Komputer for Alle 1998 #6/1998 CD 6 (Gul).iso/web/ffa/wwwenv~1.org/arrs/digest/news39~6.htm/text0005.txt

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>Korea Herald

  23 Apr 97 : Letters to the Editor; Animal Rights Activist

     To the Editor

     I have a few comments regarding an article about the French star,
     Brigitte Bardot which appeared in The Korea Herald on Friday, April
     18, 1997, on page eleven. The article was entitled, ``Defiant Bardot
     attacks sheep slaughter ritual.''

     As a brown woman, and as a lifelong vegetarian and supporter of animal
     rights, I certainly do not consider Ms. Bardot to be a racist. She is
     merely speaking the truth. After all, how can a person who defends
     non-human animals be racist towards other humans? The anti-racist
     organizations harrassing Ms. Bardot should reflect upon the violence
     they are supporting. They should stop attacking her and spend their
     time more productively, fighting racism where it really exists.

     Ms. Bardot is a beautiful woman of great ethics and compassion. She
     realizes that oppression of animals permeates virtually every facet of
     society. Examples include the meat industry, trapping of fur bearing
     animals, whaling. hunting/fishing, zoos, torture in labs in the name
     of science, and in religious rituals. Ms. Bardot has been active in
     the struggle against the Canadian seal hunt, and the fur trade.

     Currently, she is protesting the killing of sheep in the name of
     religion. This is common practice amongst certain religions such as
     Orthodox Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. It is ironic that in the
     name of God, or Allah, the All-merciful, His innocent creatures are
     violently killed by having their throats slit, while priests recite a
     prayer. Common sense would seem to indicate that God be worshipped by
     protecting his creatures. But of course, almost all religions are
     known for their lack of common sense. They rigidly adhere to dogma.

     Violence towards non-human animals is linked to violence towards
     humans. For example Algerian Muslims try to advance their political
     cause by murdering women and children in the same way they kill sheep
     _ by slitting their throats. French nationals have been murdered in
     this way. It is only natural for Ms. Bardot to be concerned about the
     Islamization of her beloved France. Violent diets and violent rituals
     beget violence towards people.

     The converse is also true. One of the most successful leaders of the
     twentieth century, Mahatma Gandhi, was a peaceloving, animal loving
     vegetarian. In fact, the problems that plague France also exist in
     India, which has one of the world's largest concentrations of Muslims.
     Sikhs, Jains, and Hindus are vegetarian whereas Muslims ritually kill
     and eat animals. This issue creates a great deal of tension in India,
     just as in France as your article pointed out.

     In fairness, Ms. Bardot should remember that it is not just Muslims
     who violate animal rights. The French are known for foie gras which is
     the result of extreme cruelty to ducks. As well, as reported in The
     Korea Herald recently, some Paris restaurants serve monkey meat. This
     is stepping dangerously close to cannibalism. In Korea, the practice
     of eating man's best friend, the dog, is deeply disturbing to many
     people. Pity the poor animals, Nowhere are they safe or free.

     To reiterate, as a lifelong vegetarian, supporter of animal rights,
     and as a brown woman, I fully agree with Brigitte Bardot. She is not a
     racist; she is speaking the truth, no matter how bitter it may be to
     some people. In the words of the great master Leonardo da Vinci, may
     the day soon come when human beings ``look upon the murder of animals,
     as they now look upon the murder of men.'' Prabhnoor Kaur Rangi






Date: Sun, 4 May 1997 15:25:51 +0800 (SST)
>From: Vadivu Govind <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: (KP) Regulations to Be Enacted on Genetic Experiments
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"


>Korea Herald

22 Apr 97 : Regulations to Be Enacted on Genetic Experiments

     A set of regulations to prevent potential mishaps which can arise in
     the process of genetic manipulation and other genetics- related
     experiments will be implemented beginning in July, the Ministry of
     Health and Welfare said yesterday.

     The occasion marks the first time that the government has taken charge
     in regulating genetics-related research and development. Under the
     regulations, which have been formulated in accordance with standards
     used in advanced countries, research institutions will be required to
     follow strict rules regarding sealing methods and guidelines for
     mutational organisms that are produced during experiments.

     Institutions will also be required to adhere to experimental
     guidelines to ensure human and laboratory security while establishing
     a safety committee. Further, institutions will be banned from
     conducting experiments that tamper in any way with the sacredness of
     human beings.

     According to ministry officials, the regulations have been set amidst
     the nation's increasingly brisk experimental activities employing
     bioengineering in such diverse areas as medicine, agriculture,
     manufacturing and environment. The enforcement of such regulations
     also became a pressing matter as Korea joined the Organization of
     Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the officials said.

     As of yet, there has been no known mishap done to humans or the rest
     of the ecosystem as a result of genetic experiments in the nation.
     Worldwide, 106 biosafety regulations or guidelines have been in effect
     since 1994, most of which have been formulated in the late '80s.


Date: Sun, 4 May 1997 15:25:59 +0800 (SST)
>From: Vadivu Govind <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: (SG) Of Ubin tiger tales and higher boat fares
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"



>The Straits Times
MAY 4 1997

     Of Ubin tiger tales and higher boat fares
By David Miller and Melissa Heng


     IT all began about two weeks ago when an elderly woman claimed
     that she had come face to face with a tiger while picking sea
     shells near a swamp.

     The story soon spread and within days, villagers were claiming
     that there were at least two such creatures roaming the island.

     The latest rumour on Friday had it that one of the tigers had
     sunk its teeth into a dog and hauled it away.

     Like stories of the other so-called sightings, this one was
     spread by word of mouth. No police reports were made and no
     traces of the supposed predator was found.

     So it would appear that all the talk about tigers is just that --
     talk.

     Police and zoo officials who combed the 1,019-ha island over
     several days failed to find any solid evidence of tigers roaming
     the island.

     Yet villagers were eager to point out "tiger" paw prints, 11 cm
     long, to picnickers and the press. But these prints are actually
     those of dogs and wild pigs native to Pulau Ubin.

     The prints of a real tiger would measure at least 14 cm long.

     Said one zoo official: "If there was a tiger here, we would have
     found something by now -- either paw prints, fur or droppings.
     But there is nothing." All the same, the authorities took no
     chances. The National Parks Board put up signs warning campers
     not to stay overnight. And police warned islanders to stay
     indoors after dark.

