Komputer for Alle 1998 #6/1998 CD 6 (Gul).iso/web/ffa/wwwenv~1.org/arrs/digest/news52~7.htm/text0001.txt

Text File | 1998-04-03 | 93.2 KB | 2,491 lines

>From The Electronic Telegraph - Tuesday, September 9th, 1997

Scientists baffled by seal's deep breathing

                  A SEAL that can hold its breath for two hours while it dives
                  more than a mile deep has perplexed scientists. They cannot
                  explain how it survives without surfacing for so long.

                  It is one of a group of elephant seals all of which
regularly dive
                  to 3,500 feet. They can keep diving for months with only
brief
                  gasps of oxygen each time they surface.

                  The behaviour was disclosed by the latest satellite computer
                  tracking devices, pinned to the seals' backs.

                  Prof Mike Fedak told the association that the advantage in
                  diving so deep was that the seals could forage over a huge
                  range. Scientists also suspected that they dived to havens
                  where they could fall asleep far from predators such as
killer
                  whales.

                  The seals' heart rates at the surface were about 120 beats a
                  minute. In the early parts of dives this dropped to one
beat a
                  minute.

                  "Effectively they can stop their hearts, but their blood
pressure
                  doesn't fall - therefore they must be shutting off parts
of their
                  bodies," Prof Fedek said.

                  Scientists have also tagged the Beluga whale, whose life had
                  been a mystery except for a six-week "summer holiday" in
                  shallow areas off Arctic Canada.

                  Tracking has shown that the whales make 600-mile trips under
                  thick Arctic ice despite the fact that they need to find
gaps to
                  breathe every 20 minutes. The scientists, from the Sea
                  Mammal Research Unit in St Andrews and Cambridge, pinned
                  tracking devices to the creatures' backs.

                  They found that the whales dived to "ridiculous" depths,
2,500
                  feet, for no apparent reason and set off on epic journeys
under
                  thick ice with no obvious air supply.

                  "They are going into areas where no one in the world,
                  including the eskimos, thought they could survive," said Dr
                  Tony Martin.

                  He believed that when the whales dived they were
listening for
                  the slop of water on the edge of an ice hole, where they
could
                  breathe.

                     A "restaurant" for male-only Belugas has been found about
                  1,800 feet down in Viscount Melville Sound. It is full of
polar
                  cod and halibut but only male Belugas feed there. Scientists
                  believe the depth is beyond the reach of the smaller
females.

                  ⌐ Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1997.

Date: Tue, 09 Sep 1997 00:37:54
From: David J Knowles <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: [UK] Birds show the scale of falling fish stocks
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"


>From The Electronic Telegraph - Tuesday, September 9th, 1997

Birds show the scale of falling fish stocks

                  TINY video cameras and radio tags are being used to find
                  out how much fish seabirds are eating, the association was
                  told yesterday.

                  Scientists at Glasgow University have shown that studying
                  how seabirds exploit fish stocks provides clues that could
                  improve the management of fisheries.

                  Weighing adult Arctic tern at the start of the breeding
season,
                  or black guillemot chicks, can show how difficult it is
to find
                  food, providing advanced warning to show that fish stocks
                  are low. These studies could provide an important
                  component of how to manage fisheries. Prof Pat Monaghan,
                  of Glasgow University, said: "Millions of years of evolution
                  have given seabirds highly accurate fish-sampling
                  mechanisms. Learning to read the messages contained in
                  changes in their behaviour can contribute a great deal to
                  alerting us to changes in the structure of marine
communities
                  in general."

                  Mapping where the birds go to find particular fish, and
                  measuring how hard they have to work to get them, are good
                  indicators of fish distribution and abundance.

                  The Glasgow team have used a variety of techniques to
                  monitor the movements of seabirds to and from their nests
                  around Orkney and Shetland, ranging from tiny video
                  cameras operating in the darkness of the nesting burrows, to
                  small radio tags attached to the bird's back.

                  They have gathered important information about sand eel
                  stocks, on which birds and seals depend for food. Sand eel
                  fishing was banned from 1991 to 1994 as stocks declined. It
                  was lifted two years ago but the issue remains
controversial.

                  ⌐ Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1997.

Date: Tue, 09 Sep 1997 00:47:47
From: David J Knowles <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: [UK] Stores in dolphin plea
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"


>From The Electronic Telegraph - Tuesday, September 9th, 1997

Stores in dolphin plea
By Charles Clover, Environment Editor


                  THE supermarkets Tesco, Asda, Waitrose and Safeway
                  have called on European fisheries ministers to ban drift-net
                  fishing in European waters.

                  The statement, organised by the Whale and Dolphin
                  Conservation Society, calls for fishermen to convert to long
                  lines to prevent the unintended deaths of thousands of
                  dolphins, turtles, sharks and other marine species every
year.

                  The Society said that a study carried out in 1995 revealed
                  that nine Cornish drift-net boats were responsible for
killing
                  165 dolphins.

                  ⌐ Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1997.

Date: Tue, 9 Sep 1997 15:58:48 +0800 (SST)
From: Vadivu Govind <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: (HK) Dead child 'only case of bird flu'
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"


>South China Morning Post
Tuesday  September 9  1997

     Dead child 'only case of bird flu'

     JANE MOIR

     A three-year-old boy who died after contracting the Hong Kong 1997 bird
flu is     believed to be the only human to have developed the illness.

     A test is being devised to detect people who may have been infected
with Influenza A     (H5N1), but did not show symptoms.

     Taskforce investigations had not shown any public health threat, Deputy
Director of     Health Dr Paul Saw Thian-aun said.

     "In our extensive investigation we have not found another case, another
clinical case of     H5N1 illness.

     "Based on information available to us now, we feel the boy's viral
illness . . . was an     isolated incident."

     Dr Saw told the provisional legislature's health services panel the
influenza did not pose     a significant public health risk, and no "undue
concern" or special measures needed to     be taken.

     "Nevertheless we remain very vigilant," he said.

     "I am pleased to report that the experts at the CDC [Centres for
Disease Control in     Atlanta] are working at full steam to develop a new
lab test for detection of H5N1 viral     infection.
"As the virus is new and the test quite sophisticated, we estimate it will
take around six     to eight weeks before the test is ready."

     Over the past two weeks, the taskforce visited Hong Kong and Shenzhen
farms and     the boy's home, neighbourhood and school. It also reviewed his
medical records and     interviewed health workers and laboratory staff.

     More than 460 blood samples were taken from people who had been in
contact with     the boy. Other samples were taken from people showing flu
symptoms, for a total of     1,900 samples.

     Half the samples will be tested in Hong Kong and the rest at Centres
for Disease     Control laboratories.

Another 2,100 animal samples will be tested by Agriculture and Fisheries
Department     officers and Dr Ken Shortridge, a microbiologist at the
University of Hong Kong.

     Dr Shortridge is a member of the taskforce along with four experts from
Atlanta, local     specialists, health officials and Agriculture and
Fisheries officers.

     Medical legislator Dr Leong Che-hung expressed concern about the virus'
infectious     nature. "The most important thing is whether this can be
infectious because it's airborne,     and whether it can be curable," he said.

     Dr Saw said the virus appeared to have difficulty transferring between
humans.


Date: Tue, 9 Sep 1997 15:58:55 +0800 (SST)
From: Vadivu Govind <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Extinction might not be the end
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"


>Hong Kong Standard
9 Sept 97

Extinction might not be the end

ZEBRAS on the slopes of Table Mountain above Cape Town are beginning to
change colour and lose their stripes, much to the joy of scientists trying
to re-breed the extinct quagga.

The project involves the selective breeding of about 50 carefully chosen
sub-Saharan plains zebra until they display the same genetic make-up as the
animal hunted to extinction more than 100 years ago.

The ideal, according to Reinhold Rau, a member of a committee of Cape Town
scientists spearheading the project, will be an animal resembling a plains
zebra in the front but with a coat that is rich brown instead of zebra white
and with no stripes on the rump and legs.
Once such individuals emerge in the selective breeding project, the
committee will be satisfied the quagga have been brought back from extinction.

Mr Rau said the first foal of the second generation test animals was born in
February and, although it resembles its parents, it should have a higher
concentration of the desired genes.

According to Mr Rau, a taxidermist with the South African Museum in Cape
Town, other zebras _ and two mares in particular _ in the project already
resemble some of the 23 quaggas preserved in museums around the world.

The quagga inhabited the interior of South Africa until it was shot into
extinction more than a century ago by hunters and farmers.

When a quagga mare died in Amsterdam zoo in 1883 it was not realised she was
the last of her kindbecause in Afrikaans the word quagga was often used for
any zebra.

Mr Rau's interest in the quagga _ and the genesis of the re-breeding program
_ began when he was asked to re-mount the South African Museum's quagga
specimen, a foal of a few weeks.

