The beautiful Mona Lisa was one of the dogs rescued.

Hope Animal Sanctuary (HAS) and the Charleston, Mississippi Police Department worked together in July to rescue six starving, chained dogs from Sanders’ property on West Main Street in Charleston. Videotape of the dogs’ conditions and the rescues may be seen by clicking here. Doll Stanley, the Director of HAS, filed the affidavits in support of criminal neglect charges. Two of the dogs have since died.

“The entire town of Charleston, especially Animal Control Officer Kevin Hodges, deserves praise for their handling of this case,” said Stanley. “When ACO Hodges sees abuse, he acts. When he needs assistance he calls me. The chief has a zero tolerance policy for animal abuse, the PD act, and Kevin is spotter and town crier. The crowning testimony to the compassion of the community is Judge Steve Ross.”

Sanders was found guilty on six counts for failure to provide sufficient and wholesome food and water, the only statute available for charging these crimes. “While we are thrilled with the conviction,” added Stanley, “this points out the need for stronger animal cruelty statutes in Mississippi, and we urge all those who care about animals to contact Mississippi House Speaker Billy McCoy to ask his support for stronger statutes.”

The Mississippi State Supreme Court has ruled MSSS: 97-41-1 (Mississippi’s animal cruelty statute) vague and therefore unconstitutional. Since that ruling, there has been no revision of this statute, or the Chapter 41 statutes addressing the neglect of animals. IDA’s Hope Animal Sanctuary is working with veterinarians, humane representatives, concerned citizens and other leaders to strengthen Mississippi’s cruelty to animals statutes.

Judge Ross imposed a $75 fine for the conviction for each dog (6), a $95 court cost for trying each count, and $25 per count for the enforcement of the arrest warrants. Sanders may not possess an animal for three (3) years and was handed a six-month suspended jail term provided she complies with sentencing provisions.

“The responsibility of achieving justice for the animals who suffer at the hands of abusers weighs on all of us,” added Stanley. “But this trial couldn’t have gone more perfectly – and we are cheered by the thrilling recovery of the four dogs who survived Annie Ruth Sanders back yard.”

Hens in intensive agriculture are crammed into tiny battery cages where they are unable to walk or spread their wings.

This month’s massive egg recall is stacking up to be the largest in history with a mind-boggling half a BILLION eggs snatched back from our nation’s shelves.  Over 1,000 people across 14 states have fallen ill. What’s so crazy is that all this is the fallout from one single egg factory. That’s right, just one facility. That is how outrageously conglomerated our food system has become. A billion eggs from one hen house? Can you imagine what kind of life those chickens must have?

This is no isolated incident either. Just this week there was another recall of 380,000 pounds of deli meats with Listiria contamination, another potentially deadly bacteria which causes high fever, severe headache, nausea, neck stiffness and potential death.

The egg facility involved in the recall has a rotten history. The salmonella outbreak can be traced to Wright County Egg, in Galt, Iowa. They have been the target of government regulators for environmental violations, unsafe working conditions, and sexual harassment of workers, according to the New York Times. Wright County Egg is owned by Jack DeCoster, who also happens to own an egg facility in Maine which was the recent target of a Mercy for Animals 2009 undercover investigation.

The undercover video revealed shocking animal abuse in Mr. DeCoster’s egg factory. Birds were video taped suffering from untreated open wounds, infections, and broken bones. Hens were producing eggs for human consumption alongside their dead cage mates, standing in feces. Workers were seen breaking the necks of hens, kicking birds and throwing them live in trash bins.

Mr. DeCoster pleaded guilty to 10 counts of cruelty to animals and paid fines and restitution coming to over $130,000.  However, it appears from this historically massive egg recall and resulting salmonella epidemic that Mr. DeCoster has not cleaned up his act.  Similar appalling conditions are sure to be found at this factory.

