A n i m a l W r i t e s © sm

A n i m a l W r i t e s © sm

The official ANIMAL RIGHTS ONLINE newsletter

Established 1997

Editor ~ JJswans@aol.com

Issue # 08/01/04

Publisher ~ Susan Roghair - EnglandGal@aol.com

Journalists ~ Greg Lawson - ParkStRanger@aol.com

~ Michelle Rivera - MichelleRivera1@aol.com

Webmasters ~ Randy Atlas - ranatlas@earthlink.net

~ Trevor Chin - tmchin@yahoo.com

Staff ~ Alfred Griffith - agriffith@igc.org

~ Denise Higgins - Demnymets@aol.com

~ Andy Glick - andy@meatfreezone.org

~ Sheridan Porter - Pad4Paws21@aol.com

~ Bill Bobo - RunRun@aol.com

~ Katie Vann - Vann167@aol.com

THE ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE ARE:

1 ~ Elephant Leaves Tribute To Best Friend's Passing

2 ~ South Carolina Official Indicted

3 ~ Ringling Lion Suffers Horrifying Death in Circus Boxcar

4 ~ Tell Governor Schwarzenegger You Support a Ban on Ear Cropping

5 ~ Excerpts From "A Cat's Guide To Humn Beings"

6 ~ Job Opportunities

7 ~ The Unexamined Life

8 ~ Memorable Quote

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~1~

Elephant Leaves Tribute To Best Friend's Passing

Canadian Press

Monday, July 26, 2004 - Page A2

VANCOUVER -- In the middle of Tina's gravesite in the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee, there sits an old, battered tire.

After two days of standing by Tina's grave at the sanctuary, her best friend Sissy finally left, leaving behind her favourite tire as a tribute to her friend.

"In the middle of the gravesite, there's elephant prints all over it and in the middle of it is Sissy's tire," said Carol Buckley, director of the Elephant Sanctuary.

"Sissy carries a tire around as her pacifier, as her security blanket . . . and her tire is left on top of the grave."

Tina, after living in Vancouver for most of her life, had been transported from the Greater Vancouver Zoo to Hohenwald in Tennessee last August to get help with a foot infection.

Ms. Buckley said staff were surprised by the sudden death since Tina appeared to be recovering well from her foot ailments. But in the days leading up to her death, Tina was having difficulty eating, missing her mouth with her trunk. She also experienced other motor difficulties. The sanctuary is still trying to determine the cause of death.

At 2:45 a.m. Wednesday with her closest friends Sissy and Winkie by her side, the 34-year-old Asian elephant died.

"She looked just as comfortable as she could be and she never in this time struggled," said Ms. Buckley, who found Tina sitting down in the barn early Wednesday.

"There was no sign of stress or panic, her eyes were calm. She set her head down, I was with her and Scott was with her. . . . It was probably a minute or minute and a half and she closed her eyes and she passed away."

For Sissy and Winkie, who lived with Tina in the barn, the death has been particularly difficult.

"They remained with her, touching her, caressing her," Ms. Buckley said.

"Winkie was pushing her trunk a little bit like, 'Wake up, wake up.' "

Remembered as a princess of an elephant with a big heart, Tina was friendly to everyone she met.

Born on April 26, 1970, in Oregon Zoo to an equally gentle mother named Rosy, who hailed from Thailand, and father Thonglaw of Vietnam, Tina stayed in the United States for a short time before moving to British Columbia.

A lack of space at the zoo led baby Tina and stepsister Judy to be moved to the Vancouver Game Farm in 1972.

"She never to my knowledge did anything to misbehave as far as being aggressive in any way," Hugh Oakes, part-owner of the game farm, said.

The mood was sombre at the Greater Vancouver Zoo on Friday as staff dealt with the news. Tina's long-time caretaker, Tony Guenther, was too upset to be interviewed, animal-care manager Jamie Dorgan said.

*Editor's Note: For the more in depth story of Tina's last days, see the following website:

Tina's Last Days

http://www.elephants.com/tina/last_days.htm

For those living in Tennessee, the Tennessee State Legislature has passed a Bill permitting the creation of an official Elephant Sanctuary License Plate with 50% of the proceeds going to the Sanctuary. Please check out the following website to find out how you can sign up for this. By law, one thousand of these plates must be pre-sold before the State of Tennessee will issue them to the general public - so your help is desperately needed.

