Guest columnists: SUNNAN KUM ON SOUTH KOREA (Page 5) Bush policy CHRIS MERCER ON SOUTH AFRICA (Page 6) PETER LI ON FAST-CHANGING CHINA (Page 8) & bushmeat WASHINGTON D.C., NAIROBI– – Wildlife policy changes proposed in both the U.S. Four shelters serve Beijing and Kenya––and backed by much of the same money––threaten to replace the principle of protect- B E I J I N G ––What Beijing tive, meanwhile, might encourage the ing rare species with the notion that even endan- dog and cat rescuers need most may be Beijing shelters to cooperate to maxi- gered wildlife should “pay for itself” by being hunt- PETsMART and a coordinated master mize their strengths and opportunities. ed or captured alive for sale. plan like those required of U.S. humane Among them, the China The proposed amendments represent such coalitions before they can apply for a Small Animal Protection Association an extreme interpretation of the “sustainable use” Maddie’s Fund grant. has the only centrally located shelter. It philosophy advanced since 1936 by the National The U.S.-based PETsMART is relatively small, but could serve as Wildlife Federation and since 1961 by the World Squirrel monkeys. (Bonny Shah) animal supply store chain does not yet the primary collection point for lost ani- Wildlife Fund that even WWF endangered species the door for American trophy hunters to kill the do business in China, despite persistent mals, rescued animals, and animals program director Susan Lieberman was quick to endangered straight-horned markhor in Pakistan, rumors that executives are looking in surrendered by the public. denounced the U.S. versions. license the pet industry to import the blue fronted that direction, and Maddie’s Fund does From there, the animals “Money doesn’t always mean conserva- Amazon parrot from Argentina, permit the capture not fund projects outside the U.S. could be relayed for long-term care and tion,” Lieberman told Washington Post staff writer of endangered Asian elephants for U.S. circuses Just a few well-located adop- rehabilitation, if necessary, to the out- Shankar Vedantam. “To me, the theme is allowing and zoos, and partially resume the trade in African tion centers like the PETsMART Luv- lying facilities of the Beijing Human & industry to write the rules.” ivory,” Vedantam revealed. A-Pet adoption boutiques, however, Animal Environmental Education “The George W. Bush administration is “This will mean it will be possible to could rehome almost every animal now Center, the Animal Rescue Branch of proposing far-reaching changes to conservation shoot any endangered animal and just say the entering the four major Beijing shelters. the Environmental Protection Assoc- policies that would allow hunters, circuses and the money goes to conservation,” wild chimpanzee Even if each adoption center placed iation, or the Association for Small pet industry to kill, capture and import animals on researcher Jane Goodall told the Wildlife dogs and cats at just a fraction of the Animal Protection. Each could then the brink of extinction in other countries,” Conservation Expo in Los Altos Hills, California. typical U.S. volume, the cumulative furnish pets to the adoption centers. Vedantam warned on October 11, 2003––less than “It stinks, quite honestly.” effect would be to undercut the pet Beijing is big enough to need a week before the public comment period was to U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service assistant breeding industry before it becomes big all of them, and to support them all expire on the first of a series of pending amend- director for international affairs Kenneth Stansell enough to produce a greater surplus. when they develop more fundraising ments to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service regula- “said there has been a growing realization that the A Maddie’s Fund-like incen- (continued on page 18) tions for enforcing the Endangered Species Act. ESA provides poor countries no incentive to protect Together, the amendments would “open (continued on page 16) ANIMAL PEOPLE News For People Who Care About Animals
October 2003 Volume XII, #8 White Pekinese are the most common dogs in Beijing shelters. (Kim Bartlett) Mute swan defenders make their voices heard in court WASHINGTON D.C.––The U.S. mute swans in Maryland,” Markarian contin- Fish & Wildlife Service on September 17, ued, “the state’s own experts have character- 2003 agreed to withdraw all permits allowing ized the bay-wide impact of mute swans as state and federal agencies to kill mute swans, negligible.” settling a lawsuit brought by the Fund for Mute swans have also long been Animals. blamed for allegedly displacing trumpeter The settlement agreement also swans from parts of their range. The Fund for requires the Fish & Wildlife Service to with- Animals and the Biodiversity Legal Found- draw the Environmental Assessment and ation have contended in a series of lawsuits in Finding of No Significant Impact that endorsed recent years that the real problem is failure to killing mute swans in 17 states. adequately protect trumpeter swans from being “It began with an ill-conceived per- killed accidentally by tundra swan hunters, mit to kill mute swans in Maryland’s especially in the Yellowstone region. Chesapeake Bay, but now the outcome has “In 1978, at a Trumpeter Swan national implications for tens of thousands of Society conference held in Anchorage, Sleeping lion at Tsavo National Park, Kenya. (Kim Bartlett) these graceful and majestic birds,” Fund for Alaska,” recalls mute swan defender Kathryn Animals president Michael Markarian said. Burton, of Old Lyme, Connecticut, ”a plan Wild lions hunted to the verge of extinction “The federal government has pulled the plug was begun to supplant the mute swan in the L O N D O N ––Wild African lions ple,” Frank continued, “but that they kill live- on Governor Robert Ehrlich’s attempt to bow wild with trumpeter swans, coast to coast,” have been hunted to the brink of extinction, stock. Bullets and poison are always cheaper down to Maryland’s corporate polluters and including the introduction of trumpeter swans warn researchers Laurence Frank of the than good husbandry,” while selling the right the massive factory farms––the real causes of to “areas far outside its historic range. University of California and David Macdonald to kill a so-called problem lion can become a damage to Chesapeake Bay––and to turn Trumpeter swans were never further east than of the Oxford University Wildlife Conserv- windfall for whoever brokers the deal. defenseless swans into corporate patsies.” Wisconsin in modern times, certainly never in ation Research Unit. Macdonald, lecturing at the Zoolog- The Ehrlich administration in July New England or Pennsylvania,” according to Frank, writing in the September 18 ical Society of London three weeks later, 2003 proposed opening a hunting season on the conferees’ own published proceedings. edition of New Scientist, has investigated strongly reinforced Frank’s message with his mute swans, which would require U.S. Fish & “Within a short time,” Burton con- African lions, hyenas, and other large preda- own findings and those of associates. Wildlife Service approval. Meanwhile, char- tinues, “park staff were breaking the necks of tors in Kenya for more than 20 years. “Of the adult males his team tagged acterizing the allegedly non-native mute swans mute swans at Yosemite,” waterfowlers were Macdonald, editor of the Encyclopedia of or collared,” summarized BBC News Online as a threat to the ecological integrity of encouraged to shoot mute swans nearby, and Mammals, directed a recent five-year study of environment correspondent Alex Kirby, “63% Chesapeake Bay, Maryland obtained U.S. an effort was also begun to extirpate mute lion conservation in Zimbabwe and Botswana. were shot by hunters. The resulting low densi- Fish & Wildlife Service permission to kill up swans from Yellowstone. The wild African lion population has ty of male lions is exascerbated by the hunters’ to 3,000 mute swans during the next 10 years. “Note,” says Burton, “that trum- fallen from 230,000 to 23,000 in under 20 habit of shooting juvenile males when they That authorization is now revoked. peters were introduced to Yellowstone. Mute years, said Frank. Cheetahs have fallen to find no mature adults. This means males “As U.S. District Judge Emmett swans arrived there naturally.” Participants in 15,000 and wild dogs to 5,500 over the same move widely, and may have ranges about Sullivan pointed out in granting a preliminary the “war on mute swans” (declared in so many time, but were far fewer to begin with. three times the size of a lioness’s range. So it injunction to block the killing of hundreds of (continued on page 9) All are in trouble, Frank explained, is likelier they will leave the protection of a but lions are declining the most rapidly, as the park and move into hunting areas.” most dangerous of the large African predators Macdonald et al found that there are and the species most coveted for a trophy. about 42 male lions within their Zimbabwe “People know about elephants, research area, but the hunting quota for the gorillas, and rhinos,” Frank told Robert Uhlig region from 1998 to 2000 was set at 63 lions. of the Daily Telegraph, “but they seem bliss- “This unprecedented decline of lions fully unaware that these large carnivores are is devastating!” commented Youth for nearing the brink. People have always killed Conservation cofounder Josphat Ngonyo. “In predators,” for defense of lives and property, Kenya we are battling to keep ours alive.” and for status, “but there is only so much Ngonyo was able to confirm the bad damage you can do with spears and shields. news, however, from direct observation. Now everyone has rifles and poison. The “Nairobi Park has lost 47 lions since problem is not so much that predators kill peo- (continued on page 13) So after nearly a lifetime of being secure, safe, and loved . . . Lacey's heart breaks one morning when she can’t find her human parent. Then that afternoon Lacey is taken from everything she knows, every- thing familiar, and she’s tied up on a rope outside a strange-smelling apartment building ...... and later that night someone lifts Lacey into a truck and she goes for a ride, at a time when she’s usually sleeping on her widow’s bed. Higher and higher the truck ascends the steep highway at 20 miles an hour as it curves into the desolate mountains at the 4,000 foot level. Then it comes to a stop, Lacey is pulled out, the driver runs back around the other August, 2003 side, jumps back in, and slams the door fast. Dear Partner, Then he leaves a black cloud of diesel exhaust on the road, and dirt in Unless it’s happened to you, you can’t IMAGINE how devastated Lacey’s face, as he speeds off . . . forever rid of “the dog.” Lacey was when someone kicked her out of a car in the middle of nowhere. Hours after I took Lacey to our Supershelter hospital, my wife c a m e When I first meet an abandoned dog in the wilderness, she is so fright- out of our Observation Room and said, “She’s a great dog. She’s really ened at all that’s happened to her in a few short hours, that she bolts for cover happy to be here. She puts her head in your lap and gives you her paw. when she sees me. Are you sure she was so hard to rescue?” So many times I’ve made impossible rescues of animals who didn’t co- All I can do is chuckle at the irony, and thank people like you who operate in the least . . . because of their shattered trust in humans. make all this possible. Without you, Lacey’s story would be a tragedy. And then, once she is back at our Supershelter and I feed her, hug her . For the animals, . . and talk to her . . . sometimes the most skittish of animals settles into my lap . . . and even kisses me. I’m amazed at the irony. This lap-dog is usually the one who drove m e Le insane in the field, whose rescue was an obsession for days or weeks . Leo Grillo, founder . . the one for whom I told my wife over and over, “I’m going after her again.” These are the truly sensitive ones, who feel everything. D.E.L.T.A. Rescue Lacey is like this. Whatever happened to this old dog, nobody knows . . . except that she was skin and bones 7 months ago, when she was dumped in PO Box 9, Dept AP, Glendale, CA 91209 the mountains heading out of Los Angeles. I couldn’t get to Lacey for so long because she didn’t show up to eat regularly. Maybe she was trying to find her way back home but she kept hik- ing in circles instead . . . ending up back at our feeding spot. I just can’t help piecing it together . . . whoever Lacey lived with, I’m sure it wasn’t that person who tossed her out. Maybe a kind old widow loved Lacey since she was a puppy. And when the lady died, a grandson inherited some money and “the dog.” And once the check is cashed, out goes poor Lacey! (I’ve heard this one before, many times.) Attention: Rescuers and Shelters Build your own inexpensive straw bale dog house for your pets’ maximum protection, comfort and fun! Here at D.E.L.T.A. Rescue, we invented a better housing system That’s why we now build the deluxe “stucco” version. Our mate- for our more than 859 dogs. Using 25 common bales of straw, and rials cost for this stucco version is about $400, while you can put up three sheets of plywood, two people can build a straw bale dog house the simple building for under $150. Good news! We put all the in under 10 minutes! This is the same simple structure that withstood building instructions for both versions on video tape for anyone to our terrible El Nino rains in 1998. The simple straw design can last use, or copy in its entirety. And it’s FREE! To help us help precious 20 years, but because we are a permanent sanctuary, our houses animals, besides our own 859 dogs and 552 cats, please get this must last longer. video today and pass it around!
Our dogs love to play on the straw ... Simple straw house, 4x6 foot interior, Newly finished “deluxe” stucco version, before, during and after construction! 10 x10 foot rooftop play area, and steps! which will last 100 years or more!
