ANIMAL PEOPLE is the
leading independent newspaper providing original investigative coverage
of animal protection worldwide. Founded in 1992, ANIMAL PEOPLE has
no alignment or affiliation with any other entity.
Thanks
for sending ANIMAL PEOPLE and I must congratulate you for investigating
details and info.
Hardly any issue of yours does not have useful info, and we maintain a
separate clipping file for ANIMAL PEOPLE.
Your December 2004 edition gives a good analysis of funding for animal
welfare organisations. Every year your summary of funds received by different
organisations is also kept by us, and we also disseminate these to many
people and NGOs.
—Laxmi Narain Modi
Executive Director
Animal Rights Intl.
Ahimsa Bhawan F-125 Lado Sarai
New Delhi, India 110 030
Phone: 011-29523250 shakahar@vsnl.net
Gambian
donkey club
We
strive to find ways of getting our message about animal welfare across
in a way that is fun and not too judgemental. We encourage everyone to
name their animals, as this builds a bond and they regard an animal who
has a name somewhat differently. Chrissie, our manager, has started the
Gambian Donkey Club, to teach the children who care for the donkeys about
welfare and management. She discovered that the children all love football,
so suggested that they name the animals after their heroes.
Recently three men arrived at our center being pulled along by a donkey
with attitude. They brought him to see if they could buy a headcollar,
bridle, and bit, as this donkey was uncontrollable. The donkey was called
Manchester United‚ because there was no stopping him, and he was
stronger than any one player.
I wrote to Sir Alex Ferguson, the manager of Manchester United Football
team, to tell him this story and he very kindly sent out two sets of full
team strips (uniforms) for our village football team. You can imagine
the delight! The only problem was that they play barefoot as they have
no boots, but when the football socks came, they wanted to wear them.
The villagers feel this gift came as a result of the donkeys, so the donkeys
are held in slightly higher esteem, and have become mascots of the football
team. To show their status, they now all have to wear red headcollars!
This worked well for us, as the Gambian people are humorous and have a
good sense of fun, but a charity farther north tried involving football
and it didn’t work there at all.
—Heather Armstrong
The Gambia Horse & Donkey Trust
Brewery Arms Cottage
Stane Street
Ockley, Surrey RH5 5TH
United Kingdom
Phone: 01306-627568 gambiahorseanddonkeytrust@hotmail.com
Activist
priorities
Kathy
Perlo, in her letter, “Praise for editorial 'Prioritizing animal
and human suffering,” published in your March 2005 edition, makes
an excellent case for putting a high priority on improving conditions
for animals. However, I respectfully believe that since many people argue
that they can't be concerned about animals when humans face so many problems,
we should stress that improving conditions for animals also has many benefits
for people. Without reducing efforts to make people aware of the many
horrendous examples of the mistreatment of animals, we should also point
out that a shift toward vegetarianism is a societal imperative because
of the many negative environmental and health effects of animal-based
diets, and a religious imperative, because production and consumption
of animal products violate many basic religious mandates, including those
involving treating animals with compassion.
—Richard H. Schwartz, President
Jewish Vegetarians of North America
Phone: 718)-761-5876
Fax: 718-982-3631 rschw12345@aol.com
Kalahari
Raptor Centre
The
Kalahari Raptor Centre is the only registered wildlife rehab center in
the Northern Cape Province of South Africa, an area about two-thirds the
size of Great Britain. Founded seven years ago, we specialize in the care
of raptors and predators.
Working with wild animals has taken its toll. Tendonitis in cofounder
Beverley Pervan’s elbows has left her with chronic severe pain in
both arms. Cortisone injections proved ineffective and orthopedic advice
was that she would have to rest her arms completely or even surgery could
not help.
After spending 14 months seeking persons to take over responsibility for
the many birds and animals under care at KRC, we have been fortunate to
find a British family, the Finlays, who meet the criteria. They previously
ran a small rehab facility in West Africa. They took over from us at the
end of March 2005.
We will move closer to Cape Town, where our son lives, and where Bev can
get all the medical attention she needs to restore her health.
Our enforced retirement will not affect our campaigns to ban canned hunting
and cruel methods of problem animal control. Our booklet Canned Lion
Hunting—A National Disgrace goes into the bookshops this week.
