IDA eNews: 8/02/06

IDA ACTION ALERTS
1. China Viciously Massacres 54,000 Dogs in Rabies Scare
2. Save Horses from the Omak Suicide Race
3. New Doc "Dark Water Rising" Illuminates Katrina Rescue
Efforts

CAMPAIGN NEWS & UPDATES
1. IDA's Guardian of the Month for August -- Mike McCoy
2. IDA to Honor Moby with Distinguished Guardian Award at AR2006
3. B-52s Singer Promotes IDA's Feral Cat Campaign in NYC

IDA ACTION ALERTS

1. China Viciously Massacres 54,000 Dogs in Rabies Scare
Urge Chinese Ambassador to U.S. to stop future culls

In a shocking display of cruelty that has triggered an
international outcry, Chinese officials in the southeastern
county of Mouding in Yunnan Province ordered the brutal
execution of at least 54,429 dogs last week. The reason: A third
human death from rabies in a county of 200,000 people.

A massive task force led by the Director of the Public Security
Bureau carried out the mass-killing over a five day-period
beginning on Tuesday, July 25th. In cities around the county,
task force officers stopped guardians who were walking their
dogs and beat the animals to death with clubs while their
guardians looked on in horror. Sometimes, officers poisoned the
dogs, or killed them by hanging or electrocution. Under cover of
night, the officers raided the rural countryside, provoking dogs
to bark so they could find and bludgeon their canine victims to
death. All of this was done on the County Government's orders.

To save themselves some work, Mouding County officials also
offered guardians a financial incentive of 5 yuan (about 62
cents in the U.S.) to kill their own dogs. Guardians faced a
horrible choice between putting their own animal companions down
using the most humane methods available to them or waiting for
the Death Squads to arrive and torture their family members
until they lay lifeless. By Sunday, July 30th, over 90% of the
county's dogs were murdered in cold blood; only guard dogs and
police dogs were spared.

About 4,000 dogs in Mouding County were already vaccinated
against rabies, but these were killed as well because a
veterinary official claimed that vaccination is only 85%
effective in preventing transmission of the disease. Based on
this assessment, public health authorities dismissed vaccination
plans as inadequate and pronounced the massacre necessary to
safeguard the county's human population. However, even if it had
been the case that killing dogs was the only way to protect
people from rabies, the animals should have been humanely
euthanized, not beaten to a bloody pulp. The exceptionally
malicious and cruel attacks Public Security Bureau officers
perpetrated against China's dogs and their helpless guardians
would be inexcusable under any circumstances.

Some medical and legal authorities blame the Chinese Government
for not taking enough preventive measures against rabies. Dr.
Francette Dusan, an expert from The World Health Organization
(WHO) who specializes in diseases people can contract from
animals, criticized China's rabies control methods, most of
which she said "(consist) of purely reactive dog culls." An
editorial in Legal Daily, the newspaper of the central
government's Politics and Law Committee, put it more bluntly:
"Wiping out the dogs shows these government officials didn't do
their jobs right in protecting people from rabies in the first
place."

Rabies is on the rise throughout China, with 2,651 deaths
attributed to the disease reported in 2004 out of a population
of approximately 1.2 billion. There are hundreds of millions of
canine companions across China, yet only about 3% have received
rabies vaccinations. Mass dog culls are likely to continue until
the Chinese government makes preventing rabies through
vaccination programs and public education a higher priority.

What You Can Do:

Write, call or fax the Chinese Ambassador to the U.S. urging him
to ensure that other counties don't follow Mouding's bad example
and to push his government to initiate effective preventive
measures against the spread of rabies.

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

2. Save Horses from the Omak Suicide Race
Annual Washington State rodeo event returns in August

Every year, as part of the Omak Stampede Rodeo, the small town
of Omak in Eastern Washington State plays host to the Omak
Suicide Race, a deadly competition that has killed at least 20
horses since 1983. The race will be held again this year from
August 10th to 13th.