We spent a year making this video tape. Now, for the sake of cold, unsheltered dogs everywhere, we are offering it to anyone for free. To pay for duplication and postage, we are asking for a $6 donation per tape, but only if you can afford it! And we can send the tape to anyone you want. Or you can get one, copy it yourself, then give it to friends. Write today to get your free video, and then build a house your dog will truly love and enjoy. Send to: D.E.L.T.A. Rescue, Our dogs climb their steps and play on top One village at D.E.L.T.A. Rescue. Two P.O. Box 9, Glendale, CA 91209. and inside their houses. They have a ball! dogs per yard, and a deluxe house for both! Or call us at 661-269-4010 and get it faster! ANIMAL PEOPLE, October 2003 - 3 Editorial Seeing what is wonderful through the darkness This edition of ANIMAL PEOPLE is three weeks late because we have just spent Yet attitudes of hope and empowerment prevailed. Planned Pethood Plus founder 26 out of 40 days on the road in China and South Africa, gathering so much information that Jeff Young, a veteran of U.S. and European conferences, contrasted the “griping and com- fully reporting our findings will take months. plaining we always hear from rescuers and shelter people about how we don’t have this, we We flew first to Beijing, where we explored the increasingly positive attitudes don’t have that, and nobody cares, with this guy who spoke this morning,” who was toward animals in the national capital of the world’s most populous nation. Compassionate Crusaders Trust founder Debasis Chakrabarti. “He comes from Calcutta, one We obtained perspectives on wildlife and natural habitat by visiting the Beijing of the poorest cities in the world,” Young continued, “but he never stops smiling. I look at Raptor Rescue Center, the Natural History Museum, the Chinese Ethnic Culture Park (which him, and what he’s doing with his people, and can’t help but feel inspired. We came to teach is among the major Beijing urban green spaces), and the Great Wall, surrounded since ancient you,” Young said, “but what I’m finding out is, we have a lot more to learn from you.” times by a semi-protected national forest. Background about dog and cat issues came from visiting the intensely motivated Humane education Animal Rescue Branch of the Environmental Protection Association, the offices and shelter of the enterprising Association of Small Animal Protection (with whom we collaborated to We were barely home before it was time to leave again to attend the All-Africa rehome a kitten), and the Beijing Man & Animal Environmental Education Centre, whose Humane Education Summit in Cape Town, prefaced by a brief visit to the Helderberg Nature shelter in the former officers’ quarters of a decommissioned air force base is among the best- Reserve on the city outskirts; three days at the Kalahari Raptor Center, far to the north; and a managed and most attractive we have ever seen. two-day drive with KRC cofounder Chris Mercer back to Cape Town through the Kalahari and Alerted by colleagues within the official Chinese news media, introduced to us by Karoo deserts. Just south of Springbok we rescued a tortoise whose lower carapace had been ARB founder Wu Tianyu, we sat up late one night working the Internet to relay information cracked by a car. The tortoise is now recovering with Stephanie Woolf at the Wildlife about a dog massacre that was understood to be impending in Henan province, as result of a Rehabilitation Center in Somerset West. rabies outbreak, and to share expertise about stopping rabies through vaccination. We pointed The WRC facilities are still under construction on land donated by Pat O’Neill, who out the absurdity of an exemption reportedly given to dog meat farmers, and the possibility has gradually transformed the renowned Broadlands equine stud farm next door into a wildlife that the massacre was really meant to suppress petkeeping, lest growing sympathy for dogs rescue center recently incorporated as the Kalu Animal Trust. tends to undercut the dog meat trade. O’Neill invited us to lunch. In her twenties, she recalled, she lived in Kenya, near No one seemed to favor the killing in lieu of vaccination, when questioned. Joy Adamson. About two years before Adamson rehabilitated and released the lionness Elsa, Eventually the Henan authorities denied that a dog massacre had actually been planned. about whom she authored Born Free, O’Neill successfully released a lionness named Tana. We also visited the Beijing Agricultural University veterinary school; Lu Di, the Nearly 70 animal advocates from 19 African nations met in Cape Town, most of founder of the China Small Animal Protection Association; and Gongdelin, a Buddhist vege- them previously unacquainted and many attending their first-ever conference. Humane tarian restaurant that is globally noted for such offerings as “Roasted Vegetarian Hedgehog.” Education Trust founder and Compassion In World Farming regional representative Louise From Beijing we flew to Chengdu to catch up on progress at the China Bear Rescue van der Merwe exhausted all funds available to her in order to pay for the air fare, meals, and Center, operated by the Animals Asia Foundation. The Chengdu facility houses more than 10 lodging of participants from economically disadvantaged nations. times as many bears as the prototype we visited at Panyu in late 2000, and is eventually to Beyond facilitating introductions, the All-Africa Humane Education Summit was hold five times more bears than now. The prototype, built by the International Fund for held to introduce the new South African national humane education curriculum, to be taught Animal Welfare, has since been returned to IFAW. in all South African schools beginning in 2004, with the dual aim of improving animal wel- Meeting us at the Chengdu airport and sharing a ride out to the China Bear Rescue fare and reducing domestic violence. Recognition of the need for humane education fulfills Center were Geeta Seshamani and Kartick Satyanarayan, cofounders of the Wildlife SOS bear one of van der Merwe’s most cherished ambitions, and is a first in Africa, if not the world. sanctuary in India. That project was still just a dream when we previously met them, in 1997. The summit was also meant to share the curriculum concept (the materials are still in Today it is among the best-regarded bear sanctuaries in the world. development) with the rest of Africa. Seshamani and Satyanarayan also joined us in a side trip to the Chengdu Research Declared UNESCO Project Officer Ben Boys in an opening day address, “I believe Base of Giant Panda Breeding. Designed with technical advice from the San Diego Zoo and that global sustainable development cannot be achieved without justice and peaceful co-opera- Wild Animal Park, it exhibits only giant pandas, red pandas, rare native birds, and water- tion…Humane education encourages compassion and respect for people, animals, and the fowl. A stocked fishing pond was the only reminder that Chinese zoos often fall short of U.S. environment...Thus, it is the basis for respect and understanding for other human beings and standards––and fishing ponds were common at U.S. zoos too just a generation ago. all life. Cruelty to animals is definitely not part of sustainable development.” Like ANIMAL PEOPLE, Seshamani and Satyanarayan took the opportunity to do Boys did not just speak and leave. Carefully listening much more than talking, Boys relevant research on their way to the Asia for Animals conference in Hong Kong. participated in every possible workshop during the next two days. Postponed from May due to the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome panic that M.H. Nthaga, of the Botswana ministry of economic and industrial development, briefly closed even the notorious live wildlife markets of Guangdong province, the Asia for considered attending the conference such an urgent priority that when his superiors refused to Animals conference was cohosted by the Animals Asia Foundation and the Hong Kong SPCA. send him, he took vacation time and attended anyway. ANIMAL PEOPLE, the Best Friends Animal Society, and the International Sorghum farmer Mustafa Bakrawi of Sudan managed to attend even though Sudan Division of the North Shore Animal League America were among the cosponsors. has no diplomatic relations with South Africa. Obtaining a visa through the assistance of the Animals Asia Foundation founder Jill Robinson delivered her usual rousing speech- Homeless Animal Protection Society of Ethiopia, whose three cofounders all attended, es. ANIMAL PEOPLE publisher Kim Bartlett moderated an intensive panel on zoonotic dis- Bakrawi arrived with a mandate from the Sudan government to introduce himself to as many ease prevention. McKee Project veterinarian Gerardo Vicente, of Costa Rica, sponsored by South African officials as possible, toward helping to facilitate diplomatic recognition. ANIMAL PEOPLE on a speaking tour of Hong Kong and India, explained the “No-kill, no Youth for Conservation founder Josphat Ngonyo, of Kenya, rose from the floor at shelters” approach to animal control. the first question period to distinguish between animal exploitation and authentic sustainable The real stars, however, were Asians helping Asians to recognize and put to work development. He drew some of the strongest applause of the day. their own insights and expertise. Blue Cross of India founder Chinny Krishna detailed the suc- Later Ngonyo, Mercer, and others organized an informal Pan-African network to cess of the Animal Birth Control programs in many Indian cities, nearly 40 years after he first respond to animal exploitation in the name of development. Bakrawi and Vegetarian Society proposed them. Hong Kong SPCA president Lisa Tsui explained that vegetarianism is impera- of Uganda cofounder Dr. Wabbi Leonard joined ANIMAL PEOPLE in expressing their tive for animal advocates because moral authority comes from visibly living one’s convictions. views about trophy hunting as the new colonialism to the Gulf News, the leading English Sunan Kum of South Korea and Nina Hontiveros Lichauco of the Philippines described their newspaper serving the United Arab Emirates––a major source of hunters who visit Africa. long struggles to educate their nations away from eating dogs and cats. Unfortunately, as Bakrawi and Leonard borrowed the ANIMAL PEOPLE laptop at Horror stories were told, and were at times gruesomely illustrated with slides of the guest house where we all stayed, Zimbabwean activist Bigboy Musemwa, 28, reportedly rabies victims taken by Hong Kong SPCA chief surgeon Hugh Stanley, dog butchery in China became intoxicated at another of the three guest houses that hosted conference delegates. photographed by Asian Animal Protection Network founder John Wedderburn, M.D., and Annoyed that other participants did not share his enthusiasm for Zimbabwean president Robert factory farming, presented by Compassion In World Farming director Joyce D’Silva. Mugabe, whose supporters have caused enormous animal suffering while seizing farms and wildlife parks for land redistribution, Musemwa apparently shouted praise of Mugabe until he SEARCHABLE ARCHIVES: www.animalpeoplenews.org was asked to leave the guest house bar. He fell and broke his jaw after he was escorted out; Key articles now available en Español et en Français! wandered across the street in search of the delegates he had been arguing with; and when not admitted to their rooms, smashed numerous windows with an iron table. Louise van de Merwe is likely to be held financially responsible for the damage. ANIMAL PEOPLE The episode, at a glance, could scarcely be a worse advertisement for humane edu- News for People Who Care About Animals cation. Yet it demonstrated the need for humane education to counter the violent role models provided by the Zimbabwean “war veterans,” most of whom are too young to have actually Publisher: Kim Bartlett fought in the 1965-1987 insurgency that toppled the apartheid regime of the former Rhodesia. Editor: Merritt Clifton None of the other delegates in any manner broke decorum. Web site manager: Patrice Greanville “To compare Africa’s problems to Asia’s, very superficially,” concluded Kim in a Newswire monitor: Cathy Young Czapla note to political scientist Peter Li, an Asia for Animals keynote speaker, “there is a similarity in the Congo region to south China, in that they eat every kind of wild animal, and wildlife is POB 960 disappearing fast. Animal agriculture is industrialized in the wealthy countries. Dogs are Clinton, WA 98236-0960 eaten in isolated regions, and are killed in the rituals of voodoo and similar religions in the ISSN 1071-0035. Federal I.D: 14-175 2216 former slave-trading nations of western Africa. These rituals go uncriticized by the politically correct because they are ‘culture,’ even though their whole purpose is to do evil to others or to Telephone: 360-579-2505. gain power over them. Dogs are beloved among many tribal Africans, however,” as the tradi- Fax: 360-579-2575. tional first defense of herders and villagers against lions, leopards, hyenas, and many of the E-mail: [email protected] other hazards of life on the veldt. Web: www.animalpeoplenews.org For ANIMAL PEOPLE artist Wolf Clifton, who celebrated his 13th birthday at Copyright 2003 for the authors, artists, and photographers. Asia for Animals, the highlight of the South Africa trip was the opportunity to befriend two Reprint inquiries are welcome. orphaned jackal puppies, Bonnie the bat-eared fox, and a fearless troupe of meerkats at KRC. Merritt learned that though abandoned dens of aardvarks are easily found, aardvarks ANIMAL PEOPLE: News for People Who Care About Animals is published themselves are so extremely nocturnal and change dens so often that even many locals have 10 times annually by Animal People, Inc., a nonprofit, charitable corporation dedicated to never seen one. Intensively studying former dens and tracks for two days, he identified sever- exposing the existence of cruelty to animals and to informing and educating the public of al places where active dens might be, hidden under brush, and rose at 2:30 one morning to the need to prevent and eliminate such cruelty. seek an aardvark in earnest. An hour later he came upon an aardvark at the second of the sites. Subscriptions are $24.00 per year; $38.00/two years; $50/three years. “He was making so much noise as he snuffled up truffles that I was able to stalk ANIMAL PEOPLE is mailed under Bulk Rate Permit #2 from Clinton, within 20 feet of him,” Merritt e-mailed to friends. “There I stopped, as he turned toward me, Washington, and Bulk Rate Permit #408, from Everett, Washington. and held completely still. He snuffled to within touching distance before he sniffed my sneak- Executive subscriptions, mailed first class, are $40.00 per year or $70/two years. ers, gave a squeal-grunt, and ran away. He looked like a longnosed, long-eared pig from in The base rate for display advertising is $8.50 per square inch of page space. front, but more like a bear from behind. I could easily see why the locals call them ‘antbears.’ Please inquire about our substantial multiple insertion discounts. “Before leaving, I bent down and marked my exact location in the dirt, and wrote The editors prefer to receive queries in advance of article submissions; unsolicit- ‘Ant Bear.’ Then I verified the sighting from the tracks the following day. ed manuscripts will be considered for use, but will not be returned unless accompanied by “Sometimes it takes some effort to see what’s wonderful through the darkness, but it a stamped, self-addressed envelope of suitable size. We do not publish fiction or poetry. was definitely worth it.” 4 - ANIMAL P EOPLE, October 2003 Wyeth takes Premarin to India LETTERS In April 1993 ANIMAL PEOPLE brought the attention of the world to the prolonged cramped confinement of the pregnant mares whose urine is collected to make the hormone drug Premarin. You Chimp rescue exposed as well the sale to slaughter of most of their offspring. Thank you for “Chimp In September 2003 you reported about the momentous decision sanctuaries save evidence of human Gaps in law of the U.S. National Institutes of Health to end studies of the Premarin- origin,” in your July/August edition. I hope you will take up the based drug Prempro, due to an increased incidence of life-threatening The last sentence, explain- matter of birds and other animals who diseases among participating women. ing that Bala Amarasekaran and the are nominally protected under CITES While we commend the NIH for their decisive and timely Tacugama Chimp Sanctuary sur- regulations but not under national action, we are concerned that Wyeth Pharmaceuticals continues to mar- vived in Liberia because the sanctu- laws. These creatures are often ket a drug that is linked to health hazards such as breast cancer, heart ary was “viewed as an authentically ––Wolf Clifton exported to countries where there are disease, blood clots, strokes, ovarian cancer, and dementia. valuable community institution,” is no rules governing their treatment. I t was reported in October 2002 that Wyeth launched its the crunch: without local backing, Mobile clinics Parrots, lovebirds, macaws, cocka- Premarin brands, Premelle and Premelle Cycle, in India. The impact of we are wasting our time. this campaign remains to be seen. Our county animal control toos, and even chimpanzees and hip- With this in mind we in While sales have dropped in North America, Prempro and agency is thinking about buying a pos are brought to India, for exam- Gambia are becoming more and related products continue to be prescribed by physicians. mobile sterilization clinic, but we ple, by circuses and bird sellers. more involved in peripheral work The Women’s Health and Ethics Coalition has formed to bring have heard that other locales have When there is a case of maltreatment, which might seem to have no bearing further attention to the health, humane, and environmental concerns sur- abandoned such projects. our forest and wild-life agency per- on the chimp project. For example, rounding the use of Prempro and Premarin, and to ask g o v e r n m e n t a l Do you have any informa- sonnel say that these are not protected we now operate a small medical clin- agencies and the medical community to initiate an end to the manufac- tion about this? under our Wildlife Protection Act, so ic. We provide assistance with ture and export of Premarin and its related products—on the grounds that ––Catherine E. Boyett, DVM they cannot seize the animals or take schooling, including financial aid for continued production of these drugs is damaging to human consumers, Estero, Florida any other action. the students and for maintaining the Similarly there are no rec- the environment, and horses. school building with volunteer staff. We welcome alliances with organizations and concerned indi- The Editor replies: ommendations about cage size and Currently there are only two teachers their upkeep in the Indian rules gov- viduals from around the world. for 300+ kids. We also help to look After more than a dozen erning zoos. ––Sinikka Crosland, R.N. (Retired) and after draft animals (for which pur- years of using mobile clinics to facili - ––Sandeep Kumar Jain Ray Kellosalmi, BSc., M.D., L.M.C.C. pose the Gambian Horse & Donkey tate dog and cat sterilization in com - Ahimsa International Women’s Health and Ethics Coalition Trust is now up and running). We munities with limited access to veteri - C-III/3129, Vasant Kunj 3430 Turnbull Road are emphasizing the entrepreneurial nary services, many pioneers of the New Delhi 110 070, India Westbank, B.C. opportunities arising from a visitor approach are rethinking it.
Church Times, the 140-year- old newspaper of the Church of England, concluded a July 4 editorial endorsing the current Parliamentary attempt to abolish fox hunting by noting that, “However humane it attempts to be, the meat indus- try causes more animals to suffer than do a few roving bands of horsemen and women. An increasing number of people would argue that since meat-eating is no longer a necessity, slaughtering animals for food comes under the same heading of causing unnecessary suffering.”
Farmers and predator control agents commonly hunt jackals with dogs resembling this bull mastiff, one of a pair who share lookout duty at the Kalahari Raptor Centre––but this dog prefers to play with orphaned jackal pups. ––Kim Bartlett ANIMAL PEOPLE, October 2003 - 7
D.E.L.T.A. Rescue's Extensive Training Program for Foreign Shelter Professionals Worldwide!
