IDA Blog

Posts Tagged ‘Awards’

Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary/photo credit: Karla Goodson

Throughout my 20 years in the animal protection field I have admired the work of In Defense of Animals, and I’m truly honored to accept the position of President of this esteemed organization. I feel very fortunate to have inherited a solid foundation created by Dr. Elliot Katz, and look forward to building on this platform of excellence in order to expand IDA’s positive impact for animals.

More than two decades ago I realized the common thread in the network of animal cruelty – the cage. The cage represents the imprisonment and mistreatment of the animals of this world. I have focused my career on tearing down these cages in their many forms and uses.

The cage is a fundamentally flawed contraption that causes rapid emotional, social and physical decline of its inhabitants. In my experience any animal confined to a cage goes through three phases of decline; typically starting with high anxiety, leading to depression, and resulting in psychological turmoil. Putting an animal in a cage is a violation of that creature’s innate right to live naturally and without suffering. This type of confinement also forces animals to eat, sleep and defecate in a space often only a few times the size of their body. This causes human and animal health problems and can ultimately lead to death in some species.

I conceptualized and built a revolutionary cageless animal shelter that set global humane standards. I lobbied for the adoption of guardian language to change people’s ideas concerning our relationships with animals. I lead the rescue of tens of thousands of animals from puppy mills, dog and cock fighting, hoarding cases, equine farming and countless other cruel instances of confinement and mistreatment. I have liberated hundreds of thousands of animals from the confines of cages and the grip of man-made cruelty.

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IDA congratulates 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 about the cruel capture, slaughter and consumption of dolphins in Japan.

This is an incredible opportunity to maximize the Save Japan Dolphins Coalition’s (SJDC) efforts to stop the slaughter and urge Ms. Mizuho Fukushima, Japan’s new Minister of State for Consumer Affairs and Food Safety to make public the health risks associated with eating dolphin meat and institute a ban on it’s sale without delay.

With The Cove set to be released in Japan this year, the primary goal of the SJDC will be to use the film as a medium to convince the Japanese public to oppose the cruel hunt and sale of dolphin meat throughout their country. So far, only 600 out of 126,000 million people in Japan have seen the film and those who did were completely outraged.

Our aim is to prevent the Japanese government from issuing 23,000 permits this fall and with the likelihood that dolphins will continue to be tainted with mercury and other harmful chemicals in the future, an end to the dolphin hunt once and for all.

Please join marine mammal supporters, IDA, and the rest of the Save Japan Dolphins Coalition to see whether The Cove wins Best Documentary. You can check TV listings for your local channel or watch the Oscars live online at www.livestream.com/academyawards . The presentations will begin Sunday, March 7th, at 8 P.M/EST.

We couldn’t buy better exposure for our campaign to stop the slaughter, consumption, and live capture of dolphins in Japan. A billion people, including media outlets around the world, are slated to tune into the event that will undoubtedly create a surge of pressure directed at the Japan Fisheries Agency to stop allowing dolphins to be slaughtered, and their mercury-laden meat to be eaten by Japanese citizens.

We are so thrilled that The Cove will be released this year in Japan, because combined with the exposure through the Oscars, the Japanese government will no longer be able hide the issues behind media blackouts.

Whether The Cove wins Best Documentary or not, this is a critical victory for getting the information to the Japanese public!

Michael Vick has been named the Eagles’ recipient of the Ed Block Courage Award, a distinction he received in a vote by his teammates.

We are shocked. Courage? Michael Vick? Does it take courage to force a dog to fight for his life in a gambling ring? I would say that is about as cowardice as it gets.

Michael Vick dispose of the dogs who were too gentle for fighting by such ghastly means as electrocution, hanging, and drowning. He served less than two years for actively participating in and bankrolling an interstate dogfighting ring. While Vick does have a right to seek employment, a position in the NFL potentially earning $7 million over the next two years is more than he deserves. We feel that this honor is far from earned for a violent convicted felon, who confessed to killing dogs who refused to fight because of their kind nature.

By employing Michael Vick, the NFL and the Eagles send the message that torturing animals is not a serious matter, and this award emphasizes that message. Impressionable young people see that the public admonishment of his crimes was followed by a multi-million dollar job and now a badge of courage. It will be interpreted as acceptance of his character and actions.

In fact, lets have a look at how Vick is influencing kids. Recently, an 18 year old boy said that he wanted to be the “next Michael Vick”. Did this young man play football? No, but he does have one thing in common with the Eagles quarterback, he is serving time in jail for operating a dog fighting ring!

IDA has asked the NFL to communicate a powerful message of disapproval for animal cruelty by prohibiting the Eagles and any other team from employing convicted animal abusers. We also ask the NFL to include animal fighting among the prohibited conduct listed in the league’s Personal Conduct Policy. The league must put principles before profit and help prevent players from getting involved in this cruel activity.

In Defense of Animals would like to award Michael Vick our distinguished

IDA Cowardice Award!

For spinelessly torturing animals and being the most terrible role model possible for youngsters. We have invited Mr. Vick to our award ceremony, but haven’t heard back yet if he will be joining us for the press conference.