Happy Birthday, Henry Bergh!
Pop a candle in your morning muffin, give your kitty a kiss and join us in celebrating the birthday of ASPCA founder Henry Bergh this Saturday, August 29. Born in 1813, Bergh dedicated his life to advocating for the protection of animals and in 1866, founded the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The organization’s mission: to provide effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals throughout the United States.
The comforts Bergh gained for creatures during his lifetime are enormous in scope. He helped pass the nation’s first anti-cruelty law, inspected slaughterhouses and stables, lectured in schools and spoke out against dog fighting, vivisection, horse racing and circuses. He advocated humane alternatives to live pigeons at shooting events, and supplied daily drinking water to the horses who pulled carts and streetcars in Manhattan. By the time of Bergh’s death in 1888, the idea that animals should be protected from cruelty had deeply touched America’s conscience.
Thank you, Henry, and happy birthday! Join us in our celebration and send our special animated Henry Bergh eCard to all the animal lovers you know.
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Filed under: SALDF | Tags: ASPCA, disaster preparedness, hurricane season, rescue
Hurricane Season’s Here: Six Steps to A Rescue Plan that Includes Pets
Katrina, Ike and Gustav are more than just names to those whose homes and families were devastated by these destructive storms. Even with the aid of disaster response teams, many evacuees permanently lost their companion animals. As hurricane season 2009 heats up, the message couldn’t be clearer—you can help prevent losing your pet by putting emergency evacuation plans into place.
The ASPCA would like to offer a sneak peak at six steps to follow BEFORE you’re faced with evacuation. To read our complete list in English and Spanish, visit the Disaster Preparedness section of our website.
- Get a Rescue Alert Sticker
Affix these decals, free on the ASPCA website, to the windows of your home to alert rescue officials that a pet lives inside. - Arrange a Safe Haven
Don’t leave your pet behind if you’re forced to evacuate. Find out if there are emergency animal shelters in your area. If not, take these steps to keep your pet safe. - Pre-Pack Emergency Supplies and Traveling Kits
Prepare an Evac-Pack and pet supplies before emergency strikes, and make sure that everyone in the family knows where they are. The kit should be clearly labeled, easy to carry and should include items such as a pet first aid kit, recent photos of your animal companion and food and water bowls. Read a more complete list of items to include. - Choose A Designated Caregiver
Take time to consider who you’d like to act as your pet’s temporary caregiver should you not make it home in time to retrieve your pet. Ask yourself these questions: is the person home often enough to care for your pet, do they have a key to your residence and have they spent time getting to know your animal companion? - Have an Evacuation Plan in Place
Plan for the worst-case scenario. Store an emergency kit and leashes as close to an exit as possible, make sure all of your pets are wearing proper identification and consider your evacuation route ahead of time. - Know Your Region’s Weather Patterns
If you live in an area that is prone to natural catastrophes, such as tornadoes, earthquakes or floods, know which rooms in your house can be used as safe havens, store up a supply of fresh water in advance and, in the event of an emergency, keep your pets with you, even crating them for safety and comfort.
Visit the Disaster Preparedness section of our website for a more complete list of emergency planning tips and to download the Ready Pets brochure on pet-friendly evacuation (pdf).
Do you Twitter? Use this hashtag to tweet on this article: @aspca and #DisasterPlans
Filed under: SALDF | Tags: ASPCA, duffel bag, kitten, Spokane County, Washington
ASPCA Rescue Tails: Kitten Survives Six Days in Duffel Bag
If one cat’s will to live could outmatch the strength of a heavy canvas bag, then surely one little kitten in Spokane County, WA, has the courage of a lion. Last week, two maintenance workers were testing garage doors at an apartment complex when they heard the muffled sounds of a distressed kitten coming from a large, heavy canvas duffel bag. The workers unzipped the bag only to find a second zipped duffel bag inside. When they opened the second bag, they discovered a frightened orange kitten, whom they promptly named Duff.
After giving him a much-needed bath, the rescuers called the Spokane County Regional Animal Protection Service (SCRAPS)—an ASPCA Mission: Orange partner agency—to pick up and care for the tiny, suffering kitten.
“Duff was very lucky to be found,” says Animal Protection Officer Nicole Montano. “He probably would have died that day.”
Spokane Valley resident Donivan Crews later confessed to SCRAPS that he placed the kitten in the duffel bags six days prior to discovery. Crews was charged with confinement in an unsafe manner.
But this story of cruel abandonment has a very happy ending. One of Duff’s knights in shining armor adopted the lucky feline, who’s now recovering in a truly loving home.
“We are so grateful for the heroes who not only rescued this kitten but also took him into their hearts and home,” says Jackie E. Bell, SCRAPS Development Coordinator. “Duff will always have his name as a reminder of how he overcame such a tough start in life.”
