City Council Vote Means Circus Animals Still Welcome In Worcester

“We have seen far too many undercover investigations, showing animals being beaten, slapped or whipped, even struck with electric cattle prods; to know that an animal’s life in the circus is not a good one. Animals do not belong in cages or shackled when not performing! They are forced to entertain the public by doing unnatural & stupid tricks, that can be detrimental to their health! Human safety is also an issue, when animals can’t take it any more & attack! There are plenty videos on YouTube showing trainers being mauled by big cats in the ring & elephants that have trampled their handlers, then charged the crowds looking for a way out; which sadly ends in tragic fatalities for the public & animal!! I personally think NO animal on earth should be forced to entertain humans for monetary gain…it’s wrong & immoral!!”

Also read another post I have added toward the end:- ‘CAPS welcomes Scottish consultation on wild animals in circuses’.

“Please sign just a few of the many petitions to ban wildlife in circuses: at the end of this post or on the Petition Tab above. If you’re in any doubt as to how elephants are trained; watch the video & share it, education is the key; what we share, will make more care!!

By Nick Kotsopoulos 04/02/2014

WORCESTER — The circus, complete with its lions, tigers and elephants, is still welcome in this city. 

The City Council Tuesday night rejected a call for the drafting of an ordinance that would have banned the use of wild and exotic animals in travelling shows and circuses that perform here. The vote was 8-3, with Councilor-at-Large Konstantina B. Lukes, District 2 Councilor Philip P. Palmieri and District 4 Councilor Sarai Rivera voting in opposition.

Mrs. Lukes, who advocated for the ban as the past chairman of the council’s Public Health and Human Services Committee, said the intent of her order was not to ban circuses in the city, but rather to ban the use of animals that are subject to extinction, such as elephants.

She said circuses exploit such animals for profit and she believes it is “time to right a wrong” by banning their use in circuses that come here. 

But Councillor-at-Large Michael T. Gaffney, who pushed to have a council vote taken on the matter after it had been tabled last month, said the proposal was not just about banning elephants in circuses.

He said he believes that animal-rights advocates would eventually move to have animals banned in other things, such as petting zoos. 

“This is the first step of saying we shouldn’t have animals period,” Mr. Gaffney said. 

Meanwhile, District 5 Councillor Gary Rosen argued it was time for the council to put the issue to rest.

He said the council had become mired down talking about whether it should ban a legal business such as a circus at a time when it has so many other important issues requiring its attention.

Mr. Rosen said if people object to wild and exotic animals performing at circuses held in the city, then they simply shouldn’t go to them. (What a knob head!!!)

“What are we doing even talking about this?” Mr. Rosen asked. “I think we’re foolish to be talking about banning a legal business from coming to Worcester. If people have a problem with the circus, then they should stay away, but they shouldn’t tell others they can’t go.” 

Last year, the City Council Public Health and Human Services Committee asked the Law Department to review a model ordinance drafted by Born Free USA, a national animal advocacy group. 

As part of its recommendation, the committee has also asked the city administration to draft an ordinance along the lines of the model ordinance that would keep out circuses and travelling shows that feature elephants, tigers, lions and chimpanzees. 

At the request of Mayor Joseph M. Petty, the council tabled the proposal until it received a report from the city administration on the impact of such a ban.

In a report that went before the council Tuesday night, City Manager Edward M. Augustus Jr. said the proposal raises a number of concerns, including legal issues since it would ban an activity permitted by state and federal law.

City Solicitor David M. Moore said it is his opinion that any municipal ordinance prohibiting the use of wild and exotic animals in circuses staged in the city would be “invalidated” as pre-empted by federal and state law. 

He said it would also trigger contractual issues between the city and SMG the company that manages the city-owned DCU Center (The DCU Center is an indoor arena and convention center complex, located in downtown Worcester, Massachusetts, USA).

SMG reports that the circus has an economic impact of $1.5 million during those years it comes to the DCU Center.

That economic impact includes ticket revenue, concessions, merchandise and parking for the approximately 20,000 people who attend the circus shows at the DCU Center.

Ms. Rivera said if Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus was not allowed to come back to the city, she believes that families would spend their entertainment dollars elsewhere in the community.

