|
January - March 2007 / UPDATES: Your Voice Has Impact
1. Court Declares Horse Slaughter To Be Illegal SOURCE: http://www.saplonline.org/Legislation/USDAviolatedlaw.htm EDITED FOR LENGTH 3/28/07 — Washington, D.C.(March 28, 2007):In a 51-page opinion issued just hours ago, United States District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly held that the slaughter of horses in America violates federal law. In her opinion, issued in response to a lawsuit filed in February2006 by the Society for Animal Protective Legislation (SAPL) and other humane organizations and individuals, Judge Kollar-Kotelly ruled that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) violated the National Environmental Policy Act by failing to conduct an environmental impact review of its decision to allow the continuation of horse slaughter. "Tonight, after years of legislation and litigation, America's three horse slaughterhouses can no longerkill horses for human consumption," states Chris Heyde,deputy legislative directorfor the Society for Animal Protective Legislation. "We call on Illinois-based Cavel International to work with the humane and rescue communities to find permanent safe homes forthe hundreds of horseswho were slated forslaughter..." More information is available at http://www.saplonline.org/horses.htm RELATED KINSHIP CIRCLE LINKS: Back to top 2. BETA: Back From Beirut War Trenches And Online SOURCE: animals@beirut.com• Beirut For The Ethical Treatment Of Animals, http://beta.beirut.com EDITED FOR LENGTH BETA NEWS PRIMATES RESCUED FROM WAR ZONES ARE SAFE AND SOUND  
THE WAR IS OVER, BUT THE POLITICAL LANDSCAPE IS UNSTABLE FUNDS SCARCE AS BETA ERECTS NEW SHELTER Our mission can be successful only with the help of compassionate people like you, so please donate online at http://beta.beirut.com/donate.php Thank you for caring, thank you for being there, BETA team RELATED KINSHIP CIRCLE LINKS: Back to top 3. Burger King Shifts Policy On Animals SOURCE:http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/28/business/28burger.html EDITED FOR LENGTH The company said that it would also favor suppliers of chickens that use gas, or "controlled-atmospheric stunning," rather than electric shocks to knock birds unconscious before slaughter. It is considered a more humane method, though only a handful of slaughterhouses use it. The goal for the next few months, Burger King said is for 2 percent of its eggs to be "cage free," and for 10 percent of its pork to come from farms that allow sows to move around inside pens, rather than being confined to crates. The company said those percentages would rise as more farmers shift to these methods and more competitively priced supplies become available. While Burger King's initial goals may be modest, food marketing experts and animal welfare advocates said yesterday that the shift would put pressure on other restaurant and food companies to adopt similar practices. ...Burger King's announcement is the latest success for animal welfare advocates, who were once dismissed as fringe groups, but are increasingly gaining mainstream victories. Last week, the celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck announced that the meat and eggs he used would come from animals raised under strict animal welfare codes. And in January, the world's largest pork processor, Smithfield Foods, said it would phase out confinement of pigs in metal crates over the next decade. Some city and state governments have banned restaurants from serving foie gras and prohibited farmers from confining veal calves and pigs in crates... RELATED KINSHIP CIRCLE LINKS: Back to top 4. Japanese Whaling Fleet Returns Home in Disgrace SOURCE: Paul Watson, paulwatson@earthlink.net • http://www.Seashepherd.org EDITED FOR LENGTH The disastrous Japanese whaling voyage of 2006/2007 is now officially over. The Japanese killed 508 whales, 452 short of their target. This is the first time in 20 years that the Japanese fleet had to abort it's whaling operations. They return with the loss of one crewmember who died in the fire and with millions of dollars in damages to the Nisshin Maru. Much of the whale meat onboard was damaged in the fire... Unfortunately they've vowed to repair damages and to return to the Antarctic Whale Sanctuary in December 2007 to once again illegally kill whales. They'll also target the endangered Humpbacks and Fins in addition to the Piked whales they have been slaughtering for the last two