Komputer for Alle 1998 #6/1998 CD 6 (Gul).iso/web/ffa/wwwenv~1.org/arrs/digest/news38~4.htm/text0001.txt

Text File | 1998-04-03 | 82.2 KB | 2,023 lines

Nerve cells may be able to regenerate, study suggests

Copyright ⌐ 1997 Reuter Information Service

WASHINGTON (April 24, 1997 4:19 p.m. EDT) - Nerve cells, customarily
thought to be unable to regenerate after damage, showed surprising signs
of vigor in laboratory tests, researchers reported Thursday.

"The standard logic has been that one is born with a certain number of
neurons (nerve cells) and you don't get any more," George Wilcox, one
author of an article published in the current edition of the journal
Science, said.

"So one doesn't expect to see ... the production of neurons in the brain
or spinal cord. That finding was surprising," Wilcox said in a telephone
interview from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.

Also surprising was the finding that the neurons that survived in the
laboratory experiments appeared to be functional, Wilcox said. Since
neurons handle the tasks of thinking and remembering, this was
significant.

Wilcox and his colleagues took neurons from the spinal cords of young
rats, mixed them up, put them in laboratory culture dishes and then fed
them with a medium that allowed the neurons to survive.

The researchers cautioned against raising hopes for those with spinal
cord injuries, saying this research was far from being applied to
humans.

"The reason that we can't gather up all the paraplegics in the world is
that this was done only on a young rat, not from an older rat, and only
in culture," Wilcox said. "There's a lot of work to be done in in-vivo
(living animal) studies."

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

A lot of work to be done, - on live rats and dead rats, young rats and
old rats, male rats and female rats, - keeping the whitecoats well
furnished with funds for many years to come.

Whether a human paraplegic will ever benefit by all this pseudo-science
is another matter.

Andy
Date: Thu, 24 Apr 1997 21:39:06 -0700
>From: Andrew Gach <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Mice studies show promise
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Vaccine against bladder infection shows promise in mice

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (April 24, 1997 4:13 p.m. EDT) -- Human tests may begin next
year on a vaccine to protect against painful bladder infections that
annually affect more than 7 million Americans, mostly women, and cost
more than $1 billion to treat.

In studies on laboratory mice, the vaccine disarmed nearly all strains
of a bacterium, called E. coli, that causes more than 90 percent of all
urinary tract infections.

Researcher Solomon Langermann said Thursday that the vaccine is being
tested in monkeys and should be ready for human trials in 1998, if the
federal government approves.

Bladder infections are one of the most common of all infections,
affecting 7 million to 8 million Americans. E. coli is a common
bacterium in the colon, where it has a beneficial effect.

The infection usually occurs when E. coli is transferred from the rectum
to the urinary tract and then up that tract to the bladder. About 95
percent of all such infections are in women.

Bladder infections can cause fever, painful and frequent urination, and
blood and pus in the urine. They usually are treated successfully with
antibiotics, but some E. coli are becoming increasingly resistant. In
uncommon cases, usually in patients who already are seriously ill,
bladder infections can spread to the kidneys and can be a contributing
factor in deaths, experts say.

Langermann, of MedImmune Inc. of Gaithersburg, Md., was lead author of a
study to be published Friday in the journal Science. His co-authors
include researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St.
Louis.

Dr. Jerry Blaivas, a professor of urology at Cornell University's New
York Hospital, said a vaccine against E. coli urinary tract infections
"would have an enormous impact" on general public health.

"It is the second-most-common cause of morbidity (illness) in the
country," said Blaivas. "If there was a vaccine to prevent 90 percent of
urinary tract infections, that would be fantastic."

But Blaivas cautioned that such a vaccine would have to be carefully
tested to assure that it does not alter the normal action of E. coli in
the gut or allow other bacteria to bloom and cause other types of
infections.

Langermann said the vaccine creates antibodies against a protein that E.
coli uses to establish infection in the bladder.

"These bacteria have pili (stalklike structures) that look like hair
coming off the surface of each bacterium," said Langermann. "At the very
tip of the pili is a protein called adhesin that allows it to stick to
the tissue of the bladder."

The vaccine causes the body to make antibodies that prevent adhesin from
locking onto the cells of the bladder wall. Instead of causing an
infection, the disabled bacteria are washed out of the body when the
bladder is emptied.

Langermann said the vaccine was tested on hundreds of mice. After the
test animals were injected with the vaccine, human E. coli bacteria were
injected into their urinary tract. A similar number of mice got the
bacteria after placebo vaccine shots.

"In all of the mice that received the vaccine, there is a greater than
99 percent reduction in colonization by E. coli," said Langermann.

The researchers also gathered a number of different strains of E. coli
from women and children patients, he said, and test tube experiments
showed the vaccine was effective against 94 percent of all these
strains.

Monkey studies of the vaccine are under way at the Karolinska Institute
in Sweden, said Langermann. This research will not only determine if the
vaccine is effective against E. coli urinary infections in primates, but
also look for side effects.
Date: Fri, 25 Apr 1997 00:43:31 -0400
>From: allen schubert <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: (US) FDA advised to look at mad cow disease risk from gelatin
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

from CNN web page:
---------------------------------
                     FDA advised to look at mad cow disease risk from
                     gelatin

                     April 25, 1997
                     Web posted at: 12:06 a.m. EDT
                     (0406 GMT)

                     WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Federal regulators are looking
                     at whether any risk exists in the use of gelatin
                     from countries where mad cow disease exists.

                     Think gelatin, and Jell-O wiggles to mind. But the
                     substance that aids in congealment crops up in a
                     wide range of products, including makeup and skin
                     creams, cake mixes and gummy bears, vitamins, gel
                     caps used for drugs and even vaccines. Gelatin is
                     derived from the skin and bones of cattle and
                     other animals.

                     An advisory panel to the Food and Drug
                     Administration heard testimony Wednesday that most
                     of the gelatin produced in the United States is
                     made from pig skins, which are not considered a
                     risk. Some comes from cattle hide and bones.

                     "I think that we are talking about a very, very
                     small risk -- but not zero," said panel chairman
                     Dr. Paul Brown of the National Institutes of
                     Health.

                      Nonetheless, the committee voted to
                              recommend that the FDA take a closer
                     look at gelatin imported from countries where mad
                     cow disease is known to exist.

                     There is no proof that gelatin carries BSE

                     Currently, FDA regulations prohibit the use of
                     brains and spinal cords of cows from countries
                     where mad cow disease or Bovine Spongiform
                     Encephalopathy (BSE) has been found. Those organs
                     are considered highly infectious.

                     But gelatin is exempted from U.S. regulations,
                     because there is no evidence BSE can be
                     transmitted to humans through the product.

                     BSE countries include Britain, France,
                     Switzerland, Portugal, the Republic of Ireland and
                     the Netherlands. Britain effectively prohibits the
                     use of gelatin from its cows, but other countries
                     such as France export gelatin to the United
                     States.

                     Fifteen cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, or
                     CJD, the fatal human equivalent of BSE, have been
                     reported in Britain. CJD is a fatal brain disease
                     that resembles mad cow disease and makes its
                     victims tremble. European health officials say
                     there may be a link between the two illnesses.

                     The committee said while there is no evidence that
                     BSE can be transmitted to humans from gelatin, the
                     FDA should be allowed to regulate it if necessary.

                     "We felt as a group that it was very
                     likely that gelatin is a safe product, and
                     that it will prove to be a safe product when the
                     evidence is in, but we felt it was best to be
                     prudent until that evidence is presented to us,"
                     Brown said.

                     The U.S. gelatin industry, which contends gelatin
                     is safe, said it was disappointed by the
                     committee's vote, and cautioned any future attempt
                     by the FDA to restrict gelatin imports could be a
                     problem.

                     "There simply is not enough gelatin made in the
                     United States to satisfy the domestic need," said
                     George Mason of the Gelatin Manufacturers
                     Institute of America.

                     Correspondent Eugenia Halsey contributed to this
                     report.


Date: Fri, 25 Apr 1997 01:46:02 -0700 (PDT)
>From: David J Knowles <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: [UK] Fine mesh nets threaten to wipe out porpoises
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"


>From The Eletronic Telegraph - Friday, April 25th, 1997

Fine mesh nets threaten to wipe out porpoises
By Charles Clover

MORE than 2,000 porpoises are being killed in fishing nets off the Cornish
coast every year, according to a new study.