     Even Outward Bound Singapore is keeping its training programmes
     within its fenced compound on the island or at sea. Was there
     some hidden motive behind the reported sightings?

     Mr K. P. Tan, a member of the Nature Society of Singapore,
     believes so.

     His theory is that there is a "tiger conspiracy" hatched by a few
     villagers, as revenge on the island's ferry operators for jacking
     their fares up from $1 to $1.50 per trip recently.

     He said: "Some people are angry about the fare increase and
     started the tiger rumour to scare away visitors to the island, so
     that the boatmen will have no business".

     However, interviews with more than 30 people living on the island
     showed that few of them saw any link between the tiger tales and
     the fare hike.

     Many accepted the fare increase with a typically laid-back
     attitude.

     Farmer Seh Koh, 74, who spoke in Hokkien, said of the ferry
     operators: "Even if their business is poor, they still have to
     make a living."

     And boatman Chua Lee Seng, 50, said: "We still have to make the
     same trip even if there are only three or four passengers. So of
     course, we have to increase our fares."

     Ferry fares were last raised five years ago, from 80 cents to $1.
     There were no rumours of tigers then.

     Operators like Mr Chua said the tiger scare has not affected
     business.

     "People will still come here over the weekend, and the villagers
     will still need transport," he said dryly.

     The 400-odd islanders are divided over the tiger tales. Some
     believe them, some scoff.

     Village headman Lim Chye Joo, 94, is prepared to give the benefit
     of the doubt to those who claimed to have seen a tiger. "If an
     elephant can come over here, why not a tiger?" he said.

     In 1991, a young bull elephant was caught on the island after it
     swam across from the Malaysian state of Johor.

     Other residents, like Madam Neo Hong Eng, are sceptical. "What
     tiger? It's all rubbish. There is nothing here to worry about. We
     don't even lock our doors at night," said the 80-year-old woman
     who lives with her three sisters in a wooden hut.

     But the believers pointed out that it was easy enough for a tiger
     to swim across the narrow waterway separating the island from
     Johor.

     The director of the Johor State Wildlife and National Parks
     Department, Mr Zainuddin Abdul Shukor, is unconvinced.

     On Friday, he told the Malaysian newspaper, New Straits Times,
     that no tigers had been sighted in Pengerang in south-east Johor,
     across the water from Pulau Ubin.

     Police, who issued the "tiger alert" on Monday, said they will be
     monitoring the situation. Meanwhile, some people are still
     gripped by the image of a tiger burning bright in the forest of
     an Ubin night.


Date: Sun, 4 May 1997 15:26:07 +0800 (SST)
>From: Vadivu Govind <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: (US) Investigation into tobacco industry
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"


>The Straits Times
MAY 4 1997

     US govt steps up two-prong investigation into tobacco industry


     WASHINGTON -- Newly available tobacco-industry documents have led
     the Justice Department to step up a criminal investigation to
     determine whether cigarette makers lied systematically to
     Congress and government agencies about their business practices
     and about whether nicotine was addictive, officials said.

     The Justice Department has assigned a task force of FBI agents
     and a supervisor from the bureau's white-collar crime unit to
     review pages of internal industry documents.

     Some of the documents have been provided as a result of recent
     progress made in civil litigation against tobacco-industry
     giants, the officials said on Friday.

     The documents relate to the health effects of smoking and the
     addictive nature of nicotine and are considered critical to a
     widening grand-jury investigation of the tobacco industry,
     sources familiar with the inquiry said.

     FBI agents and prosecutors from the criminal division plan to
     compare the company research documents and other records with
     information provided previously to the federal government,
     including the Food and Drug Administration. The Justice
     Department is seeking to determine whether there are significant
     inconsistencies between the information provided previously by
     the firms and the newly available documents.

     A federal law prohibits making false statements to government
     agencies. The law, which also includes penalties for withholding
     information, provides for a maximum penalty of five years in
     prison and a US$10,000 (S$14,000) fine for each false statement.

     The decision to assign FBI agents to the inquiry full-time was
     made because of the massive number of documents that have to be
     reviewed, officials said. Despite the expansion of the Justice
     Department inquiry, anti-tobacco activists have complained that
     the investigation has been too slow and that turnover among the
     Justice Department investigators assigned to the probe has
     impeded its progress.

     Justice Department spokesman Bert Brandenburg disagreed on
     Friday, saying: "Investigations are not horse races ... This is a
     major investigation involving hundreds of thousands of pages of
     documents. It is proceeding, deliberately, thoroughly and
     expeditiously." Another law-enforcement official described FBI
     agents as "drowning in documents".

     To deal with the workload, the investigators have been broken up
     into three main teams, one for each of the major cigarette
     companies, Philip Morris, R.J. Reynolds and Brown & Williamson.

     Each team includes a federal prosecutor and several FBI agents.

     Justice Department officials have also acquired thousands of
     documents from the 30 million-document depository compiled by the
     state of Minnesota as part of its effort to sue the tobacco
     industry. Those documents come from each of the major tobacco
     firms. It has also begun steps to review a set of internal
     documents from the Liggett Group cigarette manufacturer. Liggett,
     the smallest of the nation's major tobacco firms, agreed recently
     to settle 22 state lawsuits and admitted that smoking causes
     cancer, that nicotine is addictive and that the industry targets
     underaged smokers.

     Liggett has already released some documents. Some of the
     documents turned over to courts concern the co-operative
     activities of the entire industry, and other firms are fighting
     to block their release on the grounds that they are privileged.
     -- Washington Post.

Date: Sun, 4 May 1997 00:51:27 -0700 (PDT)
>From: David J Knowles <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: [UK] Drought devastates vulnerable birds
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"


>From The Electronic Telegraph - Sunday, May 4th, 1997

Drought devastates vulnerable birds
By Greg Neale, Environment Correspondent

THE drought across southern and eastern Britain is devastating vulnerable
birds, says a report to be released this week.

A survey by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, says the numbers
of some species have dropped by as much as 80 per cent because they are
either not breeding, or are unable to feed their young. Many valuable
marshes and wetlands are drying up, leaving birds short of food and habitat.

