News for Florida animal advocates

This weekend in Indiantown, the Martin County Sheriff’s Office will host a rodeo to benefit the Florida Sheriff’s Youth Ranches. This is the second year of the sheriff’s rodeo; last year’s event was promoted as Martin County’s first rodeo in 20 years.
A Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman told The Stuart News, “This is great family fun and […]

The Sarasota Herald Tribune reported on Monday that an unusually high number of bottlenose dolphins around the state have died this year from injuries caused by fishing hooks and line.
So far in 2006, scientists have found 13 dead dolphins entangled in fishing line, or who have ingested hooks or lures.
Scientists are not sure what is […]

Almost every major newspaper in Florida has expressed strong opposition to Amendment 3, which would increase the number of votes needed to approve ballot initiatives from 50% to 60%.
On Sunday, Miami Herald columnist and best-selling author Carl Hiaasen described the amendment, which will appear on the Nov. 7 ballot, as “one of the most audacious […]

Animal shelters are often called-upon to deal with injured and abused animals when police bust up dogfighting rings. Dog’s wounds are treated, and as the criminal case winds its way through the courts, shelters absorb the cost of caring for the animals. But the cost of room & board is not the only concern for […]

Recently, a disturbing advertisement appeared on the popular online community, Craigslist.com. The ad featured a photo of a baby chimpanzee and offered “hands-on” encounters with chimpanzees for $100/hour. The ad promised, “Your encounter may include holding, feeding, playing with and photographing a young chimpanzee.”
The ad was placed by Gini Valbuena, who operates a business (Valbuena […]

Last weekend, when Pinellas County Animal Services responded to a call about coyotes in a residential neighborhood, something unusual happened. Residents were politely reminded that they share the environment with animals, and the coyotes were allowed to continue on their way. (Well, not exactly. A female coyote was captured, given a health check and fitted […]

This weekend, environmental organizations in the Tampa area are hosting a “Monofilament Cleanup.” Any effort to clean up Florida’s shoreline is a good thing, but tiptoeing around the real issue doesn’t do animals any good in the long run.
Unfortunately, it is necessary to clean up the mess left behind by fishermen, but the only way […]

Today’s Naples Daily News featured an update of a long-running case of animal cruelty. In March 2004, concerned citizens contacted police after seeing dead cows in a pasture in Immokalee. According to the paper, officers who arrived on the scene “found cows had eaten everything available in the pasture and were too weak to stand. […]

Friday’s St. Petersburg Times included a poignant story about a neighborhood mourning the death of an alligator who had lived peacefully among them for years.
The paper explained, “The Lake Roberta alligator had a deal with its human neighbors: They didn’t feed it, and it didn’t eat them. . . . Human and beast coexisted peacefully […]

Despite recent school shootings around the country, some hunters in Florida apparently see nothing wrong with shooting guns near schools.
Elementary and high schools in Alachua County were placed on lockdown for two hours Wednesday morning “after a parent noticed a man walking in the vicinity of the schools with what appeared to be a shotgun,” […]