IDA's e-news: 7/06/05

Table of Contents
1. IDA's Guardian of the Month - Debra Mendelsohn
2. "Free Trade" Agreement Threatens Animals and Habitats
3. Horses Killed in Calgary Stampede Rodeo
4. Reminder: IDA's International Day for Korean Dogs and Cats is Coming Up
5. AR2005 Conference This Weekend!
6. IDA Helps Save Feral Cat Colony


1. IDA's Guardian of the Month - Debra Mendelsohn

IDA's Guardian of the Month for July is Debra Mendelsohn, rat and rabbit rescuer extraordinaire. Debra founded Bay Area Rats Rescue in 2003 in memory of Latkah, her first rescued rat, to re-home rats and other small animals who have been abandoned. Debra is also very active as a volunteer in the community. She is a longtime member of The House Rabbit Society, and has volunteered to work with the small animals at the Marin Humane Society for the past 10 years. She recently began volunteering at Oakland Animal Services to assist with their rats, and transports "unadoptable" iguanas from San Francisco Animal Care and Control to a reptile sanctuary in Sebastopol, California.

Currently, Debra and her husband David live with three rescued rabbits and seventeen rescued rats in their Marin County, Calif. home. Although rats normally tend to bully rabbits, the two species complement each other well in the Mendelsohn household. Debra prefers to adopt animals who have been classified as "unadoptable," usually due to temperament and/or health issues. For example, two of their rats are nearly blind, one is deaf and responds to hand signals, one is missing part of a tail and another has only one eye. Yet no matter what they've been through in the past, all of Debra's rescues become social and trusting under her care. "It simply takes understanding, patience, a healthy environment and lots of love," she says.

Debra has a passion for improving the lives of as many animals as possible, but rats and rabbits hold a special place in her heart. IDA is proud to honor her as our Guardian of the Month for July. To find out more about Bay Area Rat Rescue or to inquire about adopting an animal, write to Debra at BayAreaRats [at] aol.com . For more information on IDA's Guardian Campaign, please visit http://www.guardiancampaign.com .


2. "Free Trade" Agreement Threatens Animals and Habitats

The Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA) passed the U.S. Senate last Thursday after intense lobbying by the meat industry, and now moves to the U.S. House of Representatives for a vote. If approved by the House, DR-CAFTA will have serious consequences for wildlife, farmed animals and marine creatures. The new regulations will enable U.S. meat producers to expand markets into Central America, open previously protected waters to commercial fisheries, and endanger critical wildlife habitats throughout the region.

DR-CAFTA also empowers corporations at the expense of the host country's social and political autonomy. Like many other "free trade" agreements, it is custom-made by and for the benefit of corporate interests, and allows companies to sue countries that interfere with their ability to make a profit. This can mean that the host country's own laws no longer apply, often forcing them into violating their established environmental standards under the threat of multi-billion dollar lawsuits. If passed by Congress, DR-CAFTA could also set a precedent for similar trade agreements in other parts of the developing world, making it imperative that we stop it NOW while we still have the chance.

What You Can Do

1. Click http://ga0.org/campaign/DRCAFTA to urge your Congressperson to vote against DR-CAFTA. You can partially edit and personalize this form email, but handwritten letters, faxes and phone calls are even more persuasive, so please also contact your Congressperson directly. You can get contact information for your elected officials by clicking http://ga0.org/indefenseofanimals/home.html and entering your zip code.

2. Visit http://stopcafta.org/groups.php to get involved with local groups that are fighting against DR-CAFTA. You can also join the animal rights working group on DR-CAFTA by emailing Adam Weissman at adam [at] wetlands-preserve.org or calling (201) 968-0595.


3. Horses Killed in Calgary Stampede Rodeo

Every year, the Canadian city of Calgary holds a ten-day rodeo event called the Calgary Stampede, during which horses, steers and calves are subjected to painful roping and wrangling mainly to entertain tourists. On Sunday July 3rd, even before the official opening of the annual event, nine horses were killed when a herd of 200 wild horses got "spooked" as they entered the urban area where large crowds had gathered. The herd stampeded out of control through the streets of Calgary in the midst of spectators and automobile traffic. Some of the horses then leaped off the Bonnybrook Bridge and plunged 30 feet into the fast-moving Bow River below, where eight of them drowned and one was later euthanized for severe injuries sustained in the fall.

