A n i m
a l W r i t e s © sm
The
official ANIMAL RIGHTS ONLINE newsletter
Publisher ~ EnglandGal@aol.com
Issue #
01/21/01
Editor ~ JJswans@aol.com
Journalists ~ Park StRanger@aol.com
~
MicheleARivera@aol.com
~ SavingLife@aol.com
THE NINE ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE ARE:
1 ~ Curious George by
KarenDawn1@aol.com
2 ~ Israeli Primate Sanctuary
3 ~ PCRM Wants Plaintiff's
4 ~ New Resource Book
5 ~ Conference Announcement
6 ~ No Bread Dough for Animals
7 ~ Why Deer Hunting Doesn't Deplete Deer
Population
8 ~ Poem
9 ~ Quote To Remember
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Curious George
Law and Order gives animal rights thorough, thoughtful coverage.
by KarenDawn1@aol.com
"Curious
George," the LAW AND ORDER episode that aired on Wednesday, January 17,
gave the animal rights position extraordinary coverage. Viewers were so
immersed in animal rights philosophy that it is going to be hard for me to pick
and choose what to share. This alert will be long, because the show was
remarkable.
Law and Order is almost always based on a murder case. This episode dealt with
the death of an AIDS vaccine researcher who died from an unexpected allergic
reaction to a monkey bite. We find out that animal rights activists had freed
all of the lab monkeys, but had lost hold of one and were unable to grab him
and take him to sanctuary. He was left loose in the lab. When the researcher
tried to put him back in his cage the next morning, the researcher was bitten.
One of the cops told Detective Briscoe (Jerry Orbach):
"Two guys who work here got him back in the cage. They said when one of
them gets out, they fight like hell not to get put back in."
Briscoe said: "So Would I"
I knew we were off to a good start.
The episode covered so much ground. A friend of the main suspect, George Peevy,
describes his eating habits:
"He said there's enough other protein sources on the planet so that we
don't need to slaughter animals."
Whenever the cops talk about the monkeys being stolen they are corrected by
activists and told that the monkeys were rescued.
The suspect, George Peevy, was presented very sympathetically. His
lawyer, Mr. Oyler, tells the judge that he wants to present an argument that
is:
"An expansion of self defense. A 'justification defense' is available
when someone uses force under the reasonable belief that it was necessary to
defend themselves or others... Mr. Peevy was of the belief that certain
circumstances required him to take the action that he did."
When McCoy (Sam Waterston) objects saying, "Your honor, The law of
justification defense does not pertain to the defense of monkeys..."
Oyler retorts,
"135 years ago, justification defense didn't pertain to the
defense of slaves. Law, your honor, evolves."
The judge grants, "...You got your forum counselor, I trust you will
use it to serve your client and not your cause."
I'm thrilled to say that later in the show, when George is offered a plea
bargain that would grant him less jail time, his lawyer and activist girlfriend
do not push him to reject it. They tell him he has already done plenty for the
cause. Thus the show did not reinforce the myth that animal rights activists
are militant ogres who care for non human animals but not for humans.
George shares his thoughts that lead to his rejection of the plea
bargain:
"Ever heard of this guy John Brown who made this raid at Harper's ferry
to steal guns to free slaves... Pretty brave guy."
An actor playing a professor of bioethics on the witness stand presents Peter
Singer's views with less charisma than the man himself, but still somewhat
effectively. He says,
"I believe there are other ways of conducting research that don't
require the torture and slaughter of animals. If I told you we could cure
cancer by sacrificing ten infants for research, would you approve? Let's make
it easier - ten convicted murderers. As a society we wouldn't allow it. The
life and liberty of a human being is inviolate."
When challenged about lines in his writing that say that one commits a greater
offense against nature by killing a healthy primate than a severely retarded
child, he says,
"What I am attempting to put across is that a healthy primate can
experience both pain and the anticipation of pain more acutely than a severely
retarded infant, hence the primate suffers more."
When asked if the primate's suffering is more offensive he says,
"They are both offensive to me. I am not opposed to one and indifferent
to the other."
George's girlfriend's testimony about the birth of his interest in animal
rights is very powerful. First she says,
"I started talking to George about animals being more than just
property. I told him how Gandhi said you judge a civilization by how it treats
animals."
But referring to the day he became a committed activist she says,
"It was when I told him about the pigs. Experiments were conducted on
how severe burns effect pigs appetites. The pigs were tied down fully conscious
and burned with blow torches. I showed him a video of it - he hasn't been the
same since."
I am sure that this sort of information, about the way researchers treat
animals, was news to 99.9 percent of Law and Order viewers.
