IDA e-news: 4/19/06

IDA ACTION ALERTS
1. Maine Protects Animal Victims of Domestic Violence
2. Cold-Blooded Killing of Canadian Seals Continues
3. Santa Cruz Island Pigs Need Your Help
CAMPAIGN NEWS & UPDATES
1. IDA Online: Fostering Community and Education
2. Two States Ban Hog-Dog Rodeos
3. IDA Radio Spot Featuring Bob Barker Airs in L.A.


IDA ACTION ALERTS

1. Maine Protects Animal Victims of Domestic Violence
New Law Includes Animal Companions in Court-Issued Protection Orders

Maine recently passed the nation's first law to include animal companions in protection orders issued for domestic violence. Governor John Baldacci and other supporters believe that the new law will prevent abusers from threatening animal companions to keep partners from leaving violent relationships.

Animals are often victims of domestic violence along with their human guardians and family members. One study indicates that animal abuse occurs in 88% of families engaged in domestic violence. Abusers typically use threats against animal companions to terrorize and control others. Sadly, many batterers who injure, torture or kill innocent, defenseless animals suffer little remorse or punishment. By including animals in protection orders, Maine is recognizing the important bond guardians share with their animals, and that animals themselves must be protected from danger. Violating a protection order can land the offender in jail or result in a serious fine, and will help deter abusers from harming animals.

Another encouraging trend nationwide is the growing cooperation between domestic violence shelters and animal shelters to create safe havens for animal companions who could otherwise become victims of abuse. In Maine, several agencies are part of Pets and Women to Safety (PAWS), a program that places animals in temporary foster homes, allowing their guardians to enter domestic violence shelters knowing that their animal companions are safe.

What You Can Do:

- Click http://ga0.org/campaign/ProtectionOrders to ask your legislator to sponsor a bill in your state that includes animal companions in domestic violence protection orders. You can also contact your elected officials by phone or postal mail. Get contact information for your elected officials by clicking http://ga0.org/indefenseofanimals/home.html and entering your zip code.

- Maine residents: Contact Representative John Piotti to thank him for sponsoring the bill. Also encourage him to introduce more bills to protect animals from abuse.

Representative John Piotti
1075 Albion Road
Unity, ME 04988
Tel: (207) 437-2493
E-mail webform: http://www.maine.gov/legis/housedems/contactus/index.html

If you live near West Kennebunk and are interested in fostering animals to help someone escape domestic violence, please contact the Animal Welfare Society’s PAWS program at (207) 985-3244 ext. 117 or awsprog [at] animalwelfaresociety.org .


2. Cold-Blooded Killing of Canadian Seals Continues
Hunt Proceeds Despite Threats to Seal Population from Melting Ice

When Canada started its annual seal massacre in late March, 80% of the newborn pups were so young that they had not even molted yet. The pups are always born on the ice, but this year was the worst year on record for ice formation, which occurred a month later than usual. Many young seals born on the thinning ice drowned because they couldn't learn to swim before it melted away in the unseasonably warm weather. The bodies of drowned baby seals are reportedly washing up on shores around the Gulf of St. Lawrence, where the seals are born.

Nevertheless, in the space of a few short days, sealers brutally killed more than 108,000 baby seals, which is 16,000 kills over their quota. Yet there are no fines or punishments for exceeding the Canadian Government's quotas. This week, the sealing fleet's larger ships (over 35 feet) met their limit of 235,000 seals, but more than 200 smaller boats remain on the hunt. The overall quota planned for 2006 is 325,000 dead harp seal babies. Their hides will be made into fur coats and sold in countries ranging from Norway to Hong Kong.

The combined impact of the slaughter and melting ice could endanger the seal population. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) insists that seals are "abundant," but their claim is based on comparing the number of seals now to those in the 1970s, a time when seals were also butchered by the hundreds of thousands. Back in 1971, a study was released showing that the seal population had dropped 50-66% in just twenty years. This scientific evidence, combined with mounting public pressure, compelled the Canadian Government to establish the quota system that continues to at least limit the number of kills each year. DFO officials also claim that the hunt is carried out in a humane manner, even though independent observers have witnessed and documented hundreds of instances in which sealers violated the agency's own "humane" regulations.

What You Can Do:

- Join the international Costco boycott: After grocery giant Costco reneged on a promise to remove seal oil pills made out of baby seals from the shelves of their store in Newfoundland, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society ( http://www.seashepherd.org ) started calling for compassionate people to shop elsewhere. Please politely let Costco's management know that you will not shop there as long as they continue to carry products made from baby seals in even one of their stores.

