Fall 2019

FALL 2019

ACTION LINE

FUR—AN INDUSTRY IN FREE FALL FRIENDLY SKIES FOR MIGRATORY BIRDS RAISING COMPASSIONATE KIDS

8 SPECIAL SECTION

FUR—AN INDUSTRY IN FREE FALL 10 Silence kills—FoA's new anti-fur campaign 12 Stay warm without being coldhearted 15 Fashion Animals exposes fashion industry's fatal attraction to animals 16 House of Fluff: The fur look that doesn't kill 20 SPECIAL KIDS SECTION

RAISING COMPASSIONATE KIDS 21 It's never too soon to start cooking to stay healthy and save the world 24 Books that teach kids respect for animals

4 VICTORY LAP Latest news about FoA's advocacy and achievements 27 EARTH MATTERS Q&A with Andrew Nisker, director of "GroundWar: When Playing Fields

become Battlefields"

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 [NC] 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 Jensen [CT] spayprogram@friendsofanimals.org

30 WILDLIFE WATCH Conservation efforts ramp up to protect migratory birds from bright lights, big cities

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

DIRECTOR, WILDLIFE LAW PROGRAM Michael Harris [CO] michaelharris@friendsofanimals.org

34 GUEST COLUMN

The wolves are back in Montana

Instagram/foaorg

36 LETTERS 37 CHEERS & JEERS

Twitter @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.”

COVER BY JON BERNBACH IG: @SHEARED_ART

Action Line is a quarterly publication. Issue CLXXXI Fall 2019 ISSN 1072-2068

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR Jennifer Best [CO] jennifer@friendsofanimals.org ATTORNEYS Rachel Nussbaum[CO] rachel@friendsofanimals.org Andreia Marcuccio [CO] andreia@friendsofanimals.org Courtney McVean [CO] courtney.mcvean@friendsofanimals.org Stephen Hernick [CO] shernick@friendsofanimals.org OFFICE MANAGER Kathy Williams [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 NOTHING’S CHANGED WITH SO-CALLED WILD HORSE ADVOCATES A most unsavory collaboration between HSUS, ASPCA, the group Return to Freedom (RTF) and the meat industry revealed itself this spring when all four jointly submitted a proposal to Congress that outlined a longterm management plan for wild horses and burros in the American West.

HSUS et al’s vision of the future for wild horses— an anathema to ours—would kick them off public lands, allowing a few to remain in zoo-like settings. Six states have already lost their wild horse populations. Morally, that’s just criminal.

These groups have revealed they are poised to assist the federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in removing 15,000 to 20,000 wild horses a year from public lands in the next three years, while also organizing a large-scale fertility program.

It comes as no surprise to us that the alliance agreed to drastically increase BLM’s use of fertility control.

HSUS holds the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) registration for the fertility pesticide PZP, and it was just a matter of time before the groups were on board with violent roundups. None of them have bothered to challenge roundups in the last four years or have joined our fight for broader implementation of the Wild Horse and Burro Act of 1971 to increase wild horse populations and habitat size.

HSUS never provided evidence that PZP doesn’t have negative side effects; it just offered information about the efficacy of PZP, and actually requested waivers for most of the studies.

Friends of Animals sued the EPA and argued its case against PZP use in an Oregon courthouse this summer in the hopes of cancelling the registration of PZP alto-

FOA HAS FACED THE TRUTH THAT BLM, A MOUTHPIECE FOR THE MEAT INDUSTRY, HAS CREATED A MASSIVE CRISIS OF STORING WILD HORSES IN HOLDING PRISONS AND HAS HIGH HOPES FOR SLAUGHTERING THESE HORSES. AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO FIGHT THEM EVERY STEP OF THE WAY.

gether. If a judge hands us a victory, wild mares will no longer be forcibly drugged with this fertility pesticide.

When HSUS, et al joined forces with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, they knew our arguments.

They knew that wild horses have lost more than 20 million acres of habitat to cattle and sheep ranching since passage of the 1971 law. They also knew that cattle and sheep ranchers, along with energy interests, are treated like clients by BLM because wild horses compete for forage, water and habitat with doomed cows and sheep. They knew that increased roundups mean wild horses are headed for extinction.

After the public and other while horse advocates sounded off when they heard the news, Friends of Animals assured them not to lose hope, that really nothing’s changed and that those so-called animal advocacy groups are just out of the closet. They are now on the record as BLM assets.

Rest assured, FoA has faced the truth that BLM, a mouthpiece for the meat industry, has created a massive crisis of storing wild horses in holding prisons and has high hopes for slaughtering these horses. And we will continue to fight them every step of the way.

We’ve already won more than a dozen legal challenges.

Holding BLM’s feet to the fire through litigation is what will prevent mustangs from being ripped from their homes and families on federal public lands. That diligence will continue with or without well-heeled groups whose motivations appear to accommodate the meat industry while telling the public it’s for the animals.

Our vison is one of true ecological zones on federal public lands, where the landscape and animals are free from exploitation and management, just as the protection act intended. It is something we cannot give up on.

We are thankful to our members who help us make that vision a reality through our legal efforts, which have become even more important as others throw in the towel.

Fall 2019 | 3

VICTORY LAP

BY NICOLE RIVARD AND FRAN SILVERMAN

FOA SUES DOI TO RELEASE NAMES OF U.S. TROPHY HUNTERS AND IMPORTERS

Similarly, African giraffes are also in danger of being wiped out, with just 97,500 remaining in Africa, a drop from 150,000 in 1985. In 2016, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) The key federal agency that oversees elevated the threat level of giraffes the imports of elephants, giraffes, two categories to “vulnerable to lions and other hunted threatened extinction.” Giraffes are already and vulnerable species is refusing to gone from seven countries in Africa, release the names of U.S. residents Burkina Faso, Eritrea, Guinea, who are receiving the trophies and Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria and body parts, a violation of the Freedom Senegal.

Yet giraffes currently have no of Information Act (FOIA), FoA’s protection under U.S. law. And Wildlife Law Program said in filings.

Earlier this year, FoA filed FOIA like with elephants, the U.S. is a requests with the federal Department major importer of giraffe parts and of the Interior seeking information derivatives. Between 2006 and on the numbers of elephant skins 2016, the U.S. imported 21,402 and giraffe parts being imported into bone carvings, 3,008 skin pieces the U.S., including the names of the and 3, 744 hunting trophies. Who is getting these parts, however, remains importers.

Just 350,000 elephants remain under wraps because the federal in Africa. Yet, despite the dwindling Department of the Interior (DOI) is population of African elephants, withholding the names of hundreds which are listed as threatened under of the importers.

FoA appealed the withholding the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the U.S. is a major importer of elephant of the names and filed a lawsuit in parts and products, exceeding other federal court against DOI when countries. In 2016, the U.S. imported the agency didn’t answer FoA’s 2,079 whole African elephant skins, appeal in the proper time frame.

FoA is also supporting efforts by up from 275 two years before.

In an effort to protect African animal protection groups that have elephants, FoA has petitioned the requested that FWS list extend ESA U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) protections to giraffes.

In 2018, an FoA investigation to amend the ESA to include greater restrictions on the trade of elephant that included a FOIA request into skins and other body parts and it U.S. trophy hunters revealed that has sought data on the numbers and more than half the hunters who kinds of skin imports coming into the received permits to bring back lion parts from Africa donated to the U.S.

4 | Friends of Animals

Republicans or were connected to Safari Club International. Included in the list of hunters who received permits was Indiana resident Steven Chancellor, who raised more than $1 million for Republican candidates at a fundraiser at this home in 2016 headlined by Donald Trump. Once he became President, Trump’s administration eased restrictions on U.S. trophy hunters. An earlier investigation by FoA also found that FWS had quietly issued 16 individual permits authorizing the import of sport-hunted elephant trophies from Zimbabwe before announcing to the public in November that it was lifting its ban on hunting of elephants in that country.

“Transparency is critical to our ability to protect these endangered animals and to our democracy.

The public deserves to know if the government is granting permits based on scientific information or if improper political influences may be at play,’’ said Jennifer Best, assistant director of FoA’s Wildlife Law Program. “There is no justification for withholding this information.”

The Supreme Court has stated that FOIA establishes a strong presumption in favor of disclosure, and Congress has affirmed these tenants, WLP noted in its appeals.

The guiding principal of FOIA is the public’s fundamental right to know.

The law favors disclosure, not secrecy.

THE LATEST NEWS ABOUT FOA’S ADVOCACY AND ACHIEVEMENTS

NY MOVES CLOSER TO BANNING TROPHY HUNTING OF AFRICA’S BIG 5 In June, the New York state Senate, voting 48 to 14, banned the importation, sale, possession and transportation of Africa’s Big 5—elephants, lions, leopards, rhinos and giraffes— and their body parts in New York.

The Big 5 African Trophies Act, drafted by Friends of Animals, now has to pass the Assembly, where it is cosponsored by Linda Rosenthal. If

you live in New York please call your Assembly member and tell he or she to support A7556. You can find your Assembly members here: nyassembly. gov/mem/.

“The Safari Club International is throwing its considerable dead weight around and emptying its coffers to kill the bill, so we must outwork and outpace them with a multitude of appeals to Assembly members to pass the historic legislation,” said Priscilla Feral, president of Friends of Animals.

In Connecticut, the state Senate, voting 32-4, also passed the legisla-

tion. But it was not raised for a vote in the House.

New York, which is the busiest port of entry for wildlife trophies, should be proud to be on the right side of history.

“Banning the continued importation, possession, sale and transportation of the Big African Five is essential in ensuring their survival,” said state Senator Luis Sepulveda, who sponsored the legislation in the Senate. “Without this legislation, we are endangering these species and condoning poaching, a terrible and heinous act against our animals. It is unconscionable to take part in the extinction of a species, especially at a time when our environment faces so many threats, and therefore, we are very proud to have passed this legislation.”

This is monumental news that comes on the heels of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officially considering listing the giraffe as an endangered species, a move long sought by wildlife advocates alarmed by their precipitous decline and a growing domestic market for giraffe products. However, it could take years before the U.S. gives them any protections.

Shockingly, in the last four years, 443 giraffe trophies and products made from their parts came into designated ports in New Jersey and New York, according to data from a Freedom of Information Request filed by Friends of Animals.

