Animal Liberation (WA) Inc - 2002 - News articles from Australia and around the World

THE British scientists who cloned Dolly the sheep have now cloned piglets whose organs could be used in human transplants.

The Scotland-based company PPL Therapeutics said today it had produced five piglets which do not possess the gene normally rejected by the human body when porcine organs are used in human transplants.

PPL said it had found a means of deactivating the alpha 1.3 galactosyl transferase gene.

"With one of the major technical hurdles and scientific risks overcome, the promise of xenotransplantation is now a reality, with the potential to revolutionise the transplant industry," said Alan Colman, PPL's research director.

People suffering from diabetes could be the first group to benefit from transplants of insulin-producing cells, the company said. Clinical trials could take place in four years' time.

The technology could also be extended to include the potential transplant of cells to patients suffering from diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, PPL said.

The five pigs were born on Christmas Day in Virginia, United States in the US subsidiary of PPL, and were named Noel, Angel, Star Joy and Mary.

The pigs are the first to be born without the alpha 1.3 galactosyl gene, according to PPL.

Arthritis prompts cloning fears

THE creator of Dolly the Sheep has warned against plans to clone humans after he disclosed that the animal had contracted premature arthritis, which raised questions about the safety of mammal cloning.

"I think there was already plenty of evidence that it would be completely irresponsible to think of producing a person," said Professor Ian Wilmut, who led the team which cloned Dolly in 1996.

Experience with animals has already shown that most clone pregnancies fail, or result in offspring that were stillborn or deformed.

"I think in a wider context we have to be cautious about the way in which we think of using this technology," Wilmut told the press today.

"The fact that Dolly has arthritis at this comparatively young age suggests that there may be problems. We do not know and it's very important that we look," he said.

There was no way of knowing if the five-year-old's condition was a result of the cloning process, he added.

"We can't tell how it will develop but she is responding well to treatment with anti-inflammatory drugs."

Dolly, the first mammal to be cloned from an adult cell, was being closely monitored by veterinary staff at the centre, Wilmut said.

"In every other way, she is perfectly healthy and she has given birth to six healthy lambs," said Wilmut.

A PPL team, reporting in the journal, Nature, examined age-linked structures in Dolly's cells called telomeres. The structures were slightly shorter than would be expected in a sheep of her age which had been born normally.

The anti-abortion and pro-life charity, Life, called for an immediate halt to all cloning research involving human cells.

Nick Harris, Life's senior researcher, said: "We already knew about Dolly's abnormal telomeres, which means crudely that she is ageing prematurely, so we are not surprised to hear of more defects resulting from the cloning procedure, but this information has a large bearing on those irresponsible scientists who wish to clone humans".

"This debate has ceased to be a theoretical exercise. Cloning a human is no longer science fiction, it is science fact. We must put a stop to all cloning programmes involving human tissue."

Therapeutic cloning -- the duplication of human embryos for research aimed at developing new stem cell treatments -- is allowed under British legislation.

Cloning of babies is now banned by the Human Reproductive Cloning Act which became law last month.

Dolly's arthritic condition emerged after scientists in the United States said they had produced pig clones that had been genetically modified to help prevent their organs being rejected if they were transplanted into a human.

Meanwhile, Panayiotis Zavos, a US-based andrologist, and Rome-based Italian gynaecologist Severino Antinori have announced plans to clone the first human, a scheme that has triggered criticism and revulsion around the world.

A first step, although for therapeutic research, was made last year by a Massachusetts firm, Advanced Cell Technology (ACT), which said it had created a cloned embryo in the first stage of development -- a tiny cluster of cells that were the exact genetic copy of their female donor. Up to half a dozen cells were created before the process halted.

The United States, the European Union (EU), Britain and France all spoke out against ACT's research. The Vatican said it "unequivocally" condemned the work and the Russian Orthodox church branded human cloning as "murder".

All Deer to be killed

Ruso Deer have lived in Royal National Park for over 100 years. Like all the Park's creatures, they have been through a dreadful fire. Undeterred, National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) now intends to kill them all. You have one opportunity to vote on this.

If you live in NSW please buy Wednesday's (9th Jan) TELEGRAPH newspaper. The Director General of NPWS will be making a statement and your view will be invited. This will probably take the form of a YES/NO opinion. Please vote AGAINST killing the deer.

We need to buy time. There are organisations willing to feed the deer until there is regrowth of foliage and then a Fertility Control program should immediately be set in place. Slaughter of animals merely creates 'spaces' and the numbers quickly grow back to what they were before. NPWS have always refused to consider Fertility Control. Now they say it is too late. IT IS NOT.

Fertility control of horses and deer is already happening overseas. This is done by contraceptive darting of all males. The contraceptive does not disturb the dominance order amongst the males, or prevent mating, but the females do not conceive. Typically only 10 per cent of male deer mate and rutting is for 8-12 weeks once a year. Once the male is darted, none of the females in his territory become pregnant. The fertility control effect therefore begins right away.

If you are in NSW - PLEASE VOTE IN THE TELEGRAPH.
If you are outside this area, please write to:

Lioness looks after its prey

NAIROBI: A grown lioness baffled experts in Kenya by adopting a baby oryx, a kind of antelope Africa's top predator likes to eat.

But the unusual alliance ended sadly when the lioness lost her companion to a hungry male lion with a strictly traditional diet.
The lioness came across the oryx shortly after it was born two weeks ago in Samburu National Park, finding it lying in wait for its mother who had gone to search for food, staff at the nearby Samburu Lodge said this week.

Defying nature, the lioness quickly adopted the oryx, giving it affection and protection from other predators as if it were her own cub, though strangely still allowing the mother oryx to come and feed her calf occasionally before scaring her away.

"The baby oryx was very close to the lioness," Patrick Muriungi, a receptionist at the lodge said.

Baffling...a grown lioness walks along with her adopted baby oryx. Picture: AFP

The lioness – weakened by a lack of food after two weeks of protecting "her" baby – on Monday led the oryx to the river.

