Representative Gus Barreiro Seeks ARFF’s Help to Free Lolita

Florida State Represntative Gus Barreiro contacted ARFF concerned about the well being of Lolita, a killer whale imprisoned at Miami Seaquarium. ARFF, eager to step up the pressure on Seaquarium, contacted the Orca Conservancy and the three agreed to begin a major campaign to free the whale. With our two organizations working together, and with the enthusiastic participation of Florida State Representative Gus Barreiro, a statewide public awareness drive is underway beginning with a major demonstration at the Miami Seaquarium on August 8th (see page 3 for more information).

On August 8, 1970 Lolita was captured off the cost of Washington and was sent to the Miami Seaquarium where she has been confined for over 30 years. At the Seaquarium, Lolita, who measures 22 feet in length and weighs approximately 8,000 pounds, is kept in the nation's oldest and smallest tank - measuring only 80 feet by 30 feet from wall to wall in water just 20 feet deep.

Representative Barreiro, ARFF and Orca Conservancy are asking that Lolita be returned to her native waters to rejoin her extended family through a carefully phased reintroduction program. Such a program is now underway with the orca Keiko, star of Free Willy, and has been highly successful. Keiko is now swimming freely in the very same ocean where he was captured 30 years ago. He is now catching live fish, has gained over 2000 pounds, and swims away into the ocean on his own for hours at a time. Supporters of the Keiko project say they are willing to help Lolita experience the same freedom Keiko has.

Although Lolita’s tank at the Seaquarium does not meet USDA requirements, the USDA, entrusted to enforce the Animal Welfare Act, has consistently looked the other way, mismeasured the tank, and for at least 15 years has repeated Seaquarium's promise that he will build a new tank. While she is held captive at the Seaquarium, we hope to improve Lolita’s living conditions by forcing them to provide her with a tank that exceeds the tank size requirements.

Please write to Ann Veneman and ask her to enforce the tank size regulations at the Seaquarium, so Lolita may live a better life until she is freed:

Ann Veneman, USDA Secretary of Agriculture
Rm 200-A, Whitten Bldg.
14th & Independence Ave., SW
Washington, DC 20250
202-720-3631/ Fax: 202-720-2166
Email:agsec@usda.gov

ARFF Offers More Humane Alternative to Trapping and Killing Muscovy Ducks

Unfortunately, not everyone enjoys sharing their land with wildlife. Some condominium associations, homeowners’ associations, and parks percieve Muscovies as threatening or a nuisance. Ignorance about gentle Muscovies has made them regular targets for shootings, poisoning, beatings and drowning. To curtail the inhumane treatment of Muscovies in Florida, ARFF has spearheaded an innovative program to offer an alternative to trapping and killing.

ARFF's method includes the monitoring of a nest and removal and disposal of the eggs at the earliest stage of development. Population control through these means has proven to be effective and is a more humane alternative to killing. For more information about this program or to help with Muscovy ducks, please contact ARFF.

Florida Parks Refuse to Post Educational Signs

ARFF recently asked Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park to post signs educating visitors about the affects of fishing on wildlife. The park management refused even though park biologist Liz Golden said the park does have a “periodic problem” with fishing trash. With 1 million visitors estimated per year, that is no surprise. In Florida, sea turtles, manatees, shorebirds and other wildlife suffer entanglement in ropes, lines, and nets, or ingestion of fishing gear or debris. In the year 2000, data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration indicated that the number of sea turtles that stranded along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico was 3,136. Many turtles that strand are found with fishing gear such as gillnets or hooks and line attached to the carcass. A recent example of this occurred on April 14, 2001 when 60 pound, 20-year-old loggerhead was found on the Hillsboro Inlet with fishing hooks in her fins and fishing line with hooks in her mouth.

Ask the Parks Department to implement a policy requiring all Florida parks to post educational signs to protect wildlife from fishing lures, lines, and hooks:

Chief George Jones
District 5 Administration
13798 SE Federal Highway
Hobe Sound, FL 33455

Upcoming Demonstrations:

From the south: Take US 1 to Rickenbacker Cswy. Follow Causeway and the Miami Seaquarium will be on the left.

August 8, 2001 marks the 31st anniversary of Lolita's capture from Penn Cove, Whidbey Island, WA. Please be a part of the efforts to send Lolita back to her native waters in Washington.

Protest the Opening Day of the
Annual Florida Alligator Massacre

Saturday, September 1, 2001 at 6:00 P.M, Lake Okeechobee public boat launch, Belle Glade

Directions:
I-95 to Exit 50 (Southern Blvd.). Go west on Southern Blvd. After Lion Country Safari, stay on US 441 to just north of Belle Glade, left onto SR 715. South on 715 to SR 880 (Canal St.), go right (west). Canal becomes Lake; follow to Point Chosen Swing Bridge to Torry Island. Boat ramp is in the parking lot at the marina. Contact ARFF for carpooling information.

