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For
Immediate Release: July 11, 2006
Madonna:
Leave Hubby at Home
Activists hope pig-hunting Guy Ritchie will not join mega
star in Miami
(Miami)
– The Animal Rights Foundation of Florida (ARFF) has asked
Madonna not to bring her husband— filmmaker Guy Ritchie—
to south Florida when her “Confessions” tour arrives
in Miami for two sold-out shows (July 22-23) at the American Airlines
Arena.
During
a previous tour in Florida, Guy Ritchie spent a day killing wild
pigs near the town of Okeechobee.
“With
all that south Florida has to offer, Guy Ritchie chose to kill
animals,” said ARFF Managing Director Heather Veleanu. “Fortunately,
Madonna recently had a change of heart concerning hunting. We’re
hopeful that this compassion will rub-off on her husband.”
(In
2005, Madonna told a British magazine that she had given-up bird
shooting after witnessing the dying breaths of a bird that she
had shot at her estate in England.)
ARFF
is opposed to all bloodsports—recreational killing and maiming
of animals—but the hunting of wild pigs is particularly
barbaric. It is common for hunters to use dogs to find, chase
and viciously attack pigs. Dog packs will chase a wild pig until
he or she is exhausted. Hunters follow on foot or in swamp buggies.
Before the dogs are restrained, the pig can suffer horrible injuries.
Dogs can also be badly injured. Hunters often crudely kill pigs
with knives.
The
State of Florida has one of the strongest laws against animal
fighting in the nation. It is a felony to stage fights between
dogs, or other animals. In addition, Florida’s Attorney
General has stated that hog-dog rodeos, a bloody event in which
dogs are set upon wild pigs confined in a pen, violate Florida’s
animal fighting law. Sadly, the law specifically exempts the use
of dogs to hunt wild pigs. ARFF is working to remove this exemption.
For
more information about the hunting of wild pigs in Florida, visit
www.AnimalRightsFlorida.org/Pigs.
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For
Immediate Release: June 27, 2006
ARFF OFFERS $1000 TO NAB ORANGE COUNTY ANIMAL ABUSER
Group Joins Effort to Bring Animal Abuser to Justice
(Orange
County) – The Animal Rights Foundation of Florida (ARFF)
is offering a $1000 reward for information leading to the arrest
and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the mutilation
and death of a duck.
On
Sunday morning, the duck was found bloody, beaten and with her
bill cut off by a woman at Barber Park in Orlando. The woman regularly
feeds the ducks at the park and had fed this particular individual
for the last three years. The woman was deeply distraught over
her discovery and has asked local police to investigate. ARFF
is offering $1000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction
of the person or persons responsible for this violent crime.
ARFF
believes that other animals in the area may be in danger as long
as the person or persons who committed this crime are at large
and is urging residents not to leave animals outside unattended.
“We hope members of the community will realize the seriousness
of these heinous acts and come forward with any information regarding
this crime,” says ARFF Managing Director Heather Veleanu.
“According to leading mental health professionals and law-enforcement
agencies, perpetrators of violent acts against animals are often
repeat offenders who pose a serious threat not only to other animals,
but to the community as a whole.”
Anyone
with information about this case is encouraged to contact the
Orlando Police Department at (407) 246-2425.
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For
Immediate Release: June 6, 2006
SATAN
LOVES KFC
6/6/06 – Protestors Claim KFC is Hell on Earth for Chickens
(Fort Lauderdale) – A life-size Colonel Sanders dressed
as Satan will be used by members of the Animal Rights Foundation
of Florida (ARFF) on 6/6/06 to show people how hellish life is
for chickens who are killed for KFC. ARFF members will wear evil
Colonel Sanders masks and wave signs that read, “Colonel
Sanders is Satan to Chickens” and “KFC is Hell for
Chickens.” Other ARFF members will distribute leaflets to
passersby, and one activist will wear a body screen TV showing
shocking video footage of factory-farming abuse.
DATE: Tuesday, 6/6/06
TIME: 7:00 PM
PLACE: KFC, 3061 W. Sunrise Blvd.