The taxidermist found the skin to have been badly cleaned by the Hottentot
worker who first treated it in 1857, so he had to scrape away a quantity of
connective tissue, muscle and blood vessels.

Some of the material landed at the door of geneticist Russell Higuchi at
Berkely University in California, who managed to extract genetic coding.

Portions of the code revealed that the quagga was a sub-species of the
plains zebra populating Africa from Kenya to South Africa.

Armed with this knowledge, Mr Rau argued that the genes responsible for the
extinct quagga's colour and reduced striping were not lost but dispersed in
the plains zebra.  So starting in 1987 with nine zebras displaying quagga
characteristics, Mr Rau and the committee began retrieving genes.

Because breeding in zebras is extremely slow _ reproductive maturity is only
reached at 2 to 3 years for mares and 4 to 5 years for stallions _ progress
has gone at a similar pace.

Unlike the Japanese idea to re-breed the extinct woolly mammoth, the Cape
Town program will not be able to use the cloning method that produced Dolly
the sheep in Britain.

Mammoths have been found in Siberian permafrost with cells intact. This has
allowed scientists to experiment with cloning using Asian elephants as
surrogate mothers.

In the case of the quagga, however, their cells deteriorated immediately
after death. ``There is no guarantee we will ever be able to clone a
species,'' Mr Rau said. ``Extinction is as severe a threat as always. If a
species is gone it is as tragic as ever.'' _ AFP

Date: Tue, 9 Sep 1997 19:44:14 +0800
From: bunny <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Patient volunteer traps Monger's pesky bunnies(Australia)
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Patient volunteer traps Monger's pesky bunnies

<picture of the two Himalayan bunnies together prior to capture with caption
"True love...some of the escaped rabbits that are headed for permanent
marital bliss in private backyards.">

Marguerite Wegner has patiently lain in wait for whole days to try to
catch rabbits at Lake Monger.

She volunteered for the job after hearing Cambridge council planned
to poison the animals.

The three pet rabbits dumped at the lake several months ago have reproduced and
the council fears they are damaging the lake reserve.

Attempts to trap the rabbits failed and poisoning seemed the only option - until
Marguerite, who runs Rabbit Information Service, offered to trap them for free.

"I've caught two adults, one male and one female, and five babies," she said.

"I'm going back for another doe and a baby I saw on the weekend."

Live bait

Marguerite said she enticed the rabbits into an open pen containing one of her
own rabbits and some food.

"Eventually curiosity gets the better of them and they go in. Then I pull
the string and the pen door closes," she said.

"It's a long process. I waited nearly a whole day to catch one baby on the
weekend."

She had found homes for all the babies and planned to keep the adults.

She wanted to keep the male and female black and cream Himalayan-type
rabbits together.

"I want the male to live out his life with the Himalayan doe," she said. "He
truly loves her."

Marguerite said she had received a lot of support from the public.

Many regular lake visitors had grown to know the rabbits and wanted to see
them saved.

The council initially gave Marguerite two weeks to trap the rabbits but has
since extended the deadline.

Cambridge parks manager, Ross Bowman said, "While we're having some success
with the trapping we are happy to persist."

End

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

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)

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













Date: Tue, 9 Sep 1997 19:48:26 +0800
From: bunny <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: re :Mongers Pesky bunnies (Western Australia)
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

The Newspaper carrying the bunny article (just posted
to ar-news) was the Cambridge Post,(Western Australia) 6th September 1997

Kind regards,

Marguerite

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

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: Tue, 9 Sep 1997 07:46:23 -0400 (EDT)
From: Allen Schubert <[e-mail]>
To: ar-news <[e-mail]>
Subject: (NZ) New Zealand Legalizes Rabbit Virus
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII

from AP Wire page:
---------------------------------
 09/08/1997 23:45 EST

 New Zealand Legalizes Rabbit Virus

 WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) -- The government on Monday approved the use
 of a virus that kills rabbits, giving in to farmers who have been
 illegally spreading the disease in an effort to save grazing lands.

 The government announced its decision after scientists confirmed that
 rabbit calicivirus disease was already well-established and posed no risk
 to humans.

 Farmers are trying to kill New Zealand's burgeoning wild rabbit
 population because the animals eat crops and denude land, creating
 billions of dollars in agricultural losses.

 A group of farmers on the South Island confirmed recently that they had
 been spreading the virus, which quickly decimates rabbit populations.

 While approving the use of the virus, the government also reiterated its
 determination to track down and prosecute the people responsible for
 smuggling it into New Zealand and distributing it to the farmers.


Date: Tue, 9 Sep 1997 07:50:48 -0400 (EDT)
From: Allen Schubert <[e-mail]>
To: ar-news <[e-mail]>
Subject: Admin Note--subscription options
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII

Another routine administrative post......

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If you have problems, please contact:

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Date: Tue, 09 Sep 1997 00:37:54
From: David J Knowles <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: [UK] Birds show the scale of falling fish stocks
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>


>From The Electronic Telegraph - Tuesday, September 9th, 1997

Birds show the scale of falling fish stocks

                  TINY video cameras and radio tags are being used to find
                  out how much fish seabirds are eating, the association was
                  told yesterday.

                  Scientists at Glasgow University have shown that studying
                  how seabirds exploit fish stocks provides clues that could
                  improve the management of fisheries.=20

                  Weighing adult Arctic tern at the start of the breeding
season,
                  or black guillemot chicks, can show how difficult it is
to find
                  food, providing advanced warning to show that fish stocks
                  are low. These studies could provide an important
                  component of how to manage fisheries. Prof Pat Monaghan,
                  of Glasgow University, said: "Millions of years of evolution
                  have given seabirds highly accurate fish-sampling
                  mechanisms. Learning to read the messages contained in
                  changes in their behaviour can contribute a great deal to
                  alerting us to changes in the structure of marine
communities
                  in general."

                  Mapping where the birds go to find particular fish, and
                  measuring how hard they have to work to get them, are good
                  indicators of fish distribution and abundance.=20

                  The Glasgow team have used a variety of techniques to
                  monitor the movements of seabirds to and from their nests
                  around Orkney and Shetland, ranging from tiny video
                  cameras operating in the darkness of the nesting burrows, to
                  small radio tags attached to the bird's back.

                  They have gathered important information about sand eel
                  stocks, on which birds and seals depend for food. Sand eel
                  fishing was banned from 1991 to 1994 as stocks declined. It
                  was lifted two years ago but the issue remains
controversial.

                  =A9 Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1997.

    [UK] Birds show the scale of falling fish stocks
Date: Tue, 09 Sep 1997 00:35:36
From: David J Knowles <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: [UK] Scientists baffled by seal's deep breathing
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>


>From The Electronic Telegraph - Tuesday, September 9th, 1997

Scientists baffled by seal's deep breathing

                  A SEAL that can hold its breath for two hours while it dives
                  more than a mile deep has perplexed scientists. They cannot
                  explain how it survives without surfacing for so long.=20

                  It is one of a group of elephant seals all of which
regularly dive
                  to 3,500 feet. They can keep diving for months with only
brief
                  gasps of oxygen each time they surface.=20

                  The behaviour was disclosed by the latest satellite computer
                  tracking devices, pinned to the seals' backs.

                  Prof Mike Fedak told the association that the advantage in
                  diving so deep was that the seals could forage over a huge
                  range. Scientists also suspected that they dived to havens
                  where they could fall asleep far from predators such as
killer
                  whales.=20

                  The seals' heart rates at the surface were about 120 beats a
                  minute. In the early parts of dives this dropped to one
beat a
                  minute.

                  "Effectively they can stop their hearts, but their blood
pressure
                  doesn't fall - therefore they must be shutting off parts
of their
                  bodies," Prof Fedek said.

                  Scientists have also tagged the Beluga whale, whose life had
                  been a mystery except for a six-week "summer holiday" in
                  shallow areas off Arctic Canada.

                  Tracking has shown that the whales make 600-mile trips under
                  thick Arctic ice despite the fact that they need to find
gaps to
                  breathe every 20 minutes. The scientists, from the Sea
                  Mammal Research Unit in St Andrews and Cambridge, pinned
                  tracking devices to the creatures' backs.

                  They found that the whales dived to "ridiculous" depths,
2,500
                  feet, for no apparent reason and set off on epic journeys
under
                  thick ice with no obvious air supply.

                  "They are going into areas where no one in the world,
                  including the eskimos, thought they could survive," said Dr
                  Tony Martin.=20

                  He believed that when the whales dived they were
listening for
                  the slop of water on the edge of an ice hole, where they
could
                  breathe.

                     A "restaurant" for male-only Belugas has been found about
                  1,800 feet down in Viscount Melville Sound. It is full of
polar
                  cod and halibut but only male Belugas feed there. Scientists
                  believe the depth is beyond the reach of the smaller
females.

