IDA e-news: 12/21/05

1. Nominate Your Local Zoo for IDA's Ten Worst Zoos for
Elephants in 2005 List!
2. Help End Abuse of Apes by the Entertainment Industry
3. IDA and AFK Bring Humane Education to Korean Children
4. IDA's Project Hope Hurricane Relief Team Takes Animals to
Northern Shelters
5. Make Your Holiday Season Foie-Gras Free
6. IDA Protests Cruelty to Dogs and Cats on Fur Farms at Chinese
Consulate
- Loving Tributes
- Quote

IDA ACTION ALERTS

1. Nominate Your Local Zoo for IDA's Ten Worst Zoos for
Elephants in 2005 List!
Help IDA Raise Awareness About Captive Elephant Suffering in
America's Zoos

Do the elephants at your local zoo bob and sway unnaturally? Do
they spend their lives on concrete and hard surfaces? Are they
kept in a wee enclosure better suited for a bathroom than an
elephant exhibit? Has your zoo had a spate of elephant deaths
related to their captive environment? Does your zoo have a
solitary elephant? If you can answer yes to any of these
questions, your zoo is eligible for IDA's Ten Worst Zoos for
Elephants in 2005 list.

Elephants are highly complex, social animals. In the wild, they
live in extended family groups. They form lifelong bonds and
females stay with their mothers, aunts, sisters and other female
relatives for their entire lives. Males stay with their mothers
for up to fifteen years. These intelligent animals can travel
more than thirty miles a day, which is necessary for good foot
and joint health.

Today's zoos are unable to meet the physical, psychological and
social needs of elephants. Forced to stand for long periods on
hard, compacted soil and concrete is causing elephants in zoos
to die at a fraction of their natural lifespan. In the last year
alone ten elephants have died in U.S. Zoos. Of those, seven were
under age forty. Elephants in the wild can live to be seventy
years or older. According to the AZA, elephants in U.S. zoos die
on average at thirty-four years old.

If you would like to see changes made to improve the elephant
exhibit at your local zoo, or the zoo's elephant exhibit
permanently closed and the elephants sent to a sanctuary, click
http://www.savezooelephants.com/nominate_worst.html to let us know why.

Visit http://www.helpelephants.com/10_worst.html to see IDA's Ten Worst
Zoos for Elephants in 2004 list.

2. Help End Abuse of Apes by the Entertainment Industry
No Reel Apes Campaign Uses Flash Animation to Illustrate Extent
of Cruelty

While orangutans, monkeys, chimpanzees and other ape "actors"
may appear happy on camera, behind the scenes it's a whole other
story. In order to be trained for the entertainment industry,
infant apes are routinely taken from their mothers before they
are even weaned, causing emotional scarring and permanent
psychological damage. Trainers force animals to perform through
beatings and physical intimidation, instilling fear in their
subjects so they will do what movie producers want. When apes
grow too big and strong to physically dominate, some trainers
pull their teeth or control them with electric shock collars.
Eventually they become all but unmanageable, and are "retired"
from the entertainment business. A lucky few are placed in
sanctuaries, but most of these unfortunate animals spend the
remaining decades of their lives in roadside zoos or are sold to
laboratories where they are experimented on and killed.

To help raise awareness of the apes' plight, the Chimpanzee
Collaboratory ( http://www.chimpcollaboratory.org ) has produced a short
Flash video ( http://www.chimpcollaboratory.org/kk.htm ) that illustrates
the suffering ape "actors" are forced to endure for our
entertainment. The video's release is timed to coincide with the
recent opening of the new King Kong remake, which was produced
using no real apes at all. Award-winning filmmaker Peter
Jackson, director of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, is to be
commended for bringing the creatures in his latest blockbuster
to life using only computer-generated imagery (CGI), sparing
real animals the pain of beatings and emotional deprivation.

The movie also does great apes a good turn by presenting the
25-foot-tall, 8,000 pound Kong less as a monster than as a
lonely and misunderstood creature who just wants to be loved.
Advanced body-mapping technology pioneered by Jackson in The
Lord of the Rings allows Andy Serkis (who played Golem) to
portray Kong with incredible realism. This technology has, for
the first time in film history, enabled a human actor to
convincingly depict a member of a species that is one of our
closest living relatives. Kong's flawlessly lifelike eyes, face
and body gestures effectively evoke viewers' sympathy for this
tragic, archetypal figure. Just as in the original 1933 film,
Kong is brutally captured, removed from his native land and put
on display in chains for profit. The remake's searing social
critique of humanity's greed-driven exploitation of animals is
even stronger than the original, and fittingly mirrors the sad
lives of great apes abused by the entertainment industry.

