ANIMAL ISSUES BULLETIN
February 15, 2011
** Update on Johnson Brothers
** Michael Vick Video Controversy
** Reminder: DDB and Bad Newz Kennel Option
** Utah Victory for Feral Cats
** PCRM Appeal for Med School Lab Animals
** Innovative Deer Program in Maryland
** Fighting Cock Kills Man
** Yellowstone Bison Slaughter Update
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-- Johnson Brothers Retrial May 4 –
Baltimore prosecutors decided to retry the animal-cruelty case against Travers and Tremayne Johnson
who are accused of setting a young pit bull named Phoenix on fire in Baltimore back in 2009. As
reported in last week’s Bulletin, the first attempt to convict the brothers ended in a mistrial when the
jury was unable to reach a verdict. The new trial is scheduled to begin on May 4. Baltimore State’s
Attorney Gregg Bernstein reminded animal advocates that the court’s order prohibiting public comment
about the case is still in effect.
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-- Controversial Vick Video –
Readers will remember that Michael Vick was recently given the key to Dallas by a council person in the
unofficial role of mayor pro tem. This caused a minor brouhaha and Mayor Tom Leppert responded:
“The action taken was not sanctioned by my office and was not an official ceremonial honor on behalf of
the City of Dallas. Official Keys to the City are presented by the Mayor, or an elected official designated
by the Mayor, and reserved, on a limited basis, for an elected official of international status. Clearly, this
was not the case in this situation and done without my knowledge or approval.”
But the day got more controversial when Dallas reporter Richard Hunt, who took on the task of adopting
and rehabilitating a dog used a bait dog at the Bad Newz Kennel, attempted to get Vick to stop for a few
minutes and get up-to-date on this dog’s life. But Vick did not stop, and his bodyguards treated Hunt
with disdain. One of them even said something to the effect that they didn’t care about the dogs.
Depending on one’s point of view, the bodyguards were only doing their job or they were unnecessarily
rough. Some say you can’t tell if Vick himself even heard what Hunt was saying to him and the video
was tampered with; others insist Vick knew, even looked at the picture of the dog Hunt was holding up
and callously walked away. Some say Hunt had a right to try to get Vick’s attention since Vick himself
has said he wants to talk know about his dogs. Others say Hunt set Vick up—but even if he was set up,
did Hunt out him and do a public service? Who is the hero here: Vick or Hunt?
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Many animal advocates are not so trusting in Michael Vick’s new public persona. Many agree with a
guy named Stephen who posted his reaction to the video:
People who prattle on about second chances aren’t willing to face the fact that this is approximately
Vick’s 5th chance. And people who buy into the media hype about Michael Vick’s redemption are dupes
who don’t realize that, in return for millions of dollars, Michael Vick has learned how to behave in front
of the cameras. Whatever gets you through the night, but there are at least half a dozen quarterbacks
who could have gotten you into the wild card round without selling your souls. Keep railing against Brett
Favre for texting pictures of his wang.
Reporter Richard Hunter is a true hero, because he undertook the nearly impossible task of raising one of
the dogs Vick turned into a battered, quivering shell. He was in Dallas this weekend when, inexplicably,
the Mayor Pro Tem of Philadelphia’s chief football rival town decided to give Philadelphia’s quarterback
the keys to his city.
Well, I guess it’s really not all that inexplicable. It’s more of a pattern, explained the same way as
Obama’s call to the Eagles congratulating them for giving Vick millions of dollars. Here’s an idea: How
about finding a role model or two for your community who don’t need “redemption” because they never
strung up, shot, strangled and drowned defenseless animals for laughs?
http://www.bucksright.com/reporter-who-adopted-tortured-dog-attempts-to-interview-michael-vick6508
People continue to be extremely emotional about this sports celebrity, defending him or wishing him to
Hades. (Another article is at http://www.examiner.com/dogs-in-national/hey-vick-handover-thosekeys-to-the-city.)
As far as we can tell, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) remains silent on this latest
outrage against Vick. However, a page dated January 27, 2011, addresses all the questions and
objections people may have about the HSUS position. Interestingly, the organization states that Vick is
not a spokesperson for the HSUS or its anti-dog-fighting campaign. As far as the campaign, the HSUS
differentiates between an official spokesperson and a “participant” where Vick is concerned.
