ANIMAL ISSUES BULLETIN
July 18, 2011
** Getting Rid of Pigeons in Gretna
** Less Protection for Air, Water and Wildlife?
** Black Eyed Pea Misbehaving in Spain
** DawnWatch and The Future of Fish
** Alley Cat Allies on The Daily Show
** Mercy for Animals Factory Dog Farm
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-- No Welcome Home in Gretna, VA –
The story goes that in the early 1900s homing pigeons were brought to Gretna, Virginia, as part
of a race to return north. But some pigeons stayed and made Gretna their new home. Now the
downtown area is overrun with homing pigeons. Some people like it and some people don’t.
Business owners even insist that the pigeon droppings are keeping people from getting out of
their cars to shop and the massive amount of pigeon poop overwhelms any effort to keep
downtown Gretna clean.
City officials have been trying for years to rid Gretna of the birds. They report that humane
methods have been tried, but do not work. It is just not that easy to relocate a homing pigeon.
PETA says that the current strategy Gretna is using—trapping the pigeons—is inhumane:
In an effort to decrease the local pigeon population, the town of Gretna, Va., is reportedly cage-trapping birds
who roost in its downtown area, storing them inside the traps for up to a week, then handing them over to a
local hunter for dog-training purposes! Trapped/stored animals suffer badly from stress, dehydration, and
exposure. But then to be used as bait just compounds the horror. "Bait birds" are crammed into dark boxes,
denied sustenance, and then released near food and water sources. Some birds' wings are clipped or restrained
with fishing line so that they cannot fly to safety. Others are "stashed" under bushes for dogs to find or are
loaded into launchers and "shot" across fields. Desperate and off-guard, they are then set upon by dogs, and
many mauled birds don't die quickly.
Pigeon advocates can send a polite message to Gretna Mayor Lingafelt and other officials
asking them not to give up on humane methods.
The Honorable Glenna T. Lingafelt
Mayor of Gretna
434-656-6572
townhall@townofgretna.org
The Honorable Gretna Town Councilors Michael L. Bond, Steven T. Gibson, James D. Gilbert, R.
Keith Motley, Charlotte E. Scruggs, and Wayne Wood
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434-656-6572
wendy.scearce@townofgretna.org
Sample message:
Hon. Mayor Lingafelt and Council Members
The homing pigeon problem in Gretna is causing a divide among residents and now also bringing damaging
publicity to your city. Undoubtedly pigeon droppings and over-population is a nuisance and can be bad for
business; however, many people want the city to act with compassion. Pigeons have a distinguish record of
service to America during war. These birds are kept as pets and also delight people when they roam free.
Humane approaches are cheaper and more effective. Poisoning, for example, leaves a void that is quickly filled
because uneaten food triggers increased breeding. Making the environment less pigeon friendly (e.g., spikes or
wire coils to prevent perching) and reducing the food supply (e.g., discouraging people from feeding them) are
the best ways to reduce pigeon populations. They are many devices and methods available. A company called
Bird Barrier can refer you to professional wildlife control operators who know how to install these deterrents
properly. Please do not give up on humane methods. Thank you.
A petition to help Gretna homing pigeons can be found at
http://www.care2.com/news/member/100041282/2870464
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-- Budget Cutting Gone Crazy –
Over the last few days several news stories report that proposed budget cuts by the federal
government would hurt environmental, conservation and wildlife programs. For example, the
Agriculture Department provides services that protect natural resources, improve water and air
quality and provide wildlife habitat. The House of Representatives has passed legislation that
would gut these crucial programs.
One way to help is to call your Senators at 202-224-3121 and deliver this message:
My name is [Your Name] and I’m calling from [Your Town]. As a constituent, I strongly oppose cuts to
conservation programs funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. These programs protect
farmland, wetlands and grasslands that we can’t afford to lose.
Then report your action to the Defenders of Wildlife by going to:
http://action.defenders.org/site/Survey?ACTION_REQUIRED=URI_ACTION_USER_REQUESTS&S
URVEY_ID=24820&utm_source=B_Version_NoFlash&utm_medium=2nd_Fold&utm_content=F
eature1&utm_campaign=HP_AB_Round2
The GOP-led House is advocating a roll-back of environmental efforts in a misguided attempt to
spur economic growth. Some of these lawmakers want to weaken the Clean Water Act and
stop new listings of plants and animals under the Endangered Species Act. Shortsighted and
irresponsible, attempts are being made to cut most of the money earmarked for land and water
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conservation all over this country by robbing the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Money in
this fund does not come from taxes; the money represents the proceeds from federal offshore
oil and gas leasing royalties, oil and gas leases, and other federal fees. In short, reducing these
funds already promised for conservation and the environment is outrageous and ill considered.