                  =A9 Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1997.

    [UK] Scientists baffled by seal's deep breathing
Date: Tue, 09 Sep 1997 00:47:47
From: David J Knowles <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: [UK] Stores in dolphin plea
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>


>From The Electronic Telegraph - Tuesday, September 9th, 1997

Stores in dolphin plea
By Charles Clover, Environment Editor=20


                  THE supermarkets Tesco, Asda, Waitrose and Safeway
                  have called on European fisheries ministers to ban drift-net
                  fishing in European waters.

                  The statement, organised by the Whale and Dolphin
                  Conservation Society, calls for fishermen to convert to long
                  lines to prevent the unintended deaths of thousands of
                  dolphins, turtles, sharks and other marine species every
year.

                  The Society said that a study carried out in 1995 revealed
                  that nine Cornish drift-net boats were responsible for
killing
                  165 dolphins.=20

                  =A9 Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1997.

    [UK] Stores in dolphin plea
Date: Tue, 9 Sep 1997 20:20:12 +0800
From: bunny <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Re:(NZ) New Zealand Legalizes Rabbit Virus
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

I feel that all who are interested in the NZ rabbit issue should be aware
that the AP wire article Allen posted is factually incorrect.

The article said

"The government announced its decision after scientists confirmed that
 rabbit calicivirus disease was already well-established and posed no risk
 to humans."

This is incorrect. No-one can say whether RCD virus  does or doesn't
pose a risk to humans either now or in the future.
In fact, I am trying to obtain blood test readings from a very reluctant
CSIRO (Australia) and figures I have to date show reactivity in humams
supposedly exposed to RCD significantly greater than those non-exposed.

Who can I write to to verify who the "scientists" are that "AP" are quoting?

4 out of 5 major calicivirus groups are already proven to cause disease in
humans and RHD has only existed since 1984 with little study done on human
health anywhere in the world (other than the small sample testing in Australia)

Kind regards,

Marguerite


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

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: Tue, 09 Sep 1997 22:09:00 -0700
From: [e-mail] (ANZFAS)
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Win for hens in Australia
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

MEDIA RELEASE   ANIMALS AUSTRALIA                             3
SEPTEMBER 1997

ANIMAL GROUPS HAIL 'MAGNIFICENT WIN' FOR HENS
ACT legislation anticipates the end of the 'battery cage'

Animal protection groups around Australia today applauded
ground-breaking legislation
passed in the
ACT Legislative Assembly, which heralds the end of the cruel battery
cage. not only in
the Territory
but possibly nationwide.

Legislation to ban the keeping of hens in battery cages and the sale of
eggs from
'battery hens'  in the
ACT  was passed in the ACT Legislative Assembly today.  It was supported
by the ACT
Greens, Labor
and Independent MPs (and incorporates amendments prescribed by the ACT
Labor Party).
Originally
tabled by ACT Green Lucy Horodny in 1996, the new legislation will
ensure significant
welfare
improvements for hens kept for commercial egg production in the ACT by
ensuring they are
raised in
more humane, alternative systems.

Crucial to implementation of the planned six-year phase-out is the ACT's
exemption from
the Mutual
Recognition Act 1992, to enable the Territory to prohibit the
importation of 'battery
eggs' from other
States for sale in the ACT.  ACT exemption must be agreed to by other
States/Territory,
as well as the
Federal Government, and is expected to take some months to achieve.

Also stipulated is the regulation labelling of eggs sold in the
Territory  to correctly
and readily identify
the system of egg production.  Labelling is to be in accordance with an
agreed standard
definition and
effective within one year of gazetting of the legislation.

Animals Australia Director, Glenys Oogjes, said today:
Lucy Horodny and the ACT Greens are to be congratulated on this
magnificent win for ACT
hens.   It
is widely accepted that battery cages are cruel, depriving birds of the
ability to carry
out their most
basic behavioural needs and subjecting them to injury in the tight
confines of their
wire cages.  To
date, Switzerland is the only known legislative region to have banned
the battery cage.
 The ACT
therefore has the opportunity to gather worldwide acclaim for its
action, persuading
other regions to
follow suite.  ACT producers, too, have the chance to gain trade
advantages by marketing
 a more
humanely produced egg.

Background
The overwhelming majority of Australian commercial egg production is
from hens housed in
battery cages.
Caged birds are deprived of exercise and many suffer from severe
osteoporosis. Bones
break easily,
particularly when birds are pulled from cages for transportation and
slaughter.
'Battery hens' also suffer
basic behavioural deprivation and feather, skin, foot and claw damage
when closely
housed in wire cages.
Alternatives to the battery cage include indoor systems that allow hens
to move freely
within large hen
houses, and 'free range'.   Alternative indoor systems provide nesting,
and often
dust-bathing facilities. 'Free-
range' systems offer birds the security of internal housing at night and
the opportunity
for birds to roam and
forage during the day.

Further information :
Animals Australia -     President, Peter Singer:        03 9525.5238
(a.h.)
                        Director, Glenys Oogjes:        03 9329.6333
(b.h.)   03
9431.2552 (a.h.)
Animals Australia is the Australian arm of the Australian and New
Zealand Federation of Animal Societies Inc.
Date: Tue, 09 Sep 1997 09:25:07 -0300
From: Ty Savoy <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Doggy-do Detectives
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

>From Newsweek:

Science and citizenship are meeting on the sidewalks of
Bruntingthorpe(England), where the villiage's parish council is considering
the use of genetic analysis to conquer a canine menace: pyramids of poop on
the street.

Dog owners in the British villiage woud help create a DNA data base covering
the town's 30 dogs. Just a few hairs from each hound will be needed to
create a genetic profile, which could then be matched against offending
sidewalk specimans for apprpriate enforcement.

The geneticist and council member behind the project, Dr Ian Eperon, said
that many local dog owners would likely co-operate in order to lift any
cloud of suspicion. He hopes to recruit volunteers to collect the evidence.
"Otherwise it will be me," he said.

Date: Tue, 9 Sep 97 07:43:25 UTC
From: [e-mail]
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Canine Massacre Survivor
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>

Tulsa World, OK, USA: "Chance" bounds around in the grass like any other
frisky, 9-week-old black Labrador mix.

It's the horizontal gash running across her neck that makes her different.

"We thought about naming her Wonder or Miracle...even Lucky," Chance's
owner, Greg Neely, said.

"We settled on Chance because the dog had gotten a second chance."

The puppy was found by one of Neely's neighbors over Labor Day
weekend. While vacationing in Missouri, Sarah Baker and her family
made a gruesome find: what appeared to be a small litter of lab mix
puppies - dead, their throats slit.

She said the pair saw two dead puppies in the area around the bridge.
Shortly afterward, a black puppy came charging across the creek, barking
and yelping, Baker said.

The puppy had a gaping slit cut in its throat that had become infected
and swollen. Baker's family brought the pup home, and a nurse in the
family cleaned the wound. The next morning, they took the puppy to a vet.

"I doubt if that little pup would've been able to find anything to eat
out there," said Dr. Clarence Mabee, the veterinarian who met Baker's
family at his clinic on a holiday weekend to have a look at the dog.

He estimated that the dog had been on her own for three or four days
and said her chance for survival in the wild much longer would've been
slim.

Baker said she knew what had happened - someone just didn't want the dogs
and thought cutting their throats was the easiest way to get rid of them.

"I could tell by the look on the vet's face - you know, you just don't
kill like that," she said.

Mabee said the wound was too infected to stitch. He instructed the family
on how to care for the wound. He told the family that Chance would be
just fine.

Baker brought Chance back to Tulsa, unable to leave the pup but knowing
she couldn't keep her.

"She needed a good home, and we have enough animals already," Baker said.
That's when she wrapped the bright-eyed black puppy in a towel and
approached her neighbors, the Neelys.

Greg Neely said the dog was accepted at once.

"We honestly felt like this was by divine appointment," Greg said.
"My kids just fell in love with her. The dog really took to them as well."

Greg and Leah Neely have two children, both of whom profess their love
for the little dog.

Greg Neely said the family had been looking for a dog and had wanted a lab.
He said Chance had shown up at just the right time.

"The Bible says He knows when a sparrow falls," he said. "I think there's
a provision in there for looking out for Labradors."

"We just felt like we were supposed to have her."



-- Sherrill
Date: Tue, 9 Sep 97 09:22:22 UTC
From: [e-mail]
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Death Row
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>

(Tulsa World, USA): As if it had been done a hundred times, Jeff
Brown reached his large hand into the black wire cage, lifted the
first kitten by the nape of its neck and plunged a syringe full of
pink liquid into its soft stomach.

Moments later, three tiny kittens lay dead on top of one another in the
bottom of the cage.

