The proposed facility, which will masquerade as an elephant “sanctuary,” will bring an elephant named Rosie from a circus-related facility where she is not performing to live by herself in a tiny enclosure and weather conditions that will force her to spend most of the year indoors.

There are grave human safety concerns involved with this project that include a dangerously inexpert handler, unsafe and inhumane training methods (including use of the bullhook, a weapon resembling a fireplace poker that is used to control elephants through fear of painful punishment), and the threat of tuberculosis, which is transmissible to humans.

The town of Hope may have approved construction of the facility, but there are still hurdles at the state and federal levels. That’s why we’re asking you to appeal to legislators in your state and in Congress.

IDA wants Rosie sent to a real sanctuary, one with other elephants, acres and acres to roam, and expert caretakers. But we need your help to do this.

Click here to find out how you can help.

Parma, Ohio (July 6, 2011)– In Defense of Animals (IDA), an international animal-protection organization with over 100,000 members, applauds the Parma, Ohio City Council for voting unanimously yesterday to replace the term “owner” with “owner/guardian” in its animal-related ordinances. Parma joins 17 other cities in officially recognizing the value of the term “animal guardian” in reference to cherished animal companions. Those cities include Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, San Francisco, Sebastopol, and San Jose, California; St Louis, Missouri; Woodstock, New York; Bloomington, Indiana; Boulder, Colorado; Sherwood Arkansas, and Amherst, Massachusetts; plus California’s Marin and Santa Clara Counties, and the state of Rhode Island.

“In Defense of Animals acknowledges the caring, dedication and compassion of high school student Brandon Yanak and the generous assistance of Councilwoman Mary Galinas for bringing the guardian issue before the full council,” said Anita Carswell, IDA’s Guardian Campaign Director. “Thank you, Parma, for recognizing the important role language plays in creating a more compassionate, peaceful and just society for animals and their guardians.” Carswell quoted actress Mary Tyler Moore, who said: “I like the term ‘guardian’ as opposed to ‘master’ or ‘owner’. It is an honor that is bestowed on some of us and we need to treat it that way.”

The high school student who led this effort in Parma, Brandon Yanak, said: “As more people begin to think and act as ‘guardians’ of their animal companions, I expect to see higher levels of animal care and appreciation, thus helping to end many animal-related problems such as people breeding animals and keeping too many in inadequate conditions on their property in Parma.”

In Defense of Animals created the Guardian Campaign in 1999 to reflect and nurture the growing sentiment that “owner” does not reflect the bond that develops between people and animals. “Guardian” denotes a higher level of responsibility, caring and respect toward the animals with whom we share our lives. As more people use the term “animal guardian” more animals will be adopted instead of purchased, and fewer dogs and cats will be killed in our nation’s shelters.

Edwin J. Sayres, President of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), says “The term ‘guardian’ accurately describes the relationship of perpetual care that is needed to teach children respect, compassion and kindness for domestic pets. Studies show that children who learn compassion and respect for animals have a better chance at becoming compassionate adults, responsible community members, and are less likely to behave violently towards others.” For more information about the Guardian Campaign, visit www.guardiancampaign.org.

Contacts:
Anita Carswell, 415-448-0073, Anita@idausa.org
Brandon Yanak, 440-334-0947, bcyanak@sbcglobal.net

In IDA’s 30-second  “Be A Guardian: Adopt and Save A Life” PSA , Peter Falk and his wife Shera Danese appear with world-renowned primatologist Jane Goodall, and actors Wendie Malick and Kristen Bell. They urge people to save animal lives by adopting from shelters, and to always act as guardians of animals, not owners. The PSA can be viewed at http://www.idausa.org/psas/psa.html.

Peter Falk and his late wife were passionate about rescuing dogs and lived with rescued shelter dogs. “Peter Falk’s profound compassion toward people as well as animal companions will be sorely missed,” says veterinarian Elliot M. Katz, founder and president of In Defense of Animals.

For more information about IDA’s Guardian Campaign that Peter Falk supported, visit www.guardiancampaign.org. For more information about In Defense of Animals, visit www.idausa.org.

Contact:
Dr. Elliot Katz, DVM, emk@idausa.org, 415-448-0075, 415-945-1308
Anita Carswell, anita@idausa.org, 415-448-0073

In Defense of Animals applauds the three-part “Special Report” on chimpanzee experimentation by McClatchy Newspapers investigative reporter Chris Adams, which has been featured in papers nationwide including the Sacramento Bee, San Jose Mercury News, Kansas City Star, Miami Herald, Arizona Republic, and Charlotte Observer; high-profile blogs such as the Huffington Post and DailyKos; and linked to by international media such as the Toronto Star and India Times.

