Kinship Circle

1. Hallmark Meat Exec Admits Downed Cows Enter Food Supply
DATE: 3/12/08
SOURCE: www.hsus.org/

HSUS UNDERCOVER VIDEOS: http://tinyurl.com/yul2lw

EDITED FOR LENGTH
In testimony before the House Energy and Commerce investigative subcommittee, Hallmark/Westland executive Steve Mendell conceded downed cows went into the food supply after the committee chairman played videotape from an undercover investigation by Humane Society of the U.S. showing a downer cow entering the plant's kill box... Mendell previously stated unequivocally that he was unaware of rampant abuse of cattle at his facility, which slaughtered "spent" dairy cows.

Mendell testified that his employees received "intense" training in the humane handling of animals. The HSUS investigator, however, never received training and said the plant misled inspectors and auditors by: Posting signs at the unloading dock that electric prods were not allowed, though prods were repeatedly used; and instructing employees not to use electric prods while auditors were present, but not limiting their use at other times...

Meat Executive Admits Sick Cattle Were Used: www.nytimes.com/2008/03/13/business/13meat.html
Mr. Mendell retracted [his denial] when shown a video in which a downer cow was shocked and abused by workers trying to move it to the kill box, then shot with a bolt gun and dragged by a chain to the processing area...

• SEND THIS LETTER: I'm Mad. Downer Ban? USDA Says Forget It
• SEND THIS LETTER: No Plea Deal For Hallmark Animal Torturers
• SEND THIS LETTER: USDA-Certified Cruel: Downers Dragged, Shocked, Rammed
• DOWNLOAD THIS FACT SHEET: These Are Downed Animals

2. Juvenile Arrested In Edna's Disappearance Found Guilty
DATE: 3/11/2008
SOURCE: www.network.bestfriends.org/pennsylvania/news/postdetail.aspx?gu=pennsylvania&np=23298

On October 31, 2007 Bill Whiting's worst nightmare came true. His little brown dog Edna went missing. Ten days later he received a phone call from kidnappers (2 boys, claiming to be age 16 and 9) who said they had Edna. He could hear Edna crying in the background as they were hurting the dog. Five hours later the kidnappers called back and said they killed Whiting's dog...

Now dognapper Victor Rodriguez has been found guilty. The verdict brings some satisfaction to Whiting and animal welfare advocates, but the question still remains, where is Edna?

EDITED FOR LENGTH
Charges Reduced For Philadelphia Teen in Dog Extortion Case: www.kyw1060.com/pages/1802735.php?
A Philadelphia family court judge found a 15-year-old boy guilty of reduced misdemeanor, rather than felony charges, in connection with a dog extortion case. He could be placed in a reform school setting when sentenced. Judge Robert Rebstock found the defendant guilty of theft by extortion, terrorist threats, harassment, and conspiracy.

Dog-nap extortionist, traced to Virginia, turns himself in: philly.com/philly/hp/news_update/16140907.html
Arrest Made, Case Of Kidnapped Dog In Philadelphia: network.bestfriends.org/pennsylvania/news/21771.html

• JANUARY KC DIGEST: Justice In Kidnapped Dog Case, Philadelphia

3. Dog Attacked With Drill Gun - Updated
DATE: 3/11/08
SOURCE: www.pet-abuse.com/cases/12959/CT/US/RSS/#UPDATES

EDITED FOR LENGTH
Severino Cruz, the Plainville man accused of viciously boring holes into the head of a pit bull named Baby: In court, defense attorney Deron Freeman said he will ask next month that Cruz receive a special form of probation that would let him avoid jail time or any permanent criminal record. Senior Supervisory Assistant State's Attorney Stephen Preleski announced that he will oppose that request when Judge Joseph Doherty hears it on April 30... Cruz could be fined $5,000 and imprisoned for up to five years if he's convicted of maliciously maiming or killing an animal, a Class D felony, and animal cruelty, a misdemeanor....

4. Canada's New Rules For "Humane Seal Hunt" (oxymoron of the year?)
DATE: 3/10/08
SOURCE: www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080310.wseal10/BNStory/National/home

PHOTO COLLAGE, poster-size original created by Kinship Circle. CREDITS - Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, dead seals; IFAW, yellow jacket sealer clubbing; IFAW, yellow jacket sealer; IFAW, clubbing beater; IFAW, rolling over seal.
www.harpseals.org/xtoolbox1.html#kill

2008 KILL QUOTA: 275,000 seals
2007 KILL QUOTA: 270,000 seals
2006 KILL QUOTA: 335,000 seals

EDITED FOR LENGTH
OTTAWA— Canada will impose rules for killing seals to make the annual hunt more humane... New Fisheries Department standards call for hunters to sever the arteries of seals after they've been shot or clubbed to ensure their deaths are quick and less painful, according to spokesman Phil Jenkins...