When you keep chickens crammed 10 to a cage and a million to a warehouse, contamination is going to easily occur. These facilities are disgusting, dirty, rat-infested places you wouldn’t want to spend even a minute inside and these poor birds have to live their entire short lives in them. Hens in intensive agriculture are crammed into tiny battery cages where they are unable to walk or spread their wings. Workers have to enter the windowless warehouses with masks and goggles because the airborne fecal dust is so thick. The birds are painfully debeaked. They never set foot outside or feel the sun on their feathers. All their natural behaviors like nesting, scratching, pecking, and preening are completely denied.

So how do we keep ourselves and our family safe from contaminated eggs? The same way we help end the suffering of these tortured hens; by going vegan. We can enjoy improved health and well-being on a plant-based diet without the cholesterol and saturated fat-filled egg. In Defense of Animals has the solution not only to the safety issue, but to the cruelty issue, to the obesity issue, to the world hunger issue. It’s truly amazing how many of the world’s problems can be eliminated with a vegan diet. So recall cruelty! Recall global warming! Recall heart disease and go vegan!

It is a reference to the very core of Katrina. The frame is built from wooden boards I salvaged from a dilapidated building in New Orleans and then wrapped in distressed linen. I created an oxidized copper background and affixed a tattered American flag I retrieved from the flood waters of the ninth ward. I then layered the flag with news clippings and pigment mixed with actual Katrina flood water. The flag, like the region itself, is still distressed and rough around the edges but waving proudly. This flag is a survivor.

But what truly lives in my heart can be found in the lower right hand section. This sign represents one gut-wrenching rescue my team performed in the ninth ward.  It was 3 a.m. on September 12^th – nearly two weeks after the storm, and our rescue vehicle was flagged over by an NOPD officer. I thought he might ask for our credentials or force us to turn back to the emergency shelter, but instead he begged us to go into the most devastated area in the city in search of his dogs.  While he was sworn to protect the public during this time of disaster, we were the only people who could help reunite his family.

As I neared the address scribbled on the scrap of paper, the dirty water rose to my chest. When our team finally found his house our hearts sank – it was obvious that water had nearly submerged the entire structure at one point. As we broke down the door we braced ourselves for a grim scene.  Sadly, we found the remains of two dogs floating inside the home. I began searching for a third body when to my surprise I saw a large Shepherd mix balancing precariously on the two-inch ledge of a sealed window. He had obviously been perched there above the water for some time.  A wash of pure joy spread over his face when this canine survivor saw our team and the salvation we represented. Reuniting this dog with his human guardians was a proud moment that will remain with me for the rest of my life.

Through these elements this painting represents both the past, present and hopeful future of a truly remarkable place and the people and animals who survived when the levees broke.

When we look back at Hurricane Katrina, I hope we will remember this German Shepherd and those who never gave up hope that someone would come for them. There are still countless animals out there who need our help. Please think of them and support our IDA Rescue Team today.

At that time I was the Executive Director of the Washington Animal Rescue League. As soon as Katrina hit the Gulf Coast I assembled a rescue team, and was one of the first responders on the ground. I knew we were entering uncharted territory when we passed the first city checkpoint and a crowd of desperate-looking people charged our vehicle and threw their keys through our open windows. The keys were wrapped in paper with the people’s names, telephone numbers, addresses and the description of the animals who were trapped in their homes. When I saw the horde of individuals on their knees, tears streaming down their faces, begging us to rescue their animals, I knew this mission would change my life forever.

During our six weeks in New Orleans our team rescued nearly 1,000 animals who had lost all hope of surviving the grim disaster. We scaled dilapidated buildings to pluck emaciated animals from rooftops, pulled cats out of putrid, debris-laden waters and found dogs who had been left to die, stranded for weeks in flooded homes. Each rescue was unique, but every animal shared an initial look of wild desperation, which melted into trust and gratitude once we held them tightly in our arms of compassion.

Our team was the first inside these houses for days or weeks after the storm. We were the only lifeline for people clinging to the hope that their companions would be found alive. It was heartbreaking to tell someone who had lost everything that their cherished friend didn’t make it, but an honor to deliver the news to others that their animals had survived.

As soon as we plucked one animal from death’s door we were off to respond to another plea for help.  The calls never stopped, our rescue vehicles seemed constantly full, as we  perpetually raced the clock in a desperate fight against time. Inevitably, we were too late to save some – it is these lost souls who push me on a daily basis to continue my life’s work.

