11 April 2011
By: Erin Skarda
The Egyptian uprising was enough to wrestle a dictator from his long-held post and bring shadows of democracy to a Middle Eastern nation. But can people power also be utilized to elicit support for an animal-rights movement?
A coalition of organizations and activists in Egypt have banded together to demand an overhaul of animal treatment within the country, and just as weeks of protests forced the resignation of former president Hosni Mubarak in February, they hope that a citizen demonstration will bring a renewed focus to the issues that have long plagued the country and seem to only get worse over time.
The Egyptian Society for Mercy to Animals (ESMA), along with the Egyptian Society of Animal Friends (ESAF) and Animal Welfare Awareness Research (AWAR), announced over the weekend that a protest will take place outside the Giza Zoo on April 16 to bring to light matters ranging from the state of the zoo itself to illegal wildlife trades, unregulated pet breeding and the government's propensity for shooting or poisoning homeless animals in order to control their population.
(More on TIME.com: See the fate of Cairo's many cats)
Mona Khalil, ESMA co-founder, said in a press release announcing the protest that now is the time to seek rights for Egypt's animals, as the nation is currently focused on building a more humane society overall.
"The way Egypt treats animals is a shame. The Giza Zoo is a national disgrace, Egypt has become known as a hub of the international illegal trade in wildlife, and the municipal policy of controlling street animal populations by shooting and poisoning is deplorable," Khalil said in the release. "At the root of all this is a not only systemic corruption but also policy failure, as Egypt is lacking even the basic animal welfare legislation that would enable the prosecution of violators."
As a new, democratic government is being constructed within Egypt, these organizations and their supporters have outlined specific (and likely controversial) demands, including launching investigations into corruptions at the Ministry of Agriculture and enacting legislation that will provide legal standards on how animals should be treated within the country. But while Egypt has a history of respecting — and even revering – animals like cats and camels, the current environment is a far cry from ancient times.
Whether or not the demands of these demonstrators will be met remains in question, but NewsFeed agrees with the group's effort to piggyback on the country's newly-united spirit. After all, if you're going to reform a nation, why stop at its human citizens?
http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/04/11/new-protests-in-egypt-activists-to-picket-cairo-zoo-for-animal-rights/
Showing posts with label animal rights. Show all posts
Showing posts with label animal rights. Show all posts
Monday, April 18, 2011
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Animal Activists Aflutter Over Real-Piglet Piggy Bank
Larry Knowles
AOL News
(Nov. 12) -- Hey, kids, how'd you like to have a piggy bank made from an actual pig?
Well, now you can, courtesy of Vancouver, British Columbia, novelty retailer TheCheeky.com, which is offering authentic taxidermied piglet piggy banks for sale on its site.
And if you start saving now you might be able to afford one by the time you head off to college: the banks run a cool $4,000 each, with buyers required to put half the money up front.
Animal activists are squealing mad over the piglet bank, a custom piggy bank made from a real stuffed piglet. The product, which costs $4,000, is being offered by TheCheeky.com, a Canadian novelty retailer.
It should be noted, though, that the steep price is because of high production costs. According to TheCheeky co-owner Colin Hart, it takes 12 months to fill an order. First, the company has to find a piglet that has died of natural causes. Then it must have the animal taxidermied, which takes about six months.
To date, the retailer hasn't actually sold a piglet bank, but Hart told AOL News that TheCheeky has received a huge amount of interest in the past week.
A large part of that interest stems from the outcry the bank created after it appeared in Vancouver magazine's 2010 Holiday gift guide published in early November. Animal activists quickly noticed and organized a call to action.
Two days ago, the Winnipeg Humane Society posted a message on its site titled "Speak Out Against Taxidermied Piggy Bank." The society called the piglet bank "a particularly callous and demeaning exploitation of a baby animal's dead body" and instructed activists to e-mail complaints to Vancouver magazine.
Representatives for the humane society could not be reached for comment.
TheCheeky received even greater publicity when CNN reported on the controversy in its breaking-news blog. The glut of attention, Hart says, has brought 50,000 hits per day to TheCheeky.
"It's an oxymoron," Hart stated. "It's a big deal with all these activists, and then we get all the publicity for our site."
Hart is quick to point out that no pigs have been, or will be, killed to make the piglet bank.
"For some reason, people think we're breeding pigs with slots in their backs," he said. "Either these people are kids, or they're really, really special adults."
The 34-year-old Dubliner, who grew up on a farm in Ireland, also supports efforts to eliminate animal cruelty. He just thinks that the activists targeting him have it wrong.
"It's important for people to back up animals, who can't speak," he agreed, "but we're not killing any animals."
He believes the real argument isn't about cruelty to animals, but about taxidermy and whether preserving animals for aesthetic appeal is ethical.
Before the piglet bank brouhaha, Hart and business partner Ryan McCormick had been excitedly plugging their latest creation, Glory Hole stickers. The stickers can be slapped on the walls of bathroom stalls to give the impression that the occupant is being watched.
AOL News
(Nov. 12) -- Hey, kids, how'd you like to have a piggy bank made from an actual pig?
Well, now you can, courtesy of Vancouver, British Columbia, novelty retailer TheCheeky.com, which is offering authentic taxidermied piglet piggy banks for sale on its site.
And if you start saving now you might be able to afford one by the time you head off to college: the banks run a cool $4,000 each, with buyers required to put half the money up front.
Animal activists are squealing mad over the piglet bank, a custom piggy bank made from a real stuffed piglet. The product, which costs $4,000, is being offered by TheCheeky.com, a Canadian novelty retailer.
It should be noted, though, that the steep price is because of high production costs. According to TheCheeky co-owner Colin Hart, it takes 12 months to fill an order. First, the company has to find a piglet that has died of natural causes. Then it must have the animal taxidermied, which takes about six months.
To date, the retailer hasn't actually sold a piglet bank, but Hart told AOL News that TheCheeky has received a huge amount of interest in the past week.
A large part of that interest stems from the outcry the bank created after it appeared in Vancouver magazine's 2010 Holiday gift guide published in early November. Animal activists quickly noticed and organized a call to action.
Two days ago, the Winnipeg Humane Society posted a message on its site titled "Speak Out Against Taxidermied Piggy Bank." The society called the piglet bank "a particularly callous and demeaning exploitation of a baby animal's dead body" and instructed activists to e-mail complaints to Vancouver magazine.
Representatives for the humane society could not be reached for comment.
TheCheeky received even greater publicity when CNN reported on the controversy in its breaking-news blog. The glut of attention, Hart says, has brought 50,000 hits per day to TheCheeky.
"It's an oxymoron," Hart stated. "It's a big deal with all these activists, and then we get all the publicity for our site."
