A n i m a l
W r i t e s © sm
The
official ANIMAL RIGHTS ONLINE newsletter
Publisher ~ EnglandGal@aol.com
Issue #
08/08/01
Editor ~ JJswans@aol.com
Journalists ~ Park StRanger@aol.com
~
MichelleRivera1@aol.com
~ sbest1@elp.rr.com
THE FIVE ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE ARE:
1 ~ The Sting by Laura A. Moretti
2 ~ Senate Passes Anti-Cockfighting Bill
3 ~ Roadkill Avoidance Tips from 'Animal People'
4 ~ Remembering
5 ~ Memorable Quote
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The Sting
by Laura A. Moretti
from The Animals' Agenda magazine May/June 2001
I took my New York City born-and-raised cousin to
Farm Sanctuary's shelter over the weekend. He was interested in the work
I do, so I thought I'd introduce him to the cows, pigs, and chickens living in
freedom at the sanctuary, and then haul him over to the local college farm and
show him the pigs in crammed stalls and expose him to grisly slaughterhouse
techniques.
My plan: to have him make friends with the animals first and then give him a
behind-the-scenes perspective -- show him how animals are made for his
plate. That would get him. He'd be a vegetarian by the time he
headed home.
So off to the shelter we went, my cousin, Tony, unaware of my lethal strategy
-- like a lamb to the slaughter. WWhat he knew about animals prior to that
beautiful spring day were his veal dinners and his fried chicken sandwiches.
I was about to rock his world. Despite his Italian background, he had a
sensitive side. And I was certain, as I am of anything, that one look
into a pig farrowing house would be the end of his bacon breakfasts. One
minute in front of the calf stalls, and he'd give up his ice cream
sundaes. One step inside the slaughterhouse -- with its pulleys and
knives and meat hooks, its refrigeration rooms crammed with barrels of
discarded, inedible animal hooves and eyes and bloody hides and the like -- and
he'd never eat anything made out of an animal again.
But first the setup.
Farm Sanctuary was the picture of peace upon our arrival. Tony was
anxious to get started, and I was anxious to get it over with, so there'd be
plenty of daylight left for our trip to the college farm. While he took
pictures, I pressed to hurry him along.
We stopped to watch two white chickens carefully pecking at each other's feathers.
Tony took pictures enjoying the antics. I, of course, noticed their
rubbed-away feathers, their severed beaks, their ingrown toes, but I didn't say
a word to Tony. I'd rather he saw them in cages, the way they are just
before he eats them.
He was especially taken by the female turkey who followed him around until I
explained she was hoping he'd scratch her belly. He did, like a little
boy at a petting farm, with not a clue about the gruesome truth I planned to
show him later. "What's that?" he asked at one point, and I
turned to follow his focus. A tom turkey, I had to explain. My
dear, sweet cousin was in for a shock. If he didn't know a male turkey
when he saw one, he'd be mortified when he saw what I had yet to show him.
Though I pressured him to move along, he didn't seem to heed. He spent
nearly an hour with the pigs, scratching their backs, taking their pictures,
offering them straw he'd found. "They really do lie around in
mud," he observed. "Ah, it's a pig's life!" I didn't
share with him how grotesquely overweight the pigs were; so heavy, in fact,
some of them could barely sustain their own weight. Nor did I point to
their leg deformities and strained walking. He would see soon enough the
farrow house at the college farm, where sows were crammed into caged stalls and
forced to pump out piglets, as one farmer put it, "like sausage
machines."
The cows came home, as it were, from the hillsides and visited the barn as I
was urging Tony to follow me to the car. He met Henry, a former veal
calf, and after taking the animal's picture said, "Look at those
eyes. They're almost unreal."
In my world, they were unreal. The cow eyes at the dairy, he would
see, were filled with fear and anguish. And they would never come close
enough for him to touch. He giggled like a schoolboy while Henry licked
his fingers with a big, raspy tongue.
Finally, after a couple of hours, Tony seemed ready to go. He was no
longer the anxious-to-get-started young man I'd brought to the sanctuary.
I knew I should have dragged him away sooner, so he wouldn't be so tired, too
tired to see the reality of his food choices from a different perspective.
"This has been quite a day," he said, getting into the car with
me. He stored his camera, and added, "What shall we do now?
How about lunch or something? A salad would be best. I don't think
I'll ever eat anything made out of animal again."