DELTA Rescue founder Leo Grillo and friend Focus: To provide specialized training in the United States in all aspects related to operations, structure, and veterinary medical care, for all short and long term residents in a no-kill, care-for-life shelter environment. Trainee Requirements: The trainee must have shelter experience with basic skills in animal husbandry and knowledge of animal health care. (S)he must be of a total no-kill mind set with the fortitude to commit to “care for life” if necessary. The individual must demonstrate a staunch desire to make a career of working in the field of humane sheltering, ultimately contributing to the abolition of senseless killing, suffering, cruelty, starvation, and abandonment of helpless animals. Trainees must speak English. We feel that just to be exposed to our way of medicine will take at least one month. You will be overwhelmed. To learn just the basics will take 3 - 6 months. The longer you stay, the more we will be able to teach you. And when you go back to your country we will consult with you from there. While you are here, we will put you in touch with suppliers and wholesalers. We will provide dormitory housing. Trainees will be working/learning 40+ hours per week. We will provide whatever documentation is needed to present with your visa application. Purpose of this Program: D.E.L.T.A. Rescue is the largest no-kill, care-for-life sanctuary of its kind in the world. Our technologically advanced veterinary hospital and our clean and efficiently run sanctuary grounds are a wonderful prototype for shelters throughout the world! Our goal is to teach our no-kill, care for life philosophy to countries throughout the world, showing them that this is a successful alternative to euthanasia. Health Care Training includes (but is not limited to): • Observing and triaging patients • Identifying primary concerns and complaints • Identifying disease, infection, and injury • Learning treatment plans and protocols for presenting illnesses and injuries • Indication/usage of the latest pharmacology products and homeopathic remedies and learning various methods of administering medications • Behavior assessment: normal vs. abnormal emotional and physiological patterns • Obtaining urine, blood, fecal, and skin samples for laboratory testing • Surgical procedures and sterilization • Dental procedures • Anti-parasite treatments Swathi Buddhiraju of the Visakha SPCA in • Proper restraint methods Visakhapatnam, India, cleaning a dog’s teeth • Vaccinations during her training at D.E.L.T.A. Rescue. • Physical therapy • Proper and efficient recording in medical chart • Wound treatment • Intravenous catheterization • Blood transfusion • Chemotherapy • Emergency medical care • ECG • X-Ray Dog quarters at DELTA Rescue • Ultrasound Inside one of the DELTA Rescue cat facilities
Shelter Management Training Includes (but is not limited to): • Scheduling and effectively managing staff for hospital and kennel • Maintaining shelter grounds and equipment • Scheduling of daily animal care including feeding, cleaning, playing, and exercise • Ordering and stocking of hospital and kennel supplies • Accurate and efficient business and shelter record keeping • Fundraising techniques
Applicants must submit a full letter explaining their current shelter jobs and how much this opportunity would mean to them and the animals in their care. D.E.L.T.A. Rescue P.O. Box 9, Dept AP, Glendale, CA 91209 Telephone: 011-661-269-4010 • Fax: 011-661-269-0648 8 - ANIMAL PEOP LE, October 2003 ANIMALS IN CHINA: FROM THE “FOUR PESTS” TO TWO SIGNS OF HOPE by Peter Li
In February 2002, a college student Forward” with a plan to double steel produc- in Sichuan province microwaved a four-week tion in only one year. Huge swaths of forest old puppy, reportedly in retaliation against his were cut to feed millions of backyard smelters. wayward girlfriend. Among the enduring effects of the Great Leap Five zoo bears were at the same time Forward was the fragmentation of panda bear viciously assaulted with sulfuric acid at a zoo habitat into widely separated tracts within in Beijing. The perpetrator, Liu Haiyang, was which the remaining small bear populations a student at Tsinghua University, whose alum- may lack the genetic diversity to survive. ni include President Hu Jintao, former Prime Mao blamed rats, flies, mosquitoes, Minister Zhu Rongji, and Chairman of China’s and sparrows for the failure of the 1957 grain legislature Wu Bangguo. harvest. Mao ordered the massacre of 1.96 bil- The public was outraged in each lion sparrows between March and November instance, but found solace in the belief that 1958, despite the objection of experts that Two employees of the Animals Asia Foundation at the China Bear Rescue Project in jobs, generate revenue, promote local growth, When cruelly managed wildlife these were isolated cases. sparrows were actually the major defense of Chengdu exercise Sack, a dog rescued by AAF founder Jill Robinson from two men who had and contribute to the national treasury. entertainment ventures fail, as they usually The subsequent outbreak of Severe the grain fields against insects. The killing him in a sack and were beating him. [Photo by Annie Mather/AAF] The growth of commercial exploita- do, the animals may starve to death while the Acute Respiratory Syndrome awakened China culminated on December 13, 1958, when tion of wildlife, concentrated in the tourism, owners seek buyers who will help to recoup to the cruel reality of wildlife exploitation Shanghai residents reportedly destroyed entertainment, and pharmaceutical industries, their losses. across the country––and put the acts of 194,432 sparrows. started then. Efforts to improve animal welfare in deranged individuals into the uncomfortable The exploitation of wildlife as the China encounter enormous difficulties. context of being not far different from busi- The great disaster basis for a cuisine that attracts tourists is con- Politically, the People’s Republic remains a ness as usual at live markets and in the tradi- Like the sparrow extermination centrated in Guangdong and Hainan provinces, closed society. Animal welfare organizations tional medicine trade. order issued by a Prussian ruler in the late 18th in south China, but their wildlife restaurants must cooperate with the Chinese authorities. Wildlife has been used in China for century, Mao’s sparrow-killing campaign had and live markets are globally depleting many Criticizing the wildlife traffic is difficult human benefit for more than two thousand two serious consequences. species. The restaurants and live markets because of the economic influence of the years. Because wildlife use is part of the First, insects destroyed more of the serve not only affluent local residents but also wildlife use industries, especially at the local Chinese culture, it has been widely viewed as grain harvest than ever in 1959. Second, a visitors who come from Hong Kong on level. The Chinese public has been warned for politically untouchable. generation of the Chinese youth internalized “gourmet tours,” or from the north to seek decades about the alleged vicious designs of Yet culture is neither an excuse nor violence against the weak and defenseless as business connections. If enough visitors western imperialists. Foreign animal activists an adequate explanation for the unscrupulous an acceptable behavior in the name of serving develop a taste for wildlife, there is risk that are easily accused of wanting to stop Chinese wildlife traffic now afflicting China. the interest of “the people.” the wildlife exploitation seen in Guangdong economic growth. First, no culture is static. A power- The policy-induced famine of 1960- and Hainan could spread. Already, Shanghai Questioning Chinese wildlife con- ful state has a great capacity to reshape cul- 1962 killed 40 million Chinese. The survivors is believed to consume as many live snakes per sumption and the use of wildlife in traditional ture. Second, Confucian culture is not unique ate rats, birds, worms, and insects. Dogs vir- year as Guangzhou. medicine can also be construed as an exhibi- to the Chinese mainland. For example, the tually disappeared. Cannibalism broke out. To sustain the orgy of wildlife-eat- tion of western contempt for Oriental culture. legacy of Confucianism has not kept Taiwan Soldiers were sent to Northeast China and ing, as populations of wild-caught animals are and Hong Kong from banning dog-eating. Inner Mongolia to hunt. One such expedition exhausted, factory farms have begun raising Hope & opportunity Third, the current volume of state-sanctioned brought back seven train cars of Mongolian “wild” species including fox, marten, and There are two recent signs of hope. wildlife exploitation has no precedent. gazelles, reducing the species to the verge of masked palm civets, whose fur may fetch a Pro-animal organizations are still Environmental devastation was a extinction for at least the next 20 years. high price along with their meat. operating in an uncongenial environment, but common legacy of socialism in Eastern Pets were not just incidental casual- Before SARS, the live market a 1999 survey of Beijing and Shanghai resi- Europe. Similar development strategies ties of the famine. Chinese Marxist ideology wildlife traffic was reportedly worth close to dents conducted by the China Office of the attempted in China during the Pre-Reform Era, identified anything allegedly associated with $100 million per year. International Fund for Animal Welfare discov- 1949-1978, comparably harmed Chinese the “bourgeois” lifestyle as an obstacle to rev- ered, as ANIMAL PEOPLE reported in ecosystems and wildlife. olution and social progress, including the use Traditional medicine March 2000, that public attitudes toward ani- For example, to implement the of make-up, growing flowers, listening to While SARS was a setback for the mals are on the whole very similar to those “grain production first” policy introduced in Western music, and keeping dogs and wildlife meat industry, wildlife use in pharma- prevailing in the U.S. about 10 to 15 years ear- 1950, the central government decommis- fondling cats. The official ideology not only ceutical products continues to have strong gov- lier, when the U.S. animal rights movement sioned entire army corps to clear forests, level authorized violence against demonized “bour- ernment backing. The central government has was just beginning to achieve some successes. mountains, drain lakes and wet lands, and geois” humans and their pets but praised it as banned the use of internationally protected The public upset over Liu Hai- cultivate grasslands for grain production. heroic. Sympathy toward the condemned was species such as tigers and rhinoceros in tradi- yang’s attack on the Beijing zoo bears con- Short-term gains in grain production, construed as a sign of weakness and question- tional medicine, but there are still as many as firmed this year that sympathy for animals is however, were soon swallowed by population able political loyalty. Enemies of the state 400 bear bile farms in northeastern and south- residually strong, especially where the levels growth. By 1957, with grain harvests stag- were described as “drowning dogs,” “cunning western China, with––according to widely of education and affluence are relatively high nant, 30 million urban youth were sent to the foxes,” “ox ghosts,” “snake spirits,” and varying estimates from different government and eating wildlife is still uncommon. countryside to join in land conversion. “dog sons of bitches.”. departments––7,000 to 9,000 bears living an In addition, the initial success of the The increase of human activity in To this day Communist Party ideo- anguished life behind bars. Animals Asia Foundation bear rescue cam- areas that were once sparsely populated caused logues detest petkeeping and portray petkeep- The use of traditional medicine has paign in Sichuan is changing the official per- the flow of the Talimu River in Xinjiang to ers as soulless beings who imitate the declined in other nations, but continues to ception of international pro-animal organiza- shrink by a third. Along the lower reaches, “Western decadent lifestyle” out of mental grow in China, where traditional medicine tions, helping to open the way for further the bones of wild animals littered the once lush emptiness. Animal lovers are even smeared schools are still training thousands of practi- involvement in China. banks. Siberian tigers, bears, river deer, red- as “the fifth column” of Western “new imperi- tioners per year. In 1997 the government Touched by the sincerity, hard crowned cranes, swans and sturgeons disap- alism,” who allegedly hate their own country sponsored the publication of a new and author- work, and selfless sacrifice of AAF founder peared from the Great Northern Wilderness in and delight in discrediting their own govern- itative Complete Collection of Chinese Jill Robinson on behalf of the more than 100 Heilongjiang. Asiatic elephants were driven ment by fabricating accounts of cruelty. Materia Medica. Among 8,980 listed pre- bears she and her staff have so far rescued from the Xishuangbanna rainforest into neigh- Deng Xiaoping introduced the eco- scriptions, 1,050 prescriptions use human and from bile farms, China Wildlife Conservation boring Burma, Laos and Thailand. nomic reform era in 1978. He announced that non-human animal parts. Among the species Association secretary-general Chen Run Shen In 1958 Chinese Communist leader the work of public officials would begin to be protected by the Convention on International recently declared his confidence that “Bear Mao Zedong initiated the “Great Leap appraised in terms of their ability to create Trade in Endangered Species whose parts are farming will eventually be ended.” Peter (Jianqiang) Li is Assistant listed are wild horses, leopards, Asiatic ele- As important as this statement may Professor of Political Science at the phants, and golden monkeys. have been for bears, the greater vote of confi- University of Houston, downtown campus. Entrepreneurs have also opened dence was for the concept and principle of “I am from mainland China,” he wrote to entertainment facilities using animals in vari- nonprofit enterprise on behalf of animals. ANIMAL PEOPLE in 1998. ous parts of China, but many of them are not Economic reform and the national “In 1993 I came to the U.S. for my making the profits that the owners expected. drive for modernization have resulted in state- Ph.D. studies, and brought my cat In Guangxi, for example, a busi- sanctioned commercial exploitation of wildlife Mimi––perhaps the first immigrant cat from nessman is reportedly using revenue from to a degree unprecedented in Chinese history. China. He is so attached to me that he might three other businesses to maintain “Bear and Since this industry is widely seen as part of the have crossed the Pacific to look for me if he Tiger Mountain,” a breeding farm with 600 Chinese economic miracle, contributing to the had been left behind. He was almost thrown tigers, bears, lions and other large animals. glorification of Chinese culture, combatting it to the cold street in the biting wind of a The facility was intended to simultaneously presents a comprehensive challenge. Beijing winter by my neighbor. The next entertain tourists, provide tiger parts to phar- Yet as China becomes better educat- year, when my wife came to join us, she maceutical companies, and breed wildlife for ed and economically empowered to choose brought our other three cats. We had man - live sale. Crowded conditions and encourag- morality over expedience, there is opportunity aged to feed them all, even though there is no ing tigers to fight to entertain visitors has for Chinese people who care about animals to pet food produced or sold in China, and reportedly led to the death of 40 tigers. work to persuade fellow citizens that cruelty spayed or neutered them all. Each has a Live feeding and animal fighting at has no place in the better world that all unique story. Since then, we have adopted many wildlife parks, and the sale of wildlife Chinese are striving to build. three American cats, who at first had some meat and products to visitors, has been exten- There is also now opportunity for difficulty communicating with the immigrants. sively criticized by both Chinese and foreign sympathizers abroad to help them. “We don’t just love cats, but love This essay is adapted from Li’s media. Asian Animal Protection Network all other animals,” Li continued. “It is very keynote address to the Asia for Animals con - founder John Wedderburn, M.D., of Hong sad for us to see inhumane treatment of ani - ference on September 3, 2 0 0 3 , in Hong Kong, detailed some of the worst abuses in mals, particularly in our homeland.” Kong. [Photo by Kim Bartlett] ANIMAL PEOPLE as far back as 1996. A NIMAL PEOP LE, October 2003 - 9 Mute swan defenders make their voices heard in court (from page 1) words by then-University of Montana biologist but the total number of trumpeter swans in the that their populations grew from accidentally Ruth Shea) have included the U.S. Fish & continental U.S. fell as low as 70 circa 1935 escaped swans who were kept for ornamental Canada geese Wildlife Service, the Canadian Wildlife before there was any turnaround. purposes in relatively recent times. Maryland, Also fighting the biggest proposed Service, the National Audubon Society, the There are now about 24,000 trum- for example, claims the Chesapeake Bay pop- massacre of introduced birds in U.S. history, World Wildlife Fund, the National Park peter swans in the Lower 48, outnumbering ulation grew from just five who escaped in the Fund for Animals and HSUS on October 8 Service, and many other government agen- mute swans by about 4,000. 