Summer/Fall 2018 Action Line

SUMMER / FALL 2018

ACTION LINE

WHAT ANIMALS AND WOMEN HAVE IN COMMON #METOO

FOA MARKS MILESTONES AT PRIMARILY PRIMATES CAMPUS VEGANS MAKING THEIR VOICES HEARD BECOME A WATCHDOG OF WATERWAYS

8 SPECIAL REPORT #METOO What animals and women have in common

4 VICTORY LAP Latest news about FoA's advocacy and achievements 15 SANCTUARY LIFE FoA marks milestones at Primarily Primates thanks to member support 20 Q&A Making strides in ending the oppression of primates in research 24 VEG NEWS Campus vegans making their voices heard 28 LEGAL MATTERS

California wildlife dogged by inhumane GPS hound collars 30 IN YOUR BACKYARD Become a watchdog of waterways 34

PEOPLE WHO INSPIRE A photographic safari with Craig Berger is one of the best ways to experience African wildlife

38 WILDLIFE WATCH Lessons from Costa Rica on how to be a steward for wildlife 40 BOOK REVIEW Raptors: Portraits of Birds of Prey 42 LETTERS 45 CHEERS & JEERS COVER ILLUSTRATION BY LEAH TINARI

WHO WE ARE Friends of Animals is an international non-profit animal-advocacy organization, incorporated in the state of New York in 1957. FoA works to cultivate a respectful view of nonhuman animals, free-living and domestic. Our goal is to free animals from cruelty and institutionalized exploitation around the world.

Friends of Animals is proud to be a woman-founded and -led organization for more than 60 years.

CONTACT US NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS 777 Post Road Darien, Connecticut 06820 (203) 656-1522 contact@friendsofanimals.org WESTERN OFFICE 7500 E. Arapahoe Rd., Ste 385 Centennial, CO 80112 (720) 949-7791 PRIMARILY PRIMATES SANCTUARY P.O. Box 207 San Antonio, TX 7891-02907 (830) 755-4616 office@primarilyprimates.org

OUR TEAM PRESIDENT Priscilla Feral [CT] www.twitter.com/pferal www.twitter.com/primate_refuge feral@friendsofanimals.org DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS Robert Orabona [CT] admin@friendsofanimals.org DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR Dustin Rhodes [NC] dustin@friendsofanimals.org COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR Fran Silverman [CT] fsilverman@friendsofanimals.org CORRESPONDENT/EDITOR Nicole Rivard [CT] nrivard@friendsofanimals.org SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR Meghan McIntire [MA] www.twitter.com/FoAorg mmcintire@friendsofanimals.org DIRECTOR OF ADMINISTRATION Donna Berlanda [CT] dberlanda@friendsofanimals.org ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT Donna Thigpen [CT] SECRETARY TO THE PRESIDENT Shelly Scott [CT]

VISIT US www.friendsofanimals.org www.primarilyprimates.org

SPAY/NEUTER PROJECT Paula Santo [CT] spayprogram@friendsofanimals.org

FOLLOW US facebook.com /friendsofanimals.org /primarilyprimates.org

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Twitter @FoAorg Instagram/foaorg MEMBERSHIP Annual membership includes a year’s subscription to Action Line. Students/Senior membership, $15; Annual membership, $25; International member, $35; Sustaining membership, $50; Sponsor, $100; Patron, $1,000. All contributions, bequests and gifts are fully tax-deductible in accordance with current laws.

REPRODUCTION No prior permission for the reproduction of materials from Action Line is required provided the content is not altered and due credit is given as follows: “Reprinted from Action Line, the Friends of Animals’ magazine, 777 Post Road, Darien, CT 06820.”

Action Line is a quarterly publication. Issue CLXXVII Summer / Fall 2018 ISSN 1072-2068

DIRECTOR, WILDLIFE LAW PROGRAM Michael Harris [CO] michaelharris@friendsofanimals.org ASSISTANT DIRECTOR Jenni Best [CO] jennifer@friendsofanimals.org ATTORNEYS Rachel Nussbaum[CO] rachel@friendsofanimals.org Elizabeth Rasheed [CO] elizabeth.rasheed@friendsofanimals.org Courtney McVean [CO] courtney.mcvean@friendsofanimals.org ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Riley Dozier[CO] wlp_admin@friendsofanimals.org PRIMARILY PRIMATES, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Brooke Chavez [TX] brooke@primarilyprimates.org CREATIVE DIRECTOR Jane Seymour [NY] jane@friendsofanimals.org Printed on Recycled Paper

BY PRISCILLA FERAL, PRESIDENT

IN MY VIEW LET’S SKIP THE SHOCK AND AWE

A

fter decades of viewing a vast assortment of photographs, video and other visual depictions of animal cruelty, I’m increasingly repelled by activism that mostly consists of sad, shocking, graphic imagery—continuous replications of tormented pigs in a factory farm, a cow chasing her calf that’s been whisked away, writhing bodies of animals hung upside down in a slaughterhouse or a speared bull in a bull fight.

These types of images, meant to be expressions of rage and defiance, appear over and over again on my Facebook newsfeed. But it begs the question: Are they aimed at the best audience? When I asked why someone batters animal advocacy followers with such imagery, one person said evidence will end the abomination, as though the visuals are being aired on network news, which they’re not.

My sanity is disrespected in this quagmire.

Animal rights proponents are apparently expected to receive a steady diet of sadistic imagery. The words that accompany the images say that when one eats meat, they’re complicit in this violence. I agree, but it feels more like punishing people instead of inspiring fundamental change.

I told one Facebook follower I didn’t welcome seeing another abused farm animal photo—but I understand those whose efforts use these visuals to reach the uninformed. But I think the danger is they won’t absorb the activist’s point because the pictures are too gruesome; they will just avoid the visual collision altogether because it overwhelms them with despair.

Through discussions with those who study media, law professors and Michael Harris, Friends of Animals Wildlife Law Program director, we learn that when people see grotesque visuals, most don’t remember the underlying message. Plus, repeatedly witnessing violence can desensitize us to it.

That view counters some activists’ insistence that when dealing with the public, grab their attention anyway they can. However, while one’s mind might be engaged, the message of not consuming animals for food or fashion could get lost. For example, a professor at the Denver Law Clinic told me he conducted a survey with law students showing them a sexually-charged ad from an animal advocacy group under the guise of shunning fur. The upshot was that the students were left without

an anti-fur message, but a recollection of nudity.

Gary Francione, professor of law and philosophy at Rutgers University Law School, also says: “Violent imagery is problematic because it tends to focus people on the issue of treatment—and not of use. That is, if someone sees some violent scenes of animal treatment, their usual reaction is to respond by wanting to improve treatment. That is why the large welfare groups constantly use this imagery. Although property status means that the standards of animal welfare will always be low, the point is that exploitation—however supposedly ‘humane’—cannot be morally justified. We must oppose all animal use.”

So what’s an activist to do?

The right kind of visuals can change attitudes, provide hope and make people feel empowered. But words and conduct matter too.

For example, animals used for fur or those hunted are individuals who could experience dynamic lives if not for trade in their skins, or a warped excitement from stealing their lives. Portraying these animals as energetic beings with families as opposed to dismembered victims allows others to appreciate and relate to their wildness and shun the industries that robs them of their freedom.

Visuals of farm animals flourishing in their own way at sanctuaries rather than inside the meat industry’s confinement can be powerful.

Such imagery can guide people to envision an entirely new paradigm, which FoA is fighting for—a world where animals are owed ethical consideration and they achieve legal standing in the eyes of the law.

Sometimes pictures tell a painful truth about animals’ situations, and FoA occasionally makes a choice to use one, such as in our trophy hunting video campaign. Such decisions become arduous and complex.

We just don’t see animal advocacy as images of darkness that become the message, thus losing the most important message—that it is possible to free animals from cruelty and institutionalized exploitation around the world, one victory at a time.

Summer / Fall 2018 | 3

VICTORY LAP

BY NICOLE RIVARD AND FRAN SILVERMAN PHOTOGRAPH BY WYNAND UYS

CT BEAR HUNT BILL SHOT DOWN

BY ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE

with human behavior.”

“Bear-proof garbage cans and education, not guns, are what’s needed to prevent human/black bear conflict in Litchfield County, where a whopConnecticut’s black bears are safe ping 182,571 people live and a paltry thanks to Friends of Animals and our 235 black bears reside,” added Nicole supporters. In March, a bear trophy Rivard, editor of Action Line. “DEEP hunt bill was shot down by the Envi- already has a nuisance bear program ronment Committee of the General in place—there were only 5 nuisance Assembly 21 to 8 with one member black bears in the entire state in 2017. absent.

As one state biologist told us recently, “FoA is relieved that common black bears are actually shy. sense and truth prevailed among “Shooting bears in a bear trophy those legislators on the Environment hunt will not teach the ones who arCommittee who shot the vile bear en't slaughtered not to be opportutrophy hunting bill down with their nistic feeders. But educating people votes,” said FoA President Priscilla about how their behaviors enhance Feral. “The CT Department of Ener- risks will make a difference.” gy and Environmental Protection bureaucracy needs to advance education without shooting animals to death, and they can’t be the mouthpiece for only 1 percent of state residents who hunt.”

FoA took out ads in Connecticut In August of 2016, the Bureau of newspapers and testified at a public Land Management (BLM) snatched hearing in March, pointing out that 150 wild horses from within and there have been zero fatal bear attacks adjacent to the Three Fingers Herd in CT but there have been 10 humans Management Area in Malheur, Orekilled by hunters and 114 injured in gon, after a brush fire swept through CT since 1982, according to data pro- the northern portion of the area. The vided by the state to FoA in response horses were then subjected to a life to a Freedom of Information request. of imprisonment at the Wild Horse “Allowing a bear hunt will not Corral facility in Burns. make residents in the state safer,” The agency thought it could say it said FoA Communications Director was “an emergency action” and avoid Fran Silverman. “In fact, there is a the National Environmental Protecweak correlation between the popu- tion Act. lation of black bears and bear attacks, But Friends of Animals was according to a study in The Journal watching, and on April 2 we achieved of Wildlife Management. Bear-human a significant victory for wild horses in conflict is more closely correlated Oregon and throughout the nation.

FOA’S VICTORY FOR OREGON’S WILD HORSES SHOWS BLM BROKE THE LAW

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U.S. District Court Judge Michael Simon ruled that the Bureau of Land Management violated federal law when it ordered the emergency roundup. Judge Simon agreed with FoA that BLM’s decision to permanently remove these wild horses was made without compliance with proper environmental analyses. Instead, BLM relied upon on outdated analysis and significantly exceeded what was required to protect the horses and the land from the immediate impact of the fire.

“BLM’s mistreatment of the Three Fingers wild horses is part of a troubling trend in wild horse roundups—the declaring of an ‘emergency’ to allow permanent removal of horses without complying with federal laws like the National Environmental Policy Act,” said Michael Harris, FoA’s Wildlife Law Program director.

While this is a tremendous victory, FoA will not be satisfied until the wild horses at the Wild Horse Corral are returned to the Three Fingers Herd Management Area (HMA) since we saw with our own eyes the great abundance of appropriate forage that has sprung up throughout the HMA due to record-breaking precipitation that the area received last year.

In fact, wildlife ecologist Craig Downer, who accompanied FoA on a trip to Oregon last spring and has visited more than 70 HMAs throughout his career, noted that “he had never seen better vegetation for wild horses,” a remarkable observation.

Of course, such healthy vegetation does not go unnoticed by ranch-

THE LATEST NEWS ABOUT FOA’S ADVOCACY AND ACHIEVEMENTS

ers, who BLM treats as clients. During a surveillance flight and while driving on passable roads, Downer observed more than a thousand cattle dispersed over the great majority of the HMA, reaping the benefits of the bumpercrop year in terms of forage while the wild horses who had been removed rot in the Wild Horse Corral.

FOA SUES DOI OVER LIFTING OF ELEPHANT TROPHY BAN Friends of Animals filed suit March 29 against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for its policy change that allows trophy hunting of elephants from Zimbabwe. The policy flip issued March 1, which allows for permits on a case-by-case basis, overturns a previous ban in place since 2014 on sport-killing of the threatened pachyderms.

The Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force, a wildlife watchdog group, joined FoA in the lawsuit for which Department of Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, Safari Club International and the NRA are also named.

Zimbabwe’s overall elephant population has declined 18 percent between 2007-2013. Elephants, which once numbered between 3-5 million, are in danger of extinction within a few decades.

“This latest decision essentially allows Americans to bring back the remains of threatened African elephants that they killed for ‘sport’ behind closed doors,’’ said Michael

Harris, director of FoA’s Wildlife Law Program. “The decision ignores the glaring fact that killing threatened African elephants does nothing to promote the conservation of the species.

It also cuts interested organizations, such as Friends of Animals, and other legitimate conservationists out of the process. We believe this decision

violates laws designed to promote reasoned decisions and transparency in our government, as well as laws aimed at protecting threatened and endangered species from extinction.”

