LETTERS [July/Aug 1995]
From ANIMAL PEOPLE, July/August 1995:
Kindest fate
The April 2005 edition of
ANIMAL PEOPLE included the
subheading “Dog Meat Farms Spread
Rabies.”
Perhaps the kindest fate for
dogs who are raised for consumption
is to be killed to prevent the spread of
disease, rather than being put through
the horrors of the dog meat markets.
Some years ago, I watched
a local TV program regarding cats
bred and sold for human consumption,
probably in southern China. What
shook and haunted me more than any-
thing else was the picture of cats
being skinned alive at the market and
being carried away alive for the pot.
As a Christian I believe that
animals have souls, and I believe that
regardless of personal beliefs, we will
each be accountable to God for the
cruelty we per-
petrate upon His
glorious cre-
ation.
––Dave Thorpe
Cape Town,
South Africa
<davidbthorpe@yahoo.com>
Karachi
Thank you for your efforts
to save animals in Karachi, Pakistan
(“Madness in Karachi,” June 2005).
You have done a great job.
I will be meeting with the
President of Pakistan in Islamabad
during the second week of August.
Multiple free rabies clinics
and free sterilization surgeries will
also be performed during this visit.
––I.H. Kathio, DVM
Pittston, Pennsylvania
<IHKSINDH@aol.com>
Dr. Kathio spends his
vacations in Karachi, teaching ster –
ilization surgery technique at the
Richmond-Crawford Veterinary
Hospital and doing vaccinations and
sterilization surgery at the Tando
Jam Charity Animal Hospital.
Scheduled Tribes Bill vs. Indian wildlife habitat
The Indian Ministry of
Tribal Affairs has drafted a bill
called the Scheduled Tribes
(Recognition of Forest Rights) Bill
2005, which aims to confer greater
rights on forest-dwelling indige-
nous people.
The C.P. Ramaswami
Aiyar Foundation has been working
with tribals for over 20 years, and
we are happy that their existence is
being finally recognized.
However, the bill in its
present form is disastrous for the
forests of India and the fast-disap-
pearing wildlife. It contravenes and
debars key provisions of the Indian
Forest Act of 1927, Wildlife
Protection Act of 1972, and Forest
Conservation Act of 1980.
The bill proposes to dis-
tribute forest land at the rate of 2.5
hectares per nuclear family, to be
used for habitation or self-cultiva-
tion for livelihood needs. But,
there is no nuclear family concept
among the tribes.
Only 20% of India is
forested. Less than 17% has thick
forest. India needs to save the
remaining forest and try to increase
it to 33%. This bill will do the
opposite. More that 8% of India’s
population is tribal. Awarding 2.5
hectares to each family means giv-
ing away 50 million hectares, or
74% of India’s remaining forests.
This will be the end of Indian
forests and wildlife, and will give
free access to timber and land
mafias.
The rivers of India start in
the forest. Razing the forests will
deepen India’s water crisis.
The bill also gives tribals
access to biodiversity, contrary to
the provisions of the Bio-diversity
Act of 2002; grants rights in perpe-
tuity; and promises the conversion
of leases of forest land into titles.
Tribals must be helped to
improve their lives. They can be
employed as watchers, forest
guards, etc., and must have equi-
table access to the benefits accruing
from the forests. If they want to
pursue agriculture, give them pro-
ductive land. Tribals need liveli-
hoods, not a licence to be exploited
by land and timber mafias and the
corrupt officials who alone will
benefit by this bill.
The bill may be read at
the Ministry of Tribal Affair’s web
site, <www.tribal.nic.in>.
Comments may be sent to
Dr. Manmohan Singh, P r i m e
Minister of India, South Block,
Raisina Hill, New Delhi 110011;
fax 91-11-2301-9545 or
2 3 0 1 – 6 8 5 7 ; or by visit-
ing his web site,
<http://pmindia.nic.in>.
—Dr. Nanditha Krishna
Honorary Director
C.P. Ramaswami
Aiyar Foundation
Chennai, India
<nankrishna@vsnl.com>
Honduras dogs
Once again during the two-
week spring vacation the janitors and
cleaning ladies at the Honduran National
University left rat poison out and killed a
dozen or so cats plus at least six dogs.
