IDA eNews: 4/11/07

IDA ACTION ALERTS
1. Prevent Delisting of Wolves in Northern Rocky Mountain States
2. Survival of Alaskan Beluga Whales Endangered
3. Victory: Congress Passes Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act

NEWS & CAMPAIGN UPDATES
1. IDA's Guardian of the Month for April - Judy Jones
2. Help Expose Lab Animal Abuse During WWAIL, April 22 - 28
3. New IDA PSA Features Steve Valentine


IDA ACTION ALERTS

1. Prevent Delisting of Wolves in Northern Rocky Mountain States
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service extends public comment period

As we reported in our February 14th eNews ( http://www.idausa.org/campaigns/wildlife/wolf_070214.html ), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is considering whether to take the gray wolf off of the endangered species list in the Northern Rocky Mountain states of Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming, as well as parts of Utah, Washington, and Oregon. Thankfully, we still have time to prevent the decimation of this species that conservationists have spent decades reintroducing and protecting in their native habitat, as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has extended the public comment period on its proposal until May 9th, 2007.

Wolves are important apex predators who help maintain balance in the ecosystems of which they are an integral part. The Canis lupus helps keep elk, antelope, and other ungulate populations in check so that they don't expand beyond what their food supply can sustain, simultaneously preserving space for smaller mammals like rodents. A diverse range of species -- including birds, foxes, coyotes, and even bears -- feed off of the remains of carcasses left by wolves. Their hunting range is often very wide, sometimes exceeding 1,000 square miles, as they travel in packs, hunting and raising their pups together.

Gray wolves were here long before humans, and should be respected, not eradicated. Please speak up for these animals while there is still time.

What You Can Do:

1) Please send your comments to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service before May 9th, 2007 politely urging them not to remove wolves from the endangered species list in the Northern Rocky Mountain States.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Wolf Delisting
585 Shepard Way
Helena, MT 59601
Email: NRMGrayWolf [at] fws.gov

2) Thanks to the efforts of U.S. Representative Barbara Cubin (R-WY), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will hold the seventh in a series of public meetings on the wolf delisting proposal. This one will take place on Thursday, April 19th in Cody, Wyo. If you live in or will be visiting the area, please attend this meeting and speak out on the wolves' behalf.

What: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service hearing on gray wolf delisting
When: Thursday, April 19th - open house from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m., public hearing from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Where: Cody Auditorium, 1240 Beck Avenue, Cody, Wyo. (map - http://tinyurl.com/2d672m )

For more information, please contact Melissa Gonzalez at melissa [at] idausa.org or (415) 388-9641, ext. 228.


2. Survival of Alaskan Beluga Whales Endangered
Urge the National Marine Fisheries Service to protect species threatened with extinction

The Cook Inlet in Alaska is home to hundreds of beluga whales who have been rapidly disappearing from their habitat in recent years. Decades ago, as many as 1,300 belugas called the region home, but their numbers have dropped to fewer than 300 today as pollution runoff and sewage dumps continue to poison the water. Underwater seismic blasting and spills from petroleum operations, shipping activity, climate change from global warming, and increased development pose additional threats to the species. Even strict regulations on hunting have not been sufficient to keep their numbers from declining dangerously.

Marine biologists studying the problem warn that the belugas desperately need our help to survive. In 2006, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) listed the belugas in Cook Inlet as "critically endangered" on its Red List of Threatened Species. This category is just one step away from "extinct" on the list. Dr. Doug DeMaster, Administrator of the Alaska Fisheries Science Center, said last year that "A population viability analysis indicates that the likelihood of (the Cook Inlet belugas) going extinct within the next 100 years is significant unless factors determining the population's growth and survival are altered."

The best way to protect these unique whales from disappearing would be for the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to list the Cook Inlet belugas as an endangered species. Federal protection under the Endangered Species Act would provide critical safeguards for the belugas and their habitat, giving the population a chance to recover.

What You Can Do:

The NMFS is expected to decide whether to list the Cook Inlet belugas as an endangered species sometime this month. Please "Take Action" to urge NMFS officials to give these whales the protection they need ( %takeaction-belugas% ). Be sure to customize the sample letter for maximum effect. Also follow up with a polite letter or personal email.

