IDA Blog

Calico horse losing his freedom; Eagle horses spared for now. Photo Credit: Elyse Gardner

After receiving 9,000 public comments, the BLM announced yesterday that it is postponing the roundup of nearly 500 horses living in the Eagle Herd Management area in eastern Nevada. Despite issuing an Environmental Assessment detailing a capture plan scheduled for mid-February, the BLM now states “there is not adequate time to safely conduct the proposed Eagle Herd Management Area (HMA) gather prior to the beginning of foaling season.” The agency states that it is currently seeking a solution for 50 horses who have wandered outside the Eagle HMA.
The decision comes days after the BLM ended the Calico roundup, in which, to date, 39 wild horses have lost their lives and an additional 20-30 pregnant mares spontaneously aborted.
Last month, the BLM also postponed the roundup of 200 horses in the Confusion Mountains HMA in Utah. The federal lawsuit challenging the legality of BLM roundups and long-term holding facilities continues in federal court, with a hearing scheduled in late April.

Read BLM’s full press release here.

Though California State Flag celebrates their Grizzly bears. . . California's Black bears are in real danger.

A representative from IDA made a statement before the California Fish and Game Commission Thursday in opposition to the expansion of the number of bears who can be hunted in the state of California for the 2010 season. Also in the proposal is an increase in the range of legal hunting territory in the state.

IDA and others opposed to the Commission’s proposal to expand the quota by almost double and the range of legal hunting territory testified that this is unnecessary and inhumane sport hunting. The proposal also allows the use of new technology, such as GPS and “tip switches,” for the hunting of black bears. The approval of such a regulation by the Commission would only compound the current inhumane policy of allowing dog-pack hunting of these bears.

Like millions of compassionate Californians, we at IDA are greatly concerned about the welfare of wild animals that make up this state’s cherished wildlife. We truly can’t imagine the terror these black bears must feel as they are chased up a tree and cornered by a pack of dogs and then — panicked and immobilized — are blasted out of the tree by high-powered rifles.
Managing our wildlife populations should be accomplished in ways that first-and-foremost provide for the humane treatment of the wild animals. We would like to see that the Fish and Game Commission resort to humane ways of dealing with bear overpopulation and resolving human-bear conflict. It should not be accomplished by brutal high tech killing masked as “sport hunting.”  Ultimately, it is not the bears’ fault that we have moved into their space and they should not have to pay the price by being killed with such brutality as by amateur hunters armed with packs of dogs fitted with GPS devices.
IDA will watch this proposal closely, keep our California members up to speed and speak out for the magnificent black bears.

Horse struggling in trap pen at Calico on January 2, 2010. photo credit Craig Downer.

The BLM announced today that it has ended the Calico roundup, with 1,922 horses captured. This is 600 fewer horses than the BLM had targeted in its capture plan, which had estimated the horse population in the five Herd Management Areas (HMA’s) at Calico to be 3,040.

According to its press release, the BLM now estimates that 600 horses are left in the Calico Mountains Complex. If correct, this means that the BLM’s original population count was off by over 500 horses, raising serious questions about the validity of the horse census data upon which the agency is basing its management decisions.

The death toll from the roundup is 39 horses and counting, as the fatality rate at the Fallon holding facility has risen sharply in the past two weeks. Deaths not reported before in this blog include a four-year old sorrel mare who was kicked in the head while being transported from the trap pen. According to the BLM gather activity updates, her “eye globe was ruptured with complete prolapse of the iris. This eye could not be saved and would remain a serious physical defect. She was euthanized as an act of mercy.” Other deaths include mares euthanized at Fallon due to injuries to spine and pelvis, and failure to adjust to feed.

An additional 20-30 pregnant mares spontaneously aborted. Although the BLM has claimed that poor nutritional condition of the mares led to these miscarriages, equine veterinary sources disagree.

“Nutritional deficiencies have not been associated with abortion in mares. In general, if mares are in good condition (body condition of greater than 2 on a scale of 0 to 5, where 5 is very fat), they will carry a foal. Mares that are too thin, however, will not cycle or conceive.”

http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/livestock/horses/facts/05-061.htm

Equine veterinarian Don Hoglund states: “20-25 abortions in captivity are not likely due to range conditions. Infections, vaccination reaction, but most likely stress is the cause. In fact, that many abortions are cause for concern, anywhere.”

Thanks to the American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign for these resources.

