AWI Quarterly Spring 2005 Volume 54 Number 2 ABOUT THE COVER

The majestic barren ground caribou is one of approximately 36 species of mam- mals currently living in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. This animal, now enjoying its vast range in the alpine tundra, may soon be in danger. Recent action in the Senate has put the caribou’s habitat at risk of destruction for the drilling of a trivial amount of oil. While proponents of drilling claim it can be done without damage, it is not a risk worth taking on such a national treasure (photo by Len Rue Jr.). Looking back in time at the 1989 Exxon-Valdez oil spill across 1,300 miles Marine Mammals of coastline in Alaska is a reminder that precious wildlife and their habitats Protections Down and Strandings Abound…2 should not be taken for granted. Thousands of animals died of causes such as oil coating and inhalation of fumes. A decade after the accident, relatively fresh and toxic oil was still present at several beaches, and remnants from the spill News from Capitol Hill despoil the area’s landscape even today (see story on the Arctic Refuge, AWI Senate Votes to Allow Drilling in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge…4-5 Quarterly Spring 2005 Volume 54 Number 2 pages 4-5). Vier Pfoten Thirty Years Later...Wild Horses Again Slated for Slaughter, by Hope Ryden...10-11 FOUNDER Endangered Species Act: Decades of Wildlife Protections Under Attack...12 Christine Stevens Protections Down and Strandings Abound This Bulgarian dancing bear’s cruel DIRECTORS career is finally over (see story Marjorie Cooke page 8). Trapping and Hunting Roger Fouts, Ph.D. arine mammal stranding incidents that coincide with the use of Navy Game Management or Just a Game?...5 John Gleiber sonar have been in the news yet again. Dozens of cetaceans from Fredrick Hutchison Jr. Missouri Trapper Shoots Dogs Caught in Leghold Traps...14 three species stranded off the North Carolina coast in January, and Cathy Liss M Kangaroos Unsafe in the Outback: Cynthia Wilson, Chair over 80 Steno’s dolphins stranded off the Florida Keys in March. The Navy has Australia’s own wildlife is killed in record numbers...18 been implicated in both cases. These episodes come at a time when there are sig- OFFICERS nificant milestones occurring for the world’s whales and the threat from noise. Cathy Liss, President The current administration announced last month that it will oppose any Cynthia Wilson, Vice President Sentient Beings international efforts to curb its use of active sonar, despite growing calls for Fredrick Hutchison Jr., CPA, Treasurer Animal Sentience and the Evolution of Emotion, Marjorie Cooke, Secretary caution from international quarters such as the World Conservation Union, the by Tracy Basile...6-8 European Parliament and the Scientific Committee of the International Whal- SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE ing Commission. Hope Ryden Marjorie Anchel, Ph.D. Gerard Bertrand, Ph.D. The Animal Welfare Institute’s Ben White spent most of January in Wildlife F. Barbara Orlans, Ph.D. Mexico successfully rallying local fishermen and environmental groups against The Last of the Dancing Bears, Roger Payne, Ph.D. a seismic experiment that threatened thousands of marine creatures off the Yu- by Monica Minciu and Ionut Lesovici...9 Samuel Peacock, M.D. catan. The experiment involved the use of extremely loud airguns blasting for Wild horse protection is being threat- Hope Ryden ened by recent legislation (see story It’s Not Happening at the Zoo, a month and a half from the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia John Walsh, M.D. pages 10-11). by Marc Bekoff...13 University’s research vessel, Maurice Ewing. Inhumanity Disguised as Family Fun...15 INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE After initially being stalled for many days, the experiment finally went Aline de Aluja, D.M.V., Mexico ahead with the permission of the Mexican government and the protection of A Humane Approach to Elephant Population Control, Ambassador Tabarak Husain, Bangladesh the Mexican Navy, which enforced a 40x40 mile exclusion zone that barred by Jay F. Kirkpatrick...16-17

Angela King, United Kingdom Wildlife Protection Assn. of Australia Godofredo Stutzin, Chile anyone from gaining access to the area. In an ironic twist, the Ewing stranded Agnes Van Volkenburgh, D.V.M., Poland itself on a coral reef and was fined $200,000. Alexey Yablokov, Ph.D., Russia Meanwhile, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration In Memorium (NOAA), the agency that issues permits to ocean noise makers, has Remembering Madeleine Bemelmans, STAFF AND CONSULTANTS by John Gleiber...12 Catherine Carroll, Communications Associate announced a proposal to raise the level at which it says noise hurts marine Tom Garrett, Consultant for Rural Affairs mammals. Dr. Roger Gentry, head of the NOAA acoustics team, has said con- Diane Halverson, Farm Animal Advisor sideration is always given to good science—and yet the Navy funds 70 percent Marlene Halverson, Farm Animal Economic Advisor of US-based research, as well as half of the world’s research on the effects of Farm Animals Christopher J. Heyde, Research Associate The End of the Beginning: A Patriot Victory in the Polish Sejm, Andrea Lococo, Wildlife Consultant underwater noise on marine mammals. A large chunk of the other half comes Annie Reinhardt, Information Specialist from the oil and gas industry, which uses noise to hunt for oil. by Tom Garrett...19 Innocent kangaroos are subject to kill- Viktor Reinhardt, D.M.V., Ph.D., In a further blow to marine ecosystems, two permanent Navy sonar ranges AWI Conference in Cluj-Napoca, Romania...20 ing sprees in their home country of Laboratory Animal Advisor are planned for areas off the coasts of North Carolina and California—both of Ava Rinehart, Graphic Designer Australia (see story page 18). An American Symbol Worth Saving…20 Jen Rinick, Research Assistant which are key marine mammal habitats. Amid this current climate of heartless Tracy Silverman, Legal Associate abandon over marine animal noise-related deaths, the Institute has decided Wendy Swann, Research Associate that while continuing to fight with federal agencies, the true battleground is at Susan Tomiak, Research Associate the United Nations. Ben White, Special Projects Consultant Contact AWI at: P.O. Box 3650, Washington, D.C. 20027, phone: (703) 836-4300, facsimile: (703) 836-0400, email: [email protected] or visit AWI’s website at: www.awionline.org Senate Votes to Allow Drilling in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

