IDA eNews: 7/05/06

IDA ACTION ALERTS
1. Intensive Fishing Threatens Pacific Coast Marine Animals
2. Bill to Ban Foie Gras Introduced in New Jersey
3. Oppose Opening of New Dolphinarium in France
CAMPAIGN NEWS & UPDATES
1. In Memory of Raymond D. Giraud, Animal Activist
2. Lawmakers Move to Protect Animal Companions in Emergencies
3. Spanish Parliament Considers Rights for Great Apes


IDA ACTION ALERTS

1. Intensive Fishing Threatens Pacific Coast Marine Animals
Regional ban on drift gillnet and longline fishing could be reversed soon

The American government is now working towards bringing back two of the most deadly and environmentally-destructive forms of fishing to the U.S. Pacific Coast. Though use of the notorious "curtains of death" known as drift gillnets has been banned on the high seas by the United Nations and restricted in the waters along the entire West Coast, it could be reinstated as soon as August. The revival of drift gillnets and a possible reversal of the ban on deadly longline fishing techniques would put the lives millions of marine animals in currently protected waters at serious risk.

In drift gillnet fishing, fishermen lower gigantic nets approximately one mile in length into the ocean in the evening to catch fish and hoist them up the next morning to retrieve their catch. However, countless other aquatic species -- including sea turtles, whales, dolphins, seals and sharks -- also become entangled in the nearly invisible traps. Some of them, such as marine mammals that need to come up for air and sharks who need to keep swimming in order to breathe through their gills, drown for lack of oxygen. These animals are not commercially valuable and are therefore typically thrown, dead of dying, back into the sea. Many of these species are critically endangered, such as the leatherback sea turtle, which scientists warn could soon become extinct in the Pacific if longlines and gillnets continue to be used.

Similar dangers are also connected with industrial longline fishing, in which a line that is up to 60 miles long is embedded with thousands of hooks and trailed behind a boat. Longline fishing has been banned along the entire U.S. West Coast since 2004, but steps are also being taken to renew the practice in these waters. It is estimated that longline fishing inadvertently snares 40,000 sea turtles, 300,000 seabirds, and millions of sharks worldwide each year. Both of these indiscriminate fishing methods are extremely destructive to the environment. They are to the ocean what clear-cutting is to forests, or what strip-mining for minerals is to the earth. Together they represent the main causes of overfishing and the dangerous depletion of fish populations in the world's oceans.

What You Can Do:

Urge the government not to roll back protections for aquatic animals by reintroducing these destructive fishing practices along the Pacific coast. Click http://ga0.org/campaign/fishing to send a letter to NOAA Fisheries asking them to keep drift gillnet and longline fishing out of protected areas along the Pacific Coast. Please also contact NOAA Fisheries' director by phone, fax, personal email or postal mail.

Dr. William Hogarth, Director
NOAA Fisheries Service
1315 East West Highway, SSMC3
Silver Spring, MD 20910
Tel: (301) 713-2379
Fax: (301) 713-2384
Email: bill.hogarth [at] noaa.gov


2. Bill to Ban Foie Gras Introduced in New Jersey
Garden State is one of many where legislation to outlaw deadly "delicacy" is pending

Last month, Assemblywoman Joan Voss introduced A3230, a bill to ban the production of foie gras in New Jersey, making it the seventh state to contemplate outlawing the force-feeding ducks in order to sell their enlarged, diseased livers. In 2004, California became the first state to pass legislation banning foie gras, and Chicago became the first U.S. city to ban the sale of foie gras from force-fed ducks and geese in April 2006. Other bills to ban foie gras are currently being considered in Hawaii, New York, Illinois, Massachusetts and Washington State. Philadelphia is slated to vote on a foie gras ban in the City of Brotherly Love by the end of the year.

To produce foie gras, workers shove rigid pipes into birds' throats twice per day, every day and force them to ingest massive quantities of grain. The ducks and geese who survive the feedings suffer from a painful illness that causes their livers to swell up five to ten times their normal size. After they are slaughtered, their diseased livers are sold as foie gras. Investigations in France and at the only three foie gras farms in the U.S. prove that one standard of foie gras production -- regardless of the region -- is cruelty. That is why at least fifteen nations around the world have either banned force-feeding or deemed it illegal under their established animal protection laws.

