ARFF news for the Florida animal advocate Summer 2015 BOARD OF DIRECTORS America’s largest circus to end elephant acts Nanci Alexander In March, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus announced that it will end elephant President acts by 2018. A big reason for the decision, according to company President Kenneth Caren Lesser Feld, “was that certain cities and counties have passed ‘anti-circus’ and ‘anti-elephant’ Vice President ordinances.” Feld explained, “it’s expensive to fight legislation in each jurisdiction. It’s also difficult to plan tours amid constantly changing regulations.” The announcement was an Laura Guttridge acknowledgment of the rising tide of opposition to the use of elephants and other wild Secretary/Treasurer animals in circuses. BOARD OF ADVISORS ARFF president Nanci U.S. Congressman Ted Deutch, 19th District Alexander presents former Hollywood City Former U.S. Congressman Commissioner Cathy Peter Deutsch, 20th District Anderson with an Award of Appreciation U.S. Congressman for taking the lead Alcee Hastings, 23rd District in what has become a nationwide effort Former U.S. Congressman to pass legislation Robert Wexler, 19th District in response to the Cathleen Anderson dangers and cruelty of Former City Commissioner, circuses. City of Hollywood President, Animal Birth Control Stedman “Ted” Carr, D.V.M. The first, and the largest number of “anti-circus” ordinances have been enacted in South Doris Day Florida. Hollywood’s landmark animal display ban that prohibits circuses and other exotic Actress, President animal acts was enacted in 1990, the first such ordinance in the nation. Lauderdale Lakes Doris Day Animal League (1992) and Weston (2007) have passed similar ordinances. Pompano Beach (2000), Margate (2011), Hallandale Beach (2012) and Miami Beach (2014) have banned the use Jay Ferber, D.V. M. of bullhooks, electric prods and other cruel devices common in circuses. Scott Fuerst, Esq. Greenspoon Marder Law Unfortunately, other circuses are resisting change and will continue to transport elephants hundreds of miles chained in trucks, and to force these magnificent animals to perform Pam Huizenga unnatural tricks on demand. Ingrid Newkirk continued on page 2 President, PETA For the first time in 20 years, bears in Florida will be hunted IN MEMORIAM Cleveland Amory In June, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) approved a bear hunting season, ignoring the majority of Floridians who have said they oppose a bear hunt. Hunting of bears in Florida will begin in October. Animal Rights Foundation of Florida 1431 North Federal Highway Prior to the FWC meeting, ARFF held protests against a bear hunt at the FWC’s regional Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304 offices in West Palm Beach, Ocala, Lake City and Lakeland. The protests attracted Phone: (954) 727-ARFF significant media coverage and helped spread our message that a trophy hunt is not a Email: [email protected] solution to human-bear conflicts. facebook.com/animalsflorida You can help by contacting your state legislators and urging them to take action against the twitter.com/animalrightsfl hunting of Florida’s bears (see page 3 for more information). Growing awareness and concern about the treatment of animals in the circus In May, the Bahia Shrine Circus in Kissimmee was a disappointment for temple executives, who wrote in their newsletter, “We can say that since the beginning of Bahia time this by far was the most challenging circus.” ARFF activists protesting the circus were encouraged by the near empty parking lot at the arena. After animal advocates expressed concerns, the Egypt Shriners (Tampa) announced that the elephant act in April’s circus had been cancelled. A step in the right direction! You Can Help At its annual convention in July, Shriners International chose a new leader. Jerry Gantt will serve as “Imperial Potentate” for the next 12 months. Please ask him to use his influence to encourage Shrine temples in the U.S. and Canada to replace animal circuses with alternative, non- ARFF’s protest of the Shrine Circus in Palm Beach Gardens. animal fundraisers. Jerry Gantt, Imperial Potentate Shriners International 2900 Rocky Point Drive Tampa, FL 33607 E-mail: [email protected], [email protected] Members of Congress speak up for monkeys trapped in Florida’s breeding farms In June, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) released undercover video taken inside the Primate Products facility in Hendry County showing monkeys violently handled and terrorized. Following the investigation, U.S. Department of Agriculture inspectors visited the facility and identified at least 25 violations of animal-welfare regulations. At ARFF’s urging, Congressmen Ted Deutch and Alcee Hastings, and Congresswoman Lois Frankel, sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services asking the agency to conduct its own inquiry of the taxpayer-funded facility, and