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Enews Lynx Issue 28: Ringling Protest Report, Palin Protest on YouTube, Duck Rescue, Thanksvegan
Enews Lynx Issue 28: Ringling Protest Report, Palin Protest on YouTube, Duck Rescue, Thanksvegan
| Lynx Issue 28: Ringling Protest Report, Palin Protest on YouTube, Duck Rescue, Thanksvegan |
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| Monday, 10 November 2008 00:00 |
In this edition:
Report on Ringling Bros. Circus Protest – Great Success! We had a great turnout at the Ringling Bros. Circus protest last Saturday! We greeted the circus-goers with signs, leaflets, and a big banner proclaiming "Respect Animals? Attend Only Animal-Free Circuses!" We were able to hand out over 1000 leaflets altogether at both the Saturday show and at most of the other shows during the week. Furthermore, we also got some great news coverage as WPXI-Channel 11 came out to film us. They got some great footage of our signs, and best of all, they mentioned that "Ringling is set to stand federal trial for its alleged abuse and mistreatment of endangered elephants, a violation of the Endangered Species Act". There was no rebuttal response from Ringling either. Thanks to that segment, circus-goers sitting at home watching the evening news were probably left questioning what's really going on behind the scenes at Ringling Bros. Another positive sign: it may have to do largely with scheduling the performance on Halloween night, but the Friday night, October 31st show was absolutely dead-so dead it must have been embarrassing for Ringling. We could only imagine how empty the arena must have looked from inside! The federal trial against Ringling Bros. has been postponed and it is now not due to start until February 3, 2009. Ringling must be worried because they have their propaganda machine running on full blast. The fences around the arena where the animals were being held had giant posters that audaciously stated: "Endangered Species? Not Anymore. Thanks to Ringling's Elephant Conservation Center." If the situation for elephants in the circus wasn't so tragic, this would almost be funny. The Elephant Conservation Center is merely a breeding ground to raise more elephant "performers" for their circus. Not a single one is released back into the wild. The whole point of saving endangered animals is to save them so they can continue to live their lives in their natural environment, interacting with the ecosystems around them and keeping them in balance, not to simply exist only as sad exhibits to stare at behind bars. Of course, Ringling is only emphasizing this to counteract any negative press they receive about the trial. The signs are all there that Ringling is slowly but surely going down. Thank you to everyone who came to the protest on Saturday and to everyone who volunteered their time to leaflet at the other shows during the week. Your help made a big difference! Palin Protest Update Footage from the October 10th downtown protest by the "Polar Bears Against Pittsburgh" can now be seen on YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6Lmz3sv1X0 And an article on the event was published in the November edition of the "New People" - the monthly publication of the Thomas Merton Center. A PDF of the newspaper can be viewed/downloaded here: http://www.thomasmertoncenter.org/The_New_People/November%202008.pdf (Front page article, photos on page 6) What's more, Associated Press photos of the bears have appeared in newspapers all over the country (the Chicago Tribune for example), not to mention countless blogs and websites. Thanks again to all who attended the protest and the leafletings, for letting the country know about a side of Governor Palin many were not aware of. Route 65 Duck Rescue In early October, VFA heard reports of a "white duck" wandering along the side of Route 65, near the infamous "crumbling Walmart site." The duck was sighted again two weeks later, and out went two VFA volunteers, armed with a large net and carrier. The duck - a once white muscovy now a shade of dirty grey - was in a sorry state. He was caught and taken to wild bird rehabber Beth McMaster, who said that he had apparently been in a cage his entire life, since his toenails were so long they had curled around his feet. The rescued duck was given two rounds of much-needed bathing (before and after shots of the first round can be seen below) and a nail clipping. He is now doing fine and enjoying a level of care and attention he has never known before. After full recovery he will need a home, so if you know someone who can offer a good home to a male muscovy duck who has had it rough until now, let us know... DIRTY DUCK... ...CLEAN DUCK! Vegan Thanksgiving Event A Vegan Thanksgiving Feast-Thanksvegan- is being held to benefit the Tribe of Heart filmmakers (see information below). The main dishes will be provided (seitan, potatoes, dressing and gravy). The rest is potluck. Sunday, November 23, 2008, 1 to 4 pm Nuin Center, 5655 Bryant Street, Highland Park
Tribe of Heart is the award-winning producer of "The Witness," and the soon-to-be-released documentary, "Peaceable Kingdom, The Journey Home", as well as creator of the website Humane Myth. Meet co-founders James LaVeck and Jenny Stein, who will introduce a short film about rescuing factory-farmed birds following the vegan feast. Visit http://WWW.TRIBEOFHEART.ORG and http://WWW.HUMANEMYTH.ORG Tiger Ranch Update A recent update on the condition of the Tiger Ranch cats can be found on the PSPCA's website at: http://www.pspca.org/news/tiger_ranch The page includes a link to a City Paper cover story article (Oct 30th) that many of you will have seen, which tells the story of how the Tiger Ranch rescue came to happen and the obstacles that had to be overcome. The PSPCA site also features before and after photos of some of the TR rescue cats (warning, some are graphic). As always, thank you to ALL of you who have assisted with the cats' care by leaving donations of food, litter, bedding and cleaning supplies at the TR boxes at Construction Junction. As the above article explains, the cost of care of the cats has been huge, and every single donation you have made has been greatly appreciated and extremely helpful. THANK YOU. Please continue to drop off supplies at Construction Junction. The address is 214 N. Lexington Street (Point Breeze), and the boxes can be found to the right after the entrance, behind the announcements blackboard. Donations of food, bedding, blankets, litter and bleach are particularly helpful. The trial is scheduled to start in January, so the cats still have a long wait ahead before any chance of adoption. SPAK'S PIZZA: Vegan Pizza and Seitan Wings in Pittsburgh! Earlier this year, a new to-go pizza house opened on Penn Avenue. Spak's Pizza offers regular pizza fare, along with 100% vegan versions (vegan soy cheese, vegan sausage, vegan pepperoni, vegan wings in a variety of sauces...). For a full menu, visit their web page at: http://spakbrothers.com And if you have any "tips" for vegan- or animal-friendly places in the City, let us know and we'll feature them from time to time. |