They were among the 40 or more animals that Brown had to kill on a recent
Tuesday. "The only thing that bothers me is the kittens and puppies,"
said Brown, an animal control officer for the City of Tulsa.

Dealing with the heartache of the job that many swear they could never
do, the animal control officers have a rule they live by: "If you don't
get attached, it doesn't hurt as bad."

Every morning is the same at the city's animal shelter. The animal control
officer on duty gathers the cats and dogs whose time  has run out and takes
them into a room where the cages are barely big enough for the larger dogs
to turn around in. Large silver euthanasia machines (gas) take up a corner
of the cold cement room where whines, cries, and yelps echo off the walls.

"After they're dead, we throw them in the incinerator," Brown said. "Then
we come out the next morning, clean out the incinerator and start over
again."

Because of the problem of animal overpopulation, "It's a never ending
job," he said.

Last year, 10,573 unwanted animals were destroyed at the Tulsa Animal
Shelter.

At least twice a week, a volunteer from Animal Rescue Foundation (ARF)
visits the shelter, looking for healthy and well socialized dogs and
cats that they can rescue from death row. Those animals are taken
to a veterinarian for vaccinations, sterilization, and tattooing for
identification.

Like most rescue groups, ARF is a nonprofit agency that relies on
donations, volunteers, and the proceeds from adoptions to support itself.

Although the turnover of animals continues day after day, the same kinds
of dogs are pleading with her from the other side of the gate, says Elaine
Lee, President of ARF.

But one thing never changes: Lee always has to leave some behind.
But she never stops looking.

Mixes and pure breeds, from Rottweilers to Golden Retrievers, Australian
Shepherds to Border Collies, they stick their noses through the chain link
gate, begging for just a moment of Lee's attention and she walks slowly
past each cage.

Their ears wiggle back and forth and tails begin to spin like
propellers on toy planes as she approaches. The yelps of anticipation
cause a chain reaction throughout the cages.

Unless an animal is infected by mange or appears vicious, she indulges
them with a scratch behind the ear or a kind word, telling each to "sit
and shake" as she checks their teeth.

Leaving each cage, the animals try to follow her out, only to be stopped
by a gentle hand and an, "I'm sorry, you have to stay."

And for the ones she hopes to return for, Lee leaves them with a "don't
tell anybody, but I'll be back."

For some of the others she knows she can't save, Lee ties colorful
bandanas around their necks, hoping to draw attention for a family to take
him/her home.

After an animal's first four days in the shelter, if animal control
officers think it has a good chance of being adopted, it is moved to
the adoption cages for two weeks.

But, after 14 days if the animal is still there, it never will leave.

"If people would spay and neuter their animals, we wouldn't have this
problem," Brown, the animal control officer, said.



-- Sherrill
Date: Tue, 09 Sep 1997 10:29:57 EDT
From: [e-mail] (Kathryn A Laszlo)
To: [e-mail]
Subject: (US) Captive Canada geese destined for research; animal
     advocates ask for court order
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>

Published Sep 9, 1997

Animal-protection groups ask court order for captive geese

Dean Rebuffoni / Star Tribune

Three animal-protection groups upped the ante Monday in the fight over
260 captive Canada geese, asking U.S. District Judge Richard Kyle to
order a federal agency to protect the birds and ensure their eventual
safe release.

In a motion filed in federal court in St. Paul, the groups also asked
Kyle to hold John Rogers, director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
in contempt for allegedly having violated a recent decision by the judge.


The Wildlife Service has not yet formally responded to the motion.
Elizabeth Schmiesing, a Minneapolis attorney for the animal-protection
groups, said they hope to settle the matter without Kyle's intervention.

"If it's possible, we want to work with the Wildlife Service for a
resolution whereby the geese would be cared for over the winter and
released next summer," Schmiesing said. Some of the birds' wings have
been clipped and they cannot fly until the wings grow back, she said.

Kyle ruled in favor of the animal-protection groups Aug. 21 by revoking
Wildlife Service permits that had allowed the annual roundup of nuisance
geese in the Twin Cities area. He determined that the agency had violated
its own regulations by issuing those permits to the Minnesota Department
of Natural Resources (DNR) and to James Cooper, a wildlife professor at
the University of Minnesota.

Neither the DNR nor Cooper, who has long been involved in the goose
roundups, is a defendant in the case. But the DNR is holding the 260
geese at one of its facilities and said it plans to turn over perhaps 200
of them to Cooper for a study of the potential toxicity effects of lead
shot in goose meat.

The DNR has said that the Wildlife Service's position is that federal law
allows the state agency to hold the geese. That is disputed by the
animal-protection groups: the national Humane Society, its Minnesota
affiliate, and Friends of Animals and Their Environment, a Twin
Cities-based organization.

A DNR spokeswoman, Marcy Dowse, said her agency "feels very strongly that
there is a lack of clarity in Kyle's decision, so the court is the right
place to go to provide that clarity."

Copyright 1997 Star Tribune | Minneapolis-St.Paul





Date: Tue, 9 Sep 97 10:31:16 UTC
From: [e-mail]
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Shop with Your Dog
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>

One of the fanciest stores in New York City allows shoppers to take their
dogs inside to peruse the merchandise. "Bloomingdales has always honored
dogs in the store," a Bloomies spokesperson said.

(From DogFancy Magazine)

-- Sherrill
Date: Tue, 9 Sep 97 10:34:55 UTC
From: [e-mail]
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Head Check for Animal Abusers
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>

Animal lovers have long believed anyone who could harm an innocent
creature must be sick. Now Colorado requires mental health treatment
for individuals convicted of animal abuse in the state. Under a new
law that stiffens penalties for people who commit violent acts against
animals, those convicted of first-time animal cruelty face a minimum
of $900 in fines and surcharges. Second-time offenders face $1,400 in
penalties and a mental evaluation for placement in special anger-
management treatment programs.


-- Sherrill
Date: Wed, 10 Sep 1997 01:25:27 +0800 (SST)
From: Vadivu Govind <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: (TW) Pig population should be further cut
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"


>CNA Daily English News Wire

PIG POPULATION SHOULD BE FURTHER CUT


Taipei, Sept. 9 (CNA) The pig population in Taiwan has declined by one-third
since the foot-and-mouth disease epidemic struck the island in March, but
the Agriculture Commission said on Tuesday that the pig-raising industry
should decrease the number of pigs by a further 20 percent.

The commission said that as the supply of pork is outpacing local demand,
pig farmers should further reduce stock levels to prevent the price of pork
from dropping further.

Statistics show that as of the end of July, there are currently around 8.53
million pigs in Taiwan.

Following the epidemic, pork exports to Japan have been suspended, the
commission said, adding that local demand has also fallen.

Last year, Taiwan exported US$1.54 billion-worth of pork to Japan,
accounting for 99.4 percent of Taiwan's total pork exports or nearly 50
percent of Japan's total pork imports. The export market formerly accounted
for some 45 percent of total pork production in Taiwan.

The wholesale price of pork has dropped to NT$30 per kilo, compared with
around NT$45 per kilo before the epidemic. (By Lin Wen-fen)



Date: Tue, 9 Sep 1997 10:11:19 -0700 (PDT)
From: Mike Markarian <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail], [e-mail],
        [e-mail]
Subject: Call-In Week to End Pigeon Shoots
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

URGENT ACTION ALERT:
CALL-IN WEEK TO END PIGEON SHOOTS!

Every year across Pennsylvania, tens of thousands of pigeons are gunned down
in shooting contests. The birds are released one at a time from tiny boxes,
and contestants shoot from 20 yards away. About 75 percent of the birds
released are not killed immediately, but rather wounded and left on the
shooting fields to writhe in pain. Children collect wounded birds, killing
them by ripping off their heads, stomping on them, or throwing them into
barrels to suffocate.

The most infamous pigeon shoot takes place every Labor Day in Hegins, but
lesser known pigeon shoots take place nearly every weekend across
Pennsylvania in at least 6 different counties. Most other states prohibit
this barbaric ritual, and use clay targets instead of breathing ones. You
can help bring Pennsylvania up to the humane standards of the rest of the
civilized world.

State Senator Roy Afflerbach (D-Lehigh County) has introduced a bill to ban
the use of live pigeons in shooting contests -- SB 764. Unfortunately,
because of their ties to the gun lobby, the Republican leaders of the Senate
and House have refused to bring the bill up for a fair vote!

*** September 22-24: Pennsylvania Residents Call-In Week!

This is the first week the Legislature comes back from summer recess. Please
call the House and Senate leaders below and urge them to bring up the pigeon
shoot legislation for a vote!

*** September 29-October 1: National Call-In Week!

We need to flood the offices of the House and Senate leaders with calls from
around the country, telling them that pigeon shoots are a nationwide
embarrassment to Pennsylvania!

