I haven’t been able to find this alert on IDA’s website in order to link to it, and seeing as the deadline for taking action is this Wednesday, September 9, I’ve copied it below in its entirety.

For more on the case, search for “Dennis Zeglin” on Google news or at www.pet-abuse.com.

In particular, I find this snippet from the Bleacher Report extremely disturbing:

Mikey the parrot was instead autopsied by a local veterinarian. His owner was then charged with several counts of animal cruelty.

Since the filing of the charges, Zeglin has gone into counseling for his drinking problem. His attorney has also applied for Morris County’s Pre-Trial Intervention Program, which offers probation for first time offenders.

Zeglin is due back in court on Sept. 9.

Until that time, the local police have advised him that the next time another family pet, like his Labrador Retriever, or a family member bothers him during a NASCAR race, he should call animal control or the police instead of reaching again for his BB gun.

After brutally slaughtering the family’s “pet” bird, the local authorities left another “pet,” a dog, in Zeglin’s care, with advice to “call animal control” the next time he’s drinking, angry, and in possession of firearms. Jeez, officers, you’re beginning to make me feel as though you don’t take animal abuse seriously. I mean, WTF!?

While it’s great that Zeglin has sought counseling for alcoholism, animal abuse should preclude him from “owning” nonhuman animals, at least in the near future. Should Zeglin relapse, who will bear the brunt of his rage the next time around?

Zeglin, by the by, is from Morris County, New Jersey; methinks the local police need to be schooled about animal abuse as well.

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: In Defense of Animals – idainfo [at] idausa.org
Date: Fri, Sep 4, 2009 at 1:16 PM
Subject: Man Shoots and Kills Companion Parrot – Your Calls Needed!

YOUR CALLS ARE URGENTLY NEEDED or Mikey’s cruel killer may get away with murder!

While Watching TV, New Jersey Man Shoots and Kills Companion Parrot.

Terrified Mikey who was isolated in a cage and had no way to escape, was Zeglin’s innocent target.

On June 7th 2009, 67 year old Dennis Zeglin brutally shot and killed his family’s African Grey parrot with a Daisy Powerline Model 93 C02-powered BB gun. His wife called police and animal control officers were summoned to investigate.

Dennis Zeglin admitted to animal control officers that he shot Mikey in his cage because the bird “irritated” him while he was watching the NASCAR races on TV. According to reports, Zeglin had been drinking and was intoxicated when he fired the three shots that killed Mikey. Since the animal cruelty charges were filed, Zeglin has been undergoing counseling for his alcoholism according to Zeglin’s Defense Attorney, Stephen Fletcher. Fletcher also claims that Zeglin is a first time offender and has applied for an Intervention Probationary Program. This may suggest that Mikey’s cruel assailant may get nothing more than a slap on the wrist for brutally murdering an innocent, and highly intelligent creature.

Undisputed, scientifically proven evidence supports the link between violence to humans and violence to animals and we believe that Zeglin’s violent act could have easily been directed toward a human family member or their family dog.

Every year millions of captive birds suffer from abuse and neglect like Mikey. It is estimated that the majority of captive birds suffer and die prematurely, secretly and silently behind closed doors, from horrendous abuse, malnutrition, and starvation, and live in deplorable conditions, with no hope for rescue. It is also estimated that the majority of captive birds who do survive, suffer an entire lifetime of agony and loneliness.

What You Can Do

PLEASE DEMAND JUSTICE FOR MIKEY NOW!

Let his story remind you that millions of captive birds need your help before they endure similar tragedies.

Please call Judge Thomas Manahan and politely let him know that there is no excuse for animal abuse and urge him to sentence Zeglin to the fullest extent of the law, incarcerating Zeglin for his cruelty. Also request that Zeglin be required to undergo counseling and attend humane education classes.

Your voice must be heard before Zeglin’s court hearing, which is set for September 9, 2009.

Contact Judge Thomas Manahan
RE: Dennis Zeglin
Case # 09001561
(973) 656-4050

Go to IDA’s Exotic Birds Campaign site for more information on the captive bird crisis.

About IDA

In Defense of Animals, located in San Rafael, Calif., is an international animal protection organization with more than 85,000 members and supporters dedicated to ending the abuse and exploitation of animals by protecting their rights and welfare. IDA’s efforts include educational events, cruelty investigations, boycotts, grassroots activism, and hands-on rescue through our sanctuaries in Mississippi, Mumbai, India, and Cameroon, Africa.

In Defense of Animals is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization. We welcome your feedback and appreciate your donations. Please join today! All donations to IDA are tax-deductible.

In Defense of Animals
3010 Kerner, San Rafael, CA 94901
Tel. (415) 448-0048 Fax (415) 454-1031
idainfo [at] idausa.org

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Photo via the Bleacher Report.

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Tagged: animals animal rights animal welfare action alerts in defense of animals ida animal abuse animal cruelty cruelty to animals pet companion animal animal companion bird pet bird parrot mikey Dennis Zeglin Morris County New Jersey NJ photo african grey parrot Thomas Manahan

On June 20th (that’s a week from this Saturday, folks), In Defense of Animals will be holding the first-ever International Day of Action for Elephants in Zoos (IDAEZ for short).

IDA describes IDAEZ as

a global event aimed at bringing mammoth attention to the plight of elephants in zoos and ending their suffering. On Saturday, June 20th, pro-elephant advocates will turn out en masse at their local zoos, holding outreach events and demonstrations to educate the public about the tragic effects of keeping elephants in small, impoverished zoo pens where they are suffering and dying prematurely.

Elephants are highly intelligent, complex and self-aware individuals who have evolved for long distance living. In the wild they range tens of miles a day, live in large, tight-knit family groups, and communicate with one another at great distances. Yet zoos keep elephants in tiny exhibits of a few acres or less, where lack of movement and standing on hard surfaces cause painful foot infections and arthritis, the leading causes of euthanasia in captive-held elephants. The stress and boredom of intensive captivity results in abnormal behaviors such as repetitive swaying and head bobbing. [...]

The elephants need your help! By participating in this event, you become part of a global community of pro-elephant advocates joined together on June 20th to end the suffering of elephants in zoos. We urge you to organize or join an event at your local zoo, write letters, educate your friends and family. It’s all about taking action. United, we are a powerful force for change!

Backed by an army of public relations personnel, the zoo industry has been largely successful in convincing the general public that zoos work for the public good: breeding endangered animal species which might otherwise go extinct; fostering in children a love and appreciation for nature and its inhabitants; throwing their weight behind sundry conservation efforts so that, one day, animals need not live in captivity for their species to survive. This is a lie.

Make no mistake: zoos are businesses. As such, their “exhibits” (read: sentient non-human animals) are determined more by popularity and ability to put asses in the seats than species survival and biological necessity. Once individual animals age and are no longer “cute,” or yesterday’s trendy species has gone the way of parachute pants, these animals may be sold to roadside zoos, “penned” or “canned” hunting facilities, collectors and the like. Lacking an interested buyer, “surplus” zoo animals might simply be “destroyed.” Additionally, maintaining wild animals in captivity is cost-prohibitive; t’would be more effective – and less expensive – to redirect a zoo’s annual operating costs towards habitat preservation, so that the members of these endangered species can live in the wild, where they’re more likely to thrive and reproduce of their own free will.

