IDA e-news: 11/09/05

1. Promote Compassionate Shopping this Fur Free Friday
2. Bid on Special Celebrity Items During IDA's Online Auction
This Week!
3. IDA's Project Hope Continues Animal Rescue Work in New
Orleans
4. Action Alert: National Zoo to Euthanize Ailing Elephant?
5. Help Turkeys by Hosting a Gentle Thanksgiving
6. Trader Joe's Brand Agrees to Use Only Cage-Free Eggs

1. Promote Compassionate Shopping this Fur Free Friday
Top Designers Offer Stylish Alternatives to Animal Cruelty

In contrast to our primitive human ancestors who first started
wearing animal pelts out of absolute necessity - to endure the
harsh winters that threatened our species' very survival -
people today purchase clothing made from fur for the decidedly
trivial purpose of keeping up with the latest fashion trend.
Each fur garment made today represents the deaths of many
animals (for example, it takes at least 35 mink to make a single
coat). While several million animals are trapped in the wild
every year for their fur, many more are raised in fur mills
where they experience lifelong intensive confinement inside wire
cages before being gassed or electrocuted to death. Such
inconceivable torture is not ethically justifiable in a society
that offers a wide array of more affordable cruelty-free
clothing options that actually provide more warmth than fur.

Today, many of the world's top fashion designers - such as
Stella McCartney, Betsey Johnson, Bill Blass, Todd Oldham and
Oleg Cassini - acknowledge that killing animals for fashion is
indefensible and have chosen to forgo fur in their clothing
lines. Instead of fur, they produce innovative designs using
traditional textiles and technologically advanced synthetic
fabrics for the growing market of style-conscious consumers who
care about animals. British designer Stella McCartney, daughter
of longtime animal advocates Paul and Linda McCartney, is one of
the fashion industry's most outspoken fur opponents. While
agreeing that fur is beautiful, she says she prefers "to feel it
on a living creature than as a dead piece of fabric."

McCartney and other conscience-driven designers also make use of
faux fur, which has developed to the point that it is now
virtually indistinguishable from the real thing (except that it
typically costs thousands of dollars less). Those who have an
irresistible urge to wear fur can spare animals' lives by
choosing this humane substitute. Many consumers still don't
realize the extent of animal suffering behind fur, and that
cruelty-free fashions are easily available. It is up to caring
people to call fur sellers on their complicity in violence
against animals and convince the public to boycott fur products.

What You Can Do:

- Join IDA and other anti-fur activists this Fur Free Friday on
November 25th, the day after Thanksgiving, to educate people
about the cruelty of fur production and the humane clothing
alternatives that are available. Visit
http://www.furkills.org/events.shtml to find out what events are being
planned in your area. If no event is planned in your area, visit
http://www.furkills.org/lit.shtml to request brochures,
leaflets, stickers and other fur campaign materials. Then submit
details for your event at http://www.furkills.org/events.shtml so we
can add it to our website.

- Visit the Fabulous-Furs website
( http://fabulousfurs.com/default.asp ) to shop for a full line of
coats, jackets, vests, stoles, wraps and accessories made
entirely from faux fur.

- Visit IDA's website http://www.furkills.org to learn more about Fur
Free Friday.

2. Bid on Special Celebrity Items During IDA's Online Auction
This Week!
TV, Film and Sports Tickets and Memorabilia Available from
November 9th to November 23rd

IDA is proud to announce an exciting new online auction to
benefit our work to help animals that will take place from
November 9th through November 23rd. 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 tantalizing 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, extended a request to 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," writes
Wendie in her personal letter. "I can say unequivocally that IDA
is an effective advocate for animals and is more than worthy of
support."

For your chance to bid on exciting items, such as tickets to see
Stacked, starring Pamela Anderson, which includes a
meet-and-greet with cast members and an autographed copy of the
script; tickets to see David Letterman, Jimmy Kimmel, Conan
O'Brien, and B.B. King; lunch with Kirsten Bell from TV's
Veronica Mars; original artwork from Pierce Brosnan; limited
lithographs of The Beatles; and much, much more, please click
https://www01.charityfolks.com/cfauctions/auction_vertical.asp?catname=In%20Defense%20of%20Animals .


If you would like more information about the auction, please
contact Nicole Otoupalik at (800) 338-4451 or Nicole [at] idausa.org .


