Komputer for Alle 1998 #6/1998 CD 6 (Gul).iso/web/ffa/wwwenv~1.org/arrs/digest/news40~2.htm/text0010.txt

Internet Message Format | 1998-04-03 | 77.9 KB

Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: multipart/alternative;
     boundary="----=_NextPart_000_01BC62AE.A8950020"

U.S. Department of the
Interior

Office of the Secretary

Contact: Mike Gauldin 202/208-6416

For Immediate Release: March 14, 1997

Yellowstone Bison Body Count Continues to Climb


Harsh winter, shooting by Montana state
riflemen claim almost two-thirds of nation s last wild
bison herd


Nearly half of the bison herd that roamed Yellowstone National Park have died
so far as a result of the twin onslaughts of a harsh winter and the state of
Montana s controversial policy of shooting bison which venture out of the park
searching for food.


The Yellowstone Herd included an estimated 3200-3500 animals at the beginning
of the winter season, but this week only an estimated 1300-1500 surviving bison
could be accounted for based on an aerial survey earlier this week of the park
and adjacent National Forest land. So far this winter 1,059 bison, about a third
of the original herd, has been sent to slaughterhouses or shot by Montana state
riflemen.


Montana has reported killing about 100 bison on public and private land since
February 26, when Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt sent the Governor of Montana
a letter urging him to stop the killing and work together to identify immediate
solutions aimed at saving the bison.


 This needless and unnecessary shooting of Yellowstone bison must stop now,
said Babbitt.  The continued killing of bison by the State of Montana is
threatening the future of America s free roaming wild herd.


The bison at Yellowstone is the last remnant of the free-roaming wild
herd of the American west, a national symbol of the nation s commitment to
conservation. The unusually severe winter has driven a number of bison outside
the boundary of Yellowstone in search of food. When bison roam outside of the
park area, they are ordered shot by the State of Montana.


 The unacceptable killing of bison must stop. Between the ice and snow and
what s left of the harsh winter weather yet to come, and the continued killing
by Montana, there is cause for serious concerns of just how many bison will
survive,  said Babbitt.


To date there are no documented findings or cases of cattle contracting
brucellosis from bison in the wild. Although elk and bison both can carry
brucellosis, Montana allows elk to roam free.


-DOI-




NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENTISTS PROPOSED
STATEMENT
OF TASK



The NAS, an independent advisor to the government, will determine:


I.  What are the factors that determine the risk of
transmission of the bacteria Brucella abortus
to cattle from bison in Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National
Park?


  What is the state of scientific understanding for the
transmission of Brucella between wildlife species and between wildlife
and cattle?


  Does Brucella affect the reproductive potential in bison
generally, and specifically bison in the Greater Yellowstone
Area?


  Does Brucella pose a risk of transmission when it occurs
in bison but is not present in the reproductive system? What risk is
associated with infected males? (Is it dynamic?)


  What is the relationship among serology, culture test
results, and likelihood of infectiousness? Can serology results be used
as a reliable predictor of infectiousness?


  What is the true prevalence of Brucella abortus in GYA
bison and elk? What information is available regarding the prevalence of
Brucella in other mammals in the GYA?


  What is the risk of direct or indirect (via aborted fetus,
placenta, body fluids deposited on the ground, etc.) transmission of
Brucella abortus from bison to cattle, from elk to cattle, and from elk
to bison or vice versa? What is known about the prevalence of Brucella in GYA
wildlife other than bison or elk and risk of transmission to
cattle?


  In the event that Brucella is removed from bison but not
simultaneously from elk, what is the risk that elk will serve as a
reinfection pathway for bison?


  What is the known risk of Brucella transmission compared
with other disease?


  What is the state of scientific understanding of the
safety and effectiveness of exiting vaccines to control brucellosis? Why
are these vaccines less effective in bison than in cattle?


  If a vaccination program specific to bison were
undertaken, would the outcome have a high likelihood of success given the
presence of Brucella in elk and other wildlife?





II. Based solely on scientific considerations, what is known
about the relative risk reduction potentials of the various optional
approaches to reducing the risk of transmission of Brucella from wildlife
to cattle? Such approaches include:


 Vaccinating bison


 Vaccinating cattle


 Separating cattle and bison during the bison abortion season or
through the entire   birthing season


 Limiting cattle on the proximity of the park borders to steers
only


III. What is the role of vaccine development for bison and
elk? Can Brucella be eliminated totally from the GYA by development and
use of a vaccine? What would be the theoretical tradeoffs between a
vaccine-only approach and a vaccination approach combined with a test and
slaughter program?


[Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt has requested the National Academy of
Sciences complete its study by Oct. 1, 1997]


###




BISON & BRUCELLOSIS IN THE GREATER YELLOWSTONE
AREA



Scientific Background


Bison Fundamentals: More than 30 million wild and freeranging
bison (Bison bison) once roamed the West. Yet by 1902 only a
remnant population of 23 wild bison remained in Yellowstone National Park. That
year, bison were translocated from domesticated herds in Montana and Texas to
Yellowstone. These and the remaining animals formed the foundation for the
current wild bison population found in the United States.


Yellowstone National Park is a harsh winter environment for bison. Cold is
not a major concern because bison thermoregulate. In addition, hot springs and
other thermal features aid their survival. However, one of the most significant
challenges for bison in Yellowstone is deep snow. Bison have saved their energy
by using plowed roads and compacted snowmobile trails that facilitate their
travels especially to winter range. These energy savings and easier access to
winter range, over the past seventeen years, are factors contributing to bison
population increases.


The 19961997 winter in Yellowstone National Park has delivered dense,
compacted, rockhard snow that has made the traditional bison feeding areas
unavailable. This situation has set the stage for natural population
adjustments. The 1996 summer bison herd of roughly 3500, approximately a quarter
occupying the northern range, were confronted with the winter of 1997.


Wild, free ranging bison do not recognize political boundaries. In search of
scarce food resources in the19961997 winter, bison move along the energy
efficient snowmobile trails and groomed roads that lead the bison to their
traditional winter range found at lower elevations. To date, more than 1,000
bison have been shot or sent to slaughter during the winter of 1997. Additional
animals have died due to the harsh winter weather and other natural processes.
Based on recent aerial surveys, the bison population is currently about
1,300.


Brucellosis Fundamentals: Brucellosis is a contagious
bacterial disease caused by various species of the bacteria Brucella
which infects domestic animals, wildlife, and humans worldwide. In North America
the primary livestock hosts of Brucella are cattle, goats, swine, and
sheep. The principal North American wildlife hosts are bison, elk, caribou,
reindeer, and feral and exotic swine. Brucellosis may also occur in carnivores,
including members of the dog family.


Brucellosis in Yellowstone National Park bison was first reported in 1917 and
an endemic infection has persisted since that time. Approximately 45 percent of
the current bison herd tests seropositive for the antibody to Brucella.
However, not all seropositive animals are currently infected with the bacterium.
The original source of infection is unknown; however, Brucella abortus
was introduced to North America with imported cattle. Therefore, the bacteria
probably was transmitted from domestic livestock to bison. Many elk residing in
the Greater Yellowstone Area also test serologically positive for brucellosis.
The percentage of animals testing positive varies from location to location
within the Greater Yellowstone Area and may be related in part to the
concentration of animals on winter feed grounds.


Brucellosis is typically transmitted through ingestion. The Brucella
bacteria are transmitted in aborted tissues, reproductive tissues and
discharges, especially just prior to, during, or soon after abortion or live
birth. The bacterium may also be shed in milk for variable lengths of time.
Although transmission has been shown to occur between and among cattle, bison,
and elk under experimental conditions, the risk of transmission of brucellosis
between bison and cattle in the wild has not been determined. There is
disagreement over the primary means of brucellosis transmission among bison and
current data are insufficient to resolve this issue.


Brucellosis in cattle is characterized by abortion, infertility, reduced milk
production, and other reproductive problems. Although on occasion abortion may
occur in wild bison herds, brucellosis does not prevent the growth of the
Yellowstone bison herd.


In humans, brucellosis was formerly known as undulant fever, a disease that
is rarely fatal. Livestock and slaughter industry workers, veterinarians, and
consumers of unpasteurized milk and products made from it have the highest risk
of contracting the disease. If properly cooked, meat from infected animals is
not a health risk. There have been two documented transmissions of brucellosis
to humans from elk in Montana. The transmission arose from individuals handling
elk fetuses and membranes.