Muriel Cooper
Community Relations & Administration
Phone: (425) 313-6182
Email: MCooper [at] costco.com

James Sinegal, President
Costco Wholesale Corporation
999 Lake Drive
Issaquah, WA 98027
Tel: (800) 774-2678 (Press 6).
Fax: (425) 313-8103


3. Santa Cruz Island Pigs Need Your Help
Funds Needed to Continue Legal Battle over Pigs' Lives

In 2005, IDA filed a joint lawsuit against the National Park Service and the Nature Conservancy, co-owners of Santa Cruz Island, for attempting to eradicate a herd of pigs that have been there for over a century. Since then, we have learned that the decision to kill the pigs was made back in 2002, and that all of the planning was done in violation of the government's own rules. The government colluded with the Nature Conservancy to hide the facts and their taxpayer-funded actions from public scrutiny before beginning the bloody massacre in April 2005. They have consistently distorted the facts and broken the law ever since. For example, in their original plan they claimed that there were up to 2,000 pigs on the island. Yet in their most recent statements to the press, they now brag that they have already killed over 4,500 pigs and will kill the remaining 1,500 or so in the months to come. The killing continues even though no evidence that the pigs are adversely affecting the island's ecosystem has been presented, and no humane solutions to population management have been considered.

Unfortunately, our case was assigned to an unsympathetic and ill-informed Federal District Judge who unfairly refused to grant either a temporary restraining order or a permanent injunction against the killing. In March 2006, he ruled in favor of the Defense in a move for summary judgment. Now the government is dragging its feet by not filing a "proposed entry of final judgment," which effectively prevents us from filing an appeal of this judgment. Meanwhile the killing goes on.

However, thanks to IDA's financial help and the many attorneys who have worked thousands of hours at reduced rates or pro bono, Santa Barbara businessman Rick Feldman (who initiated the lawsuit) says that we now have "the goods" on the Defendants and stand a real chance of overturning the unfair judgments of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. If we win the Appeal, we can resubmit the case for a real trial. While the case would end up back in Judge Tevrizian's court, he would then at least be required to hear the evidence against the National Park Service and the Nature Conservancy, co-owners of Santa Cruz Island and perpetrators of the slaughter.

What You Can Do:

Evidence that the National Park Service and the Nature Conservancy are breaking the law may never see the light of day unless we have the financial resources to keep up our legal battle. We can win this case and set an important legal precedent with your support. Please donate to this effort by contributing to:

"SAVE THE PIGS"
c/o In Defense of Animals
3010 Kerner Blvd.
San Rafael, CA 94901

To donate online using your Visa or MasterCard, click http://idausa.org/donate.html and type "SAVE THE PIGS" in the "in honor of" first name field in the donations area.


CAMPAIGN NEWS & UPDATES

1. IDA Online: Fostering Community and Education
IDA Introduces New MySpace Page and Undercover TV Website

When IDA first came on the animal rights scene in 1983, nobody had even heard of the Internet. More than two decades later, the online world has exploded with possibility and promise for grassroots communication, with new websites continually revolutionizing how people learn and socialize. One of the most popular of these is MySpace, a place where anyone can create his or her own personalized web page with text, photos, artwork, music, video, blogs and a whole lot more. IDA has recently created a MySpace page where people can learn about our work and get connected with our campaigns. Please visit us at http://www.myspace.com/idausa and join our growing network of friends – nearly 300 as of this writing. If you don't already have your own MySpace page, make one for free at http://www.myspace.com . It's a great way to educate your family and friends about animal rights and veganism. If you are an activist working on a particular issue or campaign, make a MySpace page to get your message for the animals out.

IDA is also proud to announce the launch of our redesigned Undercover TV website ( http://www.undercovertv.org ), which now includes streaming video of undercover investigations. Undercover TV now airs in 86 cities across the nation, and IDA has so far produced 36 episodes of the show, which is having a strong impact on viewers. One 17 year old viewer told us, "I haven't stopped crying throughout the entire program and while I sit here writing you this email…I feel I have to do something to end all this cruelty. It hurts me to see how people can do this to animals." Undercover TV is one of the only programs showing thousands of viewers all over the U.S. what is taking place behind the scenes in factory farms, slaughterhouses, fur ranches, research laboratories and other places where animals suffer cruelty. IDA also has animal rights videos available for viewing on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=InDefenseofAnimals . Be aware that the footage is graphic: viewer discretion is advised.


