Monthly Archives: September 2003

Japanese Companies Win Protest Reprieve

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Seven Japanese firms with branches in the United Kingdom succeeded in August in having a judge create an injunction against animal rights protesters similar to the injunction that Huntingdon Life Sciences was granted in June.

The companies asked for the injunction after protesters associated with Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty, the Animal Liberation Front and the Animal Rights Militia staged protests at the offices and homes of employees of the companies due to their connections with Huntingdon Life Sciences. According to a BBC report,

. . . harassment took the form of threatening letters and phone calls, sending letters to neighbors alleging directors are pedophiles or sex offenders, painting slogans, smashing windows and assault.

The injunctions were issued under authority of Great Britain\’s new anti-stalking law. Activists have challenged the stalking law itself, and that case will be taken up by British courts later this year.

Sources:

HLS boost after judge grants protest bans. Peterborough Now, August 29, 2003.

Stalker laws to block activists. The BBC, August 27, 2003.

Stalking Law Used To Protect Animal Rights\’ Targets. Stephen Howard, Press Association, August 27, 2003.

Animal rights group targets win safe zone. The Times (London), August 28, 2003.

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Terrorists Explode Bombs at Major California Biotech Company

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In the early morning hours of August 28, two bombs placed by animal rights extremists exploded at the headquarters of Chiron Corp., a biotechnology company, in Emeryville, California. A third device consisting of a five-gallon plastic jug of gasoline was discovered unexploded and was safely detonated by the Alameda County Sheriff\’s Department.

The bombs were detonated just days after Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty had named Chiron its target of the week. Chiron spokespersons said the company has no current contracts with HLS, but has used the testing firm in the past and will use them again in the future.

A group calling itself the Animal Liberation Brigade took credit for the bombings, issuing a communique through the extremist web site Bite Back!,

In the early hours of August 28th volunteers from the Revolutionary Cells descended on the animal killing scum Chiron. We left them with a small surprise of 2 pipe bombs filled with an ammonium nitrate slurry with redundant timers. This action came about because Chiron has continued their murderous connection with Huntingdon Life Sciences even though they have been exposed numerous times as some of the most egregious animal killers in the industry.

Chiron, you were asked to sever your ties with HLS, you were told, and yet you continued your relations with them. Now it is time for you face the consequences of your actions. If you choose to continue your relations with HLS you will no longer be subject only to the actions of the above ground animal rights movement, you will face us. This is the endgame for the animal killers and if you choose to stand with them you will be dealt with accordingly. There will be no quarter given, no more half measures taken.

You might be able to protect your buildings, but can you protect the homes of every employee?

From palestine to euskal herria, from the jungles of colombia to northern ireland, the struggle will continue until all of the oppressive institutions are destroyed!

for animal liberation through armed struggle, the Revolutionary Cells

–animal liberation brigade

SHAC spokespersons the media that it was not involved in the explosions but that this was the sort of action that SHAC supported. SHAC\’s Andrea Lindsay told KGO-TV in San Francisco of the need to constantly pressure employees of firms like Chiron,

At 5:00 p.m., those people think they get to check out and go home and forget about what their company is doing to animals and we want to remind them that those animals are sitting in cages overnight. The animals don\’t get to check out at 5:00 p.m. and neither do they. Until their company stops supporting this cruelty, they\’re going to be a focus of this campaign 24-7.

Sources:

Was Emeryville Biotech Company Targeted?. KGO-TV, August 28, 2003.

Animal rights activists suspected in Chiron blasts. Reuters, August 29, 2003.

Animal rights group takes credit for Chiron bombs. KTVU.Com, August 29, 2003.

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Hippo Population in Congo Crashes

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The World Wildlife Fund recently publicized a Congolese Institute for the Conservation of Nature survey of the hippopotamus population in the Democratic Republic of Congo. That survey estimates that the hippo population has declined from a high of 29,000 in the early 1970s to only about 1,300 specimens today.

Of course the Democratic Republic of Congo has been racked by war and corrupt governance during much of that period, so it is hardly surprising that poachers and others have been killing hippos with impunity. What is genuinely surprising is the perverse effect that the ban on the trade in ivory has had on hippo populations. According to New Scientist,

In recent years, hippo meat has become a delicacy in parts of central Africa. Furthermore, the present worldwide ban on the trade in elephant ivory has meant hippo teeth, which can grow to 60 centimeters or more long, have become a valuable substitute.

This switch is darkly ironic, because hippos are now much rarer than African elephants. The global hippo population is now estimated at about 150,000, but there are more than half a million African elephants.

