ANIMAL ISSUES BULLETIN
December 6, 2010
** Keep Protection of Gray Wolves & Grizzlies
** Tell Knuckleheads To Stop Stupid Inhumane Game
** Map Shows Disturbing Spread of Factory Farms
** Shelter Staff Post Offensive Photos on Facebook for Fun
** Senate Passes Food Safety Legislation
** Should Gothic Kitten Abuser Groom Pets Again?
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-- Obama Administration Sets Sights on Wolf & Grizzly Protections -The Animal Welfare Institute is sending out an urgent alert to the public that President Obama and the
U.S. Congress are about to gut the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Specifically, the administration wants
to delist gray wolves, and protection for the Yellowstone grizzly is also at risk. On Wednesday, December
2, Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Fish, Wildlife and Parks Dan Strickland announced plans to lift
ESA protections for wolves in Wyoming, Idaho and Montana “administratively or with the help of
specific legislation.”
The “specific legislation” is the Baucus-Tester bill (S. 3864), “Restoring State Wildlife Management Act of
2010” introduced by Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) and Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT). If successful, the bill would
allow Congress to remove gray wolves from ESA listing. Congress has never removed an animal from the
ESA in its entire history and the bill is a clear attempt to 1) circumvent the ESA and its use of science and
proper procedure; and 2) head off any judicial determination that wolves should remain listed.
The Interior Department is also working to delist the grizzly bear in the Yellowstone region, with final
action expected within 18 months. Thanks to protections afforded by the ESA, the estimated number of
grizzlies in this area has risen from just 136 in 1975 to over 600 today, but there is grave concern that
this number is still too small to be self-sustaining, especially considering the potential negative impacts
of climate change.
Please act now for wolves and grizzlies. There is no time to lose. The Baucus-Tester bill could be
attached to a spending bill and voted on in the next two weeks -- without public hearings or debate.
Supporters of the ESA, wolves, grizzlies and other wildlife need to call or email the White House and
both of your U.S. Senators with protests against the Secretary’s plan to do an end-run around the ESA
and science-based decision making.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Please call or email your Senators and President Obama right away. None of our wildlife is safe if the
Obama administration and a few Senators are willing to let political considerations trump sound science
and established law.
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Email your Senators urging them to oppose the Baucus-Tester bill, S. 3864, Restoring State Wildlife
Management Act of 2010, and any other bill that would remove wolves from protection under the
Endangered Species Act.
Then, contact President Obama and Secretary Salazar, urging them not to undermine the Endangered
Species Act and sound science. Contact information for Secretary Salazar can be found at
http://www.doi.gov/public/contact-us.cfm. And an on-line contact form for the President is at:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact.
If you prefer to call, the White House phone line for comments is 202-456-1111. For the Senate, call the
Capitol switchboard at 202-224-2131 and ask to be connected to your Senators.
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-- Stop the Brutal Lobster Zone at Knuckleheads -The Lobster Zone is a cruel "game" found in some bars and restaurants. The arcade-style contraption
allows patrons to pluck a lobster out of a machine using a joystick-controlled crane with an attached
claw. Once caught, the lobster is dropped down a chute, boiled or cut up while still alive, and then
eaten. But like all animals, lobsters can feel pain, and they suffer when they are injured, cut, or boiled
alive.
PETA has recently received several calls from patrons of Knuckleheads Roadhouse in Virginia. These
patrons were horrified upon seeing a Lobster Zone machine in the restaurant. Callers reported seeing
lobsters languishing in a tank and trying to flee as they were repeatedly chased by the metal claw.
Please contact Knuckleheads Roadhouse to remind its management that living beings must not be
treated as if they were cheap boardwalk-game trinkets and to implore the establishment to remove this
cruel contraption from the premises.
Make sure that your voice is heard by calling Knuckleheads Roadhouse at 757-644-6200. Tell its
representatives why you won't give the restaurant your business as long as there is a Lobster Zone
machine on the premises.
To send an e-mail to Knuckleheads Roadhouse, fill out its online contact form at
http://www.knuckleheadsvb.com/ordereze/ContactUs.aspx
Please also consider sending a letter to the restaurant:
Knuckleheads Roadhouse
Management
410 N. Witchduck Rd.
Virginia Beach, VA 23462
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-- Check Out Food & Water Watch -Food & Water Watch is a non-profit organization that works to fight against factory farming, advocating
for "common sense policies" in the food industry. The group recently released a map that charts the
distribution of factory farms across the United States. Food and Water Watch created the map using
Department of Agriculture data from the years 1997, 2002, and 2007. View the map at
http://www.factoryfarmmap.org/. A color key shows which areas of the country have the highest
density of factory farms, with these states highlighted in red.
According to Food & Water Watch, “The interactive map illustrates that the factory farming industry has
spread like disease in the last fifteen years. As Bulletin readers know, factory farms are horribly cruel to
animals raised for food, harm the environment, and create public health and food safety problems. Over
a decade, the number of factory farmed broiler chickens doubled to 1.1 billion, and about 5,000 hogs
were added to factory farms every single day. Livestock kept on industrial feedlots rose 17 percent in
just five years. Food and Water Watch created the map using USDA data from the years 1997, 2002, and
2007.”