“That money will be spent in the local economy whether the circus is in town or not,” she said. “Families will find a place to take their children. Putting dollars to such (animal) cruelty; we have to ask ourselves what kind of a community we are? This is a serious issue and something we need to consider.” 

News Link:-http://www.telegram.com/article/20140204/NEWS/302049735/1116

• Petitions (More in the Petition Menu Tab):-
• http://www.petition2congress.com/11940/requesting-legislation-be-passed-in-usa-to-ban-wild-animals-in-ci/
• http://www.change.org/petitions/worcester-city-council-ban-circuses-with-animal-acts-from-coming-to-worcester
• https://secure.peta.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=2063
• Really interesting read:–http://www.captiveanimals.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Ethics-of-animal-circuses.pdf

Please note the above images are not connected in any way to this news post!

More News On Circuses:–

Thursday, January 23rd, 2014  CAPS welcomes Scottish consultation on wild animals in circuses

Yesterday afternoon, it was announced that the Scottish Government has opened a new consultation to gauge public opinion on the use of wild animals in circuses. A CAPS spokesperson welcomed the news, saying “this presents us with an opportunity to move a step closer to a UK-wide ban on the cruel practice of exploiting wild animals in the circus ring”.

England has already promised to bring in a ban, and Wales has also shown willing to do the same. CAPS has worked with campaign partners for many years to encourage Scotland to follow suit, with a full public consultation forming the first step in that process.

Said Liz Tyson, CAPS Director:

“We encourage our Scottish supporters to get involved in the process and join us in calling for an outright ban on the use of wild animals in travelling circuses in Scotland. These measures are long overdue and this is the opportunity for compassionate members of the public to make a difference”.

CAPS has presented evidence to the Scottish Government in recent years on this issue and will be putting together a detailed response to the consultation and working with campaign partners towards a ban

The consultation closes on the 16th April and all relevant information can be found by visiting this website: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/farmingrural/Agriculture/animal-welfare/AnimalWelfare/Circuses

Please help to support our vital work for animals by making a donation today. Thank you!

News Link:–http://www.captiveanimals.org/news/2014/01/caps-welcomes-scottish-consultation-on-wild-animals-in-circuses/

“Don’t support the cruelty! See how elephants are really trained to perform tricks; then tell everyone”.

Ringling Bros. Circus is NO FUN FOR ELEPHANTS! – End The Elephant Tragedy America!

http://breakthechainus.com/
Animals in the circus have not been asked to be there. They are stolen from the wild, babies ripped from their mothers and beaten into submission to perform. Elephants live a majority of their lives in chains. Tigers are crammed in into tiny cages for months on end. This atrocity must end now and we are putting a stop to it. But we can’t succeed without you!
http://www.ad-international.org/adi_u…

Woman Accused of Starving Dog to Death

An Enfield woman is under arrest, charged with a horrific case of animal abuse. Police said Carla Bushnell was supposed to be pet-sitting when she starved a dog to death.

“That dog was not my pet…he was my son,” said Andrew Zander, the dog’s owner.

When Zander got a call from Enfield Police a few weeks ago about the death of his dog, Bandit, he couldn’t believe it.

“I immediately broke down,” Zander said.

Investigators said Carla Bushnell was responsible, according to police.

Zander said Bushnell was a family friend and he asked her to continuously check on Bandit at his apartment. He was away for a few months to help his wife at a Massachusetts hospital.

“There was no reason for my wife or I to have any doubts she would be a good caretaker. She insisted she wanted to take care of them,” Zander explained.

According to police, a postal worker saw mail piling up outside Zander’s place in November and became suspicious. The carrier then looked in the window and saw the dog dead on the floor.

Exam results showed there was absolutely no food in Bandit’s system.

Carla Bushnell was arrested Thursday night and charged with animal cruelty. Investigators said she was liable because she made an agreement to watch the dog and Zander left instructions for Bushnell with her name on them on his kitchen cabinet.

“The dog had been starved for at least a month. Carla said in her statement that she was there every day,” Zander said.

NBC Connecticut tried talking to Bushnell after she bonded out of jail on Friday, but she would not answer any questions.

