News for Florida animal advocates

Today is the 20th anniversary of an incident in Palm Bay, Florida that made national headlines and was one of several similar incidents that motivated a generation of animal advocates to speak up against the cruelty of traveling circuses.

On February 1, 1992, a few minutes before a Saturday afternoon performance of the Great American Circus, a 27-year-old Asian elephant named “Janet” (aka Kelly) was giving rides when she suddenly bolted with an adult and several children on her back. Unable to stop the elephant as she rampaged through the circus grounds, police officers had no choice but to shoot the elephant. Janet was shot dozens of times before she finally died. Twelve spectators and a police officer were treated for minor injuries. Amateur video of the rampage was broadcast nationally.

Following the incident, elephant trainer Tim Frisco was charged by state wildlife officials with maintaining wildlife in an unsafe manner. (Frisco, who was later acquitted of two misdemeanor charges, is still handling circus elephants.) One of the police officers on the scene, Blayne Doyle, said later: “I think these elephants are trying to tell us that zoos and circuses are not what God created them for. But we have not been listening.” Janet was buried at a Brevard County landfill.

Senate Bill 1184 and House Bill 1021 contained a provision (Section 6) that would make it a crime to take photographs or make any audio/video recording at a farm without the owner’s permission. If enacted, the legislation would criminalize exposing animal abuse, unsafe working conditions, and environmental problems on factory farms.

During Monday’s meeting of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, SB 1184 ran into resistance from lawmakers and a vote was delayed until the controversial section was removed from the larger bill. The companion bill in the Florida House of Representatives, HB 1021, was debated this morning in the Criminal Justice Subcommittee. During the meeting, an amendment was adopted that also removed Section 6.

The “ag gag” language could be added as an amendment to a different bill, but that is very unlikely. We are confident that the proposal is dead for 2012!

ARFF thanks everyone who contacted their state representative/senator in response to our email alerts (the alerts were sent to residents of the committee members districts).

Are you on ARFF’s email list? If not, please sign up to receive action alerts about pending animal-related legislation (we need your address or 9-digit zip code to send alerts specific to your senate/house district). Click here to sign up or modify your subscription.

Similar “Ag Gag” bills have been introduced in Iowa, Minnesota, New York, Indiana and Nebraska.

Yesterday, the Hillsborough County Commission unanimously approved a strong anti-tethering ordinance. When the law goes into effect in August, it will be illegal to tie up a dog outdoors unless a guardian is outside along with the dog.

Please thank the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners for their compassionate vote. Click here to send a note to commissioners.

We’ve written about tethering ordinances many times on this blog. The cruel chaining of dogs is something that Floridians, and their elected officials, care deeply about. Now that Hillsborough County has passed an ordinance, five of the top six most populous counties in Florida (Miami-Dade, Palm Beach, Hillsborough, Orange and Pinellas) have ordinances restricting the cruel chaining/tethering of dogs. The only hold-out: Broward County.

Contact the Broward County Commission and urge commissioners to follow the lead of other counties in Florida and pass an ordinance to restrict the chaining of dogs. Let them know that continuous chaining is bad for dogs and can be dangerous for people as well.

Mayor John Rodstrom and Commissioners
Broward County Commission
E-mail: Mayor@broward.org

Do you live in Broward County? Contact ARFF to get more involved in efforts to enact an anti-tethering ordinance.

ARFF continues to work in support of ordinances banning or restricting the chaining of dogs in other cities and counties in Florida. Next Tuesday, January 24, the City of Sunrise will vote on an ordinance restricting the chaining/tethering of dogs.

In October 2011, ARFF launched Stolen from Paradise, a website arguing for a ban on the export from St. Kitts & Nevis of monkeys destined for the research industry. ARFF sent letters and emails to the Prime Minister and to the island’s tourism authority’s, and we encouraged animal advocates and visitors to the islands to do the same. This week the government responded.

On January 9th, Prime Minister Dr. Denzil Douglas met with Cabinet Ministers for the first meeting of 2012. In his post-cabinet meeting briefing, the Information Minister noted, “an animal welfare group has been active in the international media in denouncing the trade of monkeys from St. Kitts and their use in biomedical research.” He added that the two facilites on St. Kitts that export wild-caught monkeys have “experienced some challenge with respect to… the shipment of live monkeys overseas” (in 2011, under pressure from animal advocates, three airlines that were once carriers of monkeys from St. Kitts made commitments to no longer transport monkeys destined for laboratory experimentation). The minister explained that the government was sensitive to “concerns about animal rights,” but that the island’s monkeys are an important “resource” for use in research and testing.

The response was not what we were hoping for, but a negative response is better than no response at all. We now know that ARFF’s campaign has reached the highest levels of the Government of St. Kitts & Nevis.

