IDA e-news: 11/16/05

1. IDA's Project Hope Animal Rescue Team Among Handful of Groups
in New Orleans
2. IDA's Go Vegan PSA Airs on MTV
3. Brooklyn Man Throws Mother's Dog from 5th Story Apartment
4. Rome's New Ordinance Protects Companion Animals' Rights
5. New Jersey's Black Bear Slaughter to Start December 5th
6. IDA Fur Free Friday Events Taking Place Across U.S.
- Holistic Health Care: Beyond Body, Mind and Spirit
- Bid on Special Celebrity Items During IDA's Online Auction Now
through November 23rd
- FARM's Meatout Mondays Newsletter

1. IDA's Project Hope Animal Rescue Team Among Handful of Groups
in New Orleans
Urge Louisiana's Governor to Allow Out-of-State Vets to Help
Sick and Injured Animals

Volunteers for IDA's Project Hope animal relief team report that
the crisis for animals in New Orleans is far from over.
Thousands of animals who have escaped out of the broken windows
or doors of hurricane-damaged homes now roam the streets with
nothing to eat. Hundreds of residential and commercial blocks
where communities and businesses once thrived are now completely
deserted except for former companion animals suffering from
starvation, dehydration, disease and untreated injuries. With no
humans living in these ghost towns, animals don't even have
trash to eat as a last resort. Tragically, it seems as if the
situation may only get worse in the coming months because many
of the now-stray animals are not spayed and neutered, and have
already begun to breed. According to one study, a single
unspayed female cat and her offspring can produce as many as
420,000 progeny in the space of just seven years, and a fertile
dog and her young can produce 67,000 puppies in a mere six
years.

IDA has recently brought longtime volunteer Eric Phelps on as a
contract worker to help make our animal relief efforts in the
New Orleans area as effective as possible. He and IDA volunteer
Val Mizuhara - dedicated animal advocate and co-owner of Mill
Valley Cycleworks in California's Marin County - are currently
in the 9th Ward area of New Orleans replenishing food and water
stations and looking for roaming animals. They commonly see
homeless cats who immediately run away in fear at the approach
of humans. While continuing his ongoing relief efforts in New
Orleans, Eric also works with the overburdened shelter in
Waveland, Miss., where animals in need of foster homes continue
to arrive daily. Over the next two months, Eric plans to help
this shelter place animals in homes in other parts of the
country. He continues to bring animals with him on return trips
home to Virginia, and the San Francisco-based Rocket Dog Rescue
is flying several dogs out of Waveland to place in the Bay Area.

Adding to the surviving animals' misery, Louisiana's Governor
has declared the Hurricane Katrina rescue phase over, and has
banned out-of-state veterinarians from volunteering their
services to save the animals slowly dying in greater New
Orleans. Authorities have threatened out-of-state relief workers
with arrest for attempting to give food and water to animals in
Orleans Parish, and outside rescue groups have been ordered to
leave the state and defer to local agencies, despite their
inability to care for the remaining animals and resolve the
imminent overpopulation emergency. This shortsighted policy is
forcing rescue organizations to abandon animals in their time of
greatest need. Nevertheless, IDA refuses to give up on the cats
and dogs whose will to live is evident in their continued
survival, and the efforts of our Project Hope team will continue
as long as the animals need our help.

What You Can Do:

Click http://ga0.org/ct/p717J1p1bX9_/ to urge Louisiana
Governor Kathleen Blanco and other state officials to allow
out-of-state veterinarians to provide much-needed services for
the animals who have survived the devastation of Hurricanes
Katrina and Rita.

- Volunteers are still needed to transport and house rescued
animals. 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. Click
https://secure.ga0.org/02/varescue and scroll down to donate
online using your credit card.

2. IDA's Go Vegan PSA Airs on MTV
Help IDA Air this Powerful Ad to Help Farmed Animals

Nestled between their favorite music videos, viewers of MTV in
Los Angeles, Calif. recently saw IDA's 30-second public service
announcement (PSA) featuring Kenneth G. Williams, champion vegan
bodybuilder and Spokesperson for IDA's veganism campaign. In the
PSA, Kenneth extols the health benefits of veganism and urges
compassion for animals as a short video montage illustrates the
terrible plight of cows, pigs and chickens on today's factory
farms. The PSA also aired on other cable networks, including
VH-1, BRAVO and The Food Channel.

