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Indybay Feature

IDA News

by Mat Thomas
Easter Sunday, the holiday on which Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, is just a few days away. Easter also marks the beginning of spring and the rebirth of life in nature as well as new beginnings in our own lives. As animal friends, Easter and springtime present opportunities to renew our commitment to compassion for all beings, starting with the animals most associated with Easter festivities: bunny rabbits and baby chicks.

Unfortunately, Easter is not a very pleasant time of year for domestic rabbits. Many parents purchase bunnies for their children from pet stores without realizing that they have complex physical and emotional needs and can live for ten years or more. Tragically, thousands of these rabbits are soon surrendered to animal shelters where most are euthanized for lack of homes. So please be a bunny lover this Easter: don't buy rabbits from a pet store. If you or someone you know want to adopt a bunny, please visit your neighborhood animal shelter or a local chapter of the House Rabbit Society (http://www.rabbit.org/chapters/index.html).

People also like to purchase downy-feathered baby chicks for their children around Easter without understanding the amount of care they require. What happens when the cute baby chick grows into an adult chicken? Most wind up in animal shelters and are euthanized. Another Easter ritual is the coloring of eggs to represent the sunlight of spring, then hiding them for children to find. Most eggs come from factory farms where laying hens are confined for life in battery cages that are so crowded that they can't even stretch their wings. Instead of coloring eggs this year, visit http://www.vegfamily.com/holidays/vegan-easter.htm for fun cruelty-free Easter activities that encourage compassion for animals. Also shop IDA's Marketplace (http://www.idausa.org/marketplace.html) for last-minute Easter gift ideas. All purchases support vegan companies that donate a portion of proceeds directly to IDA's work on behalf of animals.

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Table of Contents
1. Help Stamp Out Captive Elephant Foot Disease
2. "Bizarro" Artist Champions Animals' Cause
3. IDA Sponsors Anti-Vivisection Lecture at University
4. IDA's PSAs and Print Ads Pack Powerful Punch
5. On the Move? Take IDA With You



1. Help Stamp Out Captive Elephant Foot Disease

April is Foot Health Awareness Month, when the American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) wants all Americans to put their best foot forward for a checkup by a licensed professional. Similarly, In Defense of Animals (IDA) kicks off Foot Health Awareness Month with a campaign to raise public awareness of the painful - and often fatal - captivity-induced foot disorders that plague elephants in our nation's zoos. Arthritis and foot problems are the two leading causes of euthanasia in captive elephants in the United States.

As the next step in IDA's longstanding campaign to prevent any more elephants from dying before their time, activists are leafleting outside of zoos across the country while urging the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA) and zoo directors to put elephants' health and well being ahead of profit. According to the AZA's own statistics, the average age of death for captive elephants is 34 years old - about half their natural lifespan. Their lives are typically cut short by a variety of physical and psychological ailments caused by a lack of space.

Elephants are genetically designed for almost constant movement: in their natural habitat, they are known to walk as much as fifty miles a day. Following AZA standards, many zoos keep elephants in cramped enclosures measuring as little as 1,800 square feet - the equivalent of six parking spots. IDA isn't afraid to step on the AZA's toes if it will convince zoos to take steps toward a better life for the elephants under their care. Nine AZA-accredited zoos have already put their foot down by sending elephants to sanctuaries that can provide a more naturalistic environment and better care for these animals. With hundreds of acres of grassy hills and meadows, sanctuaries give elephants a chance to recover from decades of forced immobility.

What You Can Do

1. Let us know if you can hold a protest at your hometown zoo this April by emailing zoos [at] idausa.org.

2. Join IDA's Elephant Task Force, a grassroots campaign to document and expose the suffering of elephants in our nation's zoos by taking pictures, making phone calls and organizing demonstrations. If you are interested in joining the IDA Elephant Task Force or would like more information about the ways you can get involved, please send an email to zoos [at] idausa.org today. Include your full name, city, telephone number and the name of the zoo nearest you.



2. "Bizarro" Artist Champions Animals' Cause

Internationally syndicated cartoonist Dan Piraro, whose comic strip is published daily in over 200 markets in more than ten countries, has a knack for making readers laugh about a range of issues. But one issue Piraro doesn't consider a laughing matter is cruelty to animals. The cartoonist often uses his Bizarro comic to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves. Using Bizarro, which was named Best Cartoon Panel of the Year in 1999, 2000, and 2001 by The National Cartoonists Society, Piraro recently illustrated how one of the most bizarre and cruel "delicacies" - foie gras - is produced. "Animals with individual personalities with the same capacity for pain and fear as dogs and cats are being mercilessly force-fed twice a day every day, purely for a palate preference, " says Piraro. "If someone were to do to dogs and cats what is done to ducks and geese to make foie gras, they would be charged with animal cruelty."

Why is Piraro joining the international flap over foie gras? He knows that to produce foie gras, workers shove rigid pipes into the birds' throats and force them to consume mass quantities of grain. Ultimately, their diseased livers swell up to ten times their normal size and are sold as foie gras.

The controversy surrounding foie gras production has become a hotly debated international issue. Although fewer than ten nations produce foie gras, at least fifteen nations, including Israel and Germany, have banned force-feeding because of its inherent cruelty. California recently passed a ban on the sale and production of foie gras from force-fed birds, and nationwide protests exposing the cruelty of foie gras have resulted in many U.S. restaurants permanently removing foie gras from their menu and vowing to no longer serve foie gras. "Anyone eating or serving this 'delicacy' of despair is personally responsible for the suffering of ducks," adds Piraro.