Most of the food industry is controlled by monster corporations, such as Tyson and Smithfield. These
companies have terrible animal welfare records. The public can contact the U.S. Justice Department to
ask for an end to monopolies in the food system. Just go to the following web site and sign the petition
at: http://action.foodandwaterwatch.org/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=2535.
On the factory farming map, much of the factory farming is centered in the corn belt, where cheap corn
is grown to feed livestock. Iowa has one of the highest concentrations of factory farms. Sign the Food &
Water Watch petition at the website below to demand that Iowa take steps to improve standards at
their farming facilities.
http://food.change.org/petitions/view/tell_iowa_clean_up_your_factory_farms
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-- Controversial Shelter Photos on Facebook -Last August, photos were posted on Facebook by staff of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Animal Care and
Control (CMPD-ACC) in North Carolina. Evidently, these photos were of euthanized or sedated shelter
animals posed and posted just for a laugh. For example, one photo shows a cat wearing earbuds.
To read more about the carelessness, disrespect and lack of compassion shown to animals in their care
by staff of this facility and the cavalier attitude of shelter management toward misconduct and
callousness, read the complete story at
http://animals.change.org/blog/view/facebook_photos_lead_to_call_for_reform_at_north_carolina_ani
mal_shelter
As an explanation in defense of CMPD-ACC, Susan Boyer, a vet tech at the facility, explained that one
photo posted on Facebook was an identification show of a feral kitten that was not tranquilized. She
insists the staff idea of fun is no different than dressing up your pet at Halloween. Shirley Thistlethwaite
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of YesBiscuit! (who broke the original story on this shelter’s misconduct) wrote in response: "If this is
accurate, I interpret this to mean that all feral kittens are treated in exactly this manner for photo IDs.
That is, they all have pens jammed in their mouths, paws placed upon the pen, and are positioned over
the kill log." The explanation isn't reassuring at all.
The bottom line, as Lisa Easton, the whistleblower on the photos, said: "All animals deserve compassion
and dignity. [CMPD-ACC] is where more than 50 percent of incoming dogs and more than 80 percent of
incoming cats from our community spend their last moments on earth ... What else happens behind
these closed doors?"
After receiving hundreds of emails from Change.org community members about the Facebook photos,
Mayor Pro Tem Patrick Cannon and other officials were appalled by what they were hearing. Cannon
said he wants action taken against the employees involved. "These three individuals, in my opinion, they
have spoiled the bunch."
The police department assured the media that there will be disciplinary action for the Facebook photo
fiasco. There's also supposed to be a review of management practices. But so far, all anyone has seen is
a revised mission statement where the facility no longer calls itself "one of the top ten agencies in the
nation" (but does claim to be nationally "recognized and emulated").
There's no excuse for treating shelter animals like props, and there's no excuse for not holding the
employees and management responsible. You can sign the petition and demand true reform at this
shelter by signing the petition at
http://www.change.org/petitions/view/demand_reforms_at_charlotte-mecklenburg_animal_shelter
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-- Senate Takes Action on Food Safety -The Humane Society of the United States reports that the U.S. Senate and lead sponsor Richard Durbin
(D-Ill.) approved the Food Safety Modernization Act (S. 510) by a strong bipartisan vote of 73 to 25. The
legislation is an important step forward in protecting public health, and, if enacted, it will also provide
much-needed additional safeguards for pet food. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has jurisdiction
over pet food, as well as feed given to animals used for human consumption.
Among its many provisions, the bill sets safety standards for imported foods, requiring importers to
verify compliance, and gives the FDA authority to impose mandatory recalls of contaminated products.
In 2007, massive amounts of imported pet food tainted with melamine killed or sickened many pets,
helping spur legislation that year to strengthen food safety oversight. But the law passed in 2007 did not
include mandatory recall authority or certification of foreign food sold to U.S. consumers. For more
information, check out:
http://www.humanesociety.org/news/news/2010/12/food_safety_modernization_act_s_510_1201201
0.html
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-- Abuser Wants to Groom Again –
After being convicted of animal cruelty in 2010, Holly Crawford is asking a Pennsylvania judge to allow
her to re-open her home-based animal grooming business. Better known as the “gothic kitten” seller,
Crawford tried to sell three kittens on eBay that had a variety of piercings and docked tails. According to
reports,
“[O]n a whim, [Crawford] decided to pierce the ears and neck of the kitten. Naming him Snarly Monster
due to his ragged appearance, she then proceeded to dock his tail. Because she thought it was 'neat.'
“Two other kittens were subjected to the same piercings. Not your run of the mill ear piercings, but 14
gauge holes. And neck piercings, complete with submission rings. When found, one also had a band
around its tail in an attempt to dock the tail. The kittens were advertised on eBay with an asking price of
around $400.”
Crawford was convicted of a misdemeanor and a summary count of animal cruelty under Pennsylvania
animal cruelty laws. She argued that she didn’t see the difference between piercing a cat and a human,
but was ordered to close her grooming business as part of sentencing. For more on this story and to sign
a petition opposing leniency for Ms. Crawford, visit
http://animals.change.org/blog/view/gothic_kitten_abuser_wants_to_groom_pets_again
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