In Defense of Animals
Transcription
In Defense of Animals
A P U B L I C AT I O N O F I N D E F E N S E O F A N I M A L S GUARDIANS INTERNATIONAL FALL 2009 WILD HORSES IMPERILED PUPPY MILLS BEWARE SCAMP’S STAMPED OUT IDA LANDMARK FOIA VICTORY One Large Victory for Tina and Jewel THE FIGHT FOR OTHER ELEPHANTS CONTINUES CREATING A MORE JUST AND COMPASSIONATE WORLD WWW.IDAUSA.ORG President’s Message A s you read this latest issue of Guardians International, it will become obvious to you why I’m so proud of In Defense of Animals and grateful to the tens of thousands of IDA members like you, who have provided the resources to make all of our work possible—to allow IDA to become one of the few animal-protection organizations in the world whose work extends beyond borders and oceans on behalf of all species. Some of our more recent victories include the precedent-setting forced removal of two elephants, Tina and Jewel, from their abusive “owner”; the landmark Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit victory over the United States Department of Agriculture and Huntingdon Life Sciences; and the closing down of the Scamp’s Pet Store chain, once again proving that IDA’s tenacity and determination ensures that justice is carried out no matter how long it takes. We will not stop, nor will we turn our backs on animals who suffer at the hands of those who would exploit, harm, and kill them out of ignorance, fun, profit, and sheer cruelty. Your support also keeps IDA Africa, IDA India, and Project Hope alive and well, so that each of these programs can continue to save lives and provide sanctuary for animals who would otherwise be in harm’s way. Each IDA sanctuary has different challenges to overcome, and yet they share a common bond—to save lives and make a difference for every animal they rescue and protect. Despite the world’s present turbulent state, we’ve remained focused on our goals. In Defense of Animals is a powerful force for change, and an even mightier force to be reckoned with for those who abuse and kill animals. With your continued support, we can intensify our efforts to raise the status of other species beyond that of mere property, objects, commodities, and things. We will continue to persuade people around the globe to think and act as “guardians,” protectors of the animals who share our lives and our planet. I thank you and the many other IDA supporters and volunteers and activists for your unending generosity and kindness. Together, we have made a difference in the lives of animals, as we continue to remain steadfastly together, to be an important voice and source of strength for the well-being of those who cannot speak for themselves. The limited space in this magazine can never do justice to all of IDA’s many campaigns and accomplishments. As a result, I encourage you to visit our Web site at www.idausa.org, and if you have not already done so, please sign up for IDA’s free, weekly e-newsletters and action alerts. They will provide you with additional updates on IDA’s lifesaving work, and what you can do to become a more effective animal guardian. I thank you once again for your kindness and generosity and for partnering with IDA to make the world a more just and compassionate place for all our fellow beings. Contents Fall 2009 GUARDIANS MAGAZINE PUBLISHER In Defense of Animals BOARD OF DIRECTORS Elliot M. Katz, DVM, President Theresa Macellaro, Vice-President Elaine Hendrix, Treasurer Randy Grim, Secretary 2 Guest Editorial Controversy Follows Michael Vick 3 Front Lines Updates On Saving Japan’s Dolphins, Fighting the Puppy Mill Trade, and America’s Wild Horses 8 Battling the Dog and Cat Meat Trade 20 IDA Africa Farewell to Gwendolyn and Arrival of Orphaned Baby 22 IDA India Teaching Compassion and Caring for the Many 24 Project Hope Celebrating Sixteen Years of Precedent-Setting Victories EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Anand Ramanathan, BVSc, MSc EDITORS Robin Bernstein Robin Dorman Mike Winikoff GRAPHIC DESIGNER Nobuko Kimura DESIGN CONSULTANT Linda G. Fisher CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Hope Bohanec Robin Dorman Catherine Doyle Melissa Gonzalez Eric Kleiman Andrea Kozil Matt Rossell Suzanne Roy Doll Stanley Mike Winikoff PRINTED WITH SOY-BASED INK Features 12 14 Respectfully, Elliot M. Katz, DVM GUARDIANS FALL 2009 3010 Kerner Blvd. San Rafael, CA 94901 Tel: +1 415 448 0048 Fax: +1 415 454 1031 E-mail: ida@idausa.org 6 Our Own Bill Dyer and Actress Elaine Hendrix Honored PRINTED ON PARTIALLY RECYCLED PAPER CONTACT In Defense Of Animals Animal Rights Conference 16 16 Landmark FOIA Victory USDA Forced to Disclose Records from Huntingdon Life Sciences FOIA VICTORY Tina and Jewel Seized from Abusive “Owner” 8 WWW.IDAUSA.ORG Guest Editorial Front Lines Controversy Follows Michael Vick International Fury Runs Deep By Martin Snapp, Contra Costa Times The End of Japanese Dolphin Slaughter Near? Posted: 08/27/2009 EVER SINCE Michael Vick signed a $6.875 million contract with the Philadelphia Eagles on Aug.13, the reaction from the sports media has been overwhelmingly positive. The only debate has been whether he’ll be rusty from the yearand-a-half layoff. Vick spent the time in federal prison for running a dogfighting ring out of his home. Many dogs died, some by Vick’s own hand. Some he hanged, some he shot, some he electrocuted, some he drowned, and some he simply beat to death. And what was their crime? They wouldn’t fight because they were too gentle. During his trial, one of his co-defendants said he suggested that dogs who wouldn’t fight should be given away, but Vick replied, “They got to go.” At the time, Vick denied being anywhere near the scene of the crime. “It’s a property where I’m never there. I’m never at the house,” he said. “I take these charges very seriously and look forward to clearing my good name.” Now, flash forward to his interview on “60 Minutes” last week. He said he cried many nights thinking about how he had let down his fiancée, his kids, his teammates, his fans, even Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank. Most of all, “I let myself down, you know, not being out on the football field, being in a prison bed, in a prison bunk, writing letters home.” The only ones he didn’t apologize to were the victims of his crimes. Interviewer James Brown tried his best to prompt him, repeating, “But what about the dogs, Michael?” But the most he would say was, “It was wrong.” In short, he doesn’t get it, and he never will. He seems sorry that he was caught more than anything else. And it’s not as if anyone held a gun to his head and made him do it. “I thought it was cool,” he told Brown. “And I thought it was, you know, it was fun, and it was exciting at the time.” His defenders say everyone deserves a second chance, but is that necessarily true? What if he had been convicted of child molesting instead of killing dogs? Does anyone think the NFL would—or should —give him a second chance then? Of course not, because child molesting is just too heinous. So all we’re really debating is whether a given offense passes the heinousness threshold. And I think killing and torturing dogs does. Like children, dogs are innocent, trusting, completely dependent and utterly vulnerable. They feel love, fear and pain, just like us. And they don’t want to die. Besides, the dogs aren’t the only victims. Do you know how they are trained to fight? By giving them smaller animals, like puppies and kittens, to “practice” on. Hector, a former Vick dog. Photo by Joshua Grenell A large number of family pets that go missing from the backyard turn out to be kidnapped by organized dogfighting rings. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has conditionally suspended Vick through Oct. 18, although Vick could play as early as Sept. 13, pending a final decision by Goodell. By coincidence, the Eagles’ game on Oct. 18 is against the Raiders, here at the Coliseum. Kickoff time is 1:05 p.m. If Vick is reinstated by then, I hope the Coliseum will be ringed by peaceful picket lines of dog lovers and their pooches. Wear your Raiders jerseys if you have them. And if you attend the game, let the boos echo to the top of Mount Davis. Let Vick know that football fans love their dogs, too. Reach Martin Snapp at catman@sfo.com. Heeding Mr. Snapp’s wishes, on October 18th, IDA did indeed hold a protest outside the Oakland Coliseum. Our purpose—to publicize our campaign to have dogfighting and cockfighting included in the NFL’s Personal Conduct Policies. Please contact Commissioner Roger Goodell and respectfully request that he take action on this matter. Commissioner Roger Goodell E-mail: Roger.Goodell2@nfl.net Phone: 1-212-450-2000 (public relations) or 212-450-2027 GUARDIANS FALL 2009 It’s September 1, in Taiji, off the rural coast of Japan, and the cove is serene. Amid such hypnotic beauty the exceptionally profitable capture and grotesque ritualized mass killing of dolphins is scheduled to take place. The most appealing are captured for aquariums worldwide while those less fetching suffer a sickening and merciless end. Some 2,000 dolphins are killed for their meat during the six-month season. But on this day, Ric O’Barry, campaign director of the Save Japan Dolphin Coalition and leading hunt saboteur, is visiting the fishing village for one reason: to stop the slaughter. He is with a camera crew and a few foreign reporters, including an unprecedented three Japanese news stations interviewing him about the stunning success of the film The Cove, which exposes Taiji’s hidden horror, and is garnering rave reviews as well as hunt protestors around the world. During the first few days of his trip, O’Barry delights in the fact that fishermen do not participate in the hunt and he declares it “a good day for dolphins.” But he experiences some unpleasantness. About to enter a grocery store, the head of the fishing union blocks his path and refuses to allow him to buy any food. Yet O’Barry insists on keeping the pressure on, so “they cannot hunt the dolphins.” Which is exactly what happens. No captures or killings occur while the team is in town. And stunningly, several TV news programs discuss dolphins killed for meat, and even show clips from The Cove film, the first time in Japan that the media blackout is shattered regarding Taiji, especially about mercury contamination. The Cove is blacklisted here. THE POWER OF FILM Japan’s killing cove was illuminated with a cameraseizing brightness that is brilliantly captured in The Cove. Director and dive photographer Louie Psihoyos’ scenes are almost unbearably tense. With a haunting ferocity, the Taiji fishermen herd the dolphins into a cove, sealed off by barbed wire, before daylight, and butcher them to death, in darkness, with knives and harpoons. The slaughtered become food served to the Japanese public, including children, despite frighteningly high mercury levels. This violent slaying spectacle comes wrapped in a stirring thriller as the filmmakers infiltrate the cove, documenting the concealed murders under the green lens of nightvision goggles with hand-held cameras. The protagonist is Ric O’Barry, the nearmythic trainer of television’s famously smiling “Flipper” in the 1960s, and who has spent the next forty years as liberator of dolphins. Earth