Komputer for Alle 1998 #6/1998 CD 6 (Gul).iso/web/ffa/wwwenv~1.org/arrs/digest/news37~8.htm/text0001.txt

Text File | 1998-04-03 | 71.6 KB | 1,672 lines

It was hoped that there would be no further anti-logging activity in B.C.'s
forests this summer after an agreement, known as the Protected Areas
Stratergy was concluded by members of the forest industry and some
enviromental groups. (These groups included the Sierra Club, B.C. Wildlife
Federation (a pro-hunting group), and the Canadian Parks and Wildlife
Federation.) The agreement promised that 14% of old-growth forest within the
Lower Mainland would be preserved. It was implemented last year, and a
further 136,000 hectares of parkland was created. However, a decision to log
in the upper Elaho Valley, including the Stoltmann Wilderness area, angered
most enviromental groups, including those taking part in the course and the
Western Canada Wilderness Committee.

Protests are planned against logging companies in forests near Whistler and
Bella Coola, on the north coast of the mainland of B.C., as well as the
Stoltmann Wilderness.

Roselle told the Sun that he had been arrested 40 times, had not been asked
about his record when he passed through the Canadian border, adding that as
he had a trunk full of climbing gear, he told customs officials that he was
going climbing.

Advice was given to attendees by one of the early pioneers of B.C.
environmentalism, Jean McLaren, who lives on Gabriola Island, near Nanaimo
on Vancouver Island.  McLaren remembered she once kicked a security guard,
but said that she felt really bad about it. "Civil disobedience is very
valid and more people realize it. Violence doesn't work," she said.

Many of those on the course said they were there to learn more about civil
disobedience as they had become frustrated with other methods of action.

The forest industry says, of course, that it deplores the use
civildisobedience against logging, that the Protected Areas Sratergy was an
ideal agreement, and that members of Rukus should go back down to the U.S.
and ask for "more redwoods to be planted."

Provincial Attorney-General, Ujjal Dosanjh, said he would ask police what
they are doing to ensure illegal actions were being taught at the course,
and that he was "very concerned: that people may be counselling  breaking
B.C. and Canadian laws.

Interesting, the anti-logging campaign will pit Greenpeace (and others)
against Patrick Moore, one of the original founders of Greenpeace in
Vancouver 26-years ago, who now works for the forest industry.

No matter the weather, it looks like a hot summer in B.C. this year..


Date: Wed, 9 Apr 1997 01:21:47 -0700 (PDT)
>From: David J Knowles <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: [UK] 'The Field' hunts out its MP opponents (long)
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"


>From The Electronic Telegraph - Wednesday, April 9th, 1997

The Field hunts out its MP opponents
By Charles Clover, Environment Editor

A "HIT list" of 72 MPs from all parties who are opposed to hunting and have
small majorities is published today in The Field, which exhorts its readers
to get rid of them at the general election.

The magazine's editor, Jonathan Young, says that many on the list think they
are safe from attempts by field sports enthusiasts to unseat them because
they represent urban constituencies. The Field thinks they are wrong. In a
full-page editorial, it says: "It would not take much organised effort to
remove vehemently anti-field sports MP's such as Sir Andrew Bowden
(Brighton, Kemptown, majority 3,056) and Sir Graham Bright (Luton South,
799), both of whom would impose their private beliefs on us."

It continues: "It is up to ourselves, our families and friends to ensure
that parliamentary candidates from all parties realise that if it is their
wish to destroy country people's lives, it will cost them dear."

Pointing out that the animal rights movement had recently given the Labour
Party ú1 million, it said "we would be fools to believe" that activists
would not transfer their attentions to shooting and fishing if hunting was
banned. Of the 72 targets, 56 are Labour MPs, 12 Tory,
two Lib-Dem, and two SNP. Those with the most precarious majorities include
Phillip Oppenheim (712), Alice Mahon (478), Nick Ainger (755), Janet
Anderson (120), and Mike Hall (191).

The magazine targets some Opposition figures who also have precarious
majorities, including Jack Cunningham, Labour heritage spokesman, Ann
Taylor, shadow leader of the house and Glenda Jackson.

Some of the choicer comments relayed by anti-hunting MPs to field sports
supporters in their constituencies are also reproduced. For example, from
Jim Marshall (Lab, Leicester South): "Labour policy is quite clear - we are
opposed to foxhunting and some other field sports." Mr Marshall may have
said that before the publication of Labour's manifesto last week promising a
free vote on hunting, no policy on shooting and active support for angling.
John Garrett (Lab, Norwich South), also appeared not to have read the
manifesto when he said: "The Labour Party in government will end all hunting
with hounds and coursing."

The Field's analysis does not take into account boundary changes that have
made some constituencies safer and some less so. The changes mean Sir Andrew
Bowden's notional majority has risen to 10,257. Nor does the magazine
explain who to vote for if the sitting
member is against hunting - Sir Andrew's Labour opponent, Desmond Turner, is
also opposed to hunting. Voters wishing to vote against a particular
candidate need to check the credentials of rivals.

The anti-hunting MPs by constituency, according to The Field, are:

Amber Valley, Phillip Oppenheim, C, 712; Angus East [Angus), Andrew Welsh,
SNP, 954; Barrow & Furness, John Hutton, L, 3,578; Basildon [South End W],
David Amess, C, 1,480; Birmingham Erdington, Robin Corbett, L, 4,735; B'ham
Northfield, Richard Burden, L, 630; B'ham Selly Oak, Lynne Jones, L, 2,060;
B'ham Yardley, Estelle Morris, L, 162; Brentford & Isleworth, Nirj Deva, C,
2,086; Brighton Kemptown, Andrew Bowden, C, 3,056; Bristol E, Jean Corston,
L, 2,692; Bury S, David Sumberg, C, 788; Cambridge, Anne Campbell, L, 580;
Cannock & Burntwood [Cannock Chase], Tony Wright, L, 1,506; Cardiff Central,
Jon Owen Jones, L, 3,565; Cardiff N, Gwilym Jones, C, 2,969; Carlisle, Eric
Martlew, L, 3,108; Carmarthen [Carmarthen East & Dinefwr], Alan Williams, L,
2,922; Clwyd South West [Clwyd South], Martyn Jones, L, 4,941; Copeland,
Jack Cunningham, L, 2,439; Coventry South East [Coventry S], Jim Cunningham,
L, 1,311; Croydon N-W [Croydon N], Malcolm Wicks, L, 1,526; Cunninghame N,
Brian Wilson, L, 2,939;

Delyn, David Hanson, L, 2,039; Derby N, Greg Knight, C, 4,453; Dewsbury, Ann
Taylor, L, 634; Dulwich [Dulwich & W Norwood], Tessa Jowell, L, 2,056;
Dundee E, John Mcallion, L, 4,564; Edinburgh Central, Alistair Darling, L,
2,126; Edinburgh Leith [Edinburgh N & Leith], Malcolm Chisholm, L, 4,985;
Edinburgh South, Nigel Griffiths, L, 4,176; Ellesmore Port & Neston, Andrew
Miller, L, 1,989; Erith & Crayford [Bexleyheath & Crayford], David Evennett,
C, 2,339; Glasgow Hillhead [Glasgow Kelvin], George Galloway, L, 4,826;
Gordon, Malcolm Bruce, LD, 274; Halifax, Alice Mahon, L, 478; Hammersmith;
Ealing, Acton & Shepherd's Bush], Clive Soley, L, 4,754; Hampstead &
Highgate, Glenda Jackson, L, 1,440; Harlow, Jerry Hayes, C, 2,920; Hyndburn,
Greg Pope, L, 1,960; Ilford South, Mike Gapes, L, 402; Ipswich, Jamie Cann,
L, 265; Kingswood, Roger Berry, L, 2,370; Lewisham E, Bridget Prentice, L,
1,095;
Lewisham W, Jim Dowd, L, 1,809; Luton S, Graham Bright, C, 799; Monklands E
[Airdrie & Shotts], Helen Liddell, L, 1,640; Moray, Margaret Ewing, SNP,
2,844; Nuneaton,  Bill Olner, L, 1,631;

