say, but conservationists argue that this is when "black
fish" are brought in.

George MacRae, secretary of the Scottish White Fish Producers' Association,
said yesterday that it was challenging the legality of removing grant aid.
One skipper with a previous conviction for black fish landings fears that he
might forfeit his grant of £60,000.

The association, which represents 400 boats, has already protested to the
Scottish Office about the use of police officers. "Our members have a right
to go about their business without being harassed by police," said Mr
MacRae. "Fisheries inspectors have all the powers they need."

Fishermen's leaders claim that allegations of "black fish" landings are
exaggerated and unsubstantiated.

Mr MacRae said: "When anyone is asked to come forward and give proper
details of their allegations, they disappear like snow off the top of a dyke." 

But the new action has been welcomed by fish merchants who say they lose
huge sums of money because illegal landings undermine demand and prices.
Fishermen claim that problems of over-supply have more to do with large
imports from the Faroe Islands and other countries which are bought by
processors.

Mr MacRae said: "We are starting our own inquiries into the true levels of
fish imports. We believe not enough attention has been paid to this problem
and that British fishermen have been made scapegoats with allegations of
'black fish' landings."

Mr Morley was unavailable for comment yesterday. But a spokesman for his
Fisheries Department said: "Black fish undermines quotas. It has to stop.
Regarding the alleged harassment of fishermen, this is simply a matter of
tighter enforcement of controls."

© Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1997.

Date: Tue, 15 Jul 1997 01:50:51 -0700 (PDT)
From: David J Knowles 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: [CA] Loggers increase levels of violence, refuse to debate
Message-ID: <1.5.4.16.19970715015201.51f7d91c@dowco.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

VANCOUVER, BC - Members of the IWA, which represents most of British
Columbia's unionized loggers, and their supporters, continue to increase
their violence against enviromentalists protesting against clearcut logging.

In Bella Coola, where a nearby blockade by Greenpeace and other
environmental and native groups on King Island ended in the arrests of
several protesters, local pro-loggers have threatened and attacked members
of the Forest Action Network, smashed the windows of a local enviromentalist
and even desecrated the grave of an acctivists who died two years ago.

In Squamish, IWA members and their supporters mounting a blockade on a
public highway against the Western Canada Wilderness Committee, were
involved in a pushing incident with WCWC president Paul George.

Meanwhile, the town council in Port Hardy, on northern Vancouver Island,
have passed a motion which would deny providing municipal services to groups
which engage in, or state they are going to engage in, illegal acts.

Port Hardy Mayor Russ Hellberg says the motion applies to both Greenpeace
and other groups, including the IWA, but admits his heart lies with the
loggers. Asked by Vancouver Sun environmental reporter Larry Pynn if he
opposed the Squamish blockade based on his council's motion, Hellberg
replied that he did not, adding that there  is a dichotomy there.

- The IWA wimped out of two chances to debate the issues with Greenpeace
Monday. 

Cooperative Radio 102.7 FM's 'Monday Brown Bagger' public affairs program
had planned a debate between a representative of the union and Tamara Stark,
a Greenpeace forest issues campaigner, but the IWA cancelled shortly before
the show was due to be broadcast. 

The official reason was that they had no-one available due to "contract
negotiations" but they did manage to find someone available for another
radio show on CKNW. Brown Bagger host Don Norden noted that the real reasons
were they could not face the truth that the reason for job losses was
increased mechanization in the industry - not enviromental regulations, and
the fact they were now under the control of the logging companies. 

The IWA spokesperson who appeared on CKNW did so on condition that he would
not engage in a debate with Greenpeace or other environmental activists. 

David J Knowles
Animal Voices News

Date: Tue, 15 Jul 1997 01:53:35 -0700 (PDT)
From: David J Knowles 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: [EU] GREENPEACE CALLS ON EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT TO HALT
PATENTING
  OF LIFE
Message-ID: <1.5.4.16.19970715015446.901751d4@dowco.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

>From The Greenpeace Press Release Server

GREENPEACE CALLS ON EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT TO HALT PATENTING OF LIFE


Brussels, 14 July 1997 -- Greenpeace is calling on members of the European
Parliament to put ethical, environmental and agricultural concerns over the
interests of big business and to
reject the European Commission's proposed directive on patenting, which is
up for debate in Strasbourg tomorrow (Tuesday). MEPs rejected a similar
Directive 1995.

Greenpeace believes that if approved, the Directive will be in direct
conflict with the European Patent Convention, which does not allow the
patenting of plants and animals. When national
governments try to implement this legislation, this will create a complex
and confusing legal situation.

In addition, the approval of such a directive would strongly influence the
GATT debate on International Intellectual Property Rights agreement (TRIPS),
to be reviewed in 1999. Until now, the European Union position has been that
TRIPS must allow for the exclusion of animals and plants from patenting. 

"Not only is it a myth that European science or competitiveness has been
harmed by the lack of extensive patenting laws, the truth is that it is big
transnational biotechnology companies -
- and the United States -- who are pushing for this legislation and it is
they who will reap the benefits," said Greenpeace campaigner Benny Haerlin.

"These newly formed genetic engineering transnationals, such as Monsanto,
Novartis and AgrEvo simply want to knock out the competition and make even
more money by grabbing patenting rights all over the world."

Rather than encouraging wide ranging research, Greenpeace believes the
result of the Directive would be to prevent scientific collaboration and
free exchange of information.
Companies will claim exclusive monopoly rights on individual genes and DNA
sequences, thus preventing scientists from other companies carrying out
their own work in these areas.

World food supply relies on a few major crops -- the patenting of plant and
animal genes will narrow down their genetic diversity, harming the
environment and allowing a few companies
to control the markets. Farmers will find themselves at the mercy of the
owners of gene rights. Already farmers using the Monsanto roundup Ready
Soybean have had to sign carefully worded contracts, restricting their use
and requiring exclusive use of Monsanto pesticides..

