IDA's e-news: 7/13/05

Table of Contents
1. IDA Gives 2005 Lifetime Achievement Award to Ben White
2. Guardian Language Incorporated Into Asilomar Accords
3. Emergency Funds Needed to Halt Feral Pig Hunt
4. IDA's International Day for Korean Dogs and Cats is This Friday!
5. New Film Documents Egg Farm Cruelty


1. IDA Gives 2005 Lifetime Achievement Award to Ben White

On Sunday evening, IDA gave its prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award to longtime champion of Animals and the Environment, Ben White of Friday Harbor, Wash. Ben, who worked for IDA in the 1990's, follows a list of esteemed award winners that includes the late David Brower and Cesar Chavez, and the eminent Dr. Jane Goodall.

The presentation of this award was bittersweet, for White could not receive it in person. In spring he was diagnosed with an aggressive and terminal form of abdominal cancer. Devastatingly, he is not expected to live more than a few weeks.

In presenting the award, IDA's president, Dr. Elliot Katz, stated, "Ben White is a very special individual who symbolizes what is the very best in all of us, working tirelessly to make the world a more just and compassionate place for all our fellow beings."

Ben has spent a lifetime defending animals and wild places, not only through words, but also through bold and often death-defying actions. From tree sits in ancient redwoods, to daring, middle-of-the-night liberations of captured dolphins in Japan and Mexico, to his famous invasion of cardboard turtles at the World Trade Organization protest in Seattle, Ben has never backed down from a challenge to help animals or the Earth.

Over a decade ago, Ben traveled to Japan on behalf of IDA to document first-hand the horrors of the drive fishery, in which hundreds of dolphins are herded ashore and brutally slaughtered. The youngest and best-looking dolphins are set aside for sale to marine parks throughout the world. Ben's handwritten journal and eyewitness testimony helped convince the U.S. government to ban a northern California amusement park, Marine World Africa USA, from importing false killer whales captured in the drive fishery.

Ben was not content to stop at just witnessing the atrocity, however. The night before he left Japan, under cover of darkness, Ben dove into the water where dozens of dolphins were confined in a net off bay. With no diving gear to assist in his underwater adventure and only his inner light to guide him, Ben cut the nets and watched an estimated 40 dolphins swim free. Back in the U.S., he laid his body down in front of buses filled with travel agents visiting Marine World, stopping traffic and making a strong statement about that park's complicity in the bloody slaughter of dolphins in Japan.

Ben's decades of activism have not left him weary or cynical. His indomitable spirit, boundless creativity, and fierce bravery continue to inspire generations of activists.

In his final fight, the one against cancer, Ben is again teaching us a lesson about courage in the face of adversity. He is facing death with grace and honor.

Ben White is a most worthy recipient of the IDA Lifetime Achievement Award, and we are honored to bestow it on him. Our thoughts go out to him, his children, and the large extended family of friends and fellow activists whom he calls his tribe, during this difficult time.


2. Guardian Language Incorporated Into Asilomar Accords

In August of 2004, a group of animal welfare industry leaders from across the nation convened at Asilomar in Pacific Grove, Calif. Maddie's Fund, a pet rescue foundation, brought them together for the purpose of building bridges across varying philosophies, developing relationships and creating goals focused on significantly reducing the euthanasia of healthy and treatable companion animals in the U.S. After much discussion, those caring people involved in the creation of the Asilomar Accords incorporated the term "guardian" into the language of their definitions. IDA is pleased and proud that the Asilomar Accords employs Guardian Language throughout the entire document. This is a monumental example of how the Guardian Campaign, which we so heartily campaign for, is progressing. It is one more step toward our goal of making Guardian Language the prevalent terminology in American households.

In choosing a more accurate term to define our relationships with animals, we help elevate consciousness and ways of thinking about non-human animals. By viewing, treating, and speaking of animals from the perspective of a guardian, we are respecting and recognizing that they are individuals with needs and interests of their own.

"People are more and more using the term 'guardian' because they see that in order to achieve a no-kill nation people need to see themselves as 'guardians' rather than 'owners' of a property, thing or object," said Elliot M. Katz, DVM, president of IDA.

For more information on IDA's Guardian Campaign or how to make your community a Guardian Community, please visit http://www.GuardianCampaign.com .


