Kinship Circle

1.Iraqi Pup Ratchet On His Way Home To US!
DATE: 10/19/08
SOURCE: Iraqi puppy adopted by American soldier on charter flight en route to US

EDITED FOR LENGTH
BAGHDAD (AP) — Ratchet the Iraqi puppy finally had his day. An animal rescue group flew into Baghdad (10/19/08) and picked up the dog, which was adopted by Army Spc. Gwen Beberg, 28, of Minneapolis in a case that highlighted military rules barring troops from caring for pets while in Iraq.

Ratchet was loaded onto a charter flight, which took off Sunday night for Kuwait. He's due in Minnesota later this week. It was the third try by Operation Baghdad Pups to get Ratchet out of the country on behalf of Beberg, who says she couldn't have made it through her 13-month deployment without the affectionate mutt.

She and another soldier rescued the puppy from a burning pile of trash in May. Beberg's quest to get the dog has gained international attention. More than 65,000 people from Illinois to Italy have signed an online petition urging the Army to let the puppy go to the United States...

Beberg initially tried to send him with a military convoy from her base south of Baghdad to the airport for an Oct. 1 pickup. But the playful black dog with a touch of white on his nose, chest and paws was reportedly confiscated by an Army officer and sent back....

SEE ALSO: Saving Private Ratchet is a SUCCESS!!!!

• 10/10/08: Don't Let Soldiers Kill Beloved Dog In Iraq

2. Louisiana Dogfight Thugs Cleared Of All Charges!
DATE: 10/15/08
SOURCE: Two acquitted of dogfighting / Father, son had faced 48 counts
Father, son cleared of dogfighting charges in La.

EDITED FOR LENGTH
10/15/08, LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) — A state judge cleared a Broussard man and his son, who each faced more than 40 counts of dogfighting. Floyd Boudreaux, 73, and his son, Guy Boudreaux, 44, were arrested in March 2005 and charged with 48 counts of dogfighting after Louisiana State Police seized more than 50 pit bulls that they believed were being used for illegal dogfighting. District Judge Kristian Earles granted a motion for acquittal, saying the state failed to provide substantial evidence that the men were involved in the illegal sport. The Boudreauxs had waived their rights to a jury trial, so the case was heard by Earles...

TAKE ACTION / CONTACT INFORMATION:
Judge Kristian Earles, Division J
P.O. Box 1980 / Crowley, LA 70527
ph: 337-788-8811; fax: 337-783-2612
Secretary, Phyllis Thevis: phyllisthevis@hotmail.com
Law Clerk, Jackie Klein: jackieklein@cox-internet.com

Michael Harson, District Attorney
Ronald E. Dauterive, Assistant District Attorney
Fifteenth Judicial District Court
P. O. Box 3306 / Lafayette, LA 70502-3306
ph: 337-232-5170; fax: 337-235-1354
email: mharson@15thjdcda.org

TAKE ACTION / SAMPLE LETTER:
Honorable Judge Kristian Earles, DA Michael Harson and Assistant DA Ronald E. Dauterive:

Conscientious citizens worldwide are shocked by the recent acquittal of "Dogfighting Don" Floyd Boudreaux, 73, and his son, Guy Boudreaux, 44.

Renowned in fight circuits, the Boudreaux dynasty bred dogs for optimum "gameness," selling them at up to $10,000 a head. The Boudreaux line set the standard in dogs raised to fight to the death. Yet, Judge Earles granted a motion for acquittal based on the state's failure to prove these men were even involved in this illegal blood sport.

I implore Louisiana courts to recognize the gravity of animal cruelty crimes and establish a better precedent for prosecuting them.

Both men were charged with animal cruelty and illegal possession of steroids and a sawed-off shotgun. When state and federal law enforcement agents raided their Broussard, Louisiana property in early March 2005, they recovered typical paraphernalia: Dogfight magazines, photos, videos, and surgical gear to mend combat wounds. The Boudreaux compound was outfitted with treadmills for forced runs and break sticks to pry apart a dog's jaws. Authorities seized more than 50 pit bulls, their faces gashed in old fight scars.