Hiding behind bushes was the lion, which pounced on the oryx when its mother figure took a nap.

Nature expert Vincent Kapeen said the lioness may have adopted the calf because she had lost the company of her pride and was feeling lonely.

"What is baffling is why the relationship lasted so long," he said.

Top ______________________________________________

Man gaoled for killing puppy

A MAN has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison for killing his puppy by bashing its head against the ground.

Jody Rymer, 21, was also fined $US2000 ($A3828) yesterday by Circuit Judge Deadra Jefferson.

Rymer had said the animal deserved to die because it chewed through his stereo speaker wires. But before sentencing, Rymer said he had no explanation for why he killed the German shepherd-mix puppy in 2000.

"I loved that dog, and I am taking steps to get my life back on track," he said.

Rymer broke the puppy's neck by holding it by its hind legs, swinging it over his head and slamming it to the ground, prosecutors said.

Since then, Rymer had enrolled in alcohol abuse and anger management classes, said his attorney, James Smiley.

The local prosecutor's office received 433 letters from people around the country shocked by the dog's death, and some of those in the courtroom cheered upon hearing the sentence.

"For years, animal abusers have been given slaps on the wrist," said Kay Hyman, a spokesman for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

CHINA'S FIRST CLONED CALF DIES SOON AFTER BIRTH

BEIJING, Jan 19 (Reuters) - China's first domestically cloned calf died minutes after its birth in the eastern province of Shandong just as the experiment was being celebrated as a major technological feat, state television reported on Saturday.

China Central Television (CCTV) broadcast images of black and white calf Weiwei heaving for breath after it was born late on Friday.

The calf died half an hour after it was pulled out of its mothers' womb by specialists who performed a Caesarean section.

The images were in stark contrast to an earlier report by the official Xinhua news agency which quoted a researcher as saying the successful experiment showed China's "cloning technology has reached the world's most advanced level."

Global advocates of cloning say technology being used in other parts of the world such as Australia promises to revolutionise the multibillion-dollar beef and dairy markets.

Critics, however, urge caution and voice worries about the health and welfare of cloned animals.

China has witnessed the birth of cloned cows before but this was the first time the country had created the embryos at home rather than importing them.

Weiwei was produced by combining the cells of a bull and high-yield dairy cow, Xinhua said.

The scientists involved planned an autopsy to determine the cause of Weiwei's death. The mother was treated for an unidentified ailment around two months ago, CCTV reported.

About 11 more pregnant cows implanted with home-grown embryos were expected to give birth in Shandong over the next 20 days, CCTV said.

The world's first kid to be cloned died only 36 hours after it was born in China due to respiratory failure, Xinhua said in a previous report.

The report also mentioned the subsequent birth of white twin kids cloned from an adult goat's somatic cells in the northern province of Shaanxi in August 2001.

China opposes human cloning but has aggressively promoted a biotechnology programme to clone tissues such as cartilage and bone for human tissue transplants.

CopyCat project 'clones pet'

THE first domestic house cat cloning has been carried out in Texas under a closely guarded project known as CopyCat, The Wall Street Journal reports.

The report said the project at Texas A&M University was part of a potentially profitable new market in replicating household pets.

The daily said scientists at the university declined to comment, but that several independent experts said people affiliated with the project had claimed success in producing the world's first cloned companion animal.

Keith Randall, spokesman at the school, said he believed the cloned animal was "just a research cat".

The report said the research on cats and other species has been funded with more than $US3.5 million ($6.9 million) from John Sperling, the 81-year-old financier and founder of the for-profit University of Phoenix.

It noted that the Humane Society of the United States is opposed to pet cloning because of concerns about overpopulation.

Huge interest in cloned cat

A COMPANY that plans to clone household pets has been deluged with calls after its announcement that Texas scientists had cloned a cat, its chief executive officer said.

A female domestic shorthair, called "cc" for "copycat," was born on December 22 and is now healthy and frisky, researchers at Texas A&M University in College Station said yesterday.

Headed up by Dr Mark Westhusin of A&M's veterinary medicine school, the project funded by a company called Genetic Savings & Clone was the first reported success at efforts to clone a household pet.

"There's a huge interest in this," said Lou Hawthorne, CEO of the company. He said the expected demand for dog and cat cloning is "far more than we'll be able to handle for many years".

Hawthorne said most of the callers to his company since the cloning was announced by the journal, Nature, have asked about cats, but some have inquired about dogs, too.

Researchers say dogs are harder to clone than cats, but Hawthorne said, "we're going to do both of them."

Hawthorne's operation first launched the $US3.7 million ($A7.2 million) Missyplicity Project, an effort to clone a mixed-breed pet dog named Missy.

He said it will take more than 18 months before the company can come up with a standard price for cloning cats.

The kitten born at Texas A&M looks different from its calico genetic donor because the pigmentation pattern of the animal's coat isn't controlled strictly by the lineup of genes.

"This is a reproduction," said A&M researcher Duane Kraemer "not a resurrection."

Kraemer and Randall Prather, an animal cloner at the University of Missouri who wasn't involved in the Texas project, say cloning cats could also help research that uses cats for learning about human diseases. Kraemer noted that cats are used in neurological research, and that a colleague wanted cat clones to help in AIDS research.

The kitty clone was the team's only success after transferring 87 cloned embryos into eight female cats. Overall, the *success rate was comparable to that seen in other cloned species, the researchers said. Other mammals cloned before include sheep, cattle, goats, pigs and mice.

Slaughter of Rusa Deer in Royal National Park

On 28 December, with no prior warning, and as NSW endured some of the worst fires in memory, National Parks and Wildlife announced their intention to 'eradicate' the Rusa Deer in Royal National Park.

Since that first announcement, all claims made by NPWS as to numbers of animals, competition for food, damage by deer and indeed any reason at all why these 100-year residents of the park should be killed, have all been hotly and effectively disputed by local residents, researchers and animal protection groups.

