Komputer for Alle 1998 #6/1998 CD 6 (Gul).iso/web/ffa/wwwenv~1.org/arrs/digest/news50~3.htm/text0001.txt

Text File | 1998-04-03 | 118.8 KB | 2,850 lines

Channel One 6pm News (New Zealand)

Two farmers have admitted spreading the virus.

Peter Innes from Black Forest Station and his friend
Phillip Mackay admitted on TV tonight of spreading RHD.
Apparently, they got their hands on some infected rabbit
material, (they never mentioned where). then they went out
and caught a few rabbits, put them in pens and and injected
them with this RHD cocktail. The rabbits died, but just to make
sure it was RHD they caught more rabbits and put them in the
pens with the dead one's, these rabbits in turn died. So these
two bright boy's as well as taking the dead rabbits and dispersing
them around a few farms, also made up RHD baits and
spread them around as well. They also said RHD mixes well
with oats. So it sounds as if they have been pretty busy.There is
no penalty for spreading the disease, so these two won't be prosecuted.
MAF have taken the road blocks away from around Cromwell and
there is talk of possibly quarantining the whole of the S.I., that's
if RHD has not spread in the N. I.
Winston Peters believes the orginal dispersment of RHD could
have been carried out by helicopter.
RHD has been confirmed in the Maniototo and MaKenzie
Country.
Just now on the Holmes show the two bright boys stated,
the virus has been in NZ since July. So in other words. while
MAF were still deciding whether to let the virus in, it was already
here.

Reported by personal email from New Zealand to Rabbit Information Service.

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

Rabbit Information Service,
P.O.Box 30,
Riverton,
Western Australia 6148

Email>  [e-mail]

http://www.wantree.com.au/~rabbit/rabbit.htm
(Rabbit Information Service website updated frequently)

     /`\   /`\
    (/\ \-/ /\)
       )6 6(
     >{= Y =}<
      /'-^-'\
     (_)   (_)
      |  .  |
      |     |}
 jgs  \_/^\_/













Date: Wed, 27 Aug 1997 23:32:33
From: David J Knowles <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: [US]  Eating soy reduces women's cancer - report
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

>From Infobeat Web Site

 Eating soy reduces women's cancer - report


            WASHINGTON (Reuter) - Eating more soy products like tofu or
soymilk can reduce the risk of cancer of the uterus, researchers reported
Wednesday.

            The report adds to a growing body of evidence that
phytoestrogens -- substances resembling hormones found in plants -- can be
beneficial to health.

            Marc Goodman and colleagues at the Cancer Research Center of
Hawaii studied 332 women who got endometrial cancer, or cancer of the
uterus, between 1985 and 1993. They compared them to more than 500 other
women from Hawaii's multi-ethnic population.

            They found that women who ate the most food rich in
phytoestrogen, such as legumes and tofu, had a 54 percent reduction in risk
of endometrial cancer.

            ``This is the first study to show an inverse association of soy
consumption with the risk of endometrial cancer,'' Goodman said in a
statement.

            ``Our data support the notion that diets low in calories and
rich in legumes (especially soybeans), wole grain foods, vegetables and
fruits reduce the risk of endometrial cancer,''
he added.

            The study, in the American Journal of Epidemiology, noted that
women in Japan and China, who eat large amounts of soy, have lower levels
of breast and endometrial cancer.


Date: Wed, 27 Aug 1997 23:42:19
From: David J Knowles <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: [US] Unruly El Nino, scourge of crops, markets, revives
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

>From Infobeat Web Site



12:14 PM ET 08/27/97

Unruly El Nino, scourge of crops, markets, revives
By Elif Kaban

            GENEVA (Reuter) - El Nino, an abnormal tropical Pacific Ocean
weather pattern which causes devastating droughts and floods, could become
the ``climate event of the century'' and surpass its devastating 1982-83
episode, scientists said Wednesday.

            The freak weather condition, which could play havoc with crops
and, indirectly, with financial markets, has emerged as a key factor for
global investors in emerging markets from Latin America to Africa.

            Jagadish Shukla, head of the Washington-based Institute of
Global Environment and Society, told a scientific gathering in Geneva that
the phenomenon, which disrupts global rainfall and wind patterns, caused
record sea surface temperatures in July.

            The weather pattern could be ``the climate event of the
century,'' he was quoted in a statement as telling delegates at Geneva's
Conference on the World Climate Research Program, which is being attended
by 300 scientists from more than 100 countries.

            El Nino is an abnormal state of the ocean-atmosphere system in
the tropical Pacific which causes exceptionally warm and long-lived ocean
currents. It affects the weather not only locally but can also can cause
droughts or flooding in far-flung regions.

            Shukla said that El Nino -- Spanish for ``The Child'' and named
after Jesus by Peruvian fishermen because it tends to peak around Christmas
-- could surpass this century's strongest episode which peaked in the
winter of 1982-83.

            That episode, which hit areas of South America and in
particular Peru, is estimated to have resulted in the deaths of almost
2,000 people and caused at least $13 billion worth of
damage.

            South America suffered both flooding and drought as typical
rainfall patterns were turned upside down by warming waters.

            In Peru, the economy shrank by 12 percent during the period and
the national fishing industry was decimated.

            There were acute water shortages in Indonesia, the Philippines,
Australia and southern Africa, while both the United States and Western
Europe were hit by storms and floods.

            Investors, crop analysts and economists from West Africa and
South America to Australia are closely watching the odd effects of El Nino,
which can be a havoc on agricultural and economic output and cause flash
flooding that can sever road and rail links.

            Forecasts on El Nino allow farmers to plant appropriate crops
depending on whether it will be a dry year or unseasonally wet, and take
precautions such as pre-emptive flood control measures.

            Shukla said forecast models, ocean observations and satellite
data showed the sea surface temperature in the eastern tropic Pacific in
July had ``exceeded all previous records.''

            ``Regional manifestations of this major climate event are
already being noticed in several parts of the world,'' the Indian-born
expert added in a technical presentation to experts.

He was expected to give a news briefing later on Wednesday.

            The United Nations World Meteorological Organization (WMO),
which is hosting the Geneva conference, said that the current strong El
Nino episode, expected to persist into early 1998, had caused wetter than
normal conditions over the islands of the central tropical Pacific and in
Chile and Argentina, and drier than normal conditions over parts of eastern
Australia and Indonesia.

            In Indonesia, traders say a drought linked to El Nino is
already blistering coffee trees, causing fears of a reduced crop, while in
the Philippines, weathermen say the phenomenon is causing rice and corn
growing areas in the south to dry up.

            In the Ivory Coast, where rain picked up in cocoa-producing
areas in mid-August, crop analysts say that if an El Nino weather pattern
hitting other parts of the world brought dry
weather before October, harvest potential could be cut by up to 25 percent.
 ^REUTER@


Date: Thu, 28 Aug 1997 07:20:26 -0400
From: allen schubert <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: (CA) Fish Bacteria May Spread to Humans
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

from AP Wire page:
----------------------------------------
 08/28/1997 05:02 EST

 Fish Bacteria May Spread to Humans

 TORONTO (AP) -- Today's publication of a medical journal article about a
 new invasive bacterial infection likely will spawn more reports of the
 affliction, which spreads to humans cut while handling fish, researchers
 predict.

 Researchers who prepared the article, published today in The New England
 Journal of Medicine, documented nine cases of streptococcus iniae in
 Toronto-area residents.

 ``This is probably a new, emerging pathogen,'' said Dr. Don Low, head of
 microbiology at Mount Sinai and Princess Margaret hospitals.

 The bacterium had been known to occur in fish since the late 1970s, but
 it appears to have developed a new strain that can infect humans, Low
 said, adding that the article would make doctors around the world more
 aware of the bacteria, resulting in more cases of infection turning up.

 Infection, which results in raw, inflamed skin, occurs when a person
 cleaning fresh fish suffers a cut or skin puncture. Eating the fish, or
 handling it without incurring a wound, doesn't make a person sick.

 Since the article was submitted for publication, a 10th local case has
 been found and two people have been stricken in Vancouver.

 In the worst case, Low said, one man developed meningitis and a heart
 valve infection as a direct result of the bacteria, but all survived.

 Everyone affected was Asian, with the majority from the Chinese
 community, where it's customary to purchase live fish and clean them at
 home, Low said.

 He said a variety of fish were implicated but the freshwater tilapia,
 popular in the Caribbean and Far East, are most often involved,
 especially those bought live from stores.

Date: Thu, 28 Aug 1997 07:24:16 -0400
From: allen schubert <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: (US) Rented Cows Entered in Competitions
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

from AP Wire page:
------------------------------------
 08/28/1997 01:24 EST

 Rented Cows Entered in Competitions

 By MARY BOYLE
 Associated Press Writer

 TIMONIUM, Md. (AP) -- Sarah Sroka may seem like a typical teen, but don't
 look for her hanging out at the mall after school.

 The Millersville, Md., girl is more likely to be found grooming the
 1,100-pound steer she leases from the U.S. Naval Academy dairy farm and
 enters in competitions at state and county fairs.

 ``My boyfriend thinks it's kind of weird,'' says Sarah, 16, smiling
 through braces. ``He's like, `You have a cow?' But I like it a lot.''

 She is one of about 25 kids who pay $1 a month to rent cows, bulls and
 calves from the academy's 865-acre dairy farm in Gambrills, Md.
 Statewide, a few dozen private farmers also lease animals to urban and
 suburban children looking for a taste of farm life.

 Many of the borrowed bovines can be found this week at the Maryland State
 Fair, parading in front of a judge.

 ``You have to hold their head up and walk them slowly and clockwise in
 the ring,'' said Emily Yeiser, 12, of Arnold, who leases four cows. ``And
 washing them up good is important, too.''

 Children, parents and 4-H leaders say the program is a unique opportunity
 to learn about animals, farms and, perhaps more importantly,
 responsibility and dedication. The Naval Academy, which began leasing its
 cows in 1992, pays for the animals' food, barn and equipment.

 Participants ages 8 to 18 are required to spend at least four hours a
 week at the barn, grooming, feeding and cleaning. But many go every day,
 doting on the cows as if they were the family dog or cat.

 ``They're oversized pets,'' said Emily, who at 5 feet, is shorter than
 her largest Holstein, ``Coco.''

 Parents say the farm is a safe, tranquil place where children develop
 friendships, knowledge and goals. Emily is already considering a career
 as a veterinarian or farm owner.

 ``It's an oasis, a world apart,'' said Martha Boynton of Annapolis, whose
 daughter, Margaret, is a member of the Anne Arundel County 4-H Dairy
 Leasing Club.

 But a cloud looms over the future of the academy's dairy farm, which was
 established in 1911 to provide students with safe milk after an outbreak
 of typhoid fever was traced to commercial suppliers.

 Academy leaders have asked permission from Congress to close the farm,
 saying it costs more to produce the milk than to buy it from a commercial
 dairy. Congress has been reluctant to go along, and 4-H members and
 others are fighting to keep it open.

 ``It's a gold mine there and they don't even realize it,'' said Lee
 Majeskie, professor of dairy cattle management at the University of
 Maryland at College Park.

 Gail Yeiser, Emily's mother and a club volunteer, said few activities
 could replace the farm for the cow-crazed girls.

 ``It's a nice blessing,'' Ms. Yeiser said. ``If they want to go hang out
 somewhere, it's a farm, not a shopping mall.''

Date: Thu, 28 Aug 1997 14:35:03 +0200
From: Jordi Ninerola <[e-mail]>
To: AR News <[e-mail]>
Subject: French Duck Courses
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
MIME-version: 1.0
Content-type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1




Article published in:
EL PERIDICO DE CATALUNYA (Catalan Diary)
Barcelona, Wednesday 27th  August of 1997


This summer, two villages of La VendΘe (France) didn't make their popular courses of ducks
because the french actress Brigitte Bardot stopped this shameful event.