Michael Vick's case brought dogfighting into the dens of mainstream America, illuminating its inherent violence. But in Lafayette, Louisiana a state judge clears two men so entrenched in dogfighting, they were openly revered for their champion bloodlines and prolific fight circles.

This case needs to be reopened, with a better interpretation of the evidence, so that Floyd and Guy Boudreaux are prosecuted to the fullest extent under Louisiana animal fighting and cruelty laws. Anything less is a grave miscarriage of justice.

Sincerely, [YOUR NAME, ADDRESS]

• 1/20/06: LA Dogfight Thugs Are Charged
• 1/18/06: Justice Lags In Bust Of LA Dogfighting Dynasty

3. Ringling Goes To Federal Trial October 20, 2008?
DATE: 10/12/08
SOURCE: Lawsuit Against Ringling Bros. to Protect Asian Elephants Moves Forward • HEART for Animals

Ringling Bros. to stand trial for elephant abuse beginning October 20, 2008 in Washington, D.C. Photo: Demo at Izod Center, East Rutherford, NJ 2008.
HEART for Animals

EDITED FOR LENGTH
From Kinship Circle — We couldn't verify this long-awaited trial — however, Animal Welfare Institute, one of the plaintiffs, has a COUNTDOWN TO RINGLING BROS. TRIAL meter on its site. As of 10/12/08, the meter read:

2000-2003: American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Fund for Animals, Animal Welfare Institute, and former Ringling "barn man" Tom Rider file a lawsuit against Ringling Bros. Circus under the Endangered Species Act for its cruelty to Asian elephants.

February 2002: U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit unanimously holds that plaintiffs have Article III standing to bring the case. Records disclose:
• USDA neglects to inform public about numerous RBBBC elephants with tuberculosis... Documents show virtually all Ringling endangered Asian elephants are exposed to TB...

• USDA says use of chains and ropes to forcibly separate nursing elephants from mothers at Ringling's Center for Elephant Conservation inflict "unnecessary trauma, behavioral stress and physical harm."

2007: Federal judge rules the animal cruelty case against Ringling may proceed. Documents uncovered during lawsuit reveal employees beat, chain and wound endangered Asian elephants with bullhooks...

DETAILED (1998-PRESENT) TIMELINE OF RINGLING ON TRIAL

4. Dog Poisoner Gets 30 Jail Days + Counseling
DATE: 10/9/08
SOURCE: CRR man sentenced to 30 days for dog poisonings

EDITED FOR LENGTH
One dog died, other survived — Alan Whitacre, 68, is preparing to spend 30 days in jail and get mental health counseling after admitting to poisoning his neighbor's dogs for months. Whitacre says his neighbor Ken Schmidt's dogs, Timber and Topaz, barked constantly for a year. "He admitted he had lost his mind because the dogs were barking day after day, and he felt animal control and the sheriff's office had failed him," Jefferson County Deputy District Attorney Steve Leriche told Circuit Judge Daniel Ahern. "So he said he began trying to kill the dogs." Whitacre pleaded guilty to putting rat poison in meat and throwing it over the fence to the dogs...

• 9/26/08: No Plea Deal For Poisoning Dogs

5. HSUS Sues United Egg Producers
DATE: 10/9/08
SOURCE: Egg Industry Sued for Deceiving Consumers about Animal Welfare

EDITED FOR LENGTH
A lawsuit filed by Humane Society of the United States in the District of Columbia alleges that advertising by UEP and MoArk, LLC, and R.W. Sauder, Inc., is duping consumers who care about animal welfare into buying eggs bearing the "United Egg Producers Certified" logo. While UEP touts that its certification program is an "animal welfare" program, it permits factory farmers to confine hens in restrictive, barren cages in which they can't perform many of their natural behaviors, including perching, nesting, foraging or even spreading their wings...