And recently, the government of Botswana announced elephant hunt-

Fall 2019 | 5

VICTORY LAP ing will resume after a five-year prohibition, despite intense lobbying by some conservation advocates to continue the ban.

FOA STEPS IN TO STOP FWS FROM DELISTING BELOVED SONGBIRD While the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) dallied in designating critical habitat for the threatened yellow-billed cuckoo, the situation for the beloved songbirds worsened.

Climate change and habitat degradation have led to serious population declines. But instead of stepping up efforts to protect these tiny long-tailed birds that were listed as threatened in 2014, FWS has now indicated it may strip them of their Endangered Species Act (ESA) listing, prompting Friends of Animals' Wildlife Law Program (WLP) to once again step in to protect them.

FoA along with WildEarth Guardians filed comments with FWS in June calling on the federal agency to rely on scientific studies and verified reports as required by law and not just citizen science when evaluating data about the need to protect a species.

Yellow-billed cuckoos have been on the decline since the mid-1800s and breeding cuckoos have been extirpated over much of their midwestern range. Once common from Seattle to Arizona, the western cuckoos have disappeared completely from the Pacific Northwest. Dams,

6 | Friends of Animals

livestock grazing and conversion of flood plains for agriculture have encroached on their riparian environs. Development along rivers has destroyed as much of 90 percent of the birds’ habitat and loss of insect prey from pesticides along with draught and climate change have also threatened their survival.

This spring, FoA won a lawsuit requiring FWS to designate critical habitat for the birds—as mandated by an ESA listing—by August. But now FWS has indicated it may delist the birds all together.

“The short-sighted interests of some in the ranching and mining industries are pressuring this administration to delist this remarkable songbird,” said Jennifer Best, WLP assistant director.

“If their political wishes win out over the needs of the western yellow-billed cuckoo, then they will continue to exploit riparian habitat desperately needed by the last remaining yellowbilled cuckoos. Protection under the ESA is critical to the survival of the songbird and valuable river ecosystems.”

A coalition of mainly cattle ranching and mining interests asked the FWS to remove ESA protections from the cuckoo in 2017.

“The claims in the delisting petition are unreliable and unsound,” said Taylor Jones, endangered species advocate for WildEarth Guardians.

“The best available science indicates that these rare birds are still declining and in need of protection.”

FOA FILES LAWSUIT AGAINST BLM FOR ITS ATTEMPT TO WIPE OUT OREGON’S WILD HORSES Friends of Animals filed a lawsuit in June against the federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for its decision to not return 779 of the wild horses it rounded up from the Warm Springs Herd Management Area (HMA) in Oregon last October. Adding insult to injury, the BLM in the decision admitted that 66 wild horses were “not excess” but granted itself discretion to imprison those horses indefinitely and set in motion a plan to administer fertility control or spay any mares who it decides to return.

FoA is also challenging the decision’s new rule that virtually eliminates critical public participation in considerations about how to manage these and other wild horses in the future.

“The latest decision leaves the Warm Spring wild horse herd well below any population size of effective breeding animals that BLM has recommended in past decisions,” said Michael Harris, director of FoA’s Wildlife Law Program. “Between the massive reduction in total population size and the decision to utilize birth control agents, like the pesticide PZP, the Warm Springs herd will no longer be a viable self-sustaining population as required by law. BLM will literally be managing this herd to extinction.”

BLM has failed miserably at liv-

THE LATEST NEWS ABOUT FOA’S ADVOCACY AND ACHIEVEMENTS

ing up to its legal obligation to wild horses, but what is about to occur to the horses who for generations have made their home within the Warm Springs HMA, amounts to a complete repudiation of the Wild and Free Roaming Horses and Burro Act of 1971, the lawsuit states.

Speaking of breaking the law, the new rule was issued in violation of the Administrative Procedure Act (APA).

BLM failed to provide the public notice of the new rule before implementing it, nor did BLM solicit comments on the new rule as required by the APA. Finally, BLM failed to acknowledge or offer a reasonable explanation for the rule change, the lawsuit states.

The new rule directs BLM to eliminate public participation for each roundup by issuing a single decision to cover multiple years and removing the requirement for National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) analysis when implementing longterm plans. According to the new rule, if BLM issues a multi-year or open-ended wild horse and burro management decision, then no further NEPA analysis is required to continue implementing actions impacting wild horses.

“This is a stark change from BLM’s long-standing decision to provide public participation in most onthe-ground roundup activities, not just on broad, long-term management decisions,” Harris said.

For decades now, the public has played an important role in assuring that (1) BLM is fully informed about the potential ramifications to the hors-

es from its proposed management decisions and (2) that the courts act as a check to prevent bad decisions that do not pass legal muster from going into effect, the lawsuit states.

“This overall decision may be BLM’s preferred model for wild horses moving forward, but it is downright criminal and morally reprehensible,” Harris said.

The BLM’s artificially low appropriate management level for the Warm Springs herd is a measly 96178 wild horses plus 15-24 burros.

However, 6,134 cattle are allowed to graze in the West Warm Springs and East Warm Springs grazing allotments, which are located in the Warm Springs HMA.

CT SENATE EMBRACES COMMON SENSE APPROACH TO BLACK BEARS We are cheering the Connecticut state senators who in the spring voted against an egregious nuisance wildlife bill that would have incentivized killing black bears and other wildlife without requiring residents to take any responsible non-lethal steps to prevent conflict.

The bill, SB 586, started out as legislation to allow a bear hunt in Litchfield County. Substitute language revising it allowed any owner or lessee of property in the state to designate a hunter who has received a permit from DEEP to kill wildlife deemed a

nuisance to farm animals, bees and chickens at any time of day and night.

Friends of Animals, whose headquarters are in CT, lobbied against the bill and applauds our members who reached out to their state lawmakers to vote it down.

Under the bill, hunters who get paid as designated permittees to kill wildlife could have also kept the dead animals for commercial sale or private use, thus making it very lucrative to kill the animals.

The state has not held a black bear hunt since the mid-1800s because hunting had all but wiped out the population.

We’re glad state senators opted instead for the logical, reasonable and humane legislation that requires the state to study non-lethal management methods.

The best way to mitigate human-bear conflict is for the state to require bear resistant garbage cans and electric fencing around bee colonies and farm animals and to increase educational outreach.

“The Senators who voted against this bill saw through the veiled attempt by hunters to promote legislation that essentially would have approved a trophy hunt of bears and other wildlife, yet would not have resolved the very problems voiced by farmers and residents,’’ Friends of Animals President Priscilla Feral said. “If you kill a bear or coyote, another hungry one will be right behind them if proper measures aren’t taken to avoid conflict.”

Fall 2019 | 7

SPECIAL SECTION

8 | Friends of Animals

FUR: Y R T S U D N I N A IN FREE FALL A closer look at how compassion is taking over fashion with the help of FoA

COLLAGE ARTWORK BY JON BERNBACH

SILENCE KILLS

COMPILED BY FOA STAFF

TT

he television screens of New York City residents went dark this summer when Friends of Animals aired its provocative ad spotlighting the unspeakable cruelty of the fur industry.

The ad, created by Atlanta-based Chemistry, seeks to promote awareness of the viciousness involved in the use of fur for fashion from the animals’ points of view. Using just their voices, the ad depicts their terror as their lives come to an end.

“Sometimes what you don’t see is more powerful than what you do,”

10 | Friends of Animals

said Chris Breen, chief creative officer at Chemistry. “People have seen the grotesque images of the fur trade and have, to some degree, become numb.

Our goal was to use the consumers other senses to shed light on this cruel practice.”

The ad is part of FoA’s campaign in support of Intro 1476, the council bill introduced in the spring by City Council Speaker Corey Johnson that prohibits the sales of any fur apparel.

It is intended to encourage council members and their constituents to support the passage of the historic bill.

“Friends of Animals is acutely aware that our television ad to promote the ban of fur sales in New York City is disturbing and graphic— two words that we normally avoid in our advocacy to promote respect for animals,’’ said Friends of Animals President Priscilla Feral. “Yet, many people, whether they’ve ever worn fur or not, know nothing about the lives of animals who become fur garments by either being trapped in the wild or electrocuted on a fur farm. We chose a direct and visceral campaign that is intended to appeal to basic humanity: Most of us do not wish to inflict more violence and suffering into the world.

“Our ad serves as a powerful and poignant reminder—it’s the very heart of our message: If Friends of Animals doesn’t speak up for animals by allowing their suffering to be heard, the fur industry will,’’ she said.

The ad comes at a time when the signs that fur is over are everywhere. A new poll released in May shows that two-thirds of NYC voters support a ban on fur sales. The city’s fur district is also disappearing.

Where once there were 450 fur factories, now there are just a handful and there is no longer a fur fashion week.

RALLYING FOR SUPPORT Prior to the release of the ad, Friends of Animals participated in an antifur rally on May 15 alongside other animal advocacy organizations that joined together to form the Fur Free NYC coalition. We also testified at a public hearing in support of Intro 1476.

During the hearing Feral underscored the sadistic nature of body-crushing traps.

“Not only do they close on animals’ limbs, the real damage to the animal,

the real suffering occurs, during their struggle to escape,” she said. “When they are thrashing around in the steel jaws, they rip tendons, they fracture bones, they sometimes chew off their own feet to escape. The conibear trap smashes down on water animals like beavers. Before they drown in that trap, their pelvises are crushed.

“The fur industry is in free fall.

This is the time you think about moral arguments rather than weighing everything according to economics…To the fur industry, these are throwaway animals whose lives should mean more. It’s important for our humanity to support 1476.”

Fashion icon Tim Gunn, a professor at Parsons School of Design and star of "Project Runway," showed up for the rally and testified in support of Intro 1476.

“I want to thank everyone who turned out to support a fur-free New York. For me, this just reaffirms how incredible the population of the city is and our moral and ethical fiber.

This is about believing in the right thing,” Gunn said.

At the rally, which attracted more than 300 people, NYC Council Member Fernando Cabrera did not hold back when expressing his disgust with an industry that raises animals on fur farms and traps wild animals for the sole purpose of skinning them so people can look a certain way.

“We don’t need this,” he said.

“Synthetic fur is a realistic substitute made possible by new technology to provide the same look and feel of fur without the cruelty, suffering and death. New York is the city with a heart, a compassionate city…let’s end cruelty to animals and support Intro 1476.”

You can view FoA’s ad by visiting our YouTube channel, youtube.com/user/ FriendsofAnimals.