1962. Officially, mute swans are classed as a jointly declared their intent to oppose a U.S. cies, nonprofit groups, and universities. Maryland has the most mute swans species introduced from Europe. Fish & Wildlife Service plan to give the The entire scheme, Burton believes, ––but the Maryland mute swan population fell Burton, however, argues that mute responsibility for managing non-migratory was hatched chiefly out of the frustration of from circa 4,000 in 1999 to 3,600 in 2002 swans historically were native to both sides of Canada geese to state wildlife departments. restoration biologists that for more than 50 without lethal control, Markarian pointed out. the Atlantic. They often appear in the back- “The Fish & Wildlife Service esti- years they had failed in their efforts to rebuild Nonetheless, the Atlantic Flyway grounds of old paintings, and were certainly mates that there are roughly 3.2 million geese trumpeter swan populations, which had been Council, representing the wildlife departments common in North America by 1900. nationwide––about 30% higher than it believes hunted to the verge of extinction. of the 17 states that claim to have mute swan are acceptable,” explained Edward Ortiz, Trumpeter swans were brought from problems, has urged that the regional mute Pheasants environment writer for the Journal-Bulletin of Alaska and released near Bend, Oregon, as swan population be cut by 75%. Ironically, it was the Fund for Providence, Rhode Island. “The agency early as 1929 in hopes of saving the species, Most states with mute swans contend Animals that won a September 25 verdict from wants to thin the resident goose population by U.S. District Court Judge Patti B. Saris against as much as 35%,” which would require killing Navy agrees to restrict use of SURTASS-LFA sonar the release of non-native ring-necked pheas- from 400,000 to 800,000 geese per year for the SAN FRANCISCO––U.S. Magi- seaboard of Asia, an area of about 1.5 million ants at the Cape Cod National Seashore. next 10 years. strate Elizabeth D. Laporte was at press time square miles. Both sides said they could not To stimulate interest in sport hunt- State wildlife agencies could expe- for the October 2003 edition of A N I M A L discuss the reasons for that exception. The ing, Massachusetts wildlife officials had dite the killing by expanding their goose hunt- PEOPLE expected to ratify an agreement by agreement prohibits the use of SURTASS- reportedly released cage-reared pheasants on ing seasons. But perhaps of chief interest to the U.S. Navy that will restrict peacetime use LFA within 30 to 60 miles of the coastlines of Cape Cod, as well as elsewhere around the the Fish & Wildlife Service is just getting rid of Surveillance Towed Array Sensor System- the approved area, including China, Korea, state, each fall since 1906. of an embarrassing controversy. Low Frequency Active (SURTASS-LFA) to Japan and the Philippines. In addition, the The Fund, Humane Society of the Most non-migratory Canada geese in protect whales. sonar cannot be used when marine mammals U.S., and the Massachusetts SPCA sued to the U.S. are descended from hybrids of wild- Settling a lawsuit brought by the are migrating through.” stop the pheasant releases in 2002, pointing caught Canada geese with domestic geese, Natural Resources Defense Council and the This is about 1% of the range with- out that they contradict the National Park raised by hunting clubs in the early 20th centu- Humane Society of the U.S., the pact follows in which the Navy was authorized to use the Service policy––the strictest of any federal ry to be live decoys. a permanent injunction issued by Laporte on sonar by the National Marine Fisheries agency—against the introduction of non-native Banning live decoys in 1936 to pro- August 26 against any use of the new sonar Service, under a permit granted in mid-2002. wildlife. Saris refused to halt the 2002 pheas- tect the then-steeply declining migratory system within a 14-million-square-mile area, New research published in the ant releases, but stopped them this year when Canada goose population, the Fish & Wildlife constituting 40% of the Pacific Ocean. October 9 edition of Nature reinforces the the plaintiffs sued again, seeking a environ- Service seized some of the hybrids, and for “Under the injunction,” said theory that tests of mid-range and low-fre- mental impact review of the entire Cape Cod more than 50 years worked with state agencies Washington Post staff writer Marc Kaufman, quency sonar have caused numerous whale National Seashore hunting program. to stock them wherever the habitat seemed “the Navy can use the new sonar––which strandings since the early 1980s. Surfacing “The Park Service says it is examin- favorable, in hopes of rebuilding huntable emits low-frequency sound waves that travel rapidly to try to escape the noise, the victims ing options for phasing out the pheasant hunt,” numbers. Suburban sprawl, however, over- for hundreds of miles––only off the eastern apparently die from internal decompression. reported Theo Emery of Associated Press. (continued on page 10) Events
October 24-26: No More Homeless Pets c o n f e r - ence, Philadelphia. Info: 435-644-2001 X129 or
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 10/6 - 10/10 Foster Care: How can you develop a program that sponsored by Best Friends Animal Society really works? Jenn Clayton of the Animal Advocacy Foundation will share information How can your community bring an end on how to start and run a successful foster care program. to the killing of healthy homeless pets? 10/13 - 10/17 Why no-kill? Cities, counties, and entire states across the country are doing it. Craig Brestrup, author of Disposable Animals and board member of the Association of Animal Sanctuaries will answer your questions about the ... And yours can, too! ethics of no-kill animal shelters, their impact on the larger humane Meet the people who are creating a new world for homeless pets movement and what the future holds. at this landmark gathering of experts from across the country 10/20 - 10/31 Two weeks off for the No More Homeless Pets Conference in Philadelphia as we explore strategies to 11/ 3 - 11/7 Are you getting good press? develop no-kill communities. Merritt Clifton, editor of Animal People, will answer your questions You’ll learn about: about media relations for your shelter; everything from managing a crisis to proactively reaching out to the public through the media. Adoptions: Simple steps 11/10 – 11/14 Could you start a “Friends of the Shelter” group? to get more animals out of the Julie Bank of Maricopa County Animal Care and Control and Rich shelter and into good new homes. DuCharme of First Coast No More Homeless Pets will answer your Spay/Neuter: Model programs questions about why and how you could launch a program to support the shelters in your community. that really work. 11/17 – 11/21 Internet adoptions. How can they work for you? Plus: Saving feral cats, fundraising, Kim Saunders of Petfinder.com and Kate Schnepel of No More preventing burnout, recruiting the Homeless Pets in Utah will answer your questions and offer advice on best volunteers, building coalitions how you can use the internet to find good new homes for animals. and much more. To join, visit the Best Friends website: www.bestfriends.org/nmhp/forum.html Best Friends Animal OR send a blank e-mail message to: Society [email protected] phone: 435-644-2001 x129 Best Friends Animal Society fax: 435-644-2078 Phone: 435-644-2001 E-mail: e-mail: [email protected] [email protected] ANIMAL PEOPLE, October 2003 - 11 SARS spread from live markets, but when? SARS kills cat program S I N G A P O R E ––SARS seems to have killed the BEIJING––Blood tests indicate that about 1% of the released three weeks after Hong Kong University gene Singapore Stray Cat Rehabilitation Scheme. children in 17 provinces of China were exposed to Severe sequencing expert Guan Yi and team reported in S c i e n c e t h a t Sponsored by the Agrifood & Veterinary Acute Respiratory Syndrome before the outbreaks of 2002- they discovered antibodies 99.8% identical to the SARS-like Authority, the Stray Cat Rehabilitation Scheme has sterilized 2003 that hit 24 of the 31 provinces. virus antibodies found in four masked palm civets and a rac- more than 3,000 homeless cats since 1998, but a four-month Evidently passing from animals sold in filthy live coon dog last May in eight of 20 wildlife traders, three of 15 review of the project determined that barely 10,000 of the markets to humans working in food preparation, and then slaughterers, and one of 20 vegetable sellers tested at the estimated 70,000 to 80,000 homeless cats in Singapore have spreading from human to human, SARS eventually killed 916 Guangdong market where the exposed animals were found. been sterilized, between public and private efforts. people in 32 nations, with about 650 of the deaths occurring in None of the market workers actually had SARS. AVA chief Ngiam Tong Tau said on October 8 that mainland China and Hong Kong. “Our investigation clearly shows that the SARS-like “All but one of the 16 town councils [in Singapore] wanted The blood study was conducted by the Beijing virus comes from the SARS-like virus in the wild animal mar- the scheme stopped, and the holdout was halfhearted in sup- Military Zone Air Force Logistics Sanitation Unit, using sam- ket,” Guan Yi said. “But we still have no direct evidence that port,” wrote Sharmilpal Kaur of the Straits Times. ples taken from healthy children before SARS appeared. the viruses in the markets can attack humans directly.” “The program was reappraised in the wake of fear In a parallel study, the Beijing Capitol Pediatrics Harvard Medical School scientific reviewer Henry that cats might spread SARS,” Kaur continued. “Though Research Institute found that among 77 children hospitalized Niman, MD., told Mary Ann Benitez of the South China tests found no such link, culling was stepped up because of a for various reasons in 2001, 42% had antibodies to SARS. Morning Post that the Guan Yi team also found a direct link push to clean up public areas.” Among 92 children hospitalized during the SARS outbreak, between a masked palm civet and two infected Guangdong Instead of sterilizing cats, Ngiam Tong Tau said, 40% had the antibodies––but none had SARS symptoms. health workers. the AVA would kill any cats turned in, without charge. Both studies indicate that the coronavirus responsible In mid-August 2003, four months after suspending “He said that people who feed strays responsibly for SARS was already widely distributed among the human wildlife sales, the China State Forestry Administration reautho- and clean up after them will be left alone,” Kaur added, “but population––at least among children––well before it turned rized the sale of 54 species of wildlife as live meat or pets, pro- those who leave a mess can be charged with littering.” deadly. The findings may explain why relatively few children viding that the animals are captive-raised. Cat Welfare Society operations director Dawn Kua developed the deadly strain of SARS, but confounds the mys- “Lifting the ban was a bit reckless,” Niman said. argued that the Stray Cat Rehabilitation Scheme has been tery of how SARS originated, since children are also less likely Maria Cheng, spokesperson for the Beijing office of successful, since Singapore killed only 10,000 cats in 2002, than adults to consume wildlife products. the World Health Organization, agreed with Niman that, down from a 10-year average of 13,000. One possibility is that children receive antibodies to “Perhaps it would have been better to wait until we had more The Cat Welfare Society is trying to raise $1 mil- SARS via mothers’ milk. Chinese women may be more likely information for China to lift the ban” on wildlife consumption. lion to build its own sterilization clinic. than men to be exposed to SARS through food preparation and Hong Kong legislator for the medical sector Lo tending farmed wildlife, but men are the major wildlife eaters. Wing-lok and legislator for food and hygiene Fred Li Wah- French epidemiologist Francois Moutou told Agence A Beijing University Hospital study meanwhile con- ming called for the ban to be reimposed. France-Presse in August that a 14-member team of United firmed that SARS is not easily transmitted to people who take Wary of protests that broke out in Guangdong in early Nations and Chinese experts had found SARS-like viruses in a precautions against the it, finding no evidence that SARS ever summer, however, led by unemployed wildlife traders, an wide range of birds, reptiles, and mammals at markets and passed from patients to the health workers who treated them. anonymous mainland State Forestry Administration official farms in south China. Their conclusions, however, have not The three new studies by Beijing institutions were reportedly dismissed the new findings as inconclusive. yet been scientifically reported. Bangladesh tiger killers get hard time Congratulations, DHAKA, Bangladesh ––Five former Dhaka Zoo employees who allegedly poisoned four Bengal tigers Maddie's Big Fix for during a 1996 labor dispute were on September 10, 2003 sentenced to serve 14 years Alabama, on a remark- in prison at hard labor. The Pakistan Daily Times heralded “The first-ever ver- dict on the killing of animals able statewide in Bangladesh,” which from 1948 until 1971 was East Pakistan, separated from the spay/neuter effort. rest of Pakistan by India. Published from the capi- tal of Bangladesh, the Dhaka Daily Star did not call the case a first, but gave THE FINAL TALLY: it prominent coverage on a day when the second anniv- 36,047 surgeries on pets of low-income caregivers ersary of the September 11 al Qaida terrorist attacks on the U.S. dominated the news. Metropolitan Sessions THE BREAKDOWN: Judge Habibur Rahman acquitted nine co-defendants. 13,280 dog spays, 4,743 dog neuters, 11,403 cat spays Rahman issued the stiff sentences to the remainder under the Special Powers & 6,621 cat neuters Act of 1974, pertaining to crimes allegedly committed to destabilize the nation. ADDED BENEFITS: The tigers were allegedly poisoned between November 9 and 13, 1996, after zoo • A 9% drop in euthanasia, or 5,449 fewer deaths, over curator Ashraf Uddin trans- ferred the defendants and 18 two years other staff members in a crackdown on corruption. Invoking the Special • Strengthened bonds between veterinarians and the Powers Act enabled Rahman to impose the death penalty, animal sheltering community but he was lenient, he said, because the “neglect and indifference” of the prosecu- • The formation of animal welfare collaborations in tion had allowed the case to drag on for seven years. M a d d i e ’s Fund® The Pet Rescue Foundation (www. m a d d i e s f u n d . o rg) is a family Frequent Flyer Miles You Aren't Using? foundation endowed through the generosity of Cheryl and Dave Duffield, PeopleSoft If you have enough Founder and Board Chairman. The foundation is helping to fund the creation of a no- frequent flyer miles to kill nation. The first step is to help create programs that guarantee loving homes for obtain award tickets -- all healthy shelter dogs and cats through collaborations with rescue groups, traditional especially enough for international travel -- shelters, animal control agencies and veterinarians. The next step will be to save the they could be used to sick and injured pets in animal shelters nationwide. Maddie’s Fund is named after the send representatives family’s beloved Miniature Schnauzer who passed away in 1997. of animal groups in The Pet Rescue developing nations to conferences and Maddie’s Fund, 2223 Santa Clara Ave, Suite B, Alameda, CA 94501 training programs. Contact: 510-337-8989, [email protected] [email protected] 12 - ANIMAL PEOP LE, October 2003