3. IDA's Project Hope Continues Animal Rescue Work in New
Orleans
Volunteers Set Out Food for Thousands of Starving Animals
Roaming the Streets

IDA's Matt Rossell and his partner, Leslie Hemstreet, recently
returned from New Orleans after three weeks of rescue efforts to
provide relief for the thousands of dogs and cats still seeking
shelter in the flood ravaged city. This husband-wife team
returned to Portland, Ore. with five dogs and six cats who were
among dozens of animal companions they personally rescued. Eight
weeks after the devastating Hurricane Katrina, rescue workers
are still pulling emaciated animals from destroyed homes. By
now, many of the thousands of surviving animal companions have
escaped their homes through broken windows or kicked in doors,
and are now running scared and hiding out in the desolate city
streets. IDA has brought on two new people to work on hurricane
relief efforts to save as many animals as possible.

Working from early morning to past dark, much of the rescue
effort has turned to making sure food and water is being
provided for these bewildered dogs and cats, until each one can
be successfully coaxed to safety and reunited with their
guardians or placed in new homes. House cats hiding under houses
or in attics, too frightened to even approach their own
guardians, must be humanely trapped. Those feral cats caught in
the process are being spayed, neutered and released back in
their neighborhoods if people have returned and conditions in
the area are stable. Dogs are roaming the streets in packs, and
it takes considerable skill to capture these often-wily canines.
Rescuers are setting up feeding stations inside yards with
hard-to-find intact fences or setting large humane traps to
bring them in one by one.

This urgent effort is far from over, and IDA rescuers vow to
remain in the field of this disaster until some sense of
normalcy returns to New Orleans.

What You Can Do:

- Volunteers are still direly needed to transport and house
animals rescued from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.
Please contact hurricanekatrinainquiries [at] idausa.org for more
information on volunteering with IDA's Project Hope team.

- Foster homes for rescued pets are needed, as are adoptive
homes for animals already at risk in overcrowded shelters across
the country. Project Hope needs more shelters outside of the
disaster zone to take homeless animals rescued from New Orleans.
Please contact hurricanekatrinainquiries [at] idausa.org if you can
provide space for needy animals.

- Give to IDA's Hurricane Katrina Animal Relief Fund. Money is
still desperately needed for food, medical supplies and
transportation costs. 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. To donate
online using your credit card, click
http://ga0.org/ct/o717J1p1fm9x/ and scroll down.

4. Action Alert: National Zoo to Euthanize Ailing Elephant?
Write Today to Send Elephant to a Waiting Sanctuary

In early September, the National Zoo announced that one of its
Asian elephants, Toni, has arthritis and will be euthanized if
her condition does not improve. The zoo environment's lack of
space for adequate movement and unyielding surfaces are the
cause of arthritis and other irreparable foot problems in many
captive elephants. Only five years ago, the Zoo euthanized
another of its elephants, Nancy, due to foot problems. Asian
elephants have a natural lifespan of 60 to 70 years, but Toni,
at age 39, is thin and painfully crippled. If urgent action is
not taken, Toni may not live to see her 40th birthday.

In the wild, elephants maintain foot and joint health by walking
tens of miles each day. Toni and the four other elephants at the
National Zoo have access to an area of less than one acre (there
are 640 acres in one square mile) and spend most of their time
standing in one place. The Zoo is incapable of providing enough
space to keep its elephants healthy, and Toni's condition will
continue to deteriorate as long as she remains confined to a
small space and is forced to stand on concrete flooring and
hard, compacted dirt.

The National Zoo plans to expand its elephant exhibit, but given
her critical condition, Toni will not live to enjoy a new
enclosure. Aside from this, the Zoo's plans for expansion will
not be able to fulfill the vast physical and psychological needs
of the remaining elephants. Fortunately, elephant sanctuaries
offer a humane alternative to confinement in zoos. The Elephant
Sanctuary (TES), set on 2,700 acres in Hohenwald, Tenn., is the
nation's largest natural-habitat refuge developed exclusively
for elephants. TES has extensive experience in restoring quality
of life to elephants debilitated by years of confinement in
zoos, and has offered to take Toni free of charge. To date, the
National Zoo has not responded to TES's potentially life-saving
offer.

What You Can Do:

Please click here to urge decision makers to transfer Toni to
The Elephant Sanctuary where she will be given a second chance
at life and to ensure that the National Zoo re-examines their
plan to build an elephant exhibit that will still fail to meet
the needs of this intelligent and free-ranging species. You can
also contact these individuals directly by postal mail, fax or
email using the contact information below.

