Tag Archives: animal rights

California Elk Killing Fence Finally Being Removed

Monterey, Calif. (Sept, 2024)  After years of campaigning to free Tule elk at Point Reyes National Seashore, In Defense of Animals applauds the California Coastal Commission’s (CCC) speedy approval of America’s National Park Service’s (NPS) proposal to dismantle the deadly, infamous, 8-foot-tall,/ 2.4 m, 2-3-mile/ 3.2-4.8 km long fence confining them.  

Over 475 Elk Died Over A Decade Due To Fence- Many More Suffered With Poor Health

The wire and wooden post barrier fence was built to keep elk in, and away from for-profit beef and dairy ranches which lease land from the public and, in return, pollute the Seashore park and sentence hundreds of elk to starve and die of thirst by restricting the movement of these wild animals in a national park. Over 475 Tule elk died over a decade as a result of the fence, a larger number of these gentle, plant-eating ungulates than is currently still held captive inside the fenced compound, called a “Reserve,” despite its deadly effect on Tule elk.

After years of animals rights and citizen activist demonstrations and pressure, in June 2023 the NPS finally relented and officially reversed its position on a 45-year-old park policy that kept this Tule elk herd confined to the drought-stricken Tomales Point, the northernmost peninsula of the popular San Francisco Bay Area national park unit.  The recent vote, technically speaking, is a CCC concurrence with a “negative determination” assessment of no significant environmental impact caused by removing the 45-year-old fence as part of the new “Tomales Point Area Plan” (TPAP).

This bureaucratic hurdle, much easier to clear than an 8-foot-tall fence, is part of a years-long process that has been underway since June 2023, in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The CCC’s approval on Sept. 12 will allow the NPS to continue its process to dismantle the fence, which in turn will allow the elk inside the Reserve to wander south of the fence line, into other, wetter areas of the park’s full 71,000 acres. Their current home, the Reserve, by comparison, is only 2,600 acres.

Their fence-down freedom will, both quickly and over time, improve the health of the herd.

And, significantly, reduce the number of painful, slow elk deaths from thirst and starvation during California’s hot, dry summer and autumn seasons. 

With the fence dismantled, the elk will also be able to mix and mate with elk from the park’s other two herds. The two other herds are less restricted in their movements — although they, and all of the park’s approximately 700 elk, are still affected and negatively impacted by the contiguous, privately-owned, beef and dairy cow ranches. These businesses lease over one-third of Point Reyes from the public — and keep it fenced off to public access too, even though the public owns the land.  

Thousands of beef and dairy cows (who are confined and used themselves) pollute even more of the seashore’s land, water and air every year (and every day) with millions of pounds of manure and methane. 

Activists are delighted that the fence removal process is finally underway. 

Jack Gescheidt, Tule elk consultant for the international animal protection organization, In Defense of Animals, said, “It’s a treat, for once, to not have to testify at a Coastal Commission meeting about how destructive, polluting and cruel some policy or regulation is. We activists want the fence down. The public wants the fence down. The Park Service now wants the fence down. And now the Commission has approved this major improvement to a public park.”

Gescheidt added, “And we hope the NPS [America’s National Park Service CP] follows through with the fence removal before the end of the year. We offer volunteer help with the historic fence-dismantling work!”

In Defense of Animals’ Tule Elk Campaign works tirelessly to not just free the Tule elk at Point Reyes National Seashore, but to also re-wild all 71,000 acres of Point Reyes to wild animals, by finally ousting the private beef and dairy ranches which are this beloved national park’s major source of land degradation, water contamination and air pollution. These businesses were paid millions of dollars for their land in the 1960s, and had agreed to leave by 1987, but have resisted doing so ever since. www.idausa.org/elk 

In Defense of Animals is an international animal protection organization based in California with over 250,000 supporters and a 41-year history of fighting for animals, people, and the environment through education and campaigns as well as hands-on rescue facilities in India, South Korea, and rural Mississippi. www.idausa.org 

Featured image: Bonnie-Jill Laflin at Pt. Reyes Elk Reserve by Jack Gescheidt/Tree Spirit Project.

