Florida retirement for zoo elephants? Or just another breeding facility.

(St. Lucie County) At a press conference this morning at the Houston Zoo, plans will be announced to create The National Elephant Center on 300 acres in St. Lucie County.

The National Elephant Center has the potential to provide a large, natural setting over which elephants could roam, forage and bond with other elephants. The Center could become a sanctuary where zoo elephants would be allowed to spend their remaining years in relative comfort. Unfortunately, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) is instead planning to create a breeding facility to replenish the declining population of captive elephants in zoos in North America.

"Florida would be a great place for America's aging zoo elephants to retire, but encouraging breeding is irresponsible," said ARFF Campaigns Coordinator Nick Atwood. "Zoos breed elephants for one reason: to boost attendance. True conservation of elephants must take place in their native lands."

Zoos across the country are realizing that they cannot provide the necessary environment or proper care for elephants. In recent years, over one dozen U.S. zoos have closed or plan to close their elephant exhibits. Several of these zoos, including the Detroit Zoo, Henry Vilas Zoo (Wisconsin), Mesker Park Zoo (Indiana), Louisiana Purchase Gardens and Zoo, and the Chehaw Wild Animal Park (Georgia) made the compassionate decision to send their elephants to a non-breeding sanctuary.

In many U.S. zoos, elephants suffer due to inadequate space, unnatural conditions, and lack of exercise.

"'Conservation' will be the buzzword at today's press conference," noted Nick Atwood. "It is true that elephants are threatened in Africa and Asia, but captive breeding is not a solution."

The millions of dollars that will be spent to create The National Elephant Center would be better spent supporting research on free-living elephants, or in improving the lives of elephants in America's many substandard zoo exhibits.

Sumter County Shuts Down Exotic Animal Auction

(Bushnell) – The Animal Rights Foundation of Florida (ARFF) is celebrating a decision by the Sumter Fair Association to end the auction of exotic animals at the Sumter County Fairgrounds in Bushnell. In a letter to ARFF dated September 11, Jacky Jackson, President of the Sumter Fair Association wrote that the association “met and reviewed your request to end the auction of exotic animals on the Sumter County Fairgrounds. The Board voted on the issue and the vote was unanimous to end the auction.” Ms. Jackson added, “We have always made it a priority for the public safety of our visitors and the welfare of any animals brought on these grounds.”

The move follows two serious incidents involving the exotic animal auction. In April, a woman was trampled to death by a camel purchased at the auction. In July, a man at the auction was cited by officers with the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission for selling a potentially-dangerous Macaque monkey without proper permits, and for transporting the animal in a cage that did not meet minimum regulations. Fortunately, the monkey was seized and is now at an animal rehabilitation center.

An exotic animal auction is scheduled to take place at the fairgrounds on Saturday, September 15. Animals to be offered for sale include buffalo, zebra, flying squirrels, sloths and many other exotic animals. ARFF believes that this will be the final auction at the Sumter County Fairgrounds.

“At exotic animal auctions, you never know what kind of animal you’ll see. What you can be sure of is that you’ll leave feeling utterly depressed,” said ARFF Managing Director Heather Veleanu. “The sad collections of animals being offered to the highest bidder have likely seen this scene before, and will again. They are zoo cast-offs, personal pets gone awry, or have intentionally been bred for sale. The potential homes for these animals range from backyard menageries, to small indoor cages, to roadside zoos, to canned hunt ranches.”

West Palm Beach Stands Up For Chickens!

(West Palm Beach) – The Animal Rights Foundation of Florida is applauding the City of West Palm Beach for making a strong statement against one of factory farming’s worst forms of intensive confinement. On Monday night, the West Palm Beach City Commission unanimously passed a resolution opposing “battery cage egg production, based on the inherent cruelty of confining egg-laying hens in battery cages.” The resolution also encourages consumers, “not to purchase eggs produced by caged hens.”

West Palm Beach is the third, and the largest, city in Florida to pass a resolution condemning the intensive confinement of chickens in cages. The cities of Winter Springs and New Port Richey have also passed resolutions opposing battery cage confinement.

“At the very least, chickens deserve to be able to spread their wings and walk more than one step forward and one step backward,” said ARFF Managing Director Heather Veleanu. “The movement away from the use of battery cages has improved the lives of millions of animals.”

More than 150 colleges and universities across the country have committed to using only cage-free eggs. Other institutions, such as the natural foods retailer Whole Foods Market, have also pledged not to sell or use eggs from caged birds. Earlier this year, renowned chef Wolfgang Puck announced that his restaurants would exclusively use cage-free eggs. Even the fast food giant Burger King has implemented a purchasing preference for cage-free eggs.

While most eggs in this country come from caged birds, there are a growing number of cage-free egg farmers, including several here in Florida, fulfilling the expanding consumer demand.

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St. Augustine’s Scorching Summer Streets: No Place for Horses
Recent accident highlights inherent danger of horse-drawn carriages

(St. Augustine) – Members of the Animal Rights Foundation of Florida (ARFF) will gather in St. Augustine to speak up for horses trapped in the cruel carriage-horse industry. The protest is timed to mark the first weekend of summer. Florida’s extreme heat and humidity can be treacherous for carriage horses.