• Meat-on-a-Stick for Earth Day?

6. Bush Admin Objects, But Polar Bears Get Habitat
DATE: 6/10/08
SOURCE: Government has till 2010 to designate polar bear habitat

EDITED FOR LENGTH
WASHINGTON — Environmental groups and the Bush administration reached a partial court settlement that requires the Department of Interior to designate critical habitat for polar bears by June 30, 2010. The Dept. of Interior in May listed the polar bear as threatened by global warming, but didn't designate any critical habitat protection. Center for Biological Diversity, Greenpeace and the Natural Resources Defense Council filed a lawsuit in an attempt to force the government to do more for the bears' long-term survival under the Endangered Species Act...

• Apr-June 2008 UPDATES: Polar Bears Get Endangered Status
• 8/27/07: Polar Bears Are Not Trophies
• 6/1/07: Uncertain Fate For Polar Bears

7. Our Visit To The Vice Prez Debate, St. Louis, MO
DATE: 10/2/08
SOURCE: Kinship Circle

10/2/08: VICE PRESIDENT DEBATE / WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY, ST. LOUIS

• VIDEO: SARAH PALIN AND ANIMALS [a must see for animal advocates]
• Sarah Palin's Shocking Animal Cruelty

For those who don't believe the number two spot on the ticket matters much, consider this: 14 vice presidents in American history eventually climbed to the top job, eight of them because their predecessors died in office. If Sarah Palin were to be propelled into the presidency and given the opportunity to run the United States like she has run Alaska — controlling Departments of Interior, Agriculture, and Commerce, with wide-ranging authority over issues affecting pets, wildlife, farm animals, marine mammals, animals in research, and public lands — it would be a terrible day for animals and for the country.
Michael Markarian (HSUS and HSLF)

• 9/27/08: Palin's Pro-Death Platform On Animals
• 9/25/07: Shot From The Sky - Aerial Wolf Hunts

8. After AETA: Another Law To Silence Activists
DATE: 10/1/08
SOURCE: New Law Shields UC Scientists
Assembly Bill 2296, the Researcher Protection Act of 2008

EDITED FOR LENGTH
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed UC-backed legislation into law — Assembly Bill 2296, the Researcher Protection Act of 2008... The legislation immediately...bans publications describing researchers' appearances or residences, and legally bars individuals from entering a researcher's home with the intent to commit a crime... The provision criminalizes any speech designed to threaten or intimidate academic researchers, thereby restricting the speaker's First Amendment rights.

Jerry Vlasak, a spokesman for the North American Animal Liberation, said: "The University likes to make it seem like all scientific progress will come to a halt if animal testing is restricted. That simply is not the case. Anti-animal testing protesters have been primarily challenging the use of primates, such as the UC using BOTOX to paralyze primate's eye muscles and gluing metal coils to their corneas to study eye movements. They have been doing this study for 20 years and it has done nothing to help humans."

Michael Budkie, executive director of Stop Animal Exploitation NOW!, said: "Since researchers are using public funds...people have a right to know how their tax dollars are being spent." According to SAEN, the UC system holds over 5,000 primates, primarily at laboratories connected to UC Davis, UC San Francisco and UC Los Angeles. Many experiments are highly invasive and painful, SAEN asserts, and involve procedures like water deprivation, exposure to infectious diseases and the bolting of devices to the skull...

9. Prop 2 Looks Good As Nov. 4 Elections Approach
DATE: 9/30/08
SOURCE: Jennifer Fearing

STATEWIDE POLL SHOWS YES! ON PROP 2 LEADING 72-10 (EDITED FOR LENGTH)
SACRAMENTO — The YES! on Prop 2 campaign reports a tidal wave of voter and donor support from Californians backing the effort to stop the inhumane treatment of animals on industrial factory farms. In contrast, donations raised by the No on Prop 2 campaign have come from a handful of corporate factory farming interests — most out of state and many embroiled in a national price-fixing scandal. The results of a new statewide poll by KSFN-Fresno/SurveyUSA show overwhelming support from voters, with Prop 2 commanding a 62-point lead: 72-10 (18 undecided).

