News Briefs and Updates July 7, 2015

SAOVA Friends,

At SAOVA there is always some type of work or research needed and volunteers are both welcome and appreciated.  We also encourage readers to send in news from your area of pending legislation. If you are a writer, feel free to submit articles for review and posting on the SAOVA blog.  Cross posting of our news briefs is encouraged and helps keep others informed.

The world not only belongs to those who show up, it's controlled by the best informed and most motivated.

Thank you for reading.

Susan Wolf

Sportsmen's and Animal Owners' Voting Alliance

saova@earthlink.net   

http://saova.org     

NEW CONGRESSIONAL ANIMAL CAUCUS FORMED

Representative Gus Bilirakis (R-FL12) and Representative Henry Cuellar (D-TX28) announced that they will launch a new animal caucus, focusing on ties between people and animals. The two congressmen will co-chair the ‘Caucus for the Humane Bond’ which “was created to strengthen the humane bond between people and animals, unleashing the power of our connection to benefit both and create healthy, sustainable and humane communities.”

"From children with cancer to veteran dog handlers and their dogs, animals have played important roles in people’s lives,” said Congressman Bilirakis. “It is up to all of us to promote these roles in ways that benefit both people and animals.” Congressman Cuellar added, "Animals comfort, protect, entertain, and sustain us. It is important for all of us to make sure that bond works to benefit animals and people, and create a more humane and sustainable world.”

Launch of the caucus on June 3 at the Cannon House Office Building included country singer Naomi Judd; movie director Jon Turteltaub; military hero dog teams Corporal Jeff DeYoung and Military Working Dog (MWD) Cena and Specialist Brent Grommet and MWD Matty; and Crystal the Capuchin monkey from the "Night at The Museum" movies.

According to the American Humane Association (AHA) news release, the bipartisan Caucus for the Humane Bond is devoted to bringing a commonsense, scientific and rational dialogue to the issues surrounding the physical, emotional, and even medical connections between humans and animals. The caucus will play an important role strengthening the humane bond between people and animals in working environments, our homes, hospitals, educational settings, the wild and agriculture, unleashing the power of our connection to benefit both and create healthy, sustainable and humane communities.

AHA President and CEO Dr. Robin Ganzert praised the formation of the caucus. “From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank Congressman Bilirakis and Congressman Cuellar for their vision and their leadership in creating the Caucus for the Humane Bond,” said Dr. Ganzert. “The animal space often brings out strong emotions and passions, and national dialogue has at times been contentious with different competing agendas.

Ganzert continued, “The American Humane Association doesn’t believe in animal abolitionism, whereby we remove problems simply by removing animals from our lives. We believe in coming up with sustainable, moral solutions that enrich and benefit both people and the creatures that share our earth. In a time of partisanship and polarization, it’s encouraging that leaders are willing to put differences aside and work across the aisle to create the Caucus for the Humane Bond. In doing so, they will make a more humane world for animals, including those in our homes, working environments and agriculture, while helping children, families, our military veterans, the ill and the elderly.”

Sources: Congressman Gus Bilirakis website; The Hill http://tinyurl.com/po2tfld ; American Humane Association news

WILD HORSE LISTING ON ESA REJECTED BY USFWS

The Cloud Foundation and the Friends of Animals filed a petition June 2014 with U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) in support of including the horses in the Endangered Species Act, requesting wild horses be considered a Distinct Population Segment (DPS). Petitioners argued that wild horses are markedly separated from other horse populations by ecological, physiological, and behavioral factors. Petitioners maintained that wild horses are better suited for living in the wild than domestic horses because they can survive longer without water, have different hooves, and have a more highly refined flight reaction. Following a 90-day review of the petition and sources provided, USFWS found that the petition did not present substantial information that the population of North American wild horse may be discrete (markedly separated from other populations of the same taxon) under the DPS policy. Therefore, wild horses are not a listable entity under the ESA. Docket with petition and USFWS denial  http://tinyurl.com/nccebbe

