Komputer for Alle 1998 #6/1998 CD 6 (Gul).iso/web/ffa/wwwenv~1.org/arrs/digest/news4~16.htm/text0005.txt

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Pollution found to worsen lung cancer rates

Reuter Information Service

LONDON (May 28, 1997 5:25 p.m. EDT) - Italian researchers said on
Wednesday they had used lichens to show that air pollution can cause
lung cancer.

Areas where the sensitive lichens had been killed off, presumably by air
pollution, also showed a high incidence of lung cancer, Pier Luigi Nimis
of the University of Trieste and Casare Cislaghi of the
University of Milan said.

"We tested the hypothesis that lung cancer is correlated with lichen
biodiversity as a result of air pollution," they wrote in a letter to
the science journal Nature.

They compared lichens -- how many there were and how many different
species there were -- with mortality rates in the Veneto region of
northeastern Italy.

"In these regions the correlation between biodiversity and lung cancer
in young male residents was high,' they said.

There was also a strong link with common human-made pollutants such as
sulphur dioxide, nitrous oxides and dust.

"The relative risk associated with pollution exposure is small, but the
affected population is large, and thus the impact of pollution in terms
of cancer mortality is important," they concluded.

Other studies purporting to link air pollution with lung cancer have
been controversial.
Date: Thu, 29 May 1997 21:43:06 -0700
From: Andrew Gach <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: SF: Commisioners fired for supporting live animal ban
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S.F. Commissioners Lose Posts
They had supported ban on selling live animals as food

Yumi Wilson, SF Chronicle Staff Writer

Two San Francisco animal control and welfare commissioners who raised
the ire of Chinatown merchants last fall by supporting a ban on live
animal markets lost their posts yesterday after a supervisors' committee
decided not to reappoint them.

Vickie Ho Lynn and Lorraine Lucas were denied a bid to return to the
Commission for Animal Control and Welfare after the Rules Committee
decided that ``new blood'' was needed to balance the needs of culture
with animal welfare.

Lynn, Lucas and two other commissioners -- Richard Schulke and Althea
Kippes -- were up for reappointment because their two- year term expired
this spring.

Animal rights advocates urged the committee to reappoint all four.

But a group of Chinese Americans and merchants called for their
ouster,charging that their support of a ban on the sale of live frogs,
chickens and rabbits was an attack on cultural tradition.

The ban never took effect, but Supervisor Leland Yee, who believes the
ban is unfair, urged the committee to replace members with people more
sensitive to the needs of a culturally diverse community.

``Look at those individuals who are going to try and bring people
together because this is a tough issue,'' Yee said. ``It's not just
simply animal welfare . . . (it's) animal welfare as it relates to the
Chinese community . . . to the merchants community . . . to the
consumers community.''

The committee, made up of Supervisors Tom Ammiano and Gavin Newsom
(Amos Brown was absent), agreed that diversity is essential in San
Francisco, but said the commission had done a good job of protecting
animals.

In a compromise that seemed to make all sides happy, the committee
nominated two newcomers -- Eva Hue and Nola Chow -- and reappointed
Kippes and commission chair Schulke.

``I'm pleased that at least two members are being reappointed,'' said
San Francisco lawyer Baron Miller, who has filed a lawsuit to stop 12
Chinese American merchants from selling live animals as food.

Though animal rights advocates had wanted the same four to return, they
approved of Hue and Chow because both have experience caring for
animals.  Hue was cited by ``Action for Animals'' as having a history of
``hands-on animal welfare work.'' And Chow coordinates spotted owl
research in Marin County for the National Park Service. The committee's
nominations will go to the full Board of Supervisors next Monday for
final approval.
Date: Thu, 29 May 1997 21:44:00 -0700
From: Andrew Gach <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: The Red Heifer
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
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Israel asks: Is it a sign or a cow?

The Associated Press

KFAR HASIDIM, Israel (May 28, 1997 6:37 p.m. EDT) -- Some claim she is a
harbinger of the Messiah. Some call for her destruction. Others find the
attention she is getting ridiculous.

Ten-month-old Melody, believed to be the first red heifer born in the
Holy Land in two millenniums, seems happy just lying around in the
shade. But the debate over her theological import is one of the more
bizarre signs of the growing rupture between religious and secular
Israelis.

"The red heifer is one of the most important signs that we are living in
a special time," says Gershon Solomon, head of a group dedicated to
rebuilding the ancient Jewish Temple, destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D.

In ancient times, the ashes of a red heifer were mixed with spring water
to purify high priests before they entered the Temple. There are fears
that some extremist groups might interpret Melody's birth
as a sign the time is right to rebuild the Temple on the site that now
houses some of the holiest shrines in Islam.

Asked whether his group advocated that, Solomon would say only that he
believed the Dome of the Rock and al-Aksa Mosque could be dismantled and
moved to Mecca -- a move that could hurt if not destroy prospects for
regional peace.

Even though mainstream religious groups have not rallied around the cow,
some secular Israelis see her as a threat.

"The potential harm from this heifer is far greater than the destructive
properties of a terrorist bomb," the liberal Haaretz newspaper wrote
recently, recommending Melody be shot.

Menachem Friedman, an expert on religious affairs at Bar-Ilan
University, said Melody's birth created "a very delicate situation."

"We don't know how radical groups .. will use it," he told The
Associated Press. "People are looking for those signs, and talking
seriously about it."

Melody's birth 10 months ago caused a flurry of media interest,
coinciding with a religious revival and coming shortly after an election
in which religious parties posted a record showing.

Shmaria Shore, the rabbi of this agricultural village in northern
Israel, said hundreds of Israelis and tourists have flocked here to
catch a glimpse of Melody.

Shore said pure red heifers seem to have died out in Israel since the
post-temple period, and that it is rare to see a red heifer without
white or black spots. He took pains to point out that Melody, who
is a darkish red, may not be the genuine article because of several
imperfections.

Shore, who immigrated to Israel from New Haven, Conn. 24 years ago,
hopped into Melody's pen and, magnifying lens in hand, coaxed her over.

"Here, you see some white hairs," he said, pointing to the tail. "And
here -- her eyelashes only start off as red, but turn to black!"

Melody's mother is from a group of visually unremarkable black-and-white
cows penned in down the hill at Kfar Hasidim; but she was artificially
inseminated with sperm taken from an anonymous
bull in Switzerland.

Shai Ryter, a graphic artist from Tel Aviv, said all the noise about the
cow was absurd.

"Of course it's crazy," he said. "If you have to make decisions
according to these signs, I'd be very worried."

By DINA KRAFT, The Associated Press
Date: Thu, 29 May 1997 21:46:42 -0700
From: Andrew Gach <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: No progress in cancer treatment
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
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Study concludes focus should be on cancer prevention, not therapy

Reuter Information Service

BOSTON (May 28, 1997 5:37 p.m. EDT) - A University of Chicago researcher
said a new study of cancer death rates shows very little progress has
been made in treating the disease. He urged that the focus of research
be shifted to prevention.

In a study published in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine, Dr.
John Bailar said death rates from 1970 to 1994 demonstrate that doctors
have made little real headway in developing better cancer treatments.

After so many years of failure, he said it was time to devote more
resources to preventing the disease, which kills more than half a
million Americans each year.

Bailar, who made a blistering analysis of the lack of progress in
treating cancer in a study more than 10 years ago, said his updated
findings show that cancer is still winning.

"In 1986, we concluded that 'some 35 years of intense effort focused
largely on improving treatment must be judged a qualified failure.' Now,
with 12 more years of data and experience, we see little reason to
change that conclusion," said Bailar, who updated his study with the
help of medical student Heather Gornik.

They do not say research into treatments should be halted. "There
should, however, be a substantial realignment of the balance between
treatment and prevention, and in an age of limited resources this
may well mean curtailing efforts focused on therapy."

Bailar and Gornik looked at death rates -- adjusted to account for the
fact that older people are more likely to die from cancer -- because
they are less vulnerable to manipulation than data on incidence and
survival.

They found the rate of cancer deaths rose an average of 0.3 percent per
year between 1975 and 1994, compared with a 0.1 percent rise from 1950
to 1975. The rate actually peaked in 1991 and is apparently declining a
bit because fewer people have been smoking in recent years.

When comparing younger and older cancer victims, they discovered that
the death rates for people 55 and older have increased by 15 to 20
percent even as the death rate among people under 55 has decreased by
about 25 percent.

Even in the few cases where there has been a modest decline in the death
rate for certain types of cancers, "improved treatment has contributed
little," they argued.

The big reasons for the declines seemed be a reduction in cigarette
smoking, improved screening and unexplained declines in certain types of
tumors such as colorectal cancer.

"In our view, prudence requires a skeptical view of the tacit assumption
that marvelous new treatments for cancer are just waiting to be
discovered," the two researchers said.

"We, like others, earnestly hope that such discoveries can and will be
made but it is now evident that the worldwide cancer research effort
should undergo a substantial shift toward efforts to improve
prevention."

They added: "The ultimate results may be as disappointing as those to
date from treatment efforts, but it is time to find out."

By GENE EMERY, Reuter
Date: Thu, 29 May 1997 21:49:20 -0700
From: Andrew Gach <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Dog-bites-man news
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
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Severe dog bites increase in United States

The Associated Press

ATLANTA (May 29, 1997 5:25 p.m. EDT) -- Dog bites serious enough to
require medical care increased 37 percent in the United States between
1986 and 1994, partly because people are buying more ferocious dogs for
protection, the government said Thursday.

In the past two years, Rottweilers were responsible for 10 deaths --
about half the 22 dog-bite deaths in which the breed was known, the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

The CDC said 800,000 people had to seek medical care for a dog bite in
1994, up from 585,000 in 1986.

"That means that every 40 seconds, somebody is seeing a doctor because
of a dog bite," said Dr. Jeffrey Sacks, a CDC epidemiologist. "I'd call
that worthy of more attention."

Health officials said there could be many reasons for the increase,
including improved reporting of dog bites and irresponsible pet owners
who buy ferocious dogs for protection but do not train them.

Also, Sacks said, "There is a widespread ignorance about proper
etiquette and how to behave around a dog, particularly among children.
In many cases, they haven't been taught."

"We've kind of accepted that when dog bites man, it's not news and we
treat it like the common cold," said Randall Lockwood, vice president of
training for the Humane Society of the United States. "We need to
rethink this."

The number of fatal dog attacks across the country shot up in 1989-90 to
35 deaths but has otherwise been fairly stable since the early 1980s, at
around 20 a year. But the breeds responsible have changed: In 1979,
Great Danes were to blame for three deaths, the most of any breed that
year.

Rottweilers have soared in popularity in the past few years. Next to
Labradors, Rottweilers are the most popular breed. In 1996, 7,932
Rottweilers were registered in the United States, compared with 12,106
Labradors.

There are an estimated 55 million dogs in the United States.

Dog lovers defended Rotweilers.

"A Rottweiler has a strong prey drive if it is not raised the right
way," said Bob Maida of Manassas, Va., a trainer who specializes in
problem dogs. "The potential is there. But people have the potential to
commit crimes. If we are raised properly, we are not going to commit
crimes."

By TARA MEYER, The Associated Press
Date: Thu, 29 May 1997 21:50:35 -0700
From: Andrew Gach <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Meat is meat
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
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Couple sues supermarket chain after finding finger in sandwich

Reuter Information Service

TAMPA, Fla. (May 28, 1997 4:13 p.m. EDT) - A Tampa couple is suing
Publix Supermarkets after they found a part of a finger in ham they had
bought at the chain.

David and Katie Dean told a court Wednesday they had suffered great
distress after finding the finger in ham sandwiches they had made for a
boating trip. They are seeking $15,000 in damages.

Publix admits there was a human finger in with the ham but says the
Deans are not as upset as they claim to be.

The Deans bought one pound of sliced ham in July 1995 at a Publix store
in Tampa. Their lawsuit says that two days later, after eating most of
the meat, they found part of it contained "the top portion of a human
finger pad, in addition to a substance in the ham that appeared to be
blood".