This week's move could not come at a more crucial time. The European Union will [soon] decide whether to ban the import of seal products... The European Food Safety Authority also issued an official "scientific opinion" (12/07) that said seals can be hunted humanely, but in practice are sometimes left to die slowly, in pain... Right now, hunters who first shoot a seal, or hit it with a club or hakapik (a traditional seal-hunting tool that looks like an ice-pick) are supposed to check that the seal is irreversibly unconscious — for example, seeing if the stunned seal blinks when its eyes are touched. Under the new rules, hunters will also have to cut the seal's arteries to ensure it bleeds out...

Seal Kill Increased: www.nytimes.com/2008/03/11/world/americas/11briefs-seals.html
Canada sets rules for "humane" slaughter of seals: theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23351015-2703,00.html

• SEND THIS LETTER: Canada's Disgrace - Stop The Seal Slaughter
• GET THIS FACT SHEET: Blood Prints On Ice

5. Mississippi Legislators Snub Buddy's Law
DATE: 3/10/08
SOURCE: www.gulflive.com/opinion/mississippipress/index.ssf?/base/opinion/1205144121226190.xml

JULY 2006 / BUDDY'S STORY: A 16 week old black lab puppy was tortured and left for dead in a diaper box at a gas station. A man stopped to put air in his tire and saw the box and heard a whimper. He opened the box and to his horror found the puppy with PVC glue in his eyes, nose, ears and throat. His back legs had multiple fractures. The man took the puppy to the vet were he had to be euthanized due to his injuries...

EDITED FOR LENGTH
The reaction to Buddy...created a groundswell of support for tougher laws against animal cruelty... The petition to legislators sought to toughen the state's animal cruelty law. That effort has, so far, not been successful...

• 2/15/07: MS: Buddy's Law Dies In Committees - No Felony Bill
• 1/31/07: Mississippi: Pass Buddy's Law For Pup Fatally Tortured

6. Puerto Rico Faces Suit Over Roundup/Kill of Animals
DATE: 3/9/08
SOURCE: www.nytimes.com/2008/03/09/us/09dogs.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

EDITED FOR LENGTH
BARCELONETA, P.R. — This much seems certain about the events of last October at three housing projects in this town near Puerto Rico's northern coast: Men working for the municipality entered the projects, rounded up dozens of dogs and cats that they said violated the housing authority's no-pets policy and took them away. What happened next is less clear, but a lawsuit filed on behalf of 33 families claims that city employees and contractors drugged and brutalized dozens of animals and then flung them from a 50-foot-tall highway bridge into a weed-choked ravine and left them to die...

• Sept-Dec 2007 UPDATES: New Hope After Puerto Rico Pet Massacre
• 10/17/07: Puerto Rico's Massacre At The Bridge

7. Official Investigation Of Puppy Killer Is Underway, Marines Say
DATE: 3/7/08
SOURCE: www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=media_newsalert031408#1

EDITED FOR LENGTH
ASPCA issued a press release urging United States Marine Corps (USMC) to release findings of its investigation of a video clip that...shows a [Marine] flinging a puppy across a rocky landscape...

Response from BGen Robert E. Milstead, Jr., Director, Marine Corps Public Affairs: "I have a dog and a cat, both rescued, so I can understand the disgust and outrage felt by those who have viewed the deplorable video of a Marine throwing a small puppy off a cliff. I can tell you that an official investigation is underway. The results of this investigation will establish the facts. Facts, not emotion, will be the basis used by these Marines' commanders in their determinations to include appropriate punishment. The actions of these Marines are clearly not consistent with that of the overwhelming majority of Marines who serve our nation with both courage and honor. Again, I understand everyone's outrage and demand for swift justice, but due process is a right afforded to all."