ARFF will continue to protest the cruel trade in wild-caught monkeys from St. Kitts & Nevis. If you haven’t already done so, please contact the Prime Minister and politely ask for a ban on the export of monkeys destined for the research industry. Visit Stolen from Paradise for contact details and more information.

For over 70 years, rhesus monkeys have lived along the banks of the Silver River in Marion County. According to local legend, the monkeys were introduced into the area by a tour boat operator in the 1930s. Spotting the monkeys can be a highlight of canoe trips in the Silver River State Park, or during glass-bottomed boat tours at the adjacent Silver Springs theme park. The monkeys have lived a peaceful existence in the wild, but the State of Florida considers them to be “nonnative” and allows occasional trapping of monkeys.

Although there have been reports in the past that trapped monkeys were sold into the research industry, recently a tipster provided information to ARFF that strongly suggests a laboratory cage is the likely destination for monkeys leaving Marion County this month. According to the anonymous tip, a group of live-trapped monkeys will be delivered to PrimGen (formerly Three Springs Scientific), a supplier of monkeys for use in experimentation and testing.

There are methods of population control that are humane and effective, such as the trapping, sterilization and return of monkeys. In fact, a sterilization program has been carried-out before in Marion County, in collaboration with the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Florida.

It is a tragedy that wild monkeys from Marion County are torn from their families and forest homes and sold to research and testing laboratories. Once wild and free, these sensitive and intelligent animals will end their lives in labs where pain and suffering are routine. Please contact the Florida Park Service and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and demand an end to the trapping of monkeys for the research industry at Silver River State Park and other state lands.

Contact:

Donald Forgione, Director
Florida Park Service
Online comment form (select “Silver River State Park” from the drop-down list)

Please copy your comments to the Florida DEP:

Herschel T. Vinyard Jr., Secretary
Florida Department of Environmental Protection
Online comment form (select “Recreation & Parks” from the drop-down list)

This week WPTV Ch. 5 ran a story about two, nine-week-old tiger cubs who had just arrived at McCarthy’s Wildlife Sanctuary in West Palm Beach. Considering that “sanctuary” is in their name, you might assume that the cubs at McCarthy’s had been rescued from an abusive or neglectful owner, or that they were relinquished by someone who for financial or other reasons could no longer care for the animals. But that’s not what happend. Instead, as Director Mark McCarthy explained, the cubs were a “gift” from Preservation Station in South Carolina: “They called us up and asked us if we wanted one white tiger, so I went up there to pick up one and then they told us to take two.” Preservation Station is run by Doc Antle, a breeder and trainer of exotic animals who produces the tiger show at Miami’s Jungle Island (visit ARFF’s website to learn about the exploitive animal shows at Jungle Island).

Accepting “gifts” of surplus animals from breeders has become a pattern for Mark McCarthy. Last month, another animal dealer with a bad history, the Zoological Wildlife Foundation, gave two young tigers and a liger to McCarthy. In June, Preservation Station gave a different set of tiger cubs to McCarthy. At the time, he told the Palm Beach Post, “They had an explosion of tiger cubs up there so they donated two tigers to our sanctuary.”

By partnering with organizations like Preservation Station and the Zoological Wildlife Foundation, McCarthy is encouraging the continued, irresponsible breeding of tigers and other exotic animals. In addition, the seven new big cats at McCarthy’s Wildlife Sanctuary occupy scarce space and eat up resources that will make it more difficult for the facility to truly rescue animals in need.

Fortunately, the quality of care for animals at McCarthy’s Wildlife Sanctuary is not an issue. That is not the case at another Florida quasi-sanctuary. Read about Dade City’s Wild Things below.

At Dade City’s Wild Things (a.k.a. Stearns Zoological Rescue), a “sanctuary zoo” in Pasco County, baby tigers, monkeys and other animals are shoved into the arms of one paying customer after another for photographs and swimming sessions.

During a USDA inspection at Dade City’s Wild Things on July 27, 2011, an inspector noted that a member of the public was bit “during a close encounter with a 1 year old macaque.” The facility was issued a citation for noncompliance with the Animal Welfare Act. When the inspector returned on September 14 for a repeat inspection, they found more problems. According to the report, “During the tiger swim session the cub was reluctant to move to the edge of the pool and the handler pulled him by the leash. The cub was later passed from the side of the pool to the handler inside the pool and the cub was apparently under distress by vocalizing and moving around when handled inside the pool in apparent discomfort. After swimming for a short distance the cub swam towards the handler located at the pool wall and extended his paws towards the edge of the pool apparently wanting to get out of the pool. Instead of pulling the cat out of the water and stopping the encounter the handler decided to continue with the swimming.” The inspection report concluded, “Young cubs should not be handled in a manner so it would be forced to perform any interaction that it doesn’t want in order to prevent unnecessary discomfort and/or behavioral stress.” The facility was issued another citation.

