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For Immediate Release: August 6, 2009 Animal Activists Send Flowers to Bolivia (Miami) – This morning, the Animal Rights Foundation of Florida (ARFF) delivered a bouquet of flowers to the Consulate General of Bolivia, in Miami Springs, to congratulate the country on its enactment of a groundbreaking law banning animal circuses. The law was proposed after an undercover investigation by an animal welfare organization that found widespread abuse in circuses operating in Bolivia. Bolivia now leads the Americas with progressive legislation to protect animals in circuses. A handful of other countries, such as Austria and Finland, and progressive municipalities, such as the City of Hollywood, Florida, have banned the use of wild animals in circuses, but the Bolivian ban is the world’s first national law to ban the use of both domestic and wild animals in circuses. The law was signed by Bolivia’s President Evo Morales and took effect on July 1. Flowers delivered to: “The investigation that led to Bolivia’s historic law documented lions and bears confined in tiny cages, and animals made to jump through rings of fire and ride bicycles,” said ARFF Spokesperson Amanda Burk. “Sadly the situation is not much different for animals in traveling circuses that visit Florida, such as Circus Vazquez.” Circus Vazquez, also known as Circo Hermanos Vázquez, is a traveling animal circus founded in Mexico City and now based out of Texas. The circus has a history of animal cruelty and human safety violations. On Sunday, August 9th, ARFF will hold demonstrations outside of Circus Vazquez’s big top in Bicentennial Park in Miami. # # # |
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For Immediate Release: July 15, 2009 Miss Florida USA Gets Bloody (Davie) – Famed media personality and long-time animal rights advocate, Bob Barker, recently sent a letter to Grant and Mary Lou Gravitt, pageant producers at Tel-Air Interests, Inc. – the parent company behind Miss Florida USA and Miss Florida Teen USA, requesting removal of the Fur Information Council of America (FICA) from the pageant's sponsor lists. The Animal Rights Foundation of Florida (ARFF) plans to aid Barkers efforts with a protest outside of pageant finals this Saturday. Activists will don “bloodied” fur garments to illustrate what it really means to wear fur. Time and Date: Saturday, July 18, 2009 at 6:30pm In 1987, Bob Barker stepped down as host of the national Miss USA Pageant after his requests to discontinue the use of fur were ignored. In his letter, Barker cited that standard practices on fur farms are gruesome, and clearly favor profit over animal welfare. He went on to state, “What a terrible shame it is that Miss USA and all affiliated pageants have not recognized fur coats for what they are – the skins of ruthlessly tortured animals.” ARFF protests the pageant's use of fur coats and other items as "prizes." A team of ARFF activists will be on site, distributing educational leaflets and brandishing heart-wrenching posters of skinned animals. ARFF will have an informational tent on campus, featuring undercover video footage of fur farms. Incoming audience members and contestants will have the opportunity to get more facts on the industry and speak with an ARFF representative one-on-one. The fur industry tortures millions of animals each year, with no federal law to regulate how they are treated or killed. Historically, the industry has refused to condemn even the most blatantly cruel techniques. Undercover investigations have found that genital electrocution, deemed “unacceptable” by the American Veterinary Medical Association, is commonly used on fur farms. During this procedure an electrically charged steel rod is inserted into the animal’s rectum, and the animal suffers from cardiac arrest while he or she is still conscious. “As long as Miss Florida USA and Miss Florida Teen USA continue to cohort with FICA, they are directly supporting the inhumane practices of the fur industry,” stated ARFF’s Communication Director, Don Anthony. “With many wonderful, modern and cruelty-free prize options available, there is no place for the skins of dead, tortured animals during any Miss Florida USA pageant.” # # # |
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For Immediate Release: June 19, 2009 Broward School Board Hears Circus Policy Proposal (Fort Lauderdale) – The Animal Rights Foundation of Florida (ARFF) spoke before the Broward County School Board this week, calling for the establishment of a district-wide policy prohibiting affiliations with animal circuses at all Broward schools. The room fell silent as ARFF Project Coordinator, Amanda Burk, showed a clip from the documentary video Training and Tragedy which showed undercover footage of a circus trainer violently abusing elephants. "Often schools that do not sanction animal circus field trips still distribute tickets to be used outside of school hours,” says Burk, “No parent expects that events promoted through their school’s distribution of materials would be affiliated with animal cruelty and human safety violations, but that is precisely the message such continued affiliation sends.” ARFF provided informational packets including a twelve-page partial list of one circus’ history of federal animal cruelty violations. ARFF officials await a response that reflects positively upon Broward schools. # # # |