SEE VIDEO:
www.dumpert.nl/mediabase/43462/9fb16ab3/us_soldaat_gooit_puppy.html
digg.com/people/US_Soldier_throws_puppy_off_cliff_(video)?t=13323218

• SEND THIS LETTER: The Marine Who Tossed The Puppy

8. In Shadow Of Vick Case, Virginia Toughens Dogfighting Laws
DATE: 3/5/08
SOURCE: www.aldf.org/news/details.php?id=363

EDITED FOR LENGTH
Richmond, VA — The Virginia Assembly approved legislation which criminalizes organized dogfighting, giving prosecutors increased power to go after dogfighting operations as organized criminal enterprises. The bill, written by the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) and patroned by state Senator W. Roscoe Reynolds, adds organized dogfighting to the list of crimes prosecuted under the state's RICO ("Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act") laws...

9. Landmark Crate Ban On Way To Nov. 2008 Calif. Ballot
DATE: 3/1/08
SOURCE: Farm Sanctuary, info@farmsanctuary.org • Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act, www.humanecalifornia.org/

Photos used in collage: Farm Sanctuary,
www.farmsanctuary.org

EDITED FOR LENGTH
Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act Goes to California Voters: Since Californians began campaigning for a ballot initiative to ban cruel farm animal confinement systems, volunteers collected approx. 500,000 signatures, and total signatures equaled almost 800,000. They needed only 433,971 valid signatures. This means that The Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act — to ban veal crates for calves, battery cages for egg-laying hens, and gestation crates for breeding pigs in the Golden State — is well on its way to securing a spot on the November 2008 ballot in California.

• Don't Blow This Landmark Chance For Farmed Animals
• GET THIS FACT SHEET: Dairy & Veal Factories
• GET THIS FACT SHEET: Poultry & Egg Farms
• GET THIS FACT SHEET: The Pig Industry

10. Los Angeles: Spay-Neuter Proposal Becomes Law
DATE: 2/27/08
SOURCE: Judie Mancuso, judie@cahealthypets.com
California Healthy Pets Act: www.cahealthypets.com/ca-healthy-pets-ab-1634-home.php

Pictured rom left: Bill Dyer, In Defense of Animals, TV Star/Animal Advocate Bob Barker, Los Angeles Mayor Villaraigosa, Judie Mancuso, Sponsor / Campaign Director, AB 1634 California Healthy Pets Act

EDITED FOR LENGTH
VIDEO: Spay-Neuter Proposal Becomes Law: video.knbc.com/player/?id=223005

We did it! Mayor Villaraigosa signed into law the largest universal spay/neuter ordinance in the country... Please thank the Mayor and City Council: www.lacity.org/

LOS ANGELES — The Spay/Neuter Ordinance requires all pet owners in the City of Los Angeles to have cats and dogs (four months of age and older) spayed or neutered, unless otherwise exempted because the animal competes, serves as a rescue or service animal, or unless the pet is a registered breeder. Any person violating the spay/neuter law will be cited, and could be subject to up to a $500 dollar fine or 40 hours of community service...

This new law, which aims to assist in humanely decreasing the number of cats and dogs abandoned and euthanized every year, also poses health benefits for the animals as well. Spaying reduces the risk of certain types of cancers and infections in females, especially if it is performed prior to the first heat. Moreover, neutering lessens a dog's temptation to roam, as well as to fight, as studies show that the majority of dog bites are made by intact, untrained male dogs... The new Spay/Neuter law will take effect in April. Judie Mancuso, Sponsor/Campaign Director, AB 1634 Calif. Healthy Pets Act

• Make Model Mandatory Spay/Neuter Law Reality
• Support Landmark CA Law For Mandatory Spay/Neuter

11. South Africa To Resume Elephant Culling After 13 Years
DATE: 2/25/08
SOURCE: www.terradaily.com/reports/South_Africa_to_resume_elephant_culling_after_13_years_999.html
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/25/AR2008022500970.html

Elephants gather at a watering hole in South Africa's Tembe Elephant Park. The animals, beloved by tourists, sometimes trample crops and devastate the habitats of other wildlife. (By Denis Farrell, Associated Press)

EDITED FOR LENGTH
Johannesburg (AFP) — South Africa is to resume elephant culling for the first time in 13 years, lifting a moratorium on the practice to bring ballooning populations under control... After months of emotive public debate over government plans to reduce elephant numbers, Environment Minister Marthinus Van Schalkwyk announced culling would be an option from May 1, but only as a last resort. His spokesman, Riaan Aucamp, could not put a number on elephants to be killed. Announcing norms and standards for elephant management, the minister said contraception and translocation would continue to be the preferred population controls. Culling may be undertaken only when recommended by an elephant management specialist, and on approval by authorities.

