Letters [May 2007]

May 1, 2007 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, May 2007:

Cats & rabbits

I read with interest the March 2007 ANIMAL PEOPLE article
“When the cat is away,” about the feral rabbit population increasing
tenfold on Macquarie Island since the island feral cats were
exterminated in June 2000.
As a neuter/return volunteer, I have fought extremely hard to change
attitudes towards feral cats in a similar situation locally,
involving Robben Island, where former South African president Nelson
Mandela spent most of the 27 years that he was imprisoned for
opposing apartheid. The situation is dire.
–Rita Brock
Cat Assistance Team
P.O. Box 48157
Kommetjie
South Africa
082-806-3144
<rijo@icon.co.za>
Read more

Letters

What we learned from zoos

May 1, 2007 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, May 2007:
Early zoo visits helped to motivate the lifelong pursuits of
both ANIMAL PEOPLE publisher Kim Bartlett and editor Merritt Clifton.
Recalls Bartlett, “I have always been at odds with people
who want to close down all zoos, because the animals mostly have
nowhere to go.
“Some of my very earliest memories are of the zoo in Jackson,
Mississippi, which was among my favorite places to be, second only
to the mimosa tree in my great aunt Minnie’s front yard. The Jackson
zoo was probably a hell-hole for the animals, but I thought of it as
a truly magical place full of wonderful animals.”

Zoos & Aquariums

Editorial feature: The lessons zoos teach, & how to teach them better

May 1, 2007 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, May 2007:

Trying to talk to animal advocates about good zoos, when
most have seen only bad zoos, is much like the proverbial effort to
introduce six blind men to an elephant. Merely describing a good
zoo, and especially describing how bad zoos can become good zoos,
tends to strike most as describing a series of contradictions in
terms. Each grasps a different part, and none have any idea how to
reconcile the tusks, tail, ears, legs, belly, and trunk.
Unfortunately, the same is also true of trying to describe
to zoo planners what makes a good zoo, from an animal welfare
perspective. Many zoos include some excellent quarters for species
whose needs are well understood by the management, alongside
horribly botched exhibits based on gross misunderstandings. An
expansive concrete floor polished to resemble ice, for example, is
anything but homelike to a polar bear–but the bear may thrive in a
habitat which in no way resembles the Arctic, if the habitat
includes mental stimulation of equivalent intensity of interest to
the bear as the challenge of finding seals beneath ice.

Congress passes ban on interstate transport of animals for fighting

May 1, 2007 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, May 2007:

WASHINGTON D.C.–The U.S. Senate on April 10, 2007
unanimously passed the Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act,
H.R. 137, approved by the House of Representatives on March 25,
368-39. Sent to the White House to be signed into law, the Act
creates a felony penalty for transporting animals across state
lines–including foreign export– to be used in fights.
Cockfighters and breeders mobilized to urge President George
W. Bush to veto H.R. 137, but Humane Society of the U.S. president
Wayne Pacelle was unconcerned. “We have it on good word that it will
be signed,” Pacelle told ANIMAL PEOPLE.
The Act is expected to help in apprehending and prosecuting
dogfighters and cockfighters. Dogfighting is already illegal in all
50 states. Cockfighting is illegal in 49 states plus nine of the 64
parishes of Louisiana, the last state to allow it.

New state legislation

May 1, 2007 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, May 2007:
The Iowa House of Representatives on April 17, 2007 approved
a bill to ban private possession of dangerous wildlife, 80-19.
Previously approved unanimously by the Iowa Senate, the bill was
sent to Governor Chet Culver.

The Oregon House on April 17, 2007 sent to Governor Ted
Kulongoski a bill to make Oregon the 13th state to include animals in
emergency planning. Virginia Governor Tim Kaine earlier in April
endorsed into law a similar bill, introduced by state senator Walter
Stosch.

Three variants of U.K. tail-docking ban

May 1, 2007 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, May 2007:

A new Animal Welfare Act took effect in Britain on April 6,
with different versions applying in England, Wales, Scotland, and
Northern Ireland. The English version allows a veterinarian to dock
puppies’ tails within five days of their birth, if the person
requesting the docking documents the “type” of the mother and
produces evidence that the dog will be used for hunting or work.
Wales requires definition of “breed” rather than type. Scotland
prohibits docking altogether. The new law also requires that
sociable species, such as dogs and rabbits, must be given
appropriate companionship. A new definition of neglect allows
prosecution of pet keepers who either persistently overfeed or starve
animals.

Is Primarily Primates takeover drama near an end?

May 1, 2007 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, May 2007:

SAN ANTONIO–Almost a year of litigation over the future of
the 28-year-old Primarily Primates sanctuary may end at an April 27,
2007 hearing in San Antonio, at which the Texas Office of Attorney
General agreed two days earlier in a “Full and Final Settlement
Agreement” obtained by ANIMAL PEOPLE to “fully and completely
release, acquit, and forever discharge Primarily Primates,”
founder Wally Swett, other staff and board members, and Friends of
Animals, from “all claims” brought against them in connection with
the October 2006 seizure of the sanctuary by now retired Texas
assistant attorney general John Vinson.
Friends of Animals had agreed with the Primarily Primates
board to take over management of the sanctuary, following Swett’s
retirement.

Shelter news

May 1, 2007 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, May 2007:

The Pigs As Pets Association, of Fort Myers, Florida, and
The Pig Preserve, of Jamestown, Tennessee, on April 14, 2007
announced that they “have joined forces and will now be known as The
Pig Preserve Associa-tion,” headquartered in Fentress County,
Tennessee. PAPA, founded in 1998 by Lana Hollenbeck, has focused
on education, outreach, and placement of cast-off pigs at
sanctuaries. The Pig Preserve, of Jamestown, Tennessee, founded
by Richard and Laura Hoyle in 2006, “is a 100-acre natural preserve,
which will eventually provide a home for approximately 400 rescued
pigs of all breeds,” Richard Hoyle said, “including miniature pigs
and domestic farm pigs.”

Fires destroy three animal shelters in three weeks

May 1, 2007 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, May 2007:

Thirty-foot flames erupting at about 2:00 a.m. from a laundry
area razed the Jacksonville Humane Society on April 7, 2007,
killing 67 cats and 18 dogs, chief operating officer Danya
Parks-Freel told Matt Galnor of the Florida Times-Union.
Jacksonville Fire & Rescue spokesperson Tom Francis said a fire
captain suffered burns and other firefighters had to be pulled from
the wreckage after the roof collapsed as they tried to open cages and
carry animals to safety. Firefighters reportedly adopted many animals
on the spot. A separate veterinary clinic and runs for about 50
dogs were reportedly the only facilities that remained useable –but
executive director Leona Shed-dan had kept backup computer files off
site, enabling a rapid resumption of most activities. Owning 27
acres, the humane society hoped to rebuild and expand. The city of
Jacksonville has meanwhile planned to build a $9 million new animal
care and control center. Mayoral spokesperson Susie Wiles told
Galnor that the city would be interested in discussing a joint
project with the humane society, which has been no-kill since 2005.

« 1 2 3 4 »