Pembroke [Carmarthen W & Pembrokeshire S], Nicholas Ainger, L, 755; Pendle,
Gordon Prentice, L, 2,113; Renfrew W & Inverclyde [Renfrew W], Tommy Graham,
L, 1,744; Rochdale, Elizabeth Lynne, LD, 1,839; Rossendale & Darwin, Janet
Anderson, L, 120; Sherwood, Paddy Tipping, L, 2,910; Southampton Itchen,
John Denham, L, 551; Southampton Test,
James Hill, C, 585; Stockport, Ann Coffey, L, 1,422; Stockton S, Tim Devlin,
C, 3,369; Strathkelvin & Bearsden, Sam Galbraith, L, 3,162; Streatham, Keith
Hill, L, 2,317; Thurrock, Andrew Mackinlay, L, 1,172; Tooting, Tom Cox, L,
4,107; Wallasey, Angela Eagle, L, 3,819; Walsall S, Bruce George, L, 3,178;
Walthamstow, Neil Gerrard, L, 3,022; Warrington S [Weaver Vale], Mike Hall,
L, 191; Warwickshire N, Michael O'Brien, L, 1,454; West Brom E, Peter Snape,
L, 2,813; Western Isles, Calum Macdonald, L, 1,703; Wolverhampton N-E, Ken
Purchase, L, 3,939; Woolwich [Erith & Thamesmead], John Austin-Walker, L, 2,225.

                  C = Cons; L = Lab; LD = Lib Dem; SNP = Scottish National
Party.

                  ⌐ Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1997.


Date: Wed, 9 Apr 1997 01:21:51 -0700 (PDT)
>From: David J Knowles <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: [UK] Anti-hunting site
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

I came across the following site, which may be of interest for those wanting
more info on the anti-hunting campaign. There is not too much information
there as present, but the debate is sure to heat up during - and after - the
election. The URL is:

http://www.jenkins.co.uk/fox/releases.htm

Date: Wed, 9 Apr 1997 01:21:53 -0700 (PDT)
>From: David J Knowles <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: [UK] Butchers face stricter curbs
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"


>From The Electronic Telegraph - Wednesday, April 9th, 1997

Butchers face stricter curbs
By Auslan Cramb, Scotland Correspondent

TOUGH food safety proposals, which will lead to more than 10,000 butchers'
shops being licensed, were accepted by the Government  yesterday.

Ministers hope that they will prevent a repeat of the food poisoning
epidemic that claimed the lives of 20 people. Prof Hugh Pennington made 32
recommendations in his report into the E coli outbreaks in Lanarkshire and
the Forth Valley.

Key recommendations include:

- Animals to be presented at slaughterhouses in an appropriate, clean condition.
- New licensing arrangements for butchers' premises.
- A requirement for all food handlers to have undertaken at least basic food
training, and     intermediate level training for supervisory staff.
- Separation in storage, production, sale and display, between raw meat and
unwrapped     cooked meat/ meat products and other ready-to-eat foods.
- The introduction of food hygiene training in primary and secondary schools.
- An education programme for farm workers.

Shops that are unable to separate raw and unwrapped cooked meats will not be
allowed to sell them, and it is envisaged that some will have to close. The
changes could take five years to implement fully and will set new standards
of hygiene in shops, abattoirs and farms. The cost  will vary from ú5,000 to
ú20,000 in each butcher's shop, with an estimated total bill of about ú180
million.

The report stopped short of apportioning blame for the E coli outbreaks, the
most serious of which was linked to a single shop in Wishaw, Lanarkshire,
and did not call for the creation of an independent food safety
organisation. The proposals were accepted immediately by Michael Forsyth,
Scottish Secretary, on behalf of the Government.

They were widely welcomed by the meat trade and consumer associations,
although Labour and the Liberal Democrats said the findings highlighted the
Government's "cavalier" attitude to food safety. Gavin Strang, the Labour
agriculture spokesman, called it an indictment of the Government's record,
and Paul Tyler, for the Liberal Democrats, said the issue of food safety was
"festering" under the surface of the election. Both parties have promised to
set up an
independent food safety commission "free from ministerial influence".

Prof Pennington, an epidemiology expert, said it was time for the Government
to end the "light touch" that had characterised its approach on hygiene
legislation over the last 12 to 18 months.

However, he refused openly to criticise Douglas Hogg, the Agriculture
Minister, or the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. He said
changes in food policy since 1990 and de-regulation in the industry had
created uncertainty among environmental health officers
about the overall policy approach. But the light touch was understandable,
he added, because the new meat hygiene regulations introduced in 1994 took
time to understand and develop.

The premises affected by "selective licensing" will be the smaller shops
that do not produce cooked meats for sale to other businesses. About 700
larger shops are already covered by the Meat Products (Hygiene) Regulations
1994.

Prof Pennington said the proposals would not eradicate E coli, which he
called a "particularly nasty organism", from animals or guarantee food
safety. "It will prevent another epidemic of the sort we have been seeing
recently, but E coli 0157 is a very versatile bug, and I wouldn't want
anyone to go away with the impression that if everything is implemented in
my report that that will be the end of E coli as a hazard.

"We are aiming to very significantly reduce the threat from this organism
but . . . the organism will still be present in wildlife and cattle. We
haven't solved the E coli problem, we are aiming to reduce the risk people
face by eating food, and getting E coli infection that way, very, very
substantially."

The professor said that the central Scotland outbreak had been handled
"reasonably well" and did not criticise the action taken by local
authorities to deal with the outbreak, which affected more than 400 people.

He added that the question of who was at fault would be dealt with by a
forthcoming fatal accident inquiry, and by any criminal proceedings. The
circumstances of the epidemic will be dealt with in a separate report.

John Barr, the Wishaw butcher whose shop was linked to the outbreak, said
that he had already implemented in full the recommendations contained in
Prof Pennington's interim report,  which formed the basis of the measures
announced yesterday.

There were no major departures from the provisional recommendations,
although Prof Pennington did soften his original demand that separate staff
should deal with fresh and cooked meat on all occasions. He said he was
persuaded this could lead to the closure of small businesses, and, where the
measure was impractical, an extra sink would allow staff to wash their hands
between sales.

⌐ Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1997.


Date: Wed, 9 Apr 1997 01:21:58 -0700 (PDT)
>From: David J Knowles <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: [UK] Training video breaks rules on abattoir safety
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"


>From The Electronic Telegraph - Wednesday, April 9th, 1997

Training video breaks rules on abattoir safety
By David Brown, Agriculture Editor

THE agency responsible for ensuring proper standards in abattoirs admitted
yesterday that its latest training video for inspectors breached health and
safety guidelines aimed at protecting slaughterhouse staff.

The Pennington report urged yesterday that the Meat Hygiene Service, set up
by the Government two years ago, should "rigorously enforce" health and
hygiene controls in abattoirs.

The videos, which included a foreword from Angela Browning, Food Minister,
were issued in February. They show abattoir staff handling the spinal cords,
heads and other specified offals of cattle deemed most likely to carry the
deadly BSE agent, with their bare hands and
not wearing protective masks.

