IDA's e-news: 7/27/05

1. IDA-Africa Coming to America
2. IDA's Undercover TV Airs from Coast to Coast
3. Denver's Pit Bulls and Guardians Under Siege
4. No Sanctuary for El Paso Zoo Elephants
5. Tell Trader Joe's: Stop Selling Battery-Cage Eggs
6. Exotic Animals No Longer "Pets" in Kentucky


1. IDA-Africa Coming to America

This summer, IDA-Africa is hosting a series of fundraising receptions in cities across the U.S., so don't miss this rare opportunity to hear firsthand about their amazing efforts to save the lives of orphaned chimpanzees in the jungles of Cameroon. At each reception, IDA-Africa founder and director Dr. Sheri Speede will describe life at the Sanaga-Yong Chimpanzee Rescue Center, where chimpanzees threatened by illegal poaching and habitat destruction live safely and peacefully in a naturalistic environment. Dr. Speede will also share a special DVD presentation that brings her stories to life.

Fundraising receptions are scheduled for Seattle, Wash.; Portland, Ore.; San Francisco and San Diego, Calif.; Boston, Mass.; Washington, D.C.; and New York City. Guests will enjoy hors d'oeuvres, dessert and beverages, as well as auctions for many one-of-a-kind items, including original paintings made by chimpanzee at Sanaga-Yong and limited edition posters autographed by Dr. Speede.

For reception dates and locations, ticket purchase or more information, visit http://www.ida-africa.org/events.html or call (503) 643-8302. If you are unable to attend a reception, you can donate to IDA-Africa or adopt/sponsor a chimpanzee at http://www.ida-africa.org/donations.html .


2. IDA's Undercover TV Airs from Coast to Coast

IDA's innovative half-hour television series Undercover TV (UTV) now airs weekly in 29 cities thanks to dedicated volunteers around the nation who are helping us expose animal abuse in factory farms, fur ranches, vivisection laboratories, circuses and other cruel industries. During the past month alone, UTV obtained weekly timeslots on public access stations in nine new cities, including Tucson, Ariz.; Denver, Colo.; Los Angeles, Nevada City, and Petaluma, Calif.; Syracuse and Yonkers, N.Y.; and Atlanta, Ga. This means that thousands of viewers will now see a reality that is kept almost completely hidden by the powerful corporate interests profiting from animal suffering.

As UTV's popularity continues to grow, so does our ability to expose the mistreatment of animals, and people are taking notice. The Newton Tab, a local paper in Newton, Mass. where UTV airs, published an article on the show, which generated several letters to the editor. IDA has also received numerous emails from viewers who decided never to eat meat again or who want to help end animal exploitation after watching an episode of UTV. The coverage and feedback we get indicates that UTV is opening people's eyes to seeing animals as living beings who deserve our concern and protection.

What You Can Do

- IDA is seeking undercover and investigative video footage to show on Undercover TV. If you have video footage that exposes violence against animals, please email undercover [at] idausa.org or send a copy to our main office (131 Camino Alto, Mill Valley, CA 94941). If you prefer to remain anonymous, we will not reveal your identity.

- Help IDA air UTV on the public access channel in your city. Click http://www.idausa.org/undercovertv/tvschedule.html to see the schedule of cities where UTV already airs. If your city is not listed, volunteer for our distribution network. As a resident of any city, you can submit episodes of UTV to your community public access station simply by dropping off a box of tapes every few weeks. We can reach the most viewers by airing UTV in major cities, so right now we are particularly seeking volunteers who live in Phoenix, Ariz.; Chicago, Ill.; Boston, Mass.; and Houston, Texas. If you would like to bring UTV to your area, contact undercover [at] idausa.org and we'll show you how.

- Getting a story about Undercover TV in the newspaper is a great way to expose the mistreatment of animals. If you would like help working with your local media, please contact gabe [at] idausa.org for a news release about the show.

- Visit http://www.idausa.org/undercovertv for more information about UTV.


3. Denver's Pit Bulls and Guardians Under Siege

As of midnight on May 9, 2005, harboring a pit bull in Denver, Colo. became a crime punishable by a $1,000 fine and possible jail time. Since then, Denver Animal Control (DAC) officials have gone door-to-door seizing pit bulls from guardians who registered their dogs in accordance with the law. Many families have suffered helplessly as their beloved companions were led to a DAC van and taken away to be killed. A dog's only chance for reprieve then is for his or her guardians to convince someone living outside of Denver to sign an affidavit that they will adopt the dog upon release, but guardians have only a few days to arrange this before DAC takes the dog's life. Only by sending their dogs out of Denver or defying the ban and keeping them hidden can guardians protect their canine friends from execution.