Long-time Engadine resident, artist and activist WENDI REIS wrote these words as she reflected on the issue:

"The warm sunshine has just risen over Era , a coastal area of the Royal National Park.

A deer quietly steps from amongst the bushes and raises its delicate face to sniff the fresh morning air. She is now heavily pregnant and slower to move. In the coming week she will give birth to her fawn . She is one of fewer than 600 Rusa deer in the RNP. There are only three herds of wild Rusa left in the world. She is unaware that soon she and her companions are to be slaughtered by the NPWS. If she is lucky she will die instantly but if not she might escape terribly wounded into the surrounding bush to die later. While she lies dead on the ground, her baby will wait in the bushes growing hungrier and weaker awaiting her return until death mercifully claims it. This is definitely not a humane kill.

No longer will the bush walkers stop to admire these beautiful creatures which have become part of the heritage of Sutherland Shire.

We must ask why the NPWS has decreed that they must die? Is it because they are destroying the environment ? No. They have had little impact on either flora or fauna of the RNP. Is it because there is insufficient food for both deer and wildlife? Definitely, no, when you survey the green foliage on every side.

Then why is it? It is merely because they are an introduced species and that cannot be tolerated. This sits uneasily with most people as they realise that they, too, are an introduced species."

Courtesy Animal Liberation NSW

MEATOUT IS ON A ROLL - JUMP ON BOARD! (USA)

This year's Meatout is heading for outstanding success. Hundreds of events have already been registered, and more are registering daily. (See http://www.meatout.org/html/meatout_events.html)

Headliners include Casey Kasem, Mary Tyler Moore, Ed Asner, Rue McClanahan, James Cromwell, Jennie Garth, and Joaquin Phoenix. Three dozen governors and mayors will issue Meatout proclamations. Hundreds of billboards and bus cards in seven major cities will display Meatout messages. A dozen magazines will carry Meatout ads.

More than 300 guests are expected at the annual Congressional Reception in the nation's capital. Major festivals are planned in Detroit, Huntsville, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Sacramento, San Diego, and San Francisco. A number of universities and secondary schools are taking part, including Arizona, Brown, California (Berkeley), Connecticut, Duke, Florida, New Mexico, Purdue, San Diego State, Temple, Texas, and Virginia. Hundreds of communities are hosting information tables.

Health food stores and restaurants are offering Meatout discounts, cooking demonstrations, and displays of meatless foods. Teachers are using the three Meatout Teacher Kits. Meatless food manufacturers are providing product samples. Special events include a New York teachers union 'taste fest' for teachers, a window display in Harvard Square, a feed-in at an Alexandria (VA) homeless shelter, a dance party in Fairfax (VA), and performances by a rock group in Ohio and Michigan.

Countries participating in this year's observance are Australia, Austria, Canada, England, France, Germany, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Poland, Portugal, Romania, South Africa, and USA.

If your plans are not fully underway, do not despair! Three dedicated activists can arrange a small festival in three days. Two activists can set up a 'steakout' (information/food table) in two days. Anyone can pass out fliers in front of a local supermarket, bring vegan lunch to coworkers, write a letter to local food establishments requesting more vegetarian options or write a letter to editor. Always remember: each 1% drop in US meat consumption prevents the suffering and death of 100 million animals each year!

To register your Meatout event, please go to http://www.meatout.org/html/mo-contact.html.
For general information, please visit http://www.meatout.org or call 1-800-MEATOUT (for USA).

Courtesy Animal Liberation NSW

Stardust Circus to return to Perth

Well the bad news is that the City of Perth has decided to allow Stardust Circus to return again this year. The vote was 7 - 2 in favour despite 315 written complaints and protests by the RSPCA, quiet obvious that the council finds revenue more important than animal welfare or public opinion.

Remember this is the same circus that is facing animal cruelty charges in NSW and their animal handler Glen West is facing assault charges upon hisreturn to Perth.

The circus is scheduled for appearances April 18 - May 5 and again July 2 - July 21 at Ozone Reserve, Langley Park Perth.

Please start contacting City of Perth councilors and your local MP and register your disgust at this decision.

Update - the April - May tour has been cancelled apparently because Stardust was having difficulties putting a show together due to a problem with the "Lion Incident" a few months ago.

TASMANIAN BATTERY HENS RESCUED - TWO ACTIVISTS ARRESTED

Animal Liberation Victoria (ALV) joined with Pam Clarke (Tasmanian veteran battery hen campaigner) for a week of action in Tasmania that had the entire Australian Island State talking about battery hen cruelty.

ALV's Action Animal Rescue Team (including activists from Victoria, Tasmania and New Zealand) successfully saved the lives of 8 very debilitated battery hens. The mutilated hens were removed from old rusty bateria laden cages in a shed filled with overwhelming noxious fumes at the PUREFOODS egg factory in Longford (near Launceston).

MEDIA BLITZ
The rescue, followed by a press conference, followed by a storm on the Minister's office, followed by another rescue attempt all over a four day period captured intense media coverage including two FRONT PAGE features in the Hobart MERCURY, (Tasmania's leading daily paper) and eight TV NEWS stories running three nights in a row! [ABC (Channel 2) three nights in a row; WIN (Channel 9) three nights in a row; and SOUTHERN CROSS (Channel 7) two nights in a row.] The majority of all these TV news stories opened with dramatic footage of activists cutting open the battery cages and freeing the hens (see photos). Pam Clarke and Patty Mark also did live radio interviews and there were other newspaper articles.

ARRESTS
Pam Clarke (60) and Patty Mark (52) were both arrested by the CIB and charged with burglary and stealing for removing the eight very ill birds. The women were videotaped, fingerprinted and DNA tested in the police station and bailed to appear in the Hobart Magistrates Court on April 8, 2002

Monday, February 25, 2002
Rescue team attempts to enter shed at PUREFOODS EGG FACTORY in Longford, Tasmania, but finds that access doors to hens have all been alarmed. (the rescue team has had several successful hen rescues at this notoriously filthy battery hen factory in the past). Four security vehicles arrived within five minutes so rescue was aborted...

