A
n i m a l W r i t e s © sm
The official ANIMAL
RIGHTS ONLINE newsletter
Editor
~ JJswans@aol.com
Issue # 05/18/03
Publisher ~ Susan
Roghair - EnglandGal@aol.com
Journalists ~ Greg Lawson - ParkStRanger@aol.com
~ Michelle Rivera - MichelleRivera1@aol.com
~ Dr. Steve Best - sbest1@elp.rr.com
THE ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE ARE:
1 ~ Yellowstone Bison Update
2 ~ Goodbye Scooter by Dr. Steve Best
3 ~ Vegan Starter Guide from FOA
4 ~ Special Homes Needed for Cruelty Victims
5 ~ Neglected Goats in Marquette County
6 ~ Help Black Beauty Ranch to Rescue Donkeys
7 ~ Spay/Neuter Stamps Almost Sold Out
8 ~ Happily Blind by WantNoMeat@aol.com
9 ~ Memorable Quote
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~1~
Yellowstone Bison Update
bfc-media@wildrockies.org
It's
been another crazy week for Yellowstone's wild bison. Yesterday the
Department of Livestock (along with the Forest Service, Park Service,
Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks, and local law enforcement) mounted
multiple hazing operations in the area, pushing pregnant bison and newborn
calves from national forests with no cattle present. The DOL helicopter
returned, filling the skies with noise and disturbing all sorts of wildlife,
especially waterfowl like blue herons, pelicans, and eagles. The chopper
dropped down to treetop level while hazing bison inside the Park, even breaking
branches on trees. The helicopter pushed bison near Fir Ridge miles back
into the Park before assisting the crew of agents on ATV's and horseback to
flush out other wild bison near the Madison River. Many bison were lost
in the woods by sloppy hazing efforts that succeeded mostly in stressing calves
and pregnant buffalo. At one point the DOL decided to use their
helicopter to haze an injured or birthing cow buffalo already inside the Park
that had collapsed from exhaustion from the haze. The chaos of the day
was perhaps best illustrated when one DOL agent nearly shot another with a
cracker round, and then another DOL agent nearly shot their helicopter with a
cracker round.
Our patrols, however, were everywhere at once, documenting the chaos. Not
only were we able to track multiple hazes, but we brought a German television
camera crew into the field and a group of students from Seattle. The German
television crew is producing a documentary that will include the Yellowstone
bison issue. The students were visiting after studying the issue in their
class. The mixing of the two elements kept the DOL guessing.
Picture the scene -- a yellow school bus and other cars gathered on Horse
Butte, students and teachers asking tough questions to the agents in the field,
an obvious outside media presence capturing the action on film, while the DOL
forced a herd of over 50 bison and at least 15 calves past the onlookers with
just a few yards separation.
Today, the DOL and crew are at it again. The helicopter is once again
terrorizing the skies around Yellowstone and more calves and their mothers are
being disturbed on public lands with no cattle present. Early reports
indicate that more bison have been lost in the woods during hazing efforts, but
at least three buffalo and a moose have been pushed across the highway so
far. They are currently rounding up about a dozen buffalo and a calf on
Horse Butte. Hopefully, the circus will leave soon and give the wildlife
a rest.
Today is May 15, the "zero tolerance" date for wild bison outside of
Yellowstone National Park, according to the Interagency Bison Management
Plan. Although the plan is an "adaptive management" plan which
allows for discretion to be applied in hazing bison back into the Park before
May 15, after today the plan calls for bison to be "captured or shot to
ensure none remain outside the Park in the western boundary area during the applicable
temporal separation period." Who knows if the fact that the grazing
allotments on national forest on Horse Butte have been canceled will make a
difference? So far the DOL and Forest Service have been hiding behind the
private property excuse, and nobody knows if the Munns family plans to bring
cattle to their private ranch on Horse Butte this June. As always, we
will keep you informed of any moves made against the last herd of wild bison in
America.
Thank you once again for your continuing support for the Yellowstone
bison. Hopefully we will make it through these last tense weeks before
the bison naturally return to the Park with no more bloodshed.