Just a few days ago, when asked his opinion about Vick, senior special agent Jim Knorr of the
Department of Agriculture said:
"Do I think he's changed? I don't know. I would hope he has but I don't know. Only one person knows and
that's him. … The only way the public is going to know if he's sincere is to revisit it five to eight years from
now, when he's not playing in the NFL and getting endorsements. Is he still going into the
neighborhoods, preaching to the kids? If he's sincere or not, it doesn't really matter because what he's
doing now, he's doing a positive thing by speaking to kids in the community about his mistakes and
telling them not to go there. What he's doing is good for the public.”
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/otl/news/story?id=6113459&campaign=rss&source=NFLHeadlines
Here is a draft letter to Wayne Pacelle you can use as a template if you want the HSUS to end its
connection to Michael Vick. If you are an HSUS member, don’t forget to mention it.
Wayne Pacelle
President and CEO
The Humane Society of the United States
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2101 L Street, NW
Washington, DC 20037
Re: Michael Vick’s Participation in the HSUS Anti-Dogfighting Campaign
Dear Mr. Pacelle:
I’m sure you are aware of the latest Vick controversy in Dallas when he received the City Key (which caused an
uproar) and then left the event with reporter/Bad Newz dog rescuer Richard Hunt hot on his heels. A video of
Hunt trying to talk to Vick about his former bait dog is again creating public dissension about whether Vick’s
rehabilitation is genuine; educating the public about the evils of dog fighting is lost in the celebrity controversy.
In 2009 when the HSUS accepted Vick’s offer to participate in its anti-dog-fighting campaign, many people were
skeptical. You yourself said, “[I]f he’s sincere about making a difference, there’s no better place to land.” But
the question then and now is: Is he sincere? Does Vick really feel any remorse for what he did, or did his
representatives simply come to the logical conclusion that publicly renouncing dog fighting and making nice with
an organization like the HSUS was the most expedient way for Vick to regain what he had lost.
To me and many other people who watched the video, the Vick bodyguard who remarked that “we don’t care
about the dogs” is very telling. Vick’s arrest and the gruesome details of what went on at Bad Newz Kennel was
probably enough to cast the spotlight on the cruelty of dog-fighting and increase arrests and convictions. The
headway could have been made without the HSUS dealing with Vick. In many people’s opinion, although the
HSUS is very careful to deny that Vick is a spokesperson, it continues to allow him to use a humane organization
for his own purpose. I urge you and the board of the HSUS to reconsider this decision.
Sincerely,
[your name and address]
If you want to make a telephone call to the HSUS, the phone number is 202-452-1100.
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-- Fresh Start for Bad Newz Kennel –
As reported last week, Dogs Deserve Better is raising funds to take over Bad Newz Kennel and convert
the property to a Good Newz Rehab Center for abused dogs. To help and find out more about this effort,
check out http://www.dogsdeservebetter.com/ddbcenter.html
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-- Victory for Ferals in Utah -Utah State Rep. Curt Oda (R-Clearfield) sponsored a bill to amend the state's cruelty laws to allow
people to "humanely kill" an animal if the person had "reasonable belief" that the animal was feral. The
sanctioned methods of killing included shooting, bow hunting, clubbing and decapitation! Animal
activists throughout Utah and around the nation were outraged.
According to a change.org story, the absurd proposal even inspired a new segment on the Colbert
Report, where Stephen Colbert asked, "Who better to decide what's reasonable than someone willing to
club a collarless cat to death?"
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A petition began on Change.org which gained more than 3,500 supporters. Letters were written and the
Utah-based Best Friends Animal Society went to the State Capitol when the bill was being debated last
week. The debate lasted two hours, but by the end of it, Utah's animals were once again protected.
Not surprisingly, Oda wasn't happy with the debate. The Salt Lake Tribune reports that Oda argued that
removing the language about feral cats means "anyone who legitimately shoots a feral animal will still
be subject to potentially severe penalties." But considering how short the list of "legitimate" reasons to
shoot a dog or cat is, most people are fine with this outcome.
[Read the story at http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/home/51224575-76/feral-animal-bill-oda.html.csp]
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-- PCRM Action Alert –
The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) filed a complaint with the U.S. Department
of Agriculture, explaining that the University of Washington (UW) is violating the federal Animal Welfare
Act by using live ferrets in its pediatrics residency program. Please help this effort by asking the
University of Washington to end the use of animals for pediatrics residency training. Go to
http://support.pcrm.org/site/R?i=sxLt1_B3AJNVi6l4Q1b8zA.
