Boulder, Colo. (January 18, 2013) – In Defense of Animals (IDA), an international animal protection organization with over 100,000 supporters including 4,000 in Colorado, is expressing cautious optimism at today’s announcement from the Boulder District Attorney’s Office concerning the January 1 killing of the community elk known as Big Boy. IDA revealed today that it will provide $1,500 towards a permanent memorial for Big Boy.

Boulder District Attorney Stan Garnett announced today that two Boulder police officers, Sam Carter and Brent Curnow, face multiple felony and misdemeanor charges in connection with the elk’s death, including unlawful taking of an elk, attempting to influence a public official, forgery, conspiracy, and official misconduct.

“We are thrilled that District Attorney Garnett is handling this case with the gravity it deserves, and we thank him and the Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife for conducting a serious investigation,” said Rita Anderson, IDA’s Policy and Investigations Specialist who is based in Boulder. “And we are grateful for the more than 17,000 emails sent by IDA supporters demanding justice for Big Boy. The citizens of Colorado and the entire country stood up for the right of wildlife to share this planet with us, and today it appears that our outcry has been heard.”

The elk, a friendly neighborhood fixture who was cherished and adored by the community, was killed under uncertain circumstances on New Year’s Day. Following the killing, there was a candlelight vigil and a silent walking vigil by citizens to remember the elk. The elk had been a regular and welcomed visitor in the Mapleton area for 3-4 years and was frequently seen walking silently through yards, stopping to munch on bushes. He was much loved by all who knew him and was not known to be aggressive. One neighbor said not only did the neighbors think of the elk as a friend, he felt the elk thought of them as friends.

IDA did express disappointment that the charges did not include felony animal cruelty charges. “IDA maintains that the killing of Big Boy, also known as the Mapleton Elk, did merit felony animal cruelty charges, and we will continue to urge Boulder officials to add such charges,” said Anderson. “But other than that, we are very happy with today’s announcement. This is a victory for wildlife and for people who care about animals.”

Contact: Rita Anderson, IDA Colorado representative, 303-551-4567

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Riviera Beach, Fla. (January 14, 2013) – In Defense of Animals (IDA), the international animal protection organization that operates Hope Animal Sanctuary in Mississippi, has offered a $2,500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whomever tethered a young pit bull to a fence, doused him with a flammable liquid and then set him on fire, killing him.

On the evening of Monday, January 7, a neighbor heard a dog crying and saw what she believed to be a grass fire. She called Palm Beach County Fire and Rescue who responded and extinguished the flames, discovering the dead dog. A necropsy revealed that the dog was alive when he was set on fire.

“The cold-bloodedness of this terrible crime indicates what a danger this person is to all of us,” said Eric Phelps, Emergency Response Unit Coordinator for IDA. “Someone knows who did this, and he or she will be serving the entire community by stepping forward.” Phelps added that studies have repeatedly shown, and the FBI and other law enforcement agencies agree, that a person who commits cruelty to animals very often moves on to commit acts of violence against people, especially when the cruelty to animals goes unpunished.

IDA urges anyone with information about this brutal attack to call the organization at 415-448-0048, ext. 228.

Hebron, Ind. (December 27, 2012) – In Defense of Animals (IDA), an international animal protection organization, has offered a $2,500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whomever deliberately trapped a family’s dog in a cruel Conibear trap and left her to slowly suffocate to death.

“I cannot imagine a more tragic death for a loving and trusting dog like Pearl,” said Anja Heister, Director of IDA’s Wild and Free Campaign. “Knowing that she was lured to her death by someone she may have known and trusted, someone with the most cruel intention of causing her to suffer and die in a Conibear, borders on psychopathic behavior. Pearl’s killer is a threat to all of society, people included.” Heister added that studies have repeatedly shown, and the FBI and other law enforcement agencies agree, that a person who commits cruelty to animals very often moves on to commit acts of violence against people, especially when the cruelty to animals goes unpunished.

On Saturday, December 8, Pearl was chained outside her family’s home for a few hours when someone removed her from her yard and led her to the trap that took her life. Hebron Police Officer Casey Robinson told WBBM TV that the trap was likely baited to entice the dog, and that it snapped on her head.

Conibear traps are powerful body-gripping traps commonly used underwater for semi-aquatic species. They are designed to break an animal’s spine or administer a fatal blow to the skull. Unfortunately, they rarely kill animals instantly and instead leave them to suffer for hours, if not days. The trap is nearly impossible to remove and they often catch non-target animals like dogs and cats.

IDA urges anyone with information about this brutal killing to contact the Hebron Police Department at 219-996-2747. To contribute to the reward fund, please call IDA at (415) 448-0048, ext. 218.