JORDI

http://www.geocities.com/colosseum/loge/3128
[e-mail]: Thu, 28 Aug 1997 14:25:30 +0200
From: Jordi Ninerola <[e-mail]>
To: AR News <[e-mail]>
Subject: Brigitte Bardot and Moscow's cats and dogs
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
MIME-version: 1.0
Content-type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1



Article published in:
EL PERIDICO DE CATALUNYA (Catalan Diary)
Barcelona, Wednesday 27th  August of 1997

Brigitte Bardot, a popular french actress, are fighting for save all cats and dogs that live in
Moscow (Russian). Moscow's major decided kill all cats and dogs that live in the street and don't
have a home.

This campaign has the collaboration of Al Gore, the U.S.Vicepresident.

JORDI

http://www.geocities.com/colosseum/loge/31Date: Thu, 28 Aug 1997 14:32:27 +0200
From: Jordi Ninerola <[e-mail]>
To: AR News <[e-mail]>
Subject: Monkeys in Israel
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
MIME-version: 1.0
Content-type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1




Article published in:
EL PERIDICO DE CATALUNYA (Catalan Diary)
Barcelona, Wednesday 27th  August of 1997


In Israel, many monkeys will go to torture room, because the governement of this country
decided use this animal in experiments for their military project. The actress Brigitte Bardot and
the Vicepresident of USA, Al Gore, fighting for save this monkeys.

JORDI

http://www.geocities.com/colosseum/loge/3128
[e-mail]: Thu, 28 Aug 1997 20:51:53 +0800
From: bunny <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Confessions of a spreader of deadly rabbit virus(NZ)
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Nightline Channel 3 News 10.30pm.- 28th August 1997(New Zealand)

Calici Confession from Peter Innes

(Confessions of a farmer spreading deadly Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease
in New Zealand)

"The method we are using here and now and
have been for five or six weeks, is taking the
livers and spleens and lungs out of rabbits that
have died from it and mixing them with water
in a blender and then putting the stuff on oats
and carrots and spreading it out on the hill".

The likes of Peter Innes have only come forward
since they have found out they will not be prosecuted
for spreading the disease.

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

Rabbit Information Service,
P.O.Box 30,
Riverton,
Western Australia 6148

Email>  [e-mail]

http://www.wantree.com.au/~rabbit/rabbit.htm
(Rabbit Information Service website updated frequently)

     /`\   /`\
    (/\ \-/ /\)
       )6 6(
     >{= Y =}<
      /'-^-'\
     (_)   (_)
      |  .  |
      |     |}
 jgs  \_/^\_/













Date: Thu, 28 Aug 1997 08:42:56 -0400
From: Nikolas Entrup <[e-mail]>
To: AR-NEWS <[e-mail]>
Subject: Circus Info !!
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
MIME-Version: 1.0

Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Content-Disposition: inline

Today, August 28th 1997, Dr.Karin Buechl-Krammerstaetter, the Environmental
Commissioner of the City of Vienna, and Niki Entrup, consultant for the
austrian animal protection organisation RespekTiere, presented two
publications related to the keeping of animals in circuses to the press.

1. English Version of the Guidelines for the keeping of Wild Animals in
Circuses, developed by Gsandtner, H., Pechlaner, H., Schwammer, H. on
behalf of and in co-operation with the Office of the Environmental
Commissioner of the City of Vienna, Austria.

2. Investigation on accidents with Circus animals by Entrup, N., Janca, C.,
Landgrebe, J. for the Office of the Environmental Commissioner of the City
of Vienna, Austria.

Ad 1.: The German version was presented about a year ago. They guidelines
are not binding but discussed to become enforced in several Austrian
counties. The introduction clearly states: <It is principally impossible to
keep wild animals in circuses in a manner fully corresponding to the needs
of the individual species. However, the current state of affairs frequently
does not even take account of the needs of the individual animal and for
the following reasons run counter to the minimum requirements of a
reasonable form of animal protection>.

The literature will provide you with an overview about the situation in
Austria, especially Vienna, but also lists basic requirements (minimum
standards) for the keeping of wild animals in circuses. The list of species
include the criteria of <totally unsuitable for the keeping in circuses>
and <unsuited for keeping in circuses due to the requirements of species
protection>.

Species listed as unsuitable to be kept in circuses are: Elephants, Bears,
Seals, all Cetaceans, Giraffes, Hippopotami, Rhinoceri, Big anthropoids,
some other other monkey species, Ostriches, Reptiles.

You can get a copy of the guideleines via:

Environmental Commissioner of the City of Vienna
Ms. Dr. Karin Buechl-Krammerstaetter
Ersnt Happel Stadium Sector E
Meiereistr.7
A-1020 Vienna
Email: [e-mail]

Or

RespekTiere
Niki Entrup
P.O.Box 97
A-1172 Vienna
Email: [e-mail]

Ad 2.: Over the last 5 months RespekTiere did an investigation in accidents
with circus animals, mainly wild animals. The study covers national
accidents from 1970 and provides an overview of international accidents
since 1990. Today the study is only available in German
(officially available from the 21st.September 1997), but soon will get
translated into English. The study covers in total 102 cases. 32 cases are
documented by the authors in Austria since 1970 (6 within the last one and
a half years). 70 cases are documented by the authors internationally since
1990.

Many thanks to AR-NEWS and a lot of organisations being of assistance in
collecting information on this important issue!

Hope this work will cause further public discussion on this issue which
results in the prohibition of wild animals in circuses.

Cheers


Niki Entrup
RespekTiere
P.O.Box 97
A - 1172 Vienna
Email: [e-mail]
Date: Thu, 28 Aug 1997 08:42:56 -0400
From: Nikolas Entrup <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Circus Info !!
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>


Today, August 28th 1997, Dr.Karin Buechl-Krammerstaetter, the Environmental
Commissioner of the City of Vienna, and Niki Entrup, consultant for the
austrian animal protection organisation RespekTiere, presented two
publications related to the keeping of animals in circuses to the press.

1. English Version of the Guidelines for the keeping of Wild Animals in
Circuses, developed by Gsandtner, H., Pechlaner, H., Schwammer, H. on
behalf of and in co-operation with the Office of the Environmental
Commissioner of the City of Vienna, Austria.

2. Investigation on accidents with Circus animals by Entrup, N., Janca, C=2E,
Landgrebe, J. for the Office of the Environmental Commissioner of the City
of Vienna, Austria.

Ad 1.: The German version was presented about a year ago. They guidelines
are not binding but discussed to become enforced in several Austrian
counties. The introduction clearly states: <It is principally impossible to
keep wild animals in circuses in a manner fully corresponding to the needs
of the individual species. However, the current state of affairs frequently
does not even take account of the needs of the individual animal and for
the following reasons run counter to the minimum requirements of a
reasonable form of animal protection>.

The literature will provide you with an overview about the situation in
Austria, especially Vienna, but also lists basic requirements (minimum
standards) for the keeping of wild animals in circuses. The list of species
include the criteria of <totally unsuitable for the keeping in circuses>
and <unsuited for keeping in circuses due to the requirements of species
protection>.

Species listed as unsuitable to be kept in circuses are: Elephants, Bears,
Seals, all Cetaceans, Giraffes, Hippopotami, Rhinoceri, Big anthropoids,
some other other monkey species, Ostriches, Reptiles.

You can get a copy of the guideleines via:

Environmental Commissioner of the City of Vienna
Ms. Dr. Karin Buechl-Krammerstaetter
Ersnt Happel Stadium Sector E
Meiereistr.7
A-1020 Vienna
Email: [e-mail]

Or

RespekTiere
Niki Entrup
P.O.Box 97
A-1172 Vienna
Email: [e-mail]

Ad 2.: Over the last 5 months RespekTiere did an investigation in accidents
with circus animals, mainly wild animals. The study covers national
accidents from 1970 and provides an overview of international accidents
since 1990. Today the study is only available in German
(officially available from the 21st.September 1997), but soon will get
translated into English. The study covers in total 102 cases. 32 cases are
documented by the authors in Austria since 1970 (6 within the last one and
a half years). 70 cases are documented by the authors internationally since
1990.

Many thanks to AR-NEWS and a lot of organisations being of assistance in
collecting information on this important issue!

Hope this work will cause further public discussion on this issue which
results in the prohibition of wild animals in circuses.

Cheers


Niki Entrup
RespekTiere
P.O.Box 97
A - 1172 Vienna
Email: [e-mail]
    Circus Info !!
Date: Thu, 28 Aug 1997 09:27:46 -0700
From: Hillary <[e-mail]>
To: "[e-mail]" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Condemned Meat Sold (US)
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Weird article--it's condemned, but still fit for pets??


c The Associated Press

      LONDON (AP) - It's enough to make a person turn vegetarian.
      Some 1,440 tons of British poultry meat certified as fit only
for pet food were sold for human consumption, The Mirror reported
Tuesday.
      The London daily said the chicken and turkey breasts dumped at
rendering plants for pet food were recycled by rogue dealers and
ended up on the shelves of two British supermarket chains.
      Trials will start next month of 37 people - butchers, meat
dealers and brokers - allegedly involved in the racket that went on
from early 1995 to the end of last year, the newspaper said. The
trade was stopped after a tipoff to food safety authorities.
      The Mirror said the rogue poultry dealers are believed to have
used hoses and salt baths to clean up the poultry meat, which was
almost certainly rife with disease.
      The newspaper said the supermarket chains Kwik Save and Netto
were duped into stocking the meat, and it was also sold to old
people's homes and restaurants.
      Britain has been plagued by food scandals in recent years. Last
year, the European Union banned British beef exports after the
government announced that beef contaminated with mad cow disease
was the most likely cause of a new deadly strain of Creutzfeldt
Jakob Disease in humans.



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


Date: Thu, 28 Aug 1997 09:29:03 -0700
From: Hillary <[e-mail]>
To: "[e-mail]" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Wintour does it again
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"



NEW YORK, Aug. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- In the September special fall fashion
issue of VOGUE, Editor in Chief Anna Wintour writes, "Fashion is more vibrant
today than ever, offering more choices -- most of which are wearable, some of
which are, admittedly, simply inspirational."  With that in mind, VOGUE
announces its annual round-up of the most essential fashion stories of the
fall season.
          1.  Fur Trim -- The shock of fur is back.  This time adding the
subtlest
        expression of luxury to everything from sporty jackets to accessories.
          2.  Leather: Aggressive, edgy, and sexy -- Leather is fashion's most
        powerful new look.  Its diverse styles and colors can be found in
        suits as well as jackets, pants, and a myriad of accessories.
          3.  Slouchy Suit -- Slouchy is chic again as evidenced by fall's
new lines
        of loosely tailored jackets and baggy trousers.
          4.  Beaded evening dresses and shoes -- Beading lends an ethereal
elegance
        to evening dresses and shoes.
          5.  Jewelry -- Diamonds, faux or the genuine article, are the most
        ubiquitous decorative wear this fall.
          6.  Stilettos -- Sky-high heels mark the season's story in footwear.
          7.  Knee-High boots -- State-of-the-art knee-highs come in many
styles,
        from cognac-colored leather to chrome-and-crocodile.  Knee-highs prove
        to be the essential accessory when it comes to balancing a
        man-tailored jacket and trousers or flirty suit.
          8.  Long Coats -- The best new coats are cut long and combine
menswear
        fabric, curves, and pretty colors.  The results are romantic, sexy,
        and a touch foppish.
          9.  Cross-Dressing -- No longer one mood, one idea; it's the mix
that
        matters in today's fashion.  Man-tailored coats are safe to wear over
        sexy slip dresses, masculine suits, and beaded evening wear.
          10. Red/Orange Lipstick and Nails -- Bright, sexy, energetic
colors are
        back in beauty.  For lips and nails this season, think cherry and
        orange.
Date: Thu, 28 Aug 1997 09:37:08 -0700
From: Hillary <[e-mail]>
To: "[e-mail]" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Kibbutz monkey breeding
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

