IDA e-news: 2/01/06

IDA ALERTS
1. Stop Breeders from Selling Unweaned Baby Birds
2. Alaska Resumes Aerial Gunning of Wolves
3. Chronic Wasting Disease Prions Found in Deer Meat
CAMPAIGN NEWS & UPDATES
1. IDA Holds Massive Protest Against Chinese Cat and Dog Fur
2. February is Responsible Animal Guardian Month
3. IDA Facilitates National Television Premiere of The Witness


IDA ALERTS

1. Stop Breeders from Selling Unweaned Baby Birds
Urge Massachusetts Senators to Ban Interstate Transport of Chicks

Though birds are the third most popular animal companion in America, they are not protected under the federal Animal Welfare Act and in many states don't receive the same protections during infancy that puppies and kittens do. For instance, it is illegal in the State of Massachusetts for breeders and animal dealers to sell puppies or kittens who are less than eight weeks old and still incapable of feeding themselves. Yet baby birds are commonly sold well before that age and even shipped across state lines to pet stores. Their very survival is then dependent on staff who all too often are not properly trained in hand feeding and weaning, causing health complications that can seriously injure or even kill baby birds.

Over the past year, Foster Parrots ( http://www.fosterparrots.com ) has worked to put legislation in place that will ban the sale of unweaned baby birds in the state of Massachusetts. Senator Michael Morrissey is sponsoring the "Unweaned Baby Bird Bill" (S.B. 2195), which would protect baby birds by:

- Requiring breeders to keep baby parrots under their experienced care until they can effectively eat on their own and maintain their body weight over a period of two weeks.

- Requiring breeders to keep comprehensive records of hatch dates, weaning schedules and weights to ensure that chicks have been successfully weaned before being sold.

- Prohibiting the transport of unweaned babies across state lines to ensure that Massachusetts-born parrot chicks are not sold in other states, and that unweaned chicks from out of state are not shipped to pet stores in Massachusetts.

The bill has so far met with overwhelming approval, and will soon be presented to the Joint Committee on Community Development and Small Businesses for a vote. However a strong show of support from animal advocates across the country will give lawmakers an even greater incentive to pass this life saving bill. We encourage everyone to make their voices heard because unweaned baby birds are being transported long distances from Massachusetts to other states -perhaps even to your local pet store - before they can even feed themselves.

What You Can Do:

Click http://ga0.org/campaign/UnweanedBabyBirdBill to urge Massachusetts Senators on the Joint Committee on Community Development and Small Businesses to support the "Unweaned Baby Bird Bill" (S.B. 2195). To have greater influence, also write them a letter at the following address:

Members of the Joint Committee on Community Development and Small Businesses
c/o Paul Nolette
Legal Counsel
Room 39
State House
Boston, MA 02133-1054


2. Alaska Resumes Aerial Gunning of Wolves
Urge Secretary of the Interior to Stop Cruel and Senseless Wildlife Hunt

A week and a day after an Alaskan state court ruled aerial gunning of wolves illegal on January 17th, the state's Board of Game held an "emergency" meeting under pressure from trophy-hunting groups in which they voted to resume the barbaric practice. As soon as next week, sport hunters could begin the "hunt," either shooting the helpless animals from airplanes or chasing them down until the wolves are so exhausted that they can no longer run, at which point the mighty hunters land and shoot them at point blank range.

Over the last three years, aerial gunning has killed hundreds of wolves. Twenty-four wolves have already been murdered this year, and the state's programs are targeting over 400 more this winter alone. The reason this massacre takes place at all is that trophy hunters from around the world visit Alaska to shoot wild moose, and they have complained that wolves kill too many of "their" prey. Therefore, the state - which relies heavily on the revenue from hunting licenses for income - allows hunters to "manage" wolf population through killing merely so that a small group of self-styled tough guys can proudly display stuffed moose heads on their walls to prove how strong and brave they are.

Alaskans have voted against aerial gunning of wolves twice, in 1996 and 2000, yet it continues because Alaska Governor Frank Murkowski uses his political muscle to push it through, saying, "We've got a state to manage and a game population to manage, and we've got to do it not on a basis of emotion but on a basis of sound science." However, letting game hunters "manage" wildlife populations is clearly not based on science - the animals were doing just fine keeping one another in check before sadistic state-sponsored hunters started shooting them from airplanes. If the Governor were being truthful, he would have said that he manages the state and the game population based on the science of squeezing blood money from America's wildlife for him and his cronies.

What You Can Do:

- Click http://ga0.org/campaign/StopAerialGunning to urge Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton to enforce the Federal Airborne Hunting Act (FAHA) and end aerial gunning of wolves in Alaska. To have more impact, also contact her by phone or postal mail:

Interior Secretary Gale Norton
Department of the Interior
1849 C Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20240
Tel: (202) 208-3100

- Click http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/984880998?ltl=1138770819 to sign a petition urging President Bush to enforce the FAHA and end aerial gunning in Alaska.