Zander hoped for an explanation.

“I would have rather seen him pass by old age or hit by a car than to starve to death,” he said.

He wants Bushnell held accountable for the suffering his dog went through.

News Link:–http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/Woman-Accused-of-Starving-Dog-to-Death-235828931.html

The Boston Globe’ charge against bulls and praised the veto de Catalunya to the party

“Please note this has been translated from Spanish”

The debate over bullfighting has come to Massachusetts (USA). The newspaper ‘The Boston Globe‘ has one devoted to publishing in which charges the “grotesque spectacle” , praised the veto imposed on the run in Catalonia and the Canary Islands and suggests that Spain should disappear this tradition.

The bullfighter Manuel Jesus ‘El Cid’, in Las Ventas, on May 22. JuanJo Martin | Reuters

In his editorial, ‘The Boston Globe’ considered, noting the drop in the number of runs and the decline of the Spanish fans for the bulls, that currently “there is no romance or honor” on the run.The paper notes that there is a “fight” but “torture an animal to enjoy the mass”. And remember that even a declared admirer of the bulls as the American writer Ernest Hemingway was “honest enough” to recognize that what fascinated him the party was “the spectacle of death”.

“THE TIME HAS PASSED BULLS”

The journal welcomes Spanish that increasingly reject “as entertainment” and stresses that the parliaments of Catalonia and the Canary Islands banned bullfighting and that these are no longer issued on public television.

By contrast, notes that the  Spanish Government declare bulls weigh cultural interest . Given this possibility, the newspaper of Boston takes sides and nostalgic suggests that the bulls should “accept the reality”, which in the opinion of the newspaper is that “the bulls are inhumane and their time has passed.” “Spain’s contributions to Western culture have been many glorious, but the grotesque spectacle of torturing bulls to death for amusement is not one of them,” he concludes. “Well said, its way past time this horrific spectacle of killing for fun & family entertainment; be banned altogether!”

Translated News link:– http://www.elperiodico.com/es/noticias/sociedad/editorial-boston-globe-toros-espana-catalunya-2402694

Petitions to sign please to ban this barbaric atrocity:-

http://www.change.org/petitions/to-chancellor-angela-merkel-stop-financing-from-european-funds-of-bullfighting

https://www.e-activist.com/ea-campaign/clientcampaign.do?ea.client.id=122&ea.campaign.id=10561

http://action.peta.org.uk/ea-campaign/clientcampaign.do?ea.client.id=5&ea.campaign.id=1861

http://www.petitions24.com/contra_la_declaracion_de_la_tauromaquia_patrimonio_unesco

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/campanha-contra-as-touradas-no-mundo-campaign-against-bullfighting-in-the-world-campagne-contre-la/

http://www.change.org/es/peticiones/comisión-de-cultura-del-congreso-de-los-diputados-no-a-la-declaracion-de-bic-a-la-tauromaquia

http://www.change.org/petitions/stop-bullfighting-festivals-in-france

https://www.e-activist.com/ea-campaign/clientcampaign.do?ea.client.id=122&ea.campaign.id=8014

https://secure.humanesociety.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=4991

http://www.change.org/petitions/a-la-comisión-de-peticiones-del-parlamento-europeo-que-el-parlamento-prohíba-los-crueles-y-sanguinarios-festejos-taurinos-2

http://avaaz.org/en/petition/Fim_do_financiamento_a_Tauromaquia_com_dinheiros_publicos/

http://action.peta.org.uk/ea-action/action?ea.client.id=5&ea.campaign.id=20036

http://www.change.org/es/peticiones/dile-al-ayuntamiento-de-a-coruña-basta-de-corridas-de-toros

https://secure.peta.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=4849

Rescued On A Busy Road After Being Thrown Out, Bridget Needs Your Help

“Another piece of crap who just couldn’t be arsed to take the poor dog to a shelter…people who do things like this are not fit to wipe the SXXT off shoes or breathe the same air as decent folk…Somebody must recognise Bridget, or at least notice that the dog that used be next door, has gone !! Well I hope whoever ditched Bridget feels good about themselves, they won’t for much longer… because I’m sending my friend ‘KARMA’ over for a little visit; not sure when…hopefully when they least expect it!!”

