Canadian Seals Suffer

Seals need our help in Canada.

Canada’s annual seal slaughter has begun during which baby seals are clubbed to death for their fur. Should fashion trump the life of infant animals? Of any animal?

It is not just the suffering of those who are clubbed to death that stains this annual hunt with the blood of inhumanity. For those baby seals who survive often starve to death when their mothers are killed. Also, according to investigating animal welfare groups, many baby and adult seals are not killed instantaneously by hunters; these animals are then typically beaten repeatedly or are skinned alive.

Please contact the Canadian government requesting an end to this inhumane practice, which contributes to incomprehensible suffering for sentient creatures.

The Honourable Stephen Harper
Prime Minister
80 Wellington Street
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A2
Canada
E-mail: http://pm.gc.ca/eng/contactpm

The Honourable Gail Shea
Minister of Fisheries and Oceans
Room 556, Confederation Building
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6
Canada
E-mail: gail.shea@parl.gc.ca

The Honourable John Baird
Minister of Foreign Affairs
2249 Carling Ave., Suite 418
Ottawa, Ontario K2B 7E9
Canada
Email: bairdj@parl.gc.ca

The Honourable Ed Fast
Minister of International Trade
Room 105, East Block
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6
Canada
E-mail: ed.fast@parl.gc.ca

Save Kittens’ Eyes

With advances in biomedical research using non-animal related techniques, there is no reason for subjecting newborn kittens to such invasive tests.

Paws Down!
To Cardiff University for using kittens for research into human eye conditions.

According to a news story, Cardiff University has been “conducting ‘cruel’ experiments in which kittens’ eyes were sewn up and newborn litters raised in total darkness.”

With advances in biomedical research using non-animal related techniques, there is scant reason for the university to continue subjecting newborn kittens to such devastating tests. Instead of using animals, many scientists use human and animal cell, tissue, and organ cultures; chemical systems; blood products; sophisticated mathematical and computer simulations; and plastic organ models. Alternatives, such as Eytex, Skintex®, epiPack, take the place of harmful tests on animals. Advances in tissue engineering and robotics, bioinformatics, genomics, proteomics, metabonomics, systems biology, and in silico (computer-based) systems offer alternatives to animal use.

Animal testing can take months if not years at expenses ranging from hundreds of thousands of dollars to multi-millions of dollars, whereas computer modeling can take place instantaneously and at far lower costs, especially the cost to the animals and their suffering. In vitro tests involving human cell and tissue cultures are faster, cheaper, and more reliable than animal tests in many instances.

Take Action: Write a polite letter to the vice chancellor of the university urging him to curtail experiments on kittens and suggest the university use alternative, non-animal tests instead.

Dr. David Grant
Vice Chancellor
Cardiff University
Park Place
Cardiff CF10 3AT
United Kingdom

Animal Abuser Registries

The link between animal abuse and the potential for violent behavior is well known.

Several states have legislation pending that would create animal abuser registries similar to child abuser and sex offender registries. An animal abuser registry would be for individuals convicted of felony animal abuse or who committed certain violent offenses against animals.

Intentional animal cruelty is of particular concern as it is a sign of psychological distress and often indicates an individual may be predisposed to committing acts of violence toward humans. Since animal abuse is often an early sign of potential human abuse, keeping track of animal abusers would help protect not only the animals of a community but also the humans as well. Therefore, creating and maintaining a registry of individuals convicted of felony animal cruelty can be an asset in identifying potential criminal behavior.

Many studies in psychology, sociology, and criminology have demonstrated that violent offenders frequently have childhood and adolescent histories of serious and repeated animal cruelty. Additionally, mental health professionals and top law enforcement officials consider the blatant disregard for life and suffering evidenced by all forms of cruelty to animals to be an unquestionable warning sign. In fact, the American Psychiatric Association identifies cruelty to animals as one of the diagnostic criteria for conduct disorders; and the FBI uses reports of animal cruelty in analyzing the threat potential of suspected and known criminals.