The scenes breach guidelines drawn up by the Health and Safety Executive,
another Government agency, designed to protect abattoir workers from any
risk of contracting Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, the human equivalent of BSE.
The guidelines recommend that workers should wear protective gloves and
masks where there is a risk of being splashed by the high risk materials.
The mistakes were spotted by Colin Atkins, head of public health of the
Amber Valley Borough Council in Derbyshire and Maurice White, his senior
technician. They had already warned the MHS a year ago of similar errors in
a training booklet.

Mr Atkins wrote to Johnston McNeill, chief executive of the MHS, on March
14, warning him that similar mistakes had been made in the video but has had
no reply. He also alerted the Pennington Committee.

Mr White said yesterday: "As a training exercise I think this falls far
short of what is required. The Health and Safety Executive guidelines quite
clearly call for protective gloves and masks to be worn where there is a
risk of splashing."

About 1,500 copies of the video, entitled The Control of Specified Bovine
Materials, have been circulated by the MHS.

Gavin Strang, shadow minister of agriculture, said last night: "If the Meat
Hygiene Service video is as badly wrong as it is reported to be somebody
must be called to account."

The Ministry of Agriculture said that the video had breached guidelines "but
not the law." The MHS had no plans to withdraw it.

⌐ Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1997.


Date: Wed, 09 Apr 1997 07:35:10 -0400
>From: marcia <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Procter & Gamble
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Procter & Gamble has issued a press release today
that it is acquiring Tambrands, manufacturer of Tampax.

Marcia
Date: Wed, 9 Apr 1997 07:48:49 -0400 (EDT)
>From: Weissman <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Super Urgent Announcement--Read ASAP!!!!!!!!! (fwd)
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII



---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 9 Apr 1997 07:42:17 -0400
>From: Weissman <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail],
    [e-mail], [e-mail],
    [e-mail]
Subject: Super Urgent Announcement--Read ASAP!!!!!!!!!

Two activists were arrested Monday night for alleged ALF actions.    They
will be arraigned this morning.  They have joined the Tony Wong
hungerstrike and are protesting the Clinton policy on the EU fur
importation ban (Clinton is tryingto block the ban).Hillary Clinton is
going to be in NYC today at NY University.  We will be meeting at Noon at
the Arch at Washington Square Part to plan a protest.  We will be meeting
again atthe Arch at 2:45PM for the protest.  Please attend both!!!
Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade-NYC


Date: Wed, 9 Apr 1997 09:47:46 -0400 (EDT)
>From: Franklin Wade <[e-mail]>
To: Ar-News <[e-mail]>
Subject: COK Protest at White House 4/12 1pm
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII

What:Compassion Over Killing will protest the Clinton Administration's
     opposition to the EU Wild Fur Ban.  COK supports the demands made
     by Tony Wong and other jailed activists.

Date:Saturday, April 12th 1997

 Time1-2:30pm

 Place:The White House sidewalk, Pennsylvania Ave.

 Metro:Farragut West (Orange & Blue Lines)

_____________________________________________________________________
[e-mail]                                   Franklin D. Wade
        United Poultry Concerns - www.envirolink.org/arrs/upc
        Compassion Over Killing - www.envirolink.org/arrs/cok


Date: Wed, 09 Apr 1997 10:49:47 -0400
>From: "H. Morris" <[e-mail]>
To: "[e-mail]" <[e-mail]>,
        "[e-mail]" <[e-mail]>
Subject: NYC Activists Arrested
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

This is a forwarded message I received from ADAM WEISSMAN.

NYC ACTIVISTS ARRESTED:

>Dari Fullmer of New York University and Carol Mehaffey of the School of
>Visual Arts were arrested 251/2 hours ago as of this writing at 4PM
>Sunday night /Monday morning outside Kenny Roger's Roasters, a chicken
>fast-food restaurant.   As of this writing they have not yet been arrainged.
>
>According to Dari they are being charged with:
>
>Reckless Endangerment
>Criminal Mischief
>Criminal Possession of a Weapon
>
>
>They are being held at the court building where they willl be tried.We
>have no information what thee weapon is.    While the presupmtion atthis
point
>is that their arest is ALF related, we have no evidence to prove that this
>is the case.  Dari and Carol are innocent until proven guilty of any
>crime, and we must maintain this attitute at all times.
>
>Dari has signed onto the three demand hungerstrike in solidarity with
>Tony.  In light of this, I think we should continue pushing these
>demands, the impetus for which seems to have ended with Nicole's release
>and Jeff's strike-breaking (not saying this is right or wrong just statig
>an undisputed fact).  Dari aparently wants to refuse to be bailed out,
>which, if he is indeed in jail for an alleged clandestine direct action,
>is probably unwise.  We do not know if Carol is joining him in either of
>these two stances.   Dari's parents have been apprised of the situation.
>We do not know if Carol's parents have been contacted.

>Carol is the organizer of Animal RIghts Today! at the School of Visual
Arts.  Dari is
>the Co-President of Students for Education and Animal Liberation at NYU
>and a member of the New Jersey Animal RIghts Alliance.  Both have been
>involved in Student Abolitionsit League and Coalition to Abolish the Fur
>Trade-NYC as well.  Carol runs Student Abolitionist League's literature
>distribution center.  Needless to say, none of the above listed
organizations, involve >themselves in clandestine direct actions, but all
>are supportive of them.
>
>More info as it becomes avaialable....
>adam
>
>
>
Date: Thu, 10 Apr 1997 12:01:47 -0400
>From: allen schubert <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: (US) Protesters Roar at Lion Dinner
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

from AP Wire page:
-----------------------------
04/09/1997 08:40 EST

 Protesters Roar at Lion Dinner

 SAN DIEGO (AP) -- A restaurant that held a South African-themed dinner
featuring the
 king of the jungle as the main course drew protesters who waved placards
that read,
 ``Lions belong in the wild, not on your plate.''

 Sixty guests wearing tuxedos and formal dresses braved the wrath of about 150
 protesters Tuesday to enter the Top O' the Cove restaurant in upscale La
Jolla for its
 $100-a-plate dinner.

 ``We think it's really sad that something as magnificent as a lion should
be reduced
 to just another dinner entree to a bunch of jaded elitists who have
nothing better to
 spend 100 bucks on,'' San Diego Animal Advocates spokeswoman Linda Kelson
 said.

 The lion, which was raised in the Midwest for human consumption, was served
 during ``Le Big Smoke Dinner IX,'' one of the restaurant's special
quarterly dinners.
 Lion meat reportedly tastes like sweet pork.

 The meal also featured six wines and courses of Kenyan haricots verts (green
 beans), wild baby greens with sunflower oil dressing, and alligator cake
with violet
 mustard sauce. Guests were also offered three types of cigars.

 Restaurant owner Ron Zappardino said he doesn't understand why serving
 American-farm raised African lion meat has people upset. In the past, his
restaurant
 has offered such exotic meats as ostrich, elk and venison.

 At least one protester was dressed in a lion costume and another raised a toy
 stuffed lion on a platter over his head like a waiter.

 As the protest grew, it drew honks of support from passing cars.
Date: Wed, 9 Apr 1997 13:15:43 -0400 (EDT)
>From: [e-mail]
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Fistulated Cows Exhibited at Public Event
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>

Holey Cow:  Education or Circus Freak Show

At universities throughout the U.S., the fistulated or "holey cow" is a
popular teaching tool for students studying bovine rumen.  The fistula is a
man-made surgical opening in the side of a cow that is covered with a round
piece of clear plastic.  The fistula allows students to insert their hands
and other foreign materials into the cow's rumen to study the
digestive/ruminating process.