Hart is quick to point out that no pigs have been, or will be, killed to make the piglet bank.
"For some reason, people think we're breeding pigs with slots in their backs," he said. "Either these people are kids, or they're really, really special adults."
The 34-year-old Dubliner, who grew up on a farm in Ireland, also supports efforts to eliminate animal cruelty. He just thinks that the activists targeting him have it wrong.
"It's important for people to back up animals, who can't speak," he agreed, "but we're not killing any animals."
He believes the real argument isn't about cruelty to animals, but about taxidermy and whether preserving animals for aesthetic appeal is ethical.
Before the piglet bank brouhaha, Hart and business partner Ryan McCormick had been excitedly plugging their latest creation, Glory Hole stickers. The stickers can be slapped on the walls of bathroom stalls to give the impression that the occupant is being watched.
Animal Activists Aflutter Over Real-Piglet Piggy Bank
Larry Knowles
AOL News
(Nov. 12) -- Hey, kids, how'd you like to have a piggy bank made from an actual pig?
Well, now you can, courtesy of Vancouver, British Columbia, novelty retailer TheCheeky.com, which is offering authentic taxidermied piglet piggy banks for sale on its site.
And if you start saving now you might be able to afford one by the time you head off to college: the banks run a cool $4,000 each, with buyers required to put half the money up front.
Animal activists are squealing mad over the piglet bank, a custom piggy bank made from a real stuffed piglet. The product, which costs $4,000, is being offered by TheCheeky.com, a Canadian novelty retailer.
It should be noted, though, that the steep price is because of high production costs. According to TheCheeky co-owner Colin Hart, it takes 12 months to fill an order. First, the company has to find a piglet that has died of natural causes. Then it must have the animal taxidermied, which takes about six months.
To date, the retailer hasn't actually sold a piglet bank, but Hart told AOL News that TheCheeky has received a huge amount of interest in the past week.
A large part of that interest stems from the outcry the bank created after it appeared in Vancouver magazine's 2010 Holiday gift guide published in early November. Animal activists quickly noticed and organized a call to action.
Two days ago, the Winnipeg Humane Society posted a message on its site titled "Speak Out Against Taxidermied Piggy Bank." The society called the piglet bank "a particularly callous and demeaning exploitation of a baby animal's dead body" and instructed activists to e-mail complaints to Vancouver magazine.
Representatives for the humane society could not be reached for comment.
TheCheeky received even greater publicity when CNN reported on the controversy in its breaking-news blog. The glut of attention, Hart says, has brought 50,000 hits per day to TheCheeky.
"It's an oxymoron," Hart stated. "It's a big deal with all these activists, and then we get all the publicity for our site."
Hart is quick to point out that no pigs have been, or will be, killed to make the piglet bank.
"For some reason, people think we're breeding pigs with slots in their backs," he said. "Either these people are kids, or they're really, really special adults."
The 34-year-old Dubliner, who grew up on a farm in Ireland, also supports efforts to eliminate animal cruelty. He just thinks that the activists targeting him have it wrong.
"It's important for people to back up animals, who can't speak," he agreed, "but we're not killing any animals."
He believes the real argument isn't about cruelty to animals, but about taxidermy and whether preserving animals for aesthetic appeal is ethical.
Before the piglet bank brouhaha, Hart and business partner Ryan McCormick had been excitedly plugging their latest creation, Glory Hole stickers. The stickers can be slapped on the walls of bathroom stalls to give the impression that the occupant is being watched.
AOL News
(Nov. 12) -- Hey, kids, how'd you like to have a piggy bank made from an actual pig?
Well, now you can, courtesy of Vancouver, British Columbia, novelty retailer TheCheeky.com, which is offering authentic taxidermied piglet piggy banks for sale on its site.
And if you start saving now you might be able to afford one by the time you head off to college: the banks run a cool $4,000 each, with buyers required to put half the money up front.
Animal activists are squealing mad over the piglet bank, a custom piggy bank made from a real stuffed piglet. The product, which costs $4,000, is being offered by TheCheeky.com, a Canadian novelty retailer.
It should be noted, though, that the steep price is because of high production costs. According to TheCheeky co-owner Colin Hart, it takes 12 months to fill an order. First, the company has to find a piglet that has died of natural causes. Then it must have the animal taxidermied, which takes about six months.
To date, the retailer hasn't actually sold a piglet bank, but Hart told AOL News that TheCheeky has received a huge amount of interest in the past week.
A large part of that interest stems from the outcry the bank created after it appeared in Vancouver magazine's 2010 Holiday gift guide published in early November. Animal activists quickly noticed and organized a call to action.
Two days ago, the Winnipeg Humane Society posted a message on its site titled "Speak Out Against Taxidermied Piggy Bank." The society called the piglet bank "a particularly callous and demeaning exploitation of a baby animal's dead body" and instructed activists to e-mail complaints to Vancouver magazine.
Representatives for the humane society could not be reached for comment.
TheCheeky received even greater publicity when CNN reported on the controversy in its breaking-news blog. The glut of attention, Hart says, has brought 50,000 hits per day to TheCheeky.
"It's an oxymoron," Hart stated. "It's a big deal with all these activists, and then we get all the publicity for our site."
Hart is quick to point out that no pigs have been, or will be, killed to make the piglet bank.
"For some reason, people think we're breeding pigs with slots in their backs," he said. "Either these people are kids, or they're really, really special adults."
The 34-year-old Dubliner, who grew up on a farm in Ireland, also supports efforts to eliminate animal cruelty. He just thinks that the activists targeting him have it wrong.
"It's important for people to back up animals, who can't speak," he agreed, "but we're not killing any animals."
He believes the real argument isn't about cruelty to animals, but about taxidermy and whether preserving animals for aesthetic appeal is ethical.
Before the piglet bank brouhaha, Hart and business partner Ryan McCormick had been excitedly plugging their latest creation, Glory Hole stickers. The stickers can be slapped on the walls of bathroom stalls to give the impression that the occupant is being watched.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Shelters' new rules on strays have towns scrambling
When the Delaware County SPCA recently served notice that starting in July, it will no longer accept stray cats and dogs from the county's49 municipalities, it joined a growing list of shelters across the state - and country - that have made the same choice.
Six other animal shelters in Pennsylvania, including those in Berks and Lancaster Counties and one in Harrisburg, have made similar decisions as they try to cut back on euthanizing animals and focus on education, addressing overpopulation, animal abuse, and animal rights.
The change has created a dilemma for hundreds of townships that must find a new way to deal with stray animals, said Sue West, director of the state Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement.
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/front_page/20101101_Shelters__new_rules_on_strays_have_towns_scrambling.html
Six other animal shelters in Pennsylvania, including those in Berks and Lancaster Counties and one in Harrisburg, have made similar decisions as they try to cut back on euthanizing animals and focus on education, addressing overpopulation, animal abuse, and animal rights.