In the five years since, animal guardians have made huge strides in efforts to include pets in disaster preparedness. President Bush signed the PETS Act into law in 2006, allowing communities to receive funds for including companion animals in disaster preparedness plans. Communities and individuals are much better prepared to ensure their pets’ safety in the wake of nature’s unpredictable fury.

IDA played a crucial role in the post-Katrina response efforts. We delivered supplies to Gulf Coast emergency shelters and transported hundreds of displaced animals to shelters in the north. Today IDA’s rescue team is poised and ready to save animals from both man-made and natural catastrophes. Click here to support our life-saving efforts.

RIP Tyke

Sixteen years ago today, Tyke , a 20 year old African elephant “owned” by the notorious Hawthorn Corporation, was killed. On August 20, 1994, she was performing with the Circus International in Hawaii when she killed her trainer and gored her groomer, then bolted from the arena and ran through the city for a half-hour, injuring several people before collapsing from the 86 police bullets fired into her. It took nearly two hours for her to die on the Honolulu street.

Tyke’s legacy, a growing worldwide awareness of the suffering of animals in circuses, continues to gather strength. We are working every day to nurture that awareness, and to transform it into action.  Elephants in circuses endure intense confinement, social isolation and the constant threat of physical punishment. We aim to end these abusive practices and to prevent further injuries or deaths – elephant or human – resulting from the proximity between the public and these traumatized, highly stressed animals.

Tyke’s actions came as no surprise to anyone who was paying attention – at least three times in the 16 months prior to her last stand in Hawaii she had escaped her handlers, causing terror and injury to people and to property. Yet she continued to perform until her final hours.

This was not an isolated situation in which one overstressed, rebellious elephant slipped through the cracks; the “system” in place to prevent such occurrences is flawed almost to the point of nonexistence. An Office of the Inspector General (OIG) Audit released in June found that the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), whose job it is to ensure that exhibited animals are handled in a way that does not put the public or the animals at risk, is failing. Neither the inspection process nor the tracking of exhibitors works to safeguard animals or people.

Today there are at least 10 elephants with documented histories of lashing out or bolting who continue to perform around the nation – in close proximity to the public.  Many of them are used to give rides to children. Since February of this year there have been three incidents that we know of (and who knows how many more that went unreported). Two elephants, Viola and an elephant with Ringling, escaped from their handlers, each narrowly missing crowds of circus-goers when they bolted; Viola was injured when she fell down a steep embankment in her attempt to flee. Another elephant, Dumbo lashed out and killed her longtime handler.

Despite all our efforts to find her, Dumbo’s whereabouts have been unknown since shortly after the killing in Pennsylvania; whether she is off the road or has vanished into the thousands of fairs around the country where anonymous elephants turn up for a few days at a time is anyone’s guess at this point. It does not appear that she is under any official travel restriction.

Both Viola and the elephant with Ringling, at last report, are still traveling, still performing, still stressed and miserable – and still putting crowds of people at serious risk.

Sixteen years ago today a person was killed, others were injured, and an elephant died in agony. The public is exposed daily to elephants who have clearly signaled their frustration with circus torture, and to others who have endured years of anguish and stress. We continue to honor Tyke’s memory and her legacy by working to end the use of elephants in circuses and traveling shows to end their suffering and before tragedy strikes again.

This blog was contributed by Deborah Robinson, IDA’s Captive Elephant Specialist.

This is in no way an isolated incident; there were dozens of recalls of animal products, everything from beef stew to chicken pot pie, between January and August of 2010 alone.

The news of the egg recall should come as no surprise to anyone who has seen the unimaginably filthy living conditions that hens in intensive agriculture are forced to endure. With tens of thousands of laying hens crammed into tiny battery cages, contamination is unavoidable.  It only makes sense that these eggs would likely infect anyone who ingests them.