Tuesday/Wednesday, February 26/27
Rescue team members returned the next night (February 26) and stood guard until the coast was clear. Then in the early hours of Wednesday, February 27 about 2:30 am they were able to avoid security alarms by entering a shed through a manure pit where faeces from the four tiers of battery hens were piled waist height. Wearing protective clothing and breathing masks, the team worked quickly to rescue some hens, as the smell in the shed was overwhelming...Pam Clarke was gagging and nearly passed out. The only possible way to reach the hens was to put a ladder over the manure and reach up with boltcutters to cut out the bottom of the old rusty dirty cages (which didn't need much cutting!). The hens were in very bad condition suffering long overgrown claws, badly mutilated beaks, anemic combs and cloudy eyes. Activists took the first eight hens in the bottom row nearest the door. Over 40,000 hens had to be left behind.

Thursday, February 28, 2002
The team organised a media conference at the Hobart Environment Centre, showing their dramatic video footage and displaying two of the hens. The media packed the room and Tassie's three main TV stations ran stories that night and the Hobart MERCURY gave it front page photo coverage the following morning (for more photos and further details check out www.openrescue.org in the next day or so.....)

Friday, March 1, 2002
The Government continued to ignore the issues (eg. animal cruelty, public health risk and criminal activity) so the rescue team next stormed David Llewellyn's office (he is both the Minister for Primary Industries and the Police). This event was again attended by heaps of media and televised that night. However, after yet again being ignored by the Minister's Department and phone calls to police, the activists emailed a letter to the Minister with a cc to the Police Commissioner and all media that they would again break into PUREFOODS BATTERY HEN factory that night at 9 pm. They arrived to find numerous police officers all over the country road, a road block and two CIB detectives. The Hobart MERCURY were on the scene and they again featured this story on their front page the following morning! The activists were escorted to the Launceston Police station, where after questioning both Pam Clarke and Patty Mark were charged with burglary and stealing. It is ridiculous that such a stunt had to be carried out to get the authorities to take this important issue seriously! (to read the letter sent to the Minister check our website www.alv.org.au in the next day or so...)

Meanwhile eight very lucky hens are living free under some beautiful apple trees in sunny Tasmania!!!

PS This rescue was initially timed to coincide with the six monthly meeting of all Australian and New Zealand Agriculture Ministers, scheduled for Hobart on March 1. This meeting was postphoned until April 18 at the last minute. The rescue team is determined to see that the agricultural ministers put battery hen cruelty back on the Agenda. (In August 2000 they failed to ban the cage, only slightly increasing cage sizes). Tasmanian Agriculture Minister Llewellyn is up for election later this year.

photo captions
one: Noah cuts through the rusty old cage to free the battery hens
two: Noah hands battery hen to Pam, while Romeo films the footage that was televised statewide photos: Patty Mark ALV

Norway bans the routine castration of pigs

10th March 2002
The Norwegian Alliance for Animal Welfare (Dyrevernalliansen) is pleased to announce a major victory for animal welfare: The Norwegian parliament decided, on the 8th. of March, to ban all castration of male piglets.

Male piglets are routinely castrated in order to avoid the risk of a small percentage of them developing "boar taint", which is found to be unpleasant by a small proportion of consumers.

Every year approx. 95% of male piglets (650.000 individuals) are routinely castrated in Norway without any pain relief. This painful procedure is performed by the farmer without any kind of analgesia.

The parliament decided on the 8th of March to forbid all castration of pigs. The ban will enter into force from the beginning of 2009.

Also, until the ban is in place, only veterinarians will be permitted to castrate pigs, and only with appropriate analgesia. This requirement will enter into force already in 2002.

The powerful pig industry and their allies lobbied intensely to stop the proposal or delay it indefinitely. They argued that the costs of forbidding castration would be astronomical, stating figures in the tens of millions of Euros.

The Norwegian Alliance for Animal Welfare argued that these claims were vastly exaggerated and undocumented. Instead the Norwegian Alliance for Animal Welfare was able to document that Denmark had stopped castrating pigs for several years without any significant problems for the industry.

The Norwegian Alliance for Animal Welfare worked closely with a number of organisations, politicians and scientists, and was represented at the parliamentary hearing on the issue.

The Norwegian Alliance for Animal Welfare has worked hard to stop the painful castration of pigs, and consider this new development a great victory. Norway´s pioneering ban will hopefully contribute to the introduction of similar bans in other countries.

You can read about the Norwegian Alliance for Animal Welfare here: http://www.dyrevernalliansen.org/english.htm

Reference: Innst. O [2001-2002] "Innstilling fra næringskomiteen om lov om endringer i lov 20. desember 1974 nr. 73 om dyrevern".

-----------------------------
Norwegian Alliance for Animal Welfare (Dyrevernalliansen)
Adr.: Teglverksgt. 7,
0553 Oslo, NORWAY.

UPDATE ON BATTERY HEN COURT CASE IN TASMANIA

The date of mention for the arrest of Pam Clarke and Patty Mark for charges of burglary and stealing (eight ill battery hens) was held in Hobart Magistrates Court yesterday (April 8). Both women pleaded not guilty, (Patty did not attend to save the funds of the air flight for what would be three minutes in court, only to get a date set for the real trial). This was pre-arranged with Pam and the court down in Hobart, however, the Magistrate and Prosecution were not impressed and have put out a warrant for Patty's arrest. (!)

Pam attended on her own and expected it to be a three minute special, to her surprise (she didn't even do a press release) all three Tasmanian Television stations were at the court! They all did interviews with Pam, as well as the Hobart Mercury. The court date was set down for May 20 to be held at the Launceston Court House as that is near where the 'crime' was committed.

As funds are very tight, Patty and Pam will be representing themselves and are thinking of serving a subpoena on the MInister of Agriculture and the Chief Commissioner of Police amonst others... Pam and Patty are both on bail to appear on May 20. Will keep you updated. for animals,

Arna Court Case

The now internationally famous ARNA court case began yesterday. The first challenge came early, with the Circus Council vigorously opposing the Animal Liberation video evidence being played in court. This vital tape was obtained on 30 December 2000 and records ARNA'S meeting with the three visiting elephants - her first encounter with her own kind since 1996 - and her reaction when they were abruptly trucked away.