The Watchdog monitors fundraising, spending, and The political activity in the name of animal and habitat pro t e c - tion—both pro and con. His empty bowl stands for all the bowls left empty when some Watchdog take more than they need. Who killed activist Jane Tipson, and why? Ferrets for Schwarzenegger “Ferret owners are rejoicing,” American Ferret GROS ISLET, St. Lucia– – but a police source apparently told them information leading to the conviction of Association founder Freddie Ann Hoffman said of the Jane Tipson, 53, cofounder of the St. “that the police were in search of a 20- her killer. October 7, 2003 election of actor Arnold Schwarzenegger to Lucia Animal Protection Society, the year-old gang member in relation to Watson had himself encounted replace recalled California Governor Gray Davis. Eastern Caribbean Coalition for Emmanuel’s death.” hostility in St. Lucia. Hoffman credited Schwarzenegger with helping to Environmental Awareness, and the McDonald and Larbey wrote “Watson was in St Lucia popularize ferrets in his 1990 film Kindergarten Cop, while Caribbean Animal Welfare e-mail news- that “Maria Grech, Tipson’s friend for before the 2001 International Whaling blasting Davis for pledging to veto any bill to legalize the group, was fatally shot at close range at over 20 years, was trying to hold down Commission meeting in London,” the possession of ferrets that might clear the state legislature. 1:20 a.m. on September 17 just yards the fort at the St. Lucia Animal Star recalled. “He was ordered to leave Ferrets and many other non-native predators have from the gate of her home. Protection Society office. after he produced a picture of butchered been banned in California for more than 70 years, initially as Tipson “was following her 50- “Nothing makes sense,” Grech pilot whales in a local fishing boat. He alleged threats to the poultry industry. year-old sister Barbara” in a separate told them. “It can’t have been a robbery was accused of harassing the fishers. He The PawPAC political action committee was less vehicle, reported the St. Lucia Star, because Jane never had much money on suggested that St Lucia’s pro-whaling enthusiastic about Schwarzenegger. “after they had been trapping stray dogs her. We have been in some heated argu- vote at the IWC was dictated by the “Like everyone else, we know nothing of and cats along the beach. Barbara had ments in the past while trying to save Japanese in return for funding. Schwarzenegger’s positions on animals,” said a pre-election arrived at their house when she heard a animals, but nothing that would lead to “Watson was not prepared to PawPAC release. “Former gubernatorial candidate Richard loud noise from the driveway.” murder. There have been some raised say that Jane Tipson’s death had some- Riordan stated at a recent event that his friend Arnold ‘loves Mistaking the noise for a tire voices in discussions over building the thing to do with her work,” the Star con- his dogs.’ Schwarznegger has been endorsed by the blowout, Barbara Tipson “drove back to [Dolphin Fantaseas] dolphinarium, but it tinued. “But he added that it would not California Farm Bureau, an organization that regularly find her sister slumped over the wheel was always civil. I doubt Jane’s death surprise him. opposes animal welfare legislation.” [of her vehicle], dead, the result of a had anything to do with SLAPS. Well, I wound to the neck,” the Star continued. hope not,” Grech concluded. SLAPS goes on “This case does not appear to “She was our person on the “We want the St. Lucia Animal ORGANIZATION UPDATES be a robbery,” police commissioner ground in St. Lucia trying to help us stop Protection Society to continue,” SLAPS Ausbert Regis said, “because the person the dolphin captures that were scheduled board member Angel Isaac told NCDL becomes Dogs Trust did the act and left. We are still trying to for Dolphin Fantaseas,” confirmed McDonald and Larbey of the Star. “Our L O N D O N––The National Canine Defence League determine a motive but at this time it Dolphin Project founder Ric O’Barry, dedicated members will get together and on October 9 renamed itself Dogs Trust. Founded in 1891 to appears that the killing was targeted.” now working for the World Society for decide where we go from here.” oppose vivisection of dogs, NCDL for most of the 20th cen- Nicole McDonald and Chris- the Protection of Animals. “The Pegasus Foundation tury focused on providing veterinary care to pets of the poor. tine Larbey of the S t a r wrote that, “I’m somewhat suspicious,” helped fund several St. Lucia spay/neuter Restructured in 1980, it is now the British leader in rehoming “Close friends of Jane Tipson (who pre- O’Barry continued, “because this looks clinics through SLAPS partner, Inter- dogs, and since 1996 has cosponsored the International fer to remain anonymous) said she had like a hit. The Russian Mafia tried to kill national Veterinary Assistance,” wrote Companion Animal Welfare Conference, partnering with the confided in them about receiving threat- me in Tel-Aviv, Israel,” O’Barry Pegasus Foundation communications North Shore Animal League International division. ening phone calls over the past few recalled of a similar incident in 1993. director and program officer Anne weeks. The police were not prepared to “Lucky for me, I passed out on a hunger Ostberg. “Together with the local veteri- MSPCA kills Animals magazine confirm the death threats. strike and was hospitalized in protective nary and business communities, SLAPS B O S T O N ––Promising to balance the Massa- “Another twist,” McDonald custody. My colleague Jenny May start- and IVA have made great progress in chusetts SPCA budget in 2004, first-year president Larry and Larbey added, “is that two days ed doing interviews for me, and she reducing St. Lucia’s stray dog and cat Hawk in August 2003 terminated the money-losing A n i m a l s before Jane Tipson was fatally shot, the became the target. The Russians fol- populations. Both organizations have magazine, and in September laid off 19 employees. sisters’ Jambe DeBois restaurant at lowed her down the beach as she took indicated that they are determined to The MSPCA closed facilities and sold property to Pigeon Island National Landmark was her usual nightly stroll,” O’Barry continue Jane Tipson’s legacy. reduce deficits at least twice during the long tenure of Hawk’s burgled. On the day of Jane Tipson’s alleged. “She was found strangled with “Her family has requested,” predecessor, Gus Thornton, who retired in April 2003. The death two teenagers, 17 and 19, pleaded her own belt. I’m sure they really want- Ostberg added, “that memorials be sent layoffs, however, were reportedly the first in the 135-year guilty to stealing $1,958.75 in cash and ed me, but I was always in the company to SLAPS, P.O. Box 1114, Castries, St. history of the MSPCA. The cancellation of Animals was the cigarettes from the restaurant.” of the army.” Lucia, West Indies. IVA, a 501(c)(3) first major program cut since the Bands of Mercy and Jack The 19-year-old, upon arrival No one was ever charged with tax-exempt charity, has agreed to accept London Clubs begun by founder George Angell were axed of an attorney hired by his mother, then the Jenny May murder. checks from U.S. donors on behalf of approximately 75 years ago, as the MSPCA struggled with changed his plea to innocent and request- “The Israel Broadcasting SLAPS c/o 1928 DuBay Drive, cost overruns after building Angell Memorial Hospital. ed a separate trial. Both suspects were Authority is now making a movie for TV Mosinee, Wisconsin 54455. Checks A n i m a l s , an award-winning slick successor to released on bail. about it,” O’Barry added. should be made payable to IVA, with Angell’s Our Dumb Animals newspaper, reputedly never The next afternoon, wrote SLAPS noted on the memo line.” attracted enough paid subscribers and advertisiers to pay for McDonald and Larbey, “the 17-year- Watson posts reward As well as the Jambe de Bois itself. “While A n i m a l s did serve an educational function,” old, Jean Vascar Emmanuel, was fatally “I was quite shocked by Jane restaurant, the Tipson sisters owned the Hawk told ANIMAL PEOPLE, “I believe that there are bet- shot. He died Friday morning. But not Tipson’s death, but not as much as I Snooty Agouti jazz bar in Gros Islet, ter uses for our tight budget dollars at this time. Our commu- before reportedly naming his attacker to should have been, because there is so and were active in the Bahai religious nications will become far more targeted to program needs.” police. The police are tightlipped,” much hostility directed at conservation- community. The budget trimming was necessary, Hawk told McDonald and Larbey said, “on any ists,” commented Sea Shepherd Conser- “Jane was from Devonshire, Boston Globe correcpondent Vicki Croke, because “Between possible connection between the deaths vation Society founder Paul Watson. settling in St Lucia some 30 years ago,” the stock market and spending more than we had, our endow- of Jane Tipson and Jean Emmanuel,” Watson posted a reward of $5,000 for recalled Eastern Caribbean Coalition for ment eroded from $90 million to close to $50 million.” Environmental Awareness head of opera- Raising about $39 million a year, the MSPCA in tions Lesley Sutty, of Martinique. recent years has spent circa $45 million per year. Home for Life In addition to the animal and AVAR names new president environmental protection organizations DAVIS, Calif.––The American Association of Jane Tipson started, Sutty recalled, “she Veternarians for Animal Rights board of directors on created the St Lucia Whale and Dolphin September 9, 2003 elected Paula Kislak, DVM, to succeed Watching Association and promoted the Nedim Buyukmihci, DVM, as president. development of the now flourishing “Kislak, a vegan, has been an AVAR board mem- whale watching industry in St. Lucia.” ber since 1996, and was on its advisory board before that,” The St Lucia Whale and said the AVAR announcement. Dolphin Watching Association in a brief Buyukmihci had headed AVAR since cofounding it memorial saluted Tipson’s “enthusiasm with Neil C. Wolfe, DVM, in 1981. Buyukmihci recently and dedication to the cause.” retired from teaching veterinary ophthalmology at the University of California at Davis and on June 18 was named director of the Animal Protection Institute Primate Sanctuary
If you know someone else who might At Responsible Policies for Animals, Inc., like to read ANIMAL PEOPLE, please ask us to send a free sample. we want America to be a leader in compassion. That means our universities must stop teaching cruel factory farming! Visit www.RPAforAll.org or request our 10,000 Years Is Enough campaign information pack. Responsible Policies for Animals P.O. Box 891, Glenside, PA 19038 215-886-RPA1 • [email protected] A NIMAL PEOPLE, Octobe r 2003 - 13 Home 4 the Holidays 2002 saved countless lives! Be a part of Home 4 the Holidays 2003. Log on to www.home4the holidays.com for more information. Wild lions hunted to verge of extinction (from page one) Hindu nationalists hit animal sacrifice 1998,” he told ANIMAL PEOPLE. “From April 28 to lions from his part of Africa in the opening chapters of NEW DELHI––“There is alive in 1999. Despite the hint that June 2, seven Nairobi National Park lions were speared his 2000 book For The Love Of Wildlife. a great need to cleanse Hinduism” of Staines had promoted beef-eating, and mutilated,” apparently by herders. “Only 10 to 12 The recent rapid growth of lion hunting within animal sacrifice, “and the time is there was no reported violence after lions remain in the park and surrounding area. Five are fenced enclosures of varying size in many African now,” editorialized the October the court ordered that instigator Dara adults, the rest sub-adults and cubs. Human activities nations reflects the disappearance of wild lions. The 2003 edition of The Organizer, the Singh should be hanged, while the are threatening the survival of the park,” Ngonyo con- proprietors have shown the ability to breed lions in vol- official publication of the hardline others are to serve life in prison. All tinued. “The relentless increase in the Nairobi human ume, to demand, like puppy mill dogs. Hindu nationalist volunteer corps 13 defendants have appealed. population and changing land use patterns have blocked But breeding lions in captivity from a limited Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh. Media commentators indi- the migratory corridor to the park. The few remaining gene pool does not fill the ecological niche of lions in the The RSS is often described cated that the RSS position against crossings cannot sustain a sizable population. wild, the experts agree––and trying to restore wild pop- as the ideological arm of the ruling animal sacrifice may reflect an “The real problem,” Ngonyo said, “is loss of ulations, once lost, may not be successful. Bharatiya Janata Party. increasing sense of security among prey. Lions prey on herbivores. The herbivore popula- Even if genetic diversity could be sustained The Organizer s t r o n g l y the BJP leadership. tion in the park and surrounding area has dwindled due within the captive population, the viability of wild praised former actress Jayalitha In mid-2002, by contrast, to poaching and game-cropping. Nairobi National Park prides depends not only on individual fitness, but also Jayaram, now chief minister of after People for Animals founder once generated more revenue than all the other parks in upon acquired knowledge about the habitat and prey Tamil Nadu state, for ordering Maneka Gandhi clashed with both Kenya combined,” Ngony noted, “but one needs only to transmitted chiefly by the females, who tend to remain police to halt animal sacrifices on devotees of religious animal sacrifice take a game drive to realize how barren it has become.” within their birth-pride. August 28. After three men were and biomedical researchers over Kalahari Raptor Centre co-director Chris Already the knowhow that lions need to sur- arrested the next day for sacrificing their “sacrifices” of animals, BJP Mercer [see page 6] documented the extirpation of wild vive in much of their range may have been lost. goats and hens at Madurai, no more Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee took sacrifices were reported for a week. away the ministry for animal welfare No happy endings likely in three-month sheep-at-sea saga Members of the People’s that Mrs. Gandhi had held as an Art & Literary Association and independent member of the govern- K U W A I T ––The live- landing the sheep for slaughter on sheep to the Middle East are worth Revolutionary Students & Youth ment coalition since 1998. stock ship Cormo Express was to the Australian mainland, probably just under $100 million U.S. per Front then defied Jayalitha (usually The Organizer c r i t i c i z e d sail back to Australia on October 15 at Albany; and repatriating the year, a small yet politically volatile called by just her first name) by stag- King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah of with 52,000 sheep who were sheep alive to the Outback, where portion of the $5.5 billion U.S. per ing sacrifices in Tirunelveli and Nepal. Four days before Mrs. refused entry into Saudi Arabia on they might still be killed and buried. year Australian meat industry. Tiruchirapalli. Police detained but Gandhi was fired, the king sacri- August 22 after some were found to The Australian Meat Saudi Arabia buys about two-thirds did not charge the suspected leaders. ficed five animals during a state visit have scabby mouth disease. Industry Council vehemently fought of the Australian live sheep exports. The RSS opposition to ani- to Assam. Told that the sacrifices The return voyage had return of the sheep to Australian All Australian livestock mal sacrifice came amid rising ten- were planned, Mrs. Gandhi warned been delayed for 24 hours by diffi- soil, on the pretext that they might exports to the Middle East were sus- sion in India over cow slaughter. In that they would be illegal under the culty in obtaining enough fodder to bring back new infections after trav- pended from 1989 until 2000 in a Ahmedabad, where sectarian riots 1960 Prevention of Cruelty to sustain the sheep en route to a eling halfway around the world previous dispute over rejections of killed 100 Hindus and 2,000 Animals Act. PfA won a restraining planned first stop for Australian vet- twice, spending at least 11 weeks at sheep by Saudis and others. Saudi Muslims in May 2002, police on order against the sacrifices, but the erinary inspection at the Cocos sea by the time they reach the Arabia responded then by banning September 6 fired tear gas to break Jhalukbari police detachment refused Islands, also known as the Keeling Cocos/ Keeling Islands. sheep from Australia, 1991-1995, up a stone-throwing mob who to enforce it, citing an exemption in Islands, about 1,500 miles west of The Cormo Express l e f t an action attributed by some sources accosted municipal workers during a the 1960 law for sacrifices conducted Australia proper. Fremantle with 57,937 sheep on to Saudi discontent over Australian stray cattle round-up. The mob “in a manner required by religion.” Australian authorities had August 5. Australian officials support for the U.S. during the first released eight of the 200 cattle who While criticizing the king not yet decided what to do with the denied that the Saudi government Persian Gulf war. had been captured. would be risky within Nepal, a sheep. More than 100 nations had rejected the sheep in retaliation for Live sheep exports from The Hindustan Times theocracy that practices a primitive reportedly refused them, even as a Australian support of the U.S. occu- Portland, Australia, were suspend- reported on the eve of the September form of Hinduism, Lucia de Vries of gift that they were subsidized to pation of Iraq. The Australian gov- ed in October 2002 by Australian 22 sentencing of the 13 convicted Friends of the SPCA-Nepal on take. Options included trying to ernment repurchased the sheep from agriculture minister Warren Truss, killers of U.S. missionary Graham September 28 appealed for interna- slaughter the sheep at sea, dispos- the Saudi buyer for $4.5 million after five shipments in a row includ- Staines and his sons that the mob tional opposition to a web site which ing of their remains via the nine- U.S. and halted all further sales of ing one by the Cormo Express h a d was motivated by seeing tribal promotes to Nepalese living abroad story mincer used to dispose of ani- livestock to Saudi Arabia. deaths exceeding the