12. Three U.S. Agencies Aim To End Animal Testing
DATE: 2/18/08
SOURCE: www.usatoday.com/tech/science/2008-02-14-animal-tests_N.htm

Photo by Mike Groll, AP. Professor Jonathan Dordick holds a biochip designed to mimic human reactions to potentially toxic compounds. The chip holds hundreds of tiny white dots loaded with human cell cultures and enzymes. Scientists hope the chips can do away with the need to use animals to test new blockbuster drugs or wrinkle creams.

EDITED FOR LENGTH
Environmental Protection Agency, National Toxicology Program and National Institutes of Health have signed a "Memorandum of Understanding" to develop and implement new methods...that could lead to the end of animal testing to evaluate safety of new chemicals and drugs. "This is the beginning of the end for animal testing. We think the (conversion) process will take about 10 years." Martin Stephens, Humane Society of the U.S. Although there are no figures, Stephens says his "best guess" is about 10 million animals a year are used in toxicity testing.

"It [animal testing] is expensive, time-consuming, uses animals in large numbers, and it doesn't always work." 2008, Francis Collins, director of NIH's National Human Genome Research Institute.

New systems: Human cells grown in test tubes and computer-driven testing machines — that allow scientists to examine potentially toxic compounds in the lab rather than injecting them into animals. EPA has begun evaluating 300 chemicals using the new methods... Comparatively, EPA spent 3 DECADES to test 2,500 potentially toxic compounds in animal experiments. Elias Zerhouni, director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). All data produced will be put into a public database...

13. Animals Lose A True Friend With Congressman Lantos' Death
DATE: 2/11/08
FROM: Michael Markarian, president, Humane Society Legislative Fund

Tom and Annette Lantos with their dog Gigi, a constant companion who accompanied Congressman Lantos to work on Capitol Hill.

EDITED FOR LENGTH
Michael Markarian — Driving to work this morning, I heard the sad news that Congressman Tom Lantos (D-Calif.) had passed away from esophageal cancer... I will remember him as an extraordinary leader for the cause of animal protection... Among his many accomplishments, Lantos was:

• Founder/co-chairman of Congressional Friends of Animals Caucus, which
informed lawmakers about issues from dogfighting to farm animal welfare.
• Author of Pets Evacuation And Transportation Standards (PETS) Act,
enacted in 2006 in response to animals left behind after Hurricane Katrina.

• Leader in passing a House resolution calling upon Canada to stop its annual massacre of baby harp seals.
• Supporter of every major public outcry involving animal protection...calling on China to stop mass dog culls,
urging National Football League to take strong disciplinary action against any players involved in
dogfighting, in wake of Michael Vick scandal...

Brenda Shoss, Kinship Circle — In August 2006, I had the opportunity to interact with Congressman Lantos' office, as KC Animal Disaster Relief tried to help Best Friends secure military cargo planes to airlift animals out of war-torn Beirut, Lebanon. Tom Lantos' proactive stance for animals was evident in a staff prepared to listen, evaluate and move for animals in distress. At the time, Beirut for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (BETA), (the sole animal shelter/rescue group in Lebanon) had bomb fragments scattered throughout animals' cages. Many animals suffered from war-related illness and injury. Others faced unnecessary amputation because supplies and veterinarians were so scarce. With no splints for broken bones, limbs were simply removed... The animals have lost not only a friend in Tom Lantos, but a powerful legislative voice ready to speak boldly on their behalf.

Farewell to Tom Lantos: www.chai-online.org/e-news/19feb08/chaialert_19feb08.htm
Congressman Tom Lantos was a stalwart friend to animals across the globe, including to animals in Israel. "As a Holocaust survivor, I know that suffering is suffering, whether human or animal," he said.

14. Tammy Grimes To Appeal Unjust Sentence In Doogie Case
DATE: 2/9/08
SOURCE: network.bestfriends.org/pennsylvania/news/23093.html

www.dogsdeservebetter.org/doogie.html

EDITED FOR LENGTH
In a Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania courtroom, Judge Elizabeth Doyle sentenced Tammy Grimes, founder of Dogs Deserve Better, to a $1,700 fine, 300 hours of community service, and probation for one year. Judge Doyle also dictated that Grimes remove all images of Doogie from her website and cease profiting from merchandise depicting his image. Doogie is the sick and elderly dog whom Grimes rescued off a chain in September 2006. She was arrested and later convicted of theft and receiving stolen property this past December.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=oI0xStNQSnU

Ask Pennsylvania's Governor to PARDON Tammy Grimes for the "crimes" of theft and receiving stolen "property" in her action to save a dying, chained dog.