What You Can Do:

- Please tell Dan Glickman, President of Motion Picture
Association of America (MPAA), to use his position in the
Hollywood community to help end the use of apes in the film
industry. You can also contact Mr. Glickman by phone or postal
mail using the information below.

Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA)
c/o Dan Glickman, President
15503 Ventura Blvd.
Encino, California 91436
Tel: (818) 995-6600

- Click http://www.chimpcollaboratory.org/news/movie.asp to view
Serving a Life Sentence, a ten-minute film featuring renowned
primatologists Jane Goodall and Roger Fouts, as well as
concerned members of the film community like Academy Award
winner Callie Khouri, discussing the abuse that chimpanzee
"performers" face in the entertainment industry.

3. Make Your Holiday Season Foie-Gras Free
Make Others Aware that Cruelty Should Not Be Part of the
Festivities

Americans eat more meat during the holiday season than at any
other time of the year. Sadly, in "celebration" of the holidays,
millions of animals will be killed to put ham, turkey and roast
beef on the tables of those who could easily choose delicious
vegan fare in the compassionate spirit of the occasion. Abuse of
ducks and geese used to make foie gras also reaches its peak
during the holiday season. France produces most of the world's
foie gras, and about 70% of its product is consumed over the
holidays. Whether raised on industrial or family farms, these
birds are force-fed several times a day so that their livers
will swell up to ten times their normal size. This bloated,
diseased organ is then harvested to make foie gras.

Animals should never be abused for any reason, but for consumers
to support this egregious form of cruelty even more intensely
during the holidays seems particularly uncharitable.
Fortunately, the worldwide movement to ban foie gras has made
people more aware of the suffering ducks and geese go through to
make this "delicacy," convincing many compassionate people to
boycott it. Yet, while the public is more informed about foie
gras production than ever before, people you know may still be
planning to eat it during the holidays.

Please join IDA in reminding people that they don't have to
perpetuate pain to enjoy the holidays. If you are having a
dinner with your family and one of your relatives traditionally
brings foie gras to the table, speak to him or her before the
holiday celebration about why foie gras should not be part of
it. If you attend a dinner party where foie gras is served,
politely explain to your host or hostess why caring people find
it objectionable. Perhaps you can persuade him or her to serve
something else next year. By presenting your concerns gently and
compassionately, you can create a mutual understanding and avoid
hurting anyone's feelings.

IDA has a lot of great resources for educating people about how
foie gras is made and the damage it does to ducks and geese. Our
brochures and flyers
( http://www.stopforcefeeding.com/page.php?module=request_other&article_id=146 )
impart both knowledge and a visceral sense of why foie gras is
wrong. Give these out to your friends and family members so that
they can join you in this worldwide crusade against cruelty.

You can also take action throughout the year by leafleting at
restaurants that still serve foie gras. As a result of IDA's
campaign with the Animal Protection and Rescue League (APRL)
( http://www.aprl.org ), dozens of restaurants around the country have
already dropped foie gras from their menus. Please visit
http://www.stopforcefeeding.com to learn more and to join other
activists on the front lines in this fight for animals' lives.

Have a wonderful holiday season, and thank you for making your
celebration animal-friendly.

CAMPAIGN NEWS & UPDATES

1. IDA and AFK Bring Humane Education to Korean Children
Cartoon Teaches Children to Respect Dogs and Cats Instead of
Eating Them

While nearly every civilized nation is working to strengthen
laws to protect animals, the illegal trade in dog and cat meat
is thriving in Korea. Although technically dog and cat
consumption is illegal in the country, the Government ignores
offenders and has actually made moves to inspect dog meat for
sanitation, in effect making it legal. By doing so, the Korean
Government is approving of the torture and killing of millions
of dogs and cats, in spite of the fact that the majority of
Koreans don't eat dog meat or "cat juice" or approve of its
consumption.

Many Korean children don't grow up with animals and aren't
familiar with them as the living, sentient individuals they are,
so Animal Freedom Korea (AFK) has established a humane education
program to change the perception of animals by Korean children.
IDA recently sponsored a video project in conjunction with AFK
to help end consumer demand for dog and cat meat in Korea. In
the cartoon, children learn about the importance of treating
animals with kindness and compassion. Humane education
challenges violence at its core. Through teaching children
respect and kindness to animals and one another, the world will
be a better place for us all.

What You Can Do:

- Click http://www.idausa.org/campaigns/korea/index.html to see stills
of the cartoon, request a copy and read a translation of the
cartoon.

- If there is a Korean community center, church, or other
facility in your area to which you would like to offer a copy of
the cartoon, please email koreandogs [at] idausa.org with your name
and address.

- Visit http://www.idausa.org/campaigns/korea/korean.html for
more information on IDA's campaign to end the Korean trade in
dog and cat meat.