"This new directive is unethical and anti-environmental," said Haerlin.
"Europe should take pride in defending values such as a respect for life and
genetic integrity and take a stand
against the greed of transnational corporations. We urge MEPs to follow
their strong lead two years ago and vote against this Directive."


Date: Tue, 15 Jul 1997 19:29:55 -0400
From: allen schubert 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (US) Raising Lobsters in North Dakota?
Message-ID: <3.0.32.19970715192953.006beda4@clark.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

(factory farming)
from AP Wire page:
----------------------------------
 07/15/1997 01:22 EST

 Raising Lobsters in North Dakota?

 By JOHN MacDONALD
 Associated Press Writer

 CARRINGTON, N.D. (AP) -- Think of lobsters and Maine probably comes to
 mind. But North Dakota? A researcher is raising a freshwater variety to
 see if they could help North Dakota farmers diversify.

 ``There's a tremendous market for them,'' said Brian Stange, a biologist
 at North Dakota State University's Carrington Research Extension Center.
 ``My gut feeling is that this could prove to be fairly profitable.''

 Inside one of the center's buildings, where researchers raise a fish
 called tilapia, Stange has been raising 30 young red claw lobsters since
 April. Their home is a converted plastic fertilizer tank, cut in half and
 filled with tires and old feed sacks for the crustaceans to hide among.

 The animals are actually large Australian crayfish. But they can be
 marketed as lobsters once they weigh at least 6 ounces.

 Stange's lobsters only recently began reproducing, and he expects to have
 several thousand young ones on hand in a few weeks.

 The goal of his study is to determine not only if the lobsters can be
 raised in North Dakota, but whether farmers -- especially those involved
 in other aquaculture projects -- would get a good return on their
 investment. So far, he said, results look promising.

 Stange said the popularity of red claw lobsters as a delicacy is growing,
 especially among trendy restaurants on the nation's east and west coasts.

 Red claw lobsters are not as large as the saltwater variety, but they are
 unique because of their vivid coloring. When young, they look like most
 other crayfish -- brown. But as they age, they turn a bright blue and the
 males develop red stripes on their claws.

 Stange hasn't tasted one yet, but said lobster aficionados have told him
 red claw lobsters are sweeter than their larger cousins.

 Consumer demand, Stange said, is much greater than the supply.

 ``Right now there's just one producer out in California who is marketing
 them to restaurants, and he's getting $20 a pound,'' Stange said. ``And
 he can't keep up. They're always wanting more of them.''

 Stange expects to eventually have 5,000 to 6,000 lobsters on hand, with
 about one-third of those ready for market.

 What makes them appealing as a potential income source in North Dakota,
 Stange said, is the low cost -- about $200 -- of getting into the
 business.

 Young lobsters cost about $1 a piece. As adults, the females produce
 thousands of offspring a year. They can be raised in a simple tank kept
 at a constant 85 degrees, the same temperature needed for tilapia.

 But there are some drawbacks. It takes about a year for the lobsters to
 reach the preferred market weight of about half a pound. They must be
 cared for daily through that entire time span.

 ``It's not for everybody, obviously,'' Stange said. ``But I think there
 are a lot of people who would consider it.''

Date: Mon, 14 Jul 1997 21:55:54 -1000 (HST)
From: Animal Rights Hawaii 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: the nature conservancy has murdered over 27,000 sheep on Santa  Cruz I
Message-ID: <199707151210.IAA06642@envirolink.org>


from the July 13, San Francisco Examiner (photo of a "hunter" with the
decapitated heads of two sheep)

Sunday, July 13, 1997 =B7 Page A 15=20
                                                       =A91997 San Francisco
Examiner=20



SHEEP ON THE RUN=20

Park Service ponders how to rid primitive island of destructive outsiders

Steven A. Capps
OF THE EXAMINER STAFF

        The video was startling. The bloody bodies of nearly two dozen
spring lambs and
        their mothers lie dead in heaps, slaughtered by gunfire as they
huddled along a
        fence.=20

        More startling was where the sheep were found. Their carcasses were
said to be
        just inside the boundaries of a new national park, located on the
tip of                primitive Santa Cruz Island, 20 miles off the Santa
Barbara coast.=20

        The scene, recorded just two weeks after the National Park Service
had taken
        control of its island park in February, caused an immediate stir.=20

        The Park Service insisted it had nothing to do with the killing of
the sheep and
        would allow no such hunting on its new property.=20

        The Nature Conservancy, which owns about 90 percent of the
60,800-acre island,
        said it killed no sheep on park property but vowed to keep sheep off
its part of         the  island - whether by herding, shooting or both
       =20

        A federal investigation was begun, and it continues to this day, but
several            things were learned very quickly.
       =20

        The conservancy's hunters killed the sheep, but they were outside
the park
        property. The fence separating the park from the Nature Conservancy
holdings was
        several miles inside conservancy property.=20

        The videotape was shot by a disgruntled former hunting guide, who
lost his
        business when the Park Service took over and whose associates had
come under
        suspicion of robbing Chumash Indian burial grounds on the island.=20

        Officials of the Park Service and the conservancy say the motive may
have been          to cause trouble for the new arrangement on the island,
which did not provide           for anyfurther public hunting.=20
       =20

        Since that day in late February, things have quieted down on Santa
Cruz Island.
        The Nature Conservancy has suspended its sheep eradication program.
The Park
        Service has moved onto its part of the island, erecting a campground
and                declaring an end to all fees that had been charged by the
former owners.=20

        "Now that the National Park Service has the east end, we have what
we consider a
        conservation neighbor," said Diane Divine of the Nature
Conservancy's Santa
        Barbara office.=20

        Jewel of park system

        The island is a cherished acquisition for the Park Service. It is
virtually             untouched by humans. Only a few structures were ever
erected. It has been         described as what
        all of Southern California might have looked like before modern
civilization         came
        with its freeways and housing developments.=20

        The island also is home to several rare species, including the Santa
Cruz Island         kit
        fox, a tiny creature found nowhere else in the world.=20