to review federal contracts with the company. (Congressmen Deutch and Hastings are members of ARFF’s Board of Advisors.) Primate Products was the first company to open a monkey breeding facility in Hendry County. There are now three separate facilites in operation in the county, and a fourth under construction. There are more monkey breeding facilities in Hendry County than any other Monkeys at Primate Products. Photo by PETA. community in the United States! Learn more at ARFF’s website: http://arff.org/hendry 2 Florida Legislative Session wrap-up The 2015 Florida Legislative Session ended on April 28 with mixed results for animal advocates. Some good news. Legislation to clarify the prohibition on the use of banned drugs or other substances by racing horses and dogs, and strengthen penalties, passed and was signed into law by the governor. Also, legislation passed that removes the requirement that livestock impounded by animal control or a law enforcement agency be offered for sale at auction. Horses, potbellied pigs, goats and other small livestock can now be adopted instead. Greyhound racing. Legislation to require reporting of injuries suffered by racing greyhounds passed the Florida Senate with a unanimous 38-0 vote. (Among states with dog tracks, only Florida and Alabama do not require that racing injuries be publicly reported.) The bill, sponsored by Sen. Eleanor Sobel, was the first measure passed by the Senate. Unfortunately, its companion bill did not make it to the floor of the Florida House of Representatives for a vote before the session ended. ARFF hopes that this legislation will be reintroduced next year. In addition, “decoupling” legislation that would remove the requirement that dog tracks conduct live racing in order to also offer slots or poker, did not pass in 2015. The 2016 Legislative Session will begin on January 12. You Can Help Have you ever spoken to your state senator or state representative? If not, this summer and fall would be a good time to catch them at a district office near you, before they head toTallahassee. Whether you meet in person or speak on the phone, you could urge your state legislators to support a specific animal protection proposal, such as ending bear hunting (see below), and let them know how important the issue of animal protection is to you. To find your elected officials, visit www.flsenate.gov/senators/find Or contact ARFF for help. To win victories for animals, ARFF will need your help during the legislative session. Contact ARFF to be added to our email list to receive legislative alerts and updates, or follow this link: www.mailermailer.com/x?oid=22952o Protect Florida’s bears! Contact your state legislators and ask them to take a stand against the hunting of bears in Florida. Under the Florida Constitution, the state legislature’s powers with respect to wildlife is limited. It is unlikely that the state legislature could stop the bear hunt. But legislators could, for example, enhance penalties for chasing bears with dogs and/or hunting over bait, two cruel methods of hunting that will not be allowed during this year’s bear hunt. ARFF’s protest at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission office in Ocala (left). The protest was one of several statewide at FWC regional offices. ARFF Central Florida Coordinator Bryan Wilson donned a bear costume in April at a busy Seminole County intersection to protest the bear hunt (right). 3 Dissection restricted in Florida’s largest school district In June, the School Board of Miami-Dade County unanimously voted to stop cat dissections in county schools— a significant step for America’s 4th largest school system! The school board will also explore the possibility of ending all animal dissections throughout the district. ARFF thanks School Board Member Raquel Regalado for proposing the action. The dissection of cats is also banned in Broward County public schools. You Can Help Contact your county school board and ask them to ban or restrict animal dissections. Progress against puppy mills Since the beginning of the year, the communities of Fernandina Beach, Lauderhill, North Miami, and Palm Beach have passed bans on the sale of dogs and cats at pet stores (unless the animals come from a shelter or rescue organization). In addition, Miami and Coral Springs have adopted moratoriums on new pet stores while they consider a ban. There are more of these ordinances— aimed at stopping the sale of dogs from puppy mills—in Florida than any other state. For a fifth grade project, Chanda Singh-Richardson, a student at the Frank C. Martin International K-8 Center in Miami, created and distributed a brochure about puppy mills (ARFF was happy to help). She also raised $400 by washing dogs and donated the money to ARFF! Thank you Chanda for working to make the world a better place for animals! ARFF’s humane educator James Wildman speaking to students at a Miami-Dade County high school in May.