World’s First Pet Evacuation App

67% of households are home to pets— cats, dogs, and fishes (American Pet Products Association). 

[According to a report, 67% of Canadians feel they live in low to moderate risk areas for natural disasters. In actuality for example, British Columbia is at risk for an earthquake up to magnitude 9.0. In comparison in 2011 it was a mag 9.0 in Japan that created the devastating tsunami.]

Why do we ignore the greatest threats to our pets well being, vulnerability to wildfires, floods, tornadoes, and other disasters?

Enter PHaR (Pet Help & Rescue app): the world’s first pet evacuation app.

Using a tight neighbors network, when disasters strike, activate the app, for a dedicated channel to arrange the rescue of your beloved animal companion.

Dave Crawford, Executive Director and Co-Founder of Animal Help Now, helped write the country’s first state legislative bill to double fines for traffic infractions in wildlife crossing zones; spearheaded RMAD’s nationwide boycott of Nalgene water bottles; stopped a multinational organization from building a Plexiglas zoo at Rocky Mountain National Park; and produced the country’s first video exposing conditions inside intensive egg facilities.

Crawford says, “PHaR was produced following the Marshall fire (Boulder County, CO; December 30, 2021), which took the lives of an estimated 1,000 dogs, cats and other pets.

Studies show – as did David’s personal experience in the Marshall Fire – that when disasters strike and you’re not home, your neighbors are your best bet to have your pets evacuated. PHaR is the only app of its kind. Not only in the United States, but in the entire world.”

A view of the destruction post tornado Moore, Oklahoma.

With this animal-focused tech nonprofit app, record and then, when needed, provide to your trusted contacts all the info they need to evacuate your beloved pets, including where their go-bag is, where their meds are, where they hide when scared, and how to get into your home. 

For more info, visit www.AHNow.org www.PHaR.org @animalhelpnow @animalhelpnowapp (IG) @pethelpandrescue

More about the non profit 

Animal Help Now, a nonprofit which operates its namesake wildlife emergency app, created PHaR. The 30-month effort started a week after the Marshall fire and culminated in the nationwide release on July 5, 2024.

Animal Help Now is a volunteer-based nonprofit with a budget under $200,000 USD/ $276,000 CAD. Creating PHaR was possible only because of public support and the dedication, perseverance and hard work of the organization’s mission-driven volunteers.

More about David:

David Crawford is co-founder and executive director of Animal Help Now. Dave has a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science and Mass Communication. He has been working on animal issues since 1989. He is co-founder and former long-time executive director of Rocky Mountain Animal Defense (RMAD). In that role, Dave led one of the most respected and effective regional animal advocacy organizations in the country; he produced the country’s first video exposing conditions inside intensive egg facilities; and he led the successful effort to stop a multinational organization from building a Plexiglas zoo at the Estes Park entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park. RMAD also convened the first national conference on prairie dogs – the 2001 Prairie Dog Summit – and was central to the founding of the Prairie Dog Coalition. For the Silo, Kat Fleischman.

Los Angeles Bans Fur

LOS ANGELES (September, 2018) – Following years of campaigning by In Defense of Animals to end the barbaric fur trade, Los Angeles is making history by becoming the largest city in the world to ban fur sales. Los Angeles’ City Council today voted unanimously to draft an ordinance outlining a city-wide fur ban.

“Los Angeles’ historic move to ban fur sales today is likely to herald the end of the barbaric fur industry for good,” said In Defense of Animals President, Marilyn Kroplick M.D. “This major city sets global fashion and culture trends, and has sent a message to the world that animals should not to be abused for clothing. We are delighted by this significant victory for animals, the public, and activists and organizations around the world who have exposed the cruel fur industry.”

