In Defense of Animals: e-news - 6/01/05

Table of Contents:
1. June's Guardian of the Month - Pali Boucher
2. Stop the Slaughter of Santa Cruz Island Pigs
3. Attend National Conference on Animal Cruelty Treatment and Investigation
4. Taiwanese Dog Hanging Triggers International Outrage
5. Urge Prosecution In Animal Cruelty Case
6. Massachusetts Bill Could Outlaw Cruel Circuses
7. British Airways Ends Transport of Live Animals for Experiments


1. June's Guardian of the Month - Pali Boucher

IDA's Guardian of the Month for June, Pali Boucher, knows what it's like to be without a home, so she has a special place in her heart for the pooches waiting in animal shelters for loving guardians. As a young girl, Boucher was placed in a foster home, and then later lived on the streets of San Francisco. Always an animal lover, Boucher visited the dogs at the SPCA constantly, hoping they would get adopted before being euthanized. One hound dog stole her heart and turned her life around. After adopting Leadbelly, Boucher made a home for herself and started fostering other dogs. After Leadbelly's death, she founded the non-profit Rocket Dog Rescue in 2001 as a tribute to his courageous spirit.

Rocket Dog has been going strong ever since. The organization specializes in rescuing dogs from Bay Area shelters that are in danger of being euthanized, then socializing them until they are adoptable. With decades of experience between them, Boucher and her network of foster parents bring out the best in every dog. Their collective dedication saved the lives of about 180 dogs last year, and that number promises to grow as the organization gains allies and raises more funds. Rocket Dog's success has even attracted the attention of TV's Animal Planet, which plans to produce a one-hour special featuring their exceptional work. Stay tuned for details!

What You Can Do

- Volunteer: If you live in the Bay Area, you can foster a Rocket Dog, become a dog walker, or help raise funds for the organization. IDA's Animal Guardian Volunteer Day -http://www.guardiancampaign.com/guardian_day.htm - is coming up on Saturday, June 11, so give Rocket Dog Rescue a call to find out how you can help.

- Donate: Rocket Dog operates solely on donations, and pays for all the costs of fostering dogs - from food and vaccinations to surgery and spaying/neutering. Boucher also hopes to open a shelter so that more dogs can be saved. Your donations can help Rocket Dog make a real difference in the lives of homeless dogs.

- Adopt a dog: Rocket Dog sponsors several adoption days each month in San Francisco. You can visit the dogs from noon to 4:00 p.m. on the first Sunday of each month in front of Zephyr Realty at 4040 24th Street (near Castro Street - click http://tinyurl.com/clraz for directions), and from noon to 4:00 p.m. on the second and third Sundays of each month at 18th Street and Castro.

To volunteer time or donate money to Rocket Dog Rescue, call (415) 642-4786 or go to http://www.rocketdogrescue.org where you can also visit their adoptable dogs online.


2. Lawsuit Seeks to Stop Slaughter of Pigs on Santa Cruz Island

Feral pigs have coexisted with myriad other species on Santa Cruz Island off the coast of Santa Barbara, Calif. for a century and a half. Yet the National Park Service and the Nature Conservancy, co-owners of the island, now claim that the pigs must be immediately eradicated in order to "restore the land to its natural state." They say the pigs' presence attracts golden eagles, which like to eat the endangered island fox.
However, close examination of the plan reveals that its proponents have some rather deceptive ulterior motives. In a statement to the press, the park's former superintendent Tim Setnicka wrote, "To help sell the fox restoration program for which we had no money, we came up with the media spin that one of the main reasons golden eagles reside on park islands was because of pigs. This would help vilify the pigs and help support the pig removal project."

Despite mounting criticism and charges of financial deceit, the private exterminators hired by the National Park Service and the Nature Conservancy to "kill every last pig" using $6 million of taxpayers' money continue to operate on the island. The New Zealand-based company, Prohunt, boasts of already having killed over 1,000 pigs in less than two months using trained dogs, guns, knives and clubs.