Australian rec- Indians eating beef. Staines, 57, the notion of buying a goat for sacri- mals who die individually in transit; Australian exports of live ommended ceiling of 2%. and the boys, 6 and 10, were burned fice by relatives or friends at home. Veggie novelist Coetzee wins Nobel Prize S T O C K H O L M – – S o u t h before brutally slaughtering them for African novelist and advocate of vege- their meat and skin, are we all com- tarianism J.M. Coetzee was on plicit in a ‘crime of stupefying propor- October 1 named winner of the 2003 tions’? Those words are Costello’s, Nobel Prize for Literature. whose two lectures on animal rights SHARK The award is to be presented ––‘The Philosophers and the Animals’ in Stockholm on December 10 by Carl and ‘The Poets and the Animals’–– XVI Gustaf, King of Sweden. The make up the longest section of the WANTS date is the anniversary of the death of book. The preoccupation is very much Alfred Nobel, who endowed the Coetzee’s own, and has moved YOU –– Nobel Prizes with his profit from increasingly close to the moral center inventing dynamite. of his work.” TO HELP BUILD “Coetzee has long been “In 1997-98,” Schuessler hailed as a powerful and controversial, recalled, “Coetzee delivered these THE TERMINA- if often oblique, commentator on the chapters as the prestigious Tanner TOR FLEET! ravages of apartheid,” wrote Jennifer Lectures in Human Values at Schuessler, deputy editor of the Ideas Princeton. They were published sepa- section of the Boston Globe. But his rately in 1999 as The Lives of Animals. most recent novel, Elizabeth Costello, Coetzee described his raises “another unsettled and unset- response to social pressure to eat meat SHARK is building two tling question,” Schuessler continued. in an essay called “Meat Country,” more Tiger video trucks that will surpass even the unprecedented Tiger prototype that has for “By raising billions of ani- published in the Winter 1995 edition three years sent animal abusers nationwide running for cover. This is your chance to support mals a year in often squalid conditions of the British literary quarterly Granta. the most effective educational concept in animal defense. The next two Tigers will be even more advanced. One will prowl the East Coast, another will We have rescued many dogs and cats, including this patrol the West Coast, and the third will roam in between. mother and her kittens. The original Tiger has already addressed more issues than many animal advocacy groups will Your donation to our sanctuary ever tackle, including bullfights, rodeos, circuses, horse slaughter, vivisection, fur, fund will help us save many canned hunts, dolphin massacres, dog-and-cat-eating, and the slaughter of kangaroos in more from the terrible cruelty Australia. Most recently the Tiger had a huge role in ending bear abuse at Baylor University. of the Korean dog and cat meat markets. We have Corporations, government agencies, whoever the target and whatever the issue, education purchased the land to build is the key, and nothing educates the public like the Tiger. The videos the Tiger shows to the Korea's first world-class public are hard to watch, but the results are undeniable. animal shelter and hospital. A donor paid for the foundation I hope I can count on your support! with a promise to put on the roof if we can raise enough For more information: money to build the middle. www.sharkonline.org [email protected] Your generous contribution can make this dream come true! • Mark your donation for KAPS Shelter Fund, and send to: SHARK International Aid for Korean Animals / Korea P O Box 28 Geneva, IL 60134 Animal Pr otection Society POB 20600, Oakland, CA 94620 Phone: 1-630-557-0176 • Fax: 1-630-557-0178 A NIMAL PEOPLE, Octobe r 2003 - 14
Paul Siegel
Pet Friendly Inc. royalty claim halts Illinois “pet ANIMAL PEOPLE friendly” license plate plan to fund sterilization thanks you for your generous support! S P R I N G F I E L D ––Sales of Heupel also found that a New Honoring the parable of the widow's mite––in which a poor woman “pet friendly” license plates to raise funds York firm registered “pet friendly” as a gives but one coin to charity, yet that is all she possesses–– for dog and cat sterilization remain sus- trademark in 1997 “on a component of a we do not list our donors by how much they give, but we pended in Illinois due to a claim of trade- detector to distinguish between human greatly appreciate large gifts that help us do more for animals. mark infringement made by the rope toy and animal signals.” Joan Allen, Carol Anderson, maker Pet Friendly Inc., and may be in Former Illinois Governor Animal Rescue/Grace Froelich, Mary Arakawa, Florence Arday, “legal limbo” in several other states, George Ryan on January 11, 2002 signed Elisabeth & Louis Arvin, Dianne & Michael Bahr, Lana Bajsel, E. Bruce Barber, American SPCA Midwest representative into state law a plan to finance the Illinois Mr. & Mrs. Kenneth Bates, Christine Beard & David Goldblatt, Risa Beckham, Ruth Berridge, Ledy VanKavage told ANIMAL PEO- Pet Overpopulation Control Fund through Louis Bertrand, Dr. Leclair Bissell, Sharon Blair, Pamela Blake, Wanda Blake, Janet Bloor, P L E shortly before the October 2003 the sale of license plates reading “I am Maria Bolanos, Joel & Mary Bonham, Francis Bourdon Jr., Dolly Brannen, Joann Bray, edition went to press. pet-friendly.” The plates sell for $118 the Natasha & Noah Brenner, Joyce Briggs, Shirley & Irwin Brown, David Brubaker, Dale Call, Illinois Secretary of State Jesse first year, $105 per renewal, and provide Sally Cannavo, June Carter, John & June Caspersen, Jan Cejka, Grover Chapman, White confirmed on August 26 that sales $25 per sale to the Overpopulation Mary & Bill Chipman, Roberta Ann Claypool, Patricia Clerico-Parham, Gale Cohen-DeMarco, of the Illinois plates reading “I am pet Control Fund. Dr. Grady Coker, Jennifer Coleman, David Coley, Lorraine Collins, Marjorie Cooke, Darline Coon, friendly” were halted after his office Weinacker told Heupel that Pet Sharon Coop, Delilah Cooper, Cholla Covert, Cynthia Crofoot, Susana Crow, Helen Curtis, received a demand for $563,000 in autho- Friendly Inc. sells vehicle plates bearing rization fees and royalties from Pet the words “pet friendly,” and that he had Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Cutre, John Cymbalisty, Nelly Jean & Frank Dapice, Shirlee Daube, Friendly Inc. vice president Charles W. sent demands for authorization fees and Maura Sausey, Christopher Delevoryas, Len & Jean Diamond, Carolyn Dicecca, Helen Dion, Weinacker Jr. royalties to the state of Missouri and the Judith Ditfurth, Ruth Dixon, Bettina Domingue, Donald & Lorna Dorsey, Joan Drown, Pet Friendly Inc. claims to have Humane Society of the U.S. as well. Jim & Maggie Dunn, Linda Dyer, Alice Eble, Tenya Economou, Eleanor Edmondson-Collins, about 80 employees and sales of approxi- Missouri responded, Van- Caryl McIntire Edwards/Voice for Animals, Kia Eichert, Beverly Englishman, Patricia Ensign, mately $10 million per year. Kavage told ANIMAL PEOPLE, with a Claudine Erlandson, La Rue Ewers, Catherine Fedor, Russell Field, Anne Flynn, Cathy Foster, U.S. Patent and Trademark claim of sovereign immunity. David & Carol Foster, Jacquelin Fox, Virginia Frederick, Lionel Friedberg, Carmita Frost, Office records “show that the Alabama The earliest use of the term “pet Mildred Funk, Muriel Geach, Lucretia Gianni, Edith Gilmore, Elizabeth Gingery, Karen Glover, company applied for three trademarks in friendly” discovered by ANIMAL PEO- Robert & Priscilla Good, Elinore Gordon, Andrea Graffeuilh, Carol Grandstaff, Gloria Gray, 1995, but the applications were aban- P L E in web-searching was by the L o s Melinda Hackett, Dr. Patrick Hackett, Benny Hall, James Hamilton, Karen Hanson, Barbara Hardin, doned,” wrote Dana Heupel of Copley Angeles Daily News on June 12, 1988. Dr. Nancy Harrison, Robert Harrison, Betty Hay, Charlene Henley, Kathryn Hert, Luann Hickey, News Service. “The company applied for The earliest use of the term in Beverly Hilton, Debbie Hirst, Jane Hlavacek, Robert Hofreiter, William Holliday, a combined trademark for clothing, pet connection with a product appeared to be Beverly Hoover-Dean, Martin & Sharon Hornstein, Sherry Hotham, Jack Hubball, toys, and pet food in 1997. The mark by Pet Friendly Publishing Inc., of Mary Ippoliti-Smith, Dr. Isis Johnson, James Jongeneel, Kalahari Raptor Centre, Lillian Kase, was registered on January 8, 2002.” Scottsdale, Arizona, which in May 1995 Gertrude Kellner, Doris Klem, Gayle Koan, Senator Guy Kratzer, Heather & Lawrence Kren, Pet Friendly Inc. has applied to issued the first edition of V a c a t i o n i n g Dr. Chinny Krishna, Arthur Krueding, Benjamin Landau, Kitty Langdon, Kenneth Langone, use the term on carpets and for hotels, With Your Pet: Eileen’s Directory of Nancy Lanning, Mr. & Mrs. Joseph LaPorte, Carmen Lasar, Martha Lawler, Gina Lee, Kathleen but these trademarks have apparently not Pet-Friendly Lodging, U.S. & Canada, LeFauve, Mona Lefebvre, Elizabeth Lemlich, Russell Lewis, Peter Li, Mark Lieberman, Irving Lillien, yet been granted, Heupel said. by Eileen Barish. Mr. & Mrs. Adolfo Lopez, Peter Lynch, Laurra Maddock, Lois Maloney, Frances Martin, Tim & Jackie Martin, Linden Martineau, Xenia Mathews, Mary & Steve McArthur, Regulations regarding dog & cat freedom Judy & Roger McClain, Tom McDade, Caryl McIntire Edwards, Jane Meggitt, Barbara Mehall, Persuaded by testimony from Wichita, Kansas, in early Maria Mendez, Nazen Merjian, Lola Merritt, Carol Mifsud, Donald Minkoff, Bettie Montague, Peaceable Kingdom founder Liz Jones, September became at least the 28th U.S. Charlotte Montgomery, Shirley Moore, Suzanne Morrow, Barbara Moss, Jill Mountjoy, plus about 20 other neuter/return practi- municipality to restrict dog tethering, Andrea Mowrer, Lee Mundstock, Grace Munson, Marta Murray, Marilyn Neidens, tioners, the Pennsylvania Game adopting a bylaw that limits tethering to Lewis Nierman & April Ponemon, North Shore Animal League America/Pet Savers Foundation, C o m m i s s i o n on October 8, 2003 voted no more than one hour at a time. Carrie Nutter, Alice O'Reilly, Margot Palma, G.F. Paskusz, Natalie Pepper, Elektra Perkins, unanimously to drop a proposal to amend New York Governor George Jamaka Petzak, Damon Phillips, Mary Pipkin, Leslie Fay Pomerantz, Holly Pyle, a regulation forbidding the “release of Pataki in August vetoed a bill backed by Mr. & Mrs. John Pyner, Olga Reese, Mr. & Mrs. William Reis, Ken Riley, Mia & Bill Rossiter, house cats” so as to prohibit the release of the Fund for Animals and the Humane Kathleen Ruopp, Louise Ryder, Nancy Sailor, Dr. Isis Sanchez, Rhoda & Stan Sapon, any dogs or cats, including ferals, “into Society of the U.S. that would have pro- Yvonne Saunders, Lela Sayward, Marietta Scaltrito, Robert & Nancy Schlosser, Robert Schmidt, the wild.” The amendment was pushed hibited hunting mammals within enclo- Robert Schultz, Richard Schwartz, Ted Semon, Stephen Serota, Surendra Sethi, by the American Bird Conservancy. sures of any size, strengthening an exist- Bonny & Ratilal Shah/Maharani, Dave Shapiro, Gloria Shell, Lydia Sheridan, Dr. & Mrs. Scott Siegel, Palm Beach County, Florida, ing law that prohibits hunting mammals Magda Simopoulos, Lindy & Marvin Sobel, Nancy Somers, Violet Soo-Hoo, Janet Steinberg, on August 19 adopted a bylaw to prohibit who are enclosed within less than 10 S.P. Steinberg, Jan Sternfeld, Susan Stevenson, Carol Stover, Clifford Terry, Ron & Mary Fran Terry, tethering dogs outside from 10 a.m. to 5 acres. On September 24, however, Susan Van Asch Van Wyck, Ann Van Nes, Dale Van Nest, Kristin Von Kreisler, Susan Waalkes, p.m., effective on September 1 and sub- Pataki signed a bill to require that dogs Marion Wadsworth, Ellen Waggoner, Ben Watkins & Mary Schanz, Paul Weber, Anamaria Weidner, ject to review in early 2004 by the county kept outdoors must have clean surround- Eileen Weintraub & Mark Johnson, Cathy Wentz, Drs. Charles & Patricia Wentz, Kathleen White, animal control advisory board––which ings and freedom of normal movement, Marie-Christine Whitman, Marguerite Wilke, Mary Wilkinson, Nancy Winchester, Victoria Windsor, reportedly plans to recommend a total with access to a waterproof roof, shade, Elaine Woodriff, Judith Youngman, Patricia Zajec, Carla Zimmer, Walter Zippel ban on tethering. and insulation from extreme heat or cold. The 2003 ANIMAL PEOPLE Watchdog Report on 113 Animal Protection Charities provides the background you need to make your donations most effective: $20, c/o ANIMAL PEOPLE, P.O. Box 960, Clinton, WA 98236. YES! I’M AN ____Please enter my subscription for one year (10 issues.) Enclosed is $24. ANIMAL PERSON! ____Please enter my subscription for two years (20 issues.) Enclosed is $38. ____Please enter my subscription for three years (30 issues.) Enclosed is $50. ____Please send additional subscriptions as gifts to the addresses I have listed below or on a separate sheet. Enclosed is $24 apiece. ____Please send the 2003 ANIMAL PEOPLE Watchdog Report on 101 Animal Protection Charities. 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Yellowknife and Connecticut incidents feed the “humane relocation” debate YELLOWKNIFE, Northwest intercepted by the RCMP in Rae, just 100 communities whose shelters provide the ani- the North Shore procedures that ensure the Territories, Canada––Overcrowded with 64 miles down the road. Six dogs escaped and mals. Many shelter operators and breed res- health of animals placed for adoption through dogs seized by the Royal Canadian Mounted two were shot during the ensuing chaos. cuers, however, see humane relocation as their facilities. In March 2003 Witherspoon on Police from itinerant rescuers Harry and Pat “Humane relocation,” as long-dis- unwelcome competition for chances to place two occasions allegedly adopted out sick pup- Shermet, the 12-cage Yellowknife SPCA on tance transfers of animals are called, has older and/or behaviorally difficult animals. pies without issuing the health certificates that September 16, 2003 sent 25 puppies to the proved highly effective in boosting adoptions The Foundation for Animal are supposed to accompany any animals who Edmonton SPCA. and reducing shelter killing since the technique Protection in Brookfield, Connecticut, are adopted or sold in Connecticut. She was First Air donated the 650-mile flight. was pioneered about 15 years ago by the North Animal Friends of Connecticut in New Britain, eventually charged with operating a pet shop The Great Slave Animal Hospital donated the Shore Animal League America. and New England Border Collie Rescue each without a license plus nine counts of importing required vaccinations. But it remains controversial, a vociferously opposed humane relocation in dogs without a health certificate. “We’re glad to help,” Melissa decade after ANIMAL PEOPLE in March September statements, likening the practices In August 2003 evangelist Ivan Boisvert of Edmonton SPCA told Nathan 1993 documented the positive early results of of humane relocators to those of puppy mills. Truman, 65, of Smiths Grove, Kentucky, VanderKlippe of the CanWest News Service. the North Shore humane relocation program. Indeed, humane relocation by insuf- was charged with 10 counts of cruelty after The Edmonton SPCA had only six In May 2003 ANIMAL PEOPLE ficiently trained people can have catastrophic police in Stratford, Connecticut, found 69 dogs in its 60 kennels before the puppies reported about opposition to humane reloca- consequences. Connecticut has seen two dogs packed into 12 carrying crates in his van. arrived, a legacy of successful pet sterilization tion organized by the National Animal Interest recent examples. Three cats were reportedly loose in the van. and rehoming. Alliance, founded in 1992 by Oregon dog Rachel Witherspoon, 40, of Eleven of the 69 dogs were already dead from The Yellowknife rescue exemplified breeder Patty Strand, and noted the allegation Litchfield, Connecticut, volunteered for two heat stress. Intercepted on his way from the both the promise and the problems associated of British quarantine kennel operators that local rescue/adoption groups, and was allowed Bowling Green-Warren County Humane with transferring shelter animals to match sup- recent relaxation of British quarantine stan- to borrow a mobile adoption van from North Society in Kentucky to the Oronoque Animal ply to demand. The Shermets actually had dards may allow rescuers to accidentally Shore to help rehome animals. Unknown Hospital, Truman told police that he was mak- almost the same idea, after they were evicted import parasitic diseases. either to North Shore or to the local groups ing his seventh journey as a pet relocator. from the cabin where they had amassed 66 Well-managed humane relocation Witherspoon was working with, however, she Legislation to regulate humane relo- dogs in three years. Loading all the dogs into programs help to put sterilized pets in homes, had also imported nine puppies on her own cation was introduced into the Connecticut a trailer on September 5, the Shermets hoped cut into pet store and breeder sales, and make from the Kentucky Humane Society, and was legislature after the Witherspoon episode, but to find homes for them in Manitoba, but were funding available for pet sterilization in the seeking homes for them without going through was withdrawn pending revisions.