 

Los Angeles’ fur ban ordinance will prohibit the sale of apparel and accessories made in whole or in part of fur, including coats, handbags, shoes, hats, and jewelry. Retailers will be given a two-year phase-in period. The fur ban ordinance will need to be approved and signed by Mayor Eric Garcetti before officially becoming law.

 

Councilmembers Paul Koretz proposed the ordinance and highlighted the far-reaching impact of this ban, stating to the chamber, “Other big cities will see what we’re doing and follow our lead, and pretty soon there will be no big cities in which you can buy a fur coat anywhere in the United States.”

 

4 million Los Angeles residents and nearly 50 million tourists who visit the city every year will be affected by the ban, making it the world’s most significant fur sales restriction to date.

Los Angeles’ ban follows fur sales bans in San Francisco, Berkeley, and West Hollywood. More than 20 countries worldwide have taken national legislative action against fur including the UK, Austria and the Netherlands.

 

The Los Angeles fur ban builds on years of dedication and hard work of California activists including several members of In Defense of Animals who have spent many years of their lives fighting fur and hosting Fur Free Friday events every year without fail.

Learn more at www.furkills.org

In Defense of Animals is an international animal protection organization with over 250,000 supporters and a 30-year history of fighting for animals, people and the environment through education, campaigns and hands-on rescue facilities in India, Africa, and rural Mississippi.

Supplemental-  Germany Votes To Ban Remaining Fur Farms

Horses Fleeing California Wildfires Helped By In Defense Of Animals

SAN RAFAEL, Calif.  – New footage released by In Defense of Animals reveals horses, sheep, and wild turkeys who fled the California wildfires. In Defense of Animals has banded together with six other North Bay animal organizations to rescue and care for fire victims. The disaster continues to cause vast amounts of damage and massive loss of human and animal life.

Terrifying video footage shows In Defense of Animals’ Nicole Otoupalik leading a horse to safety in Orange County while huge, angry smoke plumes approach. Otoupalik was caught in the Irvine Park blaze and got straight to work evacuating horses.

“It was pretty scary, as the fires were right there, and they were moving fast,” reports Otoupalik. “The poor horses were scared, too. It was amazing to see people just running to help the horses at Irvine Park. They didn’t have enough staff to evacuate the horses, and so members of the public who had come to get a look at the fire just started running back into the park to help lead the horses out. Strangers were just offering their time, trailers, and trucks to help get the animals out of there. Others in cars stopped to offer rides to help everyone get there more quickly.”

Horse evacuation Irvine Park wildfire
Nicole Otoupalik evacuates horse from Irvine Park

The horses were evacuated safely from Irvine Park to a grocery store parking lot, and from there to an evacuation camp at the Orange County Fairground.

“Although the danger is over in Orange County, so many animals were injured and killed. Now, their homes are destroyed. It’s so sad, and northern California is even worse with many animals still at great risk. It is just a tragedy and so sad for so many people and animals. Please give what you can now to ensure the animals get the help they need.”

In Defense of Animals based in San Rafael, Marin County, has been coordinating aid to animal victims of the wildfires in concert with local organizations. Emergency relief from In Defense of Animals’ disaster fund has benefited Sonoma Humane Society, Lost Hearts & Souls Horse Rescue, and Forget Me Not Farm in Santa Rosa; Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue in Petaluma; Jameson Animal Rescue Ranch in Napa; House Rabbit Society in Richmond; and Otra Mas horse rescue in San Juan.

Sonoma Humane Society
Sonoma Humane Society receives IDA aid.

5,700 homes and businesses are reported destroyed, with at least 41 confirmed human deaths and untold animal casualties. 217,000 acres have been consumed by the flames and wild animals have no choice but to simply run as fast as they can from the terrifying blazes consuming their homes. Tens of thousands have perished, and many more are injured and need help.

Many families forced to flee the burning onslaught had very little preparation or warning. Some barely made it out alive as they dashed to find and secure their animals. Now these family members – four-legged, winged or hoofed – must find shelter and hope for the best as 11,000 firefighters battle the blaze. For the Silo, Fleur Dawes.