In some of the most important nature reserves in southern England, birds
such as the lapwing - used by naturalists as an indicator of  environmental
stress - are either not nesting, or have not hatched eggs. Other species,
such as the redshank, are unlikely to be able to
feed their young on ground that is almost solid. There will be fewer such
birds next year.

Sarah Fowler, the RSPB's water policy officer, said that the drought was
affecting many other species than those dependent on wetlands.  "Wading
birds are our immediate concern," she said, "but others are also dependent
on water levels remaining high, or soil staying moist." Among the other
species are those such as the reed warbler and  water rail, which usually
nest in reeds, just above the water level. "As water levels fall, and
streams and marshes dry up, these birds are more vulnerable to predators,"
said Ms Fowler.

"The drought is mainly hitting sites in south and east England, with water
levels on many at the level we would expect at the height of the summer.
With evaporation increasing from now on, it will be a battle to keep them
wet. Sites in the north and west of England are generally faring better, but
if the drought continues, there will be concerns over some of them as well."

At the Northward Hill Nature Reserve in the north Kent marshes, numbers of
many wetland birds have fallen sharply. Alan Parker, senior RSPB warden for
north west Kent, said: "I've never seen anything like this in 20 years here.
We have managed to keep one section of land quite moist, using a reservoir
that was filled during the winter. That is helping birds such as avocets,
which have concentrated there. Other than that, there is nothing we can do.
We could pump water on to the fields, but it is so dry that it would be a
waste of time. From an average of 50 pairs of lapwings in a normal year, we
have only about seven. Any rain now will just soak through the cracks in the
clay. In some fields the cracks are already an inch wide."

Many adult lapwings and redshanks might fly to coastal estuaries, but that
could mean inland wetlands losing their bird populations in future, Mr
Parker said. "Eventually, if conditions do not improve, they won't come
back." Those wetlands where water levels are higher are facing overcrowding
by birds which usually nest elsewhere.

Ms Fowler said: "Waders are flocking to sites such the Berney Marshes in
Essex but this increases competition for space, and the stress on the
birds." Among those nature reserves surveyed, Elmey, in north Kent has water
levels usually seen in high summer. Pulborough Brooks, in Sussex, has levels
below normal.

The RSPB will urge the public to do more to save water, and for the water
companies to step up efforts to stem mains leakages, and reduce consumer
demand. The Water Services Association said that the larger water companies
had saved 100 million gallons a day
because of maintenance work since 1995. But Ms Fowler said: "The water
companies and their customers must do better."

⌐ Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1997.

Date: Sun, 4 May 1997 16:10:57 +0800 (SST)
>From: Vadivu Govind <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail], [e-mail]
Cc: [e-mail], [e-mail]
Subject: Asia magazine letters column
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"


>Asia Magazine May 2 - 4  1997, Volume 35 M15
RIGHT ANIMAL WRONGS

Norma Moss' excellent Sting (Apr 4-6) article is a clear indication that
despite its promising success in economic development, Asia still has a long
way to go when it comes to animal protection and compassion.

How can we eat the penises of seals clubbed to death and the fins which are
hacked off from baby sharks before the sharks are thrown alive into the sea?
Asia is in urgent need for laws, more pro-active policy-makers and more
animal protection organisations with the clout to effect change to safeguard
animals from wealthy Asian perverts with penis/fin/paw envy with regards to
animals.

- Brian Ong, Singapore

Your magazine's piece on animal cruelty in Asia highlighted the situation
very well. We really need to raise awareness of animal issues around the
region. I shudder to think about the millions of animals suffering in Asia
with so few voices speaking up for them.

- Vadivu Govindar Rasu, Singapore

Date: Sun, 4 May 1997 11:01:44 -0400 (EDT)
>From: Paul Shapiro <[e-mail]>
To: AR-News <[e-mail]>
Subject: COK Activists Need Your Help NOW!!!
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII

Dozens of Compassion Over Killing (COK) activists converged on Miller's
Furs in D.C. on May 2nd for a peaceful demonstration. Approximately one
hour into the protest, an anonymous activist hurled "blood" on the
storefront, screaming: "The blood is on your hands, Miller's!" The
activist ran off, escaping arrest, leaving behind a bloodied window.

Moments later, police arrived on the scene, randomly arresting five
activists--activists who are "coincidentally" COK leaders. The charge:
simple assault! However, the entire demonstration was caught on
videotape, clearly showing that the ONLY assault was when a Miller's
employee pushed two COK activists.

The five are Sean Day, Elliot Gang, Peter Petersan, Paul Shapiro, and
Franklin Wade. As Paul is a minor, he was released after only eight hours
in custody. Franklin is being held at Central Cell Block while Sean,
Elliot, and Peter are at the 5th District until their arraignment on
Monday morning.

Please call the facilities and inquire as to their well-being. These
falsely accused and unjustly arrested activists desperately need your
support.

Central Cell Block: 202-727-4222 (for Franklin Wade)
5th District: 202-727-4490 (for Sean Day, Elliot Gang, Peter Petersan)

Date: Sun, 4 May 1997 13:38:01 -0400 (EDT)
>From: [e-mail]
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Fwd: Environmentalists Decry State Deals
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>

In a message dated 97-05-04 12:47:12 EDT, [e-mail] writes:

 << Subj:Environmentalists Decry State Deals
  Date:97-05-04 12:47:12 EDT
  From:[e-mail]