KIBBUTZ TO BREED MONKEYS FOR CHEMICAL WARFARE TESTING

     .c The Associated Press

      JERUSALEM (AP) - An Israeli kibbutz that had planned to breed
monkeys for animal experiments delayed the project Monday because
of pressure from animal rights groups and residents.
      Kibbutz Or Haner in southern Israel had originally expected to
receive the first few dozen primates from an American company this
week, but now intends to delay their arrival for at least two
weeks, said Nir Ben Israel, a member of the kibbutz secretariat.
      ``We have decided to talk it over with the kibbutz members, and
we will hear doctors who are both for and against,'' he told The
Associated Press. ``We will discuss things now without pressure.''
      The Yediot Ahronot daily reported that the animals might be
tested to see the effects of chemical warfare.
      Animal rights groups reacted angrily to the kibbutz's plans.
      Spokeswoman Etty Altman of Let The Animals Live said the group
would write to Vice President Al Gore and French animal rights
activist Brigitte Bardot to draw their attention to the kibbutz'
plans.
      ``We have enough problems in this country without bringing in
monkeys to torture,'' she said.
Date: Thu, 28 Aug 1997 09:38:22 -0700
From: Hillary <[e-mail]>
To: "[e-mail]" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Beef trying to rebound
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

c The Associated Press

      By KATIE FAIRBANK
      DALLAS (AP) - Consumers are looking a little closer at meat
these days following another E. coli outbreak and cattle ranchers
are hoping Americans' love of beef will last through this latest
contamination scare.
      Mad cow disease, which hasn't been reported in the United
States, previous warnings about E. coli and years of hearing
nutritionists warn against too much red meat have many shying away
from beef already.
      ``I was in the grocery store the other day and didn't buy any
hamburger. I thought why not just wait awhile,'' said Cameron Tyler
of Boulder, Colo.
      A poll conducted for Newsweek magazine last week as the E. coli
outbreak was getting wide attention found that 41 percent of those
polled less likely to purchase hamburger at grocery stores, and 54
percent less likely to buy hamburgers at fast-food restaurants.
      Many cattle ranchers agree that the highly publicized outbreaks
could wind up diminishing American's appetite for beef.
      ``The stigma is always a concern,'' said Texas rancher Chaunce
Thompson, a past president of the Texas and Southwest Cattle
Raisers Association. ``But I feel like the American people are
smart enough to realize these are very isolated incidents.''
      During an E. coli outbreak in 1993 that sickened more than 500
hamburger eaters and killed three children, consumers turned their
backs on beef. Consumption bottomed out at 61.6 pounds per person,
according to the National Cattlemen's Beef Association.
      The beef industry, which has struggled to hold its market share
over pork and poultry in recent years, has become highly sensitive
to reports of contamination and are hopeful the same thing won't
happen this time around.
      Reaction has been less this time around. Livestock futures on
the Chicago Mercantile Exchange hovered around 69.85 cents a pound
before the USDA's recall on Aug. 18, when they plummeted to 66.42
cents a pound. The prices have been creeping back upward since.
      ``I think that consumers are used to hearing about once a week
about a food scare. We've heard, `don't eat chicken, don't drink
water, don't eat strawberries, don't eat apples','' said Lisa
Williams, a spokesman for the Texas Beef Council. ``Of course we're
concerned about the recent E. coli outbreak, but we think consumers
are starting to understand.''
      The Newsweek poll of 501 adults was taken Friday and has a
margin of error of plus or minus five percentage points. It found
that 51 percent of respondents in recent days had decided to avoid
certain foods or were being more careful about handling and
preparing food.
      Some consumers say they've heard so many warnings about their
food they've tuned them out, deciding to enjoy a meal and take
their chances.
      ``I've been around a long time, and people have banned
everything at some point. When I want a hamburger, I'm going to
order it. I just don't let it bother me,'' said Charlie Hurwitz,
85, a retired New York banker, who ate two plain hamburgers for
lunch on Monday.
Date: Thu, 28 Aug 1997 09:40:10 -0700
From: Hillary <[e-mail]>
To: "[e-mail]" <[e-mail]>
Subject: KimB and Animal Rights
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

.c The Associated Press

      ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - Kim Basinger and an animal rights group
are trying to have the exhibitor's license of a circus revoked
after an elephant died in a sweltering trailer.
      Saying, ``How much more evidence will suffering animals have to
endure,'' the actress held a news conference Tuesday to demand that
the U.S. Department of Agriculture revoke the license of the King
Royal Circus.
      A judge granted the city temporary custody of two elephants and
eight llamas found Aug. 6 with the body of a third elephant,
Heather, in a hot, poorly ventilated trailer here.
      Evidence suggested that the King Royal Circus, based in Texas,
mistreated the animals, leading to Heather's death, said state
District Judge Susan Conway.
      Two of the zoo's handlers were charged with animal cruelty. A
week ago, the USDA suspended King Royal's license for 21 days.
Date: Thu, 28 Aug 97 08:31:38 UTC
From: [e-mail]
To: [e-mail]
Subject: How to Get Meatless Meals in the Hospital
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>

(Parts from "Vegetarian Times" magazine): The first challenge is to get
the hospital staff to understand your dietary needs. Once you're over
that hurdle, there are usually only a few non-meat options, which usually
have cheese in them.

If at all possible, you may consider having surgery at one of the 80+
Seventh-Day Adventist (SDA) hospitals around the country; look for a
surgeon with admitting privileges. This Christian religion encourages
its members to follow a vegetarian diet, which is the standard bill of
fare at SDA hospitals.

If you have to go to a hospital other than one operated by SDA, Tricia
Middaugh, R.D., offers this advice:
* If the surgery is elective, call the hospital in advance and speak with
the director of nutrition services or someone in the patient advocate's
office. Ask this person to read or mail you a copy of the vegetarian
offerings so that you can pick  your meals in advance.
* Talk to your attending physician. Your doctor has the final word on what
you eat.
* State plainly that you don't want meat-based broths or gelatin. Fruit
juices will do just as well on a clear liquid diet.
* Expect mistakes. The first meal often slips through the cracks. You have
the right to ask for something else.
* Following an emergency admission, tell your needs to whomever attends you
at bedside. If you're unable to speak, a friend or relative should make the
request for you.

-- Sherrill

Date: Thu, 28 Aug 1997 22:22:38 +0800
From: bunny <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: NZ Ministry of Agriculture current news releases-Deadly rabbit
  virus - illegal spread
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

 For all the latest news releases including those listed below
 direct from New Zealand Ministry of Agriculture on the illegal
 spread of the deadly killer rabbit virus the website address is

 http://www.maf.govt.nz/MAFnet/Press/rcdmedia.htm


 28-08-97 Restricted Place Notices to be Lifted; Controlled Area to Remain
 28-08-97 RCD Positives Recorded in Twizel and Maniototo.
 27-08-97 More RCD Positives Within Controlled Area
 26-08-97 RCD Confirmed in South Island
 26-08-97 RCD Vaccine Information
 19-08-97 Director-General of Agriculture Says Review of RCD Decision
          "Unwarranted"
 02-07-97 RCD Decision Announced
 18-04-97 RCD Reviewers' Reports receive 102 Responses


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

Rabbit Information Service,
P.O.Box 30,
Riverton,
Western Australia 6148

Email>  [e-mail]

http://www.wantree.com.au/~rabbit/rabbit.htm
(Rabbit Information Service website updated frequently)

     /`\   /`\
    (/\ \-/ /\)
       )6 6(
     >{= Y =}<
      /'-^-'\
     (_)   (_)
      |  .  |
      |     |}
 jgs  \_/^\_/













Date: Thu, 28 Aug 1997 16:15:00 +0200
From: Jordi Ninerola <[e-mail]>
To: AR News <[e-mail]>
Subject: In Memorian of Islote
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
MIME-version: 1.0
Content-type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1




Barcelona, Catalan Countries, SPAIN:

Today is the fifty birthday of Manolete's dead. Manolete was a bullfighter that live in 50's years
and became very famous in Spain. Today many TV programs in TVE(Spanish Public Television),
Canal + Espa±a, Antena3 and Tele5 remenber this event.

We want  remember Islote and protest for this event. Islote was the bull that in own defense kill
Manolete, in Spain and in Spanish TV  Islote are considering a killer bull. Islote died when
Manolete attack with her sword, but Islote only defended her live.

For this, this mail was in Islote's Memorian and for the all bulls that die in Bullfighter's hands.

JORDI

http://www.geocities.com/colosseum/loge/3128
[e-mail]: Thu, 28 Aug 1997 09:50:43 -0500
From: "Knasinski, Joseph" <[e-mail]>
To: "'[e-mail]'" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Snake designated protected species in Wisconsin
Message-ID:
<c=US%a=_%p=RockwellSoftware%l=RSI-MERCURY-970828145043Z-66785@rsi-mercury.
mke.software.rockwell.com>

Good news:  The timber rattlesnake in Wisconsin has been designated as a
protected wild animal.  Now the rare viper can only be killed in
self-defense according to the state Natural Resources board.   Recent
surveys revealed only 12 of 34 known dens actually had snakes, and only
57 snakes were counted in the survey.  The timber rattlesnake population
has been declining in Wisconsin due to hunting. The heads and rattles
were sold throughout the U.S. and overseas.   The snakes are not a
threat to humans as some people have worried.  In Wisconsin only 4
people have been bitten by the rattlesnake since 1982 and only one human
death has ever been attributed to the rattlesnake in this state.
Recently more hunters have been coming into Wisconsin to kill this snake
since neighboring states of Minnesota and Illinois already listed the
snake as a threatened species.  Hopefully, now the laws will be enforced
and the timber rattler will be left alone.

Joseph Knasinski

[e-mail]

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our
humanity."
     - Albert Einstein (1879-1955)


Date: Thu, 28 Aug 97 09:51:02 PDT
From: "bhgazette" <[e-mail]>
To: "AR News" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Fw: Status Report On Olivia (Cat Set On Fire)
Message-ID: <[e-mail]822>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1"; X-MAPIextension=".TXT"




----------
> Date: Wednesday, August 27, 1997 23:39:34
> From: Nyppsi
> To: Nyppsi
> Cc: [e-mail]; [e-mail]; Manheim, Lynn; [e-mail];
> [e-mail]; [e-mail]; [e-mail];
> [e-mail]; [e-mail]; [e-mail]
> Subject: Status Report On Olivia (Cat Set On Fire)
>
>
> HART OnLine RescueLine
>
> To All:
>
> Below is a current status on Olivia, the cat who was set on fire by two
> Indiana University students.
>
> Dick Weavil
> [e-mail]/[e-mail]
> =================================================
> QUOTE:
>
> >From [e-mail] Fri Aug 22 11:14:20 1997
> Date: Fri, 22 Aug 1997 10:37:52 -0500 (EST)
> Subject: Update from Olivia's mom
>
> Dear Supporters of Olivia,
>
> It has been a long road for the sweetest of all pets and it is going to
> continue to be a long one. Olivia has been in the hospital for three weeks
> now and it could be another three or more before (fingers crossed) she comes
> home. Her burns are beginning to heal as they should--what's called a
> "granulation bed", which is impervious to infection, is forming and new skin
> can now grow over it. That's happening in several areas but she will still
> need skin grafts in others. She will also need reconstructive surgery on her
> equivalents of achilles tendons, as they were basically burned away. She will
> lose her tail and the tops of her ears as well. She will look beautiful to me
> no matter what happens. I am not too sure about how much fur she will get
> back, though it seems she will only be partially naked. Her general health
> continues to be fair--no
> kidney failure or skin infection, thankfully. She had a brief bout with mild
> pneumonia which has thankfully cleared up. Most days when I visit her she is
> pretty out of it--a combination of drugs as well as overall discomfort. Every
> once in a while, however, she is perky and affectionate and wants to be
> touched. This kind of behavior is rather rare, which is understandable seeing
> as it must be incredibly uncomfortable for her to even live inside her skin,
> much less have someone else apply pressure to it. Olivia gets her nutrition
> through an esophogeal tube, which she does not appreciate too much. However,
> without it, she would not be able to get nearly enough nutrition to keep her
> afloat. She has always been a picky eater but we hope we can get her to start
> going for some tuna in the near future. That's about all the news on her
> condition. The vets consider her status "poor but stable" (which is up from
> "critical but stable").
>
> In legislative news, Rep. Mark Kruzan has been in touch and he is in the
> thick of drafting a bill to make animal abuse a felony in Indiana. He is
> definitely on top of
> things and will have something available for review within a month (I'll be
> sure to keep everyone posted).
>
> As for Case and Rouch, I am not getting much on the status of the case or
> trial dates from the prosecutor's office. If I don't hear something form them
> soon after my
> repeated calls, I will probably put a lawyer on it.
>
> That's the news for now and come back for more as I will send updates
> regularly.
>
> Keep up the fight and thank you,
>
> Lesley
>
> UNQUOTE
>
>