Bill Hogarth, Director
National Marine Fisheries Service
1315 East West Highway
Silver Spring, MD 20910
Email: bill.hogarth [at] noaa.gov

Kaja Brix, Assistant Regional Administrator
Protected Resources Division, Alaska Region, NMFS
P. O Box 21668
Juneau, AK 99802
Email: kaja.brix [at] noaa.gov


3. Victory: Congress Passes Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act
Urge President Bush to sign bill to increase penalties for criminals engaged in blood sports

We have excellent news to report: just yesterday, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed the Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act! The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed their version of this bill late last month by a vote of 368 to 39, so it now heads to the desk of President Bush. If he signs it, the Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act will become law, making the interstate transport of fighting animals and specialized weapons (such as cockfighting gaffs) a felony, doubling the potential prison sentence for offenders.

Animal advocates have long fought to increase penalties for those engaged in animal fighting, a criminal activity that still takes place throughout the U.S. despite the fact that dogfighting has been banned in all 50 states and cockfighting is illegal in every state except Louisiana. Birds, dogs, and other animals used for fighting suffer gruesome injuries, and sometimes, after killing an opponent, the "winner" is so injured that he too dies. Yet many states only punish animal fighting as a misdemeanor, a penalty that is too weak to act as an effective deterrent or hold criminals accountable for abusing and killing animals. Passage of the Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act will change all that.

Thank you to all of our members who wrote your members of Congress in response to our eNews Action Alert of February 21st: legislators listened to our voices, and we made a real difference for the animals. Please speak up one more time for animals used and abused in fighting rings to ensure this bill is signed into law.

What You Can Do:

Please "Take Action" to ask President Bush to sign the Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act into law ( %takeaction-s261% ). For best results, edit the sample letter to express your personal perspective. Also contact the President by postal mail, fax, email, or phone.

President George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Tel: (202) 456-1111
Fax: (202) 456-2461
E-Mail: comments [at] whitehouse.gov


NEWS & CAMPAIGN UPDATES

1. IDA's Guardian of the Month for April - Judy Jones
San Francisco Bay Area resident works to improve animal companions' lives

Judy Jones never had any animals as a child, but her life was forever changed when she and her husband rescued a stray cat in 1965. "It was a new experience for both of us," she said, "and we wound up falling in love with that cat, and my affection for animals just progressed from there." The couple's animal family started to grow when they adopted two dogs from a local shelter. Judy soon translated her love of dogs into respect and admiration for all species. "I was a slow learner," she claimed, "but eventually came around to animal rights in 1990, when I started attending protests with IDA's San Jose chapter. I actually became a vegetarian and animal rights activist in the course of a single day."

Since then, Judy has been an active member of the Bay Area animal rights community with a focus on companion animal issues. In 1992, she and a friend started a group to get the City of San Jose to pass a breeding ordinance. While their proposal wasn't adopted, perhaps because it was too far ahead of its time, the pair was able to get a history-making free spay/neuter resolution passed with the support of then-Councilman Jim Beall.

These days, Judy is a member of IDA's Board of Directors, and sits on the Animal Advisory Commission for Santa Clara County and the Animal Advisory Committee for the City of San Jose. This helped her effort to make Santa Clara County a Guardian Community last year a successful one, and she is currently spearheading a Guardian Campaign in the City of San Jose, which is scheduled to hear the proposal on May 1st. "Guardian language is an essential part of advocating for animals on a large scale," said Judy, "because it gets people thinking about how important animals are in our lives, and sets the stage for other improvements in how the community cares for dogs, cats, and other animal companions."

She also volunteers at the quarterly spay/neuter clinics held by Peninsula Fix Our Ferals ( http://www.peninsulafixourferals.org ), during which an average of about 45 cats get sterilized. This helps to curb unwanted animal births and ease the strain on the South Bay's animal shelters. "I have also fostered two litters of feral kittens," said Judy, "which was a new adventure for me that I loved doing."

Judy has combined her love of animals with her passion for traveling. Last March, she ventured to India, which she described as "…a real eye opener. I was astonished to see cows, pigs, and many, many dogs at every turn, just wandering the streets with people. They have a real respect for animals in India: I never saw an animal being mistreated while I was there. I am very glad that we have a partnership with IDA India ( http://www.idaindia.org ), which is making great strides in getting dogs the medical care they need and doing a lot of spay/neuter work to curb overpopulation."

