ARFF Goes to Work on Animal Legislation

Animal Fighting & Baiting Bill

In Florida it is illegal to bait or fight animals, attend a fight, operate a facility for the purpose of fighting animals, or to promote, stage or charge admission to a fight. However, breeding and training animals to fight is still legal.

Senator Ron Klein has agreed to sponsor a bill that would strengthen current animal fighting prohibitions. Representative Joe Negron has agreed to sponsor the bill in the House.

Why the fighting needs to be stopped:


• Pit bulls are chained to treadmills and forced to run for hours to improve stamina.
• Small animals, such as kittens, are sometimes used as a lure in training sessions.
• Roosters used in cockfights are “toughened” by being forced to peck through wood to reach food; they are hung from a trapeze by their legs to develop strong leg muscles.
• The natural, bony spurs on roosters’ legs are replaced with metal blades and tied on with leather straps.
• Animals bred for fighting are killed, often inhumanely, if they do not exhibit sufficient aggression.
• Animals are trained to fight to exhaustion or death, dog fights often lasting for hours.

Youth Deer Hunt Bill

The annual Youth Deer Hunt, sponsored by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), targets 8 to 15-year-old children. The FWC uses the event as a recruitment tool to combat the steadily declining sales of hunting and fishing licenses.

Representative Chris Smith and Senator Debbie Wasserman Schultz have agreed to sponsor legislation to ban these hunts.

Maiming and killing animals to ensure a future generation of hunters must be stopped. At a time when incidents of gun-related deaths among children are increasing, we must not promote greater tolerance of aggressive and violent behavior.

Thank the officials for sponsoring these important bills.

Senators Ron Klein and Debbie Wasserman Schultz:
The Capitol
Senate Office Bldg.
Tallahassee, FL 32399
klein.ron.web@leg.state.fl.us
schultz.debbie.web@ leg.state.fl.us

Representative Chris Smith:
The Capitol
House Office Bldg.
Tallahassee, FL 32399
smith.chris@leg.state.fl.us

Please write to your representative and senator (at the addresses above) and ask them to co-sponsor these bills! Your letter will be most effective if written as a letter from a concerned constituent rather than as a member of ARFF. Call ARFF for the names of your officials or go to www.vote-smart.org
ARFF would appreciate a copy of any correspondence.

Burger King or Murder King?

Burger King has ignored all requests to take even minimal steps to lessen the suffering of the animals killed for its restaurants. PETA is demanding that Burger King at least commit to the animal welfare guidelines recently adopted by its chief competitor, McDonald's.

The conference resulted in the airing of broadcast-quality footage of the animals languishing on factory farms and in slaughterhouses. The coverage included powerful images of common factory farming practices: young chickens having their beaks seared off with a hot blade to keep them from pecking each other to death as they go insane in crowded cages; breeding sows housed in dark, cement gestation crates, unable to turn around or nuzzle their babies; workers tossing live pigs off a truck outside a slaughterhouse; others grabbing handfuls of chickens and stuffing them into crates like rags to be loaded and trucked to slaughter.

As harsh as the images were, they were shared with everyone watching the news that night. The visions that haunt animal activists were aired for the public to see. And these are visions few can ignore. We will keep you updated on ARFF’s involvement in PETA’s Burger King campaign. We are willing to bet it won’t take long before they follow McDonald’s lead.

WRITE TO:
Colin Storm, CEO
Burger King Corporation
17777 Old Cutler Road
Miami, FL 33157
fax: (305)378-7262

Upcoming Demonstrations:

ARFF will be there to ask members of the association to join the compassionate majority and put an end to product testing on animals! Since we began protesting this event 11 years ago, hundreds of companies have gone cruelty free.

Substances ranging from eye shadow and soap to furniture polish and oven cleaner are tested on rabbits, rats, guinea pigs, dogs, and other animals, despite the fact that test results do not help prevent or treat human illness or injury.

No law requires animal testing for cosmetics and household products - testing methods are determined by manufacturers. Hundreds of companies have put new, safe products on the market using non-animal test methods. Yet CTFA policy continues to defend animal testing and several of its member companies continue to test new products and ingredients on animals.

