Day: June 1, 2003

Australia commits to tail-docking ban

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From ANIMAL PEOPLE,  June 2003:

BRISBANE,  Australia–Five of the seven Australian states are
reportedly committed to introducing a national ban on  docking dogs’
tails by June 30,  2003,  to take effect on December 1.
“New South Wales and the Northern Territory requested more
time to consider joining the ban,”  reported Larizza Dubecki of the
Melbourne Age.  “The decision [to ban tail-docking] was made at the
April 10 Primary Industries Ministerial Council in Brisbane,
supported by the Royal SPCA and the Australian Veterinary Association.
The AVA first called for a ban on tail-docking in 1998,  six
years after the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons in Britain and
five years after the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association,  but
Australia is the first English-speaking nation to commit to a ban.
Rare outside English-speaking nations,  tail-docking is done
primarily to comply with breed standards established in England by
the Kennel Club during the 19th century,  later adopted by the
American Kennel Club and other kennel associations.

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To certify the product or the farm producer–that is the question for HFAC, AWI

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From ANIMAL PEOPLE,  June 2003:

HERNDON,  Virginia–For a few hours on
May 22-23 Humane Farm Animal Care founder Adele
Douglass was on top of the world,  among the top
three stories of the morning headlined by the
Associated Press.
“Rectangular labels reading ‘Certi-fied
Humane Raised & Handled’ should start appearing
in about a month on meat,  poultry,  dairy and
egg products,”  AP reporter David Dishneau
explained.
“The program,”  Dishneau continued,
“backed by 10 animal welfare groups,  certifies
producers and processors who meet certain
standards for animal treatment.  Participants are
charged modest royalty fees– 50¢ a pig,  for
example–and pay for annual inspections at $400 a
day. ”

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U.S. Supreme Court rules that states may prosecute fraudulent fundraisers

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From ANIMAL PEOPLE,  June 2003:

WASHINGTON D.C.,  LOS ANGELES,  SACRAMENTO–The U.S. Supreme
Court on May 5 ruled unanimously that states may prosecute charities
and hired fundraisers for fraud if they misrepresent how donations
will be used.
The case,  “Madigan v. Telemarket-ing Associates,”  concerned
the effort of Illinois attorney general Lisa Madigan to prosecute a
firm that solicted funds for VietNow,  a charity formed to aid
Vietnam veterans.
Summarized Associated Press,  “The state claimed would-be donors were
told their money would go for food baskets,  job training and other
services for needy veterans,  even though Telemarketing Associates
pocketed 85% of the take.  One woman said she was told,  ‘90% or more
goes to the vets.’  The ruling makes clear that while fundraisers may
keep quiet about the high costs of running a charity drive,  they may
not lie about it.”

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Where cats belong–and where they don’t

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From ANIMAL PEOPLE,  June 2003:

KISSEEMEE,  Florida–Depending on who you listen to,  the
Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission either declared war
on feral cats at a May 30 meeting in Kisseemee,  or clarified their
position that they have no intention of so doing.
Claiming the support of the American Bird Conservancy,
National Audubon Society,  and National Wildlife Federation,  Florida
Wildlife Division director Frank Montalbano talked like a man going
to war in a March interview with Orlando Sentinel outdoors writer Don
Wilson.

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Montana Spay/Neuter Task Force fixing for “Phase 3”

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From ANIMAL PEOPLE,  June 2003:

VICTOR,  Montana–Scarce funding may doom
the Montana Spay/Neuter Task Force,  founder Jean
Atthowe told ANIMAL PEOPLE in early June
2003–but,  characteristic of the optimism that
impelled Atthowe to form the Task Force in 1996,
she added that lack of resources may expedite the
transition of the work to community management.
This would fulfill her initial ambition for the project.
“From November 1996 through October
2002,”  Atthowe said,  “the Task Force has helped
to create 46 pet care events with local hosts,
and has provided spay/neuter surgeries for over
15,000 Montana dogs and cats.  The Task Force has
visited all seven Native American nations in
Montana from one to four times each,”  as well as
many small towns in remote locations which often
do not even have a local veterinarian.

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Singapore ends TNR program amid SARS panic

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From ANIMAL PEOPLE,  June 2003:

SINGAPORE–“More than 70 cat lovers gathered at a five-star
hotel yesterday to remember the 700 cats who were culled recently,”
the Singapore Straits Times reported on June 9.  “The special
80-minute session,  which included song and flower tributes,  and a
minute’s silence for the dead animals,  was organized by the animal
welfare and rescue movement SOS Animals,”  founded by Sandy Lim.
SOS Animals claimed to have rescued 60 cats from the
purported culling,  and was raising funds to build a shelter for them.
Another Singapore group,  the Animal Lovers League,  founded
by Cathy Strong,  approached the Singapore Agri-Food & Veterinary
Authority with a proposal to build a sanctuary capable of keeping
2,000 to 3,000 cats–which she believed could be done for $173,000.
Earler,  Strong proposed evacuating as many as 2,000 cats to
the Noah’s Ark shelter in Johor,  Malaysia.  Noah’s Ark founder
Raymond Wee responded that his shelter was already filled to capacity
with 320 cats and dogs,  while the Johor Veterinary Services
Department said that feral cats from Singapore would not be accepted
in Malaysia anyway.

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Locke vetoes Washington trap ban repeal & other state legislative highlights

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From ANIMAL PEOPLE,  June 2003:

Three of the biggest wins for animals during spring 2003
legislative sessions were the defeat of anti-animal bills in
Washington,  Texas,  and California.
Washington Governor Gary Locke on May 22 vetoed a repeal of
Initative 713,  banning the use of body-gripping traps.  The
initiative was approved in November 2000 by 55% of the electorate.
It was vulnerable in the legislature because support was concentrated
along the heavily populated eastern shore of Puget Sound,  which is
proportionally underrepresented in both the state house and senate
relative to rural districts.
Despite vetoing the repeal bill,  Locke asked the state
Department of Fish and Wildlife to “place limited enforcement
resources into higher-order priorities than against homeowners,
businesses,  and the timber industry,  that trap for moles,  gophers,
and mountain beavers.”

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Finding the sentience of fish

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From ANIMAL PEOPLE,  June 2003:

Credit scientific discovery.  Credit
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
Credit Finding Nemo,  the latest pro-animal
animated production in a 64-year string from Walt
Disney Productions.
Whatever the reason,  humans around the
world are suddenly talking about the suffering of
fish as never before.

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Charities sue over slogans and similar names

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From ANIMAL PEOPLE,  June 2003:

SAN FRANCISCO–Alleging “trademark infringement,  unfair
competition,  and related claims arising from the unauthorized use”
of the phrase “Don’t breed or buy while homeless animals die,”  the
International Society for Animal Rights on April 29,  2003 sued In
Defense of Animals in U.S. District Court.
ISAR trademarked the phrase in January 2001,  the suit
states,  objecting that “IDA has incorporated the confusingly similar
slogan ‘Please don’t breed or buy while millions of homeless animals
die’ into posters,  flyers,  and other products featuring gruesome
images of dead and/or dying pets.”  ISAR contends that this confuses
“prospective and actual donors and members about a perceived
relationship between the organizations.”

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