In Defense Of Animals Offers $2,500 Reward In Fairbanks Puppy Cruelty Case

Great Dane puppy saved from heartless and deadly abandonment.

Fairbanks, Alaska (August 20, 2012) – In Defense of Animals (IDA), an international animal protection organization based in California, is offering a $2,500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the abuser who muzzled a Great Dane puppy, then stuffed him into a suitcase and callously tossed him into a dumpster to die.

The suitcase containing the dog was discovered just after midnight on August 12 by local business owner Dennis Preslan. “I unzipped it partially and all I saw was an eyeball and part of a black nose looking back at me that scared the living Jesus out of me,” he told the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. “I wasn’t expecting something to try to poke a head out of there.” The puppy was gagged with a bandana around his muzzle. The traumatized puppy ran off into the woods when the suitcase was opened, but Mr. Preslan and his wife caught him the following morning.

The puppy is now in protective custody at the local animal shelter and reportedly in good health. He weighs 37 pounds and his age is estimated at between three and four months old.

IDA has pledged a $2,500 reward to encourage someone to come forward with information. “Whoever would heartlessly abuse, incapacitate and abandon an animal in this way clearly is a danger to other animals and to people as well,” said Jack Carone, Communications Director of IDA. “We know beyond a doubt that animal cruelty is a precursor to violence against humans. Someone knows something about this disgusting act, and we ask them to come forward, both in the interest of justice for this poor puppy and for the safety of the community.”

IDA urges anyone with information about this horrible case of abandonment to contact Fairbanks Crime Stoppers at 907-456-2583. To contribute to the reward fund, please call IDA at (415) 448-0048, ext.0.

News Link:-http://www.idanews.org/ida-breaking-news/in-defense-of-animals-offers-2500-reward-in-fairbanks-puppy-cruelty-case/

In Defense Of Animals Doubles Reward In Minneapolis Cat Cruelty Case

Reward fund now totals $2,000 to convict person(s) who stabbed and set cat on fire

Minneapolis, Minn. (August 16, 2012) – In Defense of Animals (IDA), an international animal protection organization based in California, has added $1,000 to a reward fund for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whomever stabbed, then burned to death a cat in a Minneapolis park. This brings the total reward to $2,000.

On August 12, police responded to a call from park employees who found a dead cat in the Longfellow Park and Recreation Center, a voting location used in Tuesday’s primary election. The cat’s throat had been slit, she had been set on fire, and a small American flag had been stabbed into her body. There was also an Obama/Biden lawn flag stuck in the ground at the site. That prompted interest from the FBI, Secret Service, and the Department of Homeland Security, who are also investigating.

The Minnesota Federated Humane Societies (MFHS) has posted a $1,000 reward for the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible. “This despicable act of animal cruelty will not go unpunished,” said MFHS General Council Representative Tim Shields to WCCO, the local CBS affiliate. “Those responsible for this cruel, torturous death of a house pet will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

IDA has pledged to double that reward to encourage someone to come forward with information. “Whoever would commit this grotesque crime is a danger to us all.” said Jack Carone, Communications Director of IDA. “We know beyond a doubt that animal cruelty is a precursor to violence against humans. Someone knows something, and we ask them to come forward, both in the interest of justice for this poor animal and for the safety of the community.”

IDA urges anyone with information about this brutal killing to contact the Minnesota Federated Humane Societies at 612-866-8663. To contribute to the reward fund, please call IDA at (415) 448-0048, ext.0.

News Link:-http://www.idanews.org/ida-breaking-news/in-defense-of-animals-doubles-reward-in-minneapolis-cat-cruelty-case/

Breaking News – Judge Agrees With IDA, Says Los Angeles Zoo Elephants Are Not Healthy, Happy, Or Thriving

If you appreciate our work for elephants, please use the secure form at the bottom of this page to support our efforts.