3. Chronic Wasting Disease Prions Found in Deer Meat
Hunters Warned Against Eating the Flesh of Untested Deer

A study published in the journal Science last week confirmed the presence of infectious prions in the skeletal muscles of deer suffering from chronic wasting disease (CWD), a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) disease that is similar to BSE (i.e., mad cow disease). It is not yet known whether the disease can be transmitted from deer to humans, but it is found in deer, elk and moose in at least 11 states and two Canadian provinces. Until the release of this new study, state and federal officials had told hunters that they were in no danger of contracting CWD as long as they refrained from eating or touching a deer's brain or spinal cord. However, officials are now urging hunters to bring in the heads of their kills for testing before eating their meat because animals infected with CWD do not necessarily show any symptoms of sickness.

CWD and other TSEs are caused by prions, which are misfolded proteins that spread to different parts of the body, starting with nervous tissue, by distorting normal proteins with which they come into contact. Over time, the prions cause tiny holes in the brain, slowly killing their victims. Once these prions are created, they are extremely difficult to destroy. Soil can remain contaminated with prions indefinitely even after the area has been completely sterilized. Studies of humans who have contracted a TSE indicate that the body can harbor prions for up to 40 years before symptoms manifest. If it is found that deer can transmit CWD to humans via prions, victims may not even be aware that they are infected for several decades. The State of Colorado has recorded 39 cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) since 1998. It is possible that ingesting meat from infected deer could be responsible for some of these cases, but further research will be needed before this is known.

Rita Anderson of the Committee for Research Accountability, a project of IDA, has been working for several years with other individuals to shut down the Foothills Wildlife Research Facility operated by the Colorado Division of Wildlife (DOW) in Fort Collins, Colo. for endangering the public health and harming wild animals. This facility infects deer and cattle with CWD and keeps them in outdoor pens immediately adjacent to the city's water treatment plant. Some of the animals are abducted from national wildlife refuges in the area. Others are surrendered to the facility by wildlife rehabilitators when the people who bring these orphaned or injured wildlife in think they will receive care and be released back into the wild. Instead, they are infected with CWD and killed, and their meat is fed to captive mountain lions to determine if they too get sick.

Very little is known about prions at this point, but we do know that they are dangerous and the DOW shouldn't be gambling with people's lives and health. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) classifies BSE as a Bio-Safety level III disease because it is known to be transmissible from bovines to humans. CWD is considered a Bio-Safety level II disease because it is not yet know whether humans can contract it from deer. If prions from animals infected with CWD are getting into the city's drinking water, everyone who comes into contact with that water could be potentially endangered. Yet the DOW continues their prion experiments claiming that the public is completely safe without any hard scientific evidence to back up this claim. Fort Collins has the only research facility in the world that keeps animals infected with CWD outdoors next to a water treatment facility. Recently, by speaking at a public EPA hearing, Rita and her colleagues convinced authorities to postpone the issuing of a permit until further notice that would allow the DOW to install a septic system into which they want to flush water that likely contains prions.

Rita and other animal allies in Colorado have also been fighting Boulder County for killing hundreds of wild deer every year, claiming that culls will reduce the number of animals infected with CWD. IDA instead advocates the more humane and scientific approach taken by the City of Boulder, which tests living deer and lets them back into the wild. This will allow them to study the effect of CWD on the herd as a whole, as it may be possible that some animals have a genetic immunity to the disease. After years of observation by local scientists, it appears as though the herd remains healthy, so it is quite possible that CWD is one of nature's ways of managing herd populations.

What You Can Do:

Click http://ga0.org/campaign/CWD to urge Fort Collins Mayor Doug Hutchinson and the City Council to shut down the Foothills Wildlife Research Facility in the interest of public safety until more is known about CWD. Also contact Mr. Hutchinson via postal mail, email, phone or fax for greater impact.

Mayor Doug Hutchinson
P.O. Box 580
Fort Collins, CO 80522-0580
E-mail: dhutchinson [at] fcgov.com
Tel: (970) 221 6878
Fax: (970) 224 6107


CAMPAIGN NEWS & UPDATES

1. IDA Holds Massive Protest Against Chinese Cat and Dog Fur
Nearly 250 Demonstrators Converge on Chinese Consulate in Los Angeles

The Year of the Dog is starting out rough for China, as IDA and other animal allies throughout the world continue to expose the disgusting abuse of cats and dogs killed for fur in their country. IDA's Bill Dyer had hoped to get at least 200 people to help expose the "true price of fur" by holding signs and banners and handing out leaflets at a demonstration on Thursday, January 26th at the Consulate General of China in Los Angeles, but the turnout exceeded even his high expectations. Nearly 250 people representing many different nationalities came to speak out against cruelty to cats and dogs in the famously multicultural Southern California city. Many were motivated to action by what they saw on The Larry King Live show several weeks ago, which featured a panel of celebrity animal advocates and policy experts as well as gruesome undercover footage of cats and dogs being beaten and skinned alive for their pelts.

