Friday, June 27th, 2003
PAWS
Actionline
A weekly opportunity
to make a difference
for animals
PAWS Campaign Against Circuses That Use Performing Animals
Important Links
PAWS Animal Cruelty Resources and Links
Legislative Links
Washington State- House of Representatives
- Senate
Federal
- House of Representatives
- Senator Maria Cantwell
- Senator Patty Murray
Vote Smart is an excellent resource for all sorts of legislation.
Please direct questions or comments to info@paws.org. To unsubscribe, or subscribe to additional newsletters, please click here. If the PAWS Actionline was forwarded to you and you would like to subscribe, click here. The Actionline and other PAWS services rely entirely on your donations. Please give to PAWS.
Progressive Animal
Welfare Society
PO Box 1037
Lynnwood WA, 98046
Annual goose kill in Seattle’s parks has begun
On the morning of Tuesday, June 24, the killing of our beautiful Canada geese started in Seward Park and the massacre continued on Wednesday morning at South Lake Union Park. USDA Wildlife Service agents rounded up ALL of the geese in South Lake Union Park and placed them in portable gas chambers set up on the back of trucks.
Please continue to contact the mayor at: www.cityofseattle.net/mayor/citizen_response.htm or by phone at 206-684-4000.
Also, continue to contact Seattle Parks Department Superintendent Ken Bounds at:
ken.bounds@ci.seattle.wa.us or 206-684-8022.
We need to keep their phones ringing!
Navy sonar system threatening whales and marine mammals in our oceans
In July 2002, the Bush Administration issued a permit to the U.S. Navy granting them the use of a potent new sonar technology called the Surveillance Towed Array Sensor System Low Frequency Active Sonar (LFA). LFA was originally used during the Cold War to detect submarines. This harmful technology functions by emitting extremely loud bursts of sound on the same frequency level that whales and other marine mammals use to communicate and locate each other.
In March 2000, on the beaches of the Bahamas, four species of whales and dolphins were marooned after the use of sonar in the area. Seven whales ultimately died. An investigation led by the U.S. Navy revealed hemorrhaging around the deceased whales' eyes and ears, which is symptomatic of severe acoustic trauma. Since this horrific incident occurred, the area's population of beaked whales has vanished. Scientists are led to believe that these whales have either abandoned their habitat or died.
Despite these findings, the Navy continues to push the use of active sonar in our world’s oceans. The Navy claims that all safety measures will be taken to ensure whales or dolphins are not injured by the use of LFA sonar. However, many scientists believe there is not enough evidence to support this claim since the harmful effects of extreme noise on marine mammals are not yet fully understood.
The Bush’s administrations permit to allow the use of LFA sonar is in violation of several federal environmental laws including the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) and the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
Please contact the Navy through the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) website:
www.nrdcaction.org/action/index.asp?step=2&item=1291
or at Greenpeace USA:
www.greenpeaceusa.org/bin/actionframe.pl?action_id=173
and urge the Navy to stop the deployment of LFA sonar in our oceans.
Students at the University of Washington need your help!
The student group Human Earth Animal Liberation (HEAL) at the University of Washington has been actively working to provide the students in Biology and Zoology lab courses with animal-free alternatives to dissection. The goal of the group is to provide students, who have ethical or religious concerns with animal use, an alternative assignment without imposing a penalty.
Studies indicate that alternatives such as physical models and interactive computer simulations are just as successful in teaching the concepts of anatomy and physiology as the traditional methods.
The students at the University of Washington are not the first of their kind. Many students before them have stood up for their rights and demanded that animal alternatives be made available. Today numerous colleges, medical schools and veterinary schools, such as Harvard, Yale, Virginia Tech, Cornell and Stanford University have implemented animal alternatives in the classroom. Just last month the Students Improving the Lives of Animals (SILA) at the University of Illinois Urbana – Champaign passed a student choice law that gave students the right to use non-animal alternatives.
The students of HEAL are seeking the help of students and concerned citizens throughout Washington to take the time to sign their petition.
Please go to http://www.petitiononline.com/uwdisalt/petition.html to sign the petition.
Help protest the Gotti Circus
The Gotti Circus will be performing at the Thurston County Fairgrounds in Olympia the week of July 1st 2003. The Afifi Shriners will sponsor the event. Michelle Hall is a local animal advocate. In the past, she has been closely involved with protesting activities that campaign against the use of animals in circuses, and now she needs your help! Michelle is hoping to organize as many volunteers as possible to participate in a protest against the Gotti Circus for the following dates and times:
Wednesday, July 2nd from 12:30-2:30 PM and 5:30-7:30 PM
Thursday, July 3rd from 12:30 – 2:30 PM and 5:30-7:30 PM
The protest activities will take place at the Thurston County Fairgrounds located at:
3054 Carpenter Road SE
Olympia, WA
If you are interested in volunteering and making a difference for animals, please contact Michelle by email at: Mi_renee7@hotmail.com.
Dogs and hot cars don't mix
The weather has been hot this week and it has reminded us that a parked car can quickly become deadly-hot for a dog shut inside. Even with the windows partly opened on a cloudy day, a car's interior can climb to 120 degrees or higher within minutes! A dog's body temperature of just 107 degrees can cause brain damage or death from heatstroke. PAWS has flyers that can be placed on the windshields of well-meaning people who may not realize the danger they're putting their companion in. If you would like to download an Adobe Acrobat version of the flyer, download it here www.paws.org/about/info/dogsincars.pdf and duplicate as many as you'd like (they are printed three to a page). If you would like a stack of these flyers to keep with you in case you see a situation, please email Sheridan Thomas at Sheridan@paws.org. The flyers also tell you how to recognize if an animal is in immediate danger, in which case you should call the local police or animal control officer right away!
Keep Your Animal Safe During 4th of July Celebrations
Our companion animals don't always enjoy the 4th of July celebrations like we do. Loud and unpredictable fireworks can cause severe anxiety and animals have been known to injure themselves trying to escape the noise. The increase in the number of lost dogs and cats turning up in Shelters after the 4th of July holiday is dramatic! For tips on how to keep your animals safe during the upcoming celebrations please click on www.paws.org/about/info/#fireworks And please share this information with your friends and neighbors.