DATE: 8/21/08
SOURCE: For now, feds will steer clear of California animal-rights measure

PROP 2 SPONSORS SUE U.S DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE (EDITED FOR LENGTH)
In papers filed in San Francisco, the U.S. Department of Agriculture denied accusations in a lawsuit that it planned illegal political spending... The suit accuses Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer of approving a $3 million budget increase for the American Egg Board to use in advertising against Prop. 2. The board is a government-supervised group of egg producers that collects fees from the industry to research and promote egg products... The expenditure would violate a federal law prohibiting the agency from using any funds to influence government policy, the suit said...

LEARN ABOUT PROP 2 AND HOW TO HELP IT PASS

• JULY 2008 DIGEST: Help Proposition 2 Win Relief For Animals In Calif.
• Don't Blow This Landmark Chance For Farmed Animals

DISCLAIMER: Kinship Circle believes a vegan lifestyle is the ultimate way to end animal cruelty and other devastating impacts of animal agriculture. While suffering may be slightly reduced via more cage space, enforced anti-cruelty laws, etc. — these upgrades cannot eliminate: Confinement, deprivation, drugging, manhandling, brutal slaughter, dismemberment, and consumption.

10. Bush Admin VS. Gray Wolves: GOP Losing
DATE: 9/29/08
SOURCE: Court Orders Bush Admin to Retain Protections for Wolves...

CONSERVATIONISTS WIN LAWSUIT TO PROTECT GRAY WOLVES IN GREAT LAKES (EDITED FOR LENGTH)
Judge Paul L. Friedman of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia today ordered the Bush administration to retain protection for gray wolves in the Great Lakes area under the Endangered Species Act. The Court's order and accompanying opinion were issued in response to a lawsuit brought by conservationists challenging the Bush administration's effort to unlawfully apply the Endangered Species Act to the status of gray wolves...

DATE: 9/17/08
SOURCE: Save America's Wolves

NO DELISTING FOR GRAY WOLVES IN YELLOWSTONE & NORTHERN ROCKIES (EDITED FOR LENGTH)
In March 2008, the Bush/Cheney Administration eliminated Endangered Species Act protections for wolves in Greater Yellowstone and the Northern Rockies. For months, wolves were slaughtered... until conservation groups prevailed in court and restored federal protections... U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) officials say they plan to rescind the plan to delist gray wolves in Greater Yellowstone and the Northern Rockies sometime soon and place them back under federal protections...

• Speak Up For the Gray Wolf Today
• Help Ensure a Lasting Future for Wolves in Greater Yellowstone and the Northern Rockies

• 3/29/08: Gray Wolf Hunts Planned After De-Listing
• 4/27/04: Western Gray Wolves Under Attack

11. Politics Trumps Mercy: Still No Downer Ban
DATE: 9/29/08
SOURCE: Industry News / Senate snubs bill with non-ambulatory cattle language

EDITED FOR LENGTH
The U.S. Senate rejected a motion to proceed to debate the Economic Stimulus package, which included language that would ban non-ambulatory cattle from entering the food supply. The measure was rejected by a vote of 52 to 42, leaving it short of the 60 votes required to proceed... USDA proposed a rule banning non-ambulatory cattle last month (Aug. 27, 2008)...