An egg that comes into contact with fecal matter or is layed by a sickly hen has an increased potential to be infected by the salmonella virus. In turn, these eggs infect unsuspecting consumers. And if you think you can read the label on the carton to easily avoid a certain production company – think again. These 228 million eggs were sold under 13 different brands across the US. Are consumers really willing to take a blind leap of faith when it comes to their health?

Paul McCartney wisely stated, “If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be a vegetarian.” When the FDA urges the recall of 228 million eggs after an unprecedented salmonella outbreak, shouldn’t everyone go vegan?  If the suffering of billions of animals each year isn’t enough to make people rethink their diet, maybe this alarming outbreak will sway people to stop consuming animal products.

Can you even imagine tens of thousands of animals living on top of one another in a putrid, window-less enclosure? The workers in these facilities wear hazmat-like suits complete with respirators and thick rubber gloves. I don’t know about you, but I’m not inclined to eat anything that comes from a place where you have to wear full body armor just to walk through the door.

Nor am I inclined to eat anyone who suffered as these defenseless animals do. Hens in laying facilities live a truly miserable, frustrated existence. By design, these hell emporiums make it impossible for the chickens to do what comes naturally to them: root in the dirt, spread their wings and peck through the grass for feed. Instead, they live covered in their own feces, often forced to share cages with the bodies of their deceased neighbors.

The insatiable desire for increased production leads factory farms to pump their hens full of hormones and antibiotics to stave off constant sickness. These unnatural conditions can lead to illness in the birds, which increases likelihood of infected eggs. All in all, it’s the perfect storm of misery and disease. Why support this cruel, unhealthy industry? I urge you all to share these undeniable facts with your family, friends and coworkers and urge them to consider their diet choices, and educate themselves about where their food comes from. Let’s help create a healthy world free of suffering and disease for both human and non-human animals.

IDA's Barbara Stagno at The Rally for Canada Geese in NYC

A rally for the Canada geese of New York City. It could have been a dream, with all those people lining the steps of City Hall, but it was real. A day before, I had prepared my talk, and wrote about how wildlife does not belong to government agencies. I asked the crowd – the then imaginary crowd – to join with me in demanding changes for how our government deals with wildlife.

When I wrote those words I had no idea that one day later, more than 150 people would join the IDA rally for the Canada geese. I couldn’t have imagined the passionate and enthusiastic voices of Councilmember Letitia James and State Senator Eric Adams, who spoke about growing up with the geese in Prospect Park…. playing with them, learning about them. Or, as Senator Adams so eloquently said, learning that, in essence, they are really not that much different from us.

When I saw that spirited crowd, I knew that it was true. That people cared deeply and had come to speak up about putting a stop to the government killing of wildlife. To demand change.

Those words I spoke on Thursday August 12, 2010, could be addressed to any mayor in any city. They reflect the feelings of communities all across America, who have had their precious birds taken from them and slaughtered.

Mayor Bloomberg made the ludicrous statement that it comes down to people or geese.

It’s not about people or geese.

It’s about ways to co-exist peacefully with the animals of this earth.

It’s not about making airline flights safer. Killing resident Canada Geese has absolutely nothing to do with airline safety, as these geese don’t fly that high! There are, however, real ways to make airline flying safer, ways that do not require us to kill – and ways that other cities around the world currently engage in.

We will not stand by while you kill the geese who were over bred to satisfy hunters, and who flew away from the hunted areas to come live in the cities where they are safe.

We welcome them in our parks where they can be protected.

If there are too many geese today in Prospect Park, or Central Park, or Flushing Meadow Park, it’s because of government mismanagement, and we will not stand by while you make excuses to wipe out these wonderful flocks that live in our parks.

The people here in front of City Hall today are sending a message. The government’s war on wildlife needs to end and it needs to end now. Humane solutions exist and we demand that they be used.

Let’s start right here in New York City, home of a diverse community of compassionate and tolerant citizens, who have welcomed millions of people from around the world to take refuge in our city.

Out of this heritage of kindness and tolerance, let us reverse the senseless killing of animals perpetrated by government and herald in a new era for wildlife.

Please take moment right now to send a letter to Mayor Bloomberg and the New York City Council and Save Our Geese!