Representative Matt Ryan, Speaker of the House: [phone]
Senator Robert Jubelirer, President Pro Tempore: [phone]

If you live in Pennsylvania, also call your own State Senator and State
Representative and tell them to support legislation to ban live pigeon
shoots. Call the switchboard and ask to be connected to their offices. If
you don't know who your Senator and Representative are, please contact The
Fund for Animals at [e-mail] or [phone]. We can look
them up for you and tell you how they voted last time.

Senate Switchboard: [phone]
House Switchboard: [phone]

Thank you! We are closer than ever, and we need your help to end pigeon
shoots for good!

Date: Tue, 9 Sep 1997 04:22:15 -0700 (PDT)
From: [e-mail]
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Sue McCrosky Jailing - Day 7 (US)
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"


For Immediate Release
September 9, 1997



Activist's Husband Threatens to Arrest DeKalb Sheriff
For æCruel & Unusual Punishment'; Vigil Set Tuesday Night

     ATLANTA û The husband of a jailed animal rights activist said he may
"arrest" the DeKalb County Sheriff on federal charges for "cruel and unusual
punishment" for not giving his- wife her medication aimed at preventing
strokes, and for unsanitary health conditions at the DeKalb County Jail that
produce green, undrinkable water in the cells.

     Meanwhile, a somber, candlelight vigil will be held Tuesday night at 7 p.m.
at the DeKalb County Jail to protest the continued incarceration of Sue
McCrosky, jailed last Wednesday. Tuesday marks her 7th day in jail and on a
self-imposed, protest hunger strike.

     In a letter sent to DeKalb County Sheriff Sidney Dorsey, Mike McCrosky
charged the jail medical staff of "failing to properly medicate my wife." He
said she requires 2 separate medications of a hypertension medicine daily,
and that the jail has only given her 2 total medications since last
Wednesday, about 12 dosages fewer than recommended. She has already been
sent to a doctor once for stroke or precursor to stroke symptoms.

     "The plumbing system in your jail is in such a state of disrepair that my
wife has no access to toilet and drinking facilities during the night...this
too is unconscionable," said Mr. McCrosky in his letter. Mr. McCrosky said
the faulty plumbing û which is manifested by green slime in the sink and
toilets of Ms McCrosky's "pod" û violated OSHA regulations.

     "If you retaliate against my wife...I will swear out a warrant for your
arrest (and) charge yo with the aforementioned and with conspiracy," Mr.
McCrosky said in his letter to Dorsey.

     Ms McCrosky has been jailed since Wednesday and Sunday is her 5th day of a
self-imposed hunger strike to protest conditions against all prisoners at
the jail, and her sentence of 45 days for peacefully picketing the residence
of the chief of Yerkes Primate Research last May. The case is on appeal, but
the judge refused to release Ms McCrosky pending appeal.
-30-
Contact: Cres Vellucci [phone] or Jean Barnes [phone] or (770)
242-4343



Activist Civil Liberties Committee
PO Box 19515, Sacramento, CA 95819 [phone] Fax: [phone]

Date: Tue, 9 Sep 1997 04:22:15 -0700 (PDT)
From: [e-mail]
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Sue McCrosky Jailing - Day 7 (US)
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>


For Immediate Release
September 9, 1997



Activist's Husband Threatens to Arrest DeKalb Sheriff
For =91Cruel & Unusual Punishment'; Vigil Set Tuesday Night

        ATLANTA =96 The husband of a jailed animal rights activist said he may
"arrest" the DeKalb County Sheriff on federal charges for "cruel and unusual
punishment" for not giving his- wife her medication aimed at preventing
strokes, and for unsanitary health conditions at the DeKalb County Jail that
produce green, undrinkable water in the cells.

        Meanwhile, a somber, candlelight vigil will be held Tuesday night at 7
p.m.
at the DeKalb County Jail to protest the continued incarceration of Sue
McCrosky, jailed last Wednesday. Tuesday marks her 7th day in jail and on a
self-imposed, protest hunger strike.

        In a letter sent to DeKalb County Sheriff Sidney Dorsey, Mike McCrosky
charged the jail medical staff of "failing to properly medicate my wife." He
said she requires 2 separate medications of a hypertension medicine daily,
and that the jail has only given her 2 total medications since last
Wednesday, about 12 dosages fewer than recommended. She has already been
sent to a doctor once for stroke or precursor to stroke symptoms.

        "The plumbing system in your jail is in such a state of disrepair that
my
wife has no access to toilet and drinking facilities during the night...this
too is unconscionable," said Mr. McCrosky in his letter. Mr. McCrosky said
the faulty plumbing =96 which is manifested by green slime in the sink and
toilets of Ms McCrosky's "pod" =96 violated OSHA regulations.=20

        "If you retaliate against my wife...I will swear out a warrant for your
arrest (and) charge yo with the aforementioned and with conspiracy," Mr.
McCrosky said in his letter to Dorsey.

        Ms McCrosky has been jailed since Wednesday and Sunday is her 5th day o
f a
self-imposed hunger strike to protest conditions against all prisoners at
the jail, and her sentence of 45 days for peacefully picketing the residence
of the chief of Yerkes Primate Research last May. The case is on appeal, but
the judge refused to release Ms McCrosky pending appeal.
-30-
Contact: Cres Vellucci [phone] or Jean Barnes [phone] or (770)
242-4343



Activist Civil Liberties Committee
PO Box 19515, Sacramento, CA 95819 [phone] Fax: [phone]=20

    Sue McCrosky Jailing - Day 7 (US)
Date: Tue, 9 Sep 1997 15:36:42 -0400 (EDT)
From: [e-mail]
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Sample letter and more info- Richmond Animal Shelter (VA)
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>

Please mail or fax this letter or a letter you have written immediately! The
city council will be voting on changes at the shelter on the last week of
September. Activists in Richmond have tried everything possible to change the
conditions at the shelter but the city and the shelter keep fighting us. I
was informed the other day that because the SPCA no longer euthanizes for the
shelter that the shelter is taking the animals to a vet that is known to be
abusive to animals. If anyone has idea about where we can go from here please
contact me. If you are unaware of the situation at the shelter or if you
would like a copy of the 2 part article about the shelter that appeared in
the paper please e-mail me.
Alanna- Richmond Animal Rights Network
http://members.aol.com/novenaann/organiz2.htm
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
I am aware of the deplorable conditions of the Richmond Animal Shelter
located on 3540 N. Hopkins Road. It is shameful to Richmond that this
horrific cruelty and disorganization is allowed to continue at the shelter.
The following needs to be done to improve the shelter:

1.The shelter needs a new administration that is caring and that has had
previous experience running a successful shelter. Current shelter employees
need to be reevaluated as many are lacking the experience in the fields of
animal care and handling, humane euthanasia, adoption screening, and proper
office procedures.
2.The shelter needs to have an on-site veterinarian to provide medical care
and humane euthanasia for the animals.
3. A committee of members of the general public needs to be formed to oversee
the policies and actions of the shelter.
4. The conditions of the volunteer policy (FBI, Police, and DMV background
check) need to be applied to all current and future employees of the shelter
and not just to volunteers.

Please take action immediately to correct the problems at the shelter.

Sincerely,
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------
send letters to:
City Council
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
City Hall
Suite 200
900 E. Broad
Richmond, VA 23219

Mayor Chavis
Phone:[phone]
Fax:[phone]
City Hall
Suite 201
900 E. Broad
Richmond, VA 23219

City Manager
Phone:[phone]
Fax:[phone]
City Hall
Suite 201
900 E. Broad
Richmond, VA 23219

Commonwealth's Attorney
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
400 N 9th St.
Richmond, VA 23219



Date: Tue, 9 Sep 1997 12:30:55 -0700 (PDT)
From: "Christine M. Wolf" <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: CAMPFIRE - Senate Conferees announced
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Our final chance to eliminate taxpayer subsidies to the CAMPFIRE program
will be when the conference committee, consisting of certain House and
Senate members, meets to work out the differences in the versions of the
Foreign Operations Spending Bill that passed each chamber.

Just a refresher...

The SENATE approved language that prohibits taxpayer subsidies of the ivory
trade through the CAMPFIRE program in Zimbabwe.

The HOUSE rejected a similar amendment last Thursday by a vote of 267-159.

So far, only the Senate conferees have been announced.  As soon as the list
of House conferees is available, I will post that also.

IF YOU LIVE IN ONE OF THE STATES LISTED BELOW, PLEASE CALL YOUR
SENATOR AND
ASK HIM OR HER TO "SUPPORT THE SENATE LANGUAGE IN THE FOREIGN
OPERATIONS
SPENDING BILL THAT PROHIBITS TAXPAYER SUBSIDIES TO THE IVORY TRADE."

