Paris Hilton and Drunken Elephants, Now There's a Story! Or Not.

I came across this story about Paris Hilton trying to stop elephants from getting drunk on rice beer in India and going on rampages.

Activists said a celebrity endorsement was sure to raise awareness of the plight of the pachyderms that get drunk on farmers’ homemade rice beer then go on a rampage. Last month, six wild elephants that broke into a farm in Meghalaya were electrocuted after discovering and drinking the potent brew then uprooting an electricity pole.

“There would have been more casualties if the villagers hadn’t chased them away. And four elephants died in a similar way three years ago. It is just so sad,” Ms. Hilton was quoted as saying in Tokyo.

This later went out on the wires. Too stupid to be true? Well you know that would have to be pretty darn stupid. Apparently it wasn't true.

The AP went back and quietly retracted the story.

Photo by Casaroger

Great Lakes Gray Wolf Not as Safe as We Think

US Fish and Wildlife recently removed the western Great Lakes gray wolf from the endangered species list. Two scientists, however, have discovered that things are not what they seem.

Amid much fanfare this year, the federal Fish and Wildlife Service declared the western Great Lakes gray wolf successfully recovered from an encounter with extinction and officially removed it from the endangered species list. Under the protection of the Endangered Species Act, the wolf boomed in population to 4,000 in Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin today, up from just several hundred in northern Minnesota in 1974.

But the victory celebration was premature, according to two evolutionary biologists, Jennifer A. Leonard of Uppsala University in Sweden and Robert K. Wayne of the University of California, Los Angeles. The historic Great Lakes wolf did not return intact from the edge of oblivion. Instead, the scientists report in the online edition of the journal Biology Letters, it hybridized with gray wolves moving in from Canada, coyotes from the south and west and the hybrids born of that mixing.

Photo by Dobak

More Condemnation of Aussie Horse Slaughter

Here is another article about the slaughter of brumbies in Australia.

Money quote:

"The Bureau of Land Management in the US manages over 60,000 wild horses, funded by the government. The majority of such horses are rehomed on an annual basis. The facilities and management of the horses is outstanding.

"As we follow the US like puppy dogs, why not take a leaf from their book and introduce such methods here?"

Ouch.

Heifer International: A Tough Decision on Animal Rights

Every year, I get the catalog from Heifer International, asking for donations, selling products, and explaining their programs. I see the celebrity endorsements and read the success stories. But I just can't bring myself to support them, as much as I would like to do so.

This is what they do, per the Special 2007 Holiday Edition.

Heifer provides long-term solutions to hunger and poverty. Since 1944, Heifer International ha helped 8.5 million families or the equivalent of 45 million women, men, boys and girls in more than 125 countries through the gift of LIVESTOCK and training in environmentally sound agriculture. The impact of each initial gift is multiplied as recipients agree to "pass on the gifts" by giving one or more of their animal's offspring, or the equivalent to another in need.

Here are some examples of their successes....

**One family in Honduras receives a dairy cow from which they can drink the milk and sell the excess on the market for money.

**Goats received by an orphanage in Poland are used for milk and cheese.

**A Bolivian boy receives sheep whose wool is used for making ponchos and for selling at the market. The lambs are sold.

**Pigs are given to a South Pacific family to raised for food, fertilizer and sales at market.

**Angora rabbits in Nepal provide fur for cottage industries.

Every recipient receives training in animal husbandry and environmentally sound agriculture.

Where should an animal rights activist stand on this use of animals for the alleviation of poverty? Is there any alternative?

Photo by phil1983.

Lion Hunting Industry Flourishes

It amazes me how I hear about species whose very existence is being endangered, but at the same time, individual members are being held in captivity and their live are basically "throw-aways." Examples include the chimpanzees being used for experimentation, elephants in circuses, and, now, lions for trophy hunters.

Trophy hunters are the worst to me. They don't need the kill, they don't eat it, they don't respect it and, most of the time, they don't even really hunt it. These "trophys" are often just the result of the "hunter" having the kill when the animal has already been tracked and caught by a professional. Or they are in a small enclosure, aka the "canned" hunt.

A trophy for cowardice I say. Or to boost some low testosterone levels.