Donations made to In Defense of Animals’ Disaster Relief Fund help provide emergency supplies and resources to thousands of displaced victims of this sudden unexpected crisis. Support California’s wildfire victims here: www.idausa.org/californiawildfires

photos courtesy of F. Dawes/IDA.

Dolphin Hunting Season Opens In Japan

Taiji, Japan  – In Defense of Animals denounces the cruel dolphin hunting and killing season that officially opened on September 1 in Taiji, Japan. The hunting season, which goes until March each year, sees the brutal slaughter of hundreds of dolphins.

“The primary motivation for the hunting and killing of dolphins is the captivity industry, where live, trained dolphins fetch a much higher price than dead ones,” says Dr. Toni Frohoff, In Defense of Animals’ Cetacean Scientist. “We call on the captivity industry in the United States to stop contributing to the demand that fuels these cruel hunts.”

Photo- Liz Carter.

During the hunts, wild dolphins are driven into a cove along the coast of Taiji and held, sometimes for days, while “show-quality” individuals are selected and torn away permanently from their families. These individuals are then trained and sold to aquariums in Japan and around the world. Often, some or all of the remaining dolphins are killed and butchered for their flesh, or turned loose into the ocean where they suffer from the significant trauma of severed familial ties or in some cases witnessing the deaths of their podmates.

While demand for captive dolphin entertainment may be declining in certain places within the United States, in others the industry is attempting to gain foothold. The Mississippi Aquarium, slated for downtown Gulfport, plans on including a new dolphin aquarium.

“Promoting captive dolphin entertainment is tantamount to promoting the brutal killing of dolphins that happens each year in Taiji,” continued Dr. Frohoff. “The only way to stop these slaughters is to stop promoting captivity, which in itself causes enormous stress, suffering and premature death for dolphins.”

The quotas for this year’s dolphin hunting season in Taiji, set by Japan’s Fisheries Agency, total 1,940 individuals, including 414 bottlenose dolphins, 450 striped dolphins and 400 pantropical spotted dolphins, according to Cetabase.

In Defense of Animals is an international animal protection organization with over 250,000 supporters and a 30-year history of fighting for animals, people and the environment through education, campaigns and hands-on rescue facilities in India, Africa, and rural Mississippi. For the Silo, Dr. Toni Frohoff.

All photos- Liz Carter.

IN DEFENSE OF ANIMALS • 3010 KERNER BLVD. • SAN RAFAEL, CA 94901 • 415-448-0048

 

IDA Challenges Airlines To Cut Environmental Baggage And Save Animals

Air India announced that it has made one simple change that will save the airline $1.5 USD million (Rs 10 crore) and spare hundreds of thousands of animals from short, brutal lives and untimely deaths – it stopped serving non-vegetarian meals.

Air travel is one of the most notorious carbon polluters, which harms wild animals by changing natural habitats and acidifying oceans. Offering a plant-based meal not only saves animals directly by not serving them, but saves more animals by reducing greenhouse gasses and carbon emissions from farming that harm wild animals and the planet. There is a large body of evidence linking meat-based diets with unsustainable levels of greenhouse gas emissions and carbon dioxide production. A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition shows that meat-based diets use more energy, land, and water than a plant-based diets.

As an environmentally conscious company with a strong track record of promoting environmental sustainability, Virgin Airlines is ideally placed to lead the industry in a transition to plant-based meals. The time has never been better to call on Virgin to go meat-free!

Please join us in asking Virgin Atlantic, Virgin America (Alaska Airlines) and Virgin Australia to take the next step in reducing their carbon footprints. Make plant-based meals the default option on all flights!

1. If you live in the U.S., please call 877 359 8474 (customer service representatives are available 24/7).

After the prompt, press “0” and respond to the auto-prompt by stating “something else” to be connected through to a customer service representative.

