A Project of Animal People, Inc., 1992-2013
From ANIMAL PEOPLE, September 2012:
SEOUL--“Korea has decided to scrap its plan to resume whaling for scientific Research,” the Korea Herald reported on July 17, 2012, just 12 days after South Korean whaling commissioner Joon-Suk Kang announced the scheme to the 64th annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission meeting in Panama. Read more
From ANIMAL PEOPLE, September 2012:
NEW DELHI–-The Supreme Court of India on September 3, 2012 weighed the ecological and public health role of street animals in a case brought by the nonprofit organization Safai Karmachari Andolan on behalf of the poorest of the poor.
Describing itself as “a national movement committed to the total eradication of manual scavenging and the rehabilitation of all scavengers for dignified occupations,” Safai Karmachari Andolan extracted data from the 2011 national census to show that of 2.6 million public dry latrines still in use in India, 1.3 million discharge illegally into open drains, 794,000 are cleaned manually by humans, and 497,000 are cleaned entirely by animals– mostly dogs and pigs. Read more
From ANIMAL PEOPLE, September 2012:
Los Angeles U.S. District Court Judge John F. Walter on September 12, 2012 dismissed a case brought by the California Association of Egg Farmers which sought to overturn the hen housing requirements of Proposition Two, passed by voters in November 2008, as unconstitutionally vague. The focal question, Walter found, was whether Proposition Two required California egg farms to be cage-free. “There is nothing in the language of Proposition Two that requires California egg farms to be cage-free,” Walter concluded. “The statute is clear that, provided the cage does not prevent the egg-laying hen from lying down, standing up, fully extending her limbs and wings without touching the side of the cage or other egg-laying hens, or turning in a complete circle without any impediment and without touching the side of the cage, the use of such a cage would not violate Proposition Two.” Walter added that the answer to the question of how much space this actually requires “is certainly not a mystery and is capable of easy determination by egg farmers.” Read more
From ANIMAL PEOPLE, September 2012:
A well-funded and aggressively promoted ballot measure meant to repeal the 23-year-old Miami-Dade County pit bull ban went down to an upset landslide defeat on August 14, 2012, attracting just 37% support–the most lopsided failure of a ballot measure endorsed by major national humane organizations in at least a couple of decades. Read more
From ANIMAL PEOPLE, July/August 2012:
South Korea to resume “research whaling”
PANAMA CITY, Panama–South Korean whaling commissioner Joon-Suk Kang told the 64th annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission meeting on July 5, 2012 in Panama that South Korea will submit a plan to begin “research whaling” to the IWC
scientific committee in 2013. The “research whaling” would target
minke whales in coastal waters. Joon-Suk Kang said South Korean whalers had been told that they would be allowed to resume whaling after the coastal whale population recovered. Relying on non-lethal studies, Joon-Suk Kang contended “has delayed the proper assessment of the resources.” Read more
From ANIMAL PEOPLE, July/August 2012:
Farm Bill stall delays Congressional action on horse slaughter, attending animal fights, & laying hen cage size
WASHINGTON D.C.–The odds may have lengthened just before the Fourth of July recess week against the final version of the 2012 Farm Bill including measures favored by animal advocates–but not for any reason having anything to do with laying hen cage sizes, horse slaughter, or cockfighting and dogfighting, among other topics addressed by proposed Farm Bill amendments. Read more
From ANIMAL PEOPLE, July/August 2012:
California attorney general investigates transitions at In Defense of Animals
SAN RAFAEL, California– Enduring a rocky transition from the leadership of founder Elliot M. Katz, DVM, In Defense of Animals has a new chief executive for at least the fourth time in three years.
“IDA has hired Joe Haptas,” board president Marilyn Kroplick, M.D. told ANIMAL PEOPLE on July 6, 2012, confirming weeks of rumors. Kroplick, a Southern California child and geriatric psychiatrist, has headed the IDA board since late 2011. Read more
From ANIMAL PEOPLE, July/August 2012:
Bogotá bans bullfights, but “corralejas” continue in Colombian hinterlands
BOGOTA, Colombia— Bogotá mayor Gustavo Petro “has stated that he will end bullfighting after bullfight organizers Taurine Corporation refused to agree that animals would not be killed during the fights,” announced Animal Defenders International chief executive Jan Creamer on June 15, 2012.
“We are close to seeing an end to bullfighting in Bogotá, thanks to cultural and social change,” said ADI Colombian representative Eduardo Peña. Added ADI spokesperson Matt Rossell, “It is envisaged that the Plaza La Santamaría, where bullfights are currently held, and the surrounding area will developed into a cultural hub.” The Petro administration has already published a four-year plan for redeveloping Plaza La Santamaría. Read more
From ANIMAL PEOPLE, June 2012:
How Arizona ranchers won a partial exemption from cruelty laws
by Debra J. White
Under the headline “Legislation in the cowboy states,” the May 2012 edition of ANIMAL PEOPLE reported that Arizona Governor Jan Brewer in mid-April endorsed into law a bill by state representative Peggy Judd (R-Wilcox), HB 2780, which exempts dogs used in ranching and herding from anti-cruelty laws. Judd introduced the bill after one of her constituents, a Cochise County rancher, was charged for leaving two dogs in a horse trailer for two days without food or water. Three others were left tied without clean water. Read more