They are suing for mental anguish, medical expenses for AIDS and
hepatitis tests, loss of earning capacity, loss of comfort and attention
of each other, and loss of "the joy of living." The Deans and
the Publix worker who cut her fingertip off have tested negative for
AIDS. The trial continues Thursday.
Date: Thu, 29 May 1997 21:52:13 -0700
From: Andrew Gach <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Animal Models
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
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Evidence Hints at Emphysema Treatment

          By WARREN E. LEARY
          The New York Times

WASHINGTON -- Researchers said Tuesday that they had the
first evidence from animal studies that a vitamin derivative might
reverse the damage of emphysema, an incurable lung condition.

Scientists at the Georgetown University School of Medicine here used
retinoic acid, a derivative of vitamin A, to treat rats with
emphysema-like changes in their lungs. After the treatment, they said,
damaged air sacs in the lungs returned to normal size and number.

Dr. Gloria De Carlo Massaro and Dr. Donald Massaro said it appeared
that the treatment regenerated the adult rats' ability to produce
alveoli, the small air sacs where oxygen and carbon dioxide move between
the lungs and the bloodstream. The production of alveoli normally ends
in childhood.

"For the first time, we have been able to induce the formation of
alveoli," Donald Massaro said in an interview. "And we used that to
induce the formation in an animal model of emphysema."

The researchers noted that it was too early to tell whether the
potential treatment would apply to humans.

Emphysema is a chronic lung disease that afflicts 2 million Americans to
varying degrees, causing about 17,000 deaths each year, according to the
American Lung Association. Though most cases appear in longtime
smokers over age 45, about 100,000 cases represent a rare, inherited
form stemming from an enzyme deficiency. Other cases result from
exposure to toxic pollutants.

The disease, characterized by impaired breathing, results in what has
been irreversible tissue damage to the lung caused by the loss of
elasticity in the alveoli, preventing the sacs from stretching and
springing back normally.  The loss of elasticity causes the air spaces
to enlarge and impairs their ability to exchange oxygen and carbon
dioxide.

Dr. Claude Lenfant, director of the National Heart, Lung and Blood
Institute, which sponsored the research, said the Georgetown work was a
significant first step in understanding the role of retinoic acid and
similar agents in forming alveoli.

Lenfant said the new research "could lead to the development of an agent
for treating lung diseases like emphysema and bronchopulmonary
dysplasia, in which the patient has insufficient alveoli to breathe
efficiently."

Lenfant and the Georgetown researchers cautioned that more studies
were needed before anyone should consider applying the findings to
people. Vitamin A and beta carotene, a more basic form of the vitamin,
are already converted by the body into retinoic acid.

The researchers said their new work, published in the June issue of the
journal Nature Medicine, was an extension of earlier research they had
done showing that treating normal newborn rats with retinoic acid
increased the alveoli in their lungs.

Elastin is a protein that maintains the structure and tone of the
alveolar walls of the lungs. The researchers injected elastase, an
enzyme that breaks down elastin, into the wind pipes of rats. When it
was breathed in, the enzyme caused lung damage very similar to that seen
with inherited emphysema.

The treated rats were given daily injections of retinoic acid in their
abdominal cavities for 12 days, and were killed and examined after the
25th day of the experiments.

The researchers found that the treated rats who got the retinoic acid
grew new alveoli and developed lung structure very similar to control
rats that had not received either the damaging elastase or retinoic
acid.
Date: Thu, 29 May 1997 21:53:41 -0700
From: Andrew Gach <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Astonishing breakthrough in mice research
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Large scale human-mouse DNA implants seen as research breakthrough

The Associated Press

NEW YORK (May 29, 1997 5:07 p.m. EDT) -- Scientists have managed to
insert large chunks of human DNA in mice, an astonishing breakthrough
that will allow a new generation of research into genes, birth defects
and genetic diseases.

Researchers have put human DNA into mice for years, but not on this
scale. Some of the newly developed mice have a complete human chromosome
-- one of the rod-like structures that hold genes -- containing some 50
times the amount of DNA scientists had been able to transfer before.

Not only did the transplanted genes work normally, but some of the mice
were also able to pass the chunks of DNA they got onto their offspring.

Nearly all the mice looked normal, though some males had small testes
and were sterile.

The results are "incredible," said Alcino Silva, a mouse genetics
researcher at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in Cold Spring Harbor,
N.Y.

Scientists didn't think that chromosome-size chunks of DNA from one
mammal could settle in permanently in a different mammal and function
normally, he said.

And "it's amazing that such large fragments of DNA can be passed on to
their offspring," Silva said.

"This is a quite important research breakthrough," said gene expert
Huntington Willard of the Case Western Reserve University School of
Medicine and University Hospitals of Cleveland.

The work is reported in the June issue of the journal Nature Genetics by
scientists at the Central Laboratories for Key Technology at the Kirin
Brewery Co. in Yokahama, Japan, and elsewhere in Japan.

Even Isao Ishida, one of the study authors at Kirin, said he was
surprised it worked.

He and colleagues made hybrid mouse-human cells that contained single
human chromosomes or chunks of chromosomes. Then they fused these cells
to embryonic mouse cells, and put these cells into early mouse embryos.
The embryos were then put into mice to grow into newborns.

Some of the resulting mice contained the human chromosome 22 in many of
their cells. And mice that had gotten a fragment of human chromosome 2
were able to pass it on to some of their offspring.

Ishida said scientists wanted to create mice that make human versions of
blood proteins called antibodies. The proteins could be useful in
medicine.

But Silva and Willard said the implications of the work go far beyond
that, to allowing new kinds of studies of how genes work normally and in
disease. That research that might eventually turn into new medical
treatments.

Genes act like members of a neighborhood on their chromosomes,
responding to other genes that can be a good distance away. The new work
means entire genetic neighborhoods can be transplanted into mice, so
scientists can study what turns particular genes on and off, Willard
said.

Since the mice carry the transplanted DNA from well before birth, they
could help scientists learn about how genes work in early human
development. That could shed light on birth defects.

In addition, large-scale transplants will enable scientists to reproduce
human diseases that occur when parts of chromosomes are duplicated,
Silva said.

The Japanese scientists said they are already developing mice with a
human chromosome 21 to investigate Down syndrome, which is caused by
having an extra copy of that chromosome.

In the past, human DNA put into mice has attached itself to a mouse
chromosome. But in the Japanese work, the transplanted DNA stayed apart.
Silva said that's an advantage, because it might allow scientists to
transplant even bigger chunks.

-- By MALCOLM RITTER, The Associated Press Science Writer
Date: Thu, 29 May 1997 22:11:30 -0700
From: Andrew Gach <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: FWD: Article on puppy mills
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
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From: "Sheri K. Thomasson" <[e-mail]>
Newsgroups: rec.pets.dogs.rescue
Subject: Article on Puppy Mills
Date: 29 May 1997 14:00:27 GMT

This morning I found my daughter's June issue (of all things!) of "Teen"
magazine. On page 72 of this magazine is an article entitled "Tails of
Woe - The Shocking Truth About Puppy Mills".  This article was written
to be understood by anyone at any age and I found it to be very
compelling reading (without being tragic as this topic is).  If anyone
is trying to educate others on the rights/wrongs of buying from pet
stores, this would be a good article to share with them.  If you can't
locate the issue/article, e-mail me your snail mail address and I'll
send you a copy.

Regards,
Sheri Thomasson
[e-mail]
Date: Sat, 31 May 1997 01:15:14 -0400
From: Annette Skiendziel <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Rodeo Protest in Montgomery Township NJ
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: multipart/mixed; boundary="------------507B1FF9130F"

Below is detailed info:
CANINE ACTIVISTS JOIN COALITION FOR
ANIMALS IN RODEO PROTEST

Skillman, NJ---This yearÆs demonstration against the Montgomery Township rodeo will
include protesters from more than one species.  Canine activists will link together with
members of Coalition for Animals to help raise awareness of the inconsistent attitudes
humans have toward different types of animals.  For instance, rodeo animals (calves,
horses, bulls, and sheep) are mistreated on a regular basis for the sake of profit and
human entertainment.  However, if any of the following rodeo practices included a dog,
the people involved would face charges of animal abuse:

  Calves are roped around the neck when running an average speed of 27 miles per
hour.  They are snapped onto their backs by a lasso---a practice that often results in
severe injury. In fact, a calf was hurt so badly in last yearÆs rodeo he had to be
removed on a stretcher.  They are then lifted and slammed to the ground, bound by all
four legs, and sometimes dragged through the dirt.
  A flank strap is tied around the groin of a bull or a horse, making him buck by
irritating his genitals, sometimes causing raw, open wounds.
  Steers are grabbed by the horns, and their heads are wrenched backward until they
fall to the ground.
  In the Montgomery rodeo, terrified sheep are chased by an arena full of children who
are trying to obtain ribbons that are tied to the sheepÆs tails.
  When not performing, rodeo animals are penned up in corrals and holding areas and
undergo severe stress during long-distance shipping.

CFA is encouraging residents to boycott the rodeo and instead donate their money
directly to the charity of their choice (Montgomery Township Volunteer Fire Company,
Montgomery PolicemenÆs Benevolent Association, Montgomery High School Booster
Club, Montgomery Recreational League, Montgomery First Aid Squad, and New Jersey
SPCA).  Almost 400 residents have signed a CFA petition that opposes the rodeo, and a
number of sponsors and ticket sellers from previous years have dropped their support,
telling CFA that they will not support animal abuse.

Additionally, CFA is asking those opposing the rodeo to call the Montgomery
Professional Business Association at [phone] and suggest cruelty-free alternatives
to fundraising, such as dances, collecting money at a street corner, fairs,
flower/bake/craft sales, casino nights, murder mystery parties, circuses (with no animal
acts), tricky trays, dinners, and direct mailings.

CFA and canine activists will be outside Daube Farm on Sunset Road in Skillman on
Friday, May  30, from 5:30 to 7:30 PM, Saturday, May 31, from 4:30 to 6:30 PM, and
Sunday, June 1, from 12:30 to 2:30 PM.  Members from other local animal organizations
may be in attendance.  For further information, contact Coalition for Animals, PO Box
611, Somerset, NJ  08876, [phone], [e-mail].
Date: Thu, 29 May 1997 23:23:27 -0700 (PDT)
From: David J Knowles <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: [CA]  ARRESTS IMMINENET IN RAINFOREST BLOCKADE
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
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>From the Greenpeace press release server


>       ARRESTS IMMINENET IN RAINFOREST BLOCKADE
>
>
>Roderick Island, Great Bear Rainforest, B.C., May 29, 1997 -- The arrests
of Greenpeace >activists blockading a Western Forest Products' (Doman
Industries) clearcut operation in >British Columbia's Great Bear Rainforest
appear imminent. The protesters have refused to >leave the island after an
injunction gained by Western Forest Products on Wednesday was >served in the
remote region at around 9:00 p.m. Wednesday evening. The
>injunction legally bars logging protests on Roderick Island.
>
>Eight activists began their non-violent protest against the clearcutting
on Roderick Island >nine days ago by locking on to logging equipment,
effectively halting clearcutting in the
>area.
>
>"We came here to protest this destructive practice and have so far stopped
the felling of >nine thousand trees," said Mario Rautner, an Austrian
volunteer. "This rainforest is a global
>treasure, and we must protect it  from being turned into phone books, hot
tubs, advertising >inserts and  other disposable products by greedy
companies like Doman/Western Forest
>Products."
>
>"We hope our presence here will be a message of hope for the whole world
that this >rainforest can be saved," said Maxine Tang of Vancouver, B.C.
>
>Through the continued presence of a floating base camp and the MV Moby
Dick, >Greenpeace will continue to bear witness to both the majesty and the
destruction of the >Great Bear Rainforest -- the world's largest area of
intact temperate rainforest, a rich
>ecosystem that has been degraded or  severely fragmented where it once
existed on five >continents.
>
>Greenpeace is calling for an end to clearcutting, no new roads in the
temperate rainforest >and no logging in any of the remaining pristine
rainforest valleys.
>
>
>
>For more information contact:
>
>Karen Mahon, Greenpeace Vancouver: 604 253 7701, cell: 604 220 7701
>
>http://www.greenpeace.org

Date: Thu, 29 May 1997 23:23:29 -0700 (PDT)
From: David J Knowles <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: [CA] Wildlife sold out  - part one
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
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>From The Vancouver Sun - Thursday, May 29th, 1997

NDP accused of bowing to pressure on vanishing species

By Larry Pynn - Sun Environment Reporter

VICTORIA - Former IWA [International Woodworker's Alliance] president Gerry
Stoney wrote the premier's office several months before the last provincial
election warning that political support from woodworkers would evaporate if
the B.C. government enacted endangered species legislation.