2. IDA's Project Hope Hurricane Relief Team Takes Animals to
Northern Shelters
25 Dogs and Cats Make 1,100-Mile Journey Seeking Loving
Guardians and Forever Homes

After spending the week assisting with repairs on a sanctuary
damaged by Hurricane Katrina in Picayune, Miss., IDA contractor
Eric Phelps and employee Connie Durkee transported 25 dogs and
cats from the Gulf area 1,100 miles north to the Maryland SPCA
in Baltimore. The arduous 30 hour drive is well worth it to the
dedicated workers who know they are giving these animals a
chance at finding their forever homes that they wouldn't have in
the south where families are still rebuilding their homes and
their lives, many living in tents and FEMA trailers. Some of the
animals came from IDA's Project Hope Sanctuary, which has served
as a temporary holding facility when shelters in the
storm-ravaged areas reach their capacity. Others came from the
Humane Society of South Mississippi (HSSM), which fills up on a
weekly basis with animals trapped on the streets in the
Gulfport-Biloxi area. Through the help of IDA and other
organizations working on transport, HSSM's doors remain open to
the animals who have survived the storm and its aftermath.

Recognizing that the problem is far from over, Best Friends is
planning to open two new rescue centers in New Orleans, La. and
Gulfport, Miss. Volunteers with the drive to help are still
needed, particularly those who have proficiency in data entry,
mechanical skills or expertise in humane animal trapping.
Contact hurricanekatrinainquiries [at] idausa.org or visit
http://www.bestfriends.org for more information about volunteering.

What You Can Do:

- Project Hope still desperately needs more shelters and rescue
organizations outside of the disaster zone to take homeless
animals rescued from the Gulf Area. Please contact
hurricanekatrinainquiries [at] idausa.org if you or your local
shelter can provide space for needy animals.

- We need funds to continue our rescue and relief work. Please
contribute to IDA's hurricane relief fund when making your end
of the year donations. 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
http://secure.ga0.org/02/varescue and scroll down to donate
online using your credit card.

3. IDA Protests Cruelty to Dogs and Cats on Fur Farms at Chinese
Consulate
Holiday Shoppers Warned: Animals Skinned Alive in China

A recent undercover investigation of the Chinese fur industry
revealed shocking treatment of dogs and cats killed and skinned
to make fur. Footage obtained by investigators clearly documents
fur farm workers throwing cages packed with animals from the
tops of trucks to the ground, a ten-foot drop that shatters the
legs of many inside, then poking animals through the wire mesh
with wooden poles. The dogs and cats are then killed by hanging,
strangulation or electrocution, but investigators also witnessed
some animals literally being skinned alive and then thrown onto
a pile of other dead and dying animals. Some continue to live -
their eyes blinking and their hearts visibly beating inside
their exposed ribs - for up to ten minutes.

Armed with a battery-powered television showing horrifying
footage from this Chinese fur farm investigation, members of IDA
gathered in front of the Consulate General of China in San
Francisco on Wednesday, December 21st to expose passersby to
"the true price of fur" and urge them to shun any garment made
with fur. They also handed out informative leaflets and offered
broadcast-quality videos of the footage for the media. Last
week, some of the footage was shown on the syndicated CNN talk
show Larry King Live, fueling the controversy over the way cats
and dogs are abused on Chinese fur farms. The show's guests
included animal rights activist Heather Mills McCartney (Paul
McCartney's wife), Oscar-nominated actor Alec Baldwin, Rick
Swain (chief investigator for the Humane Society of the U.S.),
vegan Congressman and 2004 Presidential candidate Dennis
Kucinich, and Virginia Congressman Jim Moran. Click
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0512/11/1k1.01.html to
read a transcript of the show.

What You Can Do:

- Protest China's deadly fur trade by organizing a demonstration
in the coming months at a Chinese consulate. Click
http://www.visarite.com/chnConsulate.htm to find the one nearest you.
Email IDA at antifur [at] idausa.org for free anti-fur cards,
stickers, flyers and posters.

- Please click http://ga0.org/campaign/ChineseAnimalLaws to sign
a petition urging the Chinese Government to pass National Animal
Welfare Laws.

- Please write a letter to the Chinese Ambassador to the U.S.
urging China to enact an animal welfare law that will prohibit
the cruel handling of dogs, cats and other animals at markets
and during transportation.

His Excellency Zhou Wenzhong
Ambassador of the People's Republic of China
Embassy of the People's Republic of China
2300 Connecticut Avenue N.W.
Washington, DC 20008
Tel: (202) 328-2574
Fax: (202) 328-2582

- Visit http://www.FurKills.org for more information, including a
comprehensive report on the Chinese fur industry by EAST
International/Animal Protection SAP.


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
http://www.idausa.org/support.html . 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.