For additional information about the plight of animals confined to zoos, I highly recommend Joan Dunayer’s Animal Equality: Language and Liberation, which includes a chapter on the zoo industry (let’s just say that the language the industry employs to describe its practices is quite revealing of its collective attitudes and policies re: non-human animals), as well as this factsheet from Animal Rights Africa, which provides an excellent summary of the issue.

For information specific to elephants, see IDA’s The Truth About Zoos and Elephant Conservation; Elephant Life in U.S. – Zoos vs. Sanctuaries, also from IDA; and Puppy/Pachy Love, a post I wrote about Tara and Bella of The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee.

In that last piece, I compared the Kansas City Zoo – which was voted one of America’s best zoos in 2008 – to The Elephant Sanctuary (one guess which of the two came out on top). I also included two videos of Ned, who came to TES in November 2008:

On Saturday, November 8, an emaciated Asian male elephant named Ned was confiscated from Florida based circus trainer Lance Ramos by the USDA for failure to comply with the Animal Welfare Act and was placed by USDA authority with The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee. On Sunday, November 9th, at about 12:30 p.m., Ned arrived at The Elephant Sanctuary. Ned will reside only temporarily in his private facility at The Sanctuary until a permanent facility is ready for him.

Sadly, Ned succumbed to a lifetime of abuse, just six short months after finding freedom at TES:

Ned passed away May 15, 2009 at 3:47am CT in the company of a caregiver. He passed without a struggle, just two deep breaths and a sigh and then he was gone. We feel cheated by the little time we had with Ned but cherish every single moment we were allowed to care for and get to know this most amazing boy/man elephant known as Ned. We love you Ned, Namaste sweet boy.

In a press release, IDA blamed Ned’s death in part on the USDA:

Today’s tragic death of Ned, a 21-year old male elephant at The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee may have been prevented had the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) not waited until the elephant was at death’s door to confiscate him from an abusive trainer, the animal protection organization In Defense of Animals (IDA) charged today.

Similar inaction by the USDA, charged with enforcing the Animal Welfare Act (AWA), is jeopardizing the lives of other captive elephants, IDA said. Currently at risk is an emaciated elephant named Jewel, who continues to travel and perform in circuses despite her debilitated condition, her handler’s chronic violations of animal welfare law and her possible infection with the human form of tuberculosis.

“Ned had an absolutely tragic life and the USDA knew about his life-threatening situation almost a year before it acted to confiscate him,” said Elliot M. Katz, DVM, IDA president. “Despite The Elephant Sanctuary’s heroic efforts, it was too late for Ned. How many more elephants have to die before the USDA starts fulfilling its legal responsibility to enforce our nation’s animal welfare law?”

No being deserves to suffer like this; least of all for the amusement of another.

On that note, back to the International Day of Action for Elephants in Zoos.

IDA offers several ways to take action:

How you can get involved:

* Coordinate an event. Submit your event information here, and we’ll post it on our web site so others can join you on June 20 and help make your city’s IDAEZ event a huge success.

* Join an event. Check our events listing page to locate one near you (be sure to visit more than once as we’ll be adding more events up until June 20).

* Bring a friend or two to an IDAEZ event. Share information about the elephants’ plight with your family, friends and colleagues.

* Visit our web site for more ways you can help make the International Day of Action for Elephants in Zoos a success for the elephants.

* Hold an elephant awareness party. If you do not live near a zoo that holds elephants but are passionate about taking action on June 20, hold an elephant party to raise awareness and donations for IDA’s elephant campaign. Contact us for materials and suggested videos to share.

Cruelty can’t stand the spotlight. So please join IDA and compassionate people around the globe on Saturday, June 20, to help bring an end to the suffering of elephants in zoos.

For more information, visit www.helpelephants.com/ or contact IDAEZ Event Coordinator Melissa Gonzalez: Melissa [at] idausa.org or call 707-981-7701.

Likewise, please consider making a donation in Ned’s memory to The Elephant Sanctuary.

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Tagged: animals animal rights animal welfare action alerts ida in defense of animals zoos circuses elephants tes the elephant sanctuary tennessee International Day of Action for Elephants in Zoos IDAEZ events protest day of action ned abuse video video blogging you tube

Saturday marked the beginning of World Week for Animals in Laboratories (WWAIL), which is being held from April 18th through the 26th this year.

In addition to emailing the White House Office of Public Liason (OPL) (see below), you can find additional ways to take action at www.wwail.org. You can view a list of 2009 events here, or register your own. IDA helpfully provides a bevy of literature, posters and stickers for your events – no matter how big or small – which you can view and download here.

Striking at the Roots’ Mark Hawthorne also offers his suggestions for 5 Things You Can Do to Help Animals in Labs.

Are you participating in WWAIL? Share your action and outreach ideas in the comments!

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: In Defense of Animals
Date: Mon, Apr 20, 2009 at 11:31 AM
Subject: Take Action Today For World Week for Animals in Laboratories (WWAIL)

World Week for Animals in Laboratories (WWAIL) Is Here!

April 18 – 26 – Scroll down for an important message you should send to President Obama

In February 2009, under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) received an additional $10.4 billion in funding. This money is in addition to NIH’s 2009 budget of $30.3 billion.

Although technology has progressed and there is broad acknowledgment of the flaws of animal models, NIH funding for animal research has remained unchanged and the numbers of animals used has increased.

Please join IDA in contacting the White House Office of Public Liaison during World Week for Animals in Laboratories (WWAIL) to ask that the $10.4 billion in stimulus money be designated exclusively for non-animal research. Click here to read IDA’s letter to President Obama.

The terms of the stimulus money received by NIH require greater transparency and accountability to the public than routine appropriations. In addition, they must address a greater number of challenge areas, such as clinical research, genomics, information processing and stem cell research, among others. They are also subject to additional measures to prevent fraud and waste.

These challenge areas are ideal for the funding and expansion of non-animal methods. Increasingly, there is broad acknowledgement among scientists of the superiority of human-based research methods, like clinical research and tissue and organ cultures, which provide fully relevant results and do not suffer from the disparities of other species. This is where the future of biomedical research lies and as such, is where all of the $10.4 billion in stimulus money should be directed.

Further, in 1993, Congress passed the NIH Revitalization Act which mandated that the NIH implement a plan to “conduct or support research into methods of biomedical research and experimentation that do not require the use of animals,” as well as for reducing the number of animals used in research.

Despite this law, which was passed more than 15 years ago before the technological explosion that has included mapping of the human genome, widespread use of DNA microarrays and other paradigm-shifting advances – federal funding for grants using animals has remained constant at just over 40% of all grants.

Recent studies published in prestigious journals like Nature and The Chronicle of Higher Education have documented researchers themselves citing an “old boy’s network” at the helm of a fundamentally flawed federal research funding system that concentrates grant awards in the hands of a select number of aging “cash cow” researchers while leaving younger, innovative investigators struggling.