Fistulated animals have been used in research for more than 150 years.  While
the ethics of using animals for research is always questionable, the
repetition of this type of activity is inexcusable.  And the exploitation of
these animals at exhibitions and other public events is stressful for the
animals and completely unnecessary.

At the University of California at Davis (UCD), the fistulated cows are put
on display every spring at an event called "Picnic Day."  At last year's
event, Tina Perry of the Animal Protection Institute (API) observed a crowd
of hundreds of people anxious for a chance to stick their hands into a cow's
fistula.  The cow moved uneasily from side to side as she tried to avoid
human contact, and bellowed in distress.  The UCD staff restrained the cow
while as many as 1,200 non-students shoved their gloved hands into her rumen.
 Instead of "acting as a valuable teaching tool" as the UCD administrators
claim, the exhibition had turned into a circus-style freak show.

This year "Picnic Day" will be held at UCD on April 19th.  API is asking
animal advocates to write and request that the university put an end to the
use of fistulated cows, and especially their exhibition at public events:

Edward O. Price, Chairperson
Animal Science Department
University of California at Davis
Davis, CA  95616

If you are aware of the use of fistulated animals at a local university, call
Tina Perry, API's Program Coordinator for Domestic Animals, at 800-348-7387,
or send an e-mail message to <[e-mail]>.


Date: Wed, 09 Apr 1997 12:21:07 -0700
>From: Farm Animal Reform Movement <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Animal Rights '97
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

The Animal Rights '97 site has been updated with full hotel and
registration details, along with a list of speakers and schedule
information.

There is also a 'print and mail' registration form, allowing you to send
in your registration without further delay.

Since the web site contains all information that a mailing would contain,
we will not post you a brochure unless you write back and specifically
request that we do so.

If you would like to apply for a work scholarship, send a resume and
letter of interest and we will contact you.  If you don't currently have
a resume, please be sure your cover letter lists your involvement in
animal rights and any applicable skills.

http://www.envirolink.org/arrs/farm/ar97.htm
Date: Thu, 10 Apr 1997 02:00:15 +0800
>From: bunny <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: [Australia] Dangerous strains in super bugs
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

In an article titled "Dangerous strains in super bugs" in "The Australian"
newspaper (April 8th 1997),Graeme Leech, science correspondent wrote

"Micro-organisms that cause food poisoning are proving to be so adaptable
that new and more dangerous strains are emerging, a CSIRO food scientist warned.

Mr Barry Shay, of CSIRO's division of food science and technology, has been
engaged as a consultant to the Meat Research Corporation to help tackle the
growing public health problem posed by these new micro-organisms.

My Shay said the organism responsible for the 1995 entero-hemorrhagic e-coli
outbreak in South Australia that killed a four year old girl was one of
those new micro-organisms.

Whereas salmonella might make people suffer stomach cramps and cause
vomiting, the new micro-organisms were virulent and had a traumatic impact
on the victims - massive internal bleeding, kidney damage and in some cases,
death.

The worrying aspect for both scientists and consumers was that these
pathogens were changing their characteristics.

The director of Melbourne University's centre for food science, Dr Barrie
Davidson, said most research in Australia was directed at detecting unwanted
organisms in processed food.

"It is not possible to satisfactorily detect any organism or pathogen in
food in less than 24 hours. So we are looking at an eight hour detection so
that it would be possible to check before the food left the factory," Dr
Davidson said.

One scientist who has made a study of EHEC, Dr Karl Bettelheim of the
Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory, has found that the
intestines of animals were reservoirs for human infection.

The spread of EHEC could be explained by increasing urbanisation and the
increasing movement of people around the world, Dr Bettelheim wrote in a
recent paper.

"A simple path for the spread of a pathogen like e-coli to a new environment
could be that an individual carrying it jets to a new area, his/her faeces
enter the sewerage which is inadequately treated before being discharged
into the sea," Dr Bettelheim said.

"The e-coli infect the sea birds. When the weather at sea is rough, they
feed and defacate in pastures where cattle and sheep graze.The route is then
short from the pasture animals to human infection."

Mr Shay said the safest way to avoid infection was to cook meat thoroughly.

"With steak, it is easy to kill the bacteria on the outside of the meat, so
its safe to eat rare steak," Mr Shay said.

"But once you grind it up or mince it, the bacteria gets into the meat all
the way through. You should not eat a hambeurger where the meat is still
pink on the inside."

End
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kia hora te marino, kia whakapapa pounamu te moana, kia tere ai te karohirohi
i mua tonu i o koutou huarahi.
                              -Maori Prayer

(May the calm be widespread, may the sea be as the smooth surface of the
greenstone and may the rays of sunshine forever dance along your pathway)

Date: Thu, 10 Apr 1997 02:04:15 +0800
>From: bunny <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: [Australia]More food recalled as crisis grows
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Victoria,Australia  which lies on the Eastern seaboard, while being a small
state has the second highest population in Australia with about 3 million
people in its capital city of Melbourne (a densly populated multicultural
capital city).

A major headline in Tuesday April 8th's "Australian" newspaper read "More
food recalled as crisis grows". This article reported that the number of
food inspectors in Victoria has been slashed by almost 40% while
prosecutions of unscrupulous handlers have fallen by more than 70% since the
[current] Victorian government came to power according to a survey of local
councils [our Australian local government authorities].

The survey, conducted by the State Opposition, was released as the Victorian
Health Department confirmed the sixth food contamination scare in less than
a month with the recall of a soft cheese by its manufacturer and a well
known supermarket chain also issued a recall on a type of thin sausage made
in Victoria.

The Australian also reported that "The spate of food contaminations in
Victoria prompted public health officials from Australia and New Zealand
yesterday to renew their support for national uniform standards on food
hygeine, with a draft code expected this month and final standards by the
end of the year."

Also reported was that "A spokeswoman for the Victorian Department of Health
said yesterday the manufacturers of a soft cheese had recalled the cheese as
a precautionary measure after listeria monocytogenes bacteria was detected
during routine quality control checks at the factory.The spokeswoman said no
illness had been reported.

In a seperate incident, a well known supermarket chain recalled all barbeque
thin and thin sausages made by one Victorian manufacturer after traces of
crayon were detected in the products. A spokeswoman for the supermarket said
the sausages turned blue when cooked, but did not pose any threat to public
health
as the crayon was non toxic. "

A recent survey of 78 councils showed the number of food inspectors had been
cut from 317 to 199, since councils were amalgamated and compulsory
competitive tendering introduced. Some councils had experienced a 60 per
cent drop in environmental health officers.According to the leader of the
Opposition "Areas of public health should be exempted from compulsory
competitive tendering...where councils reduce the number of inspectors they
have in order to win the bid." He said food prosecutions had fallen more
than 70% from 1877 in 1993 to 543 last year, while penalties imposed in
courts had dropped 68% from 318 in 1993 to 103 last year.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Human Services said the decline in food
prosecutions could be a result of improved food handling procedures within
the industry.

She denied that a reduction in the number of food inspectors was linked to
recent food poisonings.

Footnote:In recent outbreaks of food poisoning three people died.
Two were elderly citizens and one was a young man of 27.

