A n i m a l W r i t e s © sm
The official ANIMAL RIGHTS ONLINE newsletter
Publisher ~ EnglandGal@aol.com
Issue #
12/13/00
Editor ~ JJswans@aol.com
Journalists ~ Park StRanger@aol.com
~
MicheleARivera@aol.com
~ SavingLife@aol.com
THE EIGHT ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE ARE:
1 ~ Giving thanks for our good fortunes: Four
reasons for hope
by Marc Bekoff
2 ~ Companion Animal Hazard Alert
3 ~ The Helsinki Treaty
4 ~ Equine Advocates
5 ~ Job Opportunity
6 ~ UF Research: Does Make Up For Losses of Hunted
Bucks
by Ron Labisky
7 ~ Christmas Returns (Poem)
8 ~ Quote To Remember
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Giving thanks for our good
fortunes:
Four reasons for hope
by Marc Bekoff - bekoffm@spot.colorado.edu
On
average, Boulderites [are] a very fortunate and blessed lot. We live in a
beautiful area laden with spectacular views, splendid and generous nature, a
multitude of coffee shops in which to get revved up and solve the world's
problems, and good-spirited people. There are also less fortunate souls here
and everywhere whose lives need to be given special consideration, those who
are dependent on the rest of us - our goodwill and generosity - for their very
survival.
While I and many others constantly think about how to make the world a better
place, the holiday season rekindles our generosity and reasons for hope. And it
should, for many Boulderites truly have what it takes to make other's lives
more hopeful, enriched, and fulfilling.
It's known that connecting with other animals spills over into forming more
intimate interconnections with other humans, that compassion is contagious and
crosses species lines. Boulder's landscapes - animate and inanimate - are more
inviting, soothing, and therapeutic than the concrete, steel, and annoying
cacophony of big city noise, and could easily catalyze kinship with all
animals, human and nonhuman. Sometimes I'm woken up by the eerie squeals of red
foxes or raccoons battling it out over food, or the pungent odor of a skunk
casually strolling about. The different personalities (or animalities") of
steller's jays is fascinating. Some are assertive, others shy, and some
downright obnoxious. But it's truly a privilege and a blessing to share their
homes. Everyday I hike with my
companion, Jethro. I'm in perpetual awe of my surroundings. I've come to
calling the Boulder landscape the Boulder "soulscape," for when I get
done hiking my spirit and soul are ignited and ablaze.
But, living in other animals' habitats can also be humbling and make one
reflect not only on the magnificence and spirit of wildness, but also its
perils and fragility. If we lose wildness we'll surely miss it and lose much of
what makes us human.
Here are two stories that, despite their harrowing nature, reinforce how lucky
I feel to live here. Seven years ago I was walking backwards down my road and
yelling to a neighbor, "Hey, there's a lion around." And, when I
turned around, there he was, three feet away. Had I continued walking backwards
I would have bumped into him. His eyes bore into my soul and I melted from fear
and awe. Unknown to me, the lion had just killed a deer. Had I crossed
the line between him and his meal I would have become his just dessert, surely
not the worst of endings.
I'm delighted to have met this regal carnivore and more pleased I and Jethro
survived our tryst. But, if I'd been injured or killed I wouldn't have wanted
my new friend killed in return. He was just being a lion and that's what was so
awe-inspiring. But once is enough! So, I've sort of changed my ways to
accommodate my own, Jethro's, and other animals' lifestyles. This isn't asking
too much so I can enjoy and share my beautiful surroundings with other beings.
But to be honest, I really didn't learn my lessons all that well. One
April morning two years back when I was hiking with Jethro, I saw two eyes
glaring at me from the high grass below my house. Yup, another lion. I
called Jethro, dropped my flashlight, and it broke. I heard some rustling,
figured the lion had run off (wishful thinking), and pondered if I should keep
going or head for home. The traffic jam
in my brain made me decide to keep going. For the next hour, meandering about in
total darkness, I was downright scared. I thought I'd need pampers by the time
I got home (I didn't). Jethro vowed never to take another early morning stroll.
But there was something about the exhilarating feeling - my pounding heart,
ever-roving eyes, all senses in overdrive - that made it all worthwhile,
especially since we made it home safely.
Unfortunately, we can all too easily lose the presence of other animals,
soul-mates who are important to our own spirit and health. We move animals
around like we move couches. We redecorate landscapes with little concern for
maintaining biological integrity. Humans seem to have an inborn urge to expand
their horizons at other animals' expense.
