SAY 'NO'TO GREYHOUND RACING IN SOUTH AFRICA!TAKE ACTION!

STOP THE FURTHER ABUSE, KILLING AND EXPLOITATION OF RACING GREYHOUNDS

Greyhound Crusaders/SWAP team UK are asking all our national and international supporters to please write to M. Mosing at the Dept of Trade and Industry in South Africa at this email address-

MMosing@thedti.gov.za

This email address is allegedly the person at the Department of Trade and Industry that is handling the issue of proposed greyhound racing in South Africa.

Please forward this international appeal to all your contacts in your address book, websites, AR groups, facebook, myspace etc, we need to inundate this person and let them know how the world feels about introducing greyhound racing in South Africa. Please send photos of abused greyhounds if you have any including their case history and direct M. Mosing to greyhound protection groups like www.greyhoundaction .org.uk or http://www.actionfo rgreyhounds. co.uk/ and or www.greytexploitati ons.com

IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT ALL CORRESPONDENCE IS KEPT POLITE PLEASE!!

This is our once chance globally to act NOW and stop the further abuse, killing and exploitation of man's/woman' s best friend.

EVERY ONE OF US GLOBALLY IS A VOICE FOR THE GREYHOUNDS- PLEASE TAKE ACTION NOW-YOUR EMAIL COULD MAKE THE DIFFERENCE AND CHANGE THE COURSE OF HISTORY!!!

Many thanks for your support

Greyhound Crusaders/SWAP team UK

"The future depends on what we do in the present". - Mahatma Gandhi

A WHALE OF A KANGAROO COURT

REPOSTED FROM http://www.seashepherd.org/news-and-media/editorial-090222-1.html
A Whale of a Kangaroo Court
Commentary By Captain Paul Watson
The Japanese government has requested that the Australian government pursue charges against my self, my crew and our ship the Steve Irwin. Japan has accused us of deploying a propeller entanglement system to shut down their harpoon boats and is accusing us of deliberately colliding with the harpoon vessel Yushin Maru #3.

For this reason, the Steve Irwin was met by Australian Federal Police with a warrant to seize our logbook and hundreds of video tapes. This despite the fact that none of the documentation recorded was obtained in Australian territory or on an Australian vessel.

No arrests were made but the question now is where is this going to go? Will I, or any other Steve Irwin crew be arrested and by whom and for what exactly? Will we get our property back, or will it be sent to Japan from where it will never return? Will any of us be sent to Japan from which we may never return - at least anytime soon thereafter.

Our position is that we would welcome a trial, and if arrested we will be plunged into what will surely be a complex and controversial case. A Canadian Captain, a Swedish 1st Officer, a British Second Officer, a crew of 12 different nationalities on a Dutch registered ship charged under a Japanese complaint for actions to oppose illegal whaling in the New Zealand Ross Dependency, inside the Antarctic Treaty Zone and arrested in an Australian Port and tried in an Australian court with a possible extradition to Japan. This is a legal boondoggle that will not be resolved before the next round of dangerous skirmishes at the bottom of the world between whale killers and whale defenders.

But it will be a case that could illustrate that Australia, claiming it has no authority to intervene to stop the illegal killing of endangered whales in the Antarctic Whale Sanctuary has instead chosen to exercise the authority to arrest a ship that is intervening to stop the killing of whales. In other words, Japan, a nation whose whaling operations have been condemned by the Australian government will be calling the shots on how Australia will act against an international organization whose position of opposition to Japanese whaling is shared with the Australian government. It's all very confusing but whenever politicians get involved with such issues there no longer is any black and white or right or wrong. It all comes down to trying to be everything to everybody with the result that nothing constructive ever seems to get done at all by anyone.

If the Australian government decides to arrest us and to put us on trial in Australia for our efforts to defend whales it will see Australia calling whale killers from Japan as witnesses for the Crown to testify against whale defenders. However this will give us the opportunity to put these whalers on the stand to answer some hard questions about the legality of their activities. Or it will be a whale of a kangaroo court that will condemn us without answering or addressing the question of just what it is that Sea Shepherd is doing in the Southern Ocean and why we are doing it.

Our defence will be the United Nation World Charter for Nature that allows for intervention against illegal activities in international waters by individuals or non-governmental organizations. If the Australian crown prosecutors use our video of our activities as evidence to convict us for our actions, then we will be allowed to introduce video evidence of Japanese whalers physically assaulting the crewmembers of the Steve Irwin and attempting to foul the prop of the Steve Irwin. We will also present evidence of the Japanese whalers deploying a sonic weapon against our crew and especially against our helicopter pilot. And we will be able to present evidence of the cruel slaughter of the whales.

The Rudd government in Australia was elected on a promise to take the Japanese whalers to court for illegal whaling. It is a promise they have not kept. It will be embarrassing if they decide to take the whale defenders to court instead. And if convicted would they then extradite myself or my crew to Japan to face a very real kangaroo court where evidence will be irrelevant and the certainty of conviction absolute. What will the Australian people, the most whale loving nation on the planet think of their government handing the shepherds of the whales over to the Japanese wolves?

I don't really care myself if Australia decides to arrest me or not. My crew are safe. The responsibility for the actions by the Steve Irwin are mine alone. I am the Captain and I gave the orders and my orders were clear. We were to stand our ground and we were not to back down from our objective of blocking illegal Japanese whaling operations.

We were witness to a murder on February 5th of a gentle and intelligent sentient being. Shot in the back by a cold blooded killer. We saw that innocent gentle giant scream in horrific pain and roll in unimaginable agony in its own hot blood on the surface of a very cold sea for over twenty minutes. We also saw the bodies of four other murdered whales that day and nothing they can do to us will even come close to matching the suffering those whales experienced at the bloody hands of those viciously cruel killers.

We did what we had to do and that was to stand our ground to block the loading of the corpses of those whales onto the flensing deck of that floating abattoir called the Nisshin Maru. To have backed off would have been cowardly and it would have told the Japanese whalers that Sea Shepherd lacked the resolve to do what we came here to do and that was to protect the whales.

Our motto always has been that we don't surrender, we don't retreat, we don't compromise and we don't hang banners, instead we hold fast. And hold fast is what we did. We did not deliberately ram a Japanese harpoon boat. We blocked it and a collision occurred when the harpoon vessel ran our blockade.

Our job is especially difficult because we have to do what we do, taking the utmost precaution to ensure that we do not injure the killers that we oppose. The whalers have no such restrictions. They know their government will justify and defend any action they undertake including injury or death. They literally have license to kill. The U.N. World Charter for Nature gives us a license to save lives but unlike the whalers, we are not killers and thus we are restricted to tactics that ensure that we do not injure the killers we oppose.

The Australian Federal Court in January 2008 ruled that the killing of whales by Japanese whalers in the Australian Antarctic Territory was prohibited under law. Japan has chosen to ignore that ruling, and instead these criminals are now making demands of Australia to arrest the very people trying to uphold the Australian Federal Court ruling.

Oh what a web they weave when they practise to deceive. Australia and Japan are both signatories to the International Whaling Commission, the Antarctic Treaty and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). They proudly signed these agreements and pride themselves for doing so. The trouble is that without enforcement and compliance it is all just worthless paper.

A trial will expose both the hypocrisy and the complacency of the signatories to these international treaties and agreements. As for going to jail, history has demonstrated from Henry David Thoreau to Mahatma Gandhi to Martin Luther King to Nelson Mandela that social reform often requires sacrifices and that going to jail occasionally, is simply part of the business of changing the world. This war to save the whales must be fought on many fronts, in the field, on the high seas, amongst the icebergs and in the courts, including the court of public opinion.

The bottom line is that the Japanese whalers are killing endangered whales in an internationally established whale sanctuary in violation of a global moratorium on commercial whaling and in contempt of an Australian Federal Court ruling. We on the other hand, merely scratched their paint, saved hundreds of whales, cost them their illegal profits and wounded their pride.

Saving whales from ruthless poachers is not easy. If it was, everyone would be doing it. As it is we are the only ones defending whales in the field and the only ones actually saving lives.

And saving lives is worth going to jail for.

It sure beats doing nothing.

TAKE ACTION FOR ASIA'S WILD ELEPHANTS AND MALAYSIAN TIGERS AND WILDLIFE!

Dear Friends,

Asia's largest remaining population of wild elephants is found in the
Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. These elephants face a variety of serious
threats. The most serious threat (and also the easiest to remedy) is the
proposed relocation of four government departmental check-posts on the
inter-state highway. If implemented, the proposal would prevent the annual
migration of the wild elephants between Tamil Nadu and Kerala which is
necessary for their very survival.

To sign a letter, please go to

www.regenwald. org/internationa l/englisch

Please help us to spread this message. Many thanks.
Best regards,
Guadalupe Rodríguez
Rettet den Regenwald

www.regenwald. org/internationa l/englisch
www.salvalaselva. org

Hasenheide, 56
10967 Berlin, Alemania
Tel.: +49 (0)30- 51736879
============ ========= ========= ========= ========= =====

Please speak out now for more protection for tigers, rhinos and elephants in
Malaysia by visiting World Wildlife Fund's Conservation Action Network:
http://wwf.worldwil dlife.org/ site/Advocacy? pagename= homepage& amp;page= UserAction& amp;id=305.

The Malaysian peninsula is home to some of the world's most amazing
wildlife, including Sumatran rhinos, Malayan tigers and Asian elephants. But
these and many other species in the region are under increasing threat due
to poaching and the demand for their body parts in the illegal wildlife
trade.

Wildlife in Malaysia is currently protected by the Protection of Wild Life
Act 1972, which is severely outdated and riddled with loopholes. As a result
many species continue to be poached and illegally traded at alarming rates,
while wildlife offenders often escape arrest and prosecution.

Please sign an online petition that urges the Malaysian government to
strengthen the wildlife law.

Go to
http://wwf.worldwildlife.org/site/Advocacy? pagename= homepage& amp;page= UserAction& amp;id=305
to learn more and to take action.

Please ask your friends to take this action also by forwarding this email to
them. Thanks!
To take action on this issue, click on the link below:
https://secure2. convio.net/ wwf/site/ Advocacy? s_oo=bjpgQ5bqfTN Akdi8ruyZBA. .&id= 305
If the text above does not appear as a link or it wraps across multiple
lines, then copy and paste it into the address area of your browser.

