Illinois axes subsidy for National High School Rodeo Finals

March 1, 2011 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, March 2011:
SPRINGFIELD, Illinois–The Illinois Department of
Agriculture on January 27, 2011 notified the National High School
Rodeo Association that it can no longer afford the $1 million annual
cost of underwriting the National High School Rodeo Finals, a 10-day
event held in Springfield in 2000, 2001, 2006, and 2007, due to
have returned to Springfield in 2012 and 2013.
“While Illinois is claiming cancellation of the rodeo is due
to budget cuts, the negative publicity generated by SHARK’s expose of
the rodeo’s animal cruelty year after year undoubtedly played a part
in the decision,” said SHARK founder Steve Hindi. In 2007 the
National High School Rodeo Finals lost the sponsorship of Choice
Hotels, including 11 leading midprice national motel chains, two
years before the sponsorship contract was to expire.

Two major zoos defy Chinese order to halt animal acts

March 1, 2011 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, March 2011:
Guangdong–Defying a nationally publicized order from
Beijing–and claiming it was never received–the Shenzhen Safari Park
and Xiaomeisha Sea World have continued daily animal acts using
birds, tigers, lions and dolphins, the Guangdong Daily Sunshine
reported on February 2, 2011, without hinting at what the Chinese
federal authorities might do about it.
The Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development,
responsible for zoo regulation in China, on October 26, 2010
“suggested” in an official web posting that zoos should adequately
feed and house animals, should stop selling wild animal products and
serving wild animal parts in restaurants, and should stop staging
circus-like trained animal acts, including feeding live prey to
carnivores, because “These activities go against the public good.”

Lion airlift

March 1, 2011 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, March 2011:
LOS ANGELES–Campaigning against animal circuses in Latin
America since 2006, Animal Defenders International on February 16,
2011 flew 24 former Bolivian circus lions to the Rocky Mountain
Wildlife Conservation Center in Keenesburg, Colorado, doing
business as the Wild Animal Sanctuary. Retired Price Is Right host
Bob Barker, who donated $2 million to fund the rescue, was present
to witness their arrival.

Year of the Rabbit brings campaigns for rabbits

March 1, 2011 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, March 2011:

HONG KONG–Will the Year of the Rabbit bring anything good for rabbits?
Starting on February 3, 2011, the Year of the Rabbit is
recognized throughout the world by ethnic Chinese people, and by
many other Asians who share Chinese traditions. If nothing else,
the Year of the Rabbit afforded activists an opportunity to raise a
voice for rabbits.
“There’s no better time to help rabbits than during the Year
of the Rabbit,” declared Beijing-based PETA campaigner Maggie Chen to
Agence France-Presse, urging readers to “not support the pet trade
that causes so many animals to suffer.” PETA also “launched an ad
campaign imploring Chinese movie star Gong Li to curb her penchant
for wearing rabbit and other furs,” reported Denis D. Gray of
Associated Press, from Bangkok, Thailand. “The ad shows a woman’s
foot stepping on the neck of a dead rabbit next to the words, ‘Where
Does Gong Li Stand on Fur?’

Concern for animals who were locked up in Cairo under curfew

March 1, 2011 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, March 2011:

CAIRO–Unable to move about Cairo and surrounding suburbs
during the January/February 2011 Egyptian unrest, due to barricades
guarded by police, the military, and ordinary citizens trying to
protect their neighborhoods, animal rescuers did what they could by
cell telephone and e-mail. When electronic communications were shut
down for several days as well, those trapped in their homes could
only imagine the plight of animals trapped at the Giza Zoo, in pet
stores, and left behind by foreigners who heeded warnings to
evacuate.

Mercy for Animals exposes cruelty at a Texas factory catfish farm

March 1, 2011 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, March 2011:

DALLAS–Probably more fish consumers were
puzzled–at first– than shocked on January 19,
2011 when Mercy for Animals released undercover
video of alleged criminal animal abuse at Catfish
Corner, in eastern Dallas County. “I don’t get
too many calls about inhumaneness to fish,”
Dallas fish market owner Rex Bellomy told Ken
Kalthoff of NBCDFW.com.
Founded in 1968, Catfish Corner is among
the oldest active fish farms in the U.S.–“a
place where families bring their kids, often to
fish for the first time. Others stop by and pick
a catfish out of a tank for dinner. They can
have their fish cleaned and take them home to
eat,” described Dallas Morning News staff writer
Melissa Repko.

Dogs Deserve Better takes option to buy Michael Vick’s Bad Newz Kennels property

March 1, 2011 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, March 2011:

TIPTON, Pennsylvania–The anti-dog chaining organization
Dogs Deserve Better has an option to purchase on football player and
convicted dogfighter Michael Vick’s former home on Moonlight Road in
rural Surrey County, Virginia.
The 15-acre estate housed Bad Newz Kennels, Vick’s
dogfighting operation. The 4,600-square-foot house where dogs were
fought remains on the property, but the Bad Newz Kennels doghouses,
training facilities, and fencing have been removed.

LGBT Compassion files new challenge to San Francisco live markets

March 1, 2011 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, March 2011:
SAN FRANCISCO–Flaring again, the 142-year-old conflict
between the San Francisco humane community and the mostly ethnic
Asian owners and customers of live markets has morphed into a clash
between the city’s two most prominent minority cultures. About 45%
of the San Francisco population are of Asian descent, according to
recent polling; 14.5% declare themselves to be lesbian, gay,
bisexual or transgender.

Is South Africa phasing out sow stalls?

March 1, 2011 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, March 2011:
CAPE TOWN– South African Pork Producers Organisation
officers indicated to news media twice in the first two months of
2011 that sow gestation stalls are to be phased out–but Compassion
in World Farming national representative Tozie Zokufa has yet to get
SAPPO to confirm the planned phase-out directly to him.
Zokufa became hopeful when SAPPO chief executive Simon
Streicher e-mailed to the Beeld newspaper in January that South
African pig producers are beginning “the gradual phasing out of sow
crates,” and that “SAPPO supports the phasing out of crates in a
reasonable and realistic time frame.”

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