IDA's e-news: 9/28/05

1. IDA's Project Hope Animal Relief Team Works on Many Fronts to Save Lives
2. Action Alert: Save the Endangered Species Act From Extinction
3. Action Alert: Tell Lawmakers to Vote For Animal Protection Amendments
4. Get Active During IDA's World Go Vegan Days
5. Action Alert: National Zoo to Euthanize Ailing Elephant?
6. Make a Career Out of Helping Animals at IDA
7. Action Alert: Man Accused of Beating Dog to Death


1. IDA's Project Hope Animal Relief Team Works on Many Fronts to Save Lives
Conducting Search and Rescue, Transporting Animals, Distributing Supplies and Keeping One Step Ahead of Hurricane Rita "All In A Day's Work"

IDA's Project Hope animal relief team remains in the thick of hurricane-wracked areas of the south offering desperately needed help to animals and people. Until recently, the team had a tent set up in Waveland, Miss. at the Hancock County staging area. The massive destruction Waveland suffered during Hurricane Katrina left many animals homeless, injured, scared and hungry. Some members of the team spent their days catching animals still living among the ruins of Waveland. Other members stayed in the tent to distribute supplies (including food, cages, collars, leashes, medical supplies, flea and tick medications and bedding) sent down from Jackson. The unseen thousands who continue to donate money, food and supplies to IDA's efforts have made the ordeal of many survivors a little more bearable. We are grateful for your support.

The Project Hope team has also focused on helping people locate their lost animals. They've taken pictures of every animal they handled and posted them on a board inside the tent. When a guardian failed to find a picture of their lost animal on the board, the team asked for the animal's description and promised to contact the guardian if he or she was found. There are a few happy endings to these sad stories but not nearly enough.

Unfortunately, the Project Hope team was forced to temporarily evacuate Waveland to avoid Hurricane Rita. Authorities urged people to leave on Thursday, September 22nd, suggesting rescue operations move farther north of the coastal beaches to ensure their safety. At the time, Doll Stanley was with volunteers from the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) in New Orleans kicking down doors of abandoned homes to rescue animals still trapped inside. Debbie Young was back at the Project Hope sanctuary delivering animals from the coast to Stray Rescue of St. Louis so they could transport them back to their Missouri shelter.

Fortunately, the team was able to call in a favor from Janet McCarroll, who has worked tirelessly to deliver life-saving supplies across the region for weeks. A legendary big rig driver named "Dutch Pete" has been making deliveries to areas hit hard by the hurricane, and brought his truck around to Waveland. They loaded the contents of the tent into the truck's various compartment (including several feral cats in cages) and moved everything to the Harrison County Fairgrounds. The group hopes to return to Waveland after the most severe weather has passed out of the region.

What You Can Do

- IDA's Project Hope animal relief team needs medical supplies to provide basic health care for many of the animals they are trying to help. The most needed supplies are broad-spectrum and eye antibiotics, ear ointments, flea and tick treatments and anti-diarrhea medications. Please ask your veterinarian to donate medical supplies for this urgent cause. Supplies can be sent to In Defense of Animals c/o Canton Animal Hospital, 3114 South Liberty Street, Canton, MS 39046.

- Volunteers are desperately needed in Gonzales, La. to help save animals still trapped in houses throughout the New Orleans area. You do not need to be a "certified disaster rescuer" to help, and even one day of volunteering can make a huge difference, whether you join the search and rescue operations, work with animals at the shelter or do data entry of field notes. You just need to be willing to rough it for the duration of your stay (that is, sleep in a car or tent) and work hard. Please contact IDA President Dr. Elliot Katz for more information at (415) 388-9641, ext. 225 or by email at hurricanekatrinainquiries [at] idausa.org .

- Lawmakers have recently proposed a bill that would require state and local disaster preparedness plans to include provisions for evacuating animals. This could save the lives of tens of thousands of animal companions in the next large-scale disaster. Please click http://ga0.org/campaign/AnimalRescueBill to send an automatic email urging your federal Representative to support this important bill. You can also get contact information for your elected officials by clicking http://ga0.org/indefenseofanimals/home.html and entering your zip code.


2. Action Alert: Save the Endangered Species Act From Extinction
Only One Day Left to Tell Your Elected Officials to Oppose Deceptively Titled "Recovery Act"

The Endangered Species Act has protected threatened wildlife and critical habitats in America since 1973, but may soon become itself extinct. Backed by profit-driven mining, timber and oil interests, Representative Richard Pombo (R-CA) has submitted an amendment to the Endangered Species Act that would severely limit its ability to preserve key species and calls for the Act's repeal in 2015.

