The Monkey Wars

May 1, 1995 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, May 1995:

The Monkey Wars

by Deborah Blum

Oxford University Press (200 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016),

1994. 306 pages, cloth, $25.00.

Based on a Pultizer Prize-winning

investigative series published in 1991 by the

Sacramento Bee, The Monkey Wars is the

fairest, most comprehensive look yet at pri-

mate research and related protest. Author

Deborah Blum gained access to many of the

most controversial researchers and laborato-

ries in the United States. She describes from

first-hand observation the exploratory brain

surgery of Stuart Zola-Morgan, for instance,

combining appreciation of his findings with

discussion of the moral issues that have led

the activist community to brand him “Dr.

Zola-Morbid.”

REVIEWS: The Wellman Procedure: A Surgical Technique for the Complete Gonadectomy in the Dog and Cat

May 1, 1995 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, May 1995:

The Wellman Procedure: A Surgical Technique for the Complete

Gonadectomy in the Dog and Cat, promoted by William K. Wellman,

DVM, c/o All Creatures Veterinary Surgery (70234 Phoenix, South Haven, MI

49090; 616-637-3929).

According to William K. Wellman,

who advances “The Wellman Procedure” with

mailers, a videotape, and online postings,

“This revolutionary approach to spaying and

neutering cats and dogs promotes less inva-

sive surgery, far less time in surgery, much

shorter recovery time, outpatient surgery for

the pet, increased safety as result of the

above, lowered costs for pet owners, and

higher productivity for veterinarians.” Thus,

Wellman argues, widespread adoption of his

procedure could mean, “The possibility of

millions less unwanted animals, the possibili-

ty of greater affordability, and greater reduc-

tion in the mounting costs of animal control.”

BOOKS: The Endangered Species Act: Time for a Change

April 1, 1995 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, April 1995:

The Endangered Species Act: Time for a Change, by Thomas Lambert and Robert J. Smith.

Center for the Study of American Business (Washington University, Campus Box 1208, One Brookings Drive, St.

Louis, MO 63130-4899), 1994. 63 pages. Free on request.

Thomas Lambert and Robert J. Smith evidently

subscribe to the theory that the Endangered Species Act “is

being used for little more than the achievement of de facto

national land use control and the regulation of economic

development.” Though they avoid saying so themselves,

they quote and paraphrase others to this effect so often that

one is inclined to start looking under the bed for the “out-of-

work Soviet economists” that they suggest through another

quotation might be influencing U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service data analysis. Either that, or bolt the door against

the National Biological Survey, which is––again through

unrefuted quotations––equated with an “eco-Gestapo.”

BOOKS: Love, Miracles, and Animal Healing

April 1, 1995 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, April 1995:

Love, Miracles, and Animal Healing: A Veterinarian’s Journey from

Physical Medicine to Spiritual Understanding, by Allen M. Schoen, DVM,

and Pam Proctor. Simon & Schuster (1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY

10020), 1995. 236 pages, $22.00.

I didn’t know what to expect when I

saw a testimonial by Henry Kissinger on the

cover of Love, Miracles, and Animal

H e a l i n g. It was so bizarre as to pique by

interest immediately. When did Henry

Kissinger begin to concern himself with the

“emotional as well as the physical needs” of

animals? Allen Schoen, the New England

veterinarian who authored the book with Pam

Proctor, sounded like the Norman Vincent

Peale of the finned and fuzzy. In fact, I sus-

pected Dr. Schoen himself was a bit fuzzy.

BOOKS: Reflections of Eden

April 1, 1995 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, April 1995:

Reflections of Eden:

My Years With the Orangutans of Borneo, by Birute M.F. Galdikas.

Little, Brown & Co. (1271 Ave. of the Americas, New York, NY 10020), 1995.

403 pages; 16 pages of photos. $24.95; $29.95 in Canada.