Contact: Eric Phelps, eric@idausa.org, 503-754-0977

San Rafael, Calif. (November 29, 2012) – In Defense of Animals (IDA) has sent a letter to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, blasting her contradictory public proclamation as a “Green” and “Sustainable Living” supporter, while allowing veal to be served at four restaurants in which she is an investor.

Pelosi invests in the Moana Restaurant Group that serves veal in four restaurants: Piatti in Mill Valley and La Jolla, California, Piatti in Denver, Colorado, and The Quarry in San Antonio, Texas. Pelosi has not yet responded to the letter, which is available to media upon request.

IDA is urging Representative Pelosi to align her public persona with her personal ventures by adopting a No Veal Policy at all of her restaurants. If Pelosi does not immediately adopt a No Veal Policy, IDA will organize protests at all of her restaurants that serve veal.

“If Nancy Pelosi is comfortable with serving veal at her restaurants, she should display some integrity and transparency by opening these ‘Green’ veal operations to the public and personally showing everyone the “environmental” way to confine and kill a baby calf,” said Joe Haptas, IDA’s Executive Director.

Veal calves are forcibly removed from their mothers, cruelly denying them their strongest and most basic instinct to bond, and replacing it with isolation, one of the worst traumas any newborn could face. Their lives are spent in cold, dark, filthy environments chained by the neck in tiny pens, or in stalls barely wider than their frail bodies. They are forced to urinate and defecate where they sleep because they are purposely denied the ability to move in any direction for weeks on end. They are deprived of sunlight and water. They can’t even lie down to sleep comfortably. Such deprivations are allegedly required to keep the meat “tender”.

Undercover investigations of veal slaughterhouses reveal terrified screaming calves being kicked, slapped, and repeatedly electric-prodded so they will stand up to get slaughtered. These investigations also reveal routine violations of the federal Humane Methods of Slaughter Act, which requires that animals be rendered insensible to pain before they are slaughtered. Instead, fully conscious calves have their throats slit, while others scream as their legs are being cut off.

“There is absolutely nothing ‘Green’ or ‘Sustainable’ about the veal industry,” said IDA’s Haptas. “Nancy Pelosi should be ashamed of herself, and should show some real leadership. Veal is not ‘Green,’
it’s bloody wrong.”

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) reports that more than 63,000 veal calves are slaughtered each month, with 71,600 calves killed last month alone.

Contact: Christy Griffin, 757-305-7019, Christy@idausa.org

Santa Rosa County, Fla. (November 21, 2012) – In Defense of Animals (IDA), the international animal protection organization that operates Hope Animal Sanctuary in Mississippi, has offered a $2,500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whomever brutally shot a cat with a hunting arrow in Santa Rosa County, Florida.

The stray cat was found on Wednesday, November 14 with an arrow through both shoulders in the 8400 block of Dinosaur Drive in Navarre, Florida. The cat underwent surgery to remove the arrow, but died the next morning from the injuries.

“The cold-bloodedness of this horrific crime indicates what a danger this person is to all of us,” said Eric Phelps, Emergency Response Unit Coordinator for IDA. “Someone knows who did this, and he or she will be serving the entire community by stepping forward.” Phelps added that studies have repeatedly shown, and the FBI and other law enforcement agencies agree, that a person who commits cruelty to animals very often moves on to commit acts of violence against people, especially when the cruelty to animals goes unpunished.

IDA urges anyone with information about this brutal attack to contact Santa Rosa County CrimeStoppers at (850) 433-7867. To contribute to the reward fund, please call IDA at (415) 448-0048, ext.0.

Contact: Eric Phelps, eric@idausa.org, 503-754-0977

Clackamas County, Ore. (November 21, 2012) – In Defense of Animals (IDA), an international animal protection organization with a regional office in Portland, has added $2,500 to the reward fund for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whomever bludgeoned to death with an ax two dogs, Duke and Buddy, whose bodies were found just yards away from their home in Clackamas County, Oregon.

“The cold-bloodedness of this horrific crime indicates what a danger this person is to all of us,” said Eric Phelps, Emergency Response Unit Coordinator for IDA. “Someone knows who did this, and he or she will be serving the entire community by stepping forward.” Phelps added that studies have repeatedly shown, and the FBI and other law enforcement agencies agree, that a person who commits cruelty to animals very often moves on to commit acts of violence against people, especially when the cruelty to animals goes unpunished.

Duke, a black lab, and Buddy, a lab-blue heeler mix, disappeared from their home in the 24000 block of Southeast Sweetwater Lane on Monday, November 19. Their guardian found their bodies on the property the following Thursday. Necropsy reports found that the dogs were both beaten to death with an ax. “Somebody has to be not quite right to kill an animal like that,” Sgt. Adam Phillips, Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office spokesman, told The Oregonian newspaper.