KFC is the number one chicken killer in the world. Each year more
than 850 million chickens are tortured and killed for the restaurant
chain. They are crammed by the tens of thousands into sheds that
stink of ammonia fumes from accumulated waste and given barely
enough room to move (each bird lives in a space about the size
of a sheet of paper). KFC drugs and breeds chickens to grow so
large that many become crippled from the weight of their massive
upper bodies. They often have their throats slit while they are
still conscious, and many are burned alive in hellish defeathering
tanks.
An undercover investigation at a KFC “Supplier of the Year”
slaughterhouse in Moorefield, W.VA., revealed that workers were
stomping on live birds, tearing their heads off, spitting tobacco
in their eyes, and spray painting their faces.
ARFF’s
wicked demonstration is part of a national campaign to convince
KFC to make basic improvements to the lives of chickens raised
for its restaurants. The welfare improvements include: replacing
ineffective electric shocks and throat slicing with more humane
methods of killing, improvements in living space for chickens,
and a prohibition of the intentional starvation of breeding birds
("forced molting").
Until
then ARFF wants the public to know that, “The Colonel’s
secret recipe is live scaldings, painful debeakings, and crippled
chickens,” says Holly Bowman, ARFF Campaign Coordinator.
“We are urging people to shun Satan on 6/6/06 by not eating
at KFC.”
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For
Immediate Release: May 5, 2006
WILL
DEVELOPER GET AWAY WITH ABUSING WILDLIFE?
Animal Rights Group Urges Prosecution of Ron Bergeron
(Hendry
County) – South Florida developer Ronald Bergeron has been
boasting about an incident involving an alligator that occurred
this past weekend at his property in Hendry County. (Mr. Bergeron
even provided a local newspaper with photos taken during the incident.)
In a misguided attempt to impress friends, Mr. Bergeron jumped
onto an alligator and, in his words, began to “wrestle.”
Alligator
wrestling is a common but cruel sideshow attraction in which a
wrestler jumps onto an alligator's back, forces the mouth closed,
and attempts to flip the animal. Of course, alligators are never
willing participants in this spectacle.
Mr.
Bergeron told local media that he punched the alligator after
being bit.
“We
have no objection to Mr. Bergeron playing ‘cowboy,’”
said ARFF spokesperson Heather Veleanu, “But physically
attacking Florida wildlife is cruel, and we believe that it is
also a crime.”
The
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has made it
clear that molesting or harassing wildlife is a crime. The American
alligator is designated a "Species of Special Concern"
in Florida and is provided with additional protections under the
law.
Florida
statute 372.663 makes it unlawful to “possess, or capture,
or attempt to kill, injure, possess, or capture, an alligator.”
Also, under Florida’s cruelty to animals statute (828.12),
it is a crime to “torment” an animal.
“There
are very good reasons why it is against the law to harass wildlife,”
continued ARFF spokesperson Heather Veleanu, “By pressing
charges against Mr. Bergeron, the fish and wildlife commission
would discourage others from attempting similar stunts.”
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For
Immediate Release: March 29, 2006
ARFF FIRES OFF LETTER TO ORLANDO CITY COMMISSION
Regulatory Legislation Is Necessary to Safeguard Horses’
Welfare
(Orlando)
– Today, the Animal Rights Foundation of Florida (ARFF)
sent an urgent letter to Mayor Dyer and Commissioners, urging
them to immediately adopt minimum requirements protecting carriage
horses and the public if they are unwilling to support a ban.
During a recent commission meeting, concern for the safety and
welfare of the horses was expressed by both the residents of Orlando
and by members of the commission.
In
Florida’s blistering heat and humidity, horses suffering
from dehydration or heat stress can die in just a few hours. Periods
of intense exercise followed by periods when the horse is simply
standing around, plus a limit on the horse’s access to water,
greatly increases the risks of heat stroke and colic (a major
cause of death in adult horses). In order to prevent these tragedies,
ARFF is urging the commission to take the following necessary
steps:
1.
Prevent horses from working before 5 pm in the summer.
2. Horses shall not work more than 3 hrs in a row, and no more
than 6 hrs in a 24 hour period and should be rested a minimum
of 15 minutes in the shade after every ride.
3. Ensure that horses are provided with an adequate amount of
clean, fresh, cool water.
