| Newsletter: July - September 2000 |  |
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ARFF Newsletter: July - September 2000
News:Pompano Beach Passes Animal Display BanAt its June 13, 2000, meeting, the Pompano Beach City Commission unanimously adopted a new animal-control ordinance that contains tough language restricting animal exhibits. Although the ordinance does not ban rodeos and circuses outright, it specifically prohibits the use of "painful devices and techniques," including the infamous bucking strap, electric prods, and the ankus or bull hook. Without the bucking strap, it is virtually impossible to hold a rodeo. Rarely, if ever, will you see an elephant trainer or handler without an ankus at his or her side. The ordinance also prohibits chaining elephants.Some displays will still be allowed under the new law, but the cruel bull-riding contests that have plagued the city in recent years are now a thing of the past. The Broward County Fair, which is held annually in Pompano Beach, was granted an exemption for its displays of animals used in agriculture. The ordinance also gives the city's animal control officer broad powers to terminate any animal act that represents a danger to either the public or the animals involved. Pompano Beach joins an elite- but growing- number of progressive cities throughout North America that have banned or severely restricted exploitive and dangerous animal exhibits. ARFF is pleased to have played a role in working with the animal control officer and formulating some of the language in the ordinance. Please send a letter of thanks and congratulations to the mayor and commissioners of Pompano Beach:
City of Pompano Beach 100 W. Atlantic Boulevard Pompano Beach, FL 33060
Factory Farming 2002 Ballot MeasureARFF has joined with the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and Farm Sanctuary in an effort to place a question on the 2002 statewide ballot to ban the cruel gestation crate.Wayne Pacelle, vice president of governmental affairs for HSUS, and Gene Bauston, cofounder of Farm Sanctuary, joined ARFF president Nanci Alexander for an information and training session at the Humane Society of Broward County. Other training sessions were conducted in Gainesville, Orlando, Melbourne, St. Petersburg, Tampa and Jacksonville. If you have not attended any of these, there is still time to contact us and sponsor a session or attend one in the near future. Measured just in sheer numbers, the abuse of animals on "factory farms" dwarfs the cruelty to animals used in other animal industries. Every year, billions of animals are reared and confined on factory farms and then sent to slaughterhouses. Small family farms have been supplanted by corporate animal factories, which treat animals as nothing more than unfeeling commodities. One of the most cruel and deplorable animal husbandry practices is the way female pigs are treated on factory farms. Breeding sows are confined in barren metal enclosures- measuring just two feet wide- for almost their entire lives. The enclosures are called "gestation crates." The pigs cannot exercise or even turn around, and they are prevented from engaging in natural behaviors and satisfying basic psychological needs. After she produces a litter of piglets, the mother pig is impregnated again and returned to the miserable life of a gestation crate. Pigs in gestation crates suffer from an array of physical ailments such as joint disorders and lameness, and psychological maladies including chronic stress and depression. Confined pigs routinely exhibit neurotic coping behaviors, which include repetitive bar biting and head waving. Studies reveal that the pigs in gestation crates release pain-killing endorphins, which help the animals cope with their deprivation- a biological indicator that the animals are stressed and experiencing severe discomfort. Gestation crates are so cruel that they have been outlawed in other countries, but, tragically, they remain common in the United States, including in Florida. Like all animals, pigs experience pain and suffering, and they deserve at the very least to be treated with humane consideration. Tragically, animals exploited for food in the U.S. have been excluded from the federal Animal Welfare Act, and also most state anti-cruelty laws. It is cruel to keep a female pig in a constant state of pregnancy and confined in a tiny crate for her entire life, and the practice should be illegal. Together, we can do something about the use of the gestation crate. We need your help on a statewide ballot initiative to ban the gestation crate. We are aiming to have the measure appear on the November 2002 statewide ballot. In order to qualify this landmark initiative for the ballot (the first ever ballot initiative in America to address a particular type of factory farming technique) we need your participation. We will need hundreds of petitioners to collect the signatures of registered voters to kick off this major effort. Please plan to help the animals on election day, November 7, 2000, so that we can amass most of the required signatures in a single day. The fact that it is a presidential election will make it an ideal year to gather signatures from a table at your polling locations. We truly need your participation to make this a success. Please call the ARFF office at (954) 917-2733 or email: ARFFmain@aol.com.