TAKE ACTION If you live in NYC, you can help us achieve a #FurFreeNYC by calling your council member today and asking them to support Intro 1476.

Find your council members by visiting: council.nyc.gov/districts You can also join our efforts to make fur a thing of the past by making a donation today. Your donation helps PHOTOGRAPH BY CHARLES create effective anti-fur ads and publicity to agitate and educate so that there will be an end to fur sales. Donate today by visiting our website friendsofanimals.org Fall 2019 | 11 Fall 2019 | 11

STAY WARM WITHOUT BEING

COLDHEARTED

BY DUSTIN RHODES

A guide to cruelty-free cold weather wear

I

a m a big fan of all the seasons, but by the end of summer— when I am ready to catch on fire from the heat and living off of vegan ice cream and watermelon—I cannot wait for cold weather. Except that I loathe being cold.

You’d think that now that we can buy at least five flavors of tofu at Target and faux beef and chicken at practically every grocery store in North America, it wouldn’t be hard to find warm coats and sweaters that aren’t oppressive to animals.

For sure, it’s gotten better; but goose down and wool—the mainstays of fall and winter wear—are still ubiquitous. There are whole brands built around goose and duck feathers, the fur of sheep and other animals— which they did not willingly donate for anyone’s winter coat or sweater.

WHY YOU SHOULD CARE: THE LOW ON DOWN If you’re holding Action Line in your hands, you obviously care about animals. But some food and clothing items are steeped so deeply into our culture most people rarely pause to think about them. We buy things, to the detriment of animals, without a second thought.

I do not wish to traumatize anyone through gruesome descriptions of how feathers end up inside coats.

However, the industry that supplies

feathers to the world’s major manufacturers of down apparel is incredibly cruel, unregulated and vast. Much of the down is literally plucked from a live animal and some of those same birds are in the same supply chain as the foie gras industry, in which they are force-fed to produce an enlarged liver for human consumption. The animals are subjected to the cruelty for years, as down is more valuable from birds that are several years old.

And that’s just a brief and G-Rated description of an industry that produces unimaginable suffering.

WHAT ABOUT "ETHICAL DOWN"?

Every industry that profits from the suffering of animals, once the horrors are widely known, eventually becomes a public relations firm for making consumers feel OK about exploiting them. Whole Foods Market is a great example of luring caring consumers by creating a rating system over a decade ago relating to how animals were raised and killed before they unceremoniously land in their meat case. They still don’t sell any animal products that meet their own highest standards—but that’s beside the point.

The down industry (and wool and fur industries too) has worked to create convoluted standards for down farming, but it’s all smoke

and mirrors. The industry is too big to regulate. And like animals that end up as food, you can’t regulate exploitation. No animal product will ever be sustainable, cruelty-free or any of the euphemistic terms used to lead us to believe otherwise.

WHY WOOL IS CRUEL Unsurprisingly, the wool industry is deceptive, too—making bogus claims about how wool is produced; namely that a sheep’s wool “needs” to be constantly trimmed and therefore wool is a “natural” fabric. A wild sheep produces just enough wool for all the seasons (a reminder that wild animals never need human management); it’s farmed sheep that are bred to produce too much. The wool industry also claims it’s just a byproduct of the meat industry, but the demand for wool is so great because of the fashion industry as well. (Also, no one should be eating sheep).

Wool also comes from rabbits and goats, often from far-off farms on the continent of Asia, where the cruelties are hidden from consumers in America. In some places, like India, farming animals for wool—like breeds of goats used in clothing—is causing the demise of native wildlife. In short, wool, regardless of the animal it comes from, is inherently cruel and should be avoided.

Left: Stella McCartney's Poppy Cady Print Coat Fall 2019 | 13

OK, BUT HOW DO I STAY WARM? Luckily, there are abundant replacements for wool and down that do an equally good, and often superior, job at keeping the body warm. Synthetic insulation is called different names by different brands, but many companies use insulation made from recycled products like plastics, keeping items out of landfills while greatly

reducing the impact on our planet.

Alternatives to wool and down include cotton, cotton flannel, synthetic shearling, polyester fleece and many other animal-free fibers.

Organic cotton, especially, is an incredibly versatile, breathable (but can still be insulating and warm in a heavier density) and earth-friendly textile that does not contribute to animal exploitation. And organic

cotton, which eschews dangerous pesticides used in traditional cotton farming, is easier to find and more affordable than ever.

Below is a not-exhaustive list of places to look for cruelty-free fall and winter items. This list contains a mixture of price-points with the hope that it’s accessible to all, regardless of budget.

PATAGONIA This well-known brand is available online and in select stores. Patagonia produces very high-quality winter coats and sweaters, some of which are available without the use of animals.

Their nano-puff jackets and polar fleece sweaters are animal-free, very long-lasting and high quality; most of it is fairly expensive. I personally have owned a nano-puff jacket for 10+ years, which gets worn almost daily in the fall and winter, and still looks practically new. It might last me until the bitter end—which makes it worth the expense, in my opinion. They also sell cold weather clothing for all genders made of organic cotton. patagonia.com

SAVE THE DUCK If you are looking for something minimally elegant, and chic that goes beyond the standard outdoor-wear aesthetic, look no further than Save The Duck, an Italian-based company that completely eschews animal products and makes coats for men, women and children. The company produces a wide range of aesthetics—from fashion-forward faux fur to more standard puffer jackets. They have an online store and products are also available at select retailers in the U.S. savetheduckusa.com

STELLA MCCARTNEY This is a very expensive luxury brand.

But if you are looking for something fashionable, ethical and eco-minded, Stella McCartney is hard to beat. McCartney also designs for men, women and children of all ages, including babies. stellamccartney.com

REI REI, an outdoor clothing retailer and online store, is an excellent place to look for synthetic down jackets. At the time of this writing, they carry 140 jackets for men and women from a variety of brands that are completely animal free. Use their search feature to find “synthetic down.” REI.com

14 | Friends of Animals

UNIQLO This company is a Japanese mass-market retailer famous for its insulated under garments that are all synthetic called Heattech (made for men, women and children) that, as the company boasts, utilizes “Japanese technology.”

I don’t know what Japanese technology is, but Heattech products are incredible and work exactly as described. And it’s incredibly affordable. Unfortunately, they sell down jackets too, but there are warm, affordable, synthetic jackets as well. uniqlo.com

ETSY The online purveyor of hand-made, vintage and craft supplies might not be an obvious recommendation for winter wear, but hear me out: Several years ago, I discovered that there are vegan knitters—some who specialize in knitting custom hats using cotton yard and other animal-free, plant-based fibers. I have purchased two winter hats that were knitted for the exact size of my head in my favorite colors for extremely affordable prices. etsy.com Development Director Dustin Rhodes is in charge of fundraising for Friends of Animals and is a contributing writer for Action Line.

He resides in Asheville, North Carolina, a progressive animal-loving community in the Blue Ridge mountains.

Fashion Animals exposes

FASHION INDUSTRY'S FATAL ATTRACTION TO ANIMALS

BY NICOLE RIVARD

D

uring the May public hearing for Intro 1476, the fur sales ban legislation introduced in NYC, fashion designer, author, activist and educator Joshua Katcher said: “The beauty of a garment should be matched by the beauty of how it was made. This is why fur is the epitome of bad design.”

Put that way, I thought, bad design is fashion suicide, so it’s just a matter of time before no one is using or buying fur. Unfortunately, it’s not as simple as that and the reasons are laid out in Katcher’s new book, Fashion Animals.

Designers and consumers refuse to denounce fur or to stop wearing other animals because it is such a heavily guarded and defended “tradition.” One would assume people attracted to fur as a status symbol would reject a mink coat once they learned the confined animals are riddled with injuries, covered in sores and live in their own feces because their cages often go uncleaned for weeks. Fur farms are as far from luxury and prestige as one can get.

But instead of driving yourself crazy trying to make sense of why sentient beings are still exploited for fashion, pick up Katcher's exposé of

the industry’s fatal attraction to the animal kingdom. He goes where no one has gone before to show the point of view of the fashion animals, who once valued their own lives, who did not go willingly. I won’t soon forget what happens to snakes and alligators so well-heeled humans can wear them.

Even Katcher was shocked by what he unearthed. For instance, the fashion industry is partially responsible for the koala bear’s near-extinction.

In the 1920s, koala skins were being intentionally mislabeled and sold as wombat in American and English markets to cover up the selling of protected animals. He was also surprised by how many species have been driven to extinction/near-extinction for the sake of status symbols and fashion trends. One example is the huia, a bird native to New Zealand. It became a fashion rage after an image of the Duke of Cornwall with a huia feather in his cap circulated in the London newspapers.

Katcher is optimistic because of emerging material innovation.

“Wearing animals' body parts will soon only represent the wearers’ denial of animal sentience, and therefore the denial of modern science, a hatred of animals or a crass financial privilege,” he writes.

And no one can wear that message well.

This is a must-read for fashion

students so they understand that animals’ lives should never be taken for the sake of our apparel, no matter what the likes of what Vogue editor Anna Wintour says.

While today you’d rarely glimpse an article in Vogue critical of the treatment of non-human animals for fashion, founding editor Jose-

phine Redding started a column in the magazine called, “Concerning Animals” back in 1900. It called out lovers of fur and feather fashions, whose support of those industries were threatening a surge of animal extinctions at the time.

One thing we know about fashion is its cyclical—so we can only hope the revival of Redding’s attitude is on the horizon. Because billions of animals lives depend on it.

PORTRAIT BY JARED COCKEN

Fall 2019 | 15

HOUSE OF FLUFF:

THE FUR LOOK THAT DOESN’T KILL

BY NICOLE RIVARD

The fur-free future of luxury fashion

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ven with U.S. cities like San Francisco banning the sale of fur, and New York City, one of the fashion capitals of the world, determined to do the same, consumers addicted to the idea of real fur as a glamorous status symbol are still able to wear their cruelty-ridden clothing bought elsewhere.

So Kym Canter, driven by animal welfare and environmental concerns, created a faux fur brand—House of Fluff—that is stylish, luxurious and sophisticated enough to make those shoppers choose her coats over the real thing.

She’s giving them a whole new textile, she says, and newness is everything in the fashion world.

“That’s how I’m really going to effect change. When a woman comes to me in a fur, and I can get her to realize there is an alternative, to realize real fur is obsolete, and to see that House of Fluff looks just as good, I feel so happy,” Canter said.