 .c The Associated Press

       By SCOTT SONNER
       WASHINGTON (AP) - The Clinton administration increasingly is
 striking deals with states and private companies to protect fish
 and wildlife, ditching the Endangered Species Act as a regulatory
 club except in the most dire circumstances.
       The tactic landed the administration in hot water this spring
 with three federal judges who felt the law should have been used to
 protect jaguars in the Southwest, lynx in the Northwest and the
 Barton Springs salamander in Texas.
       It also has drawn heavy fire from environmentalists, who have
 grown increasingly critical of President Clinton's willingness to
 bargain away the law's stringent protections.
       ``We are seeing a very disturbing pattern here,'' said Mark
 Hubbard of the Oregon Natural Resources Council, a nonprofit
 conservation group based in Portland, Ore., that has sued the
 government for what it considers lax enforcement.
       ``We have gone from surprised to disappointed to just plain
 angry with the Clinton administration over their refusal to protect
 endangered species,'' he said.
       Architects of the administration's policy say negotiating with
 state and private land owners to save species makes sense in a
 political climate where property rights carry much weight.
       The carrot works better than the stick, they argue.
       ``It is not a win to see a species driven to the verge of
 extinction and then be able to save the last of that species by
 hammering someone with the Endangered Species Act,'' said Katie
 McGinty, director of the White House Council on Environmental
 Quality.
       The administration is using the law ``to its fullest and most
 creative extent and reaching out to save those rare ecosystems by
 working in partnership with people who own the land,'' McGinty
 said.
       By year's end, the administration will have negotiated habitat
 conservation plans covering more than 18 million acres of state and
 privately owned land.
       Such pragmatism is no virtue in the eyes of Clinton's
 environmental critics.
       ``Essentially it is a new way to get around enforcing the
 Endangered Species Act,'' Sierra Club lobbyist Melinda Pierce said
 of the habitat conservation plans.
       ``It's just feel-good politics. They have junked the law,'' said
 Mike Bader of the Missoula, Mont.-based Alliance for the Wild
 Rockies, which wants federal protection for the bull trout in the
 northern Rocky Mountains.
       Environmentalists' biggest beef is with a ``no surprises''
 clause in the habitat conservation plans, which promises land
 owners that if they fulfill protection criteria, they'll be
 insulated from any future federal conservation requirements.
       ``It's the only way companies would ever enter into such
 agreements,'' said Chris West, vice president of the Northwest
 Forestry Association in Portland, Ore.
       In March, federal judges in Arizona, Texas and Washington state
 chided the administration for refusing to order protection for the
 jaguar, Barton Springs salamander and lynx.
       In the case of the jaguar, the Fish and Wildlife Service was
 ordered to declare the rare cat endangered and set aside land to
 protect it.
       In Washington, the agency was told to reconsider its decision to
 keep the lynx off the list; only a few hundred of the cats remain
 in a handful of states.
       ``The Fish and Wildlife Service has consistently ignored the
 analysis of its expert biologists,'' wrote U.S. District Judge
 Gladys Kessler in Seattle.
       In Austin, U.S. District Judge Lucius Bunton ruled that Interior
 Secretary Bruce Babbitt had violated the Endangered Species Act
 after ``strong political pressure was applied to the secretary to
 withdraw the proposed listing of the salamander.''
       Babbitt subsequently declared the salamander threatened. But
 environmentalists were up in arms again when the National Marine
 Fisheries Service decided April 25 against federal protection for
 Oregon's coastal coho salmon, opting instead to give the state a
 chance to try its own $30 million recovery plan with support from
 the timber industry.
       Environmentalists say an industry pledge to log more responsibly
 and to help restore damaged stream beds was little consolation for
 the Oregon coastal coho, whose stock has dropped from as many as
 1.4 million in the early 1900s to about 80,000 today.
       ``Many of these coho runs are dangerously close to extinction
 and need protection right now,'' said Ken Rait, conservation
 director for the Oregon Natural Resources Council.
       ``The Clinton administration has surpassed the Bush
 administration in both their zeal to change the Endangered Species
 Act and their reluctance to implement it,'' said Bader, a former
 park ranger at Yellowstone National Park.
       But George Frampton Jr., a former president of The Wilderness
 Society who was an assistant interior secretary in Clinton's first
 term, calls the environmental community ``totally out to lunch on
 the Endangered Species Act.''
       ``A listing alone, that and a quarter is going to get you a cup
 of coffee,'' said Frampton.
       Frampton said the fewest complaints about the habitat
 conservation plans are heard among conservationists in California,
 where wildlife habitat is threatened most by development.
       ``Environmentalists in Southern California know that anything we
 don't get protected today will be paved over in 20 years. So if we
 can save 300,000 or 400,000 acres of habitat for species, they look
 at that as a tremendous victory,'' he said.
       ``More than 70 percent of all critical habitat is on private
 land,'' McGinty said. She said that without habitat conservation
 plans, ``none of these species would receive protection until they
 are on the brink of extinction.''
       Currently, 1,081 plant and animal species are protected as
 threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act.
       The Clinton administration has added 305 species to the list,
 compared with 228 during the four-year Bush administration and 257
 during the eight-year Reagan administration, said Interior
 Department spokeswoman Lisa Guide.
       Nearly 400 habitat conservation plans have been approved or
 developed in the past four years. They affect tracts ranging from
 one-half acre to 2 million acres, last as long as a century and
 cover up to 100 species. >>


---------------------
Forwarded message:
 >From:[e-mail]
Date: 97-05-04 12:47:12 EDT