Upcoming Demonstrations:Demonstrate Against Davie RodeoSaturday, August 26, 7:00 p.m. in Davie Rodeo is a violent activity that frequently leads to injury or death for the calves, bulls and horses involved. Electric rods and flank straps that pinch the animals' sensitive areas are used to provoke wild behavior. Please join ARFF in protesting this cruel event. Directions: The Bergeron Rodeo Grounds are located at 4271 Davie Road. Take Griffin Road to Davie Road, go north on Davie Road to the rodeo arena. Or, take I-595 west to exit #7 (Davie Rd.), go south to the arena.
Disney's Animal Kingdom Demonstration
World Day for Farm Animals!
Youth Deer Hunt Demonstration
Updates:Bear Hunting in FloridaIn late June, newspapers across Florida carried an Associated Press story which warned that the 6-year-old statewide ban on bear hunting might be lifted. Hoping to cut short any suggestion to allow the hunting of bears in Florida, ARFF sent out an email Action Alert targeting the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), in opposition to the idea. FWC promptly retreated, issuing a press release reassuring the public that bear-hunting is not currently on their agenda. Their press release mentioned receiving numerous emails and phone calls. Thanks to everyone who contacted FWC regarding this issue.But the FWC did admit that they have- at the urging of hunters- commissioned a report on the health of the bear popualtion in Florida. The report will be presented at the FWC's November 7-9 meeting in Tallahassee. Although the FWC may not officially be in support of a return to bear-hunting, at least one of the FWC commissioners has publicly stated his support of a hunt. Commission Vice-Chairman James Adams, of Bushnell, recently wrote in a Florida hunting magazine, "I don't know of a single thing a bear is good for other than to look at or hunt. There is no reason not to have a bear-hunting season in Florida." Fortunately, Mr. Adams' term expires in January 2001 and because of changes in the commission structure, the seat will not be filled. ARFF will continue to oppose any expansion of hunting in Florida.
University of FloridaARFF's demonstration in April at the University of Florida in Gainesville focused on serious problems in the university's animal research program. In June, a pro-vivisection accrediting organization, the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC) placed the University of Florida on a two-month probation because of poor animal care. Rarely does the AAALAC place a research facility on probation. When it does, the complaints usually involve employee health and safety, or other non animal-related problems. When the animal research community criticizes one of its own, the problems must be severe.In explaining the decision to place the university on probation, AAALAC described how in some labs, mice, rats, frogs and opossums went for days without adequate food and water; rhesus monkeys in another lab went for weeks without their cages being cleaned; and the report listed other serious deficiencies in labs on campus. A seperate investigation into the school's animal research program by the U.S. Department of Agriculture is "ongoing." Thousands more speak up for King: Monkey Jungle employee Steve Jacques picks up one of the boxes of cards. In June, ARFF presented the owners of Monkey Jungle close to 7,000 individually signed cards calling for the gorilla King's transfer to Zoo Atlanta. The cards were collected by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and bring the total number of cards, coupons and petitions ARFF has presented to the roadside zoo to approximately 19,000 from around the world.
Volusia County DucksIn January, ARFF learned that the city of South Daytona was planning to trap and kill Muscovy ducks in response to complaints. After hearing from ARFF and local residents, the city placed a hold on the duck roundup (although, unfortunately, seven ducks had already been killed). In March, the City Council followed ARFF's recommendations and voted to ban the feeding of Muscovy ducks.In 1999, ARFF worked on a similar problem with the neighboring city of Deltona (see July-Sep.'99 ARFF News), who also enacted a feeding ban. Recently, ARFF contacted Deltona and learned that their ordinance has been very successful. "By controlling the food supply, natural population control is restored," wrote Fire Chief Robert Rogers. "By educating the public on the problems of feeding the ducks, we have been able to control the duck population and have not had to resort to other more drastic measures."
McDonald's in the LibraryFor decades, the Florida Library Association and McDonald’s have provided children incentives for reading books in summer reading programs...coupons for free hamburgers and cheeseburgers.Not only does McDonald's exploit animals for food, they are contributing to the health and weight problems of children for profit. Please write to the Florida Library Association and encourage them not to sponsor or promote this program.
Executive Secretary Florida Library Association 1133 W. Morse Blvd. Winter Park, FL 32789 or by email: mjs@crowsegal.com
Defeat for WildlifeIn July, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 190-228 against the "DeFazio-Bass" amendment which would have cut funding for the USDA's cruel Wildlife Services program. In Florida, Wildlife Services shoots, traps, and poisons thousands of animals including gulls, cormorants, ducks, coyotes and raccoons at the request of fish farms, citrus farms, golf courses and other businesses. The long-awaited vote was the subject of numerous ARFF email Action Alerts this year.Among Florida's members of Congress, only Representatives Alcee Hastings, Peter Deutsch, Robert Wexler and John Mica voted in support of the amendment to reduce Wildlife Service's budget (Representatives McCollum, Scarborough and Davis did not vote). If your member of Congress voted to continue the government-subsidized cruelty of Wildlife Services, please let them know that you are disappointed with their vote.