After Nanny’s death 5 years ago, we moved Sabra to a new area with lush vegetation and no little pigs to steal her food, no horses to share her bedroom with, and all the vines and leaves she could eat. She was thrilled.

Yesterday, William found her lying by the fence where she’d been eating. We don’t know if the heat we’ve been experiencing played a role in her death, but she was an old girl and goats just don’t live to be very old. Sabra had a wonderful, long life and there were no signs of struggle at the end.

She will be greatly missed and will leave a big void at the Sanctuary.

That feeling of being lucky enough to offer the first gentle touch, the first trustworthy embrace to an animal who has endured years of abuse and neglect is indescribable.  I can tell you that it never diminishes and that it’s this feeling which drives me and all of us in animal protection work to do what we do with our lives.  Again last week in Mississippi, I was filled with that feeling of gratitude and awe as we rescued severely starved and abused dogs, embracing them with kindness for perhaps the first time in their lives.  I would like to share with you my experience from just one of the recent rescues.

In Charleston, Mississippi, I went with the director of our Hope Animal Sanctuary, Doll Stanley, to help Animal Control Officer (ACO) Kevin Hodges respond to a report of a suspected dogfighter.  I had no idea what we were going to find when we walked up on this sad, neglected property in search of dogs bred to fight.  What we encountered was a sight of such profound misery it is difficult to describe – dogs that may have originally been intended to fight were clinging to life.  Chained to tiny six-foot enclosures in collars so tight they had to be cut off, they were emaciated and dehydrated to the point that they could barely stand, their skeletons entirely visible.  Some had fresh wounds, all had visible scars, and their hair was partially worn off, either from being chained or caged in despicable conditions or eroded away by mange.

Approaching these dogs, who had clearly never been shown kindness nor mercy was a testament to the inherent innocence and beauty of animals. While chained, they were terrified, barking and lunging. Aware perhaps that they could not escape whatever inhumane treatment they had endured, they desperately tried to protect their six-foot-in-diameter world. Once the chains were cut, these dogs relaxed, curled up, and accepted help – immediately forgiving the abuse they had suffered.

One unchained dog, a little white-haired sweetheart we later named Esmeralda, regarded me with extreme trepidation.   As I gently called to her, she came towards me shyly, stopping to lie meekly ten feet away. She looked at me with both apprehension and hope. I slipped a collar around her neck, but when I encouraged her to walk with me, she simple could not.  Instead, I scooped her up in my arms and she rested against me as I carried her to safety and a new life.

All the dogs were confiscated and taken for immediate vet care – tragically, even with the very best care, two of the most severely neglected dogs died that night, and a third, the sweet Mona Lisa, is clinging to life as I write this.  All of the surviving dogs are being held at a confidential location, away from the vet clinic and sanctuary, for their security.

That was only one of the rescues on July 28^th. After these dogs, and the others rescued that day receive veterinary care, my promise to them is a better life.  We will seek assistance from partner shelters in order to place them in loving, forever homes, and we will make sure their lives are never again so tortured and hopeless. Please take a minute to watch this rescue for yourself in this video.

My promise to you, as president of In Defense of Animals, is that we will continue to build the most effective and comprehensive Companion Animal Campaign possible.  Together, with your help, we will be there to open the cage doors and stop cruel puppy mills from profiting on misery.  We will continue to seize and rehabilitate dogs from dog-fighting rings and cases of abuse and neglect.  We will continue to work to clear animals from hoarders and over-burdened shelters and we will expand our work to address the underlying problems leading to pet overpopulation.  Together, I know we can accomplish a great deal and save many lives.

That feeling of giving the first touch of compassion to an abused and neglected animal, the first embrace of kindness, is euphoric and profound. I know that everyone of you can feel it too.  By acting on your own innate compassion and through your continuing support, I know you’ll feel the thrill I do on each and every rescue of which I am blessed to be a part.

Closeup of a Bullhook

Zoos often use “spin” to give their interpretation of an event in order to sway public opinion or maintain a particular image. Spin is exactly what the Toledo Zoo attempted to do after the July 1 attack on keeper Don RedFox by a seven-year-old African elephant named Louie. RedFox was gravely injured in the incident. If it wasn’t spin, it calls into question the knowledge that zoo experts possess when it comes to elephant behavior.