Date: Thu, 28 Aug 97 09:51:02 PDT
From: "bhgazette" <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Fw: Status Report On Olivia (Cat Set On Fire)
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>




----------
> Date: Wednesday, August 27, 1997 23:39:34
> From: Nyppsi
> To: Nyppsi
> Cc: [e-mail]; [e-mail]; Manheim, Lynn; [e-mail];
> [e-mail]; [e-mail]; [e-mail];
> [e-mail]; [e-mail]; [e-mail]
> Subject: Status Report On Olivia (Cat Set On Fire)
>
>
> HART OnLine RescueLine
>
> To All:
>
> Below is a current status on Olivia, the cat who was set on fire by two
> Indiana University students.
>
> Dick Weavil
> [e-mail]/[e-mail]
> =================================================
> QUOTE:
>
> >From [e-mail] Fri Aug 22 11:14:20 1997
> Date: Fri, 22 Aug 1997 10:37:52 -0500 (EST)
> Subject: Update from Olivia's mom
>
> Dear Supporters of Olivia,
>
> It has been a long road for the sweetest of all pets and it is going to
> continue to be a long one. Olivia has been in the hospital for three weeks
> now and it could be another three or more before (fingers crossed) she comes
> home. Her burns are beginning to heal as they should--what's called a
> "granulation bed", which is impervious to infection, is forming and new skin
> can now grow over it. That's happening in several areas but she will still
> need skin grafts in others. She will also need reconstructive surgery on her
> equivalents of achilles tendons, as they were basically burned away. She will
> lose her tail and the tops of her ears as well. She will look beautiful to me
> no matter what happens. I am not too sure about how much fur she will get
> back, though it seems she will only be partially naked. Her general health
> continues to be fair--no
> kidney failure or skin infection, thankfully. She had a brief bout with mild
> pneumonia which has thankfully cleared up. Most days when I visit her she is
> pretty out of it--a combination of drugs as well as overall discomfort. Every
> once in a while, however, she is perky and affectionate and wants to be
> touched. This kind of behavior is rather rare, which is understandable seeing
> as it must be incredibly uncomfortable for her to even live inside her skin,
> much less have someone else apply pressure to it. Olivia gets her nutrition
> through an esophogeal tube, which she does not appreciate too much. However,
> without it, she would not be able to get nearly enough nutrition to keep her
> afloat. She has always been a picky eater but we hope we can get her to start
> going for some tuna in the near future. That's about all the news on her
> condition. The vets consider her status "poor but stable" (which is up from
> "critical but stable").
>
> In legislative news, Rep. Mark Kruzan has been in touch and he is in the
> thick of drafting a bill to make animal abuse a felony in Indiana. He is
> definitely on top of
> things and will have something available for review within a month (I'll be
> sure to keep everyone posted).
>
> As for Case and Rouch, I am not getting much on the status of the case or
> trial dates from the prosecutor's office. If I don't hear something form them
> soon after my
> repeated calls, I will probably put a lawyer on it.
>
> That's the news for now and come back for more as I will send updates
> regularly.
>
> Keep up the fight and thank you,
>
> Lesley
>
> UNQUOTE
>
>


    Fw: Status Report On Olivia (Cat Set On Fire)
Date: Thu, 28 Aug 1997 08:11:33 -0700 (PDT)
From: Mike Markarian <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Number of Anglers, Hunters
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

>From the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service:
>
>August 27, 1997                        Hugh Vickery  202-208-5634
>
> NUMBER OF ANGLERS FALLS SLIGHTLY IN 1996; HUNTER NUMBERS STABLE
>
>The number of anglers who bought fishing licenses fell by just
>over 1 percent in 1996 while the number of hunters who purchased
>licenses remained constant, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
>announced today.
>
>There were 29.9 million paid fishing licenses holders in 1996
>compared with 30.3 million in 1995.  These anglers paid
>$447 million for their licenses compared with $448.6 million in
>1995.  Meanwhile, 15.2 million hunters bought licenses in 1996,
>the same as the year before.  They spent $542.8 million on the
>licenses, $10.2 million more than in 1995.
>
>Revenues raised through license sales support state wildlife
>agencies, their conservation projects, and their hunting and
>fishing safety and education programs.
>
>"Through license sales alone, hunters and anglers contribute
>nearly $1 billion a year to wildlife conservation," said Service
>Director Jamie Rappaport Clark.  "That is money that doesn't come
>from general tax revenue, yet it benefits every American by
>promoting both a healthy environment and healthy wildlife.
>
>"This money doesn't even count the hundreds of millions of
>dollars sportsmen and -women contribute through excise taxes on
>hunting and fishing equipment and through membership in and
>donations to non-profit conservation organizations."
>
>License sales figures are compiled annually by the U.S. Fish and
>Wildlife Service from information submitted by state fish and
>wildlife agencies.  The figures are part of a formula to
>determine the amount of funding each state receives through the
>Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration and the Federal Aid in Sport
>Fish Restoration programs, both administered by the Service.
>
>Under these programs, hunters and anglers pay an excise tax on
>hunting and fishing equipment such as firearms, ammunition, and
>tackle.  The money is, in turn, distributed to the states in the
>form of grants to conserve wildlife; teach hunter safety; and
>provide fishing, hunting, and boating opportunities.
>
>The number of hunting license holders has declined from a record
>high of 16.7 million in 1982.  Meanwhile, the number of fishing
>license holders has been about the same during that time.
>
>The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal
>agency responsible for conserving, protecting, and enhancing fish
>and wildlife and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the
>American people.  The Service manages 511 national wildlife
>refuges encompassing 92 million acres, as well as 68 national
>fish hatcheries.
>
>The agency also enforces Federal wildlife laws, manages migratory
>bird populations, stocks recreational fisheries, conserves and
>restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, administers the
>Endangered Species Act, and helps foreign governments with their
>conservation efforts.
>
>                              -FWS-
>
>Editor's Note: A state-by-state breakdown is available from the Office of
Media
>Services, 202-208-5634.
>
>
>

Date: Thu, 28 Aug 1997 12:03:23 +0000
From: Liz Grayson <[e-mail]>
To: ar-news <[e-mail]>
Subject: Mosquitoes Carrying Encephalitis Found
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

August 28, 1997


                    Mosquitoes Carrying Encephalitis Found
                    on Long Island

                    By JOHN T. McQUISTON

                              AUPPAUGE, N.Y. -- For the first time this
summer, health
                              officials in Suffolk County have found
mosquitoes carrying the
                              deadly Eastern equine encephalitis virus.

                    Last year, an infestation of mosquitoes carrying the
virus forced a
                    delay in the opening of some schools, the closing of
parks and
                    extensive spraying of infested coastal areas of Long
Island,
                    Connecticut and Rhode Island.

                    So far this year, no mosquitoes infected with the
virus have been
                    trapped in Connecticut or Rhode Island or in Nassau
County, health
                    officials said Wednesday.

                    Suffolk officials said the mosquitoes carrying the
virus were found
                    in Connetquot State Park and do not appear to pose a
risk to
                    humans. They said they were conducting further tests
to determine
                    whether to close the park.

                    But Dr. Mahfouz H. Zaki, the county's director of
public health,
                    warned, "If the mosquitoes are around, the virus
could be around,
                    too. We don't want to take any chances."

                    He advised people to avoid exposure to mosquitoes
during their
                    active periods at dusk and dawn, to wear
long-sleeved shirts and
                    long pants and to use insect repellant.

                    The virus causes a rare form of encephalitis, which
inflames the
                    brain and tissues lining the brain, said Dr. Clare
B. Bradley, acting
                    commissioner of the Suffolk County Health Services
Department.

                    She said the mosquitoes involved in recent tests on
Long Island
                    were of a species that usually bite birds and
animals. She also said
                    the risk of transmission of the disease to humans
was extremely low.

                    In neighboring Nassau County, health officials said
a combination of
                    this summer's relatively dry weather and the
county's
                    antimosquito program had nearly eliminated the
mosquito problem
                    this year.

                    "We've caught so few mosquitoes in our traps, there
aren't enough
                    to send off to be tested," said Cynthia Brown, a
spokeswoman for the
                    Nassau Health Department.

                    There have been no reported clinical cases of the
virus among
                    humans or horses on Long Island or in Connecticut or
Rhode Island,
                    officials said.

                    For humans, the symptoms of the illness are high
fever, stiff necks,
                    headache and swelling of the brain. There is no
effective treatment,
                    and the mortality rate is a 30 percent. Of those who
survive
                    infection, 50 percent suffer long-term nervous
system damage.
Date: Thu, 28 Aug 1997 10:03:52 -0700 (PDT)
From: [e-mail]
To: [e-mail], [e-mail]
Subject: MIKE: RE: HIGINS
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Hi Mike,

Hope you're doing OK. Brett Wyker has asked me to issue, in an hour or so, a
news release re: his and Dawn's sentencing at Hegins (Friday, 9:30 a.m.).
Are you issuing anything (trying to avoid inundating these media, or then
again, maybe we should)?

Also, do you have a "media" list, if there is one, for the Hegins area? If
so, please email or fax to me, if you can, at this address (fax: [phone]).

Thanks, and thanks again for the old media books. I've given you bigtime
credit for that - it has really helped grassroots groups looking for numbers
(which I've passed on thanks to your old books).

See ya,

cres
P.S. I'd planned to be in Hegins, but like a complete idiot, started law
school last week (right, my 4th careeer behind news reporter, advertising
exec and animal rights activist....what AM I thinking, huh?).


Date: Thu, 28 Aug 1997 14:56:26 -0400
From: Shirley McGreal <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: University of Wisconsim scandal, Part 1
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

UW reports cash from zoo monkey sales by: Scott Russell, The Capital Times,
Madison, August 25

        The University of Wisconsin Primate Research Center made between
$200,000 and $275,000 by selling off monkeys from Henry Vilas Zoo for
research, according to data released Friday by the university.
        Of the 110 monkeys sold over an eight-year period, 42 monkeys went
to government agencies or outside universities, such as Harvard or East
Carolina University.
        Another 35 monkeys were sold to private pharmaceutical companies,
such as Hazleton Laboratories in Madison. The other 33 monkeys were used by
UW-Madison researchers.
        In June 1989, the primate center entered into an agreement with the
zoo that none of the zoo monkeys would be used for invasive research.
University officials have not disclosed the fate of the monkeys that were
sold to other institutions.
        Pharmaceutical labs in all likelihood tested the monkeys with drugs.
        The zoo monkeys sold for between $1,800 and $2,600 each, depending
on their age, their reproduction potential and their history, according to
information released Friday by the UW-Madison.
        On Aug. 11, after reports in The Capital Times, Graduate School Dean
Virginia Hinshaw stopped any further assignment of monkeys from the zoo
colony to invasive reasearch.
        One UW-Madison project that used zoo monkeys evaluated the
effectiveness of a new medication for osteoporosis, the brittle-bone disease
linked to calcium deficiency. The monkeys provided one way to test for the
safety of the drug for human use.
        Drug company Ciba-Giegy paid nearly $1 million for the 32 month
study, which used 56 (58, fax not clear) monkeys in all. Of those, 12 were
monkeys from the zoo, including four monkeys that were covered by the
no-invasive-research agreement. Of the 12 zoo monkeys used in the project,
10 were euthanized during the research. The other two died after the project
ended.
        Here's where the monkeys went:
        Hazleton Laboratories, 10; East Carolina University,15;
Baxter-Travenol, 15; UW-Madison Harlow Primate Lab, 14; UW-Madison Clinical
Sciences Center, 12.
        National Institutes of Health-Poolesville, 9; Boston University, 4;
University of Pittsburgh, 4; UW-Madison Department of Psychology, 3;
UW-Madison Medical School, 2; Harvard University, 2.
        University of Iowa, 2; University of Minnesota, 2; Vanderbilt
University, 2; Walsman Center, 2; University of South Dakota,1; University
of Nebraska, 1.
        The money generated by the sale of the monkeys went into the
center's cost recovery account, which augments a grant from the National
Institutes of Health. The majority of the money for that grant pays for
animal services such as food, housing and care for the animals.