This is not the first time tragedy has struck the Calgary Stampede. In 2002, seven animals died during the nine-day event, including six horses who were injured during chuckwagon events. Yet event promoters continue to rave about "The Greatest Outdoor Show On Earth" while glossing over the animal cruelty that is inseparable from rodeos. Meanwhile, families continue to bring their children to the violent and deadly Stampede without realizing how much horses, steers and calves suffer for their amusement.

What You Can Do

If a rodeo comes to your town this summer, use this tragedy as an opportunity to educate people by writing a letter to the editor of your local paper. Let the readers in your community know that rodeos are a cruel form of "entertainment" that should be avoided by anyone who is concerned about animal welfare.


4. Reminder: IDA's International Day for Korean Dogs and Cats is Coming Up

Join IDA and other animal protection groups on July 15, 2005 for a day of worldwide protests against dog and cat meat consumption in South Korea. Demonstrations are being organized in the U.S., Canada, Korea, Ireland, Argentina and other countries. Visit http://idausa.org/campaigns/korea/index.html to see if a demonstration is being organized in your area.

If there is no event planned for your area, it's not too late to organize a protest at the Korean embassy or consulate in your city, or in a busy area where lots of people pass by. Contact kristie [at] idausa.org for help organizing your event and to get free posters and brochures.

Visit http://idausa.org/campaigns/korea/index.html for more information about South Korea's illegal dog and cat meat trade and official attempts to effectively legalize the practice through sanitary inspections of dog meat markets.


5. AR2005 Conference This Weekend!

There's still time to register for Farm Animal Reform Movement's (FARM's) Animal Rights 2005 National Conference being held this weekend, July 7-11, at the Westin LAX Hotel in Los Angeles. The conference will include plenaries and workshops with movement leaders, documentary videos, and exhibits, as well as ample time for socializing, networking, and scheduling special meetings. Nearly a thousand people representing 80 groups are expected to attend. You can view the program schedule at http://www.AR2005.org/schedulespeakers5.html .

Reserve your spot online at http://www.ar2005.org/register.htm or call 888-FARM-USA.


6. IDA Helps Save Feral Cat Colony

The latest edition of The Catholic Voice, a publication of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland, includes an article about IDA and Neighborhood Cats' successful rescue of eight feral cats who were about to be evicted from the Corpus Christi Monastery in the Bronx, N.Y. Nuns at the monastery had been feeding the cats for several years until the Mother Superior suddenly ordered them to stop in June, hoping to starve the cats off their property. If that didn't work, the cats would be trapped and sent to area shelters where they would face almost certain euthanasia.

Once the campaign against the cats' eviction got underway, emails and phone calls flooded the Archdiocese of New York from people who objected to such inhumane treatment. The outpouring of concern helped convince the Archdiocese to make the compassionate choice and relocate the colony when Pets Alive offered the cats a permanent home at their upstate sanctuary.

Click http://www.catholicvoiceoakland.org/todaysnewsarchives/todaysnews061605.htm to read the story in The Catholic Voice.


Loving Tributes

Do you have a friend or family member whose concern and care for animals you've always wanted to express appreciation for? Are you struggling to find the perfect gift for someone special on that special occasion? Perhaps you want to congratulate a new graduate, or send a unique birthday tribute or wedding present? Or maybe you or someone you know has recently lost a beloved person or animal in their life and you'd like to express your condolences.

IDA's Loving Tributes is a great way to honor your special friends or memorialize a dearly departed companion. IDA gratefully accepts and appreciates gifts "in honor" or "in memory" of a special person or companion animal.

We will notify anyone whom you designate of your thoughtful gift that helps animals. If you choose, we would be happy to print your Loving Tribute of $100 or more in a special section of IDA's Magazine.

You can make a Loving Tribute gift with MasterCard or Visa via our secure online server by clicking https://secure.ga3.org/02/idadonations. If you prefer, you may send a check to IDA, Attn: Loving Tributes, 131 Camino Alto, Mill Valley, CA 94941, or call (415) 388-9641 to make a donation with your credit card.


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 profile of entrepreneurial vegan food vendor Planet V. Click http://www.meatoutmondays.org/05-07-04.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.