In reversing the ban and allowing permits on a case-by-case basis, FWS did not solicit comments from the public or interested parties be-

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VICTORY LAP PHOTOGRAPH BY THIBAULT CARRON

FWS NOT DOING ENOUGH TO PROTECT PRYOR MOUNTAIN WILD HORSES

fore issuing its decision. Additionally requires the government to considconcerns about Zimbabwe’s ability to er our petition and make an initial enforce its management plan remain, decision on it within 90 days,” said and poaching and corruption in the Jennifer Best, assistant legal direccountry and its declining elephant tor for FoA’s Wildlife Law Program.

Friends of Animals is challenging U.S population have not been addressed, “However, a new rule regarding the Fish and Wildlife Service’s rejection petition process that went into effect according to the lawsuit.

“FWS reversed its policy on the of our petition to list the Pryor Moun- on Oct. 27, 2016 chips away at the importation of sport-hunted elephant tain wild horses, a distinct population Endangered Species Act by requiring parts with no rational explanation,’’ of horses who reside in Montana and the public to submit petitions to state Wyoming, under the Endangered agencies first, delaying the timeline the lawsuit states.

Before publicly announcing the Species Act, and the recent rule that and standards for listing threatened switch in policy, FWS in 2017 quietly inhibits the public’s ability to protect or endangered species. FWS relied issued 16 permits to U.S. residents threatened and endangered species. on this new rule to reject Friends In a lawsuit filed in U.S. District of Animals’ petition to list the Pryor authorizing the importation of elephant parts from Zimbabwe. FoA has Court in April in Montana, FoA is Mountain wild horses.” sued FWS over its failure to release asking that FWS actually issue a 90FoA knows from past experience day finding as required. information regarding the permits, that states are generally more con“The Endangered Species Act cerned about stakeholders with ecoalleging it has violated Freedom of Information laws. FoA has also called into question DOI’s new International Wildlife Conservation Council that is tasked with removing barriers to trophy hunting.

THE LATEST NEWS ABOUT FOA’S ADVOCACY AND ACHIEVEMENTS

nomic interests in destroying habitat than protecting species and they do not want to deal with federally protected species.

“Time is running out for the Pryor Mountain wild horses, a distinct population segment essential for preserving the Old Spanish genetic lineage of wild horses,” Best said. “They are subject to removal to reach the Bureau of Land Management’s designated appropriate management level (AML)of the herd. But an AML set at 90 to 120 horses is far below what is necessary for a minimum viable population, let alone to preserve the herd’s unique genetic lineage.”

FoA submitted its petition on June 12, 2017. It states that the Pryor Mountain mustangs’ lineage can be traced back to ancient horses who first evolved in North America and Eurasia, but are thought to have temporarily gone extinct following the last Ice Age before being reintroduced by Spanish settlers.

The Old Spanish genetic lineage has since been lost in Spain due to domestic breeding.

The Pryor Mountain Mustangs are smaller than most wild horses in North America, standing between 13.2 and 14.3 hands.

The horses have a unique conformation, reflecting their Spanish heritage, with a narrow but deep chest, distinct withers, short back and sloping croup with a low-set tail.

COURT ORDERS FWS TO DO MORE TO PROTECT MEXICAN GRAY WOLVES The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has not done enough to protect the Mexican gray wolf, a federal judge said April 2 in a ruling that delivers a much-needed victory to the endangered species that has been pushed to the brink of extinction by hunters and the ranching industry.

Friends of Animals, WildEarth Guardians, Western Environmental Law Center and New Mexico Wild had argued in their lawsuit that the FWS’ flawed 2015 Mexican wolf management ruling arbitrarily limited the population, banned the animals from suitable habitat and loosened provisions against killing them in the wild to appease the ranching industry.

“The Mexican gray wolf deserves a fair shot at recovery,” said Wildlife Law Program Director Michael Harris.

“It’s FWS’ duty to conserve and recover the Mexican wolf, not to protect American livestock, hunting and trapping interests. Enough is enough.

Restoring North American carnivores is vital to the health and restoration of our wildest places and ecosystems.”

The Mexican wolf is the smallest, rarest and most genetically distinct subspecies of the gray wolf.

The species was listed under the Endangered Species Act in 1978, but recovery efforts have largely foundered because the FWS has yet to implement scientifically recommended recovery actions.

For example, FWS’ 2015 final rule refused to consider the only wild population of Mexican wolves as “essential” to the recovery of Mexican wolves in the wild.

The rule also arbitrarily capped the population at 300-325, a level far below what scientists consider necessary for recovery, excluded the wolves from native habitat in northern Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah, and allowed more killing of Mexican wolves by federal agents and private landowners over livestock conflicts.

U.S. District Court Judge Jennifer Zipps rejected each of these components of the rule.

She noted that expanded killing allowances fail to take into account genetically important members of the population, which is so low that dangers of inbreeding and its attendant woes are present.

“The best available science consistently shows that recovery requires consideration of long-term impacts, particularly the subspecies’ genetic health,” Zipps said.

“Moreover, this case is unique in that the same scientists who are cited by the agency publicly communicated their concern that the agency misapplied and misinterpreted findings in such a manner that the recovery of the species is compromised.”

As of 2015, when the FWS released its latest flawed management rule, there were only 109 Mexican gray wolves left in the U.S.

Summer / Fall 2018 | 7

SEPCIAL REPORT

What animals and women have in common COMPILED BY FOA STAFF ILLUSTRATION BY LEAH TINARI

#METOO

U

nder certain circumstances, human and non-human animals sharing things in common and being treated the same would be a victory for the animal rights movement.

But when it comes to MeToo, an initiative meant to create dialogue on sexual harassment and violence (aka #MeToo on social media), it’s anything but.

That women and animals are equally subjected to bad, abusive behavior within a movement that centers on moral values and compassion proves there’s still so much to be done.

And ARMeToo is this particular movement’s day of reckoning.

That’s why Friends of Animals President Priscilla Feral joined together with other leading female activists in animal advocacy to discuss what needs to be done to right the wrongs.

Julie Gueraseva is the founder, as well as creative and editorial director of LAIKA magazine, a groundbreaking

publication that showcases modern vegan living through a diverse range of original content. Anna Charlton is an adjunct professor of law at Rutgers University School of Law. She served as co-director (with Gary L. Francione) of the Rutgers Animal Rights Law Clinic/Center from 1990-2000 and co-authored Eat Like You Care: An Examination of the Morality of Eating Animals and Animal Rights: The Abolitionist Approach.

During a teleconference discussion held March 29, Feral, Gueraseva and Charlton focused on the intersection of feminism and animal rights as well as sexual harassment in the workplace, sharing their personal experiences and dissecting what needs to be done to end the abuse and showcase women in the animal protection movement.

Actress Alyssa Milano tweeted #MeToo on Oct. 15, 2017 in response to Harvey Weinstein’s alleged sexual assaults that were recounted in a New York Times' story, but it was actually sexual violence survivor and activist Tarana Burke who launched MeToo back in 2006. In January, a group of 300 Hollywood celebrities launched Time’s Up, an action-oriented next step in the MeToo movement to create equity and safety in the workplace.

Burke recently pointed out the severity of sexual harassment and abuse in the workplace and beyond that still exists 12 years later.

“In the first 24 hours of #MeToo going viral just on Facebook there were 12 million engaged with the hashtag,” she told Variety. “If, in this country, we had an outbreak of some communicable disease that 12 million people got in a 24-hour time period, we would be focused solely on a cure.”

To help remedy a situation that’s gone on far too long, in this special report, Feral, Gueraseva and Charlton examine ways to help ensure no organization, from the wealthiest to the smallest, gets away with functioning as what some have described as a “misogynistic cult.”

PRISCILLA FERAL

JULIE GUERASEVA

ANNA CHARLTON

Summer / Fall 2018 | 9

SEPCIAL REPORT

THAT WOMEN AND ANIMALS ARE EQUALLY SUBJECTED TO BAD, ABUSIVE BEHAVIOR WITHIN A MOVEMENT THAT CENTERS ON MORAL VALUES AND COMPASSION Were you inclined to think the MeToo/Times Up movement would take on a life of its own in the animal advocacy community? Can it be sustained?

Priscilla: I am more surprised there’s been a breaking of the status quo; I am unsure whether or not it can be sustained. I am mostly an optimist, but after some of the earlier revelations, I found it very disappointing to see females rushing in to defend a couple of male leaders of animal advocacy organizations who were accused of sexual misconduct and/or assault. These females did this publicly, on social media; it was also done by the animal advocacy group’s board of directors. It’s what we’ve been indoctrinated as women to do—and that’s to support men, who are supposed to be leading us, at all costs. From an early age, women are taught that we need male approval.

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PROVES THERE’S STILL SO MUCH TO BE DONE. I hope that this is a breakthrough. And I hope that we’re going to see more female leadership and voices emerge— voices that have been buried.

Anna: It’s strengthened my idea that it’s only going to be through the individual—through grassroots vegan education, reaching out to everyone we possibly can—that is going to change things. If the power continues to be channeled through old-fashioned, structured corporations, then that’s what we are going to keep getting. They’ve enshrined male values, male power.

If we can focus on getting a critical mass of more progressive people—not just women, but there will be many women in that—getting really involved and taking responsibility for their individual obligations to move this thing forward, not just sending their money to an organization that they don’t hold accountable to do heaven knows what, that could really transform the movement.

We had a chance we really squandered in the late 1980s.

We were really trying to make the animal rights movement go in a different direction—with an understanding of sexism and civil rights issues. Gary Francione and I were just talking today about the time we went to a Feminist for Animal Rights’ conference, which I think happened in 1989—because we were concerned about the really sexist path that PeTA was taking. FAR would not criticize PeTA because it was led by a woman, and it was about five years before they would take a stand against the misogyny of that whole arena. That was the problems of corporate interests and identity politics, which have had a corrosive impact on the animal rights movement. We have a chance to reinvig-

orate the movement in light of what’s going on now. It’s a new injection of energy, and I hope people run with it. I think this one will be hard to put back in the bottle.

Julie: I agree. A lot of this is going to come down to grassroots efforts and taking individual responsibility and asking yourself, 'What am I doing to showcase and support other women and individuals who identify as women? What am I doing to be as inclusive as possible in my work?' If I am a female entrepreneur or otherwise an authority figure, am I treating the people I work with well? It has to be a holistic examination of our individual lives. And then we need to continue the dialogue with our communities and be unafraid to offer and accept criticism.

Part of the Me Too/Time’s Up movements have been women sharing stories of unwanted advances and every day sexual harassment/sexism. These stories are popping up in animal advocacy. However, many women let the men off the hook because they are “helping animals.” What needs to be done so that women are not attacking other women who are harassed and protecting the men?

Priscilla: If women protect the men who objectify and harass them, nothing changes. My experience harks back to, maybe, 1971. I was working for Olin Corporation in Stamford, Connecticut. I was in a secretarial position in

"FEMINISM CHALLENGES OBJECTIFICATION AND THE STATUS QUO, AND A DIVISION OF LABOR.

the pool chemical division. It was Christmas and we all went to the Lemon Tree Bar in Stamford after work for a little party. My boss kept putting his hand on my leg under the table, and explaining that his spouse was nine months pregnant, as though that was his perfect way to channel his idea of a flirtation. I told the other secretary, sitting next to me, what he was doing and she got up and literally put him up against a wall. And yelled, “Cut it out.” I thought I’d tell her and then I would have to leave, then I’d have to figure out how to keep my job. The next day I was transferred to another division. He kept his job; she even kept her job. It was another female who risked everything. I didn’t expect that to happen.

People who abuse their power have to be held accountable. Women have to refuse to be complicit, under the guise of protecting their own careers or interests. Maybe it’s stopping now, which is a very good thing, but it does require women supporting each other.

Julie: We live in a society that glorifies power and status.

Of course, the animal rights movement is not immune from that. The aspect of idol worship, the word hero gets thrown out a lot in the movement. People can get put on pedestals. I think it’s almost like there’s a bit of an element of a brainwashing thing that happens where people fall under that spell. So there is this initial temptation to rush to defend the perpetrator. But we need to be in a place now where we make sure we check ourselves and know that it’s imperative we acknowledge the victims first and foremost for all their pain and suffering.

The stories that I read about Paul Shapiro and Wayne Pacelle—my hair stood on end. If you have experienced

ANIMAL RIGHTS THEORY REQUIRES FEMINIST PRINCIPLES." Summer / Fall 2018 | 11

SEPCIAL REPORT

flirtation in the workplace, without anything overt, you know how uncomfortable that is. To know what those women had to endure, the extreme levels that they had to endure, it’s horrific. We have to cultivate that spirit of sisterhood very actively, even if the judgement is clouded by this whole heroic, animal savior, our leader mentality, as if we couldn’t function without those male figureheads.

But now we are seeing that of course, the movement can.

Anna: I think you are very right. We have to be willing to stretch a little in terms of how we exercise our moral courage. It is a time to step out of our comfort zone and call someone on bad behavior. Even if you are told you are antisocial or a killjoy or something because these situations need to be nipped in the bud. The really awful, horrendous things that we have been reading about recently come at the end of years of practicing before they got to that point.

People acted badly and were not stopped.