Island Institute, In Defense of Animals, the Animal Welfare Institute, and Elsa Nature Conservancy are the four founding members of the Save Japan Dolphins Coalition, whose ardent dedication is to see that O’Barry’s dream to end the unspeakable abuse and murder of dolphins. And while O’Barry is still in Japan, Taiji issues a shocking announcement. It will release captured dolphins without slaughtering any. Reports indicate a new “nonslaughter” policy is in the works as a response to the wave of international pressure to end the dolphin killing and selling of contaminated dolphin meat. O’Barry acknowledges that international pressure works and expresses hope that Taiji will now institute a “noslaughter policy.” Once the team leaves Taiji for Tokyo, news surfaces that boats begin to capture “about 100” bottlenose dolphins (or “Flippers”) and 50 pilot whales. It is learned that some of the bottlenose dolphins will be kept to sell to aquariums. But rather than butchering the remaining dolphins for sale of meat, Taiji announces that it will instead release any dolphins not selected for captivity. “The world is watching,” says O’Barry. “We call on the Japanese Fisheries Minister and the Taiji Town Council to make the nonslaughter policy permanent, and revoke all permits allowing capture and slaughter.” Dr. Elliot Katz, President of IDA, said, “On behalf of the members of IDA, I congratulate Ric O’Barry, the members of the Save Japan Dolphins Coalition, and Cove Director Louie Psihoyos for taking us one giant step closer to ending the horrific slaughter of these sensitive and intelligent beings. IDA is so very proud to be a founding member of this incredible lifesaving coalition.” Breaking news is happening every day. As of this writing, there is uncertainty about what will happen to the dolphins in future hunts. The Japan Dolphin team is returning to Taiji to keep the pressure on. For the latest information, please visit http://www.SaveJapanDolphins.org WWW.IDAUSA.ORG Front Lines Scamp’s Stamped Out Puppy mill victory—pet store chain goes bankrupt Puppy mills are cruel, filthy, massbreeding operations that exist because unsuspecting people fall for that cute doggie in the window at pet stores. But thanks to successful, high-profile education campaigns, times are changing and more people are choosing to adopt animal companions from shelters rather than buy from breeders and pet stores. Across the country, caring people are campaigning against puppy mills by holding signs and leafleting outside the unscrupulous pet stores that sell animals from puppy and kitten mills. In Los Angeles and elsewhere, dozens of these stores have either shut down for good or have moved to a humane model of only offering rescue dogs and cats for adoption. For nearly a decade, IDA has campaigned loudly and visibly to educate the public about Scamp’s Pet Stores, a notorious Northwest chain. We organized seasonal demonstrations outside Scamp’s stores and circulated information from customers and store employees detailing the stores’ ongoing sale of sick and genetically defective puppies from puppy mills. The public eventually came to agree with our concerns, and the five-store chain is Portland activists against pet shops and puppy mills GUARDIANS FALL 2009 now officially closed for good, after the owner filed for bankruptcy this year. To sweeten the victory, a Multnomah County, Oregon, circuit judge has dismissed trespass charges against IDA’s Matt Rossell, who was falsely arrested by mall security at a Scamp’s protest last winter. The dramatic scene that started with rousing cheers from a unique group of pom-pom-carrying activists called the Radical Cheerleaders for Animal Rights ended with security guards roughly tackling Matt to the ground—before even asking him to leave—with his traumatized, two-year-old daughter watching. Attorney Stu Sugarman, who generously took Matt’s case pro bono, negotiated an out-of-court settlement, where the mall agreed to dismiss all criminal charges and lift the four-year exclusion against IDA’s Northwest Director returning to the mall. In exchange, Matt promised not to sue the mall in civil court. The videotaped protest and arrest went viral on the Internet via YouTube, educating untold numbers of people about the barbarity of puppy mills—and our rights to protest against them. Put The Horses Before The Cart Horses and congested city traffic don’t mix. Across the country, wherever horses are forced to pull carriages through urban streets, fatal accidents occur. These poor horses are vulnerable to injuries, car collisions, exhaust, and exhaustion. The hard pavement is harmful to their joints and legs—their shoes limit effective circulation. Throughout their working hours, the horses are denied free access to much-needed water. Horses simply don’t belong in the city. IDA is leading a campaign to help these horses in Portland, Oregon, after 23-year-old Balatore collapsed and died on a downtown street while pulling a carriage. Thanks to our action alert, hundreds of calls and e-mails from concerned IDA members overwhelmed the Mayor’s office, and city leaders are now listening. IDA was invited to a meeting in the Mayor’s office to discuss strictly regulating or banning carriage horses. Portland currently has no regulations governing horse-drawn carts. IDA has also been working with law enforcement to find witnesses to the circumstances surrounding Balatore’s death, which occurred on the ninth day of a heat wave with a reported street temperature of 97 degrees. Neglect or cruelty charges are possible. IDA will keep encouraging Portland to join the ranks of other progressive cities that have banned horse-drawn carriages, including Santa Fe, New Mexico, Camden, New Jersey, and Biloxi, Mississippi. IDA’s Matt Rossell demos with his daughter in tow A chained Boo Boo with her puppies All in a Day’s Work Removing Chains of Despair The call for help came from my daughter’s 11-yearold friend. “My neighbor’s dog is on a chain and she has puppies—help!!” “Oh no, not again,” recalling how difficult rescues of chained dogs can be. Down a long, gravel drive, I came upon a white shepherd/husky mix on a chain and surrounded by gorgeous little puppies. Hesitantly, I knocked on the door. I was pleased to find that the mamma dog, Boo Boo, had a wonderfully sweet demeanor, and her guardian Susan was a nice person who was eager for help with the puppies. She was greatly relieved at my offer, because animal control was scheduled to pick them up that afternoon. My rescue at this house quickly expanded. By the end of the month, I placed two of the puppies with a wonderful couple and the rest with an adoption program; took a mother cat and her kittens to the adoption center at the Wake County, N.C., SPCA; got a pregnant cat spayed and placed in an adoption program, and got Boo Boo and Susan’s cat spayed, and, lastly, neutered one of the puppies she had decided to keep. With the help of our amazing local Coalition to Unchain Dogs, we will build a fence for Boo Boo and her puppy Butch so they can be permanently off chains. The heartening news is that we have recently passed a dog-chaining restriction in Orange County, N.C., which takes effect in November. Already I see pens and fences sprouting up for dogs who used to be chained. A total ban on chaining will soon take effect in neighboring Durham County. All dogs must be freed from the misery of life at the end of a chain. —By Suzanne Roy, IDA co-director captive elephant campaign WWW.IDAUSA.ORG Front Lines WHAT YOU CAN DO: 1. Ask your U.S. Senators to support the ROAM Act (S 1579). See IDA’s Action Center at www.idausa.org for talking points, a sample e-mail ready to go to your Senator, and his/her contact information. 2. Tell President Obama it’s time to change our wild-horse management policies. Ask the President to: • Stop the BLM’s aggressive horse removal campaign, underway at the behest of special ranching interests and costing taxpayers millions of dollars. Wild Horses Imperiled • Implement a moratorium on roundups until actual numbers of wild horses on public lands have been independently assessed and a humane plan is in place for the management of these horses on the range and in captivity. Across the western United States wild horses are in crisis In 1971, Congress unanimously passed the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act to forever protect wild horses and burros on public lands. Today, the survival of these majestic mustangs is imperiled by the very agency charged with protecting them. CLOUD’S OFFSPRING ON THE AUCTION BLOCK Over Labor Day weekend, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) rounded up Cloud, whose life was chronicled in “Cloud: Wild Stallion of the Rockies,” an episode of the popular PBS series Nature. Cloud’s herd and the other wild horses who inhabit the Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range on the border of Wyoming and Montana were chased by helicopter into holding pens. Elyse Gardner, IDA’s official observer, documented the roundup and obtained video, which is available on our Web site. Young foals and older horses were mercilessly chased for ten miles over a 5,000 GUARDIANS FALL 2009 foot descent, causing injuries and lameness. Public outcry eventually led to the release of Cloud and his immediate family, but 57 horses were kept in captivity, including some of Cloud’s offspring, and older horses like Conquistador, a 19-year-old stallion and his 21-year-old mare. When Cloud was released, he tried for 20 minutes to keep his family intact by circling the pen that still held one of his daughters. The older horses are unsuitable for adoption and would have been sold to the highest bidder. But filmmaker Ginger Kathrens and other wild-horse advocates raised the funds to purchase these horses. All of the older horses were relocated to a 700-acre ranch in the foothills of the Pryor Mountains where they remain together as a family. Ms. Kathrens said the light returned to Conquistador’s eyes when he was reunited with his mare. Incredibly, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar’s office called the Pryor roundup a model on which other BLM roundups would be based. NEVADA HORSES TARGETED The BLM is targeting over 12,000 horses this coming year. In Nevada, the BLM intends to remove all wild horses from the Caliente Wild Horse Complex and the Seaman and White River Herd Areas. The government agency claims the 600 horses overpopulate the 1.4 million acres (2,000 square miles!) encompassed by these ranges, but wildlife ecologist Craig Downer, who surveyed the area, says the horses are being removed to appease ranchers, who view them as competition to the millions of cattle grazing our public lands. As of October, 1,350 horses were removed, and the capture of 270 more was scheduled to happen within weeks. WILD HORSES ZEROED OUT This “zeroing out” of wild horses is contrary to the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act and the BLM’s regional office 2008 goal to “Maintain and manage healthy, self-sustaining wild horse herds inside herd management areas within appropriate management levels to ensure a thriving and natural ecological balance.” Since 1971, when the Act took effect, wild horses have been zeroed out from 111 herd