        Preservation of the island's unique animals and plants is part of
the park's
        management plan, but so is opening the area to visitors.=20

        "Yosemite's goals are the same as ours," said Tim Setnicka,
superintendent of         the
        new island park. "Is the public well-served by what has occurred the
past 150         years
        in Yosemite Valley? It depends on who you talk to and if they like
brunch at the
        Ahwahnee or they climb or whatever."=20

        While the impact of humans may be slight on the island, the impact
of the sheep         is
        severe.=20

        With the help of native American sheep herders and an old Army
landing craft,           the Park Service - which like its neighbor is
concerned about the environmental         havoc caused by the sheep grazing
- is about to embark on a roundup.=20

        The plan is to capture and remove the estimated 2,500 feral sheep
still living          on the island's eastern end.=20

        The sheep were brought in by the island's original ranchers decades
ago,                eventually turned wild and became popular quarry for
hunters, who paid hefty         fees to the former owner.=20
       =20
        Navajo shepherds will try to corral the sheep, herd them onto a
stock truck and
        ship them across the Santa Barbara Channel via an old landing craft
purchased by
        the Park Service. And the Park Service has at its disposal some of
the best             sheep dogs in the region.=20

        Sheep D-Day could be sometime in August.=20

        "It's kind of an exciting process and has widespread public
support," Setnicka          said.
        "It's going to take time, but our goal is to try and round up all
the sheep. It         won't be as easy as it sounds, but it's not the
impossible dream."=20

        The sheep are still the property of the island's former owners, who
have not
        announced their plans. There has been talk of a sheep adoption
program, and
        several ranchers have expressed interest in obtaining some of the
stock.=20

        The sheep are the final part of a herd that once totaled more than
30,000. The          rest were killed by volunteer hunters working for the
Nature Conservancy.=20

        The conservancy, which acquired its island property in the 1980s,
tried a               variety ofmethods to get rid of the sheep but finally
used professional hunters,         Divine said.=20

        "It was a difficult decision," she said, but she said the sheep were
on much            more rugged terrain than the park's and were of a wilder
stock.=20

        The conservancy's policy has not set well with some observers. One
of the               leading critics was Kathy Jenks, animal regulation
officer for Ventura County.=20

        "It's like the Nature Conservancy just can't wait to kill
something," she told          one local reporter earlier this year. She
called for a sheep adoption program.=20

        The Park Service roundup is only the latest in a unique series of
events on the
        island during the last few months. Even the way the area became a
park was
        unique.=20

        Congress takes island

        Francis Gherini, whose great grandfather purchased the eastern
6,300-acre tip of
        the island in 1869, was forced to give it up to the park service by
an act of
        Congress.=20

        His three siblings had been paid about $4 million each for their
equal shares in         the
        property, but he held out for more. Then, Southern California real
estate values
        dropped, and the government - prohibited from paying much more than the
        assessed value - offered him $2.8 million last year.=20

        Finally, the property was taken from Gherini under an omnibus parks
bill passed         by
        Congress and signed by President Clinton last November.=20

        The Park Service took over Feb. 10. Negotiations between Gherini and th
e
        government continue over a final price.=20

        In January, about a month before the Park Service took over,
Setnicka became
        fearful that the island's Chumash Indian artifacts were being looted
by the         hunting
        concessionaires who had a contract with Gherini.=20

        Setnicka sent a team of heavily armed federal and local agents onto
the island,
        swooping down on two hunting camps aboard a Blackhawk attack
helicopter.=20

        Dressed in camouflage and with guns drawn, more than 20 officers
handcuffed and
        searched members of the hunting parties, who had paid hefty fees to
hunt on the
        island.=20

        One hunting guide was arrested as a suspected grave robber of Indian
burial
        grounds, and his two partners were arrested on misdemeanor charges
of guiding
        and serving food without a permit.=20

        Setnicka defended the action, saying it was necessary to protect the
sacred             burial grounds. "I guess the timing was good or bad,
depending on your position         on it,"    he said.=20

        Building a tourist stop

        Besides the sheep, there are about 200 feral pigs on the Park
Service end of the
        island. Because they are infected with several viruses, including
one related to
        rabies, the state Department of Agriculture will not allow them
removed from the
        island.=20

        "They will be removed by shooting them in place on the island," said
Carol              Stears, spokeswoman for Channel Islands National Park.=20

        The Park Service is busy at the island taking stock of natural and
exotic               species of plants and animals, as well as assessing
damages from the sheep and         pigs.=20

        "Compared to the rest of the park islands, the current state of the
resource is         grim,"
        Setnicka said, referring to the other four islands, San Miguel,
Santa Rosa,         Santa
        Barbara and Anacapa, included as the Channel Islands National Park.=20

        "It is in need of resuscitation and intensive care, but there is
hope," he said.=20
        Our experience has shown that given time and given the removal of
these exotic
        species, and some redirection, that these resources will be able to
regenerate
        themselves."=20

        The Park Service has already constructed a campground with fire
pits, picnic=20
        tables and restrooms. A new fresh water system is being developed.=20

        Visitors are starting to arrive, a few hundred on the weekends.
Everything at           the  island is free, but visitors must bring fresh
water for the time being.=20

        "Other national parks have raised their fees," said Setnicka. "We
have no=20
        camping fees. This is the best deal in Southern California.=20

        "This is an exciting process. We are now able to go in an start
managing it=20
        under the umbrella of the National Park Service, with our goals and
objectives."=20

############################################################################
#############NOTE: The reason that the pigs shall lie where shot is because
TNC/NPS used hog cholera as a biological control-
the URL for the San Francisco Examiner is http://www.examiner.com
   =20

    the nature conservancy has murdered over 27,000 sheep on Santa  Cruz Islan
Date: Tue, 15 Jul 1997 01:50:38 -0700 (PDT)
From: David J Knowles 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: [UK] Racehorse owner jailed for cruelty and neglect
Message-ID: <199707151210.IAA06654@envirolink.org>


>From The Electronic Telegraph - Tuesday, July 15th, 1997

Racehorse owner jailed for cruelty and neglect
By Barbie Dutter=20

A RACEHORSE owner who subjected his thoroughbreds to cruelty and neglect was
jailed for three months yesterday and banned from keeping horses and dogs
for the rest of his life.