I think the idol/hero worship in animal rights is essentially a lazy position. We are asking someone else to do the job for us and we are there with the puppy eyes to watch them on the stage. We need to stop that within ourselves.

Everyone has a job to do.

We don’t need any more charities. We need people doing what they can every day in their own lives, in their own context, until we get animal rights ideas infused in the whole society. So it’s not something that’s only done by charitable corporations.

Carol J. Adams, feminist theorist, writer and animal activist, has been discussing this topic for decades.

In a 2011 essay, she wrote: “Sexual inequality is one of the defining elements of the animal movement ...

Men still predominate as leaders and speakers, women as the grassroots workers. The animal movement, by ignoring or remaining insufficiently attentive to the connections between patriarchy and speciesism, ends up reproducing women’s inequality in its structure, its focus, its arguments, its use of women’s labor, and in the accessibility it provides to sexual exploiters.” Does the animal rights movement need the feminist movement and vice versa?

Priscilla: Feminism challenges objectification and the status quo, and a division of labor. Animal rights theory requires feminist principles. I became a vegetarian and later a vegan connecting it to my feminism, and I saw meat as a status symbol for male control through domination of animals. And I saw animals as voiceless and defenseless and females similarly oppressed and under someone’s

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thumb. I use that phrase because it was the Rolling Stones’ lyrics from that song back in 1966, that if you heard them once they never left your head. You couldn’t believe that a misogynists’ screed like that was popular. In 1966, I was 17 years old so what I heard was “... under my thumb the squirming dog who has just had her day. Under my thumb a girl who’s just changed her ways. It’s down to me, yes it is. The way she does just what she is told. Down to me the change has come. She’s under my thumb. A Siamese cat of a girl under my thumb. She’s the sweetest pet in the world. Under my thumb her eyes are just kept to herself. Under my thumb I can still look at someone else.”

I jumped out of my skin when I heard it. That song was my wake-up call. It symbolized toxic masculinity. So for me, I can’t separate feminism from animal rights.

Julie: They are so intertwined. Animal agriculture is built on violation of motherhood, reproductive subjugation.

There are terms like rape rack; it’s all about dominating, subjugating a species, and reducing them to objects.

So if we are fighting for dismantled speciesism and equal consideration for nonhuman animals, we have to completely practice that when it comes to how women are treated in the movement, and insist on total gender equal-

"I THINK THE IDOL/ HERO WORSHIP IN ANIMAL RIGHTS IS ESSENTIALLY A LAZY POSITION. WE ARE ASKING SOMEONE ELSE TO DO THE JOB FOR US AND WE ARE THERE WITH THE PUPPY EYES TO WATCH THEM ON THE STAGE. ity and complete respect for women. To in any way belittle, objectify or be dismissive of women and their experiences or suffering at the hands of men or just in general is a complete contradiction. We have to practice what we preach.

Anna: When Feminists for Animal Rights refused in the late 80s, early 90s to speak out against the path that PeTA and its president Ingrid Newkirk were taking, I think that was an unfortunate victory for the corrosive impact of identity politics.

But I think we have a different opportunity right now, and I think we need to make sure we get it right this time, that the new energy really respects the serious issues around sexism, racism and the other important social issues that have been getting a new focus.

How do you feel about the animal rights movement’s use of the female body as an attention-seeking billboard? i.e. “I would rather go naked than wear fur” type of campaign? Do you feel it’s misogynistic, sexist, ageist or do women have agency and it’s victimless?

Priscilla: This question really rings all my bells. I’m particularly soured by one group’s Sexiest Vegan over 50 as it plays into the degrading sexist theme that women must

WE NEED TO STOP THAT WITHIN OURSELVES. EVERYONE HAS A JOB TO DO." achieve sexiness to be useful and praise worthy. When the Veg News editor and I chatted about this in San Francisco I told her that freedom arrives when age doesn’t define females or whether we are marketable as sexy. And it doesn’t make me wonder why some males feel entitled to make women feel uncomfortable in the workplace when we’ve got a movement that apparently can’t stop getting so jazzed over such irritating, demeaning spectacles.

Of course males never expire until they are dead.

This really dooms women swept into this kind of thinking—that our relevance depends on being sexy and categorized as such. The most recent 'I would rather go naked' campaign image was probably the worst ever. The photo was so sexualized with the model's posture and heavy makeup that any intended anti-fur message was completely lost. It was non-existent. And that of course makes that entire effort worthless for animal rights.

Julie: If we look at other social justice movements—they are moving away from that. Instead, we have a body positivity movement, people are talking more about inclusivity and less retouching and less projecting of this unattain-

Summer / Fall 2018 | 13

able perfection that is so alienating to the average woman.

It does negate the ultimate message, even if it’s a positive message. The animal rights movement needs to be in step with that and focus more on telling women’s stories and celebrating our attributes that are not connected to our physicality or using that as a crutch or as a marketing gimmick.

Aside from the sexism and misogyny, it’s just been used to death and we have to question whether it’s effective. I guess that’s the excuse for stuff like this—it’s like let’s get attention for animals by any means necessary even if we have to show this perfect beautiful woman’s, white most of the time, bod, anything to get attention for animal rights. We have to start critically examining the tactics. Is that ultimately working?

Anna: You are right. Have we ever assessed the number of people we have turned away by this approach? I often think if I was a young person right now and being presented with the idea of animal rights through this lens, if I was a serious young person, who was sensitized to other social justice issues, would I really be attracted to the animal rights movement, which has been allowed to degenerate into this self-indulgent, I find repulsive, stew?

I agree with you on the 'I’d rather go naked than wear fur campaign.' It was the first campaign that we really should have taken a stand on and said, 'We don’t want to go that way.' One of the most effective anti-fur ads I have ever seen is the old Friends of Animals' one that says 'Get a feel for fur, slam your fingers in a car door.' That gets people’s attention.

Let’s make sure that we are remembering who we are supposed to be representing in the animal rights movement. I am very concerned about the human participants in this movement, but it also seems like we are completely forgetting who we are supposed to be representing. This is the only social justice movement where the persons we are representing have no say in who their representatives are, and who don’t get to kick us out if we are doing a bad job. Where are the animals in these silly displays that PeTA has thrown upon the world and other people have followed them? Where are the animals in this?

While I think it’s a great time to recalibrate and self-reflect on the women’s issues involved in this, it’s a really good time to refocus on the animal issue too.

Julie: Yes I think that it’s more important than ever to be telling the animals’ stories. Half of my magazine is dedicated to telling the stories of animals through long-form features where they are treated with the same dignity and respect as human subjects. And their experience is validated. We have to make sure we don’t lose the animals in all this.

Editor’s Note: This discussion has been edited for space. Listen to the complete interview online at Youtube.com/user/FriendsofAnimals.

Our cover illustration was inspired by this iconic image of the two founders of Ms. Magazine, Gloria Steinem and Dorothy Pitman-Hughes, which was taken by Dan Wynn in 1971 for Esquire Magazine. It shows Steinem and Hughes sharing a large skirt, each with a raised fist salute, to demonstrate feminist solidarity. It's still regarded as one of the most iconic photographs of the feminist movement in the continuous fight for equal rights.

SANCTUARY LIFE

FOA MARKS MILESTONES AT PRIMARILY PRIMATES

THANKS TO MEMBER SUPPORT

BY NICOLE RIVARD ILLUSTRATION BY JORDAN ROWE

T

his summer you might hear more “hmm” sounds and moans than usual, as well as other vocalizations, from the ring-tailed lemurs who call Primarily Primates, Friends of Animals' Texas-based sanctuary, home. While typically gregarious, they’ve got even more to “talk” about because two of the largest 1999-era lemur habitats at PPI are getting an overhaul.

New interior climbing structures designed to enrich lemurs’ daily exercise and play are sure to be hot topics of conversation among the 15 lemurs, five of whom came to PPI after being subjects of a university behavioral research program. The others were abandoned pets left

Summer / Fall 2018 | 15

Jordan

in cages on a porch.

A lemur’s life expectancy is 16-19 years in the wild, but up to 30 years in a sanctuary like PPI, benefitting from consistent nutrition and veterinary care. Therefore maintenance of their housing and climbing structures is essential.

The lemur habitat renovation is just one of the many accomplishments Friends of Animals has achieved since it took over management of PPI in 2007. But none of it would be possible without our members’ support.

The physical capacity of the renovated habitats will easily accommodate newly rescued lemurs. PPI expects it will continue to rescue lemurs indefinitely because smaller primates may be increasingly used in labs due to chimpanzees no longer being available for experimentation (See Q & A page 20).

And unfortunately, people still mistakenly think that primates make good pets. Earlier this year, PPI received a call from Broadway Oaks

16 | Friends of Animals

Animal Hospital in San Antonio, alerting the sanctuary that someone dropped off a pet female ring-tailed lemur who had been mauled by a dog.

Care staff at PPI appropriately named her Phoenix, a nod to classical mythology, because she has defeated hard times and challenges, which is remarkable. Most of her right hand was ripped off, requiring PPI’s veterinarian Dr. Valerie Kirk to perform surgery in the sanctuary’s on-site clinic, which was established in 2013, another huge milestone.

Kirk removed what was left of Phoenix’s right hand along with her forearm. But Phoenix is now thriving at PPI. Recently, Phoenix was healthy enough for an introduction to her new companion—Jordan, another ring-tailed lemur. They are now living together, quietly grooming each other like old friends.

Here are some other things FoA has achieved at PPI thanks to your investments:

a cupola where chimpanzees can climb 25 feet to view the tree tops.

Overhead tunnels connect habitats so that three to five groups of chimpanzees have access to this exciting area in which to explore.

Young Oliver sometimes moved fully upright, instead of hunching forward on shoulders and arms as most chimpanzees do. Like many others in the 1960s, Oliver was stolen as a youngster from a family of chimpanzees in Africa, and would never again go home. It was his quirky way of walking that set the peculiar fate that would befall Oliver, because it caught the eye of entertainers who saw the opportunity to market the hapless soul as the “Missing Link” between humans and the rest of the animal world. So Oliver became an international spectacle: the Humanzee. A string of promoters, including New York lawyer Michael Miller, touted Oliver as a possible chimpanzee-human hybrid. Seen on The Ed Sullivan Show and Japan’s Nippon television, Oliver was touted

THE UNVEILING OF THE PRIMADOME March 22, 2014 was an emotional day at PPI for those gathered outside the new PrimaDome to cheer on chimps Wanda and Beauregard as they experienced the new habitat for the first time. Enrichment elements in the PrimaDome, (aka Oliver’s Playground, which was named after a former resident at PPI), include a grassy floor, a variety of climbing structures and hammocks, and

wanda

as a sherry-sipping, stogie-puffing, coffee-loving, jet-setting star who was sexually attracted to humans.

Few ever mentioned that Oliver once lived free in the Congo. Or that the promoters tethered and led Oliver by a chain. After the entertainment world lost interest, Oliver was sold, one last time, to the research-broker Buckshire Corporation of Pennsylvania.

The flexibility of the PrimaDome allows care staff to vary play elements and hide toys and treats for the apes to discover throughout the day. “A captive animal of such high

beau intelligence as a chimpanzee needs regular mental stimulation to ward off boredom and maintain good mental and physical health,” said Kirk, PPI’s veterinarian. “This playground provides that and lends itself very well to the addition of further enrichment, making each visit to the playground a stimulating and fun adventure.”

The seed for the $110,000 PrimaDome was planted in 2012

phoenix then

when FoA President Priscilla Feral toured the Center for Great Apes, a lovely sanctuary for chimpanzees and orangutans in Florida with an array of enclosures marketed by PrimaDome. The company’s geodesic domes connected through overhead tunnels to other habitats. Seeing the apes enjoying the vertical space inside the domes, Feral was inspired and introduced this design to PPI. Oliver’s Playground was made possible by support from the San Antonio Area Foundation and other generous donations. Producer and director of Danger Dog Films, Andy Cockrum, joined by his father, made the first pledge to start off the fundraising effort at PPI.

phoenix now!

FIRST MAJOR SURGERY ON SITE When obstetrician and gynecologist Dr. Lillian Jones first met Effie, a 28-year-old chimpanzee resident at PPI, she admits the animal was larger than she anticipated. But that

Oliver, with animal handler frank burger, on stage at the NYC Summer / Fall 2018 17 6 Explorer’s Club in| 197

oliver at ppi in 2004

capuchins get plenty of exercise and mental stimulation in their new habitat

didn’t deter her from wanting to perform a hysterectomy that would save the chimp’s life. “I decided right away that I would do the surgery,” Jones recalled.

Effie needed a hysterectomy to remove large fibroid tumors. Effie needed a miracle and she got something even better, a whole team of

miracle workers, who performed the successful one-and-a-half hour procedure on March 20, 2015 inside PPI’s first brick and mortar clinic.

Effie was born at a research facility in San Antonio and then sold to the now-defunct Coulston Foundation, which was located in New Mexico, in 1998. Despite animal welfare violations, Coulston grew to be the largest holding of chimpanzees for biomedical research in the world. Before it was shut down, chimpanzees were used for toxicology, pre-clinical drug testing, as well as infectious disease research. Naturally, Effie was quite shy and wary when she first came to the sanctuary. After the surgery, however, Effie was not only given a second chance at life, the surgery made her much more outgoing because of the extra time spent with care staff.