• 7/14/08: No Downers. No Exceptions. NOW.
• Apr-June 2008 UPDATES: Downer News - Big Meat Backs Downer Ban + More...
• 3/2/08: I'm Mad. Downer Ban? USDA Says Forget It
• 2/23/08: USDA-Certified Cruel: Downers Dragged, Shocked, Rammed

12. Humane Society Legislative Fund Endorses Obama
DATE: 9/22/08
SOURCE: Humane Society Legislative Fund Endorses Obama-Biden

EDITED FOR LENGTH
The HSLF board of directors — comprised of both Democrats and Republicans — has voted unanimously to endorse Barack Obama for President... Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL), as an Illinois state senator, backed at least a dozen animal protection laws, including those to strengthen penalties for animal cruelty, to help animal shelters, to promote spay/neuter, and to ban slaughter of horses for human consumption. In the U.S. Senate, he has consistently co-sponsored multiple bills to combat animal fighting and horse slaughter, and has supported efforts to increase funding for adequate enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act, Humane Methods of Slaughter Act, and federal laws to combat animal fighting and puppy mills. MORE

Michael Markarian is the president of the Humane Society Legislative Fund, a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization that lobbies for animal welfare egislation and works to elect humane-minded candidates to public office.

13. Police Sgt. Acquitted In Dog's Death In Locked Car
DATE: 9/10/08
SOURCE: Sgt. Tom Lovejoy files notice of claim against Arpaio

EDITED FOR LENGTH
Chandler Police Sgt. Tom Lovejoy's legal saga continued... Lovejoy and his wife, Carolynn, filed a notice of claim against Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, alleging the sheriff of initiating a malicious prosecution in the death of Lovejoy's K-9 partner, Bandit. The claim seeks $350,000 in damages. Last month, a Justice of the Peace in the San Tan Justice Court acquitted Lovejoy of animal abuse. Bandit died in the back of Lovejoy's SUV in August 2007 after being forgotten for at least 12 hours...

PHOTO: Attendees of the memorial signed a photo of Bandit to be given to the Chandler Police Department.
Julio Jimenez, Tribune

• Chandler cop acquitted in animal cruelty case
• Trial Begins In Death Of Chandler Police Dog
• Hundreds gather to honor fallen K-9 officer (PHOTOS)

• OCT. 2007 UPDATE: 1/10/08 Trial For Sergeant Who Let Dog Die In Patrol Car
• 9/30/07: Bandit Died Waiting In Officer's Scorching Car

14. Who Dumped HLS Animal Killers Lately?
DATE: 9/9/08
SOURCE: Merck DUMPS Huntingdon "Life" Science!

MERCK DUMPS HUNTINGDON "LIFE" SCIENCES! (EDITED FOR LENGTH)
SHAC-UK — A huge victory in the SHAC Customer Campaign: Global giant Merck has abandoned HLS and released the following statement: "We hereby state as follows: Merck KGaA has no plans to be an HLS customer in the future which plans apply to Merck KGaA globally as well as to Merck�s subsidiaries globally. According to our phone-conversation on last Friday this statement will effect that Merck KGaA will be delisted from any shac-list globally. Yours sincerely Merck KgaA"

DATE: 7/30/08
SOURCE: Indy Media UK • SHAC-UK • For The Animals 7

3 COMPANIES DUMP MORE THAN 1.5 MILLION HLS/LSR SHARES IN A MONTH (EDITED FOR LENGTH)
After Raymond James/Eagle Asset Management and H Partners decided that shares in HLS blood money were not for them, Old Mutual, 2 Lambeth Hill, London who had shares in HLS torture through their company Acadian Asset Management also made another quick escape from the campaign against HLS and sold all LSR shares. This shows a strong message that companies still won't deal with HLS once they find out about them!