Robert Layland allowed his horses to live in such squalor that they were
unable to move because they were standing three feet deep in their own
manure. They were emaciated, balding and lice-ridden and one animal's
carcass was left to rot among live beasts, magistrates at Blackburn, Lancs,
were told.

That the decline in the horses' living standards mirrored Layland's downturn
from prosperity to bankruptcy, the court was told. He had once owned a
thriving car business, was a Master of the Hunt and bred and trained horses
for races including the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

But when he lost his personal fortune following the collapse of his company,
he began living in a fantasy world and refused to admit that things were
going wrong, said Duncan Birrell, prosecuting. He told the court: "At one
stage Layland ran a successful business and maintained a string of horses.
He had employees to keep them in the best of health and he fully understood
the needs of the creatures he owned. But by February this year these horses
had suffered the same fate as his circumstances had changed. They were found
in squalid conditions hard to comprehend."

When police and officials of the Horses and Ponies Protection Association
(HAPPA) asked Layland about his cruelty, he falsely claimed that the animals
were poised to go to a new home on the estate of the Earl of Lonsdale in
Cumbria. The officers found 15 neglected horses and a yearling foal and
discovered the body of a dead horse under a pile of pallets.

Layland, 62, of Newsholme, near Gisburn, Lancs, admitted five offences of
failing to dispose of horse and dog carcasses and two offences of causing
horses unnecessary suffering. He also asked for nine other horse neglect
charges to be considered.

Mr Birrell said: "It is these animals' good fortune that they came into the
care of HAPPA. One of the association's officials described how she had
never seen such pictures of depression, dejection and unhappiness. So far it
has cost HAPPA =A326,000 to look after and rehabilitate these once-proud animal
s."

Michael Bower, defending, said of Layland: "He is not proud of what has
happened. He is ashamed. He maintains it was only for a short period and the
horses were to be moved to a new home."=20

Layland was fined =A3200 for failing to dispose of dead animals, and was
ordered to pay =A310,000 compensation to HAPPA, which celebrates its diamond
jubilee this year.

Ken Cranage, chairman of HAPPA, said afterwards: "Cruelty and neglect knows
no social boundaries. Sadly, this sort of case means that this organisation
is now needed more than ever."

=A9 Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1997.

    [UK] Racehorse owner jailed for cruelty and neglect
Date: Tue, 15 Jul 1997 01:50:44 -0700 (PDT)
From: David J Knowles 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: [UK] Rabbits play nursemaid to ostrich chicks
Message-ID: <199707151210.IAA06658@envirolink.org>


>From The Electronic Telegraph - Monday, July 14th, 1997

Rabbits play nursemaid to ostrich chicks
By David Brown, Agriculture Editor=20

PET rabbits have been recruited as nursemaids to comfort baby ostriches that
are hatched and reared away from their natural mothers.=20

Vets have found that the rabbits have a calming effect on agitated chicks
hatched from eggs and reared in nurseries to guarantee their survival. The
partnership has proved so successful that deaths and injuries from panic
attacks and stress have been reduced among ostrich chicks, which need to be
cosseted in the first few weeks of life.

In the fast-expanding world of ostrich farming, where every chick destined
to be farmed for meat for supermarkets and gourmet restaurants is worth
between =A350 and =A3100, a huge investment is at stake.=20

Since the cost of providing round-the-clock care by attendants would be too
expensive and time-consuming, the rabbits are used instead.=20

Erica White, the hatchery manager at the West Bar Animal Hospital at
Banbury, Oxon, which rears about 700 chicks a year for ostrich farms, said:
"The chicks need a lot of attention. But they calm down and become less
stressed in the company of rabbits. They don't like being on their own. They
snuggle up to the rabbits, which comfort them and show them how to feed
themselves. It sounds silly, but before we used rabbits we had to make
beak-shapes with our hands to show the chicks how to peck at their food. It
was very time consuming."

Clive Madieros, the senior partner at the hospital and an expert on
ostriches, has written a guide to "ostrich chick bunny protocol" for fellow
vets.=20

He said: "Ostrich chicks and rabbits have a strong affinity for each other.
The rabbit acts as a 'dummy figure' for the ostrich chicks. The rabbit
effectively supplements the mother and considerably improves the welfare of
the newly-hatched ostrich chick."

Dwarf rabbits - either does or neutered bucks - are used in the first few
days of the chicks' lives. But Mr Madieros recommended that larger rabbits
be used as the chicks grow bigger and stronger. It is then that they start
to pester and bully their "foster mothers".

After five or six weeks, the chicks have learnt to fend for themselves.

=A9 Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1997.

    [UK] Rabbits play nursemaid to ostrich chicks
Date: Tue, 15 Jul 1997 01:50:46 -0700 (PDT)
From: David J Knowles 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: [UK] Outcry over swoops on 'black fish' suspects
Message-ID: <199707151210.IAA06665@envirolink.org>


>From The Electronic Telegraph - Monday, July 14th, 1997

Outcry over swoops on 'black fish' suspects
By David Brown, Fisheries Editor=20

FISHERMEN accused the Government of harassment yesterday for actively
applying new controls against landing fish caught in breach of EU
conservation rules.

Police officers are accompanying fisheries inspectors when they swoop on
suspect vessels to try to reduce the number of illegal landings, which
affect half of all cod caught in the North Sea.

The "black fish" scandal has so angered the Government that it has drawn up
a tough plan of action.

Scottish Office officials have written to fishermen to tell them that they
not only face large fines, but EU and government grants worth tens of
thousands of pounds a boat will be refused or taken back.

