tagged w/ protecting animals
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The Jambar...
Youngstown, Ohio...
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Animal cruelty laws take next step
By Chelsea Telega
Published: Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Updated: Wednesday, February 15, 2012 21:02
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An animal rights gathering scheduled for this Saturday will be not only a demonstration but also a celebration.
On Wednesday, House Bill 108 for Nitro's Law passed through the Ohio House of Representatives, increasing the animal cruelty penalties in Ohio from a misdemeanor to a felony.
The bill will now make its way to the Senate.
The recent House Bill vote encouraged Youngstown State University student Nova Sanguinetti to organize a demonstration for people to raise awareness for future votes and to celebrate their advancement.
On Saturday, local animal supporters plan to gather at the corner of Market Street and state Route 224.
"There are going to be a lot of tears of joy, a lot of happy people. Now we're just letting people know that we were heard," Sanguinetti said. "Your message and your voice will be heard; it just comes down to being diligent."
A page created on Facebook for the event has already had 715 positive responses from people who want to attend. Sanguinetti said she hopes to organize a group that will travel and fight for the cause.
Sanguinetti said the people she talks to are worried about their pets, and that, for many, pets are not considered animals, but as a part of the family. She wants to organize more community watches to increase progress.
"People are either heartbroken, pissed off or both. They want to be heard and want to be recognized. Our representatives have to hear us," Sanguinetti said.
Within the past month in Youngstown, two German Shepherd puppies were found strangled, two dogs were stolen and thrown over a bridge onto Interstate 680, a pit bull mix was found dead in a trash heap and a Labrador Retriever mix was found with its leg and part of its tail cut off.
To many concerned residents, Ohio's punishment laws for the first offense of animal abuse were less than sufficient.
"I looked into the Nitro laws, and I saw that the penalties for animal abuse are less than if someone had one joint on them," said animal activist Katelyn Bowden. "It's little to no penalty. Maybe 30 days in prison."
Current animal cruelty penalties in Ohio range from a minor misdemeanor to a first-degree misdemeanor, while the most costly penalty enforced if the animal is killed or injured is worth $300 or more, according to Ohio Revised Code.
The decision to pass the bill on to the Senate, however, acts as a double-edged sword for some.
"I just kind of calmed down. It's been a rough day, but of course it's very hard. My dog suffered and died, so while I'm happy, it's bittersweet," said Elizabeth Raad, the founder of Nitro Foundation
In 2009, Nitro's Law was introduced after Raad encountered a devastating issue at High Caliber K9, a dog daycare and obedience school in Youngstown. Raad left her dog, Nitro, at the facility while tending to a family crisis.
Raad said she would call the facility a few times a week to check on her dog, and during one phone call, she was told that Nitro was excelling and that she and her husband could even extend the dog's stay.
"We were told to leave him for another week or two and that he was doing great," Raad said. "When he told us that, Nitro was already dead. This is definitely not an accident; you don't starve to death overnight."
Seven dogs were found dead and 12 were found starving in the facility after a police investigation.
Steve Croley, the owner of the facility, was sentenced to four months in jail on four counts of animal cruelty and neglect.
Raad said that while the votes were coming in, she was "hysterically crying" because she was proud that her efforts came to fruition as the bill passed through the Ohio House.
"A lot of people have really stepped up to the plate, went door to door, passing out fliers. This is 100 percent a grass-root effort," Raad said.
Younger people are becoming increasingly passionate about combating the abuse of animals in the area and are elated with the news of Nitro Foundation's progress.
Sanguinetti watched live coverage of the decision and recalled all of the work the group has done up to this point.
"It's kind of ridiculous, but as I was watching it, I just began crying. I couldn't believe that it was finally there and on the floor," she said. "When I saw how many people voted ‘yea' for it, it warmed my heart. I just felt a great sense of accomplishment that all of these calls we made and letters we have written aren't in vain."
Years ago, Sanguinetti found a stray cat in the woods behind her grandparents' house. Not long after, she took in the stray and found that its neck had been slit with fishing wire, as though someone had tried to hang it.