he issue of whether to tap Alaska’s Arctic National The Senate’s rejection of the Cantwell amendment was a 100,000 porcupine caribou who travel hundreds of miles each Wildlife Refuge for oil and gas has been highly de- major victory for President Bush, who has made opening up a year to bear their offspring in the area, as well as the last frag- T bated for more than two decades. For years, legislation portion of the Arctic Refuge for energy exploration a priority ment of Alaska coastline not yet open for drilling. The rejec- to allow such drilling has been blocked in the Senate by fi libus- since he took offi ce in January 2001. As a former oil man, he tion of the Cantwell amendment is also devastating to the ters spearheaded by Democratic senators. Yet last month, Sen- believes drilling in the refuge will decrease US dependence on development of renewable and alternative energy sources—it ate GOP leaders used a back door procedural maneuver, attach- foreign oil. While proponents contend there are an estimated 10 is only through working to use less oil that our country can ing a drilling measure to the 2006 budget resolution. The move billion barrels of oil in the refuge, there is a difference between FWS truly become less dependent on the limited resource. circumvented the threat of a fi libuster by Democrats, which technically recoverable oil and economically recoverable oil The fate of the Arctic Refuge has yet to be sealed. A provi- requires 60 votes. Instead, a budget measure requires only 51 drilling companies would fi nd is fi nancially worth the effort to Polar bears play in the snow, demonstrating a pristine sion related to the refuge was not included in the 2006 Budget votes to be passed by the Senate. pursue. US Geological Survey offi cials indicate economically example of the Arctic Refuge’s wildlife and landscape. Resolution. The measure must now be passed as part of the In an effort to oppose drilling in the Arctic Refuge, Senator recoverable oil is the more relevant fi gure, and it has yet to be budget reconciliation process between the House and the Sen- Maria Cantwell (D-WA) introduced an amendment that would determined for this case. Moreover, senators supporting the ate before it can be sent to President Bush for his signature. The strip the drilling language from the budget resolution. However, Cantwell amendment were quick to point out it will be around Despite claims by proponents that oil tapping can oc- American public has consistently supported the protection of the the measure was defeated on March 16 by the narrowest of mar- 10 years before any oil from the refuge could actually hit cur in a responsible and environmentally friendly manner, Arctic Refuge in overwhelming numbers, and today we must gins: 49 to 51. Seven Republican senators joined 42 Democratic America’s refi neries. oils spills and noise and air pollution—commonly associated make our voices heard. Please contact oil company executives senators to support the amendment against opening the refuge, Regardless of the amount of oil and the length of time it with drilling activities—could have devastating effects on the to let them know you won’t buy gas from the Arctic Refuge; ask and two Democratic senators joined 49 Republican senators to will take to reach US markets, the risk the drilling will pose to refuge’s wildlife population. Moreover, the targeted zone for them to pledge not to drill this unspoiled land. oppose it. the area’s ecological integrity and its diverse wildlife cannot be energy exploration, a costal plain bordering the Beaufort Sea, denied. The Arctic Refuge is a 19 million acre natural wonder is considered the refuge’s biological heart because it supports As we go to press, Congress is likely fi nalizing this deal. You can still containing marshes, lagoons and rivers that run through the millions of migratory birds, polar bears, marine mammals and proclaim your position to your Members of Congress, as well as local rugged foothills of the Brooks Range and the expansive icy musk oxen. It is also the principal summer range for more than newspapers and civic groups. waters of the Beaufort Sea. It is also the nation’s largest wild- life preserve, home of 180 species of birds and 36 species of mammals, including three species of North American bears. Nine marine mammal species live along its coast and 36 fi sh species inhabit its rivers and lakes. Game Management or FWS © Dennis LaRoche/AlaskaStock.com Just a Game?

he use of aircraft to hunt wildlife is illegal in most places, but not in Alaska. Hunters can legally fl y planes T across the sky and gun down wolves in the snow below them using a practice called aerial hunting. Not only is it lawful to shoot wolves from the air, but aerial gunning teams in Alaska also fl y close to the ground in planes and chase wolves to ex- Glaucous-winged Gull chicks huddle in their nest in the Arctic Refuge. haustion before landing and shooting them at point blank range. Wolves in the Arctic Refuge are currently threatened The latter practice is known as land-and-shoot hunting. by aerial hunting, and oil drilling in their habitat could Alaskan residents passed ballot initiatives in 1996 and lead to further deaths. 2000 to ban aerial gunning and land-and-shoot hunting, but Alaska Gov. Frank Murkowski reinstated the legality of these savage practices in 2003. Hunting enthusiasts contend that us- YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE ing aircraft to hunt down wolves is a necessary form of preda- Please contact Governor Frank Murkowski and urge him tor control to maintain the moose and caribou populations in to put an end to these practices; let him know that as long Alaska for game hunters, but several biologists say the data be- they remain legal in Alaska, you will not be spending your ing used to justify wolf hunting is not based on sound science. tourist dollars there. Write him at: This year’s current death toll from Alaska’s aerial wolf kill- Governor Frank Murkowski ing program exceeds 200, and hundreds more are expected to P.O. Box 110001, Juneau, AK 99811 die before this summer. The killing will not stop without your fax: 907-465-3532 help, for it is obviously not enough that the Alaskan people have email: http://gov.state.ak.us/govmail.php already shown their strong opposition to this cruelty.

