IDA e-news: 1/18/06

IDA ACTION ALERTS
1. Join IDA in Protesting the Chinese Cat and Dog Fur Trade
2. Help Bring Notorious Dog Fighting Kingpin to Justice
3. Stop Bow Hunting in National Wildlife Refuge
CAMPAIGN NEWS & UPDATES
1. IDA Declares February to be "Responsible Animal Guardian Month"
2. IDA's Undercover TV Celebrates One-Year Anniversary
3. Flap Over Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill Continues


IDA ACTION ALERTS

1. Join IDA in Protesting the Chinese Cat and Dog Fur Trade
Attend IDA Demonstrations at Chinese Consulates in San Francisco, Los Angeles or Phoenix

Americans love their companion animals, so people are understandably horrified and outraged when they hear that cats and dogs are being killed and skinned alive in China so that their fur can be made into clothes, fashion accessories and toys. A recent Chinese fur farm investigation documented dogs and cats stuffed into wire-mesh cages and exposed to harsh weather while being transported long distances across the countryside. Some of these animals still wore collars and nametags, indicating that they were stolen from their guardians not long ago. Upon arrival, they were thrown from the tops of trucks still in their cages to smash on the ground 20 feet below, further traumatizing the animals and breaking their bones. Fur ranch workers were also videotaped laughing while peeling the raw, bloody skin from the bodies of cats and dogs who were still clearly alive and conscious.

Many dog and cat guardians have contacted IDA asking us what they can do to stop these atrocities from happening, so we would now like to tell people about a new tactic in our campaign to stem this carnage. The Chinese pet products industry is very profitable: it is larger than their toy and candy industries combined, and it brings much more money to the booming Chinese economy than cat and dog fur sales. This makes China vulnerable to a boycott that will hit them where it really counts: their bottom line. As part of our campaign against the Chinese cat and dog fur industry, we are urging all animal lovers not to buy any products sold in pet stores labeled "Made In China" until the Chinese Government initiates and enforces meaningful legal humane standards to regulate the fur industry. We are also asking pet store owners across the country to refuse to stock these items in the first place.

With the Chinese New Year approaching, IDA is also bringing the horrors of the Chinese cat and dog fur trade to the world's attention by holding protests at Chinese Consulates in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Phoenix. According to the Chinese calendar, 2006 will be the Year of the Dog, so please join us as we fight to save canines and other animals from a horrible death. Our San Francisco demonstration will take place on February 13th, the same day that other animal rights organizations in New York, Canada, France and Israel are holding anti-fur protests at Chinese Consulates and Embassies. We are also actively trying to get additional animal protection groups in other countries and American cities to participate in this global day of action against fur.

IDA urges everyone to never buy anything with fur on it, including cat and dog toys, because all fur products are made from the dead bodies of animals who suffered - no matter what species they are or what country they were killed in. We are using our campaign against the Chinese cat and dog fur industry to help people understand that animals like foxes, minks and raccoons suffer just as much as cats and dogs exploited by the fur industry. Most people automatically understand that abuse of cats and dogs is wrong, so reminding them that other animals are living, feeling creatures just like our animal companions sensitizes them to the way other species are treated on fur ranches.

What You Can Do:

- Speak out against the fur trade with other IDA activists at our upcoming protests. Consult IDA's Action Calendar (http://www.idausa.org/calendar/calendar.html) for the dates, times and locations of our demonstrations against the Chinese cat and dog fur trade, as well as who to contact for more information.

- If you can't make it to one of IDA's demonstrations, plan one of your own at a Chinese Consulate in your area. Click http://www.visarite.com/chnConsulate.htm to find the one nearest you. You can also hand out IDA's anti-fur campaign materials on any crowded street corner in your area, or leave a few flyers in places where concerned people are likely to read them, like your local coffee shop or health food store. E-mail IDA at antifur [at] idausa.org for free copies of our new flyer, or visit http://www.furkills.org/pdfs/true_price_fur_leaflet.pdf to print out copies at home.

- Click http://ga0.org/campaign/ChineseAnimalLaws to sign IDA's petition urging the Chinese Government to pass National Animal Welfare Laws.