In the letter, Stoney expressed concern about an "indication" that
then-environment minister Moe Shiota would reach an agreement making federal
endangered species legislation applicable to provincial Crown Lands.

The letter was to Doug McArthur, deputy to then-premier Mike Harcourt. It is
dated Dec. 12, 1995, two months before Glen Clark took over the New
Democratic Party leadership and five months before the B.C. election. A copy
of the letter was sent anonymously to "Sun" columnist Vaughn Palmer.

Stoney, concerned about the impact such legislation would have on IWA jobs,
made the political consequences clear to government.

"We area in the final months of this government's mandate," he wrote,
"forestry and environment issues are a trigger point for many IWA members,
and maintaining an even keel within our organization over our continued
support of the party is a constant struggle.

"I don't need surprises like these and I'm sure that a lot of NDP MLA's
[Members of the Legislative Assembly - provincial MP's] from outside the
Lower Mainland or Greater Victoria would share my concern."

Informed of the letter Wednesday, B.C. environmentalists expressed shock,
saying it is now clear why the province has failed to act on a promise
dating back to 1991 to enact legislation protecting endangered species.
"It's unbelievable, but it makes sense now," said Western Canada Wilderness
Committee director Adriane Carr. She said Shiota "was on board with the
federal government plan ... then there was a backtracking."

Noting public opinion polls show about 85-per-cent suport for endangered
species legislation, Carr added: "If they have done so because of the
pressure tactics of the IWA - a very selfishly focused group of people -
British Columbians need to hear about that."

In his letter, Stoney also expressed concern that given the NDP's low
position in opinion polls, there might be a temptation to ram through
environmental legislation before the election of a Liberal government. Said
Stoney: "I am particularly worried that, in the absence of some solid
political discipline within both cabinet and caucus, some people may look
the government's current standing in the polls and decide 'to hell with the
consequences' and implement significant new initiatives before it is too late."

In an interview Wednesday outside the legislature, Shiota recalled the
Stoney letter and acknowledged being under IWA pressure on a variety of
issues related to the environment.

"How many parks did I create, 200?," Shiota asked. "There is environmental
pressure too. There are some commitments we were able to fulfill, and some
we didn't." But Shiota said the provinces failure to implement endangered
species legislation had more to do with the fact Ottawa had originally
intended its law to apply across Canada. "It was my view the feds would do
it. It made sense."

As it turned out, the proposed federal legislation, which would have applied
only to federal lands, failed to win approval in Parliament before the
current national election was called.

The province's current position is that it is dead against federal
legislation of any endangered species legislation in B.C. on the grounds
protection can be offered to wildlife under provincial legislation such as
the Forest Practices Code.

David Boyd, manager of the Sierra Legal Defence Fund, said provincial
endangered species legislation was not only an NDP promise in 1991, it also
later formed part of the government's protected areas strategy. "These
letters are the tip of the iceberg," Boyd said. "This particular backroom
deal you have uncovered confirms our worst fears. It sounds like the IWA is
deciding B.C.'s environmental policies."

In a letter of response dated February 13, 1996, Shiota told Stoney he had
no intentions of intriducing provincial legislation.

Date: Thu, 29 May 1997 23:23:31 -0700 (PDT)
From: David J Knowles <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: [CA] Wildlife sold - part two
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

>From The Vancouver Sun - Thursday, May 29th, 1997

NDP keeps faith with union pals over endangered species.

By Vaughn Palmer

VICTORIA - The New Democrats have spoken enthusiastically about their
commitment to the environment and the need to protect endangered species.

But a trove of documents - delivered under the door of my office a few days
ago - explains why they have not moved to bring endangered species to B.C.

It begins with a December 1995 letter from the head of the powerful
woodworkers union to Doug McArthur, then as now deputy minister to the
premier of B.C.

"Over the last two days, some issues have developed which cause me very
great concern," wrote then IWA president Gerry Stoney, who went on to say
the main issue was endangered species legislation.

Apparently, Moe Shiota, then the minister of the environment, had indicated
he was "prepared to ... allow the federal government's emdangered
legislation to apply on provincial Crown land."

The woodworkers fear such legilsation, believing it would lead to widespread
logging bans such as those imposed to protect the spotted owl in the U.S.

"I tell my guys if they see a spotted owl to kill it," was the way
Mr.Stoney's predecessor, Jack Munro, voiced the union's alarm.

Mr. Stoney had bigger owls to slay.

"We are in the final months of this government's madate," he wrote, and
indeed, the date was Dec. 12.

The month before, Mike Harcourt had announced he would step down as premier.
His sucessor, to be chosen at a New Democratic Party convention the
following February, would have to call the election within months.

But the NDP was distressingly low in the polls, a prospect that did not go
unnoticed by the calculating Mr. Stoney, "I am particularly worried that, in
the absence of some solid political discipline within both cabinet and
caucus, some people may decide 'to hell with the consequences' and impliment
significant new initiatives before it is too late."

Lest there be any doubt about the implications for the party in such an
event, Mr. Stoney spelled it out.

"Forestry and environment issues are a trigger point for many IWA members,
and maintaining an even keel within our organization over our continued
support of the party is a constant struggle. I don't need surprises like
these and I'm sure that a lot of NDP MLA's [Members of the Legislative
Assembly - provincial MP's] from outside the Lower Mainland or Greater
Victoria would share my concern."

then, having positioned his gun at the government's head, Mr. Stoney made a
polite request of the premier's chief minion. "I would ask that you
intervene on our behalf and try to get things back on the even keel that
makes good sense for both of us."

Not long afterward, the party righted itself in Mr. Stoney's direction. Glen
Clark, no friend of the environment movement, emerged as the front-runner in
the leadership race. Mr. Shiota joined the Clark camp, shedding thoughts of
endangered species legislation in the process.

A few days before Mr. Clark assumed the leadership, Mr. Shiota (who was to
remain minister of the environment until after the election) spelled out the
new administration's commitment to Mr. Stoney in  a letter marked "personal
and confidential."

First: "The endangered species legislation you refer to is federal
legislation, not provincial legislation." Actually, Mr. Shiota's letter
refers to "dangerous" species legislation, which may or may not be a
pararphrase of Jack Munro. ("When I hear the words 'spotted owl', I reach
for my revolver.")

In point two, Mr. Shiota promised not to introduce a provincial endangered
species law "because I have recognized the points you make as a trade union."

Then, from the comfort of his place deep inside the IWA's pocket, Mr. Shiota
dismissed the possibilty B.C. would apply the federal law to provincial
lands. "At no time have I indicated that as a province we intended to
conclude an agreement with the federal government," Mr. Shiota said.

"Quite frankly, we have no intention of doing that."

So far, the government has kept faith with its pals in the IWA. Last fall, a
new minister of the environment, Paul Ramsey, floated the possibilty B.C.
would enact "complementary legislation" to the proposed federal endangered
species law.

He received a rocket from the IWA, reminding him of Mr. Shiota's promise
never to do such a thing.

"We hope this is still your government's position," the new IWA boss said.

Seven months later, the New Democrats have yet to lift a finger on behalf of
endangered species.

Date: Fri, 30 May 1997 16:25:59 -0700
From: Coral Hull <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: AUSTRALIAN FARMERS MOVE TO 'BALANCE' RSPCA
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit

FARMERS MOVE TO æBALANCEÆ RSPCA By Anthony Roy (Rural Editor), The
Sydney Morning Herald, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. May 24th,
1997.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
The NSW Farmers Association concerned at ôextremeö views of animal
liberationists claims to have moved into a position of control of the
RSPCA.

Many members have joined the animal welfare movement, electing a
farmersÆ ticket of moderates to control the RSPCA board, and taking a
lenient approach to RSPCA inspections and prosecutions for livestock
cruelty during drought.

The NSW Farmers AssociationÆs chief executive, Mr Peter Comensoli, said
it was fair to assume that a large proportion of RSPCA members outside
the Sydney metropolitan area were farmers or understood farmersÆ needs.

Concern over the ôextreme viewsö and increasing influence of Animal
Liberation Australia and the Humane Society International prompted the
successful bid ôto keep the extremes of the animal liberation lobby
out.ö

NSW Farmers considered past prosecutions for livestock cruelty during
drought ôan extreme abuse of the RSPCA power under the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals Actö.

ôWhen you consider the number of cat owners that those who might oppose
us might activate to membership, weÆd just fall into insignificance,ö Mr
Comensoloi said. ôNot at this point. But maybe thatÆs a reflection of
general support for animal liberation extremes in the wider community,
that that group has not been able to activate the same type of support.ö

ôIt cuts both ways. The RSPCA could well activate its common membership
to influence NSW......ö

The NSW Minister for Agriculture, Mr Amery, said he objected to
suggestions that NSW Farmers controlled the RSPCA. He had expected the
two organisations ôat loggerheads at timesö. The RSPCA remained a
reputable and balanced organisation representing the middle ground.

The RSPCAÆs chief executive, Mr Charles Wright, said, ôThe RSPCA is the
ham in the sandwich between NSW Farmers and the animal welfare lobby. I
sit comfortably with both sides. Neither group has any undue influence
over RSPCA decisions.

In a notice to farmer members on November 21st last year, they were
urged to vote by the closing date of December 5th in the RSPCA
elections.

NSW FarmersÆ ômoderate ticketö for the nine-member RSPCA board comprised
of six candidates headed by NSW Farmers member Mr Graham Hall of Wombat,
near Cootamundra. All six were elected, Mr HallÆs brother-in-law, Mr
Peter Berger, of Hall, was not due for re-election and retained his
board position.

Mr Comensoli acknowledged the influence NSW Farmers now exercised in
RSPCA policy deliberations, but said there were still many areas of
disagreement.

The new bond between his organisation and the RSPCA was ôa love-hate
relationship...and that is very healthyö.

Mr Wright said one area of policy dispute in NSW FarmersÆ unsuccessful
attempt to water down farm inspection and prosecution provisions of
amendments to the Prevention of the Cruelty to Animals Act, now before
Parliament.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------
Coral Hull
ANIMAL WATCH AUSTRALIA
Date: Fri, 30 May 1997 16:27:44 -0700
From: Coral Hull <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: AR RAIDER PREDICTS TURNER CHARGES
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit

RAIDER PREDICTS TURNER CHARGES By Kylie Williams, Orange Newspaper,
Orange, New South Wales, Australia. May 28th, 1997.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
The man who led the raid on Russell TurnerÆs poultry farm, Mark Pearson,
said yesterday he believed the Orange MP would most likely be charged
for cruelty to animals.

ôMr Turner could well rest assured that there is a very high possibility
someone will soon deliver him with a summons,ö Mr Pearson said.

He said that although he was also a member of the RSPCA and the
GovernmentÆs Animal Welfare Advisory Committee, the ôinspectionö on
Monday was done in his capacity as the president of Animal Liberation
NSW.

He said he was originally a member of the RSPCA, but joined Animal
Liberation NSW because he believed the RSPCA was not sufficiently
protecting animalsÆ rights.

ôThe RSPCA has been taken over and corrupted by the farming lobby,ö Mr
Pearson said.