Dr. Shirley McGreal, Chairwoman, International Primate Protection League
POB 766 Summerville SC 29484 USA Phone: [phone] Fax: [phone]
Note new web page address: http://www.ippl.org/
PLEASE DIRECT ALL E-MAIL TO [e-mail]

Date: Thu, 28 Aug 1997 15:02:16 -0400
From: Shirley McGreal <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: University of Wisconsin scandal, Part 2
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Primate ex-chief: Don't blame me
by: Jason Shepard, The Capitol Times, Weekend of Aug 16-17,1997

        John Hearn, the former director of the UW Primate Research Center
who university officials have said is most responsible for the zoo monkey
fiasco, insists he never authorized the killing of dozens of monkeys in
invasive research projects.
        Hearn, who resigned last year after failing to report a sexual
relationship with a subordinate, released a statement from Geneva,
Switzerland, in which he denied any involvement in the improper use of
monkeys over the past eight years at the UW.
        He said he was "distressed to receive this information" via e-mail
from former campus colleagues.
        After The Capitol Times reported the abuses last week, UW officials
laid ultimate responsibility and blame for the debacle on Hearn.
        In his statement, Hearn said: "I must state categorically that I did
not authorize, verbally or in writing (nor was I requested to so do), any
animal assignment that would have been inappropriate or which contravened
our voluntary agreement with Henry Vilas Zoo." The agreement he refers to is
a longstanding ban on using zoo, monkeys for invasive research.
        Hearn said he would be pleased to help the UW uncover how the zoo
monkeys came to be used improperly.
        "I do not have any details, but I will cooperate completely with the
University of Wisconsin to clarify this matter," he said.
        The issue of how the UW dealt with the zoo monkeys is not a question
of the ethical treatment of animals, but whether the primate center has
shown integrity in standing by its agreements.
        Reacting to Hearn's statement Friday night, Virginia Hinshaw, dean
of the UW-Madison Graduate School, said she had no need to talk to Hearn
about the situation.
        But Hinshaw, who blamed Hearn, now says she wants to move forward.
She said she is not going to focus on how and why the monkeys have been
killed over the past eight years.
        "There are just so many people who have come and gone, I am not
focusing on where to allocate responsibility," she said.
        Lester Pines, Hearn's attorney in Madison, said Friday night that
when Hearn heard about the controversy, he felt a need to respond.
        "Professor Hearn is an extremely prominent primatologist and this is
a matter of very deep concern to him. He wants to make sure the record is
very clear that he did not authorize this," Pines said.
        The controversy arose after The Capitol Times reported last week
that zoo monkeys were being used for AIDS studies, in violation of a 1989
agreement between the UW and the zoo.
        Instead of detailing how the policy broke down over the past eight
years, Hinshaw said she has made it clear that no more zoo monkeys will be
used in invasive research.
        Initially, officials at the Wisconsin Regional Primate Research
Center here said only two or four monkeys were used.
        However, an investigation by Hinshaw found that 65 monkeys born at
the zoo were used in invasive research since 1989. Of those, 39 have died
and 26 are still part of studies.
        An additional 26 monkeys were killed for their tissues and organs,
and another 110 were sold to outside research facilities, where their fate
is not known.
        In interviews, scientists at the primate center who used the zoo
monkeys said they were unaware they were conducting research that was
improper according to the UW's agreement with the zoo.
        But the interim director of the center, Joe Kemnitz, said detailed
records were kept on the monkeys so that any scientist would know their orgin.
        The idea of using zoo monkeys in research became an issue in 1989,
prompting zoo and UW officials to draw up the agreement stating that monkeys
on display at the zoo would be used for observational research and as an
educational tool for the public.
        The agreement, confirmed in writing again in 1990 and 1995, stated
that no invasive studies - in which monkeys are harmed or killed, or their
lives altered - would be conducted. Any exceptions were to be discussed with
the zoo director.
        Zoo Director David Hall said that happened only once, regarding two
genetically unique monkeys.
        Hinshaw maintained Friday that it was not important to hold anyone
accountable for what happened to the monkeys.
        "There are a lot of factors that go into accountability, and trying
to focus on a few individuals is not apparopriate to me. It's just not that
black and white," Hinshaw said.
        When pressed, she said she was upset to be bothered by a reporter at
home on a Friday night.
        Hinshaw said the first she knew of the improper use of zoo monkeys
was when she read The Capitol Times last Saturday. No one at the primate
center, she said, had ever brought the issue to her attention.

Dr. Shirley McGreal, Chairwoman, International Primate Protection League
POB 766 Summerville SC 29484 USA Phone: [phone] Fax: [phone]
Note new web page address: http://www.ippl.org/
PLEASE DIRECT ALL E-MAIL TO [e-mail]

Date: Thu, 28 Aug 1997 15:06:29 -0400
From: Shirley McGreal <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Wisconsin scandal, Part 3, worthy of National Enquirer!
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Primate center ex-chief came under fire for huge phone bills
by: Scott Russell, The Capital Times

        The National Institutes of Health alerted the UW-Madison that the
former director of the UW primate center appeared to have wrongfully billed
$40,000 to $60,000 for phone calls, many of them to Thailand, according to
confidential documents obtained by The Capital Times.
        John Hearn, who resigned as director of the Wisconsin Regional
Primate Research Center in Augjust 1996, apparently used grant funds to call
a woman who was both one of his employees and a lover, according to
correspondence from University of Wisconsin-Madison Graduate School Dean
Virginia Hinshaw to Chancellor David Ward.
        Hearn eventually agreed to pay $3,000 in full settlement of the
phone bill issue, although the agreement specifies that Hearn admitted to no
wrong doing by making the payment. In return for the payment and Hearn's
departure, the UW agreed it would conduct no futher investigation into the
matter.
        It's the latest wrinkle in Hearn's resignation.
        When Hearn stepped down, he said he had achieved his administrative
goals. But news broke in June that he was forced to resign because he failed
to report his romantic relationship with the female employee to UW
officials, a violation of university policy.
        Hinshaw wrote Ward Aug. 27, 1996, to outline the charges against
Hearn. Amoung them were the allegations about the phone bills.
        "I have recently become aware of allegations of possible financial
improprieties and misuse of NIH funds by Professor Hearn in his work at the
primate center," Hinshaw wrote, "On July 18, 1996, the university's internal
auditor was notified by the NIH of concerns over possible inappropriate
charges to Professor Hearn's grant for approximately $40,000-$60,000 in
long-distance phone calls."
        Many of the questionable calls were to Thailand, Hinshaw wrote. AT&T
charges $1.27 a minute to call Thailand during its off-peak hours; $40,000
would buy 500 hours.
        Hearn had developed a cooperative research project with a professor
in Thailand, an effort to develop a male contraceptive. The woman he was
dating was also conducting research in Thailand.
        In an Aug. 29 letter to Ward, Hearn admitted to the relationship
with the female employee, but he denied the inappropriate phone use.

Dr. Shirley McGreal, Chairwoman, International Primate Protection League
POB 766 Summerville SC 29484 USA Phone: [phone] Fax: [phone]
Note new web page address: http://www.ippl.org/
PLEASE DIRECT ALL E-MAIL TO [e-mail]

Date: Thu, 28 Aug 1997 15:12:33 -0400
From: Shirley McGreal <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Wisconsin monkey scandal, Part 4, the Cover-up
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Dean told of monkey violations last year by: Jason Shepard, The Capital
Times, Madison WI.

        Virginia Hinshaw, dean of the UW Graduate School, was told in a
letter more than a year ago about improper research on zoo monkeys, but she
says she doesn't remember receiving the information.
        A UW-Madison scientist who worked with monkeys at the Henry Vilas
Zoo informed Hinshaw 15 months ago that the university was violating an
agreement with the zoo that scientists at the university's Primate Research
Center would not use zoo monkeys in harmful research.
        Hinshaw admitted Monday that she was told about the policy
violations in May 1996 but did not investigate the matter.
        Sources close to the center say officals are engaging in a cover-up
to protect those responsible for longstanding policy violations.
        Meanwhile, University of Wisconsin Provost John Wiley expressed
confidence Monday in Hinshaw's efforts to put the controversy to rest.
        Hinshaw said she did not investigate the use of zoo monkeys because
it was one paragraph in a multi-page letter and at that time was not a
pressing issue.
        The letter was written by Dr. Kim Bauers, an assistant scientist who
used the monkeys at the zoo for her research on behavior and genetic
relatedness. She also conducted some of her research in Thailand and was
there when she wrote the letter.
        Bauers' letter stated in part:

        "(F)rom November (1996), and especially in January (1996), I
inadvertently turned up information in the course of my research that
revealed a failure on the part of the primate center to honor their formal
agreements with the Zoological Society and the director of the Vilas zoo.
The Zoological society, the zoo director and the public had made abundantly
clear that they did not want zoo monkeys to be used for terminal research or
infected with AIDS or used in other highly invasive procedures. Without
leveling with me about the situation, I was obstructed in accessing records
for an important research project in a distressing and inexcusably
unprofessional manner."

        After reviewing her correspondence with Bauers, Hinshaw said: "The
paragraph is there, but I honestly don't remember it because I was working
on other aspects with (Bauers) at the time."
        Hinshaw would not discuss what the other issues were involving
Bauers, but said they were personnel related.
        Earlier, Hinshaw had maintained she never knew about the situation
until The Capital Times on Aug. 9 reported the improper transfer of and
research on the monkeys.
        "I'm being very honest when I say I do not remember that particular
paragraph from that particular correspondence," Hinshaw said Monday.
        The transfer of monkeys from the zoo to invasive research projects
violates a 1989 agreement between the university and the zoo.
        Officials now say they may have violated that agreement as many as
201 times.
        The controversy has stemmed not from using and killing animals in
research - something that has been done at the UW for years. The issue is
how and why the university broke its promise to zoo officials and why the UW
has not sought to discipline those who improperly authorized the monkey
transfers.

                                ***********

        Violations denied:  It wasn't until The Capital Times obtained
specific monkey identification numbers that officals began to admit using
zoo monkeys in invasive research. Even then, the primate center's interim
director, Joe Kemmitz, said zoo monkeys were used only in special,
authorized circumstances.
        After The Capital Times first reported the abuses, Hinshaw launched
an investigation and asked primate center officials how many monkeys were
used in invasive research projects.
        At that time, Hinshaw said she wished she had known about the
situation internally before having the abuses published in a newspaper.
        Last Wednesday Hinshaw released her findings, which showed that 65
zoo monkeys were used in invasive studies, 26 were killed for their tissues,
and 110 were sold to other research facilities, where their fate is unknown.
That totals 201 monkeys involved in violations of the agreement between the
UW and the zoo.
        After The Capital Times' discovery of the 1996 letter, Bauers
confirmed Sunday night that she had sent it to Hinshaw, also telling her
that she feared retaliation for discovering the matter.
        Bauers said she was suspended from her role as co-manager at the
Vilas monkey facility in February 1996 after asking questions about the fate
of the animals removed from the zoo. She said she needeed to know where the
monkeys were because she was studying genetic characteristics of the animals
and needed to study their relatives.

                                *******

        List confiscated:  Bauers said a list of animal identification
numbers she compiled had been confiscated in January by Kirk Boehm, the
center's colony manager.
        Bauers was fired by Hinshaw in July 1996, but was later reinstated
after a review of her firing process in February 1997.
        In April, Hinshaw did not renew Bauers' contract. Bauers is on the
UW payroll until February 1998.
        However, Bauers said Hinshaw continues to deny her any access to the
computer system that is essential to completing her seven year research
program.
        Hinshaw responded, "That would be for me and her to discuss. That's
more of the personnel stuff."
        And even though she is currently a full-time scientist on the UW
payroll, Bauers has not been allowed access to her animals at the zoo,
essentially wiping out years of research, she said.
        "Their determination to cover up this misconduct is such that they
are locking me out of any access to the primate center computer system and
preventing me from completing a seven-year research investment that involved
years of time and effort on the part of several people," she said.