- Tell the pet store owners and managers in your community that you are boycotting products made in China as a protest against the Chinese cat and dog fur trade, and urge them to join the boycott by refusing to sell toys or any other products (like bowls, leashes, etc.) that are manufactured in China. If the owners or managers want proof that cats and dogs are being killed for fur in China, write to IDA at antifur [at] idausa.org, and we will send you some of our materials, including a video and brochures.

- Write a letter asking the Chinese Ambassador to the U.S. to urge his government 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

- Watch IDA's new PSA exposing the abominations that take place behind the scenes of the Chinese cat and dog fur industry by clicking http://www.idausa.org/psa_frame.html and scrolling to the bottom of the page. Be forewarned, however, that the PSA contains scenes that are extremely graphic and disturbing, and viewer discretion is advised.

- Click http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/article/120106/prying_eyes_not_welcome_in_china to read an article about the Chinese fur trade published in the Press Gazette. Also visit IDA's website http://www.FurKills.org for more information, including a comprehensive report on the Chinese fur industry by EAST International/Animal Protection SAP.


2. Help Bring Notorious Dog Fighting Kingpin to Justice
Urge Assistant D.A. to Prosecute Accused Felon to the Fullest Extent of the Law

Within the sordid confines of the dog fighting underworld, 70 year old Floyd Boudreaux is considered a living legend. Boudreaux is a prominent breeder of pit bulls for the illegal fighting circuit, and dogs from his stock fetch prices as high as $10,000 apiece. He has appeared regularly on the covers of dog fighting magazines and newsletters since the 1950s posing next to his prizefighting canines, and people who frequent dog fights even wear T-shirts bearing the likeness of his face. His influence and high standing seemed to make him immune to the law until March of 2005, when Louisiana State Police raided Boudreaux's breeding compound in Broussard and arrested the "dog fighting don" and his son Guy on felony charges.

Upon entering the Boudreaux property, law enforcement officials and animal cruelty investigators discovered rows of dilapidated doghouses, each with a pit bull tethered to the front wall by a heavy chain. The dogs bore the scars of violence, the result of their suffering both inside the fighting pit and during their brutal training. In order to be a champion in the vicious "sport" of dog fighting, canine competitors are prevented from all normal and nurturing social interaction with humans and other dogs. Trainers favor pit bulls over other breeds because they have strong jaws, but humanely raised pit bulls make affectionate and loyal companions. It is the repeated beatings they experience at the hands of their trainers and their constant neglect that turns these innocent dogs into involuntary killers. Tragically, all of the adult animals recovered from the raid had to be euthanized because they were too aggressive to be adopted into homes.

Floyd and Guy Boudreaux have each been charged with 57 felony counts of dog fighting and two counts of cruelty to animals, and could also face federal charges for the illegal sale and transport of fighting dogs across state lines (dog fighting is illegal throughout the U.S.). If justice is done, father and son could spend decades behind bars, keeping them out of the dog fighting game for a good long time and sending a clear message to the criminals who make money from this barbaric activity that the law will no longer tolerate their monstrous abuse of animals. However, Boudreaux is a powerful figure in Louisiana and a major contributor to political campaigns. This may be one reason why judicial decision makers have so far been reluctant to bring these two offenders to trial. We need to put pressure on them to do their duty to the American public and the many dogs who have suffered and died in the Boudreaux family business.

What You Can Do:

Respectfully urge Lafayette Assistant District Attorney Ronnie Dauteride to prosecute Floyd and Guy Boudreaux to the fullest extent of the law for their crimes. Remind the Assistant D.A. that in addition to hurting animals, dog fighting is closely associated with other dangerous criminal activities that threaten public safety, such as weapons smuggling and drug dealing.

Assistant District Attorney Ronnie Dauteride
P.O. Box 3306
Lafayette, LA 70502-3306
Tel: (337) 232-5170
Fax: (337) 235-1354


3. Stop Bow Hunting in National Wildlife Refuge
Urge the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to Protect Wild Animals

America's National Wildlife Refuge System was established more than 100 years ago as a safe haven for wildlife and species needing special protection. Today, the Refuge System encompasses 95 million acres of land in all 50 states, including 545 refuge units, and is home to more than 185 threatened and endangered animal species. Yet, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed to make the Shawangunk Grasslands National Wildlife Refuge in upstate New York into a killing field by opening the area to bow hunting! For the first time in over a century, hunters will be able to maim and kill deer on the refuge.

