Alley Cat Allies will be hosting a conference in October in Alexandria on feral cat issues.
Join Alley Cat Allies, the nationally recognized experts on improving the lives of outdoor cats, in our nation’s capital. Learn how you can unite and mobilize to make nonlethal policies and Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) the norm. Topics include best methods of feral cat care, how the law supports our goals and reforming animal control policy. Presenters are Becky Robinson and Wendy Anderson of Alley Cat Allies, Dr. Christine Wilford of Seattle’s Feral Cat Spay/Neuter Project, and Dawn Kua of Singapore’s Cat Welfare Society.
In Seattle, the Feral Cat Spay/Neuter Project does an excellent job on this issue. We visited one of their clinics a few years ago, and it was really interesting.
Saturday, August 4, 2007
Friday, August 3, 2007
National Agricultural Law Center
This is an interesting institution from the University of Arkansas. From the site:
n 1987, Congress recognized the University of Arkansas School of Law for its "unique expertise in the area of agricultural law" and called for the creation of the National Center for Agricultural Law Research and Information at the Law School. Since then, the National Agricultural Law Center has been funded with federal appropriations through the National Agricultural Library, an entity within the Agricultural Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The National Agricultural Law Center is the only agricultural law research and information facility that is independent, national and international in scope, and directly connected to the national agricultural information network. The Center has expanded the scope of its coverage to include food law as it recognizes the expanding scope of agricultural law and its convergence with food law topics. The Center is staffed by a team of law and research professors, lawyers, other specialists, and graduate assistants from the University of Arkansas School of Law Graduate Program in Agricultural Law.
In early 2003, pursuant to Congressional directive, the Center established a close working relationship with the Drake Agricultural Law Center at Drake University School of Law in Des Moines, Iowa. The blend of the Center's national and international agricultural and food law focus and Drake's concentration on state and local food policy issues has formed a creative environment of sharing that generates activities and projects designed to reach all members of the agricultural and food law communities.
Of particular note on the left hand side is a link to CRS reports. To those of you unfamiliar with CRS, that stands for the Congressional Research Service. They provide analytical reports on everything from biotechnology to living conditions in Uzbekistan. I used to be a Legislative Assistant in Congress, so I would read these quite often. They are excellent.
They are also, fortunately, available to any constituent who asks for a report. Www.opencrs.com takes advantage of this by requesting that people ask their Member of Congress to send them a report in electronic form, and then passing it on to OpenCRS so they can keep it in their database.
Both of these sites are worth a visit.
n 1987, Congress recognized the University of Arkansas School of Law for its "unique expertise in the area of agricultural law" and called for the creation of the National Center for Agricultural Law Research and Information at the Law School. Since then, the National Agricultural Law Center has been funded with federal appropriations through the National Agricultural Library, an entity within the Agricultural Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The National Agricultural Law Center is the only agricultural law research and information facility that is independent, national and international in scope, and directly connected to the national agricultural information network. The Center has expanded the scope of its coverage to include food law as it recognizes the expanding scope of agricultural law and its convergence with food law topics. The Center is staffed by a team of law and research professors, lawyers, other specialists, and graduate assistants from the University of Arkansas School of Law Graduate Program in Agricultural Law.
In early 2003, pursuant to Congressional directive, the Center established a close working relationship with the Drake Agricultural Law Center at Drake University School of Law in Des Moines, Iowa. The blend of the Center's national and international agricultural and food law focus and Drake's concentration on state and local food policy issues has formed a creative environment of sharing that generates activities and projects designed to reach all members of the agricultural and food law communities.
Of particular note on the left hand side is a link to CRS reports. To those of you unfamiliar with CRS, that stands for the Congressional Research Service. They provide analytical reports on everything from biotechnology to living conditions in Uzbekistan. I used to be a Legislative Assistant in Congress, so I would read these quite often. They are excellent.
They are also, fortunately, available to any constituent who asks for a report. Www.opencrs.com takes advantage of this by requesting that people ask their Member of Congress to send them a report in electronic form, and then passing it on to OpenCRS so they can keep it in their database.
Both of these sites are worth a visit.