Governor Edward G. Rendell
225 Main Capitol Building; Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17120
ph: 717-787-2500
web mail: sites.state.pa.us/PA_Exec/Governor/govmail.html

Dogs Deserve Better Doogie Page: www.dogsdeservebetter.com/doogie.html
Dogs Deserve Better No Chains Community: network.bestfriends.org/dogsdeservebetternochains/news/
Animal Activist Fined, Sentenced To Probation For Stealing Dog: www.wjactv.com/news/15380162/detail.html
Justice for Tammy: Listen to the Tribute to a Hero! www.animallawcoalition.com/tethering-penning/article/388
INCLUDES CONTACT INFORMATION TO WRITE TO STATE REPS/SENATORS (in addition to Governor) ASKING FOR A PARDON FOR TAMMY.

• 12/14/07: GUILTY For Saving A Life - Tammy Grimes, Dogs Deserve Better
• 9/17/07: Tammy Grimes Jury Selected - Gag Order Issued
• 9/2007: Dismiss Charges Against Tammy Grimes (Doogie Case)
• 5/19/07: Grimes Wins Award For Her Art Honoring Dog She Saved
• 3/6/07: Free From Chains, Doogie Has Died
• 11/27/06: Jury Trial Set For Dogs Deserve Better Founder
• 10/18/06: Arrested Dog Rescuer Tammy Grimes Visits One Happy Dog!
• 9/29/06: 2 Charges Dropped For Grimes; No Charges For Arnolds
• 9/20/06: Tammy Grimes Update: Vet Says Doogie Is Victim Of Abuse
• 9/15/06: Tammy Grimes: Save A Life, Go To Jail?
• 9/12/06: JAILED - SHAC 7 / Tammy Grimes, Dogs Deserve Better

15. Companies Prosecuted In Poisoned Pet Food Recall
DATE: 2/9/08
SOURCE: The New York Times

Photo by Charles Rex Arbogast, AP. Julie Benesh meets with veterinary technician Daniel Scogin in Chicago in 2007 after the food she was feeding her cat Truffle was recalled.

EDITED FOR LENGTH
The Bush administration has moved to prosecute two Chinese companies and an American importer involved in the sale of contaminated pet food ingredients that killed or sickened thousands of dogs and cats. An investigation by the Food and Drug Administration led to the indictments by a federal grand jury in Missouri. The importer, ChemNutra, contracted to buy wheat gluten, a plant protein used as a binding agent in pet foods, from an export broker in China.

The Chinese processor is charged with lacing the product with melamine, an inexpensive additive that can make the wheat gluten look like it contains more protein than it actually does. The export broker is accused of mislabeling the shipments with an inaccurate product code to escape mandatory inspections in China. ChemNutra, is accused of knowing the shipments had been miscoded — yet failed to disclose that to American pet food manufacturers who bought the gluten... If prosecutors prove ChemNutra's wrongdoing, stiff fines and a jail sentence would provide a strong deterrent.

Seven Indicted for Importing Contaminated Ingredients Used in Pet Food:
www.hsus.org/pets/pets_related_news_and_events/seven_indicted_for_importing_020708.html
Pet food scare in USA had a precursor: www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-03-10-petfood_N.htm

• April-June 2007 UPDATES: $45 Million Damage For Menu Foods
• 5/8/07: Our Companions Count - FDA Must Monitor Food
• 4/25/07: Pet Food Saga Hall Of Shame
• 4/14/07: PET FOOD RECALL: News, Updates, Action
• 4/2/07: TOXIC FOOD - Updates & Action Against Menu Foods
• GET THIS FACT SHEET: IAMS Doublespeak: Experiments On Cats And Dogs

16. Report Calls For Prosecution Of Pet-Killing Dogcatcher
DATE: 2/6/08
SOURCE: anonymous source in Gerald, MO

"Humane Society of Missouri's Cruelty Task Force has issued a final offense/incident report concerning shooting of cats by Dean Todaro... It is recommended by Investigator Bonnie Dean that appropriate disciplinary action be taken against Dean Todaro, including appropriate criminal charges by the City of Gerald and Franklin County.

