IDA eNews: 12/21/06

IDA ACTION ALERTS
1. Navy's West Coast Training Exercises Threaten Survival of Whales
2. Urge Congress to Pass the Truth in Fur Labeling Act
3. IDA Blasts Bay Meadows for Negligence Following Racehorse Deaths

NEWS & CAMPAIGN UPDATES
1. IDA Receives Mountain of OHSU Monkey Records
2. TV Personality Bob Barker Pledges $300,000 to "Rescue Ruby"
3. Celebrate National Bird Day on January 5th


IDA ACTION ALERTS

1. Navy's West Coast Training Exercises Threaten Survival of Whales
Urge California Coastal Commission to protect marine mammals

As we have reported before ( http://www.idausa.org/campaigns/marine/navy_whale.html ), the U.S. Navy has been conducting mid-frequency sonar tests that flood vast areas of the ocean with deafening noise, making them extremely harmful - even lethal - to whales. Since the Navy began conducting sonar experiments in 2000, dozens of whales have fatally or near-fatally stranded themselves on beaches in the U.S., the Bahamas, the Canary Islands and Japan. Overwhelming evidence indicates that the Navy's sonar activities are to blame. Despite these dangers, the Navy is seeking approval of a training program, which includes the use of powerful explosives and sonar devices, to begin in February 2007 off of California's southern coastline.

Last week, the California Coastal Commission ( http://www.coastal.ca.gov ), which is responsible for independently assessing the environmental impact of proposed activities along the California coast, held a public meeting in San Francisco to discuss the issue. At this meeting, IDA representatives joined marine scientists, attorneys, and individuals from the National Resource Defense Council, Earth Island Institute, Seaflow, and StopLFAS in giving public testimony before the Commission not to approve the training exercises until the Navy provided sufficient information to ensure that their activities will not harm marine mammals and other sea life. The Commission also received 2,900 emails from concerned citizens, some of which were generated by responses to IDA's Bay Area Alert ( http://ga0.org/indefenseofanimals/notice-description.tcl?newsletter_id=5257956 ). As a result, the Commission unanimously voted to postpone their decision until next month, when they will hold another meeting in Long Beach to revisit the Navy's plans.

As of now, the Navy has failed to explain how it will protect migrating gray whales and other marine life along California's coast, how it will conduct exercises at night or in other conditions of low visibility, or whether it will enforce robust "safety zones" around sonar vessels to avoid exposing whales to dangerous sound. The Coastal Commission has required these and other protective measures of the Navy and other noise-producers in the past, and it should demand no less now.

What You Can Do:

- "Take Action" NOW ( http://ga0.org/campaign/navysonar/wwwxu8s2qb5t6ej? ) to urge the California Coastal Commission to require strong mitigation measures and a new impacts assessment from the Navy to protect whales and other marine life from dangerous sonar testing. Please also thank Commissioner Sara Wan and the rest of the Commission for their action in December. Also send a letter or personal email to:

Mark Delaplaine
California Coastal Commission
45 Fremont Street
Suite 2000
San Francisco, CA 94105-2219
Email: mdelaplaine [at] coastal.ca.gov

- If you live near Long Beach, attend the California Coastal Commission's meeting for further consideration of the Navy's request for approval of their training exercises.

What: California Coastal Commission meeting to discuss Navy training exercises
When: January 10th, 2007 (the hearing begins at 10:00 a.m., and this issue is item 10b on the schedule, so it will probably be discussed in the late morning or early afternoon)
Where: The Hyatt Regency Long Beach ( http://tinyurl.com/v22an ), 200 S. Pine Avenue, Long Beach, Calif.

For more information, contact Melissa Gonzalez at (415) 388-9641, ext. 228 or melissa [at] idausa.org .