For the buffalo,
Ted Fellman
BFC Media
www.wildrockies.org/buffalo
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~2~
Goodbye Scooter
By Dr. Steve Best - sbest1@elp.rr.com
In
1999, Scooter came into my life in the most unpretentious packing, brought to
me in a plain paper bag. He was one of three tiny kittens held by a volunteer
working at the local "humane society" who told me that they would all
be killed the next morning if no one took them. Already having 14 cats at the
time, I was most reluctant to take more, but as everyone around me made excuses
I acquiesced. You could say I was left holding the bag. I thought I would be
their guardian just until I could find others to adopt them. Little did I know
that the kittens in the bag, Scooter above all, would prove to be a blessing
and not a burden.
Scooter, Shag, and Willis, as I named them, were like unruly human babies.
Being a lifetime member of the club of Non-Breeding Bachelors, I was not
accustomed to waking every 2 or 3 hours to bottle feed. Each tiny body fit
snugly in the palm of my hand. As will surprise no animal lover, with each
nursing period and every passing day, I grew increasingly attached to all my
new babies, despite the constant noise and messes and overall chaos they
brought into my peaceful world. After two weeks of bottle feeding, I put them
in a box and took them to every house in my neighborhood in an effort to find
them a good home and to prevent even larger tumbleweeds of cat fur rumbling
through the hallways of my house.
As it dawned on me how difficult it would be to adopt them together to a loving
home, it hit me like a thunderbolt that I already had fallen in love with all
three and I suspect by then they felt I was their lumbering, ill-shaven,
two-legged mommy.
And so it was, they entered my family as my own children, not temporary
adoptees, and I joyfully embraced my new found responsibilities while I awaited
the return of nights of unbroken sleep.
All three kittens and I shared a deep bond, but Scooter stood out from the
rest, indeed from all my cats, even though I was loathe to admit I had a
favorite. Scooter was an orange and white, short-hair, striped tiger cat. He
was always skinny, not because I didn't try to feed him enough but because he
was the most finicky eater on the planet. If the dice of the I Ching rolled
right, Scooter might not turn away from the food offering on a given day. And
he had another trait: he scooted a lot.
The intuition behind the name proved sound as Scooter loved to run throughout
the house. He cherished his time on the roof, often standing still on the front
corner like the wise gargoyle of my street. Every day I heard him thunder
across the rooftop as though Charlton Heston were running a chariot race. It
was a comforting sound, like raindrops.
Very early on, Scooter assigned to himself the role of being my shadow. He
followed me from room to room, he glided across me as I tried to read and
write, and, most poignantly, he slept with me every night, if not on my chest,
nestled within the crook of my knees. Every morning, without fail, I repeated
the same ritual. I stirred to consciousness, felt Scooter's warm body next to
mine, sat up, stroked him, and said matter-of-factly, "I love you,
Scooter." The day was born. If I woke too early and went back to bed,
Scooter always returned to assume his rightful place.
Scooter was aggressive in his need to give and receive love, and he had no
respect whatsoever for my work deadlines. If he jumped on my lap, I would
counter by lowering my book to block his move to my face. Scooter easily evaded
that by maneuvering around the obstacle or climbing under or over it to get to
my face. Checkmate. Scooter rubbed his face against mine while his vibrational
purr glided past my cheeks like an electric razor. Typically, his will was
stronger than mine. All work ground to a halt, and it was time for a Scooter
break.
Scooter had a perverse sense of humor. Whenever I lay prostrate watching TV or
reading a book, he would leap onto my upper chest, slowly turn around, and then
back his rear end directly into my face. The best sense I could make of that
habit was simply that Scooter liked to play practical jokes on me. When I
turned him around to face me in a more pleasing direction, I could see a smirk
on his face and smug self-satisfaction while his purring roared.
Scooter's favorite game of all was to do everything in his power to stop me
from making the bed. As soon as he heard the sheets snap before draping down on
the bed, he tore through the house, flew onto the mattress, and pounced onto
the sheets to make it impossible to complete the task. If I outwitted him with
the bottom sheet and managed to pull it over all four corners of the bed
without trapping him underneath it like the Loch Ness monster about to surface,
he raced about as the successive layers of bedding came down and then waited
furtively to attack anything that moved around him.
I played jokes on Scooter too. My favorite game was to pick him up, hold him in
the air, roll him over, and bury my face in his stomach in order to feast on a
delicious "Scooter sandwich." He endured my face cheeks
good-naturedly, just as I tolerated his butt cheeks.
One of my favorite mantras to say with Scooter was "friend to the
end." That was my way of reaffirming our special bond everyday, knowing
that nothing could disturb it until either he or I met our inevitable end.
