Komputer for Alle 1998 #6/1998 CD 6 (Gul).iso/web/ffa/wwwenv~1.org/arrs/digest/news52~4.htm/text0000.txt

Text File | 1998-04-03 | 60.4 KB | 1,392 lines

                                                        !!!!!!SUPER
IMPORTANT DEMO!!!!!!!!


Date: Sunday, September 21, 1997
Time: 11:15 AM Sharp!!
Place: Macy's entrance to Queens Center Mall, 90-01 Queens, Boulevard, Rego
Park, Queens
Reason: Macy's is America's biggest fur seller and is part of Federated,
North America's largest fur seller!

Description: At 11:15 a few  activists will commence a walk-thru at Macy's,
while subsequently others begin demonstrating outside the store. Other
people have already been told to arrive at Noon, so the demo will hit full
force at that point.  At 2 PM we will march one block to Stern's, also part
of Federated, where we will demonstrate until 3:30 PM.

Background:  Sunday will mark the first demonstration of the Coalition to
Abolish the Fur Trade's Queens chapter. It is VITAL that as many people as
possible attend.  We intend to do heavy media outreach for this event,
where we will establish CAFT's reputation with the Queens media.  It is
very imprtant that we increase the activism level in the outer boroughs
where almost NOTHING has been happening these past few years.  Manhattan
may be the heart of the fur trade, but Queens is at the very least the
aorta. Queens used to have a very active group, Justice for Animals, and
while JFA still exists, theyaren't as active as they once were. We will be
calling JFA activsts for this action to try to get them back in the spirit
of action.  We will also be calling Wetlands activists, the complete
Student Abolitionist League list for the metro area, and a number of other
lists.  Our goal is to call about 1500 people for this demo.  That's right,
1500!! To do this we will need LOTS of volunteers who can make calls from
work, school, or home or who can come into the Wetlands Preserve and make
calls from there free of charge, or make calls from Justice for Animals'
office.

If you'd like to help, email me tonight at [e-mail]
or call me tomorrow morning at [phone]
or Tomorrow evening at [phone]
or tomorrow night at [phone]
(I'm writing Tuesday night)

After tomomrrow, try me at any combination of these and you'll get me
eventually.

****Call the Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade-NYC upcoming events hotline
at [phone]*****

"Man is able to abuse and slaughter and experiment on animals simply
because he is stronger than they are.  There's no MORAL ground on which to
justify any animal exploitation,  A child with leukemia has no more
intrinsic right to life than does an white rat.  Anyone who believes that
man's intellegence make him specials should only look at the way we
continue to destroy our environment. Man is NOT an intelligent species."
-- Grant Morrison, Animal Man #26, a comic book  available from Student
Abolitionist League's lending library


Date: Wed, 17 Sep 1997 00:51:09
From: David J Knowles <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: [UK/HU] Drunk man rides horse to 10th floor
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"


>From The Electronic Telegraph - Wednesday, September 17th, 1997

Drunk man rides horse to 10th floor

PEOPLE asleep in a 10-storey block of flats in the Hungarian town of
Tapolca were woken by a horse whinnying and found a drunken man on
horseback on the top-floor landing, the state news agency MTI said yesterday.

Police said the man got drunk at a nearby village and rode his horse home.
His driver's licence was revoked recently for drunk driving. He then vowed
to travel only on horseback.

⌐ Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1997.

Date: Wed, 17 Sep 1997 17:26:32 +0000
From: jwed <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Bullfighting - Thank you
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Thank you very much to the nearly 400 of you who signed the SPCA (HK) and
IFAW's petition against the bullfighting in Macau. The countries
represented in this truly international protest are Australia, Austria,
Britain, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Cyprus, EUA, Germany, Hong Kong, India,
Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Panama, Peru,
Portugal, Puerto Rico, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, and the USA.

Sadly, that is the only good news I have to report, which is why I am
turning to you for help again. There are two ways you can help now, please
give some thought to whether you can spare us some more time.

The first way is easy:

1. NEWSPAPERS
Both Hong Kong/Macau English-language newspapers carry
stories today that deride the efforts of animal welfare campaigners to get
the bullfighting in Macau stopped.
On 22 September we are holding a press conference. Please help me
to convince the media that the world is watching Macau's shame. This is as
simple as selecting one or both of the addresses below and letting the
editor know what you think. Please send a copy of your letter to me
([e-mail]).
"South China Morning Post" (www.scmp.com) - [e-mail]
"Hong Kong Standard" (www.hkstandard.com) - [e-mail]

The second way is also easy, but will involve a bit more of your time...

2. The bullfighting opens on Saturday 27 September. A group of us will be
making our way to Macau to protest at the stadium. This will be a peaceful
protest in front of the stadium. Please consider joining us, if you are
going to be in Hong Kong or Macau on the 27th. Anyone interested should
email me ([e-mail]).

Please forward this message to any of your friends who may be interested in
helping the cause.

For the animals,

Steven Lewis
Protest Co-ordinator, IFAW, SPCA(HK)
Date: Wed, 17 Sep 1997 08:15:01 -0400
From: allen schubert <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: (US) Cause of fish outbreak still unknown
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

from USA Today web page:
------------------------------------------------
09/15/97- Updated 12:15 AM ET

Cause of fish outbreak still unknown

DORCHESTER COUNTY, Md. - An outbreak of a virulent,
fish-killing microbe was detected over the weekend in
a fourth Chesapeake Bay river, confounding scientists
struggling to understand its mysterious behavior and
heightening consumer fears about the safety of
seafood from the Mid-Atlantic region.

Just as officials were hoping the outbreak might be
subsiding, a new fish kill was discovered in a
stretch of the Chicamacomico River on Maryland's
Eastern Shore. On Sunday, state officials closed a
six-mile portion of the marshy, brackish waterway
popular with local fishermen.

The killer in question is Pfiesteria piscicida
(fee-STEER-ee-uh pis-kuh-SEED-uh), a one-celled
organism that lives in many estuaries and rivers.
When fish swim by, they sometimes trigger Pfiesteria
to release powerful poisons that eat away at the
fishes' scales.

Scientists have been studying Pfiesteria since it was
discovered in 1991 in North Carolina and still don't
know what causes the attacks on a variety of fish.
Fish with sores were found from the Chesapeake Bay
south to Florida in the 1980s. But there were no
massive fish die-offs, and no one knew at the time
what caused the lesions.