It is also recommended that the City of Gerald:
1. Get a MO Dept. of Agriculture license for their animal holding facility.
2. Host an Animal Welfare and Law class for all officers and city officials.
3. Write up specific city ordinances regarding adequate care and control of animals within city limits.

All involved are excited about the outcome and thank you for your support as it was noted in the report that the state had comments from across the country... Let all know justice is served in Gerald for helpless animals!"

Brenda Shoss, Kinship Circle — Well, justice is sort of served. Rumor has it Gerald officials are unhappy with Kinship Circle for spreading "false information" about the systematic shooting of animals in their town. One Gerald family member whose cat was shot and buried tells KC that Humane Society's report was sent to the Franklin County Prosecuting Attorney, Gerald Police Dept., and Mayor Otis Schulte — advising charges against Dean Tadaro. Gerald police won't press charges, claiming conflict of interest. They want the prosecuting attorney's office to handle it. But, THAT office claims they don't have the case on file.

Robert Parks, Franklin County Prosecuting Attorney
MAIL: 414 E. Main Street, Suite B • Union, MO 63084
EMAIL: unioncse@yhti.net
PH/FAX: 636-583-6370; fax: 636-583-7343
website: www.franklinmo.org/Prosecutor/PMain.htm

Humane Society Recommends Dogcatcher Face Charges:
www.emissourian.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19290418&BRD=1409&PAG=461&dept_id=67201&rfi=8
Between Nov. 14-30, a total of 13 animals were destroyed, including two pit bulls, 10 cats and an opossum. Todaro earned $190 for animals captured... Todaro wrote in his report that he killed 13 animals so "he would get paid for them." He later added it was a "dumb mistake."

• 12/7/07: "Serial Pet Killer" Goes Unpunished In Small Town

17. Judge To Bush Admin: You Can't Exempt Navy In Sonar!
DATE: 2/5/08
SOURCE: ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jLbXdcs-qiXUTGC3kWW8Atb7v_mwD8UJRODG0

EDITED FOR LENGTH
LOS ANGELES (AP) — President Bush cannot exempt the Navy from environmental laws banning sonar training that opponents argue harms whales... Navy officials did not immediately respond to the ruling by U.S. District Judge Florence-Marie Cooper... The president signed a waiver Jan. 15 exempting the Navy and its anti-submarine warfare exercises from a preliminary injunction creating a 12 nautical-mile no-sonar zone off Southern California... Environmentalists have fought the use of sonar in court, saying it harms whales and other marine mammals.

18. FDA OKs Food Sales From Animal Clones
DATE: 1/26/08
SOURCE: www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/health/chi-clone16jan16,1,548730.story

EDITED FOR LENGTH
WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration approved the sale of meat and dairy products made from cloned animals, a decision that comes after years of debate about whether those products are safe enough to sell and consume. But the agency, along with the Department of Agriculture, cautioned it was asking the animal cloning industry, farmers and ranchers to continue a year-old voluntary moratorium on sale of food from cloned animals... Three reports are available at: fda.gov/cvm/cloning.htm

• 11/30/07: ACT TODAY - Animal Cloning Amendment In Farm Bill

19. NIH Tells UCONN Primate Experimenter To Return $65K
DATE: 1/25/08
SOURCE: Justin Goodman, justin_goodman@sbcglobal.net

EDITED FOR LENGTH
FARMINGTON — National Institutes of Health has ordered University of Connecticut Health Center to return some of the grant money given for brain experiments on monkeys... The federal agency asked UConn to return $65,005 of the grant because of violations in the primate lab, where researchers drilled holes into monkeys' skulls and implanted steel coils into their brains to record eye movements for a neuroscience experiment.

The university, which voluntarily stopped the research in August 2006, may appeal the decision... The lead researcher, David Waitzman, has received about $1.7 million in federal funds since 1992, but is being asked to return grant money to cover only the period when violations were found. USDA fined the health center $5,532 last summer for seven violations, including: Failure to handle animals "in a manner that did not cause stress, trauma, and unnecessary discomfort," and inadequately trained personnel, use of outdated drugs and animal food, and animals kept in a dirty room with peeling paint. Two of the three monkeys involved in the research died...

