January/February 2005 Volume XIV, #1
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“Refugee camp children happy their puppy is Tsunami animal rescue coverage from going to be vaccinated,” e-mailed Robert Blumberg with this photo. Quelling post- India, Thailand, Indonesia, too tsunami rabies panics that swept Sri Lanka (pages 3-5, 7-8, 10, 14-18, 20-21) after thirsty dogs drank saltwater and frothed at the mouth, Blumberg began with vaccines and vehicles funded by ANIMAL PEOPLE. Kenya hunting legalization vetoed N A I R O B I ––“Yesterday, 31st away campaigning. An unexpected December 2005, the president of Kenya, The compensation aspects were a His Excellency Emilio Mwai Kibaki, pub- thin disguise for the bill, the central part of licly declined assenting the G.G. Kariuki which would have allowed Kenyan land- hero in Sri Lanka private members Bill passed in Kenya’s par- owners to operate hunting ranches similar to liament on 9th December 2004. This means those of Zimbabwe, South Africa, Zambia, COLOMBO, Sri Lanka––Electrical that the hunting ban of 1977 in K e n y a Mozambique, and Tanzania. engineer Robert Blumberg had just arrived in remains. This is a great victory for Kenya’s “Private property triumphed over Sri Lanka with his wife, a State Department wildlife!” Youth for Conservation president wildlife conservation,” said Masai activist employee, when the December 26 tsunami hit. Josphat Ngonyo declared, seconds after Godfrey ole Ndopaiya when the bill passed. Blumberg had never done disaster midnight, in the first e-mail that ANIMAL “At the centre of the campaign,” relief work, but as a longtime animal welfare PEOPLE received during the new year. wrote East African correspondents John volunteer in Egypt, where he and his wife for- Introduced in June 2004 as a mea- Mbaria and Kevin Kelley, “was Safari Club merly worked, he knew the animals of Sri sure to compensate farmers and others for International, an elitist hunting club with Lanka would need help. harm incurred by wildlife, “the Kariuki bill deep roots in the United States government He began calling Sri Lankan animal was hurried through when there were very and Congress.” welfare groups and e-mailing to the major Blumberg found, not yet able to organize a few Members in the house,” Ngonyo said, Both U.S. President George W. multinational animal charities to volunteer. relief mission. late in the evenings of December 8 and 9. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney are To prepare himself, Blumberg asked “Everyone has been rendered helpless “It was sneaked through Parlia- life members. Bush, while Texas governor, ANIMAL PEOPLE for a list of web sites and are indeed in shock,” said Kandy Associ- ment through the back door,” Kenya was the Safari Club “Governor of the Year” about animal disaster relief and began studying. ation for Community Protection Through Coalition for Wildlife Conservation in 1995 for vetoing a bill that would have While waiting for his many messages Animal Welfare director Champa Fernando. Management Sydney Qutai told Agence curtailed game ranching. to animal welfare groups to be returned, No international group had help on France-Presse. With national elections only “The U.S. government may also Blumberg volunteered at the U.S. consulate. the way yet––but ANIMAL PEOPLE publish- weeks away, many members were already have rendered financial support to local pro- Seventy-two hours after the tsunami, er Kim Bartlett sent Blumberg start-up funding. hunting groups through the United States Blumberg began to realize that organizing ani- “About 90 people per year die from Agency for International Development mal relief would be up to him, ready or not. rabies in Sri Lanka,” Blumberg learned. (USAid),” Mbaria and Kelley continued. Most Sri Lankan animal rescuers Tsunami victims crowded together in tent cities (continued on page 10) were in urgent need of help themselves, (continued on page 7) News For People Who Care About Animals January/February 2005 Volume XIV, #1 Cheetah. (Elissa Blake Free) Video law holds up in first test against animal fighter PITTSBURGH––Reaching a unani- 24, and to refrain from any involvement in mous verdict in only 45 minutes, a federal training, breeding, selling or otherwise deal- jury on January 13, 2005 convicted video dis- ing with pit bulls. Stevens also may not asso- tributor Robert Stevens of three counts of sell- ciate with any other persons involved in such ing depictions of illegal cruelty to animals activities, and may not sell any equipment that across state lines. might be used to train dogs to fight. The case was the first court test of Brian Haaser, USDA Office of the 1999 legislation introduced by Representative Inspector General chief special agent-in- Elton Gallegly (R-California). charge of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast U.S. Senior District Judge Alan N. Region, said in a prepared statement that the Bloch rejected