Join ARFF to demonstrate against the legalized murder of hundreds of Florida alligators. Once a year the State of Florida advocates the killing of sentient beings for so-called sport.

Updates:

Welcome AACF Members!

ARFF is thrilled to announce a great victory for the animals! A group of 200 committed activists, formerly organized as Animal Activists of Central Florida (AACF), has joined ARFF in order to provide the animals with a stronger more active voice in central Florida. We applaud AACF’s hard work and past achievements and look forward to working together on new campaigns and celebrating future victories.

Bryan and Carla Wilson (former President and Treasurer of AACF) will be ARFF’s local coordinators in central Florida. They can be reached at (407) 699-7771. All central Florida ARFF members and former AACF members are encouraged to get in touch with the Wilsons.

ARFF Launches Veg Website

Vegan dining has been made easier, thanks to ARFF’s new website www.VegFL.com. The site provides information on vegan and vegan friendly restaurants throughout Florida and will be a great source for existing vegans and those considering a healthier, more compassionate lifestyle. Please contact ARFF’s Outreach Coordinator, Brett Wyker, with any vegan friendly restaurant recommendations.

ARFF Billboard Unveiled on FL Turnpike

Billboards are one of the best tools to educate the public about the abuse of animals enslaved for our entertainment. Reaching thousands of passers by every day, ARFF’s latest billboard forces motorists to acknowledge that animals in circuses are destined to a life behind bars. The billboard is located northbound on the Florida Turnpike just north of Fort Lauderdale.

Victories:

Burger King Changes “Their Way”

Only 6 months ago the “Murder King” campaign was kicked off with a press conference hosted by ARFF and PeTA. Not a day too soon Burger King annouced it will exceed the animal welfare standards that McDonald's agreed to last year.

Under Burger King's new guidelines, the company will conduct unannounced inspections of its slaughterhouses, give laying hens 75 square inches of cage space (3 inches more than McDonald's agreed to), stop purchasing from suppliers who force-molt (starve chickens to force them to lay more eggs), develop auditing procedures for the handling of broiler chickens, institute “humane- handling” procedures for chickens at the slaughterhouse, and begin purchasing pork from farms that do not confine sows to stalls

Thanks to everyone who helped make this amazing victory for farm animals possible. Please contact Burger King’s CEO, thank him for these initial improvements, and urge him to do more:

Mr. John Dasburg, CEO
Burger King Corp.
17777 Old Cutler Rd.
Miami, FL 33157
Tel.: 305-378-7011 Fax: 305-378-7262

Sirone’s Dumps Lobster Zone!

Persistence paid off for ARFF members Jeanne and Chuck Beem when Sirone’s Restaurant in Pompano Beach finally retired its Lobster Zone. These games are torture chambers for live lobsters who are grabbed at with metal “claws” out of tanks. Lobsters have been mangled by these claws, as their limbs are sometimes torn from their bodies. The Beems regularly voiced their opinion on the cruel “game” and after a year, Sirone’s owner, Harold Lauderhill, finally listened. Send your thanks to Mr. Lauderhill for showing compassion!

Harold Lauderhill, Owner Sirones
2301 West Sample Road
Pompano Beach, FL 33073
Telephone: 954-972-0683

Circus Trainer Permit Denied

Members from central Florida notified ARFF when they learned exotic animal exhibitor Eugene Calabrese was applying for zoning permits in their county. Calabrese intended to imprison lions, tigers, and other exotic animals at his facility to train them for the L.E. Barnes Circus. ARFF contacted members in the county who attended the Lake County commission meeting where the permits were discussed. As a result of ARFF members speaking out for the animals, the Commissioners denied Calabreses’ permits.

Be aware of issues on the agendas of your city and county commission meetings so we can continue to speak out for the animals!

Animal Politics

Get To Know Your Legislators!

Now is a great time to meet with your state legislators. While the state legislative session is on break, legislators are working in their home district offices. Remember, your legislators work for you. Their job is to represent you, but they can’t effectively do this if they don’t know you and what your want. Please contact ARFF prior to meeting with each of your legislators to find out what issues are pending.

ARFF Members: Keep Marching For Florida Pigs!

ARFF is co-sponsoring a ballot initiative to ban sow gestation crates-one of the cruelest of all factory farming practices. Pregnant pigs are forced to live in small barren metal enclosures, unable to walk or even turn arround. Several ARFF members have reached their goals of collecting 1,000 signatures, and a few have surpassed 2,000 and even 3,000 signatures. Needless to say, we are proud of our dedicated members.

