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.

 

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ESSENTIAL DESTINATIONS

MONTH: December 2006

Letters

 

Elephant advocate leaves Zimbabwe

With disappointment, disillusionment, and regret, Sharon Pincott has decided to leave Zimbabwe, and the Presidential Elephants to whom she has dedicated (on a voluntary basis) the past six years of her life.

Sharon fought tirelessly for the ongoing protection of Zimbabwe's flagship herd of elephants, for the land which used to be their key home-range, and for their well-being and safety.

Sharon produced two successful books about her time amongst the Presidential Elephants, and recently released important information on the negative impact of gunfire on elephant conception rates, reported in the October 2006 ANIMAL PEOPLE article "Gun-fire no aphrodisiac for African elephants."

Sharon spent years monitoring the elephants' social structure and population, and successfully raised awareness about the dreadful snaring situation.

Sharon leaves her work incomplete. Proof, however, of her dedication and tenacity is that she has stayed on full-time in the Hwange bush for as long as she has, even in the face of past threats, intimidation, and the ongoing apathy of some.

--Johnny Rodrigues, chair Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force
Phone: 263-4-336710
Fax: 263-4-339065
<galorand@mweb.co.zw>
<www.zctf.mweb.co.zw>

 

Animal welfare in Egypt

Through our ongoing cooperation with the General Organization for Veterinary Services, GOVS on October 29, 2006 officially established an animal welfare unit. The first joint project of the Egyptian Society of Animal Friends, Egyptian Society of Animal Management, and the new animal welfare unit will be held at the Giza Zoo, December 8-10, 2006.

The program will include an animal welfare seminar for the keepers, conducted by Dr. Rabea Fayed, who is a professor of animal behavior on the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Cairo University, and chairs ESAM. After-ward, two keepers each month will receive a certificate and a financial incentive in recognition of applying animal welfare recommendations.

The program will also include sterilizing more than 150 feral cats who inhabit the zoo premises.

--Ahmed El Sherbiny
Egyptian Society of Animal Friends
30 Korshed St. / Rd. 293
New Maadi, Egypt 20-2-702-1142
<animal-f-e@menanet.net>
<www.animalfriends.info>

 

Erie County SPCA wildlife program

Re your November 2006 feature, "The wildlife program that might make Milwaukee famous," there are more than two humane organizations in the country that see the writing on the wall. We know that wildlife issues will be very big in this century and we want to be ready. The Erie County SPCA cares for over 3,000 wild animals a year, including well over 100 species, mostly birds. Whether a pigeon or a bald eagle, they all get the same quality care.

Dogs and cats were not even mentioned in our 1900 annual report. The bulk of our work was in the Buffalo freight yards, with the working animals of the day. As a movement we have a lot to be proud of, looking at the progress made first for working animals, now companion animals, and soon for wildlife.

--Barbara Carr
Erie County SPCA
205 Ensminger Road
Tonawanda, NY 14150
Phone: 716-875-7360
<ExDSPCA@aol.com>
<www.yourspca.org>

 

Elephant polo

Thank you for your article "A Field Day over Elephant Polo." Having followed this issue as best I can, I believe Animal People gave a balanced view to both sides on this contentious issue. I appreciate that, and hope for some compromises and gains for the elephants coming from all of these discussions.

--Eileen Weintraub
U.S. representative
Visakha SPCA
Seattle, Washington
<eileenweintraub@comcast.net>
<www.VisakhaSPCA.org>

 

Crabs are animals

 

I want to thank you for your September 2006 editorial "Crabs are animals too." So few animal lovers pity fish and crabs.

In France many restaurants put lobsters and crabs into cool water, which they heat slowly.

Do you know the U.K. society called the Shellfish Network, <www.Shellfishnetwork.org>?

I hope the apparatus they recommend called the Crustastun is soon commercialized. It stuns the animals with electrical current.

--Janine Vogler
Animaux Secours
284 Route de la
Basse Arve 74380
Arthaz, France
Phone: 33-04-50-36-03-39
Fax: 33-04-50-36-04-76
Info@animaux-securs.com
www.anikmaux-seacors.com

 

Dogs in Nepal

"Dogs killed on their holiday," in the November 2006 edition of ANIMAL PEOPLE, about the massacre in Narayan municipality, Nepal, was very upsetting.

