Block pleads guilty

March 1, 1993 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, March 1993:

Miami animal trafficker Matth-

ew Block pleaded guilty to felony conspira-

cy February 9 for his role in the 1990

Bangkok Six case, in which six desperately

ill baby orangutans were intercepted in

Thailand en route from Malaysia to Moscow

via Yugoslavia in a crate marked “birds.”

Three of the orangutans died. The deal was

arranged in violation of the Convention on

International Trade in Endanged Species;

the U.S. prosecutor indicated it was initiated

by the KGB, which hoped to resell the

orangutans after they reached Moscow to

raise hard currency. The guilty plea came

two months after U.S. District Judge James

Kehoe on February 9 refused an attempted

Zoos & Aquariums

March 1, 1993 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, March 1993:

The proposed marine mammal

exhibit at Colorado’s Ocean Journey, a

theme park planned for Denver, took a blow

January 20 when Animal Rights Mobiliz-

ation revealed that two veterinarians

involved in the project have records of vio-

lating marine mammal care standards. Dr.

Gregory Bossart was the veterinarian of

record at Ocean World in Fort Lauderdale,

Florida, 1987-1991, when it was cited

repeatedly for dolphin care violations, while

Dr. Jay Sweeney was barred from practicing

in Florida for his part in the illegal capture

of two dolphins for the Baltimore Aquarium.

COURT CALENDAR

March 1, 1993 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, March 1993:

Humane Enforcement

Houston police and animal con-

trol officers on January 2 seized 16 pit bulls

at the scene of a dogfight––the fourth big

dogfighting bust in the U.S. in two months.

Simultaneous raids on January

1 7 netted 35 spectators at a cockfight in

Mossy, West Virginia, and five alleged

cockfight organizers in Gilroy, California,

where more than 500 fighting cocks were

seized. About 20 to 25 people evaded the

police in West Virginia, and an estimated 60

got away in California.

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.”

ANIMAL CONTROL & RESCUE

March 1, 1993 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, March 1993:

Los Angeles County on January 5 became the

largest and most populous jurisdiction in the U.S. to require

cat licensing. Cats must wear either collar identification or

ear tags. The new ordinance is modeled after ordinances

already in effect in Carson and Lomita, California, but

enforcibility remains in doubt. The ordinance was passed at

the urging of Citizens for Sheltered Animals, who argue

that it will reduce the euthanasia rate for cats picked up by

animal control: 39,000 of 42,000 in 1992.

Zoocheck Canada seeks letters supporting pas-

sage of the Ontario Animal Welfare Act, eight years in

development, “which would license and set standards for

the care and keeping of animals in zoos, aquaria, wildlife

displays, pet stores, pounds and shelters, breeding and

boarding establishments, and native wildlife rehabilitation

centers.” Address Bob Rae, Office of the Premier,

Legislative Bldg., Room 281, Queen’s Park, Toronto,

Ontario M7A 1A1.

Salvation Army denies link to Sportsmen Against Hunger

March 1, 1993 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, March 1993:

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia ––

Trying to boost the image of hunting,

Sportsmen Against Hunger again this winter

urged hunters to donate kills to soup kitchens,

prominently mentioning the Salvation Army.

But Salvation Army national com-

munications director Colonel Leon R. Ferraez

reiterated February 4 that “The Salvation

Army does not have an agreement with

Sportsmen Against Hunger. The organiza-

tion has misrepresented that fact a number of

times. “Sportsmen Against Hunger has

assured us they are not using the name of the

Salvation Army, but we continue to receive

reports that they do use our name, then deny

it later. We have tried to overcome this prob-

lem for a number of years,” he added,

“including with the threat of legal action.”

Marine Mammals

March 1, 1993 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, March 1993:

“EAT WHALES,” SAYS JAPAN

TOKYO, Japan –– The Japan Fisheries Agency and

25 Japanese fishing organizations on January 29 launched an

aggressive media campaign urging Japanese citizens to eat more

whale meat. The goal is to generate pressure on the International

Whaling Commission to rescind the six-year-old global ban on

whaling at its annual meeting in May, to be held in Kyoto.

The blitz includes radio and television spots touting

whale meat as a cure for asthma and acne, and distribution of

100,000 comic books depicting the history of the Japanese whal-

ing industry. The history is likely to be inaccurate: contrary to

the industry claim that whaling is part of Japanese cultural tradi-

tion, historian Fujiwara Eiji documented in 1989 that Japanese

commercial whaling actually began in 1909, when a man named

Oka Juro brought the concept and techniques from Norway. His

activity was so detested by traditional fishers that some of them

burned his facilities in 1911.

Progress for animals used in entertainment

March 1, 1993 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, March 1993:

The Green Mountain Race Track in

Pownal, Vermont, the only greyhound track in

the state, announced December 30 that it

would not reopen due to financial losses.

January 24, villagers at Manganeses

de la Polvorsa dropped a goat only 30 feet

rather than from the full height of the church

tower during one of Spain’s most notorious

religious festivals. “This is not a victory,”

said longtime protester Vicki Moore.

Woofs and growls…

March 1, 1993 Dylan Forest Leave a comment

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, March 1993:

Fed up with nonprofit executives who hide the size of

their salaries by dividing them among related groups who file sepa-

rate returns, the Internal Revenue Service asks on the 1992 Form

990, “Did any officer, director, trustee, or key employee receive

aggregate compensation of more than $100,000 from your organiza-

tion and all related organizations, of which more than $10,000 was

provided by the related organization?” If the answer is yes, detailed

explanations are required.

The Senate Select Committee on Prisoners of War and

Missing In Action Affairs has recommended that the IRS should

crack down on charities who report fundraising costs as “educational”

program expenses. This would affect many animal-related charities;

see the notes accompanying the financial tables on over 60 national

groups published in the December 1992 and January/February issues

of ANIMAL PEOPLE. (Copies are still available at $2.00 each.)

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