In addition, such registries could be valuable in tracking people who engage in illegal animal fighting, such as cockfighting and dog fighting; hoarders; and people who run puppy mills.

The following states have legislation pending:

Arizona – HB 2310

Florida – SB 618

Maryland – SB 301

New York – A 5373

Tennessee – SB 3149

NHES urges the citizens of these states to contact their legislators and encourage them to support a felony animal abuser registry in their state.

Feld Entertainment Fined

Paws Up!

To the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for taking action against Feld Entertainment, Inc.

According to news reports, an agreement has been reached between the USDA and Feld Entertainment, Inc., owners of Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus, whereby the company agrees to pay a fine of $270,000 for allegedly violating the Animal Welfare Act (AWA). In agreeing to the settlement, however, Feld Entertainment admits no wrongdoing or violation USDA policy. According to the agreement, Feld is to “develop and implement annual AWA compliance for all employees who work with and handle animals, including trainers, handlers, attendants and veterinarians….”

Take Action: Write the secretary of the USDA thanking him for pursuing its case against Feld and urging the agency to ensure the safety of all animals in the entertainment industry and to charge those in violation of the AWA to the fullest extent of the law.

In addition, do not support companies that exploit animals for entertainment purposes. Therefore, do not attend circuses where animals are forced to perform. Instead, attend circuses where the human animal soars to majestic heights. Be enthralled with our own species’ ability to perform; leave the animals to live their own lives.

The Honorable Tom Vilsack
Secretary of Agriculture
U.S. Department of Agriculture
1400 Independence Ave., SW
Washington, DC 20250

Sources:
Mother Jones
The Huffington Post

Canada Institutions Save Lives

Paws Up!

To two Canadian universities that have agreed to stop using live animals in trauma medicine training courses.

The University of Sherbrooke in Quebec and the Sacre Coeur Hospital in Montreal have curtailed the use of live animals in trauma medicine training courses. Now that these two institutions joining others in Canada that have done likewise, according to a news article, “…none of the 22 Canadian universities and hospitals that offer the Advanced Trauma Life Support program uses animals any longer….”

Photo by amber10_79/Flickr

NHES looks forward to the day when animals will no longer be subjected to the pain and suffering associated with biomedical research and testing, which is often unnecessary and costly when compared with other non-animal techniques. Therefore, we are delighted to learn that these two institutions have stopped using live animals in trauma medicine training courses.

Take Action: Canadian residents, please take a moment to thank these two institutions for their decisions to protect animals.

Dr. Pierre Cossette
Dean, Medical School
University of Sherbrooke
2500 Boulevard de l’Université Sherbrooke,
QC J1K 2R1
Canada

Dr. Francois Madore
Acting Director of Research
Sacre Coeur Hospital
5400 Boulevard Gouin Ouest
Montreal, QC H4J1C5
Canada

Sources:
National Post
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine

When you think about it…do commercials affect our food choices?

Photo by clstal/flickr

We see commercials on television of cows, pigs, chickens, and turkeys out in the farmer’s yard, eating grass, scratching for grubs, wallowing in water holes. Sometimes these animals are portrayed as actually talking to us to let us know how happy they are to be members of the farmer’s family. They let us know how nutritious their products are. Sometimes they claim to give us strong bones and healthy teeth.

These commercials are intended to make eating meat more palatable to the viewing public. If these animals could really speak our language, or we theirs, they would be unlikely to tell us they want to be confined in small spaces while all their nutrients go toward creating a glass of milk, an omelet, a package of bacon, or a fast food hamburger. Their happy portrayals also leave out the hectic, crowded conditions when the animals are herded onto trucks bound for the slaughterhouse.

When you think about it…as consumers, we have the right to know how our food is produced. Do happy farmed animal commercials hinder our ability to know?

When you think about it…should animals be thought of as commodities for business and human enjoyment?