Kind Regards,

Marguerite Wegner
Western Australia


------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kia hora te marino, kia whakapapa pounamu te moana, kia tere ai te karohirohi
i mua tonu i o koutou huarahi.
                              -Maori Prayer

(May the calm be widespread, may the sea be as the smooth surface of the
greenstone and may the rays of sunshine forever dance along your pathway)

Date: Thu, 10 Apr 1997 16:47:28 -0400
>From: allen schubert <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: (CH) Health Group Warns on Disease
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

(see the paragraph beginning:  Mass food production...)
from AP Wire page:
---------------------------
 04/07/1997 08:58 EST

 Health Group Warns on Disease

 GENEVA (AP) -- New infectious diseases are emerging at an unprecedented rate
 and long-feared killers are staging an alarming comeback, the World Health
 Organization warned today.

 In the past 20 years, authorities have identified more than 30 new contagious
 diseases, including AIDS and Ebola hemorrhagic fever, the U.N. agency said.

 At the same time, it said, such diseases as malaria and tuberculosis are
 increasingly drug-resistant and are rebounding in many parts of the world.
After
 many years in decline, diphtheria, yellow fever and cholera are also on
the increase
 because of crumbling health and sanitation systems, especially in the
former Soviet
 bloc, WHO said.

 Seeking to highlight the problem, the U.N. health agency picked infectious
diseases
 as the theme of its annual World Health Day today.

 WHO wants to use the occasion to prod the public and private sectors to
channel
 more resources into disease control and surveillance.

 Earlier medical success in wiping out diseases like smallpox in the 1970s and
 confidence in antibiotics are partly to blame for the upswing in
infectious diseases,
 WHO said. Medical funds and expertise were switched elsewhere and public
health
 authorities were taken by surprise by the subsequent increase in infectious
 diseases.

 Many antibiotics are not strong enough to treat common infections like
pneumonia,
 gonorrhea and tuberculosis. And fewer new antibiotics are being developed,
WHO
 said.

 ``With optimism came a false sense of security, which has helped many
diseases
 spread with alarming rapidity,'' WHO said.

 Mass food production means that contaminated food is no longer confined to
one
 small batch. And free trade helps food-borne diseases spread -- as with
the current
 U.S. outbreak of Hepatitis A, an epidemic blamed on contaminated
Mexican-grown
 strawberries.

 Distance is no longer a barrier to infection.

 ``Whereas cases of cholera, plague and smallpox were slowly transported
from one
 continent to another by ship and could be recognized during the voyage, it
is now
 possible and quite likely that an infected traveler will only develop
signs of the
 disease several days after travel,'' WHO said.
Date: Thu, 10 Apr 1997 17:05:51 -0400
>From: allen schubert <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: (PH) Bat Species Found in Subic Forest
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

from AP Wire page:
---------------------------
04/09/1997 02:33 EST

 Bat Species Found in Subic Forest

 MANILA, Philippines (AP) -- Scientists have discovered a tiny bat and two
new rodent
 species in the 27,000-acre rain forest inside the Subic Bay Freeport,
officials said
 today.

 The species were first discovered in the course of a state-sponsored
biodiversity
 project at Subic, formerly the largest U.S. overseas naval base, now
converted into
 an industrial estate and tourism center.

 Researchers from the Department of Science and Technology claim that the
 finger-sized bats, about 2.4 inches tall, belong to the family of the
Tylonycteris
 pachypus or Lesser Flat-headed bats, said Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority
 Chairman Richard Gordon.

 They were found in an area of dense vegetation consisting mainly of small
bamboo
 plants, he said.

 Of the two rodents, one belongs to Chrotomys family and the other to the
Phloemys
 pallidus family, scientists said.

 A full report on the discoveries will be presented April 22-25 during a
wildlife
 convention, Gordon said.
Date: Wed, 09 Apr 1997 18:29:40 -0400
>From: Animal Alliance of Canada <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Bizarro cartoonist headlines Toronto benefit April 20
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***

DAN PIRARO, BIZARRO CARTOONIST, TO APPEAR AT
LITERARY LIONS 97!
April 9, 1997

     Animal Alliance of Canada's fourth annual benefit reading, Literary Lions
97, takes place on the afternoon of Sunday, April 20 at Tallulah's Cabaret
inside Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, from 1:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Established in 1994, the series celebrates love and respect for animals in
culture (including pop culture!).  Proceeds benefit long term animal
protection through legislative advocacy, public education, research,
investigation and rescuing cats and dogs in pounds from being sold to
research through our Project Jessie.  (Visit our website at
www.inforamp.net/~aac)

     We call Literary Lions a reading series, but it is evolving into more of a
cabaret-style entertainment.  (Perhaps our three-year association with
Tallulah's has something to do with this!)  Boring and stuffy it ain't!
Just look at who is at the top of the bill this year - Dan Piraro, the man
behind Bizarro, the quirky, one-panel syndicated cartoon.  Bizarro often
features animals in a very affectionate way;  the joke is never at the
animal's expense.  This is just the sort of spirit we love at Literary Lions!

     Joining Dan on the program will be actor and novelist Barbara Kyle
(A Dangerous Devotion), reading from her latest novel and passages about
animals by international authors, past and present.  AAC wildlife
director/Toronto Star "Nature Trail" columnist Barry Kent ("Shecky") MacKay
will keep us in stitches with his birding stories.  Journalist/novelist/cat
rescuer/bent willow furniture maker Robert Olver will tell cat stories.
Poets Owen R. Neill ("Canada's Poet of the Wolf") and Winnipeg's Patrick
Carroll will wax lyrical.

Beyond the artists who use words as their pallette, this year Literary
Lions welcomes visual artists Michael Alstad and Veronica Verkley, who will
have some of their work on display.  This talented duo were part of the
riveting UNhuman Kind animal rights art show at A Space last summer.
Michael Williams Stark, of the comedy improv troupe The Parts, has a
special song to share with us.  And so does Dr. Ronald Orenstein.  Find out
just what a singing zoologist sounds like!  More animal-friendly fun is in
the works, so stay tuned!

     But wait, there's more!  The auction with Jack Layton has exciting goodies
for everyone's taste and budget, from a framed Robert Bateman print or a
bottle of 1969 Echezeaux burgundy valued at over $400 from Clayton Ruby's
cellar to books, CDs, cruelty-free products, vegetarian dinners for two,
kids' stuff and nights on the town.  There will be a raffle with mystery
gifts inside "doggie" and "kitty" bags and door prizes, too.   Remember,
your shopping spree benefits animals, so come bearing cash or plastic!

     Tickets for Literary Lions are $20, or two for $35, available through
Animal Alliance of Canada, [phone], Buddies box office, (416)
975-8555 and Broadcast, 808 Queen Street East, [phone].  Space is
limited, so don't wait too long to avoid disappointment.

For more information, please call Anne Livingston, Director,
Animal Alliance of Canada, [phone], email [e-mail]
Date: Wed, 09 Apr 1997 19:13:58 -0400
>From: Animal Alliance of Canada <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: AAC joins JAVA against cruel horse "tradition"
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"


ANIMAL ALLIANCE OF CANADA JOINS THE JAPANESE ANTI-VIVISECTION
ASSOCIATION
TO CALL FOR AN END TO "TRADITIONAL" ANIMAL ABUSE

April 9, 1997

For the past 700 years in May, Ageuma Shinji, or the Shinto Horse-Lifting
Festival, has taken place at the Tado grand Shrine in Mie Prefecture in
Japan.  In this ritual, riders race horses up a steep hill to climb a
precipice atop a 3-meter wall. Traditionally, the number of horses who
successfully climbed the wall foretold the outcome of the year's harvest.
Today, the festival is a tourist attraction, attracting tens of thousands
spectators.

The Japan Anti-Vivisection Association (JAVA) is a non-profit organization
concerned with animal protection.  They have asked for Animal Alliance's
help to alert Canada to the suffering of horses at the Horse-Lifting
Festival, hoping that the actions taken in Canada will help end a
centuries-old tradition of pain, fear, injury and death.

