Take Action: Speak up for bears
For the very first time, the South Korean government is considering phasing out bear farming.
As a WSPA supporter, you have the unique opportunity to help end this cruel practice. With our member society, Green Korea United (GKU), WSPA is participating in discussions with the South Korean government about permanently ending this cruelty. Please help us convince them to phase out bear farming and end the lifetime of suffering endured by these bears.
Right now more than 1,400 bears suffer on bear farms in South Korea. These bears are confined to cramped, barren cages until the age of 10, when they are then slaughtered for their bile, which is then used in Traditional Asian Medicine. This industry is still legal under South Korean law.
Bear farming is cruel. The captive conditions greatly restrict the bears’ movements and have a terrible impact on their wellbeing. WSPA has witnessed bears rocking and pacing in their small cages, and seen the severe wounds, sores and stress caused by confining them.
Bear farming is unnecessary. Academics, experts and Traditional Asian Medicine advocates in South Korea agree that there are many readily available herbal and synthetic alternatives to bear bile. Even bear farmers in South Korea acknowledge that their farms are losing money and they are prepared to consider a phase out.
The South Korean government is willing to find a way to end this suffering. Government officials have been in discussions with WSPA and GKU about ending bear farming. This September, a bill to phase out bear farming will be proposed to the Korean parliament for the government to deliberate.
Please sign this petition to Ambassador Han Duk-soo at the Embassy of South Korea in the United States TODAY and demonstrate the strength of international support for phasing out bear farming in South Korea.
Obama Stimulus Money to Study Monkey Cocaine Use
Posted by Brian Darling
Senators Tom Coburn (R-OK) and John McCain (R-AZ) have put out an excellent report on how your stimulus money is being spent. The report, Summertime Blues, has one example of Obama Stimulus money being used to study the effects of how “monkeys react under the influence of cocaine.”
28. Monkeys Get High for Science (Winston-Salem, NC) – $144,541
Researchers at Wake Forest University think that, in at least one case, it is good to monkey around with your stimulus dollars. The Department of Health and Human Services has sent $144,541 to the Winston-Salem college to see how monkeys react under the influence of cocaine. The project, titled “Effect of Cocaine Self-Administration on Metabotropic Glutamate Systems,” would have the monkeys self-administer the drugs while researchers monitor and study their glutamate levels. When asked how studying drug-crazed primates would improve the national economy, a Wake Forest University Medical School Spokesman said, “It’s actually the continuation of a job that might not still be there if it hadn’t been for the stimulus funding. And it’s a good job.” He added, “It’s also very worthwhile research.”
You can’t make this stuff up.
No More Horsing Around
Tell the government to manage wild horses responsibly
The BLM thinks the best way to manage wild horses is to take them out the wild. Kayla Grams/The HSUS
by Stephanie Boyles
The federal government promised it would change the way it manages wild horses, but we won’t see anything new in the plan it intends to present to Congress in the fall unless we provide much-needed guidance on how to reform its broken program.
Despite some progress and a lot of promises, if it doesn’t incorporate recommendations from The HSUS and our many supporters, the Bureau of Land Management will simply trot out the same strategies that have already caused horses to suffer and die needlessly and cost the taxpayer many millions of dollars unless. And if things keep going as planned, soon there will be nearly twice as many wild horses in captivity as in the wild. Here’s a little background:
Taking horses off the range is expensive
Over the past 10 years, the costs of the BLM’s Wild Horse and Burro Management program have skyrocketed; the agency keeps removing more horses from public lands, but fewer people are willing to adopt them. Illogically, the BLM hasn’t made controlling reproduction a part of its efforts to control the number of horses in the wild.
In 2008, the BLM spent more than $27 million caring for wild horses and burros in holding facilities. That’s almost 75 percent of the BLM’s total $36.2 million wild horse and burro management budget.
That year the BLM announced that it might euthanize or sell for slaughter more than 10,000 wild horses housed in federal holding facilities to save money.