areas representing over 19 million acres of public land. In November, 2008, and September, 2009, at public meetings of the National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board, IDA lambasted the BLM for its decadeslong bungling of wild-horse management, creating the current crisis where nearly half of America’s wild horses, approximately 32,000, have been rounded up and put into holding areas with fates unknown. The BLM plans to round up 12,000 more in 2010, bringing the total in holding to 44,000. Meanwhile, the BLM only adopts out 1,300 horses per year. This stockpiling of horses makes no sense, unless the BLM intends to kill these horses or lift restrictions on sales, opening the door for slaughter buyers (aka “killer buyers”), as a solution to the rising cost of maintaining them, and a sluggish adoption market. This move by the U.S. government would be an unacceptable breach of the public trust. ACTION ON CAPITOL HILL TO SAVE AMERICA’S WILD HORSES IDA supports passage of the Restoring Our American Mustangs Act (ROAM), which would encourage the reopening of certain public lands to the mustangs, potentially decreasing the number in captivity. The ROAM Act also restores a crucial protection to keep wild horses from going to slaughter, which was stripped away several years ago, and would facilitate the creation of sanctuaries to house the 32,000 wild horses in government holding facilities. The ROAM Act has passed the House of Representatives. The Senate version (S 1579) is now in the Senate’s Energy and Natural Resources Committee. • Require horse-advocate observers on any future roundups. • Support the creation of wild-horse sanctuaries for the 33,000 wild horses in holding facilities costing taxpayers $100,000 per day and tens of millions annually. President Barack Obama 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20500 fax: 202-456-2461 E-mail through http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/ Cloud and his family WWW.IDAUSA.ORG Protecting South Korea’s Dogs and Cats South Korean Activists Take the Lead Against Cat and Dog Consumption Protesting in Boston, MA In South Korea, some dogs and cats live comfortably cared for by their human guardians; others are raised for human consumption. At outdoor market stalls, you find dogs, like vegetables, tightly crammed into crates. When a customer selects a dog, he or she is roughly yanked from the cage, usually strung up, and then, in front of the other dogs, ruthlessly beaten while he or she writhes and cries out in pain, urinates and defecates, and slowly strangles to death. Some South Koreans believe that the adrenaline released into the dogs’ bloodstreams by their terror and agony will increase sexual potency in the consumer. Such is the fate every year of approximately two million South Korean dogs. But thanks to a new generation of South Korean activists, this may be changing. Lee Won-bok is a South Korean who has spoken out against the dog markets for nine years. He spends many days gathering up stray dogs to keep them from the meat venders. According to the Los Angeles Times (Sept. 4, 2009), Lee has also collected over 300,000 signatures from his fellow South Koreans on a petition to ban dog consumption. His organization, the Korea Association of Animal Protection, is just one of nine South Korean organizations that have arisen in recent years to oppose the eating of dogs. “People don’t comprehend the suffering these dogs endure,” Lee told the Times. “Dog eating in Korea is not going to end in one day or one year, but it’s only a matter of time.” Protesting in South Korea GUARDIANS FALL 2009 As he stood in line to sign a petition 14, 2009. IDA’s activities will finally win to outlaw the eating of dog meat, 17-year- public opinion, especially among South old-Won Ji-yeaon told the Times: “We are Koreans. No more animals will have to a new generation of Koreans, and it’s up suffer. Let us march together ...” to us to stop this practice.” Another South Korean, Elaine Cats are not frequently eaten— Eunjoo, writes: “Please remember that the rather, they are boiled alive to produce majority of South Koreans are dog and cat “tonics” that some claim treat arthritis and lovers and they will fight with IDA. Thank rheumatism. Activist Mun Ju-Young told you for taking action and I will be part of The Seoul Times (Sept. it until we end of this 16, 2009) about a tragedy.” As he stood in line to sign scene she witnessed in a We support a petition to outlaw the restaurant: “Stopping at the efforts of South eating of dog meat, 17one of the hot kettles, Korean organizations year-old Won Ji-yeaon told the woman sniffed once like CARE, Korean and dropped the cat Animal Rights Advothe Times: “We are a new into the boiling water. cates (KARA), and generation of Koreans, Hideously scalded by other organizations and it’s up to us to stop the boiling water the cat to end this brutal screamed and clawed its mistreatment and this practice.” way out but the blankslaughter. In addition faced woman pushed it back in the water to coordinating the International Day of with a stick over and over again until the Action for Dogs and Cats in South Korea, cat finally lost consciousness.” IDA donates directly to South Korean orgaOn July 14, 2009, IDA coordi- nizations who are putting pressure on their nated the 5th annual International Day government to end this tragic practice. of Action for Dogs and Cats in South Korea. Judging by worldwide participation, the event was a huge success. Protests were held in 21 cities, with a presence at all South Korean Embassies and Consulates in the U.S., plus demonstrations in Ireland, Canada, Bolivia, Peru, South Africa, and, of course, South Korea. Rue McClanahan of the “Golden Girls” endorsed our campaign and spoke at the New York event. In San Francisco, we presented the Consulate with over 18,000 individually signed petitions from IDA members asking the South Korean Government to protect dogs and cats in its country. Jihyun Jun, of the organization Coexistence for Animal Rights on Earth (CARE), wrote to say: “I sincerely thank IDA for working to end the killing of dogs for human consumption in South Korea. I also thank you for having held demonstrations all around the world on July Visit our Web site http://www. idausa.org/campaigns/korea/index.html to learn more, view videos, and to see how you can help. WWW.IDAUSA.ORG Guardian in the Spotlight Raise your voice for the voiceless. The Man who Saves Ducklings The first heart-piercing rescue happened a year ago: Spokane, Washington, Loan Officer Joel Armstrong was looking outside his office window when he saw a tiny fluff of a duckling step off the ledge to her death. Quick on his feet, Armstrong raced down stairs and positioned himself under the awning in time to catch the next little one and then the next, until each of the remaining eight ducklings were safely placed on the ground. He was assisted by a cohort on the second floor, who called out each jump to Joel. Once reunited with their mother, the feathered family was led by Armstrong through traffic, across the streets of Spokane to the river. And so in May when this year’s hatchings occurred, Armstrong was ready to provide the same ground support. This time, as the ducklings neared the edge, the mother duck let out a robust quack to signal the first in line to take the plunge. Steadying himself once again in the safety More and more designers and retailers have shunned fur and have instead embraced compassionate alternatives. Why? Because the fur industry inflicts unimaginable cruelty to animals. Every year, more than 50 million animals are brutally killed for their fur. Nordstrom carries a large line of faux fur and customers love it. Nordstrom, however, continues to sell real fur coats and accessories. Join IDA’s Nordstrom Campaign that kicks off Fur Free Friday and let fur retailers know that it’s time to go completely faux! Join IDA and thousands of others around the nation for Fur Free Friday! November 27, 2009 In Defense of Animals 10 GUARDIANS FALL 2009 www.furfreefridayida.org zone, Armstrong extended his arms, cupped his hands, and carefully caught one duckling after another. An enthusiastic crowd with a sign that read, “Brake for Ducks,” cheered as Armstrong again led mom and her brood of 12 waddling ducklings toward the river. Armstrong isn’t sure if she was the same mother duck, but he doesn’t care, because he’s a duck man. “If I were that duck, I would want someone to help me. It’s a natural inclination.” Joel Armstrong, bank man, family man, guardian of a female cat named Kiki, and duck man, is now in possession of the IDA Guardian Award for his heroic acts. The Guardian Award is part of IDA’s Guardian Campaign, created in 1999, to signify a growing public concern for a more humane, responsible, and respectful attitude toward other species. The campaign encourages people to act as guardians and protectors of the animals who share our world—and to treat other species not as disposable objects, commodities, or things, but as beings who have feelings, social lives, and a wish to live. If you know someone who deserves a Guardian Award, please contact IDA at ida@idausa.org. protected, and by arguing that animals in laboratories are treated humanely because of the Animal Welfare Act, the abusers encourage inaction and passive acceptance. The mainstream media, with few notable exceptions (see each year’s Genesis Awards), are willing accomplices in the deception. IDA’s Undercover TV takes the opposite approach—we reveal truth to encourage action. Undercover TV is ambitious—we believe we can change the world for animals, one community at a time. IDA is seeking dedicated activists throughout the country to help air Undercover TV on public access stations. You will likely need to attend an orientation at your community public access station and submit episodes, which we provide, either weekly or monthly. The process for submitting episodes varies from city to city. Contact Eric Phelps (eric@idausa.org) for more information or to get involved. Or visit www.undercovertv.org. Joel Armstrong Undercover TV This revolutionary, IDA-produced, half-hour television program, with our 68th upcoming episode, takes viewers where other TV shows won’t—inside factory farms, vivisection laboratories, fur farms, puppy mills, and other cruel and exploitive industries. We peel back the curtain to expose the behind-the-scenes truth—massive, institutional, unnecessary animal suffering. You will never view a circus, hamburger, or eye shadow the same again. Most people have never seen how animals used for food, clothing, entertainment, or scientific experiments are treated. Those who profit from the suffering try to keep it hidden behind locked and guarded doors. By showing laughing, animated animals on TV commercials, by claiming that the elephants in their circuses are happy and WWW.IDAUSA.ORG 11 ANIMAL RIGHTS CONFERENCE 2009 Over 900 participants from all over the world attended this year’s Animal Rights Conference, which was held on July 16-20, in Los Angeles , presented by FARM and co-sponsored by IDA and Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. There were 105 speakers from 60 organizations who took part in 120 sessions, including plenaries, workshops, raps, and