Pets as Property
Here is an interesting article about a woman who is seeking to have animals treated as something more than "property" by the courts.
Given the recent pet food problems, this is a serious issue. Pets are an emotional issue with people. When they die as a result of someone else's negligence or malice, they are treated as just a piece of property.
Given the recent pet food problems, this is a serious issue. Pets are an emotional issue with people. When they die as a result of someone else's negligence or malice, they are treated as just a piece of property.
WWF India Kicks off Signature Campaign for Tiger
China continues to push for permission to sell tiger parts that are raised on farms. What will happen of course, is this will only further worsen tiger poaching, as it bullets are cheaper than farming.
Here is a blurb from the WWF campaign:
WWF-India initiates a signature campaign to draw attention to the plight of the tiger. The campaign aims at reaching out to the multitudes of tiger and nature lovers in the country, while simultaneously hoping to drive home the point, that it could be now or never for the Indian tiger.
At the recently concluded CITES [Conference of Parties (COP) 14] held at The Hague, in The Netherlands, international voices rung clear: to urge China to continue with the ban on tiger trade, and not allow trade in their parts to be the incentive for breeding these cats, in any part of the world. At the meeting, India was vocal on the issue to save the tigers, and keen to take proactive measures for the benefit of tiger conservation in our country.
Here is a blurb from the WWF campaign:
WWF-India initiates a signature campaign to draw attention to the plight of the tiger. The campaign aims at reaching out to the multitudes of tiger and nature lovers in the country, while simultaneously hoping to drive home the point, that it could be now or never for the Indian tiger.
At the recently concluded CITES [Conference of Parties (COP) 14] held at The Hague, in The Netherlands, international voices rung clear: to urge China to continue with the ban on tiger trade, and not allow trade in their parts to be the incentive for breeding these cats, in any part of the world. At the meeting, India was vocal on the issue to save the tigers, and keen to take proactive measures for the benefit of tiger conservation in our country.
ALF Vandalizes Home of Primate Researcher
ALF visited the home of Eliot Spindel, a researcher with the Oregon National Primate Research Center, and spray painted "ALF Eyes On You!" on his house.
Here is a copy of the anonymous communique taking credit for it.
Here is a copy of the anonymous communique taking credit for it.
My Pet Goat
No this isn't about a certain person who stared off into space while airliners crashed into buildings. It's about an article on how we define what a "pet" is. In this particular case, a woman has pet pygmy goat, and county officials are saying it should be considered "livestock".
Baltimore County law requires residents to have an acre for chickens, ducks, turkeys and geese. Three acres are required for each horse, burro and cow. And 3 acres are required to keep smaller livestock, including sheep, goats, ponies and pigs.
Baltimore County law requires residents to have an acre for chickens, ducks, turkeys and geese. Three acres are required for each horse, burro and cow. And 3 acres are required to keep smaller livestock, including sheep, goats, ponies and pigs.
Benson the Bait Dog
Here is a Humane Society video about a rescued dog that was used as bait for dog fighting. Although the subject isn't pretty, there isn't anything too explicit in the video.
Your Mommy Kills Animals Review
Here is a review of the documentary Your Mommy Kills Animals. I really want to see this movie.
Thursday, August 2, 2007
House of Representatives Passes Resolution Asking Canada to End Seal Slaughter
Tom Lantos introduced H. Res 427, which urges Canada to end the seal hunt. It passed on a voice vote on July 30th. Here are some of Mr. Lantos remarks:
Mr. Speaker, we are all familiar with National Geographic images of fluffy white baby seals nestled next to their mothers. We stare at them on our TV screens or in our magazines and reflexively remark about how adorable they are. But now imagine, if you can, the brutal death that awaits hundreds of thousands of these baby seals every single year. With stunning barbarism, Canadian hunters swoop in with heavy clubs and stun guns to immobilize these little innocent creatures. They are then skinned alive simply so that their soft white fur can adorn winter coats, coats that could be composed of different materials without torturing animals .
These gruesome images are sadly commonplace in the Canadian Northwest. The Canadian Government estimates that over 1 million seals have been killed in the most recent 3-year period. Public outcry over this barbarism led to a ban of all seal products in the United States and in the European Union in 1983. Unfortunately, the public seems to have forgotten that the grisly practices of commercial seal hunters still go on, and international pressure on Canada to end the hunt has abated.