Since Aug. 29, after finding the first fish scarred
with dime-sized lesions, Maryland has forbidden
fishing and swimming in a total of 17 miles in three
waterways feeding into the Chesapeake Bay. The bay is
one of the largest recreational and commercial
fishing areas along the East Coast. State officials
are concerned about several fishermen and swimmers
who had contact with fish and water from the rivers
and who reported fatigue, short-term memory loss and
flulike symptoms.

Pfiesteria also has been discovered in coastal
Virginia's Rappahannock River. But Virginia officials
say there is no evidence it has killed fish or made
people ill.

If it continues spreading throughout the region, the
effect could be devastating to the huge Chesapeake
seafood industry, which sells its blue crabs,
rockfish and other seafood products around the world.
Fish in the bay have not been affected by Pfiesteria.

Despite assurances from officials in Maryland and
Virginia that fish without lesions are safe to eat,
the scare has hurt seafood sales more than 100 miles
away in Washington, D.C. Business has declined at
charter fishing operations, canoe- rental shops and
bed-and-breakfasts throughout Maryland's Eastern
Shore area. Even some local fishermen are saying
they're afraid to eat local fish.

"It is scary when you see these spots on the fish,"
says recreational fisherman Marion East of Crisfield,
Md., who has suffered skin lesions after handling
affected fish. "I haven't eaten a fish in four
months."

On Sunday, Maryland Gov. Parris Glendening said "the
situation is very serious. We now have (Pfiesteria)
in three different states, and in Maryland, in three
different watersheds."

He said Maryland officials "have fairly conclusive
evidence that (Pfiesteria) does cause a human health
problem."

Cloaked in protective eye goggles, raingear, boots
and gloves, a team of biologists and researchers
descended on the Chicamacomico site Sunday,
extracting water and fish samples from the river.
They are trying to determine the cause of the
outbreak and whether or not it is escalating.

In recent months, reports of human illness among
researchers and fisherman who have handled sick fish
have prompted researchers to take more precautions
near Pfiesteria-ridden water.

Glendening says he spoke with Vice President Gore
Sunday, asking for help in coordinating a multi-state
effort to combat Pfeisteria. The Maryland Democrat
also has invited fellow governors from six
Mid-Atlantic states to participate in an emergency
summit meeting, perhaps later this week.

Conservation officials say the site of the latest
fish kill showed classic symptoms of a Pfiesteria
attack: fish with brownish sores near their tails,
swimming in a distressed manner before lifelesslly
floating to the surface.

At least several thousand small-sized fish known as
menhaden were killed or sickened by the latest
microbe outbreak, said Liz Kalinowski, spokeswoman
for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
Known by fishermen as an oily, fragile fish, menhaden
are used for bait and making fertilizer.

Of 75 menhaden pulled from the Chicamacomico on
Saturday, nearly all bore the telltale lesions, says
Major Micheal Howard, a Maryland conservation
official.

Howard says there are no indications that other types
of fish are being attacked by Pfiesteria. Menhaden
also were stricken in the other two Maryland
waterways, the Pocomoke River and King's Creek on the
Manokin River.

Some environmentalists are blaming the Eastern
Shore's many chicken farms for the outbreaks. The
area is one of the nation's largest concentration of
poultry producers. Environmentalists say that chicken
waste, when stored or used as fertilizer, runs into
the watershed. The nutrients in the waste stimulate
Pfiesteria.

Glendening says he is considering the possibility of
new regulations on chicken waste. Some experiments
show that human sewage and animal manure can
stimulate Pfiesteria. "We've got a long way to go
before we understand this organism," says Eugene
Burreson, a fish pathologist at the Virginia Marine
Sciences Institute.

Scientists do, however, agree with politicians that
healthy-looking fish from affected rivers are
probably safe. Only during a kill is there abundant
Pfiesteria poison in the water and it doesn't build
up in fish.

By Carol Jouzaitis, USA TODAY

Date: Wed, 17 Sep 1997 09:35:22 -0400 (EDT)
From: [e-mail]
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Celebrities, Organisations And Political Parties Back 'Popular Resolution'
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>

Celebrities, Organisations And Political Parties Back 'Popular Resolution'

The 'Popular Resolution on Abolition of Inhumane Commercial Slaughter of
Whales', through its accompanying World-Wide Sign-On Petition, recently
achieved 10,000,000 group sponsored and individual signatures. Today, that
figure has reached nearly 11,000,000 ! The list of supporting famous people
grows daily and includes Charles Dance, Emma Thompson, Sir John Gielgud and
Anthony Hopkins to name but a few. Political parties, from the UK to
Australia, are also adding their names to this far reaching global effort to
close down whale killing once and for all.

Ninety two organisations based in 15 different nations across the world now
support this draft International Whaling Commission 'Resolution' which aims
to bring an end to the inhumane killing of whales. The 'Popular Resolution'
is a draft resolution, formulated in United Nations treaty language. It shows
how, by raising awareness of the continuing inhumane killing of whales, the
International Whaling Commission can, by schedule amendment to 1946
International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW), permanently
ban both commercial whaling and the cruelty of inhumane killing of the great
whales. The 'Popular Resolution' will be presented to the IWC for the first
time at its October meeting in Monaco.

"The Popular Resolution's Sign-On Petition is a tangible means by which the
general public and others can have their democratic say to the politicians
who hold the fate of our cetacean cousins in their hands", said David Smith,
founder of Breach Marine Protection and the draft resolution's co-ordinator
since its conception. "It has caught the imagination of those who wish for an
end to this barbaric slaughter. It is a heavy responsibility to know that
many millions of people are placing their faith in this imaginative and
radical proposal."

"Politicians must not let these people down. We are now calling for all IWC
member Governments to carry out the global communities mandate and vote the
contents of this draft resolution into IWC regulations at their meeting in
October, Monaco".

The final paragraph states "NOW THEREFORE WE THE CONCERNED

INSIST that the Contracting Governments to take immediate and effective
action to halt the unnecessary and inhumane suffering of whales by opposing
any move to end the current moratorium on commercial whaling; by bringing
about a Schedule amendment to abolish all commercial whaling (including that
conducted under guises such as so-called "scientific" whaling); and by
working with haste towards the creation of a

PERMANENT, ENFORCED, ALL OCEAN SANCTUARY FOR CETACEANS.