Imagine driving down a busy road and seeing someone throw litter out the window.  Now imagine that what you are actually  seeing is a live dog, being discarded like a bag of trash.

This is what happened to Bridget, a “happy-go-lucky” beagle mix, Route 53 in Weymouth, MA according to Joanne Mainiero, president of the Massachusetts Humane Society.

Fortunately for Bridget, she has a guardian angel in the form of a good Samaritan who witnessed the event and stopped in time to keep her from being hit by a car.  Bridget is now with the Humane Society, but her story doesn’t end here.   The perky pup has a growth on her leg which must be removed and some other medical issues that must be addressed before before she can put up for adoption.

Bridget – thrown out of moving car like a bag of trash!!

The Humane Society needs help to cover the costs of treating Bridget.  “We d don’t want to give up on her,” Mainiero said. “She’s a great dog. She really is happy.”  As soon as her treatment is complete, she will be fostered until she is ready to be adopted to her forever home.  Bridget was given a remarkable second chance when she was saved by her good Samaritan and is a big step closer to the life she deserves with a loving family.

If you would like to help with Bridget’s expenses, you can make cheques out to Massachusetts Humane Society with “Bridget” in the memo line, and mail them to PO Box 890127, East Weymouth, MA 02189.  For more information about donating or to volunteer to foster Bridget, call 781-335-1300 or send email to masshumane@aol.com.

News Link:–http://www.lifewithdogs.tv/2012/10/rescued-on-a-busy-road-after-being-tossed-out-bridget-needs-your-help/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+LifeWithDogs+%28Life+With+Dogs%29

Activist Take On AVMA To Condemn Debarking Surgery

Everyone has that neighbor who leaves their dog outside to bark all day.  From dusk till dawn, Hunter is barking at every leaf that floats by, and we all wish he would just shut up.  But to what end do we wish that possible?  Most of us would rather the owner just take better care of their pet, but some have gone so far as to devocalize their dogs.

Though it is rare, some people do take their dogs and even cats to the vet to have a ventriculocordectomy performed, which is the removal of the vocal cords.  This procedure is done by going through the mouth or by making an incision in the throat.

Sue & Perry

This medically unnecessary surgery can cause scar tissue build-up, and impair a dog’s ability to breathe and eat.  Additional surgeries may be needed to remove scar tissue, as is the case with Sue Perry’s adopted Newfoundland, Porter.

“I was just horrified by this,” said Perry.  “When he tried to bark, I was like, ‘What the heck?’”

Perry is adamantly against the inhumane procedure, and wondered how Porter’s previous owner could do such a thing, then give him up anyway.  She belongs to the Coalition to Protect and Rescue Pets, which fought to get “debarking” outlawed in Massachusetts.  Karen Mahmud, another of the group’s activists, also has an adopted dog, a Chihuahua named Lola, who had previously been devocalized.  Lola coughs constantly, and acts like there is something lodged in her throat.

“It’s very, very upsetting,” said Mahmud.  “I would never think that it’s ok to put a dog under needless torture.  If a dog barks, a dog barks.

The two women, who have never met in person, created an online petition demanding that the American Veterinary Medical Association speak out against debarking.  They say as long as the AMVA does not condemn it, they condone it.  The petition has already garnered over 130,000 signatures.

Karen & Lola

The practice of devocalization is illegal in Europe, as well as in Massachusetts, New Jersey, Ohio and Pennsylvania, but the word needs to get around to outlaw it in the rest of the states.  Most veterinarians refuse to do this surgery, and it is no longer taught in veterinary schools.

“My feeling is very strong that this procedure is done strictly for the convenience of people who don’t want to hear or are annoyed by their pet’s vocalizations,” said Joel Woolfson, a veterinary surgeon.  “It has nothing to do with the health of the animal.”

Dog experts say much of excessive dog barking is down to the owners:  the dogs are bored, socially isolated, poorly trained and suffer from anxiety or compulsive disorders.  Of course, they also bark when stimulated or when they feel their territory or themselves are threatened.