There is no effective treatment or cure for animals infected with
Brucella. However, a preventative brucellosis vaccine (Strain 19) has
been developed for use in cattle. Its primary use is to increase herd immunity.
On average it is 65 to 70 percent effective in cattle. The effectiveness of
Strain 19 on captive bison is less than that for cattle. Two other vaccines,
B. Neotomae and strain RB51, are currently under study. Strain RB51 has
been licensed for use in cattle calves only. Initial trials of RB51 in captive,
pregnant bison caused some bison to abort when given a dose via an inoculation
route that had been proven safe in pregnant cattle. However, additional tests of
the safety and effectiveness of RB51 on bison are underway. Methods for
brucellosis prevention in wildlife including bison, using techniques currently
employed on cattle have not proven to be effective. Currently, domestic cattle
can beeffectively inoculated against brucellosisbison can not.


Knowledge Required: Combating brucellosis in wildlife
populations such as the bison of Yellowstone National Park requires policies
that are built upon a solid foundation of science. The National Academy of
Sciences has agreed to undertake an independent study of the scientific issues
associated with the brucellosis problem. Key elements of the study will
address:


o The transmission of Brucella among cattle, bison, elk, and other
wildlife species;


o The relationship, if any, between the bison population dynamics and
brucellosis;


o The ability of serology testing to estimate true infectiousness;


o The efficacy and safety of existing vaccines for target and nontarget
species and the need for new (including bisonspecific) vaccines;


o The nature, and likely success or limitations, of a wild animal vaccination
program; and


o Optimal approaches to reducing the risk of transmission to cattle and among
wildlife.


Secretary Bruce Babbitt has requested The National Academy of Sciences
complete its study by October 1, 1997.


###




Bison Fundamentals



  The Yellowstone bison herd is the largest freeroaming bison herd and a
national symbol of the nation s commitment to conservation. The National Park
Service brought the last 23 wild bison back from the brink of extinction to
return them to their place in the ecosystem of Yellowstone.


  The NPS estimates that about 1300 bison remain in Yellowstone National Park
and adjacent National Forest land. Instead of an  overpopulation  of bison, at
this point the NPS is concerned that the bison population may drop to critical
levels if continued shooting adds to the expected winter mortality.


  An unusually harsh winter has forced bison out of the sanctuary of
Yellowstone National Park and on to surrounding lands that historically served
as their winter range. Snowpack in the park is 200% above normal. National
Forest lands around the park, where bison are being shot, were established in
part to protect winter range for the wildlife of the park.


  1059 bison have been killed so far to protect cattle from an undefined risk
of infection that might be present if cattle were to come into close contact
with bison. There is currently no imminent threat of cattle coming in contact
with bison. Under the Interim Bison Management Plan, Montana has slaughtered 504
bison (including 464 captured by the National Park Service). Montana has shot
548 bison. NPS has destroyed 7 bison due to injuries sustained during capture or
shooting operations.


  Since January 30, the National Park Service, with USDA s Forest Service and
the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), has asked Montana to
stopthe killing of bison around Yellowstone National Park on National Forest
lands, and to minimize Montana s killing of bison on private land around the
Park. NPS, APHIS and Forest Service asked Montana to allow bison to roam free on
National Forest lands because bison need to disperse over a wider area while
their winter range in the Park is largely covered with ice and snow.


  Though elk and bison both carry brucellosis, Montana allows elk to roam
free, and supports public hunting on public lands to control their numbers.
Wyoming supports public hunting of bison on National Forest land adjacent to
Yellowstone.


  Although transmission of brucellosis has been shown to occur between and
among cattle, bison, and elk under experimental conditions, the risk of
transmission between bison and cattle in the wild has not been determined.


  Montana has shot over 135 bison on public lands in the West Yellowstone
area since January 30, when APHIS informed Montana that such shooting was not
necessary to protect the State s brucellosisfree cattle rating. Montana is not
caught between conflicting federal agencies; USDA and DOI are committed to
reasonable contingency proposals and longterm solutions.


  Contrary to Montana s public statements that they are being  selective  in
their shooting of bison in the West Yellowstone area, Montana has shot bulls and
calves without knowing whether they were diseasefree or not.


  If APHIS and NPS contingency proposals are not adopted by Montana, the
Interim Plan would allow Montana to continue shooting most, if not all, bison in
the West Yellowstone area of the Gallatin National Forest.


  The National Park Service has not removed bison, by shooting or slaughter,
since February 13, 1997. Because NPS is doing all it can to protect the
remaining bison herd, NPS will only shoot bison for humanitarian reasons (i.e.,
injury) or to protect against imminent harm to life or property.


  There are no cattle in the West Yellowstone area and cattle will not be
returned to the area before summer. Any potential conflicts with cattle can be
resolved by ensuring that cattle are managed to provide a sufficient time
interval after the return of bison to the Park to avoid a significant risk of
contact between bison and domestic cattle.


  There is no safe and effective vaccine for brucellosis in bison. Use of
cattle vaccines in bison causes bison to abort their calves.


  Management of the freeroaming bison and the 2.2 million acres of
Yellowstone National Park cannot be validly compared to other parks. Wind Cave
(28,295 acres) and Theodore Roosevelt (69,701 acres) manage their
bisonpopulations within specific ranges established for each park. The Wind Cave
population range is 300400 animals and Theodore Roosevelt's range is 300750
animals. These parks do not mange their bison as free ranging bison in part
because the parks have been fenced and are surrounded by private land.


  The conflict with bison is one aspect of the development and use pressures
near or up to the park boundaries that Yellowstone National Park has never
before experienced.


Date: Sat, 17 May 1997 10:41:58 -0400
>From: "radioactive" <[e-mail]>
To: "Animal Rights" <[e-mail]>
Subject: U.S. FWS -  INT'L MIGRATORY BIRD DAY
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: multipart/alternative;
     boundary="----=_NextPart_000_01BC62AE.F2131660"


