Letters [March 2009]

March 1, 2009 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, March 2009:

Supplements stink
Re “Estrogen supplements double cancer risk,” in the
January/February 2009 edition of ANIMAL PEOPLE: estrogen suppements
based on pregnant mares’ urine are not only harmful for women’s
health, but also cause women who take them to have a bad body odor.
They smell like horse urine. You can always tell when a woman is
taking the estrogen supplements because of the bad odor she has. If
you are anywhere within 10 feet of such a woman you can smell it.
If estrogen supplements make a woman stink, can they be any
good for her health? There are natural supplements that are safe and
good for the health. Horse urine is not something that people should
put in their bodies. People are not horses, and horse hormones are
an unnatural, biologically harmful substance for people.
–Elaine Woodriff
Petaluma, CA
<ew0220@sonic.net>

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Letters

USDA probes claim that saliva test can reduce post-mortem rabies tests

March 1, 2009 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, March 2009:
AMES, Iowa–A company called Dyne Immune created web buzz on
February 3, 2009 that a new saliva test to detect rabies might end
the need to confirm suspected cases through post-mortem
examination–but the enthusiasm expressed by rescuers without
veterinary background was not shared by rabies experts, ANIMAL
PEOPLE learned within minutes of receiving the Dyne Immune
announcement and making inquiries.
“No more killing an animal just in case!” exulted one poster
to an online discussion group.

Australian Bushfire Victims

March 1, 2009 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, March 2009:

Chris Towie, M.D. 53, was killed by bushfire on his land
at Reedy Creek, near Broadford, Australia, on February 7, 2009.
“It is believed he was trying to save his animals,” reported the
Melbourne Herald-Sun. Partially deaf, Towie was known for
confronting bureaucracy on behalf of immigrants, the disabled, and
the disadvantaged, and for demanding that more be done to fight
methadrine addiction. Animals were also among his priorities.
“Every animal he found he took home,” Broadmeadows medical clinic
manager Cheryl Ferguson told Carol Nader of the Melbourne Age. The
animals whom Towie died defending reportedly included several camels,
emus, horses, a pony, five dogs, and many birds.

Obituaries [March 2009]

March 1, 2009 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, March 2009:

Tony Gregory, 61, longtime vice president of the Irish
Council Against Blood Sports and member of the Dail, the Irish
parliament, since 1982, died on January 2, 2009. Gregory was
also a member of the Dublin city council, 1979-2004. Recalled ICAB
president Philip Kiernan, “In 1993, he courageously brought a
private member’s bill to outlaw hare coursing. Sadly, only sixteen
[other members] supported it, some of whom defied their party whip to
do so. Tony informed himself very well on the issues, observing
hare coursing, fox hunting, and carted deer hunts first hand. Once
coming across a badger sett illegally blocked by a foxhunt club, he
rowed in and helped to unblock the sett, going on to face down the
hunt and remonstrate with them.”

Obituaries

BOOKS: Pets ‘N’ Us

March 1, 2009 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, March 2009:

Pets ‘N’ Us by Purnima L. Toolsidass
in consultation with Debasis Chakrabarti
Allied Publishers (www.allliedpublishers.com), 2008.
264 pages, paperback.

“The purpose of Pets ‘N’ Us,” author Purnima L. Toolsidass
told ANIMAL PEOPLE, “is to make people who have pets–or plan to get
one–more sensitive to their needs, and more conscious of their
responsibilities. I wanted people to think of using pets as a
therapy for helping stressed children or unhappy adults. I wanted
them to know that pets can be fun and be a great source of comfort.
I read out every point to Debasis Chakrabarti, since he is an animal
psychologist and an expert on dogs.”

REVIEWS: American Coyote: Still Wild at Heart

March 1, 2009 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, March 2009:

American Coyote: Still Wild at Heart
30-minute documentary by Melissa Peabody
Distributed by Project Coyote, a program of Earth Island Institute,
c/o P.O. Box 5007, Larkspur, CA 94977; 415-945-3232; www.projectcoyote.org

American Coyote: Still Wild at Heart is a 30-minute edition
of a documentary that debuted in 2007 as the 55-minute DVD release
San Francisco: Still Wild At Heart, and was later screened at the
2008 United Nations Association Film Festival. A three-minute
trailer, Bernal Hill: Still Wild at Heart, aired in 2008 at the
Bernal Hill Outdoor Cinema.
Videographer Melissa Peabody came to coyotes as her focal
subject after editing wildlife programs for Animal Planet, producing
educational videos for Stanford University, and a three-year stint
with KRON-TV, the San Francisco NBC affiliate.

Endowment restrictions causes Massachusetts SPCA to close three shelters

March 1, 2009 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, March 2009:
BOSTON–Downsizing for the second time in five years, the
Massachusetts SPCA on February 5, 2009 announced the closure of
shelters in Brockton, Martha’s Vineyard, and Springfield,
effective May 1. Thirty-eight staff will be laid off and eight
vacant positions will be eliminated.
The MSPCA will continue to operate shelters and animal
hospitals in Boston, Centerville, Methuen, and Nantucket.
MSPCA spokesperson Brian Adams told media that any animals
who are not adopted from the Brockton, Martha’s Vineyard, and
Springfield shelters before they close will be transferred to the
shelters that remain open.

BOOKS: Top 100 Birding Sites of the World

March 1, 2009 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, March 2009:

Top 100 Birding Sites of the World
by Dominic Couzens
Univ. of Calif. Press (2120 Berkeley Way, Berkeley, CA 94704-1012), 2008.
320 pages, illustrated. $45.00.

Just a year after publication of the first edition of Dominic
Couzens’ Top 100 Birding Sites of the World, now reprinted in an
expanded edition, climatic change has transformed three of the ten I
have been fortunate enough to visit.
Keoladeo Ghana National Park at Bharatpur, India, is badly
depleted by drought, though the Indian government hopes to restore
it by piping in water.
The Florida Everglades, also drying out, are now home to
increasingly abundant feral pythons. The pythons prey upon the
resident alligators, who are the major predators of Everglades
wading birds. Since big snakes have consumed crocodilians in most
crocodilians habitat for the past hundred million years, the only
surprise is that big snakes of some sort didn’t reach the Everglades
sooner.

Impeachment of Illinois governor did not surprise SHARK

March 1, 2009 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, March 2009:

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois–When the Illinois Senate impeached
governor Rod Blagojevich for abuse of power on January 29, 2009, by
a vote of 59-0, Showing Animals Respect & Kindness founder Steve
Hindi could say “I told you so.” Hindi had accused the Blagojevich
administration of corruption via the SHARK web site since July 2006.
Hindi fingered Blagojevich himself and senior officials at
the Illinois Department of Agriculture, the Illinois State Police,
and the office of the Illinois State’s Attorney after they refused to
prosecute cruelty to animals captured on videotape by SHARK
investigators at the 2006 Illinois High School Rodeo Association
finals in Springfield, the Illinoi state capital.

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