What You Can Do:

- New Jersey residents: Please click http://ga0.org/campaign/A3230NJforcefding/wwwgsg74atndje8? to urge members of the state Assembly Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee to support the bill to ban foie gras production. Also contact Assemblywoman Joan Voss to thank her for introducing this compassionate legislation.

Assemblywoman Joan Voss
520 Main Street
Fort Lee, NJ 07024
(201) 346-6400

- Visit http://www.stopforcefeeding.com/page.php?module=article&article_id=25 to learn how you can support legislative efforts to ban foie gras pending in other states and how to get a bill to ban foie gras introduced in your state.

Click http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/2006/Bills/A3500/3230_I1.HTM to read more about the bill to ban foie gras in New Jersey.


3. Oppose Opening of New Dolphinarium in France
Questionable study of dolphin communication cannot justify lifelong suffering

The Grevin Group -- owner of dolphinariums in both France and Holland -- is now trying to open a dolphinarium in their newly acquired safari park "Planète Sauvage" in Nantes, France. Dolphins are widely regarded as one of the most intelligent species on the planet, and displaying them in amusement parks like Planète Sauvage causes incredible suffering for the unfortunate marine mammals captured from the ocean and forced to perform tricks for profit. The Grevin Group's dubious justification for cruelly keeping dolphins in captivity is a highly questionable study into dolphin communication. However, if people would only listen to dolphins, we already know that the message they are trying to communicate is "Let us be free!"

Like elephants in zoos, captive dolphins suffer the consequences of an inadequate holding environment and all too often pay to entertain others with their very lives. For example, wild dolphins typically swim between 40 and 100 miles a day in the open sea, enjoying the rich and varied ocean environment. In contrast, the life of a captive dolphin is one of severe deprivation. Taking these animals from their families and placing them in barren concrete tanks filled with chlorinated water in which they can only swim in endless circles is a cruel and unnatural punishment for such vibrant creatures.

While dolphins can live 40 years in the ocean, they often die prematurely in captivity. Common causes of death include stress-related conditions like pneumonia, self-inflicted injuries, accidents and confrontations with other intensively confined dolphins and whales. They also endure other captivity-induced afflictions like ulcers, blindness and skin problems caused by heavily chlorinated water.

In order to carry out their plans, the Grevin Group must first obtain a permit to keep dolphins at Planète Sauvage. This gives animal advocates a chance to stop these profit-driven pirates from enriching themselves by exploiting more dolphins and perpetuating the belief that humans have the right to dominate other species.

What You Can Do:

Please write a short letter to the officials who will decide whether to issue a permit allowing the Grevin Group to exhibit dolphins at Planète Sauvage. Please copy and paste the first sentence in the French sample letter below, then add one or two sentences in English explaining why you oppose the establishment of another dolphinarium. Please address your letter to Commissioner Claes and cc the other two officials. Note that it costs $.83 to send a letter by Air Mail to France.

Sample Letter:

Dear Mr. Claes,

Je vous écris pour vous demander de ne pas autoriser le parc Planète Sauvage, situé à Port Saint Père, à détenir des dauphins.

(English translation: "I am writing to ask you to please not give Planète Sauvage, the park located in Port Saint Père, a permit to hold dolphins.")

Dolphins are free-ranging, large-brained, self-aware and sonic creatures who do not belong inside of a concrete pool. Please do the right thing and vote NO on the captive dolphin issue, thus keeping Nantes dolphin friendly.

Sincerely,

[your name]

Mairie de Port St Père
Mr. Jean Claes, Commissaire enquêteur
29 rue de Pornic
44710 Port St Père
France

Préfecture de Loire Atlantique
Mr. Bernard Boucault, Préfet de la Région Pays de la Loire et Préfet de la Loire Atlantique
6 quai Ceineray
44000 Nantes
France

Mairie de Nantes
Mr. Jean Marc Ayrault, Député-Maire
2 rue de l'Hôtel de Ville
44094 Nantes Cedex 1
France


CAMPAIGN NEWS & UPDATES

1. In Memory of Raymond D. Giraud, Animal Activist
Stanford Emeritus Professor spent long life fighting for animals

Harriet Beecher Stowe's oft-quoted adage, "It's a matter of taking the side of the weak against the strong, something the best people have always done," always reminds me of Ray and Lise Giraud. Whether it was speaking out against the wars in Vietnam and Iraq, fighting injustice in Haiti and Venezuela, or standing up for the workers and the animals victimized by an arrogant university administration, Ray and Lise were never afraid to do what was right, even if it meant risking social and professional alienation.