After a tense hour and a half, the tape was admitted and the Hearing continued. Yesterday the main witnesses were Angelo Giakoumatos and Mark Pearson, both of whom videod the rally and its aftermath. Tuesday saw the first of the three expert witness being examined - UK Veterinarian and wildlife expert Dr Simon Adams. Wednesday will see the continuation of the examination of expert witnesses.

Watching and listening to the case is stressful and involving. Supporters who can spare even half a day to sit in court are encouraged to do so.

Media coverage has been extensive - on all four channels on Monday night, articles and news stories in most papers and on radio as well.

Venue
DOWNING CENTRE
Corner of Elizabeth and Liverpool Streets, Sydney, NSW.
(opposite Hyde Park, about 30 seconds from Museum Station)
Level 4
Courtroom 4.7
9.30am to 4pm approximately

220,000 BATTERY HENS GASSED IN INDUSTRIAL SKIPS

Animal Liberation Victoria condemns Department of Agriculture for failure to protect animals

220,000 battery hens are currently being ripped out of their cages, piled into industrial skips and gassed, all at taxpayer’s expense, following the recent outbreak of Newcastle disease at Happy Hens Egg World in Meredith, between Geelong and Ballarat.

Animal Liberation Victoria (ALV) today condemned the Department of Agriculture for turning a blind eye to what might have been avoided. Since 1994, ALV has been inspected (undercover) this massive facility (the largest battery egg producer in Victoria) twenty times, and and gathered evidence of filthy conditions and sickly birds with compromised immune systems. In the past, ALV exposed an outbreak of Marek’s disease (a viral condition characterised by paralysis and tumours) at Happy Hens, and for the last eight years has repeatedly and consistently warned the Government of the problems at this factory farm.

ALV were told by the Minister's office yesterday that the strain of virus found at Happy Hens is identical to that which broke out at Mangrove Mountain (NSW) in 1999. Australia is largely free of virulent strains of the Newcastle virus. A government official investigating this horrific outbreak in Mangrove Mountain suspected that unhygienic conditions inside sheds and poor management practices are responsible for allowing the mutant virulent strain to survive.

“Whenever hundreds of thousands of birds are crammed into a few sheds, you’ve got a ticking time bomb waiting to explode. We have warned the Department of Agriculture about unsatisfactory conditions at Happy Hens for eight years, they’ve called the factory “pristine.” The problem is intensive farming: a few moments of sunlight will destroy the virus. The public might be tempted to feel sympathy for the factory farm owners - they shouldn’t, as not only have the appalling conditions remained, and not only does the Government subsidise animal industries, but one million dollars of taxpayer’s money is being used to destroy and replace these birds. It is high time the Government bans battery cages.”

Comment from Patty
This is such terribly upsetting news... there has only been a little media about this.... I spoke to the Government Vet yesterday handling the situation and he told me all the hens (there are nine sheds on the property, 22,000 hens in each, four tiers high) would be taken out of their cages and piled into skips then gassed... Another vet not connected told me that probably only the top two layers of birds in the skip would get the gas, we don't have to imagine what is happening to those underneath.... There is a strict quarantine zone all around the property. This is the place we have done 20 rescues at in the past... in sadness, patty

(pam clarke and I are in Hobart Magistrate Court this coming Monday on 8 counts of burglary and stealing - story)

SOLITARY CIRCUS ELEPHANT ARNA SHOWN TO SUFFER CRUELTY

Magistrate accepts expert testimony that Arna suffered a state of distress, which is clearly within the Act's definition of pain.

Animal Liberation is most likely to appeal against a magistrate's dismissal of its case for Arna the solitary circus elephant.

Animal Liberation executive director Mark Pearson said because the court had found that Arna suffered from distress and pain it was imperative that the court see this matter through to finality.

"The magistrate's decision to dismiss the case on a point of law, where he believes that the prosecution must show that the defendant deliberately intended to cause cruelty is, in our legal counsel's view, profoundly flawed and therefore we will very seriously consider appeal to the Supreme Court."

During the week the court heard expert testimony that Arna, who has been on her own since mid 1996 (despite NSW law preventing this), was suffering.

"Keeping a social sentient being like an elephant in solitary confinement is unnatural and inhumane as it provides no opportunity for natural interaction which is necessary for mental and physical well being. The distress that Arna experienced on the day in question demonstrates the circus irresponsibility to public safety and Arna's welfare. We are an enlightened society where suffering and exploitation of human and non human animals is not entertainment."

"In my professional opinion the Arna videotape evidence demonstrates a definitive case of distress in a circus elephant, which it appears the magistrate accepted. Hopefully if nothing else, we have helped people to understand the complex behaviour and communication of this highly intelligent social species, which will facilitate improvements in their welfare."

For further details contact Simon Adams/ Sarah Winikoff on 001144 7989 562 305 or Mark Pearson on 0419 208 132

BRUSSELS - The European Union should ban the sale of new cosmetics tested on animals within five years, wherever in the world they are made or tested, a key EU parliament committee voted yesterday.

The legislation aims to cut down on the thousands of animals killed each year in experiments many consumers consider cruel and unnecessary. But some EU lawmakers fear the law may fall foul of international trade rules.
"There are thousands and thousands of cosmetics already. Whoever says 'we need the ten-thousandth moisturiser or cream' has to justify themselves," German Social Democrat Dagmar Roth-Behrendt told the committee.

Animal rights campaigners say an estimated 38,000 laboratory animals are used to test new lotions, makeup and hairspray every year in the EU. The new law would ban this by the end of 2005.

More controversially, the draft law approved by the committee with 42 votes in favour and none against would also ban, within five years of the law's adoption, any new cosmetics tested on animals, even if the experiments were outside the EU.

