ANIMAL PEOPLE CRACKS CASE: USDA halts sales of Canadian dogs and cats to U.S. labs

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, May 1993:

WASHINGTON D.C.––Confirming leads gathered by ANIMAL PEO-
PLE editor Merritt Clifton during a 13-year probe, the U.S. Department of
Agriculture in mid-April sealed the Canadian border to imports of dogs and cats for
laboratory use. All Class B animal dealers known to have imported dogs and cats
from Canada were advised in writing that such animals cannot be certified as to ori-
gin in compliance with the Animal Welfare Act.
As many as 2,000 dogs and 6,000 cats have been imported from Canada
each year for resale by Class B dealers. Most come from privately operated pounds
that hold municipal animal control contracts––the majority in Quebec. Rural auc-
tions are another significant source, and still other dogs and cats are stolen.

Read more

$25,000 & up for lifelong care

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, May 1993:

HOUSTON, Texas––Texas A&M University
on March 26 dedicated an animal shelter, of sorts. For an
endowment of $25,000 per cat or dog, and $50,000 per
horse, the Stevenson Companion Animal Life-Care Center
will keep an animal for the rest of his or her life, after the
owner dies. The animals will be used to study how ani-
mals bond to humans and what role facilities and caretak-
ers play in their well-being, according to associate director
Sally Knight. “The center was developed in response to a
real need in the human community,” Knight said, adding
that 25 to 30 animals are already enrolled.

Lifelong Friends

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, May 1993:

ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico––It isn’t easy
to pay rent, buy food, and keep a pet on just $500 a
month, but hundreds of New Mexico senior citizens do it,
with the help of the five-year-old Lifelong Friends pro-
gram, a project of Sangre de Cristo Animal Protection.
Coordinated from Albuquerque by Shirley Hendrickson,
Lifelong Friends provides free and/or assisted veterinary
care to the pets of seniors.
“Pets are extremely valuable to seniors,” explains
SCAP vice president Frances Bentley. “Studies show that
they live longer when they have animal
companionship––so many seniors don’t have other humans
they can talk to and relate to. And here in New Mexico,”

Read more

New tricks for old dogs and cats

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, May 1993:

PORT WASHINGTON, New York––Already adopting out 43,000 animals a year, the North Shore Animal
League isn’t satisfied. While NSAL helps 21 other shelters around the U.S. place most of their puppies and kittens, older
animals are in low demand. The animal over five years of age stands virtually no chance of adoption anywhere, even if
housebroken, docile, affectionate, and likely to live at least another five years in excellent health.
The answer, Seniors for Seniors program director Myron Gould thinks, may be matching older pets with senior
citizens, who often want an animal companion but are reluctant to take in a young animal because of the extra work
involved and because of anxiety that they may die, leaving
the animal homeless.

Read more

Making a home for magical migrating monarchs by Nicole Kraft

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, April 1993:

There once was a time when millions of monarch
butterflies dotted the skies each fall, the eastern band
migrating south to Mexico and the western population fly-
ing to the coastal regions of central California. That was a
time before development ruined much monarch habitat,
leaving them struggling to find the safe haven of a milk-
weed field in which to lay the eggs of their next generation.
Judith Levicoff, a habitat educator in Jenkintown,
Pennsylvania, has worked for the past two years in class-
rooms throughout the Delaware Valley to help children
restore monarch numbers, by creating their own butterfly
gardens, and by raising and releasing their own butterflies.

Read more

Energetic humane educator: “Bow to the cat!” (Or she’ll change you into a mouse?)

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, April 1993:

PORT JERVIS, N.Y. –– Jan Matthews is over-
worked, and that’s the way she likes it. A classroom elementary
school teacher for 17 years, she now visits 72 classrooms a
month at four different schools, as humane educator for the
Humane Society of Port Jervis/Deerpark, New York. Her dedi-
cation is such that when her husband took a temporary job in
Alaska, she commuted between New York and Alaska for seven
months to keep her program going.
“Three of those months were during the summer,” she
explains, “when we were only visiting summer classes.”
Oh.

Read more

NABT president moves against dissection alternatives

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, April 1993:

RESTON, Virginia –– National Association of Biology
Teachers members’ comments were due April 1 on proposed major revi-
sions to the organization’s 1989 Position Statements on Animal Use. I f
adopted, the revisions would effectively overturn NABT’s policy of encour-
aging teachers to seek alternatives to dissection and vivsection.
The 1989 statement begins, “NABT believes that all biology teachers
should foster a respect for life,” and continues to state in the second para-
graph that, “NABT supports alternatives to dissection and vivisection
wherever possible in the biology curricula. These alternatives must satisfy
the objectives of teaching scientific methology and fundamental biological
concepts.”

Read more

Marine Mammal Bills

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, April 1993:

WASHINGTON D.C. ––
Rep. Michael Bilirakis (R-Fla.) and 19
co-sponsors have introduced a bill to
restrict dolphin exports, institute an
identification and tracking system,
limit lethal research on marine mam-
mals, and impose a moratorium on cap-
tures pending a review and revision of
care standards. If the bill, H.R. 656,
wins sufficient Congressional support,
language from it may be incorporated
into the Marine Mammal Protection
Act, which is up for renewal this year.

CHILDREN AND ANIMALS

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, April 1993:

1,000 selected elementary
schools are now evaluating Best
Friends, a curriculum guide developed
by the American Kennel Club. The
guide “introduces elementary school
students to the world of purebred dogs
and teaches responsible dog owner-
ship,” according to a press release.
Included are lesson plans in the areas of
reading, writing, math, art, and oral
presentation. After the trial period, the
guide will be offered––free––to all
schools. For details, call 212-696-8336.

Read more

1 305 306 307 308 309 321