2. Two States Ban Hog-Dog Rodeos
Mississippi and Alabama Outlaw Hog Dogging

In last week's e-news ( http://ga0.org/campaign/HogDogging ), we reported on state efforts to ban hog-dog rodeos, a blood sport in which dogs are set upon a captured wild pig and then scored for the speed with which they pin their "prey" down. We have since learned that of the five states considering bans, two have passed legislation to outlaw hog-dogging. In late March, Governor Haley Barbour signed a bill banning hog-dog rodeos in Mississippi, while Alabama Governor Bob Riley recently approved similar legislation in his state following a unanimous Senate vote. Thank you to all of those IDA supporters who responded to our action alert by contacting your legislators: your last-minute messages helped solidify this victory for the animals.

IDA lent support to the effort led by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) ( http://www.hsus.org ) to ban hog dogging in Mississippi. We supported the lobbying effort financially, and Project Hope Director Doll Stanley acted as the liaison for HSUS and the Mississippi coalition of animal advocacy groups working on the issue. Mississippi was the second state and Alabama the third to outlaw hog-dogging, which has been documented in ten southern states. Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee are currently considering bills to ban the cruel activity.

What You Can Do:

- If you live in Georgia, South Carolina or Tennessee, click http://ga0.org/campaign/HogDogging to urge your legislator to support a ban on hog-dog rodeos in your state. To have even more effect, write a letter or fax or give them a phone call. Get contact information for your elected officials by clicking http://ga0.org/indefenseofanimals/home.html and entering your zip code.

- Click http://tinyurl.com/7nkre to see video footage of a hog-dog rodeo. Be aware that the footage is graphic: viewer discretion is advised.


3. IDA Radio Spot Featuring Bob Barker Airs in L.A.

Game Show Host Says Price Is Wrong for $40 Million Elephant Exhibit
Los Angeles drive time radio listeners will do a double take next week when they hear the voice of television personality Bob Barker, host of CBS-TV's long-running game show "The Price Is Right," urging them to oppose a costly plan to expand L.A. Zoo's elephant exhibit - at taxpayer expense. The radio spot was paid for by IDA in protest of L.A. Zoo's controversial elephant exhibit proposal that would waste $40 million in taxpayer money and still not provide the space that elephants need to thrive. Click http://www.idausa.org/news/currentnews/mp3/In_Defense_of_Animals.mp3 to hear the radio spot.

Unfortunately, the L.A. City Council voted to approve the project this week, so it looks like the controversial elephant exhibit expanded will take place. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has repeatedly stated he does not support keeping elephants in zoos and even promised during his election campaign to remove the elephants from L.A. Zoo. In August 2005, he commissioned a study to determine whether the elephants should stay at the Zoo or be moved to a sanctuary. Earlier this year, Barker urged Mayor Villaraigosa and the L.A. City Council to send the elephants at Los Angeles Zoo to a sanctuary. "We should ignore this suggestion of increasing the habitat," he pleaded, "and release those elephants and let them go into a sanctuary where they can spend the few remaining years to them in an atmosphere that is the nearest possible thing to their normal way of living in the wild."

L.A. Zoo's proposed expansion has landed the City in the middle of a national debate about the ability of urban zoos to provide for the vast spatial and social needs of elephants, Earth's largest land mammal. In the wild, elephants live in large, tightly-knit family groups and range tens of miles a day, which maintains their health and well-being. Yet L.A. Zoo's plan calls for holding ten elephants on 3.5-acres, subdivided into four yards, and only about 2.5 acres of the exhibit is actual useable space. Lack of space in zoos is directly linked to crippling and often-lethal physical conditions, such as arthritis and chronic foot infection, as well as neurotic repetitive behaviors such as head bobbing and swaying. All these conditions are seen in the three elephants at L.A. Zoo.

What You Can Do:

- Write to L.A. Mayor Villaraigosa at mayor [at] lacity.org and urge him to honor his campaign pledge by moving the elephants from L.A. Zoo to a sanctuary.

- Los Angeles residents: Write or call your City Council representative and urge him or her to send Gita, Ruby and Billy to a sanctuary and close the elephant exhibit. Also state your strong opposition to spending tens of millions of dollars on an inadequate enclosure. To locate your City Council member on-line, visit http://www.ci.la.ca.us/council.htm or call 311 from within city limits on any wired telephone line. Please also join other L.A. animal advocates who are regularly educating zoo patrons about the elephants' plight, gathering petition signatures and attending demonstrations at the L.A. Zoo. Email zoos [at] idausa.org for more information and to get involved.


World Week for Animals in Laboratories Kicks off this Sunday, April 23rd. Please visit http://www.WWAIL.org for more information and to join an event in your area. Help Get IDA's Primate Research Announcement to TV Viewers from Coast to Coast (visit https://secure.ga0.org/02/JGPSA for more details).


