Re NYT report from Baghdad

[Guest guest]

Sun, 15 Mar 2009 11:05:09 -0700

public

Merritt Clifton <anmlpepl

Re: Rabies control, SPCA International

 

 

Dear Public Editor:

 

New York Times writer Sam Dagher, who is not in the NYT

reporter directory, plugged an entity called " SPCA International " in

his March 14 article " In Hard-Bitten Baghdad, Tough Tactics on

Strays. "

 

A quick search of the New York Times' own archives for

information about " SPCA International " would have turned up " An

E-Commerce Empire, From Porn to Puppies, " an extensive expose of the

origins of this entity, by Brad Stone, published on May 18, 2008.

 

The " SPCA International " program in Baghdad is a knock-off of

a much older Boston-based program called Military Mascots, and the

" SPCA International " web site was originally the property of the

Montreal SPCA, which is engaged in litigation to get it back.

 

" SPCA International " founder Pierre Barnoti was formerly

president of the Montreal SPCA, and transferred title to the web

site to himself before being ousted in early 2008, after the board

discovered an unexplained deficit of $4 million.

 

ANIMAL PEOPLE has extensively reported on the case.

 

That isn't all. Nor is it even the most important issue

raised by Dagher's article.

 

" In Hard-Bitten Baghdad, Tough Tactics on Strays " failed to

note that there is no authority on rabies control, worldwide, that

advocates mass poisoning or shooting of host populations, dogs or

any other species, because this approach simply is not effective.

 

The World Health Organization, the Alliance for Rabies

Control, the National Association of Public Health Veterinarians,

the International Society for Infectious Diseases, the National

Animal Control Association, the World Society for the Protection of

Animals, and every major humane society worldwide are unanimous that

mass vaccination of host populations is the only effective rabies

control technique.

 

Cheers,

 

 

--

Merritt Clifton

Editor, ANIMAL PEOPLE

P.O. Box 960

Clinton, WA 98236

 

Telephone: 360-579-2505

Fax: 360-579-2575

E-mail: anmlpepl

Web: www.animalpeoplenews.org

 

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