ANIMALS THROUGH THE WORLD.ACTION ALERTS!

ANIMALS THROUGH THE WORLD
February 2009
www.iwab.org
IMAB@iwab.org
CONTENTS:

1. China - Urgent Action Needed for Cats

2. France - Action Against The Use of Stone Crush Traps

3. Jamaica - Say No to Greyhound Racing

4. Republic of Ireland - Urge VISA to Stop Giving Money To Shooting Group

5. U.S.A. - Coyote Solution: Kill Them All?

For the Animals
Maria Lopes
Coordinator of the International Movement Against Bullfights

------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- -

CHINA

URGENT ACTION NEEDED FOR CATS IN CHINA

Source: Antifursociety

Cats are skinned and boiled while still alive in Guandong, a south of China
province. For full story, please read this latest news, and take action for
the defenseless which are suffering unspeakable pain and agony.
http://www.wishtv. com/dpp/news/ international/ int_ap_beijing_ protest_decries_ custom_of_ eating_cats_ 20081218804

Please write to the Guandong authorities (cc to the Chinese Embassy) asking
them to stop this horrific practice.

Your message will be more effective if you fax it or send it by snail mail
in addition to emailing it. Regardless, please send them a message of
disapproval. NOTE: Since this information may bring emotions to a high
level, it is very important to keep it to polite messages or efforts to help
those most unfortunate beings maybe in vain. Feel free to use the letter
below, edit it or write your own. The important thing is to make it sincere
and polite on behalf of the defenseless.

OPEN LETTER TO THE AUTHORITIES OF THE GUANDONG PROVINCE IN CHINA
(with copy to a Chinese Embassy nearest you)

Guangdong Foreign Affairs Office

Tel: (8620) 81218888

Fax: (8620) 81218569

Email: webmaster@gdfao. gov.cn

Dear Sir or Madam,

Newspapers worldwide are reporting about the extreme torture of cats that
are skinned and then boiled alive by butchers in Guandong. Thousands of cats
are sold to the Guangdong restaurants, and most of these cats come from
other provinces where cat nabbers have become infamous all over China,
terrorizing cat owners who fear that their cats may be stolen to be sent to
Guandong restaurants. The shocking side of this story that's making human
beings all over the world shiver with indignation is that cats are skinned
and dismembered alive, and still alive when thrown into boiling water to
finally finish a most hellish suffering with their last breath.

It is with profound distress that I am writing to you regarding this most
Inhumane treatment of cats and ask you wholeheartedly that you put a stop to
it immediately. The West is horrified by so much vileness, and this will
certainly not be a postcard that China would want for the world to see. It
is because of these practices of a minority that the important and rich
Chinese culture and history have become so stained and repudiated by most
countries which have adhered to humane laws to protect the most defenseless
members of our planet: the animals. It will not be difficult for China to
adjust to this new era since most Chinese people abhor these extreme
cruelties. The minority in your society who delight themselves on this type
of cruel bloodshed are a few and they will only destroy China's
respectability around the world. Surely, not all Cantonese are proud of the
smell of blood tainting their culture and history.

Quoting General Secretary Hu Jintao on December 18, 2008 commemoration of
the 30th anniversary of the reform: "the spiritual poverty is not
socialism," can be translated also for non-humans as these practices are
certainly a great poverty of spirit and one that will bring shame to the
Chinese civilization. It is now a good oportunity to follow on his
Excellency Hu Jintao's footsteps to a rich and spiritual socialism.

Respected Guangdong Provincial party committee, the provincial government,
Guangzhou Municipal party committee, the municipal government leads: These
acts have driven people around the world beyond their limits of forbearance.
There is nothing that should justify such horror, let alone something as
selfish as the culture of food based on the suffering of the innocent and
the defenseless.

I appeal to your conscience and the compassion that you surely have in your
hearts, to put an end to so much suffering inflicted upon the most
defenseless members of your society: the animals. Please make it illegal
for butchers to inflict so much pain and agony on the voiceless and
defenseless animals. Please investigate these atrocities, and forbid any
food and beverage that is based on cruelty, and capture and destroy the
suppliers and sales of live animal companions for food, immediately.
Modern laws and regulations must be instituted immediately to avoid this
type of traffic and the extreme suffering involved with it. No nation
should have to be embarrassed of their own country because of a minority
that can only bring shame and disgrace upon itself. It would be to the
great advantage of China to put an end to this horrific treatment of animals
to show the world that it is also compassionate and civilized, and has the
ability to be an effective part of the third Millennium.

Sincerely,
Name/Country

------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- -

FRANCE

ACTION AGAINST THE USE OF STONE CRUSH TRAPS IN FRANCE

Source: Proact

The background - a reminder
Back to the Stone Age

Since November 2005 thousands of songbirds may once again be trapped and
crushed to death under stone slabs - and subsequently eaten as delicacies.
The traps, set out on the limestone plateaux east of Avignon, are among the
most brutal instruments in the European hunter's arsenal.
A trap consists of a limestone slab weighing several kilograms which is
propped up on twigs and wood slivers and strewn with juniper berries as
bait. Birds coming to eat the berries brush against the twigs and are
squashed under the slab or trapped in a cavity under the slab. The victims
of this literally stone age hunting method are above all Thrushes, Robins,
Pipits and Finches. As many of these species are protected under EU
legislation the use of these indiscriminate traps (in French 'tendelles')
was up until now forbidden throughout the EU. Under no external pressure,
the French Minister for Ecology and Sustainable Development Mme Nelly Olin
signed a law in November 2005 which permitted this brutal hobby to be
practised again in the Départements Lozère and Aveyron. From the beginning
of November until the end of January 'tendelles' can once again be set out
in 31 communities between the Central Massif and the Tarn Gorge. The
Minister justified the lifting of the ban with the development of a new form
of trap in which the birds are only "trapped alive" under the stone slab
"but not killed".
Following an on the spot investigation by CABS an exponential projection of
the area searched in relation to the total area of the plateau gave a total
of between 75,000 and 125,000 stone crush traps in which countless migrant
birds meet a painful end every season. Many victims are not killed outright
but bleed to death, suffocate, die of thirst or die as a result of stress.
Those which survive relatively unharmed have their neck broken by the hunter
later.
The conclusion is that what the French hunters 'sold' the Minister as
'discriminate' , 'humane' and 'traditional' is in reality cruel and
environmentally- alien barbarism.

Support the CABS/Proact protest action by sending an email to the European
Commission and the new French Minister for Ecology :

To: stavros.dimas@ ec.europa. eu, ministere@ecologie. gouv.fr

BAN THE CRUEL AND NON-SELECTIVE USE OF STONE CRUSH TRAPS/STOPPEZ LES
TENDELLES

To:

Commissioner Stavros Dimas

M. Jean-Louis Borloo

Dear Commissioner Dimas,

The continued authorisation of the French stone crush trapping practice must
be rescinded.

This trapping method, reintroduced after a 100 year gap on the basis of the
use of a new, 'selective' trap, is in practice non-selective and inflicts
unnecessary pain to many birds (a lingering death from fractures,
hypothermia, suffication or permanent disability).

I request that you thoroughly examine all existing and any new evidence on
this matter and take the appropriate action with the French Government to
abolish this out-dated 'traditional' trapping practice as soon as possible.

In anticipation of swift action on the part of your directorate, and
feedback on the progress of your progress I remain.

Yours sincerely,
Name/Country

------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- -

JAMAICA

SAY NO TO GREYHOUND RACING

Source: South West Animal Protection

Greyhound Crusaders/SWAP team UK put out an alert to all our supporters last
year and more recently about the possibility of greyhound racing in Jamaica.
We have recently been informed there is now a rumour that they are trying to
go forward with the plan.

Please write to the sports minister in Jamaica The Honourable Olivia Grange
at- ogrange@micys. gov.jm telling her about the plight of the racing
greyhound.
We must nip this in the bud!!!

Honourable Olivia Grange

I have recently heard that there are plans to bring greyhound racing to
Jamaica. This has raised grave concerns for me as a greyhound lover and I
felt it was most important to bring this matter to your attention.
To introduce greyhound racing to Jamaica would be an absolute travesty due
to the thousands of greyhounds that are destroyed worldwide every year once
they are retired from racing, average age 3-4 years old. Additionally,
thousands of greyhound pups are destroyed each year because they are
considered 'unsuitable for racing'. The RSPCA in the UK (Royal Society for
the Protection of Animals) believes: "at least 20 greyhounds a day - either
puppies which do not make the track, or 'retired' dogs aged three or four -
simply 'disappear', presumed killed". Also the fact that many greyhounds
every year sustain serious, sometimes fatal injuries whilst racing.

(Please view the recent UK APGAW (Associate Parliamentary Group for Animal
Welfare) report at this link:
http://www.apgaw. org/userimages/ Report%20of% 20APGAW%20Inquir y%20into% 20the%20Welfare% 20of%20Greyhound s.pdf

Additionally, greyhounds have fallen victim to extreme abuse: Greyhounds
have been found drowned, poisoned, shot, abandoned, some emaciated, some
with their ears hacked off (or burnt off with acid) to remove identifying
tattoos. Some greyhounds are subjected to 'drugging' as a way of 'fixing'
certain races. Greyhounds taken on by rescues are often in a poor state of
neglect i.e. flea-ridden, worm-ridden, rotten teeth. Greyhounds that are
exported from Australia to Asia are often used for dog meat and some
greyhounds have been found hung on trees and thrown down wells in Spain.

Greyhounds are sometimes found with cigarette burns on their bodies,
greyhounds with missing toes due to past injuries, greyhounds who have had
to have many of their teeth removed due to previous neglect. Untreated
injuries that have poorly healed. The list is endless.

You may have read the horrific story of David Smith from Co. Durham in the
UK exterminating in the region of 10,000 unwanted greyhounds in a fifteen
year period by shooting them callously with a bolt gun and burying them in
his back garden. The Sunday Times along with other national newspapers
exposed this in 2006.
Please tell me what the fate of racing greyhounds will be in Jamaica, if
this type of carnage to greyhounds is happening worldwide then surely it is
inevitable that this may happen in Jamaica. Wherever there are profits to be
made, animal welfare is low on the agenda. What animal welfare laws are
there in Jamaica and are they upheld?