The lives of hundreds of dogs have already been taken since the start of the ban, yet with an estimated 4,500 pit bulls residing in Denver, the killing may have only begun. In addition, Denver suburbs like Aurora and Commerce City are now moving to pass their own pit bull bans to prevent guardians from moving to their communities with their "dangerous" animals. This will only increase the number of innocent pit bulls killed out of breed-based prejudice.

In this dark time for Denver's pit bulls and their guardians, IDA's Rita Anderson is heading up the Pit Bull B.A.N.D'.s (Breed Awareness, Not Discrimination) "underground" rescue effort. She partners with Mariah's Promise, a sanctuary for dogs nestled among pine tress in the mountains south of Denver, to save as many pit bulls as possible. Sanctuary owners Toni and Mike Phillips are devoted to the dogs living there, whether they come from families who plan to take them back after moving out of Denver or they need new homes. Mariah's Promise has so far managed to rescue 60 canines since the ban became effective, but to continue coping with the demands of their devotion to Denver's demonized pit bulls, they need the help of dog lovers everywhere.

What You Can Do

- Mariah's Promise desperately needs money to pay for the dogs who are already at the sanctuary and to expand their capacity for taking in more needy dogs. Your donations will help pay for food, shelter, veterinary care and other necessary expenses. Please send checks to:

Mariah's Promise
P.O. Box 1017
Divide, CO 80814

You can also donate using your credit card on IDA's website at https://secure.ga3.org/02/idadonations and designating "Mariah's Promise" or "pit bulls" in the First Name field of the "in honor of" section of the form.

- Mariah's Promise has many loving dogs who need permanent, caring homes and families to take care of them. If you have the time, money, patience and room in your heart and your home for a new canine companion, please contact Toni at mariahspromise [at] msn.com and put "POTENTIAL ADOPTER" in the subject line.

- Click http://ga0.org/campaign/EndPitBullBan to urge the Denver City Council to rescind the pit bull ban and implement effective methods of preventing vicious dog attacks.

- Learn more about the ban and the efforts being made to help pit bulls at http://www.idausa.org/denver_frame.html .


4. No Sanctuary for El Paso Zoo Elephants

The life of an elephant at the El Paso Zoo in Texas isn't pretty. The elephants - Savannah, age 52, and Juno, age 37 - live in a barren enclosure that sits on less than one acre. Zoo veterinary records show that they both suffer from captivity-induced health problems such as arthritis and foot problems, which are directly attributed to their lack of space. Medical records for Mona, another elephant at the El Paso Zoo, revealed that prior to her death in 2001 she suffered from arthritis that was so extensive that it caused bone-on-bone contact. One veterinarian stated it must have caused excruciating pain.

The efforts of IDA and animal advocates in El Paso were instrumental in getting the El Paso City Council to consider the elephants' welfare. Today, City Council members were supposed to vote on whether to send Savannah and Juno to The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee, where they could enjoy a quality of life and health far beyond what is possible in their paltry enclosure at the El Paso Zoo. Unfortunately, the City Council instead decided to keep the elephants at the Zoo and reconvene in six months to come up with a plan for improving conditions in the elephant enclosure. One suggestion was to expand their enclosure to from 7/10 of an acre to one and a half acres. Another proposal involves building an elephant sanctuary right in El Paso that would take up two parks right next to the Zoo, but that plan would cost around $6 million.

While it is unclear whether the Zoo will be held accountable at the end of the six month period and this is not the outcome we had worked for, the City Council's discussion raised awareness of the inadequacies of elephant enclosures in zoos and has added to the national debate over whether zoos can provide for elephants' needs. IDA will continue to work with local activists in El Paso to ensure that the El Paso Zoo makes meaningful improvements in living conditions for Savannah and Juno.

What You Can Do

If you are an El Paso resident, it is important that you continue to let the City Council member representing your district know that sending Savannah and Juno to a sanctuary is in their best interests. Click http://www.elpasotexas.gov/council/about.asp to find contact information for your City Council member.

- For more information on our campaign to get elephants out of zoos and into humane and spacious elephant sanctuaries, please contact zoos [at] idausa.org or visit http://www.savesfzooelephants.com/index.html . While there, go to the Action Center to find out about and join IDA's Elephant Task Force to help elephants in your area.


5. Tell Trader Joe's: Stop Selling Battery-Cage Eggs

Trader Joe's, a national grocery store chain with stores in 19 states, is well known for their affordable organic produce, cruelty-free personal products and wide selection of meatless fare. Yet Trader Joe's still sells eggs produced by hens in battery cages, where birds spend their lives trapped in a space less than a sheet of paper and don't even have enough room to lift their wings. Such intensive confinement prevents chickens from doing the things that are most natural to them - like nesting and preening - and causes severe injuries and debilitating diseases that go untreated.