The Calico roundup has taken a terrible toll on the horses who have lost their lives due to the trauma of the helicopter stampede and capture, and on the horses who survived the capture but have forever lost their freedom. The legal case over the illegality of the Calico roundup continues in federal court, and the Department of Justice has agreed that the Calico horses will not be moved from the Fallon holding facility until the case is resolved. In addition, lead counsel William J. Spriggs of Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney has notified the Department of Justice that he is ready to sue again if the BLM proceeds with plans to round up 495 mustangs living in the Eagle Herd Management Area in eastern Nevada. Stay tuned.

IDA is delighted to report The Cove is now an official runner for an Oscar award for Best Documentary!  As a result, we can expect the next month leading up to, and including, the March 7th Oscar presentations to expose billions of people around the world to the Save Japan Dolphin Coalition’s passionate work to stopping the cruel capture, slaughter, and consumption of dolphins in Japan. The global spotlight on The Cove will also bring necessary pressure on the Japan Fisheries Agency to make public the calamitous health risks, including mercury poisoning, associated with eating dolphin meat. This is especially true for residents in Taiji, the small fishing village where the documentary is based, and the focus of our greatest efforts to ending the slaughter.  University of Hokkaido Professor Tetsuya Endo just revealed the alarming results of a study that conclude residents in Taiji have 10 times higher mercury levels than average Japanese citizens.

The government in Japan will not be able to shield the fact that it has been allowing the poisoning of Japanese people who readily eat contaminated dolphin meat to occur. Moreover, it will no longer be able to cover up the barbaric dolphin slaughter with routine media blackouts on the issue. We hope to use the momentum of the Oscar Award nomination and potential victory to enlighten the public in Japan, so the hunting and consumption of mercury-contaminated dolphins will end, once and for all.

Special thanks to The Cove filmmaking crew, including Director Louis Psihoyos, Executive Producer Jim Clark, Producer Fisher Stevens, and the Oceanic Preservation Society for creating a winning documentary!

Actress and Animal Activist Elaine Hendrix being presented with the 2009 Guardian Award by IDA President Dr. Elliot Katz

February 1 was an historic day in West Hollywood. Very apropos that it landed on the 1^st of the month, for this is the very first day, in the very first city, for the very first time, that the very first law was put into motion, banning the sale of animals from puppy mills and kitten mills within the limits of West Hollywood, California. It is the very first time in history that a community and its leaders said, “ENOUGH!”, prohibiting pet shops from profiting from the sale of  sick and abused dogs and cats bred in puppy mills and, yes, even kitten mills. This is a day the tides shifted.  Not only for the animals, but for humankind as a compassionate and humane kind.
I was there with In Defense of Animals for this monumental moment..Dozens of dedicated pro-animal activists, and other organizations from all over the nation, had dedicated weeks to protesting pet stores that sold dogs and cats. The spirits of every single person standing up in the name of injustice were there. And the silent voices of every single animal who have suffered at the hands of abusers were there. It was powerful and humbling in one full, glorious moment.
Hundreds of people wrote letters, dozens of people showed up in support, a handful of key leaders spoke, but it was five city council members that truly made the difference.  It was their uncontested, UNANIMOUS vote that has changed the game for thousands of tortured and millions of homeless animals.
This isn’t the first time West Hollywood has shown true leadership. Among numerous human rights laws that have been overwhelmingly passed, West Hollywood has been animal-friendly on several other issues like the banning of de-clawing cats and officially changing their government language to include the term “Guardian” in place of “pets.”  No city is perfect, but this one sure does come giddily close in my opinion.
There are so many people who have worked tirelessly on making this law a reality.  Of the few I personally know, I’d like to mention Ed Buck, a rescuer of golden retrievers and activist, who was instrumental in bringing this item to the attention of the West Hollywood City Council.  Carole Davis and Carol Sax with Social Compassion in Legislation who have diligently worked in West Hollywood specifically on this issue, IDA’s own Bill Dyer, Elle Wittelsbach, Pam Holt, Elizabeth Oreck, Jennifer Krause, Gavin Polone, Ben Harding, Kim Sill, Lori Golden, Bill Crowe, Judie Mancuso, Gary Kaskel, Wayne Pacelle and so many others.
Please forgive me if I left you off this list, and notify me for the future. Certainly there are many more issues we’re facing, and I want to applaud your efforts. In the meantime, take a deep breath and cross this one off the list.  We did it!  Congratulations and keep up the amazing work!

This blog was contributed by Elaine Hendrix, Actress, Animal Activist & IDA Board Member.

When Punxsutawney Phil crawls out of his burrow, what he finds may determine whether elephants living in cold-climate zoos will suffer another six weeks of miserable confinement. IDA today released an unprecedented survey showing that scores of elephants are warehoused throughout the long winter months in cruel conditions, many of them hidden from the public.

