Skip to main content

Some News on Animal Welfare Legislation

My copy of the " ASPCA Action " arrived today in my mailbox, and I am going to share some of the reported news with those who do not receive this magazine/newsletter/report. Before I go on, I strongly urge you to join the ASPCA and become a monthly donor like I am. This is a very good organization and it is well worth supporting. They are involved in many areas of animal rights and at different levels, from grassroots to the federal level. Go to http://www.aspca.org/

In their section for Advocacy 2007, I saw that the ASPCA is still working on the Downed Animal and Food Safety Act. This is at the federal level. This act will require the immediate humane euthanasia of any critically ill and injured cows, pigs, sheep, goats, mules, and horses too sick to stand and walk on their own. Right now, animals in this state of health are dragged or pushed to slaughter and then their meat is allowed to enter the food chain. Can you believe that we even have to tell people, make laws, not to do this?

Then, there is the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act, still in the works. Believe it or not, last year, over 100,000 American horses were killed and their meat shipped to Japan and Europe for human consumption. As you can imagine, the road to the slaughterhouse is very painful for the horses, long trips on double decker vehicles, overcrowding and inhumane methods of slaughtering. The bill will stop the interstate and international transport, delivery and receiving, possessing, purchasing, selling or marketing of any horse to be consumed for human consumption.

To help, you can go to http://www.aspca.org/lobby

At the state level, there was a setback in Ohio where the state supreme court " denied a motion for reconsideration and decided to uphold Ohio and Toledo laws classifying Pit Bulls as vicious, and regulating Pit Bull ownership on this basis." Ed Sayres, President and CEO of the ASPCA, was quoted as saying, " We have seen time and time again that responsible pet ownership is the key to successfully resolving the dangerous dog issue, and this decision does not take that into consideration."

In Illinois, dogfighting is a felony due to House Bill 3614, but now felony charges can be extended to those who participate in cockfighting or any animal figthing. Great News!

In California, Governor Schwarzenegger signed Senate Bill 353, " allowing judges to include companion animals when issuing protective orders in domestic violence cases. Studies have shown that abusers often threaten, injure or kill pets as a way of controlling others in the family. Connecticut enacted a similar bill, Senate Bill 284, extending the same protection to companion animals in that state...and cheers to Tennessee for their version of this bill called House Bill 1161 / SenateBill 196.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Philippines. Reporting Animal Cruelty. Emergency Numbers. RA 8485.

Because I belong to an group of animal welfare advocates in the Philippines, I can read the numerous discussions between group members and people who, seems to me, just signed up to make an urgent plea for help. There were two this week who begged for assistance concerning two dogs who were tied up under rain and sun with no food nor water. One was described to be on the verge of a heat stroke. The images that filled my mind disturbed me immensely, but I am also encouraged at the same time. There is a growing number of animal welfare advocates in the Philippines and ordinary citizens are beginning to reject animal cruelty, willing to take personal action against it. Just from this website, I can see from the visitor data that many are seeking information on how to report animal cruelty in the Philippines. You can find my previous post on the subject HERE . Keep in mind that your complaint has legal standing via the Philippine Animal Welfare Act which is also known as the RA 8485 ....

William Baber, Tennessee Vet Gone Bad.

Euthanasia is suppose to be merciful. When William Baber had his way, it was far from it. Baber used the very cruel " heart stick " method minus the sedation. This means that the animals could spend as long as 30 agonizing minutes before death actually occurred. Undercover video showed that William Baber even stepped on the animals to immobilize them for the injection. Do I sound like I am describing an executioner and not a veterinarian? Very sad, isn't it? The video showed dogs’ tails visibly wagging and cats are flailing before they’re given the lethal injection . "It’s just a horrible, horrible way for an animal to die,” said former euthanasia technician June McMahon. Tennessian.com reported that " still conscious, the cats were described by inmates as 'going wild' after being placed in a container, with as many as 10-15 of them being dumped on top of each other in a 'cruel manner,' authorities allege.These animals were allegedly placed ...

Philippines. Committee on Animal Welfare. Tambucho Gassing. Oscar Macenas. Fight for Compassion, Not Cruelty.

Believe it or not, the Committee on Animal Welfare (CAW) is again pushing for the reinstatement of Tambucho Gassing as an accepted form of euthanasia in the Philippines. This comes after CAW dragged its feet from August 2010 to April 2011, stultifying a directive from Secretary Proceso Alcala of the Department of Agriculture to rewrite a previous CAW-endorsed administrative order that embraced Tambucho Gassing like it was a God-sent cure-all for stray or unwanted animals. For those coming into this matter only now, Tambucho Gassing is not carbon monoxide gassing as CAW would like the world to believe. Tambucho Gassing is death by vehicular exhaust fumes. No gas cylinders are used, just a rubber hose connected to a clunky, old, usually badly tuned gas engine. The animals are entombed in a sealed metal container and toxic fumes are pumped into it. In terms of expediency, the process is slow, inefficient, and ineffective against the problem. In terms of humanity, it is depraved, utterly c...