Once connected, you can say something like, “Hi, I’m calling to express my support for Virgin Airlines to make plant-based meals the default selection on all flights. This simple switch will cuts costs, dramatically reduce greenhouse gas and carbons emissions, easily address an array of dietary requirements, and reduce waste. Will you please pass my message on to management?”

2. After your call, please send our letter:

Dear Executive Team,

Increasing numbers of consumers are choosing plant-based diets to support the environment and decrease their carbon footprint. Yet, meat-based meals continue to be the default meal option for your airlines. It doesn’t have to be this way.

Just recently, Air India stopped serving non-vegetarian meals, showing this progressive move is one that can be implemented without hardship.

There is a large body of evidence linking meat-based diets with unsustainable levels of greenhouse gas emissions and carbon dioxide production. A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition shows that a meat-based diet uses more energy, land, and water than a plant-based diet and was less viable for the future. By simply switching from a meat-based meal to a plant-based meal as the default option, Virgin Airlines could go a long way toward decreasing the environmental impact of airline travel.

There are thousands of tasty and nutritious plant-based recipes available that exclude meat, dairy, and egg. These meals could easily address an array of dietary requirements and reduce the number of special meal options that Virgin Airlines currently offers. In addition, plant-based meals cost less and are healthier. In a 2012 study in the Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition, investigators found that meat-based diets cost individual consumers $746USD more per year, and were less nutritious. There is no need to compromise your award-winning service – we are asking you to simply switch the default meal option so that passengers can still select a meat-based meal if they wish.

Offering a plant-based meal as the default option will save you money, increase profit margins, cut tons off your carbon footprint and cement Virgin’s reputation as the premier modern airline.

Not only will this simple switch cuts costs, it also reduces greenhouse gasses and carbon emissions. As an environmentally conscious organization with a strong track record of promoting environmental sustainability, Virgin Airlines is ideally placed to lead the industry in a transition to plant-based meals.

We applaud Virgin Airlines’ commitment to ecological air travel solutions, including the use of biofuel and carbon offsets. We ask that Virgin Airlines again show leadership in the field of environmental sustainability by making plant-based meals the default selection on all flights.

 

Niagara Falls Ontario Marineland Shamed As Worst Aquarium In Canada

International animal protection organization, In Defense of Animals, today released its list of the Ten Worst Tanks for Dolphins and Whales in North America, with Ontario’s Marineland shamed as the worst aquarium in Canada, and second overall.

The facility is listed as having the ‘starkest contrast’ between a ‘solitary orca and beluga whale hoarding’ while Canada’s Vancouver Aquarium appears in ninth place. The Ten Worst Tanks list exposes and represents the misery and suffering of the oceans’ most intelligent and complex mammals in captivity. Whales and dolphins are subject to astonishing rates of premature death, captivity-related injuries, forced removal of babies from mothers, and solitary isolation. Many are confined to swimming endless circles in cramped tanks, deprived of healthy social groups, and forced to endure invasive reproduction techniques, polluted water, dangerous transport, and brutal exploitation of their sociable natures through “swim” and “petting” programs.

Comments Via YouTube

Marineland Beluga With AilmentThe list was selected from over 60 facilities from southern Canada to Mexico where almost 1,000 whales and dolphins are held captive for public display. “Forcing an orca to live in solitary confinement while hoarding so many beluga whales is Marineland’s tragic dichotomy, and a horrific example of cetacean captivity. It plumbs the depths in its exploitation of intelligent and sensitive animals,” said In Defense of Animals President, Dr. Marilyn Kroplick. “Even with the most modern technology, veterinary care, and infrastructure, cetaceans still suffer intensely in captivity and exhibit surprisingly high mortality rates.Please help protect dolphins and whales in the wild where they belong, by pledging to never visit facilities that imprison them.”