Sheilah Robertson, veterinarian and assistant director of the AMVA’s Animal Welfare Division, said the Animal Welfare Committee will consider scientific evidence and public opinion on the matter when they review the devocalization policy.

News Link:-http://www.lifewithdogs.tv/2012/10/activists-take-on-avma-to-condemn-debarking-surgery/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+LifeWithDogs+%28Life+With+Dogs%29

Below is the link for the petition for the AMVA to speak out against debarking:

http://www.change.org/petitions/tell-veterinarians-devocalization-is-mutilation

Our Dogs Were Devocalized!

 

Published on 18 Sep 2012 by MrPorterP

Our dogs’ first owners had them devocalized, then gave them up. Some vets perform this needless surgery even knowing the pain and suffering it causes. LEARN MORE: http://cprpets.weebly.com/about-devocalization-of-dogs-and-cats.html

Owners claim dog stuck in car grille on ride to RI

“This is what you call a real lucky dog…to be struck at 50 miles per hour, so that his body was wedged in the grill vent of the car; then to walk away with minor injuries…is a miracle!! You just gotta see the video!”

EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A dog who survived an 11-mile ride from Massachusetts to Rhode Island after being hit by a car and wedged into the grille has been reunited with its owners.

The owners, who weren’t identified, told WPRI-TV it’s a “miracle.”

East Providence Animal Control supervisor William Muggle said the owners claimed “Suzie” on Tuesday after seeing news reports. Animal control tells The Providence Journal they had veterinary paperwork with the dog’s microchip number.

Muggle said the female poodle mix ran in front of a car in Taunton, Mass., Sept. 20. The driver slammed on the brakes but didn’t see the dog.

Muggle said another motorist noticed it when the driver reached East Providence.

Animal control officers were able to free the fluffy white pooch, which suffered a concussion and minor injuries.

“Sorry about the video not being linked, ever since Vodpod swapped over to Lockerz, I have been having problems getting videos to attach to posts. It’s so bloody frustrating, can’t even have them as a widget either!!”

Link to amazing video:– http://landing.newsinc.com/shared/video.html?freewheel=90615&sitesection=wgmetv_top&VID=23830984

News Link:–http://www.wgme.com/template/inews_wire/wires.national/3c4ab976-www.wgme.com.shtml

Canadian woman facing two years jailtime for animal cruelty, perjury, and identity fraud

She used the name Linda Snow, the identity of a young girl who died decades earlier on the North Shore , to authorities who arrested and charged her with animal cruelty in 2008 for running an unsafe dog-breeding operation out of a home in Randolph.

Then after pleading guilty, she fled probation and adopted another name, Mary Howard, to start anew in Connecticut, authorities said.

Her real name is Gloria Marriott, a 64-year native of Canada, and she now faces two years in prison after pleading guilty in Norfolk Superior Court Tuesday to a slew of additional charges, including perjury and identity fraud, according to the Norfolk district attorney’s office. Marriott also faces five years of probation and must pay about $74,000 to the Animal Rescue League of Boston, which cared for the dogs she abused, and to the owner of the Randolph home she had rented.

Authorities said she operated a puppy mill, raising young dogs in horrific conditions that ultimately required dozens of the animals to receive medical attention.

“The false identities and the lies are an odd sideshow, but it is the underlying case that is most disturbing,” said Michael W. Morrissey, the Norfolk district attorney. “This was a terrible example of animal cruelty. Eighty-nine dogs had to be rescued from deplorable conditions, many of them malnourished, diseased, and literally caked in filth. She showed no interest in the chance at community rehabilitation that the court offered her in 2008, and now she is deservedly going to jail.”

In 2008, Marriott, under the name Linda Snow, owned a pet store, Missy’s Puppyland on Park Street in Stoughton, while also running the breeding operation out of a house she rented in Randolph. Morrissey’s office said the Randolph home was “severely damaged with animal filth.”

After fleeing Massachusetts, Marriott was again charged with animal cruelty for an unrelated case in Connecticut and was serving time there when indicted for the additional perjury charges in Norfolk County.

“Perhaps most important is that all of the dogs that have been in her control have since been made safe,” Morrissey said.