More recently, the Sunday Times in the UK have also exposed two disturbing
cases where healthy greyhounds are being sold to veterinary colleges by
those involved in the greyhound racing industry, to be exploited for
scientific purposes. On Sunday 2nd March 2008, a Sunday Times article
exposed the Royal Veterinary College (the oldest and largest veterinary
college in Britain) as having an agreement with a greyhound clinic in Essex
to buy body parts taken from healthy greyhounds that were being euthanased
regularly by the clinic, the healthy greyhounds were being supplied to the
clinic by greyhound trainers who no longer had a use for these dogs.
The full article can be viewed here:
http://www.timesonl ine.co.uk/ tol/news/ uk/article346671 2.ece

On Sunday 11th May 2008, a second article appeared in the Sunday Times, this
time exposing Liverpool University's Small Animal Teaching Hospital as being
supplied with healthy young greyhounds by the largest greyhound breeder in
Britain, a Mr Charles Pickering. Mr Pickering admitted to selling young,
perfectly healthy greyhounds who had failed to make the grade (i.e.chose not
to chase the artificial hare or considered simply too slow for the tracks)
to the university's animal teaching hospital to be euthanased and used for
scientific research. The article also revealed how greyhound trainer
'Richard Fielding' who was also supplied greyhounds by Mr Pickering, gave
his older (still healthy) greyhounds once they retired from racing to the
university veterinary staff to be euthanased so their organs could be
removed for teaching and research purposes. The full article can be viewed
here: http://www.timesonl ine.co.uk/ tol/news/ uk/crime/ article3908388. ece

I am sickened and outraged by the appalling atrocities inflicted upon the
racing greyhound and this is why am writing to you today to endeavour to
educate you about the disturbing reality of greyhound racing.

If you could spare a few moments to please view this short video
http://greytexploit ations.com/ awareness- videos please go into this link for
awareness videos and please scroll down to the last video called 'racing to
death' (volume up), as this supports the many reasons why I am are so
compelled to be a voice for the greyhounds.

I hope that my correspondence to you today will explain the reasons for my
concerns upon hearing the news that there may be plans to introduce
greyhound racing in Jamaica and I politely and respectfully ask that you
support me in opposing any such plans.
Ghandi once said "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be
judged by the way it treats its animals".
Please do all you can to stop this vile trade of sentient beings.

Many thanks.
Very best wishes

Name/Country

------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- -

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND

URGE VISA TO STOP GIVING MONEY TO SHOOTING GROUP

Source: ICABS

The Irish Council Against Blood Sports is appealing to MBNA/VISA to stop
contributing to an Irish shooting organisation. NARGC (whose members kill
tens of thousands of creatures every year) receives money from the company
every time someone uses a specially produced credit card. Please join our
appeal to MBNA/VISA now.

In a letter to ICABS, it was confirmed that "MBNA makes a contribution to
the NARGC" every time one of their VISA cardholders uses the card for a
purchase. The spokesperson tried to defend the arrangement by saying that
the money goes into the group's "Irish Habitat Trust" conservation fund.

MBNA has since been informed that when shooters refer to "conserving"
creatures, they are talking about conserving them to later kill them.

Pointed out to the credit card company is the following statement on the
NARGC website: "Shooting people have a vested interest in investing in
conservation and ensuring that the game species which they hunt are cared
for and that their populations are not threatened."

Elsewhere on NARGC's website, it is stated that "The National Association of
Regional Game Councils is the main organisation concerned with the hunting
of waterbirds in Ireland.In 1997 the NARGC established, in partnership with
FACE Europe and Ducks Unlimited in the US, the Irish Habitat Conservation
Stamp Programme, which raises finance for conservation projects with the
emphasis on wetlands. Currently, the NARGC is the sole promoter of this
initiative under the new title of the Irish Habitat Trust."

Further evidence of the Irish Habitat Trust's connection with hunting can be
seen in the prizes awarded at the trust's national draw in April 2008. These
prizes included three shotguns, a gunshop voucher, a hunting knife, a
stuffed pheasant, animal traps and a subscription to shooting magazine,
Irish shooters Digest.

Please respond to our action alert below and demand an end to MBNA's
financial contribution to an organisation whose members kill tens of
thousands of Irish birds and animals every year. Among the species gunned
down are: fox, hare, mink, deer and many bird species, including geese and
ducks. Previously listed as a target species on the NARGC website was cats.

Please write to MBNA Europe and ask them to stop contributing to a group
whose members kill animals for sport.

Gail Powell
Vice President
MBNA Europe Bank Limited
P.O. Box 1004
Chester Business Park
Wrexham Road
Chester
CH4 9WW
UK
Tel: +44 1244 672 000 (MBNA UK Head Office)
Tel: 1800 409 511 (MBNA Ireland)
Fax: +44 1244 672 055 (MBNA UK Head Office)

Email: customeradvocate. office@mbna. com

Dear Ms Powell,

I am writing to appeal to MBNA Europe to stop making a financial
contribution to Irish shooting organisation, NARGC, every time one of their
card holders makes a purchase.

I understand that MBNA has tried to defend this arrangement by pointing out
that the money goes towards the group's Irish Habitat Trust "conservation"
fund. The creatures conserved by shooters are the creatures that they hunt
and you may be interested in the following statement on the NARGC website -
"shooting people have a vested interest in investing in conservation and
ensuring that the game species which they hunt are cared for and that their
populations are not threatened."

May I also draw your attention to the list of prizes awarded at the Irish
Habitat Trust's national draw in April 2008. These prizes included three
shotguns, a gunshop voucher, a hunting knife, a stuffed pheasant, animal
traps and a subscription to a shooting magazine.

Irish shooters are responsible for the killing of tens of thousands of Irish
animals every year. Among the species gunned down are: fox, hare, mink, deer
and many bird species, including geese and ducks. Previously listed as a
target species on the NARGC website was cats.

I find it incredible that MBNA is happy to help fund a shooting
organisation. I appeal to you to side with the majority who love and
appreciate wildlife and immediately stop making these financial
contributions.

Thank you. I look forward to your positive response.

Yours sincerely,

Name/Country

------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- -

U.S.A.

COYOTE SOLUTION: KILL THEM ALL?

Source: Kinship Circle

VIDEO of neck-snared coyote (WARNING: graphic content)
http://video. google.com/ videoplay? docid=-448807025 7573285313
Project Coyote
http://www.projectc oyote.org/
Animal Welfare Institute
http://www.awionlin e.org/joinus
Humane Society of the United States
http://www.humaneso ciety.org/

Mr. Steven Koblik, President
The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108
ph: 626-405-2100
skoblik@huntington. org, publicinformation@ huntington. org

CC to:

The Huntington Board of Trustees
Stewart R. Smith, Chair:
ssmith@kinsmith. com
Peter K. Barker:
peter.barker@ gs.com
Paul G. Haaga, Jr.:
pgh@capgroup. com
Anne F. Rothenberg:
rothenberg.anne@ gmail.com
Geneva H. Thornton:
genevathornton@ earthlink. net

Dear Mr. Koblik,

I am dismayed to learn the Huntington Library, Art Collections, and
Botanical Gardens has one solution for coyotes on its property: Kill them. I
respectfully ask you implement enduring and nonviolent means to coexist with
wildlife. Visitor education and humane deterrents would certainly enhance
your image more than neck snares and death.

Wiping out indigenous wildlife commonly triggers more problems than it
resolves. Coyotes are integral to Los Angeles basin ecosystems. Killing them
offsets natural cycles. For example, coyotes and foxes prey on rodents; when
coyote numbers drop, rodent and smaller carnivore populations rise.
Ultimately, coyotes offset the decline by reproducing more quickly and
boosting their numbers to pre-slaughter levels or higher.

Moreover, snaring is ruthless. The steel-cable loop designed to strangle an
animal within minutes usually fails. Necropsies of snared coyotes reveal
that 63% suffer hemorrhaging (evidenced by grossly swollen heads), bloodied
eyes, and broken teeth from trying to gnaw through the snare. Some animals
break their own limbs to escape the pain.

A trap-and-kill approach to coyote conflicts is never ecologically or
ethically defensible. Please stop Huntington's "coyote abatement program."

I encourage you to partner with wildlife organizations that can help devise
site-specific solutions for humane coexistence instead of extermination.

Thank you,
Name/Country

cc: Stewart R. Smith, Chair
Peter K. Barker
Paul G. Haaga, Jr.
Anne F. Rothenberg
Geneva H. Thornton

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Elephants Back In Circus: RSPCA Angry Over Decision By Great British Circus
Act

http://news. sky.com/skynews/ Home/Elephants- Back-In-Circus- RSPCA-Angry- Over-Decision- By-Great- British-Circus- Act/Article/ 200902415231223? lpos=Home_ First_Home_ Article_Teaser_ Region_5& lid=ARTICLE_ 15231223_ Elephants_ Back_In_Circus% 3A_RSPCA_ Angry_Over_ Decision_ By_Great_ British_Circus_ Act#comment

============ ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= ==
Good news - Viana do Castelo, Portugal, the first anti bullfighting city

INTERNATIONAL MOVEMENT AGAINST BULLFIGHTS

www.iwab.org
IMAB@iwab.org

Dear Friends

Viana do Castelo has declared itself the first Portuguese anti bullfighting
city.

Sometime ago the Mayor bought the bullring to transform it in a Science
Center.

Today in a meeting held at the City Hall the Mayor declared that permission
would not be given to hold bullfights in the city in future.

He added: "The defense of animal's rights is not compatible with spectacles
of torture that provoke injustifiable suffering".

For the Animals
Maria Lopes
Coordinator
International Movement Against Bullfights
www.iwab.org
============ ========= ========= ========= ====
------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- -

Disclaimer: All items published in this magazine were received by us and we
pass them on in good faith. We are not responsible for incorrect email
addresses, errors, omissions etc. by the originators.

INTERNATIONAL MOVEMENT AGAINST BULLFIGHTS
www.iwab.org

If you do not wish to receive this Magazine please send an email to:
Magazine @ iwab.org (please delete the spaces in the email address)

ECO-TERRORISM FOR THE MASSES

REPOSTED FROM GREENISTHENEWRED.COM
BY WILL PORTER.
Thousands of students converging in Washington, D.C. this weekend have already “gone green.” Now they are going “eco-terrorist.”