 News Release

                    Hugh Vickery  202-208-5634

               HELPING PEOPLE HELP BIRDS IS THEME
          OF INTERNATIONAL MIGRATORY BIRD DAY ON MAY 10
Much has improved in the 35 years since former U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service  biologist Rachel
Carson awakened America to the problem of pesticides with her  book Silent Spring. The Nation's
air and water are cleaner. Harmful chemicals  such as DDT have been banned and the bald eagle,
peregrine falcon, and other  species have rebounded as a result.
But unfortunately, many of the Nation's 800 migratory bird species are still  in peril because of
loss of habitat and misuse of common pesticides that can be  found at any hardware store.
Populations of some species are declining as fast  as 2 percent to 4 percent per year.
"Join the Flock . . . Be Part of the Solution" is the theme of the  fifth annual International
Migratory Bird Day to be observed this year on  Saturday, May 10. IMBD is a celebration of
spring migration and the return of  millions of birds to their nesting areas. IMBD features bird
walks, family  activities, bird banding demonstrations, and other events throughout the United
States and the Western Hemisphere. These events will be held at many national  wildlife refuges,
city and state parks, national forests, national parks,  National Audubon sanctuaries and other
nature reserves.
"People will have an opportunity not only to enjoy watching and  photographing wild birds but
also to learn what they can do to conserve  them," said Service Acting Director John Rogers.
"Average citizens can play an important role in stopping the decline of  some bird populations,"
Rogers said. "Something as simple as learning  the appropriate time and way to apply pesticides to
your lawn or garden can make  a big difference. Many people are inadvertently poisoning birds by
misusing  these chemicals or applying them when birds are especially vulnerable, such as  when
they are nesting."
The deaths of 20,000 Swainson's hawks in Argentina last year highlighted the  problem of
pesticides killing birds. The Service, working with the Argentine  government, received a
commitment from a major chemical company, Ciba-Geigy, to  limit use of the pesticide
responsible for the deaths and to expand education  and training efforts among Argentine farmers.
Pesticides are still a domestic concern. Every year, 4 million tons of  pesticides are applied across
the United States everywhere from farm fields to  homes and gardens. In addition, well over
100,000 tons of pesticides no longer  permitted to be used in the United States are shipped to
developing countries  where migratory birds spend the winter.
Loss and fragmentation of habitat also is a major reason for the decline of  many bird species. For
example, the United States has lost more than half its  wetlands, nearly all its tallgrass prairie and
virgin forest, and 75 percent of  its shortgrass prairie. Similar destruction and degradation of
native habitat is  ongoing in many other countries along migration routes.
Last year on International Migratory Bird Day, the Service unveiled a  national strategy to better
conserve bird habitat by coordinating conservation  efforts at the local, state, and national levels.
The plan was developed by  Partners in Flight, a partnership of 16 Federal agencies, 60 state and
provincial fish and wildlife agencies, and more than 100 businesses and  conservation
organizations.
Under the strategy, dubbed the "Flight Plan," teams of biologists  are identifying and ranking bird
species most in need of conservation and then  setting population and habitat objectives for each
species. They are also  designating geographic areas critical to birds and developing a
conservation  blueprint for each species.
By the end of 1998, the Service and its partners expect to complete 50  regional conservation
plans. These plans will help landowners who voluntarily  conserve birds coordinate their efforts
with their neighbors.
"Regardless of much or how little property they own, landowners can  become part of a larger
voluntary effort to conserve birds," Rogers said.  "They can get together with a local bird or
garden club, or coordinate land  management or landscaping activities with neighbors and nearby
parks or refuges.  By combining our efforts, we can help ensure future generations will not have
to  face a silent spring."
Migratory bird conservation also has significant benefits for the economy,  Rogers said. The 65
million adults who watch birds spend up to $9 billion a year  on everything from bird seed to
birding trips, according to a 1995 study  commissioned by the Service.
One of the easiest and most effective things Americans can do for birds is to  purchase a
Migratory Bird Conservation Stamp, commonly known as the "Duck  Stamp," available for $15
from post offices and national wildlife refuges  around the country. Ninety-eight cents of every
dollar raised by Duck Stamp  sales is used to buy wetland habitat, which benefits migratory
waterfowl and a  host of other species of birds and wildlife.
"Our birds are not only a priceless treasure enjoyed by old and young  alike but they are also
significant to our economy, supporting hundreds of  thousands of jobs," Rogers said.
-FWS-  Press Releases   National News  Releases Visit the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Home
Page
Keywords: Bird, Migratory, International, Pesticides, Hawks,  Partners in Flight Date: Sat, 17
May 1997 10:43:38 -0400 >From: "radioactive" <[e-mail]> To: "Animal
Rights" <[e-mail]> Subject: FISH & WILDLIFE IN ALASKA Message-ID:
<[e-mail]> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type:
multipart/alternative;     boundary="----=_NextPart_000_01BC62AF.2D7E9300"< x-html>
U.S. Department of  the Interior
OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY
Stephanie Hanna (O) 202/208-6416 Dan Sakura (O)  202/208-4678
SECRETARY BABBITT SIGNS AGREEMENT TO PROMOTE ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT FOR ALASKA NATIVES AND TO PROTECT THE KENAI RIVER
Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt today announced the successful  implementation of bipartisan
legislation to benefit the Kenai Natives  Association, Inc., an Alaska Native urban corporation,
and to protect the Kenai  River through the use of settlement funds from the Exxon Valdez oil
spill.
Upon signing an agreement with the Kenai Natives Association (KNA) to  implement the
legislation, Secretary Babbitt said,  This agreement will both  protect fish and wildlife habitat on
the Kenai River and provide Alaska Natives  with significant new opportunities for economic
development on the Kenai  Peninsula.
 This is a great day for Alaska Natives, wildlife, the Kenai River and the  Bureau of Land
Management. I commend Chairman Don Young and Congressman George  Miller for their
successful work to pass this important bipartisan legislation,   he continued.
As part of the Omnibus Parks and Public Lands Management Act of 1996,  Congress passed the
Kenai Natives Association Equity Act Amendments of 1996,   which authorized the KNA land
exchange. KNA is an Alaska Native urban  corporation based in Kenai, Alaska, established in
accordance with the Alaska  Natives Claim Settlement Act of 1971.
In addition to resolving a long-standing land management issue involving the  Kenai National
Wildlife Refuge, the legislation authorizes the creation of the  Lake Todatonten Special
Management Area to protect fish and wildlife habitat and  subsistence activities on lands
administered by the Bureau of Land Management  (BLM). In accordance with the legislation,
Secretary Babbitt today directed the  BLM to begin planning to establish the 37,000 acre Special
Management Area,  immediately adjacent to the Kanuti National Wildlife Refuge, in the interior of
Alaska, northwest of Fairbanks.
In 1980, Congress established the 1.4 million acre Kanuti Refuge to conserve  fish and wildlife
populations and to provide habitat for white-fronted geese,  other waterfowl, migratory birds,
moose, caribou and other species.
According to Diana Zirul, President of KNA,  the legislation will allow KNA  greater flexibility to
use our lands and will provide additional lands,  including the Fish and Wildlife Service
headquarters site in old town Kenai,  important subsurface interests, and the necessary funding
topromote the economic  development of KNA s resources, while still respecting and preserving
our  heritage.
The agreement was reached in full partnership with the State of Alaska, with  the support of
Governor Tony Knowles.  Protecting the Kenai River is important  to all Alaskans,  Knowles said.
This is one of a series of gains to protect the  Kenai River. A partnership of federal, state and local
governments, along with  the Kenai Natives Association, sport fishing groups, commercial fishing
groups,  businesses and private landowners has come together and, by putting the river  first, we
all benefit.
The agreement marks the conclusion of almost twenty years of discussions and  negotiations
between KNA and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), the  federal agency responsible for
managing the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge.  President Franklin D. Roosevelt set aside 1.7
million acres of land on the Kenai  Peninsula to establish the Kenai National Moose Range in
1941. In 1980, Congress  expanded the Moose Range to nearly 2 million acres and renamed it the
Kenai  National Wildlife Refuge.
In Alaska, the BLM manages 89 million acres of federal public land, including  the White
Mountains National Recreation Area and the Steese National  Conservation Area, as well as 952
river miles protected under the National Wild  and Scenic Rivers Act.
Congress passed bi-partisan legislation in 1992 directing Secretary of the  Interior to enter into
expedited negotiations with KNA to reach an agreement to  provide for the exchange or
acquisition of lands. Negotiations conducted in  accordance with the 1992 legislation led to the
agreement that was codified in  the 1996 legislation.
Under the terms of the 1996 legislation:
oThe U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service would acquire 3,254 acres of land  on the Kenai River and
the Moose River, for inclusion in the Kenai National  Wildlife Refuge, for $4.4 million. As part of
the EVOS small parcel habitat  protection process, the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council
has agreed  to provide $4.0 million from the civil settlement fund. The three federal  trustee
agencies provided the balance of funding from the federal restitution  fund.
oThe land acquisition package includes the Stephanka Tract, an 803  acre tract which was ranked
among the highest value small parcels for the  benefit of species injured by the 1989 Exxon
Valdez Oil Spill. To protect  the important archeological and cultural values of the Stephanka
Tract, the  legislation directs the Interior Department to nominate the tract to the  National
Register of Historic Places.
oTo provide KNA with additional opportunities for economic  development, Congress authorized
the federal government to convey to KNA a five  acre refuge headquarters site from the FWS in
old town Kenai as well as  important subsurface rights, with the exception of coal, oil and gas
rights,  beneath KNA s retained lands. The legislation also authorizes the Secretary of  the Interior
to amend the Kenai Refuge boundary to exclude privately-owned KNA  lands from the Refuge
and to lift development restrictions, whichwere imposed by  the Alaska Natives Claims Settlement
Act, from KNA s lands. KNA will retain a  significant land base of approximately 20,000 acres
following the implementation  of the agreement.
oTo compensate for the removal of restrictions on the private land  currently in the refuge,
Secretary Babbitt today directed the BLM to begin the  initial planning for the new Lake
Todatonten Special Management area and to  establish an eleven-member committee. The
committee will include individuals  from the villages of Alatna, Allakaket, Hughes and Tanana, as
well as  representatives from the Doyon Corporation, the Tanana Chiefs Conference and the
State of Alaska.
-DOI-

   You can get to the Department of  the Interior from here
You can also  view the index of press releases
U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington, DC, USA