Photo by Farm Sanctuary/Flickr

Humans have a complex and varied relationship with the rest of our kindred in the animal kingdom. Any moment in our modern lifestyles can reveal a different way that humans are using animals, from the leather in our shoes, the tests done on our cosmetics and household chemicals, to the food we eat and what choices we make for entertainment. As a species that has made it a mission to remove ourselves from the will of nature, what implications does this have as to our responsibility to other animals and the rest of the natural world?

The tendency for humans to abuse animals in industry is widely pervasive. Cruelty to circus animals has been well documented as common in practice. Dolphins, chimpanzees and other wildlife held in captivity for use in entertainment lead shorter life spans and have been shown to have a drastically decreased quality of their emotional and psychological well-being. Animals used in research suffer horrible laboratory-inflicted illness and injury, often to be revived just long enough to last through a study’s completion before being euthanized. Poultry, pigs, cattle, and other animals on massive-scale factory farms live short lives in cramped conditions before meeting their end at the slaughterhouse. Animals raised for their fur live in similarly wretched conditions and are disposed of for the perceived value of their skins. In all such examples of industry, the nature of dominating animals as profit commodities in industry seems to preclude an inevitability of exploitation and abuse.

For example, A recent lawsuit alleges that an association of dairy companies slaughtered more than 500,000 dairy cows in an effort to inflate the price of milk. The lawsuit was brought by a Los Angeles firm on behalf of consumers against Cooperatives Working Together, a group which includes the National Milk Producers Federation, Dairy Farmers of America, Land O’Lakes, Inc, and Agri-Mark, among others. The plaintiffs have presented documents in evidence of the cows being killed under the guise of an industry welfare program, in which cattle were prematurely slaughtered as a measure of ‘retirement’.

Doesn’t this type of reckless abuse point to a greater concern: that when animals become a business commodity to be measured in terms of their marketable utility, the reality of misuse is certain? We are raised in America with an image of all the animals of the farm living in harmonious symbiosis with the farmer, but the reality is that the factory farming of today can offer the animals involved no benefit.

Perhaps the place we have created for ourselves in the modern world implies a duty to be stewards, not merely taking nature under our dominion as we have been.

When you think about it…making living creatures a business commodity for the purposes of food, fashion, or entertainment will always carry the consequence of exploitation and disregard.

Animal Cruelty at Pennsylvania Farm

Photo by بنیامین آقاجون via Flickr

The United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service conducted an inspection in August 2011 at Triple F Farms where ferrets were being bred for both the pet store trade and research laboratories. The farm, located in Bradford City, Pennsylvania, was found to be in violation of the Animal Welfare Act.

Maintaining over 6,000 ferrets in the conditions mentioned in the agency’s inspection report constitutes animal cruelty of the most exceptional degree. For example, unlicensed personnel performing operations; cages, feeders, and water receptacles in disrepair, containing filth or simply empty; not enough employees to give animals proper care.

Mental health professionals and top law enforcement officials consider the blatant disregard for life and suffering an unquestionable warning sign for future criminal activity. The very important truth is that barbarous acts towards animals often lead to brutality to humans. The treatment of the ferrets at Triple F Farms, based on the inspection report, certainly constitutes barbarity. In addition, the American Psychiatric Association identifies cruelty to animals as one of the diagnostic criteria for conduct disorders, and the FBI uses reports of animal cruelty in analyzing the threat potential of suspected and known criminals.

Please write to the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service administrator requesting the service levy the maximum animal cruelty charges against the owners of the Triple F Farms.

Dr. Gregory Parham
Administrator
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
United States Department of Agriculture
USDA/APHIS/AC
4700 River Road, Unit 84
Riverdale, MD 20737-1234
Tele. No.: 301-734-7833
E-mail: ace@aphis.usda.gov

Texas Approves Aerial Slaughter; Sponsors Killing Contest

Photo by Sean McCann via Flickr

Two Paws Down!