But the industry heads believe they are protecting the lions from African farmers killing them and helping the economy at the same time. See what's happening in South Africa.

South African breeding operations...provided more than 300 lions for trophy hunters to stalk and kill last year, and are part of an industry that brought 1 billion rand ($146 million) into the economy. The farms have also sparked outrage from animal rights groups who say they permit ``canned hunting,'' where marksmen kill lions in small enclosures with no chance to escape.

Starting Feb. 1, South Africa will require that lions roam free for two years before they are hunted. Breeders say the rules will destroy the industry and force them to slaughter many of the 5,000 captive-bred cats. Game farms can't afford to have the lions hunting their other animals for such a long period, and there isn't enough room for them in the wild.

``The moment we can't hunt them they'll have no value,'' says Wouter Pienaar, owner of Bloemfontein-based Shot Productions Ltd., which films hunts for tourists. The farmers ``are just going to start killing them.''

Advocates of the new law say it will let lions adapt to the wild before they are killed, allowing for a fair chase.

``We are putting an end, once and for all, to the reprehensible practice of canned hunting,'' Marthinus van Schalkwyk, South Africa's environment minister, said in a February statement. ``We will not allow our achievements to be undermined by unethical and rogue practices.''


Photo by joriepollak.

Swiss Cat Trafficking

Are you kidding me? The Swiss?

French animal rights activists in the Alpine Haute-Savoie region suspect Swiss involvement in an alleged cat-trafficking ring in which 450 cats have been nabbed since January.

"We suspect Swiss criminals of stealing cats to sell them to medical laboratories or tanneries, because some believe that cat skins can help ease rheumatic pain," said Patricia Dolciani, head of the animal protection SPA office in Thonon on Friday.

It gets even better.

According to Dolciani, some 10,000 cat skins are treated per year in two tanneries across the border in Switzerland.

The sale of cat leather is prohibited in France, BUT NOT IN SWITZERLAND.

I am so disillusioned!

Photo by eaglerm.

Anti-Terrorism Scare Tactics Against Animal Activists

Police in New Zealand are increasingly using anti-terrorism laws to go after animal and environmental activists. We're not just talking about ALF or ELF here, but anyone who may by noisy enough to attract the attention of authorities. The U.S., of course leads the way with these kind of tactics. I was a little surprised to learn this was a problem in New Zealand.

On October 2, 2003 World Farm Animal Day a group of young Aucklanders held a protest at the Tegel Foods offices about treatment of chickens. They scattered some hay on the floor of the reception area and 23-year-old school teacher Jesse Duffield delivered a protest letter. Police documents estimate the cost of cleaning up the hay was $111 plus GST.

However, early the next morning, detectives raided Duffield's home. He was arrested roughly and charged with home invasion (maximum 10 years' prison) and intentional damage (maximum seven years' prison). Police opposed him getting bail and later imposed a 9pm-6am curfew. Meanwhile his car was impounded for a week and his house searched by detectives. They seized his computer and mobile phone, plus 100 floppy disks, posters off the walls and a T-shirt saying "GE, you are what you eat." These possessions were not returned for nine months.

The only rational explanation for their actions was intelligence collecting. The police eventually dropped their absurd charges but they'd got hundreds of thousands of emails and texts to build a profile of the animal rights groups. The detective who led the raid, Mike Paki, was not a normal CIB officer, but a police intelligence officer from the Auckland Threat Assessment Unit who was surprise, surprise studying animal rights and other protest groups. It appears police were working their way through activist groups looking for security threats. It's not hard to see where such ideas would come from.

At the same time as Jesse Duffield's case, there were many such raids occurring in the US. One of them, in Philadelphia in 2004, was at the home of a member of the group Hugs for Puppies, which protests against animal-testing. The agents, who made no arrests but seized computers and mobile phones, were from a special FBI unit called the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF). US animal rights and environmental groups have never killed anyone but are openly branded as terrorists by the authorities.

Hugs for Puppies? Sounds like a pretty dangerous group. Nothing a little waterboarding couldn't cure...

Photo by InfonewsNZ

Deplorable Conditions at Alberta Roadside Zoos

Two Alberta, Canada roadside zoos are being accused of serious violations of animal welfare and are currently under investigation.