All Senate offices can be reached through the Capitol Switchboard:
1-800-962-3524 or 1-800-972-3524 (D.C. area residents, use 202-224-3121)


STATE           SENATOR                 E-MAIL ADDRESS

Kentucky        Mitch McConnell         [e-mail]

Pennsylvania    Arlen Specter           [e-mail]

New Hampshire   Judd Gregg              [e-mail]

Alabama         Richard Shelby          [e-mail]

Utah            Robert Bennett          [e-mail]

Colorado        Ben Nighthorse Campbell         N/A

Alaska          Ted Stevens             [e-mail]

Mississippi     Thad Cochran            [e-mail]

Vermont         Patrick Leahy           [e-mail]

Hawaii          Daniel Inouye           [e-mail]

New Jersey      Frank Lautenberg        [e-mail]

Iowa            Tom Harkin              [e-mail]

Maryland        Barbara Mikulski        [e-mail]

Washington      Patty Murray            [e-mail]

West Virginia   Robert Byrd             [e-mail]



**** As always, please call me if you have any questions, want to know how
your legislator voted on the amendment, or want to know who your elected
officials are.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ACTIVISM  - THIS IS OUR LAST CHANCE TO WIN ON THIS
ISSUE!

******************************************************************
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

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

Date: Tue, 9 Sep 1997 13:17:16 -0700 (PDT)
From: Mike Markarian <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail], [e-mail],
        [e-mail]
Subject: Woodstock, Illinois: Action Alert
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

ACTION ALERT FOR WOODSTOCK, ILLINOIS

September 10, 1997

The Woodstock City Council is considering a proposal to ban the use of
exotic animals in performances and traveling displays. Encouraging letters
from Woodstock, Illinois residents will be extremely valuable in convincing
officials that such an ordinance has community support. In your own words,
please politely express the following:

* Exotic animals used in circuses and displayed in carnivals, festivals,
parades, etc. are subjected to stress and prolonged confinement.

* These displays have no educational value and contribute to animal suffering.

* Animals forced to engage in unnatural behavior are often trained by cruel,
painful methods such as whips and electric prods.

* People gain true respect for exotic animals by learning of them in their
undisturbed, natural habitats.

* Exotic animal shows pose a danger to the public, including children. There
have been many recent instances where people have been attacked, bitten,
scratched, and even killed, by exotic animals used in circuses and festivals.

Please write to the mayor at the address below, and ask him to share your
concerns with the Woodstock City Council.

Mayor Alan Cornue
Woodstock City Hall
P.O. Box 190
Woodstock, IL 60098

Thank you for your help!

Date: Tue, 9 Sep 1997 13:18:05 -0700 (PDT)
From: Mike Markarian <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail], [e-mail],
        [e-mail]
Subject: Cleveland, Ohio: Action Alert
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"


CLEVELAND ACTION ALERT

MetroParks and Cuyahoga Valley Both Slated to Kill Deer!

The Cleveland MetroParks and the Cuyahoga Valley National Recreational Area
(CVNRA) plan to slaughter more than 600 deer this coming November. The plans
are based on poorly compiled data and incomplete research, and we need your
help in several ways to save the deer!

(1) Attend a public rally for the deer. Please bring your family and friends!

Saturday, October 11, 1997
11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Egbert Picnic Area in the Bedford Reservation

For more information on the rally please call In Defense of Deer at (216)
581-3410.

(2) Write letters to the editor of your local newspapers opposing the deer
slaughter.

(3) Write to the three MetroParks Board Commissioners listed below, and tell
them you oppose the deer killing plan. Tell them you intend to boycott the
zoo and all other MetroParks activities, and you will not support any future
tax levies for the parks.

John O'Toole, President
4101 Fulton Parkway
Cleveland, OH 44144
FAX: [phone]

Fred Rzepka, Vice President
4101 Fulton Parkway
Cleveland, OH 44144
FAX: [phone]

David Whitehead, Vice President
4101 Fulton Parkway
Cleveland, OH 44144
FAX: [phone]

Here are a few points you may wish to make in your letters:

* Proponents of the deer hunt claim there are 7,000 to 8,000 deer in the
CVNRA, Bedford, and Brecksville Reservations, yet independent biologists
believe there are only 1,500.

* Hunting proponents claim that deer are detrimental to other animal and
plant species in the parks, yet they have not even completed any studies on
this premature conclusion. There is no evidence of threats to any specific
animal or plant species due to deer activity.

* Hunting is only a "band-aid" approach to deer-human conflicts. Hunting
reduces deer populations for the short-term, but less competition for food
among surviving deer causes increased nutritional health and increased
reproduction. Scientific studies indicate that hunted deer populations
reproduce at double or triple the rates of nonhunted populations.

* Hunting does not solve the problems of deer-vehicle collisions or deer
browsing gardens. Killing some deer does not stop the surviving deer from
crossing the same roads or eating the same plants. Many states (such as New
Jersey) donate deer repellents to farmers and homeowners, and others (such
as Washington and Minnesota) have installed roadside reflectors that have
effectively reduced deer-vehicle collisions by 88-91 percent.

* In a highly residential area, hunting is dangerous for our family members
and companion animals. Each year, more than 200 people are killed in hunting
accidents, and another 1,500 are injured ù many are nonhunting bystanders.
People who enjoy spending time in our parks should not be held hostage by
fear of being struck by a stray bullet.

Thank you for speaking out on behalf of the deer!

Date: Tue, 9 Sep 1997 23:08:13 +0000
From: "Guillermo Repetto" <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: ALTERNATIVES IN SPAIN
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1


NEXT ALTERNATIVE-RELATED ACTIVITIES IN SPAIN
by Guillermo Repetto


 The following activities related to Alternative Methods are scheduled
 whitin the activities of the
XII Spanish Toxicology Congress, Zaragoza, 17-19 September 1997:

-1 Round Table "Alternative Methods in Basic and Applied Research",

-2 Oral and poster sessions on Alternatives

-3  Meeting of the GTEMA working group

Programme available at http://www.ua.es/nq/aet/

Organized by GTEMA: Spanish Group on Alternative Methods (Grupo de
Trabajo Especializado en MΘtodos Alternativos). Speciality Group of
the Spanish Toxicology Society.

The main objective of the group is to stimulate the cooperation and
coordination of the scientific activities of its members to contribute
to the development of new experimental methods, in vivo and in vitro,
so as to reduce the number of animals used, refine techniques in order
to reduce animal suffering, or replace the use of animals altogether
(the three "r"s). Another aim is to stimulate the participation of
Spanish research groups in method prevalidation and validation
programmes and to promote the regulatory acceptance of alternative
methods, particularly in vitro toxicity methods.

nati01
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Guillermo Repetto, MD, PhD, Coordinator of the
  Spanish Group on Alternative Methods - GTEMA
    National Institute of Toxicology
    P O Box 863
    41080 - Sevilla, Spain
    Tel: [phone]       Fax: [phone]

    email: [e-mail]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PS: please note the change in the email address (feb 97)
Date: Wed, 10 Sep 1997 08:28:38 +0800 (SST)
From: Vadivu Govind <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: (HK) Sharpshooters hunt pigs terrorising island resident
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"



>South China Morning Post
                            Internet Edition
                           Wednesday  September 10  1997

     Sharpshooters hunt pigs terrorising island resident
     BILLY WONG WAI-YUK

     Camouflaged sharpshooters armed with shotguns and backed by a pack of
hounds landed on Sharp Island yesterday after its only resident complained
of vicious attacks     by pigs.

     The posse, supervised by a police officer, probed deep into the bushes
and hills of the     island off Sai Kung, but called off the hunt after
three hours when all they had found     were deep footprints.

     "I guess the animals have fled by swimming to the neighbouring islands
after they heard     our dogs and walkie-talkies," hunter Chan Kwai-sang said.

     "From the footprints, we believe there are at least two big boars and
two piglets."

     The hunt was arranged after the island's sole resident, Sung Duosan,
64, called police     after the appearance of wild pigs a month ago.

     "They are as big as a buffalo and they do not only roam in the bushes.
Three of my dogs were killed on the beach in a horrible manner," Mr Sung said.

     "And the most worrying of all is that I recently saw that the piglets
are going along with     their parents which hints they are breeding very fast."

     Mr Sung was hired to watch over the island after an amusement park
there closed 10     years ago. He now arms himself with a pole and takes his
remaining dogs whenever he     needs to go out at night.

     "Whenever there are campers trying to pitch tents on the beach, I guess
I have a duty     to hurry them away as it is too dangerous," he said.

A spokesman for the Agriculture and Fisheries Department said it had issued
three     special permits for hunting wild pigs.

     One was issued to police and the other two went to civilian hunting teams.

     "They can only act on complaints and the licence is restricted to
shooting wild boars,"     conservation officer Dr So Ping-man said.