IDA urges anyone with information about this brutal attack to contact the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Department at (503) 723-4949. To contribute to the reward fund, please call IDA at (415) 448-0048, ext.

Contact: Eric Phelps, eric@idausa.org, 503-754-0977

Ethel, La. (November 20, 2012) – In Defense of Animals (IDA), the international animal protection organization that operates Hope Animal Sanctuary in Mississippi, has offered a $3,500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whomever shot a group of nearly two dozen cats, injuring 8 and killing 4 and leaving nearly a dozen missing.

“The cold-bloodedness of this horrific crime indicates what a danger this person is to all of us,” said Eric Phelps, Emergency Response Unit Coordinator for IDA. “Someone knows who did this, and he or she will be serving the entire community by stepping forward.” Phelps added that studies have repeatedly shown, and the FBI and other law enforcement agencies agree, that a person who commits cruelty to animals very often moves on to commit acts of violence against people, especially when the cruelty to animals goes unpunished.

The cats were shot sometime between Saturday evening, November 10 and Monday, November 12, when they were discovered by one of their caretakers. The rental home where the cats were being cared for is near the end of Butler Lane off Highway 955 in Ethel, Louisiana.

Lori D’Arensbourg, a volunteer who was helping to care for the group of cats, told WAFB-TV, “I found it really hard to believe that we live in a community with people this vile and this cruel. How could people do this to helpless animals? It makes me tear up every time I think about it.”

IDA urges anyone with information about this brutal attack to contact the East Feliciana Parish Sheriff’s Office at (225) 683-5459. To contribute to the reward fund, please call IDA at (415) 448-0048, ext. 218.

Contact: Eric Phelps, eric@idausa.org, 503-754-0977

Waianae, Hawaii (November 15, 2012) – In Defense of Animals (IDA), an international animal protection organization based in San Rafael, California, has added $2,000 to a reward fund for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whomever shot a small terrier-mix named Champ, leaving him paralyzed. Champ had to be euthanized due to the extent of his injuries.

“The cold-bloodedness of this horrific crime indicates what a danger this person is to all of us,” said Eric Phelps, Emergency Response Unit Coordinator for IDA. “Someone knows who did this, and he or she will be serving the entire community by stepping forward.” Phelps added that studies have repeatedly shown, and the FBI and other law enforcement agencies agree, that a person who commits cruelty to animals very often moves on to commit acts of violence against people, especially when the cruelty to animals goes unpunished.

Neighbor and witness Kalia Novajosky reported hearing gunshots around 7:30 a.m. on November 12 and saw a small dog limping in the street. “I got to the front door and I tried to look both ways to see if I could see anybody or something and I didn’t,” she told KHNL TV. “It wasn’t like a vicious stray dog. He had a collar on. He was with another dog and they were really friendly. To shoot a dog that has a collar you know they are somebody’s friend. It’s just really disturbing.”

Even more heart-wrenching is that Champ’s friend stayed by his side during this ordeal – licking his wounds and trying to comfort him.
Neighbor Maimun Yusuf told KHNL TV, “It was really sad. You can see how the dog loved the other dog so much.”

IDA urges anyone with information about this brutal attack to contact the Hawaiian Humane Society at (808) 356-2250 or Honolulu CrimeStoppers at  (808) 955-8300. To contribute to the reward fund, please call IDA at (415) 448-0048, ext. 218.

Contact: Eric Phelps, eric@idausa.org, 503-754-0977

San Joaquin County, Calif. (November 8, 2012) – In Defense of Animals (IDA), an international animal protection organization based in San Rafael, California, has offered a $3,500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whomever slit the throat of a young male horse and illegally dumped his body in San Joaquin County.

A neighbor found the horse’s body early Monday morning. His feet were bound and tied to a pole – possibly to make it easier to drag him out of a trailer.

“The cold-bloodedness of this horrific crime indicates what a danger this person is to all of us,” said Eric Phelps, Emergency Response Unit Coordinator for IDA. He added: “studies have repeatedly shown, and the FBI and other law enforcement agencies agree, that a person who commits cruelty to animals very often moves on to commit acts of violence against people, especially when the cruelty to animals goes unpunished.”

“It’s murder and it’s something that needs to be addressed,” Kate Montgomery, the neighbor who found the horse, told KOVR TV. IDA’s Phelps agreed: “Whoever did this is probably already planning his next violent act, and our reward offer is aimed to stop him before somebody else gets hurt or dies.”

IDA urges anyone with information about this brutal attack to contact San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office at (209) 468-4400. To contribute to the reward fund, please call IDA at (415) 448-0048, ext. 218.

Contact: Eric Phelps, eric@idausa.org, 503-754-0977