(Is there ever a GOOD roadside zoo? These things should be banned as far as I'm concerned.)

Fish and Wildlife officers are looking into allegations of filthy drinking water, rotting carcasses in cages and animals going "insane" from boredom, levelled at Discovery Wildlife Park near Innisfail, and at Guzoo Animal Farm near Three Hills.

"The reports are already being sent out to our field staff, who will go through the allegations and respond where needed," said Darcy Whiteside, a spokesman for Alberta Sustainable Resources.

But representatives with Zoocheck Canada and the World Society for the Protection of Animals said Wednesday the province is to blame for the deplorable conditions and public safety issues at the attractions.

They blame the government for failing to enforce zoo regulations.

"Each day, the government dwindles on enforcing its own rules," said Melissa Tkachyk, a spokeswoman for the World Society for the Protection of Animals. "Alberta needs to clean up or close down these roadside zoos."

Apparently, Alberta has some of the best zoo regulations in Canada, but it doesn't enforce them. Meanwhile, the accused zoos are calling the same old fouls...those darn people out of Ontario are trying to tell them what to do, goshdarnit!

The zoos' owners defended their attractions Wednesday and said they were tired of responding to "self-proclaimed animal activists out of Ontario."

"We are licensed by the government according to development plans approved by the province," said Lynne Gustafson, who has operated Guzoo for 18 years.

"We can't get a permit if we don't pass inspections."

Meanwhile, there were 50 violations at Discovery Wildlife Park, she said.

But Doug Bos, who owns the facility -- widely known as the place visitors can pay to kiss a bear -- said inspections have become more frequent.

"Things are a lot tighter than they were before," said Bos, who has roughly 100 animals and has been operating for 20 years.

Photo by jomoud.

Treaty to Protect Mountain Gorillas

Last month, nine African countries signed a treaty in Paris to improve protection of the mountain gorilla. The mountain gorilla is on the verge of extinction due to habitat loss, disease and poaching.

The agreement, finalised today at a meeting hosted by the Government of France and the United Nations (UNEP) Convention on Migratory Species, will function like a mini-convention or treaty. It specifies efforts that governments need to undertake and to collaborate on. These include combating poaching, supporting law enforcement and building capacity in the legal and judicial areas. The agreement will be legally binding, unlike previous declarations from the range countries, such as the such as the GrASP Kinshasa declaration in 2005.

Central African Republic, Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, Angola, Cameroon, and Gabon participated in the talks while Rwanda was unable to attend. WWF and TRAFFIC, who between them are active in gorilla conservation in most of the range countries, were heavily engaged in the negotiation process and final text.

Too little, too late?

Photo by Simian.

Remembering Animals on Remembrance Day

Here is an article in the Edmonton Journal about a professor that highlights the work of naimals in wartime every Remembrance Day (that's what they call Veteran's Day in the Commonwealth for you hosers like me in the US).

The UK even has a medal called the Dickin Medal for those animals who do extraordinary things in times of war or disaster. Two guide dogs who led their owners to safety on 9/11, for example, were given the award.

Photo by Soldiersmediacenter

Is Mary Kay Okay on Animal Testing?

Per this page on the Mary Kay website

Mary Kay Inc. does not do animal testing. Mary Kay Inc. has not conducted, or requested on its behalf, any testing of products or ingredients on animals in over 15 years and actively supports the research of alternative testing methods.

So, to check this claim, I "googled" Mary Kay and animal testing.

Per Leaping Bunny, Mary Kay signed a non-animal testing pledge back in 1999.

Mary Kay, Inc., one of the largest and most well-known cosmetics companies, has agreed to sign the Corporate Standard of Compassion for Animals. The Corporate Standard is the most stringent non-animal testing policy in the United States, Canada and Europe.

I haven't found anything to contradict this so far. Please let us know if any of you have other information. It would be great to just walk in to a pharmacy and buy some makeup instead of ordering online.

Critter of the Week

Our cat Charlotte yowling. She does it all the time. Day and night. Nobody knows why.

The Human-Animal Conflict in India

Interesting opinion piece by Mahesh Rangarajan, an environmental historian, in the Telegraph of Calcutta.

He identifies a key problem in India.