<HTML><PRE><I>.c The Associated Press</I></PRE></HTML>

      By SCOTT SONNER
      WASHINGTON (AP) - The Clinton administration increasingly is
striking deals with states and private companies to protect fish
and wildlife, ditching the Endangered Species Act as a regulatory
club except in the most dire circumstances.
      The tactic landed the administration in hot water this spring
with three federal judges who felt the law should have been used to
protect jaguars in the Southwest, lynx in the Northwest and the
Barton Springs salamander in Texas.
      It also has drawn heavy fire from environmentalists, who have
grown increasingly critical of President Clinton's willingness to
bargain away the law's stringent protections.
      ``We are seeing a very disturbing pattern here,'' said Mark
Hubbard of the Oregon Natural Resources Council, a nonprofit
conservation group based in Portland, Ore., that has sued the
government for what it considers lax enforcement.
      ``We have gone from surprised to disappointed to just plain
angry with the Clinton administration over their refusal to protect
endangered species,'' he said.
      Architects of the administration's policy say negotiating with
state and private land owners to save species makes sense in a
political climate where property rights carry much weight.
      The carrot works better than the stick, they argue.
      ``It is not a win to see a species driven to the verge of
extinction and then be able to save the last of that species by
hammering someone with the Endangered Species Act,'' said Katie
McGinty, director of the White House Council on Environmental
Quality.
      The administration is using the law ``to its fullest and most
creative extent and reaching out to save those rare ecosystems by
working in partnership with people who own the land,'' McGinty
said.
      By year's end, the administration will have negotiated habitat
conservation plans covering more than 18 million acres of state and
privately owned land.
      Such pragmatism is no virtue in the eyes of Clinton's
environmental critics.
      ``Essentially it is a new way to get around enforcing the
Endangered Species Act,'' Sierra Club lobbyist Melinda Pierce said
of the habitat conservation plans.
      ``It's just feel-good politics. They have junked the law,'' said
Mike Bader of the Missoula, Mont.-based Alliance for the Wild
Rockies, which wants federal protection for the bull trout in the
northern Rocky Mountains.
      Environmentalists' biggest beef is with a ``no surprises''
clause in the habitat conservation plans, which promises land
owners that if they fulfill protection criteria, they'll be
insulated from any future federal conservation requirements.
      ``It's the only way companies would ever enter into such
agreements,'' said Chris West, vice president of the Northwest
Forestry Association in Portland, Ore.
      In March, federal judges in Arizona, Texas and Washington state
chided the administration for refusing to order protection for the
jaguar, Barton Springs salamander and lynx.
      In the case of the jaguar, the Fish and Wildlife Service was
ordered to declare the rare cat endangered and set aside land to
protect it.
      In Washington, the agency was told to reconsider its decision to
keep the lynx off the list; only a few hundred of the cats remain
in a handful of states.
      ``The Fish and Wildlife Service has consistently ignored the
analysis of its expert biologists,'' wrote U.S. District Judge
Gladys Kessler in Seattle.
      In Austin, U.S. District Judge Lucius Bunton ruled that Interior
Secretary Bruce Babbitt had violated the Endangered Species Act
after ``strong political pressure was applied to the secretary to
withdraw the proposed listing of the salamander.''
      Babbitt subsequently declared the salamander threatened. But
environmentalists were up in arms again when the National Marine
Fisheries Service decided April 25 against federal protection for
Oregon's coastal coho salmon, opting instead to give the state a
chance to try its own $30 million recovery plan with support from
the timber industry.
      Environmentalists say an industry pledge to log more responsibly
and to help restore damaged stream beds was little consolation for
the Oregon coastal coho, whose stock has dropped from as many as
1.4 million in the early 1900s to about 80,000 today.
      ``Many of these coho runs are dangerously close to extinction
and need protection right now,'' said Ken Rait, conservation
director for the Oregon Natural Resources Council.
      ``The Clinton administration has surpassed the Bush
administration in both their zeal to change the Endangered Species
Act and their reluctance to implement it,'' said Bader, a former
park ranger at Yellowstone National Park.
      But George Frampton Jr., a former president of The Wilderness
Society who was an assistant interior secretary in Clinton's first
term, calls the environmental community ``totally out to lunch on
the Endangered Species Act.''
      ``A listing alone, that and a quarter is going to get you a cup
of coffee,'' said Frampton.
      Frampton said the fewest complaints about the habitat
conservation plans are heard among conservationists in California,
where wildlife habitat is threatened most by development.
      ``Environmentalists in Southern California know that anything we
don't get protected today will be paved over in 20 years. So if we
can save 300,000 or 400,000 acres of habitat for species, they look
at that as a tremendous victory,'' he said.
      ``More than 70 percent of all critical habitat is on private
land,'' McGinty said. She said that without habitat conservation
plans, ``none of these species would receive protection until they
are on the brink of extinction.''
      Currently, 1,081 plant and animal species are protected as
threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act.
      The Clinton administration has added 305 species to the list,
compared with 228 during the four-year Bush administration and 257
during the eight-year Reagan administration, said Interior
Department spokeswoman Lisa Guide.
      Nearly 400 habitat conservation plans have been approved or
developed in the past four years. They affect tracts ranging from
one-half acre to 2 million acres, last as long as a century and
cover up to 100 species.
      AP-NY-05-04-97 1238EDT
      <HTML><PRE><I><FONT COLOR="#000000" SIZE=2> Copyright 1997 The
Associated Press.  The information
contained in the AP news report may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without
prior written authority of The Associated Press.<FONT COLOR="#000000" SIZE=3>
</I></PRE></HTML>


To edit your profile, go to keyword NewsProfiles.
For all of today's news, go to keyword News.

Date: Sun, 4 May 1997 10:45:47 -0400 (EDT)
>From: [e-mail]
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Utah prisoner denied vegan food!
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>


CALLS NEEDED FOR HUNGRY, SICK, AND NEGLECTED ANIMAL RIGHTS PRISONER

SALT LAKE CITY -- The Salt Lake City Jail is denying vegan inmate, Jacob
Kenison, nutritionally adequate meals, despite attempts by the prisoner,
a civil liberties group, and a physicians group to assist them with meal
planing.

Kenison, who has been incarcerated since April 23 has gone without
proper vegan meals for over a week, eating only the odd apple or orange
provided at the meals.

Members of the Civil Liberties Defense Fund have faxed information from
the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine on a vegan diet and
food preperation to Jail Captain Paul Cunningham, Head Nurse Christie
Fields, and the Head of Food Service Bob Foringer.

Follow-up calls from the civil ciberties group have requested the prison
recognize Kenison's deeply held religious and moral beliefs by providing
him a vegan diet. The jail is STILL refused to take action.

Kenison's lack of food has made him sick and despite sending over 20
forms requesting either proper food or medical attention, the jail
continues to ignore his dilemma.

CALL THE JAIL AND DEMAND THEY FEED HIM!

It's time the Utah authorities recognize the strength and unity of our
movement. So let's show it to them! Let them know their violations and
abuse is being exposed and that people will NOT tolerate it. Demand they
feed Jacob vegan food! Demand they give him medical attention! Here are
the numbers to call:

Seargeant: 801-535-5075
Administration: 801-535-5885

SEND JACOB LETTERS OF SUPPORT!!

Letters to Jacob would also be appreciated to keep his morale high and
let him know that we aren't forgetting about him. Address them to:

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

NOTE: The police not only read his mail, but censor it as well by
cutting out "offensive" statments -- such as "fuck cops!" etc.

ROCK ON!