• May 2007 DIGEST: Ask UConn To End Primate Experiments, Permanently
• Jan-Mar 2007 UPDATES: University Of CT Health Ctr. Ends Primate Research
• 2/4/07: Pardon Mowgli From A Life In Labs
• Aug-Oct 2006 UPDATES: USDA Cites UCONN Animal Researchers For Violations

20. Dr. Anteneh Roba Earns Circle Of Compassion Award
DATE: 1/24/08
SOURCE: www.beloblog.com/KHOU_Animal_Attraction/archives/2008/01/circle_of_compa.html

EDITED FOR LENGTH
Humane Society of the United States presented Dr. Anteneh Roba with a Circle of Compassion Award, which recognizes individuals who have performed an act of significant courage or compassion...

To help animals in his native Ethiopia, Dr. Roba, a Houston emergency room physician, generously funded the rescue of the last four dogs trapped in Gido Washa cave, a pit that for years was used by locals to dump unwanted animals. Though the Homeless Animal Protection Society (HAPS) in Addis Ababa tried to place the animals in Ethiopia, no adopters came forward. So, Dr. Roba paid to transport the dogs to Houston... The cave has since been sealed, and now Dr. Roba is trying to address the root cause of the tragedies at Gido Washa by raising money for HAPS to spay and neuter pets.

• 11/3/07: Cave Dogs Saved From 30 ft. Abyss...Stop Killing In Ethiopia

21. USA: Killing Dogs In Training Of Doctors To End
DATE: 1/21/08
SOURCE: www.nytimes.com/2008/01/01/health/research/01dog.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

EDITED FOR LENGTH
By next month, all American medical schools will have abandoned a time-honored method of teaching cardiology: operating on dogs to examine their beating hearts, and disposing of them after the lesson. Case Western Reserve School of Medicine was the last to use the method, but the dean, Dr. Pamela Davis, said it would no longer do so after this month. On Nov. 19, New York Medical College in Valhalla joined New York's 11 other medical schools and announced that it would close its dog laboratory. Eleven of 126 U.S. med schools still sacrifice animals, according to Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. Other than Case, none use dogs...

• DOWNLOAD THIS FACT SHEET: Animal Experimentation

22. SF Zoo Attack Victim Admits Taunting Tiger
DATE: 1/18/08
SOURCE: www.cnn.com/2008/US/01/18/tiger.attack.ap/index.html

Tony, a Siberian Tiger, sits in a big cat grotto at the San Francisco Zoo.

EDITED FOR LENGTH
SAN FRANCISCO, California (AP) — One of the three victims of a San Francisco Zoo tiger attack was intoxicated and admitted to yelling and waving at the animal while standing atop the railing of the big cat enclosure, police say in court documents.

Paul Dhaliwal, 19, told the father of Carlos Sousa Jr., 17, who was killed, that the three yelled and waved at the tiger but insisted they never threw anything into its pen to provoke the cat... "As a result of this investigation, (police believe) the tiger may have been taunted/agitated by its eventual victims," according to Inspector Valerie Matthews, who prepared the affidavit. Police believe that "this factor contributed to the tiger escaping from its enclosure and attacking its victims," she said...

Zoo's tiger grotto reopens: www.cnn.com/2008/US/02/21/tiger.attacks.ap/index.html

• 12/28/07: Death Is Price Of Freedom At San Francisco Zoo

23. Premarin Maker Wyeth Faces Over 5,300 Lawsuits
DATE: January 2008...ongoing
SOURCE: United Animal Nations, info@uan.org • www.uan.org/

Wyeth faces more than 5,300 lawsuits filed by women who claim the company's Prempro and Premarin hormone drugs caused them serious health problems, namely breast cancer. So far six cases have gone to trial; Wyeth has won four and lost two... The four women who won the two legal battles have been awarded almost $60 million in damages. Read about the lawsuits on UAN message board: uan.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/frm/f/737107472

• DOWNLOAD THIS FACT SHEET: The "P" In Premarin Stands For...Pee

24. Denny's Stop Sponsorship Of Ringling Bros. Circus
DATE: 1/8/08
SOURCE: www.deadlydennys.com/

EDITED FOR LENGTH
Denny's has ended its partnership with notorious animal abuser Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. This is a huge victory for elephants, tigers, and other animals who are dragged around the country in cramped boxcars and forced to perform silly and often painful tricks under the threat of beatings and punishment. With this announcement, Denny's joins other compassionate companies like MasterCard, Visa, Liz Claiborne, and Sears, Roebuck and Co., which all ended their sponsorship of Ringling...