The change has created a dilemma for hundreds of townships that must find a new way to deal with stray animals, said Sue West, director of the state Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement.
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/front_page/20101101_Shelters__new_rules_on_strays_have_towns_scrambling.html
Shelters' new rules on strays have towns scrambling
When the Delaware County SPCA recently served notice that starting in July, it will no longer accept stray cats and dogs from the county's49 municipalities, it joined a growing list of shelters across the state - and country - that have made the same choice.
Six other animal shelters in Pennsylvania, including those in Berks and Lancaster Counties and one in Harrisburg, have made similar decisions as they try to cut back on euthanizing animals and focus on education, addressing overpopulation, animal abuse, and animal rights.
The change has created a dilemma for hundreds of townships that must find a new way to deal with stray animals, said Sue West, director of the state Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement.
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/front_page/20101101_Shelters__new_rules_on_strays_have_towns_scrambling.html
Six other animal shelters in Pennsylvania, including those in Berks and Lancaster Counties and one in Harrisburg, have made similar decisions as they try to cut back on euthanizing animals and focus on education, addressing overpopulation, animal abuse, and animal rights.
The change has created a dilemma for hundreds of townships that must find a new way to deal with stray animals, said Sue West, director of the state Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement.
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/front_page/20101101_Shelters__new_rules_on_strays_have_towns_scrambling.html
Monday, August 23, 2010
Spain anti-bullfighting groups protest in Bilbao
Sunday August 22, 06:43 AM
MADRID (Reuters) - About 100 almost naked anti-bullfighting campaigners lay down outside the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao on Saturday in a protest coinciding with the start of the northern Spanish city's annual bullfight festival.
The demonstration followed the Catalan parliament's decision last month to ban bullfighting in that region from 2012, outlawing the centuries-old spectacle for the first time in mainland Spain.
The activists from the animal welfare groups AnimaNaturalis, Equanimal and CAS International lay down in the shape of a bull, their bodies smeared with black or red paint to simulate blood.
"Catalonia has been the first Spanish region to ban bullfighting and will be an example for others," said Aida Gascon, director of AnimaNaturalis in Spain.
The Catalan move was seen as partly driven by separatist sentiment in a region which is keen to differentiate itself from Spain.
Bilbao is the main city in Spain's Basque Country, which also has a fervent separatist movement but a strong bullfighting tradition. Over the nine-day Bilbao festival, Spain's top matadors will kill 54 bulls.
The bulllight debate was enlivened this week at a festival in the small Navarran town of Tafalla, when a bull vaulted over the ring's barrier into the crowd and hurt about 40 spectators before it was brought under control.
(Reporting by Judy MacInnes and Jesus Buitrago; Editing by Angus MacSwan)
http://nz.entertainment.yahoo.com/100821/5/l2wo.html
MADRID (Reuters) - About 100 almost naked anti-bullfighting campaigners lay down outside the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao on Saturday in a protest coinciding with the start of the northern Spanish city's annual bullfight festival.
The demonstration followed the Catalan parliament's decision last month to ban bullfighting in that region from 2012, outlawing the centuries-old spectacle for the first time in mainland Spain.
The activists from the animal welfare groups AnimaNaturalis, Equanimal and CAS International lay down in the shape of a bull, their bodies smeared with black or red paint to simulate blood.
"Catalonia has been the first Spanish region to ban bullfighting and will be an example for others," said Aida Gascon, director of AnimaNaturalis in Spain.
The Catalan move was seen as partly driven by separatist sentiment in a region which is keen to differentiate itself from Spain.
Bilbao is the main city in Spain's Basque Country, which also has a fervent separatist movement but a strong bullfighting tradition. Over the nine-day Bilbao festival, Spain's top matadors will kill 54 bulls.
The bulllight debate was enlivened this week at a festival in the small Navarran town of Tafalla, when a bull vaulted over the ring's barrier into the crowd and hurt about 40 spectators before it was brought under control.
(Reporting by Judy MacInnes and Jesus Buitrago; Editing by Angus MacSwan)
http://nz.entertainment.yahoo.com/100821/5/l2wo.html
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Animal rights group joins investigation of dog shooting in Anne Arundel County
SEVERN, Md. - A make-shift memorial now adorns the Quail Run Dog Park in Severn where a federal police officer opened fire on the Husky named “Bear Bear” after it got into a tussle with his German shepherd.
"He should have had the proper training to know how to de-escalate a situation and not to escalate,” said the Husky’s owner, Rachel Reitaliata, “and there are so many avenues he could have taken instead of pulling out a weapon and shooting a dog."
The case has drawn national attention, so it should come as no surprise that the Humane Society of the United States, headquartered in the nation’s capitol, took notice.
--
full story:
http://www.abc2news.com/dpp/news/region/anne_arundel_county_/animal-rights-group-joins-investigation-of-dog-shooting-in-anne-arundel-county
"He should have had the proper training to know how to de-escalate a situation and not to escalate,” said the Husky’s owner, Rachel Reitaliata, “and there are so many avenues he could have taken instead of pulling out a weapon and shooting a dog."
The case has drawn national attention, so it should come as no surprise that the Humane Society of the United States, headquartered in the nation’s capitol, took notice.
--
full story:
http://www.abc2news.com/dpp/news/region/anne_arundel_county_/animal-rights-group-joins-investigation-of-dog-shooting-in-anne-arundel-county
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Road kill used to make sporrans
5 August 2010A Scottish taxidermist is using animals knocked down and killed on roads to make sporrans.
Kate Macpherson, of Beauly, Inverness-shire, has collected badgers, foxes, deer and stoats from verges.
But she has been criticised by animal welfare campaigners who say she is encouraging the use of animals for clothing.
Mrs Macpherson said she was inspired by the the badger skin sporran worn by her father's Army regiment.
"If I didn't pick up these animals they would be rotting in a ditch," she said.
"I'm creating something useful from them rather than allowing their beauty to be wasted."
The mother-of-three's friends and neighbours tip her off on the location of road kills.
Mrs Macpherson, who trained in taxidermy when she was 22, has licences to handle protected animals, but has faced complaints from animal welfare groups.
Lynda Korimboccus, head of the Scottish Animal Rights Alliance, said the use of the animals - even if they were killed on a road - was wrong.