“Horses pulling heavy carriages are a sad but unfortunately common sight on St. Augustine’s busy streets,” said Carla Wilson, ARFF Coordinator. “Not only are horses at risk of dehydration and heat stress, but as a recent accident illustrated, horse-drawn carriages present serious threats to the safety of people as well.”

PROTEST DATE: Sunday, June 24
TIME: 12:00 noon
PLACE: Protestors will gather along the water where the horses line up between the fort and the Bridge of Lions.

Mixing horse-drawn vehicles with motor vehicle traffic is inherently dangerous. On June 9, a horse became “spooked” and pulled an occupied carriage several blocks before the passengers could jump out. Two of the five people on the carriage were injured, one seriously enough to be taken to a local hospital. There have been numerous accidents involving horse-drawn carriages in the City of St. Augustine. In November 2000 two tourists and a carriage driver were ejected from a carriage when a van struck the carriage on Avenida Menendez. One of the passengers broke her left collar bone and the other had six stitches in his head. The horse also suffered injuries.

Government Announces End to Breeding of Chimpanzees for Research
Animal rights activists urge Scripps to abandon its use of chimps

Animal welfare advocates celebrated an announcement by the National Institutes of Health that it would no longer financially support the breeding of chimpanzees for research, a decision that in effect ends the breeding of government-owned chimpanzees. Approximately 500 of the 1,200 chimpanzees in research laboratories in the United States are government-owned.

The Animal Rights Foundation of Florida (ARFF) welcomes the announcement as a positive step toward a permanent end to the use of great apes in research in the United States. Unfortunately, although breeding of chimpanzees for research may be at an end, research on chimpanzees already living in laboratories will continue.

ARFF has sent a letter to Richard Lerner, President, The Scripps Research Institute urging the institute to commit not to conduct or participate in research that involves the use of chimpanzees or other great apes.

“The writing is on the wall concerning the use of great apes in research,” said Heather Veleanu, ARFF Managing Director. “Although it may be years before the final chimpanzee leaves government labs, we are asking Scripps today to end its participation in invasive experiments involving chimpanzees or other great apes.”

The Scripps Research Institute, which is constructing a new facility in Florida, continues to use these complex animals in experiments. For example, Dr. Francis Chisari, Head of Scripps’ Division of Experimental Pathology, has been infecting chimpanzees with the hepatitis B and C viruses since the 1970s.

Opposition to the use of great apes in invasive research is widespread, even in the scientific community. The United States is one of the few remaining countries to use chimpanzees in biomedical research. Many countries around the world, including Great Britain, New Zealand, Sweden, and The Netherlands, have prohibited research on great apes (chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas and orangutans).

For more information about animal research at The Scripps Research Institute, visit www.AnimalRightsFlorida.org/Scripps.

Animal Fancier Killed by Camel
Tragedy illustrates need for ban on sale, breeding of exotic "pets"

(Gulf County) – On Sunday, April 22, a camel trampled a woman to death at a property in the City of Wewahitchka. Coincidentally, a cover story in last week's The Star newspaper (Port St. Joe) profiled the victim, Cathie Ake, and her husband Donnie. The camel, named “Polo,” had recently joined other exotic animals at the Ake's property, including Muntjak deer, coatimundi and ring-tailed lemurs.

The Star described the camel’s pitifully small 300 square-foot enclosure, and Donnie Ake's attempts to train the animal: “Training staff in hand, Donnie commanded Polo to sit by quickly tapping its left knee. Polo let out a deep, gurgling noise... and did its master’s bidding.” In a frightening suggestion, the article noted that Cathie had hoped to “offer camel rides to area children.”

Polo was purchased on March 27 at an exotic animal auction at the Sumter County Fairgrounds in Bushnell. On the auctioneer’s website, the camel is offered for sale with the tag line, “Looking for something Different?” Also for sale to the highest bidder last month were kinkajou, zebras, flying squirrels, sloths, anteaters and many other exotic animals native to Africa and South America. The auction, USA/FLA Exotic Animal Auction, is operated by Bill McConnell, a Floral City-based breeder of camels. McConnell is one of hundreds of backyard breeders of exotic animals in Florida.

“The breeding and sale of exotic animals in Florida is out of control,” said Heather Veleanu, ARFF Managing Director. “This was not the first time that exotic pets have killed or injured people in Florida, and there will be more incidents like this unless the State of Florida gets serious about stopping this cruel trade.”

It is remarkably easy to purchase exotic animals in Florida—at animal auctions, pet stores or over the Internet. Buyers are rarely questioned about whether they have the knowledge or resources to properly care for the animal(s). Exotic animals may be cute when purchased, but when they become too large to handle or too expensive to care for they are often abandoned to suffer in small barren enclosures or are discarded at an auction.

Exotic animals are dangerous in captivity and even more so in the event of an escape. In recent years, there have been dozens of incidents in Florida in which captive exotic animals have escaped from their cages or attacked a human being. (A list of recent incidents is available at ARFF's website— www.animalrightsflorida.org/incidentlist.)

