IDA e-news: 10/05/05

1. IDA's Project Hope Rescuers Return to Waveland After
Hurricane Rita
2. UCSF Laboratories Under Fire for Animal Welfare Violations
3. San Diego Restaurants Go Foie Gras Free
4. Discover New Foods During IDA's World Go Vegan Days
5. All-Night Protest at Pig Slaughterhouse Held for World Farm
Animals Day
6. Bid to Benefit Animals During IDA's Online Auction
7. Congress Passes Bill to Kill Endangered Species Act

1. IDA's Project Hope Rescuers Return to Waveland After
Hurricane Rita
Thousands of Animals Remain Homeless and Starving, Need for
Volunteers Still Urgent

In last week's e-news, we reported that IDA's Project Hope
animal relief team had left Waveland, Mississippi to avoid
Hurricane Rita and headed for the Harrison County Fairgrounds.
Last Wednesday, the group returned to Waveland to find that that
the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) had taken the
area over, and that all animal rescue operations had been moved
to the old Waveland animal shelter. The Waveland Animal Control
Officer has generously provided space in the temporary facility
for Project Hope's tables, photos, and computer so they can
continue their life-saving work. IDA's Connie Durkee from
Portland, Oregon and volunteer Eric Phelps of Norfolk, Virginia
have been at the shelter feeding animals, taking dogs for walks
and keeping the place clean. Tragically, all of the animals in
this shelter died during Hurricane Katrina because they weren't
evacuated, but animals in need continue to arrive and require
help.

Each Thursday, volunteers from Stray Rescue of St. Louis take
dogs and cats rescued by Project Hope back to their shelter in
Missouri for fostering and eventual adoption. This week, they
transported 16 dogs and 22 cats to safety. The help of Randy
Grim and everyone from Stray Rescue has been critical to the
team because Project Hope has neither enough room to house these
animals right now nor any time to find homes for them.

Later this week, the team is going to Metairie, Louisiana to set
up operations. A woman there named Maria Alvarez has been
feeding stray animals on several city blocks. She says that
those who were strays before Katrina are now mixed in with
companion animals who have lost their guardians. The Project
Hope team will help feed these animals and hopefully help
reunite some with their guardians, or at least find them
temporary homes. Cindy Shaw with Citizens for Animal Protection
in Houston reports a similar situation in Beaumont, Texas. All
the fences have been blown down, and countless starving animals
roam loose looking for food and water. Project Hope is prepared
to make an emergency delivery to Beaumont to help these animals.


Meanwhile, IDA Office Manager and animal rescue volunteer Anita
Carswell of Richmond, California celebrated her birthday
searching abandoned houses in New Orleans for animals in need of
assistance. On Saturday, September 25th, USA TODAY reported
briefly on Anita's rescue of a kitten, which she plans to adopt
herself and name "Phoenix." Read the story at
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-09-24-rita-blog_x.htm .

What You Can Do

Give to IDA's Hurricane Katrina Animal Relief Fund. To donate,
send checks made payable to IDA with a note reading "for
hurricane relief" to:

In Defense of Animals
131 Camino Alto
Mill Valley, CA 94941

Click https://secure.ga3.org/02/idadonations to donate online
using your credit card. Please indicate "hurricane" in the first
name field in the "in honor of" section of the form.

- Volunteers are still desperately needed in Gonzales, Louisiana
to help save animals still trapped in houses throughout the New
Orleans area. To get the most up-to-date details about
volunteering, please write to
hurricanekatrinainquiries [at] idausa.org .

2. UCSF Laboratories Under Fire for Animal Welfare Violations
IDA's Week of Action on Campus and Newspaper Expose Shine a
Spotlight on Specious Animal Experiments

Recently, the University of California - San Francisco (UCSF)
made a settlement deal to pay an unprecedented $92,500 in fines
to avoid hearings on the 89 counts of Animal Welfare Act (AWA)
violations the USDA has officially lodged against their
laboratories. By agreeing to the settlement, researchers were
able to evade scrutiny of how researchers treat the animals used
in the hundreds of experiments being done at any given time in
UCSF labs. Fortunately, the San Francisco Bay Guardian newspaper
( http://www.sfbg.com ) - the region's top alternative weekly with a
circulation of over 150,000 - ran a cover story in last week's
issue exposing UCSF and researcher Stephen Lisberger. Clinical
notes and documentation of experiments provided by IDA were used
as source materials for the story, and a quote from IDA Program
Coordinator Suzanne Roy appears in "Monkey Business," a sidebar
feature about Lisberger.