She added: "Using a dead animal for clothing perpetuates the idea that that's what animals are for."
http://web.orange.co.uk/article/quirkies/Road_kill_used_to_make_sporrans
Monday, July 26, 2010
Dead animal beer bottles at £500 each 'perverse'
A beer served in bottles made from stuffed animals has been criticised as "perverse" and "pushing the boundaries of acceptability".The End of History, made by BrewDog of Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire, is 55% and £500 a bottle. The bottles have been made using seven dead stoats, four squirrels and a hare, said to be roadkill. However, Advocates for Animals and Alcohol Focus Scotland both condemned the marketing. BrewDog claims the beer is the world's strongest and most expensive.
Its co-founder James Watt said: "We want to show people there is an alternative to monolithic corporate beers, introduce them to a completely new approach to beer and elevate the status of beer in our culture." Advocates for Animals policy director Libby Anderson told the BBC Scotland news website: "It's pointless and it's very negative to use dead animals when we should be celebrating live animals.
"This seems to be a perverse idea.
"It's just bad thinking about animals, people should learn to respect them, rather than using them for some stupid marketing gimmick." She added: "I think the public would not waste £500 on something so gruesome and just ignore it." Barbara O'Donnell, director of services at Alcohol Focus Scotland, said: "This is another example of this company pushing the boundaries of acceptability all in the pursuit of cheap marketing tactics."
Controversial BrewDog has previously been criticised for 32% and 41% strength beers.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
MORE ON THE LION BURGER SCANDAL
PHOENIX — A restaurant owner who put lion burgers on the menu in honor of the World Cup has felt a roar of anger from outraged animal rights activists. Cameron Selogie, owner of the Il Vinaio restaurant in Mesa, served burgers made with African lion this week as a nod to the tournament in South Africa. Reservations sold out, with a waiting list 100 long. But the burgers also attracted international attention and the scorn of animal rights activists, who picketed outside the restaurant. Selogie has even received some death threats. And now Selogie himself is questioning whether the meat was fair game.
-- full story:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5je5uSiXkvVCGXxXUQRfHt0N9TyegD9GIHC900
-- full story:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5je5uSiXkvVCGXxXUQRfHt0N9TyegD9GIHC900
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Is it legal to eat lions? (Via D R Shoop)
http://money.cnn.com/2010/06/23/smallbusiness/world_cup_lion_burger/index.htm?hpt=C2
A small Arizona restaurant found itself at the center of a nationwide backlash that included a bomb threat after it announced plans to offer lion burgers this week as part of a World Cup promotion. But following the supply chain back to the mom-and-pop butcher that processed the alleged lion meat turns up an even more bizarre tale.
The story started when Cameron Selogie, owner of Il Vinaio restaurant in Mesa, Ariz., bought about 10 pounds of so-called African lion meat, planning to mix it with ground beef to make burgers honoring the FIFA World Cup's South African location. Selogie sent an e-mail newsletter to his restaurant's patrons advertising the special.
That newsletter -- which was the sole publicity Selogie had planned -- exploded into a media blitz when one of the e-mail recipients turned out to be an animal activist.
She spread word to a local TV station, and the news has since circled the globe, even garnering a brief write-up in the online version of London's Daily Telegraph. Lion burgers are an attention-grabbing idea, but it raises the question: How, exactly, does an Arizona restaurant manage to get its hands on African lion meat?
Welcome to the mysterious world of back-alley exotic meat purveyance.
Selogie said he bought the meat through a Phoenix distributor, Gourmet Imports-Wild Game -- a one-man operation owned by Rick Worrilow. Selogie says he did his research, and was told that the meat came from a free-range farm in Illinois that is regulated by the United States Department of Agriculture.
Meanwhile, Worrilow, who essentially serves as a middleman between farms, meat processors and restaurants, also said the meat came from a completely legal plant in Illinois. And even though he didn't know the name of that plant, Worrilow said he was confident that the meat was inspected by federal regulators. So where's this supposed African lion farm in Illinois?
Well, here's one clue: When the meat arrived at Il Vinaio on Tuesday evening, Selogie said it came in packaging with the name "Czimer's Game & Sea Foods." Czimer isn't a free-range farm. It's a butcher shop located just outside of Chicago in Homer Glen, Ill.
Lions, ligers and bears ...
Czimer's website advertises standard wild game: pheasants, quail, ducks, venison, buffalo and so on. But then, sprinkled through the product list, some wilder offerings pop up. Like llama leg roasts. Or camel cutlets.
And African lion meat. You can snag it in shoulder roast, steak, tenderloin or burger form -- or, for a bargain, try the ribs at $10 a pound.
So where does Richard Czimer, the company's owner, get these lions?
The meat is the byproduct of a skinning operation owned by another man, Czimer said in an interview with CNNMoney.com. He declined to name that gentleman. "This man buys and sells animals for the skin, and when I need something and he has ability to get it, I will bargain for the meat. It's a byproduct," he said. And where does that mystery man get the lions? "I wouldn't have any idea," said Czimer, who operates a small retail store in addition to his wholesale business. "He has his sources, and I do not infringe on his business, just as he does not infringe on mine."
He's willing to take a hands-off approach: "Do you question where chickens come from when you go to Brown's Chicken or Boston Market?" he asked. Czimer's exotic-meat dealings have landed him in hot water before. Back in 2003, Chicago newspapers covered his conviction and six-month prison sentence for selling meat from federally protected tigers and leopards. Czimer admitted to purchasing the carcasses of 16 tigers, four lions, two mountain lions and one liger -- a tiger-lion hybrid -- which were skinned, butchered and sold as "lion meat," for a profit of more than $38,000.
His supply chain may be murky, but like the Arizona restaurateur and the meat salesman, he expressed total certainty that his lion meat is USDA-approved and thoroughly inspected by regulators before it reaches his processing plant.
But here's a twist: The USDA says it doesn't inspect lions bred for meat. That's the job of the Food and Drug Administration. Is it legal to eat lions? Yes, according to the FDA's communications team. The African lion isn't currently a federally protected endangered species and it qualifies as a game meat, FDA spokesman Michael Herndon said in an e-mail.
While the African lion is not considered endangered by U.S. regulators, it is classified as "threatened" by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, an international protection agreement.
As for Czimer, his shop is officially registered with the FDA and has been inspected by state regulators, Heardon said. Meanwhile, back in Arizona, Selogie is taking the protests in stride. He plans to have bins of ice water outside for picketers who brave Arizona's 100-degree heat to protest as he serves up the burgers on Wednesday and Thursday night.
"I do feel bad that people are so concerned about this. But for most people, this is the king of the jungle and that's the only reason they can give me for their concern," he said. "We're not doing anything to endanger the species."
A small Arizona restaurant found itself at the center of a nationwide backlash that included a bomb threat after it announced plans to offer lion burgers this week as part of a World Cup promotion. But following the supply chain back to the mom-and-pop butcher that processed the alleged lion meat turns up an even more bizarre tale.
