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DECEMBER 3, 2009
JUSTICE: Bronx Teen Gets 2 Years Behind Bars For Killing Kitten
Cheyenne Cherry, 17, had plea-bargained her way to a 1 year jail term with a 3 year ban on pets. Deal off. She'll spend 2 years in jail for roasting Tiger Lilly in a 500-degree oven during an attempted burglary at the apartment of her former friend Valerie Hernandez. Cherry's restriction on animals stands at 3 years and she is subject to 3 years of post-release supervision. Hundreds of Kinship Circle letter writers, along with campaigns from In Defense of Animals and other groups, highlighted the gravity of this animal abuse crime… SEE FULL UPDATE
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NOVEMBER 13, 2009
UPDATE: San Diego Has Legal Leeway To Let Seals Stay In Cove
Casa Beach, the Children's Pool, in La Holla, Calif. is home to a harbor seal colony. Plaintiff Valerie O' Sullivan wants to squirt them all away with a sprinkler system called the Scarecrow. Kinship Circle followers joined Animal Protection and Rescue League and other area activists, urging Calif. Legislature Assembly reps to vote YES ON SB-428 — to protect the right for seals to be there. In the end Superior Court Judge Timothy Taylor overturned two prior rulings to disperse some 200 seals. As of Jan 1, 2010, San Diego has legal leeway to let seals stay… SEE FULL UPDATE
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NOVEMBER, 2009
WIN! Ordinances To Outlaw Declawing Pass In California Cities
To declaw a cat her last paw bone, along with with tendons and ligaments, is amputated. Now ordinances to ban the controversial procedure have passed in 4 California cities. “So far, Santa Monica, San Francisco, Beverly Hills and Los Angeles have passed bans on declawing,” writes Armaiti May DVM, a Kinship Circle advisory board member and Los Angeles veterinarian whom we worked with to oppose this convenience surgery and enact bans that instate a precedent for communities worldwide. “Amputating the toes of cats is not okay. Period…” SEE FULL UPDATE
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JULY, 2009
UPDATE: Customers, Financiers, Suppliers Fizzle For Huntingdon Life Sciences
Revenue continues to fall for Huntingdon Life Sciences, the world's largest contract animal research lab and subject of 7 investigations. HLS has multiple breaches of the U.S. Animal Welfare Act, staff arrests for animal cruelty, over 520 infringements of Good Laboratory Practice in England, and a $50,000 payoff to the U.S. Agriculture Department for misstated records and animal welfare violations. Within 12 months, HLS loses 2 major customers and share prices plummet by 75%. Ultimately, Huntingdon needs $60 million to pay off debts, but risks bankruptcy… SEE FULL UPDATE
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MAY 5, 2009
WIN! Canadian Sealers Lose Biggest Customer — EUROPE!
Canada fails to soften a sweeping EU ban on import-export of seal goods across European Union nations. The ban was enacted in 2009 with exemptions for native Canadian Inuit and 15 more commercial sealers who requested a moratorium. But a judge later refused to ease the ban while courts decide its long-term legality. Canadian authorities contend animals are killed quickly and have warned they will challenge the ban as violation of world trade rules. In fact, documentation shows pups shot, bludgeoned, kicked and thrashed with razor-sharp hakapiks… SEE FULL UPDATE
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APRIL 27, 2009
WIN! Michigan Pound Cans R&R Research
Montcalm County, MI Commissioners finally voted to end a 30-year contract with R&R Research. This means impounded animals cannot be relinquished to Class B dealers for sale to medical research laboratories. Montcalm had contracted R&R to take unadopted animals through a process called pound seizure. Behind a lab's closed doors, trusting animals undergo invasive surgeries, toxic dosing, food-water deprivation, prolonged pain… SEE FULL UPDATE
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MARCH 24, 2009
WIN! No More Fur For Urban Outfitters
Urban Outfitters announced a fur-free policy in 2009, joining Zappos, Juicy Couture, Polo Ralph Lauren, Gap, Forever 21, and more fashion sources that no longer profit from another's agony. Kinship Circle followers questioned the chain's fur-trim jackets from “recycled fur” as far back as 2002 (alert no longer online). Over the years, they reminded the retail chain that even a little fur for vintage or trimmed items represents a whole lot of pain and death. Animals used for fur are routinely electrocuted via their genitals. “Harvesting, ranching” and other euphemisms can't fake reality: A metal noose around the neck, an electric prod shoved into the rectum, and 240 volts of electricity shot down an animal's throat. The current doesn't stun the brain, so animals feel the torturous force of a heart attack for up to two minutes.
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MARCH 19, 2009
WIN! Jamaica Says No To Greyound Racing
A FRIENDS OF KINSHIP CIRCLE* alert exposed plans to bring greyhound races to Jamaica, with deep concern for the cruelty associated with this industry. “Retired” greyhounds are annually killed and pups are culled if deemed unsuitable for racing. “Owners” who view the dogs as commodities subject them to ongoing abuse. Jamaica's Prime Minister Bruce Golding informed Grey2kUSA that greyhound races will NOT find a new home in his country. Thanks to all who spoke out for greyhounds. *FRIENDS OF KINSHIP CIRCLE, a section devoted to alerts from members and supporters (that Kinship Circle did not research itself), is no longer active due to a lack of volunteer staff and huge volume of requests.