The Suicide Race takes place over the course of four days and
nights. Riders begin by careening their horses down Suicide
Hill, a 210-foot plunge at a 62 degree angle (which is close to
a vertical 45 degree angle). The horses then confront the narrow
entrance of the Okanogan River at breakneck speed, often getting
caught in bottlenecks and crashing into one another. Those
horses who make it into the river must swim over 100 yards and
make a final desperate sprint up a 500 foot hill to the finish
line.

Many of the horses used in the Suicide Race suffer heart attacks
from overexertion, broken bones from collisions and even death
by drowning. In the 2004 race, three horses died in the first
heat alone. Many more horses also die later from racing injuries
or during practice runs, but these fatalities are not documented
or calculated.

Race promoters claim that the Suicide Race is a Native American
rite of passage for adolescent boys to become adult men, but it
was not historically a tradition of the twelve Colville
Confederated Tribes that have lived in the area for centuries.
Even if it were a tradition, it would be offensive to turn a
sacred rite of passage into a commercial event. In addition,
many of the contestants are well into their thirties -- well
past adolescence -- and race only for money and fame.

Far from being a tradition, the Suicide Race was created in 1936
by a local furniture salesman and publicity chair for the Omak
Stampede Rodeo (which had started the year before) as a way to
boost attendance and tourism. Many people attend the Stampede
because it takes place during the Colville tribes' annual Pow
Wow, a fascinating event that showcases traditional Native
American culture. The tribes boycotted the Stampede in 1999
because it had become too commercial, but later re-endorsed it
after Omak Stampede, Inc. agreed to move the Indian Encampment
to a better location and double the Suicide Race purse to
$16,000 -- all without making the event less commercial. This
only shows that the Suicide race is all about currency, not
culture.

What You Can Do:

- Write to the Professional Cowboys Rodeo Association (PCRA) and
urge them to withdraw their sanction of the deadly Omak Suicide
Race. Remind them that, according to the promoters, the Suicide
Race is not separate from the Omak Stampede, as PCRA has claimed
in the past.

Professional Cowboys Rodeo Association
101 Pro Rodeo Drive
Colorado Springs, CO 80919-2301

- Urge the Omak Stampede's corporate sponsors -- Pepsi, Coors
and Wrangler Jeans -- to withdraw their support from this cruel
event. Contact:

Steven S. Reinemund, Chariman and CEO
PepsiCo, Inc.
700 Anderson Hill Rd.
Purchase, NY 10577-1444
Tel: (914) 253-2000
Fax: (914) 253-2070

Eric H. Molson, Chairman
Molson Coors Brewing Company
311 10th St.
Golden, CO 80401-0030
Tel: (800) 642-6116
Fax: (303) 277-5415
Webform: http://www.coors.com/contact.asp
(Note: you must be 21 years or over to contact this company)

Wrangler Jeans Co.
VF Jeanswear Corporate HQ
400 North Elm St.
Greensboro, NC 27401
Tel: (888) -784-8571
Webform: http://www.wrangler.com/pages/wr_contact.asp?sid=6073158447

-Watch a PSA against the Omak Suicide Race
( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evC8FAFMu2M )

3. New Doc "Dark Water Rising" Illuminates Katrina Rescue
Efforts
IDA sponsors film nationally as part of Guardian Campaign

As the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina approaches on
August 29th, award-winning filmmaker Mike Shiley (Inside Iraq:
The Untold Stories) is screening his new documentary Dark Water
Rising: The Truth About Hurricane Katrina Animal Rescues
( http://www.darkwaterrising.com ) in dozens of cities across the
country. IDA is sponsoring the 75-minute movie nationally,
beginning with coast-to-coast test screenings in twelve U.S.
cities as part of our Guardian Campaign. The film portrays many
aspects of what being a guardian means, both for individuals and
society at large, emphasizing just how important and
irreplaceable each animal's life is. From the individuals who
left animals tied to trees in their backyards like mere
disposable property, to the government officials who refused
evacuees the right to bring their animal companions when
evacuating, to the heroes who risked their lives saving the
thousands of dogs and cats stranded in the disaster-stricken
city, at the film's heart is the message that animals need to be
respected as the sentient creatures they are. By adopting
guardian language and treating animals as companions, not
property, our society will begin to make progress in its
treatment of animals. Local showings will be fundraisers for
area animal shelters.