2. Urge Congress to Pass the Truth in Fur Labeling Act
Bill would curtail illegal sale of cat and dog fur in U.S.

Every year in China, millions of cats and dogs are killed for their fur which is then exported to countries around the world, including the U.S. While it is strictly illegal to sell cat and dog fur in the U.S., there is a loophole that makes the law almost impossible to enforce. That is, clothing stores are allowed to sell fur garments without specifying whether the fur is real or synthetic, the species of animal the fur comes from or the country where the garments were made as long as the fur's value is $150 or less. This means that as many as 500,000 or one in seven fur garments sold in the U.S. lack labels specifying this important information. This is especially troubling in the wake of an investigation by The Humane Society of the United States revealing that several major retailers are selling real fur garments labeled as faux fur. The garments are currently being DNA tested to determine the species the fur came from.

The Truth in Fur Labeling Act (H.R. 4904), sponsored by Representatives Mike Ferguson (R-NJ) and Jim Moran (D-VA), would uphold the law and protect consumers' right to know what they are buying by requiring all fur garments to include information about their origins, regardless of price. Accurate labels would allow consumers to easily identify and choose faux fur over real fur garments made from dead animals. It's therefore no wonder that the fur industry opposed such labeling when the U.S. banned dog and cat fur products in 2000. Through intense lobbying, the industry managed to kill a proposed labeling requirement then, and it now stands firmly against the current bill.

Congress passed the original Fur Products Labeling Act over half a century ago, well before the technology to create realistic faux fur existed and before fur trim was widely used in fashion. Nowadays, a $500 coat containing $150 worth of fur can be sold without any information about whether the fur came from animals and if so what kind. And even though it costs only $150 or less, a real fur garment is likely to contain the pelts of multiple animals. A rabbit fur coat, for example, could be made from as many as 30 rabbits (each pelt being valued at approximately $5).

Today, fur-trimmed garments have become so popular that the amount of fur used for trim is at least equal to that used to make full-length fur coats and jackets. These marketplace realities make complete fur garment labeling more crucial than ever. Given that modern consumers have legitimate concerns about quality and animal welfare, the law desperately needs to be updated for the 21st century.

In October 2006, the European Parliament took an important step toward outlawing the importation and sale of dog and cat fur by voting to amend an agricultural bill calling on the European Union (EU) Commission to initiate a ban. The EU Commission later signed draft legislation to ban the production, import, export, and sale of dog and cat fur that will take effect in a few years. The U.S. already has a ban on the sale of dog and cat fur in place, but we need to close the loophole that makes the law unenforceable. All fur products should be labeled, regardless of how much they are worth.

What You Can Do:

- The Truth in Fur Labeling Act was referred to the Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection in March 2006 where it has been sitting idly ever since. Please urge the members of this subcommittee to approve H.R. 4904 and send it to the floor of the House for a vote ( http://ga0.org/campaign/hr4909/wwwxu8s2qb5t6ej? ). If your Representative is on this committee, follow up with a polite letter or phone call to have greater impact. Find out if your Representative is a member of the subcommittee ( http://energycommerce.house.gov/108/members/members.htm ) and get his or her contact information ( http://ga0.org/indefenseofanimals/leg-lookup/search.tcl ).

Even if your Representative is not one of the 56 members of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection, you can still ask him or her to support and co-sponsor H.R. 4904 ( http://ga0.org/campaign/hr4904a ). Also follow up by phone or postal mail. Get contact information for your elected officials ( http://ga0.org/indefenseofanimals/leg-lookup/search.tcl ).

- On February 13th, 2007, IDA will be participating in a global day of action against the Chinese dog and cat fur trade, just as we did last year ( http://www.furkills.org/protest_olympics.shtml ). We will keep you informed of our plans, and hope you can join us at our demonstrations.

- Visit http://www.furkills.org to learn more about the cruelty of the fur trade.


3. IDA Blasts Bay Meadows for Negligence Following Racehorse Deaths
Urge decision makers to institute protocols to prevent unsafe track conditions

After two horses died last week in consecutive races reportedly due to unsafe track conditions, IDA sent out a press release criticizing Bay Meadows racetrack in San Mateo, Calif. for negligence. Although a racetrack spokesman denies the charges, two additional horses have since died - one Sunday night and another Monday. We are also calling for a permanent end to horse racing at the track because of the exploitation that is inherent to an industry that breeds and races horses for profit.