That’s absurd, right? No one in their right mind would call the 10,000 young people participating in the Power Shift conference and mass non-violent civil disobedience against a coal-powered plant“eco-terrorists.”

But corporations and the politicians who represent them have been trying to label tactics like this as “terrorism” for years as part of the “Green Scare.” That includes a wide range of activity from tree sits and road blockades to vandalism and, at the most extreme, arson. No human being has ever been injured by environmental activists, but the FBI has gone so far as to label them the “number one domestic terrorist threat.”

The conference and civil disobedience planned this weekend are a great example of how this scare-mongering is completely out of touch with the beliefs of everyday people, and how tactics once labeled “terrorism” are gaining widespread popular support.

The “eco-terrorists” are in good company:

Al Gore told Nicholas Kristof at The New York Times: “I can’t understand why there aren’t rings of young people blocking bulldozers, and preventing them from constructing coal-fired power plants.”
NASA’s chief climate scientist, Dr. James Hansen, has endorsed the “eco-terrorism,” saying: “We need to send a message to Congress and the president that we want them to take the actions that are needed to preserve climate for young people and future generations and all life on the planet.”
Public figures including Wendell Barry and Daryl Hannah, and many mainstream environmental groups, have endorsed the direct action.
Via Twitter and Facebook, I asked what you all wanted to hear more about on this site in the next few weeks. I heard back, loud and clear, that you want stories like the recent arrests of activists under the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act, but it’s draining to see so much bad news all the time. I think this conference and direct action are a perfect example of how the Green Scare isn’t hopeless, and it’s not inevitable. It’s clear that if everyday people knew what’s going on, they’d be outraged.

There is plenty of work to be done, raising awareness and organizing, but it is work that can have substantial results.

So, I’ll turn this over to you: What are you doing? And what needs to be done? Write a comment about what you’re doing in your community, whether it is organizing public forums, posting fliers, creating websites, holding potlucks, organizing protests, or something else entirely. I’ll compile it for a future post on fighting back against the Green Scare.

DOGS AND CATS MASSACRED IN JALTENCO,MEXICO!TAKE ACTION NOW!PETITION TO SIGN!

English translation after the Spanish -
DESPUÉS DE LEER EL TEXTO, POR FAVOR FIRMA LA PETICIÓN EN LÍNEA
http://www.petition online.com/ jalt2009/ petition. html
AFTER READING THIS TEXT, PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION ON LINE:
http://www.petition online.com/ jalt2009/ petition. html

Fotografías del departamento de Javier Cervantes después de la masacre
Photographies of Javier Cervantes' house after the massacre
http://picasaweb. google.com/ dianalisromero/ JAVIERCERVANTES#

(

ESPAÑOL (English version below)

La comunidad de protectores de animales de México se encuentra de luto ante el acto de abuso brutal y violación de todos los derechos individuales y humanos cometido contra Javier Cervantes -protector de animales- y los animales que protegía, que perpetró un grupo anónimo de vecinos del lugar y con la aprobación tácita de las autoridades tanto del municipio de Jaltenco y del propio Estado de México.
Javier había recogido y dado hogar temporal a cerca de 80 perros y gatos de la calle (todos ellos esterilizados y vacunados), por lo que sus furiosos vecinos le exigieron en varias ocasiones que se fuera de ahí de inmediato o que matarían a sus animales. Javier estaba buscando otro lugar al cual mudarse y, de hecho, unos días antes del sanguinario ataque consiguió apoyo económico para construir una barda que mantendría a salvo a sus perros y gatos dentro del terreno que le fue regalado para este propósito.
Sin embargo, el pasado 23 de febrero las amenazas contra Javier se cumplieron: un grupo de hombres encapuchados irrumpió en el departamento de Javier y mató brutalmente, con machetes, pistolas y tubos a un número de perros y gatos.
Héctor José Urdapilleta, un amigo de Javier Cervantes, hizo un relato detallado de la masacre:
"Me llamó Javier para decirme que un vecino le había avisado que estaban matando a sus perros. Corrí hasta el departamento de Javier y fuí recibido por personas de negro, encapuchados, con armas largas, machetes, y tubos. Les pedí que dejaran de golpear y
machetear a los perros. Eres el dueño de los perros?, no, pero son de un amigo y vine a ver que pasaba. En ese momento me metieron al departamento y me empezaron a golpear con los tubos y a patadas. Sabes que estás metido en un grave problema, me dijeron los encapuchados, al mismo tiempo que me tiraron donde estaban agonizantes los perros. Alcance a ver a Tomás un perro que gritaba desgarradoramente por el dolor de sus heridas. Alcancé a ver a otro perrito que al huir, de un machetazo le cortaron una patita y a pesar de eso siguió corriendo. `Eso es lo que quieres, pues eso tendrás´, y me aventaron sobre los perros masacrados. Me oyeron llorar por no poder hacer nada por los perros. Les grité a los vecinos, y todos se quedaron callados. Afuera estaban policías municipales impidiendo entrar a nadie. Junto con los animales destrozados, me subieron a una camioneta y no me permitían subir la cabeza, con las botas me la bajaban, quedando
totalmente empapado en sangre de los perros. Al ver llegar policía estatal, sentí un gran alivio, pensé que me rescatarían, tengo muchos amigos en la policía estatal, pero no hicieron nada. Me amarraron con cinta canela los pies y manos y me llevaron al Ministerio Público, quien no encontró ninguna razón para consignarme, por lo que me volvieron a subir a la camioneta y me fueron a tirar hasta una pequeña barranca no muy lejos de aquí. Desde ahí me regresé caminando y aunque son las dos de la mañana, estoy vivo."

PEDIMOS EL APOYO DE LA COMUNIDAD NACIONAL E INTERNACIONAL PARA EXIGIR AL GOBERNADOR DEL ESTADO DE MÉXICO, ENRIQUE PEÑA NIETO, QUE CONDENE ESTE ACTO ATROZ Y FINQUE CARGOS CONTRA QUIENES SEAN RESPONSABLES DE ESTE INJUSTIFICABLE E IMPERDONABLE CRIMEN CONTRA DOS HOMBRES INOCENTES Y UN GRUPO DE ANIMALES INDEFENSOS, ALGUNOS DE ELLOS VIEJOS, CIEGOS O EN RECUPERACIÓN.
Sabemos que nuestro país se está convirtiendo en una "tierra sin ley", pero haremos todos los esfuerzos posibles para lograr que se haga justicia a esos infortunados animales masacrados, a su traumatizado protector -cuyas pertenencias también fueron dañadas- y al acto heroico de defensa de Héctor José frente a una cuadrilla de asesinos enmascarados y un vecindario cómplice.

************ ********* ********* ********* *********

ENGLISH

The Animal Rights and Animal Protection community in Mexico is dismayed by the act of brutal abuse and violation of all individual and human rights against Javier Cervantes -a humanitarian activist- and his sheltered animals that was perpetrated by an anonymous group of neighbors under the tacit approval of the authorities of both the municipality of Jaltenco and the State of Mexico.
Javier provided temporary shelter to almost 80 street dogs and cats -all of them spayed and vaccinated-, so his infuriated neighbors had demanded him to leave his house immediately or they would kill his animals. He was therefore looking for a new place to live, and a few days before the sanguinary attack he had indeed obtained financial support to build a surrounding wall that would keep his dogs and cats safe within a terrain that had been given to him for this purpose.
However, last February 23rd threatens against Javier were served: a group of hooded men burst into Javier´s dwelling and brutally killed with machetes, shotguns, and pipes a number of dogs and cats.
Héctor Jose Urdapilleta, a friend of Javier Cervantes, gave us a detailed account of the massacre:

"Javier phoned me to let me know that a neighbor of his had reached him and told him that some men were killing his dogs. I ran to Javier´s house and was received by men wearing black clothes, with ski masks covering their faces, with shotguns, machetes and pipes. I pleaded to them to stop beating and butchering the dogs. They asked me if I was the owner of the dogs, and I said no, that I am the friend of the owner. They started beating me with the pipes and, when I fell to the ground, kept kicking me. They told me I was in deep trouble, and then threw me where several of the dogs were agonizing. I was able to see Tomás, one of the older dogs, which was crying in agony due to the injuries it had received. I also saw another one of the dogs whose leg had just been cut by a machete, but she was still running trying to get away from her killers. "If this is what you want, this is what you will get", one of the masked men told me, and then threw me
over a pile of butchered animals. They heard me cry since there was nothing I could do to save these defenseless animals. I screamed, I begged, I called out to the neighbors who stood watching in silence. Outside, I could see the local police preventing anyone else from coming inside, doing nothing to stop the killings. The masked men took all the dead dogs and cats and threw them and me inside a van. They did not let me see where we were going. They used their boots to keep my head on the floor of the van, covered with the dogs´ blood. When I saw the State Police arrive I felt relieved, I thought I would be saved, but they did nothing. My wrists and legs were tied with duck tape and I was taken to a police station (MP), where they found no reason to lock me up. I was taken again to the van and dumped in an open field far away. I walked back from there, and although it is now 2 am, I am alive."

WE ASK THE NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY´S SUPPORT TO DEMAND THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF MEXICO, ENRIQUE PEÑA NIETO, TO CONDEMN THIS ATROCIOUS ACTION AND FILE CHARGES AGAINST THOSE RESPONSIBLE OF AN UNBEARABLE AND INEXCUSABLE CRIME AGAINST TWO INNOCENT MEN AND A GROUP OF HELPLESS ANIMALS, SOME OF THEM OLD, BLIND, OR IN RECOVERY.

We know our country is gradually becoming a "town with no law," but we will make every effort possible to get justice for the brutal death of those unfortunate animals, his traumatized caregiver -whose belongings were also smashed-, and Héctor´s heroic act of defense before a coward horde of masked murderers and an accomplice neighborhood.

BABY SEAL HUNTING BANNED IN NORTHERN RUSSIA

If Russia can do it, why can't Canada?