Call your House lawmakers and tell them that you oppose passage of the Interior and
Environment Appropriations bill now pending in the House of Representatives. Tell them that
this bill cuts too deeply into funding for conservation programs that have proven to be
effective. Protection of our lands and waters is not an “option”; and the health of our
wetlands and forests is vital for the health of our country and our people. This money is an
investment, a bipartisan investment that over the years has earned a huge profit in natural
resources for America. All the conservation and environment spending by government is just a
little more than 1% of the federal budget. And according to the Nature Conservancy this
funding in real dollars has been flat for 30 years! Harming these programs to balance the
budget is a betrayal of America and one that our children and children’s children will pay for.
To get contact information for federal lawmakers: http://www.contactingthecongress.org/
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-- Black Eyed Pea Causing International Stir -According to PETA, a concert in Spain called “Involucion” (“de-evolution”) is driving up its ratings at the
expense of a chimp. Reports are that the chimp is Noah, owned by Steve Martin, a Hollywood trainer
with a record of multiple Animal Welfare violations. The offenses included poor sanitation, inadequate
care and mishandling. When Martin no longer wants an animal he advertises them in trade publications
for sale to any purchaser, including unaccredited roadside zoos and animal shows. The Black Eyed Pea is
a major sponsor of Involucion.
Thousands of people and about a hundred animal protection groups and experts, including Dr. Jane
Goodall, are protesting Noah’s exploitation. Nevertheless, the TV network that airs “involution”
(Antena3) continues to broadcast the show in Spain. Join the Foundation for the Adoption, Sponsorship,
and Defense of Animals (FAADA) in sending the Black Eyed Pea a reminder that even actions abroad will
be noticed here in the U.S. Sign the change.org petition at:
https://www.change.org/petitions/tell-black-eyed-peas-stop-supporting-chimpanzee-abuse
Here is the text of the petition:
Please Stop Sponsoring Chimpanzee Abuse in Spain
Dear Black Eyed Peas,
I urge you to stop the sponsorship of a tv show in Spain that abuses a chimpanzee.
Antena 3/Neox, the television channel responsible for the Involución contest, continues to produce the show
despite knowing the abuse suffered by chimpanzees used in entertainment. Production companies around the
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world have committed to stop exploiting chimpanzees, a species in danger of extinction. But Antena3/Neox has
ignored the thousands of people who have asked them to stop this show and the voices of some of the world's
most reknown primatologists and wild animal experts, including Dr. Jane Goodall.
Noah, the chimp that is being exploited for this program, belongs to trainer Steve Martin, who has been cited
numerous times by the USDA for violations of the Animal Welfare Act.
The name of your band is being used to promote Involución, and therefore, the abuse of a chimpanzee.
Please ask the organizers of your concert in Spain, Europa FM (a subsidiary of the Antena 3 group), to stop
promoting animal abuse.
Thank you.
[Your name]
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-- From DawnWatch –
Date: July 12th, 2011
The cover story of the current, July 18, edition of Time Magazine is "The Future of Fish." Inside, the story, by
Bryan Walsh, is titled, "The End of the Line." That pun is a comment on the depletion of fish from the oceans,
with fish farming rather than catching considered therefore to be the future for human fish consumption.
Walsh points to some fish farm negatives:
"In the past, the dense salmon farms of Canada and northern Europe helped spread disease among wild fish
while releasing waste into coastal waters. Mangrove forests, which provide a valuable habitat for coastal life,
have been razed to make way for Thailand's shrimp farms. Especially troubling, many of the most popular
farmed species are carnivores, meaning they need to be fed at least partly with other fish. By one count, about 2
lb. of wild fish ground up to make fish meal is needed on average to produce 1 lb. of farmed fish, which leaves
the ocean at a net loss."
He looks specifically at China, which is responsible for 61% of the world's aquaculture, and tells us:
"As production pressures have ramped up, Chinese manufacturers have packed their ponds more tightly,
leading to disease and pollution from fish waste. That waste can overload coastal waters with nutrients, causing
dead zones that can strangle sea life. To fight the diseases worsened by crowding, Chinese fish farmers have
liberally used antibiotics and other drugs, including malachite green, an antifungal agent and potential
carcinogen that was banned by Beijing in 2002 but shows up periodically in exports."