3. Emergency Funds Needed to Halt Feral Pig Hunt

Feral pigs have coexisted with 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." To carry out their environmentally specious plan, they have hired private exterminators to "kill every last pig" on the island using $6 million of taxpayers' money. The New Zealand-based company, Prohunt, uses trained dogs and helicopters to terrorize and kill the pigs. Those who evade aerial gunfire are chased down by hunters on the ground and eviscerated with knives or clubbed to death.

To stop this atrocity from proceeding any further, IDA and two individual plaintiffs have filed a federal lawsuit against the National Park Service and the Nature Conservancy to force an immediate halt to their senseless hunt. We can win this fight and save the surviving pigs, but we desperately need your help.

What You Can Do

- IDA needs emergency funds to cover legal costs. Please donate as much as you can to help us save the pigs that are still alive on Santa Cruz Island. Call (415) 388-9641 ext. 221 to donate using your credit card, or visit https://secure.ga3.org/02/idadonationssend and designate "Santa Cruz Island Pig Fund" in the First Name field of the "on behalf of" section of the form. Or you can send a check to: In Defense of Animals/Santa Cruz Island Pig Fund, 131 Camino Alto, Mill Valley, CA 94941. You can also help us raise funds and awareness of this issue by purchasing one of our new T-shirts at http://www.idausa.org/marketplace/clothing/pig_murder.html .

- Click http://ga0.org/campaign/SantaCruzIslandPigs to urge Interior Secretary Gale Norton and California Congresswoman Lois Capps to intervene and stop the pig massacre before it's too late.

- Read a recent article in the Los Angeles Times about our lawsuit to end the pig slaughter at http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-pigs8jul08,1,1670535.story?ctrack=1&cset=true . Note that you must sign up with the L.A. Times to read the story, but registration is free. Also visit http://www.idausa.org/campaigns/wildlife/santa_cruz_island_pigs.html to learn more about this campaign. If you have questions about the campaign and how you can help, please call (415) 388-9641 ext. 225.


4. IDA's International Day for Korean Dogs and Cats is This Friday!

Join IDA and other animal protection groups this Friday, July 15th for a day of worldwide protests against dog and cat meat consumption in South Korea. Demonstrations are being organized in countries around the world, including the U.S., Canada and Korea. 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, you still have time to organize a protest at the Korean embassy or consulate in your city, or to hand out leaflets in a busy area where lots of people pass by. Contact kristie [at] idausa.org for help organizing your event and to get 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. New Film Documents Egg Farm Cruelty

A new film by the grassroots group Compassionate Consumers exposes the suffering endured by hens at Wegmans Egg Farm in Wolcott, N.Y. Wegmans is a regional grocery store chain that owns and operates the largest factory egg farm in New York State, with over 700,000 hens in 11 buildings.

Animal advocates with Compassionate Consumers sought permission to tour the facility, but were denied by Wegmans several times and lied to about conditions inside the massive sheds. Advocates therefore conducted an undercover investigation of the farm using video cameras, capturing harrowing images of chickens packed into battery cages stacked atop one another, many with their heads caught in cage wire, and corpses of dead birds being left to rot in cages among the living. Investigators also rescued several birds in critical condition, and relocated them to homes where they could recover from their injuries and live in peace.

Wegmans persists in denying that chickens are treated inhumanely on their farm, despite clear and overwhelming evidence to the contrary. The company even vowed to prosecute activists "to the full extent of the law," even though the publicity brought about by a court case will shine an even brighter spotlight on their egregious cruelty to hens.

What You Can Do

- Watch the documentary and make up your own mind about whether Wegmans abuses chickens for corporate profit. Download the 30-minute documentary "Wegmans Cruelty" for free at http://www.wegmanscruelty.com or order a DVD of the film at the site.

- Read a revealing article in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle newspaper ( http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050702/NEWS01/507020324 ) about the conditions investigators documented at Wegmans Egg Farm.

- Wegmans operates stores in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia. If you live in one of these states, fill out the feedback form at http://www.wegmans.com/guest and let Wegmans know that you will not shop at their stores until they honestly address the concerns raised by animal advocates.


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. To stay informed of the latest developments in animal rights, be sure to tell IDA when you change your email address so we can keep in touch with you. 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!


The Cat Therapist Shares Her Wisdom

Every month, the Cat Therapist answers queries and offers advice on how guardians can enrich their relationships with their beloved feline companions. If you want to learn how to help a grieving cat, make it easier for your cats get along, or ensure your feline's safety and welfare, click here ( http://www.idausa.org/cat_therapist/index.html ) to read the latest edition of Cats on the Couch.