Trader Joe's key competitors in the marketplace - Whole Foods and Wild Oats - have stopped selling eggs produced by caged hens, and instead support more humane farms that give chickens more space and a better quality of life. Yet Trader Joe's continues to buy eggs from farms that use cruel battery cages, so animal advocacy groups like the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and Compassion Over Killing (COK) are campaigning to persuade them to buy only from cage-free egg producers.

What You Can Do

Trader Joe's has been responsive to consumer feedback regarding animal welfare in the past. They were one of the first supermarkets to remove duck meat produced on foie gras farms from their shelves. Please give Trader Joe's a call at (626) 599-3817 and 781 (455-7319) and urge them to get up to speed with Whole Foods and Wild Oats by selling only cage-free eggs. Also click http://www.hsus.org/web-files/PDF/TJ_Customer_Comment_Card_2005.pdf to print out a customized HSUS customer comment card and give it to the store "captain" (i.e., manager) of your neighborhood Trader Joe's. If there is no Trader Joe's near you, you can mail it to the address listed on the card.


6. Exotic Animals No Longer "Pets" in Kentucky

Good news: This month the State of Kentucky passed one of the most comprehensive and progressive bans on the private possession of exotic animals in the U.S. As of July 12, 2005, Kentucky residents are prohibited from keeping lions, tigers, monkeys, venomous reptiles and other dangerous wild animals as "pets" because they threaten human safety and health as well as native ecosystems. The new regulations allow individuals who currently have exotic animals to keep them, provided they possess valid records showing that their animals were obtained before the ban went into effect. In addition, the ban will not affect the ability of zoos and research institutions to keep exotic animals.

The many documented incidences of exotic "pets" attacking humans indicate that some species by nature cannot be safely domesticated. In addition, certain animals carry dangerous diseases that humans can contract. While Kentucky's ban will help protect humans from both zoonotic diseases and violent attacks, it will also improve the welfare of wild animals generally. Exotic species are often difficult to maintain in captivity, and private individuals may find providing adequate living conditions a real challenge. Even the most well-intentioned and wealthy individual may not be able to offer the type of environment their exotic "pet" needs to be healthy and happy, especially as the animal matures. By restricting the types of animals people can keep in their homes, the ban will help stem the exotic "pet" trade, and keep wild animals in the wild where they belong.

The Animal Protection Institute (API) works to pass exotic animal legislation on the local, state and federal levels. To learn more about this issue, including how you can get involved in your community, visit their campaign website at http://www.MoreBeautifulWild.com .


Invest in Compassion: Give a Gift that Gives Back

A Charitable Gift Annuity (CGA) is a combination gift and investment. In return for your gift, IDA provides you (and/or a loved one) with a guaranteed income that you can never outlive. Many friends of IDA find that the CGA allows them to increase current income while continuing in their efforts to help stop animal abuse and exploitation. A New Jersey IDA member and annuity holder since 1998 says:

"I want to thank you for offering charitable gift annuities to your members. It is such a wonderful way for members to make a substantial gift to help the animals while offering a nice income stream and tax benefits. I am presently looking forward to receiving my 4th annuity with IDA. Thank you again for making them available."

When you establish a CGA, you transfer cash or securities to IDA and, in return, we pay you a guaranteed, fixed payment for the rest of your life. You can even name someone else as the beneficiary, or annuitant, of a gift annuity. Generally, the older you are when your gift annuity begins, the higher your scheduled payment. Upon your passing, or that of the last survivor of a "two-life" annuity, the principal underlying the annuity then becomes available to IDA.

Benefits of an IDA Charitable Gift Annuity:
- The security of fixed annual payments for the lifetime of you and/or a loved one.
- Entitles you to a charitable income tax deduction for a portion of your gift in the year it is established.
- Reduced capital gains taxes (if your annuity is funded with long-term, appreciated securities.
- Receive fixed interest income of up to 11.3%.
- Supplement your retirement income while contributing to the welfare of our animal friends.
- Portions of the guaranteed annual payments you receive are tax-free. As with the amount of your payments, the older you are, the greater the tax-free percentage of each payment.

For more information on establishing a Charitable Gift Annuity (including interest rate information as proposed by the American Council on Gift Annuities), or to learn about other Planned Giving options, please contact IDA's Planned Giving Coordinator Nicole Otoupalik at (714) 389-2823 or via email at Nicole [at] idausa.org .


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 discusses a study linking consumption of tomatoes with lowered risk for heart disease. Click http://www.meatoutmondays.org/05-07-25.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

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 http://www.idausa.org/cat_therapist/index.html to read the latest edition of Cats on the Couch.