“Many
progressive cities throughout Florida, such as Palm Beach, Deerfield
Beach, Pompano Beach, Key West, Treasure Island and Panama City
Beach, have all acted to ensure the welfare of horses by prohibiting
animal-drawn vehicles,” says Holly Bowman, ARFF Campaign
Coordinator. “Orlando’s failure to adopt minimal requirements
designed to protect horses in Florida’s extreme heat and
humidity would be particularly unconscionable.”
Letter
Available Upon Request
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For
Immediate Release: March 26, 2006
ANTI-MARINE
PARK BILLBOARD UNVEILED WITH PROTEST AT DISCOVERY COVE
ARFF Urges People Not to Support the Captivity of Marine
Mammals
(Florida) – As part
of an ongoing effort to urge people not to patronize Orlando
marine parks, the Animal Rights Foundation of Florida (ARFF)
will protest marine mammal captivity at Sea World’s
Discovery Cove on Sunday, March 26th at 11:30 am. The protest
will also be used to unveil ARFF’s newly erected anti-marine
park billboard on the Florida Turnpike between mile markers
289 and 288, heading south into Orlando. The billboard depicts
a dolphin in a small concrete tank and reads:
Missing her
family, the ocean, and her freedom.
A POOL IS NOT A HOME
Please do not support marine mammal captivity
Captivity is a death sentence
for orcas and dolphins
In their natural habitat, dolphins can live to be 50 years
old and orcas can sometimes live for more than 90 years. In
sharp contrast, more than half of all dolphins at Sea World
and other marine parks die within the first two years of captivity;
the remaining dolphins live an average of only five years.
Orcas rarely survive more than 10 years in captivity. Toni
Frohoff, a marine mammal behavioral biologist suspects stress
is behind some illnesses and deaths at marine attractions.
“It has been documented that dolphins in captivity can
exhibit self-inflicted trauma, behaviors that are analogous
to pacing, and excessive aggressiveness towards people,”
she said. Other common causes of death include, capture shock,
pneumonia, chlorine poisoning, starvation, drowning, and heat.
Swimming with Dolphins
is Dangerous
Besides the cruelty involved with keeping marine mammals
in captivity, swim-with-dolphin programs can also be dangerous
to the public. Because they are ill-suited for captivity,
dolphins can become agitated and aggressive from forced interaction
with humans. Swimmers have been known to incur bites, bruises,
scratches, abrasions and broken bones.
Boycott Marine Marks, Aquariums,
& Zoos
“As drivers on the Florida turnpike get a glimpse of
ARFF’s billboard they won’t be able to help but
reflect on the impoverished lives of captive marine mammals,”
said Holly Bowman, ARFF Captive Exotic Animal Specialist.
“It is our goal to inform the residents and tourists
of Orlando that by patronizing marine parks like Sea World
and Discovery Cove they are putting themselves in harm’s
way and helping to promote the suffering of marine mammals.”
A
photo of the billboard can be viewed at www.animalrightsflorida.org/Aquariums.
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For
Immediate Release: March 16, 2006
ORLANDO COMMISSION TO VOTE ON CONTROVERSIAL HORSE-DRAWN
CARRIAGES
Residents and Animal Group Finally Get Opportunity to Address
the City
(Orlando) – Members of the
Animal Rights Foundation of Florida (ARFF) and dozens of concerned
residents of Orlando will attend the city commission meeting Monday
at 2:00 PM in a continued effort to ban horse-drawn carriages
in Orlando. In November, the City of Orlando quietly and unlawfully
passed an emergency ordinance to increase the number of horse-drawn
carriage operators in the city’s busy downtown area. The
ordinance was passed in such a manner so as to avoid public input.
However, a lawsuit filed by ARFF resulted in a court order requiring
the city council to hear testimony by citizens concerned about
the inherent dangers and cruelty associated with horse-drawn carriages.