GRAY WOLF LISTING UNDER ESA DENIED BY USFWS

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) announced June 30 that it has determined that a petition to reclassify all gray wolves in the conterminous U.S., except for the Mexican wolf in the Southwest, as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) does not present substantial information indicating that reclassification may be warranted. The determination was in response to a January 27, 2015 petition from the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), The Center for Biological Diversity, The Fund for Animals, Born Free USA, The Detroit Zoological Society and over a dozen other groups requesting that the gray wolf, excluding the Mexican wolf subspecies, be reclassified as threatened throughout the conterminous United States. USFWS determined that the petition did not provide substantial scientific information indicating gray wolves may be likely to become endangered species within the foreseeable future.  USFWS further determined that if the petition had presented information with respect to other sources of mortality, other than overutilization of hunting and trapping, the existing state plans regulating take of wolves would only allow take above certain population thresholds. Those plans have a built-in response that if the other causes of mortality increased above certain levels, hunting and trapping would be reduced to prevent the population from dipping below those thresholds. Docket FWS-HQ-ES-2015-0072 http://tinyurl.com/pc238fx

INDIANA SENATORS WANT HSUS INVESTIGATION

State Senators Jean Leising, Brent Steele, Susan Glick, and other members of the Indiana Senate Republican Caucus sent a joint letter to Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller urging him to investigate the deceptive fundraising activities conducted by HSUS. The letter to Zoeller stated, “Hoosiers are donating their hard-earned money with the belief that their donations will be used to help local shelters and the abandoned animals they see in the solicitations from HSUS. However, Hoosiers would be well-served to know that their donations may go to high-powered lobbying and public relations experts of a national organization that has attacked institutions, traditions and practices that are part of Indiana’s heritage, such as farming, ranching and hunting.” The group requested that Zoeller issue a consumer alert about the fundraising efforts by HSUS to address the misconception between HSUS and local human societies.  Letter at link http://tinyurl.com/ns9val7

ULSTER COUNTY NY PROPOSED LEGISLATION

The County Legislature is expected to begin discussing two proposed bills this month.  One law would create an animal abuse registry. Anyone convicted of an animal abuse crime under the Agriculture and Markets law would be required to register with the Ulster County District Attorney’s Office as an animal abuser. Anyone who has been convicted of an animal abuse crime must remain on the registry for 15 years and for life if there is a subsequent conviction. The Ulster County DA is authorized to contract with a rescue or animal protection organization to establish the registry.

The second law would require any person who sells more than nine dogs or cats per year or more than one litter per year to obtain a no-cost permit from the county Health Department, agree to standards of care related to housing, sanitation, feeding and watering, veterinary care, and exercise.  The new law would also include consumer protection and record keeping requirements.  Breeders must check the animal abuse registry to ensure a potential buyer isn’t listed.   

The Ulster County Legislature will now vote to schedule a public hearing concerning the laws during which members of the public can provide input and opinions.  The public hearing is anticipated to be in August.  See more at: http://tinyurl.com/nbxcew5

Kevin Johnson pleads guilty to Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act charges

"Some people continue to believe that many animal rights activists are merely disillusioned young people who will grow out of their problem behaviors. But cases like this show that the animal “rights” movement is made up a non-trivial number of recidivistic criminals who are determined to harm others in order to achieve their ends."

A significant victory in social and legal battles against criminal animal rights activists happened very quietly in a courtroom this past Friday (6/26/2015). Kevin Johnson (“Olliff”) pled guilty to federal Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act (AETA) charges relating to the criminal sabotage of a mink farm that occurred in Illinois in 2013. Kevin and his fellow animal right fanatic, Tyler Lang, were arrested while traveling in Illinois, not long after the release occurred. I discussed the circumstances of their arrest here.   Read full article 

New Mexico animal lovers want to see animal abuse registry

Apparently the push by ALDF for animal abuser registries is still on.  These registries are a very bad idea. Learn more about the registries at the SAOVA website.

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) – Sex offenders have to register online, now there’s talks in New Mexico of making animal abusers do the same.

It all started with a recent post in a Facebook group for New Mexico animal lovers. The post brought up the idea of an animal abuse registry.

