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Past Action Letters This is a sampling of action letters NHES’ Education and Advocacy Department has written in the past. Check them out to see what we’ve been up to! We encourage you to browse through them to see the issues we’ve addressed, and maybe get some ideas for action letters you can write. Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions or comments—we welcome them! November 2010 October 2010 The New Jersey State Legislature has before it several bills relating to animal issues. A 3157 would establish a Low-Cost Spay/Neuter Clinic Program, and A 3205 would require mandatory spay/neuter for cats and dogs released from shelters and pounds. Both of these bills are in the Assembly Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee. Please write a polite letter to the chair and vice-chair of this committee urging them to send both bills to the floor for a favorable vote this legislative session.
Address:
The Honorable Nelson T. Albano
Chair, Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee
21 North Main Street
Cape May Court House, NJ 08210 The Honorable Celeste M. Riley Vice-Chair, Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee 14 East Commerce Street Bridgeton, NJ 08302
The Senate Economic Growth Committee has before it S 2018, which would create the New Jersey Animal Abuse Registry. Animal registries, similar to sex offender registries, keep track of convicted felony animal abusers. Many studies in psychology, sociology, and criminology have demonstrated that violent offenders frequently have childhood and adolescent histories of serious and repeated animal cruelty. Additionally, mental health professionals and top law enforcement officials consider the blatant disregard for life and suffering evidenced by all forms of cruelty to animals to be an unquestionable warning sign. In fact, the American Psychiatric Association identifies cruelty to animals as one of the diagnostic criteria for conduct disorders; and the FBI uses reports of animal cruelty in analyzing the threat potential of suspected and known criminals. For these reasons, please write to the chair and vice-chair of the committee urging them to report S 2018 to the floor for a favorable vote this legislative session. Address: The Honorable Raymond J. Lesniak Chair, Economic Growth Committee 985 Stuyvesant Ave. Union, NJ 07083 The Honorable Sandra B. Cunningham Vice-Chair, Economic Growth Committee 1738 Kennedy Blvd. Jersey City, NJ 07305
PepsiCo should not be in the business of supporting greyhound racing yet they have a billboard at the Dubuque, Iowa, dog track. Write a polite letter to PepsiCo requesting the company remove its billboard and urge PepsiCo to never support the cruel practice of greyhound racing. Address: Indra K. Nooyi, Chairman and CEO PepsiCo 700 Anderson Hill Rd. Purchase, NY 10577
Recently, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed a bill that would have made it illegal for landlords to require pet owners to declaw or devocalize their animals as a condition of tenancy. Interestingly, the California Apartment Association, a Sacramento group that represents more than 50,000 rental property owners, managers, and industry professionals, supported the bill while the California Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) did not. One would be hard pressed to understand why veterinarians would be in favor of requiring tenants to declaw or debark their animals when the landlords are not in favor. If you are a California resident, write your governor and express your disappointment in his vetoing this bill. You might also want to contact the CVMA to find out why declawing and debarking tenants’ animals is an acceptable procedure to them. Address: The Honorable Arnold Schwarzenegger State Capitol Building
Sacramento, CA 95814 California Veterinary Medical Association 1400 River Park Drive, Suite 100 Sacramento, CA 95815
September 2010 Bear baiting, a barbaric practice, involves tethering a captive bear to a pole or tree while dogs are released to bite, bark at, and jump on the bear. Typically, the bears have had their claws and teeth removed. Bear baiting is outlawed in 49 of the 50 states; it is still practiced in South Carolina. Write the director of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources a polite letter letting him know you do not condone bear baiting and you want to see the practice outlawed in his state. Let’s encourage South Carolina to join the other 49 states in condemning bear baiting. South Carolina residents, contact your legislators and ask them to endorse legislation outlawing bear baiting this legislative session.