Please join IDA in speaking out during WWAIL, April 18 – 26 to ask that these monies go towards the future of cutting-edge biomedical research, rather than continuing to perpetuate outdated animals models.

Please send a message to the White House Office of Public Liason (OPL). The OPL uses a webform for public communication, rather than an actual e-mail address. So please visit this address, www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/opl/, then copy-and-paste the sample letter below into the web form. While you can use this sample letter verbatim, it will be more effective if you personalize it with your own thoughts.

Sample letter to send to White House Office of Public Liason (OPL):

I wholeheartedly support the Obama Administration’s commitment to eliminating government waste and improving efficiency. As part of this initiative, I urge you to allocate the $10.4 billion in stimulus money for National Institutes of Health (NIH) exclusively to non-animal methods. This is in keeping with the goals of the stimulus package to fund innovative and cutting edge areas of research. In addition, the 1993 NIH Revitalization Act mandated that the NIH implement a plan to “conduct or support research into methods of biomedical research and experimentation that do not require the use of animals.” Despite this law, funding for animal grants has not decreased over the past 16 years, and the numbers of animals used in laboratories has increased. This lack of initiative is driven by an “old boys’ network” in the NIH’s peer review system that promotes outdated animal research methods at the expense of innovative and modern human-centered methodologies. As scientific progress leads increasingly away from using animals to “model” uniquely human diseases, and as federal dollars for research become increasingly scarce, our nation can ill-afford a system that favors the status quo over effective, innovative and humane research. I urge you to promptly address this significant area of government waste by utilizing the stimulus money to fund only effective, non-animal research.

Thank you very much for your support!

About IDA

In Defense of Animals, located in San Rafael, Calif., is an international animal protection organization with more than 85,000 members and supporters dedicated to ending the abuse and exploitation of animals by protecting their rights and welfare. IDA’s efforts include educational events, cruelty investigations, boycotts, grassroots activism, and hands-on rescue through our sanctuaries in Mississippi, Mumbai, India, and Cameroon, Africa.

In Defense of Animals is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization. We welcome your feedback and appreciate your donations. Please join today! All donations to IDA are tax-deductible.

In Defense of Animals
3010 Kerner, San Rafael, CA 94901
Tel. (415) 448-0048 Fax (415) 454-1031
idainfo [at] idausa.org

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Tagged: animals animal rights animal welfare action alerts ida in defense of animals wwail World Week for Animals in Laboratories events animal testing animal research animal experimentation vivisection nih president obama stimulus flickr photos

FRIENDS OF KINSHIP CIRCLE ALERT – PERMISSION TO CROSSPOST

COMING SOON: Friends Of Kinship Circle Blog

LOOK FOR THE DEBUT OF OUR NEW BLOG, FRIENDS OF KINSHIP CIRCLE…
Where your alerts will reach a huge web readership. We’ll keep you posted!

Kinship Circle does not write/research these alerts. We’re not responsible for their accuracy. Please do NOT hit reply! Contact the source directly.

FRIENDS OF KINSHIP CIRCLE ALERT
1/9/09: Last Chance To Close L.A. Elephant Display & Free Billy

SOURCES / REPLY TO:

FOR QUESTIONS, CONTACT: zoos [at] idausa.org or 323-301-5730
Bettina, brosie96 [at] yahoo.com
Los Angeles Alliance for Elephants, davidkca [at] earthlink.net

BILLY’S LAST CHANCE

City Council member Tony Cardenas has presented a motion to stop the L.A. Zoo’s $42 million elephant exhibit renovation. Despite its mammoth expense to taxpayers, it still will not provide the space elephants need, and elephants will continue to suffer and die painfully and prematurely at the Zoo. Fifteen elephants have died at L.A. Zoo. More than half never lived to age 20. Elephants have a natural lifespan of 60-70 years.

We urgently need your help to close the L.A. Zoo elephant exhibit and send its lone elephant, Billy, to a sanctuary. We are so close to freeing him from his lonely existence in a miserable, barren zoo pen — please don’t let him down! This is our last chance to make a difference. There are two very important meetings next week + other actions to take:

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1. ARTS, PARKS, HEALTH AND AGING COMMITTEE MEETING

========================

WHEN: Wednesday, 1/14/09, 2:00pm (PST)
WHERE: L.A. City Hall / 200 N. Spring Street / Los Angeles, CA 90012
John Ferraro Council Chamber, Room 340

**THE TIME AND ROOM COULD CHANGE.
FOR UPDATES: http:/www.lacity.org
Council Calendar, right side page, under L.A. City Council

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2. FINAL L.A. CITY COUNCIL MEETING + VOTE ON ELEPHANT EXHIBIT

========================

WHEN: Friday, 1/16/09, 10:00am (PST)
WHERE: L.A. City Hall / 200 N. Spring Street / Los Angeles, CA 90012
John Ferraro Council Chamber, Room 340

SPEAK OUT: The public should be able to speak during public comment at the (1) Arts, Parks, Health & Aging Committee meeting. However, we are not sure if people will be allowed to present public comment at the final (2) City Council meeting. Please be prepared to speak for 1 minute during public
comment on the motion. Keep your comments concise, positive, and focused on your support for closing down the elephant exhibit and sending Billy to a sanctuary. Arrive early enough to complete a public comment card.

========================

3. ATTEND DEMO AND OUTREACH AT L.A. ZOO THIS WEEKEND

========================

Help educate the public about why the elephant exhibit must be shut down.

WHEN: Saturday, 1/10/09, 11:00am (PST)
WHERE: Los Angeles Zoo / 5333 Zoo Drive / L.A. (in Griffith Park)
MEET: In front of main entrance; parking is free
WHAT: Signs and flyers will be provided

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4. WRITE/CALL THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS NOW!

========================

TALKING POINTS

– The $42 million L.A. Zoo elephant exhibit is a waste of taxpayer money and won’t provide the space the elephants need.

– Too many elephants have suffered and died prematurely at L.A. Zoo, many due to painful health problems caused by inadequate conditions including
pens that are far too small.

– Billy has spent years in solitary confinement in a tiny zoo pen, where he bobs his head up and down, an abnormal behavior not seen in the wild.