Human-animal conflicts seem endemic to India today. A leading newspaper recently featured a schoolteacher who models himself on the legendary Jim Corbett, and shoots man-eating leopards on government licence. Large carnivores are often in conflict with cattle- or goat-owners, whose livelihood is under threat.

Conversely, revenge killings since the last four decades have resorted to modern petro-chemical based poisons. More insidious, and probably more endangering, is the conflict between humans — their industry or agriculture — and the habitat that provides sustenance to wild animals.

And he highlights the need to incorporate the human population into conservation strategies.

What can be done, but only in a few cases, is to re-establish stable populations in former range, once this is suitable in terms of prey and habitat. The Kuno sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh can probably hold a small lion population. Gir in Gujarat is only part of the range of Asia’s last lions. Many of the big cats permanently reside outside the sanctuary and feed mostly on cattle. These can easily be translocated, acclimatized and released in Kuno.

Yet, each of these responses, seclusion, incentives to reduce conflict or re-wilding is site-specific. These cannot be applied without reference to context and place, nor can they save each and every animal. Here, animal rights activists, who rightly focus on the dignity of animals, have to ask how those who lose loved ones or stock feel about wild animals.

In turn, the securing of a life of dignity for those who are under-privileged can and should be reconciled with the retention, not the destruction, of habitats that can sustain ecological diversity. Nepal’s Chitwan is a strictly protected reserve for rhinos and tigers. But it is now reinforced by common property lands that have been re-wilded in return for a substantial share of tourism revenues via the panchayats. The biologist, Eric Dinerstein, even believes that such strategies can help restore large areas of habitat, reconnect secure sanctuaries and replace a conflict ridden scenario with one of cooperative conservation.

Yet protection seems a far cry when confronted with the reality of conflict. Work, such as that of Wildlife First or the Nature Conservation Foundation, has in it the seeds of a new approach. It seeks to avoid the Scylla of animal rights where every animal matters. Instead, the focus is on populations, species and habitats.

The practical side of me knows this is a reasonable approach, but there is also the side of me that gets angry. The human species has wreaked so much pain and suffering on animals and on each other. The world wasn't created for us and yet we always have to come first.

Pah!

Photo by Leo Cheung

Mass Horse Slaughter in Australia

Authorities in Queensland plan to slaughter 10,000 feral horses (called brumbies down under), and tried to keep it a secret. There may be legitimate environmental reasons for this kind of thing. But, keeping this a secret is just plain wrong. If they have to deal with noisy animal rights activists, so be it. People need to know what their government is doing.

Documents obtained by The Courier-Mail show fears of a public outcry led to high-level talks on how to conceal one of the world's largest animal culls.

But the kill to help the environment - including shooting horses in the state's southeast - is already drawing international condemnation from animal rights groups and criticism of the RSPCA for condoning it.

Reports obtained under Freedom of Information showed the Government was aware of the controversy the cull would create.

Earlier this year, then environment minister Lindy Nelson-Carr told former premier Peter Beattie the killing of horses "has the potential to precipitate vocal opposition from small special-interest groups with strong inflexible views".

Thousands of horses already have been shot, including 4000 at the popular Carnarvon National Park in central Queensland.

In remote areas, the animals are left to rot where they fall.

But Government documents show that in other areas shooters were instructed to hide the bodies.

ALF Spokesperson Jerry Vlasak to Speak at Hampshire College

Controversial doctor and ALF Spokesperson Jerry Vlasak is slated to speak at Hampshire College's "Smash the State Crush the Cage" weekend.

Administrators first objected to the Hampshire Animal Liberation Advocacy group's conference for safety reasons. A planned keynote speaker, Jerry Vlaska, a spokesman for the Animal Liberation Federation, has on several occasions noted he supports violence against scientists who test on animals.

Federation? What is this Star Trek? It's the Animal Liberation Front.

Vlaska "believes that any tactics - ranging from threats and break-ins to sabotage and even assault or murder - are legitimate given the suffering exploiters inflict on animals (and) the impossibility of ending their misery through legal systems," his biography reads.

Here's a Wikipedia article about Vlasak (They can't seem to spell his name right either). Here is what ALF says about him.

Photo by mac_vegetarian