Elephant Sanctuary Tennessee License Plate

https://secure.moses.com/www.elephants.com/license_form.htm

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~2~

South Carolina Official Indicted

South Carolina's agriculture commissioner was arrested Thursday on charges of taking at least $20,000 in payoffs to protect a cockfighting ring from the law.

For more information on this story, see the following website:

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=519&ncid=519&e=1&u=/ap/20040729/ap_on_re_us/cockfighting_commissioner_3

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~3~

Ringling Lion

Suffers Horrifying Death in Circus Boxcar

From Lawrence Carter-Long - LCL@idausa.org

PLEASE DEMAND INVESTIGATION BY THE USDA (SAMPLE LETTER BELOW.)

According to a whistleblower, on July 14, Clyde, a young, healthy lion Traveling with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, died in a poorly ventilated boxcar while the circus was traveling from Phoenix, Ariz., to Fresno, Calif.

The train was crossing the Mojave Desert, where temperatures reached at least 100°F on Monday, July 12. The lions were on the train for three days without being checked or provided with water. Clyde's dead body was discovered when the circus train stopped just before arriving in Fresno. This lion is believed to have died a miserable death from heatstroke and dehydration. Circus officials reportedly brought in a U-Haul to remove Clyde's corpse.

This incident is nearly identical to a July 2000 tragedy in which two of Ringling's tigers injured themselves while attempting to escape from their cages in an overheated boxcar. The tigers were in immediate danger because of an excessive rise in temperature.

Please contact the U.S. Department of Agriculture and politely ask them to thoroughly investigate this incident and file charges against Ringling for its chronic failure to provide adequate care to animals in transit.

SAMPLE LETTER: Remember to include your name and address and please change some of the words by using info at:

http://www.circuses.com/ringling.html

===========

TO:

Chester A. Gipson, DVM

Associate Deputy Administrator

USDA-APHIS-VS

4700 River Rd., Unit 84

Riverdale, MD 20737-1234

301-734-7833

301-734-4993 (fax)

Chester.A.Gipson@usda.gov (usda.gov)

RE: Thorough Investigation of Horrible Death of Unattended Lion in Ringling Brothers Boxcar

Dear Dr. Gipson:

According to a whistleblower, on July 14, 2004 Clyde, a young, healthy lion traveling with the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus, died in a poorly ventilated boxcar while the circus was traveling from Phoenix, Arizona, to Fresno, California.

This incident is nearly identical to a July, 2000 tragedy in which two of Ringling's tigers injured themselves while attempting to escape from their cages in an overheated boxcar. The tigers were in immediate danger because of an excessive rise in temperature.

I ask that you thoroughly investigate this incident and file charges against Ringling for its chronic failure to provide adequate care to animals in transit. Please keep me informed of the actions you take.

Sincerely,

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~4~

Tell Governor Schwarzenegger

You Support a Ban on Ear Cropping!

A ban on ear cropping has been incorporated into a funding bill (SB 1548) for the California Veterinary Medical Board. As part of that agency's funding, the board would be required to enforce the ban. Authored by Senator Liz Figueroa with assistance from the Association of Veterinarians for Animal Rights (AVAR), this bill makes it a misdemeanor for any person - veterinarian or otherwise - to crop the ears of a dog or to procure the cropping of a dog's ears, unless for therapeutic purposes.

While ear cropping is already banned in many European countries, such as Austria, Germany and the United Kingdom, this law would be the first ear cropping ban implemented in the United States.

The California Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) supports the bill. Consider these important polling statistics, revealed during a recent poll of CVMA veterinarians:

* 74% think that veterinarians should not perform ear-cropping surgeries when there is no medical justification;

* 86% agreed that the procedure results in pain during the post-operative period; and

* 56% support legislation banning the practice.

If veterinarians, animal control authorities and animal welfare organizations are united in their support this ban, you may be wondering why its passage isn't secure.