Do you Twitter? Use this hashtag to tweet on this article: @aspca and #DuffBag
Filed under: SALDF | Tags: ASPCA, cats, Manhattan, New York, Sean Lynde, serial killer
Serial Cat Killer Arrested After Four-Month Spree
On August 21, ASPCA Special Agents arrested Manhattan resident Sean Lynde, 36, for allegedly killing four cats and seriously injuring two others. The cats were owned by Lynde’s ex-girlfriend, Rachel Strate.
Lynde, who has a documented history of violent outbreaks, was indicted by a Manhattan Grand Jury on six counts of felony aggravated animal cruelty, seven counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty, three counts of aggravated harassment, one count of criminal mischief, two counts of criminal contempt and one count of stalking. He pleaded not guilty and is currently out on $5,000 bail.
“Incidents like these are especially chilling,” says Stacy Wolf, Vice President and Chief Legal Counsel for the ASPCA Humane Law Enforcement Department. “An individual who can commit such violent acts against multiple pets over a period of months is someone who the criminal justice system needs to take serious notice of.”
The four-month killing spree began last fall after Lynde moved into Strate’s Upper West Side apartment. Events unfolded as follows:
- On October 5, 2008, Strate’s 15-year-old cat, Cleo, was found dead behind a dryer with her mouth full of laundry detergent. A necropsy confirmed she also suffered head trauma, including a broken jaw and bleeding eye. A short time later, her 12-year-old cat named Zoe was found badly beaten, suffered extensive head trauma and had to be euthanized.
- In November 2008, Strate adopted two three-month-old kittens, Willie and Betty. Later that month, she came home to discover Willie was unable to walk and returned him to his previous owner. On November 24, she came home to find Betty on the floor dead. “Lynde stated that Betty fell from a countertop to the floor and stopped breathing,” says Assistant Director of ASPCA Humane Law Enforcement, Joseph Pentangelo.
- On December 18, still not suspecting her boyfriend of any wrongdoing, Strate adopted two more kittens, Emo and Bonafide. Soon after his adoption, Emo suffered an unexplained broken paw and subsequently vanished. On January 23, Strate found Bonafide with a broken neck—he later slipped into a coma and died.
- In January 2009, the ASPCA received an anonymous tip and began investigating the suspicious killings.
If you suspect that someone is committing an act of animal cruelty in your community, report it to the proper authorities immediately.
Do you Twitter? Use this hashtag to tweet on this article: @aspca and #CatKillerArrest
Filed under: SALDF | Tags: black lab, donations needed, Greenville, Noah's Ark Rescue, North Greenville Animal Hospital, South Carolina, Upward
UPWARD
We do not have a clue as to what horrific accident happened to this sweet 2 year old male lab. He is in unbelievable pain. He was picked up in Greenville, SC running down the middle of the road at night. His face is so swollen and infected from multiple puncture wounds. One eye is punctured and the other is damaged so badly that he will not ever be able to see out of it again. He is officially blind. His eye cannot be removed until the infections have all cleared up. He is at North Greenville Animal Hospital being treated and will be there for two weeks before he can be adopted.
(843) 987-0888
Please help us,
help him by donating.
click here to
DONATE to UPWARD
We are a 501c3 and all
donations are tax deductible.
Contact is:
NoahsArksRescue@mac.com
4084 Spring Island
Okatie, SC 29909
Filed under: SALDF | Tags: climate change, Defenders of Wildlife, polar bears, Wildlife Alert
Labor Day is coming up and America’s wildlife needs your senators to get working on legislation to address climate change.
Please urge your senators to stand up for polar bears and other wildlife struggling in a warming world with a quick phone call or email to their local offices:
… and deliver this message:
My name is _______ and I’m calling from Athens today to remind my senators that climate change poses an unprecedented threat to human communities, fish and wildlife habitat and the natural resources we depend on — resources like clean air and water – and recreational opportunities such as fishing, boating and hiking.
As someone who cares about wildlife and the irreplaceable value of our natural world, I ask Senator [Your Senator’s Name] to pass climate change legislation that will:
- Significantly reduce greenhouse gas emmissions in the U.S., and
- Provide 5% dedicated funding from the funds generated under the bill to safeguard fish, wildlife and the natural resources that we need to survive.
Please fill out this quick survey to let me know that you called your senators. Based on your feedback, I will be following up with high-priority senate offices to remind them that you called and that you care about global warming and wildlife.
A recent White House report predicts that climate change could cause Alaska’s polar bears to disappear from the wild within 75 years. [1]
Recent polls indicate broad public support for legislation that would curb harmful greenhouse gas emissions. But that hasn’t stopped Big Oil and their allies from using scare tactics and misinformation to oppose common-sense efforts to address global warming — the single greatest threat that America’s wildlife faces today.
Please call your senators today — then let us know you called. With your help, we can ensure a brighter future for our wildlife — and our planet.
With Gratitude,
 |
Marcia Lesky Director of National Outreach Defenders of Wildlife |
Filed under: SALDF | Tags: Acton, Baset Rescue Network, California, donations, help needed, Station fire
Please click and donate at firstgiving page if you can. Thank you!!!!
