From ANIMAL PEOPLE, April 2006:

Kite-fighting

Concerning your January/ February 2006
article “Kites vs. kite-birds & other species in
the skies of India & Pakistan,” kite-flying is
very popular in sub-continental Asia. But due to
kite-fighting, hundreds of thousands of birds
lose their lives. Kite-fighters use monofilament
“chemical” thread for flying kites. Countless
birds become entangled and injured, and often
die slowly from hunger, thirst, and infected
wounds.
The Animal Save Movement appeals to the
governments of Pakistan and India to immediately
ban monofilament thread for kite-flying.
–Khalid Mahmood Qurashi
President
Animal Save Movement
H.#1094/2, Hussain Agahi
Multan, Pakistan 60000
Phone: 92-61-549623
<thetension@hotmail.com>

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From ANIMAL PEOPLE, March 2006:

Hoarding cases

In declining to hear the Jenny Jones hoarding case [as
described in “U.S. Supreme Court endorses seizure of hoarded
animals,” March 2006], the Supreme Court did not uphold the right
of humane societies and animal control agencies to seize animals from
alleged hoarders and charge convicted hoarders for their care. It
did not uphold anything. The Court simply refused to hear the case,
as it refuses to hear all but a small percentage of cases brought to
it.
–Steve Wise
Boston, Massachusetts
<WiseBoston@aol.com>

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From ANIMAL PEOPLE, January/February 2006:

Scoring system

This letter is to address reviewer Kim Bartlett’s concerns
about the numerical scoring system for slaughterhouse evaluation that
I described in my book Animals In Translation. She was concerned
that many animals would suffer because a plant can pass even when it
makes some mistakes. Audits by restaurants that hold a plant to a
numerical standard have resulted in great improvements. The audit
criteria allow a plant to pass if 1% of the cattle fall down. In
2005, the 20 largest beef plants that were audited by more than one
restaurant company had 0% of the cattle falling. Cattle slipped in
only three plants. These plants have been in the audit system for
five years. This is a big improvement compared to my 1996
pre-restaurant audit data in 11 beef and veal plants. In two plants
(18%) a total of 8% and 12% of the animals fell down.
Reducing vocalization (moos and bellows) from distressed
cattle has also been greatly reduced. In 1996, the worst plant had
35% of the cattle vocalizing and in 2005 the worst vocalization score
out of 43 plants was 6%. In the 20 most heavily audited beef plants
the worst vocalization score was only 3%.
In 2005 the average scores for the heavily audited beef plants were:

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From ANIMAL PEOPLE, December 2005:

Irish greyhounds

I am concerned that people reading your November 2005 article
“How Irish dog racers muzzle humane critics” will think that Limerick
Animal Welfare takes money from the Irish Greyhound Racing Board, or
that we in some way support the greyhound racing industry. Limerick
Animal Welfare is opposed to greyhound racing, as it encourages the
overbreeding and abuse of greyhounds. Indeed I have just bought
some greyhound coats for our next protest which state “Race Cars not
Dogs.”
We cannot speak for other welfare organizations, and it is
unfortunate that some have decided to accept money from the Greyhound
Racing Board. This gives the board the opportunity to say that they
are working with welfare groups and saving many greyhounds.
Unfortunately, the amount expended on greyhound welfare by the Board
is a pittance despite the huge government subsidies they receive.
Limerick Animal Welfare has been rescuing greyhounds and
lurchers from dog pounds and other sites for 12 years. Avalon, the
greyhound sanctuary, of which I am a director, has done this work
for at least eight years. Avalon usually shelters 75 greyhounds and
lurchers.

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From ANIMAL PEOPLE, November 2005:

PetSmart & live animal sales

Regarding PetSmart’s Luv-A-Pet Adoption Centers, described
in your September 2005 edition, and the October 2005 letter from
PetSmart Charities vice president Susana M. Della Maddalena, I
sincerely appreciate all that PetSmart Charities does for dogs and
cats, but implore PetSmart to reconsider selling other animals as
merchandise.
Birds, reptiles, fish and small mammals deserve the same
respect as dogs and cats. Petco, pressured by PETA and other animal
rights groups, in April 2005 agreed to stop selling large parrots.
Should we now campaign against PetSmart?
–Tami Myers
The Angry Parrot, Inc
P.O. Box 442
Thorndike, MA 01079
Phone: 413-283-5039
<Tami@thebeakretreat.com>
<www.theangryparrot.org>

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From ANIMAL PEOPLE, October 2005:

Dave Garcia

I just read your tribute to the work done by Dave Garcia and
cried (again) at the possible loss of this man who was an inspiration
in his dedication to stopping animal suffering. He was an
outstanding teacher, with years of experience in
humane investigation, that must not be lost.
There is not one of us who has not made errors in youth that
we wish we could correct. Dave Garcia chose to make his reparation
to society through the thousands of helpless, voiceless victims he
saved and the prosecutions he won for them.
I have implored Dave to continue to be available to share
his lifetime of knowledge with those who must carry on this effort,
especially against illegal animal fighting, through allowing me to
make an instructional film to preserve his knowledge and experience
so that it will never be lost.
I hope he will read what you wrote and realize that he is
still an important friend and ally to many of us-both two and
four-legged.

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From ANIMAL PEOPLE, September 2005:

PETA in N.C.

I read and re-read your July/August 2005
article “PETA staffers face 62 felony cruelty
counts in North Carolina.”
A central aspect of the case is the
pervasive arrogance underlying so much PETA
behavior -“We know best, the opinions of others
don’t count, we are not interested in your
ideas, we don’t listen to you but we do want
your money.”
Profound and constant arrogance comes through again and again.
-Irene Muschel
New York, N.Y.
<benirv@hotmail.com>

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From ANIMAL PEOPLE, July/August 2005:

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 anything 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 perpetrate upon His glorious
creation.
–Dave Thorpe
Cape Town, South Africa
<davidbthorpe@yahoo.com>

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From ANIMAL PEOPLE, June 2005:

Woodpecker

Wow! Your May editorial “Lessons from
finding the ivory-billed woodpecker” is
phenomenal.
When someone sent me the news about the
‘rediscovered’ bird, I responded with the
following rant:
“Conservationists” who endorsed the
poisoning of Anacapa, accepting as collateral
damage the loss of rare species such as the
burrowing owl and the Anacapa deer mouse, may
also have wiped out an unrediscovered “extinct”
species.
We have proof that the National Park
Service poisoned a species of bird they didn’t
even know was on the island. They also did not
do a DNA test on the poor Anacapa Island rat, a
uniquely adapted population, genetically
isolated for two centuries.

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