Dark Water Rising is the story of the tens of thousands of
animals who were left behind in New Orleans during Hurricane
Katrina, the worst natural disaster in U.S. history, and the
courageous people who set out to rescue survivors against all
odds. Many guardians were forced to leave their animal
companions behind to die because Federal Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA) rescuers would not allow animals in transport
vehicles or emergency shelters. Floodwaters trapped at least
40,000 animals in their houses for months, where many died from
starvation. Humane volunteers from around the country came to
rescue animals in Katrina's wake, braving toxic floodwaters and
breaking down doors to save animals' lives. IDA-Project Hope was
on the front lines of this historic effort, and coordinated with
many groups to rescue, shelter, feed and transport animals.

The film documents the heroic rescuers' efforts, showing both
the tragic and heartwarming sides of animal rescue. For every
animal that was reunited with a guardian or adopted into a new
family, many more starved or died from illness. Shiley exposes
the fatal shortcomings of the federal response to Katrina in
hopes of raising public awareness about the need for
comprehensive animal evacuation plans in preparation for
large-scale disasters. This is especially relevant now that the
House of Representatives passed the Pets Evacuation and
Transportation Standards (PETS) Act and the Senate is about to
vote on it. If the PETS Act passes, local and state authorities
will be required to provide for the needs of animal companions
and their guardians during disasters to be eligible for FEMA
grants.

What You Can Do:

- Watch the trailer for Dark Water Rising: The Truth About
Hurricane Katrina Rescues
( http://www.darkwaterrising.com/trailer.html )

- See the film when it screens in your area
( http://www.darkwaterrising.com/tours.html ). IDA will be tabling
at some of the showings. If you would like to organize a table
during a screening in your area, call (415) 388-9641 to get
outreach materials. Also print or order IDA's Guardian Campaign
brochures ( http://www.guardiancampaign.com/printable.htm ).

- IDA and Mike Shiley are looking for animal protection
organizations and individuals who would like to screen the film
in their communities. If you would like to screen the film in
your area to benefit your local humane society, please contact
Mike Shiley at shidog1 [at] hotmail.com .

- Order a DVD of Dark Water Rising
( http://www.filmbaby.com/product_info.php?products_id=997 ).
Please type "IDA member" in the message area of the order form,
as $5.00 will be donated to IDA for each DVD purchased by our
supporters.

- Urge your Senators to pass the PETS Act to protect animal
companions in the next disaster
( http://ga0.org/campaign/PETSACT_clone ). Please also contact
your elected officials by phone. Get your elected officials'
contact information.
( http://ga0.org/indefenseofanimals/leg-lookup/search.tcl )

- Learn more about IDA's Guardian Campaign
( http://www.GuardianCampaign.com ) and how you can be the impetus
for change in your city.

CAMPAIGN NEWS & UPDATES

1. IDA's Guardian of the Month for August - Mike McCoy
Turning Imperial Beach, Calif. into a Guardian City just one of
vet's many victories for animals

IDA is proud to honor our Guardian of the Month for August, Mike
McCoy, a veterinarian, conservationist and long-time animal
advocate who recently convinced the city of Imperial Beach (pop.
28,000) to pass an ordinance recognizing citizens as the
"owner/guardian" of their animal companions.