The story started when Cameron Selogie, owner of Il Vinaio restaurant in Mesa, Ariz., bought about 10 pounds of so-called African lion meat, planning to mix it with ground beef to make burgers honoring the FIFA World Cup's South African location. Selogie sent an e-mail newsletter to his restaurant's patrons advertising the special.
That newsletter -- which was the sole publicity Selogie had planned -- exploded into a media blitz when one of the e-mail recipients turned out to be an animal activist.
She spread word to a local TV station, and the news has since circled the globe, even garnering a brief write-up in the online version of London's Daily Telegraph. Lion burgers are an attention-grabbing idea, but it raises the question: How, exactly, does an Arizona restaurant manage to get its hands on African lion meat?
Welcome to the mysterious world of back-alley exotic meat purveyance.
Selogie said he bought the meat through a Phoenix distributor, Gourmet Imports-Wild Game -- a one-man operation owned by Rick Worrilow. Selogie says he did his research, and was told that the meat came from a free-range farm in Illinois that is regulated by the United States Department of Agriculture.
Meanwhile, Worrilow, who essentially serves as a middleman between farms, meat processors and restaurants, also said the meat came from a completely legal plant in Illinois. And even though he didn't know the name of that plant, Worrilow said he was confident that the meat was inspected by federal regulators. So where's this supposed African lion farm in Illinois?
Well, here's one clue: When the meat arrived at Il Vinaio on Tuesday evening, Selogie said it came in packaging with the name "Czimer's Game & Sea Foods." Czimer isn't a free-range farm. It's a butcher shop located just outside of Chicago in Homer Glen, Ill.
Lions, ligers and bears ...
Czimer's website advertises standard wild game: pheasants, quail, ducks, venison, buffalo and so on. But then, sprinkled through the product list, some wilder offerings pop up. Like llama leg roasts. Or camel cutlets.
And African lion meat. You can snag it in shoulder roast, steak, tenderloin or burger form -- or, for a bargain, try the ribs at $10 a pound.
So where does Richard Czimer, the company's owner, get these lions?
The meat is the byproduct of a skinning operation owned by another man, Czimer said in an interview with CNNMoney.com. He declined to name that gentleman. "This man buys and sells animals for the skin, and when I need something and he has ability to get it, I will bargain for the meat. It's a byproduct," he said. And where does that mystery man get the lions? "I wouldn't have any idea," said Czimer, who operates a small retail store in addition to his wholesale business. "He has his sources, and I do not infringe on his business, just as he does not infringe on mine."
He's willing to take a hands-off approach: "Do you question where chickens come from when you go to Brown's Chicken or Boston Market?" he asked. Czimer's exotic-meat dealings have landed him in hot water before. Back in 2003, Chicago newspapers covered his conviction and six-month prison sentence for selling meat from federally protected tigers and leopards. Czimer admitted to purchasing the carcasses of 16 tigers, four lions, two mountain lions and one liger -- a tiger-lion hybrid -- which were skinned, butchered and sold as "lion meat," for a profit of more than $38,000.
His supply chain may be murky, but like the Arizona restaurateur and the meat salesman, he expressed total certainty that his lion meat is USDA-approved and thoroughly inspected by regulators before it reaches his processing plant.
But here's a twist: The USDA says it doesn't inspect lions bred for meat. That's the job of the Food and Drug Administration. Is it legal to eat lions? Yes, according to the FDA's communications team. The African lion isn't currently a federally protected endangered species and it qualifies as a game meat, FDA spokesman Michael Herndon said in an e-mail.
While the African lion is not considered endangered by U.S. regulators, it is classified as "threatened" by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, an international protection agreement.
As for Czimer, his shop is officially registered with the FDA and has been inspected by state regulators, Heardon said. Meanwhile, back in Arizona, Selogie is taking the protests in stride. He plans to have bins of ice water outside for picketers who brave Arizona's 100-degree heat to protest as he serves up the burgers on Wednesday and Thursday night.
"I do feel bad that people are so concerned about this. But for most people, this is the king of the jungle and that's the only reason they can give me for their concern," he said. "We're not doing anything to endanger the species."
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Graphic anti-whaling video released in protest of 'whale hunting plans'
A graphic anti-whaling video featuring Alice Dellal, the British model, appearing to paint with whale blood has been released, ahead of a key international meeting that could allow limited commercial whaling.
By Andrew Hough
Published: 7:00AM BST 16 Jun 2010
The one minute 21 second protest video, which has been posted on YouTube, was released by campaigners ahead of next week’s International Whaling Commission gathering in Agadir, Morocco.
Members of the international body, which regulates whaling, will meet to consider a controversial plan to legitimise the practice for the first time in a quarter of a century.
It is expected the 88 member nation body will approve a compromise between pro and anti-whaling countries, which could include allowing commercial whaling on a limited scale.
Conservationists fear any overturning of the ban on hunting whales could “potentially open the floodgates to whaling across the globe once again”. Britain is a strong supporter of the whaling ban.
On Tuesday, the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS) released the video in protest against the controversial practice.
It also started an online petition, where protest messages will be sent to world leaders who favour overturning the ban, including Barack Obama, the US President.
The video, narrated by Christopher Eccleston, the former Doctor Who star, shows Miss Dellal, 22, painting a wall with a brush that appears to be soaked in whale blood and animal body parts.
Miss Dellal, also a socialite who has been dubbed the new Kate Moss, said she was happy to lend her name to the short film.
“The whole thing (whaling) just sounds so wrong to me,” she said.
Profit-driven whale hunting has been banned for 25 years and international trade in whales or whale parts is forbidden under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.
Japan, Norway and Iceland, the three countries which still hunt whales, have used loopholes in the moratorium to continue to track and kill the animals.
Japanese ministers on Tuesday threatened to pull out of commission if no progress was made to ease the banning.
It is estimated around 35,000 whales have been slaughtered since the ban was introduced in 1986.
Japan particularly hunts whales under the legal loophole that allows killing of the ocean giants for "scientific research" despite failing to hide the fact whale meat is sold in shops and restaurants throughout the country.
Japan targets culling up to 935 whales in the Antarctic each year although it was able to catch only about half of that number in its latest hunt because of harassment by militant anti-whaling activists.
But under the IWC draft proposal, the three countries would reduce their whale kills over the next decade, subject to tight monitoring, with Japan eventually cutting its Antarctic whale culls by three-quarters.
The whaling states would each be granted annual kill quotas through 2020, totalling nearly 12,000 specimens, in return giving up the right to invoke unilateral exemptions.
The 10-year deal is designed to create a pressure-free zone for hammering out a durable agreement.
But anti-whaling groups fear it will legitimate commercial hunting and provide an incentive to push for an overturn of the ban once the decade-long deal expires.
