Animal People News
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A global charter for animals? (page 3) Transforming Phuket animal conditions post-tsunami PHUKET, Thailand––Urbanization is hitting Phuket much harder than the tsunami of December 26, 2004. What that may mean for animals on the 400-square-mile resort island near the extreme south of Thailand is anyone’s guess. The Soi Dog Foundation and Gibbon Rehabilitation Project, among Phuket’s most prominent pro-animal organizations, are guard- edly optimistic. More development may mean more homes for dogs and cats, and more donors to support animal charities. Paradoxically, more development Phuket temple chicken. (Kim Bartlett) could even mean more protected wildlife habi- tat. Tourism employs one Phuket adult in four. Study confirms chicken cognition The August-to-November bird migration sea- son drives tourism from midsummer until the SILSOE, U.K.––Hens pecking “On the other hand, an animal winter holidays. That makes safeguarding bird buttons to earn food rewards may have a who can anticipate an event might benefit habitat, at least, a high priority for planners. Phuket temple dog. (Kim Bartlett) better awareness of passing time and be bet- from cues to aid prediction, but may also be Yet more people might mean more dwelling native wildlife to increasingly isolated ter able to assess the prospects of future capable of expectations rendering her vul- traffic and less tolerance of street dogs, already “islands” of mountainous forest. gain than human slot machine gamblers, a nerable to thwarting, frustration, and pre- considered a nuisance by much of the Buddhist ANIMAL PEOPLE observed in the new British study suggests. emptive anxiety,” Abeyesinghe added. majority, and mostly abhored by Muslims. villages behind Patong Beach and Surin Beach Silsoe Research Institute Bio- “In their natural environment it Development may also restrict land- (continued on page 12) physics Group animal welfare scientist (continued on page 9) Siobhan Abeyesinghe varied the “payout” for pecking so that her hens would get only a small amount of food if they pecked quickly, but would receive a large amount if they delayed their pecks for 22 seconds, long enough to demonstrate the ability to ANIMAL PEOPLE mentally clock their own behavior and show deliberate self-restraint. News For People Who Care About Animals Researching poultry welfare since 1996, Abeyesinghe emphasized the welfare implications of her findings in describing them for the journal Animal Behavior. July/August 2005 “An animal with no awareness of Volume XIV, #6 ‘later’ may not be able to predict the end of an unpleasant experience, such as pain, rendering the pain all-encompassing,” Abeyesinghe wrote. PETA staffers face 62 felony + cruelty counts in North Carolina + WINTON, N.C.––The scheduled June 15, 2005. Ahoskie police and Bertie first court appearance of PETA staffers Adria County sheriff’s deputies investigating the dis- Joy Hinkle and Andrew Benjamin Cook on covery of 60 to 70 animal carcasses in dump- multiple cruelty charges was on July 19, 2005 sters during the preceding four weeks said they postponed until August 16. saw Hinkle and Cook dump 18 dead dogs and Hinkle, 27, and Cook, 24, are found the remains of 13 more in their van. charged with a combined 62 counts of felony PETA staff had been taking animals cruelty to animals and 16 counts of illegal dis- from pounds in Bertie County since 2001 and posal of animal remains. nearby Northampton County since 2004. Police sources have indicated that Freeman and Seth Seymour of the other persons associated with PETA may be V i r g i n i a n - P i l o t reported that PETA president charged as result of ongoing investigation. Ingrid Newkirk called Hinkle “The Mother The court date was delayed, report- Teresa of animals,” but suspended her for 90 ed Darren Freeman of the Norfolk V i r g i n i a n - days. PETA said Cook was not suspended. P i l o t , because the prosecution was “waiting Newkirk and domestic animal rescue for lab results on chemicals found in a van the chief Daphna Nachminovitch told news media two suspects were using when they were and concerned animal advocates in a flurry of Singapore Zoo white tiger. (Kim Bartlett) arrested, and the results to determine the statements during the next several days that cause of death of one of the animals.” dumping the dead animals in garbage bins vio- Ahoskie, North Carolina police lated PETA policy and was done without their White tigers, green polar bears, detective Jeremy Roberts told Freeman that the knowledge, but insisted that PETA had never van was registered to PETA. concealed that most of the animals