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For Immediate Release: April 16, 2009 Elephants at the opera?! (Pensacola) – The Animal Rights Foundation of Florida (ARFF) has sent a letter to the Pensacola Opera protesting the planned appearance of an elephant during the May 1 and 3 performances of Giusseppe Verdi's Aïda. The elephant(s) who will appear at Pensacola's historic Saenger Theatre are owned by Texas-based animal trainer Doug Terranova. Terranova is well-known for renting out his elephants, tigers and other exotic animals for Hollywood films and traveling circuses. One of Terranova's elephants, "Kamba," a 29-year-old female African elephant, appeared in Opera Birmingham's performance of Aïda in 2005. "These wild animals belong in Africa, not at the Saenger Theatre, a few feet from the orchestra and hundreds of opera patrons," said Nick Atwood, Campaigns Coordinator for the Animal Rights Foundation of Florida. "We appeal to the Pensacola Opera not to ruin the show by bringing an elephant on stage. Leave the drama to the singers and musicians." Doug Terranova's two elephants are regular performers in circuses, where they are deprived of everything that is natural and important to them and are forced to perform under stressful conditions. Their appearance in Pensacola will be just another paycheck for Terranova, but for the elephant(s) it will be the continuation of a miserable life of deprivation and confinement. Although this would not be the first time that elephants have appeared in a performance of Aïda, Terranova's elephants have a history of being spooked by loud noises. In June 2008, tornado sirens spooked Kamba and another elephant who were preparing to perform with the Culpepper & Merriweather Circus in WaKeeney, Kansas. The animals bolted from their tethers and ran through town, causing property damage and frightening residents. The elephants were on the loose for approximately three hours before they were recaptured and loaded onto trucks # # # |
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For Immediate Release: March 19, 2009 King the gorilla marks two decades of solitary confinement (Miami) – This week marks the 20th year that King, a 39-year-old western lowland gorilla on display at Miami's Monkey Jungle, will spend without a companion. Of the approximately 350 gorillas in zoos in the United States, King is the only one who lives alone and who has no prospect of ever having a companion*. On March 19, 1989 a female gorilla named “Mitzie” died at Monkey Jungle. Since that day, King has remained alone—despite the efforts of animal advocates. “On this sad anniversary, we are once again asking Monkey Jungle to transfer King to a respected zoo where he could live out the remainder of his life with companionship and dignity,” said Nick Atwood, Campaigns Coordinator for the Animal Rights Foundation of Florida. In 1997, a campaign was launched to persuade Monkey Jungle to send King to Zoo Atlanta, where he could be with other gorillas. Zoo Atlanta has had success in rehabilitating previously solitary gorillas and transitioning them into a gorilla family. But despite Zoo Atlanta’s invitation and pleas from noted primatologist Jane Goodall, TV personality Bob Barker, and thousands of Florida residents, Monkey Jungle has so far refused. Instead, after languishing for years in a concrete-and-bars cage, Monkey Jungle built a naturalistic enclosure in 2000 where King is at least able to feel the sun and breathe fresh air. Although the larger enclosure was an improvement, it is unclear how much time King actually spends in the enclosure, and Monkey Jungle continues to ignore the issue that King is alone. Gorillas and other apes are intelligent animals with complex social and emotional lives. Gorillas are best-off when they are in social situations. King needs companions and this continued solitary confinement is cruel and psychologically damaging. During King’s daily shows at Monkey Jungle, he performs degrading tricks such as the Hokey-Pokey for the amusement of tourists. *Monkey Jungle lost its American Zoo and Aquarium Association-accreditation years ago and therefore does not qualify to receive another gorilla. # # # |
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For immediate release: December 9, 2008 In the game, a hen in a 3-foot-square box “plays” tic-tac-toe against casino patrons by pecking and scratching at a screen. In a windowless compartment at the back of the machine, several chickens—stacked on top of each other in cat carriers—wait to replace the performing chicken. Games continue for eight hours each day. A casino is clearly an unnatural, and undoubtedly stressful, environment for chickens. Chickens are intelligent, sensitive animals who should not be providing entertainment in a busy casino. “Regardless of the outcome of each game, the hen in the tic-tac-toe machine loses,” said Nick Atwood, ARFF Campaigns Coordinator. “Mardis Gras is encouraging indifference to the welfare of animals. We hope that the casino will make the responsible and compassionate decision to halt this ridiculous and cruel gimmick.” # # # |
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“Pregnant Pigs”
Amendment Takes Effect