The Cornish Wildife Trust's research shows that harbour porpoises in the
Celtic Sea - between Ireland and Brittany - are being destroyed faster than
they can reproduce.

Volunteers, who spent 300 days on Irish and Cornish fishing boats,
discovered 43 dead porpoises - six per cent of the known population.This
equates to about 2,300 harbour porpoises being killed each year mainly after
being caught in fine mesh gill nets.

"The number of porpoises being taken is above what the population can
stand," Dr Nick Tregenza, of the Cornwall Wildlife Trust, said yesterday.
"If nothing changes the population will gradually dwindle and eventually
disappear completely.

"The porpoise relies on its sonar system and cannot easily pick up these
nets because they are so light. The fishermen were very helpful and were
rather shocked at the total number. They know there is a problem and are not
happy. They would love to find a solution."

Research is under way on an electronic "pinger" device which can be fixed to
nets to produce a sound that frightens porpoises away but this has not been
fully developed.

⌐ Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1997.

Date: Fri, 25 Apr 1997 01:45:59 -0700 (PDT)
>From: David J Knowles <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: [UK] Hayfever drug faces curbs after 14 die
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"


>From The Eletronic Telegraph - Friday, April 25th, 1997

Hayfever drug faces curbs after 14 die
By David Fletcher, Health Correspondent

A HAYFEVER treatment taken by up to three million people a year and sold
under brand names including Boots Antihistamine tablets and Aller-eze Clear
is set to be withdrawn from over-the-counter sales following fears about its
safety.

The Health Department disclosed yesterday that 14 people have died as a
result of taking products containing the drug terfenadine - also sold as
Triludan - since 1982 and that it may cause serious illness when taken in
combination with concentrated grapefruit juice.

The department has written to all doctors and pharmacists announcing a
six-week period of consultation - which it is legally required to give -
with a view to removing it from sale in chemists' shops and making it
available only on prescription.

Terfenadine is one of the most popular non-sedating antihistamines taken by
an estimated 2-3 million people to treat hayfever, mostly in the May to July
period. It is sold under a variety of brand names including Aller-eze Clear,
Boots Antihistamine Tablets, Boots Hay Fever Relief Antihistamine Tablets,
Boots Once-a-Day Antihistamine Tablets, Histafen, Terfinax, Seldane,
Triludan, Terfenor, Triludan Forte and Terfex.

Prof Michael Rawlins, chairman of the Government's Committee on Safety of
Medicines, who announced the proposed withdrawal, said terfenadine was
perfectly safe when used correctly. But he said it should not be taken by
anyone taking certain antibiotics including
erythromycin and clarithromycin or some treatments for fungus infections
including ketoconazole and itraconazole.

It should not be taken by anyone with heart or liver problems, the
recommended dose should not be exceeded and it should not be taken with
grapefruit juice. Terfenadine has been found to react with these drugs, and
with a chemical called psoralen in some grapefruit juices, to cause serious
irregularities in the heart rhythms of some susceptible people.

There have been 33 such cases of heart arrhythmias reported by doctors since
1982 and Prof Rawlins said the recent discovery that grapefruit juice was
implicated was the "final straw" in reaching the decision to seek withdrawal.

A spokesman for Boots said that in the vast majority of cases terfenadine
was safe and effective and Boots had no plans for the immediate withdrawal
of the drug. France, Greece and Luxembourg have recently taken the drug off
the market and America is also
considering a total ban.

⌐ Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1997.

Date: Fri, 25 Apr 1997 01:46:04 -0700 (PDT)
>From: David J Knowles <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: [UK] Endangered game 'shot in reserves'
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"


>From The Eletronic Telegraph - Friday, April 25th, 1997

Endangered game 'shot in reserves'
By Charles Clover, Environment Editor

ENDANGERED animals are being shot on African game reserves by "trophy
hunters" from overseas, including Britain, according to Roger Cook, the
investigative television reporter.

In a scene filmed by a hidden camera, a lion in the Kruger National Park in
South Africa was lured into a game reserve, drugged and offered as a target
to an undercover reporter. The incident is now under investigation by the
South African government.

The film, to be shown next Tuesday on ITV's The Cook Report, claims that,
"if you have got the money, you can kill anything you want, however
endangered it is".

Two Spanish businessmen promised to obtain protected rare animals, including
gorillas from Cameroon, for trophy hunters to shoot in "canned hunts". Black
rhino and Malaysian tigers were also offered.

Mr Cook said at a press conference yesterday that trophy hunters were
"usually inadequate" people seeking "bloody souvenirs". They were mainly
wealthy people from America, Britain and Germany. He also criticised legally
controlled big game hunting as a way of putting money into the pockets of
those who organised it.

On a "sustainable use" - or hunting - reserve in Zimbabwe, he was told: "If
you slip a few hundred dollars into my back pocket you can have another kudu
(antelope)."

However, Mr Cook's programme was criticised by Lucy Farmer, of the World
Wide Fund for Nature. "We totally condemn the practice of illegally shooting
endangered animals," she said. "But Roger Cook has gone too far because
there are good and bad examples.

"There is no doubt that vast areas of Africa are set aside for wildlife and
would not be if local people did not derive some benefit from game shooting.
This land is under extreme pressure and if it did not pay it would rapidly
become degraded by cattle ranching."

⌐ Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1997.

Date: Fri, 25 Apr 1997 09:26:01 -0400 (EDT)
>From: [e-mail]
To: [e-mail]
Subject: URGENT -SLC ACTIVIST JAILED
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>



SALT LAKE CITY ACTIVIST JAILED FOR A.L.F. ACTIVITY --
SUPPORT LETTERS URGENTLY NEEDED!

Animal activist Jacob Kenison is facing three felony charges and was
thrown in jail today at the insistance of Federal agents.  As you
probably already know, SLC has been a hot-spot of government harassment,
and Jacob has experienced its full force.

Now he is in jail, and is unable to be bailed out!

Please write him a letter of support right now, to bolster his morale,
and let him know we haven't forgotten him. Letters mean a lot to
imprisoned people! Please take five minutes to write him! Send letters
to:

Jacob Kenison
Political Prisoner
450 South 300 East
Salt Lake City, UT 84111

THE HISTORY OF JACOB'S CHARGES

When reading this, remember the federal and local authorities have
placed intense pressure on activists in SLC. These agenst of repression
have been given orders by Sentor Orin Hatch to make an example of these
delinquints, and they have implemented numerous COINTELPRO activities in
an attempt to trip up and imprison activists and dismantle what is an
extremely effective bastion of animal rights activism. Now Jacob's
story...

First, an as-of-yet unknown informer allegedly told the ATF that Jacob
had burried two molitov cocktails in his backyard and that he had been
involved in ALF mink raids.  They used this information to get a search
warrant for his house. During the search they found some fireworks and
even though Jacob's roommate Mikey Foster admitted to the authorities
that the fireworks were his, the authorities wrote in the police report
that Mikey told the police that Jacob had asked him to buy them for his
use -- A blatant lie which resulted in Jacob being charged with
"possession of explosives/incediaries".

Then Mikey, who also faced the same charges, became a full informer and
told the police everything he knew about everyone, and if he didn't know
anything made it up. The police used Mikey's bogus testimony (for
example of its blantant falicies, Mikey said that a picture of a
liberator doing a mink raid in No Compromise was of a specific SLC
activist, however the picture was taken at a raid in Connecticut) to
give Jacob an "agrivated arson" charge for allegedly torching the Tandy
Leather shop which happened years ago.

Today, Jacob Kenison went to his pretrial. And again, Arson Investigator
Jeff Long repeated the lies in court today saying that Jacob told him
that he knew the fireworks were in the house. Jacob's mother, who had
witnessed the entire search of the house and the conversation between
Long and Jacob knew his statement was a lie and after court, confronted
him called him a liar to his face.

After Federal Agents talked to the judge, Jacob was taken into custody
and his bail was set at $15,000.  However, even if this bail is paid, he
still will not be allowed to be released from jail because the US
Marshall has put a hold on him!

Apparently, they now want to charge him with a Federal firearms charge
of providing false information when purchasing a gun. The form asks if
he had any felonies -- thinking it meant conviction, he put no. But now
he has another bogus charge to fight.

Special Agent John Cooper with the ATF once told Jacob, "We're going to
get you for anything we can."  And these all of these charges are
exactly that -- the Feds grasping at straws in an attempt to harass,
jail, and demoralize activists.