The major opponent to this legislation is the American Kennel Club (AKC). Despite the fact that very few veterinarians in California are even willing to perform the surgery, the AKC continues to maintain the archaic policy that "ear cropping, as described in certain breed standards, is an acceptable practice integral to defining and preserving breed character and/or enhancing good health."

Due to pressure from the AKC and breeders, the Governor's Office has indicated that Governor Schwarzenegger will not sign SB 1548 with the ear-cropping ban included. Perhaps the Governor doesn't realize that this bill is important to the same constituency that reacted with outrage to his recent proposal to repeal the Hayden legislation.

What You Can Do:

Please write a polite support letter as soon as possible for SB 1548, specifically mentioning your support for the ear cropping ban, to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger

State Capitol Building

Sacramento, CA 95814

Phone: 916-445-2841, press 7

Fax: 916-445-4633

To send an email, visit: http://www.govmail.ca.gov

Tell the Governor that:

* The sole purpose of these unnecessary surgeries is to alter the appearances of dogs for cosmetic reasons. Dogs often suffer from pain associated with the surgery, recovery and complications that can arise.

* Many dogs - especially those used in illegal dog-fighting - suffer tremendously from ear cropping done at home by kitchen scissors.

* This law would give animal control and police authorities the ability to prosecute people who engage in this cruel activity. It is also another tool to help identify those involved in dog-fighting.

* A veterinarian's primary responsibility should be the welfare of their patients rather than the aesthetic preferences of their guardians or to satisfy archaic standards imposed by breeding organizations.

Also, supporters are needed to attend the Assembly Appropriations hearing on August 4 in Sacramento. Please email pam @avar .org (close spaces)if you're able to attend.

Thank you for helping the animals! To keep up with current CA legislative action alerts, please bookmark www.uan.org.

Jennifer Fearing

Advocacy & Communications Director

United Animal Nations

PO Box 188890

Sacramento, CA 95818

916.429.2457 tel

916.429.2456 fax

jfearing @ uan .org (email)

www.uan.org (web)

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~5~

Excerpts From "A Cat's Guide To Human Beings"

1. Introduction: Why Do We Need Humans?

So you've decided to get yourself a human being. In doing so, you've joined the millions of other cats who have acquired these strange and often frustrating creatures. There will be any number of times, during the course of your association with humans, when you will wonder why you have bothered to grace them with your presence.

What's so great about humans, anyway? Why not just hang around with other cats? Our greatest philosophers have struggled with this question for centuries, but the answer is actually rather simple:

THEY HAVE OPPOSABLE THUMBS.

Which makes them the perfect tools for such tasks as opening doors, getting the lids off of cat food cans, changing television stations and other activities that we, despite our other obvious advantages, find difficult to do ourselves. True, chimps, orangutans and lemurs also have opposable thumbs, but they are nowhere as easy to train.

2. How And When to Get Your Human's Attention

Humans often erroneously assume that there are other, more important activities than taking care of your immediate needs, such as conducting business, spending time with their families or even sleeping.

Though this is dreadfully inconvenient, you can make this work to your advantage by pestering your human at the moment it is the busiest. It is usually so flustered that it will do whatever you want it to do, just to get you out of its hair. Not coincidentally, human teenagers follow this same practice.

Here are some tried and true methods of getting your human to do what you want:

Sitting on paper: An oldie but a goodie. If a human has paper in front of it, chances are good it's something they assume is more important than you. They will often offer you a snack to lure you away. Establish your supremacy over this wood pulp product at every opportunity. This practice also works well with computer keyboards, remote controls, car keys and small children.

Waking your human at odd hours: A cat's "golden time" is between 3:30 and 4:30 in the morning. If you paw at your human's sleeping face during this time, you have a better than even chance that it will get up and, in an incoherent haze, do exactly what you want. You may actually have to scratch deep sleepers to get their attention; remember to vary the scratch site to keep the human from getting suspicious.

3. Punishing Your Human Being

Sometimes, despite your best training efforts, your human will stubbornly resist bending to your whim. In these extreme circumstances, you may have to punish your human. Obvious punishments, such as scratching furniture or eating household plants, are likely to backfire; the unsophisticated humans are likely to misinterpret the activities and then try to discipline YOU. Instead, we offer these subtle but nonetheless effective alternatives:

Use the cat box during an important formal dinner.