GREEN SPACE INITIATIVE

CHIMPANZEE BEDROOM MAKEOVERS Cheetah, Siri and Violet, who reside up on the hill overlooking the pond at PPI, were the first to get night building makeovers that not only include structural enhancements, but also improves the comfort and coziness

An initiative to increase new green spaces at the sanctuary to enrich the experiences of lemurs, capuchins and macaques came to fruition in 2015. The grass bottom spaces range from 10 by 12 feet to 15 by 25 feet and are landscaped naturally to replicate the primates’ habitat in the wild.

They are connected to their existing enclosures and feature lots of ropes and vines, providing ample room

Order your own PPI T-shirt at primarilyprimates.org.

Proceeds support animal care.

18 | Friends of Animals

and opportunity to play and discover.

The addition of the new green spaces gives primates a more stimulating environment because they have additional choices as to how they would like to spend their day. We continue to construct more green spaces each year.

dr. valerie kirk

capuchin's!

of their bedrooms. Seven more have been completely remodeled since the project got underway in 2015.

In captivity a chimp’s life expectancy is 50 years, so sanctuaries like PPI must keep up with maintenance of their housing, ensuring it will last for many years to come. This renovation extends the life of their habitat 20-25 years. The use of galvanized steel around the exterior of the bedrooms and on access doors eliminates rust and bare metal, which also provides a safer environment for chimps.

The six-bedroom enclosure model has been reconfigured to create two large bedrooms. Staff members have discovered that when sleeping, chimpanzees tend to crowd together to stay warm, so smaller bedrooms can become cramped.

Creating two large bedrooms alleviates this issue. Increasing warmth will be even more appreciated in the winter months.

EFFIE

The larger bedroom configuration also allows the creation of new bedding structures in the future, such as hanging hammocks. Since most of the chimps who call PPI home are over 35, including this group, railings have been installed to make it easier for them to move around their bedrooms and to climb into their beds.

Less individual bedrooms make cleaning and sanitizing easier too, which creates an overall healthier environment.

All in all, the renovations are a win-win for the chimps and their care staff, and everyone at PPI is extremely grateful to members and The Aid to Helpless Animals Trust and Winnie Converse Tappan Charitable Trust of the San Antonio Area Foundation for making the improvements possible.

CAPUCHIN HABITAT PROJECT In 2015, PPI tore down two worn out capuchin enclosures that were built in the 1980s to replace them with a new 35’-by-35’-by-20’ high new habitat. The more modern expanded structure has greatly improved the living and sleeping areas for the capuchins. The new habitat offers more sunshine, and a safe interesting area full of components that lend themselves to exercise and mental stimulation. Capuchins are indigenous to Central and South America and are known for their intelligence, which is why they have been

exploited through vivisection and the entertainment industry. It has been well documented that they not only use tools, but teach their offspring to perform complicated tasks using tools too.

As you can see, FoA is constantly reaching new milestones at PPI, while striving to create new ways to improve the lives of the 350 animals who call the sanctuary home. While it’s a labor of love, we are eternally grateful for the support of our members and donors who sustain our efforts.

SAVE THE DATE FOR PPI’S ANNUAL FUNDRAISER TO BE HELD SATURDAY, OCT. 6, 2018, IN SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS. FOR MORE INFO, VISIT PRIMARILYPRIMATES.ORG

Summer / Fall 2018 | 19

Q&A

STORY AND PHOTOGRAPH BY NICOLE RIVARD

MAKING STRIDES IN ENDING THE OPPRESSION OF PRIMATES IN RESEARCH

Barbara at Primarily Primates

I

t’s hard to imagine that in 2005, when chimpanzee Barbara first arrived at Primarily Primates, the sanctuary Friends of Animals manages in San Antonio, Texas, she was extremely afraid of everything about her new surroundings.

Care staff says that these days Barbara likes to trade old enrichment items—such as blankets, books and stuffed animals—for new objects.

In March, she and Shu Shu, who she shares a habitat with, were introduced to Jason, and in no time the three chimps were hanging out in their woven fire hose

20 | Friends of Animals

hammock like long lost friends, grooming each other fondly.

In her previous life, Barbara was shuffled between biomedical research centers. Because primates have rich emotional and social lives, they suffer greatly when confined to laboratory settings and used in scientific procedures.

Unfortunately, many of the chimpanzees and smaller primates who call PPI home have similar stories. Some were used as models to study behavior and cognitive abilities, test vaccines and develop treatments for hepatitis.

In her previous life, Barbara was shuffled between biomedical research centers.

Because primates have rich emotional and social lives, they suffer greatly when confined in laboratory settings and used in scientific procedures.

species include common marmosets, squirrel monkeys, olive baboons, vervet monkeys (also known as grivet or African green monkeys), and night monkeys (also known as owl monkeys).

As long as primates or any other non-human animal are used in research, FoA will not stop advocating through legislation and education efforts for vivisection to be abolished. As taxpayers in the U.S., people need to know that tax dollars fund the National Institutes of Health, which in turn grants funding to research institutions. It is not uncommon for research facilities to receive billions in taxpayer dollars for animal experiments.

Recently we talked to Jessica Dickard, program associate of the New England Anti-Vivisection Society (NEAVS), about strides that have been made in the last 10 years towards ending the oppression of animals in science and what people can do to help. While there is still a long way to go, the good news is there has been progress.

For example, April, who was captured in the wild around 1971, was eventually leased to Pennsylvania-based Buckshire Corporation and used as a breeder for hepatitis B research. April was thin and shy when she arrived at PPI. It took months of loving care from our staff to help her become comfortable with human interaction.

PPI also cares for 54 macaques, a species that makes up the majority of non-human primates imported for research, according to the American Anti-Vivisection Society (AAVS).

AAVS also points out that other highly-imported

CAN YOU DISCUSS CHANGES THAT HAVE OCCURRED IN TERMS OF ENDING THE USE OF PRIMATES IN RESEARCH IN THE LAST 10 YEARS? Over the past decade, we have worked very hard to bring forward some key advances toward ending the use of primates in research. Following a 2011 Institute of Medicine study on the necessity of use for chimpanzees in research, which concluded that there were no existing areas of biomedical research that require the use of chimpanzees, in 2013 the National Institutes of Health announced that it would be phasing out funding and use for chimpanzees in research. In June 2015, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service classified all chimpanzees as

Summer / Fall 2018 | 21

endangered, which made it unlawful to conduct invasive research without a permit. Soon after the decision went into effect, the NIH made an announcement that it would no longer support biomedical research on chimpanzees, and planned to retire all NIH-owned chimpanzees to accredited sanctuaries. While this is certainly a victory at face value, many chimpanzees still remain in labs today, awaiting their turn to be moved into sanctuaries.

Although the NIH continues to fund research on other primates, continued pressure on industries has effectuated some positive steps. Greater public interest in the subject has garnered increased media attention, leading to worldwide news coverage of atrocities, such as the Volkswagen diesel fume testing on macaques and FDA nicotine experiments on squirrel monkeys, both of which have since been terminated. Most major airline companies no longer allow the transport of primates for research purposes, and a higher level of public scrutiny around the use of primates in research continues to develop.

ARE THERE ANY NEW ALTERNATIVES TO ANIMAL RESEARCH THAT HAVE PROVEN TO BE AN EFFECTIVE REPLACEMENT FOR PRIMATE TEST MODELS? Despite the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) regulation that mandates environmental enhancement to promote psychological well-being, primates in laboratories continue to suffer from psychological trauma, and outwardly display signs of emotional distress including stereotypical behavior and self-mutilation. NEAVS continues to work tirelessly to end the oppression of all primates in research labs, by supporting the development and adoption of scientifically superior alternatives to replace primates and to ensure that they are properly released to a sanctuary.

Organ-on-a-chip technology (micro-chips lined by human living cells that closely mimic the key physiological functions of body organs) have shown great potential to replace animals in laboratories, including, in some instances, primates. They have shown potential to provide superior in vitro (test tube) test methods that mimic human biological response with greater accuracy than animal models on a broad scale of application across biomedical

research. For example, scientists at Imperial College in London recently used a liver-on-a-chip platform to study the effect of hepatitis B virus, and noted similar biological responses to the virus as a real human liver. The replacement of in vitro technology for studying hepatitis B would have tremendous implications for primates who are currently being used to study this disease.

IS THERE ANY CURRENT FEDERAL LEGISLATION THAT WE SHOULD BE ASKING OUR MEMBERS TO SUPPORT? Yes. At a federal level, we encourage our members to contact their legislators and ask them to support the following legislation: H.R. 2790, The Humane Cosmetics Act, which would phase out the use of animals for cosmetic testing and the sale of cosmetics tested on animals in the U.S. H.R. 1368/S. 503, the Animal Welfare Accountability and Transparency Act, which would require the USDA to restore availability of certain regulatory records produced

by Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service inspections, including noncompliance reports and enforcement actions for USDA-licensed facilities and businesses. This bill would also amend the Internal Revenue Code to require the use of an alternative depreciation system for taxpayers who were found to violate the AWA to prevent violators from taking advantage of certain tax benefits and protect taxpayers from unknowingly subsidizing animal cruelty.

WHAT IS NEAVS' ETHICAL SCIENCE EDUCATION COALITION AND HOW DOES IT FIT IN TO ABOLISHING THE USE OF ANIMALS IN RESEARCH? The NEAVS Ethical Science Education Campaign is our humane education program, which aims to end the use of animals at all levels of science education. ESEC provides free educational materials through our Alternatives Loan Library, including advanced software, manuals and dissection models. ESEC also provides informational resources for students and teachers, including a downloadable poster with guidelines and strategies for students who want an alternative to specimen dissection, and a map of states in the U.S. that currently have dissection choice laws or policies in place.

WHAT DO YOU TELL PEOPLE WHO THINK WE NEED TO EXPERIMENT ON ANIMALS TO FIND CURES FOR DISEASES LIKE AIDS AND CANCER? In general, animals have proven to be very poor models for human disease research. Because they are genetically different from humans, studying illness in animals can give us inadequate or erroneous information. Even chim-

Jessica Dickard

Barbara enjoys a green pepper at Primarily Primates. Photograph by Jane Seymour

panzees, our closest genetic relatives, do not accurately predict results in humans—for example unlike humans, chimpanzees infected with HIV do not become sick with symptoms of HIV or AIDS. Chimpanzee research failed to help us develop a vaccine to prevent AIDS. And despite millions of animals used in cancer research, roughly 95% of cancer drugs that enter human clinical testing fail despite what the animal experiments may have led researchers to assume, and our incidences of cancer have continued to rise. According to Dr. Richard Klausner, former director of the National Cancer Institute, "We have cured cancer in mice for decades—and it simply didn’t work in humans."

DO YOU HAVE A LIST OF COMPANIES WE SHOULD ASK OUR MEMBERS TO BOYCOTT SINCE THEY STILL USE ANIMALS IN RESEARCH? ON THE FLIP SIDE, WHAT COMPANIES CAN WE ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO SUPPORT? As a founding member of the Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics, we encourage companies to register for Leaping Bunny certification, which requires a voluntary pledge to abstain from animal testing at all stages of product development for cosmetics, personal

care and/or household products. We promote certified brands through multiple platforms, including tabling events where we often provide product samples, and cruelty-free shopping guides. Many of these brands— including Avalon Organics (a personal favorite of mine), Dr. Bronner’s, Giovanni, and JĀSÖN—can be found in local drug stores and supermarkets. While there are too many great companies to list here, there is a website that offers an online cruelty-free database, which can be accessed here: www.leapingbunny.org/guide/brands.

It is important to note that some companies will state that they oppose animal testing, but still pay for it to be conducted when required by law (i.e. in China). Others may note that a final product is “not tested on animals;” however, this statement fails to indicate whether or not individual ingredients have been tested. We don’t have a comprehensive listing of companies that currently test on animals, but work to educate consumers on how to make ethical choices and avoid purchasing products that do not reflect their ethics and values.

Summer / Fall 2018 | 23

VEG NEWS

CAMPUS VEGANS MAKING THEIR VOICES HEARD

BY FRAN SILVERMAN

I

n a busy dining hall at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, Jolene Leuchten, 19, was camped out at a table with four friends, tucking into noodles with peanut sauce. She had waited online quite a while for her lunch. That’s because that pasta is popular with all the students at Wesleyan and lines for the meal snaked around the cafeteria.

Leuchten and her friends were enjoying not only the peanut noodles that day, but an array of vegan options—steamed broccoli and wild rice salad were also being served, as was steamed quinoa, French lentils, marinated locally-sourced tofu, and roasted red beets, which were side dishes at other food stations.

Like many freshmen, Leuchten had chosen her college carefully, and one important criterion was whether

24 | Friends of Animals

plant-based entrees would be plentiful on campus.

“I knew Wesleyan had vegan options every single day and lots of them,’’ she said. “In fact, a lot of people find it easier being vegan at school rather than home.”