We read:
"A badly run near-shore farm of 200,000 salmon can flush nitrogen and phosphorus into the water at levels
equal to the sewage from a town of 20,000 people."
But he points out that such pollution is less than we see from farming land animals.
While pointing out the dangers, the article suggests that done well, fish farming has much to offer us. I am
grateful to activist Teresa D'Amico for bringing the article to my attention with the note that it omits any
mention as to what the fish suffer.
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I have seen so much advancement in the decade I have been involved in this movement, with regard to public
opinion and media coverage about animal suffering. It is finally rare that a mainstream article will discuss
factory farming without at least mentioning the cruelty to animals. But we are not yet there with fish. … Studies
no longer leave doubt that fish suffer pain and have intelligence like other animals (see
http://tinyurl.com/6aa8z6f) but these facts have not yet reached general public awareness.
Coincidentally, today as I prepared to write up this Time Magazine cover story, the Humane Society's Paul
Shapiro happened to send over an article about fish and tool use, which includes a super cool photo. Check it
out at http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/07/fish-tool-use/
You'll find the Time Magazine cover story on line at:
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2081796,00.html
If you read it with the same frustration I did, wondering why we would be trying to find slightly less disastrous
ways to raise and kill sentient beings, then please send a letter to Time Magazine speaking up for the fish and
for plant based diets. It would be lovely to see that perspective on their letters page in the coming weeks. Time
Magazine takes letters at letters@Time.com
Yours and the animals',
Karen Dawn
(DawnWatch is an animal advocacy media watch that looks at animal issues in the media and facilitates one-click
responses to the relevant media outlets. You can learn more about it, and sign up for alerts at
http://www.DawnWatch.com. You may forward or reprint DawnWatch alerts only if you do so unedited -- leave
DawnWatch in the title and include this parenthesized tag line.)
Also alarming to say the least are the recent headlines on genetically modified fish. One on-line Grist
article by Paul Greenberg from early June discusses the history of genetically engineered (GE) salmon.
Like most in the organic/wild food community, Mr. Greenberg opposes this fish and lists the usual
reasons. Then realizes the most powerful reason is that we don’t need these human engineered fish and
argues the point. So what is this all about: a corporate attempt to dominate and privatize the sale of
fish to consumers.
Should salmon farming come to be dominated by the AquAdvantage fish, farmers could become dependent on a
single company for their stock, just as soy, corn, and wheat farmers must now rely on large multinationals like
Monsanto to provide seed for their fields year in and year out. AquaBounty will literally own salmon farming.
Of course none of these arguments necessarily hold legal water for the folks at the Food and Drug
Administration [FDA] who are debating the genetically engineered salmon’s future. For them, the AquaBountydesigned genetic material inserted into the AquAdvantage salmon is a “veterinary drug.” Yes, a drug – a
Chinook Salmon/Atlantic Salmon/ocean pout genetic construct that “medicates” fish to help them grow faster.
But the issue is much larger than this narrow definition. It is about the protection and preservation of a
democratic and healthy food system that we Americans actually want and desperately need.
To read the entire article, go to http://www.grist.org/industrial-agriculture/2011-06-05-geneticallyengineered-salmons-fishy-promises
And score one for Congress! Today a group of lawmakers from both sides of the aisle asked the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration not to dismiss congressional opposition to the approval of genetically
engineered salmon. The House approved an amendment by Rep. Don Young of Alaska and Lynn
Woolsey of California to bar the FDA from spending money to approve a GE application for genetically
modified salmon. A similar Senate amendment is being drafted.
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Although AquAdvantage insists the GE salmon would never be allowed to escape into the wild, what
would happen if they did?
“Recent scientific evidence shows that if genetically-modified salmon escape, they could successfully breed with
wild stocks, potentially destroying the genetic adaptations that have allowed fish to thrive for millennia. Alaska
wild salmon is abundant and sustainable.” [http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2011/07/a-bipartisan-group-oflawmakers/]
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-- Daily Show and Alley Cat Allies –
On July 11, Alley Cat Allies appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. The Allies reports that it had
fun doing the show. In spite of some ribbing, the group presented an important issue—feline
protection—on national television. Millions of people heard the message that people—not cats—are
the real cause of wildlife decline. To see the segment on The Daily Show, go to:
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-july-11-2011/sophie-s-choice---cats-vs--birds
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-- Factory Dog Farming –
Read the Huffington Post article at the link before for the latest Mercy for Animals undercover
investigation:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/josh-tetrick/undercover-expose-of-a-do_b_888731.html
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