At over 5,700 words accompanied by video, pictures, and graphics, the McClatchy series is almost certainly the most in-depth reporting of the issue of chimpanzee experimentation ever published. It has exposed for the first time to a worldwide audience the profound mental and physical anguish that chimpanzees endure in labs. Such suffering, together with the scientific move away from using chimpanzees, makes this series a game-changer in the fight to end chimpanzee experimentation once and for all.

McClatchy – the third-largest newspaper chain in the U.S. – based its series on thousands of pages of chimpanzee medical records obtained by IDA in a groundbreaking Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the National Institutes of Health (NIH). IDA won that five-year lawsuit after a federal judge issued two resounding opinions against the NIH, and ordered the agency to provide IDA a public interest fee waiver for the ongoing release of tens of thousands of pages of medical records for all chimpanzees at the Alamogordo Primate Facility in New Mexico.

It is unmistakably clear why the NIH fought for years in federal court to prevent the release of these records. They provide the first ever detailed look behind the locked doors of chimpanzee experimentation laboratories, and reveal the shocking physical and psychological suffering needlessly inflicted on our closest genetic cousins, who for decades have been have been subjected to painful experiments that continue to this day.

IDA Research Director Eric Kleiman submitted the FOIA request to the NIH and initiated the winning lawsuit based on that request, with the generous pro bono legal assistance of Spriggs & Hollingsworth, co-founded by attorney William J. Spriggs. After receiving thousands of pages of records from the NIH pursuant to a settlement of the lawsuit, Kleiman approached McClatchy for an exclusive and provided the records unconditionally for McClatchy’s review regarding the chimpanzees’ lives, and deaths, as documented in their medical records.

The McClatchy expose is only the tip of the iceberg. IDA views these medical records, which the NIH must continue to provide to IDA for years, as the next phase in our longstanding fight to end chimpanzee experimentation. These records comprise the most compelling evidence yet of the scientific and moral bankruptcy of experimentation on chimpanzees, and why it must stop now.

Sacramento, Calif. (April 20, 2011) – In a precedent-setting decision, issued today in the United States District Court, Eastern District of California, Judge Morrison C. England, Jr. rejected the U.S. Department of Interior’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit challenging the roundup and removal of nearly 1,579 wild horses and 159 burros from the Twin Peaks Herd Management Area (HMA) in northeastern California last year.

Judge England also ruled that the plaintiffs – animal protection organization In Defense of Animals (IDA), ecologist Chad Hanson, Ph.D., wild horse sanctuary founder Barbara Clarke, DreamCatcher Wild Horse and Burro Sanctuary, local resident and wild horse enthusiast Linda Hay – have standing to challenge the action and that the case is not moot, despite the fact that the roundup has already taken place. In past wild horse roundup litigation, courts have dismissed claims as moot because the roundups had already concluded, never ruling on the merits on the case.

However, In Defense of Animals et al. vs. Interior Department et al., headed by pro bono legal counsel Rachel Fazio, outlines specific remedies and the ongoing harm plaintiffs suffer from Twin Peaks mustangs being held in captivity in government long-term holding facilities – facilities that the plaintiffs allege are illegal. Fazio argued in her briefs that the case was not moot, in part because the Interior Department could return captured horses to the range.

“The American Mustang is a native wildlife species; few people realize that the western United States is actually the evolutionary birthplace of the horse,” said Rachel Fazio, legal counsel for plaintiffs. “This suit seeks to ensure that, in accordance with the laws of Congress, this majestic species is protected as wild and free-roaming, safe from illegal interference by the BLM and immune to the pressures of the livestock industry and other commercial interests that wish to exploit our public lands.”

Plaintiffs in the litigation include Barbara Clarke, wild horse expert and director of the 2,000-acre DreamCatcher Wild Horse and Burro Sanctuary in Northeastern California, DreamCatcher Wild Horse and Burro Sanctuary, ecologist Dr. Chad Hanson, Linda Hay, a local resident who has visited and enjoyed the Twin Peaks horses for the past thirty years, and animal protection organization In Defense of Animals.

“We may finally have a court address the merits of a case challenging wild horse roundups and not dismiss it on technicalities,” said Eric Kleiman, Research Director for In Defense of Animals. “This is a groundbreaking legal decision that could lead to America’s wild horses finally having their day in court.”

In addition, the plaintiffs have appealed to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge England’s denial last year of a preliminary injunction to halt the Twin Peaks roundup. The remedy of returning horses to the range was also a critical issue of discussion at a hearing before the Ninth Circuit in San Francisco earlier this year.