                                *******

        Who's responsible? "I feel that most of the researchers honestly did
not know about the agreement, but it was the responsibility of those who
assigned the animals, and it was the responsibility of the director to make
colony management aware of the agreement," she said.
        UW-Madison Chancellor David Ward was out of town Monday and
unavailable for comment.
        Provost Wiley said Monday he was confident in Hinshaw's
investigation and said he believed Hinshaw when she said she doesn't
remember the paragraph in the letter from Bauers.
        "She had to focus on what was the most important issues at the
time," Wiley said, "In retrospect there may be things buried in there of
substance."
        He also said he is supporting Henshaw in her statements that holding
someone accountable is not a priority.
        "Getting to the bottom of who authorized the exceptions (to the
agreement) has been very complicated and very difficult because there have
been so many personnel changes," Wiley said.
        "It would be very difficult if not impossible, to find out who was
responsible in each and every incidents.....Obviously, someone knew
something about this, but finding out who is not going to be easy."



Dr. Shirley McGreal, Chairwoman, International Primate Protection League
POB 766 Summerville SC 29484 USA Phone: [phone] Fax: [phone]
Note new web page address: http://www.ippl.org/
PLEASE DIRECT ALL E-MAIL TO [e-mail]

Date: Thu, 28 Aug 1997 13:16:58 -0700 (PDT)
From: [e-mail] (pawsinfo)
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Japan says no more orca captures "for the time being"
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

August 28, 1997
Contact: Bob Chorush 425-787-2500 ext 862

Japan says no more orca captures "for the time being"

Official word was received today from the Japanese Ministry of Foreign
Affairs stating that "We consider that the Fisheries Agency will not
authorize to capture any more orcas for the time being, because the research
on the orcas captured this time is on the way."

In a letter dated August 15 to Eiji Fujiwara, president of Elsa Nature
Conservancy, Tasuo Takase, Director of the Fishery Division, Economic
Affairs Bureau, The Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote that "The Japanese
government prohibits the capturing of orcas in principle" although the
Fisheries Agency can make exceptions to this for scientific research.

Takase also indicated the the whales captured February 7, 1997 were now the
property of the aquariums to which they were sold so that it would not be
possible to force their release or return to the wild. He wrote that whale
captures promote scientific research and that Japan "actively works for
conservation and management of wildlife...."

This is too little, too late. It took six months and two whale deaths for
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs to issue this statement. To date, the only
research that appears to have been done on the captured orcas involves how
long it takes to kill them in captivity.

The Progressive Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) joins with Earth Island
Institute and many other organzitions and individuals to ask all concerned
individuals to contact the Prime Minister of Japan to demand AN
UNCONDITIONAL END TO ORCA CAPTURES IN JAPAN.

Please send a respectful, but FIRM, letter to:

Mr. Ryutaro Hashimoto
Prime Minister of Japan
6-1 Nagata-Cho, 1-Chome
Chiyoda-Ku
Tokyo, Japan (60 cents postage from USA)
fax: [phone]

Please contact media in your area.

More information on the Taiji whales captures is available at:
http://www.paws.org/activists/taiji


----The text of the letter from The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the
Japanese Government follows-----


Date: August 15, 1997
From: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Japanese
      Government
To:   Eiji Fujiwara, president of Elsa Nature Conservancy


Dear Mr.Eiji Fujiwara, president of Elsa Nature Conservancy,

We received your letter of July 29.

The Japanese government prohibits the capturing of orcas in
principle, but the Fisheries Agency can exceptionally give a
permit to capture orcas only for the purpose of scientific
research after the deliberations in each case.

We understand that the orcas were captured under these
circumstances this time. We consider that the Fisheries Agency
will not authorize to capture any more orcas for the time being,
because the research on the orcas captured this time is on the
way. The Fisheries Agency should watch and wait the process and
result of the research.

On the other hand, the orcas already belong to each aquarium. We
understand that the Fisheries Agency is not in a position to
force the aquariums to release the orcas.

Our country actively works for conservation and management of
wildlife and, accordingly, is promoting scientific research.

We have received various opinions at home and from abroad. We
will convey all of them to the right persons concerned. We found
arguments based on emotion or on subjunctive sense of values
among the opinions we received, but we believe the constructive
opinions would serve as a reference in future in case of
considering what academic research should be or how it should be
promoted.


Tasuo Takase
Director of the Fishery Division,
Economic Affairs Bureau,
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs





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

Date: Thu, 28 Aug 1997 16:46:20 +0000
From: Liz Grayson <[e-mail]>
To: ar-news <[e-mail]>
Subject: People's Court' to Hear Chihuahua-Vs.-Boa
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

'The People's Court' to Hear Chihuahua-Vs.-Boa Brouhaha
                LOS ANGELES (AP) Next on the docket of "The People's
Court":
               the case of a dog-eating snake named Alissss, titled "I
               Can't Believe She Ate the Whole Thing."

               Ed Koch, the former New York City mayor who now presides
               over the hearings, today was to weigh the dueling $5,000
              All Psuits filed by Flossie Torgerson whose Chihuahua,
Babette,
               was eaten and Angus Johnson, whose 7{-foot boa
constrictor
               did the eating.

               "I've ruled on cases involving dogs injuring other dogs,
and
      of the dogs killing cats, but I've never had one involving a snake
         and a dog. So it'll be new to me," Koch said.

       Video Pick of The syndicated television show flew both sides to New
York
         from the Los Angeles area and was to pay the damages for the
               loser with the understanding no future litigation will be
               filed. No broadcast date was set.

               Mrs. Torgerson is suing for the value of Babette,
emotional
               distress and for funds to help her circulate a petition
to
               outlaw pet snakes in Los Angeles, a cause she has dubbed
               "Babette's Law." Johnson is countersuing for defamation
of
               character.

               Mrs. Torgerson's little dog was swallowed Aug. 9 by
Alissss,
               who appeared on the patio of her San Fernando Valley
home.
Date: Thu, 28 Aug 1997 14:48:25 -0700 (PDT)
From: Mike Markarian <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail], [e-mail],
        [e-mail]
Subject: VT Alert: Gov Dean on Radio Show
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

VERMONT ALERT

Governor Howard Dean will be on "Switchboard," a Vermont Public Radio
call-in show, on Tuesday, September 2, from 6:30-7:30 p.m.

If you live in Vermont, please call the show at 1-800-639-2211 and tell
Governor Dean you are outraged that the Department of Fish and Wildlife has
expanded the moose hunt once again this year, giving 165 moose hunting
permits this year and expanding the hunt area into central Vermont. Tell him
to pull in the reins on this renegade agency because Vermont residents want
to see moose alive, not dead.

Date: Fri, 29 Aug 1997 07:23:01 +0800
From: bunny <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Rabbit Disease spreads throughout South Island (New Zealand)
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Fri, 29th August 1997 (New Zealand)

RCD Spreading Rapidly

The whole of the South Island may be declared a control area, as MAF tries
to stop the spread of the rabbit virus RCD to the North Island.

MAF is considering the move as it would make transferring the virus to the
North Island illegal.

MAF chief vet, Barry O'Neil, says there is still no visual or scientific
evidence of RCD in the North Island. He says until there is, MAF will
continue to look at the option of placing the South Island under control to
try to stop it spreading to the North.

Meanwhile a McKenzie Country farmer is admitting he and other farmers
have been actively spreading the RCD virus for two months.

Peter Innes, who farms Black Forest Station on the edge of Lake Benmore
says the virus has been passed around through the farmers network and a
lot of others have been using it.

He says it's been spread by injecting rabbits, and also by putting it in rabbit
feed. But he says they've done nothing illegal in moving the virus around the
country, and the only illegal act was bringing it in to New Zealand.

Yesterday two McKenzie country farmers announced they've been
spreading the disease for at least two months, but have denied breaking the
law by importing it. A decision on whether to continue attempts to contain
RCD will be made by Cabinet on Monday.

Meanwhile MAF is still hunting for the importer with a view to prosecuting.


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

Rabbit Information Service,
P.O.Box 30,
Riverton,
Western Australia 6148

Email>  [e-mail]

http://www.wantree.com.au/~rabbit/rabbit.htm
(Rabbit Information Service website updated frequently)

     /`\   /`\
    (/\ \-/ /\)
       )6 6(
     >{= Y =}<
      /'-^-'\
     (_)   (_)
      |  .  |
      |     |}
 jgs  \_/^\_/













Date: Thu, 28 Aug 1997 20:02:33 -0400
From: allen schubert <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: (CN) Wild Horses in China's Northwest to Return to Nature
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

from CNN web page:
---------------------------------
Wild Horses in China's Northwest to Return to Nature

Xinhua
28-AUG-97

URUMQI (Aug. 28) XINHUA - Wildlife experts in western China's Xinjiang
Uygur Autonomous Region have decided to let some rare wild horses (Equus
Przewalskii Poliakov) that have been fenced to a semi-wild environment and
then return them to the wild.

According to the three-to-five-year strategy, the wild horses will be sent
to the wilderness of the Jungar Basin so that they can learn to live on
their own in natural conditions, as feeding is gradually reduced and they
are monitored less.

These wild horses originated in what is now Xinjiang and are considered a
rare species.  In 1886, Russian traveller Przewalskii Poliakov captured
some of the animals during a visit to the region and took them to Europe.
The animal had become extinct in China by the 1980s, but there were about a
hundred in some European zoos and in the United States.

With the help of world wildlife organizations, China bought 18 of the
horses from Germany, Great Britain and the United States in 1985 and set up
a breeding center in the autonomous region.

The number of wild horses had grown to 70 by the end of last year and the
center had gained a great deal of experience and data on care for the
animals, adequate preparation for returning the species to the wild. It
will soon put them through a training program to improve their adaptability
before completely letting them go.
Date: Thu, 28 Aug 1997 20:28:56 -0400
From: allen schubert <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: (US) USDA Seeks Broader Authority
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

from AP Wire page:
----------------------------------------
 08/28/1997 19:20 EST

 USDA Seeks Broader Authority

 WASHINGTON (AP) -- In the wake of the recent hamburger E. coli outbreak,
 Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman wants Congress to give him authority
 to recall contaminated meat and other foods, government officials said
 Thursday.

 The proposal is being reviewed by White House officials in the Office of
 Management and Budget and could be on the desks of lawmakers when they
 return to Congress next week, said Jacque Knight, a spokeswoman for the
 Agriculture Department's food safety and inspection department.

 Glickman is scheduled to discuss details of the bill at a news conference
 Friday.

 The legislation is in response to last week's recall of 25 million pounds
 of ground beef produced by Hudson Foods Inc. A recent outbreak of E. coli
 contamination in Colorado was traced to the company's plant in Nebraska.
 Federal investigators are looking into the plant for alleged unsafe
 practices.

 The USDA does not have the authority to recall products now. It can only
 ask a company to pull its products voluntarily and most do.

 ``The secretary feels this would give us more teeth and let us be in more
 control of the situation,'' said Knight, who noted that similar bills
 were introduced last year and in 1994.

 ``The secretary feels maybe third time is the charm,'' she said.

Date: Thu, 28 Aug 1997 20:33:10 -0400
From: allen schubert <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: (US) Primates in Peril, Except Humans
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

from AP wire page:
-----------------------------------
 08/28/1997 16:02 EST

 Primates in Peril, Except Humans

 By SLOBODAN LEKIC
 Associated Press Writer

 WASHINGTON (AP) -- Hunting and the steady loss of forests have made
 primates the most imperiled group of mammals on the planet, a private
 group says. Only one species is increasing in numbers: humans.

 Almost half the 235 primates are threatened with extinction, including
 mankind's closest evolutionary relative the chimpanzee. Another 20
 percent are approaching threatened status, Worldwatch Institute said in a
 report published Thursday.

 ``In general, the reasons for the declines are no mystery: they all
 relate directly or indirectly to human actions,'' said the report titled
 ``Death in the Family Tree.''

 It spotlights a number of ``hot spots'' where forest loss has resulted in
 high concentrations of endangered primates. These include southeast Asia,
 equatorial Africa, Madagascar and southeastern Brazil.

 ``The fate of these forests will largely determine the fate of most
 primates, and more and more of these forests are losing their ecological
 integrity as they are logged, colonized and cleared for agriculture,''
 the article said.

