IDA's Bay Area Events

[Guest guest]

1. World Week for Animals In Laboratories - San Francisco Event

2. IDA's May 2005 Auction for the Animals

3. Conduct Outreach Against Dog Meat at Korean Trade Expo

4. Gopher Gardening at Ocean Beach

5. Dr. Gabriel Cousens' Lecture on Nutrition and Spirituality

6. Rabbit Abuser Convicted of Animal Cruelty

7. California Ear Cropping Bill is Stalled - Your Help Urgently Needed

8. EBAA Dairy Farm Investigation Website

 

 

1. World Week for Animals In Laboratories - San Francisco Event

 

World Week for Animals In Laboratories (WWAIL) takes place from now

until April 30, and IDA is looking for people to help educate the

public about animal experiments being done at the University of

California, San Francisco (UCSF). We need as many people as possible

to do outreach and distribute leaflets.

 

What: WWAIL event at UCSF

When: Thursday 4/28 from noon to 2:00 p.m.

Where: On the UCSF campus in front of the Millberry Union at 500

Parnassus Avenue, San Francisco

 

If you can spend a couple of hours with us to make people aware of the

cruel experiments taking place at UCSF and elsewhere, please contact

alicia or (415) 388-9641 ext. 228. For information on UCSF

animal research, visit www.vivisectioninfo.org/ucsf/index.html.

 

 

2. IDA's May 2005 Auction for the Animals

 

IDA's Auction for the Animals on eBay gives you the opportunity to

support IDA's work on behalf of animals while bidding on over 250

elegant, exciting and unique items valued at more than $45,000 that

have been donated to IDA for this very special online fundraising

event. Auction items include fantastic travel and accommodation

packages, celebrity memorabilia, and tickets for great entertainment

and sporting events.

 

Beginning on May 1, you can view the auction items on

www.ebay.com/ida. Once you find an item that you like, click on the

link to view its description, the current bid price, and how much time

is left until the bidding ends. Place your bid and keep an eye on it

to make sure that, by the time the bidding ends, it's YOURS. The

auction will run in three waves, one wave per week, with new items

being added May 1st, 8th and 15th. Visit http://auction.idausa.org

for more details.

 

We are still accepting donated items to sell during the auction, so if

you have an item that you would like to contribute, please contact

Nicole Otoupalik at (800) 338-4451. All donations are tax deductible.

If you already sell on eBay, now is a great time to designate 10-100%

of your own auction proceeds to IDA by registering at

http://www.missionfish.org/, the partner of eBay Giving Works.

 

 

3. Conduct Outreach Against Dog Meat at Korean Trade Expo

 

As we have reported before, South Korea's Ministry for the Office of

Government Policy Coordination has proposed a scheme to hygienically

control - and effectively legalize - the dog meat trade in their

country. IDA strongly opposes this plan, which is supported only by

the relatively small number of Koreans who buy and sell dog meat. The

vast majority of Korean citizens have never eaten dog meat and wish to

see the horrific practice banned for good.

 

Please help IDA educate attendees at the Korean Trade Expo about the

Korean Government's cruel plans. IDA will be at the Expo to gather

signatures on postcards and hand out leaflets urging people to urge

the Government to enforce laws and call off the plans to hygienically

control dog meat. Please join other IDA volunteers for this important

outreach opportunity.

 

What: Outreach Against Dog Meat

When: Friday, May 6th from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Where: The Radisson Miyako Hotel, 1625 Post Street (at Laguna), San Francisco

 

E-mail alicia or call (415) 388-9641 if you have any

questions. To learn more about the Korean dog meat trade and what you

can do to stop it, visit www.idausa.org/korean_frame.html.

 

 

4. Gopher Gardening at Ocean Beach

 

Join the San Francisco Wildlife Protection Project, a joint effort by

IDA and the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department, to create a

wildlife " sanctuary " along the Great Highway. By landscaping the area

according to the Parks Department's specifications, volunteers create

a habitat for native gophers and prevent them from being trapped and

killed. This is an on-going monthly effort, and happens on the first

Saturday of each month. Please give us a hand so we can help the

gophers.

 

What: Gopher Gardening

When: Saturday, May 7 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon

Where: Corner of the Great Highway and Wawona Street, San Francisco,

at the small brick Recreation and Park maintenance building. Click

here (http://tinyurl.com/4hnh2) for directions to this event.

 

For more information, please contact Kevin Connelly at (415) 388-9641,

ext. 226 or kevin.

 

 

5. Dr. Gabriel Cousens Lecture on Nutrition and Spirituality

 

Internationally celebrated holistic physician and author Gabriel

Cousens has studied and promoted the physical and spiritual benefits

of veganism for over three decades. Founder/director of the Tree of

Life Foundation in Patagonia, Arizona, Dr. Cousens uses live-food

nutrition, naturopathy, Ayurveda, homeopathy and acupuncture, blended

with spiritual awareness, to heal body, mind and spirit.

 

Dr. Cousens' latest book, " Spiritual Nutrition: Six Foundations for

Spiritual Life and

the Awakening of Kundalini, " explores the relationship between a

meatless live-food diet and spiritual awakening. Don't miss his

upcoming talk on nutrition and spirituality.

 

What: Dr. Gabriel Cousens lecture

When: Saturday, May 7 from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m.