it took from Roberts announced the next day that the North Carolina shelters would be killed. & maintaining a world-class zoo the tests had confirmed that the chemicals Newkirk and Nachminovitch S I N G A P O R E ––When the tigers utan and marine mammal acts, opportunities were ketamine and pentobarbital. Ketamine is claimed that PETA killed North Carolina ani- are white and the polar bears are a blotchy to hold and be photographed with young ani- commonly used to immobilize animals before mals by lethal injection so that they would not dark green, a zoo has problems. mals, and elephant rides. surgical procedures or lethal injection. be “drowned in floods,” shot, or gassed, Opened in June 1973, the Much of the educational signage is Pentobarbital is the standard drug used for detailing in one statement a decade-long dis- Singapore Zoo and adjacent Night Safari are decades obsolete. lethal injection. Both drugs are regulated by pute with Yadkin County over use of a locally together reputedly the best zoo complex with- The tiger exhibit, among the most the federal Drug Enforcement Agency, and in made carbon monoxide chamber. in half a global orbit, together setting the popular at the zoo, features intensively inbred North Carolina may only be purchased and But the animals involved in the case Asian zoo design and management standard. white tigers. Only a few white tigers have used by a licensed veterinarian. against Hinkle and Cook came from other More than 1.2 million visitors per ever been seen in the wild. Those in zoos are Ketamine is also known as “the date- counties––and were not all from pounds. year view about 3,200 animals of 330 mostly virtually all close relatives of specimens bred rape drug,” while pentobarbital is a barbituate Wrote Freeman and Seymour, tropical species at the Singapore Zoo and for show business. derivative with street value to addicts. “Among the dead animals authorities found a Night Safari. And then, almost at the center of Hinkle and Cook were arrested on (continued on page 14) The animals are chiefly housed in the Singapore Zoo, stands the polar bear semi-natural surroundings. The equatorial exhibit. The exhibit looks much too small for Singapore climate is good for reptiles year- such large animals, but more is wrong. round, including some of the largest tortoises, Both bears, a mother and son, are most active monitors, and largest gharials and green from algae growing in their translucent salt water crocodiles on exhibit anywhere. hair shafts. Some experts believe the algae Pygmy hippos thrive. Both Old grows when the salinity of the bears’ habitat World and New World monkeys and big cats varies from Arctic norms. Others hold that are uncommonly lively. the long Arctic night suppresses algae growth. But there are jarring notes. The Singapore Zoo in February The Agri-Food & Veterinary 2005 washed the mama bear, Sheba, with Authority of Singapore banned traveling wild hydrogen peroxide. As of June 2005 she was animal shows in 2002, yet the Singapore Zoo lime green. Her 13-year-old son, Inuka, was and Night Safari still feature circus-like orang- (continued on page 19) 2 - ANIMAL P E OPLE, July/August 2005 On the way home I worried about Petie. I knew he was on the run deep in the desert . and there was no way I could be back before dark to even try to rescue him. All night long I tossed and turned, thinking of how sad it was that Petie, and the other dogs I was talking about at the meeting, had nothing to eat but occasional trash and fast food wrappers thrown from a car window . but Petie’s chewing on a piece of rubber took this suffering to a new low. Being obsessed with saving the lives of any animal in need, and feeling Petie’s pain, I headed out early the next morning with our rescue van hoping to find Petie still alive and not dead by the side of the road. But when I got there, he was nowhere in sight. I drove all over for an hour . no Petie. I hiked into the brush, scanning the terrain with my binoculars . still not a trace of him. July/August 2005 I had lots of things to get done that day, but I decided to stay as Dear Partner, long as it was light out . in the hope of at least spotting Petie. I even I was returning from a meeting of the Desert Management Group set up a feeding station for him in case he was still there but hiding. where representatives of the Government and Military listened to Then I set up three traps in the area where I saw Petie run to the my presentation on rescuing abandoned dogs in the desert . day before. And I searched the brush again for tracks. when I saw the most frightening thing. After a while, I headed back to the van to get a drink of water.