Signature collection will only cease when the inhumane killing of the great
whales finally comes to an ignominious end.

For immediate release

David Smith
Campaign Director
Breach Marine Protection UK
email: [e-mail]
Tel/Fax: [phone]
http://members.aol.com/breachenv/home.htm

Popular Resolution on Abolition of Inhumane
Commercial Slaughter of Whales - Sign-On Petition:
http://members.aol.com/breachenv/popreslt.htm

Rapid Env. Disaster - Response. & Rescue
(R.E.'D.R.Res) Hotline: [phone]
http://members.aol.com/breachenv/redrres.htm
Date: Wed, 17 Sep 1997 10:33:02 -0400
From: allen schubert <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: AR Jobline!
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

To assist interested individuals in finding employment with Animal Rights
and similar organizations, ARRS presents AR Jobline!

http://www.envirolink.org/arrs/ar-jobline/

Send job announcements to ARRS <[e-mail]> for posting. Unless
otherwise requested, job announcements will be deleted after 30 days.
Announcements posted will be at the discretion of ARRS.


Date: Wed, 17 Sep 1997 11:37:58 -0400
From: [e-mail] (CAFT-NYC)
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Upstate NY: Wildlife Defense Demos (US)
Message-ID: <v01540b06b04572c9c3b9@[204.141.118.236]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Here are some actions on upstate NY over the next two weeks organziwed by
Wildife Watch, the umbrella organziation fothe Committee to Abolish Sport
Hunting and the Coalition to Protect Canada Geese. If anyone is intersted
in carpooling or somesuch, you can call Anne the main organizer of these
actions  at [phone] and she can put people in touch with one
another.
adam



This Friday, Sept. 19, on the Plaza in front of Corning Tower there will
be a demonstration to protest the approval of lead-laden Canada goose
flesh for the elderly poor.  We're asking folks to be there at 12:30 and
it will go for one hour (lunch hour).  If there's anyone in the Albany
area who can pop over during lunch hour it would be great.  I think the
target would be people who are already upstate and fairly near the area.

Sunday, Sept. 21 - there will be a youth hunt protest near Pine Plains,
NY.  This is a rural area which is stocked with pheasants for children
to blast. Each child's field  gets 4 pheasants.  There are 4 or 5 fields
(1 per child).  It is going on "quietly" and the purpose of the demo is
to get it into the papers there, if not front page news.  I saw the area
(about 45 minutes from here in Dutchess) and there are a lot of access
roads so there's not one road that can be blocked.  It's absolutely
hidden from view from the public, and we have to assume they will move
the birds in early, but maybe not that early.  If someone wants to be
sly about questioning the numbers are Dave 914-266-4426; Bill
914-297-9308.

Then on Sept. 27th at 6 am we are meeting at Ringwood.  Take NYS Thruway
to Exit 15a (17 South) and follow to Ringwood Ave.  Stay on for about 8
miles to Ringwood State Park  Bring noise-makers.

****Call the Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade-NYC upcoming events hotline
at [phone]*****

"Man is able to abuse and slaughter and experiment on animals simply
because he is stronger than they are.  There's no MORAL ground on which to
justify any animal exploitation,  A child with leukemia has no more
intrinsic right to life than does a white rat.  Anyone who believes that
man's intellegence make him special should only look at the way we continue
to destroy our environment. Man is NOT an intelligent species."  -- Grant
Morrison, Animal Man #26, a comic book  available from Student Abolitionist
League's lending library


Date: Wed, 17 Sep 97 11:47:09 UTC
From: [e-mail]
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Bison Action Group (BAG)
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>

(Action Alert from Direct Action Defense Fund): On March 23,
1997 Bison Action Group (BAG) member Delyla Wilson entered a public
meeting in Gardiner, Montana to protest the continued slaughter of
America's last free-roaming bison herd from Yellowstone National Park.
Wilson proceeded to dump a bucket full of bison entrails from the
slaughter on a table where Montana's Governor Racicot, Secretary of
Agriculture Glickman, and Senators Burns and Baucus sat and stared
dumbfounded. Wilson was immediately arrested. These four men have
continued to represent the powerful interests of the livestock industry
in Montana and through their influence have sanctioned and instigated the
largest slaughter of wild bison since the US Army and commercial hide
hunters first reduced bison herds from tens of millions to less than 500
by 1890. For her peaceful protest, Wilson was charged with assault on the
Governor by the state of Montana and on August 26th was sentenced to
six months imprisonment.  As if this wasn't enough punishment for exercising
her constitutional right of freedom of speech, now a federal grand jury has
handed down a two-count indictment charging Wilson with Assault on a
Congressional, Cabinet or Supreme Court Member. If found guilty, Wilson
faces an additional 2 years in federal prison, fines and years of federal
probation effectively removing her from her 8 year involvement in opposing
the Yellowstone bison slaughter which is scheduled to resume this fall.

By charging Wilson federally, the US government is signalling a new wave of
attacks on direct action activists that utilize uncontrollable and
unpredictable forms of protest that are consequently more effective. The
result of Wilson's action focused international attention on the bison
slaughter much to the embarrassment of those in state and federal
government who are responsible for the slaughter of 1,100 wild bison this
past winter alone.  Many of the animals, who are sacred to many indigenous
nations, are shipped live to slaughterhouses for commercial processing
where they have arrived trampled to death, gouged out eyes, with broken
and bleeding horns and legs. Slaughterhouse workers were seen to use electric
prods on the bison's wounds to get them unloaded. No wild bison despite
their origin from a national park are safe from the slaughter.

Delyla Wilson's federal indictment should set off alarms for environmental
and animal activists everywhere in the US. If the federal government
can gain a conviction against Wilson, they will have discovered a new
weapon to quell public dissent against government policies that favor
private interests like the livestock industry over wildlife and our public
lands. Losing this court case could result in a precedent whereby federal
prosecutors use this specific assault statute against activists whose
protests target elected and appointed officials in the federal government.
The charge is usually reserved for those attempting to assassinate or
cause physical harm on politicians. This prosecution tactic is meant to
send a chilling message to activists everywhere that uncompromising
direct action protests against animal and earth abuse will not be
tolerated by the federal government.