Date: Wed, 10 Sep 1997 09:26:50 +0800
From: bunny <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: BSE, UNDER REPORTING - EUROPE
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Here is a useful and thought provoking discussion on BSE (Europe)taken from a
forum I follow on emerging infectious disease (animal/human).

BSE, UNDER REPORTING - EUROPE
*****************************


[BSE, under reporting - Europe                          970829114817
BSE, under reporting - Europe (02)                     970903182509]

Date: Fri, 05 Sep 1997 09:46:04 +1200


O Hotz de Baar commented on Fri, 29 Aug 1997 that the discrepancy between
reported and expected cases of BSE in Europe was utterly predictable due to
the unscientific practice of slaughtering whole herds where a case was
found (in the case of Germany, whole breeds).

This point was queried by the PROMED moderator who felt that herd
depopulation is a well recognized disease control option, and therefore
could not be called "unscientific".

Some PROMED subscribers may not know that the issue of surveillance and
control systems for BSE was widely discussed during the electronic
conference on the Surveillance for the Transmissible Spongiform
Encephalopathies (TSEs) of Livestock which we in the New Zealand Ministry
of Agriculture ran for the month of May 1997.

One of the threads of discussion during our conference was the effect that
different control policies have on the reporting of BSE. Several postings
suggested that control measures have a significant effect on surveillance
for BSE.

In summary, the argument goes like this:

Where a single case of BSE results in the slaughter of an entire herd,
there is a very strong incentive for the stock-owner to insure that a
suspect case of BSE never comes to the attention of the authorities. After
all, cattle die of many different causes, and a good stockman can detect
the early signs of BSE while they are still very subtle.

Picture yourself in the position of the owner of a much-loved and
highly-valued herd.  Perhaps these are prize-winning stud animals, in a
herd first established by your father or grandfather.  You notice a cow
showing signs of BSE.  You immediately report your suspicions to the
authorities, right?

Really?  So you can see your life's work destroyed?

Adding to the pressure to cover up a case of BSE is the knowledge that this
is NOT a contagious disease.  It is a good chance that there will only ever
be the one case.  So, there is little scientific rationale for whole of
herd slaughter.

For those PROMED members who are not aware, the proceedings of the
electronic conference can be found on the Ministry of Agriculture's
homepage on the web at the following address:

http://www.maf.govt.nz/tse-conference

[Thanks very much for sharpening the argument.  I queried the previous
posting because I wanted to point out that a choice of disease control
tactics is, in the end,  a choice among control tactics depending on
biological, economic, social and political factors.  I was concerned that
the use of the word unscientific would be equated with irrational.  The
unfortunate truth is that a disease control tactic may have little
scientific backing from a biological perspective but in fact have enormous
economic or political advantages that would make it  the best choice in a
particular situation.

However,  I did not want to suggest that this was necessarily appropriate
for BSE and herd depopulation and so I really appreciate your comments.
Furthermore, your scenario points out why it may be so difficult to obtain
good surveillance data when there is a powerful incentive to NOT report a
disease.   Thanks - Mod. pc]


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

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, 10 Sep 1997 09:45:26 +0800
From: bunny <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease (New Zealand)
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Government Response To The Outbreak Of RCD


                     -------------------------------------------------------
-----------------
                                Press Release: New Zealand Government
                                   Date: Tuesday, 9 September 1997
                     -------------------------------------------------------
-----------------

Faced with the reality that the illegally introduced RCD virus is clearly
established in the South Island, the Government will
move to legalise its ongoing spread, Hon Simon Upton, announced today.

The Government is clear that there are compelling reasons to act swiftly.
These include the need to:

     provide clear advice on how to handle the virus safely and effectively,

     assist the Department of Conservation in its efforts to protect
threatened native species from predators deprived of their
     regular rabbit prey,

     monitor any risks to humans and other non-target species.

"Without legalisation the Government and the public are left in the dark as
to what is going on. That is not a satisfactory state
of affairs," Mr Upton said.

The Government therefore intends to pass regulations under the Biosecurity
Act to make it legal to possess RCD. Such
regulations would not retrospectively legalise the actions of farmers who
have spread RCD to date. In the Ministry of
Agriculture's view a distinction can and should be drawn between the person
or persons involved in the importation and initial
distribution of the virus, and those involved in subsequent spread, after it
had been replicated in New Zealand rabbits and
became established over a wide area.

"Given the need to move swiftly to place the spread of the virus on a
managed basis, interested parties will have one week
from Wednesday 10 September in which to comment on the need for and intent
of such regulations," Mr Upton said.

The Minister said he had spoken to Federated Farmers' High Country Committee
Chairman and the National President of
Federated Farmers prior to this announcement. They had indicated their
willingness to work with the Ministry of Agriculture.

"I have instructed MAF to organise a series of meetings with farmers,
Landcare groups, DOC and other interested parties to
co-ordinate the collection of information and to provide a forum for the
ongoing dissemination of current and future
information."

The decision to manage the illegally imported virus, rather than resort to a
fresh importation, flowed from MAF's analysis, in
consultation with independent experts in virology, which indicated that
importation of a 'pure' strain was not justified.

Technical reasons against the importation of the Australian RCD seed-stock

     the strain of virus being released in New Zealand is clearly virulent -
ie. killing rabbits

     there is no evidence suggesting that the Australian strain would be any
more effective than the current South Island
     farmers' "Kitchen Whiz" strain either as a biocontrol agent, spreading
naturally without man's intervention, or as a
     biocide where it kills rabbits which eat infected bait

     providing farmers only select livers from rabbits that have died of RCD
there is likely to be no difference in effectiveness
     between "Kitchen Whiz" strain and the Australian strain

     the presence of an avirulent (harmless) strain in Australia has been
suspected; however it is equally likely that an
     avirulent strain may have already been present in New Zealand prior to
the illegal introduction of RCD

     the virulent virus affects the liver while the avirulent strain is
reported to affect the gastrointestinal tract

     while avirulent strains are believed to occur in many countries there
are no records of virulent strains losing their
     effectiveness to become avirulent

     while the probability is very low, it is possible that if there is an
avirulent strain in Australia it could be present in the
     Australian seed-stock

     even virulent strains will not kill all rabbits and traditional control
methods are needed to kill survivors

     Australian virus is not available for immediate release - it is only
available as seed-stock and would need to be
     multiplied before being distributed and released

     multiplication of the virus in New Zealand would take at least four
months and possibly much longer if the product
     needs to be registered as a pesticide

     even if the Australian seed-stock was imported, multiplied and
released, it would not displace the New Zealand strain
     already well distributed in the South Island

     importing the Australian seed stock would not change the other
biosecurity risks that we have already been exposed to
     by the illegal importation



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

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: Tue, 09 Sep 1997 21:38:28 -0400
From: jeanlee <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: [Fwd: Re: Cruelty in Korea]
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: multipart/mixed; boundary="------------173C7248F71"

Hi All-

This is the response I received from the Korean Embassy.
>Return-Path: <[e-mail]>
Received: from daedalus.kct.com ([207.86.167.57])
     by morse.concentric.net (8.8.7/(97/08/20 5.11))
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          Tue, 9 Sep 1997 15:59:16 -0400
From: [e-mail] (Ashley Cole)
To: <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Cruelty in Korea
Date: Tue, 9 Sep 1997 15:45:44 -0400
X-MSMail-Priority: Normal
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X-MIME-Autoconverted: from 8bit to quoted-printable by darius.concentric.net id VAA15362

Embassy of the Republic of Korea
Washington, D.C. 20008
Tel.: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

Dear Sir/Madame:

Thank you for your letter expressing your views on the consumption of dog
meat in the Republic of Korea.  We appreciate your interest in Korea and
some aspects of life there that may seem strange to you.

Dogs are well loved animals in Korea and are a part of Korean everyday life
as human companions and assistants.  As is the case in several other Asian
countries, dog meat is one source of human food in Korea and there is a
tiny portion of industry that produces dog meat for human consumption.
Although beef, pork, fish, and chicken are the main and far more common
meat components of the Korean diet, some Koreans also enjoy other
delicacies on special occasions, such as sea cucumber, octopus, and dog.
The Korean consumption of dog meat is neither a daily of weekly practice.
Nor is it a common or widespread practice among the population.  Visitors
to Korea would have difficulty finding Koreans in the general population
who have ever eaten dog meat and difficulty finding the few specialized
restaurants that serve dog meat.

The consumption of dog in Korea has been a marginal culinary tradition for
generations and, in response, the industry has gradually evolved to conform
with the demand.  A select few types of larger dog are bred for their meat
on special farms.