This ballot initiative is a time for Florida animal activists to shine. The ballot initiative campaign was the talk of the recent AR2001 conference in Washington, D.C., and will continue to be in the spotlight of national animal rights concern. As Florida residents, we must make the goal of collecting a total of 600,000 signatures a reality. We have an opportunity to make one of the cruelest factory farming practices illegal in our state. Let’s make this happen!

If you haven’t already committed to collecting 1,000 signatures, please make the committment today. If you can’t commit to 1,000, please - do what you can!

To get involved call (954) 946-1691, or email Floridians for Humane Farms at info@bancruelfarms.org

State Animal Fighting Bill &
Federal Cockfighting Bill Update

STATE ANIMAL FIGHTING BILL

Following a unanimous Senate vote in support of the bill, the animal fighting bill died in the House on the eve of the final day of the legislative session. The bills made it to the floor of both houses - much to the surprise of gamecock breeders and their lobbyists. Animal fighting is among the cruelest human inflictions upon animals, making this legislation a priority for reintroduction next year.

Please contact your state senator and representative and ask them to cosponsor the bill when it is reintroduced next year by Senator Ron Klein and Represenative Gus Barreirro.

FEDERAL COCKFIGHTING BILL

Federal anti-cockfighting legislation is currently underway. The bills, introduced by Senators Wayne Allard and Tom Harkin, and Congressman Collin Peterson, would ban the transport of roosters bred for fighting across state lines. This would drastically reduce the number of animals raised for fighting in the 47 states where the practice is illegal. The Allard-Harkin Senate bill, S. 345, has attracted more that 50 cosponsors, while more than 100 cosponsors have signed onto the Peterson House bill, H.R. 1155.

Urge Senator Nelson to join Senator Graham and sign onto the anti-cockfighting bill, S. 345, introduced by Senators Allard and Harkin. Also enourage your US congressperson to sign onto the anti-cockfighting bill, H.R. 1155, introduced by Congressman Peterson.

Write to U.S. Senator Bill Nelson:

The Honorable Bill Nelson
U.S. Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510

Write your U.S. Representative:

The Honorable _________
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515

ARFF In The Media:

• 5/15/01: Managing Director Heather Lischin and ARFF member Leor Veleanu were guests on The Steve Kane Show on WWNN-AM 1470 radio. They spoke about the gestation crate ballot initiative and other animal rights issues for an hour and a half. Kane, who stubbornly vowed never to give up eating animals, was proud to admit he signed the petition, and will vote to pass it in 2002.
• 6/8/01 ARFF Managing Director, Heather Lischin, was interviewed by W TV 10 after witnessing a cruel gator trapping training session in the FWCC parking lot. ARFF received an anonymous call from an FWCC officer outraged by FWCC plans to trap a gator in order to conduct a live training session in the FWCC parking lot in North Miami Beach.
• 6/18/01 Sonoma County News from CA interviewed Heather Lischin on King’s new habitat and his solitary confinement.
• 6/29/01 ARFF Outreach Coordinator, Brett Wyker, quoted in Palm Beach Post regarding the arrest of Harry Wagner for the killing of a swan on Donald Trumps golf course in West Palm Beach.
• 6/29/01 Brett Wyker quoted in the Sun Sentinel about Trump golf course swan killing.
• 6/29/01 Brett Wyker quoted in the Sun Sentinel about Trump golf course swan killing.
• 7/4/01 Brett Wyker quoted in Miami Herald about the dangers and the cruelty of keeping wild orangutan in captivity.
• 7/6/01 ARFF President, Nanci Alexandar, quoted in Miami Herald, St. Pete Times, Palm Beach Post, Tampa Tribune, Sun Sentinel, Naples Daily News, Gainesville Sun, and The Ledger regarding ARFF’s involvement with and commitment to the success of the state-wide ballot initiative to ban gestation crates.

ARFF In The Community:

• 5/12/01: Communications Coordinator Heather Deeley tabled at Plantation High School’s “Pet Fair.” After ARFF spoke to students in the Health Occupations class about animal rights and the companion animal overpopulation crisis, the students expanded their community outreach project to incorporate animal rights.
• 5/23/01: ARFF member, Judy Fish tabled at a parenting conference held at Nova Southeastern University and gave out “Share the World” videos and “Raising Kind Kids” brochures and posters.

Letters to the Editor:

Publications:
Letters to the editor appeared in: The Miami Herald, Palm Beach Post, Sun-Sentinel.

Gifts and Memorials:

• In memory of Alan Jay Shnapier, M.D., from Danielle and Edmund Bydlinski.
• In memory of Alan Jay Shnapier, M.D., beloved brother of Nanci Alexander and family, from Lynne Brenes.
• In memory of Laura Pett, Florida resident and animal lover! From Andrea Pett.
• In memory of Walter G. Bernack, from Sylvia and John Dorris.

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