15. Shooting Mayor's Dogs Is "Justified." Huh?
DATE: 9/5/08
SOURCE: Killing of Mayor's 2 Dogs Justified, Pr. George's Finds

EDITED FOR LENGTH
Prince George's County Sheriff's Office has concluded in an internal review that deputies were justified when they shot and killed two dogs belonging to the mayor of Berwyn Heights during a July drug raid. Sheriff Michael Jackson said one dog was engaging an officer and the other was running toward a second officer at the time the black Labs were shot... A necropsy requested by Mayor Cheve Clavo concluded one dog was shot four times and the other twice, including once in the dog's back legs. Calvo said the necropsy bolstered his contention that neither dog was threatening law enforcement officers during the raid and that one dog was shot from behind as he fled into a back room. A sheriff's department SWAT team and county police narcotics officers burst into the mayor's home July 29 after police intercepted a 32-pound package of marijuana [falsely] addressed to Trinity Tomsic, Calvo's wife...

• 8/9/08: Mayor's Dogs Gunned Down In Police Raid

16. Freedom For Unlawfully Jailed Austrian Activists
DATE: 9/2/08
SOURCE: Austrian Solidarity

EDITED FOR LENGTH
Christof, Elmar, Felix, Jan, Jurgen, Kevin, Leo, Martin and Sabine — the remaining 9 Austrian activists — are finally free! Since the end of May, 9 activists (Christian had been released earlier) have been charged with Forming a Criminal Organization, under 278a StGB of the Austrian penal code. The Appellate court explained...the pre-trial detention cannot be upheld if the expected penalties are in no relation to it... Every letter, petition and demo directly impacted the campaign to demand justice for the TEN...

• 6/11/08: Austria - Animal Activists Unlawfully Jailed

17. 8 Little Lambs Left A Lab - To Live At A Sanctuary
DATE: 8/28/08
SOURCE: Karen Straight, Director of Outreach, The Kindness Ranch
Meet The Miracle Sheep Babies
The Arrival

EDITED FOR LENGTH
Kindness Ranch rescues and rehabilitates former laboratory animals...even though labs rarely relinquish their animals. But one lab did release these 8 beautiful sheep to Kindness Ranch. Here they are in a natural setting — paving the way to haven for more lab survivors in the future.

Late one evening eight little lambs arrived at the ranch. We introduced them to their new home in our barn. The next morning they were ready to come out and explore... They are all growing fast and enjoying their freedom at Kindness Ranch.

A special thank you to the Castelli Family, Lamb Family, and all the other donors for the generous donations to make this project possible. We also greatly appreciate the assistance of Brenda Shoss of Kinship Circle and Jennifer Warner in spreading the word about this project.

READ MORE ABOUT KINDNESS RANCH: WIPE YOUR PAWS

• 8/3/08: From Research To Ranch - Help A Miracle!

18. New Development Proves: IAMS Kills
DATE: 8/28/08
SOURCE: UPDATE - Boycott Iams Pet Food For Its Cruel Treatment of Animals

EDITED FOR LENGTH
WASHINGTON, DC (RUSHPRNEWS) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has released an official complaint stating that the contract laboratory investigated by PETA in 2002 and 2003 — employed by pet-food manufacturer Iams — "has shown a lack of good faith." The government complaint alleges that the violations were documented by government inspectors at the contract laboratory from 2002 to 2005. VIDEO: PETA'S 9-MONTH UNDERCOVER INVESTIGATION

• 4/2/07: TOXIC FOOD - Updates & Action Against Menu Foods
• 1/5/05: IAMS Doublespeak Spells Misery For Cats And Dogs

19. Nepal Bans Monkey Export To Research Labs
DATE: 8/25/08
SOURCE: Nepal Bans Exports Of Monkeys For Vivisection

EDITED FOR LENGTH
The Nepalese government announced a ban on the export of monkeys for vivisection. Whilst we welcome this move we still call for the release of monkeys from farms and a complete end to all bio-medical research using monkeys in Nepal.
• WATCH CAMPAIGN VIDEO OF THE MONKEY FARMS
• THEN TAKE ACTION TO FREE THE MONKEYS HERE

• 6/24/08: Nepal's Monkeys Sold To Animal Experimenters
• 10/14/06: End Breeding/Export Of Nepal's Monkeys For Research