Korean society is changing as fast as its economy and people experience new
tastes, trends, and influences around the world.  The Korean food industry
and restaurant industry are no different.  Already, the young generation
has tended to favor the foods and customs of other cultures on a par with
their own.  As these changes continue in the future, one can reasonable
expect that the Korean interest in the consumption of dog meat, already
marginal and exotic, will diminish further.

I hope this helps increase your understanding of the practice of dog meat
consumption in Korea and allays any exaggerated fears you may have had
regarding it.

Finally, I am happy to assure you that there has never been a culinary
tradition in Korea regarding cats, and that cats, like dogs, are great
objects of Korean affection.

Sincerely,

Onhan Shin
Counselor for Health & Welfare

Korean Information Center
Embassy of the Republic of Korea
2370 Massachusetts Ave., N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20008
Tel.: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Web Site:  http://korea.emb.washington.dc.us


----------
From: jeanlee <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Cruelty in Korea
Date: Sunday, September 07, 1997 10:50 PM

Dear Mr. Ambassador:

I have been reading with shock and horror about the fact that your
countrymen think dog meat is so wonderful and that consumption is rising
to the point that two dog slaughterhouses are to open this year to meet
the growing demand.  The slaughterhouses are to open on Cheju Island,
one of South KoreaÆs best-known tourist islands.  The conditions under
which the animals are kept and slaughtered are barbaric.

You should be concerned about your international image and ban dog meat
by invoking a law that prohibits the sale of such foods as ôunsightly,ö
as Seoul did.  Unfortunately, it was left up to regional authorities to
decide which foods fall into that category.

Perhaps you think that since the United States slaughters animals, we
have no right to criticize.  I personally donÆt eat any slaughtered
animals and am distressed that my fellow Americans choose to do so, but
even people who do eat animals are very offended by your countryÆs
eating animals they consider beloved companions.  And they have tourist
dollars.  Perhaps you think itÆs still none of my business in general,
as an American.  However, I am a consumer of your countryÆs products.
This will all change now - itÆs really easy to avoid buying anything
ôMade in Korea.ö  This change in  my buying habits will continue until I
learn that changes have been made in your countryÆs practices concerning
animals.  And I would never contemplate visiting such a country.   I
will also educate anyone I can,  especially over the Internet, about the
practices of  Korea, Taiwan, and the Phillipines and the unspeakable
cruelty shown by these countries and others to animals who are homeless
and/or destined to be eaten.

Sincerely yours,
----------


Date: Tue, 09 Sep 1997 21:44:27 -0400
From: jeanlee <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Taiwan letter
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1


Hi-

Here's a letter similar to the one I sent to the Korean Ambassador.
Feel free to use it as a sample letter.  Postage is 60 cents per 1/2 oz.

Jeanlee



President Lee Teng-hue
Office of the President
122 Chungking South Road, Sec 1
Taipei, Taiwan (ROC)

Dear President Lee Teng-hue:

Are you aware of the situation in your country concerning homeless dogs
and cats and the brutally cruel methods being used to slaughter animals
for meat?  Are you also aware of the image your country projects because
of this brutality?  Animals have hearts, and lungs, and blood, and they
get terrified and hungry and cold, just as we do.  If there is any
compassion in your heart, please examine these situations and bring
about change.

IÆve read that homeless animals are rounded up by garbage collectors
hastily trained as dog catchers.  If the animals donÆt die in the trucks
from the wire nooses, they end up jammed into shelter cages next to
garbage dumps or even in slaughterhouses.  Often food and water is
absent, the cages are full of excrement and even carcasses.  The
creatures sometimes turn to cannibalism to survive.

Since Chinese people want fresh, warm meat, most slaughterhouses kill
animals crudely in the early morning.  I was astonished to read that the
animals are not stunned first - most are killed by knife.  Cattle are
killed by ax!  The animals are forced to watch as other animals are
killed before them.

This situation is intolerable.  Perhaps you think itÆs none of my
business, as an American.  However, I am a consumer of your countryÆs
products.  This will all change now - itÆs easy to avoid buying
anything ôMade in Taiwan.ö  This change in  my buying habits will
continue until I learn that changes have been made in your countryÆs
practices concerning animals.  I will also share this information with
many people.

Sincerely yours,
Date: Tue, 09 Sep 1997 23:28:30 -0400
From: AR-Admin <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: Attachments--Admin Note
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Routine post.............

Please avoid attaching files to posts to AR-News.

While many subscribers may have no problem handling attachments, some do.
For some people, an attached file is downloaded as gibberish, gibberish
that takes time to download.  For others, it may be a useless thing that is
"forgotten" after the message was deleted--however, the "attachment" may
still be on the hard drive.

And...depending on the attachment, it *might* contain a virus if it uses a
"template" (this type of virus is known as a "macrovirus").  (For virus
information, there are a number of sources on the web.)

So...please offer to send the attachment via private e-mail (for those
subscribers who reply privately).

Allen Schubert
AR-News Listowner
[e-mail]


Date: Tue, 09 Sep 1997 20:51:50
From: David J Knowles <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: [UK] New creatures are found in holiday island caves
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"


>From The Electronic Telegraph - Wednesday, September 9th, 1997

New creatures are found in holiday island caves

WATER-filled caves below several popular holiday islands are home to
numerous species of animals and plants which occur nowhere else on Earth,
scientists revealed yesterday.

Biologists have found that inland caves which have no direct connection
with the open sea are filled with more than 16,000 new species, including
strange shrimp-like creatures that are the living equivalent of
archaeopteryx, the first known bird.

Prof Geoff Boxhall, a marine biologist at the Natural History Museum, said
one group of secret caves was several miles under hotels and holiday villas
in the Cala D'Or region of
Majorca.

He said: "These caves are home to numerous new species of crustaceans and,
in one case, even a new class of animal, a find equivalent to discovering
mammals."

The cave was discovered only recently by workmen digging a sump into which
they were going to pump untreated sewage from a new hotel.

In another recently-found cave in Lanzarote, a new class of crustacean and
six species of small sea-lice called copepods were found.

⌐ Copyright Telegraph Group Limited 1997.
Date: Tue, 09 Sep 1997 23:58:38 -0400
From: allen schubert <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: (US) '101 Dalmatians' Fad Is Abandoned
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

from AP Wire page:
----------------------------------------
 09/09/1997 17:37 EST

 '101 Dalmatians' Fad Is Abandoned

 By EVAN PEREZ
 Associated Press Writer

 NORTH MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- Nine months after ``101
 Dalmatians'' made the spotted dogs a hot gift at Christmas,
 the pets are becoming the most abandoned breed at animal
 shelters around the country.

 Owners are finding out that the cute, cuddly puppies grow
 into big, rambunctious and often moody dogs.

 Hundreds of Dalmatians are being returned, many abused and
 injured, and those that are not adopted are likely to be put
 to death.                                                     ------------

 ``These animals are paying with their lives because people aren't
 informed about them,'' said Pati Dane, who runs an organization here
 called Dalmatian Rescue, which tries to find new homes for the abandoned
 animals.

 ``I live, eat, sleep this problem,'' she said, as a black-and-white
 dotted face peered from a window behind her.

 So far this year, Dane has taken in 130 Dalmatians. Normally it takes
 about 2 1/2 years to reach that number. The same is happening elsewhere
 in Florida and in the nation.

 In South Florida's Broward County, 119 Dalmatians were dropped off at
 shelters during the first eight months of this year -- a 35 percent
 increase over last year.

 The Wisconsin Humane Society in Milwaukee has received 15 percent more
 Dalmatians than this time last year. Shelters in Los Angeles County also
 report an increase in the number of Dalmatians turned in, including one
 from a family that complained the pet was nothing like the dogs in the
 movie.

 Disney officials did not return phone calls seeking comment Tuesday.

 Dane blames unscrupulous breeders who wanted to cash in on the demand
 created by the movie. In the rush to sell the dogs for between $300 and
 $800, she said, many breeders don't warn people about the dogs'
 temperament.

 Dalmatians can grow to as much as 70 pounds, they shed year-round and
 about one in 10 are born deaf. They require lots of exercise, and are
 likely to become restless -- destructive even -- if they don't get it.

 ``Although Dalmatians are beautiful puppies, and can be wonderful dogs,
 you have to know what you're getting into,'' said Tracey Carson,
 spokeswoman for the Wisconsin Humane Society.

 The most common reasons given by people who give up dogs are behavioral
 problems, and medical problems, usually deafness.

 Some breeders are worried that the problem will only multiply now that a
 Saturday morning cartoon version of ``101 Dalmatians'' is in the works.
 Others refuse to let their puppies pop out of gift-wrapping by not
 selling the dogs as Christmas or birthday presents.

 ``A dog isn't really a gift,'' said Bob Ekle, a Dalmatian breeder in
 Valrico, Fla. ``It's a new member of your family. It's an adoption, not a
 purchase.''



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