“My initial feeling was it was another resource that will give a voice to the voiceless,” said Krisinda Cheney. Cheney said when she saw the post about an animal abuse registry, she was all for the idea. “In New Mexico, a great deal goes unreported so I think it’s something that holds individuals accountable,” said Cheney.

This isn’t a new idea. Other states have considered the database before and some cities have already implemented it.

“So far this policy has been adopted in multiple jurisdictions in New York State,” said Scott Heiser of the Animal Legal Defense Fund. Heiser said the organization is pushing for a registry in every state.

“It’s a vehicle that prevents those who are placing animals or adoptive animals out into potentially loving homes, a tool to get accurate information when doing background checks,” said Heiser.

At Animal Protection of New Mexico, they said they’re for any initiative that protects animals. However, they said there’s still a lot of barriers to pass the database. “Not the least is figuring out who will run it, who will build it and maintain it, where the money will come from,” said Jessica Johnson of Animal Protection of New Mexico. Johnson also said the person running it has to have access to the right information from law enforcement.

Full article at link:  http://krqe.com/2015/06/22/new-mexico-animal-lovers-want-to-see-animal-abuse-registry/

ALERT: SPALDING COUNTY, GA. MANDATORY SPAY NEUTER ORDINANCE

Public Hearing scheduled for June 25, 2015 at 7:00 PM, Room 108, Spalding County Annex Building. Commissioners will hold a public hearing on Animal Sterilization Requirement Ordinance and Unaltered Animal Permit Ordinance as proposed by the Animal Care and Control Advisory Board.

To keep your dog or cat intact, you can jump through hoops listed in the ordinance and purchase an unaltered permit. The proposed ordinance includes multiple exemptions for dog and cat breeders, such as having competed in at least one show or sporting competition sanctioned by a bonafide nationally registry within the past 365 days. However, written confirmation by the sponsor that the dog or cat has competed is necessary to satisfy this exemption.  Earning a conformation, obedience, agility, carting, herding, hunting, protection, rally, sporting, working or other title from a pure bred dog registry, confirmed in writing by the organization, will also qualify as an exemption. Persons who are Georgia State Department of Agriculture licensed breeders are exempt.

The authors of this proposed ordinance may have included multiple exemptions in an effort to focus MSN requirements on a smaller portion of the population, or simply to silence breeders.  The ordinance could be targeting those with limited income who cannot provide proof to qualify for one of the above exemptions and those who cannot afford spay/neuter surgeries for their pets. They will be driven away from providing necessary veterinary care for their pets, decreasing rabies vaccinations and possibly increasing rabies outbreaks.

MSN laws are promoted by groups who claim it will end euthanasia of animals, animal abandonment and shelter overpopulation. After decades of attempts, there is NO success story for mandatory spay/neuter.  In fact, such legislation has often had the opposite affect with disastrous results and negative impacts on shelter statistics. The MSN ordinance in Spalding County is doomed to fail. Breeders and the exemptions given to them could then be blamed for the ordinance failure.

There are no national organizations that support MSN. It is undisputable that the number one reason for animal abandonment is related to pet behavior or health problems, or the owner’s lack of time or ability to care for the pet, not reproductive status.

If you cannot attend the hearing, write to the commissioners:

Rita Johnson, Chair - rjohnson@spaldingcounty.com   

Bart Miller, Vice Chair - bmiller@spaldingcounty.com

Gwen Flowers-Taylor - Gflowers-taylor@spaldingcounty.com

Raymond Ray - rray@spaldingcounty.com

Donald Hawbaker - dhawbaker@spaldingcounty.com

News Briefs and Updates June 20, 2015

SAOVA Friends,

Decades have gone by without evidence that mandatory spay and neuter (MSN) laws have had any success. Sometimes that is still not enough to deter officials from proposing these failed ordinances. Should MSN be proposed in your area, we have compiled two handouts for your use. “Mandatory Spay Neuter – A Failure Everywhere” along with a collection of national organizations position statements opposing MSN, can be downloaded from our website http://saova.org/download.html

Thank you for reading. Cross Posting is encouraged.