Sophia Korostoff-Larsson, 19, agreed. She said she had been considering becoming vegan for a while but when she arrived at Wesleyan, she made the commitment because vegan options were so available.

The students said they found the campus culture very supportive.

“I feel like at Wesleyan it’s so common to be vegan. If you sit down at any table at lunch, there’s bound to be a vegan,’’ said Leuchten.

Every other Tuesday, the entire dining hall offers only meatless options, a request by vegan and vege-

tarian students. And while Veg Out Tuesdays met with some pushback from some students—including many athletes—other students are gravitating toward the plant-based meals.

And student groups are trying to spread the word about veganism.

The campus group Veg Out sponsored a sign out front of the dining hall that describes in detail where to find protein in a plethora of plantbased foods. The campus dining service, Bon Appetit, a food company dedicated to locally-grown plantbased meals that services Wesleyan, also held an information session on the social and environmental impact of food production and the sources of Wesleyan’s food, some of which comes from campus gardens.

INCREASING DEMAND Chef Stephanie Zinowski, a vegan, has been at Wesleyan for 15 years.

She said in that time, she’s had to double her orders from vegan-based ingredients to keep up with demand.

When Wesleyan hired her to cook vegan meals, she said, the administration thought she was going to need to cook for just a handful of students to keep them happy. Zinowski, who became a vegan almost 40 years ago, said so much has changed since then, when the only options for vegan on-campus meals were peanut butter and jelly and the salad bar.

Now cultural awareness, an ever-increasing array of vegan ingredients and increasing demand by students has changed college dining halls.

“Forty years ago, it was, here is

your one option for lunch, eat it or don’t,’’ said Zinowski. “Things have changed so much since I became vegan.”

There’s no doubt colleges have been paying more attention to their dining halls and food options as they compete with each other for students.

Just four years ago, only 28 percent, or 225, of 1,500 four-year colleges and universities surveyed in the U.S. served vegan menu items.

Now 62 percent—960—serve vegan food, according to a recent survey.

Maisie Ganzler, chief strategy and brand officer for Bon Appetit, which services 75 colleges nationwide, said so many students are eating less meat that campuses have to respond with better, more attractive vegan and vegetarian meals. Six percent of U.S. residents identify as vegan, up from one percent in 2014, according to a Top Trends in Prepared Foods 2017 report.

“In general, chefs are more open to concentrating on non-meat dishes as being the center of the plate, as being something that can be a great outlet for culinary creativity and skills,’’ said Ganzler.

Bon Appetit supports a farm-to-fork program and requires its dining halls to locally source a percentage of its foods. Chefs share recipes and they do not have to follow a corporate menu.

Eric Pecherkiewicz, a registered dietitian at Oberlin, said the college has been exploring vegan meals from a variety of cultures and countries.

Students, he said, keep the dining

staff on their toes, telling the vegan chefs what they want more or less of during meals.

“We have a lot of feedback mechanisms,’’ said Pecherkiewicz. “A lot of times they will tell us things we don’t think about, like can we get a vegan cream cheese alternative.”

At MIT, chef Brian P. McCarthy knows intrinsically what vegans want because he is one. He has experienced his own struggles of trying to find meals at a company or college that had meager vegan options. At college campuses, where vegans are paying the same amount as meat eaters for their food service, it’s a question of fairness, he noted.

“My first year at MIT I put in a soy milk dispenser. I knew as a vegan that was a magical thing because now you can have cereal. Now students are asking for the soy milk dispensers at other dining halls on campus,’’ said McCarthy, who joined the cooking staff at MIT five years ago. “I started buying vegan burgers

"A lot of people find it easier being vegan at school rather than home.”

Summer / Fall 2018 | 25

instead of vegetarian burgers and all vegan bread and Hampton Creek mayonnaise if I make potato salad.”

Public colleges and universities are also making vegan options more available.

At Salisbury University in Maryland, which contracts with Sysco for its dining service, Plato’s Plate, which opened three years ago, is a popular dining station in the main cafeteria.

“In years past, there was less participation and less options to offer students and students would eat less of the vegan entrees. Now we don’t have any leftovers,’’ said Susah Noah, assistant director of Salisbury’s dining services.

The dining hall has also instituted meatless Mondays.

“Students are very conscious about what they are putting in their bodies,’’ said Noah. “The need for (vegan food) is going to increase. I think this is going to become the norm.”

LAGGING BEHIND While many colleges and universities are increasing vegan options, others are still lagging behind. Only 135 campuses of the 1,500 surveyed in the recent study have entirely vegan dining stations.

Harvard offers vegetarian options at all meals but not always vegan options, said sophomore Joseph Winters, who is a member of VEGITAS, an undergraduate vegan group on campus.

This despite the fact that students are required to pay for a mandatory dining room plan, which costs upwards of $6,000.

“Harvard definitely still has a lot more work to do,’’ said Winters.

(Harvard did not respond to a request for comment by Action Line.)

But students like Winters who attend colleges that aren’t as plant forward as others are still working to change the food culture on campus and have figured out ways to sustain their preferred lifestyle.

Winters opted to live in a co-op that is not part of the Harvard meal

Four years ago, only 28 percent, or 225, of 1,500 four-year colleges and universities surveyed in the U.S. served vegan menu items. Now 62 percent – 960 – serve vegan food.

26 | Friends of Animals

program so he can cook vegan meals.

The Harvard’s Vegan Society hosted an Ivy League Vegan Conference and VEGITAS, the undergraduate group, has held sampling events on campus and distributes flyers about vegan restaurants nearby, hoping to raise awareness and educate students.

“Universities are not change makers, it’s the culture and what people will demand of their universities,’’ said Winters.

VEGAN FORWARD Students whose first-choice colleges don’t have great plant-based entrees can start teaming up with animal rights, environmental and food groups on campus and request meetings with dining staff. At the meetings they can discuss the need for more vegan options, present specific

Clockwise from top left: Photos by Fran Silverman. Wesleyan chef Stephanie Zinowski; Veg Out, a campus group at Wesleyan, sponsored this sign outside the dining hall that describes where to find protein in plant-based foods. Photos courtesy of Bon Appetit. Deconstructed vegan s'more, refried black bean tostada, MIT chef Brian McCarthy and Mediterranean pita bar.

recipes and offer a list of condiments and non-dairy alternatives the dining service can purchase.

“My advice to students is to approach campus chefs in a friendly and collaborative manner and ask how they can support them in increasing vegan options,’’ said Ganzler of Bon Appetit. “Start with the assumption that the chef wants to serve food that customers like and they need information.”

McCarthy, of MIT, said students must keep up the pressure. Vegans may have the reputation of being vocal about their diets but students need to do more.

“They think, I don’t want to be that person, but really, be that person.

Speak up,’’ said McCarthy. “Vegan students pay the same amount of money and deserve a good meal.”

SHARE YOUR PICS HAVE YOU HAD A PARTICULARLY DELICIOUS VEGAN DISH AT YOUR COLLEGE CAFETERIA OR A RECIPE YOU WANT TO SHARE WITH OTHER CAMPUS DINING HALLS? HAS YOUR CAMPUS HELD A VEGOUT DAY? WE WANT TO SEE IT SO TAKE PICTURES AND TAG THEM ON TWITTER OR INSTAGRAM WITH #FRIENDSOFANIMALS SO WE CAN SHARE THEM WITH OUR FOLLOWERS.

LEGAL MATTERS

BY FRAN SILVERMAN PHOTOGRAPH BY SAMUEL THOMPSON

A

CALIFORNIA WILDLIFE DOGGED BY INHUMANE GPS HOUND COLLARS

s if hunting wasn’t gruesome and immoral enough, California has reversed a long-standing ban on allowing dogs with GPS collars to assist in hunting mammals, a move Friends of Animals is challenging in court.

California prohibits the use of dogs to pursue bears and bobcats, but allows hound dogs to pursue pigs and deer. It had prohibited the use of GPS collars on hound dogs, but in December 2017 the California Fish and Game Commission, bowing to sport-hunting interests, moved to lift the ban claiming the prohibition was no longer necessary, would aid in the retrieval of lost dogs and would have no harmful effect on the environment.

But GPS collars create far more threats to wildlife and dogs themselves than hunters care to admit.

“Hunters can use GPS collars to release more, and often untrained dogs, farther away where they do not have control over the dogs. This will result in increased wildlife encounters where dogs may kill or maul non-target wildlife and may be the target of an attack themselves,’’ Jennifer Best, assistant legal director of FoA’s Wildlife Law Program, wrote in a statement to the commission.

GPS collars also disrupt the natural behavior of non-targeted wildlife. Releasing a large pack of unleashed dogs will lead wildlife to abandon foraging areas or nesting sites and will increase stress and risk of predator attacks, FoA noted.

Additionally, the collars increase poaching opportunities. Califor-

28 | Friends of Animals

nia’s Turn in Poachers and Polluters program found that some of the most commonly poached species are deer and most poaching occurs in rural areas. Smart phones and GPS devices enable poachers to find their prey more easily and provide opportunities for hunters to signal others that their hounds have treed a bear or other wildlife that poachers may want.

“GPS collars/treeing switches enable poachers to easily reach cornered, treed, or indiscriminate wildlife,’’ Best said. “It also allows poachers to release dogs in more remote areas, where it is easier to evade law enforcement. Poachers can kill vulnerable wildlife and then delete any data stored on the GPS tracker device to ensure they escape detection. GPS collars also make it easier for hunters to collude with hounders or guides to participate in hunts of species that are illegal to hound hunt, such as bears or bobcats.”

FoA, along with the Public Interest Coalition (PIC), has been fighting several previous attempts by the Commission to lift the ban.

“GPS collars will allow hunters to release untrained dogs that range out of control for many miles, and follow the dogs on a digital screen,’’ said PIC Chair Marilyn Jasper. “Hunters are no longer physically involved in the actual hunt or chase. When GPS signals indicate dogs have stopped, hunters cannot know what the dogs are up to, nor can they immediately stop dog attacks on vulnerable wildlife, such as fawns or endangered species. The dogs, themselves, will

be at greater risk of being attacked by predators without hunters being able to intervene in time.”

The commission’s actions in favor of hunters, who represent less than one percent of the state’s population and whose numbers continue to dwindle, are out of step with the wishes of most state residents and wildlife watchers, who have pumped more than $3 billion into the state.

Most states don’t even allow hound hunting of deer—only 11 do currently and most are in the South.

California is among many states that also don’t allow drones in hunting.

“Here we have a small group of public officials that are beholden to hunting interests willing to disregard the fact that most Californians find the practice of killing these animals senseless and barbaric,’’ said FoA’s Wildlife Law Program Director Michael Harris.

In the lawsuit filed in Superior Court in California, FoA, along with the PIC and the Animal Legal Defense Fund, contend that allowing the use of GPS collars on hounds violates state regulations that require hunters to be in control of their dogs at all times.

Lifting the ban violates penal codes that make it a misdemeanor to cause any animal to fight with any other type of animal for the person’s amusement or gain and the rules of fair chase. The Game Commission also failed to conduct adequate environmental impact reviews when it announced notice it was lifting the ban, the lawsuit states.

Summer / Fall 2018 | 29

IN YOUR BACKYARD

BY NICOLE RIVARD

BECOME A WATCHDOG OF WATERWAYS SUMMERTIME IS THE PERFECT TIME TO START LIGHTENING YOUR IMPACT ON AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS AND ANIMALS

30 | Friends of Animals

I

t’s hard to admit, but I’d never thought of coral as a living, breathing animal, until my eyes brimmed with tears while I was watching a screening of "Chasing Coral," the documentary that puts a spotlight on coral bleaching—the mass ocean epidemic where coral polyps release too much of their algae and starve themselves.

Seeing their brilliant colorful polyps and tentacles moving around, and teeming with life—one quarter of all ocean species depend on coral for food and shelter—turn ghostlike from bleaching was unnerving.

The goal of the film, which is available on Netflix, is to educate the masses on why coral bleaching happens: Our oceans are warming as they are forced to absorb massive, harmful amounts of carbon that humans release into the atmosphere.

During a Q&A after the screening of the film at Grace Farms in New Canaan, Connecticut, I learned that in addition to climate change, other stress factors include pollution from urban and agricultural pesticide runoff and sedimentation from undersea activities like dredging. Compounding the problem, according to a new study published in

the journal Science, is the 11.1 billion plastic items that entangle the Asian Pacific's coral reefs, including discarded fishing equipment.

But all is not lost. The biggest takeaway for me was that whether you live near a coral reef or not, you can prevent stress factors and plastic pollution in your local waterways, some of which empty into the sea, and that’s empowering.

Because in doing so, you will be keeping an untold number of marine animals out of harm’s way.

IMPACTS OF MISMANAGED TRASH There is a substantial body of evidence documenting the harmful effects of aquatic plastic debris on river and marine organisms, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It has been estimated that plastic marine debris adversely affects at least 267 species globally, including 86% of sea turtles, 44% of seabirds and 43% of marine mammals.

