HELP KEEP LIONS AND TIGERS OUT OF CAPTIVITY:
The horrendous conditions uncovered at “Tiger Rescue,” a supposed tiger sanctuary in southern California, last week are just the latest tragic consequence of America’s unregulated, growing exotic pet industry. According to the Associated Press, state Fish and Game officials who raided Tiger Rescue’s facility last week uncovered the bodies of almost 90 dead tigers, at least half of them cubs. They also rescued 13 neglected tiger and lion cubs, now being cared for at the Fund for Animals’ Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in San Diego. Grim scenarios like this one are likely to continue as long as exotic pet breeders are permitted to operate without regulation, churning out tiger cubs and selling them online for as little as $300 with little thought for their future care. The situation underscores the urgent need for Congress to pass the Exotic Pets bill, S. 269 and H.R. 1006, to ban the interstate shipment of tigers, lions, and other large wild cats for the exotic pet trade.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Contact your U.S. Representative and your two U.S. Senators and ask them to cosponsor H.R. 1006 and S. 269, respectively, to put the brakes on the exotic pet trade. All federal legislators can be reached through the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121, and you can identify their names at www.Congress.org or by calling The HSUS at 202-955-3668.
http://www.fund.org/library/documentViewer.asp?ID=962&table=documents
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WEEKEND OF ACTION AGAINST HORSE SLAUGHTER BILL:
Texas activists: the time to take action to stop the cruel horse slaughter industry is NOW! H.B. 1324, the bill that would legalize horse slaughter in the state, snuck out of the House of Representatives last week and moved on to the Senate. It is now awaiting a vote in the Agriculture and Livestock subcommittee of the Senate Natural Resources Committee. If H.B. 1324 passes, it will be a devastating blow to the campaign to shut down America’s last two remaining horse slaughterhouses. These slaughterhouses have been operating illegally in Texas, flouting the state law prohibiting their activities, and H.B. 1324 is their final, desperate measure to keep their killing business afloat. Activists all over Texas are mobilizing for a weekend of action to stop H.B. 1324.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Everyone, especially Texans, can contact these three members of the Texas Senate Agriculture and Livestock Subcommittee and ask them to vote NO on H.B. 1324.
Senator Robert Duncan
phone: (512) 463-0128 / fax (512) 463-2424
Senator Eddie Lucio, Jr.
phone: (512) 463-0127 / fax : (512) 463-0061
Senator Craig Estes
phone: (512) 463-0130 / fax: (512) 463-8874
http://www.senate.state.tx.us/75r/Senate/senmem.htm , but remember, phone calls are much more powerful—let’s keep those phones ringing!
http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/fyi/fyi.htm or call The HSUS at (202) 955-3668 to find out your senator’s name and contact information.
Join the rally at the Capitol Friday, May 9 to speak out against H.B. 1324. Hundreds will be meeting at the state capitol in Austin and in major cities throughout Texas on May 9 at 11 a.m. to speak out against H.B. 1324. Contact Raya of In Solidarity with Animals at 713-858-0074 or
[email protected] for more info.
Be part of the statewide candle light vigil for the horses on Saturday, May 10, from 7-9 pm. Candlelight vigils will be held in major cities throughout Texas, as well as several states outside of Texas. Contact Shelley at 361-221-9820, or email
[email protected] for more info.
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CRUELTY ALLEGATIONS AT TYSON SLAUGHTERHOUSE:
A former employee of a Tyson chicken slaughterhouse in Grannis, Ark. has come forward with allegations of horrific, routine animal cruelty by Tyson employees. According to the statements made by Virgil Butler, a five-year employee at the Tyson slaughterhouse, named employees routinely tortured birds to death. In some instances, birds were blown apart by dry-ice bombs, were intentionally scalded to death, were chased down and run over with a forklift, or had their legs broken in order to fit them into shackles that were too small. Butler also cites one employee who reportedly would “rip the heads, legs, and wings off live chickens, or just stomp them to death on the floor because he was aggravated.” According to Mr. Butler, “[t]hese kinds of incidents sometimes led to hours of suffering for chickens with broken legs and wings and were ongoing and repetitive--just a part of a regular night's work.”
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Contact the Polk County District Attorney's Office and urge them to aggressively investigate, and if the evidence warrants it, prosecute any Tyson employees who participated in animal cruelty at the slaughterhouse.
The Honorable Tim Williamson
Prosecuting Attorney
Polk County Prosecutor’s Office
P.O. Drawer 109
600 Port Arthur St.
Mena, AR 71953
Ph: 479-394-6114
Fax: 479-394-6173
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UPDATE: DOLPHIN-SAFE LABEL OKAY FOR NOW
On April 10, U.S. District Court Judge Thelton E. Henderson issued a preliminary injunction that maintains the old "Dolphin Safe" tuna label standards, pending a court hearing on the issue. The Bush Administration tried to weaken the standards for the dolphin-safe tuna label last year, and in response, The HSUS and a number of conservation groups filed a lawsuit challenging the new standards. The lawsuit is expected to be heard in federal court later this year.
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THANK YOU FOR MAKING A DIFFERENCE FOR ANIMALS --- TODAY!!
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