A spokesperson for Mr Turner said the MP was considering taking legal
action regarding the trespassing by raid members and the theft of birds
from his property.

ôIf I was him I would be more worried about the far more serious charges
against him,ö Mr Pearson said.

ôEach count of cruelty can result in a $2000 fine and six months jail.ö

Mr Pearson is waiting for information from veterinarians at the
Department of Agriculture in Orange, who are performing post mortems on
birds taken from Mr TurnerÆs property, as well as a report from Bathurst
veterinarian Alison Halloway, who examined a dozen of the live birds.

Ms Halloway said all of the birds she examined were underweight, one had
a prolapsed and ulcerated vaginal wall, and another had no use of its
right leg.

She said some of the birds had 50 to 90 per cent feather loss, which
indicated cannibalism.

ôI canÆt say itÆs any indication of the state of any of the other birds
because I didnÆt see them, ô Ms Halloway said.

As for Mr TurnerÆs statement that the activists violated his rights by
raiding his property in those early hours of the morning, Mr Pearson
said he had a right to save the hens.

æHow can a person sleep when they have animals tormented and suffering?ö
he asked.

æHe (Mr Turner) should have been up with us helping out.ö
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Coral Hull
ANIMAL WATCH AUSTRALIA
Date: Fri, 30 May 1997 16:30:23 -0700
From: Coral Hull <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: AUSTRALIA'S 'FREE THE BATTERY HEN' OLYMPICS
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit

PAM CLARKE GOES FOR GOLD IN AUSTRALIA'S FREE THE BATTERY HEN
OLYMPICS!,
Action Magazine & Animal Watch Australia, Coral Hull and Patty Mark,
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, May 30th, 1997.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pam Clarke, Australian veteran battery hen campaigner is being sued by
the Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (SOCOG) for breach
of copyright. The Sydney 2000 Olympic logo looks very similar to a ôsad
henö and Pam realises it is an excellent opportunity to spread the
message for battery hens around the world.

Pam has been distributing T-shirts and badges with an adapted Olympic
logo and the words, FREEDOM 2000 - FREE BATTERY HENS. Pam has also
commissioned a theme song, ôSydney Oh Sydney, DonÆt Turn Awayö to take
the Olympics Campaign to the year 2000.

Action Magazine Editor, Patty Mark will be joining Pam on the steps of
the Federal Court in Sydney, Australia on June 6th 1997 to launch the
Freedom 2000 campaign. Any (Australian) readers who are able to attend
are encouraged to come to the court. Show your solidarity with the
millions of hens imprisoned in battery cages in Australia. For further
details contact Animal Liberation NSW on 61-(0)2-9212-6253.

FREE THE BATTERY HEN - 2000 T-shirts are available through ACTION
MAGAZINE, PO Box 15, Elwood, Victoria, 3184, Australia. Tel:
61-(0)3-9531-4367 Fax: [phone].

Print out your ôFree Posterö right up until the Games,  to celebrate the
æFree The Battery Hen Olympicsö in Australia, at the
ANIMAL WATCH AUSTRALIA website (under construction):
http://www.envirolink.orgs/orgs/animal_watch/2000d.jpg
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Coral Hull
ANIMAL WATCH AUSTRALIA
Date: Fri, 30 May 1997 16:32:06 -0700
From: Coral Hull <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: AUSTRALIAN COCKY RESCUER TO FACE COURT
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit

AUSTRALIAN PET SHOP COCKY RESCUER TO FACE COURT, Action Magazine and
Animal Watch Australia, Coral Hull and Patty Mark, Melbourne, Victoria.
Australia, 30th May, 1997.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Terence OÆKeeffe, a 63 year old school teacher and member of Free
Cockatoos Incorporated (Freedom For Birds Inc.) was charged with
burglary and theft (indictable offenses) over the rescue of Clyde from
Paramount Pets in a southern Melbourne suburb on May 10th, 1997.

Clyde, a sulfur crested cockatoo has spent the past nine years
imprisoned in a tiny cage at the shop. After his rescue, Clyde was taken
to a sanctuary for rehabilitation and was found to be a she.

In 1993 a demonstration against the caging of birds was held at the
shop. Over a dozen people gathered with placards trying to gain ClydeÆs
freedom.

Sadly her rescue four years later was short-lived, as the incident
ignited intense media interest and ClydeÆs where-abouts were discovered.
Resulting in the Melbourne C.I.B. confiscating Clyde and returning her
to the tiny cage at the pet shop.

Terence has two prior convictions for rescuing cockatoos including
George (who had picked his chest feathers out) late last year from a pet
shop in Mornington, Victoria. The Magistrate fined Mr OÆKeeffe $1,000
with $712 costs and warned him, ôIf you were so foolish as to do
anything like this again, it would be a much more severe penalty...
imprisonment is ultimately what you would face.ö

THINK CARE ACT Write or call Paramount Pets for ClydeÆs sake, at 737
Glenhuntly Road, Caulfield South, Victoria, 3162 Australia. Tel:
61-(0)3-9523-5090. For Australian readers, if possible attend Prahran
court at 10 am on July 2nd, 1997 to support Terence OÆKeeffe.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Coral Hull
ANIMAL WATCH AUSTRALIA
Date: Fri, 30 May 1997 15:23:25 +0800 (SST)
From: Vadivu Govind <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: (TH) Experts in bid to save elephants
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"



>Bangkok Post
30 may 97

Experts in bid to
              save elephants

              Eyeing reserve border area of 600,000
              rai

              Thaksina Khaikaew

              Forestry and wildlife experts have been meeting in an attempt to
              protect wild elephants.

              Talks organised by the Wildlife Fund Thailand were held
              yesterday at Kasetsart University's community forestry training
              centre.

              The event comes in the wake of the recent suspected poisoning
              of two elephants in Kui Buri forest, a protected reserve area of
              600,000 rai on the Thai-Burmese border. Wild elephants in the
              area have been blamed for foraging among pineapple plantations.

              The area was once pristine forest but 13 years ago 26,085 rai
              was leased by the Forestry Department for 30 years to
              Prachuap Khiri Khan's provincial administration organisation. It
              was to be rented to landless farmers. Now the area faces severe
              deforestation due to encroachment by farmers and wildlife is
              being killed by villagers and game hunters.

              Around 50 forestry officials, wildlife activists, Prachuap Khiri
              Khan villagers and provincial livestock officials responsible for
              investigating the deaths of the elephants last week attended the
              meeting.

              Ruam Thai village headman Sun Muakmuang said villagers in
              Moo 7 and 9 were only allowed by the provincial administration
              organisation to cultivate crops on half of the leased area. He
said
              a quarter of the land was, in fact, controlled by big
investors who
              grew pineapples for the province's canneries. What had
              happened to the remaining land was a mystery.

              Mr Sun said: "We wonder what has happened to the rest of the
              leased land that is supposed to go to needy farmers. The officials
              responsible should look into the real use of this land to see
if it is
              being abused."

              Nikhom Phuttha, programme director for Wildlife Fund
              Thailand, said plans to upgrade Kui Buri Forest Reserve into a
              national park would help protect the elephants' natural habitat.
              There are thought to be around 100 wild elephants in the forest.

              Villagers are also being encouraged to help forestry officials by
              looking out for the elephants and the wildlife.

              Mr Nikhom said this year alone there had been at least five
              elephant deaths. Of these one had been shot for its expensive
              ivory and another hit by a truck.

              Laboratory tests have not yet established the cause of death for
              the latest two elephants. They are believed to have been
              poisoned or have died of disease.

              Mr Nikhom said provincial officials should seek legal action to
              terminate the lease as the area should be left as a natural
habitat
              for the animals and other wildlife.

              Pol Gen Salang Bunnag sent a message to those at the meeting
              saying he will send a special forces team to investigate any
              wrongdoing concerning the use of leased land and then see that
              anyone breaking the law was punished.

              A provincial forestry official said a plan to upgrade the forest
              reserve, which was launched in 1994, would be completed
              within six months and a survey would be conducted to find out
              how the leased land was being used. If it was being incorrectly
              used it would be taken back.


Article copyright Post Publishing Public Co., Ltd 1997
Reprinted for non-commercial use only.
Website: http://www.bangkokpost.net



Date: Fri, 30 May 1997 15:25:19 +0800 (SST)
From: Vadivu Govind <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: (JP) Dead cats at gate preceded discovery of boy's head
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"



>Japan Times
30 May 97

Dead cats at gate preceded discovery of boy's head

     KOBE -- In the latest discovery in the grisly decapitation of
11-year-old Jun Hase, police sources said May 29 that two dead cats had been
placed last week outside the main gate of the junior high school here in
Suma Ward where the boy's severed head was found early May 27.

     The mutilated carcasses were found before the boy vanished May 24,
which has lead investigators to suspect they were placed there in
forewarning, sources said. The felines were spotted by a newspaper delivery
man shortly after 5 a.m. May 29 or May 30, the sources said.

     The Hyogo Prefectural Police has mobilized some 530 investigators to
probe the slaying of the boy, who was reported missing May 24 after leaving
home to visit his grandfather.

     The head of the mentally retarded boy was found early May 27 outside
the main gate  of Tomogaoka Junior High School, his mouth stuffed with
cryptic notes that appeared to taunt police. The body was found in local
woods in the school's area later in the day.

        Police are investigating an isolated cable TV antenna tower located
in an uninhabited forested area near the site, suspecting that the boy's
killer replaced a gate lock before    the murder so he could have a place to
dump the body. They are now compiling a list of lock retailers around the
area and questioning them about recent customers.

     Hase's killing is the second in that area since mid-March, when an
unidentified assailant  killed an elementary school girl. Another girl was
seriously wounded when she was stabbed the same day, and both crimes remain
unsolved.

Date: Fri, 30 May 1997 01:09:43 -0700 (PDT)
From: David J Knowles <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: [UK] Television dog trial champion fined for cruelty
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"


>From The Electronic Telegraph - Friday, May 30th, 1997

Television dog trial champion fined for cruelty
By Paul Stokes

A CHAMPION sheepdog trialist, who starred in the television programme One
Man and His Dog, caused unnecessary suffering to five of his collies.

The dogs were found emaciated, dirty, with skin problems and in unhygienic
conditions at Gwyn Jones's farm in Snowdonia. Three of the dogs, named Capp,
Meg and Kirk, had to be destroyed and the other two - both called Roy - have
since recovered in RSCPA kennels.

Jones, 52, three times Great Britain supreme champion and captain of the
Welsh international team, was found guilty at Llandudno, North Wales,
yesterday of five counts of causing the animals unnecessary suffering. He
was fined a total of ú2,000 and ordered to pay ú1,750 costs.

Owain Evans, court chairman, told him: "We feel you have been extremely
negligent for a man who has been involved with sheepdogs most of your life
and should have known these dogs needed adequate food and proper care."

He said that the court would not disqualify Jones from keeping dogs because
it would be almost impossible to run a hill farm without them. But they
deprived him of the two surviving dogs.

Jones, who won the One Man and His Dog title in 1988, said in evidence that
one of the dogs involved in the case, Kirk, had been third in the 1994 Welsh
national championships. He had been interested in working dogs since he was
16 and had won thousands of pounds in hundreds of competitions.

Jones had felt "gutted" when he learned that the RSPCA had taken away two of
his dogs. Chris Dawson, prosecuting, described how Capp, who was blind, was
so thin that he looked more like a greyhound. "All five dogs were quite
knowingly caused unnecessary suffering and in relation to the two older
dogs, Meg and Kirk, Jones acknowledged they were in a poor condition.

"In relation to some of the other dogs, Jones made excuses which simply
don't stand up to careful examination. Dogs barking at each other a lot
don't normally become skinny and emaciated as a result.  Jones wholly failed
all five dogs and showed what can only be
regarded as a wicked disregard to the suffering he forced them to endure."

The two surviving dogs named Roy had to have four meals a day for three
months to reach what vets regarded as a normal healthy weight. Jones denied
a suggestion that he had reached the heights, was seen as a big man in
sheepdog trials but, for whatever reason,
had begun to neglect his dogs.