On July 24, 2012 California Superior Court Judge John L. Segal released a scathing decision in a lawsuit regarding the elephant exhibit at the Los Angeles Zoo. He concluded that the elephants are not “healthy, happy or thriving.” The judge said the zoo’s new $42 million exhibit is injuring the three elephants who live there, Billy, Tina and Jewel, but stopped short of closing the exhibit.

Instead, the judge ordered the zoo to make changes such as increasing exercise and rototilling to soften the soil in the exhibit, and banning bullhooks and electric shock devices.

IDA has been working for the last five years on this lawsuit, providing valuable expertise and experience. Elephant Campaign Director Catherine Doyle testified during the six-day trial as a rebuttal witness.

The judge wrote: “The evidence at trial shows that life at the Los Angeles Zoo for Billy, Tina, and Jewell is empty, purposeless, boring, and occasionally painful. Their lives are supervised, managed, and controlled by zoo employees who appear to be in the dark about normal and abnormal behavior of elephants, in denial about the physical and emotional difficulties of the elephants they manage and whose lives they control, and under the misconception that the elephants prefer to live their lives in an exhibit with human companions rather than with other elephants.”

Sadly, the issues raised in the lawsuit and in the judge’s decision are not limited to the Los Angeles Zoo, but are shared by zoos around the country, including the same delusional approach to managing elephants, believing that abnormal repetitive behaviors are a sign of contentment, like a dog wagging a tail; that use of the bullhook is no different than a leash on a dog; and that elephants can thrive in tiny exhibits in which they are emotionally and socially deprived.

IDA will build on this landmark decision in our work for elephants. With your support, we will continue to work for Tina, Jewel and Billy until they are released from the zoo. We also fight to protect those in the wild. Some of our activities that you have funded include:

• Providing direct assistance to the Amboseli Trust for Elephants with a grant for anti-poaching efforts. Your donations paid for rewards leading to the arrests of poachers.

• Your donations purchased radio collars for nine young elephants who were rescued from the cruel elephant-back safari trade and reintroduced into the wild in Zimbabwe.

• Successfully fighting the export of elephant calves and other wildlife from Zimbabwe to a zoo in North Korea. Now, we are fighting to stop the export of elephants from Namibia to a zoo in Cuba.

• Mobilizing IDA supporters to send a loud and clear message that the U.S. government should never support the sale of ivory by African countries.

• Generating thousands of messages urging the government of Sri Lanka to protect elephants both in the wild and in captivity and end the export of elephant calves to foreign zoos.

There’s so much more work to be done. Please make a contribution today so IDA can continue to make a difference. Together, we can help elephants survive. Thank you!

Click here to help the elephants by donating whatever you can, it all helps:-https://secure2.convio.net/ida/site/Donation2?idb=0&df_id=3200&3200.donation=form1&JServSessionIdr004=h9pocwb8j2.app245b

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF ACTION FOR SOUTH KOREAN DOGS AND CATS!

Call To Action!
Please Join IDA for our 

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF ACTION FOR SOUTH KOREAN DOGS AND CATS!
Tuesday, August 7th, 2012

IDA would like to invite you to take action for the dogs and cats in South Korea, and to be a Compassionate Coordinator.

The $2 billion dollar-a-year South Korean dog and cat meat industry slaughters approximately two and half million dogs and thousands of cats in the most horrific fashion for human consumption, because of the prevailing myth that the more an animal is tortured, the tastier and more tender the meat.  Aside from the needless suffering, there is the very serious public health risk associated with eating dog and cat meat. 

We need activists to organize outreach eventsto educate their communities about this industry of horror that is sanctioned by the South Korean government. You can hold a protest or leafleting in a public area to raise awareness, or have a table at a local venue or event to get the word out. IDA will provide you with the materials you will need to make your event a rousing success.

We would like to have a presence at the Korean Embassies and Consulates in the following cities. Please let us know if you would be willing to help coordinate an event:

• U.S.
• Washington, D.C.
• Chicago, IL
• Atlanta, GA
• Boston, MA
• Houston, TX
• Honolulu, HI
• Seattle, WA
• Seattle, Washington, 2011
• Canada:
• Toronto
• Montreal
• Ottawa
• Vancouver

You do not need to live in any of these cities to participate. If you are interested in helping spread the word about the Dogs and Cats of South Korea, please contact hope@idausa.org or call 707-540-1760. Your day of action could be any day around August 7th. Click here to register your event.