decades... ...Japanese whalers are expected to condemn the harassment actions by the crews of the Sea Shepherd ships Robert Hunter and Farley Mowat in February north of the Balleny Islands. The Sea Shepherd ships were able to disrupt the killing operations forcing the Japanese fleet to stop whaling activities and to flee. Although the Sea Shepherd ships were hundreds of miles away when the fire broke out on the Nisshin Maru, the Japanese are expected to make insinuations that Sea Shepherd was responsible... As the Japanese prepare to repair the Nisshin Maru to return to the Antarctic Whale Sanctuary in December, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is repairing the Robert Hunterand plans to return to the Sanctuary also to protect the defenceless whales from illegal operations... Captain Paul Watson RELATED KINSHIP CIRCLE LINKS: Back to top 5. Wolfgang Puck Says No To Cruel Cuisine SOURCE: Forwarded by J2468@webtv.net• Arizona Daily Star, http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/174961 EDITED FOR LENGTH His 14 fine-dining restaurants, more than 80 fast-casual eateries and 43 catering venues will use only eggs from hens that have lived cage-free; veal from roaming calves; and lobsters that have been removed from their ocean traps quickly to avoid crowded holding tanks. "We want a better standard for living creatures. It's as simple as that," Puck said. The move came after three years of protests by Farm Sanctuary, an animal-rights group that launched WolfgangPuckCruelty.org, relabeled Wolfgang Puck Victory as of Thursday and organized a leafletting campaign outside Puck's restaurants...  Force feeding to make foie gras. PHOTO: Farm Sanctuary RELATED KINSHIP CIRCLE LINKS: Back to top 6. 2-1/2 Years Jail For Man Who Mauls Dog With Chain Saw SOURCE: http://www.eyewitnessnewstv.com/Global/story.asp?S=6185800&nav=F2DO 3/16/06 — Man who attacked dog with a chain saw gets 2-1/2-year jail term, PALMER, Mass. A man who severely maimed a friend's dog with a chain saw has been sentenced to two-and-a-half years in jail after pleading guilty to animal cruelty charges. Police said Randall Mason — who lives in the town of Monson — claimed he "saw the devil" in the dog's eyes. The dog, a Labrador-husky mix named Blue, had to be euthanized after suffering deep cuts to its head and paws during the January incident. Mason had been staying with the dog's owner. He received the maximum possible sentence yesterday in Palmer District Court. 2007 The Associated Press. RELATED KINSHIP CIRCLE LINKS: Back to top 7. American Medical Student Assoc. Urges Non-Animal Testing SOURCE: rmerkley@pcrm.org • Neal Barnard, M.D., PCRM President, info@pcrm.org EDITED FOR LENGTH AMSA amended its official position regarding alternatives to animal laboratories from a statement that "urges that alternative educational materials, such as films, videotapes and computer simulations be provided for students who do not choose to attend these classes and labs (1986)," to "AMSA strongly encourages the replacement of animal laboratories with non-animal alternatives in undergraduate medical education." The resolution also states that AMSA condemns the use of household pets from pounds, shelters, or Class B random source dealers. This replaces a position taken by AMSA in 1986,in which thegroup endorses pound seizure. RELATED KINSHIP CIRCLE LINKS: Back to top 8. Ruby Finally Wins Reprieve From L.A. Zoo SOURCE: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-ruby12mar12,0,4279339.story?coll=la-home-headlines  Ruby at Los Angeles Zoo • http://www.lazoo.org/pressroomarticle.asp?id=85 EDITED FOR LENGTH "I am very pleased that the city and the zoo recognize that it's best to send Ruby to a sanctuary, which unlike a zoo can provide the vast space and natural conditions that elephants need," Catherine Doyle, elephant campaign director for In Defense of Animals, said Sunday night. Activists have made the zoo's elephant habitat a rallying cry, long arguing that the giant land animals, which roam miles in the wild and form social bonds, simply do not have enough space at the L.A. Zoo. ...Currently, Ruby is off-exhibit and solitary, having lost the closest thing she had to a companion in the female Asian elephant Gita, who died last summer... Ruby's departure will leave the zoo with only one elephant, Billy, a 22-year-old Asian bull, in residence and on exhibit. Ruby will go to the Performing Animal Welfare Society's Ark 2000 elephant sanctuary in San Andreas, southeast