Sea turtles, for example, readily consume plastic bags because they look so much like jellyfish. And seabirds are prone to ingesting microplastic debris that floats. The ingestion of plastic parti-

cles can lead to impairment of feeding due to blockage of the digestive system, decreased mobility, reduction of reproductive capacity, infection, suffocation and starvation.

Microplastics come from large pieces of plastic that eventually break up or from health and beauty aids like exfoliating facial scrubs and toothpastes that use synthetic microbeads.

While microbeads are only a portion of the problem, thankfully Congress passed the Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015. The deadline to stop manufacturing rinse-off cosmetics was July 1, 2017 and the deadline to stop the introduction of these products into

interstate commerce is July 1, 2018.

Rinse-off cosmetics that are also considered non-prescription drugs cannot be manufactured after July 1, 2018 and cannot be sold after July 1, 2019.

Aquatic plastic debris not only affects animals, it can alter their habitat. As debris accumulates, habitat structure may be modified, light levels may be reduced in underlying waters and oxygen levels depleted.

Friends of Animals’ headquarters happens to be near a plethora of important coastal habitats, including beaches and dunes, coastal wetlands, shellfish reefs and freshwater wetlands.

That’s because we are located along

Long Island Sound, a tidal estuary of the Atlantic Ocean. Estuaries are places where saltwater from the ocean mixes with fresh water from rivers draining from the land, and they are among the most productive ecosystems on earth. Long Island Sound was declared a National Estuary of Significance by Congress in 1987.

But estuaries can become dumpsters for human waste.

“The biggest threat to Long Island Sound is the pressure of people living on it. You have 20 million people living within 50 miles of the coast. All of that activity backs up into the Long Island Sound,” said Leigh Shemitz, president of Soundwaters, a nonprofit established to protect the Sound through education and action.

Shemitz points out that pesticides from people’s lawns negatively impact the Sound, but old-fashioned litter is one of the biggest issues—after a big rain, the coastline will be scattered with litter.

Items such as coffee cups, single-use plastic carry-out bags, produce bags and deflated balloons that didn’t make it to a garbage receptacle or that overflowed will eventually flow to Long Island Sound. And microplastics are assaulting the Sound too.

Likewise, at any given time, an estimated 165 million plastic particles are floating in estuaries that stretch from the Tappan Zee Bridge, along the lower Hudson River, south to Sandy Hook Bay in New Jersey, according to a 2016 study released by the environment group NY/NJ Baykeeper. Eight-five percent were microplastics, about the size of a grain of rice.

Summer / Fall 2018 | 31

PREVENTION AT THE SOURCE The best way to stop plastic pollution is at its source, says Sandra Meola, outreach director for NY/NJ Baykeeper.

She points out that Americans must do something about their plastic addiction because it just doesn’t make sense to use single-use products of an indestructible material for minutes and then discard them when they stay in the environment for hundreds of years.

She’s encouraged when she sees local governments and schools taking a stand against Americans' obsession with convenience and single-use plastics. For instance, Rahway, New Jersey, has long banned plastic-foam containers, and New York City has eliminated styrofoam trays in all of its public schools. That decision in 2013 eliminated 860,000 styrofoam trays used

per day in 1,800 schools. Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, Orlando, and Dallas public schools have followed suit. NY/ NJ Baykeeper is currently advocating for a New Jersey bill that would ban styrofoam in all public schools and universities in the state.

Other foot soldiers in the movement to reverse Americans plastic addiction are notable cities such as Austin, Cambridge, Chicago and Seattle that have banned single-use plastic carry-out bags (unfortunately this doesn’t include plastic produce bags), and so have the entire states of California and Hawaii.

November marked a year since the ban went into effect in California.

Preliminary data showed that plastic bags, both the banned and still legal variety, accounted for 3.1% of the litter collected from the state’s beaches

during the 2017 Coastal Cleanup Day, down from 7.4% in 2010, according to the Los Angeles Times.

“It’s an evolution of the consumer that we are really focusing on, combined with education and legislative efforts,” Meola said.

Shemitz concurs: “In terms of the Long Island Sound, the challenge with education is getting people living along it to see that small daily actions add up to incredible impact, positive or negative. That’s a pretty powerful story.”

FoA couldn’t agree more.

That’s why we’ve rounded up the best tips from Soundwaters, NY/ NJBaykeeper and the EPA for anyone wanting to lighten their impact on the aquatic ecosystems in their own backyard this summer.

LIGHTEN YOUR

AQUATIC IMPACT USE REUSABLE CLOTH CARRY-OUT BAGS, (LIKE FOA’S TOTE ON PAGE 46) WHEN SHOPPING & REUSABLE PRODUCE BAGS Each person uses on average more than 700 plastic bags a year, according to Meola. Whether it’s single-use or thicker plastic bags, or even paper bags, all of them end up as waste. Interestingly, single-use plastic grocery bags were not introduced into the U.S. until 1979 and didn’t become mainstream until 1985, according to The Atlantic Magazine article “How Plastic Became So Popular,” published in 2014. Society can survive without them! Some reusable cloth and mesh produce bags we found that can be purchased online are: ecobags.com; chicobags.com; vejibag. com; naturalhomebrands.com; flipandtumble.com.

32 | Friends of Animals

PACK A WASTE-FREE LUNCH Do away with throw-away lunch packaging.

Each child who brings a brown bag lunch to school every day generates 67 pounds of waste each year.

Replace juice cartons with a thermos. Friends of Animals insulated lunch bag with Velcro closure and a handle to carry is just $7.

LUNCH BOX Insulated bag with Velcro closure and a handle to carry your meat-free lunch. $7

CARRY A REUSABLE WATER BOTTLE Each week Americans buy enough plastic water bottles to circle the earth five times, according to the EPA. Reusable glass or stainless steel bottles are better for our waterways. There are plenty of water filtration systems to ensure water from your tap is healthy and tastes great. And since a lot of places have refillable water stations now, you can save money too. Here are a few bottle recommendations from NY/NJ Baykeeper: Love Bottles; Faucet Face; Life Factory; bkr; Klean Kanteen and Pura Stainless.

SKIP THE STRAW Americans use 500 million plastic straws per day. Meola reports that straws are one of the most common items found during their cleanup efforts.

Say, “no straw please” when ordering a drink at a restaurant. Contact the manager of your frequented food service establishments and ask them if they would be willing to only provide straws upon request. She offers these glass straw options: Glass Dharma; Simply Straws and reuseit.

LIQUIDS TO GO Bring your own to-go mug with you to the coffee shop, smoothie shop or restaurant. It’s a great way to reduce lids and plastic cups.

ENACT A PLASTIC BAG BAN Ask your community to support a singleuse plastic carry-out bag ban or plastic foam container ban. On March 12, 2018, Greenwich, Connecticut, a town right in FoA’s backyard, became the second Connecticut municipality (Westport was the first) to ban single-use plastic carry-out bags. Jurisdictions that have instituted similar bans have seen significant changes. One year after Los Angeles County implemented its single-use plastic carry-out bag ban, there was a 95% reduction in the distribution of all single-use bags, including a 30% reduction in paper bags. San Jose has seen an 89% reduction of plastic bag litter in storm drains, a 60% reduction in creeks, and a 59% reduction in city streets. You can find LA County’s legislation here if you would like to introduce a similar bill in your own city or town: ladpw.org/epd/aboutthebag/pdf/ BagOrdinance_final.pdf

RID YOUR SCHOOL OF STYROFOAM TRAYS In 2013, NYC announced the decision to eliminate 860,000 styrofoam trays used per day in all 1,800 public schools, sparking the formation of the 6-City Urban School Food Alliance for collectively purchasing compostable plates to drive down cost and maximize purchasing power of the six cities. As of September of 2015, NYC, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, Orlando, and Dallas eliminated half a billion Styrofoam trays per year from landfills. Take the first step to rid your school of Styrofoam by starting a Cafeteria Ranger program.

Get started at cafeteriaculture.org/sort2save-kit.html

CHECK LABELS ON PRODUCTS President Obama signed the Microbead Free Waters Act in December 2015 that is phasing out all plastic microbeads by July 2019. Until then, avoid products that say polyethylene and polypropylene on the ingredient label. Check out NY/NJ Baykeeper’s plastic free product database: nynjbaykeeper.org/wp-content/ uploads/2015/03/Microbead-Free-Products-Database1.pdf

STOP EATING SEAFOOD Some of the plastics in the ocean are discarded fishing equipment from fisherman and the the seafood industry. Plus eating seafood robs marine life of the food it needs to survive.

JOIN COASTAL CLEANUP, SEPT. 15, OR START YOUR OWN Every year during Coastal Cleanup, hundreds of thousands of volunteers comb lakes, rivers and beaches around the world for trash. For over three decades, more than 12 million volunteers have collected over 220 million pounds of trash.

Visit oceanconservancy.org/trash-free-seas/international-coastal-cleanup/ for more information.

And Surfrider Foundation Chapters often hold cleanups monthly or more frequently.

Visit www.surfrider.org.

MCINTIRE

PICTURE

PERFECT

BY MEG 34 | Friends of Animals

PEOPLE WHO INSPIRE

WHY A PHOTOGRAPHIC SAFARI WITH CRAIG BERGER IS ONE OF THE BEST WAYS TO EXPERIENCE AFRICAN WILDLIFE

C

raig Berger found his calling in the late 90’s after being asked by a travel agent friend if he would be interested in guiding a group of senior travelers on an excursion to Africa.

“I loved it immediately and became a guide within a year,” said Berger, who spoke with Friends of Animals from his office in South Africa where he now runs his own company, Oasis Africa Photo Safaris.

Berger’s company only offers small-group custom African photo safaris throughout southern Africa, which provides the best opportunities for the trip of a lifetime. He works one-on-one with interested travelers to customize their experience and fit their needs and budget, and travels with them—doing everything from driving and setting up the perfect photo opportunities to cooking meals.

Berger has a true taste for adventure and always advises his clients to stay away from so-called “luxury resorts,” which are typically small and actually keep animals fenced in.

Instead, he steers them towards experiencing the beauty of South Africa’s

bountiful nature reserves and national parks.

“It's not every day that you can drive down a dusty bumpy road and see amazing zebras or kudus or wildebeests,” he said. “It is pure excitement, especially when that big bull elephant shakes his head and trumpets at you for being in his space.”

During the interview, Berger, who is from Weston, Connecticut, shares more about why he continues to answer the call of the wild and why he lives by this motto: “Leave nothing but footprints. Take nothing but photos. Waste nothing but time. Love and respect nature or it is gone forever.”

WHAT DO YOU FIND MOST REWARDING ABOUT THE SAFARIS? WHAT HAS BEEN MOST CHALLENGING? It is so rewarding on many levels. I get to spend quality time in wildlife reserves hunting for another perfect view. I am always thrilled to give my clients more than they ever expected to get from a safari. In truth, my job is quite easy because the product I'm selling (experiencing African nature and wildlife) is so superb.

What is challenging? Ha! Everything about doing business in Africa is a challenge. You get used to it, and when things go wrong, you just have to use the ancient expression, “Hey, it’s Africa.”

WHAT MAKES OASIS AFRICA DIFFERENT FROM OTHER SAFARI COMPANIES? Maybe because I am a one-man show most of the time. I market and run my tours without using travel agents or safari outfitters. I will only have, at

most, four clients in the vehicle.

These days, I think most people view a safari as part of a large group of strangers. They travel in large buses then do game drives in Open Safari Vehicles (OSVs). I see few other safari companies providing the bespoke service of a small-group safari. People seeking a safari adventure should do their homework and find out what is best for them.

DO ANY MEMORIES STAND OUT THAT REALLY CAPTURE WHAT IT’S LIKE TO GO ON A TRIP WITH YOU? Oh, gosh, don't get me started with stories! I've only had a couple of clients I regretted, and the rest of my clients helped create great moments. I've had many dozens of sightings that make amazing memories. Last October, I came upon 10 or 12 resting wild dogs (also called the African hunting dog) and then I noticed a lone male hyena with them. They are enemies, traditionally, but these guys were buds. I asked a few friends but no one had ever seen this before.

I've seen an elephant give birth.

I've also seen a mama elephant attack a small car sensing danger to her wee one because there were two people sticking out of the skylight taking snaps (a big big no no in most wildlife reserves).

Another time, I ran out of film one time while in a hide (a secluded area used for taking pictures of wildlife). I went back to the car for another roll, and while returning I saw something out of the side of my eye—two large male lions walking next to me at 20 feet. Be still my heart! The lions couldn't have cared less about me.

They changed course and headed down to the waterhole.

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THE PHOTOGRAPHY ON YOUR FACEBOOK PAGE IS ABSOLUTELY STUNNING. DO YOU HAVE ANY TIPS FOR WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHERS WHO ARE JUST BEGINNING? My safari clients come with all skill levels. Some are super photographers who need no help, but others have never made a good photo in their lives.

Most are in the middle level with their talent. There are dozens of small tips I can share but some want no help at all while others really appreciate it. I want my clients to take home great photos (trophies?). I love it when clients take a super snap. They did it themselves and they love what they created. I love it because I helped by finding that beautiful creature to shoot (meaning click click, not bang bang).

