Victory—U.S. Horse Slaughter Rejected by U.S. House Committee!

Tuesday, June 19, 2012 - 3:30pm

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Horse lovers across America can celebrate a big victory. The U.S. House Appropriations Committee just approved an amendment that will prevent taxpayer dollars from being used by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to inspect U.S. horse slaughter facilities. By blocking this federal funding, the House has taken its first step to ensure that horse slaughter facilities cannot legally operate on U.S. soil. We will need your help to ensure this provision gets through the whole House and the Senate, so stay tuned for upcoming advocacy alerts.
While our current Congress has prided itself on reducing government spending, last year's agriculture funding bill actually omitted this provision—opening the U.S. market to the horse slaughter industry.
"Using taxpayer dollars to fund this abhorrent industry is a wildly unpopular decision," says Nancy Perry, ASPCA Senior Vice President of Government Relations. "At a time when funding for many vital programs is being cut, it is imperative that Congress not use $5 million of taxpayers' money to fund horse slaughter, a cruel practice that benefits only foreign interests."
Take Action!
Rep. Moran’s amendment to the Agriculture Appropriations bill protects American communities from the devastating environmental and economic impact of horse slaughter facilities, but the bill still has to pass the full House of Representatives. The House will vote on the bill on Tuesday, June 26. Please contact your U.S. representative today and urge him or her to pass the bill with the Moran Amendment intact and reject any attempts to fund horse slaughter during fiscal year 2013!

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Animal Cruelty

Equines

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Dear Jennifer, For two years, Tilikum lived the wondrous life of a free orca infant, swimming without restraint in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. This tranquility was soon interrupted when a capture crew traumatically separated him from his family and the ocean and dumped him into a tiny pool. Tilikum has been enslaved for more than 30 years since he was first trapped, eventually being sold into a SeaWorld prison, where he is forced to perform tricks and has little to look at other than the cement walls of his tank. You can help support PETA's groundbreaking work for Tilikum and other exploited and abused animals by making a much-needed gift today. Enraged from his constant confinement and lack of anything natural or pleasant to do, Tilikum acted out in 2010 and violently attacked and drowned his trainer. In fact, Tilikum has caused three human deaths during his decades of enslavement. But instead of recognizing the tragedy as a sign that Tilikum is an intelligent animal who is suffering immensely from captivity, his SeaWorld captors punished the massive orca with a year of total isolation in an even tinier tank. For some of that time, Tilikum languished in a concrete tank just 2 feet longer than his own body. Beyond the physical stress of confinement, imprisoning orcas causes them severe psychological distress. Orcas are among the most social animals on the planet, many spending their entire lives in close-knit matriarchal groups that communicate through family-specific dialects. To be locked up and forced to work against one's will is awful for any living being. But for orcas like Tilikum, the abuse is mind-numbingly cruel. Orcas are the largest animals held in captivity—Tilikum himself weighs more than 12,000 pounds. In the wild, orcas are in near-constant motion, even when they are resting. They travel up to 100 miles every day and spend up to 90 percent of their time under the water's surface—something that's nearly impossible at SeaWorld, where only two of the seven tanks are even as deep as Tilly is long. We need to do all that we can to free Tilly and other animal prisoners like him, and I hope you'll help. Please make a generous donation online right now. PETA recently put Tilly's case on the map by taking groundbreaking action: We sued SeaWorld on behalf of Tilikum and four other wild-caught orcas who are imprisoned there. For the first time in history, a federal judge listened to arguments that the definition of slavery does not depend on the species of the slave any more than it depends on race, ethnicity, or gender. Although the case did not move forward, the significant media coverage that it received and academic and legal debate that it stirred have generated a public outcry against SeaWorld and other entertainment-industry slaveholders. This landmark case mirrors the many court decisions that, in our past, denied certain humans rights that we now accept as fundamental. Each step was crucial to the expansion of rights. Your help today will strengthen PETA's efforts for all animals and help us do even more to get SeaWorld to release Tilikum and the other animals it enslaves and move them to coastal wildlife sanctuaries, where some can eventually make the transition back to the ocean, where they belong. No animal deserves the loneliness, confinement, and denial of nearly all that is natural and important to them that Tilly has endured for more than three decades. Thank you for standing up for orcas and other animals who are yearning for freedom. Kind regards, Ingrid E. Newkirk President P.S. Tilikum and animals like him need PETA and our millions of dedicated supporters to free them from a lifetime of confinement and exploitation. Please help us do even more for them with your secure gift today.

Tilikum: milan.bores/cc by 2.0 | Orca in tank: wendypiersall/cc by 2.0  Share on Facebook    Share on Twitter Click to update your e-mail preferences or to unsubscribe. This e-mail was sent by PETA, 501 Front St., Norfolk, VA 23510 USA.