At a time when corporate polluters and federal agencies themselves are
immune from persecution and protected in their environmental and
life-destroying business practices, we the people are being persecuted
for exposing crimes against nature such as those committed against the
bison nation of Yellowstone. It is imperative that we support Wilson
in her fast-approaching federal trial and ourselves send a message
back to the Feds that their injustice is what will not be tolerated.

The Direct Action Defense Fund is trying to locate a federal criminal
lawyer to assist Wilson's court-appointed lawyer and has set up a
legal defense fund specifically for this important battle. Your support
is desperately needed. A lawyer experienced in federal criminal law
and at least one paralegal is needed who can help Delyla file the
necessary motions to challenge this ludicrous charge.

It is time for all of us to step forward and support direct action
activists targeted by the federal government before it is ourselves who
need the support. Please contact  DADF, PO Box 57357, Tucson, AZ
85732-7357 USA about how you can help Wilson beat the Feds and send any
donation you can afford to the DADF's Bison Bust Fund.

                            For the Buffalo and All Animal Nations,
                            Rod Coronado

Let them know how you feel!
Tara Depuy, County Attorney, Park City, 414 E. Callender St.,
Livingston, MT  59047

Klous P. Richter, Assistant U.S. Attorney, PO Box 1478,
Billings, MT  59103

Marc Racicot, Governor of Montana, State Capitol, Helena, MT  59620

NOTE: BAG has requested that letters sent to Racicot should only concern
the slaughter of buffalo. Please avoid using Delyla's name as she is not
allowed to have third party contact with any witness.


Date: Wed, 17 Sep 1997 14:43:25 -0400
From: [e-mail] (CAFT-NYC)
To: [e-mail]
Subject: NYC Actions This Weekend!! (COMPLETE CALENDAR) (US)
Message-ID: <v01540b01b0459e5725d2@[204.141.118.242]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20
12-2PM: protest at yellow rat bastard (478 broadway, one block south of
broome street) -- NYC Animal Defense League

12-2 PM Student Activst Roundtable Discussion for Student working on human
rights, animal rights, and social justice, Wetlands Preserve, 161 Hudson
Street and Laight (3 blocks South of Canal)--Wetlands Environmental and
Social Justice Center

12 to 4 PM
A Massive demonstration  from  in front of the United Nations, (42nd Street
and 1st Ave?) Cassini probe is a NASA probe planning to be sent into outer
space. If an accident were to occur, the probe, which contains 72.3 pounds
of plutonium, could blanket the Earth in radiation, killing AT LEAST 5/6 of
all life on Earth!!-LoveEarth

2-4 PM:protest in nyc at the mcdeath on broadway (located on the 700 block, near
waverly place/4th street area)... this protest is not only for animal
liberation, but particularly in protest of their decision to open a
mcdeath 20 feet from the parking lot of the Dachau Death Camp, where
40000 were killed (12000 in death marches) in WW2... --Animal Liberation
Brigade (first NYC protest)

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 21
11AM Farm Sanctuary Walk-A-Thon 79th Street and Riverside Drive Walk-a-Thon
will raise money for the Construction of an educational center at Farm
Sanctuary in Orland, Califironia.  For more info call [phone]

11:15AM-3:30 PM: protest at the Macy's at Queens Center Mall, 90-01 Queens,
Boulevard, Rego Park, Queens, sponsored by CAFT Queens... meet at the
entrance to the macy's at 11:15a SHARP. Macy's Demo will be followed by a
March to Stern's for a demo there. --CAFT-Queens (First protest!)

4-7PM : PROTESTand VIGIL National Day of Action in solidarity with Sue
McCrosky, a jailed animal liberation activist who is currently serving 45
days in DeKalb County jail in Atlanta... we will be meeting at 3:45p SHARP
at the arch at Washington Square Park and then will proceed to go to the
nyu main building (locatedon washinton square park east) to honor sue and
her fight against vivisection; also, simultaneous tabling at washington
square park will begin that afternoon... to table, please get in touch with
kim @
800.625.3064 -NYC Animal Defense League

****Call the Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade-NYC upcoming events hotline
at [phone]*****

"Man is able to abuse and slaughter and experiment on animals simply
because he is stronger than they are.  There's no MORAL ground on which to
justify any animal exploitation,  A child with leukemia has no more
intrinsic right to life than does a white rat.  Anyone who believes that
man's intellegence make him special should only look at the way we continue
to destroy our environment. Man is NOT an intelligent species."  -- Grant
Morrison, Animal Man #26, a comic book  available from Student Abolitionist
League's lending library


Date: Wed, 17 Sep 1997 16:03:25 -0400 (EDT)
From: [e-mail]
To: [e-mail]
Subject: ACTION LETTER - CALIFORNIA GRAY WHALE - BY SEPTEMBER 22
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>

UPDATE ON DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT ON MAKAH WHALING
PROPOSAL

     As previously reported, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has
issued a draft environmental assessment (DEA) on its proposal to seek a gray
whale quota from the International Whaling Commission (IWC) to allow the
Makah Tribe to resume whaling.  It is imperative that anyone interested in
whale conservation and protection take the time to review and comment on the
DEA.

     THE COMMENT DEADLINE IS SEPTEMBER 22, 1997.

     Based on a careful review, Australians for Animals and Breach Marine
Protection believe that the DEA is woefully deficient in providing a complete
analysis of the impacts of this proposal and should be rejected in favor of a
thorough, complete, and objective Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

     The DEA, as written, clearly violates the U.S. National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA) because it fails to disclose all relevant information
(i.e., Makah whaling management plans, weapons efficiency and humaneness
testing information), provides an entirely insufficient analysis of many key
issues (i.e., population dynamics, cumulative impact analysis), and
completely excludes any analysis of other critical issues (i.e., impacts on
individual whales, whether the Makah meet the U.S. and IWC definition of
aboriginal subsistence whaling).  The NMFS also
fails to provide any valid scientific evidence to substantiate many of the
factual statements contained in the DEA.  Finally, and of critical
importance, the DEA is not sufficient for evaluating the environmental
impacts of this action an Environmental Impact Statement is clearly required.

     Some of the specific deficiencies in the DEA include:

*    Failure to disclose information.

     Specifically, AFA and BMP are aware of four documents which should have
been made available and considered in the DEA.  These documents include:

     1.   The agreement between NMFS and the Makah originally signed in 1995.
 This agreement is the very basis for the efforts by AFA and BMP to compel
the NMFS to comply with NEPA yet the agreement is not even attached to the
DEA.