Last April, a veterinarian complained that the thoroughbred horses ridden
in  Ageuma Shinji were doped.  JAVA's subsequent investigation discovered
that Annaka (a powerful stimulant affecting the central nervous system) had
been used on the Festival horses for the past ten years.  The vet explained
"This ritual in itself is very merciless for horses.  Thoroughbreds are
nervous and their legs are weak.  They won't run toward a precipice without
a stimulant."   He also said  that doping is stressful to the heart and
constitutes abuse.  Compounded with the doping and the forcing of unnatural
and dangerous behaviour, as they race by the Festival horses must endure
beatings with bamboo sticks from onlookers.

JAVA requested of the Tado Grand Shrine that the doping of the horses be
stopped and the entire ritual be reconsidered in light of the animal
suffering engendered.  They asked the Governor of Mie Prefecture to cancel
the designation of "intangible racial and cultural assest" for the Tado
Festival.  This created great interest among the Japanese media, who
covered the story for several days.   Before the Horse-Lifting Festival
took place in May, the Tado Grand Shrine acceded to JAVA's requests.  They
agreed to stop doping;  reduce the steepness of the man-made hill;
alleviate the horses' pain;  and prohibit actual and apparent cruel
treatment of the horses.

JAVA representatives attended last year's Ageuma Shinji on May 4 to monitor
it in light of the Tado Grand Shrine's commitments.  Here is what they found:

╖ The doping had apparently been stopped, however:

╖ The height of the hill was virtually identical to the hill the year before;

╖ There was no protection at the precipice for the horses, such as mats
covering the steep wall;

╖ Many young men who play a key role in the Festival were beating and
kicking the horses as the horses ran by;  these young men were also
consuming alcohol under the legal age limit in full public view;

╖ Many horses stumbled and fell during the Festival ritual.  One tumbled
over the precipice and emerged bleeding from a fetlock, leg and back;

╖ The horses were frightened, with bloodshot eyes caused by extreme
excitement and stress;  some shook off their riders;

╖ Many horses stumbled and fell during the Festival ritual;  one tumbled
over the precipice and emerged bleeding from a fetlock, leg and back;

╖ According to the vet on duty at Ageuma Shinji last May 4, the horses are
often slaughtered after the ritual, especially the most severely injured;
therefore, treatment or pain relief is not sought for them.

JAVA sent Animal Alliance a package containing a written summary of events,
photos and a video (VHS format, Japanese dialogue) which corroborates their
story.  Copies of these materials are available to the media through Animal
Alliance.

In light of the suffering of horses caused by the very nature of the Shinto
Horse-Lifting Festival, Animal Alliance of Canada (AAC) joins JAVA in their
mission to end it and investigate past rituals.  Like them, we do not
recognize "tradition" as an acceptable reason to propogate animal
suffering, whether that tradition is Ageuma Shinji, bullfighting, blood
festivals or rodeos.  We ask Canadians who care about animals to send
postcards urging the ending of Ageuma Shinji and the investigation into
past rituals to:

╖ Mikio Okuda, Minister of Education, 3-2-2 Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda-ku,
Tokyo, Japan;   phone [phone];  fax [phone]

╖ Masayasu Kitagawa, Governor of Mie, 13 Komei-cho, Tshu, Mie 514, Japan;
phone [phone];  fax [phone]

╖ Hiroshi Kasei, chief priest of Tado Taisha, 1681 Tado, Tado, Kuwana, Mie
511-01, Japan;  phone [phone];  fax [phone]

╖ The Japanese Ambassador to Canada, Mr. Takashi Tajima, 255 Essex Drive,
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1N 9E6;  phone [phone];  fax [phone]

For more information, please contact Anne Livingston, Director, Animal
Alliance of Canada, phone [phone], fax [phone], email
[e-mail] or
Yumi Tomono, Vice President, Japanese Anti-Vivisection Association, phone
011-81-3-3464-0439, fax [phone], email [e-mail]

Animal Alliance of Canada is a federally registered not-for-profit
incorporation.  We work toward long term animal protection through
legislative advocacy, public education and rescuing cats and dogs from
being sold for experimentation through Project Jessie. Website:
www.inforamp.net/~aac

-30-

Date: Wed, 09 Apr 1997 16:15:47 -0700
>From: [e-mail]
To: [e-mail]
Subject: OREGON LEGISLATIVE ALERT
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Hello Fellow Activists:
ANTI-COUGAR BILLS  are now up to a total of 5 and still counting...will it
ever end??

ask for legislators to oppose all of  these  Cougar bills!!
SB402
SB403
HB 3344
HB 3302
HB2499
(see summaries below)

ask for legislators to oppose:
SR4
SB991
(see summaries below)

ASK YOUR LEGISLATORS TO SUPPORT THESE BILLS:
HB2463
HB3483
HB2873
(see summaries below)
**********************************
SUMMARIES:
Cougars bills  to ask Legislators to oppose:
hb2499  reduces cougar tag fee from $50 to $10
        Before  house nat. resources and ag. committee, has had a hearing,
         but still in committee

hb3302  Reduces cougar tag fee to $10 and offers sportsman bargain, for
        $100 they get fishing and hunting licenses, plus tags for several
        species, including bear and cougar
        --before house ag comm, no hearing date yet assigned

hb3344  also reduces cougar tag to $10, plus establishes open season on
                                              cougars  until the year 2004!!
        hearing is scheduled for today, 4/8 before house
        agriculture and nat. resources

PLEASE CONTACT REP. JUDY UHERBELAU, SHE IS ON THE HOUSE N.R. AND AG
COMMITTEE, HER DISTRICT VOTED STRONGLY for M.34 AND FOR M.18.  SHE
NEEDS TO
HEAR FROM YOU NOW.
All legislators can be called at 800 332 2313 and written to at: state
capitol, salem 97310.  to learn who your legislators are, call the above
800 no.

House
Agriculture & Natural Resources email addresses:

Charles Starr, Chair                                 [e-mail]
Terry Thompson, Vice-Chair    NO E-mail address
Dennis Luke                                        [e-mail]
Ken Messerle                                    [e-mail]
Kurt Schrader                                  [e-mail]
Larry Wells                                     [e-mail]
Judy Uherbelau                                            [e-mail]


SB 402  allows counties to establish cougar "safety zones" where cougars
                              can be killed by any method, including hounding.
        Sen. Nat. Resources and ag committee  hearing held, still in committee

SB 403  REduces tag fee from $50 to $10
        had hearing in sen. n.r. and ag committee, still in committee

PLEASE CONTACT YOUR SENATOR, ESPECIALLY LENN HANNON WHO IS
SPONSORING BOTH
BILLS INSPITE OF THE FACT THAT HIS DISTRICT VOTED STRONGLY for M.34.
ALSO CC YOUR LETTERS TO SENATOR BRADY ADAMS, OR CONTACT HIM
DIRECTLY at
[e-mail]
                 ********************************************************
ASK YOUR LEGISLATORS TO OPPOSE THESE BILLS, BOTH FROM
       THE OREGON PET industry ASSOCIATION:

SR4     This is a resolution, not a bill, but nevertheless can/will influence
        decisions and sets a dangerous precedent.  It opposes anti-cruelty
        legislation, opposes sterilization of pets, promotes the use and
        exploitation of animals, opposes anything that doesn't involve
use/abuse
        including funding for humane education
        hearing scheduled 4/9 before senate nat. resources and ag. committee

sb991   another bill from the Oregon Pet Industry Assoc.  Fines any person
                     who makes a complaint to an agency re. animal welfare
which doesn't                        result in citation or prosecution,
$500!  This is obviously an attempt to                        stop people
from complaining about pet stores, and to keep exploiters
      free from bothersome interference from law enforcement and public
          scrutiny.
        Hearing scheduled 4/9 before senate nat. resources and ag committee.