Date: Sun, 04 May 1997 16:31:04 -0400
>From: allen schubert <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Subscription Options (admin note)
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

just 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:

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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: Sun, 04 May 1997 18:28:44 -0400 (EDT)
>From: Debbie Leahy <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Wal-Mart Drops Animal Exhibit
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
MIME-version: 1.0
Content-type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII

NEWS RELEASE


                WAL-MART DROPS ANIMAL EXHIBIT

ORLAND HILLS, IL - Wal-Mart management responded immediately
to complaints brought by Illinois Animal Action (IAA) members
and told an animal exhibiter to leave its store located at
9265 W. 159th Street.  Over the weekend, Wildlife Inc.
Presents had brought a cougar, Siberian tiger, hedgehog, and
python for photo opportunities with the public.  According to
witnesses, the cougar was displayed in a cage so small the
animal was unable to turn around.  A tiger, led around on a
leash, appeared frightened by the crowds.

"Wal-Mart reacted very responsibly. These photo opportunities
with wild animals in crowded stores are stressful for the
animals and endangers the public," says IAA president Debbie
Leahy.  "Many children have been bitten and mauled while
posing for pictures.  No reputable wildlife facility would
ever drag its animals around to busy malls."

IAA is an all-volunteer, non-profit, animal rights
organization dedicated to promoting the humane and ethical
treatment of animals.

                                ###

Illinois Animal Action
P.O. Box 507
Warrenville, IL  60555
630/393-2935
Date: Sun, 4 May 1997 15:29:53 -0700 (PDT)
>From: "Christine M. Wolf" <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: URGENT: Dolphin Death Bill Vote This Week!
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

     URGENT ACTION ALERT !

     CONGRESS LIKELY TO VOTE ON DOLPHIN DEATH BILL
     THIS WEEK (May 5-9, 1997)


Efforts by the Mexican government, the Clinton administration, and five
so-called environmental groups have resulted in legislation that COULD BE
VOTED ON THIS WEEK in the U.S. House of Representatives.  H.R. 408,
sponsored by Representative Wayne Gilchrest (R-MD), would re-define "Dolphin
Safe" to allow these sensitive creatures to be chased and encircled in nets.
Cans of tuna would deceptively wear the "Dolphin Safe" label, even though
dolphins may have been severely injured and harassed in the process of
catching the tuna.

CALL YOUR CONGRESSPERSON AT 202-225-3121 (HOUSE SWITCHBOARD)
TELL HIM OR HER TO OPPOSE H.R. 408 !

For further information or to find out who your elected officials are, call
Christine Wolf at The Fund for Animals (301-585-2591).  Thank you for your help!
******************************************************************
Christine Wolf, Director of Government Affairs
  The Fund for Animalsphone: 301-585-2591
  850 Sligo Ave., #300fax:   [phone]
  Silver Spring, MD 20910e-mail: [e-mail]

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change
the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."  (Margaret Mead)

Date: Sun, 04 May 1997 20:01:29 -0400
>From: allen schubert <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: (US) List of Protected Wildlife Habitats
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

from AP Wire page:
-------------------------------
 05/04/1997 13:54 EST

 List of Protected Wildlife Habitats

 By The Associated Press

 The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service expects 18 million acres of fish and
wildlife habitat
 to be protected on private lands by the end of the year under habitat
conservation
 plans. A look at the 20 largest plans, their location and species affected:

 1. State of Washington, 1.6 million acres specified in management plan for
state's
 2.1 million acres of forestry lands; northern spotted owl, marbled
murrelet, salmon,
 steelhead trout.

 2. Balcones Canyonlands, Travis County, Texas, 633,000 acres; golden-cheeked
 warbler, black-capped vireo, borianthos plant, cave bugs.

 3. Riverside County, Calif., 540,000 acres; Stephens' kangaroo rat.

 4. Clark County, Nev., and Southern California, 525,000 acres; desert
tortoise.

 5. Simpson Timber Co., Northern California, 300,000 acres; northern
spotted owl.

 6. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, North Carolina, working with U.S. Army
Fort Bragg,
 six neighboring counties and private land owners, 300,000 acres; red-cockaded
 woodpecker.

 7. Metropolitan Bakersfield, Calif., 262,000 acres; San Joaquin kit fox,
blunt-nosed
 leopard lizard, Tipton kangaroo rat, Bakersfield cactus, San Joaquin
woolly-threads.

 8. Potlach Corp., Arkansas, 233,000 acres; red-cockaded woodpecker.

 9. Weyerhaeuser Co., Coos Bay, Ore., 210,000 acres; northern spotted owl.

 10. Orange County, Calif., 200,000 acres; California gnatcatcher, Southern
arroyo
 toad, American peregrine falcon.

 11. State of Massachusetts, coastal counties, 200 coastal miles; piping
plover.

 12. Plum Creek Timber Co., Kittitas County, Wash., 170,000 acres; northern
spotted
 owl, marbled murrelet, grizzly bear, gray wolf.

 13. Oregon Department of Forestry, Elliott State Forest, 94,000 acres;
American bald
 eagle, northern spotted owl, marbled murrelet.

 14. Coachella Valley, Riverside County, Calif., 70,000 acres, Coachella
Valley
 fringe-toed lizard.

 15. Gulf Coast Prairies Safe Harbor, Southern Texas, 64,000 acres; brown
pelican,
 prairie chicken.

 16. Alpomado Falcon Safe Harbor, Texas Gulf Coast, 64,000 acres; alpomado
 falcon.

 17. Murray Pacific Corp., Lewis County, Wash., 55,000 acres; northern
spotted owl.

 18. Volusia County, Fla., 50,000 acres; nesting sea turtles.

 19. Weyerhaeuser Co., Arkansas, Oklahoma, 40,000 acres; American burying
 beetle.

 20. ARCO Western Energy, Kern County, Calif., 31,360 acres; San Joaquin
kit fox,
 blunt-nosed leopard lizard, Tipton kangaroo rat, Glant kangaroo rat.
Date: Sun, 04 May 1997 20:06:31 -0400
>From: allen schubert <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: (US) Mainers Aim To Preserve Migration
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

from AP Wire page:
-------------------------------
 05/04/1997 12:02 EST

 Mainers Aim To Preserve Migration

 By GLENN ADAMS
 Associated Press Writer

 DAMARISCOTTA MILLS, Maine (AP) -- Russ Williams points to an eagle's nest
 bulging from the branch of a towering tree, then mentions he's counted as
many as
 two dozen ospreys at once circling in the sky above.