Keep fighting the good fight.
And remember: It doesn't always have to go our way.
"Reprinted with permission from The Animals' Agenda, P.O. Box
25881,
Baltimore, MD 21224; (410)675-4566; www.animalsagendal.org"
Email: office@animalsagenda.org
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Senate Passes Anti-Cockfighting
Bill
By Frederic J. Frommer
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON
(AP) - The Senate passed an amendment banning the interstate
transfer of birds for cockfighting, giving animal rights activists a
long-sought victory.
"Gambling, money laundering, assaults, and even murders are not uncommon
activities that accompany cockfighting,'' said Sen. Wayne Allard, a Colorado
Republican who sponsored the amendment Tuesday. "I simply don't see
any
place for any of this in American society.''
Allard, a veterinarian, teamed up with Rep. Collin Peterson, a pro-hunting
Minnesota Democrat, to push for passage. Last year, then-Senate Majority Leader
Trent Lott refused to hold a vote on the bill.
Federal law prohibits the shipment of animals for fighting across state lines,
but birds can be shipped to one of the three states where cockfighting is still
legal - New Mexico, Oklahoma and Louisiana.
Allard said this "crafty loophole'' gives illegal cockfighters in the
other 47 states an easy defense when confronted by police - they often say they
are just raising the birds for shipment elsewhere.
"Illegal cockfighting is rampant in this nation,'' said Allard.
"All over the country, birds are affixed with razors and knives and pumped
full of steroids, stimulants and blood-clotting agents and made to fight to
death - all for sport and money.''
The Senate approved the amendment to an emergency agriculture spending bill
by voice vote. Sen. Zell Miller, D-Ga., opposed it. He didn't speak on the
floor, but in an earlier statement, he mocked the legislation.
"I thought the federal government's job was to suppress insurrections,
repel invasions, declare war and grant letters of reprisal - important stuff
like that - not to stop folks from hauling chickens across state lines.''
Former Sen. Steve Symms, R-Idaho, who lobbied against the bill for the
cockfighter's trade association, the American Animal Husbandry Coalition,
called passage "very sad.''
"If this bill becomes law, it will do away with thousands of small
businesses who ship these birds and export them overseas,'' he said.
Wayne Pacelle, a lobbyist and vice president for the Humane Society of the
United States, had a different take.
"We are very excited that the Senate, almost without dissent, approved
legislation to combat the gruesome and barbaric practice of cockfighting,'' he
said.
The legislation will likely be taken up in a House-Senate conference committee
on the overall emergency spending bill.
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Roadkill Avoidance Tips from 'Animal
People'
(August 2001 update - new sectons on cattle and horses)
Available online at:
http://207.36.248.191/special/ROADKILLS/roadkillTips.html
Birds
Many birds cannot rise fast enough to evade an oncoming car, unless they fly
directly ahead of the car, using the air current it pushes to provide extra
lift. If you brake too abruptly for a bird flying straight ahead of you,
you may take away the push he needs and send him crashing into your windshield.
Lift your foot off the gas and slow down gently, gradually, until the bird
rises above your car or peels away to one side.
Cats
Cars kill about 5.4 million cats per year -- more, by a million-plus, than are
killed in U.S. animal shelters! Most of them are hit at night. Typically
cats know cars are dangerous, but confuse the beams from your headlights with
your car itself. When the lights go by them, they think it's safe to dash
out. Expect them to make this mistake and you'll be prepared to react if
they do.
Dogs
1.2 million dogs were killed on U.S. roads last year, and most of them were
likely chasing something -- a ball, a child, a cat, a squirrel. When you
see anything that a dog might chase enter the road, look for the dog coming
close behind.
Opossums
Opossums feast on roadkill, a habit that gets about 8.3 million opossums a year
roadkilled. A large object in the road at night may be roadkill and an
opossum, who may either freeze in your headlights or try to run away.
Opossums don't run very fast, so slow down until you've positively identified
the situation.
Rabbits
Common in late spring through early fall, a rabbit scared out of the road by
the car ahead of you might circle right back into the road. A quick tap
of your horn as you approach where the rabbit went may freeze him out of harm's
way.
Squirrels,
chipmunks, and rabbits
Squirrels, chipmunks, and rabbits are among the hardest species to avoid.