Please cc your letters to Senator Brady Adams and House Speaker
Lundquist
*********************************

ASK YOUR LEGISLATORS TO SUPPORT THESE BILLS: (HB means bill is in the
house, sb means bill is in the senate, so contact the appropriate
legislator)
HB2788  Prohibits canned hunts, where captive wildlife, often tame from
years of
        zoo life or former pets, are confined in an area for trophy hunters.

HB2463  Prohibits carrying animals in open bed of truck, existing law is
             ambiguous and not enforceable.  unfortunately, it exempts farm
dogs                              and livestock.

HB3483  Requires animals adopted from shelters to be sterilized,  owner

        can be penalized for noncompliance.
                               This is the 3rd year this type   of bill has
been put forth,
                                              always defeated.  let's see
it finally  passed now.

HB2873   Creates crime of animal neglect in second degree for person
             failing to provide adequate space for livestock to turn around
                    and stretch their limbs except when livestock is
receiving
               medical treatment.
                               this has been sitting in the Judiciary
committee since 2/28.

Thanks in advance for taking the time to see that these bills get the
attention they need.

Sarah Wilson





Date: Thu, 10 Apr 1997 07:55:02 +0800
>From: bunny <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Xenotransplantation, pig virus
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

April 9, 1997 - From CDC's AIDS Clearinghouse (April 8)

"A Transplant Breakthrough...With One Big Catch" Business Week (04/07/97) P.
137; Baker, Stephen: Genetically engineered pigs, designed with human genes
to make their organs more acceptable to the human immune system, are being
hailed by some as a solution to the critical shortage of transplant organs.
Pig organs could help save 200,000 Americans a year, says transplant expert
John J. Fung, of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

A potential obstacle to the use of pig organs was recently discovered,
however, when researchers at London's Institute of Cancer Research found
that a pig virus could infect human cells, suggesting that the use of pig
organs in humans could result in a new human viral epidemic. "From an
infectious disease standpoint, transplanting animal organs is a really bad
idea," claims Jonathan S. Allan of the Southwest Foundation for
BiomedicalResearch. While the British government placed a moratorium on
animal-to-human transplants in January, the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration has approved the practice, under strict regulations to
guarantee safety. Transplant recipients are especially vulnerable to
cross-infection, because they are given immune-suppressing drugs to prevent
organ rejection.

Researchers, meanwhile, are also investigating ways to transplant live
animal tissues and cells to treat diseases like Parkinson's disease, AIDS,
and diabetes.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kia hora te marino, kia whakapapa pounamu te moana, kia tere ai te karohirohi
i mua tonu i o koutou huarahi.
                              -Maori Prayer

(May the calm be widespread, may the sea be as the smooth surface of the
greenstone and may the rays of sunshine forever dance along your pathway)

Date: Thu, 10 Apr 1997 07:58:42 +0800
>From: bunny <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: BSE MOUSE TESTS
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

In Science News, February 1, 1997 Vol 151, No. 5., page 72, titled: "The
latest salvo in the prion debate" Reports a study in Science, January 17th:
"A research group headed by Dominique Dormont of the Atomic Energy
Commission in Fontenay-aux-Roses, France, ground up brains of cows with
bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), the fatal neurological disorder also
known as mad cow disease.  The scientists then injected samples of the
bovine brains into the brains of 30 mice.

After peiods ranging from 368 to 719 days, all of the mice began
experiencing symptoms of a BSE-like neurological disorder. Yet when the
scientists searched the brains of those mice for prions, they found none in
55 percent of them. That was surprising, since prions are now thought by
many scientists to be the infectious agent for BSE. According to this
hypothesis, prions are malformed versions of a cellular protein  called PrP.
Prions cause BSE by converting normal PrP proteins into thier own mishapen
form."

...Because they did not detect these abnormal proteins in the brains of all
the diseased mice, however, Dormont and his group speculate that prions are
not the agent for BSE.  Still the prions probably play a crucial role in how
the disease develops, they note.

While the few reseachers who argue that an undetected virus or bacterium
causes BSE have taken heart from the results of the French group, other
scientists are skeptical.  "Our experience is quite different than the
French goup's," observes Moira E. Bruce of the Institute for Animal Health
in Edinburgh, whose research group has also injected BSE brain tissue into
mice. The most important distinction, Bruce notes, is that in every mouse
tested so far, her group has found accumulations of prions.

Bruce argues that the work of Dormont's group does not shatter the prion
hypothesis, but she also remains undecided as to whether the prions or some
infectious microbe causes BSE.  Like many other scientists, "I'm still on
the fence," she says."
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kia hora te marino, kia whakapapa pounamu te moana, kia tere ai te karohirohi
i mua tonu i o koutou huarahi.
                              -Maori Prayer

(May the calm be widespread, may the sea be as the smooth surface of the
greenstone and may the rays of sunshine forever dance along your pathway)

Date: Thu, 10 Apr 1997 20:10:12 -0400
>From: allen schubert <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: (CH) Report: Wild Apes Could Go Extinct
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

from AP Wire page:
-----------------------------
04/09/1997 20:02 EST

 Report: Wild Apes Could Go Extinct

 By ERICA BULMAN
 Associated Press Writer

 GENEVA (AP) -- Man's closest genetic relative, the ape, is facing
pressures that
 could drive it into extinction in the wild, the World Wildlife Fund warned
Thursday.

 Driven from their natural habitats, hunted for their meat, poached as
trophies and
 listed as the `plat du jour' in fancy Paris restaurants, the world's great
apes have
 been fighting a losing battle in recent years.

 While there are still tens of thousands of great apes left -- from
chimpanzees to
 orangutans to gorillas -- their numbers have dropped precipitously.

 The wildlife group warned that the ape could end up extinct, but did not
estimate
 when that could happen.

 The latest threat comes in the form of war.

 ``The most endangered of all these apes is the mountain gorilla, whose last
 stronghold is the troubled -- sometimes war-torn -- zone along the
frontiers of
 Rwanda, Zaire and Uganda,'' Elizabeth Kemp, Species Policy Information
Officer for
 WWF International said.

 ``Civil unrest has put the gorilla and chimpanzee in great peril,'' she
noted.

 In 1994, hundreds of thousands of refugees fled ethnic violence in Rwanda,
 streaming into Zaire and settling near the Virunga National Park, a haven for
 mountain gorillas.

 The WWF said that landmines, firewood collection, random shootings and the
threat
 of disease are killing chimpanzees and putting the gorillas at risk.

 Kemp noted, though, that Zairian rebels were cooperating with
conservationists to
 help protect animals.

 One of the largest threats to the great ape is loss of habitat, the report
said.

 ``Unsustainable logging, agricultural expansion, oil exploration, mining
and human
 migration into ape habitat are all causing the animals' forest home to
shrink as
 never before,'' the report said.

 The report warned that in 50 to 70 years the forests in Zaire, Equatorial
Guinea and
 Cameroon could disappear completely.

 In Malaysia and Indonesia, it said, less than two percent of the
orangutan's forest
 habitat remains. Suitable habitat for the animal has declined by 80
percent in the
 past 20 years.

 Wildlife is also being increasingly hunted for food, it added.

