Zoos & Aquariums

March 1, 1993 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, March 1993:

The proposed marine mammal

exhibit at Colorado’s Ocean Journey, a

theme park planned for Denver, took a blow

January 20 when Animal Rights Mobiliz-

ation revealed that two veterinarians

involved in the project have records of vio-

lating marine mammal care standards. Dr.

Gregory Bossart was the veterinarian of

record at Ocean World in Fort Lauderdale,

Florida, 1987-1991, when it was cited

repeatedly for dolphin care violations, while

Dr. Jay Sweeney was barred from practicing

in Florida for his part in the illegal capture

of two dolphins for the Baltimore Aquarium.

COURT CALENDAR

March 1, 1993 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, March 1993:

Humane Enforcement

Houston police and animal con-

trol officers on January 2 seized 16 pit bulls

at the scene of a dogfight––the fourth big

dogfighting bust in the U.S. in two months.

Simultaneous raids on January

1 7 netted 35 spectators at a cockfight in

Mossy, West Virginia, and five alleged

cockfight organizers in Gilroy, California,

where more than 500 fighting cocks were

seized. About 20 to 25 people evaded the

police in West Virginia, and an estimated 60

got away in California.

ANIMAL CONTROL & RESCUE

March 1, 1993 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, March 1993:

Los Angeles County on January 5 became the

largest and most populous jurisdiction in the U.S. to require

cat licensing. Cats must wear either collar identification or

ear tags. The new ordinance is modeled after ordinances

already in effect in Carson and Lomita, California, but

enforcibility remains in doubt. The ordinance was passed at

the urging of Citizens for Sheltered Animals, who argue

that it will reduce the euthanasia rate for cats picked up by

animal control: 39,000 of 42,000 in 1992.

Zoocheck Canada seeks letters supporting pas-

sage of the Ontario Animal Welfare Act, eight years in

development, “which would license and set standards for

the care and keeping of animals in zoos, aquaria, wildlife

displays, pet stores, pounds and shelters, breeding and

boarding establishments, and native wildlife rehabilitation

centers.” Address Bob Rae, Office of the Premier,

Legislative Bldg., Room 281, Queen’s Park, Toronto,

Ontario M7A 1A1.

Animal Health & Behavior

March 1, 1993 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, March 1993:

Studying the relationship between brain evolution and the death of fetal cells, University of

Tennessee researcher Dr. Robert Williams has discovered that cat species seem to have an unusual capacity for

fast biological adaptation to suit their circumstances. All mammals seem to select adaptive capabilities through

the death of up to half of their neural brain cells just before birth, enabling the remainder to grow, but cats shed as

many as 80% of their fetal neurons––and this explains the key differences between domestic cat brains and those

of Spanish wildcats. Williams studied the brains of domestic cats and Spanish wildcats who had been euthanized

due to illness and/or injury.

Zoos & Aquariums

December 1, 1992 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, December 1992:

The American Association of

Zoological Parks and Aquariums

announced November 6 that it would rein-

state the accreditation of the Columbus Zoo

in Columbus, Ohio, effective January 1.

The zoo and former director Jack Hanna

were suspended in April for violating the

AAZPA code of ethics by importing two

pandas from China for an exhibit that closed

in September after attracting 925,000 of the

zoo’s 1.5 million visitors. AAZPA con-

tends––along with most other wildlife pro-

tection advocates––that China’s panda

rentals are not in the best interest of either

the species or the individual animals. A

week after the AAZPA announcement, the

Columbus Zoo executive committee named

Hanna “director emeritus” and replaced him

with longtime general manager Gerald

Borin.

Wildlife

December 1, 1992 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, December 1992:

The World Wildlife Fund and

the National Wildlife Federation on

November 13 asked Interior Secretary

Manuel Lujan to impose trade sanctions on

China, Taiwan, South Korea, and Yemen

for permitting traffic in rhinocerous horns.

The wild black rhino population has plunged

from 65,000 to 2,000 since 1970.

The California condor who was

found dead October 8 suffered kidney fail-

ure from drinking antifreeze, the U.S. Fish

and Wildlife Service has determined. The

condor was one of the first two to be

released into the wild after an intensive cap-

tive breeding program. Sixty-two California

condors remain in captivity, six of whom

are scheduled for release this month.

Fur

December 1, 1992 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, December 1992:

The Dutch Advertising

Standards Authority has upheld allega-

tions of misleading advertising leveled

against the fur trade by the anti-fur group

Bont Voor Diren [Fur For Animals.] The

Standards Authority ruled that,

“Considering the way fur is being produced,

by means of unnatural catch in the wild

often by means of a leghold trap, fur farms,

and as byproduct of factory farming for the

production of meat, it cannot be maintained

that fur is ‘ecological’…According to the

judgement of the authority, the production

of fur has nothing to do with the natural

relations that exist between animals and the

environment they live in. Nor can the pro-

cessing of fur be called ecological or envi-

ronmentally friendly, since materials are

used that damage the environment.” Earlier,

the Standards Authority ruled that the fur

trade couldn’t describe the welfare of ani-

mals on fur farms as “excellent.”

Performing Animals

December 1, 1992 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, December 1992:

Greyhound racing profits in New England

are sharply down, hurt in part by publicity surrounding

abuse cases at the Lakes Region, Green Mountain, and

Raynham raceways. Betting at Raynham was off 9%

this year from last, and down 26% from the peak

reached in 1989. Receipts at the Plainfield raceway

were down 22% from last year. Some New England

trainers have begun sending their dogs to Brazil, where

greyhound racing is just catching on.

The American Humane Association has given

the Warner Brothers film Pure Country a “questionable”

rating because of rodeo scenes. The film stars George

Strait and Leslie Ann Warren.

An occasional novelty since the 1930s,

female bullfighters are now the rage in Spanish rings.

One, 20-year-old Cristina Sanchez, is expected to

become the first Spanish woman to achieve the rank of

matador.

CHILDREN & ANIMALS

December 1, 1992 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, December 1992:

Serbian soldier Borislav Herak, 21, who may

become the first person executed for war crimes since 1945,

told New York Times reporter John Burns in November that

senior personnel taught him to kill by having him assist in

cutting pigs’ throats. Herak is charged with murdering 29

Moslem civilians between July and late October, and has

confessed to participating in more than 220 murders––most

of the victims women and children, many of them killed in

connection with rape. Herak, captured in mid-November

by Bosnian troops, goes to trial this month.

The first known controlled clinical trial of thera-

py and education involving animals, conducted by the

University of Pennsylvania, has confirmed what pet therapy

and classroom pet advocates have insisted all along: that

children learn more readily in the presence of other species.

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