 It's no wonder the great birds of prey find the local pools along Maine's
jagged coast
 so inviting. About this time each spring, thousands of alewives migrate up
the
 Damariscotta River to their freshwater spawning grounds.

 The name Damariscotta is taken from the American Indian word for ``place of
 abundance for alewives.'' The herring-like fish were long a staple of food
and
 industry among coastal inhabitants.

 But the runs have dwindled here and elsewhere along the East Coast. Malcolm
 Smith of the state Marine Resources Department attributes that in part to the
 appetites of seals, eagles and ospreys, not to mention humans.

 ``Everybody gets their belly full from the alewives,'' said Smith, a
marine scientist.

 Still, alewives remain the soul of this tiny village of neat cedar-shingle
homes,
 restored clapboard farmhouses, a bed-and-breakfast and a shop called
``Alewives
 Fabrics.''

 The reduced migration has spawned an aggressive conservation effort led by
 Williams and others who live in town. The effort, which has seen some
success, is
 centered at the site of a unique combination of natural features and a
fish-catching
 work of engineering that only a Yankee mind could dream up.

 After reaching maturity in the Atlantic, the alewives follow the
Damariscotta River as it
 etches its way up the coast toward a stream that leads to the Damariscotta
Lake
 spawning area. Just past a natural pool along the way, the alewives for
years had to
 make a choice.

 A hard right takes them up a primitive ladder, a serpentine conduit of
football-sized
 stones and mortar that leads to a dam above. Once at the dam, the fish
flip-flip
 one-by-one over wooden gates and into a stream leading to Damariscotta Lake.

 Fish taking the left side of the fork faced a rushing, frothy torrent at
the base of a falls
 that is almost impossible for them to maneuver. Turning back, the hapless
alewives
 were scooped up by huge, black, iron ``dippers'' that transferred them to
an elevated
 sluice.

 That, in turn, carried them back to a shed where they were beheaded, cleaned,
 pickled or smoked, and shipped worldwide or cut up for lobster bait.

 Today, the dippers are idle and the processing house is closed down. The
fish are
 all corralled away from the falls to the 1807-vintage fishway with hopes
that they will
 spawn.

 In the early 1800s, prodigious volumes of alewives were swept up each
spring by
 fishermen with hand nets. That practice continued until the 1940s when the
 mechanical dippers, powered by electrical hoists, were installed.

 It was a grand industry for a time. Some years, as many as 28,000 bushels
were
 pulled from the stream. But the haul slipped to about 18,000 bushels in
1950, and
 the 1990 total was just over 1,000 bushels. As a conservation measure, the
two
 towns along the stream imposed an eight-year moratorium on commercial alewife
 fishing.

 Even though the harvests decreased dramatically, the old fishway is still
so thick with
 alewives during the migration that you can stick in a hand and yank out a
wiggling
 fish. And an old smokehouse along the stream is still in operation each
spring.

 While the commercial fishing is on hold, some of the alewives are still
taken from
 the stream each spring to satisfy an 1807 law requiring that each widow in
 Newcastle and Nobleboro -- the two towns separated by the stream -- get
two free
 bushels of alewives each year.

 ``Last year, 10 widows got them,'' said Frank Waltz Sr., who is said to
know more
 about the towns's alewife fishery than anyone. The widows give most of the
alewives
 to the smokehouse owner, who in turn sells them.

 Waltz said he thinks conservation efforts will bring back the alewives to
a point where
 the dippers may hum and clank again.

 However, he said, ``I doubt I'll ever see as many (alewives) as I did
years back.''

 The Damariscotta River Association is working to restore the alewife runs by
 repairing the fishway and its network of pools a little at a time, as
donations allow.
 Leaks that have sprung over the years drop the water to dangerously low
levels, and
 fallen rocks change the flow and disorient the fish.

 The local hydroelectric power plant shuts off its turbines when the young
alewives
 head to sea to keep them from getting chopped up.

 An annual Alewives Festival, a big potluck feed in town that usually
coincides with the
 spring run, raises money for the restoration efforts.

 One of the biggest contributors to the cause has been John Hay, a
naturalist and
 writer from Cape Cod, Mass., who has a summer home in Bremen.

 The restoration effort seems to be having an effect, according to Pete
Noyes of the
 river association, who says the number of alewives entering Damariscotta
Lake was
 three times higher in 1996 than the year before.
Date: Sun, 04 May 1997 20:12:05 -0400
>From: allen schubert <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: (US) List of Animal, Plant Invaders
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

from AP Wire page:
-----------------------------
05/03/1997 11:23 EST

 List of Animal, Plant Invaders

 By The Associated Press

 Every day, ecologists estimate, a new animal or plant species enters the
United
 States. Many don't survive in their new homes, and most go unnoticed. But
a few
 dozen have become notorious pests, causing billions of dollars in damage and
 permanently altering natural ecosystems. Among the most troublesome
culprits:

 GYPSY MOTH:

 Type of Pest: Insect

 Place of Origin: Eurasia

 Damage Caused: Caterpillars eat leaves of oak trees

 Range: Northeastern United States.

 Control Efforts: Insecticides used to retard spread

 MELALEUCA:

 Type of Pest: Plant

 Place of Origin: Australia

 Damage Caused: Crowds out native plants

 Range: South Florida

 Control Efforts: Deeper water in Everglades may prevent its growth

 ZEBRA MUSSEL:

 Type of Pest: Shellfish

 Place of Origin: Caspian and Black Seas

 Damage Caused: Crowds out natives, blocks pipes and fouls underwater
structures

 Range: Great Lakes, Mississippi and tributaries

 Control Efforts: Prevention of spread to other water bodies

 TAMARISK:

 Type of Pest: Plant

 Place of Origin: Eurasia

 Damage Caused: Consumes large amounts of water in arid regions

 Range: Western and Southern United States

 Control Efforts: Removal, cessation of grazing

 ROSY WOLF SNAIL:

 Type of Pest: Snail

 Place of Origin: Latin America and Southeastern United States

 Damage Caused: Preys on native snails

 Range: Hawaii

 Control Efforts: Prevention of spread, toxic baits
Date: Sun, 4 May 1997 21:44:11 -0400 (EDT)
>From: [e-mail]
To: <[e-mail]>
Cc: [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail]
Subject: Elk to be Killed in Wyoming
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>

OK all you animal rights activists who out there looking for something to
really get involved in, try this:

According to USA Today, May 2, 1997, "the Wyoming state Game and Fish
Department will sell 725 cow and calf elk licenses in six hunt areas this
year in an effort to reduce the animals' population, estimated at 105,000.
 Officials hope hunters will kill at least 23,000 elk this fall."