By relying on false information, blatantly lieing in police reports, and
trying to get Jacob on anything and everything, they have managed to get
him behind bars and have him facing three felony charges.

It seems like some higher-ups are forcing these Agents to find someone
-- anyone -- who they can pin these ALF actions on -- be they guilty or
not!

Please write Jacob a letter of support to bolster his morale and let the
authorities know that they will NOT divide and conquer us, because we
WON'T tolerate their crap, we will NOT believe their lies and we WILL
stick together and support our own!

WRITE JACOB AT:

Jacob Kenison
Political Prisoner
450 South 300 East
Salt Lake City, UT 84111

WRITE LETTERS OF PROTEST TO:

Robert E. Rubin
Secretary of the Treasury
US Dept. of the Treasury
1500 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20220

The Secretary of Treasury oversees the ATF -- the federal agents who are
gladly carrying out the COINTELPRO activities against young and
disenfranchised activists. Please write him and demand he hold a hearing
of misconduct to investigate the ATF's abuses of people's civil
liberties.

Senator Orin Hatch
SR-131 Russell Senate Office Bldg.
Washington, DC 20510-4402

This is the Utah Sentor who wants to make an example of animal
activists. He also is the head of the Judiciary Committee. Let him know
that you -- the good citizens of America -- are watching the Evil ATF
agents in his state and our outraged by their mistreatment of ativists
and their trampling the civil liberties of people everywhere.
Urge him to also open hearings to investigate the ATF's misconduct.

Date: Fri, 25 Apr 1997 09:27:21 -0400 (EDT)
>From: [e-mail]
To: [e-mail]
Subject: The ATF in Utah
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>

A.T.F. DENY SERVING GRAND JURY SUBPOENAS AFTER GRAND JURY EXPOSED
AS GOVERNMENT HARASSMENT

SALT LAKE CITY -- We might have finally seen our first small victory in
the on-going battle in SLC between our civil liberties and the Feds
harassment!

News reporters in SLC have given us favorable coverage regarding the
grand jury.  Meghann was portrayed as the innocent above ground activist
that she is, being harassed by the ATF with grand jury subpoenas because
of nothing more than her involvement with animal rights -- which again
is true.

When the US Attorney was asked if they had served the grand jury papers,
they said they would not confirm or deny it. However ATF had told one
reporter, who then told Dave Wilson, that they DID NOT serve the papers.
Thankfully we have copies of the paper and faxed them to any media who
asked for it, catching the ATF in their lies!

And if the ATF are so worried of their subpoena that they are lieing
about it, then our attempts to expose them are starting to work.

But SLC is far from under control, and we will need to continue to
oraganize, resist and expose their opression, and continue the struggle
for animal liberation!

PLEASE WRITE LETTERS OF PROTEST TO:

Robert E. Rubin
Secretary of the Treasury
US Dept. of the Treasury
1500 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20220

The Secretary of Treasury oversees the ATF -- the federal agents who are
gladly carrying out the COINTELPRO activities against young and
disenfranchised activists. Please write him and demand he hold a hearing
of misconduct to investigate the ATF's abuses of people's civil
liberties.

Senator Orin Hatch
SR-131 Russell Senate Office Bldg.
Washington, DC 20510-4402

This is the Utah Sentor who wants to make an example of animal
activists. He also is the head of the Judiciary Committee. Let him know
that you -- the good citizens of America -- are watching the Evil ATF
agents in his state and our outraged by their mistreatment of ativists
and their trampling the civil liberties of people everywhere.
Urge him to also open hearings to investigate the ATF's misconduct.


Date: Fri, 25 Apr 1997 09:28:52 -0400 (EDT)
>From: [e-mail]
To: [e-mail]
Subject: More on Utah harassment
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=unknown-8bit



INFO ON UTAH HARASSMENT -- Protest Calls, Letters Urgently Needed!

The below factsheet on ATF harassment of Utah activists will help in
giving you the necessary background to write protest letters. PLEASE
write these letters and support these activists!

(Addresses/phone/fax numbers to direct protest toward follow the
Fact-Sheet)

Harassment of Utah Animal Activists

      The FBI and police have conducted a covert campaign of harassment and
intimidation of local animal rights activists in an effort to neutralize
the Salt Lake area animal rights movement.  The Civil Liberties Defense
Fund initiated an intense investigation to determine the extent of their
political repression.  After conducting 20 interviews, and scouring
court documents, newspaper articles, and other evidence, the Fund has
developed itÆs preliminary findings which are printed here.
     The authroitesÆ campaign against animal activists started as early as
November of 1994 and over 40 animal rights supporters report
experiencing some form of harassment.  Federal agents and police have
stalked, thraetned, and slandered animal rights supporters on a massive
scale.  Authorities have fabricated court evidence to obtain false
criminal charges, entered peopleÆs homes without a warrant or
permission, conducted grand jury ôwitch hunts,ö harassed activists at
their homes and workplaces, and possibly been responsible for numerous
suspicious car-tampering incidents which sriously threatened peoplesÆ
lives.
     The allegations and extent of the harassment are explained below:

Stalking:
So far, 20 activists admit authorities have blatantly watched and
followed them.  Activists would often see cars or vans parked outside of
their houses with one or two people in them.  Sometimes the carÆs
occupants would have clipboards or walkie talkies.  When people left the
monitored house, the authorities would follow them to their next
destination.  Some animal rights supporters were tailed from their
house, to work, to the store, and back to their house by the same car.
By conducting conspicious surveillance, the authorities have spread fear
and paranoia throughout the animal rights community.

Interviews and Searches:
Authorities have approached at least 17 activists by phone or in person
desiring to ask them ôa few questions.ö  Those activists who politely
asserted their right to remain silent, were often hounded for days on
end until capitulating.  Those people who did cooperate were often
lectured, scolded, told they were criminals who would be jailed for a
long time, and were also told lies and slander about other activists.
These interviews instilled fear, created division, helped destroy trust
among activists, and discouraged supporters from getting involved.

Falsifying Evidence:
The authorites raided two activistsÆ home.  After an extensive search
which included digging up part of his back yard, all the authorities
found were two fire-crackers.  One activst admitted they were his,
however the police lied in a police report saying the uninvolved roomate
had asked his roommate to buy them for him.  Even though the activistsÆ
parents pointed out this mistake and were told it would be changed, the
documents remained the same, and the uninvolved activist was
subsequently charged with possession of explosives and jailed.  The
District Attorney later admitted that he would not have charged the
activist had he known his supposed confession was not true.

Suspicious Car-Tamperings:
Five activists experienced suspicious car-related problems during the
heart of their harassment.  Two activists had sugar poured into their
gas tanks, one after an animal rights meeting.   Another animal
protectionist who had been followed by ATF agents has parts removed from
her engine.  Yet another activist had their alternator tampered with
causing their car to continually die.
     The most serious case of car tampering almost killed two people.  After
an animal rights meeting, two animal rights supporters were driving home
when their car burst into flames.  They were forced to jump out of the
moving car to avoid being burned alive.  The car crashed into a snow
bank and burned.  It was later discovered The fuel line of a car had
been punctured.

Slander:
The authorites have slandered over a dozen activists by spreading lies
to their friends and family that they have been involved in illegal
activities.  This slander has caused many innocent activists to fear
arrest and imprisonment.  It has also divided and weakened the local
movement by causeing activists to avoid those slandered for fear of
becoming ôguilty by association.ö
     The authorities have also spread lies through the media that ôvegansö
are gang members, when really a vegan is someone who does not consume or
wear animal products for ethical reasons.  By attaching the incorrect
ôgangö label to vegan activists, the police and FBI have confused the
issue, scared off potential supporters, and needlessly worried many
parents whose childrenÆs adopt a vegan lifestyle.

Threats:
Authorities have threatened activists with violence and long prison
sentences in an attempt to discourage them from partaking in animal
rights activism.  During the time one activist was experiencing the most
harassment, he recieved phone calls every night after midnight for an
entire month.  When the phone was picked up, most of the time the caller
would hang up, but about four times the caller said, ôYouÆre not going
to get away with this.  You think you are so smart, but you will pay.ö

Phone Taps:
Tapped phones often exhibit unusual behavior.  Animal rights supporters
have reported their phones ringing with no one on the line when they
pick up, hearing other peopleÆs conversations on their non-cellular
phone lines, and even hearing previos conversations played back for them
on their lines.  Sixteen activists have observed their phones to have
unusual behavior.