Stare impassively at your human while it is attempting a romantic interlude.

Stand over an important piece of electronic equipment and feign a hairball attack.

After your human has watched a particularly disturbing horror film, stand by the hall closet and then slowly back away, hissing and yowling.

While your human is sleeping, lie on its face.

4. Rewarding Your Human: Should Your Gift Still Be Alive?

The cat world is divided over the etiquette of presenting humans with the thoughtful gift of a recently disemboweled animal. Some believe that humans prefer these gifts already dead, while others maintain that humans enjoy a slowly expiring cricket or rodent just as much as we do, given their jumpy and playful movements in picking the creatures up after they've been presented.

After much consideration of the human psyche, we recommend the following: cold blooded animals (large insects, frogs, lizards, garden snakes and the occasional earthworm) should be presented dead, while warm blooded animals (birds, rodents, your neighbor's Pomeranian) are better still living. When you see the expression on your human's face, you'll know it's worth it.

5. How Long Should You Keep Your Human?

You are only obligated to your human for one of your lives. The other eight are up to you. We recommend mixing and matching, though in the end, most humans (at least the ones that are worth living with) are pretty much the same. But what do you expect? They're humans, after all. Opposable thumbs will only take you so far.

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~6~

Job Opportunities

CRUELTY CASEWORKER – Non-profit seeks cruelty caseworker with shelter or humane association work experience to assess various allegations of animal abuse reported to PETA and intervene as necessary. Caseworkers educate the public on humane treatment of animals through the development and distribution of literature and through representing PETA to the media. Candidate must have strong writing, research, and organizational skills and the ability to handle cruelty complaints in a professional and confidential manner. Animal Friendly. Competitive salary and benefits. Please send resume with cover letter to PETA, Attn: Human Resources, 501 Front Street, Norfolk, VA 23510; fax to 757-628-0789; or e-mail to jobopenings@peta.org.

HUMANE FIELD OFFICER – People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) seeks a field officer for its Norfolk, Va., location to respond to local calls, such as requests for assistance with companion-animal care, injured animals (including wildlife), animal placement, and neglected animals. Candidate must have an excellent rapport with animals, hands-on experience working with animals, and proven ability to make sound, independent decisions in a crisis situation. Candidate must also be able to be on 24-hour emergency call and have the availability to work weekends, split shifts, and evenings. Valid driver’s license and good driving record necessary. Certification (to be provided by PETA) in animal euthanasia and the use of veterinary drugs required. Competitive salary and benefits. Please send resume with cover letter to PETA, Attn: Human Resources, 501 Front Street, Norfolk, VA 23510; fax to 757-628-0789; or e-mail to jobopenings@peta.org .

INVESTIGATOR – People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) seeks full-time investigator to use a variety of investigative methods to conduct field investigations that primarily focus on biomedical research laboratories, fur farms, and animals used for entertainment. Candidate will have proven exceptional writing and research skills, ability to maintain confidentiality and use discretion at all times, and knowledge of animal rights issues and animal protection laws. Must be able and willing to relocate periodically. Competitive salary and benefits. Send cover letter and resume to PETA, Attn: Human Resources, 501 Front Street, Norfolk, VA 23510; fax to 757-628-0789; or e-mail to jobopenings@peta.org.

SNIP PROGRAM ASSISTANT: People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) seeks a SNIP program assistant to help the SNIP program manager with all aspects of SNIP’s mobile spay/neuter program, including check-in, administrative recordkeeping, scheduling, and ordering materials. Candidate must have excellent interpersonal, problem-solving, crisis-management, and organizational skills. Candidate must also have basic animal-handling skills and be willing to work weekends. Valid driver’s license and good driving record required. Competitive salary and benefits. Please send resume with cover letter to PETA, Attn: Human Resources, 501 Front Street, Norfolk, VA 23510; fax to 757-628-0789; or e-mail to jobopenings@peta.org.