Another one of her past pet cats, she said, was poisoned.
After experiencing these — and multiple other — cases of animal abuse, Sanguinetti became a fervent supporter of Nitro's Law and its components.
"When I had heard about what had happened to Nitro, it completely broke my heart, especially because it was someone who was supposed to be trusted," Sanguinetti said. "When you leave your animal with a professional, you expect them to be safe."
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.The Jambar...
Youngstown, Ohio...
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Animal cruelty laws take next step
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Los Angeles Times...
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Tejon Ranch halts hunting after state probe of cougar killings
Suspension is likely to be lifted by the fall hunting season, after ranch officials investigate operations. Kern County prosecutors are weighing charges in illegal hunting of the mountain lions.
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A tule elk on Tejon Ranch is shown. Hunting has been suspended on the property after California officials found mountain lions had been killed illegally.
(Los Angeles Times)
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By Louis Sahagun, Los Angeles Times
January 21, 2012
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Tejon Ranch announced Friday that it plans to suspend its lucrative hunting operations after a California Department of Fish and Game investigation into the illegal killing of mountain lions on the 270,000-acre property.
The yearlong investigation was prompted by claims in a whistle-blower lawsuit filed by a former Tejon Ranch hunting guide who alleges that he was fired after he complained about the illegal killing of mountain lions at the direction of the company.
Bron Sanders made the claims in a lawsuit filed May 3 in Kern County Superior Court. In an earlier interview, Sanders said he personally witnessed 20 mountain lions that were killed without authorization.
Sanders said the killings were motivated by angry sentiments among ranch managers toward a 1990 law that made hunting mountain lions illegal in California. He said managers also blamed mountain lions for eating game prized by trophy hunters who pay up to $20,000 to shoot elk on the ranch, about 60 miles north of Los Angeles.
Tejon Ranch officials said the lawsuit was recently settled.
State wildlife authorities completed their investigation late last year and forwarded the findings to the Kern County district attorney's office, which is weighing possible charges. Kern County prosecutors declined to comment on the case.
Tejon Ranch officials initially denied the allegations, claiming they were "ridiculous and untrue."
But in a statement Friday, Robert A. Stine, president and chief executive officer of Tejon Ranch Co., said the investigation determined that mountain lions were killed without authorization "in clear violation of company policy and the state statute regulating the take of mountain lions in California."
"I was appalled and outraged when I learned the results of the investigation," Stine said. "Tejon Ranch did not then, and certainly does not now condone such activity, and we sincerely regret that such activity took place on our ranch. Accordingly, we are taking every step necessary to ensure it won't happen again."
Tejon Ranch officials said the suspension will begin Jan. 30 with the cooperation of state and federal wildlife authorities and remain in force until the company completes an evaluation of its hunting operations, which generate up to $2 million a year in revenue for the company.
Tejon Ranch spokesman Barry Zoeller said: "We expect to resume hunting operations in time for the fall hunting season, but with more restrictions and fewer hunters."
State law permits the killing of a mountain lion only if it poses a threat to humans or livestock. The hunter must obtain a state-issued permit and must present the carcass within 24 hours of the kill.
Any violation of the permit requirements is a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment in the county jail for up to one year or a fine of up to $10,000, or both.
Sanders said his problems started in July 2005 after he killed his first mountain lion. The ranch had a permit for the kill, but Sanders said that Don Geivet, vice president of Tejon Ranch operations, told him: "Don't call anyone about this, and do not turn that carcass in."
Sanders said: "We got two to three mountain lions with that one permit."
.Los Angeles Times...
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Tejon Ranch halts hunting after state probe of cougar... more
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Ranger defends bears after man dies
CNN...
Yellowstone ranger says respect, don't fear, bears
By Patrick Oppmann, CNN
July 9, 2011 11:24 p.m. EDT
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Yellowstone National Park usually has about 600 bears roaming its 3,500 square miles, Ranger Kerry Gunther said.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Hiker killed in front of his wife by grizzly this week
Grizzly bears considered normally tolerant of people
Different hiker has nerve-wracking meeting with a bear two days later
Ranger advises playing dead in emergency
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming (CNN) --
Having spent an hour walking the trails in Yellowstone National Park, Erin Prophet suddenly heard the words that every hiker dreads.