Are there solutions for the situations we've created, are there reasons for
hope? I see at least four. First,
science needs to change its ways, and it is. Holistic "big picture"
and heart-driven compassionate science needs to replace impersonal
"cold" science that fragments an interconnected earth into little
pieces and alienates people from their surroundings, animate and otherwise.
While some people find it awkward to deal with the notion of love in any
context, the power of love must not be underestimated as we forge ahead to
reconnect with other humans and nature.
Second, educating children so that they can experience, understand, and
appreciate the awe, magic, and splendor of the natural world will also help us
along. As regional coordinator for Jane Goodall's Roots & Shoots program,
I've been leaving the ivory tower to teach youngsters at an elementary school
in Boulder. It's been incredibly enlightening. Kid's love for other animals,
human and nonhuman, and the world at large, is unfiltered, their passion,
spirit, and wisdom contagious. Children also have this uncanny ability to bring
warring parties back together to work jointly for policies that build community
and make us neighborly.
Third, listening to elders is essential. Their wisdom often goes unheeded as
we rush about here and there. And, fourth, often, it is those who are
unfortunately down and out who have wisdom to spare and share. Often they
are the most hopeful, who, despite their own misfortunes, really believe that
this world can be a rather nice place. Their indomitable spirit unnerves me.
I've also discovered that many truly love nature although at times it can be
their worst enemy.
Good fortune is some mysterious combination of being in the right place at the
right time and having the resources with which to react. But there truly are
victims - human and nonhuman - to whom we should extend our hearts, souls, and
love. We should show them that they are important and that each can make a
difference. It's who we are - our spirit and soul - and what we do, not what we
have, that's meaningful. Let's give thanks by giving meaning to less fortunate
souls. We can do this by being more compassionate, generous, and loving. Let's set an example for youngsters and
other communities. I don't think that anyone could reasonably argue that a
world with more humility, giving, compassion, and love wouldn't be a better
place in which to live. Boulder is as good as anyplace else to begin to give
thanks by giving of ourselves. Let's show how special Boulder really is.
Marc Bekoff teaches in EPO Biology at CU-Boulder.
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Companion Animal Hazard Alert
Source - news-alert@list.aspca.org
You know not to eat those paper or plastic
packets often found in shoe boxes, bottles of medication and vitamins and some
food items -- but your pet doesn't.
Used to absorb moisture, the packets contain silica gel, which is considered
chemically and biologically inert upon ingestion. However, reports Jill
A. Richardson, DVM, of the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (APCC), gastrointestinal
upset *has* been seen in dogs and cats who have accidentally eaten one of these
packets. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting and lack of appetite.
There can be additional harmful effects, particularly if the packet was used
for medication. "Silica acts as a dessicant and can absorb qualities of a
medicine when it's in a medicine bottle," explains Richardson. "So,
for example, if your dog ate a silica gel pack that came out of your heart
medication, the silica could absorb the qualities of the heart medication and
cause similar adverse effects." Companion animal caretakers should be
extra careful to keep these packets out of their pet's reach.
In addition to offering poison/first aid information online at
http://www.napcc.aspca.org, the APCC also runs an emergency hotline --
1-888-4-ANI-HELP--that provides round-the-clock telephone assistance.
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The Helsinki Treaty
from Noam Lazarus - pax_changos@yahoo.com
The Israeli Society for Abolition of Vivisection
of Vivisection (ISAV) is proud to announce that the International Helsinki
treaty does not require experiments on animals any longer.
Dr. Andre Menache, an Israeli veterinarian who has been working for many years
against experiments on animals and for the use of other non-animal research
methods, has succeeded in changing the Helsinki treaty. The treaty, which is
used as a regulatory model in the eye of many governments and research
institutions around the world, had determined in the past that animal
experiments are required in order to perform experiments on humans, in the way
of creating new pharmaceutical drugs and procedures.
Now, as the association overseeing the treaty has agreed to make changes to the
treaty version which Dr. Menache had suggested, the treaty determines that
experiments on animals are not necessary in the way to perform experiments on
humans and that other laboratory experiments, as well as proved and relevant
information, can be used instead of experimenting on animals.
ISAV applauds this new change and encourages other organizations around the
world to negotiate with their local governments and research institutions to
act upon the new changes that have been made to the treaty.
Noam Lazarus
Israeli Society for Abolition of Vivisection
<> <> <> <> <>
Please see enclosed article for further information:
Haaretz Israeli national newspaper (translated from Hebrew)
Wednesday, November 8, 2000
Ethically speaking, the obligation to perform experiments on animals has been
canceled
Israeli Veterinarian had succeeded in changing the Helsinki Treaty
By Zafrir Rinat
Dr. Andre Menache, an Israeli veterinarian, had succeeded in making a change to
the Helsinki Treaty, which might have consequences on the policy of medical
research institutions towards experiments on animals. The change to the treaty
which has been proposed by Dr. Menache, practically revokes the obligation to
perform experiments on animals as a condition to perform experiments on humans.