He claimed that his dogs were not emaciated but well-fed working animals.
Jones said Meg was 16 and Kirk 13 and he had agreed to them being put down
because they were so old. "I have always taken dogs to the vet. They have
always been treated," he added.

Kevin Paton, an RSPCA inspector, said he visited Jones's farm in December
after an anonymous complaint had been made to the RSPCA's Welsh headquarters
at Brecon. Jones, of Penmachno, near Betws-y-Coed, had made a statement
saying: "I feed my dogs. I fill their tins up. I have not been well and have
been receiving treatment. I have been in and out of hospital in the last two
years."

Under cross-examination by John Wyn Williams, defending, Insp Paton accepted
that he had no legal right to visit Jones's farm. On the first of his two
visits, Jones was not present but a woman who was feeding the dogs gave him
permission to take two of them to a vet.

Insp Paton denied a suggestion that Jones's rights had been ignored. At
Jones's farm, Insp Paton was shown worming tablets from a vet, flea
treatment and sacks of feed. Jones declined to comment after the case.

Now the sport's ruling body will have to decide whether disciplinary
proceedings should be brought against him. After the case an RSPCA spokesman
said: "We are pleased with the size of the penalty. This was a particular
severe case of neglect. But we are disappointed that Jones has been allowed
to carry on keeping dogs. He was convicted of ill-treating dogs but he can
still go on keeping them."

⌐ Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1997.

Date: Fri, 30 May 1997 08:24:56 -0400
From: allen schubert <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Admin Note-Subscription Options
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

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.
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To request a digest version, send mail to [e-mail]
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To switch back to immediate mail, and to get copies of *your* postings
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or the following to not get your own postings:

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

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

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Date: Fri, 30 May 1997 20:32:26 +0800
From: "Rabbit Information Service" <[e-mail]>
To: <[e-mail]>
Subject: Transgenic Animals in Agriculture -Conference announcement
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

>Conference Announcement
>For further information check out our website at the address below.
>http://pubweb.ucdavis.edu/Documents/BIOTECH/biotech1.htm
>
>Transgenic Animals in Agriculture
>Dates:  August 24-27, 1997
> Place:  Granlibakken Conference Center
>Tahoe City, California
>SCOPE
>This international meeting will bring together representatives from the
>leading laboratories attempting to improve agriculturally important fish,
>poultry, and mammalian species through genetic engineering. Although the
>application of transgenic technology to agriculturally important species
is
>addressed at many meetings, it has been a decade since the meeting at
>Nethybridge, Scotland brought together scientists to discuss this topic.
At
>that time only a handful of laboratories had successfully produced
>transgenic livestock and chickens. In the past decade, several
advancements
>in the field relevant to agricultural species have been realized, and it
is
>now appropriate to hold another meeting with this focus, in order again
to
>bring together scientists to discuss progress, problems, and potential
>application of transgenic technology for animal agriculture. With the
recent
>seminal breakthrough in nuclear transplant and cloning technology in
>mammals, we consider that this is a very timely conference both from a
>scientific and societal perspective.  As you can see from the schedule,
both
>Ian Wilmut and a representative from PPL will speak at the conference and
>will provide insight at the basic research level on their ground-breaking
>work.
>
>The three-day meeting will consist of invited presentations and submitted
>posters. Two afternoons from noon to 4 p.m. and one evening will be free
to
>allow for small group interactions and to take advantage of the great
>natural beauty and recreational activities in the Lake Tahoe area.
>
>PROCEEDINGS
>The Proceedings of the meeting will be published by CAB International and
a
>copy will be included in the cost of registration.
>
>TOPICS FOR INVITED PRESENTATIONS:
>
>Introduction: Carl Pinkert, University of Alabama
>
>Improvements in non- embryonic stem cell methods:
>Robert Wall, USDA-ARS, Beltsville
>
>Embryonic stem cell and primordial germ cell methods:
>Gary Anderson, U.C.Davis
>
>Nuclear transplant methods:
>Ian Wilmut, Roslin Institute, UK
>
>Status of sperm-mediated  delivery methods for gene transfer: E.J.
Squires,
>University of Guelph
>
>Engineering metabolic pathways in sheep:
>Kevin Ward, CSIRO, Australia
>
>Generation of transgenic cattle:
>Frank Pieper, Pharming, The Netherlands
>
>Transgenic cattle, an alternate approach:
>Will Eyestone, PPL Therapeutics
>
>Physiological effects of transgene expression in the mammary gland:
>Harry Meade, Genzyme Transgenic Corporation
>
>Changing the properties of milk:
>Jim Murray, U.C.Davis
>
>Altering disease resistance:
>Caird Rexroad, USDA-ARS, Beltsville, MD
>
>IGF-1 transgenic pigs:
>Vernon Pursel, USDA-ARS, Beltsville
>
>Pigs transgenic for growth hormone:
>Mark Nottle, University of Adelaide
>
>Genetic selection in transgenic animals:
>E.J. Eisen, North Carolina State University
>
>Microinjection/embryo culture in poultry:
>Helen Sang, Roslin Institute, United Kingdom
>
>Avian primordial germ cells:
>James Petitte, North Carolina State University
>
>Avian embryonic stem cells:
>Ann Verrinder-Gibbins, University of Guelph
>
>Genetic engineering in turkeys:
>Eric Wong, Virginia Polytechnic Institute
>
>Methods for producing transgenic fish:
>Perry Hackett, University of Minnesota
>
>Salmon transgenic for growth hormone:
>Robert Devlin, Fisheries and Oceans, Canada
>
>Integrating transgenic fish into an overall strategy for improving
>aquaculture:
>Rex Dunham, Auburn University
>
>What does the future hold?:
>George Seidel, Colorado State UniversitySeidel, Colorado State University
>%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
%%%%%%%
>Martina McGloughlin             Ph. [phone]
>Director                         Fx. [phone]
>348 Briggs Hall
>Biotechnology Program   e-mail: [e-mail]
>UC Davis
>Davis, CA 95616
>WeB http://pubweb.ucdavis.edu/Documents/BIOTECH/biotech1.htm
>

Date: Fri, 30 May 1997 20:34:34 +0800
From: "Rabbit Information Service" <[e-mail]>
To: <[e-mail]>
Subject: "Bioethics: A Third World Issue"
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

PLEASE CIRCULATE THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE WIDELY.

>Dr. Vandana Shiva, well-known, much-honored physicist, philosopher,
>ecofeminist director of the Research Foundation for Science, Technology
and
>Ecology, vice-president of the Third World Network, and author of several
>celebrated works including Staying Alive, The Violence of the Green
>Revolution, and Monocultures of the Mind.

>*******************************************************************
>
>                 "Bioethics: A Third World Issue"
>                                 by
>                         Dr. Vandana Shiva
>
>*******************************************************************
>
>In a recent article entitled, "The Bogus Debate on Bioethics", Suman
Sahai
>has stated that ethical concerns are largely a luxury of developed
>countries which the Third World cannot afford. She calls the bioethics
>debate an essentially Western phenomenon.
>
>I would like to differ with Suman Sahai on her presumptions that
bioethics
>is not Indian or Third World in content or substance and that ethics is a
>luxury for the Third World.  In fact it is the separation of ethics from
>technology that is a peculiarly Western phenomenon, and by calling the
>bioethics debate "bogus", Suman Sahai is speaking like the transnational
>biotechnology industry which refers to ethics as an "irrelevant concern".
>In fact Suman Sahai was cheered loudest on the internet by Henry Miller
of
>Stanford University Hoover Institute, a right wing think tank, who has
been
>acting as a major spokesman of the U.S. biotech industry.
>
>The argument that the Third World cannot afford bioethics is
systematically
>used by the biotech industry which states that for the hungry, ethics and
>safety is irrelevant.  This was also the logic used by Lawrence Summers
>when he recommended that polluting industry should be shifted to the
Third
>World. Removing ethics from technological and economic decisions is a
>western construct.  THIS is the imported dichotomy.  The import of this
>dichotomy enables control and colonization.
>
>The separation of science and technology from ethics is based on the
>Cartesian divide between res extensa (matter) and res cognitans (mind),
>with the objective mind acquiring objective and neutral knowledge of
>nature.  It was also constructed by Hume when he said no logical
inference
>could be drawn from what "is" to what "ought to be".  "Hume's guillotine"
>was an effective instrument for separating ethics from science (which in
>the empiricist and positivist philosophy was supposed to provide an
>objective view of what "is").
>
>However, knowledge and knowing are not neutral -- they are products of
the
>values of the knower and the culture of which the knower is a part.
Ethics
>and science are related because values are intrinsic to science.  Ethics
>and technology are related because values shape technology, they shape
>technology choice, and they determine who gains and who loses through
>impacts of technology on society.
>
>There are a number of reasons why bioethics is even more important for
the
>Third World than for the West.
>
>Firstly, ethics and values are distinct elements of our cultural identity
>and our pluralistic civilization.
>
>The ancient Ishoupanishad has stated,
>
>        "The universe is the creation of the Supreme Power meant for the
>benefit of all creation. Each individual life form must, therefore, learn
>to enjoy its benefits by farming a part of the system in close relation
>with other species. Let not any one species encroach upon others rights."
>
>On his 60th birthday His Holiness the Dalai Lama wrote a message to me
>after my speech on new technologies and new property rights,
>
>        "All sentient beings, including the small insects, cherish
>themselves.  All have the right to overcome suffering and achieve
>happiness.  I therefore pray that we show love and compassion to all."
>
>Tagore in his famous essay Tapovan had stated,
>
>        "Contemporary western civilization is built of brick and wood.
It
>is rooted in the city.  But Indian civilization has been distinctive in
>locating its source of regeneration, material and intellectual, in the
>forest, not the city.  India's best ideas have come where man was in
>communion with trees and rivers and lakes away from the crowds.  The
peace
>of the forest has helped the intellectual evolution of man.  The culture
of
>the forest has fueled the culture of Indian society.  The culture that
has
>arisen from the forest has been influenced by the diverse processes of
>renewal of life which are always at play in the forest, varying from
>species to species, from season to season, in sight and sound and smell.
>The unifying principle of life in diversity, of democratic pluralism,
thus
>became the principle of Indian civilization."
>
>Compassion and concern for other species is therefore very indigenous to
>our pluralistic culture, and bioethics builds on this indigenous
tradition.
>
>Secondly, bioethics is particularly significant for us because it is the
>Third World's biodiversity and human diversity that is being pirated by
>Northern corporations.  While the Northern corporations can afford to say
>ethics is irrelevant to the appropriation of the South's biodiversity,
the
>indigenous people and Third World farmers whose blood samples and seeds
are
>taken freely and then patented and commercialized cannot afford to put
>ethics and justice aside.  It is in fact from Third World communities
that
>the bioethics imperative has first been raised on these issues.
>
>Thirdly, value dimensions determine the context of biotechnology
>development because of safety issues.  In fact, it is the Third World or
>South which has introduced Article 19.3 and got a decision within the
>Convention on Biological Diversity to develop a biosafety protocol.  It
>continues to be the Third World which is leading the debate on the ethics
>of biosafety.
>
>Bioethics and value decisions are necessary in the Third World because
>biotechnology, like any technology, is not neutral in its impacts. It
>carries disproportionate benefits for some people, and disproportionate
>costs for others.  To ask who gains and who loses, and what are the
>benefits and what are the costs, is to ask ethical questions.  It is the
>Third World which has raised these issues in the Convention on Biological
>Diversity.  It is the powerful industrialized nations which insist that
>bioethics is a luxury for the Third World.
>
>Unfortunately, Suman Sahai of the Gene Campaign has joined this Northern
>chorus singing  Bioethics is a luxury for the Third World.  In her paper
>she assumes that what is good for transnational corporations (TNCs) is
good
>for people, that what is good for seed corporations is good for farmers.
>She gives the 'Flavr Savr' tomato as an example of biotechnology
>application that is promising to the Third World and suggests that
ethical
>and value decisions about the 'Flavr Savr' will block benefits from
coming
>to Indian farmers and consumers.  The 'Flavr Savr' is a bad example
because
>it was a technology that served the interests of the trade industry that
>made tomatoes for prolonged shelf life.
>
>However, the needs of corporate interests do not reflect the needs of
>people. The alternative to prolonged shelf life and long-distance trade
is
>not the reengineering of fruits and vegetables.  The alternative is to
>reduce "food miles".
>
>Cuba for example has used the crisis of the US trade embargo to create
>thousands of urban organic gardens to meet the vegetable needs of each
city
>from within its municipal limits.
>
>Long distance transport for basic food stuffs which could be grown
locally
>serves the interests of global agribusiness, not the small farmer.
>
>Thus, while Pepsico paid only Rs.0.75 to Punjab farmers for growing
>tomatoes, exporters like Pepsico receive Rs.10/- as subsidies for
>transport.  Without these subsidies, non-local supply of food  controlled
>by TNCs and produced with capital intensive methods would not be able to
>displace local food production produced sustainably with low external
>inputs.
>
>Global traders controlling production and distribution worldwide need
>square tomatoes and tomatoes that don't rot.  Small farmers and consumers
>looking for fresh produce do not.
>
>People need locally produced food, consumed as close as possible to the
>point of production.
>
>In any case, the biotech miracles that are made to look inevitable don't
>work reliably either.  The 'Flavr Savr' tomato was a failure and Calgene,
>the company that launched it, had to be bailed out by Monsanto.
>Exaggerating benefits and universalizing beneficiaries have major ethical
>and economic implications.  It is important to look at the realistic
>achievements of biotechnology and make ethical decisions on the basis of
>what biotechnology has to offer for whom, both in terms of costs as well
as
>in terms of benefits.
>
>To declare ethics and values as irrelevant to the Third World in the
>context of biotechnology is to invite intellectual colonization.  At
worst,
>it is an invitation to disaster.
>
>
>****************************** END *********************************
>
>Dr. Vandana Shiva can be reached via:
>Research Institute for Science, Technology and Ecology
>A-60 Hauz Khas
>New Delhi 110 016 INDIA
>e-mail: [e-mail]
>
>The Suman Sahai article to which Dr. Shiva refers was originally
published
>in  the journal "Biotechnology and Development Monitor".
>
>*******************************************************************