Mail Tampering:
Some activistÆs have recieved their mail opened, or just recieved the
opened envelope with the mail missing.  Tampering with activists mail is
a typical COINTELPRO activity used to gather information, create
mistrust among activists, and spread paranioa.

* * *

What is the Civil Liberties Defense Fund?
The Civil Liberties Defense Fund is an organization that recognizes the
fact that our civil liberties are constantly eroded if not vigilently
protected and used. Our three main goals are to:
ò Educate the public on what their civil liberties are.
ò Expose civil liberties violations.
ò Sue those who violate the civil liberties of non-violent protesters.

By exposing the FBI and police harassment of activists in Utah, we hope
to stop it. By educating the activists on their civil liberties, we hope
to empower people to stand up for their rights and continue their
non-violent campaigning for a compassionate world.

Civil Liberties Defense Fund, PO Box 240655, Apple Valley, MN 55124

PLEASE WRITE LETTERS OF PROTEST TO:

Governor Michael Leavitt
210 State Capitol
Salt Lake City, UT 84114
phone: [phone]
fax: [phone]

Make him aware of these problems and hold him personally responsible!

Robert E. Rubin
Secretary of the Treasury
US Dept. of the Treasury
1500 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20220

The Secretary of Treasury oversees the ATF -- the federal agents who are
gladly carrying out the COINTELPRO activities against young and
disenfranchised activists. Please write him and demand he hold a hearing
of misconduct to investigate the ATF's abuses of people's civil
liberties.

Senator Orin Hatch
SR-131 Russell Senate Office Bldg.
Washington, DC 20510-4402

This is the Utah Sentor who wants to make an example of animal
activists. He also is the head of the Judiciary Committee. Let him know
that you -- the good citizens of America -- are watching the Evil ATF
agents in his state and our outraged by their mistreatment of ativists
and their trampling the civil liberties of people everywhere.
Urge him to also open hearings to investigate the ATF's misconduct.


Date: Fri, 25 Apr 1997 10:06:49 -0400
>From: allen schubert <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: (US) Washington Post on Kim Basinger
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

from private e-mail...
Any comments to:
Washington Post
Address is 1150
15th Street NW
Washington DC 20071-0002
Phone [phone].
--------------------------------------------------------------

                            The Trunk Show

                             Kim Basinger's Dumbo Crusade

                             By Lloyd Grove
                             Washington Post Staff Writer
                             Friday, April 25 1997; Page G01
                             The Washington Post

Kim Basinger's latest cause? "The elephant situation
in this country today," the actress announced at a dinner last night.

The elephant situation?

 "Elephants are highly intelligent creatures but they are dangerous
when abused," she elaborated at Ristorante Goldoni in Foggy Bottom,
where about 30 elephant-rights activists gathered to rub elbows and eat
pasta with the box-office blonde. "Some go crazy."

 Presumably, just like movie stars.

 Basinger, in Washington yesterday with her equally photogenic
husband, Alec Baldwin (who was across town on Capitol Hill
lobbying House Speaker Newt Gingrich & Co. on the National
Endowment for the Arts), was here flacking for the Performing
Animal Welfare Society -- PAWS for short -- and its "Free the
Elephants" campaign.

  It's not very well known that the elephants are in need of
freedom. Basinger hopes to change all that. Today she was
scheduled to meet with Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman
to get him to ban traveling circuses and such
under a novel interpretation of the Animal Welfare Act.

And the chances that Glickman will heed her call?

 "Slim to none," guessed environmental journalist Jim Joy,
a guest at the dinner, as he tucked into his Napoleon of Crispy
Parmesan Cheese and Roasted Peppers served in a black olive sauce.

On the scale of national problems, it's a teeny, tiny one.
According to the group, there are only about 150  elephants
in traveling shows and circuses. Nonetheless, last night's
dinner attracted at least one member of Congress, Rep. Sam
Farr (D-Calif.) ("This is no marginal issue," he insisted), and a
surfeit of congressional aides, animal lovers and media types.

 Basinger's role was to be the lamb chop, er, the arugula, in
the window -- luring attention to the cause with her film-siren charms.

 And charming she is. As well as earnest, dishy and maybe a tad ditzy.

 "There are a lot of things I care about, but I have been involved in
protecting animals from a very young age,"

 Basinger, who was raised in Athens, Ga., said in an interview,
which she managed to turn into a tete-a-tete. "I grew up with
animals all my life."

She's a highly prized member of the militant animal-rights
organization PETA -- People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
-- but no purist. "I'm a vegetarian, but I have a weakness for sushi.
I'd love to be a total `vegan' but I still have to give up one thing --
the spring tuna roll."

 Well, maybe a couple of other things, too. She continues to
wear leather goods, she says. "If it's a period piece  and the
director says to wear it, there's not much you can do. But I
would not wear a fur coat in a film. I really wouldn't even want
to wear a fake fur." She claimed she loves to wear her housekeeper's
castoff Pic 'n' Save  pink plastic shoes. "You can buy a pair for $13,"
she said.

 Last night, she was sporting a cream-colored Krizia suit that was
largely made of silk -- for which, presumably,untold thousands of
helpless worms toiled under slave-labor conditions. But let's not
forget the reason for last night's gathering. We can worry about the
worms later. Free the elephants now!

"I am determined to do what it takes to see that the Animal
Welfare Act is enforced and to set free these amazing animals,"
Basinger said in a short speech.

 It was not clear just where the elephants will be set free --
maybe in that town in Georgia she once bought but had to
 sell after declaring bankruptcy when she lost that lawsuit to
those moviemakers a while back.

 She's an unalterable opponent of medical research on animals.
"I don't believe in any kind of experimentation on  animals,"
she said, arguing that science can be conducted by using computer
modeling and willing human subjects.

 But that's a position overwhelmingly rejected by prevailing medical
wisdom, isn't it?

"It's all about money, that's all it is," she insisted, her jaw set
and her blue eyes flashing. "Money is the root of  most evil,
 is it not? They're just lining pockets. That's my answer. It
makes me very angry every time I'm confronted with that question."

 But she said she disapproves of PETA's rude tactics, such as
vandalizing fur coats with spray paint and once causing a
raccoon to be served for lunch to a prominent fashion editor.
"You know what? They're a bunch of dedicated people, but
those kinds of activities put the cause back a thousand years."

 Along with Basinger was Pat Derby, a recovering movie animal
trainer who founded PAWS in 1985. She said the group, which
operates a 40-acre compound in Galt, Calif., the home of four
elephants, a grizzly bear, a tiger, a lion and other beasts, has a
budget approaching $750,000 a year, and about 25,000
dues-paying members.

  Derby called Basinger "an invaluable weapon" in the
"cause of elephants" and "one of the kindest, most compassionate
people I've ever met."

Basinger, for her part, said, "I'm truly blessed, I have an
18-month old daughter, I have a wonderful husband,and
a good life." She's starring in the soon-to-be-released
"L.A. Confidential," one of the films to be shown at the
next Cannes Film Festival, and is considering various projects
and writing on her own.

The dinner -- which in PETA parlance was "cruelty-free," that is,
meatless -- was underwritten by Bowie physician Charles Colao,
an internal medicine specialist who, like Basinger, was
compelled to help the elephants after seeing them suffer in a
television show, "The Crusaders," broadcast a few years ago.
But unlike Basinger, Colao is not an opponent of medical
research on animals. "Some limited use of animals is
appropriate," he said, "but it has to be properly and humanely
conducted."

 Other guests last night included Virginia humane investigator
Bettijane Mackall, who told Basinger that she once"seized a circus."

 "Good for you," the actress replied.

"We should stop the foreign aid to Haiti and South Africa and
a few other places and spend it all on the animals," Mackall said.

 @CAPTION: Taking circuses to tusk: Animal rights activist
Kim Basinger last night.

  c Copyright 1997 The Washington Post Company


Date: Fri, 25 Apr 1997 10:43:11 -0400
>From: allen schubert <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: (BE) EU Disputes On U.S. Meat Standards
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

from AP Wire page:
-----------------------------
 04/25/1997 10:04 EST

 EU Disputes On U.S. Meat Standards

 BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) -- The European Union announced Friday that it has
failed
 to reach agreement with the United States in a dispute over meat
standards, and
 said the EU is recalling its negotiators from Washington.