The law would not ban products already allowed for sale, whether or not they have been tested on animals in the past.

The Euro MPs said a test ban in the EU, without a ban on sales - the approach proposed by the EU's executive Commission - would not reduce cruelty to animals.

"It would simply export testing to countries where not even our standards of animal welfare may be in place. That's wholly abhorrent and we cannot accept it," British Conservative John Bowis told the committee.

But the Commission said a marketing ban on non-EU products could breach World Trade Organisation regulations.

"WTO rules forbid any discriminatory measures between similar products," the Commission said in an introduction to its draft legislation.

"As the test method does not have any physical effect on the product, discrimination on this basis could be considered to be contrary to WTO rules."

The committee's report now goes for approval by the full parliament in June. The final version of the law will then be subject to negotiations between the assembly and EU governments which oppose the marketing ban. Parliament has joint legislative powers with national governments on the issue.

The EU's cosmetic industry, which generates annual retail sales of some 47 billion euros ($43 billion) said animal testing should only be ruled out once other methods have been agreed internationally.

"We can accept the principle of a marketing ban if it's linked to OECD validation of alternative test methods," Annick Colman of the European Cosmetic Toiletry and Perfumery Association said, referring to the OECD group of top economies.

Elephants to retire in style

WORKING elephants will soon have the chance to live out their final years in style at Australia's first elephant retirement sanctuary.

Melbourne woman Angelique Eccleston has spent the past 12 months establishing the Retirement Sanctuary in the Cathedral Ranges, north-east of Melbourne, for zoo and circus elephants who have given up their day jobs.

Modelled on a concept in the United States, the sanctuary will provide conditions few elephants would have seen in their long lives - heated stalls, wide open plains, mud ponds and dust pits.

The first three residents are likely to be elderly female Asian elephants, from Australia's Ashtons Circus, which Ms Eccleston is now negotiating to buy. Abu, 64, Gigi and Tanya, both in their 40s, have been with the circus for between 25 and 47 years. Ms Eccleston said while they would cost about $200,000 to secure, not all would be bought. "The whole idea is to work with circuses and zoos and give them (their elephants) retirement options," she said. "No one can tell me what happens to them (in retirement) now, and there's no facility currently around for retired elephants."

If the purchase of the Ashtons Circus elephants goes through, the sanctuary will be officially opened in November. But don't expect to be able to see the animals up close and personal in their generous abode - except in cyberspace. Ms Eccleston said the sanctuary would be closed to the public, although a live webcam will beam pictures to their website, www.retirementsanctuary.com.

It would also provide electronic education to schools, she said. Ms Eccleston hopes to fund the facility, run by zoo keepers and vets, through donations from Australian corporations and foundations. "It's going to be Australia's sanctuary and we would like to believe that Australians would come to our support," she said.

Circus elephants and lions have been voted out of Mandurah in a recent council decision.

The city has banned circuses from using caged exotice animals amid concerns over their welfare, dealing another blow to the industry.

Mandurah Mayor Keith Holmes told the Circus Federation of Australasia that performers would be better off using domestic animals. "We believe exotic animals shouldn't be in the circus environment," he said, adding that he welcomed circuses using domestic animals and extraordinary human feats.

Bid to block US Navy sonar

ENVIRONMENTAL groups have filed a lawsuit to stop the US Navy from using a powerful new sonar system for detecting enemy submarines, saying the intense underwater sounds can harm whales and dolphins.

The coalition, led by the Natural Resources Defence Council, sued the Navy and the National Marine Fisheries Service in US District Court in San Francisco to block use of the Surveillance Towed Array Sensor System Low Frequency Active Sonar.

In July, the fisheries service gave the Navy a five-year exemption from the Marine Mammal Protection Act, which protects whales and dolphins.

"Despite the public and scientific outcry, the National Marine Fisheries Service, under whatever pressure, has licensed the US Navy to basically break the law. It is a licence to kill," said Jean-Michel Cousteau, founder and president of Ocean Futures Society, a member of the coalition.

Gordon Helm, spokesman for the fisheries service, said the agency has required the Navy to comply with some restrictions, such as not using the sonar within 22km of the coast.

"We consider that to be negligible. If we find out differently we can halt the authorisation," Helm said.

The Navy said in July that the $US300 million ($566.5 million) system was important to national security because nations such as Russia, Germany and China are developing super-quiet submarines to avoid traditional detection methods.

The lawsuit said the Navy's own studies show the new sonar system generates sounds up to 140 decibels that can be detected more than 480km away.

Opponents of the sonar say they fear sound that loud can disrupt marine mammals' feeding, breeding, nursing, communication and other behaviour.

"The organisms we're talking about have in their heads a system for seeing with sound that's just as good as our system for seeing with light," George Woodwell, director of Woods Hole Research Centre in Massachusetts, said of whales and dolphins.

"If we flood the oceans with sound that has enormous energy, we're killing them."

Environmentalists note that within hours after the Navy deployed a powerful mid-range sonar during a submarine detection exercise near the Bahamas in 2000, at least 16 whales and two dolphins beached themselves.

Scientists found hemorrhaging around the brain and ear bones - injuries consistent with exposure to extremely loud sounds. Eight whales died.

The Humane Society, the League for Coastal Protection and the Cetacean Society International also are plaintiffs in the suit.

Stardust Circus coming to Kalamunda

Stardust Circus may be coming to Kalamunda, the council voted against it 10 - 8 (they were also the first council to ban circuses with animals in 1991). This same circus is still keeping a solitary elephant "ARNA" over 5 years since her partner died and is the subject of an appeal in the NSW courts. The magistrate had found the circus guilty of cruelty but dismissed the case as he believed it was unintentional (after 5 years of protests and expert veterinary advice - unintentional? )

However the local Chamber of Commerce and the Pickering Brook Sports Club are promoting it as a way of bringing tourists to the area to assist struggling business's (are they for real?). In fact the President of the sports club, Mr Phillip Vinci, has stated that if the council won't allow it on council property, then he will allow the circus to use private property. Also the president of the Kalamunda and Districts Chamber of Commerce, Mr Ken Miliauskas, said he was outraged by the committee's decision - "By hook or by crook, we are going to have a circus up here."

