Marmoset Smuggler Escapes in India

Unfortunate.

From the Times of India...

Sher Singh, one of the kingpins of the countrywide wildlife trafficking racket involved in stealing eight common marmosets from Alipore Zoo on August 9, walked off a train in the wee hours of Friday. A three-member team of Orissa police that was bringing him back to Kolkata was fast asleep when Sher Singh made good his escape.

The Orissa police team did not bother to inform their counterparts in Kolkata immediately and merely lodged a complaint with Government Railway Police at Kharagpur station.

Sure doesn't sound like these guys take wildlife trafficking very seriously. Now this guy gets to commit more crimes against animals.

Utah's Shelters Providing Strays to Labs for Research

Thanks to PETA's undercover investigation of University of Utah labs for bringing this issue to media attention.

From the AP...

Scores of abandoned dogs, cats and livestock from Utah animal shelters become subjects of laboratory research at the University of Utah each year.

That's because of a little-known state law that requires government-run pounds to turn animals over to researchers if asked.

The practice gained wider publicity after the animal rights group PETA said earlier this month that 1 of its agents spent eight months working undercover at University of Utah research facilities.

University officials say they only collect animals from shelters willing to participate and pound animals are steered toward nonlethal experiments.

They say cats and dogs at the lab get excellent veterinary care and survivors are placed into a volunteer-run adoption program.

Support Island Dog Inc.

I really like this group and donate to them. Puerto Rico's animal welfare is pathetic. It's not that different from the rest of Latin America, but Puerto Rico is part of the United States. There's no excuse for them not to be on par with at least the worst US state.

Happy Holidays!

Light posting this weekend. Have a kitten.

Pork Industry Tries to Deal with Public Image

Every time I get depressed about animal issues (every other day it seems like), I see an article like this. Now, it may see like it would add to more depression, but it actually makes me feel a little better.

It's an article about the pork industry having to address the increasingly positive media image of pigs as intelligent creatures that could be someone's pet. The fact that this discussion warrants an article in the Des Moines Register means that there is some movement on this front and and it causes the pork industry concern.

On Wednesday, I almost lost my temper with some people in our customer service unit who wondered why anyone would want a turkey to have a good life before death...."it's just a turkey." And, of course, this view of farm animals is the norm. But small cracks like those hinted at in this article give me tiny room for an almost imperceptible pause.

Smithsonian Magazine Spotlights Wildlife Trafficking

HUGE article in the Smithsonian Magazine about wildlife trafficking out of Ecuador.

Kitten Knows How to Beg

Wait for it...

Quote of the Week

"Whenever people say, ‘We mustn’t be sentimental,’ you can take it they are about to do something cruel. And if they add, ‘We must be realistic,’ they mean they are going to make money out of it."

-- Brigid Brophy (1929 – 1995), English-Irish novelist and playwright.

PETA Undercover Agent Also Worked in Oregon

The PETA activist who worked undercover at the University of Utah, and collected video footage of alleged mistreatment of lab animals, was also involved in an operation at the Oregon National Primate Research Center.

I say "good for her!" She has a lot more guts than I do.

Animals as Raw Material

I came across this article in USA Today entitled "Waste not, want not: Companies find uses for leftover animal parts."

From plastics made from feather protein to diesel fuel made from fat to organic fertilizer made from poultry litter, the USA's top meat producers are developing new uses and markets for the animal parts that humans won't eat, says Tom Cook, president of the National Renderers Association in Alexandria, Va.

For years, those parts have ended up in cosmetics, soap, pet food and animal feed. Now, meat companies are putting more resources into sustainability programs, says Paul Rutledge of the American Meat Institute's sustainability committee.

At Clemson University, such products are being tested at the South Carolina school's Animal Co-Products Research & Education Center, says center Director Annel Greene.

Greene says there are a number of uses for the leftover materials that have yet to be discovered. "It's fascinating to see everything that can be done," Greene says.

I suppose most people will think this is great. What an efficient use of every bit of raw material possible. And all to help save the planet.

But that's the problem...these are not raw materials. These are living beings. To me, they are not some input that gets "rendered" and used to the utmost degree. And I don't care about the term "sustainability." I don't care if dead animal fat is being used for biodiesel (a terrible, wasteful fuel anyway....but that's another story) or plastic, etc. It's all about profiting from death.

Let's change the subject a little bit. What about all the dead humans taking up space in cemeteries? That's useless material...isn't there some use we could put them to as well? Once you're dead, you're dead. Can't that carcass become a raw material too? It's pretty gruesome when you apply the thought to dead humans, but not so much to dead animals....they're both dead though right?

PETA Leads Anti-Animal Research Protest at University of Utah

This protest comes after an undercover PETA investigator collected evidence of alleged animal abuse in the University laboratories.

Cockfighting Rings Busted in South Carolina

They've charged three dozen people in one of the largest cockfighting busts in years.

Minnesota Activist Indicted for Animal Terrorism

From the Minneapolis Star-Tribune...I don't see any mention in this article (or in this one from the Chicago Tribune) about threats to human life in this incident. Straight vandalism and economic loss. Is this a valid prosecution? Is it terrorism?

Scott DeMuth, who is being held in jail in Davenport, is scheduled to make his first appearance in U.S. District Court Friday.

According to the indictment, unsealed today, DeMuth committed "animal enterprise terrorism and cause[d] economic damage to the animal enterprise in an amount exceeding $10,000" between Nov. 9 and Nov. 20, 2004.

The Animal Liberation Front claimed responsibility for vandalizing two labs and three offices at the University of Iowa on Nov. 14, 2004.

DeMuth and Carrie Feldman, another activist from Minneapolis have been jailed since Tuesday for refusing to answer questions before the federal grand jury in Davenport.

They were found in contempt of court by U.S. District Judge John Jarvey after they were offered limited immunity for their testimony before the grand jury to compel them to talk.

Activists Hit Max Mara Managers in Italy

From Bite Back:

Redecorated with paint and oil the opulent houses of Luigi and Ignazio Maramotti in Albinea (Reggio Emilia). Locked the main entrances. Redecorated with paint also the house of the sister Maria Ludovica located in Reggio Emilia. All these people represent the top management of Max Mara Fashion Group, they torture and kill animals for profits of their company.

HSUS Video about Feral Cat Rescue

I've been way overworked and stressed lately. Haven't been into deep posts at all. So here is a nice story and video about a HSUS rescue of a California feral colony. It makes me want to get back into animal rescue, which is where my animal rights activism started.