*************Special Announcement************

 Supposed cat sanctuary of Tarentum, PA, Tiger Ranch, was raided on the evening of March 13th (see our separate alerts on this case for more information).  The PSPCA Shelter in Clarion where the cats were taken for medical care desperately needs volunteers.  A separate alert for a call for volunteers will follow this newsletter.

In this week's edition: 

• Shrine Circus Protests Coming Soon!
• Former Prisoner & Activist Peter Young Speaking March 31st!
• Three Dogs Die in Cruel Iditarod Race
• Help Stop Harmful Animal Limitation Ordinance in Wilkins Twp

Mark your calendars for some Shrine Circus protests! Shrine Circus is set to arrive in Pittsburgh April 4th through 6th. Please stay tuned for a separate protest announcement with details for the main protest night, as well as all important leafletting at additional shows.

Following along the line of any circus that uses animals, Shrine Circus is no different. Over a hundred Shrine temples use animal circuses to raise funds to cover the temples' administrative costs (not the costs of the Shriners hospitals as many people are led to believe). The Shriners do not operate their own traveling circus; instead, they lease circuses that perform under the Shrine name. Every exhibitor of Shrine-leased animals has a deplorable record of USDA violations, including failure to provide veterinary care, adequate shelter, nutritious food and clean water, as well as failure to handle animals in a manner that prevents trauma and harm and ensures public safety.

Voices for Animals needs your help in the meantime!  Keep your eyes and ears alert for Shrine sponsor announcements in any local media, including transportation, radio, newspaper, and television. Making sponsors aware that promoting animal cruelty will not be tolerated plays a great hand in the overall ceasing of animal acts, for without sponsors, the show can't go on!

Our first sponsor alert is for local Pittsburgh radio station, Star 100.7, offering ticket prizes, as well as a children's "Junior Ringmaster" contest, further roping kids into their propaganda while lying about behind the scenes animal abuse.

Please contact Star 100.7 and let them know it is unacceptable to take promotional hand with the egregious cruelties of Shrine Circus.

Studio number: 412-333-1007
Business office: 412-920-9400
Star 100.7
651 Holiday Drive
Foster Plaza 5, Second Floor
Greentree, PA 15220

Star 100.7 can also be emailed using their online contact form at the following link:

http://www.1007.com/pages/148386.php

We are very excited to announce that Voices For Animals, along with the Pitt Law National Lawyers Guild, is bringing former political prisoner & animal rights activist Peter Young to Pittsburgh on March 31st at 7 PM, 120 David Lawrence Hall, University of Pittsburgh, 3942 Forbes Avenue.  Young spent two years in federal prison on charges of 'animal enterprise terrorism' for releasing and conspiring to release over 8,000 minks from six fur farms across the mid-west in 1997. He will be speaking on political repression, the 'green scare', direct action and animal rights and liberation.

Peter Young is an animal rights activist indicted by a federal grand jury in 1998 on charges related to fur farm raids in Iowa, South Dakota & Wisconsin in 1997. Young remained underground for seven years until being arrested in 2005 and sentenced to two years' imprisonment on two charges of 'animal enterprise terrorism.' Before his sentencing he had the opportunity to show remorse for his actions and refused to do so, instead telling the fur farmers that he would "forever mark those nights on your property as the most rewarding experience of my life." For more information about Young: http://www.myspace.com/supportpeter.

The Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act (AETA) is a federal law targeting animal rights and environmental activists introduced in 2005 to stiffen penalties and expand the Animal Enterprise Protection Act of 1992. The Act creates new crime and sentencing guidelines for anyone who travels in interstate or foreign commerce to intentionally damage or cause the loss of any property (including animals or records) used by or in connection with animal enterprise, or conspires to do so. The AETA was passed by the House under a suspension of the rules voice vote with only six house members present, unanimously passed by the Senate and signed into law by George Bush two months later. For more information about the AETA: http://www.greenisthenewred.com.

Behind the Mask: The Story Of The People Who Risk Everything To Save Animals is a 2006 documentary film about the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) created by animal-rights lawyer Shannon Keith, owner of  Uncaged Films and ARME (Animal Rescue, Media & Education).The film has won several awards including best documentary feature at the Venice Film Festival, the Independent Features Film Festival and the Santa Clarita Valley Film Festival and was an official selection at Santa Cruz Film Festival and ReelHeART International Film Festival. For more information about the film: http://www.uncagedfilms.com.

Title: Animal Rights, the 'Green Scare' & the Crackdown on Social Activism (w/ Peter Young)
Date: Monday, March 31, 2008
Time: 7 pm, followed by a screening of 'Behind the Mask'
Location: 120 David Lawrence, University of Pittsburgh, 3942 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15260
Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

The annual Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race is happening in Alaska this week, and tragically, a 7-year old dog, Zaster, died of aspiration pneumonia during the race.  (http://sports.aol.com/story/_a/dog-dies-in-iditarod-trail-sled-race/20080308170009990001?ncid=NWS00010000000001)    Two more have died in the last few days, including a 3-year old dog run over by a snow machine.  Even more tragically is that this event, which is nothing more than barely-veiled animal abuse, continues to go on year after year, despite the fact that every year at least one dog dies during the race and at least 136 dogs have been run to death or have died from other causes during the Iditarod. 