Meanwhile, Twin Peaks horses have been scattered across the country at Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) holding facilities, and untold numbers have perished while in captivity.

Plaintiffs have revisited the Twin Peaks area and report difficulty locating wild horses to view in the aftermath of the roundup.

Between August and September 2010 – the hottest months of the year – the BLM removed 1,579 wild horses and 159 burros from the HMA. The roundup was a devastating blow to California’s wild horse and burro population, removing more than one-third of California’s entire mustang and burro population which is estimated to be only approximately 5,000 throughout the entire state. The Twin Peaks HMA encompasses 798,000 acres of public land, yet the BLM allows just 448 to 758 wild horses and 72 to 116 burros to reside in the area. Meanwhile, the agency authorizes up to four times more cattle and nearly seven times more sheep to graze this federally-designated wild horse and burro habitat.

Wild horses comprise a small fraction of grazing animals on public lands, where they are outnumbered by livestock nearly 50 to 1. The BLM has recently increased cattle grazing allotments in areas where wild horses are being removed. Currently the BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public lands of which cattle grazing is allowed on 160 million acres; wild horses are only allowed on 26.6 million acres this land, which must be shared with cattle. The Obama Administration has accelerated the removal of wild horses and burros from public lands in the past year, while Congress just last week approved funding for yet more BLM roundups beginning this July. There are currently more than 36,000 wild horses warehoused in government holding facilities and only 33,000 wild horses free on the range.

In Defense of Animals is an international animal protection organization located in San Rafael, Calif. dedicated to protecting animals’ rights, welfare, and habitat through education, outreach, and our hands-on rescue facilities in Mumbai, India, Cameroon, Africa, and rural Mississippi. For more information, visit www.idausa.org.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Eric Kleiman, In Defense of Animals, (717) 939-3231
Rachel Fazio, Esq., (530) 273-9290

Portland, Ore. (April 19, 2011) – Millions of Americans are filing their taxes this week, unaware that their tax dollars support “cash cow” scientists, some of whom receive millions of dollars in grants each year, as well as a large population of chimpanzees growing old in laboratories.

But some people are aware of this waste, and this week they are demanding change.

In Defense of Animals (IDA), a long-time opponent of the Oregon National Primate Research Center (ONPRC), will host a protest in Portland this week. On Wednesday April 20, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., activists will demonstrate at the main campus of Oregon Health and Science University, which runs ONPRC. They plan to highlight the career of Kevin Grove, an ONPRC scientist who is paid over $3 million a year to keep 150 monkeys obese, as a good example of poor public policy.

During World Week for Animals in Laboratories (WWAIL), spanning two weekends from April 16 to April 24, In Defense of Animals (IDA) and activists around the world are rallying their forces and speaking out for the untold numbers of animals tortured and killed each year in the name of science. Dozens of events, including massive protests and theater performances, are taking place in France, Canada, and over 20 American cities.

In recent years, this battle has intensified. A 2009 Pew Charitable Trust poll found Americans split almost 50/50 for and against animal experimentation. Earlier this month, in a desperate preemptive strike before World Week for Animals in Laboratories, Research Saves – a front group created by industry lobbyists Foundation for Biomedical Research and National Association for Biomedical Research – put up billboards around the country distorting the issue into a choice between a rat and a little girl.

“The real choice isn’t over the life of a rat or a girl,” said IDA spokesperson Tony Carr. “The real choice is whether to squander public money by giving it to opportunistic scientists who have built careers by fattening up monkeys or addicting mice to meth, or to use it effectively by supporting underfunded prevention and education programs that attack the root cause of our lifestyle diseases. The real choice is whether to test drugs and cosmetics in a way that doesn’t predict whether they will cause harm to humans or to develop personalized medicine, which will allow any substance to be tested on your own cells first. The real choice is between doing what we have always done, or progressing.”

Maryland Representative Roscoe Bartlett, who used chimps in his scientific research, introduced The Great Ape Protection and Cost Savings Act in Congress last week. The Act (S. 810 / H.R. 1513) would ban invasive experiments on all great apes and would retire all apes held by the federal government to suitable sanctuaries.

This week, IDA and activists nationwide are contacting Congress, urging them to co-sponsor this historic legislation. They are also sending letters to the chief administrators of the National Institutes of Health and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, demanding that these agencies take immediate, concrete action towards reducing the number of animals in experiments each year.