The initiative effectively outlaws the use of “gestation crates,” which are barren, two-foot-wide metal enclosures in which female pigs used for breeding spend most of their lives unable to walk, turn around or even lie down comfortably. The Animal Rights Foundation of Florida (ARFF) was a founding member of Floridians for Humane Farms, a coalition of animal-protection groups, conservation organizations and concerned citizens that sponsored the initiative. Hundreds of volunteers gathered over 600,000 signatures from registered voters to qualify for the ballot. “The passage of the ‘pregnant pigs’ amendment in Florida was the first time that any state had halted a cruel form of intensive confinement of animals in factory farms,” said Nick Atwood, ARFF Campaigns Coordinator. “It was an historic step in efforts to combat cruelty to animals.” “Voters in Florida demonstrated they care about the protection of farm animals,” added Nick Atwood. “The vote also sent a powerful message to the pork industry, and motivated animal welfare advocates across the country.” Since 2002, three states—Arizona, Oregon and Colorado—have followed Florida in banning gestation crates. On the ballot this November in California, the nation’s leading agriculture state, “Prop 2” would require that breeding pigs, as well as calves raised for veal and egg-laying hens, be given enough space to turn around, lie down, and stretch their limbs. # # # |
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For Immediate Release: October 2, 2008 Zoos rub elbows with the
circus at conference (Orlando) – Animal advocates have been increasingly vocal in recent years about the welfare of elephants in America's zoos. In particular, the inadequate space and artificial conditions of many elephant exhibits have come under criticism. In response, zoos have insisted that they take their responsibility seriously and are doing their best to care for these animals. Many elephant handlers and veterinarians at zoos across America are members of the Elephant Managers Association (EMA). The EMA's Board of Directors includes representatives from some of America's largest zoos, including the Houston Zoo, Columbus Zoo, Memphis Zoo and Disney's Animal Kingdom (Animal Kingdom's Stephen Eisele is President of the EMA). The Elephant Managers Association's Code of Ethics promises, "the highest level of ethical standards, respect and care" of elephants. So animal advocates were shocked when the EMA announced that their annual conference, beginning October 3rd at the Radisson Worldgate Resort in Orlando, will be hosted by the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. "Ringling Bros. stuffs elephants into train cares for grueling cross-country tours," said Nick Atwood, Campaigns Coordinator for the Animal Rights Foundation of Florida. "At least 25 Ringling Bros. elephants have died since 1992, including a baby elephant who was killed after he fractured both hind legs in a fall from a circus pedestal. Zoos can learn important lessons from circuses—how not to treat these magnificent animals." This is the first time that the Elephant Managers Association conference will be hosted by a circus. All previous conferences, going back to 1980, were held at American zoos. The Animal Rights Foundation of Florida is calling on the Elephant Managers Association to make a clear statement that, despite Ringling Bros. hosting its annual conference, the association does not condone the suffering and exploitation of animals in traveling circuses. #
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For Immediate Release: May 21, 2008 “Death” Makes an Appearance at Dog Track Grand Opening (Daytona Beach) – Members of the Animal Rights Foundation of Florida (ARFF) will gather outside the entrance to the new Daytona Beach Kennel Club to shed light on a cruel industry: greyhound racing. The protest will feature an activist dressed as “Death,” to remind bettors of the thousands of racing greyhounds killed each year in the United States. The abuse and neglect of racing greyhounds is common at kennels and tracks in Florida. There have been numerous reports of dogs subjected to cruel treatment, suffering injuries while racing, and of ex-racing dogs being abandoned. For example, in August 2007 three greyhounds died of heat exhaustion at the Daytona Beach Kennel Club. The dog’s trainer had his license suspended after three other dogs under his care tested positive for traces of cocaine (the drug is believed to enhance performance). “Poker games are the focus of the Kennel Club’s new facility,” said Carla Wilson, ARFF Coordinator. “It is undeniable that Floridians have lost interest in dog racing. We’re looking forward to the day when the last greyhound races in Daytona Beach.” DATE: Friday, May 23 When greyhounds do not run profitably, due to injury or age, they are of little use to the racing industry. Thousands of greyhounds are killed each year in the United States. The “fortunate” ones are killed humanely. It is common for losing dogs to be shot or abandoned. To ensure a constant supply of new racers, more than 25,000 dogs are bred each year in the United States. Some unwanted greyhounds are rescued by adoption organizations, but there are simply not enough homes for them all. At least 5,000 former racing greyhounds are killed each year. Even for winning dogs, the realities of kennel life are shameful. Racing greyhounds spend most of their lives— 18 to 20 hours a day— confined in cramped crates with little human contact # # # |
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For Immediate Release: February 7, 2008 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. #
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