ASPCA 16 - ANIMAL PEOPLE, Octobe r 2003
Bush policy & bushmeat (from page 1) species,” Vedantam wrote. “Giving phant hunter and“outspoken oppo- if anything, the licensed killer is Americans access to endangered ani- nent of efforts to give the elephants a doing more harm than the small- mals, officials said, would feed the total protection,” arguing that “com- scale hunter or snarer because of the U.S. demand for live animals, skins, mercial use should be a fundamental technological sophistication of the parts and trophies, and generate part of any policy on elephant man- tools he uses.” profit that would allow poor nations agement.” But Zoological Society of to pay for conservation.” The U.S. voted at the London conservation programs David P. Smith, Interior November 2002 Convention on director Glyn Davies and researcher Department deputy assistant secre- International Trade in Endangered Guy Cowlishaw said at Salford tary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks, Species triennial meeting to amend University in Manchester on insisted to Vedantam that, “This is the 1989 global ban on ivory traf- September 7 that conservationists absolutely consistent with the ficking to allow Botswana, Namibia should work to develop a sustainable Endangered Species Act.” and South Africa to sell stockpiled bushmeat trade. Chiefly representing large ivory––in accord with the recom- “A great many people landowners, the Kenya Wildlife mendations of Safari Club Inter- depend on bushmeat for food and Working Group used comparable national and Ian Parker, but in cash,” said Davies. “You can’t just Puerto Maldonado, a Peruvian Amazon boomtown. (Kim Bartlett) language in an April 2003 set of pol- opposition to the views of most con- waltz in and say stop.” tainable use,” which were paradoxi- “more than 44 tons of bushmeat icy recommendations to the Kenya servation organizations. Agreed Cowlishaw, “It cally defended by many of the biolo- were consumed in logging camps Wildlife Service. would be a crisis if the bushmeat gists who were watching species last year alone, including 690 “Managing land to pro- Cropping resource disappeared. We have a dsappear. endangered white-bellied spider duce game birds…should be encour- Youth for Conservation duty to make sure it remains for “The biologists acknowl- monkeys. Woolly monkeys may aged,” the KWWG said. “Game cofounder Josphat Ngonyo disputes local people and is sustainable for edged that human predation had sig- have been lost already. cropping to produce meat and other almost every KWWG claim. the future of the species affected.” nificantly depleted parrots, mon- “Combined with habitat products is in principle no different “Uncontrolled exploitation of The Davies/Cowlishaw keys, giant otters, and other ani- loss and fragmentation of the for- from any other form of animal pro- wildlife forced the government to extension of the “sustainable use” mals captured or hunted for either est,” Molleson concluded, “even duction…it should be encouraged. ban hunting in 1977,” Ngonyo concept to bushmeat could indirectly cash or meat,” we wrote. “In light to moderate hunting can quick- “A prime objective of explains. “There was no more for- reflect the growing influence of almost in the same breath, however, ly reduce numbers to the point KWS is managing and conserving mal consumptive use of wildlife in funding from pro-hunting organiza- the biologists at once denounced where they cannot recover.” wildlife to yield optimum returns,” Kenya until in 1990 the KWS gave tions on the zoo community. capturing wildlife for live resale and ANIMAL PEOPLE w a s the KWWG asserted. “Worldwide, in to pressure from a few wealthy Ramona Bass, for example, wife of vigorously defended meat-hunting also derided by mainstream conser- recreational hunting yields high eco- land-owners and allowed a five-year then-Texas Parks and Wildlife by indigenous people––even of vationists for pointing out that the nomic returns. It did so in Kenya for game cropping experiment in Commission chair Lee Bass, raised some of the rarest mammals. Amazon rainforest is not primeval both government and the private sec- Nakuru, Laikipia, Machakos, $40 million for the Texas Wild “First, they argued, the old growth, as is widely supposed, tor between 1900 and 1970…The Samburu, Kajiado, and Lamu. This exhibit opened in June 2001 at the indigenous hunter/gatherers have but rather regrowth, covering the circumstances existing between project has continued for 13 years Fort Worth Zoo. The exhibit glori- protected and preserved rainforest remains from cycles of use and 1970 and 1977 that justified banning and was only reviewed in 2001. fies sport hunting. biodiversity for centuries, and will exploitation that began long before all hunting no longer exist. Given “KWS was to monitor and The Fort Worth Zoo was continue to do so if they are allowed the arrival of chainsaws. these facts, recreational hunting can evaluate the project. But KWS also the only animal-related charity to go on practicing their traditional University of Florida be reintroduced to Kenya. relied on the croppers and landown- named as recipient of a gift from way of life. This was said while researcher Michael Heckenberger in “Many trophies come into ers for information. Driven by eco- George W. Bush in his presidential acknowledging that most of the the September 19, 2003 edition of KWS hands annually and the hides nomic interest, landowners have at campaign disclosure statements. indigenous people of the Amazon S c i e n c e presented archaeological and skins of animals cropped by times given exaggerated figures [of Fort Worth Zoo director of region are thoroughly intermingled evidence that the Amazon region landowners become available. Not wildlife abundance] to be allowed to animal collections Robert Wiese in with more recent immigrants, and was heavily populated and cultivated allowing them to be processed and continue to crop. Some croppers 2000 projected that captive ele- that most of the people still classi- in pre-Columbian times. Hecken- sold wastes millions of shillings. To resort to poaching to meet market phants could be extinct in North fied as ‘indigenous’ have adopted berger and assistants have unearthed optimize returns, trade in trophies demand after exhausting their quo- America by 2049 without an influx modern ways and weapons to what- the remains of 19 technologically should be permitted. Trade in live tas,” Ngonyo charged. of young breeding stock. Elephants ever extent they are able. advanced agrarian communities in animals can be profitable and can “The rationale for crop- have not been imported into the U.S. “Second, the biologists the upper Xingu region of Brazil. help conserve biodiversity…Trade ping was to give the landowners an since 1989, but under the Bush asserted, the hunter/gatherers have “The Upper Xingu is the in live animals should be encour- economic interest in conserving the administration the Fish & Wildlife no choice but to hunt, as they have largest tract of Amazonian forest aged,” the KWWG added. wildlife on their land, thereby Service has agreed to allow the no other source of protein (though still under indigenous management,” The likeness of outlook reducing human/wildlife conflict. Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa, Florida, they export protein-rich Brazil nuts) noted MSNBC science reporter was no mere coincidence. This has not happened. Large and the San Diego Wild Animal and as the thin rainforest topsoil will Kathleen Wren. “This brings up the A leading proponent of the landowners crop and benefit from Park in California to import four ele- not sustain farming.” question of how to conserve the Bush administration proposals is the wildlife while their neighbors phants and seven elephants, respec- Our March 1999 rebuttal remaining Amazon. Should the goal John R. Monson, president-elect of may be arrested if they hunt even a tively, from Swaziland. of the biologists’ belief that subsis- be to preserve a pristine wilderness, Safari Club International and former single dik-dik for domestic use. We The Save The Elephants tence hunting and conservation are or a working landscape that supports chair of the New Hampshire Fish are thus witnessing heightened ani- Coalition challenged the import per- compatible was not well-received by indigenous people?” and Game Commission. mosity between the landowners and mits, but lost in U.S. District Court sustainable use proponents. Heckenberger pointed out “In 1999,” Vedantam the communities. This has fueled on August 8 and lost in the U.S. But our observations were that “indigenous” and “primitive” noted, “Monson applied for a permit poaching in some areas. In fact, Court of Appeals on August 15. seconded by Lucy Molleson in the are not necessarily the same thing. to shoot and import a straight-horned cropping is compromising the gains August 2003 edition of the “As we dig into the markhor. He was turned down. made in anti-poaching campaigns. Parrots International Primate Protection region,” he said, “we realize that “Safari Club International YfC in two recent three-day desnar- The Bush administration League magazine IPPL News. 500 years ago it was very different. gave $274,000 to candidates during ing operations harvested 675 snares via the Fish & Wildlife Service has “In recent years, immi- These people were involved in the the 2000 election cycle, 86 percent on just one ranch in Machakos. also proposed creating a first-ever grants seeking work have signifi- same kinds of cultural innovation as of it to Republicans. It also spent “The pilot cropping pro- exemption to the 11-year-old Wild cantly increased the demand for elsewhere in the world. We’re not $5,445 printing bumper stickers for ject led to the emergence of the pow- Bird Conservation Act to allow food,” wrote Molleson, “Today talking about the Incan or Roman the Bush presidential campaign. erful cartels that are now lobbying imports of blue-fronted Amazon par- there is more subsistence hunting in empires, but in terms of the rest of Monson has made a variety of con- for lifting the sport hunting ban in rots from Argentina. the tropics of Central and South Europe, Asia, Africa, the Americas tributions himself, including $1,000 Kenya,” Ngonyo observes. “The “The proposal cites esti- America than in any other equatorial and elsewhere, Amazonians were to the Bush for President campaign. ideals of conservation appear to be mates by Argentine parrot biologist region. Conservative estimates sug- no less capable of human cultural The most influential voice long abandoned. The goal is to Enrique Bucher of how many birds gest that 15 million animals are innovation than anyone else.” within the KWWG is another big- maximize gains from wildlife.” could be safely captured,” Vedan- killed each year in the Brazilian This suggests that their time trophy hunter, Ian Parker, Michael Wamithi, KWS tam wrote. “But Bucher said his Amazon. A study in the Madre De descendants should be no less capa- described by former KWS director chief from November 2002 to May research actually showed that the Dios region of Peru found that along ble of developing a way of life today Richard Leakey in his book Wildlife 2003, suspended the cropping per- proposal was poorly conceived.” the Las Piedras river,” which meets that does not depend upon killing W a r s as a former professional ele- mits. Wamithi soon afterward lost “It’s an extraordinarily bad the Tambopata at Puerto Maldonado, animals. ––M.C. his job, and returned to work with idea,” World Parrot Trust director his previous employer, the Jamie Gilardi told Vedantam, sup- RIBUTES Hit them with International Fund for Animal ported by the signatures of 88 parrot T Welfare, but Ngonyo and fellow experts. “The quotas are based on In honor of the Prophet Isaiah, a 2-by-4! YfC officier Steve Itela, among oth- poor or inadequate science. Sustain- St. Martin de Porres, More than 30,000 ers, have rallied sufficient opposi- ability is not addressed at all.” and Albert Schweitzer. tion to cropping to forestall a ANIMAL PEOPLE i n ––Brien Comerford people who care about resumption––at least so far. January 1999 journeyed up the Rio –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– animals will read “To YfC, the difference Tambopata in southern Peru to study In honor of Wolf Clifton, this 2-by-4" ad. between bushmeat and game meat is parrot habitat in one of the most whose art elevates the animals a matter of semantics,” Ngonyo remote parts of the Amazon basin. and the human spirit. We'll let you have it says. “Meat is all from the same We saw devastation wrought by con- --Michael & Dianne Bahr source, the death of an animal, and servation policies founded on “sus- for just $68––or $153 for three issues–– or $456 for a year. Then you can let them have it. It's the only 2-by-4 to use in the battle for public opinion. ANIMAL PEOPLE 360-579-2505 ANIMAL P EOPLE, October 2003 - 17
ARI 18 - ANIMAL PEOP LE, October 2003
knowhow. Each has unique qualities. Around the world, ever since female donors includ- The Beijing Human & Animal Environmental ing the future Queen Victoria helped to build the institution that Education Center, winning the most U.S. and European grant became the Royal SPCA, the emergence of well-funded animal support, is among the most attractive shelters that A N I M A L advocacy charities has always closely followed the economic PEOPLE has ever visited, with good road access even though emancipation of working women. Even when men held all the it is at the extreme northern edge of the city. executive positions, women have historically constituted more The Animal Rescue Branch of the Environmental than 80% of the animal protection donor base. Protection Association shelter, at the northeast corner of Women hold all the executive positions with the Beijing, and the Association for Small Animal Protection shel- Beijing shelters. ter, in Changping, even farther to the north, are relatively dif- Lu Di, 71 according to one published source and 76 ficult to reach, over poorly marked dirt roads. according to another, founded the China Small Animal The Animal Rescue Branch, however, has made a Protection Association in 1988, winning official nonprofit sta- promising beginning toward renovating property donated by the tus in 1992. Reputedly the first Beijing shelter operator, hous- Beijing Sherwood International Equestrian Club into facilities ing more than 400 dogs and 100 cats at her shelter site, Lu Di much like those of the Beijing Human & Animal is quoted often by news media, including The New York Environmental Education Center. Times. China Daily reporter Ye Jun profiled her—and counted The Association for Small Animal Protection has her animals—shortly before ANIMAL PEOPLE visited. made a comparably promising start at a former pig farm–– Lu Di is a retired professor of ancient literature at the Zhang Luping. (Kim Bartlett) including opening the first pet cemetery in the Beijing area. Renmin (People’s) University of China. After deceased dicta- backyard breeders or as giveaways. Some are sold by small Each shelter offers the resident animals more space, tor Mao tse Tung took power, Lu Di––a generation conventional pet stores. The pet adoption concept is not light, and companionship than most U.S. shelters, and each younger––was for a time his teacher and associate. But she was unknown, but has barely begun to be promoted. has room to grow. imprisoned during the Cultural Revolution, with only a cat for Beijing as yet has no pet overpopulation. More than The Animal Rescue Branch of the Environmental company. When she was released and returned to teaching, fifty years of official discouragement of petkeeping, reinforced Protection Association has extensive experience at providing she dedicated her life to helping animals. by frequent dog massacres, ensured that dog-keepers do not let veterinary care to the public. Founder Wu Tianyu was original- Interviewing Li Du at her apartment on the Renmin their animals roam out of sight. Random breeding occurs, but ly an economist, but retrained as a veterinarian. Until mid- University campus, listening to her recite a litany of unfounded at the end of a leash, and so far the supply of offspring has not 2003 her organization focused on providing pet sterilization and allegations against the heads of other organizations, ANIMAL markedly exceeded the fast-growing demand for pets to fill the other out-patient pet care at a storefront hospital that was PEOPLE was alarmed at the conditions under which she kept empty spaces in homes and lives left by the one-child-per-fami- recently expropriated by a roadbuilding project. more than 50 cats, 30 dogs, several caged birds, a chicken, ly limit in effect since 1979. With more than 100 active members, the Animal and a monkey confined to a cage that is much too small––con- The Beijing shelters do not receive many puppies. Rescue Branch has the largest and most active volunteer