Thoroughbreds used for racing commonly suffer from a host of dangerous afflictions. Because they have been selectively bred over the course of many centuries for a single and very specific purpose - to run as fast as possible - their bodies are fragile and easily damaged by even the slightest misstep. Broken leg bones are a common occurrence in horseracing and drugs that mask pain only increase the chances of serious injury because a horse may keep running on a limb that has already been damaged. This can cause the bone to actually poke through the skin, leading to infection and extreme pain.

"Racing on a crowded track that can be as hard as concrete at breakneck speed is already an inherently dangerous activity for animals who weigh in at around 1,000 pounds and yet have ankles that are about the same size as a human's," said IDA President Elliot M. Katz, DVM. "Injuries are part and parcel of these events and Bay Meadows must immediately stop racing horses into the grave." Even the slightest irregularity in the track surface can be life-threatening to these horses, as the incidents at Bay Meadows make all too clear. In this case, cold, wet weather is blamed for the accidents in which four horses lost their lives.

Studies indicate that approximately 800 thoroughbreds die every year in North America from injuries incurred during racing. This figure would be even higher if horses who died in the course of training were factored in. Because most racehorse "owners" see these animals purely as economic investments, they choose to simply have injured thoroughbreds put down to spare themselves the expense of veterinary services. Less sympathetic investors recover some of their losses by selling injured horses to slaughterhouses.

According to the National Horse Protection Coalition (NHPC) ( http://www.horse-protection.org ), as many as 100,000 horses are slaughtered each year in the U.S. and exported for human consumption to European countries. The NHPC estimates that 16% of these are thoroughbred racehorses. Their flesh is exported to foreign countries overseas for human consumption or turned into "pet" food.

What You Can Do:

- Bay Meadows cancelled all races on the day the two horses died, but reportedly fixed the track and reinstated their regularly scheduled program on Saturday, December 16th. It is crucial that if Bay Meadows continues to race horses that they do everything possible to ensure their safety. Please urge Bay Meadows' top decision makers to initiate protocols to ensure thorough inspection of the track before each race and not to hold races in wet weather as it endangers the lives of racing horses ( http://ga0.org/campaign/baymeadows/wwwxu8s2qb5t6ej? ).

- If you have family members, friends or coworkers who attend horse races, educate them about how thoroughbreds suffer and die in this exploitive "sport" and encourage them to instead enjoy humane forms of entertainment that do not harm animals.

-Read an article on the incidents in the San Mateo County Times ( http://www.insidebayarea.com/sanmateocountytimes/localnews/ci_4865816 ).

- Read IDA's horseracing factsheet ( http://www.idausa.org/facts/horseracing.html ) to learn more.


NEWS & CAMPAIGN UPDATES

1. IDA Receives Mountain of OHSU Monkey Records
University wastes more than $20,000 of taxpayer's money providing paper rather than electronic documents

As recently reported in Willamette Week ( http://www.wweek.com/editorial/3305/8322 ), the Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) finally sent 113,000 pages of Oregon Primate Center monkey records to IDA, ending an eight year dispute that was resolved when IDA successfully sued OHSU for the public records. Unfortunately, the monumental detail the news weekly opted to leave out was how OHSU chose paper over plastic - dozens of boxes of documents instead of a small pile of CD disks - at a much greater cost to taxpayers and OHSU's donors.

According to estimates from OHSU's own computer applications manager during depositions, it would have only cost OHSU around $2,000 to produce the documents in an electronic format. This is a fraction of the amount OHSU estimated for producing the paper copies - approximately $22,500 - which means more than $20,000 in extra costs were incurred by OHSU supporters and taxpayers.

"We are anxious to finally be able to review the records that prove that monkeys are suffering in OHSU labs," said Matt Rossell, IDA's Northwest Outreach Coordinator who once conducted an undercover investigation as an OHSU Primate Technician. "But we can't understand why OHSU chose to make taxpayers pick up the tab for paper copies, rather than saving $20,000 and putting them on disks or a hard drive."

