News About Animals - December 30, 2010 - Happy New Year!

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December 30, 2010   Huge Victory For Sea Lions! We are thrilled to tell you about a monumental victory. For three years, IDA campaigned against the killing of sea lions on the Columbia River between Oregon and Washington. Dedicated IDA members like you wrote thousands of letters to stop the killing. Since the lethal removal program began in 2008, IDA worked to protect the sea lions and hold state and federal agencies accountable. We fought a court battle to free one sea lion named Willy who was misidentified by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and wrongfully removed from the river. We lost the case on a technicality, but dozens of favorable news stories gave us a huge win in the court of public opinion. IDA also organized dozens of demonstrations, met with lawmakers, and kept a 24 hour vigil on the sea lion trapping to hold government officials accountable for the killing. Now, in a case brought by other plaintiffs, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled to halt the National Marine Fisheries Service’s killing of federally protected sea lions! Click here to read more and see how you can help. Tell USDA To Confiscate Elephant Nosey From The Circus IDA has filed a complaint with the USDA urging immediate action to save the 29-year-old African elephant Nosey from a miserable life with the Liebel Family Circus. Thanks to you, our last alert resulted in an avalanche of emails, and brought confirmation that a USDA investigation is officially underway. This was a significant step forward, but two months later Nosey is still suffering. Recently, ten people in five states, including an animal control officer, monitored Nosey when the circus was in their area. This allowed IDA to provide the USDA with new observations, photographs, and video showing that the negligent and abusive treatment of Nosey continues. For years, the USDA has been repeatedly citing Nosey’s handler, Hugo Liebel, for the same violations of the Animal Welfare Act, yet nothing changes. Nosey continues to be chained and transported around the country in a small trailer she shares with seven ponies and a mule. She is constantly chained except when giving rides or performing unnatural tricks. Though elephants are by nature highly social animals, Nosey is held alone, adding to the misery she endures with the circus. Please click here to read more and send an e-mail to the USDA calling for her confiscation and transfer to a natural-habitat sanctuary where she would receive the specialized care she needs after a lifetime of solitude and abuse in the circus. Should Michael Vick Be Trusted With Another Dog? President Obama recently praised the Philadelphia Eagles football team for giving Michael Vick a "second chance." Now Vick wants to be allowed to take custody of dogs again. Do you agree or disagree? Please personalize and submit the sample letter on this page to send a Letter to the Editor of your community's newspapers. Use our talking points or come up with your own. Be sure to enter a valid US zip code, as your zip will be used to direct your letter to your community's newspapers. Clunkers For Critters - Your Old Car Is IDA's Economic Stimulus! Your old car has done everything you've asked it to do, and now is the time to say goodbye. And there's no easier way to dump the clunker than by donating it to your favorite organization, IDA! Donating your vehicle will directly save animals’ lives and ensure that the vital work of IDA continues in these tough times. Your donated vehicle, a tax-deductible contribution, does not need to be registered or even in running condition. We will pick up or tow from almost anywhere. Say goodbye to the clunker, and help animals at the same time. (Non-clunkers gladly accepted too, but the amount you may deduct is limited by tax laws - check with your tax professional.) For more information, call Sage at 415-448-0048, ext. 218 or click here. Hawaii - Help Ban Force Feeding Of Ducks And Geese To Produce Foie Gras Rep. Angus McKelvey will soon introduce a bill in Hawaii to ban the sale of foie gras (force-fed duck or goose liver)! The bill mirrors a similar bill passed in California that goes into effect in 2012. Foie gras is the "fatty liver" of a duck or goose enlarged to up to 12 times its normal size by force feeding. Two to three times a day, a worker grabs each bird, shoves a long, thick metal tube all the way down his throat, and an air pump shoots up to two pounds of corn mush into his esophagus. A duck's liver naturally weighs around 50 grams. However, to qualify as foie gras, the industry's own regulations require duck’s livers to weigh an absolute minimum of 300 grams. Any duck’s liver this size is severely diseased. Investigations at foie gras farms in the United States and Europe have documented sick, dead, and dying animals, some with severe injuries to their necks from the feeding pipes. Click here to learn more about the cruelty of foie gras. Then educate your friends. And, when you receive an alert from us in early January, act! We'll need you to make phone calls and attend hearings, so start educating yourself now!      Support IDA with custom greeting cards from CardsDirect!      "Real environmentalists don't eat meat." The timeless slogan, now on an IDA t-shirt!   Order Puppy School by NCIS actor and author David Dayan Fisher, and IDA gets 50 %!   Spill-proof commuter mugs, a bargain at $12!   This message was sent to sweetygirl2002@uol.com.br In Defense of Animals, located in San Rafael, Calif., is an international animal protection organization with more than 100,000 members and supporters dedicated to ending the abuse and exploitation of animals by protecting their rights and welfare. IDA's efforts include educational events, cruelty investigations, boycotts, grassroots activism, and hands-on rescue through our sanctuaries in Mississippi, Mumbai, India, and Cameroon, Africa. In Defense of Animals is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization. We welcome your feedback and appreciate your donations. Please join today! All donations to IDA are tax-deductible. In Defense of Animals 3010 Kerner, San Rafael, CA 94901 Tel. (415) 448-0048 Fax (415) 454-1031 idainfo@idausa.org To unsubscribe, please click here.

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