4 AWI Quarterly Spring 2005 5 depres s i o n Animal Sentience and Contentment the Evolution of Emotion

story by Tracy Basile

re some birds shy? Can a dol- tools, teach their young, imitate, possess In a description spanning three pages, Why is it that as scientists reveal one Department of Zoology at phin recognize himself in a mir- language, have long-term memory and he details their reactions, including marvelous discovery after another, the University of Oxford, Aror? Do elephants mourn their experience emotions. loud pant-hooting, running leaps off the much of mainstream media treats these stressed the importance of dead? Will a bat perform random acts While studies in animal intelli- deck, excitement, trepidation, joy and results as amusing trivia? At the very thinking of animal welfare of kindness? One hundred years ago, if gence are rife with debate, sentience is lots of hugs. “For weeks Moja and Tatu least, shouldn’t animal sentience be tak- not simply in terms of what a well-educated man of Western culture fairly straightforward by comparison. refused to come inside, even for meals. en seriously? As we enter the 21st cen- humans would like for ani- answered “yes” to any of these ques- It simply means being conscious, hav- We had to beg and cajole to get them to tury, the ramifications are huge. A shift mals, but in terms of what tions, he would have likely been locked ing the capacity to perceive through the eat. They spent so much time in the sun in perception is desperately needed. the animals would like for away in an insane asylum. Even 50 senses. Often, it implies the capacity to that their pale skin turned bright red. But A landmark conference was held themselves. years ago, it was rare to find any scien- suffer. “To be sentient is to be aware. Moja and Tatu didn’t seem to mind be- last month in London with the hopes Dr. Donald Broom, a tific studies that examined the emotional One of the ways we are aware is pain,” ing sunburned. They lived for the sun. of creating just this kind of sea change. professor of animal wel- lives or the intelligence of animals. Such explains Dr. Roger Fouts, a professor By August, only three months after the Billed as “From Darwin to Dawkins: fare at the University of a huge omission is no accident. of psychology at Central Washington move, Moja and Tatu were not only tan, The Science and Implications of Cambridge, enlightened Despite Charles Darwin’s bold- University, an Animal Welfare Institute they were physically and psychologi- Animal Sentience,” and sponsored by listeners with his discussion ness and brilliance in the mid-1800s, (AWI) board member and a co-director cally transformed,” he wrote. Certainly Compassion in World Farming Trust of of collaboration, altruism animals have largely been viewed in of the Chimpanzee and Human Commu- enjoying the warmth of the sun or the the United Kingdom, the two-day event and mutual aid in animals. European and American societies as nications Institute. “Sentience is a very cool grass upon their feet is part of being drew crowds of more than 600 partici- He explained that even automata, creatures of instinct, from useful trait to have in adaptation and sentient. Without the ability to perceive pants from approximately 50 countries. unrelated individuals take simple protozoa to our closest relatives survival,” he says, adding that it is “far these sensations, Moja and Tatu would It was the first time a conference de- care not to harm each the chimpanzees. In the 20th century, re- too complex to have popped up in our not have responded so completely— voted to animal sentience was staged on other, noting that in herds nowned primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall species without a long history of evolu- emotionally, psychologically and physi- such a large and international scale. Dr. of longhorn cattle, eye broke new ground by recognizing that tionary development.” cally—to these new surroundings. Goodall delivered a wonderful keynote injuries are rare, despite the chimps of Gombe were individuals speech; other speakers included emi- the proximity of horns to with rich emotional lives. She and her Barefoot in the Grass A Change in Perception nent scientists and leading professors other cows’ faces. This colleagues started to look at animals in in ethology, agriculture, conservation, is just one example of a new way—in their natural environ- Fouts is a pioneer of communicating New studies in animal sentience show government policy, law, philosophy how big animals and ments. Their pursuits gave rise to a new with chimpanzees using sign language. that sheep can remember faces for up to and ethics. Its purpose, according to animals with sharp field of science known as ethology. In his book, Next of Kin: What Chim- two years, prairie dogs speak their own Joyce D’Silva, CEO of the trust, was to horns move carefully Other scientists have followed panzees Have Taught Me About Who We language, octopi disguise themselves by “place animal sentience firmly on the around each other. It Goodall’s example in dozens of fields, Are,” he depicts his 30+ year friendship walking on two legs in order to escape global agenda.” Marlene Halverson, was once thought that and in the last few decades, they have with the chimpanzee Washoe and her predators, cows use tools and pigs can AWI’s farm animal economic advisor, only humans possess unearthed an amazing assortment of family. The most moving passage in the be devious and misleading to obtain was in attendance. these noble traits. information about the inner lives of book is when Washoe, Dar, Tatu, Lou- food. But what does all this research At the conference, Dr. Marion Broom made it clear animals. So much research on this topic lis and Moja are released into a large add up to? And what does it imply Dawkins (who is not related to Rich- in his talk that ani- exists today that it is virtually impos- outdoor enclosure and experience the about how animals should be treated ard Dawkins, the famous ethologist mal societies could sible to refute that animals, in varying sun on their backs and the grass under in experimental laboratories, circuses, referenced in the conference’s title), not have survived degrees, are sentient, use and make their feet for the first time in their lives. zoos, factory farms or slaughterhouses? a professor of animal behavior in the without them.

6 AWI Quarterly Play Spring 2005 7 Anger loyalty Desire Did you know... The Last of the Dancing Bears SHEEP can recognize the faces of at least 10 people and 50 other sheep. When isolated from their flock, story by Monica Minciu and Ionut Lesovici Hain they experience stress, but being Romanian Alliance for the Protection of Animals shown pictures of familiar sheep faces reduces their feelings of anxiety. They can also form deep friendships. he issue of bears in captivity iron ring inserted in the bear’s nose took the spotlight at a recent was attached to a chain that gave the ELEPHANTS make graves by conference concerning the Eu- gypsy complete control. In time, the

T photos: Vier Pfoten breaking branches to cover ropean Brown Bear in Central Europe, intelligent creatures associated the their dead. They also mourn. hosted last February in Bucharest, gypsies’ singing with these types of Romania by the Romanian Alliance for intolerable pain. COWS can recognize familiar the Protection of Animals (APAR) and Fortunately, new laws dictate that faces, take pleasure in the Animal Welfare Institute. Topics dancing bears in Bulgaria will not stand solving problems and form ranging from the status and manage- on hot surfaces or be tortured with tug- long-lasting and co-operative ment of bear populations to the com- ging nose rings any longer. Today, they This dancing bear will soon be rescued partnerships. Cows can also mercial traffic in bear products were are retired and enjoying their safe home from this gypsy village and taken to make tools; one heifer bent also discussed at the fruitful meeting. at the Vier Pfoten headquarters. the sanctuary. Why Sentience Matters a piece of wire to create The Vier Pfoten Dancing Bear Yet while keeping dancing bears a hook that allowed her There are huge obstacles in applying form in our bodies. Consider the many Park presented a model project for the is illegal in Bulgaria, the govern- to scrape food from the the knowledge we now know about pharmaceutical pills now available to humane housing of captive bears, and ment does not strictly enforce the ban. is an ideal habitat for bears, but it is bottom of a jar. animal sentience to the real world. The relieve a person’s anxiety and depres- when APAR received an invitation Vier Pfoten found a way to convince very difficult to reach—this is part of to visit the sanctuary, our members gypsies to give up their animals by of- what makes it such a wonderful place. reason for this has to do with coming sion. The point is this: if emotions WOOD MICE build their jumped at the chance. We set out for fering each owner a sufficient amount From the roof of the park’s infor- to terms with the inhumanity of the reside in our bodies, then they must own signposts using sticks the journey on a sunny winter day, talk- of money to allow him or her to find mation center, one can observe the vast- Western world. Many people today are, reside in animals’ bodies, too. To para- and stones to mark sites ing about the bears and the stories we another profession. Around 25 dancing ness of this true sanctuary; it is a quiet, as Fouts puts it, “afraid to embrace the phrase Charles Darwin, the difference where food is abundant, or had heard from our grandparents. The bears are officially registered, and most snowy forest, a temple of bears. When Darwinian realities of continuity.” is one of degree, not one of kind. to signal short-cuts back to gypsies sang for the animals, and it of them have been safely held in the we visited on that cold day, some were Perhaps the word “sentience” cov- The debate over animal sentience is their burrows. ers too vast a territory, and this unfor- curiously nonexistent in indigenous cul- made them dance, we had been told. sanctuary since its founding in Novem- hibernating, and others were hiding tunate fact has led to more confusion tures where human survival is intricately GIBBONS take care of their But thanks to the park, located in ber 2000. in the bushes. There was no singing, than clarity. On one end of the spec- woven with the lives of animals. Wasn’t elderly. They move through the town of Belitsa, Bulgaria, we now The park is open for visitors and but one bear continued to rock back trum, the concept is as simple as a tulip it sentience that sent the animals and forests hand over hand know the truth. The bears were cruelly plans to operate for the rest of the and forth for hours. Hopefully in these turning to face the morning sun. On the indigenous people of Southeast Asia and will only go as fast as trained to “dance”—as young animals, bears’ lives. The area in which it is sit- tranquil surroundings, someday he will other end, sentience is as complex as a fleeing inland before December’s dev- the slowest member of the they were forced to stand on burning uated, surrounded by three mountain learn to stop dancing. young, healthy chimpanzee dying of a astating tsunami hit their shores? What group. metal plates while gypsies sang. An ranges (the Rila, Pirin and Rhodope), broken heart only a few weeks after the else could it have been? death of his mother. Or the courtship of Chickasaw novelist and poet Linda CHICKENS in pain will choose two right whales. Hogen says it best in her essay, First food laced with morphine, Dawkins told participants at the People; “For us, the animals are under- while healthy chickens do not. London conference that even today, stood to be our equals. They are still Also, when mother hens are science does not know how the brain our teachers. They are our helpers and given a choice of two foods, one gives rise to the incredible richness of healers. They have been our guardians toxic and the other safe, they will subjective experience. Indeed, cutting- and we have been theirs,” she wrote. choose the non-toxic food. They edge research involving the study of “We have deep obligations to them. teach their young chicks to avoid neurochemicals, opiates and hormones Without the other animals, we are the toxic food as well. indicates our emotions actually take made less.” BATS perform altruistic deeds. Father bats “babysit” and care for young bats who are not their offspring r while mothers are out hunting. a A bear walks through the snow on a ePhotos, page 6: pig (Niman Ranch), hen (Dave DeNoma/OohMahNee), WILD BUFFALO care for the weakest wintery day at the sanctuary. dolphins (Jeff Pantukoff/Whaleman Foundation), rat (Greg Morton/Media members of their herd by allowing only F Group, UBC); page 7: longhorn cattle (www.texaslonghorn.net), Moja the the strongest bulls to be trailblazers when chimp (Friends of Washoe); page 8: manatee (FWS), foxes (FWS); foraging in deep snow. The Vier Pfoten Dancing Bear Park is a peaceful refuge where seal (FWS). bears can engage in their normal behaviors.

