In Defense of Animals e-news: 4/20/05

Table of Contents:
1. Battle to Ban Foie Gras Going Strong
2. Official Foot Dragging Blamed For Mare's Death
3. Help Horses: Take Action on New Pro-Horse Bills
4. Protect Primates from Harmful Captivity
5. Be Part of World Week for Animals in Laboratories
6. Spread the Word on Animal Guardian Volunteer Day with Web Banners


1. Battle to Ban Foie Gras Going Strong

Duck and goose defenders around the country are making headway in their efforts to ban foie gras. We are thrilled to share with you some of the latest milestones in the fight to make foie gras a faux pas.

Legislation in Illinois to ban the cruel force-feeding of birds for foie gras unanimously passed the State Senate on Thursday, April 14. Senate Bill 413 now moves to the House Rules Committee for discussion. If you live in Illinois, you can send a prewritten letter online urging your state representative to support SB 413 by clicking here (http://ga0.org/campaign/illfoiegras_house).

Foie gras foe Chicago Alderman Joe Moore of the 49th Ward also took a public stand against the cruel menu item when he introduced an ordinance in Chicago City Council to prohibit the sale of foie gras in the Windy City. "The public needs to be informed about the cruelty that birds must undergo before consumers may feast on this dish," said Moore.

Under Alderman Moore's proposal, violators would face fines ranging from $250 to $500 for illegally selling foie gras. Please write to Alderman Moore and applaud him for his compassionate action.

Alderman Joe Moore
121 N. Lasalle St.
Room 300, Office 24
Chicago, IL 60602
Fax: 312-744-3080
Email: jmoore [at] cityofchicago.org

Across the country in Oregon on Monday, April 18, the Senate Environment and Land Use Committee approved Senate Bill 861, which would make force-feeding birds and selling foie gras a crime in the state carrying a $1000 fine. The bill now moves to the Senate for a vote. If you live in Oregon, please urge your Senator to support this bill. You can get contact information for your elected officials by clicking here (http://ga0.org/indefenseofanimals/home.html) and entering your zip code. You can also get contact information for elected officials by calling the Government Information Hotline at (916) 322-9900 and giving the operator your address.

Last but not least, IDA Campaign Coordinator Kristie Phelps found out that a chain supermarket in her area called Wegmans was selling foie gras, so she wrote them a polite letter describing the cruelty involved in its production and asking them to discontinue selling the item. They responded by telling her that Wegmans' "responsibility...as a food retailer is to provide those products that people tell us they wish to buy and expect to find." In other words, the amount of suffering caused by a product is irrelevant as long as they can make money selling it. The letter went on to say "When enough people take the same action and sales of the product drop, we will then respond by no longer offering it for sale."

That's where you come in. It's time for us to take action. If you live in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania or Virginia, please politely tell Wegmans that you find the presence of foie gras on their shelves offensive and disturbing, and that you will shop elsewhere until it is removed permanently. You can email Wegmans at Comments [at] WEGMANS.com.

For more information about the cruelty involved in foie gras production, please visit http://www.StopForceFeeding.com.


2. Official Foot Dragging Blamed For Mare's Death

A starved and neglected mare is now dead because local law enforcement officials failed to take action, says Doll Stanley, IDA Mid-South Director of Investigations. The Rankin County Sheriff's Department and Animal Control had received multiple reports on the plight of this mare from concerned citizens dating as far back as January, yet refused to investigate. When no action was taken, the Mississippi Animal Rescue League (MARL) inquired on March 16th about what was being done, and was advised that the horse was in good hands. It wasn't until eyewitnesses, MARL and IDA made a concerted effort that the Sheriff's Department took action, but sadly, by then it was too late to help the suffering mare. Though the horse was seized on April 10th, even a veterinarian's heroic efforts weren't enough to save her life. Doll visited the mare during her third day under Dr. Rick Kirby's care. The horse was emaciated, suffering extensive hair and hide loss, and oozing serum from her knees. She could no longer stand and lost her battle to live at 11:00 pm that night, April 13, 2005. There is no excuse for this tragic ending.

What You Can Do

Write to Rankin County Sheriff Ronnie Pennington and the Rankin County Board of Supervisors. Tell them that the suffering this mare endured could have been prevented if Animal Control Officer (ACO) Dan Warren and his Supervisor Ken Sullivan had acted on the original reports of abuse. Ask Sheriff Pennington to restore integrity to his department by reprimanding and suspending (without pay) the ACO and/or Supervisor responsible for the mare's lingering hell. Remember, even if you are angry about their failure to respond, please be courteous: politeness is persuasive.