– The City of Los Angeles has made great strides toward becoming more humane. Now it’s time to include elephants by closing the elephant exhibit
and sending Billy to a sanctuary as soon as possible.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa
Los Angeles City Hall
200 N. Spring St. / Los Angeles , CA 90012
ph: 213-978-0600; fax: 213-978-0750
email: mayor [at] lacity.org

EMAIL BLOCK — doesn’t show Councilmember Alarcon; use contact form below:

councilmember.reyes [at] lacity.org, councilmember.greuel [at] lacity.org, councilmember.zine [at] lacity.org, councilmember.labonge [at] lacity.org,
councilmember.weiss [at] lacity.org, councilmember.parks [at] lacity.org, councilmember.cardenas [at] lacity.org, jan.perry [at] lacity.org, councilmember.wesson [at] lacity.org, councilmember.rosendahl [at] lacity.org, councilmember.smith [at] lacity.org, councilmember.garcetti [at] lacity.org, councilmember.huizar [at] lacity.org, councilmember.hahn [at] lacity.org, mayor [at] lacity.org

District 1, Ed Reyes: councilmember.reyes [at] lacity.org
ph: 213-473-7001 / fax: 213-485-8907

District 2, Wendy Greuel: councilmember.greuel [at] lacity.org
ph: 213-473-7002 / fax: 213-680-7895

District 3, Dennis P. Zine: councilmember.zine [at] lacity.org
ph: 213-473-7003

District 4, Tom LaBonge: councilmember.labonge [at] lacity.org
ph: 213-473-7004 / fax: 213-624-7810

District 5, Jack Weiss: councilmember.weiss [at] lacity.org
ph: 213-473-7005 / fax: 213-978-2250

District 6, Tony Cardenas: councilmember.cardenas [at] lacity.org
ph: 213-473-7006 / fax: 213-847-0549

District 7, Richard Alarcon:
web mail: www.lacity.org/council/cd7/contact.htm
ph: 213-473-7007 / fax: 213-847-0707

District 8, Bernard Parks: councilmember.parks [at] lacity.org
ph: 213-473-7008 / fax: 213-458-7683

District 9, Jan Perry: jan.perry [at] lacity.org
ph: 213-473-7009 / fax: 213-473-5946

District 10, Herb J. Wesson, Jr.: councilmember.wesson [at] lacity.org
ph: 213-473-7010 / fax: 213-485-9829

District 11, Bill Rosendahl: councilmember.rosendahl [at] lacity.org
ph: 213-473-7011 / fax: 213-473-6926

District 12, Greig Smith: councilmember.smith [at] lacity.org
ph: 213-473-7012 / fax: 213-473-6925

District 13, Eric Garcetti: councilmember.garcetti [at] lacity.org
ph: 213-473-7013 / fax: 213-613-0819

District 14, Jose Huizar: councilmember.huizar [at] lacity.org
ph: 213-473-7014 / fax: 213-847-0680

District 15, Janice Hahn: councilmember.hahn [at] lacity.org
ph: 213-473-7015 / fax: 213-626-5431

LOS ANGELES RESIDENTS:
To locate your councilmember online: www.lacity.org
Scroll to “My Neighborhood” and enter your address.
You can also dial 311 within the City of Los Angeles, or call 213-473-3231 from the Greater Los Angeles area.

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YOU’LL SOON SEE KINSHIP CIRCLE ALL OVER THE PLACE!

1. Kinship Circle Blog: kinshipcircle.wordpress.com
2. Kinship Circle Animal Disaster Aid Network Blog: coming soon
3. Friends Of Kinship Circle Blog: coming soon
4. MySpace: www.myspace.com/kinshipcircleonline
5. Facebook: on its way
6. Flickr: on its way
7. Twitter: twitter.com/kinshipcircle

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…And don’t forget, our MAIN WEBSITE is where you can get educational materials, ad designs, sample letters, updates and many tools to help you communicate as influentially as possible for animals: www.KinshipCircle.org

Our DISASTER AID WEBSITE is where you can register in our volunteer network and get news on animal victims in disasters, training resources, and animal disaster preparedness tips: www.kinshipcircle.org/disasters

PLEASE SUPPORT KINSHIP CIRCLE’S VOICE FOR ANIMALS…
* DONATE SECURELY ONLINE: www.kinshipcircle.org/donation

* DONATE BY CHECK OR MONEY ORDER:
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ACTION CAMPAIGNS • EDUCATION • ANIMAL DISASTER AID NETWORK

info [at] kinshipcircle.org or kinshipcircle [at] accessus.net
www.KinshipCircle.org * www.kinshipcircle.org/disasters/
KINSHIP CIRCLE is a 501c3 public charity. Donations are tax-deductible.

UNSUBSCRIBE:
* Select a Kinship Circle ALERT received in your mailbox
* Hit “FORWARD”
* Enter kinshipcircle [at] accessus.net
* Type UNSUBSCRIBE in your subject line and hit send

SUBSCRIBE:
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Action campaigns on animal cruelty issues worldwide

Kinship Circle Animal Disaster Aid Network: kinshipcircle [at] accessus.net
Animal rescue coordination/news in disasters + companion animal alerts
SEND: Address / Phone / Email for placement in geographic disaster zone

*DISCLAIMER: The information in these alerts is verified with the original source. Kinship Circle does not assume responsibility for the accuracy of the information or for the consequences of its use. Nothing in this email is intended to encourage illegal action in whatever country you are reading it in. Kinship Circle does not engage in, nor support, any form of harassment or unlawful activity. Nothing in this alert serves to promote such conduct.

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Tagged: animals animal rights animal welfare kinship circle action alerts ida in defense of animals zoo zoos la zoo los angeles zoo california elephant billy elephant exhibit Tony Cardenas news in the news la los angeles

The Saturday before Christmas is the biggest puppy buying day of the year. This year, In Defense of Animals is teaming up with activists in dozens of cities around the country to educate the public about the horrors of pet factories and encourage people to adopt a homeless animal from a shelter or rescue group instead of buying one from a pet store.

What: December 20th, 12-3 pm
Where: Your local pet shop

Almost all pet stores around the nation are supplied by inhumane commercial breeding facilities (aka pet factories) where the breeding animals are imprisoned for life and used as breeding machines. Meanwhile, it’s estimated that nearly 5 million healthy cats and dogs (many of them purebred) are euthanized in American shelters every year simply because there aren’t enough homes for them. Make a commitment today to take action for the victims of pet factories and companion animal overpopulation today!

Join In Defense of Animals and friends at your local pet store to help end the abuses of pet factories.

You can find a list of events here.

Over at Vegan Soapbox, Elaine has a list of suggestions for online activism, including posting profiles of animals available for adoption on Petfinder and such. Which is a great idea; but first, let’s tackle a few myths about adopting vs. buying animals.

A common misconception about “shelter dogs” is that they’re all damaged mutts.

Let’s deconstruct:

1. You don’t have to go a shelter or pound to adopt an animal. Animal rescue organizations run the gamut, from the more traditional shelters and “pounds” to rescue groups, sanctuaries, foster programs and networks of committed individual animal rescuers. If you’re afraid to visit a pound, you can avoid doing so and still adopt an animal. Go to www.petfinder.org or www.1-800-save-a-pet.com and search for animals and animal rescue groups in your area.

But I also urge you to think about why the pound icks you out so much: is it because you realize that many of these animals – 50%, at the very least, with some surveys reporting “euthanasia” rates of 56% for dogs and 71% for cats – will die for no reason other than a lack of homes? If so, wouldn’t it make you feel better to be part of the solution (adoption) than part of the problem (breeding and buying)?

2. Even if you have your heart set on a specific breed of cat or dog, you don’t need to buy an animal from a breeder. According to the HSUS, 25% of shelter dogs are purebreds. Furthermore, there are many breed-specific rescue groups. Most breeds – certainly the more common and/or popular ones – have a number of local and national rescue groups dedicated to their rescue. To find breed-specific rescue groups, go to www.petfinder.org or www.1-800-save-a-pet.com and search for your desired breed; many of these groups will pop up in your search. Or use the Google: search for “dachshund rescue group” or similar.