IDA Has Moved!

IDA moved into its brand new headquarters in San Rafael, California this week, so we would like to announce our new mailing address:

In Defense of Animals
3010 Kerner Blvd
San Rafael, CA 94901

Please update your records and send all future correspondence for IDA to this address. Thank you!


The Homeopathy Series:
Storing and Handling Your Homeopathic Remedies
Featured Remedy: Phosphorus
by Jan Allegretti, coauthor of The Complete Holistic Dog Book: Home Health Care for Our Canine Companions

This is Part 3 in a series of articles on homeopathic medicine. There are thousands of remedies to choose from, and they're among the easiest to use and safest types of medicine available. In each article we look at a featured remedy and its unique healing properties, and also explore some of the guidelines and background information that will help you get the maximum benefit for the animals in your care.

In Part 2 of this series, "Potencies," (this and other articles are available in the archives of "Beyond Body, Mind, and Spirit" at http://www.idausa.org/askjan.html ), we looked at homeopathic potencies, and how these wonderful remedies are actually highly dilute forms of the substances from which they're made - so dilute in fact that very little, if any, of the original substance actually remains in each pill. With that in mind, you can understand why, as effective as they are, homeopathic medicines are also fairly delicate. Since we are dealing primarily with the energy of the material we started with, it's entirely possible for another strong "energy" to come along and de-potentize a homeopathic remedy. If that happens your remedy will lose its ability to do its job.

You can avoid de-potentizing your medicines by being careful about where you store them and how you handle them. Things to watch for include strong smells, magnetic fields, electromagnetic radiation, or extreme temperatures (such as direct sunlight or the inside of your car on a summer day). Avoid highly aromatic substances like mint, menthol, camphor, incense, or cigarette smoke; don't store your remedies in your medicine chest if you also keep things like Tiger Balm, BenGay, or cough drops that contain menthol. The refrigerator would pose a problem because of the food odors there, and also because most refrigerator motors contain a powerful magnet. Your television set, computer monitor, cell phone, and microwave oven emit energy fields that could ruin your remedies. Keeping them in direct sunlight or inside your car on a summer day could raise the temperature of the remedies to extremes that could also be troublesome. It's best to store them in a cool, dry cabinet or drawer, away from foods and other odors.

You'll also want to be careful when handling your remedies. There are two basic guidelines to follow. First, be sure there are no strong smells around - in the room, on your hands, or on the animal you're caring for - when you administer a remedy. It's a good idea to rinse your hands with cold water first to be sure there is no residue remaining from your last meal or project. Don't wash with soap, since most contain fragrances that could be a problem. Also, avoid using things like Tiger Balm or aromatherapy on you or your "patient" when using homeopathy as part of the healing regimen. There's no need to worry about the medicines interacting in a harmful way. It's just that the homeopathic remedies will not work in the presence of these substances.

The second rule of thumb is to handle the remedies as little as possible. Once your hand touches a pellet, either administer it or throw it away. If one tiny pellet becomes contaminated with a foreign substance or fragrance, it may de-potentize the remaining pellets if it is returned to its container.

You'll also want to keep these principles in mind as you actually administer the remedy. One of the wonderful advantages of using homeopathic medicines is that it is very easy to give them to animals. There's no need to force pills down their throats or squirt nasty-tasting liquids in their mouths. In fact, giving an animal family member his remedy can be part of a quiet, relaxing healing time for both of you. Just follow these simple steps:

- Before you begin, remember to rinse your hands to remove any residual odors that might de-potentize your remedies.

- If you're working with a family member or other animal who is comfortable being handled by you, have her relax in a quiet, comfortable place, and spend a few moments stroking and talking softly to her until she relaxes into this special time with you. If possible, have her lie on her side. Make a point of gently touching her around her mouth so that she associates this contact with your loving attention.

- To avoid handling your remedies any more than necessary, open the bottle and gently tap the number of pellets you need - usually two or three - into the cap, returning any extras from the cap back into the vial. If you touch a pellet or it falls on the floor, throw it away; returning it to the vial might de-potentize the remaining pellets.

- If your patient is a dog, cat, or other small mammal, stroke the side of his face, then gently lift the side of his lip and drop the pellets directly from the cap onto his gums. Allow his lip to fall back against the gums and continue to gently stroke his face and body. Chances are he will continue to lie quietly, enjoying your attention and barely noticing the sweet-tasting pills dissolving in his mouth.