Five years before that excursion, Judy made several trips to visit Project Hope IDA's animal sanctuary in Mississippi. Judy joined another volunteer and Project Hope Director Doll Stanley on the road, renting a truck to bring 18 dogs to the Bay Area for adoption into loving homes. "We also picked up a 10-year-old dog along the way," Judy remembers. "She was in really bad shape -- full of mange, starved practically to death, and suffering from anemia due to the number of fleas attacking her constantly. Angie ended up being my beloved little angel who is in heaven now."

IDA is honored to work with Judy, and to name her as our Guardian of the Month for April 2007. We look forward to many more years of partnering with her to promote the welfare of animal companions.

What You Can Do:

Like Judy, you too can be one of IDA's esteemed Guardian Angels by starting a campaign to make your city or county a Guardian Community. Visit our Guardian City page for a listing of Guardian cities ( http://www.guardiancampaign.com/guardiancity.htm ) and check whether your city is there. If not, help animal companions by starting a Guardian campaign in your home town and getting your community to adopt compassionate language. Learn how ( http://www.guardiancampaign.com/g_campaign_howto.htm ).

Here are some other proactive ways that you can help promote IDA's Guardian Campaign:

- Hand out IDA's Guardian brochure ( http://www.guardiancampaign.com/g_campaign_howto.htm ) when you table at events. Also ask your veterinarian to put them out in his or her waiting room and for your local animal shelter to give them to those who adopt animals. Order copies today ( http://www.idausa.org/ir/materials/orderbrochure1.html ).

- Make a compassionate statement with your wardrobe by wearing a Guardian t-shirt ( http://www.idausa.org/marketplace/clothing/clothing.html ).

- Discuss what it means to be a guardian, not an owner, with your family and friends. Learn more about what makes a responsible guardian ( http://www.guardiancampaign.com ).


2. Help Expose Abuse of Animals in Labs During WWAIL, April 22 - 28
Speak up for animals used in research during global week of action

World Week for Animals in Laboratories (WWAIL) starts in less than two weeks. If you have not yet made plans to take part, visit http://www.wwail.org now to get involved. Animals used in research desperately need our voices, as they suffer day in and day out. The labs that make these animals' lives a living hell routinely ignore the laws that exist to offer minimal protection from cruelty. Rather than trying to fix these problems, many would rather spend their energies and resources trying to hide them from the public.

IDA's Northwest Coordinator Matt Rossell knows the system well from the inside; Between 1998 and 2000 he worked as a lab technician at the Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) Primate Center. He was one of only two staff members responsible for the care of 1,500 animals, a job that was made even harder by the institutionalized Animal Welfare Act (AWA) violations that his supervisors repeatedly ignored and refused to correct.

"OHSU kept almost all of the monkeys alone in cramped, barren two-by-two-foot cages exposed to the elements," he said. "These monkeys evolved to live in the dry savannas of India and China, so these conditions made them very sick indeed. The university operated as though it were above the laws of the AWA, which states that primates must be housed together and provided with adequate mental and physical stimulation. I did my best to compensate, giving them toys and treats to counteract the neurotic behaviors that resulted from their sad conditions, but it was not enough."

Frustrated that OHSU seemed determined to maintain business as usual, Rossell submitted an anonymous complaint to Dr. Isis Johnson-Brown, the state's only USDA Care Inspector, who was responsible for overseeing more than 120 facilities in Oregon. She typically visited OHSU about twice a year, and during her inspections, the attending veterinarian would try to rush her through as quickly as possible while staff cleaned up for appearances' sake right before her arrival.

"The research institutions I visited, including the Oregon Primate Center, were not happy to see me coming once they realized that I was going to hold them to the law," Dr. Johnson-Brown stated during a press conference in August 2000. "What was surprising to me was my own supervisors were disappointed and unsupportive of my efforts to simply enforce the bare minimum standards in the Code of Federal Regulations...I was unable to do my job and eventually, out of frustration, I had to quit. I recognize that the system is not set up to protect the animals but instead the financial interests of the research labs."