     2.   The agreement specifies that the Makah will prepare a management
plan to be reviewed and approved by NMFS.  This management plan, among other
things, will contain enforcement provisions to ensure that the Makah comply
with whatever
restrictions are imposed on them if the IWC grants the gray whale quota.
 Though the IWC has not yet granted the quota, the Makah should have already
prepared the management plan and it should be referenced and attached to the
DEA.

     3.   AFA and BMP have recently learned that the Makah have prepared a
new report substantiating the alleged nutritional basis or need in support of
their resumption of whaling.  While nutritional need alone is not sufficient
to satisfy the IWC definition of aboriginal subsistence whaling, AFA and BMP
believe that the Makah can't possibly make a legitimate nutritional argument
since they haven't consumed whale meat in over 70 years and since they have
access to alternative food sources. Nevertheless, this document, which NMFS
officials claimed will be
released by the end of the month (conveniently after the comment deadline)
should have been included in the DEA.

     4.   In addition, AFA and BMP have also learned that the Makah have
prepared a report summarizing the results of the testing it did on various
whale killing weapons.  NMFS officials have indicated that this report will
be available at the end of the month.  The report, however, should have been
referenced and attached to the DEA.

     These documents and other information that the NMFS has intentionally or
unintentionally failed to disclose in the DEA are critical to the public's
understanding of the proposal and its short and long term implications.  Just
like you wouldn't bake a cake with only half a recipe, NMFS should not
develop and
publish DEAs which do not contain all of the relevant information.

     *    Insufficient or nonexistent analysis of critical issues.

     The DEA fails to provide sufficient analysis of the following issues:

     1.   Gray whale population dynamics.

     Except for providing an estimated population size and growth rate, the
DEA provides no information about the sex and age ratio, recruitment rate, or
adult and calf mortality rates.  In addition, the DEA fails to provide any
analysis of how the
population size is estimated, the methodology being used, and the strengths
and weaknesses of the methodology.  If, as is argued in the literature, this
is such a well studied population, then NMFS should be able and willing to
provide additional analysis of this issue.

     2.   Cumulative impact analysis.

     The DEA, except for providing minimum estimates for gray whale
entanglements and vessel strikes, completely avoids evaluating the cumulative
impacts of this proposal.  Such an evaluation is absolutely required under
NEPA.  Indeed, it is the cumulative impact of the proposal in combination
with the other
direct and indirect impacts to the gray whale and their habitat which is
crucial to the long term viability and survival of the species.  The DEA must
evaluate all of these impacts, including coastal development both along
migratory routes and at the calving lagoons, ocean pollution, entanglements,
vessel strikes, oil and gas development, the proposal to whale by the Makah,
the existing take of gray whales by the Russians, and additional whaling that
may occur by other native groups if the Makah should be permitted to resume
whaling.

     3.   Whether the Makah meet the IWC and U.S. definition of "aboriginal
subsistence whaling."

     IWC regulations and U.S. regulations implementing the Whaling Convention
Act define "aboriginal subsistence whaling" to mean "whaling, for purposes of
local aboriginal consumption carried out by or on behalf of aboriginal,
indigenous or native peoples who share strong community, familial, social and
cultural ties related to a continuing traditional dependence on whaling and
on the use of whales," Rep. Int. Whal. Commn, Special Issue 4, 83 (1982).
 The phrase "local aboriginal consumption" is defined to mean "the
traditional uses of whale products by local aboriginal, indigenous or native
communities in meeting their nutritional, subsistence and cultural
requirement..." Id.

     Considering that the DEA is intended to be used by the NMFS to determine
if it should seek a quota for the Makah at the IWC, a determination of
whether the Makah satisfy the definition would appear to be an obvious first
step in the process.  Moreover, this determination and a explicit discussion
as to how the NMFS believe the Makah satisfy the definition should have been
included in the DEA so that the public could consider the rationale of NMFS
and either support or refute it.  In this case, however, for absolutely no
valid reason the NMFS purposefully excluded any discussion of this matter.
 This is a major deficiency in the DEA.

     AFA and BMP assert that the Makah can't possibly meet the definition of
"aboriginal subsistence whaling" because it has not participated in whaling
for over 70 years, it cannot demonstrate a nutritional need for whale meat,
and there are additional traditional practices pertaining to Makah whaling
which are not apparently a part of the proposed whaling plan.

     4.   Impact on individual whales.  The DEA provides no discussion of the
impact of whaling on the whales pursued and killed.  This analysis must
include a discussion of pain and suffering associated with whaling, the
possibility that whaling will change whale behavior by making them more wary
of boats, and
what impact this activity could have on the resident gray whale population.

     5.   Implications of the Makah proposal to other native groups and to
whales throughout the world.  The DEA provides no meaningful discussion of
the enormous precedent that would be established if the Makah were permitted
to resume whaling. Clearly, if the Makah are permitted to whale under the
guise of
aboriginal subsistence, then other coastal native peoples are likely to ask
for the same opportunities.  Not only could this substantially impact the
number of whales taken throughout the world, but there is legitimate concern
that this could be the
first step towards the reauthorization of commercial whaling.

     6.   Impact to whale watching organizations.  Change in whale behavior
due to whaling may impact the ability of persons participating in whale
watching cruises to observe whales.  This impact may extend beyond the area
where the whales are killed to include area both north and south along the
migratory routes and
possibly even in the calving lagoons.

     7.   Impact on public safety.  If the Makah are permitted to whale they
will be allowed to strike whales who may not be retrieved.  Depending on the
extent and severity of the injury, these wounded whales may pose a danger to
sea kayakers and others who recreate along the whales migratory route.
 Considering that
gray whales have also been referred to historically as "devil fish" for their
aggressive and violent behavior when wounded, this threat is real and should
have been considered in the DEA.

     *    NMFS Must Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement on this Issue
in     Order to Properly and Thoroughly Evaluate the Environmental Impact of
this Action.