The very unreliability of animal tests may make them appealing to some companies, since these tests allow manufacturers to put virtually any product on the market. Companies can also use the fact that their products were tested to help defend themselves against consumer lawsuits.

Non-animal methods, including cell and tissue cultures, corneas from eye banks, and sophisticated computer and mathematical models are used by compassionate companies. Companies can also formulate products using ingredients already determined to be safe by the FDA.

Updates:

Monkey Jungle completes King’s new exhibit

A King was introduced into his new exhibit at Monkey Jungle early in January after more than three years of pressure from ARFF to move the gorilla to Zoo Atlanta. More than a year off schedule, he finally took his first step into his expanded home after 20 years languishing in a 20-by-30-foot concrete cell. According to Monkey Jungle, this new living area is "close to the size of a football field.” While there is no doubt that this new living area at Monkey Jungle is superior to King’s old cell, ARFF cannot consider it a complete victory. King remains alone.

“As long as (Monkey Jungle) is making a good faith effort to complete the facility in the most expeditious manner possible, it is our position that to initiate a criminal prosecution for lack of compliance would be counterproductive ... it is not in the best interest of King to relocate him at this time because a drastic change in climate, living quarters, trainer and keepers could adversely affect the health and well-being of this animal.” They add that a primatologist associated with Monkey Jungle “says (King) is content.”

We hope that King will find some peace in his new habitat. ARFF thanks all of you who helped push to make this happen.

Gestation crate campaign has a long way to go

If you have not started collecting signatures, it is not too late! Contact Martin Linney at (954)917-7654 or martin@bancruelfarms.org (Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Indian River and Martin counties) or Rebecca Fry at (352)336-9063 or becca@bancruelfarms.org (all other counties).

As “food animals,” pregnant sows are excluded from the Animal Welfare Act. The crates have been outlawed in other countries, but remain common in our own. If we gather enough signatures, this will be the first factory farming legislation ever to be placed on a ballot in the United States. Your assistance is integral to its success.

There are coordinators in nearly every county and major city in Florida who can walk you through signature gathering. If you have already started gathering signatures, please keep sending petitions to FHF on a weekly basis! Every petition you complete, every new signature you get, and every dollar you donate makes a difference and moves us one step closer to banning cruel gestation crates in Florida!

Total Signatures counted as of 1/01 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42,050
Remaining Signatures needed by 5/02 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 607,950

Congratulations to Sandy Burns, Lee Day and Heather Lischin for collecting (at least) 1,000 signatures each!

FHF also needs volunteers to come to the Pompano Beach and Gainesville offices to help count, sort and distribute petitions.

Spread the word to anyone you know in Florida who may be willing to spend a few hours to improve conditions for factory farm animals.

For more information or a downloadable petition, visit Floridians for Humane Farms’ (FHF) website at: www.bancruelfarms.org

Victories:

10- Foot Alligator Spared

After living in a drainage pipe in Boca Raton for more than one month, this 10-foot alligator’s life was spared. ARFF President Nanci Alexander (above) intervened on Dec. 30 and had the giant transported to a safer place.

Trapped gators larger than 4 feet are considered “nuisance” animals and normally are harvested for their meat and hide.

The alligator faced harrassment by children, who named the gator “Draino,” after entering the pipe from a nearby canal.

Animal Rights in Academia

ARFF Vice President Caren Lesser and member Jaime Roth attended the class, which covered topics including the Animal Welfare and Endangered Species acts, activism and its legal consequences, the references to and uses of animals in the Bible; and philosophies behind the animal rights movement.

Raising Kind Kids

As the National PTA Congress has reported, “Children trained to extend justice, kindness and mercy to animals become more just, kind and considerate in their relations to each other.”

A 45-minute documentary that was shown to parents and teachers illustrated the link between violence to animals and humans by examples of children whose violent acts of animal abuse led to human abuse.