MTV's primary viewership of teens and young adults has been
shown to be particularly open to changing their diets to help
animals and improve their health. Some of today's hottest music
stars are vegan - from singer-songwriters such as Moby, Fiona
Apple and Erykah Badu to conscious rappers like Common. These
popular recording artists have helped raise veganism's status
among young people. As a professional athlete, Kenneth also
appeals to this key demographic and promotes a positive pro-veg
message that counters years of exposure to the meat, dairy and
egg industries' noxious advertising that denies the value of
animals' lives.

IDA recognizes the awesome power of television to influence
society, and is using this important medium to reach large
numbers of people with a simple but powerful message: each
person can make a difference by choosing a more compassionate
diet. We are committed to using this technology to the greatest
possible effect, and will continue to bring this and other
important PSAs to viewers across the country.

What You Can Do:

Help IDA get this PSA aired on MTV and other channels by
contributing funds to our media campaign. IDA pays $25 each
time our Go Vegan PSA airs on MTV in L.A., which potentially
reaches thousands of viewers in this densely populated urban
area. To donate, send a check made payable to IDA with a note
reading "Go Vegan PSA" to In Defense of Animals, 131 Camino
Alto, Mill Valley, CA 94941. You can also donate online using
your credit card: just click
https://secure.ga3.org/02/idadonations and scroll down, then
enter "Go Vegan PSA" into the first name field in the "in honor
of" section of the form.

3. Brooklyn Man Throws Mother's Dog from 5th Story Apartment
Urge Brooklyn D.A.'s Office to Press Felony Charges for Dog's
Murder

More than a week before dropping his mother's beloved dog Gemini
out of their fifth floor apartment to her death, Alan Decosta
told his mother that he was going to decapitate the friendly
10-year-old pit bull mix. Decosta, 35, had been living in his
mother's Crown Heights, N.Y. apartment since his wife left him
over three years ago. His 52-year-old mother, Sonia Reyes, says
that after moving in, he spent most of his time smoking
marijuana and beat her on numerous occasions. On the morning of
Wednesday, November 9th, jealous of his mother's love for
Gemini, he bashed his mother on the head and back with a vacuum
cleaner, then threw the 40-pound dog from the window of their
fifth floor apartment. Mrs. Reyes rushed downstairs, and Gemini
died in the street, cradled in the arms of her loving guardian.

After Gemini's death, Mrs. Reyes said of her son, "I wish they
lock him up and throw away the key." Police arrested Decosta and
charged him with assaulting his mother. In addition, the
American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
(ASPCA) is expected to bring animal cruelty charges against him
for Gemini's death.

What You Can Do:

Click http://ga0.org/ct/pp17J1p1bX9A/ to politely urge the
Brooklyn District Attorney's office to charge Decosta with
aggravated cruelty to animals, which is a felony under New York
State law and carries a penalty of up to two years in prison.
Animal advocates must let the D.A.'s office know that Decosta
deserves to be punished to the full extent of the law for the
premeditated and sadistic manner in which he took the life of a
gentle and innocent animal. You can also contact the D.A.'s
office by phone, fax, email or postal mail.

Carol Moran
Deputy District Attorney
350 Jay Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
Tel: (718) 250-2235
Fax: (718) 250-2432
Email: moranc [at] brooklynda.org

4. Rome's New Ordinance Protects Companion Animals' Rights
59-Point Statute Secures Better Treatment for Animals and
Educates Italian Populace

The City of Rome, Italy recently implemented the most
comprehensive animal companion protection measures ever passed
in any country, winning praise from animal advocates and paving
the way for similar laws in other cities around the world.
Rome's Office of Animal Rights drafted the 59-point statute to
raise living standards for all animal companions in Rome and to
recognize their rights as individuals to decent treatment from
guardians. Cristina Bedini, who has worked for the Office of
Animal Rights for 11 years, said of the ordinance, "We needed to
send a strong message: (Animals) are not objects."

Some of the historic statute's main provisions include:
- Requiring guardians to walk their dogs at least once a day (or
risk a $625 fine)
- Banning choke collars and electric shock collars
- Outlawing cosmetic procedures such as declawing of cats and
ear and tail docking of dogs
- Providing goldfish with full-sized aquariums (not fishbowls)
and banning carnivals from awarding fish as prizes
- Preventing pet stores from displaying animals in storefront
windows
- Forbidding construction in the approximately 800 areas where
Rome's feral cat colonies are situated

Rome's animal companion protection statute builds on an
established legal tradition in Italy that treats animal welfare
as serious business. All Roman animal shelters are no-kill, the
abandonment of animal companions is illegal throughout the
entire country, and many Italian cities have strong regulations
against animal abuse. As part of the evolving consciousness
reflected by the new regulations, city officials and
representatives of Italy's major animal advocacy groups are now
preparing to work with police to ensure their proper
enforcement. Officers will receive customized training to learn
how to recognize infractions and respond to mistreatment of
animals. However, the key to enforcement lies in educating the
public about their responsibilities as guardians and encouraging
people to make the well being of companion animals a priority.
The animal companion protection ordinance will serve as the
foundation for this important endeavor.