For many years, IDA has campaigned against UCSF's animal
research program, targeting Dr. Lisberger's experiments in
particular because of their inherently cruel nature and his
lab's persistent and uncorrected AWA violations. His numerous
brain experiments on primates at UCSF conjure horrifying images
of monkeys screwed into restraining chairs by bolts implanted
beneath their skulls, wire coils being placed in their eyes, and
water being used as the experimental "reward" for which thirsty
subjects must "work." All of these abuses are paid for by our
taxes, Lisberger having received over $12 million in federal
grants for his laboratory since 1992.

IDA held demonstrations at the UCSF campus all last week to
coincide with the public attention UCSF and Lisberger have
received recently. Many energetic activists volunteered to hold
signs and distribute leaflets highlighting UCSF's long history
of animal welfare violations. Thanks to those who helped us
educate the public about the horrors taking place inside UCSF
labs. We also hope our efforts will encourage UCSF insiders to
"blow the whistle" on animal cruelty taking place within the
system.

What You Can Do

- Read the article and sidebar features about UCSF by Tali
Woodward in the San Francisco Bay Guardian:

ANIMAL INSTINCTS: As the struggle between animal rights
activists and scientists rages on, what's really happening
inside UCSF's animal labs? -
http://www.sfbg.com/39/52/cover_animal.html

MONKEY BUSINESS: How Stephen Lisberger became the poster boy for
UCSF's animal welfare problems -
http://www.sfbg.com/39/52/cover_monkey.html

DOGTOWN: A group of experiments involving dogs is increasing
public pressure on UCSF - http://www.sfbg.com/39/52/cover_dogtown.html

UCSF's lab fiasco (editorial) -
http://www.sfbg.com/39/52/news_ed_ucsf.html

- Write a letter to the editor of the San Francisco Bay Guardian
at letters [at] sfbg.com about the issue of animal experimentation.
For guidelines, visit http://www.sfbg.com/send_letter.html .

- Click http://www.vivisectioninfo.org/ucsf/lisbergerindex.html to
learn more about Dr. Lisberger's infamous experiments on
primates.

3. San Diego Restaurants Go Foie Gras Free
Campaign by the Animal Protection & Rescue League and IDA Yields
Success

Only about six months ago, 17 upscale restaurants in San Diego,
California sold foie gras made from the enlarged livers of
force-fed ducks. Today, no San Diego eateries carry this item on
their menus any longer because of the efforts of a dedicated
group of activists from the Animal Protection & Rescue League
(APRL). Two years ago, APRL's investigation of the force-feeding
industry and APRL and IDA's anti-cruelty lawsuit were crucial
catalysts for the introduction of legislation to ban the
production and sale of foie gras in California. Governor
Schwarzenegger's signature on S.B.1520 last year spelled the end
of force-feeding in the state by 2012.

Influenced by the protestors' merciful message, Jeffrey Strauss,
owner and chef of Pamplemousse Grill, voluntarily removed foie
gras from his menu because of what is done to the ducks. "The
liver of a duck raised for foie gras is 12 to 14 times the size
of a normal duck, and there's something about that that is not
right," he said. "It cannot be comfortable for the duck."
Strauss feels that the foie gras ban in California should be
enacted now because the transition period gives restaurants that
still serve it an unfair advantage over those that choose not
to. According to Strauss, making foie gras illegal now so that
no one can sell it would create an "even playing field" that
much sooner.

Fortunately for the ducks and restaurants that refuse to sell
foie gras, Strauss' wish may come true sooner than 2012, at
least in his home city of San Diego. In Chicago, Illinois
recently, after celebrity chef Charlie Trotter renounced foie
gras, Chicago Alderman Joe Moore introduced a City Council
ordinance to ban the "delicacy" in that city. The City Council
may vote on the matter as early as next month. Now that all of
the restaurants in San Diego are foie-gras free, APRL and IDA
are considering pushing a similar measure in "America's Finest
City" that could be a model ordinance for other cities in
California and around the nation that want to help ducks and
promote more compassionate dining.