Date: Sat, 17 May 1997 10:45:30 -0400 >From: "radioactive" <[e-mail]> To:
"Animal Rights" <[e-mail]> Subject: MASSACHUSETTS MAN SENTENCED
FOR ILLEGAL HUNTING Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative;
boundary="----=_NextPart_000_01BC62AF.70838E80"< x-html>   News Release
                For further information, contact
                   Diana Weaver [phone]
                Christopher Dowd [phone]


                       Massachusetts Man Sentenced for Illegal Alaska Hunting
A Massachusetts man who hunted illegally in Alaska will pay nearly $30,000 in  fines and
restitution and will not be able to hunt during his two-year probation  as punishment for violating
federal wildlife protection laws. Because of the  felony conviction, he will never again be able to
own a firearm.
In a week-long trial last autumn in a Springfield, Mass., courtroom filled  with life-size mounted
game animals, a federal jury convicted Lawrence J.  Romano, 50, of Mount Washington, Mass.,
of six felony charges for hunting  without a valid license in Alaska and then transporting the
illegally taken game  across state lines. Those actions violated the Lacey Act, a federal statute
regulating the sale and purchase of wildlife in interstate commerce. Romano  operates several
tatoo parlors in the Northeast.
During the March 27 sentencing, U.S. District Court Judge Michael A. Ponsor  fined Romano
$20,000. In addition, Judge Ponsor ordered Romano to pay the State  of Alaska $9,994 in
restitution of lost hunting license revenue and placed him  on supervised probation for two years.
As a condition of his probation, Romano will not be allowed to hunt or to be  in the company of
people engaged in hunting anywhere in the world during his  probation.
The judge also ordered that firearms would not be allowed in the Romano  residence during the
probationary period and advised Romano that, as a convicted  felon, he would never be
authorized to possess a firearm for the rest of his  life.
Judge Ponsor also approved a forfeiture order for six big game mounts that  wildlife agents seized
from Romano's home in February 1995. These mounts  included Dall sheep, moose and caribou
that had been killed illegally in Alaska.  A life-size brown bear mount, seized from the Romano
residence, was previously  forfeited to the government as part of a civil action.
During the criminal trial, the prosecution presented evidence that Romano  illegally hunted in
Alaska from 1990 through 1994 without a valid Alaska hunting  license and then transported the
illegally killed animals to Massachusetts. The  prosecution provided documentation showing that
Romano falsely claimed to be an  Alaska resident on his application for an Alaska hunting license,
thereby saving  thousands of dollars in hunting and licensing fees. Because Romano purchased the
services of Alaska guides during the course of his illegal hunting activities  and then transported
the unlawfully taken wildlife across state lines, his  conduct violated the felony section of the
Lacey Act.
While searching the Romano residence, state and federal wildlife agents  discovered a live black
bear in a cage behind his house and a live copperhead  snake, which is an endangered species in
Massachusetts, in the cellar. Both  animals were possessed in violation of state law and were
seized by the  Massachusetts Environmental Police, with the assistance of officers of the  Animal
Rescue League of Boston. Romano paid a $5,000 fine in state court  stemming from these
violations.
This case was investigated by special agents of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife  Service from Boston,
New York and Anchorage, Alaska; the Massachusetts  Environmental Police; the Massachusetts
State Police; and investigators from the  Alaska State Troopers Fish and Wildlife Protection. The
case was prosecuted by  Assistant U.S. Attorney Nadine Pellegrini of the Major Crimes Unit and
Trial  Attorney Charles W. Brooks of the Justice Department's Environmental  Division.

