Tag Archives: Michigan

Once Kids Go to The Circus, They Don\’t Realize Animals Are Even Alive

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The Royal Hanneford Circus spent five days in Westland, Michigan in July. Members of Animals Deserve Absolute Protection Today and Tomorrow showed up to protest.

ADAPTT member Jim McNellis summarized the group\’s objection to circuses when he told a reporter for the Westland Observer,

The circus has no educational value. It\’s teaching kids that animal are objects, not living creatures.

This is good to know — I\’d hate to take my daughter to a circus and have her emerge thinking that elephants and lions are inanimate objects rather than living creatures. I\’m not quite sure how seeing moving, animated animals would lead her to that conclusion, but its apparently had that effect on McNellis, so anything\’s possible.

Source:

League\’s circus attracts crowds and protesters. Darrell Clem, Westland Observer, July 31, 2005.

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Activists Obtain Signatures to Put Michigan Dove Season on Ballot

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Animal rights activists — funded by $100,000 from the Humane Society of the United States\’ lobbying arm the HSUS Fund for Animals — apparently managed to collect more than enough signatures to place a measure to overturn Michigan\’s recently approved dove hunt on the 2006 ballot.

In 2004, Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm signed legislation making Michigan the 41st state to allow hunting of mourning doves. The first hunt was held in September 2004. The initial hunt was limited to just six counties, to be expanded after at least three years if studies of the hunt prove to be consistent with good wildlife management policies.

HSUS canvassers needed to collect 159,000 signatures from Michigan residents to place the issue on the 2006 ballot, but collected about 275,000 according to the HSUS.

The HSUS\’s Michael Markarian said in a press release,

The dove hunters brought this fight to Michigan after the state\’s gentle and inoffensive mourning doves were protected here for several generations. The overwhelming statewide support for the petition drive shows that mainstream Michiganders want to restore the century-old ban on shooting doves. They don\’t want the state\’s official bird of peace blasted into pieces.

Remember, this comes from a group that claims it does not oppose hunting — apparently it just opposes the killing of animals by hunters!

U.S. Sportsmen\’s Alliance president Bud Pidegon said in a press release,

National animal rights groups have invaded Michigan to spread their anti-hunting, anti-animal use agenda while attacking generations of sportsmen. They want to ban all hunting.

This should set up a very interesting showdown in a state where rural hunters are an important political bloc.

Sources:

More Than 275,000 Signatures Collected to Allow Vote on Restoring Michigan\’s Century-Old Dove Shooting Ban. Press Release, Humane Society of the United States, March 28, 2005.

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PETA — Spare the Rod and Spoil the Fish

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People for the Ethical Treatment for Animals activists showed up here in Michigan in February to protest the eating of fish. Karin Robertson, manager of PETA\’s Fish Empathy Project, told the Cadillac News,

People are horrified when they hear how fish are treated, there is cruelty so horrendous that it would be criminal if performed on other animals.

I don\’t know about that — fishing\’s pretty popular here in Michigan and I think many people are aware of how fish are caught and processed without being horrified.

Anyway, on its website, PETA goes on at length about the \”terror\” fish face,

Imagine reaching for an apple on a tree and having your hand suddenly impaled by a metal hook that drags you—the whole weight of your body pulling on that one hand—out of the air and into an atmosphere in which you cannot breathe. This is what fish experience when they are hooked for “sport.”

Many people grow up fishing without ever considering the terror and suffering that fish endure when they\’re impaled by a hook and pulled out of the water. Recreational anglers rarely stop to contemplate that fish are complex and intelligent individuals. In fact, if anglers treated cats, dogs, cows, or pigs the way they treat fish, they would be thrown in prison on charges of cruelty to animals.