BECAUSE OF YOUR DEEP APPRECIATION FOR AFRICAN WILDLIFE, IS IT HARD KNOW THAT YOU MUST SHARE THE CONTINENT WITH THE TROPHY- HUNTING INDUSTRY?

Trophy hunting is very big business in Africa. Hunting advocates make wild claims that only hunting can save the creatures. I have led African safaris for over 25 years. I have witnessed the ever increasing numbers of Americans and Europeans coming to South Africa for the sole purpose of killing animals who are fenced in on game farms or private reserves and who have never been wild and have no fear of humans.

Not all trophy hunting is “canned.� In other parts of Africa, like Zimbabwe, big game areas are classified as Game Management Areas. They are protected open wildlife areas on land belonging to local communities in which animals are protected and mainly used for organized hunting and tourist safaris.

I made it a policy to refuse to sell any hunting safaris, and I even refuse to sell a wildlife safari to anyone also going on a trophy hunt with someone else. It hasn't happened many times, but I could not be an accomplice in any way to animal murder.

It is a mystery to me why trophy hunting is so popular. Do people who spend so much money for a hunting trip to Africa really envision themselves as the great white hunter of lore?

Are they brave men and women who put their lives at risk in order to save mankind from this evil creature?

The truth is that very few canned hunts are conducted on foot; most are done from the back of a pickup truck while seated in a nice chair with a shooting platform. And at their feet, of course, is the cooler with cold beers and Jack Daniels.

Places like YouTube and Facebook have many shared trophy hunting accounts. The brave white hunter, ear to ear smile, fat gut, and gun in hand, blood purposely smeared on pants, attempts to show all of his besties and neighbors what a hunter he or she was (and there are lots of women going hunting).

Trophy hunting is another topic that could be discussed ad infinitum.

I'm never going to convince a hunter that he is wrong to kill for pleasure.

He's not going to convince me of anything because I wouldn't give him the time of day to start with.

SINCE THE BEGINNINGS OF THE COMPANY, HAVE YOU NOTICED ANY CHANGE OR DECLINE IN THE NUMBERS/VARIETY OF SPECIES OF WILDLIFE IN AFRICA? For sure. On one of my favorite roads in southern Kruger National Park, I often had multiple rhino sightings along the 20km route; six here, two there, one here, four there, and two near the end of the dirt road. I've only seen one rhino on that road in three years. I see far fewer rhinos all over.

Over all, I do think the numbers have decreased. Several years ago, overpopulation was openly discussed in southern Africa. Many people in the industry called for a massive culling of the elephant numbers, but there was such an outcry that this never

happened. Perhaps one way they did manage the numbers was to decommission many dams and water holes.

The reasoning was that man was artificially supporting wildlife and that it was best to let nature return to what it was 100-plus years ago. My problem with that concept is that 100-plus years ago, there were no fences or towns creating barriers to natural wildlife migration. Man has, for the most part, put the wildlife in a reserve and prevented them from roaming as they have always done.

DO YOU CONSIDER YOUR WORK TO BE A FORM OF ANIMAL ADVOCACY? IF SO, WHY OR WHY NOT? Sort of, but mine is the easier job compared to the dedicated people I know in the animal rights field. You guys do great work, and you invest much more emotional energy than I do. I try to do what little I can to make people aware of the many threats against wildlife worldwide from poach-

ing to trophy hunting. But I'm glad there are better people than me doing the heavy work of animal advocacy.

For more information about Craig Berger and his company, Oasis Africa, visit africansafaricompany.com

Have you been on an African safari? Share your photos by tweeting them at @FoAorg.

Below: Cheetahs, zebras, painted dogs and giraffes are just some of the African animals one might have the chance to see and photograph if they join Craig Berger, depicted on opposite page, on one of his Oasis Africa Photo Safaris.

WILDLIFE WATCH

LESSONS FROM COSTA RICA ON HOW TO BE

A STEWARD FOR WILDLIFE

BY DUSTIN RHODES PHOTOGRAPH BY MAX BOETTINGER

Last year when my family was talking about possible vacation spots, I blurted out, “I want to go where I can see monkeys everywhere.”

Of course it also had to be affordable and not terribly hard to get to. After endless Google searches, the advice of friends and some serious consults with the New York Times’ budget travel section, it seemed we were destined to go to Costa Rica. As a bonus, capuchin and howler monkeys—the “rulers of Costa Rica,” as I was later told by a tour guide there—are favorite monkeys of mine and you can see them practically everywhere.

Without hyperbole, Costa Rica is probably the most stunningly beautiful place I have ever been—and not because of the influence of Western civilization but as a result of the landscape itself: There are pristine coastlines and breathtaking rainforests within driving distance of one another. And while the Central Amer-

38 | Friends of Animals

ican country is small—from north to south its only 180 miles—25 percent of the land is actually protected in the form of national parks and wildlife refuges.

Impressively, while Costa Rica takes up only .03 percent of the earth’s surface, it contains six percent of its biodiversity. There are more than 130 species of fish, 220 of reptiles, 1,000 butterflies (10 percent of the world’s butterflies are in Costa Rica), 9,000 plants, 20,000 species of spiders and 35,000 species of insects—all of which make Costa Rica a veritable wildlife watching paradise. Truth be told, that’s all I really wanted to do during this vacation. So with the help of a travel agent, we planned everything around seeing sloths, howler monkeys, capuchins, enormous lizards, bats and so much more.

I won’t bore you with details of my perfect vacation; what I came away with was far more life-changing than relaxation and wonder. The whole week was a life-lesson in conscientious wildlife watching, which really struck me as very different from our culture here in the U.S. While we have many breath-

taking national parks and refuges of our own—each with diverse landscapes and animals who reside within them—we are much more lax when it comes to preserving nature and wildlife habitat, as we tend to see ourselves as the center of the universe, rather than just a part of it. In Costa Rica, what I found was an intense determination to always err on the side of caution—which is to say Costa Ricans have a deep respect for the natural world that I have not experienced in any other place I have visited. Each day of my vacation, I learned a new way of respecting and preserving the landscape—ways that I can apply to my own behavior here. And here’s hoping you will, too.

DO NOT SPRAY Before arriving in Costa Rica, I had read in multiple books that bug spray and sunscreen are essential items, especially now that Zika virus has arrived. However, Costa Rica’s wildlife has suffered because of sunscreen and bug sprays applied by people inside of parks and refuges. In one park, our tour guide told us that bug spray had decimated a rare species

of frog, and in the process of trying to help the frog recover they closed down the trail for a decade and permanently banned the application of these products within the park and refuge system. In other words, you should still apply sunscreen and bug spray, but you cannot do it within the protected habitats of animals. In fact, most of the parks we went to had guards who did not allow you even possess sunscreen and bug spray beyond the entrance.

JUST SAY NO TO SWIMMING—SOMETIMES I live in the mountains where every body of water, no matter how big or small or how fast the rapids are, is called a “swimming hole.” Some of the most famous trails, waterfalls, rivers, hikes, scenery in the world are where I live in Asheville, North Carolina, but you won’t find a body of water without people. In Costa Rica, there is a much more mindful approach to water. For instance, in Tenorio Volcano National Park, there is a hike to the most beautiful waterfall and shockingly azure blue “swimming hole” you’ve ever seen— except that swimming (or even touching!) the water is forbidden so that it remains undisturbed and unadulterated. There were even guards surrounding Celeste Waterfall, to ensure that tourists (and a few locals) complied.

Again, Costa Rica does not want bug spray and chemical residues seeping into these pristine waters, which is home for many species of animals.

And yet, as a habitual sunscreen user myself, I have never thought twice about wading or swimming in any body of water I come across at home— because it’s “just what we do.” But that doesn’t make it right.

DON’T STRAY Straying from paths is discouraged the world over, even here in the U.S., because it destroys precious plant and animal life and habitat. I have lived near the Blue Ridge Parkway my entire life, and routinely I notice signs about not wandering from the path; but I also notice that people do and that some plants in my area are on the brink of extinction because of it. In Costa Rica, trails are routinely closed to humans— sometimes for many years—because even when humans stay on a trail, eventually the animals around it choose to move away from heavily trafficked areas. In one particular park we went to, Costa Rica was preparing to close a particular trail in the coming spring for a minimum of seven years so, as my tour guide communicated, “The animals would return.”

talked quietly, if at all. Our tour guide spoke to us in a hushed voice. Why? So the animals would not be disturbed (and also so the tour guide could hear them). Our tour guide told us plenty of people come from all over the world to experience Costa Rica but can’t put down their cell phones and stop checking email long enough to connect with nature. I saw that, too.

LIFE LESSONS

BE QUIET

It’s hard to leave the modern world, but I was surprised when I came home to discover that I had taken less than 20 photos during the whole trip. Instead, I returned with incredible memories and life lessons—the most important of which still seems to be: Be quiet, keep your eyes open, tread lightly, literally and figuratively, and pay attention.

We were rewarded for our quiet attention by seeing sloths, bats, butterflies, birds, howler monkeys, capuchins and so much more. And the quiet itself was restorative.

Costa Rica was restful, relaxing, beautiful, exciting and, more than anything, inspiring. I learned how to be a better steward for animals and the environment wherever I visit.

One popular park in Costa Rica— Manuel Antonio National Park, on the Central Pacific coast—was also the most crowded. The lines to get in were long, and once inside there were people everywhere. But what was striking: It felt like being inside a library— completely quiet. People moved slowly,

Photos from left to right: Common basilisk lizard, sloth and white-faced capuchin at Manuel Antonio National Park in Costa Rica. Photographs by Dustin Rhodes.

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40 | Friends of Animals

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BY PRISCILLA FERAL

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eturning from a late afternoon walk, I stopped in our driveway, startled to see a motionless medium-sized Cooper’s hawk staring at me among a pile of white feathers before she flew away with a rock dove. I found it both alarming and humbling. It’s nature at its most efficient and violent, yet I’m unable to judge the process.

Like Peregrine falcons, ancient birds who almost didn’t survive the 20th century, Cooper’s hawks declined due to the effects of DDT and other pesticides. Following a DDT ban, recovery for peregrines and some hawks has been underway.

In 2017, author Traer Scott, who defines herself as an animal person, released her eighth photography book, Raptors: Portraits of Birds of Prey —a gorgeous, fascinating collection of birds—to inform and help identify 25 different species of hawks, owls, falcons, a bald eagle, kestrels, a Mississippi kite, a turkey vulture, and more. Scott regards raptors as “uniquely graceful, intelligent, fluid and fierce.” It’s impossible to disagree.

Paging through the book is effortless and intriguing. We learn that barred owls remain within a six-mile area for their lifetime, and that their biggest predatory threat is the great horned owl, which is known to reside in my Connecticut neighborhood. At Friends of Animals, we’re litigating to protect

barred owls from an experimental government shooting scheme that purports to assist spotted owls by blasting barred owls in Oregon and California.

Scott also shares characteristics about raptors to illustrate their power, social depth or unusual characteristics, such as: •

• •

•

• •

•

Golden eagles have been clocked in aerial dives at 200 miles per hour.

Groups of soaring or migrating hawks are called kettles.

Brown and red Harris hawks form complex social groups of up to seven birds who hunt and nest cooperatively. One of their biggest threats is accidental electrocution from perching on unprotected power lines.

In contrast, the Northern goshawk usually lives in solitude, and although widespread across the Northern Hemisphere, goshawks are not often seen.

Black vultures mate for life.

Rough-legged hawks, like the one featured on the book’s cover are so well adapted to hunting voles, it’s thought they may see ultra violet light, or have X-ray vision since they see a vole’s urine or scent markings.

Short-eared owls are the only owls who build their own nests, as other owls typically recycle the nests of other birds.

Among other portraits of individual birds, Scott says the red-tailed hawk’s cry sounds like a rasping scream, and it’s the most frequently used and misused ‘raptor’ sound effect in movies and television.

These hawks are known to New York City dwellers, as they perch on tall buildings, but they’re also victim to poisoning campaigns that target rats and pigeons.

Through the author’s lens, the raptors she introduces emerge as personalities, not just types: wise, mysterious, and fiercely confident. It’s impossible not to be in awe of their intensity and challenges to thrive in our complicated environment.

Raptors Portraits of Birds of Prey Traer Scott $19.95 Hardcover 128 pages, 70 color photographs Princeton Architectural Press www.papress.com

Summer / Fall 2018 | 41

LETTERS KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK The Spring 2018 Action Line issue is especially good because of all the important articles against hunting (which I am unconditionally opposed to), as well as those that cover bison, black bears, Beluga whales, pesticides, and gardening and African Elephants as well.

My latest effort to support birding is seeking federal legislation to establish one annual National Bird Watching Week to be held the last full week of every May. Keep up the good work!

DONALD S. HEINTZELMAN • ORNITHOLOGIST – AUTHOR • ALLENTOWN, PA

KILLING ISN’T CONSERVATION I am glad to know that hunters are on borrowed time, but I don’t believe the general public knows about it yet. There is too much “spin” on the news and the way stories are presented.

And I love the words Nicole Rivard wrote “…killing is not conservation, but protecting wildlife and habitat…is”.

Exactly.