: Sat, 17 May 1997 12:03:28 -0400 >From: allen schubert
<[e-mail]> To: [e-mail] Cc:
[e-mail] Subject: Admin Note:  HTML files
Message-ID: <[e-mail]> Mime-Version:
1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Do not post Embedded
HTML files to AR-News!  Either copy/paste as text in e-mail or save
the file in text (.txt) format then edit it in your word processor,
then copy/paste into e-mail as text.   Many subscribers do not have
sophisticated software and hardware to handle such e-mail.  For many
subscribers, this creates e-mail with HTML throughout the e-mail,
forcing them to "read around" the HTML tags.  This is even more of a
problem for those on the Digest version of AR-News, as this slows
downloading time. Remember--just because your computer can handle it,
doesn't mean that everyone else's computer can do so.  Many people
are still using "shell" programs to access the internet. 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: Sat, 17 May 1997 09:40:07 -0700 >From: Andrew
Gach <[e-mail]> To: [e-mail] Subject:
Canadian fur industry wages PR campaign Message-ID:
<[e-mail]> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type:
text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
Canada's embattled fur industry fine-tunes traps to avoid ban
Copyright   1997 The Associated Press  VEGREVILLE, Alberta (May 17,
1997 11:43 a.m. EDT) -- Their mission sounds like an oxymoron:
devising traps to kill animals as humanely as possible. Using
high-tech methods approved by a national council of veterinarians, a
research team in thissmall prairie town is testing a variety of
lethally named contraptions. For example, there's the C-120 Magnum, a
"single-strike rotating jaw trap with pitchfork trigger."
Animal-rights militants denounce the work as ghastly. They also
oppose it because it is a crucial part of the strategy employed by
Canada's government and fur industry in the global battle over the
fur trade. Canada is playing a pivotal role in a long-running dispute
between the European Union and the major trapping nations. The EU has
been threatening for years to ban fur imports from Canada, Russia and
the United States unless they outlaw all leg-hold traps, which many
animal-rights groups consider barbaric. Canada has negotiated a
compromise it hopes will be ratified by the EU in June. It has agreed
to phase out steel leg-hold traps over the next four years, but would
allow trappers to continue using padded leg-hold traps while
international standards are developed for improved trapping methods.
Those standards would be based in large measure on the research being
done in Vegreville, 65 miles east of Edmonton, at a government
complex housing various agricultural, wildlife and environmental
programs. Since 1985, the Trap Effectiveness Project has spent more
than $8 million on developing "humane trapping systems." Larry Roy,
the project director, said countering an EU ban is one of the top
priorities of his 11-member team. The team tests its traps in a
five-acre compound where coyotes, martens and other fur-bearing
animals are kept in large pens that try to simulate natural
conditions. Human contact is kept to a minimum, and infrared video
monitoring is used to observe the animals' interaction with the
traps. "There's nothing else like this in the world," Roy said.
"We've done more work than anybody." The researchers try to minimize
the number of live animals killed in testing. One new technique is to
use a simulated trap on a computer. Roy showed a visitor a
computer-generated animation in which a marten's neck is broken when
it nibbles at a baited trap attached to a log leaned against a tree.
Traps are tested for practicality and effectiveness. Those designed
to kill an animal must consistently hit vital spots -- the head, neck
or chest -- and should render 70 percent of animals insensible to
pain in less than five minutes. Current so-called kill traps mostly
wound animals, which can linger for hours or days in great pain
before dying. A different standard is being worked out for
restraining traps, which hold a live animal until the trapper
returns. Researchers are seeking to measure the trauma a trapped
animal suffers, and develop traps that can keep the trauma below an
acceptable level. An animal-care council that includes veterinarians
monitors the methods used by the trap-testing team, but animal-rights
activists still criticize the Vegreville project. "These are pretty
ghoulish kinds of experiments," said Ainslie Willock of the Animal
Alliance of Canada. At the center of the dispute is the leg-hold
trap, which in the past clamped tight on an animal's leg with toothed
metal jaws. Canada has outlawed the toothed models for many years,
but animal rights groups still display them at rallies and in
advertisements. Non-toothed leg-hold traps are still used in Canada
for a few larger species like lynx and fox. But a large majority of
the 1 million animals trapped annually for fur in Canada are caught
in killing traps, said Alison Beal, executive director of the Fur
Institute of Canada. "The animal welfare people have an emotional
allergy to leg-hold traps that's bred out of ignorance," she said.
The tentative agreement between Canada and the EU would set
international standards for acceptable trapping methods, species by
species. The Vegreville team has approved traps for eight species,
including an underwater model that catches and drowns beavers. A
restraining trap has been developed for red foxes that has neoprene
padding on the metal jaws and a shock-absorbing spring in the trap's
chain to prevent ligament injury once a fox is caught. The research
is part of an aggressive, well-financed campaign by Canada's fur
industry to head off an EU import ban. One of its best weapons has
been lobbying in Europe by Inuit and Indian leaders who note that
half of Canada's 80,000 trappers are indigenous peoples and would be
devastated by a ban. Native delegations, including one led by World
War II veterans, toured Europe to denounce the ban as a potential
violation of a U.N. covenant protecting the livelihoods of aboriginal
peoples. "We helped liberate the European countries when they were
really in need," said Gilbert MacLeod, an Indian from Saskatchewan
who fought in Belgium and France. "Now we are in need, and we're
coming to them to ask them to consider our cause." The Canadian
government and fur industry believe they are making headway in the
battle for public opinion, depicting trapping as a time-honored way
of managing wildlife populations and using a renewable resource.
"Trappers have to get a license," said Beal, the trade group
director. "They are not people blundering about without a clue of
what they're doing, just sort of killing things," Beal expressed
appreciation for the government's efforts on behalf of trappers,
saying lessons had been learned after lobbying by animal rights
groups nearly crushed the Canadian sealing industry in the 1980s.
"From the prime minister on down, Canadian officials are doing a
masterful job keeping our trade open," she said. Complicating the
dispute is a division within the European Union. EU environment
ministers, who deal closely with animal-rights groups, favor barring
fur imports. But trade ministers support the compromise that would
allow continued use of some leg-hold traps. Both Canada and the
United States, which hasn't yet endorsed the compromise, have
threatened to lodge a complaint with the World Trade Organization if
a ban is imposed. Willock, of the Animal Alliance of Canada, is
optimistic the European Parliament will demand that the compromise be
scrapped in favor of a tougher line on leg-held traps. "The fur
industry is worried sick about Europe," she said. "If the ban is put
into place, it sends the message that all fur is cruel." Willock said
the anti-fur movement is worried the fur market might boom in Russia
and China, but believes its heyday in the West is over. "This is an
industry that doesn't have a future," she said. "It has lost its
market niche." The fur industry says export figures show otherwise.
After a bleak period in the late 1980s and early '90s, exports have
surged back. Canada's exports of fur garments rose 45 percent last
year to $90 million, and exports of raw furs were up 36 percent to
$100 million, the Canadian Fur Council says. Alan Herscovici, the
council's director of strategic development, attributed the upsurge
to better global economic conditions and innovation by fur designers.
"A ban would be a serious blow for everybody," Herscovici said. "If
we're going to get into arbitrary trade bans based on pseudo-science,
then our whole world trading system is in trouble." By DAVID CRARY,
The Associated Press Date: Sat, 17 May 1997 10:16:35 -0800 >From:
[e-mail] (Jennifer Abbott) To: [e-mail]
Subject: (CA) 1986 Farm Census  Message-ID:
<v01530500afa3a253ac29@[204.174.36.165]> Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Sales, diversification
both increase: Farm census presents a faily bright picture by Eric
Beauchesne, Southam Newspapers The Vancouver Sun, May 15, 1997, Page
D6 OTTAWA--Farms are still disppearing but at the slowest pace in 44
years, whicle the size of their sales has grown dramatically over the
past 15 years. Wheat remains the king crop, beef cattle are in
fashion and being shipped out in growing numbers, and dairy cows are
down in number but those that remain are more productive. That's part
of the picture that emerges from the first of what will be three
snapshots of farms and farmers taken by Statistics Canada's 1996
census of agriculture. It was conducted last spring, which was "one
of the worst on record in may growing areas in Canada because of
cold, wet conditions." Nonetheless, the picture released Wednesday, a
year to the day after the farm census was taken, was relatively
bright. It found that free trade, the growing importance of exports,
the changing tastes of Canadian consumers and the spread of
technology are altering the face of agriculture in Canada, prompting
farmers to diversify their production to match demand. This has led
to the introduction or expanded production of non-traditional crops
and livestock, leaving the rural landscape dotted with ginseng and
garlic, and bison, elk and goats -- even llamas and their cousins
Alpacas, which protect and provide companionship for sheep as well as
providing cloth fibre. But traditional crops continued to dominate
the landscape. "As expected wheat remained Canada's largest crop in
1996," Statistics Canada noted. "However, even with more tha 30.7
million acres, it commanded a substantially smaller proportion of
total field crop area than in any time in the past 20 years." The
decline was due to farmers diversifying into other crops, such as hay
and fodder to feed their growing beef herds, and soybeans to take
advantage of increasing global demand and prices. Leading the shift
to non-traditional crops was high-value ginseng, a staple in
traditional Chinese medicine that flourishes in sandy loam soils. The
acreage devoted to garlic, which has long had both culinary and
medicinal uses, and to spelt, an ancient Ethipian grain both surged
as well. Not all the growth in farming was talking place outdoors, as
the greenhouse industry made "impressive gains" producing cut
flowers, bedding and potting plants, and vegetables and seedlings.
Later census snapshots that look at farmers will be released this
fall and next spring. Date: Sat, 17 May 1997 13:26:22 -0400 (EDT)
>From: [e-mail] To: [e-mail] Subject: Fwd:
European Union, Canada, and trapping. Message-ID:
<[e-mail]> In a message dated
97-05-17 11:15:30 EDT, AOL News writes: << Subj:Traps Work To Kill
Animals Humanely  Date:97-05-17 11:15:30 EDT  From:AOL News
BCC:LMANHEIM  .c The Associated Press        By DAVID CRARY
VEGREVILLE, Alberta (AP) - Their mission sounds like an oxymoron:
devising traps to kill animals as humanely as possible.       Using
high-tech methods approved by a national council of veterinarians, a
research team in this small prairie town is testing a variety of
lethally named contraptions. For example, there's the C-120 Magnum, a
``single-strike rotating jaw trap with pitchfork trigger.''
Animal-rights militants denounce the work as ghastly. They also
oppose it because it is a crucial part of the strategy employed by
Canada's government and fur industry in the global battle over the
fur trade.       Canada is playing a pivotal role in a long-running
dispute between the European Union and the major trapping nations.
The EU has been threatening for years to ban fur imports from Canada,
Russia and the United States unless they outlaw all leg-hold traps,
which many animal-rights groups consider barbaric.       Canada has
negotiated a compromise it hopes will be ratified by the EU in June.
It has agreed to phase out steel leg-hold traps over the next four
years, but would allow trappers to continue using padded leg-hold
traps while international standards are developed for improved
trapping methods.       Those standards would be based in large
measure on the research being done in Vegreville, 65 miles east of
Edmonton, at a government complex housing various agricultural,
wildlife and environmental programs.       Since 1985, the Trap
Effectiveness Project has spent more than $8 million on developing
``humane trapping systems.''       Larry Roy, the project director,
said countering an EU ban is one of the top priorities of his
11-member team.       The team tests its traps in a five-acre
compound where coyotes, martens and other fur-bearing animals are
kept in large pens that try to simulate natural conditions. Human