PETA also extols the intelligence of fish, who are apparently even smarter than the average animal rights activist,

Many people have never stopped to think about it, but fish are smart, interesting animals with their own unique personalities—just like the dogs and cats we share our homes with [not if PETA had its way, however]. Did you know that fish can learn to avoid nets by watching other fish in their group and that they can recognize individual \”shoal mates\”? Some fish gather information by eavesdropping on others, and some—such as the South African fish who lay eggs on leaves so that they can carry them to a safe place—even use tools.

Hey, I\’ve even heard that some fish are smart enough to eat other fish. They\’re so smart, in fact, they don\’t have to deal with activists urging them to go vegan.

Source:

PETA attempts to sway people from eating fish. Matt Whetstone, Cadillac News, February 10, 2005.

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Ringling Bros. Vandalized; PETA\’s Requests Investigation of Circus After Death of Horse

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Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus\’ appearance in Grand Rapids, Michigan in early October was marked by the unfortunate death of a horse and vandalism of the arena the circus appeared at as well as of circus property.

A 14-year-old palomino gelding died after it was charged by a stallion while the horses were being unloaded from a train. According to the Grand Rapids Press, an autopsy showed that the palomino suffered a ruptured vena cava blood vessel from the stallion\’s charge.

That didn\’t stop People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals from asking Kent County Animal Control to investigate the death and the circus further for possible animal welfare violations. The agency declined to pursue such an investigation. Sarah Houwerzyl, kennel supervisor for the Kent County Health Department animal shelter, told the Grand Rapid Press,

We can do one [an investigation] if we feel it\’s necessary, but I don\’t see any reason for it in this situation. It seems to be a very unusual thing and, by and large, circuses take good care of their animals because they know they\’re intensely scrutinized and they know the stakes in it.

The Grand Rapids Press noted that Houwerzyl did perform a routine inspection of the animals and found no problems.

After the circus finished its run, Grand Rapids Police officials called in the FBI to investigate acts of vandalism directed at the circus and the Van Andel Arena where the circus performed. According to the Grand Rapids Press, a glass door and two parking booths at the arena were damaged and graffiti was painted on the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. The Michigan Independent Media Center site contained a message purportedly from those who committed the vandalism which read,

Insane Asylum
Animals in their Cages
Sleep, Eat, Pace, Eat, Sleep

For a real circus
you look at the audience
Insane Asylum\”
Lysandra

In Grand Rapids, MI Saturday October 2nd, a group of concerned humanimals acted instinctively, but not without premeditation, to expose the oppression of once wild beings who are now caged, starved, taunted, rode, beaten and otherwise forced into obedience by the slaveholders that are the circus and its trainers.

The tired old tactics of humanitarian pacifism has lost its bite, that is why we chose property destruction, because it hurts. You can\’t argue naturalness, respect and compassion to those whose heart is a wallet and the depth of their conscience is synonymous with the depth of their bank accounts. Bite deep, lock your jaw and they might feel entrapped.

We backed up toilets with sponge, superglued locks, etched circus truck windows, and smashed windows in Van Andel, and painted circus traincars. All agents in animal imprisonment and torture are appropriate targets and Van Andel is no exception. Maybe they will think twice before hosting a violent circus of slaves.

Sources:

GRPD and FBI investigating circus vandalism case. Wood TV 8, October 2004.

Animal control officials see no abuse in circus horse\’s death. Nate Reens and Sue Merrell, The Grand Rapids Press, October 2, 2004.

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Jackson County, MI, Commission Votes to Continue Sales of Pound Animals for Research Purposes

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The Jackson County Commission in Michigan earned the wrath of animal rights activists when it voted in late August to continue its practice of selling unclaimed pound animals to class B dealers as well as directly to the University of Michigan and Michigan State University for research purposes.