At a July 21 press conference, Toledo Zoo Director Barbara Baker, accompanied by an expert hired by the zoo, suggested that rather than an attack on RedFox, Louie had been “sparring” with him, and that he may have been “play fighting.” She explained, “It’s not a very equal sparring match,” noting that Louie weighs 4,000 pounds. At least one major media outlet came away from the press conference with the message that Louie’s behavior was “normal young elephant activity.”

Yet every independent expert IDA consulted with disagreed with the zoo experts. Dr. Joyce Poole, who has studied African elephant behavior and communication for more than 30 years, just released her expert assessment of the incident. After viewing the video of it, she says that Louie clearly was not displaying play behaviors. Dr. Poole states:

“It is, furthermore, our perspective that the various statements and reactions from the zoo community are a public relations exercise rather than a real effort to explain, truthfully and accurately, what took place in Louie’s small stall. Based on decades-long experience, our viewpoint is that Louie was not behaving in a playful manner toward Mr. RedFox and neither was he exhibiting sparring behavior. Rather, the video shows Louie acting with intention to harm. That he was doing so is yet another reason for us to urge the zoo community to rethink the keeping of elephants captive.”

>You can see the video and read Dr. Poole’s full statement and letter to Barbara Baker here.

Animal behaviorists with the company Active Environments also weighed in with their assessment of the incident, with a focus on the “free contact” elephant management system used by the Toledo Zoo. In free contact, the keeper must dominate the elephant at all times and uses negative reinforcement to achieve this. Handlers use the steel-pointed bullhook, a device resembling a fireplace poker, to prod, hook and strike elephants and force compliance with commands. Even when not in use, the bullhook is a constant reminder of the physical punishment that can be delivered at any time, for any reason.

According to the Active Environments statement:

“The video dramatically illustrates the purpose, and meaning of the bull hook to both trainer and elephant.  Much effort has been expended by Free Contact (FC) proponents to downplay the nature and purpose of the bull hook. The renaming of the bull hook to “guide” was the most blatant (and brilliant) public relations maneuver to achieve this objective. Statements are frequently made about the gentle use of the hook and that it doesn’t hurt and it is hardly even needed. Yet, when the trainer was chased out of the stall, he immediately went to get his bull hook to gain control over Louie.  And the presence of the hook caused Louie to immediately assume an extremely submissive posture.”

So why would the Toledo Zoo “spin” the story? The first line of a report in the Toledo Blade says it all: “The Toledo Zoo’s star elephant, “Baby Louie,” isn’t quite so cute these days.” Not only do zoos rely on elephants as major attractions – young elephants typically draw large crowds and increased revenue – it also wanted to divert attention away from its use of archaic and inhumane elephant management practices that were being rightfully attacked by groups like IDA.

In the reports that immediately followed the attack, the zoo focused on the “special relationship” between RedFox and Louie. News stories reported that he supervised Louie’s conception, attended his birth and worked with him ever since. In one report, the zoo’s hired expert, who viewed the video before it was made public, never even addressed the aggression that Louie displayed, and instead directed the story to the positive interactions between RedFox and the elephant, saying that it was “akin to a parent tending to a young child” and “much like a father-son” bond. He dismissively called the incident “a fluke at this particular time.” In a later story he opined that it didn’t appear that Louie intended to seriously harm RedFox.

It’s important to note that during this time the zoo also underplayed the extent of RedFox’s injuries, which were life threatening.

In the last six years of IDA’s campaigns for elephants in zoos, we can’t tell you how many times we’ve heard representatives from zoos and from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) adamantly declare that any decisions regarding elephants should be left only to them because they’re “the experts.” They constantly send this message to the media, the public and elected officials. In the case of the Toledo Zoo, either the zoo experts were way off the mark in their assessment of Louie’s behavior, or they put their integrity aside and substituted “spin” for the truth. Either way, it doesn’t bode well for elephants in zoos.