Birute Galdikas is less known than

her colleagues Jane Goodall and the late Dian

Fossey, but her reminiscences of field

research on primates are no less colorful and

interesting. Paleoanthropologist Louis

Leakey and his handpicked trio of female

researchers spent decades documenting the

lives of apes in the wild, and campaigning to

preserve primates and their natural habitat.

BOOKS: The World Beyond The Waves

April 1, 1995 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, April 1995:

The World Beyond The Waves, by Kate Kempton, illustrated by

Larry Salk. Portunus Publishing Co. (3435 Ocean Park Blvd. #203, Santa Monica,

CA 90405; 1-800-548-3518), 1995; 88 pages. Cloth, $14.95; paper $8.95.

Strange things happen even before

the recently orphaned Sam, a 12-year-old

girl, is swept off the sailboat by storm

waves. A trio of dolphins appears just before

the hurricane, one of them seriously wound-

ed and needing medical attention. Sam’s

aunt and uncle, both marine biologists, are

able to administer an antibiotic, but can do

little else. A tropical bird lands on the life-

lines next to Sam, seeming to communicate

something of importance to the dolphins.

Later, after being washed overboard, Sam

wakes up in a dim, dark place, only to be

greeted by the bird. Almost drowned, Sam

has been rescued by sea creatures and

brought to The World Beyond The Waves, a

sanitarium for sick and injured marine life of

all kinds, all suffering from things humans

have done—some deliberate cruelties, but

mostly careless or unthinking acts.

Resources for humane education

April 1, 1995 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, April 1995:

Simmons College, of Boston, has
opened up a new avenue for animal-related

education, the interactive electronic curricu-

lum. Two such curriculums have already

been up and running for a couple of years

now, used by dozens of teachers all over the

country as an aid to teaching computer use,

science, English, math, and research

skills––and the cumulative efforts of the stu-

dent participants are also usefully expanding

what we know about roadkills and whales.

The Dr. Splatt roadkill project,

BOOKS: The Pet Professional’s Comparative Reference Guide To Premium Dry Dog Food

March 1, 1995 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, March 1995:

The Pet Professional’s Comparative Reference Guide To Premium

Dry Dog Food, by Howard D. Coffman. PigDog Press (427-3 Amherst St.,

Suite 331, Nashua, NH 03063-1258), 1994. Looseleaf. $54 includes shipping.

If you want a shopping cart hand-

book to tell you what to feed your pet, The

Pet Professional’s Comparative Reference

Guide To Premium Dry Dog Food may not

serve your purpose: Howard D. Coffman

avoids value judgements. If you have a pro-

fessional interest in dog nutrition, however,

you may find it indispensible. For instance, it

tells which leading dog food derives most of

its fat content from sunflower oil rather than

the ingredients that provide its name and fla-

vor. It tells which brands include the contro-

versial preservative ethoxyquin. It provides

the Association of American Feed Control

Officials’ definitions of every common dog

food ingredient. It makes assessing offal con-

tent possible––and it refutes the rumor that

certain brands of kibble popular with most

dogs are really just pelletized cat poop.

BOOKS: White Eye

March 1, 1995 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, March 1995:

White Eye, by Blanche D’Alpuget. Simon & Schuster (1230 Avenue of the

Americas, New York, NY 10020), 1994. 254 pages, hardcover. $22.00 U.S.,

$28.50 Canadian.

Seldom have I found a murder

mystery as satisfying as Blanche

D’Alpuget’s White Eye––not only first-rate

suspense, but educational to boot. A grant

from the Literary Arts Board of the

Australia Council allowed the author to

spend two years researching international

wildlife trafficking, genetic engineering,

wild bird rehabilitation, and biomedical

research on primates—among other sub-

jects. Judging from D’Alpuget’s portrayal

of the illicit wildlife trade and primate

research, about which I’m relatively well

versed, she seems to have mastered the

topics. Her description of raptor rehabilita-

tion and release, about which I knew little,

is fascinating. Passages dealing with genet-

ic engineering, which heretofore has left

me totally confused, actually brought me a

glimmer of understanding.

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