campaign reports. Nearly 90 organizations exhibited their literature and merchandise. More than 60 videos of animal abuse and protective actions were screened, including premieres. This event presents an opportunity to be vigorously involved in the culture of animal protection, centered around the staggering exploitation and cruelty committed against animals across the nation and around the world. IDA STAFF PRESENTATIONS Bill Dyer receiving his Lifetime Guardian Achievement Award. Photo by David Sobel Photography spoke at hearings on every possible animal concern, including recently focusing attention upon Billy the elephant at the L.A. Zoo. But what took place on Catalina Island, 23 miles west off the coast of Los Angeles, perfectly exemplifies the Ambassador. Some years ago, Bill learned that the Catalina Island Conservancy, which controls more than 90 percent of the island, was going to shoot over 100 remaining goats in its quest to banish any non-native animals or plants. Bill met with Conservancy officials and was granted permission to relocate the goats to the mainland. He raised the funds and found a new home for the 123 goats with an organization in Northern California Key members of IDA staff gave presentations on wide-ranging topics within the animal-rights movement. Founder and President of IDA, Dr. Elliot Katz, gave welcoming remarks and thanked attendees for all their efforts and support to create a more compassionate world. In subsequent panels, Dr. Katz spoke about IDA’s Guardian Campaign and other companion animal issues, from abuse to reducing the numbers of animals killed in our nation’s shelters. Other presenters were Director of Project Hope Doll Stanley, Northwest Director Matt Rossell, Grassroots Field Director Hope Bohanec, Research Analyst Tony Carr, and Elephant Specialist Catherine Doyle on various topics, including managing a sanctuary to our efforts against the vivisection, factory farming, fur, and entertainment industries. ELAINE HENDRIX Left to right: Jessica Carroll, Dr. Katz, Hope Bohanec, Kim Flaherty, Matt Rossell, Bill Dyer IDA AWARDS Two ardent animal advocates received IDA awards—IDA’s Southern California Coordinator Bill Dyer and actress-activist IDA spokesperson, Elaine Hendrix. BILL DYER IDA President and Founder, Elliot M. Katz, presented Bill Dyer—“the heart and soul of the organization”—with a Lifetime Guardian Achievement Award. 12 GUARDIANS FALL 2009 called Goats ‘R Us, who lease out goats to eat brush and weeds that often fuel deadly fires. The goats were put in trucks and transported to a barge for an overnight trip to the mainland. At the dock Bill held a baby goat in his arms, a euphoric-bringing moment. Years later, on the same island, Bill learned that the nonnative buffalo were facing an uncertain future. Rising to the occasion again, he asked if he and others might relocate them. Once agreed upon, Bill quickly raised the money and found three Indian reservations in South Dakota that would willingly adopt them with the understanding that those 103 buffalo would not be killed or hunted. The trip was a daunting enterprise, a long odyssey that took three days from Catalina to South Dakota, where the buffalo made it in good spirits to the land their ancestors once flourished. For Bill, it was the consistency of IDA campaigns and demonstrations during the 1980s and 1990s that gave animal rights an entrée into the national arena—his and IDA’s actions defined and catalyzed a movement. A difference was made. And must continue to do so. About his Lifetime Achievement Award, Bill said, “I’ve been with In Defense of Animals for thirteen years and I appreciate the many animal issues and campaigns IDA has addressed. Through it all I have learned that finding a cause gives meaning to one’s life. I am proud and humbled to be a part of the greatest cause of all, animal rights. Go vegan, go vegan, go vegan. Free Billy, free Billy, free Billy. ” Several of Bill’s most intimate friends and colleagues referred to Bill as “an ambassador to animal rights.” IDA’s elephant specialist Catherine Doyle said Bill is a legendary figure on the L.A. animal-rights scene—someone who never says no to take an action and who invariably leads. He is a constant presence outside pet stores, department stores, universities, wherever animals are exploited and abused. He is persistent, brave, and loyal. “With people like Bill, we will win the fight for animals,” Catherine declared. Longtime activist and dear friend Marlene Goodman, who has worked with Bill on animal issues for twenty years said, “He is the most feeling and passionate activist I know.” From feral cats to elephants to dogs to whales to goats to bison, from A to Z— with a messianic zeal, Bill Dyer has helped them all. He has led scores of protests and Elaine Hendrix, an “actor’s actor,” producer, songwriter, and author was presented with IDA’s Guardian Celebrity Activist Award for her dedication to other species. Recognized for roles in The Parent Trap, What the Bleep Do We Know?!, Romy & Michele’s High School Reunion, Elaine has also made appearances on TV series such as “Joan of Arcadia,” “Privileged,” “Ghost Whisperer,” “ER,” and “CSI.” Elaine embodies the ethos of a guardian: to respect and honor the profound individuality of other species. A true renaissance woman, Elaine is a classically trained dancer and has written songs for film and television. She has also contributed to the books Voices of Breast Cancer and Wake Up Women and has written many magazine articles. For 20 years, Elaine has produced live events for corporations such as FOX and magazines like Glamour. A voice for the animals in myriad ways, Elaine has been a spokesperson for In Defense of Animals, a volunteer and host for the cable show “Pets 90210,” and an Honorary Committee Member of the 2008 and 2009 Genesis Awards. She has spoken before city councils and regularly attends adoption events for various rescue organizations. Spirited and indefatigable, she has produced fund-raisers for IDA and “Pets Elaine Hendrix receiving IDA’s Guardian Activist Award. Photo by David Sobel Photography 90210,” and participated on every phase of the Prop 2 campaign in California. Raised in East Tennessee, Elaine was the guardian of 103 stuffed animal toys as a child—and could name every single one. She now lives in Los Angeles with her four rescued companions: two felines and two canines. We are pleased to announce that Elaine was recently elected to the Board of Directors of IDA. Please visit www.arconference. org and watch the videos. WWW.IDAUSA.ORG 13 In Defense of Animals Wins Landmark FOIA Victory in Federal Court USDA Forced to Disclose Records from Controversial Animal Testing Lab Huntingdon Life Sciences IDA has won multiple FOIA victories as part of our long-standing campaign to uncover government malfeasance and animal abuse through various means, including lawsuits. After a seven-year court battle, including the first trial in years involving the federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), the U.S. Department of Agriculture was ordered by federal Judge Richard W. Roberts on September 18, 2009, to disclose to IDA 1,017 pages of research records obtained during an investigation of controversial toxicology lab Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS). These records will illuminate the USDA’s failure to enforce the Animal Welfare Act. IDA also expects to find answers to why the USDA, later joined by HLS as an “intervenor,” fought so hard and long to prevent the public from seeing these records, which the judge ordered disclosed to IDA by mid-November. The records include test results, notes of observations of primates involved in toxicology testing, Animal Care and Use Committee minutes, necropsy reports, and requests for veterinary care from six studies. IDA filed the lawsuit in 2002 against the USDA. HLS later “intervened” and also became a defendant. At trial, the USDA did not produce one witness; HLS had two. During the December, 2008, trial, which focused on the issue of competitive harm, HLS fact witness Michael Caulfied, who is General Manager of the lab, admitted under oath that he had not reviewed “for some significant period of time” many of the records at issue. HLS expert witness Dr. Robert Szot revealed that he had reviewed only approximately 30 of the 1,017 pages of records at issue. As the Reporters Committee for Freedom 14 GUARDIANS FALL 2009 private), expressed his doubt that defendants could prevail at a trial focusing on the issue of competitive harm. The judge stated that the USDA and HLS came “mighty close” to “blatantly contradicting the record.” He also noted that the USDA had violated a prior court order by failing to produce an analysis of what could be redacted from the records. of the Press noted, HLS witnesses’ admission that they had not reviewed every withheld record “proved particularly damaging,” while The FOIA Blog wrote that “the defendants got a chance to put on testimony” regarding competitive harm but “failed to meet the burden.” HLS paid over $20,000 for witnesses. IDA won the trial and the entire case because of this failure by defendants to prove that competitive harm would result if the records were divulged. The records obtained by the USDA during its investigation of the lab formed the basis of the USDA’s formal complaint against HLS, alleging multiple and grave violations of the Animal Welfare Act (AWA). The charges included multiple counts of failing to provide adequate veterinary care and research oversight. Within days of filing the complaint against HLS, the USDA settled it with what IDA considers a “slap-on-the-wrist” fine, which was consistent with multiple USDA Inspector General (IG) reports regarding the agency’s lax enforcement of the AWA. The 2005 IG report, for example, stated that the USDA imposes “minimal” fines that “violators consider… a normal cost of conducting business rather than a deterrent for violating the law.” The FOIA trial resulted from an opinion by another judge, Louis F. Oberdorfer, who, after reviewing a sampling of the unredacted records in camera (in In his September 18 decision, Judge Roberts noted that on the eve of trial, HLS attempted to claim for the first time that it had submitted the records voluntarily, despite years of litigation and multiple admissions to the court that the records were obtained by the USDA involuntarily (voluntary submission by HLS would have significantly eased the burden of proving competitive harm). The judge summarily rejected this “untimely argument that was clearly inconsistent with the position it (HLS) had maintained for years.” IDA has won multiple FOIA victories as part of our long-standing campaign to uncover government malfeasance and animal abuse through various means, including lawsuits. These victories include a court-ordered public interest fee waiver for thousands of pages of NIH records after IDA had proven its “dissemination methods and history demonstrate that the disclosure will contribute to a greater understanding” by the public. If the USDA and HLS appeal the judge’s decision, we will continue to fight—all the way to the Supreme Court, if necessary. The public interest law firm Meyer, Glitzenstein & Crystal represents IDA in this case. Judge