Date: Fri, 30 May 1997 10:11:24 +0100
From: Mike Chiado <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Ted Nugent's May 30 Show with PeTA
Message-ID: <l03010d04afb447718be3@[206.148.113.81]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Ted Nugent interviewed Dawn Car of PeTA this morning.  The conversion was
spirited and Nugent, showing his true colors, ended the conversation
prematurely by screaming at Dawn to shut up and go to hell.  He then hung
up on her--very professional.  Nugent tried, using faulty arguments, to
hold Dawn responsible for many animals deaths by wearing cotton since plows
kill ground animals.

Another Nugent argument was that people need to fish, Dawn's interview was
a result of the Gill the Fish campaign against fishing, otherwise the fish
would over populate and kill the lake!  (wow!)

Later in the show Nugent agreed that household product testing on animals,
something about deodorant in rabbits eyes, was wrong.



Date: Fri, 30 May 1997 10:54:08 -0400
From: "H. Morris" <[e-mail]>
To: "[e-mail]" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Another Reason to Avoid Disney and Mcdonalds
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/enriched; charset="us-ascii"

<x-rich>I know someone wrote recently about what fun Disney World can be for a vegan, but
take a look at this to find out why one should avoid patronzing Disney.  If you want to write
 letters, the addresses are at the bottom.



>From corpwatch (http://www.corpwatch.org)



Disney & McDonald's Linked to $0.06/Hour Sweatshop in Vietnam

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


Summary: Seventeen year old women are forced to work 9 to 10 hours a day, seven days a week,
earning as little as six cents an hour in the Keyhinge factory in Vietnam making the popular
giveaway promotional toys, many of which are Disney characters, for McDonald's Happy Meals.
After working a 70 hour week, some of the teenage women take home a salary of only $4.20! In
February, 200 workers fell ill, 25 collapsed and three were hospitalized as a result of chemical
exposure.


Background: Included in the Happy Meals sold at McDonalds are small toys based on characters
from Disney films. According to McDonald's senior vice president Brad Ball, the Happy Meals
characters from the "101 Dalmations" movie were the most successful in McDonald's history. Ball
adds, "As we embark on our new global alliance, we anticipate ten great years of unbeatable
family fun as customers enjoy 'the magic of Disney' only at McDonald's" (PR Newswire

Associates, March 19, 1997).


Located in Da Nang City, Vietnam, the Keyhinge Toys Co. Factory employs approximately 1,000
people, 90 percent of whom are young women 17 to 20 years old. Overtime is mandatory: shifts
of 9 to 10 hours a day, seven days a week. Wage rates average between six cents and eight cents
an hour--well below subsistence levels. Overcome by fatigue and poor ventilation in late February,
200 women fell ill, 25 collapsed and three were hospitalized as a result of exposure to acetone.
Acute or prolonged exposure to acetone, a chemical solvent, can cause

dizziness, unconsciousness, damage to the liver and kidneys and chronic eye, nose, throat and skin
irritation.


All appeals from local human and labor rights groups continue to be rejected by Keyhinge
management which refuses to improve the ventilation system in the factory or remedy other
unsafe working conditions. Along with demanding forced overtime, Keyhinge management has
not made legally mandated payments for health insurance coverage for its employees, who now
receive no compensation for injury or sickness. Many of the young women at the Keyhinge
factory making McDonald's/Disney toys earn just 60 cents after a 10 hour shift. The most basic
meal in Vietnam--rice, vegetables, and tofu--costs 70 cents. Three meals would cost $2.10.
Wages do not even cover 20 per cent of the daily food

and travel costs for a single worker, let alone her family.

Action requested:

Call, fax or write:


Call, fax or write:

James R. Cantalupo, President

McDonald's Corp

1 McDonald's Plaza

Oakbrook, IL 60521

Tel: [phone]

Fax: [phone]

Micheal Eisner, Chief Executive Officer

Walt Disney Company 500 South Buena Vista Street

Burbank, CA 91521

Tel: [phone]

Fax: [phone]

McDonald's contracts its toy production through MB Sales, which subcontracts the work to

Keyhinge Industrial:

Al Aguilara, President

MB Sales

918 North Ashland Ave.

Tel: [phone]

Include in your message the following demands:

McDonald's and Disney must immediately intervene at the Key hinge Toy factories in Vietnam

and China.

1. Under the guidance of qualified occupational health and safety professionals,

steps should be taken to correct unsafe working conditions, especially with regard

to poor ventilation and exposure to chemicals.

2. McDonald's-Disney and MB Sales should open these factories to independent

monitoring by respected local non-governmental human and labor rights

organizations to verify compliance with fundamental human rights.

3. McDonald's, Disney and MB Sales must seriously address the plight of these

factory workers suffering under sub-subsistance wages and move toward paying at

least subsistance-level wages.

4. McDonald's and Disney should join and work with the White House Task Force

to end sweatshop abuses around the world.

Model Letter to McDonald's

James R. Cantalupo, President

McDonald's Corporation

1 McDonald's Plaza

Oak Brook, IL 60521

Fax: [phone]

Dear Mr. Cantalupo:

I urge you to immediately intervene at the Keyhinge Toy factories in Vietnam and China which

are producing toys for McDonald's. There are serious and persistent violations occurring in these

factories, including unsafe exposure to chemicals; mandatory workshifts stretching from 9 to 15

hours a day seven days a week; failure to pay legally mandated benefits, and wage rates as low

as 6 cents an hour-- which do not even cover 20 percent of a worker's daily food and

transportation costs, not to mention her family's needs.

I hope you will move swiftly to address and correct these abusive conditions. Occupational safety

and health professionals should immediately correct unsafe working conditions, especially

exposure to toxic chemicals. A concrete effective step McDonald's could take to support human

rights would be to open these factories to independent monitoring by respected local,

non-governmental human and labor rights organizations which would guarantee respect for
human

rights.

I am sure McDonald's is horrified to learn that its 'Happy Meals' are linked to sltarvation wages

of teenage women in Vietnam and China. I hope that McDonald's will join the discussion tying

wage rates to a worker's basic subsistance needs, and lead the industry to move in that direction.

I urge you to join and work with the President's Task Force to end sweatshop abuses around the

world.

McDonald's has the leadership and visibility to help change the world and make this a better

place for all of us. I am anxious to know what steps you will take. Thank you.

Sincerely, Your Name

For more information about this Alert, contact: Maggie Poe, National Labor Committee, 275 7th

Ave., New York, NY 10001; Tel: [phone].

To receive the Campaign for Labor Rights newsletter, send $35.00 to Campaign for Labor

Rights, 1247 "E" Street SE, Washington, DC 20003. To receive a sample copy of the newsletter,

send your postal address to [e-mail] or 541-344-5410. We rely on subscriptions to help

us provide our many services. Please join! Also check out our web site at

http://www.compugraph.com/clr.

Vegan Standards and Certification Project, Inc.

91 Joralemon Street

Suite 4

Brooklyn, NY 11201

email: [e-mail]

www.veganstandards.org

718-246-0014

fax: [phone]
</x-rich>
Date: Sat, 31 May 1997 00:04:57 +0800 (SST)
From: Vadivu Govind <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: (S. Africa) Pill drives African jumbos wild with lust
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"



>The Straits Times
30 May 97
The pill drives African jumbos wild with lust


     LONDON -- Hormone implants in cow elephants meant to control South
Africa's growing number of elephants were instead driving bull elephants
wild with lust, the New Scientist magazine said yesterday. The birth-control
implants had backfired and  resulted in the females being in a continuous
state of heat, said conservationists.

     The elephant population in South Africa's Kruger Park has been growing
with poaching   under better control. Gamekeepers, unhappy with having to
cull the elephants, thought  they would try birth control.
But oestrogen implants, modelled on human birth-control methods, backfired
badly  when tested in 10 cow elephants.

     "They were in this state of continual false oestrus, and the bulls
would not leave them  alone," Mr Ian Whyte, the park's elephant specialist,
told New Scientist.

     "When we tracked them from the air, we would find a cow on her own
surrounded by  up to eight bulls. That sort of thing, we feel, is not the
way we want to treat the  elephants."

     The excited bulls also sometimes separated the cows from their babies.
The magazine quoted Mr Jay Kirkpatrick, an expert in wildlife contraception,
as saying     hormonal birth control was abandoned in Zoo-Montana where he
worked in the 70s     because of its impracticality and the changes in
behaviour it produced.

     Instead, scientists were testing an anti-sperm vaccine that caused the
female's body to     reject sperm. -- Reuter.

Date: Sat, 31 May 1997 00:06:40 +0800 (SST)
From: Vadivu Govind <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Great Indian rhino faces extinction
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"



>The Daily News (Sri Lankan newspaper)
Great Indian rhino faces extinction
By Zarir Hussain
Guwahati, India (AFP)

The rare Indian rhinoceros is on the brink of extinction due to increasing
poaching in the country's far-eastern state of Assam, wildlife experts and
officials say.

Although the poachers risk being shot themselves, the demand for rhino horns
in the Middle East and South East Asia, and a growing nexus between poachers
and separatist guerrillas has made the animal an easy prey.
Traffic India, a wildlife monitoring body, says guerrilla groups in Assam
are trading rhino horns with organised syndicates in the neighbouring Indian
state of Nagaland and Burma for sophisticated weapons.

The group said a large number of tribal guerrillas from Nagaland as well as
in Assam are indulging in poaching.

Many Assamese were also killing the animal for its horn.

Rhino horns are among a dozen or more components which are put together to
produce a dye that is used to print fake currency in underground presses in
the region.