3. There is an animal rescue group for every (legal-to-own) species of animal. Dogs, cats, mice, pigs, cows, horses, guinea pigs, ferrets, birds: all these and more are available for adoption through shelters and rescue groups. While most shelters focus on the more common domesticated companion animals – i.e., cats and dogs – it’s not unusual to find the occasional mouse, rabbit or hamster at traditional shelters, too. Furthermore, many rescue groups and sanctuaries have popped up in the past few decades to help care for “exotic” and “farmed” animals, as well. For example, here in MO we have Longmeadow Rescue Ranch: “operated by the Humane Society of Missouri, Longmeadow Rescue Ranch is one of the most comprehensive horse and farm animal rehabilitation centers in the United States.”

Whatever type of animal you’re looking for, you can probably find it through an animal rescue group. Again, www.petfinder.org, www.1-800-save-a-pet.com and the Google are your friends.

4. Rescue animals are not necessarily “damaged goods.”

Oy, where to start with this one?

All dogs have the potential for behavioral and health problems: this holds true whether you adopt or buy an animal.

The “damaged goods” myth rests on the assumption that all shelter dogs have been horribly mistreated in their pasts, and all purchased dogs have been pampered like little darlings by their breeders. While some shelter animals have no doubt suffered abuse, so too are bred animals mistreated; inexperienced and irresponsible breeders exist, as do puppy mills. In fact, your breeder may be associated with a puppy mill without you even knowing it.

Shelter dogs – as well as foster dogs, rescue dogs, dogs from breeders, and puppymill dogs – may have health and/or behavioral problems, yes. But many of these problems can be rectified, with time, patience and/or counseling. Take the “Michael Vick dogs” – nearly half have been successfully rehabilitated and rehomed (the rest will receive lifelong care at Best Friends, a no-kill sanctuary). Should an animal really be sentenced to death because of what a human has done to her?

(Here, I pause to think of my recently departed pit bull girl Shadow, who possibly came to us as a discarded fighting dog, and turned out to be one of the sweetest dogs I’ve ever known; and of my newest girls, Miss Kaylee and Jayne, who were found with a third dog in a rental home that had been abandoned two weeks earlier. Sure, Jayne was recovering from heartworm when we adopted her, and Kaylee still pees with separation anxiety when left alone, but I wouldn’t trade either of them for $1500 models any day.)

Furthermore, rescue groups and breeders largely work from different perspectives: rescue groups want to rehome their animals with nice, loving families, ensuring that they’re not relinquished a second (or third, fourth, fifth) time, whereas breeders are primarily looking to make some money. Rescue groups have a greater interest, then, in making love and lifestyle matches between animals and guardians. Part of this process involves honesty about an animal’s health and behavioral issues.

While it’s true that pounds and shelters don’t have enough time with their charges to do a full behavioral assessment, many rescue groups do; so if you’re a newbie companion animal guardian, worried about biting off more than you can chew, start with a rescue group, particularly one that fosters the animals in-house before adopting them out.

With a little research and patience, you can find the animal that’s perfect for you, your family and your lifestyle.

And did I mention that older and/or “shelter” dogs oftentimes arrive with basic house- and obedience training?

5. Ethics and morality.

Animals are not ours to exploit for our own purposes – plain and simple. Purchasing animals from breeders, as though they’re the newest designer jeans or the latest model iPhone, is just plain wrong. They are not items. They are living, breathing, feeling, sentient beings, with their own interests and rights. Breeding and buying while rescued animals are dying – that’s a pretty blatant violation of their rights, and of basic human morality (i.e., unnecessary suffering is bad).

Let’s face it – a breeder makes money by exploiting her animals’ reproductive systems and treating them like commodities to be bought and sold. No matter how “responsible,” “kind,” or “loving” a particular breeder seems, the fact remains: she is in the business (or “hobby”) of creating more dogs (cats) when millions are put to death annually. A person who truly “loves” the breed can demonstrate this love and devotion by volunteering with a rescue group – rather than sentencing 12-20 dogs (or 12-24 cats) to death per year.

Think of it this way: would you buy a baby? Of course not! – People who sell black market babies are sick, right? Nor should babies be “gifted” as though they’re televisions or Wiis. Aside from species membership, how are puppies and kittens any different?

If, for some unfathomable reason, you absolutely cannot find a rare Black Russian Terrier through adoption networks, perhaps you should stop and consider whether you truly need a Black Russian Terrier. Wanting and needing are different things, you see. Needing involves survival; wanting involves luxury and convenience. Is it acceptable to sentence a rescue dog to death for your own convenience?

Sure, maybe it’ll be a bit disappointing, at first, to forgo a Black Russian Terrier for a Rat Terrier; but you’ll fall in love with that terrier just the same. And if you don’t, well, maybe you’re not a “dog person” after all. Maybe you should go buy a Wii and care for a virtual dog instead.

6. Animals make terrible gifts.

OK, so this last point isn’t specific to “shelter dogs,” but it’s relevant to the campaign as a whole. While encouraging animal adoption vs. breeding is a laudable goal, I would like to make an addendum to IDA’s campaign: animals make terrible gifts. They’re not objects; you can’t stash them in the closet when you’re sick of them. Unless you know – for certain – that the recipient wants and expects a cat, dog, etc. for x-mas, gifting an animal is completely inappropriate, and not at all in the animal’s best interests.

If an animal “gift” is welcome and agreed upon, you should let the recipient choose the animal. Adopting an animal is a lifelong commitment – so who better to choose the match than the animal’s new guardian?

With all this in mind, let’s look at a few animals available for adoption across the United States.

Brigid is a dachshund puppy from Dachshund Rescue North America (DRNA) – a nation-wide breed-specific rescue group dedicated to dachshunds. We adopted Ralphie from DRNA in 2001.

Brigid is as cute as a button! She loves to play w/ her brothers, Brik #06452 & Brok #06454, but if one gets a little rough, she lets them know! She loves playing in the outdoors & running & running about—chasing whatever is there (a leaf!). Brigid gets along w/ the resident dachshunds in her foster home, who are all ‘adults’. She is very affectionate & loves to give sweet kisses to any & everyone she meets! Puppy play toys are the ultimate for her, so she will wants lots! She is crate-trained & rides well in the car. Harness/halter leash walking will need ‘refining’ when adopted!! :-) Brigid is still working on the housetraining, but doing really great w/ it! Brigid & her 2 brothers have never been separated, so another young dog would be a companion for the little girl. Brigid is fostered in eastern NC.

Capulina is a young, female Border Collie/German Shepherd mix currently staying with Stray from the Heart in New York City:

If you ever had a Border Collie mix you understand why its so hard to ever change breeds. They are intelligent, incredibly loyal and are able to read your mind before you say a word. As far as leash walking goes, Capulina is the easiest dog to walk as she never pulls and leaves your side.

At 45 pounds she is the perfect size for a city apt, but she would be great in a home outside the city as well. The most important thing to Capulina is not where she lives but whom she lives with; she is so ready to bond with that special someone. She actually searches the faces of the people she meets with the hopes of finding her forever mother or father (or both) and make them the center of her universe although she is not needy or high maintenance. Even though in the past she lived peacefully with many other dogs, it’s been her dream since she has been a little girl to be an only child.