Although animal birth control has been introduced to the capital of Nepal by the Kathmandu Animal Treatment Centre, and an Animal Welfare Law is being drafted by a high-level committee, there is hardly any national consensus on this issue.

Whether the dogs were killed during Kukur Puja or on any other day hardly makes a difference. For years national authorities have argued that rabies and overpopulation of stray dogs cannot and should not be tackled with poisoning, because it is cruel, dangerous, expensive and--last but not least-- brings no results. The dogs of Narayan died their cruel deaths in vain, as research shows that dog populations react to poisoning by producing larger litters. We predict that the number of dogs in Narayan in a year's time will be at the same level or higher.

--Lucia DeVries
Animal Nepal
Jhamsikhel, Patan
Lalitpur District
<lucia@wlink.com.np>
<www.animalnepal.org>

 

First convictions

On November 9, 2006 the Dominican Republic SPCA (SODOPRECA) successfully prosecuted brothers Elvis and Martin Rubio for killing a stray dog named Leonel Fernandez, after the Dominican president. To avoid jail time, both pleaded guilty, agreeing to receive two hours of humane education, perform four hours of community service to help animals, and payment of $250.00 toward the medical costs for treating the unfortunate animal. If they fail to comply with the plea bargain, they will face a criminal trial, with a strong possibility of going to prison.

This was the first known prosecution under the Dominican anti-cruelty law, adopted in 1946.

--Marcos A. Polanco
Vicepresidente
SODOPRECA
San Juan Bautista De La Salle #132
Mirador del Norte, Santo Domingo
Republica Dominicana
Phone: 809-33-5223
<marcospolanco@sodopreca.org>

 

Ranks in Order of the British Empire

On page 6 of your September 2006 edition, under the heading "Another OBE for animal welfare work," you mentioned that Animals Asia Foundation founder Jill Robinson received an Order of the British Empire in 1998. Robinson was named a Mistress of the Order of the British Empire, so technically her award is different from an OBE, which is an Officer of the Order of the British Empire. David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust founder Daphne Sheldrick received an MBE and a DBE, which stands for Dame of the Order of the British Empire.

--Shubhobroto Ghosh
Kolkata, India

 

Political lessons from 1972 battle to abolish decompression in Berkeley

I thought your October 2006 editorial about political activism on behalf of animals and the need for independent thought was spot-on. I have written and spoken to you in the past about the campaign my wife Diane and I helped to lead to abolish the use of decompression to kill animals in Berkeley, California, in 1972, and would like to add detail about the roles of Loni Hancock and Ron Dellums, who were mentioned in your editorial.

The hard left vilified us for "caring more about animals than oppressed people," even though we were prominently involved in left issues and politics. Street people, however, who were homeless along with their dogs, were mostly eager to offer their support. Those who I'd call the non-ideological left and good folk of conservative leanings also came on board.

When we first approached Loni Hancock for her vote, she was cool and not particularly interested. Fortunately David Mundstock, her top staff person, promised us his full support. Eventually, through him, we got to Loni. If she is now and all-out animal person, I thank her and bless her.

As we were fairly constant fixtures at city council meetings on all manner of issues, Ron Dellums was familiar with our faces and political leanings. When we approached Dellums, he said, "Look, I'm not all that certain what this is all about, but you're my people, and you have my vote."

Another council member, Borden Price, a so-called conservative Republican, turned out to be a sweetheart of a human being. Whenever I called at his office, he answered the phone himself and amiably engaged in conversation for half an hour at a time.

Again, thanks for an illuminating editorial.

--George Sukol
Bellevue, Washington

 

Recycling

Just a thought I want to share with your readers: never throw out back editions of ANIMAL PEOPLE. This is what I do: After I've read it, I leave each edition sitting in the sauna at my gym...or in the waiting room of my doctor's or lawyer's or dentist's office.....or I leave it on a table at Starbuck's.....or on a bus or subway....any place where someone who knows nothing about animal suffering (let alone ANIMAL PEOPLE) can pick it up and be exposed. It is such a great feeling to leave my dentist's office and see someone in the waiting room holding the edition and reading it with intensity.

This is just another way we can change the world for animals, one person at a time.

--Dennis Erdman
New York City, N.Y.