Raymond D. Giraud, Stanford Emeritus Professor of French Literature, Human Rights and Animal Rights activist died on June 17, at the age of 85. He is survived by his wife Lise, a Librarian Emerita at Stanford. Animal rights activists nationwide are mourning the loss of this wonderful man and long-time IDA supporter.

For over 20 years, Ray and Lise were co-directors of education for IDA. They were cornerstones of the animal rights movement in the Bay Area and were stalwart participants in protests against circuses, rodeos and other events involving animal cruelty.

Ray and Lise were also strong spokespersons against the use of animals in Stanford University's laboratories. They filed a lawsuit against the cruel treatment of a dog in a Stanford experiment, which was settled when the USDA agreed to stronger enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act at Stanford's animal labs. They also led a two-day march from Palo Alto to San Francisco to protest Stanford's use of dogs and other animals in experiments.

In 1999, Ray and Lise were named Humanitarians of the Year by the Marin Humane Society. At the news of Ray's passing, Marin County Democratic political activist and animal protection advocate Helen Brown wrote:

"When I think of Ray, I think of the gravitas and dignity his and Lise's presence added to every cause, demonstration or protest against injustice and ignorance.

This in combination with his stunning, yet never intimidating intelligence, genuine charm, wit and humility all contributed to the deep appeal this man had. His conviction to justice and abhorrence for cruelty was something he modeled and advocated for. He conveyed a sense of the necessity to fight for justice which was contagious to all who met him."

Ray Giraud was truly one of the finest people we have ever known. In Defense of Animals is honored to have worked alongside Ray for so many years. We will miss him greatly.

To learn more about Ray Giraud's life and work, click http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/06/27/BAG5VJKU341.DTL&hw=Ray+Giraud&sn=001&sc=1000 to read his obituary in the San Francisco Chronicle.


2. Lawmakers Move to Protect Animal Companions in Emergencies
New state and federal laws enacted as hurricane season approaches

Last year's Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast and resulted in a massive loss of life, both human and animal. Many of these deaths could have been prevented if rescue efforts run by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) had allowed for storm victims to take their animal companions with them when evacuating their homes and seeking shelter. According to one poll conducted by the Louisiana SPCA, 44% of those who chose to stay behind in New Orleans when rescue workers arrived did so because they bravely refused to leave their animal friends when their lives were in such severe danger.

To avoid a repeat of this national tragedy, the public has put pressure on the government to pass laws that will ensure the safety of animal companions in the next large-scale disaster. In a landslide 349 to 24 vote, the U.S. House of Representatives recently passed the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act (PETS Act), and the Senate will soon consider their own companion bill. Meanwhile, four states -- Florida, Hawaii, New Hampshire and Vermont -- have recently approved bills to address this problem. Maine was the first state to do so in 2005, and other states are working on similar measures.

The most sweeping effort to date is being made by Louisiana legislators who passed a bill in June to protect pets from harm during emergencies. This measure will establish shelters throughout the state for animal companions and include an identification system that will help guardians reclaim their pets after a disaster. Governor Kathleen Blanco is expected the sign the bill into law soon.

What You Can Do:

- Click http://ga0.org/campaign/PETSACT_clone to urge your two U.S. Senators to ensure animal companions' safety in the next large-scale emergency by approving the PETS Act.

- Louisiana residents: Click http://ga0.org/campaign/LouisianaAnimalDisasterLaw to urge Governor Blanco to sign the bill introduced by Senator Heulette "Clo" Fontenot that will save thousands of animals' lives when disaster strikes.


3. Spanish Parliament Considers Rights for Great Apes
Spain could be first nation to recognize rights of non-human species

In last week's eNewsletter ( http://idausa.org/campaigns/sport/bull/alert_060628.html ), we reported that the Spanish region of Catalonia was moving toward banning bullfights by protecting bulls under existing animal cruelty laws. While this is certainly an encouraging development, Spain has been pondering an even more forward-thinking and intriguing possibility: granting great apes legal rights of personhood to protect them from exploitation and abuse.