Fishermen accused the Government of intimidation and harassment yesterday,
saying they needed the grants to modernise their vessels and keep up with
changing technology at sea. They also complained that British fishery
protection ships were monitoring them for many hours while they fish
normally. They said expensive obstacles had been put in the way of
skippers applying for licences to switch catching activities from one zone
to another around the British Isles.

The clamp-down was ordered by Elliot Morley, the fisheries minister, after
evidence from conservationists, fish wholesalers and some foreign fishing
interests that British boats have been landing huge quantities of cod,
haddock, plaice and other fish in breach of EU rules.

A report in The Telegraph disclosed that quotas had been routinely breached
on a huge scale for at least five years. Mr Morley described it as "a
national disgrace".

The tough stance is unlikely to help relations with the fishing industry.
Fishermen cited a recent incident at Fraserburgh, Scotland, as an example of
over-reaction. Police sealed off the harbour while fisheries inspectors
carried out a spot-check on a local fishing vessel which was unloading in
the early hours.

The police also accompanied inspectors when they boarded the vessel to check
its documents. They found everything in order. Fishermen say it is not
unusual for boats to unload at night. Landings are dictated by the tides and
the weather, they say, but conservationists argue that this is when "black
fish" are brought in.

George MacRae, secretary of the Scottish White Fish Producers' Association,
said yesterday that it was challenging the legality of removing grant aid.
One skipper with a previous conviction for black fish landings fears that he
might forfeit his grant of =A360,000.

The association, which represents 400 boats, has already protested to the
Scottish Office about the use of police officers. "Our members have a right
to go about their business without being harassed by police," said Mr
MacRae. "Fisheries inspectors have all the powers they need."

Fishermen's leaders claim that allegations of "black fish" landings are
exaggerated and unsubstantiated.

Mr MacRae said: "When anyone is asked to come forward and give proper
details of their allegations, they disappear like snow off the top of a dyke."=
20

But the new action has been welcomed by fish merchants who say they lose
huge sums of money because illegal landings undermine demand and prices.
Fishermen claim that problems of over-supply have more to do with large
imports from the Faroe Islands and other countries which are bought by
processors.

Mr MacRae said: "We are starting our own inquiries into the true levels of
fish imports. We believe not enough attention has been paid to this problem
and that British fishermen have been made scapegoats with allegations of
'black fish' landings."

Mr Morley was unavailable for comment yesterday. But a spokesman for his
Fisheries Department said: "Black fish undermines quotas. It has to stop.
Regarding the alleged harassment of fishermen, this is simply a matter of
tighter enforcement of controls."

=A9 Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1997.

    [UK] Outcry over swoops on 'black fish' suspects
Date: Tue, 15 Jul 1997 01:50:42 -0700 (PDT)
From: David J Knowles 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: [UK] 500 join last runway protest march
Message-ID: <199707151210.IAA06668@envirolink.org>


>From The Electronic Telegraph - Monday. July 14th, 1997

500 join last runway protest march

TERRY Waite and Martin Bell, the MP for Tatton, joined about 500 campaigners
against Manchester airport's second runway yesterday for a last march
through the site before building work begins.

Residents of Mobberley in Cheshire and other nearby villages walked along a
footpath on the site of the =A3172 million development before staging a rally.
Veteran campaigners were joined by families walking their dogs and a group
of "eco-warriors" who were evicted from camps on the site last month.

Mr Bell, who defeated the former Conservative MP Neil Hamilton at the
general election, said he was there to support his constituents. "I happen
to represent a lot of angry, upset and concerned people who believe the
runway is a terrible thing. When I fought the election campaign I supported
the decision on the runway, but since then I have learnt a lot about it."

Terry Waite, who was born in the nearby village of Styal, took part in
protests against the runway during the eviction of the protesters. "We will
continue to fight the building of this runway so I hope this will not be the
last time we can walk around here," he said. "We ask the Government to
review this decision and change their policy on air traffic." Mr Waite said
the matter had been referred to Europe because campaigners believed there
were irregularities in the way the project was developed.

Work was due to begin in the spring, but was delayed after protesters built
tunnels and treehouses at camps on the site in the Bollin Valley. The
eviction process took around four weeks.

Gaynor Trafford, who organised the march, said: "It is the last time we will
be able to see this part of the countryside before it is closed off and
becomes the second runway."

=A9 Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1997.

    [UK] 500 join last runway protest march
Date: Tue, 15 Jul 1997 11:28:19 -0400 (EDT)
From: JanaWilson@aol.com
To: Ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (US) Oklahoma Weekly Hunting News
Message-ID: <970715112705_-1526817094@emout07.mail.aol.com>


A/w local Okla. City news:

The Oklahoma Bowhunters Council and Gray's Archery and Tackle
store will sponsor a daylong bowhunter education course this
saturday at the Okla. City store.
The course will be taught by certified instructors from the International
Bowhunter Education Program.  Subjects taught are bowhunters'
responsibilities, safety, game laws, survival, first aid, available sources
of proper equipment and shooting instruction, and bow hunting
techniques such as stalking, blood trailing, field dressing, care of
meat, scouting and practice.
This course is divided into two segments: a classroom portion and
field esperience.  During the field part, students are given the 
opportunity to shoot their bows and discuss with instructors the
procedures to follow in selecting and matching equipment.
Students may also participate in a simulated blood-trailing
exercise.  The cost is $5 and students are required to take
a state certification test upon the completion of the course.
The students who complete the course will receive a patch
and a certification card.
Students are asked to bring a folding chair and their bow and
field-tipped arrows.  To pre-register call Gray's Archery and
Tackle at (405) 495-4832 here in Okla. City.

The Like Father, Like Son Bass Tournament circuit will be at 
Lake Carl Blackwell near Stillwater, Okla. in North Central
Okla.  It will be on this coming Saturday and contestants will
fish in bass and panfish divisions.  The minimum age is six
for both boys and girls.  There is no maximum age.