Last year they killed more than
30 cats and 20 dogs. I talked to the rec-
tor, to the two local newspapers, to one
of the radio stations, and to the two other
animal protection groups in Honduras,
but nothing was ever done.
I will talk to the politicians
next. What else can be done?
––Sherry (Pilar) Thorn
Helping Hands for
Hounds of Honduras
ADDO 30289 Toncontin
Tegucigalpa, Honduras
<pilar_birds@yahoo.com>
Cyprus bears
Following successful lobbying
campaigns that saw the Cyprus authori-
ties close the dolphinarium at the Ayia
Napa tourist resort and ban cetacean
imports, we began a similar campaign
regarding zoos, seeking enforcement of
the European Union Zoo Directive.
We gained the release of two
brown bears, Midas and Noah, who had
spent their entire 14 years sliding around
in a cage slippery with urine at the
Limassol Zoo.
The World Society for
Protection of Animals kindly agreed to
foot the expense of airlifting the bears to
a sanctuary in Hungary, where they will
learn what grass and trees are, and will
be able to splash in a pool and play with
other bears.
We achieved these victories
without funding and with no paid staff.
––Patricia Radnor Kyriacou
Animal Responsibility Cyprus
P.O. Box 6986
3311 Limassol
Cyprus
<Arc.kivotos@cytanet.com.cy>
Macchu Picchu
I recently returned from a trip
to Lima, Cuzco, and Machu Picchu,
Peru. While I enjoyed the magnificent
beauty of the area, my heart felt heavy at
the sight of many starving and diseased
animals, particularly dogs.
Many people visit Machu
Picchu, hoping for spiritual transforma-
tions in their lives. Yet some of the most
spiritual beings on the planet are
extremely ignored and neglected.
––Yvonne Dufrene
Luling, Louisiana
The Editor replies:
Machu Picchu draws 250,000-
plus visitors per year. Virtually all of
them pass through the Cuzco airport and
the Machu Picchu railway station.
A s ANIMAL PEOPLE s u g –
gested in early 1999, and has continued
to suggest at every opportunity since,
liosks at the airport and railway station
should be able to solicit sufficient dona –
tions and sell enough animal-related sou –
venirs to sustain the best-funded humane
program south of the U.S. border.
The program should consist of
a fixed-site no-kill animal shelter and
hospital in Cuzco, providing free steril –
ization, vaccination, and basic veteri –
nary care, plus a mobile clinic, which
would traverse the Sacred Valley of the
Incas weekly, with stops at the Pisac
marketplace (the major center of com –
merce between Cuzco and Machu
Picchu), Urubamba (the major tourist
stopover for meals and accommodation),
Ollantaytambo (known as “the city of the
cats” because of the ancient role of small
wild cats in guarding the Andean royal
granaries there), and Aguas Calientes,
the departure point for the bus service up
the mountain to the Machu Picchu ruin.
ANIMAL PEOPLE estimated
that such a project would need one full –
time vet, two vet techs (one to manage
the Cuzco clinic and one to travel with
the mobile clinic), a business manager,
and a pair of fundraisers, one to handle
each kiosk (Cuzco and Machu Picchu).
Big dogs in Beijing
More than 200,000
dogs live in Beijing who are
larger than permitted by the
Impementation Guide to the
Beijing Dog Keeping Regul-
ation issued by the Beijing
Municipal Government in
October 2003. The regulation
prohibits keeping dogs who are
taller than 35 centimeters
(about 18 inches), excluding
the head. Their previous
licenses expired on June 30.
From July 1, the police are to
seize dogs who do not have a
new license.
Animal Rescue Bei-
jing held a forum on violence
and big dogs on June 11, 2005
in the Beijing Guodu Pet Park.
More than 200 pet dog keepers
attended, with enthusiam even
hotter than the temperature.
A dozen news media
covered the forum, but only
one newspaper published a
report. We learned later that
the city legal department noted
that the issue of big dogs was
sensitive and forbade publica-
tion of articles about the big
dog issue in local media.
I think letters to the
Olympic Organizing Commit-
tee in Beijing will be most
effective, c/o <international@-
beijing-olympic.org.cn> and
< e n v i r o n m e n t @ b e i j i n g –
olympic.org.cn>.
––Irene Zhang
Animal Rescue Beijing
Beijing, China
<irenezy@yahoo.com>