U.S. House of Representatives Washington, D.C. 20515
Swap Shop CampaignARFF is working on a website that will expose the cruelty behind the Hanneford Family Circus, which forces animals to perform at the Swap Shop every day. Check out www.FloridaSlaveShop.com this Fall.
ARFF President Wins in CourtIn July, the City of Miami dropped charges against ARFF President Nanci Alexander who was arrested for trespassing and resisting arrest during a protest against Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in Miami last January. Nanci plans to take legal action against the city.
Huntingdon Life SciencesARFF held its second protest in opposition to the Bank of New York's association with Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS), the infamous animal testing/torturing lab. Huntingdon uses hundreds of thousands of dogs, cats, monkeys, rabbits and other animals every year at labs in New Jersey and in England. Bank of New York acts as the corporate broker for HLS.Call the Bank of New York at 1-888-LINK-BNY and complain about their association with HLS (the line is open 24 hours a day).
Victories:Miss Florida PageantLast year, as in previous years, one of the prizes awarded to the winner of the Miss Florida Pageant was a full-length mink coat from Bloomingdales. In the July-September 1999 ARFF News we asked you to write to the event organizers asking them not to have fur in future pageants.We are happy to report that the 2000 pageant, held in July, was fur-free! According to Jack Wolf, pageant spokesman, "It's the year 2000. Times have changed."
Airport Stops Coyote TrappingIn the Oct.-Dec. 1999 and Jan.-March 2000 issues of ARFF News, we told you about coyote-snaring at the Tallahassee Regional Airport and asked you to write to the mayor demanding non-lethal methods of controlling wildlife.Reacting to public outcry, the Tallahassee City Commission voted in March to order the airport discontinue use of the cruel wire snares that have caught dogs, coyotes and foxes. The commission also voted to renovate the fence that surrounds the airport, burying it an additional 2 feet, so coyotes and other animals cannot burrow under it; and agreed to fund a study to find the best way to deal with coyotes, birds and other animals that can threaten aircraft. The city commission is to be commended for its compassionate decisions.
Bert Wahl Raided!On June 26, officers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), Hillsborough County Animal Services, and the City of Tampa raided Bert Wahl's property in Tampa. Officers confiscated ferrets, alligators, turtles, snakes, two vultures, and a Rottweiler. More than 20 dead animals were also removed. The house on the property was condemned.While ARFF has been after Wahl since 1989, Lt. Dennis Parker, an FWC inspector, told ARFF that he has been after Wahl for 15 years. "The judges don't see [animal cruelty] as a serious offense," Parker said. "They are quick to dismiss these cases or throw them out of court." FWC is filing close to 30 charges against Wahl which will hopefully end his career as an animal exhibitor. Wahl, who is no stranger to the courtroom, also was recently charged by the USDA for violations of the Animal Welfare Act (see April-June 2000 issue of ARFF News). Please write to the Hillsborough County State Attorney's office and urge that the case against Wahl be taken seriously. Ask that Wahl be prevented from ever again owning animals.
Courthouse Annex - South Tower 800 E. Kennedy Blvd. Tampa, FL 33602
ARFF In The Media:
ARFF In The Community:
Letters to the Editor:Congratulations to the following for having letters published:Barbara Bingnear, Beverly Colehower, Andrea Greico, Paul Halpern, Don Higler, Louise Kahle, Barbara Lacy, Roy Edward Lush, Don Lutz, Michelle Rivera, Gilbert Schwartz, Joyce Stanhope, Nan Vollbracht, Woodie Van Voorhees, Diana Ward and Rona Zelinka.
Publications:
Gifts and Memorials:
Humane Scorecard:The Humane Society of the United States and the Fund for Animals have produced a voting scorecard, showing the voting records of U.S. Congress members. Bills before the U.S. Congress this year included predator control, trapping, dolphin protection, crush videos, cockfighting and downed animals. Only three Florida Congressmen voted in favor of the animals in each of these bills: Hastings, Deutsch and Wexler - all of whom we are proud to have on our advisory board!
Animal Rights Foundation of Florida |
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