"Bear! Twelve o'clock! He's heading towards you!" yelled a man paddling a kayak on the small lake behind her Friday.
Prophet, who lives in Boston, scanned the hill she had just begun to climb. She couldn't see anything, but then heard the thick brush in front of her begin to crackle.
A bear emerged from the forest. Prophet began slowly walking backwards. "I was pretty afraid," Prophet said. "Especially after what happened a couple of days ago."
"A couple of days ago" was Wednesday, when Brian Matayoshi, 57, and his wife Marylyn were hiking in a different part of the park and encountered a grizzly bear. The bear, a female with cubs, according to National Park Service rangers, charged the couple.
Brian Matayoshi was bitten and clawed by the bear repeatedly. Then the bear latched its mouth onto Marylyn Matayoshi's backpack, hoisting the woman up before throwing her onto to the ground. She lay still until the bear left.
By the time help arrived, Brian Matayoshi had died of his wounds. He was the first bear fatality in the park since 1986.
A ranger on the scene at the lake said he believed the bear to be a juvenile grizzly. But Ranger Kerry Gunther, who saw video footage of the bear, said he is certain it was a black bear. That species is smaller and typically less aggressive than grizzlies, but is known to occasionally attack humans.
Gunther, who has studied bears at Yellowstone for nearly 30 years, said the park usually has roughly 600 of both kinds of bears roaming its approximately 3,500 square miles. Typically, more than 3 million people will visit the park each year.
Despite the ample opportunity for humans to cross paths with bears, Gunther said there is usually only one bear-related injury each year. In the park's 140-year history, he said, six people are known to have been killed in bear attacks.
"Bears are really very tolerant of people," Gunther said. "I have had a few times where I was bluff charged but the bear always pulled up short. You don't really know if you are a 'runner' or a 'stander' until that happens."
Gunther said the park tries to keep visitors and bears a safe distance apart.
But more often than not it's the humans that don't follow that plan.
"We can have hundreds of visitors alongside the road filming and viewing bears," he said. "When the bears want to cross the roads you'd think to a big, 200 pounds-plus bear people would show a little bit more respect (and) get back to their cars or let the bear cross the road. Sometimes people are letting the bear walk just feet from them."
If a bear does show signs of aggression, Gunther said there are a series of steps people can take to survive the attack.
"That nanosecond before the bear hits you we recommend dropping to the ground and playing dead," he said. "Put your hands behind your neck so your elbows are protecting the sides of your face. Bears bite to the head and face a lot. By going passive usually they'll let you alone."
Gunther differentiates between defensive and predatory attacks by bears. If a bear shows signs of hunting and eating humans, Gunther said rangers will attempt to track down and euthanize the animal. But rangers don't typically kill a bear --like the grizzly that attacked the Matayoshis for defensive behavior.
That decision to let the bear live, Gunther said, has drawn both praise and criticism from the public. But, so far, Gunther said he is not aware of anyone canceling their stay at the park as a result of the mauling.
"People shouldn't fear bears," he said. "They should respect them." Respecting bears, Gunther said, means traveling in large hiking parties, leaving an area where bears are and carrying bear spray, a supersized can of pepper spray to ward off attacks.
As she watched the bear advance down the hill toward her, Prophet said she was all too aware that she was alone and had neglected to bring bear spray on her hike. She discarded the backpack she was carrying food in and retreated into the icy lake water while wondering what to do next.
"Grab on," said a voice behind her. The two men in the kayak who had first warned Prophet of the bear, now about 30 yards away from her, had reached the shore. Prophet grabbed onto the kayak as the two men pulled her through the water and away from the bear.
The bear appeared not to pay attention and took a quick swim around the lake before disappearing again into the woods.
Shaking from the cold lake water and adrenaline, Prophet was relieved to find herself on the far shore from the bear.
"There's a lot that runs through your head," she said. "What you've seen and heard about bear attacks. But I felt as long as I was not threatening him, he would go away."