Let them ROAM
The public and congress were appalled. In July 2009, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the “Restore Our American Mustangs” (ROAM) Act, H.R. 1018, which would protect wild horses and burros from commercial sale and slaughter. ROAM would also implement management tools such as fertility control, which could save millions of tax dollars by diminishing the need for costly gathers and large-scale housing. Unfortunately, the Senate hasn’t yet acted on this legislation.
Promises, promises
In October 2009, the Department of the Interior released a five-year strategy, promising it would transform the BLM’s wild horse and burro program from often inefficient, costly, and inhumane to technologically advanced, fiscally sound, and more humane. At that time, the BLM announced that it wouldn’t euthanize or sell wild horses to resolve its financial woes. Our hopes were high.
But just weeks later we found out that the BLM intended to remove another 12,000 wild horses from the range. If all goes as planned, by the end of 2011, there will be nearly twice as many wild horses in holding facilities (45,000 ) as are on the range (around 26,000). The BLM estimates that holding costs alone will rise to over $47 million annually. This is not a cost-effective way to manage wildlife.
More round-ups
In December 2009, the BLM removed more than 1,500 wild horses from the Calico Complex in Nevada. Several horses didn’t survive. We’re still urging to the BLM to release as many (if not all) of these horses back onto the range as possible, since the agency has no plan to keep the population in the wild from rebounding.
Then in July, the hottest month of the year in that region, the BLM removed more horses, this time in Elko County, Nevada. At least a dozen mustangs have died from dehydration, water intoxication, and related complications. The HSUS has called for a moratorium on roundups.
Tell them enough is enough
The BLM is accepting public comments on its latest plan until August 3. Tell the agency make good on the change it has promised in the past and steer the program in a new, sustainable, and more humane direction.
Stephanie Boyles is Wildlife Scientist, Wildlife and Habitat Protection, for The Humane Society of the United States
CA: Egg Bill Passes Legislature, Needs Governor’s Signature!
CA AB 1437—Humanely Produced Eggs/Food Safety Assemblymember Jared Huffman
Sponsor:
ASPCA Position: Support
Action Needed: Email and call Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to request that he sign this important humane legislation into law.
In 2008, California citizens overwhelmingly voted in favor of Proposition 2, the Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act, which outlawed “battery cages” and mandated that California’s egg-laying hens be housed with enough room to stand up, turn around and spread their wings.
Encouraging further animal-welfare and food-safety reform in the spirit of Prop 2, Assembly Bill 1437 would require that all whole eggs sold in California come from farms that meet this same standard. Like Prop 2, this new law would go into effect in 2015. The bill has already passed both houses of the California Legislature by large margins with bipartisan support.
Governor Schwarzenegger must sign AB 1437 into law by mid-July.
The World Health Organization and Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations Salmonella Risk Assessment agree that the use of battery cages to produce eggs results in an increase in human health risk. Egg-laying hens subjected to stress are more likely to have higher levels of pathogens in their intestines. These conditions increase the likelihood that consumers will be exposed to higher levels of food-borne pathogens, including salmonella.
What You Can Do
Please use the email form provided to contact Governor Schwarzenegger and request that he sign this important consumer protection and animal welfare bill into state law. Don’t forget to personalize your message in the box provided so it stands out!
You can help even further by calling the Governor’s Office today at (916) 445-2841 and expressing your support for AB 1437. Be sure to tell the person with whom you speak that you are a California resident and that the Governor’s approval of AB 1437 is important to you and your family.
Thank you for your help, California.
UPDATE – July 6, 2010
Great news! I received confirmation tonight that Governor Arnold
Schwarzenegger has signed A.B. 1437 into law.
The new law requires that shelled (whole) eggs sold in California
comply with the modest but important food safety and animal welfare
standards of Proposition 2. Passed in a 2008 landslide, Prop 2 phases
out production of eggs from hens crammed into cages.
I am so grateful to our California animal advocates. Thank you
for your many calls and emails to your state legislators and the governor,
and for spreading the word to your friends, family, and social
networks. Please read my latest blog on this exciting news:
http://action.humanesociety.org/site/R?i=cMsxZ6Ks0uPFpI21oNY4kw..