Address: John Frampton Director Dept. of Natural Resources P. O. Box 167 Columbia, SC 29202-0167
As unimaginable as this may be, there are still some shelters in the United States that sell their unadopted companion animals to research laboratories. The North Valley Utah Animal Shelter is one. While once a popular practice nationwide, selling shelter animals for research purposes is now considered an archaic practice that betrays the mission of shelters to protect the animals in their care. Please write the leadership of the North Valley Utah Animal Shelter and strongly urge them to stop selling their shelter animals to the University of Utah for experimentation. Urge them to protect the animals in their shelter, not sell them into a life of further misery, pain, and suffering. Address: Ron Foggin and Scott Smith
c/o North Valley Utah Animal Shelter
193 North 2000 West
Lindon, UT 84042
The New Mexico Game Commission wants to raise the quotas on the number of cougar and black bears who can be hunted in the state. NHES believes those quotas should be lowered, not raised. We need to protect our natural resources by developing wildlife management plans that do not include lethal means to control a particular population. Respecting wildlife, not killing wildlife, should be the mission of responsible stewards of this planet. Please write the chairman of the New Mexico Game Commission and let him know that you support non-lethal means of wildlife control. Address: Jim McClintic Chairman New Mexico Game Commission PO Box 21207 Albuquerque, NM 87154
August 2010 Spain should follow the lead of Catalonia and the Canary Islands and rid itself of an ancient and controversial tradition—bullfighting. Bullfighting is an inherently cruel and inhumane activity. Bulls are subjected to slow and painful deaths. The practice, which glorifies animal cruelty, poorly represents a nation of enlightened, modern citizens. It has tarnished Spain’s image for too long. Such a rich, beautiful culture does not need an archaic ritual. Urge the citizens of Spain to end bullfighting by writing to their Ambassador.
Address: D. Jorge Dezcallar de Mazarredo Ambassador of Spain Spanish Embassy 2375 Pennsylvania Ave, NW Washington, DC 20037
The National Center for Research Resources plans to transfer 202 chimpanzees from the Alamogordo Primate Facility to the Southwest National Primate Research Center. These chimpanzees, most of whom are elderly, and some of whom have been infected with hepatitis or HIV, deserve to live their final years in peace instead of being sent to yet another testing facility. They endured difficult decades of testing while residing in a laboratory that was charged with serious violations of the Animal Welfare Act, Public Health Service Policy, and Food and Drug Administration regulations. Contact Secretary Sebelius and urge her to retire these chimpanzees to a reputable sanctuary where they can live out their lives from further harm.
Address: Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary The U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services 200 Independence Ave., SW Washington, DC 20201
Bear-Bear, a husky, and his guardian were enjoying time in a dog park in Anne Arundel County, MD, when a patron entered the park and allegedly shot Bear-Bear to death because the patron thought Bear-Bear was attacking his dog. The patron, a Federal police officer, has not yet been charged. A thorough investigation must be done; and if there is cause to indict the officer, then the maximum animal cruelty charges should be brought against him. Barbarous acts towards animals often lead to brutality to humans. In fact, the American Psychiatric Association identifies cruelty to animals as one of the diagnostic criteria for conduct disorders; and the FBI uses reports of animal cruelty in analyzing the threat potential of suspected and known criminals. Let the Chief of Police of Anne Arundel County know that you want a thorough investigation of this shooting death. Address: James Teare Chief of Police 8495 Veterans Highway Millersville, MD 21108 The Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles is considering paroling Juan Daniels who was convicted of felony animal cruelty in 2009 and sentenced to 9 years in prison for his brutal attack on the family dog, named Louis Vuitton by the local humane society. Daniels beat the dog with a shovel, soaked him with lighter fluid, and set him on fire while the dog was chained to a post. The Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles will consider Daniels’ case on August 24, 2010. Address: Cynthia S. Dillard Executive Director The Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles P.O. Box 302405 Montgomery, AL 36130
July 2010 The Vancouver Aquarium should phase its dolphin and beluga exhibit and discontinue its breeding programs. Instead, the Aquarium should devote its time and talent to rehabilitating and releasing currently confined belugas and dolphins. The physical and psychological needs of these intelligent and social animals cannot be provided for in the confines of an aquarium. Belugas and dolphins can live several decades in the wild but often suffer and die prematurely when maintained in captivity. They travel for hundreds of miles in their native waters; while confined in captivity, they swim in circles all day long. There is little environmental stimulation for them in an aquarium, but there is acoustical stimulation that is harmful to them as sounds rebound off the walls of the aquarium. They would experience no such acoustical assault in their native habitat. Write the President and CEO of the Vancouver Aquarium expressing your concern for these magnificent mammals held in captivity