Commissioners Jim Videto had moved to have the county\’s Animal Control Manager draft a policy to ban the sale of animals to class B dealers or directly to research institutions. According to the minutes of the meeting,

Moved by Videto supported by Lacinski to Move to Direct the Animal Control Manager to Draft a Policy to Prohibit Sales of Live Animals to Class B Dealers. Brittain asked how many people in the audience were from Leoni 1,2,3, & 4. Brittain stated that he never received one call from his constituents against the sale of animals, but he did receive 3 calls from people in support of the sale of animals to class B dealers. Mahoney supports MSU and feels there is a distinction between legitimate research, not experimentation. Elwell is in favor of selling animals, but it should be restricted. Day stated that he was here 14 years ago facing this same issue and voted against banning selling animals for research. If it werenÂ’t for the pig valve in his heart, he probably wouldnÂ’t be here now. Wilson thanked the audience for their participation in this emotional issue. He voiced concern that by stopping the sale we may be putting someoneÂ’s life in jeopardy. ItÂ’s up to the Board to separate facts from emotions. Wilson will be supporting ElwellÂ’s alternate motion. Lacinski supports VidetoÂ’s motion to prohibit the selling of live animals to class B dealers. Berkemeier said that he appreciated everyone being here tonight, but that there are many people involved with animals that have no objection to the sale of animals for research. The Board hears from people everywhere, not just here. He tried to review all of the information and found that 40%-80% of the animals at the shelter are either taken there by the owner, or abandon. Berkemeier will be supporting ElwellÂ’s alternate motion and believes in tracking the animals that are being sold to hospitals and medical facilities.

The commission then voted on the measure which failed 9-3. Supporters of the policy of selling unclaimed animals to class B dealers or research facilities then proposed that the Director of Animal Control draft a policy dealing with the sale of live animals which would continue to allow such sales but require class B dealers to document to whom the animals are eventually sold,

Moved by Elwell supported by Wilson to Direct the Director of Animal Control, with the assistance of the County Administrator, to develop a policy and agreement that deals with the sale of live animals.

Agreement shall be signed by Hodgins Kennels, or any other class “B” dealer that we sell live animals to. Said agreement shall specifically list who they can sell live animals to that came from Jackson County Animal Control. The list of such facilities may be added to (or limited), only by approval of County Agencies.

Said agreement shall contain the requirement that monthly reports be provided to the Jackson County Animal Control that clearly details which specific animals are going where, and it be in a manner that allows further tracking after the research facility is done with the animal. Jackson County Animal Control shall specify the format for said report.

All tags on dogs when they come in to Jackson County Animal Control hall remain with the dog at all times, including when a dog passes from the class ”B” dealer to an approved facility. The above noted report shall also note what tags are on the dogs.

Jackson County Animal Control shall maintain said records in a manner that is easily tracked. Copies of the records shall be available under FOIA, with a report submitted to County Agencies six months after implementation of this plan.

Commissioners shall be allowed unannounced visits to class “B” dealers Jackson County sells animals to. Such visits shall be allowed during the week, during daytime hours.

Adoptions of animals are encouraged, as are transfers to facilities such as the Cascade Humane Society.

Direct sales of live animals to specific research facilities such as Michigan State University and the University of Michigan, and other such facilities as designated in this policy, shall be continued, where it is desired by the facilities and by Jackson County.

This motion passed 11-1. Commissioner Robert Lacinski, who voted for the ban, was the lone commissioner who voted against drafting a new policy dealing with the sale of live animals.

According to the Jackson Citizen-Patriot, although is legal for animal shelters to sell animals to research facilities in Michigan, 75 other Michigan counties ban the practice. Jackson County has been allowed the selling of animals to research facilities for the last 35 years.

Sources:

County does not ban sale of strays. Brian Wheeler, The Jackson Citizen Patriot, August 25, 2004.

Archaic Michigan Commissioners Vote to Sell Strays for Vivisection. Press Release, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, August 2004.

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Michigan Senate Committee Fails to Vote on Lowering Hunting Age to 12

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For awhile in September, it looked like the Michigan Senate\’s Committee on Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs was finally going to get around to voting one way or another on a bill that passed the House in December 2003 that would lower the minimum hunting age from 14 to 12. Instead the bill was suddenly dropped off the committee\’s schedule and it is once again in limbo.