To Texas Governor Rick Perry and the State of Texas Legislature for passing HB 716, the “pork chopper bill”, allowing the aerial slaughter of feral pigs and coyotes, and to the Texas Department of Agriculture for declaring October “Hog Out Month” with a statewide contest including $60,000 in awards for the counties that kill the most pigs.

Texas Governor Rick Perry recently signed House Bill 716 into law, legalizing the aerial slaughter of coyotes and feral pigs as of September 1st. The new bill allows anyone with landowner permission and a hunting license to rent seats on a helicopter and shoot from the air. According to a news report, “Vertex Helicopters, based in Houston, will offer its services and require hunters to take a safety class costing $350, in addition to charging $450 an hour with a minimum of three hours in the air where hunters can blast away with semiautomatic rifles and kill as many pigs as they want and/or can.”

The Texas Department of Agriculture has declared the month of October “Hog Out Month”, kicking off their “Get the Hogs Outta Texas” contest scheduled from October 1st – December 31st. The contest will award money from a $60,000 state grant to the five counties that indiscriminately kill the most pigs.

Photo by Todd Ryburn via Flickr

Culling of both feral pigs and coyotes have previously been shown ineffective, in that both animals will give birth to greater numbers of offspring to make up for any of their numbers killed. Shooting these animals also further facilitates their spread into new areas as they seek out safe places of habitation. Studies by Kansas State University have shown that 70-80 percent of the estimated 2 million feral pigs in Texas would need to be killed each year over several years for any lasting impact in population to be made, a virtual impossibility. Several humane alternatives exist, including modern sterilization methods for coyotes and pigs as well as thoughtfully planned fencing methods. Shooting animals from the air is fraught with dangerous risk, as there is no guarantee against a gruesome and painful death when shooting at moving targets from a moving platform. It also presents certain risk to companion animals and other wildlife, who may be hunted mistakenly.

Take Action: Contact the office of Governor Perry as well as the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and urge them to repeal HB 716, the “pork chopper” bill, and ban the import of Russian boars and other exotic wildlife for hunting purposes. Also contact the Texas Department of Agriculture and ask that they repeal their sponsorship of “Get the Hogs Outta Texas” and use their funds instead to invest in sound environmental stewardship practices.

The Honorable Rick Perry
Office of the Governor
P.O. Box 12428
Austin, Texas 78711-2428
Tele. No.: 512-463-1782

Texas Senate Committee on Natural Resources
Chair: The Honorable Troy Fraser
Tele. No.: 512-463-0124
P.O. Box 12068
Capitol Station
Austin, Texas 78711

Vice Chair: The Honorable Craig Estes
Tele. No.: 512 463-0130
State Capitol, Room 3E.8
P.O. Box 12068
Capitol Station
Austin, Texas 78711

Todd Staples
Commissioner
Tele. No.: 1-800-835-5832
Texas Department of Agriculture
P.O. Box 12847
Austin, TX 78711

Sources:
http://www.care2.com/causes/texas-approves-aerial-hunting-of-pigs-and-coyotes.html
http://www.texasagriculture.gov/agr/program_render/0,1987,1848_5446_0_0,00.html?channel=5446

Victory for the Witnesses

Paws Up!
To the Florida House for failing to act on an “ag-gag” bill before the session ended.

The Florida legislative session ended without the passage of a bill that would make it illegal to film and/or photograph animals on farms without the owner’s permission. The so-called “ag-gag” is a violation of free speech and an attack on those who risk their safety to expose cruelty found on factory farms.

Photo by Compassion in World Farming

Florida residents can’t relax as the bill could be introduced in the next legislative session, so make sure you let your representatives know you disagree with any bill that infringes on the rights of whistleblowers to do their job, which is ultimately to protect the animals raised for food and ourselves from being party to animal cruelty on factory farms.

Take Action: Residents in Iowa and Minnesota, legislation is still pending in your state houses that would subject whistleblowers to criminal prosecution. Please contact your representatives now and urge them to support freedom of speech and compassion by denying passage of ag-gag legislation.

Source:
organicauthority.com/