contact is kept to a minimum, and infrared video monitoring is used
to observe the animals' interaction with the traps.       ``There's
nothing else like this in the world,'' Roy said. ``We've done more
work than anybody.''       The researchers try to minimize the number
of live animals killed in testing. One new technique is to use a
simulated trap on a computer. Roy showed a visitor a
computer-generated animation in which a marten's neck is broken when
it nibbles at a baited trap attached to a log leaned against a tree.
    Traps are tested for practicality and effectiveness. Those
designed to kill an animal must consistently hit vital spots - the
head, neck or chest - and should render 70 percent of animals
insensible to pain in less than five minutes. Current so-called kill
traps mostly wound animals, which can linger for hours or days in
great pain before dying.       A different standard is being worked
out for restraining traps, which hold a live animal until the trapper
returns. Researchers are seeking to measure the trauma a trapped
animal suffers, and develop traps that can keep the trauma below an
acceptable level.       An animal-care council that includes
veterinarians monitors the methods used by the trap-testing team, but
animal-rights activists still criticize the Vegreville project.
``These are pretty ghoulish kinds of experiments,'' said Ainslie
Willock of the Animal Alliance of Canada.       At the center of the
dispute is the leg-hold trap, which in the past clamped tight on an
animal's leg with toothed metal jaws. Canada has outlawed the toothed
models for many years, but animal rights groups still display them at
rallies and in advertisements.       Non-toothed leg-hold traps are
still used in Canada for a few larger species like lynx and fox. But
a large majority of the 1 million animals trapped annually for fur in
Canada are caught in killing traps, said Alison Beal, executive
director of the Fur Institute of Canada.       ``The animal welfare
people have an emotional allergy to leg-hold traps that's bred out of
ignorance,'' she said.       The tentative agreement between Canada
and the EU would set international standards for acceptable trapping
methods, species by species.       The Vegreville team has approved
traps for eight species, including an underwater model that catches
and drowns beavers. A restraining trap has been developed for red
foxes that has neoprene padding on the metal jaws and a
shock-absorbing spring in the trap's chain to prevent ligament injury
once a fox is caught.       The research is part of an aggressive,
well-financed campaign by Canada's fur industry to head off an EU
import ban. One of its best weapons has been lobbying in Europe by
Inuit and Indian leaders who note that half of Canada's 80,000
trappers are indigenous peoples and would be devastated by a ban.
 Native delegations, including one led by World War II veterans,
toured Europe to denounce the ban as a potential violation of a U.N.
covenant protecting the livelihoods of aboriginal peoples.       ``We
helped liberate the European countries when they were really in
need,'' said Gilbert MacLeod, an Indian from Saskatchewan who fought
in Belgium and France. ``Now we are in need, and we're coming to them
to ask them to consider our cause.''       The Canadian government
and fur industry believe they are making headway in the battle for
public opinion, depicting trapping as a time-honored way of managing
wildlife populations and using a renewable resource.       ``Trappers
have to get a license,'' said Beal, the trade group director. ``They
are not people blundering about without a clue of what they're doing,
just sort of killing things,''       Beal expressed appreciation for
the government's efforts on behalf of trappers, saying lessons had
been learned after lobbying by animal rights groups nearly crushed
the Canadian sealing industry in the 1980s.       ``From the prime
minister on down, Canadian officials are doing a masterful job
keeping our trade open,'' she said.       Complicating the dispute is
a division within the European Union. EU environment ministers, who
deal closely with animal-rights groups, favor barring fur imports.
But trade ministers support the compromise that would allow continued
use of some leg-hold traps.       Both Canada and the United States,
which hasn't yet endorsed the compromise, have threatened to lodge a
complaint with the World Trade Organization if a ban is imposed.
Willock, of the Animal Alliance of Canada, is optimistic the European
Parliament will demand that the compromise be scrapped in favor of a
tougher line on leg-held traps.       ``The fur industry is worried
sick about Europe,'' she said. ``If the ban is put into place, it
sends the message that all fur is cruel.''       Willock said the
anti-fur movement is worried the fur market might boom in Russia and
China, but believes its heyday in the West is over.       ``This is
an industry that doesn't have a future,'' she said. ``It has lost its
market niche.''       The fur industry says export figures show
otherwise. After a bleak period in the late 1980s and early '90s,
exports have surged back. Canada's exports of fur garments rose 45
percent last year to $90 million, and exports of raw furs were up 36
percent to $100 million, the Canadian Fur Council says.       Alan
Herscovici, the council's director of strategic development,
attributed the upsurge to better global economic conditions and
innovation by fur designers.       ``A ban would be a serious blow
for everybody,'' Herscovici said. ``If we're going to get into
arbitrary trade bans based on pseudo-science, then our whole world
trading system is in trouble.''       AP-NY-05-17-97 1103EDT >>
--------------------- Forwarded message: Subj:    Traps Work To Kill
Animals Humanely Date:    97-05-17 11:15:30 EDT >From:    AOL News
.c The Associated Press
By DAVID CRARY      VEGREVILLE, Alberta (AP) - Their mission sounds like an oxymoron:
devising traps to kill animals as humanely as possible.      Using high-tech methods approved by a
national council of veterinarians, a research team in this small prairie town is testing a variety of
lethally named contraptions. For example, there's the C-120 Magnum, a ``single-strike rotating
jaw trap with pitchfork trigger.''      Animal-rights militants denounce the work as ghastly. They
also oppose it because it is a crucial part of the strategy employed by Canada's government and
fur industry in the global battle over the fur trade.      Canada is playing a pivotal role in a
long-running dispute between the European Union and the major trapping nations. The EU has
been threatening for years to ban fur imports from Canada, Russia and the United States unless
they outlaw all leg-hold traps, which many animal-rights groups consider barbaric.      Canada has
negotiated a compromise it hopes will be ratified by the EU in June. It has agreed to phase out
steel leg-hold traps over the next four years, but would allow trappers to continue using padded
leg-hold traps while international standards are developed for improved trapping methods.
Those standards would be based in large measure on the research being done in Vegreville, 65
miles east of Edmonton, at a government complex housing various agricultural, wildlife and
environmental programs.      Since 1985, the Trap Effectiveness Project has spent more than $8
million on developing ``humane trapping systems.''      Larry Roy, the project director, said
countering an EU ban is one of the top priorities of his 11-member team.      The team tests its
traps in a five-acre compound where coyotes, martens and other fur-bearing animals are kept in
large pens that try to simulate natural conditions. Human contact is kept to a minimum, and
infrared video monitoring is used to observe the animals' interaction with the traps.      ``There's
nothing else like this in the world,'' Roy said. ``We've done more work than anybody.''      The
researchers try to minimize the number of live animals killed in testing. One new technique is to
use a simulated trap on a computer. Roy showed a visitor a computer-generated animation in
which a marten's neck is broken when it nibbles at a baited trap attached to a log leaned against a
tree.      Traps are tested for practicality and effectiveness. Those designed to kill an animal must
consistently hit vital spots - the head, neck or chest - and should render 70 percent of animals
insensible to pain in less than five minutes. Current so-called kill traps mostly wound animals,
which can linger for hours or days in great pain before dying.      A different standard is being
worked out for restraining traps, which hold a live animal until the trapper returns. Researchers
are seeking to measure the trauma a trapped animal suffers, and develop traps that can keep the
trauma below an acceptable level.      An animal-care council that includes veterinarians monitors
the methods used by the trap-testing team, but animal-rights activists still criticize the Vegreville
project.      ``These are pretty ghoulish kinds of experiments,'' said Ainslie Willock of the Animal
Alliance of Canada.      At the center of the dispute is the leg-hold trap, which in the past clamped
tight on an animal's leg with toothed metal jaws. Canada has outlawed the toothed models for
many years, but animal rights groups still display them at rallies and in advertisements.
Non-toothed leg-hold traps are still used in Canada for a few larger species like lynx and fox. But
a large majority of the 1 million animals trapped annually for fur in Canada are caught in killing
traps, said Alison Beal, executive director of the Fur Institute of Canada.      ``The animal welfare
people have an emotional allergy to leg-hold traps that's bred out of ignorance,'' she said.      The
tentative agreement between Canada and the EU would set international standards for acceptable
trapping methods, species by species.      The Vegreville team has approved traps for eight
species, including an underwater model that catches and drowns beavers. A restraining trap has
been developed for red foxes that has neoprene padding on the metal jaws and a shock-absorbing
spring in the trap's chain to prevent ligament injury once a fox is caught.      The research is part
of an aggressive, well-financed campaign by Canada's fur industry to head off an EU import ban.
One of its best weapons has been lobbying in Europe by Inuit and Indian leaders who note that
half of Canada's 80,000 trappers are indigenous peoples and would be devastated by a ban.
Native delegations, including one led by World War II veterans, toured Europe to denounce the
ban as a potential violation of a U.N. covenant protecting the livelihoods of aboriginal peoples.
``We helped liberate the European countries when they were really in need,'' said Gilbert
MacLeod, an Indian from Saskatchewan who fought in Belgium and France. ``Now we are in
need, and we're coming to them to ask them to consider our cause.''      The Canadian government
and fur industry believe they are making headway in the battle for public opinion, depicting
trapping as a time-honored way of managing wildlife populations and using a renewable resource.
   ``Trappers have to get a license,'' said Beal, the trade group director. ``They are not people
blundering about without a clue of what they're doing, just sort of killing things,''      Beal
expressed appreciation for the government's efforts on behalf of trappers, saying lessons had been
learned after lobbying by animal rights groups nearly crushed the Canadian sealing industry in the
1980s.      ``From the prime minister on down, Canadian officials are doing a masterful job
keeping our trade open,'' she said.      Complicating the dispute is a division within the European
Union. EU environment ministers, who deal closely with animal-rights groups, favor barring fur
imports. But trade ministers support the compromise that would allow continued use of some
leg-hold traps.      Both Canada and the United States, which hasn't yet endorsed the compromise,
have threatened to lodge a complaint with the World Trade Organization if a ban is imposed.
Willock, of the Animal Alliance of Canada, is optimistic the European Parliament will demand that
the compromise be scrapped in favor of a tougher line on leg-held traps.      ``The fur industry is
worried sick about Europe,'' she said. ``If the ban is put into place, it sends the message that all fur
is cruel.''      Willock said the anti-fur movement is worried the fur market might boom in Russia
and China, but believes its heyday in the West is over.      ``This is an industry that doesn't have a
future,'' she said. ``It has lost its market niche.''      The fur industry says export figures show
otherwise. After a bleak period in the late 1980s and early '90s, exports have surged back.
Canada's exports of fur garments rose 45 percent last year to $90 million, and exports of raw furs
were up 36 percent to $100 million, the Canadian Fur Council says.      Alan Herscovici, the
council's director of strategic development, attributed the upsurge to better global economic
conditions and innovation by fur designers.      ``A ban would be a serious blow for everybody,''
Herscovici said. ``If we're going to get into arbitrary trade bans based on pseudo-science, then our
whole world trading system is in trouble.''      AP-NY-05-17-97 1103EDT
 Copyright 1997 The
Associated Press.  The information
contained in the AP news report may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without
prior written authority of The Associated Press.