IDA is proud to collaborate with APRL on the campaign to end the
sale of foie gras, and congratulates everyone who contributed to
a job extremely well done. Please visit http://www.aprl.org to learn
more about APRL's work on behalf of animals.

What You Can Do

- For more information on APRL and IDA's campaign, see
http://www.stopforcefeeding.com . A list of restaurants that have
removed foie gras can be found by clicking on "Victories" under
the "Action Center" menu.

- Join with others in your area to convince restaurants to
remove foie gras from their menus. Visit
http://stopforcefeeding.com/page.php?module=serving&article_id=30
to see which restaurants in your state still serve foie gras,
and go to http://www.StopForceFeeding.com to see if a campaign is
already underway in your city. E-mail banfoiegras [at] idausa.org for
free campaign materials and IDA restaurant cards that you can
leave at establishments serving foie gras. Sometimes all it
takes is a simple phone call or letter to get a restaurant owner
to recognize that selling this delicacy of despair is a bad
business decision.

4. Discover New Foods During IDA's World Go Vegan Days
IDA and Compassionate Cooks Serve Up a Mouthwatering Menu of
Vegan Recipes

Want to know what a delicious day of vegan eating tastes like?
Then visit IDA's World Go Vegan Days website
( http://www.idausa.org/vegandays/comp_cook.html ) to see a full three
days' worth of mouthwatering recipes. IDA provides these recipes
courtesy of Compassionate Cooks for people to try them out in
celebration of IDA's World Go Vegan Days, which take place from
October 30th to November 1st.

Making yummy vegan food for friends and family is one of the
best ways to show those you know that compassion and great taste
go great together. Go ahead and try some of these recipes out
for yourself, and make plenty to share. Even if you don't
normally cook your own meals, have no fear: Compassionate Cooks
specializes in recipes that are fun and easy to prepare. No Fuss
Pancakes for breakfast, Fast & Fabulous Fajitas for lunch,
Stir-fry with Peanut Sauce for dinner, and Magic Chocolate Cake
for dessert are just some of the recipes Compassionate Cooks has
come up with for World Go Vegan Days.

Compassionate Cooks is a nonprofit organization dedicated to
empowering people to make informed food choices. They also
educate people about vegetarianism through cooking classes,
nutrition courses, supermarket tours, workshops and lectures,
farmed-animal sanctuary tours, and cooking DVDs. Visit
http://www.compassionatecooks.com for more recipes, class schedules and
shopping.

5. All-Night Protest at Pig Slaughterhouse Held for World Farm
Animals Day
Farm Animal Reform Movement President Alex Hershaft Arrested for
Civil Disobedience

On Sunday, October 2nd, Farm Animal Reform Movement (FARM)
hosted the 23nd annual World Farm Animals Day (WFAD) to promote
compassion for the billions of cows, pigs, chickens, turkeys and
other animals raised and killed for food every year. IDA is a
proud co-sponsor of this yearly event. This year, thousands of
activists in all 50 states and 19 other countries participated,
making people around the globe aware of the plight suffered by
animals raised and killed on factory farms.

Typical WFAD activities range from leafleting, information
tables and feed-ins to marches, demonstrations and protests.
This year, FARM held an all-night vigil at the Smithfield
Packing Plant in Smithfield, Virginia. Smithfield is the largest
pig-killing operation in the U.S., with over 20 million pigs
slaughtered every year. The plant FARM chose for their vigil
kills and processes 18,000 pigs every day, and operates
throughout the night. That's why FARM staff and volunteers
arrived on 6:00 Sunday evening and stayed until 8:00 the next
morning. In addition to holding signs urging compassion towards
animals for passing motorists and school buses to see, activists
took the opportunity to interact with some of the plant's
employees, including slaughterhouse line workers, meat packers
and security guards. Some expressed gratitude for the gift bags
activists handed them, which included vegan food samples like
soy jerky and Clif Builder's Bars as well as vegetarian starter
guides.

As activists stood outside the plant, trucks holding a hundred
or more tightly packed young pigs would arrive and disappear
inside the facility. Many other trucks adorned with large,
bright pictures of ham and sausage headed out of the plant to
bring the pigs' flesh to market. On Monday morning, FARM founder
and president Alex Hershaft decided to make a strong statement
about the injustice of the pig massacre going on at Smithfield
every day. Carrying a sign opposing the cruelty, he sat down in
the road directly in the path of an oncoming truck that was
delivering pigs to slaughter. Police arrested Hershaft for
obstructing the operations of a business, but they couldn't
silence his message of mercy for pigs and the need to end the
slaughter.