However, the declaration is not legally obligating in nature.
The Helsinki treaty determines ethical principles to medical research which
involves human beings, and is very influential on the research policies of
research institutions around the world.
Until recently the first principle of the treaty determined that "medical
research in humans must be consistent with usual scientific principles and MUST
be based upon experiments that were carried out in a laboratory and experiments
on animals". The accepted meaning of this principle was that experiments
on animals are a necessary step in the way to experiments on humans.
Dr. Menache suggested a correction to this principle which mandates that
experiments on humans would be based upon "experiments in a laboratory
which were carried out properly and other suitable assessments that have
been independently proved as relevant
and credible". The new version was approved in an International congress
for alternatives to experiments on animals, and was delivered to the world
medical association which is responsible for the written version of the
Helsinki treaty. The association has finally approved a new version which
determines that experiments [on humans] would be based on laboratory
experiments and other relevant sources, and only if needed experiments on
animals as well.
In Noah's opinion, which is a coalition of animal welfare organizations in
Israel, this is a very significant change which also requires a change in the
policy of research institutions in Israel. Noah's legal advisor, the Israeli
lawyer Euhd Peleg, sent this week a letter to the chairperson of the Israeli
ministry of health, in which he had asked to guide all the research
institutions in Israel and educate them about the meaning of the change in the
Helsinki treaty, which cancels the automatic need in experiments on animals
previous to experiments on humans. He had also asked that the ministry of
health accordingly fix the old version of the Helsinki treaty which appears in
the Israeli regulations of public health.
Today, researchers continue to perform a variety of experiments on animals in
Israel and around the world. In the last two years, Israel approved experiments
on 134,000 animals. These experiments involve (among others) exposing different
animals to different substances in order to determine the toxicity of medical
and cosmetics products, infecting non-human primates with Parkinson disease as
well as others diseases, to research it, and causing burns to guinea-pigs in
order to determine the efficiency of a product that treats burns.
An Israeli governmental committee acting to regulate experiments on animals
according to the Israeli Anti-Cruelty law was supposed to approve alternatives
to animal experiments but until today, had never approved even one. According
to the animal protection groups the committee is ignoring such alternatives
that have been developed around the world and is basing its decisions according
to the American Food and Drug administration which did not approve any non-animal
research methods up until today.
According to Dr. Menache, one of the barriers in developing non-animal research
methods up until now, was the text of the Helsinki treaty which mandated
experiments on animals. "The treaty does not carry a legal obligation"
he says, "but it has a large psychological influence on the authorities
which decide on the regulations of developing medicine and medical
procedures".
In the U.S.A this barrier in approving non-animal research methods had been
broken when two government agencies approved for the first time, the use of
alternatives to animal experiments. The administration of safety and
occupational health and the Environment Protection Agency approved the use of
synthetic skin instead of live rabbits, in order to check the health influence
of chemical substances. On the other hand, the FDA agreed only to limit the
number of experiments on animals together with the use of the synthetic skin.
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Equine Advocates
supplied by Trevor Chin - tmchin@yahoo.com
http://www.equineadvocates.com
November 2000
We just returned from a successful, but very difficult trip to Manitoba, Canada
where we rescued 12 slaughter-bound horses, most of whom were PMU mares and
foals. We received a tip that a specially organized sale, where many PMU mares
would be sold and sent to slaughter, was taking place last month. Usually, PMU
mares don't go to auction in large numbers until the spring. However, our
sources informed us that due to a decrease in the number of PMU farms in
Manitoba, there was going to be a "bloodbath" of PMU mares going to
slaughter. (NOTE: The decrease in
Canadian PMU farms is a result of a dramatic escalation of PMU production and
PMU farms in the U.S. More will reported on this very disturbing trend in the
near future.)
We immediately started to raise money for this emergency rescue. There
wasn't much time and we had to be very careful and discreet so as not to tip
off the PMU industry that a rescue operation was being planned. Luckily, we
were able to raise some money and at the same time, arrange for permanent and
temporary homes for the horses. In addition to pregnant PMU mares, we also
rescued three foals, and an aged gelding that was also being sold that day and
who was being bid on by several of the "killer buyers" present. He
was such a sweet old guy that we just had to come to his rescue as well. We
didn't want to see him go to slaughter.