For more information about the South Korean Dog and Cat Campaign, please e-mailrobin@idausa.org or call 415-331-8659.

The dogs and cats of South Korea are counting on you!

News Link:-http://skdogcatcampaign.com/day-of-action/

Death Of Elephant Calf At Memphis Zoo Prompts Call To End Breeding

Mother carrying dead fetus may also be at risk of death

San Rafael, Calif. (March 22, 2012) — In Defense of Animals (IDA) is calling for an end to elephant breeding, starting at the Memphis Zoo in Tennessee, following the in utero death of an elephant calf. The calf is still being carried by the mother and may threaten her life. Gina, a 29-year-old African elephant, was due to deliver in August. This would have been the second birth at the zoo. The first, in 2009, ended in tragedy when mother Asali killed her one-day-old calf.

For Reference only

“Inadequate conditions for elephants in zoos, including lack of space for movement, contribute to high rates of birth complications and, too often, the death of the mother,” said IDA Elephant Campaign Director Catherine Doyle. “We sincerely hope that Gina does not also lose her life due to the irresponsible and inhumane practice of breeding elephants in zoos.”

At least four elephants in U.S. zoos died after the in utero deaths of their calves, some due to massive infection: Babe at the Ft. Worth Zoo, Ibala at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Tika at Six Flags-Vallejo, and Ruby at the Phoenix Zoo.

Since 2000, at least 25 elephant pregnancies have ended in stillbirth or other complications, including death of calf during labor, euthanasia of premature calf, failure to thrive, death of mother, and infanticide. The infant mortality rate for elephants in U.S. zoos (ages 0-1) is four times higher than that of documented free-ranging populations in Africa and Asia.

Elephant experts believe that lack of exercise and physical fitness, stress, and excessive weight gain contribute to captive elephants’ inability to successfully give birth to calves. Adverse birthing conditions, including the routine isolation and chaining of laboring elephants at most zoos, may also contribute to the problem.

Elephants in zoos endure a host of problems seen only in captivity, such as high rates of birth complications and infant mortality, infertility, abnormal repetitive behaviors, and deadly conditions including crippling arthritis and foot disease. A study in the journal Science found that elephants in zoos die far younger than those in wild populations.

“Breeding elephants in zoos has nothing to do with conservation because no calf born in a zoo will ever be returned to the wild,” stated Doyle. “Continuing this dangerous practice puts elephant lives at serious risk.”

For more information, please visit www.helpelephants.com.

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

Help Elephants (IDA) – Top Ten Worst Zoos for Elephants – 2011

2011 Top Ten Worst Zoos for Elephants

In Defense Of Animals Releases 2011 “Ten Worst Zoos For Elephants” List.

San Rafael, Calif. (January 16, 2012) – The 2011 list of the Ten Worst Zoos for Elephants, released today by In Defense of Animals (IDA), once again exposes the hidden suffering of elephants in zoos, where lack of space, unsuitably cold climates and unnatural conditions condemn Earth’s largest land mammals to lifetimes of deprivation, disease and early death. The list is in its eighth year.

A promising trend toward the closure of inadequate elephant displays continued in 2011 and includes zoos that have appeared on IDA’s annual list. The most recent are the Central Florida Zoo and the Southwick’s Zoo (Mass.). The Toronto Zoo’s appearance on the 2009 list sparked a campaign that has led to the closure of that exhibit in 2012. This brings the number of zoos that have closed or will close their elephant exhibits to 22, and zoo experts report that the number is expected to rise.

via Help Elephants (IDA) – Top Ten Worst Zoos for Elephants – 2011.

In Defense of Animals

In Defense of Animals.

http://www.cardsdirect.com/ida.aspx

A great place to buy greeting cards whilst helping save the animals.