Click on the links to leave your comments.
http://www.russiato day.com/Top_ News/2009- 02-26/Baby_ seal_hunting_ banned_in_ Northern_ Russia.html

The government has banned the hunting of baby seals in the regions surrounding the White Sea.

Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin called seal hunting a "bloody industry".

"It is clear that it should have been banned a long time ago," said Putin at a meeting with the Minister of Natural Resources.

Putin acknowledged the importance of the hunting industry in the region and said that he would require the government to compensate incomes of the White Sea people in connection with the ban on hunting.

"This is one of their means of existence. Therefore, simply banning is inadequate. A system of support measures must be worked out to secure employment and income of those who live and work there," said Putin

Many of the residents around the White Sea depend on sales from the seals, especially their fat, for survival.

The Ministry of Natural Resources is also preparing proposals to ban the hunting of seals up to the age of one.

Recently, the Russian representative of the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) along with other ecological organisations repeated their call for a moratorium on the hunting of baby seals.

Read more

The IFAW's Russian representative even challenged the myth that seal hunting provides the indigenous people with a stable living, saying they can earn no more than $US 200 a month from their exploitation.

"Developing ecological tourism would provide a more stable source of welfare," said the representative.

Professor Aleksey Yablokov, an associate professor at the Russian Academy of Science, believes that the seals could soon number no more than 150 thousand.

"This is a real biological catastrophe. At the current rate, in a few years the seal could become a rarity in the White Sea," said Yablokov.

Currently around 800 thousand inhabit the White Sea.

Yablokov agreed with current scientific investigations that if the quota is lowered by up to five per cent, a balance will be kept.

http://www.russiato day.com/Art_ and_Fun/2007- 07-03/Russian_ businessman_ saves_seals_ .html
Russian businessman saves seals
03 July, 2007, 13:34

In Russia's far east, a local businessman has turned an island into a preserve for marine life. Volunteers are working to protect animals from poachers in the area, and lead excursions for residents.

The island of Toki in Russia's far east Khabarovsk region has become a summer resort for local marine mammals.

For decades, sea life living there faced a dreary fate - poachers arranged hunting safaris and anyone who wanted to join them could. But businessman Vladimir Moskalyov decided that both the animals and the environment had to be protected.

"I was born and grew up here. I want this place to be preserved to be the way it was 20 or 30 years ago," Vladimir Moskalyov explained.

Thousands of walruses, seals and sea lions have come to the preserve on the most southern island in the Strait of Tartary. Volunteers are on duty daily, working to protect the waters in which the creatures have come to prosper.

But poachers continue to hunt along the coast. The animals of nearby, badly-guarded islands suffer the most. Local inspectors don't have enough boats and fuel to do their protection work.

As a result, "locals frequently shoot animals, and steal the little ones. Their fat is worth a lot. In addition, the meat of the animals is fed to dogs. Other than that, there is nothing that can be taken from them," says Vladimir's son, Ivan Moskalyov.

Still, Toki Island has grown into a popular resort for marine mammals.

And the coming cold presents a new danger - killer whales. Every autumn dozens of animals perish when the whales come for feeding. But the volunteers at the preserve strictly do not interfere with nature. And every year, come the warm weather, it seems as though more and more seals and sea lions are finding their way back to safety.

HELP DUKE AND DUTCHESS!SECOND ALERT!URGENT

The particular shelter in question needs to know that folks are "aware" and these 2 dogs definitely deserve much better.

So, please sign if you haven't already...
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/save-dutchess-and-duke

KARLEY UPDATE AND ACTION ALERT!

KARLEY UPDATE AND ACTION ALERT

INCIDENT SUMMARY - RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA
Los Angeles Assistant Fire Chief Glynn Johnson, who works in Pomona but resides in Riverside County, emerged from his home last November 3rd to carry out a premeditated assault on his neighbors' six-month-old shepherd mix puppy named Karley. Another neighbor was escorting Karley home when the Puppy Killer intervened and proceeded to inflict facial and cephalic injuries that included a shattered jaw, crushed nose, gouged-out eye, collapsed ear canals, and a smashed skull. The puppy had to be euthanized because of her intense suffering and loss of future quality of life. (She'd have been permanently brain-damaged. ) The facial injuries were apparently achieved with bare hands, while those to the cranium were effected via the assistance of an 11-inch rock. The dog was hit repeatedly with the latter object long after she'd stopped moving. She was finally tossed unceremoniously into an adjacent gully to expire alone and in pain. The Puppy Killer sustained a cut thumb.

2 AND 2 MAKE 4
Oh, but the Puppy Killer is claiming that he is the innocent victim of a vicious dog attack and that he acted in self-defense. Why did he ask eye-witness Travis Staggs to release the dog to him while Travis was walking her uneventfully back to her home just yards away? Well, let's put 2 and 2 together and see if it doesn't add up to 4. Johnson had been tormenting Karley over that signal weekend with a device that emits high-frequency sound beyond the range of human audition but which is hurtful to the canine ear. When confronted and politely asked to cease and desist, the Puppy Killer obsessed over this "effrontery" for two days until it burgeoned into an uncontrollable homicidal rage. A serendipitous (from his perspective) subsequent confluence of events in the time-space continuum allowed him to seize his opportunity.

BOGUS CLAIMS OF SELF-DEFENSE
OK. Let's examine the "self-defense" claim. I'm neither an expert on dog attacks nor a forensics specialist. But I saw the pictures of Karley after the beating. In any case, you've read the description of her injuries. The Puppy Killer weighs 250 pounds (and is a trained Firefighter) . Karley weighed 45 pounds. Now, let's compare Karley's injuries to those of the Puppy Killer. Imagine the force necessary to break someone's jaw. If you were exerting that pressure against the serrated edge of a knife, wouldn't you expect a digit to be cut or "nearly severed"? Substitute a double row of teeth! And if your jaw was being broken, wouldn't you make every attempt to either escape or protect yourself?

BURNING QUESTIONS
I'm no lawyer, either (but, hey, I do watch a lot of the Investigation Discovery Channel). If your life were truly in jeopardy - as the Puppy Killer claims - how would you manage to inflict horrific injuries on your adversary while escaping basically unscathed, yourself? And why wouldn't you be screaming for help?

TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR OWN - AND DON'T ACCEPT BLAME FOR OTHERS' - ACTIONS
Complaining that your thumb was cut while you were munching someone's jaw reminds me of the true case of a drunk driver who sued the City after he collided with a telephone pole. His complaint lambasted the City for having placed the pole in that precise location! I don't think we need to go into the utter audacity and patent speciousness of this guy's "logic." And, as you have doubtless surmised, the judge would hear none of it. You know, part of growing up is accepting responsibility and not blaming others for your own - and, conversely, refusing to accept responsibility and blame for others' - actions.

We all experience interpersonal conflict. But we usually try to communicate and clear it up. The Tooles have asked the Puppy Killer if Karley has ever done anything to annoy him. They've apologized for the times she's escaped from the yard. (The latter is a common experience for all canine guardians. Typically, the gardener or the children forget to latch the gate. The usual concern would be a vehicular encounter. Who would predict that a neighbor would torture and murder the animal?)

No - the Puppy Killer was in sole control and making all the decisions as he walked out of his house with the full intention of battering to death someone who had no chance of defending herself. He continues to show no remorse and to put forth the clearly mendacious and untenable claims that Karley was in fact the aggressor and it was he who had to defend himself. And because no one is buying it, he is further consumed with undisguised rage as he rails against the public, media, and animal rights activists for unjustly vilifying him.

NEW DEVELOPMENTS
Well, guess what? The Puppy Killer has countersued the Tooles for damages to the nerves in his thumb! He is trying to secure some interim disability compensation. He will return to court for another pre-trial hearing on April 13 at 8:30 A.M. in Division 41 of the Riverside County Courthouse at 4100 Main St. in Riverside County, CA 92501.

HOW VIOLATED THEY FEEL
People who can spend their days in laboratories poisoning, burning, shocking, starving, sleep-depriving, and addicting other sentient beings are psychopaths. People who can skin animals alive so that a vain human princess can waggle her fanny in a fur coat are psychopaths. People who can go out onto the ice floe nurseries off Newfoundland and bludgeon to death infant harp seals are psychopaths. But, oh, how violated they feel when there's a protest in their neighborhoods, a boycott of their products, a boat monitoring or interfering with their crimes - or an underground action.

BLIND LOVE (AND EXCUSE MY "FRENCH")
By the way, part of the reason for the annual slaughter of 350,000 newborn seals - the largest marine mammal massacre on Earth - is to enable the men of certain cultures to ingest the gonads they believe will restore their potency. We do have Viagra, but the problem of drugs tested "safe" in animals which then go on to maim and kill humans once again impinges itself. Viagra has caused permanent blindness in some consumers. Well, I'd rather see what I can't f*ck than f*ck what I can't see! OK? (If I've offended some readers, I apologize.)

BOTTOM LINE, PSYCHOPATHS:
Here's the skinny, psychopaths: When you deliberately torture and murder the other sentient beings who inhabit the Earth with us, you forfeit your right to privacy and peace. And when you cry into your suds over that empirical and inescapable truth, don't expect much sympathy.

WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT?
Anyway, this is really about Karley - so, let's get back to her. The Puppy Killer returns to court on April 13. This will be for another pre-trial hearing. There is a civil suit pending, as well. (Criminal suits seek conviction and punishment of illegal actions, while civil suits pursue monetary judgments for suffering and loss.)

COURT DETAILS
Pre-Trial Hearing
Monday, April 13, 2009
8:30 A.M., Dept. 41
Riverside County Courthouse
4100 Main St.
Riverside County, CA 92501

Also, please continue to write, e-mail, telephone, and fax Riverside County District Attorney Rod Pacheco and his Assistant, Chuck Hughes, to demand felony convictions and punishment to the fullest extent provided by law against Los Angeles Assistant Fire Chief Glynn Johnson for the dual charges of animal cruelty and use of a deadly weapon. Just click on the e-mail addresses and start typing your message. If for some reason it doesn't work, open new e-mails and type the addresses directly into the "to" field.

Riverside County District Attorney
Rod Pacheco
4075 Main St.; Riverside, CA 92501
ph: 951-955-5431 or 951-955-5400; fax: 951-955-5682
*Maria Driver, DA Secretary: mwdriver@rivcoda. org
*additional email: events@rivcoda. org

*The above emails were the only ones found connected with the Riverside DA's
Office.