Address:
John Nightingale, PhD
President and CEO
Vancouver Aquarium
845 Avison Way
Vancouver, BC V6G 3E2
Canada The US Department of Agriculture needs to remove Nosey from the Hugo Liebel family and send her to a humane elephant sanctuary where she can be free of the torment she has received while forced to perform in the Florida State Family Circus. Wild and exotic animals, such as Nosey, do not belong in the circus, especially a circus which has been cited for numerous violations of the Animal Welfare Act regarding the care of Nosey. The Universities Federation for Animal Welfare studied the lives of circus animals and found that they spend an average of 1-9 percent of their time training and the rest of their time confined to cages, wagons, or other enclosures entirely inadequate for their size and natural behaviors. The animals most negatively affected by the limitation of space are elephants, lions, tigers, and bears. Circus animals also suffer from stress induced by travel. The presence of the stress hormone cortisol in the saliva of circus animals is at abnormal levels for up to six days after transport. The study further identified that circus animals are kept in conditions dramatically different from their natural habitat. Elephants can be shackled for 12-23 hours a day in areas of only 7-12 square meters. In contrast, elephants in the wild spend 40-75 percent of their time feeding and move up to 50 kilometers a day. Urge the USDA to release Nosey to an approved, humane elephant sanctuary now.
Address:
Chester A Gipson, DVM
Deputy Administrator
Animal Care US Department of Agriculture
APHIS 1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20250
June 2010 Both the Senate and House have before them bills titled the Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act (S 619 HR 1549, respectively). These bills have stalled in committee. The reason for such bills is to preserve the use of antibiotics for human diseases, not to treat factory farmed animals with massive amounts of the substances, rendering them ineffective over long-term use. As a result of this overuse of antibiotics, bacteria resistant to even the most powerful antibiotics are now entering our environment. Contact your Senators and Representatives to let them know you want these bills brought to the respective chambers for a vote this legislative session. Recently, Delta Airlines lost a rescue dog named Paco between flights. Delta needs to take this tragedy seriously by investigating the events that led up to the loss of Paco and to take measures to prevent this from ever happening again. Many pet owners have had their confidence in Delta shaken. Hopefully, an investigation and stricter policies will help future travelers feel more assured that when flying Delta Airlines, their pets will arrive safely to their proper destination. If you plan to fly Delta in the near future, contact them with your concerns about the safety of animals being flown on their airlines. Let them know you are a customer with concerns.
Address:
Richard H. Anderson, CEO
Delta Air Lines Inc
P.O. Box 20706
Atlanta, Georgia 30320-6001 Zimbabwe is considering selling two wild-caught baby elephants to North Korea. Experts agree that these calves may be too young to be separated from their mothers and may not survive the 7,000 mile trip to North Korea. If the elephants do survive the journey, they will live the rest of their lives in a zoo that fails to address their physical and psychological needs. Pyongyang Zoo has a record of poor living conditions for its animals. It was the location where a mock wildlife documentary was filmed called “Fighting Animals,” where wild animals in cages (often of different species) were shown fighting each other. This footage alone proves that sending animals to Pyongyang Zoo poses a threat to their safety. Since North Korea fails to provide basic human rights to its own citizens, it is no surprise that the needs of animals are seriously lacking in this country. Update: Zimbabwe has reconsidered the sale and will be keeping the elephants.
Address:
Morgan Richard Tsvangirai
Prime Minister
Private Bag 7700, Causeway
Harare
Zimbabwe The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has been found lax in enforcing the provisions of the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) as it pertains to factory style breeding operations often referred to as puppy mills. Puppy mills can house anywhere from 50 to more than 1,000 dogs who live in cramped, dark, filthy conditions with little or no human contact. To keep costs to a minimum, the dogs receive no veterinary care and often little food and water. The puppies suffer from a variety of diseases due to unsanitary conditions and lack of proper nutrition. Often these mills are cited for violations of the AWA but rarely are their licenses revoked or fines and penalties administered. Write to the Secretary of Agriculture urging him to vigorously enforce the provisions of the AWA as it pertains to puppy mills.