Not in my worst nightmares did I fear that Scooter's end would come so soon, so
terribly soon, after only three years of joyful romping, creative bedlam, and
soulful loving. An unimaginable thunderbolt of grief shattered my world and for
many days everything stopped but the tears.
I remain the privileged guardian of nine wonderful cats. There is not a place I
can go in the house without seeing furry bodies up to no good. Yet without
Scooter, the place is eerily empty and devoid of life. Space is haunted by his
absence. The center is gone. The house is not a home.
People ask me how I cope with his death without believing in the postulates of
God, spirit, and the afterlife and with total honesty I answer: I cannot. I
cannot comfort myself with the belief that Scooter went to a better place, that
there was a cosmic reason for his death, or that I will see him again when I
too "pass."
I
will never find another Scooter in any skinny orange and white striped cat and
I will never see him again. I doubt his soul is in heaven, but I know his body
is buried in my yard, nourishing the bushes and flowers he so loved to run
through.
Without
God or the afterlife as reference points, I have only my memories of Scooter
and the knowledge that we shared a profound love and bond. When I sit by his
grave and water the flowers with salty tears, I do not bother pray to a void.
The pain is pure, unrelieved, and inconsolable.
This aggravates the grief, but it increases my appreciation of life. It means I
can only live and love now, and fulfillment and enjoyment cannot wait for
another life or world. It makes living, loving, and four-footed beings like
Scooter all the more special. Accordingly, I gave my whole heart and being to
Scooter, as he gave me his.
Friend to the end, Scooter. I curse the darkness that the end came so soon and
I miss you so terribly much.
Scooter
http://utminers.utep.edu/best/pics/Scooter/photosscooter.html
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~3~
Vegan Starter Guide from FOA
http://www.friendsofanimals.org/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=FOA&Product_Code=VSG&Category_Code=VSG
This
comprehensive, full-color booklet is for everyone who strives to live
cruelty-free vegan, curious and seasoned herbivores alike. Includes the
essential whys and hows of a vegan lifestyle; several compelling reasons to “go
vegan”; up-to-date nutritional information, tips for food shopping and
preparation; a special message for younger vegans; and more than 20 delicious
and easy-to-prepare recipes.
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~4~
Special Homes Needed for
Cruelty Victims!
This past Friday, May 9, Farm Sanctuary's New
York shelter responded to a request from local law enforcement authorities for
assistance in an animal abuse case. A local farm owner was starving and
neglecting his animals, and Farm Sanctuary was needed to help confiscate and
foster the victims. When our Shelter Director arrived on the scene, she was
overcome by the powerful stench of rotting, decomposing bodies — and a living
nightmare for dozens of animals. Cattle, sheep, goats, rabbits, and other
animals were living among mounds of feces, some tethered so tightly they
could not walk or lie down. A goat was tied down between the bodies of two dead
horses; a donkey, crippled from neglect, was unable to take a step
without excruciating pain; three emaciated cows refused to enter a barn that
was filled with the decaying bodies of dead cattle. Farm Sanctuary
and other foster facilities are providing rehabilitation and temporary housing
for the animals; the cattle, who remain at the farm, are being cared for and
need to be removed as soon as possible. Unfortunately, our New York shelter does
not have permanent housing space available for many of the animals.
WE ARE URGENTLY LOOKING FOR SAFE, PERMANENT, LOVING HOMES FOR THESE
ANIMALS. Please, help provide a "happy ending" for animals who
have known only fear and pain. Many of these animals will be "special
needs" for some time and require tremendous patience, love and
understanding to help them recover. If you can provide this special
home, please go to http://www.farmsanctuary.org/adopt/nightmare.htm for further
information and an adoption application. You are also welcome to contact our
shelter at: 607-583-2276, ext. 223, or go to http://www.farmsanctuary.org/adopt/nightmare.htm for further
information on the case.
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~5~
Neglected Goats in Marquette
County
I encourage everyone to write up an original
letter to Mr. Richard Dufour, District Attorney for Marquette County, regarding
the situation of the remaining 32 goats belonging to Fausto F. Florez -
Reference DA Case # 2003MQ000182
Go to http://wcca.wicourts.gov. for the charges
April 2, 2003
24 dead goats/sheep found in a pile, later the carcasses were burned by
the defendant. Cause of death determined by vet to be starvation.