The defense lawyer's closing speech is one of my favorite segments in the
history of television:
"There can be no argument but that what George Peevy did, he did out of
conscience. This was not a crime of vengeance, or greed - his actions were
motivated solely by the compassion he felt for the suffering of another living
creature. We are not accustomed to worrying about suffering when it is other
than human suffering. We think nothing of killing animals to mount their heads
over our mantles or to test for hairspray. And when objections are raised, the
people raising them are mocked as kooks, hopelessly outside the mainstream,
because the basic unassailable principle that allows us to take animals and do
whatever we want with them is that they are property. Much like a lump of coal
or a plank of wood or a truck or a shovel or a hammer or a nail belongs to its
owner, so too does an animal. I'd like to remind you of a time in the not too
distant past when that same distinction was drawn based on the color of one's
skin - when Africans were packed into ships like cord wood and brought to this
continent as property of their owners, and they had no rights, and their
suffering did not matter, and anyone who objected was a kook and outside the
mainstream. My client is one such person. He saw suffering and he sought to end
it. That his efforts brought about the unanticipated tragedy in the death of
Ronald Lee should not force us to criminalize his intent because his intent was
good and decent. It was his belief that to save an animal from suffering and
death would be an action held reasonable by any enlightened society. I believe one day our society will be so
enlightened. I hope and pray that day is today."
I also include for you the prosecution's closing argument. It shows how
beautifully Law and Order attempts to present both sides of a case. And I think
it makes the jury's decision to convict understandable in terms of regard for
the law, and not a statement by the producers against animal rights. Verdicts
on this show are very often not what the viewer has been guided to desire - the
producers aim to present what they feel is a realistic outcome.
McCoy discusses the control of rat populations to stem the plague and then
closes,
"...We as a society value human life over nonhuman life and
proceed accordingly. Does that mean we have no compassion for human suffering?
Not at all. I believe the men and women in this lab care deeply for these
monkeys. It is just that they care for the men, women and children who suffer
and die from AIDS more. But all of that is beside the point. How we treat
animals, whether or not animals suffer is not the issue. The nobility of the
defendant's motives is not the issue. The only issue in this case is whether
the defendant it criminally responsible for the death of Ronald Lee. There is
no question here, the defendant willfully, knowingly broke into that lab and
took those virally infected monkeys out of their cages. It was that action that
created the potential for harm. It was that action that caused the death of Dr.
Lee. So now I ask you to do what the law requires."
George is found guilty. We flash to the office of District Attorney Nora Lewin
(Dianne Wiest):
McCoy: "Man's dominion over the animals remains intact."
Carmichael (Angie Harmon): "A jury decides to follow the law."
Lewin: "And a hero is born."
End.
I almost jumped through the TV screen to hug George and all of our heroes on
the front line.
You can send a written hug to Law and Order at the NBC feedback page:
NBC
Feedback
http://nbci-nbctv.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/nbci_nbctv/people?2-44
You will need to select Law and Order from the
pulldown menu.
I have spoken to one or two other activists who were concerned that the
efficacy of animal research was not questioned in this episode. I greatly
admire the work of people such as Ray and Jean Greek who argue against it, on
grounds of bad science, magnificently. However, thanks to the strong biomedical
lobby and its well funded public relations machine, I am not sure that this is
a notion that the American people are ready to accept, yet. At this time, I
think the moral arguments are just as powerful; They were presented
beautifully.
Of course, when the researcher is working on an AIDS vaccine, the moral
argument will not be as clear cut to most people as when cocaine research, for
example, is being conducted. I thought Law and Order gave us a lovely tip with
the following exchange in the District Attorney's office, half way through the
court case:
Lewin: "What's the sympathy factor for the defendant going to amount
to?"
McCoy: "Hopefully less than for a victim who dedicated his life to AIDS
research."
In other words, if we want public sympathy, our front-line heroes will get it
easily, by liberating animals from studies that could not be considered to be
lifesaving to humans.
Did mainstream, public relations conscious, media friendly DawnWatch just
subtly condone illegal activity? If so, perhaps I was inspired by last night's
episode of Law and Order.
<> <> <> <> <>
(DawnWatch is an animal rights media watch that looks at animal issues in the
media and facilitates one click responses to the relevant media outlets. To subscribe to DawnWatch, email
KarenDawn@DawnWatch.com and tell me you'd like to receive alerts. If at
any time you find DawnWatch is not for you, just let me know via email and I'll
take you off the subscriber list immediately.)
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Israeli Primate Sanctuary
Two monkeys released from a laboratory, new
primate sanctuary being established.