Riverside County Assistant District Attorney
Chuck Hughes
Western Division
4075 Main St.
Riverside, CA 92501
951-955-5400
951-955-5431
Fax: 951-358-5017

And don't neglect Los Angeles Fire Chief P. Michael Freeman to inquire about Johnson's job status and whether an internal investigation is being conducted into some unsavory aspects of his reportedly not-so-stellar 31-year history with the Fire Department. He has tried to portray himself as a consistently courageous, dedicated, and trustworthy public servant - but there are allegations indicating otherwise. Just click on the e-mail addresses and start typing your messages. If for some reason it doesn't work, open a new e-mail and type the addresses directly into the "to" field.

Los Angeles Fire Chief
P. Michael Freeman
1320 North Eastern Ave.; Los Angeles, CA 90063
ph: 323-881-2411; fax: 323-265-9948
email: info@fire.lacounty. gov
e-mail: Pfreeman@fire. lacounty. gov

Johnson's own attorneys have stated that the only reason this case has been careening forward is the tremendous public pressure. So, let's engage those phones, e-mails, letters, and faxes to get this Puppy Killer convicted and sentenced to the fullest extent of the law! Some points I consider pertinent follow immediately below.

Some Points You Might Wish to State
1. Karley deserves justice for her suffering and death.
2. Karley's family deserves recognition for their emotional pain and loss.
3. The perpetrator needs to pay for his grievous crime.
4. Animal abuse should not be tolerated in a civilized society.
5. Persons in high-ranking positions must cleave to the highest standards of personal and professional conduct, public service, and community trust.
6. Animal abuse is a known harbinger (predictor) of future abuse of humans.
7. The message needs to reach other prospective abusers that they will not get away with it.
8. Failure to prosecute animal cruelty enables law enforcement and judiciary agents to serve, in effect, as "accessories before the fact" when it typically morphs into human abuse

WHAT KIND OF PUNISHMENT WILL HAVE THE MOST IMPACT?
Of course, I'd like to see the Puppy Killer receive a stiff jail sentence. I think the most abject consequence, though, would be the deprivation of his $180,000-a-year retirement pension. As far as I understand it, this will not occur unless he is found guilty at trial. This would be (in my opinion) the outcome that would impose the most severe suffering. This is because psychopaths don't experience remorse for their wrongdoings. Instead, they customarily perceive that they are the ones being victimized. They don't care about the feelings or lives of others - just their own financial and physical well being. For someone like Johnson, the effects of the lifelong loss of such a substantial sum would be devastating.

UPCOMING WALKS FOR KARLEY
There are a couple of upcoming walks for Karley (both planned for weekends to facilitate attendance) sponsored by Last Chance for Animals (LCA). Please come out to show support. Dates, times, and locations follow.

Los Angeles Area
Walk and Candlelight Vigil
Saturday, February 28, 2009
2600 Bernard Way @ South Lot 5
4:00 - 6:00 P.M.
Venice Beach Boardwalk
Feel free to bring your dog (on leash)

Orange County Area
Walk and Special Vigil
Sunday, March 15, 2009
1:00 P.M. at Huntington Beach Dog Beach
Feel free to bring your dog (on leash)
Further details as to exact meeting place to be announced - or visit Justice 4 Karley website

Link to Justice 4 Karley Website
http://justice4karl ey.com/

Visit the website to keep current with issues and events. If the link doesn't work, type Justice 4 Karley directly into the Google Search Bar.

Link to Map Quest Website
http://www.mapquest .com/directions

Use this handy site to find out exactly how to get to the courthouse (or any other location) from your own point of origin. If the link doesn't work, type Map Quest directly into the Google Search Bar.

Karley: We can't undo what you suffered or bring you back. We can only fight to see that your assailant faces the consequences of his horrific deed.

Toole Family: May memories of the good times with Karley bring comfort and healing.

Contact:
Lindy Greene
lindygreene@ roadrunner. com
(818) 445-6711

EXTRA URGENT!SAVE THE LIONS!THEY WILL BE KILLED IF NO FUNDINGS ARRIVE UNTIL 28TH OF FEBRUARY!

Calling All Angels,
I come to you a few days behind yet again dear friends. It appears that the sun is a shining brightly for a few days here in the far north...and the human mass is out and about doing whagt they do best when a short shot of spring fever hits in its shiney glory. It may be brief, but the spirit is more than ready....



It seems dear friends that we have some lions that need some desperate help right now. Big kitties...real big kitties. We need to spread the world if we can to get some help for these big beasties. Even big beasties need to eat too, and the facility that c ares for this big meows need funding to keep these babies alive. They may be forced to put our babies asleep if the funding can't be found. Can we spread the word out far and wide to the 4 corners dear friends? A bit short notice, but surely we can yell loud enough to be heard. I loove you all dearly..and know we can do it......your always the best of the best in these human world....for you all have the hearts of heroes in everything that you do for the voiceless.....((hugs))....So please send this out to all your friends list, to every contact that you sweet friends....I know we can do it....*S* Love You All



~Namaste~



~Mitakuye Oyasin~



Wolfweep's



Subject: SanWild Wildlife Sanctuary - Save a lions life today
SanWild Wildlife Sanctuary
Main Website: www.sanwild.org
Interactive Website: www.sanwild.com
Office: +27(21)9871493 or +27(15)3187900/1
Fax: +21(21)9876171 or 0865 4287 78
Non-Profit Organisation Number: NPO 011-266
Trust Number: IT 8147/00
Public Benefit Organisation Number: PBO 930 013 787
"Be the RightKind for WildKind"


Dear SanWilders

Since 2003 the SanWild Wildlife Sanctuary has cared for and looked after three prides of rescued lions. Over the years we have managed to overcome all the financial obstacles and have managed to secure funding to feed and care for the lions. However it seems that the growing international financial crisis has finally reached our sanctuary and to date very little funding has been secured from our various appeals to continue to feed the lions.

Unfortunately not being able to raise sufficient funding has resulted in SanWild running up feeding bills with our supplier hoping to secure donor funding for the lions. To date no positive feedback has been received from the various organizations to which funding appeals have been sent out.

At a trustees meeting yesterday a very difficult decision had to be made in the best interest of all the SanWild animals. The lions have been given another week and should we fail to raise funding by 28th February 2009, all the lions sadly will have to be euthanized as we will be left with no other option.

Unfortunately these animals cannot fend for themselves and their lives are in your and our hands. We have done what we possibly can, but now it will be up to the goodwill of other animal charities and individuals that will determine the future of our lions. SanWild can no longer afford to carry the financial burden alone and we need to find long term solutions as soon as possible and urgent action on the short-term.

We will put up a sponsorship page today with photographs of the various SanWild lions on our main website at http://www.sanwild.org/. An on-line sponsorship option have been created on this website.

You can also donate via a direct banking transfer via the following bank account:


To save a lion on-line ( and in this case you will actually save their lives, it will not just be idle words ) you need to go to the Sponsor / Donate page at www.sanwild.com and use the drop down box to find the lion of your choice. There you will be able to sponsor the lion of your choice for the next three to six months. The various options can be found under "Save a lion - Lutalo" or Save a lion - Bombi. All the lions will be listed individually under this on-line sponsorship option.
The amount needed to feed a lion for a month comes to $400 US.

Any and all sponsorships will be helpful and more than one person can sponsor the same lion, this will also help to share the cost. So if you have a book club or just a great group of friends and you all want to club together to sponsor a lion this option could work for you.

Once you have agreed to sponsor a lion, your photograph and name will go up on our main website alongside YOUR lion and the donations received from you on a monthly basis will be reflected here as well. Should you choose to remain anonymous that is also okay and we will simply put up a note saying “I have been sponsored” next to YOUR LION.

As soon as a sponsor has been received to take over the lions long term care you will be notified and you can choose stop your sponsorship of the individual lion you have chosen or you can continue your sponsorship of the same lion or even another.

The future of the SanWild lions will be determined by 16 people out there who will care enough to adopt and feed these magnificent creatures! Please find it in your heart and soul to step up to the challenge and save a lion’s life.

For more information please email me urgently on louise@sanwild.org or phone our offices on 021-9871493 and speak to Lizel Kachelhoffer.

Please help our lions!

Kind regards
Louise Joubert

SanWild Wildlife Trust, ABSA, Danie Joubert Street, Tzaneen, SOUTH AFRICA. The account number is 9111221180, Branch Code 334349, Swift Code ABSAZAJJ, Iban Code ZA632005.

ENDANGERED OLIVE RIDLEY TURTLES

Olive Ridley Sea Turtle (Photo credit: Dr. Bivash Pandav)
CLICK THE TITLE TO LINK TO THE ORIGINAL STORY:
http://www.wild.org/field-projects/endangered-olive-ridley-turtles


On the eastern shore of India, along the Orissa coast, the endangered Olive Ridley sea turtle is facing yet another challenge to its survival. Plans are currently underway to construct a massive deep water port at the mouth of the Dhamra River, just north of the Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary - the largest of only three nesting sites for the Olive Ridley in the world. Every winter, more than half a million of these endangered turtles mate in the shallow, calm ocean waters, then the females journey ashore for the arribada or “mass nesting.” For the first time, in 2008 there was no arribada on the Orissa beach.



In addition to the ongoing threats these turtles face from trawlers, gill netting and environmental factors such as global warming, the construction of the port will introduce numerous new stresses. Increased shipping traffic will deter the turtles from coming in from the sea to mate and nest; dredging, oil spills and chemical leaks with add deadly pollutants to the ocean waters; and artificial lighting will confuse the instinctual movements of both adults and hatchlings.

The Olive Ridley’s will not be able to adapt to these new threats quickly enough to shift the arribada to a safer and more suitable location, however the location of the port can.
Stop Port Construction; Save Ridley Sea Turtles / India
Requested Action: Please write polite letters to the officials listed below

Express your appreciation for the establishment of protected areas along the Orissa coast, including the Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary and the Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary, which are critical to the survival of the endangered Olive Ridley sea turtle and a wealth of marine life.

Urge the Orissa government to continue to protect this ancient and endangered species and preserve the livelihoods of local fishing communities by revoking its approval for the Dhamra port.