To edit your profile, go to keyword NewsProfiles.  For all of today's news, go to keyword News.
Date: Sat, 17 May 1997 14:06:49 -0400 (EDT) >From: Pat Fish <[e-mail]> To:
[e-mail] Subject: AR/Veg McCartney Stuff Online Saturday/CPEA Message-ID:
<[e-mail]> MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII  CPEA helped VH1 diagnose the problems
with their McCartney CG1 software, and extracted a commitment that the AR/Veg related
questions would be passed along to McCartney.  And as you can see, he's covering animal rights,
biomass coversion and cloning.  Alas, the JAVA requirement for chat at 2PM (http:// vh1.com or
flamingpie.com) was not revealed till this morning, and the registration software was flawed,
meaning unix Lynx users may not be able to get in to chat w/Paul at 2PM.  This means CPEA
may be unable to participate.  CPEA would like to remind activists to go to those sites and join
the chat. It will be an opportunity to expose millions to the McCartneys' AR/Veg views. Pat Fish
Computer Professionals for Earth & Animals Date: Sat, 17 May 1997 13:50:42 -0700 >From:
Andrew Gach <[e-mail]> To: [e-mail] Subject: Government
panel on cloning Message-ID: <[e-mail]> MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Clinton advisers want
voluntary cloning ban for private researchers The Associated Press  WASHINGTON (May 17,
1997 3:37 p.m. EDT) -- A ban on financing human cloning experiments with federal money
should continue, and private researchers should voluntarily comply with the moratorium, a panel
working on recommendations to President Clinton suggested Saturday. The National Bioethics
Advisory Commission is scheduled to send Clinton a final set of recommendations for government
policy on human cloning by May 27. No final decisions have been made, but the panel met
Saturday to discuss proposed recommendations and work on refining them. Clinton formed the
18-member commission to study implications of human cloning after Scottish scientists unveiled
Dolly the sheep in February, the first known clone of an adult mammal. The current moratorium
pertains to federally funded human cloning experimentation, although Clinton has suggested
extending the ban to private studies. The panel's chairman Harold Shapiro, president of Princeton
University, wants the panel to meet again -- before May 27 -- to complete its recommendations
but was uncertain whether that would happen. Shapiro raised the possibility of delaying the final
report until after the panel's next scheduled meeting on June 7. "If we have to do that, we will
certainly be in contact with the White House to see if that's acceptable or not acceptable," he said.
The panel also is considering whether to recommend federal legislation to extend scientific
oversight to private clinics now experimenting with in vitro fertilization and other test-tube
research. Federally funded research comes under such regulations now. Human subjects already
are protected by Food and Drug Administration rules when substances are administered to them
in private or government research. But some panel members worry that the proposed
recommendation as now worded might not achieve its intended purpose. It says scientific controls
should be extended to "all research settings whether in the public or private sector." The
proposal's lack of specifications for what constitutes research will provide a loophole, some
members said. "Our concern here is that an in vitro fertilization doctor will say 'I'm not doing
research, but using an innovative technique to help a couple with severe infertility,"' said panel
member Bernard Lo, director of medical ethics at the University of California, San Francisco.
Historically, in vitro fertilization doctors have used this argument to avoid scientific oversight, Lo
said. Another proposed recommendation would recommend carefully crafted, narrowly tailored
federal legislation to ban the use of human cloning techniques to create offspring. While the goal
of the recommendation was roundly supported, some panel members said they worry that the
legislative process could, perhaps unintentionally, restrict other kinds of research. "I'm generically
uncomfortable with federal legislation as a first-line approach," said panel member R. Alta Charo,
a law professor at the University of Wisconsin. The panel also is considering recommendations
reaffirming the acceptability of research in animal cloning. "This is a very important foundation"
to modern biomedical research, said Shapiro. Such research is said to be important for animal
breeding and for research into new ways to fight human genetic diseases such as cystic fibrosis.
Given the ethical, scientific and policy ramifications of human cloning, the panel also is
considering a recommendation that the federal government educate and inform the public about
science and cloning. By JEANNINE AVERSA, The Associated Press Date: Sat, 17 May 1997
17:17:14 -0400 (EDT) >From: Pat Fish <[e-mail]> To: [e-mail]
Subject: AR/Cloning/Veg Great PR on VH1 McCartney Answer-Session Message-ID:
<[e-mail]> MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII During VH1's Live Answer-Session with
knighted Beatle Paul McCartney, the issue of animal rights and vegetarianism came up *several*
times. (Success!)  A record breaking 3 Million questions were sent, and the "Town Hall" meeting
also broke internet records for the most e-mail ever sent.   Approximately 16 minutes into the
show, McCartney is asked how he would change the world, if he could.  He said he'd like to see
an end to violence, which included, of course, violence to animals, a switch to vegetarianism and
support for animal rights.   About 30 minutes into the show, a woman on the street asks why he
went vegetarian and if his dogs are vegetarian.  Paul explains that it's an issue of compassion and
retells the well-known lamb story.  Paul explains how with Earth's growing population he thinks
going "veggie" will be very important in the next century, citing that you can feed 20 people on a
vegetarian diet with same resources consumed by one person on a meat diet. He never gets to the
dog question.    About 4 minutes later a woman in the audience asked what political sentiments
would be on the new "Flaming Pie" album besides animal rights. Paul talks about war, etc.
Nearly 58 minutes into the hour-long show, Paul is asked, as an animal rights activist, about his
position on the recently cloned sheep.  Paul says he's scared about where this is all going, and
thinks that traditional reproductive systems are just dandy thank you very much.  See the below
listing to catch this great program (all times are US-EST). For complete Schedule see earlier
VH1/McCartney message or goto VH1.com Pat Fish Computer Profesionals for Earth & Animals
Saturday, May 17th   9:00 -10:00 PM   McCartney's Town Hall Meeting Live from London
(repeat) Sunday, May 18th   3:00 - 4:00 PM   McCartney's Town Hall Meeting Live from London
(repeat)   4:00 - 5:30 PM   Paul McCartney and the World Tonight                    (Includes a bit on
the cartoon "Tropic Island Hum"                     which has anti-hunting leanings.)     Evening   7:00
- 8:00 PM   McCartney's Town Hall Meeting Live from London (repeat) Date: Sun, 18 May 1997
11:00:03 +0800 (SST) >From: Vadivu Govind <[e-mail]> To:
[e-mail], [e-mail] Subject: WHO on quality of life and longevity
Message-ID: <[e-mail]> Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" >Daily News Sunday 18, May 1997 Longevity
without quality of life an empty prize - WHO By E. Weerapperuma THE DRAMATIC increase in
life expectancy in recent decades without quality of life is an empty prize, says the World Health
Organisation (WHO) report for 1997 under the headline "Conquering, Suffering, Enriching
Humanity''. "In celebrating out extra years, we must recognise that increased longevity without
quality of life is an empty prize, that is, that health expectancy is more important than life
expectancy'', the Director - General of the WHO Dr. Hiroshi Nakajima has remarked in his
observation in the 1997, World Report on Health. Dr. Nakajima says "the outlook is a crisis of
suffering on global scale'' and adds that "there is an urgent need to improve our ability to prevent,
treat and where possible, to cure these diseases, and to care for those who cannot be cured''. "In
the battle for health in the 21 century, infectious diseases and chronic diseases are twin enemies
that have to be fought simultaneously on a global scale. We dare not turn our backs on infectious
diseases for they will return with a vengeance if we do'', Dr. Nakajima states. "But neither can we
ignore the growing burden in ill-health and disability imposed by non-communicable diseases. This
too is the plight of hundreds of millions,'' he stated in his report. The report warns that cancer,
heart disease and other chronic conditions which already kill more than 24 m people a year will
impose increasing burdens of suffering and disability on hundreds of millions of others. Heart
disease and stroke - the leading causes of death in richer nations will become much more than
double by the year 2025, says the 1997 World Health Report. The report has pointed out that
tobacco-related deaths, primarily from lung cancer and circulatory disease, already amounts to
three million or 6 percent of total deaths an year. The WHO report for 1997 has observed that
smoking accounts for one in seven cancer cases around the world. The WHO report says that the
number of cancer cases is expected to double in most countries during the next 25 years. There
will be a 33 per cent rise in lung cancers in women and a 40 per cent increase in prostate cancers
in men in European Union countries alone, by 2005. The incidence of some other cancers is also
rising rapidly in the developing countries in particular, the report said. The report shows that at
present: Circulatory diseases such as heart attacks and stroke together kill 15.3 m people a year'
Cancer in all its forms kills 6.3 m people a year; Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease kills 2.9 m
people a year and these add up to 24.5 m deaths, or 47 per cent of the annual global total of
deaths from all causes. According to the report by the year 2020, at least 15 million people in the
world would develop cancer in comparison to the ten million people developing cancer annually at
present. The doubling of the new cases will occur in the developing countries with about 40
percent increase in the industrial countries. "Between 1995 to 2025, the number of people in the
world with diabetes is expected to rise from about 135 million to 300 million the report said.
>From the population around the world deaths due to infectious and parasitic diseases account for
17.3 million, or 33 percent; deaths due to perinatal and neonatal causes account for 3.5 million.
There are 585,000 maternal deaths and six million deaths from other and unknown causes,
including accidents, violence, homicide and suicide, the report said. Date: Sun, 18 May 1997
11:36:55 +0800 >From: bunny <[e-mail]> To: [e-mail] Subject:
Slaughter-lambs left to die [West Australia] Message-ID:
<[e-mail]> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type:
text/plain; charset="us-ascii" SLAUGHTER  (Front Page feature:Includes picture of RSPCA
officer holding up  a baby lamb) Lambs left to die. By Monica Videnieks (Sunday Times,Western
Australia) 18th May 1997 NEWBORN lambs are being slaughtered or left to die at the Midland
livestock saleyards because farmers are ignoring bans on the sale of pregnant ewes. Up to 30
lambs have been born each week in the urine and faeces infested saleyard pens or on crowded
trucks travelling to yards. The RSPCA, which struggles to find homes for them, predicts the
problem will get worse during the next two months of the lambling season. Both the RSPCA, and
the Meat Industry Authority, which manages the salesyards, bans the transport and sale of
pregnant ewes. Many sheep and other disabled and stressed animals which cannot be sold or
fostered to volunteer carers are destroyed by RSPCA inspectors or saleyard workers. RSPCA
senior inspector Les Savill said sending pregnant ewes to the yards was cruel. "It is blatently
obvious when a ewe is pregnant and once sheep leave the farm they become our problem not the
farmers," he said. "I don't care what the farmers and saleyard workers think of me. I come from a
farming background and I know it is not necessary to treat your animals like this." Up to 30,000
sheep are transported to the saleyards in an average week from around WA, some travelling from
as far away as the Kimberley. But this week, because of the start of the lambing season, 90,000
sheep arrived and many newborn lambs and pregnant,crippled and blind sheep were left behind by
truck drivers who refuse to transport the animals. Meat Industry Authority chief executive Mike
Donnelly said the authority and the RSPCA were left to resolve the problems caused by
irresponsible farmers. "We are always telling the producers not to send their pregnant ewes here.
They are not fit for transport in the first place and it is not pleasant for them if they lamb while on
the truck,"Mr Dommelly said. "In the case of pregnant ewes being brought to the yards, we are
dealing with the symptoms rather than the disease. "Farmers who manage their focks properly
might allow the odd pregnant sheep on the truck accidentally. However, when we get whole
truckloads that are pregnant, as has happened before, that is outrageous." Farmers who sent
pregnant sheep to the saleyards risked prosecution. Helena Valley volunteer animal carer Shirley
Meggeson said emaciated and pregnant ewes were regularly taken to the saleyards. WA Farmers
Federation meat section vice-president Jim Alexander said the federation did not believe the
problem was as serious as the RSPCA suggested. "The industry has codes of practice on the way
and is aware of its animal welfare responsibilities.If there is a member doing this then we don't
want him associating with us," he said. End.
------------------------------------------------------------------------           Kia hora te marino, kia
whakapapa pounamu te moana, kia tere ai te karohirohi i mua tonu i o koutou huarahi.
           -Maori Prayer (May the calm be widespread, may the sea be as the smooth surface of the
greenstone and may the rays of sunshine forever dance along your pathway)
("\''/").___..--''"`-._                         `9_ 9  )   `-.  (     ).`-.__.`)                        (_Y_.)'  ._   )  `._ `.
``-..-'                      _..`--'_..-_/  /--'_.' .'                              (il).-''  ((i).'  ((!.-'
</pre>
                            <!-- END OF PAGE CONTENT -->