Address:
The Honorable Tom Vilsack
Secretary
U.S. Department of Agriculture
1400 Independence Ave., SW
Washington, DC 20250 The Department of Fish and Game in California has ceased issuing permits for the importation of turtles and frogs for live food markets in California. We now urge them to extend that prohibition to the importation of turtles and frogs destined for resale in pet stores, flea markets, and all other venues where these amphibians are currently being sold. The importation of live turtles and frogs, not native to California, can have significant impact on the local ecosystem, including introducing diseases for which native populations have no immunity. Prohibiting the importation of all nonnative species of frogs and turtles will go a long way in protecting California’s native populations. Write to the Director of the Department of Fish and Game urging his agency to prohibit the importation of these turtles and frogs.
Address:
John McCamman, Director
Department of Fish and Game
DFG Headquarters
1416 9th Street, 12th floor
Sacramento, CA 95814
May 2010 Recently, the Supreme Court struck down a law that would have made it illegal to produce videos depicting gratuitous animal cruelty. In an effort to enact legislation that will pass First Amendment muster, The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary has before it HR 5092. Please write your representative urging him or her to vote favorably when the measure comes before the full House. You can also write to the leadership of the Committee on the Judiciary urging them to report the bill favorably to the full House for a vote this legislative session. Address: The Honorable John Conyers, Jr., Chairman The Honorable Lamar Smith, Ranking Member House Committee on the Judiciary 2138 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515
Twelve species of amphibians are currently listed on the candidate list and need to be moved to the Endangered Species list now before some or all become extinct. Write a letter urging the secretary of the Interior to move the following to the Endangered Species list: Columbia spotted frog, mountain yellow-legged frog, Oregon spotted frog, relict leopard frog, Yosemite toad, Arizona tree frog, Austin blind salamander, Black Warrior waterdog, Georgetown salamander, Jollyville plateau salamander, Ozark hellbender, and Salado salamander. Address: The Honorable Ken Salazar Secretary U.S. Department of Interior
1849 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20240 In an effort to be green, the White House Correspondents’ Association created an eco-friendly event at their annual Correspondents’ dinner. However, they served meat- and fish-based dishes. In 2006, the United Nations released a report, Livestock’s Long Shadow, which concludes that raising farmed animals is “one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global.” Additionally, the November 2006 issue of Science reported that if current trends of fishing and pollution continue, every fishery in the world’s oceans will collapse by 2048.
Please write a polite letter to the president of the Association urging him to reconsider the menu for next year’s dinner. Urge him to recommend a vegan/vegetarian menu.
Address: Edwin Chen, President White House Correspondents' Association
600 New Hampshire Avenue, Suite 800
Washington, DC 20037
March 2010
The Community School in Sun Valley, ID, had 8th graders raise chickens and then slaughter them as a class project for their food unit. The stated purpose of the project was to teach children where their food comes from. Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, is one of a few schools that still use animal models in their Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) classes. Today, more than 90 percent of ATLS classes are taught using only human-based simulators.
February 2010
The Georgia House of Representatives is considering HB 1153, which further defines cruelty to animals and increases penalties for repeat offenders. The Alaska Board of Game is continuing its aerial wolf hunting around Tok in an effort to control wildlife populations rather than using humane wildlife management practices.
January 2010
A combination of longline fishing, oil pollution, habitat loss, and climate change are hastening the demise of seven species of endangered penguins. Although these species were slated for listing on the Endangered Species list last year, no action was taken. The University of Utah has been in the press recently for its use of live animals for research, including alleged use of companion animals purchased from shelters and wildlife such as monkeys. Please write polite letters to the university urging the institution to abandon animal experimentation and adopt humane and viable advanced technologies for research. The NOAA Fisheries is currently reviewing the possibility of dedicating approximately 3,000 square miles of the Alaskan Cook Inlet Bay as protected waters for the Beluga whales. Please write in support of this proposal and help ensure long-term habitat protection for the whale.