Urge TATA Steel to apply the Precautionary Principle as required by the Global Compact and to uphold its reputation for environmental responsibility by relocating its port facility to a site where it will not threaten endangered species, critical ecosystems and fishermen’s livelihoods.

A sample letter is available here.
Sample letter:
DATE


Mr. Ratan Tata
Chairman, TATA Sons
Bombay House
24, Homy Modi Street
Bombay: 400001 INDIA
Fax: Int'l Code + 91 22 6665 7724
Email: coffice@tata.com

Shri Naveen Patanaik
Chief Minister, Orissa
Naveen Nivas,
Aerodrome Gate,
P.O.-Bhubaneswar-751001
Dist.-Khurda (Orissa) INDIA
Fax: Int'l Code + 91 67 4259 0833
Email: cmo@ori.nic.in



Subject: Please halt construction of the Dhamra Port to protect the Olive Ridley Sea Turtle

Dear Mr. Ratan Tata and Mr. Shri Naveen Patanaik,

The people of Orissa state are very fortunate to be caretakers of one of nature’s grandest spectacles: the annual arribadas of the Olive Ridley Sea Turtle. I appreciate the efforts you have made to protect this ancient and marvelous species, most notably the establishment of the Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary and the Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary. These protected areas are necessary to assure safe breeding and nesting areas as well as the turtles’ source of food during their massive gatherings and arribadas.

The protected zones are not, however sufficient to ensure the survival of the Olive Ridley. The species is keenly sensitive to illumination, pollution, ship traffic and many physical characteristics of their nesting beaches. These could all be dramatically affected by construction of the Dhamra Port.

In addition to potentially catastrophic consequences for the Olive Ridleys, the Dhamra Port also threatens the well-being and livelihoods of local fishermen and their families who depend on the health of the fragile mangrove and marine ecosystems. Inevitably, pollution from the Dhamra Port would impact the health of these critical ecosystems that are nurseries for a wealth of marine species.

I urge TATA Steel to apply the Precautionary Principle as required by the Global Compact and to uphold its reputation for environmental responsibility by relocating its port facility to a site where it will not threaten endangered species, critical ecosystems and fishermen’s livelihoods.

Likewise, I urge the Orissa government to continue to protect the Olive Ridley Sea Turtle and preserve the livelihoods of local fishing communities by revoking its approval for the Dhamra Port.

Please give your immediate attention to this matter of urgent global concern.

Sincerely,

YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS




Addresses (postage from the US is 90 cents)

Mr. Ratan Tata
Chairman, TATA Sons
Bombay House
24, Homy Modi Street
Bombay: 400001 INDIA
Fax: Int'l Code + 91 22 6665 7724
Email: coffice@tata.com

Shri Naveen Patanaik
Chief Minister, Orissa
Naveen Nivas,
Aerodrome Gate,
P.O.-Bhubaneswar-751001
Dist.-Khurda (Orissa) INDIA
Fax: 91 67 4259 0833
Email: cmo@ori.nic.in







Impact Scale: (If you can, please print out your letters and mail them!) **** personal letter sent by regular mail
*** personal fax
** personal email
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1st AMENDMENT RIGHTS (ANIMAL ENTERPRISE TERRORISM ACT)

Protect our Constitution (1st Amendment Right)
FBI Arrests 4 Activists as “Terrorists” for Chalking Slogans, Leafleting and Protesting by Green is the New Red
Sunday Feb 22nd, 2009 10:50 PM FBI Arrests 4 Activists as “Terrorists” for Chalking Slogans, Leafleting and Protesting By Will Potter
Reposted from http://www.greenisthenewred.com


It was only a matter of time. Since the passage of the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act, a sweeping new law labeling animal rights activists as “terrorists,” corporations and industry groups have been pushing the federal government to use their new powers. For more than two years, the law has sat on the shelf. The government has finally put it to use. On February 19th and 20th, the Joint Terrorism Task Force of the FBI arrested four animal rights activists as “terrorists.” Details of the arrests and the charges are still coming, but based on my conversations with attorneys and local news articles, this is the most sweeping expansion of the War on Terrorism and the “Green Scare” to date.
As background, a fierce campaign is being waged in California against animal research at the University of California system. There has been a wide range of both legal and illegal tactics. Illegal tactics have included the destruction of UC vans. In August, an incendiary device was left at the home of a UC researcher; no animal rights group has claimed responsibility for this crime, but the university, the FBI and others have recklessly attributed it to activists.
These “terrorism” arrests are not related to that bombing, though. And they’re also not related to the destruction of property. These activists–Nathan Pope, Adriana Stumpo, Joseph Buddenberg, and Maryam Khajavi– were arrested for First Amendment activity.
My calls to the FBI for a copy of the indictment have not been returned, and attorneys I’ve contacted have not viewed it either. However, the FBI’s press release notes that the activists are facing four charges, and lists four incidents. They include:
Protesting outside the home of a University of California Berkeley professor. Some activists, “wearing bandanas to hide their faces, trespassed on his front yard, chanted slogans, and accused him of being a murderer because of his use of animals in research.” At another protest, activists “marched, chanted, and chalked defamatory comments on the public sidewalks in front of the residences.” At one protest, a group of five or six activists allegedly “attempted to forcibly enter the private home of a University of California researcher in Santa Cruz.” Fliers titled “Murderers and torturers alive well in Santa Cruz July 2008 edition” were found at a local coffee shop. They listed the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of several researchers. The fliers said “animal abusers everywhere beware we know where you live we know where you work we will never back down until you end your abuse.” The FBI says three of the defendants are tied to the “production and distribution of th!
e fliers.” Chalking, leafleting and protesting are not terrorism, they are not property crimes, and they are not violent crimes. They are speech. Unlike real terrorists, these defendants are not accused of arming themselves with bombs or machine guns. Their only weapons are words.
The only allegation of possible criminal activity is the FBI’s mention of a forced entry. The details of that incident are unclear, though. For instance, at many lawful home protests in the past, activists have been attacked by the people they are protesting who, understandably, are not happy about a demonstration right outside their front door. In short, the very worst element of the entire set of allegations is nowhere near any reasonable person’s threshold for what constitutes “terrorism.”
When I testified before Congress about the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act, I was attacked by supporters of the bill, including Democrats, who said the law would only be used to go after groups like the Animal Liberation Front and Earth Liberation Front. I argued that the vague and overly broad wording in the law could be used by an ambitious prosecutor or federal agents to target First Amendment activity. Eerily, the hypothetical case I described is identical to the recent arrests. I wrote in my analysis of the AETA in 2006:
Here’s a very likely scenario: A group of activists holds a loud protest outside an executive’s home or office on a daily basis, as part of a national campaign. Activists yell and chant as people enter the building. Some wear masks or bandanas (which are increasingly common at protests, because activists fear being “blacklisted”) . There have also been illegal actions like “vandalism” and “property damage” in the name of the same cause (which has been the case in every social movement, ever).
Activists clearly intend to “interfere with” the operations of animal enterprise. Toss in the climate of fear that industry groups have created, plus the raucous nature of the protest and the fact that it’s part of a coordinated campaign, and suddenly this First Amendment activity becomes “terrorism” under the law (through a “course of conduct” involving harassment, intimidation, vandalism… whatever they can get to stick).
This is, verbatim, what the FBI and prosecutors are alleging in this case. These arrests dispel each and every myth by corporations and the politicians who represent them, and make strikingly clear that the true purpose of the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act was never to target underground activists. It was passed in order to chill and overtly silence First Amendment activity.
The government is chipping away at fringe elements, silencing the speech of so-called radicals as “terrorists.” But this is not the end, it is the beginning. Such an overt targeting of First Amendment activity puts every social movement, every activist, and every American at risk. Targeting free speech as “animal enterprise terrorism” sets a precedent for targeting the speech of other activists as “defense enterprise terrorism,” “timber enterprise terrorism,” and “financial enterprise terrorism.”
At issue here is not the validity or morality of animal research, nor is it the efficacy of controversial tactics. Differences of opinion on those issues no longer matter. What’s at issue is whether the War on Terrorism should be used to target protesters as terrorists.
The true test of the health of the First Amendment, and basic freedoms in a democracy, is not whether safe, non-controversial, popular beliefs are protected. The test is whether the extreme, the radical, the outlandish, the offensive and the crude are protected. and
When it comes to freedom of speech, the battleground– the front line–must be protecting the fringe.
http://www.greenist henewred. com/blog/ 2009/...andFeder al Authorities Arrest Peaceful Protesters by animal liberation press office
Saturday Feb 21st, 2009 8:30 PM For Immediate Release
February 22, 2009 -->Federal Authorities Arrest Peaceful Protesters
Animal Liberation Front, Other Clandestine Groups Prosper as Result

San Francisco, CA: Federal authorities have arrested four animal rights activists accused of protesting animal abuse at UC Berkeley and Santa Cruz, a FBI press release reported Friday. None of those arrested has been charged with acts of economic sabotage or other illegal acts of animal liberation on behalf of animals imprisoned, tortured and killed in University of California laboratories. Instead, these arrests have targeted above-ground, legal animal rights protestors and blatantly abrogate their first amendment rights, civil liberties and right to hand out pamphlets. Thomas Paine, American's best known pamphleteer, must be rolling over in his grave.

According to the FBI press release, the activists are accused of "chalk defamatory comments on the public sidewalks", protesting "generally in all black clothing and wearing bandanas to hide their faces", and distributing leaflets with the contact information for vivisectors on them.

The irony is, that by targeting legal protesters, federal and state authorities are inadvertently encouraging more illegal direct action on behalf of non-human animals. One has only to look at the increased number of actions of economic sabotage, vandalism and live animal liberations over the last 2 years (see http://www.animalli berationpressoff ice.org or http://www.directac tion.info) to realize that LEGAL activists are being increasingly driven into clandestine and anonymous actions, morally justified but illegal actions which are rarely punished.

As a supporter of direct action, the Animal Liberation Press Office is pleased at the increase in actions by the Animal Liberation Front and other clandestine groups; the increase is expected to continue as long as authorities persist with their heavy-handed abuse of legal protesters. In today's climate, it appears that it's less risky by far to engage in underground activities then in legal pickets.