If there is no habitat, wildlife cannot exist.

Last month I wrote In Defense of Animals—the entity that comes out with the 10 worst zoos list—because I was angered by the advertisement for an “Animal Planet” show, called “The Zoo”, which (in part), shows the director of the Bronx Zoo saying “for us, there is a higher purpose, and that is conservation.”

Really? Who allows these folks to make commercials that perpetuate lies?

The Bronx Zoo has been listed as a dishonorable mention for several years on this worst zoos list. This zoo still houses elephants and in the

42 | Friends of Animals

advertisement, they show a “caretaker” telling Happy to “speak” and do tricks as if Happy was a domestic animal in her living room. WTH? Elephants belong with their families, walking miles and living a natural life, not locked in a zoo in New York City or anywhere else.

In another ad for this same show the director is saying that an okapi is such a great animal, so different looking. One of the caretakers says that although the male okapi they have at the Bronx Zoo is small in stature, he “still gets the job done” for their breeding program. Is the okapi an endangered species? Why is there a breeding program? Has some great expanse of habitat opened up for the okapi in its native countries? What about the animals who hunt Okapi? Is this just another way zoos make money off their captive animals? Does the Bronx Zoo sell Okapi to other zoos?

What of the zoo in Canada I read about that killed its 8-year-old wolf in order to make room to display wolf pups? Aside from being a favored animal by zoo visitors, how is it determined this life should be snuffed out? Why wasn’t this 8-year-old given a chance at sanctuary?

I have to ride past the Prospect Park Zoo in Brooklyn twice a day for my commute to work and every day I pass there, my thoughts are every life there is imprisoned for absolutely no reason at all…denied a natural life…and it makes me cry every time.

The magazine was enjoyed and now ready to be shared.

Thanks for the good work you do.

ILENE LURIE • VIA EMAIL

KEEP UP YOUR CRUSADE Thank you for taking a stance against the

insane gun laws we tout in this country and the effects they have against the innocents (animals and children). To have leadership, an oxymoron title, as it relates to the Secretary of Interior Ryan Zinke, who possesses an elitist, rarified air on the selective love of “God” only on a chosen few, is yet another proof of how religion is misused to promote violence and hatred on the innocents. Shame on him and those like him who cow tow to the “God of wealth” for personal gain.

Friends of Animals, keep up your relentless crusade against this administration’s insanity.

RAGHAVAN IYER • MINNEAPOLIS, MN.

UNBEARABLE HUNTERS I am a member of FoA and consequently receive Action Line.

I have some comments regarding the article in the Spring issue entitled "The Bear Facts."

I am concerned that you have, unknowingly, provided 'support' to the philosophies of the hunters and their supporters with this article. Does this seem strange that someone could say this? Hear me out. Aren't they, after reading this article, going to say that the reason the bear attack fatalities were so low in the cited states was because of the bear hunting? Won't they say that the numbers would not have been so low if those bears had not been killed, thereby preventing opportunities to kill humans?

I don't know why you chose states that allow bear hunting to illustrate one of the points I think you were trying to make. It would have made much more sense to choose states that do not allow bear hunting. If bear hunting wouldn't be possible to "cull the herd" and there were still no, or almost no, bear attack

fatalities, that would be truly impressive.

(I hope you are not going to end up telling me that you had actually thought of this alternative approach but then discovered that the bear attack fatalities were high in those states.)

It makes me truly uncomfortable to think that the bear-hunting advocates might use this Friends of Animals article to attempt to "prove" one or more of their positions.

CRAIG BOBBY • VIA E-MAIL Editor’s note: We were battling against a bear hunt bill in Connecticut at the time this was researched and written, where there was much propaganda about bear sightings to scare the death out of the public to gain support for this trophy hunt. But our goal was to illustrate that states that are trying to start hunts and/or justify the continuation of hunts are doing so by marketing fear— fear that bear human conflict is inevitable when there is a bear population, and that is simply not true.

We used the states that hunt bears because they use the excuse that their bear populations are too large. The point of the article is to show that what people who want to enjoy the outdoors should really fear is hunters because hunting injuries, accidents, fatalities, far outweigh conflict with wildlife—no matter how many bears or coyotes or bobcats or any other wildlife dare to live and breathe.

You do make an interesting point. We certainly could have added another state or two where there are no hunts currently. But keep in mind that Connecticut doesn’t have a hunt and its included.

From the front lines fighting a bill, which was then defeated in CT, we thought this was the right approach.

EXPOSING THE TRUTH Thank you for the low-down on the following agencies, of which I have been an ardent supporter: The Nature Conservancy, allowing hunting on properties where people are invited to see wildlife (and hunters killing them), in the their natural setting! Not to mention the questionable land deals or swaps.

The HSUS Wildlife Land Trust and their “humane” wildlife population control bring the registrant of the fertility control pesticide PZP. I applaud your exposés and look forward to more of which the public is not made aware.

I did thoroughly enjoy "Leaving Nature in Charge" by Nicole Rivard, and photos

by John King, the Edith & Lyman 110-acre property that they left to be undisturbed for posterity, in Spring 2018, Action Line.

Thanks again, for keeping us updated, and keep up the good work!

DIANNE GEORGE • WILDOMAR, CA

LET’S HEAR FROM YOU! MAIL US: Editor, Action Line Friends of Animals 777 Post Road Darien, CT 06820 E-MAIL US: contact@friendsofanimals.org

NOT A BELIEVER Zinke thinks that fracking proves that God loves us, telling us how perverse his mind is. If there were a God, He or She would not permit to exist on our planet malignancies like Zinke or Pruitt or their ilk, who have no respect for or appreciation of His/Her creation, who are perfectly willing—if not eager—to rape, defile, desecrate, and destroy it for the sake of profit or pleasure.

JIM DAVIS • VIA E-MAIL

Summer / Fall 2018 | 43

IN MEMORIAM Friends of Animals has received kind donations in memory of the following individuals: CHRIS BECK

CURTIS MARTIN

BOOZIE, NAIL & FRANKIE

DAISY KERSCHEN

DAVE DAVIN

AXEL & DULCIE

JEWEL A. GUTMAN

JANE AND CHARLIE

LEXIE & BUFFIE

LINDA ERLICH

PHYLLIS FATTIBENE

ANGEL, BRANDY & JINGLES

ETHEL WEGODSKY

BRIAN T. SULLIVAN

JAKE

ELWOOD MASSIE

MONDO

TIGGRE

LINDSEY RENEE MANUEL

JACKSON

LENNY FRISCIA

BON JOVI

LINDA ALBERTIE

CALEB

BUDDY

DR. KENNENTH BENZHOF

BREWSKY

LUCKY

PAUL MARTINEZ

GUINNESS PETAK

HERSHEY

CHRISTINE ELLEN BOURDREAUX

PENNY

ROOKIE

BENTLEY

SHADOW

MESA

LADY DEVLIN

MATTHEW LAUDI

PLANNED GIFTS: Including Animal Advocacy

Y

ou fuel Friends of Animals’ animal advocacy work – now and in the future.

Leaving a legacy for animals by making a planned gift to Friends of Animals helps ensure the most effective agenda for positive change. Friends of Animals is a non-profit organization with a solid record of fiscal responsibility and animal advocacy achievements for more than 60 years. Gifts to a 501c(3) charity typically have tax-deductible benefits.

You do not need to have a large estate to make a bequest or other planned gift to Friends of Animals.

Anyone who owns property should prepare a will and keep it in a known location.

Friends of Animals has a brochure to assist with estate decisions. Just send a note to Donna M. Berlanda, Director of Administration, email dberlanda@friendsofanimals.org, or call our office at (203) 656-1522, and we will send the brochure out to you the same day.

44 | Friends of Animals

Animals put in peril by our own burgeoning growth will need our help for some time to come. Here’s Friends of Animals’ commitment: We’re here as long as the other animals of the world need us. You can be sure that your good wishes for animals will make a difference beyond your own lifetime by including Friends of Animals, Inc. in your estate plans. You or your attorney will need the following details: Friends of Animals, Inc. 777 Post Road, Suite 205 Darien, CT 06820 Tax ID# 13-6018549 Friends of Animals has non-profit status under IRS code section 501c(3)

CHEERS

JEERS

SAN FRAN FLIPS OFF FUR

TAKING ON THE IWCC

In March, San Francisco became the largest city in the nation to ban the sale of fur, following the lead of West Hollywood and Berkeley.

The Board of Supervisors approved the ban in a unanimous vote and it is effective January 2019.

“More than 50 million animals are violently killed each year around the world to support the fashion industry,” said Supervisor Katy Tang, who introduced the fur sale ban legislation, in a statement to The San Francisco Examiner.

“San Francisco is a city with progressive values where we believe in the rights of all people as well as all living things – and it is not right to allow this practice to continue.”

The board stood up against the fur industry, which warned of a loss of millions of dollars and jobs, according to the Examiner. Estimated fur sales in San Francisco range from $11 million to as high as $40 million.

This comes on the heels of Donatella Versace denouncing fur to The Economist 1843 magazine.

“Fur? I’m out of that,” she said. “I don’t want to kill animals to make fashion. It doesn’t feel right.” Other labels have also stopped using fur recently, including Gucci, Tom Ford, Givenchy and Michael Kors.

The creation of the Department of Interior’s International Wildlife Conservation Council will only advance the interests of the sport hunting lobby while doing nothing to protect wildlife, Friends of Animals said in a filing opposing its establishment.

The council, the brainchild of Department of Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, is tasked with advising the DOI on the benefits of international hunting, removing barriers to the importation of trophy- hunted animals and reviewing foreign animals listed on the U.S. Endangered Species Act. In essence, its real goal, is to make it easier for hunters to import wildlife trophies. The mission of IWCC is contrary to current U.S. wildlife conservation policy, the science behind conservation and promotes an imperialistic message.

Hunting does not help conserve endangered and threatened species. In fact, there is no documented, peer-reviewed studies that show that lawful hunting does not overall disadvantage the species being hunted.

Emerging studies indicate that legal hunting can increase demand, promote black-market trade of trophy-hunted species such as elephants, rhinos and lions, lead to confusion about whether the species are heading toward extinction in the wild, and reduce the stigma associated with killing African wildlife.

The IWCC’s mission to fling open the doors to hunting in the name of conservation is inconsistent with the Endangered Species Act, the language of which strongly suggests that Congress does not believe that hunting is a legitimate means of protecting species.

CARRIAGE-HORSE INDUSTRY MUST BE BANNED GOOD NEWS FOR AMERICA’S WILD AND DOMESTIC HORSES

The $1.3 trillion omnibus spending package passed by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump extends a ban on the slaughter of healthy wild horses and burros and maintains the ban on U.S. horse slaughter by continuing the prohibition for federal funding of USDA horsemeat inspections.

This is the consolidation of the House and Senate versions of Agriculture and Interior Appropriations bills FoA was hoping for. Our supporters who contacted their legislators in Congress made all the difference in creating a spending package that doesn’t harm America’s horses.

FoA made sure your views were represented when we met with the members of Congress who represent Connecticut where our headquarters is located.

On the heels of Friends of Animals’ Board Member Elizabeth Forel’s op-ed in the NY Daily News that reminded everyone that the carriage horse industry in NYC needs to be banned, an alarming accident occurred inside Central Park. A horse spooked when a passerby opened an umbrella, sending him fleeing out of the park and into traffic with his driverless carriage and three frightened passengers.

Eventually they collided with two parked cars.

Forel, president of the Coalition To Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages knows this serious accident had nothing to do with law enforcement. This is a horse’s nervous nature and cannot be legislated.

This the core of the Coalition’s and FoA’s campaign to ban this industry—horses should never be put in a position where they become unwitting weapons and injure or kill themselves or passersby.

It is past time for NY City Council to do its job and shut down this inhumane business.

Summer / Fall 2018 | 45

VEGAN ECO TOTE BAG

WOLF T-SHIRT

In 100% recycled cotton. Fair-trade and fair-labor. This tote is 15" tall and 13" wide with 5" gussets on sides and bottom.

The shoulder strap is 24" long.

Show your support for wolves in this 100% certified organic t-shirt in white. Women’s runs extremely small so order a larger size.

Men’s and women’s sizes S, M, L, XL

$15 including shipping

$22 including shipping while quantities last.

FOR THE LOVE OF DOG BISCUITS COOKBOOK This 7x7, 64 full-color page book features 12 beautifully illustrated recipes—one for each month, which contain seasonal, plant-based ingredients and complement the holidays. $14 including shipping.

Add $3 for a 3-inch dog bone shaped cookie cutter.

46 | Friends of Animals

FOA LIGHTWEIGHT HOODIE

CROSS OUT T-SHIRT

Unisex triblend full-zip lightweight hoodie. Modern fit, hood, front zip, and kangaroo pockets. Designed with a soft refined ribbed triblend fabric. Available in XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL.

“There’s no right way to do the wrong thing” Navy 100% combed and ring-spun cotton T-shirt. Women’s sizes M, L, XL and Men’s sizes S, M, L, XL, XXL as available.Females should consider ordering up a size for great fit.

$36 including shipping

$24 including shipping

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