 ``Our room for maneuver has been exhausted,'' said Gerry Kiely, an EU
agriculture
 spokesman. ``There isn't much point in continuing negotiations.''

 Failure to reach a deal means that the U.S. may be compelled to make good
on its
 threat to block imports of EU meat.

 Washington has said its trade ban would go into effect on April 30.

 If the U.S. does block the import of EU meat, Agriculture Commissioner Franz
 Fischler vowed that the EU would file a complaint with the World Trade
Organization
 in Geneva.

 Gerry Kiely, an EU agriculture spokesman, said the U.S. import ban ``would be
 illegal and disproportionate.''

 Since April 1, when the 15-nation Union introduced new food safety
standards, it has
 blocked some $50 million a year of U.S. poultry exports.

 In retaliation, the U.S. said it would impose its own ban on EU meat --
but moved the
 deadline back several times to allow negotiators from both side sufficient
time to
 strike a deal.

 Now, without an accord on the mutual recognition of slaughter hygiene
 requirements, the ban on EU meat -- worth about $300 million a year -- is
likely to go
 into effect.

 The embargo would primarily affect exports of Danish pork, but EU
officials said that
 excess capacity could be absorbed by rising demand in the EU pork market.

 The dispute has swirled around the U.S. insistence to use chlorinated
water to
 disinfect poultry after slaughter -- a practice which EU agriculture
officials say is
 unhygienic.

 Kiely said the EU executive Commission had made two compromise proposals.
 One centers on the creation of a scientific panel to review the best ways to
 decontaminate poultry. The other asks the United States to use two liquids
other
 than chlorinated water to decontaminate chicken carcasses.
Date: Fri, 25 Apr 1997 12:01:42 -0400 (EDT)
>From: [e-mail]
To: [e-mail], [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Susan E. Paris' Damaging Article on Animal Rights
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>

My cohort Dean showed me his reply to this a few days ago.  I was very
impressed with his reply, and thought it  was well written enough to warrent
posting:-ab


     April 22, 1997

Letters to the Editor
Omaha World Herald
1334 Dodge St.
Omaha, NE 68102-1183

Editor:

     In a recent column Susan Paris, President of Americans for Medical Progress,
suggested that animal rights organizations don't help animal shelters. Ms.
Paris bases her conclusion on the fact that many animal shelters are being
run on shoestring budgets and some house animals in substandard conditions.
In the column she asserts that this lack of adequate care for shelter animals
is the result of animal rights organizations withholding  money from shelters
and instead spending it on marketing the "animal rights lifestyle" to the
public.

     To suggest that animal rights groups aren't doing their part is ludicrous.
Animal rights organizations do education campaigns about the benefits of
getting dogs and cats from shelters. Many employees of these groups volunteer
at shelters and provide financial support. In fact, a large portion of the
people working at animal rights organizations have worked in shelters.

     While I fully agree with Ms. Paris that the conditions of many shelters in
the United States are substandard it can hardly be the fault of animal rights
organizations. Over 1.6 billion dollars was given to animal related causes in
the United States in 1992-93. Of that, less that 1% (or $16 million) is the
operating budget of the top ten animal rights organizations in the country.
More than 90% (or over $1 billion) was donated to animal shelters. Even if
the top ten animal rights organizations donated every penny of income they
received to shelter animals it would amount to less than $2.00 for each
animal brought to a shelter each year.

     The public should understand why Ms. Paris would want to blame animal rights
organizations for the poor condition of shelters. Her organization, Americans
for Medical Progress, is  a front group for pharmaceutical and surgical
supply companies - the same companies that are targeted by animal rights
groups because of their poor treatment of animals. She states in her column
that her industry only "uses" 150,000 dogs and cats in experiments each year
where they are held in "comfortable surroundings and receive the best medical
care." What she fails to mention is that they will all die in  laboratories,
many suffering as the result of being poisoned, diseased, or mutilated by
experimenters.

     Maybe Ms. Paris should ask herself why the industry she represents, which
deliberately kills millions of animal each year, shouldn't be the one putting
up the money to upgrade our shelters. After all, to the pharmaceutical and
surgical supply industries, the billion dollars it takes to run our nations
shelters would only be a drop in the bucket.

Sincerely,
Dean Smith
Outreach Director
American Anti-Vivisection Society
Date: Fri, 25 Apr 1997 13:31:54 -0500 (CDT)
>From: [e-mail] (Tamara Hamilton HSUS Laboratory Animals)
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Bion Monkeys are Not Home Free Yet
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>

Recently, NASA announced that they will not be funding the primate
research portion of Bion 12.  This does not mean that the monkeys won't
go.  They just won't go with American Patches on their sleeves.  NASA
remains fully committed to the Bion program, they are now evaluating
the possibility of using other species for their end of the project.

The decision to pull U.S. funding of the primate research does
not preclude NASA from funding identical experiments on Bion 12
using other species of animals, nor does it free the primates
from the invasive research conducted on the Biocosmos flights
financed by the other participating countries.

"NASA's stated plan to "...conduct research with the appropriate
models to investigate medical care in relation to space
physiology" can reasonably be interpreted as their intent to
develop safer methods of conducting invasive primate research in
space for future Biocosmos flights.  This is evidenced by the
ground based support studies duplicating the Bion experiments
that continue at NASA's Ames Research Center (ARC) in Moffett
Field."

Tamara Hamilton
Animal Research Issues
The HSUS


Date: Fri, 25 Apr 1997 14:07:45 -0500 (CDT)
>From: [e-mail] (Tamara Hamilton HSUS Laboratory Animals)
To: [e-mail]
Subject: GRASS ROOTS ALERT
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>

GRASSROOTS ALERT

OPPOSE THE CONFIRMATION OF JOE BRUNER
AS GAME & FRESH WATER FISH COMMISSIONER


Please call and urge the members of the Senate Committee on Executive
Business, Ethics and Elections to VOTE NO on the nomination of Mr. Joe
Bruner of Destin as a commissioner of the Florida Game & Fresh Water
Fish
Commission. See http://www.unr.net/~wwwpgdes/bruner.htm for a recent
HSUS
press release regarding the matter. Note that the confirmation hearing
has
been scheduled to reconvene Monday, April 28 at 11:45 a.m.

Here is a sample text of what to say to the respective senators or
their
aides regarding this issue:

Hello, my name is (your name).  I am very concerned about the
conservation
of Floridas fish and wildlife resources.  For this reason, I am asking
Senator _______________ oppose Mr. Joe Bruners nomination to the Game
Commission.  Because of Mr. Bruners previous wildlife conviction in
Louisiana and the numerous complaints in his file, I dont think he is
qualified to service as commissioner.  I strongly urge Senator
_______________ to VOTE NO on Mr. Bruners nomination.  Thank you.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:

  Senator Charlie Crist, Chair487-5075

  Senator Charles Clary, Vice Chair487-5009

  Senator Jack Latvala487-5062

  Senator Charlie Bronson487-5056

  Senator W. D. Childers487-5000

  Senator Buddy Dyer487-5190

  Senator Thomas Lee487-5072

  Senator George Kirkpatrick487-5020

  Senator Jim Hargrett487-5059

  Senator Matthew Meadows487-5112

  Senator Ron Silver487-5121

If you have any questions regarding this matter, please contact the
HSUS
Southeast Regional Office on Tallahassee, Florida at 904-386-3435.



Date: Fri, 25 Apr 1997 10:09:03 -1000 (HST)
>From: Animal Rights Hawaii <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Hawai'i quarantine to be shortened
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"


        Ag board votes to cut
           quarantine for pets

                    If Cayetano OKs it,
          pets could be sprung in just 30 days

                       By Gregg K. Kakesako
                           Star-Bulletin



     The state Board of Agriculture today eased animal quarantine rules.

     The state's current 120-day quarantine would be replaced with a 30-day
     quarantine, vaccinations and blood tests before and after an animal's
     arrival.

     However, several conditions must be met under the new 30-day
     quarantine, including having a microchip implanted in the animal
     certifying that it had two rabies vaccinations 90 days before it arrived in
     Hawaii.

     Two blood tests also must be administered before and after the pet's
     arrival.

     If all conditions in the decision are not met, an animal would have to be
     quarantined for 120 days.

     The new rules would take effect by the middle of next month if approved
     by the governor.