They also warn that ending the moratorium will threaten the long-term survival of whale populations and will be a symbolic defeat for countries trying to preserve the endangered species.
Anti-whaling states, including Australia and New Zealand, have also called the proposed whaling quota system unacceptable.
It is thought that Britain's opposition to whaling will go uncounted because EU members of the IWC vote as a block and Denmark is expected to support lifting the ban.
“This deal is not in the interests of whales and means a return to a world of industrial whaling,” said Chris Butler-Stroud, the WDCS chief executive.
The Australian government has announced that it will take Japan to the International Court of Justice in The Hague in an attempt to stop whaling in the Southern Ocean.
Reports in the US have suggested the White House was leading a push within the commission to lift the ban on whaling against. Critics say Mr Obama was breaking a campaign promise to support such a lifting.
The US is said to have been concerned that if it blocks the plan, Japan will veto the renewal of IWC permission for small-scale whale catching by indigenous American peoples in Alaska.
Japan, which would be allowed to catch 120 whales a year under the plan, needs three quarters of the vote to lift the ban on whaling. It is thought it currently has support of just under half of the nations.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/7830002/Graphic-anti-whaling-video-released-in-protest-of-whale-hunting-plans.html
By Andrew Hough
Published: 7:00AM BST 16 Jun 2010
The one minute 21 second protest video, which has been posted on YouTube, was released by campaigners ahead of next week’s International Whaling Commission gathering in Agadir, Morocco.
Members of the international body, which regulates whaling, will meet to consider a controversial plan to legitimise the practice for the first time in a quarter of a century.
It is expected the 88 member nation body will approve a compromise between pro and anti-whaling countries, which could include allowing commercial whaling on a limited scale.
Conservationists fear any overturning of the ban on hunting whales could “potentially open the floodgates to whaling across the globe once again”. Britain is a strong supporter of the whaling ban.
On Tuesday, the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS) released the video in protest against the controversial practice.
It also started an online petition, where protest messages will be sent to world leaders who favour overturning the ban, including Barack Obama, the US President.
The video, narrated by Christopher Eccleston, the former Doctor Who star, shows Miss Dellal, 22, painting a wall with a brush that appears to be soaked in whale blood and animal body parts.
Miss Dellal, also a socialite who has been dubbed the new Kate Moss, said she was happy to lend her name to the short film.
“The whole thing (whaling) just sounds so wrong to me,” she said.
Profit-driven whale hunting has been banned for 25 years and international trade in whales or whale parts is forbidden under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.
Japan, Norway and Iceland, the three countries which still hunt whales, have used loopholes in the moratorium to continue to track and kill the animals.
Japanese ministers on Tuesday threatened to pull out of commission if no progress was made to ease the banning.
It is estimated around 35,000 whales have been slaughtered since the ban was introduced in 1986.
Japan particularly hunts whales under the legal loophole that allows killing of the ocean giants for "scientific research" despite failing to hide the fact whale meat is sold in shops and restaurants throughout the country.
Japan targets culling up to 935 whales in the Antarctic each year although it was able to catch only about half of that number in its latest hunt because of harassment by militant anti-whaling activists.
But under the IWC draft proposal, the three countries would reduce their whale kills over the next decade, subject to tight monitoring, with Japan eventually cutting its Antarctic whale culls by three-quarters.
The whaling states would each be granted annual kill quotas through 2020, totalling nearly 12,000 specimens, in return giving up the right to invoke unilateral exemptions.
The 10-year deal is designed to create a pressure-free zone for hammering out a durable agreement.
But anti-whaling groups fear it will legitimate commercial hunting and provide an incentive to push for an overturn of the ban once the decade-long deal expires.
They also warn that ending the moratorium will threaten the long-term survival of whale populations and will be a symbolic defeat for countries trying to preserve the endangered species.
Anti-whaling states, including Australia and New Zealand, have also called the proposed whaling quota system unacceptable.
It is thought that Britain's opposition to whaling will go uncounted because EU members of the IWC vote as a block and Denmark is expected to support lifting the ban.
“This deal is not in the interests of whales and means a return to a world of industrial whaling,” said Chris Butler-Stroud, the WDCS chief executive.
The Australian government has announced that it will take Japan to the International Court of Justice in The Hague in an attempt to stop whaling in the Southern Ocean.
Reports in the US have suggested the White House was leading a push within the commission to lift the ban on whaling against. Critics say Mr Obama was breaking a campaign promise to support such a lifting.
The US is said to have been concerned that if it blocks the plan, Japan will veto the renewal of IWC permission for small-scale whale catching by indigenous American peoples in Alaska.
Japan, which would be allowed to catch 120 whales a year under the plan, needs three quarters of the vote to lift the ban on whaling. It is thought it currently has support of just under half of the nations.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/7830002/Graphic-anti-whaling-video-released-in-protest-of-whale-hunting-plans.html
Friday, April 30, 2010
Wildlife TV 'ignores animal rights'
30 April 2010
Wildlife documentaries deny animals their "right to privacy", an academic has claimed.
Producers of nature shows ignore privacy ethics when considering the mechanics of filming, argues Brett Mills, of the University of East Anglia.
BBC show Nature's Great Events - narrated by Sir David Attenborough - was scrutinised in his research.
Dr Mills said: "Human notions of privacy which rest on ideas of location or activity are ignored in terms of animals. It doesn't matter what an animal does, or where it does it, it will be deemed fair game for the documentary."
Dr Mills, who published his study in Continuum: Journal Of Media And Cultural Studies, said: "Perhaps there is an argument for some species, in some circumstances, not to be filmed. At the moment it seems that such arguments are never put forward.
"It might at first seem odd to claim that animals might have a right to privacy. Privacy, as it is commonly understood, is a culturally human concept.
"The key idea is to think about animals in terms of the public/private distinction. We can never really know if animals are giving consent, but they often do engage in forms of behaviour which suggest they'd rather not encounter humans, and we might want to think about equating this with a desire for privacy.
"When confronted with such 'secretive' behaviour, the response of the wildlife documentary is to read it as a challenge to be overcome with the technologies of television. The question constantly posed by wildlife documentaries is how animals should be filmed: they never ask whether animals should be filmed at all."
A BBC spokeswoman defended the corporation's approach to wildlife filming. She said: "We are constantly developing filming technology which gives wildlife film-makers the ability to film animal behaviour with minimal disruption to the animal.
"Film-makers work very closely with scientists whose work studying the complexity of animal lives is vital for wildlife conservation."
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/21/20100430/tuk-wildlife-tv-ignores-animal-rights-6323e80.html
Wildlife documentaries deny animals their "right to privacy", an academic has claimed.