One of the main reasons that groups like Preservation Station and the Zoological Wildlife Foundation (see above post) continue to breed big cats is that photo ops, play sessions and other public appearances with cubs are money-makers.

Avoid tourist attractions and traveling exhibits that use baby tigers or other animals to sell photo souvenirs or that in other ways promote direct contact between captive wildlife and the public. Never pay to see a “rare” liger or white tiger. The cruel and unnecessary breeding of these animals will only stop when the public stops paying to see them.

It’s official. The use of bullhooks, electric shock prods and other cruel devices that are common in circuses is now prohibited in the city of Margate.

At last night’s meeting of the City Commission, commissioners unanimously approved an ordinance banning the “painful techniques and devices.” The ordinance takes effect immediately. Before the vote, Commissioner Lesa Peerman explained that at previous meetings she had asked for someone to give her a good reason why bullhooks are necessary when working with elephants. Not a single person called her to defend the use of bullhooks (conspicuously silent was the Cole Bros. Circus, who has performed in Margate the past three years).

The new ordinance in Margate is identical to an ordinance that was enacted by the City of Pompano Beach in 2000. The nearby cities of Hollywood, Lauderdale Lakes and Weston have completely banned circuses and other live animal displays.

ARFF would like to thank the many local animal advocates who attended commission meetings and/or wrote to the city in support of the ordinance.

Please contact the Mayor and City Commission and thank them for their vote to ban the use of bullhooks and other devices that cause pain and suffering to animals. Let them know that because of their compassionate stand against circus cruelty, you will make an extra effort to support businesses in the city and city events (for example, the annual Margate Street Festival, Feb. 18-19, 2012).

City of Margate
5790 Margate Boulevard
Margate, FL 33063

Mayor Pam Donovan
E-mail: pdonovan@margatefl.com

Vice Mayor David McLean
E-mail: dmclean@margatefl.com

Commissioner Lesa Peerman
E-mail: lpeerman@margatefl.com

Commissioner Frank Talerico
E-mail: ftalerico@margatefl.com

Commissioner Joseph Varsallone
E-mail: jvarsallone@margatefl.com

This afternoon, clowns from the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus will make an appearance at the Orlando Science Center. The clowns will entertain guests, but they will also be heavily promoting Ringling’s upcoming performances in Orlando. Today outside the science center, ARFF activists will educate the public about Ringling Bros.’ history of abusive treatment of elephants and other animals (including allegations of mistreatment that led to last month’s record $270,000 fine!).

On Thursday, Ringling clowns gave away stickers and clown noses to children at the downtown Orlando library, at the Maitland Public Library, and at the Seminole County library in Casselberry.

Each December, a few weeks before Ringling Bros. arrives in Florida, Ringling clowns visit libraries, museums and schools in the hope that local media will cover the event and provide the circus with free publicity.

We don’t think the Orlando Science Center or public libraries should be helping Ringling Bros. sell circus tickets. Please contact the science center and the libraries and ask them not to partner with Ringling Bros. in the future. Or if they do, urge them to make the event truly educational and include a discussion of the miserable lives of deprivation, confinement and abuse suffered by animals in traveling circuses. Contact:

JoAnn Newman, President & CEO
Orlando Science Center
E-mail: jnewman@osc.org

Mary Anne Hodel, Library Director and CEO
Orange County Library System
E-mail: comments@ocls.info

Ellen Schellhause, Director
Maitland Public Library
E-mail: eschellhause@maitlandpubliclibrary.org

Christine Patten, Library Services Manager
Seminole County Public Library
E-mail: cpatten@seminolecountyfl.gov

ARFF will demonstrate against the cruelty of the circus during Ringling Bros’ tour of Florida. Visit ARFF’s website for details.

This morning, House Bill 479 was reported favorably out of the Health & Human Services Quality Subcommittee with a unanimous vote. The bill is the first animal-related bill of the 2012 legislative session to make it out of a committee.

Among other things, the bill would restrict euthanasia by intracardial injection (an injection of drugs directly into the heart of an animal) only upon a dog or cat who is unconscious. Intracardial injection, commonly known as “heart-sticking,” is extremely painful and should only be done if an animal is under sedation. Earlier this year, Miami-Dade Animal Services came under fire when a worker used the so-called “heart stick” method to kill cats, in violation of shelter procedures. HB 479 would make it clear that incracardial injection on conscious animals is prohibited in Florida.

HB 479 has three more committees to move through before a vote by the full Florida House of Representatives. The companion bill in the Florida Senate (SB 654) has yet to be heard in committee. Please contact your state representative and state senator and ask them to support this legislation (click here to find your elected officials).

Visit ARFF’s website for updates on animal protection legislation.