Roberts’ opinion is available online at https://ecf.dcd.uscourts.gov/cgibin/show_public_doc?2002cv0557-121 Other ongoing activities of IDA’s Vivisection Team include: • Submitting a 25-page report to NIH peer reviewers in August highlighting the broken grant funding system, the systemic problems with “animal models,” and showcasing three cutting-edge but underfunded non-animal methods of research. In September, we also submitted letters to those peer-reviewing construction grants, and noted that the National Primate Research Centers had received over $1.3 billion in taxpayer-funded support since 1992, which didn’t take into account the over 30 years of funding between 1960 and 1992. A half-century of taxpayer support has resulted in published experiments such as “Sex Differences in Juvenile Rhesus Macaque Agonistic Screams,” “Sex Differences in Rhesus Monkey Toy Preferences,” and “Androgen-Induced Yawning in Rhesus Monkey Females.” We urged the reviewers to give the science of the future the same long-term funding and support. • Continuing our work regarding the explosive issue of transgenic experiments in primates. In 2001, the Washington Post first quoted IDA about this issue when researchers inserted glowing jellyfish genes into a monkey. Last May, the Post again quoted IDA when experimenters in Japan manufactured “glowin-the-dark” marmosets who pass genetic manipulations to their offspring. This horrific “research” is routinely touted as a “breakthrough” by one group: those mired in the anachronistic “animal model” mind-set. • Supporting groundbreaking federal legislation—H.R. 1326, the Great Ape Protection Act, which would ban chimpanzee experimentation and breeding in the United States. Representative Edolphus Towns re-introduced the bill last March with 22 initial co-sponsors. By September, the co-sponsor count had swelled to 67. When initially introduced in the last Congress in 2008, it gained only 29 co-sponsors, so the momentum is clearly building. Let’s add to that momentum. To support H.R. 1326, please contact your U.S. Representative and Senators by E-mail or FAX urging them to support this historic legislation and the introduction of a companion bill in the Senate. You can find their contact info in our Action Center at www.idausa.org. WWW.IDAUSA.ORG 15 ELEPHANTS IN ZOOS AND CIRCUSES Victory for the Elephants Tina and Jewel Find Relief For two decades, animal-protection advocates worked to end the Davenport circus family’s long reign of abuse and exploitation of animals. That day finally came on August 20, 2009, when Tina and Jewel, two Asian elephants IDA worked for two years to rescue, were taken into custody through the combined actions of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). Will Davenport, the elephants’ handler, and the third generation of this notorious circus family, surrendered his USDA license, making him the third Davenport in 12 years to lose or give up their license to exhibit exotic animals. Among the Davenport family’s victims: a baby elephant named Heather who overheated to death in 1997 in the back of an unventilated truck and a young elephant named Mickey who was publicly beaten after a circus performance in 1994. For decades, Queenie had lived with the Davenport’s and was trucked around the country to perform in circuses. When not on the road, she was chained to a tree at the Davenport’s home base in Leggett, Texas. In 2006, she was joined by Tina and Jewel, two elephants formerly “owned” by the Cole Brothers Circus. The Davenports purchased these elephants in violation of the U.S. Endangered Species Act, a fact that IDA brought to the attention of authorities, and which eventually played a critical role in their rescue. During their long circus careers, all three elephants endured hellish treatment. While traveling with Cole Brothers, Tina and Jewel were observed being beaten with baseball bats, broomsticks, and PVC pipes. In 2006, a Davenport employee was videotaped by an undercover investigator beating Queenie and another elephant named Chrissy. A year later, the USDA itself documented the abuse of Queenie by her handler, who by this time was Will Davenport. In a March, 2007, inspection report, the USDA found Queenie with “multiple wounds draining yellowish exudates inside “Everything that my family has stood for over the last 75 years just came to a stop.” –Will Davenport Jewel with Will Davenport 16 GUARDIANS FALL 2009 the left ear” that were “consistent with the violations in the purchase of Tina and improper use of an ankus in the ear.” The Jewel without a federal permit. USDA also reported that the “handler IDA also tracked the three elephants had to continuously rely on excessive and as they were trucked around the country, inappropriate use of the ankus to get the appearing in circuses. We organized members elephant to perform. . . during the rides to leaflet performances nationwide and and performances, document the elephants’ the handler was “Tina and Jewel were deteriorating conditions. observed repeatedly living every day on a con- We notified authorities and jabbing and hitting mobilized our members to crete slab surrounded by the elephant with generate tens of thousands the ankus. . . . This building debris and half- of e-mails and telephone is inappropriate calls to the Secretary of burned garbage. Their and abusive use Agriculture and Congress of the ankus and hard slab...is surrounded urging them to rescue such use is likely by electrified wire...” these elephants. to cause trauma, By June, 2009, all behavioral stress, physical harm or unnec- three elephants had lost weight, a ton essary discomfort . . . This type of inap- combined, in less than a year. Jewel was propriate use can cause the elephants to particularly emaciated, and appeared to become more aggressive.” be favoring one of her legs and sporting In July, 2007, the living nightmare wounds on her head. these elephants endured came to IDA’s IDA immediately escalated our attention when a circus insider gave us campaign to focus on the Secretary of a tip on the location of Tina and Jewel Agriculture and force the agency into in Leggett, Texas, where they were taken action before it was too late. after being ordered off the road by the On August 20, we finally succeeded, USDA because of severe weight loss. when the USDA confiscated Jewel due IDA quickly dispatched an investi- to her extremely poor medical condigator to Leggett. She reported “Tina and tion, and Davenport agreed to relinquish Jewel were living every day on a concrete custody of Tina as a plea bargain to settle slab surrounded by building debris and USFWS charges for Endangered Species half-burned garbage. Their hard slab esti- Act violations. mated at a mere 12’ x 24’ is surrounded Tina and Jewel were sent to the San by electrified wire. . . . Emaciated. . .the Diego Zoo, a destination chosen by the photographic images reveal Tina and USDA, despite IDA’s repeated recommenJewel’s sunken faces and sad eyes.” dation that they go to a sanctuary. From Tina and Jewel remained in Leggett Tina and Jewel’s perspective, though, life until November, 2007, when the USDA has changed dramatically for the better. re-authorized travel, even though the These closely bonded companions remain cause of their weight loss was never diag- together and they are receiving the necesnosed. By that time, IDA had launched sary veterinary care. They will never an intensive campaign to rescue these again be trucked around the country in elephants. a trailer or kept tightly chained to a tree, Over the next two years IDA filed wondering when the next meal will come. multiple complaints with the USDA They will never have to perform ridiculous documenting the illegal conditions under tricks, give rides, or live in fear of the bullwhich the elephants were being held and hook. Despite our many differences, IDA ongoing AWA violations. IDA also hired thanks the San Diego Zoo for committing the respected law firm of Meyer, Glitzen- the resources necessary to restore Tina stein & Crystal to file the complaint that and Jewel’s health. We continue to closely secured a USFWS investigation of the monitor their conditions. Davenports for Endangered Species Act The Fight Goes on For Queenie Queenie in Love’s Park, IL Unfortunately, Queenie remains behind, still chained to a tree in Leggett, at the mercy of a handler who has demonstrated again and again that he is unable or unwilling to provide her with adequate care. The USDA has stated that it is pursuing outstanding legal issues related to Davenport’s conduct prior to surrendering his license, and IDA is encouraging the government agency to prosecute Davenport to the full extent of the law. Meanwhile, we must keep the pressure on the USDA so that the agency returns for Queenie, and to ensure that she is sent to a sanctuary, not a zoo. Already we have generated tens of thousands of calls and e-mails in support of Queenie. Please don’t give up until she is safely at a sanctuary! Contact these people today: Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack Phone: 202-720-3631 Fax: 202-720-2166 Acting APHIS Administrator Kevin Shea Phone: 202-720-3861 E-mail: Kevin.A.Shea@usda.gov Your Congressperson and Senators. Ask them to contact Secretary Vilsack regarding Queenie’s rescue and transfer to a sanctuary. To locate your U.S. Representative, call the Capitol Hill switchboard at 202-224-3121 or check online at: http://www.idausa. org/electedofficials. WWW.IDAUSA.ORG 17 ELEPHANTS IN ZOOS AND CIRCUSES Efforts on Behalf of Lucy, Billy, and Lucky Continue International Day of Action for Elephants in Zoos Actress Lily Tomlin supported IDAEZ, stating: “Elephants were never meant to live in the confinement of small urban zoos, where they are suffering terribly every day…” On June 20, IDA’s first International Day of Action for Elephants in Zoos (IDAEZ) drew hundreds of activists to 33 animated and peaceful demonstrations. Actress Lily Tomlin supported IDAEZ, stating: “Elephants were never meant to live in the confinement of small urban zoos, where they are suffering terribly every day… But if the public is informed, they will raise an outcry and demand change. It’s time to stop the destructive practice of keeping elephants in zoos.” From Toronto to Paris to Los Angeles to St. Louis to San Antonio and many other cities, elephant advocates took to the streets with leaflets, petitions, colorful banners and signs, sculpture, and street theater to raise awareness of the tragic circumstances of elephants in zoos. The day was filled with determination, compassion, and hope. IDA thanks all the organizers and activists who took part in this year’s historic event. Protestors in France Lies, Deceit, and Cover-ups IDA vs. AZA The L.A. Zoo just can’t hide its dirty secrets and duplicities from IDA’s elephant team. In July, IDA again caught the L.A. Zoo concealing critical information regarding the 2006 death of the elephant Gita. This time it was the fact that the zoo paid a $3,281 fine for Animal Welfare Act violations committed during the failure to attend to Gita for up to 12 hours while she lay slowly dying after collapsing overnight at the zoo. Zoo officials repeatedly failed to disclose this information in response to IDA Public Records Act requests. Had the zoo not hidden this information, its wrongdoing and resultant federal fine may have had a profound effect on this year’s L.A. City Council vote to continue keeping elephants at the zoo. Upon learning of the fine, IDA immediately contacted the media, garnering broad coverage, and moving L.A. City Councilmember Tony Cardenas to present a motion calling for a City Attorney investigation of the matter. A committee hearing on the motion is pending. In August, IDA filed a complaint with the Los Angeles Civil Grand Jury, seeking an investigation of the L.A. Zoo for engaging in lies, deceit, and cover-ups to push the elephant exhibit project through City Council. As members of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) gathered at their annual conference, in September, in Portland, Oregon, IDA was there to confront the zoo industry trade association for failing to take a stand against the abusive use of elephants in circuses. In a leaflet handed out to conference attendees and in a hard-hitting USA Today ad, IDA took particular aim at Mike Keele, acting director of the Oregon Zoo and head of the AZA’s elephant specialist group, for his paid expert testimony in support of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus during a federal elephant abuse trial this spring. By testifying for Ringling at this trial, Keele was giving zoos’ tacit seal-of-approval to the circus and its routine hitting, chaining, and abuse of elephants, which was documented by mountains of evidence. Ironically, Ringling opened in Portland that same week, and IDA was there to educate circus patrons about the cruel treatment of elephants and other animals in the circus. 