32 still alive and being fed, over the fence, by neighbors, who are not allowed
access to the defendants property (they are doing a great job considering they
have to conceal their efforts from the defendant and yes they are very
much afraid of him.) Yes, for an entire month good people risked a great deal
to do the right thing. APPLAUSE !!!!!!! May 5, 2003 a court order was obtained
to allow law-enforcement officials to feed and water the animals.
Mr. Dufour needs to hear from as many people as possible by the defendant's
initial appearance on May 19th. According to law enforcement the judge
can rule a number of different ways and impose a number of different conditions
on Mr. Florez' bond.
Ideally we would like to see the remaining animals removed from the hazardous,
junkyard surroundings of Mr. Florez' property (barbed wire, stacked aluminum
panels, large wads of fence wire, old vehicles and farm machinery) and placed
in the care of qualified rescue and humane organizations who would ensure they
are properly cared for at no cost to the taxpayer. Columbia County Humane
Society has offered to assist the Marquette County Sheriff's Dept. in the care
of the animals. Marquette County Sheriff's Dept. has declined their
assistance and prefers to purchase the feed and contract the services with area
farmers until the May 19 hearing, when the court will decide what
conditions should be placed on Mr. Florez.
Because the County chooses to incur expenses, rather than use free services
offered by humane related organization, the possibility exists that Marquette
County will be considering selling the animals at livestock auction to pay for
the costs. This idea has already been suggested by Chief Deputy Kim
Gaffney of Marquette County as one of the possibilities. We need to
convince the District Attorney that allowing humane organizations to help the
animals is the best solution for the animals and the people who have sacrificed
for their care over the past 5 weeks. Once the bills are accumulated I'm
afraid the animals will pay for it with their lives. The mentality here
is that these are only "livestock" and somehow not significant.
The District Attorney for Marquette County is Richard Dufour, his email address
is as follows:
Dufour.Richard@mail.da.state.wi.us
Marquette County District Attorney
Richard Dufour
PO Box 396 Montello,
WI 53949
608-297-9136 ext. 228
Keep your heads on this one guys, I nearly lost mine today with the
Deputy and it didn't help the situation. Polite letters only,
please.
Joy Waterbury TriCounty Animal Shelter Volunteer
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~6~
Help Black Beauty Ranch to
Rescue Donkeys
Source: www.alerts@fund.org
Members of The Fund for Animals are undoubtedly familiar with the rescue of
thirteen tiger and leopard cubs from a private home in California just a few
weeks ago. The young cubs were found among dozens of dead tiger carcasses,
including 58 baby tigers in a freezer, but they were rescued and taken to The
Fund for Animals' Wildlife Rehabilitation Center near San Diego.
Riverside County Animal Control also confiscated four burros from the
residence. One of these poor animals was seen on national television being
dragged from the property because his hooves were overgrown and he was
apparently unable to walk. The Fund for Animals offered to adopt the burros and
pay for all expenses to bring them to Black Beauty Ranch, our 1,600-acre
sanctuary in Texas where hundreds of burros and other rescued animals enjoy
safety, lush grasslands, and the best care available.
Unfortunately, county officials have decided not to allow The Fund for Animals
to adopt the burros, but instead to send them to auction where they will be
sold to the highest bidder and their fate will be unknown. Please call the
animal shelter immediately, and tell them that after what these poor burros
have gone through, they deserve a special home like The Fund for Animals' Black
Beauty Ranch. Tell them you do not want these burros going to auction, where
they could end up abused, neglected, or even sold to slaughterhouses.
The burros could go to auction any day! Call Riverside County Animal Control at
(909) 358-7387, and follow the menu for Animal Services to speak with a live
operator. You can also send a fax to (909) 358-7310. Thank you for your
help.
William John Divney
Columbia University Action Coalition
Film force.com
Wdivney@yahoo.com
FAX: 810-283-6766
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~7~
Halfway Through Print Run
Spay/Neuter Stamps Almost Sold Out
Potential Record Sellout for Spay/Neuter Stamps
Will Give 250 Million People Spay/Neuter Message
WASHINGTON (May 12, 2003) — The American Partnership for Pets, which includes
The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), is hoping for a sellout of the
popular Spay/Neuter United States postage stamps.