At the protest, activists urged people to boycott the Beijing 2008 Olympics and all products labeled "Made in China" to let the Chinese Government know that their economy will suffer the financial consequences of diminished tourism and consumer support until they make animal welfare a priority. Though the demonstration was peaceful, Consulate officials locked all the doors and refused to meet with the organizers, who had planned to present them with a letter calling for an end to the cruelty and a DVD documenting abuses on Chinese fur farms. Even though Chinese officials refused to listen to the demonstrators' pleas for justice, the organizers got the word out to the media with a press conference that was covered by three television networks, two radio stations and two newspapers. (You can see pictures of the protest and watch a video of the press conference and the swelling crowds at http://www.furkills.org/la_protest_olympics.shtml ). As word gets out and more people get involved in the campaign against cat and dog fur, the Chinese Government may learn that they cannot ignore Americans' outrage over their abuse of dogs and cats merely by locking the doors. We won't stop raising our voices until they make substantial changes in their treatment of animals.

The Los Angeles protest was the kickoff of an international campaign to end the Chinese cat and dog fur trade. We will hold another major demonstration against fur in L.A. on Sunday, February 12th. On Monday, February 13th, we will host a protest at the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco and the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C. in conjunction with protests being held at Chinese Consulates and Embassies by other animal rights organizations in New York, Canada, France and Israel. We are also actively trying to get more animal protection groups in other countries to participate in this global day of action against fur. By working together, we can focus the world's attention on the horrors that the international fur trade inflicts upon millions of innocent animals every day.

What You Can Do:

- Join IDA at our upcoming protests as we fight to save canines and other animals from a horrible death.

What: Los Angeles fur protest
When: Sunday, February 12th, 12:00 p.m.
Where: Intersection of Broadway at Cesar Chavez in Los Angeles. For more information, contact Bill Dyer at bill [at] idausa.org or (310) 301-7730

What: San Francisco fur protest
When: Monday, February 13th, 12:30 - 3:30 p.m.
Where: Consulate General of the People's Republic of China in San Francisco, 1450 Laguna Street (at the corner of Geary & Laguna - click http://www.chinaconsulatesf.org/eng/about/t50487.htm to see a map)
For more information and to RSVP, please contact Melissa Gonzalez at melissa [at] idausa.org or (415) 388-9641, ext. 228.

What: Washington, D.C. fur protest
When: Monday, February 13th, 11:00 a.m.
Where: Embassy of China, 2300 Connecticut Ave., Washington, D.C. (click http://tinyurl.com/bny7h for directions)
For more info and to RSVP, contact Rosa Close at Planetanimal [at] msn.com.

- 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.

- 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.

- Visit IDA's website http://www.furkills.org for more information about the fur industry.


2. February is Responsible Animal Guardian Month
IDA Offers Ideas for Ways to Celebrate by Helping Animals

IDA has declared February to be "Responsible Animal Guardian Month" to inspire compassionate individuals around the U.S. to honor the cherished animal companions whose love and affection provides so much joy. During this month, we encourage people to help homeless animals by getting IDA's "Adopt and Save A Life" public service announcement (PSA) aired in their communities, participating in IDA's Fourth Annual Guardians For Life Essay Contest or getting your Mayor or local officials to issue a proclamation officially making February Responsible Animal Guardian Month in your city.

IDA's "Be A Guardian: Adopt and Save A Life" PSA - IDA has produced many powerful PSAs that bring a message of compassion for animals to television audiences nationwide. In our new 30-second PSA, Columbo's Peter Falk and Shera Danese, world-renowned primatologist Jane Goodall, Wendie Malick from Just Shoot Me and Veronica Mars' Kristen Bell urge people to be guardians, not owners, and to "Be A Guardian: Adopt and Save A Life" instead of buying animals from breeders or pet stores. This is the latest in a series of powerful IDA PSAs that bring a message of compassion for animals to television audiences. You can view the PSA online at http://www.onlinevideoservice.com/clients/ida/vid7.html. 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. You can help them by getting this PSA aired in your community. To learn how, contact IDA's Guardian Campaign Coordinator Anjee Lang Anjee [at] idausa.org or (415) 388-9641, ext. 219.