20. Korea to Classify Dogs as Livestock
DATE: 8/14/08
SOURCE: Dog Farms Under Sanitation Rules
It's Their Destiny

EDITED FOR LENGTH
The Ministry of Environment will categorize dogs as livestock to regulate sanitation practices of large-scale dog breeders. Central and local governments have refrained from putting dogs on a par with cattle, chickens and other livestock as an official recognition of dog meat as food. Under current law, it's "illegal" to butcher dogs and trade their meat. However, under the revised law, which will come into effect Sept. 28, large-scale "dog farmers" [who breed dogs for human consumption] must build facilities to handle the disposal of dog excretion and report it to regional authorities... According to the ministry, there are about 720,000 dog farms nationwide, raising some 2.3 million dogs as of December of 2005...

• MAY 2008 DIGEST: Stop Korea From Legalizing Dog Meat
• 11/8/07: No More Dogs For Dinner in Philippines
• 11/2/07: Outlaw Korean Cat/Dog Meat For Good
• 3/16/05: Korea Moves To Legalize Dog Meat

21. NJ: Landmark Legal Victory For Farm Animals
DATE: 7/30/08
SOURCE: Unanimous Decision of New Jersey Supreme Court Results in Precedent-Setting Victory for Farm Animals

EDITED FOR LENGTH
Farm Sanctuary scored a precedent-setting victory in its decade-long battle against the New Jersey Department of Agriculture's (NJDA) inhumane standards of farm animal care. In a legal decision, the New Jersey Supreme Court unanimously declared that factory farming practices cannot be considered "humane" simply because they are "routine husbandry practices." The Court also rejected the practice of tail-docking cattle, the manner in which the NJDA had provided for farm animals to be mutilated without anesthesia, and ordered the agency to readdress many of the state-mandated standards for the treatment of farm animals...

• 7/7/04: Comments - NJ "Humane" Policies For Farmed Animals
• 12/11/03: Last Chance For Humane Bill in New Jersey
• 7/5/03: Cruelty As Usual On NJ Factory Farms
• 5/21/03: NJ Humane Standards Waived For Economic Gain
• 1/18/03: NJ Humane Veal Bill Reaches Assembly Floor
• 7/7/02: New Jersey Humane Veal Bill
• 1/24/01: New Jersey Initiative To Ban Intensive Confinement Systems

22. EU Proposes Total Ban On Some Seal Goods
DATE: 7/24/08
SOURCE: In seal hunt protest, EU weighs ban on some imports

EDITED FOR LENGTH
BRUSSELS — The European Union proposed a total trade and import ban on products from seals killed in a cruel way despite warnings it could hurt the world's largest annual seal hunt in Canada. The plan covers hunts worldwide, but focuses on Canada because of assertions by hunt opponents that it is the cruelest... The EU proposal says trade in seal products would be allowed from countries that can offer guarantees their hunting techniques are "consistent with high animal-welfare standards"... and recommends labels making clear seal products meet strict EU conditions...

• 8/5/08: The Other Canadian Seal Hunt - Grey Seals Of Nova Scotia
• Apr-June 2008 UPDATES: Canada's Seal Hunt Ends With Lower Kill Numbers
• 1/15/08: Canada's Disgrace - Stop The Seal Slaughter

23. Calif. Law Bans Slaughter Of Downers
DATE: 7/23/08
SOURCE: Humane Farming Association

EDITED FOR LENGTH
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed into law the nation's most comprehensive legislation to protect sick and injured farm animals... AB 2098 will prohibit the transport and marketing of downed animals and will allow prosecutors to file criminal charges against any slaughterhouse that butchers downed animals for human consumption. In addition, HFA's legislation will prohibit marketing of other diseased and disabled farm animals, including pigs, sheep, and goats. This bill also for the first time prohibits factory farms and other producers from transporting disabled farm animals to stockyards, auctions, or other marketing facilities...