Federal Bills Seek to Protect Military Dogs and Racehorses

May 18, 2012

Our pets play very special roles in our lives, and their importance to us is reflected in our nation’s anti-cruelty laws and other measures enacted for the good of companion animals. But because their roles are so different, working animals (like service dogs) and animals used in entertainment (like racehorses) often are not afforded the same protections as pets. At the ASPCA, we are always working to close this gap.
You can help by urging your Congress members to cosponsor and pass the following federal bills that would extend critical protections to military dogs and racehorses:

Canine Members of the Armed Forces Act

Purpose: To classify military working dogs as "canine members of the armed forces" instead of "equipment," establish adoption policies for retired dogs, create a non-profit entity to raise funds for retired dogs' veterinary care, and to establish a formal means to honor dogs killed in action or who show exceptional courage in the line of duty.

Why Now? Saturday, May 19 is Armed Forces Day, and Memorial Day is fast approaching—what better time to recognize all those who selflessly serve our country?

Take Action! aspca.org/militarydogs

Interstate Horseracing Improvement Act

Purpose: To prohibit the use of performance-enhancing drugs in horse racing. These drugs enable horses to perform beyond their physical limitations, which has resulted in catastrophic injuries and horrific deaths.

Why Now? We are in the middle of Triple Crown season—at no other time of year is horse racing a hotter topic. Recent media exposés have shed light on how severe the problem of “doping” is in horse racing. Even the trainers of recent Derby-winning horses have histories of drug violations. Both trainers also have horses running in the Preakness on Saturday, May 19. Enough is enough!

Take Action! aspca.org/racehorses

Military working dogs and racehorses deserve to be treated with kindness and respect, both during and after their periods of service. It is up to us to be the voices for the voiceless! Please take action on the pending bills listed above, share the links with friends, and join the ASPCA Advocacy Brigade to be sure you always receive the latest news on ASPCA-supported, pro-animal legislation.

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China to Approve Non-Animal Cosmetics Test 

per PETA

From New Orleans to New Jersey, 43 Dogs Get New Start

May 11, 2012

In late April, the ASPCA loaded up a vehicle and took a very special road trip. Our cargo was 43 homeless dogs; our mission was to give the pups a chance to find homes in a place where they’d be in high demand.
If you read our blog, you already know that these dogs came from the Louisiana SPCA and landed at St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center, in Madison, New Jersey, and its rescue partners the Humane Society of Atlantic County, Jersey Shore Animal Center and Monmouth County SPCA. Two weeks later, we’re happy to report that this life-saving transport has more than paid off—many of these sweet Southern doggies have already joined families!
According to St. Hubert’s Shelter Operations Director Colleen Harrington, 13 of the 15 dogs who remained at her shelter have already been adopted; the remaining two need treatment before going home. And Harrington says her rescue partners are also starting to report adoptions. In fact, they’re already excited for the next transport.
Fortunately, a second trip is already in the works—April’s transport is one of a series to come in the next few months.
“The ASPCA Relocation Initiative works collaboratively to assist animals at risk, moving them to where they have the greatest opportunity to find a home,” says ASPCA Senior Director of Community Outreach Sandy Monterose.
This cutting-edge program helps reduce euthanasia by treating animal homelessness as a national problem, not a regional one, and bringing dogs to where the adopters are. While New Orleans and many other areas of the South are overwhelmed with more dogs than loving homes, adopters in New Jersey are anxious to adopt dogs like Leo, a 118-pound Great Dane puppy, and the other 42 pups from LA/SPCA.
Adds Monterose: “The most viable solution is to transport animals to areas of the country where they are most likely to be adopted. St. Hubert’s and its partners are providing a second chance for these dogs.”
For her part, Harrington says, “St. Hubert’s is proud of the best practices—pre-transport vetting and vaccination, and of course spay/neuter. The collaborative effort with the ASPCA and our New Jersey partners makes this life-saving program possible without displacing any of the local pets in our care.”

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Your Stories: We Are Family

May 4, 2012

Rescue story by Rebecca W.
Asheville, NC
In 2002, my best friend, Kevin, asked me for help finding him a dog for his birthday. I walked into the Humane Society in Columbia, South Carolina, to browse. In the last cage on the left, a single puppy shoved his nose under the gate when he noticed me. He was the only remaining dog of his litter. The shelter employees informed me he was the runt.
But he was perfect! He was blond and reminded me of a Cocker Spaniel. I filled out the paperwork and adopted him on the spot, agreeing to take the puppy myself if he wasn’t a good fit with my friend.
Kevin loved him immensely. However, his roommate didn't. I planned to find a new home for him, but on a trip to the vet for his vaccinations, he started whining and crying from the shot, then fell asleep in my arms.
"Oh crap," I thought. "This is it, done, over, fin." Jeffrey became my newest family member.
Since then, Jeffrey has been diagnosed with a potentially fatal auto-immune disease, had his cataracts removed and lenses implanted in both eyes, been diagnosed with allergies and gone on allergy shots, had an ear infection that lasted six months, had a urinary tract infection for six months, had pancreatitis, and more.
He is now 10 years old, diagnosed with hyperthyroidism and is the happiest pup I know. He has been on some form of medication most of his life. And he thrives! He can't hear well anymore, but is great at tracking squirrels and turkeys on our rural property in western North Carolina. He loves riding in the car, greeting me when I come home, and being submissive to our cat.
Jeffrey is the perfect dog. He is family.

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