8 AWI Quarterly Spring 2005 9 affection story and photos by Hope Ryden Thirty Years Later...Wild Horses Again Slated for Slaughter Author of AMERICA’S LAST WILD HORSES Member, AWI Scientific Committee

he 92nd Congress had never It became apparent that more issues ers work with their animals, published (R-MT) attached a rider to the Ap- experienced such a deluge of than just wild horses were at stake as a news letter that alerted the public to propriations bill, the contents of which T letters—it was as if the spirit the case worked its way up the lower upcoming adoption sites and dates and must have escaped scrutiny by weary of America’s wild horses had suddenly courts. Federal laws such as the Marine used the Internet to facilitate adoptions. legislators anxious to take a vote and infected the entire nation. Newspaper Mammal Protection Act and the Endan- They demonstrated how an adoption go home to bed. It was an amendment editorials, radio talk shows and television gered Species Act were at risk of being program should be run, but unfortunate- that dictated any wild horse or burro coverage were all focused on this topic invalidated. This was a case destined ly, their common sense approaches were 10 years of age or older, as well as any in 1971. Our country was so fired up for the Supreme Court, and the end vic- not universally implemented. horse not adopted after three tries, could over the plight of wild horses that it was tory was decisive; the court voted 9 to 0 to It is also a problem that BLM per- be sold at auction without limitations. inevitable Congress would act; finally the uphold the Wild Free-Roaming sonnel are trained range experts, not This travesty must be reversed. animals I’d tracked for years through can- Horses and Burros Act. Yet this Su- biologists. Their directive is to prevent Thankfully, Representative Nick Rahall yons and deserts would receive a hearing. preme Court decision did not put an end degradation of the public domain—a (D-WV) and Representative Ed Whit- I had worked with Representative to wild horse abuse. vast area that in aggregate sprawls field (R-KY) have introduced H.R. 297, Walter Baring, Velma Johnson (“Wild My own investigations turned up across twelve states and is larger than a bill to restore the 1971 Act and pro- Horse Annie”) and Joan Blue of the sickening conditions at the holding cor- the entire country of France. To a range hibit the sale of wild horses for slaugh- American Horse Protection Association rals, such as a ditch filled with the manager, grass is king; the better it ter. A companion bill, S. 576, was re- to fine-tune the proposed legislation. One Mother and foal run free on open range. bodies of horses who had succumbed to looks, the better he or she is doing the cently introduced in the Senate by Sena- of our concerns was the future manage- these appalling conditions. If these cor- job. Seen through this lens, a grass-eat- tor Robert C. Byrd (D-WV), an original ment of wild horses. “There must never rals were intended to demonstrate the ing herbivore appears to be the enemy. sponsor of the 1971 bill. It is imperative be any opportunity for profit to be made being chased by aircraft from the safety Joan and I backed her up, and the adoption program’s failure, they couldn’t These unsettled problems were that you encourage your Members of off these animals,” Annie said. “That of their remote mountain and canyon following language was written into have been more convincing. Far too troubling enough, but they were noth- Congress to cosponsor these bills, for must be written into the legislation.” habitats onto flat land, were hard to look the bill as a result: “In no event shall many animals had been gathered, when ing compared to what was still to come. if they are not persuaded to reverse this Both chambers took testimony in at. The beautiful animals were hog-tied horse remains, or any part thereof be only the adoptable ought to have been The Act was rendered meaningless last perfidy, we might well say goodbye to committee rooms packed with press and and loaded onto trucks, and foals were sold for any consideration, directly held. These should have been showcased November when Senator Conrad Burns America’s wild horses! supporters for two days. Hearings were left behind to die; baby horses brought or indirectly (Section 4/d).”…“Any in comfortable holding pens that interrupted to seat a class of sixth graders too small a price to warrant space in the person who… processes or permits to presented them at their best. from Long Island who raised money to rigs. Transport conditions were appalling, be processed into products the remains To be fair, BLM direc- attend by selling wild horse stickers. an awful prelude to inhumane deaths. of a wild free-roaming horse or burro tors in some districts did At the hearings, Annie produced It is common knowledge that free- ...will be subject to a fine up to $2,000 just that. They also photographs of a mustang roundup to un- lance “mustangers” who rounded up or/and imprisonment up to one year sponsored mentor- derscore the importance of our mission. wild horses for sport and profit were (Section 8/4).” ing programs to The images, featuring terrified horses given the nod of approval by Bureau No politician would take a position help new adopt- of Land Management (BLM) officials against such a popular movement, and eager to rid public lands of animals the law easily passed. With a stroke they perceived as “trespassers.” Given of the president’s pen, the wild horse the BLM’s longstanding negative view became a “living symbol of the historic of wild horses, we wondered how they and pioneer spirit of the West,” entitled would treat their charges once given to “protection from capture, branding, custody. Would they continue to employ harassment or death.” the same cruel practices in the name of Sadly, the story did not end with the “range management” we wanted the this victory. Many BLM managers re- law to eliminate? fused to accommodate wild horse herds Annie was resolute on the issue. “To in their districts. A state livestock board prevent such atrocities from continuing, in New Mexico invoked its state estray the bill must contain language prohibit- law to claim ownership of 19 captured ing any commercial use of wild horses, wild burros. In doing so, it challenged dead or alive. Never, ever should they go the supremacy of the federal law over a to slaughter.” state law.