Dr. McCoy (no relation to "Bones" from the original Star Trek TV
series) said his motivations for promoting the Guardian Campaign
were born from personal and professional experience. "As a
practicing veterinarian for almost 40 years, I've seen people do
horrible things to animals -- abuse, neglect and abandonment are
all too common," said McCoy. "Perhaps these are the extremes,
but their very occurrence suggests we need to find ways of
changing people's minds so they will treat animals with respect.
Language is a great tool to start with, so I initiated a
guardian campaign in my city to raise society's awareness of
issues affecting animals."

"The character of a person, community, state and nation can be
judged by the way they treat their animal citizens, both
domestic and wild," McCoy continued. "I therefore want to take
this opportunity to thank the city council, city staff, the
special citizens of Imperial Beach and the staff at In Defense
of Animals for making it possible to incorporate owner/guardian
into our new Animal Ordinance. With this simple change in
wording, Imperial Beach and its citizens will become a leader in
making a better society."

McCoy's successful guardian effort is one in a very long line of
accomplishments for animals and their habitats comprising an
illustrious activist career that spans nearly four decades.
After earning his veterinary degree in 1970, McCoy interned at
the San Diego Zoo. During that time, he co-founded (with the San
Diego Sierra Club) Project Wildlife, a rehabilitation center for
injured wild animals, and did all of the veterinary work while
getting his colleagues on board. Meanwhile, he also helped pass
a moratorium in California on mountain lion hunting to stop
sport hunters and ranchers from indiscriminately killing these
majestic apex predators, conducting research that included
tracking the wild cats with radio collars in Big Sur, Calif.

In 1973, McCoy was a member of a team that worked to formulate a
new plan to more humanely manage the Yellowstone Bison Herd. The
animals were being targeted for eradication because the bison
had caught brucellosis from grazing cattle, and ranchers feared
that uninfected cattle would contract the disease from bison.
The management plan sought to minimize the indiscriminate
killing of the animals. (Researchers are uncertain whether bison
can pass brucellosis back to cattle.) McCoy then spent several
years as head veterinarian at the Henry Doorley Zoo in Omaha,
Neb. In 1976, he went into private practice as an associate with
another vet at the Imperial Beach Pet Hospital, then bought the
business in 1990.

All throughout his professional career, McCoy has been devoted
to environmental conservation, playing an instrumental role in
establishing the San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge
( http://www.fws.gov/sandiegorefuges ), the Tijuana Slough
National Wildlife Refuge
( http://www.fws.gov/sandiegorefuges/Tijuana.htm ) and the Tijuana
River National Estuarine Research Reserve
( http://nerrs.noaa.gov/TijuanaRiver ), which is one of only 22
sites in the U.S. designated a "Wetland of International
Importance" under the Ramsar Convention ( http://www.ramsar.org) .
Wetlands -- where rivers meet the sea -- are ecologically
critical areas and home to many endangered animals, including
birds, fish and amphibians. In recognition of his achievements,
McCoy was accorded the Teddy Roosevelt National Conservation
Award in 1990, and (with his wife Patricia, an Imperial Beach
City Councilmember) the National Wetlands Award in 1998.

A resident of San Diego County, Dr. McCoy has also spent many
years serving on the County's Animal Control Committee
(1978-88), Fish and Wildlife Commission (1988-96) and Parks
Committee (1988 to present). These bodies make important
County-level decisions about how wild and domestic animal
populations will be handled -- whether humanely or inhumanely --
as well as land-use and resource management issues. In
collaboration with professional veterinary associations, McCoy
has consistently raised the County's standards for the
protection, health and welfare of animals, especially in making
affordable spay/neuter and vaccination clinics available to
reduce animal companion overpopulation.

Going along with his strong commitment to animal welfare and
environmentalism, Dr. McCoy is also a vegetarian. He experienced
the horrors of factory farming firsthand as a young veterinary
student at Colorado State University, where one of the school's
large animal rotations was in a feedlot and meat packing plant.
Here McCoy saw "animals treated like commodities, crowded
together in filthy conditions with no regard for their well
being as sentient creatures, their lives a sheer hell from birth
to death."

