News About Animals - February 17, 2011

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February 17, 2011   IDA Tells USDA: Ringling Bros. Is Endangering Baby Elephants IDA has long campaigned against the cruel treatment of baby elephants in circuses, from the traumatic separations of mothers and babies for brutal training to the endless travel, chaining and forced tricks that damage their still developing bodies. IDA is again fighting for these innocent calves, this time by filing a complaint with the U.S. Department of Agriculture regarding the calf Barack, who has been forced to perform with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, and who is now diagnosed for a second time with a virus that is deadly to elephants. Click here to read more and see how you can help. Battle Brewing Over California Live Animal Markets For years, California activists have been fighting to close the state's live animal markets. The battle is now coming to a head, in part because San Francisco mayoral candidates have taken different sides. The campaign to ban the importation and sale of live turtles and frogs for human consumption has become a major issue in San Francisco politics - click here to read the Capitol Weekly story and post your comments. Last March, the California Fish and Game Commission ordered the Department of Fish and Game to stop issuing importation permits. Last week, the commission voted to lift the ban. According to Action for Animals Coordinator Eric Mills, “Many of the market animals are routinely butchered while fully conscious.” And Madeline Bernstein, President of the SPCA Los Angeles, said “From capture, to transport, to sordid shop conditions, to being flayed while still alive, these animals are in constant misery.” Other activists are fighting the sale of live chickens and other birds at San Francisco's U.N. Plaza Farmers Market. Click here to read more about that in the San Francisco Chronicle and to post your own thoughts. If you live in California, please write to your state legislators, asking them to ban the importation, possession, and sale of live animals for human consumption. All legislators may be written c/o The State Capitol, Sacramento, CA 95814. If you don't know who your state legislators are, click here, enter your zip code, and then click "California Officials" at the top. Tell Target To Withdraw Support For Iditarod In almost all of the Iditarod races, at least one dog has died. The first race is reported to have resulted in the deaths of 15 to 19 dogs. In 1997, the Anchorage Daily News reported that "at least 107 (dogs) have died." According to the Sled Dog Action Coalition, in the years since that report, 35 more dogs have died in the Iditarod, bringing the total of dogs who died in the Iditarod to at least 142. There is no official count of dog deaths available for the race's early years and this count relies only on reported deaths. The 2011 Iditarod starts on March 5. Please speak out for sled dogs. Sponsorship is the biggest source of revenue for the race. Please click here to send an e-mail to Target Corp., sponsor of the "Iditarod Teacher on the Trail" program, requesting that they no longer fund this deadly event. Stop The Yellowstone Bison Slaughter According to our friends at the Buffalo Field Campaign, this winter is a bad one for America's last wild bison. The National Park Service (NPS) has captured and is holding approximately 400 bison in the Stephens Creek trap inside Yellowstone National Park. It is time that the National Park Service stand up to Montana's private ranching interests and protect, rather than slaughter, the Yellowstone bison. Click here to send an e-mail urging the NPS to abandon the failed Interagency Bison Management Plan and stop slaughtering the Yellowstone bison. On The Road Again With IDA's Hope Animal Sanctuary Our Hope Animal Sanctuary in Mississippi has been busy lately, with a few very happy endings. Director Doll Stanley just completed a month that included helping confiscate dogs from a hoarder, finding a great home for six emus, placing two horses who we nursed back to health after being rescued from a very sad situation, and preventing the shooting of six poor dogs who just needed a place to call home. Click here to read more!        What does IDA have planned for 2011? Click here to find out!   "Go Vegan and no body gets hurt" shirt, men's and women's sizes, only $16.     Support IDA with custom greeting cards from CardsDirect!    Get your IDA sweatshirt today before we run out!        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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