Safety
Concerns
Vehicles frequently strike horse drawn carriages, resulting in
severe injuries or death to passengers, drivers, passers by and
horses. While pulling carriages, horses easily become startled
by sudden noises such as sirens, horns, motorcycles, and thunder,
and often race into traffic or onto sidewalks. Just last month,
a horse pulling a carriage bolted through blocks of traffic in
New York City and crashed into a car, injuring the carriage driver
and two people in the car. In Florida, St. Augustine has had 16
published horse-drawn carriage accidents since 1996 alone. Several
involved serious injuries, hospitalizations, and thousands of
dollars in property damage.
Animal Suffering
Horses used in the carriage industry endure lameness, hoof deterioration,
skin sores, bone bruising, and neck, shoulder, and back problems.
Subjecting horses to Florida’s blistering heat and humidity,
heavy traffic, vehicle fumes, and constant pounding on hard pavement
are the inevitably cruel aspects of allowing carriage rides in
Orlando.
Florida Cities Ban Horse drawn Carriage Rides
Progressive cities throughout Florida, such as Palm Beach, Deerfield
Beach, Pompano Beach, Key West, Treasure Island and Panama City
Beach, have all acted to prohibit horse drawn carriages.
“Because
of the clear threats to the public’s safety and the overwhelming
evidence of the misery endured by the horses, we are hopeful that
the commission will make the responsible decision to keep both
the public and the animals out of harm’s way and vote against
the carriages,” says Holly Bowman, ARFF Campaign Coordinator.
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For
Immediate Release: March 7, 2006
HORSES GET DAY IN COURT
Orlando Defends Improper Passage of Ordinance
(Orlando) - The Animal Rights Foundation of Florida (ARFF) will
have its day in court today in its case against the City of Orlando.
A lawsuit was filed in January after the city improperly passed
an emergency ordinance increasing horse-drawn carriages in the
downtown area and jeopardizing the safety of people and horses.
WHAT:
ARFF v. CITY OF ORLANDO Hearing on Motion for Temporary Injunction
WHERE: Orange County Courthouse, Orlando Hearing Room 800-02
WHEN: 3pm
Today
Circuit Court Judge Cohen will decide whether city officials abused
emergency ordinance powers which are reserved for issues “necessary
for the immediate preservation of the public health, safety, and
welfare” of its residents. By bypassing state and city notice
and hearing requirements, city officials frustrated the right
of Orlando residents to be heard on compelling issues surrounding
controversial horse-drawn carriage rides, and thwarting the democratic
process.
Safety
Concerns
While pulling carriages, horses easily become startled by sudden
noises like sirens, horns, motorcycles, and thunder, and often
race into traffic or onto sidewalks. Just last week, a horse pulling
a carriage bolted through blocks of traffic in New York City and
crashed into a car, injuring the carriage driver and two people
in the car. In Florida, St. Augustine has had 16 published horse-drawn
carriage accidents since 1996 alone. Several involved serious
injuries, hospitalizations, and thousands of dollars in property
damage.
Animal
Suffering
As Holly Cheever D. V. M., a respected equine vet who has treated
carriage horses in New York, points out, “Lameness and hoof
deterioration are inevitable when a horse spends his or her life
walking or jogging on the unnaturally concussive asphalt of city
streets.” Ill fitting harnesses cause skin sores, bone bruising,
neck, shoulder, and back problems.
ARFF
is joined by Plaintiff, Heather Carpenter, an animal rights activist
and member of the group. Ms. Carpenter is one of many individuals
who would have addressed the city council regarding, among other
concerns, the long list of accidents involving horse-drawn carriages.
Ms. Carpenter contends she would have pointed out that, “recognizing
that horse drawn carriages pose serious threats to the publics’
safety, numerous Florida cities have passed ordinances prohibiting
these antiquated and unsafe contraptions, including Palm Beach,
Deerfield Beach, Pompano Beach, Key West, Treasure Island, and
Panama City Beach.”
According to ARFF’s managing director, Heather Veleanu,
“The emergency ordinance was passed for the sole purpose
of rushing horse-drawn carriages onto the city’s streets
during the holiday season despite clear threats to public safety
and evidence of the misery endured by the horses. To add insult
to injury, the ordinance was passed in such a manner so as to
intentionally circumvent public comment.”