Pombo introduced H.R. 3824 on Monday, September 19th, and it passed in the House Resources Committee last week. The House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on this bill tomorrow.

If lawmakers enact Pombo's Threatened and Endangered Species and Recovery Act of 2005, many endangered animal populations will shrink, leaving the few sole survivors to propagate the species in a single small area. The amendment also proposes to remove protections from all endangered species in countries outside of the U.S., eliminate independent governmental review and oversight, and give the Secretary of the Interior the power to reject federal scientists' findings if their recommended actions conflict with governmental regulations. Ultimately, it would expire the Endangered Species Act in 2015 and result in the permanent extinction of many unique and irreplaceable species.

What You Can Do

- Contact your Representative in Congress and urge him or her to oppose the Threatened and Endangered Species and Recovery Act of 2005. Click http://ga0.org/campaign/saveESA to send your Representative an automatic email. You can also get contact information for your elected officials by clicking http://ga0.org/indefenseofanimals/home.html and entering your zip code.

- Click http://www.sw-center.org/swcbd/press/Pombo07-08-05.html to read a thorough critical analysis of the Threatened and Endangered Species and Recovery Act of 2005.


3. Action Alert: Tell Lawmakers to Keep Animal Protection Amendments in Agriculture Appropriations Bill
Help Protect Horses, Downed Animals and Cats and Dogs Used in Laboratory Experiments

In last week's e-news, we reported a victory in the Senate for horses with the passage of the Ensign/Byrd Amendment, which (pending President Bush's signature) will make it impossible for horse slaughterhouses to operate in the U.S. for one year. This week, the Senate again showed strong support for animals by voting in favor of two other important amendments to the Agriculture Appropriations bill for the upcoming fiscal year. One measure will stop the slaughter of downed livestock, and the other will halt the supply of dogs and cats to laboratories by random source (Class B) dealers.

In the next few weeks, all three of these amendments will be debated in an upcoming conference committee comprised of members of both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Opponents representing animal exploitation industries are working to have these amendments stricken from the Agriculture Appropriations bill, so your immediate assistance is vital to their success.

What You Can Do

Click http://ga0.org/campaign/AgApAm to urge lawmakers to support these three separate Agriculture Appropriations amendments. You can also get contact information for your elected officials by clicking http://ga0.org/indefenseofanimals/home.html and entering your zip code.


4. Get Active During IDA's World Go Vegan Days
Enjoy Discounts at Participating Veg Restaurants from October 30th - November 1st

This October 30th through November 1st, animal advocates around the world will celebrate IDA's first annual World Go Vegan Days with activities to promote compassionate food choices. World Go Vegan Days offers vegans and animal advocates an opportunity to help their family, friends and co-workers learn more about how a plant-based diet can improve their health, alleviate animal suffering and preserve the environment.

As part of World Go Vegan Days, a number of California restaurants are offering special deals to encourage people to explore the wide range of tasty foods that don't contain any meat, dairy or eggs. For example, San Francisco's renowned Millennium Restaurant (http://www.millenniumrestaurant.com), which has been voted Favorite Restaurant by VegNews readers for three years running, is offering a unique insert menu during World Go Vegan Days at a discounted price. If you are in the San Francisco Bay Area, you'll want to pay a visit to Millennium, as well as other participating restaurants, from October 30th to November 1st.

What You Can Do

- Take someone out to eat during World Go Vegan Days to show them how delicious vegan food can be. Check back at http://www.WorldGoVeganDays.com in the coming days for a list of participating restaurants and the special deals they are offering.

- Work with the restaurants in your area to get them to offer special deals during World Go Vegan Days.


5. Action Alert: National Zoo to Euthanize Ailing Elephant?
Urge Your Representative to Send Toni to a Waiting Sanctuary

Toni, an elephant at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., suffers from debilitating arthritis as a result of decades spent confined in tiny zoo enclosures. The popular 39-year-old Asian elephant is a favorite among the public, well liked for her winning personality. Keepers at the National Zoo say they are trying to come up with ways to keep her condition from declining, but they have failed to consider the one option with a real chance of helping Toni: transfer to a sanctuary with the space and environment necessary for her to heal.

Toni lives with four other Asian elephants, and has access to only about one acre of land. An elephant's natural range is more than 1,000 miles, which is 640,000 times the amount of space she has now. Elephants in the wild spend most of their waking hours walking, but Toni spends most of her time standing in one spot. Lack of exercise and standing on hard, unyielding surfaces has wreaked havoc on her joints and feet, forcing the Zoo to give her two massive doses of ibuprofen every day. Each 9,000 milligrams helps to mitigate her pain and mask her symptoms, but leaves the underlying causes untreated. Elephants need vast acreage in order to meet their need to walk many miles a day on soft soil and varied terrains to maintain good health.