Euthanasia
comes from two Greek words meaning “good death.” To many animal
control professionals, for a dog to have a “good death” merely
means that the animal receives a lethal inter-venous injection of a barbituate.
In reality to have a “good death” is far more than just this.
In my years in animal welfare, I have observed dogs that have been poisoned,
shot, gassed and electrocuted, in some of the most appalling circumstances
imaginable. These dogs were clearly not having a good death. I have also
observed dogs being administered pentobarbitone, who did not have a good
death. Because barbiturates were used, this was termed “euthanasia,”
but “execution” would have been a more accurate term.
For example, I have seen dogs contained in a communal kennel adjacent
to the room reserved for the final procedure. In theory this is good practice,
for the dogs could not observe anything untoward. But the dogs were dragged
through on catchpoles, defecating and urinating as they went—after
being given a sedative. The dogs knew that something bad awaited them.
There are many cues available to a dog, and to other animals, that we
are just beginning to understand. Perhaps a fear message was transmitted
chemically by the dogs who preceded them, or by the behavior of the handlers.
Compare this to the administration of euthanasia at a well run, caring
veterinary clinic. The veterinarian may have a technician or nurse to
assist, and the dog’s human caretaker may be present. The dog is
comforted throughout the entire process, spoken to gently, and treated
with dignity.
There are many people in dog control who do care and do treat a dog with
dignity during his final moments, but the mere use of a barbiturate for
ending a dog’s life may not be euthanasia.
Your
efforts to help vaccinate and sterilize orphaned cats and dogs after the
tsunami will never be forgotten by the pet lovers of Sri Lanka. The veterinarians
and the Humane Society International team had a tough ordeal to go to
the camps and perform sterilization and vaccination under trying conditions
in the midst of human suffering.
We are grateful to Sherry Grant and Robert Blumberg for organising the
campaign in a timely manner, despite the obstacles.
We at Pets V Care will give our full co-operation to eradicate rabies
from Sri Lanka. We are confident that it can be done.
I have just read the January/February edition of ANIMAL PEOPLE, and was
delighted to read the article on Sri Lanka highlighting Robert Blumberg’s
role in bringing relief to the animals of Sri Lanka. Bob has been truly
an answer to prayer and this is not an exaggeration.
We do not have an organized national animal welfare program. Most of the
work is done by a handful of individuals operating from their homes. Our
few shelters are terribly overcrowded and short of funds.
Bob came and just threw himself into doing whatever he could. All of us
are so grateful to him for everything he has done.
Blumberg
responds:
Anusha has actually been the moving force—we’re a good team.
She picked me up a number of times when I was at rock bottom, too. And
she personally rehomed 103 animals last year—all through her house!
Saving
the street cattle of New Delhi
I
was most interested to see your article about the absurdity of encouraging
small-scale animal farming for the world’s poorest people, especially
in urban areas. We have been running our Mobile Cattle Clinic to try to
alleviate the suffering of cattle in Delhi, India for the last two years,
and can testify to the horrific neglect that these animals endure—from
keepers, the public, and the cow shelters.
Actually, here in Delhi, the biggest threat to the welfare of the cattle
now lies in being lifted from the city streets and deposited in one of
the cow shelters, which in some cases offer nothing more than a place
to die. A combination of bad management and deliberate neglect mean that
the cattle are effectively condemned as soon as they are captured by the
Delhi Municipal Corporation. Starvation and lack of adequate drinking
water overtake the inmates on a daily basis. We have seen many strong
animals reduced to bags of bones in just a few weeks.
The
U.S. Food & Drug Administration does not prohibit the use of artificial
colors or chemical preservatives in pet foods, but because they are suspected
carcinogens, have no nutritive value, and are unnecessary, the FDA does
not recommend their use.
Purina, America’s largest pet food producer, after many years of
proudly advertising that its products contained no artificial preservatives
or colors, last year added red, yellow, and blue artificial colors to
most of its products. While several other pet food manufacturers continue
to avoid these colors, they use risky chemical preservatives such as BHA
or BHT. To its credit, Purina continues to naturally preserve most of
its pet foods with mixed tocopherols, a source of vitamin E.
Whatever brand of pet food you purchase, always check the ingredients.