Bow hunting is a particularly inhumane form of hunting and causes more injuries to wildlife than any other hunting practice. Scientific studies demonstrate that wounding and crippling rates for bow hunting can be as high as 50-80%, and that for every animal killed and retrieved by a bow hunter, another is left to die slowly and painfully. If people treated domestic cats or dogs this way, the offenders would be charged with a felony offense in New York State.

Analysis indicates that the vast majority of visitors to wildlife refuges go there to observe animals and enjoy nature. Results of a Fish and Wildlife Service survey of 30 million people who visited refuges showed that 21 million visited for wildlife observation and "just to experience nature," while only 1.4 million visited to hunt or trap. Furthermore, according to the Service's 2001 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation, more than 25% of New York State residents participate in activities that do not damage nature, such as wildlife observation and photography, while fewer than 4% hunt animals.

The limited resources of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service would be much better spent protecting habitat and endangered species in the Shawangunk Grasslands than managing recreational bow hunting for a small minority of the population. As part of the National Wildlife Refuge System, the Shawangunk Grasslands are on federal land that belongs to all Americans, and it should not be opened to hunters simply because they are represented by powerful political lobbyists in the corridors of power. Please tell those who we've hired to manage the refuge that We The People want the animals living there to be protected, not killed.

What You Can Do:

The Shawangunk Grasslands National Wildlife Refuge managers are accepting comments from the public until Friday, January 20th, 2006. Click http://ga0.org/campaign/BanBowHunting to send refuge management an automatic e-mail letting them know that the majority of Americans want the Shawangunk Grasslands National Wildlife Refuge to remain a sanctuary for animals, and that we do not want it to be opened to bow hunting. You can also contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Planning Team Leader by phone, fax, e-mail or postal mail.

Ms. Nancy McGarigal, Planning Team Leader
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
300 Westgate Center Drive
Hadley, MA 01035-9589
Tel: (413) 253-8562
Fax: (413) 253-8468
E-mail: northeastplanning [at] fws.gov


CAMPAIGN NEWS & UPDATES

1. IDA Declares February to be "Responsible Animal Guardian Month"
Put Your Compassion Into Action by Volunteering to Help Animals in Your Community

IDA has declared February to be "Responsible Animal Guardian Month" to inspire caring individuals around the U.S. to honor the cherished animal friends who bring so much joy and love to our lives. Throughout the month, IDA encourages people to celebrate the bond they share with their beloved animal companions and volunteer to help the less fortunate animals living in our nation's shelters and on the streets who do not have guardians to protect and look after them.

Being a responsible guardian means taking care of your animal companion's physical, psychological and emotional needs. Just like people, every animal needs certain things to stay healthy, including nutritious food and clean water, exercise and regular veterinary checkups. If you have a dog companion, take her for walks every day and give her an opportunity to enjoy things that she likes, whether that's playtime with other dogs or a hike in the woods. If you live with an indoor cat, make sure you give him the type of interaction that he most enjoys, including play sessions with toys or a chance to curl up on your lap. Not only will your animal friends appreciate the attention, but spending quality time with them will improve your health as well. Studies show that people who share their lives with animals suffer less stress and actually live longer than those without animal companions!

While our animal companions have loving homes where they can live out the rest of their days, millions of animals are euthanized in our nation's shelters every year because they don't have guardians to take care of them. Still other animals are abused or neglected by their guardians, who may keep their dog tied to a chain in the backyard or take out their frustrations on the innocent family cat. To help alleviate the suffering of our animal friends, IDA encourages people to take action on their behalf during Responsible Animal Guardian Month and throughout the year by volunteering at shelters and educating people of their responsibilities to animals. Please be a part of these lifesaving efforts.

What You Can Do:

Here are some ways that you can help animals during Responsible Animal Guardian Month:

- Coordinate a volunteer project for your local animal shelter or sanctuary. This could involve caring for the animals, raising funds for their programs, or reminding people in your community to have their animals spayed and neutered to reduce animal homelessness.

- If there are feral cats in your community, implement a Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) program to ensure they are cared for. For more information, visit http://www.neighborhoodcats.org.