African nations where elephants are plentiful have repeatedly petitioned for a resumption of the world ivory trade (limited lifting of the ban, usually to sell pre-ban ivory stocks, has taken place occasionally since 1989).

Sources:

Poaching causes hippo population crash. NewScientist.Com, August 29, 2003.

Poachers will wipe out hippos in Congo, WWF warns. Reuters, August 28, 2003.

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Activists Fail to Stop Mourning Dove Hunt in Wisconsin

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Two years ago, Wisconsin Citizens for Cranes and Doves began won a lawsuit that delayed a mourning dove hunt in Wisconsin. Activists won that battle, but they lost the war on Sept. 1 when the 60-day mourning dove seasons began.

The Humane Society of the United States and The Fund for Animals tried a last ditch appeal to Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle, but Doyle\’s spokesperson said in response that \”The courts and the Legislature have already spoken on this issue.\”

Hunters in Wisconsin will shoot an estimated 120,000-150,000 doves from September 1 through October 30.

Sources:

Mourning Doves: Doyle won\’t halt dove hunt despite protests. Associated Press, August 29, 2003.

Mourning dove hunt begins in Wisconsin. Minnesota Public Radio, September 2, 2003.

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Woman\’s Diseased Heart Rebuilt Using Human and Cow Tissue

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A 46-year-old woman suffering from a rare hereditary disorder successfully had her heart removed and parts of it rebuilt using tissue from cows.

Sandra Lanier of Ware, Mass., is one of only about 400 people known worldwide to suffer from \”Carney Complex\” — a hereditary disorder that causes recurring non-cancerous tumors. In Lanier\’s case, it caused tumors to repeatedly grow in her left atrium, and she had endured three open heart surgeries before her most recent operation.

Dr. James Gammie and Dr. Bartley Griffith of the University of Maryland Medical Center removed her heart as part of a 12-hour operation and rebuilt the left and right atrium with human and cow tissue. According to the Associated Press,

During the operation, Gammie took out the remaining atrial tissue and used cow tissue to replace the back portion of the atria and line up the pulmonary veins so they could be reattached to the heart.

Meanwhile, Griffith rebuilt Lanier\’s atria with a combination of animal and human tissue. Griffith said the animal and human tissue knitted together nicely with the remaining half of her own heart.

Griffith performed a similar surgery in 2000.

Source:

Surgeons use animal and human tissue on woman\’s heart to remove tumor. Brian White, Associated Press, August 29, 2003.

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Chinese Researchers Claim Human/Rabbit Hybrid

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Chinese researchers claimed in August to have created the first human/rabbit hybrid embryo.

The researcher was carried out at Shanghai Second Medical University and details about the research was published in Cell Research, a bimonthly peer reviewed journal of the Shanghai Institute of Cell Biology.

The researchers claim they fused skin cells from a number of human source with rabbit cells that had most of their rabbit DNA removed. According to the researchers, 400 of the hybrids grew into early embryos and more than 100 survived to become blastocysts.

There are many good reasons, however, to be skeptical that the researchers actually managed to create hybrid embryos.

According to a United Press International story, the report on this research had been submitted and rejected by several more reputable journals over the past two years. The study has been rejected for publication because both the draft and the version published in Cell Research omit data that would make it possible to confirm that the researchers actually resulted in embryonic cells.

And, as UPI tactfully puts it, \”researchers in China have gained a reputation for making bold claims about cloning and stem cells that, all too often, prove false.\”

Sources:

Scientists Doubt Chinese Claim of Rabbit-Human Clone. United Press International, August 15, 2003.

Cloning yields human-rabbit hybrid embryo. Rick Weiss, Washington Post, August 14, 2003.

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Michigan House Bill No. 5029 (Dove Hunting)

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HOUSE
BILL No. 5029

\'> style=\'font-size:11.5pt\'>August 13, 2003, Introduced by Rep. Tabor and referred
to the Committee on Conservation and Outdoor Recreation.

11.5pt\'> A bill to amend 1994 PA 451,
entitled

11.5pt\'> “Natural resources and
environmental protection act,”

11.5pt\'> by amending section 40103 (MCL
324.40103), as amended by 2000 PA

11.5pt\'> 191; and to repeal acts and
parts of acts.

11.5pt\'> THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE
OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

11.5pt\'>1 Sec. 40103. (1) “Game”
means any of the following animals

11.5pt\'>2 but does not include privately
owned cervidae species located on

11.5pt\'>3 a registered cervidae livestock
facility as that term is defined

11.5pt\'>4 in the privately owned cervidae
producers marketing act:

11.5pt\'>5 (a) Badger.

11.5pt\'>6 (b) Bear.

11.5pt\'>7 (c) Beaver.