And thank you again for all you do for animals.
Pierce Brosnan stars in new ad for whales – help get it on TV
Pierce Brosnan’s new ad may be the last hope for whales.
Please watch, then help us get it aired on television. Your donation will be doubled today!
(Warning: Graphic images)
June 14, 2010
Last week, Pierce Brosnan wrote to you with an urgent request to save the world’s whales, who are on the brink of losing key protections under international law. Today, I’m writing with an equally urgent request.
Despite thousands of letters and phone calls to key U.S. officials, the fate of the world’s whales still hangs in the balance. That’s why The Humane Society of the United States has joined with Pierce Brosnan and our coalition partners in a last-ditch effort to save the oceans’ most majestic creatures: a new ad that urges President Obama to honor his campaign pledge to protect whales.
Will you watch this new ad right now, and then make a special donation to air it on television in key markets? A group of caring donors will match your gift, dollar for dollar, up to $75,000. That means we’ll have at least $150,000 to ensure this ad sees major air time in key markets such as Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles.
Our time to act is short: One week from today, the nations that are members of the International Whaling Commission, a body mandated to conserve whales, will meet to vote on whether to give in to Japan, Iceland, and Norway. These three nations believe selling whale meat is more important than the survival of these marine species. The United States must exert worldwide leadership to keep the ban on whaling intact. But we have to convince the Obama administration to do the right thing.
So please watch Pierce Brosnan’s personal plea to President Obama — then donate today to ensure this critical message reaches him and his staff. Your donation will go directly into our “Save Whales, Not Whaling” fund. Remember, the first $75,000 in donations will be doubled by a group of generous donors and be used to get the ad on the air. Every additional penny will be used exclusively for our campaign to save the world’s whales.
But I’ll warn you, the ad is hard to watch. It shows the very real threats facing whales today. But that’s precisely why Pierce Brosnan, The HSUS, Humane Society International, the International Fund for Animal Welfare, and the National Resources Defense Council are banding together to make sure this ad gets on TV – so the key decision makers cannot ignore it. Will you help us save the world’s whales now?
Sincerely,
Wayne Pacelle
President & CEO
The Humane Society of the United States
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The Medical University of South Carolina Mutilates Pigs
A recent PETA investigation prompted the U.S. Department of Agriculture to cite laboratories at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) for violations of federal animal welfare laws and revealed that MUSC continues to cut holes in the throats and chests of live pigs in a cruel and deadly trauma training exercise, even though the university has replaced animal use with a state-of-the-art TraumaMan simulator to teach the very same skills in it’s Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) course.
Comparative studies by leading trauma surgeons have repeatedly found that the use of TraumaMan—in addition to saving animals’ lives—is superior to the use of animal labs for preparing trainees to treat injuries in human patients. TraumaMan and other simulators are endorsed by the American College of Surgeons and are used instead of animals in 95 percent of ATLS courses across the U.S.
Please contact David Cole, chair of MUSC’s department of surgery, and ask him to immediately replace the use of pigs for these cruel training exercises with modern human-patient simulators that are already in use at MUSC.
Ricky Gervais Partners with WSPA to End Bullfighting
June 1, 2010
Today, actor, producer and writer Ricky Gervais has partnered with the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) to call for an end to the cruel practice of bullfighting, and urge tourists to stop supporting such brutality on their travels.
Bullfighting is widely marketed to U.S. tourists as a cultural “experience,” especially in Europe and Latin America. And, despite the fact that a majority of Americans are aware that bullfighting causes unnecessary pain to animals, more than 6.2 million have been to a bullfight at some time in their lives.
“Sometimes the worst kind of cruelty is done in the name of entertainment. It sickens me to know that people still pay money to see an animal tortured to death. Cultural heritage is no excuse for inflicting such pain on a frightened and confused animal,” Gervais says in a PSA for WSPA launched today.