     Dr. Allen Miyahira, president of the Coalition for a Rabies-Free Hawaii,
     tried unsuccessfully in the meeting today to have the board reverse its
     decision, saying the University of Hawaii School of Public Health, UH
     School of Medicine and the Hawaii Medical Association were never
     asked for their expertise.

     "This issue needs to be revisited," Miyahira said.

     The board today also approved a change that would allow a
     state-approved lab, either in Hawaii or elsewhere, to do the second blood
     test. Earlier proposed rules required the second test be done by a state
     lab.

     The state Health Department had expressed concern that the rabies
     virus could infect untrained lab workers in Hawaii and reach the animal
     population.

     A 1996 Agriculture Department study held that the risk of rabies coming
     to Hawaii is four times higher now than it would be under the new plan.

     Cayetano had urged the board to approve the new rules rather than wait
     to settle a dispute over the safety of testing for the rabies virus.

     His compromise is to allow Hawaii's blood tests for rabies to be
     conducted at a mainland laboratory.

     Citing examples of countries that have cut their quarantines without
     harmful results, supporters of the shorter quarantine period say the
     longer quarantine isn't necessary.

     Opponents say it would leave the only rabies-free state in the nation
     vulnerable to contamination if owners use false documents to bring in
     animals.

Date: Fri, 25 Apr 1997 16:02:16 -0600
>From: "Alliance for Animals" <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Update on cruelty case in Janesville, WI
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>

Hello!

Barry Herbeck waived his right to a preliminary hearing.  He is
scheduled to enter a plea Monday, May 12, to six counts of
mistreating an animal, one count of having sex with a cat, one count
of possession of fire-arm and six counts of mistreating an animal.
(taping the nose and mouth of a live animal and putting it in a
container to die is 'mistreating' it?)  If conviceted, Herbeck would
face a maximum of 14 years and nine months in prison.  He will appear
in court May 12.

His landlord, Jeffrey A. Riegert of McFarland, served Herbeck with an
eviction notice after Thursday's court hearing.  Riegert owns the
up-stairs/downstairs duplex at 506 Park, Janesville.  Herbeck moved
without notifying the court on April 12, and had not notified the
court of his new address, which is required by his signature bond.
He also has asked his relatives to sell his belongings in an apparent
attempt to raise cash.

Scott Dirks, the assist. DA said that it is not unreasonable for him
to have to stay in Rock County.  Barry Herbeck is now living at: 1816
Harrison, Beloit...Herbeck's attorney, assistant public defender
Kelly Mattingly told the court that the extensive publicity
surrounding his clients's case is one of the reasons why Herbeck
moved. (poor guy).

A petition with 236 signatures was presented to the court that said:
"We are writing to you as concerned citizens.  Due to the recent acts
of Barry Herbeck, we stand together in saying that we are appalled.
We ask that he receive the maximum possible sentence.  Thank you."

Seven typed or hand-written letters in the file also encourage the
court to deal severely with Herbeck.

This information was taken from articles in Milwaukee Journal
Sentinal, and the Janesville Gazette.  Both on Friday, April 25th.

Please continue to write Judge Richard Werner and Assist.District
Attorney Scott Dirks...and your papers...

Judge Richard Werner
Rock County Court House
51 South Main Street
Janesville, WI  53545
(Tell him to take animal abuse cases seriously and to give maximum
penalties to offenders...esp since this was done with his young
daughter in the house...she saw more than we'll ever know..)

Assistant District Attorney Scott Dirks
Rock County Court House
51 South Main Street
Janesville, WI  53545
Fax: [phone]


Mark Maly
Milwaukee Journal Sentinal
Morning Mail
P.O. Box 371
Milwaukee, WI  53201-0371
e-mail: [e-mail]

Hopefully all the attention to the case will help to see that he is
punished.

Thank you!
Tina Kaske
Alliance for Animals
[phone]


Date: Fri, 25 Apr 1997 17:54:32 -0400
>From: allen schubert <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: (CA) Bandit holds Canada goose hostage in robbery
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

from Mercury Center web page:
----------------------------------------------
Posted at 1:36 p.m. PDT Friday, April 25, 1997

Bandit holds Canada goose hostage in robbery

Reuters

TORONTO - Police today were looking for a man who
walked into a donut shop with a Canada goose and
threatened to harm the bird unless someone gave him
some cash.

``He said, `Give me some money or I'll kill the
goose','' Sgt. Steve Sheppard said of the incident
which occurred Thursday.

Sheppard said a female customer at the store tried
to convince the man to release the bird but gave in
when he threatened to wring the goose's neck in
front of her.

The woman walked to a nearby bank machine and
withdrew an undisclosed amount of money. When she
handed over the cash, the bandit gave up the goose
and escaped from the store.

The bird was turned over to the humane society.

Police speculated the man picked up the goose from
a nearby park, where the birds are regular
visitors.

If caught, the man could could be charged with
extortion and cruelty to animals, among other
charges.

``Who knows?. There might be something under the
Migratory Birds Act that we could use,'' Sheppard
said.

Date: Fri, 25 Apr 1997 15:15:22 -0700 (PDT)
>From: [e-mail] (pawsinfo)
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Marine mammal Freedom Weekend - May 24-26
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Posted for Donna Hertel <[e-mail]>

Marine Mammal Freedom Weekend
May 24-26

In the last five years at least 17 marine mammal parks have closed. The
public is becoming aware of why captivity is so detrimental. Lets get on the
ball and really show them this year that we mean busines and we're not going
away.

We would like to see demonstrations, info tables, pamphleting, etc at ALL
marine mammal facilities. If you are interested in participating in this
event, please contact Donna Hertel <[e-mail]> 916-455-7325




Bob Chorush  Web Administrator, Progressive Animal Welfare Society (PAWS)
15305 44th Ave West (P.O. Box 1037)Lynnwood, WA 98046 [phone] ext
862, [phone] fax
email [e-mail]      http://www.paws.org

Date: Fri, 25 Apr 1997 18:54:56 -0400
>From: "Zoocheck Canada Inc." <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: EXOTIC ANIMAL TRADE FLOURISHES IN ONTARIO
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"


Article in The Toronto Star, Thursday April 10, 1997 A23 (Canada)

By Barbara Turnbull, Staff Reporter

EXOTIC ANIMAL TRADE FLOURISHES IN ONTARIO

Lack of rules makes anything from tigers to cobras easy to own.

Ontario is the only province without any regulations governing exotic animals.

And that has made the province Canada's haven for the trade in these
creatures, animal protectionists say.

Anything from tigers to camels, monkeys to spitting cobras is readily
available for people to own or display, with virtually no guidelines for
the animals' welfare or public safety, says Rob Laidlaw, director of the
animal rights group Zoocheck Canada.

As a result, 90 per cent of the nation's exotic animal problems occur here,
he says.

A case in point was the recent escape of Zarak, a 270-kilogram Siberian
tiger, in Barrie, which spent two days on the run before being recaptured.

That incident has again raised questions about how exotic animals are kept.

There are, for example, as many as 2,000 privately owned large cats in
Ontario, more than the total in all Canadian zoos combined, Laidlaw says.

+ Animal welfare. Most people don't have the expertise or money to properly
care for these types of animals, often using makeshift cages that fall far
below professional zoo standards.

+ Public safety. The animals are dangerous to owners, visitors and
neighbors. Declawing, defanging and castrating are routinely performed, but
the animals remain dangerous.

+ Infecting wildlife. Escaped animals can transmit unknown diseases to
native wildlife, or establish themselves and throw the ecosystem off kilter.
Though the escape of 4-year-old  Zarak from Bear Creek Exotics didn't
result in any great harm, the issue crops up with each occurrence of a
similar event - or one with more tragic consequences.

The 1994 death of 16-year-old Graydon Edwards, who was crushed by tigers
owned by his uncle, and the 1992 strangulation of Brampton resident Mark
Neville by his Burmese python resulted in calls for regulations.

In the Neville case, a coroner's inquest called for laws to regulate
licensing and accommodation of exotic animals. The jury also recommended
that owners be required to register them and that fines be established for
those caught with unregistered animals.

In 1989, the provincial Liberal government tabled an animal welfare act,
but it was shelved when the NDP swept to power the following year.

It hasn't left the shelf.

"We're getting absolutely nowhere provincially," said Silia Smith of the
World Society for the Protection of Animals.