40+ yr old Orca "Kiska" has been in solitary confinement since 2011.
40+ yr old Orca “Kiska” has been in solitary confinement since 2011. photo: Natalie Lucier

Marineland’s Shame: Marineland holds Canada’s last captive orca, 40 or so year-old Kiska, who was ripped away from her family and native Icelandic waters when she was a baby. Kiska has outlived at least seventeen other orcas with whom she has shared the tank over the years. She has also been used to breed for new exhibits, enduring the death of every last one of her five children at Marineland, none of whom lived longer than six years. One of them, Kanuck, was apparently separated from her prematurely and “stored” in a warehouse, where he died at age four. Since 2011, Kiska has been kept in solitary confinement, which has no doubt caused great suffering for this highly social and intelligent cetacean. The last orca Kiska knew was a male named Ikaika, who was “loaned” to Marineland by SeaWorld for breeding in 2006.

SeaWorld became “concerned about Ikaika’s physical and psychological health” and stated that Marineland was “not meeting its obligations in veterinary care, husbandry, or training.” Citing these concerns, SeaWorld successfully sued Marineland in 2011 for Ikaika’s return, leaving Kiska alone once more. Kiska’s physical and psychological condition appears to be poor. Observers point to her severely worn down teeth from self-injurious and compulsive gnawing, dorsal fin deterioration, signs of being underweight, and intermittent bleeding from her tail as indicators of greatly compromised health. Behaviorally, Kiska exhibits lethargy, self-isolation in a tiny medical pool adjacent to the main pool, and repetitive stereotyped behaviors; strong indications of severe psychological distress, depression, and despondency. Kiska is not the only animal suffering at Marineland.

CEO John Holer has also amassed approximately 46 beluga whales, five bottlenose dolphins, 28 black bears and approximately 500 fallow deer. An undercover investigation by Last Chance for Animals in 2015 reportedly exposed belugas suffering from a litany of physical ailments, including eye abnormalities, hypersalivation, regurgitation, and a condition in some of the females causing them to rub chronically against the tank until blood was visible in the water. Lacerations and deep teeth-rake marks indicating inescapable stress-related aggression from other belugas were also noted on many of the belugas. We are also concerned about signs of severe eye irritation perhaps caused by chemically-treated water.

Later in 2015, the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (OSPCA) made a non-public finding that questioned some of Last Chance for Animals’ claims of abuses at Marineland. But Julie Woodyer of Zoocheck has filed a new complaint with the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals documenting continued violations of the Captive Animal Care Standards at Marineland.

In Defense of Animals President, Dr. Marilyn Kroplick.
In Defense of Animals President, Dr. Marilyn Kroplick.

We urge the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to act urgently to enforce minimum standards at Marineland. Belugas have certainly not evolved for millions of years to be packed into a tank – and orcas are among the most social and family-oriented species on the planet.

10 WORST TANKS: 1. SeaWorld, San Antonio, Texas; San Diego, California; Orlando, Florida 2. Marineland, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada 3. Puerto Aventuras Dolphin Discovery, Mayan Riviera, Quinta Roo, Mexico 4. Georgia Aquarium, Atlanta, Georgia 5. Miami Seaquarium, Miami, Florida 6. Six Flags Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico 7. Institute for Marine Mammal Studies, Gulfport, Mississippi and Unnamed new facility planned by same owner also in Gulfport, Mississippi 8. Mirage Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada 9. Vancouver Aquarium, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada 10. Shedd Aquarium, Chicago, Illinois

Dishonorable Mention: Dophinaris, Scottsdale, Arizona

Honorable Mention: National Aquarium, Baltimore, Maryland

The Ten Worst Tanks list was produced over the past year by multiple cetacean experts and scientists to represent the myriad horrors faced by cetaceans in captivity. Facilities were examined and investigated in-person; through review of government records, veterinary records, and death reports; and via image and data documentation.  For more information please visit: www.idausa.org/10WorstTanks

In Defense of Animals is an international animal protection organization located in San Rafael, Calif. dedicated to protecting animals’ rights, welfare, and habitats through education, outreach, and our hands-on rescue facilities in India, Africa, and rural Mississippi. For the Silo, Toni Frohoff, Ph.D.