My resolution brings the focus of the United States Congress back to this heinous yearly slaughter. It urges the Canadian Government to cease this gruesome practice and bring Canadian policy in line with that of the United States and the European Union.
While the resolution can't force Canada to do anything, I suppose it will at least let them know we disapprove. Belgium doesn't care for it either, as they recently banned seal products. Canada is taking them to the WTO for that.
Mr. Speaker, we are all familiar with National Geographic images of fluffy white baby seals nestled next to their mothers. We stare at them on our TV screens or in our magazines and reflexively remark about how adorable they are. But now imagine, if you can, the brutal death that awaits hundreds of thousands of these baby seals every single year. With stunning barbarism, Canadian hunters swoop in with heavy clubs and stun guns to immobilize these little innocent creatures. They are then skinned alive simply so that their soft white fur can adorn winter coats, coats that could be composed of different materials without torturing animals .
These gruesome images are sadly commonplace in the Canadian Northwest. The Canadian Government estimates that over 1 million seals have been killed in the most recent 3-year period. Public outcry over this barbarism led to a ban of all seal products in the United States and in the European Union in 1983. Unfortunately, the public seems to have forgotten that the grisly practices of commercial seal hunters still go on, and international pressure on Canada to end the hunt has abated.
My resolution brings the focus of the United States Congress back to this heinous yearly slaughter. It urges the Canadian Government to cease this gruesome practice and bring Canadian policy in line with that of the United States and the European Union.
While the resolution can't force Canada to do anything, I suppose it will at least let them know we disapprove. Belgium doesn't care for it either, as they recently banned seal products. Canada is taking them to the WTO for that.
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Should Humane Law Enforcement Officers Carry Guns?
Yes.
I do not like guns and I certainly don't believe they are the solution to society's problems. However, I believe that it is time to elevate the field of humane law enforcement to where officers have the authority of human law enforcement officers, conduct their own and joint criminal investigations, and carry their own weapons.
This doesn't mean start handing out guns to current animal control field officers. This means a revolution in training, perception, and, of course, hiring. Cities don't just hire anyone to be a police officer. It has to be someone who can handle the danger, the stress, and the public.
Law enforcement is law enforcement. We are seeing more and more that humane laws and HUMAN laws are not segregated areas. There is the possibility of linking the two together in terms of actual enforcement operations. This would be more efficient and far more effective in the long-term.
Take the following examples of how human and humane link.
Dogfighting has been linked to drug dealing and illegal gambling. Baltimore, for example, is establishing a multi-agency task force to investigate dogfighting rings for this very reason.
Perpetrators of domestic violence may also abuse family pets as an additional way to hurt the human victim or as an additional target of their rage.
Future killers, including serial killers, often start their life with violence against animals. Here's a list of killers with their animal and human victims listed side by side. (Warning...disturbing content.)
Humane law enforcement is currently geared towards answering complaints. If there are no complaints, there is no investigation. Real criminal charges and arrests are dependent on bringing in the police, who are not trained to deal with animals and who may not have the resources to expend in this area. Also, humane law enforcement is not empowered to gather evidence in far-reaching investigations.
Finally, it's important to remember that it's the smaller charges that are sometimes easier to stick on a hardened criminal. Can't get them on human law charges? Try humane law charges and see what shakes out.
Remember, Al Capone was ultimately brought down on tax evasion charges, not murder and racketeering.
I do not like guns and I certainly don't believe they are the solution to society's problems. However, I believe that it is time to elevate the field of humane law enforcement to where officers have the authority of human law enforcement officers, conduct their own and joint criminal investigations, and carry their own weapons.
This doesn't mean start handing out guns to current animal control field officers. This means a revolution in training, perception, and, of course, hiring. Cities don't just hire anyone to be a police officer. It has to be someone who can handle the danger, the stress, and the public.
Law enforcement is law enforcement. We are seeing more and more that humane laws and HUMAN laws are not segregated areas. There is the possibility of linking the two together in terms of actual enforcement operations. This would be more efficient and far more effective in the long-term.