IDA filed suit in July 2001 and prevailed before the Oregon Court of Appeals in April of 2005. In the summary judgment, the court stated the "Defendant [OHSU] has attempted to exact a price so exorbitantly high - over $150,000.00 - that it has effectively precluded public access to the requested information." The case was then remanded to Multnomah County Circuit Court for determination of what, if any, amount of fees would be appropriate to charge IDA. The settlement agreement was recently reached with OHSU giving IDA exactly what they asked for in 1998 - public disclosure of the information with a complete waiver of fees due to the public benefit that would result from the information's release.

What You Can Do:

As you can see from the photo, we have our work cut out for us to review this enormous document request. We just purchased a high quality scanner and need volunteers to help transfer these documents into electronic files that will be much easier to review. If you live in Portland and are available to help, please contact IDA's Matt Rossell at (503) 249-9996 ext. 2 or matt [at] idausa.org .


2. TV Personality Bob Barker Pledges $300,000 to "Rescue Ruby"
The Price Is Right Host Wants Los Angeles Zoo Elephant Sent to Sanctuary

During a recent Town Hall Meeting in Los Angeles hosted by California Assemblymember Lloyd Levine on "The State of Captive Elephants in California," IDA and Los Angeles Alliance for Elephants announced a $300,000 pledge by Bob Barker ( http://www.cbs.com/daytime/price/about/bios/cast_bios_bbarker.shtml ), the famed host of TV's The Price Is Right, in support of sending Ruby, an elephant at Los Angeles Zoo, to a sanctuary. The funds will provide for her care and maintenance at the Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) sanctuary ( http://www.pawsweb.org/site/homepage.htm ) in Northern California.

"We are very grateful that Mr. Barker, a great champion for animals, has stepped forward to help Ruby," said IDA Founder and President Elliot Katz, DVM. "It's crucial that Ruby be sent to a sanctuary now."

For over four decades, Ruby has endured the many pains of an elephant's life in imposed captivity. Taken from her family in the wilds of Africa when she was only a baby, Ruby was shuffled first from an adventure safari to a circus, and then to the Los Angeles Zoo in 1987. After 16 years of forming a close bond with her enclosure-mate Gita, Ruby was shipped to another zoo in Tennessee, but was transferred back to L.A. only a year and a half later because she got along poorly with the other elephants there.

Upon her return to L.A., it was apparent that Ruby was a changed elephant. Whereas before she was easy-going and playful, Ruby now displayed abnormal repetitive behaviors and aggression toward other elephants and zookeepers. Separated from Gita by a fence in a tiny, off-exhibit pen, Ruby no longer expressed the tenderness and affection for her friend that she once did. In June 2006, Gita died from captivity-related causes, the third of Ruby's close companions to pass away before their time at L.A. Zoo. Today, Ruby lives utterly alone, deprived of the company of her kind, and has not been seen by the public in over two years.

Keeping an elephant in isolation is torture for members of this exceptionally social species, yet L.A. Zoo may be able to offer Ruby nothing more than perpetual loneliness for the remainder of her life. As the lone African elephant at an institution whose new exhibit will be for Asian elephants, Ruby has no place at L.A. Zoo, and transferring her to yet another zoo is likely to only make matters worse. Anyway, no zoo in the world can provide the wide open spaces, stimulating natural habitat and extended social groups that elephants need to thrive.

Only an elephant sanctuary can offer Ruby the environment and time she needs to reclaim her health and connect with other elephants. The PAWS sanctuary can give Ruby the stable, permanent home she deserves after a lifetime of upheaval and forced separations. The 45-year-old Ruby is at an age that, for many elephants in zoos, represents the final years of their lives. It would be a terrible tragedy if Ruby ended her life a sad and broken elephant, a shadow of her former self. A sanctuary would extend Ruby's life and give her a chance to regain what she has lost so she can be happy once again.

In February 2006, at IDA's request, Bob Barker spoke out for elephants at a Los Angeles City Council meeting. "There's only one solution to the tragic, the embarrassing elephant problem going on at the Los Angeles Zoo," Barker told the Councilmembers, "and it's to release those elephants from captivity and place them in a sanctuary." Now, in the generous spirit of the holiday season, he is offering a special gift to help send Ruby to a better home.