News Link:-http://www.boston.com/metrodesk/2012/08/07/canadian-woman-facing-two-years-jailtime-for-animal-cruelty-perjury-and-identity-fraud/gFTmP3pOZtYQIdgA6iWUdJ/story.html

Heat killed 9 Westfield dogs in kennel

WESTFIELD, Mass. – An investigator says nine dogs at a Westfield kennel died from heat stress caused by a malfunctioning air conditioner.

Westfield Animal Control Officer Kenneth Frazer tells The Republican newspaper of Springfield Friday the deaths were “a tragic accident.” Frazer said he, an MSPCA investigator, and an air conditioning technician found the unit’s coil frosted over, causing it to blow hot air.

MSPCA spokesman Rob Halpin also said it appears the July 5 deaths were an accident.

Brenda Coggin of Coggin Creek Stables said the air conditioner was emitting a mist and chemical odor when she found her Australian shepherds. They had bled through their noses. Investigators said that likely was from broken blood vessels, not the chemical.

Frazer said the dogs were well cared for but he may give Coggins a written warning for an unlicensed kennel.

News Link: http://www.wcvb.com/news/local/central-massachusetts/Heat-killed-9-Westfield-dogs-in-kennel/-/11983998/15484908/-/gnpcxv/-/index.html#ixzz20jXHYkf1

Dog, cat killed in separate fox attacks in Amherst

AMHERST — Last month, reports of rabid foxes attacking humans in western Massachusetts seemed almost commonplace after several back-to-back incidents within a short period of time. Now, pets are apparently in the crosshairs, with two killings reported in Amherst this month.

The most recent incident happened Saturday morning, when a toy poodle was killed by a fox in a residential North Amherst neighborhood, according to the Daily Hampshire Gazette. Earlier this month, a cat was killed by a fox in Amherst, the Northampton newspaper reports.

Amherst Animal Welfare Officer Carol Hepburn urged residents to watch their small pets, particularly during the summer months when foxes actively hunt rabbits, rodents, squirrels and other small animals. “Protect your animals from wildlife. Always be aware when your animals are outside,” Hepburn told the Gazette.

While last month’s attacks on humans were the result of rabies, a deadly viral infection that can make animals aggressive toward people, the attacks on animals were likely the result of defensive actions on the part of the fox, an omnivore that will eat everything from bugs to birds to fruit and garbage.

MassWildlife spokeswoman Marion Larson told the Gazette that pet attacks are likely defensive in nature, meaning a fox was protecting its territory or a nearby den, rather than predatory attacks aimed at securing food sources.

News Link:-http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2012/06/dog_cat_killed_in_separate_fox.html

Devocalization: Real Victims – Video

 

Published on 25 Mar 2012 by MrPorterP

Devocalization, cutting vocal cord tissue to stifle an animal’s voice, is mutilation at anyone’s hand, even an experienced vet. Ban it now! INFO:http://www.nyagainstdevocalization.weebly.com or
nyagainstdevoc@aol.com

Urge the NYS Senate Agriculture Committee to Release the Devocalization Ban—and Prevent This Cruelty—NOW

Call May 21-24

Make sure other animal lovers do too by posting this link to your Facebook page.

Countdown to June 21: That’s when the 2011-12 NYS legislative session ends. Without your continued activism, it could also be the end of our hope for an enforceable law banning devocalization. This practice is so cruel, it has long been illegal in many countries and since 2010 in Massachusetts. It’s time for New York to step up.

You may have contacted certain NYS lawmakers already.

Here’s why you now need to call members of the Senate Agriculture Committee:

Senate Bill 6167A (S6167A) can’t pass unless it gets a floor vote before the session ends in just four short weeks. That can’t happen until it’s released from the Agriculture Committee and after that, the Senate Codes Committee. It needs to move without delay.

Problem is, Agriculture has held S6167A since January, with no sign of letting go.

An aide reportedly told pro-animal callers this humane bill is “not important enough to consider.”

We respectfully disagree.

We think protecting dogs’ and cats’ voices, wellbeing and lives is plenty important. Please help lawmakers understand that.

Read the rest of this post & contact details :–http://www.friendsofanimals.org/news/2012/may/next-step-to-end-dev.html