.Ranger defends bears after man dies
CNN...
Yellowstone ranger says respect,... more
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Vietnamese rescue team finally retrieves sacred Rafetus swinhoei turtle
Julia on 4/05/2011 10:58:00 AM |
Rescuers in Vietnam have finally succeeded in retrieving their sacred giant turtle from Hoan Kiem Lake for medical treatment.
Though the sex of the turtle is unknown, people have dubbed it as “The Great Grandfather.” For months, Vietnamese veterinarians from Hanoi had made many attempts to capture and treat The Great Grandfather for injuries he sustained possibly due to pollution in the water, but he put up a strong fight.
Tim McCormack from the Asian Turtle Programme, a local conservation group in Vietnam, states, “This is one of the most endangered animals in the world and there's very little known about it.”
Endangered is sadly correct, The Great Grandfather is one of only four of his species—Rafetus swinhoei—still alive.
Recently, hundreds of people gathered ‘round as the veterinarians tried, once again, to reel in the stubborn turtle. This time, they had over 50 people in the rescue team to help. The job took two hours, but they had finally brought the turtle onto land.
All of the bystanders cheered as their century old turtle legend was saved, and he is now currently being treated for his injuries.Vietnamese rescue team finally retrieves sacred Rafetus swinhoei turtle
Julia on... more
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Craig Grant bought a tree farm far away from the city and turned it into a sanctuary for all the cats he has rescued. He lives there with the cats and provides lots of love, care and companionship. The farm was named Caboodle Ranch and is now a permanent home for all the homeless, rescued cats. Each of them has a sad story of their past, but now they are living in heaven. http://www.makeahistory.com/index.php/bizzareweird/5511-cat-shelterCraig Grant bought a tree farm far away from the city and turned it into a sanctuary... more
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worrg
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Shark survivors team up to save species
Some lost limbs, but they now lobby U.N. for protections
Photo - Diane Bondareff / AP - Shark attack survivors organized by The Pew Environment Group gather outside the United Nations in New York on Sunday.
By JOHN HEILPRIN
updated 9/13/2010 3:04:12 PM ET
UNITED NATIONS — They have the scars and missing limbs that make it hard to forgive, but these victims are tougher than most. And now they want to save their attackers.
They are shark attack survivors, a band of nine thrown together in an unlikely and ironic mission to conserve the very creatures that ripped their flesh, tore off their limbs and nearly took their lives.
They want nations to adopt a resolution that would require them to greatly improve how fish are managed, including shark species of which nearly a third are threatened with extinction or on the verge of being threatened.
"If a group like us can see the value in saving sharks, can't everyone?" asked Florida shark bite victim Debbie Salamone, 44, whose Achilles tendon was severed in a 2004 attack that temporarily halted her ballroom dance hobby.
Salamone, a former journalist, initially made plans to eat shark steaks in revenge. Then, she said, she turned tragedy to something productive by joining the Washington-based nonprofit Pew Environment Group and recruiting like-minded shark attack survivors to work for shark conversation.
The group gathered at U.N. headquarters Monday hoping to win new protections globally for the ocean's top predators.
"We do not have scientific management plans for how many sharks can be caught," Matt Rand, director of Global Shark Conservation for the Pew Environment Group told reporters at the United Nations. "There are no limits."
Speaking with the attack survivors at a news conference held to draw attention to the world's dwindling shark population, Rand said the U.N. and its member nations must do more to resolve the problem.
Among the group's goals is to end the practice of shark finning, which kills an estimated 73 million sharks a year. Fishermen slice off shark fins, which sell for hundreds of dollars a pound for use in soup mostly in Asian markets, but dump the animal back in the water where it drowns or bleeds to death.
Because sharks are slow growing, late to mature and produce few young, they are unable to replenish their populations as quickly as they are caught, Rand said in an earlier interview. Shark attack survivors also have sought U.S. legislation to close what they view as loopholes in the country's shark finning ban.
The survivors, ages 21 to 55, say being in the wrong place at the wrong time needn't diminish their love for the ocean, where they enjoyed surfing, swimming and diving and knew the risks.
