Hunting

April 1, 1995 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, April 1995:

Caught in a crossfire of conflicting duties, California

Department of Fish and Wildlife director Boyd Gibbons resigned on

February 23 under pressure from governor Pete Wilson. Gibbons, on

the job for three years, was embarrassed February 14 when 1994 war-

den-of-the-year Will Bishop testified to the state Senate that political

favoritism had sabotaged his efforts to protect endangered salmon stocks.

The Indiana Natural Resources Commission on February 24

tentatively approved opening the state park system to hunts to reduce

animal populations, if the state Department of Natural Resources can

prove the alleged overpopulation has done ecological harm.

California assemblyman David Knowles has introduced a

bill to repeal Proposition 117, the 1990 referendum measure that banned

puma hunting.

Religion & Animals

April 1, 1995 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, April 1995:

The 83-member Union Hill Cumber-

land Presbyterian Church, of Limestone County,

Georgia, raised $2,500 by hosting the February 18

Bigfoot Hollow Coonhunt. “It’s reaching the young

people with the Gospel of the Lord Jesus,” said the

Reverend Charles Hood, oblivious that Jesus never

in any way endorsed killing for sport.

Losing popularity to the Catholic

Church, the only major nongovernmental institu-

tion in Cuba, Cuban dictator Fidel Castro has

reportedly encouraged a revival of Santeria,

because, as Newsweek recently put it, “It has no

institutions to rival the state.” However, livestock

for Santerian sacrifice are in short supply.

COURT CALENDAR

January 1, 1995 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, Jan/Feb 1995:

Humane enforcement

Charro rodeo horse trainer Jesus

Quinonez, 24, pleaded not guilty to two misde-

meanor cruelty counts on December 7 in Denver.

Quinonez allegedly beat a 2-year-old horse with a

board on October 10. By October 14 the horse was

partially paralyzed, ostensibly from an accident, and

Quinonez kicked and punched him for not getting up.

The case has drawn national attention through a mail-

ing by Animal Rights Mobilization.

Officials in San Bruno, California, on

December 8 asked San Mateo County Superior Court

to apply a law usually used to make property owners

maintain debris-strewn land to alleged animal collec-

tor Ruth Harris, 71, who has repeatedly violated a

court order to obey the city limit of four cats per

household since 1991. More than 100 diseased cats

have been removed from Harris’ feces-saturated

home in four separate raids. To be heard January 6,

the motion if granted will bar Harris from owning

any cats and will allow authorities to spot-check the

house at random to insure compliance.

COURT CALENDAR

November 1, 1994 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, November 1994:

Collector cases

A 32-year-old man from Barrie,

Ontario, drew five years in prison on October 5

for three counts of sexual abuse and one of

obstructing justice, while his female companion,

33, drew two years for obstructing justice. In

November 1991 the pair locked the woman’s four

girls and a boy in a feces-filled basement for 18

months, along with 19 cats and four dogs, after

police visited the home to question the man about

allegedly anally raping the two oldest girls, then

nine and 10. The children were discovered, res-

cued, and placed in foster care in April 1993.

Performing animals

November 1, 1994 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, November 1994:

The Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus is reportedly close to

purchasing a 200-acre site northeast of Polk City, Florida, as a retirement colony for 50

elephants and possibly several lions and tigers who were retired from performing with the

retirement of longtime trainer Gunther Gebel-Williams in 1991. Ringling already owns a

35-acre animal retirement site elsewhere in Levy County. In other Ringling news, the

circus is splitting two new touring units off from the two that visit 95 U.S. cities a

year––one to tour South America, the other to tour Asia. The new units will be the first

Ringling shows to perform under tents since 1956, when the U.S. units turned to indoor

arenas.

The 1,100-mile Iditarod sled dog race lost yet another major sponsor on

September 25 when Timberland, a primary backer since 1987, announced it would cease

annual funding of about $390,000 because the association didn’t “translate well” to many

customers. Iams pulled out on September 13.