All three evade predators, when on the ground, chiefly through their ability to
rapidly change directions. The surest way to avoid a rabbit, chipmunk, or
squirrel is to stop and wait until the critter is safely out of the road.
As long as you're still moving forward, the rabbit, chipmunk, or squirrel will
continue to assess your car as a threat akin to a dog or fox, only bigger, or
as a hawk, and may keep switching and reversing course. This explains why some
fairly extensive studies have discovered that speed is not a factor in killing
squirrels, rabbits, and chipmunks: they are as likely to get hit by a
slow-moving car as one going like a bat out of hell, simply because they
zig-zag in the wrong direction, mis-guessing which way the driver will swerve.
Fortunately, it is easy to anticipate when you're likely to see rabbit,
chipmunk, or squirrel. Rabbits are most plentiful in lightly wooded areas
or alongside brushy ditches, from the end of spring through the end of
summer. They may be seen either day or night. At night they freeze in the
glare of headlights.
Chipmunks and squirrels take to the roads in greatest number at the end of
summer, when windy weather at the onset of fall tends to litter roadsides with
edible nuts. Chipmunks and squirrels will remain plentiful on the roads
in tree-lined areas until after the first snowfall. They are usually out
only in broad daylight.
Beavers
In spring and early summer young beavers leave their parents to seek their own
pond. They move slowly, usually at night, and can be hard to see -- but
if you're driving near wetlands, expect them. They typically try to cross
roads at culverts.
Raccoons
Raccoons often travel in family groups of up to seven members, so if one
raccoon is hit, the rest may stay beside her and get hit, too. Raccoons
also scavenge roadkills. They'll turn to face a sudden danger, often
stepping into the path of a speeding car. Try to avoid getting their
attention. Don't jam on the brakes, don't accelerate; just ease off the
gas and cruise casually by.
Turtles
In spring, so many turtles are hit by cars as they migrate between breeding
ponds that many species have become regionally endangered. If you're near
wetlands and see a rounded lump in the road, assume it's a turtle until you
know otherwise.
Deer
More than 100 Americans are killed each year in deer/car collisions -- and 70%
of the time the driver slowed down for one deer, then stepped on the gas and
hit another. Deer babies are as big as their mamas in October and
November, but they are still babies, and they still follow Mama. Mamas
often have two fawns, so if you see one deer, slow down and look for two more.
In spring and summer, deer hide from danger. In fall, when the leaves are
down, they run. More than half of all deer/car collisions occur in
October and November. If you see hunters' vehicles parked by the road,
watch for frightened deer running from gunfire, or hunters and/or dogs driving
deer.
If you see a deer bolt right in front of you in daylight or twilight during
hunting season, too close even to brake, try to duck below the dashboard with a
shoulder between your head and your airbag, if any, if you hit the deer
hard. Driver fatalities tend to result from a deer coming through the
windshield after having her legs knocked out from under her. The lower
you are, the better-protected you are from this type of accident -- but no
strategy is perfect. You may get hurt no matter what you do.
If you miss the deer, keep your head protected by your headrest and the door
post as you drive across the deer's path. We get several reports a year
of drivers being killed or wounded by hunters who (illegally) shoot across
roads at deer.
Skunks
Skunks newly awakened from winter hibernation are slow to recognize
danger. When threatened, their defense is to turn their backs and
spray. If you see a skunk beside the road, don't slow down
abruptly. The skunk may think you've seen him and will attack. Act
as if you're minding your own business and he'll go on about minding his.
In July and August, a skunk may be leading four to seven kittens across the
road, and they may trail up to 20 feet behind her. If you see one skunk,
look for more before assuming it's safe to pass.
Snakes
Coldblooded snakes will warm themselves on pavement in late summer, but they
often can't move away quickly when a car approaches. If you see a
straight object that looks like a stick in the road, assume it's a snake until
you know it isn't.
Woodchucks
Woodchucks dart out on the road much like cats, hunched low to the ground to
avoid being seen. Drivers, who often mistake them for cats, tend to allow
enough time for a cat to cross in front of them; but that fat brown cat in the
road ahead may actually be a woodchuck, a woodchuck at best moves only half as
fast, and 5 million woodchucks a year get hit by cars.
Frogs
In wet weather, if you're near a pond or ditch and it's not yet cold weather,
you'll likely be seeing frogs. They'll freeze in your headlights, so
don't expect them to move. Slow down and try to drive around them.