What You Can Do:

Join Bob Barker by making a donation to strengthen IDA's ongoing fight for Ruby's release. Click here ( https://secure.ga0.org/02/idadonations_in_honor ) and enter "Elephant Campaign" in the "in honor of" field.

To learn more about Bob Barker's animal advocacy efforts, read a 1999 article from The Pet Press ( http://www.thepetpress-la.com/articles/bobbarker.htm ).


3. Celebrate National Bird Day on January 5th
Take action to appreciate and help our feathered friends

The fifth annual National Bird Day ( http://www.nationalbirdday.org/index.php ) will take place on Friday, January 5th, 2007. The Animal Protection Institute (API) and the Avian Welfare Coalition (AWC) initiated this yearly event to draw attention to the suffering of captive birds and inspire people to take action on their behalf. IDA encourages everyone to participate by informing others about the suffering of the millions of exotic birds captured, bred and sold by the "pet" industry every year.

When acquiring a "pet" bird, most people don't fully understand or consider that these animals have very special and complex needs, and aren't prepared to offer their companion bird the quality social interaction they require for emotional well being. For every bird that winds up in a stable home with a responsible guardian who has the patience and resources to provide "proper" care, millions of birds suffer in unfit conditions. The vast majority of captive birds live solitary and lonely lives in cages that are much too small and never get to fly, causing emotional disturbances such as self-mutilation, obsessive compulsive behaviors, uncontrollable screaming and even insanity.

All birds are emotionally complex and sensitive to their surroundings. Research has shown that many species of birds have the intelligence of a five-year old child. Even so, many bird "owners" never offer their bird a companion, fearing that he would lose his "pet quality" if he had a mate. Loneliness, poor care and inadequate living conditions contribute to high mortality rates among captive birds. Although the average life span for larger parrots such as Amazons and Macaws is seventy-five years of age and older, it is estimated that when kept as "pets," a large percentage of these birds die before their fifth year, and many smaller birds (such as budgies, lovebirds and canaries) suffer and/or die within their first year of life.

Every year, an untold number of captive birds are left unwanted and homeless. Many of these birds suffer and die in unfit conditions and/or must be euthanized. Although these facts are common knowledge to retailers and breeders, they continue to breed birds at an alarming rate and market them to the public as the ideal "pet." People who care about animals must do everything possible to end this cycle of suffering.

What You Can Do:

National Bird Day is a great opportunity to speak out for the millions of captive birds who need our voices. On January 5th (or any day of the year, for that matter), you can use IDA's brochures, posters and videos ( http://www.idausa.org/campaigns/exotic_birds/resources.htm ) to reach people with a compassionate message about the plight of captive birds. Give brochures to your family and friends in honor of National Bird Day, or hand them out in front of a pet store that sells birds. Also set up a display that includes our posters and a portable TV/VCR showing our videos. Order materials here ( http://www.idausa.org/ir/materials/orderbrochure1.html ).

Learn more about the captive bird crisis and ways that you can take action ( http://www.idausa.org/facts/exbirds.html ).


IDA's Holiday Gift Ideas

The holidays are a great time to support IDA's work for animals while shopping for all the animal lovers on your list. Here are a few ideas for gifts that really make a difference:

- Gift memberships to IDA ( https://secure.ga0.org/02/idadonations_in_honor ) give the animals a reason to celebrate because your support allows us to continue our important work for animals.

- IDA's Marketplace ( http://www.idausa.org/marketplace.html ) has great gifts that support and promote our programs.

- Sponsor a Chimpanzee ( http://www.ida-africa.org/index.php?page_id=212 ) at IDA's Sanaga-Yong Chimpanzee Rescue Center in Cameroon, Africa as a holiday gift for a loved one.

- Sponsor a Horse through IDA's Equine Rescue program ( http://idausa.org/campaigns/arizona/az_donations.htm ) as a holiday gift for a loved one.

- IDA's Star-Studded Benefit Concert Tickets ( http://www.idausa.org/katrina/buytickets.html )
Give Benefit Concert Tickets as a gift this holiday season. Buy tickets for your friends and family and the entire ticket price is tax deductible to you!

From all of us at IDA, have a happy, healthy and compassionate holiday.


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