Pigeons not animals

October 1, 1994 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, October 1994:

HEGINS, Pennsylvania––The Fund for

Animals is urging activists to send copies of the

dictionary definition of “animal” to Pennsylvania

State Police Commissioner Glenn Walp, for refus-

ing to charge participants and staff at the Hegins

pigeon shoot with animal abuse. Walp said his

legal advisors are uncertain if pigeons are “ani-

mals” and therefore protected by state law.

The Hegins shoot, held each Labor Day

since 1934, went on as scheduled this year after the

Pennsylvania Supreme Court on September 2

rejected an appeal of a lower court’s refusal to issue

an injunction to stop it. The shoot organizers

refused an offer of $70,000 to call it off, delivered

by Rutgers Animal Rights Law Clinic director Gary

Francione on behalf of an anonymous donor. The

shoot raises about $20,000 a year for the Hegins

recreation department, but costs almost as much to

run––and far more when the cost of the state troop-

ers who provide security is factored in. The offer

was controversial in animal protection circles

because the shoot organizers might have demanded

similar amounts to call off future shoots.

Performing animals

October 1, 1994 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, October 1994:

California governor Pete Wilson on August 29 signed a bill banning the inten-

tional tripping of horses in entertainment, a standard feature of charreada rodeo.

“Tripping and roping a horse is no different than what is done to steers and calves in Anglo

rodeos,” objected Los Angeles assemblyman Richard Polanco. “I agree,” responded Eric

Mills of Action for Animals. “Perhaps he would carry a bill to outlaw calf roping next year?”

Iams Co., the second-biggest sponsor of the 1,100-mile Iditarod dog sled race,

announced on September 13 that it will discontinue involvement after the 1995 race because

the organizers have not addressed their concerns about dog safety during the event.

Thailand on August 29 formed a working group to fight cruelty to animals at

tourist attractions. Included are representatives of the Royal Forestry Department, the

Tourist Police, the Tourism Authority, and conservation groups.

Killing for the hell of it

September 1, 1994 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, September 1994:

A federal anti-hunter harassment statute

tucked into the Crime Bill is likely to stay there––and

pass––as the Clinton administration strives to get

around National Rifle Association opposition to the

Crime Bill as a whole, which would ban 19 types of

assault rifle. The NRA on August 10 claimed credit

for temporarily defeating the Crime Bill on a proce-

dural vote in the House of Representatives.

The Senate version of the California

Desert Protection Act, passed in April, would cre-

ate an East Mojave National Park between the Joshua

Tree and Death Valley National Monuments, which

are to be upgraded to National Park status––meaning

a ban on hunting. However, in a move of symbolic

import to the NRA, the House version passed on July

27 downgrades East Mojave to the status of a

National Preserve, to allow hunting. National Park

Service director Roger Kennedy pointed out that

because preserves require more staff than parks, the

House version will cost $500,000 more per year to

run. Since hunters kill an average of only 26 deer and

five bighorn sheep per year in East Mojave, Kennedy

said, this amounts to “a subsidy of $20,000 per deer.”

A House/Senate conference committee must reconcile

the conflicting versions before the bill goes back to

both the Senate and House for final passage.

RODEO

September 1, 1994 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, September 1994:

California Assembly Bill 49x, to ban

horse–tripping––a staple of charro rodeo – – at

deadline awaited only governor Pete Wilson’s

signature to become law. Calls of support for the

bill may be made to 916-445-2864.

The Animal Rights Foundation of

Florida asks that letters protesting Dr. Pepper’s

use of rodeo themes in ads be sent to John Clark,

Senior V.P. for Advertising, Dr. Pepper USA,

8144 Walnut Hill Lane, Dallas, TX 75231.

Members of In Defense of Animals

attempted a sit-in August 12 to protest a cattle

drive through the streets of Napa, California,

held to promote the Napa Town and Country Fair

rodeo. They were nearly trampled––along with

spectators––when the supposedly expert cowboys

lost control of the herd of 25 longhorn steers

about a block before reaching the demonstrators.

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