Money crunch brings another leadership change at Wild Animal Orphanage

May 1, 2010 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, May 2010:
SAN ANTONIO–Under new management for the second time since
September 2009, Wild Animal Orphanage remains mired in litigation
pertaining to the leadership transitions, and in a cash flow crisis
coinciding with the national recession of the past two years. But
ANIMAL PEOPLE was told by sources with conflicting views about a
variety of other matters that many of the most alarming rumors about
the sanctuary circulating in early May 2010 appeared to be
exaggerated.
“Our office has taken no legal action against this San
Antonio facility nor do we anticipate any, at this point,” Texas
Office of Attorney General spokesperson Tom Kelley told ANIMAL
PEOPLE. “We are monitoring their efforts daily, nothing more.”
“We have made the proper arrangements, are currently in good
standing, and are in no way getting foreclosed,” acting Wild Animal
Orphanage director Jamie Cryer told ANIMAL PEOPLE.

Gassing in animal shelters nears abolition, but continues on farms & in fields

May 1, 2010 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, May 2010:

Momentum toward abolition of gassing
shelter animals was evident in seven of the last
states where gassing continues as the May 2010
edition of ANIMAL PEOPLE went to press, but a
faxed publicity release received near deadline
made clear that abolishing carbon monoxide
chambers will be just the start of abolishing
gassing altogether.
The publicity release touted kits for
connecting the exhaust pipes of cars, trucks,
and lawn mowers to hoses, in order to gas
burrowing animals with unfiltered hot fumes.
The American Veterinary Medical
Association still accepts use of gassing to kill
small animals, including dogs, cats, and
captive wildlife, but not gassing with exhaust
fumes. “Fumes from idling gasoline internal
combustion enginesŠare associated with problems
such as production of other gases, achieving
inadequate concentrations of carbon monoxide,
[and] inadequate cooling of the gas,”
summarizes the AVMA publication Guidelines on
Euthanasia. “Therefore, the only acceptable
source is compressed carbon monoxide in
cylinders.”

Massachusetts bans devocalizing dogs

May 1, 2010 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, May 2010:
BOSTON–Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick on April 24,
2010 signed into law An Act Prohibiting Devocalization, only the
second state law to ban debarking dogs, the first to cover almost
all dogs, and the first anti-devocalization law covering most dogs
to advance with a strong chance of passage since 2000.
“New Jersey has a law banning devocalization, but there are
a number of broad exceptions that make it generally unenforceable,”
explained Animal Law Coalition attorney Laura Allen, who drafted the
Massachusetts law. “The only exception in the Massachusetts law,”
Allen said, “is for medical necessity as determined by a licensed
veterinarian for disease, injury or a congenital condition that is
causing or could cause the animal harm or pain and suffering.”

Gulf oil spill rescuers prepare & wait

May 1, 2010 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, May 2010:
NEW ORLEANS–Almost a month after the British Petroleum
drilling platform Deepwater Horizon exploded on April 20, 2010 in
the Gulf of Mexico, 45 miles southeast of Venice, Louisiana,
rescuers from Texas to Florida were still awaiting an anticipated
influx of animals from a disaster projected by many experts as
perhaps the worst-ever oil spill for wildlife.
“I think we ruined every child’s summer in New Orleans,
because we bought all the kiddie pools,” Louisiana state marine
mammal and sea turtle stranding coordinator Michelle Kelley told
Associated Press writer Janet McConnaughey.

U.S. Supreme Court strikes down law that banned cruelty videos

May 1, 2010 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, May 2010:

WASHINGTON D.C.–The U.S. Supreme Court
on April 20, 2010 by a vote of 8-1 struck down
18 U.S.C. § 48, the 1998 federal law that
prohibited interstate sales of video depictions
of illegal cruelty to animals.
The law was written to ban “crush
videos,” a form of pornography in which the
participants trample small animals, but the only
case brought to court under 18 U.S.C. § 48 was
U.S. v. Stevens, a 2004 federal prosecution in
Pennsylvania of Virginia resident Robert G.
Stevens for selling videotapes of Japanese
dogfighting and “hog/dog rodeo.”

Suicides of suspects may be trend in animal cases

May 1, 2010 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, May 2010:
MISSOULA–A coroner’s jury on April 16, 2010 ruled that
accused cat torturer Gary Lee Bassett, 63, shot himself on February
4, 2010, seconds after Missoula police with a warrant for his
arrest on felony charges kicked his door open.
Bassett was among four animal cruelty and neglect suspects
who were found to have shot themselves in February 2010, while
accused in cases that provoked community outrage. Criminal suspects
in cases that bring strong public shame have long been known to be at
steeply elevated risk of suicide. Crimes against animals have
usually not been associated with suicide, but the flurry of recent
cases suggest that this may be changing.

U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upholds 2008 California anti-downer law

April 1, 2010 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, April 2010:

SAN FRANCISCO–The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth
Circuit on March 31, 2010 upheld both California legislation
prohibiting the slaughter of downed livestock and the principle that
states may enforce livestock handling and slaughter standards more
stringent than those required by federal law.
Introduced by assembly member Paul Krekorian (D-Burbank) at
request of the Humane Farming Association, the California law made a
misdemeanor of buying, selling, processing, or butchering a
non-ambulatory animal for human consumption. Downed animals must
instead be euthanized.

No new shelter for St. Louis

April 1, 2010 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, April 2010:

ST. LOUIS–Losing patience with seven years of faltering
efforts to raise funds to build a new city pound, St. Louis mayor
Francis Slay in March 2010 ordered the closure by summer of the
current pound, built in 1941, and directed the city health
department to find an outside pound contractor.
Plans were afoot in 1995-1996 for St. Louis animal control to
take over a shelter built by the Humane Society of Missouri in 1965
and expanded in 1981, after the humane society completed an $11
million new shelter across the street. The new Humane Society of
Missouri shelter opened in 1998, but by then the city had lost
interest in the old facilities.

Toronto Humane Society back in shelter

April 1, 2010 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, April 2010:

TORONTO–The Ontario SPCA returned management of the Toronto
Humane Society to THS on April 1, 2010, under an agreement ratified
by Superior Court Justice David Brown, but the THS shelter is to
remain closed for six weeks, from April 12 to June 1, while the
building is cleaned and the staff are retrained.
THS was given the first 12 days of April to find homes for
about 200 animals remaining at the shelter. Any animals not placed
by April 12 were to be surrendered to the Ontario SPCA.
The 13 present THS board members are to resign before a May
30 board election. Tim Trow, THS president since November 2001,
resigned on January 26, 2010. Trow and seven other THS personnel are
facing charges including conspiracy and neglect of animals. The
Ontario SPCA began charging THS key personnel after raiding THS–for
the second time in five months–in November 2009.

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