Britney is an adult, female British Shorthair cat – and a former breeder – staying in Los Angeles with Foreverhome Pet Rescue:

Britney is a purebred Silver Shaded British Shorthair from a situation where the breeder could no longer take care of her cats. Britney was a breeder cat – so she is shy, but sometimes she will purr and rub up against you. She is used to being around a lot of other cats. Britney needs a quiet home with no children or dogs – and she needs someone who understands that it is not likely that she will ever be a lap cat.

This kitty was a baby machine all her life – she is now 4 years old and spayed and just needs a place to hang out. Oh – and please don’t take her picture! She hates the camera!

ShereKhan and Abbi are a pair of male/female Domestic Short Hair-white Tiger kitteh mixes from Washington, DC. Alliance for Stray Animals and People rescued them from “euthanasia” at the local pound:

Both of these guys were pulled from the local county shelter when their time was up. While in foster care they have bonded, so we decided to do what’s best for this pair and keep them together.

ShereKhan is the 3 yr. old tabby/white male. He is very outgoing and sweet. A kitty that loves attention from it’s humans and is not shy about asking for it. ShereKhan is blind in one eye but that does not affect him at all.

Abbi is a beautiful tortoiseshell. She is small in size. She is a little more reserved than ShereKhan but has followed his example and comes up to us for cuddle time now.

Abbi and ShereKhan are both spayed/neutered, up to date with shots, Feline Leukemia/FIV negative and micro chipped.

Walter is a young male rabbit who is being cared for by the Seattle Animal Shelter in Seattle, WA:

Poor Walter came back to the shelter after things didn’t work out in his adoptive home. This handsome one year old Californian was adopted a few months ago after living in horribly filthy conditions with several other rabbits, and now he’s in foster care. Walter is an active rabbit with a sweet, intense personality. He’d do best in a rabbit-savvy home, possibly as a companion for another gentle rabbit. Walter has good box habits, and enjoys being petted. Like a lot of rabbits, Walter needs to feel secure in his surroundings or will avoid being picked up. He is perfectly content to hop on his person’s lap to snuggle…this rabbit likes his feet as close to the ground as possible. Is your home worthy of Walter’s love?

Lucy Lu is a baby pot bellied pig; you can meet her in Pardeeville, WI, through the Midwest Animal and Potbellied Pig Association and Rescue:

I’m Lucy Lu. I am a sweet loving young shy black and white female potbellied pig baby. I am about 10 weeks, maybe more but I am skinny cuz I wasn’t taken care of properly. But I love food and to eat and to potty outside, and I know now I will be gaining the weight I should be in no time. Right now, you can still feel my ribs. the volunteers feel sorry for my past life i had, but i am nothing but positive about my future in finding a forever loving home. If you are educated on the care and needs of potbellied pigs. You might be my next family.I want an indoor home that I can have access to go outside to do my potty business and graze on fresh grass a little every day. Kinda like what dogs have access to. I need lots of love and attention. I need you to give me fresh food, water, and proper vet care and please be smarter than me, so I don’t have to tell you what to do for whats best for me.

Pudge is a Quaker Parrot (Monk Parakeet), who hails from Delware, Ohio and is staying with Central Ohio Friends of a Feather:

Pudge, a 5 yr old Quaker came to us because his owner died suddenly. He is the most handsome of all the Quakers that I have personally seen with a stunning and sweet personality. He prefers to be out of his cage and more preferably with you. So far he has no fear of other birds, dogs or people. He LOVES fresh nanna’s and semi-dried figs. He is a seed eater. He has been vetted and given a clean bill of health except for he’s 3 grams overweight and some fat was found in his bloodwork. This is from too many sunflower seeds so he is beginning a conversion to pellets. He must stay on the pellet mix otherwise he is more likely to get fatty liver disease. Pudge came with two cages. One is without a stand…and not really suitable for a Quaker. The other is a brass cage again not the best type for a Quaker but will work for a temporary cage. He does need a sturdy cage as Quakers do like to chew. He LOVES to be near you and has given kisses already and likes a good head scratch. He does say “Chop Chop!” and “Michael” as Michael was his previous owner. His owner’s mother has asked for our assistance in finding Pudge the best possible home. He seems to have been taken care of real well and really needs someone who will continue to provide him the loving care his owner gave to him.

These eight fur- and feather-babies represent a minuscule fraction of the millions of animals which pass through the animal adoption system each and every year. 12 million have been adopted through Petfinder alone!

Please, if you’re looking to obtain an animal – no matter its species, breed, age, sex, special needs or temperament – please consider adoption.

Be a hero. Save a life.

(Crossposted from.)

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Tagged: animals animal rights animal welfare action alerts ida in defense of animals adopt, don’t shop adoption breeding pet companion animal dog canine cat feline farmed animals exotic animals pig parrot bird rabbit shelter dog rescue dog animal rescue animal adoption speciesism joe biden activism events shopping xmas x-mas christmas

Keep Your Animals Safe On July 4th!

Photo via Creativity+ Timothy K Hamilton

The Fourth of July can be one of the most dangerous and frightening holidays for animals. Loud explosions are terrifying to animals who don’t understand them.

With proper planning and some common sense, your companion animals can remain safe and secure on Independence Day. Here are some tips:

* First and foremost, leave your companion animals at home when you go to see fireworks! Resist the urge to take them to fireworks displays.

* Before you leave home for the fireworks, make sure your animals are indoors in a sheltered, quiet area. Some animals become destructive when frightened, so be sure that you’ve removed any items that your companion animal could destroy or that would be harmful if chewed or swallowed. Leave a television or radio playing at normal volume to keep him/her company.

* Make sure your animals are wearing identification tags (and it’s even better if they’re also microchipped!) so that if they do become lost, they can be returned promptly.

* Do not leave an animal in your car. With only hot air to breathe, your animal friend can suffer serious health effects, even death, in a few short minutes. Partially opened windows do not provide sufficient air or cooling, but they do provide an opportunity for your animal to be kidnapped.

* If you know that your animal becomes seriously distressed by loud noises, consult with your veterinarian before July 4th for ways to help alleviate the fear and anxiety he or she will experience during fireworks displays.

* Never leave your animals outside unattended, even in a fenced yard, and especially not on a chain. With explosions occuring, animals who normally wouldn’t leave the yard may escape and become lost, or become entangled in their chain, risking injury or death. (There are lots of other reasons to never leave your dog chained! Contact us if you want more information about the negative effects of chaining dogs.)

* If you find somebody else’s companion animals running at-large, either take them to the address on the tag, if you feel comfortable doing so, or bring them to the local animal shelter, where they will have the best chance of being reunited with their human families.

And our friends at the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center offer the following additional tips, which are appropriate year-round but especially so on Independence Day:

* Never leave alcoholic drinks unattended where animals can reach them. Alcoholic beverages have the potential to poison animals. If ingested, the animal could become very intoxicated and weak, severely depressed or could go into a coma. Death from respiratory failure is also a possibility in severe cases.