    </TD>


    <TD width=50 align=center>

    </TD>
</TR>

                            <!-- THE BOTTOM TOOLBAR -->

<TR>

    <TD colspan=3 align=center fontsize=2>
    <a href="../SUB~1.HTM" tppabs="http://www.envirolink.org/arrs/sub.html">ARRS Tools</a>  |
<a href="../NEWSPA~1.HTM" tppabs="http://www.envirolink.org/arrs/newspage.html">News</a>  |
<a href="../ORGS~1.HTM" tppabs="http://www.envirolink.org/arrs/Orgs.html">Orgs</a>  |
<a href="../SEARCH~1.HTM" tppabs="http://www.envirolink.org/arrs/search.html">Search</a>  |
<a href="../SUPPOR~1.HTM" tppabs="http://www.envirolink.org/arrs/Support.html">Support</a>  |
<a href="../ABOUT/INDEX.HTM" tppabs="http://www.envirolink.org/arrs/about">About the ARRS</a>  |
<a href="mailto:[e-mail]">Contact ARRS</a>
    </TD>
</TR>


                                <!-- END OF MAIN -->

</TABLE></center>




        <!-- THE UNDERWRITERS -->

<table border=0 width=100%>
    <tr><td>

<center>    <hr width=285>
<Font Size=1>THIS SITE UNDERWRITTEN IN PART BY:</FONT>
<BR>


<a href="../../../tppmsgs/msgs22.htm#2209" tppabs="http://www.envirolink.org/cgi-bin/show_support.pl?id=t891020770&sec=sbn_bottom&url=http%3a//www.outpost.com" target=_top><img src="../../SUPPORT/BANNERS/OTHERS/CYBERIAN/PLAYMORE.GIF" tppabs="http://www.envirolink.org/support/banners/others/cyberian/Playmore.gif" border=1 alt="Cyberian Outpost"></a>


<hr width=285>

    <br><font size=2>
    <b>The views and opinions expressed within this page are not
necessarily those of the <br>EnviroLink Network nor the Underwriters.  The views
are those of the authors of the work.</b></font>
    </center>
    </td></tr>

</table>

</BODY>

</HTML>