Susan Wolf
Sportsmen's and Animal Owners' Voting Alliance
Working to identify and elect supportive legislators
saova@earthlink.net
http://saova.org

US FISH AND WILDLIFE FINALIZES CHIMP RULE
June 2015. US Fish and Wildlife (FWS) in response to a 2010 petition by HSUS and Jane Goodall announced a final rule to classify all chimpanzees, both wild and captive, as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The final rule will go into effect on September 14, 2015. Under the new designation anyone working with captive chimps in the US must apply for a permit from FWS. Organizations that want to continue working with chimpanzees will have to document that the work enhances the survival of the species and benefits chimps in the wild. That could include research that boosts habitat restoration or contributes to improved management. If anyone is actively engaged in chimpanzee research, they must apply for a permit. According to FWS Director Dan Ashe, some biomedical research with chimps may be allowed to continue if it is critical for understanding human disease.

In a press release The National Association for Biomedical Research stated, "The full impact the new FWS ruling will have on biomedical research is unclear. However, it would be unfortunate, even grave, should an infectious disease outbreak occur where human lives are at stake and a chimpanzee model could expedite development of life-saving medicines." Read the full press release at NABR: http://tinyurl.com/phe9zya

ALDF LOSES COURT BATTLE AGAINST SEAQUARIUM
The Orca Network, Animal Legal Defense Fund and others failed in their challenge against the Miami Seaquarium 's federal license renewal for the orca known as Lolita. "Only Congress, not this court, possesses the power to limit the agency's discretion and demand annual, substantive compliance with animal welfare standards," Judge Susan Black wrote for a three-judge panel for the 11th Circuit Court.

Every year, Seaquarium must renew its Animal Welfare Act (AWA) license with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Before the expiration of its license in 2012, the ALDF sent a letter to the USDA asserting that Lolita's living conditions are inhumane, and Seaquarium's license should not be renewed. The USDA responded that it found Seaquarium in "compliance with the regulations and standards," and renewed the facility's license to keep and exhibit Lolita. It did not conduct an inspection of Lolita's living conditions based on the allegations in ALDF's letter. The ALDF sued in Miami, seeking a court order to set aside the USDA's renewal of Seaquarium's license, based on the theory that AWA animal welfare inspection laws should apply both to new licensees and license renewals.

In granting USDA summary judgment, the lower court found that the USDA complied with its license-renewal process, which requires just a certification of compliance, payment of an annual fee, and submission of an annual report detailing the number of animals exhibited in the prior year. Full story at Courthouse News Service: http://tinyurl.com/ppaqjj2

ALDF SUIT AGAINST PA DEPT OF AG MOVES FORWARD
The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania allowed a lawsuit filed last summer by ALDF to move forward against the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. According to their press release, ALDF sued the Department for passing watered down regulations that gutted Pennsylvania’s historic Dog Law. ALDF and Petitioners asserted that the Department was not authorized to exempt nursing mothers from the statutory ban on metal strand flooring and from the statutory requirement of unfettered access to exercise areas. Petitioners requested that the court enjoin the Department from enforcing above regulations currently in 7 Pa.Code 28a.8 and 28b.1, declaring these sections to be in conflict with the Dog Law and therefore unlawful, and order the Department to revise the regulations in a manner consistent with the Dog Law.

Petitioners stated that the Dog Law prohibits Class C license holders (Commercial Kennels) from using metal strand wiring in the primary enclosure of adult dogs and requires unfettered access to an exercise area. Department regulations provide for compliance if only 50% of primary enclosure flooring meets that regulation, and allow a commercial kennel owner to be in compliance if a nursing mother is provided with daily access to an exercise area.