 ``Bush meat,'' long hunted by the denizens of the forests, has become
fashionably
 exotic, with restaurants as far as Paris and Brussels offering monkey on
the menu.

 The great apes are also hunted for souvenirs. In the late 1980's many
orangutan
 skulls were sold to tourists as trophies in Indonesia, a practice that has
been
 stopped by the government.

 Chimpanzees, which roamed Africa by the millions at the turn of the
century, are
 down to 100,000 to 200,000 today. In Asia the number of orangutans has
decreased
 from 100,000 to 30,000. The number of bonobo chimps has been halved in the
last
 20 years, dwindling to below 25,000. The western lowland gorilla is now
extinct in
 Zaire.
Date: Thu, 10 Apr 1997 09:26:21 +0800
>From: bunny <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: [Australia] Bid for mouse bait.
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

BID FOR MOUSE BAIT

Victorian "Weekly Times" (9.4.97)

Victorian grain growers may soon be armed with zinc phosphide to fight the
mouse plague many believe will hit broadacre farms this year.

If approved by the National Registration Authority, Victorian farmers will
be the first in the country to use the bait, and the first in the world to
use it for broadacre application.

On Monday, Agriculture Minister Pat McNamara urged the NRA to approve the
use of the chemical for ground and arial baiting by Victorian farmers this
autumn.

The Government support followed two successful trials of zinc phosphide in
the past six months.

He said there was concern about continual build-up of mice numbers,
especially in the Mallee and Wimmera.

"They are in the stubble and we want to knock down the numbers before they
cause any damage," M<r McNamara said.

If approved by the NRA, zinc phosphide will be used instead of strychnine,
which proved unpopular in the market and was rejected by the Australian
wheat and barley boards when used in the 1993 plague.

Victorian Farmers Federation Grains president David Thomas welcomed the
government support.

"Zinc phosphide is the most widely used rodenticide overseas and has no
known side effects. It does the job and then breaks down," he said.

Farmers would need an Agricultural Chemical Users Permit to place the baits.

End
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kia hora te marino, kia whakapapa pounamu te moana, kia tere ai te karohirohi
i mua tonu i o koutou huarahi.
                              -Maori Prayer

(May the calm be widespread, may the sea be as the smooth surface of the
greenstone and may the rays of sunshine forever dance along your pathway)

Date: Wed, 09 Apr 1997 21:31:36 -0400
>From: Wyandotte Animal Group <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: CHATHAM 5 RELEASED ON BAIL
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

The judge announced today, instead of Friday like planned, that bail would
be granted to them.  The jail opens at 9:30 AM tomorrow and hopefully, all
will get released as soon as possible after that.  They send their love and
thanks to everyone who has supported them!



Jason Alley
Wyandotte Animal Group
[e-mail]

Date: Thu, 10 Apr 1997 09:46:28 +0800
>From: bunny <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: RFI: Zinc Phosphide as broadacre baiting
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Has anyone access to information on Zinc Phosphide and its use as a potential
broad acre treatment of "coming mouse plagues" ?
I would be most grateful of a copy of or reference to such information.

Do any long term studies exist with regards to this product in relation
to human health (of both users of the product and with regards to the
product entering the food chain of humans)?. Also I would be most grateful
on the potential effect of zinc phosphide on native animals and birds(if
ingested) and
information with regards to possible residual levels in soils or grains.
Also of interest is whether this product is capable of causing sickness/death
in aquatic life if it enters waterways.

The product is being allowed restricted testing in our Eastern states
following rumours of "coming mouse plagues". The NRA disallowed a request by
Victorian farmers for strychnine baits but is allowing field trials of zinc
phosphide in Victoria.

In my state of Western Australia, so far,  broadacre baiting of mice is termed
"unacceptable" according to literature I have received from WA agricultural
authorities.

I have searched widely but can find little information on zinc phosphide.

Please email me privately with any references on the subject if possible.

Kind Regards,

Marguerite Wegner
Western Australia
[e-mail]
Ph/Fax [phone]
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kia hora te marino, kia whakapapa pounamu te moana, kia tere ai te karohirohi
i mua tonu i o koutou huarahi.
                              -Maori Prayer

(May the calm be widespread, may the sea be as the smooth surface of the
greenstone and may the rays of sunshine forever dance along your pathway)

Date: Thu, 10 Apr 1997 10:16:02 +0800
>From: bunny <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Two articles re Salmonella outbreaks [Australia]
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Food poison blamed on retail end.
The Weekly Times, 7th April 1997, Victoria, Australia

Pacific Meat Packers general manager Leo Susko believes the Victorian
salmonella ourbreak has not been caused due to processing.

"With inspection levels these days, the latest outbreak can only be to do
with food handling or lack of training of staff at that end," he said.

"It is beyond meatworks and even after processing of smallgoods, I believe
it may have occurred at the retail outlets.

"It is happening outside the rigid standards now in force in the processing
industry,"

Pacific Meat in Thomastown is the first independent, off-site boning room in
Australia and New Zealand to achieve ISO 9002 accreditation for production
quality.

Mr Susko said salmonella was inherent in the gut of every animal, but was
not normally a health threat.

"If I were to test every animal I would find a percentage had salmonella in
their gut.

"In the chicken industry you won't find one bird without salmonella."

End.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Meatworks "clean"

By Duncan Brown
Livestock Editor. Weekly Times (Victoria , Australia 9th April 1997)

Victoria's meatworks watchdog has ruled out a return to government
inspection in domestic amattoirs following the recent food poisoning outbreaks.

Victorian meat authority chairman John Watson said the state's company-based
inspection system, introduced in 1994, has become the quality benchmark for
abattoirs.

His comments follow five seperate outbreaks of salmonella in Melbourne in
recent weeks which have affected more than 600 people and are predicted to
cost the smallgoods industry more than $1 million.

Mr Watson said none of the outbreaks had been traced to domestic abattoirs
(which are underpinned by a compulsory quality assurance scheme) but had
occured during curing, cooking or handling.

The authority has called for the rapid introduction of uniform, national
food hygiene standards for wholesalers and retailers based on the latest
quality assurance guidelines.

But in a blow to the domestic processing sector, retail giant Coles told the
Weekly Times it was sourcing all its national meat requirements from two
export accredited abattoirs.

Coles retail spokesman Greg Every said the export accreditation was an
assurance to customers that a system met a certain standard.

"It is nothing against domestic abattoirs" he said.

Mr Watson said the domestic abattoirs had become a convenient scapegoat for
unions with a vested interest in seeing a return to regulatory inspection.

"It wouldn't matter if you had 1,000 or 10,000 inspectors out there, they
can't be out there every minute if the day and they can't see these
dangerous pathogens" he said.

"Company inspection operates in many industries around the world, including
the manufacturing of aircraft, motor cars and pharmaceutical supplies."

Mr Watson dismissed claims by the Community and Public Sector Union last
week that domestic inspection systems weren't up to export standard.

The union's food inspection branch secretary, Felicity Rafferty, said a
CSIRO trial had exposed domestic abattoirs as having much higher incidences
of salmonella bacteria than export abattoirs.

But the CSIRO this week responded to the claims, saying most of the sampling
for the trial had taken place prior to in-house inspection in 1994.

Meanwhile, senior government veterinarians have rejected claims the source
of recent salmonella outbreaks could have been infected cattle.

End.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kia hora te marino, kia whakapapa pounamu te moana, kia tere ai te karohirohi
i mua tonu i o koutou huarahi.
                              -Maori Prayer

(May the calm be widespread, may the sea be as the smooth surface of the
greenstone and may the rays of sunshine forever dance along your pathway)




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