Elephants living in cold climates will be confined indoors for the vast majority of each day during the winter, left to in small concrete cages where they lack the space they need for healthy movement. Cold weather dramatically increases the suffering that elephants already endure in zoos, where they are dying prematurely from conditions caused by their inadequate environment.

IDA’s survey found that of 75 Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) accredited zoos holding elephants in the U.S. and Canada:

31 out of 75 (41 percent) zoos holding elephants are situated in cities that experience long, frigid winters.

3 out of 4 of zoos holding elephants in cold climates have average mean temperatures below freezing for two to five consecutive months.

Approximately 40 percent of all elephants in AZA zoos will be confined indoors for much of the winter.

To learn more about IDA’s findings and how intensive confinement, especially during cold weather, negatively affects elephants, please read our press release and survey report.

Downed mare struggling to rise at Fallon 1/26/10 Photo Credit – Craig Downer

Mare who had spontaneous abortion that day at Fallon. Photo taken 1/26/10 by Craig Downer

Since we posted this item, the BLM has reported the deaths of four more horses at the Fallon facility, bringing the total number of deaths to 26 horses. In addition, several people have raised questions about some of the horses looking very thin in the video below. Here is what a wild horse expert has to say about this situation:

“A horse’s condition is more compromised in the winter, especially older horses, pregnant horses or those nursing foals. The additional stress of roundup, capture and separation only adds to their fragile condition. What is so sad is that not only do many of these horses have to endure a helicopter chase, capture and transport…some will be euthanized in the end. Some horses are too stressed out to eat hay or drink out of troughs when they are in corrals. These free ranging herd animals suffer more than we can see. They are wild horses, they are not even ‘tamed’ wild horses. They are born, live and die on the range and I am sure if they could speak they would prefer to live out their lives…season to season, on their range with their herd”

Neda DeMayo
Founder, CEO
Return To Freedom, American Wild Horse Sanctuary

News of brutality and suffering  continues to stream from the BLM’s wild horse holding facility in Fallon  Nevada, where the death count from the Calico Mountains Complex roundup  now stands at 22 horses. New deaths include a mare who crashed into  a gate and broke her neck, and more horses — including a stallion and  a 12 year old mare — found dead in the Fallon holding pens. Many of  the latter deaths are being attributed to “failure to adjust to  dietary change,” raising the likelihood that these horses suffered  horribly due to colic before dying, separated from their families, at  the Fallon holding pens. (See complete fatality summary below.)

According to John Neill, the BLM employee in charge of both the Fallon and Palomino Valley holding facilities, 15-20 mares suffered from spontaneous abortions. The trauma and terror that the BLM has subjected these pregnant horses to is likely to have played a role in many or most of these miscarriages.

BLM is also reporting that 20-25 horses are being treated for injuries and lameness caused by the roundup.

Read the rest of this entry »

This photo says it all. They need our help and we are there.

IDA is on the ground in Haiti, with our representative Connie Durkee working as part of an animal disaster relief team in Port-au-Prince now. Together with the Animal Relief Coalition for Haiti (ARCH), which is coordinating with Sociedad Dominicana para la Prevención de Crueldad a los Animales (SODOPRECA) from the Dominican Republic, IDA’s Connie Durkee has been responding to help animals since Sunday, January 24th. With the support of the Haitian government and international agencies, the team has been identifying the country’s most pressing animal-related problems, as well as exploring options for creating a wide-ranging, long-term plan to improve infrastructure for veterinary care, vaccination programs and animal population control services.

As part of a 12-member animal disaster relief team of veterinarians, vet techs and disaster responders, IDA’s Connie, is traveling back and forth every day from a safe zone into the streets of the devastated city of Port-au-Prince, to rescue animals in distress and provide care for ill and injured animals. In addition to having veterinary support staff on the ground in Haiti to provide medical care to animals, IDA has sent funds through ARCH to help pay for a mobile veterinary clinic, medicine and supplies that are being used to help animals every day in Haiti.

IDA’s Connie reports: “Many animals need help on the ground. One of them was a dog who was rescued nearly two weeks after the quake. We are so glad we could be here on time to be able to treat him, provide much needed care and reunite him with his animal guardian.”

She also reports that they have also been providing much needed veterinary care for animals whose families have been dealing with severe poverty even before the disaster. Stopping to teach the families how to apply medicine for manage and other medical concerns such as ear infections and tick infestations. Read Connie’s –  Diary from Inside Haiti

The ARCH team is continuing to search out “street dogs” but because they are so timid, they maybe “hiding out” still.