Why do so many dogs die?  Dogs used in the Iditarod are forced to run 1,150 miles from Anchorage to Nome in 8 to 16 days over a grueling terrain.  This is approximately the distance from Los Angeles to Seattle, New York City to Miami, or Chicago to Houston.  Because the mushers want to win the race and obtain the cash prize, they push the dogs to run at ever increasing speeds so that the dogs get little rest or sleep.  As a result, dogs are run to the point of exhaustion or literally run to death.  Other injuries that occur during the race include the buildup of fluid in the lungs, bleeding stomach ulcers, bone fractures and dislocations, muscle and tendon tears, tendinitis, dehydration, hypothermia, raw paws, and frostbite. 

Furthermore, the dogs endure further suffering behind the scenes of the race in the kennels.  It is common for many kennels in Alaska to have over 100-200 dogs, as mushers breed many dogs in hopes a few will be strong enough to run the race.  In many of these kennels, dogs spend their entire lives outside kept chained to their dog houses on chains as short as 4 feet long.  This is extremely cruel-not only because the dogs are kept permanently tethered, but all dogs, including those who are injured, old, or arthritic, are kept outside during the winter when it is painfully cold and average temperatures range from 15 to -24 degrees Fahrenheit.  It is a common practice for mushers to kill dogs who are too slow, old, or who are unwanted for any reason.  They also kill dogs who are injured during the Iditarod. 

Want to do something to help end this annual contest of cruelty?  Write or email some of the Iditarod’s sponsors, which include big corporations like Chrysler, Coca-Cola, and Wells Fargo. You can find a full list of sponsors and contact information for each at this link: http://www.helpsleddogs.org/sponsors.htm#idit  Since there are so many, you can try to hit them all by emailing them in block format.  Scroll down to the bottom of the page at the above link to find all the emails grouped together in block format in groups of 50.

For in-depth information about the Iditarod and the cruelty that lies behind it visit the Sled Dog Action Coalition at www.helpsleddogs.org  

Wilkins Township is currently considering a turn for the worse in terms of animal companion legislation. The township's board of commissioners is proposing that there be a change in the city ordinance governing the amount of animals that can be kept in one's home.  Currently, three per "resident" are allowed, but the board would like to change this term to "residence".  Basically, if you have two cats, and your new roommate has two cats, you would have the option of getting rid of one of your animal companions voluntarily, or paying a fine and possibly having the animal seized. The ordinance will also set a goal in limiting the amount of smaller animals such as frogs, lizards, and fish in the home as well. This ordinance is detrimental for multiple reasons.

First, and possibly the most obvious reason, is that less animals in need of homes will have homes available to them.  Because of the limit of three per household, regardless of the income level, competency level of the residents, size of the home, or number of residents, only three animal companions would be allowed in the house.  Even if there were room for many more animals to be adopted from shelters or saved from “euthanasia” (i.e. being killed needlessly), it would not be allowed.  In 1996, the Journal of the American Veterinary Association listed that the killing of "healthy but unwanted pets in animal shelters is believed to be the leading cause of death for dogs and cats in the U.S.*" If this ordinance were put into effect this statistic would include "wanted" animals too, as many of the animals which would have found good homes are forced to remain in the shelters due to a maximum limit imposed on caring individuals. This type of ordinance only reduces the amount of lives saved while penalizing those of us that care enough and are able to open our homes to homeless animals.

Secondly, these laws are intended to punish or snuff out the bad behavior of the public, when in reality they don't work. This type of ordinance will either be ignored or will target the wrong kind of people.  In the words of Nathan Winograd, head of the No Kill Advocacy Center, "Since the legislation... was premised on the notion that the public was "bad" and needed to be "punished" and "coerced" into doing the right thing, it ignored the obvious... The law would nevertheless miss its target since responsible people acted responsibly whether there was a law or not, while truly irresponsible people would ignore it.*"  Even so, responsible animal guardians will suffer as a result of such an ordinance, and the animals being impounded- with a good chance of being put to death- will suffer even more.

According to an article in the Post Gazette**, there is going to be a public meeting at the end of March to discuss the ordinance and allow more people to speak out before it is voted on.  We will keep you posted on this and urge people, especially those that live in the area, to attend and speak out against such a detrimental process.

*Winograd, N. J. (2007) Redemption: The Myth of Pet Overpopulation and the No Kill Revolution in America. 25-26. Almaden Books.

**http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08059/860862-56.stm

Friday-Sunday, April 4th-6th:  Shrine Circus Protests & Leafleting, Mellon Arena, Downtown (stay tuned for further details)