Executed wild horses fill a large trench at a holding pen, proving the serious degree of abuse conducted by the BLM.

10 AWI Quarterly Spring 2005 11 N E W S I N B R I E F It’s Not Happening brought to you by the SOCIETY FOR ANIMAL PROTECTIVE LEGISLATION at the Zoo

Remembering Madeleine Bemelmans story by Marc Bekoff Author and Professor at the University of Colorado

e sadly report that Madeleine Bemelmans died f you dare look into the eyes of an zoo’s veterinarians are board-certifi ed just after Christmas 2004. She was an essential animal in the zoo, you immediately by the American Veterinary Medical Wpart of the stalwart band Christine Stevens know something isn’t right. Last Association. Questions from the public assembled, mostly in her dining room, when the Ani- I winter, I confi rmed this when I was a fi nally surfaced when two red pandas mal Welfare Institute was founded in 1951. Madeleine reader for the “Review of the Smithson- died after being exposed to rat poison. was the wife of Ludwig Bemelmans, an extraordinarily talented artist and writer. Is there anyone who has ian Institution’s National Zoological Safety managers, who could have pre- not read his Madeline books, either for pleasure or to a Park,” a report resulting from a study vented these unnecessary deaths, were delighted child? of the Washington, DC zoo, conducted nowhere to be found. Many people In her own quiet way, Madeleine was a shrewd and Paris, 1939; by the National Academy of Sciences’ who work at National Zoo really care dedicated worker for animals and their protection. As Ludwig and Madeleine at what National Research Board on Agri- about the animals, but there is a shame- a longtime board member of the Society for Animal is clearly not a working lunch. culture and Natural Resources. The ful lack of concern for animal welfare Protective Legislation (SAPL), she was especially helpful purpose of the study was to “identify by some administrators responsible for as an editor—though she was usually no more success- strengths, weaknesses, needs and gaps overseeing the zoo’s operation. ful than the rest of us in curbing Christine’s sometimes Christine—to open her post to the next generation, in the current infrastructure” because of My other concerns included the prolix explanations of what was wrong with the way the there was a gap in our office life. Her spirit is shared by world treated animals and what should be done about her only child, Barbara, who survives her. Barbara has suspicions of mismanagement and inad- lack of documentation for the preven- it. What a sly sense of humor our colleague showed! devoted her life to raising and caring for horses, and equate animal treatment. It’s important tative medicine program and the lack When Madeleine finally stepped down as president she is the mother of Madeleine’s three grandsons. Just for the public to know the truth behind of compliance with standard veteri- of SAPL —after several attempts were thwarted by as they do, we will miss Madeleine very much. an establishment that markets itself as a nary medicine, the shortcomings of —John Gleiber refuge for animals; even objective read- the animal nutrition program (despite ers could see there was a long history of supposed world-class research) that problems, and that the numerous infrac- have lead to animal fatalities and the Endangered Species Act: Decades of Wildlife Protections Under Attack tions of federal statutes, laws and other disregard for requirements for research the recommendations of previous AZA guidelines (as well as common sense) given by the Public Health Service, the accreditation reports,” which in and of were serious and inexcusable. Animal Welfare Act, the American Zoo itself justifi ed withholding accreditation One of the most egregious viola- and Aquarium Association (AZA) and until the zoo made some major adjust- or over 30 years, the Endangered Species Act has If anything, the Act needs to be strengthened, as tions among the plethora of horrors the Institutional Animal Care and Use ments. I found that while the report was been the landmark law providing critical protec- rates of extinction have only risen over time—mostly was the alteration of veterinary records. Committees, in addition to the zoo’s supposed to foster signifi cant changes, Ftions for endangered species and their habitats. because of interference by humans. Still, without its It was also disquieting that infractions own policies and procedures for animal many problems were blatantly ignored. Recently, House Resources Committee Chairman protections, even more animals and their environments and abuses occurred even though the health and welfare. The list of prob- Today, one can see that not much Richard Pombo (R-CA) and several of his col- may have been lost over the past three decades. The is different at the National Zoo. An 18- leagues announced plans to introduce legislation that Act has contributed to the survival of over 30 spectacu- lems goes on and on. Infringements will weaken the Act. lar species, including the Bald eagle, the Peregrine fal- such as the failure to keep adequate year-old Bactrian camel died in March, These legislators are undoubtedly well aware of how con and the American alligator. animal husbandry and management re- and while the causes are still unknown, important protection of threatened species is with the cords, poor compliance with the zoo’s one must wonder how an animal public, so they have disguised their efforts by stating the own policies and poor record keeping deemed perfectly healthy only weeks proposed legislation will “modernize” the law. However, YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE and a lack of accessibility to the re- earlier died so unexpectedly. Another the real goals, such as cords were commonplace. camel of the same endangered species, Please send your Members of Congress letters in increasing the amount The AZA reaccredited the zoo in with a lifespan of around 50 years in of scientific evidence support of the original Endangered Species Act the spring of 2004, apparently turn- the wild, was euthanized last year at the needed before a spe- before it is too late! ing a blind eye to the zoo’s appalling zoo. Perhaps some day soon, the zoo’s cies can be listed as  Address Representatives: state and no doubt yielding to political injustice will be revealed to all. endangered or an area The Honorable (full name), US House of can be designated as a Representatives, Washington, DC 20515 pressure. There still was no strategic The full length documents can be viewed at habitat, will work only plan for the zoo at that time, “despite www.awionline.org/articles/bekoff.htm.  Address Senators: to dilute the protections The Honorable (full name), US Senate, provided by the Act. Washington, DC 20510 The photos on this page (taken in Washington, D.C.’s National Zoo) are from Captive  Visit www.saplonline.org for names of your Beauty, a book of 50 zoo portraits by Frank Noelker, an associate professor of Art The Peregrine falcon Members of Congress and for updates on animal at the University of Connecticut. Their sad, stark beauty—in which more attention is benefited greatly from the related legislation. paid to the artists’ murals than the animals’ environments—says something impor- tant about how our culture “packages” nature and challenges us to reconsider the

FWS Endangered Species Act. purpose and effects of zoos.