For more information on foie gras production, please visit http://www.StopForceFeeding.com . To see more of Piraro's work, visit http://www.Bizarro.com .



3. IDA Sponsors Anti-Vivisection Lecture at University

As a former cerebral palsy poster child for the United Way and longtime animal rights activist, IDA Issues Specialist Lawrence Carter-Long has a unique perspective of vivisection based on both personal experience and an exhaustive knowledge of animal-based research. In presentations and articles and on numerous radio and television programs, Lawrence has eloquently critiqued and debunked researchers' unfounded claims that only animal experimentation can cure human diseases. Now he is set to take the podium at the University of Rochester in upstate New York to speak out against the scientific fallacies that researchers use to justify the incredible cruelty hidden behind the walls of animal experimentation laboratories.

Lawrence will deliver two public lectures at the University exposing what researchers don't want you to know about vivisection on Monday, March 28 and Tuesday, March 29 at 7:00 p.m. If you live in or near Rochester, come hear Lawrence speak, then ask him anything you want to know about vivisection during the Q&A session that will follow. For more information about this event, email kristie [at] idausa.org.



4. IDA's PSAs and Print Ads Pack Powerful Punch

IDA has produced many powerful public service announcements (PSAs) that bring a message of compassion for animals to television audiences nationwide. We are very excited about our latest PSA featuring Kenneth G. Williams, champion vegan bodybuilder. As a professional athlete who chooses to eat a plant-based diet, Kenneth is a particularly persuasive proponent of the vegan lifestyle. In the 30-second PSA, he extols the health benefits of veganism while urging compassion for animals. The suffering that animals undergo in food production is emphasized by a short video montage showing how cows, pigs and chickens suffer on factory farms. The PSA will also be part of a DVD compilation co-produced by IDA and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). You can view the PSA at http://www.idausa.org/kgw_frame.html .

We have also created two new print ads. One shows Kenneth G. Williams displaying his physical prowess, and will be featured in magazines. You can view the ad at http://www.idausa.org/kgw_frame.html . World-famous artist Peter Max designed the other ad to support our anti-fur campaign. IDA and the Humane Society of the United States will blanket the city of Chicago with the ad this winter, running it in subway train cars during the month of February. We hope this will remind everyone to have a heart and spare the animals this Valentine's Day by not buying fur.

What You Can Do

Please help IDA spread our PSA and print ads far and wide:

1. Get the PSA aired on a TV station near you! This could be your local network affiliate, a cable channel, public access station, or even your college campus bandwidth! To find out how, email JenS [at] idausa.org.

2. Look for the DVD coming out soon, and watch it with your friends and family, or give a copy to your local athletic club or gym! You can also show it as part of a loop reel when tabling or anywhere that looped footage is aired.

3. Sponsor a print ad. You can also contact the advertising department at any local publication that you read and ask them to run the Kenneth G. Williams ad for free as a public service.



5. On the Move? Take IDA With You

IDA's weekly e-news keeps you up to date on important IDA campaigns and events that can help you help animals. In addition, through our Action Center, IDA sends local and regional e-alerts that give you the chance to get involved in issues that affect animals in your community. If you change your residence, or just your e-mail address, don't forget to notify us so you stay informed of the latest developments in animal rights. Go to http://www.idausa.org/action to update your subscription and preferences. While you're there, click the Tell-A-Friend button and encourage friends and family members to sign up for our e-news today!

Your Checks Can Do More than Pay the Bills!

Make a statement that you care about animals while paying your bills: use IDA checks and checkbook covers from Message!Products. Choose IDA's "Classic Conscience," a single design with the IDA logo in the center of the check, or select our "Cutest Critters" design, a set of six adorable animal photos with different animal-friendly slogans appearing at the top.

Order your checks today!

Wallet Single: 150 checks for just $14.95
Wallet Duplicate: 150 checks for just $16.95

10% of every IDA-related product purchased from Message!Products goes directly to IDA.

To order, visit: http://www.idausa.org/supportf.html .



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. This week's Meatout Mondays reports that, according to the USDA, per capita meat consumption has actually shrunk since 1985, which is the year that Meatout started. Click here (http://www.meatoutmondays.org/05-03-21b.htm) to read the latest 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

Please take a moment to read the latest advice from the Cat Therapist. Click here for her new column: http://www.idausa.org/cat_therapist/index.html .


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Team IDA encourages teammates to take part in local athletic events to raise awareness of animal issues and much-needed funds to rescue and protect animals from cruelty and abuse. You don't have to be an avid runner or a serious athlete to sign up. Just by cheering and wearing your Team IDA apparel you can show your pro-animal attitude.

Wear your Team IDA t-shirt whenever you are running, biking, walking, or just hanging around your neighborhood to help promote a cruelty-free world. If you have a Team IDA t-shirt and have received comments about it, we want to hear from you! If you do not already have a Team IDA t-shirt, please call (415) 388-9641 to inquire. Also, if you have participated in any events in your area on behalf of Team IDA, or would like your picture and bio posted on our website, please let us know!

You can also make Team IDA even more successful by spreading the word: a great way to do this is by distributing Team IDA brochures at races and placing them in athletic stores and clubs. Team IDA brochures are always available free of charge by (415) 388-9641.

We are always interested in learning more about your experiences and hearing your ideas regarding Team IDA. Please send an email to teamida [at] idausa.org and tell us your story. Visit http://www.teamida.org for more information. Join Team IDA today!

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