 Nine-tenths of the primates of south and east Asia face extinction. In
 Indonesia and Malaysia, orangutans, the great ape most dependent on
 trees, have lost 80 percent of their trees in two decades.

 With only 200 individuals left after the loss of much of its rain forest
 environment, Vietnam's Tonkin snub-nose monkey has become the world's
 rarest primate.

 The macaques of Japan are steadily losing living space to urbanization.
 Deprived of natural foods, desperate macaques turn to raiding orchards
 and fields, prompting farmers to kill about 10 percent of the 50,000
 surviving macaques each year.

 Primates also still face heavy ``hunting pressure'' in various places.
 Some, especially the big apes orangutans, gibbons, chimps and gorillas,
 are being trapped for the pet trade. ``They are so much like us that
 there is a virtually insatiable demand for them,'' the report said.

 ``There's certainly a problem with certain species, and a lot of this is
 due to the increase of human population,'' said researcher Harold McClure
 of Emory University's Yerkes Primate Center.

 McClure said he has seen no figures that confirm primates are more
 endangered than other mammals, but ``I would feel comfortable with that''
 assertion.

 Worldwatch, an independent research institute financed by private grants
 and sale of its publications, monitors environmental and social issues. A
 spokeswoman for World Wildlife Fund, which seeks to protect animals
 around the globe, echoed the report.

 ``There are few species that are as good an indicator of the overall
 health of an ecosystem as primates,'' said Jinette Hemley, the fund's
 director of wildlife policy. ``The new pressures are spelling potential
 disaster for them.''

 While the world's human population has grown steadily to above 5.7
 billion people, great apes are declining and now number fewer than
 400,000.

 Despite a generally gloomy outlook for most species, the report contained
 snippets of encouraging conservation news.

 Biomedical research once consumed up to 90,000 chimpanzees a year but now
 relies on captive-bred animals. In Rwanda, the social pact with the famed
 mountain gorillas weathered even the recent ethnic conflict that killed
 at least 500,000 people. Only two of the 320 remaining gorillas died.

Date: Thu, 28 Aug 1997 20:33:31 -0400
From: allen schubert <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: (US) Humus, Baba Ghanouj Recalled
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

from AP Wire page:
-----------------------------------
 08/28/1997 17:24 EST

 Humus, Baba Ghanouj Recalled

 WASHINGTON (AP) -- Rite Foods of Boston recalled three brands of hummus
 and baba ghanouj Thursday because it has the potential to be contaminated
 with Listeria.

 No illnesses have been reported. Listeria causes short-term
 gastrointestinal problems in healthy people but can cause serious,
 sometimes fatal infections in young children, the elderly and people with
 weak immune systems. It also can cause miscarriages.

 The recall included all flavors and sizes of Tribe of Two Sheiks, MaxBean
 and Brueggers hummus and baba ghanouj products with expiration dates
 prior to Nov. 22.

 Sold nationally, the products are in plastic containers ranging from
 2-ounce to 62-ounce sizes.

 The company said consumers should return the suspect product to the place
 of purchase for a full refund. Consumers can call 1-800-421-3474 from 8
 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST daily for more information.

Date: Thu, 28 Aug 1997 20:54:15 -0400
From: Vegetarian Resource Center <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: "Vegetarian Voices"
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Vegetarian Voices

"Vegetarian Voices" has chosen ICQ as the preferred method
of communication between its members.

It would be possible for another site to be established entirely
for AR messages, although we do not wish to disempower
the various AR e-mail lists that already exist.

In the meantime, use ours, if you wish.  And use ICQ for humane purposes.

ICQ empowers members with a means to chat whenever they like
and enables them to share ideas, discuss similar interests or anything else.

We encourage all members to get ICQ and provide us with their ICQ numbers.

We will list the ICQ numbers of all members on the site,
allowing quick contact with members for anyone who may visit this page.

All "Vegetarian Voices" members are included in the list
by default. Names can be omitted from the list.

http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/9189/icqlist.htm

Description / Purpose: Vegetarian Voices is an open fourm designed to
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Date: Thu, 28 Aug 1997 22:28:30 -0700
From: Howard Davis <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Ferrets, Pigs, Rotties Abused by Illinois Breeder
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Independent Ferret News Service
Burke VA 22009-1007
http://www.acmeferret.com/infobank/

AUGUST 27, 1997

Your help is desperately needed to save the lives of a large number of
animals who are suffiering horribly in Illinois - ferrets (many who have
already died), pot bellied pigs (about 50) and rottweilers.  A contact
list and sample letter or fax is included at the end.

BREEDER PASSES "INSPECTION" - 140 FERRETS VANISH!

In what was a travesty of justice, the Illinois Bureau of Animal Welfare
on August 25 re-inspected the filth-plagued premises of a Granite City
ferret breeder and pronounced him in compliance with the law.

Dr. David Bromwell, Chief Veterinarian at the Animal Welfare Bureau,
told me in a telephone interview today that breeder Rick Robbins had
passed the second inspection because he had "got rid of some of the
fecal matter" in the cages and because he had gotten his own
veterinarian to attest that the animals were being properly cared for.

Out of 220 ferrets counted by a humane investigator visiting the
premises last week, only "78 or 79" remained when the filth farm owned
by Rick Robbins was re-inspected. Robbins was not asked what happened to
the others, nor did he volunteer the information. The inspectors also
found 50 pot-bellied pigs and 3 Rotweilers on the premises of what the
field inspector reported a week ago was nothing but "a damn dump."

Considering the fact that the ferrets were being kept in cramped cages
half-filled with excrement, in a tin shed with no light or ventilation
while outside temperatures were over 100 degrees, it must be assumed
that all the others died.

Dr. David Bromwell, Chief Veterinarian for the Bureau of Animal Welfare,
which is under the Illinois Department of Agriculture, angrily defended
his decision.

He also said he was extremely upset that both he and the governor were
being bombarded with faxes and telephone calls because of "all those
ferret people on the internet."

In defense of his decision, Bromwell said:

"Let's be honest, the cages were rusty, they weren't like we would
expect for dogs and cats - but these are ferrets." He noted that Robbins
"had got rid of some of the fecal matter," and added that, "there's
nothing in the statute that says how much fecal matter is allowed."

He said that according to his inspector, the cages for the ferrets were
"18 inches to 2 feet", and that "no more than 2 ferrets were in any
cage."  A licensed humane investigator has described the cages as only
1' x 1' x 1'.

The premises had failed an inspection on Thursday, August 21, said
Bromwell, because the field inspector reported, "it's a damn dump -
there's crap all over." The inspector's notice of violation alleged
improper care of the animals, Bromwell said, so Robbins was required to
produce a certificate signed by a licensed veterinarian that the animals
were receiving proper care.

According to Bromwell, Robbins was allowed to choose his own
veterinarian to come to the "damn dump" and certify that the animals
were being well cared for.  The veterinarian who gave the Robbins
operation a clean bill of health for animal care was Dr. Michael H.
Firsching of Edwardville, IL.

Robbins is a repeat offender.  He failed an inspection in mid-1996,
according to Bromwell.  At that time, the inspector found the
pot-bellied pigs to be in such poor condition that he ordered them all
to be tested for several specific diseases.

Bromwell said he did not see any "conflict of interest" in allowing
Robbins to choose his own veterinarian to inspect the premises, because
Firsching as a licensed veterinarian is answerable to the state
veterinary licensing board for his actions.

Commercial breeders, however, are not responsible to the Department of
Natural Resources, the state agency that licenses them.  According to
Bromwell, the licensing structure for breeders in Illinois is "simply a
tax measure - there's no inspection - you pay your $20, you get your
license."

Bromwell said the only authority he has is to enforce animal welfare
laws.  He admitted that he does have the authority to impound or
relocate animals found being cared for in an inhumane manner - and has
exercised it in the past, to protect horses for example.

The field inspector is required to file a written report of his
investigation, said Bromwell, but it won't be made public.

I asked Bromwell straight out if he would make a copy of the report
available, and he said, "No, you'll have to get that through the Freedom
of Information Act."
----

SHELTER DIRECTOR APPEALS FOR NATIONAL FAX-IN

By Kathy Fritz

The State of Illinois has done it again! Dr. David R. Bromwell, Head
Veterinarian for the Department of Agriculture passed Mr. Rick Robbins'
premises inspection on Monday, August 25, 1997.

Dr. Bromwell passed the inspection even though, as he stated to Howard
Davis in their phone conversation today, that the conditions the ferrets
are kept in, "aren't up to the standards for cats and dogs." I'm sorry,
people, this makes me very, very angry! The state of Illinois is looking
upon ferrets as second-class citizens again. It's time we education
them!

I beg all people owned by these wonderful creatures to get busy faxing,
phoning, writing Governor Jim Edgar and Becky Doyle, Director of the
Department of Agriculture letting them know that the eyes of the ferret
community across the nation are on them and that we want fair and equal
treatment for these ferrets. Request that Dr. Bromwell reopen the case
against Mr. Rick Robbins. And also that Mr. Robbins should have to
account for the missing ferrets. If they are deceased, what did they die
of? I believe it's time for the State of Illinois to own up to this
travesty.

Well, what are you waiting for -- get those fingers going, push that
button and send those faxes!

Kathy Fritz
The Ferret Nook
Cambridge, WI

HERE'S HOW YOU CAN HELP:

Write, fax, telephone, or email the Governor of Illinois and the
Director of the Department of Agriculture. Be polite but insist that the
Robbins case be re-opened and the premises be re-inspected by *impartial
investigators.*

Governor Jim Edgar
207 Statehouse
Springfield, IL 62706
217-782-0244 (Voice)
217-524-4049 (Fax)
[e-mail] (Email)
http://www.state.il.us/ (Website)

Becky Doyle, Director
Illinois Department of Agriculture
PO Box 19281
State Fairgrounds
Springfield, IL 62794-9281
217-782-2172 (Voice)
217-785-4505 (Fax)

MORE E-MAIL, SNAIL MAIL, PHONE AND FAX CONTACTS

KDNL ABC 30
1215 Cole Street
St. Louis, MO 63106
314/436-3030

KMOV CBS 4
#1 Memorial Dr.
St. Louis, MO 63102
314/621-4444

KNLC 24
1411 Locust St.
St. Louis, MO 63103
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 924
St. Louis, MO 63188
314/436-2424
314/436-2434 (fax)

KPLR WB 11
4935 Lindell Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63108-1587
314/367-7211
314/454-6488 (fax)
[e-mail]
http://www.kplr.com/

KSDK NBC 5
[e-mail]
(no address or phone no.)

KTVI 2 FOX
5915 Berthold
St. Louis, MO 63110
314/647-2222
314/647-8960 (fax)
[e-mail]

The Saint Louis Post Dispatch:  http://www.stlnet.com/
The Saint Louis Post Dispatch has a forum called "Speak!  A Forum on
Pets."
  Send them your views (local people especially) about Robbins being
allowed
to continue his abusive, inhumane practices.


Sample Letter, Fax, or Email:

(Note - Please use your own words if possible.  Letters and faxes have
to be handled so are less likely to be ignored, and can be more powerful
than e-mails.  But do whatever you can - every single thing you
do is appreciated and needed.)

Dear Governor Edgar or Dear Director Doyle

I am appalled that the Illinois Bureau of Animal Welfare has given the
green light to commercial animal breeder Rick Robbins of Granite City, a
repeat offender, to continue maintaining dozens of ferrets and
pot-bellied pigs in filthy, inhumane conditions. Dr. Bromwell of the
Bureau of Animal Welfare concedes that the animals were still being
housed in filthy cages from which only "some of the fecal matter" had
been removed. Dr. Bromwell admits the ferrets were not being housed in a
manner that would be acceptable for dogs or cats - why then are those
conditions supposed to be acceptable for ferrets?

Given the fact that Robbins is a repeat offender, it is indefensible
that the Bureau of Animal Welfare should have allowed Robbins to get off
the hook simply by getting HIS OWN VETERINARIAN, Dr. Michael Firsching,
to attest that the animals are being "properly cared for."

This is a clear case of conflict of interest, on the veterinarian's
part.
The Department of Agriculture should require the Bureau of Animal
Welfare to re-open the Robbins case immediately and send impartial,
unbiased investigators to inspect the premises.  And Robbins should be
required to DOCUMENT what happened to the 140 ferrets who disappeared -
and doubtless died in the heat - between the time of first complaint was
filed and the day of the re-inspection.

