Guest guest Posted August 19, 2000 Report Share Posted August 19, 2000 Do you ever get depressed, thinking that we aren't making any headway in terms of animal rights? Do you ever feel like nothing is happening, that no one cares? Do you ever feel like there aren't enough of us to make any difference? Well, here is some tonic for you! animals2000beyond Compiled by The Ark Trust and The Fund for Animals (http://www.fund.org) and (http://www.arktrust.org) > Recent Victories for Animals: Keep this list for inspiration! > > as of Saturday, August 12, 2000 > > North Carolina grand jury handed down first ever felony animal abuse > indictment against pig farmers. > > The Smithsonian canceled plans for a foie gras celebration due to > pressure from many animal groups and celebrities. > > European government Farm Ministers signed an agreement banning battery > cages for hens (taking effect in 2012). > > President Clinton signed HR1887, barring the Internet sale of " crush > videos " . > >New York passed a bill elevating intentional and extreme animal cruelty > to a felony offense. > >New Mexico, Maryland, Maine, Virginia and Nevada enacted laws to allow > courts to order psychological counseling for animal abusers. > > Tennessee, Louisiana and North Carolina enacted animal-friendly vehicle > license plate programs to benefit spay/neuter efforts. > > National Institues of Health banned the use of mice in monoclonal > antibody production, saving the lives of up to one million mice each year, > and admitted that animals feel " pain, distress or discomfort " . > > Twenty-one chimps, formerly owned by the Air Force and then awarded to > the Coulston Foundation for research, will instead be retired to a Florida > sanctuary. > > Nationwide protests dramatically altered the Environmental Protection > Agency's HPV industrial chemical testing program, reducing the number of > animals used from 1.3 million to 500,000, saving the lives and torture of > 800,000 animals. > > Colgate-Palmolive declared an " immediate and voluntary moratorium on all > animal testing of its personal care products designed for adults and the > ingredients used in those products " . (Moderator's Note: And P & G is working > with PETA, DDAL & other AR Groups to incorporate ICCVAM " Alternatives " > wording into certain federal laws.) > > Mary Kay Cosmetics signed an agreement pledging not to use animals to > test its products or to buy ingredients from companies that do, becoming the > largest company to so pledge. > > o The New Zealand Parliament banned the use of all great apes in research, > testing or teaching " unless such use is in the best interests of the > non-human hominid " or his/her species. > > o The nation of Slovakia banned all cosmetic tests on animals after a > three-year campaign by Slovakian animal protection groups. > > o Pepsi withdrew its sponsorship of Mexican bullfighting events and ordered > all its signs removed from bullfighting arenas. > > o Oregon passed the strongest law in the country banning " canned hunts " of > exotic mammals in any enclosed area, irrespective of the size of the > enclosure. > > o The Hegins (Pennsylvania) pigeon shoot was permanently canceled after a > 15-year campaign by animal protection groups and a ruling by the > Pennsylvania Supreme Court. > > o Sears ended sponsorship of Ringling Bros. circus after a disastrous year > of animal-related incidents, including the death of Kenny, a baby elephant. > > o Redmond, Washington's City Council unanimously banned exotic animal acts. > > o Alexandra, Virginia's City Council voted to deny permission for Clyde > Beatty-Cole Bros. Circus to perform there (they will now consider a complete > ban on all circuses and animal acts). > > o A Sacramento jury convicted two cockfighters of felony animal cruelty, > marking the first time the California cruelty to animal statute was used to > prosecute cockfighting promoters. > > o Another Sacramento jury sentenced a pit bull trainer/dogfighting promoter > to seven years in prison, the longest dogfighting sentence ever in the > nation. > > o Bunny the elephant, after 45 years of living in solitary confinement in > Indiana, and Sissy, the elephant, after public airing of a videotape > involving her beating at the El Paso Zoo, were both transferred to an > elephant sanctuary. > > o The Arizona Fish and Game Commission voted 3-2 on the side of animal > protection advocates to ban the contest killing of coyotes, prairie dogs and > other wildlife. The ban was overturned by the Governor's Regulatory Review > Council but the Fish and Game Commission voted 4-1 to resubmit the rule for > consideration. > > o Southwest Airlines removed Outdoor Life magazine from its airplanes due > to complaints from passengers about hunting articles. o Hasbro and USAOPOLY > agreed to stop manufacturing " Iditarod Monopoly " . > > o France became the final member of the European Union to ratify the Treaty > of Amsterdam, recognizing animals as sentient beings capable of feeling fear > and pain, and of enjoying themselves when well treated. (The EU must now > " pay full regard to the welfare requirements of animals " when formulating > policies on agriculture, transport, research and internal trade.) > > o San Francisco adopted new language referring to animal " guardians " rather > than " owners, " thus recognizing companion animals as more than objects. > > o Montgomery, New Jersey Township passed an ordinance prohibiting electric > prods at its annual benefit rodeo. Johnson & Johnson, the top supporter of > the rodeo, dropped its sponsorship. > > o Estes Park, Colorado voters passed a ballot initiative banning the caging > of animals for exhibition, thus defeating the proposed " plexiglass zoo " and > also prohibiting zoos and most circus acts. > > o Outspoken vegetarian advocate Albert Einstein was named Man of the > Century by Time magazine. > > o Israel banned animal experiments in junior high and high schools, > including dissection, after animal rights advocates worked for years and > provided information tothe Israeli Minister of Education. > > o Harvard and Georgetown law schools began teaching classes on animal law. > The first Animal Law casebook was published. > > o Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine became the first > veterinary school to eliminate dog labs. > > o Congress substantially increased funding for enforcement of the Animal > Welfare Act. > > o San Diego and Houston banned " pound seizure " (stopped selling shelter > animals to research laboratories). > > o Major British supermarkets withdrew " exotic meat " from their shelves. > > o Meat alternatives became increasingly more popular and more available at > supermarkets and restaurants in the U.S. and worldwide. > > o Congress directed the National Institutes of Health in its appropriations > bill to stop using animals from random-source " B dealers. " > > o Congress took the first ever vote on trapping with the House of > Representatives voting overwhelmingly to ban leghold traps in National > Wildlife Refuges; the Senate defeated the measure. > > o The Queen's Speech in the British Parliament vowed to abolish fur farms. > > o The Food and Drug Administration approved Cenestin, a plant-based > estrogen replacement that can be used instead of Premarin(the drug made from > the urine of pregnant mares). > > *Anyone else have something to add? > > Thank you for each and every single thing you did towards to help achieve > these victories for animals. Every small action we take becomes part of a > larger breakthrough! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 21, 2000 Report Share Posted August 21, 2000 Thank you, Deborah, for sharing some all too rare good news! It really made my day and I intend to print it out and circulate it with the next newsletter I put together for our local AR group. It is obviously USA-heavy and I would like to mention one piece of good news that we in the UK have had recently. After the closure of Shamrock Farm (importers of monkeys for vivisection) the campaign group turned its attention to a 22 year-old business which bred rabbits for vivisection, and within 2 weeks of the campaign starting the owner folded and handed over in excess of 1100 rabbits to the campaign organisers. They are busy rehoming them as I write - my friend has 4 and the Cat & Rabbit Rescue centre where I volunteer has taken 10. It is wonderful to see them chasing each other round a field when all they had to stand on before was painful wire mesh. The Centre had an open day recently and members of the public were able to see these rabbits and read their story - hundreds of signatures condemning vivisection were collected from people who previously had no idea of what goes on behind the lab doors. So the word is spreading, outrage is on the increase, it's only a matter of time.... Cheers! Cathy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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