The bill is almost certainly the victim of election year politics. Even in a state such as Michigan where hunting is very popular and even Democrats outside of Wayne County have to run on pro-gun positions if they want to get elected, lowering the hunting age to 12 might be an issue that many simply didn\’t want to raise just a couple months before upcoming elections.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources, for example, had indicated for most of the year that it supported the bill. When it was passed in the House in December 2003, then-DNR director K.L. Cool said of the bill,

We commend Rep. Tabor for this effort to increase youth participation in deer hunting. This bill provides increased hunting opportunities, helping to ensure the future of Michigan\’s hunting heritage without jeopardizing our state\’s outstanding hunting safety record or overwhelming our statewide network of volunteer hunting safety instructors.

The DNR suddenly changed its mind when the bill looked like it might actually make it to a committee vote in the Senate.

Humane Society of the United States president Wayne Pacelle opposes the bill, telling the Associated Press in September,

You have to be 16 to drive and 21 to drink. It just seems inconsistent and inappropriate to have 12-year-olds handling firearms and shooting animals for recreation.

The bill would require children who hunt to pass safety classes and be accompanied by an adult. The full text of the bill can be read here.

Sources:

Youngsters may get OK to hunt. David Eggert, Associated Press, September 14, 2004.


2 Michigan issues on hunting making news. Steve Pollick, Toledo Blade, September 19, 2004.

Tabor critical of DNR decision. Press Release, Michigan Bear Hunters Association, September 17, 2004.

Hunting Age Limit Stalls in Legislature. Associated Press, September 2004.

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Michigan Opens Dove Hunting Season

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Michigan opened its first mourning dove hunting season in September after the state National Resources Commission decided to move forward with a limited hunt this year.

The hunt follows a compromise bill signed by Gov. Jennifer Granholm which allows the hunt but requires the NRC to initially hold a limited hunt and study the effects on the mourning dove population.

The initial hunt his year was limited to just six counties. The mourning dove hunt will remain only in limited areas for at least three years, when the NRC will evaluate the effects of the hunt and then determine whether a wider hunt is good wildlife management policy.

The decision made Michigan the 41st state to allow hunting of mourning doves. The full text of House Bill 5029 which repealed the ban can be read here.

Source:

Mourning dove likely to become fair game. Michael Kan and Amy Kwolek, The Michigan Daily. September 9, 2004.

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Michigan House Bill 5029 — Repeal of Ban on Mourning Dove Hunting

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Act No. 160

Public Acts of 2004

Approved by the Governor

June 18, 2004

Filed with the Secretary of State

June 18, 2004

EFFECTIVE DATE: June 18, 2004

STATE OF MICHIGAN

92ND LEGISLATURE

REGULAR SESSION OF 2004

Introduced by Rep. Tabor

ENROLLED HOUSE BILL No. 5029

AN ACT to amend 1994 PA 451, entitled \”An act to protect the environment and natural resources of the state; to codify, revise, consolidate, and classify laws relating to the environment and natural resources of the state; to regulate the discharge of certain substances into the environment; to regulate the use of certain lands, waters, and other natural resources of the state; to prescribe the powers and duties of certain state and local agencies and officials; to provide for certain charges, fees, and assessments; to provide certain appropriations; to prescribe penalties and provide remedies; to repeal certain parts of this act on a specific date; and to repeal certain acts and parts of acts,\” by amending section40103 (MCL 324.40103), as amended by 2000 PA 191, and by adding section 40110a.

The People of the State of Michigan enact:

Sec. 40103. (1) \”Game\” means any of the following animals but does not include privately owned cervidae species located on a registered cervidae livestock facility as that term is defined in the privately owned cervidae producers marketing act:

(a) Badger.

(b) Bear.

(c) Beaver.

(d) Bobcat.

(e) Brant.

(f) Coot.

(g) Coyote.

(h) Crow.

(i) Deer.

(j) Duck.