Toni's arthritis is so severe that the National Zoo admits they may have to euthanize her if it gets much worse. Five years ago, the Zoo euthanized Nancy because of foot infections so serious that standing was difficult. Both deadly ailments are a direct result of the inadequate conditions the elephants lived in for decades.

If Toni remains where she is, she will not heal. Rather, she will live out the rest of her numbered days with decreasing mobility and increasing pain. Fortunately, there is an alternative. The Elephant Sanctuary (TES) has the facilities to meet elephants' needs much better than any zoo, and has offered to take Toni in at no charge to the National Zoo. Set on 2,700 lush green acres in southwestern Tennessee, TES enables elephants to walk as much as they want on hills, dirt and grasses. TES caretakers live on the premises, and are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They would provide treatment for Toni's pain, but her free-ranging movement would also help ease her arthritis naturally. TES has a proven track record of restoring quality of life to elephants debilitated by life in zoos and circuses.

What You Can Do

Please click http://ga0.org/campaign/Toni to ask your federal Representative to order the National Zoo to send Toni and the other three elephants at the National Zoo to TES. You can also get contact information for your elected officials by clicking http://ga0.org/indefenseofanimals/home.html and entering your zip code.

The National Zoo simply cannot provide for the vast physical and psychological needs of elephants. The National Zoo is funded by federal dollars, so all taxpayers should have a say in these elephants' future.


6. Make a Career Out of Helping Animals at IDA
IDA Seeks Applicants to Fill a Range of Exciting Positions

If you love animals and want to make your living making their lives better, then consider joining the IDA team as a full- or part-time employee. IDA currently has several job openings we are looking to fill with dedicated advocates who want to make a real difference for the animals.

IDA's headquarters is located in beautiful Northern California, about 10 miles north of San Francisco. If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area or would like to relocate to this scenic and culturally diverse region, we'd love to hear from you. Please click http://idausa.org/about/jobs.html for position descriptions and qualifications and to apply. If you know someone who may be interested in working for IDA, please forward this post on for his or her consideration.


7. Action Alert: Man Accused of Beating Puppy to Death
Please Urge Maximum Sentence for Conviction

Upon arriving at Anthony Schepis' Omaha home in August, investigators from the Nebraska Humane Society found a dead four-month-old puppy in a blood-spattered bedroom. The young German Shepherd, named Jake, was beaten so badly that he suffered a broken hip, leg and skull, as well as a ruptured spleen. Though Schepis has maintained his innocence of any crime, claiming that Jake was run over by a car, investigators say the physical evidence instead indicates a severe and prolonged beating. Neighbors also say they heard yelling and yelping for a period of about 45 minutes.

Police arrested the 38-year-old Schepis on charges of felony cruelty to animals, a relatively new law in Nebraska for which only one person has been convicted. If he is found guilty of killing Jake, Schepis could face a $10,000 fine and up to five years in prison.

What You Can Do

Please politely urge Judge Stuart J. Dornan to prosecute Anthony Schepis to the fullest extent of the law if he is found guilty or enters into a plea bargain with the state. Also ask Judge Dornan to order psychiatric evaluation and counseling for Schepis to address his violent tendencies.

The Honorable Stuart J. Dornan
Douglas County Attorney
100 Hall of Justice
Omaha, NE 68183
Fax: (402) 444-6787


Bid to Give IDA Online Auction

IDA is proud to announce an exciting new online auction to benefit our work on behalf of animals. We have partnered with Charity Folks, a leading online auction venue to offer an amazing array of TV, film and sports celebrity memorabilia and other tantalizing auction items.

The Charity Folks' Bid to Give/IDA Auction will be conducted from October 26th through November 4th via the Charity Folks website at http://www.charityfolks.com .

For the next month, through October 20th, we are accepting donations of items for our auction. Some good auction item ideas include timeshares, airline miles, celebrity memorabilia, tickets to shows or events, jewelry, gift baskets and gift certificates to restaurants or stores.

If you have an item that you would like to donate or if you would like more information about the event or IDA in general, please contact Nicole Otoupalik at (800) 338-4451 or via e-mail at Nicole [at] idausa.org . All donations are tax deductible.

We will be sharing more details on the auction and the fantastic items to be offered in upcoming e-newsletters and on our website as we get closer to the Oct. 26th launch date.

P.S. Please help us spread the word about our special Auction for the Animals by sharing this information with your network of family and friends.


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 newsletter profiles Students Against Cruelty to Animals (SACA), a student-run animal rights organization at the University of Texas at Austin that is hosting an event for World Farm Animals Day on October 2nd. Click http://www.meatoutmondays.org/05-09-26.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.