In the pediatrics residency program at the UW breathing tubes are pushed down the throats of live
ferrets to teach endotracheal intubation. This painful procedure is repeated numerous times on each
animal and can cause tracheal bruising and bleeding. Non-animal training methods exist, making this
use of animals not only cruel but completely unnecessary.
So far, the responsible UW faculty and administrators have ignored pleas to change this practice. Please
e-mail UW School of Medicine dean Paul G. Ramsey, M.D. (pramsey@u.washington.edu, phone 206543-7718) and urge him to end this cruel and unnecessary practice. To send an automatic e-mail, visit:
http://support.pcrm.org/site/R?i=bwYh0oqW4CWmKpyx8ng5Ng
To read a .pdf of the PCRM complaint to Agricultural, go to:
http://support.pcrm.org/site/R?i=dBPJPJtynKIse4u5wEm_TA
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-- Deers Sterilized at Loch Raven Reservoir –
In the February 12 Sunday edition of the Baltimore Sun, outdoor sports editor Candus Thomson
reported on the incredibly successful groundbreaking work done by Wildlife Rescue Inc. to
immunecontracept whitetail deer and completely stop them from reproducing. This work is
unprecedented in Maryland. The research was all privately funded, costing nothing to the taxpayers and
demonstrated that it can be done.
Learn more about this humane and innovative program by visiting the link is newspaper below. And
spread the word in Maryland. If you have a blog, add a post thanking Wildlife Rescue, Inc. for this work,
and plugging the organization. This effort will need all the help it can get if the hunting community tries
to attack it. Feel free to cross post to animal welfare friends!
http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/outdoors/bs-sp-deer-sterilization-20110212,0,4577353.story
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-- Fighting Birds Turn on Humans –
A central California man, Jose Luis Ochoa, previously convicted of illegal animal fighting was killed at a
cockfight after being stabbed in the leg by a bird that had a knife attached to its limb, officials
confirmed. An artery in Mr. Ochoa’s leg was severed by the armed bird. So cockfighting is not just
dangerous to the birds. See the FindLaw report at
http://blogs.findlaw.com/legally_weird/2011/02/california-man-killed-by-rooster-at-cockfight.html or
the story at: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2011/02/07/108268/california-man-dies-in-cockfight.html
Strangely enough, a similar incident occurred in Central Bengal, India, just this past January when a
champion rooster, also armed, decided he had had enough and slashed his owner’s throat, killing him.
See the Daily Mail Report story at http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1348653/Indian-policehunt-killer-rooster-slashes-owners-throat.html.
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-- Federal Judge Won’t Stop Bison Hunt –
U.S. District Judge Charles Lovell ruled on Valentine’s Day, February 14, that he would not stop park
bison that roamed into Montana from being slaughtered. The federal judge opined that slaughter and
hunting have been the accepted practice in the United States for managing wildlife populations. More
than 500 Yellowstone bison have been corralled in recent weeks in the park's Stephen's Creek holding
facility after they roamed north of the park's boundary in search of winter range where they might
escape winter's full fury. Any animals that test positive for brucellosis, a disease that can cause livestock
to abort their fetuses, are being targeted for slaughter.
In his ruling, Judge Lovell said the plaintiffs (Western Watersheds Project, the Buffalo Field Campaign,
Tatanka Oyate, Gallatin Wildlife Association, Native Ecosystems Council, Yellowstone Buffalo
Foundation, Meghan Gill, Charles Irestone and Daniel Brister) failed to show that the integrity of
Yellowstone's bison herd, which numbered 3,900 last summer, would suffer from the slaughter of
several hundred individuals. He noted that the Yellowstone bison is not a listed species under the
Endangered Species Act and dismissed the possibility that culling would harm the genetic diversity of the
herd.
While he had not had the time to fully read the judge's ruling, Matt Skoglund at the Natural Resources
Defense Council's Montana office disparaged the approach being taken to manage the bison.
“Sending wild bison off to slaughter is just an incredible tragedy. The only continuously wild bison
population that remains in the United States, and yet, despite thousands of acres of habitat outside the
park and recent massive changes to the brucellosis rules, our taxpayer dollars are sending these animals
to slaughter," he said. "It’s so wasteful, and so tragic.”
To read this story in its entirety, go to: http://www.nationalparkstraveler.com/2011/02/federal-judgerefuses-block-yellowstone-national-park-bison-being-slaughtered7617
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