Canter and House of Fluff design director Alex Dymek have a lot to be happy about. Even though the fashion house is not yet even two years old, two of the biggest fur-centric communities in the world, Aspen, Colorado and Gstaad, Switzerland, have reached out, wanting to sell her luxury products, which range from hoodies and capes to ultra-plush bombers and coats.

“That really shows that women are getting it—all kinds of women.

Not just women who want to support animal welfare issues,” Canter said.

“We actually don’t identify first as a vegan brand or an animal-wellness alternative. We are a fashion brand.

But we don’t kill animals. And we don’t hurt the planet. Isn’t that the point, not to just service those that know about the animal welfare issue, but to bring the ones that don’t know over?”

House of Fluff products are also sold in Neiman Marcus, online at net-a-porter.com and houseoffluff.com, and Canter said to expect another pop-up shop in NYC this fall.

CHANGING TEAMS After meeting Canter, you realize her success thus far is not just beginner’s luck. Ironically, she has an inside scoop on what fur wearers want—she is a confessed former fur addict herself.

As the former creative director of J. Mendel, a stronghold in luxury fur, she had built up what she described as “quite a treasure trove of furs.”

She sold all 26 coats to fund the launch of NYC-based House of Fluff.

Over coffee at the Bowery Hotel, Canter shared with me the moment she changed teams. It was wintertime, her favorite season, a little over 2-½-years ago, and she was headed to a party in Tribeca. She reached into her closet and pulled out a vintage 1940s monkey-fur coat, forgoing the ocelot fur.

“As I put it on I had the ‘aha’ moment and I went, ‘Oh my god there is no way I am wearing this',” she said. “I will be shunned. I don’t want to be the girl that is wearing the dead monkey. That’s disgusting. Or a big cat who is now endangered. They were extreme coats that caused the moment.”

Something that once felt glamorous just did not feel cool anymore, she recalled.

“It did not feel right. The zeitgeist had changed,” she said. “And my own ethics had changed. Around the same time, I was becoming more conscious of what I ate, the beauty products I used and the cleaning products I used in my house. The last thing to go was my closet. It really was the hold out.”

After that, she started searching

for something that felt equally chic and glamorous as her fur coats and came up short. She felt like there was nothing sophisticated enough on the market for her to wear.

“So I thought, I am just going to make something,” Canter said. “I mentioned it to my girlfriends. And because I had come out of J. Mendel and because I was so well identified as a luxury fashion person that knew fur, they said, ‘OMG I want one.’ And I thought, ‘I think there is something bigger going on here.’”

And of course there was something bigger going on. Since the launch of House of Fluff in November 2017, Gucci banned the use of fur starting with its Spring/Summer 2018 collections.

“Do you think using furs today is still modern? I don’t think it’s still modern and that’s the reason why we decided not to do that. It’s a little bit outdated,” Marco Bizzarri, Gucci’s chief executive and president, told major press outlets. “Creativity can jump in many different directions instead of using furs.”

The day Gucci made the announcement, Canter recalls getting off a plane and her phone went bananas.

“The one thing about a legacy brand like Gucci is it has this really incredible credibility,” Canter said.

“So the fact that they came out and said we don’t think fur is modern, basically they said we don’t think it’s fashionable. ‘We are fashion and we don’t think this is fashionable’ was the perfect way to say it.”

In the last two years, Burberry, Michael Kors, Tom Ford, John Galliano, Maison Margiela, Jimmy Choo and Versace have all committed to going fur free.

Fall 2019 | 17

FUR INDUSTRY CREATES GREAT FUR DEBATE With the fashion industry acknowledging animal cruelty is not a good look on anyone, the fur industry, fearful of going extinct, has ramped up its propaganda.

The industry is hell-bent on making faux fur the villain to distract from the violence towards animals and the harm to the environment that is at the core of the fur industry.

For instance, in December 2018 the International Fur Federation took out a billboard in Times Square with the message “Fake fur kills fish,” an effort to sway the public into believing all faux fur is full of toxic petrochemicals that cannot biodegrade and that shed plastic microfibers, which end up in drinking water and oceans.

The fur industry timed it perfectly as people are ditching things like plastic straws and single-use plastics in an effort to save the oceans. But in reality, discarded fishing gear is the most detrimental to oceans, not faux fur.

“The fur industry basically did a smart thing,” Canter said. “Whoever

18 | Friends of Animals

handles their lobbying basically said there is a hotter issue than animal welfare, and we will always lose the animal welfare issue...so let’s just change the equation and start talking about sustainability and start saying that faux fur is much more harmful to the planet; that real fur is the natural choice, and use all this language that people respond to.

“The fact of the matter is that there are enough studies that say the opposite. It’s false advertising.”

Canter is adamant that everyone in fashion needs to be held accountable about earth issues, not just designers who use faux fur.

“I think it’s great that customers are asking me about the sustainability of faux fur, but I think it would be really terrific if they felt that way about everything they put on. They are buying into the fur industry’s propaganda and

making us this villain when in fact we are so far from it,” she said.

HOUSE OF FLUFF’S ECOCREDENTIALS While Canter admits fast fashion, including cheap faux fur, lacks eco-credentials, House of Fluff is making huge efforts to be eco-friendly and to create pieces that will last a lifetime.

Her customers are not going to get something that they’ll only want to wear for a season and then throw out so it ends up in a landfill. For Canter and Dymek, innovation is the new luxury, which is good news for animals and the planet.

The company uses recycled polyester fiber to make its coats. Products are lined in natural fabrics like cotton jersey and combined with French terry so they feel as soft and comfy on the inside as they do on the outside.

No single-use plastics are used anywhere in the company. And all scraps are upcycled into jackets for dogs as well as little plush collectibles called “scrappies.” Scrappies’ playful faces are also put on scarves and hoodies.

House of Fluff is also working with scientists at Cradle to Cradle, which issues certifications to sustainability-committed companies, to make a bio-based faux fur textile Canter hopes to bring to market in 2020. Bio-based products are derived from plants and other renewable agricultural, marine and forestry materials and provide an alternative to conventional petroleum-derived products.

And this month the brand is about to launch a style that looks and feels like fleece but that’s made from Ecopel, a textile made of 100% recycled ocean plastics.

THE FUTURE LOOKS BRIGHT Whether the furriers like it or not, the interest in faux fur in the luxury market continues to grow. Canter believes millennial customers, who don’t think cruelty is in vogue and who believe we all share an increasing responsibility to take care of the planet, are driving its popularity.

It’s the complete opposite of what she knew growing up, she said.

“I grew up in the 70s in Connecticut. It was a huge thing when your mom got a mink coat—that was a huge sign of status,” she said. “I had grown up very much not connecting animal welfare issues, the horrors of fur, to what I was doing.

“I lived this double life. I was always in fur but I always loved animals and supported all these animal charities.

It was weird that I had that job at J. Mendel for so long. But I kept myself very sheltered—I never went to any fur farms.”

Canter feels hopeful that the luxury

faux fur industry as a whole can band together to share the many ways their products are more ethical for animals and the planet than real fur.

“The fur lobby must be drinking the same cool aid as Donald Trump.

They both seem to ignore real facts and attempt to create their own fake truths,” she said in an interview with the Faux Fur Institute.

As we hug goodbye and Canter slips on her slinky House of Fluff leopard-print trench, I think about the old adage, if you look good you feel good.

In her case, ditching real fur for faux fur not only makes her look good, but she feels so much better.

“I feel great about what I’ve done.

But I feel that there is so much more to do. I definitely don’t feel I’m done,” Canter said.

Clockwise from top left: House of Fluff's Leopard print trench coat. Natural yeti cape coat. Yeti sweatshirt cape. Kym Canter, CEO and creative director of House of Fluff. Black plush dog bomber jacket.

Fall 2019 | 19

CULINARY KIDS It’s never too soon to start cooking to stay healthy and save the world

20 | Friends of Animals

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BY PRISCILLA FERAL

fter seeing several cute cookbooks, especially Ruby Roth’s The Help Yourself Cookbook for Kids, comprised of easy plant-based recipes kids can make “to stay healthy and save the world,” the cookbook diva in me felt roused.

I was compelled to develop a few recipes for kids six years old and up because there is so much for them to discover through cooking.

Besides creating an awareness and appreciation for food and healthy eating habits, cooking stokes kids’ curiosity, thinking and problem-solving capabilities. Kids gain confidence, patience and the ability to follow instructions.

When my daughter was a two-year-old at a Montessori School, she was taught to cut carrots and to help empty a dishwasher. That’s impressed me for more than three decades.

Since we want younger generations to eat and choose well, adults have to share the kitchen with them sometimes so that they can learn and develop self-esteem from the task.

To achieve the best result—kids enjoying their time in the kitchen so much that they want to keep coming back to try more recipes that are written for them—educator Maria Montessori advises: Follow the child.

So we not only involve them, we put them in charge of the creation. Initially, they need an adult’s assistance. Before tackling a recipe, read it out loud and arrange all the ingredients on the counter as well as utensils, such as measuring cups and spoons, forks for mashing, a wooden spoon for stirring, muffin tins, mixing bowls, a baking pan, sauté pan, soup pot and blender. You’ll find children absorbed in the process already.

Under your watchful eye, you can have a toddler practice slicing and build complex motor skills using a banana and a dull dinner knife; four and five-year-old’s can carefully practice cutting pieces of vegetables and fruit first using a serrated dinner knife.

I have a Montessori Toddler & Up Knife & Slice Sequence Kit (available from Amazon.com). It includes a set of five tools to teach children at various skill levels everything from slicing a banana to cutting their own vegetables, bread and herbs with a serrated knife—all under adult supervision. When kids eventually use an adult knife, put a piece of colored tape on the handle of the knife to mark the safe end, and remind them their hand stays on the tape.

Once cooking gets underway, use a timer to remind both of you when to turn off the heat so nothing gets burned.

Be aware that inviting kids into your kitchen definitely means making a mess. But I guarantee the experience will be so rewarding for everyone involved that you’ll even enjoy the cleanup together.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JANE SEYMOUR

Here are some recipes to get your children in the kitchen.

Beware, they might enjoy them so much it could be hard to get them out of the kitchen.