Francisco Garrido, a bioethicist and Green MP representing Seville, recently introduced a resolution in the Spanish parliament's environment committee to extend the basic rights of life, freedom and protection from torture to chimpanzees, orangutans, bonobos and gorillas. The committee is expected to pass the resolution, as it enjoys widespread support among both the public and many government officials, and Garrido is hopeful that a full-fledged Great Apes Law will be introduced following the summer recess. If that is approved, Spain will become the first country in the world to grant rights to non-human species.

This could have many beneficial implications not only for great apes in Spain but also around the world. A Great Ape Law would redefine the legal status and standing of certain simian species by eradicating human or institutional "ownership" of apes. They would instead be placed under the "moral guardianship" of the state, preventing their exploitation for profit. With passage of the new law, most apes now in Spanish zoos and circuses would henceforth live in state-sponsored sanctuaries. In addition, harming or mistreating a great ape would be punishable as a criminal offense (barring cases of self-defense and euthanasia). The use of great apes in medical research would also come to an end in Spain, as it has in Britain and New Zealand.

A Great Ape Law would also have global repercussions. For instance, it would impel the state to use its voting power in international forums and organizations to promote the welfare of captive great apes in other countries and help avert the extinction of wild apes. In addition, a Spanish law protecting rights for animals would raise the bar for other European countries, making it likely that they would pass similar legislation. Finally, it would set an important precedent that could be applied to the protection of other cognitively complex species, especially elephants, whales and dolphins.

While the resolution is considered controversial, most who oppose it do so because they believe that every right is by definition a "human" right, so of all the millions of species living on planet Earth, only humans can have rights. From this narrow perspective, granting animals even the most basic right of freedom from abuse would be an affront to our laws and traditions while challenging to the very core the self-centered idea that we have the right to use other species for our supposed benefit regardless of their interests. Nonetheless, Spain's environment minister Cristina Narbona has already addressed critics' concerns by clarifying the law's intent. "We are not talking about granting human rights to great apes," she stated, "(but about) protecting (their) habitat, avoiding their ill-treatment and their use in various circus activities." The fact that our entire civilization continues to deny these basic rights to all animals in order to keep them powerless and enslaved is the height of human arrogance and the epitome of speciesism.

The declaration as it stands was inspired by and based on concepts advanced by the Great Ape Project (GAP) ( http://www.greatapeproject.org ), "an international group founded to work for the global removal of non-human great apes from the category of mere property, and for their immediate protection through the implementation of basic legal principles designed to provide these amazing creatures with the right to life, the freedom of liberty and protection from torture." In seeking to secure rights for non-human primates, GAP scientists point to solid scientific evidence of the remarkable biological, psychological and social congruities between great apes and human beings. For example, over 99% of our DNA is identical to that of great apes, and they display thinking, emotions and even moral qualities very similar to our own. There is also wealth of scientific data indicating that great apes and other species are sentient and self-aware.

In 1993, GAP published the first edition a book edited by eminent philosophers Peter Singer and Paola Cavalieri called "The Great Ape Project: Equality Beyond Humanity" in which scientists and legal experts cogently argue that great apes are worthy of protective rights. IDA founder and President Dr. Elliot Katz contributed an essay to the volume, and has long been one of GAP's strongest supporters. "Spain's proposal to grant the fundamental rights of life and liberty to great apes represents a milestone in the evolution of human thinking about our relationship and moral obligation to other species," Katz said. "I can't help but think how wonderful it would be to see American leaders discussing this vital ethical issue in the halls of Congress."

To learn more, click http://www.greatapeproject.org/merch.php and order a copy of "The Great Ape Project: Equality Beyond Humanity."


IDA Job Opportunities

Have you ever wanted to make animal rights your career? Well, now you can make that dream a reality, because IDA has several job openings at our new San Rafael headquarters in the beautiful San Francisco Bay Area. IDA is looking for highly motivated individuals to fill several exciting positions, including:

- Development Director
- Development Associate
- Technical Support / Network Support Engineer
- Graphic Production Artist
- Graphic Designer
- Administrative Assistant
- Web Designer

To learn more about the duties and qualifications for these positions and to apply, visit IDA's Job Opportunities webpage ( http://www.idausa.org/about/jobs.html ).