Take the following examples of how human and humane link.
Dogfighting has been linked to drug dealing and illegal gambling. Baltimore, for example, is establishing a multi-agency task force to investigate dogfighting rings for this very reason.
Perpetrators of domestic violence may also abuse family pets as an additional way to hurt the human victim or as an additional target of their rage.
Future killers, including serial killers, often start their life with violence against animals. Here's a list of killers with their animal and human victims listed side by side. (Warning...disturbing content.)
Humane law enforcement is currently geared towards answering complaints. If there are no complaints, there is no investigation. Real criminal charges and arrests are dependent on bringing in the police, who are not trained to deal with animals and who may not have the resources to expend in this area. Also, humane law enforcement is not empowered to gather evidence in far-reaching investigations.
Finally, it's important to remember that it's the smaller charges that are sometimes easier to stick on a hardened criminal. Can't get them on human law charges? Try humane law charges and see what shakes out.
Remember, Al Capone was ultimately brought down on tax evasion charges, not murder and racketeering.
Factory Farms in the US
This is a good interactive map of factory farms in the US. I found this on Animal Ethics blog.
This Just in From the BBC, Brian the Hamster Rescued From Dump
Hey, if this story is important enough for the Beeb, it's important enough for this blog. It has a nice picture too.
An Argument Against Zoos
Here is an interesting article in Newsweek by Rabbi Marc Gelman that zoos aren't such a good thing.
From the article:
My grandpa, Leo Gellman, was a zookeeper at the Milwaukee zoo. My childhood was filled with happy days feeding giraffes and monkeys. I wanted to feed Sampson the gorilla and Tony and Cleo the hippopotamuses, but Grandpa Lepa never let me get close to them. He loved animals, but he also understood what it means to be wild. He would patiently explain to me that they did not want to be in their cages but that we put them there so that little boys like me could see up close what they look like, how they move and what sounds they make. Grandpa explained to me that this was a deal we humans made with the wild animals of the world. We capture and display some of them so that people would feel something for them and protect the wild animals that were not in cages. I asked grandpa if he thought the deal was fair. He thought and said, “It's a good deal for us, and not such a good deal for them.” I still think grandpa was right.
From the article:
My grandpa, Leo Gellman, was a zookeeper at the Milwaukee zoo. My childhood was filled with happy days feeding giraffes and monkeys. I wanted to feed Sampson the gorilla and Tony and Cleo the hippopotamuses, but Grandpa Lepa never let me get close to them. He loved animals, but he also understood what it means to be wild. He would patiently explain to me that they did not want to be in their cages but that we put them there so that little boys like me could see up close what they look like, how they move and what sounds they make. Grandpa explained to me that this was a deal we humans made with the wild animals of the world. We capture and display some of them so that people would feel something for them and protect the wild animals that were not in cages. I asked grandpa if he thought the deal was fair. He thought and said, “It's a good deal for us, and not such a good deal for them.” I still think grandpa was right.
Humane Society Pushes for Prosecution of Man Who Killed Sea Lion
A sea lion takes this guy's bait, so he stabs it to death.
Police arrested Hai Nguyen, 24, of Garden Grove Friday on suspicion of stabbing a sea lion that took the bait from his pole as he fished off the M Street Pier. The sea lion was euthanized at Pacific Marine Mammal Center in Laguna Beach.
In a letter to Orange County Dist. Atty. Tony Rackauckas, Dale Bartlett of the Humane Society asked that Rackauckas "diligently pursue this case and to seek, upon conviction, a meaningful sentence that includes jail time and mandatory psychological counseling."
Police arrested Hai Nguyen, 24, of Garden Grove Friday on suspicion of stabbing a sea lion that took the bait from his pole as he fished off the M Street Pier. The sea lion was euthanized at Pacific Marine Mammal Center in Laguna Beach.
In a letter to Orange County Dist. Atty. Tony Rackauckas, Dale Bartlett of the Humane Society asked that Rackauckas "diligently pursue this case and to seek, upon conviction, a meaningful sentence that includes jail time and mandatory psychological counseling."
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