Editor’s note: Feral is the author of three vegan cookbooks: The Best of Vegan Cooking; Dining with Friends; and For the Love of Dog Biscuits. Younger children will be able to try making the first recipes, a Date Nut Shake or Raspberry Smoothie.

DATE NUT SHAKE

Serves 1

• 1 frozen banana, cut in several pieces • 4 – 8 ice cubes • 1/3 cup of raw cashews • 1 cup coconut milk (or other vegan milk) • 2 dates (no pits!)

Preparation: Blend in a blender until smooth and creamy.

RASPBERRY SMOOTHIE

Serves 2

• 2 cups of raspberries • 1 banana, cut in several pieces • ½ cup of orange juice • 1 tablespoon of lime juice • 2 ice cubes Preparation: Blend in a blender until smooth. Pour into 2 glasses and garnish each with a mint leaf, if desired.

NO-RECIPE PEANUT BUTTER SANDWICH

Serves 2

• Peanut butter • 2 slices of whole grain bread • Thin-sliced banana or apples • A sprinkle of cinnamon

Preparation: Toast the bread before spreading it with peanut butter, which adds crunch and warmth. Top one slice with thin-sliced banana, or apples. Add a sprinkle of cinnamon. Cut the sandwich in half.

Fall 2019 | 21

GOOD MORNING GLORY MUFFINS

12 muffins

• 1-½ cups whole wheat flour • ½ cup all-purpose flour • ¾ cup organic light brown sugar • 1 tablespoon baking powder • 2 teaspoons baking soda • 2 teaspoons cinnamon • ½ teaspoon ground ginger • ½ teaspoon salt • ¾ cup unsweetened applesauce • ½ cup coconut oil, melted • 1 apple, peeled and grated • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract • 2 cups grated carrot (about 3 carrots) • ½ cup raisins • ½ cup shredded, unsweetened coconut • ½ cup walnuts, chopped Preparation: Line a muffin tin with paper liners and set aside. Preheat oven to 400 degrees (F).

In large bowl, add the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and salt; whisk well to combine.

Add in the applesauce, coconut oil, apple and vanilla; whisk just until combined. Add the carrot, raisins, coconut and walnuts and stir until ingredients are combined. Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups.

Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean or with just a couple of crumbs attached. Cool muffins in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

AMAZING PASTA WITH CHICKPEAS

Serves 3

• 8 – 12. oz. shell macaroni • 1 onion peeled and chopped • ¼ cup olive oil • 3 cloves of chopped or crushed garlic • 1 tablespoon tomato paste • 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes • 1 stick of cinnamon • ½ cup of non-dairy creamer • One 14 oz. can of drained chickpeas • 2 tablespoons of fresh, chopped parsley • salt and pepper to taste Preparation: Sauté onion in olive oil and add garlic, along with a dusting of salt and pepper. After a few minutes when the onion is nicely softened and see-through, add tomato paste, chopped tomatoes, and a stick of cinnamon. Stir and simmer over medium-low heat for 15 minutes. Then add the non-dairy creamer, and reheat for a minute or more.

Meanwhile, boil 6 quarts of salted water in a large pan.

Add the pasta and cook until tender as the package instructs, stirring so it doesn’t stick.

After pasta is done, drain it in a colander. Add drained chickpeas and stir into the tomato sauce, topping with chopped parsley.

GUACAMOLE

Serves 4

• 2 avocados, peeled and seeded • ½ small red onion, finely chopped • 2 cloves minced (cut in tiny pieces) or crushed garlic • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice • ½ tomato, finely chopped • 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro • ½ teaspoon sea salt • A dash of black pepper Preparation: Peel and seed a ripe avocado and mash it in a bowl with a fork. Combine the remaining ingredients with the avocado.

A pit left in the guacamole, along with sprinkling a little more lime juice, helps to preserve the guacamole’s bright green color if you’re not eating it right away.

Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 hours before eating, and serve with cut vegetables such as carrot sticks, or tortilla chips.

22 | Friends of Animals

EASY-PEASY CHOCOLATE CAKE ONE 8-INCH SQUARE CAKE

Serves 9

This is an adapted version of chef Mollie Katzen’s chocolate cake recipe that’s baked in an 8-by-8-inch baking pan.

It was surprising how dark and moist it was for such a simple recipe. Her instructions called for preparing and baking it in the same dish, but I altered that direction so that the cake more easily lifts out of a greased pan.

• 1 ¼ cups unbleached white flour • 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa • 1 cup organic sugar • ½ teaspoon salt • ¾ teaspoon baking soda • 1 cup water • 1/3 cup organic canola oil • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or white vinegar • 2 tablespoons semisweet, vegan chocolate chips • Organic Powdered Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting on top Preparation: Preheat oven to 325 degrees (F). Have ready an 8-inch-square greased baking pan.

Put flour, cocoa, sugar, salt and baking soda into a mediumlarge mixing bowl. Mix ingredients together until uniform in color.

Add 1 cup water along with the oil, vanilla extract and vinegar. Stir with a whisk in small circles to blend until the mixture becomes a smooth and uniform batter.

Pour the batter into a greased 8-inch square pan and sprinkle with chocolate chips.

Bake for 30 – 33 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of the batter comes out mostly clean, with a few chocolate cake crumbs clinging to it.

Remove from the oven, let cool, then cut the cake into squares. This looks pretty with some confectioners’ sugar dusted on top.

LUSCIOUS TOMATO SOUP

Serves 4

• ¼ cup olive oil • 1 small-medium onion, chopped • 1 medium carrot, chopped • 2 celery sticks, chopped • 1 garlic clove, finely chopped or crushed • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour • 14.5 oz. can fire-roasted, diced tomatoes • 1 tablespoon tomato paste • 1- ½ teaspoon dried basil • 2 cups vegetable broth • A pinch of sugar • ½ teaspoon of salt or to taste • A little freshly ground black pepper • ¼ cup of non-dairy creamer Preparation: Heat the olive oil in a medium sized pan over medium heat, and then add the onion, carrot and celery.

Cook the onion, carrot and celery for about 5 minutes, until they soften, and then stir in the garlic and flour and cook for another minute.

Add the canned tomatoes, tomato paste, dried basil, vegetable broth, and sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil, and then reduce to low heat and simmer, partially covered for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add salt and pepper.

Remove the soup from the heat and let it cool about 30 minutes. Ladle it into a blender and blend in batches until smooth. Pour back into the pan, add non-dairy creamer and reheat before serving.

(Tip: A hand immersion blender can be used after the soup is done cooking, which saves time from ladling soup into a blender.)

Fall 2019 | 23

B

O

O

K

BY FRAN SILVERMAN

I

can remember reading Charlotte’s Web both as a little girl and then as a mother to my children. This iconic book penned by E.B. White masterfully related the concept of the sentient nature of animals. Who wasn’t horrified to think Wilbur could be sent to slaughter? And who didn’t cry when Charlotte died? This book and others like A.A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh are literary canon on children’s reading lists. To some degree, however, they anthropomorphize animals, attributing exuberance bordering on hyperactivity to Tigger and pessimism to Eeyore, for example. That’s not necessarily a negative, but it leaves a question on how to address and explain the very real issues facing animals today to children in appropriate ways. The good news is that there are several newly-published books aimed at youngsters that tackle these issues.

Here’s a few we spotted that you may want to add to the reading list for a child in your life.

DON’T LET THEM DISAPPEAR

By Chelsea Clinton ($11.04 Hardcover) The chief aim of this graceful book for young readers aged 4-8 is summed

24 | Friends of Animals

up in Chelsea Clinton’s dedication in which she states that all children “deserve to grow up in a world where no animal is endangered” and her refrain on each page: “Don’t let them disappear.”

At the very beginning of the book, published by Philomel Books, she explains the level of challenges facing wildlife with a key that takes young readers through threat levels ranging from “not vulnerable” to “extinct.”

For each of the 12 animals depicted, which include marine mammals, African and Asian wildlife and polar bears, she lists the stage of threat they face and why, and she doesn’t shy away from listing hunting, fishing and habitat destruction as main causes.

Illustrator Gianna Marino sets a lovely tone with playful images depicting the animals in their natural environs with their families and herds around them. Each page starts with a few words about what the animals do at night, and at dawn, a nod toward the children who may also be getting ready for bed when they are viewing the book.

She also touches on some key facts about each species, making sure to point to behaviors that make them unique.

Clinton ends the book with a call to action, urging young readers to take the pledge to help make sure animals don’t disappear and delineating ways children can help.

While we’d have preferred Clinton not have listed supporting zoos as an option to help these species

and instead urged families to help children learn respect for wildlife in myriad other ways (see our article on “Raising kids who respect animals” here: friendsofanimals.org/news/ raising-kids-who-respect-animals) the book raises critical issues and informs the younger generation with urgency about what’s ahead if they don’t take steps to respect wildlife. For that we cheer it.

WAKE UP BABY BEAR

By Lynn Plourde ($8.27 Hardcover) At a time when states are promoting black bear hunts and the local media is reporting bear sightings as leading stories on the evening news as if they were aliens invading our planet, Wake Up Baby Bear presents a delightful counter to the fear mongering. The book focuses on a baby black bear that is having trouble waking up from his winter hibernation. He’s helped along by friendly woodsy wildlife who try to gently nudge him out of his slumber while his parents go off to look for food after their long winter’s nap. The beauty of this book, with endearing illustrations by Teri Weidner, is that it depicts bears as they should be cast,

R

E

as families going about the business of their lives, not as ferocious animals you must hunt and destroy.

Even more gratifying, Plourde gently introduces the notion that animals are not food when the baby bear finds a nest of eggs on his belly that he suggests would be a good meal and the robin who laid them counters, “These are my babies, not your breakfast.”

Published by DownEast Books, Wake Up Baby Bear is a sequel to Baby Bear’s Not Hibernating. It’s a sweet read for kindergartners that will teach children to embrace the animals around them as part of their community and not view them as a threat.

V

I

THE WOOLLY MONKEY MYSTERIES

By Sandra Markle ($26.08 Library Binding) Written by former elementary school teacher Sandra Markle, this book examines the importance of Woolly monkeys in South America. With vivid pictures, readers learn about how the mysterious monkeys in Peru’s Manú National Park aid in the preservation of the Amazon rain forests, including acting as important pollinators.

E

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In showcasing the mysterious monkeys who live high up in the rain forest canopy, Markle also informs young readers about the importance of the research scientists are conducting to save and preserve the Amazon by allowing them to glimpse up close images of scientists in action and read snippets about what they are discovering, thus personalizing their work to engage youngsters.

