A Success in the Making After several months of intensive planning and development, The HSUS is pleased to an­ nounce that a weekly television series, "Pet Action Line," is currently being broadcast on ap­ proximately 65 public broadcast system (PBS) stations nationwide. Scheduled to be carried on approximately 85 stations before summer's end, this series of one-half-hour weekly programs HSUS Annual Report marks the first time in the history of television that animal-care and -welfare issues have Page 17 been so widely broadcast to the nation's public. Created by broadcast journalist H.I. "Sonny" Bloch and associate Gale Nemec, "Pet Action Taking a Stand Against Departments Line" was previously carried only on cable television channels. Invited by the creators of this Wildlife Refuge Exploitation Tracks ................. 2 program to participate in a joint endeavor to bring this program to a much wider audience, Page4 The HSUS responded enthusiastically to this new-found opportunity for educating and sen­ Update ................ 16 sitizing our nation's public to issues and concerns affecting not only pets, but a vast variety of Division Reports ....... 28 other animals as well. Recognizing the enormity of this challenge, several months were Federal Report ......... 29 devoted to developing the kind of programming that would elicit viewer interest while at the Around the Regions ..... 32 same time meet the rigorous standards of public broadcast television. Member Response Boosts Law Notes ............. 36 "Pet Action Line" To assist us in this endeavor, we asked you, the members of The HSUS, to urge your local PBS station to tape and view our preview program. This you did by the hundreds, a factor PageB which played no small part in the decision of those 85 to air this program or to begin airing it April Rallies ............ 6 in the near future. Cockfight Investigation . 21 "We are amazed at how many HSUS members contacted their local public television sta­ tions to ask for 'Pet Action Line,"' said Gale Nemec, executive producer of the show. "This "Keep Your Cat Indoors!" kind of response to a program is unprecedented in the television industry and doubly remark­ able considering how quickly it occurred. We want to thank every HSUS member for respond­ Page 12 ing so enthusiastically.'' Having achieved this degree of success, we are greatly encouraged about future prospects, Cover photo by Mark Newman from "Bless the providing financial sponsorship can be found. Once again, however, we need your assistance. Beasts, 1983" © by Bo-Tree Productions, Inc. If your station is currently broadcasting the "Pet Action Line" program, please express your 1984 HSUS Annual Conference appreciation immediately and frequently. Television is highly sensitive to viewer response, especially public television. Urge your friends and neighbors also to watch this program and Program The Humane Society News is published quarter· to express similar appreciation to the station, both verbally and through your financial sup­ ~ Page22 ly by The Humane Society of the United States, with headquarters at 2100 L Street, N.W., port of this public broadcast system. ~~~ Washington, D.C. 20037, (202) 452·1100. If, however, your local PBS station is not currently Animals and Society: Membership in The Humane Society broadcasting this program, inquire as to its future in­ Critical Times, Crucial Choices of the United States is $10 a year. tention. Once again express your interest in being able to see this program. Seek to speak with the station manager or program director personally or else write a DIRECTORS OFFICERS letter to his attention. Your continuing participation in Rosemary Benning ....................................... Pebble Beach, CA Chairman of the Board .................................... Coleman Burke this endeavor will most assuredly help to ensure its Amanda Blake ............................................... Phoenix, AZ Vice Chairman ...................................... K. William Wiseman SamuelA. Bowman ........................................ NewYork,NY Secretary ......................................... Dr. Amy Freeman Lee success. Dr. Carol Browning . ............................................ Ogden, UT President ............................................... John A. Hoyt Coleman Burke . ............................................ Short Hills, NJ Vice President/Treasurer .................................. Paul G. Irwin Reaching a potential of approximately 30,000,000 Jack Conlon . ............................................. Cocoa Beach, FL Vice President/General Counsel ................... Murdaugh Stuart Madden DonaldS. Dawson . .......................................... Bethesda, MD Vice President/Field Services ............................. Patrick B. Parkes households weekly with a program of concern and car­ Irene Evans .............................................. Washington, DC Vice President/Program & Communications .................. Patricia Forkan ing for animals is an achievement we could hardly have Anna Fesmire ............................................. Greensboro, NC Vice President/Wildlife & Environment .................. Dr. John W. Grandy Regina Bauer Frankenberg ................................... New York, NY Vice President/Companion Animals .......................... Phyllis Wright imagined possible a few months ago. Now that it has Harold H. Gardiner . ..................................... Salt Lake City, UT Scientific Director ....................................... Dr. Michael Fox become a reality, your staff and the Pet Action Line Robert W. Gilmore .......................................... New York, NY group will strive to make this program an ever-grow­ Gisela H. Karlan .............................................. Towaco, NJ EDITORIAL STAFF Dr. Amy Freeman Lee ..................................... San Antonio, TX ing success. Jack W. Lydman .......................................... Washington, DC Deborah Salem .................................................... Editor Deborah Dasch ...................................... Publications Assistant John A. Hoyt Virginia Lynch .......................................... San Francisco, CA Cherie Mason ................................................. Sunset, ME .Thien Huong T. Tram ................................. Production Assistant John W. Mettler, Ill ......................................... New York, NY IngaPrime ...................................................... Vail, CO O.J. Ramsey .............................................. Sacramento, CA The Humane Society of the United States is a nonprofit charitable organization, Marilyn G. Seyler . .......................................... Mansfield, OH supported entirely by contributions from individuals. All contributions are tax­ Everett Smith, Jr. ........................................... Greenwich, CT deductible. Robert F. Welborn ............................................. Denver, CO K. William Wiseman ..................................... Greens Farms, CT ©1984 by The Humane Society of the United States' All rights reserved. Survey Confirms: People nine out of ten people felt 'human any of the three areas of research. beings ought to protect other Monkeys followed closely in im­ Care about Animals forms of animal life' and three of portance, with twenty-two per­ every ten people put it at their cent saying it was all right to use The NEA VS Reporter, a publi­ 'high concern' level of priorities. nonhuman primates in medical re­ cation of the New England Anti­ "The survey of 463 men and wom­ search; thirty-four percent support­ Vivisection Society, reports in its en dealt with a number of animal­ ing monkey use in space explora­ January/February/March 1984 welfare issues including the use of tion; and thirteen percent favoring edition on a study done by the laboratory animals in three areas their use in the area of commer­ New York advertising firm Doyle, of research-medical research, cial/business/industrial research.'' Dane & Bernback which confirms space exploration, and commercial/ Now, if only we could convince "what many of us already knew business/industrial research. these humane-minded people to or at least hoped: people do care "Less than one quarter of the talk to the youngsters described about animals.'' According to the respondents felt it was 'always all in the next survey ... Reporter, "The survey found that right' to use either dogs or cats in g~ ::I: J -0 Survey Confirms: Teenagers on Mr. Bachtel's list of the thirty­ respondents reported that they one most frequently committed acts committed acts of vandalism be­ uf Don't Care about Animals of vandalism. Approximately the cause "it was fun and exciting," I same number of students had mis­ according to Mr. Bachtel. "I was J!SUS Presi~e71;t John A. Hoyt (right) receives .a check for $65,450 from well-known actresses Betty White (second from Douglas C. Bachtel, extension treated animals as had ever let the surprised that [animal mistreat­ nght) an~ V'ckl Lc:wrence (second from left). Wznners of a two-week celebrity edition of the popular "Dream House" quiz show, M'sses W~'te ~n~ Lawrence had named The HSUS as their favorite charity in this competition with other actors rural sociologist for Georgia's air out of a car or truck's tires. ment] was so high on the list," and donated the'r wznnzngs to us. The show is hosted by Bob Eubanks (center). Cooperative Extension Service, More than seventy-seven per­ Mr. Bachtel commented.