Sheriff Ronnie Pennington
Rankin County Sheriff's Department
221 N. Timber St.
Brandon, MS 39042

President Jay Bishop
Rankin County Board of Supervisors
211 E. Government St.
Brandon, MS 39042


3. Help Horses: Take Action on New Pro-Horse Bills

America's horses have been under attack lately. In December 2004, legislators approved the Omnibus Appropriations Bill without realizing that Republican Senator Conrad Burns had slipped in a rider to remove protections for wild horses that have been in place since 1971. Buried in the 4,000 page document was an Amendment to the Wild Horses and Burros Act that would allow all wild horses and burros over the age of ten and those not adopted out within three attempts to be sold for slaughter. This leaves thousands of animals in danger of being killed. Fortunately, bills have been introduced in the House and the Senate (H.R. 297 and S. 576, respectively) that would reinstate these protections.

In addition, tens of thousands of horses are slaughtered for meat in the U.S. every year for export to Europe and Japan. Representatives John Sweeney (R-NY), John Spratt (D-SC) and Ed Whitfield (R-KY) hope to change this by introducing H.R. 503, the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act, which will ban horse slaughter and the international transport of live horses or horseflesh for human consumption. Senators John Ensign (R-NV) and Mary Landrieu (D-LA) are expected to introduce a companion bill in the Senate soon.

What You Can Do

1. Write and call your Representative and politely ask that he or she co-sponsor H.R. 297 and H.R. 503. Also contact your Senators and politely ask them to co-sponsor S. 576. You can get contact information for your elected officials by clicking here (http://ga0.org/indefenseofanimals/home.html) and entering your zip code. You can also get contact information for elected officials by calling the Government Information Hotline at (916) 322-9900 and giving the operator your address.

2. IDA is looking for people who have land where horses at risk because of the Burns Amendment could be sustained in good health. If you do, you could save some horses' lives. Please contact pat [at] idausa.org or call (480) 394-0578 for more information.


4. Protect Primates from Harmful Captivity

There are thousands of non-human primates such as chimpanzees, orangutans, and capuchin monkeys kept in private homes in the U.S. These animals have complex physical, social, and psychological needs that even the most well-intentioned guardians find difficult to fulfill. Primates are also potentially dangerous, being stronger than humans and sometimes aggressive, and therefore do not make suitable pets. This was recently illustrated once again when a California man was violently attacked by captive chimpanzees who escaped their cages, critically injuring and hospitalizing him. Chimps are naturally territorial, and probably felt threatened by this human visitor who had brought a birthday cake for one of the chimps but hadn't offered any to the others.
Seeing this incident as an urgent wake-up call, U.S. Representatives Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) and Rob Simmons (R-CT) have introduced the Captive Primate Safety Act (H.R. 1329) to ban the interstate transportation of non-human primates for the pet trade. Although some states have already passed similar laws, only federal legislation will prevent these animals being transported across state lines. This bill applies only to non-human primates kept by individuals, and does not affect registered zoos, sanctuaries, research laboratories and other licensed facilities sadly.

What You Can Do

Click here (http://ga0.org/campaign/captiveprimates) to send an automatic email to your Representatives urging their support of H.R. 1329.


5. Be Part of World Week for Animals in Laboratories

Last chance to take action and make a difference during IDA's World Week for Animals In Laboratories (WWAIL), from April 23 - 30. Tens of millions of animals are killed in experiments and products testing every year, so it is crucial for advocates to educate the public about the routine abuses and scientific fraudulency of the animal research establishment. Events to spotlight the inherent cruelty of vivisection are being planned around the nation, so be sure to join with others during WWAIL to speak out against animal experimentation. WWAIL events are already being planned in San Francisco, Boulder, Orlando, Atlanta, Boston, Grand Rapids, and other cities around the globe. Visit http://www.wwail.org/index.cgi?page=list_events to find out what events are planned for your area.


6. Spread the Word on Animal Guardian Volunteer Day with Web Banners

IDA's Animal Guardian Volunteer Day celebrates the strong emotional connections between humans and companion animals. It's the perfect opportunity for people to promote respect for animals and to get involved in activities that will improve their lives. That's why IDA encourages all animal friends to volunteer for an animal-related cause on Saturday, June 11 as a way of giving back to the animals who give so much unconditional love to us each day.