- Work with your elected leaders to incorporate "guardian" language into city ordinances, charters, by-laws and other official documents. Click http://www.guardiancampaign.com/guardiancity.htm for a listing of Guardian Cities and check whether your city is there. If not, contact IDA Campaign Coordinator Anjee Lang at Anjee [at] idausa.org or (415) 388-9641 ext. 219. She will send you a Guardian Pack to help you get started, and is also available to personally guide you through every stage of the process. To learn more about the campaign and how you can help, please visit http://www.guardiancampaign.com. Also click http://www.guardiancampaign.com/package/Responsible%20Pet%20Guardianship.pdf to read IDA's guide to responsible guardianship.

- Pet Planet (http://www.petplanet.ca) - a chain of full-service animal companion specialty stores in Canada offering retail products, grooming, a resort and day spa, training, day care and nutrition counseling - has generously produced attractive green wristbands to promote IDA's Guardian Campaign. The bracelets are imprinted with the words "Embrace Guardianship," and are a great way for people to show their support for animal-compassionate guardian values. To get your free guardian bracelet from IDA, contact Anjee [at] idausa.org.


2. IDA's Undercover TV Celebrates One-Year Anniversary
Catch UTV When It Airs on Your Local Public Access Station

It was one year ago on January 1st, 2005, that IDA President and founder Dr. Elliot M. Katz first proposed his idea for a new television show called Undercover TV (UTV) that would expose the abuse of animals taking place behind the scenes of factory farms, fur ranches, research laboratories and other industrial dungeons to viewers across the nation. Looking back over the last year, UTV has been amazingly successful in this goal, and continues to grow and evolve as more people tune in. Here are some of UTV's key accomplishments to date:

- UTV now shows weekly in 67 cities around the country, and airs sporadically in even more places. As UTV's network of volunteer distributors continues to expand, our message spreads ever more widely across the public airwaves to new communities. Millions of viewers from coast to coast can already watch UTV, making it the most viewer-accessible animal rights television program in history.

- UTV's Producer, Gabe Quash, recently finished editing the 29th episode, featuring footage from the award-winning Tribe of Heart documentary "The Witness." Be sure to catch this eye-opening installment when it airs in your community!

- UTV has been widely recognized as one of today's most innovative and effective animal advocacy campaigns. The show has been written about in several publications, most recently in the October 2005 issue of Satya magazine (http://www.satyamag.com/oct05/thomas.html). Last month, a blogger on a popular animal rights list wrote, "Recently I came across...Undercover TV, an initiative that really impressed me...It's such a simple and brilliant idea, I wondered why no one had thought of it before." In addition, the latest issue of VegNews magazine (http://www.vegnews.com) features UTV's host - bodybuilder and IDA Vegan Spokesperson Kenneth Williams - on the cover.

With all that UTV has done to bring animal abuse into the public eye in 2005, IDA looks forward to achieving even greater success with the show in the coming year. A website redesign is currently in the works, and we hope to have episodes available for download from the Internet very soon. Stay tuned to IDA for more UTV news in 2006, and visit http://www.undercovertv.org to learn more!

What You Can Do:

- UTV airs in dozens of communities around the country. Visit http://www.idausa.org/undercover_tv.html for channels and times, and check out an upcoming episode.

- If UTV does not yet air on the public access station in your community, volunteer for UTV's distribution network. As a resident of any city, you can submit episodes of UTV to your local public access station simply by dropping off a box of tapes every few weeks. Contact undercover [at] idausa.org for more information.

- UTV is seeking undercover and investigative video footage to show on the air. If you have video footage that exposes violence against animals, please e-mail undercover [at] idausa.org or send a copy to our main office (131 Camino Alto, Mill Valley, CA 94941). Please specify if you would like to remain anonymous.


3. Flap Over Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill Continues
Settlement to Save Trees for San Francisco's Beloved Birds Near

In the December 7th, 2005 issue of our weekly e-newsletter, IDA reported that the birds made famous in the acclaimed documentary "The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill" may lose their relationship with longtime caretaker Mark Bittner if landowners cut down the two remaining cypress trees near Bittner's cottage. The presence of these trees near the Greenwich Steps in San Francisco's North Beach neighborhood allows the birds to continue interacting with Bittner, who has spent the last decade studying, feeding, caring for and protecting the flock of over 200 birds. Without the trees, the parrots would no longer have a secure perch from which to watch for hawks before swooping down to feed from Bittner's hand, severing the close connection that has developed between them over the course of years.