Where: Global Yoga-Sea Cliff Location, 6300 California Street (at 25th

Ave.), San Francisco

 

To order tickets or get more information on this event, call (415)

751-6908 or (415) 816-6174. To learn more about Dr. Cousens, visit the

Tree of Life Foundation website at www.treeoflife.nu/tolhp1.html.

 

 

6. Peaceable Kingdom Screening in Marin

 

Please attend a special screening of Tribe of Heart's documentary

Peaceable Kingdom in Marin next month. Peaceable Kingdom is one of the

most powerful films ever made about the plight of animals in our

society and people's potential for transforming their relationships

with animals. The film tells the inspiring story of " farmed " animals

and the people who have been moved to fight their exploitation. Visit

www.tribeofheart.org for more information about Peaceable Kingdom.

 

What: Peaceable Kingdom screening

When: Thursday, May 12 at 7:30 p.m.

Where: The Lark Theater, 549 Magnolia Ave., Larkspur

 

The screening will be followed by a reception featuring filmmaker James LaVeck.

 

 

7. Rabbit Abuser Convicted of Animal Cruelty

 

On May 11, 2004, volunteers from the House Rabbit Society (HRS), a

national nonprofit organization headquartered in Richmond, and East

Bay Animal Advocates (EBAA) uncovered a serious animal abuse situation

after responding to an online posting for free rabbits. Upon visiting

the home, they found 34 rabbits languishing in an outdoor enclosure,

their fur matted with dirt and feces, and signs of severe abuse

everywhere. The volunteers returned the following day with Hayward

Animal Services officers.

 

Further investigation yielded far worse cruelties. " It was a truly

horrifying situation, " explains HRS spokesperson Erin Williams. " There

were an enormous number of rotting corpses and body parts as well as

the survivors, who were suffering terribly. Most of the rabbits had

significant medical problems, including tumors, parasites, open sores,

shredded or half-eaten ears, eyes that were completely closed from

infection, as well as serious illnesses. Some rabbits could barely

stand. It was the worst case of abuse I have seen. "

 

The Hayward Animal Control officers ordered the animals immediately

removed from the residence and placed under the care of HRS. A team of

dedicated HRS volunteers nursed the rabbits back to health, providing

costly and specialized treatment, and the organization adopted all the

surviving rabbits into loving, permanent homes or sanctuaries.

 

Hayward Police arrested the person responsible and charged her with

animal cruelty (CA Penal Code 597f). She later pled " no contest " to

the charges and was recently convicted. With her sentencing date set

for May 20, HRS hopes that the judge will pursue the maximum penalty

for this heinous act of cruelty, and require psychiatric counseling

for the defendant. Additionally, HRS seeks restitution for veterinary

costs.

 

For photos and more information regarding this case, please visit

www.haywardrabbits.org. HRS chapters throughout the Bay Area also have

hundreds of loving, gentle rabbits who desperately need homes. To

learn more, please visit www.rabbit.org.

 

 

8. California Ear Cropping Bill is Stalled - Your Help Urgently Needed

 

A.B. 418, the bill to ban ear-cropping of dogs in California, has

stalled in the Assembly Appropriations Committee, which focuses on

fiscal issues. The American Kennel Club (AKC) alleges that if the bill

is passed, breeders will boycott shows because of the ban, leading to

a 10% drop in dog show participation and a $1 million drop in tax

revenue for the state.

 

It is vital to convince legislators, particularly Assembly

Appropriations Chair Judy Chu, that an ear-cropping ban won't drain

tax revenue from the state. The AKC's statements are pure speculation,

and evidence indicates that an ear-cropping ban could actually

increase dog show participation. For example, breeders of dogs with

natural ears have stated that they would feel more welcome at dog

shows in the state. In addition, the dog show circuit remains strong

in the more than 20 other countries where ear cropping has already

been banned. In fact, Germany had record attendance at dog shows 2003,

just after they enacted an ear-cropping ban in 2002.

 

What You Can Do

 

- Contact Assemblymember Judy Chu, Assembly Appropriations Committee,

State Capitol, Sacramento, CA 95814, or email

Assemblymember.Chu. Urge her to move forward with AB 418.

Please write by May 1st. (Note: If you use email, it is important to

include your full name and address in order for your letter to be

considered as support.)

 

- Ask your own Assemblymember to support AB 418. You can get contact

information for your Assemblymember by clicking here

(http://ga0.org/indefenseofanimals/home.html) and entering your zip

code. You can also get contact information for elected officials by

calling the Government Information Hotline at (916) 322-9900 and

giving the operator your address.

 

- Urge any dog breeders/showers you know who want to show dogs with

natural ears to contact their elected officials.

 

If you have any questions about the bill or need more information,

call (530) 759-8106 or email pam.

 

 

9. EBAA Dairy Farm Investigation Website

 

To increase public awareness of California dairy farm conditions and

practices, East Bay Animal Advocates (EBAA) has launched

www.insidedairyproduction.com. This website is based on EBAA's

investigations of conditions at farm operations in five of

California's top dairy-producing counties (Merced, San Joaquin,

Sonoma, Stanislaus and Tulare) and includes:

 

- A virtual California Dairy Farm Tour

- California Industry Report

- Simple Ways to Help Farmed Animals

- Online Request for a Free Vegetarian Beginner's Guide

 

Please share www.insidedairyproduction.com with your friends, family

and colleagues.