On Loving Animals...

I am reproducing a bulletin from the New Jersey Animal Rights Alliance concerning a recent decision by the NJ Appellate Division to uphold a lower court's decision against three animal rights activists. This is a disappoinment but the decision does not derogate the dedication, the courage and the heroism of the activists. The world is a better place because of people like Terry Fritges, Ali Kazemian, and Angi Metler. I wish you all the best, and my heart goes out to you. In the end, the NJ Appellate Court decided that the 2005 bear hunt was illegal. Thank you for your service. =========================================== As you may know from media sources (see article below), on June 20th, the NJ Appellate Division upheld the municipal convictions against three activists arrested on the third day of New Jersey's black bear hunt in December 2005. Terry Fritzges, Ali Kazemian, Angi Metler and Janet Piszar were arrested in Wawayanda State Park, Vernon, on December 7, 2005, on vario

Believe it or not, a major city in the Philippines, perhaps the second largest city after Manila, Quezon City , did not have a centralized city pound until a new one was inaugurated on April 29, 2007. Approximately 2.69 million people reside in Quezon City together with approximately 200,000 dogs of which a third are strays. Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) worked tirelessly and constantly with Quezon City Mayor's office to make the pound a reality. Formerly, stray dogs were kept by the local barangay government until they were claimed by the owners. The barangay has no equivalent in the American government system. It is lower than the city government and represents the basic unit of government because it operates at the neighborhood level. The dogs kept by the barangays have been known to end up in the dog meat market since the barangay officials are only too glad to give them up for a very small fee. They are, after all, not in the dog pound business. So, the opening of

Farm Sanctuary is on the ground in the midwest, doing their best to save stranded farm animals from drowning in the flood waters. Outstanding people they are. Follow this link to learn more: http://www.farmsanctuary.org/actionalerts/alert_erf_pigs08.html

Okay, here's an animal act that I don't have objections to. It is obvious that this is a loving relationship between human and animal. This dog is definitely talented.

Some things are best kept off the air unless it helps the cause. In this case, the only cause helped is Jamie Oliver's publicity and that of his cooking show. Nevermind the needless loss of animal life, as Oliver had obviously decided, for as long as he can employ a shock factor to boost his show's publicity. Whether you know or not that male chicks are eliminated in the egg-producing business is beside the point. The point is that Oliver did not have to gather male chicks, show his audience how nice and cudly they were, asked his audience to pick them off the table and send them to him, then suffocated them to death on television, just to illustrate a point. The show's in-studio audience, as well as the general viewing public, can learn about this sad fact of the egg-producing business by simply telling them. You can see from the facial expressions of the audience that they did not expect to witness an execution. You can see from their faces that they were hoping it wasn&#

Watch this undercover video on what really goes on in laboratories where animals are used for testing: http://www.petatv.com/tvpopup/video.asp?video=covance_main&Player=wm Here's an excerpt from PETA's appeal for help regarding animals in laboratory testing: " Did you know that more than 100 million individual animals in North America will be needlessly poisoned, maimed, and killed in laboratories this year? Every day, experimenters subject dogs, cats, monkeys, rabbits, guinea pigs, mice, and other animals to painful chemical, cosmetics, pesticide, psychology, and food-additive tests... Meet David Waitzman, an animal experimenter at the University of Connecticut Health Center. Waitzman had a $1.7 million grant from the federal government that funded his cruel research on monkeys. He used the money to drill holes into monkeys' skulls and implant steel coils in their eyeballs over and over again. Let me share with you a shocking account from an actual cage log of C

It looks like the noose is getting tighter around the neck of Dan Sy Tan , the alleged but obviously guilty ring leader of a vicious dogfighting ring in the town of Antipolo, Rizal in the Philippines. He was finally arraigned on June 5, 2008 for his crimes, illegal gambling and violating the Philippine Animal Welfare Act of 1998 . Caught redhanded by undercover cops posing as spectators, Dan Tan and his business associates face overwhelming evidence. Included in the ring are three Thai nationals who fled the country last year. They are on videotape. There are gate receipts, eye witnesses, veterinary statements, all point to their guilt. These guys made money from the blood of fighting dogs. What a way to make a living! It's been a full year since the night of the raid, but we'll take every bit of victory we can get. I say " We " because I am a member of the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) who worked with the police to capture these poor excuses for human be

A Man and his Dog...Maui, Hawaii ( June 08 )

Message from the Brooklyn Animal Foster Network : Tonight, June 17, 2008 at 6:00 p.m. in front of the Manhattan ACC at 326 E. 110th St between 1st and 2nd Avenue. Background: The Brooklyn Animal Foster Network (BAFN), which in 2 years removed more than 1,200 animals from death's door at NYCACC, is now one of many groups and rescuers who have been indiscriminately suspended from the Center’s New Hope Program*.Five months ago, our group was suspended under the guise of a cruelty case in one of our foster homes. An ASPCA Animal Cruelty Law Officer was called in to investigate. BAFN was COMPLETLEY exonerated. In fact, the ASPCA were shaking their heads! Now FIVE months later, we are still suspended from the program. The vindictiveness of a woman who runs one of the largest municipal kill systems in the country is resulting in countless deaths of homeless companion animals. Are these animals really better off dead, because the new Executive Director is too spiteful to admit that she mad

Here's a couple of pit bulls who need their forever homes. They have been with us for approximately a couple of months now. They are both playful dogs, and will require some exercising. Well, I think that all pit bulls require a lot of physical activity. Tank walks very nice on a leash, minding himself most of the time. Tank also passed his evaluation test. He's very people-friendly and house-broken. However, Tank should not share a home with a cat. He's also started his agility lessons. The second one is Buddy. He also walks well on a leash and is house-broken. Buddy requires that his forever home doesn't have cats, dogs, or small children. He loves hugs and belly rubs. Both these dogs are very young..