24. Hits & Misses For Animals

Moni, a 17-year-old orangutan, carries her four-day-old baby at Gembira Loka zoo in Yogyakarta, Indonesia... The number of orangutans in Indonesia and Malaysia had declined sharply due to illegal logging and rapid expansion of palm oil plantations, researchers say.

STUDY: ORANGUTANS COULD FACE EXTINCTION IN WILD
DATE: 7/5/08
SOURCE: Study: Orangutans could face extinction in wild
EDITED FOR LENGTH
ANGKOK, Thailand — Orangutan numbers have declined sharply on the only two islands where they still live in the wild and they could become the first great ape species to go extinct if urgent action isn't taken, a new study says. The declines in Indonesia and Malaysia since 2004 are mostly because of illegal logging and the expansion of palm oil plantations...

GREYHOUNDS RECEIVE PROTECTION OF ANTI-CRUELTY LAW
DATE: 7/2/08
SOURCE: Greyhounds Receive Protection of Anti-Cruelty Law
EDITED FOR LENGTH
Governor John Lynch has signed our bill to restore racing greyhounds to the protection of New Hampshire's anti-cruelty statute. For the first time in 9 years, individuals who abuse greyhounds at commercial racetracks can be prosecuted for animal cruelty. The new law also applies to racing horses...

TAKOMA PARK CITY COUNCIL: FOIE GRAS TOO CRUEL TO SWALLOW
DATE: 7/1/08
SOURCE: TAKOMA PARK, Md., July 1 COK-Md-Foie-Gras
EDITED FOR LENGTH
TAKOMA PARK, MD — Takoma Park City Council unanimously passed a resolution opposing the force-feeding of ducks and geese for foie gras. This resolution, initiated by Mayor Bruce Williams and introduced by Council Member Reuben Snipper, states that the council "opposes the production and sale of foie gras" and further "encourages Takoma Park residents not to buy foie gras in order to avoid supporting this extreme form of animal cruelty."

NC SLAUGHTERHOUSE WORKER CHARGED: 6 COUNTS ANIMAL CRUELTY
DATE: 7/1/08
SOURCE: North Carolina Slaughterhouse Worker Charged With 6 Counts of Animal Cruelty
EDITED FOR LENGTH
A worker allegedly videotaped abusing pigs at a North Carolina slaughterhouse was charged with six counts of animal cruelty. Elio Miguel Marrero is among a number of workers reportedly filmed mistreating pigs at Murphy Family Ventures, which supplies pork to industry giant Smithfield Foods. The Sampson County District attorney's office charged Marrero with six misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty in five separate cases... The alleged abuse came to light after an investigator from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) got a job at the slaughterhouse and secretly videotaped workers beating and dragging swine with a metal prod, castrating the babies without painkillers and gouging out their eyes...

TWO MAKAHS TO SERVE TIME FOR ILLEGALLY KILLING WHALE
DATE: 7/1/08
SOURCE: 2 Makahs to serve time for illegally killing whale
EDITED FOR LENGTH
TACOMA — A federal judge decided to lock up two Makah tribal members for illegally killing a gray whale last fall, while three others received two years' probation. As part of the plea deal reached with federal prosecutors, whalers William Secor, Theron Parker and Frankie Gonzales also will perform community service in Neah Bay ranging from 100 to 150 hours, according to the sentence imposed by United States Magistrate Judge Kelley Arnold...

• 1/16/06: 100+ Orangutans Stolen From The Wild
• 10/10/04: Black Market Orangutans: Prized Babies, Dead Mothers
• 5/14/08: Chicago Overturns Foie Gras Ban
• TOXIC LINK: Animal Factories & Mother Earth
• 9/4/07: Help Philly Go Foie Gras Free
• 8/13/07: Foie Gras For Sale On Amazon.com
• 5/28/08: No More Makah Tribal Whaling

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