A few fun facts readers will learn from this book: The monkeys eat dirt; warn each other with differing sounds about specific predators; and help preserve the rain forest by eliminating seeds from fruit they’ve eaten in their waste that then grow into new trees.

The book importantly notes that setting aside some regions of the Amazon as nature preserves

Fall 2019 | 25

isn’t enough to stop its decline and addresses hunting as a threat to Woolly monkeys and deforestation of their habitats as an ongoing challenge. “Parts of the world just can’t be the same without the animals that live there,’’ she tells readers.

Published by Millbrook Press, the book is aimed at readers aged 8-12 and ends with a delightful activity youngsters are sure to enjoy.

BEYOND WORDS: WHAT ELEPHANTS AND WHALES THINK AND FEEL

By Carl Safina ($12.32 Hardcover) Researcher Carl Safina’s book has a simple premise: It’s about the biggest animals on land and sea. But Safina goes much deeper than that by quickly hitting on one of the most important points in studying animals, which is that it’s not about comparing them to humans, it’s about learning who they are as individuals in their realm, from

26 | Friends of Animals

their perspectives.

Safina, a Guggenheim Fellowship recipient, does this well in his 140-page book for middle schoolers. It’s filled with up close observations and anecdotes from scientists, researchers and advocates. Some of the stories are sweet and heart-warming, others are devastatingly sad, as Safina doesn’t soft peddle the horror animals face from human predators. In fact, several of his comments in the book are worth repeating, including this gem: “Creating problems seems to be one of the things that makes us human…”

The book delves into the family and social lives of elephant groups and orca pods and relates how they communicate, care for and protect each member of their social network.

From discussing how elephants have fun by acting silly to the stunning fact that the sons and daughters of killer whales stay with their mothers for life, the book allows readers to come to love these species because of their inherent worth.

He also starkly explains the stakes, noting that since Roman times, the elephant population has decreased by 99 percent and that every 15 minutes another is killed. He also bluntly recounts stories of orcas captured and killed for the entertainment trade including SeaWorld’s culpability.

Because he is so stark, adding a section about how a reader could help

protect these species would have been a favorable addition, because as he notes: “Ours is the species that best understands the world, yet has the worst relationship with it.”

I’M A SUPERVEGAN

By Katie Clark ($14 Hardcover/ $10.95 Paperback) Speaking of introducing vegan concepts to youngsters, if you find yourself struggling to help a child understand the importance of a plant-forward lifestyle, this book will help. The book grew out of author Katie Clark’s desire to assure her daughters that plant-based meals are a heroic choice in a complicated world.

School-age children struggle with trying to be themselves but also fit in with classmates and this book gives them a path to speak up with confidence about their food choices.

With illustrations by Sonnaz, this paperback explains how vegans are smart, brave and caring, all the traits of a true super hero. She ends the book with a vegan recipe children will enjoy.

The littlest vegans in your life will be charmed by this smart read.

BY FRAN SILVERMAN PHOTOGRAPH BY JUAN GOMEZ

The only place where Harold could have been exposed to large amounts of pesticides, Andrew said, was on the golf course.

Nisker, a Toronto-based film maker specializing in environmental issues whose previous movies include “Orange Witness,” about the use of Agent Orange chemical 2,4-D, and “Garbage! The Revolution Starts at Home,” began digging deeper and what he found is revealed in his newest documentary. The film, “GroundWar: When Playing Fields become Battlefields,” takes viewers on Nisker’s journey as he talks with health experts, golf industry representatives, environmental advocates and family members of cancer victims in an effort to raise awareness about the overuse of pesticides and their dangers.

Fall 2019 | 27

EARTH MATTERS

WHEN FIELDS OF GREENS ARE NOT FIELDS OF DREAMS

Andrew Nisker’s father, Harold, was always the picture of health. He embraced good nutrition, exercise and fresh air, and especially enjoyed golfing at the course near his home.

When he fell ill and was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, his family was heartbroken and perplexed—and then alarmed at what they learned next.

“I really just felt like because of his lifestyle and the way he took care of himself—his diet, sports and exercise—were all working in his favor,’’ said Andrew Nisker. “For this disease, Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, to appear in him really kind of raised a lot of alarm bells for me because when I researched the disease itself, one of the strong possibilities was pesticide exposure as being a marker to contracting the disease.”

WHAT SURPRISED YOU MOST ABOUT THE USE OF PESTICIDES WHEN MAKING THE FILM? How unnecessary they are to create, maintain and enjoy playing fields and golf courses. And the second thing is how in the dark the public is. My father would be walking through these fields of green, but he had no idea how those fields were kept and what was being sprayed. I don’t think many people think about that when they look at a beautiful green park or landscape. I used to think well, that’s the way it should look, but now that’s totally turned on its head.

Above: Andrew and his father, Harold, at Andrew’s wedding in Toronto in 2014

Friends of Animals has been working to support bills in several states and municipalities—including New York City’s Intro 1524—which restrict the use of toxic pesticides that can harm wildlife, ecosystems and waterways as well as humans.

FoA President Priscilla Feral has also started an effort to raise awareness about pesticides on golf courses, public parks and playing fields in Darien, Connecticut, where FoA headquarters are located. So, we were particularly interested in talking with Nisker about his work.

In a recent Q&A with Action Line, he discussed his film, what he learned about pesticides on playing fields and how he is promoting advocacy efforts to alert the public about what they can do to take action.

Editor's note: Responses have been edited for space and clarity.

WHAT LED YOU TO INVESTIGATE PESTICIDE USE ON GOLF COURSES AND PLAYING FIELDS? I became aware of the use of Agent Orange for domestic purposes that’s extensively used but not really spoken about, and I started to think about chemicals we use to treat our lawns 28 | Friends of Animals

and our gardens. When my dad got sick, I had some questions about what was being used on his golf course.

And where I live here in Toronto, I was able to get answers because there was an act passed about 10 years ago that requires golf courses to report the types of chemicals they use. My father was a member of a private golf course, so when I printed out what the chemicals used were on the golf course, 2,4-D (a component of Agent Orange) was the first one that showed up.

My jaw dropped because I knew the chemical through making “Orange Witness” and that’s when I started thinking maybe there is a connection here. I never told my dad. He was on his deathbed and I can’t make a definitive connection. Scientifically it’s impossible to make a connection like that. There are cases going on now with Roundup. So, what we are faced with really is, Why are we using these things? That’s the question. When you get down to the answers, there really is no good answer to take any type of risk for eliminating weeds or sculpting a garden. There are alternatives.

WHAT QUESTIONS SHOULD GOLF PLAYERS AT PUBLIC AND PRIVATE COURSES BE ASKING REGARDING PESTICIDE USE? I would ask for reports, find out what they are spraying, when they are spraying, how much they are spraying. Demand transparency and that will give you a better picture of what’s happening. It’s not just golf courses.

Dewayne Johnson (a groundskeeper who contracted Non-Hodgkin lymphoma and successfully sued Monsanto, which made Roundup before Bayer acquired it) used to spray chemicals on playgrounds and around playgrounds and he was told to go early in the morning before the parents arrived. So, as a parent you’d have no idea. Ask your school board what are they putting on playgrounds?

What are they putting on that playing field? And then put some pressure on them to change it if it’s alarming you.

But without that information we are all in the dark. That’s why our website, groundwar.org, has an incredible tool on it where you can track and see what is being sprayed in your community. And if your community isn’t on the website, find out what is being sprayed in your community and add that information to the list. We are trying to map pesticide use throughout communities.

WHAT STEPS CAN GOLFERS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS TAKE TO MAKE GOLF COURSES IN THEIR TOWNS SAFER? • Demand transparency in the chemicals being used.

• Work with the management of the golf course to try to figure out ways to reduce the chemicals used.

• Work with local legislators to insure environmental laws are strengthened to protect waterways, animals and human health.

• Hold people who are using these chemicals accountable.

• Host a community showing of "Ground War." WHAT IS MAKING YOU HOPEFUL ABOUT CURTAILING THE USE OF PESTICIDES AT GOLF COURSES? In the old days, they would probably spray most of the golf course property including the rocks, the gardens,

the lawns and every place you don’t play to keep it up to standard. Now you go to a lot of golf courses where they only spray playable areas and let everything else kind of go wild. So that’s one thing that is a positive step…

And the other thing is that they are even getting down to when they spray in those areas. On the fairways or the greens, they are not carpet spraying them but spot spraying and that really reduces the amount of pesticides. And of course, the turf science has become more advanced where they are figuring out ways to build golf courses using natural elements, natural vegetation, as opposed to bringing in invasive species that don’t really belong, which has really been the way a lot of golf courses have been built. When you bring in invasive species, it means they need to be heavily watered and need chemicals to keep them alive.

The Vineyard on Martha’s Vineyard is a very good example, where they’ve

tried to use all-natural landscapes and use what they had on the island in order to build and maintain that golf course.

WHAT DO YOU WANT PEOPLE MOST TO TAKE FROM YOUR FILMS? To become aware about what is being used around them, ask questions, demand transparency and to put some pressure on legislators and organizations to eliminate as much unnecessary pesticide use in your community as you can.

To host a screening of "Ground War" visit takeactionfilms.com/community-screening-licenses/.ground-war-community-license.

IN MEMORIAM Friends of Animals has received kind donations in memory of the following individuals: DANIEL LAGONIGRO

LOTTIE MARIA WHITEFIELD

WOLFIE

ROBERT WEST

JOHN KNOWLES

ZIPPY LILY

MADELEINE BEMELMANS JAMES WINDER

ZIGGY CANON

SWEET BOY, REGGIE

FREDERICK J. FRANKE

NIKITA

MICK, KRISTOFER & SHYLOH FOSTER

MERRICK WYBLE

GIZMO YANOFF

CLAIRE LIZETTE HOWARD

YOGI

LOUIS KARA

CUJI

THE ANIMALS VICTORIA MYERS TRIED TO DO RIGHT BY

Fall 2019 | 29

WILDLIFE WATCH

FLYING THE UNFRIENDLY SKIES

BY NICOLE RIVARD PHOTOGRAPH BY MAX OSTROZHINSKIY

Conservation efforts ramp up to protect migratory birds from bright lights, big cities

A

s a volunteer for Lights Out D.C., Lisbeth Fuisz roamed a four-mile route in downtown Washington, D.C. in May inspecting buildings and collecting dead or injured migratory birds who had collided with the structures.