"You have some guy who à decides that a five-foot fence is high enough for
a tiger and no one regulates it. You can open up a backyard zoo and no one
has to know about it," she said.

Federal laws only ban the import of endangered species.

"It's hard to believe that in most parts of Ontario, your next-door
neighbor can go out and buy a tiger and there's nothing you can do about
it," Smith said.

Laidlaw says the act has never been a priority for anyone.

"There doesn't seem to be anybody à willing to come forward and make it
their issue. Everybody's got other issues."

Government ministers express interest, but not enough to take on the
responsibility it would need to go anywhere, he added.

"Usually you need those one or two or 10 people out there in the government
that are going to be pushing it, pushing it, pushing it."

"That's never happened."

Smith's group plans to urge municipalities in the next year to pass their
own bylaws, like the one in Toronto that prohibits owning exotic animals.

They aren't good at controlling someone who has poisonous snakes in the
basement, but it's hard to hide several large cats, Smith says.

A spokesperson for Ontario's natural resources ministry said the government
is looking into the possibility of legislation, but could provide no details.

Opposition critic and Liberal MPP Mike Brown says he plans to introduce a
private member's bill during this spring's session, based on his party's
1989 version.

Zoocheck estimates there are 65 public displays of exotic animals in
Ontario, ranging in sophistication from the Metro zoo to petting zoos and
small roadside attractions.

Only five are registered with the Canadian Association of Zoos, Parks and
Aquariums, says Toby Styles, marketing director of the Metro zoo and a
director of the association, an independent body that sets standards for
the industry.

Styles would like to see provincial regulations rather than municipal
bylaws in each jurisdiction, because bylaws all differ.

"It makes it very hard for anyone legitimately involved with wildlife to
know what to do," he said.

Zoos get calls every day from people wanting to donate a "pet" they cannot
take care of, he says.

And though the majority are turtles, snakes and parrots, people also call
with large cats, wolves and bears.

"There's a tremendous number of these animals out there and they're dirt
cheap," Laidlaw said.

Tigers can be acquired for as little as $150, he notes.

"We have our fingers out there everywhere in the province and we are
constantly finding new ones."

Large cats breed "like flies," says Styles - a pair of tigers can have up
to eight cubs a year.

"One of the great challenges of zoos is not breeding them," Styles said.
"We don't want to bring unwanted tigers in the world, unless there's a
proper home for them."

There are laws that prohibit owning wild animals indigenous to the province
without a permit, but it's not enough, Styles says.

A person needs a permit for a black bear, but not an elephant, he notes.

"Most of the people who have these little zoos mean well à they love
animals," Styles said. But they don't realize how much space animals need.

Getting the animal is the easy part - the enclosure and upkeep are where
things get expensive, he says. "Even the most expensive animal is still the
cheapest part of the equation."

People who keep exotic animals in the name of conservation are fooling
themselves, Laidlaw says.

"Virtually all of these people have cats of unknown genetic history," he
said. "There are very few pure-strain Siberian tigers out there and it's
highly unlikely that anyone would ever get them in a pet situation."

"These people, whether they're running these so-called sanctuaries or
keeping them as pets, are making no contribution to conservation whatsoever."

Photo captions:

1.  Graydon Edwards: Teen was crushed to death in 1994 by tigers owned by
his uncle.

2. Hold that Tiger: Hunter Norm Phillips earlier this month managed to
capture Zarak, a 270-kilogram Siberian tiger that was on the loose for two
days in the Barrie area.




Zoocheck Canada Inc.
3266 Yonge Street, Suite 1729
Toronto, ON M4N 3P6
[phone]  Ph    [phone]  Fax
E-Mail:  [e-mail]
Web Site:  http://web.idirect.com/~zoocheck
Registered Charity No. 0828459-54
Date: Fri, 25 Apr 1997 17:14:00 -0700
>From: ScottVanValkenburg <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Vivisection Display Shut Down
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>

Student activists at the University of Washington shut down a propoganda effort by the
Washington Association for Biomedical Research today. A march for World Week for animals in
labs started at a campus lawn where 3,000 red markers had been placed representing the animals
killed each week in UW labs. The march,
consisting of about 50 students from Students for Animal Liberation and some
supporters from Northwest Animal Rights Network, headed through campus to the
University Health Center where vivisection is carried out. The marchers
entered the building and went through all rooms where a "Health Sciences"
exhibit was underway to spread the vivisection gospel to high school and
elementary students.  The march halted in the room where the WABR display
was. The vivisectors quickly scooped up the containers of nude and transgenic
mice and removed the unfortunate animals. The chanting and sign carrying
activists soon filled the room, with only activists, police, and vivisectors
and their paid stooges from WABR left. When one WABR rep attempted to argue that "EVERY
major medical advance has come from animal research" it was pointed
out that that was absurd, and the one example of Dr. Ornishs proof that a
vegan diet, stress reduction and exercise reverse heart disease provided to
refute the silly statement, she decided to give up. After two militants
announced that they would not leave the room until the University declared
an end to the use of animals and implementation of alternative research
methods, they locked arms and sat down. Chanting continued, and the WABR
reps finally left. Student visitors to that room therefore received only
anti-vivisection information from that point on. After some time, when it
was clear that the Association's display was shut down for the day, the
activists moved on to march throughout the building.

World week activities continue in Seattle tomorrow with distribution of
PCRM leaflets at the March of Dimes walk.
scott
-------
Date: Fri, 25 Apr 1997 20:31:50 -0400
>From: allen schubert <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: (KR) S. Korea Restaurants Sell Dog Meat
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

from AP Wire page:
--------------------------------
 04/25/1997 13:58 EST

 S. Korea Restaurants Sell Dog Meat

 By SANG-HUN CHOE
 Associated Press Writer

 SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- Cho Yong-sop beams at the lunch-hour customers at
 his spotless new restaurant, which serves spicy broths, casseroles,
barbecue and
 cabbage rolls all featuring a favorite South Korean ingredient.

 ``I am confident my business will succeed big-time,'' Cho says over the
bustling
 crowd. ``Millions of Koreans enjoy dog meat.''

 Cho, 38, has big plans. After opening this restaurant in a wealthy Seoul
suburb, he
 franchised six more in what he hopes will become a nationwide chain of
``Korean
 family restaurants.''

 But his restaurant could pose a perplexing challenge to government
authorities.

 Sensitive to its image, South Korea closed thousands of dog meat
restaurants in its
 big cities in the 80s by invoking a law that prohibits the sale of ``foods
deemed
 unsightly.''

 But Cho and others were encouraged by a November court decision that freed a
 man arrested for selling dog meat, ruling dog meat an ``edible food.''
Although the
 ruling did not authorize selling dog meat for human consumption, it opened
up legal
 challenges to the official ban.

 Under the ban, many restaurants moved to back alleys where they continued to
 serve dog meat without licenses or signs advertising their wares. Cho
wants to
 change all that, and he seems to have plenty of support.

 ``I love dog meat. It is sweeter and softer than beef or pork,'' said Oh
In-suh, 50.
 ``When sweltering summer sets in, I go to the market and buy a dog. My
wife boils it
 for a whole day in a big pot and we eat the meat with sprinkles of salt.''

 Since opening his chain -- called Chon-ha-dae-jang-goon, or ``the greatest
general
 under the sun'' -- Cho says he's received hundreds of complaint calls from
 animal-protection groups.

 ``Government officials are embarrassed and told me to keep quiet,'' he
said. ``But I
 will never give up. Public opinion is on my side.''

 A former marketing consultant, Cho bills himself as a great general
fighting to save
 Korean traditional dishes from an onslaught of Western fast-food chains --
a notion
 that goes down well in the South Korean news media.

 European animal rights groups have threatened to boycott Korean goods and
 disrupt the country's role as co-host of the 2002 World Cup soccer finals
if it
 continues to allow dog meat sales.

 ``My life has become more difficult because of those foreigners who try to
dictate
 what we should put on our dinner tables. What makes me angrier is the
 government's meek reaction to them,'' said Lee Suk-june, one of the
country's 20,000
 dog meat sellers.

 Lee owns one of the 27 wholesale dog meat shops in Moran Market just outside
 Seoul, where dog carcasses lie in neat rows, tongues out and teeth showing
 between pulled-back lips.

 ``I used to sell 10 dogs a day. But business is not so good. Government
officials
 come every day to tell us to keep our meat from public view,'' Lee said,
chopping off
 an animal's paws on a tree stump. ``But they don't keep us from selling.''

