Take Action Letters! Every month, the NHES Humane Education & Advocacy Department writes letters on important animal welfare issues ranging from the local to the international level. NHES urges both private and public figures—including corporate CEOs, state and federal legislators, and international leaders—to take action to help animals. We invite you to join us in our efforts. Please spend just a few minutes of your time to make a phone call or send a brief letter on behalf of animals! Please feel free to use NHES language in your letters; however, we encourage you to use your own words as well. Together, we can make the world a more humane and peaceful place for all living beings. Recent Action Letters West Virginia is one of only eight states where greyhound racing is legal and operational. Please write to the West Virginia Commission racing secretary urging the commission to discontinue greyhound racing at the dog track in Wheeling, West Virginia, where dogs are being injured on the track. Greyhound racing is detrimental to the dogs and other animals for the following reasons: - Dogs suffer serious injuries during training and racing. These injuries are rarely treated.
- Dogs who are not able to race are shot.
- While on the racing circuit, dogs are continuously confined in cages barely large enough for them to move around in.
- Dogs are given minimal veterinary treatment and suffer from poor nutrition.
- To ensure dogs race well, trainers often use performance-enhancing drugs.
- Dogs often race in extreme temperatures in both summer and winter.
- Live animals, usually rabbits, are used in greyhound training.
For these reasons, urge the racing secretary to discontinue greyhound racing at the Wheeling, West Virginia, dog track. Jon Amores Racing Secretary West Virginia Racing Commission 106 Dee Drive Suite 2
Charleston WV 25311 # Every day we read about another species under attack whether due to over hunting, over fishing, global climate change, or human development. Species whose existence is in jeopardy can be listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) as either “endangered” or “threatened,” the latter meaning the species is growing close to that number where survival may be in jeopardy. Four types of ringed seals and two types of bearded seals, all found in Alaska, should be listed as “threatened” under the ESA. These seals face particular danger from climate change and the subsequent loss of polar ice. The seals are a valuable and irreplaceable part of our planet. Additionally, their continued survival is crucial to another threatened animal’s survival: the polar bear. Together, these species and countless others form a delicate balance that Earth cannot afford to risk losing. Please write a polite letter to the National Marine Fisheries Service requesting these seals be listed as “threatened” under the ESA. Mr. Kaja Brix Assistant Regional Administrator Protected Resources Division Alaska Region, National Marine Fisheries Service PO Box 21668 Juneau, AK 99802 # Wild animals belong in the wild, not in cages at safari parks. Monkeys, in particular, should live free to form family groups, eat natural foods, and enjoy life in the jungle. At Harmony Park Safari in Huntsville, Alabama, monkeys can do none of that. They are forced to live in solitary confinement in cramped quarters with little or no environmental enrichment. This dire combination prevents the monkeys from exhibiting natural behaviors and living normal lives. In particular, one of the monkeys in a small, tube-like cage has been exhibiting stereotypies, or repetitive actions that indicate an animal is stressed. Please write a polite letter to the park urging the owners to relocate their monkeys to an appropriate and reputable sanctuary to live out their lives in as close to a normal manner as possible. Owners Harmony Park Safari 431 Clouds Cove Rd SE Huntsville, AL 35803
# Some chemicals can act as endocrine disruptors creating havoc with the body’s ability to function normally and healthfully. Testing chemicals to determine their potential to act as endocrine disruptors is the job of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In the past, the EPA has tested these chemical on animals. However, not all animals respond to these chemicals as would a human so the results of these tests are inconclusive. EPA has developed a program called ToxCast which has been used to test endocrine activity in hundreds of chemicals, yet the agency is poised to test over 100 chemicals on animals instead of using its own program. Please write a polite letter to the EPA requesting the agency use its already existing program to test chemicals for their potential to act as endocrine disruptors and not use animals for this purpose. Lisa P. Jackson, Administrator Environmental Protection Agency
Ariel Rios Building
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20460 # In another case of using animals as test subjects, the University of Massachusetts Medical School’s Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) classes still use live animals, mostly pigs, when over 95 percent of such classes offered nationwide use non-animal models such as the TraumaMan® System, SimMan, and cadavers, all approved by the American College of Surgeons, the ATLS oversight body. Please write a polite letter to the dean of the school of medicine requesting that the University of Massachusetts Medical School join with the majority of other university medical schools in using non-animal models for ATLS classes. Terence Flotte, M.D.
Dean, School of Medicine
Provost and Executive Deputy Chancellor University of Massachusetts Medical School
5 Lake Ave., N.
Worcester, MA 01655 # Vietnam is home to numerous bear bile farms although the international trade in bear products is illegal. Bears live in small cages that do not allow for significant movement and have floors made of excruciatingly uncomfortable metal bars. They have their stomachs are cut open and a tube inserted to extract the bile from the gall bladder—a procedure which results in an average of a 50-60 percent mortality rate. If the bear survives the tube insertion, the animal then lives in a state of neglect and misery for another 5-10 years. The bears’ physical and mental health is sacrificed and many suffer injuries, illnesses, boredom, and depression for long years before death. There is absolutely no justification for the cruelty these sentient creatures are forced to endure. There are no compelling reasons to subject these animals to pain, suffering, and death when herbal and synthetic alternatives exist. Please write a polite letter to our ambassador to Vietnam requesting that he encourage the government of Vietnam to ban bear bile farms and stop the illegal international trade of bear products. Michael W. Michalak US Ambassador to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam The American Center 1st Floor, Rose Garden Tower
170 Ngoc Khanh Street Hanoi, Vietnam # The dog meat trade was made illegal in the Philippines in 1998. However, it still flourishes. The government of the Philippines must meet its obligation to these sentient creatures by enforcing the law. Please write a polite letter to the ambassador from the Philippines encouraging him to promote the humane treatment of all animals by urging his government to work toward enforcing the dog meat ban. Willy C. Gaa Ambassador of the Philippines 1600 Massachusetts Ave., NW Washington, DC 20001 |