In everything he did, McCoy continued to gain valuable life
experiences that expanded his consciousness and compassion,
leading towards great inner changes. His interest in animals and
environmentalism continued to intensify, and within a few years,
he started meditating, an experience that enhanced his
appreciation of the inherent value of all life forms. "The way
you treat the land and other living creatures is ultimately the
way you treat yourself," stated McCoy. "Meat represents an
immense amount of suffering for animals and the environment, yet
those who eat it don't seem to make this connection. I think it
is of the greatest importance for people not to block out their
awareness of the devastating impact that dietary choices have on
their health, the animals and the Earth. Personally, taking part
in activities that respect the web of life -- like vegetarian
eating, organic gardening and recycling -- gives me a strong
sense of fulfillment and spiritual connectedness with the
millions of species that share this planet."

In addition to Mike and Patricia, the McCoy family includes a
couple of four-legged members. Dinky May, a 14-year-old
Chihuahua/Pomeranian cross who loves going for long walks, "has
no idea that she is tiny," McCoy claims, "because she has such a
valiant heart. People often think she is a miniature German
shepherd!" Then there is Millie, a stray tabby cat who adopted
the McCoys several months ago and has since made herself quite
at home. Both are very fortunate to have such caring guardians.

IDA is proud to honor Mike McCoy for his dedicated efforts to
save animals and their habitats.

2. IDA to Honor Moby with Distinguished Guardian Award at AR2006
Still time to make plans to attend conference in Washington,
D.C. August 10th - 14th

IDA is proud to honor musician and prominent animal rights
adherent Moby with our Distinguished Guardian Award, which will
be presented during the Animal Rights 2006 (AR2006) conference
taking place from August 10th to 14th in Washington, D.C. Past
IDA Distinguished Guardian Award celebrity recipients include
comedienne Ellen DeGeneres, journalist Keely Shaye Smith and
actress Wendie Malick.

The great-great-grandnephew of Moby Dick author Herman Melville,
Moby has championed the cause of animals through music and
advocacy since he first burst onto the charts with the hit dance
single "Go" in the early 90s. Since then, he has incorporated a
diverse array of influences into his music, from electronica,
hip-hop and house to gospel, soul and punk. One of his albums is
entitled "Animal Rights," and he writes essays on various social
issues for each one. Moby's treatise on veganism for the 1999
Grammy-nominated multi-platinum album "Play" is considered the
most widely-read argument for veganism ever written. "Animals
are sentient creatures with their own wills," Moby wrote in the
poignant essay, "and it seems wrong to force our will onto
another creature just because we're able to."

Moby has also appeared in public service announcements (PSAs)
about the cruelty of factory farming and other animal protection
issues. He donated the use of his popular song "Why Does My
Heart Feel So Bad?" for use in the award-winning factory farming
documentary Peaceable Kingdom, and opened a fashionable
vegetarian tea shop called Teany in Manhattan, where he resides.
Last year, based on Teany's popularity, Moby published (with
co-author Kelly Tisdale) Teany Book: Stories, Food, Romance,
Cartoons and, of Course, Tea, a quirky scrapbook of all things
vegan.

What You Can Do:

- Plan a trip to Washington, D.C. for the AR2006 National
Conference from August 10th to 14th to experience the excitement
of the world's largest and oldest animal rights conference and
see Moby receive IDA's Distinguished Guardian Award at the
Banquet on the 13th. To buy tickets and for more information on
the conference -- including workshops, activities, lodging and
transportation -- visit http://www.arconference.org .

- Visit http://www.moby.com for more about Moby, his music and Teany.