The council needs your support, so please send letters to them commending them for their decision and to the 2 local newspapers.
The Kalamunda Shire Council, PO Box 42, Kalamunda, 6978
The Hills Gazette, 7350 Great Eastern Hwy, Mundaring, 6073
The Echo, PO Box 317, Midland, 6936.

(you could also write to the Sports Club and Chamber of Commerce)

Circus animals

If you are opposed to this form of cruelty and..
If you are eligible to vote in the Perth City Council elections coming up in May 2002 and..
Would like to do something to stop any circus using exotic animals in their 'acts' then..
You can do something to help.

It is imperative that you write to the seven councillors including the Mayor to tell them that if they continue with the current policy to allow circuses with exotic animals to use council land, then you will not vote for them. Send a clear message = The Council MUST change the policy, or you will vote them OUT.

Mayor: Dr.Peter Nattrass
Deputy Lord Mayor: Judy mcEvoy
Councillors: Jennifer MacGill
Therese Stroud
Michael Sutherland
Vincent Tan
Lisa Scaffid

You may also send a letter to the new CEO Mr. Frank Edwards, and tell them that you do not want this form of outdated, inhumane and cruel so-called entertainment in Perth.

Suggestion - ask each Councillor initially for their current views (so as to have it in writing) - and later to quiz each prospective candidate. Maybe their views could be collated and published just before election - not a paid advert, journos would surely be looking for new angles.

Animal testing ban path clear

THE European Union today took a major step towards a ban on testing cosmetics on animals, in a compromise deal reached nearly a decade after the body first proposed such a measure.

EU member States and deputies from the European Parliament struck a deal paving the way for a ban on cosmetic products and ingredients tested on animals within the EU to come into force in 2009, the Danish EU presidency said.

The proposal would also ban the marketing of products tested on animals, according to the EU statement, and would give companies until the 2009 date to develop beauty products that can be tested without the use of animals.

"The compromise allows for the development of alternative testing methods of cosmetics to the benefit of consumer safety. All in all we have achieved a well-balanced agreement," said Danish Environment Minister Hans Christian Schmidt.

The modified EU directive, which still must be formally approved by the European Parliament and the 15 member states, would update legislation introduced in 1976 and already modified several times.

In 1993, the measure was amended to include what amounted to a ban on the marketing of cosmetic ingredients that had been tested on animals.

Originally due to come into force in 1998, the ban was suspended by the European Commission, partly due to a clause allowing postponement if insufficient alternatives to animal testing were available.

Giorgious Dimitrakopolous, vice-president of the European parliament, and rapporteur Dagmar Roth-Berendt warned that outstanding issues remained to be settled before the measure could be adopted, without identifying them.

"The ban on testing of cosmetic products on animals within the EU is in itself a great win for animal welfare," he said. "I am convinced that the ban on marketing in the long run will benefit animal welfare outside the EU."

"It is of great importance to me that we can now see an end to animal testing of cosmetic products. I am pleased that we were able to solve the problem during the Danish EU presidency.

"Both parliament and member states should be commended for their flexibility," he added.

The Body Shop, which has long campaigned against testing of cosmetics on animals, expressed concern that the ban did not go far enough.

"We are frustrated that the ban will only affect European cosmetics," said the company's expert on values, Steve McIvor.

"Without a total sales ban, animal testing will simply move outside of Europe. Animal testing in the cosmetics industry is an issue we want resolved as soon as possible. We don't want to see it swept under the carpet," he said.

Animal Welfare Bill 2001 finally passed

The Animal Welfare Bill 2001 (formerly 1999) was passed into Law by the West Australian Legislative Council last night.

The act carries penalties upto $50,000 or 5 years gaol (up from $5,000 or 1 year) and gives the RSPCA the power to remove mistreated animals from the human responsible for them.

Penalties will come into force later in the year, but it's a huge step forward replacing the The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act of 1920.

Even though there were several areas of the Act that required some ammendment, it was more important to get the new Act passed and then work on a changes once it became law.

Will will provide more details on the act, as it becomes available, in a seperate page on our website.

Autism, milk link 'hidden'

DAIRY giant Fonterra is trying to suppress explosive research linking milk with autism in children, according to a lawsuit filed in New Zealand's High Court.

All milk and dairy products sold in Australia are potentially affected by the research, including Fonterra's top-selling brands Mainland, Peters, Tip Top and Bega.

A secret internal Fonterra memo, dated October 2000, reveals the New Zealand-based co-operative was warned by its own scientist of research suggesting autism, schizophrenia, diabetes and heart disease could be triggered by proteins found in all of its milk products and infant formulas.

The memo, tendered in the High Court case, says there is "growing evidence, but yet unproven, that peptides released from milk may be related to occurrence of some mental disorders".

"If the media were ever able to assemble the information shown in this paper they could put an alarmist spin on the whole area of milk consumption," the internal briefing paper to directors of Fonterra, then known as the New Zealand Dairy Board, says.

The Australian and New Zealand Food Standards Authority says all milk sold in Australia is A1 type. Its spokeswoman said it had not warned the public because of ongoing legal action.

The accusations are made by A2 Corporation, a New Zealand biotechnology company formed by dairy scientist Corran McLachlan in 2000.

Dr McLachlan alleges Fonterra has secretly applied for patent applications on research linking A1 milk with autism. But Fonterra accuses Dr McLachlan of publicity-seeking for A2 Corporation's own milk, which does not contain the protein. Dr McLachlan plans to launch A2 milk in the New Zealand market as early as Christmas.

"This is a public interest matter," Dr McLachlan told The Australian. "We believe this information is being suppressed and that is why we are risking so much money on a High Court case."

Dr McLachlan said he would be wary of feeding A1 milk to children. "I would not encourage my kids to drink lots of milk," he said.