They now see greater risks to the sharks and are asking the U.N. to halt fishing of threatened and near-threatened shark species and adopt shark conservation plans to study and impose scientific limits on shark catches.
Former lifeguard Achmat Hassiem, 29, of Cape Town, South Africa, lost his foot when a shark attacked him during rescue practice four years ago and said he now believes certain things happen for a reason.
"My dream was to one day become a marine biologist and focus on helping and protecting Earth's aquatic life. To participate in this event is an honor," he said.
More than a decade ago, nations agreed to voluntarily produce shark management plans, but only about 40 of some 130 nations followed through. International trade restrictions are in place for only three shark species: basking, whale and white sharks.
"Do we have the right to drive any animal to the brink of extinction before any action is taken?" asked Navy diver Paul de Gelder, 33, of Sydney, Australia, who lost his right hand and right lower leg in an attack last year during antiterrorism exercises.
"Regardless of what an animal does according to its base instincts of survival, it has its place in our world," he said. "We have an obligation to protect and maintain the natural balance of our delicate ecosystems."Shark survivors team up to save species
Some lost limbs, but they now lobby U.N. for... more
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Saving nature's unborn from the Gulf oil disaster
By Kim Segal, CNN
July 9, 2010 7:50 p.m. EDT
Sea turtle eggs are packed into a cooler along with sand from the Gulf Coast beach they are leaving.
* U.S. wildlife experts are moving sea turtle eggs by hand to save them from the oil disaster
* Such a relocation effort has never been done before
* They are being taken from Florida Panhandle to Kennedy Space Center
* They will be stored in a special NASA building, then released into the Atlantic Ocean
Port St. Joe, Florida (CNN) -- One by one, with a hand as steady as a surgeon's, Lorna Patrick removes eggs from a sea turtle's nest on a Florida beach.
"If it falls, you probably killed the hatchling that's developing inside," said Patrick, a biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Patrick admits she holds her breath each time she takes an egg out of the sand and places it in the foam cooler.
Sand is delicately placed in the cooler between and on top of each egg. Patrick uses the sand from the nest, which is located just a few inches from the beach's surface.
This process is part of an unprecedented sea turtle relocation program. Moving sea turtle nests days before the eggs are to hatch has never been done before.
It is also the first time that wildlife experts had to deal with oil gushing into the Gulf of Mexico.
"Shy of letting the hatchlings swim in oil, it's our best alternative," said Sandy MacPherson, the national sea turtle coordinator for the Fish and Wildlife Service.
"We're confident if they go into oil they're going to die."
Patrick is working on the second sea turtle nest to be moved since the program started. Ninety percent of the United States' sea turtle population can be found on Florida's beaches, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
It is estimated that 700 nests can be found in the Florida Panhandle, an area vulnerable to the oil spill.
"This is a huge relocation effort," said Thomas Strickland, assistant secretary of interior for fish and wildlife and parks. "As many as 50 to 100,000 eggs over the next six to eight weeks will be dug up."
An average nest has anywhere from 100 to 120 eggs. Sea turtles come out of the water a few feet from the coastline and lay their eggs in the warm sand.
Loggerhead turtle eggs, the type Patrick is handling, usually hatch within 60 to 70 days. The eggs are moved just over a week before they are expected to hatch.
Wildlife officials want to keep the eggs in their natural environment as long as possible.
"Through the eggs it's believed they actually connect to the landscapes where they were born," Strickland said.
Once the turtles mature it is hoped that they will return to the original nesting area and the natural birthing cycle will continue. Once Patrick's two coolers are full, with the nest's 107 eggs, they will start a journey across the state.
A special climate-controlled truck donated by Federal Express will deliver the eggs to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The coolers will be stored in a special NASA building that will be regulated to the warm summer temperatures to which the eggs are accustomed.
Instead of the beautiful white sandy beach, the hatchlings will be born in the transport coolers.
Once they break out of their shells, the warm blue Atlantic Ocean will be awaiting them.Saving nature's unborn from the Gulf oil disaster
By Kim Segal, CNN
July 9,... more
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Added On June 25, 2010
An army of volunteers readies to help animals as oil approaches Florida's coast.
