Smithfield & Maple Leaf Farms will phase out gestation crates

March 1, 2007 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, March 2007:
SMITHFIELD, Virginia–Smithfield Foods, the largest U.S.
pig farming conglomerate and a major producer abroad, on January 25,
2007 announced that it will begin a 10-year phaseout of gestation
crates.
Gestation crates are used to keep pregnant and nursing sows
immobile for more than three years of their typical four-year
lifespan before slaughter. During that time the sows usually birth
and nurse five to eight litters of about a dozen pigs each.
Smithfield captured 26% of the U.S. pork market in 2006,
raising 14 million pigs at U.S. facilities, and killing 27 million
of the 60 million who went to slaughter. Smithfield revenues came to
$11.4 billion.

KFC owner tries to buy PETA warehouse

March 1, 2007 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, March 2007:
NORFOLK, Va.–Yum Brands, the owner of the Kentucky Fried
Chicken restaurant chain, recently offered $1 million to buy a
warehouse in Norfolk, Virginia, Andrew Martin reported in the
January 17, 2007 edition of New York Times.
Unknown to Yum, the warehouse belongs to PETA.
“‘PETA would be willing to give Yum this warehouse, free and
clear,” PETA responded, “if KFC requires its chicken suppliers to
adopt the recommendations made by members of its own Animal Welfare
Advisory Council on March 11, 2005. A copy of these recommendations
is enclosed for your reference.”

2006 saw biggest fighting dog seizure ever

January 1, 2007 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, January/February 2007:

HOUSTON–Among the grimmest jobs in the 71 years that the
Houston Humane Society has operated an animal shelter was
euthanizing 258 pit bull terriers in August 2006, seized from the
property of murder victim and fighting dog breeder Thomas F. Weigner,
Jr.
Investigators impounded 285 pit bulls in all from the Liberty
County site. Twenty-seven puppies were initially to have been
auctioned, without being sterilized first, by order of Liberty
County justice of the peace Phil Fitzgerald, but the Houston Humane
Society pointed out that Texas state law requires impounded dogs to
be sterilized prior to adoption or sale. Most of the pups were later
found to be ill with either parvovirus or the tick-borne disease
babeosis.

Shooting dogs is a sensitive subject in the Canadian far north

January 1, 2007 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, January/February 2007:
WINNIPEG–“The solution,” to attacks by stray dogs on Native
American reservations in northern Canada, “is to cull the dog
population, and provide spay and neuter services to native
communities at the same time,” Winnipeg Humane Society executive
director Vicki Burns told Brookes Merritt of the Edmonton Sun on
November 19, 2006.
Though Burns apparently said nothing about shooting dogs,
her remark was summarized in the headline of the resulting article as
“Annual dog shoot proposed,” and in the lead sentence as “An annual
‘dog shoot’ would help keep dog packs on native reserves from killing
any more helpless children, says an animal welfare worker in
Manitoba.”

Greyhound racing updates

January 1, 2007 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, January/February 2007:

The Alabama Supreme Court on December 1, 2006 ruled
unanimously that the MegaSweeps video sweepstakes gambling games at
the Birmingham Race Course violate the state law against slot machine
gambling. Track owner Milton McGregor asserted that losing the
machines, installed in 2005, might put the track out of business,
costing 250 jobs. Two lower court rulings favored video sweepstakes
gambling. “Soon, small storefront [gambling] operations began
popping up across the state,” wrote Philip Rawls of Associated
Press–and Christian Action Alabama began trying to close them.

Bonney Brown to head Nevada Humane

January 1, 2007 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, January/February 2007:

RENO–The Nevada Humane Society on December 15, 2006
introduced as executive director Bonney Brown, 48, who directed
Alley Cat Allies’ relief efforts after Hurricane Katrina.
Brown founded the no-kill Neponset Valley Humane Society in
Massachusetts in 1992, co-organized the annual No-Kill Conferences
1996-1999, was outreach director for the Best Friends Animal Society
1998-2005, coordinated the No More Homeless Pets conference series
1999-2005, and was with Alley Cat Allies for about 18 months.
Michelle Williams, DVM, who preceded Brown at Nevada
Humane, was hired in September 2005 but resigned in May 2006 amid a
dispute that originated when she had a Rottweiler euthanized as
potentially dangerous, unaware that an employee had shown the dog to
members of a rescue group who wanted to take him.
“The groups want seven days notice to rescue an animal. I
wish people surrendering the animals would do the same for us,”
Williams told Frank X. Mullen of the Reno Gazette-Journal. “We have
space one day and 20 animals come in and then we’re full. Logistics
make giving a week’s notice impossible, but [rescuers] don’t want to
listen.”
After Williams’ departure the Nevada Humane board introduced
new policies to improve relations with rescue groups.

Dog attacks raise issues for lawmakers

January 1, 2007 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, January/February 2007:
At least 32 U.S. communities adopted or
considered adopting breed-specific dog control
legislation in 2006, responding to attacks
involving pit bulls and Rottweilers.
The debate over whether possession and
sale of pit bull terriers, Rottweilers, and
possibly other dog breeds should be restricted to
protect public safety is in essence a debate
about possibly the oldest of all philosophical
questions vexing lawmakers.
Since Biblical times opinions have
conflicted as to whether laws should seek to
prevent harm by forbidding potentially injurious
behavior, or merely punish those whose behavior
results in actual harm.

Twin Cities societies merge

January 1, 2007 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, January/February 2007:
ST. PAUL–The three largest humane societies serving the
Minneapolis-St. Paul area merged, effective on January 1, 2007,
becoming a single entity with five shelters, more than 200 workers,
a combined annual budget of about $8.5 million, net assets of $23.1
million, and as yet no unified name. Former Animal Humane Society
of Golden Valley president Martha McPhee heads the new organization.
Former Humane Society for Companion Animals director Janelle Dixon
will direct operations. The third partner in the merger is the
Greater West Humane Society.
“We all worked together after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita,”
said McPhee. “We realized that with collaboration we could do much
more. This merger is driven by our mission.”

Chimp Haven sued by founding executive director

January 1, 2007 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, January/February 2007:

SHREVEPORT–Chimp Haven founding executive director Linda
Koebner and eight co-plaintiffs in early December 2006 sued founding
president Linda Brent and board chair Tom Butler for allegedly
mismanaging the chimpanzee retirement colony “in violation of that
corporation’s purpose, to the detriment of the animals residing at
Chimp Haven, and to the detriment of fundraising and additional
grant opportunities on which Chimp Haven must rely to survive.”
Opened in 2003, Chimp Haven currently houses 89 former
laboratory chimps under contract with the National Institutes of
Health. The chimps belong to the NIH and technically could be
recalled to research use, but there has been little lab demand for
chimpanzees for more than 20 years.

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