Fw: HUMANElines --- Issue 223 --- November 26, 2002

[Guest guest]

-

" Marcia Slackman " <marslack

; <ar-sf

Wednesday, November 27, 2002 8:37 AM

Fw: HUMANElines --- Issue 223 --- November 26, 2002

 

 

> Hello,

>

> I wanted to share this informative action list service. It is a weekly

> humane activist bulletin of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS)

> and the Fund for Animals, offering information about bills in Congress and

> other actions people can take on behalf of animals. Frequently, it

includes

> how to help get acts of cruelty prosecuted.

> As a busy person, I find it very easy to use as I can just make a quick

call

> to lobby for something important, and it just takes a few seconds. These

> calls do make a difference.

>

> I am offering a sample below. If you wish to receive it, see directions at

> the bottom of the bulletin.

> Thanks for checking it out!

> Marcia

> >

> >

> >

> > HUMANElines --- Issue 223 --- November 26, 2002

> >

> > A Project of The Humane Society of the United States and The Fund for

> Animals

> >

> >

> >

> > GIVE TURKEYS A REASON TO BE THANKFUL:

> > The Associated Press this week reported on the increasing demands made

by

> animal protection groups for reforms in the turkey-producing industry and

a

> rethinking of our attitudes toward turkeys (“Groups Decry Commercial

Turkey

> Farms,†11/25/02). In the piece, David Crery reported that animal

advocates

> argue that turkeys are sentient animals with an undeniable capacity to

> suffer and feel pain. Yet millions of Americans overlook this fact during

> their holiday meals when they purchase a turkey from the grocery store.

> Quoting HSUS’ Wayne Pacelle, the Associated Press reveals that “Animal

> cruelty is the hidden ingredient in factory farm products . . . Turkeys

have

> been transformed from a sleek, adaptive wild animal into a Frankenstein

> monster, so obese it can barely stand.'' Additionally, most turkeys are

> factory-farmed under the cruelest of conditions before being killed in an

> equally cruel manner (as the Humane Slaughter Act does not apply to

> poultry). This Thanksgiving, why not give turkeys a reason to be thankful

by

> preparing a delicious vegetarian meal? Plenty of non-meat alternatives,

such

> as the popular “Tofurkey†and the “Un-Turkey†are available at health

food

> stores nationwide. Check out www.tofurkey.com <http://www.tofurkey.com/> .

> You can also " adopt " a rescued turkey by visiting www.farmsanctuary.org .

> >

> >

> >

> > TURKEYS MASSACRED ON IOWA FARM:

> > According to the Des Moines Register, 18-year-old brothers Kevin and

Kyle

> Sloan were charged with breaking into an Ames, Iowa farm and beating to

> death 100 turkeys in October. Because turkeys are considered “livestock,â€

> they are not covered by Iowa’s animal cruelty law. However, the men should

> be charged under Chapter 717 of the criminal code, which makes livestock

> abuse an aggravated misdemeanor. Yet the Story County prosecutor’s office

> has declined to file abuse charges against them (although he has charged

> them with 2nd-degree burglary and 4th-degree criminal mischief). While

> " livestock abuse " in Iowa is unfortunately only a misdemeanor, it is

> important that such charges be filed so that if convicted, the Sloan

> brothers can receive needed intervention at sentencing -- including

> psychological counseling and a prohibition on owning animals. The cruel

and

> senseless killing of 100 animals should be recognized as much more than a

> property crime, but rather a serious crime of violence that warrants, at

the

> very least, charges of abuse and meaningful intervention.

> > WHAT YOU CAN DO:

> > Contact the Story County District Attorney and respectfully urge him to

> file livestock abuse charges against Kevin and Kyle Sloan. Remind him that

> the court must recognize the true victims of this violent crime—the one

> hundred turkeys who were so violently beaten to death:

> > Stephen H. Holmes

> > Story County District Attorney

> > 1315 South B Ave.

> > Nevada, Iowa 50201

> > ph: 515-382-7255

> > fax: 515-382-7270

> >

> >

> >

> > SPEAK OUT FOR THE ANIMALS ON " FUR-FREE FRIDAY " :

> > The day after Thanksgiving has been traditionally known to animal

> activists as “Fur Free Friday,†a day to encourage shoppers to forgo

> garments made of animal fur. This year, Fur Free Friday will also mark the

> start of the Fund for Animals’ nationwide campaign to persuade upscale

> department store chain Neiman Marcus to adopt a fur-free policy.

Activists

> around the country will be protesting and handing out leaflets at Neiman

> Marcus stores, one of the nation’s largest promoter and purveyor of fur

> garments in the country. Please join us this Friday, November 29, at

Neiman

> Marcus stores across the country to let them know that compassion is the

> true fashion. For more info, see: http://www.NeimanCarcass.com

> <http://www.neimanmarcus.org/> or contact: Pierre Grzybowski,

> pierre or 301-585-2591 ext. 204.

> >

> >

> > MANATEE REGULATIONS ON THE LINE:

> > The federal Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) sets a general ban on

the

> “take†(killing, hunting, and harassment) of manatees, with some

exceptions

> for “incidental take,†(the unintentional killing related to otherwise

> lawful activity) as long as it involves only small numbers of animals and

> will have only a negligible effect on the population’s survival. The U.S.

> Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), after decades of allowing unlawful

killing

> of manatees by boats, " has at last proposed a new set of “Incidental Take

> Regulations†for manatees in Florida. The Incidental Take Regulations must

> determine how many manatees can be killed without harming the population

> (for the next five years) during permitted activities in critical Florida

> manatee habitats. The regulations must also include mandatory measures to

> minimize manatee deaths. Boating-related construction projects have been

> permitted for years without consideration of manatees who are killed due

to

> this construction. As of Nov. 1, 2002, Florida has seen an all-time record

> of 87 manatee deaths and countless, propeller injuries to other manatees.

> The current proposal for incidental killing regulations is desperately

> needed now more than ever.

> > WHAT YOU CAN DO:

> > Write to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials by January 10, 2003,

> about their proposed “Incidental Take Regulationsâ€:

> > Pete Benjamin, USFWS

> > 6620 Southpoint Dr. South #310

> > Jacksonville, FL 32216

> > fax: 904-232-2404

> > manatee

> >

> > Let them know:

> > 1) FWS must base decisions on the best available scientific data;

> > 2) New or expanded watercraft access facilities should not be permitted

> until manatees are adequately protected;

> > 3)The FWS must expand their list of new federal manatee refuges and

> sanctuaries to include those proposed by Save the Manatee Club;

> > 4) More on-water law enforcement and strategic enforcement efforts at

the

> city, county, state and federal levels are needed;

> > 5) More outreach to boaters regarding safe boating practices, especially

> to boat rental businesses, is needed.

> >

> >

> >

> > THANK YOU FOR MAKING A DIFFERENCE FOR ANIMALS --- TODAY!!

> > To receive directly, call 202-955-3668 or email humanelines.

For

> more information on legislation, how to find your legislators, or past

> HUMANElines, go to www.hsus.org or www.fund.org

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

>