Thanks in large measure to the efforts of animal advocates, the agreement that Bittner and other friends of the wild parrots have been waiting on to allow the two remaining cypresses to be maintained and eventually replaced by new trees could be finalized soon. The Director of City Greening in the Mayor's Office has been facilitating negotiations between the owners of the land where the trees stand and the Northeast San Francisco Conservancy (a nonprofit land trust which would prune the existing cypresses and plant additional trees). It is crucial that a resolution be reached soon, because in their current state of disrepair, strong winds and rain could damage the trees' limbs during the next powerful storm. It is therefore essential that the pruning process begin as soon as possible to ensure that the cypresses remain intact until new trees are planted that can eventually take their place, including berry trees that will provide fresh fruit for the parrots.

IDA supporters played a major role in convincing San Francisco officials to take action. More than 2,400 caring people around the U.S. have signed IDA's petition to preserve the parrots' habitat. This show of strength helped convince Mayor Gavin Newsom to appoint the Director of City Greening, Marshall Foster, to take charge of the negotiations to save the trees. Supervisor Bevan Dufty said he received more emails in favor of helping the parrots than on any other issue since taking office in 2003. Thank you to everyone who took the time to speak out on the parrots' behalf: you made a real difference!

In our December e-newsletter, we also asked our members to urge the San Francisco Board of Supervisors to support the passage of strong landmark tree legislation that could protect the birds' habitat throughout San Francisco. We are excited to report that the Board approved Supervisor Jake McGoldrick's proposed measure to protect trees on both public and private property by a vote of 8 to 3, and it looks like Mayor Newsom will sign it into law in the near future. Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin praised the landmark tree legislation as a way to preserve habitats for birds and other animals while improving residents' quality of life. Kudos to all those who helped make life better for San Francisco's diverse urban wildlife, including the parrots, who fly to many different parts of the City every day.

However, the landmark tree legislation won't officially go into effect for several more weeks, so the agreement between the landowners and the Northeast San Francisco Conservancy is essential to ensuring the preservation of the trees near Bittner's home. A pro-parrot settlement will also provide more security than the designation of landmark status for the trees alone by enabling the community to actively participate in the parrots' welfare throughout the neighborhood. Seeing the parrots so clearly enjoying Bittner’s company on the Greenwich Steps warms the hearts of residents and visitors alike, so we want to ensure that they can continue their special relationship for years to come.

What You Can Do:

1) Just as IDA supporters helped pass the landmark tree legislation, we can now help ensure that the wild parrots of Telegraph Hill are able to maintain a close connection with their loving caretaker. Please click http://ga0.org/campaign/WildParrotsTelegraphHill to thank Mayor Newsom for assigning the Director of City Greening, Marshall Foster, to take charge of the negotiations, and urge him to ensure that the two sides reach a timely settlement that is favorable to the parrots.

2) If you haven't done so already, please click http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/793701901?ltl=1136406047 to sign IDA's petition to protect the wild parrots' habitat on Telegraph Hill.

3) Visit http://www.pelicanmedia.org/wildparrots.html to learn more about the wild parrots of Telegraph Hill. Click http://www.pelicanmedia.org/store.htm to purchase the film on DVD or VHS, and to buy Mark Bittner's New York Times best-selling book of the same name.


IDA's Vehicle Donation Program

Did you know that your car, truck, boat, RV or motorcycle could save a life?

If you have an old vehicle that's taking up space in your driveway or garage, you could donate it to IDA through our Car Program to help us save the lives of animals!

It's simple to do. Just visit our web site at http://www.idausa.org/supportf.html and follow the link under the heading "Donate Your Used Vehicle" which will direct you to a form that you can fill out and submit to us electronically. Or give us a call at (415) 388-9641, ext. 218, and Sage, our Member Services Assistant, will help you.

Help us stop animal cruelty by donating your unwanted vehicle to IDA today, and make a difference in the lives of animals.