12 AWI Quarterly Spring 2005 13 Missouri Trapper Shoots Dogs Caught in Leghold Traps

n the morning of Feb. 6, 2005, Marcela Egea did Osomething she had done every morning for several years. A hog dog rodeo fight is interrupted A pack of dogs attack a vulnerable Dogos are selectively bred as hog She let Bubba and Savannah, her by the use of a breakstick. hog as their owner looks on. killing machines. English Mastiffs, outside for a run on her 41-acre property in Belton, Miss. Approximately 20 minutes later, Egea and her boyfriend over- Inhumanity Disguised as Family Fun heard the dogs yelping and a series of gun shots. The terrifying dis- covery that followed is one no dog owner should ever have to endure. og dog rodeos, also known gambling on the dog with the fastest pi introduced a similar piece of legis- Egea found her two dogs dead as hog catches, are taking “pin” time. Unfortunately, the hog has lation that passed the State Senate, but in a creek just 10 feet beyond her Hplace in rural areas of the to suffer this torture more than once on died in the House Judiciary “Division property line. They had been shot, South and the Midwest, and those who an event night, as they are used over B” Committee. As of late March, Ten- killed and pushed into the creek profit from them bill animal cruelty and over each rodeo to accommodate nessee and Alabama had related legis- Three-year-old Hagan Egea lounged at home with Bubba and as family entertainment. In actuality, the number of dog entries. lation pending. While there seems to by local game trapper Michael Savannah. Kartman after they were caught in it is a horrible display of inhumanity In most of the states where these be some hope for restricting hog dog toward both wild hogs and domestic rodeos are thought to take place, ani- rodeos, hunting wild hogs with teams dogs. The organizers of these weekend mal fighting is illegal; hog dog rodeos, of dogs is legal in many of the same leghold traps he set to catch beavers caught in his traps and subsequent- rodeos release a mutilated hog into a however, are not specifically ad- states where the rodeos occur—a sign and otters. While Kartman claims ly shot; trappers generally refer to make-shift ring with a dog, usually a dressed, and a lack of law enforcement exploitation of both hogs and dogs both dogs were caught in his traps, such animal pelts with little or no pit bull trained to attack. In order to allows them to continue. Yet thanks to may continue. only Bubba was found with a trap economic value as “trash.” reduce the amount of harm that may an undercover investigation early last Human hunters take advantage of attached to one of his paws. The trapping of domestic befall the dog, the boar’s tusks are year by an Alabama NBC affiliate, this the dogs’ natural courage and power, Kartman claims he shot each animals in leghold traps is not often removed with bolt cutters or a despicable practice was brought to the sending a Cur dog out to track a hog of the dogs multiple times because uncommon. Because such traps steel pipe and hammer. On occasion, public’s attention. In December 2004, and alert them when one is caught. they acted aggressively when he do not discriminate among their the dog is dressed in a leather jacket raids across three states yielded arrests Taking a sick pleasure in the horrific attempted to free them from the victims, they can catch any for added protection. on animal cruelty charges to hog dog violence, the hunters then release a traps, yet he has also been quoted animal who triggers them. Once The hog is forced into the fight- event organizers. In late February, pack of Dogos—dogs bred specifi- by the Kansas City Star as say- caught, the jaws of the leghold ing ring, and the dog is then released three suspected operators of three dis- cally for this type of hunting—and ing he shot the dogs because they trap can cause the trapped animal to maul his flesh—tearing the hog’s tinct hog dog rodeo operations were let them rip the hog’s flesh to shreds. were interfering with his business. to suffer bone crushing injuries The bodies of Bubba and Savannah were ears off and mangling his snout. This arrested in Escambia County, Ala. and Like the rodeos, this puts both hogs He admits he could have gone to and sometimes even death. Some retrieved from the creek behind Marcela horrifying event lasts until the pit bull charged with animal cruelty; 45 hogs and dogs at risk of unnecessary pain, Egea’s home. nearby homes to find the owner animals will escape by chewing off has “pinned” the innocent hog and is were confiscated and will most likely all for the humans’ amusement. If you of the dogs, but he opted not to a trapped limb, while those unable deemed winner of the match. Only be euthanized because of their injuries suspect this cruel practice is occurring do so because it would have taken to escape remain at the mercy of then is the dog pulled off the hog, a and possible diseases. in your area, please contact your state too much time and he had several their captors. situation that can involve the use of a There may be an end to this ter- fish and game department and let it be hours of trap checking left to do. The Society for Animal Pro- breakstick to loosen the dog’s death rible abuse. Louisiana passed a law in known that hog hunting, the original The incident is still under in- tective Legislation has lobbied grip. The event’s profit comes from 2004 that bans hog dog events, and it inspiration for the rodeos, should be vestigation, but Kartman has only vigorously to ban the use of these an entrance fee to the rodeo and from went into effect last August. Mississip- stopped. been charged with two conserva- inhumane devices, and it will con- tion misdemeanors to date. He tinue to do so. While 88 nations received one citation for failing to worldwide and eight states in our Bequests to AWI label his traps with his name and country have passed laws outlaw- address, as required by Missouri ing or severely limiting the use of If you would like to help assure the Animal Welfare Institute’s future through a provision in your will, this general form of bequest is suggested: Hunting and Trapping Regulations, leghold traps, federal legislation I give, devise and bequeath to the Animal Welfare Institute, located in Washington, D.C., the sum of $______and/or photos: Kim Borgen and another for littering the creek in the United States has yet to be (specifically described property). bank. Kartman left behind the enacted. We anticipate a bill to end Bubba’s front paw was caught in one of Donations to AWI, a not-for-profit corporation exempt under Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(3), are tax deductible. Michael Kartman’s leghold traps. carcasses of a skunk, two possums the use of leghold traps will soon and a small raccoon he had also be reintroduced into Congress. We welcome any inquiries you may have. In cases where you have specific wishes about the disposition of your bequest, we suggest you discuss such provisions with your attorney.

14 AWI Quarterly Spring 2005 15 A Humane Approach to Elephant A calf meddles at the side of his mother while her treat- Population Control ment takes place.