18 GUARDIANS FALL 2009 LUCY Lucy, a 34-year-old Asian elephant, suffers in solitary confinement at the Valley Zoo in Alberta, Canada. The campaign to free Lucy began in earnest after elephant biologist Winnie Kiiru traveled to Edmonton, in 2007, and called the Valley Zoo the “worst of all the elephant enclosures in Canadian zoos.” In September, the international chorus calling for Lucy’s release to the PAWS sanctuary in California became louder when actor William Shatner wrote to Mayor Stephen Mandel, stating, “I humbly ask you to allow Lucy to retire to better circumstances .” Later that month television personality Bob Barker and elephant expert Joyce Poole traveled to Edmonton to join Zoocheck Canada in calling for her release, propelling Lucy’s plight to greater public attention. To date, the zoo has stubbornly refused to free Lucy, contradicting itself by claiming at once that she is too ill to move and that she is fine where she is. Lucy was captured in Sri Lanka at age two, shattering the family bonds elephants enjoy and replacing them with solitude at the zoo, where she was kept alone for most of the next 12 years. She suffers physical and psychological ailments due to grossly inadequate conditions, including isolation, lack of space, cold hard surfaces, and a frigid climate that forces Lucy indoors for at least five months each year. As winter approaches, it is essential that Lucy be sent to the PAWS sanctuary. Please send a polite letter to the Mayor and City Council urging them to intervene before it is too late. Lucy. Photo by ZOOCHECK CANADA Mayor Stephen Mandel E-mail:Stephen.mandel@edmonton.ca Phone: 780-496-8100 Edmonton City Council E-mail: councilors@edmonton.ca Phone: 780-496-8110 Street address: City of Edmonton, City Hall 1 Sir Winston Churchill Sq. Edmonton, AB T5J 2R7 Canada BILLY IDA is continuing to work to secure the freedom of the elephant Billy from his solitary confinement at the Los Angeles Zoo. Though male elephants are very social, this 24-year-old Asian has not seen or heard another elephant for more than three years. Adding to his cruel confinement is the size of his tiny yard—less than a half-acre—in which he incessantly bobs his head up and down, a sign of psychological distress. While the zoo promises a new exhibit for Billy and other Asian elephants yet to be obtained, its small size and huge $42 million price tag have stirred controversy amongst Los Angeles taxpayers and elephant advocates alike. At only 3.5 acres, subdivided into four yards, the exhibit is just too small for elephants—including a powerful male like Billy. Sadly, more elephants are sure to suffer and die prematurely in the zoo’s expensive new display, joining the 14 others who lost their lives at the L.A. Zoo. More than half of them did not live to age 20. IDA is committed to helping free Billy and will not stop until he is sent to a sanctuary, where he can live a life much closer to what nature intended for the Earth’s largest land mammals. Please call Mayor Villaraigosa Politely ask him to free Billy now! Phone: 213- 978-0600 Billy LUCKY To win freedom for Lucky, the lone elephant at the San Antonio Zoo, IDA continues to work in partnership with Texasbased animal-protection organizations and caring individuals to free her from solitary confinement and send her to a spacious elephant sanctuary. The 49-year-old Asian elephant has been held alone since the death of her companion, Alport, in November, 2007, despite the cruelty of keeping this highly social species in isolation. Though the zoo plans to construct a new African-themed attraction and hold only African elephants, it will not release Lucky—an Asian elephant— to live out her life in a natural-habitat sanctuary in the company of other elephants. Instead, Lucky endures life in a tiny, barren enclosure, where she regularly engages in abnormal repetitive behaviors, a sign of psychological stress. Such behaviors can also cause chronic foot ailments. In 2004, the zoo euthanized the elephant Ginny following years of painful foot disease and arthritis. WWW.IDAUSA.ORG 19 IDA Africa Cameroon stare. Gweno (as I called her) was the very first chimpanzee I took care of when I came to Sanaga-Yong Center as a volunteer in August, 2002. My first contact with a chimpanzee opened a window to a whole new world that I have not since left. Dr. Speede and I were unable to determine the cause of her sudden death. She had not shown signs of illness the days prior. Did she fall? Did she get bitten by a snake or a scorpion? I will always have a special place in my heart for Gweno.” Dr. Sheri Speede, Sanaga-Yong Center founder and director, said of Gwen, “Just as in our own families, each person has her place, her special connections, and her role in the family dynamics. Gwen was the family member who had a strong, positive connection with everyone. She was easygoing, kind, and patient. This family unit has lost three significant females in a short time: Becky, Dorothy, and now Gwen. As all families do, they have mourned Gwendolyn with friend Funeral for a Friend Gwendolyn On April 6, 2002, the Cameroonian government, with technical and logistical assistance from IDA Africa, confiscated Gwendolyn, a tiny and forgotten chimpanzee, tied alone near a garbage heap behind a restaurant. Malnourished and fearful, once she arrived at Sanaga-Yong Chimpanzee Rescue Center, a sanctuary for orphans, she was restored to robust health by loving human surrogate mothers. The friendship of other young orphans, especially Emma and Niete who arrived at the center about the same time, contributed significantly to Gwendolyn’s revival and growing strength. Over the years, Gweno, a name bestowed upon her by Agnes Souchal, the center’s manager, developed a real talent for painting. Some of these magical works 20 GUARDIANS FALL 2009 Gwendolyn’s favorite pastime of art were auctioned at events to help support her and her family of chimpanzees. She seemed to experience so much delight with a brush in her hand, creating such colorful images. Since late 2004, Gweno lived in a 25-acre forested enclosure with a large family led by protective adult chimpanzees, including Jacky and Nama. Gweno was kind and gentle—rarely involved in conflict, unless it was to act as peacemaker. She reveled in the company of chimpanzee friends, including alpha female Nama and older adolescent Cindy. Throughout her life she stayed very connected to her first friends, Emma and Niete. On August 8th, 2009, Gwendolyn was found dead in a nest on the ground in the forested enclosure. IDA Africa is grieving still. She will never be forgotten. Agnes Souchal wrote a brief account upon finding Gewndolyn: “...All the chimpanzees of her group were surrounding her, touching her, making vocalizations of mild fear like facing a situation they don’t understand. Bouboule displayed and pulled her over two meters as if to make her move or react. Nama then started to groom her and sit by her with an empty together, grown closer, and helped one another to carry on. Gwen’s chimpanzee family dearly misses her, and her human caregivers will always remember sweet Gwen.” Gwendolyn was buried next to Becky and Dorothy just outside of the forested enclosure where she had lived with her cherished family, all of whom were watching as they had done at the burials of Becky and Dorothy. IDA Africa extends its profound gratitude to all the supporters who have made the sanctuary and Dr. Sheri Speede’s work possible. Kenza IDA Africa’s Sanaga-Yong Chimpanzee Rescue Center occupies over two square kilometers and is currently home to 62 chimpanzees and five to eight humans. It employs 25 Cameroonians from local villages who serve as chimpanzee caregivers, round-the-clock security guards, and groundskeepers. The grounds include cabins for volunteers, a combination kitchenoffice building, a vet clinic, an education center, a shelter for staff meetings and meals, chimpanzee enclosures and cages, and a small garden where some of the food for the chimpanzees is grown. Like all the orphans at Sanaga-Yong Center, little Kenza lost her mother to hunters, who cut her to pieces—mother and daughter both victimized by the illegal bushmeat trade. As Kenza is still young, she most certainly had been clinging to her mother when she was killed. The priest who had been holding Kenza voluntarily relinquished her to Sanaga-Yong Center in May, 2009. He drove a difficult 70 miles—about halfway to the center—on very rough roads to deliver her to our staff in the town of Bertoua, Cameroon. Kenza’s condition was poor: she was dehydrated, undernourished, full of lice, and battling a skin infection. On the ride to Sanaga-Yong Center she gave several pant hoots, a common chimpanzee greeting and an assertion of self. This sign of self-confidence is unusual in chimpanzees as young as Kenza. Today, she has physically healed and lives with six other chimpanzees—Ginger, Shy, Arvid, Tilly, Xeco, and Daniel in a forested enclosure. Despite her small size, she is strong, and spends much of the day high in the trees munching on wild fruits. Kenza prefers to keep to herself most days; her big eyes are often filled with sadness. Her emotional healing has only begun, and she will need the love and support of her adoptive family to help her settle into her new surroundings and fully recover. Only with contributions from caring people around the world were we able to rescue Kenza and all the other orphans at Sanaga-Yong Center. WWW.IDAUSA.ORG 21 IDA India Mumbai 2. Some walkers rescued a sick, abandoned rabbit being chased by stray dogs and brought her to IDA’s Vashi Center. The rabbit would soon