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For
Immediate Release: March 4, 2006
ARFF
CRASHES MIAMI METROZOO’S “BALL OF THE WILD”
Group Calls for Lifetime Care Policy
(Miami)
– Waving a blown-up photo of Edith, and signs that read,
“Adopt Lifetime Care Policies,” members of the Animal
Rights Foundation of Florida (ARFF) will protest at Miami Metrozoo’s
“Ball of the Wild” -- a major fundraiser for the zoo.
The protest is part of an ongoing campaign
urging Metrozoo not to dump older and unwanted animals, and encouraging
a policy that ensures LIFETIME care for all animals they acquire.
WHAT:
Demonstration for lifetime care for animals
WHEN: Saturday, March 4th at 6:30 PM
WHERE: Miami Metrozoo, 12400 SW 152nd Street, Miami.
Last
year, Miami Metrozoo’s policies for the care of animals
came into question when their former chimpanzee star was found
languishing in an underground cement pit in Texas. Further investigation
revealed that Edith, a great ape listed as an endangered species
was housed at the Miami Metrozoo from 1982 to 1987, but through
a series of transactions ended up in the deplorable roadside zoo
in Texas.
Edith’s
plight points to a far too common practice by the nation’s
most highly regarded zoos: disposing of older or unwanted animals
to make room for cuter, more profitable babies. In fact, zoos
have even developed a system to move unwanted animals like Edith
out the back door and sell them, resell them, and sell them again;
so that ultimately they disappear from all records and everyone
along the line has deniability if it becomes known that an animal
has ended up in a bad place.
Since
Edith’s discovery, ARFF representatives and members of the
concerned public have pleaded with Metrozoo to take responsibility
for their role in Edith’s miserable situation by adopting
policies which would ensure that animals in their care don’t
end up in the hands of third party dealers, animal auctions, canned
hunt facilities, invasive biomedical research, deplorable roadside
zoos, the pet trade, or other equally horrific fates. Regretfully,
Metrozoo has refused to change their policies and continue to
do business with disreputable zoos and dealers.
“Metrozoo’s
failure to ensure that no other animals suffer Edith’s fate
is unconscionable,” says Holly Bowman, ARFF Captive Exotic
Animal Specialist. “We hope to encourage people attending
the party to add their voices to the thousands of others already
calling on Metrozoo to adopt a lifetime care policy.”
ARFF's
Lifetime Care Policy is Available upon Request.
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For Immediate Release: March
1, 2006
CAPTIVE
PIGS ATTACKED AT FLORIDA HIGH SCHOOL
Animal Rights Group Offers $1000 Reward Leading to Arrest
of Perpetrators
(Dunnellon)
– In two separate incidents in recent weeks, pigs were attacked
at Dunnellon High School. The pigs were among a group of 28 being
raised by students in the school's Future Farmer's of America
program. The Animal Rights Foundation of Florida (ARFF) has pledged
a $1000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction
of those responsible for the attacks.
Sadly,
the pigs— including the two who were injured— were
shown and sold for slaughter at last week's Southeastern Youth
Fair in Ocala.
ARFF
is urging Dunnellon High School Principal Bobby James to take
this matter seriously, and to severely punish the perpetrators
if they turn out to be students. ARFF is also asking Marion County
Sheriff Ed Dean to conduct a thorough, in-depth investigation
of the attacks on the pigs at Dunnellon High School. When the
perpetrators are caught, ARFF is demanding that they be charged
with felony cruelty to animals (Florida's animal cruelty statute
makes intentional and repeated infliction of pain or suffering
a felony).
In
addition, ARFF has sent a letter to the Marion County School Board
requesting that they seriously consider discontinuing Future Farmers
of America's animal programs in district schools. Projects that
involve the raising and killing of animals condone violence and
teach disrespect for life.
The
Southeastern Youth Fair claims that last week's swine show taught
young people "life skills" such as responsibility, record
keeping and marketing. These lessons can easily be taught without
the abuse of animals.
“Unfortunately,
the abuse and neglect of animals in programs such as Future Farmers
of America is not uncommon,” said ARFF spokesperson Holly
Bowman. “The incidents at Dunnellon High School are also
troubling because intentional animal cruelty is often a strong
indicator that a person has emotional problems; violence toward
animals often escalates to humans.”
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