Judge Bonnie Brigance Leadbetter overruled the Department’s preliminary objection to Petitioners’ standing. In her opinion Judge Leadbetter noted that before filing the suit Petitioners requested both the Department and the Independent Regulatory Review Commission (IRRC) review the regulations. Both the Department and the IRRC declined. Judge Leadbetter wrote, “These allegations, if proven, strongly suggest that redress through other channels is futile and thus that judicial scrutiny is required to insure that the regulations adopted by the Department conform to the law under which they were promulgated.” Opinion by Judge Leadbetter http://tinyurl.com/phxndwg

PALM BEACH COUNTY CALLS FOR END TO IMPORTING DOGS, CATS
Palm Beach County's unwanted dogs and cats are more likely to die if rescue groups keep importing animals from other counties and states, local officials warned. The county's animal shelter near West Palm Beach takes in 15,000 dogs and cats a year that are at risk of being euthanized if they aren't adopted. Finding homes for local shelter animals is made harder by well-meaning rescue groups continuing to have unwanted dogs and cats trucked and flown into Palm Beach County for adoption events, according to county officials. Some imported dogs and cats are coming from as close as Broward and Miami-Dade counties while others come from Alabama, Tennessee and even farther.

Because many rescue groups have ignored the county's request that they stop bringing in outside dogs and cats for adoption, County Mayor Shelley Vana went public with a plea to focus on helping local animals. The press conference was prompted by another local rescue group bringing in 60 dogs from outside the county for an adoption event.

"How does flying or busing in puppies from other regions help the dogs in this community?" Vana asked at a press conference from the county shelter. Vana continued, “What message is being sent to would-be adopters? What happens to those at-risk at animal care and control when those animals are flown in? The truth is often uncomfortable. Importing puppies and dogs into Palm Beach County while dogs in our own shelter die, means that some groups are simply stocking their shelves with dogs that are highly adoptable at a high fee.”

The county wants rescue groups to at least temporarily stop bringing in outside animals until the county shelter reaches a 90 percent “save rate”. So far this year, the county has an 80 percent "save rate" for dogs, while that drops to just a 39 percent for cats. Source: Sun-Sentinel

The Long Road to Animal Welfare

This is a very long essay by Wayne Pacelle published in the magazine Foreign Affairs by the Council on Foreign Relations. In this essay he covers ballot initiatives; use of Michael Vick to promote anti-dog fighting (not to mention raise money); history of the animal rights movement; HSUS successes. Pacelle covers his version of the HSUS heroic efforts in New Orleans following hurricane Katrina. Pacelle includes as a success story an anti-confinement ballot measure in Florida in 2002; however he fails to mention there were only 2 hog farmers in the state. After the ballot passed, both farmers sent their herds to slaughter. 

The article states: "The two largest groups, the HSUS and the ASPCA, together raise and spend nearly $400 million a year and have assets approaching $500 million."

The Long Road to Animal Welfare -

How Activism Works in Practice

By Wayne Pacelle

On election night in November 1992, I waited anxiously with other animal welfare activists at the Radisson Hotel in Denver, Colorado, to learn the outcome of a statewide ballot measure to ban the baiting, hound hunting, and spring hunting of black bears. The initiative was a big deal both for me (it had been my idea) and for the animal welfare movement more generally. Colorado was a political redoubt for the National Rifle Association and other pro-hunting groups; if the ballot measure passed, it might inspire other reforms for animals, and if it failed, it might set the movement back years. Most of my fellow activists had been skeptical about the initiative, arguing that it was a fool’s errand because the hunting lobby was too strong to defeat. But the leaders of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS—then as now, the largest animal protection organization in the country—had overruled their political staff and decided to support the effort, on principle. “It’s too important not to try,” John Hoyt, then the group’s president, told me. “If we lose, I want to be on the side of the losers.” In the end, we won big, getting 70 percent of the vote.

Full Article at link: 
 https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/2015-06-16/long-road-animal-welfare

Why Animals Are Needed in Research

Why are animals needed for medical research? Watch this video by The Foundation for Biomedical Research to see some of the reasons. Leading scientists talk about why they use animals in science. "The reason we study these living systems is because they have the appropriate structures. So that there are cells that talk to each other, there are different cells types within a given region. When you have it in a dish it is much more difficult. You can use a single cell type, but not necessarily the complexity that happens in the brain. "