of Sacramento. Like a kind of Leisure World for elephants, PAWS offers some 75 acres of rolling hills to wander, plus a 3-acre lake and mud holes... Eight zoos accredited by the Assn. of Zoos and Aquariums -- including San Francisco and Detroit -- have placed a total of 11 elephants in sanctuaries, Doyle said... RELATED KINSHIP CIRCLE LINKS: Back to top 9. New Mexico Nixes Cockfighting; Louisiana Sole State Left SOURCE: Laura Maloney, Chief Executive Officer, Louisiana SPCA, laura@la-spca.org EDITED FOR LENGTH Earlier today, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson signed legislation that makes cockfighting a crime in his state, and cockfighting opponents are now turning their focus solely on Louisiana which has yet to outlaw the activity. The Louisiana SPCA (LA/SPCA), a strident and longtime advocate to end cockfighting, feels that the renewed attention on Louisiana will not be lost on state lawmakers, and that the pendulum to end cockfighting is clearly swinging in the favor of those who want to see an end to an activity that encourages roosters to brutally fight one another to their death. ...In 2004, a poll conducted by Hill Research Consultants indicated that 82% of the Louisiana residents favor a legislative ban against cockfighting. Seventy-eight percent of New Orleanians feel strongly that the legislature should outlaw the sport. Even 77% of citizens in Lafayette, where the activity is often practiced, believe the sport should be illegal... RELATED KINSHIP CIRCLE LINKS: Back to top 10. Federal Court of Appeals: Horse Slaughter Is Illegal in Texas SOURCE: EDITED FOR LENGTH The full court, which consists of 19 judges, rejected without comment or dissent a petition by the owners of the Beltex plant in Fort Worth and Dallas Crown plant in Kaufman... "The lone cowboy riding his horse on a Texas trail is a cinematic icon," wrote Judge Fortunato Benavides in the Jan. 19 ruling. "Not once in memory did the cowboy eat his horse." However, Texas Rep. Sid Miller, a Quarter Horse breeder and the chairman of the Agriculture and Livestock committee, filed a bill March 5 that would allow the slaughter of horses for human consumption in the state... Back to top 11. Free From Chains, Doogie Has Died SOURCE: Tammy Grimes, tammy@dogsdeservebetter.org  3/6/06 — Dog Whose Rescue InitiatesLegal Battle Has Died: "Duke," "Doogie," "Jake" dies peacefully and on his own terms after 5-1/2 months of loving care and proper medication.   The dog whose September 11, 2006 rescue initiated an ongoing legal battle has died. Duke, alias "Doogie" and "Jake" died Thursday morning, March 1, at the home of his foster mother. He died peacefully, waiting for her to leave the room before passing, as many dogs (and humans) do. She wrote: "It's with great sadness in my heart that I tell you Doogie passed away yesterday morning (March 1) around 9:10 am... Read about rescuer Tammy Grimes' (Dogs Deserve Better) legal hurdles after freeing Doogie from death at the end of a chain — and his foster mom's loving tribute: http://www.dogsdeservebetter.org/doogie.html RELATED KINSHIP CIRCLE LINKS: Back to top 12. Singer Gentry Sentenced In Bear Killing SOURCE: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/02/28/ap/entertainment/mainD8NIFNJ01.shtml 2/28/07 — (AP)Troy Lee Gentry, of the country singing duo Montgomery Gentry, has been sentenced to three months of probation and a $15,000 fine for killing a captive black bear. He also must give up hunting in Minnesota for five years. Gentry pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor in November. Under a plea deal, he agreed to forfeit the bear and the bow he used during the hunt near Sandstone. The 600-pound bear has been part of a taxidermy display at Gentry's home in Tennessee. He was sentenced Friday. The bear was killed in October 2004 at the 80-acre Minnesota Wildlife Connection. Owner Lee Marvin Greenly sold the bear for $4,650 and orchestrated the hunt, which Gentry videotaped and edited to make it appear the bear had been killed in a fair chase hunt, according to authorities. Montgomery Gentry, which includes co-singer Eddie Montgomery, are known for hits such as "My Town" and "If You Ever Stop Loving Me." RELATED KINSHIP CIRCLE LINKS: Back to top 13. Camarillo Fireworks Move AWAY From Animals SOURCE: Marie Bennett, marieis@bigplanet.com 2/16/07 — Dear Kinship Circle: Last year on June 29 you picked up a cause that was near and dear to my heart: community Fourth of July