We want everyone to know that Animal Guardian Volunteer Day is coming up so we can get as many people involved as possible and get as many people as possibly thinking about the importance of being a guardian. If you are a member of a grassroots animal advocacy group, you can help promote Animal Guardian Volunteer Day by including an electronic banner or button on your website directing people to information on events taking place around the nation on June 11. You can view and download buttons and banners at http://www.guardiancampaign.com/guardian_day.htm.


Bid On One-of-a Kind Items at IDA's May 2005 Auction for the Animals

Support In Defense of Animals (IDA) mission to defend the rights, welfare and habitats of animals during IDA's Auction for the Animals. You can take part in this exciting online event by visiting eBay and bidding on some exciting auction items! The auction gives you the opportunity to help IDA help animals while having fun bidding on a wide selection of over 250 elegant, exciting and unique items valued at more than $45,000 that have been donated to IDA for this very special online eBay Auction.
Here are but a few of the tantalizing items being offered:

- Fantastic travel and accommodation packages, including trips to exotic destinations in Mexico, France, Thailand, and Ireland, in addition to fun-filled vacations to Las Vegas, Scottsdale, San Diego and other exciting tourist destinations.

- Special celebrity memorabilia donated by famous friends of IDA, including Burt Reynolds, Amy Grant, Elizabeth Taylor, Susan Sarandon, Leonardo DiCaprio, Alec Baldwin and many other stars.

- One-of-a-kind items, such as a vegan lunch for two with actor and animal advocate James Cromwell, a half-day on the set of famed director Wolfgang Petersen's new movie "The Poseidon Adventure," and tickets to see a taping of "Live with Regis and Kelly."

- Tickets for great entertainment and sporting events, restaurants, airlines and many, many other exciting items!

Visit our website at http://auction.idausa.org for more details.

Then beginning May 1, 2005, go to http://www.ebay.com/ida to view the auction items. On this auction site, you will see a list of all of the enticing items whose sale proceeds will benefit IDA. Once you find an item that you like, click on the link to view its description, the current bid price, and how much time is left until the bidding ends. Place your bid and keep an eye on it to make sure that, by the time the bidding ends, it's YOURS.

The auction will run in three waves, with new items being added May 1, May 8, and May 15. Each wave will run for one week, so visit http://www.ebay.com/ida often.
We are still accepting donations of items for our auction. Some good auction items include timeshares, airline miles, celebrity memorabilia, tickets to shows or events, jewelry, gift baskets and gift certificates to restaurants or stores. In exchange for your generosity, you or your company will gain global visibility as a supporter of IDA. We will also create a link from eBay directly to your website, affording your company exposure to over 110 million eBay users worldwide.

If you have an item that you would like to donate or if you would like more information about the event or IDA in general, please contact Nicole Otoupalik at (800) 338-4451. All donations are tax deductible.

P.S. If you already sell on eBay, now is a great time to designate 10-100% of your own auction proceeds to IDA by registering at http://www.missionfish.org/, the partner of eBay Giving Works.

Please help us spread the word about our special Auction for the Animals by sending this email to your network of family and friends. The Tell-A-Friend feature at the bottom of this message makes is quick and easy.


Help Someone Kick the Meat Habit with FARM's Meatout Monday Newsletter

If you know someone who says they'd like to cut meat out of their diet but thinks it's too hard, then tell them about Meatout Mondays, a free weekly e-newsletter designed to help those who don't want to quit "cold turkey" kick the meat habit one day at a time - starting with Mondays! Easy and fun to read, Meatout Mondays encourages individuals to make changes at a pace that is comfortable for them, and is an excellent tool for introducing vegetarianism to anyone.

Every week, Meatout Mondays includes tasty vegan recipes, new product and book reviews, important health information, and inspirational stories of people who have changed their lives for the better by cutting animal products from their diets. With Earth Day coming up this Friday, the latest Meatout Mondays explains some of the important environmental reasons to choose a plant-based diet. Click here (http://www.meatoutmondays.org/05-04-18.htm) to read the most recent issue.

Please visit http://www.meatoutmondays.org to review past issues and to subscribe your friends and family members. Meatout Mondays is a free e-newsletter, and individuals can easily unsubscribe at any time.


The Cat Therapist Shares Her Wisdom

Got cats? Then you could probably use some advice from the Cat Therapist. Click here (http://www.idausa.org/cat_therapist/index.html) to read her latest column and to read about her new contest, "Men and Their Cats." More and more men are becoming smitten with cats. Guys: the Cat Therapist wants to find out why you decided to live with a cat and how your cat inspires you. Click here (http://www.idausa.org/cat_therapist/men_cats.html) to learn more out about the new Cat Therapist contest.