I don't know what these chicken-like birds are, but they walk most of the time and don't fly. They go from beach chair to each chair, and they are not afriad of humans. Obviously, these birds have been fed by humans before, and they are looking for handouts. People tolerated them. Such a life on a Hawaiian beach resort couldn't be a bad thing at all. Click on the photo for a better look.

I am off to Hawaii for a week, beginning yesterday! It was a long haul from New Jersey, but I finally got here. Here's a photo I took of the " congo line " at Newark International Airport yesterday.

Okay, let's do it for the horses! Here's an email from PETA regarding a planned demonstration at the Belmont Stakes. I will be on a plane to Hawaii by then, but I hope many of you can make it. More power to you, and I'll join the next one! ========================================================= I'm writing to remind you about PETA's upcoming demonstration against cruel horse racing practices at the Belmont Stakes in New York on June 7. Thoroughbreds are raced too young and too often on hard dirt-track surfaces and are whipped viciously as they come down the stretch. Most racehorses end up broken down and cast off for someone else to care for or are sent to slaughter. We need to have a big showing at our demonstration at the Belmont Stakes! We will provide a bus leaving from NYC for those who do not have transportation in addition to breakfast on the way to the demo and a box lunch on the return trip. The bus is leaving Penn Station on Saturday, June 7, at 9:30 a.m

I am cross posting a message I received from the New Jersey Animal Rights Alliance (NJARA): ========================================================== NJ's Animals Need your Help! Senator Loretta Weinberg (D-Bergen County) has introduced legislation ( S1516 ) to, at long last, put the animal cruelty statutes where they belong - in NJ's criminal code. Right now, NJ's animal cruelty statutes are in the agriculture code. As a result, judges, prosecutors and police are not trained in these laws or even as familiar with NJ's animal cruelty statutes as they are with other crimes. We now have felony animal cruelty laws yet they are not located in the penal code where all other laws are located.Not only does S1516 put NJ's animal cruelty statutes in the criminal code where they belong, it rewrites them using modern language and strengthens the laws to protect animals. This proposed law is long past due. NJ's animal cruelty statutes have not been substantially revised s

For those of you in the Philippines, here are three dogs available for adoption. They are currently with the Philippine Animal Welfare Society , and they are ready to go. You can contact them by clicking on the link provided above. The dog with brindled fur is Hiyas . She's a survivor from the dog meat trade, rescued from the jaws of death. I feel that her sweetness just reaches out to you through the photo. The second dog is Jackie . She was rescued from a parking lot with almost no fur on her at the time, exposed to sun and rain and no food. A tough dog, indeed. People are heartless, aren't they? The third one is Missy . She came from a home, but domestic problems forced her out of it. Doesn't that sound very familiar? There are so many scenarios wherein an animal is the ultimate victim. Pick up the phone and schedule a meeting. You can also email PAWS at philpaws@yahoo.com These dogs need a loving, forever home. Keep in mind that there are many more dogs at PAWS who

WHAT : Peaceful Demonstration against Bird Paradise WHEN : Saturday, June 21, 2008 from 2:30 pm - 4:30 pm WHERE : Public right of way in front of Bird Paradise, 551 E Rt. 130 S, Burlington, NJ 08016 The New Jersey Animal Rights Alliance (NJARA) reported that " NJARA sends kudos to ROAR for not letting Bird Paradise squelch their first amendment right when they attempted to stop ROAR's protests. The American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey beat back a lawsuit from Bird Paradise, that sued ROAR, Mobilization for Animals and the New York Bird Club as well as the City of Burlington, which had approved a previously scheduled protest . " http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/112-04122008-1517935.html Every year thousands of birds are bred and sold by one of the largest bird stores in the nation: Bird Paradise. Pet store birds are deprived of their natural environment and often imprisoned in cages. Even the most well intentioned person cannot provide for the needs of any

Here's a story for those dyed-in-the-wool pit bull haters: http://www.buffalonews.com/258/story/351106.html I am glad that some journalists also cover stories that present pit bulls in a good light. I bet you there are more good news about the pit bull than there are bad ones. However, the media loves reporting on tragic and gruesome news and the pit bull has proven to be their preferred font to satisfy their lust for the sensational. I tell ya, when a German Shepherd or a Doberman mauls someone, it's bad news. But if a pit bull does it, it's beastly and terrible news, requiring the banning of the entire breed! Whenever there is a problem with a dog, any dog, look at the other end of the lease. That's where the problem is.

Some of you may not know that a bill was introduced by NYC Council Member Tony Avella to ban horse-drawn carriages in New York City. Great. Everytime I am around the Central Park area, I see these horses mix it up with vehicular traffic and they don't seem to get enough warmth in the winter and enough shade in the summer. Has anybody ever figure out how heavy the carriage is plus four passengers and a driver? And you've got one horse to pull all that weight in harsh weather? Yeah, yeah...it's romantic and a throwback to the genteel ways of the victorian era. However, if you need a carriage ride to fall in love with each other, then maybe you need to consider your options. Like, look for another partner! Get a cab, and leave the horses alone. I do remember a report in the news about a carriage owner bribing an inspector to look away during an inspection of the stables. The horses are not kept in barns but in cramp stalls in an old building on the west side. Unfortunately fo