For more information on World Week for Animals in Laboratories, visit www.wwail.org.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Tony Carr, 503-249-9996, Tony@idausa.org

Each flavor shines a light on an animal issue. The Peanut Butter Pit Bull, crispy peanut butter and luscious 64% dark chocolate, highlights Pit Bulls, who can be great family companions. The rich 66% dark chocolate bar, The Fix, encourages spay and neuter. And Wild at Heart, dark chocolate hearts filled with zingy raspberry, raises awareness of the cruelties inflicted upon animals in circuses, zoos, and laboratories. Other flavors include Bow Wow Bon Bons, Pick Me! Pepper, and Foster-iffic Peppermint.

Based in Brooklyn, New York, Rescue Chocolate is made with the finest ingredients and no artificial preservatives. Visit www.rescuechocolate.com anytime in the month of September to support the work of IDA. And visit www.idausa.org for information about In Defense of Animals.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Weil Public Relations, 818-341-3646, rachel@weilpr.com

Duluth, Ga. (August 25, 2010) – Georgia members of the international animal protection organization In Defense of Animals (IDA) have organized a 5K Run/Walk to benefit IDA’s worldwide campaigns for animals. The event will take place Saturday, August 28, at 7:30 a.m.at the St. Marlo Country Club, 7765 St. Marlo Country Club Parkway, Duluth, Georgia. Participants are asked to arrive by 7 a.m.

Those who have not already pre-registered online should bring $20 (cash or check). Participants will receive a free t-shirt and refreshments. There will also be music and giveaways from the sponsors, which include SunTrust Bank, Big Peach Running Co., GTS America, Strategic Staffing Solutions, and Whole Foods Market.

The run/walk will begin at The Cabana and traverse a scenic route – mostly flat and easy to walk. The special guest will be Shirley Lasseter, Commissioner of Gwinnett County.

Participants must be at least 18 years old to enter. Children younger than 18 years may run/walk with their parents or guardians. Two IDA golf carts marked with IDA banners and balloons will accompany the route with first aid and water, and will be available to transport anyone in need of assistance back to their car.

Well-socialized dogs may join their guardians, free of charge. These companions must be on a leash and have a collar and tag with proper identification. Water and treats will be available for our four-legged friends. If you are bringing a dog, please be responsible – check the weather report and make sure your dog will be able to complete the 5K safely given the day’s expected weather conditions. Make sure your dog is under your control at all times.

For more information about this event, contact Sarita Raturi, 678-469-2406, IDASARITA@ymail.com.

For information about In Defense of Animals, or to make a donation, visit www.indefenseofanimals.org.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Sarita Raturi, 678-469-2406, IDASARITA@ymail.com

San Rafael, Calif. (July 28, 2010) – The July 7th attack by a young African elephant on his keeper at the Toledo Zoo has reignited controversy over the use of circus-style training and the abusive device known as a bullhook. In Defense of Animals (IDA) today sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, requesting issuance of a policy statement that would designate such inhumane and dangerous practices a violation of the Animal Welfare Act.

“The tragic attack at the Toledo Zoo must be a wake-up call,” said Catherine Doyle, IDA elephant campaign director. “The government can’t wait until yet another person is injured or killed before it takes action. Now is the time to declare that circus-style training with archaic bullhooks is abusive to elephants, dangerous for humans, and a violation of federal animal welfare law.”

Circus-style training, also known as “free contact,” relies on painful punishment to train and control elephants. Handlers use the steel-pointed bullhook, a device similar to a fireplace poker, to prod, hook and strike elephants and force compliance with commands. The bullhook is a reminder of the physical punishment that can be delivered at any time.

In the free contact system, the keeper must dominate the elephant at all times. This likely explains why keeper Don RedFox returned to elephant Louie’s stall a second time, after the elephant had already aggressively chased him out. RedFox returned with a bullhook, appearing intent on regaining control of the elephant. The video released by the zoo shows that in the presence of the bullhook Louie is at first extremely submissive and likely anticipates punishment. After RedFox hooks Louie, the elephant attacks.

About half of zoos use “protected contact” management, which relies on positive-reinforcement training without bullhooks. A protective barrier separates keepers and elephants, removing the risk of bodily harm while still allowing for necessary care and veterinary treatment. IDA is calling for all zoos to immediately adopt this more humane and safer alternative for all captive elephants.

In the last 10 years, there have been at least 31 known dangerous incidents involving captive-held elephants in the U.S., including 4 human deaths, 17 injuries (handlers and the public) and 13 escapes. Every incident involved the use of free contact management. This year alone, there have been three incidents, including Toledo. One involved an elephant escape from a circus and the other the death of a circus trainer.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Catherine Doyle, 323-301-5730, zoos@idausa.org