story by Jay F. Kirkpatrick, Ph.D. Director of the Science and Conservation Center, espite the continued presence of Billings, MT A cow at Makalali re- poaching in parts of Africa, ceives her yearly con- Delephant populations are grow- traceptive dart. Once ing at rates of 4 to 5 percent in some re- research was completed gions of the continent. At the same time, in Kruger, the animals a decline in elephant habitat, given over no longer had to be cap- tured, but were darted A female African elephant in to an expanding human population and an remotely. Kruger National Park is immo- increased agricultural presence, has led to the ovaries continue to look healthy and bilized from a helicopter. human-elephant conflicts, degradation of function properly and the uterus of the habitat and a decreased tolerance for the treated animals remains normal. It was species in many areas. This has spurred clear by 2000 that contraception was in management actions of a lethal nature, fact a reasonable approach to the hu- and the Kruger National Park in the Re- mane management of elephants. public of South Africa killed between 300 One of the few remaining questions have yet been discovered, except that be trained to make the PZP vaccine with and 800 elephants annually until 1995, in centered on the possibility that fertility animals became more wary of the dart- his lead technician. His group produced an effort to stabilize the population. control and a plethora of non-pregnant ers. The PZP vaccine does not inhibit enough vaccine by the end of 2003 to photos courtesy of the Science and Conservation Center That year, a coalition of scientists animals would change the complex social estrous cycles, but bulls did not harass treat hundreds of elephants, and at least from the Science and Conservation Cen- behaviors and structures of elephant soci- treated females over the course of the five game parks have been added to the ter, University of Georgia, University ety. Unfortunately, Kruger is not a good study. Perhaps most importantly, it was list of parks managing their elephants All necessary exams and of Pretoria and Kruger embarked on a place to study behavior because of the demonstrated that fertility control could with this humane approach. contraceptive treatment project to test the concept of immuno- dense bushveldt in which the animals live. manage an entire population, and growth The remaining task is to overcome could be completed on contraception in Kruger’s elephants, of this herd has stopped. None of the 350 resistance from those who prefer culling this downed elephant in since it had been so successful in the The Makalali Experience elephants we treated died in this study. elephant populations and to turn to the less than 15 minutes. United States with wild horses, urban Makalali, a private game park in South The success at Makalali led to technology of fertility control to keep deer and zoo animals. While there was Africa, requested the research team be- enthusiasm from a number of game South Africa’s elephant populations an undercurrent that contraception was gin long-term studies on its grounds as reserves throughout South Africa, and healthy and in concert with their habi- not liked by many locals because of its the Kruger project neared completion. the demand for vaccine increased to the tats. Some may still press for their death, cost and the fact that it was being pushed This park had about 60 elephants on point that the Science and Conservation but it is clear that a kinder and gentler by foreigners, there was enough support limited land and its officials didn’t want Center was unable to provide the large approach to managing these magnificent to conduct the study. many more animals. At the same time, quantities needed and still meet the do- animals does exist. A tracking collar is fastened Twenty-nine adult female elephants it was not interested in pursuing lethal mestic demands for wild horses, zoo ani- These projects were made possible on a treated cow so her were captured by immobilization between controls because of opposition from the mals and deer in the United States. This with support from the Science and Con- roaming patterns can be Oct. 1996 and 2000, then tested for preg- public. In this long-term study, the for- phenomenon led to the third phase of the servation Center, US Fish and Wildlife detected. nancy by ultrasound, fitted with radio col- mulation and doses of the vaccine were elephant contraceptive program. Service’s African Elephant and Rhino- lars and given an initial inoculation of the altered, treatment was remote and the ceros Conservation Fund and the Hu- contraceptive vaccine porcine zona pel- focus of the study was on behavior. Technology Transfer mane Society of the United States. lucida (PZP). Booster inoculations were This study is ongoing and is enter- From the beginning of this project in given without capture, by a dart from a ing its fifth year, but already a number of 1995, it was made clear that the elephant YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE helicopter. The treated elephants could important discoveries have been made. “problem” was an African problem, then be followed over several years. First, the change in formulation of the and the involvement of North American A South African National Parks official The results demonstrated the PZP vaccine led to a 100 percent efficacy scientists was only advisory in nature. recently told news media culling could vaccine is highly effective in inhibiting in contraception, as opposed to the 75 Consequently, the grand design of this soon resume at Kruger as a quick fix to fertility, that it is reversible in its contra- percent efficacy achieved at Kruger. Sec- huge endeavor was to avoid “conserva- curbing the elephants’ population size. The author secures a ceptive actions because it requires annu- ond, it was revealed that smaller doses tion imperialism” and to teach the Afri- Please send letters in support of non- radio collar to a cow as al booster inoculations, that it is safe to can bring about contraception, which cans to be self-sufficient in the event the lethal population management to part of an ultrasound give to pregnant and nursing animals and has reduced the cost. The study has also project worked. Dr. Henk Bertschinger, South Africa President Mbeki at: pregnancy test before the The Presidency treatment selection. that no debilitating health side effects confirmed the earlier discoveries that a professor of theriogenology at the Uni- result from treatment. Ultrasound exami- the vaccine was safe to give to pregnant versity of Pretoria, traveled to the Sci- Private Bag X1000 nation of the reproductive tract indicated animals. No behavioral consequences ence and Conservation Center in 2003 to Pretoria, South Africa 0001