Estimating that only 1,000-2,000 pigs remain alive on the island, Santa Barbara resident Rick Feldman has filed a federal lawsuit against the perpetrators of this slaughter to force an immediate end to their senseless hunt. IDA has joined the fight to save the pigs, and is asking for your help.

What You Can Do

- Donate funds to help win the lawsuit and save the pigs. Call (805) 965-7120 to give a donation through your credit card, or send a check (payable to IDA) to:
In Defense of Animals
c/o Rick Feldman, fiduciary for In Defense of Animals
1 South Milpas Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93103

- Attend a major donor event in Montecito, Calif. on Friday, June 10th. For more information and to RSVP, please call (805) 965-7120.

- Click http://ga0.org/campaign/SantaCruzIslandPigs to urge Interior Secretary Gale Norton to intervene and stop the pig massacre before it's too late. You can also use the sample letter at this link to write to California Congresswoman Lois Capps by clicking http://www.house.gov/writerep and pasting it into the online feedback form.

- Visit http://www.idausa.org/campaigns/wildlife/santa_cruz_island_pigs.html to learn more about this campaign.


3. Taiwanese Dog Hanging Triggers International Outrage

Video footage of a dogcatcher hanging a stray dog to death in the back of a truck raised the indignation of animal lovers everywhere this past weekend as the images spread quickly across the world via Internet. A TV cameraman captured the grisly scene on Friday, May 20th in the Taiwanese city of Kee-Lung, where a dogcatcher dragged the dog into the back of the truck and hung him by a chain around his neck until he was dead. A Taiwanese news program aired the shocking video, triggering a hailstorm of international protest. You can view the video at http://www.saveDOGS.org but be aware that it is disturbing.

What You Can Do

With the assistance of animal protection groups, Taiwan passed a law in 1998 to prevent animal cruelty, but tragically, as in this case, the law is often ignored or not enforced. Click http://ga0.org/campaign/TaiwanDog to urge Minister of Agriculture Lee Ching-Lung to enforce Taiwan's animal cruelty laws by prosecuting the dogcatcher who so brutally hanged the stray dog.


4. Urge Prosecution in Animal Cruelty Case

An Illinois grand jury recently indicted Stefanie J. Sanford, 18, of animal cruelty, a charge to which she pled not guilty. Sanford is accused of tossing a stray kitten into the bed of a pickup truck where a pit bull was tied up. Though bitten by the dog several times, the kitten escaped and was later found alive but suffering from numerous puncture wounds. The pit bull also sustained some serious scratches from the kitten's defensive efforts to survive the ordeal.

Sanford's jury trial has been tentatively set for June 27th, when she will be tried for one count of aggravated animal cruelty (a Class 4 felony) and one count of cruel treatment (a Class A misdemeanor).

What You Can Do

Click http://ga0.org/campaign/AnimalCrueltyCase to urge Tazewell County State's Attorney Stewart Umholtz to impose mandatory psychological counseling and the maximum jail sentence on Sanford.


5. Massachusetts Bill Could Outlaw Cruel Circuses

An historic bill pending in the Massachusetts Senate could make it the first state in the U.S. to impose a ban on the display of exotic animals in circuses and carnivals. This legislation is needed because the lions, tigers, bears, elephants, non-human primates and other animals used in such traveling exhibitions suffer a lifetime of domination and abuse to provide audiences with a few fleeting moments of "entertainment."

The whips, chains, sharp hooks, electric prods, muzzles and choke collars employed in behind-the-scenes circus training sessions (and sometimes openly during performances) are the standard tools trainers use to inflict pain and force obedience from frightened animals. On the road in cramped trailers for 48-50 weeks a year, animals in circuses are deprived of the ability to engage in even their most basic natural behaviors, causing severe physical and psychological stress and sometimes even death.

What You Can Do

If you live in Massachusetts, please click http://ga0.org/campaign/CircusBan to urge your Senator to help end animal cruelty by voting Yes on Senate Bill 1840.