December 2009
A Utah man is standing trial January 29, 2010, for his alleged violent beating of a 6-month old puppy named Gabriella. According to reports, Mr. Anthony Spidle of Salt Lake County beat the Lab/pit bull-mix with a skateboard and tennis racket in a fit of rage regarding his relationship with Gabriella's owner, an ex-girlfriend. Studies show that acts of violence toward animals is often linked to later acts of abuse and violence toward humans. In an effort to manage the burgeoning population of buffalo on Catalina Island, the Catalina Island Conservancy decided to use a birth control vaccination. While on the surface this appears to be a laudable solution to the overpopulation issue, the birth control vaccine uses pig eggs in its manufacture. NHES applauds the Conservancy for deciding to use nonlethal means to control the buffalo population; however, the means they have chosen are lethal to pigs. Harming one animal to assist another is not the solution. Dolphin and whale meat continue to show up on the shelves of supermarkets, in school lunches, and in workplace cafeterias in Japan. NHES opposes the killing of these animals for their meat and we are concerned that due to the poisoning of the planet’s waters, these animals are contaminated with significantly high levels of mercury, posing a health risks to humans.
# Animal abuse is horrendous whether one or one hundred animals are involved. The abuse is compounded when the animals involved were used for financial gain and then left to starve to death. Ronald John Williams has been accused of abandoning 40 greyhounds, 33 of whom have since died, at the Ebro Greyhound Park in Ebro, Florida. He has been charged with 37 counts of felony animal abuse. Please write a letter to the state attorney's office urging that office to prosecute Williams to the fullest extent of the law and, if convicted, sentence him to the maximum allowable penalties under Florida law for the crime of felony animal cruelty. Ms. Erin Oliver Washington County State Attorney’s Office P. O. Box 590 Chipley, FL 32428
Animal abuse is horrendous whether one or one hundred animals are involved. The abuse is compounded when the animals involved were used for financial gain and then left to starve to death. Ronald John Williams has been accused of abandoning 40 greyhounds, 33 of whom have since died, at the Ebro Greyhound Park in Ebro, Florida. He has been charged with 37 counts of felony animal abuse. Please write a letter to the state attorney's office urging that office to prosecute Williams to the fullest extent of the law and, if convicted, sentence him to the maximum allowable penalties under Florida law for the crime of felony animal cruelty. Address: Ms. Erin Oliver Washington County State Attorney’s Office P. O. Box 590 Chipley, FL 32428
Many of us enjoy having our pictures taken with animals but should we be endangering the animals and ourselves in the process? At the Minnesota Wildlife Connection, customers are offered the opportunity to have their pictures taken with wildlife. However, a child was recently attacked by a wolf and the wolf was later killed. Wild animals should not be used for human entertainment and economic gain. Wild animals, such as the wolf who attacked the child, are unpredictable. Even people who have spent years training wild animals have experienced inordinate pain and suffering, not to mention the suffering the wild animal often experiences. Please write a polite letter to the Minnesota Wildlife Connection requesting they discontinue offering customers opportunities to have their pictures taken with wildlife. Address: Lee Greenly Minnesota Wildlife Connection 1894 Old Military Road
Sandstone, MN 55072
Elephant rides and state and county fairs are a recipe for abuse, mistreatment, and danger. Yet, the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources is considering lifting the state’s ban on allowing elephant rides at state and county fairs. Beyond the concern for potential human injury and even death is, of course, the concern for the wild and exotic animals forced to participate in the entertainment industry. Whether stolen from the wild or captive bred, these animals are deprived of the natural habitat, food supply, and companionship necessary to fulfill their instincts. Many animals are discarded or left to languish in cages or sent to roadside zoos when they are no longer considered economically viable. In the case of elephants, abusive training techniques and tools, such as bullhooks and electric prods, are used to force elephants to perform. Furthermore, wild and exotic animals experience much neglect and cruelty, in part, because there is little oversight or control of exhibitors. Even when sanctioned by licensing agents, exhibitors continue to exploit their animals while placing the public in danger. Please write to the commissioner of the Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources requesting the agency not lift the ban on elephant rides at county and state fairs. Address: Dr. Jonathan Gassett Commissioner Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources
1 Sportsman's Lane
Frankfort, KY 40601
There is only one last true and largest population of free-roaming plains bison and they are in Yellowstone National Park. Yet, the U.S. Department of Interior is considering slaughtering a significant number of these bison to maintain a set number in the herd. Write a letter to Secretary Salazar letting him know you strongly support the need to protect our natural, wild heritage in the form of the magnificent bison, the largest land mammal in North America. Instead of killing bison to maintain a specified number within the herd, let him know we must learn to live in unison with these animals. By continually culling the herd or hazing the bison, we are doing damage to the herd’s ability to sustain itself. Address: The Honorable Ken Salazar Secretary Department of the Interior 1849 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20240 Animal abuse is horrendous whether one or one hundred animals are involved. The abuse is compounded when the animals involved were used for financial gain and then left to starve to death. Ronald John Williams has been accused of abandoning 40 greyhounds, 33 of whom have since died, at the Ebro Greyhound Park in Ebro, Florida. He has been charged with 37 counts of felony animal abuse. Please write a letter to the state attorney's office urging that office to prosecute Williams to the fullest extent of the law and, if convicted, sentence him to the maximum allowable penalties under Florida law for the crime of felony animal cruelty. Ms. Erin Oliver Washington County State Attorney’s Office P. O. Box 590 Chipley, FL 32428 # Many of us enjoy having our pictures taken with animals but should we be endangering the animals and ourselves in the process? At the Minnesota Wildlife Connection, customers are offered the opportunity to have their pictures taken with wildlife. However, a child was recently attacked by a wolf and the wolf was later killed. Wild animals should not be used for human entertainment and economic gain. Wild animals, such as the wolf who attacked the child, are unpredictable. Even people who have spent years training wild animals have experienced inordinate pain and suffering, not to mention the suffering the wild animal often experiences. Please write a polite letter to the Minnesota Wildlife Connection requesting they discontinue offering customers opportunities to have their pictures taken with wildlife. Lee Greenly Minnesota Wildlife Connection 1894 Old Military Road
Sandstone, MN 55072
# Elephant rides and state and county fairs are a recipe for abuse, mistreatment, and danger. Yet, the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources is considering lifting the state’s ban on allowing elephant rides at state and county fairs. Beyond the concern for potential human injury and even death is, of course, the concern for the wild and exotic animals forced to participate in the entertainment industry. Whether stolen from the wild or captive bred, these animals are deprived of the natural habitat, food supply, and companionship necessary to fulfill their instincts. Many animals are discarded or left to languish in cages or sent to roadside zoos when they are no longer considered economically viable. In the case of elephants, abusive training techniques and tools, such as bullhooks and electric prods, are used to force elephants to perform. Furthermore, wild and exotic animals experience much neglect and cruelty, in part, because there is little oversight or control of exhibitors. Even when sanctioned by licensing agents, exhibitors continue to exploit their animals while placing the public in danger. Please write to the commissioner of the Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources requesting the agency not lift the ban on elephant rides at county and state fairs. Dr. Jonathan Gassett Commissioner Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources
1 Sportsman's Lane
Frankfort, KY 40601 # There is only one last true and largest population of free-roaming plains bison and they are in Yellowstone National Park. Yet, the U.S. Department of Interior is considering slaughtering a significant number of these bison to maintain a set number in the herd. Write a letter to Secretary Salazar letting him know you strongly support the need to protect our natural, wild heritage in the form of the magnificent bison, the largest land mammal in North America. Instead of killing bison to maintain a specified number within the herd, let him know we must learn to live in unison with these animals. By continually culling the herd or hazing the bison, we are doing damage to the herd’s ability to sustain itself. The Honorable Ken Salazar Secretary Department of the Interior 1849 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20240 # |