Producers of nature shows ignore privacy ethics when considering the mechanics of filming, argues Brett Mills, of the University of East Anglia.
BBC show Nature's Great Events - narrated by Sir David Attenborough - was scrutinised in his research.
Dr Mills said: "Human notions of privacy which rest on ideas of location or activity are ignored in terms of animals. It doesn't matter what an animal does, or where it does it, it will be deemed fair game for the documentary."
Dr Mills, who published his study in Continuum: Journal Of Media And Cultural Studies, said: "Perhaps there is an argument for some species, in some circumstances, not to be filmed. At the moment it seems that such arguments are never put forward.
"It might at first seem odd to claim that animals might have a right to privacy. Privacy, as it is commonly understood, is a culturally human concept.
"The key idea is to think about animals in terms of the public/private distinction. We can never really know if animals are giving consent, but they often do engage in forms of behaviour which suggest they'd rather not encounter humans, and we might want to think about equating this with a desire for privacy.
"When confronted with such 'secretive' behaviour, the response of the wildlife documentary is to read it as a challenge to be overcome with the technologies of television. The question constantly posed by wildlife documentaries is how animals should be filmed: they never ask whether animals should be filmed at all."
A BBC spokeswoman defended the corporation's approach to wildlife filming. She said: "We are constantly developing filming technology which gives wildlife film-makers the ability to film animal behaviour with minimal disruption to the animal.
"Film-makers work very closely with scientists whose work studying the complexity of animal lives is vital for wildlife conservation."
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/21/20100430/tuk-wildlife-tv-ignores-animal-rights-6323e80.html
Friday, March 12, 2010
PETA offers anti-meat trash cans for Colorado parks
Mar 11, 3:33 PM EST
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) -- The animal rights group PETA is offering to help the cash-strapped city of Colorado Springs by paying to put trash cans back in parks - on one condition. The cans have to carry an anti-meat slogan and a picture of a woman in a lettuce bikini.
The city stopped picking up trash in parks to save money, and all the trash cans have been removed.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals told city officials Wednesday they'd pay for new trash cans saying "Meat Trashes the Planet" and "Go Vegan." The cans also have PETA's logo and the lettuce-clad model.
Mayor Lionel Rivera says he'll consider the offer if it PETA also pays to have the trash picked up and hauled to the dump.
But he joked that the Colorado Beef Council might demand equal time.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_ODD_PETA_TRASH_CANS
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) -- The animal rights group PETA is offering to help the cash-strapped city of Colorado Springs by paying to put trash cans back in parks - on one condition. The cans have to carry an anti-meat slogan and a picture of a woman in a lettuce bikini.
The city stopped picking up trash in parks to save money, and all the trash cans have been removed.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals told city officials Wednesday they'd pay for new trash cans saying "Meat Trashes the Planet" and "Go Vegan." The cans also have PETA's logo and the lettuce-clad model.
Mayor Lionel Rivera says he'll consider the offer if it PETA also pays to have the trash picked up and hauled to the dump.
But he joked that the Colorado Beef Council might demand equal time.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_ODD_PETA_TRASH_CANS
Sunday, February 21, 2010
What Animals Can Teach Us About God
by Christine Lepisto, Berlin on 02.17.10
There is a new player in the animal rights game...one that could be a game changer. It seems that when the topic of animal rights comes up, emotions are stirred on all sides. Millions support the basic supposition of PETA that animals have rights. Some go to extremes bordering on terrorism against homo sapiens in the interest of protecting other species. And people often turn to religion to defend their position.
Does man have dominion over all that is created on Earth? Or is man the only animal that was ejected from the Garden of Eden -- thus the path to better knowledge of God leads through the animals? And what would Jesus eat? Now, there is team seeking to find the answers by integrating theology and science into a single philosophy: introducing the Institute for Theological Zoology.
Institute of Theological Zoology Established
Under the leadership of Rainer Hagencord and patronage of Jane Goodall, the Institute of Theological Zoology has set itself the goal of interpreting the position of animals in God's creation with a strong basis in both scienctific knowledge and theological foundation. Hagencord points out the alienation of man from animal with a quote from Rupert Sheldrakes:
There is a new player in the animal rights game...one that could be a game changer. It seems that when the topic of animal rights comes up, emotions are stirred on all sides. Millions support the basic supposition of PETA that animals have rights. Some go to extremes bordering on terrorism against homo sapiens in the interest of protecting other species. And people often turn to religion to defend their position.
Does man have dominion over all that is created on Earth? Or is man the only animal that was ejected from the Garden of Eden -- thus the path to better knowledge of God leads through the animals? And what would Jesus eat? Now, there is team seeking to find the answers by integrating theology and science into a single philosophy: introducing the Institute for Theological Zoology.
Institute of Theological Zoology Established
Under the leadership of Rainer Hagencord and patronage of Jane Goodall, the Institute of Theological Zoology has set itself the goal of interpreting the position of animals in God's creation with a strong basis in both scienctific knowledge and theological foundation. Hagencord points out the alienation of man from animal with a quote from Rupert Sheldrakes:
The animals that today live close to humans can be divided into two categories: One category is the pet that we spoil with feed, to which the second category has been made.
Hagencord came upon the idea for the Institute of Thological Zoology when he was working on his Ph.D thesis entitled "The animal: A Challenge for Christian Anthropology. Arguments for a Change of Perspectice from a Theological and Behavioural Biologist view."
Jesus Was Not a Vegetarian
The Instititute has certainly set itself into the middle of a raging battle. Is it possible to understand the scientific viewpoint, and re-interpret the Biblical writings in light of these discoveries? The conflicts drive Hagencord to seek answers. For example, how can we understand the animal world in relation to the Garden of Eden when we look at the condition of animals living in their own manure, never seeing the blue of sky, and suffering to breath under their own growth-hormone induced weight? Do animals have souls? And can a person with Christian views eat meat? On this point Hagencord does not hesitate. "The Biblical texts in this regard are clear: Jesus was not a vegetarian. But one must have reverence and ask how the animals that I eat have lived," he explained to a reporter for the Suddeutsche Zeitung (German).
More on biology and theology:
- Animals Blessed in Madrid for Holiday of Patron Saint
- Environmentalism: Movement, Philosophy, Ethic, or What?
- Will "Green Religion" Save Us or Sink Us?
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/02/what-animals-can-teach-about-god.php?campaign=th_rss_travel
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Monday, December 21, 2009
India's 'last' dancing bear freed
Sunday, 20 December 2009An animal rights charity from East Sussex says it has made history by freeing the last dancing bear in India.