In cities like D.C., migratory birds can be lured by artificial lights or become disoriented by smooth, transparent surfaces and slam right into glass buildings and towers.

The mission of Lights Out, a program started almost a decade ago by the non-profit City Wildlife, is to collect information that can be used to convince building owners and managers to adopt light abatement procedures for the sake of migrating birds.

When her hour-and-a-half shift was over, Fuisz had collected five dead birds.

“By D.C. standards, that’s quite a few birds to find in one morning.

However, there are other cities with much larger problems than ours,” she said.

Fuisz is right. According to a study released in the spring by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the five most dangerous cities for birds during spring migration are: Chicago, Houston, Dallas, Los Angeles and St. Louis. During fall migration, they are

AN UPWARDS OF 600 MILLION BIRDS DIE FROM BUILDING COLLISIONS EVERY YEAR IN THE U.S., WITH SOME ESTIMATES AT ONE BILLION. Chicago, Houston, Dallas, Atlanta and New York. The study combines satellite data showing light pollution levels with weather radar measuring bird migration density.

The study’s aim is to raise awareness that bird strikes are not isolated events; they are part of a global problem that everyone—from architects and city building managers to homeowners—is responsible for solving.

The study highlights artificial light at night as a contributing factor.

Songbirds, especially warblers, seem most susceptible to light pollution.

Building glass is the other major threat to birds, as it can be so clear that birds don’t see it, or it can reflect nearby trees, duping birds who then fly into it.

But the good news is, it’s an environmental issue with relatively easy solutions compared to something like climate change, which can be so overwhelming that the public feels paralyzed instead of motivated to take corrective action.

“The purpose of the study is to

Fall 2019 | 31

make some on-the-ground change happen,” said Kyle Horton, lead author of the study. “We’re trying to use forecasting on birds who are flying to create awareness and motivate people to change their behaviors.”

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER Horton pointed out that because many birds alter their migration routes between spring and fall, rankings of the most-dangerous cities change slightly with the season.

During spring migration, billions of birds pass through the central U.S. between the Rockies and the Appalachians, so cities primarily in the middle of the country comprise the most-dangerous list for that season.

Heavy spring migration along the West Coast also puts Los Angeles on the spring’s most-dangerous list.

Fall bird migration tends to be intense along the heavily light-polluted Atlantic seaboard, which is why four eastern cities make the list in autumn when the sun goes down earlier and lights stay on longer.

Chicago, Houston and Dallas are uniquely positioned in the heart of North America’s most trafficked aerial corridors. This, in combination with being some of the largest cities in the U.S., make them a serious threat to the passage of migrants, regardless of season, according to Horton.

"Now that we know where and when the largest numbers of migratory birds pass heavily lit areas we can use this to help spur extra conservation efforts in these cities," said study co-author Cecilia Nilsson. "For example, Houston Audubon uses migration forecasts from Cornell Lab's BirdCast program to run 'lights out' warnings on nights when large migratory movements are expected over the city."

32 | Friends of Animals

The study’s authors found that on average about half of all migrating birds pass through a city over six nights in the spring and seven in the fall. While they don’t expect cities to turn their lights off for 90 straight days, if they were willing to do it for seven nights, that could have an impact.

LIGHTS OUT YIELDS POSITIVE RESULTS Lights Out efforts as well as glass remediation programs have had a positive impact in D.C. Volunteers began collaborating with the architect of the Thurgood Marshall Federal Judiciary Building in 2011. The building features a five-story glass atrium that showcases live, tall trees in the lobby.

After many meetings with several people, the building’s management agreed to turn off the atrium lights during spring and fall migration. As a result, there was a two-thirds reduction in bird-glass collisions, according to Fuisz.

Lights out D.C. also worked with The Walter E. Washington Convention Center, a 2.3 million-square-foot structure, to make it less dangerous for birds. The convention center applied a Solyx bird safety window film to the outside of the overpass glass in November of 2016.

“There were only two strikes recorded at the overpass in 2017, for an 82% reduction, and zero strikes recorded at the overpass in 2018, for a 100% reduction. Since there were no other changes in the immediate environment, this means the film has been responsible for this success and is highly effective,” said Anne Lewis, president of City Wildlife.

Fuisz is encouraged by the fact that more and more communities are taking this issue seriously.

“When we started doing this 10 years ago this was not an issue that was on many people’s radar,” she said.

“There are a lot more organizations like ours that have come into being.

It’s really become much more central in conversations about sustainability and adaptability.”

That’s certainly the case in New York, where in May the state Senate passed the “Bird-Friendly Building Council Act,” which Friends of Animals rallied our members to support. The act would amend conservation law to create a 15-person commission within the Department of Environmental Conservation that would establish criteria to make existing buildings and new construction across the state safer for birds.

The state Assembly is working on a companion bill.

In New York City alone, avian collisions kill 90,000 to 230,000 birds each year, according to NYC Audubon.

“It is so unnecessary that we continue to build in a way that endangers animal lives,” state Sen. Brad Hoylman, who sponsored the bill, told real estate blog Curb NY. “I represent midtown Manhattan that has a number of skyscrapers sheeted in glass, and I think on any given day you can find dead birds at the base of buildings.”

State buildings in New York turn off non-essential outdoor lighting from 11 p.m. to dawn between April 15 -May 31 and Aug. 15 - Nov. 15. Other well-known structures including Rockefeller Center, the Chrysler Building and the Time Warner Center have agreed to limit lighting.

YOU CAN SAVE BIRDS AT HOME TOO An estimated quarter-million birds die from collisions with houses and residences every year, according to Horton, so even homeowners in the most dangerous metro areas for migrating birds can play an important role.

"It's a large-scale issue, but acting even at the very local level to reduce lighting can make a difference. While we’re hopeful that major reductions in light pollution at the city level are on

the horizon, we’re excited that even small-scale actions can make a big difference,” Horton said.

While a skyscraper is going to kill more birds per year than your house or a low-rise building, they are rare among the U.S. landscapes. So, it’s important to focus on low-rise buildings as well, as they quickly accumulate bird mortality events.

“Overall it is much easier for an individual to make an immediate impact,” Horton said. “It’s harder for

us to get a building manager to turn off the lights at a prominent skyscraper; that’s going to be a bigger hurdle. But someone turning the lights off at their house when they aren’t using them or pulling the blinds closed at night so the light isn’t radiating outside is an easy fix.”

WE LIKE THESE EASY FIXES TO PROTECT BIRDS FROM YOUR WINDOWS Provided by the American Bird Conservancy

1

2

3

Apply Tempera paint freehand with brush or sponge, or use a stencil as a template. Find stencils at michaels.com, amazon.com, or download stencils for free at spraypaintstencils.com.

4

5

Use tape to create patterns. Any opaque tape can work, but translucent ABC BirdTape transmits light and is made to last outdoors. Visit birdsmartglass.org for more information.

Not all window films are created equal.

However, there are good options, such as White CollidEscape, Solyx Bird Safety Film and Feather Friendly’s ‘do it yourself’ tape. Find links at birdsmartglass.org.

If you don’t want to alter the glass itself, Acopian

6

BirdSavers (a.k.a. Zen Wind Curtains) are unobtrusive, as well as highly effective. See birdsavers.com for info.

Protect birds with lightweight netting over the window or removable screens. Several companies, (birdscreen. com, birdsavers.com, easyupshades.com ) sell screens or other barriers that can be attached with suction cups or eye hooks. Or use a motorized solar shade (sunsetter.com/ order_easyshades) to make glass safe. These options must be several inches in front of the window.

Birds see decals shaped like raptors as obstacles but not as predators. To be effective, any type of decal must be spaced properly, which is more closely than recommended by most manufacturers. Find these at windowdressingetc.com, windowalert.com, duncraft.com.

Fall 2019 | 33

GUEST COLUMN

THE WOLVES ARE BACK IN MONTANA

Sceyefal Wolf Research is poised to make sure they stay

BY JAY MALLONEE

I

've been waiting a long time. Years, in fact.

When Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (MFWP) eliminated the entire Fishtrap pack for apparently killing someone’s cow, my decade-long study came to an abrupt end.

Recently, however, another pack has made its presence known.

Over the past year-and-a-half, I’ve documented their occasional visits through the area, but now it’s consistent. The elation of once again finding fresh wolf prints offers hope for the future, because the wolves are back.

I established Sceyefal Wolf Research in March 2019 to find out more about these unknown individuals, study their behavior and find a way to protect them.

At present, there are at least three adults and their vocalizations have been recorded. There has been no

34 | Friends of Animals

evidence of pups throughout the denning time of year, but finding such a specific location often takes years.

Perhaps rendezvous site season, when pups are trained by pack members at various locations throughout the summer, will indicate something quite different.

In the meantime, I’ve been able to document at least one major travel route. It stretches over 10 miles and provides the wolves access to three different drainage systems. My black lab Shyla and I have walked every inch of it. During these surveys, we met one of the wolves.

THE NATURE OF WOLVES This lone wolf had exited a thick patch of forest and stepped onto the path in front of us, about 30 yards ahead. It was a tricolored adult, mostly brown with a mix of white and black sprinkled throughout its coat. I abruptly stopped walking, as did Shyla. She sat next to me on her haunches and calmly watched as the wolf briefly

looked at us, but never stopped moving.

Wolves are funny creatures. Sometimes their indifference to our presence can be startling. It glanced at us fleetingly, as though we weren’t actually being acknowledged. It just happened to turn its head that way.

The wolf then turned its backside toward us and slowly loped up the path and out of sight. It was in no hurry, never looked back, and displayed an air of complete control.

Several years earlier a similar incident occurred. Two wolves crossed the road about 50 yards in front of Shyla and I during one of our walks.

They were just passing through the area. Both had come out of a meadow system to our right. The first wolf didn’t bother to look at us and slowly trotted to the other side of the road and back into the forest. The second wolf followed a few seconds later. As it kept its stride, the wolf briefly glanced left to look at us and was in no particular hurry to cross the road. Yet, it was

gone within seconds.

Whenever I encounter wolves in the wild, I am always in awe of their ability to remain poised, at least when no threat is perceived, as if they understand they are in control. Their actions are deliberate, no wasted motion, and carried out with an efficiency that seems as if the entire situation had unfolded as planned.

