DawnWatch 2005 animal news round-up

The year ended and 2006 began on a promising note, as the January edition of "Scientific American" includes an article titled, "Protecting More than Animals -- Reduced animal suffering often has the unexpected benefit of yielding more rigorous safety tests." (Pg 84) The Scientific American editors chose to focus on that article in the "SA Perspectives" section at the front of the magazine. Their commentary notes, "for the sake of people and animals alike, the development and acceptance of animal substitutes deserve enthusiastic support."

You can download a digital copy of the January edition, including the article in question and the editorial comment on it, from https://www.sciamdigital.com/registration_alt.cfm for a cost of $5. The January edition is on newsstands now.
You can send a letter to the editor to editors [at] sciam.com including your full name, address and phone number.

DawnWatch 2005 round-up: I have looked over the 650 or so alerts I sent out over the last year, to get a feel for the coverage. That number is a story in itself, since in 2004 I sent out less than 400 alerts and my criteria have been similar -- I send lead stories in leading papers or on national shows (with the hope that activists will monitor and respond to their local media.) But the increase in the coverage of animal issues has been enormous. Though media alone does not help the animals, if there is no attention paid to their plight, their plight will not change. Only when people are forced to face the cruelty inflicted by human society might they become uncomfortable enough to work for change. I therefore point to the increase in coverage with hope for a better future.

Below I will outline a few of the year's major headlines, heartbreaks and highlights. If you would like a detailed look back, please visit the DawnWatch 2005 archives page, at http://www.dawnwatch.com/alerts-2005.htm

Sadly, Richard Pryor is not alive to see the Scientific American article. In December the animals lost a great friend who spoke out against vivisection and supported militant like-minded groups and campaigns, such as the SHAC campaign. You'll find a nice tribute to Prior's work on behalf of the animals, by PETA's Lisa Lange, on the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review website at: http://tinyurl.com/945bx

This year the China dog and cat fur trade got its widest media exposure to date, as Larry King Live showed gruesome undercover footage and featured guest Alec Baldwin telling viewers that there is just no excuse for wearing fur. That kind of media coverage gives us some hope of sullying fur's glamorous image, even in a season where there seems to be an endless display of fur on what we have now learned are the appropriately named "catwalks" and in store windows.

We got wonderful news, in December, that the abused Hawthorn elephants are finally being released to the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee. Detroit's zoo elephants, Wanda and Winky, reached sanctuary at PAWS, in Northern California, in April. Reading of their new life was a joy, especially when compared to stories of Maggie, the lone elephant in Alaska, who spends Alaska's endless winters in a small barn, desperate for companionship and exercise. Animal advocates continue to campaign for her release to sanctuary. This year, the Anchorage zoo's solution to her needs was to order her a treadmill.

Pitbulls had a mixed year: In Denver, an outright ban meant terrific beloved dogs were pulled out of responsible homes and killed by the city. The stories were heartbreaking. In Ontario, Canada, a new law declared that all pitbulls must be spay/neutered -- spay-neuter laws generally being welcome news to animal advocates. But unfortunately the law also insisted pitbulls be muzzled regardless of their history or temperament. In California, however, dedicated activists helped draft legislation, signed by Governor Schwarzenegger in October, whereby California cities are now allowed to put breeding restrictions on, and enforce spay/neuter of, those breeds, such as pitbulls, that are currently exterminated by the thousands in the city's pounds and are the most likely to be bred by those who abuse them. However the law specifically dictates that no breed may be declared vicious and/or banned. Therefore no existing dogs may be unfairly restricted and no loving families endangered.

In September, the grass roots Washington DC based animal advocacy group "Compassion Over Killing" finally won its battle against United Egg Producers. The Federal Trade Commission ruled that the misleading "Animal Care Certified" labels stamped on more than 80% of egg cartons sold in the USA must be removed from all United Egg Producers cartons by March 31, 2006. You can see shocking photos of living conditions of hens whose eggs are being sold under that label at http://www.eggscam.com.

Other promising news for hens this year was that both Wholefoods and Wild Oats pledged to sell only eggs from cage-free hens. However "cage-free" does not guarantee decent living conditions.

As Chicago looks poised to become the first city to ban the sale of foie gras (the California law takes effect in 2012) the ducks, too, may be starting to make a little bit of progress.

We saw vegan diets go mainstream in April, as on the hit series 'Judging Amy', Amy's teenage daughter went vegan. Viewers saw some concern, but ultimately acceptance, from her mother.

And the popularity of Veggie Dogs in Ballparks made the front page of the Washington Times!

ABC's Primetime exposed the link between the dolphin slaughter and entertainment industries. We saw footage from Japan of dolphins being rounded up and killed, and of dolphin trainers amongst them in the bloodied water, choosing the best looking young females for transfer to marine parks around the world.

Militant animal rights activism also got much coverage this year, culminating in November, when CBS's 60 Minutes covered statements by California surgeon Dr Jerry Vlasak who said that scientists engaging in vivisection should be stopped “by any means necessary.” His comments shocked the overwhelmingly peaceful animal rights movement, many of whom feared that such rhetoric would hurt the cause. Some, however, argued that most social causes have had supporters willing to pursue their goals with violence.

The year began with coverage of the Tsunami, and the animal disaster that ensued. That story was a precursor for August's Hurricane Katrina, the greatest single disaster ever faced by companion animals. An estimated 50,000 companion animals were abandoned in New Orleans and surrounding areas as people either chose or were forced, sometimes at gunpoint, to leave without them. Approximately 12,000 - 15,000 animals were rescued. The only upside of that tragedy is the wake-up call it gave America -- making clear that official policy is totally out of touch with how we feel about our nonhuman family members. As the year closes there is legislation before Congress, the Pets Evacuation and Transport Safety Act, designed to address that issue during disasters.

The Katrina animal disaster was widely covered in the media as America and the world watched with shock and sometimes outrage as dogs starved on rooftops, or swam after boats, ignored by rescuers looking for humans. But there were people who risked their own health and welfare, who headed to the disaster area and pulled animals from roofs, toxic waters, and abandoned homes. Many of them are reading this newsletter. We all thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Many others sent money to help, and sent letters and made calls to the media, which various anchors acknowledged led to coverage of the animal disaster. Indeed the continuing increase in media attention to all animal issues is no doubt in some part due to the increased contact that you, who care about the animals, have had with the media. I sign off for 2005 with gratitude and love for a community that speaks for those who have no voice in our society, and with the hope that together we can make the coming years brighter for all.


(DawnWatch is an animal advocacy media watch that looks at animal issues in the media and facilitates one-click responses to the relevant media outlets. You can learn more about it, and sign up for alerts at http://www.DawnWatch.com. If you forward or reprint DawnWatch alerts, please do so unedited -- leave DawnWatch in the title and include this tag line.)