As the team responds to help animals, they quickly realize the need for reinforcements – more veterinary assistance, medicine, and equipment. And IDA is ready to help.

Our immediate need is for your financial support. Help us help animals in Haiti, while also preparing to respond quickly to assist animals affected in other disasters. Support IDA’s Animal Disaster Relief Fund.

Learn more about IDA’s work in Haiti. For more information about how you can help IDA help animals affected by disasters, please contact us at disasterrelief@idausa.org.

Thank you for your generosity and caring in this moment of crisis.

Baby elephant being "trained" to perform unnatural tricks.

In a major victory for elephants that will send shockwaves through the zoo industry, the St. Lucie County Board of Commissioners in Florida made it very clear that the cruel use of bullhooks on elephants is not welcome in their county. The commission today voted to allow the National Elephant Center (NEC), an elephant holding facility and breeding facility, to proceed, but it applied strict conditions that prohibit bullhooks, limit the number of elephants, and encourage the formation of an advisory committee to monitor the NEC.

The commission’s vote serves as a wake-up call for any zoo still using archaic circus-style training that relies on the bullhook, a steel-tipped device used to inflict pain and intimidate elephants with the threat of pain and violence. It’s clear that once the practice is exposed, that the public and elected officials will not tolerate the cruelty it inflicts.

IDA joined with national, state and local organizations to oppose the project, which is intended to facilitate the continued display of elephants in zoos, despite the fact that elephants are suffering and dying prematurely in inadequate exhibits. IDA program director Suzanne Roy addressed the commission, along with representatives from PETA, Animal Rights Foundation of Florida and United for Animals.

IDA will continue to monitor the NEC, as there are outstanding concerns about the facility including:

• NEC will be a breeding and holding facility that shuttles elephants in and out; such transfers are detrimental to elephants and may cause premature death
• Several of the zoos involved with the NEC have a close affiliation with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus
• Ringling has stated an interest in sending elephants to NEC

Many zoos and both U.S. sanctuaries do not use bullhooks and instead employ a positive-reinforcement-only style of training that is humane for the elephants and safe for handlers. Do you know how the elephants are trained and managed at your city’s zoo? Call the zoo and ask, and then let us know the zoo’s response. If your zoo is still using bullhooks, make it clear that you oppose the use of this cruel device and urge the zoo to switch to using “protected contact” management only.

Thanks to all the Florida residents who wrote and called the St. Lucie County commissioners, opposing the project!

Getting out of the van, the smell of the shelter was overpowering and sickening. I’d asked the City Attorney, Curtis Boschert, for a tour of the shelter with Sherri Norquist, an experienced shelter director, and Sherri’s daughter, who also has shelter experience. It had been a couple of months since renewed complaints of overcrowding, aggression, and emotional and physical distress were reported to Project Hope and we were just following up to ensure improvements had been made.

Today’s tour was very disheartening. The entire facility had gotten much worse since the last time we toured. Clearly the jail inmates who were tasked with cleaning the facility had not been doing so. I actually left unable to speak with my nose running, eyes burning, and throat swelling and irritated. The stench, thick with ammonia, permeated the entire shelter and irritated my sinuses and throat.

Overcrowded, dilapidated cages lined the walls of the rooms. Sick animals were intermingled with healthy animals. Pens held too many juveniles and puppies together. Nearly every cage held dogs with hot spots, mange or a myriad of other untreated illnesses or wounds. The cattery shared this small room and the deafening sound of dogs barking bounced off every wall.

Outside, loose dogs chewed on paws, legs, hips, and backs dotted with hot spots. Dogs were haphazardly placed in runs with many cowering in fear of their cage-mates. The uncovered runs held too many dogs and not enough shelters, leaving the most terrified dogs standing or lying in the mud, muck and feces of the run floor.

During the tour the Director plead her case for the sacrifice of her time, energy, and money for the thirteen years she’d been there. So many own the responsibility for this failed “no kill” shelter. Complaints to the city had fallen on deaf ears and community members had fostered the situation with lack of interest and support. The Director clearly gave everything of herself, as did her husband for what they believed was a noble effort, but warehousing animals with no hope of a better life is simply unacceptable.

The Director, burdened beneath the weight of a tough, thankless mission and now with public scrutiny bearing down on her, surrendered her position to the City Attorney.

We turned our attention to trying to help the animals who were languishing in the shelter. We met in the mayor’s office and hatched a plan. We contacted the Mississippi Animal Response Team and several local vets to come in and help. New volunteers from the community came in as well.

When animal loving people come together, share their resources, and give unselfishly we can move mountains. Sadly it sometimes takes a crisis for caring folks to realize their potential.