* Do not apply any sunscreen or insect repellent product to your animal that is not labeled specifically for use on animals. Ingestion of sunscreen products can result in drooling, vomiting, diarrhea, excessive thirst and lethargy. The misuse of insect repellent that contains DEET can lead to neurological problems.

* Always keep matches and lighter fluid out of animals’ reach. Certain types of matches contain chlorates, which could potentially damage blood cells and result in difficulty breathing – or even kidney disease in severe cases. Lighter fluid can be irritating to skin, and if ingested can produce gastrointestinal irritation and central nervous system depression. If lighter fluid is inhaled, aspiration pneumonia and breathing problems could develop.

* Keep animals on their normal diet. Any change, even for one meal, can cause severe indigestion and diarrhea. This is particularly true for older animals who have more delicate digestive systems and nutritional requirements. And keep in mind that foods such as onions, chocolate, coffee, avocado, grapes & raisins, salt and yeast dough can all be potentially toxic to companion animals.

* Keep citronella candles, insect coils and oil products out of reach. Ingestions can produce stomach irritation and possibly even central nervous system depression. If inhaled, the oils could cause aspiration pneumonia in animals.

* Never use fireworks around animals! While exposure to lit fireworks can potentially result in severe burns and/or trauma to the face and paws of curious animals, even unused fireworks can pose a danger. Many types contain potentially toxic substances, including potassium nitrate, arsenic and other heavy metals.

Visit the web address below to tell your friends about this.
Tell-a-friend!

If you received this message from a friend, you can sign up for IDA’s Action Center.

About IDA

In Defense of Animals, located in San Rafael, Calif., is an international animal protection organization with more than 85,000 members and supporters dedicated to ending the abuse and exploitation of animals by protecting their rights and welfare. IDA’s efforts include educational events, cruelty investigations, boycotts, grassroots activism, and hands-on rescue through our sanctuaries in Mississippi and Cameroon, Africa.

In Defense of Animals is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization. We welcome your feedback and appreciate your donations. Please join today! All donations to IDA are tax-deductible.

In Defense of Animals
3010 Kerner, San Rafael, CA 94901
Tel. (415) 388-9641 Fax (415) 388-0388
idainfo [at] idausa.org

idausa.org

(Crossposted to.)

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Tagged: animals animal rights animal welfare action alerts ida in defense of animals pet companion animal dog canine cat feline fourth of july 4th of july pet safety companion care aspca american society for the prevention of cruelty to animals fireworks flickr photos holidays observances

KINSHIP CIRCLE PRIMARY – PERMISSION TO CROSS-POST AS WRITTEN

5/15/08: MAY 16, 2008 IS PROCTER & GAMBLE CALL-IN DAY

EMAIL kinshipcircle [at] accessus.net FOR WORD DOC OF A FORMATTED LETTER.
Easily modify letter and copy/paste it into an email or print out to fax or mail.

Call, email, fax or write — on May 16, from 9:00am to 5:00pm EST — to politely ask Procter & Gamble to end ALL animal experiments. P&G utilizes SOME animal-free tests. Ask them to go 100% cruelty-free.

If you miss the May 16 date, send comments anyway! Animals are regularly poisoned to test chemicals used in hundreds of Procter & Gamble brands: Tide, Dove, Cover Girl, Olay, Bounty, Crest, Febreeze, Cascade, Pantene, Herbal Essences, Head & Shoulders, Iams/Eukanuba…

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FULL CONTACT INFORMATION. Sample letter follows.

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CALL-IN: 513-983-1100
FAX: 513-983-9369, 513-983-4381

WEBMAIL: pg.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/pg.cfg/php/enduser/ask.php
ADDITIONAL P&G EMAIL FOUND ON WEB: comments.im [at] pg.com
P&G Shareholder Services: Shareholders.IM [at] pg.comSkip

POSTAL MAIL:
Mr. A.G. Lafley, Chairman & CEO
Procter & Gamble
One Procter & Gamble Plaza; Cincinnati, OH 45202

*Kinship Circle cannot guarantee validity of email addresses. During campaigns, recipients may change or disable their email addresses. Emails from government, corporate, or institute websites may be incorrect.

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SAMPLE LETTER — This letter is prepared to inform you about the issue.
Try to shorten and personalize your letter before sending.

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Dear Mr. Lafley,

I’d like to purchase Procter & Gamble products, but I do not feel confident using goods determined safe in animal tests. Animal testing generates misleading data that can jeopardize human safety.

Francis Collins, director of NIH’s National Human Genome Research Institute, says animal toxicity tests are “expensive, time-consuming, use animals in large numbers, and don’t always work.” A National Academy of Sciences report, Toxicity Testing in the 21st Century, calls for non-animal methodology. According to the National Research Council, in vitro strategy “would generate more-relevant data to evaluate risks people face.”

As you may know, the European Union voted to phase-out all animal experimentation for cosmetics. Several countries, including the UK, have already banned animal testing for cosmetics. I urge Procter & Gamble to lead the way in animal-free toxicity testing in the U.S.

Polls show a growing consumer contingent opposed to animal testing for cosmetic, cleaning, or pet-food items. Fortunately, hundreds of other companies manufacture safe products that do not rely upon poisoning, burning, blinding and killing animals.

It is indisputably cruel to pour toxins into the clipped-open eyes of animals or smear corrosives over an animal’s shaved skin. Human safety data should not come from poisoning live beings or subjecting them to any form of confinement, pain and mutilation.

Please capitalize on strides in in-vitro technology and computer automation that let researchers gauge toxicity more reliably. I encourage P&G to institute a comprehensive animal-free testing policy for all non-drug products and ingredients. Until then, I’ll avoid P&G brand labels and ask others to do the same.

Thank you,

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SOURCE OF INFORMATION / REFERENCE LINKS

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Global Boycott Procter & Gamble Day May 16 – Get Active!

ga0.org/indefenseofanimals/notice-description.tcl?newsletter_id=13505024

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———- Forwarded message ———-
From: In Defense of Animals – takeaction [at] idausa.org
Date: Thu, May 15, 2008 at 10:07 AM
Subject: Global Boycott Procter & Gamble Day This Friday – Get Active!

Global Boycott Procter & Gamble Day This Friday – Get Active!

Pick up the phone on Call-In day to urge P&G to end cruel animal experiments

Please join IDA and thousands of activists worldwide on May 16 – Global Boycott Procter & Gamble Day. We’ll unite to expose P&G’s callous abuse and inform people about cruelty-free shopping in dozens of countries throughout the world. Our efforts on this day, and throughout the year, can save tens of thousands of animals from a horrific fate at the hands of P&G’s vivisectors.

P&G admits it conducts poisoning tests on animals to assess chemicals in their brands including Tide, Olay, Cascade, Pantene and Herbal Essences. Guinea pigs, rabbits, hamsters, ferrets, rats and mice are among the thousands of animals poisoned and killed every year in P&G’s “product safety research,” and cats and dogs are used in experiments for their pet foods. P&G are very secretive about their toxicity tests, where chemicals are repeatedly force-fed to animals, rubbed into their raw skin, or dripped into their eyes. Other brutal tests include forcing animals to inhale chemicals or injecting substances up their noses.