meet a nervous little puppy rescued from a road accident a few weeks before. Both the rabbit and the pup were crying and shivering in fear until they were housed together. Immediately they became cozy friends, and settled down. Unfortunately, the rabbit did not recover, but died peacefully, with dignity, in the warm company of the puppy, who found caretakers to give him a splendid new home. The history of India, with its three great religions—Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, as well as its philosophical teachings and traditions, has always conferred upon nonhuman species a profound reverence and ethical responsibility, even marveling at the insect, who also glows with a divine spark. The foundation of Buddhism and Jainism is “Ahimsa” or “nonviolence,” extending toward every human and nonhuman animal—to live compassionately, where the powerful protect the weak. But with India’s calamitous human population explosion and its striving towards urbanization and consumerism, animals have become easy prey for human greed, prime candidates for exploitation. Chickens are cramped in battery cages; animals to be slaughtered are carted in teeming trucks. Some die of suffocation before reaching their destination. Rhesus monkeys and dancing bears perform on the streets, with the fear of the baton falling on their backs. Animals in circuses, laboratories, and ill-managed zoos endure other unremittingly bleak fates. There are also the ubiquitous carts drawn by gaunt bullocks, ponies, and donkeys carrying immense loads. Cows and buffaloes stand in the middle of busy streets eating garbage, having been let loose to fend for themselves after having their milk extracted each day. Homelessness and pariahship are experienced by thousands of stray dogs and cats who live on the streets. Amid such tragic circumstances, IDA India is out there, every day, on the front lines, reaching out to those suffering, and instilling a deeper and more profound consciousness about the human-nonhuman bond, promoting India’s long and proud history of empathy and respect. IDA India envisions a world in which present and future generations honor other species’ essential value, feelings, and lives and, to that end, has successfully launched humane education and awareness programs. 22 GUARDIANS FALL 2009 3 1 Teaching “Ahimsa” One Animal At A Time 3. One night a call came about an elephant having a burn wound. IDA India’s 24/7 services team reached the area and, with great difficulty, located the elephant. There was a deep wound in his rear, which he had rubbed against a tree, leading to further infection. The team probed deep and drained off all the pus and debris, dressed the wound, and gave follow-up medicine to the handler, training him to properly dress the wound. 2 Memorable Cases 4 5 4. IDA India confiscated nine dogs from a breeder who were kept in miserable condition, in dingy and cramped cages. The lower court directed that the dogs should be handed back to the breeder on payment of a fine, which was unacceptable to IDA, so the decision was appealed to a higher court, and a stay was obtained against the order of the lower court. IDA India placed all nine dogs, now hale and hearty, in loving homes. IDA India Facilities IDA India’s Deonar Center in Mumbai spays/neuters around 800 dogs and cats every month, treats 150 ill and injured animals, and is home to about 120 old, blind, or handicapped dogs and cats. Each month, the Vashi Center in Navi Mumbai spays/neuters 350 dogs, treats 35 ill and injured animals, and is home to about 15 dogs. IDA India also runs several dog sterilization camps in smaller towns like Matheran, Karjat, Lonavala, Panvel, and Alibag. 1. One evening IDA India’s Naina got a call from a 14-year-old boy who had seen a mother dog in the mangroves. It was pouring with lightening and thunder, and the area had already started flooding. Staff members rushed to the spot, and saw a speck of a dog far in the distance and stuck in the mangroves with her pups cuddled against her, as the water was rising around them. Staff waded into the marsh, separating the bushes as they went along, nearly falling into the mud to reach out to the mother and her pups. After gathering them up, they brought the starving and bony mother with her babies to the center. The photos were taken a few hours after they were all rubbed to warmth. The mother was ravenous but, when her pups started eating her food, she let them. Possibly dumped in the marshes when she was close to her delivery, she had somehow managed to survive. Although her condition was miserable, she still zealously loved her pups. An inauguration ceremony for new ambulance 5. The abandoned Labrador who was staying in IDA’s center was adopted into the Virdi family of Ghatkopar. She is now called Bubbles. Upon leaving the center for the last time, Bubbles jumped into the car and rode away happily with her ears flapping in the wind. IDA India wishes this delightful girl and her new family all the best. Two mobile clinics treat minor ailments on the road, with proper follow-up. All serious cases are taken to the center. There is also a special project to provide aid to “working” animals— horses, bullocks, and donkeys in Mumbai and Neral, with 24/7 emergency services. IDA India’s new ambulance: A sparkling new ambulance with a brilliantly designed hydraulic lift for large animals was inaugurated recently for the Navi Mumbai region to care for and rescue sick, injured, and abused animals. WWW.IDAUSA.ORG 23 Project Hope Celebrating 16 years of Precedent-Setting VICTORIES THE LIFE OF RILEY The Daily Star August 4, 2009 Miracle & Doll Project Hope marks 16th anniversary Special to The Daily Star In Defense of Animals (IDA) is celebrating the 16th Anniversary of the international organization’s Mid-South Office, which evolved into the Project Hope Sanctuary. With additional animal sanctuaries in Africa and India, IDA’s first sanctuary was established in Carroll County, Miss., seven years after the Aug. 1, 1993. birth of the office. IDA came to Mississippi after hearing the concerns of Grenada and Montgomery County residents who discovered that two USDAlicensed animal dealers were operating in the region. Missing dogs were discovered at one of the kennels and horrid abuse at the other. IDA successfully worked to shut them down, then stayed to help with other animal issues. Soon, IDA was involved in cases resulting in the seizure of hundreds of dogs; an 86- animal cruelty case including lions, tigers, bears, cougars, and a camel; the closing of a pet shop supplier’s warehouse containing 683 birds, reptiles, and rodents; and other animal seizures and successful prosecutions. IDA needed a haven for animals to heal, and a location from which to find them new homes. Project Hope Sanctuary was created to fill this need. Today, Project Hope ins the temporary or permanent home for an ever-changing cast of approximately 150 animals including dogs, cats, horses, donkeys, rabbits, pigs, emus, and a goat. IDA’s partners, working to ensure the wellness of our rescues and their placement in caring, lasting homes, include the Mississippi State University’s (MSU) mobile student spay and neuter team and MSU’s volunteer student “Homeward Bound” adoption team. ELY Ely’s story is simple. He was born a hound. If you live in the Southern region of the United States, you know thousands of hounds are bred for hunting. Many are kept for a season and then abandoned to fend for themselves or are sold or traded at “Trade & Sell Days” and auctions. Most hounds are kept at hunting camps where they are fed irregularly, fight for their food, and know little of human companionship. Hounds who lose their way in the chase, or are deserted, seldom trust strangers and soon become emaciated victims of road traffic, parasites, even coyote packs. Long-legged and well-speckled, Ely was one of the happy few. While out wandering on the road, he allowed a sympathetic person to help him, and Ely was soon on his way to Project Hope, It was a mercilessly cold and icy morning in December when, on an investigation about neglected donkeys, Lauren and I came upon three hairless pups, shivering against a trailer, which was in the vicinity. Ely’s photo was one of many Project Hope shared with Homeward Bound, which forwarded the photos to groups with which it’s affiliated on the East Coast. One agreed to accept Ely in its adoption program, finally ending Ely’s plight of peril. He and his fellow travelers arrived at their shelter destinations and were adopted by guardians who love and appreciate them for the marvelous beings they are. After mourning the loss of their dog, also a rescue, Ely’s guardians fell in love with his houndly photos. Diane writes, “Ely is loved and will be cared for and cherished for the rest of his life. What a great dog! We feel lucky to have found him. The cats will come around in time— Ely just ignores them in his very dignified hound way.” He is adorable! We have come a LOOONG way together since he came to my house on April 5th. He was SO fearful and insecure but is doing so much better. He makes me laugh, and he seems so proud of himself when he gets to run around the park off leash, or walk through town with strangers all around and doesn’t cower from them anymore. Riley is happiest with other dogs around and wants to play with ANY dog no matter the size or shape. We have lots of “play dates” and trips to the dog park. He gets compliments wherever we go; he is just so beautiful. He LOVES being outside and especially near water—he has such a joyous time. The funniest thing about Riley is how he acts when he gets near or in the water. He just goes CRAZY! He leaps around and runs as fast as he can in and out—it is very amusing. He’s about 50 pounds now and his paws look enormous, so he may have more growing to do. I love him so dearly and it has been so rewarding watching him become a confident, happy dog. THANK YOU for all you did to save him! Ely desperate to absorb the morning sun. Reaching for the trembling pups, who had been living outside with little shelter and exposed to frigid temperatures, they cried out in fear. As we were negotiating the release of the donkeys we were also taking the puppies, with their distended bellies the size of footballs and suffering from mange. Back at the sanctuary, they were fed and bathed and one was immediately given the new name of Itamar. He was the shy grape of the siblings and adored by the Project Hope staff. Itamar’s recovery was long and difficult, but I was not giving up on this angel who was growing stronger and more beautiful every day. He tried to bite us when we cared for him but I eased him into the corner of his crate, where he felt safe, and then carefully brought him close to me. Over the next three months the siblings were restored to roaring health and, in late February, it was time for a transport to Every Creature Counts (ECC) in Denver, Colorado. I knew Itamar wasn’t really ready but, if he stayed, he might never trust anyone but me. Upon arrival I had concerns but felt reassured leaving them in the capable hands of the ECC staff, with their resolve and commitment. Itamar was adopted shortly afterward, and Project Hope staff recently heard from his new guardian, Tracy, with stunning photos