Serenity Springs cofounder Nick Sculac convicted

October 1, 2010 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, October 2010:
(Actual press date November 3.)

COLORADO SPRINGS–Serenity Springs Wildlife Center cofounder
Nick Sculac, 60, was on October 26, 2010 sentenced to serve six
years in a halfway house, with probation possible in six to eight
months. The conviction was Sculac’s third for felony theft, but
Colorado mandates a life sentence for a third felony conviction only
if the felonies involve violence.
“When a volunteer was mauled by a tiger last year,”
explained R. Scott Rappold of the Colorado Springs Gazette, Sculac
bilked the man out of $40,500 by falsely claiming– according to
court documents–that he faced fines from the U.S. Department of
Agriculture and that amount was his share. The USDA is still
investigating the April 2009 mauling and has not issued a fine. The
Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined the sanctuary
$7,000,” Rappold added.

Wisconsin Wildlife Federation seeks cruelty charges against alleged snow machine “hunters”

October 1, 2010 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, October 2010:
(Actual press date November 3.)

APPLETON–Asking that felony animal cruelty charges be
reinstated against three men who admitted to running down six deer
with snow machines on January 9, 2009 near Lind, Wisconsin, the
Wisconsin Wildlife Federation and attorney Michael J. Cain contend
in a friend-of-the-court brief filed in mid-October 2010 with the
Wisconsin Fourth District Court of Appeals that two Waupaca County
judges erred in holding that the men could not be charged with
cruelty because the state Department of Nat-ural Resources charged
them with game law violations.

North Dakota rejects initiative that would have banned canned hunts of deer & elk

October 1, 2010 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, October 2010:
(Actual press date November 3.)

BISMARCK–North Dakota voters on November 2, 2010 defeated
Initiated Measure 2, which would have banned shooting elk and deer
inside high-fence enclosures.
With 434 of 505 precincts reporting, the attempt to ban
so-called canned hunts trailed by 24,911 votes, failing by a margin
of 56% to 44%.

Video of singer killing tame bear may have helped in eastern N.D.

October 1, 2010 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, October 2010:
(Actual press date November 3.)
GRAND FORKS–North Dakota ballot Measure 2, seeking to ban
hunting deer and elk within high fences, failed statewide but passed
in the eastern third of the state.
Contributing to the regional split in the North Dakota voting
may have been intensive local exposure during the week before the
November 2010 election of a videotape of country music star Troy
Gentry illegally killing a tame black bear named Cubby at a Minnesota
game farm in 2004.

Record $7 million verdict in pit bull fatality case & related legal updates

September 1, 2010 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, September 2010:
(published October 5, 2010)
HENDERSON, Texas–A Rusk County District Court jury on
September 17, 2010 held pit bull terrier owners Rick and Christi
George of Leveritt’s Chapel responsible for a record $7 million in
damages for allowing their two dogs to escape and kill skateboarder
Justin Clinton, 10, on June 15, 2009. “The jury heard evidence
from 46 witnesses and viewed 125 exhibits which documented the
vicious attack and conduct of these two animals,” attorney Cynthia
Kent told ANIMAL PEOPLE.
“Although several defense witnesses testified that they had
never seen the dogs act aggressively and one even referred to the
dogs as ‘lovable little fluff balls,’ law enforcement officers and
other witnesses testified to the dogs’ vicious and aggressive nature
as compared to other breeds,” Kent added. Kent, representing the
victim’s family, was previously a district judge in Tyler, Texas.
Soon after the fatal attack Kent announced that she would pursue the
passage of legislation to restrict or prohibit breeding or keeping
pit bulls.

E.U adopts new rules for lab animal care & use

September 1, 2010 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, September 2010:
(published October 5, 2010)
STRASBOURG–The European Parliament on Sept-ember 8, 2010
ratified an updated edition of the 25-year-old European Union rules
for animal use in laboratories. Member nations have two years to
establish compliance.
The new rules state that “When an alternative to animal
testing can be found it must be used.” Animal researchers are now
required to keep written histories of each individual non-human
primate, dog or cat used in experiments to document that their
welfare needs are met.

Fur trade thwarts anti-fur legislation

September 1, 2010 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, September 2010:
(published October 5, 2010)
BRUSSELS, TEL AVIV, SACRAMENTO–Fur trade lawyers and
lobbyists three times in less than 40 days kept anti-fur legislation
from taking effect.
The European Union ban on imports of seal products, mostly
pelts, officially took effect on August 20, 2010, more than a year
after final passage in July 2009, but the European Court of Justice
on August 19 stayed enforcement against the plaintiffs in a lawsuit
seeking to overturn the ban, brought by the Canadian Seal Marketing
Group, the Fur Institute of Canada, NuTan Furs, the Inuit
Circumpolar Conference Greenland, and GC Reiber Skinn AS of Norway,
as well as individual hunters and trappers. Among them, the
plaintiffs include most of the sealing industry. The General Court
gave them until September 7 to file arguments against the ban. A
verdict is due before the start of the 2011 Atlantic Canada sealing
season.

Alleged rhino poaching gang served trophy hunters as well as Asian medicinal demand

September 1, 2010 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, September 2010:
(published October 5, 2010)

JOHANNESBURG–Startling photos of the
September 22, 2010 arraignment of 11 alleged
members of an international rhino poaching
syndicate reached the world despite the
officially unexplained efforts of police to keep
photographers out.
News photographers Werner Beukes of the
South African Press Agency, Herman Verwey of
Beeld, and Lewellyn Carstens of the South
African Broadcasting Corporation were detained
for 45 minutes and one of them was roughed up by
police, according to the South African National
Editors’ Forum. No motive for the police action
was offered.

NACA & Philippines move against gassing

September 1, 2010 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, September 2010:
(published October 5, 2010)

KANSAS CITY, MANILA–Gassing homeless animals moved closer
toward abolition worldwide on September 15, 2010 when the U.S.
National Animal Control Association withdrew approval of gassing,
three weeks after Philippine Department of Agriculture secretary
Proceso Alcala deleted gassing with automotive exhaust fumes from the
Philippine Revised Rules & Regulations on the Euthanasia of Animals.
Alcala referred the proposed administrative rule that would have
authorized gassing with exhaust back to the departmental committee on
animal welfare for reconsideration. Philippine animal control
agencies are still allowed to kill animals with bottled carbon
monoxide or carbon dioxide.

« 1 … 21 22 23 24 25 … 169 »