Watch the video below and add your name to our petition:
Gervais is also urging people worldwide to put pressure on the Catalonian Government in Spain, which is now preparing to vote on a proposal to ban bullfighting, by signing WSPA’s petition. “We want them to know that there are people all around the world who care which way they vote, and are hoping to see them put an end to this cruel ‘sport’,” adds Gervais.
One quarter of a million bulls are killed each year during bullfights and bull festivals. A 2009 WSPA poll of 2,740 Americans who travel internationally showed that 55% are aware that bullfighting causes unnecessary pain to animals and 42% believe it is a blood sport that has no place in a civilized society.
“Tourists are still attracted to these events because they believe that the bullfighting experience is part of the local culture and they want to see what it is all about,” says Cecily West, WSPA U.S. Executive Director. “However, there are certainly better ways to enjoy and appreciate a country and its unique offerings – whether visiting a national park or participating in an eco tour.”
Bullfighting takes place primarily in Europe (Spain, France, Portugal and festivals in Bosnia); Latin America (Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, Ecuador, plus fiestas in countries including Brazil, Panama and Nicaragua); North America (‘bloodless’ bullfights); Africa (Kenya – bull against bull); and Asia (India – bull against bull; and China – man against bull). The bullfighting season runs from April to September in Europe and October to February in Latin America.
As the world’s largest alliance of animal welfare organizations, with at least one member in virtually every country of the world, WSPA is able to work where there is the greatest need to stop animal suffering and cruelty. The WSPA animal welfare community has a diverse range of high profile supporters including Simon Cowell, Leona Lewis, Miranda Richardson, Brooke Shields, Tiffani Thiessen, Kristin Davis and Christina Applegate.
Q&A with Ricky Gervais
Why did you get involved with WSPA?
“My first love was nature and wildlife, and, in particular, animals. I think animals are all unconditionally perfect, and beautiful. Animals really matter to me, and WSPA is trying to stop needless acts of animal cruelty all over the world. One of their campaigns is against bullfighting. It sickens me to know that in this day and age, people are still paying money to see an animal suffering in such a horrific way.”
“The bull is stabbed for around 15 minutes by spears, spikes and daggers. It dies slowly and painfully, because when the matador sticks the final sword in, it often pierces the lungs instead of the heart, and the bulls are left drowning in their own blood. It’s amazing that there are fans of this so-called ‘sport’ across the world, from Spain to Latin America. I just can’t accept that cultural heritage is an excuse for inflicting such pain on a frightened and confused animal.”
But if it’s popular, can anyone really stop it?
“There’s already quite a bit of progress being made. At the moment, the Catalonian Government in Spain is on the verge of voting for a ban on bullfighting. It could be a real step forward, so I wanted to get involved with this campaign to let Catalonian MPs know that there are thousands of people all around the world who care which way they vote.”
“Anyway, it’s not even that popular anymore – a survey a couple of years ago showed that 72 per cent of Spaniards have no interest in it. In Barcelona, they’ve had to cut the number of bullfights they have because audiences are getting smaller. They don’t even show it on TVE, the main public TV station in Spain! Even in Latin America it’s in decline – there’s a city in Ecuador that has publicly declared itself anti-bullfighting.”
Would you ever go to a bullfight?
“Absolutely not. It’s basically paying to keep cruelty alive. Some people might go to one on holiday because they see it as a cultural experience, but they should think hard about it, and take their conscience with them on holiday.”
Help us reach 100,000 names – add your name to the petition today >>
Farm Sanctuary Working to Offer Refuge for Animals Victimized in Conklin Dairy Cruelty Case
Call for Better Laws to Protect Farm Animals in Ohio
WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — May 28, 2010 — As the nation struggles to comprehend what some animal experts are calling the most egregious case of animal cruelty ever documented, local authorities in Union County, Ohio are working to track down the animals shown in the undercover video being beaten, stabbed, punched and kicked inside Conklin Dairy Farm and bring them to safety at the New York Shelter of Farm Sanctuary. Yesterday, the nation’s leading farm animal protection organization contacted the Union County Humane Society and local authorities, who are investigating this case, to offer rehabilitative care and lifelong refuge for any of the abused cows and calves in need as a result of the ongoing investigation. The Union County Humane Society has accepted Farm Sanctuary’s offer to help, should they confiscate any animals exhibiting signs of abuse, and both organizations are calling for better laws to protect farm animals in Ohio.
