Performing Animals

June 1, 1993 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, June 1993:

The Louisiana state senate on

May 12 passed a bill to make attending an

illegal dogfight a crime, 33-0, but reduced

the offense from a felony to a misdemeanor,

and cut the maximum penalty from three

years in jail and a fine of $3,000 to one year

in jail and a fine of $1,000. A bill to ban

cockfighting meanwhile remained stalled in

a legislative committee headed by cock-

fighting fan Rep. Raymond Lalonde.

ANIMAL HEALTH & BEHAVIOR

June 1, 1993 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, June 1993:

Chinese authorities have begun

purging officials of Shenqui county in

Henan province for collaborating with

Wang Zhiqiang, an entrepreneur who built

a rural empire around a factory that manu-

factured fake veterinary medicines––among

them “antibiotics” made of talcum powder

and cornstarch, and “intravenous solution”

made of monosodium glutamate dissolved

in water. Wang allegedly bought off police

and politicians, held investigators for ran-

som, and tortured witnesses. Federal

authorities finally arrested Wang and shut

down his No. 1 Veterinarian Medicine

Factory, as he styled it, last

Horses and Cattle

May 1, 1993 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, May 1993:

Senator Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii) and Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-New York) have reintroduced the Downed Animal Protection Act, as S. 367 and H.R. 559, which would require stockyards to promptly euthanize sick and injured animals. Support for the measure may be addressed to Senators and Congressional Representatives.

The American Horse Protection Association’s sixth annual training seminar for equine cruelty investiga-

tors will be held May 20-21 at College Park, Maryland. Get details from Ellen Foysyth, 202-965-0500.

Norma Bearcroft, president of the Canadian Wild Horse Society, has asked members to approve a resolution to disband the struggling group by year’s end.

BOOKS: The Newfoundland Pony

April 1, 1993 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, April 1993:

The Newfoundland Pony, by

Andrew F. Fraser. Creative

Publishers (St. John’s, Newfoundland,

Canada), 1992. 213 pages. $14.95.

The Newfoundland pony is on the

cusp of extinction, no match for progress in

the form of tractors and snowmobiles.

Numbers of Newfoundland ponies have

dwindled from more than 10,000 in 1976 to

barely 400, as the greater part of its popu-

lation has been sacrified to the insatiable

Moloch of the slaughter trade––in particu-

lar, to the killing plants of Quebec, which

supply the French appetite for horseflesh.

CHILDREN AND ANIMALS

April 1, 1993 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

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.

HORSES

April 1, 1993 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, April 1993:

The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of

Appeals is to rule soon on whether the

National Park Service can remove about 20

feral horses from the Ozark National Scenic

Riverways park, 150 miles southwest of St.

Louis, Missouri. The horses are feral

descendents of a herd released during the

Great Depression. A three-judge panel is to

decide whether they are protected by the

same laws as western mustangs––whose

own protection is currently in dispute.

More than 60,000 Americans

needed emergency treatment for head

injuries suffered while riding horses in

1991, reports the Johns Hopkins Injury

Prevention Center. Children under 15 were

the most frequent victims. The center rec-

ommends that riders wear helmets.

Where horse rescue gets hot by Sharon Cregier

March 1, 1993 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, March 1993:

AMMAN, Jordan –– The sound of a stick on

hide summons Chris Larter to her second-story balcony.

“It’s the donkey-beaters,” Larter explains. Below, a

mare, foal at foot, plows a stony verge. Sheep and shep-

herd dodge four-lane traffic to graze the edges of con-

struction projects. And of course there are boys driving

donkeys. “Last time they were trying to cut a donkey’s

ears off,” Larter continues. She recalls braving a hail of

stones to take photos, locating the parents of the donkey-

boys, and pleading for the donkey’s welfare.

Today, courage requires police reinforcement.

Obtaining backup, Larter partially unloads a staggering

donkey, obliging the donkey-boys to make multiple trips

to finish moving their cargo.

Larter is field supervisor, publicity officer, and

photographer for the Jordanian Society for the Protection

of Animals, sponsored by the 70-year-old Society for the

Protection of Animals in North Africa. Based in England,

SPANA is among the last and most popular remnants of

the British occupation of Jordan, 1920-1946.

When a horse needs help

March 1, 1993 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, March 1993:

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – –

Held the weekend of February 6-7, the First

International Conference on Equine Rescue

could have run days longer, in Rich Meyer’s

estimation. As horse expert for the

American Humane Association, Meyer

knows horse rescue ranks among most shel-

ter directors’ and animal control officers’

worst nightmares. First, there’s the sheer

size and strength of the animal to contend

with. Second, where there’s one starving or

abused horse, there are usually several.

Third, shelters set up to handle dogs and

cats usually don’t have facilities for live-

stock: big trailers, paddocks, pastures.

Their regular veterinarians tend to be small

animal specialists. And their budgets aren’t

easily stretched to accommodate the special

needs and appetites of equines.

Dogs & Cats

March 1, 1993 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, March 1993:

Fire chief John Dugan, of Wellsboro,

Pennsylvania, credited a cat named Puff for saving the

lives of Charles and Sandra Bergenstock on January 18

by waking them up and alerting them to thick smoke.

“There’s no question about it,” Dugan said. “They had

no smoke detectors.”

SEPTA, the Philadelphia public transitsys-

tem, on February 4 suspended the use of dogs to evict

homeless people from subway passages––one day after

city council member Jannie Blackwell was allegedly

roughed up by transit police while investigating allega-

tions that dogs were being used to attack the homeless.

Sue Turkington, 32, of Austin, Texas, told

reporters she plans to use some of the $7.2 million she

won in the January 15 Texas lottery to “start breeding

dogs.”

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