John Berry
Director, National Zoo
3001 Connecticut Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20008
Fax: (202) 673-4607
Email: BerryJM [at] si.edu

The Honorable Bob Ney
Chair of the Committee on House Administration
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
Fax: (202) 225-3394
Email: bobney [at] mail.house.gov

The Honorable Juanita Millender-McDonald
Ranking Member of the Committee on House Administration
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
Fax: (202) 225-7926
Email: millender.mcdonald [at] mail.house.gov

5. Help Turkeys by Hosting a Gentle Thanksgiving
FARM Campaign Promotes Compassion During Holiday that is Murder
on Turkeys

Like many other traditional harvest festivals in different
cultures, Thanksgiving is a time to celebrate with family and
friends and appreciate the bounty and joy of being alive.
However, for the turkeys and other animals whose lives are taken
to provide food for people's holiday feast, Thanksgiving is a
cause for fear, not celebration. Every year, over 45 million
turkeys are killed for this one holiday. On factory farms, where
the vast majority of turkeys come from, birds are crowded into
filthy sheds and slaughtered at just 16 weeks old (their average
lifespan is about 12 years), then dumped - sometimes while still
fully conscious - into scalding water to remove their feathers.
Such abuse and killing of innocent birds betrays the
life-affirming spirit of giving thanks for our life, health and
happiness.

Gentle Thanksgiving is an effort by Farm Animal Reform Movement
(FARM) to encourage everyone to choose compassionate
alternatives over unnecessarily cruel turkey dinners. By
encouraging people to experience the great taste and superior
nutrition of gourmet vegetarian recipes and festive faux meats,
FARM brings animal-friendly values to the dinner table. Millions
of caring people across the U.S. celebrate Thanksgiving with a
rich selection of delicious vegetables, fruits, baked goods and
mock meats. The vegetarian bill of fare may include Tofurkey
( http://www.tofurkey.com/products/tofurkyfeasts.htm ) or UnTurkey
( http://www.nowandzen.net/unturkey.html ), lentil or nut roast, stuffed
squash, corn chowder, chestnut soup, candied yams, cranberry
sauce, pumpkin or pecan pie, and carrot cake. Sound good? Then
have yourself a Gentle Thanksgiving this year!

What You Can Do:

- Bring a Gentle Thanksgiving to your community by inviting your
family and friends to join your celebration. Click
http://www.gentlethanksgiving.org/guide/recipes.htm to get some tasty
and healthy vegan recipes for your holiday meal and visit your
local supermarket or health food store to find faux turkey. You
can also host a public dinner to introduce even more people to
veganism.

- Register your Gentle Thanksgiving dinner
( http://www.gentlethanksgiving.org/action/regform.htm ) with FARM.
Having a national database of vegan Thanksgiving events to show
the media will help demonstrate veganism's growing popularity.
If you host a public dinner, FARM will list it in their Events
Directory to help publicize your event.

- Distribute Gentle Thanksgiving postcards (visit
http://www.farmusa.org/thanksgiving/images/PostcardFrontsm.jpg and
http://www.farmusa.org/thanksgiving/images/PostcardBacksm.jpg for
details). Contact info [at] farmusa.org to order (please include the
quantity you'd like and your distribution plans).

- Visit http://www.gentlethanksgiving.org/action for more ways to take
action.

6. Trader Joe's Brand Agrees to Use Only Cage-Free Eggs
Moratorium Placed on No Battery Eggs Campaign

Thanks to the tireless efforts of activists around the country
over the past four months, Trader Joe's has agreed to purchase
only cage-free eggs for its own brand of eggs, which are sold in
more than 200 stores nationwide. Thanks to those IDA supporters
who contacted Trader Joe's asking them to change their policies
regarding battery cages in response to our e-news alerts from
July 27th and August 24th, 2005. By taking action, you helped
bring about significant improvements in the lives of an
estimated 380,000 laying hens who produce more than 100 million
eggs sold under the Trader Joe's brand each year.

Trader Joe's has agreed that within three months, all Trader
Joe's brand eggs will be converted to cage-free eggs, and any
egg promotions by Trader Joe's will be devoted solely to
cage-free egg sales. While Trader Joe's stopped short of
adopting a total cage-free egg policy, the company showed that
it is serious about improving the lives of laying hens by taking
a positive step that will have a meaningful effect on animal
welfare. In response, the Humane Society of the United States
(HSUS) has agreed to place a moratorium on their No Battery Eggs
campaign targeting the company.

To learn more about the victory, visit
http://www.hsus.org/farm_animals/farm_animals_news/trader_joes_goes_cage_free.html .


Help Someone Kick the Meat Habit with FARM's Meatout Mondays
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. Learn
all about lentils in the latest edition, which includes
nutritional information and delicious recipes for the Gentle
Lentil Ball Sub. Click http://www.meatoutmondays.org/05-11-07.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.