5. New Jersey's Black Bear Slaughter to Start December 5th
Urge Acting Governor and Governor-Elect to Order a Halt to the
Hunt

In 2003, the State of New Jersey held a weeklong statewide black
bear hunt for the first time in 33 years, during which hunters
shot and killed 328 bears (which is more than 10% of New
Jersey's entire estimated black bear population). More than half
of the bears killed were females and cubs, some less than a year
old, and many cubs died after being orphaned. After the
slaughter was condemned nationwide as cruel and ecologically
destructive, Commissioner of the Department of Environmental
Protection Bradley Campbell opposed the 2004 hunt and won a
decisive ruling in the New Jersey Supreme Court to block it. Yet
if he approves of the hunt this year, the black bear massacre
will start in less than three weeks.

Intense lobbying efforts by trophy hunting organizations that
have aggressively pursued their "right" to kill bears under the
guise of wildlife management and public safety apparently have a
strong influence over the State's decision to allow the hunt.
However, such claims are specious to say the least, especially
considering that black bears have killed only two humans in the
Eastern U.S. over the last century, and children as young as ten
years old will be participating in the hunt.

Wildlife experts say that if a need to manage the black bear
population to maintain an ecological balance in their habitat is
clearly identified, their numbers can be effectively controlled
humanely through implementation of a wildlife contraception
program. In addition, public safety can be ensured through
education: people can dramatically reduce the number of
encounters with black bears by keeping food safely stored, and
avoid harm to themselves and these wild animals when contact
does occur by responding appropriately. Only non-lethal
management methods will allow the state's small population of
bears to live in harmony with New Jersey's citizens. Conversely,
the bear hunt puts residents' safety at grave risk and threatens
the survival of these noble animals.

What You Can Do:

- Contact Governor-Elect Jon Corzine and Acting Governor Richard
Codey and urge them to prevent the hunt from taking place.

Governor-Elect Jon Corzine
Tel: (973) 645-3030

Acting Governor Richard Codey
Tel: (609) 292-6000
Fax: (609) 292-3454

- If you live in or around New Jersey, join The Bear Education
and Resource Group in a protest against the proposed bear hunt.
Please bring signs and speak out on the bears' behalf!

What: Bear Hunt Protest
When: Saturday, November 19th, 12:00 noon to 2:00 p.m.
Where: Intersection of Canistear Road and Route 23 in West
Milford, N.J. (click http://tinyurl.com/8f6kw for directions)

Visit http://www.savenjbears.com to learn more about the fight to save
New Jersey's black bears. For more information about the
protest, contact savenjbears [at] hotmail.com or (973) 853-BEAR.

6. IDA Fur Free Friday Events Taking Place Across U.S.
Join Other Activists in Your Community or Plan Your Own Event
for November 25th

With less than two weeks to go before Fur Free Friday, activists
around the country are helping IDA carry on our tradition of
action on behalf of exploited animals with 23 events planned in
16 states (and counting). Every year, animal advocates use both
tried-and-true tactics and creative new ways to wake people up
to the painful and deadly ordeal that animals like foxes, mink
and chinchillas undergo to make a profit for the fur industry.
For example:

- Anti-fur marches bring a compassionate message to the streets
where people throng on the busiest shopping day of the year in
search of gifts for their loved ones. Energetic anti-fur
protesters on the march remind them to leave animal pelts off
their shopping lists.
- Fur funerals and vigils honor the lives and mourn the deaths
of the over 40 million animals that are killed every year to
make fur garments, toys and fashion accessories.
- Street theatre brings the suffering of fur-bearing animals to
life and engages audiences with props, drama and creative
costumes.
- Undercover video footage shows people what the fur industry is
desperate to hide: the abuse of animals that is a daily part of
their inhumane operations. Exposing fur mills or wildlife
trapping with a battery-powered TV/VCR or TV-equipped
FaunaVision vehicle is an incredibly powerful way to make a
lasting impression on people who may never have seen the reality
of animals' suffering before.
- Film screenings give people an opportunity to learn about the
fur issue in greater depth, empowering them to speak out against
cruelty to animals. Tribe of Heart's The Witness tells the
powerful story of one man's sudden awakening to animal suffering
and attempts to educate others. This documentary remains one of
the most effective tools animal advocates have to open people's
eyes to the fur industry's abuse of animals.