“We are so thankful that the Union County Humane Society has welcomed our offer to help,” said Susie Coston, national shelter director of Farm Sanctuary. “Ohio is known as ‘the heart of it all,’ and judging from the countless phone calls we are receiving from grief stricken citizens all across the country pleading for the safe rescue and refuge of these innocent animals, I can say with certainty that hearts are broken.”
According to Steffen Baldwin, the executive director of the Union County Humane Society, current state laws limit what can be done. Baldwin confirmed that the Union County Humane Society obtained a search warrant on Wednesday and humane agents entered the premises accompanied by the Union County Sheriffs Department, Union County Health Department, and a veterinarian from OSU that specializes in large animal care. At that time they found that all living animals at the facility had no visible signs of abuse. Without any visible signs of abuse and with the main perpetrator arrested, the Union County Humane Society lacked the physical evidence to seize the animals on the spot. However, this farm sells animals every week, and according to Baldwin, two agents from the Ohio Department of Agriculture’s Enforcement Division have been added to assist in the investigation. Baldwin confirmed that state inspectors arrived at the farm on Thursday and cited it for not properly disposing of dead animals. A department spokeswoman stated that Conklin didn’t bury dead cows deep enough on the property. Additionally, the Union County Humane Society plans to track down animals recently sold from the facility to see if they show signs of abuse.
“We are grateful to Farm Sanctuary for reaching out and offering to provide protection for the cows and calves who suffered this egregious abuse,” said Baldwin. “Unfortunately, despite the horrific acts of torture documented in the video, and due to Ohio’s anemic animal cruelty laws, we simply do not have enough evidence at this time to meet the public’s overwhelming demand for the animals to be immediately seized and the facility shut down. This is an ongoing investigation and we are doing everything in our power to gather the necessary evidence to bring the victims of this atrocious abuse to refuge, where they can live out the rest of their days free from fear and pain.”
Local law enforcement agents are working to prosecute Billy Joe Gregg, the Conklin Dairy Farm worker accused of abusing calves and cows and most prominently shown in the video. Gregg has been arrested on 12 counts of animal cruelty, each second degree misdemeanor count carrying a possible sentence of 90 days in jail, and he is being held on $100,000 bond. Other arrests are pending further investigation.
Ohio law does not currently allow felony charges on farm animal abuse. On Thursday, the Ohio House of Representatives voted to approve House Bill 55, which would increase animal cruelty laws from a second degree misdemeanor to a first degree misdemeanor and mandated psychological exam, mental health treatment, and suspension of the ability to care for any animals, as well as more. Baldwin stated, “This law is a good start, but Ohio is still one of only 10 states that does not allow animal cruelty to be punished at the felony level. Until Ohio joins the other 40 states in the Union to properly protect those creatures who cannot speak for themselves or protect themselves we will continue to voice our displeasure at the lax laws in a state that prides itself on agriculture and livestock.”
In a statement issued Wednesday, Gene Baur, president and co-founder of Farm Sanctuary, called the Conklin Dairy Farm cruelty case “an eye-opener to anyone still unsure of what all the fuss is about concerning the treatment of farm animals in Ohio,” a reference to the campaign currently underway in the state to place a measure on the ballot to enact modest reforms and protect farm animals.
If you would like to speak with Gene Baur, president and co-founder or Susie Coston, national shelter director of Farm Sanctuary, a leading supporter of Ohioans For Humane Farms, please contact Meredith Turner at 646-369-6212 or mturner@farmsanctuary.org.
Photos of Farm Sanctuary’s shelters available upon request.