Of course, there were many horses sold that day that we couldn't save. Two
pregnant PMU mares ended up in a kill pen and when we approached the
"killer buyer" and offered to pay him twice the price he paid for
them, he flatly refused, happy to ship them rather than sell them to us. This
was quite a shock as we were being more than fair and would have paid even more
money just to save these mares...but this particular killer buyer (who
incidentally is said to possess over 2000 PMU foals in his stockyard), chose to
ship them instead. This was devastating for us; we tried everything to try to
save these two mares. I have never seen any "killer buyer" turn down
that kind of a profit. My own opinion is that he was angry that rescuers did
show up at this sale and that we were bidding against him and other
"killer buyers" for the same horses. Even though there seemed to be
well over a hundred people present, we were the only ones other than the
"killer buyers" who were bidding on PMU mares and foals, and other
horses that were aged, unsound or unable to be ridden. He just didn't want us
to have those mares. We were crushed.
Sadly, there was still more tragedy to come. One of the PMU mares was not only
pregnant, but she was well over 25 years of age, emaciated and had open wounds
all over her body. She was treated by a veterinarian as soon as we got her away
from the auction house. We named her "Carla". After a brief lay-over
in Manitoba, we shipped her and our other 11 rescued horses to a safe haven in
another province where they would remain before being sent to the U.S. They had
to be examined by a veterinarian and receive the necessary health papers in
order to ship them over the border into this country. "Carla" made it
to the safe haven. She seemed to love being groomed and fed apples. She loved
the attention she was getting and I looked forward to receiving daily reports
about how she and the others were doing and how well they were responding to
good nutrition and lots of TLC.
Everything was set to send her to a loving home where she could recuperate and
regain her strength. Tragically, she went down. Her body seemed to be
shutting down. The vet came and said she might make it, but when she went down
for a second time, we knew that she could not. "Carla" was humanely
euthanized on a tranquil Canadian farm where she received a peaceful and
dignified death. Had we not outbid the "killer buyers" for her,
she would have probably gone down in the trailer and either been trampled to
death, or if she was still breathing, dragged out in chains into the slaughterhouse.
She was old, used up and being cruelly discarded after being used and abused
for so many years. I knew that she was old, but even the vet thought that she
might make it. All we wanted was for
her to have the last couple of years or precious months of her tragic life
filled with lots of love and quality care. Sadly, she only lasted 11 days after
we rescued her, but again, I'm glad that we were able to provide her with a
peaceful and dignified end, one which well over a million horses used and
exploited by the PMU industry never received...And the mass slaughter of PMU
mares, foals and stallions cruelly continues every year.
(NOTE: "Carla" was quite old for a PMU mare and probably was referred
to as, "a good producer", in the industry. Consequently, she must
have made a substantial amount of money for her exploiters over the years.
According to sources, life on the PMU farms is so hard, that an estimated ONE
QUARTER of the mares standing on PMU lines have to be replaced ever year.)
(ANOTHER NOTE: Doctors no longer have to give women Premarin and other products
produced from pregnant mares' urine (PMU) in order to prescribe conjugated
estrogens to treat the symptoms of menopause. Since 1999, there is now a
SYNTHETIC FORM of conjugated estrogens on the market called
"CENESTIN", which has been dubbed, "Synthetic Premarin."
Encourage women to ask their doctors about this synthetic drug that is the most
chemically similar to Premarin, but not made from horse urine. This is a
new weapon in our arsenal in the fight against the use of horses to produce PMU
products. Let's spread the word!)
ON A MUCH HAPPIER NOTE, the remaining 11 horses that we rescued in Canada are
all doing well. One of the foals, "Little Lucy" is deformed and a vet
is determining whether or not surgery can help her. As I mentioned before, all
are either in permanent or foster homes. If anyone is interested in adopting
any of the ones who have not yet been permanently placed, please write to us or
e-mail us at: <mailto:info@equineadvocates.com>
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Job Opportunity
from FARM - farm@farmusa.org
FARM is seeking a webmaster for its four sites,
including:
http://www.farmusa.org, htp://www.meatout.org, and
http://www.animalrights2000.
Must have extensive experience with web design programs, preferably including
Net Object Fusion. DC location preferred. Full or part-time.
Please send resume, links to web sites designed, availability, and compensation
requirements to David Pryor at dvp@farmusa.org or call 1-888-MEATOUT.