The horns are also believed to have certain aphrodisiac virtues and are in
demand in the Asian traditional medicine market, and they are fancied by
Arabs as trinkets and handles for daggers. The one-horned rhinoceros, found
only in small pockets of far-eastern India and Nepal, is an endangered
species. Its combined population is about 1, 400, of which all but 100 live
in the wet
grasslands of Assam.

Assam's Kaziranga National Park boasts more than 1,200 rhinos.

A Traffic India report said militants in the region possessed sophisticated
weapons, including some fitted with silencers, to escape the security
dragnet at the Kaziranga sanctuary.

According to Indian wild life officials, some 800 rhinos have been killed by
poachers during the past decade in India, mainly by organised gangs.

During the same period, forest officials have shot dead more than 50
poachers and arrested nearly100 others.

But the poaching goes on.

"If the determined poaching continues, and if corrective measures are not
taken, the Indian rhino will get completely annihilated," Traffic India
warned in a recently released report.

A kilogram of rhino horn in the medicine markets of such countries as
Taiwan, Thailand, South Korea and Singapore fetches between 500,000 and 800,
000 rupees (14,000 to 22,000 US dollars).

Traffic India said the rhino horn was often burnt and the ash mixed with
saffron, cardamom and honey to make traditional medicines.

It is believed the rhino blood is used as a tonic, rhino meat as a cardiac
stimulant and rhino body fat to treat skin diseases. The Traffic India
report said the rhino horns were smuggled to South East Asia and the Middle East
through Bhutan, Nepal and Bangladesh, all of which share borders with India.

Assam officials say they were doing their best to stop poaching.

"With our limited resources, we have been able to check poaching
considerably," Assam chief wildlife warden R.N. Hazarika told AFP. "We need
to upgrade our weapons, but we cannot totally stop poaching."

Date: Fri, 30 May 1997 12:22:20 -0400
From: allen schubert <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: (US) Peregrine falcon less endangered -- or is it?
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

from CNN web page:
-------------------------------
                     Peregrine falcon less endangered -- or is it?

                     From Reporter Robin Guess

                     CHICAGO (CNN) -- The peregrine falcon, once one of
                     the most endangered animals in America, has made a
                     significant comeback, but experts disagree about
                     whether it still needs federal protection.

                     In the 1960s, scientists thought the peregrine to
                     be virtually extinct, wiped out by the insecticide
                     DDT. In 1973, it became one of the first animals
                     put on the Endangered Species List by the U.S.
                     Fish and Wildlife Service.

                     Now the Fish and Wildlife Service wants to take
                     the falcon off that list, citing biological and
                     political reasons for the move.

                     "I believe the peregrine falcon is probably the
                     No. 1 species we could utilize in order to
                     demonstrate that the Endangered Species Act
                     works," biologist Robert Mesta said.

                      "The act is up for reauthorization
                                   and is under a considerable amount
                     of attack by a conservative Congress."

                     Other falcon admirers point out that the bird is
                     only plentiful in Alaska, the West and the
                     Rockies. Their numbers are far fewer in the skies
                     over the East and Midwest.

                     The Chicago Academy of Sciences opposes taking the
                     falcon off the endangered list for several
                     reasons.

                     Academy biologist Mary Hennen works with other
                     scientists and volunteers to try to save
                     endangered species through captive breeding and
                     release programs, paid for through the Endangered
                     Species Act.

                     "The peregrine falcon is an aerial hunter, so it's
                     feeding on these Neotropical migrants that are
                     wintering in countries still using DDT," Hennen
                     said. "So pesticides are still making it into the
                     system."

                     Hennen also wants more time to examine the
                     falcon's gene pool.

                     The government hopes to remove the peregrine from
                     the endangered list by October. As a compromise,
                     those against the move would like to see the
                     falcon's status downgraded from endangered to
                     threatened.

Date: Fri, 30 May 1997 12:51:15 -0400 (EDT)
From: [e-mail]
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Fwd: Important information
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>


---------------------
Forwarded message:
Subj:    Fwd: Important information
Date:    97-05-29 23:37:12 EDT
From:    Persianpal
To:      MyPetsPal

I think I kinda rambled, I can't write if I'm not into it, but at least it's
off. Do we have all the nuts and fruits in CA? why don't a few go somewhere
else to bother people
Back is really hurtin STRESS
Call me tomorrow morning let me know what ur EM's said bout the ltr. or show.
Hope I don't have to write any more ltrs. like that.
lov ya me
---------------------
Forwarded message:
Subj:    Important information
Date:    97-05-29 23:26:59 EDT
From:    Persianpal
To:      [e-mail]

Debbie I want to tell you some facts about some of the misinformed
information you sent to me in your Em yesterday.

 You stated "breeders instill that purebreds are better or more desirable
than shelter cats and kitten".
That is absolutely untrue. We not only love ALL of God's creatures, but we
"Breeders"
have household pets, & save HHp's from the pound, I once when down BEFORE a
CAT show and adopted Every homeless cat and kitten in the shelter, at a high
dollar cost, had them neutered and Spayed and Placed ALL of them in very good
homes at our show. In fact one of our club members adopted one of them and
showed her in cat shows and she was 3rd. best HHP in the region.

We have never had a show (in 31 years)where we haven't had homeless orphans
for adoption from different Humane groups.
We also have HHP judgings at our show AND the winning HHP's get the SAME size
Awards and Rosettes that the "purebreds" get. We EDUCATE everyone that visits
cat shows to NEUTER and Spay and keep all cats cared for and safe indoors.

Cats Shows Donate funds to the Winn Foundation that find cures for many kinds
of cat illness' (without shows there wouldn't be the thousands of dollars
donated for cat
medicines and curing, prevention of cat diseases).
Many different Humane groups are welcome and are given free space at shows to
get donations, and if needed help for their causes, if the causes are
protection, preservation and care of God's Creatures.

In times of Fires, floods, earthquakes and other dangers that have harmed
animals or separated them from their owners, CAT SHOWS collect donations to
help these animals and people. Several years ago the Santa Monica Show had a
collection AT THE SHOW to help the animals in the FLordia Hurricane,
Thousands of dollars from Cat Shows all over the USA were sent to the fancies
central office to help the animals.

A fews years back The Wildlife Waystation didn't have enough money to feed
their many animals. I went to a Cat Show, told the "Breeders" and left the
show in less that 2 hours with almost $1500.00 from the cat people. You see
they love ALL of God's creatures.

You said "you read that 25% of the animals in the shelter are pure bred"
First let me tell you something, most employees at the shelter will call any
longhaired cat a Persian and any pointed cat a Siamese. I believe they put
names of purebred cats on many cats (as they do with dogs) to put them in a
catagory so the people can tell their friends I got a Persian (or a Poodle)
from the pound.  I found it very interesting that you adopted an Abyssinian
from the shelter and not a "regular cat". Both the Cat Fancy and the Dog
Fancy have many people dedicated to the individual breeds that take the
breeds and find good homes for them. After they have been ALTERED.
In fact speaking of altered, the Cat fancy has Four main classes of Awards
1. Adults 2. Kittens 3. HHP Household Pets NOT PEDIGREED  4. Premiers
Pedigreed cats that have been altered. maybe you can see we do Alter our
cats. WE DON"T JUST KEEP THEM TO BREED AND SELL THE KITTENS. As you stated
"Cat shows that show off pure breds purposely breed cats to sell".  NO, NO
,NO.

First, as I have stated previously, Cat shows are put on to
     1. Educate the visitors on the proper care of ALL cats.
     2. Have Orphaned cats for adoption
     3. Have HHP Judging, so everyone can show their cats.
     4  Donate money to Humane Groups and the Winn Foundation
     5. Have Vets in attendance, to answer the visitors cat questions
     6. Show pedigreed cats and kittens.

I realize it is impossible to open a closed mind, but I would think that you
would maybe visit a show, & talk to the breeders,you will find out that we do
not overbreed, we do not sell to Pet shops, we only sell our kittens to very
good responsible people, that will neuter and spay them, keep them indoors
and love and care for them, we do not like Backyard breeders (in fact
backyard breeders don't show their cats) and most of all we love our cats and
have Pride in our hobby and in the Cat Fancy.

Before you Label and put us in a catagory of having shows only for Pure
breeds and for only making money, please find out the truth, we would hope
that we could all work together to stop overpopulation and animal abuse in
any form and strive to make this a much better place for all His creatures. I
have dedicated my life to helping animals. I have been given many awards from
cities for my work for animals and I really resent the misinformation and
misguided statements you have made.
Please visit a Cat Show before you tear them (and the people) apart. I think
you really care, as do I about animals, but just take some time to learn the
facts before you "walk in our shoes" If you would like to help with our show,
we are always happy to have animal lovers just let me know.
Date: Fri, 30 May 1997 12:53:11 -0400 (EDT)
From: [e-mail]
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Wild Minks Strike Again!
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>

For the 9th time this year the Swedish direct action group the Wild Minks has
struck.  Below is a communique we received which describes their latest
attack on fur farming in Scandinavia.

"Another Fur Farm Raided: 30 Minks Freed!

Sweden-- Once again, the direct action anti fur group called The Wild Minks
have struck another fur farm.  This time for the second time...

On the night of May 19th, the mink farm in Hornas, Bodafors was attacked
again (it was attacked March 31 with lots of damage done).

This time, holes were cut in the fence and around 30 black mink, mostly male
or female without kits, were released into the wild.On the new painted walls
slogans such as "Hello again you bloody murderer!", "Next time it gets worse"
and "See you again" were painted.

The Wild Minks, Sweden"



Date: Fri, 30 May 1997 11:23:35 -0600 (MDT)
From: Jennifer Kolar <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail], [e-mail]
Subject: KEEP calling on Prairie dogs
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Content-MD5: MFHKHVqrRxcu05tEZUQuNA==


Folks..
We got yet another temporary stay on killing of prairie dogs in Fort Collins,
Colorado until after a public town meeting is held. That meeting is this
Tuesday, June 2nd and you can bet that many of us activists will be there
to speak. We need to keep the pressure on the city, and keep it on strong.

Please emphasize:

* People can't have the benefits of living next to wild areas (ie openspace)
without having to understand what it means to have wildlife as their neighbors.
*There are viable, non-lethal means which have been clearly proposed for
every problematic site to keep prairie dogs off private land. They have not
been tried by the city as of yet.
*The city cannot dump this on relocation and rescue groups and expect us to
move over 800 burrows in a couple of days. Also to move prairiedogs from
openspace land where they should be protected to The Rocky Mountain
Arsenal Wildlife refuge, which is a SUPERFUND SITE , is absurd!!
*Tell them people from all over the US know about this and that it is
putting a huge black-eye on Fort Collins.
* and of course, no matter what, emphasize that no prairiedogs should die!!

City Manager: John Fischbach
phone: [phone]
fax: [phone]

Please keep calling him. The entire city council will be deciding on this
issue on Tuesday and he has the power to control that decision!!!

This is a simple way to make a big difference to hundreds of animals!

Jen Kolar
[e-mail]


Date: Fri, 30 May 1997 13:25:49 -0400 (EDT)
From: [e-mail]
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Re Barry Herbeck abuse case
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>

If you successfully downloaded the 5/16 posting re the Barry Herbeck abuse
case in Janesville, WI, could you send me a copy (that version won't talk to
my computer!)
Thanks,
JD Jackson
Bunny Huggers' Gazette
Date: Fri, 30 May 1997 13:29:09 -0400 (EDT)
From: Lynn Halpern <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: (US) Agricultural Research Center Field Day
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit



                 BELTSVILLE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH CENTER
                        HOSTS A PUBLIC FIELD DAY

 The Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC) is opening its
 doors to the public from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 7,
 inviting its neighbors in to see the newest in agriculture and related
 research.

 Research on sustainable agriculture, precision farming, plant and
 animal production, soil and water quality, and many other aspects of
 agriculture will be on display at the 7,000 acre research center at
 10300 Baltimore Avenue, Beltsville, Maryland.