Please visit http://www.wfad.org for more information about World Farm
Animals Day.

6. Bid to Benefit Animals During IDA's Online Auction
Bid on Special Celebrity Items from October 26th through
November 4th

IDA is proud to announce an exciting new online auction to
benefit our work to help animals that will take place from
October 26th through November 4th. We have partnered with
Charity Folks ( http://www.charityfolks.com ), a leading online auction
venue, to offer an amazing array of TV, film and sports
celebrity memorabilia and other exceptional auction items.

IDA is grateful to Emmy-nominated television actress Wendie
Malick for helping us make this auction a success for the
animals. Wendie, a long-time vegetarian and self-described
animal lover, has often used her celebrity to benefit animals.
She served as a presenter at IDA's 2nd Annual Guardian Awards in
2004, and was honored by IDA at the Animal Rights 2005
Conference in Los Angeles with a Distinguished Guardian Award.
She also co-starred with Peter Falk, Shera Danese, Jane Goodall
and Kristen Bell in IDA's public service announcement (PSA)
urging viewers to be guardians, not owners, and to adopt animals
from shelters. (View the PSA on IDA's homepage at
http://www.idausa.org .) Regarding her latest gesture of support, we are
extremely grateful to Wendie for working through Charity Folks
to ask many of her famous friends to donate items for IDA's
online auction.

"IDA is a terrific organization doing critically important work
to help animals across the country and around the world," says
Wendie's letter to friends. "I can say unequivocally that IDA is
an effective advocate for animals and is more than worthy of
support." Wendie specifically asks celebrities to donate special
items for the auction such as lunch or dinner with an auction
winner, event/concert tickets with backstage passes, collectible
memorabilia, a day on the set or a walk-on part in a movie or TV
show, and movie premiere party passes. As the auction
approaches, we will be sure to provide details about these
fantastic items in upcoming e-newsletters and on our website.

What You Can Do

IDA will accept donated items for our auction through October
20th. 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 auction, please
contact Nicole Otoupalik at (800) 338-4451 or via e-mail at
Nicole [at] idausa.org . All donations are tax deductible.

7. Congress Passes Bill to Kill Endangered Species Act
Urgent Action Alert: Tell Your Senators to Oppose Destructive
"Recovery Act"

Thank you to everyone who responded to last week's action alert
about H.R. 3824, Representative Richard Pombo's (R-CA)
Threatened and Endangered Species Recovery Act (TESRA) of 2005.
Pombo's proposal will weaken and eventually nullify the
Endangered Species Act, which has protected animals and their
habitats since 1973. Unfortunately, the House of Representatives
passed the bill last week by a narrow margin of 229 to 193. The
bill passed only after the House narrowly voted down a
substitute amendment by Representatives George Miller (D-Calif.)
and Sherwood Boehlert (R-N.Y.) that would have strengthened the
conservation of endangered species.

If Pombo's Threatened and Endangered Species Recovery Act
(TESRA) of 2005 becomes law, 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

- Help protect America's vanishing wildlife by contacting your
Senators and urging them to oppose the Threatened and Endangered
Species Recovery Act of 2005. Click here to send your Senators
an automatic email. Click
http://ga0.org/indefenseofanimals/home.html to get your
Senators' phone number and mailing address. You can also get
contact information for elected officials by calling the
Government Information Hotline at (916) 322-9900 and giving the
operator your address.

- 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.

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 here. 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 recipe for delicious Stuffed
Zucchini Boats. Click http://www.meatoutmondays.org/05-10-03.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, Carole Wilbourn, the Cat Therapist, answers
questions and offers advice on how guardians can enrich their
relationships with their beloved feline companions. Click here
( http://www.idausa.org/cat_therapist/index.html ) to read the latest
edition of Cats on the Couch. Men: the deadline to enter
Carole's "Men and their Cats" contest has been extended to
November, so there's still time to enter. Also visit Carole's
Cat Store at http://thecattherapist.com/cat_store.htm to
purchase a copy of her classic book, "Cat Talk: What Your Cat is
Trying to Tell You."