Cruel Pig Lab at Tulane: Sign Our Petition
Next month, PCRM physicians will lead a peaceful demonstration at Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans to bring attention to the facility’s cruel and ineffective use of live pigs in a trauma training course. Please sign this petition that our physicians will present to senior vice president and dean Benjamin Sachs, M.B.
At Tulane, Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) courses typically involve cutting open live, anesthetized pigs and practicing procedures such as inserting a tube and needle into the animals’ chest cavities and cutting into their throats. After the training session, the animals are killed. Tulane continues this inhumane practice even though the American College of Surgeons has approved simulators for this training. The next course begins at Tulane on June 5.
Refuge for Gulf Coast Wildlife
HSUS animal centers, experts prepared to help animals of oil spill disaster
The Humane Society of the United States
Hundreds of species of wildlife are at risk from the massive oil spill in the Gulf Coast.
Dr. Roberto Aguilar, staff veterinarian at our Cape Wildlife Center in Barnstable, Mass., spoke with us briefly about the massive and ongoing oil spill threatening havoc on the delicate ecosystem of the Gulf Coast region.
In addition to our emergency responders and triage equipment ready for immediate deployment, we asked Dr. Aguilar what kind of role The HSUS’s animal care centers would play in rescue and rehab efforts.
Dr. Aguilar is an associate researcher at the New Zealand Wildlife Health Centre, one of the largest oil spill networks in the world.
Q: Can you give us an overview of the situation for wildlife?
A: The Gulf region is diverse and full of unique wildlife who almost certainly will be compromised—from sea turtles and sperm whales to countless species of shorebirds and migratory avian species. Though marine mammals are the purview of specialized stranding networks, an immense variety of mammals, birds and reptiles will be affected.
The oil spill affecting the area is thick, tarry toxic crude capable of inflicting not only short-term damage to adult animals but also severe long-term effects on critical breeding populations. Dips in wildlife populations can be expected (as have been seen after all major oil spills). The fact that most of southern Louisiana and parts of other coastlines are critical wetlands makes the dimension of the tragedy even greater.
The area represents significant spawning grounds for fish, nesting areas for birds, as well as coastal wildlife; and, tragically, the breeding season is at its height. The diversity of species and the unique requirements of each in dealing with the chemicals poisoning their systems require specialized training—without it, the responders pose a threat to the animals’ survival chances, and both the animals and the hazardous materials pose risks to the humans.
Q: How is The HSUS able to help?
A: We have staff and volunteers trained and qualified to respond in the event our assistance is requested. Additionally, we have staff located in all of the Gulf Coast states. They’ve reached out to emergency management, wildlife centers, and shelters to offer support and resources when and if needed. Our trained responders and a fleet of fully equipped transport vehicles are prepared to mobilize.
As one of the largest and most diverse providers of direct animal care in the country, our wildlife rehab experts at The HSUS animal centers stand ready to support local, regional and national responses to the spill threatening the region and its wildlife. Our shared experience will meet the needs should an opportunity to treat any of the affected Gulf Coast animals come up, including issues that may not be directly related to the spill. We also are capable of housing wildlife for a stabilization period if those resources are needed.
Our highly trained and experienced staff at the Wildlife Care Center in South Florida, The Fund for Animals Wildlife Center in California, and Cape Wildlife Center in Massachusetts has dealt extensively with wildlife in trouble due to human activity. This has included everything from a tiny one-ounce wren caught in a glue trap (a situation which presents similar problems to treating oiled animals) to eiders covered in diesel fuel, to coyotes and bobcats hit by cars.
Our Florida center is one of the largest wildlife rehabilitation facilities in the country, seeing more than 12,000 animals a year. There, we treat many of the same species at risk from the oil spill—brown pelicans, egrets, royal terns and others. The center is gearing up for an immediate response to treating animals on site if necessary.
Flexibility, experience, preparedness, training, and patience all come in to play in participating in a well planned, sustained, long term effective cleaning and restoration effort. Our goal will be, as always, to effectively help, treat and recover as many wild animals as possible.
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