Fonterra chief executive Craig Norgate denies any cover-up. "There is nothing in the research that gives us concern. We would be the first to take a responsible public stand if we felt it was warranted."

A2 Corporation wants the court to force Fonterra to reveal all research it has linking A1 milk to autism, and to put health warnings on its A1 milk.

The Fonterra memo says University of Florida scientist Robert Cade reported in 1999 that children with autism and schizophrenia had extremely high levels of BCM-7, a compound produced by the digestion of A1 milk.

The potential for A1 milk to trigger childhood (type 1) diabetes was first reported by Auckland diabetes specialist Bob Elliott in 1994 and later supported by further research in 1999.

Elephant back in court

ARNA the lonely performing elephant will have her case heard again in the NSW Magistrate's Court after a higher judge ordered more evidence be considered.

Supreme Court Judge William Windeyer today upheld an appeal by Animal Liberation NSW on cruelty to Arna by her owner, Stardust Circus.

The alleged cruelty took place on December 30, 2000 at Gosford on the NSW central coast when Stardust allowed Arna a visit by a group of three elephants, then removed them several hours later.

Magistrate Paul Lyon found in May this year the act had caused Arna distress but that there was no intent to cause pain.

Justice Windeyer today sent the case back to Magistrate Lyon to consider further evidence previously overlooked.

'Terrorists' steal 128 beagles

A GROUP of animal rights activists broke into a dog-breeding farm in northern Italy and made away with 128 beagles destined for scientific experiments, police said.

About 118 puppies and 10 adult dogs were stolen yesterday by a gang suspected of belonging to the radical Animal Liberation Front (ALF), police said.

A group of about 10 people spray-painted "Murderers" and "ALF will free all" on the walls of the farm, 80km west of Bologna, police said. The farm still has about 800 puppies left.

The ALF and its sister organisation the Earth Liberation Front (ELF) are accused by the FBI of being eco-terrorist groups.

The groups have caused $US43 million ($76.55 million) in damage in more than 600 attacks in the United States since 1996, ranging from spray-painting buildings and breaking windows to firebombing fur farms, research centres and a ski resort, the FBI says.

The ALF and the ELF deny they are terrorist groups, saying their aim is to liberate animals or protect the environment, not to harm anyone.

Fishing kills 3000 dolphins yearly

ABOUT 3000 dolphins are still being killed each year by tuna fishing fleets in the Pacific Ocean west of Mexico and Central America, a US government report says.

The report estimates about six million dolphins were killed in this fashion in the eastern tropical Pacific since the 1950s, and that while the annual death toll has dropped significantly in recent years, the dolphin's recovery remains in doubt.

"Despite considerable scientific effort by fishery scientists, there is little evidence of recovery, and concerns remain that the practice of chasing and encircling dolphins somehow is adversely affecting the ability of these depleted stocks to recover," the report says.

The report was prepared in August by the Southwest Fisheries Science Center of the Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

An environmental group, Earth Island Institute of San Francisco, obtained the report and provided it to The Associated Press today. The report has not yet been released publicly by the Commerce Department.
The group said in a statement that it believes the Bush administration doesn't want to publicly release the report because that would undermine the government's attempt to help Mexico and other countries label their tuna as "dolphin-safe."

A court ruling in the United States last year effectively rejected a federal effort to relax standards of dolphin-safe tuna that would have let more Mexican and Latin American fishing fleets sell their catch in the United States.

The Clinton administration, hoping to promote trade with Mexico, argued that the tuna should be labelled dolphin-safe because US government studies found that the dolphins were released unharmed, but environmental groups sued.

Mexican authorities maintain that their tuna catches do not pose a threat to dolphins.

In recent years, canning and processing industries in the US, Canada and many European countries have said that they would not market tuna unless it was caught in a way that did not harm dolphins.

Gordon Helm, a spokesman for the National Marine Fisheries Service, a branch of the Commerce Department, said today that the report was completed and peer-reviewed, but not yet ready to be made public since it was still being reviewed by Commerce Secretary Don Evans.

"Any discussion of the report before the secretary makes his decision would be premature," Helm said.

Evans has until December 31, a deadline set by Congress, to review the report along with public comments and other supporting documents.

He is required to conduct scientific research and then decide whether the large nets used by the tuna fleets is significantly harming the depleted dolphin populations in the eastern tropical Pacific.

Perth City Council rejects Stardust Circus Application

Tuesday 10th Dec 2002 - Perth City Council has dumped its support for circuses with animals and called on other councils to do the same. Councillors voted 8 - 1 against the application from Janlin Circuses (Stardust) to setup in Wellington Square in April and July 2003.

"We need to make a stand and refuse this circus and change our policy" Cr Janet Davidson told colleagues.

An emotional Cr Bert Tudori said videos shown to councillors had depicted baby elephants being beaten into submission. "The baby elephant was crying!" he said "It was being bashed with baseball bats! You don't hit animals to break their spirit".

Cr Lisa Scaffidi turned to activists in the public gallery to ensure they realised the council's principled decision would lose it and the city traders revenue. She urged activists not to rest till all councils banned animal circuses.

Circus Watch WA activist Dawn Lowe congratulated the council and vowed to press on.

"It sets a strong example and also reflects community concerns" RSPCA's Rachael Cochrane told the Voice.

The alternative motion was put forward to refuse the circus approval and in fact to revisit the policy SU62 and replace it with a ban which in effect denies any animal-based circus from coming to Perth City.

We thank the PCC councillors for their compassionate and principled decision. We once again thank Cr Bert Tudori for making a personal stand by demonstrating with us at Burtons Circus in July 2002. It goes to show that all of Animal Liberation's demos (in 2001 & 2002), letter writing and lobbying of councillors along with other groups and individuals does make a difference - Well done everyone!

The campaign is not over yet, Stardust Circus is set to return to the City of Rockingham late January 2003 and we will be there! Remember to keep those letters going to the Cities of Cockburn & Bassendean.

News & Information

a1st January 2002

Pigs cloned for human transplant