Basset Rescue Network, www.bassetrescuenetwork.org, is located in Acton, Southern California. They need your help with funding due to the Station fire.
The shelter has 100+ dogs (basset hounds and mixes). They have a number of old, sick dogs that may not be able to handle the smoke, stress, and that means vet bills will come high.Please forward this appeal to others.
– Liz
www.lizardmarsh.net
9/26 Arizona State TBA
10/3 LSU TBA
11/7 Tenn Tech TBA
11/14 Auburn TBA
11/21 Kentucky TBA
Coalition files request to block wolf hunt
By ROB CHANEY of the Missoulian | Posted: Thursday, August 20, 2009 11:20 pm | <!–
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A coalition of wolf advocates filed a request to block wolf hunting seasons in Idaho and Montana on Thursday afternoon in Missoula’s federal district court.
“Because Idaho Fish and Game delayed its decision on setting the mortality level until the last minute, we’re filing for injunctive relief at the last moment,” said EarthJustice attorney Jenny Harbine. “It could be that Idaho would start (its wolf hunting season) before we’re able to get a remedy.”
The coalition is suing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in order to reverse the federal agency’s decision removing the gray wolf from the Endangered Species Act in Montana and Idaho. Both states set up 2009 hunting seasons for wolves, with Idaho’s hunt beginning Sept. 1 in some regions. The earliest part of Montana’s season will start Sept. 15.
“We’re very concerned quotas for specific areas in Idaho are quite high and the season is fairly extensive,” said Center for Biological Diversity spokesman Michael Robinson, one of the coalition members. “It’s not only the sheer reduction of wolves, but that it will curtail the ability of wolves to disperse and set up new territories. The hunting season will further isolate the Yellowstone population.”
The injunction request asks that wolves be put back on endangered species status while the larger lawsuit is settled. To win that, the wolf advocates must show two things: That they are likely to win the larger case and that allowing a hunt in the meantime would do irreparable harm to the wolf population.
Robinson said he believed Fish and Wildlife Service research was inadequate and “picked numbers out of the air” to determine what a viable wolf population should be. They want to see a more comprehensive study that includes the wolves’ ability to move from stronghold to stronghold so they can increase genetic diversity.
Fish and Wildlife Service wolf coordinator Ed Bangs said on Thursday the federal research actually does provide that level of detail.
“We went to extensive peer review of our numbers,” Bangs said. “And the bottom line of consensus was a wolf population that never went below 30 breeding pairs and 300 individuals and was equally distributed would never disappear.”
Bangs said the wolf recovery plan has more complex biology than the numbers imply. A “breeding pair” is not just two wolves. It’s a functioning pack of at least 14 wolves, including two surviving pups of the year. Wolf packs are typically led by an alpha female, which is the only member that produces a litter of pups in a year.
There are more requirements beyond that. Idaho alone exceeds the 300 individual/30 breeding pair mark. But unless its wolves showed they could stay above that mark for three consecutive years, and could intermingle with populations in Montana and Wyoming, Bangs said the recovery goal would not be met.
As it stands now, the three-state area has a population of nearly 1,600 wolves and 100 breeding pairs at the end of 2008, plus an estimated 500 to 700 new wolf pups this summer.
“Are they going to be threatened or endangered at those numbers?” Bangs asked. “The answer is no.”
While both Idaho and Montana developed rules for their respective wolf hunts earlier this summer, Idaho wildlife officials didn’t release their quota until Monday. Their season will let hunters kill up to 220 wolves, with licenses going on sale Monday. The season in wilderness areas along Idaho’ eastern border would run from Sept. 1 to March 31. Other parts of the state would have a season of Sept. 15-Dec. 31.
In July, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks commissioners set a quota of 75 wolves for hunting. Montana’s season will start Sept. 15 in four backcountry wilderness areas, with a general season matching the big-game calendar of Oct. 25-Nov. 29.
Wyoming’s wolves were kept on the Endangered Species List because of court objections to the state’s management and hunting plans.
U.S. District Judge Don Molloy is hearing the case. If he grants the injunction, both states might have to refund hunters’ licenses and stop the hunts.
Reporter Rob Chaney can be reached at 523-5358 or rchaney@missoulian.com.
Summer Law Clerk at EARTHJUSTICE, Oakland, CA:
The California Regional Office of Earthjustice is hiring 2-3 law clerks for summer 2010. Summer law clerks assist with researching, investigating,
preparing, and prosecuting lawsuits designed to protect the environment (and also occasionally wildlife).
Funding for summer law clerks is limited to a one-time stipend of $3,000 and applicants are encouraged to try to arrange complete or supplemental funding. Historically, law clerks begin in late May/early June and work into early/mid August (approximately 10 weeks).
To apply, please include a cover letter, resume, law school transcripts, writing sample, and the names, addresses, and phone numbers of 3 legal references by October 1, 2009. You may mail or email these materials to:
Erin Tobin, Earthjustice, 426 17th Street, 5th Floor Oakland, CA 94612,
etobin@earthjustice.org