Please give this matter your urgent attention.

Respectfully,

(Your name here)
Date: Thu, 28 Aug 1997 23:43:17 -0400 (EDT)
From: [e-mail]
To: [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail],
        [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail],
        [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail],
        [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail],
        [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail],
        [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail],
        [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail],
        [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail],
        [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail],
        [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail],
        [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail],
        [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail],
        [e-mail], [e-mail]
Subject: Project launched to change horrible shelter conditions(VA)
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=unknown-8bit


Richmond Animal Rights Network has launched a volunteer program
with the Richmond Animal Shelter. A few months ago a worker inside the
Richmond Animal Shelter (which is also animal control for the city) blew the
whistle on cruel practices at the shelter. Many of these problems are
still happening and they are listed below. We are getting RARN members to
volunteer inside the shelter to prevent any cruelty from happening and
to give these animals a better life. We are also rescuing and fostering
animals from the shelter until we can find homes for them.
This is very expensive because some of these animals need medical
care before they can be adopted and all of them need to be
spayed/neutered.

About the Richmond Animal Shelter...

òLast fall, David Moshetti, a former animal control officer, blew the
whistle on cruel and inhumane practices at the shelter. The shelter had
been killing animals by using an intraperitoneal injection in which
sodium pentobarbital is injected into the abdomen and absorbed into the
system until the animal dies. They also were using a method call "heart
sticking". áA staff member would hoist a dog up on its hind legs with a
catch pole and jab a needle into its heart. (With cats the staff member
would step on the cats back legs to immobilize it.) If the staff member
hit the animals heart it would have a fatal heart attack. If they missed
they would hit a lung and it would fill with fluid. The animal would
feel as if they were drowning and they would paddle with their front
paws. Blood would spurt from the animals mouth and nose. It could take
between 20 seconds to a minute to die. Then the animal would be thrown
in a pile of dead animals. This practice had been going on for at least
5 years.
òLast year, two animals were found alive in the pile of dead animals.
òNow the shelter sends the animals to the Richmond SPCA to be
euthanised.
òPaperwork at the shelter is disorganized or never completed.
òSome animals that have left the shelter cannot be accounted
for. In one incident the shelter says that they sent a bunch of puppies
to the SPCA to be euthanised but the SPCA says the puppies never
arrived.
òThe whistleblower was moved to a different job and then he was
forced to resign. His wife who was also an animal control officer was
suspended and eventually fired.
òAnimals are not fed properly- regardless of size they receive
a cup and a half of food.
òCat food had been found in dog bowls.
òKennel cleaning is improper and deficient.
òThe veterinarian hired by the shelter was suspended for not euthanising
a healthy dog and her seven puppies.
ò3 newborn puppies were washed into a drain during a kennel
cleaning and died. Since this incident volunteers have had to pull
several puppies out of the drain.
òPaint is chipped and peeling in the dog kennels even though the
shelter was recently remodeled.
òWorkers mishandle the animals. Several animals have died by
being choked on the catch pole.
òThe shelter appears to have several employees that do a whole
lot of nothing.
òThe shelter does not have outdoor runs for the dogs.
òSeveral cats /kittens appear to have upper respiratory infections
that are not being treated.
òTags on the animals cages are frequently missing or they have
been washed away and never replaced.
òThe shelter and the city are trying to cover-up the conditions in
the shelter and get rid of concerned people. Shelter volunteers are
now required to be interviewed and sign a contract set
forth by the city so that they cannot sue the city if they are denied
access to the shelter. This policy is another way for the shelter to
eliminate the people that are actually concerned for the animals.
òA group formed to help change the shelter, Save Our Shelter (S.O.S.), has
been denied access to the animals before and their complaints are
ignored by the city. Cameras are no longer allowed in the shelter.

What you can do:

Contact the:

Mayor Office [phone]
City Council [phone]
City Manager [phone]
Commonwealth's Attorney [phone]

Complain about the mismanagement at the shelter. Ask that the city do
something about the complaints brought forth by S.O.S. and demand better
treatment for the animals.

Contact Richmond Animal Rights Network, PO Box 4288, Richmond, VA 23220

We desperately need donations so that we can continue to rescue the
animals from the shelter and find them good homes. We also plan to buy
toys for the animals in the shelter and buy our own medicine for the
animals since the shelter does not appear to give them medicine.

Please contact us if you can help [phone]
[e-mail]
Date: Thu, 28 Aug 1997 20:50:27 -0700
From: Andrew Gach <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: "Hysteria" delays drug introduction
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Roche delays U.S. launch of drug for weight control

Reuter Information Service

ZURICH, Switzerland (August 28, 1997 11:16 a.m. EDT) - Roche Holding AG
announced Thursday that the U.S. launch of a promising new drug for
weight control would be delayed while it gathered data on breast cancer
cases observed in clinical trials.

Roche said it withdrew its New Drug Application with the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration for the weight-management drug Xenical, whose
chemical name is orlistat, to gain more time to submit further analyses
of available data.

The deadline for the FDA's expedited review period expired this week,
necessitating the withdrawal, a spokesman said.

The company also said, however, that it was convinced there was no link
between orlistat and breast cancer and that it planned to re-submit its
application within the next few months.

Roche said it would continue to work on registering orlistat in all
markets outside the United States as planned.

The United States, however, is seen as potentially the biggest single
market for the drug, which some analysts consider the most important of
Roche's new products and which could one day generate $1 billion a year
in sales.

Analysts estimated the delay could cost Roche $200 million to $300
million in lost sales in 1998.

Xenical takes a new approach to weight reduction. Instead of reducing
appetite or trying to speed up metabolism, it stops the body from
absorbing fat.

When an FDA advisory board recommended the drug's approval in May, the
company and the U.S. authorities said 11 patients were discovered to
have tumors, but all were found within the first six months of the
studies.

Clinical trials were conducted on 4,000 patients.

An independent panel evaluated the findings and concluded that in half
the cases the tumors probably were already forming before patients began
taking Xenical. The others most likely were due to chance, they said.

Roche has devoted significant resources to marketing and distribution in
anticipation of the launch of Xenical and two other drugs this year. It
has created more than 1,000 new positions in the United
States alone since 1996.

Roche has expressed high hopes for Xenical, particularly in the U.S.
market.

The withdrawal comes at a time of increasing discussion about controls
and potential side effects, one analyst said.

"There is a bit of hysteria, especially when it comes to breast cancer
in the U.S.," the analyst said.

But the analysts were confident that Xenical would eventually be
approved for U.S. sale after some delay.

"It is very difficult to make an assessment of the implications. This
might take weeks or it might take months," one analyst said, adding that
it was not yet clear just how much of the approval process will have to
be repeated.

"It (Xenical) probably won't be launched until the first quarter of
1998," the analyst added.

Enskilda Securities pharmaceuticals analyst Annabel MacIver said the
setback could delay the product's launch for as much as a full year.
Date: Thu, 28 Aug 1997 20:54:35 -0700
From: Andrew Gach <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: More "hysteria"
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

New warnings required for diet pills

The Associated Press

(August 28, 1997 10:10 a.m. EDT) -- Dr. Michael Hamilton discovered a
heart murmur in one of his fen-phen diet pill patients after the Mayo
Clinic reported similar problems.

"I don't know if it was always there, whether I hadn't listened
carefully enough that first day, whether the air conditioner noise made
it difficult to hear," said Hamilton, an obesity expert at Duke
University.

Despite the same uncertainties among other doctors, regulators who
discovered dozens more suspicious cases are taking precautions. The Food
and Drug Administration on Wednesday ordered prescriptions of fen-phen
and another popular diet drug, Redux, to warn about possible heart valve
damage.

Doctors at the Mayo Clinic reported seven weeks ago that 24 women
appeared to develop bad valves after taking fen-phen, the appetite
suppressants used by millions to lose weight.

Fen-phen is a combination of the prescription drugs fenfluramine and
phentermine. Both drugs are approved by the FDA for short-term use in
dieting, although not specifically in combination.

The FDA asked physicians to report any other patients, and that search
turned up 58 additional cases among fen-phen users, all but two of them
in women. The FDA described its latest findings in Thursday's "New
England Journal of Medicine."

How many of the cases were actually caused by the medicines is unclear.
Some doctors wondered whether newly vigilant physicians might be hearing
heart murmurs -- the telltale sound of bad valves -- that have been
there all along.

Manufacturers of the medicines raised the possibility that obesity
itself -- not drugs to treat the condition -- may actually be causing
the heart problems.

However, Dr. Michael Friedman, the FDA's acting commissioner, said: "The
data seem very persuasive. The association that at first was thought to
be tenuous is now much stronger."

Just how great the risk of heart damage is -- even whether it truly
exists -- cannot be determined without a careful study comparing diet
pill users with overweight people who are not taking the medicines.

Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories, which makes the Pondimin brand of
fenfluramine, said Wednesday it will sponsor a study of 1,200 fen-phen
users and others being treated for obesity.

"Recognizing that both drugs have been available for many years and
millions of patients have taken them, we were quite surprised to have
this finding, but we take it very seriously," said Dr. Marc W. Deitch,
Wyeth-Ayerst's medical director.

Fenfluramine is chemically similar to Redux, which came on the market
last year. The FDA said it also had learned of four cases of heart valve
damage in Redux users.

At Interneuron Pharmaceuticals, which makes Redux, spokesman Bill Boni
said the limited number of cases can't be conclusively tied to the drug
"and may be related to the underlying condition of obesity."

Doctors appear to have cut back their use of all three drugs. Figures
from IMS America, a drug market research company, show that in the month
after the Mayo Clinic findings were made public, new prescriptions for
fenfluramine fell 40 percent, Redux 23 percent and phentermine 18
percent.

An editorial in the journal by Dr. Gregory D. Curfman, a deputy editor,
called the latest findings "chilling reminders that succumbing to the
allure of diet pills as a quick fix for excess weight may be
courting disaster."

He called for a moratorium against using the drugs for cosmetic weight
loss. However, experts already recommend that the diet drugs be used
only by seriously obese people.

Doctors who treat obesity contend that being too heavy is a serious
medical condition, and the benefits of slimming down may far outweigh
the hazards of the pills for many people. They note that obesity
contributes to breathing problems, diabetes, heart disease, high blood
pressure, stroke, gallstones and arthritis and plays a part in 300,000
deaths a year.

"Despite these setbacks, we need to push ahead and develop safer, more
effective long-term drugs that help people maintain their weight,"
Hamilton said.
Date: Thu, 28 Aug 1997 20:57:02 -0700
From: Andrew Gach <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Infection from handling fish
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Researchers: More reports of infections from fish expected

The Associated Press

TORONTO (August 28, 1997 09:46 a.m. EDT) -- Thursday's publication of an
article about a new invasive bacterial infection likely will spawn more
reports of the affliction, which spreads to humans cut while handling
fish, researchers predict.

Researchers who prepared the article, published Thursday in the "New
England Journal of Medicine," documented nine cases of streptococcus
iniae in Toronto-area residents.

"This is probably a new, emerging pathogen," said Dr. Don Low, head of
microbiology at Mount Sinai and Princess Margaret hospitals.

The bacterium had been known to occur in fish since the late 1970s, but
it appears to have developed a new strain that can infect humans, Low
said, adding that the article would make doctors around the world more
aware of the bacteria, resulting in more cases of infection turning up.

Infection, which results in raw, inflamed skin, occurs when a person
cleaning fresh fish suffers a cut or skin puncture. Eating the fish, or
handling it without incurring a wound, doesn't make a person
sick.

Since the article was submitted for publication, a 10th local case has
been found and two people have been stricken in Vancouver.

In the worst case, Low said, one man developed meningitis and a heart
valve infection as a direct result of the bacteria, but all survived.

Everyone affected was Asian, with the majority from the Chinese
community, where it's customary to purchase live fish and clean them at
home, Low said.

He said a variety of fish were implicated but the freshwater tilapia,
popular in the Caribbean and Far East, are most often involved,
especially those bought live from stores.