This is unlike the black bears we often chance upon who immediately show us their rears as they sprint in the opposite direction. Unless you’re perceived as an imminent threat, wolves have every intention of getting out of your way, but never seem to be in a hurry to do so. It’s this behavior that gives the impression of extreme confidence, whether they have it or not.

As always, I keep a wide berth from all wild animals and respect their space, but sometimes circumstances don’t allow this to occur. Over the years, I occasionally have been warned by some wolves not to advance further, although I didn’t know they were there at the time. They produced quiet “ruffs” while standing nearby, or deliberately made additional noise as they trotted closer. Wolves are usually relatively stealthy. These were warnings, not aggressive acts. With wolves, there seems to be a healthy tolerance of my presence as long as I’m not too close, although I’ve had them run right by me at full speed not 20 yards away. Despite chance encounters, I feel very comfortable walking through wolf territory.

In the forest, maintaining adequate distance helps to prevent most potential conflicts with anything. Wolves seem to know how to do this very well.

Although I remain attentive, I don’t expect to be surprised by one. This is in contrast to walking around a corner and seeing a black bear standing there

with a cub. That’s different. Surprise is not a good thing. But for wolves, that’s the point. They never seem surprised.

They are calm and confident.

These fascinating creatures are who I’m tracking now, as I slowly piece together how they utilize their territory. I’m thrilled to get to know them better.

WHAT IS SCEYEFAL? Sceyefal is in reference to the James Bond movie of the same name but different spelling. Its meaning is a good moniker for the wolves’ situation and my research in Montana. Bond spends most of the movie attempting to protect his boss/mentor from being murdered by a terrorist. He eventually kidnaps her and they drive to the isolated area in Scotland where he grew up. His family’s land was named Skyfall, and it now becomes a bastion to make their final stand— much like a wolf pack’s territory, which is defended at almost all costs.

However, his boss is killed before he can eliminate the threat, similar to when the Fishtrap pack was killed but the threats still remained: hunting seasons, poaching and MFWP control actions.

I’ve found the current wolves’ Skyfall.

So along with conducting a science project, Sceyefal Wolf Research will continue my ongoing efforts to eliminate threats to wolves, which results in more than 300 killed, about 50 percent, annually in Montana. This occurs because only a fraction of the U. S. wolf population lives in National Parks which afford full protection, although this safeguard evaporates should the wolves cross the park boundaries. Most live in national forests: natural areas highly manipulated by people. Collectively through the federal government, the American people own national forests

and everything in them. These are your wolves.

When the wolves are destroyed, I feel sadness from their deaths, and because my daily experience in the woods becomes less vibrant. There are no prints where they used to be, no scat, no hair tufts, no evidence of wolf presence. Eventually, after several years, the vegetation changes as well, a final emphasis that the wolves’ existence is no longer felt—one which had an intimate interaction with environment. This process is known as trophic cascading.

But now the wolves are back and a new feeling of hope is present. With the public’s help and support, Sceyefal will create a situation where such a loss can be prevented. To learn more, please visit wolfandwildlifestudies.com and use the email links to contact me.

Together we can find realistic solutions to saving our wolves.

Jay Mallonee has studied a variety of animals since 1977, from wolves to whales. His research on wolves began in 1992, and he has written extensively about them in his scientific publications, magazines, newspapers and on his web site (wolfandwildlifestudies.com). Jay also wrote the book Timber - A Perfect Life, an account of his sixteen-year relationship with a profound canine companion.

Fall 2019 | 35

LETTERS FOR THE LOVE OF BATS Nice article about bats in Spring, Action Line, 2019. Our non-profit (Patch of Heaven Sanctuary) just completed construction of a two-story Bat House, which we believe to be the largest in Florida, if not the U.S., about 30 miles South of Miami. Built to withstand windstorms, it is adjacent to 150 acres of tropical forest and we created an adjacent water feature to make it more attractive for the flying mammals. Obviously, we can’t control when they move in but given the amenities it shouldn’t take too long.

Look at our Instagram: patchofheavensanctuary and our website for our mission. If you are ever headed this way please stop by for a visit.

BRUCE CHESNEY • MIAMI, FLORIDA

BABY SEALS NEED OUR HELP I have a serious question about a particular animal; the baby seals of Canada.

Why hasn’t anything been done to help these helpless animals? What kind of government allows people to slaughter these beautiful animals?

This is a sick situation that bothers me deep down in my mind. Do these people believe in God or are they truly the devil’s disciples?

Can our country keep these animals?

If so, what organizations do this?

As humans, all creatures are deserving of our help. Where are they?

HELENE B. GURSKI • BAYONNE, NJ EDITOR'S NOTE: FoA has long opposed and fought against the commercial baby harp seal slaughter. Success will only arrive when Canadian residents make it happen. This is Canada's shame.

CLEAN UP AFTER GEESE, DON’T KILL THEM Having read the article in the Mahopac News, “Town gears up for goose removal at local lakes,” I became flaming mad.

Doesn’t it seem precious animals are implicated in the mess we’ve made in the environment? Precious animals have to withstand the murderous tactics of

humans.

We’ve encroached into their habitat but who thinks of that? There is always a humane solution as councilmembers Suzi McDonough and Jonathan Schneider, along with businessman Dave Nicholas, have noted. Kudos to them!

Parks supervisor, Kenneth Schmitt is in agreement with the killings even though he is an animal lover. An animal lover would seek humane solutions, not killing them.

There are a lot of animal rights organizations who could help them establish humane solutions, including Friends of Animals.

Hopefully, the idea of killing these precious birds will become history as the town implements a humane solution.

ELISABETH JOSHI • MAHOPAC, NY

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PLANNED GIFTS: Including Animal Advocacy You fuel Friends of Animals’ animal advocacy work – now and in the future.

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CHEERS

JEERS

PRADA BECOMES THE LATEST DESIGNER TO FLIP OFF FUR

FOA TO HUNTER: GO PHER*&^ YOURSELF

Cheers to Miuccia Prada who announced in May that she will no longer use animal fur in her designs or new products, starting with her next runway show in September.

“Focusing on innovative materials will allow the company to explore new boundaries of creative design while meeting the demand for ethical products,” Prada told Bloomberg.

This uplifting news comes on the heels of a public hearing for the historic Intro 1476, legislation that was introduced in March by New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson that would ban fur sales in the city. FoA has been pushing for the introduction of such legislation since the spring of 2018.

Prada has already experimented with fur alternatives like the plush fabrics from German teddy bear-maker Steiff in recent seasons.

Speaking of alternatives, NYC is becoming a hot spot for faux fur. Luxury faux fur houses House of Fluff, Pelush NY and Maison Atia are making looks that don’t kill and are experiencing tremendous success.

“Today we can accurately imitate any kind of animal fur existing in nature, and even invent new ones,” Anna Tagliablue, founder of Pelush said in testimony at the hearing. “Killing animals for fashion’s sake is wrong. There is no gray area.

“I have devoted 20 years of my life developing the antidote to this cruelty. Before that I worked in the highend luxury fashion industry selling furs, until I had a life changing epiphany, and realized that my industry was really a killing machine profiting from a barbaric and antiquated trade in cruelty.”

While the press seems to be smitten with an 88-yearold South Dakota man who claims to have destroyed thousands of gophers, we are jeering his supposed trapping record as an atrocity.

Clayton Sanders’ claim of being a prolific hunter, snaring 22,000 gophers, and earning money from it for the front paws he hands over to landowners, should bring no rewards and certainly no kudos.

Though Sanders supposed record drew headlines across the country, what the media didn’t spotlight is that gopher populations are dwindling. The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources has listed the gopher population as of “concern.” It’s also listed the Michoacan Pocket Gopher as endangered and the Desert Pocket Gopher as threatened.

Gophers live almost their entire lives underground, popping out of their burrows just for vegetarian meals.

They store food inside their cheeks in fur-lined pockets.

Their tunnels are used for nesting of their baby “pups” and food storage.

So, while Sanders is winning accolades for smoking gopher families out of their homes and killing them, we are aghast at his contribution to their demise.

TWO THUMBS UP FOR ROCKETMAN

We have a cheer for costume designer Julian Day, who instead of using real fur for the Elton John biopic “Rocketman” chose faux fur designs by NYC-based House of Fluff.

While the singer’s 70’s stage costumes often included sequin embellished jumpsuits, mink coats and zany sunglasses, the movie costumes are not animal fur.

Day recognizes that these days there is absolutely no need to kill animals for a look of luxury. Innovation is the new luxury.

For example, House of Fluff uses recycled polyester fiber to make its coats. Products are lined in natural fabrics like cotton jersey and combined with French terry cloth so they feel as soft and comfy on the inside as they do on the outside.

All scraps are upcycled into dog coats, as well as little plush collectibles called “scrappies.” Scrappies’ playful faces are also put on scarves and hoodies. (see full story page 16 ).

Fall 2019 | 37

CANADA GOOSE PIN Protest the Canada Goose company that traps and kills coyotes to make its status symbol, goose down-filled coat. Pin is 3". $3

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ANTI-FUR PIN Help get the message across this season. Pin and stickers are 1.5".

Pins: $1 each - Stickers: 50 for $2

38 | Friends of Animals

FOA LIGHTWEIGHT HOODIE

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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.

"Don't be comfortable in their skin."

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777 Post Road • Darien, CT 06820

Break the single-use plastic habit FOA INSULATED REUSABLE WATER BOTTLE

We know our members care about animals and the environment—so we created our new reusable “Don’t Litter” water bottle with that it mind. You can show your support for FoA’s spay-neuter program, which has reached more than 2.7 million cats and dogs, while breaking the single-use plastic habit—a win-win for human and non-human animals.

$34 INCLUDING SHIPPING MATTE BLACK OR BLUE • Shows your commitment to spay-neuter and animal adoption • BPA- free, lead-free, chip resistant, leak proof and easy to clean • 18/8 Stainless Steel construction, custom-made by Klean Kanteen ® • Electropolished interior, a safe and non-toxic process

• Holds 20 oz. Double-wall vacuum insulation keeps drinks hot for 20 hours and iced for 50 hours New York City residents, please contact your Council Member at council.nyc.gov/districts • sale Hand is recommended for all insulated products and let them know you want to make the of washing fur illegal in New York City.

If you don’t speak up for animals, the fur industry will.