If there are artificial colors, or BHA or BHT preservatives, please call
the toll-free number printed on the outside packaging and ask the manufacturers
to stop using them. (Purina’s toll-free number is 1-800-778-7462).
—Joel
Freedman, chair
Public Education Committee
Animal Rights Advocates
of Upstate New York
Canandaigua, NY 14424
Ethiopians
fight on against dog shooting
Thanks
I am writing to you on behalf of the Homeless Animals Protection Society
of Ethiopia. I can not stress enough how bad is the situation in
the struggle against the influence of the Ethiopian Wolf Conservation
Program at Bale Mountains National Park, where Efrem Legese and Hana Kifle
put their own jobs and families on the line for the sake of animals. Such
actions are rare, especially here in Ethiopia, where losing your job can
mean starvation for your family.
Efrem had to send his children to relatives and take them out of school
because he could not provide for them. Hana's family has been hurt, too.
Their families do not understand why Efrem and Hana would risk their jobs
for the sake of stray dogs. Even so, Efrem and Hana are trying to keep
HAPS together and showing more courage, determination and integrity then
anyone else I know in this field. They have continued to defend animals
here in Addis Ababa. They have won governmental consent for implementing
an Animal Birth Control program, and have increased membership in HAPS
to almost 90 people.
They feel that the quarrel with the EWCP is now chasing them in the form
of baseless and vicious rumors that hurt HAPS' good name and delay its
progress. This is not only a disaster for HAPS, but for the abandoned
animals of Ethiopia.
Please help us fight evil rumors in favor of people who really care.
Editor’s
note:
Efrem Legese was formerly the Bale Mountains National Park acting head
of finance and administration. Kifle, the first female to hold a senior
post at the park, was head of development and protection.
The Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Program, sponsored by the Born Free Foundation
and the World Wildlife Fund, began sterilizing and vaccinating pets and
working dogs near Bale in 1999. Legese and Kifle helped. In March 2001
Legese sent ANIMAL PEOPLE extensive information about local homeless dogs.
He argued that sterilization and vaccination should be extended to the
homeless dogs.
ANIMAL PEOPLE publisher Kim Bartlett helped Legese and Kifle to form HAPS,
helped them to obtain start-up funding, and arranged for them to obtain
training at the Dogs Trust in London, the 2002 International Companion
Animal Welfare Conference, and the All Africa Humane Education Summit
in September 2003.
In July 2003 the EWCP quit sterilizing and vaccinating dogs at Bale, and––after
HAPS opposition blocked an EWCP request for permission to shoot homeless
dogs––claimed that there were no homeless dogs in the region.
In five years, said the EWCP annual reports, it had vaccinated 1,475 dogs
total. In October 2003, however, the EWCP would claim to have vaccinated
from 2,000 to 2,500 dogs per year.
Kifle in August 2003 photographed an Ethiopian wolf with an apparent bite
wound to her head, 25 miles from known wolf habitat and acting strangely.
Believing the wolf to be rabid, Kifle reported the incident to superiors.
Kifle and Legese in late September 2003 expressed concern to ANIMAL PEOPLE
that nothing was being done to halt a rabies outbreak which appeared among
dogs and livestock several weeks later. The EWCP and Ethiopian Wildlife
Conservation Organization did not acknowledge the outbreak until mid-October
2003. As well as introducing oral vaccination of the wolves, they recommended
shooting homeless dogs.
ANIMAL PEOPLE in November 2003 published Kifle’s photo of the suspected
rabid wolf, plus one of a series of photos obtained by Legese of officials
shooting at dogs as they fled into the park interior–– toward
the wolves.
Continuing to advocate sterilizing and vaccinating homeless dogs, Legese
and Kifle were fired on false allegations in early 2004. The allegations
were rejected by courts in both Addis Ababa and the Bale region. Legese
and Kifle were reinstated, but were then transferred to remote regions
and left the park service to keep HAPS alive.
Upon learning from Cohen of their economic plight, ANIMAL PEOPLE guaranteed
HAPS the funding to pay Kifle and Legese wages in 2005 equal to their
former salaries at Bale Mountains National Park. With the help of our
donors, we hope to secure their future ability to feed their families
and educate their children while further building the first organization
in Ethiopia to work on behalf of all animals.