Fireworks were being set off by the City of Camarillo and the local Lions Club -- within 400 yards of where already terrorized dogs and cats were housed at the Ventura County Animal Shelter. Thanks in part to your subscribers help, even though the Lions Club had been sponsoring fireworks at that location for 20 years they decided that last year was to be the last. The mayor of Camarillo and her city council at first didn't seem to be convinced of the necessity for a move but with another media shove and appearances by citizens at the Valentine's Day City Council meeting we were able to "persuade" them that moving the Fireworks was the appropriate thing to do. Details on 2007 press coverage: RELATED KINSHIP CIRCLE LINKS: Back to top 14. Lab Used By Iams Busted SOURCE: http://blog.peta.org/archives/2007/02/lab_used_by_iam.php?c=weekly_enews 2/15/07 — Back in 2/03, PETA conducted a 9-month investigation into a lab used by the Iams pet food company <http://www.iamscruelty.com/>to "test" its food. During the investigation, we uncovered horrible abuse <http://www.petatv.com/tvpopup/Prefs.asp?video=iams>including dogs gone crazy from intense confinement; dogs left piled on a filthy paint-chipped floor after having chunks of muscle hacked from their thighs; dogs surgically debarked; horribly sick dogs and cats languishing in their cages, neglected and left to suffer with no vet care. Well, we've continued to work on the case <http://www.iamscruelty.com/campaignUpdates.asp> and have just received very good news in a report from the USDA. The report confirms Animal Welfare Act violations that we found during our investigation, including:   Photos from PETA's undercover investigation inside an IAMS testing lab. The lab can now either admit to its wrongdoing and settle with the government or go through an Administrative Court proceeding. ...Remember to boycott Iams and only feed your dogs and cats food from cruelty-free companies <http://www.iamscruelty.com/notTested.asp> RELATED KINSHIP CIRCLE LINKS: Back to top 15. Millionaire Animal Abusers Arrested And Charged SOURCE: District Attorney Scott Ballard, sballard@fayettecountyga.gov 2/9/07 — Scott Ballard, sballard@fayettecountyga.gov, Thank you for your interest in the welfare of these animals and for your support of us as we seek justice. Today the couple was arrested; each faces 102 counts. My office will prosecute with zeal. Scott Ballard SOURCE: http://www.11alive.com/news/article_news.aspx?storyid=91886 2/9/07 — Leigha Baugham, Pike Co. Animal Abuse Suspects in Court: An animal abuse case will take center stage in Pike County Friday afternoon as two men who are accused of starving hundreds of farm animals face a judge. Roger Prater and Bobby Allison are expected in court at 2 p.m. Friday. Prater and Allison were accused of starving farm animals after the state Department of Agriculture removed 94 horses and more than 100 other animals and placed them in shelters earlier this month. The cost of caring for the animals is not covered by state funds and anyone who would like to donate can send a check to the Equine Impound Program, Office of Equine Health, Room 143 at 19 Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive, Atlanta, GA 30334 RELATED KINSHIP CIRCLE LINKS: Back to top 16. Brothers Get 10 Years For Cooking Puppy In Oven SOURCE: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17074960/from/ET/ 2/9/06 — Atlanta teens killed dog, then threatened children if they told about it, ATLANTA — Two teenage brothers each were sentenced to 10 years in prison for torturing a puppy by cooking it in an oven. Joshua Moulder, 17, and Justin, 19, pleaded guilty in January to charges including burglary, criminal damage to property, terroristic threats and cruelty to children. The brothers brought neighborhood children to see the dead puppy, then threatened to kill them if they reported it, prosecutors said. Police said they found the dead mixed-breed puppy inside an oven at an apartment community center Aug. 21. Scratch marks were found inside the oven, indicating the puppy had been alive when it was placed inside... A necropsy on the 3-month-old dog found its paws and snout had been duct taped and it had been doused with paint before being placed in the oven, prosecutors said. Authorities also found damaged computers, broken glass and splattered paint on the walls of the newly refurbished community center. 