The Animal Rights Foundation of Florida is demanding a ban on the sale, and breeding, of exotic animals in Florida, including nonhuman primates, tigers and other big cats, and large potentially dangerous animals such as camels.

The Shrine Circus: Cruelty to Animals with Every Ticket
Activists urge Shriners to replace circus with non-animal fundraiser

(Orlando) – Members of the Animal Rights Foundation of Florida (ARFF) will gather outside UCF Arena to protest the Shrine circus. Again this year, Orlando's Bahia Shriners are sponsoring the Royal Hanneford Circus as their “Shrine Circus.” The Royal Hanneford Circus has a long and sordid record of poor animal care and dangerous animal rampages.

PROTEST DATE: Saturday, April 21
TIMES: 9:30am, 2:00pm, and 6:30pm
PLACE: University of Central Florida arena, Orlando. (Look for ARFF outside the construction area along Gemini Blvd.)

USDA inspectors have repeatedly cited the Royal Hanneford Circus for poor veterinary care. In particular, the circus has been cited at least seven times over the past 10 years for failing to provide adequate foot care for two elephants, “Tina” and “Ina.” Most recently, during a March 2005 inspection, the USDA wrote, “Most of Tina and Ina’s nails are overgrown and there is excessive tissue over their cuticles. One of Tina’s nails has a crack from the outside of her nail to the cuticle.” Nail infections and other foot problems are painful and potentially life-threatening conditions common in captive elephants. Ina died in December 2006; Tina is still with the circus.

Public Danger. In February 1999, an elephant with the Royal Hanneford Circus left the ring and ran into the audience during a performance in Poughkeepsie, New York. Several spectators were injured as they tried to get away from the elephant.

Don't the Shriners help children? The Shriners Hospitals for Children do good work, providing free medical care to needy patients across the country. But less than 2 percent of the hospitals’ budgets comes from money raised by Shrine temples. Much of the money raised by temples through circuses is used not to help children but to pay for trips, parties and alcohol.

Circus-Goers Choose Animal-Free
Ringling Bros.’ Miami Show Cancelled Due to Poor Ticket Sales

(Miami) – A committed group of animal advocates from the Animal Rights Foundation of Florida (ARFF) spent the past 10 days, before and after every one of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus' Miami shows, talking with circus-goers outside the American Airlines Arena. With video evidence of the violent training sessions elephants endure as part of regular training, clips of Ringling trainers aggressively hitting elephants with sharp bullhooks, and footage of the sad lives circus animals lead in cages or chains, it wasn’t hard to convince Miamians to think twice before supporting animal circuses.

Trouble at UF Dairy Research Unit
Whistleblower, Investigation Reveals Animal Neglect, Unsafe Conditions

“Although these allegations are shocking, the conditions may not be uncommon in Florida dairy farms,” said Heather Veleanu, ARFF Managing Director. “What is disappointing is that this farm—operated by the University of Florida as a teaching facility—should be far above industry standards, not substandard.”

A Life in Chains – Animal Abuse in the Circus
Activists Plea for Retirement of Circus’ Aging Elephants

(Boca Raton) – Members of the Animal Rights Foundation of Florida (ARFF) will gather at the entrance to the Royal Palm Polo Club to protest the return of exotic animals to the Cole Bros. Circus. ARFF will be at the circus entrance showing graphic video footage of the violent training circus elephants endure.

In 2004, after years of protests, the Cole Bros. Circus announced that elephants would no longer be a part of the traveling show. Unfortunately, this proved to be only a temporary change. The circus arrived in Boca Raton this week with its two female Asian elephants, "Tina" and "Jewel," ages 40 and 42. During its 2006 season, the circus will have over 500 performances and sometimes travels hundreds of miles between cities. While traveling, Tina and Jewel are kept chained in a cramped semi-trailer.

PROTEST DATE: Friday, November 3.
TIME: 6:30pm.
PLACE: Royal Palm Polo Sports Club, 18000 Jog Road, Boca Raton.

The Cole Bros. Circus has repeatedly refused to retire aging elephants, even when it is obvious that they are suffering from painful arthritis or other captivity-induced health problems (conditions linked to prolonged chaining and lack of proper exercise). In the past 10 years, at least five aging elephants with the Cole Bros. Circus have died.

Violent, physical abuse remains a common method of training and controlling elephants and other animals in the circus. In 2003, the U.S. Department of Agriculture cited Cole Bros. after a handler struck an elephant twice with a broom handle. In 2000, USDA inspectors noted that two Cole Bros. elephants had bullhook scars. In 1999, the USDA charged Cole Bros. with violating the Animal Welfare Act; USDA undersecretary Michael Dunn stated, "We believe that on numerous occasions, employees of the Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros. Circus abusively used an elephant hook on several animals" (the circus settled the charges by agreeing to spend $10,000 to improve elephant care).

“Tina and Jewel deserve retirement at a sanctuary where they will find freedom from constant travel and physical abuse,” said Heather Veleanu, ARFF Managing Director.

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