                                                             For the Animals,

                                                             Jana, OKC
Date: Tue, 15 Jul 1997 11:31:23 -0400 (EDT)
From: JanaWilson@aol.com
To: Ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (US) Oklahoma Controlled Hunt Drawing
Message-ID: <970715112718_-157608006@emout12.mail.aol.com>


A/w local Okla. City hunting news:

On Monday, July 21, Oklahoma hunters will find out if they
have won a "jackpot" in the Okla. Wildlife Department's
Controlled hunt drawing.  The lists of successful applicants
will be posted at the department's Okla. City headquarters or
at its Tulsa offices.  
"Of course, sucessfully drawn hunters will be notified by mail,
but many people want to find out right away if they were selected,"
said Mr. Robert Taylor, fiscal services administrator for the
Wildlife Dept.
Taylor said Oklahoma has one of the most comprehensive special
hunts programs in the country.  Last year almost 95,000 hunters
applied.
Three years ago, the department implemented a modified preference-
point system to help increase the likelihood that longtime applicants
would be drawn in the future.  A computer randomly selects from the
pool of applicants in each hunt category, then awards a preference
point for that category to everyone who isn't selected.  The preference
point acts like an extra application in future drawings, but is doesn't
give the applicant preferance over those with fewer points.  Chance
or luck still comes into play.
Notification dates for the various controlled hunt categories are deer
archer and muzzleloader hunts, Aug. 18th; deer gun hunts,Sept. 14;
elk and youth waterfowl hunts, Aug. 3; antelope, youth deer, youth
spring 1998 turkey and nonambulatory hunts, Aug. 17; and spring
turkey, quail and pursuit with hounds (racoon) hunts, Sept. 28.

                                                    For the Animals,

                                                    Jana, OKC
Date: Tue, 15 Jul 1997 11:38:53 -0400 (EDT)
From: JanaWilson@aol.com
To: AR-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (US) Oklahoma New Bluebird Society
Message-ID: <970715113817_-90501147@emout09.mail.aol.com>


An Oklahoma state bluebird society is currently being organized.
Charlotte Jernigan, president of the North American Bluebird
Society (NABS) and a long-time bluebird enthusiast, is coordinating
a group emphasizing bluebirds and other cavity-nesting birds,
such as the purple martins and wood ducks.
"The group could serve as a state affiliate of NABS and hold 
meetings to share the latest infomation on managing cavity
nesters," said Ms. Jernigan.  "The group could even take field
trips to view successful nestbox trails or see mountain bluebirds
in the winter.  The Oklahoma Wildlife Diversity Program will
continue to maintain the state listing of nestbox trails."
  The first organizational meeting is planned for Aug. 16, Saturday,
in Wagoner, Okla.  If interested, please contact Ms. Jernigan
at (918) 485-5974.

                                            For the Animals,

                                            Jana, OKC
Date: Tue, 15 Jul 1997 10:44:29 -0700
From: Lawrence Carter-Long 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: Newswire: AR Groups, Others Oppose FDA Drug & Cosmetic Warnings
Message-ID: <33CBB6FD.205E@mail-1.gvn.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Groups Hit Senate FDA Plan Over Pre-Empting Warnings 

      July 15, 1997

      CONGRESS DAILY: A Senate FDA modernization bill has attracted the  
      attention of national environmental and animal rights groups, who  
      charge it would pre-empt some of the strongest state laws requiring 
      cosmetic and non-prescription drug warnings. The national          
      uniformity provision, offered as an amendment to the bill in the   
      Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee by Sen. Judd Gregg, 
      R- N.H., would pre-empt state laws requiring that companies        
      communicate health warnings about ingredients in cosmetics and
      over-the-counter drugs. The provision would allow states to
      petition the FDA to argue that their own statute should take
      precedence over federal law. A Gregg spokesman defended the
      provision, noting it was approved by the committee by a 15-3
      margin. "To have a vote like that is remarkable," said the
      spokesman, adding the amendment was "drafted in a way that
      protects states." The spokesman said Gregg has decided not to
      offer an amendment on the Senate floor expanding the national
      uniformity provision to state food laws. 

      David Roe, senior attorney with the Environmental Defense Fund,
      said the national uniformity language already in the bill is a
      deliberate effort orchestrated by industry groups to gut
      California's Proposition 65. Enacted via referendum in 1986, the
      California law requires that businesses exposing people to toxins
      known to cause cancer or birth defects warn the public. Roe said
      food, drug, cosmetic and other industry groups have spent $10
      million since 1986 trying to overturn or pre-empt that law. Those
      efforts were denied by President Reagan's Council of Economic
      Advisers and then by the Bush administration and California GOP
      Gov. Pete Wilson. The EDF, Natural Resources Defense Council,
      Doris Day Animal League, Center for Science in the Public
      Interest and other groups are working to have the national
      uniformity provision stripped out of the bill on the Senate floor.
      Bruce Silverglade of the CSPI predicted the national uniformity
      provision will "fall apart under its own weight. [...] No member
      wants to run roughshod over its state health laws." 

      [Copyright 1997, National Journal] 

============= SAMPLE LETTER  ======================

July 14, 1997


Dear               :
 
I just received information that a new bill will be introduced in the 
House and Senate, H.R. 1411, the Drug and Biological Products 
Modernization Act of 1997.  I am opposed to Section 28 of this bill which 
will undermine consumers' right to know important information about food 
products, drugs, animals, and cosmetics.  Not only does this portion of 
H.R. 1411 run contrary to public thinking - it also defies common sense.
 
Section 28's national labeling uniformity provisions of H.R. 1411 will 
make it nearly impossible for consumers to know whether foods have been 
genetically engineered, whether toxic pesticides and other carcinogenic 
residues remain on food products, and whether cosmetics have been 
produced through the use of animal experimentation. It would outlaw local 
and state "rBGH-free" labeling and advertising and make it all but 
impossible to require mandatory labeling of genetically engineered foods 
and crops. Section 28 basically prevents states or local legislative 
bodies from initiating labeling laws relating to food safety, genetically 
engineered foods, or 'animal-tested' household products or cosmetics.
 