CNN's Tom Foreman reports.Added On June 25, 2010
An army of volunteers readies to help animals as oil... more
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The incident took place during the Festival of Saint Isidro, considered to be the most important event in the bullfighting calendar, at the Plaza de Toros las Ventas bullring, which can seat up to 24,000 people.
UPDATE: After two operations, it appears leading surgeon Maximo Garcia Pedros has saved Aparicio's life. The bull, however, was quickly killed by other matadorsThe incident took place during the Festival of Saint Isidro, considered to be the most... more
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Barkworks Chain Sells Puppy Mill Puppies
LOS ANGELES, CA--(Marketwire - December 17, 2009) -
WHO: Deborah Howard, Founder and President of the Companion Animal
Protection Society (CAPS). Carole Davis, West Coast Director
of CAPS and organizer of the Barkworks protest. More than 75
protesters will be participating in this landmark event.
CAPS, www.caps-web.org, is the only national non-profit
organization dedicated exclusively to protecting companion animals
from cruelty in pet shops and puppy mills.
WHAT: CAPS is conducting a pro-adoption/anti puppy mill awareness boycott
of Barkworks, a pet shop chain that sells dogs from puppy mills --
commercial breeding facilities that mass produce dogs for resale.
This is a landmark demonstration for the California animal
protection movement because pet shops that sell puppy mill dogs
inside shopping malls, have, until now, been immune to the
increasing public outcry over the puppy mill issue. This peaceful
demonstration will open the doors of every mall in the state of
California to animal welfare activists who will bravely uphold
California Supreme Court Law.
Local activists will be gathering in front of Barkworks in silence
to grieve for the millions of companion animals who died this year
in our nation's shelters because there are not enough homes for
them. Animal welfare activists are asking shoppers to be mindful
that over 60% of pets are bought during the weeks leading to
Christmas and that the true spirit of Christmas is in giving -- as
in giving a homeless pet a loving home. During this severe economic
downturn, we are asking people to help our community by adopting a
companion animal from our local shelters.
The activists are also upholding a California Supreme Court
decision, which, until now, has remained untested by the animal
protection movement. This landmark boycott will open the doors
for activism and free speech on private property. After Saturday,
stores that sell puppy mill dogs will no longer be able to prevent
protests inside California's malls.
WHEN: Saturday, December 19, 2009 at 2:30 pm
WHERE: Barkworks, 10800 West Pico Blvd., #391, Los Angeles, CA 90064 in the
West Side Pavilion
WHY: Barkworks sells dogs from puppy mills. CAPS has evidence from USDA
inspection reports of inhumane treatment in puppy mills that supply
Barkworks.
According to Carole Raphaelle Davis, West Coast Director of CAPS,
author of "The Diary of Jinky, Dog of a Hollywood Wife" and
investigative reporter for American Dog Magazine, "Saturday is a
history-making day for the animal protection movement. Pet shops
are routinely defrauding customers by telling them, like Barkworks
has told CAPS' under-cover operatives, that the dogs sold in the
store are 'family-raised in homes.' The parents of the dogs sold
in pet shops are treated inhumanely, raised like livestock and
bred like machine parts until they die. The public is becoming
increasingly aware of the cruelty of the pet industry and the
California stores selling the offspring of this cruel business,
after Saturday, will no longer be able to hide from the truth
inside the malls."
About CAPS
Founded by President Deborah Howard in 1992, Companion Animal Protection Society (CAPS) is the only national nonprofit organization dedicated exclusively to protecting companion animals from cruelty in pet shops and puppy mills. CAPS actively addresses the abuse and suffering of pet shop and puppy mill dogs through investigations, education, media relations, legislative involvement, puppy mill dog rescues, consumer assistance and pet
http://www.csindy.com/imager/mill_treatment/b/original/1143435/931f/9a20_cover-27394.jpegBarkworks Chain Sells Puppy Mill Puppies
LOS ANGELES, CA--(Marketwire - December... more
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