IDA has big plans to help animals this Fur Free Friday: what
about you? Please be a hero to animals this November 25th by
taking part in this important annual day of action aimed at
putting the brutal fur trade out of business.

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 community.

- If no events are scheduled for your area, make plans now to
host your own activity. Be creative and choose something that
interests you. Visit http://www.furkills.org/lit.shtml to
request brochures, leaflets, stickers and other fur campaign
materials. Then submit details for your event
http://www.furkills.org/events.shtml so we can add it to our website.

- Visit IDA's website http://www.furkills.org to learn more about Fur
Free Friday and ways that you can take action.

Holistic Health Care: Beyond Body, Mind and Spirit
by Jan Allegretti

It's safe to say that "holistic health care" is pretty much a
household term these days. But while we all know it's important
to care for the whole individual, it's not always clear what the
best ways are to support the body, mind and spirit of our animal
friends. Is it just a matter of using "natural" medicines that
work with the patient's innate healing capacities? That's a
start. However, if we don't care for the environment the animal
lives in, his or her body will be unable to respond vigorously
to those wonderful natural remedies - and it's hard to imagine
his mind or spirit will thrive, either.

More than just choosing alternative medicine when an animal gets
sick, holistic care for the body means attending to everything
he eats, drinks, smells and touches. Nutrition is a good place
to start. If your companions consume processed foods made with
poor quality ingredients and chemical additives, their bodies
become overloaded with toxins that undermine health and may even
cause serious illness. Eating wholesome, natural foods free from
artificial additives means your friends benefit as you do from
meals bursting with vitamins, enzymes and other valuable
nutrients, along with the life energy of fresh, living food.
Keeping their external environment - in your home and in your
yard - free of chemical cleaning agents, pesticides and
cigarette smoke also contributes to excellent physical health.

We care for the minds of our animal family members every day
when we ensure they feel emotionally safe, face a minimum of
stress, enjoy the stimulation of interesting things to do and
participate in an active social environment. If a neighbor dog
terrorizes your friend through the fence every time she goes out
in the yard, the stress will take its toll. And as much as your
animal friend enjoys hanging out with you while you putter in
the garden, when you play a game together or take her to that
puppy socialization class, you help keep her mind active and
engaged in a positive way.

Perhaps the most challenging - and rewarding - aspect of
holistic care has to do with spiritual health. The spiritual
life of a dog or a cat or a fly or a mouse means different
things to different people (if anything at all). As a start, we
can consider the ways we help our loved ones become more of who
they are. It's easy to shower them with love and provide a good,
caring home and yet hold expectations for them that are defined
more by our cultural preconceptions than by the true nature of a
given species and - more importantly - of a particular
individual. A shy, sensitive dog may be overwhelmed by an
afternoon of roughhousing with buddies down at the dog park, and
find it far more rewarding to spend a quiet evening with you out
on the deck. The messages may be subtle, but the more we
observe, listen and tune in, the more we find our companions
telling us who they are, and blossoming into unique beings with
gifts all their own to bring to the world.

Finally, since we're all part of that great interconnected web
of life, each time we pay loving attention to our society's
attitudes toward the animals in our homes, on farms, in
laboratories and in the wild, and do our small part to preserve
the planet that gives us all life, we serve the needs of the
whole bodies, minds and spirits of those who share our lives.

Jan Allegretti is a teacher, consultant and writer in the field
of holistic health care for animals. She is the author of Listen
to the Silence: Lessons From Trees and Other Masters, and
co-author with Katy Sommers of The Complete Holistic Dog Book:
Home Health Care for Our Canine Companions. You can contact Jan
at AskJan [at] idausa.org.

Bid on Special Celebrity Items During IDA's Online Auction Now
through November 23rd

IDA is currently holding an online auction now through November
23rd to support the work we do to help animals. 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
the new Fox sitcom 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 http://tinyurl.com/bnbyb .

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

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. Read
reviews of tasty turkey substitutes for your Thanksgiving feast
in this week's issue. Click http://www.meatoutmondays.org/05-11-14.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.