Wyoming has approximately 17% of its population licensed as hunters.  This
percentage is second highest in the United States exceeded only by Montana.
 Even so, this means that 83% of the population of Wyoming do not possess a
hunting license and are assumed not to be hunters.  Are these people in favor
of this killing?  Also, who made the estimate of the elk population and how
was it made?  (Bet it was the Game and Fish Department, but how did they
count the elk?)

Is there no other place in the U. S. where these elk could be relocated?
 Does everyone have a surplus of elk?  If too many calves are being born, why
can't immunosterilization be used?

Come on gang -- I've just scratched the surface -- Let's ask the hard
questions and get this killing stopped.  We've got a little time (unlike with
the bison in Yellowstone) -- so let's get some national attention on this one
right now.

Sumner Matthes, Wildlife Coordinator, Sarasota In Defense of Animals
P.O. Box 15653, Sarasota, FL 34277-1653; Phone [phone]; Fax (941)
925-8388
Date: Sun, 4 May 1997 21:53:06 -0400 (EDT)
>From: [e-mail]
To: [e-mail]
Subject: LA Times: Coyote Trapping (US)
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>

Copyright 1997 Times Mirror Company
Los Angeles Times;  May 4, 1997, Sunday,  Valley Edition  SECTION: Metro;
Part B; Page 4; Zones Desk

PET PEEVES;  PUG'S DEATH PITS ANIMAL RIGHTS ACTIVISTS AGAINST CITY
AGENCY IN
ONGOING CONTROVERSY OVER COYOTE TRAPPING

BYLINE: MARTHA L. WILLMAN, TIMES STAFF WRITER

   The brouhaha over how an Encino pug dog was skinned and left to die,
whether by man or coyote, reflects the continuing controversy over coyote
trapping, a fight that pits an obscure city agency against passionate, often
vehement animal rights activists.
   The animal lovers, backed by several independent veterinarians, insist
that human hands removed the dog's pelt--and to the untrained eye, graphic
photos of the slain creature's neatly sliced skin seem to support their
claims.
   But other experts say the clean cuts are typical of a carnivore attack,
whether it be a coyote, another dog or a predatory bird, such as an owl or
eagle.
   "I'm surprised they're not saying it was aliens from outer space," said
Dr. Charles Leathers, a leading research veterinarian. Indeed, one animal
rights advocate claims with certainty that the killing was the work of a
satanic cult.
   The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Los Angeles--which
has enforcement powers under state law--is continuing its investigation to
track down a human attacker.
   Meanwhile, animal rights activists are accusing the city's embattled
Animal Services Department of inventing coyote attacks to justify a renewal
of coyote trapping, abandoned four years ago to mollify the activists.
Department officials vehemently deny the charge.
   The case of the unfortunate pug, left to fend for itself overnight in the
suburban jungle, has taken on a whole array of meanings in the minds of all
who hear about it and is unlikely to be resolved to anyone's satisfaction.
   What the case has revealed are the contentious battles among the varied
schools of animal advocates.
   "There is more bickering and infighting in the humane community than in
any group of people I have seen in my entire life," said Gini Barrett, a city
animal regulation commissioner and western regional director of the American
Humane Assn. "If we would all spend as much time working for animal welfare
as some of us do bickering, a lot more animals would be better off and more
people would join us in our work."
   But the controversy over Pal the pug has triggered a new barrage of
name-calling and accusations. City Council members are pointing fingers at
one another and at Animal Services officials. Animal Services alleged
"obstruction of justice" in its investigation and obtained a warrant to
search the office of the private veterinarian who first treated the dog.
Department officials proposed unsuccessfully to the city attorney's office
that the perished pug's elderly owner, who is deaf and nearly blind, be
charged with negligence for failing to get her pet's wounds treated
immediately.
   The SPCA lashed out at Animal Services, accusing General Manager Gary
Olsen of "political bickering" and "public whining." The Southern California
Veterinary Medical Assn. stepped in to quiet the fighting among its members.
   And in the end, wildlife supporters were once again accusing the city of a
subterfuge to overturn the Animal Services commission's ban on coyote
trapping while those on the other side of the fence say the real danger is to
ignore the presence of coyotes in the city--and the need to protect pets from
them.
   *
   Following dozens of cities and counties throughout the state, the Los
Angeles City Council in 1993 banned trapping coyotes and other wild animals,
except in extraordinary cases requiring a special permit.
   The ban brought complaints from many residents, particularly those in the
west San Fernando Valley who complained of attacks on pets and other small
animals and threats to small children. But animal rights advocates fought
back even harder.
   Initially, the Animal Services Department supplied traps to homeowners in
special circumstances, but halted even that practice in May 1995, said Peter
Persic, the department's spokesman.
   No permits have been sought to trap coyotes in the last two years, he
said.
   But "this case has absolutely nothing to do with coyotes and coyote
trapping," he emphasized.
   "With this dog attack, we investigated the case, we reached a conclusion
and that is the only issue that should be involved in this."
   He added, however, that he is not surprised by the outbreak of new
accusations. Whether or not coyotes should be trapped "is a perennial issue
and there is absolutely no way that everyone is going to be satisfied with
any policy," he said.
   The fear that the department is moving to renew trapping "is absolutely
not true," he said. "Trapping is simply not an effective way of coexisting
with wildlife."
   Barrett said the arguments repeatedly put animal control officials
"between the devil and the deep blue sea. The way you know you have picked
the right option is when everybody is mad at you."
   Despite the infighting, all the animal advocates agree on one point: The
best way to reduce the number of mutilated and missing pets is to keep them
inside at night, remove pet food from outside and cover garbage cans--all
steps to avoid attracting coyotes.
   "If Pal's death is to go to good, what needs to happen is not for all of
us to scream and holler at each other about right and wrong, but to use this
as an opportunity to learn how to protect our pets," Barrett said. "If we
know how to protect our pets from coyotes, then they will also be protected
from people."




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