corps ditions much more like an “animal hoarding” situation than a Mostly they take in poorly trained year-old dogs who have lost of any of the Beijing shelters, and would be the logical choice reputable animal shelter. their homes in apartment blocks because too many neighbors to operate a downtown animal hospital, if a site could be Lu Di is reportedly heavily in debt to feed and care complained. Even the influx during the SARS panic came found, on behalf of all of them. for all the animals, but there appeared to be two donated com- largely by demand of apartment block managers or because pet- The Association for Small Animal Protection has the puters going unused as well as stacks of unopened boxes which keepers feared harm to their animals from terrified neighbors. best downtown office suite, on the third floor of a midtown might contain donated supplies. Lu Di told Ye Jun that she has Cats, officially better tolerated than dogs, are still hotel, and has been the most successful at winning support attracted 1,600 dues-paying members over the years, who allowed to roam for the most part, but cats who survive the from private enterprise. pledge $7.22 annually, but most have dropped out after just heavy Beijing traffic are at constant risk from eating poisoned Founder Betty Zhao, whose given name is Zhao Xiao one or two years. mice and rats. According to the ANIMAL PEOPLE counts, Qin, is a non-practicing university-trained veterinarian, barely Also in 1988, Wu Tianyu, 60, founded the Animal dogs with homes outnumber cats by about eight-to-one. The half the age of any of the other shelter founders. She has the Rescue Branch of the Environmental Protection Association. ratio drops to about five-to-one in older neighborhoods with disconcerting habit of saying “breeding” when she means “pet- Her impetus, volunteer Wu Haiyan told ANIMAL PEOPLE, less traffic, more open storefronts, and more garden space. keeping,” and ANIMAL PEOPLE observed that cat care was her outrage at seeing wild birds netted for sale as meat and under her direction was not as well-informed as dog care. by seeing a friendly yellow dog being bludgeoned to death in Dog meat in Beijing Among the few things that the founders of the other front of her keeper. Theft of dogs and cats for human consumption three Beijing shelters are unanimous about is that they conflict Beijing Human & Animal Environmental Education occurs, but is rare enough that it shocked and outraged the with Betty Zhao, mainly over “commercialism”––but A N I- Center founder Zhang Luping started her shelter more recently. Beijing public when exposed in early 2000 by one of the local MAL PEOPLE found that Zhao seemed to be quick to learn, Wu Tianyu and Zhang Luping have in common that television stations. The story spread to international print when given better information about how to group cats to their facilities are conspicuously clean. media. Zhang Luping told London Daily Telegraph correspon- improve sociability, how to treat feline conjunctivitis, how to Wu Tianyu, called Miss Wu, is outgoing and dent David Rennie that she had lost six cats to restaurant sup- treat and prevent mange, and how to keep a potbellied pig revered by her growing numbers of volunteers, who say she is pliers who baited their traps with live sparrows. Lu Di told physically and mentally fit. the only person Lu Di will ever listen to. Wu Tianyu herself is New York Times correspondent Erik Eckholm that cats had Most of these skills are simply not taught at the agri- less certain of that. been stolen from 500 families in six months. culture-oriented Chinese veterinary schools. Zhang Luping is contrastingly quiet. She smiles a lot. Most of the reportage associated the thefts with the Like Wu Tianyu, she radiates strength of character, but while recent influx into Beijing of job-seekers from the Cantonese- Fundraising & outreach Wu Tianyu seems to be the human incarnation of one of the speaking south––and in particular, with the opening of None of the four Beijing shelters are financially energetic white Pekinese dogs who fill the Beijing shelters, Cantonese-style cat meat restaurants. secure. None have even begun to develop strong community Zhang Luping is serenely feline. Recorded in Guangdong since the 14th century, cat- support, and none are comfortable yet about soliciting funds eating is relatively rare in the rest of China. Dog-eating occurs from the public. China has little tradition of public charity, The price of petkeeping throughout heavily populated southern China, and in the north- though the concept has been introduced to address other social Lu Di, Wu Tianyu, Zhang Luping, and Betty Zhao eastern coastal regions, close to Korea, but is less accepted in problems, and the shelter founders worry that seeking funds to are agreed about the basic problems of petkeeping in Beijing. the Mandarin-speaking northern interior. help animals may not be well-received. They fear that placing Summarized Ye Jun in July 2003, “The city charges “There are dog meat restaurants in Beijing, and some donation cans and mailing appeal letters, for example, might $602 U.S. for a dog license, and an extra $240 annual registra- are famous,” Animal Rescue Branch volunteer Wu Haiyan told be misconstrued as begging, long decried by the Communist tion fee. This is simply too much for many residents. As of ANIMAL PEOPLE, naming three. One restaurant specializes government as “parasitism.” June 2003, there were about 130,000 licensed dogs in Beijing, in southern-style dog meat. Another, specializing in the Yet the four shelters demonstrated their value to according to the Beijing Dog Limitation Office, but according “northeast China cooking style,” Wu Haiyan said, operates at Beijing during the spring 2003 Severe Acute Respiratory to one estimate 40% of the dogs in Beijing are not licensed.” multiple locations, including as the house restaurant in several Syndrome panic. They were at the forefront of the public edu- Even that estimate turned out to be wildly optimistic. downtown hotels. cation effort, at least informally, answering thousands of calls In early September the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Public But not all dog meat restaurants profit. Wu Haiyan from frightened petkeepers and accepting hundreds of dogs and Security acknowledged that the actual city dog population is recalled one that opened in her own neighborhood last year. It cats who might otherwise have been dumped in the streets. about 1.4 million, meaning that not even 10% are licensed. was not popular, and within a few months dropped dog meat Everywhere in Beijing are fashion-oriented stores “The fact that only rich people can afford to keep from the menu. selling clothing and accessories, attesting by their presence to licensed dogs is not in line with the principle of social equity,” Beijing natives mostly speak Mandarin. Many asso- the growing economic strength and independence of young, Lu Di told Ye Jun. ciate dog-and-cat eating with rural poverty and backwardness. mostly single or childless working women. In September 2003 the Beijing municipal government Mandarin is the official first language of China, but agreed, in accord with Bureau of Public Security recommenda- Cantonese may be spoken at home by more people. Both are tions, to reduce the dog licensing fee to $120, and to cut the languages of the ethnic Han, who make up from 91% to 95% annual registration fee to $60. of the Chinese population. At the same time the previous prohibition on keeping The Korean people are also chiefly descended from any dog more than 14 inches high was replaced with a ban on the Han, but their language is farther removed from whatever keeping any of 41 specific breeds that are officially believed to origin it may share with Mandarin and Cantonese, and is dis- be dangerous or commonly problematic for other reasons, such putedly placed by some linguists in the Altaic group, with the as loud barking or boisterous behavior. Among the banned Turkish and Mongol languages. breeds are Dalmatians, German shepherds, pit bull terriers, The cultural differences among Mandarin, collies, and Old English sheepdogs. Cantonese, and Korean speakers might be compared to the dif- Beyond the legal and economic difficulties of pet- ferences among U.S. northerners, southerners, and Hispanics. keeping, there are also logistic issues. Beijing, with 13 mil- Which language or accent a person uses does not by lion human residents, has twice as many people as New York itself define how that person views animals, but much as coon- City, sprawling for more miles in all directions than Houston. hunters are more likely to be southern Americans and cock- Already Beijing may have as many petkeepers as New York fighters are more likely to be southern or Hispanic, the dog- City, though fewer than half as many pets because relatively eating minority of Chinese are more likely to speak Cantonese few Beijing petkeepers have multiple animals. or Korean, while Mandarin speakers are more likely to keep a The growing numbers of Beijing petkeepers urgently (continued on page 19) need support services of every kind, including pet care instruc- tion, access to sterilization and vaccination clinics, and access Along with almost every article from back editions, to pet supplies. Limited selections of basic pet care supplies are the ANIMAL PEOPLE web site offers translations of available in most neighborhoods, but there are as yet no pet key items into French and Spanish...the Lewyt Award- supply superstores. winning heroic and compassionate animal stories... Equally problematic from a humane perspective, in veterinary info links... handbooks for downloading... all of Beijing there is not even one centrally located and easily fundraising how-to...our guide to estate planning... accessible place to adopt a pet. short biographies and photos of the people behind That’s why Beijing needs PETsMART, or something ANIMAL PEOPLE ... and more items added monthly! like it. Wu Tianyu. (Kim Bartlett) Most pet dogs and cats in Beijing still come from www.animalpeoplenews.org A NIMAL PEOPLE, Octobe r 2003 - 19 Contact info: pet dog or cat as a self-defining aspect of and nod, or pet the animal if within reach. Animal Rescue Branch of the Environ- lifestyle, associated with affluence, indepen- An indicative incident occurred one mental Protection Association, Attn: Ms dence, and sophistication. evening in a restaurant district close to the Wu Tianyu, Room 4-4-101, Ta Yuan Xiao Qu, Haidian District, Beijing, Peoples To be sure, Cantonese and Korean Forbidden City, the ancient Beijing capitol Republic of China; telephone 86-10-6206- speakers in Beijing are rarely from the best- district. The staff at a small bar had two six- 3662; fax 86-10-6204-0988; e-mail educated and most affluent strata. Most are week-old kittens in a cardboard box, taking
Quan and Bray “agreed to pay China $100,000 a year until They repeatedly take meat from the tigers to “show Living With Tigers 2007,” according to David Wilson of the South China them who is boss,” feeding them later in camp. This teaches Discovery Channel Video Morning Post, in exchange for a “supply of cubs from the tigers to associate human habitation with food. (www.discovery.com), 2003. Chinese zoos.” Eventually the Vartys proclaim success in teaching But the relationship among the Vartys, Quan, and the tigers to hunt, after the tigers kill seven springbok who Two hours. $19.95. Bray fractured before the end of 2002. Quan and Bray accused have been released almost into their mouths. No wild tiger Among the many “sanctuary” projects involving the brothers of fraud. In April 2003 the Vartys won a restrain- described by Jim Corbett, Billy Arjan Singh, Valmik Thapar, tigers that appear to have more entertainment and fundraising ing order from the Johannesburg High Court against Quan, or even Rudyard Kipling ever did such a thing: wild tigers value than either humane or conservation merit, possibly the Bray, and four “strongmen” whom Quan and Bray allegedly hunt to eat, not for sport, and do not risk goring or stomping most bizarre is the effort of South African wildlife film makers hired to try to take control of the project back from the Vartys. to kill horned and hooved prey in excess. Indeed, no wild John and Dave Varty to “save” tigers by introducing captive- The Varty brothers continue to work with the predator kills to excess, since this would lead to starvation. born specimens to the “wild” at their game ranch. Bowmanville Zoo tigers. Threatening to sue the brothers, The filming itself also raises questions. At one point The idea, supposedly, is to prepare the tigers and Quan and Bray meanwhile started their own 500-acre tiger- a map of Tiger Moon shows that the Orange River bisects it. their descendants to return to freedom in China, on the eve of rehab-in-South Africa project. On September 1, 2003, they Later, the tigers “escape” across the river to attack cattle said the 2008 Olympic Games, if China can protect enough habitat received two tigers from the Shanghai Zoo. to belong to a neighbor. But the tigers are shown in frontal and prey for the tigers to survive. Among the evident conceptual flaws in either ver- view as they charge out of the river, up an embankment The Varty brothers call their 18-square-mile ranch sion of the scheme are that tigers are not native to South Africa toward the cattle. Only if the camera was already between the the Tiger Moon Wildlife Sanctuary, but South Africa––like and not adapted to the dry South African climate; South cattle and the river could that shot have been obtained. If it the U.S.––does not legally recognize sanctuaries as entities Africa lacks adequate wild prey for native feline predators was taken at another time, it is not so identified. with a purpose distinct from keeping wildlife for hunting, such as the lion, leopard, cheetah, and caracal, who need no It is easy to see possible reasons why Quan and Bray meat, or exhibition. Unlike the U.S., South Africa even pro- added food competition; and tigers released in China would withdrew from the partnership. The likelihood of the hibits keeping some native species except for commercial use. not occupy habitat even remotely resembling the veldt. Bowmanville Zoo tigers ever surviving anywhere in a genuine- The Kalahari Wildlife Center, Enkosini Wildlife Sanctuary, Living With Tigers, produced by the Vartys, ly wild and self-sufficient state appears to be slim, though the SealAlert, and at least three nonhuman primate rescue facili- demonstrates many reasons for skepticism about the Tiger illusion that they are living as “wild tigers” on the ranch may ties have accordingly fought for years in court for the right to Moon project, but presents each dubious aspect with a gush of become a major magnet for photo safari visitors. keep caracals, jackals, lions, fur seals, vervets, and baboons enthusiasm which evidently kept the Discovery Channel exec- Why Quan and Bray are continuing their parallel whose injuries or conditioned reliance upon human feeding utives from asking all the questions they should have. project is harder to envision––because even if they avoid the preclude returning them to the wild. Salmoni and Dave Varty are repeatedly shown cud- mistakes shown in LivingWith Tigers, there still seems to be In 2000 the Vartys imported two young tigers and dling and playing with the tigers in a manner opposite to stan- little reason to anticipate success. trainer Dave Salmoni from the Bowmanville Zoo in Ontario. dard wildlife rehabilitation technique, in which contact with A competitor project is underway within China. The Opened in 1919, the Bowmanville Zoo has received humans is minimized and discouraged. They tow dead official Xinhua News Agency announced on September 24 that critical reviews from Zoocheck Canada since 1986, in part antelopes behind a truck for the tigers to pounce, conditioning the Northeast China Tiger Park in Harbin, Heilongjiang because it allows tigers––common in captivity––to breed. the tigers to appear at the sound of vehicles––and perhaps, to province, had released 30 two-year-old Siberian tiger cubs The Vartys in early 2001 obtained $4 million in stalk tourist jeeps. They keep the brother and sister tiger into a 40-square-kilometre “natural habitat” to “beef up their funding from British philanthropists Li Quan and Stewart together until the female comes into her first heat. They teach ferocity.” This too is a highly artificial situation, but at least Bray, who founded an organization called Save The Tigers. the tigers to hunt as a pack, which no tigers do in the wild. these tigers are in a semblance of their native habitat. ––M.C. Justice on Earth: Animal Control Management: A Guide for Local Governments Earthjustice and by Geoffrey L. Handy International City/County Management Association (777 North Capitol St. N.E., Suite 500, the people it has served Washington, DC 20002), 2001. 107 pages. Order c/o