6. British Airways Ends Transport of Live Animals for Experiments

British Airways, the leading airline in Great Britain, has announced that they will no longer carry live animals slated "for use in any laboratory or for experimentation or exploitation." The company claims that they have had a policy forbidding transport of live animals for purposes of experimentation in place for several years. However, after discovering recently that the policy was not being adhered to, the company took steps to ensure that it would be enforced from now on, and conveyed its intentions to animal protection groups in writing.

In the wake of the announcement by British Airways, Air Mauritius officially ended its transport of live macaque monkeys. Thousands of these primates are trapped on the island of Mauritius every year and exported to Europe and the U.S. for use in laboratory experiments. Macaques are in demand by researchers because they are highly intelligent and experience pain and anxiety in ways similar to humans. Many macaques are injured during trapping, and then spend days in dark, cramped crates at the bottom of airplane holds before arriving at their destinations.

What You Can Do

Click http://ga0.org/campaign/Airlines to thank Air Mauritius for making the right decision both for the animals and for their customers, who can now fly without having to support the vivisection industry. You can use the sample letter at this link to write to British Airways by clicking http://www.britishairways.com/travel/askbainter/public/en_us?eId=112001&audience=travel and pasting it into their online feedback form.


7. Attend National Conference on Animal Cruelty Treatment and Investigation

The Arizona State University School of Social Work, in conjunction with the Humane LINK Coalition of animal and human welfare organizations, is sponsoring a pioneering conference called "Creating a Humane Community: Investigating and Treating Animal Cruelty." The conference will be held on Friday, June 24th and Saturday, June 25th, 2005 at Arizona State University in Tempe and at the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Auditorium in Phoenix. National and local experts - including psychologists, social workers, law enforcement officers, legal prosecutors and veterinarians - will present informative workshops and panels from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on both days.

IDA is proud to be a co-sponsor of this event, which will explore the link between animal cruelty cases and other social problems, including child abuse and domestic violence. The program will include practical skill-building sessions to help social service and mental health practitioners assess and treat animal cruelty in their human clients, and to train police officers in the identification and investigation of animal cruelty cases. Dr. Randy Lockwood of the Humane Society of the United States will present the keynote speech, and IDA President Dr. Elliot Katz will lead the panel on identifying animal cruelty.

The conference is open to the public but space is limited. Registration is $75.00 per person for the entire conference. For more information on this event and to register, visit http://ssw.asu.edu/news.html or call (480) 965-6076.


IDA's May 2005 Auction for the Animals Extended for One More Week!

IDA's May 2005 Auction for the Animals has been so successful that we're giving our supporters one more week to bid on the wide selection of items donated to IDA for this very special online fundraising event. We've added many more exciting items this week, so check them out at http://www.ebay.com/ida and place your bids!

We are also still accepting donated items to sell during the auction, so if you have something that you would like to contribute, please contact Nicole Otoupalik at (800) 338-4451. All donations are tax deductible. 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.


IDA to Present Two Guardian Awards at AR2005 Conference

IDA will present one Lifetime Achievement Guardian Award and one Distinguished Guardian Award at the Animal Rights 2005 Conference in Los Angeles. The awards will be conferred at the banquet on July 10th in honor of two special individuals whose work exemplifies the concept of animal guardianship. Details about the awardees will be provided soon.

If you haven't already purchased your ticket, there's still time to take advantage of the extended discounted registration for the conference. Sign up by June 15th and pay only $120 for the entire four-day program - a $40 savings over the regular door price. New speakers that have recently signed on include popular radio and TV show host Casey Kasem, actress Persia White, and author Erik Marcus. Visit http://www.AR2005.org for more details. Don't miss this exciting event!


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 includes a review of the new book by filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, whose hilarious 2004 documentary "Super Size Me" skewered McDonald's and America's fast food obsession. Click http://www.meatoutmondays.org/05-05-30.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

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