11.5pt\'>8 (d) Bobcat.

11.5pt\'>9 (e) Brant.

11.5pt\'>10 (f) Coot.

style=\'page-break-before:always\'>

 

11.5pt\'>1 (g) Coyote.

11.5pt\'>2 (h) Crow.

11.5pt\'>3 (i) Deer.

11.5pt\'>4 (j) Duck.

11.5pt\'>5 (k) Elk.

11.5pt\'>6 ( style=\'font-size:11.5pt;font-family:\"Times New Roman\"\'>l style=\'font-size:11.5pt\'>) Fisher.

11.5pt\'>7 (m) Florida gallinule.

11.5pt\'>8 (n) Fox.

11.5pt\'>9 (o) Geese.

11.5pt\'>10 (p) Hare.

11.5pt\'>11 (q) Hungarian partridge.

11.5pt\'>12 (r) Marten.

11.5pt\'>13 (s) Mink.

11.5pt\'>14 (t) Moose.

11.5pt\'>15 (u) Mourning dove.

11.5pt\'>16 (v) (u)
Muskrat.

11.5pt\'>17 (w) (v)
Opossum.

11.5pt\'>18 (x) (w)
Otter.

11.5pt\'>19 (y) (x)
Pheasant.

11.5pt\'>20 (z) (y)
Quail.

11.5pt\'>21 (aa) (z)
Rabbit.

11.5pt\'>22 (bb) (aa)
Raccoon.

11.5pt\'>23 (cc) (bb)
Ruffed grouse.

11.5pt\'>24 (dd) (cc)
Sharptailed grouse.

11.5pt\'>25 (ee) (dd)
Skunk.

11.5pt\'>26 (ff) (ee)
Snipe.

11.5pt\'>27 (gg) (ff)
Sora rail.



style=\'page-break-before:always\'>

11.5pt\'>1 (hh) (gg)
Squirrel.

11.5pt\'>2 (ii) (hh)
Weasel.

11.5pt\'>3 (jj) (ii)
Wild turkey.

11.5pt\'>4 (kk) (jj)
Woodchuck.

11.5pt\'>5 ( style=\'font-size:11.5pt;font-family:\"Times New Roman\"\'>ll style=\'font-size:11.5pt\'>) (kk)
 Woodcock.

11.5pt\'>6 (mm) ( style=\'font-size:11.5pt;font-family:\"Times New Roman\"\'>ll style=\'font-size:11.5pt\'>) Virginia
rail.

11.5pt\'>7 (2) “Interim order of
the department” means an order of the

11.5pt\'>8 department issued under section
40108.

11.5pt\'>9 (3) “Kind” means
an animal\’s sex, age, or physical

11.5pt\'>10 characteristics.

11.5pt\'>11 (4) “Normal agricultural
practices” means generally accepted

11.5pt\'>12 agricultural and management
practices as defined by the

11.5pt\'>13 commission of agriculture.

11.5pt\'>14 (5) “Open season”
means the dates during which game may be

11.5pt\'>15 legally taken.

11.5pt\'>16 (6) “Parts” means
any or all portions of an animal, including

11.5pt\'>17 the skin, plumage, hide,
fur, entire body, or egg of an animal.

11.5pt\'>18 (7) “Protected”
or “protected animal” means an animal or kind

11.5pt\'>19 of animal that is designated
by the department as an animal that

11.5pt\'>20 shall not be taken.

11.5pt\'>21 (8) “Residence”
means a permanent building serving as a

11.5pt\'>22 temporary or permanent home.
Residence may include a cottage,

11.5pt\'>23 cabin, or mobile home, but
does not include a structure designed

11.5pt\'>24 primarily for taking game,
a tree blind, a tent, a recreational

11.5pt\'>25 or other vehicle, or a camper.

11.5pt\'>26 Enacting section 1. Section
40110 of the natural resources

11.5pt\'>27 and environmental protection
act, 1994 PA 451, MCL 324.40110, is

style=\'page-break-before:always\'>

11.5pt\'>1 repealed.

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Steve Hindi Admonishes Activists for Not Sufficiently Supporting His Pet Project

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Showing Animals Respect and Kindness\’ Steve Hindi sent out a letter to supporters of his group chiding activists and groups for not sufficiently supporting his pet project, SHARK\’s Tiger video truck,

Over the last two and a half years that it has crisscrossed the United States, SHARK\’s Tiger video truck has proven itself to be the most effective weapon of compassionate and nonviolent direct action in the animal protection movement. The Tiger has graphically exposed a long and still growing list of animal abuses, including but not limited to rodeos, bullfighting, slaughterhouses, the fur industry, Korean dog torture/slaughter, dolphin slaughter, circuses and most recently, shoemaker Adidas\’ support of the mass-murder of kangaroos in Australia.