 For centuries, Koreans have prized dog meat -- commonly served in ``tonic
soups''
 or ``bow-wow soups'' -- as a delicacy that boosts male sexual prowess.
Ancient
 medical books recommend dog meat for a quick recovery from major operations
 and long illnesses.

 The traditional Korean calendar has three summertime bok-nal -- or ``days
when
 men eat dogs.''

 South Koreans say the Western belief that Koreans eat their pets is a
cultural
 misunderstanding. An estimated 2 million dogs are raised for meat, mostly in
 countryside ``dog-farms'' where yelping dogs are fattened up in crowded
cages.

 ``I would never think of eating my pet dog. A good dog is better than a
spoiled son,''
 said Park Ki-chul, 50.

 But that doesn't stop him from enjoying a plate of steaming dog meat. ``I
can't have it
 often enough,'' he said, washing down a bit with a glass of whiskey.
Date: Fri, 25 Apr 1997 21:14:03 -0400 (EDT)
>From: **** <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: AGENCY ANNOUNCES APPROVAL OF PERMITS FOR THE IMPORT OF
SPORT-HUNTED (fwd)
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII

Taken from the USFWS

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Fri, 25 Apr 1997 14:11:00 -0600 (MDT)
>From: Mitch Snow <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: AGENCY ANNOUNCES APPROVAL OF PERMITS FOR THE IMPORT OF
SPORT-HUNTED

POLAR BEAR TROPHIES
Sender: [e-mail]
Precedence: bulk
Reply-To: [e-mail]

This message is from the fws-news listserver.  Please DO NOT
REPLY (it just confuses the computers).

Subscribers can't reply or send their own messages to the
fws-news listserver. This listserver is designed mainly as a
"one way street" for the rapid dissemination of information
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gathering feedback.  To contact us, see the explanatory note
at bottom of the message.
============================================================
             AGENCY ANNOUNCES APPROVAL OF PERMITS FOR
          THE IMPORT OF SPORT-HUNTED POLAR BEAR TROPHIES

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today announced it has
approved 24 permits to allow the import of polar bear trophies
from Canada.  This approval fully complies with the Marine Mammal
Protection Act (MMPA), as amended in 1994, which gives the
Secretary of the Interior authority to issue permits provided
specific requirements are met.

The 1994 amendments require that the Service find Canada's sport-
hunting program to be consistent with the purposes of the 1973
International Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears and
based on scientifically sound quotas to ensure the affected
populations are sustained in the wild.  The Service recently
approved five populations:  Southern Beaufort Sea, Northern
Beaufort Sea, McClintock Channel, Viscount Melville Sound, and
Western Hudson Bay.

The Service will continue to review any new information to
determine if and when the importation of sport-hunted trophies
may be allowed from additional populations.  Currently, the
Service is reviewing new research and management data on the area
formerly known as Parry Channel (newly designated by Canada as
Kane Basin, Norwegian Bay, Lancaster Sound, and Baffin Bay
populations) and expects to publish a proposed rule for public
comment shortly addressing some of these new populations.  Also,
the agency will consider other populations as soon as it receives
new data, much of which will come from Canada's ongoing research
and co-management discussions with Ontario, Quebec, and
Greenland.

"The Service recognizes Canada's significant achievements in
establishing an effective polar bear management program.  Close
cooperation between the Service and Canada continues in order to
gather additional biological and management data," said Marshall
Jones, the Service's assistant director for international
affairs.

When an import permit application is approved, the applicant must
pay a $1,000 permit issuance fee. The funds are to be used for
the conservation of polar bear populations shared between the
United States and Russia as stipulated by the MMPA.


There are an estimated 28,000 polar bears worldwide, half of
which are found in Canada.  Canada is the only range country to
allow polar bears to be harvested by non-residents through a
regulated sport-hunt in its Northwest Territories where polar
bear hunting is vital to the culture and economy of indigenous
peoples.


April 25, 1997                      Patricia Fisher  202-208-5634

============================================================
News releases are also available on the World Wide Web at
http://www.fws.gov/~r9extaff/pubaff.html  They can be reviewed in
chronological order or searched by keyword.

Questions concerning a particular news release or item of
information should be directed to the person listed as the
contact. General comments or observations concerning the
content of the information should be directed to Craig
Rieben ([e-mail]) in the Office of Public
Affairs.

============================================================
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message to [e-mail] with "info fws-news" (and
no "quotes") in the body of the message.



Date: Fri, 25 Apr 1997 23:27:04 -0400
>From: allen schubert <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Admin Note--subscriptions
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

And another routine posting............

Here are some items of general information (found in the "welcome letter"
sent when people subscribe--but often lose!)...included:  how to post and
how to change your subscription status (useful if you are going on
vacation--either by "unsubscribe" or "postpone").
---------------------------------------------------------------

To post messages to the list, send mail to [e-mail]
POSTING

To post a *news-related item* (no discussions), send your message to:

     [e-mail]

Appropriate postings to AR-News include: posting a news item, requesting
information on some event, or responding to a request for information.
Discussions on AR-News will NOT be allowed and we ask that any
commentary either be taken to AR-Views or to private E-mail.
------------------------------------------

***General Subscription Information***
ALL THE FOLLOWING SHOULD NOT be sent to ar-news !!!
(send them to [e-mail])
For all commands, use a blank Subject line.
---------------------------------------------------

To request a digest version, send mail to [e-mail]
with the following single line:

     set ar-news mail digest

To switch back to immediate mail, and to get copies of *your* postings
also, send the following command:

     set ar-news mail ack

or the following to not get your own postings:

     set ar-news mail noack

To see how you are set up ***(and to see if you are still subscribed!)***, use

     set ar-news

To temporarily stop mailings, use:

     set ar-news mail postpone

To re-enable it, use ack, noack, or digest as above.

To unsubscribe, use:

     unsubscribe ar-news

or:

     signoff ar-news

If you have to subscribe again, use:

     subscribe ar-news first_name last_name   (use false name if you want!)

If you have problems, please contact:

     Allen Schubert
     [e-mail]


allen
********
"We are either part of the problem or part of the solution. Walk your talk
and no one will be in doubt of where you stand."
  -- Howard F. Lyman
Date: Fri, 25 Apr 1997 22:56:56 -0500
>From: "JBeam" <[e-mail]>
To: "AR-News" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Dogs Beaten to Death (IL)
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit


Aurora, Illinois: Dog Abuse Case x 2

Following is an excerpt from the Aurora BeaconNews on April 18th:

COURT DELAYS KEEP ACTIVISTS SNARLING OVER DOG ABUSE CASE

Outside a standing-room-only Aurora courtroom on Thursday a smaller crowd
gathered in anger-their displeasure evident by the "No Excuse for Abuse"
buttons on their lapels and the passion in their voices.  "We want to send
a message that is loud and clear", declared Helen O'Meish of Blue Island,
representing the Illinois Animal Action group.  "That this guy's behavior
is not acceptable".

The man she referred to is Anthony Allen Rosenow, a 24 year-old Montgomery
resident who has been charged with two counts of animal cruely.  The first
count stems from an incident that occurred on November , 1994, when police
say Rosenow intentionally kicked his German shorthair dog at least 10
times, beating him so badly that before the animal died, one of his eyes
fell out of its socket.  The second incident occurred a year later, on
November 28, 1995, when Rosenow allegedly kicked a second dog to death,
this time a shepherd mix.  Then, according to Greg Sullivan, investigator
with the Montgomery Police Department, "he picked it up by the  leash, and
with the dog hanging, carried it like a sack of potatoes, its feet dangling
in the air".  Sullivan said he was appalled at the extent of the cruelty,
and just as appalled by what he said was Rosenow's lack of remorse when
questioned about both incidents.

(end of excerpt)

The above case has been delayed (again) and we need to push for the
maximum.

PLEASE SEND CALLS AND LETTERS TO:

Joseph Grady
Kane County States Attorney
350 North River
Aurora, Illinois
Telephone:  [phone]

Ask him to seek the maximum penalty for this two-time offender with NO PLEA
BARGAINING (this would be 1 yr in jail and $1000 fine).  Ask him that if he
does not seek the maximum penalty then "WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO DO TO AN ANIMAL
IN HIS COUNTY TO WARRANT THE MAXIMUM PENALTY".




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