IDA's Fourth Annual Guardians For Life Essay Contest - Students, grades 4 -12: tell us in your own words what being a guardian means to you and you could win up to $100! If you have a passion for helping animals, now is your chance to express yourself in writing and make a lasting impact on others. We've set up three different grade-based categories (4 - 6 grade, 7 - 8 grade and 9 - 12 grade), with specific assignments, word counts and guidelines for each. Teachers: IDA's essay contest offers a great opportunity to do a class project that helps students learn the value of treating animals with respect. The deadline for submissions is Tuesday, February 28th, 2006, and we'll announce the winners in each grade category in our e-newsletter on Wednesday, March 22nd. Click http://www.guardiancampaign.com/StudentContests.htm for writing guidelines and other information, as well as to read past essay winners. Good luck!

For more ideas on taking action to help animals during Responsible Animal Guardian Month, visit http://www.guardiancampaign.com/rag_month.htm.


6. IDA Facilitates National Television Premiere of The Witness
IDA's Gabe Quash Helps Animal Rights Documentary Get Aired on Link TV

Gabe Quash, producer of IDA's groundbreaking show Undercover TV ( http://www.undercovertv.org ), recently helped bring award-winning documentary The Witness to a national television audience. It all began when Gabe told Toni Whiteman, a producer for Link TV, about Tribe of Heart's powerful film. Toni, who produces Link TV's "The Active Opposition" with renowned actor and activist Peter Coyote, had this to say after viewing The Witness and learning about Tribe of Heart's years' long struggle to develop national broadcast opportunities: "We bring documentary films to the American viewer that extend far beyond the narrow scope of the popular media. The Witness is one of those films, made with the courage and commitment to speak on behalf of those who have no voice. The strength of the force to banish this provocative film is the very reason we chose to broadcast it."

A film festival favorite, The Witness highlights the dramatic and inspiring personal transformation of tough Brooklyn construction contractor Eddie Lama, whose heart is opened by the tender love of a kitten. After his remarkable change in consciousness, Eddie dedicates himself to rescuing homeless animals and bringing a message of compassion for animals to the streets of New York City via his TV-equipped FaunaVision van. The Witness has won seven Best Documentary awards and one Best of Festival award. Los Angeles Times columnist Howard Rosenberg wrote, "The Witness is one man's truth that cries out for mass exposure. It may be the most important and persuasive film about animals ever made."

"So many people who have seen The Witness at film festivals and independent theatres have asked us, 'why isn't this playing on national TV?'" said the film's producer James LaVeck. "We always tell them there are a lot of great films they're not getting to see that tell the truth about what goes on behind closed doors in this country. That's why now, this opportunity to reach a mass audience in partnership with a broadcaster with the integrity and independence of Link TV means so much."

Link TV (channel 375 on DirectTV, and channel 9410 on the DISH Network) will air The Witness to viewers in 27 million American homes on Saturday, February 25th at 7:00 p.m. PST / 10:00 p.m. EST. This will be the first time that the film is shown on national television. Be sure to tune in, and to let your family and friends know about this exciting event. We are gratified to have played a part in making this broadcast possible, and that IDA will be mentioned following the film.

Visit http://www.tribeofheart.org/tohhtml/linktvevite.htm for more information about Link TV's national television broadcast premiere of The Witness.


Register for Animal Rights 2006 National Conference

Registration for the special Animal Rights 2006 National Conference celebrating the 25th anniversary of our movement is now open. Register before February 15th and enjoy a half price registration rate of only $80. Here are three ways to register:

- Click http://farmusa.safeshopper.com/9/cat9.htm?851 to register online using your credit card
- Call 888 FARM USA to order by phone (please have your credit card handy)
- Send payment to: AR2006/FARM, 10101 Ashburton Lane, Bethesda, MD 20817 (please provide name, postal and e-mail addresses, and phone numbers for each registrant)

The conference will be held from August 10th to 14th at the Hilton Mark Center in Alexandria, a suburb of Washington, D.C. (click http://tinyurl.com/9c58p to see a map). This is the most attractive venue the AR conference has had since Farm Animal Reform Movement (FARM) started hosting it in 1981. The hotel is located on a small lake and adjoins a botanic preserve with running trails, and the building has lots of windows to let in sunlight. FARM was able to negotiate a room rate of only $85/95 + tax (10.5%+$1) for single/multiple occupancy - a great bargain for a luxury hotel in the nation's capital. Depending on occupancy, that works out to as little as $26.50/person including tax. All bedding and personal care items are cruelty-free. To make a reservation, please call 800 HILTONS (800-445-8667) and mention Animal Rights 2006.

The all-vegan meal prices are equally impressive: breakfast - $2.50 to $5.00; lunch - $6.00 to $7:00; dinner - $12:00. The evening receptions offer free munchies and sodas and a cash bar. The Awards Banquet is only $25.

As in previous years, IDA is a proud co-sponsor of the Animal Rights 2006 National Conference. Visit http://www.arconference.org to register, see a program schedule and photos from last year's conference, and hear selected talks in mp3 format.