. . .

It is a mystery to me why the animal protection movement has not jumped on the effort to bring the message of compassion out to the uninformed masses. Only one other truck close to the scale of the Tiger has been built, and interestingly it was again by a small organization run by lawyer Lori Peterson in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Although SHARK applauds the use of smaller vans as display vehicles by smaller organizations, the movement needs the \”heavy weaponry\” represented by a large Tiger-type vehicle.

I find the lack of forward momentum in this area to be indicative of a lack of leadership, dedication and commitment. Hundreds of millions of dollars come into this movement every year. Yet, a tiny fraction of that money at best goes to bring our message from the animal rights conferences and meetings, out to the masses. This is unacceptable. There should be no higher priority than getting the issues and images of animal abuse out to the public.

SHARK can wait no longer for others to pick up the ball. Therefore, I am proud and excited to announce SHARK\’s intent to build two more Tiger trucks, with completion expected before the end of the year. We also intend to upgrade the original Tiger to an even more effective and invincible weapon of nonviolence.

I suspect that Hindi here is vastly over-estimating the effect that the Tiger truck and similar efforts have at promoting animal rights, especially since it targets people who are likely not ideal recipients for the animal rights message — is targeting the animal rights message at people attending a rodeo, for example, really an efficient way to push Hindi\’s agenda? Color me skeptical. There has not, after all, been any sudden massive grass roots movement against rodeos in America.

Source:

E-mail communication. Steve Hindi, August 2003.

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Animal Rights Extremists Vandalize Sonoma, California Restaurant

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On the night of August 9, animal right extremists broke into and vandalized a new restaurant in Sonoma, California and also damaged an adjoining 19th century historical building which had recently been restored.

Activists targeted Sonoma Saveurs because one of its owners, Guillermo Gonzalez, is the only producer of foie gras in the Western United States and the restaurant will feature foies gras, among other things, when it finally opens.

According to the Press Democrat, the animal rights activists got into the restaurant by squeezing through an exterior water heater closet and then tearing a hole in an interior wall. One in, they spray-painted animal rights slogans throughout the building, poured dry concrete down drains, and then turned on the water.

By the time the vandalism was discovered, water had seeped into surrounding buildings including a historic 19th century adobe building that had once been used by Mexican Gen. Mariano Vellejo. The water also damaged a women\’s clothing store that adjoins the restaurant.

The three owners of the restaurant, Gonzalez, Laurent Manrique, and Didier Jaubert, have also faced acts of harassment and vandalism from animal rights extremists at their homes.

The Sonoma News reported that,

Late last month vandals trashed Jaubert\’s home in Santa Rosa and Laurent\’s residence in Mill Valley. They spray-painted the buildings, etched the windows with acid, poured glue in locks, covered a statue of a Buddha with red paint and splashed acid all over a car. A report lauding those attacks is posted on the Bite Back site.

Jaubert told the Sonoma News,

You can be tolerant, you can believe in freedom and respect diversity, but it is sometimes difficult to understand some actions. … If you don\’t like foie gras I can understand. If you don\’t want foie gras to be sold you can demonstrate in front of the store, you can write letters to the editor, you can do many things. But to destroy a historical building, to attack a family\’s home, to do this at night and to be proud of your actions – this is very difficult for me to understand.

Total damage from the attack is estimated at $50,000.

Sources:

Animal activists vandalize Sonoma Plaza restaurant. Mary Callahan, The Press Democrat, August 15, 2003.

Animal activists vandalize restaurant. Associated Press, August 15, 2003.

Vandals flood historic building. Patricia Henley, Sonoma News, August 15, 2003.

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Animal Rights Foundation of Florida Protests Against Hermit Crab Sales

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The Boca Raton News reports that on August 15 activist with the Animal Rights Foundation of Florida showed up at the Town Center Mall to protest against a kiosk there selling hermit crabs.

Animal Rights Foundation of Florida outreach director Fred Ellis told the Boca Raton News that,

It [selling hermit crabs] sends the message to kids that animals are here for us to use and abuse on a whim and they\’re not. They belong in the wild, not locked in a plastic box.

ARFF communications assistant Loretta Murray added that,

They[hermit crabs] don\’t reproduce in captivity so every crab in Crab Buddies kiosk was ripped away from his or her home and family.

Hermit crabs are apparently a recent fad in the area, and sell at kiosks for $20-$50 apiece.

Source:

Protestors get crabby at Town Center Mall. Kelli Kennedy, Boca Raton News, August 16, 2003.

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