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UF
Research:
Does Make Up For Losses of Hunted Bucks
by Ron Labisky - labiskyr@ufl.edu
http://www.napa.ufl.edu/2000news/deer.htm
GAINESVILLE,
Fla. -- As fall hunting season opens in Florida and other states, a University
of Florida professor says America's native white-tailed deer have some unique
ways to compensate for hunting.
Hunters most often pursue bucks, both for trophy value and because shooting
does in many states is illegal or highly restricted. That might seem to
threaten deer populations because it cuts into the number of males available to
mate. But Ron Labisky, a UF professor
of wildlife ecology and conservation, says his research shows that deer make up
for the loss of bucks with a unique response: Does in areas where hunting is
allowed give birth to considerably more male fawns than female fawns.
"We don't usually give animals due credit for their persistence,
especially deer," said Labisky, who has spent three decades researching
white-tailed deer. "With males-only hunting, it is very, very difficult to
deplete a deer population."
General deer hunting season opens at different times in Florida during the fall
(the season opens this Sunday [Nov. 19] in Central Florida). While it typically
lasts through January or February, hunters are allowed only two days to kill
deer that have no antlers, including does.
Labisky and colleagues examined the reproductive tracts of 380 legally
harvested does from four areas of Florida. The Tosohatchee State Preserve and
most of Eglin Air Force Base are off limits to hunting, whereas it is allowed
in Camp Blanding Wildlife Management Area and the Rotenberger Wildlife
Management Area.
More than 90 percent of the does in all the areas were pregnant, the research
found. Males comprised 56 percent of the fetuses in the hunted areas but just
39 percent in the non-hunted areas, it found. As if that weren't enough, the
researchers also found 38 percent of does on hunted sites carried twins,
compared with just 14 percent on non-hunted sites.
"Productivity was higher on hunted than non-hunted sites," wrote
Labisky in a summary of the study, which appeared in the Journal of Wildlife
Management.
Why would deer give birth to more males in areas where bucks are hunted? Labisky said the doe's reproductive cycle
offers one explanation for the adaptation.
Does typically go into heat for about 72 hours, he said. In non-hunted areas,
they find mates quickly, while they take longer to find mates in hunted
areas. The later does breed while
they're in heat, the greater the proportion of male fetuses, Labisky said.
In a related research project, Labisky found that while does typically wait for
bucks to find them, they actually seek out bucks in hunted areas where there
are fewer around.
From the white-tailed deers' perspective, the findings are good news. On the
other hand, the research likely means the animals will continue to be a
nuisance in some states.
Labisky said experts believe the population of deer in the United States is
about equal to what it was before Europeans arrived, with somewhere between 24
million and 34 million nationwide. That's up from just 350,000 in 1900, when
the population crashed largely because of unregulated hunting.
Northern states have the biggest problem with overpopulation of deer because
their fields provide so much forage -- at a time when many of the deer's
traditional predators such as wolves and bears no longer pose a threat. Deer in
the Midwest also give birth to more fawns, and more of the fawns survive, than
in the South, Labisky's research has found. In Florida, by contrast,
"our groceries aren't as good," Labisky said. Unlike states
such as Wisconsin, with at least 2 million deer, Florida has about 600,000
deer.
The state's deer population is relatively stable -- in part because of the
deer's unique compensation to hunting, Labisky said.
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Christmas Returns
This is the part of the holidays that I dread the most. Presents are
returned for exchange, I know must be a nightmare for sales clerks, BUT
unfortunately some presents are just thrown outside and neglected until
the shelters get them, then my nightmare begins...Please advise your
friends and families NOT to give pets as presents unless its planned.
CHRISTMAS RETURNS
Santa comes quietly long before dawn
While shops are still busy and lights are still on
While dinners are cooking and kitchens are warm
And children count presents they’ll open by morn.
He slips past the trees in windows aglow
Through the gate to the backyard
As icy winds blow
To find the pup he brought last year
Chained up in the snow
And, kneeling, he whispers,
“Are you ready to go?”
There are too many stops like this one tonight
Before the beginning of his regular flight
He leaves not a note or footprint in sight
Just an unbuckled collar
On a cold Christmas night.....
AUTHOR UNKNOWN
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Quote To Remember
"Until
he extends the circle of his compassion to all living things, man will not
himself find peace."
~ Albert
Schweitzer
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Susan Roghair - EnglandGal@aol.com
Animal Rights Online
P O Box 7053
Tampa, Fl 33673-7053
http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/1395/
-=Animal Rights Online=-
&
Advisory Board Member, Animal Rights Network Inc.,
not-for-profit publisher of The Animals' Agenda Magazine
http://www.animalsagenda.org/
The Animals' Agenda Magazine: WebEdition
«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»
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