NORTH CAROLINA PROJECT COORDINATOR: Non-profit animal protection organization seeks candidate to manage and develop a North Carolina Project, including establishment and operation of a humane shelter to serve animals in and around Bertie County, N.C., and to perform field work in accordance with Community Animal Project’s standard operational procedures. Candidate must be certified in animal euthanasia and drug use, have an excellent rapport with animals, gentleness, respect, and understanding. Must have the proven ability to make sound, independent decisions in a crisis situation and a minimum of one year animal shelter and handling experience. Ability to lift and carry at least 50 pounds and ability to be on-call 24 hours per day required. Valid driver’s license and a good driving record necessary. Competitive salary and benefits. Send cover letter and resume to PETA, Attn: Human Resources, 501 Front Street, Norfolk, VA 23510; fax to 757-628-0789; or e-mail to jobopenings@peta.org.

COMMUNITY ANIMAL PROJECT (CAP) ASSISTANT: People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) seeks an assistant to provide departmental support, primarily by working closely with the chief of CAP to assist with the handling of assigned fieldwork and office projects. Basic animal-handling skills and the ability to deal humanely with animals of unknown health and temperaments required. Candidate must also have good interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate effectively over the phone, in writing, and in person. Problem-solving and crisis-management skills necessary. Competitive wages and benefits. Send cover letter and resume to PETA, Attn: Human Resources, 501 Front Street, Norfolk, VA 23510; fax to 757-628-0789; or e-mail to jobopenings@peta.org.

ASSISTANT TO DIRECTOR OF DOMESTIC ANIMAL AND WILDLIFE RESCUE & INFORMATION: People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) seeks an assistant for its Norfolk, Virginia, headquarters to assist the director of the Domestic Animal and Wildlife Rescue & Information Department as necessary. Candidate must have proven strong research skills and excellent written and verbal communication skills. Must also have public speaking experience and the ability to work independently and make sound judgments. Thorough knowledge of animal rights issues required. Animal-sheltering and animal-handling experience preferred. Animal Friendly. Competitive salary and benefits. Send cover letter and resume to PETA, Attn: Human Resources, 501 Front Street, Norfolk, VA 23510; fax to 757-628-0789; or e-mail to jobopenings@peta.org.

Kim DeWester

Human Resources Specialist

The PETA Foundation

www.peta.org

Tel: 757-962-8404

Fax: 757-628-0789

E-mail: KimberlyD@fsap.org

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~7~

The Unexamined Life

By Judith V. Waters

Judith V. Waters is an itinerant philosopher naturalist who writes poems and essays on nature and metaphysical themes. She has been a vegetarian for almost 20 years. This poem was published in Between The Species, 1992, 8:(2):72-3.

Don't drink coffee?

Don't drink tea?

Don't use liquor?

It's fine with me.

Don't eat chicken?

Don't eat beef?

Don't even eat fish?

Beyond belief!

What do you eat?

How do you survive?

Whence comes your protein?

Plants too are alive.

What do your spouse and offspring say?

How about your parents, do they eat this way?

Do your friends still come around today?

What kind of game are you trying to play?

Some people are good and they eat meat,

While some are bad and forego this treat.

You mention ozone and global heat,

How can it help to eat beans and wheat?

I like meat, my friends like to hunt.

Animals are dumb, they snort and grunt.

People are smart and clever and wise.

I think you ignore that everything dies.

Even if you're right and that our diet is to blame

And disease of the globe and of us is the same,

And if world hunger is, as you claim,

Bound up with this, it's truly a shame.

But change my ways? That is too much!

My folkways are too "right" to touch.

They're obviously right, they're what everyone does,

And your presence to the contrary puts my head in a buzz.

Do whatever crazy thing you want,

I'm surprised you're not all weak and gaunt.

But don't tell others and don't tell me,

I'll turn deaf ear on any plea.

To question what's plain for all to see

And shake accepted customs uncomfortably.

To examine my worldview would cause me unease.....

I might see a difference 'tween rabbits and peas.

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~8~

Memorable Quote

"First it was necessary to civilize man in relation to man. Now

it is necessary to civilize man in

relation to nature and the animals."

~Victor Hugo

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Susan Roghair - EnglandGal@aol.com

Animal Rights Online

http://www.oocities.org/RainForest/1395/

-=Animal Rights Online=-

«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»

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