Attempts to cover up the abuses happening inside OHSU are made not only by those who run the lab, but are orchestrated at the highest levels of the university, as well. In 1999, IDA submitted a public records request for information related to the research taking place at the Oregon Primate Center ( http://www.vivisectioninfo.org/feature_061220.html ). Despite their legal obligation to provide this information, OHSU refused to comply, demanding that IDA pay them $150,000 for the data. After a lengthy eight-year court battle, IDA finally prevailed and got the records, albeit in the form of 113,000 pages instead of electronically, making them very difficult to examine.

"OHSU wound up paying $80,000 for IDA's attorneys' fees, plus their own attorneys' fees," noted Rossell. "Yet, even though they ultimately spent at least $150,000 of taxpayers' and donors' money on this case, they probably think they won, because they were able to keep the information from us for so many years. By the time we finally got it in December 2006, the experiments had probably been over for some time, and they knew that if the information was outdated it wouldn't make as much of a splash in the media."

Ironically, the National Institutes of Health holds OHSU up as one of the premier primate centers in the country. If they are considered one of the best, one can only speculate as to what kinds of abuses are taking place regularly at other facilities, completely hidden from the public eye. That is why it is crucial that animal advocates do everything they can, especially during WWAIL, to expose the deceptive lies of vivisectors to the public.

What You Can Do:

Participate in or organize an event for WWAIL between April 22nd and 28th. This is a great opportunity for activists to join together and speak out for animals used in experiments. Visit http://www.wwail.org to find out what is happening in your community, or click here ( http://www.wwail.org/register_event.html ) to register an event.

Having multiple WWAIL events registered across the nation creates vital momentum by showing how many people care about animals in laboratories. It also helps bring media attention to the issue by illustrating the broad scope of interest in protecting these animals from abuse. A full listing of events shows our solidarity and commitment as a movement. Please register your WWAIL event as soon as possible, and encourage other activists planning events to register, too.


3. New IDA PSA Features Steve Valentine
"Crossing Jordan" actor urges viewers to spay and neuter companion animals

IDA has recently released a new public service announcement (PSA) featuring actor Steve Valentine ( http://www.stevevalentine.com ), who plays Dr. Nigel Townsend on the hit NBC series "Crossing Jordan" ( http://www.nbc.com/Crossing_Jordan ). "Every year the dog and cat population in this country increases by millions because people have not spayed or neutered their companion animals," says Valentine in the PSA. "As a result, millions of unwanted dogs and cats, puppies and kittens, are killed in our nation's shelters. Please spay or neuter your cat or dog. You'll be surprised how many lives you save." View this PSA online ( http://www.idausa.org/psas/vid_spay.html ).

IDA is fortunate to have had many celebrities and prominent individuals appear in our PSAs, including Peter Falk, Jane Goodall, Maya Angelou and others. You can view these PSAs online ( http://www.idausa.org/psas/psa.html#mid ) and order a copy of IDA's PSA compilation on DVD (or, if you are a member of the media, a broadcast-quality Beta copy) by contacting gabe [at] idausa.org or calling (415) 388-9641 today.


Support Project Hope

For over ten years, Doll Stanley and the staff and volunteers of IDA's Project Hope sanctuary ( http://www.project-hope.net ) in rural Mississippi have been saving animals by the thousands from the worst kind of abuse and neglect. In addition to providing shelter and placing animals in new homes, Project Hope courageously investigates and exposes animal cruelty and takes abusers to court to hold them accountable for the suffering they cause. Driven by a commitment to justice for animals, Project Hope goes after the biggest offenders, including puppy mills and unscrupulous animal dealers, valuing animals as the individuals they undoubtedly are while trying to change the way people relate to the non-human species with whom we share our lives.

In order to continue their work, Project Hope always needs funds to run the sanctuary, rescue animals and conduct investigations. Please consider a donation to help Project Hope save even more animals' lives.

- Donate online ( https://secure.ga0.org/02/idadonations_in_honor ). Be sure to enter "Project Hope" in the first name field of the "in honor of" section.

- To make a donation by mail, please send a check (with "Project Hope" written in the Note section) payable to:

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

- Please call (415) 388-9641 to make a donation by telephone.

Your generosity is greatly appreciated.


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."