United Animal Nations Names 'Top 10 Animal Abusers of 2001'

[Guest guest]

http://www.usnewswire.com/topnews/temp/0116-117.html

 

United Animal Nations Names 'Top 10 Animal Abusers of

2001'

U.S. Newswire

16 Jan 13:30

 

United Animal Nations Names 'Top 10 Animal Abusers of

2001'

National Desk

Contact: Pam Runquist of United Animal Nations,

916-429-2457

 

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Jan. 16 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The

following was released today by United Animal Nations:

 

 

United Animal Nations (UAN), a national animal

advocacy and rescue group, today announced its " Top 10

Animal Abusers of 2001, " a list of the individuals,

corporations and government entities responsible for

the most horrifying types of animal cruelty and/or

the largest amount of animal pain and suffering during

the past year.

 

Topping the list, which is UAN's inaugural ranking of

the " worst of the worst " of animal abusers, is

Smithfield Foods, which slaughters 12 million hogs per

year at its factory farms. Other ignominious " winners "

include the Coulston Foundation, a New Mexico animal

research facility with an unbelievably bad history of

caring for the hundreds of primates locked up at its

lab, and the 777 Ranch in Hondo, Texas, one of the

largest " canned " hunt facilities in the United States,

where penned animals are shot down by trophy hunters.

 

" Our goal in releasing this list is to identify those

who are causing the most pain and suffering to animals

in our country and to hold them responsible, " said UAN

President Jeane Westin. " Factory farms are killing

most of the 9.2 billion food animals per year in our

nation, and research labs have 24 million animals

locked up inside. We need to point fingers if we are

going to tackle this overwhelming and completely

unacceptable abuse of animal life. "

 

The complete list of the " Top 10 Animal Abusers of

2001 " follows:

 

1. Smithfield Foods for operating one of the largest

and most lethal FACTORY FARMS in the United States. An

estimated 12 million hogs per year are slaughtered by

Smithfield, and, worst yet, the hogs have to endure

miserable factory-farm living conditions prior to

slaughter.

 

2. The Coulston Foundation for representing all that

is ugly about ANIMAL EXPERIMENTATION. Coulston has a

horrible history of caring for hundreds of primates

locked up at his lab, including the discarded Air

Force space chimpanzees.

 

3. BACKYARD BREEDERS AND IRRESPONSIBLE CAREGIVERS in

Valencia County, New Mexico, who have failed to spay

or neuter their animals. The community has one of the

highest euthanasia rates in the country, with 6,300

dogs and cats put to death in its shelter every year

-- or 97 animals per 1,000 residents.

 

4. The State of Utah for sponsoring coyote " contest

hunts " as part of its PREDATOR CONTROL program. Utah

offers cash and prizes to hunters who bring in the

most coyote tails or ears.

 

5. Mike Gochnauer of Lapalta, Missouri, for operating

a

PUPPYMILL where nearly 200 dogs were found stacked in

cages and living in deplorable conditions. Some dogs

were so sick from mange, heartworms and other ailments

they were close to death.

 

6. 777 Ranch in Hondo, Texas, for running one of the

largest and most deadly CANNED HUNT operations in the

United States. 777 Ranch bills itself as " Africa in

Texas " and trophy hunters pay up to $40,000 to gun

down a fenced-in exotic animal.

 

7. Ringling Bros. for its continued use and abuse of

CIRCUS animals under the guide of entertainment,

education and propagation. Ringling has been cited by

the USDA multiple times for failure to properly care

for its animals. And, in less than two years, two baby

elephants in Ringlings' care died, a caged tiger was

shot to death and a horse died during an animal march.

 

 

8. Bobby Jones of Texas for breeding gamecocks, or

roosters, for COCKFIGHTING matches and for leading the

charge against efforts to restrict this brutal

industry in the three states where it is still legal.

 

9. Baylor University students Derek Brehm and Clint

Bowers for allegedly committing one of the most

violent ANIMAL CRUELTY acts of the year. The pair has

been charged with shooting, skinning and beheading a

stray cat.

 

10. Wyeth-Ayerst for its continued abuse of tens of

thousands of pregnant mares and their baby foals in

the production of the menopausal drug PREMARIN.

Premarin is made with estrogens extracted from the

urine of pregnant mares. The mares are confined to

small stalls for most of the year to collect this

urine and most of their baby foals are discarded for

slaughter.

 

" Our long-term goal in publishing this list is to help

educate the public about the magnitude of animal abuse

in our nation. We can't stop factory farming or animal

experimentation or even animal cruelty in the near

future but we can encourage compassionate Americans to

take a few simple steps to begin the process of ending

 

animal suffering. "

 

A more detailed list of the UAN's " Top 10 Animal

Abusers " is available on the organization's Web site

at

http://www.uan.org/campaigns/top10.html. The Web site

also includes UAN's " Top 10 All-Time Types of Animal

Abuse " at

http://www.uan.org/campaigns/top10types.html. This

list ranks the overall worst forms of animal abuse,

each of which is represented in our 2001 list, and

offers simple suggestions on how compassionate people

can help reduce or end each type of cruelty.

 

Headquartered in Sacramento, United Animal Nations is

a national organization which specializes in disaster

rescue for animals, aid for emergency veterinary care

and an Anti-Premarin Campaign. UAN also advocates on

farm animal, spay/neuter, animal cruelty and other

animal issues. For more on UAN, visit the Web site at

http://www.uan.org or contact UAN, P.O. Box 188890,

Sacramento, CA 95818, Tel: 916-429-2457, e-mail:

info.

 

 

KEYWORDS:

 

POLICY, AGRICULTURE, HEALTH, SCIENCE

 

http://www.usnewswire.com

-0-

/U.S. Newswire 202-347-2770/

01/16 13:30

 

Copyright 2002, U.S. Newswire

 

 

 

Send FREE video emails in Mail!

http://promo./videomail/