     Under U.S. law and Environmental Assessment can either stand alone or it
can be used to determine if an EIS is necessary.  In this case, AFA and BMP
firmly believe that a full-fledged EIS is necessary to ensure that the
impacts and implications of this proposal are thoroughly evaluated and
considered.  U.S. law
requires agencies to consider a number of "significance" factors when
determining whether an EIS is needed.  The Makah whaling proposal satisfies a
number of these factors including the fact that the proposal is enormously
controversial, the action will occur in or near a National Marine Sanctuary,
the action will establish precedent for future actions with significant
effects,and the action is related to other issues with cumulatively
significant impacts.

     Thank you for taking the time to review and consider this information.
 Remember, it is imperative that as many individuals and organizations who
oppose whaling comment on this proposal as possible.  If you have already
submitted comments, please consider submitting a supplement raising some or
all of the
issues identified in this notice.  If you have not yet submitted comments,
please use this notice as a blueprint for preparing your comments.  Please
remember that this notice only identifies some of the more substantial
inadequacies in the DEA but other inadequacies and inaccuracies undoubtedly
exist and AFA and BMP
encourage you to identify these in your comments.


     COMMENTS ARE DUE ON OR BEFORE SEPTEMBER 22, 1997.  PLEASE SEND
YOUR
COMMENTS TO:

          MS. HILDA DIAZ-SOLTERO, DIRECTOR
          OFFICE OF PROTECTED RESOURCES
          NATIONAL MARINE FISHERIES SERVICE
          1315 EAST WEST HIGHWAY
          SILVER SPRING, MD  20910

     CAN YOU PLEASE FAX YOUR COMMENTS TO THE NATIONAL MARINE
FISHERIES
SERVICE AT [phone] BUT PLEASE SEND A HARD COPY OF YOUR COMMENTS
TO
THEM AS WELL.

     Thank you so much for your concern and commitment to protecting whales.

Please send a copy of your DEA submissions to the NMFS to:

David Smith
Campaign Director
Breach Marine Protection UK
email: [e-mail]
Tel/Fax: [phone]
http://members.aol.com/breachenv/home.htm

Popular Resolution on Abolition of Inhumane
Commercial Slaughter of Whales - Sign-On Petition:
http://members.aol.com/breachenv/popreslt.htm

Rapid Env. Disaster - Response. & Rescue
(R.E.'D.R.Res) Hotline: [phone]
http://members.aol.com/breachenv/redrres.htm
Date: Wed, 17 Sep 1997 12:56:12 -0700 (PDT)
From: Michael Markarian <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail], [e-mail],
        [e-mail]
Subject: action alert on gray whales
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Forwarded from private e-mail:

>                U R G E N T    A C T I O N    A L E R T
>
>
>           THE CALIFORNIA GRAY WHALE NEEDS YOUR HELP NOW!!!
>
>     The U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has just
>released a Draft Environmental Assessment (DEA) analyzing the
>environmental impacts associated with its proposal to seek a gray
>whale quota from the International Whaling Commission (IWC) to permit
>the Makah Tribe of Northwest Washington to resume aboriginal
>subsistence whaling.  It is imperative that every individual and
>organization concerned about whales and their management review and
>submit substantive comments on the DEA opposing any effort by NMFS to
>seek a quota or to permit the Makah to resume whaling.  COMMENTS ARE
>DUE BY SEPTEMBER 22, 1997.
>
>     Such a quota, if granted, would set precedent for an expansion of
>aboriginal subsistence whaling throughout the world and may be used as
>a foundation to ultimately resume commercial whaling.  The available
>evidence suggests that pro-whaling countries are working with the
>Makah to secure the gray whale quota.
>
>     The DEA came about as a result of a letter submitted by
>Australians for Animals (AFA) and Breach Marine Protection (BREACH)
>alleging that the NMFS had blatantly failed to comply with the
>National Environmental Policy Act when it entered into an agreement
>with the Makah to seek the gray whale quota.  The DEA provides an
>opportunity for whale advocates to raise substantive concerns and
>questions about the proposed quota.  If enough substantive issues are
>raised, the NMFS may not have any choice but to, at least, delay
>seeking the quota until it can address the public's concerns and
>comments.
>
>     Issues that you may want to raise in commenting on the DEA,
>include:
>
>*    The adequacy of current population and productivity estimates
>     for the gray whale.
>*    The number and severity of human-caused threats to the gray
>     whale and its habitat (i.e., coastal development, vessel
>     traffic, entanglement in fishing nets, pollution, ozone
>     depletion and industrial development in its calving lagoons in
>     Mexico.
>*    The legality of the NMFS seeking a quota for the Makah under
>     the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
>*    Whether the Makah satisfy the IWC definition of "aboriginal
>     subsistence whaling."
>*    The direct, indirect, and cumulative impact of this decision
>     on other whales through expanded aboriginal subsistence
>     whaling and commercial whaling.
>*    NMFS should await the results of its five year monitoring program
>     on the gray whale required by the Endangered Species Act before
>     even contemplating allowing the Makah to whale.
>*    The economic impact on both the U.S. and Mexican whale watching
>     industry.
>
>     Since the deadline for comments is on Monday, September 22 there
>is not sufficient time to obtain a copy of the DEA by regular mail.
>If, however, you would like to receive a copy of the DEA by e-mail, or
>if you would prefer to receive a more in depth analysis of the DEA
>which you can use as a blueprint for your comments, please contact
>[e-mail].
>
>     Comments should be sent to:
>
>     Ms. Hilda Diaz-Soltero, Director
>     Office of Protected Resources
>     National Marine Fisheries Service
>     1315 East West Highway
>     Silver Spring, MD  20910
>
>     You can fax your comments to the National Marine Fisheries
>Service at [phone] but please follow up your fax by sending a
>hard copy of your comments.
>
>     THANK YOU FOR YOUR IMMEDIATE ATTENTION TO THIS URGENT REQUEST.
>PLEASE INFORM YOUR COLLEAGUES, MEMBERS, AND FRIENDS AND
ENCOURAGE THEM
>TO GET INVOLVED.

Date: Wed, 17 Sep 1997 13:19:27 -0700 (PDT)
From: "Christine M. Wolf" <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: "Fight of the Elephant" on Discovery Channel
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Did anyone out there happen to tape "Fight of the Elephant" which aired last
night on the Discovery Channel's "Wild Discovery" series?  It had graphic
footage of both an elephant hunt and an elephant cull in Zimbabwe, which I
had hoped to use in a speech I'm giving next week; but the sales personnel
at the Discovery Channel said it wasn't available for sale.

Please send me a private e-mail if you taped the show.  Many thanks.