Moose
In winter, moose will lick road salt and travel along ploughed roads. At
night, moose are almost invisible because they are dark, don't make sudden
moves, and are tall enough that your tired eyes, fixed to the headlit roadway,
may not recognize them. Slow down in
moose country, and keep your eyes moving up and to the sides.
In case of impact, duck under your dashboard, with a shoulder between your head
and your airbag, if any. As with deer, fatalities usually result from the
animal coming through the windshield -- but any moose/car collision can be
fatal, no matter what you do.
Bears
Bears feast on roadside grass or berries, especially in remote country, so
beware of thickets close to the road. When bears bolt across roads, they
often do it at a dead run, and babies follow Mama. If you see one bear, look
for two more. And look out for bear-watchers who have stopped their cars
in the roadway.
Armadillos
Because I have never lived anywhere that armadillos occurred, I have had no
opportunity to observe their behavior around cars and develop appropriate
avoidance tips. Statistical data indicates, however, that armadillos rank
among the 10 mammal species most likely to be hit. If anyone has
armadillo avoidance tips, I'd like to add them to this roster.
Cattle
& Horses
Watch out for cattle and horses in the road in rural areas, especially in hilly
and partially wooded areas where broken fences are not easily seen from a
distance and even large animals can be unseen as they use dips in the road as
crossing points. Dips tend to coincide with streams, which are natural
corridors for animals, of all sizes.
Both cattle and horses, like moose, can be very hard to see at night, because
they tend to be dark, and tend to stand above the driver's visual focus, which
will be where the headlights meet the pavement. If a cow is standing at
that point, the car will move forward another eight to 10 feet before most
drivers see the cow, and if a horse or moose is there, the car may move forward
another 12 feet. This significantly reduces stopping time, especially
when driving fast.
Cattle will usually break through a fence as a herd. They will stand
their ground on the approach of a threat, then move aside slowly if they
recognize the threat as larger. This increases their likelihood of being
hit, if not seen -- but cattle are predictable, and once one member of a herd
starts to move in a particular direction, chances are good that they all will.
Horses are less predictable. Some act like cattle; some bolt like deer.
The most important thing to do, upon suddenly encountering either a horse or
cow in the road, is stop. Don't waste time honking or trying to outguess
the animal; just stop as quickly as you can without risking a skid. Then
allow the animals time to react and move aside, and proceed with caution.
Car collisions with horses, cattle, and moose are frequently fatal to the
driver, since they stand so high that knocking the legs out of under the animal
typically results in the carcass going through the windshield of the vehicle,
crushing the occupants.
Usually, in instances of animal/car collision, the greatest threat is to the
animal. With horses, cattle, and moose, the greatest threat is to the
driver and passengers -- and any action that increases the threat to the
animals will increase the threat to the humans, too.
Be calm, be patient, and drive away alive.
All Species
It's easier and safer to anticipate animals in the road than it is to miss them
once they're in front of you. Watch for sudden movement in roadside grass and
shrubbery. Remember that most lines in the woods are vertical -- if you
see something horizontal, it may be an animal.
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Remembering
by Guila Manchester
In the front yard now there's a hollow place
Near a tree of a pretty size.
And there by the side of the hollow place
A dog named Lady lies.
And I wonder sometimes if she likes the shade
On a balmy summer's day.
Or if maybe she knows in the hollow place
Lies the friend who went away.
I found them just a year ago
In a shack at the foot of the hill.
The people moved out and left them there,
As a "human" sometimes will.
But the animals stayed and tried to survive
In the only home they knew.
and waited each day for the longed return,
As only a dog will do.
Lady, now, is a healthy dog,
Tho she'll never be free from fear.
She lies at my feet and begs for love;
Then cringes when I draw near.
And my beautiful gentle sheep dog friend
Had a home such a tiny spell,
For he died from some unknown thing
We were trying to make him well.
And now in the yard with the hollow place
Another sheep dog plays
Lady looks on, but she won't join in.
She remembers the other days.
And I watch with love my dear new friend.
I am glad he has come to stay.
But my heart still yearns, as it always will,
For the friend who has gone away.
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Memorable Quote
"...We can judge the heart of a man by
his treatment of animals."
~ Immanuel Kant
(1724-1804)
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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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