2007 Associated Press RELATED KINSHIP CIRCLE LINKS: Back to top 17. Surface Logix Dumps HLS SOURCE: closehuntingdon@hushmail.com 2/7/07 — Just one week after a weekend of demonstrations against directors, executives, advisors, and scientists of HLS customer Surface Logix, the company has issued a statement that they will never again work with HLS! Surface Logix has seen demos for the past nine months, and also noted that they have received hundreds of emails and phone calls due to local and national action alerts.. S.L. is the fourth U.S. customer in the last 9 months to sever its ties with HLS - is it any wonder the lab noted it's U.S. revenue was down last quarter? Keep up the great work! RELATED KINSHIP CIRCLE LINKS: Back to top 18. Belgian Parliament Votes To Ban Seal Products SOURCE: Forwarded by Judy Reed, AnimalVoicesNews@earthlink.net • IFAW, info@ifaw.org EDITED FOR LENGTH The Belgian Parliament's vote demonstrates to the Canadian Government that markets for all seal products in Europe can be closed. Throughout the past year, there have been strong steps to stop the trade of seal products in Europe. The German Parliament voted unanimously on a motion urging the government to ban seal products, just one month after the EU Parliament passed a Written Declaration in support of an EU-wide trade ban... RELATED KINSHIP CIRCLE LINKS: Back to top 19. Pomegranate Juice Maker Halts Cruel Experiments SOURCE: closehuntingdon@hushmail.com, press@animalliberationpressoffice.org EDITED FOR LENGTH "POM Wonderful pomegranate juice has ceased all animal testing and we have no plans to do so in the future," Lynda and Stewart Resnick, owners of POM parent company Roll International, wrote to all POM retailers... After being exposed last year as funding cruel and unnecessary animal experiments, in which baby mice were deprived of oxygen and rabbits had their penile arteries severed, POM has seen legal demonstrations at the homes of its executives and owners in Los Angeles... The National Advertising Division (NAD) of the Better Business Bureau has recommended POM Wonderful discontinue its "puffery" and hyperbolic health claims regarding its pomegranate juice... As detailed in a company press release last month, POM vice-president Fiona Possell resigned her position as company spokesperson, acknowledging animal rights activists as the reason for her resignation. The North American Animal Liberation Press Office is currently seeking a written statement from POM Wonderful detailing their promise to stop testing on animals, either in-house or through the continued use of outside facilities such as UCLA. North American Animal Liberation Press Office RELATED KINSHIP CIRCLE LINKS: Back to top 20. University Of CT Health Ctr. Ends Primate Research SOURCE: Justin Goodman, University of Connecticut Animal Rights Collective, http://www.uchckillsmonkeys.com/ 1/12/07 — Our organization, UConn Animal Rights Collective, efforts over the past year, with support from a plethora of national and international advocacy groups, were instrumental in the recent termination of the nonhuman primate research program at University of CT Health Center. • UConn halts monkey research following federal inspection RELATED KINSHIP CIRCLE LINKS: Kinship Circle is a nonprofit organization. Donations help us meet expenses for the literature, website, research and campaigns — that let YOU take action for animals. Please keep Kinship Circle in mind when you donate.  BEAR WITNESS. SPEAK. DEMAND. ACT. Kinship Circle - Action Campaigns I Literature I Voice For Animals Nonprofit working in animal protection/cruelty + animal disaster relief campaigns Brenda Shoss, president * Janet Enoch, vice-president info@kinshipcircle.org or kinshipcircle@brick.net http://www.KinshipCircle.org * http://www.kinshipcircle.org/disasters/default.html  Please use GoodSearch and select Kinship Circle as your designated cause. http://www.goodsearch.com/ SUBSCRIBE TO EMAIL LISTS
*DISCLAIMER: The information in these alerts is verified with the original source. Kinship Circle does not assume responsibility for the accuracy of the information or for the consequences of its use. Nothing in this email is intended to encourage illegal action in whatever country you are reading it in. Kinship Circle does not engage in, nor support, any form of harassment or unlawful activity. Nothing in this alert serves to promote such conduct. *Kinship Circle cannot guarantee the validity of email addresses. During a campaign, recipients may change or disable their email addresses. |
|||||||||