P&G is known for an abundance of animal testing for such trivial, everyday products. And they are certainly the world’s largest producer of such products, selling their brands (such as Fairy, Pantene, Ariel, Head & Shoulders, Olay, Iams/Eukanuba) in 140 countries worldwide. If hundreds of other companies can make similar cosmetics and household products without animal testing, so can P&G.

The call-in is part of the 12th annual Global Boycott Procter & Gamble Day, led by the UK-based international animal protection group Uncaged and in partnership with dozens of animal protection organizations around the world. Over 140 events will take place across the world, from Sydney to Stockholm. The campaign is supported by stars such as Sir Paul McCartney, Pretenders lead-singer Chrissie Hynde, poet and musician Benjamin Zephaniah, and singer Morrissey.

1) Please call, email, fax or write a letter to P&G on May 16th between 9:00 and 5:00 pm EST to politely urge Procter & Gamble to stop testing on animals and instead redirect funds towards alternatives. Be polite but firm!

Call-in to: (513) 983-1100
Fax letters to: (513) 983-4381
Webmail: pg.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/pg.cfg/php/enduser/ask.php

Mailing address:

Mr A.G. Laffley
Chairman & CEO
Procter & Gamble
One Procter & Gamble Plaza
Cincinnatti, OH 45202

Sample Letter To P&G Chair Laffley

Dear Mr. Laffley:

I am horrified to learn that Procter & Gamble continues to test on and kill animals in the development of cosmetic, household cleaning, and pet food products and ingredients.

I will no longer buy any P&G products until the company permanently ceases testing on animals. I will be urging my friends, family, and colleagues to also boycott P&G products.

Since 1999, several countries around the world, including the UK, have banned animal testing for cosmetics. The European Union also voted for the ban, which included the sale of animal-tested products within its borders.

Polls show that the vast majority of the public is strongly against animal testing for cosmetic, household products, and pet foods, and that hundreds of companies do not engage in animal testing, yet make perfectly good, safe products.

I urge P&G to establish a firm non-animal testing policy for these products and ingredients. With all the recent advances in non-animal technology, P&G should be able to eliminate animal tests. It is high time that P&G fulfill its stated desire to eliminate animal testing for non-drug products and ingredients. Until then I will continue to boycott P&G products and encourage others to do the same.

Sincerely,

YOUR NAME

2) Write letters to the editors of your local newspapers and weekly newspapers. See a listing of all U.S. newspapers. Make sure to let us know if your letter gets printed. Below is a sample, though using your own words is strongly encouraged.

Sample Letter To the Editor

Dear Editor:

It is appalling that Procter & Gamble, which makes world-famous brands like Tide, Bounce, Mr. Clean, Olay, Crest, Pantene, Head & Shoulders, Pringles, and Iams/Eukanuba, among many others, continues to test products on animals.

These experiments are cruel, unnecessary, and happening right now in the U.S. But we can all make a difference – and feel better about ourselves – simply by refusing to buy P&G products and switching to cruelty-free brands. I urge everyone to make this decision today – it’s not as hard as you might think. The Web site www.pandgkills.com contains information and product lists.

Sincerely,

YOUR NAME

For more on what you can do to stop P&G’s cruel and unnecessary tests, visit www.pandgkills.com.

If you received this message from a friend, you can sign up for IDA’s Action Center.

About IDA

In Defense of Animals, located in San Rafael, Calif., is an international animal protection organization with more than 85,000 members and supporters dedicated to ending the abuse and exploitation of animals by protecting their rights and welfare. IDA’s efforts include educational events, cruelty investigations, boycotts, grassroots activism, and hands-on rescue through our sanctuaries in Mississippi and Cameroon, Africa.

In Defense of Animals is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization. We welcome your feedback and appreciate your donations. Please join today! All donations to IDA are tax-deductible.

In Defense of Animals
3010 Kerner, San Rafael, CA 94901
Tel. (415) 388-9641 Fax (415) 388-0388
idainfo [at] idausa.org

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Tagged: animals animal rights animal welfare action alerts kinship circle brenda shoss ida in defense of animals uncaged animal experimentation animal research animal testing vivisection P&G Procter & Gamble call in day observances day of protest Global Boycott Procter & Gamble Day boycott news in the news

World Week for Animals in Laboratories is Here!

Call-In Days: Urge NIH to End Cruel Animal Experiments

Many people find this hard to believe, but the U.S. government continues to sink millions of dollars each year into funding cruel and outdated experiments on animals to test the effects of nicotine and tobacco. Please join IDA during this week’s observance of World Week for Animals in Laboratories (WWAIL) to call attention to this outrage and speak out in opposition.

IDA’s Up in Smoke campaign highlights the futility and inhumanity of nicotine experiments on newborn and pregnant animals. These are some examples:

– Since 1992, Elliot Spindel at Oregon Health and Science University delivers steady doses of nicotine to pregnant monkeys through pumps implanted into their backs. The babies are cut out of their mothers’ wombs in order to dissect their lungs.

– At Texas A&M University, Ursula Winzer-Serhan forces baby rats to consume nicotine mixed with baby formula at the equivalent of three packs of cigarettes a day. After about a week of being fed nicotine, the babies’ heads are cut off and their brains are dissected.

– Researcher Kent Pinkerton at University of California, Davis, subjects pregnant rhesus monkeys to smoking chambers where they are forced to inhale cigarette smoke for six hours each day, five days a week. When the infants are ten weeks old, they are killed by lethal injection and their lungs are dissected for analysis.

Over the past five years, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has given at least $16.5 million to this category of research. This appalling figure does not reflect the total cost of all nicotine research on animals, but only that which focuses on nicotine’s effect on fetal and newborn development.

Animal researchers staunchly defend these experiments as necessary for improving maternal and newborn health. But answers don’t come from animal studies. After decades of animal studies, we still have not solved the problem of smoking during pregnancy. Only education, public health outreach, and prevention programs can address the human behaviors that lead to smoking.

Please call and/or email the following individuals between Tuesday, April 22nd and Thursday, April 24th to politely urge the NIH to stop funding nicotine experiments on animals and instead redirect funds towards prevention, education and smoking cessation programs.

Elias M. Zerhouni, MD, Director
National Institutes of Health
Tel: (301) 496-2433

Norka Ruiz Bravo, Ph.D. Director
NIH Office of Extramural Research
Tel: (301) 496-1096

If you received this message from a friend, you can sign up for IDA’s Action Center.

In Defense of Animals is an international animal protection organization with more than 85,000 members and supporters dedicated to ending the abuse and exploitation of animals by protecting their rights and welfare. IDA’s efforts include educational events, cruelty investigations, boycotts, grassroots activism, and hands-on rescue through our sanctuaries in Mississippi and Cameroon, Africa.

In Defense of Animals 3010 Kerner Blvd., San Rafael, California 94901 – P: (415) 388-9641 F: (415) 388-0388

email: idainfo [at] idausa.org

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Tagged: animals animal rights animal welfare action alerts In Defense of Animals ida animal research animal testing animal experimentation vivisection wwail World Week for Animals in Laboratories holidays observances events campaigns National Institutes of Health nih nicotine nicotine experiments smoking cigarettes cancer