See video at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/8423504.stm
Monday, December 7, 2009
Friday, June 19, 2009
Animal kills by federal agency more than double
http://www.app.com/article/20090618/NEWS/90618017/-1/FRONTTABS01/Animal+kills+by+federal+agency+more+than+double
Animal kills by federal agency more than double
By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN . Associated Press Writer . June 18, 2009
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- The number of animals poisoned, shot or snared by the U.S. Department of Agriculture more than doubled last year, and environmentalists who are critical of the killings are renewing their effort to cut the program's funding.
The USDA's Wildlife Services division killed more than 4.9 million animals during the 2008 fiscal year, some of them pests that threaten crops. That's more than double the 2.4 million animals killed the previous year, but the agency contends the increase is due to more accurate counting methods.
Wildlife Services, which released the annual death count last week, reported that 90 percent of animals killed in 2008 included crows, blackbirds, magpies and three species of invasive birds: European starlings, sparrows and pigeons.
Other animals included the nonnative Coqui frog in Hawaii, gray wolves in the Rocky Mountains and jackrabbits in New Mexico.
Agency spokeswoman Carol Bannerman said the agency is charged by Congress to respond to individuals and government agencies that are having problems with wildlife, including invasive and nonnative species.
For example, she said the agency killed more than three dozen Gambian rats in Florida last year to ensure that the large rodents would not damage fruit and vegetable crops.
In other areas of the country, starlings that were eating the feed at dairies were removed. Bannerman said milk production can drop if dairy cows are not getting enough protein and that bird droppings can harbor bacteria and viruses that can make livestock sick.
Bannerman pointed to a project that began Monday in New York City that calls for removing up to 2,000 Canada geese from parks that are within a 5-mile radius of John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia Airport in an attempt to avoid the type of collision that forced an airliner to have to ditch in the Hudson River in January.
"It's something more than predator management," Bannerman said of the agency's mission.
But the environmental group WildEarth Guardians accuses Wildlife Services of "waging a war on wildlife" with taxpayer money. It was particularly concerned about the agency's use of the pesticide DRC-1339 to kill birds.
"Wildlife Services killed a record number of wildlife, including gray wolves, birds and other wildlife at a time when most Americans have deepened their commitment to conservation," said Wendy Keefover-Ring, the group's carnivore protection director.
The agency said the higher number was reported using a new computer model to more accurately estimate the number of birds removed from dairies, feedlots and agricultural fields where they were causing damage.
The modeling method stems from Wildlife Services' efforts to be more accurate, accountable and transparent, Bannerman said.
Wildlife Services was criticized in years past for its refusal to post the annual tally of animal kills until conservation groups reminded agency officials of an earlier federal court ruling requiring the agency to do so under the Freedom of Information Act.
When it comes to managing problem species, Wildlife Services said it will try to use non-lethal tactics such as getting local officials to enact no feeding policies at parks or encouraging airport managers to make their facilities less attractive to wildlife.
But Keefover-Ring argued that the agency has been indiscriminate in its use of trapping, shooting and poisoning animals.
"Literally, they are waging a war on wildlife," she said. "Year after year, we just roll
out these numbers and try to get people to pay attention to what's happening because they've operated for decades in absolute secrecy."
WildEarth Guardians has been meeting with congressional members in an effort to take away Wildlife Services' funding for lethal control.
Wildlife Services is funded by the federal government as well as by states, counties, agriculture groups and private property owners for whom it protects crops, livestock, golf courses, swimming pools and other property.
Bannerman said the agency's overall budget for 2008 was $120 million, with portions of that going toward research, predator control and protection of threatened and endangered species.
Animal kills by federal agency more than double
By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN . Associated Press Writer . June 18, 2009
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- The number of animals poisoned, shot or snared by the U.S. Department of Agriculture more than doubled last year, and environmentalists who are critical of the killings are renewing their effort to cut the program's funding.
The USDA's Wildlife Services division killed more than 4.9 million animals during the 2008 fiscal year, some of them pests that threaten crops. That's more than double the 2.4 million animals killed the previous year, but the agency contends the increase is due to more accurate counting methods.
Wildlife Services, which released the annual death count last week, reported that 90 percent of animals killed in 2008 included crows, blackbirds, magpies and three species of invasive birds: European starlings, sparrows and pigeons.
Other animals included the nonnative Coqui frog in Hawaii, gray wolves in the Rocky Mountains and jackrabbits in New Mexico.
Agency spokeswoman Carol Bannerman said the agency is charged by Congress to respond to individuals and government agencies that are having problems with wildlife, including invasive and nonnative species.
For example, she said the agency killed more than three dozen Gambian rats in Florida last year to ensure that the large rodents would not damage fruit and vegetable crops.
In other areas of the country, starlings that were eating the feed at dairies were removed. Bannerman said milk production can drop if dairy cows are not getting enough protein and that bird droppings can harbor bacteria and viruses that can make livestock sick.
Bannerman pointed to a project that began Monday in New York City that calls for removing up to 2,000 Canada geese from parks that are within a 5-mile radius of John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia Airport in an attempt to avoid the type of collision that forced an airliner to have to ditch in the Hudson River in January.
"It's something more than predator management," Bannerman said of the agency's mission.
But the environmental group WildEarth Guardians accuses Wildlife Services of "waging a war on wildlife" with taxpayer money. It was particularly concerned about the agency's use of the pesticide DRC-1339 to kill birds.
"Wildlife Services killed a record number of wildlife, including gray wolves, birds and other wildlife at a time when most Americans have deepened their commitment to conservation," said Wendy Keefover-Ring, the group's carnivore protection director.
The agency said the higher number was reported using a new computer model to more accurately estimate the number of birds removed from dairies, feedlots and agricultural fields where they were causing damage.
The modeling method stems from Wildlife Services' efforts to be more accurate, accountable and transparent, Bannerman said.
Wildlife Services was criticized in years past for its refusal to post the annual tally of animal kills until conservation groups reminded agency officials of an earlier federal court ruling requiring the agency to do so under the Freedom of Information Act.
When it comes to managing problem species, Wildlife Services said it will try to use non-lethal tactics such as getting local officials to enact no feeding policies at parks or encouraging airport managers to make their facilities less attractive to wildlife.
But Keefover-Ring argued that the agency has been indiscriminate in its use of trapping, shooting and poisoning animals.
"Literally, they are waging a war on wildlife," she said. "Year after year, we just roll
out these numbers and try to get people to pay attention to what's happening because they've operated for decades in absolute secrecy."
WildEarth Guardians has been meeting with congressional members in an effort to take away Wildlife Services' funding for lethal control.
Wildlife Services is funded by the federal government as well as by states, counties, agriculture groups and private property owners for whom it protects crops, livestock, golf courses, swimming pools and other property.
Bannerman said the agency's overall budget for 2008 was $120 million, with portions of that going toward research, predator control and protection of threatened and endangered species.
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