It is worthy to include a footnote that as far back as 1992, the late Christine Stevens, founder of the Animal Welfare Institute, promoted this concept and was a moral force in bringing the idea to the attention of both Africans and the aforementioned research team. 16 AWI Quarterly Spring 2005 17 Kangaroos Unsafe in the Outback The End of the Beginning Australia’s own wildlife is killed in record numbers A Patriot Victory in the Polish Sejm Katarzyna Maj he kangaroo is the most famous symbol of the Kangaroos already have to deal with the stress of the utnumbered Poles routed an invading Bolshevik ate the Agriculture Ministry. “land down under,” but Australia is not doing its droughts and wildfires in their country, and yet thousands army at the gates of Warsaw in mid-August 1920, Eventually, the minister ac- T part to protect its greatest animal celebrity. Kanga- are killed by hunters each year. Many are merely injured by Oa victory celebrated as The Miracle of the Vistula. cepted amendments requiring roos are a mere commodity; Australia exports 3 million of bad shots, then left to die in agony by irresponsible people Another remorseless foreign invasion of Poland, that of mul- liquid manure “must be kept their skins each year to be made into Adidas soccer shoes, who do not care about the animals’ welfare. Australia is tinational agribusiness, was decisively defeated in the Polish in closed and sealed contain- This effluent contaminates golf gloves and other sporting goods marked as “K leather.” sending a very mixed message by continuing to promote the Sejm on March 4, 2005. Multibillion dollar corporations ers that do not allow any the water supply for a Pol- Their meat is marketed as a gourmet delicacy, but it is re- kangaroo as an emblem of its country, yet permitting—and abetted by international banks and supported by Poland’s environmental pollution,” ish city of 400,000 people. alistically most often made into pet food. Viewed by the even encouraging—shockingly inhumane treatment of corrupt post-Communist government were routed by citizens and that it must be applied on country’s government as a “renewable resource,” kangaroos this animal. However, convincing proponents of kangaroo defending their villages and homes. This battle involved an fields according to “best agri- are given virtually no protection under Australian law. A culling to believe this argument is difficult. “Adidas is the obscure law called the Fertilizer Act. In 2001, Smithfield cultural practices.” Another amendment prohibited the prac- death quota in the millions is set for them each year, and biggest threat to kangaroos, and it refuses to listen to any ar- Food Inc. lobbyists quietly amended the Act to reclassify liq- tice of exporting effluent or dumping it alongside the roads. six species are indeed already extinct. Others, such as the guments against using the skins—because they are cheap,” uid animal feces from “sewage”—subject to rules applying After accepting the amendments, however, the Agriculture red kangaroo, are declining rapidly. O’Brien said. to human sewage—to “fertilizer.” American-style effluent Ministry ignored them. Nothing changed. Almost a year after The marsupial many local farmers unfairly deem a Over half of the mammal extinctions in the past two spraying was sanctified as “an acceptable means of applica- passage, Marek walked into the Agriculture Committee to hear “pest” faces unthinkable brutality. Hunters routinely blind centuries have occurred in Australia, and some kangaroo tion” and effluent storage became unregulated. Deputy Agriculture Minister Josef Pilarczyk tell the members kangaroos with bright spotlights, freezing them in place species could be next on this country’s list. Like many ani- Smithfield and Danish interests in Poland operated with that all that was needed to comply with the Fertilizer Act was a to make them easier targets. In addition to being furtively mals before it, the kangaroos’ numbers have made it a tar- reckless impunity in 2002 and 2003, setting up 24 huge hog layer of straw scattered on the surface of open lagoons. Chair- tracked and killed in the immense outback, their still-depen- get—recall the story of the passenger pigeon if you believe factories in northwestern Poland alone. Czechy is typical man Mojzesowicz turned to Marek, who testified that only dent young are often pointless casualties. Whenever a female they are not worth protecting, and look at the red kangaroo of afflicted communities. Here, “Prima,” a Smithfield front, 30 percent of Smithfield and Polandanor hog factories have kangaroo is killed, her joeys are decapitated or abandoned. today to see culling’s effects. AWI asks our brought hogs to a former state farm adjacent to the village applied for the “integrated permits” required by the European But this is not the only way hunters disrupt the structure readers to please avoid purchas- and filled lagoons with liquid feces a few hundred feet from Union, and only 15 percent have received them; hence, the of the animals’ society. They often kill the fittest males, ing kangaroo meat, leather and the nearest houses. Townspeople are burdened with constant majority are operating illegally. Hearing this, the committee leaving female kangaroos less options for mating. The result Adidas products. Please write stench, and plagued with clouds of flies in the summer. The passed an amendment mandating solid hard covers over all is a weakened gene pool and a generally younger, smaller Australian Federal Envi- water tastes foul; children suffer from respiratory ailments lagoons. The bill was sent on to the Senate. species; the average age of a red kangaroo, for example, ronment Minister Ian and sore eyes; dysentery, in a community that had hardly In the Senate, industry found an ally in Senator Henry is 2-years-old, whereas less than half a century ago it was Campbell at Parliament heard of the malady, is at third world levels. Stoklosa, one of the most powerful and sinister men in Pol- 12, the Vegetarians House, Canberra, But while the corporations, confident of government ish politics. Stoklosa is Poland’s largest domestic hog factory International Voice for ACT, Australia 2600. collusion, assailed the countryside, they were weakening po- owner. With his interests at stake, he threw his legendary in- Animals has reported. Be sure to let him know litically. Catholic Radio Maryja launched a crusade against fluence—built up over 16 years as a Senator—into the fight. The government has the killing of kangaroos the invasion. Local resistance intensified; Members of Par- The Senate returned a bill to the Sejm specifying Pilarczyk’s convinced the Australian and the trade of their skins liament (MPs), against a backdrop of plunging support for formula of compliance via a layer of straw. people that kangaroo and meat will not be the government, were besieged with complaints. Word spread that the “fix” was in and the battle over. But herds are in “plague tolerated! In January 2004, Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) con- Marek and fellow AWI consultant Jurek Dusczynski were far proportions,” but their sultant Marek Kryda attended a church-sponsored meeting to from beaten, and Chairman Mojzesowicz was furious over at- current population of about plan a counter attack. A few days later, opposition deputies tempts to intimidate him. Several normally stalwart MPs voted 20 million is less than half amended the Fertilizer Act in the Sejm Agriculture Com- with Stoklosa, but the chairman, iron faced, retained control of what it was only three mittee. In a brutal, day-long debate in the Sejm Chamber, of the majority of his committee. The Senate bill was rejected; years ago. “In a recent member after member rose to attack Smithfield and excori- the original language mandating solid covers was restored. survey of overseas visitors, At this point, industry elected to take the bill to one quarter of people the Sejm Chamber before we could mobilize with our

surveyed didn’t see the wild slender resources. However, Marek and Jurek worked a i l kangaroos they wanted to,” a around the clock to notify citizens across Poland, and r t s commented Pat O’Brien, u Radio Maryja issued hourly bulletins. The effort to A

f o

president of the Wildlife . override the Agriculture Committee in the Chamber n s s Protection Association A failed dismally—every major opposition party stood n io t of Australia. c solidly against the government. The final vote was 232 e t o r to 168 in favor of the committee bill. P e Edyta Sikora if l A battle won; a war yet to be fought. d l i Marek Kryda, Robert Kennedy Jr., Tom Garrett and Jurek W

: Full-length articles by Tom Garrett can be found at s o Dusczynski visit a Polish village where local citizens battled t o www.awionline.org/tg/tom.htm. h a Smithfield hog factory near the town school for years. p story by Tom Garrett

18 AWI Quarterly Spring 2005 19 An American Symbol Worth Saving

he Animal Welfare able for horse rescues and abuse to donating to the Institute (AWI) those interested in opening cause, any efforts will help. T recently partnered a facility. Rescues are re- Thanks to the generous with the Doris Day Animal quired to meet local, state support of John R. Murrell League to produce Basic and federal laws pertaining and the Murrell Foundation Guidelines for Operating to the humane treatment of of Dallas, Tex., AWI has an Equine Rescue or Re- horses, and our publication rescued 12 thoroughbreds,

Basic Guidelines for tirement Facility with the provides a basic blueprint two standardbreds and one Operating an Equine Rescue or Retirement Facility aim of ensuring the proper for starting and operating a saddlebred from a Pennsyl- care of horses in the grow- facility. vania kill pen. The horses ing number of rescue orga- Individuals can make a are doing well in their new nizations around the coun- difference, too. From docu- adoptive homes, following try. Free copies are avail- menting and reporting horse veterinary care and rest.

AWI Conference in Cluj-Napoca, Romania

mithfi eld Foods Inc. expanded to the Romanian market ing was a natural solution. Through the participation of both last year by purchasing an intensive pig breeding farm foreign and local participants, all facets of industrial farming Sand one of the country’s biggest refrigerating storage and its impacts on the land, people and animals were depict- companies. Smithfi eld is currently conducting advanced ed during the two-day conference. negotiations over the purchase of additional farms and meat During the discussions, Romanian farmers had the op- processing plants in Romania. portunity to ask farmers from the United States and Great In response, AWI recently organized an international Britain questions on how their problems can be solved. conference on the impact of industrial agriculture on food, Academic staff from the university and politically involved the environment and animal welfare. The event was held participants also found out how they can fi ght to defend Ro- last February in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, with the support manian agriculture. of a local university and the Romanian Alliance for Animal Meaningful sessions conducted by a diverse list of Protection. speakers brought the truths behind industrial agriculture to The Institute believed it was necessary to inform Roma- light. AWI is confi dent that many Romanians are now aware nians of industrial agriculture’s implications, and this meet- of the atrocious reality of this business.

Non-Profi t Org. Animal Welfare Institute US POSTAGE PO Box 3650, Washington, DC 20027 PAID Return Service Requested Washington, DC Permit No. 2300

Printed with soy ink on recycled paper