******************************************************************
Christine Wolf, Director of Government Affairs
    The Fund for Animalsphone: 301-585-2591
     World Buildingfax:   301-585-2595
   8121 Georgia Ave., Suite 301e-mail: [e-mail]
    Silver Spring, MD 20910web page: www.fund.org

"When a man wantonly destroys a work of man, we call him a vandal.  When he
wantonly destroys a work of nature, we call him a sportsman."
     -Joseph Wood Crutch

Date: Wed, 17 Sep 1997 16:33:53 -0400 (EDT)
From: [e-mail]
To: [e-mail]
Subject: 15th Swedish Fur Farm Raid of 1997
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=unknown-8bit


Taken from another list:

Pressrelease (translated please correct ev. spell-errors):

Foxfarm attacked by DVM

On the early morning of sept. 11th the anti-fur group The wild minks
visited Linde Magnussons furfarm in ╓stra hult, outside Hultsfred:

The used to house minks aswell, but that part of the farm was closed
down.
Many of the foxes the activists found were in very bad condition, with
open wounds and with stereotyped behavior.

Around 100 foxes were painted with harmless Henna-colour wich makes the
fur worthless for the industry, as an act of economic sabotage.

Then the cages for the rest of the foxes were opened, and around 80 fled
into the forrest.

Anti-fur activists has this year attacked atleast 15 farms, and will
not stop until they all are closed.
They will meet their decay!

-the Wild Minks



Date: Wed, 17 Sep 1997 13:56:58 -0700
From: In Defense of Animals <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Another update on horse case in MS
Message-ID: <l03110701b045f1588cb1@[199.4.64.155]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

A reporter from Channel 9, the local station that has been covering the
case of the horse being dragged 3,125 ft. behind a trailer, pursued
locating the horse to find out its condition. The trainer responsible for
the horse being dragged, gave her the name and address of the trainer who
was supposed to have taken the horse. She found this man and he said he had
not taken the horse and perhaps someone else with his same name had taken
it. The reporter called the Sheriff's department to ask if they knew of
this person and the dispatcher, who is also the Sheriff's wife, said they
did not know who that person was. As the dispatcher was hanging up, the
reporter overheard her asking the Sheriff is this man had taken the horse,
in a tone indicating they were very familiar with him.

Calls need to be made to the governor's office (the governor has a strong
love of horses). Please call Gov. Kirk Fordice at 800-832-6123 or
601-359-3100.

You can also call Sheriff Joe Bryant 601-534-1941
or Assistant District Attorney Luther Kelly 601-489-1003


Date: Wed, 17 Sep 1997 14:47:19 -0700 (PDT)
From: [e-mail] (pawsinfo)
To: [e-mail]
Subject: bon marche demo [Seattle WA]
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Posted for Northwest Aniaml Rights Network
--------------------------------------------

Fur Demonstration Planned - All Activists Welcome

When: noon on Saturday, September 27th
Where: the downtown Seattle Bon Marche

The Northwest Animal Rights Network is planning a large demonstration to
protest the sale of fur.  The demonstration will take place at noon on
Saturday, September 27th, at the downtown Seattle Bon Marche.
Last winter the Bon tried to deceive the public by advertising they had
closed their fur operation while in fact they had many items with fur trim
inside the downtown and other Seattle area stores.  This fall they have
once again started stocking trim items including coyote fur trim jackets.

Along with attending the demonstration, please let the Bon Marche know that
the sale of any fur product is unacceptable by writing them at:

     http://www.federated-fds.com/gbook.shtml
     or
     Ira Pickell,  CEO
     The Bon Marche Corporate Headquarters
     Third Avenue and Pine Street
     Seattle, WA 98181



For more information please call the NARN hotline at 206.323.7301.
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: Wed, 17 Sep 1997 14:53:29
From: David J Knowles <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: [CA] The Big Top
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

>From The Vancouver Sun - Wednesday, September 17th, 1997 (City Limits Page)

THE BIG TOP

It began as a kink, and soon turned into a crick. We felt sure we would
soon freeze this way, our eyes pointed forever upward. Then the "snow"
began, teeny tiny ash-like particles of chalk that tickled our eyelashes
and fell into the O shaped by our mouth as we watched the drama unfold
directly overhead. We fought the urge to blink, felt the chalk dissolve on
the tip of out tongue. We barely breathed. "Lord," we thought, "she's doing
this without a safety net! This can't be good! Oh no, she's not going to
make ... whew, she made it."

Ahh, there's nothing like a nice, relaxing trip to the circus. Frankly, we
expected to catch a few ZZZZ's when we finally gave in to our small child's
plea for a trip to the Mexican National Circus at the Willlowbrook Mall in
Langley [BC].

How were we to know it would be so exciting, so much fun? How were we to
know we would still have a stupid smile plastered on our face when we
emerged from the tent an hour or so later? It's hard to know who or what we
liked best - Mundo the cheeky clown, the daring trapeze artists, the ariel
gymnasts, Maria the contortionist, the long-legged dancers or the
motorcycle stunt that had the same effect of watching someone being blasted
from the mouth of a cannon.

We're not talking high-tech entertainment here; there's not a laser in
sight. The most sophisticated piece of equipment the troupe has may very
well be the fog-making machine that sits in the ring in plain view. But
you'll never find this kind of close and personal experience from Ringling
Bros. Nor, in these days of political correctness, will you find a single
animal. What you will find, however, is a lion's share of charm, a circus
that offers the ultimate in intimacy by rarely placing spectators more than
an arm's length away from its 30 or so stars, who together do everything
from pound steel tent pegs into unforgiving concrete to sewing costumes to
dazzling aerial acrobatics.

It is, we're told by Roxanne Press, the troupe's first time out of Mexico.
Roxanne and her sister Misty ran away to join the circus five years ago,
but decided to bring the circus home with them for a visit when they got
homesick last year. We're glad they did.

(The Mexican National Circus is touring the Lower Mainland for six weeks.
It'll be at the Willowbrook Mall in Langley until Sunday, with nightly
shows at 7 p.m., and an additional 3 p.m. matinee Saturday and Sunday.)