of an almost unrecognizable dog. Itamar was now the jovial “Riley,” and he is indeed living the good life. An Unexpected Court Victory I received a frantic call about dogs in appalling condition. At the location, I documented the shocking neglect of ten animals who’d been dealt no mercy, no compassion—emaciated, laden with feces and maggots, suffering from mange, crammed in filthy cages. I captured the plight of the dogs and immediately headed for Justice Court to obtain a seizure order. The judge decided to speak to the “owner” instead of seizing the dogs. I contacted Dr. Bushby, head of the Mississippi State University (MSU) student surgery team, who looked at the photos and agreed the dogs should be seized. Both he and IDA’s President Dr. Katz wrote letters to Judge Avant urging him to take action. The judge then asked the local deputy to take another look at the dogs. Deputy Carver reported that the dogs endured but had not improved. The seizure order was signed. Four court dates later we were granted full custody and guardianship of the dogs. All the dogs are recovering, despite nine of the twelve being heartworm-positive. We’re thrilled to have saved these beautiful beings. We will work with MSU Homeward Bound to get them treated and adopted. —By Doll Stanley, Director, Project Hope 24 GUARDIANS FALL 2009 WWW.IDAUSA.ORG 25 Your gift of a lifetime for animals Loving Tributes John Avestras in memory of STEPHEN YANKOVITCH Marcelle P. Chase in memory of CLINTON Mary F. Erb in memory of BITSY Todd Johnson in memory of LUCKY THE DOG Ms. Binell Martino in honor of ZELDA Jack McCarthy in memory of GOOFUS, GOOFUS II, AND BARBIE Felicia McParland in honor MATHEW EDWARD MCPARLAND Susan Medollo in honor of JOAN STAFFELDT Joseph Pena in memory of DOMINIC BRONELL Gail Stewart Isles in memory of parents MARY ALICE AND LOWELL W. STEWART Mary Steudtel in honor of CASEY ALEXANDER Charles Kiley in honor of CHARLES W. KILEY III Marc Marrie in honor BOON AND CHECHU Luis Brahim in honor of TANO Mrs. Glenna Mayer in honor of ULKA AGARWAL Dr. Stephanie Carlson in honor of NIKE CARLSON Wittney Rachlin in honor of CARMEN KLEIN Annette Doppke in honor of RODNEY Amanda Rossi in honor of MALIA AND JIM LARSON AS WELL AS TOM ROSSI Charles H. Hammett in honor of HANK HAMMETT Paula Harris in honor of DOLL IN MISSISSIPPI Mr. Sung Kuan in honor of JANE GOODALL Lisa Schirmer in honor of MITZI, DOBIE, AND PINTO Vince and Patricia Whiting in honor of KATE AND RACHAEL UYEDA Renee Poole in memory of OLIVER Ms. Lauren Smith in honor of JOE FODOR The Legacy In Defense of Animals has a vision... Circle a vision where compassion and kindness to animals are commonplace, and brutality and cruelty are not only unacceptable and illegal, but unheard of. Through the Legacy Circle you can share our vision as we strive to create a more just and compassionate world for animals. The Legacy Circle is our way of paying tribute... to those who have chosen to include IDA in their wills, because we believe such an important personal commitment to the animals deserves special honor and recognition. The Legacy Circle will also leave your family and community with a lasting impression regarding your dedication and generosity to help those who cannot help themselves. In addition to making a bequest... you can provide support in a number of ways, such as real estate, personal items, stocks and bonds, insurance or annuities. IDA has several information booklets available that describe the many ways you can become a member of IDA’s Legacy Circle, as well as information regarding the tax and financial benefits of each. To receive a copy of one or more of our booklets, please check the appropriate box below. IN MEMORY OF Photo by IPPL CAROLE NOON I wish the words existed to convey how tremendously unique Carole Noon was, and what a devastating loss her death is to her human and nonhuman friends. I knew Carole for 14 years. What initially was a professional relationship soon turned into a friendship I will treasure forever. She had a dream—to start a chimpanzee sanctuary, beginning with 20. She sued the Air Force and won, receiving 21 chimpanzees. This was the beginning of what ultimately became the wondrous Save the Chimps sanctuary. Our friendship was cemented forever when we shut down the Coulston Foundation. IDA’s nine-year campaign had bankrupted the lab, and it was looking for buyers. I will never forget receiving that phone call from Carole—“I just heard from Fred Coulston. Let’s talk.” And we talked, laying our cards on the table as we shared, in strictest confidence, everything we knew. 26 GUARDIANS FALL 2009 Fred Coulston donated for permanent retirement 266 chimpanzees and 61 monkeys to Save the Chimps, a result made possible by the incalculable generosity of the Arcus Foundation and Carole’s astonishing creation of a glistening chimpanzee “city on a hill.” Whenever I was down, Carole would say, “Visit the chimps, you’ll feel better.” I had always feared that I would feel horrible about those still imprisoned in labs. I traveled to Florida in July for her memorial service, and finally saw what Carole and Arcus had created. I wish I knew how to express what I felt after seeing those amazing chimpanzees in that awe-inspiring setting; I was moved beyond words. Save the Chimps is Carole’s legacy and my inspiration. We will continue our efforts for chimpanzees, but the world will never see her like again. —By Eric Kleiman, IDA Research Director For more information about our Legacy Circle, contact Nicole Otoupalik at 800.338.4451 or 714.389.2823, or please return the attached request form. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I would like to include IDA in my will. Please send me more information. Please contact me regarding annuities. Please contact me regarding Planned Giving options. IDA is already included in my will. Name(s) ___________________________________________________________________________ Address ___________________________________________________________________________ City __________________________State _____________ Zip code _________________________ Phone ________________________ WWW.IDAUSA.ORG 27 Please mail this form to: In Defense of Animals 3010 Kerner Blvd. San Rafael, CA 94901 WAYS TO GIVE This Season Celebrate compassion this sBaeason give gifts that celebrate compassion. Shop IDA www.idausa.org DOUBLE YOUR GIVING Many American corporations match their employee charitable donations to nonprofits dollar-for-dollar, doubling your donation. Matching gift programs provide you a way to donate to charities through one-time gifts and regular payroll deductions, thus immeasurably benefiting IDA’s necessary work on behalf of animals around the world. Please contact your employer’s human resources department to find out if your company offers employees a matching gifts program and to learn more about your company’s giving guidelines. ANNUITIES Setting up a gift annuity with IDA is considered one of the most trustworthy of charitable options for senior citizens, creating long-term financial benefits for you and IDA. By moving marketable securities (stocks, bonds, mutual fund shares), real estate, or cash to IDA, seniors or retirees will receive a fixed income for life as well as a tax deduction (younger adults may also want to arrange an annuity for an elderly parent). At the same time that you’re earning a steady income, your gift annuity will provide IDA with the funds to run life-changing campaigns and programs for animals in need. (See Back Cover ad for details.) An im of ns By enrolling as a President’s Circle member your monthly contribution will consistently sustain IDA’s vital work. Using bank transfers or your credit card saves time and resources, and your monthly donation allows us to more efficiently direct funds to programs and activities that immediately impact the multitude of animals whom we support. Your reliable donation will allow us to respond to emergencies in a timely fashion. e PRESIDENT’S CIRCLE—MONTHLY GIVING MADE EASY fe In De Black Hoody This durable cotton hoody is a must for the ultimate activist. Front: IDA logo Right Arm: “In Defense of Animals” Back: IDA logo PRICE: $39 Unisex Sizes: S M L XL “Animal Liberation” Dog T Provide your dog with an extra layer of warmth during the holidays while he spreads the Animal Liberation message. 100% cotton. White with black trim. 5 Sizes available. PRICE $17.99 New! (This item must be ordered through Cafe Press. Visit: www.cafepress.com /ida_usa) Say No to Fur Spread the anti-fur message with these colorful buttons. Heart button: 2 1/4” diameter Round: 1 1/2” diameter PRICE: Heart $2 Round $1 als to become a partner in animal protection With your financial support and our dedication to protect, rescue, and give sanctuary to millions of animals worldwide, TOGETHER we’re paving the way for a more just and compassionate world. Spill-Proof Commuter Mugs 16 oz. stainless steel travel mug. Maintains hot or cold. Green with a vegan message. Purple and red with Albert Einstein quote. All mugs have IDA logo on front and elegant stainless steel lids. PRICE: $12 Long-Sleeve T with Stylish IDA Logo This white, soft cotton T has a slight scoop neck and is form fitting. The IDA logo wraparound creates a stunning look. This will be your favorite T yet. (Sizes run small.) PRICE: $19 Sizes: S M L DONATING A VEHICLE Donating your old vehicle directly saves animals’ lives. Proceeds generated from the auction of your used car, boat, RV, van, truck, or motorcycle create funds to finance IDA’s ongoing campaigns. Your donated vehicle, a tax-deductible contribution, does not need to be registered or in running condition. Additionally, we will arrange to have the vehicle picked up or towed from almost anywhere. For more information, visit www.idausa.org/support/carform.html. All of your gifts have a transformative and enduring effect upon IDA’s mission to help animals. On behalf of animals everywhere, we are grateful for your kind generosity and support of In Defense of Animals. 28 GUARDIANS FALL 2009 For more information, please contact our Director of Planned Giving, Nicole Otoupalik, at 1-800-338-4451 or Nicole@idausa.org. WWW.IDAUSA.ORG 29 In Defense of Animals 3010 Kerner Blvd, San Rafael, CA 94901 INVEST IN COMPASSION WITH THE GIFT THAT GIVES BACK Setting up a gift annuity with IDA will enable you to reap long-term financial benefits and provide IDA with the essential funds we need to run effective campaigns and programs to help animals around the world. Your annuity with IDA will give you: . The security of fixed annual payments for the lifetime of you and a loved one or just a loved one. . Reduced capital gains taxes (if your annuity is funded with long-term, appreciated securities). . A deduction from your federal income taxes based on a portion of your gift. For more information on establishing an annuity, please contact Nicole Otoupalik at Nicole@idausa.org or 1-800-338-4451. Charitable Gift Annuity Rates Age 65 70 75 80 85 90 Rate 5.3% 5.7% 6.3% 7.1% 8.1% 9.5% 30 GUARDIANS FALL 2009 For illustrative purposes only. Suggested charitable gift annuity rates by the American Council on Gift Annuities, effective July 1, 2007. Always consult your financial advisor when making investment and charitable donation decisions.