The Spay/Neuter stamps were released six months ago, and are classified as social
awareness stamps under the U.S. Postal Service’s commemorative stamp
program. To date, more than 85 percent of the 250 million stamps produced
have been sold, and they are among the fastest selling stamps in U.S. Postal
Service history.
Over 30 veterinary, humane, and animal control organizations make up The
American Partnership for Pets. The many groups have combined their efforts to
work together to ensure that pets are spayed or neutered.
“It’s great that so many stamps have already been sold,” said Stephanie Shain,
director of companion animal outreach for The HSUS. “People are starting
to realize how important it is to spay and neuter their pets and are passing
along the message to others every time they use the stamp on their outgoing
mail. We hope even more people will get involved in May, which The American
Partnership for Pets has designated ‘Pledge to Use the Stamps Month’ and help
spread the message even wider.” The group hopes with record sales, the
U.S. Postal Service will decide to issue more postage stamps related to humane
animal care.
Spaying and neutering plays a crucial role in the well-being of all pets. In
seven years, a female cat and her offspring can produce as many as 420,000
cats, and one dog and her offspring can produce as many as 67,000 dogs in the
same time period. Shelters currently take in an estimated 8-10 million
unwanted animals every year and are only able to find good homes for about half
of those animals. Not only will spaying and neutering help limit the number
of pets who go into shelters each year, the procedures can help pets live
longer, healthier lives. It makes pets less likely to mark territory, and
pets who are sterilized often have less behavioral and temperament problems
when compared to their un-sterilized counterparts.
“With so many stamps already purchased, local post offices have sold out,
re-ordered, and sold out again,” said Shain. “These stamps have the
potential to become the first social awareness stamps to sell out, and if they
do, we strongly encourage the U.S. Postal Service to print more to meet the
demand.” The HSUS is the nation's largest animal protection organization
with over seven million members and constituents.
The HSUS is a mainstream voice for animals, with active programs in companion
animals, wildlife, animals in research and farm animals and sustainable
agriculture. For nearly 50 years, The HSUS has protected all animals through
legislation, litigation, investigation, education, advocacy and field work. The
non-profit organization is based in Washington, DC and has 10 regional offices
across the country. For more information, visit The HSUS’ Web site – www.hsus.org.
For More Information Contact: Belinda Mager (301) 258-3071
E-mail: bmager@hsus.org
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~8~
Happily Blind
(The Animal Research Scam)
By WantNoMeat@aol.com
Deception lies inside the walls
a veil that covers cages and stalls
government grants remove the heart
exchanging morals for money gets its start
the cloud of secrecy knows no wrong
as blood stained hands find ways to belong
relying on scientists filled with conceit
the public's skepticism is already beat
the deadly numbers too many to conceive
well intentioned people still hope and believe
while ignoring even the obvious signs
the misinformed public suits science just fine
ignorance appears as a comfort zone
so many see only what they are shown
time to unveil secrecy's hidden nightmare
our own people are dying the truth seems fair
we are healthier though we may live longer
still disease and epidemic grow even stronger
animal research too many lies to swallow
scientists want to be silent and follow
it is actually claimed that animals are treated kind
but we must question the type of mind
capable and willing to torture for money
shouldn't we wonder why ability comes so easy
cries are ignored and death goes unseen
they linger in restraint, we need to intervene
time is ticking and millions of lives lost
carnage and death, such a shameful cost
the power of money makes useless debates
while down the road good science awaits
to better life science, another must die?
contradiction of terms, yet another lie
we know animals react differently in tests
but in blindness, shattered validity rests
the mighty dollar causes real hope to fall
methods ignored that find benefit for us all
why do we let scientists make us look dense
when non-animal tests make all the good sense
let us all stand, we have a decision to make
how can we do nothing when so much is at stake?
has the dollar's green shadowed the blood's red?
or can we fight the lies and see reason instead?
unlock secrecy's door and the truth we will find
but is there hope for us, the happily blind?
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~9~
Memorable Quote
"To be a vegetarian is to
disagree -- to disagree with the course of things today. Starvation, world
hunger, cruelty, waste, wars--we must make a statement against these things.
Vegetarianism is my statement. And I think it's a strong one." --
Isaac Bashevis Singer
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Susan Roghair - EnglandGal@aol.com
Animal Rights Online
P O Box 7053
Tampa, Fl 33673-7053
http://www.oocities.org/RainForest/1395/
-=Animal Rights Online=-
«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»
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