- Learn more about IDA's Guardian Campaign
( http://www.GuardianCampaign.com )

3. B-52s Singer Promotes IDA's Feral Cat Campaign in NYC
Fred Schneider joins IDA's Valerie Sicignano to publicize
groundbreaking TNR initiative

Fred Schneider, lead singer for the popular rock band The B-52s,
recently joined IDA's Valerie Sicignano to raise awareness about
feral cats in New York City. Schneider, a vegetarian, often
lends his celebrity to worthy animal protection causes. For
instance, the co-author of the classic song "Rock Lobster"
famously urged people to boycott the Maine Lobster Festival in
2000. Schneider also hosted a major multi-media exhibit two
years ago to benefit Neighborhood Cats
( http://www.neighborhoodcats.org ) and the Humane Society of NY
featuring artwork by painters Peter Max and Martha Szabo,
photographers Valerie Shaff and Kim Levin and cartoonists
Patrick McDonnell ("Mutts") and Dan Piraro ("Bizarro").

Tens of thousands of stray cats (often called "feral" because
they are no longer tame) roam the New York City streets and
alleyways, fending for themselves as best they can in the urban
jungle, usually with some help from a compassionate person who
provides them with food. These homeless cats tend to live in
groups called colonies, and can reproduce at an alarming rate if
not managed properly. Humane trap-neuter-return (TNR)
interventions keep the cats from reproducing and provide
vaccinations and food while allowing the animals to remain in
their environment.

Valerie is one of the country's leading authorities on the
management of feral cat colonies. In addition to being IDA's
Director of Companion Animal Outreach, she also oversees the NYC
Feral Cat Initiative, a program of the Mayor's Alliance for
NYC's Animals ( http://www.animalalliancenyc.org ) that is
administered by Neighborhood Cats. She recently wrote an article
for the NYC Feral Cat Council Newsletter
( http://www.animalalliancenyc.org/newsletter/06-06/nycfcc.htm )
about an innovative NYC Feral Cat Database that so far includes
information on more than 125 colonies and 1,800 cats. The data
gathered indicates that TNR efforts have already succeeded in
reducing the number of cats in these colonies by approximately
600 -- a 33% decline in population. In addition, the program has
rescued and found homes for over 950 kittens born into these
colonies. The ASPCA/Fresh Step Safe Steps Home recently awarded
Neighborhood Cats a grant to expand data collection and analysis
and lower the cost of setting up similar databases in other
communities.

Valerie is also a Program Developer for Neighborhood Cats, and
helps to plan the National Feral Cat Summit
( http://www.neighborhoodcats.org/special/nfc_summit_htm ), an
annual day of workshops co-sponsored by IDA. This year's event
will take place in San Francisco. She has given several
presentations about feral cats and participated in panel
discussions with other experts at the summit.

What You Can Do:

- Learn more about feral cat colonies
( http://www.nycferalcat.org )

- If you live in one of New York City's five boroughs and are a
caretaker for a feral cat colony, take part in this historic
effort by registering with the NYC Feral Cat Database
( http://www.nycferaldata.org ). When you sign up, you'll be
automatically eligible to win the Nutro cat food giveaway, held
every quarter. Just last March, the program distributed over
10,000 pounds of kibble donated by the Meow Mix Company to feral
cat caretakers.

- Catch a B-52s show in your area
( http://www.theb52s.com/shows.html )

Only One Week until Animal Rights 2006 Conference

There's still time to register for the Animal Rights 2006
(AR2006) National Conference, so purchase your tickets now.
Visit http://www.arconference.org to register, see the full program
schedule and learn more about the conference.

AR2006 will be held from August 10th to 14th at the Hilton Mark
Center in Alexandria, a suburb of Washington D.C. The program
will include 100 workshops, rap sessions and campaign reports,
80 video screenings, 90 literature and vegan product exhibits, a
newcomer orientation, an employment clearinghouse, networking
receptions, musical interludes and the awards banquet.

The AR National Conference sponsored by the Farm Animal Reform
Movement (FARM) ( http://www.farmusa.org ) is the world's largest
and oldest animal rights conference. As in previous years, IDA
is a proud co-sponsor of this five-day event.


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