- If it's not practical to have the animal lie on her side (as with a horse or other large animal, or one who is a little tense), it's okay to use your fingers to place the pills in her mouth. As long as there are no strong smells on your hands, touching the remedy briefly will not de-potentize it. Simply pour the correct number of pills from the vial cap into the palm of one hand, then pick those up with the thumb and forefinger of your other hand and place them on the animal's gums, in her mouth, or slide them between her lips.

Ideally, the pellets will dissolve against your patient's mucous membranes as they release their healing energy into his system. However, if he chews and swallows the pellets, don't worry. They will still do their job. Even if they remain on his gums only a few moments before he shakes his head and spits them out, there's an excellent chance his system will receive the benefit of the healing energy.

If the animal you're caring for is unwilling to allow you to handle her mouth, crush the pellets and dissolve them in a small amount of water, and administer it with an eyedropper or offer it for her to drink. If she doesn't lap all of it up right away, that's okay. The amount of medicine she receives in one dose is unimportant, so you can dispose of any remaining solution.

Above all, don't let these guidelines prevent you from feeling at ease using homeopathy as a central part of your health care regimen for the animals in your care. Remember: If you store your remedies in the wrong place or handle them too much they will not become harmful—they simply may not work. But soon your careful storage and handling techniques will become routine, and you can feel confident your homeopathic medicines will remain effective throughout their long shelf life, so that you and the animals you love can enjoy their gentle but potent benefits for many years to come.

Featured Remedy: Phosphorus

Phosphorus is an important item in any holistic first aid kit because of its ability to reduce or stop bleeding. Of course, in most cases severe bleeding means an animal is in need of veterinary care. But while you're on your way to the vet or waiting for her to arrive, or if professional care is unavailable, Phosphorus may help mitigate a life-threatening situation. And you'll be glad to have it handy for minor incidents, such as a toenail you've clipped a little too short.

Phosphorus is also one of homeopathy's "polycrests," those medicines that are related to a long list of symptoms, habits, and traits that are useful in selecting a remedy to treat acute or chronic illness. Those include digestive disturbances like vomiting and diarrhea, pneumonia, diseased gums, cataracts, blindness, paralysis, and anemia. (Any of these symptoms could be a sign of a serious illness or injury that requires professional care. Contact your veterinarian if you're not sure.) Choosing the right remedy for conditions like this requires evaluating symptoms within all body systems as well as personality, preferences, and even body type. The Phosphorus patient, for example, is often very friendly but sensitive, has a long and lean physique, drinks lots of water, tends to become chilled easily, and has symptoms that tend to appear suddenly. Evaluating all of these factors requires skills that are beyond the scope of this column, but an experienced homeopathic practitioner can help you determine whether Phosphorus or another remedy is right for the animal in question. (For a more detailed discussion of homeopathy for chronic illness see The Complete Holistic Dog Book: Home Health Care for Our Canine Companions.)

The use of Phosphorus as a first-aid treatment, however, is relatively straightforward:

- For an injury with bleeding that is not severe, begin with a dose of Arnica, and apply direct pressure to the wound. Wait fifteen minutes, then give a dose of Phosphorus. If bleeding continues, repeat the Arnica and Phosphorus, waiting fifteen minutes between each dose. When bleeding subsides, give alternating doses of Arnica and Hypericum to reduce pain and swelling, help prevent infection, and promote healing. Wait thirty minutes between the first two doses, then one hour between the second two doses; continue dosing every two to four hours, depending on the severity of the symptoms. Decrease the frequency of doses as symptoms diminish.

- For an injury that involves severe bleeding, apply direct pressure to the wound and give a dose of Phosphorus every fifteen minutes until bleeding stops. If the animal is in shock, give one dose of Phosphorus, wait fifteen minutes, then give a dose of Aconite; continue to give alternating doses of Phosphorus and Aconite every fifteen minutes until veterinary assistance is present (or until symptoms subside if no veterinarian is available). In all cases, be sure to get veterinary assistance as appropriate and available.


Do you have a comment or a question? Is there a topic you'd like to see addressed in this column? If so, send a message to Jan at AskJan [at] idausa.org . It won't be possible to respond to all emails personally, but she will welcome and read every one.


The Cat Therapist

Twice a month, Carole Wilbourn, the Cat Therapist, answers questions and offers advice on how guardians can enrich their relationships with their beloved feline companions. Click http://idausa.org/cat_therapist/index.html to read the latest Cats on the Couch column. Also visit Carole's Cat Store ( http://www.thecattherapist.com/cat_store.htm ) to purchase a copy of her classic book, "Cat Talk: What Your Cat is Trying to Tell You."