The Israeli Society for Abolition of Vivisection (ISAV) is proud to announce
the release of two vervet monkeys from the Israeli laboratory at the
Tel-Hashomer hospital and is now working to establish a new primate sanctuary
in Israel.
Details of the monkey's release, which took place on September 3, 2000, have
been released to the media today [December 8, 2000].
The two vervet monkeys, now named Miki and Gili, spent over 13 years isolated
in small cages; cages that did not even provide enough space for the monkeys to
stand straight. Miki and Gili are the only survivors out of a group of 20
Vervet monkeys, who were kept in the Israeli hospital of Tel-Hashomer since
1987. The vervets were kept in the viral disease department of the hospital for
the purpose of providing cell lines (taken from their kidneys) for the viral
identification of viruses.
Over the last 13 years, Dr. Andre Menache, an Israeli veterinarian and ISAV
have been campaigning and negotiating with the hospital to retire the monkeys
to a sanctuary. The hospital agreed to retire the two vervet monkeys this past
August and on Sunday, September 3, Miki and Gili finally left the laboratory
and were transferred to their new home at the property of Dr. Bernard Horovits
in the center of Israel.
Miki and Gili are now living together in their new large enclosures and for the
first time in 13 years they are able to run, play, climb, groom and socialize
with each other and have the freedom they have been denied of for so long.
The recovery of Miki and Gili has been amazing as well. For the past months
following their retirement to the sanctuary they had to regain their walking
and climbing skills as they could hardly move in their small cages at
Tel-Hashomer which had atrophied their muscles. Now they are enjoying climbing
on the small tree in their enclosure and exploring their new environment.
Following the difficulties of finding a new home for Miki and Gili, the Israeli
Society for Abolition of Vivisection is now working on the establishment of a
first ever sanctuary for primates being retired from laboratories in
Israel. Up until now, several dozens of
non-human primates in Israel have been killed every year (regardless of their
age or medical condition) once they were unwanted by the research facilities.
ISAV has reached an agreement with primate laboratories and research facilities
across Israel upon which primates who have been deemed as
"unnecessary" by the research facilities will be permanently retired
to the Israeli sanctuary which would rehabilitate and care for them for the
rest of their lives. According to the agreement, 20 non-human primates from
different Israeli research facilities are already available to be retired to
the sanctuary once it is established.
The Sanctuary, which will be named "Freedom to Live", is going to be
established on the property of Dr. Ron Ram, an Israeli veterinarian who
generously agreed for the sanctuary to be built on his grounds. As the
sanctuary will be closed to the public, ISAV is also planning to establish an
educational center at the city of Tel-Aviv which will enable people to watch
the primates' rehabilitation process through a small number of cameras which will
be placed at the sanctuary. The center will also contain a library and a
lecture room.
ISAV is now in the process of trying to raise funds and planning the
construction of the sanctuary.
Noam Lazarus
Campaign Coordinator
Israeli Society for Abolition of Vivisection
*Pictures of Miki and Gili the vervets in their new home can be seen at
http://www.isav.org.il/2.html, Pictures are also available from
noaml@earthlink.net
-------------------------
"Freedom to Live"
Israeli Primate Sanctuary
47 Chen Boulevard
Tel Aviv 64167
Israel
Anat Refua
Project Manager
Tel # 972-3-527-8499
Fax # 972-3-527-8492
shoni@aquanet.co.il
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PCRM Wants Plaintiff's
from Molly McGee - MOLLYMCGEE@webtv.net
If
you or someone you know, have ever had a case of food poisoning from eating
contaminated beef or poultry since 1996, you may be able to assist PCRM. We are
considering an action against the USDA challenging meat and poultry inspection
laws.
It would benefit our case to have member plaintiffs who have had a documented
case of food poisoning. We anticipate that your time commitment would be only
about one hour, which may include drafting and sighing an affidavit of your
personal experience. You may be called for a deposition, although this is not
likely. You would incur no costs, PCRM would be the lead plaintiff.
If you think you can help, please contact:
Mindy Kursban, Staff Council
5100 Wisconsin Ave., Ste. 404
Washington, D.C. 20016
(202) 686-2210, ext. 307
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New Resource Book
The
National Association for Humane and Environmental Education (NAHEE), youth
education division of The Humane Society of the United States, has a new
booklet you'll want to read. Written for highschool students and their
teachers, Science and Conscience explores the facts and issues at the heart of
the animal experimentation controversy. Major topics include the history
of and current trends in animal experimentation, the use of animals in
education, biomedical research and product testing, and the development of
laws, alternatives and other initiatives to improve standards for animal care
and scientific research alike. This full-color, 43-page booklet contains
critical-thinking questions, projects, suggestions for independent study and
meaningful activities for high-school students.