 There will be hayride tours of research fields that will be narrated
 by Roads Scholars; tours of BARC's modern dairy with its 175 milking
 cows; a petting zoo for children and a display of insect specimens;
 and an opportunity to climb aboard tractors and farm equipment.

 Dr. Caird Rexroad, will be featured in the auditorium of Building 003,
 speaking on his research in transgenetics, cloning, and other animal
 biotechnologies. Also, featured in the auditorium is Dr. James Duke,
 discussing the medicinal properties of plants found in your backyard.

 A highlight of the field day will be a chance for the public to "Ask
 The Experts." The public will be able to talk with people from the
 Maryland Cooperative Extension Service and ask questions about lawn
 and garden problems, the Chesapeake Bay, and human nutrition.

 Food concessions are available and special provisions have been made
 for physically challenged individuals and the hearing impaired.

 For more information, contact Sandy Martin [phone] or Sheree
 Hawkins, [phone]


http://www.barc.usda.gov/field.htm


Date: Fri, 30 May 1997 13:41:54 -0400 (EDT)
From: [e-mail]
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Greyhounds
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>

Will the person who sent me a posting about a letter-writing campaign re
greyhound racing (in the Northeast US), please send it again....it
disappeared!
Thanks,
JD Jackson
Bunny Huggers' Gazette
Date: Fri, 30 May 1997 13:44:16 -0400 (EDT)
From: [e-mail]
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Important information
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>

Please disregard the message from persianpal to mypetspal.  We both live in
California and we were just having a little fun, we love California and the
people here!

Date: Fri, 30 May 1997 14:03:50 -0400
From: allen schubert <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Admin Note
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

...AR-News Admin Note

Please do not post commentary or personal opinions to AR-News.  Such posts
are not appropriate to AR-News.  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.

Continued postings of inappropriate material may result in suspension of
the poster's subscription to AR-News.

Here is subscription info for AR-Views:

Send e-mail to:  [e-mail]

In text/body of e-mail:  subscribe ar-views firstname lastname

Also...here are some websites with info on internet resources for Veg and
AR interests:

The Global Directory (IVU)
http://www.veg.org/veg/Orgs/IVU/Internet/netguid1.html

World Guide to Vegetarianism--Internet
http://www.veg.org/veg/Guide/Internet/index.html
Date: Fri, 30 May 1997 11:07:33 -0700
From: "Marie, Donna M (PB-dmmarie)" <[e-mail]>
To: "'[e-mail]'" <[e-mail]>,
        "'[e-mail]'"
      <[e-mail]>
Subject: RE: Another Reason to Avoid Disney and Mcdonalds
Message-ID:
<c=US%a=_%p=Pacific_Telesis%l=[e-mail].c
om>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"


I came across this web site while I was researching pesticides for a
paper my daughter was doing for college.  McDonald's is pushing
conservation (Ha!) in conjunction with the National Wildlife Federation.

Here is a bit of the barf that is on the web site.

www.nwf.org/nwf/news/mchab.html




McDonald's Helps NWF bring Habitat Lesson to Millions




                              A burger, fries and Conservation
Information. That's the order going out to
                              millions of hungry consumers this month as
the National Wildlife Federation and
                              McDonald's join forces to teach America
about the importance of habitat and how to
                              protect it.

 This month, wildlife habitat information will appear on McDonald's bags
and cups at
 participating McDonald's restaurants nationwide. Along with habitat
information,
 customers will be able to request free information on NWF's BackYard
Wildlife
 Habitat« program, which offers an easy, enjoyable way to make a place
for wildlife
 and discover the joys of nature right in your own backyard. So far,
nearly 20,000
 people have created NWF-certified habitats. By reaching out to
McDonald's
 customers we hope to inspire many more.





Learn More about BackYard Wildlife Habitat

Learn More about other NWF Education Programs

Learn more about what McDonald's is doing to educate its customers about
the importance of wildlife habitat.




                     Home | NWF Issues | Take Action! | Join Us |
Catalog | Feedback | Search | Help Up

                                 ⌐ 1997 National Wildlife Federation.
All rights reserved.





>----------
 >From: H. Morris[SMTP:[e-mail]]
 >Sent: Friday, May 30, 1997 7:54AM
>To: [e-mail]
 >Subject: Another Reason to Avoid Disney and Mcdonalds
>
>I know someone wrote recently about what fun Disney World can be for a vegan,
>but take a look at this to find out why one should avoid patronzing Disney.
 >If you want to write letters, the addresses are at the bottom.
>
>
>
>>From corpwatch (http://www.corpwatch.org)
>
>
>
>Disney & McDonald's Linked to $0.06/Hour Sweatshop in Vietnam
>
>++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>
>
>Summary: Seventeen year old women are forced to work 9 to 10 hours a day,
>seven days a week, earning as little as six cents an hour in the Keyhinge
>factory in Vietnam making the popular giveaway promotional toys, many of
>which are Disney characters, for McDonald's Happy Meals. After working a 70
>hour week, some of the teenage women take home a salary of only $4.20! In
>February, 200 workers fell ill, 25 collapsed and three were hospitalized as a
>result of chemical exposure.
>
>
>Background: Included in the Happy Meals sold at McDonalds are small toys
>based on characters from Disney films. According to McDonald's senior vice
>president Brad Ball, the Happy Meals characters from the "101 Dalmations"
>movie were the most successful in McDonald's history. Ball adds, "As we
>embark on our new global alliance, we anticipate ten great years of
>unbeatable family fun as customers enjoy 'the magic of Disney' only at
>McDonald's" (PR Newswire
>
>Associates, March 19, 1997).
>
>
>Located in Da Nang City, Vietnam, the Keyhinge Toys Co. Factory employs
>approximately 1,000 people, 90 percent of whom are young women 17 to 20 years
>old. Overtime is mandatory: shifts of 9 to 10 hours a day, seven days a week.
>Wage rates average between six cents and eight cents an hour--well below
>subsistence levels. Overcome by fatigue and poor ventilation in late
>February, 200 women fell ill, 25 collapsed and three were hospitalized as a
>result of exposure to acetone. Acute or prolonged exposure to acetone, a
>chemical solvent, can cause
>
>dizziness, unconsciousness, damage to the liver and kidneys and chronic eye,
>nose, throat and skin irritation.
>
>
>All appeals from local human and labor rights groups continue to be rejected
>by Keyhinge management which refuses to improve the ventilation system in the
>factory or remedy other unsafe working conditions. Along with demanding
>forced overtime, Keyhinge management has not made legally mandated payments
>for health insurance coverage for its employees, who now receive no
>compensation for injury or sickness. Many of the young women at the Keyhinge
>factory making McDonald's/Disney toys earn just 60 cents after a 10 hour
>shift. The most basic meal in Vietnam--rice, vegetables, and tofu--costs 70
>cents. Three meals would cost $2.10. Wages do not even cover 20 per cent of
>the daily food
>
>and travel costs for a single worker, let alone her family.
>
>Action requested:
>
>Call, fax or write:
>
>
>Call, fax or write:
>
>James R. Cantalupo, President
>
>McDonald's Corp
>
>1 McDonald's Plaza
>
>Oakbrook, IL 60521
>
>Tel: [phone]
>
>Fax: [phone]
>
>Micheal Eisner, Chief Executive Officer
>
>Walt Disney Company 500 South Buena Vista Street
>
>Burbank, CA 91521
>
>Tel: [phone]
>
>Fax: [phone]
>
>McDonald's contracts its toy production through MB Sales, which subcontracts
>the work to
>
>Keyhinge Industrial:
>
>Al Aguilara, President
>
>MB Sales
>
>918 North Ashland Ave.
>
>Tel: [phone]
>
>Include in your message the following demands:
>
>McDonald's and Disney must immediately intervene at the Key hinge Toy
>factories in Vietnam
>
>and China.
>
>1. Under the guidance of qualified occupational health and safety
>professionals,
>
>steps should be taken to correct unsafe working conditions, especially with
>regard
>
>to poor ventilation and exposure to chemicals.
>
>2. McDonald's-Disney and MB Sales should open these factories to independent
>
>monitoring by respected local non-governmental human and labor rights
>
>organizations to verify compliance with fundamental human rights.
>
>3. McDonald's, Disney and MB Sales must seriously address the plight of these
>
>factory workers suffering under sub-subsistance wages and move toward paying
>at
>
>least subsistance-level wages.
>
>4. McDonald's and Disney should join and work with the White House Task Force
>
>to end sweatshop abuses around the world.
>
>Model Letter to McDonald's
>
>James R. Cantalupo, President
>
>McDonald's Corporation
>
>1 McDonald's Plaza
>
>Oak Brook, IL 60521
>
>Fax: [phone]
>
>Dear Mr. Cantalupo:
>
>I urge you to immediately intervene at the Keyhinge Toy factories in Vietnam
>and China which
>
>are producing toys for McDonald's. There are serious and persistent
>violations occurring in these
>
>factories, including unsafe exposure to chemicals; mandatory workshifts
>stretching from 9 to 15
>
>hours a day seven days a week; failure to pay legally mandated benefits, and
>wage rates as low
>
>as 6 cents an hour-- which do not even cover 20 percent of a worker's daily
>food and
>
>transportation costs, not to mention her family's needs.
>
>I hope you will move swiftly to address and correct these abusive conditions.
>Occupational safety
>
>and health professionals should immediately correct unsafe working
>conditions, especially
>
>exposure to toxic chemicals. A concrete effective step McDonald's could take
>to support human
>
>rights would be to open these factories to independent monitoring by
>respected local,
>
>non-governmental human and labor rights organizations which would guarantee
>respect for human
>
>rights.
>
>I am sure McDonald's is horrified to learn that its 'Happy Meals' are linked
>to sltarvation wages
>
>of teenage women in Vietnam and China. I hope that McDonald's will join the
>discussion tying
>
>wage rates to a worker's basic subsistance needs, and lead the industry to
>move in that direction.
>
>I urge you to join and work with the President's Task Force to end sweatshop
>abuses around the
>
>world.
>
>McDonald's has the leadership and visibility to help change the world and
>make this a better
>
>place for all of us. I am anxious to know what steps you will take. Thank
>you.
>
>Sincerely, Your Name
>
>For more information about this Alert, contact: Maggie Poe, National Labor
>Committee, 275 7th
>
>Ave., New York, NY 10001; Tel: [phone].
>
>To receive the Campaign for Labor Rights newsletter, send $35.00 to Campaign
>for Labor
>
>Rights, 1247 "E" Street SE, Washington, DC 20003. To receive a sample copy of
>the newsletter,
>
>send your postal address to [e-mail] or 541-344-5410. We rely on
>subscriptions to help
>
>us provide our many services. Please join! Also check out our web site at
>
>http://www.compugraph.com/clr.
>
>Vegan Standards and Certification Project, Inc.
>
>91 Joralemon Street
>
>Suite 4
>
>Brooklyn, NY 11201
>
>email: [e-mail]
>
>www.veganstandards.org
>
>718-246-0014
>
>fax: [phone]
>
Date: Fri, 30 May 97 11:41:07 -0000
From: <[e-mail]>
To: "Mike Markarian" <[e-mail]>, "ar-news" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Cuyahoga Valley deer kill
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

>>Cuyahoga Valley NRA (OH) - White-Tailed Deer Draft EA
>>
>>The park has released a draft environmental assessment and
>>management plan for white-tailed deer for public review and
>>comment.  A public hearing will be held on June 10th and comments
>>will be accepted until the end of June. Action is required due to
>>adverse impacts on biodiversity.  Alternatives considered include
>>no action, reproductive intervention and population management.
>>The recommended alternative calls for removal of 471 deer in
>>1997 and 80 each following year to maintain the desired
>>population level. Questions should be directed to resource
>>management specialist [e-mail].

This entire process is modelled after what happened at Gettysburg in PA.
That action is currently in the courts, brought by residents, Last Chance
for Animals, the Fund for Animals and the Animal Protection institute.
We hope to challenge the entire process to stop this new wave of lethal
mangement which is threatening to set a new precedent for the National
Park System.