(k) Elk.

(l) Fisher.

(m) Florida gallinule.

(n) Fox.

(o) Geese.

(p) Hare.

(q) Hungarian partridge.

(r) Marten.

(s) Mink.

(t) Moose.

(u) Mourning dove.

(v) Muskrat.

(w) Opossum.

(x) Otter.

(y) Pheasant.

(z) Quail.

(aa) Rabbit.

(bb) Raccoon.

(cc) Ruffed grouse.

(dd) Sharptailed grouse.

(ee) Skunk.

(ff) Snipe.

(gg) Sora rail.

(hh) Squirrel.

(ii) Weasel.

(jj) Wild turkey.

(kk) Woodchuck.

(ll) Woodcock.

(mm) Virginia rail.

(2) \”Interim order of the department\” means an order of the department issued under section 40108.

(3) \”Kind\” means an animal\’s sex, age, or physical characteristics.

(4) \”Normal agricultural practices\” means generally accepted agricultural and management practices as defined by the commission of agriculture.

(5) \”Open season\” means the dates during which game may be legally taken.

(6) \”Parts\” means any or all portions of an animal, including the skin, plumage, hide, fur, entire body, or egg of an animal.

(7) \”Protected\” or \”protected animal\” means an animal or kind of animal that is designated by the department as an animal that shall not be taken.

(8) \”Residence\” means a permanent building serving as a temporary or permanent home. Residence may include a cottage, cabin, or mobile home, but does not include a structure designed primarily for taking game, a tree blind, a tent, a recreational or other vehicle, or a camper.

Sec. 40110a. (1) The legislature hereby authorizes the establishment of the first open season for mourning doves. The commission may issue orders pertaining to mourning doves for each of the purposes listed in section 40113a, including, but not limited to, orders establishing the first open season for mourning doves.

(2) A person shall not hunt mourning doves unless, in addition to the small game license required by section 43523, the person has a current mourning dove stamp. The format of the mourning dove stamp shall be prescribed by the department. The fee for a mourning dove stamp is $2.00.

(3) The department shall transmit money received from the sale of mourning dove stamps to the state treasurer. The state treasurer shall deposit the money as follows:

(a) Fifty percent in the game and fish protection fund created in section 43553.

(b) Fifty percent in the nongame fish and wildlife trust fund created in section 43902.

(4) In the annual hunting guide available from persons authorized to sell licenses under part 435, the department shall include information on all of the following:

(a) How hunters can distinguish mourning doves from other birds.

(b) Management practices for the propagation of mourning doves.

(c) How mourning dove hunting is conducted ethically, lawfully, and safely.

(d) Special opportunities mourning dove hunting offers to youth, the elderly, and the disabled.

This act is ordered to take immediate effect.

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Groups Hope to Block Michigan Mourning Dove Hunting

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A coalition of animal rights groups calling itself The Committee to Restore the Dove Shooting Ban is collecting signatures in Michigan to block that state\’s recent approval of dove hunting. Earlier this year, Michigan became the 41st state to allow hunting of mourning doves.

The group needs to collect 158,000 signatures by March 2005 in order to place their proposed ban on the November 2005 ballot. The earliest such a ban would go into effect would be 2006, which means dove hunting will almost certainly proceed in Michigan this year and next.

Michigan will likely approve trial hunts for the first few year, these being held in counties that border Indiana and Ohio — both states which already allow dove hunting. That would be followed by studies of the impact of hunting on the dove population before deciding whether to expand the hunt into other parts of Michigan.

Fund for Animals president Michael Markarian told the Detroit Free Press,

Voters will have the final say in whether the bird of peace should be blasted into pieces. There is no reason to shoot them, other than for target practice.

Sources:

Coalition to launch petition drive to ban dove hunting. Bob Gwizdz, Booth Newspapers, August 6, 2004

Opponents of mourning dove hunting to mount petition drive aimed at 2006. Associated Press, August 5, 2004.

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