Provisions such as Section 28 of H.R. 1411 weaken state, local, and 
national laws regarding public understanding of the issues detailed 
above, and who benefits? Clearly not the consumer. As is the case with 
the GATT agreements, the continued broadening of global markets in 
chemical production, agriculture, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and 
cosmetics or household goods should not preclude the publics' right to 
know how or with what these goods are produced. 

I humbly ask for your support in asking that Section 28 be removed from 
H.R. 1411. I would very much appreciate hearing your position on this 
matter, and hope that you will not support any bill with language or 
provisions that would eliminate or reduce consumer choice in labeling. At 
the very least, the public deserves the opportunity to determine these 
matters for themselves. 

Thank you kindly for your efforts on this endeavor.
 
Sincerely yours,


Lawrence Carter-Long
Coordinator, Science and Research Issues
Animal Protection Institute
Date: Tue, 15 Jul 1997 13:46:15 -0400 (EDT)
From: JanaWilson@aol.com
To: AR-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (US) Oklahoma's Deer Hunting Stats
Message-ID: <970715134541_-726149152@emout11.mail.aol.com>


A/w local Oklahoma hunting news:
 
Although Oklahom's deer hunting harvest fell short of a record
for the first time in seven years, the Wildlife Dept. says final figures
just released show that the 1996 season turned out better than
expected in spite of the unusually cold weather.
A/w Mike Shaw, wildlife researcher supervisor for the Game
division, "Considering the terrible conditions hunters faced during
portions of gun season, the no. of deer harvested overall was probably
more than most people would have thought."
"A new archery harvest record was established last year, and last year's
grand total of 64,256 was only down about 1500 deer from the previous
year's total."
The first weekend of gun season was interrupted by a bad cold front 
and ice storm. The last weekend wasn't much better either.
Here are the final complete kill figures for all three seasons:

  Archery: 5,994 bucks, 5,436 does..total 11,430
  Muzzleloaer: 11,290 bucks, 3,284 does...total 14,574
  Modern gun:  25,615 bucks, 12,637 does...total 38,252
  Total Harvest: 42,899 bucks, 21,357 does...total 64,256

Shad said that last year's doe harvest increased 22 percent over
1995, while the buck harvest fell 13 percent.  The Wildlife Dept.
is encouraging hunters to harvest more does and has expanded
opportunities for hunters to do so this year.
What does this fall's deer season have in store for hunters in Okla.?
"If the weather provides favorable hunting conditions and the rut
hits at just the right time, I would say that 70,000 is not out of the
realm of possibility," Shaw said.
As good as deer hunting has become, hunters still can't remove
enuf animals to keep them from becoming pests in some areas,
which may soon lead to another effort to lengthen the gun season
to 16 days.

                                                  For the Animals,

                                                  Jana, OKC
Date: Tue, 15 Jul 1997 15:36:51 -0400 (EDT)
From: LMANHEIM@aol.com
To: ar-news@envirolink.org, EnglandGal@aol.com
Subject: Fwd: Thrifty Retiree Leaves $36M Estate
Message-ID: <970715153641_-1761609111@emout11.mail.aol.com>

SOME OF THIS $$$ HAS BEEN LEFT TO ANIMAL RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS!!!
Wonder who the lucky ones are.  :-)

In a message dated 97-07-15 14:52:54 EDT, AOL News writes:

 << Subj:Thrifty Retiree Leaves $36M Estate  
  Date:97-07-15 14:52:54 EDT
  From:AOL News
 BCC:LMANHEIM

 
       BEL AIR, Md. (AP) - A woman whose boyfriend of 24 years recently
 died is as astonished as anyone else: The man who drove a
 13-year-old car and never took her on trips left behind a $36
 million estate.
       Jacob Leeder, a retired Army scientist, lived in a modest home,
 scoured for deals in flea markets and drove a 1984 Oldsmobile
 station wagon. He made millions in the stock market, but took his
 success story to his grave when he died Feb. 22 of prostate cancer
 at age 83.
       ``He was a very private person,'' his 71-year-old girlfriend,
 Ann Holdorf, told The (Baltimore) Sun in an interview published
 today. ``When we first met he talked about us taking trips
 together, but we never went.
       ``As I sat there listening to the lawyer read his will, I
 thought, `You son of a gun. We could have gone anywhere we wanted,
 anytime we wanted.'''
       Leeder left Ms. Holdorf $150,000 in cash and a trust fund of
 $100,000. She said she's satisfied with her share of the estate and
 called Leeder a wonderful man.
       ``I think he was a gambler at heart,'' she said. ``He just
 enjoyed beating the stock market.''
       Leeder's attorney, Albert J.A. Young, said taxes will take a big
 bite of the estate because Leeder was childless. Most of the
 remainder is earmarked for two nieces; some will go to animal
 rights groups and veterinary schools at the universities of
 Maryland and Pennsylvania.
       While he loved children and animals, Leeder never married and
 had no pets. He and Ms. Holdorf loved the opera - his favorites
 were the Three Tenors - but never attended live performances.
       ``It's like he never made the connection that the money could
 have brought him pleasure,'' said Kay Dietz a friend for some 30
 years. ``He'd rather buy 2-day-old doughnuts than spend the money
 on fresh ones. He had a Depression spirit.''
       Leeder's will contains 17 pages of stock holdings, including
 35,600 shares of McDonnell Douglas Corp. worth about $2.5 million.
 The total value of the shares: $62.3 million. With a margin debt -
 the amount investors owe for using a stock account as collateral to
 borrow funds - of about $26 million, the estate has a net value of
 about $36 million. >>


---------------------
Forwarded message:
Subj:    Thrifty Retiree Leaves $36M Estate
Date:    97-07-15 14:52:54 EDT
From:    AOL News