Date: Thu, 18 Sep 1997 06:46:52 +0800
From: bunny <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: (HK)Influenza - Bird to human
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Date:   Tue, 16 Sep 1997
Source: Hong Kong Standard, 15 Sep 1997


The Hong Kong Standard reported yesterday that Dr. Daniel Lavanchy of the
WHO influenza surveillance program said that the H5N1 flu virus, which has
produced only one human case, could have infected others who did not show
symptoms of disease.  Lavanchy announced that a new test for analyzing
antibodies to the virus is now being developed and may be ready in 2 months
or so.

In the meanwhile, laboratories at the Agriculture and Fisheries Department
and Hong Kong University Department of Microbiology are testing samples
(2100 samples have been collected thus far) from chickens and pigs to see
if the virus is still around and if chickens with the virus have developed
antibodies.

Prof. Ken Shortridge from HKU said that because pigs have receptors that
can accommodate both human viruses and bird viruses in their tracheas, and
because bird viruses need a human gene to sucessfully infect a human, pigs
are suspected to be involved in transmission of the virus from bird to man.
Shortridge's hypothesis is that if there were a human virus already present
in a pig when a bird virus came along, "both viruses could infect the same
cell and the virus could rearrange itself genetically to infect humans."

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

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, 18 Sep 1997 08:20:22 +0800
From: bunny <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: American Policy on Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

American Policy on Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease

15 September 1997
"VHD is classified as foreign to the US.  The USDA has taken the
stance that if the disease is discovered in the US that an eradication
program would be initiated at that time.  Therefore, administration of a
vaccine would be contraindicated.  Since no VHD vaccine is licensed for
use in the US and no company would realize any profit from pursuit of
such a product there is no change anticipated in policy from the USDA."

Warning:
The above mentioned USDA quote means if RHD breaks out in the USA, no vaccine
will be allowed (Australia, NZ and the UK all allow the vaccine) and all
suspect
rabbits will be killed. Could this be your pet rabbit who faces death from
the USDA? US rabbit owners would be wise in demanding the registration of
the RHD
vaccine NOW. RHD has broken out in Cuba recently (next door to the USA) and
with the Sydney 2000 Olympics ahead, the US could have outbreaks of RHD
occurring anywhere resulting from being transported back by visitors to the
Olympic Games in Sydney.(RHD can live on clothin for over 100 days).
Your rabbits are totally unprotected and you have NO VACCINES.

*currently legally RHD is being deliberately legally spread in Australia
as a biological control of wild European rabbits
*currently Australian Authorities are testing "live" RHD coated baits
*currently RHD is being irresponsibly spread by NZ farmers (who
admit mixing up dead RHD rabbits and water in their kitchen blenders!!!)
*RHD will live on clothing for over 100 days (watch out visitors from USA to
Australia and NZ, the disease could travel on your clothing to the USA)




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

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, 18 Sep 1997 08:37:42 +0800
From: bunny <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Re American Policy on Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Re American Policy on Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease - Current Vaccine not humanely
manufactured

If American rabbit owners decide to lobby the USDA for a safe vaccine for
their pet rabbits, please remember that the one we are allowed in Australia
is made
from rabbits deliberately infected with RHD and euthanased for their livers
in Spain (because apparently RHD could not be grown outside the rabbit in
the laboratory).

According to Australian authorities, it is possible to make a vaccine
without causing rabbit deaths in vaccine manufacture. The problem is,
no-one has developed one yet. Starting a campaign for a "HUMANELY"
manufactured vaccine by USA animal activists could stop many thousands of
rabbits dying in Spain to make the RHD vaccine to save pet rabbits.

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

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, 17 Sep 1997 21:30:10 -0400
From: allen schubert <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: (US) House GOP Proposes Increase in Rangeland Grazing Fees
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

from CNN web page:
---------------------------------
House GOP Proposes Increase in Rangeland Grazing Fees
AP
17-SEP-97

WASHINGTON (AP) Fees paid by ranchers to graze cattle and sheep on federal
land would rise by over a third under legislation unveiled today by House
Republicans, but ranchers would gain some protections as well.

Rep. Bob Smith, chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, said the bill
is intended to provide some stability to the Western cattle industry.

"We need something to make sure this industry can go to the bank and say,
look, these are my fees and I'm going to be able to graze these cattle,"
Smith, R-Ore., said in an interview.

Nonetheless, some environmental groups found Smith's approach deficient,
saying it does not do enough to restore and protect vast areas of Western
land and gives dominant land use rights to ranchers at the expense of
hunters, anglers and other recreation enthusiasts.

"Too often, and in too many places, poorly managed grazing has degraded the
public's resources: water, wildlife, fish, recreation, archaeological,"
Frances Hunt of The Wilderness Society told the livestock panel of the
House Agriculture Committee today.

Michael Dombeck, chief of the Forest Service, declined comment on Smith's
bill, saying he hadn't yet read the final version.

Ranchers throughout the West rely on 270 million acres of federal land to
feed their cattle and sheep, but Smith said they must deal with regulations
that often conflict with an unstable fee system.

Under Smith's bill, the grazing fee would rise from about $1.35 per animal
now to $1.84, an increase of 36 percent. It would be based on a new formula
determined by the cost of feeding a cow and calf or five sheep for one month.

The fee is much lower than that charged by private landowners, which can
reach $8 or more per animal. But Smith said federal land is not as
desirable and shouldn't cost as much.

"They are the roughest lands. They are certainly not equal to private
lands, or even state lands," Smith said.

Ms. Hunt, however, said the fee is still a "bargain basement" deal that
will "return only a fraction of the costs of the federal grazing program to
taxpayers." The Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management spend about
$5.81 per animal per month on grazing.

In addition, the measure maintains a rancher's tenure, or right to renew
permit or lease each 10 years, provided all environmental rules are
observed. And ranchers would not be required to have access to the public
rangeland from adjacent private land.

The bill would also increase the focus on science-based assessment of any
environmental impact to the land of grazing.

The National Cattlemen's Beef Association, the largest beef trade group in
the country, and a sheep rancher's organization expressed support for the
legislation even though it does not address many other issues of concern to
ranchers.

"This is a first step toward resolving many longstanding issues surrounding
grazing on federal lands," said Mike Byrne, a cattle rancher from Tulelake,
Calif., in testimony today before House panel.
Date: Wed, 17 Sep 1997 21:33:19 -0400
From: allen schubert <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: (US) Shelters Seek Homes for 40 Beagles Saved from Laboratory
  Experiments
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"