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MARCH 14, 2009
PROGRESS: Obama Bans Downer Cows, Closes Longtime Loophole
Dying animals should not be rammed with tractors, forklifts and chains. Hauled, electro-shocked, water-hosed…so meat makers can eke about $30 out of a tortured body. Undercover footage from Westland-Hallmark Meat Packing Co. reflects the plight of thousands more animals annually dragged, hoisted and trucked to USDA slaughter plants where they slip into the human food supply. The Obama admin has passed a permanent ban on slaughter of downed cows. Ultimately, a ban is needed on transport, marketing and slaughter of all downed animals, including pigs, sheep, goats… Once down, organs slowly collapse. An animal cannot rise, even with violent coercion. The new measure closes a loophole that forced some downed cows to suffer until inspection and solidifies a flimsy USDA rule… SEE FULL UPDATE
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MARCH 3, 2009
PROGRESS: Obama Fixes Endangered Species Act That Bush Broke
When President Bush modified a decades old Endangered Species Act policy, Kinship Circle supporters flooded Capitol Hill with requests to reinstate a rule that requires unbiased review by Fish and Wildlife Service or National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration — BEFORE projects begin. President Obama restored the mandate for consultation with independent agents about how actions might harm threatened and endangered species. Environmentalists and scientists agree that the Bush change would have hurt vulnerable species nationwide… SEE FULL UPDATE
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FEBRUARY 26, 2009
WIN! University Of Michigan To Use Simulators In Place Of Cutting Open Dogs
Your words have impact! Six weeks after Physicians Committee For Responsible Medicine alerts us to cruel and old-fashioned live dog labs in UM trauma training, UM publicly announces it will “use only simulated models for Advanced Trauma and Life Support courses conducted at the UM Medical School.” Nonanimal research tools mean no one suffers. No one dies. Woof! Oink! SEE FULL UPDATE
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FEBRUARY 24, 2009
UPDATE: U.S. House Passes Primate Pet Bill In Shadow Of Travis Tragedy
When Travis outgrew his cuteness, the 200 pound chimpanzee moved in with Sandra Herold as her pet. Something snapped in Travis one day. Groomed for a life in show biz, the 15-year old attacked Charla Nash. Herold stabbed Travis with a butcher knife to save her friend. The mutilated chimp staggered away to his living area, a human place with toys and blankets. Bewildered, he awaited his next command. But no voice came and Travis died. Travis was a creature of the jungle, programmed to subdue female chimps and progress to the head of his pack. He craved social bonds within a chimpanzee community. Travis was wired to be a chimp… SEE FULL UPDATE
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FEBRUARY 13, 2009
UPDATE: Canada's Gray Seal Nursery Thrives, In Place Of Death
Canada's lesser known grey seal hunt is abandoned this year, when the market for their skins dries up. Rebecca Aldworth of HSUS was overjoyed to find thriving life on Hay Island, Nova Scotia where the annual slaughter should have been underway. Instead of shot, bludgeoned babies with skin torn from their bodies, Aldworth describes a spectacular nursery, alive with mothers and pups. Canadian government had authorized another hunt, but processing plants told sealers they would not buy baby grey skins. So sealers stayed home. This year, grey seals are spared. Harp seals, however, will still be killed by the hundreds of thousands… SEE FULL UPDATE
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FEBRUARY 10, 2009
JUSTICE: Jail And No Animals For Man Who Sawed Off dog's Teeth
“Thank you Kinship Circle for mobilizing the wider animal advocate community about this case,” writes Emilie Bottiggi, a Kinship Circle member who brought Lucas' ordeal to our attention. Witnesses saw Christopher Barnett of McMinnville, TN beat his Alaskan husky and chisel Lucas' teeth until root and nerve were exposed. The year and a half old dog's head jerked back and forth, one witness said, as Barnett ran a saw-like tool through his bloody mouth. Barnett was convicted of Class A Misdemeanor Animal Abuse and sentenced to 75 days jail time in a court where animal abusers usually get 48 hours behind bars… SEE FULL UPDATE
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JANUARY 1, 2009
WIN! European Cat/Dog Fur Ban Now In Full Force
When Humane Society Int'l asked Kinship Circle to create a global action alert to European Commissioners, we pushed for enactment of a ban on import, export, sale and production of cat-dog fur skins in Europe. Since enacted, the ban now takes full effect. It closes a loophole that let skins from cats and dogs not specifically killed for their fur slip into the market. Cat-dog fur is disguised as synthetic or of vague origin. Most is imported from China where companion animals are raised for fur. The ban addresses citizen concerns across all EU nations… SEE FULL UPDATE
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