ARFF In The Media:

• 10/29/00: The Miami Herald interviewed Communications Coordinator Heather Deeley about the Mannheimer Foundation’s expansion proposal. The foundation is a monkey breeding and biomedical research facility.
• 11/11/00: Outreach Coordinator Brett Wyker spoke with University of Miami Campus TV reporters at a Clyde-Beatty Circus demo.
• 11/23/00: WPEC Ch. 12 and WPTV Ch. 5 aired an interview with Heather Deeley from a “cage” at the Neiman Marcus’ grand opening in Palm Beach, where ARFF staged a protest.
• 11/24/00: The Palm Beach Post and the Palm Beach Daily News printed comments from Brett about Neiman Marcus’ role in promoting the fur industry. WSVN Ch. 7 interviewed Brett on Fur Free Friday about animals raised and trapped for fur.
• 12/22/00: The Boca Beacon printed ARFF’s holiday wish in the Eco Watch Opinion column - a wish that people adopt a vegan diet for the sake of animals and the health of humans and the planet.
• 12/29/00: Brett had interviews with the Associated Press (AP) and WSVN Ch. 7 about Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.
• 12/30/00: The Miami Herald and Sun-Sentinel covered the rescue of an alligator trapped in a drainage pipe.
• 1/2/01: ARFF Director Laura Guttridge discussed gestation crates on WNBM-AM 1490 radio.
• 1/3/01: The AP interviewed Brett for a story on King’s new exhibit at Monkey Jungle in Miami. The story was posted on the Sun-Sentinel web site the following day.
• 1/6/01: WPLG Ch. 10 aired ARFF’s Ringling Bros. Circus demo.
• 1/10/01: WSVN Ch. 7 aired an interview with ARFF’s Managing Director Heather Lischin at the Burger King campaign kickoff in Miami. ARFF’s involvement was also mentioned by WTVJ Ch. 6 and WFOR Ch. 4.
• 1/11 + 1/12/01: Brett’s comments were included in the Palm Beach Post and the Miami Herald about a golfer who bludgeoned a rare black swan on Donald Trump’s golf course.

ARFF In The Community:

• 10/17/00: Humane Educator Amalia Santiago spoke to two Coral Springs High School classes about vegetarianism. She also showed the video, “The Witness.”
• 11/6/00: Amalia Santiago and Outreach Coordinator Brett Wyker attended an animal rights panel discussion at the University of Miami. Floridians for Humane Farms Campaign Manager Martin Linney and ARFF members Jaime Roth and Valerie Howell also attended.
• 11/17-19/00: ARFF had a booth at the Miami International Book Fair at Miami-Dade Community College. Volunteers included Erica Ford, Valerie Howell, Martin Linney, Heather Lischin, Karen Newman, Krista Russell, Amalia Santiago, Lilliana Zilberstein, Leor Veleanu and Nan Vollbracht.
• 11/24/00: ARFF tabled at the Broward County Fair with the help of Sandy Burns, Stehanie Polin, Jill Rhodes, Danielle O’Dessa and Jennifer Vas Dominguez.
• 11/25/00: Colleen Ferro and Managing Director Heather Lischin tabled at Zen Festival 2000 at Bicentennial Park in Miami with Amalia Santiago and Martin Linney.
• 12/17/00: ARFF President Nanci Alexander was named Honorary Humanitarian at the Save a Pet Day function.

Letters to the Editor:

Publications:
Letters to the editor appeared in the Boca News, Coral Springs Forum, Florida Today, Gainesville Sun, Miami Herald, Press Journal, Orlando Sentinel, Palm Beach Post, and Sun-Sentinel.

Gifts and Memorials:

• In honor of Lauren and Chris Brubaker's marriage, from Angela Jean-Logalbo.
• From Tomer Zilberstein in gratitude to his godmother, Nanci Alexander.
• In honor of Jodi Alexander's engagement, from Jerry and Diane Hoffman.
• In memory of Motley Felinton, from Sandy, Stewart, Twinkie and Rocky Levine.
• In memory of Alan Jay Shnapier, M.D., from Dena Shapiro.
• In memory of Alan Jay Shnapier, M.D., from Nan and Ken Vollbracht.
• In memory of Alan Jay Shnapier, M.D., from the staff at ARFF.
• In memory of Alan Jay Shnapier, M.D., from Elaine and Peter Kaplan.

Animal Rights Foundation of Florida
P.O. Box 841154 Pembroke Pines, Florida 33084
tel: 954-917-ARFF · fax: 954-979-6415 · email: arff@animalrightsflorida.org