• DOWNLOAD THIS FACT SHEET: Ringling Bros. Circus - The Big Con

25. Boys Sentenced In Toby's Brutal Death
DATE: 1/27/07
SOURCE: www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/12/27/1227roundup.html

EDITED FOR LENGTH
Three Guadalupe County boys accused of torturing and killing a small dog in August...have been sentenced to terms of six months to nine months in locked treatment facilities, assistant county attorney Nan Udell said. The boys, ages 12, 14 and 16, were accused of stealing the dog, named Toby, from his owner's house, taking him to a nearby abandoned building and torturing and killing him. They will all be subject to intensive supervised probation for a year after their release, she said.

• 9/2/07: Don't Let Tobey's Cries Go Unheard

26. The Dogs That Vick Hurt
DATE: DEC, 2007 / JAN, 2008

VICK'S DOGS SPEAK: www.badrap.org/rescue/vick/
From fighters to friends, Vick's pit bulls learn new life: cnn.com/LIVING/wayoflife/01/27/vick.dogs.ap/index.html

ABOVE LEFT: John Garcia, a caregiver at the Best Friends sanctuary, tries to teach abused dogs to trust people. RIGHT: Ellen doesn't look like a top-fighting dog. She wags her tail and gives kisses to anyone who greets her. But the deep scars on her face are permanent reminders of her violent past...

EDITED FOR LENGTH
Given Reprieve, NFL Star's Dogs Find Kindness: nytimes.com/2008/02/02/sports/football/02vickdogs.html?_ r=1
KANAB, Utah — A quick survey of Georgia, a caramel-colored pit bull mix with cropped ears and soulful brown eyes, offers a road map to a difficult life. Her tongue juts from the left side of her mouth because her jaw, once broken, healed at an awkward angle. Her tail zigzags.

Scars from puncture wounds on her face, legs and torso reveal that she was a fighter. Her misshapen, dangling teats show that she might have been such a successful, vicious competitor that she was forcibly bred...again and again.

But there is one haunting sign that Georgia might have endured the most abuse of any of the 47 surviving pit bulls seized last April from the property of the former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick... Georgia has no teeth. All 42 of them were pried from her mouth, most likely to make certain she could not harm male dogs during forced breeding...
###

Best Friends Animal Society, Kaneb, Utah (22 dogs)
BAD RAP, Oakland, California (10 dogs)
Richmond Animal League, Richmond VA (4 dogs)
Georgia S.P.C.A., Suwanee, GA (3 dogs)
SPCA of Monterey County, CA (3 dogs)
Recycled Love, Inc., Baltimore, MD (3 dogs)
Animal Rescue of Tidewater, Chesapeake, VA (1 dog)
Our Pack, Inc. (1 dog)

NFL quarterback Michael Vick has been sentenced to 23 months in prison for financing a dogfighting ring and for his part in the killing of pit bulls who did not fight aggressively. He also received three years' probation...

Purnell Peace and Quanis Phillips were sentenced to 18 and 21 months in prison on federal charges related to a dogfighting operation that they had been running in Virginia. They will not be allowed to "own" dogs during three years probation following their release from prison.

Vick Received Federal Sentence -- Demand Tough State Prosecution Now!
getactive.peta.org/campaign/vick_sentencing?c=weekly_enews
Vick and codefendants will also be tried on state charges. Ask Surry County Commonwealth Attorney Gerald Poindexter to prosecute Vick to the full extent of the law. Ask that dogfighters get maximum penalties: incarceration; a permanent prohibition on ownership, custody, or control of animals (as is allowed by state law); and any necessary psychiatric intervention.

The Honorable Gerald G. Poindexter
Commonwealth Attorney
Surry County Commonwealth Attorney's Office
P.O. Box 358; Surry, VA 23883-0358
ph: 757-294-3118; fax: 757-294-3560
NO EMAIL ADDRESS

• Sept-Dec 2007 UPDATES: Vick's Dogs...You Helped Save Their Lives
• 10/29/07: KC DIGEST - Ensure Vick's Dogs Are Spared, As Promised
• 9/30/07: Vick Teammate Faces Unrelated Cruelty Charges
• 8/28/07: Salvation For Vick's Dogs?
• 8/21/07: Sick Vick Updates & Feedback
• 8/19/07: No Deal For Sick Vick's Dogfighting Crimes
• 8/2/07: Michael Vick Dogfighting Files: Action & Updates
• June 2007 DIGEST: Massive K-9 Grave Found On Michael Vick's Property

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