To cover production costs, Science and Conscience is priced at $3 per
copy. To order, send checks to NAHEE, P.O. Box 362, East Haddam, CT
06423-0362. Or order online at www.nahee.org/publications.asp. For more
information, e-mail us at nahee@nahee.org.
Susan Hejlik, assistant editor
National Association for Humane and Environmental Education
67 Norwich-Essex Tpke.
East Haddam, CT 06423-0362
Tel: (860) 434-8666
Fax: (860) 434-9579
Source: Susan Hejlik - hejlik@nahee.org
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Conference Announcement
Sponsored by the Committee on Legal Issues
Pertaining to Animals of The Association of the Bar of the City of New York
Wednesday, January 31, 2001, 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
The Association of the Bar of the City of New York,
The Great Hall, 42 West 44th Street,
New York, New York 10036 (212) 382-6600
"THE FUTURE OF FARM ANIMAL WELFARE"
A panel discussion on the current treatment of farm animals in the United
States, how the law regulates such treatment, recent legal changes in the
European Union, whether the European model is an appropriate model for the
United States, and what the future of farm animal welfare will be.
Underlying issues to be discussed include animal welfare, economics, the environment,
free trade, the law and consumer issues.
Moderators: Lydia A. Ciacci, Solomon and Solomon, P.C.,
David J. Wolfson, Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy, LLP
Panelists: Gene Bauston, Executive Director, Farm Sanctuary
Steve Kopperud, Senior Vice President, Policy Directions Inc.
Sarah Muirhead, Editor, Feedstuffs Magazine
Richard Reynnells, National Program Leader, United States Department of
Agriculture
Jack Sparks, Jr., Director of Communications, American Humane Association
Peter Stevenson, Political and Legal Director, Compassion in World Farming
Dr. Paul Sundberg, Assistant Vice President of Veterinary Issues, National Pork
Producers Council
The conference is open to the public and is free of charge. For further
information, call (212) 382-6600, ext. 6614
Source:
marisul@prodigy.net
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No Bread Dough for Animals
from Nancy Mills - girl@airmail.net
If you are tempted to give your companion animal
a treat while you are baking, remember that eating unbaked bread dough is
dangerous for animals. According to Jill A. Richardson, D.V.M., of the
ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (APCC), when bread dough is ingested, an
animal's body heat causes alcohol to be produced during the process and the
dough expands, causing abdominal pain, bloat, vomiting, disorientation and
depression. Even small amounts of dough can cause illness. Remember not
to leave rising dough unattended in the presence of an animal who may try to
eat it. In case of medical emergencies, call the APCC emergency hotline
888-4-ANI-HELP. [But first call your veterinarian.]
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Why Deer Hunting Doesn't
Deplete Deer Population
by Aaron Hoover - from www.unisci.com
supplied by CAFT13@aol.com
As
fall hunting season open[ed] in Florida and other states, a University of
Florida professor said 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. 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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Poem
Sorrow fills a barren space
you close your eyes and see my face
and think of times I made you laugh
the love we shared, the bond we had
the special way I needed you -
the friendship shared by just we two.
The day's too quiet, the world seems older,
the wind blows now a little colder.
You gaze into the empty air
and look for me, but I'm not there -
I'm in heaven and I watch you,
and I see the world around you too.
I see little souls wearing fur,
souls who bark and souls who purr
born unwanted and unloved -
I see all this and more above -
I watch them suffer, I see them cry,
I see them lost, I watch them die.
I see unwanted thousands born -
and when they die, nobody mourns.
These little souls wearing fur
(Some who bark and some who purr)
are castaways who - unlike me -
will never know love or security.
A few short months they starve and roam,
Or caged in shelters - nobody takes home.
They're special too (furballs of pleasure),
filled with love and each one, a treasure.
My pain and suffering came to an end,
so don't cry for me, my person, my friend.
But think of the living - those souls with fur
(some who bark and some who purr) -
And though our bond can't be broken apart,
make room for another in your home and your heart.
(Author Unknown)
**************************************
Not even death can separate hearts that
really care,
For memory spans all time and in seconds we
are there
We hear the voice, We see the smile,
and deep inside we know that loved ones are
a part of us
wherever we may go....
They're in our hearts forever no matter when
or where~
Not even death can separate hearts that
really care...
Submitted by Lealuna76@aol.com
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Quote To Remember
"When
you believe there is no love in the world, just gaze into the eyes of the cat
in your lap or the dog on your hearth."
~ Welsh Poem
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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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