federal public defender Michael “landmark investigation and conviction will Novara’s contentions that the law violated open the doors” to further prosecutions of The Spanish organization Amigos de los Galgos recently found homes for these greyhounds, Stevens’ First Amendment right to freedom of alleged dogfighters based on seizures of video- previously used either in racing before bettors or to to chase rabbits in coursing competition. expression, and that it was misapplied taped evidence. because the law was introduced to address The Gallegly bill was introduced in “wanton cruelty to animals designed to appeal response to public outrage over Internet sales Greyhound racing ends on U.S. west coast to a prurient interest in sex.” of “crush videos,” depicting animals being PORTLAND, Oregon– – G r e y - downsizing of the industry, at that time in The law prohibits the interstate dis- crushed to death by scantily clad women and hound racing appeared to be finished on the response to competition from television. tribution of videos or films depicting illegal transvestites. The traffic came to light when west coast of the U.S. on December 23, 2004, The previous dog racing venue in cruelty to animals, if they are without “serious British Customs in mid-1997 intercepted sev- when Magna Entertainment Corporation Portland was reputedly the biggest greyhound religious, political, scientific, educational, eral videos mailed by one “Jeff Vilencia” of announced that it will not reopen the racing stadium in the world, seating 30,000 journalistic, historical, or art value.” “Squish Productions” in California. Multnomah Greyhound Park in Wood Village, bettors, when opened in 1933. Greyhound Stevens, 64, of Pittsville, Virginia, British Customs took the videos to a Portland suburb. racing left the ever more obviously too large in 2003 sold two videotapes of dogfights and Martin Daly of the Royal SPCA. Daly eventu- Multnomah Greyhound Park animal facility after the 1956 racing season. one video of a “hog/dog rodeo” to investiga- ally enlisted investigative help from Cassandra welfare coordinator Patti Lehnert told Eric Converted to use by professional baseball, it tors for the Pennsylvania State Police and Brown of the London Sunday Telegraph. Mortenson of the Portland Oregonian that the has been known since then as Portland Civic USDA Office of the Inspector General. Unaware of that case, then-America 46 dogs left in the kennels at the end of the Stadium, Multnomah County Stadium, and Stevens advertised the videos for sale in the Online “Animals & Society” host Susan 2004 racing season would be kept until currently, PG&E Park. Sporting Dog Journal, whose publisher James Roghair, now producer of Animal Rights rehomed. Magna acquired the rights to run Fricchione, 34, was convicted in March 2004 Online, independently discovered several web “It’s business as usual for the adop- both horse races at Portland Meadows and dog of six felonies and five misdemeanors for sites which promoted and sold crush videos. tion kennel, Lehnert said. “We will find races at the Multnomah Greyhound Park in allegedly promoting dogfights. Roghair in October 1997 sought help from homes; we will place them.” 2001. Based in Toronto, Magna did not oper- Setting Stevens’ sentencing for April ANIMAL PEOPLE, PETA, AnimalTalk Betting at the Multnomah Grey- ate any other greyhound tracks, but owned all 21, Bloch ordered him to surrender to the hound Park fell from $25 million in 1995 to or part of 12 other U.S. horse racing tracks, court any pit bull terriers he owns by January (continued on page 6) $11 million in 2002, reported Mortenson. one in Canada, and one in Austria. Magna attributed the decline to the rise of Among the other Magna horse rac- online gaming and Native American casinos. ing facilities are Santa Anita Park and Golden “Believe me, we know how big this Gate Fields in California, Pimlico in is,” Christine Dorchak of Grey2K USA e- Baltimore, Thistledown in Cleveland, and mailed to ANIMAL PEOPLE. “Our co- Gulfstream in Miami. founder Carey Theil grew up in the shadow of “Ultimately, we don’t believe the the Multnomah Greyhound Park, and dreamed industry in Portland can support both grey- as a young man of closing it. His mother, hound racing and horse racing,” Magna chief Connie Theil, who is president of Oregon U.S. counsel Scott Daruty told Mortenson. Defenders of Greyhounds, is ecstatic.” About a dozen Oregon breeders sup- “I’m ecstatic,” agreed Connie Theil. ply as many as 400-500 greyhounds to tracks The opening of the Multnomah around the U.S., Carey Theil estimated, but Greyhound Park in 1957 actually represented a (continued on page 15) 2 - ANIM AL PEOPLE, January/February 2005 even relatives. Zorro wondered why he was never eaten, or shot, or broken with disease . then he remembered being a puppy and having dis- temper (we can tell from his teeth). He remembered being so very sick he almost hoped for death.