      BEL AIR, Md. (AP) - A woman whose boyfriend of 24 years recently
died is as astonished as anyone else: The man who drove a
13-year-old car and never took her on trips left behind a $36
million estate.
      Jacob Leeder, a retired Army scientist, lived in a modest home,
scoured for deals in flea markets and drove a 1984 Oldsmobile
station wagon. He made millions in the stock market, but took his
success story to his grave when he died Feb. 22 of prostate cancer
at age 83.
      ``He was a very private person,'' his 71-year-old girlfriend,
Ann Holdorf, told The (Baltimore) Sun in an interview published
today. ``When we first met he talked about us taking trips
together, but we never went.
      ``As I sat there listening to the lawyer read his will, I
thought, `You son of a gun. We could have gone anywhere we wanted,
anytime we wanted.'''
      Leeder left Ms. Holdorf $150,000 in cash and a trust fund of
$100,000. She said she's satisfied with her share of the estate and
called Leeder a wonderful man.
      ``I think he was a gambler at heart,'' she said. ``He just
enjoyed beating the stock market.''
      Leeder's attorney, Albert J.A. Young, said taxes will take a big
bite of the estate because Leeder was childless. Most of the
remainder is earmarked for two nieces; some will go to animal
rights groups and veterinary schools at the universities of
Maryland and Pennsylvania.
      While he loved children and animals, Leeder never married and
had no pets. He and Ms. Holdorf loved the opera - his favorites
were the Three Tenors - but never attended live performances.
      ``It's like he never made the connection that the money could
have brought him pleasure,'' said Kay Dietz a friend for some 30
years. ``He'd rather buy 2-day-old doughnuts than spend the money
on fresh ones. He had a Depression spirit.''
      Leeder's will contains 17 pages of stock holdings, including
35,600 shares of McDonnell Douglas Corp. worth about $2.5 million.
The total value of the shares: $62.3 million. With a margin debt -
the amount investors owe for using a stock account as collateral to
borrow funds - of about $26 million, the estate has a net value of
about $36 million.
      AP-NY-07-15-97 1010EDT
      Copyright 1997 The
Associated Press.  The information 
contained in the AP news report may not be published, 
broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without 
prior written authority of The Associated Press.


To edit your profile, go to keyword NewsProfiles. 
For all of today's news, go to keyword News.
Date: Wed, 16 Jul 1997 07:32:54 -0400
From: allen schubert 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: (US) Olestra snack chips draw more consumer complaints
Message-ID: <3.0.32.19970716073251.006b5084@clark.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"


Of interest for reasons of health and those against P&G....
from CNN web page:
-----------------------------------
                     Olestra snack chips draw more consumer complaints

                     July 15, 1997                             
                     Web posted at: 10:36 a.m. EDT (1436 GMT)

                     From Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen

                     (CNN) -- Food companies in the United States are
                     preparing to go nationwide with snack chips made
                     with the fat substitute olestra. But ahead of the
                     sales campaign there have been more complaints by
                     consumers that these chips cause severe stomach
                     problems.

                     Recent documents from the Food and Drug
                     Administration show that more than 800 consumers
                     have called in to complain that they got sick from
                     chips made with olestra.

                     One woman said she suffered from cramps about two
                     hours after eating a one ounce bag of olestra
                     chips, and that the snack caused severe diarrhea.

                     A man complained of severe abdominal cramps.
                     "After about one hour of eating ... I could hardly
                     walk," he said.

                     And another consumer reported that he woke up in
                     the middle of the night with severe cramps and was
                     unable to make it to the bathroom.

                      Some scientists say they are not surprised
                           by the number of complaints about olestra.
                     Dr. Meir Stampfer of the Harvard School of Public
                     Health says olestra works in such a way that it
                     passes right through a person's gastrointestinal
                     tract.

                     Stampfer said the FDA should take snacks made with
                     olestra off the market. So far the olestra snacks
                     have been available only in test markets in Ohio,
                     Indiana and Colorado.

                     "It's causing these
                     gastrointestinal                      "It's causing these
                     problems, it's a mistake       gastrointestinal
                     to let it go into our                   problems, it's a
                     food supply and they              mistake to let it go
                     should admit the mistake     into our food supply
                     and just remove it,"                 and they should
admit
                     Stampfer said.                         the mistake and
just

just

remove it."
                     The FDA declined to
                     comment. However, Procter — Dr. Meir Stampfer
                     & Gamble, which makes
                     olestra, said 800
                     complaints were not much considering that millions
                     of people had eaten the chips.

                     "It's important to understand this is a very low
                     rate of response, it's less than 0.01 percent,"
                     said the company's Greg Allgood.

                     Allgood said olestra chips were very popular in
                     the snack market. "Most people tell us this is a
                     product that works for them and they really
                     enjoy," he said.

                     Procter & Gamble also asked some of the people who
                     complained about the chips to try them again. The
                     company claimed that when people did eat them
                     again, they felt no different than when they ate
                     regular chips.

                     The olestra manufacturer now hopes to take the
                     chips nationwide sometime next year. But one
                     consumer group, the Center for Science in the
                     Public Interest, said it will try to make sure
                     that won't happen. It has set up its own toll-free
                     line (1-888-OLESTRA) and said it has received 800
                     additional complaints.


Date: Wed, 16 Jul 1997 08:44:23 -0400
From: allen schubert 
To: ar-news@envirolink.org
Subject: ARRS--Big Change!!
Message-ID: <3.0.32.19970716084419.006b8c5c@clark.net>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

The Animal Rights Resource Site (ARRS)
http://www.envirolink.org/arrs/index.html has undergone a reorganization!
If you are having problems finding your favorite bookmarked organizations,
see Envirolink--Hosted AR Home Pages
http://www.envirolink.org/arrs/homepages.html and change your bookmarks
accordingly.  Envirolink and ARRS made these changes to better serve you!

More changes will follow.

Allen Schubert, ARRS Administrator
ARRS@envirolink.org

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