Press officer Jerry Vlask, MD states: "The University of California needs to be held accountable for wasting millions of taxpayer research dollars on useless animal research, while more accurate, efficient and inexpensive investigative techniques are available in this twenty-first century to study human illness and find cures. Harassing legal picketers makes little sense, and it's ridiculous to portray the four activists arrested on behalf of tortured and abused animals as "terrorists" ; the real terrorists are those who maim, imprison and kill innocent non-human animals for their own personal gain."

For more information visit, http://www.animalliberationpressoff ice.org.

Animal Liberation Press Office
6320 Canoga Avenue #1500
Woodland Hills, CA 91367

press animal liberation press office.org http://www.animalliberationpressoff ice.org...

HOG-DOG RODEOS!

Hog-Dog Rodeos: Siccing Pit Bulls on Terrified Pigs
So-called "hog-dog rodeos" are events at which frenzied dogs, usually pit bulls, are turned loose, one or two at a time, in pens to attack wild pigs as onlookers cheer and judges rate dogs by how quickly they take down their prey. To prevent injury to the dogs, the hogs' tusks are often first snapped off with a steel pipe and hammer or with bolt-cutters, rendering these animals completely defenseless.

Hogs often sustain serious injuries during these events, including but not limited to ripped ears and haunches, mangled noses, ruptured scrotums, and other gaping wounds. Sometimes their ears are torn right off.

Considered by some to be "good, wholesome fun," children are also often allowed to gang up on the frightened pigs and chase them around the arena.
Not for the faint of heart
Video:http://www.petatv. com/tvpopup/ video.asp? video=hog_ dog_general&Player=wm

PETITION TO SIGN! DEMAND TO CHANGE HSUS POLICIES!NEARLY 150 PIT BULLS KILLED!

PLEASE SIGN THE FOLLOWING PETITIONS:
http://www.thepetit ionsite.com/ 1/stop-hsus- from-killing- pitbulls
http://www.thepetit ionsite.com/ 1/hsus--- -wilkes-county- animal-control- senator-stan- bingham16- w-jones-street- room-2117- raleigh-nc

HSUS IS A MONEY HUNGRY, LOBBYING BS ORGANIZATION WORKING UNDER THE GUISE OF HELPING. REMEMBER THEY WANTED ALL THE VICK DOGS DEAD AS WELL. I SUPPOSE THIS IS A SMALL CONSOLATION PRIZE FOR THEM, AT LEAST THEY WERE ABLE TO HAVE THE NC DOGS KILLED. RATHER THAN CONCENTRATING WITH THEIR HUGE LOBBYING SKILLS AND POWER; POWER WHICH THEY ACQUIRED THROUGH DONATIONS AND SUPPORT FROM THE PUBLIC. POWER WHICH IS CLEARLY BEING MISUSED NOW, TO HAVE STATES EMBRACE STRICTER LAWS AND TO GIVE MANDATORY SENTENCING OF SERIOUS JAIL TIME TO THE FELONS ; THEY FEEL IT IS THEIR DUTY TO CONDEMN NEARLY 150 DOGS TO DEATH. THIS IS BEYOND INSANE.

WE ARE NOT IN THE DARK AGES HERE OR ARE WE!

Target:
HSUS URGED THE SLAUGHTER OF 150 PIT BULLS.
Sponsored by:
people who do not descriminate based on breed. Blame the deed!
http://www.thenokillnation.com/ ?p=437

BEFORE YOU SIGN, PLEASE READ THIS PETITION IN ITS ENTIRETY AND ALSO WRITE TO THE SENATOR TO INFORM HIM THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE AND THE LAWS IN NORTH CAROLINA MUST CHANGE. AND TAKE A MINUTE TO READ HSUS needs to sign the NO-KILL DECLARATION? THEY SHOULD BE PROTECTING ANIMALS AND HSUS IS PROMOTING EXTERMINATING THEM INSTEAD!!!
( NO-KILLAdvocacyCent er.org ) http://www.nokillad vocacycenter. org/declaration- no-kill.html

THE 18 PUPS BORN AT THE POUND WERE NOT INVOLVED IN A DOG FIGHTING OPERATION. How can officials legally kill these pups? Can a suit be brought for violation of their own laws?You may want to add that the HSUS should be the one to sue over this.

THIS WAS A NEEDLESS SLAUGHTER OF NEARLY 150 BULLIES, BEST FRIENDS AND BAD RAP AND ONE OR TWO OTHER GROUPS WERE MORE THAN HAPPY TO HELP THESE DOGS!!!!

============ ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= =======


Petition to change HSUS policies Petition to change HSUS policies
Please sign our petition: http://www.thepetit ionsite.com/ 1/stop-hsus- from-killing- pitbulls Please crosspost far and wide.







HUMANE SOCIETY
February 19, 2009 : 6:34 PM ET
The court-ordered destruction of 145 dogs, including about 75 puppies, who were seized from a fighting-dog breeding operation in December, was based on the faulty assumption that all dogs seized in dog-fighting- related busts should be deemed dangerous – and consequently euthanized. The decision to kill the dogs was supported by the largest animal-welfare organization in the country, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). According to the Winston-Salem Journal, representatives of HSUS testified in Wilkes County Superior Court that the dogs had to be destroyed because they had been “bred for generations to be aggressive.”
HSUS reasserted its outdated policy, written more than 20 years ago: “Any dog who has been specifically bred or conditioned for fighting, or for which there is evidence that the dog has been used for fighting should not be placed for adoption by an animal shelter but humanely euthanized as soon as legally possible.”
A coalition of animal welfare organizations, led by Best Friends Animal Society, offered resources to the county to evaluate, spay/neuter, and find homes for qualified dogs. These animal welfare organizations, which have extensive experience with rescued fighting dogs, urged Wilkes County to accept their offer of support for an alternative to killing, such as the rehabilitation approach used in the Michael Vick case. The coalition includes BAD RAP (Bay Area Doglovers Responsible About Pit Bulls), Animal Farm Foundation, Villa Lobos Rescue Center, Downtown Dog Rescue, The Sula Foundation and Our Pack.
Ledy VanKavage, an attorney with Best Friends Animal Society, said, “We are disheartened and shocked that HSUS, a leader in the animal welfare community, would testify in court for the automatic destruction of puppies and dogs who had not been given the opportunity to be evaluated as individuals, based on [HSUS’s] policy. The Michael Vick dogs have proven how antiquated this approach is.”
In 2006, HSUS advocated that all the dogs from the Michael Vick dog-fighting case be put down, for the same reasons they used when recommending the killing of the Wilkes County pit bulls. In the Vick case, a federal court appointed a “special master” to oversee the evaluation of Vick’s dogs, all of whom were adults. Many of the Vick dogs are now in adoptive homes, and at least two of the so-called “aggressive fighting dogs” are therapy dogs who visit hospitals to cheer up ailing patients.
“The coalition members and their supporters are urging HSUS to re-evaluate this policy and apply a more progressive approach that reflects the lessons learned by the animal welfare groups in the coalition, as well as other organizations that work directly with dogs,” VanKavage said.
Written by Barbara Williamson
As part of Best Friends’ 25th anniversary in 2009, our goal is to double our membership, so we can double our efforts to bring about a time when all companion animals have a forever home. What can you do to help? Give the Gift of a Best Friends membership to family and friends.
Coalition Contacts
Best Friends Animal Society http://www.bestfrie nds.org Barbara Williamson, (435) 689-0200 (cell) or barbara@bestfriends .org John Polis, (435) 644-2001, ext. 4858, or johnp@bestfriends. org
Animal Farm Foundation http://www.animalfa rmfoundation. org Stacey Coleman, (845) 868-7559 or scoleman@animalfarm foundation. org
BAD RAP http://www.badrap. org Donna Reynolds, (510) 441-6461 or donna@badrap. org
Downtown Dog Rescue http://www.downtown dogrescue. org Lori Weise, (213) 448-9961 or lori@modernica. net
Our Pack http://www.ourpack. org/ Marthina McClay, (408) 460-4244 or marthina@ourpack. org
The Sula Foundation http://www.sulafoun dation.org Ken Foster, (504) 613-7370 or kenfoster@gmail. com
Villa Lobos Rescue Center http://www.vrcpitbu ll.com/home. htm Tia Maria Torres, (661) 268-0555 or tiamaria@vrcpitbull .com





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


February 20, 2009 : 4:40 AM ET
posted by: noblebird FUNNY, I don't see a thing on HSUS' website reporting the final horrible and unjust outcome of the dogs and puppies taken in the NC "godfather of dog-fighting" bust. I wonder if they're going to pay out the $5000 reward they offer to anyone reporting dogfighting? Does Wilkes Co. get to claim the reward? I wonder if it's time HSUS starts offering an additional $5000 to those persons willing to take the voiceless victims of cruelty -- the poor dogs -- and rehabilitate them. Or maybe they should offer a $5000 training fee to dog fighters to put them through canine dog training school -- kind of an educational incentive, so to speak.
The only thing that will stop cuelty in the long run is education, so why doesn't HSUS take some of the double-digit millions they have stashed in stocks and bonds (I assume to pay all their retirement plans) and create a comprehensive teaching curriculum for young adults, and offer it free of charge to educational facilities instead of the books and posters (which are nice) but cost money that teachers and schools just don't have. Isn't that more in line with their mission?
My email to HSUS on 2/17 and 2/20:
WHAT IS HSUS DOING ???? STOP CONDEMNING DOGS TO DEATH !!!! IF THIS IS THE WAY YOU ARE GOING TO HELP, STOP !!!!
Boy, did your organization miss the boat on this one! What a shame. This was an opportunity for HSUS to turn its image around and get on board with thousands of other animal welfare supporters. What a disgrace!
Instead of supporting the rights of animals who can't make choices for themselves, you condemn them to death. Instead of advocating animal rights and punishment for criminals, you punish the victims. All the good that's been accomplished RECENTLY will be forgotten because of this ignorant, self-serving stance.


PLEASE SIGN THE FOLLOWING PETITIONS:
http://www.thepetit ionsite.com/ 1/stop-hsus- from-killing- pitbulls
http://www.thepetit ionsite.com/ 1/hsus--- -wilkes-county- animal-control- senator-stan- bingham16- w-jones-street- room-2117- raleigh-nc